#rim crusher

[onlyhappyvibes]

Another customer for the rim crusher

[vintage-typewriter]

Keep The Wolves Away 1

AO3

~*~

She wanted to cry. Fuck, did she ever want to cry but it felt like she had used up all her tears in the last twelve hours and her tired red rimmed grey eyes could shed no more tears as the red and blue lights flashed silently in the rear view window.

Lana just wanted to cry.

Over ten hours she has been driving, ten hours almost non-stop with only one major break to full up the gas tank with what little cash she has on her all while ignoring the pitiful looks the young teenage girl was constantly shooting her as she rang up Lana's total.

She was less than ten minutes away from Bozeman, less than ten minutes away to where she could finally feel safe for the first time in a decade.

So close, so fucking close and yet her past had finally caught up to her.

Clenching her fist until her knuckles turned white on the steering wheel from the grip, Lana knew exactly why the cop in the extended cab truck behind her was taking as long as he was; he was running the Washington state plate on the back of her old beat up red Ford F-150 with its own extended cab. There were many things Lana was and stupid was not one of them and she knew that as soon as Mark had gotten home, saw she was gone and so was her truck - and it was her truck. She had bought and paid for this truck with her own hard earned cash. The only reason his name was the only one of the pink slip was because he convinced her it was better for the insurance if it even had insurance because she knew the tags had expired on it long ago. It didn't explain why he hid her keys to it on her but thankfully she never told him she had found them one day well cleaning, keeling that information to herself in case...well...just in case.

The only real question she had was how long did he wait to put the call in to say either someone had stolen his truck or his crazy girlfriend was off her meds and had stolen his truck.

She wasn't fucking crazy no matter how many times he would tell her she was or how many times he would take her to doctors and try to get her on meds Lana knew she didn't need.

Her eyes flicked to her left, to the driver's side view mirror, as she heard the crusher door finally open and gravel crunch under heavy foot steps. In the dark, she couldn't really make out what the officer looked like but the headlights coming from the truck illuminated the officers silhouette enough that Lana could see they had one hand on their standard issued glock as their free hand, the one not on the gun, came up to silently tap the back of her dirty truck.

Lana let out a quiet sigh, flinching as her throat grated in pain at the very action, before sinking back into her seat as her eyes slowly trailed away from the reflection in the side-view mirror to the passenger seat where a lone picture - one of only four things she had made sure to grab in her mad dash out of the house and into her truck that hadn't moved in months - stared up at her.

She couldn't even recognize herself in that image.

Ten years could really change a person.

How much had her family changed?

It was a picture from a happier time, a time where she could smile and laugh without worrying if she was being too loud, where she could dance in the kitchen with mix-match socks to music she liked and not have to worry about anyone judging her for her taste in old country songs, and a time where she didn't have constantly look over her shoulder. She was happy in the picture; a wide smile on her face even if she was sat profile in the picture, grey eyes shining, blonde hair glowing in the late day sun and even held up in a loose ponytail it still ended at the middle of her back, staring up at a blood bay horse trying to steal the ten cowboy hat from off her head.

That girl in the picture was gone, long gone, and she was willing to bet all the money she had left in her pockets that the horse had been sold not even twenty four hours after she left.

She loved that horse. She loved her old life. Both were now gone like snow in the summer.

There is a knock at her window pulling Lana from her memories, the cop nearly blinding her already sore eyes,  and causing her headache that had just been simmering in the back of her head to come rushing forward, with the shine from his - and she could finally make out that it was an older male officer, slim build and with nearly a completely bald head - flashlight. It might have started to just turn light out, the sky turning from a deep black to a mix or purple and red hues, so the flashlight was not just there for show, it did still have some use in the situation besides blinding her.

"Ma'am, turn off the vehicle and step out of the truck please." His voice was muffled but Lana could still hear it in the deathly silent cab of her truck. The radio had died years ago, static being pretty much the only thing you could get out of the old sound system, and Mark had never let her take it in to be fixed, always claimed that why should they fix something they never used. Honestly, she was surprised he never sold her truck but maybe it was only because he could never find a poor fool to take it off his hands so it sat in their backyard under a tarp rusting away in the elements.

All the better for Lana anyway, him not being able to off load it into someone else's hands gave her a means of leaving Seattle.

Doing as the officer asked, but not before making sure to grab her wallet from the centre console and picture from the passenger seat, Lana slowly slid out of her truck with a wince of pain she couldn't try to smother away, crossing her arms over her chest to try and stave off the cool Montana breeze coming through so late at night while making sure to still have a good hold on all that she had left in the world.

She tried not to react as the officer - in this county he was really more of either a deputy or sheriff but she hadn’t been back in a deputy so she couldn’t say off the top of her head what his rank was - let out an audible 'Shit' as he took in the whole sight of her.

Lana hadn't looked in a mirror before she left home, ten years of practice avoiding her own reflection made her an expert of avoiding her own image in mirrors, but she knew it wasn't good. Hell, it was probably the worst it had ever been which explained why it took ten years for her to finally take off as she did. There was not a part of her that wasn't screaming in pain, the fact she had even made it ten hours driving was a miracle in itself. She was half surprised her raging headache hadn't caused her to go speeding off a cliff.

Part of her wondered what would have happened had she stayed and waited for Mark to come back.

The officer motioned for her to walk towards the front of his vehicle and walk would have been an extremely generous term for what Lana was able to do. If she had to race against a turtle, she'd tell people to bet their money on the turtle. She made it though, made it to the front of the police cruiser where she was told to empty her pockets of everything she had - not much with just her wallet with no license because that had been one of the first things Mark had destroyed when they started living together in Seattle that he forbid her from ever replacing, keys, and picture. No cell phone, she had left that in the million pieces she had last seen it in on the floor of her home she shared with Mark.

Once shared with Mark, she wasn't going back, not when she was so close to where she had set her sights on.

"Do you know why I've stopped you tonight." Lana could tell that statement from the officer wasn't a question and all she could do was nod her head, eyes casted downward to not make any sort of eye contact with the officer and hands rubbing up and down her bruised and cut exposed arms to try to stay warm. When she ran out that front door, she hadn't even stopped to grab her sweater hanging on a hook just inside the house it was the last thing on her mind and she never even considered the idea that she might get pulled over in the middle of the night. Now, she wished she would have grabbed it just to stop shivering as she was.

Lana was silent for the pat down, suppressing her flinch as the officer hit a particularly sore part of her ribs that she thought was at least bruised if not entirely broken, didn't even make a peep of noise as her hands were placed behind her back and she was escorted to the back of the truck, and helped in with a hand on her head.

At least the officer had the heat going so she was no longer freezing in just her once midnight blue t-shirt stained with red spots and black shorts. She was dressed for a lovely night in, sitting on the couch and watching a movie after enjoying a home-cooked meal with the man she loved not driving for over ten hours constantly looking over her shoulder expecting another vehicle to magically appear out of thin air and force her off the road.

How she had even made it this far without getting stopped by police with some of the things she had done during her rush to get the Hell out of dodge was a mystery even to her.

He stood back from the still opened door, one hand just on the edge of the frame giving her an ample amount of distance as he began speaking, “We both know why I pulled you over tonight, surprised you got as far as you did.” It’s strange to hear that Montana twang again after so long, Mark would roll his eyes at her when Lana’s own twang came out. His friends in Seattle thought it was novel the way her mouth formed words, Mark didn’t after the first year. “But, I’m not a dumb man. I pull over a vehicle reported stolen out of Seattle and I find a woman in your condition driving it, doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together here. You been driving straight since Seattle?” She only nodded at his question, her whole body throbbing with pain now that she didn’t have to solely focus on driving.

The officer gave a deep sigh, looked down at the gravel beneath his boots and tapped his left toe into the ground as he continued on, “I need you to be honest with me now, do you need the hospital?”

She knew the answer he wanted, Hell she even wanted to give it to him. But a hospital meant questions, and questions meant a paper trail that could lead Mark right back to her and she did not drive all this way just to get pulled back to Seattle within twelve hours. “No.” Her voice was a rasp, the bruising on her neck not doing her any favours in trying to speak. “I just want to go home.” As raspy as her voice might have been, she still managed to choke out the words.

Home.

She hadn’t been home in so long.

Would her Dad even accept her back? God, she hoped so.

Home had been a place she cried about while locked in the spare bathroom back at her house in Seattle, locked away behind a false sense of security as Mark raged upstairs at her, yelling, screaming, breaking plates, shattering picture frames that once hung on the wall in the hallway before he stormed out, slamming the door behind him and leaving Lana to pick up the pieces and act like nothing wrong had ever happened.

How often had she sat in the bathroom, wiping away tears and blood, hoping - praying - that one of her siblings would show up out of the blue, one of the ranch hands would show up out of the blood, her father would show up out of the blue and see just what she had been going through ever since that day she packed up a duffle bag full of clothes, jumped into her truck, and ran off with her boyfriend because he said he would give her the world.

He lied, he didn’t give her the world he only took everything she ever had away from her.

This, this running away, was her way of taking something back.

“And where is home for you?” Lana shifted in her seat, rolling her shoulders back as far as she could go without pulling her already sore muscles before looking the deputy in the eye.

“Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.” She watched the way his face lost all colour, pale like fresh winter snow as she fixed him with a tired stare. “I’m Lana Dutton.”

*

John Dutton knew he was a politician, a rancher, a widower, and a father all in that order. A man does not become the owner of the largest cattle ranch in all of Montana without making a few sacrifices to get there, even if some of those sacrifices included his own children and grandchildren.

None of his kids could understand why he did the things he did, and he didn’t expect them or want them to understand for many more years until they were standing in his exact position planning for the future of the ranch that had been in the family for over one hundred and thirty years and he hoped that it would stay in the family for at least another one hundred and thirty more.

He rested against the fence to one of the round pens, just watching the sun crest the mountains on the horizon as the farm hands woke up to start doing morning chores. He had fond memories himself of working alongside his own father when he was a much younger man, and even fonder memories of working the farm with all his kids when all five were still living on the farm with him.

“Morin’, sir.” John barely cast a glance over his shoulder as, arguably, his most loyal ranch hand and wrangler came up on his right side and handed one of the two mugs of coffee the stocky and dark haired man was holding. Some days, John couldn’t help but smile inwardly at the man the once stocky and filled with more hate than smarts boy had become. He once asked his own father how he knew which ones to give the second chance to, he had just said it was a feeling that came with experience. John hadn’t known what he meant until he was watching a young Rip Wheeler scarf down a sandwich like it was the best thing he had ever eaten.

“Rip.” He greeted with a quick head nod, taking the offered mug and holding it in both hands. There was a slight chill in the early morning air, nothing wrapping bare hands around a warm cup of coffee couldn’t fix. “Beautiful morning.” As if to punctate his words there was a sound of hooves hitting solid wood from beyond the open barn doors behind them followed by a ‘Son of a bitch’ and a ‘Fuck you, Ares’ from his eldest son. Didn’t take a genius for him to figure out what had happened there.

Rip let out a dry cough of a laugh, “Never a dull mornin’ with Ares in the barn.”

“You can say that again.” John let out his own small chuckle of a laugh, turning with Rip to watch his oldest come storming out of the white and black lined horse barn behind them, cursing up a storm, hitting his tan well worn cowboy hat against his leg in anger. “He get you son?” John called out to his eldest Lee as the young man in question took notice of himself and Rip standing out by the pens.

Some days, John could swear it was like looking in a mirror to a time when he was a much younger man any time her looked at his sons Lee and Kayce, they both took after him so much it was hard to see any of their mother and his late wife whereas his two daughters were the exact opposite to their brothers; so much of their mother and not enough of him.

Lee held up his left arm, showing the rip in the sleeve of his shirt, “Nothin’ a needle and thread can’t fix.” He came up to stand just a few feet away from John, all three of them standing in the silence of the morning only broken up by the noises of the ranch waking up and the odd addition of hooves hitting a stall door. “When’s the farrier supposed to get here?”

“Tomorrow.” John took a sip of his coffee, still hot thankfully, as he addressed his son. He would take a walk through with Rip and Lee at the end of the day and make do a final count of who was getting their feet trimmed tomorrow, he already had a dozen horses lined up including Ares - much to everyone’s dismay of having to deal with the temperamental stallion - and it wouldn’t hurt to add more to the list if for any reason then to just make sure everyone was good for the next two months or so.

His own father would have gotten rid of the stud long ago, if the stallion was in a mood no one could get close to him - as Lee’s shirt sleeve was evidence of - and he always seemed to be in a mood these days. He wasn’t making the farm any money, hadn’t in years since no one could get close to him to bring him in and get a collection for a covering, and pretty much lived in a roughly five acre fenced in area of cattle pasture until there was a big snow storm coming or the farrier was coming down, then it would take a day to go out, catch the stallion, and bring him in for however long they needed.

“At least he didn’t lose his blanket this time.” Lee joked with them and they all shared a laugh at that painful memory. Just bringing in the stallion took at least three people and could last the better part of a day, trying to get blankets on and off the stud was an all hands on deck job.

Quiet moments like these, before the sun was high in the sky, while the wranglers were just getting the day started, was what made all the pain and frustration of the day to come worthwhile. Sure, there was cattle to move, fences to check, calves to brand, bills to pay, and fires to put out but they could be worries for him to deal with after her morning coffee.

Lee’s face pinched with eyes narrowed, “Sheriff comin’ up the drive.” His chin jutted out quickly in the direction of the house and, sure enough, John could just make out the yellow gold lettering for Park County Sheriff Department on the side of the black truck that was coming up the driveway and stopping at the front door of the main house. “Early start for him,” Donnie Haskell was easily identifiable to John from just his bald head, not that John was doing much better in the hair department. “What do you think the chances of this have something to do with Kayce?”

“Watch it.” He chastised lightly, tipping back his mug to finish off his mug of coffee, “He’s still your brother.” And that was a bridge he himself was trying to rebuild after burning it into nothing with his own hands. There were not many things he regretted in his life but driving his own son away to the point where he barely saw his first grandchild and grandson.

Not that Lee was wrong, Kayce did seem to be his most trouble laden child. A bad penny that one was.

“I’ll go see what he wants.” It couldn’t have been good for Donnie to be here this early in the morning and John couldn’t think of anything off the top of his head that could immediately be traced back to his name or the farm. “Get chores done then take some boys up to the far fields and check fences." He didn't wait for Rip or Lee to respond to his orders knowing that they would follow without question as he started making his way up the path from the barns to the main house. It wasn't a long walk but it also wasn't a short one in the slightest.

Sure enough, it was Donnie standing and leaning against the front of his truck with brows furrowed and full of stress as he kicked at the gravel underneath his boots. "Sheriff." His voice was flat as he came up to stand a few feet from Donnie, eyes catching a quick glimpse of someone sitting in the back of the truck but not enough of that person to really make out noticeable features.

"John." There was stress in his voice and a hand running over his face did nothing to take away any of that stress. "Pulled over a truck this morning, reported stolen out of Seattle." If anyone was to ask John how this conversation with a man he once thought of as a friend was to start, it wasn't like this. "Probably gonna be too busy to get a tow out there until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. If it's not where I left it, east about ten minutes outside of Bozeman on the I-90 I'll just have to assume that someone stole it for parts." There was a look in Donnie's eyes as both men stared each other down and John knew that for all the blood between the both of them, Donnie was also trying to get a message through to the rancher without outright saying what that message was.

Stolen truck on the I-90, get rid of it for me.

"You get the driver?" John crossed his arms over his chest loosely, resting his weight back on his heels, his mug just held loosely in his hand by two fingers through the handle.

Donnie just nodded. That wasn't a good sign.

"What is-"

"It's not good, John." Donnie's voice was hard, as he cleared his throat roughly. "It might be the worst I've seen in awhile. She didn't want to go to the hospital and I can't force her there.” John’s eyes dart from Donnie’s worried ones to try and get a look at the girl that must be sitting in the back of the truck but the tinted window makes it hard, he thinks her hair might be a light shade of blonde and cut short to her shoulders but that’s about it. “I know how this usually goes, she’s not gonna want to press charges so I can’t do anything but at least a hospital can document it all, keep a paper trail for when she does want to press them. But, you need to convince her to go because you might be the only one who could make her go.” He pushes himself off the front of his truck, his own arms dropping to hang at his side as he makes steps to open the back door of his truck. “After all, she is your daughter.” There is a look in Donnie’s eyes as he says it but John can’t put a name on what the look is.

Daughter? Beth was supposed to be in Salt Lake City, not anywhere close to Bozeman and sure as Hell not getting caught driving a stolen truck; that would kill her career in a heartbeat. And if it was Beth, why would she be in Seattle of all places?

He should have know it wasn’t Beth in the back of the truck, should have known from the black of screaming and thumping of heels kicking the divider between the front and back seats, should have known it couldn’t have been Beth that stolen a truck in Seattle because he had just talked to his eldest daughter a few days ago before and she was heading to New York for a merger.

That didn’t matter though because he knew the young woman, the girl, his daughter, that Donnie helped out of the back of his truck with both hands to keep her steady as she hopped out because her legs were like a newborn colt only minutes old and standing for the first with how much they shook.

John locked eyes with her, the last time he had seen those grey eyes had been ten years ago when they had been full of hate and rage, glaring with fire as he told his daughter under no certain terms was he going to allow her boyfriend to move onto the ranch and live in the main house with her nor was he going to let her move off the ranch to live with her boyfriend where John couldn’t watch their interactions. He couldn’t put it into words she would understand, for as good a politician as he could be words failed him at that moment, he couldn’t find the right words to tell her that he didn’t like her boyfriend because there was something about him that made him uneasy and it didn’t matter how much she claimed they were in love, John would never change his opinion.

She was only eighteen, a prime example of the old adage about young love, and John fully expected that she would come to her senses in a few months and realize this Mark boy was not the man for her but instead, after both of them storming off and going to their separate bedroom on opposite sides of the main house, John had woken up that morning to find her closest empty and her truck missing from the drive.

His frantic phone calls just went to voice mail, as did the calls from all his other kids and from the ranch hands who had her number.

Ten years of silence.

No phone calls. No letters. No emails. No texts.

Silence.

None of that mattered. Nothing mattered mattered in that moment, not even how his mug shattered into piece as it fell from his hand nor how the sound of the sheriff truck door shutting was like a gun shot so early in the morning, because his youngest child, his youngest daughter, was finally home.

“Hi Daddy.” Her half smile was watery, as if it pained her to even make a full one, as Donnie helped guide her closer with a hand on her elbow and a hand on her back.

He let out the breath he was holding, “Lana.”

[irisbleufic]

So, I spent the last 5 days of sitting around with this serious arm injury rereading the very first epic fic series I ever wrote. Although the posting dates on the below chapters are all 18 November 2013, the reality is that these were originally posted as individual stories on LiveJournal throughout the entirety of 2004 and into the spring of 2005. Those were my junior and senior years of college. This series was the last thing I relocated from LJ to AO3, and I was too exhausted to do a proper comb-through for typos and minor formatting issues.

Well, that state of things is no more. I cleaned up all of the editorial issues during this week’s rewatch-the-film-and-reread-my-fic binge. I also changed the names of a few of the chapters (they’re really stories strung together), although not drastically. The chapter called “Clippings” used to be called “Business,” “Spiral” used to be called “You Must Listen to Me Now,” and “Closer to Fine” used to be called “The Middle of Things.”

I had an ask a few days ago along the lines of: What the hell is Toy Soldiers, anyway? On the surface, it’s a 1991 action movie/teen drama. It stars a young Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton as Billy Tepper and Joey Trotta, the central protagonists among the cast of younger characters. At the time I saw it in early 2004, I had only ever seen Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings. And, incredibly, I didn’t even know who Wil Wheaton was.

That might be one reason I was able to take this film to heart so earnestly (i.e. I completely lacked knowledge of Wesley Crusher, Wheaton’s Star Trek character from around that time who it was traditional to mock, although I still don’t get why). However, the primary reason this film wrecked the back end of my 2004 spring break was that I had watched The Celluloid Closet for the first time only days before watching Toy Soldiers.

I challenge any queer person to watch this documentary (about the Hays Code and the horrible fate met by queer-coded and queer characters in cinema) and this under-appreciated action film back to back and come out of it without feeling devastated and furious about what happens to Billy and Joey. Especially to Joey. And now, in an era of rampant school shootings and hostage situations, Toy Soldiers hits with even more gravity than it did in the 1990s and early 2000s.

These boys are where it started for me. Every every horrific canon media ending that has ever made me furious, every hundreds-of-thousands-of-words long fix-it series I’ve written in the past 19 years, can be traced back to this moment. This string of stories was what I wrote before I ever wrote the likes of Crown of Thorns (Good Omens), Anthology (Pacific Rim), and Delicate, Dangerous, Obsessed (Gotham). Hell, one of my instrumental original characters in CoT appeared for the first time at the end of Book of Hours before I ever thought to use her in a Good Omens context.

This story has meant the world to me even though the fandom around it at the time of writing, and even now, was never more than about 20 people. Most of those people are still with me, the dearest friends I could ever hope to have 💙

*

Chapter Index for The Series / Book of Hours by irisbleufic

1. Stereotypical (2013-11-18)

2. Persuasion (2013-11-18)

3. Taste Testing (2013-11-18)

4. Leaving a Mark (2013-11-18)

5. Trick or Treat (2013-11-18)

6. Omerta (2013-11-18)

7. Translation (2013-11-18)

8. Sketches (2013-11-18)

9. Falling (2013-11-18)

10. Caught (2013-11-18)

11. What It Takes (2013-11-18)

12. Noteworthy (2013-11-18)

13. These Shadows Have Offended (2013-11-18)

14. Love Never Did Run Smooth (2013-11-18)

15. Within Reason (2013-11-18)

16. Composure (2013-11-18)

17. Clippings (2013-11-18)

18. Without End (2013-11-18)

19. Prologue: Every Hour (2013-11-18)

20. Book of Hours: Part 1 (2013-11-18)

21. Book of Hours: Part 2 (2013-11-18)

22. Flashback: Spiral (2013-11-18)

23. Flashback: Silver (2013-11-18)

24. The Orchids (2013-11-18)

25. Closer to Fine (2013-11-18)

[frecklenog]

He’s supposed to report to Commander Sisko’s office. To greet his new CO. To get his first assignment. To make a good impression.

Unfortunately, his parasympathetic nervous system seems to have other plans.

The shuttle ride to Deep Space Nine — once a Cardassian command outpost called Terok Nor, now owned by the Bajorans and operated in tandem with Starfleet — was largely uneventful, in most senses of the word. They weren’t attacked, no one was taken control of by a mysterious virus, and none of the systems malfunctioned. He had even made a friend on the journey.

At least, he thinks he did. But it’s hard to tell with his stomach roiling this much.

There isn’t much he can do for the feeling. It’s an autonomic response. Anxiety, stress, elevated cortisol, nausea. It’s not new. But it hasn’t been this bad since Captain Picard, Beverly, and Geordi were fighting for his right to seek asylum in a place where he could feel safe. It’s like he’s fifteen again, his head spinning with overwhelm and his digestive tract fighting anything not supplied by his nutrient synthesizer. Except now he eats regularly, and the feeling is crawling up his throat like an insect, making him gag.

His stress distracted him from downloading a map of the station, but miraculously, he manages to find a bathroom. He doesn’t realize which one he’s in until a humanoid woman (Trill, Starfleet science uniform, early thirties—) quietly opens the door and sits a little ways away from him.

“First day, huh?”

He lets out a shaky breath, gripping the rim of the toilet. “Y-yes, sir.”

“What’s your name?”

“Thir—” He stops himself. Shuts his eyes tight and shakes his head. Not Third of Five. He hasn’t been Third of Five for a long time. He spits chyme. “…Hugh.” Stars, his voice is small. “My name is Hugh.”

(Counselor Troi told him that was a more natural way to introduce himself than “I am Hugh.” He wants to sound natural. Human. Even though he isn’t; not really. Not fully. He never will be. He’ll never completely human, and to pretend otherwise is foolish, and he was wrong to come here and he never should have left the Enterprise and he misses Geordi and—)

“Oh, yeah. I heard you were gonna be transferring here. You’ve been working under Doctor Crusher, right? On the Enterprise?”

Hugh manages to look up, and she’s smiling at him so easily, like he was never part of anything horrible. Like he was never dangerous at all. Like he might not be still. Even with dark hair and spots down the sides of her face, she reminds him of Beverly. Even with pale skin and blue eyes, she reminds him of Geordi.

“…Yes.”

“I’m Jadzia Dax.” She offers him her hand. He shakes it, all too aware of the fact that his biosynthetic hand doesn’t sweat, but is almost always clammy. “It’s nice to meet you, Hugh.”

He manages a little smile, even though he’s still shaking. “It’s nice to meet you too, Jadzia Dax.”

[straightbaittournament]

only the option with the LEAST votes will be eliminated. propaganda under the cut (and more always welcome!):

jean-luc picard and beverly crusher:

They have a number of romantic moments throughout the TNG series from arguably the first but DEFINITELY the second episode. but they only get together (briefly before divorcing) in an alternate timeline episode which is also the season finale. Also they have a kid together in Picard but are still not allowed to be together She was married to his best friend and he was in love with her but wouldn’t say anything because he wouldn’t want to damage his bestie’s marriage and then his friend died and they met again years later and shared a lot of romantic and sexual tension for years. He openly admitted (under mind reading) that he had loved her since his bestie was alive but felt he couldn’t act on it. In an alternate future they got married. In the canon future they got together and broke up repeatedly because trauma makes relationships hard sometimes and they have a kid together who is named after the aforementioned bestie. An episode forcing them to share thoughts makes him openly admit that he loves her and has loved her for years even when she was married to his best friend.

kit herondale and livvy blackthorn:

They were literally straight bait. So Kit, Livvy and Livvy’s twin brother Ty were a trio with their own side plots in TDA. And well. We literally meet Kit when Ty breaks into his house and puts a knife to his throat and Kit gets distracted by Ty’s eyes. Then later Kit and Livvy have a few moments and kiss once. Then Livvy dies. There are some necromancy shenanigans. Kit confesses his love to Ty then immediately flees the country. Like Kit/Ty was clearly endgame from the start but Livvy and Kit just made out once.

galo and aina (submitted as lio and galo):

Iirc, the whole time the audience was set up to believe that Galo will get together with a teammate named Aina (i might be completely wrong but i think she showed romantic interest in him). That's what usually happens, anyways. However, studio trigger turned that premise on its head with Galo's budding relationship with Lio. In order to save Lio, Galo kissed him. They kissed.

jeff winger and britta perry:

the show starts off with jeff creating the study group so that he can get with britta, they serve essentially as narrative foils, with jeff not caring about people and britta caring too much about people, they nearly get married on THREE (3) separate occasions, they're secret friends with benefits for an entire season but break up when the group finds out, they're the only two people from the core group left in greendale when the show ends; but in the end they make jeff's "true love interest" the girl who was half his age when the show started (36/18)...

angel and cordelia chase:

They met as characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but their dynamic doesn't take off until the Angel spinoff Because the showrunners of Angel didn't go in with the idea of putting these two together, the characters' friendship was allowed to develop organically without the assumption of romance, which then made the realization of their feelings for each other more satisfying. Unfortunately the shadow of Bangel (Buffy x Angel) still held over Angel's character, so I think it was a hard sell at the time and didn't gain a lot of popularity in the years since. Both these two characters grew alongside each other, supported each other, and despite knowing that they loved each other, let each other go to pursue their destinies. A really underrated het pairing!

matthew and mary crawley:

They spend multiple seasons full of tension to get their happy ever after. There are so many tropes used between these two. They finally get their shit together and get married, and then have a beautiful child together. Matthew is so happy about his child being born that he doesn't pay attention to the road and fucking DIES IN A CAR CRASH. And that's how their story ends. It makes me so livid every time I think about it lol they really killed him off like that right after and I mean RIGHT AFTER his child is born. It's so foul and every man that they set Mary up with after that doesn't feel nearly the same

keiichi maebara and rena ryugu:

Fluffy harem romcom twists into yandere horror, but then twists again into a story of friendship triumphing over everything. Really holds for any pairing with Keiichi, but the rooftop battle in part 6 is just too good. A recent manga spinoff has them married to total randos, so their respective sons can have the same kind of relationship.

raleigh beckett and mako mori:

Literally everything about the writing of Pacific Rim make it seem like they're setting up for a romance between these two and then they just. Don't. Despite this, "drift compatable" was one of the most popular AUs for couples after the film came out for a hot minute because of how romantic they made the concept seem. *gestures to the entire movie* seriously (note: "drift compatible" essentially describes an in-universe quality of the relationship between raleigh and mako, meaning this quality was so romantic that it would be implemented for other ships in au fanfics)

kagome higurashi and inuyasha from inuyasha:

Long time until they get together, with teasing moments

bow and glimmer:

They didn’t get together until the VERY END of the whole show and even then it was a little ambiguous (was it a BFF “I love you?” 🤷🏼‍♀️)

good luck everybody! now go vote!

[divinemissem13]

Good To The Last Drop

Prompt: Flufftober, day 31: Dreams do come true (tumblr)/ Halloween costumes (reddit) Fandoms: Star Trek (VOY, PIC) Ship: Beverly Crusher/ Kathryn Janeway AO3 Link

Beverly loves Halloween and is determined that, by the end of the day, Kathryn will love it too.

“Trick or treat!” Beverly bounces onto the bed with a level of exuberance usually displayed by a much younger woman.

Kathryn groans and pulls the blanket over her head before mumbling, “You’d better have coffee or else this is a very mean trick.”

Beverly leans over and pulls the blanket back down so that she can waft the cup of coffee under Kathryn’s nose. Kathryn cautiously opens one eye to assess the situation before she sits up and takes the novelty Halloween mug from Beverly. It is shaped like a pumpkin with a stem curled around to form the handle, but Kathryn can overlook the ridiculous mug as long as the coffee is good.

Beverly waits, somewhat patiently, for Kathryn to have enough coffee to allow for a real ‘good morning.’ Her eyes gleam and sparkle, though, betraying her calm outward demeanor to Kathryn who eyes her over the rim of the mug. 

Kathryn finishes about half of the coffee and then finally musters up an amused smile for her partner. “I know you have a thing for ghosts, but I had no idea you were so into Halloween,” she teases, thinking about a very particular ghost from Beverly’s past.

Beverly rolls her eyes and scoots up to lean against the headboard next to Kathryn. “Oh, yes, you know me and ghosts: that’s why I find it so charming when you pull the bed sheets over your head,” Beverly says sarcastically, wondering why she ever thought it was a good idea to tell Kathryn about Ronin. She does love Halloween though, and this one in particular, so she forgives Kathryn easily and leans over to give her a peck on the cheek. “Good morning, by the way,” she says, casually tucking her head into Kathryn’s shoulder and knitting their legs together under the covers. 

Kathryn kisses the top of her head and the two sit quietly, basking in the autumn sun and in each other. This is Kathryn’s favorite part of the day and she dreads the last sip of coffee because it means they will have to get up and get ready to face the world outside of their bedroom. So she drinks her first cup of coffee now much slower than she used to, sometimes even starting a conversation to stall the inevitable. 

“So tell me, what is it about Halloween?” she nudges Beverly gently to elicit an answer.

Keep reading on AO3 (sorry this is a long one!)

[nameofallteams]

399 Slam Dunk Basketball Team Names To Elevate Your Game 🏀

Basketball is not just a sport; it’s a culture, a way of life, and an opportunity to bond with friends, coworkers, and even strangers over a love for the game. One of the most exciting parts of forming a basketball team—whether it’s for a local league, a company event, or just a casual game—is picking the perfect team name. A great basketball team name can embody your team’s personality, make a statement, and intimidate your opponents. Whether you want something funny, intimidating, or completely original, here’s a list of 399 slam-dunk basketball team names to inspire your squad and elevate your game. Funny Basketball Team Names Humor is a great way to create a relaxed and fun environment on the court. A clever, funny team name will get people talking and help build camaraderie. - Dunkin' Donuts - Hoop Dreams and Nightmares - The Ball Hoggers - Dribblers Anonymous - Alley-Oops Anonymous - Swish Kebabs - The Dunkin’ Dudes - Air Ballers - The Rim Jobs - Basket Cases - Net Results - Bricklayers United - The Foul Trouble Crew - Court Jesters - Hoops I Did It Again - Dunkaroos - Jump Shots and Laughs - No Love No Layups - Slam Drunk - The Travel Agents Cool & Creative Basketball Team Names These names are for those who want to strike the right balance between creativity and coolness, making your team stand out. - Net Rippers - Court Kings - Swaggy Shooters - Full Court Press - Sky Walkers - The Paint Predators - Rim Rockers - Three-Point Titans - The Fast Breakers - Dunk Dynasty - The High Flyers - Buzzer Beaters - Above The Rim - Ballistic - Cross Over Crew - Net Raiders - The And-Ones - Half Court Heroes - The Rebound Rebels - Drive & Dish Badass & Intimidating Team Names Sometimes you want to put a little fear into the hearts of your opponents. These intimidating names will make your team seem like a force to be reckoned with. - The Slam Squad - Thunder Dunkers - The Court Crushers - Fear The Gear - The Fastbreak Fiends - Full Metal Nets - Alley-Oop Assassins - The Backboard Breakers - The Rebound Reapers - The Dunk Demons - The Basket Brawlers - Air Strike Squad - The Full Court Pressers - Iron Nets - Raging Dunkers - The Rim Wreckers - The Block Party - Dunking Dominators - The Thunder Slams - The Court Crushers Unique Basketball Team Names If you're after something no other team has thought of, these names will help set your team apart. - Board to Death - Hoopin’ Hollers - Net Warriors - Cross-Court Kings - Dunking Divas - On the Rebound - The Pivot Posse - Passing Perfectionists - Bounce Back Squad - Hoopsters United - Court Stormers - The Fast Break Five - The Floater Flyers - Post Up Players - The Layup Legends - The Pick Pockets - The Stepback Stars - Pivot Players - Triple-Double Trouble - The Paint Masters Names Inspired by Famous Players & Teams These names pay homage to legendary players and teams, giving your team a sense of historical significance. - Jordanaires - LeBron’s Legion - Shaq Attack - Kobe's Court - Magic's Men - Pippen Ain’t Easy - Curry’s Kids - Durant’s Dynasty - The Bird Watchers - The Dream Team - Nash Bashers - King James’ Court - Wade’s Warriors - Rodman’s Rebounders - Russell Hustlers - Giannis' Gang - The Big Fundamentalists (Duncan) - Splash Brothers - The Stockton Shockers - Melo's Marshals Themed Team Names (Movies, Pop Culture, and Beyond) For fans of pop culture, naming your team after your favorite movie or TV series adds a fun twist. - Space Jam Squad - The Mighty Hoopers - Toon Squad - The Avengers of the Court - Game of Zones - Hoosiers Heroes - Space Jam Dunkers - The Basketball Jedi - Slam Trek - The Hoop Avengers - Hoopton Abbey - The Dunkfather - Fast & Furious Breakers - Dribble & Dragons - The Dark Knight Dunkers - Back to the Basket - Rebound Royale - The Marvelous Shooters - Breaking Backboards - Mad Hoopers Women’s Basketball Team Names Empower your women's basketball team with these awesome, bold names! - Lady Ballers - The Dunk Divas - She Shoots, She Scores - Net Queens - Ballerinas - The Rebound Queens - Dunkin’ Dames - Swish Sisters - Lady Dunkers - Air Angels - The Hoopsterettes - Fast Break Femmes - Shooting Stars - Net Chicks - Femme Fatales of the Court - The Shot Callers - Layup Ladies - The Hooptastics - The Post Players - Dunking Divas Youth Basketball Team Names For younger players, fun, motivational names that capture energy and enthusiasm are perfect. - Tiny Dunkers - Hoops Heroes - Little Ballers - The Jump Shooters - Mini Hoopers - The Little Giants - Rising Stars - The Junior Dunkers - Future All-Stars - Swish Squad - Court Kings and Queens - High Hopes Hoopers - Jump Shot Juniors - Basket Blasters - The Net Ninjas - Dunking Dreamers - Fast Break Kids - Rookie Rebounders - Young Guns - Hoop Hounds Corporate Basketball Team Names For company leagues and office teams, blending work-related themes into your basketball team name can be a fun way to keep the competitive spirit alive. - Net Worth - The MVPs (Most Valuable Professionals) - Boardroom Dunkers - Excel-erators - Courtroom Crushers - The Layup Lawyers - Full Court Accountants - Office Dribblers - Rebound Recruiters - The Marketing Dunkers - Break Room Ballers - Hoop Troop - The Productivity Dunkers - HR Dunk Squad - Slam Dunk Analysts - Email Layups - Corporate Climbers - The Out-of-Office Dunkers - Executive Ballers - The Meeting Room Dunkers Classic Basketball Team Names These names are timeless and always popular, capturing the spirit of basketball while remaining simple and effective. - Hoopsters - The Dunk Squad - Net Burners - The Jump Shooters - Court Rulers - The Layup Legends - The Dribblers - Dunk Masters - Buzzer Beaters - Alley-Oops - The Crossovers - Free Throw Pros - The Fast Breakers - The Rebounders - Dunk City - The Ball Busters - Jump Shot Kings - Rim Rockers - The 3-Point Shooters Additional Unique & Fun Basketball Team Names Still haven’t found the perfect name? Here are even more options to consider. - Court Warriors - Sky High Dunkers - Triple Threat - Hustle & Heart - Court Enforcers - The Inbounders - Full Court Pressers - Half-Court Hustlers - The Zone Defenders - The Pick-and-Rollers - Swish Machine - Fast Break Specialists - Out of Bounds Crew - The Benchwarmers - The Crossover Kings - Hoop Hustlers - The Ball Busters - Court Cravers - Post Play Pros - The Offense Orchestrators Creative Team Names for Pick-Up Games Sometimes a spontaneous name for pick-up games is needed, and you want something quick but fun! - Pickup Dunkers - Half Court Hustle - The Short Shorts - Streetball Stars - Swishers and Dishers - Courtside Kings - 3-and-D Squad - City Dunkers - The Asphalt - Court Crushers - Hoop Hounds - The Parking Lot Pros - Recess Dunkers - Streetball Soldiers - Off The Glass - Layup Legends - Pickup Pros - The Net Nets - Hoops on Fire - Baller Blockers - Playground Powerhouses - Pick and Pop Crew - The Hustle Squad - Blacktop Ballers - The Short-Handed Shooters - Backyard Ballers - Ball is Life Crew - Pick-Up Game Pros Basketball Team Names Inspired by City/Location Representing a city or a specific place can bring a lot of pride to your team. These names can give your squad a sense of identity and community spirit. - The Harlem Hoopsters - Venice Beach Ballers - Bronx Bouncers - Chicago Sky Walkers - Miami Heatwave - Brooklyn Buckets - Dallas Dunkers - New York Dribblers - Las Vegas Ballers - The LA Fast Breakers - Boston Blockers - Philadelphia 3-Pointers - Atlanta Air Walkers - Houston Hoopstars - Detroit Dunkmasters - Oakland Rebounders - Seattle Slam - Denver Dunkaroos - Toronto Hoops Heroes - San Francisco Swishers Punny Basketball Team Names A clever play on words can go a long way. If you want something humorous but with a witty edge, these pun-based team names are a slam dunk. - Nothing But Net Income - Air Apparent - Swishin’ Impossible - Rebound Rover - Let’s Get Technical - Pippen Ain't Easy - Slammin’ Salmon - Hoop There It Is! - The Jumpshot Jugglers - The Dunkin’ Dandies - Rebound and Snap - The Alley Whoops - Ball of Duty - Jumpshot Junkies - The Swish Army - Slammin' & Jammin' - Space Jammed - Backcourt Brawlers - Hoops I Did It Again - Brick Squad Dynamic & Fast-Paced Basketball Team Names For those teams that want to emphasize their fast-paced, up-tempo style of play, these names will reflect that energy and excitement. - The Turbo Dunkers - Lightning Layups - Fastbreak Fiends - Quick Release Crew - Rapid Rebounders - The Blitz Ballers - Flash Dribblers - The Shot Clock Shockers - Speedy Dunkmasters - Quick Hands, Quick Hoops - Full Throttle Hoops - High-Speed Hoopers - Fast and Furious Dunkers - Swish and Sprint - The Turbo Treys - No Time to Dribble - Hustle and Flow Hoopers - Swift Shooters - Speedball Dunkers Basketball Team Names for 3-on-3 Teams The smaller teams in 3-on-3 basketball games demand their own special identity. These names are perfect for 3-player teams looking to dominate on a smaller court. - Triple Threats - The 3-Point Bandits - Trio of Terror - The Triangle Offense - Triple Double Trouble - Three The Hard Way - Triple Swish - The Treblemakers - Three’s Company - The 3-Pointer Posse - Tri-Dunk Team - The Fast Three - Dunking Trio - Three-Peat Treat - Tri Hoops Terror - Triple Jumpers - Third Time’s the Charm - Three on the Key - Three-Point Titans 5-on-5 Team Names For the traditional 5-on-5 basketball format, these names bring together teamwork and the essence of classic basketball. - Fab Five - Fast Break Fives - The Starting Five - Five Alive - Full Court Fab Five - The High Five Dunkers - Five Guys No Fries - Five on Fire - The Famous Five - High Five Hoopsters - Five-A-Side Slammers - Fantastic Five - Five Fingers of Fury - The Power Five - Five-for-Five Dunkers - Starting Lineup Legends - First Five Finishers - The Furious Five - Five-Man Show Defense-Oriented Basketball Team Names If your team prides itself on being defensive stalwarts, these names will give your opponents a heads-up about your skills. - Block Party - The Lockdown Defenders - No Easy Buckets - Full Court Pressure - The Paint Protectors - Rim Rejectors - Shot Blockers - The Rebound Renegades - Brickhouse Defense - Defense Wins Games - Hands Up Defense - The Steal Squad - Court Invaders - Paint Patrol - The Rejection Crew - Zone Enforcers - The Defensive Dynamos - Backcourt Blockers - The Pickpocket Players - Perimeter Protectors Basketball Team Names for Tournament Play For tournament teams, you need a name that’s not only memorable but strikes fear into your competitors. - The Bracket Busters - The Tournament Titans - Slam Dunk Champs - Last Team Standing - The Final Four - Elite Eight Dunkers - March Madness Ballers - Championship Hoopsters - The Hoops Champions - Trophy Seekers - The Tournament Dunkers - Top Seeders - The Knockout Kings - Racket Wreckers - The Court Conquerors - Tournament Terrors - The Balling Brackets - Slammed and Sealed - Big Bracket Dunkers - The Finalists All-Time Creative Basketball Team Names Lastly, if you're looking for something truly out-of-the-box, these names push the creative boundaries. - Dunking Dragons - Air Traffic Controllers - Hoop Hooligans - The Net Navigators - Jump Shot Jackals - Above the Rim Wreckers - Dribble and Dashers - Swish Squad Supreme - Sky-High Dunkers - Backcourt Bruisers - The Full Court Funk - Slam Surgeons - Hoop Troopers - Dunk 'Til Dawn - The Hardwood Hustlers Conclusion Choosing the right basketball team name can inspire your team, create unity, and send a message to your opponents. Whether you want a name that’s funny, intimidating, or creative, this list of 399 slam-dunk basketball team names should help you find the perfect one to elevate your game. So, gather your squad, hit the court, and let your team name shine just as bright as your game! What’s your favorite basketball team name from the list? Feel free to share your own creative ideas in the comments below! Read Also Read the full article

[mylifeinfiction]

Night Shift by Stephen King

I thought I had peeked over the rim of the universe and into the fires of hell itself.

No matter how great the stories within wind up being, short story collections are always such sluggish reads, for me. Compared to the last King short story collection I read, Skeleton Crew, I think  Night Shift easily wins, though. There may have not been any stories in here quite as staggering as The Jaunt, but there were definitely more that I really liked/loved, in general. Plus, my Top 5 Stories - One for the Road, I Am the Doorway, Children of the Corn, The Ledge & Graveyard Shift - are absolute knockouts! Just brilliantly effective, exciting, nightmare inducing storytelling. Either way, rating and reviewing short story collections is a pain in the ass, for me, so I'm going with an approach that generally seems to work. Here are my thoughts on each story:

*As Always With This Type of Review... POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!*

Jerusalem’s Lot : It took me way too long for me to get into it, because of the letter format, but once I did I really liked it. The first visit to the Lot and then the exploration of the basement were extremely unsettling/damn near terrifying. Love the revelation that’s Charles isn’t the last Boone. - 7.5/10

Graveyard Shift : A Top 5 Story. This was great. Creepy, skin-crawling, claustrophobic. The raw material of so many nightmares. Rats... Ugh. Bats... Ugh. Subbasements... Ugh. Asshole foremen... Ugh. - 9.5/10

Night Surf : A Capt. Trips story. Unlikable characters in the aftermath of the Trips epidemic, wandering around a desolate ex-tourist trap beach. They just burned a man infected with Trips and are coming to terms with it (I guess?). One of them has it now. Totally meh story. Was very happy when I could move on to the next one. - 2.5/10

I Am the Doorway : A Top 5 Story. (Maybe #1?) Fantastic cosmic horror about a man who grows eyes in the hands after coming back to earth from an exploratory mission orbiting Venus. They’re a doorway to some horrific world that wants to destroy us. He goes to desperate measures to stop them. Then he goes further. It’s weird. It’s creepy. It’s hopeless. I loved it. - 10/10

The Mangler : An industrial ironer is possessed and killing or severely harming workers at the cleaners. A rock solid story about the machines we make to make our lives easier turning on us. It's a theme King tackles often, and when it works, it really works wonders. These stories generally work especially well for me because I’ve always had a fear/distrust of large, dangerous machines like this one. Whether it was the trash compactor or cardboard crusher when I worked at Target or the redemption machines at the liquor store I worked at as a teenager, or even the band saw in Jr. High shop class, I always felt like no matter how safe I was, it wouldn’t matter. That made this especially creepy. - 8/10

The Boogeyman : The reason I chose this collection as my next King. I wanted to get it in before seeing the movie. Since then, I've decided I'll probably be waiting for it to hit streaming, but whatever. This was often chilling. If you don’t take a second (or third, or… shit… fourth) glance at your closet door after reading this, you’re a fool. It’d likely be a 10 if not for how unlikable the main character is. - 8/10

Grey Matter : A super gross allegory for alcoholism. It’ll turn you into a grey gooey slug monster that destroys everything and everyone around you. Get it? Anyway, it's not bad. Not really great either, though. - 6/10

Battleground : A lot of fun. Hexed Toy Soldiers attack a hit man who just got home from assassinating a toy maker. I wanted more, but what we get is more than good enough. - 8/10

Trucks : Another one about the machines turning on us. Really good tension. Very cinematic prose. So much better than Maximum Overdrive. Ha. - 9/10

Sometimes They Come Back : Might’ve even worked better as a whole novel. There’s a bunch here that really could’ve been expanded on. But still it's really good. Not quite my favorite, but really good. - 8/10

Strawberry Spring : Meh. Feels like filler. There's a promising concept with which very little is actually done. The ending was a little too obvious, yet fitting for how the rest of it read. I didn’t quite hate it, but it needed more meat to it. - 4/10

The Ledge : A Top 5 Story. Absolutely Fantastic! This is gripping, unpredictable storytelling. It’s suspenseful, it’s mean, and it’s so immensely satisfying in its structural simplicity. - 10/10

The Lawnmower Man : Super weird. No, seriously, this story is f*cking WEIRD. Not in a bad way, but certainly in an extremely unexpected way. I knew this was nothing like the movie, but damn. - 8.5/10

Quitters, Inc. : Brilliantly cruel. A great idea executed with a wicked creativity and pragmatism. Not quite Top 3, but a favorite, for sure. - 8/10

I Know What You Need : Interesting premise and execution. Not sure on the direction it takes though. A be careful with you wish for type thing maybe? Or a grass is always greener scenario? Anyway, I liked the connection to witchcraft/voodoo. Too anticlimactic to be great, though. - 6/10

Children of the Corn : A Top 5 Story. Guess I’m not sleeping tonight. When I was ~6 years old, I somehow ended up watching Children of the Corn. It quite literally scarred me for life. To this day, more than thirty years later, just driving past a cornfield makes my breath catch and the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. This story just twisted the knife. So atmospheric and creepy and grim. I simultaneously loved it and hated it so damn much. And it definitely refuels my desire to make a King show like Tales from the Crypt and Cabinet of Curiosities to faithfully adapt his short stories. - 10/10

The Last Rung on the Ladder : Way to break my heart, Steve. My goodness this was sad. A Cat’s in the Cradle vibe by the end, just brother/sister instead of father/son. A reminder to always make the time for those you love. The loss you may face for being there is far more bearable than the loss you’ll face not being there. This hit like a brick. That final line, "She was the one who always knew the hay would be there." tore my heart out. - 8.5/10

The Man Who Loved Flowers : Love kills. This one’s ending hits hard because of the contrast in tone. Nice and very short. Nothing amazing, but effective in its language and tone. - 5.5/10

One For The Road : A Top 5 Story. Hell Yes! The atmosphere is magnificent. Not only did I have to put on a sweatshirt, but I damn near went on the hunt for a rosary. I absolutely love this little corner of King's world. I want more... so much more. And now I also really want to reread ‘Salem’s Lot. - 10/10

The Woman in the Room : Sad. It really should’ve been shorter. No other thoughts really. Except, why close it out with this one? You had One For The Road RIGHT. THERE. It would've been such a bookends way to close out this collection. ::shakes head:: - 5/10

"I have walked beneath death's umbrella and thought there was none darker. But there is. There is."

8/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[onlyhappyvibes]

[enigmaticagentalice]

I was tagged by the wonderful @bloodlnthemoonlight to share part of a WIP fic, and since I have...many...I thought I’d throw a curveball and pick something from one of my most obscure niche pairings, which is Lin Beifong/Kya from The Legend of Korra :D

***

“So what did Bumi say?”

“He doesn’t know,” said Kya wearily.

“Really? You didn’t tell him?”

“Tenzin, we’re not twelve years old anymore, it’s not like we constantly trade secrets behind your back. Much. Anyway, you know he’s probably gonna be insufferable and claim he saw it coming all along.”

“So only I know?”

“You and Korra and Ikki. I’d guess Asami. Oh, and the rest of your family now, after that little scene, so probably the entire of air temple island by tomorrow. So enjoy that sense of superiority while you can.” Kya yawned widely. “You know, I really didn’t think everyone would be that interested.”

“And here I thought you waterbenders were supposed to be intuitive,” smiled Tenzin. “I’m sure Ikki is picking out your wedding dress already.”

“She did seem pretty thrilled about it,” admitted Kya. “Even Korra said she thought we make a cute couple. You should have seen Lin’s face; I don’t think she’s been called cute in her entire life.”

Tenzin let out a half stifled snort of laughter, and Kya grinned.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, “I’m glad you know. And I’m glad you had your total freak out while Lin wasn’t here, because she would have kicked your ass up and down the island.”

“I don’t doubt she would have tied,” said Tenzin. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad that you’ve finally chosen someone who I can at least approve of in principle. Not—” he added hastily “—that it’s any of my business to approve or not, I’m sure. But Lin is a dear friend and an admirable woman, and if she can persuade you to stay here in Republic City then that can only be a good thing. I know we’d all like to see you more often.”

Kya shrugged. “Well I can’t promise that, but Lin can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”

Tenzin made a face, visible even in the lamplight. “I’d really rather not hear about that.”

“She does this thing with her—”

“Kya!”

They were both laughing now, and Kya impulsively threw one arm around her brother’s waist and gave him a friendly squeeze. “I missed you,” she said.

“I missed you too,” said Tenzin.

***

I tag...anyone who reads this! Share a fic excerpt and tag me in it because I’d love to read it :D

[skeletalheartattack]

Easy solution to finding the enemy stand user in a crowd: just wait until you hear a train whistle/a "boiyoiyoing" and then immediately deck the source as hard as anything.

i think i get what you're saying, walk into a crowd and if someone manages to get knocked on their ass 15 feet in front of you with a boing then beat the shit out of them with your boobie stand moves.

[unnonexistence]

concept: jake, amara, & jules start building small robots out of scrap parts and pitting them against each other à la battlebots. they do all of this on PPDC grounds & it becomes increasingly difficult to hide it from nate as more and more people get involved.

[gh0stlymoth]

[ID: five coloured sketches of Newt Geiszler from Pacific rim with a bearded dragon. The one shows him looking at the bearded dragon seated on his shoulder. the bearded dragon has its arm raised towards him and newt has a soft expression on his face. the second sketch is of two phones, a video call between newt and hermann. Newt has his face propped up with one hand and is smiling at the phone. He is saying: "and how is the love of my life doing?". An arrow pointing at his screen reads "on some conference overseas." the other screen shows Hermann, wearing his glasses and with the beardie on his shoulder, looking a bit tired. he says: "You know, I’m never quite sure if you mean me, your husband, or little crusher here." the arrow pointing to his screen reads "at home. the third one shows newt and the beardie wrapped in a blanket, watching the Jurassic Park movie. the bearded dragon is resting in the crook of newts neck while newt seems engaged in the movie. He says: "yo, dude, wake up, your fake ancestors are about to attack." the fourth sketch shows newt wearing hermanns parka, with the beardie peaking out, being held securly by newt. a voice off screen says: "newton..." to which newt replies: "yes? :3″ the last sketch shows newt, fast asleep, hands clasped over his stomach. the bearded dragon is resting on his chest, and a book titled " scruff, bearded scientist" with the face of a bearded dragon on the cover, covering Newt's face. end ID]

shoutout to @coulson-is-an-avenger for being very big brain in saying newt would have a bearded dragon named thunder crusher, they are extremly right (and @grayscaleskies, for helping with the book title, which you can’t read but it’s “Scruff, Bearded Scientist”)

[askwhatsforlunch]

Queens Park Swizzle

My landlady in Toronto, Linda, is from Trinidad. And as I’ve been away from my adoptive city for far too long, I miss her and her daughter Racheal heaps. I miss our conversations when we’re both in the kitchen, cooking our meals. Or enjoying a bottle of sparkling wine on a sunny day. Or watching Home Alone or old variety programmes on telly on cold ones... I’ve only ever been to two Caribbean islands, but these were such wonderful trips, I’ve always wanted to return; Jamaica has always been a dream, my Dad having worked with so many reggae singers who call it home, and after meeting Linda, Trinidad is on my wish list too! Until I get there, and because the hotel where this cocktail was invented closed decades ago, I’m sipping a Queens Park Swizzle now, in the sunshine, thinking of dear friends and future trips... Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

a dozen to 15 large ice cubes

8 to 10 leaves fresh mint + a sprig for garnish

22.5 millilitres/3/4 fluid ounce (1 1/2 tablespoon) Simple Syrup

1 small, ripe lime

60 millilitres/2 fluid ounces (4 tablespoons) good quality Caribbean Rum (I used Ginger and Lime Rum)

4 dashes Angostura bitters

Crush the ice (if you’re doing this by hand with an ice crusher, it may take some time, so keep crushed ice cool in the freezer whilst you go through the dozen or so ice cubes!)

Tear the mint leaves into a Collins or other tall glass. Add Simple Syrup, and muddle thoroughly with a muddler.

Thoroughly squeeze the juice of the whole lime, and pour into the glass, along with the Rum. Muddle again to mix.

Spoon in crushed ice until it half fills the glass, and swizzle with a bar spoon until frost forms on the outside of the glass. Fill the glass with remaining crushed ice, until it comes slightly over the top of the rim.

Top with 4 dashes Angostura bitters. Garnish with mint sprig.

Enjoy Queen’s Park Swizzle immediately, preferably lounging in a deck chair in the sun... 

[mothaus]

* Primary Muses

** Secondary Muses

*** Muses to mess with a friend

**** Every once in a while

A Plague Tale

Hugo De Rune**

His rats**

A Song of Ice and Fire

Argella Baratheon(OC)**

Argella Durrandon**

Elyarra Stark(OC)**

Appleseed

Deunan Knute*

Borderlands

Maya the Siren*

Demento/Haunting Ground

Hewie*

Detective Comics/DC

Barbara 'Batgirl/Oracle' Gordon**

Martha Kent*

Deus Ex

Eliza Cassan**

Devil May Cry

Kyrie From Devil May Cry 4*

Dragon Age Series

Amalia 'Lia' Cousland, AU not a warden**

Aveline Vallen from DA II*

Kahlan Amell, Warden/HoF**

Lanarill Surana, Warden/HoF**

Mabari*

Final Fantasy

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca From FFXII**

Jihl Nabaat from FFXIII*

Vivi from Final Fantasy IX*

Full Metal Alchemist

Riza Hawkeye*

Gojira/Godzilla

Mothra*

Halo

Ethel Bette ( OC )**

Linda-058*

Kelly-087**

Mass Effect

ARIA T'LOAK*

Hannah Shepard**

Karin Chakwas*

Urdnot 'Eve' Bakara*

Metal Gear Solid

Laughing Octopus**

Olga Gurlukovich**

Screaming Mantis*

Sunny Gurlukovich**

Mobile Suit Gundam

Emma Sheen from Zeta*

Marida Cruz/Ple Twelve from Unicorn*

Pacific Rim

Sasha Kaidonovskya*

Resident Evil:

Dakota (oc tyrant dog)*

Excella Gionne**

Jill Valentine****

Kathy Burton**

Karena ‘Lupo’ Lesproux

Michaela 'Bertha' Schneider **

Malèna Gionne (OC)*

Polly Burton**

Rebecca Chambers*

Solo Leveling

Cha Hae-in*

Star Trek

Alexandria 'Alex' Munroe*

Beverly Crusher**

Kathryn Janeway*

Star Wars

Bastila Shan *

Darth Revan/Tru Mothma*

Etaine Skirata (OC)*

Leia Organa-Solo**

Lord Mirdalan/Mird’ika*

Tenel Ka Djo*

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Antonia 'Nomad' Winters

Tom Clancy's The Division

Triple A ( OC Medic )**

Fandomless OC

Aria Wiltz*

Betsy Anne Kleves*

Sully**

Gracie**

Rip**

Richard**

Isabel**

Stella**

[calamitysong]

boner crusher & pacific rim