#OH and another one of jay trying to high five pete

[senseiwu]

I'm so happy jay finally got to see the ghosts oh my god

I'm so glad I got so many ghosts clips on YouTube shorts oh my god I love this show

I tried drawing some of the characters today. Tried drawing pete, a chibi-ish/cartoony hetty and jay and sam from memory

they were. not. good. lmao

But maybe one day I'll be able to draw them like I do ninjago characters

I think the most intimidating ones to draw are Sass and thor, mostly cause of their hair and costumes

Also help sometimes I think in my head like how thor speaks ?? 😭😭 he's probably my favourite after pete

[thescarleteagle]

An Eastern Arrival

I wrote this in collaboration with @ghostlyhalloween!

Chapter II: Faire La Bise: That’s How You Greet People?

Walking through the halls of the surprisingly empty manor, Isaac and Pierre finally find themselves into the kitchen. Inside they see Thor, Flower, Sassapis, Trevor, and Pete, crowded around Samantha’s computer, and quietly talking amongst themselves.

“Attention everyone! This is Sergeant Pierre La Croix and he is from the France” Isaac exclaims as Pierre tips his hat. “Hello! Or should I say bonjour!” Pete says with a chuckle. “You know French?” Pierre asks curiously. “Very little, but I’ve been to Paris in Epcot!” Pete says, slightly bragging. The two do a greeting where they kissed each other on both cheeks, and they get weird looks from the other ghosts. “Pete in relationship with French ghost?” Thor asks, slightly confused by the gesture. “No, this is one of the many greetings of my great country of France.” Pierre says gloatingly.

After realizing the familiarity of the name, Sam looks up from her computer in surprise, to which Pierre gives her a confused glare. “Oh hello! Jay it seems we have another one.” Sam says in shock, as she looks to her husband. “Seriously? Well it’s nice to meet you… wherever in the room you are.” Jay says awkwardly, as he turns to finish cooking.

Suddenly Pierre’s eyes land on Trevor. He saunters towards him. “Oh? And who is this delectable creature?” Pierre says, looking over at Trevor with a flirtatious grin, awaiting a response. “Trevor Leftkowitz” Trevor says, offering his hand for a handshake. Pierre accepts the handshake, which came in the form of a high-five then a proper shake. “That was an… interesting way of a handshake” Pierre says as he brushes his hand against his coat. “To think someone in such bold attire would know at least aproper handshake” Pierre mumbles, fairly annoyed, he clearly expected something else from the pant-less one. But then Pierre smirks, ”However, you are in prime position for a certain activity-.” Issac ushers him into the other room before he can finish his sentence, leaving Trevor very uncomfortable.

Meanwhile in the basement, Nigel looks off into the distance, almost as if he were examining the concrete that made up the stairs. “Did he just leave me in this sad pit?…” Nigel say’s disappointedly. “Oh yeah, you better watch out before Captain Oi Oi Baguette steals your man, based on what I’ve heard he’s a freak!” Nancy says, interested in Nigel’s reaction. Nigel stands there, with a nervous expression he barely makes eye contact with Nancy, then looks over at Patience, who gives a sigh. “It’s true… despite that dweller’s weird wording, Patience has seen many times of Pierre being unholy and dirty… it’s the whole reason I dragged him to this hell hole, so he wouldn’t interfere with the others purely perfect society.” She says in her usual disgust. 

Nigel looks down, “I can’t believe this, surely he wouldn’t be that desperate… right?…” Nigel looks around at the concerned looks on the other basement ghosts, who are trying to make eye contact, then to Patience who gives a quick glance at him before looking away and starts fidgeting with the collar on her dress. 

Worried, Nigel rushes up the stairs from the basement to see Isaac and Pierre at the main entrance, laughing together. “So, do you have a ghost power?” Isaac asks excitedly, to which Pierre looks at him with a grin. “It doesn’t matter dear, what about you?” He says, taking a step towards him, and jokingly putting his hand under Isaac’s chin and lightly pulling away. Seeing them, laughing together as their bodies go through the door, trying to hold his emotions back, Nigel could only feel one thing, true jealousy.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Playing With Fire

The Flash stars in: Playing with Fire  

Dramatis Personae

Wally West, the energetic and cheerful third Flash

Iris Allen, a charismatic reporter, the wife of Barry Allen, and the aunt of Wally

Heat Wave, alias Mick Rory, a dim witted and surprisingly friendly pyromaniac

The Pied Piper, alias Hartley Rathaway, a Robin Hood-esque thief

Mirror Master I, alias Sam Scudder, a melodramatic thief and talented inventor

Script

Act I

(Iris is onstage, writing. Enter Wally)

Wally: Hi, Aunt Iris!

Iris: (Looks up from her paper) Hi, Wally! What’s up?

Wally: I was just dropping by to see my favorite aunt.

Iris: Well, it’s nice to see you. How’s my favorite nephew?

Wally: Aunt Iris, I’m your only nephew.

Iris: So? Can’t you be both? (Wally nods)

Wally: I’m doing great! How are you?

Iris: Wonderful! You see, I’m writing this terrific exposé on corruption in the mayor’s office, and my editor really thinks it could win me an award-maybe even a Pulitzer!

Wally: Wow, Aunt Iris, that’s awesome! The award, I mean, not that there’s corruption in the mayor’s office. I always knew you’d be world-famous someday!

Iris: In speaking of world famous, is there anything new on the superhero front?

Wally: Surprisingly, no. I haven’t heard anything from any of the Rogues for more than a month. It’s kind of nice to have a break, honestly.

Iris: I’m sure Linda and the kids appreciate it, too.

Wally: Yeah, it’s been great! It’s always nice to have more time to spend with them, especially since, with my speed, we’ve been able to tour half of Europe’s museums.

Iris: I never thought of you as a culture buff.

Wally: You don’t know everything about me! I mean, part of my charm comes from my air of exotic mystery! (Iris laughs)

Iris: The tour was Linda’s idea.

Wally: (Sighs) Yeah, it was her idea. How did you know?

Iris: Because you’re a terrible liar. Seriously, “my air of exotic mystery”? The only thing remotely mysterious about you is how you thought that that would be a convincing story.

Wally: All right, you’ve got me there. (Pause) But museums are so boring! Nothing ever changes, and everyone moves so slowly! In the time it takes Linda to look at one statue, the kids and I could  speed through the museum a hundred times, but we aren’t allowed to! It’s like watching sports, only a thousand times worse! It’s just too slow!

Iris: Everything is too slow for you, Wally.

Wally: I can’t help it! I’m a speedster!

Iris: So are Barry and Jay, and I’ve never heard them complain about museums. I don’t think this is a speedster problem. I think this is a Wally problem.

Wally: Because I’m impatient?

Iris: Well, yes, but also because you got your speed much younger than Jay and Barry did. Your uncle thinks that because of that, your powers had a greater effect on your body and your mind than it did on theirs-and that your kids will probably be even more affected than you are because their powers are natural.

Wally: Oh, joy. I’ll never be able to deal with two mes on steroids for fifteen years!

Iris: Look, if I was able to deal with a ten-year-old you with no powers, you should definitely be able to deal with your kids. You’ll be fine.

Wally: If you say so, Aunt Iris.

Iris: I do. If you can save the world, you can do this.

Wally: I think saving the world is easier.

Iris: So, what are Linda and the kids up to now?

Wally: They’re at the library. Linda’s been taking Jai and Irey to Storytime for about a year now, and they seem to like it. The only complaint I’ve heard is that they enter and leave the library way too quickly, but given their powers, that might be unavoidable, at least for awhile.

Iris: I’m glad your kids like the library. Bart avoids it like everyone in it has the plague.

Wally: Even with all the great comic books there?

Iris: Yes. He just seems to hate books on principle. He says that he has trouble processing words because his eyes move too fast for him to fully comprehend what he’s seeing. Did you ever experience that?

Wally: All the time! It was lucky that I liked to read books before I got my powers, because otherwise I’d probably never have opened a book again. Speedster brains work so much faster than average that if we don’t focus, it’s basically impossible to read anything, and since he was in the Speed Force for such a long time, Bart probably never learned how to focus. If you want him to read more, you’ll have to teach him how to focus first.

Iris: Could I employ your help on that?

Wally: Of course! Who do you think taught my kids how to focus?

Iris: Thanks, Wally. Barry’s been trying to help him, but Barry loves to read, and, like I said, he got his powers in his twenties. His brain chemistry isn’t as altered by his powers as Bart’s brain chemistry is by his.

Wally: Hey, no problem. What else are favorite nephews for?

Iris: In your case? Comedic relief.

Wally: Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week!

Iris: (Laughs) Never change, Wally. Never change.

Wally: I’m not planning to, Aunt Iris. (Pause) Hey, are you hungry?

Iris: No, but I’d imagine that you are. Do you want to get a mid morning snack?

Wally: Aunt Iris, you read my mind. Let’s go eat!

(Exit Both)

Act II

(Pied Piper is onstage, playing an instrument. Enter Mirror Master and Heat Wave)

Heat Wave: (To Mirror Master) See, Scudder? I told you he’d be here!

Mirror Master: (To Heat Wave) How did you manage to find him? Even the Flash can’t find him when he doesn’t want to be found!

Heat Wave:  It ain’t really that hard, Sam. Our little buddy over there’s a bleeding heart, so when he ain’t with us and ain’t  in jail, he’s almost always on or near Baker Street.

Mirror Master: What does the Piper want with Skid Row?

Heat Wave: Where’s Skid Row? I just told you that this is Baker Street!

Mirror Master: (Sighs) It’s a figure of speech, Mick. “Skid Row” is just a term for a rundown, dirt-poor neighborhood like this one. Why would the Piper come here?

Heat Wave: Because it’s rundown and poor. Don’t you know that Piper gives everything he steals to poor people?

Mirror Master: Well, yeah, I know, but I didn’t think he lived with them.

Heat Wave: He lives with us , don’t he?

Mirror Master: We aren’t poor!

Heat Wave: Scudder, both of us are high school dropouts. Neither of us has ever had a legal job. We almost never get to spend the money we steal ‘cause the Flash busts us before we can. I grew up in a one-story, two-bedroom farmhouse, and you grew up….hey, you grew up here! In what world are we not poor?

Mirror Master: I had a Ferrari….

Heat Wave: That you stole. And that the Flash returned to its original owner after three days.

Mirror Master: Not the point! I’m the most skilled inventor on the planet! I invented solid holograms and teleportation and a weapons system more sophisticated than any army’s! I discovered another dimension, for Pete’s sake! I’m not poor! (Piper stops playing)

Heat Wave: You’ve never made money off of none of that, Sam. I know you’re real smart-I’m just saying that neither of us is real rich.  

Mirror Master: Okay, maybe not, but I’m not living in the slums.  

Heat Wave: Yeah, because prison is so much better.

Pied Piper: The two of you are aware that I can hear you, correct?

Mirror Master: HOW?

Pied Piper: My parents spent 20 million dollars on ‘curing’ my deafness with hearing aids, and they received their money’s worth. My hearing range goes up to 45,000 hertz, about the same as a dog’s, and is generally extremely acute. I hear everything, and even if I did not, you two were not exactly being quiet. (Pause) Why are you looking for me?

Mirror Master: Wait….your parents spent twenty million for one operation?

Pied Piper: My parents have a net worth of 55 billion dollars. They could have spent five times that amount and not even felt it. (Pause) But I digress. What brings you two here?

Mirror Master: You.

Pied Piper: My skills or my companionship?

Heat Wave: Both!

Pied Piper: I trust that one of you has a target in mind, then?

Mirror Master: Of course I do. You see, a certain Ms. Portia Storme, a famous actress and debutante, is coming to Central City to donate some of her jewelry to Central City’s History Museum at 2:30 PM but I think that those jewels would be a lot more useful to us than to any museum. I can get us into the museum, and then you can hypnotize Ms. Storme and the patrons long enough for us to steal the jewels and split. What do you think?

Pied Piper: And if one of the Flashes shows up?

Mirror Master: That’s what Heat Wave’s for. He’ll wait outside the museum and, if the Flash shows up, he’ll distract him long enough for us to make our escape. Once we’ve gotten back to my pad safely, I’ll pick him up via Mirror Realm.

Pied Piper: That sounds like a solid plan. I’m in!

Heat Wave: Great! The more the merrier!  

Mirror Master: Okay, now that that’s established, we can shoot the breeze for a bit. How have you been, Piper?

Pied Piper: Physically, I’m as fit as a fiddle. Otherwise….I’m homeless.

Mirror Master: Again? How’d it happen this time?

Pied Piper: Well, I actually bought a little apartment a couple of weeks ago, but then I ran into this couple who were raising their granddaughter because their daughter is addicted to heroin, and their apartment was falling apart, so I gave them mine, and I was going to get another one with money that I swiped from a movie star, but then I met this poor man who was suffering from some sort of mental illness, so I had to pay for him to go to a mental hospital, and then I gave the rest of the money to help pay for the cancer treatment of a young father with four little children.

Heat Wave: I’ve got some money saved up, buddy. Do you want me to give you some?

Pied Piper: No, but thank you. I’m young and quite robust. I’ll be fine.

Mirror Master: Yeah, until you freeze to death.

Pied Piper: It gets that cold here?

Mirror Master: We’re covered in snow for half the winter! Yeah, it gets that cold here! Have you never ended up homeless in the winter?

Pied Piper: Well, no. I was only evicted from the apartment I was renting with the money I took from my parents six months ago. My sporadic homelessness is a recent thing.

Mirror Master: Word of advice, then: don’t give any of the money from this heist away.

Pied Piper: What? Why?

Mirror Master: Because it’s already November, and if you don’t get a place to stay soon, you’re going to be out on the streets in the dead of winter.

Pied Piper: Better me than a child!

Mirror Master: Dude, your hypothetical child is ten times more street savvy than you are.

Pied Piper: And has none of the luxuries I was spoiled with as a child.

Mirror Master: So? They don’t know what they’re missing. I should know. I was one.

Pied Piper: And yet you now deny being poor so vehemently.

Mirror Master: (Pause, searching for response, but not finding one) Fine. Do whatever you want. But don’t blame me when you’re sleeping on the streets in that threadbare jacket in single degree weather!

Heat Wave: (Trying to change the subject) Hey, who wants lunch? After all, it’s never good to rob a  museum on an empty stomach.

Pied Piper: Well, now that you’ve mentioned it, I am a little hungry. Where were you thinking that we would go?

Heat Wave: Uh, whatever makes you guys happy, I guess.

Mirror Master: Hmm…. I’ll have to reflect on that.

Pied Piper: I didn’t really have anything in mind, either.

Heat Wave: Okay then. Um….how about that barbeque place that opened a couple weeks ago?

Mirror Master: Sure, why not?

Pied Piper: That works as well as the next place, I suppose.

Heat Wave: All right, then I guess it’s settled. We’re going to eat some barbeque!

(Exit all)

Act III

(Wally and Iris are onstage)

Wally: So, do you have anything else planned for today, Aunt Iris?

Iris: Yes, I do. Portia Storme, the famous actress, is donating some of her family heirlooms to Central City’s History Museum at 3 PM, and I found out this morning that Picture News is sending me to cover the story.

Wally: Portia Storme? As in the Portia Storme who starred in The Superhero who Loved Me ?

Iris: Yes, that Portia Storme.

Wally: Are you allowed to bring a guest? I'm her biggest fan!

Iris: No such luck. I’m attending for business, not pleasure.

Wally: Darn it! I’ve wanted to get her autograph since I was fifteen!

Iris: I wonder what Linda would think of that.

Wally: Aunt Iris! It’s not like that! I just think that she’s a talented actress!

Iris: And the fact that she’s widely considered to be extremely attractive has nothing to do with it, right?

Wally: Aunt Iris !

Iris: Don’t worry, Wally, I know you love Linda. I was just teasing you.

Wally: Oh. Okay. Then tell Portia hi for me.

Iris: I will. In  fact, I’ll even get her autograph if I can.

Wally: Thanks, Aunt Iris! You’re the best!

Iris: You’re welcome, Wally. (Pause) Oh, and would you mind telling your uncle where I am when he gets off work? I didn’t learn that I was covering the museum story until after he left for work.

Wally: Of course I’ll tell him!

Iris: Good. I don’t want a repeat of the “Flash Marathon” debacle.

Wally: The Flash Marathon debacle? What’s that?

Iris: You don’t remember that time that I was assigned to cover the Flash Marathon of 2010 at the last possible second and Barry didn’t know so he ran halfway around the world looking for me?

Wally: Oh, yeah, I remember that now! He took me out of Calculus to help find you!

Iris: Poor, dear, Barry. He was so embarrassed when he found out that I was fine.

Wally: He was embarrassed? I had to explain to my Calculus teacher that I had cut class to rescue someone who wasn’t in any danger and then I got detention!

Iris: That may have had something to do with the fact that you’d cut class the previous week to get Chinese food from China, Wally.

Wally: What can I say? I was-

Iris: Hungry. I know. (Wally vanishes and returns with food) Wally: Want some authentic fajitas? Or some escargots?

Iris: No, thank you.

Wally: Okay. More for me. (Eats food)

Iris: How does Linda keep up with your appetite?

Wally: Oh my gosh! Linda! I told her I’d pick her and the kids up from story time, and I completely forgot about it! I’ve gotta go get them! See you, Aunt Iris! Bye! (Exit Wally)

Iris: That’s my nephew. (Pulls out paper) Let’s see. Now, where was I? Oh, right! (Begins writing) “A careful examination of the city’s funds reveals that 20% of the city’s funds have been diverted to an undisclosed project which does not correspond to any known public works project that has been discussed by the city council. Detective Jared Morillo, who headed the investigation, stated that “We’re almost certain that at least one of the elected officials of the city has been misappropriating funds,�� but declined to provide further details, so I did some digging of my own and uncovered a document that revealed that four members of the mayor’s cabinet have been funneling tax dollars into their own private accounts, and that one of them, Mr. Franklin Jones, failed to press charges of robbery on the Pied Piper out of fear that his own misdeeds would come under scrutiny.” This article is going to be great!

Act IV

(Enter Pied Piper, Heat Wave, and Mirror Master with a water bottle)

Mirror Master: (To Heat Wave) How did you manage to eat two buckets of that barbeque? My mouth felt like it was on fire after I ate one piece!

Heat Wave: You should try a ghost pepper sometime, buddy. If you thought that was hot, you haven’t seen nothing yet!

Mirror Master: I’ll pass. (Guzzles water) I’ve had enough eye-watering for a year.

Pied Piper: I’m so glad that I ordered the salad.

Heat Wave: You don’t know what you’re missing, little buddy.

Pied Piper: When I was seven years old, I had lunch with the President of India. That meal contained enough spice to put me off strong seasoning forever, so I am quite aware of what I’m missing.

Mirror Master: You’ve been to another country?

Pied Piper: (Embarrassed) Actually, I’ve been to twenty other countries, and to several more than once. My parents wanted to maintain their global connections, so the visits were a necessity.

Heat Wave: (To Mirror Master) His parents are stupid rich, remember?

Mirror Master: (Enviously) Right. (Pause) Well, if this heist goes right, by 5 PM tonight, we’ll be stupid rich too. Let’s get to the museum! Heat Wave, you’ll be alright by yourself?

Heat Wave: Of course I will, buddy.

Mirror Master: In that case, we’re set to go, Piper. It’s time to make some money!

(Cut to another room, where Iris is. Pied Piper and Mirror Master enter)

Mirror Master: (To Pied Piper) Where is everybody?

Pied Piper: (To Mirror Master) How should I know? This is your heist!

Mirror Master: (To Pied Piper) Captain Boomerang told me that Storme would be here at 2:30, so where is everybody?

Pied Piper: (To Mirror Master) Wait….you learned about this from Digger ?

Mirror Master: (To Pied Piper) Yeah. Why?

Pied Piper: (To Mirror Master; growing increasingly louder) Because he’s Digger! If he knew about a potential target and didn’t go after it himself, it could only be because he was drunk! He must have given you the wrong time!

Iris: Who’s there? The museum’s closed to visitors today! (Gasps) You!

Mirror Master: (To Pied Piper) Nice going. Now somebody knows we’re here! (To Iris) Hey, Mrs. Allen. Long time no see.

Iris: What are you two doing here? Pied Piper: Our intent was to steal Ms.Storme’s jewelry, but apparently we had some erroneous information and so we showed up before she did. What are you doing here?

Iris: I’m here to report on the donation of the jewels, and you two are under arrest.

Mirror Master: And you’re going to stop us from escaping how?

Iris: (Pulls out a gun) I’m licensed to carry a firearm, that’s how.

Mirror Master: YOU HAVE A GUN? (To Piper) This would be a good time to do some hypnotizing.

Pied Piper: (To Mirror Master) Before or after she shoots me? (To Iris) All right, we surrender. (Iris handcuffs them)

Iris: I’m so glad that Barry let me borrow those in case I ever needed to pull a citizen’s arrest.

Mirror Master (Aside) Beaten by a girl...this is so humiliating….

Iris: Really? That was way easier than I anticipated.

Pied Piper: Well, I didn’t want you to get hurt, Mrs. Allen. I really admire you. Your exposé on the plight of inner city schools was phenomenal!

Iris: You read my articles?

Pied Piper: Of course! Your crusades to better this city are worthy of the highest respect. You are quite as much of a hero as your husband, Mrs. Allen.

Iris: Why does a thief care about the betterment of anything? Pied Piper: Mrs. Allen, I only steal from those who can afford it, and, quite frankly, who deserve it, and only to give to those who need it. I may operate outside the normal legal parameters, but I only do it because working inside them will get me nowhere. The 1% control the system, so until the system is changed, I have to work outside it if people are going to get real help.

Iris: So why don’t you just help better  the system legally instead of breaking the law and getting yourself into trouble?

Pied Piper: Because someone has to help even the score in the interval, and, frankly, because it helps absolve me of my own guilt. I spent the first twenty-two years of my life living in scandalous luxury, without a thought for anyone but myself. My parents paid to cure me of deafness that would have been a permanent disability in anyone else, I had a closetful of clothes I never wore, I owned three cars before I could drive, and I had more toys than I could ever have used. My parents paid my tutors to ensure that I made high grades, and then they bribed my college to make sure that I was on the top of my class. If I’m on the streets and being thrown in jail now, it’s no more than what I deserve.

Iris: Do you mind if I record that? I always thought that there was something fishy about your family’s empire-other than you, I mean.

Pied Piper: You’d better not. My parents would pay through the nose to make sure that that story never got out, so there’d be no point.

Mirror Master: Uh, as much as Pied Piper’s daddy issues fascinate me, would you mind calling the police or the Flash already?

Iris: Oh, right. (Pulls out phone) Hey, Wally, I have some supervillains for you to pick up. (Pause) What, are you surprised? I didn’t become a famous reporter by being timid. (Pause) Yeah, I’m just fine. (Pause) No, no one else was in danger. Mmm-hmm. Uh-huh. (Pause) No, I’m not going to fight supervillains on a regular basis. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and facing the right morons. (Pause) All right. See you soon. Buh-bye. (Puts phone away) Back to jail for you two.

Mirror Master: I’m thrilled . (To Piper) Let’s pretend this never happened, okay?

Pied Piper: That sounds good to me!

Act V

(Heat Wave is onstage. Enter Wally)

Heat Wave: Hey, Flash! Seeing you really burns me up! (Shoots fire plume in the air)

Wally: Heat Wave?

Heat Wave: Yeah, that’s me! I hope you aren’t going to fight me, because that would be-

Wally: Playing with fire. Yeah, I know. Heat Wave: (horrified) You stole my pun!

Wally: Hey, you know what they say: It takes a thief to catch a thief.

Heat Wave: But you’re not a thief!

Wally: Yeah, I am! I stole your pun!

Heat Wave: (Laughs) Hey, that’s pretty good. You should’ve been a comedian! (Shoots fire at Wally, who dodges)

Wally: That’s what my aunt tells me. So, what are you doing here?

Heat Wave: Making stuff burn.

Wally: Well, yeah, I can see that, but I know you can’t be operating alone, because where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and when there’s fire, there’s you, and when there’s you, there’s the other Rogues. What are you guys planning? (Dodges another blast from Heat Wave)

Heat Wave: Stay still! (Misses again)

Wally: Why, so I can move out of the frying pan and into the fire? No, thanks!

Heat Wave: Hey, stop taking all my puns before I can use them. I don’t have that many!

Wally: Aww, stop being such a hot-head, Heat Wave!

Heat Wave: I bet you think you’re so smart! Well, you won’t feel so smart when Mirror Master and Pied Piper escape with all the loot they stole because I distracted you!

Wally: Oh, so that’s why you’re here. Well, I hate to break it to you, but they’ve already been captured. (Takes Heat Wave’s gun)

Heat Wave: They’re captured? I gotta go rescue them!

Wally: Uh, you might find that difficult without this. (Waves gun)

Heat Wave: Hey, give that back!

Wally: Nope. Finders keepers. (Handcuffs Heat Wave, then brings out Pied Piper and Mirror Master) Here’s your pals. If it makes you feel any better, you get to go back to jail with them.

Heat Wave: Hi, guys!

Mirror Master: Hey, Mick. I guess you got caught, too?

Heat Wave: Yeah.

Mirror Master: Ugh, I don’t believe this! How did we get defeated again ?

Heat Wave: Don’t feel too bad, buddy. You know what they say: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! We’ll get lucky eventually.

Mirror Master: Shut up and let me mope.

Pied Piper: (To Wally) Tell your aunt to keep up the good work, won’t you? Wally: Um...sure. And just so you know, my offer still stands: serve your time and then help us help people the right way.

Piper: I’ll...I’ll keep that offer in mind.

Wally: Great! And we’re off! (Exits with them, re-enters alone. Enter Iris) Great work, Aunt Iris!

Iris: Aww, it was nothing...and hey, I’ve got a guaranteed front-page story! (They high-five)

Wally: You know what? All that fighting made me hungry! I’m gonna go eat! Love you, Aunt Iris!

Iris: I love you, too! (Exit Wally) Ooh, just wait until I tell Barry I defeated two supervillains!

[junker-town]

Embracing college offense made the NFL fun again

Not every team needs to use the same playbook. The NFL’s schemes becoming more diverse is great for everyone.

“I think it’s the flavor of the day. We will see if it’s the flavor of the year. We’ll see if guys are committed to getting their guys hit. We look forward to stopping it. We look forward to eliminating it.”

That was Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in 2013, referring to the NFL’s sudden infatuation with quarterbacks reading defenders in order to decide whether to keep the ball or give it away. NFL football should be about nothing but dropbacks, handoffs, and punts! He was far from alone in expressing this.

As of 2016 or so, the narrative at the pro level was that the option had gone the way of the Wildcat.

Lots of teams still used it, but it was considered a fad only trotted out in specific situations by teams with specific players (or with no better ideas). The option’s alleged obsolescence was one justification offered for Colin Kaepernick’s 2017 unemployment.

Such chicanery was thus successfully quarantined in the amateur levels forever.

And now, five weeks into 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Mountain West offense is No. 1 in the NFL.

Football’s fallen in love with the jet shovel option ...

... about a year after Matt Canada’s Pitt offense tore apart eventual national champion Clemson with it in 2016 ...

... and decades after its use by a small school by the name of, uh, Alabama:

Bear Bryant sees all you NFL coaches showing how "innovative" you are with the shovel option and says, "oh yeah?" https://t.co/zbiUxXGNJO

— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) October 8, 2017

Andy Reid has long been a college-style mind, coming up under legendary BYU passing-game innovator LaVell Edwards.

It was that connection to college football’s vertical game that made college fans hope Reid could guide Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes to one of the first NFL breakthroughs by an air raid quarterback. But the Chiefs had even more collegiate plans, as former Urban Meyer QB Alex Smith is putting together his best season ever in ... a spread-to-run offense similar to Meyer’s.

That shovel option is suddenly all over the place, even on Saturdays. Been a while since it felt like the NFL was influencing college schemes!

Here’s a nice version the Panthers use:

But at least the two-man option plays were eliminated, right?

Tomlin’s Steelers have achieved many things, but they did not wipe football clean of the dreaded QB keep-or-handoff decision. The beauty of the play popularized by the Chiefs is that the QB doesn’t have to take a hit, which was the NFL’s primary objection to the option, but there’s still room for the QB to run.

Rookie Deshaun Watson, who dominated in a college offense that was not exactly a Mike Martz algorithm, is destroying people with meat-and-potatoes option football while voyaging through Bill O’Brien’s demanding playbook.

And the Titans, Cowboys, and others still use versions of the shotgun zone read developed by Rich Rodriguez in the 1990s:

So the basic read option is still useful? That’s nothing. The NFL’s got full TRIPLE OPTION FEVER.

The second play here is roughly the same as the foundational play used by Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech, a team mocked by rivals for running a supposed high school offense (until those rivals have to defend it):

Shot 4 - The 'Triple Option' is alive and well in the NFL. Three plays of the #Panthers picking up chunks of yardage; the Dive, Pitch & Keep http://pic.twitter.com/OaoNxhrhnJ

— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) October 11, 2017

Over about five seasons now, the run/pass option has gone from a concept mostly seen in the Big 12 to a staple at every level.

RPOs aren't just gadget plays though. Sometimes all they serve to do is simplify looks and get one-on-one matchups http://pic.twitter.com/cDv6Rx4oIZ

— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) July 7, 2017

The Seahawks were one of the first NFL teams to use it, and Pete Carroll said he got the idea from watching Auburn the year prior.

In the grand scheme, this is all normal football stuff that’s been used, to one extent or another, every weekend for years.

Let’s get weird.

In the NFL’s Week 5, the Bears blew minds by breaking this out on a two-pointer:

Even this oddity isn’t new, though we hadn’t seen it in years. This play’s roots also go back to college football, likely to the Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma teams of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Keep the trick plays coming. NFL OCs, you’re almost ready to try this one:

In the 2000s, the NFL developed a reputation for stodgy, grumpy football.

That’s despite the Patriots annually changing their offense from run-first to four-wide to ALL TIGHT ENDS ALL THE TIME, depending on personnel, the Michael Vick Falcons bringing option ball to the NFL years before NFC East media noticed Robert Griffin III doing it, the Wildcat phase (that, much like Wildcat Jay Cutler, still just sort of lingers around), and so on.

That’s also despite the history of coaches at all levels stealing ideas from everywhere, even though it’d started to feel like ideas only float toward the NFL. 2017 Purdue didn’t invent the fake flea flicker, after all.

It is true that NFL offense had started to feel like nothing but a bunch of six-yard checkdowns, though. And it’s true that NFL coaches spent a lot of time griping about what college players were good at, especially when it came to QBs and offensive linemen, rather than adapting.

So if the NFL is re-embracing scheme diversity, that’s good for everyone, and there’s endless precedent for it. Remember when the Buffalo Bills won four straight AFC titles while running Portland State’s four-wide offense*?

* Let’s get Mike Leach an NFL job**.

** I’m joking, but I mean, look at college air raid QB Jared Goff ever since the Rams switched from Jeff Fisherball to a chuck-it-deep attack. I think I’m joking. Do it, Lions.

On the field, the NFL is as interesting as it’s been in a long time, and no single person deserves more credit for that than Reid.

These trends are the products of thousands of people all throughout football, but Reid, Smith, Kareem Hunt, and the Chiefs have left zero doubt that embracing the unusual can still work at any level.

He’s even motioned tight end Travis Kelce into the Wildcat ...

... and warned us all of what was coming when he had 346-pound Dontari Poe throw the largest touchdown of all time in December 2016:

Turns out that was our heads-up that 2017 was going to be a fun season of football.