#GIVE HIM TO US HAL OR I WILL THROW MY WEAK HANDS

[starlytenight]

M A N I F E S T

✨✨✨Reblog to cast, Like to charge✨✨✨

Picture credits to @kare-bear117 and @blazingstaro for giving me their copies as tribute✨

[zooweemama143]

misc greaser backstory headcanons because i'm bored and it's time for this fandom to hear my lukewarm hot takes <ब₍₍( ˃̗εू˂ )₎₎<ब

johnny and lola's fatal relationship flaws are learned from their respective sets of parents.

johnny grew up witnessing his parents' tumultuous marriage and often felt like he was walking on eggshells due to his father's possessiveness and short fuse. mrs. vincent stayed, no matter how much her husband's fits of rage scared her because she felt she had a duty to her family. her one silver lining was that at least he never laid a hand on her (no, he'd only punch the walls near her or throw dinnerware– that's not abuse, is it? was just one of the numerous feeble defenses johnny would hear from his mom.) (the one time she DID defend herself, the situation escalated and eventually landed both of johnny's parents in prison. because he was already 18 when this happened, social services did not get involved.)

lola's father cheated on her mom and as a result, she's never had any stable relationships beyond short-lived flings. ms. lombardi consequently passed her bitterness about the affair and the divorce onto her daughter; it didn't help that lola's father stopped giving a shit about her after he married his affair partner and started a family with her. witnessing her family breaking apart, her mother wrecking her life with numerous toxic flings, and the father she used to love so dearly doting on his son with his new wife had not only resulted in non-committal tendencies, but also a dislike of men that borders on misandry.

(on that, i feel like a case can be made that lola's a closeted lesbian with MAD comphet, but that's a story for another time.)

peanut's home life is nearly similar to johnny's, but what sets them apart is the fact that peanut's father– alongside his verbal abuse– outright beats him; that's where his intense napoleon complex stems from. initially, his mother was the victim of his father's rage, but the older peanut grew, the more he fought back for her. consequently, at some point, he essentially became his father's outlet for his rage. he hates losing fights, being made to feel small and weak, because, well– if he can't fight back, who'll be there to protect his mom?

norton's family is relatively more normal and maybe even more stable than the rest of his clique's, but they're– unsurprisingly– not without their own issues. i feel like most of the conflict within the williams' family stems from the clashing ideals between norton and his dad; norton's a guy who was radicalized at a young age (since he's quite well-read), and his father– a police officer– represents the authority and the system he hates so much. becoming a greaser was not only teenage rebellion, but also a way to show that he outright rejects what his father believes in; he resents him for being a sellout. officer williams is aware of this.

vance is the only son among a brood of daughters. the second eldest child, he shares a close bond with his younger sisters, but a hesitant, nearly strained relationship with his older sister. their father is absent, and their mother overworked, so both of them are parentified– even if ms. medici didn't intend for that to happen. vance's never been shy about his bisexuality, and the unorthodox way he expresses his masculinity is a source of contention for his sister. she resents how carefree he is, how arbitrary his priorities are (like his obsession with his appearance, his social standing amongst the greasers, and his various romances in bullworth). their father couldn't be the man of the house, and now vance can't even fill in that role if he tried.

as implied by some of his voicelines, hal's fatness is (not so) secretly a major source of insecurities for him. his mother truly tries to be as supportive as she can be, but his father– perhaps another alumni of bullworth, maybe even a former jock?– is especially harsh on him, his "tough love" bordering on outright verbal abuse. hal was initially sent to bullworth in order to "whip him into shape" (both figuratively and literally), and his dad hit the roof when he found out that hal decided to join the greasers instead of getting into something "worthwhile". he tries to be as confident as he's making himself seem, though his dad's comments about his body and his hobbies and his friends cut deep.

ricky was essentially raised by his older brother (a former greaser himself). their parents have never been in the picture, and they were initially raised by their hyperreligious, paranoid grandmother before ricky's brother had enough– he moved out at 18 and took ricky with him. he had to take numerous odd jobs just to support them, ultimately dropping out of his last year in bullworth and forgoing college in favor of working. despite their similar personalities and interests, this is why they often clash– ricky's brother had to sacrifice his schooling for him, and he wants nothing more than for ricky to be responsible and successful. to be the opposite of who he was.

on the other hand, lucky essentially raised his younger siblings (a sister and a brother). his mom walked out on his family when he was still a kid; consequently, his dad fell into a deep depression, was laid off from his job, and turned to alcohol and gambling. lucky had to step up to the plate and be the man of the house in his stead. he's not quite sure who he resents more: his mom, for walking out; his dad, for taking away his remaining childhood; or the system, for fucking them all up in the first place.

lefty is a latch-key kid. both of his parents may be present in his life, but it's as if they're not all that interested in their son– he doesn't quite know why, but there's the implication that he's an accident; one that forced them to have a shotgun marriage despite not being in love anymore. they provide the bare minimum for him, but not much beyond that; whether its gifts or affection. he'll claim he's given up on trying to win their love a long time ago, but he can't deny that with every new scar he earns, he wishes they'd notice. at least once. (with concern or anger, it doesn't matter anymore.)

[muchadoaboutnot]

It's the beginning of the end for him when he finally shares a bed with her. And not the way one would suspect, no, it's nothing sexy, passionate, or hot and heavy. Instead it's well past midnight and Samson is at a breaking point.

⚔️

"Months now....?" He mutters to himself as he lays in his own bed, barely any light streams in even if it's a full moon. The clouds hang heavy in the sky that night.

Yet all he feels is the gnawing, empty, but burning feeling. The withdrawals have gotten steadily worse and he almost wishes for the Red Lyrium, pathetically he almost thinks he'd lap it up off the floor if he had to. His own thoughts and actions he'd commit for the substance makes him cringe and he tosses and turns. He even notes how his sheets start to feel damp he's sweating so much and with disgust he finally sits up.

Pacing the room in just his pants the quiet pad of his feet irritate his own ears. Everything feels overwhelming and overstimulating even in the quiet darkness of his room.

Desperately he gives in and without thinking of even throwing on a shirt he leaves his room. Opening the door he doesn't even close it behind him, instead Samson walks right to Hawke's room and knocks on the door. Quietly at least. He has enough self restraint to not pound or plead, at least not yet.

"Samson?"

She appears after a few minutes and a few more knocks from him. She's obviously been woken up but she's not disheveled, if anything Leto is slightly alarmed and looks around the dark foyer before up at Samson.

"Hawke, let me have it."

She's staring at him in a perplexed manner and it makes Samson's skin crawl because he feels like... Trash. Garbage. Pathetic. Weak. Everything worse and more yet at this point he doesn't care, he just wants what she said she could provide once.

"Have what?"

Samson wants to hiss, wants to growl, instead what comes from him makes his stomach feel nauseous. Nasally and a whine, as if he's some newborn puppy, "The lyrium. Let me have it now, I want it, I-I want to go to sleep. Let me have some, to ease the pain in my body, my head."

The words tumble out of his mouth faster and faster as he talks and he can see how she looks at him.

Her dark eyes take him in as she stands in her doorway, she's quiet however and almost unreadable and it makes his skin itch. It makes him angry in a way also.

Impulsively he thinks about shoving her aside to get to her room and search for it. Yet... Something holds him back, something that if he did not feel in such a manner he was sure he'd be a brute and shove past her. Instead even in his distressed state he cannot do something like put his hands on her even just to move her aside.

"No." Leto says in a final tone that won't budge and he knows it. "No, Raleigh, the first time I brought it up, to help use it to wean you off everything and eventually that also you refused. You've come this far without it, so no."

Not only does Leto call him by his first name but she brings up how vehemently he denied ever wanting it again. Yet now the memory makes him bite his lip so hard it bleeds, it makes her gasp and she reaches out to him.

"Hey, stop that. Are you listening?"

He is but at the same time Samson can feel a lump forming in his throat and the way he looks down at her hands on either one of his arms. Shaking him slightly. Yet all he can do is view her and this scene in an out of body sort of way, as if watching a scene through a window.

He's an audience of one for himself and Hawke.

"Do you want me to get some elfroot? Chew on the root of it for the pain maybe?"

Leto says in a concerned but calm voice, trying to soothe him as she watches Samson disassociate in front of her. Her hands squeeze his arms before she rubs up and down on his bare skin.

Her eyes search him as he stands before her shirtless and barefoot but the look in his eyes show more nakedness than anything she's seen of him.

"Please, Hawke. Please, Leto, let me have some." Is the only answer he gives her, a plea, a half-sob that makes his voice crack and the last shred of his dignity is gone. He feels like he did those years ago in Kirkwall's slums just trying to survive. Wandering Lowtown for his next hit, Maker, he'd even snort the drink if he had to; nothing more he wanted to quaff a whole keg down if he could.

Leto does in fact almost think about it but then her eyes turn to steel and she shakes her head. One of her hands moves however to take his pulse, "No. Unless you're in immediate danger, it's still no. Your heart is a little fast, but I doubt you'll have a heart attack if you don't get any, from the withdrawals... I'm sorry, Samson that they're so bad tonight. Again I can try to give you something else for-"

She's cut off and flinches when he pounds one of his fists against the wall. Immediately it makes her go stiff and cold, a tongue lashing at ready because she won't accept any sort of violent behavior. Yet...

Samson cries.

He hits the wall with his fist but then splays his hand open and supports himself via it.

Because he gives in and just cries in front of her.

Perhaps not openly however, his free hand is planted over his eyes, pushing into his skull as if he could stop the tears that way. The twisted features of his face look ugly in the darkness, shadows along the contours of his cheeks as liquid drips down his cheeks. His mouth twitches and quivers in an unpleasant way as he holds in sobs that come out strangled.

She's at a loss for words.

Leto cannot remember the last time she saw a full grown man cry in front of her. She remembers her brother crying for different reasons when she was younger, she even remembers Gamlin when she brought the news about mother. But those times were years ago.

But here now at this very moment, Raleigh Samson stands in her doorway and cries.

It doesn't take long for him to feel her hands on his person, she pushes and pulls him gently. Manipulating him towards her bed before he's sitting on the edge of it, his weight makes the mattress dip and even moreso when she crawls back into it beside him.

"Lay down, Samson." Is her quiet demand that he obeys.

Leto doesn't know what else to do other than give the most logical relief in her head. Which is with a small glow of blue she uses her healing to help ease pain in his body.

"What are you doing?" He chokes out pathetically, watching the outline of her hands ghost over parts of him in the near pitch darkness of the room.

"I'm soothing your joints, I figure by the way you're stiff sometimes that these areas will feel relief from my spirit healing."

She hums to him and she's not wrong, there is something like relief as he feels certain aches evaporate. Even any sort of unpleasant pressure in his head dissipates when her hand swipes across his sinuses.

Yet the worst part that makes him ashamedly shed tears again is the way Leto presses a kiss to his forehead.

Her hands still and she shifts in bed next to him. Leaning into the side of his shoulder to reach her lips to him, the gesture unexpected and emotional to Samson.

"Why?" He croaks out and in an almost violent gesture with one of his own hands he uses his fingers to try and wipe away the extra tears. "Why are you doing this, Hawke?"

"I have no answer that will satisfy you." She responds cryptically and it angers him, he can feel his blood boil almost comically before it's snuffed out and he relaxes into the bed again as he lays there and stares up at the ceiling in the dark.

"You won't find anything with me, Hawke. Except..." There's a bitterness to his tone, again he's ashamed at his thoughts and wants. "I want Lyrium, that's all I need."

Leto however has an answer right away, her tone gentle and firm. "No you don't, Raleigh."

She uses his first name again and it makes his stomach clench, he feels nauseous and his shoulders shake before he gets a hold of himself and opens his mouth to rebuke her.

Any words die on his lips as he feels her shove the arm closest to her up and she slips under it. Wrapping her arms around his naked torso and snuggles him.

Snuggles him of all people.

He can't remember almost anytime he had someone hold him so intimately. Even before he became a Lyrium addicted wretch. Even in Kirkwall he has done a few intimate trysts but nothing tender ever happened, always a transaction that when it was over it was over.

"Leto... Why do you do this to me? When I am nothing, I can't do anything for you, I could not even protect you if it came down to it."

"Protect me? What will you protect me from in here? A nightmare."

"You know what I mean."

Leto only rests her head on his chest, snuffling her nose against the hair on his body and she can feel his muscles tense before relaxing after a few seconds.

"Must we be particular at so late an hour? Is it not enough you understand my feelings in the way I try to soothe you and now hold you?"

Samson doesn't say anything right away, his mind rages at him and his insecurities beat him from the inside and he always feels a welling of either another cry or a violent outburst to get up and leave.

Yet she must sense something in him because her arm across his middle suddenly squeezes him a little and any fight in him is finally gone.

"I like... I want to hear it." Comes his creaky voice in the dark, "peace of mind..." He trails off as even he's not sure what he wants, even the thought of the Lyrium that he yearned for pales to this affection she's giving him.

"I like you. I want to hold you, Samson. I want to be close to you, you are safe with me in these four walls for now."

Her words do just as he thought they would and fresh tears spill from his face again, he barely makes a noise however. Instead just scrubbing both of his hands over his eyes as he mouth breathes.

Patiently she waits for him to calm down again.

As the time passes and his breathing slows again she feels her head rise just a little on his chest when he takes a particularly huge breath in and then out. It makes her smile a little even though the situation is very emotional and tense in a manner.

"But... If you truly want me to let go-"

"No! No... No, this is..."

Is his quick and desperate answer, one of his hands flies down and holds her arm, a firm grasp as if to keep her arm around him. Eventually he softens his grip and she can tell he's embarrassed by his own behavior yet he lightly holds her to him now.

"No, you started this and I... I'm trapped now. You've done this to me, you can't take it back."

There's something forlorn in his voice and as serious and grave that he is, Leto finds it a tiny but comical. To hear him blame her for the unspoken, or was unspoken, feelings between them cannot help endear her to him. Because what she's thought and suspected is clear now as he lays with her.

"Nothing to say?"

He croaks out, trying to tease but only sounding lost before Leto moves her arm that's around him and with her hand she gently strokes up and down his chest. It makes him twitch and again he can't find any time he's felt such intimacy.

"I like the way you feel next to me, how about that for something to say?"

Samson doesn't respond and instead lays there and stares up at the ceiling. Finally after a few minutes he turns and jostles her about on the bed, she makes a few surprised the indignant sounds.

"Oh, you're sorta sweaty!"

Leto exclaims yet he only heaves out a great sigh and ignores her as he curls around her.

"Yeah?"

She snorts and replies with an annoyed, "uh, yeah!"

In return he scoffs but feels her stretch out along the length of his body like a cat, one of his arms wraps across her back and moves her so they're flush together. His other hand curls underneath a pillow he pulls under his head and they regard each other in the darkness.

"Will you stay with me?"

She asks him suddenly and he grows confused.

"For the night? I'm already in your bed, even though I still feel like shit it's a little less... Maybe even more."

"No. Will you just stay with me."

At the gravity of what she's asking he thinks he understands and goes quiet.

Leto thinks he's fallen asleep by the time he does answer.

"Yes."

[ragingbookdragon]

A Lifetime In The Dreams Between

Hal Jordan x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 3.1K Warnings: Explicit Lanuage, Angst!

Author's Note: I have completed an idea! Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

He didn’t know what happened. One second he was throwing up a shield to protect himself from the blast and the next his eyes were widening as the black magic passed through the construct and hit him straight in the chest. Shouts echoed all around him, but all Hal understood was that the world was swirling black and blue around him, figures blurring faster and faster, and he finally understood what it was like to see the world when Barry would run. And all he remembered was feeling the blood drain from his face as he dropped to his knees, and pitched forward, falling into darkness.

***

He could hear voices above him, stressed and frantic.

“He’s going into cardiac arrest!” Barry.

“Shit! Flash shock him!” (Y/N)?

“He won’t survive that much generated electricity!”

“Hal won’t survive if you don’t! Damn it, Barry! Shock him!”

Hands pressed to his chest and a shock jumped Hal’s chest, and he descended back into darkness.

***

His eyes snapped open, and he winced, raising a hand to his head, but someone grabbed his arm. “Don’t try to move, Hal.”

He lolled his head, eyes rolling as the metal ceiling flowed above; he felt so far away and so weak, brain fuzzing, and Barry appeared in his sight, searing his gaze.

“He’s having a seizure. His brain can’t handle the stress.” He looked at the woman across from him. “We have to get him to the med bay.”

She nodded, folding Hal’s hand back to his chest as she worried, “Hang on, Hal. You’re going to be okay.”

(Y/N)’s voice was so comforting, so warm, so trusting, and all Hal could do was shut his eyes, his brain imploding on itself.

***

He rolled over onto his side, burrowing his face in the soft pillow, exhaling deeply. Sleep welcomed him again and he was about to fall off the deep end when someone’s hand caressed his hip, lips pressing against the space between his shoulder blades.

“Good morning,” they murmured, trailing kisses up his back to his neck and to his ear. “Sleep well?”

He moaned lowly in his throat and turned his head, blinking blearily as their face came into clearing—actually her face, and suddenly his eyes went wide as he flailed, pulling away from her. “(Y/N)!”

She cocked a brow as he fell over the side of the bed, immediately shooting up, eyes shocked and very confused. “That’s my name, Hal.” Propping herself on her elbow, she asked, “Everything alright?”

Hal’s mouth opened and closed, and he looked down, his eyes widening all over again as he realized he was nude; he jerked the sheet to cover himself, an action not really in his repertoire. His coffee eyes went to her body, and she was there too, bare as the morning day.

“You’re naked. We’re naked,” he blurted out and she huffed a laugh.

“Yeah? Traditionally, married people typically get naked every other night when they make love.”

“Married?” Hal’s eyes shot to his left hand, and he almost collapsed on the floor again; sure enough a gold band was around his ring finger. “Holy shit,” he breathed, and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be more shocked about, the fact that they were married or that he didn’t remember it.

“Hal?” (Y/N) was crawling over the bed, her hand coming to cup his cheek. “Is everything alright?”

He gazed into her eyes, so stunned that this woman that hated his guts was so concerned for him. “I…I don’t know.”

Her brows furrowed and she shuffled, sitting on the edge of the bed, and maneuvered Hal’s head until it was resting in her lap, his back against the side of the frame. She carded her fingers through his hair and bent down, gently pressing kisses where she could reach, to his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, his lips, everywhere; then she smiled against his lips. “Something tells me you and Barry got so drunk last night you forgot you married me.”

“What?”

(Y/N) snorted, pulling away and with her free hand, she caressed his cheek. “You and Barry went to Aviators last night and came back at like three AM hammered out of your minds.” Her smile was ridiculously bright, and it made Hal’s heartbeat flutter against his rib cage. “You,” she started, but broke into a giggle. “You looked at me and said, ‘Hey pretty mama, wanna fly with me?’.”

Laughing again, she continued, “And when I said that I was your wife, you went, ‘Holy shit, I scored.’.” (Y/N) sighed wistfully and kissed his forehead. “Barry collapsed onto the couch, and you left a trail of clothes from the living room before collapsing in the bed.”

Tugging a strand of his brown hair, she said, “I had to maneuver the covers underneath your body in order to get into bed last night.” She pressed one more kiss to his forehead. “You’re still hungover though, so get back in bed and sleep a little while longer while I go make sure Barry’s up and awake, okay?”

Hal could only nod and when he tipped his head up to let her stand, he stopped her and pulled her down, pressing his lips to hers. (Y/N) responded eagerly, already forgoing checking on the Speedster as she lowered herself into his lap, and Hal immediately wrapped one arm around her waist, the other planting itself on the bed as he shifted his legs, giving himself some leverage to pick the two of them off the ground and shuffle back onto the bed.

And the second Hal’s thighs connected with the mattress he found himself being shoved down onto it, (Y/N)’s hands smoothing down his chest and abs, a flirtatious look on her face.

He couldn’t help but feel cocky. “See something you like?”

She grinned, splaying her fingers on his abdomen. “Actually, I feel something I like.” (Y/N) ground down on his hips and Hal inhaled sharply, causing her grin to turn into a downright evil smirk as she quipped, “And it seems like you feel it too.”

His hands came up to grasp her hips when someone stumbled through the bedroom door. “Hey, do you guys have any toothpa—oh dear God, you guys are fonduing!” They both jumped and looked at Barry who was busy shoving a hand to cover his eyes, the other fumbling for the door frame. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t see anything, (Y/N).”

Hal snorted. “How come you’re not swearing you didn’t see any of me?”

“Because I’ve seen all of you before, Hal. Multiple times in fact.” Barry retorted, speeding out of the bedroom.

(Y/N) chuckled and pressed a kiss to Hal’s collarbone, starting to shimmy out of his lap, only stopping when he started whining at her. “What?”

“Why are you leaving?” he questioned, and she flicked his shoulder.

“Because you need to get up and cook some breakfast before all of us have to get back out and go to work.”

Hal blanched. “Work?”

(Y/N) tossed him a look as she pulled on some pajama bottoms and one of his t-shirts. “Yes, Hal Jordan, you have to go into space and be a space ranger.”

“Oh, Green Lantern, right.” He sighed in relief. “I thought you meant the airfield.”

She snorted. “Oh, that too. Carol called and asked if you’d come down and fly one of the new F-18’s they got recently.”

Hal perked up. “How fast?”

“Fast, fly-boy. Now get up and go cook while I shower.” And she was off into their bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

***

Hal wandered into the kitchen, watching as Barry lifted his head from the refrigerator. “Morning.”

“Mornin’,” he replied, flicking on the coffee maker. “So…can I ask you a question?”

“I’m not checking your dick again to see if it’s above average, Hal,” Barry deadpanned and Hal about fell to his feet in laughter.

“What! No!” he chuckled and wiped his eyes, pouring water into the top of the coffee maker. “About last night…what…exactly happened?”

Barry looked at him, pulling out the pack of roast beef. “You don’t remember?”

“Well, from what (Y/N) said, I’m surprised either of us remembered how to get back here.” He met Barry’s eyes. “Everything’s a little fuzzy. I was just wondering if you could fill me in.”

The Speedster nodded, shoving a piece of meat in his mouth. “Well, I got off patrol and came over here, and then you said we should go out. But (Y/N) had some things to take care of, so she told us to go have fun. And then we went to that military bar you like, and we got dared to drink some marines under the table, and you can’t say no to a dare from ‘warthogs’, so you just had to drink more pitchers than they did.”

He snorted. “I barely had enough functioning brain cells to remember how to get back, but we just crammed into a cab and drove back here.” He wiped his eyes. “You kept telling the cabbie to play Danger Zone the entire time.”

Hal wasn’t somebody who was embarrassed easily, and as much as he loved Top Gun, he felt flustered that he was drunkenly belting out the main song the night before.

“And when we got here, I fell asleep on the couch, but (Y/N) was already chasing you down the hall because you were stripping left and right.”

Barry had all but fallen into hysterics as Hal merely set the coffee pot under the drip. “Yeah…about that too.” He felt confused. “You didn’t happen to like…change the timeline again, did you?”

The Speedster stopped laughing at that, blue eyes wide and concerned. “What? No. Why do you ask?”

Hal shook his head, twirling the gold band on his finger. “Because I don’t really remember marrying (Y/N)? But I do remember how much she hates my guts.”

“Well, yeah, but that death scare you gave her a few years ago really made her realize that as much as she hated you, she loved you just as much.” Barry rested a hand on his shoulder. “Now that I think about it, you did take a bad blow a couple days ago. Maybe you’re still reeling.”

The pilot nodded, listening to the coffee pour. “Yeah…maybe.”

Footsteps sounded from the living room and (Y/N) appeared in the entryway, a towel wrapped around her head, a bathrobe around her body; she scowled. “Hal, you were supposed to start breakfast.”

He blinked. “I haven’t even had coffee yet.”

“Lazy,” she griped, yanking the roast beef out of Barry’s hands. “That’s for sandwiches, not to eat out of the package, you bottomless pit.” Shoving the meat back in the refrigerator, she said, “There’s eggs…ham…I could omelets?”

“Omelets sound good,” Barry replied, taking the coffee mug out of Hal’s hands who in turn glared at the Speedster. “Do you have onions and peppers to add?”

“Mmm…I dunno…Hal used the last of the onions and peppers the other night to make steak with.” (Y/N) looked back at him, lips parting to speak when a beeping came from the living room.

Barry darted out and back in with a blinking device in his hands. “It’s the League Communicator.”

Immediately, she and Barry suited up and her eyes found Hal’s behind her blue mask. “Highball, get your head in the game. We’ve got a mission.”

He shook himself out of his stupor and the green suit formed to his body, though he muttered, “I still haven’t had my coffee yet…”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Race you guys to the Watchtower.”

“You’re on.” Barry chirped, the two of them disappearing in flashes of yellow and blue.

***

It seemed like much more routine patrol than it was a mission, but still, when Hal and (Y/N) finally made it back to Coast City, they all but collapsed onto the couch. Her suit faded from her body, and she rolled onto her back, laying her head on his thigh.

“I’m so tired,” she groaned, shutting her eyes.

Hal stared down at her, the green suit receding. “You look tired,” he murmured, resting his arm comfortably on her chest, his fingers rubbing soothing circles in her collarbone. “I still can’t believe you socked that bank robber in the face like Guy.”

(Y/N) giggled. “Hey, that man can teach anyone to throw a good punch.” Her eyes opened, and she reached up, tracing the dark circles under his eyes. “You look more tired than I am, husband of mine.”

Hal smiled, turning his face to press a sweet kiss to her wrist. “I’m just glad we’re home for the evening.” He expected her face to rest in relief, but it only clouded, and he murmured, “(Y/N)? What’s wrong?”

“Do you remember what we talked about a couple week ago?”

No, he did not.“You know I have a terrible memory, babe.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, a knowing sigh passing her lips. “Your memory is almost as bad as Barry’s ability to be on time.” Blinking at the ceiling, she said, “You know, what we talked about…having a family? How you said you wanted to try?”

Hal’s heart dropped into his stomach. “Yeah? What about it?”

She looked up at him. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” His eyes immediately darted to her stomach, and he reached down, pressing his hand to her abdomen. “Are you really?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Yeah. Took a test last night.” Snorting, she added, “I was going to tell you, but you went out and got drunk, so I figured I should wait.”

Hal simply stared at her stomach. “Holy shit. You’re pregnant?”

“Yes, Hal. I’m pregnant.”

“I did that?”

“No, Bruce did.”

He scowled at her. “That’s not funny.”

(Y/N) winked. “No, it’s not. It’s hilarious.” She rose from the sofa, stretching her arms above her head. “I say it’s probably time for bed.”

Hal watched her. “You go on ahead. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yeah?” he nodded, and she bent down, pecking his lips. “I love you, Hal.”

“I love you too, (Y/N),” he replied, watching as she walked down the hallway, disappearing into their bedroom.

It was so weird. To be married to her. He knew this had to be some giant hallucination from his subconscious desires of wanting her, but still, even this “dream” seemed so real. Usually, she and Hal were at each other’s throats; they’d fight at the drop of a hat just because the other looked at them funny, and yet, other than him and Barry, (Y/N) was the only person that could keep up with Hal. To keep him on his toes. The only person smart enough to keep in his six. The only person he trusted to be his wingman. And he realized through all their fights that he cared for her.

Hal looked down at the band on his finger, and something warm spread through his chest when he thought about a little kid running around the apartment dressed in a baby flight suit, squealing “daddy!” at the top of their lungs. He wanted that. As much as being a father scared him, he wanted that. And he wanted it with (Y/N).

He smiled widely and got to his feet, but the second he did, the world shifted, and his vision darkened, body becoming weightless as he dropped to the floor.

***

Something was stroking his hair, gently smoothing it across his forehead, and a voice whispered, “Wake up, Hal. C’mon.”

He tried to open his eyes, but they were so heavy.

“If you wake up, I’ll watch Top Gun with you until you’re thoroughly convinced I could fly a jet.”

That made him want to smile and the hand shifted, cupping his cheek.

“Just open your eyes for me, Hal. Please. I…I need you.”

“You do?” he murmured, managing to crack one eye open, taking in the sight of (Y/N) sitting there beside his med bay bed, tears in her eyes.

She gave him a watery laugh and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his cheek. “Yes, you stupid ass.” (Y/N) pulled away, running her hand over his cheek. “You’ve been out almost an entire day.”

Hal inhaled deeply as she helped him sit up. “What happened?”

“You took a blow of dark magic to the heart and almost died on us. Twice.” She took his temperature and heart rate. “You went into cardiac arrest on the field and then had a seizure when we got you here in the Watchtower.” Meeting his eyes, she said, “You owe Barry a thanks for shocking your heart and J’onn for getting your mind to calm during your seizure.”

He blinked, completely dumbfounded. “Wow…that’s…I took a lot of damage, huh?”

(Y/N)’s eyes flashed with anger, and she socked his shoulder. “You’re damn straight you did. What the fuck were you thinking? Using constructs against a black magician?”

“Well, what’d you want me to do? Stand there like a jackass?” Hal retorted with a glare.

“Maybe you could’ve moved?” she met his glare head on. “You almost got yourself killed.”

“People die every day, (Y/N). I’m going to die one day.”

“And who would you leave behind if you did, huh? You’d leave behind your family and friends. You’d leave behind Guy and Kyle and John. You’d leave behind Barry. You’d leave me behind.” (Y/N) searched his eyes. “Don’t you know how heartbroken we’d be if you died, Hal? How devastated I’d be?”

Hal’s jaw went slack, and she shook her head. “This is just like you. Always flying headfirst into danger without a single regard for anyone else. You are so foolish and stupid and—”

He grabbed her chin and pulled her to him in a searing kiss. It was over as fast as it happened and when he pulled away, he smirked at the stunned expression on her face. “Oh? So that’s what it takes for you to quit yelling at me? Man, I should’ve done that a long time ago.”

(Y/N) blinked in shock, one hand coming to press against her lips. “What…what was that?”

“That was a kiss, (Y/N). You see when two people care about each other very much they—”

The meeting of a palm and a cheek echoed through the med bay, and he grabbed his face, gaping at her as she scrambled up.

“You don’t just kiss people, you ass!” (Y/N) shouted, though she looked more flustered than angry. “That’s—It’s not right!”

She spun and ran for the med bay doors, and he called out, “Wait! You didn’t tell me if you loved me!”

“Go to hell, Hal Jordan!” she shouted in return and Hal grinned wide and smug as he reclined on the pillows, eyes directing to the glass window, giving him the view of space.

That dream didn’t seem too far out of reach now.

[super-hero-girls-netflix]

I'm back :D

Headcanons on sleepover (Boys and Girls)?

Girls First!

#1: Zee NEEDS to be Host if it's the whole group

Zee hosts as often as she can because she likes sleeping in her own bed and not having Babs' dad knocking on the door every 5 minutes.

It's also hard to coerce convince the girls into magical makeovers if she has to be alert about using her magic.

Also...she is positive that Commissioner Gordon suspects her of murder. (He doesn't, he just has the naturally narrow eyed thoughtful look)

Zee, in other words, prefers to host their sleepovers.

#2: Babs is a Wriggler, Kara is a Thrasher, Jess is a Talker

Diana, Zee and Karen are relatively quiet sleepers. Like sure Diana snores a bit and Karen might drool and Zee might shift in her sleep but they are NOTHING compared to Babs, Kara and Jess.

They are nightmares to sleep with. Babs wriggles in her sleep and babbles too. Especially if she's stressed. She'll be talking utter nonsense. Literally like 'waffles have feelings too' or 'butterfly fart machine'. No one shares a bed with Babs because she is known for stealing the covers and wrapping herself in them. Like a Babs Burrito. And if you try to take some back she will shove you off the bed. Still very much asleep.

Kara, she is a hazard to people everywhere. At least if you don't know how to control sleepy Kara. The girls know the control word 'go back to bed' but that only helps them when Kara tries to fly away. If she's kicking and or punching it's doom. Typically her erratic attacks are sparse and weak, so just like a pro-wrestler but badly aimed, but still...no one sleeps within 5 feet of Kara Danvers.

And lastly Jess. Jess is not much of a physical threat while asleep. She stays in the same position and doesn't even drool or snore or anything. But in the middle of the night you might hear a yelp, or a drawn out very loud groan. That's Jess, she groans a lot in her sleep, regularly. And if she's extremely stressed she'll even mantain conversation. Very poorly. Kara tried once. It went like this.

Jess: The moon, is just a ball of cheese.

Kara: Oh? Can your eat it?

Jess: Like a rock

Kara: What do you mean?

Jess: I'm nice, you're mean.

So yeah...they can share a bed with this chic and they have. That's why most if them sleep with headphones tucked into their ears.

#3 Movie Night

Karen hates horror movies. They creep her out and Kara is obsessed with them.

In fact while Karen and Kara argue about which genre to watch, romance or horror, the rest of the girls watch them fight.

Which is more amusing then it sounds.

#4 Diana can't cook

Diana is a girl of many talents but she can not cook. Not a bit. Not even instant mac and cheese.

Babs has tried to show her how to make a burrito- failed.

Jess a salad- failed.

Karen, some stir fry- failed.

Kara, warning up some pizza- failed.

She just can't cook. Moving on.

#5 Babs is generous with everything BUT her stuffed animals.

These are things she has said:

"Rest your feet somewhere else, Kara"

"Burrito Bat Butch hasn't cuddled with anyone but me, ever. Hands off!"

"Listen, if you wanted a pillow you can just ask- you don't have to treat General George Jennings like that!"

"Give me the bear, Karen. Give me the bear."

"EEY, NO TOUCHIE!"

#6 They can't do a proper Binge Watch with each other.

Babs drinks a lot of soda and munches on a lot of snacks so she has to constantly use the bathroom. Insisting they can keep watching but of course they pause anyway.

Zee cannot step away from her phone. It's always vibrating with emails and messages and she is too invested in her rep to put it down. She is the type of gal who likes texting while watching a show. This drives the other girls up a wall because then Zee insists they catch her up.

Kara cannot, for the life of her, sit still. Even though they are curled up on the couch, one of the girls leaning into Kara's side, or having their head on Kara's lap. Or anything, really. Kara breaks the comfort because she cannot sit still. She shifts too often, changes the legs she tucked under her, stretches her back. It is annoying because then the girls around her need to shift too.

Jess gets restless quickly. She predicts the ending or loses interest when the plot becomes to predictable. So then she starts, trying to be subtle, looking through her schedule and doing school work. Its more infuriating because when the girls ask pointed questions she almost always gets it right.

Diana is of course knew to the world of man and stills doesn't get everything that is happening. Sometimes she misunderstands the plot completely and they have to rewatch the episode, explaining everything that time. This makes the watching chunky and somewhat less enjoyable. Usually Zee is the one to do the explaining. No one blames Diana of course, but still.

And Karen? She just wants to see if her ship lives. She is a fangirl through and through and has to scream into a pillow every time they have to press pause. Which is three to five time throughout a single episode.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Now for the boys,

✨✨✨✨

#1 Food Competition

Barry eats a lot. Barry is never sure how much is enough. Barry can eat a supermarket out of business if he was particularly hungry. Hal knows this. Still his pride won't accept it so every time Hal challenges Barry to eating some disgusting amount of sauce or drink.

Sometimes Hal wins.

Barry has a sensitive stomach.

But usually not.

#2 NO HOMO

Steve doesn't really care how close any if the dudes sleep to him.

Barry doesn't either. In fact its likely he'll fall asleep on someone else's sleeping bag with his feet propped on one of his teammates stomach.

Garth will probably end up trying to cuddle up to Hal or Barry or Steve or any of the boys.

Hal will most definitely fight him on that. What can you say? He's the Type A male. But he really won't bat an eye if Garth does it when Hal is already asleep.

Oliver will sing love songs to his bro's, flirting hard as hell...up untill Hal, Carter, or Steve smack him. Where he pouts and let's Garth and Barry soothe him.

Carter doesn't like being touched in general so like hell he's going to let any of the boys near him. Or hold a conversation with him. He will just sit in the corner of the room, quietly observing. (He is most definitely trapped in the home where they are hosting the sleepover).

#3 Make Him Laugh

Another challenge.

Whoever makes Carter smile or *le gasp* laugh is deemed royalty.

Usually it's Barry. Who didn't even try. He just tripped over something.

Barry wins a lot.

#4 They Order In

Hal refuses to cook on principle. Rather be fed.

Oliver doesn't like getting butter on him since it'll 'destroy' his complexion.

Garth can't cook.

Carter refuses to feed anyone. He'll cook for himself and no one else.

Barry always offers but he is a forgetful cook and they feel bad throwing out whatever abomination he makes so they force it down. Of course, they learned to order in before Barry offers.

Steve can cook but he is very precise about the recipe, double checking and stuff so being fed takes forever if they let him start.

They arm wrestle to decide who chooses what they eat so yea...Carter always picks. Steve usually pays. Barry too. Everyone else is broke as hell.

#6 They butt heads.

All the dam time.

Hal is stubborn and Oliver is prideful.

Carter refuses to cater to anyone.

Garth is immovable if he wants to be.

Steve is trying to compromise but no one listens to the voice of reason over their own shouts.

Barry eats ice cream. They'll tire themselves out eventually.

#7 They Reprimand Hal

These are things they have definitely said at least once during a sleepover.

"Goddammit Hal! She's my science partner! How am I supposed to look her in the eye now?"

"Do you value your life? Yes? Then please refrain from speaking."

"Shut! Up!"

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid!"

"I'll tell Carol."

"The hell, man? Were you born with the unexplicable urge to be an asshole?"

"Go to bed, perv!"

Ah well, imma close it off here. Very lovely prompt. Headcannons are always fun. 👍

[fullrangeofemotions]

Hunger Games Au: Drabble

Look, I had this Hunger Games idea running through my head, of Donna and Hal being siblings from District 6, and Hal joining rebellion, Laira the leader of the rebellion cause fuck her dad the president, and Dany being the Breaker of Chains aka the face of the rebellion and just....I wrote snippets of this hence why this is so long...

Hunger games au so warning for hints of prostitution, kids dying, etc. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were all corralled into the center of their district, peacekeepers protecting the perimeter, as if anyone of them would dare to think to run. Donna winced at the thought of the repercussions of such a thing, but she would be lying if she did not admit to thinking about her and her family escaping. She glanced to her side, her brother standing tall, eyes focused upon the platform and their garish escort with that horrendous smile on her face. Donna tightened her hold on her brother’s hand. This would be his last year, after this, he would be free to grow old. Donna did not know if there was any higher being, but in that moment she prayed to whoever was listening.

Donna knew that her brother was likely doing the same thing, willing for Donna’s name to remain uncalled. She still had three more years to go, three more chances to be called into the games. She took a deep shuddering breath, knowing better than to look around for she would be unable to handle the terrified look on the newly turned twelve-year-olds.  None of them listened, all of them held their breaths until the first name was called.

From the boys….Harold Jordan.

Donna tensed immediately, eyes turning to stare at the two of them. Her hand clamped down on Hal’s hand…she must have heard wrong, she had to. This was his last year. It could not be.

“No,” she whispered, feeling him tug at her hand but she kept her gaze forward. Perhaps, if she ignored it, if they ignored it, it would pass.

“Donna,” came the soft sigh and finally Donna turned to look at him, angry at his lack of response, but the moment their eyes locked all her anger evaporated into nothing. She let go of his hand and threw her arms around him into a tight hug, stray tears making their way down her cheeks, but she made no sound. “You’ll be okay,” he whispered back to her, pushing her back and squeezing her shoulders. Donna watched as he squared his shoulders, standing tall as he strode forward. She did not pay attention to what was said, who the girl’s name was, all she could do was look at her brother, silent tears running down her cheek. Not once, did she make a sound though, she would not give the Capitol the satisfaction.

The goodbyes were always short, hardly any privacy, the peacekeepers always wary that someone would try to escape. Helen, sweet Helen clung to Hal’s neck, crying and wailing for him not to go, not to leave them and Donna could see the way this hurt him, how this was breaking her brother to pieces. Their mother, cold, detached, the way she had been since their lost their father and oldest brother. She only took the struggling Helen into her arms, gaze soft as she looked at Hal but she said nothing. Slowly, their mom just shook her head and began to retreat, something she was very good at, Donna thought bitterly.

Donna turned her gaze to her brother, stepping up to him to push strands of his hair back and smoothing down the lapels of the jacket that used to belong to their father. “You take care, you win, and you come back to us,” she firmly told him, leaving no room for argument. His hands came up to cover hers, giving them a slight squeeze.

“Promise me, you will not ask for tessera.”

Donna looked at him for a long moment, unwilling to make such a promise. If they lost him…if they ran out of food….she would risk herself to bring food to her family…

“I promise to use it as a last resort,” she finally whispered, any protest was cut short by the Peacekeeper coming in to tell them their time was up.

“I love you,” she told him, wanting to make sure he knew. She reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek before dropping into his pocket one of Helen’s friendship bracelets Donna had been teaching her how to make. A little piece of home, something to give him comfort….

“Be good,” he muttered, brushing a stray hair away from her face, both looking at each other for as long as they could. This could be the last time they saw each other. He did not have to tell her to take care of their mom and Helen, because he knew she would. Donna’s bottom lip tremble, vision blurring as tears welled up. Unable to bare it any longer, she turned on her heels and made her way home. She could not think about how everything they did, all the engineering and plans were the creations that were taking her brother from her.

If she thought that was the hardest day of her life, it was nothing to watching him enter the stadium.

Helen was forbidden to watch the games and her mother slept he days away. So she sits in front of their tiny television, wringing her hands, picking at her skin and making large red welts but she can’t stop.  When the large explosion hit where Hal had last been hidden, Donna held her breath….until the cannon went off and his face appeared on her screen….

He was never coming back….

----

Perhaps she should had paid more attention to the events that occurred right after the end of the games. She should have listened to how the President’s daughter had been executed, caught planning a rebellion.  Although, no body had ever been showed….

But she did not, instead she spent her days working and nights mourning in silence.

---

When her name was called out three years later, the first thing Donna thought was who was going to take care of Helen? There were four years before her name would be placed into the lottery……she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before making her way up to the platform. She passed by Arisia who gave her a weak smile, which Donna returned. Arisia would look after Helen and her mother, she trusted her.

Donna wondered if this was how Hal felt when he had been called. Not worry for himself, but for them, for their family. Who would make sure they were fed? They had money for their needs? Who would protect Helen? She hugged Helen tightly, almost painfully as her niece cried, begging her to stay in the same way she had Hal and Donna wished she could.

“Hey, go to Arisia, okay? She will take care of you, okay? You are a brave little girl, remember what I’ve taught you, and do not watch the games, promise me,” she could not bare the thought of Helen going through what Donna went through when she watched Hal die.

“I promise,” Helen whispered, screaming when the peacekeepers came in to take Donna away.

“Don’t hurt her! Don’t hurt her!” Donna cried out as the Peacekeepers began pulling Helen away at the same time as they dragged Donna out to the train. She would not realize that Helen left a bracelet, one that matched the one she had made for Hal. It was a beautiful shade of green. It made Donna smile.

She had to survive. They needed her.

---

There had been no victor from District 6 before, which left Donna with no victor to advise her and only an escort, to teach her to smile and wave. Donna was going to die, would it hurt? She wondered. She looked at Stephen, but he ignored her. It did not surprise her, when the time came, he would kill her without a second thought. Donna wasn’t like that.

When each knife she threw at the target during practice landed in the center, she began to think that maybe…she could do this. Still, the idea of taking someone’s life…..but her family needed her. She would return to them, even if it caused her to lose her soul.

---

She took deep calming breaths as she waited on the platform, minutes away from being released into the arena. Donna was too focus in calming herself that she startled when the door opened, but instead of a peacekeeper like she had expected it was a woman. She could not quite make out her features under all the Capitol makeup, but Donna could tell she was beautiful, would be more if she removed all the garish paint.

“You forgot this.”

There was that Capitol accent that made Donna flinch but, on the woman’s outstretched hand sat Donna’s bracelet.

---

Her first kill happened fast, the knife she risked her life for during the cornucopia run embedded itself deep into the boy’s skull. There was no time for Donna to throw up, all she was able to do was pick her knife up and run to find high ground. She was only good at long range.

As she let her knives fly, she made sure to not think about Hal, or Helen, all she focused on was surviving. She had to make it home. Still, every scream, cry, the sound of her knives hitting was ingrained into her memory.  The bracelet around Donna’s wrist was the only thing that kept her sane.

---

Would her brother be proud of her?

---

The first victory party that she attended almost made her wish she was back in the arena. There were eyes on her, leering and hungry, but it was also the first time she met the victor from District 7, all smirks and winks, “Red” rolling from his tongue, soothing her nerves.

However, it was clear that being a victor only meant a different kind of suffering. Bruises and bite marks littered her body, her mind compartmentalizing all those painful memories, and it made sense now, why so many victors fell to alcohol and drugs.

And the fear���.the fear of something happening to her family.

---

Donna was watching the TV, glass of wine in hand as she watched the reaping from District 12. Guy sat across from her, the closest they dared to be, afraid of the ever-watchful eyes of the Capitol. The only touches they allowed each other, where the passing of plates and glasses. Sometimes, when they felt daring, they danced during the parties.

“I volunteer!”

Donna did not know why, but in that moment as she watched the platinum haired girl speak out, loud and clear, Donna was sure change was coming.

Daenerys.

The girl’s name was Daenerys.

No one knew it then, but she would become the Breaker of Chains, the One Who Walked Through Fire, and the face of the rebellion.

---

In the moment before her escort, Hea, read out the name, she glanced at Donna, but it was such a quick glance that Donna could not read the message….and then…

Helen…

Her niece’s name ran out through District 6.

---

Donna was trying to talk to sponsors when Guy finds her, and she knows just by looking at his face. Helen…not Helen….

Donna’s knees buckled under her and she would have hit the floor if Guy hadn’t rushed to catch her, holding her in a tight hug. He said nothing as she sobbed into his chest. There was nothing left for her, nothing, she thought as she choked on her tears, her heart shattering into a million pieces. She swore she would get her out of the arena, that she would save her, protect her, but she had failed.

She had failed her family.

Did they hate her? As much as she hated herself? Why had she survived?

---

The sound of her fist breaking Hal’s nose seemed to echo through the room.

She turned her back on him and walked out of the room, her whole body shaking from her fury. All this time, they had been alive. All the years she mourned, that she talked to his spirit hoping he was out there listening….

A hand wrapped around her wrist, trying to stop her but she only wretched her hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me. You knew, all this time, you fucking knew,” she hissed, unwilling to turn to look at Guy, who had known that her brother and Helen had been alive the whole time. He let her think, let her hurt, let her break….she thought he had loved her, but he was just keeping an eye on her for her brother.

She had her family back and yet she never felt more alone.

[bugheadfamily]

🎶 They're creepy and they're kooky 

Mysterious and spooky 

They're all together ooky 

The Bughead family 

 Their fic is for the season 

When people come to read 'em 

They really are a scream 

The Bughead family 🎶

Happy Halloween, Buggies! We gladly feast on these mysterious and spooky fics. Below you’ll find a mix of supernatural, horror, dark, and seasonal type fics with Halloween specific ones (marked with a 🎃). Curl up in your favorite costume, pull out the treats, and get your Halloween fic fix here below the cut!

🎃 10.31.17 by @jugandbettsdetectiveagency | T

On that night, when the veil is at its thinnest, he finds his way home.

🎃 A Kiss That Thrills by @lilibetts | E

On Halloween, college students Betty and Jughead go through a Haunted House and finally act on their respective crushes.

And the Ash Shall Rise by @likemereckless | M

Riverdale is actually Purgatory (why else would so many crazy things happen in one town!) Jughead Jones, Shadowman of purgatory level one has been tasked with finding an Awakened soul, one who the Premier Shadowman says jeopardizes the future of their world. When Jughead discovers Betty Cooper’s soul down by the River Styx he finds all is not as it seems and a final battle between Heaven and Hell is on the verge of breakout. *It’s Purgatory so ALL characters are dead. *You will find out how they died. *Get ready for a ride!

🎃 Be More Chill by @literatiruinedme | M

Betty and Jughead run into each other in the bathroom at the annual Blossom Halloween party.

body talks by @justcourbeau | NR

Instead of late morning light being his wake up call, Jughead was woken by the horrendous chirp of an alarm clock going off, and, really, that should have been the first sign that something was wrong.

Cooper’s Monsters by @cooperandjonesinc | M

In the darkened halls of an abandoned mental hospital Dr. Hal Cooper has been making monsters.Betty, oblivious to her father’s machinations, comes across a horrifying creature. Together can they stop the doctor and free the others?

Curl of Ash by @darknessaroundus | T

Jughead attempts to save a strangers life in Queens one night. Nothing is what it appears to be.

Darkside by @exmachina187, @itsmarscosta | E

Jughead has had centuries to reflect on his life, but none of it had meaning until she came along.

Dear Angel series by @tory-b | M/E

🎃 Dirty Devil by @thesecretfandom | E

Betty and Jughead are celebrating Halloween, but their costumes seem to be interfering with their fun.

Dust & Desire by @darknessaroundus | T

They have a rhythm to their days, the result of having very little company but each other for years now. When Betty wakes from the nap, they eat mac and cheese before they go hunting. A Vampire Slayer AU.

erase & rewind by @sopaloma | M

When a powerful storm hits Riverdale, five students are hit by lightning as they leave school. The result of that storm will change their lives forever, in ways they never could have imagined. A Misfits AU.

Ever Since We Met by @lilibetts | M

It's almost All Hallow's Eve and witch!Betty has a broomstick breakdown. She lands near werewolf!Jughead's bar and he helps her out...by giving her another broom to ride.

🎃 go home people (the party’s not over) by @grilledcheesusyouredelic | T

“It was your dad’s idea,” Betty chirped. “He told my mom that if people were going to stare at us she may as well make it worth her while.” Jughead bit back a sigh. “And she said ‘like what, throw a party’? And he said ‘sure, Alice, the perfect holiday is coming up’.”

🎃 Howling by @lovedinapastlife | T

Jughead’s working a shift at the Blossom haunted house when he spots a familiar blonde ponytail and decides to try and give her a scare. He ends up smashed in the face, real blood added to his costume. Horrified, Betty tries to make it up to him. She’s nervous to finish the house by herself, so Jughead offers to let her work on a few scenes and scares with him until Archie comes back from his break. There’s nothing quite like method acting with a childhood crush and best friend when hearts are pounding and limbs are entangled in a ravenous display. Something’s building inside of them, a low, penetrating howl.

🎃 I Don’t Have a Lot of Friends by @typing123 | M

Joker Jughead and Harley Betty meet at a Halloween Party. It’s definitely a treat.

Interview with the Coopers by @typing123 | E

What a perfect little family they make

🎃 It’s A Great Pumpkin, Jughead Jones by @alisoncollis | NR

Jughead and Betty go to a pumpkin patch.

i will hang on the hook of your splendour by @jughead-jones/@stark | G

“We have to go up to Woodland House tomorrow,” Betty said, hopping out of the back of the van the night before, dressed in something that she called summer sleepwear and Jughead deemed to be sweet torture. “There has to be a clue there about these abductions.”Mystery Inc AU

Jug the Ripper by @lovedinapastlife @theheavycrown | NR

Murder kink isn’t on the menu—not really. But he’ll do anything for his beloved.

🎃 Let the Right One In by @yavannie | T

When Jellybean talks Jughead into going to a Halloween-themed birthday party in Greendale, she does such a good job on his make-up that not even his best friend can tell it’s him.

🎃 love is kinda crazy (with a spooky little girl like you) by @whaticameherefor | G

Jughead always thought that falling in love would feel like a punch to the gut. It didn’t, of course. It was more like a punch to the face. Right in the nose, to be exact.

🎃 Movie Night on Elm Street by @bettsc | NR

Jughead Jones finds himself at the Cooper household on Halloween night, and it’s not just the scary movies that are giving him goosebumps.

🎃 No Guts No Glory by @thesecretfandom | E

Jughead may have taken their pumpkin carving competition a bit too far, and now it’s Betty’s job to get the both of them cleaned up.

🎃 Nobody Knows You Now by @bettsc | M

They moved like this for what seemed like hours; neither one relenting to the other; both losing themselves in the intertwining of two souls.

🎃 october 2017 by @elizabethbettscooper | G

“Jug, you’re home!” she glanced up, grinning at him. He nudged off his shoes and started towards her.

“So it seems.” he said, smirking and dropped onto the floor beside her. “What’s up, Betts?”

“Do you have plans tomorrow? I want to go to the pumpkin patch.”

“The… pumpkin patch.” Jughead raised an eyebrow and put his arm across the sofa seat, leaning in to look at Betty’s planner.

Outbreak by @moon--mama | T

The breakdown only took 36 hours. 

🎃 Over the Wall by @typing123 | T

The Over the Garden Wall AU nobody asked for.

🎃 Pumpkin Spice (and all things nice) by @itsindiansummer13 | G

Jughead, Betty, and Halloween through the years.

Seek Forbidden Things by @maeve-of-winter | T

Kevin Keller has gone missing from Riverdale, and it’s up to Betty and the rest of the gang to bring him back.

🎃 Self control by @bettyscooperr | NR

Jughead just really hates Halloween

Spirits, Are You There? by @jugandbettsdetectiveagency | T

An abandoned asylum, plus a ouija board, plus Cheryl Blossom? The perfect potion.

Strange and Unusual by @lovedinapastlife | M

AU loosely based on the film Beetlejuice - where a ravenous ghoul and a shrewd teen make a strange and unusual alliance that goes far deeper than convenience.

strange days by @sopaloma | T 

His sister is missing, his dad is talking to Christmas lights and Betty Cooper needs his help. November 1983 is a strange time for Jughead Jones. A Stranger Things AU.

Taboo. by anonymous | NR

Death becomes her.

The Beast Within series by @cooperjones2020 | M/E

He likes to watch her sleep.

🎃 the business of being dead (and the curse of virginity) by @thetaoofbetty | M

🎃 The Cooper House by @satelliteinasupernova | T

“Let’s go to a haunted house, Jughead,” Jellybean had said. “It’ll be fun,” she said.

Except, now he was turned around somewhere in a dark hallway; alone. With no source of light nearby, he could barely make out his surroundings. Tentatively, he reached out to use the wall to guide him, taking one step at a time. The surface of the wall was uneven and with each step he felt another notch as his hand moved across one panel of wood to the next. The floor creaked softly under his feet. Here in the dark, it was unnervingly quiet. The only other sound he could hear was of the wind passing through the trees outside the house.

“Hey, JB?” he called out. “Where the hell did you go?”

🎃 The First Halloween Since by @typing123 | G

Single Mom Betty doesn’t think she can face Halloween this year. She just wants a quiet night in with her daughter. Jughead’s not so sure.

THE HOUSE IS NOT HAUNTED by @satelliteinasupernova | T

“For the hundredth time, the house is not haunted,” said Gladys Jones as she lifted another box from the U-haul to carry into the house. “Now, go help your brother carry your things to your bedroom.”

JB huffed, and marched over to Jughead, reaching for her box of vinyl records, “How else did we get this place so cheap? You know it’s because that girl disappeared here.”

Silently, Jughead agreed with her, but he was getting tired of the argument. He knew JB wasn’t bringing this up to stop them from moving into the new house, she just wanted their mom to admit that was the reason they could even afford it. Gladys Jones wasn’t one to own up to her own methods, much less admit weakness.

The Hunger by @mistressofmalplaquet | M

Betty is being slowly starved at the Farm, while Jughead is hungry for blood. Hunger and seductive Blood Lust leads the pair into a swirl of terror, torture, and an inescapable dark fate.

🎃 The Jack-O-Gram by @noorakardemmomesaetre | T

The Jack-O-Gram has become the perfect way for Riverdale High students to express their feelings for someone special before the Halloween Banshee Bash at the end of the week.

Betty can't help but hope she receives one from the only boy who's ever captured her heart, Jughead Jones.

the key to (harm)ony by @lovedinapastlife | E

Everything else falls away, even her mother, sister, and Geraldine, when he steps towards her, untethered and confident with the grace of a circulating fountain. Up close, his eyes are blue - brilliant and deep like Sweetwater River, just on the verge of a knowing wink. His long spider-leg lashes flutter as he exhales in a hum of satisfaction, and the longer she looks at him the more it feels like she’s in the tub, water rising up over her chin until she can’t breathe.

“Hello, Betty,” he says with a soft, secret smile, and her heart rattles.

~~~

Betty resents her drunken mother's attempt to replace the recently deceased Charles with a stranger, his enigmatic half-brother Jughead. It's almost like he's waiting for the right moment to please her, to slink into her latest mystery and submerge her in something foreign: Freedom.

🎃 The Mouse by @typing123 | G

A hungry Jughead is lured into the woods on Halloween by a hungry vampire.

🎃 The One That I Want by @dreamersshouldknowbetter | T

Betty and Jughead meet at a Halloween party where they accidentally form two halves of a couples costume

the strange death of Elizabeth Cooper by @wolfofansbach | T

Betty Cooper, after a long struggle with illness, has passed away. Except–she hasn’t, because against all rhyme and reason, she awakens on the coroner’s slab, hale and healthy. The illness is gone, and she couldn’t be in better condition, to the weeping relief of her friends and family, not least of all her longtime boyfriend, Jughead Jones. No real explanation is forthcoming, but what does it really matter, when Betty is alive? And he can discount the occasional oddity in her behavior. She’s been through a lot, after all. Except, as the days go by and the strange happenings pile on, Jughead begins to suspect that whatever it is that crawled out of the grave that day isn’t really Betty Cooper.

🎃 the unexpected perks of being a pumpkin by @thetaoofbetty | M

Jughead Jones has a damn good Halloween.

🎃 Things that Go Bump in the Night by @createandconstruct | T

Are sometimes things that also squeal…

Thrill Me, Chill Me, Fulfill Me by @ms-maj | T

The gang does Rocky Horror.

Time Honoured Tradition by @jugandbettsdetectiveagency​ | T

When Cheryl dares Betty to spend some time in the abandoned house across the street she gets a little more than she bargained for.

What Happened on Elm Street by @tory-b | M

When Jughead Jones moves to Riverdale with his family, he uncovers a few mysteries this simple small town has been trying to cover up–specifically the murder that occurred in his house during the late 1950s that was never properly solved. Unable to keep his curiosity away, he teams up with neighbor and fellow mystery lover Betty Cooper to uncover the truth.

🎃 what we pretend to be by @sylwrites | G

It’s his little sister’s first Halloween, but his parents don’t have money for a costume or the time to take her trick-or-treating. The answer to both of these problems comes in the form of his best friend’s neighbour.

🎃 What’s Your Favourite Scary Movie? by @gellsbellshead | T

Betty Cooper doesn’t do scary movies. However maybe she could be persuaded by some cuddling from her boyfriend Jughead. This is a continuation of the fic “Movie Night”

🎃 when things go bump and grind at night by @rainystripe | M

Betty dresses up and Jughead is her slave.

Wild Creatures by @lilibetts | E

Neither Betty Cooper or Jughead Jones were particularly hopeful about their soulmarks; the inky black First Words seemed custom built for their hole-hearted selves. But with a mysterious game ensnaring students on campus, and killing some, it was a question of whether they would learn to work together before them being at cross-purposes destroyed everything.

🎃 Wish Fulfillment by @lilibetts | T

On Halloween, the core four meet up to go Trick-or-Treating, only to find themselves turning into their costumes. Revelations are had for Jughead and Betty.

🎃 won’t you tell me what you’re thinking of? by @flwrpotts | G

Betty enlists Jughead, Reggie, and Archie to help her set up for the annual Riverdale middle school Halloween dance.

Still haven’t satisfied your itch for Halloween fics? Check out our fanfic tag on @riverdale-events! Our Halloween event, Tricks and Treats of Riverdale, is going on and you can find fics posted exclusively to Tumblr there!

[tessatechaitea]

Justice League Annual #1 (1987)

Martian Manhunter has five thousand different super powers compared with the one super power of the rest of the team (Black Canary's sonic scream. The other "super powers" are just technological accessory based).

If this comic book isn't about Martian Manhunter's addiction to Oreo cookies then what am I even doing with my life? The only reason I love Martian Manhunter is that he loves Oreo cookies and I view him as the father I never had. Whenever I had a problem growing up, I would think, "What advice would Martian Manhunter give me?" And that's why I was so fat in Junior High School because the answer was always "Eat more Oreos." I know Martian Manhunter's eventual addiction is to "Choco's" but fuck Choco's. Fuck them like every other off-brand Oreo cookie. They fucking suck. Speaking of things that suck, this dick isn't going to suck itself. Now picture me pointing at the comic book because I need to read it. That's how I begin reading all of my comic books. And I say it loudly so the neighbors will think, "Oh boy! That guy next door isn't a nerd at all! Total sex maniac!" The "Hunting the Manhunter" blurb on this cover reminds me that Millennium is coming up and I think I hated that? No, no. I'm sure I loved it! There are two things I couldn't get enough of in my teen years and comic books was the second one of them. Kord Industries has bought some property in the middle of Ultra-Nowhere, South America, and some of its employees have gone off to scout the location.

Wasn't that the episode with the shape-changing hottie who loves sucking the salt out of men? You know what I'm talking about. Also she was probably a male monster posing as a female monster. Proof of that theory is that every single episode of the first season of the original Star Trek could also have been the name of a gay bar.

Inside the abandoned research facility, the Kord employees encounter pretty much the same thing Kirk, Spock, and the other one encountered:

Vampire John Travolta! It's possible I'm misremembering the Star Trek episode.

While on monitor duty, Guy Gardner discovers that large groups of people on four different continents seem to be under the control of a single will and Batman asks Martian Manhunter, "Do you think this is League business?" What the fuck else would be, Bat-Turd?! A new Internet fad like planking or the Harlem Shuffle? I mean, it totally could be that except that the Internet doesn't really exist during this story. I mean if you want to be a pedant about it, I suppose the teenage Internet across college campuses. But nobody likes a pedant so just shut the fuck up and live in my reality while you're reading my stupid comic book review. Just take the fucking Red Pill and relax! Except don't do that because the idea of The Matrix Red Pill has been co-opted by the worst of humanity who think they're somehow the most logical and philosophical people on the planet when they're really just awful monsters rationalizing all of their mean desires.

How did people come away from reading this comic book hating Guy Gardner and not also despising Batman?

The Justice League splits up into teams of two to cover the mass hypnosis issues in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and Los Angeles. I'm not sure Batman knows how to balance teams because he sends Doctor Fate and Martian Manhunter together while leaving Mister Miracle with Blue Beetle. Here are my teams: Guy Gardner with Blue Beetle because Blue Beetle is effectively worthless and Guy Gardner has the most powerful weapon in the universe. Batman would go with Black Canary because her sonic scream is sort of like a bat's echo location. Martian Manhunter would go with Scott Free because they're both aliens. And Booster Gold would team up with Doctor Fate because their outfits match. Blue Beetle and Mister Miracle head to L.A. with some, um, problematic dialogue? I think?

This is an "anal sex/everybody in Hollywood is gay" joke, right?

With newer comic books, a scan of 620 pixels (basically the width of the main column of the blog (although I think the width changed when I added the Goodreads app. I should probably fix it so the 620 pixel pictures stop bleeding off into the right-hand frame (if you're reading this on Tumblr, just ignore it. Just ignore everything since Tumblr fucked up their code and now I can't even center pictures or get the captions to sit snugly right up underneath the scans))) was usually enough to read the dialogue clearly. But with these old comics on newsprint, they're fuzzier and the font seems much smaller. Sorry about that but I won't betray my artistic integrity by scanning less than the full panel! At least not in this case is my defense against the pedants who can easily find many examples of me doing exactly that. First Black Canary is treated like shit by Batman and now she teams up with Booster Gold who can't stop hitting on her until she reminds him she's a competent limb-breaker. This must be the kind of comics Comicsgaters wish we could return to! "Remember when women were treated as sexual objects and not one member of the Justice League was Black and constantly said, 'Booyah!'? What great times!" Black Canary and Booster Gold become John Travolta Vampire slaves almost immediately because Batman chose the improper team pairings. It's bad enough that Batman would fail at making proper pairings but it's extra bad when Batman is being written by a writer and the writer made that choice. I mean, how do you pass up the opportunity to team Booster Gold with Doctor Fate?! They would look so fucking good together! Batman and Guy Gardner (you know how you can tell Hal Jordan is the real Green Lantern? Because people will say "Green Lantern" when discussing him instead of "Hal Jordan") wind up in Tokyo where Doctor Light is all, "Hello, boys! I'm a vampire now!" Then she blinds the fuck out of them because Batman forgot to put on his Bat-sunglasses.

Batman steals this move from Doctor Light in the next regular issue.

Doctor Light kisses Batman and he's all, "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. I get it. Being a vampire is pretty awesome. No wonder writers write vampire versions of me every other year or so."

I don't think the editors briefed Willingham on what Beetle's Bug can and can't do.

Beetle lands at Kord West and is immediately swamped by John Travolta Vampire's thralls. So he does the thing he does in nearly every comic book except the one where Maxwell Lord shoots him in the head: he runs away. But he doesn't run fast enough and winds up possessed aboard the Bug with Mister Miracle. The story hints that Miracle gets possessed just after the scene changes but he's Scott Free, the world's greatest escape artist! I would guess he'd be the one to save everybody else but judging from the cover, it's Martian Manhunter who keeps from getting possessed. In Australia, Doctor Fate wades into a group of infected people because he's a gigantic arrogant prick. He's all, "I'm a frickin' Lord of Order, assholes! I know a spell that can get to the root of this problem!" And then the Vampire John Travolta is all, "I'll kill Kent Nelson if you don't leave his body." And Doctor Fate is all, "Well, J'onn, I've gotta go! Nice hanging out with you! Ta ta!" Which leaves Martian Manhunter as the only person left on Earth who isn't infected (or at least the only person left who is in this story). I bet that's pretty lonely. But Martian Manhunter is used to being lonely. I wonder if he's capable of making his right hand into a female martian so he can fuck it? Martian Manhunter has no idea what he's dealing with so he puts on Doctor Fate's helmet to gain all of the other powers that he didn't already have without it. But only for a few seconds because Superman would never be able to get an erection again if he found out Martian Manhunter had all of his powers and could also do magic. J'onn wears the helmet just long enough to learn what Doctor Fate learned about the contagion: it's a sentient cell! It's smart cancer! And I guess Vampire John Travolta was Patient Zero. Now J'onn just has to figure out how to fight Smart Cancer. I don't even know how he'll defeat it because I just looked up Smart Cancer in the Who's Who to read about its weaknesses and wouldn't you know it? There's no entry for Smart Cancer! Maybe it was in an update that I don't own. Like that version of Who's Who that was just loose pages to stick in a binder! I have that one too but it's possible I just didn't buy all of the expansion packs. Martian Manhunter heads to the source of the contagion to meet Smart Cancer head on. What he finds is a boss from Castlevania.

When you have thousands of people at your disposal, is the most effective way to use them shoving them together into one giant person?

The first thing Smart Cancer's Granfaloon does is try to smash J'onn with its people fist. In effect, it's smashing a dozen people head first into the ground so that dirt sprays up all over the place. So I guess a dozen or so people are now dead, right? It's not like Smart Cancer gave them invulnerability to massive head wounds.

I think this panel is the one where all the Justice League editors through their hands up in resignation and sighed, "I guess the Justice League is ridiculous now."

Martian Manhunter realizes, like me, how fucking stupid Smart Cancer is to put all of its people in one gigantic people-shaped basket. Since all the minds are linked, he realizes he can throw the Fate helmet on one of the people and Doctor Fate can possess Smart Cancer. It works but only for a limited amount of time. Doctor Fate can't hold that many people under his sway. But Doctor Fate does know who can control Smart Cancer: the martian! He can shapeshift his cells into some kind of prison or something. I don't know. It was explained in the most basic medical and scientific terms but they were still beyond my attention span. In the end, Martian Manhunter contained the Smart Cancer in him and that's where it lives now? Oh, and speaking of "the end," check out this clever and titillating final panel:

"Why's it gotta be the ass of the only woman on the team?" I say while pulling my pants down.

Justice League Annual #1 Rating: What?! I don't rate annuals! I mean, maybe sometimes I rate annuals. This one was okay. It was sort of interesting but I was disappointed that Vampire John Travolta wasn't the actual enemy. I hope Smart Cancer fights its way out of J'onn and makes another appearance later.

[finalfrontierpioneer]

2019 Fic Recs

To celebrate the end of 2019 (and also to procrastinate on my own fics!), I figured I’d round up 19 of my favorite fics of the year! Now, to be clear, these were all written (at least partly) during 2019, and they’re all complete. But that’s like all they have in common. They’re from random fandoms and some are def explicit and they’re in no particular order, but mostly it’s Riverdale lmao. Bc i’m trash and i ain’t ashamed.

Starting out with the Riverdale here babyyy:

Things unrequited by Bearfacedcheek

New Veronica, new type?

Set after S01E01 Veronica decides that Jughead Jones is the perfect antidote to all the bad romantic and moral choices she always seems to make. But making Jughead hers doesn't prove as straight forward a task as she expects

No peace nor rest by Bearfacedcheek

They're not stupid. They know there's no peace in revenge. But the sight of Betty and Archie together makes them stupid and whisky makes them weak, so they take the only revenge they can.

Set post 2x08 Betty and Archie enter a relationship, leaving Jughead and Veronica heartbroken and a night of drunken revenge sex morphs into something far more complicated.

have i been too discreet? by partyhardy

In which Betty realizes she slowly watched Jughead fall for Veronica. 

keep telling myself i'm not the desperate type by Krewlak

The new kid at school argues with Veronica and it sparks something inside of Jughead. 

Supporting Characters by torombolo

Maybe this was inevitable, Jughead thought, staring at the couple in front of him. He spared a glance at Veronica. From the look on her face, she thought the same thing. Betty and Archie. Archie and Betty. Perfect. The American Dream.

“Fine,” the dark-headed girl had told him, “I’m fine.”

“Me too,” he said convincingly. Whether he was trying to convince her or himself he wasn’t sure.

But Darling, Who Ever Said That Love Was Fair? by bothromeoandjuliet

There is no room for blood and thorns in the bubblegum scented word that was Betty Cooper's life, and both Jughead and Veronica know it. But that doesn't mean that they can help what they are or what they feel. Only, nothings fair in love and friendship. 

Hindsight, As They Say, Is Twenty-Twenty by bothromeoandjuliet

Betty's always wondered why Jughead Jones broke up with her, and now, eight years after the fact, she finally gets her answer. (A one shot/drabble ft. past!bughead, and past!veggie, with a healthy dose of jeronica sprinkled all the way through.) ((Also I manage to write fluff that doesn't just turn to angst!)) (((So thats exciting)))

Some Stucky:

This Side of the Blue by notlucy

Tucked against a set of crumbling, stone steps was a tank made of metal and glass, filled to the brim with greenish water, distorted sunlight filtering through and casting strange shadows. Playing tricks on the eye. A trick was the only explanation for what Steve saw floating there. This figment of his childhood. This myth. This legend.

Within the tank, the siren bared its teeth.

Paper Tree by Ellessey

Bucky just laughs and shoves another bite of egg in his mouth, giving Steve a shrug and a full-cheeked smile. He's so damn cute Steve wants to shout at him, but he can't seem to say any of the right things. "Shoulda got you a comb for Christmas," is what he comes up with instead.

"What did you get me?"

It's Steve's turn to shrug now, and if he looks more terrified than cheeky as he does so, he can only hope Bucky doesn't catch it before Steve hurries out the door.

--

On December first, Steve wraps up a letter for Bucky and sets it under their Christmas tree. Now he has twenty-four days left to figure out how to tell Bucky what he wrote, face to face.

Political Animals by crinklefries, Deisderium

Okay, so the real problem is that you shouldn’t fuck your arch-rival, political enemy, and the person you loathe the most in the world where you work. Or like, at least, you shouldn’t keep doing that.

But okay, the thing that Descartes or whoever didn’t know was that Steve really tries, but Bucky Barnes has a mouth that should probably constitute an eighth sin or something.

Jesus fucking Christ, Sam’s going to kill him.

(or—Steve’s best friend is the U.S. Constitution and he can’t seem to stop fucking a hot Republican. They shouldn’t fall in love, but somehow they do. That’s it, that’s the fic.)

like heaven stood up in you by napricot

“You said you were gonna miss him,” says Bruce slowly. “He was supposed to be back in five seconds, but you hugged him and said ‘I’m gonna miss you.’”

Bucky’s face is serene again now, and gives nothing away. “I know Steve,” he repeats. “You think you can hand him a time machine and some rocks of unspeakable power and he’s just gonna go put ‘em right back where they belong?”

Steve does put the Infinity Stones right back where they belong. He just does a couple other things too. Or: three timelines and a Reverse Time Heist.

Drive It Like You Stole It: A Bodyswap by AggressiveWhenStartled

Steve had gone fully red-faced with pedantic altar-boy fury. “Did your computer forget how to Google translate?” he bellowed, sticking his head up and over. Bucky yanked him down again. “What are you even trying to say?”

Bucky tried to shake the sparkles off the grenade he had been planning on lobbing over the divider. “It sounded like Latin to me,” he said reasonably, pursing his lips and frowning at the explosive. It dripped a sparkle, and a puff of purple smoke curled up where it hit the concrete.

“That’s because you spent Sunday school flirting with Sarah Cunningham,” Steve accused, bobbing back up to throw his shield and ducking back down to dodge a shining ball of blue light. “You wouldn’t know Latin if it came up and kissed you on your ugly mug.”

“I’d sure know it if Sarah Cunningham did, though.” Bucky grinned, struck by the memory. “That gal really knew what she was doing.”

Some DC stuff (Halbarry):

Iconoclast by the_mythologist

When an alien race’s covert invasion and assassination spree decimates the Supercommunity, the survivors must band together to defeat against an unseen, invincible enemy. With many of their greatest heroes off-world or dead, the remnants of the Justice League, Teen Titans, Birds of Prey, Batfamily, and a few unaffiliated ‘heroes’ are all that stand in the way between the ‘Iconoclasts’ and Earth’s annihilation.

John Constantine is most unamused.

Slowing Down by Cinderstrato

It hadn’t been long after they first met before Barry began to suspect, in a vaguely-formed way, that it would be easy to fall in love with Hal.

sweating out a hot day by magnetocent

it's a hot day, but barry decides it's not hot enough 

Okay now some one-offs from random fandoms/pairings:

Off The Record by crookedswingset

Peter Parker is a corporate lackey whose sole job is to root out problem executives who waste Oscorp’s money and time. Wade Wilson is a reserve Avenger on the hunt for a prize even Iron Man couldn’t nail down: the real identity of everyone’s favorite webhead.

Too bad most people think Spider-Man is Harry Osborn.

Stars Beneath His Skin by ElloPoppet

On the white piece of paper was a smattering of small, black dots. McCoy turned the paper, in search of a pattern or alignment of some kind but not finding even a trace. The dots appeared to be drawn at random or rather, McCoy noticed as he squinted, printed. He looked up at where Spock was standing over him and returned a cocked eyebrow of his own.

“If you need help cracking some kind of code, this isn’t exactly my specialty, genius.”

Rather than banter back, Spock responded immediately and smoothly. “It is not a code. That is the alignment of stars that would have been visible in the night sky from Earth should one have been standing at the coordinates where my Mother was born at the moment of the occurrence.” Silence blanketed the room, McCoy not having a goddamn clue how to respond to that. Luckily, Spock wasn’t finished.

“I wish to memorialize her with what most races would call a tattoo, and I would like your help with the matter.”

Too Close To Love You by stylescoalition 

Aleks used to have a big crush on Brett but he doesn’t anymore, which is great considering they work together, on top of being good friends (suuuper lit). Now, Aleks is going to be living with Brett in LA until he finds a place of his own, but just because he isn’t crushing on Brett doesn’t mean that Brett isn’t crushing on him. Suffice to say, it makes things complicated… except it really isn’t as complicated as they think. 

drawn to wilder nights by detectivemeer

Scott and Derek start a frenemies-with-benefits relationship, and it goes about as well as one would expect.

[sleepinelysium]

All Hail the Conquering Hero

After months of working on the Prince’s face at the church in Shrewsbury, Bradmore removed the last tent from the Prince’s face and stitched the wound.  

“After a day or so of rest, your Grace, we can head back to London,” Bradmore told the relieved prince.

About five days later (due to a slow procession so as to avoid overtaxing the weak and wounded prince), Hal found himself stumbling out of the carriage before the Palace at Westminster just as the Abbey bells rang for None prayers.

Bradmore gripped the young prince’s shoulder firmly.  “We made it, your Grace,” he said with a smile.

Hal thought he might collapse right there in tears of relief.  There were days, Hell, months he thought he wouldn’t ever see the Thames or Westminster again.  Bradmore walked him into the palace where he left the Prince to see to their luggage.

Before Hal could think, much less react, a shape came rushing at him, knocking him flat on his ass. It knocked the breath out of him, sending a jolt straight through his body.  He screwed his eyes shut and held his breath until he realized arms were wrapped around him and soft sobs were coming from the shape attached to his body. Hal slowly opened his eyes to find Humphrey holding onto him, crying against his shoulder.

Hal held his brother as tightly as his arms would allow when Thomas and John came running into the room, winded.  

“Sorry we couldn’t catch him,” Thomas said, seriously, “He ran too fast for us.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hal responded, his voice still rough.  He reached an arm out to them.  “I’ve missed you both.”

John looked at Thomas, hesitating, then he joined his younger and eldest brothers on the floor. Thomas waited a moment, concern clear on his face.

“I won’t break, Thomas. I promise,” Hal said.

Thomas nodded and joined the pile-on.

Just as Humphrey began to catch his breath, the nurse walked in with the two girls.

“What are you doing?” Blanche demanded.

Hal poked his head up. “Hello, Blanche.”

“Hal!” Phillipa cried before launching onto the pile, throwing elbows to get closest to her eldest brother.  Blanche smiled and happily threw herself on top.

“I say,” the nurse started, unapproving, about to peal the royal children off the Prince of Wales. Hal held them tighter, but there was no need.

“Lady Joan,” a familiar voice started, “there is no need to separate my children,” Henry said as he walked into the room.

The childrens’ heads all snapped to look at him, unsure if they should stand in his presence, considering what he’d said.  He shook his head.  Lady Joan dropped into a low curtsey.  “As you command, your Grace,” she said and turned to leave.

Henry, unsmiling, turned to look down at his children.  Hal didn’t know what he was feeling, but there was this deep-seated ache, and it wasn’t just physical.

“We were just greeting Hal, Father,” Blanche said.

Henry held up a hand to stop her.  “I know, darling.”  Henry looked almost nervous as he cleared his throat a few times and finally asked, “may I join, as well?”

The boys looked at each other uncertain as well while Phillipa said, “of course, Papa!” holding an arm out to him.

Henry was unpracticed in hugging, but he carefully got down with them and figured a way to wrap his arms around all six of his children.

 After a time, Henry reached over and mussed John’s hair and patted Blanche’s back.  “Alright, everyone, let’s let Hal get some rest; he’s had a long few days of travel.”

The younger ones groaned, but they all pulled themselves off Hal and off the floor.  Thomas and John reached a hand down and helped pull Hal up. Thomas took a step closer putting a hand on his brother’s side as Hal tried to find his balance.  Hal screwed his eyes shut, holding on to Thomas and John for stability.

“Better, or do you need to sit down?” Thomas asked.

Hal shook his head.  “No, I’m better now.”  Hal standing and not covered by his siblings gave everyone a good look at him, and what they saw worried them.

 Hal’s face was still bandaged, which they expected, but they didn’t expect the sharp lines of his face, the way his clothes hung on his body, the empty look in his eyes. Humphrey hugged his brother again. “I missed you, Hal.”

Hal hugged him back.  “I missed you too, Humphrey.”

Humphrey pulled back and looked up at him, disapprovingly.  “I wanted to visit you, Hal.”

“I know.  I was just worried how you would take seeing me like that.”

Humphrey pulled himself straight.  “I could take it, I’m practically an adult, now.”

Something in Hal bristled at his brother’s assertion.  He was hardly an adult at seventeen, and he didn’t really want to be.  But he bit his tongue and kept himself from snapping at the boy.  Instead, he nodded.  “I know you’re older, but I’m still allowed to worry about you.  I still worry about john and Thomas, you think I would stop worrying about you just cause you’re older?”

Humphrey pouted.  “I guess not.”

Henry stepped in.  “I think it’s time Hal got some rest, everyone can visit with him later.”

Humphrey pouted some more, but he knew not to argue with his father.  The girls each quickly hugged one of Hal’s legs.

“Sleep well, Hal,” Phillipa said.

“Feel better,” Blanche said as they stepped back.

Henry wrapped an arm around his son and started leading him to up to his room.  They had to stop every few steps on the way up, and more than once, Henry thought that his boy might collapse right there on the stairs. But Hal made it to the top of the stairs, winded though he was.  Thomas and John waited on the landing, following a bit behind in case they were needed.

When Hal seemed able, they walked slowly to the boy’s room.  Henry knew Hal was pushing himself, but he didn’t want to hurt his son’s pride without needing to.  It wasn’t until he could feel his son shaking and uneasy on his feet that he stopped him. “Thomas,” Henry said behind him, knowing the boy was close.

Thomas closed the gap between them, waiting for his father’s instructions.

“The door, Thomas.”

The boy nodded and quickly went to open the door while Henry scooped his eldest son into his arms, and despite Hal’s relatively weak protestations, he carried his eldest the rest of the way into his room.

John quickly passed them and turned down the bed and Henry placed his boy on the bed.

“I could have made it,” Hal insisted quietly, his eyes screwed shut again.

Henry smoothed his son’s hair.  “I’m sure, I was just worried we were overtaxing you.”

Hal rubbed at his forehead. “Father—” he started, exasperation in his voice.

“Really, you should rest,” John said.

“I’m sure Bradmore will want something from you later, anyhow,” Thomas said.

Hal stiffened at Bradmore’s name, but he sighed.  “Fine.”

Thomas and John both gripped Hal’s arm, giving it a squeeze and leaving him alone with their father.

When the door latched shut, Henry knelt down to pull his son’s shoes off and pulled the boy’s legs up onto the bed, pulling the covers up over him.

Henry could feel his old self descending on himself.  He had always been uncertain and perhaps demanding and a bit frigid to his children. Not because he didn’t love them, but because he had no clue how to connect with them.  For a few minutes, at least, he had had no reservations about connecting with them in whatever way they needed, but now he was self-conscious and hyper aware of every movement of his hands, every twitch of his face.  Despite himself, he reached down and cupped his son’s face.  “I’m—I’m really so relived that you’re home, Hal.”

“Something flashed in his son’s eyes, but it was gone as soon as he noticed it was there.  “As am I, Father.”

Henry squeezed the boy’s shoulder and pulled his hand back.  “Get some rest and I’ll see you later.”

Hal nodded and buried himself deeper under the sheets.  “This is so comfortable I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

Henry thought for a moment, then pulled up a chair.  “Then I’ll wait ‘til you’re asleep.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Hal, go to sleep,” Henry ordered.

Hal paled at the tone in his father’s voice, giving a sharp nod.  “Of course, Father.”

 Later, when the King’s advisors were looking for him, Thomas and John found their father asleep, half falling out of the chair by his son’s bed with Hal snoring loudly.  They quietly turned and left, telling Henry’s advisors they couldn’t find him.

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Finally, my fic for the St. Crispin’s Day Party!  Hope y’all had a good day!

@princess-of-france, @skeleton-richard, @harry-leroy, @suits-of-woe, @malvoliowithin, @shredsandpatches, @witty-fool, @flappyfluellen, @necromancy-savant, @nuingiliath, @ardenrosegarden

[airrium]

Short Story - I Fought a Giant

I Fought a Giant!

“But what if I did some cool parkour and then, POW! I shoot them right in the face?” My voice echoes throughout the musty tavern. I jump up onto the cheaply made wooden table and pretend like I’m shooting some huge monster. The table wobbles and settles. Everyone turns to watch my display.

“Calnys would you please get down, people are staring.” Hal Churkov, my partner in crime, grumbles and sinks into his chair. He’s never been a fan of attention. His cheeks flush with embarrassment. I climb off the table and I seat myself once again. “Why can’t you just do what your parents want? It seems like such a better life.” his voice grumbles once again.

“Hal I don’t want to be an official like my dad or mom. I want to seek adventure and save people from monsters!”

“They’ll never let you.”

“Which is why I have to prove that I’m capable.” We both grow quiet.

Suddenly an elven man runs into the establishment. He’s covered in dirt and sweat, clearly out of breath. His body rests against the frame of the door and takes a moment to compose himself.

“The giants are coming!” He blares into the gathered tables. Gasps are heard all around us. My heart beats with excitement. “I spotted one just over the Ingrum hills, they always travel in tribes!” The tavern begins to stir with panic and people start to bustle out, assumingly to their homes. I turn to Hal, wonder and readiness in my eyes.

“Calnys no, don’t even think-”

I jump out of my seat before Hal can finish his sentence and run over to the man. “Excuse me sir, can you tell me exactly what you saw?” His eyes search for me before looking down. Being half most people’s height can do that.

“Ah little halfling woman, are you an adventurer or beast hunter? Please rid this town of those monstrosities.,” his voice pleads.

Hal catches up from behind me and looks at the elf, avoiding eye contact with me. “No, no this is Calnys Diakath, Law Master Ulric Diakath and High Ricktor Rosna Diakath’s daughter, she won’t be going anywhere to fight any giant.”

“Oh I am quite sorry, please send my apologies.” The elven man scrambles to exit the tavern. He’d rather not face the law for getting the town official’s daughter killed. I don’t even dare to speak with Hal as I leave. He follows, as usual, giving me a lecture as we make our way into town.

“Look Calnys, your parents have provided quite a suitable life for you,” I lead our way through the crowds and streets. Hal’s voice growing even more annoying as he continues to speak. We turn down an alley and I pop a large brick off the wall and pull Hal’s sword and my crossbow out, along with my trusty lute. He’s still talking by the time I’ve grabbed everything we need. I look him up and down. A tall and skinny human with dark curly brown hair. Not exactly built as the head crowns guards son, yet he’s deadly skilled with a sword. I bump him in the stomach with the pommel. He finally comes back to reality and looks at where we are. “You’re not serious?”

“Dead serious.”

• • •

We manage to catch a ride with a traveller headed towards Xhorhas from our little down of Zadash. The half orc woman said she would let us off as soon as we reached the Ingrum hills and she would continue on towards her destination.

“I regret teaching you how to fight,” Hal says. We both have our feet dangling over the end of the cart, looking back onto the road. We finally reach the hills and part with the woman.

“Alright let’s find us a giant,” my hands clasped together in excitement.

“How are we supposed to find a giant?” I look at Hal, eyebrow raised. “Right, dumb question.”

“He’s a big fellow, shouldn't be too long until we find him.”

• • •

We search for a few hours until coming upon a wide and large, open cave. Torch lit, Hal and I wander through the the tunnels together until finding fire light up ahead. This is it. The moment I prove to my family that I am strong enough to be a hero. I turn to Hal beaming; he looks like he’s ready to throw up. I reach up and place my hand on his arm and smile. Lute in hand, I prepare a spell. My fingers quietly brush the strings and I cast Heroism on Hal. I can see the magic implement into his body. He stands taller and ready’s his sword. Before we enter I switch out the crossbow on my back with my lute. I notch in arrow in place and Hal and I enter.

The dank small of the cave consumes my nose, mold and mildew are built up all along the slick grey stone. The smell of wild boar roasting follows. Over the fire sits a prize pig, larger than any I’ve ever seen. Tending to the fire is a single giant. No other entrances and/or exits other than ours. We burst in weapons armed.

“Be still foul beast and we’ll make this quick!” Hal shouts and points his sword directly at the giant.

“Why are you talking like that?” I say in hushed tones.

“It just sounded good, okay?”

The monster quickly rises and grabs a club. His stance is weak and he seems frightened. Where is his tribe? Before I can ask he steps forward and begins to swing. Hal and I duck and appear behind him. I take a shot with my crossbow and land an arrow into the giant’s shoulder. He turns quickly but seems unharmed by the arrow pointing out of his body. Hal dashes towards the beast and takes a swing, leaving a gash in his thigh. Still seemingly unharmed.

“Leave. Me. Alone!” the giant yells. He pulls back his club and begins to swing agan in Hal and I’s direction. Again I roll out of the way, but Hal doesn’t escape the monsters club and flies into the wall. He lands, unconscious.

Something doesn’t sit right with me. Giants are angry and only wish to destroy. They travel in tribes and never leave a man behind unless he’s dead. I throw my crossbow across the cave floor and stare into the giant’s eyes. I reach back and pull my lute out and prepare a spell. My fingers dance along the lute strings and I cast Charm Person on the giant. His head sways as he fights the magic, but I can see the spell seeping into his head. His eyes dilate and fix on me.

“Hello tiny halfing.” He drops his club and kneels down to look at me better. His voice is so deep that it almost shakes the ground. The giant is totally transfixed.

“Hey big guy, um, do you have a name?”

“Grog,” a smile rises onto his face. “What is your name little one?”

“Calnys Diakath,” I return the smile. “Grog, where is your tribe?” The smile fades into a frown.

“Don’t want me anymore. On own now.”

Giants are deadly creatures and should never be trusted. I know he’s only telling the truth under my spell, but is it anyless right to kill him? He poses no threat, and I think I should make sure people know Grog is okay.

“Grog, why don’t you come back with me and Hal? We can start a new tribe together.”

His smiles appears once again.

• • •

Grog carries Hal and I in his big hands back to Zadash. I cast Cure Wounds on both Hal and Grog to bring them back to pristine condition. Hal freaks out the moment he awakes but eventually I’m able to explain what’s going on. The soldiers freak out when they see us all together, but they allow Ulric and Rosna Diakath’s daughter and company into the town. Everyone gathers in the town square to meet us. I share Grog’s story and the tension begins to lower. No one dares to fight him. I know he’s going to make a fine friend because the spell wore off before we made it to town, and he hasn’t tried to kill anyone yet. My parents approach us.

“So, you expect us to take in a giant, do you?” My mother's nasally voice rings as she speaks. She looks to my father who says nothing. His eyes stare into mine.

“No. Grog, Hal, and I plan to go out and traverse the country.” I hold my head high, acting as important as I can.

“Nonsense! You and Hal have your lives ahead of you. I expect that you send this monster away,” Grog begins to turn away saddened, but Hal steps into his path preventing him from leaving.

“Lawmaster and High Ricktor Diakath, Calnys and I, with our new companion,” he turns and grins at Grog, “will be leaving this evening. Our first stop will be Xhorhas if you’d like to send anything to Calnys there.”

“Hal Churkov I saw this coming from my daughter but not you. Your brain has been muddled,” my mother turns and walks off, father follows suit.

I turn to Hal and Grog, my new adventuring party.

“Let’s go explore the world.”

[hidden-in-the-cloud]

Finding Fire Chapter 8

Authors Note: Yes I may have been writing Cheryl a bit of out character by making her seem really weak and vulnerable. But Finding Fire is meaning that this is all about Cheryl's recovery and behind the scenes of after her kidnapping. Because honestly no one can be fine after that. But after this chapter you're going to start to see the old Cheryl back.

Why doesn't anyone believe in afternoon meetings? I internally groan as Veronica sets a coffe cup in front of me as she sits down next to me. Across from us is Jughead, ponytail, and that gay kid, uhm Kale? No. Uhm Kyle. No definitely Kevin.

"If Hal isn't the black Hood my next conclusion has got to be Hiram," Jughead muses with Betty nodding her head.

Veronica sighs and grabs the side of her head in frustration, "even if true Jughead my father has people do his jobs for him on the down low and switches them out quickly. It's damn near impossible to even think who It is."

"I know we're talking about the black Hood but can I just ask why Cheryl isn't here?" Missing the fact both Jughead and Betty hang their heads down and Veronica throws a sad glance my way.

I groan, "She's actually with the boys today doing God knows what." Jughead smirks, "What do you think they're doing?" Jughead muses as I groan again, "Don't make me think I'm scared to even begin to wonder what they're doing. With those two something stupid I'm sure."

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"FANGS SHE'S GOING TO KILL US," Cheryl screams as Fangs looks horrified looking into the side of the trailer looking athis motorcycle stuck in the middle of the trailer crashed into the side wall. "I CAN FIX IT I SWEAR DON'T TELL TONI SHE'LL KILL ME." Sweetpea just shakes his head, "Told you that you needed to make the lift off higher off the ground in order to jump over it." Fangs looks over to Sweetpea, "Please help me patch this up Sweets she'll be here soon we were only supposed to watch Cheryl for the morning. Cheryl scoffs over to Fangs, "First off you're not babysitting me I just figured it was nice to have company rather than be alone seco-" Sweetpea cuts Cheryl off, "I'm not helping you dude." Fangs starts to beg when Cheryl starts again, "Oh yes you will Sweetpea or I'll tell Toni it was both of your guy's idea and who do you think she'll believe more?" As Cheryl stalks over to Sweetpea staring him down. Sweetpea crosses his arms staring down at the 5'6 girl. They have a brief staring contest before Sweetpea gives up and looks over to Fangs begging on the ground, "Fine." Cheryl smiles in triumph before walking past the boys, "Don't thank me Fangs I just don't want you to mess with the job like you did with our door, and next time this happens again I'm telling Toni."

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Jughead smiles out the window at Pop's, "yeah something stupid I'm sure."

"Well let's go back to Archie he somewhat worked for your father right? Did he notice anyone else that worked for your father?" Kevin muses.

Veronica srunches her eyebrows, "Well there was that FBI agent/driver/doorman/hitman, Andre or Arthur."

I nod my head, "Well let's check them out first-" But Veronica shakes her head in disagreement, "He's a lot of things guys but Black Hood I feel is to much for one maybe two guys to do for a Mob Boss dont you think? Every person should have a separate job."

"Yes but he seems to have a lot of them, important of all is screwing with Archie being that fake FBI agent," Jughead speaks.

"You gonna record his voice and make Cheryl listen to that too against her will?" I snap at Betty.

Betty sighs, "I said I was sorry like a million times."

"Yeah you're pretty good at that aren't you?"

"Girls," Jughead warns. He shakes his head dissaprovingly.

"Well this meeting has gone on for a couple hours so far I thank you for coming but let's scatter for today shall we?" Veronica muses. As she stands up and goes to tell Pop to open up the restaurant for the day.

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I come home and as I walk through the door Cheryl comes running out of the room and jumps me. I laugh as she smothers me with kisses.

"Hi baby how was your morning," moving my head to peck her lips while holding her waist in place. "It would have been better if you were here," I giggle as she pouts. "In order to keep you safe and our family safe those stupid meetings are important even if she does insist 7am," I scoff. As Cheryl giggles, "That's the true crime here." "Thank you!" I exasperate. We go to sit on the couch as I turn to look at Cheryl who in turn is looking down playing with the holes in my pants looking relaxed. It's been awhile since she's seen Cheryl actually relax, her dark circles are next to none, her eyes have her fire and sparkle back and she actually put some light make up on today. Toni loves when Cheryl is nude but she knows that's not the normal Cheryl and she's glad she's getting back there. Despite Cheryl being upset about having to explain her story again to Dr. Green after Dr. Stone and me, the new Doctor is helping a lot in her recovery and so far the three mornings a week no one has been following them to the office. "Baby?" I say out loud as Cheryl hums in response not looking up from my pants. "We haven't gone in a date in forever and I have tonight off, can I take you out?" Cheryl smiles and looks up and leans over to capture my lips. She holds my cheek in her hand as she pulls herself back, "I think it's so sexy you still ask me out after being so domesticated for about a month and a half now." I grab her hands and look into her eyes, "I'll always treat you like the princess you are." She smiles and secretly squeals in delight, "Yes I'd love to go out." She gets up and goes to grab her purse as I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion, "Where are you going?" Cheryl turns as she heads out the door, "Well shopping of course got to look good for tonight, toodles," she waves a bit and heads out the door. I huff she didn't even give me a kiss goodbye.

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"I'm so excited for tonight I had left without giving her a kiss. I bet she pouted for a good minute after I had left," I speak as me and Veronica shop in the little shops downtown for my date tonight.

"You know Toni is really intense Cheryl-" I instantly scowl, "You're starting to sound like Betty," Veronica puts her hand up to stop my oncoming anger. "She's instense and very opinionated she's exactly like you and she's so good for you Cheryl she loves you so much you're definitely one of her passions. I've never seen her go so soft for anyone in my life not even for the boys." I smile so hard I think my face is going to fall off, "Thank you Veronica. Now," I hold up a dress, "Definitely" Veronica smirks.

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I finish curling my hair as I hear Cheryl's car pull up. I look at the time and see it's about almost six. Since Cheryl was so excited about going out tonight I didn't even get to tell her the time we were going out so I had texted her and told her six. I hear the door open and close but I didn't hear Cheryl speak to greet me. I walk into the living room with Cheryl wearing a trench coat and her hands behind her back. Her make up was flawless and of course her hair cascading down the right side of her body curled down perfectly. Cheryl walks up to me softly almost shyly smiling, "hi" I smile back, "Hi" we stare at each other gazing. I had decided to go for a short dark navy blue dress with make up to go with it with my hair curled exactly like Cheryl's. She goes out to play with the ends of my hair careful not to mess it up, "Curled makes your pink stand out more," she smiles fondly as she brings her arms out from behind her back showing me a bouquet of daisies. I gasp a little as I grab them, "My favorite." "The flowers you'd pick from the ground and make Sweetpea and Fangs wear in their hair as children." I smile up at her sweetly as she remembered the story I had told her when we first met getting to know each other. I go to put them in a vase to put in our window. I walk back over to her as she sweetly grabs my hand kissing it lightly making me giggle cause it tickles. I turn a bit red I feel like this is our first date. We go out to her car as she sweetly opens the door for me helping me inside. Anyone else I would have snapped saying I can do it myself but hell the way Cheryl does it makes me just want to take her on the car right here and now. Cheryl gets in soon after as we head off to the restraunt outside of town.

Out of habit driving down the road I start to look around to make sure no one is following us but after a minute I feel Cheryl take my hand and murmur, "not tonight baby." I relax into her touch as we soon pull up to the restaurant not to long later. I get out of the car quickly and let Cheryl out. She turns around and gestures to help her out of her coat and as I do I gasp. A sparkling red dress that reaches down to her knees as on the bottom right corner of her dress is Cherry's wrapped around by a snake her own creation. I look up gawking as she's biting her lip, "is this okay? Do you like it?" I quickly grab her hip and pull her into me grabbing her lips thankfully not wearing her signature red tonight so she doesn't yell at me about messing up her lips. "I love it baby it's so perfect." She beams at me as we walk hand in hand at the restaurant. The host looks up as we walk in. "For four?" I get a little irritated because obviously we're holding hands as I clench my jaw and say, "nope two." He gives us a weary look but leads us to a table hidden in the back. I would scoff but it's our night and I don't want to ruin it by one homophobic dude. I pull out Cheryl's chair for her as she gladly accepts and nods my way. I go to sit back over as our waitress comes over smiling, hopefully not as rude as the host. "Can I interest you ladies in a little fine wine tonight?" Before Cheryl could go say yes I kindly offer it down and order us our normal ice teas. I see Cheryl pout a bit in the corner of my eye but as look back over it's gone and replaced with a smile. I reach across and hold her hand playing with her ring nonchalantly as we look at the menu. We sit in silence deciding what we want. After awhile the waitress brings our drinks and asks what we would like, Cheryl orders some Italian dish while I order the fish. We make small talk here and there about work or such, but stops when our food gets brought to us. Needless to say we spent the time trying to feed each other while giggling. One of the best moments of my life.

As we leave the restaurant I hold my hand out for the keys giving a look of 'don't argue with me' she hands them over as I open the passenger door for her. We start driving and of course Cheryl being well Cheryl she asks where we're going which I play it off and don't answer her questions. Once we reach the hidden bar I let Cheryl out. She gives me a weird look and looks down at what she's wearing, "don't worry we look great for this scene." She shrugs deciding not to argue as we walk in hand in hand.

When we head in I feel myself being squished and picked up as I hear a big hearty laugh and Cheryl freaking out. "Marty," I hold him back just as happy. He laughs again and looks down at Cheryl swatting her hands on his stomach telling him to put me down. "Dont worry baby Marty is a friend of my dad's." Cheryl stops but still scowls at watching her girlfriend get manhandled. He sets me down, "Marty this is the girl I gush about on the phone." Marty bends down taking Cheryl's hand while kissing it princess like, "it's so nice to meet you gorgeous," Cheryl instantly relaxes and giggles. Marty walks us over to the front, "Ricky saved you guys a spot like you have asked Tiny." I scowl at the name but nod my head, "Thanks Marty," he walks away as Cheryl turns to me, "A spot for what exactly?" I smile back at her, "We're singing our song tonight karaoke style baby." She starts to gush and kisses me all over.

"Thank you guys for coming out tonight, now tonight is indeed karaoke night and first up a girl who's family has brought her very special girl home tonight for a special date night. Without further introduction as she hates them welcome Toni and Cheryl singing, "The Fighter."

People start to clap as I turn to give Cheryl a microphone as I help her on stage. She smiles at the crowd and gleams in the attention as I the opposite and shyly waves. I put the microphone up to my mouth, "Thank you for that intro Ricky he is right though I did bring my girl out tonight on a long over due date night as I decided to bring her home to sing our song," I smile over to her squeezing her hand as she smiles back as the song starts to play I start the song;

"I know they hurt you made you scared of love, too scared to love they didn't deserve you cause you're precious heart is a precious heart they didn't know what they had and I thank God, oh, oh, oh and it's gonna take just a little time but you're gonna see that I was born to love you,"

Cheryl gaps as Toni changed the words a bit to fit her situation, because its wasn't a he it was multiple people who have shattered her, she goes to put the mic to her lips trying to pull herself together;

"What If I fall?" The vulnerability in that statement was part of the song but to Cheryl it felt all to real. But Toni quickly retorts with fire

"I won't let you fall."

"What if I cry?" Although Cheryl already knew the answer there.

"I'll never make you cry," Toni coos but with power behind it.

"And If I get scared?" Cheryl thinks back to all the times Cheryl was shaking in fear as Toni storms in to wrap her up in her warmth.

"I'll hold you tighter," Toni gleams in pride, as she carries on the lyrics, "When they're tryna get to you baby I'll be the fighter." Toni was her fighter her 5'3 little fighter.

As the song carries to a blissful end both girls in their own heads filled with love for each other share a kiss on stage as Toni's extended family and random customers at the bar cheer loudly for them. They intertwine their hands together and wave at the crowd as they walk off stage.

Toni walks back over to Marty with Cheryl in tow as they talk a little longer and in the end when Cheryl hugs Marty goodbye Toni melts inside. Marty was like an extended father to Toni who was there for her when her own parents died. She's glad Cheryl approves as they head home for the night.

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We're laying in bed in our natural positions of Cheryl laying on top with her arms wrapped around me and me playing with her hair while the other hand wrapped around her lower back. Cheryl breaks the silence first, "I had so much fun tonight thank you for taking me out this has been one of the best date nights by far. I love your world and I want you to keep showing me it." I hold her tighter and kiss the top of her head, "I'd love that baby girl," as I feel her sigh in content. We lay more in silence as my eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Hey uh Cheryl why does the wall above our bed look like it's been patched up?" I feel Cheryl stiffen as she hurriedly gets up over me and turns off the side lamp, "I'm tired let's get some sleep," She stampers nervously as she lays back down draping over me pretending to already be asleep. I groan and rub my face, yup something stupid indeed.

[aeschylusresigned-blog]

all of them

((I’m guessing you mean the mun thing because I didn’t reblog anything else and if not and you’re just sending all of them out of context then wh o o boi I just put myself through An Ordeal for nothing.

☯ Is there a muse you’ve always wanted to play?

Yes! Nepeta!!!! I’ve always wanted to play her but I don’t have the confidence because I lack proper grasp of her character.

♣ Is there an author(s) that you look up to with your writing skills?

Ooo yes definitely. Beloved, for one, has the most amazing prose I have ever seen. I’ve learned a lot from their writing and I still aspire to someday be able to write something as breathtaking as their works. Quenive as well has spectacular writing and their stories and dialogue flow so well and j u st ohmy g od.

♧ Is there an RP partner(s) that you credit for becoming a better writer?

Definitely. I would say it was all of the people I’ve roleplayed with before that allowed me to develop Hal so much. The people in my old group chat definitely helped me flesh out different aspects of Hal that I could play (ie: sadist demon while still managing to be an angsty know-it-all) and the spontaneous connections on parp really helped me figure out how to play Hal in stupid situations while still keeping him ic.

♥ What’s your favorite ship with your muse?

Ha ha h a,,h,a,,,,wh ee zes

♡ Would you ever write a poly ship?

If anyone were actually interested in writing a poly ship with me, then yes definitely.

♦ What’s an AU that you’ve always wanted?

Oh boi there are just s o  m a n y. That one godstuck au maybe. That would be fun to play out. Also the generic vampire aus I am weak for them. There’s also the au’s I’ve made that would be fun to play out but they’re difficult to explain. Merstuck au’s are also amongst the favorites to play along with dragon rider au’s I love me my fantasy genre. Whoops that was more than one but listen ok I want a lot of AU’s.

♢ What’s an AU that you think just won’t work with your muse?

Hmmm I’m not sure. I can’t think of any at the top of my head but any AU that revolves around Jake probably wouldn’t work well with Hal.

♔ What’s your opinion on teacher/student verses? Do you have any of these as threads?

I’m not personally a fan of them and I can’t say I see the appeal but if that’s what rocks another person’s boat then I’m not going to be the one hating on them. As of the moment I don’t have any as threads.

♕ Do you like magic!anons? Why or why not?

Yes!! They’re a lot of fun and I always think throwing the unexpected at my muses is the greatest thing ever. 

⚜ What is the best time to write for you? Why?

Late afternoon or evening because that’s the time I’m awake and Functional and have actually thought of Creative ideas to write.

★ What type of historical AU would you like to do one day?

Maybe something based on the Renaissance period? Or the classic medieval period. Ancient Greece would also be fun to play out.

☆ What type of fantasy AU would you like to do one day?

There are many. Just, anything that is fantasy I probably want to do it. I’ve never really tried the whole AU with the fae/faeries so perhaps that would be fun to look into.

☄ Do you think your muse would have liked going to high school sports games? Do you or did you go to high school sports games?

Nope, he wouldn’t be interested in the actual sport. Going to see hot guys though? Definitely. I don’t generally go on a day to day basis because I understand like nothing. If a friend wanted me to go or a teacher was giving extra credit for me to then yeah I’d go.

☾ Do you like writing smut? Why or why not?

I have actually never written smut so I can’t really say. I think it’d be difficult for me to having had no experience whatsoever with anything relating to smut.

☽ Do you like writing angst? Why or why not?

Yes and no. Yes because I love to make my muse suffer and it’s great and fun to throw Tragic headcanons to my rp partner and to watch them suffer(not really) a well. No because,, I am a simple person,, who wants my muses to be happy,, and roleplaying angst fucking h u r t s.

☼ What’s an FC that you’re dying to use? Why?

Uhhhh???? I don’t really have one of a Real Life Person but I pretty much draw my own interpretations of Hal so? That probably counts maybe. 

☀ What’s an FC that you desperately want to play with? Why?

See above.

☁ What’s an FC that you refuse to play with? Why?

See also above. 

☂ How does your muse spend a rainy day? How do you spend a rainy day?

Napping against the window sill lulled to sleep by the gentle patter of rain falling upon the glass is how he spends a rainy day. I, on the other hand, spend it indoors on my laptop like I do every single day.

☃ If your muse was cartoonized, what would their FC be? Why?

???????

☺ What’s a character that you desperately want your muse to play with? Why?

Any of the robots. Literally any. I hardly ever get interactions with any of the robots it’s kind of sad.

☹ What’s a character that you refuse to play with? Why?

There aren’t any I would refuse to play with but there are some that I prefer to not interact with. This is due to the fact that either I or my muse or both dislikes the character and roleplaying with them would actually require more effort on my part.

☢ Are there any ships that you would like to write for one day? Any that you wouldn’t?

There are definitely ships I would like to write for one day because I’m a sucker for that really. There are also ships I wouldn’t but I’m not going to get into that because I don’t want to be involved in The Discourse.

☣ What’s one thing that will make you drop a thread?

If a mun godmodded my character or forced their character onto mine, probably.

♨ What’s a muse that you wished had lasted, but didn’t?

Mmm can’t really say I have one. All of my main muses stuck with me. I guess there were my OC’s that I used to rp with my friends but it’s not that much. I do wish that my friends and I could have lasted in rping with each other tho.

❀ Do you like reblog karma? Why or why not?

Assuming I have the correct definition of reblog karma, yes. It’s nice because it’s like a win win scenario. Everyone gets asks in their inbox and it’s kind of just polite y’know? Like a tip of the head “I see you like this rp meme just as I do so I’ll send you something so we both can enjoy it.”

✿ Do you have a mun FC? If so why did you choose that as your FC, and if not who would you choose?

Nnoot really? I have my own drawings of how I depict myself through my art if that counts.

♪♩♫ Does music inspire your muse? What’s one song on your playlist that reminds you of your muse?

Sometimes but not really. He doesn’t listen to music for inspiration, more of to fill the gaps of silence that occasionally settle in. Gasoline definitely reminds me of Hal. Definitely.

✂ Do you like to format your posts? Why or why not?

I like when other people do because it’s aesthetically pleasing and it’s so nice and spiffy. I, personally, don’t like to because it’s a pain in the ass and I only have so much patience.

✆ Other than RPing, what’s a hobby of yours?

Drawing! My icon and header is drawn by me so-

✉ Do you RP on any other platforms?

Does Parp count? Sometimes I use cherubplay too but not too often because the people there intimidate me.

❤ Have you or are you currently in love?

Romantically, probably not if you get what I’m hinting at. ;)

❥ Has something ever happened for you to hate a ship? Why?

Hoooo boi you can bet on it. Let’s just say an extended encounter with a really Toxic Roleplayer And Person In General has led to me disliking basically any ship involving a certain character.

ツ Who has been your favorite muse to play so far? Why?

Hal because he’s such an asshole I love it. I don’t generally get to be mean but man with Hal I can be as petty as I want.

回 Which muse was the worst to play? Why?

There was this once I tried to roleplay Dave and it just. It went terribly wrong I had no grasp on his character and I still don’t. Never again.

✘ People come in a group. If I were to look on your blog, who would I see you interacting with the most?

@timaeustestbed this one. This one @documentingsatan has also been taking up a lot of blog interaction lately too. Though they’re both the same people.

ღ Do you have a personal blog? Do you share it with your followers or do you keep it private?

I do! It’s linked right on my “mun page” lmao.

▼ Do you keep your character in character even if they are one of the worst people in the world?

I would like to think I do because Hal is objectively one of the worst people in the world. Though, I’ll admit I do a lot of justification for Hal’s actions from Hal’s point of view because Hal doesn’t see himself as a villain. Just a terrible person. I am also very soft on Hal and he probably acts happier than he should.

▽ Why did you create this muse?

True story but when I finished reading Homestuck I was like “shit I need to pick a character to roleplay” because that’s just what I did. I like to roleplay and Homestuck was such a large fandom that it was bound to be Fun to roleplay. There were many Failed and Subpar attempts to rp some characters on parp and I just couldn’t find a character that clicked, y’know. I tried John, Dave, Karkat, Jade, Rose, Dirk and just nope. And then. On a random spur as I scrolled through the available options in the Parp menu I saw “Lil Hal.” Of course, at the time, I only clicked it because I had thought I exhausted all other resources and if I fucked up everyone else why not fuck up this character I knew nothing about it (and I mean literally nothing about. I used to hate when Hal started talking in the comic because I thought it was so damn annoying). But surprise I was?? I was good at rping him?? People liked my shitty depiction of Hal. So I read more about Hal and how to play him and he just grew on me and here I am today.

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

cover32 Patriots Roundtable: Week 3 Edition

The Patriots finally got back on track with a resounding victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Now they have their sights on a familiar foe, the Houston Texans. Last week, the cover32 Patriots staff reacted to the beatdown at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. This week, we look back at the game against the Saints and look forward to the Texans. In addition, we dive into the Malcolm Butler situation.

The Participants:

Ian Glendon Patriots Editor and National Editor Mike D’Abate Chargers Editor and Patriots Writer Hal Bent Patriots Writer David Albiani Patriots Writer Chris Morgan Patriots Writer Jared Talbot Patriots Writer Adam Myers Patriots Writer

  1. What was your biggest takeaway from the Patriots win over the Saints?

Sep 17, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws a pass during an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: The biggest takeaway is that the Patriots are still one of, if not THE best team in the NFL. The offense, despite being limited to just three receivers, looked unstoppable, albeit against the Saints. However, the Saints still play in the NFL. Against the Chiefs, the offense looked out of sync. Against the Saints, who are a better team at home, they looked like the well-oiled machine we have all come to know over the last several years.

D’Abate: It may sound elementary, but as long as the Patriots have Tom Brady under center, they will compete for a championship. That was my biggest takeaway from Sunday’s win against the Saints. Despite both expected and unexpected injuries to his targets, he looked like a candidate for MVP. He also showed that he hasn’t fallen off that “cliff”, much to the chagrin of those outside of New England. Going 30 of 39 passing, while racking up 447 yards and three touchdowns, is a great way to show the league that the Pats are not done and are still a force with which to be reckoned.

Albiani: The Patriots showed better fight defensively providing more steady pressure (although they didn’t technically try to rush vs the Chiefs) and also showed more discipline on the edge. They had a solid overall effort but still allowed seven catches for 75 yards to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to the Saints backfield, something that will give the Pats fits all year. Overall loved the effort offensively and considering they held the Saints to just 20 points overall and seven in the second half in New Orleans is a huge building block for this team.

Bent:  The biggest takeaway from week two was the much-needed youth, energy, and athleticism on defense for the New England Patriots. The Patriots had playing-time aplenty for youngsters Adam Butler at defensive tackle, Deatrich Wise at defensive end, Jonathan Jones at cornerback and Elandon Roberts at linebacker. These four athletic young players gave the defense the boost it was missing in week one.

Butler stepped in for veteran  Alan Branch. Wise, a fourth-round draft pick this year, had a sack and consistent pressure on future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. Jones had a couple of excellent pass breakups stepping in when cornerback Eric Rowe was dinged up. Finally, Roberts made some plays in space against the running game and injected speed, energy, and enthusiasm into a linebacker group missing Dont’a Hightower.

Morgan: It should come as no surprise, but the biggest thing I took away was that Tom Brady clearly still has it, and anyone saying he was “done” after the Chiefs debacle needs to get their head evaluated. Maybe they’ve taken too many hits to the head over time, that CTE is rough, man. I was also very impressed with the defense. Sure, they gave up 20 points, but against a QB like Drew Brees and the talent the Saints have on offense, that’s actually a very good number.

Talbot: Brady has not lost a step. So many made a big deal out of the week 1 loss as to whether or not Brady was starting to show a decline. He quickly responded with throwing 447 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also set a few more records along the way. The offense was clicking and expect that to continue. 

Myers: The Patriots defense is starting to gel. Week one was a bumpy ride for the Patriots, and the offseason additions seemed to fail to live up to expectations. What many people fail to realize is, it’s going to take some time for these individual players to truly come together and form a cohesive defensive unit. Week two gave us the first glimpse as to what this team can really be. Cassius Marsh, Adam Butler, Deatrich Wise Jr., Stephon Gillmore, Lawrence Guy, Harvey Langi, and many other fresh faces grace the defensive side of the ball. This relatively unfamiliar group of defensive contributors held the explosive Saints to only 20 points on their home field, where they historically play much better than on the road, and did so without arguably their most important defensive player in Dont’a Hightower. This Patriots defense is starting to put it all together, and the rest of the league better be ready for when they do.

2. Who has been the best ‘new addition’ to the team through the first two weeks?

Sep 7, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise (91) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: It’s hard to look past Deatrich Wise at this point in the season. That is not to say by the end of the year, Brandin Cooks could be that player. However, in Wise’s case, he has made his presence felt on the defense in just two games. He has shown his length in fighting off lineman and looks to be a budding superstar next to fellow defensive end, Trey Flowers. Wise has collected sacks in each of his first two games.

D’Abate: For me, it’s been Deatrich Wise, Jr….and it’s not really close. He’s been one of the biggest steals of the draft, so far. Wise finished Sunday’s game with five quarterback hits, a sack and two tackles for losses. In a year where pass rushing was thought to be a weakness for New England, it looks as though Wise will be able to provide the Patriots with a solid option as a pass-rusher along with fellow Arkansas product Trey Flowers.  He may not have been the most-heralded new addition, but he may end up being one of the most important. 

Albiani: The best new addition to this team to me is tied between Brandin Cooks and Deatrich Wise, and I am going to lean Cooks. Wise has given the Patriots someone who can get after the quarterback and has been a huge addition considering the ability to generate pressure on the edge was a big question mark heading into the season with the retirement of Rob Ninkovich. That being said Cooks has brought a new dimension to this offense and his speed makes him impossible to cover one on one because of his ability to score on any play. That has opened up the offense even more and allowed the McDaniels and co. to work through game plans and find the right way to feature all the backs and weapons they have.

Bent: Through 2 weeks, rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise has been a huge player on the defense for the Patriots. The defensive end position lost Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard to free agency in the offseason. Kony Ealy was acquired from Carolina and cut in the preseason. Veteran Rob Ninkovich retired this offseason as well.

Other than third-year defensive end, Trey Flowers, New England had a gaping hole at the other defensive end position.Wise has picked up sacks in both of his career games so far in New England. Per profootballfocus.com, Wise had a sack, two quarterback hits, and a hurry in just 27 pass-rush snaps on Sunday against the Saints.

Morgan: I have to give this one to the rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise. He’s been very impressive in his first two games and is clearly picking up the system very quickly. His situation reminds me a lot of how fellow former Arkansas Razorback, Trey Flowers, burst onto the scene his rookie year. Maybe it’s just simply playing opposite of Flowers that has Wise playing so well, but regardless he’s been a big help in the front seven.

Talbot: Honestly Mike Gilisllee has been incredible so far. He already has 4 touchdowns and is filling in nicely into he Legarette Blount role. He is doing more than I expected though all around as he continues to run through the tackles and run a lot better than I pictured. Look for him to continue to score Touchdowns and surprise people all season long.

Myers: Over the first two weeks of the season the biggest addition to this Patriots team has to be the fourth round rookie defensive end out of Arkansas, Deatrich Wise Jr. Wise has recorded two sacks through the first two games of the season and helped the Patriots to establish a little bit of stability at a position of question. Who would be the starting defensive end opposite of Trey Flowers? Following the retirement of Rob Ninkovich, that question was up in the air. Through two weeks of the season, Wise appears to be answering that question. Look for Wise to take on a larger role with this Patriots defense moving forward.

3. What do you make of the Malcolm Butler situation? Was it simply a matchup choice or were the Patriots sending him a message?

Oct 25, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler (21) and cornerback Justin Coleman (22) celebrate against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: I don’t think we have to look too far in the past to see how this scenario plays out. Last year, heading into a contract year, Jaimie Collins was shipped off to Cleveland midseason. Chandler Jones was traded prior to the 2016 season. If you go back several years, Belichick chose an unknown, Julian Edelman, over superstar Wes Welker. Letting the latter sign with the rival Broncos. The point is, Belichick will always make the move that is best for the team. I think it would be foolish to think this was just a matchup scenario. Enjoy Malcolm Butler while he is still here, it may not be that long.

D’Abate: Bill Belichick is not afraid to make choices based on what he feels to be best for the team. He has declared, as such, many times. On the surface, it makes sense that he would want a bigger corner to guard the Saints bigger receivers (Coleman, etc). However, Malcolm Butler has always been an every-down back. He’s never before been demoted for matchup choices. To me, it looks like a message is being sent, here. His performance in Week One was serviceable, but not up to the level at which Butler is capable of playing. The fact that this was done against the Saints (which whom Butler discussed a potential contract this offseason), is what I believe to be a coincidence.  The message from Belichick and the coaching staff is simple: Do your job to the best of your ability, or we’ll find someone else who will. We’ll see this Sunday of the message was received.

Albiani: I think it is a little of both. Butler has had problems in the past against bigger and more physical receivers, rather than short and shifty ones. However, Butler also hasn’t played that well going all the way back to the end of training camp, through preseason, and now into the regular season. Butler to me is still going to have a big role on this defense and will be a big factor if the Patriots want to help that pass rush versus better offensive lines. There was a clearly a message sent to him that his performance hasn’t been up to par and he needs to improve, but he will have time to work through his issues. 

Bent: The Malcolm Butler situation is a little of column A and a little of column B. Just like in Super Bowl 51, with two large wide receivers the Patriots deployed Butler as the third cornerback. Against the Falcons last February, Butler covered Taylor Gabriel as Eric Rowe and Logan Ryan covered Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu.

With a duo of oversized targets, New England started Rowe and Stephon Gilmore on Sunday. Of course, as much sense as it makes match-up wise, there is always a motivation factor with Bill Belichick. Those deliberate actions cannot be ignored. Not to sit on the fence, but it was a little of both.

Morgan: Knowing the Patriots, I could see it being a little bit of both. We all know Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia loves to play matchups more than anyone else in the league, but at the same time, Butler is the kind of talent that you’d think would start regardless. However, he has played pretty poorly in the early season, and the Patriots could be telling him, in a way, that if he wants that major contract, he’s going to have to play up to that level, and right now he simply isn’t.

Talbot: I believe they were sending him a message. He has been so adamant about deserving as much money as Gilmore and getting top dollar yet he is not helping his cause right now. If he were smart, he would put his head down and prove just why he deserves top dollar because right now it simply seems as if he is whining. I expect him to turn things around though and the Patriots could really use his talent. 

Myers: Looking at the Malcolm Butler situation, one can’t help but think back to what happened with Jamie Collins in the first half of the 2016 season. A player that is considered to be among the best at his position in the NFL, going into a contract year where they will demand a considerable pay raise if they want to be retained in free agency, saw reduced playing time early on in the season, and had some off the field distractions during the offseason. What happened to Collins may be exactly what is happening to Butler. After seeing Eric Rowe get the start for Butler against the Saints, the addition of Stephon Gilmore, and the offseason contract drama that enveloped the Patriots star cornerback, Butler already seems to have one foot out the door.

4. Who is the biggest matchup problem for the Patriots against the Texans?

Sep 11, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) in action during the game against the Chicago Bears at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: With the uncertainty of offensive line, Marcus Cannon, it has to be J.J. Watt. Quite frankly, if everyone was healthy, it would still be J.J. Watt. With that said, Watt is going to play through a broken finger he suffered last week but that should not limit him much. The Patriots often pay a lot of attention to J.J. Watt so don’t look for that to change. And quite honestly, there is not a matchup that doesn’t favor the Patriots defense against the Texans offense.

D’Abate: The Patriots offensive line will have its hands full with the defense of the Texans, who offer a trio of game-changers in their front seven in Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt, and Whitney Mercilus. The Pats O-Line has allowed Brady to be sacked 2.5 times so far in 2017, which is not the worst in the league, but it’s not even close to the best. Both Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon (whose health may be in question after missing Wednesday’s practice) will need to have big games. With respect to a very good Chiefs defense, this will be the toughest defensive test the Pats have played so far. They need to bring their ‘A’ game to protect Brady if they hope to win this one. 

Albiani: The biggest matchup problem for the Patriots is definitely the Texan defensive line and edge players versus the Patriots offensive line. The problem will be exacerbated even more should Cannon not be cleared for the game with his concussion, but if he is cleared the big issues will be the interior line where Andrews specifically got manhandled and had a lot of trouble with the stunts and power through the A gap. With Watt now back Brady is going to need a better performance if he is going to have time to find open receivers. If the Texans get the pressure they got on Brady they did in last year’s playoffs they will struggle to win, but Belichick should be able to ease the rush a little with well-timed screens, chip-blocks, cut-blocks, and draws.

Bent: The Patriots offensive line had a difficult time with the Texans last year in the divisional playoffs in January. This season, left tackle Nate Solder has struggled through two games and right tackle Marcus Cannon is dealing with a concussion as well as an ankle injury.  However, despite the presence of Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney on the outside, the biggest disruption is a healthy JJ Watt going against the New England interior offensive line.

The Patriots were fortunate that what was out injured last time they played the Texans. While right guard Shaq Mason has been excellent through two games, center David Andrews has been his usual solid technician at center, and Joe Thuney has been quietly effective at left guard, JJ Watt is probably the best interior defensive lineman in football. If Watt is able to penetrate and disrupt the running game and collapse the pocket on Brady, it could be a long night for the New England offense.

Morgan: This one is easy. J.J. Watt. He was only active for one of the two matchups between the two teams in 2016 and didn’t put up big numbers in the early-season tilt, which the Patriots won 27-0 with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, mind you, and there was one key factor for that.

The Patriots already knew he’d be a problem going in and had an amazing gameplan to make him a non-factor. They not only had the gameplan but executed it flawlessly.

That being said, Brady and Brissett are two different quarterbacks entirely, and the Patriots also had Julian Edelman healthy to get the ball out quickly too. Watt is one of the best defenders in the league, and should still be treated as such.

Talbot: Watson. I know that sounds ridiculous because he is a rookie QB with only one game experience but he can move and be extremely dangerous outside of the pocket. If he runs the ball himself and takes the ball outside of the pocket I believe that he will do some serious damage to the Patriots defense because they have not been too good at defending running quarterbacks. However, if he tries to beat this team through the air, he will not have much luck.

Myers: The Texans have arguably the best front seven in the NFL. J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and Jadeveon Clowney form a trifecta of pass rushers that present a matchup nightmare for any team in the league to try and deal with. The interior offensive line of New England was their Achilles heel in the divisional round of last years playoffs and even struggled in joint practices with the Texans this preseason. Shaq Mason, Joe Thuney, and David Andrews will have to step up in this game if they want to keep Brady’s jersey clean. They have a full season of playing time together and will really need to play at a higher level to give Brady time in the pocket and help avoid turnovers. After a shaky performance against Justin Houston in week one, the matchup between Watt and Marcus Cannon is also worth watching. The Texans defensive front seven, matching up with the Patriots offensive line will be the matchup of the week to monitor.

5. How do you think the Patriots will attack the Texans offensively?

Jan 14, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis (33)returns a kick for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first quarter in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: A lot depends on who actually dresses for the Patriots on Sunday. In their divisional matchup last January, the Texans received a heavy dose of Dion Lewis. Look for that trend to continue with a combination of Lewis, James White, and Rex Burkhead—if he plays. And of course, the Patriots will attack the middle of the field, especially if Rob Gronkowski is healthy enough to play.

D’Abate: If he has adequate protection from his offensive line, Tom Brady should be able to exploit Houston’s secondary. While their front seven is stout, their defensive backfield is their liability. With the possibility of Danny Amendola’s  return, Brady may have the necessary weapons to put up numbers against an ordinarily stingy defense. Look for James White to get looks, catching the ball out of the backfield, as well. This could be the game that we see Brandin Cooks get going. However, this is contingent on the play of the offensive line. I’d the pressure on Brady becomes too smothering, we might see a heavier dose of Mike Gillislee and Dion Lewis.  Fortunately for the Pats, offensive depth is a good thing to have.

Albiani: My guess is the Patriots attack whoever Jonathan Joseph isn’t covering through the air. I say that not as a compliment to Joseph, who has lost a step over the years, but as an indictment of the second and third corners the Texans have, especially with Kevin Johnson being banged up. Either way, I see Cooks or Hogan having a big game. Another big-time performance in this game will likely be James White, who will have a much bigger role with Rex Burkhead banged up and McDaniels and Belichick seemingly hesitant to give Lewis a bigger role. White will be huge helping to block as well considering he is the best pass blocking back on the PAtriots and one of the better ones in the league.

Bent: The New England offense is at its best with a horizontal attack in the passing game. The Patriots are hoping Gronkowski is healthy enough to play, and he has millions of dollars in incentives in his contract to earn as a motivation to play this week. Using the running backs out of the backfield and in the slot proved effective last week and should continue.

What is most important for New England is to be able to get the ball to Brandin Cooks in space and let him make plays with his breakaway speed.  New England should have him if not in the Julian Edelman role on the offense in the Deion Branch role. Branch was effective on horizontal roads short and intermediate and New England put up plenty of points when he was here over a decade ago.

Morgan: I could see the Patriots not focusing on the running game as much this week, and airing the ball out. The Texans’ secondary has been decimated by injuries, forcing their nickel corner, Kareem Jackson, into a heavy role on the outside. The group played well against Andy Dalton and the Bengals last week, but we all know the Patriots are an entirely different monster. This passing game will flourish against a battered Houston back end.

Talbot: Expect the Patriots to attack the Texans quickly and through the air. We all know about their front 7 that is scary and difficult to run against but if Brady does not get rid of the ball quicker than those guys will get to him fast. He needs to utilize James white and Burkhead out of the backfield until he sees big openings downfield. Expect a big game out of Hogan or Cooks.

Myers: There are still many question marks surrounding this Patriots offense. Where are Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Rob Gronkowski, and Rex Burkhead at in their recoveries from injuries suffered in the first two games of the season? The available personnel for the Patriots on game day will have a huge effect on the offensive game plan they implement. Assuming that most of the players listed above are able to suit up, expect New England to get the ball out quick in order to neutralize that Houston pass rush that can give Brady fits. Throughout the first two weeks of the season, New England has seemed to transition from offenses past where they attacked the middle of the field with quick underneath routes to more of a deep ball big play focused offense. Expect New England to shift back to offensive gameplans of the past and get the ball out of Brady’s hands quickly.

[imperfectapollo]

AO3 Version 

Chapter One

Happiness is like a scratched record. It fills you with a good feeling, then skips.

Dave felt like all the walls were getting closer and closer. He didn’t even need to look at Davesprite to know that he felt that way too. The others voices had been long drowned out by clashes of metal, commands to “get up and keep going. I’m not raisin’ some weak lil shit Dave. Get the fuck back up”. He could almost feel the sharp metal that was stained crimson, dragging along his chest and back slowly, small nonlife-threatening flicks to his neck to remind him to keep moving. The treat had always been there. Lose Bro’s game and the sword could easily enter and leave his body and Dave had known that if that happened, his guardian would not be apologetic. He’d leave him to die or survive.

A hand on his shoulder had him spinning around on instinct, hand quickly moving to slap the person whose touch had jerked him out of the dark hole known as memories, when his wrist was held carefully. One look up had his mind screaming, slowly melting down. What was Bro doing here? Why was no one stopping him? Why wasn’t he attacking? Is this another mind game? A voice in his head whispered something simple. Dirk. That’s right. The worried young adult in front of him was Dirk. Not Bro. they look the same but they don’t act the same. The one in the background baring similar looks had to be Hal right? He was safe in here. Slowly the ringing died down and he could hear them.

“-ay?”

“I…I what?” Dave couldn’t remember the last time his voice had been so quiet.

“I said are you okay?”

“I yeah…Yeah I am. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Dirk finally let him go and ran a hand through his hair. “So your brother is back?” He couldn’t help but feel guilty. Fuck he thought he was over this. He knew he hadn’t been the one to hurt Dave and that there was no way he could ever do so.

Dave sighed and collapsed on his bed. He knew that this had been coming. Fuck he wouldn’t be surprised if Bro had been the first one that the game returned. That he had just been waiting biding his time to come back into his life and ruin it all. All of the confidence he had slowly worked on during the game was shattering before his eyes. Where he had felt stable and grounded a few minutes ago, he now felt like he was walking on a tightrope, swaying in the breeze with no hope to keep himself balanced.

A hand waving in front of his face slowly brought him back to reality again. He shook his head, trying to stay focused on the here and now. Not the past. The past could go fuck itself. Sure it was coming back to haunt him, but maybe if tried, he could ignore it all? He could…Pretend that it wasn’t happing. That’s what he had done to survive before the game had even latched onto him.

He felt like throwing up but he was above that. He couldn’t appear so weak. Yet his face must have given him away, for a bucket was shoved in his hands. Just in time as well because he started retching. After chugging the water that had been handed to him, he gasped for air, apologizes forming on his tongue, only for them to be stopped by a hand covering his mouth.

“Don’t you dare apologize. You did nothing. Now hear me out. He might have only seen you. He might have seen us all. but there’s three of us. Three Dave’s. we all have different fighting styles. We can use that against him. We have an advantage. Plus, we have everyone else to back us up. We’ll be fine. We’ll kick his ass. Got it?”

Dave couldn’t help but nod. The fire in Davesprite’s eyes told Dave that the former sprite meant every single word that came out of his mouth. When his mouth was free, Dave swallowed back yet another apology. Instead he took a breath, counted to ten and let it go slowly, recalling all of Rose’s tips. “You’re right. He can’t hold any power in this universe. We can beat him. We have the skill, all we have to do is wait for him to show his face.” He felt like someone else had taken over his body and was speaking for him.

It was Hal who stepped forward. “Dirk and I will go work on the security. No harm in boosting it.” Sure he had access to the system and he could do it wherever he wanted, but he knew that Dave would need space. He could see it, no matter how much the other thought he was hiding his feelings. He was glad that no one else was bringing it up.

Roxy looked up and thought quickly. “I’ll like go message the others to let them all know the situation and that operation ‘Kick asshole guardian’s ass’ is now a thing.” With a smile, she quickly retreated to her room, despite the fact that her phone was in her pocket the whole time. She pulled both mothers with her, leaving only the three Dave’s in the one room.

After a few awkward beats of silence, D cleared his throat and grabbed the box that held the items that had scared his alt selves. “I say we burn this trash.” Sure burning Cal���s hat would probably piss Bro off, but judging by what the others had filled him in on, the man deserved to have everything he cared about destroyed before he himself was slowly and painfully killed. D had never met him but he wanted to kill him.

Dave nodded. “Yeah. Let’s take it out back. I don’t want the smoke to fill up my room.” Thus, with support from the one he called his twin and his older brother carrying the box, the three existed the house.

It was killing Dave to be in the open like that. He felt like Bro’s eyes were on him the second he stepped out of a place that he found safe. The apartment back in Texas had never been home. It had been hell on Earth. The meteor had been his first home and Earth C was his second. So the fact that the man who had made his life hell was now lurking around his safe planet was killing him.

“I’ll give you the honour kid.”  D’s words shocked him out of his small trance and Dave clumsily caught the lighter thrown to him, making a mental note to see if he could sneak some cigarettes from D later. Surely smoking would help calm him down right? He shook his head as Davesprite nudged him forward.

After taking a breath, he held the small flame to the cursed hat, waiting for it to catch aflame. After a short time, he watched as the smuppet began to burn. It caught…Way too quickly for Dave’s liking and so he bent ever so slightly and focused. Sure enough, among the sound of crackling flames, he heard a faint hissing noises. With wide crimson eyes, he spun around to run back towards the others, ordering them to get closer to the house but by then, it was too late.

Dave had no idea how many cherry bombs had been stuffed into that smuppet but it must have been more than what use to be hidden in the ice dispenser back in the original apartment. No wonder the smuppet burned so quickly. It was thin with enough stuffing to hide what it contained.

The three of them instinctively dived for the ground when the explosion happened, the others running out of the house, swearing at the scene. It wasn’t until someone was over him, that Dave registered that his leg had been hit with burning felt and that he was now sporting a burn on his leg. At least his quick movement towards the ground had eliminated any chance of his jeans to catch alight.

The feeling of his original guardian’s eyes on him felt stronger so he repressed any pained noise, instead just repressing it for later. Dave could speak to someone about it later. For now, he just had to make sure that everyone knew to be careful with any packages, fuck any mail they got. Dave had just been lucky that he had heard the hissing in time.

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

cover32 Patriots Roundtable: Week Two Edition

The cover32 Patriots Staff is back with the second roundtable of the season. Before training camp, the staff answered some questions about the Patriots and gave some season predictions. This week starts our weekly roundtable discussion, set to hit the web every Thursday!

The Participants:

Ian Glendon Patriots Editor and National Editor Mike D’Abate Chargers Editor and Patriots Writer Hal Bent Patriots Writer David Albiani Patriots Writer Caitlyn Allen Patriots Writer Jared Talbot Patriots Writer Chris Morgan Patriots Writer Adam Myers Patriots Writer Brayden Ilie Patriots Writer Heather Hilley Patriots Writer Nathan Cheatham Patriots Writer

  1. After a lopsided Week One defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, what is the single biggest weakness of this team going forward?

Sep 7, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) lies on the field after being sacked in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: The defense. This is not to say the Patriots defense is bad, but compared to the rest of the team, it can be their fatal flaw. After one week, it seems like Dont’a Hightower is the linch pin that holds this defense together and when he left the game with a knee injury, the Chiefs exploited the middle of the field. This is not to say that over the course of the season they can not right the ship, but if it takes several weeks and then you lose Hightower for any period of time, this team could be in trouble.

D’Abate: The Patriots need a pass rush, and on Thursday it was almost non-existent. I mean no disrespect to Alex Smith, who played a tremendous game against the Pats.  However, a quarterback’s job is made that much easier when he has the time in the pocket to look, set, plant and throw. Smith had a surplus of time and used it to his advantage. Kony Ealy didn’t work out. Derek Rivers is gone for the season.  And…Rob Ninkovich retired.  That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of Trey Flowers and Dont’a Hightower, who is really playing out of position on the end. Rookie Deatrich Wise is good, and will continue to get better as the year progresses. But the Pats need help on the defensive line. Look for them to find it in any way they can…even if it means searching outside the organization.

Bent: The defensive game planning. The defense has plenty of talent–it was not utilized properly by the coaching staff on Thursday night. The offense put up 27 points on one of the better defenses in the NFL–remember, the Chiefs held the Steelers without a touchdown in their Divisional Round loss last season. The offense–other than 2015–usually takes a few weeks to get up to speed. The concern is the defense being so focused on outsmarting the opponent they outsmarted themselves. What kind of defensive plan has Jordan Richards playing linebacker at the line of scrimmage (over Patrick Chung)? The Chiefs rush for 185 yards and inside linebacker David Harris has just two snaps out on the field with the defense? Where was Harris when Hightower was injured? The defensive game plan got so cute that the best players were not on the field and in position to make plays.

Albiani: This one to me is simple. Some will say the wide receivers which honestly is an acceptable answer, but the far more pressing need to me is the linebacker and edge rushing depth. The two problems with this group were exposed in the loss vs Kansas City in that they live little speed and coverage guys who can cover running backs out of the backfield, as well as players who can set a hard edge against the run. I think the edge will be better, but the coverage players are an issue.

Allen: The Patriots’ biggest weakness right now is their defense. The secondary did a terrible job covering receivers during the Chiefs game and that’s how they were able to pull ahead in the fourth quarter. I said this in my latest article but the statement “a good defense is a good offense” is not a false assumption; especially in the Patriots’ case. If the defense can’t stop the offense from scoring then it won’t matter how many touchdowns Brady can deliver.

Morgan: Right now the biggest weakness appears to be the depth in the front seven. Once Donta Hightower went down with his injury, the air just got sucked out of the entire defense. Cassius Marsh did all that he could to fill the void, but only being in the system for five days prior to the game definitely showed. Without a leader like Hightower who can do so many different things, the defense just fell apart.

Talbot: The defense quite easily. With so much talk of the offense struggling as it did, a lot of that will be fixed over time. The defense on the other hand just gave up 42 points and made Alex Smith look like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The front seven is weak and the secondary missed several assignments. It won’t get easier vs Drew Brees either. 

Ilie: Last Thursday’s loss to the Chiefs revealed a lot about this Patriots team. Most of the weaknesses we saw from this Patriots team are fixable and we should see them less as the season goes on, but the biggest weakness on this team is how thin they are at the linebacker position. Kareem Hunt was able to run all over this Patriots defense and no one except for Dont’a Hightower really stood out. This was especially telling when Hightower went down with a knee injury and the Patriots defense seemed to just give up. This is an issue that will need to be addressed going forward.

Myers: The defensive front seven. Vincent Valentine is out with the knee injury, Alan Branch is a run stuffer primarily, and the lack of push from the defensive end position has been well noted throughout the offseason. Dont’a Hightower went down week one with a sprained MCL and was arguably the Patriots best player on defense and by far their most talented linebacker. The linebacking corps in New England now lacks the speed and coverage ability and is worth monitoring going forward.

Cheatham: The biggest weakness on the New England Patriots is in their defense, in their secondary. Safeties Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty allowed Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith to get two deep balls to running back Kareem Hunt who was wide open. It is understandable getting burned once early because Hunt is a rookie and until this game, the Pats had no game film on him. However, adjustments should have been made going into the second half.

Having solid deep coverage will be important this week going into New Orleans, quarterback Drew Brees has the potential to get the ball to a receiver down field and make those big plays. Of course, it’s up in the air whether he has a receiver this year that can get down the field quick enough to be available, as the team seems to utilize short passes to move down the field.

Hilley: The only team that can beat the Patriots is the Patriots. Tom Terrific has been known to not have great games, injuries abound for key players such as Edelman, Amendola, Hightower and my beloved Ebner. Plus, their defense stunk to high heaven. The Pats’ pass rush game worries me as does their ability to convert downs to points. I realize that doesn’t answer the question as to what their single biggest weakness is but if they don’t improve everywhere, or at least figure out how to be just good enough, they’ll be hard pressed to sneak out a win in the Superdome.

2. How did the absence of Julian Edelman contribute to the poor team performance on Thursday?

Aug 10, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) points to the crowd prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Glendon: It would be naive to think that it didn’t affect the Patriots play on offense. There were times where Brady looked uncharacteristically lost. Part of the that was due to the loss of Edelman, however, the Chiefs just played really well on defense. Brady was afforded plenty of time to throw the ball early on and the Chiefs coverage was superb, especially from All-Pro safety, Eric Berry. Berry essentially took a sluggish, Rob Gronkowski, out of the game and Brady was left to look to new targets such as Brandin Cooks and Phillip Dorsett.

D’Abate: Tom Brady is the undisputed captain of the Patriots offensive ship. There’s no doubt about it. However, last Thursday’s loss made it painfully evident that Julian Edelman is unquestionably its first mate…and the Pats missed him. Edelman is a great talent on the field, and that talent is sorely missed. But Edelman brings more than just raw talent to the table. His on-field chemistry with Brady is such an underrated part of the Patriots offense.  When in a jam, Brady knows that Edelman will be in the right spot at the right time to receive a quick pass. That is especially comforting when Number 12 is under pressure and in need of dispensing the ball in a hurry. That will not be there for Brady at all, this year, and it was reflected in his post game stat sheet. Without Jules there on Thursday, Brady needed that extra second or two to make his connections. That contributed to miscues, confusion and even a couple of sacks by Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston. Danny Amendola did an admirable job in filling in for Edelman. However, with him likely to miss at least a couple of games while undergoing the concussion protocol, Brady will look to lean on others to pick up the slack in Edelman’s absence. As we saw on Thursday, that is no easy task.

Bent: Minimal. Amendola completely replaced Edelman. Edelman was–at best–the fifth most important player on offense after Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon. The issue on offense was not the slot receiver, it was Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski losing one-on-one match-ups with All Pro defensive backs Marcus Peters and Eric Berry. Unless New England was planning on moving Edelman to cornerback like in the AFC Championship game in 2012, he would have made little difference in week one.

Albiani: It was a big factor, but not the only factor. Even with Edelman, I am not sure the Patriots win because of how easily the Chiefs moved the ball on offense. Don’t get me wrong the Patriots could have probably won with Edelman considering how much smoother things would have flowed with him getting open so fast and it being a one score game late in the fourth. However, Edelman doesn’t play against the Chiefs ground game, which was the bigger issue.

Allen: Julian Edelman is said to be the heart and soul of the Patriots team by many people. After watching the season opener, I think they might be right. Edelman was one of Brady’s primary throwing options and it’s obvious the two have great chemistry. I thought Danny Amendola did a stellar job filling his vacancy…until he left with a head injury. After Amendola went out, that’s when the offense truly fell apart. So, in all honesty, I think the absence of both Edelman and Amendola contributed largely to the loss on Thursday.

Morgan: Overall you could tell Tom Brady wasn’t fully in sync with his receiving core without having Jules in the game. He overthrew Dwayne Allen on the first play of the game, couldn’t find a rhythm with Rob Gronkowski, and just seemed off all night. Give the Kansas City defense credit though, they forced Brady to go to the targets he wasn’t fully comfortable with thanks to their coverage schemes.

Talbot: Less than people think. Many believe that Edelman is the cause of Brady’s struggles but he still has Cooks, Amendola, and Gronk. I believe Brady had an off week no doubt but things will turn around.

Ilie: The absence of Julian Edelman was very noticeable this past Thursday. Brady seemed uneasy on the field without his go to guy with him. While Danny Amendola did make a suitable replacement for Edelman he was not as good at picking up extra yards that the Patriots needed. Also once Amendola went down the Patriots offense looked completely out of sync and there wasn’t really anyone who could replace him as Brady’s go to guy. Now as new Patriot receivers learn the offense, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell get healthy this problem should become less and less noticeable, but this past Thursday the Patriots offense definitely missed Julian Edelman.

Myers: The loss of Julian Edelman cannot be overstated. He was the most successful receiver on this team and had the best rapport with Tom Brady. Edelman was also able to run those underneath and timing routes that helped make Brady so successful against the pass rush. The loss of Edelman has forced the Patriots from an underneath, middle of the field attacking offense into a stretch-the-field deep ball throwing team with the top three wide receivers being Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, and Phillip Dorsett. The Patriots need a slot receiver after losing Edelman and Danny Amendola.

Cheatham: Wide receiver Julian Edelman is quarterback Tom Brady’s safety valve. He is able to get open and turn to Brady for quick production to move down field. While wide receiver Danny Amendola was able to fill in nicely for Edelman before he too got injured, he tends to get wrapped up by the defender immediately. Edelman can usually get a few more yards.

Hilley: The Patriots allowed 42 points by the Chiefs, unheard of during Belichick’s time. That’s not Julien’s fault. Clearly, the Patriots defense was asleep at the switch. Edelman’s season long absence will contribute to the performance of the team in other ways; lacking for a third down ace-in-the-hole, need for a consistent slot runner, Brady’s BFF. He plays really good football and will be missed during clutch situations where he has made a name for himself; Renaissance Man.