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beetlelands · 3 years

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okay this is probably the last one i’ll post. it’s from november 2019 and is called “son of a maitland.” bet you can’t guess what it’s about. oh and this one is just kinda chocked full of ocs so thats fun

At a family reunion Barbara Maitland (neé Anderson) was sat down by her parents after they heard her tell yet another relative that her and Adam weren’t ready for kids yet. They had heard the same thing from their daughter for years, but it’s not like they could blame her. Having kids was a big leap, but they were sick of watching her look so longingly at families.

“Sweetheart, we love you. We always have and always will.” Her mom started.

Barbara laughed awkwardly, “are you breaking up with me?”

Her parents laughed, her dad saying “of course not, sweetie.”

“You and Adam have been dating since your sophomore year of high school and you were friends far before that. You got married about five years ago.” Her mother explained.

“Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot.” Barbara joked.

“What she’s trying to get to is that when you were little you always said you wanted to be a mother.” Her dad cut in.

Barbara’s face fell, “So that’s what this is about.”

Her mom nodded solemnly. “For years we’ve heard you say that you’re not ready for kids, but when you were five the one thing you were most excited about when it came to being an adult was being a mother. It just hurts my heart to see you look so yearningly at families when we’re out together. Or just yesterday when we when shopping, you stopped and stared at the baby clothes for a bit and didn’t think I noticed.”

“Parenthood is hard, and it’s always going to be. You’re never truly going to be ‘ready’ to be a parent. The world will never be perfect enough for your kid, but you can take the steps to make sure they enjoy the world- even with its faults.” Her dad said, giving her a gentle smile.

Her mom placed a hand on her shoulder, “We can‘t make you have a child, but we can tell you that while any fears you have may be rational, you can’t let them keep you from having a kid.”

“I- okay.” Barbara nodded, hesitation turning into determination. “I’ll talk to Adam.”

While Barbara had her parents intervene on the situation, Adam was stuck with his sister calling him out.

Adam Maitland sat down on his sister’s couch. While Barbara was at her family reunion, Adam was helping his younger sister, Jessica, move.

Jess plopped down next to him, kicking her feet up on the boxes that now took up the space where her coffee table once was. “So, how are you and Barbara?” She said in a tone he was all too familiar with. He really thought he’d make it through the day without hearing the question.

“We’re good” he said as he ignored the true meaning of her question. “We actually just started taking some couples recreational classes. She’s surprisingly good at ballroom dancing, says it’s the ex-cheerleader in her.”

“Oh come on, Adam. You know what I meant.” Jess teased her older brother.

“Look, everyone always asks. And the answer is always no. When she is pregnant, it’s not like we’re gonna keep it a secret. We’re just not ready to have a baby yet, so drop it.” He got defensive.

She put her hands up in surrender, “no need to get your panties in a twist.” He glared at her. She put her hands down.

Jessica sighed, her tone going serious. “Why are you so afraid of being a father?”

“Wha- who- I’m? What?” Adam sputtered.

“You’re afraid of parenthood. Why?” She repeated in different terms.

“I’m not afraid to be a father.”

“Then why haven’t you and Barbara had kids.”

“We’re not-“

“Don’t give me that ‘not ready’ bullshit. You’d be amazing parents, but instead you’re wasting your parental potential on restoring old objects and making pottery. Since when did Barb even like pottery?”

“We’re just not in the right place right now. The economy is a wreck, global affairs are fleeting. I don’t want to raise a kid in a crumbling society.”

“Oh my god Adam, do you hear yourself? You sound insane! You’re attached to this ridiculous need for perfection to hide away from your own insecurities.”

“Just because you took one psych class doesn’t mean you’re right.”

“Maybe so, but dude you can’t let such trivial things get to you. The world will never be perfect, that’s human nature. If you keep waiting for perfection, you’ll never have a kid.” Adam went to speak, but Jess cut him off. “If you want a baby, have a baby!”

“Okay okay, you make some good points.” He sighed. “I’ll talk to Barbara when she comes back from her parent’s house tomorrow.”

“Great! Now, let’s finish packing up my apartment. This couch has got to go.” She stood from the couch and offered her brother a hand. “Come on, grandpa.”

“I’m two years older than you!”

“Exactly.”

Adam whistled the tune of an old calypso song he couldn’t remember the words to. He was making dinner for Barbara- and himself of course. He was just about to plate the food when the door opened and the familiar sound of keys jingled for a second.

“Honey, I’m home” Barbara sung out with a small laugh. Adam smiled at his wife’s antics.

“Dinner’s ready.” He called out, and instantly he heard her footsteps approach the dining room. He placed the food in the two plates and carried them to the table.

“Welcome back honey” he greeted her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “how was the family reunion?” He asked, pulling out her chair for her to sit down.

Barbara sat and Adam pushed the chair back into place. “It was interesting as always. Like a pre-thanksgiving.”

He took a seat, “Was there karaoke again this year? I remember last year when your uncles performed (song) and forced your dad to join in. That was amazing.”

“Oh of course there was karaoke, have you met the Andersons?” She joked. “Granny made us all sing (song). And mom had me and dad sing (song) with her. It was wonderful.”

“I wish I could’ve gone, but I had already told Jess I’d help her move.”

“It’s no problem, babe. But they did miss having you around. You’re everyone’s favorite in-law, whether they admit it or not.”

Adam beamed, “Well I can't wait to see them at actual Thanksgiving.” They were going to do Thanksgiving at the Anderson’s this year and Christmas at the Maitland’s.

The two began eating the spaghetti Adam had prepared. They fell into a comfortable silence.

“Oh I forgot to ask how Jess was.” Barbara spoke up, totally not avoiding a topic.

“She’s doing well. I think she plans on proposing soon, which isn’t that much of a surprise considering her and Abigail are moving in together.”

“Aw that’s sweet.” She smiled, definitely reflecting on when Adam proposed to her.

“Jess actually brought something up yesterday.”

“Oh? What was it?”

“Well she asked the question as usual, but this time she was adamant about my answer.”

“Oh” she said quietly.

“She asked why I was scared to be a parent and when I answered, she told me that I was insane.”

“Well what was your answer?”

“I told her that I wasn’t afraid, I just didn’t want to raise a kid in a crumbling society. And she brought up a good point.” He sighed, placing his fork down, his spaghetti long forgotten. “Barbara, if we keep waiting for the world to be perfect, we’ll never have a kid.”

“Wow okay, my parents brought up a surprisingly similar point.”

“Do you think they conspired against us?” Adam asked, glancing around the room as if they were being watched, earning a small giggle from his wife.

“Dad said that things will never be easy and that there’s no true way to be ready for parenthood. But what really stuck with me was when he said ‘The world will never be perfect enough for your kid, but you can take the steps to make sure they enjoy the world even with its faults.’”

The couple fell silent for a few beats.

“Barbara?” She answered with a hum. “Do you want to have a child with me?”

“I- yes!” She grinned.

“But like not right now, right?”

“We should finish dinner first.”

“Oh okay wow, we’re just jumping right into it.” He awkwardly cleared his throat.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight, honey.”

“I just- this time it’s for real. It should be special right?”

“What’s more special than a home cooked meal?” She asked somewhat jokingly.

“I love you so much” he smiled squeezing her hand from across the table.

“I love you too so much.”

The couple ended up not trying that night, but they were sure to try time and time again in the following month(s). One day she took a pregnancy test and boom that shit was finally positive.

At the start of her second trimester, they told their immediate family about Barbara’s pregnancy. At the (?) week mark, they threw a baby shower. It was wonderful. And on March 7 of (year), Connor Maitland was born!!

The boy was almost 15 and in his last semester of freshman year. While he was at school, Barbara and Adam were cleaning the house. They weren’t necessarily expecting guests, but the place was due for a good cleaning. Music played on the radio that was placed on the stairs to better filter the music throughout the house. The Maitlands sang and danced along to the music. Adam stepped on a creaky floorboard and called out to Barbara to put fixing it on their to do list. He continued on with his cleaning, sweeping. Barbara entered the living room, a slower song now playing on the radio. She giggled at the sight of Adam slow dancing with the broom.

“Mind if I cut in?” She asked, looking from the broom to her husband. Adam gave a cheeky smile, placing the broom against the wall. And so the couple danced, Adam taking the lead. As the song came to an end, Adam dipped Barbara. When he brought her back up, she kissed him. The two would have continued kissing if the next song didn’t start playing. It was an upbeat song, and just so happened to be a song that Adam had put on a mixtape for Barbara way back in the day. She claimed it was one of her favorite songs because it reminded her of him. They danced again, this time Barbara leading. She spun Adam out and the two danced separately for a bit. Adam shook invisible maracas to the music, making Barbara laugh. The two had the same idea, jumping towards each other to continue their dance. But alas the place they landed was where the creaky floorboards were, they sunk through the floor crashing into the basement.

The door creaked open, causing Connor to wince at the sound. He closed the door upon entry, allowing himself to focus on the loud music playing from the old record player. The track skipped a few beats, almost as if mimicking the young boy’s heart beats.

“Mom? Dad?” He called out, putting his book bag down by the door. He slipped off his shoes before walking away from the door, heading towards the kitchen.

He noticed the large hole in the ground, and his pulse quickened. He approached the hole, peeking down to see what his below their house.

The record stopped playing as the boy looked. Connor’s eyes grew wide, and the sudden lack of noise left him drowning in his own thoughts. He scrambled back from the gaping hole, hands over his mouth. The tears forming in his eyes burned. He shook his head, sputtering the word “no.”

With a shaking hand, he pulled out his phone. He called the police, detailing the situation. His clammy hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he spoke, trying to find some sense of grounding.

Once he was done talking to the police, he called his aunt Jess. Technically his mom’s cousin Jane lives closer to them, but Jess was just a city out and he favored her over Jane. He held back his sobs as he spoke with her, but as soon as she said she was on her way, he hung up and allowed himself to mourn.

The boy sat down on the couch, curled into the fetal position. His sobs visibly shook his body. He had so many questions- namely how did this happen and why did it have to be his parents? His head pounded a sickening beat.

Connor didn’t watch when his parents’ bodies were taken away. He was barely responsive when the police asked him questions. His aunt Jess arrived and he felt like he finally found some sense of grounding. Her familiar voice was comforting. The police left because I make the rules. Jess sat down next to the crying boy, asking softly if she could touch him. Connor nodded and she wrapped her arm around him, a sideways hug of sorts considering his fetal position on the couch. He fell into her arms and she held him closely. The aunt and her nephew sat there for what felt like hours before the woman spoke up.

“Do you want to stay here?” She asked softly. Connor hesitantly shook his head no. Sure, he didn’t want to leave his home, but would it really be a home without his parents?

“Do you want to stay with me?” He nodded yes, unsure of where else he’d go. Sure, he could go live with either set of grandparents but he didn’t really want to leave his school district. He had already lost his parents, he didn’t need to lose his friends too.

“Are you ready to go now?” Connor didn’t respond. He felt like he’d never be ready. But he needed to get out of his house, the air felt heavy and contaminated by the happy memories he had of his parents. Jess didn’t rush him to answer, just softly rubbed circles into his back. Connor eventually nodded and she tapped his back twice, signaling to him that she was getting up, before retracting herself from him and standing up. Jess offered him her hand and pulled him up onto his feet.

The aunt guided her nephew out of the house, grabbing his book bag by the door. And with that they left, Jess telling him that she would handle getting all of his stuff from the house so he didn’t have to go back unless he wanted to. He didn’t want to.

Grieving is hard. Attending his parents’ funeral was like finding their dead bodies in the basement all over again.

Connor hated the funeral. Hated how people he never knew pitied him. Hated how their condolences were rehearsed and repetitive. They didn’t care- not like he did. The only people there that truly cared about his loss were his grandparents and aunt. But that’s because the death of Adam and Barbara was the loss of their children and her brother.

The funeral was over soon enough, and Connor was able to continue on with his life. Well it wasn’t that easy. The boy drowned himself in tasks to distract from his pain. He picked up several hobbies, not quite enjoying any of them but forcing himself to continue doing them. After six months, Connor had pushed his emotions to the side so often that he almost felt numb when someone mentioned his parents.

Lydia Deetz’s mother died six months ago. Now here she was, having left the Big Apple for some small town in Connecticut. But the good thing about the new house was that it was haunted! Sure, the ghosts were very vanilla but they were sweet and still ghosts nonetheless. When she had gotten to know the ghosts, Adam and Barbara Maitland, they mentioned their son Connor. Adam asked Lydia when she would be enrolling into school, and meekly asked her if she would look for their son. Just to check on him, because they haven’t had any contact with him since they died. Lydia sympathized with Connor and was quick to agree to the Maitland’s task.

But before Lydia could even start to think about said task, a certain demon came into her life. That’s right. Lawrence Betelgeuse “Beetlejuice” Shoggoth. The bio-exorcist himself, the ghost with the most.

We all know how that story goes. Lydia summons Beej, all hell breaks loose, dance break, yada yada, knock knock knock, uwu family, another dance break, Beej goes back to the netherworld, shake shake shake Senora.

It had been a month since the Beetlejuice situation had been dealt with and it was time for Lydia to go to school. She was bummed to have to return to normalcy, or as close to normal as Lydia could achieve.

Lydia left out for school, reminding herself of her promise to the Maitlands. She was to find Connor and tell him of his parents’... situation. She would have to explain the whole being dead thing. Despite having come to terms with Emily’s death, a part of Lydia was jealous to know that he would get his parents back and she couldn’t get her mom back. She knew it was wrong to feel that way, but she was only human after all.

Lydia looked down at the picture in her hand one last time before pocketing it. It was a picture of Adam, Barbara, and Connor. It had a note on the back that the Maitlands wrote for their son. Lydia had studied the boy’s face all weekend, having looked at several pictures with Adam and Barbara.

She walked through the hallway, looking around. The school wasn’t too big, so she shouldn’t have too much of a problem. But there were still quite a bit of people. She continued toward her locker, listening in on conversations in hope of hearing his name.

It had reached the end of the day and Lydia still hadn’t seen Connor. She had given up hope for the day, deciding she should try again tomorrow because he may be sick or something. She walked down the hallway, disappointed that she couldn’t talk to him that day.

Lydia was walking on the sidewalk, passing the school. That’s when she turned a corner and bumped straight into the person she had been looking for. She had nearly fallen down from the impact but the boy caught her.

“I’m so sorry” they said in unison, laughing a little at their synchronization.

“I should’ve been paying attention.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. The action reminded her of Adam.

“I think we both could’ve been paying more attention than we were. But at least no one was injured.” She shrugged.

He nodded in agreement, smiling. He went to continue walking, but she cleared her throat. “You’re Connor Maitland, right?” She asked meekly.

“I- yeah? How do you- why?” He sputtered, understandably confused.

“I know your parents.”

“I think you mean ‘knew’” He mumbled, looking down.

“No, I know what I said.”

His head jerked up. “What- you- huh?” He subconsciously pushed up his glasses.

“We have a lot to discuss, Connor.” She stuck her hand out towards him and he hesitantly grabbed it. They shook hands. “I’m Lydia Deetz.”

“We, uh, we can go somewhere to talk?” He hesitantly suggested. “There’s a bench not far from here.” He nodded in the direction of the bench.

“Lead the way” she smiled, motioning for him to go.

They sat down on the bench. Connor wrung his hands together, mind racing as he waited for Lydia to speak. Another one of Adam’s mannerisms, she noted.

“Long, medium, or short version of the story?”

“Uh, medium I guess” he shrugged.

“Good choice.” She nodded before jumping right into the story. “I moved into your old house with my dad and Delia, just a week ago or so. We’re from New York, but that’s not important right now.” She cleared her throat, deciding not to talk about Emily. “Your parents are ghosts.” She said bluntly.

“What?” Connor muttered, furrowing his brows.

“They tried to scare my family out of the house. But it really didn’t work. I tried to help them scare my dad so we could go back to New York. But he couldn’t see Adam and Barbara, and he didn’t believe me. Adam, Barbara, and I decided to come up with a plan to scare my dad and Delia. They were planning a dinner party, so we decided to cut in on that. It was great. Adam and Barbara were able to possess the guests and had everyone sing Day-O. It wasn’t exactly scary, but it was just up their alley. But that didn’t work. It just made dad want to stay more. He wanted to profit off the house. Some stuff went down, like a lot of convoluted stuff that I’ll tell you later. I don’t want to overwhelm you.” Too late. “Point is, now we all live like one big family. Adam, Barbara, Delia, Dad, and me.” She smiled. “Anyway, your parents asked me to try to find you, to let you know they were still around. They miss you, a lot. This weekend we went through scrapbooks and they told me a lot of stories about you. Oh! Speaking of..” she trailed off, reaching into her book bag. She pulled out the picture of Adam and Barbara with Connor. She handed it to him. “There’s a note for you.”

Connor read the note, and began tearing up. Lydia wondered what the note said, having previously decided to not snoop despite her curiosity.

“I don’t know what to say” he said quietly, taking off his glasses to rub away the tears falling from his eyes.

“You don’t have to say anything- not until you’re ready.” She shrugged.

Connor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sniffled as his tears slowed to a stop. He placed his glasses back on his face.

He slipped the note into his jacket pocket, sighing. “Thank you- for bringing me the note, for talking to me, for giving me time to process everything. Just. Thank you, Lydia.”

“It’s no problem, Connor. I’m just glad you actually took time to listen to me and didn’t just write me off as some crazy person.” She said with a small laugh and he smiled.

“Can I give you a letter to bring to them tomorrow? And can you tell them that I love them.”

“You could always come over” she suggested. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Or if you need more time-“

“No no, I would like to see them”

“Then you should be able to see them.” She shrugged.

“Okay nice. Just ask your dad if I can come over tomorrow, and we can walk together after school. I know Aunt Jess will let me go, as long as I don’t give her all the details of course. She’ll just be glad I’m finally hanging out with someone outside of marching band practice.”

She smiled, “That’s fair.”

He looked down at the watch on his wrist. “Oh I gotta go. Again, thank you.” He stood up, pulling his book bag onto his shoulders. “Bye, Lydia!” He said before running off.

“Bye, Connor!” She called after him. He gave her a backward wave before turning the corner.

Lydia pumped her fist in success. She grabbed her book bag and headed home.

She placed her book bag by the door, taking off her shoes. “Adam! Barbara!” She yelled up the stairs. “I’m home!” She would’ve been quieter, but her dad was at work and Delia was out shopping so she didn’t have to worry about them complaining about her shouting.

The ghosts flew down the stairs, tumbling to a stop in front of the teenager. Lydia laughed, “why don’t you just go through the floor and ceiling?”

“Feels weird” Adam shrugged. “But that’s not what’s important.” He started.

“Did you talk to him?” Barbara asked, clearly excited for the answer.

“Yeah!” Lydia smiled.

“How’d it go?” Adam asked nervously.

“He didn’t freak out when I explained the situation to him. He cried at the note you wrote him and said he wanted to write a letter back to you. But I invited him to come to the house tomorrow- if that’s okay with you guys.”

“Of course it’s okay!” Barbara celebrated with Adam.

“Wait, we should ask your dad- or Delia.” Adam said, earning bids from his wife and Lydia.

“Dad will definitely say yes to Connor coming over. Ever since we went to the Netherworld, he’s been all soft when it comes to family things. But don’t tell him I told you that.”

“Our lips are sealed” Adam joked. In unison, him and Barbara pretended to zip their lips. However, Adam’s lips became actual zippers.

Lydia and Barbara laughed. The visual joke reminded Lydia of Beetlejuice but she wouldn’t say so. The man reverted his lips back to normal.

“Honey, that was terrible.” Barbara said, shaking her head.

“You loved it” He teased, poking at her side.

She swatted his hand away, giggling. “Maybe I did.” She shrugged, regaining composure.

Lydia smiled at the couple’s soft antics, despite the teenager daughter in her telling her to pretend to be disgusted. “I can’t believe you’ve figured out advanced dad jokes.”

“Can’t wait to annoy Conn with them.” He beamed. Barbara smiled softly at the sentiment, rubbing his arm endearingly.

“He’ll love them” she said quietly.

Lydia didn’t want to encroach on their moment which was clearly personal, but wasn’t sure if she should leave or not.

“I now have two children to bother with my dad jokes!” Adam pumped a fist into the air, clearing any of Lydia’s doubts on her presence in the room.

“Oh no” Lydia deadpanned, pretending to be upset by the notion.

“Oh yes. The dad jokes- or should I say rad jokes- are just getting started.”

“No, no, you should not say” Lydia shook her head, but was unable to prevent herself from laughing a little.

Lydia and Connor walked side by side on the sidewalk after school. Charles had, unsurprisingly, said yes to Connor coming over and Delia declared that she would make cookies for the boy (and Lydia of course). They walked in a comfortable silence- at least it was comfortable for Lydia. Connor was having a little breakdown over seeing his parents again. They were almost to the house when he finally spoke.

“Okay so how does this all work?” He asked suddenly, looking over to her.

“What?”

“My parents are ghosts” he said simply.

“Oh yeah, I suppose I didn’t really explain the whole being dead thing. I don’t know how all of it works, considering I’m not dead, but I can try to explain from our side of things.” She shrugged and he nodded for her to continue. “It’s really all just about the willingness to acknowledge the strange and unusual. Almost everyone just turns a blind eye when something odd happens, they move on. To put it simply: they don’t look, so they can’t see. I discovered Adam and Barbara in the house because I was raised to like the strange and unusual. Hell, I myself am strange and unusual. So, I was able to see them as ghosts.”

“All I have to do is want to see them? To believe they’re there?”

“I mean yeah basically.”

“And can I touch them?”

“Yeah they've been learning how to interact more with the living realm. Ghost time works different than our time, so while it’s only been a few days since they’ve been ghosts they’ve had plenty of time to practice being corporeal.”

“Have you met any other ghosts?”

“I met a demon, but I haven’t really been around the town enough to really try to find ghosts. Then again, there might not be any as all ghosts are to proceed directly to the Netherworld. Adam and Barbara just didn’t get the memo, and when they did, they didn’t want to leave.” She shrugged.

“I’m glad they didn’t.” Connor smiled.

They made it to the Deetz-Maitland house and Lydia opened the door for Connor to enter. She came in after him, closing the door.

Lydia walked passed him, cupping her hands over her mouth as she shouted up the stairs. “Adam, Barbara! We’re here!” From the kitchen Delia called for her to stop yelling. Lydia rolled her eyes.

The ghosts ran down the stairs, not wanting to overwhelm Connor by flying. The boy stared at his parents and they stared back, wondering if he could see them. Lydia gave Connor a thumbs up from over his ghost-parents’ shoulders.

Connor took a deep breath to calm his nerves but his breath was shaky. His eyes were starting to water. They looked the same as they had that morning when he left for school. They looked the same as they did when he saw their dead bodies in the basement- albeit cleaner.

“Hey kiddo” Adam said cautiously. His voice made tears fall from Connor’s eyes.

“We missed you” Barbara said softly, voice wavering as she wept.

“I mi-ssed you t-oo” his words broke as he cried.

The parents hugged their son, and they stayed like that for a while. Lydia left them alone, going to bother Delia in the kitchen.

They pulled from the hug, and Barbara held her son’s face in her hands. Tears stained the ghost’s cheeks. Her cold hand grazed his cheek.

“You’ve gotten so big.” Her smile was soft, almost sad.

Adam ruffled his hair, “You’ve got to stop growing kiddo, you can’t be taller than me.”

They laughed, but Connor didn’t push his dad’s hand away like he used. He relished in their presence.

and again that’s it. that’s all i wrote xx

#long post #draft #a work out of progress #straight up didn't edit this #not beetlelands this time lads #adam maitland/barbara maitland #the maitlands are parents Always !!!!!!!!#be it lydia or a kid made from my wack machinations #breaking the fourth wall #beetlejuice fanfiction #beetlejuice #adam maitland #barbara maitland #lydia deetz

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anna-justice · 4 years

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Lost or Found - 12

Summary: As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam and Kevin start their junior year in the wake of a tragic summer, the past year of their lives comes back to haunt them. If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is for you! *UPSTEAD/BURZEK High School AU

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12 - Need You Now ...

Jay clenched his jaw as he took the man’s hand. He wanted nothing more than to sock him square in the face--a thought that was becoming a pattern--and tell him to get the hell out. But, that was a sure way to get himself thrown out, and he refused to let Hailey wake up alone in this horrible situation. So, he bit his tongue and played nice. “You too, sir. Wish it was under better circumstances.” Jay said, forcing a smile. It was true, he did wish that they had met under better circumstances, for two reasons. One being that her dad wasn’t a sadistic asswhole and two being that he wished he was in a position to beat the shit out of him.

Eldon nodded, agreeing with the young man standing in front of him, none-the wiser of his bubbling hatred. He wrapped an arm around his wife and thankfully didn’t notice Jay’s not so subtle flinch.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife, Jay had once again sat down in the seat adjacent to Hailey’s bed while Anne and Eldon pulled chairs up next to her. Jay’s knee bounced nervously, he was wondering how long it took to buy a sandwich and where Trudy was. He wanted to leave and remove himself from the terrible silence, but the thought of Hailey waking up to face her father without him was as appealing as drinking battery acid. Instead, he sent a quick text to Adam, hoping he would come and share his wit and charm with the group.

Jay: Hailey’s parents are here…

Less than five seconds later, he replied.

Ruzey Ruzek: Are you serious?

Jay: Deadass

Jay: I’m gonna kill him if you don’t come stop me

Ruzey Ruzek: Don’t do that…

Ruzey Ruzek: A hospital is a terrible place to kill someone

Ruzey Ruzek: If you are going to murder him, put a little more effort in. For me?

Jay rolled his eyes, he was thankful for his best friend who was obviously trying to distract him. He also took notice of the fact that yet again, Adam had changed his contact information to something stupid.

Jay: I hate you

Adam Ruzek: No you don’t

Adam Ruzek: You love me

Jay: Whatever

Adam Ruzek: Love you too bestie ;)

Jay: Stop being a little shit pls

Jay: This is not good

Adam Ruzek: I know

Adam Ruzek: Let me talk to Kim and then I’ll come down there

Jay: Thanks

Adam Ruzek: Ofc

Jay let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, relaxing into his chair a bit more. At least with Adam here he wouldn’t have to bear the hostility alone.

“So. Jay, tell me about yourself.” Eldon said, turning to face him. “Anne made it sound like you and Hailey are very close.”

Jay leaned forward in his chair, deciding that a faked conversation was better than deafening silence. Plus, he couldn’t risk Hailey’s dad thinking he knew anything, he didn’t want to put her or her mom in harms way. “We are, she’s my best friend.” He said honestly, with a soft smile.

“I hope you have only pure intentions with my daughter…” Eldon threatened, a eyebrow cocked.

Jay fought off the urge to scoff, “The purest.”

Eldon nodded, feigning relief. “Good.” Jay was convinced he was only speaking to keep up appearances. “You play any sports son?”

“Baseball.” Jay said courtly, his own father wouldn’t own up to him being his son, he didn’t need anyone calling him that, let alone an abusive arse.

“Hailey’soldest brother went to college on a baseball scholarship!” Anne said, piping in. Jay gave her a big smile, happy to transfer the conversation to her.

“Really? Where?” Jay asked, genuinely interested.

Anne beamed,“Indiana State.”

“Wow, you must be proud.” Jay said.

“We are.” Eldon cut in, a little too harsh for Jay’s liking.

Just like that the almost friendly conversation was over and the silence returned, Jay was about to text Adam to ask him where he was when Trudy came bounding into the room holding a pizza box. Her jaw dropped and Jay stood immediately. Her eyes met his and then focused back on the couple in front of her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

…

Kevin sat in the locker room with Matt Casey and Connor Rhodes after their saturday morning practice. He hated that he couldn’t be with his friends at the hospital, but football season stopped for no man and he was counting on impressing college scouts a year early.

“You coming to the party tonight?” Connor askes. Kevin shakes his head and Connor rolls his eyes. “Of course you aren’t, you haven’t been to any in months. Matt?”

Matt shakes his head as well. “Can’t, I have a date with Sylvie.”

Before Connor can respond, Kevin claps his teammate and friend on the back. “Man, you’ve been crushing on her for like a year now.” He teases and Matt smiles big. “Congrats.”

“Thanks.” Matt says, “I’m really excited, really nervous and really worried that I’m going to screw this up.”

Kevin is taken aback by the blondes sudden outburst of transparency, Matt wasn’t usually one for sharing his feelings. Anxiety must be his truth serum. “Where are you taking her?”

“Molly’s, you know it? I think it’s perfect, not too fancy but enough to make a good impression. Plus, the owner works with Wallace.” Matt explained and Kevin knew exactly what place Matt was talking about. He had gone there for Kim’s birthday last year with the rest of their friends.

Kevin picked up his bag and waved goodbye to Connor who was heading out. “Sounds perfect man, she’ll love it.”

“Thanks.” Matt said, he grabbed his bag and followed Kevin out of the locker room. “I heard about Kim and Hailey, how are they doing?”

Kevin sighed, “Last I heard, Hailey hadn’t woken up yet and Kim was doing good, no hearing loss like they had expected.”

“Damn, that’s great about Kim, but Hailey’s not out of the woods yet?” Matt asked.

Kevin shrugged, “Not that I know of.” There was a hint of sadness to his voice unrelated to his friends current state. The balance in the group was off and Kevin was taking the brunt of it. When Erin was alive, there were six of them. He always had someone to pair off with whether it was Adam, Kim or Hailey. Now there were five and as happy as he was for his friends, it was hard being the fifth wheel.

He and Kim had been friends for years, that’s how he was brought into the group, it just happened that he knew Adam and Jay and clicked with them well. He was a little jealous if he was being honest, not only did he not always have the time to be totally invested like the rest of them, but any time he did he felt like he was being held at an arms length. Kevin wanted to have a person, like Hailey was to Jay (anyone who wasn’t blind could see it, and even then they probably knew) or Kim was to Adam. He had been interested in Nadia at first, but her obvious feelings for Jay caused his to fade fast. Besides it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, Erin got rid of her at the first sign of weakness.

Kevin bid goodbye to Matt and made his way to his old jeep, still wrapped up in his own thoughts. He felt guilty placing blame on a dead girl, but he couldn’t help but think that all of this was Erin’s fault. He wasn’t usually the one to displace emotion, he grew up in a household where they were almost too out in the open. However, his hatred for Erin--or the dramatics that surrounded her for that matter--was increasing by the day. He had no idea how she got herself in the situation she was in and he sure a hell didn’t understand how she dragged the rest or them and their families into it.

When he got home he found Vinessa playing in the family room and his mom in the kitchen. He said hello to his mother and told her about practice before sitting down to play with Vinessa. She had a barbie in her hand, and Kevin knew for a fact that she didn’t have any barbies. Taking a closer look over her shoulder, Kevin realized that it was no normal doll. It looked exactly like Erin.

…

Jay dropped his gaze to his phone and shot Adam a quick text.

Jay: Abort abort

Jay: Trudy is here

Eldon slowly stands and gives his sister-in-law a fake smile. “Checking on my only daughter, since you were so forth coming on her condition when you called.”

Trudy set the pizza down on the small table near the door and took a step toward him. “You are not welcome here. You need to leave.”

Jay looked back and forth between them, trying to decipher where this was going. “What are you going to do Trudy? Call security? I haven’t done anything…”

“Like hell…” Jay said under his breath, Eldon’s head whipped around and Jay realized that his thought that slipped had not been as quiet as he hoped.

Eldon was seething, Jay was convinced that he had literal steam coming out of his ears. “What did you say?” He took a step towards Jay and Anne reached out to grab his arm.

“Eldon--”

He ripped his arm from her grip, “Don’t touch me.” Anne backed away, much to Jay and Trudy’s approval. “You have no right to speak to me that way.”

Jay took a moment to consider her next move, he had already gotten himself into to some deep shit so he might as well go full send. “You have no right to smack around your wife or your daughter.” The last part came out more spat than in sentence form and Eldon clenched his fists.

The way he saw it, he had two choices: lay the kid in front of him out and high tail it out of there, or, play dumb and make him look like a idiot. He went with the latter. “I don’t know what your talking about.”

Jay scoffed, glancing at Anne who becoming one with the wall. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him, there was no doubt that he had put the woman in danger due to his anger getting the best of him. “Sure, of course you don’t. You don’t anything about the injury that damaged Hailey’s body so bad that she needed a pacemaker?” He was almost yelling and a look of shock crossed Eldon’s face. He guessed that he thought no one knew.

“I don’t have to stay here and listen to this.” Eldon grumbled, turning to face his wife.

Jay stood his ground, determined to have the last word. “Leave.”

Eldon shot him a glare like he had never seen before and stormed out of the room. Jay let out a sigh of relief along with Trudy, who had jumped out of the doorway to make room for the brooding man. Anne began to gather her things, grabbing her purse and pressing a chaste kiss to her daughters forehead. Jay had forgotten Hailey was still there in the midst of all the craziness. Anne reached the threshold before Trudy spoke up. “You don’t have to leave with him.” Anne gave her a teary shrug and disappeared down the hallway.

Trudy collapsed into one of the chairs they had abandoned so quickly. “I’m sorry.” Jay said softly, his guilt eating him up.

Trudy rann her hands down her face, “You didn’t do anything wrong Jay, you did what you thought was best.” Jay shrugged, her approval doing very little to calm the pit in his stomach. “But Hailey can never know they were here.”

Jay nods, “Yeah okay.” He took a seat next to Trudy, placing his hand over Hailey’s. He wished he could erase the past few hours, and he wished Hailey’s beautiful blue eyes would open do the pressure on his chest would lift. He was ready for the nightmare of waiting to be over.

Hailey felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks when she woke up, she opened her eyes and quickly shut them, groaning at the bright lights.

Jay shot forward in his seat, “Hailey?” He gripped her hand a little harder and pulled his chair closer to the bed.

She forced herself to open her eyes again, squinting. She recognized his voice and smiled softly. “Hey.” She croaked out, her throat dry from being asleep for so long. Hailey looked around the room and slightly nudged her head towards the pitcher of water beside her bed. Jay got the message and jumped up, getting her a glass. She gulped it down quickly, feeling a bit more like herself. Trudy announced that she was going to find a doctor, giving the two of them the room.

“You scared me.” Jay said honestly, he had grown another set of balls since that morning. “How are you feeling?”

Hailey attempted to shrug, but it came out more of an awkward shake. “Okay, I guess.”

Jay nodded, taking the next few moments to remind her what happened and explain their story. Thankfully Hailey remembered everything, right up to hearing his voice before she passed out.

“How long was I out?” Hailey asked.

Jay sighed,“Since you got here last night, I’ll let the doctor explain everything.”

“Everything?” Hailey asked, panicking a bit. She didn’t know the extent of her injuries and she had been in this position once before. It wasn’t fun.

“Hey, hey.” Jay said, brushing a piece of tangled blonde hair behind her ear. “It’s gonna be okay, you’re going to be okay.”

Hailey nodded, blinking back tears and deciding to change the subject. “How long have you been here?”

Jay grinned sheepishly, “Six this morning…”

Hailey gasped, “When did you leave last night?”

“One.” Hailey was about to chew him out, but he beat her to it. “I know exactly what you are going to say and don’t you dare. I wanted to be here, I couldn’t have been anywhere else. I was going crazy at home when I was there.”

Hailey blushed at his words, she hated that she was reacting to him this way because of their obvious situation, but she couldn't help it. The thought of him sitting in her hospital room for hours on end made her heart swell, as twisted as it was.

“Let’s see what’s on TV…” Jay coughed, clicking the button on the remote.

Hailey nodded, glancing past him. “Is that pizza?”

Jay laughed and got up to get the box. He knew she probably wasn’t supposed to eat, but after his confession he would give her any distraction she wanted.

Hailey turned her head to face the TV that was currently playing the local news. It was a press conference, the man speaking looked familiar and he was wearing a crisp uniform that she recognized. She had seen her uncle in it before. She read the heading on the bottom of the screen.

Benjamin Severide - Office of Fire Investigation

Fire that potentially claimed the life of local teen Erin Lindsay has officially been ruled an arson.

Hailey’s eyes widened at the name. Severide. That was all the confirmation that Hailey needed, she knew she was right. Kelly’s dad worked in the very department that was controlling the investigation, if he was a part of it, they could make it go away. “Jay, look.” Jay glanced at the screen and by the look on his face, Hailey knew they were thinking the same thing. Someway, somehow, Kelly Severide was at the middle of all of it, and Hailey was going to find out exactly how.

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prairiedust · 4 years

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Gimme Shelter livewatch under the cut.... I was on my phone when I wrote it so apologies for the typos

“Patchwork Community Center: Care Given to All” with a huge, lurid heart. Hmmm.... patchwork having two meanings here.....

Pastor (?) has 2 Timothy 2:22 tattooed on his arm! “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (NIV) Are we looking at growth and found family in this episode?!?

Oh that’s the alleyway!

Hitting mythology themes— Connor is an Anglicized version of an Irish name— Conchobar mac Nessa is maybe the most famous bearer of the name, from Irish mythology— he’s the king who lusted after Deirdre and had her locked up until she came of age, which is probably neither here nor there as far as this poor Connor is concerned...

That thing has a big lurid heart on his overalls better run lol— Oh shit it’s an evil Teddy Ruxpin!!!! Thanks Davy Perez!!!!

That’s the thing animal control uses to manage aggressive animals??? Is this saying something about the Patchwork people?

And that’s it for the cold open.

——

The uh, the mcfuckin what, the Camelot Palace Casino? Is this a tour of the legends of Ireland and Britain all of a sudden? What’s with hitting this theme so hard so fast?

Uh-oh the whole Highway to Heaven reference has me side-eyeing Dean’s suggestion for Cas snd Jack to leave the bunker... Dabb even “spoiled” that line in a tweet lol... in that show the cop and the angel got their (vague) assignments from the big guy.......

Oh SHIT “we’re standing in what I call ‘the trap zone’” Perez is coming for my whole life with this episode!!!! And they’re doing highkey “season one totally-normal Winchester investigation questions script” I love it!!!!

“Slasher flick” Oh we’re revisiting Mint Condition. This is fine.

AND TOMBSTONE THIS IS NOT FINE DAVY! We’re running the good times backwards what did I say about this being the flipside of Last Holiday!

H2H again but this time it’s sus... plus I’m with Zack, I totally want the cozy murder spinoff I imagined Adam and Michael doing plz

Oh the Cas and Jack dynamic here is so sweet.

Pastor just leaving his door open like there’s no such thing as a thief bless his heart. They must be torn up about Connor but Pastor was the last one to talk to him so he’s sus I don’t make the rules.

Oh no Red’s a THIEF!!! Who ever would have guessed. Okay I did NOT expect that jumpscare because of the way Connor’s murder primed me, that was masterfully done.

That’s vaguely an Ohio Star quilt square on the sign behind her except um I forget what that tilted square in the center turns it into? It’s chiming with something... I’ll have to look that up later.

“Divide and conquer” no never split up in a slasher movie that’s how you get murders use the buddy system!

Gonna stop a sec because I just realized that Zack is two-faced. The British dandy was an act. The killer is wearing a Cinderella mask. Ok I’m gonna make a prediction that Zack is actually the killer, a la the demon in Repo Man...

Okay there was definitely a beat after Dean said “Glad soneone’s taking charge” [ofHell] and the focus shifted to Sam. Hm.

“We’ve got to set her up for her own death” so meta, these writers are gonna shred us.

I love being shown how much Castiel has changed throughe Jack not understanding the Kool-Aid reference. And the cats line lol. That’s both amazing and poignant.

That’s a log cabin pattern in the cafeteria. Home. Makes me think back on other quilts we’ve seen this season and if “weaving” is the right metaphor for writing lol. I mean, the action of “patching” is synonymous with “mending” or even healing, but patchwork is also a craft with a long, long history in America (idk if quiltmaking is called patchwork everywhere) of taking a few often mismatched fabrics and cutting and sewing into something beautiful. There are generally two kinds of quilt tops— patterns, like we’ve seen so far in this season, which are carefully planned and involve precise measurements, and “crazy quilts” which also require skill but are often more freeform and piecemeal. But both aspire to be beautiful. That’s an interesting way to conceptualize a serial text... as both creating and mending....

That prayer was sweet and not at all what I was expecting.

I get the finger-cutting for Valerie (stealing=sticky fingers) but not for Connor? Tenuous connection still betw lying and writing? It’s evocative of Se7en but the killer seems to have the same MO for all the killings (I attended CSI for a while.)

Snow White is making me uneasy. Oh she’s the preacher’s daughter... we’ve seen that in early days, too.... oh.... oh....

It’s not the AV guy despite having seen all the AV equipment around Valerie. That’s too easy.

“A saint is a sinner who keeps trying-“ no scroll back, the important part was “we all have to take care of each other.” That’s a theme in the series.

She’s all in pink....

dean and amara on the same wavelength about food lol

Ha ha inversion of “oh you’re a fan of religion? name all seven gods then.”

Castiel’s testimony just wrecked me.

“Members serve the gift of food” hmmm the signs in this episode are tip-top

Gonna just watch for a while.

Oh crap “each is a finger” oh it’s about the sins of the father— No Cas no, you’ve fallen for the misdirection!

Oh okay good, Chuck’s not done snuffing worlds. That had me REALLY WORKED UP ha ha because Amara has no reason to lie right?

That was a really good conversation.... and implying that Former Death bent the truth...

Oh fuck I’m gonna cry “I wanted younto see that your mother was just a person” YES! DISMANTLE THIS MYTHOLOGY AMARA!!! Name it!

THE MYTH THAT YOU’D HELD ON TO FOR SO LONG did they just— THEY DID

rigging the game— ftfoh with the casino metaphors already we know the house always wins except when it doesn’t

Lying, lying, lying,

Do we even know Snow White’s name yet? And why was Connor a liar? Because I think we can make a guess at this point.... ah ha ha her name is sylvia— “forest spirit” she’s Mrs Butters— and she’s after hypocrites— but the killing isn’t supernatural, just churchy?

Oh shit SHE IS A DEAN MIRROR IF SHE STABS JACK I’LL FLIP A DAMN TABLE

....

prairiedust.exe has encountered an error and must be restarted

....

Okay so “Dad” steps in and stops Sylvia’s attack on Jack...

Why is that Zack? What????

“I’ve been lying to you” oh here we go

Oh it would be death #3, remember what Dabb said about threes a long time ago, two attempts that are unsuccessful and one that satisfies the parameters— but no he’s a jack :((((

I have to stop watching for a while.

Okay I finished it. Holy cats do I have some Thoughts about this episode.

What I loved: Revisiting Dean’s anger, BUT the parental mirror here (in retrospect, at least for me) was a John mirror-- all the mothers (exc for Rowena) in this episode are dead. And Pastor Joe didn’t apparently embrace his wife’s faith until she had died, and then his vision was radically different than his wife’s was-- much like John’s reasons for becoming a hunter were vastly different from Mary’s... but much like “patching” this subtext was possibly even more “healing” than having John back in the 300th ep... This was... looking at a child’s anger when they’re in the middle of their own family mythology. Am I implying that Dean’s anger is immaturity? Eh, it’s... unripeness. I have an old meta in my drafts about the heroine’s journey and why Mary’s story conformed to it while feeling totally unfulfilling in her actual character arc and I’m so glad I sat down and examined that rather than finish it. I have a lot I want to say about Cas’ testimony too, but that has to sit a while. ALSO also, Cas has already thrown away his shot by making the Empty deal, right?....

LANGUAGE! Cas saying “I found myself lost” is a bonkers sentence, right? It’s like when people say someone “turned up missing”-- AND it does not have the same meaning as “I realized I was lost”-- you get a double whammy of the connotation “to search for.” I loved loved loved how language was such a big deal in Last Holiday and then again here, I need to rewatch while paying closer attention to Sylvia and things she says... but these two were sister episodes in so many ways, that when I said there was a “lack of narrative mirrors” in Last Holiday, that’s only because the lens for that kind of reading is Gimme Shelter. That is not the first time spn has played with a “coin” or paired structure-- I think the first time I noticed it was Fan Fiction/Ask Jeeves but I was a transfer student from another fandom at the time lol. But of course, we get a huge truth bomb at the end of the episode, and again that splashy cymbal all over lying...

What I got wrong-- Zack wasn’t the killer but he’s fishy as hell-- he stole Sylvia! Is this part of Rowena’s “people generally end up where they deserve to be” except she’s built in an express lane? “Do you need a driver” is that his actual job now? Taking unripe souls to Hell Orientation? What’s up with him being there... the other shoe did not drop. So there is a third episode out there somewhere where this might get wrapped up? The conversation between Dean and Cas can easily be something that happens offscreen, and I don’t think that it would be the first time we miss an “important” conversation, especially since we know roughly what will be said and how it will wrap up-- it’s an “open text” of a sort. Maybe a fanfiction gap lol, I can’t wait for the codas.

Also, the fingers thing being Sylvia’s father’s favorite analogy is where she got her MO, something that I definitely didn’t see, although it fits right in with her father’s slightly pithy character. I think it’s interesting again how we’re playing with threes and fours. Three fingers got cut off but it was apparent that Valerie (valorious one) wouldn’t die until finger #4.... Jack really seems to be our last hope.

#the folklore of supernatural #the mythology of supernatural #mary winchester #davy perez #the second timothy of supernatural #gimme shelter #season 15 #my mom gave me the family baby name book when i was about eleven and so i had an obsession with names #all of my characters in all of my stories had Important Symbolic Names LOL #it amused my father who told me I needed to read herman melville #and there's a little bit of my own family mythos.#now i harangue my own kid to write and stuff ha ha ha except instead of a baby name book i gave him watership down #same effect #more rabbit fighting

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oceanivoxjoquainx · 6 years

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Let's talk about Eric Effiong

Let's be honest Eric's storyline and characterization is one of the most appealing out of all the characters in Sex Education periodt. A true gay, fierce, Drag QUEEN and I feel like ranting about this amazing force of nature. (Spoilers. Duh.)

When I saw the trailer for Sex Education it didnt even hit me that Eric was gay until I read the synopsis. Was just like "Oh I wonder which one of these three mains are the gay one people keep talking about" even after I saw him in drag like a dumbass 😣😂. Personally im glad we've reached a point where gay guys aren't overly feminine and even the brightest colours won't differ a character from the rest (unless I'm just a blind bish and he was obviously gay from the trailer) ei 👏🏾 ther 👏🏾 way; his character was refreshing when I started watching the show. I immediately clicked with him and knew what every look he gave or hand gesture he did meant. Felt nice. When Adam pushed him into the locker for the first time and started with the heterohomoerotic bs I knew that Adam had a raging boner for Eric and was another internalized homophobic bully™ and wasn't really excited for what was to come but I knew it was coming and tbh I liked it in the end.

Eric and Otis' friendship is so pure. Like?!? Get me a straight supportive bestie lilke Otis? Ik they fought but even then Otis was respectful and kept his boundaries and let Eric go through the motions before immediately belting into an apology at the first chance he got. Their dancing scene?!? Iconic. The fact that Eric sees Otis' house as safe and another home?!? Iconic. Otis going drag with Eric to watch an LGBT+ movie as a TRADITION (meaning they've done it numerous times)?!?! Iconic. The fact that Otis was straight up ditching Eric and Eric STILL tolerated him and let him do his thing without too much pressure!?! The most iconic of them all. Just pure love and respect all around.

I am so proud of Erics growth over the course of the season starting from a naive and scared gay doormat to facing homophia and getting beat up by those assholes on his birthday no less to losing his best friend and becoming depressed to channeling that anger into defending himself when people tried him to getting his sparkle back and coming back more fierce that ever before.

Speaking of him getting his sparkle back lets talk about that and why that scene is so important. A random guy asked Eric for directions and Eric noticed his nails were polished and the guy was wearing earrings and he was a big ole black dude. He was like Eric. When Eric noticed that the guy was out, loud, glamorous and proud he immediately switched back into the bright colourful and wonderfully gay Eric we all know and love.

THIS IS WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!!!

It shows people that its okay to be who they actually are and inspires those who are lost to find or return to their true selves. Representation isn't just some offhand thing to throw on a character last minute. And even if you can relate to other characters who arent like you, it is always an amazing feeling to have a character that IS like you. It turned Eric from a popularity seeking doormat into a hurricane with 6 inch heels who was ready to straight up beat down a bully he's had for 4 years. It even inspired him to go back to church and rejoin a community that he closed off. That's exactly how it feels to have someone successful in the media and your life to look up to. Eric only interacted with that man for a few minutes but those few minutes changed his life for the better. So that's a lovely reminder for all who love to bash representation.

Back tracking to Eric's dull colourless period after the attack and his fight with Otis. It was saddening to see one of the brightest characters go dull and even the school felt it. He turned from a guy who rarely stood up for himself and what he wanted into the sass master he reserved only for his friends. All of his built up anger was released causing him to explode on Mr Hendricks (who is adorable tbh and just trying to do his best) and Anwar (I was proud of that punch you go glenn co co) and he even sounded off on his dad who he's usually passive aggressive to at worst. Just goes to show that the happiest faces can harbor the biggest pains and can snap. Moral of the story? Protect the happy few.

Eric also has a great family. Like that obviously know Erics gay and wears dresses because its all right there in his room which his parents enter at their leisure and while it seems that they're a bit homophobic its revealed that they (Erics dad at least) just wants Eric to be safe as he's already a target for being black and apart of an immigant family. He accepts Eric for who he is and what he does he just doesnt want anyone else to give him shit for it and if that's not one of the sweetest things in this world idek what is. Eric and his dad was probably one of my favorite dynamics in the show and watching his dad slowly fully accept that his son was strong and able to stand for himself he was able to become stronger too. This dynamic is important because I never see any gay black characters have a close relationship with their fathers and it was very heartwarming to watch.

Now onto Erics love life. He has a crush on the highschools other only gay guy Anwar who's the typical mean sassy gay we've all come to expect in highschool dramas. Otis saying that Eric doesnt have to have a crush on the only other openly gay guy at school was such a mood as its commonly shown that any gays in close proximity should get together. When Eric punched him I internally went "Finally!" Because all those jeers were becoming annoying. I'm glad Anwar got to come out to his mum over it though. And straight up told the audience that Eric didn't like feminine guys (alluding to him and Adams eventual clean up scene as of we didn't see it coming already).

Moving on to Adam tho, like I said we all been knew that this

was indeed coming and even though I hate the bully x bullied trope I still ended up liking it and hoping that Adam would change. The building up to that kiss was long awaited from episode 1 straight through to 8 with all the longing looks that Adam kept side glancing Eric with and the face cupping and the growls and the lingering touches. I just kept going sthdjksksbslaldbd when one of those moments happened followed shortly after with disgust because gays falling for their abuser is washed up but then immediately going back to jajaklamabsldkd because im shipping trash so 🤷🏿. Eric stepping to Adam in at the ball was one of the most iconic scenes of the show (along with the "Its My Vagina" scene) and the exchange between him and Adam gave be actual chills. The tension was THICCCC. Erics OUTFIT to the ball gave me chills 😭😭 dude came to slay and had everyone at that school proper shook and I honestly could NOT be more proud. I was hoping Adam would become a better person over the course of the season but nope so hopefully they cover all the issues that Adam has in season 2 and properly give him a redeption arc cuz he's still a trashy pos he's just a disaster bi on top of it. (Adam immediately going to suck Eric off is confidence I can only dream of achieving 💀💀) The lab scene was also cute but made me mad because how could Adam look scared, confident and still be a douchebag all in the span of a few seconds was beyond me. A+ acting on Connor Swindells part. I can see why Adam would have to stay in the closet and keep their... relationship?? a secret because it seems like Headmaster Groff would be a homophobic piece of shit and would add to the ever growing list of things Adam did wrong. Even so it doesn't excuse the fact that Adam is in fact a bully and Eric deserves much better. Was sad seeing Adam being driven off from Eric in the end tho. Eric thought that Adam didn't want to see him at all and was probably heartbroken and probably thinks Adam left because of him (my poor baby 😭😭). I feel bad for Adam too because he was just starting to express himself and was at the beginning of a redemption arc when he was just wisked away from the boy he's loved for what seems to be a very long time. I just want my boys to be happy and non toxic and I wish their relationship and them all the best in Season 2.

Eric Effiong is my favorite character in the show and I really want to thank Ncuti Gatwa for portraying him so well and for the shows writers who gave him a very fleshed out character with an amazing storyline and conclusion. His growth was incredible and his strength is immeasurable. I'm 100% certain that he will be a character the community remembers for years to come. Patiently now waiting on what's to come in Season 2 💙🙌🏾.

#eric effiong #ncuti gatwa #adam groff #connor swindells #adam x eric #sex education netflix #sex education #netfix #lgbt representation #lgbt characters #lgbtq

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anchinoe · 6 years

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I Hope You Know That You’re My Home

Also on AO3. Beta read by @mizmahlia :D Follow me on my main blog @kat-astrophic-todd . Chapter 1.

Chapter 2: Don’t Let This Be The End

The memories always seemed to leave him broken. He felt like he was out of his body, an outsider looking at Bruce Wayne from above. He came to himself slowly; first he felt the fabric of his trousers and his vision started to focus. He heard muffled voices, as if he was underwater. His daughter shook his shoulders violently.

“Cassandra?” He furrowed his brow, not knowing what was happening.

“Look,” she pointed sharply at the TV, where Jason’s face was on the news. He felt dizziness taking over his body. He wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

“It seems our wayward bad boy celebrity has been doing more than partying with Prince Harry around Europe these last years.” Vicki Vale smirked at the camera. Bruce had the feeling she was enjoying every second of it. “Yale University couldn’t keep the secret anymore when the graduation ceremony took place and the young Wayne heir went to accept his diploma.”

“Oh, my God.” Bruce heard Dick mutter behind him.

“The young man graduated with honors in Ethics, Politics and Economics,” she kept on, a surprisingly genuine smile on her face. “His teachers say he was the most dedicated student of his class and therefore graduated a year early. The rector tells us he was very adamant on keeping his identity a secret, for reasons we all can imagine.”

Bruce felt her staring right through him.

“And he confirmed Mr. Todd-Wayne has already been offered a position in several companies. We're sure he is going to achieve great things.”

The following headlines were a blur for everyone in the room. No one was bold enough to talk; time had stopped for them.

“Did you know?” Bruce whispered at no one in particular.

His children were as surprised as he was, the only one remaining calm was Alfred. The old man looked up and met his eyes.

“Master Jason might have mentioned college, but he never specified and I certainly wasn’t going to try and pry information from him,” he admitted. Silence fell upon them once again while they let the information sink in.

“But that’s fantastic!” Dick finally shook off the initial surprise and now was openly smiling. He looked so proud and happy that it hurt, looking at him.

Yes, Bruce thought, yes it is.

But as his eldest son left the room to, no doubt, congratulate Jason, he couldn’t shake off the sadness that overcame him. Not because he wasn’t happy or proud, but because he wasn’t allowed to be part of his son’s life anymore. He couldn’t hug him and hold him. He couldn’t pepper his face with kisses or tell him how his success made a warm feeling spread in his chest, making him want to shed happy tears and cry out in joy.

Instead, he had to wait for his kids to take pity and share something about Jason with him. He would have to wait for Jason to give interviews or to resign himself to search on social media for gossip. Pathetic, really.

He would do anything to fix the bond he broke, he would give anything to get his beloved son back. To take his words back. To pause and look and realize how broken his son had been, the pain he carried, the signs he should have seen.

The guilt weighing on Damian’s conscience for not telling him right away what Bruce should have already figured out.

ᴥ

He heard Damian’s light steps seconds before he knocked on the study’s door. Bruce tried to compose himself a little. He wiped his face, combed his hair a little and tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his shirt.

“Come in.” His voice more confident than he felt. He hadn’t slept in days, trying to find Jason, to find any clue about his whereabouts. In moments like this he really hated how intelligent his son was.

“Father,” Damian greeted him absentmindedly. He looked distracted, and nervous. Bruce was exhausted, but he knew his son well.

“Sit down, please.” Damian did as he was told. “Is everything alright?” Bruce knew it wasn’t, but let his eleven-year-old son talk at his own rhythm.

Damian gulped and looked at his designer shoes, not even grazing the floor. He bit his lip and took a deep breath, finally looking at Bruce. He was crying.

“This is-” Damian wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater furiously, squaring his shoulders. He looked too old for his age. Bruce didn’t like it.

“This is all my fault.” His voice broke at the last word, breaking also Bruce’s heart.

“Jason” He hiccupped

“Left. A-and it’s…”

Another hiccup

“All my fault.” His shoulders shook and Bruce stood up and ran to hug his son with force. The child almost clawed at him, grabbing his shirt as if it was a lifeline. The crying worsened.

“Damian,” Bruce couldn’t let the sadness overtake him. Damian needed him now. His boy was breaking down and he needed to be there for him. He clutched him in his arms and whispered on his ear.

“Listen to me, son. This is not your fault, okay? If anything, it’s my fault. I said horrible things to your brother and he…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Bruce blinked away the tears.

“B-but I should have told you,” Damian wailed, curling even more around Bruce.

“Tell me what?” Bruce had a bad feeling. There was something he was missing.

“Jason was having trouble at Gotham Academy.” The kid took a breath, trying to steady himself. “There were boys beating him and calling him names and-” Damian gulped again, “he asked me not to tell you. He said he could deal with it, he didn’t want to worry you. But in September everything was worse and we started fighting because I wanted to tell you so they would stop.”

“Slow down, Damian.” He said softly. Bruce tried to calm down and not think about tearing those bullies to shreds in front of their parents. “Why were they bullying Jason? I thought he was doing okay with the other students.”

“He was,” Damian sighed, “but he liked a boy from the football team and kissed him.” Bruce clenched his jaw, already knowing the rest of the story. “Jason told me they were picking on him for being bisexual. They called him “faggot” and made his life miserable in the training sessions. That’s why he left the team.”

Bruce inhaled sharply through his nose and buried his face on his son’s neck, trying to find some comfort. He knew that anger, clawing from the inside and trying to overcome him. And he wanted to give in so badly. His son had been bullied and humiliated. His boy had been beaten up just because he liked boys and girls. He had been suffering in silence because he didn’t want to worry Bruce. And Bruce had…

What have you done? What the hell have you done?

His son was probably terrified and devastated, alone somewhere, thinking that his father didn’t love him.

Now everything made sense. Why Jason didn’t want to take his senior year, how angry and distant he had become in the course of months. His fights with Damian. The drinking.

If his parents could see him now. How royally he had fucked everything up. They would be so disappointed, so heartbroken.

He had to find Jason and apologize. He needed to know he was alright. Bruce knew this was all his doing. If only he had tried talking to Jason, to understand what was happening to him. If only he would have approached things differently.

If only he had worked to be the kind of person his children could talk to.

ᴥ

Barely a month after Jason graduated, rumors said Lex-Corp had offered him a position. Bruce almost broke his cup of coffee when Lucius told him. Everyone knew how much he hated Lex. He was arrogant and rude and a megalomaniac. He had also tried to destroy Wayne Enterprise ever since Bruce told him exactly that in a gala, years ago. In front of two hundred people.

Nothing good seemed to happen at galas. Bruce wondered if it would be so terrible to stop attending. Alfred and Lucius would probably find a creative way to make his life a living hell.

And then, Jason was caught on camera. Someone asked about the rumors.

“Considering the ties between Talia and Lex Luthor, are you considering the Lex-Corp’s offer? What does your father think?” the journalist asked at the speed of light.

Jason seemed to take some time to answer, flashes blinding him.

“Working for Luthor?” The young man furrowed his brow and then smirked, “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to Oliver.”

That had fueled Bruce’s anger. He hadn’t even addressed him. He had just jumped right to Oliver Queen. It was clear that Jason wanted to make sure Bruce knew he wasn’t one of his priorities.

That hurt, he had to admit. And he almost expected Jason to start working at Queen Industries, but no. His son was never one to half-ass shenanigans.

Almost a year after the whole scandal and subsequent harassment from the press, Bruce found out what his son had been up to the whole time. And the one who told him this time was none other than his cousin.

“What?” Bruce barked in shock.

“Yep,” Kate leaned back in the chair, resting her feet on Bruce’s desk. “The kid is hiring Kane Enterprises for the security and transport. Dad thought he was joking when he told us he was building his own company.” She laughed. She had always liked Jason, his straightforwardness and his honesty. “They grow up so fast.”

“What did you tell him?” He was still processing the information.

“What do you think?” she deadpanned. “What? You wanted me to refuse my favorite nephew’s offer?” she huffed. Kate had started joking about Jason being his favorite after he came out publicly.

ᴥ

“So, what can you tell us about your rumored affair with Connor? What can you tell us about your sexuality?” Vicki asked Jason.

“Why should I talk about it? Do I ask you about the time you were with my father?” Jason had been building up the anger during the whole interview. Bruce was almost surprised he hadn’t lashed out when the questions about the family didn’t stop coming.

“You’re free to talk about that. You’re free to hate him. My sexuality is not the only thing I am. I should be free, too, to decide where and when I talk about it. Just like you are free to talk about me and my family whenever and wherever you please.” And then he stood up and left the set.

A couple of days after, he tweeted about the whole incident: “i’m sorry if i was harsh the other day @VickiV”

And then: “for all the lgbt people supporting me: you are the loveliest and i’m fucking PROUD of being bisexual”

After the whole thing, he did an interview with Lois Lane, who wouldn’t normally cover those kinds of things, but made an exception because her husband was Bruce’s best friend. And she loved Jason.

It was clear that Jason was totally relaxed around Lois. He trusted her with his life. He also knew that her interview would be far more serious and hard. On that set, Lois lane was journalist first and friend second. And he seemed to respect that.

She tread lightly on the family topic and gave Jason the freedom to choose not answer certain questions (like the ones regarding why he left) and then talked in-depth about how hard it’s been for him to accept his sexuality and the biphobia outside a within the LGBT community.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?” Lois asked with a smile.

“Well, I want to apologize again to Vicki Vale. I may not always agree with how she does her job, but I know I didn’t handle the situation well.” He sighed. “And I want to thank my siblings and Alfred for being there, supporting me and making sure I was okay when all of this blew up. Especially Damian.” He smiled sadly at the camera.

It was clear that Lois wanted to point out the omission of Bruce in the sentence, but they ended the interview there.

ᴥ

After that, Kate had declared how proud she was of her nephew to anyone who asked about him. Bruce was jealous of her, in a way. She could express her feelings without the press questioning them or Jason getting angry at her for talking about him.

There had been pics of her and Jason going out in Star City and Metropolis. Bruce never asked. Kate told him Jason was fine and happy, anyway. He loved her for it, and she knew him enough to read it on his face when he teared up. She would always ruffle his hair and joke about something else, like she did when they were younger.

Now, seated in front of him with her immaculate red hair in a bob, she smiled like that to him again. As if she was giving him the time to catch up on his feelings and decide what he would do next.

“How is he doing it?” Bruce knew for a fact that Jason wasn’t spending his Wayne money on it. He made very clear that he didn’t want anything to do with the fortune. It annoyed Bruce more than he wanted to admit. He was supposed to take care of his children, he wanted them to use his money to build their lives. It was their money, too. The fact that Jason was probably using Queen’s money didn’t help, either.

“I think Talia lent him the money,” Kate started carefully. Bruce’s relationship with Talia was rocky, at best. “He did mention a partner.”

Jason didn’t have a nice childhood, and because of that he usually didn’t trust men. But women… he nearly worshipped them. They were superior creatures to him, part of why he was so close to Cassandra.

And because of that, he never disrespected Talia or judged her. Dick and Tim, and even Cassandra, weren’t very fond of her and how her relationship with Bruce ended. But Jason had always been nothing but respectful to her. He would often linger in the room she was when she came to visit Damian. He listened intently to her stories of conquerors and traditional oriental tales. Talia was clearly fond of him and, eventually, she became attached.

She would take Damian and Jason on holiday trips and art auctions. She once bought a first edition for Jason. He wouldn’t stop smiling for nearly a week. They had their own traditions, like their yearly travel to Nanda Parbat, or celebrating Talia’s birthday, just the three of them. Damian started looking up to Jason; they formed their very own family. In the end, Bruce was sure both Talia and Jason considered each other mother and son, in some way.

That’s why Kate’s guess was most likely true.

It seemed everyone got to parent his son, except him.

He had to fix that, somehow.

“Please, keep me informed,” he told Kate. It was the first time he asked her to do something when it came to Jason.

“I know that look, Bruce.” She shook her head in defeat. “Whatever you’re planning, it better not blow up on your face. Because the last thing we need is for Jason to run away from the family. Again.”

#fanfiction #writing #fanfic #ao3 #batfamily #jason todd #bruce wayne #dc #comics #cassandra cain #kate cain #damian wayne #talia al ghul

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ripetogether · 6 years

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like for a starter after i get home from my last class of the semester. possibly based on something in your wishlist (unless i come up with something better). list of characters i currently have muse for under the cut:

conrad (nick robinson): true crime obsessed awkward dork with a dad who is literally a criminal (not that he’s really aware of it)

effie (marilyn lima): nanny to upper class kids, flirty little sweetheart, daughter to a thruple.

ezra (ben feldman): son to farmers who bolted the first chance he got, wants to live ethically and be moral but it’s like super hard? probably annoying.

hermione (katherine langford): twin sister to a youtuber, from australia, the tiniest bit obnoxious possibly sometimes but she has a good heart.

iliana (anya taylor-joy): loves sylvia plath that is her... woman, loves literature in general, cute nervous nerd.

lorenzo (adam driver): just like technically in the mafia it’s no big deal he mostly does it so his sisters can live comfortably.

patrick (ross butler): med student that’s just itching to quit and work in graphic design instead because it’s his passion. very awkward when he likes someone.

rosalie (camila mendes): rich bitch with a heart of mostly gold, takes whatever she wants but dates for image too often.

sage (natalia dyer): sorority girl with a lot of issues, lost her mother recently, keeps everyone at an arm’s length.

sebastian (joel courtney): big ass fucking nerd who can’t be chill to save his life, loves marvel movies, can’t speak to girls.

tristan (jordan connor): tough guy with occasional anger issues and a leather jacket who would probably beat up a guy for bullying you.

tye (carlos valdes): elementary school teacher who deserves the god damn world because he’s the sweetest but also kind of a pushover.

winnie (justine biticon): fun loving college girl that people tend to love even when she isn’t trying, just because she’s so god damn charismatic.

#indie rp #indie bi rp #indie lesbian rp #indie smut rp #LETS DO THIS i guess

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your-dietician · 3 years

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What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/what-will-espns-coverage-of-the-nhl-look-like-next-season/

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

The network’s coverage starts with the July 21 Seattle expansion draft, hosted by Chris Fowler on ESPN2. John Buccigross will host the NHL Draft two days later. Those shows will be produced by NHL Network.

When Gross spoke over the phone this past week, ESPN (which reportedly paid $410 million a year for seven years of NHL rights) and Turner ($225 million a year over the same period) still hadn’t divvied the games. The NHL had yet to release its 2021-22 schedule. Its puck- and player-tracking data has not seen the light of day.

“One thing we’re trying to get our arms around is what analytics teams and coaches use to showcase in our game coverage, our studio coverage,” Gross said. “Camera positions is another thing we’re looking at, talking to the league to see how we can showcase and document the games.”

Strategy and speed are the buzzwords Gross hears in his daily conversations with NHL people. Capturing both, while serving hard-core fans, hooking viewers from the massive pool of casual sports viewers who don’t give hockey much thought, attracting diverse genders and backgrounds . . . all are among Gross’s concerns.

“There has to be a level of entertainment without it being forced,” he said. “There’s really nothing worse on TV than forced fun. We have to find our spots, when we get [Chris] Chelios and [Mark] Messier together, who have a relationship. We’ll mix and match with other folks.”

Chelios and Messier, along with Steve Levy, will likely work the major events. “We know how that works,” Gross said. Hearing the two Hall of Famers, owners of some sharp elbows, chime in on player safety decisions should be interesting.

While he may not be hockey’s answer to Charles Barkley, Chelios does seem like a straight shooter. In a phone call, he acknowledged he wasn’t looking for a gig when he reached out to ESPN after the announcement. He was calling as a dad, hoping that his daughter, Lightning TV reporter Caley Chelios, was on the network’s radar.

“I like to think I’ll call it like it is,” said Chelios, 59, “Even though it’s a little different than when I played, hockey’s hockey.”

Messier, Chelios, Hilary Knight, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall were among the first names Gross mentioned when speaking about his roster, but a lineup has yet to be solidified. He noted that women will be featured prominently in on-air roles.

The list of local connections is long, from Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.), A.J. Mleczko (Nantucket/Harvard), former Red Sox play-by-play man Sean McDonough (Boston), Buccigross (who has Boston roots), Rick DiPietro (Winthrop/Boston University), ex-Boston College Eagles Blake Bolden and Bob Wischusen, and Emily Kaplan, a former Globie.

Gross said another fan favorite from the past, play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne, remains an option. He spoke with the agent for Thorne, 73, this past week.

“We’re not done yet,” Gross said. “We want to see what the schedule looks like, and what other decisions we have to make. We still have time.”

What’s the game-changing idea that will separate ESPN? It won’t be glow pucks and robots (fun as they were for younger fans in the ’90s). What’s hockey’s version of the K-Zone?

“Some people thought the first-and-10 line would be too intrusive,” Gross mused. “Now you can’t really watch a game without it.”

AWARD SEASON

One voter’s ballot in depth

Connor McDavid became the first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky in 1982, collecting all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy.DARRYL DYCK/Associated Press

I consider it a privilege to vote on year-end NHL awards as part of my duties with the Professional Hockey Writers Association. I’m not alone. My peers and I want to get it right.

When it came to this season’s MVP, I believe we did.

Connor McDavid earned all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy, becoming the second unanimous MVP ever (Wayne Gretzky, 1982). McDavid’s 105 points in 56 games goes down as one of the most dominant seasons in league history. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else.

In the voting bloc — trimmed from about 175 to 100 members, and dispersed regionally to address imbalances created by the divisional-only schedule — we saw some refreshingly progressive thinking, and as always, some strange calls. One Edmonton writer voted McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, second for the Selke. Draisaitl made strides this season, but it would be generous to call him an above-average defensive forward, much less elite.

In this space last year, I delved into my methodology, which blends in-person viewings, video study, and number-crunching. Obviously this season, I relied more on the latter two. I was among the few beat writers who traveled all season, but I only watched the East Division up close.

My ballot, and some quick takes:

Hart Trophy — 1. McDavid; 2. Auston Matthews; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Aleksander Barkov; 5. Brad Marchand.

Relatively easy calls. McDavid was incredible, and the other four were the driving forces on good teams. Marchand was ranked as high as No. 2 on six ballots.

Norris Trophy — 1. Adam Fox; 2. Cale Makar; 3. Charlie McAvoy; 4. Dougie Hamilton; 5. MacKenzie Weegar.

A youth movement, and an ECAC/Hockey East top three. Makar (UMass) missed 12 games, or 21 percent of the season, leaving the door open for Fox (Harvard), who was the Rangers’ MVP in his second season. McAvoy (BU) might be the best five-on-five defender in the game. Weegar opened eyes after Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Eleven blue liners earned top-three votes. Victor Hedman was down-ballot for me, after an injury-plagued regular season. Don’t ask me why someone gave Kris Letang a first-place vote. Fun fact: Fox is the first player of Jewish descent to win a major NHL award.

Calder Trophy — 1. Kirill Kaprizov; 2. Jason Robertson; 3. Alex Nedeljkovic; 4. Josh Norris; 5. Igor Shesterkin.

Kaprizov (27 goals and 51 points in 55 games) was a slam dunk, though Robertson had a brief midseason run that made it interesting.

Lady Byng Trophy — 1. Jaccob Slavin; 2. Jared Spurgeon; 3. Barkov; 4. Roope Hintz; 5. Johnny Gaudreau.

I’ve said before that writers should not vote for this. Referees should. Slavin, an elite defender playing heavy minutes, committed one penalty all season (for shooting the puck over the glass). Good enough for me.

Selke Trophy — 1. Barkov; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Joel Eriksson Ek; 4. Phillip Danault; 5. Joe Pavelski.

Barkov had a strong MVP case, but his 200-foot excellence was properly recognized here. Bergeron is still Bergeron. Could see Danault, after his lockdown playoffs, be front of mind for a lot of voters next season.

The PWHA does not vote on the Vezina Trophy (the general managers selected Marc-Andre Fleury), but we do pick the year-end All-Star teams. My goalies, in order, were Andrei Vasilevskiy, Fleury, and Juuse Saros. We also pick All-Rookie teams. I had Kaprizov, Robertson, and Norris as my forwards, Ty Smith and K’Andre Miller as my defensemen, and Nedeljkovic in goal.

ETC.

League will not rush to judgment

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is waiting for an independent review of the Blackhawks alleged cover-up of sexual abuse before proceeding.Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

The alleged cover-up of sexual assault by the Blackhawks was the leading topic in Gary Bettman’s annual pre-Stanley Cup Final news conference this past week. Rightfully so.

Bettman said the league learned of the allegations “relatively recently” and will wait for an independent review.

According to a lawsuit filed in May, a former Blackhawks player alleges he and another player were assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 championship run. The team’s leadership, which included current GM Stan Bowman, were allegedly informed of the incident by then-skills coach Paul Vincent, whom the players had told.

Aldrich later worked at a high school in Michigan, where he was convicted of sexual assault involving a student. He is now on Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Multiple ex-Blackhawks, including Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo (then with the Flyers), and Brent Sopel, spoke out this past week. One unnamed player told The Athletic that “every guy on the team knew.” Captain Jonathan Toews took issue with that, telling that outlet he didn’t hear about the allegations until the end of that summer. He said he couldn’t say for sure if the team “mishandled” the situation.

Bettman, a former lawyer, pumped the brakes. “Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next,” he said. “I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right.”

Let’s hope so.

Beijing Olympics not a given

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL has concerns over the feasibility of sending players to the Olympics next winter.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Later in his Q&A, Bettman shared the league’s “real concerns” over whether it was “sensible” to have a two-week shutdown for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Wait, what?

After sitting out 2018 — and watching interest in Olympic hockey wane — the NHL and NHLPA last summer collectively bargained to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, pending further agreement with both parties, the IIHF, and IOC. But there is no plan yet.

COVID-19 variants remain a worry, and NBC isn’t likely to lobby on the NHL’s inclusion following the expiration of the TV deal. The NHL hopes to release its 2021-22 schedule shortly after the Cup Final.

“Time is running very short,” Bettman said, which came as disappointing news to Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

“The Olympics is one of the biggest dreams of mine and I haven’t been able to participate in one. This might be the last chance I get. That sucks to hear,” said Hedman, who was left off Team Sweden in 2014. “When you get an opportunity to represent your country on the biggest stage, it’s one of those things that you’ll probably never forget. For me, it’s obviously something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life and something I want to do before I hang up my skates.”

Pride working on title defense

The Boston Pride, two-time Isobel Cup winners, are preparing a title defense for 2021-22.Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are deep into an Isobel Cup summer, hauling the trophy from New England lake houses to the Grand Canyon.

As he preps for a title defense, coach Paul Mara is playing his cards close. After a few defections, he’s using his newfound salary-cap space — the league doubled the ceiling to $300,000 — to bring in some outside help.

“Working on a few things,” he said.

The NWHL is feeling momentum entering its seventh season. An influx of sponsorship dollars, visibility from its Isobel Cup playoffs broadcast on NBCSN, and a lot of player raises have elevated the mood.

Since last month, the four franchises under league control — the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps — were sold to private owners, making it a league of six independent clubs. Expansion is on the horizon, with Montreal a primary target.

Also notable: This past week’s draft, which was streamed on Twitch, included appearances from a range of pro sports personalities, including NHL league and team executives, and USA Hockey reps. The NWHL hasn’t always had such vocal support.

For all the growth, players aren’t yet earning a living wage. Contracts are yearly. Outside opportunities create a talent drain.

The Pride lost president Hayley Moore to the AHL (vice president of hockey operations), replacing her with 1998 US Olympian Colleen Coyne. They are searching for a GM, after Karilyn Pilch this past week signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks’ scouting and player development department.

They also need a few good forwards. Mary Parker, Carlee Turner, and Lexie Laing departed for job and school reasons. Czech standout Tereza Vanisova signed with Leksands IF in Sweden, which will better help her participate in a demanding Olympic training schedule.

League MVP Jillian Dempsey, recovered from shoulder surgery, returns with All-Star linemates McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna, the No. 1 defense pair of Kaleigh Fratkin (two-time NWHL Defender of the Year) and Mallory Souliotis, and netminders Lovisa Selander and Victoria Hanson. That crew, plus whomever Mara can lure to town, should keep the Pride near the top of the standings.

Unlike last season, when the Pride got a boost from No. 1 overall pick Sammy Davis (BU) and six drafted rookies, the draft won’t have a major impact. Because they lost their 2021 first- and second-round picks when they traded up to select Davis, and dealt their third-rounder to Buffalo for future considerations, the Pride picked in the fourth and fifth rounds (Weston’s Finley Frechette and Beverly’s Abby Nearis, both forwards).

The NWHL’s player pool was thinned after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility, leading many of the top draft-eligible players to return to school. Because of that, Boston isn’t the only team that believes next year’s draft will be loaded.

Loose pucks

Bruce Cassidy (left) has been promoting from within, with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo (center) leaving for Boston University.Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Bruins have promoted from within of late, calling up coaches from Providence and the player development ranks. It makes sense that fourth-year P-Bruins coach Jay Leach would replace Jay Pandolfo on Bruce Cassidy’s staff, but player development staffers Chris Kelly and Jamie Langenbrunner will also get a look. Like Pandolfo, they were two-way forwards with long NHL résumés . . . As for Pandolfo, the move to BU gives him a shorter path to a head coaching gig. Albie O’Connell, who is entering the final year of his deal, has had a spotty run . . . Bruins strength and conditioning assistant Kenny Whittier also made the move to BU . . . A few first-timers joined NHL benches this past week, including two ex-players, Alex Tanguay (Detroit assistant) and Tuomo Ruutu (Florida assistant), and André Tourigny (Arizona coach). The latter move was particularly interesting, for a league that often recycles head coaches . . . Toews, after a year out of the spotlight with a mysterious illness, is back on the ice. He posted a video message to fans after a practice, saying doctors told him he has “chronic immune response syndrome,” a catch-all term for constant, debilitating stress reactions. Still dealing with a few symptoms, the Blackhawks’ captain believes the condition was brought on by a nasty bout with COVID-19 in February 2020, before the pandemic hit in full; the toll of 13 NHL seasons; and the year-round hockey training schedule he’s followed since he was a young teenager. “I think there’s a lot of things that just piled up,” he said, “where my body just fell apart.” He hopes to return in October . . . Edmonton trimmed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s $6 million cap hit, but took a beating on term, when it locked up the No. 2 center to an eight-year, $41 million deal with a full no-move clause. He will be 36 when it expires. “No contract is perfect,” GM Ken Holland acknowledged . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s take on game jersey ads, which are coming to the NHL sooner rather than later: “If we look like Formula One or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me.” . . . Glad to see college athletes everywhere get a chance to make some cash off their name and image, following the Supreme Court’s hammering of the paternalistic NCAA. A small step, long overdue.

Matt Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.

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arthurian · 6 years

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Four Years Shy of a Love Everlasting

Pairing: Willow Moore Hale x Garrison Abbey Words: 2.6k Read this on AO3. Premise: Gillow ft “I can’t be brave without you”, requested by @garrisonabbey My requests are currently open!

WILLOW HALE

In the dark, I think the world seems like a much less scary place. When the light has faded into something dim, it becomes a curtain, sheltering you from your fears. Some people are afraid of the encroaching blackness, of the secrets it might hold, but I love it. I love that in the dark, truths do not frighten me. At least not here.

The after hours image of Superheroes & Scones is something close to ethereal, at least to my eyes. Outside the frosted windows, a few fans still linger, waiting to catch a glimpse of my celebrity brother and his wife, or their son. It’s commonplace, and within the hour even the most diehard of fans will fade away, urged home by the cold and the lingering hope that they can try again for a glimpse tomorrow. Inside, the lights are off save for the breakroom, giving just enough glow within the rows of comic shelves and red vinyl booths for me to see if I need to walk. The air is calm. Everything is quiet.

I love this place. I love that I can lose myself for hours between the shelves, drifting from one universe to the next while I escape my own to become something superhuman. I love that, despite my naturally clumsy nature, I could go behind the counter and make espressos and all manner of coffees and teas if I wanted. I love the way the red booths and polished tile look like they came from another time, like this place had history before we ever stepped foot inside. But more than anything else, I love the memories I made here.

Months ago, I met my brother (well, brothers, but I didn’t know that at the time) between rows of comics for the first time. Loren Hale is an intimidating sight to behold, Ryke Meadows even more so, but they welcomed me. They offered me a family and a home, and never pushed when I sought to prove that that was all I wanted. And behind the counter, where I work and laugh and spend the majority of my days, is where I met Garrison.

Maya was my first friend in Philly, but Garrison became my best friend. What a wild world it is, to be the shy girl who knocks things over and trips over her own tongue, who befriends the bad boy who’s never pictured life beyond the crushing confines of a gated neighborhood and expectations he never wanted to fulfill.

And what an even stranger world to think that that friendship moved onward and upward, and that now I sit side by side with a boy who never thought he’d be a good man, and hold his hand without fear.

What a wonderful world it is for me, simple Willow Hale, to love and be loved by Garrison Abbey.

“I still can’t believe you’re leaving,” Garrison sighs, and his thumb runs over the back of my hand in comfort. I’ve always wondered if he knows he does this, or if his desire to calm me is subconscious. “And I’m not going with you.”

The statement pulls at my stomach, but I try not to let it dampen the whimsy of this night. In three short days, I’ll be boarding a plane to London, gone for four years in college, and Garrison will be here, being mentored by Connor Cobalt. We’ve broached the subject before, but only in the shortest of bursts. Neither of us want to admit what it could mean. Four years is a long time. Feelings shift and change, and we’ll be meeting new people every day.

If I linger on it too long, I’ll be crushed by the anxiety of what ifs. The truth is, this week I am Garrison Abbey’s girl. He holds my hand and kisses my cheek and sends me gifsets he knows I’ll love when we’re sitting across from each other on my bed, just because he wants to see me smile. But a week, a month, a year from now, someone else could come along and capture his attention. There’s no certainty that Garrison will love me in four years. Logistically, I can’t guarantee that. But I’m learning not to be afraid.

Courtesy of Daisy, I have this theory. I believe that everyone is born with a purpose. Sometimes they’re grand. Some people are born to start revolutions and build impossible feats and become world leaders. And sometimes they’re small. Some people are born simply to exist for another person. Sometimes, your purpose to be a sister or a daughter, a friend or a lover. Sometimes, you’re born because maybe someone else wouldn’t meet their true potential without you.

And I believe, in turn, the ladder climbs. You raise one person to their true purpose, and they raise another, and they another, until a baby is born who will one day cure cancer or a invent a flying car or become a scientist who discovers life on other planets.

I believe that Garrison is my purpose. Or at least a part of it.

I squeeze Garrison’s hand, a small comfort I can offer. “You’ll be doing great things while I’m gone,” I tell him, because I believe it.

Garrison doesn’t see much in himself. He sees the boy he was before I met him, who frightened our friends and lived inside a well of rage so deep he saw no way to claw himself out. I try to remind him that while my brother offered him a rope, Garrison did all the hard work of pulling himself up. One day, I hope I won’t have to remind him. What I want most for Garrison is for him to believe in himself the way I believe in him. The way Lily and Lo and Connor and Daisy do. Even Ryke and Rose have taken to him over time.

“I do great things with you,” he murmurs, shifting closer but stopping before our shoulders touch. I can hear the sadness in his voice, the doubt. As I watch him, his Adam’s apple bobs with tense swallows, and I think if it wasn’t so dark, there might be a glassy film over his eyes. “You make me so much better. At everything. For everyone. What if I can’t be good fucking person without you?”

“You’re a much better man than you believe yourself to be,” I whisper.

I lean my head against his shoulder, answering his body’s subtle request for more comfort from my touch. His tense shoulders relax slightly with me pressed against him. I am a salve to his sore muscles, a cure for his aches and pains and tension. When he presses a kiss to my temple, I smile into the fabric of his t-shirt. Tender moments like this with Garrison are such precious things. I capture them like fireflies in a glass jar, admiring them for a moment before releasing them back into the world and trusting them to return to me.

“Tell me something that will make me feel better about weird English guys hitting on you when I’m not there to intimidate the shit out of them,” he sighs, trying to lighten the mood and asking for reassurance at the same time. Only with me, and very rarely with Lo, does he let himself be this vulnerable.

“If weird English guys hit on me, I’ll tell them I’m sorry, but I’m Garrison’s girl,” a blush creeps up to my cheeks. After all this time, I still flush with embarrassment with declarations like this. “And he’s waiting for me.”

Garrison goes still, and for a blinding moment my heart races, worried I’ve said the wrong thing. My relationship with Garrison is a parade of firsts. I’m learning everyday, navigating a new world. I don’t know if there are rules. Where I should bend and where I should stay firm. Do I say what I feel, or express it with my actions? I am always twisting with anxiety, pondering what I’ve said and done and praying I did it right.

Garrison’s arms twine around me, careful and slow until I nuzzle further against him in permission for this embrace, and my worries ebb away. So rarely are they wounded in truth. I think Garrison finds my confusion endearing. I think he likes being my first everything, even if I’m embarrassed by my lack of knowledge on a daily basis.

“You know I’ll wait for you, right?”

My heart goes still. I think, deep down, I wanted to hear these words from him, but refused to let myself ask for them. I want to hear them because they bring me a temporary comfort, the kind that soothes the raucous pulse of my heart into something closer to a melody that wants to be sung, played out by the soft thrums of each beat. I want him to wait for me. I want to believe that those words will hold true for the whole four years I’ll be gone.

I’m trying hard not to be scared. I know what Daisy and Lo and Ryke and even my dad have all told me. That they hope against hope that Garrison and I are in for the long haul. That we’ll defeat the odds. But they’ve prepared me too. First loves are the hardest. Not everyone meets their soulmate when they’re still children. Not everyone falls in love once and never has to go searching again.

I’ve kept my heart open, because I want to believe the best of Garrison and me. Even in my creeping moments of doubt, where I’ve thought maybe I should stay in Philadelphia and not give up this boy who makes my heart sing and brings strength to my limbs and loves me even when I cry and crumble and shift anxiously on my feet.

The truth is that I don’t want us to be a maybe. I don’t want us to be an almost. But the even bigger truth is I don’t want to be a maybe or an almost either. College - I have to do this for me. For the future I can make for myself. I have to make this choice and hope that the us can survive it. Garrison and I - we’re four years shy of a love everlasting, and I need us to hold on until our fingers give out.

So much of me is entwined with this city, with this store we sit in, with this boy holding me like he wishes we were made of the same soul. Willow Moore is not the same girl as Willow Hale. I’ve discovered what it means to be me. I’ve learned how to open my mouth and ask for what I want and stand on my own. And I owe so much of that courage to Garrison.

My silence stretches too long.

“What are you thinking?” Garrison murmurs. There’s anxiety in his voice, and I don’t like that I’ve put it there.

My mind is racing, memories flipping through like leaves on the wind, beautiful and captivating. I am thinking of all the times Garrison held out a hand and waited for me to take it, towing a boundary but letting me cross it. I am thinking of conversations in the dark, a phone pressed to my ear while we whisper dreams too private to greet the daylight. I am thinking of the shell I lived in my whole life, slowly suffocating me, until Garrison stepped forward and offered to peel away a piece every day until I was ready to greet the world head on.

“I’m thinking - I’m thinking that I don’t know how to be brave without you,” I tell him, and I can feel his body shake with the weight of my words. “I’m thinking I want us to learn how to stand on our own. You can continue to be good without me here to remind you of what you’ve already proven to be true, and I can stand up and make my way through the world without needing you to push me forward when I’m scared.

“I believe you believe you’ll wait for me.” Garrison opens his mouth to argue, but I push forward anyways, not letting him interrupt. I can tell it upsets him in a way, but I can also tell he’s proud of me for not letting myself go unheard. “And I hope we can. Maybe we’re better together than we are apart. But we have to find out how to stand on our own first. Think of this as our origin story.”

Garrison laughs around the hitch in his throat. His voice is thick as he asks, “Are we borrowing Lily and Lo’s superpowers?”

For a moment, I pause to think about that. Lily and Lo always joke about superpowers, but I remember their real ones. That their superpowers are loving each other. Their love story is one I think I’ll tell my kids someday. How my brother loved a girl so much, he nearly buried himself beneath the weight of it, but how in the end that love was so strong that it gave them both the strength to bend worlds and raise new ones.

And I think of Rose and Connor. And Daisy and Ryke. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing three great love stories. Ones anyone would be lucky to have.

I just don’t want them for myself. I don’t want to be Lily and Lo, or Rose and Connor, or Daisy and Ryke. I want to be Willow and Garrison. Whatever that entails.

“No,” I reply. “I’m sure they’d let us, but I think we should discover our own.”

“And what do you think our superpowers are?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to find them along the way, I guess.” My voice drifts off.

I don’t want to think about three days from now. Or the four years after. I want to live right now. I want to think about how here and now and today, I am in love with boy and he is in love with me. Our love story, I don’t want it to be about how it ends, or how it doesn’t. I want our love story to be about the journey. I want people to think, Willow and Garrison, well that was quite the adventure.

“What if -” I begin hesitantly, but find the strength the raise my voice. With his skin pressed against mine and the dark of the night cloaking us like a blanket, I am braver than I have ever been. “What if we don’t think about the future? What if we just promise to what we’ve always done? Take it day by day.”

Garrison’s silence stretches long, but I don’t worry. I like that if I close my eyes and listen very carefully, I imagine I can hear him thinking.

We were two lost souls, wandering a plane of existence without seeing the path. Now, we are found, painting our way bright red to show everyone how far we’ve come. I don’t know what’s around the next corner. I don’t want to know until I get there. The greatest thing about this discovery, about lighting the path and finding your way, is stopping to enjoy the view.

And I want to admire this one. Us. Wrapped up in one another, in the place where we met and built a friendship and then something more. I think we might be something beautiful to behold.

“Day by day,” Garrison agrees. “And Willow?”

“Yeah?”

“Today, I am embarrassingly in love with you.”

#addicted #addicted series #gillow #willow moore #garrison abbey #willow hale #kbmritchie #fic #callowaynetwork #request*#writing*

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muzzmurray · 7 years

Text

year in fic review (2017)

You can find all of the fic mentioned below on my ao3 account, savedby. If you’re looking for my football fic edition, you can find it here.

Year at a glance: Total number of completed stories: 32 Total word count: 77707

Overall Thoughts:

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? I wrote way more than I realized for this fandom, um, wow. There were a couple of months where I was writing like four or five fics and I have no idea how that happened.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? Oh, the Vegas Golden Knights! Because when they signed two, I was joking around on twitter about how I could ship them now, and my friend was like ‘well, why don’t you’ and then that evolved into Sabaton and by extension into the Bold in Gold series, which was one of the most rewarding parts of my year for sure.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? these tornadoes are for you, which was Nick/Bob and written for the Cannon Fodder exchange. The combination of magic realism, humor and their general softness was really nice to write, and @frecklebombfic did a beautiful podfic of it.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Purely in terms of style, I wrote descent, in second person, which I know tends to polarize opinions. I love it, for whenever I want to write something that feels more immediate and intimate. I actually tried to rewrite it in third person, because the friend I was writing it for told me she wasn’t a big fan of second person, but it just wouldn’t work. It had to be written exactly as it is.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year? I’d like to finish this chaptered Mcdrai magic AU fic that I’m working on and I’d like to continue writing the Vegas Golden Knights as their narrative unfolds, so the Bold in Gold series can become a sort of written history of the team and its fandom. Ambitious, but. We’ll see. I’m already working on the next part.

From my past year of writing, what was…

My best story of this year: armet. I think this was in the works the moment I realized that there was a possibility that Flower might go to Vegas and it ended up becoming exactly what I had hoped it would be.

My most popular story of this year: i still get jealous of your old boyfriends, judging by kudos, which is actually funny to me, because for the longest time I really hated what I wrote for that fic and I ended up posting it after having it written for a period of time.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: foundations, my Marleau/Thornton fic. I mean, it’s a niche pairing and a character study, so it’s probably as good as it’s going to get, but it’s basically peak me and my love for old men and their narratives.

Most fun story to write: world i can call mine , which was my Pod_together project with @frecklebombfic . Having her input on it was so essential (as it was in many of my fics this year) and I had such a fun time discussing Auston, Zach and Mitch, and poly with her. And her podfic ended up being perfect. It was just a great project.

Story with the single sexiest moment: Man, I don’t know, I’m an ace essentially floundering in the world of smut. But I did manage to post, like 4 explicit stories this year, which just goes to show you that you can be anything you set your mind to, kids. As it is, I’m nominating this line from wake me up come tomorrow

Oscar does, adds another finger only when he feels Adam completely relax into the first. He fingers him slow and easy, watching his face as it relaxes from discomfort to pleasure. Adam makes these noises too, cut off moans, helpless and involuntary. Oscar adds a third finger and he whines, high in his throat.

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story: circumstance, which I hadn’t realized was still posted on anon until right now. So I’m owning up to it, I suppose. I’m not ashamed of it, because it still makes me laugh a lot on re-read, but please heed the warnings.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: your morning cup, my Tim Horton character study. I didn’t even really know anything about him when I decided I was going to be writing this fic. But as I researched and wrote, the story ended up being one of the most important things I wrote this year.

Hardest story to write: something like hope was an exercise in frustration, until I figured out how to frame it with quotes from Pekka’s Players’ Tribune article.

Biggest disappointment: I don’t really post things I’m actually unhappy with.

Biggest surprise: I was most surprised by how well fandom received Sabaton, because I figured it was something so niche that only a few people would actually click on, but it became one of my most popular stories. I’m really grateful for that.

Highlights + Wrap-up:

Favorite Opening Lines (4):

From tomorrow is going to be pretty pawsome

Ryan is halfway through his breakfast when he hears his front door opening. It’s 9am and he’s not wearing pants, so if he’s going to be robbed, he’s pretty much defenceless, unless he pelts the robber with some granola.

What still gets me is how real this ship became as the season progressed.

From Sabaton

There’re a few things Vadim expects to see when he lands in Las Vegas. His new teammate holding up a big sign with his name on it, decorated with footballs and pucks and glitter, isn’t one of them.

Am I still prissy about how badly they treated Shippy? Yes. Absolutely.

From LXXXVII

Sidney Crosby isn’t high on the list of people that Vadim expects to see in the hotel bar in Pittsburgh before the Knights game against the Penguins, and yet, there he is. Crosby is wearing a pair of thick rimmed glasses and a hat, presumably as some sort of disguise. It only makes him stand out more.

He also seems to be getting closer, swapping stools whenever Vadim glances away, until they’re sitting elbow to elbow.

Ridiculous Sid is my favorite plot device and he was in full effect in this fic.

From your morning cup

Strictly speaking, there’s never been a hockey player called Tim Horton.

I just liked the way this commands attention when you read it. I think it when you have something so niche, you need the first paragraph to grab your attention, and I think I did well here.

Favorite Closing Lines (5):

From dust in your veins

Then, Geno pulls him into another kiss, desperate, his chest shaking under Sid’s hands and Sid thinks that maybe he won't have to separate them after all.

That he can have this – his heart beating rapid fire in his chest, and Geno’s steadying palms on the muscles of his back, and the ghost of ice above them both.

I love the removable heart AU (not to be confused with the escaping heart AU) because it just works so incredibly well for those sports narratives.

From knight

“You know, it’s actually a pun, because I used to play for the London Knights and-”

“Oh my god, please stop.”

From we were a house on fire

“I want.”

“It’s been years.”

“Want still.”

“...yeah, okay.”

“Like that?”

“Yeah. Just like that.”

I love how deceptively simple this is, with no dialogue tags, but it feels like it packs a lot of punch, cutting through the complexity of their situation.

From descent

The streets of Edmonton turn slick, coated with fallen snow. Daylight is scarce, and cold besides, and you wear a jersey that doesn’t mean much to you and you watch out for the boy that means everything.

At night your curl around Connor in your bed. He always runs hot, burning in your bones and warming you from the inside out.

He presses his mouth to the nape of your neck, and you blink, mind muddled with sleep, and you realize you don’t know which one of you is the one doing the protecting.

Ask me sometime about my thoughts about enforcers and their relationships with star players, and why end up romanticizing them so much.

From armet

“Fleuuuurrrryyyy,” the fans scream, without a hint of mocking, echoing off the concrete of the building, “Fleuuuurrrryyyyyyyy!” and it’s all he can do to smile through his tears, waving at these people who have crucified and martyred him over the years, but have loved him through it all.

His crease hasn’t changed. He pats the pipes, feels them steady beneath his palm, familiar. His teammates are all on the ice now, circling his goal, and he catches sight of Nealer coming forward with the puck. His face is grim and determined, and Flower remembers he’s got something to prove too.

He gives Nealer a sharp nod and crouches. Smiles.

He’s ready.

Flower’s game against the Pens in Vegas was emotionally devastating and I can only imagine how it’ll be when they play in Pittsburgh.

Favorite Lines From Anywhere (6):

From be your spine

The Bruins seem just fine without him, which is just a metaphor for his life, really. He notices the absence of Boston, but Boston is too big to notice he’s gone.

He limits his texts to Tuukka, and eventually they taper off, growing sparser and more impersonal as months go by. It’s understandable. Anton feels the absence of Tuukka like a phantom limb, but Tuukka is too brilliant, too beautiful, to be affected by Anton’s absence.

My first fic of the year was a homage to the journeyman player, the one who isn’t a star anywhere, the one that’s expendable. And this was one of the lines that summarized it pretty well.

From teddy bear

“I just want to be a cool dad, like Bozie! You’re the lame dad, Zach is the big brother figure and Leo is the grumpy grandpa. We all have roles to play!”

Matt bites back his first comment, and the second one. They’re both swearwords.

This whole sequence between Mo and Matt still makes me laugh really really hard.

From foundations

The Sharks are Joe’s team by virtue of wanting him more than anyone else did, but they aren’t his team like they’re Patty’s, who’s left pieces of himself in every crack in the Shark Tank concrete and who wears the jersey with more pride than anyone Joe’s ever known.

This fic hurts more now that Patty got traded.

From heart like a home

Roman is still sprawled across PK’s bed, entirely naked, reading one of PK’s magazines. His tanned skin glows in the soft yellow light of the bedside lamps. The sight never fails to make PK’s mouth go dry. As if sensing his gaze, Roman looks up, arching an elegant eyebrow, a stray curl falling across his forehead.

I want to eventually try to capture the various details of Roman/PK in a longer fic but for now this image of naked Roman will have to do.

From these tornadoes are for you

Bob is standing at the stove, muttering something to himself. He still looks like he did last night, little bolts of lightning racing across his skin, and when he turns around his eyes are still glowing pale in his face. It’s a little disconcerting, but Nick goes with it.

“What are you doing?” Nick asks, walking next to him to look at the pan and wincing. He’s careful not to touch Bob, doesn’t know what it’ll do to him. “Was this supposed to be scrambled eggs?”

I really enjoyed writing the whole scene of Bob releasing his magic in the woods, but what made me happiest to write was the morning after and how all that magic becomes somewhat of a hindrance.

From i still get jealous of your old boyfriends

“Are you telling me that Connor McDavid’s favorite show is My Super Sweet 16?” he asks incredulously. Mitch grins at him.

“Oh, no,” he says and Auston lets out a sigh of relief, “it used to be his favorite show. I think his favorite right now is Extreme Couponing.”

Connor and Extreme Couponing is the greatest love story I’ve written this year.

Fic Goals for 2017: I want to finish off the four WIPs that I didn’t manage to this year. Beyond that, I don’t have any particular expectations. I hope I can continue to enjoy writing in this fandom and that people will continue to enjoy my work.

year in fic review (2016)

#personal #writing

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whotookmyusernameidea · 7 years

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Making friends chapter 3-Out of the woods and into the frying pan.

I was in my last class of the day and my heart was beating so fast I thought it might rip right out of my ribcage and go sprinting across the classroom, I’d had plenty of boys over for sleepovers before but never one as cute as Link and never for any reason other than to play video games and munch on snacks, this was totally new and exciting. My phone buzzed and I jumped a little, I quickly checked my message from Link and grinned, he was already out of his last class and had sent me a photo. He was in the boys bathroom looking in the mirror, one hand held the waistband of his shorts down, showing off the tiny strap on his cute pink thong.

“You’re being a little tease now, but wait until I get you home.. you won’t have so much bravado then” I replied then slipped my phone into my pocket, I began arranging my school supplies and cleaned up my desk, the final bell was about to ring and I couldn't wait to get out of here.

Once the bell rang I shot up from my seat like it was on fire and made my way to the door, thankfully Mr. Pastorello didn’t stop me like he usually did to talk about the latest comic book or new rpg app. I blew by my friend Connor and his girlfriend Tracy who were leaning against his locker making eyes at each other, I didn’t have time for anyone but Link who was already waiting next to my Omega with his bike when I finally made it to the parking lot.

“Hey, how’d you know this was my car?” I raised my brow skeptically and he looked at his feet then back up at me with a little smile.

“I uh, Pay attention...I watched you this morning from behind the dumpster” he flushed red and It was probably the cutest thing I’d seen today, aside from his panties of course.

I shook my head but grinned at him before I went around to pop the trunk, it took a few minutes of struggling to get the bike into my trunk but it finally went and we closed it up tight. I walked over and opened the door for him causing him to giggle nervously and slide into the seat.

“Wait, How’d you know who to look for?” I asked suddenly, turning my head to look at him before starting the car. the engine roared to life and he waited for it to quiet down before responding.

“W-Well..I kind of know you, from a far anyways...I’ve been watching you since I moved here, but I never said anything to you because we don’t exactly fit into the same crowd” he shrugged.

I mulled that over as I pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the direction of my house. “So..Does that mean you knew you were texting me too? or was that just an out twist of fate?” I looked at him from the corner of my eye but couldn’t read his expression.

He looked out the window seemingly trying to get out of answering my question, I thought perhaps he hadn’t heard me but before I could repeat myself he opened his mouth to speak.

“I did...I got your number from that redhead guy you hang out with, Connor is his name right?” He looked at me expectantly and I nodded, he went on. “I told him I had some questions about the basketball team, told him I was working for the school paper..I’m not of course, but it was a good cover” He began to smile, he was a devious little shit.

I chuckled as I pulled into my driveway, Cole’s pickup truck wasn’t anywhere to be seen and neither was mom and dad’s sedan. I could have had a nice fancy new car if I’d wanted one, but No instead I begged my brother to give me his classic Omega, the big rolling tank.

“You’re pretty clever, I’ll give you that” I pulled the key from the ignition then went around to open the door for Link, I could tell he was starting to become nervous by the way his hands shook as he climbed from the car. I put a firm hand on his lower back and led him to the porch, the door was unlocked like always, Cole never bothered locking it when he went to his girlfriend's house, it was only a block over and no one broke into houses around here anyway.

Once inside I gave Link a quick tour of the house, Showing him the kitchen and obviously the living room, then I took him upstairs and pointed to the door across from my own. “This is Cole’s room, we don’t go in there without permission and when he’s here we have to be as quiet as possible, these walls are thin and he can hear everything, I know because I hear way too much of the porn he thinks I don’t know he watches while mom and dad are away”

Link nodded obediently and then turned to look at my door, I smiled and grabbed the knob. “This of course is my room, or Our room for the night” I opened the door and stepped inside, Link followed and looked around nervously taking it all in. He looked like a small frightened child, even more so than he had in the woods earlier today, I needed to say something that would make him feel more comfortable.

“Sorry the place is such a mess, Let me clean it up a little” I said bending over to pick up some discarded clothes. My bed covers were askew and I kicked myself for not changing my sheets yesterday, but it was too late for that now. “Please, make yourself at home, My bed is a little messy but it won’t bite...”

He let out a nervous laugh but settled himself onto my bed, he winced and reached under him to pull something out from under the covers and I flushed red the moment I saw it.

“T-That’s uh..I don’t know how that got there” I mumbled as I made a grab for the weathered Shamu plush he held up, he quickly pulled it away and looked it over.

“You sleep with a stuffed whale?” He raised his brows, looking more comfortable than I had seen him look since we’d left school. “That’s cute, Rhett”

My heart fluttered at hearing my name on his tongue, I stuck my own out at him and grabbed the plush again, this time he let me have it with a playful giggle.

“If you think that’s cute you should see what, or should I say who? I’m sleeping with tonight” I said with a wink, that caught him of guard and I watched as his adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, nervous once again.

I finished my little bit of tidying up then settled myself beside him on my bed, I’d tossed Shamu into my closet. “You want to know what I do to that Shamu plush?” I whispered, making sure to make eye contact with Link while I spoke. He nodded and I leaned in closer, pressing my lips up to his ear. “When it’s late at night and I’m all worked up and wanting to get off...sometimes I hump it and imagined it’s a cute, shy boy and I’m fucking him into my mattress” I pulled back with a gleam in my eye, he let out a tiny whimper that went right to my groin.

“Y-You do?” He thought about that for a moment, chewing his bottom lip causing it to turn red. “Is..Is that what you’re going to do to me?, F-Fuck me into the mattress, like you imagine?” He didn’t seem afraid of the idea, No. He seemed to like the idea quite a bit if the bulge in his soccer shorts were any indication.

I got closer to him closing the tiny distance that there had been, causing him to have to lean back onto my pillows soon my body was hovering over his with my arms on either side of his shoulders and my legs framing his hips. “Is that what you want? You want me to fuck you into my mattress, make you whimper and wriggle beneath me?” I bent my head and nipped along his neck, licking his salty skin every so often, he let out a whine and I could feel him nodding.

“O-Oh yes, p-please..I want..I want you to use me, pretend I’m just your stuffed animal, like you’re still just imagining fucking a cute boy instead of actually fucking one” His voice was low and his bottom lip quivered as he spoke, I could tell he wasn’t used to talking like this by the way his voice cracked on the curse words, it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.

I sat up and reached out tugging on the hem of his black shirt until he sat up as well and helped me remove it by lifting his arms above his head, the collar raked over his head causing his hair to become messy. “Mmm, alright baby, I’ll do it..I’ll make you my toy, Use you until you’re screaming my name”

Once his shirt was off I pushed him back once more and began peppering his skin with kisses, my lips brushed over his nipples and he whined, I did it again and then added the gentle raking of my teeth.

“Oohh, do that some m-more” he begged, god he sounded so hot, so needy. I obliged and once again he let forth another whine this one cut off abruptly the moment I bit down onto his taut nipple, I felt him grab at my head and push at it. “S-Stop, oh gosh, I need..I need you to slow down” He panted, holding the back of my head with his hand.

I reluctantly backed off and replaced my mouth with my thumb, rubbing lazily over the reddened peak. “Are you close already baby? We haven’t even gotten to me fucking you into the mattress” I said teasingly, he whimpered and nodded. “Okay, I’ll slow down, get up and take your shorts off for me...Leave your panties on and then I want you to drape yourself over my lap” I instructed.

He hesitated for just a second before clamoring off the bed, he gripped the waist of his shorts and hauled them down much faster than I had wanted but I let it go, he was eager to please and I admired that.

I sat on the side of the bed with my feet firmly planted on the floor and patted my lap. “Come on, lay down on your stomach” He did as I said and lowered himself onto my lap, once I made sure he was comfortable I brought my hand up to caress his soft, bare cheeks.

“That..That feels so nice” He hummed happily, and I almost felt bad about my next move, Almost.

I lifted my palm off his bottom and then brought it down again with a loud *pop* he jerked in my lap and let out a high pitch moan.

“Ahh! Ow, w-what are yo-ah!” I cut him off with another smooth slap of my palm, his cheek was already turning a pale shade of red and I could feel my cock growing harder, he was positioned in such a way that he could definitely feel me pressing against his abdomen.

I rubbed his red cheek softly and cooed words of encouragement to him. “Shh, you can do it darlin, I’m going to give you 2 more and then you can get up, okay?” he said nothing but nodded in agreement, I swiftly gave him two more swats on the ass and then kissed the red cheek before telling him to get up and lay the same way only this time on the bed.

He did was wobbly when he stood and I reached out to hold him up with one hand on his waist, I helped him onto the bed and then kissed a trail down his back. “How do you feel baby?” I said pressing my lips to his lower back.

“S’So good, it stings b-but I’m so...Oh gosh, I’m so horny” He could barely speak, he let out a sob when I moved down to bite at the supple skin of his bottom.

“I’m about to make you feel even better” I promised, I slid off the bed and went to my dresser to retrieve my bottle of lube, I tossed it onto the bed beside him and grinned when I caught him eyeing it almost impatiently.

I strode over and stood beside the bed, hands on my zipper. “Turn over and watch me” I ordered sounding a bit rougher than I’d meant to, but he didn’t seem to mind as he did exactly what I said without hesitation. “You’re going to watch me strip and then I have a little something for you” I said as I began to unzip myself, I took my time rolling my pants down over my hips, dragging my briefs down along with them. I was rock hard and leaking already, I needed some attention of my own.

“Y-You look even bigger in person” Link whispered, his eyes wide as saucers. I grinned when he licked his lips, I knew what he was thinking.

I stroked myself a few times and then moved closer to the bed, closer to the boy who was looking at my cock hungrily, eyes full of lust. “Open wide baby, I want you to get me nice and wet” He looked at me for a moment, uncertainty flashed across his face for the briefest moment before he sat up and placed his lips around the head of my cock. I moaned low and rumbling, sounding like rolling thunder in my chest.

“Your mouth feels incredible” I purred, my hands found their way into his raven locks and tugged gently while he licked over the head a few times, he wasn’t very skilled but I had a hunch that this was his first time, and for a first timer he was doing so well. I let him suck me a little bit longer, I was a weak guy and the sounds he was making were going to be the death of me, I finally stopped him with a warning grunt and a tug of his hair.

“W-Why’d you stop me?” He said with a dazed look on his face, his lips were swollen and red, saliva coated his chin and his eyes were glazed over. He looked absolutely fucked and I hadn’t even gotten inside of his tight ass yet.

“I chuckled breathlessly and grinned down at him. “You want to be fucked right? If I were to have let you keep going, I’d have lost control and ruined the whole thing” I caressed his cheek then told him to get back onto his stomach, I climbed onto the bed behind him and pulled his panties to the side then splayed my hands over his cheeks and spread them wide.

“D-Don’t look at me there, it’s it’s too personal” He begged suddenly sounding like a young boy again. “Please...” he sobbed.

I didn’t let go but I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, telling him how beautiful he looked and how beautiful he was going to look wrapped around my thick cock. He whimpered but didn’t stop me when I coated my finger and rubbed it over his taut hole, it was the tightest hole I had ever seen, though the only ones I’d ever seen were in porno’s so there wasn’t much to compare it to.

I finger fucked him feeling the velvety wetness of his insides wrapping around not one, but two of my fingers for a good three minutes until I was finally pleased with how loose he’d become, I pulled my fingers free with a wet squelching sound and wiped them on my bed sheet, I’d change them later. I moaned as I watched his hole twitch, opening and closing at the abscence of my fingers. “You ready for me to make good on my promise baby?’ I ran my hands over his bottom and gave it a playful squeeze, Link had been a moaning mess while my fingers were inside of him and I couldn’t wait to hear him when I sunk my cock into his ass.

“Oh...R-Rhett yes, Please..Fuck me, Fuck me so hard” He begged turning his head best he could, trying to see me.

I gripped myself in one hand and the bottle of lube in the other, I drizzled a little onto my cock and pumped myself, coating it thoroughly. “Here we go, Just..Relax and take a deep breath” I cooed as I lined myself up, pressing firmly against his hole, it was a tight fit even after stretching him out and it took a bit of time but finally my head slid into him and he let out his loudest moan yet.

“Fu-Ahhhh, More, keep going” he sobbed and tried to push himself backwards, trying to take me into himself on his own, I gripped his hips and held him in place before thrusting into him, hard and unapologetically. I was thankful we had the house to ourselves or else we’d be dead right now.

I rocked into him over and over, changing my position on every other thrust until I found the spot I was looking for, at this point he was babbling incoherently and his face which was turned to the side where I could see it, was red and tear streaked, moans and sobs fell from his lips but he didn’t ask me to stop, I wasn’t even sure he could if he wanted to do so.

“That’s it baby, look at you taking my cock like a pro, such a good little toy” I praised as I rolled and grinded against him, the bed shook with the sheer force of my thrusting and I thought perhaps Link had passed out for a moment there, I hadn’t heard any noise from him then suddenly I hit his prostate and he let loose a wail that could wake the dead. “Yeah, Yeah fuck, Link..I-I’m gonna...Oh fuck...” I could feel myself growing closer to the edge, I knew I wouldn’t make it much longer.

Link was sobbing again, even more so than before. He spoke to me and I almost missed what he said due to how stripped his voice was. “M-Make me cum, please..I need-I need to cum, Oh Daddy!”

I slowed my pace dragging it out, torturing him just a little bit. “You’ll cum when I say you can” I barked, not quite knowing where that had come from. Power surged through me and I picked the pace up once more, I rammed inside of him making sure to hit his prostate, it was then that three things happened all at once.

I felt Link constricting around my cock like a snake swallowing prey, I felt myself pulsating inside of him, his hungry hole becoming so filled with my cum it began to dribble out around my length and last but not least, My bedroom door swung open and my brother rushed inside just in time for Link to scream out, his cum coating the inside of his panties.

Cole looked horrified, his face was white as a sheet his jaw was slack and his hand gripped the doorknob like a vice. “WHAT THE FUCK, RHETT?!”

Link let out a strangled sound and I pulled out quickly, not thinking before doing so. My cum spilled from Links hole and ran down his balls, onto my bed sheets.

We were dead, We were soooo very very dead.

#Rhink #this is...probably one of the dirtiest things I've published #I need to go take a cold shower #wash all of this filth off of me #this is smut #not pure smut but mostly smut #oh boy oh boy #*sweats*

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flutegirl0422 · 6 years

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Songs Jared Kleinman Thinks Are Legitimately Romantic - Part 8

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | playlist

8. Never Gonna Give You Up

Alana sat at her vanity putting on her makeup. If someone had told her a year ago that she’d be preparing to go to prom and that she was going with someone (specifically a boy someone), she never would have believed it. But here she was, getting ready for what would supposedly be the best night of her life.

“So,” said Jared, driving her home from school one afternoon. “Did you see they put up posters for prom today?”

“I did. To be honest, though, I’m generally disillusioned with most school dances, seeing that they uphold patriarchal traditions and impose strict gender norms on a society that no longer has much use for them.”

“Let me guess: you’re also opposed to Sadie Hawkins dances because even though they flip the script on the patriarchal narrative, the fact that we have to make a special event where that’s okay is part of the problem.”

She stared at him.

“Well?” He asked after a few moments of silence. “Am I wrong?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jared could see her grinning. “You’re not.”

“I listen to you sometimes!” he said with a smile. “Still, though, it’s prom. You must have enjoyed it last year.”

“I didn’t go last year. Not to the dance part, anyway. I just went to help set up.”

Jared slowed down as they approached a red light. “Really?”

“I mean, I didn’t have anyone to go with.”

“Neither did I, I still went last year.”

“With friends, right?”

Jared swallowed hard. “Honestly? No. I went alone.”

“Not even with Evan?”

“Our parents tried to convince him to go but he was adamant about staying home. Something about sweaty hands.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. It was worth it for the free food, though.”

She nodded.

He tightened his lips. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Why don’t we go to prom together?”

“You actually want to go to prom with me?” She felt a tightness in her chest, and she couldn’t help smiling a bit.

“I-I mean,” he stammered, “I need a witness if Sabrina Patel stuffs bacon wrapped dates into her purse again. No one believes me, but I swear it happened!”

Alana was brought back by a quick knock on her door. “Honey, you there?” Her mom came in and sat on the bed behind her.

“Hey, mom.” She turned around to see Mrs. Beck holding a long, slender box covered in blue velvet. “What’s that?”

“Well, since it’s your first dance I wanted you to wear something special.” She opened the box to reveal a delicate pearl necklace.

“Oh my gosh, Mom! It’s beautiful!”

Mrs. Beck motioned for her to turn around and unclasped the necklace. Putting it on, she said, “I was waiting to give you this for graduation, but it’s not every day your daughter has her first date.”

“Hey!” Alana whirled around, trying to hide her embarrassment with anger. “I already told you this isn’t a date!”

“Honey, that boy has been sending you little love notes for weeks. And isn't that the song he keeps playing for you? A love song?” She pointed to the phone on the vanity which was playing Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Alana wasn’t sure if she actually liked the song or if she’d just given up hating it since Jared had sent her a link to it at least once a week since the Connor Project started. Today’s had been disguised as a makeup tutorial, and once it started she didn’t have the heart to stop it.

Pausing the video, Alana turned back to her mother. “It’s a meme, mom. It’s just a joke, he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just...being Jared.”

“You know, your father used to love to tease me, too, before we got together.”

Alana smiled politely, secretly seething. “Thank you for the necklace, mom, but please take your antiquated romantic advice out of here and let me finish getting ready.”

“Alright, dear.” Mrs. Beck winked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I’ll let you be.”

It wasn’t often Alana got frustrated with her parents, but the pressure to be in a relationship on top of their high academic standards often proved to be a breaking point for her. The questions and jokes about when she was going to get a boyfriend or that any boy she spoke to was her secret crush felt like pin pricks, small enough to be relatively harmless if it weren’t for the fact that it seemingly never ceased. This time felt different though. This time there was a pit in her stomach, like when she was about to take a test or give a presentation The kind of nervousness that made her come alive. It was almost as though she wanted this to be a date. But she knew it wasn’t. He was just being a good friend, and she was just as glad for that as anything else.

As Alana finished putting on her shoes, she heard the doorbell ring. “I’ll get it!” her mother called.

Smoothing out her dress and checking her hair in the mirror one last time, she made her way to the front of the house. There stood Mrs. Beck, and behind her was Jared, still in the doorway. He wore an expression she couldn’t place, mouth slightly agape and cheeks flushed.

“You clean up nice,” she said. It was true. The tux aged him up some, and it’s stark contrast to his typically colorful wardrobe brought out his eyes. She hadn’t really acknowledged it before, but he was handsome in a way.

“You, too.” He cleared his throat. “Oh! I have something for you. For both of us.” He pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a corsage and a boutineer. The flowers were made from book pages and they both had an Evenstar pendant attached to them. “I had these made for us. My mom knows a guy…” He looked down. “I thought you might like these since you love Lord of the Rings so much.”

Alana nodded excitedly. “They’re awesome!” She paused for a moment and cocked her head. “But why? We aren’t—“

“Well,” he cut her off, running a hand through his hair, “it’s part of the experience, right?”

“That’s right!” Mrs. Beck chimed in. While Jared slipped the corsage onto her daughter’s wrist she gave Alana a smug look.

Thousands of pictures and one slightly awkward car ride later, the two had finally arrived at prom. Some Top 40 hit Alana couldn’t name blasted through the ballroom as hundreds of teens talked and danced in small groups. Flashing colored lights and a mirror ball had transformed the usually stodgy country club into a scene straight out of a teen movie.

“C’mon,” said Jared, “let’s dance.”

Tentatively, Alana joined Jared out on the dance floor. He moved to the beat of the music in a way that barely passed for dancing, but she could tell he was having a good time, so she did her best to keep up. He showed off his best moves, like the sprinkler and the running man. He also made an attempt at teaching her something called “flossing” when a Katy Perry song came on, but she almost injured him in the process, so they decided to take a break.

“I’m so sorry!” she said as she sat down at a table just outside the ballroom. She pushed several pairs of high heels out of their way. He sat next to her, rubbing his thigh and wincing.

“I’ll live,” he groaned. “Besides, is it really prom if you don’t come out of it with a crazy story? This’ll be mine. I’ll be at the pool over break and someone will ask how I got this bruise. I can say I was in an epic, life or death dance battle or something.”

Alana giggled. There he was, playing it off like he always did. Except he didn’t always play things off. Her mom’s voice rang in her ear, something about Dad teasing her early in their relationship. It struck Alana that her dad wasn’t much of a joker. Sure, he could get a laugh here and there, but his mom was certainly the more light-hearted of the two. Jared, on the other hand, was usually much harsher than this. If anyone else they knew had done what Alana just did, they would never hear the end of it. “Jared,” she asked, “why are you so nice to me all the time?”

He looked up at her. A crease formed between his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you treat me differently than other people. You’re...nice.”

His grimaced, his eyes practically screaming what the fuck?

“Not that you’re not a nice person!” she defended. “You are. Deep down. In your own way. But with me you’re more...forgiving. A lot more. I like it, don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t understand. Why me?”

Even in the dim light, she could see his cheeks and his ears flush. “Well, shit.” He buried his face in his hands. “I should have known you were too smart to figure this out.”

“What do you mean I’m too smart? For what?”

“You keep that beautiful face of yours shoved in a book for so long you don’t see what’s right in front of you. I love that about you, by the way, but I knew I should have taken a more direct approach.”

“Jared, what the hell are you--wait did you just say I’m beautiful?”

“Yes, I did. Damn it, Alana, how can you not realize that I like you!” He said it a little too loudly, attracting stares and giggles from some of the neighboring tables. “Look, I’m not the best with this shit, okay? If it were anyone else I would have locked it all away forever until the feelings just died. At best there’d be a piss poor attempt at a few pick up lines. But you’re different. You’re better than that. Better than me.”

She frowned. How could he think that?

“I figured after graduation you’d go off to some fancy school and forget all about me, so I thought maybe I could show you a nice time tonight. Maybe I could pretend there’s something here before you go off and become the first female president or whatever. I know you’d never say yes if I asked you out for real, so I figured this was the next best thing.” He stood up. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you or fucked up your night. I’ll just--”

The next thing Alana knew, her lips were on his. Their noses collided a bit, causing Jared to pull away. He was redder than she’d ever seen him. They paused a moment before their eyes met and he kissed her back. This time it was soft, careful. He caressed her face like it was the most precious thing he’d ever held.

“Whoo, get some, Kleinman!” Jared and Alana jumped at the loud voice behind them. They turned around to see Matt Holtzer pumping his fist as he struggled to stay upright.

Jared nervously cleared his throat. “So, how drunk do you think he is?”

“Must be a lot for him to be talking to either of us,” she chuckled

The two of them processing the last few minutes. They were still holding hands under the table and she instinctively rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. “I like you, too, by the way,” she finally said.

“Good,” he said with a cheeky grin, “because after a kiss like that, I’m never gonna give you up.”

#dear evan hansen #deh #jared kleinman #alana beck #jared kleinman x alana beck #kleinbeck #deh fic

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years

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DGB Grab Bag: Jagr Draft Proposal, Doan Effect, and Lindros on Arsenio Hall

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: The Vegas Golden Knights jersey numbers. First of all, they gave No. 97 to David Clarkson. Yes, Connor McDavid’s number. To David Clarkson. Who is, I think it’s fair to say, not all that Connor McDavid-ish.

So that was weird. But then they made up for it with some solid trolling:

This will get even funnier when Sidney Crosby scores 12 points in his first game in Las Vegas and Gronk-spikes the puck after every one.

The second star: This photo. Speaking of Rob Gronkowski, he is now best friends with Tuukka Rask, and this may be my new favorite sports photo of all time.

The first star: The Senators logo without eyebrows. Why yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. And no, you won’t be able to un-see it.

(Original image created by Twitter’s @Gerv_Rebrand, who should be in jail.)

Be It Resolved

It’s September, and Jaromir Jagr still doesn’t have a home for the 2017-18 season. This is unacceptable.

Yes, he’s 45. Sure, he’s lost more than a few steps, to the point where he’d have a hard time beating the Zamboni around the ice these days. And yes, last year’s 46 points made for the least productive full season of his career. In a league that’s all about speed and youth, plodding old guys aren’t exactly in high demand.

Counterpoint: He’s Jaromir Freaking Jagr. Let’s get this done.

At this point, it seems possible that nobody will sign him, or that he may be reduced to signing a PTO (professional tryout) like some scrub. Hockey fans around the world are slowly coming to terms with the fact that there just aren’t many good outcomes left for this story. Maybe Jagr gives up and retires, or he heads back to Europe. Maybe he sits around for half a season waiting for an injury. Or maybe he latches on somewhere as an unwanted fourth-liner, and the whole thing takes on a sad Jerry-Rice-as-a-Seahawk vibe.

There is a better way.

So be it resolved: The NHL must immediately institute the Jaromir Jagr Rule. If you’re over 40 and you’ve won multiple scoring titles and you still want to compete and nobody’s signing you, you get to play for everyone.

Yes, everyone. Here’s how it works: We give Jagr two more weeks to sign a real NHL contract—no PTOs or two-way deals or any of that nonsense. Somebody commits to the guy, or else we take matters into our own hands.

[Spongebob Squarepants Meme Joke.] Photo by Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

If Jaromir Jagr still doesn’t have a deal by September 15, he plays for everyone. Every team in the league gets to use Jagr for one home game and one away game. That adds up to 62 games, which sounds about right for a 45-year-old who’ll need some rest here and there.

But who gets him for which games? That’s the fun part. Gather round your TV, kids, because Saturday, September 15, is the Jaromir Jagr draft. That’s right—every team in the league, in reverse order of last year’s standings, gets to pick the games it has Jagr in the lineup.

The Golden Knights probably use the first overall pick on their home opener. The Avs could, too—it’s the next night, and it’s not too far a flight. The better teams might want to save him for crucial games later in the season, especially against the elite teams. OK, let’s face it, especially against the Penguins.

Be honest: If the NHL held that draft, you would watch that so hard your eyeballs would explode. And then imagine the season playing out. Jagr’s one home game as a Penguin. His return to New York. The Capitals using him for the outdoor game so that he can also be the oldest guy on the alumni team. The home-and-home between the Bruins and the Habs where he plays for both teams. Best of all, the NHL website with a little “Where’s Jagr?” graphic, in which he’s wearing glasses and a red-and-white striped shirt.

Look, I may have thought about this too much, but don’t act like you’re not on board. Make this happen, NHL. Your millions of fans, and one very old man with a mullet, are demanding it.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

It’s college free agent season, with players like Will Butcher sparking the annual debate over whether NCAA players should have different rights than their CHL counterparts. This has been a long-running issue for the NHL, dating back to the 1980s when bidding wars over players like Adam Oates led to the institution of the short-lived supplemental draft. While it only ran from 1986 to 1994, the supplemental draft did produce a handful of legitimate NHL stars, including John Cullen, Steve Rucchin, and NHLPA ’93 legend Shawn Chambers. It also produced this week’s obscure player: Dave Snuggerud.

Snuggerud was a hard-working winger who made his name at the University of Minnesota and spent time with the American national team in 1988. That stint included an appearance at the Winter Olympics, where he scored three goals for Team USA, as well as a rare international fight against Canada’s Trent Yawney. The Sabres had taken him with the second pick in the 1987 supplemental draft, and he made the team out of training camp in 1989. He scored 14 goals and earned a handful of votes in both the Calder and Selke races his rookie season, which would end up being the best of his career.

While his production dipped after that, he remained an NHL regular for a few years; the Sabres traded him to the Sharks for Wayne Presley in 1992. He also had a quick run with the Flyers, but he was out of the NHL by 1993, and out of pro hockey altogether by 1995. All told, Snuggerud played 265 NHL games and scored 30 goals. His legacy includes some solid hockey hair and one of the most enjoyable names in recent league history.

After his playing days ended, Snuggerud went into teaching and coaching. His nephew Luc is currently a prospect in the Blackhawks’ system.

New Entries for the Hockey Dictionary

The Doan Effect ( noun): The unwritten but nearly universal rule among hockey fans and media which holds that a player who spends all (or almost all) of his career with one franchise seems to get far more love than players with similar resumes who played for several teams.

This concept isn’t new, but with Shane Doan retiring this week after a 21-season career with the Coyotes/Jets, it seems like a good time to give it a name. Doan was a perfectly fine player. He scored 400 goals, could be a physical force, and was a respected leader. He played in two All-Star games. He was good.

But if you didn’t follow hockey and were just going by the reaction to his retirement this week, you might think you were witnessing the end of a legendary career. This is a guy who never finished in the top ten in voting for any major award, or in the top five for postseason All-Star winger honors. He didn’t get a single Hart Trophy vote in his two-decade career.

Shane, your legacy will live on. Photo by Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

And yet, his retirement feels like a really big deal. That’s the Doan Effect kicking in. Players who are closely identified with one team just seem to get a big boost to all their legacy sliders that players who bounce around the league don’t. It helps explain why Adam Oates and Mark Recchi had to wait years to get into the Hall of Fame, while Mike Modano was a never-in-doubt sure thing. Jeremy Roenick (five teams), Pierre Turgeon (six), and Bernie Nichols (six) aren’t getting in, but Daniel Alfredsson will. I don’t think the Doan Effect is unique to the NHL—it seems to crop up in other sports—but its impact seems especially strong in hockey.

To be clear, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. From a fan’s perspective, a player’s legacy has to be more than the sum of his stats and award votes. There’s something to be said for the connection that develops between a player and a fan base over a long career, and if that bleeds over into the wider perception of a career then that seems fair. It’s a reasonable approach to take.

But it does need a name. And now it has one. Thanks, Shane.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

The Philadelphia Flyers announced this week that they’ll be retiring Eric Lindros’s No. 88 this season, because I told them to. The news comes a year after Lindros finally got his call from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame induction and number retirement are two of the highest honors any athlete can achieve, but they pale in comparison to the very top of the mountain: appearing on an early 90s episode of The Arsenio Hall Show. Luckily for Lindros, he did that, too.

youtube

It’s sometime in the spring of 1993, and a teenaged Lindros has recently finished scoring 41 goals in 61 games as a rookie with the Flyers. He’s also just been named one of People Magazine’s most beautiful people. Life is good.

Now he’s going to appear on The Arsenio Hall Show, which was pretty much the height of coolness back then. Seriously, forget the infamous Sports Illustrated cover a year later—getting a rookie on Arsenio was basically the NHL’s marketing peak.

Arsenio introduces Lindros while making his name rhyme with “Vandross,” and Eric heads out to say hello. Word is he’d planned to charge out wearing a tasseled denim vest, sprint through the crowd, and flip the couch, but somebody else got there first, so he went with the standard handshake.

We start off with a typical Arsenio question, in which he gets really serious while leaning forward and tenting his fingers. Arsenio Hall was more engaged and attentive on every throwaway question he ever asked a guest than I was exchanging my wedding vows. Dude was the best.

Hall mentions having several hockey fans on his staff, including cameraman John Gillis. According to his IMDB page, Gillis’s other credits include Hollywood Squares, My Two Dads, and Solid Gold, just in case you were worried that there wasn’t someone out there having a way cooler life than you.

Hall goes with a thought-provoking question about starting a roster from scratch and the nature of team-building, at which point Lindros responds, “I really don’t know.” I think I might have figured out why hockey players don’t get invited on many talk shows, you guys.

I can’t decide which I want to own more, Lindros’s shirt or Arsenio’s jacket. I think the answer is both, and that I want to wear them at the same time. I could pull that off, right?

“They say you have no weakness. What do you think your weakness is?” asks Hall. Lindros ponders the questions, gets a few words into his answer, then falls over injured and goes on the LTIR for three months.

Actually, Lindros lists a few players who he can’t yet measure up to, including a mention of “Wayne Gretzky, who took the Kings all the way” as the crowd cheers. Wait. Do… do Americans think the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 1993? Did you get an alternate version of the series where they cut off the feed right before McSorley’s stick measurement? How many of Canada’s other dozen Stanley Cups since 1993 have they not told you guys about?

Lindros ends up mentioning four players he can’t compare to: first ballot Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, first ballot Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky, first ballot Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey, and… Keith Acton. Huh. That’s the most out of place any pro athlete has ever been in a group of four since Mongo McMichael joined the Horsemen.

We transition into the story of Lindros’s first time on skates, and then into a vaguely weird discussion of him playing barefoot that ends with him saying “skin to win.” I’m so disappointed that he didn’t stick with that as his catchphrase. It sounds so much better than his eventual choice, “I want to strangle Bobby Clarke.”

We move on to topics like teeth and Philadelphia, and you can start to sense Arsenio desperately trying to pull an insightful answer out of this kid. He succeeds somewhat with a question about fighting. Then he mentions talking to Lindros’s dad before the show, which is clearly a lie because Lindros is still here and not holding out for a spot on Chevy Chase.

Lindros drops a mention of Chatham, Ontario, at which point half the audience cheers like they have any idea where that is. Apparently, they’re big on Ferguson Jenkins, Robertson Davies books, and Hawaiian pizza.

Hall starts wrapping things up, at which point Lindros finally says something interesting when he mentions falling down the stairs at school during an awkward growth spurt. Hey, that sounds like a story. We can build on this. Take us home, Eric!

“And uh, I don’t know what happened.”

Epilogue: All of the hockey fans on Hall’s staff were fired three seconds after this episode ended.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .

DGB Grab Bag: Jagr Draft Proposal, Doan Effect, and Lindros on Arsenio Hall syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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flauntpage · 7 years

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DGB Grab Bag: Jagr Draft Proposal, Doan Effect, and Lindros on Arsenio Hall

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: The Vegas Golden Knights jersey numbers. First of all, they gave No. 97 to David Clarkson. Yes, Connor McDavid's number. To David Clarkson. Who is, I think it's fair to say, not all that Connor McDavid-ish.

So that was weird. But then they made up for it with some solid trolling:

This will get even funnier when Sidney Crosby scores 12 points in his first game in Las Vegas and Gronk-spikes the puck after every one.

The second star: This photo. Speaking of Rob Gronkowski, he is now best friends with Tuukka Rask, and this may be my new favorite sports photo of all time.

The first star: The Senators logo without eyebrows. Why yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. And no, you won't be able to un-see it.

(Original image created by Twitter's @Gerv_Rebrand, who should be in jail.)

Be It Resolved

It's September, and Jaromir Jagr still doesn't have a home for the 2017-18 season. This is unacceptable.

Yes, he's 45. Sure, he's lost more than a few steps, to the point where he'd have a hard time beating the Zamboni around the ice these days. And yes, last year's 46 points made for the least productive full season of his career. In a league that's all about speed and youth, plodding old guys aren't exactly in high demand.

Counterpoint: He's Jaromir Freaking Jagr. Let's get this done.

At this point, it seems possible that nobody will sign him, or that he may be reduced to signing a PTO (professional tryout) like some scrub. Hockey fans around the world are slowly coming to terms with the fact that there just aren't many good outcomes left for this story. Maybe Jagr gives up and retires, or he heads back to Europe. Maybe he sits around for half a season waiting for an injury. Or maybe he latches on somewhere as an unwanted fourth-liner, and the whole thing takes on a sad Jerry-Rice-as-a-Seahawk vibe.

There is a better way.

So be it resolved: The NHL must immediately institute the Jaromir Jagr Rule. If you're over 40 and you've won multiple scoring titles and you still want to compete and nobody's signing you, you get to play for everyone.

Yes, everyone. Here's how it works: We give Jagr two more weeks to sign a real NHL contract—no PTOs or two-way deals or any of that nonsense. Somebody commits to the guy, or else we take matters into our own hands.

[Spongebob Squarepants Meme Joke.] Photo by Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

If Jaromir Jagr still doesn't have a deal by September 15, he plays for everyone. Every team in the league gets to use Jagr for one home game and one away game. That adds up to 62 games, which sounds about right for a 45-year-old who'll need some rest here and there.

But who gets him for which games? That's the fun part. Gather round your TV, kids, because Saturday, September 15, is the Jaromir Jagr draft. That's right—every team in the league, in reverse order of last year's standings, gets to pick the games it has Jagr in the lineup.

The Golden Knights probably use the first overall pick on their home opener. The Avs could, too—it's the next night, and it's not too far a flight. The better teams might want to save him for crucial games later in the season, especially against the elite teams. OK, let's face it, especially against the Penguins.

Be honest: If the NHL held that draft, you would watch that so hard your eyeballs would explode. And then imagine the season playing out. Jagr's one home game as a Penguin. His return to New York. The Capitals using him for the outdoor game so that he can also be the oldest guy on the alumni team. The home-and-home between the Bruins and the Habs where he plays for both teams. Best of all, the NHL website with a little "Where's Jagr?" graphic, in which he's wearing glasses and a red-and-white striped shirt.

Look, I may have thought about this too much, but don't act like you're not on board. Make this happen, NHL. Your millions of fans, and one very old man with a mullet, are demanding it.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

It's college free agent season, with players like Will Butcher sparking the annual debate over whether NCAA players should have different rights than their CHL counterparts. This has been a long-running issue for the NHL, dating back to the 1980s when bidding wars over players like Adam Oates led to the institution of the short-lived supplemental draft. While it only ran from 1986 to 1994, the supplemental draft did produce a handful of legitimate NHL stars, including John Cullen, Steve Rucchin, and NHLPA '93 legend Shawn Chambers. It also produced this week's obscure player: Dave Snuggerud.

Snuggerud was a hard-working winger who made his name at the University of Minnesota and spent time with the American national team in 1988. That stint included an appearance at the Winter Olympics, where he scored three goals for Team USA, as well as a rare international fight against Canada's Trent Yawney. The Sabres had taken him with the second pick in the 1987 supplemental draft, and he made the team out of training camp in 1989. He scored 14 goals and earned a handful of votes in both the Calder and Selke races his rookie season, which would end up being the best of his career.

After his playing days ended, Snuggerud went into teaching and coaching. His nephew Luc is currently a prospect in the Blackhawks' system.

New Entries for the Hockey Dictionary

This concept isn't new, but with Shane Doan retiring this week after a 21-season career with the Coyotes/Jets, it seems like a good time to give it a name. Doan was a perfectly fine player. He scored 400 goals, could be a physical force, and was a respected leader. He played in two All-Star games. He was good.

But if you didn't follow hockey and were just going by the reaction to his retirement this week, you might think you were witnessing the end of a legendary career. This is a guy who never finished in the top ten in voting for any major award, or in the top five for postseason All-Star winger honors. He didn't get a single Hart Trophy vote in his two-decade career.

Shane, your legacy will live on. Photo by Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

And yet, his retirement feels like a really big deal. That's the Doan Effect kicking in. Players who are closely identified with one team just seem to get a big boost to all their legacy sliders that players who bounce around the league don't. It helps explain why Adam Oates and Mark Recchi had to wait years to get into the Hall of Fame, while Mike Modano was a never-in-doubt sure thing. Jeremy Roenick (five teams), Pierre Turgeon (six), and Bernie Nichols (six) aren't getting in, but Daniel Alfredsson will. I don't think the Doan Effect is unique to the NHL—it seems to crop up in other sports—but its impact seems especially strong in hockey.

To be clear, I'm not sure that's a bad thing. From a fan's perspective, a player's legacy has to be more than the sum of his stats and award votes. There's something to be said for the connection that develops between a player and a fan base over a long career, and if that bleeds over into the wider perception of a career then that seems fair. It's a reasonable approach to take.

But it does need a name. And now it has one. Thanks, Shane.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

The Philadelphia Flyers announced this week that they'll be retiring Eric Lindros's No. 88 this season, because I told them to. The news comes a year after Lindros finally got his call from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

youtube

It's sometime in the spring of 1993, and a teenaged Lindros has recently finished scoring 41 goals in 61 games as a rookie with the Flyers. He's also just been named one of People Magazine's most beautiful people. Life is good.

Now he's going to appear on The Arsenio Hall Show, which was pretty much the height of coolness back then. Seriously, forget the infamous Sports Illustrated cover a year later—getting a rookie on Arsenio was basically the NHL's marketing peak.

Arsenio introduces Lindros while making his name rhyme with "Vandross," and Eric heads out to say hello. Word is he'd planned to charge out wearing a tasseled denim vest, sprint through the crowd, and flip the couch, but somebody else got there first, so he went with the standard handshake.

Hall mentions having several hockey fans on his staff, including cameraman John Gillis. According to his IMDB page, Gillis's other credits include Hollywood Squares, My Two Dads, and Solid Gold, just in case you were worried that there wasn't someone out there having a way cooler life than you.

Hall goes with a thought-provoking question about starting a roster from scratch and the nature of team-building, at which point Lindros responds, "I really don't know." I think I might have figured out why hockey players don't get invited on many talk shows, you guys.

I can't decide which I want to own more, Lindros's shirt or Arsenio's jacket. I think the answer is both, and that I want to wear them at the same time. I could pull that off, right?

"They say you have no weakness. What do you think your weakness is?" asks Hall. Lindros ponders the questions, gets a few words into his answer, then falls over injured and goes on the LTIR for three months.

Actually, Lindros lists a few players who he can't yet measure up to, including a mention of "Wayne Gretzky, who took the Kings all the way" as the crowd cheers. Wait. Do… do Americans think the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 1993? Did you get an alternate version of the series where they cut off the feed right before McSorley's stick measurement? How many of Canada's other dozen Stanley Cups since 1993 have they not told you guys about?

Lindros ends up mentioning four players he can't compare to: first ballot Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, first ballot Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky, first ballot Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey, and… Keith Acton. Huh. That's the most out of place any pro athlete has ever been in a group of four since Mongo McMichael joined the Horsemen.

We transition into the story of Lindros's first time on skates, and then into a vaguely weird discussion of him playing barefoot that ends with him saying "skin to win." I'm so disappointed that he didn't stick with that as his catchphrase. It sounds so much better than his eventual choice, "I want to strangle Bobby Clarke."

We move on to topics like teeth and Philadelphia, and you can start to sense Arsenio desperately trying to pull an insightful answer out of this kid. He succeeds somewhat with a question about fighting. Then he mentions talking to Lindros's dad before the show, which is clearly a lie because Lindros is still here and not holding out for a spot on Chevy Chase.

Lindros drops a mention of Chatham, Ontario, at which point half the audience cheers like they have any idea where that is. Apparently, they're big on Ferguson Jenkins, Robertson Davies books, and Hawaiian pizza.

"And uh, I don't know what happened."

Epilogue: All of the hockey fans on Hall's staff were fired three seconds after this episode ended.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .

DGB Grab Bag: Jagr Draft Proposal, Doan Effect, and Lindros on Arsenio Hall published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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