#this is from the footage i have where i won as peach :^)

[emulator5000]

Mario Kart - Super Circuit (2001)

[horsesandhockeyplayers]

Fourth Line Grinder-- Part 8

Author’s Note:  This beautiful header is courtesy of @whatishockey​ and her brilliant creative mind. This part is ALL NEW NEVER BEFORE SEEN (because I just wrote it) Please see the masterlist post to see examples of the horse trailer.

Word Count: 5720

Word Count TOTAL: 51,717

Song: Dark Horse - Aaron Watson

Synopsis:  Nell Sayer, often called The Witch for her ability to heal horses that are deemed lost causes, is content with her life. With a job where she makes a good living and her two best friends, Nell is unprepared for the changes a meeting with a once-in-a-lifetime horse and his incorrigible owner brings, knocking her off her feet…literally. If only she were as good at listening to her heart as she is at listening to the animals she loves.

Tag List: @laurenairay, @danglesnipecelly, @hockeylvr59, @whatishockey, @thebookofmags, @princessphilly, @glassdanse, @tippedbykreider, @iangiemae, @kotkaniemi-caufield-mom, @marcoscandellas, @mac-blackwood, @fanficrecsby-e

Part 8

For the first time since my concussion, I woke up naturally, no alarms. I was sprawled, naked on my stomach and there was a heavy weight across my back. But I was warm and comfortable and I didn’t want to move.

It was Sunday, Grinder had won his race yesterday and I had the simulcast footage saved to my phone. I had watched it over and over last night memorizing every second and then Erik and I had spent the rest of the night naked, making love. I was sore in ways I had never experienced before and it felt indulgent.

I felt his lips tracing my spine, “good morning, Peaches.”

��Good morning,” I said smiling.

He pressed kisses along my shoulder blades before resting his chin on my back, “Am I too heavy?”

I made a noise in the negative, “Not even a little, I’m so comfortable.”

“Then I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Dick wants to meet us for breakfast in an hour to talk about Grinder and where we go from here.”

“An hour? You could have let me sleep for another 45 minutes,” I whined.

I felt the rumble in his chest more than I heard it, “Yeah, but now I have 45 minutes with you in the shower.”

I didn’t think it was possible to have another orgasm. I was wrong… it was possible to have two.

Two hours later, I had five men staring at me as I dug into a huge plate of biscuits and gravy, “What?”

Mike shoved his egg white and vegetable omelet around his plate. Erik had something similar. Dick was eating something that looked like it was going to clog his arteries immediately upon digestion.

The Guys had each gotten something but both were digging into my food. It was just how we rolled.

Dick paused from shoveling food in his face to wash it all down with some black coffee. “I want to point Grinder to the American Stakes at Santa Anita in a month. It’s a 8 furlong grade 3 on the turf. Then the Grade 2 Eddie Read at Del Mar in July, 9 furlongs on Turf and this is to prepare him for the Pacific Classic in late August. A mile and quarter on dirt and hopefully his ticket into the Breeders Cup Classic.”

A silence fell over the table and we all stopped eating. I looked over at Mikey who was pondering this plan, “Let me move some things around, but I’m in.”

Erik had stiffened next to me at Dick’s proposal and he hadn’t relaxed, “Dick… you sure?”

The trainer shrugged, “Why not? His Beyer speed figure was over 100 in shitty company. Imagine what it will look like against actual competition.”

He looked over at me, “Am I shooting for the stars?”

I had watched every second of the race yesterday 100 times. “If I can keep him healthy, I think he could be competitive.”

Erik spoke as I was lost in my thoughts, “Do you think he can go from dirt to turf and back again?”

When he nudged my shoulder I realized he was talking to me, “I don’t think the track surface will matter to him.”

Erik dropped his credit card on the table as we finished eating and we made it to the track just before noon. I gave Grinder a massage as EJ made phone calls and stared at his laptop at a picnic table a few yards away.

The horse didn’t even act like he expended any energy out of the norm and I knew I was being ridiculously over cautious with the massage, photonic red light therapy, and compression wraps, but I was leaving for a week and I wanted to make sure he stayed in tip top shape.

A few hours later, EJ leaned over the stall guard, “Have you ever thought about opening your own facility where you could have literally every equine recovery therapy you can get your hands on? Maybe hire a vet or have a contract with one for a certain amount of their time?”

I shrugged and packed the photonic equipment away, “Not really. I don’t know where I would find a facility like that, to build one would cost millions. That type of space in California would be outrageous unless I wanted in the middle bumfuck nowhere in like... Victorville.”

EJ just hummed in agreement, but I could tell the wheels in his head were turning. I had met with a business advisor he recommended and she was brilliant. I had a tiered pricing policy now, allowing me to charge the clients who could afford it through the nose and still take the clients who needed me but couldn’t pay as much. I could grandfather in existing clients and slowly raise rates on those I wanted. This approach had actually allowed me to put some money toward the massage program for Jesus and I was able to hire him full time. I had hired a bookkeeper while Carlos took some accounting classes, but he still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life.

Grinder happily munched his hay as I exited the stall and Erik helped me gather all the equipment I wanted to take with me. We were leaving on a red eye private charter flight for JFK and my week at Belmont started tomorrow.

Unlike the derby, it was just going to be us. Tyson was currently off doing whatever Tyson did in the summers and Gabe and Mel were in Sweden. Now that Grinder’s race was over I was starting to feel nervous and it was difficult to turn off the “what if” thoughts.

There was a knot in my stomach that I was trying to ignore but the closer the departure time inched, the heavier and larger that knot became. By the time all my equipment was on the plane and I was settled into the rich leather it felt like a boulder was sitting in my gut.

Erik sat next to me on the plane even though there were 6 other open seats, “Before you sleep can I show you something?”

I nodded, “sure.”

He put his tablet in my hands, there was a real estate listing on the screen.

Leaning over the armrest and he swiped through the photos, “It’s 100 acres about 20 minutes from the practice arena and the Pepsi Center. It has a 30 stall main barn and 10 breeding stall barn. There’s 10 one acre pastures for turnouts and 5 three acre pastures with sheds. There’s already an Equisizer and around the perimeter is a galloping track. It needs work, but it exists. There’s an indoor arena and a round pen, and a huge jumping field.”

I was swiping through the photos on my own now, “I mean it’s beautiful and it looks state of the art, but this seems a little excessive for a breeding operation EJ. I’m sure there are other facilities that can be converted with less money. Half of this stuff you don’t even need.”

He gave me a look that said I was dense. “There’s a large apartment over the main barn for The Guys and a small cottage near the breeding barn. The main house is pretty small, but we can add on and renovate and there’s a perfect place near the storage barn to run electrical and water hook ups for temporary housing.”

“Wait. What,” I asked, putting the tablet in my lap.

“Just look at it and think about it ok?”

Looking back down at the tablet I swiped through more of the photos. It was a beautiful facility and the listing price was a lot lower than I expected. The same facility within a 30 minute drive of a main metropolitan area of California would be 5x the asking price or more. But it was so much more than just a place to have a proper rehab facility. It was moving to Colorado, building a life with Erik, starting a business together and in some ways it would have been a lot less shocking if he had just gotten down on one knee to propose.

This was a statement. He was thinking about his future, our future and what it would look like. What was scarier was how easy it was for me to picture where I would put the different rehab therapies. 30 stalls was a lot and I had a vision of retraining retired racehorses, Erik’s specifically, to go to new homes with new careers. Those 5 acre pastures would be great for horses that were too injured to go onto new lives, or for retired broodmares.

I felt his hand on the back of my neck and he pulled me close to kiss my temple. I emailed the link to myself and handed the tablet back. I didn’t think I was going to be able to sleep on the plane, but I did and I dreamed of long legged foals running around pastures with the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

****

The week in New York was wildly successful and my savings got more than a little padded. I did manage my time and workload, but it was impossible not to because Erik handled my scheduling. I had a hard time saying no, but he didn’t and as a result I had my first headache free week since the accident. It turns out rest does actually help the body heal, who knew? I did for one. A lot of the horses I saw just needed a vacation, but like all equestrians it was impossible for me to take my own advice.

Grinder did well while I was gone. He still wouldn’t let anyone other than Mikey or I ride him, but Jesus had ponied him around the track in the afternoons to stretch his legs and keep him from stocking up. Because horses were so big with extended limbs, their hooves served as tiny little hearts pushing the blood out with every step.. When a horse exercised it helped circulate the blood in their legs. When a horse was sedentary too long in a stall their legs would swell with fluid and that was called “stocking up.”

I was sitting outside Grinder’s stall, sipping my coffee the following Monday. My mind was too full to concentrate on anything except the plan for Grinder and the property Erik showed me. He hadn’t brought it up again, but I looked at the link on my phone about 50 x a day.

The gelding took a break from his breakfast to throw the road cone out of his stall. He was better, but he still had a bite radius in case he was feeling ornery. Someone had set a cone too close and it became his personal chew toy. Now, instead of lunging and biting he would grab that cone, pin his ears and aggressively shake it if people got too close. Like an old man shaking his fist from his porch at the neighborhood children.

I had 3 weeks to prepare this goofball for his return to a graded stakes race. I snapped a photo with my phone of Grinder waving the cone around and followed that up with taking a short video. Jesus still ran my business Instagram, but the girlfriend of a professional athlete needed a personal social media outlet. I had amassed quite a following because of Grinder.

My business manager had suggested starting a blog as well, documenting different horses and their recovery journeys. Something like that would be great to start if I decided to buy that property with Erik.

I had been doing ok before Grinder and Erik landed in my life, but two months later I had more opportunities than I could shake a stick at and a boyfriend that told me I couldn’t do all of them because of my health.

Dick sat across from me, outside of Grinder Cone Shaking radius, “You look like you’re deep in thought.”

“Erik found a property in Colorado,” I said playing with the lid on my coffee tumbler.

“Well, that was bound to happen. He’s been wanting to start a breeding operation in Colorado for awhile.”

“It’s bigger than that. The breeding operation would only be 1/3 of the horses.”

The trainer shifted his bulk on the overturned bucket he was sitting on, “huh. Ok.”

“The rest is for a rehab facility.”

His eyebrows raised, “Well, that’s interesting.”

Grinder shook his cone with ferocity and I smiled at his antics while I replied, “It’s something.”

“With the two of you it was always going to be all or nothing. Anyone with eyes could see that plain as day.”

“I suppose,” I answered, picking at a hangnail.

Dick brushed some dried leaves off the table, “Are you afraid to leave Jesus and Carlos?”

I chuckled, seeing his angle immediately, “No. There’s a place for both of them.”

He swore, “Damn. I’ve had a heck of a time trying to replace them. Well if that’s the case I don’t know what the problem is.”

“Well, it’s a huge commitment for one,” I said, still picking at my finger.

Dick nodded toward Grinder, “That horse is proof of what you can accomplish when you have the resources you need. In the famous words of Ron Swanson, ‘Don’t half ass two things, whole ass one thing.’ But in this case, you can have it all, Kid. The man and the business and your friends.”

It was rare for Dick to get all philosophical with me, but it had happened a time or two. I don’t know what caused him to get all paternal sometimes, but I welcomed it. Grinder dropped his cone and went back to his hay and I turned my face to the sun. It was an unseasonably warm day in Berkley and I wanted to soak up the sunshine like it had the answers to life in its rays. “What if it doesn’t work out?” My voice was small and for a moment I didn’t think Dick heard me.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a fatherly squeeze, “Then you can always come home, but Kid… what if it does?”

I had dreams, but they were modest dreams. Dreams of Carlos and Jesus getting their citizenship, dreams of helping horses, but I didn’t have a five year plan, or even a one year plan. Since I started this adventure after high school I had just been putting one foot in front of the other, rarely looking up to see where I was going.

Dick gave my shoulder another squeeze before getting up from the table and disappearing into the barns.

Pulling out my phone I sent a quick text to Marcy, the business advisor Erik cajoled me into hiring. In just a few short weeks, she had become something of a staple in my life, her business advice bordering on therapy.

I sent her the link to the property, Erik found this.

Marcy: And?

He wants me to move my business there.

Marcy: Ah. You have a unique talent and business model. I think you need to ask yourself what you want your life to look like and how your business fits into that vision.

Leave it to Marcy to get right to the heart of the problem. My watch pinged alerting me that break time was over and it was time to get ready for my next client. I took a few more minutes letting the sunshine wash over me, grounding myself in the moment.

Later that evening, Carlos, Jesus, and I were eating pizza watching some crime show Jesus was addicted to.

I had finished my third slice and unbuttoned the top button of my jeans to give my food baby room when I picked up my laptop and brought the property listing up on the screen. “There’s something I need to show you guys.”

They both leaned over as I scrolled through the photos, “EJ wants to buy this with me. The main barn would be a rehab barn, the smaller barn the breeding barn. There’s a 2 bedroom apartment over the main barn and a small cottage over there and in this area he wants to put concrete pads with RV hookups for barn help.”

Carlos took the laptop from me to scroll through the property listing and Jesus looked at me in surprise, “You want to leave us?”

I gave a surprised laugh that sounded strained to my own ears, “Uh no. Erik and I were actually envisioning you guys living in that apartment above the barn. He has no idea how to run his own facility, nor the time. But this would allow me to invest in more equipment to help more horses. I would need a full time assistant in Jesus and I’m kind of hoping Carlos would want to be the barn manager?”

They both sat back blinking and I rushed to fill the silence, “I mean… I know it would be difficult to leave the family you have here and we’ll have to sit down with Marcy to figure out a business plan and stuff, but I don’t know if I can do this without you guys and I can’t afford a place like this in California.”

I was rubbing the thighs of my jeans obsessively with nervous energy and Jesus covered one of my hands with his own, “Hermanita. We left Mexico for a better life, for more opportunities. This that you’re offering us? Is that life.”

Carlos put the laptop on the coffee table with a shrug, “I’ve walked across the desert twice for less.”

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I couldn’t help every single person who needed it, but I could help these two men and maybe with this opportunity they could help others.

“Am I going to get a farm truck,” asked Carlos.

I blanched, “No you’re getting a used Toyota Yaris and if you don’t wreck it for a year we’ll talk.”

He stood cursing in Spanish and Jesus just laughed.

So this was it, there wasn’t much of a reason NOT to do this I just had to figure out HOW and that was something I needed to think about. What was my business going to look like? What direction did I want it to go? How was I going to entangle my life and my work with Erik’s and what would happen if it all went wrong?

We watched another episode of Jesus’ crime show and my mind was so wrapped up in these questions I couldn’t have told you the plot if my life depended on it.

****

Grinder continued to improve his speed, his stamina, his body and mind. Erik was back and forth between California and Colorado.

I was giving Grinder a massage a few days after my conversation with The Guys and EJ was sitting in a chair just inside the stall while I worked.

My hands slid down the gelding’s strong back and I let them guide me to the spots on his body that needed attention. When I spoke, he flicked an ear toward me, “I talked to The Guys about that property and you and I need to sit down with Marcy, but I think you should put an offer in.”

He looked up from his phone and I felt his eyes in my back, “Ok.”

With that he got up and disappeared from the stall, I was working on Grinder’s other side when he came back in, “We should hear something by tomorrow.”

He sat back in the folding chair and crossed his legs at the knee, “Dick thinks we should ship him down to Santa Anita about a week before the race and then just move him to Del Mar for the next two months since that’s where his races are instead of shuttling him back and forth.”

I nodded, but I realized the big horse was blocking me, “I agree. Excess travel could exacerbate his ulcers. Especially with how hot California can get in the summer.”

“You know I have a condo in Del Mar and I think you should come stay with me for those couple of months.”

A muscle under my fingertips spasmed and I adjusted my hand and held onto the muscle until it released, “Are you going to be there the whole time?”

He cleared his throat, “Um no, I have to fly back to Colorado to train, but you’re more than welcome. It’s right by the track too.”

I finished with the horse and ducked under his neck, which, because he was so big and I was not, I didn’t have to duck much. “A lot of my new clients will be going down south for the season, so I will have work down there. Jesus just finished his massage class, so he is certified and can work on his own.”

He stood and pressed a kiss to my forehead, “Just think about it ok?”

Things had been going as well as anyone could expect so. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I nodded against his lips.

****

Before I knew it, the end of June was quickly approaching and I was loading Grinder onto a huge air ride transport to drive him down to Santa Anita. Dick had asked Carlos to come as well, he was going to be managing the horses down south while Dick flew between the two tracks.

Carlos and I were driving my truck down and meeting Erik in LA. We would beat the transport by a few hours, which gave me a bit of peace of mind so I could get Grinder’s stall ready.

I was nervous and it wasn’t like I had a reason to, Grinder was a seasoned race horse long before he had come into my life. He probably had more travel miles than I did since he crisscrossed the country several times. I wondered if horses get airline points.

There was a mariachi band playing courtesy of the AUX cord Carlos had commandeered. My truck was packed with everything I was taking including a lot of rehab equipment which took two days to sort because I didn’t know what to leave behind for Jesus. On one hand I wanted to leave everything so he had access to all the tools he might need and on the other what if I needed the equipment I left?

Jesus was going to take over any clients I had remaining at Golden Gate Fields. If there was a new client or he ran into problems I could fly back up, but he was officially my assistant. I wanted him to be successful and wanted him to have everything at his disposal.

I ended up leaving everything for him and ordering the things I thought I would need, getting them shipped to EJ’s Del Mar condo. If my business had two working therapists, then I needed two sets of equipment.

I was driving somewhere down I5 and there was a whole lot of nothing on either side of the interstate when I got a call from EJ.

Carlos had long ago put headphones on and was sleeping while I listened to a lecture about equine nutrition and performance.

“Hey,” I answered after I hit the answer call button on the steering wheel.

“Do not panic. Grinder is ok. But the truck broke down near Los Banos and the trailer got side swiped as the driver was pulling off the highway. Stop Panicking. Grinder and all the other horses are fine. Does your truck have a gooseneck hitch?”

Carlos sat up in his seat, discarding his expensive headphones and my grip on the wheel turned my knuckles white. “Yes, you know it does. It’s like 100 degrees he can’t just sit in the semi Erik.”

“I know. The company is sending a mechanic and another truck, but it’s going to be a couple hours. I’m getting a new trailer delivered to the same rest stop and it will be there just about the same time you will.”

I had already taken the next exit and was turning around. “Dick has four horses on that rig.”

“That’s why you get to drive a brand new four horse gooseneck to LA and through LA traffic. Don’t say I don’t love you.” His voice sounded amused and I rolled my eyes.

“How did you even find a trailer in this amount of time?”

He sighed, “With a lot of phone calls, but it was this or having you have a coronary somewhere in the middle of California and I didn’t trust you not to try and load a racehorse into the bed of your truck to get him out of the heat.”

I wrinkled my nose not liking that I was so predictable. “I don’t like that the transport company wasn’t prepared for this. It’s so hot. Those poor horses.”

“Just get there and I trust you’ll get our horse and the other 3 down to LA safely. I gotta go.” He hung up with a click and Carlos and I were northbound again, thankfully we weren’t more than an hour in front of the transport truck because Carlos *had* to stop by Santa Nella and do the whole touristy thing. He wasn’t a fan of the Pea Soup.

When we arrived at the rest stop there was a flurry of activity around the transport truck. There was a mechanic working on the engine and he had arrived in a huge tow truck capable of towing the semi away. The air ride trailer had been unhooked and there was another pick up truck with a shiny new four horse gooseneck trying to back into a spot.

“Jesus, this is a circus.”

Carlos chuckled in the seat next to me, “Surprisingly, I don’t think my cousin had anything to do with this.”

I rolled my eyes. A 10 hour ride in a trailer was hard enough, but it was easier on the horses in spacious transports like this with air ride support. In a regular trailer without the fancy suspension in narrow divided stalls, it would take them all a bit longer to recover from the journey.

I parked my truck out of the way from all the commotion and sighed, “Ok, I’m going to talk to the trailer guy and get hooked up, can you organize the horses? Make sure they are all wrapped, let’s get some bedding in the new rig and then we’ll put the two fillies in first, Grinder, then the colt.”

Carlos wordlessly got out of the truck into the San Joaquin Valley heat. Dry brown grass and dirt stretched as far as the eye could see until it rose into dry brown foothills. There was a small grove of anemic trees by the rest stop, but that was it.

The new trailer was actually a head to head option. It was longer than a standard gooseneck, but there was a ramp that came out of the side, with two horses standing side to side at the back, and two more facing them. The area between could be used to haul a small 5th horse if necessary.

Erik had purchased the trailer in my name, which we were going to have words about later, but that was an argument for another time. I signed the necessary paperwork and opened all the roof vents and dropped all the windows making sure all the screens and bars over them were secure. There were small fans in all the corners to aid with air circulation and I turned them on. This was about as good as it was going to get without professional transport.

I wasn’t sure if it was the trailer company or EJ but there was a small wireless camera mounted in the trailer and with the download of an app, I could have a live video feed of the horses on my phone.

Within half an hour, my truck was hooked up to the new trailer and all the horses were loaded. Erik hadn’t pinched any pennies and my phone and Carlos’ phone were mounted side by side in the truck. One had a live feed of the horses from the camera and the other was monitoring the temperature inside the trailer. Outside it was over 100 degrees, but inside the trailer with the fans going it was merely a balmy 85 as we made our way back onto the interstate.

Grinder was an old hat at traveling and it seemed his nonchalance at the change in accommodations was good for the 3 much younger horses with him. The colt he was next to, was just two and starting his training, Dick was aiming for him to break his maiden down south and hopefully qualify for one of the juvenile Breeder’s Cup races. The two fillies were both 3, one having just broken her Maiden and the other had a handful of allowance races under her belt. They shifted nervously as we started our migration with the semi trucks to LA.

Carlos was busy texting with some of his contacts at Santa Anita. Since we were now the transport, we didn’t have the luxury of arriving before the horses to make sure their stalls were ready. Carlos seemed to have contacts everywhere and if he didn’t know someone personally he knew someone who did.

I called EJ, “hey we are on our way.” With a few presses of a finger I shared our gps coordinates and he was able to track our trip and ETA on his phone.

“I can see that and I got your text so I can see the horses too. Looks like they’re all taking this pretty well.”

I sighed and settled behind a big semi going 60mph, “Honestly, the young horses are doing great and I didn’t have any doubts about Grinder. We’re going to be a few hours later than planned though and I’m not going to hurry. If it looks like we are going to hit LA before rush hour, Carlos and I might stop before the Grapevine and let the horses stretch their legs and grab something to eat.”

“Sounds good, Dick is already at the track and making sure everything is set. I’m assuming you’re going to be there late making sure the horses recover?” There was amusement in his voice.

I made a face at the phone, “Well without the air ride this is going to be a bit harder on them so yeah I want to make sure they all get a liniment rub to help with any soreness or fatigue and some massage.”

He suddenly sounded a little tired, “I’ll meet you at the track, I don’t know if I will stay as late as you though. Call me if you need anything.” With that he ended the call and I frowned.

EJ wasn’t old by regular society standards but in hockey years he was approaching senior citizen status and that wasn’t celebrated by discounts at Denny’s but with nutritionists, personal trainers, chiropractors, massage therapists etc. He had mentioned once that every offseason he seemed to work harder to keep up with the rookies.

Luck seemed to be on our side as we pulled into the track as the sun was setting. It was the last time luck would be on our side that week.

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

[sdktrs12]

Hello!! Relatively new to Good Girls and brio and all that. Any recs for season 1 fics? Or any fics that are just particularly funny? Thanks!

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rated E | one shot 900+ | PWP | canon compliant  

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rated E | one shot 7k+ | domestic fluff + smut | canon compliant  

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rated T | one shot 400+ | outsider POV – agent turner | canon compliant  

Shared History by watermelonriddles *  

rated T | multi chapter 113k+ | slow burn + fluff + angst | AU – canon compliant/divergence  

Next Time by nottonyharrison *  

rated E | multi chapter 8k+ | power play dynamics + snarky banter + smut | canon divergent  

Simpler Times by ohmisterjapan

rated E | one shot 2k+ | power play dynamics + PWP | canon divergent  

Losing Game by Niham87  *

rated E | multi chapter 174k+ (wip) | blood/violence + non con + angst + smut | AU – canon compliant/divergence    

A Little Jealous by EnsignDisaster *  

rated M | part of series 1k+ | rio POV + jealousy + violence + angst | canon compliant  

shameful company by Ejunkiet

rated T | part of a series 1k+ | character study – rio | canon compliant

The Space in Between by Slow_Burn_87

rated E | multi chapter 62k+ (wip) | fake dating vibes + angst + fluff + smut | canon divergence  

Souls Lost to be Won by entwinedloop *  

rated M | multi chapter 103k+ | slow burn + fake dating vibes + angst + hurt/comfort | canon divergent  

i never thought i'd hear my heartbeat so loud by fortunehasgivenup *

rated E | one shot 2k+ | angst + smut | canon divergent  

like a river flows by megleah

rated E | multi chapter 76k+ (wip) | violence + angst + smut | canon divergent

Someone Like You by sunshine83 *  

rated E | multi chapter 45k+ (wip) | smut + angst + domestic fluff | canon divergent  

The Pancakes Series by convolutedConcussion

rated M | series 10k+ total | snarky banter + pancakes + PWP | canon divergent

i'll see you on the other side by heretowinbitch

rated G | one shot 1k+ | missing/extended scene | canon compliant  

crash course in polite conversation by emeraldcut *

rated M | multi chapter 22k+ (wip) | slow burn + angst + smut | canon divergent

Stuck in the Middle by MissMaxime *

rated M | one shot 5k+ | exasperated beth + fake dating vibes + smut | canon divergent

Funny fics (ft. all the fluffy/snarky banter goodness) -

All of the Salmonella by linzackles  

rated E | one shot 8k+ | high brio + fluff + smut | season two canon compliant  

Ever Thought Of Calling When You've Had A Few? by FakePlastikTrees

rated E | one shot 2k+ | drunk brio + snark + smut | season two canon compliant  

Teach Me Tonight by riosnecktattoo  

rated T | one shot 7k+ | fluffy fluff + brio date + rio failing at chopsticks | season three canon compliant

Only You Show Me What Warmth Is by riosnecktattoo

rated M & E | series 17k+ total | domestic fluff + playful banter + smut | season three canon compliant  

The Gangsitter by nachocheese26

rated G & T | series 76k+ total | domestic fluff + dad!rio + meet the family | season two divergence  

The Pony Palace by EnsignDisaster

rated E | multi chapter 27k+ (wip) | flirty banter + date night + fluff + smut | AU – strip club  

Proper Skincare and Its Application by EnsignDisaster

rated G | one shot 2k+ | domestic fluff + rio POV | season three canon compliant

When Worlds Collide by Kenrune

not rated | one shot 4k+ | outsider POV + snarky banter + fluff | season three canon compliant  

The Clementine by femalegothic

rated M | part of series 7k+ | a bit of angst + some fluff + sexy fruit + smut | season three canon compliant  

better than a harmony by convolutedConcussion (+ all of their other fic. Seriously.)  

rated M | multi chapter 38k (wip) | domestic fluff + snarky banter + smut | AU – park meet cute/canon compliant  

You'll have to send a strong goddamn wind (to get rid of me) by MoodyFern

rated E | part of series 2k+ | snarky banter + PWP | season three canon compliant  

waiting for someone who needs me by s_t_c_s

rated E | one shot 9k+ | dummies being dumb + heavy use of sarcasm + smut | AU – genie  

Filing her nails while they’re dragging the lake by s_t_c_s

rated E | multi chapter 18k+ | domestic fluff + relationship exploration + smut | AU – private investigator  

let's play pretend just for a minute by vuccijl

rated T | multi chapter 9k+ | fake dating vibes + flirty banter | season two canon divergence  

Pre Season by wakeupflawless

rated M | multi chapter 11k+ (wip) | snarky banter + enemies to lovers | AU – college/sports  

Where You Belong by wakeupflawless

rated E | multi chapter 25k+ | snarky banter + enemies to lovers + angst + smut | AU – arranged marriage  

M/W/F by IFeelLikeGlitter  

rated M | part of series 9k+ | flirty banter + fluff + smut | AU – college

For Goodness' Bakes by fortunehasgivenup

rated M | one shot 2k+ | flirty banter + funny side commentary + fluff + smut | AU – baking competition  

Five Times People Walk In On Them by fortunehasgivenup

rated M | one shot 2k+ | outsider POV + smut | season two canon compliant

On A Dare by watermelonriddles

rated T | one shot 2k+ | OT3 fluffy snark + a bit of angst | season one canon compliant  

Where's My Shirt? by watermelonriddles

rated T | one shot 2k+ | brio + OT3 + fluff | season two canon compliant  

PTA Vibes by greyish

not rated | multi chapter 11k+ | snarky banter + amazing OC + rio POV + domestic fluff | season two canon divergence  

Both Sides of the Law by JoeyLee

rated T | multi chapter 52k+ (wip) | enemies to lovers + slow burn + rio POV + two ridiculously smart incredibly dumb people | AU – law school  

Stalking 101: Never Double Tap by voraciouswriter

rated M | one shot 4k+ | OT3 + social media stalking + smutty brio | season two canon divergence

for a moment we were strangers by openhearts

rated E | one shot 16k+ | smutty domestic fluff | season two canon divergence  

Roll the Footage by Briology

rated T | one shot 1k+ | rio POV + missing/extended scene | season one canon compliant  

A Bit of a Stretch by septiembre

rated T | one shot 4k+ | domestic fluff + rio POV + hurt/comfort | season three canon divergence  

vile and yet devout by nomind

rated E | part of a series 4k+ | rio POV + snarky banter + smutty power plays | AU – grocery store manager  

queen for a day by emeraldcut

not rated | one shot 5k+ | annie/rio roadtrip | season two canon compliant  

PTA Parents by thingcalledlove

rated T | series 5k+ | domestic fluff | season two canon compliant/divergence

[mosaicofdreamsanddragons]

Facing Fears

The chapter two to Born of Denial that just sort of happened. You do have to read the first one to understand what’s going on. It’s here. 

And this chapter is also on ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074746/chapters/66287293

He almost blew their cover right upon coming into existence. It was just a lot. The suddenness of being able to feel heat and taste dirt in the air had made him want to cry out. But no sound came and as he frantically searched his not-memories for a reason he was called up again, he saw the danger such an action could bring. He’d never thought he’d actually be happy for the minute long wait for speech to catch up with him.

With his creator moving into position for the big finish, he got ready for his part. He picked up the staff and briefly considered his options. He needed to get the Bull Demon King’s attention somehow.

His eyes fell upon the rocks surrounding him. And a memory, his own not his creators, slipped in to his mind.

The new weapon had broken. At this point, he’d been actively planning for that to happen. Weapon down: time to give one last half-hearted try and wait for Mr. Tang to pull him out. Mei was down, as usual, but Sandy was still fighting his way through the bull demon minions and wasn’t yet at her side. And…and he wasn’t going to make it.

The bull demon minions are closing in and no one can get over there. Mr. Tang is with him and they’re even further from Mei then Sandy. There’s no one left.

A rock hits the bull demon minion closest to Mei. It stops and turns around. There, silhouetted in the evening sun stands Pigsy, another rock at the ready. The boy doesn’t even notice as Mr. Tang pulls him away. All he can think about was Pigsy and how…

…he looked like such a hero.

Time to be a hero. He grabbed the rock and threw it at the Demon Bull King. And then said, with the first sentence he said since returning, “Yeah! I got more rocks where that one came from!”

He could barely make out the terrified face of Red Son before a massive hand shoved him to the wall, and his entire vision was consumed by one massive purple face. He was pulled closer to stare into the glowing blue eyes – pretty – of the Demon Bull King while he spoke.

“You have been an utter disappoint. I had hopped you would have learned more of the great Sage’s little tricks.”

He didn’t know.

The demon bull king didn’t know.

It was the first day, after their second loss. Mr. Tang collapsed in front of the monitor and replayed their battle from the footage on Mei’s body cameras and other security tapes. He’d watch and replay and watch and replay, analyzing every second. When that was done he’d expanded his search by playing other footage.

“Well?” said Pigsy. “What have you got?”

“Nothing,” said Mr. Tang. “I can’t find the source of the minions, I can’t find where we went wrong, and I can’t find the Demon Bull King. I just…” he let his hands fall from the monitor, “I just don’t know.” Then he shakes himself, sits up, and starts scrutinizing the footage again.

That night, when the boy tried to dream of monkeys and peaches he instead watches his team get consumed one by one by a glowing blue vaguely bull-shaped figure. Its mouth opens and its laugh is the sounds of Mei’s redials and Mr. Tang’s replays.

The boy stared into the eyes of the source of his nightmares, his nightmares not his originals, and realized he was buying every minute of this. Really was only one thing to say to that, “I don’t know what to tell you dude,” he said striking the coolest pose he could muster with only half of his body.

He felt the hand around him constrict. It hurt, but more importantly he realized he might have egged the demon bull king on too much. His original might not be in position yet. “No wait!” he gasped out before he felt himself vanish.

Oh well. His original would have to make do. As he faded into the original’s consciousness he only wished he could see the look on the demon bull king’s face when he realized he was a clone.

…he was spit back out surrounded by dozens of his fellow clones. And yes, there’s the sudden rush that comes with sudden life, but its overwhelmed by adrenaline and the sight before him. Staring up at him and his brothers, glowing blue eyes wide and purple jaw slack, is the Demon Bull King. The boy couldn’t help but grin at the shocked expression on his, his not his creator’s, enemies face.

He felt elated. Like he could do something. And yeah, as a clone born from denial and repressed fear, he couldn’t do much. But there was a reason he hadn’t let Mei change his outfit.

He’d already been cosplaying a hero.

He grabbed his creator’s hands and used his weight to throw him towards the problem. He knew how exhilarating such a feeling could be.

One second he’d been in front of the demon bull minions, the next he was in the air, staring in shock down at Sandy. 

As he arced through the sky all he could think about was how he hadn’t known Sandy could throw him this high or this far. He ended up landing on Mr. Tang but he couldn’t even hear the sarcastic quip as he was shoved into the car, his mind was still filled with the rush of weightlessness and a blue form growing more and more distant.

He bit back the memory of being punted to safety. Instead he focused on the present and the sweet sense of accomplishment that comes from successfully completing a move he’d only seen done to him. He tried to suppress a grin as he let gravity do its work.

It felt good to use that skill for offense.  

He fell down with his brothers in a rush of red hairbands and orange jackets. Left and right they poofed out of existence as they gave their one good hit or got smacked by the Bull Demon King’s flaying hands. Still he presses on, throwing everything he’s got into the fight with the reckless abandon that reminds him so much of Mei

Mei fought like this was the first battle. She laughed and grinned and practically bounced in between her strikes. She’s a green whirlwind. Its captivating to watch, even though he knows how this will end.

A flailing hand catches him and he knows he’s not got much time left. But just as he starts to disappear, he catches sight of a glowing blue canister falling to the ground. And he lets himself vanish with a feeling of deep seated relief.

Mei won’t be dialing the same number over and over

Sandy can make tea without fear of running out of teabags.

Mr. Tang won’t be watching the damage they couldn’t prevent on loop.

Pigsy can go back to his store.

They won.

[hlupdate]

Boy band heartthrob-turned-rocker Harry Styles hasn't released new music or toured in more than a year now -- but that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

In fact, the "Sign of the Times" crooner has stayed plenty active. Since releasing his self-titled debut in May 2017, Styles starred in his first feature film with Dunkirk, embarked on a world tour, co-chaired the Met Gala and even modeled for Gucci.

And with the news that he will grace the cover of Rolling Stone next month, it can only be expected that new music is on the way from the One Direction singer. So before the world is swept up in a new era of Styles, catch yourself up on what he's been up to below.

Since going solo, Styles has...

Released a documentary

Just a week after his debut album Harry Styles dropped, Harry Styles: Behind the Album was released via Apple Music. The documentary-style film chronicles the making of the record with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.

Guest-starred on The Late Late Show With James Corden three times

Styles' first Late Late Show appearance after his album release was in May 2017, accompanied by a charming episode of Carpool Karaoke.

Styles returned on Dec. 13 of that year to guest-host the show while Corden's wife gave birth, manning the stage like a pro with a witty monologue.

Most recently, Styles joined Corden for a dodgeball game in London this June, teaming up with Corden, John Bradley, Benedict Cumberbatch and Reggie Watts for a must-see competition (and plenty of cute moments from Styles).

Appeared in Dunkirk

In what was an unexpected career move, Styles appeared as a soldier in Christopher Nolan's war epic Dunkirk in July 2017. Though his role was minor, Styles' performance packed enough of a punch to impress.

Performed on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge

In September 2017, Styles stopped by BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge to perform two covers: "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac and DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts." Putting his own spin on each, Styles once again proved his raw talent.

Embarked on a world tour

Beginning in San Francisco on Sept. 19, 2017, and ending in Los Angeles on July 14, 2018, Harry Styles: Live On Tour took the star throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America for 89 total shows. The tour was sold-out and had Kacey Musgraves, Warpaint and Leon Bridges as opening acts.

Proved himself a true philanthropist

Though Styles has always been vocal about his beliefs, he's really stepped it up as a solo act. In October 2017, he performed at CBS Radio's We Can Survive concert for breast cancer awareness at the Hollywood Bowl and sold tees and hoodies throughout his tour sporting the phrase "Treat People With Kindness" in order to advocate for LGBTQ rights. In total, Styles' tour raised more than $1.2 million for various charities, helped attendees register to vote and engaged in a water conservation effort. In addition, Harry Styles: Live On Tour was named on sexual harassment prevention charity Time's Up's 2018 donor list.

Had his own special on the BBC

The hour-long special Harry Styles at the BBC aired on Nov. 2, 2017, including a live performance from Styles and interview with BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw.

Won two iHeartRadio Music Awards

On March 3, 2018, Styles won two iHeartRadio Music Awards: best music video for "Sign of the Times" and best cover song for his performance of "Still the One" by Shania Twain with Kacey Musgraves.

Co-wrote a song

Styles has a writing credit on Bleachers' "Alfie's Song (Not So Typical Love Song)," which appeared on the soundtrack for the 2018 film Love, Simon. However, this was not Styles' first time writing a song for someone else: He has also co-written songs for Ariana Grande and Michael Bublé.

Modeled for Gucci

The singer has become a mainstay for Gucci, appearing in three of their campaigns thus far -- two for Gucci Tailoring and most recently for Gucci's newest perfume, Mémoire d'une Odeur. The promotional videos for each are almost too much to handle.

Executive-produced a TV show

One of the least-known facts about Styles: He was actually an executive producer on the CBS sitcom Happy Together, which was loosely based on his own life. Sadly, the show was canceled in May after just one season.

Interviewed Timothée Chalamet

Ah, the interview that almost broke the internet. On Nov. 1, 2018, a match made in heaven became a reality when Harry Styles chatted with fellow dreamboat Timothée Chalamet for i-D. Touching on everything from masculinity to that peach scene in Call Me by Your Name, it's a thrilling read to say the least.

Won Gay Times' Honour for LGBTQ Advocate

As a result of his "Treat People With Kindness" campaign and The Rainbow Project that his fans carried out at his MSG show, Gay Times gave Styles their Honour for LGBTQ Advocate Award on Nov. 8, 2018. "Styles uses his platform to make sure his LGBTQ fans feel accepted and noticed, which was most superbly displayed earlier this year with The Rainbow Project," Gay Times' announcement article said.

Gone to a lot of concerts

Seriously, it's almost too many. On Nov. 30, 2018, Styles made an appearance at Bring Me the Horizon's London show, even posing for this cute selfie with lead singer Oli Sykes.

On Dec. 13, 2018, Styles was spotted supporting friend Stevie Nicks at Fleetwood Mac's concert in Los Angeles. Enjoy this blurry video of him singing along to "Go Your Own Way."

Only three days later, Styles went to Paul McCartney's show in London, even pausing to take a few pics with fans.

The next time Styles was seen out at a concert was to catch Van Morrison at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 5. The two hung out backstage and snapped this adorable pic, which also sparks the realization that Styles has worn that gray cap to every concert thus far...

Next up on Styles' concert schedule was an LA show from King Princess, whom Styles reportedly asked to open for him at Madison Square Garden. Though she declined, it's great to see that Styles is still supportive.

Styles also saw K-pop group BlackPink on April 17 in Los Angeles, adding fuel to the fire that he was dating BlackPink member Jennie.

Styles caught a Fleetwood Mac show on June 18, but this time in London, where Nicks actually dedicated her performance of "Landslide" to him.

One Direction stans everywhere freaked out when both Styles and Niall Horan went to the Eagles concert in London on June 23. Though the photos are almost too blurry to tell, just the thought of the two enjoying a night out together had Directioners speculating at a 1D reunion.

The most recent Styles concert outing was Ariana Grande's London show on Aug. 17, where he hung out with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, getting the Internet very excited.

Partied it up in Japan

Styles has spent a good amount of time in Tokyo this year, even meeting up with some of the Queer Eye guys for karaoke. Here's him and Bobby Berk singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" for your viewing pleasure.

Become besties with Stevie Nicks and inducted her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Styles and Nicks have sparked up quite a friendship since his album dropped, performing several times together including at the 2019 Gucci Cruise. The two are so close that Styles inducted Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this March, making a sweet speech and joining her to sing "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."

Co-chaired the Met Gala

In a look that truly broke the Internet, Styles stunned at the 2019 Met Gala on May 6 as a co-chair. Dressed in a gender-blurring Gucci getup, Styles proved himself a fashion icon.

In an interview at the event with Liza Koshy, Styles said that the theme of camp is about "enjoyment, non-judgment and having fun with clothes."

Almost had two huge movie roles

This summer, Styles was in the running to play Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic and even "in talks" with Disney to be Prince Eric in the upcoming Little Mermaid live-action remake. Despite initial conflicting reports about Prince Eric, Styles will not be playing either role.

Worked on new music (and music videos)

Styles has been spotted on set for a music video (or maybe two?) in both Scotland and Mexico this August -- which can only mean that new music must be coming soon. Check out these behind-the-scenes snaps.

Graces the cover of Rolling Stone's next issue

And finally, in another telltale hint that new music is to come, Styles was revealed as the cover star for Rolling Stone's September issue on Aug. 19. The sizzling-hot shirtless cover came with reports from Us Weekly that his next album would be coming late this summer or early fall. One can only hope!

[poeticsandaliens]

stella/scully prompt: scully going to visit stella in the hospital after being attacked by paul or even seeing the ordeal happen on screen

Howling Ghosts

This is not set during the events of The Fall, but after. Scully sees Spector attack Stella on tape. This was an emotional gut-punch for me to write, and I hope I did these characters justice.

Rated M for canonical violence, which is why everything is under the cut. Title taken from the song “King and Lionheart” by Of Monsters and Men. Tagging @today-in-fic.

“Stella?” Scully peeks into the study. Stella sits at the oak desk, her blouse glowing sickly peach in the lamplight. She remains frozen in front of her laptop, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her fingers clutch at her ribs. “Are you all right?”

A strained sigh escapes Stella’s lips. “He should have stood trial.”

She knows instantly who Stella is referring to. “He should have,” she says softly, “but there’s nothing you can do.”

“I should have insisted he never be left alone. He should have been made to face his crimes, stared into the eyes of everyone who suffered at his hands. He should feel for the pain he caused and feel for every woman who is not sitting in that courtroom. They deserve to see him punished.”

She’s never heard Stella speak this way. Like molten a steel blade, hot and metallic and punctuated with a needle-sharp tip.

“It’s been over a year. What brought up the Spector case?”

“Katie Benedetto killed herself yesterday.”

Oh. She takes a couple steps forward, lingers between Stella and the filing cabinet. Fuzzy black and white footage flickers across the computer screen. “Is that—”

“My interview with her.” A pause. “I should have done more.”

“What more could you have done?” Sometimes she wonders if Stella shoulders the responsibilities for strangers’ suffering because she cannot bear to think of anyone closer. She shoulders the pain in their hearts and dares not examine her own.

The silence prods at Scully’s bones, settles in the crook of her stiff limbs and clings to the wrinkles of her shirt. The video freezes and disappears, and she sees the little loading symbol spiral in the corner of the screen. The next video plays automatically. For a moment she thinks that Stella has set Katie’s interview on repeat—but no, that’s not Katie in the far chair, but a stiff, wild-eyed Paul Spector.

Scully knows right then what she’s watching. She squeezes the back of Stella’s chair until her knuckles turn white. Her eyes flick to the tiny scar along Stella’s eyebrow, shining pale blue in the glow of the laptop screen. Stella gets migraines, occasionally, jarring reminders of past trauma, splitting her open at ungodly hours of night. Scully expects her to stop the video, to close it out or something—something besides sit there, tighten her lips, steel herself.

“Stella, can I stop it?”

Stella shakes her head. “No. I have to know. I have to know what he did to me.” She looks up, and the look in her eyes leaves Scully unnerved. Wide open, drained of color in the screen light like cold, hard silver. “You don’t have to stay here, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

She speaks with assurance, but Scully can hear the stony cadence behind it. Something in Stella is determined to process the footage alone. If she can face her injuries, watch the attack play out before her eyes, she has won. It’s a test—to prove to herself once and for all that she needs no one but herself. She can withdraw.

Scully knows better; she knows trauma doesn’t work that way. She knows it better than most people, and she suspects Stella does too. Stella, who stares into the eyes of women who have been raped, who have survived assault and abuse, and promises to listen, to be present, to try to bring them justice. Stella, who can promise them nothing more, because she knows—how well they both know—life makes no guarantees.

Stella, who championed the healing power of human connections for anyone but herself.

The footage plays on.

Scully has seen it all before—the young officer at the door, the hard-knuckled detective laying out a case. Pushing for a confession of guilt, jabbing at the volatile criminal and hoping for a reaction. She’s seen it so many times that she doesn’t need sound to know what’s happening or what’s being said. Stella’s told her the things she said to Spector, the way her rage bubbled out and the she just kept talking. How at some point, it stopped being her job. How she doesn’t regret a single word.

Every time he moves, Scully’s fingernails dig into the back of the chair. She won’t leave, no matter how many hairs stick up on her spine. It reminds her of Donnie Pfaster’s trial, a lifetime ago, only Paul Spector is not a scaly monster lurking beneath human skin, but a living man. An ordinary man, one might even say.

It always satisfied Stella to call Spector ordinary. In his monstrous acts, normal was the one thing he aspired not to be. He aspired to earn a place among the Donnie Pfasters, the faeries and demons and forked-tongued divinities, mythologized for the horror they inspired—so evil they will never be forgotten, stooping so low they were deified. She hates it, how they burned themselves into human history in a way Spector never will. As tides turn, as everyone he burned himself into grows old and weary, Spector will be forgotten. The injustices that created him will not. That is what he deserves. That is what they all deserved.

He stands up so quickly his chair topples over backwards, and the young man who reaches out to stop him is unprepared for the blow. Scully is a medical doctor, trained in defensive combat, and she knows a broken arm when she sees one. Spector’s image flashes around the screen; it happens so quickly doesn’t realize she’s stopped breathing until she takes in the foreboding silence around her.

She sees Stella’s fists clench. On the screen, he knocks her over with one kick, cracks her ribs with another. Scully can’t believe how tiny she looks there, a bird-boned woman in a sharp suit. A glimpse of her blood in grey scale. And then he’s on top of her, fists tearing into her, and another face flicks into Scully’s mind: The Brazilian psychic surgeon, his right hand shoved into her sternum.

Jesus Christ. She isn’t prepared for this. She looks at Stella. Her lover’s icy gaze is fixed on the screen. Her cheekbones look like they’ve been whittled with a pocket knife. The light glints off her scar like the flash of a sniper rifle. Her chin trembles almost indecipherably, the tremor in her fingers much more pronounced.

To Scully’s surprise, Stella’s hand slips into hers, fingers locked tightly together. When the pixelated Spector hurls his fist at her zygomatic bone, she squeezes Scully’s hand. Scully tries to ignore the throb of her circulation being cut off. She lets the computer screen blur and looks past it to the dark office wall.

Why do people cling to hands when they’re hurting? She wonders if this is how it felt to Monica Reyes, when she bit down on a stick and squeezed the life out of Reyes’s fingers as she delivered William. She wonders if this is how Mulder felt, reaching for her hand across an antique hardwood floor as they bled through ghostly bullet holes on Christmas Eve. She wonders if her mother felt this same reeling cocktail of love and despair every time she sat beside Scully’s hospital cot and held her hand and saw cancer suck dry her daughter’s body.

She is not leaving. She always appreciated Mulder’s tenacity when she was injured, his insistence that it was okay to hurt. It drove her mad when she was young, but she always admired his deep empathy. She tries to channel just a little of it now.

She watches as several officers rush into the room and peel Spector off Stella’s body. She is so still that Scully almost forgets how this all ends, her shape curled into itself like burning paper. A man in uniform reaches for her shoulder, and at first she pushes him off, so decisively he takes a full step backward.

On her feet, her impossible stilettos wobble until one gives out entirely, She crumbles over, caught by the guards. The silence is broken by a sharp intake of breath, and Scully turns to see Stella’s jaw stiff and open. Stella presses her hand to her mouth, squeezes Scully’s fingers so tightly they’re tinted blue. Tears roll down her cheeks in a wash, and Scully’s breath catches. She has never before seen Stella cry.

It is this that shatters Stella’s resolve: when her ankle gives out in its heel, when her legs no longer support their own weight. It is not the violence but what comes after. The moment you realize you have been desecrated, that you are in blinding pain over which you have no control, and you must rely on someone else to heal. Scully has felt it.

Scully offers Stella her other hand, and she takes it. She presses it to her chest, above the button of her satin blouse, holds it there. Scully can feel her heart beat beneath it. She can feel the wet spots where Stella’s warm tears dropped off her jaw. 

She has never been held like this. Not even when Mulder reached for her in his bright orange prison garb like she was water in the Sahara. This is a different need, not an explosive gesture of yearning but an ache, that starts out dull but seizes her over time.

“I know,” Scully whispers, because she does. She’s felt this pain, that wracks Stella. “I know.”

The tape ends, and the screen goes blank. It aches. God, how it aches.

[akitania]

garden-ghoul replied to your post “garden-ghoul replied to your post “�� or �� !” is there like… LOONA...”

lore on fictional versions of real band members is the most powerful thing in any art, ESPECIALLY when you have to painstakingly track it down across 10 different music videos

yeah there is SO MUCH GOING ON. i made a very bad guide to the fictional versions of the members:

the overall story is that all 12 girls are trying to find each other, despite being scattered across worlds. the universe is shaped like a mobius strip. it’s not entirely clear what the implications of that are.

1/3 - the first unit, seems to be in the closest thing to the real world. there are androids and sometimes it’s the 90s, but hey, sometimes it’s the 90s here too. their theme is cute and retro.

HEEJIN - one of the 3 in 1/3, her animal is a RABBIT and her color is HOT PINK. she’s associated with alice in wonderland. may or may not be taking orders from the god of the universe, or at least she’s receiving orders. not really following them.

HYUNJIN - one of the 3, her animal is a CAT and her color is YELLOW. basically everything about her has to do with other units, so hang on a sec.

HASEUL - one of the 3, her animal is a DOVE, PROBABLY, and her color is GREEN. the leader of 1/3 and the group as a whole, and the mom friend to everyone but especially yeojin. she’s associated with the little prince but no one knows what the fuck is going on in her solo mv.

YEOJIN - the / of 1/3, her animal is a FROG and her color is ORANGE. the baby. she’s associated with the frog prince but also some other fairy tales and is maybe jesus. she hasn’t appeared in any group MVs because she’s stuck in another dimension or something.

VIVI - the 1 of 1/3, her animal is a DEER and her color is ROSE PINK. she’s an android. the color of her hair indicates where she is on the timeline, but no one’s entirely clear on what it means except that pink hair means she’s an android or reviewing corrupted memories of her human life while an android.

ODD EYE CIRCLE - the second unit, able to travel between worlds and are doing most of the legwork of getting the group together. their world is kind of empty and ominous, and their theme is cool and modern and a little dark.

KIM LIP - her animal is an OWL and her color is RED. the leader of OEC and her power is prrrrrobably time travel. seems to be trying to create paradoxes and keep tabs on herself in the past and future.

JINSOUL - her animal is a BETTA FISH and her color is ROYAL BLUE aka her main color is BLUE and her secondary color is BLACK. she can teleport or something and everything the fandom thought we knew about her was just completely shaken up. ATE THE SUN, I GUESS.

CHOERRY - her animal is a FRUIT BAT and her main color is PURPLE with the secondary color WHITE, SUPPOSEDLY, this isn’t as explicit as jinsoul’s secondary color. her odd eye is on the right while the others’ are on their left, she moves the most between worlds, and she's well acquainted with members of every unit. it’s implied she was originally from yyxy’s part of the universe. she also uses mirrors to find other members. fucking mysterious. i personally think she’s associated with norse mythology and yggsadril.

YYXY - the final unit, they haven’t debuted as a group yet. they’re from the other side of the mobius strip, specifically an outwardly utopian world called “eden.” their thing is rebelling against god i guess and this is where the plot starts getting really complicated. their theme is lesbians.

YVES - her animal is a SWAN and her color is BURGUNDY. she’s the leader of yyxy and the first to rebel against god. she’s trying to create a new, better eden that isn’t ruled over by god. i guess.

CHUU - her animal is a PENGUIN and her color is PEACH. she’s associated with the little match girl, and also with the paintings of magritte and edward hopper. she’s in love with yves and left eden to be with her.

GO WON - her animal is a BUTTERFLY and her color is TEAL? although it think it’s officially called EDEN GREEN. seems to be the last girl to actually leave eden, and is maaaaybe meant to be queen or princess of the new world yves is making.

OLIVIA HYE - her animal is a WOLF and her color is BLACK, SORT OF, IT’S ACTUALLY A BUNCH OF SHADES OF GRAY AND POSSIBLY ALSO WHITE. she seems to be yves’ nemesis and is trying to destroy her new world or maybe just the old one, which is why i’m convinced she is also associated with norse mythology and is meant to be fenrir, who EATS THE SUN, or something.

CROSS-UNIT CONNECTIONS - every member knows the other members of their unit, with the possible exception of vivi and yeojin, but there are also some interesting relationships across worlds and groups.

HEEJIN + OLIVIA - first girl/last girl, they met briefly at the end of olivia’s solo MV as a new “loop” of the universe begins.

HYUNJIN + GO WON - 2nd girl/2nd-to-last girl, it’s revealed in SECRET BONUS FOOTAGE that they’ve been communicating indirectly. via cat.

HYUNJIN + CHOERRY - it’s revealed in SECRET BONUS FOOTAGE that there’s a remixed version of 1/3′s debut song where choerry replaces hyunjin. this is canon, not some sort of musical extra. also, hyunjin appears briefly in one of choerry’s mirrors. if hyunjin and choerry swapped places, that would make OEC all of the primary colors.

HASEUL + CHUU - 3rd girl/3rd-to-last girl, haseul finds chuu at the end of chuu’s MV (and saves her from freezing to death) but chuu doesn’t seem to see her.

VIVI + YVES - 4th girl (sort of)/4th-to-last girl, they knew each other when vivi was human and it seems like yves’ love for vivi was what motivated her to leave eden, but vivi has lost most of her human memories.

JINSOUL + VIVI - jinsoul shows up in vivi’s b-side MV in hong kong, and it’s revealed in SECRET BONUS FOOTAGE that vivi sees her in korea while still (probably) human. people who don’t think olivia killed vivi mostly think jinsoul is the culprit.

JINSOUL + OLIVIA - EAT THE RICH SUN. jinsoul has a guest verse in olivia’s MV but they don’t meet face-to-face. who fucken knows man.

CHOERRY + HASEUL + YEOJIN - the three secondary colors! they all know each other in 1/3′s world before choerry joins up with OEC and yeojin disappears. poor haseul.

CHOERRY + GO WON - choerry only appears very briefly in go won’s MV, but seems to be trying to help her and go won appears to know her and consider her a member of eden.

CHOERRY + YVES - choerry shows up only very briefly in yves’ MV (and yves is foreshadowed in an OEC group MV), but it’s revealed in SECRET BONUS FOOTAGE that they know each other pretty well and yves is communicating with choerry while she’s on OEC business.

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - BREED PRO WRESTLING 'SUNDAY NIGHT YEET'

Hello and welcome everyone to this edition of Graps and Claps, this time taking me across the Pennines once again to Sheffield for Breed Pro Wrestling’s debut show taking place at The Abbeydale Picture House, located around a 20/25-minute walk from the Train Station.

A very early start for me, deciding to leave my dad in bed for a change I took the 30-minute walk to Rochdale Bus Station, but not before going to the newsagents to get the mornings paper to which I was greeted with the sight of a woman in a nightdress with her full arse visibly showing picking up cigarette butt-ends (Stay Classy Smallbridge!). Taking the 50-minute bus journey to Manchester, I arrived into Shudehill Interchange for 9:30am with enough time to visit the local Co-Op for a hot Sausage Roll and 3 Hash Browns to keep me nourished on the short journey to Sheffield – arriving in the Steel City for 11:10am.

First port of call as ever in Sheffield was The Sheffield Tap to meet up with some of the gang (Athers and Ben to name a couple). Only two pints in here in the hour that I was in with a Arbor Rocketman IPA (6% £5 pint) being the best out of the two that I had, the other being a Fyne Ales Maverick Dark Bitter (4.2% £4.20 pint that had a slight taste of dirty dishwater to start but gradually got better as the drink went down. With Ben making his arrival, we went on our expedition to the venue, but not before visiting another couple of pubs on the way, the first being a recommended choice of Breed Promoter Mitch – that being The Clubhouse.

To Mitch’s credit he chose well, as this pub had around 10 real ales on tap, plus for people who were there for the wrestling, there was Bacon and Sausage butties put on for everyone at a cost of £2.50 each making it feel like a proper wrestling away day, but with a bit more advertising about this I could see this becoming more and more popular as the promotion goes on throughout the year. As Bacon butties go this was a solid 8/10 on the crispy scale but still full of flavour. Drink wise it was a pint of Gongoozler Stout (4.5% £3.20) that won the battle in this pub, just mildly over the Peach and Amber Ale (£3.50), also it was nice to have a chat with Mitch’s Dad who we would see on a number of occasions during the show – top fella to chat with.

Drinks done in this venue, we carried on our long walk to the venue with along the way a sight of someone in a Chinese Dragon outfit doing some ceremonial cake buying, whilst it’s band of symbol players looked on outside – this was random as anything! With at least an hour to go before the show, a few of us decided to visit the pub next door to the Abbeydale Picture House that being – The Picture House Social which you could tell straight away as you walked down the steep stairs that this venue has found a spare tub of pink paint to adorn its walls.

Inside it did have the feeling of a basement bar that served Pizzas, a handful of real ales and as my friends Davey and Chris Wilson of the Bill fame would find out was that you can have the use of a private Cinema room which holds around 24 people for a cost of £50 for 3 hours – random but something that I could see them both taking full advantage of in the future that is for certain. Only the one drink in here that being a pint of Beak Midwinter Porter (4.8% £3.80 pint) rating as a good 7/10 in my book. This I would say if Breed are holding further events at Abbeydale Picture House could be a perfect meeting up spot for the wrestling as it is literally next door.

Drinks finished, it was time to get into the venue, which on first sight looked like the old Grand Central building in Liverpool with an ornate balcony. Cinema style seating was in action with easily around 300 people in attendance which is an excellent by Breed to draw that on their first show in Sheffield. As the building doesn’t get used that much nowadays, the venue was akin to Oldham Athletics Boundary Park better known as ‘Ice Station Zero’ – a bit cold that was for sure. Toilet situation was 3 different toilets but with only 1 piss stone in each of them, but it was still serviceable for people throughout the show. Drink options including cans of Abbeydale Heathen for £3.50 and pints of a local cask ale costing £3 which was passable as a drink through the show, but lacked a head as it was being poured straight from the barrel. Before the show it was nice to finally chat to FSM’s own Will Cooling, plus also to see my old Boltonian friend Matthew was great.

Starting near enough bang on time (3pm), we were introduced to the afternoon’s action by ring announcer Lucy for whom it was her first full show announcing, despite a couple of early stumbles on the mic she performed admirably as the show went on. First match for the afternoon was a 3 on 2 Handicap match with Session Moth Martina teaming with The Anti-Fun Police (Damien Dunne and Los Federales Santos) taking on 2/3rds of Irish Trio ‘More Than Hype’ that being L.J Cleary and Darren Kearney.

Lots of fun and shenanigans early on with Martina and Santos grinding on Cleary which initially flustered the young Irishman as this certainly put the Police on top for around a good 4/5 minutes, luckily for Cleary he managed to wriggle free as he hit Dunne with a roundhouse kick and them promptly tagged in his team mate Kearney who came in to hit kicks and a roundhouse of his own to Martina then a sit out slam to Dunne. The Police came back as Santos got a 2 count, but that was as close as it got as More Than Hype eventually got the victory as they hit a kick/Jay Driller combo to get the victory in a good fun opener. After the match, the dissension told in the Anti-Fun Police as Martina was dismissed of her duties by Dunne and Santos, but soon got revenge as she was consoled by More Than Hype.

2nd match now, with the first in the Breed Pro Wrestling Title tournament with Progress Broken Toy TK Cooper looking to prove that he is no back number, taking on Man Like Beano who I have only seen a couple of times on my travels around the U.K. It was to be the man from Wales who was on top early as he hit a face-first buster for a 2 count, following up with a forearm to stun TK then another slam for a 2 count to have the crowd fully behind him in his quest to defeat TK. TK however, got around to the realisation that he needed to win as he hit a Cartwheel Kick off of the top rope, then following up in swift fashion with a side slam to get the 3 count in another good contest.

3rd match was set to be a strike fest as Danny Jones (Not of McFly) took on Chris Ridgeway for whom some people had as their favourite to go all of the way to win this tournament. A very technical start with Ridgeway getting the best of the exchanges, Jones though did come back hitting double knees in the corner to Ridgeway to wind him. Ridgeway though came firing back with a SEX PIN for 2, then turning it into a crab to try and submit Jones, Jones though rolled through to save his skin. It only saved him for so long though, as the Cumbrian Ridgeway finished Jones off with a boot to the head to get the 3 count to advance to the Main Event 4-way – good match!!

4th match on this 9-match card was a change to the advertised match-up with Irish Starlet Scotty Davis replacing El Phantasmo who got injured trying to do a flip off a park bench whilst drunk – (Where’s Beadle when you need actual footage of this)! Davis was taking on Ben Corrigan’s favourite wrestler Chuck Mambo in an intriguing contest where maybe on paper it would be hard to pick a winner. As we started, both wrestlers hit high impact moves with Mambo hitting a DDT and Davis hitting a dive to the outside to floor Mambo. Lots of chants in this one about the wrestling attire on show with Scotty Davis’s Purple Pants and Mambo’s Turtle Pants being sang to the tune of Prince ‘Purple Rain’. Even Referee Eddie Sideburns got a chant about his Stripey Shirt!

Silly chants out of the way, Davis hit a driver to Mambo to get a two count, then followed up with a pair of knees to wind Mambo, but Mambo came back to hit a sweet Superkick then an Emerald Frosion for two. That was as good as it got for Mambo, as Davis locked in an arm submission on Mambo who duly tapped out to end a fine contest.

Half-Time Main event now with the final qualifier in the Breed Pro Wrestling Title Tournament with Spike Trivet taking on German Superstar Lucky Kid with the Mayor of Sheffield Majid in his corner to try and put Trivet off. Early control by Trivet in this one, a long leg hold stalemate then followed. Lucky Kid tried to apply some of the RISE poses he is famed for to make Trivet’s mind go mad and this worked as Lucky hit a Bounce back elbow to Trivet to get a two count. With the crowd fully behind the charismatic Lucky Kid, Trivet tried to use the Champagne bottle but was foiled by Majid who stole this from his clutches, leaving Lucky to hit a kick then lock in the Cross face to make the Tory Boy tap out. So your line up for the final in a 4-way Elimination match would be TK Cooper vs Scotty Davis vs Chris Ridgeway vs Lucky Kid.

Next up we had the first match in the New Breed Tournament which is an up and comers tournament with the first competitors being Connor Mills Vs Maverick Mayhew both of whom are more well-known for tag team wrestling, but Mills recently has been making waves down South on the Undergraps scene. As with the earlier Ridgeway match, this had a technical feeling out process but once they got into their stride the high-flying moves soon came out of the closet with Mills attempting a dive but he didn’t connect, he did though connect with a low dropkick to Mayhew to get on top. As the match reached its conclusion though it would be Mills who connected with a kick then finishing off his friend with a 450 from the top rope to get the victory in a passable contest – possibly not their best outing!

Women’s action next with Candyfloss vs Jayde vs Eliza Roux vs Shax, the latter has recently ditched the blond locks, going for a darker brown hair colour which suits her. Also I do have to point out that Shax & Damien Dunne have a beautiful dog not so sure on the breed, but a good dog nonetheless. Plenty of action early on in this, including Shax hitting a dive to everyone on the outside, back in the ring we had a leg stretch from Jayde to Candyfloss to try and submit her but ultimately failing. At the tail end of this match, Roux had locked in a Rack (Not of BIG T proportions, but still effective), that didn’t end up in a victory for her, as it would be Candyfloss who locked in an arm-bar to Roux to get the Submission victory in around 10 minutes.

Second qualifier in the New Breed Tournament with Omari looking to get back to the glory days of 2017 in Fight Club Pro taking on local lad Alec Michaels. Lasting around 10 minutes, Michaels was giving a good showing proving more than Omari’s Equal, that was until a mysterious blond haired chap came from the outside to distract Michaels enough to eventually be hit with The BIG O by Omari who got the three count to advance in the tournament. One minor gripe we never found out the name of the mystery blond haired man.

The 9th and final match of the evening now with the clock just coming past 6pm, with the Final of the Breed Pro Wrestling Tournament with a 4-way Elimination match between TK Cooper vs Scotty Davis vs Lucky Kid (No Magic Majid in his corner this time, he was at the bar) vs Chris Ridgeway. A wild opening to this match with early eliminations for two of the Favourites with Scotty Davis going first and then swiftly being followed by Ridgeway (my betting slip was duly thrown after this elimination, shows what I know). This left TK Cooper and Lucky Kid to fight it out for the big prize, with the crowd fully behind Lucky Kid who was getting over very well with the crowd in attendance.

With this support, we thought that this would spur Lucky Kid on to victory and it looked like that until Spike Trivet got involved, only for Chuck Mambo to come out for what was to make the save for Lucky, but he instead turned on Lucky and sided with his Escaping the Midcard buddies, as TK soon finished off Lucky with Eddie Sideburns in position to count the three. So your first ever Breed Pro Wrestling Champion is none other than TK Cooper – BOOOOO!!!!

There we have it then, as we end Breed’s first ever show and in closing about the show I would say it was a success with a show full of solid matches, but nothing spectacular but still a fun 3 hour show that was well worth my £14. I do feel that things like time-keeping and overall organisation of the show was excellent (something that Mitch can be proud of). Venue wise it was serviceable, despite the cold, we shall see how their second show holds up in Sheffield City Hall on the 17thMarch (a totally different venue)

With the show done, it was time to make our merry way home but not before having a natter with Mitch’s dad again and also Matthew Taylor-Richards who is a lovely fella. Leaving the venue, we still had time for a couple of pints in a nearby pub, before we went for our train at 9:11pm (arriving back home for 11:40pm – weary!).

I hope as ever, you have enjoyed reading this review of Breed Pro Wrestling and if you are interested go and check them out for their second show on the 17th March and also their 3rd show on April 7th (Mania Night) – you won’t be disappointed. Like, Share and Retweet this review and I will see you next time with a review of PCW in Leeds on the 15th February, so until then – BYE!!

@oggypart3

#Grapsandclaps