ENDLESS EDITS OF WILLIAM RIKER [ 002 / ??? ]

     with his mouth in a tight line, arthur's head turns away to look straight ahead. hers is not an unfamiliar sentiment - one that's been mostly BEATEN out of arthur some time ago, but still there somewhere. still huddled inside the shell of a killer & a thief.

           ❝ ain't no shame in lookin' for the GOOD in the world. ❞

     his words are low, as if arthur were sharing a secret. the next moment, he's waving his hand up & shouting for the attention of the barkeep. ❝ lemme buy you somethin', ❞ he says, giving maeve a sideways glance. ❝ seems like you need something to get your mind off things. what'll you have ? ❞

reputations are everything, maeve isn't blind to that. she hides behind whichever one suits her best - those who label her as just a gentle, sweet woman. those who notice cleverness, that underestimate it all the same. everyone seems to be painted by so many artists... it's almost hard to keep track of which whispers come from where.

like seeing in the dark, it's often a matter of gut && experience.

her time with bobby was far from kind, far from gentle. but that doesn't mean she wants to let herself become used to the bad over the good.

"I just worry once I let myself always expect the bad, I'm setting myself up for that being how I see the world forever." and at that point, it becomes only surviving, not living. maeve can't help the part of her that is sure it's risk the danger to herself to simply... try to keep seeing at least some good. "I learn my lessons, I just don't want to forget there's a world outside of those bad moments. which probably sounds silly."

@strcys asked: "I hope you like spicy food!" for will !!! hi !!!

" just how spicy are we talking? "

the question is followed by a teasing smirk & a tilt of his head. will riker was no stranger to PUSHING his own limits - the question was less genuine & more of an invitation.

Stan + being subtle

barrett torbon tag drop.

SCOTT BAKULA as Capt. Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise “Broken Bow”

tag drop

more tags.

obediently - but not without an exaggerated groan - stan makes way toward the egg aisle. with mabel perched on the very front of the cart like a captain on the stern of her own ship , they caught a few glances from other shoppers. stan knew they were looking at mabel - aweing over an ADORABLE little girl much too excited about grocery shopping. round eyes turn to amused smiles when their gazes moved to stan himself , pushing the cart with hunched shoulders and knit brows.

ah, let one of 'em take mabel home if they want. saves stan from having to eat her mabelcakes . . .

especially when he caught a look at the egg prices. this kid was gonna bankrupt him.

" can't we just get that egg substitute shi- erm, crap ? " stan asked, steering the cart in its direction. " don't want the BURDEN of eating some little baby chicken on your conscience, do ya ? "

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 ( accepting ! )

@quastari said : ❝ the chocolate milk is strikingly overpriced & at the same time very easy to steal ; another of god's little tests .❞ - stanley pines

❝ & i'm pretending i didn't hear that ! ❞ mabel singsongs , depositing a gallon of the aforementioned beverage into their shopping cart with a loud thump . ❝ next on the list is . . . ❞ she squints at the slightly crumbled piece of notebook paper in her hand , where in between various holographic & glittery stickers there are some grocery items listed in glitter gel pen ink . ❝ woof , speaking of overpriced - eggs . ❞ returning to her perch at the front of the cart , she points ahead , waiting expectantly for her grunkle to propel her onward . ❝ now MUSH ! ❞

     she was NERVOUS to take the gun - he could see it. her hesitance reminded arthur of a winter's day a long time ago, when he was still a boy. dutch pushing a rusty cattleman into his hands & showing him how to hold it. how to aim. how to squeeze the trigger. the memory seemed so far off - like it belonged to someone else.

     arthur attempts to MIMIC dutch from those years back. ❝ any fool can shoot a gun. the fact that you actually hit the bastard already puts you way ahead, so try not to worry. ❞

     he reaches down to grasp her forearm, bringing it up straight & pressing the cool handle of his revolver into her palm. arthur does so slowly, as if hope were a wild mare he was trying to win the trust of. CAREFUL movements, showing no fear, eyes straight.

     ❝ don't point it at nobody you don't plan on killin'. keep your fingers tight 'round the handle. er ... little more than that. nah, it's just gonna go FLYIN' if you try to shoot like that. christ ... ❞

               her hands were much smaller than his.

     arthur circles around hope's back with a sigh, reaching for her other hand & bringing it up to the first. ❝ alright, let's try ... ❞ his voices falls off, his FOCUS on the positioning of hope's fingers.

     his thumbs guide hers, one atop the other. fingers curling over hope's around the handle, making sure her left covered her right. & with his hands still covering hope's, shadowing her own grip on the revolver, he squeezes. making sure she knows to do the same.

     ❝ now that ain't goin' nowhere. ❞ to prove his words, one of arthur's hands detaches to grip the barrel. jerking it once & twice, it doesn't budge.

❝  i  wouldn't  exactly  call  us  the  𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚  sort  ,  but  i  catch  your  meaning  .❞

she  follows  his  lead  ,  allowing  him  to  herd  her  toward  the  appropriate  spot  for  target  practice  .  watching  &  waiting  patiently  while  he  preps  ,  hands  remain  clasped  behind  her  back  -  almost  as  if  she's  still  a  little  uncertain  about  the  whole  thing  .  regardless  ,  he's  right  .  with  so  much  ground  left  to  cover  before  reaching  their  destination  ,  it  is  𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬  they  will  run  into  more  trouble  in  some  form  .  it  would  be  nice  to  know  a  thing  or  two  ,  in  the  case  of  something  else  going  sideways  .  .  .  as  it  often  tends  to  do  when  hope  is  around  -  &  arthur's  equally  turbulent  life  just  about  triples  that  probability  .

somehow  ,  still  ,  she's  never  felt  𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒓  than  she  does  by  his  side  .

❝  okay  ,  ❞  she  nods  ,  eyes  catching  the  way  the  firearm  glints  in  the  light  of  the  steadily  setting  sun  .  clearly  𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑽𝑶𝑼𝑺  of  the  weapon  &  what  it  can  do  ,  she  keeps  being  drawn  back  to  it  .  as  much  as  she  tries  to  deny  it  ,  the  events  from  earlier  that  day  have  certainly  shaken  her  .

hope  had  never  thought  herself  capable  of  shooting  someone  until  the  heat  of  the  moment  necessitated  such  an  action  .  it  is  all  still  so  𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉  in  her  mind  -  the  surprising  weight  of  the  gun  ,  the  kickback  nearly  causing  her  to  lose  her  grip  ,  watching  the  bullet  impact  her  target  ,  seeing  the  man  go  down  .  .  .  should  she  regret  it  more  ?

hope  keeps  to  herself  that  she  feels  as  though  it  all  should  bother  her  more  than  it  does  .  maybe  that  is  just  what  happens  when  someone  intends  to  kidnap  &  ransom  you  for  all  that  they  can  extort  from  your  husband-to-be  .  it's  hard  to  feel  all  that  𝑺𝑶𝑹𝑹𝒀  ,  which  disturbs  her  quite  a  bit  .  especially  when  arthur  points  out  that  what  she  had  done  was  merely  a  half-measure  .

swallowing  hard  ,  she  tries  to  shake  those  worries  off  &  focus  on  the  𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕  lesson  .  ❝  so  ,  how  am  i  supposed  to  hold  it  -  'cause  i'm  pretty  sure  i  was  doin'  it  all  wrong  .  .  .  ❞

WISHLIST

below are plots & dynamics i'd like to explore with my muses. if you're interested in any of them, please DM me on tumblr or discord.

all plots are not set in stone - they can be tweaked & changed to suit your muse or the setting. these are simply jumping off points.

JONATHAN ARCHER :

plots - your muse is captain of their own ship (starfleet or otherwise) . it's damaged and the enterprise rescues them.

dynamics - your muse and jon are old friends from starfleet academy before their lives took them in separate directions. whatever that may mean. - your muse and jon are old rivals from starfleet academy. there is still tension, especially after jon was given command of the enterprise. ♡ tentative love. your muse is under jon's command, yet they grow feelings for each other.

BARRETT TORBON :

plots - even though barrett is trying to lay low, he ends up saving your muse in his bear form. - your muse is a hunter ( monster or regular ) & crosses paths with barrett.

dynamics - a younger / recently-changed shifter / werewolf is taken under barrett's wing. ♡ despite always keeping others at a distance, barrett finds himself falling in love with your muse & doesn't know how to go about it.

ARTHUR MORGAN :

plots - your muse is a bounty hunter / rival gang member & crosses paths with arthur. - your muse is an outlaw who ends up working with arthur to run from the law.

dynamics - your muse joins the gang - arthur doesn't really trust them yet. ♡ arthur & your muse have grown quite close. it's enough for arthur to start wondering how life would be away from the gang.

WILLIAM RIKER :

plots - when the enterprise hosts an event, your muse & will strike up conversation in ten forward.

dynamics - your muse is an unruly officer & will is their commanding officer. they butt heads often. - literally anything where will gets into a competitive rivalry.

JACK DANIELS :

plots - your muse is another statesman spy & is put on assignment with jack. - your muse is jack's target. he's trying to get as close as possible.

dynamics - jack knows he's one of statesman's best. he doesn't like the idea of sharing that title with anyone else. ♡ your muse knows very little about jack's true work. he tries to keep your muse away from his work as much as possible.

VIRA'TER :

plots - your muse visits the station & attracts young vira's fascination. he just loves to learn about others.

dynamics - vira has grown up very sheltered so far. he might benefit from someone showing him how to bend the rules once in a while.

KAIDAN ALENKO :

plots - your muse & kaidan are on a mission. he gets one of his migraines. it's an all-around bad time for everyone.

dynamics ♡ your muse & kaidan somehow find love amidst the destruction of their galaxy.

STANLEY PINES :

plots - stan hasn't changed in all these years, as evident from a black eye & a messed-up hand. he insists the fight was worth it.

dynamics - your muse is some "snot-nosed kid" - & painfully reminds stan of how he was at their age. ♡ after feeling alone for so many years, stan finally finds someone who really understands him. he doesn't have to be the bad twin - just stan.

BAYEK :

plots - your muse asks bayek for a favor. he's kind & loyal - he'll do it. but your muse is coming along.

dynamics - your muse & bayek have both lost so much. few people can understand their dark, deep craving for revenge. ♡ your muse & bayek have both lost so much. but it's possible they can find something new.

JOEL MILLER :

plots - your muse & joel end up in some trouble. joel doesn't miss a chance to throw it in your muse's face. - your muse is new to jackson & goes to joel for help, hearing that he's a handyman.

dynamics - joel had to put down someone important to your muse. there's a lot of guilt & anger between them. ♡ with ellie safe in jackson, it's easier for joel to start moving forward in his life. of course, it starts falling in love.