#bevi ff

[toolazytodecide]

I did it!!! I finished the spicy Bevi fic I left unfinished months ago!!!

[mellarkably]

Hi

Two things, first happy to see you so active doing nhie theories second yes! I also think 4.09 is important for Ben and Devi. I'm so excited also waiting for your fanfics 🩷

HI :)

awww thanks! i was always invested in nhie throughout the year but with the recent influx of content i was dying to share some theories i had. i also think 409 is important for ben and devi and am praying they're done justice.

im actually finishing up a fanfic right now, started on it after s3 came out and i started working on it again after my exams finished because of time. keep an eye out for that one bestie 🫶🏼🫂

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Kevin Robillard at HuffPost:

Tens of millions of dollars in television ads have made it clear what Democrats want their closing message to be: Donald Trump will restrict abortion rights, cut taxes for the rich and slash away at Americans’ health care. But getting a 24/7 news cycle to focus on positions Trump and other Republicans have held for decades is a tough sell, particularly when the news media can (rightly!) focus more on warnings coming from Trump’s top aides suggesting he has a fondness for Adolf Hitler and has fascist tendencies more broadly, or on his end-stage rally in New York City featuring a bevy of racist, sexist and generally offensive commentary.

Vice President Kamala Harris hopes she can spend the next week linking Trump’s autocratic ambitions to his right-wing views on abortion and economics in the minds of voters, a process her campaign said could be summed up with a simple line she deployed during a rally in Georgia on Thursday, when she asked attendees to imagine who would be sitting in the Oval Office in a few months. “It’s either Donald Trump in there, stewing over his enemies list, or me, working for you, checking off my to-do list,” Harris said to cheers from the crowd.

As the campaign enters its final days, Harris’ success in a nail-biter of an election may come down to how well she and her allies can combine these two very different cases against Trump, and deliver each message to the persuadable voters who need to hear it.

[...] A memo from FF PAC, the main super PAC backing Harris, sent to Democratic operatives on Friday warned against focusing too much on Trump’s fascist threat, noting its internal testing has found it less effective than focusing on Harris’ plans for the economy, including expanding the child tax credit and building hundreds of thousands more homes to lower housing costs. The memo was first reported by The New York Times.

In a statement to the paper, the president of the super PAC — which typically does not comment on its strategy or even alert reporters to ads it is putting out — downplayed the memo and explicitly complimented Harris’ rhetoric. The PAC’s research “shows people that the most effective way of using Trump’s words and behavior is tying them to consequences in voters’ lives,” Chauncey McLean wrote. “That’s what Kamala Harris does every day by comparing her to-do list with his enemies list, for example.” The Harris campaign released two ads on Thursday night using the audio of John Kelly’s interviews with The New York Times about Trump being a fascist to attack the former president, though it’s unclear how often either ad has run on television. In recent months, the campaign has occasionally released ads more focused on Trump as a threat to democracy without running them extensively on television.

And other members of the Democratic ecosystem seem to have more faith in using Kelly as a messenger to attack Trump. Blueprint, a centrist Democratic polling outfit, found in a survey earlier this month that Harris’ most effective closing argument involves citing how many of Trump’s Cabinet members and other Republicans have refused to endorse the former president. Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, the campaign’s chair, agreed in a television interview on Sunday. “When someone like John Kelly stands up and speaks about what it was like to serve under Donald Trump, speaks about how he clearly wants unchecked power, the American people are not comfortable with that,” she said on the MSNBC show hosted by former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “It’s really important when people who are close to Donald Trump speak out about it, and we’ve seen that across all of our data.” But ultimately it may not be her own economic plans or Trump’s fascist threat that provides Harris’ most potent closing message. Her campaign used the Friday night rally, where the vice president appeared alongside Beyoncé and Willie Nelson, to highlight how the Lone Star State’s ban on abortion could soon come to swing states under a Trump presidency. Priorities USA, a super PAC focused on digital advertising, told reporters on Friday they were confident abortion messaging was breaking through with the persuadable voters and get-out-the-vote targets still available to Harris — people who tend to be younger, female and more likely to be Black or Latino. In the group’s polling, the number one issue voters said they had heard about in advertising in the past few weeks was abortion rights.

Kamala Harris’s message contrasting her to-do list with Donald Trump’s enemies list is a solid campaign strategy.

[spoondeficiency]

I’ve been obsessed with the idea of Devi going as Ben for Halloween since I read  “imitation is the highest form of mockery” by  cori_the_bloody on AO3 

Go read it here https://archiveofourown.org/works/27257635

[noblognamepleaseandthankyou]

I need help.

[charzmander]

Australia, currently

[dispatchdcu]

Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute #1 Preview

Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute #1 Preview #MARVEL #marvelcomics #comics #comicbooks #news #mcu #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #fantasticfour #FF #reedrichards #misterfantastic #humantorch #thing #Amazon #fantasticfouranniversarytribute

  Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute #1 Synopsis:   Sixty years ago, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby made history and brought about the beginning of the Marvel Age of comics with the release of FANTASTIC FOUR #1. Now a bevy of Marvel’s finest creators pay tribute to that monumental moment by reinterpreting, page by page, the story from that inaugural release as well as FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3, in which…

[tylerhoech]

Can you give me a link to your Bevi FF?

here you go!☺️

[foxofthedesert]

Arrow FF | Dinah x Laurel | A Christmas Miracle

A Christmas Miracle, Part 1 - The Pursuit (Click to read on AO3)

Winter has arrived in earnest to Star City, a little late to the party but right on time for the main event. The holidays are right around the corner. Literally. Christmas Eve is already fading into history along with the setting sun.

After a benign autumn, meteorologists had predicted this season would be Northern California cold at worst, which is to say mild compared to the rest of the country with temperatures hovering between the high forties and fifties. Up til now, they'd been spot on with their forecasts. Unfortunately their crystal balls ran out of juice yesterday while today a never ending assembly line of huge gray clouds rolls is currently lazily by, announcing more of the same dreary, wintry weather. If Dinah didn't know better, she'd think it was about to snow. In Coastal California.

Teeth chattering, she tugs her coat tighter around her shoulders to ward off the chill of an uncommonly cold afternoon. This is exactly the kind of shitty weather she thought she left behind when Central City was firmly in her rear view mirror. California was supposed to be sunny and warm, or so said the movies. Well, from where Dinah stands they were lying because she is a bundled up in several layers, a thick coat and scarf atop a sweater and tee with mittens on her hands and woolly socks on her feet, just like she always used to in Missouri.

Dammit. And I just had to wear jeans. Oh well, at least my boots are keeping my toes from freezing.

Cursing the weather and her own foolish choice to be out it in when she doesn't have to be, Dinah curls her shoulders in, stuffs her hands into her coat pockets, and soldiers on. She is on mission right now and has no time to feel sorry for herself.

The sidewalks of the Triangle are bustling with activity in spite of the cold and the waxing evening hour. Shoppers flitting about care little for the rules of polite etiquette in their single-minded pursuit of last minute gifts for their friends and loved ones. Others are meandering aimlessly about, stopping every now and then to gawk at the intrepid shops that bothered to put up decorations or lights or both. Others still have their heads down like Dinah, trying to blend in with the crowd and filter through on their way home or to their jobs. That Dinah's motive for laying low is far less innocuous is beside the point.

Earlier this afternoon she got a surprise call from the District Attorney's office informing her of a prosecutorial change for a current case. Not just any current case, either, but one involving a corrupt, insanely powerful chemical manufacturer based in Gotham which had spread its disease into Star City while the government was occupied preventing one disaster after another. For the better part of a month, Dinah has been grinding through evidence and conducting interview after interview with the one and only Laurel Lance. Since the beginning Laurel has been her partner in overseeing the Ace Chemical case and they were really just hitting their stride on it when the rug got pulled out from underneath her feet. Finally after months of tedious police work and highly stressful court appearances, the CEO and a bevy of her criminally corrupt lapdogs all guilty as sin of dumping toxic waste in the Triangle right on the outskirts of a school zone were fixing to go to jail. Dinah had thought Laurel would want to see it through seeing as she put as many grueling hours in than Dinah has, if not more, ensuring all the I's were dotted and ever T was crossed. With one call from A.D.A Martinez, Dinah was dispelled of that notion and it caught her completely off guard.

The case being pawned off to the longest tenured A.D.A. would not have sat so wrong with Dinah if it hadn't seemed to be as intensely personal to Laurel as it is to her. Normally Laurel Lance acted the prototype of a picture perfect D.A.: a bulldog who is always in control in the courtroom, professional to a fault in the office, and able to politic with the best of them. This case was different, though, even more so than when Laurel went to bat for Oliver while he was still stuck in Slabside. She was burning the midnight oil like never before and spent more hours with Dinah at SCPD going over investigative and arrest reports over and over again until they both had just about memorized them to the letter. Also Laurel's intensity levels were constantly through the roof, and that was saying something considering she is, in every avenue of her life, perpetually cut throat and high strung. Laurel often chastises her staff for no good reason, such as failure to include one minor detail in a relatively inconsequential report due for filing, which is par for the course for a hothead with a combative streak as wide as the Space Needle is tall. But she never did so publicly until working this case. Only last week when one of her paralegals forgot to pass on an innocuous enough message from a DAI, she berated him in front of half the office so badly the poor kid burst into tears, so traumatized that he fled work early and missed the entire next day as well. Once the outrage ebbed, Laurel actually confessed to Dinah that she felt intense guilt over her treatment of that employee.

Laurel Lance. Formerly of Black Siren notoriety. Felt guilty for hurting an underling's feelings. That alone told Dinah how important this case was to Laurel. That she went on to say that this was the first case she'd worked on since assuming Earth-Prime Laurel's life that she categorically refused to lose. Once she went on a bender working on the case, refusing any and all attempts by her employees to get her to go home. Finally after thirty-six hours they called in the cavalry.

"All those people that soulless, greedy bitch made sick deserve justice," Laurel had told Dinah upon being confronted about her obsessive, incredibly unhealthy behavior. "And I'm gonna get it for them. If that means I don't sleep until I get a guilty verdict, then so be it."

If Dinah hadn't put her foot down, she's pretty sure Laurel would have made good on that promise. As it was, she had to all but drag Laurel out of the Court House into the parking garage and then deposit the District Attorney in her shiny new Lexus with perhaps a little less gentleness than was called for.

The point of all this is that Dinah is worried – a lot – about Laurel shrugging off a responsibility she has been obsessing about so religiously over the past two months. Worried that something is wrong or worse, that Laurel has at last fallen off the reformation wagon. Dinah sort of hates herself for jumping to such a cynical conclusion, but there it is. Sometimes those old feelings of bitter acrimony crop up and taint the progress she has made with her former enemy.

Enemy. There's a word Dinah hasn't associated with Laurel in almost two years. Since they teamed up with Felicity to free Oliver from Slabside, she and Laurel have made such significant strides that she would consider Laurel her closest female friend. Which is still sort of shocking when she actually sits down and thinks about where they came from to arrive at what she would categorize as as intimate a friendship as she is capable of forming. No one could have predicted the turn their relationship would take thanks to Felicity's meddling, least of all Dinah, who had once believed the aptly utilized designation of frenemies would be the best she could ever attain with the woman who killed the man she loved. Yet here she is, wading through a sea of people on the streets in ass-clenching cold just to make sure Laurel is alright when she could be at home bundled up on the couch in her favorite blanket sipping on hot cocoa. And it's Christmas Eve for Christ's sake! That alone speaks volumes about how much she actually cares for Laurel.

What's even more amazing is that there is not a shred of doubt in her heart of mind that Laurel feels the same for her. Of course, there is some cause to call that into question, or at least to redefine what care means from Laurel's end. Of late, Dinah has been getting these weird vibes from Laurel, who has started looking at her and even treating her differently than she used to before they tackled this case together. Ordinarily that would be a bothersome development. Except the change is not in a negative direction. If anything, Laurel has been noticeably more attentive and considerate, which when combined with those vibes produce strange feelings and urges in Dinah she has yet to figure out the meaning behind. And that's not to mention what she is supposed to do about this sudden spike of awkward, nervous, excited energy that buzzes between them whenever they are in the same room together. There is a word for it, she is sure, though right now she is not prepared to break out her dictionary so that she can officially print the term on a label to slap upon the deeply complicated relationship she shares with Laurel Lance.

That said, not yet being ready to face what her subconscious has been screaming at her is going on but her conscious has been deliberately and stubbornly annoying does not preclude Dinah from springing into action whenever Laurel starts acting wonky. Such as today when she dropped a case they were both so passionate about for no reason this morning and then inexplicably cut out of work after lunch without so much as an explanation to her immediate subordinate beyond a clipped response, "Worry less about what I'm doing with my afternoon and more about closing this case. Your future here depends on it."

Since getting the call from A.D.A. Martinez, Dinah has been unable to shake a feeling in her gut that something is going on. Something she should be concerned about. So she did what she does best. Pulled rank at the precinct and decided to indulge her nosy side. Leaning upon all she has learned as a vigilante and as a cop, she stalked Laurel on the traffic cams to the street she is currently plodding down, having covered six blocks already, only to lose sight of her at the intersection of Weisinger and Papp. There is only one significant place of interest Dinah can think of at that location, and she cannot for the life of her figure out what Laurel would be doing there. Her gut feeling tells her to follow through, though, so she complies without further complaint other than some more grumbling about the weather.

Upon rounding the corner, Dinah spots the homeless shelter, the city's second largest, and trudges down the sidewalk towards the entrance. Foot traffic here has dwindled down to a negligible amount. Only the inhabitants of the shelter and what few individuals are willing to brave being seen among such a lowly, somewhat dangerous element. Such as Laurel. For whatever reason…

Once perpendicular from the shelter, Dinah quickly cuts across the street when the street traffic gives her a pause. She gives no thought to the fact she, a police captain, has just blatantly broken the law. Jaywalking isn't the first misdemeanor she's committed today and probably won't be the last. Now on the correct side of the street, she picks around the exterior of the shelter until she finds a bedraggled older man perched on a cinder block just inside the alleyway on the east side of the building. Prepared for just this opportunity, she pulls out her badge and then the stock photo of Laurel she'd snatched off her desk.

"Calm down," she says to the startled man warily eyeing her badge – former military judging by his close cropped hair, rigid posture, and army surplus jacket. "I'm not here to arrest you. Or anyone else. What's your name?"

He exhales, fiddling with an exotic, expensive looking watch on his wrist that seems off beyond it being worn by someone without means to purchase it. A second later he offers her a shaky nod, then responds, "Name's Marv."

"Nice to meet you, Marv. I'm Dinah." Dinah's eyes are again drawn to the strange watch, only to have it quickly hidden under a well worn jacket sleeve. For a split second she considers pressing about how a homeless vet came by such an extravagant piece of a bling, only to change her mind in favor of an expedient end to her mission to find out what the hell Laurel is doing here. Now that proper introductions are made, she doesn't feel bad about thrusting the photo of Laurel in his face. "Have you, by chance, seen this woman this afternoon?"

"Yep. That's Dinah. Been here every day this week. First time before eight, though."

Brows searching for her hairline, Dinah almost comments on the name Laurel gave out before she remembers that it actually is Laurel's name. Dinah Laurel Lance. Whose mother's maiden name was Dinah Drake. The synchronicity of those facts alone are enough to keep Dinah awake at night. When factoring in all that conspired to throw them into a collision course trajectory, which they somehow survived only to be caught up in a mutual orbit, she can't help but feel there is some unknown force at work. Call it fate, kismet, destiny or any other whimsical designation, something out there clearly wants her and Laurel close to each other, and Dinah isn't sure how she feels about that. Well, that's a lie. She knows how she feels, just doesn't want to admit it – even to herself.

"What's she doing coming here every night?" she asks around the lump in her throat that often forms when thinking about Laurel. When the man she's questioning shoots her a dryly outraged glare, she quickly amends herself. "Not that I'm judging. Just curious."

Marv accepts her apology with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "No sweat. I was a little skeptical too when she started comin' to help the staff and residents – ya know, pitchin' in where she can. Cookin' and cleanin' and all that domestic shit. Done some electrical repair work that needed doin'. Good at it, too. Also did most of the decorating for Christmas. Real talented gal."

Dinah's eyebrows shoot up into her hair line. Laurel Lance cooking and cleaning and fixing stuff and...decorating for Christmas? She fights the urge to pinch herself to make sure she isn't dreaming.

Marv laughs at her expression. "Don't blame ya lookin' that way. When she pulled up in that fancy car and came stridin' through the doors in that expensive suit, I figured she was some politician out for a photo op or somethin'. Only never was no cameras or reporters around and she outworked everybody the four hours she was here. And the next time she showed up, she dressed down for the occasion. To fit in better, ya know? Worn out tee, ripped jeans, nose ring, hair braided up nice and tight. Got down in the trenches without a single complaint. Nothin' like the high class bitch that strutted her fancy ass into a world she don't belong in. Nah. Figured out right quick she belonged alright. Just hides it real good out there." He indicates toward the wider world by a tip of the chin. "Good heart in that one, too. She don't know I know, but she's helped more'n a few us land jobs that start up after the Holidays. Like Jordie and Lew. I, uh, I'm one of 'em, too. Asked the guy who hired me why he did it. Wouldn't say anything except a pretty lady who has a way with words convinced him to give me a chance, that he wouldn't regret it. I knew who it was just like that." He snaps his fingers to accentuate the point.

Dinah hardly knows what to say to what she's heard. Never has she been given a less Laurel-like description, and yet she can sense beyond all doubt that she is being told the truth. The paradox being presented to her is confusing as all hell, and it only incites her curiosity into irresistible fascination. Another layer of the Laurel onion is being peeled away right before her very eyes and she is a captive audience spellbound at the unraveling.

"Wow. Uh...I have to say that surprises me," she says after a brief moment of speechlessness. "That doesn't sound like the Lau -" she stops herself short of giving out Laurel's name out of respect for her privacy, "Dinah I know."

"Guess that means you don't know her like you thought," Marv says, eyeing her wryly. "You showed up looking for her, though, which means she's awful important to you. What're you her girl or somethin'?"

"No!"

The denial comes a little too quickly and too defensively and too disingenuous underneath the abrasiveness for Dinah's liking. Her poor reaction only serves as an additional reminder that she is all too aware of her feelings for Laurel and is in that stage where she just can't accept them. Their ugly past is the main obstacle, and that should be enough, right? There is enough baggage between them to fill up the terminal in the O'Hare Airport claim center.

And then there is the fact that Dinah is pretty sure Laurel is straight. She has caught Laurel checking a few ladies out here and there, but chalked those smoldering glances up to either zealous admiration or incendiary envy. Most of the ogling Dinah has caught Laurel doing has been directed toward one particularly unavailable man who just so happens to be married to her closest friend on this earth and who treats her like shit most of the time – the latter of which seems aligned with Laurel's history of being attracted to men who treat her like shit, which is another subject Dinah would rather not dwell on to keep her blood pressure in check. Not that Dinah can use any of this evidence as definitive proof that Laurel is, in fact, straight seeing as the same could be said of her.

In so far as her friends-slash-teammates know, she has only dated men when that is not quite the truth. In college she had several experimental hook ups with hot coeds from other sororities, one of whom was a steady girlfriend for nearly a year whose name was Lynne. It was Lynne who helped Dinah sort through the mess of her emerging identity to figure out she was actually bisexual and not simply going through a phase. Since then she has primarily dated men since that is her preference, but she has slept with a few women in between boyfriends, the most recent a one night stand in Hub City right before Oliver Queen interrupted her misguided quest for vengeance. That said, Laurel has been the first she's thought of the way she did Lynne, and even then the comparison is lacking. What she feels for Laurel rivals how she felt about Vince when he stopped being her undercover partner and became her lover. And that frightens Dinah so badly that every time the thought crosses her mind she panics and quickly stuffs down all of those complicated feelings Laurel provokes.

Sucking in a breath through her teeth, she lets it out slowly to compose herself before giving a more rational response. "I mean...I know her, yes. We work together. We're also friends. Of a sort. I just..." she trails off into a sigh. "Look, it's complicated. And not that it's any of your business but I was worried about her. She took off from work early, which she never does, and then abandoned a case really important us both. Seeing as she has a penchant for self-destruction, here I am."

After a contemplative hum, Marv nods to himself. "So she is some sort of bigwig politician."

"How do you figure that?"

Marv chuckles drolly. "Ain't hard to figure out. To be workin' with a police captain – got that from your badge by the way – she has to either be a cop or someone real important. And she ain't no cop. Heard her let loose some salty language about some of y'all. Don't leave much else possible. Lawyer, I'm guessin'. No, wait." He snaps his fingers again, eyes alighting. "Now I know why I though she looked so damn familiar. She's the D.A. ain't she? What's her name? Laura? Laurel! That's it. Laurel Lance. Well. I'll be damned."

The expression of utter amazement upon Marv's face is mirrored in Dinah's. "You and me both buddy," she says, taking a pause to process all she's learned. That Laurel has been volunteering at a homeless shelter for the past two weeks. That while still her sassy self, the Laurel that threaded in so seamlessly into the upper echelons of Star City society just as fluidly accommodated to the acclaim-repellent, elbow-grease-required strata of the most humble of the most humble that the mass production and low human value culture of America can produce. Laurel has also made another and even more drastic transformation in shedding the cold, calculating, vicious skin of Black Siren only to casually adopt the fully functional, productive citizen persona of the woman so beloved by so many a statue was built in her honor as if it were no big deal at all. All taken together, her series of adaptations is in Dinah's estimation an accomplishment of which few aside from the most elite social chameleons can boast.

All of that begs the question: who is the real Laurel Lance? And that is a question to which Dinah has no answer except to say she is dying to find out. Laurel is a jigsaw puzzle with a million jumbled up, radically disparate pieces spilled out before her as if to taunt that part of her brain that craves a challenge. Solving the unsolvable was one of many reasons she decided to become a cop after serving her enlistment in the Marine Corps, and there aren't many she's encountered that have her more vexed – and more invested – than Laurel.

As much as she would love to say that was the only reason she's out here in the tit-freezing cold talking to a complete stranger, her heart is not absent of engagement in the mystery of Laurel, either. Something about Laurel has tugged at Dinah's heartstrings for a long time now, since far earlier than their detente to aid Felicity's quest to exact vengeance upon the Dragon and the subsequent cooperation to free Oliver from prison. Maybe it was watching a shell-shocked daughter silently grieve when Quentin died while maintaining a facade of strength in support of a sister she didn't even know. Or maybe it was watching her, with Quentin's devoted fatherly guidance, slowly but surely step out of the inky blackness she inhabited out into the light of a nascent dawn and prove one day, one act, one speech at a time that there really was a fleshly, beating heart in her chest capable of great warmth that courses with red blood that bleeds like every one else upon the infliction of a wound. Or maybe, just maybe, it was getting to know the woman behind the innumerable masks and finding her to be as infinitely interesting, and surprisingly funny and charming on top of that, as the projections she offers up to the world to protect a heart that is far more fragile than she could ever bear to admit. Whatever the cause, there is no denying that Laurel has – probably without even trying – slipped past Dinah's own inner defenses and taken up residence in a place precious few have ever occupied.

"So, is she still here?" Dinah asks after deciding she best not think too much longer about this lest she become unnerved and tuck tail to run for the hills. Which is distinct possibility as scary as these unfurling feelings for Laurel are.

As if ignorant of her internal turmoil, Marv nods sharply, then indicates back toward the building with his head. "Yep. You'll find her inside. In the kitchen probably. Or out serving. Dinner ran over 'cause she got here a little late. All she did, wasn't right to start without her. Worth the wait though. Prime eatin' in there."

"Glad to hear it." Dinah means that in more than one way, though she declines commenting along those lines out of curiosity as to why Marv here is out in the cold with her instead inside and warm tucking into some dessert or something. "By the way, why aren't you inside? Gotta be better than freezing your ass off out here, especially if the food is as good as you said it was."

In response, Marv grins as he gives his belly a satisfied rub. "Already been through the line. I'm stuffed, and it can get loud in there, so I came out for some peace and quiet. Besides, it's a nice evenin'. I'm from New York, ya know. This cold reminds me of home."

"Missouri here by way of St. Louis." Select few outside of Team Arrow know that about Dinah, and that prompts her to wonder why she feels so comfortable sharing it with a total stranger. There is just something about Marv that she can't quite put her finger on. Something familiar. Hmm. "Gotta say, I don't miss the winters down there and they're a far cry from what y'all get in New York," she then adds as she studies the older gentlemen, noting his features remind her a bit of her grandfather, which satisfies that pique of curiosity for the time being.

"Yeah," says Marv, one corner of his lips quirking up just like Laurel's do – a ridiculous comparison that comes out of left field and is swiftly dismissed by Dinah. "But it ain't Christmas less it's cold, you've been fed like a prince, and you're with family. Guess two outta three ain't too bad for a washed up old vet."

Dinah's heart goes out to Marv. She knows the loneliness of having no roots left to speak of worth contacting this time of year. An only child of two only children, her mother's death the year she enlisted signaled the end of any familial obligations. So she cut clean after her discharge, moved to Central and never looked back. Thankfully she has since discovered a new family in Star City, one she did not inherit but chose of her own volition. Also known as the best kind of family.

"Not bad at all. I don't have any family left either. Gotta take what you can get around the holidays, right? Also, you're not all washed up. You figured my rank out with a single glance at my shield."

"My eyes still work. It's the rest of me that don't. And no offense, Cap, but that question you asked me earlier can apply to you, too. What the hell're you doin' standin' out here in the cold yappin' with an old geezer like me? Didn't you come here for a reason?"

Brow raised at his cheek, Dinah nonetheless shifts nervously from side to side. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did. Just..."

"Not what you expected to find, eh?" Marv interjects, rich green eyes twinkling in amusement. "Looks like your girl's got some surprises up her thousand buck sleeves."

"That she does. And I told you, she's not my girl."

Marv chuckles amiably at the denial that rings hollow to them both despite it being the truth. Laurel may not be her girl, but Dinah is increasingly becoming aware of the fact that she wants her to be.

"Yea, sure," he says. "Keep tellin' yourself that, Cap, maybe some day you'll convince yourself." Abruptly he shifts on his cinder block throne, clears his throat, and just like that Dinah knows the conversation is about to be over. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy a few minutes of that peace and quiet I came out here to get before I go back in and rejoin the rabble."

Dinah holds her hands up in surrender, recognizing the dismissal not as a suggestion but as the command that it is. "Alright. Message received." Unwilling to depart just yet for the fondness for this man she has so swiftly developed, she hesitates for a second as her analytic brain sifts through various potential scenarios in which they might meet again. For a variety of reason, not the least of which is statistical probability, most of them aren't good. "Listen," she says after the silence stretches out too long, causing Marv to arch a brow impatiently. "Stay out of trouble, you hear? I don't wanna see you in my station for any reason. Got it?"

Her reply is a mock salute and an equally sardonic, "Sure, boss. No need to worry, though. I don't got any plans to get locked up until at least the New Year. But I'll be sure to target your precinct if I change my mind just for the repeat pleasure of your company."

Recognizing the joke at her expense, Dinah rolls her eyes and quips, "In that case I'll keep the cell warm I reserve for unrepentant smart asses," before swirling to beat a hasty retreat. Back at the alley entry, she veers in the wrong direction only to be course corrected by Marv's consequent shout of, "Hey, Cap? That's the wrong way to the door, ya know." Dinah does know. She was just too damn nervous and uncertain all of a sudden to go through with confronting Laurel about her unexpected injection of the Christmas Spirit. Apparently being called out for her cowardice by a down-on-his-luck vet is the cure for that malady. Straightening her shoulders, she nods her appreciation at a man who in such a small span of time made such a large impression upon her.

"My bad," she calls back. "Thanks!"

She can see Marv's cheesy, smug grin even in the low light afforded by the street lamps and the single outside fixture attached to the outer wall of the shelter. And she certainly has no problem hearing his reply.

"You're welcome! Now, stop lyin' to yourself, march inside there and do what you gotta do to get your girl and make this a Christmas to remember."

To her astonishment and a degree of elation she has not experience since she in High School, Dinah does not bother to correct him this time. In light of all the revelations she experienced tonight about herself and Laurel, along with Marv's timely encouragement just now, clarity descends upon her with an intensity that cannot be denied. For far too long she has been too terrified – albeit for oh-so-many very good reasons – to directly confront the undeniable reality that she is falling in love with Laurel. And instead of inciting a panic that will derail the astounding progress she has made in the process of a single conversation with a man with whom she has only just become acquainted, instead of making her want to run away as fast as her legs will carry her, it does the exact opposite.

Against all rational explanation, and wildly contrary to how she felt on seconds ago, all Dinah wants to do right now is run straight to Laurel. So that's precisely what she does.

[jacked-kirby]

#JackedKirby - Kang the Conqueror... or is it Rama Tut? 💥💥💥 During the early years of Jack and Stan’s collaborative run at Marvel the fellas created a bevy of baddies to battle all the new superheroes they were creating. I mean, these guys had to fight someone right? But one of those baddies stands out because he was so nice the had to create him twice... wait, what? 💥💥💥 The evil pharaoh Rama Tut appeared in #Issue19 of the Fantastic Four in October of 1963. The story is a time travel yarn, with the FF being transported back into ancient Egyptian times and encountering Rama Tut (Pic 1), a very powerful king who also happens to be wielding some modern technology that shouldn’t exist in that era. We find out he is actually a time traveler from the 31st Century and he is using his superior knowledge and tech to keep a stranglehold on Ancient Egypt! He flees after this encounter with the FF, vowing revenge... 💥💥💥 About a year later a “new” villain appears in Avengers #Issue8 (Sept of 64) named Kang the Conqueror. He is sporting a suit of armor & helm very reminiscent of Dr Doom, and he to posses all types of technology that proves troublesome for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! (Pic 2) He captures the whole team except Wasp and Rick Jones, and eventually they free Thor who claims victory over Kang! 💥💥💥 What makes these two connected is that over time it is established in the Marvel Universe that Kang and Rama Tut are actually the same person... and what makes it this already crazy situation crazier is that his name is Nathaniel Richards! He is actually a descendant of Reed’s family from the future... and the tech he uses to time travel comes from Dr. Victor Vin Doom himself!!!! That’s why his Kang costume is modeled after the Dr... he is homaging him! Kang has come back many times through the years in different forms: the Scarlet Centaurion, Iron Lad, Immortus and who knows who else. One thing is certain, he is one of the coolest and complex villains to come out of that early era. His double introduction is proof that Jack & Stan began thinking more long term about storylines once FF and the other books began becoming successful!!! 💥💥💥 #JackKirby #KingKirby https://www.instagram.com/p/BnfBEQrBDGv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fnmwreq1rl3k

[toolazytodecide]

writer questions!

nobody tagged me but I love this crap and am technically a writer so lets do it.

1. what’s your favourite genre to write?

Oooooo romance obviously, but more specifically I like writing fics that focus a lot on character analysis? 

2. do you pull inspiration from real-life, or do you pull things from other books/fanfic?

I write a lot of AUs, but I do get a lot of inspiration from songs. I’ll also work in headcanons I see on tumblr and stuff 

3. do you tend to write one-shots, short stories, or longer things?

I always want to write multi-chapter fics, but struggle to finish them. It’s a goal of mine to write more one shots instead of dedicating myself to 20k+ fics.

4. do you prefer description or dialogue?

DIALOGUE!!! I used to be obsessed with writing texting fics which gave me a lot of experience with dialogue, while leaving my description skills to suffer.

5. favourite fanfic/book of all time?

Bro. Impossible question, but my current favourite book is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. My favourite series is Six of Crows or  The Raven Cycle. 

As for fics...I’m gonna forget so many BUT I’ll give you one for each of my top ships on AO3

1. Andrew and Neil (All for the Game):  Those That Broke Us by  WriteThroughTheNight  ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/9095254:)

 This is atypical for me since it’s not romance focused, but is rather focused on Neil’s trauma from his mother and him realizing that the way she treated him was not okay. 

Also shoutout to every “andreil fake rivalry fic” it is one of the few times I read established relationship and I eat it up every time.

2: Adam and Ronan (The Raven Cycle): while we're on the subject, could we change the subject now by  shinealightonme (https://archiveofourown.org/works/12643005)

A truly adorable neighbour AU. Honestly Pynch was one of the toughest to pick a favourite for. 

3. Mickey and Ian (Shameless): I couldn’t decide between Fucked for Life by  Awritersmind (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800806/chapters/52022443) 

An interesting twist on the coffee shop AU where Mickey and Ian fall in love as adults rather than teens. 

I read this a while ago, but I was OBSESSED it made me fall in love with the idea of Artist! Mickey and I loved how they wrote his relationship with his sister Mandy.

 and None the wiser by Loftec

 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/4856489/chapters/11128907

Again I read this a while ago, but it is a diner AU and just utterly delightful. I love reading fics where Mickey had a good relationship with his son and this is is a really good one. 

4: Remus and Sirius (Harry Potter)- My actual favourite Wolfstar fic has disappeared and is a Greatest British Bake off AU where Remus has fibromyalgia so if you know where to find it please let me know. 

BUT a close second is Text Talk by  merlywhirls (https://archiveofourown.org/works/1651109/chapters/3501239)

If I’m having a shitty day I’m re-reading Text-talk. it’s that simple. It’s a wrong number AU where they muggles in the modern day and Remus is home schooled due to his health.

5: Boris and Theo (The Goldfinch)- They Fuck (it up) by  colish3

( https://archiveofourown.org/works/33547123/chapters/83356504) 

A gorgeous fic about Theo dealing with the aftermath of the book, and maybe accepting his feelings for Boris. 

6: Ben and Devi (Never Have I ever)- all the magic we gave off by  transfiguredtoad

Bevi trying their best to not still be into each other while in other relationships. Super addicting tbh. 

6. favorite trope?

Wrong number! Enemies to Lovers! Fake Dating! There was only one bed! I’m a simple girl tbh. when writing I especially like writing about chronic illness but idk if that counts as a trope.

7. are you the kind of person to work on more than one wip?

Not successfully. If I start another fic the first one won’t be touched again til I’ve finished my new fic if ever again. 

8. how long have you been writing for?

Since I was 14 so almost 9 years, but that has definitely not been continuous. I’ve gone years without writing anything.

9. do you tend to write more during the morning, afternoon, or evening?

I get an idea and write whenever I can until it’s either done or I’ve gotten distracted rather than having a set time of the day. 

10. do you prefer to post your wip chapter by chapter, or do you prefer to wait until your wip is 100% finished before posting?

I prefer to finish everything first because I’ve found I won’t finish otherwise. Besides I like being able to go back and change stuff. 

im tagging  @furoruisa and  @siriuslynotovermarauders   🙈  feel free to ignore this if it aint your thing. I also challenge anyone else who wants to give it a try.

#tag game

[ohneberater]

När MFF var Europas bästa lag

Nej, det här är ingen alternativ historieskrivning om hur det kunde gått annorlunda 1979. Det här är en historia om Kálmán Konráds magiska lagbygge. Och det är en historia om IFK Göteborg och schack.

Men låt oss backa bandet till 11 september. För evigt en bevingad dag. För det var då i Göteborg som vi 1949 slog IFK med hela 9-2 på bortaplan. Armarna for i luften och Malmö FF fortsatte sin inhemska dominans. Det var förvisso tidigt på säsongen, men de flesta kunde nog redan skönja vart det barkade. För när säsongen var slut hade MFF redan varit klara mästare i 7 av 22 omgångar, efter att samtliga 22 matcher hade slutat med seger (20) eller oavgjort (2). Normaliserat till en 16-lagsallsvenska med 3p hade det motsvarat hela 85p!

Men återigen till 11 september. För den bortamatchen gav oss hela 15 Elopoäng, vilket gjorde oss till Europas bästa lag.

Vad är då Elo och införde inte Uefa sin rankning först på 90-talet? Jo, förvisso. Men Uefas rankning är ju knappast något bevis på vem som är bäst. Det är bara byggt för att fördela pengar så att rika klubbar blir rikare och avgöra seedning, så rika klubbar slipper anstränga sig i onödan.

Elo är istället en matematisk ranking byggd på matematiska principer om inbördes styrkeförhållanden i ett tävlingskollektiv. Metoden utvecklades av en schackspelande professor i fysik (Arpand Elo) som var frustrerad över att det inte fanns något rättvist sätt att ranka vem som egentligen var bäste spelaren.

I korthet går systemet ut på att man vinner och förlorar poäng i alla matcher man spelar, både inhemska och utländska. Vem man möter har stor betydelse. Att slå en lågrankad lilleputt kommer knappt röra rankingen. Inte heller att förlora mot en jätte som man förväntas förlora mot 19 gånger av 20. Att däremot vinna mot ett högre rankat lag kan ge stora poäng.

Metoden är självbalanserande och kommer naturligt balansera upp olika ligors faktiska styrka gentemot varandra. I schack gjorde rankingen succé och har nu använts i över 60 år. I fotboll är den lite nyare, men är numer den officiella metoden bakom Fifas världsranking för landslag. Den används även i ett otal andra sporter idag.

Uefa har tyvärr ännu inte gått över, men med tanke på alla svagheter i deras nuvarande rank så får vi väl betrakta det som en fråga om tid. Att en ständig liga-10:a i Premier League eller La Liga ska rankas på plats 150 i Europa bara för att de aldrig lyckats ta en Europaplats är inte rimligt. Inte heller att 4 år gamla meriter rankas lika högt som dagsfärska resultat.

Nåja. I väntan på att Uefa ska göra som Fifa finns det några entusiaster som helt enkelt applicerat metoden på europeisk klubblagsfotboll bakåt i tiden, ända bak till världskrigets utbrott.

Och det är här Malmö FF kom in bilden. För den 11 september 1949 blev vi första och hittills enda svenska lag att bli bäst i Europa. Jagande var småklubbar som Torino, FC Barcelona och Manchester United. Möjligen var vi därmed kanske även bäst i hela världen, även om det är svårt att avgöra eftersom antalet matcher mellan världsdelar var så lågt.

Positionen som bäst i rankingen höll vi i nära 2 år och som mest hade vi en förkrossande ledning på hela 137 poäng framför den jagande klungan av klubbar som Rangers, United, Juventus, Barça, Sporting, Benfica, Inter, Milan, Real, med många fler. Faktum var att klungan, dvs de lag som rymdes inom samma poängavstånd som vi hade ner till tvåan Rangers, innefattade hela 32 lag! Som en jämförelse leder Manchester City rankingen idag 3 poäng före Bayern München.

[pwsing]

Eat what you love! #wwambassador • It’s Sunday Night. This coming week has a bevy or unknowns and certain obstacles. That may be good or bad. Either way they are coming. • What I won’t do is worry about them. Who by worrying can add a single hour to their day? • I promise to myself I won’t stress on things that aren’t mine to carry or mine to change. • Eating what I love keeps me grounded. My stomach is full. My mind is full as well. • Safely this week I will navigate through moments of engagement where I will strive to leave that interaction with neither regret nor shame. • I know there is a vast chasm of unknown in each of our lives. We can choose to lean into each other. So for the next week. I’ll continue to add to all my posts. If you need someone I’m here! #bettertogether *** If you need to chat *** TEXT 405-456-9169 • ~~~ Tagging Foodies ~~~ ~~~ Tagging Who Inspires me ~~~ • • THE FOOD: 1/6 recipe of @mybizzykitchen Skinny Dough / Sautéed Mushrooms/ Spinach / FF Cheddar / Italian Sausage / Marinara. 10SP Worth It. 💯 • #Wwcoach #wwbros #wwoklahoma #instagood #mywhy #thistimewearedoingit #worthyofloveanyway #wwfamily #ww #wwfamily#wellnessthatworks #smartpoints #weightlossjourney #weightloss #mantra #inspiration #motivation https://www.instagram.com/p/B9xaHbkBlp9/?igshid=6qjd1te4ikzr

[triciachatter]

I’ve always ❤️d creating surreal imagery,so when I began my fine art degree years ago, I was obsessed with color infrared film. Here’s an oldie but goodie, taken in Central Park NYC with my Canon AE-1 and Kodak’s color infrared film for this #flashbackfriday - if #ff still even exists. Circa 1999. Prints available on the link in my bio. Just search “infrared” on ChattergoldStudios.com and you’ll find a bevy of beauty. #surrealism #surrealphotography #surreal #infrared #infraredphotography #surrealart #naturephotography #filmphotography #colorinfraredfilm #colorinfrared #realcolorinfrared #contemporaryart #pinktrees #shopsmallbusiness #shopsmall #artistsoninstagram #artistoninstagram #instaart #instaphotography #inspirationstation https://www.instagram.com/p/B4nEUX9AHRr/?igshid=x5w2vt1ledc7

[robotnik-mun]

Re: Elias, it's so weird that Ken felt the need to introduce a secret brother for Sally, and this whole special birthmark thing, even tho Chuck or Rosie or nobody remembers the king's firstborn apparently, then send him off to Karl's side of the book and completely ignore his existence in 25YL... but then complain that no one else wrote him right or wrote him in the "proper" direction.

Rumor has it that Elias was originally intended by Penders to be a replacement for Sally, after a reveal that the ‘surviving’ Sally from Endgame was in fact a robot duplicate. After the reveal, Elias would take over as leaders of the FF. I have no hard proof of this and it is only a rumor, but it’s one that sounds precisely like something he would pull.

I like Elias, but everything about his existence was just unfortunate and plothole ridden. Design-wise he was a gender reverse clone of Sally with a foxtail. His entire existence raised a bevy of questions that were never answered in the book- most glaringly, why nobody saw fit to ever tell Sally she had a brother, despite the fact that Rosie and Julayla both would have known and Sally was more than mature enough to handle the information. Nor did it help that Elias was sought out by Max only after Sally made it clear that she would not go along with his demands. 

Elias belongs to a contingent of relatives who seem to exist just because- Sally didn’t need a long lost brother or a surviving mother, much as Sonic didn’t need surviving parents, nor did Knuckles need every ancestor past his grandfather to be alive (save for the one FEMALE great grandparent who died under ‘mysterious circumstances). 

Elias was rather fortunate for the fact that Bollers and especially Flynn later got to play around with him and give him a reasonably compelling character arc and personality. Penders’ complaint strikes me as more resentment over the fact that Elias was a reasonably popular character, but Penders himself got no praise for it given his lack of involvement- he operates under this weird logic that the original creator of a work or character should always get the most credit for said work or character’s popularity regardless of the circumstances leading to that popularity. Naturally though, when it comes to Sonic and Knuckles, it’s the exact opposite. 

[airbnbfestivals]

Toilet plunger used in the kitchen sink....Long-term guest of a dirty host lookin for advice

Airbnb doesn't seem to provide too many resources to help Guests so I figured I'd turn to the forums for advice.​I'm a long-term guest (3 months) in an apartment where I have a private room and then share kitchen, bathroom, and shower room (toilet and shower are in different rooms; shower room also is in hosts bedroom) with the host. At the beginning she had said she was rushing to get the apartment ready for my arrival so I took some of the clutter and dirtiness to be her just preparing. She said she was going to finish cleaning things and would make some more space for me in the shared areas. However, it has now been 6 weeks and it's pretty clear this host has a different understanding of "clean" than what I think is usual.​Here are just SOME of the things that have occurred:Went 5 days without toilet paper at one point and are currently on day #2. I brought a roll on my own after a previous experience and thank god I did... 5. Days. I'm pretty sure she was using tissues and tearing them in half.All sinks that the host uses on a regular basis (bathtub/shower, kitchen sink) are clogged. You can see the hair in just about the all drains. Her response to me bringing up the reoccurring clogs?....Used the toilet plunger - THE TOILET PLUNGER - to unclog the bathtub and the kitchen sink. she has done this multiple times. First time I saw it I walked into the kitchen when she was going ham with the plunger and once she saw me she stopped and stared at me like a deer caught in the headlights. (fun fact: she's used this same plunger in the toilet once or twice)The bathroom smells like someone peed all over it and there are marks and weird colored stains all around the toilet area.On multiple occasions she has eaten some of food and has drank some of the bevies I bought. I've got no problem with sharing a little now and then, especially if you ask. But she's legit ate 3/4 a bag of my pretzels and left 3 in the bag. I'm pretty sure she left a few behind just so she didn't have to throw the bag out.She will keep her used dishes on the kitchen table, stove, and on top of the dishwasher for days at a time.The dishwasher and the laundry machine are full of mold. Not only does it smell like hell but you could see the mold​Some of the things, like the toilet paper and food, I did bring up. Others I've tried to address myself - like clean the mold in the dishwasher/laundry and air the machines out whenever I can. But the host just doesn't seem to get it. Took her 5 days to buy tp ffs.​She is a relatively nice person so that's a positive . She is just extremely dirty. I lived in fraternity house for a year and its about on par with her. Not sure how to best address this with her as I still have another 7 weeks in the rental. I've looked for other bookings but not much in the area is available this time of area.​TL;DR - host is a disgusting pig and I got 7 weeks left. What should I do? Get $20 off your first AirBnB stay.