#like even just kyle and connor i would take

[sarahreadstoomanycomics]

I miss them. If only one day DC will let them reunite. </3

[petew21-blog]

Family fun

"Hi, I'm Simon and I'm an alcoholic." Haha. I'm just kidding. I'm just a normal nineteen year old kid still living with his widowed father and his three brothers. Today I was suppose to go on a trip with my 4 friends - Michael, Nathan, Daniel and Connor. I was ready to leave, but suddenly my - always happy and kind dad - started screaming about me not doing enough for our family, not doing chores and he banned me to go on the trip. I texted my friends, but only Connor replied:"Better luck next time. C ya". Then my dad even took my phone from me. I have no idea what I have done, but I didn't question him right now. Maybe later when he cools off.

My brother Alex came downstairs and offered me to go with him to the store. He acted different. I can't tell why, but he kept teasing me, which he usually doesn't. He is the quiet one.

We got into the store. I went to get some vegetable and when I got back to him. He was standing there completely naked

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Hurry. Give my some clothes!!! I lost them!"

"How can you just loose your clothes you're wearing?!?"

"Doesn't matter. Give me something."

I gave him my jeans, my shirt, leaving me only with my socks, sweatshirt in my hand and my boxers. He put on the rest and then laughed as he took the sweatshirt from my hands and ran away.

I was standing in a storeonly in my underwear. How embarassing. Alex was standing outside of the store with a phone in his hand already recording and laughing

"What the hell is wrong with you today?"

"Haha. Nothing. Just... enjoying life."

We returned back home. Alex went to show my other two brothers how he humiliated me. I went upstairs to find my father in my bathroom completely naked. He held my phone in his hands and tried to take a nude.

"DAD! What are you doing?!"

He wasn't even shocked and kept trying to get a good photo.

"Oh hey, I was going through your phone and I found this Grindr app where most of the profiles had pictures like this. I thought that maybe it is a dating website and I might have a chance. Maybe I'll find someone there."

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING

"Dad, please. Go away. And don't install that app. I'll explain that to you later."

He checked himself out again and then winked at me

"Don't act like this isn't the dick that made you. You owe me for that, you know"

Has everyone gone crazy this morning or what the fuck is happening?

I went downstairs, ready for some more weird stuff. But fortunately my two brothers - Joe and Kyle fought. Thank god. The most normal thing in our family that could be happening right now. I sat outside on the porch just briefly watching them fight.

But suddenly the fight turned into this

They made out passionately as many couples in love do. But THEY ARE MY BROTHERS!!!

"STOP! SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!"

All four of the stared at each other back and forth. My dad was the first one who started laughing, then the rest did too.

"What's so funny? Have you all lost your mind?"

"Oh come ooooon. It's just a prank, BRO" said my father

"Besides, would your brother that you secretly have a crush on let you do this?" Alex came to me and placed my hand on his abs, just going up and down and finally going down.

"How... Connor?"

"BINGO! You figured it out. We swapped bodies with everyone in your family just to mess with you. We discovered we could do that last night when we arrived at the campsite, but we decided to surprise you. So, what do you think?"

"Wait. What about my dad and my brothers? Where are they?"

"In the campsite hopefully. But they keep calling your phone, so that's why we took it from you. Seems like we might have some explaining to do. So, until we give these bodies back and might never use them again?" All four of them smiled.

I couldn't believe how perverted my freinds are. And I couldn't believe I didn't really protest.

A story from the inbox: Hello! I love your stories😍😍😍 can u write a story about some friends are doing prank by body swapping with his male family members?

[rattkachuk]

💛 mattdrai after the scf

💛 reunion kiss / relief - ao3 link !!!!!

It’s a late summer in Ontario, and golden sunshine filters through the curtains through one of Connor and Lauren’s many guest rooms, bird song accompanying the breeze through an open window. Leon is sunburnt and its a few days out from Connor’s wedding, and with the amount of events and activities he’d been a part of as one of the groomsmen it was almost enough to make him feel as tired as he was during hockey season. He had to allow himself an hour or so to just do nothing but mindlessly scroll Instagram in the quiet of his room.

He’s pretty sure everybody staying here is doing the exact same thing, there’s some faint voices from the dock on the lake, someone might be watching TV out in the living room, the doorbell rings (probably another McDavid-Kyle family member) and Leon hears a single set of footsteps go to answer the door. It’s all muffled background noise and several minutes pass without Leon thinking much of any of it, until a text pops up on his screen from Connor.

Connor: hey. don’t be mad. he wouldn’t take no for an answer and he rly wants to see you.

There’s no time to process before there’s a gentle knock at the door.

Leon’s fight or flight kicks, seemingly cancelling each other out so he feels like a deer in the headlights and can do nothing but sit still on the bed. “Yah?

The door handle turns and Matthew is standing on the other side. Fucking perfectly endearing smile on his face, and Leon feels his heart twist.

“Hey,” Matthew speaks first, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he rocks back and forth on his feet in the doorway.

Leon blinks, finally finding words, “What are you doing here?”

“Uh. Connor’s wedding?”

“Connor didn’t invite you.”

“I was supposed to be your plus one.”

Leon bites his lip and gives a slight shake to his head before making himself get off the bed, walking over to tug Matthew in by the elbow of his sweater—a Puma sweater that Leon had been missing for months now.

The door clicks shut and Matthew lets his bag fall to the floor, “You don’t want me here?”

“Matthew. I don’t know.”

“Okay…well, you haven’t answered a single call or text from me since June, and I already had the tickets booked, if you didn’t want me here you should have fucking said something. How am I supposed to…I don’t know what to do either, this is new territory for me, too, y’know? But I can’t keep waiting around. I need you to talk to me, Leon. So, I'm sorry if this is the only way I can get a conversation with you.”

Leon walks away to create distance between them, going as far as the walls of the room will let him as he buries his face in his hands. His chest hurts while his head is swimming, and an ache that hasn’t left since that final game 7 buzzer surges to the surface and it makes him feel sick. Underneath it all, there’s the bitter taste of regret like bile in his throat. He wasn’t there for Matthew. Wasn’t able to be a normal fucking partner and celebrate with him because he was too busy nursing one of the worst pains he’d ever felt. Something so gnawing and deep that left him feeling empty most days, and so distant from those he loved. So distant that even with Matthew here in front of him, it's hard to look at him.

When he turns back towards him, there’s tears in Matthew’s eyes and he’s not even trying to stop them as they track down his cheeks.

“I’m not sorry for winning,” Matthew tells him, voice thick.

“No. Matthew. You shouldn’t be,” Leon sniffs and takes a minute to choose his words before continuing, “You deserved it, you deserved every second of it. It just. It hurts. You know?”

“I do know,” Matthew looks towards the ceiling and laughs, dry and devoid of any real humour, “This whole time I just kept thinking about how special it would be to celebrate this whole fucking with you, and I can never do that because I know exactly what it feels like.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck,” Matthew agrees with pursed lips.

Guilt raises it’s hand for a turn in Leon’s sea of emotions, bustling to the front of the line as he thinks about Matthew’s unanswered texts in his phone. The strings of ‘I love you’s’ from that week of partying with the cup, the ‘just checking in’ and ‘i miss you’s’.

“I’m sorry I haven’t answered you,” Leon says, looking down at his feet as the shame burns hot on his neck, “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to be what you need. I still don’t know if I can be or if…if we…”

Matthew is the one to close the distance, his hands on Leon’s shoulders causing him to look up with a shock.

“Hey. Stop. I just need you, Leo. I don’t need you to be anything more than you have been, not right now,” Matthew moves a hand to the side of Leon’s face, and there’s desperation in his blue eyes, “We’re getting through this, though. And we’re doing it together now, okay? Come on.”

Something drains from Leon a little as he watches Matthew’s eyes, and the ache under his skin grows. Grows until he feels like he needs to pull away again, hide in some dark corner of the world where Matthew can’t find him until he can fix himself, but then Matthew’s hand gives his shoulder a gentle shake and a different sensation starts to dull the hurt. The touch spreads some rays of warmth to his soul like the forgiving sunshine that curls around them both.

There's a new feeling that he can place almost instantly. Relief. He thinks that maybe the cure for all the hurt and the pain was the exact thing he was avoiding. It was Matthew, of course it was.

Leon kisses Matthew, slow and quiet and different than it had ever been before. He pulls him into his arms and Matthew sighs against him, the lines of their bodies pressed together. Matthew had always carried some infectious energy, always able to crawl under Leon’s skin and make a home there with his smug smile and caring heart. It seeped into him now, making Leon feel the warmest and most content he’d been all summer.

When he pulls back, Leon hides his face on Matthew’s shoulder while the other runs his fingers through Leon’s hair.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Leon breaths quietly against Matthew’s neck.

Matthew’s arms tighten around him, “Me too. We’ve got this, yah?”

Leon nods, and he believes him.

[fannyyann]

Aleksander Barkov's impact on the Panthers, and how he's taken the mantle as best two-way player in the NHL Dimitri Filipovic

Patrice Bergeron’s departure from the NHL this past summer obviously left a massive opening atop the Boston Bruins depth chart down the middle that would be difficult to fill, which they’ve remarkably done one heck of a job of patching together thus far. 

But it also created a void every bit as glaring atop the Selke Trophy conversation as well. He’d won the award in each of the past two seasons quite decisively, totalling 187 out of 196 possible first-place votes last season. Even as he crept into his late 30s, he truly cemented himself as the gold standard of two-way excellence, consistently operating at a level that was simply unmatched by his peers. 

His retirement created an opportunity for someone from the current crop to step up and take that mantle though, and if the first 30 games or so this year are any indication, that role appears to have been filled rather admirably by Aleksander Barkov.

It’s certainly fitting that it would be him, considering that he’s the last active player to have won the award, but the heights he’s taken his game to in doing so are still awfully impressive.

What he’s doing right now would make even Bergeron blush, distancing himself from pretty much everyone else at his position much like his predecessor had made a habit of doing. The on-ice numbers Barkov boasts right now are downright staggering. In his 323 5-on-5 minutes, here’s how the Florida Panthers have fared:

Goals: 23-5 differential

High Danger Chances: 74-46 differential

Shots: 60.5 percent share

Expected Goals: 61.0 percent share

To put his dominance into even further context, he’s already scored six times himself, which means that he’s currently scored more goals than he’s allowed all of his opponents to muster combined. It’s also worth noting that without him out there, the Panthers are getting outscored 38-29. How they play with him on the ice and without him are two entirely different things, which speaks to his impact. He does it with the degree of difficulty ratcheted all the way up, chewing up heavy minutes against the other team’s top players while shouldering an immense amount of responsibility. 

And despite all of that, he’s still taken just three penalties (while drawing six of his own), finding a way to artfully poke and prod constantly with that pole vaulting apparatus he calls a hockey stick without ever crossing the line. It’s legitimately impressive that he can legally challenge puck carriers with the sheer volume of stick checks that he does, considering how much the league has mandated cracking down on anything even remotely near the hands. It allows him to craftily execute takeaways, while still staying on the ice, which is doubly important for a Panthers team that takes a bunch of penalties otherwise. That seems like a small perk in the grand scheme of things, but it actually ranks as one of my favourites about his game.  

He’s spent the majority of the season with Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues on his flanks, and that trio has been the best line in hockey. In just under 200 minutes together, they’re up 19-3. Rodrigues has been underrated for years, and it’s great to see him finally find a long-term fit this season in Florida. Reinhart is tied with Kyle Connor for fourth in goals, currently on pace to score 50 times. The timing of his spike in shooting percentage couldn’t be better in a contract year, but he’s been so good for so long now, that he deserves to be rewarded for it. Plus, he’s such a smart player that I could see him aging quite gracefully into his 30s, the way that someone like Joe Pavelski has.

I love both players, so don’t take it as diminishing their contributions when I say that the reason all of it is possible for Florida is because of Barkov. His skill set is so unique, and such an enabler for everyone in his orbit. 

The two things that the Panthers have become synonymous with as an organization during this run of success have been a) their supremely aggressive forechecking, and b) their uncanny ability to keep bringing in castoffs from other teams and immediately juicing their production beyond what we had any reason to believe they were capable of at this point.

What they’ve been able to pull off to start the season almost surely hasn’t received nearly enough nationally. The team started the year without having Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour available for the first 15 games, who are clearly two of their three best defenders (you’ll see them referred to as their two best, but that’s Gustav Forsling erasure and we don’t stand for that here). Yet they’re currently 17-9-2 on the season, sitting in a tie with the Colorado Avalanche for eighth in the league in points percentage, with the sixth best goal differential. And despite those early absences, much of that success can be directly attributed to the team’s defensive performance. 

Only the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, and Vancouver Canucks are giving up fewer goals than them at 5-on-5, and they’re sixth in fewest goals against surrendered on a per-minute basis overall. According to Sportlogiq, here’s how they grade out in all of the key categories we care about:

Expected Goals Against: 3rd

Slot Shots: 2nd

Inner Slot Shots: 5th

Offensive Zone Possession Time Allowed: 2nd

By any important marker, they’ve graded out as one of the best defensive teams in the league. Which almost seems impossible based on the aforementioned injuries, and the personnel they’ve largely leaned on along the way. Their top four players in total 5-on-5 ice time so far are Forsling, Niko Mikkola, Oliver Ekman Larsson, and Dmitri Kulikov. The three latter names were free agent signings, who they were able to bring in this past summer for a combined $5.75 million. So how exactly are the Panthers able to keep churning out these types of results then?

Every possible explanation keeps circling back to Barkov, because he represents the throughline that ties everything together for them. The reason why everyone they bring in thrives is because they get to play such a simple, fun brand of hockey. All they’re required to do is to keep unapologetically plowing ahead aggressively, and relentlessly, over and over again. 

The wingers are asked to forecheck as hard as they can, closing off walls and forcing the other team to try to make plays up the middle. That plays right into Barkov’s waiting hands, where his range allows him to cover ground like a ball-hawking safety in football. The defencemen get to pinch down the wall and try to extend plays in the offensive zone, knowing that Barkov will be there to cover them with support because he religiously stays above the puck. 

Barkov's 10 goals and 28 points in 25 games are obviously fantastic, and 99 percent of players in the league would kill to have that stat line. That said, it feels like he's capable of so much more offensively because of how much raw puck skill he possesses. And he honestly probably is, if he were wired differently. But whereas some of his peers may cheat for offence and stay deep in the zone until the last possible second to see possible scoring plays through to their conclusion, he instead circles back to get into the right position defensively proactively.

It's a calculated sacrifice on his part, and it's because of those choices he routinely makes that the scales get tilted in his teammates' favour. Regardless of who you are, because of his habits you now get to freely move forward and attack. With such a simplified decision-making process, everyone that comes to Florida gets to tap into the physical tools that helped get them to the NHL in the first place, without having to worry about some of the other complexities that might’ve inhibited them in their previous stops on other teams. 

The result of creating that sort of infrastructure is a massive competitive advantage for the Panthers. They’re able to routinely shop in the bargain bin, and squeeze value out of sources that might not be as readily available for the competition. That’s turned into quite the luxury for a franchise that hasn’t exactly had a lot of financial flexibility of late, having to turn over the roster and find a way to make the cap figures work creatively. 

Everyone involved deserves their fair share of the credit for creating an environment where that’s possible, but none moreso than Aleksander Barkov. Great players make those around them better, and that’s exactly what he’s done in Florida. By doing so, he's cemented himself as the preeminent two-way center in today's game.

[azol-otl]

another au!!

cowboy/western au, your choice of characters/pairing

Ohoho, this one I actually have an idea for already!

So it would be a Weird West, basically a Demon Hunter Jason (bringing back the All Caste babeeeeey) traveling the western United States while avoiding the east coast/his past with a passion.

It would take place right after the American Invasion of Mexico Mexican American war and would start in media res, so after Jason already has several acquaintances across the country that he's met during his travels.

Jason and Connor Hawke would know each other from their respective groups and met when they were teens. Connor is just...so bad at keeping things a secret. Jason is also bad at keeping in contact about where he's going/what he's done so people who are looking for him because of Connor expect a shrimp. Other shenanigans include various misdeeds in their youths while hunting demons and the one time Connor accidentally sent an undercover Pinkerton towards Jason.

Normally crossing the country would take weeks if not months. Jason has an in with the ghost train who can get him where he needs to in minutes as long as he can survive it.

Roy would be Jason's major contact in Arizona, while Jaime Reyes is it in Texas. I'm not sure if La Dama would be a villainous force at this time 🤔

Kyle would be a major love interest. They met during the war where Jason was infiltrating the American side and Kyle was a San Patricio (Irishmen who enlisted in the army but deserted after witnessing several instances of depravity and atrocities the United States army would commit towards Mexican civilians/felt a shared connection with the enemy country because of a shared religion of Catholicism.)

"Was there even magic? A demon like you said there'd be?" "No. Just men. Men and their greed."

[lesbianspeedy]

Sorry if this is a bad question or more likely just hopeless. I’ve been trying to find a good Connor Hawke comic to read (first found out about him in Damian’s Robin solo and he and Rose were the only two things I liked besides the Robin chase but I’m a bat brat) and I’ve only read the Silver Monkey story and as I’m not a fan of Oliver Green at all (my exposure to him has in no way been positive) and I HATE Dixon and I know he’s the main writer for Connor, but I had to drop the Tim solo because of his obvious, I guess bigotry would be the right word to use here, but he is one of the three writers I refuse to let myself read anymore to try and keep my blood pressure low. Are there any Connor stories or series that exist outside of those parameters to read because I’m having 0 luck. I’m also not sure if you’re a fan of Mia or Emilio or have any go-to stories for them, but I know nothing about them and I’d like to change that if at all possible.

i understand, i do i do. while i think dixon is capable of good character writing, and he did manage to do it in connor's run, i also understand his very very obvious politics shine through all the time and it gets tiresome (at one point in his ga run he manages to write OLIVER QUEEN "both sides"ing literal nazis that he and hal fought in GL/GA). here's the best i can do for recs outside of dixon (though few and far between)

Before i start, i do wanna clarify that his character in robin is. well. pretty different from his actual pre-established character. I'm not saying you won't like him, and im genuinely begging you to give him a shot, but if youre looking for the snarky brawler type, you might be a lil thrown by the polite buddhist monk you're gonna get.

you are in luck, as his first few appearances were by kelley puckett, so if you havent already read GA vol. 2 #0, do that first! #91 and #92 are also by puckett until dixon takes over for #93, so read those if you dont mind just stopping in the middle of an arc, otherwise avoid.

now this next rec IS 1/3 written by dixon but if you can get through it, the crossover connor has with wally and kyle is enjoyable, thats Green Lantern Vol. 3 #96, GA Vol. 2 #130, and The Flash Vol. 2 #135

Connor's JLA run! JLA Vol. 1 #8-#15, #8 and #9 are specifically about connor saving and joining the league, the rest of the issues just feature him in a team setting, as, well, its the league.

if you want to read mia as well, read Green Arrow: Quiver (GA Vol. 3 #1-#10), Connor plays an important role but its almost entirely in the very last issue, and it's more about Ollie's role dynamic with him than anything else, so just read that if it tickles your fancy.

I wish i could recommend more of GA Vol. 3 for connor, unfortunately he's pretty fucking sidelined, and for every good moment theres 2 bad ones. (immediately after quiver he is shot and put in a coma for an arc, somehow this isnt the last time this happens.) Though i do recommend #11, and i think #21 is a good issue to read for ollie and him, but it also includes a pretty huge retcon to Connor and Ollie's past

Other than those, he has One-shots in Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular: "One", DC Pride 2022: "Think Of Me", and DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration: "Hawke & Kong"

to answer your second question, my URL aint lesbianspeedy for nothin! Mia is what i breathe and bleed, my recs for her are here!

as for Emi, your best bets are Green Arrow Vol. 5 #18-#20, #22, #28-#34 for her origin (though read N52 green arrow at your own risk, even i havent properly read these), Green Arrow Vol. 6 #1-#7 (this may feel like a completely new character, i'm sorry, dc has a angsty characterisation problem, if you enjoy either of these characterisations, i'd recommend you keep reading said runs past my specific recs for more issues with her!) and Stargirl Spring Break Special + Stargirl: The Lost Children #1-#6

[oeldeservesthenorris]

How Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is becoming a leader: ‘I’m gonna be here a long time’ - By Harman Dayal (”The Athletic”)

Quinn Hughes was upset and pissed off after his sophomore 2021 season.

Hughes had scored 53 points in 68 games, yes, but he was also lit up for goals against at one of the highest rates in the NHL. He hated looking at his plus-minus and was determined to change.

“I was really disappointed with it,” Hughes said about that sophomore season. “I just knew that I’d never be a good defenceman if I was just known as an offensive guy that gave up a lot defensively. “You hear about ‘He doesn’t know how to play defence, he can’t play defence’ so that always bothered me and (I) wanted to prove people wrong.

“(My whole life) if you just looked at me, guys, without even watching my game, would be like: ‘He’s undersized and he can’t play D.’ That was all the questions at the (draft) combine: ‘How are you going to defend in the NHL?’ That’s just always been on my mind.”

Hughes spent the summer refining his backward skating. He learned how to use his speed to play better defensive angles. He practiced implementing different defensive techniques while defending his brother Jack, Trevor Zegras, Kyle Connor, and others during on-ice summer sessions. Quinn also followed the guidance of his father Jim, who had 10 years of experience as the Leafs’ director of player development.

All of it paid off in Hughes’ third season where he bounced back decisively and played a complete two-way game, earning penalty-killing minutes and being trusted in the highest-pressure situations when defending a lead under Bruce Boudreau.

“I wanted to be sharper defensively and I was,” said Hughes. “I was plus-12 last year and it also helps that our team was better (compared to 2021), Demmer (Thatcher Demko) was unreal. I think my game’s gotten better and so this year I don’t think I have to worry about it as much. Obviously, I’m still working on that, you see all these broken plays and guys miss a poke check or whatever and that’s how goals are scored, but I can kinda (just) play because I feel like I’m at that point where I’ve fixed that part of my game a bit.”

With his defensive game stabilized, Hughes set his sights on a new mission for this season: Becoming a leader.

Agent Pat Brisson, who counts Hughes among his long list of star NHL clients, won’t ever forget the first time he encountered Quinn.

“I met Quinn at the famous Brick U10 tournament while he was watching his brother Jack play for Team Toronto against my son on Team California. My other son Jordan and Luke Hughes were the same age and (watching the tournament).

“Quinn came in and he knew that us parents were busy focusing on watching the games. I wouldn’t call it babysitting but he took care of Luke and Jordan while they were climbing trees everywhere around the rink. He was a really nice, mature kid at 11 years old. I saw an admirable trait of respect in a young man who understood the environment pretty quick. Quinn understood the responsibility and those are the little signs of a future leader — it’s silly but I think it was a very telling observation.”

“Idiots,” Hughes said with a laugh when recalling that experience with his brother Luke and Brisson’s son, Jordan. “I remember all of it,” he said with a wide smile.

During the Canucks’ first road trip last season, Hughes played the big brother role again by taking rookie Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Höglander (who’d never been on a normal NHL road trip at that point because of the pandemic) out to the movies in Seattle. Hughes developed a relationship with those two and Podkolzin joked earlier in the year that Quinn was worried why they weren’t hanging out as much now that there were other Russians on the team for Podkolzin to spend time with.

Heading into this season, the Canucks told Hughes that they wanted him to expand his leadership role. He told them he was ready. Why did he feel that confidence?

“I’ve been here a while, I’m the longest-tenured D on the team,” said Hughes. “I’ve done a lot since I’ve been here. It’s my fourth year, I feel more mature. I’m talking mature in the sense that you’re getting good food, eating well and you’re competitive, not too high or low, things like that and I think that’s helped me. Off the ice, I have my moments too where I’m not mature at all by any means.

“I’m gonna be here a long time so might as well start. I think I’ve always been a good leader… I don’t need to change who I am but if it’s also taking more of a vocal role on the team now — I can also do that.

“I want to win and I want this team to do well so whatever I can do to help progress that and make that happen quicker — if that’s me pushing the pace a bit more and get this team going that’s what I’m going to try and do. But it’s not just me, it’s all the guys. I know Petey’s (Elias Pettersson) trying to take a step and everyone’s trying to be a better leader and we’re going to need that.”

Brisson, who represents some of the best captains and leaders in the sport, could sense that Hughes was ready for that leadership step too.

“The one trait all of the best leaders from Sidney (Crosby) to (Jonathan) Toews to (Anze) Kopitar have in common is they know how to listen well and absorb and ask questions,” said Brisson. “I see these traits in players, the curiosity in the team approach, observing other leaders. That’s what Quinn is strong at, he observes everything.”

Hughes’ effort to become a more prominent leader has caught the attention of Canucks captain Bo Horvat.

“They’re the future of this club,” Horvat said of Hughes and Pettersson. “And they have done it this year where leading by example, working out in the gym, saying things at different times and obviously their play speaks for itself. We need those type of guys to step up because we did lose those veteran presences (like Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom and Brandon Sutter) recently.

“I’ve noticed a big difference (in Quinn). Just him being able to speak his mind and tell different guys — veteran guys — what he sees because he is a smart player and other guys want to get better too. For him to mature that way is big for his game and for us as a team.”

It’s vital that Hughes is taking this step because the top players on any given team have unique weight and authority in the locker room.

“You look at any winning team, the top guys have to be your leaders on and off the ice,” said Luke Schenn. “Those guys set the tone — I played in L.A. You got (Anze) Kopitar, Drew Doughty Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Jonathan Quick — those guys were the leaders of the team. You go to Tampa, it was (Ryan) McDonagh, (Victor) Hedman, (Steven) Stamkos.”

Hughes is naturally a reserved, laidback personality but he’s become more comfortable speaking up.

“There’s gonna be moments where the room wants to hear somebody different,” said J.T. Miller. “And we need him to take that step and be able to talk because guys are listening to him.”

What has that looked like in practical terms?

“The other day we were talking in the intermission,” said Luke Schenn. “We were talking about certain D-zone face-off plays where I’ve got an opinion and he came and (said) ‘Well, I think we could probably do this off the d-zone face-off and I think if we’re able to execute this pass, I can get in a hole and jump up in the play’ and I’m like ‘Well, yeah if you think you can do that let’s work that.’

“It’s situations like that where it’s not necessarily in front of 20 guys but a smaller group where he’s not just nodding his head (acting like he’s) agreeing when he thinks something else, he’s speaking up.

“In the o-zone too, last game I shot a puck to the net and nothing came out of it and he said ‘Hey, give it to me over, I’m open if you have a look there,’ whereas in the past he probably would have said nothing to me because I’m an older guy but I want that feedback and that’s what a partnership is.”

Hughes is comfortable being vocal from time to time but he stressed that he isn’t radically changing who he is. He emphasized that a big part of the role has been learning how to lead by example.

As captain, Horvat’s studied what works and what doesn’t as a leader and he’s had conversations with lots of players. Talking a big game doesn’t matter nearly as much as how hard you push yourself.

“There’s a time and a place to say a lot of things,” said Horvat. “(But) if you say ‘rah rah’ all the time, then guys I think find it a little exhausting. For me, I learn the most from just watching guys and how they act on a daily basis, from personal experience and just talking to a lot of guys, they like to watch how certain guys prepare and act around the rink.”

Leading by example is cliche but it’s way easier said than done. It means being on every day, never succumbing to the rigors of an intense 82-game schedule with the taxing travel demands of playing on the west coast. There are times over a season when a team might land at 1 a.m., get in bed by 3 a.m., and only have short sleep before an 11:30 a.m. practice. It’s easy for some players to coast through that practice because they’re exhausted from the travel demands. Leading by example is understanding that as a top player, you have a responsibility to set a standard and push your teammates to follow along.

That can be especially challenging when you’re not in the playoff picture — you have to help keep the team’s mindset healthy and morale high even amid chaos and waning playoff odds.

“A lot of it’s mental,” said Horvat. “To bring that mindset every day and always have a smile on your face no matter how it’s going is the biggest thing — not showing your teammates that it sucks coming to the rink. Every day you should be excited to come to the rink and working your bag off.

Hughes is definitely earning that kind of respect.

“He’s not really a young guy anymore to us,” said Miller. “The amount he wants to win is impressive and he really, really cares. Just the way he plays on a nightly basis, very rarely does he not perform. And it doesn’t mean getting points and all that. You’re a sponge, you pay attention to the guys that play consistent hockey, play to win and that’s him.”

Hughes has played well this season but he hasn’t quite been at his apex form. He looked banged up early in October when he had some struggles and with the chaotic environment around him, there are details in his game to sharpen. But what’s going to separate him over the long run is his insatiable thirst to level up.

“He says: ‘I can do better, I can do better,'” said Boudreau. “For him, there’s no ceiling in that he is driven to be as good as he can be.

“It’s a built-in desire, the way-you’re-made type thing. Some guys are just happy to be here. Some guys want to be better than everybody in the league. Usually, when you look at the stars, that’s who you’ve got.”

[astro-kitty-launch]

Chances Not Taken [Wally West x Reader x Dick Grayson]

Prologue: A Leap of Faith

Summary: “Her last sight was Darkseid's massive hands wrapped around Nightwing’s throat as he attempted to choke the life out of her best friend. The God of Evil laughed menacingly, saying that if his father was no match, then he’d be nothing.” "All she could think about is the fact, she broke her promise to Wally West." What if she got a second chance? A chance to relive some of the most pivotal years of her life. To take all the chances that she failed to take the first time. To live the same life but take a different path. To see a whole new side of events that she thought she knew well. Well, she had been given that second chance alright, but not without a cost and a few minor setbacks.

Chapter Summary: The Golden Trashcan of Order decides it’s high time she learns that faith is vital to the order of the universe.

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

A loud clap resounded, followed by a bright flash of magic as Sianna slammed into the ground. As a strangled breath escaped her trembling lips, her head pounded vigorously. Pressing her shaky hands onto the ground, she managed to push herself up. One hand was braced to the ground to stabilize her teetering body while the other hand clutched her head.

Cringing at another bout of pain, Sianna clenched her eyes shut tight. Images flashed one right after the other. Her last sight was Darkseid's massive hands wrapped around Nightwing’s throat as he attempted to choke the life out of her best friend.

The God of Evil laughed menacingly, saying that if his father was no match, then he’d be nothing. All she could remember was his cry of determination even in the end Dick resolve had remained. All she could think about is the fact, she broke her promise to Wally West.

Where had it all gone so wrong?

It had happened so easily, far too easily, that it was utterly laughable. He had made it appear like child’s play by the way he had plucked them off one by one. She was all alone. They were gone. Dick was gone. Her throat was tight, so tight air wasn’t passing through. It was like her esophagus walls were glued shut.

“It can’t be…I..I…Noooo.” Sianna whispered thickly as her eyes burned.

“This has to be a nightmare.” Folding in on herself, Sianna began rocking back and forth.

“God, please. Please. Please I’ve never asked you for anything but this. Please.” She repeated over and over until a cold hand pressed on her shoulder.

“Their sacrifices weren’t in vain. Gather your faith.” A eerily familiar voice echoed as monotone as ever. Sianna’s head shot up. There stood Doctor Fate, behind him layed the rumble of where the once glorious Tower of Fate stood.

“Oh, not in vain, you say! Clearly, you and I had a very different experience, Nabu! Cause that was in vain! We accomplished nothing! What are we even doing here!? You say gather my faith well it’s all dead!” Sianna screamed as the hot tears rolled down her cheeks, a strangled sob escaped her lips.

Sianna should have taken more chances cause maybe then things would be different.She should have done more. She should have fought harder. To save Kaldur, Dick, Artemis, Zatanna, Kyle, Megan, and Connor.

Maybe she wouldn’t have to lose them all.

Why was she still here?

“Because it has bought us some time. Fate requires you to help take one last stand.” Nabu exhaled deeply, causing a part of her to wonder if that was Zatara peeking out. Sianna adverted her gaze burying her head back into her arms.

“Make a last stand, of course, for what? It’s clear, we don’t stand a fucking chance. You still wanna prattle on about faith and destiny after that! They’re all dead!” She lashed out as her fist clenched and unclenched around a fist full of her raven hair.

“Faith isn’t just a feeling. Sometimes it requires us to let go of thinking. To let ourselves go when we can believe no more. You must choose to trust even if there isn’t a reason to. To take a chance so there may be no regrets. That is what a soul truly mourns the chances that we fail to take.” Doctor faith spoke solemnly though each word sounded odd coming out of his mouth.

It reminded her of one of her former mentor’s sermons when she would cover for Zatanna when she’d sneak out of the house even though he had figured out she had lied. Despite the outer layer of seriousness, there was always deep care for those under his wing. There was no way, someone so far removed from the human side of emotions could think of that. Nabu has been detached from this world for a long time.

Sianna snorted numbly, “Ha, I bet Zatara fed you that 'cause there's no way someone like you would…”

“You are wrong; it is Kent Nelson’s words.” Nabu calmly deflected, not sounding the least bit deterred by her derisive words.

“Oh Gramps,…” She paused momentarily as a stab of guilt lanced through her chest, “he always knew how to weave his words to impact others.” Sianna's lips quirked momentarily as she staggered to her feet the image of the former Doctor Fate flashed through her eyes. She honestly wasn’t shocked that his words had touched someone as stiff as Nabu. It sounded exactly like something he’d say when she was consumed by grief.

Breathing in deeply, Sianna didn’t trust Nabu, not in the least bit, but she trusted Kent Nelson’s words. Raising her head up, to meet the gaze of the floating Lord of Order, she inquired, “I…what do we have to do now?”

“Close your eyes. Sianna Leta Nelson, you must go and know change is needed. Remember should you be uncertain have faith.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she pretended that it was Kent Nelson speaking to her and not Doctor Fate. Not quite understanding why she needed to close her eyes.

Before she could open her mouth with further inquiries at what the hell Nabu had meant by that. The hairs on her arm bristled as her body felt a familiar tingle of magic. Feeling the energy lift and rise up, the air hummed with energy as well. Then it exploded, and the world went white.

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

This Cross posted on my AO3

Link: Chances Not Taken - Chapter 1 - AstRokiTtYLaunch - Multifandom [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter 1 >>>>>

[vikingpoteto]

umm Connor and Kyle talking about the mantle they have taken on and the person that had the codename that they took on?

To say that Kyle feels like crap is a bit of an understatement.

He likes to think the universe should cut him some slack. To find your estranged father... then find out that he's a fascist... then to watch him die... and on his last breath he says he's not really your father, but your uncle... Whoever's responsible for writing the script of Kyle's life is an idiot and a monster.

Even now, hours later in a shitty sideroad motel, the whole thing still feels like a weird nightmare. Kyle gets away from the others for a while. He’s been sitting outside for a couple of minutes when he hears soft steps approaching.

"Hey... are you okay?"

Kyle sighs. And then there's Connor. It takes all of his indomitable will to not run away from his friend... if he can still call him that.

"I don't think sorry covers what I've just done, right?" Kyle shoots back, ignoring Connor’s question.

Connor simply shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that now. I just wanted to check on you. I can leave you alone if you want.”

Un-fucking-believable. After what Kyle put him through, you’d think that Connor would be a little pissed at least. However, when Kyle finally grows the balls to face him, he sees nothing but sincere concern written all over Connor’s expression.

“Are you some sort of saint?” Kyle marvels. 

At that, Connor cracks a lopsided grin. “You should’ve seen me before the monastery. I was known for my anger issues.”

The idea is so absurd that Kyle actually laughs for the first time today. He’s suddenly reminded why he decided to ask for Connor’s help out of all people for this little “mission”. There was a reason Kyle decided it was a good idea to confide his past to the new Green Arrow.

Taking that for the invitation to stay it is, Connor takes a seat on the bench by Kyle’s side. He leans forward and nudges the other man gently. 

“So… I’m going to ask again… are you okay?”

Kyle takes a deep breath. “I don’t know, man. It’s just… I really let my emotions get the better of me today, didn’t I? You warned me and I still fucked up.”

“You did the right thing in the end,” Connor tries.

“Yeah, but what if… Well. You know what happened to the Green Lantern before me,” Kyle says. “What if one day I fuck up that bad? Hal Jordan was supposed to be the best Green Lantern of all time and I’m just…”

“Stop,” Connor chastizes, not unkindly. “You don’t gain anything from comparing yourself to him. You’re your own person. Your own hero, Kyle.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Glass houses, Con.”

“Maybe so,” he concedes. “But maybe that makes me extra qualified to tell you this. I know Ollie’s mistakes aren’t mine. I can admire him for who he was and learn from his messes while still being… me. You know?”

“Is that your monk wisdom?”

“It’s my experience wisdom,” Connor says. “After Ollie died I was pretty lost, you know? I trained to fight along his side, not to replace him. So yeah, I didn’t know what to do. Still don’t. But the one thing I know is that it’s important to know that he was both a superhero and that he messed up a lot.”

It all sounds really pretty when Connor puts it like that but Kyle feels like they’re getting away from the original point. The point being that Kyle’s predecessor went nuts and today Kyle was really close to being responsible for multiple innocent deaths. He doesn’t want to press the issue. Not when he’s still feeling guilty for how he treated Connor earlier. Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - Connor is extremely perceptive and he notices Kyle’s frustration. Reaching over to rest his hand on Kyle’s shoulder, he continues:

“You know that Hal was incredible. And you know that even the most incredible of us can make the worst mistakes. We have to keep remembering that to keep ourselves in check.”

Kyle frowns. “That’s not very comforting.”

“Maybe not. It’s one of those hard truths we have to face, I suppose.”

He decides he hates the monk wisdom thing. He hates how much sense it makes in Connor’s softspoken tone and he hates that his friend is right. There will be no time in the future in which Kyle will be able to be comfortable with the knowledge that he’s a full-fledged hero. If the mighty Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen could fail as Green Lantern and Green Arrow… Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke still have a lot to learn. It sucks.

“I got lucky today,” Kyle murmurs. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner. Not everyone has a personal hero to guide them.”

Connor squeezes his shoulder. “A friend, Kyle.”

Kyle lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. There was a part of him that feared that Connor was only comforting him out of the kindness of his heart and that he wouldn’t want anything to do with Kyle after this. He’s extremely relieved that that isn’t the case.

“Thank you, Connor.” He smiles a tad sadly, but it’s a smile nonetheless.

Connor’s tender grin gets a bit crooked. “I thought I was ‘Con’ a second ago.”

Kyle feels his cheeks warming up. “Shut up. Stop being a wise ass and just give me a hug like a normal friend.”

The archer is laughing but he complies with the request without any hesitation. It seems like, regardless of the changes and lessons learned, the Green Arrow/Green Lantern partnership will remain the same.

[superhollymag]

Location Swap AU - It Lives Anthology

@ila-appreciationweek

Pretty late but this is for day 7 - Wildcard.

I recently got a case of a brain rot for an AU for the It Lives Anthology. Couldn’t resist writing it down even though it’s not in fic form so here we are.

I’d call it...

The Location Swap AU

Yeah it’s a lame name but it describes what the AU is about the best.

Basically, the Pine Springs crew and the Westchester childhood friends swap backstories and locations where their stories take place. That’s about it but I do have several ideas for how things would be different here. Any suggestions are appreciated.

.~.

Let’s start with the crew from Pine Springs.

- Harper and Elliot are still half-siblings here. I may make Marie and Todd live in this AU or I could have them dead before the story begins and have Arthur be their guardian, though the former option is more like how the original story of ILITW plays out, with the parents overseas and unable to interfere.

- Kyle/one of Danni's cousins would take Jane’s place as the friend who got killed. I haven’t decided on which one to choose yet since whoever I choose will be the main motivation for betrayal for one of the girls. Danni was considered since she can betray the group out of love for her family if her nerve is too low, and Imogen is considered to sort of parallel her and Noah. (They lose someone important to them, though one of them keeps a cool head while the other goes off the deep end)

- Tom and Andy are still childhood friends. Andy just never met the other friends here until he moves to Pine Springs.

- I’ve had thoughts of having Josephine and Redfield switch places here though it would clash with canon and the timeline quite a lot. So it’s kinda undecided on what the spirit the gang encounters when they were kids here so let’s just call it the spirit.

- Robbie could be like Connor in ILITW or become apart of the main squad with a nerve score. Haven’t decided yet.

- No idea how Elliot can be fitted into the story, but I do imagine he would try to support Harper and possibly ends up in a coma and possessed.

- I have no idea whether or not I would want the bully trio (Britney, Cody and Jocelyn) to be switched. In the end, I decided no. But I do think Britney needs to be replaced or something since Lily’s not here.

- The cultists from the Society would get switched here. Kelley takes Bhatt’s place for example, and Imogen’s parents will swap with Noah and Jane’s mother.

.~.

As for the Westchester childhood friends...

- Mayor Green’s role here would probably be like Astrid’s. The leader of the Society keeping things under wraps and has been torturing a soul for years now. She, like Astrid, still cares for her children and gives her life to protect Stacy when she’s about to be killed.

- Connor would be like Elliot here, since Devon doesn’t have any siblings that can be used in his place. The lake ghost would try and use him against Mayor Green, but he gets dragged below the dam instead. In turn, any scene that has Harper trying to contact or worrying over Elliot will be replaced by Stacy and her worrying over Connor’s safety.

- Noah and Jane is exactly like Imogen and Kyle. Jane dies from the lake ghost and Noah has to accept that fact, though he would probably have it worse than Imogen since he grew up with Jane from the moment they were born. Like Imogen, he loses nerve more easily than the rest of the group.

- Group nerve is increased 800 since you know, more people here. In exchange, there will be more scenes and opportunities to boost nerve for everyone. Plus probably lower nerve check thresholds.

- Who gets tempted with an offer, I have no idea. I narrowed down the candidates to Stacy and Noah but I’m still unsure.

- Bhatt would probably remain as a professor here but her role would be like Kelley. She helps Lucas from his issues from his parents and taught him that he deserves more than them, essentially acting like a mother figure to him.

- Sheriff Cunningham is quite a challenge to figure out. I have no idea what he should be, clueless about everything or be apart of the Society? Though I probably lean more into having him be apart of them for more drama and angst and stuff.

- I decided that for the fight on the boat in chapters 11 and 12, you would make choices that would determine who remains on the boat and who gets thrown off. No matter what, at least three or four people which includes Devon must be remaining on the boat until chapter 12.

- Though if I do have to default who gets thrown off and who gets to stay, I would have Dan and Lily get thrown off, whoever else gets thrown overboard will depend on who your love interest is. (Ex: Ava is your LI, that would result in Lucas and Andy getting thrown into the water. Stacy is the only one immune to this, even if she is tossed into the water, her mother would probably try and find her, in which case all the other LIs gets dunked into the sea.)

- The chapters would probably be longer and have more scenes in order to give players more time to build up nerve.

- I have two solutions to the collectibles thing. The first is to give everyone an item and a weapon tailored to them, the second is to only give four people weapons and four people items. No idea which is better but if the first one is chosen, then some weapons and items will be free.

- Soooooo, the Arthur thing huh...decided that Cid would be the best alternative. I have no idea why, it just makes sense to me since Devon doesn’t really know anyone else in the family. So eh. Best I can come up with is: parents get killed, Cid adopts Devon, Devon keeps last name and they move to Pine Springs.

- If I were to have Redfield take Josephine’s place here, he and Cid would be friends until the ‘betrayal’ thingy.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Nemesis 2: Nebula (1995)

You have to wait a little to understand why people call 1992’s Nemesis a Terminator ripoff. The visual resemblances aren’t there in the first scene. The theme of mechanical infiltrators is buried beneath a jumble of needlessly labyrinthine would-be spy work. That’s not the case with Nemesis 2: Nebula. This is unmistakenly a clone of the 1995 sci-fi classic (despite coming XX years after), which makes it much more fun.

73 after the previous film (and featuring none of the characters we saw during that cliffhanger of an ending), humans have lost the Cyborg Wars. Rebel scientists have developed a new strain of DNA and bred a saviour who can free us from our mechanical oppressors. To escape them, Alex (played as an adult by Sue Price) is sent back in time to 1980. 20 years later, a cyborg bounty hunter named Nebula (Chad Stahelski) arrives to kill her before she can win the battle for the future…

Details have been tweaked. Nebula isn’t after Sarah Connor, she’s after John, who is a woman… so basically Sarah Connor. There’s no Kyle Reese because, as a super soldier with enhanced DNA, Alex looks more like Arnold Schwarzenegger than Lynda Hamilton. The film isn’t set in the United States, it’s in East Africa because… it’s much cheaper to shoot there! Like the T-800, Nebula can infiltrate our society without arousing suspicion. Either with its cloaking forcefield, which makes it kinda invisible in a way that’s ripping off Predator or by hiding off-screen and killing everyone it encounters before they can sound the alarm. It’s vague. I suspect they wanted to mask how crappy their monster looked by throwing a bunch of effects on top. It's a little more likely a reason than filmmaker Albert Pyun choosing to rip off not one, but two Schwarzenegger action movies at once.

This is a perfect film to pair up with Terminator. Obviously, the plots are similar but Nemesis 2 perfectly highlights just what makes the 1984 James Cameron movie so good. Sure Price has the physique to be an action star but she’s got exactly zero charisma and just as much screen presence. Her character is so poorly developed and defined, her dialogue is so limited, she might as well be a robot herself. You basically watch her run around, dispatching one fool after another with the insectoid-looking killer in tow, reducing everything in sight to cinders. You get a sense she might’ve had more material on paper but that many of her lines got cut because of her atrocious performance.

The whole thing’s constructed like a robot made of cardboard and bubblegum. The tribe who discovers Alex somehow knows her name. The beginning of the movie is entirely subtitled because obviously no one there would speak English… until Alex is on her own and it’s revealed she’s known the language since birth. That's a headscratcher. Nemesis 2 repeatedly and severely underestimates how much we’ll like or dislike the people we encounter on this adventure. You’re desperate for something to latch onto. You’re having fun at the movie’s expense, cracking jokes at the lousy production and quoting your favorite lines from the Terminator series when we meet Emily (Tina Cote), a woman taken prisoner by some bad guys. Alex rescues Emily (and her dialogue-free friend who serves basically no purpose). Now, you expect the pair to bond. Compared to Sue Price, Tina is a deity of theater. Obviously, she’ll stick around. Maybe she'll even be the “Sarah Connor” to Alex’s “Kyle Reese”. I know I’m not the only one getting strong lesbian vibes from the movie so you REALLY think something will come of their meeting… but no! From the way the film ends, we’re supposed to dislike Emily and think her a villain! It’s one of the many bewildering turns the story takes.

Nemesis 2: Nebula can be fun to watch when paired with the right movie and crowd. It’s an ineptly directed and shoddily assembled film with a thin plot and minimal dialogue. You can easily follow it while basically hurling things at the screen. It’s no classic but if you’re making your way through the series and want to make an event out of it, then I say throw this one in the mix. (On Blu-ray, July 26, 2019)

[roobylavender]

Fellow Queen’s Thief enjoyer here! It always takes me back when Irene and Gen and their ages get mentioned because it is such an important part to who they are and it’s an age gap done for a reason that actually works within the series it is in. Irene was 20-23 (?) to Gen being 13-14 when the series starts? And even then she wasn’t framed kindly but the narrative still cared for her and allowed readers to love her.

What I have noticed when it comes to like Jason and fanon shipping is that the age gap problems always seems to be a problem for one ship but never for others. It’s like a selective fandom thing when like you see ships like JayRoy (age gap), JayArtemis (age gap, I mean she’s what 130+? or does Amazonian ages not apply to her?), JayKyle I’m not too sure about but there’s also that DonnaKyle ship so like how old is Kyle? But all are widely more acceptable than another certain ship. This is not like a defense or anything just something I noticed and I know you don’t ship any of these but it is just a fandom thing that caught my eye. And then you have characters like Talia and Bruce (age gap there) where you can talk about Bruce having a little of that upper hand and not really realizing where Talia might be coming from? Talia is actually interesting when you think of her age gap compared to Bruce and how she has been portrayed since the turn of her character.

Wait sorry. Gen was approx 10 in The Thief while Irene would have been 17/18.

eugenides is 15 in the thief! and he's about 18 by the time he finally returns to attolia to woo irene over in the queen of attolia. i think it's thief! where he's 10 years old bc it's a prequel story. donna and kyle i'm pretty sure are in the same age group bc kyle tends to be grouped with her, wally, connor, etc. but yeah it can be really amusing sometimes to see what fandom criticizes and what it doesn't (and like even moreso when it comes to jason bc his ships have such a broad range). like i can't lie i'm very confused by people who condemn dickbabs for the age gap only to turn around and ship dinahbabs gdkgjghlf like at least be consistent!

but yeah i personally really love the brutalia age gap from a narrative perspective. it's obv unintentional from an editorial perspective and maybe even subconsciously racist in the sense of pairing up an older white man with a younger "exotic" foreign woman but it inadvertantly really emphasizes on the issues in their relationship and talia's isolation as a result thereafter. she's young and comparatively without power or agency so when bruce walks away she's often left with nothing to stand on except for an abusive father occasionally meanwhile he goes back to his mansion and support system over and over. it'd be a nice thing to explicitly explore were writers to ever care enough (and tangentially i think the batcat age gap also brings up some interesting inquiries with respect to their places within gotham's hierarchy of power)

[whalehouse1]

Relating to your post about Damian, Jon and Tai pham. How do you see them actually meeting?

So the biggest problem with this is I have a different ideas and it depends on how things work overall since we have so little of Tai's world to work with. First the only other human Green Lantern we see in this continuity from the regular stuff is John Stewart. Do any of the other ones exist in this universe? If it's just John does that affect the Justice League at all in terms of it existing or just members? Also complicating matters is I'm not sure where location-wise Coast City is, so is Gotham close to it? Is Metropolis? Or if they're still in Smallville the distance there? If the Justice League is still around, John would likely take Tai there to visit and Superman would want to introduce Jon to another hero (in-training) around his own age. Damian would end up being forced along in some way due to being friends with Jon and just by chance meeting up at League HQ. Also we've seen in the Super Sons that both of them have teleporters to get to their underwater lair and Damian would most likely know how to add another destination point.

But if the Justice League doesn't exist in this timeline, it would surprisingly be a little more convoluted but still plausible. If John is the only Green Lantern on Earth besides Tai, if he is off world, he would most likely ask Superman or Batman to watch over Coastal City. Tai would be going to fight the threat and run into either Superman and Jon or Batman and Damian and be pouty that John didn't trust him. He would probably vent about it to Jon or Damian and if it's Damian he would agree with Tai while still insulting Tai because it's Damian, but Tai would argue back, so I think they wouldn't start off as great friends until they figure out how the other one is. If it was Jon he talks to, it'd be easier but Jon would defend the heroes and say they must have their reasons. Tai would tease him for being a goody goody but easily win him over with some pho when they finish off the threat. They would get along much better. After this meetup, Tai would ask Jon if he could train or go on missions with those two and would go every know and then. Jon would say he would like to go on missions with Tai more and Damian would say nothing, it's Damian and a Bat Lantern team up, everyone knows asking Bruce to team up with a Green Lantern will earn you bathroom duty for a month, but if Jon insisted he join, he doesn't have much choice now does he? Also if Tai does badly, Damian would have to help train him to do better in fights and not just blast things with the ring. Damian being a martial arts trainer to his friends is just funny to me.

And although not part of the question, the reason it's all guys is mainly due to me thinking Ma'ri and Lian are like 3-5 when Damian is starting as Robin. I also just recently found out who I thought was an older version of Lian is actually Oliver Queen's half-sister and Connor's aunt. But if I'm being honest, she would have to be closer to Tim's and Steph's age without making it super creepy and even with that it's still creepy. But heck Wallace West is probably closer to Young Justice agewise as well, but no, they have Impulse and why do ages in DC revolve around the Batfam and if not them the Superfam? I know it doesn't matter but when you go from Dick and Kara going on missions together to Kara and Steph being college buddies or Kyle being friends with Jimmy Olsen but then being around Donna's age or that hot mess that is Babs's age (I know, I know but I want my mid-30's Babs ex-representative who is pro-libraries and just...playing Arkham where she is married to Tim just put the nail in the deaging Babs coffin for me) But Babs and Jon are the two who the age thing bothers me way more than it should...okay maybe not Jon's cause just screw aging him up for every reason Bendis did it for, I want to see this awkward all American boy flail around with everything. And one other thing that bothered me about Tai's story and it isn't just due to that, does DC know how to make a character seem interesting or cool without the, "They were the strongest/coolest/greatest/awesomest ever at their job"? It's how they pumped up Hal in Kyle's run and Tai's grandma amongst the Green Lanterns (I did not mind it with the neighborhood saying it since it reminded me of how people used to talk about my grandma and I always love seeing good grandkid and grandparent relationships) and heck how they're promoting Tim's run as the Greatest Robin (I'm not getting into the discourse). When you do this you alienate fans of other characters hard. I like Tim, I like Tai's grandma, I LOVE Hal (well Silver Age Hal because I'm a terrible sadist and him getting wiped out by the stupidest crap keeps making me chuckle if not laugh) but I enjoy all the Robins for different reasons (Dick is admittedly my favorite but I won't read his solos since I never hear anything good about them past a certain point), I don't have a favorite Green Lantern since I'm still newer to them and Kyle's run keeps trying to make you jump between issues and forcing him and Donna and it's not fun to go through since I do like him, just not the stories, but when I get a chance to read Jessica's stories I think she has a good shot of being my favorite. That got away from me, but the point is no one wants to hear who editors or writers or higher ups think is the greatest, it has the same energy as the guy who tweeted that Maxwell Lord has always been evil and if you didn't realize it you were a moron, which is not a fun energy to have. I think I'm going to stop here because I don't think I'll stop talking otherwise, sorry about that.

[lesbianspeedy]

Connor has called Ollie solely "dad" since Quiver why is he calling him "Ollie" now 😭😭😭

This is mean but I laughed out loud when Connor said Tim was the first person he talked about when he was figuring out being ace years ago. Lol. Lmao even. Tumblr really gaslit that poor writer into thinking Connor and Tim had an actual friendship with all their clamoring about him being with the wrong Bat huh. "Where were you?" GEE I didn't know you had to give daily updates to that one kid you teamed up a few times and had some friendly banter with. I love queer solidarity and the whole thing about us finding each other before we even know we're queer but. NO Connor would not have talks about his sexuality with Tim. Cmooooon you're telling me the first person he'd talk to about being ace wouldn't be Kyle "you can tell me if you're gay, Connor" Rayner?

At least that "this is just another thing me and Ollie don't have in common" anxiety is something already established. Like, that's basically the same thing he says to Roy when Roy takes him to that strip club even if it's an issue by Winick (do you ever stop to think about how unintentionally well laid out Connor being ace is and lose your mind a little bit?)

I'm just. Really sad about how Ollie and Connor's relationship is being presented to this new generation of readers. It's like we regressed to the time Ollie was dead, ya know? And I don't like Connor solely for his relationship with his dad, I want him to be a character on his own. But I can't help but being saddened by how he is losing his relationship with everyone that matters. For better or for worse, at least the new GA series is gonna have him interacting with his family (but what about Kyle, Eddie, Jansen and Moonday, ya know?)

The thing is that the story is good and I like its message. It just... Could be with any other character

im tempted to post this without an "answer" because its really well laid out and deserves to be a post on it's own. but i just rlly like ur points and want to interact with them so.

i think there were a few times between quiver and now where he interchangebly used dad and ollie but i get what you're saying, referring to him like hes estranged still was odd.

i totally agree, the idea of queer solidarity is important and should be shown, but i think this was a weird choice to go with. i think the most intimate (from my memory, i havent reread connor's run in a while) question connor ever asked tim was whether batman was his dad (at that time the answer was still no, as jack hadn't been killed yet). and that was only asked because connor was still his charmingly-awful-at-secret-identities-self. the part of their limited friendship that was interesting was the dynamic of new-sidekick-legacy meets new-main-legacy (for lack of a better descriptor), both struggling to uphold what they thought was expected of them. they never got to really advance from that stage of knowing each other to being at a place where they are friends out of costume, let alone discuss their SEXUALITIES.

i agree that the not being in common thing was a nice nod to past character complexities, though it felt slightly like it was the writer genuinely believing that to be true, and not just a rehash of connor's complicated feelings.

i know, its a weird stage we're at now, the resistence to fully accepting the connor that came from the end of his green arrow run, not just the beginning of it. by the end he had come to peace with being green arrow, and not being his father but that being okay. and that's not to say this is all the current writers fault (though williamson has done absolutely no favours with his writing), as winick and krul absolutely demolished any character connor had for their angst and whatever. (remember when connor aggressively yelled at mia for complaining about being stalked by zatanna without being told? or when after being turned into plastic and losing his memories he then decided he hated buddhism and oliver?). (not to mention the seperation from eddie jansen moonday kyle and. despite all of this complaining. tim cass and steph. winick set this precident and i will never forgive him)

i agree, it had good framework, and it couldve been a much more cohesive story if they. had just not used this friendship.

[whump-tr0pes]

Human Heart (Terminator Salvation fanfic) Chapter 7

Masterlist

AO3

Marcus Wright sacrifices himself and donates his heart to the leader of the human resistance against the machines. What he didn’t take into account was how hard his friends would fight to get him back - and how he would be accepted in his second life.

Contents: medical restraints, back from the dead, dehumanization

~

“Two weeks?” Marcus wheezed. “I… wh-where did I… go?”

I was dead for fifteen years. Two weeks is nothing.

“You, ah… cooled down,” Kate said uneasily. “Your… batteries… kicked on and started cooling you as soon as—”

“As soon as you killed him,” Blair said through her teeth, glaring up at Kate through her lashes.

“As soon as we harvested the organ,” Kate finished, taking on an icy tone. “We think you have cooling plates on the inside of your skull and along your bones. They kicked on immediately. We think that’s how your brain stayed… uh…”

“You keep avoiding the fact that you cut him open and murdered him, Kate,” Blair said. The tension between the two women felt brittle, like the slightest provocation might have Blair up off her knees and at Kate’s throat with a knife.

“He was a willing donor,” Kate hissed.

“Signed a fucking document, too,” Marcus said through numb lips. His mind was spinning.

Kate’s eyebrows pulled together as she stared down at him. “…sorry?”

Marcus swallowed hard and shook his head. “Nothing.” Agony thundered through his chest with every breath.

“Now that he’s awake…” Blair reached into her pocket, as if looking for a key. When she didn’t find what she was looking for, she patted another pocket. Then, slowly, she raised her gaze to Kate again. “Where the fuck is the key?” she ground out through clenched teeth.

Kate clutched the suction tubing. “Barnes took it while you were sleeping,” she said. Marcus watched as her breathing sped up.

Blair got to her feet in one smooth motion. Marcus’s hand felt cold and empty without hers squeezing his.

“What the fuck did you say?” Blair breathed, leaning forward until her nose was inches away from Kate’s.

Kate lifted her chin. “Marcus came back. That’s great. But we have no idea what that means. When humans come back after being dead, it can change their personalities. With him—”

“He is human,” Blair spat.

“For all we know, rebooting him triggered some underlying programming that turned him into a sleeper agent,” Kate said, her face flushing pink. “We have no idea. This is uncharted territory for us.”

“He fucking sacrificed his life for Connor, and this is how—”

“We can never be too careful,” Kate said. This time, her hand covered her growing stomach as if she could fend off the entire fucking world off just with that.

Blair glared at Kate. “So this is how you treat the people who sacrifice everything for you, just because they’re not the right people?” she seethed. “Or would it have been more convenient for you if he just never woke up?”

With that, Kate pushed past her and headed for the door. “He stays restrained,” she said, not even looking back. “We’ll give it time. He can earn our trust. But until then?” She threw a glare over her shoulder. “You’re in charge of keeping him fed. And if you even try to free him again before we’re ready, we’re asking questions second.” She turned and stalked out of the room.

Blair stood staring after Kate for a long moment. Marcus coughed weakly and let his head sink back into the pillow. “Fuck,” he breathed.

Blair dropped to one knee and slid her hand back into his again, fuming. “I’m gonna get you the fuck out of here,” she growled. “No fucking way they do this to you, after everything you’ve done for them. No fucking way.”

“Don’t get yourself in trouble,” Marcus said softly. “I can’t run with you this time. Fuck, I—” Pain flared, and he stifled a cry. “I don’t even think I’d be able to sit up.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fuck. Fuck.” She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then she whistled, one short, sharp burst. Kyle jerked awake in the corner. “Hey kid,” she said, drawing her free hand through her hair. “Wake up. He’s back.”

[dreamofstarlight]

How Many Shots It Would Take For Me to Hook Up With NHL Captains

Brad Marchand: 9

I also have a feeling he says “you like that” every two seconds and that’s a turn off like shut up you’ll know if I like it

Kyle Okposo: 5

He’s a guy

Mikael Baklund: 3

He has a nice smile

Jordan Staal: blackout

homophobia is ugly

Gabriel Landeskog: 2 for confidence

I’m not immune to blonds

Boone Jenner: 4

Me four shots in would make me think he looks like the ravens kicker Justin Tucker

Jamie Benn: blackout

many reasons but he doesn’t go down so I won’t either

Dylan Larkin: 2

He just has really good energy

Connor McDavid: 4

He could pull me but I think he trauma dumps after a hookup

Aleksander Barkov: 3

He looks unassuming and is 6’3 so

Anze Kopitar: 8

He’s not for me but that’s just me

Jared Spurgeon: 5

I know nothing about this man but could be convinced to know more

Nick Suzuki: 3

He’s cute

Roman Josi: stone cold sober

Nico Hischier: 2

he’s ugly hot and he seems a little shy so that just about does it for me

Anders Lee: 4

It’s mostly bc he’s 6’3 and that would make my just about drunk brain go weeeeee

Jacob Trouba: 8

Idk man the vibes are off

Brady Tkachuk: 7

Boss baby I just can’t

Sidney Crosby: 3

Look I don’t like the pens (caps fan) but I’m not immune and ignoring the Pittsburgh of it all…I can be persuaded

Logan Couture: when I’m at the point where I start saying “I’m not even that drunk” sooo

Brayden Schenn: 5

This is at the point where any man taller than me is hot and I want them immediately

Steven Stamkos: 6

He’s just too generic, he does nothing for me but 6 shots in I wouldn’t say no if asked

John Tavares: sober not even a question

Quinn Hughes: 4

This is at the point where my mind confuses ugly hot with hot

Mark Stone: 7

Alex Ovechkin: 2

my daddy issues take a horny turn when I drink

Adam Lowry: 3

He looks like a frat guy and then tends to be my type when drinking