#how life imitates chess

[heavens-secret]

🌹 IN DEFENSE OF TAI: A NOVEL🍷

So listen I get it, there’s the writing style to consider and the repetition of the detached, seemingly lifeless man in power being recycled that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I fully understand the people saying they want more passion from him, and I hope to see it fully awakened as we go further along. He’s seemingly got the same stoic facecard no matter what context, which can get frustrating because we want a certain degree of vulnerability from our LIs.

But to play devil’s advocate on the subject that is Tai, let me paint this portrait of how I hope to see his character being developed. Because I can’t help but think about the glimpse into that psychotic family we’ve been given in Episode 9 & feel that up to this point, Tai’s mannerisms and general demeanor actually make so much fucking sense.

Like Tiss, he’s essentially been primed for war from an early age. He was primed to rule, to make difficult decisions, to represent his house with pride, and to never show weakness. And yes, he’s undoubtedly enjoyed a certain degree of privilege due to his status. But while his sisters get to explore their interests and amuse themselves in court playing with people like their puppets, he’s tasked with the ultimate responsibility of a society’s future as the family heir. A task I don’t think he takes lightly, given how well read he is and how involved he is in political affairs. And unless there’s some mentor we haven’t learned about yet, Foelh seems to have been his only role model to imitate when it comes to being a man and being a leader. Imagine having that dude as a father figure. Whatever we’ve seen of Foelh so far, I assure you he’s a thousandfold worse. It sort of reminds me of learning about Lucifer’s background & how Satan raised him. There are more parallels to him and Satan than you’d originally think. Both are self-serving, sadistic narcissists with little empathy for others’ suffering. They make decisions not based on what’s best for the people or what is just, but based on what strengthens their authority or feeds their ego. Not to mention both would be willing give up their only son to a win a political chess match if it came down to it. When Tai was briefing him on the murder of the princess and told him he was prioritizing minimizing bloodshed over interrogating everyone, Foelh literally said that he would have executed him were it not for the fact that he was his only son. With a parental figure like that, it often feels like you’re walking on eggshells & consistently made to feel like you’re never good enough. It doesn’t necessarily justify the problematic aspects of their personality down the line, but it humanizes them and puts a lot of their actions in context. It’s also fertile ground for solid character development. Because imagine the sort of coping mechanisms you’d have to adapt to be molded by a sadist while enduring life-lasting fractures to your body and/or soul. Repression would be chief among them. And then imagine meeting someone who challenges everything you’ve ever known and done, who forces you to start feeling again.

It’s honestly nothing short of a miracle that compared to Foelh, Tai has been nothing but respectful towards Tiss up to this point. He doesn’t have an interest in blind subservience or abusing his power for an ego trip like his father does. His calm and reserved nature makes him a lot more open minded & reasonable. On the Falcon path, he likes her challenging him on matters others wouldn’t speak up about & even respects her more for it. These are all qualities that will help him create impactful change when the time comes for him to reign. It feels like she’s awakening sides to him that have long remained dormant, like she’s a literal breath of fresh air after he’s gotten so used to holding his breath entirely. At the same time, however, he knows how dangerous a personality like that is and worries for her. She was always under threat of death but I think he feels guilt and anger at himself that he’s put her in actual tangible danger, like he slipped up somewhere leading to Foelh using her as a manipulation tactic. Maybe he is remaining reserved because that is the best way to keep her safe, because showing passion will only prove that she is a point of vulnerability for Tai. And the more their feelings grow, the truer that becomes. And that will certainly lead to her death, unless Foelh is killed first. Tiss is feeling like a pawn right now, but I’m telling ya’ll she’s gonna checkmate the King.

[a-forbidden-detective]

Discerning the BLUE kids’ phone symbols.

Marsh= two amorous male birds (ducks judging by the color of the necks). They form the letter M.

Hutter= is the magic hat 🎩 Are you going to fascinate us with your brand of deduction?

Alyssa= a naughty bunny. Very safe. Very wholesome. (You sure have to pay for the glass window.)

Of all the signs, Knight Bran Jr’s, which is the black knight in chess, demands to be scrutinized.

What is a black knight? A black knight is a literary stock character who masks their identity and that of their liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually villainous characters who hide behind their anonymity to do misdeeds. In other literary texts, a black knight symbolizes death, darkness and wrath.

It is clear that Knight has an aim, which is not particularly pure.

On the other hand, knight also represents “the pure inner-warrior. If a knight starts out passive, it will always end up aggressive and vice versa. It can't move very far, but it never moves in a straight line, always preferring to be tactical and thoughtful. Never underestimate it for its imited range. It's known as the Queen Killer for a reason! When you have a struggle in life and you begin to play out how you will resolve it, you are utilizing your inner knight.”

Now, if Alice is the Queen, will Knight betray her? Or beat her on her game?

Will Knight have to do the betraying all alone? I wonder if Spitz had a hand on allowing them to assist Toto. Judging by the time frame, this must be spring. Of course their parents are all hotshot so these kids can go and leave their classes as often as they want, especially Knight, who could have alerted them too, and so they decided once and for all to help their Sensei.

Hmmm…

[2000sangel]

HELLOO you Definitely don't know me ;) ...but I'll still wish you luck for all the matchups <3

My name's Alexander, I go by they/them and at times he/him, I'm gay and on the ace spectrum!

I'm a pretty chill person that oscillates between too much energy and too little. I rely heavily on humor in most circumstances and I've been told I'm great at it (loads of dirty jokes, puns and absurd humor). I'm also good at improvising things as a theater and musical enjoyer. I'm a blend of emo, goth and punk, and enjoy the culture greatly. I'm very passionate about my interests, though not much confident in sharing them. I struggle with emotions a shit ton but I'm working on it!

A little (orange) birdie told me I could have both matchups, soooo. ;) I'd obviously prefer a male romantic matchup but I'm most open to either for platonic!

I love creating, mostly drawing and writing but it includes animating or sculpting and even playing piano/elec. guitar. I love chess and logic games/puzzles, as well as video games of all kinds (fantasy usually!). I also enjoy darker topics, since I'm quite fascinated by the human nature.

I love to hang out with friends, bake, watch shows, talk, etc, quality time is a big love language to me. I also like physical contact, as long as we're close!

I dislike physical activity, conflict of any kind, and loud noises/bright lights for too long. Another no are outright gore or some kind of horror (I have paranoia which can lead to a lot of anxiety.)

I don't exactly have an ideal type but they must be open-minded, ideally make me feel like they're interested in whatever I have to say, be willing to hang out and be honest!

Thank you for doing this, sending lots of love from the coolest bat in your area ;)

Hmm I wonder who this could be... ;3 As I was reading this I kept nodding to myself...like yes, very true, definitely! And it also reminded me of how intriguing of a person you are – not that I don’t think that all the time, of course.

Anyhow, enough of my silliness! Let’s move our focus on somebody else’s silliness, as I romantically match you with...

Lucifer!

Right off the bat I should mention that you and Lucifer share an interest which is creating; both of you spend the majority of your days bringing life to your little creations, so imagine how fun it would be to work together and show each other the fruits of your work at the end of each day! He is definitely enchanted by how many skills you possess, but his favorite thing is when you finish writing a story and you ask him to read it. He does so out loud, imitating the voices of each character and making you laugh by doing so. As he continues reading though, his tone shifts into a more serious one, a sincere smile remaining on his face. He doesn’t want you to think that he doesn’t take your work seriously, plus he’s genuinely fascinated by how easily you can bring to life the characters in your stories.

You love baking and he loves sweets, I couldn’t think of a better combo! Many a times you drag him into the kitchen and he follows diligently, ready to help and possibly make a bit of a mess as he’s not the most well versed in these kinds of activities. But! He definitely tries for you, passing you the ingredients as you carefully try to follow every step of the recipe correctly. He’s also a bit of a chatter box himself, so rest assured you will have a lot to talk about as you break eggs and mix the ingredients! He sometimes brings up how he misses doing these things with Charlie as well, and you kindly remind him that he’s free to invite her over to do this any time as you’ve grown quite fond of her as a friend.

Returning on the topic of Lucifer being quite talkative, he really appreciates how much your interests vary as this allows you two to have conversations about anything and everything. While I feel like some things he wouldn’t be into himself, such as video games, there’s nothing that he loves more than to listen to you excitedly talk about an interest that he’s not really familiar with, because this just means that there’s more things to learn directly from you. You of course have to do your part in listening to him talk about whatever he might be into but you’re not, though!

Lucifer adores the fact that you can play the piano and electric guitar, as he’s able to play some instruments himself! It’s not rare for you two to play together, making up songs between piano keys being pressed and bows being drawn across the strings of his fiddle. The little concerts last for hours, and they always end with you sharing a tired but satisfied kiss with each other.

If there’s something that Lucifer understands about you it’s your struggle with emotions; his own are a mess, especially seeing that he struggled with isolation and depression after he and Lilith separated, but also because his humour is generally a little unpredictable. After meeting you though he’s able to pace himself slightly as you inevitably bring joy into his life, and so he manages to be helpful in your times of need. At first he might push you a little to still spend time together even though you’re claiming you need space, but once he’s got you figured out he’s going to give you all the space that you need and let you come back to him at the end of the day, offering you a warm embrace by wrapping you up protectively with his wings. And then, with a little pun here and a light joke there, he’s going to get a smile out of you again.

Speaking of hugs, he absolutely adores them. Getting to be lazy with you and cuddling is one of his favorite activities,  as it also means not having to look after the obnoxious residents of Hell for a while. Rest assured he’s going to ask for five more minutes of cuddling with you every single morning, and if you don’t give them to him he’s definitely going to get pouty.

All things considered, Lucifer is glad he’s not alone anymore, instead he found great company in you and he appreciates all the love that you decide to show him in your unique ways. He’s of course more than willing to shower you in affection, and though he might go a little overboard sometimes, being a bit dramatic and all, you know he means well and you don’t get actually mad at him.

Platonic matchup

Now that you’ve gotten your lover, let’s move on to your platonic matchup!

Alastor!

First of all this came as a surprise to me as well, as Lucifer and Alastor don’t seem to get along very well, but allow me to demonstrate why you would get along with both!

Alastor values good manners, cordiality and intelligence a lot in others, which you all possess, in my opinion. He’s fascinated by your mannerisms just as much as you are by his, and admires the fact that you seem to have many skills. Some of them he might even take part in himself, such as playing chess and delving into darker topics. This would lead you to spending quite some time together, discussing such topics over a chess board.

The friendship between you and Alastor could be seen as unusual by most other people, but in reality it’s based on a very deep trust. You both trust each other to not cross boundaries; you don’t like physical touch from somebody who isn’t close? He’s going to respect that, he’s actually just the same. He’s not the biggest fan of sexual remarks? Sure, you’re going to be relying on other jokes, primarily puns as he seems to be a big enjoyer of those.

You and Alastor enjoy the occasional planned hang out with each other, usually opting for recitals and musicals as you both enjoy those a lot. You respect each other’s wish to quietly follow the play but at the end of it you’re very eager to have an open discussion about it.

Alastor, as the good friend that he is, also tries his best to take care of any kind of conflict that may arise while you’re together for you. Will you have to hold him back from doing anything too crazy? Sure, most of the time a little scare is enough...

He’s also pretty closed off with his own emotions, so a positive thing is that he’s never going to push you to talk about things, even in general. He does worry though, you’re his dear friend, and his way of showing it is by tolerating more than he would usually. May that be a short hug or whatever you might need from him to feel better, he’s willing to make an effort to provide it to you.

Hi! I hope you enjoyed; I made the platonic matchup a little bit shorter, I hope that’s alright, if not I can give you some more headcanons...I don’t mind at all! Tell me what you think, love you <3

[verdemoun]

things my "cishet" "neurotypical" 25 year old (has never played a video game in his life) humanities teacher friend has said during his rdr2 playthrough

(dutch going off at bill at the start of revenge is a dish best eaten) well that seemed uncalled for. dutch is. dutch is starting to lose it, huh

visibly upset over having to shoot up the mansion, esp the stained glass windows. loves the double barrel tho.

(dutch going off at bronte) yeah dutch has full lost it. oh! oh! gator! :D DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

only comment during banking the american art: papa hosea noooooo!!

(the diagnosis) ah yes well he’s dead he’s got consumption

(arthur's walk) why is there a moose in saint denis.

"the hot air balloon! first invented in 1793" (demanded i fact check, he was correct)

oh it's like the wizard of oz! there's no place like blackwater, there's no place like blackwater, there's no place like blackwater.

despite having no reaction to the diagnosis, immediately had tears in his eyes screaming ARTURO NOOOOOO as the funny man died

"mrs adler has the sort of perky butchness i can see you being attracted to"

meeting algernon: don’t you dare fucking say that’s me

five seconds into the intro cut scene: oh no he’s me

micah being on scene for any amount of time: i am dryer than the sahara rn.

i asked him to clarify. he paused. proceeded to refer to which characters made his pussy wet/dry for the rest of the evening. has never made this joke before.

thought abigail was the rat during guarma until seeing dutch muttering chess moves to himself. had decided dutch is very much unhinged and no longer trusts anything dutch says.

no idea who the rat is. does believe there's a rat. thought it was john until i said 'no try again'

bought a theatre ticket and missed most of the show admiring the foyer and guessing what sort of marble it was meant to imitate.

failed to steal the black arabian from the couple in saint denis and sulked because the red arabian is his fav.

spent an hour customizing arthur's outfit. (arthur is hideous pls send help)

spent an additional 20 minutes deciding on a hair style and going through every moustache option only to settle on day 2 stubble.

"i like bill. he might be homophobic and racist and dumb but - i don't know i just think he's neat"

(excitedly) OH I FOUND THE KKK QUICK HOW TO I THROW TNT AGAIN!!

(attempting to dismount a horse) "e for eject"

(getting a low honor dream after killing every single npc in strawberry for funsies) oh no oh no i do not like that how do we fix that

annoyed he can't actually listen to pearson's navy stories

[theamityelf]

My mind is full of thoughts of a Percy Jackson Danganronpa AU.

Here's an organized brainstorm.

Parameters: Danganronpa universe, Riordanverse characters. This means no one is a demigod, which I would ordinarily find a bit boring, but Ultimates are pretty superhuman anyway, so it's fine. Hope's Peak in Japan still exists; this is an imitation school in New York. The plot of Danganronpa is still happening in Japan. Junko and co are still responsible for the Tragedy and their killing game, but there is someone in the New York Hope's Peak who helped her cause the Tragedy and, separately, someone in the New York Hope's Peak acting in the role of "coerced traitor".

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Percy Jackson- Ultimate Swimmer. Most of his backstory gets to stay pretty much the same, except the weird traumatizing things that happened throughout his childhood that in canon were the result of his godly parentage are now just regular people mistreating a kid. He gained renown as an Olympic swimmer, mostly so that he could give the money that came with that success to his mother, so she could stop being financially dependent on his abusive step-dad. She was able to leave him, and optionally put a hit out on him? If we want a Medusa equivalent.

In the killing game, his classmates are weird about him. A lot of them act like he's not smart, no matter how often he's right about stuff. He gets extremely defensive when he's the one being accused of murder, because he's used to having to defend himself from unfair accusations, so it's already a sore spot for him. This makes him come across as hotheaded and suspicious, but he never hurts anyone.

He survives. Also, he's probably the POV character.

Annabeth Chase- Ultimate Strategist. Backstory is, she ran away from home when she was seven and ended up in the "care" of some kind of army or mercenary group, and she became their best battle strategist at a very young age. When she became old enough to object to what the group was doing, she plotted out the tidiest way to end them and escape (physically) unscathed. Once she was free, she pretty much lived as a drifter until Hope's Peak scouted her.

In the killing game, she channels any fear she has immediately and directly into defensive rage. Because she can see so many potential strategies in the the things people do and the way everyone else behaves, she tends to float on the slightly confrontational side. Ironically, despite Percy being one of the more cunning participants, and despite everyone else accusing him of stuff constantly, she almost never expects him to be up to anything. Like, she'll sit next to him during meals specifically because she does not believe he has it in him to successfully plot her death.

She might kill. She probably wouldn't be killed. Her execution might be chess-based! Maybe a cruel subversion, where she's winning the chess game and then gets crushed to death by a giant checker piece, or something like that.

Grover Underwood- Ultimate Environmentalist. He's a famous activist for climate change and pollution. And unfortunately, Danganronpa Law might dictate that he gets placed in the coward role by default. Someone's gotta have the outrageously out-there fear sprites. I'd say he leans more "easily-startled pacifist" than "genuine coward", though. He might get a moment where he throws a tin can at Monokuma.

He folds in the face of teasing of any kind, so if Monokuma or his classmates make jokes at his expense, he does not banter back. Percy backs him up, since he refuses to defend himself. But he is reasonably vocal in the trials.

He's the character you're sure is going to die every chapter, but he makes it to the end.

Nico di Angelo- Ultimate Gamer. Everyone who hasn't already heard of him is surprised by this, because they find him irrationally eerie and it seems like his talent should have the same vibes. He's had a hard life, partially due to family stuff and partially because these game companies target him whenever he makes them look bad and sometimes they send mercenaries to intimidate or harm him, so he has to live on the run and off the grid- while also being a notorious gamer. He's still Hazel's half-brother, but he has to be careful about acknowledging their relationship in public, lest she be in danger, too. (The game company mercenaries would hold her hostage! They've already done it with a different sister before, and it did not end well.) But he does favors for her when he can, and they manage to keep in touch. Now that they're both attending the same school, they still keep their sibling relationship a secret for a while.

He's very reserved, both socially and in the trials. Sometimes he hangs out with Leo, since Leo focuses so hard on his own work that they don't have to talk much, and that's honestly the only reason he ever has an alibi. He still often gets accused of stuff just based on sheer vibes.

He might kill someone for Hazel. Or he might be killed. Most likely, he dies somehow. One of them has to die for the other's character development, per Danganronpa rules, and I'm choosing him. He would agree with my choice. The group finds out that they're siblings either during the trial or between the verdict and his execution.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare- Ultimate Heiress, but she really really doesn't want to be! She tries really hard to have a different Ultimate, like Ultimate Artist, Ultimate Activist...

In the killing game, her role in the dialogue is mostly to be the one saying obvious things and explaining the joke that was just made. (Look, it's okay. Some of my favorite Danganronpa characters get saddled with that job. It's not a slight on Rachel.) There's a running gag where she tends to correctly guess things ahead of time, culminating in her excitedly saying "Hey! Maybe I'm the Ultimate Psychic!" This annoys Octavian tremendously.

Socially, she kind of cycles between the friend groups. She says very little in the trials. When people tease her, she very much does banter back.

She might kill. Or she might be killed. I think probably the latter, and they can have some line like "She didn't see it coming." Maybe Nico kills her because she was going to kill Hazel? Eh, maybe not. She does get killed, though. Although her execution could be interesting if she murders instead; it could be based on the title she hates, or it can be based on her yearning for another title/identity.

Luke Castellan- Ultimate Traveler. He runs a very popular travel blog or vlog, centered around how he's been to every state, territory, and almost every country. He speaks a lot of languages. He's older than his classmates, because he missed a lot of school while he was traveling.

"I've visited the Hope's Peak in Japan a few times."

"There's one in Japan?" Percy says, immediately interested.

"The first Hope's Peak is in Japan!" Annabeth chides.

He became friends with Junko Enoshima a while back. He had a role in causing the Tragedy to also happen in America, but he thought it was for a different reason. He never wanted his classmates to kill each other! (He was fine with millions of other people dying, though.) Junko said they were locking themselves in for their own safety, so he convinced Headmaster Chiron. His memory was erased along with everyone else, so he doesn't know anything except that he was friends with Junko.

His presence in the killing game is very charismatic and caring and somewhat leaderly.

He might be the first one killed. He probably doesn't kill anyone. All the information about his role in things comes out after his death, but maybe he gets a moment right before he dies where he remembers everything but can only say a cryptic sentence that everyone misunderstands.

Carter Kane- Ultimate Egyptologist. Attended many lectures and archaeological digs with his father, pretty much from infancy. (Yes, Professor Kane giving a lecture with a baby on his chest!) Very well-versed in Egyptology, and took over his father's work and expert status when he tragically died in a freak accident. If New York Hope's Peak has a reserve course, Sadie might be enrolled there as a backup Ultimate Egyptologist.

In the killing game, Carter's place in the social web is to kind of be the quieter Annabeth, in that he's smart and somewhat suspicious of the others but doesn't express it as openly as she does. Also, his particular brand of had-to-grow-up-too-fast is of a more social bent than most of the others', due to the nature of his work, so he's a lot like Reyna in that he'll be the one trying to calm people down and get them to work together. In fact, he and Reyna will have a casually-established trust for each other, where they generally agree about things, side with each other, support each other's alibis, etc.

In the trials, he isn't all that vocal, but when he speaks, he always has an astute point.

He doesn't kill, but he might get killed.

Jason Grace- Oh boy, there are so many funny answers to this. I think it would be most on-brand for him to be the guy who wakes up with no memory of his Ultimate. But, this would necessarily mean that his talent must be significant in some potentially-game-breaking way. Ultimate Wolf Trainer would be great, but maybe a little out there? I'm thinking he'd either be Ultimate Wolf Trainer or Ultimate Survivalist. Either way, his backstory still involves wolves because the wolves are the coolest things about him (in my own personal opinion).

He is killed by Monokuma for rule-breaking, because he does not want to engage with the game on Monokuma's terms. He's used as an example for the others. It's a very heroic death.

Piper McLean- Ultimate Trendsetter. (A really superficial-sounding title that she hates.) She's been in the public eye as the daughter of a famous actor, and she's known for being utterly subversive in her fashion choices and broader lifestyle stuff; she single-handedly reshapes pop cultural trends, and no one can quite put their finger on why she manages to be so...persuasive? Without even saying a word. It's like, just by being herself, she makes people want to "agree" with her. Her social media presence has a significant impact on social justice movements and political campaigns. She also met Junko Enoshima before attending Hope's Peak (because it's not hard for a super influential "fashionista" to engineer a way to meet a super influential "trendsetter"), and Junko identified her as a valuable asset. Piper is the coerced traitor. She confesses after a close friend (probably Leo) dies.

Her behavior in the killing game is kind of guarded, for a while; she's guilty about being in contact with Monokuma, so she isolates herself out of guilt. It comes across as the standard "aloof ice queen" character archetype, especially if the POV character is Percy, who she doesn't soften toward until late in the game when they understand each other better, but she shows her kind side when she's defending those she perceives as underdogs, like Leo and Hazel. She doesn't trust Grover (Another thing that places her at odds with Percy.), because she thinks his pacifist thing is an act, partially because she considers him a celebrity and she has a lot of baggage around the concept of celebrity.

After she confesses to being the traitor, people get back to trusting her surprisingly quickly. It helps that a lot of the late-game participants are more on the trusting side, and also, in true Danganronpa traitor fashion, she didn't actually do anything to anyone; she just is the traitor. Once the cat's out of the bag, it's like a weight has been lifted. She gets along with everyone way better.

She survives.

Leo Valdez- Ultimate Mechanic. Once again, same backstory except he can't create fire with his hands.

In the killing game, he leans SUPER hard on sarcasm and humor as a defense mechanism, causing him to butt heads with some of the more earnest in the cast. Characters like Frank genuinely believe he doesn't care or thinks the situation is funny, whereas characters like Piper understand pretty quickly that Leo is just unable to deal with his fear any other way.

He dies, because his talent is game-breakingly useful once the group at large is focused on game-breaking and not surviving each other. He builds something useful to the rest of the class and then dies, rendering the thing he built far more valuable for the fact that they won't have any more inventions or machines from him to help them.

(If we want to go Danganronpa-style cruel irony, Annabeth could be the one to kill him, since she's the strategy person and his loss would be the most strategically problematic to the group. Like, we could discover that if she just hadn't killed Leo, he was this close to building something that would get them free.)

Hazel Levesque- (I would love to incorporate her love of horses, but that simply can't be relevant here, lol.) Ultimate Witch. She has pretty strong reservations about her title, but essentially she's a talented illusionist with above-average luck. Also she can sometimes see ghosts; it's a genetic thing. (Because if Danganronpa says that's on the table, then why not.) She would prefer to be called the Ultimate Illusionist, but New York Hope's Peak wants snappy, clickbait-y names for their Ultimates.

In the killing game, she gets along with everyone. Frank is protective of her, because she's physically small, kind-hearted, and pretty. Nico is protective of her because she's his sister. All the other girls are protective of her, because she's the least athletic out of all of them (since this AU doesn't require her to have been fighting monsters). Leo makes lighthearted jokes about her talent that Frank takes too seriously. The only person to ever directly accuse her of anything is Octavian, though she's not above suspicion when she doesn't have an alibi.

And for her own part, Hazel's skill set comes into play because she has a keen eye for smoke-and-mirrors, as it were. Like, as soon as the killing game starts, she becomes curious as to where Monokuma is appearing from and determined to find out. Things like that. She discovers secret passageways based on her familiarity with optical illusions, sleight of hand, and hidden compartments.

She survives. Obviously, having a strong personal connection to a character who probably dies means she has to survive to say some line towards the end like "It's what they would want," or "I remember what they said to me..." Monokuma meant for her to die because she was a little too persistent about finding stuff, but it didn't work out that way.

Frank Zhang- Ultimate Archer. Once again, functionally the same backstory with the Roman gods swapped out for human stuff.

In the killing game, he assumes the position of "We would never kill each other! Why would any of us kill each other?!" He's at odds with Leo (and by extension Piper) because of Leo's need to joke about things, and he's at odds with Annabeth because he doesn't want to suspect anyone. His insistence that they shouldn't suspect each other makes Annabeth (and to a lesser extent, Carter) suspicious that he's playing them. He trusts Reyna because she's a team leader, but she is aggressively neutral toward him. Like:

"Reyna, tell them this had to be Monokuma's doing!"

"It could have been him, or it could have been one of us. We don't have all the facts yet."

I'm going to say he kills, and I'm going to say that his motive is a hostage thing with his grandmother. This is also character development for Hazel. Sorry, Hazel. Also, sorry Frank. His execution hearkens to St. Sebastian (shot with a bunch of arrows while tied to a tree or post).

Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano- Ultimate Team Leader. Raised by a now-dead older sister, she led a lot of professional athletic teams to victory. She is great at seeing others' strengths and weaknesses, and she is a champion for team synergy.

Ironically, she's not great at creating or maintaining friendships, but she loves her classmates in her own way. She only speaks up in class trials when she notices someone is being talked over, in which case she makes sure the others quiet down and let them speak. Also, when Octavian is making it impossible to progress, she gets him to shut up. Other than that, she mostly listens.

She's probably killed, and the characters have a bunch of lines sadly reflecting on how they didn't expect someone like her to be killed.

Octavian [Last Name]- Ultimate Psychic. He's famous for his whole gimmick of divining a person's future by cutting open a beloved stuffed animal of theirs; for the hardcore superstitious types, it's considered a show of how serious you are about your beliefs to say you've had your future read by Octavian. (It's also a demonstration of financial status, because he charges a lot.)

In the killing game, he is hugely distrustful and obstructs the group from collaborating at pretty much every turn. Like, Annabeth is cautious, but he is straight up tearing the group apart constantly.

He kills or is killed for sure. Most likely, he kills; no way any self-respecting Danganronpa game would miss the opportunity to make him angrily defend himself in the trial room and get a gruesome execution that probably hearkens to him gutting stuffed animals. I'm going to take it a step further and say he's the one to kill Carter, since its too obvious to have him kill Rachel or Reyna.

Also, if they get to open up Monokuma late in the game, they're going to mention how Octavian would have loved to be around for this.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

So, to recap, in no particular order:

Murderers: Annabeth, Nico(?), Frank, Octavian

Victims: Rachel(?), Luke, Carter, Leo, Reyna

Killed As An Example: Jason

Survivors: Percy, Piper, Hazel, Grover. They are all best friends at the end.

[autismhellhole]

Hello everypony, you are all sick in the head,

Jeon Jung-kook (전정국) -

you imitate the feline friends, you ignored your responsibilities as a military soldier, and you left your friends. (BTS - Bangtan Boys)

translation :

"당신의 고양이 친구들을 흉내낸 군인은 당신의 임무를 무시하고 떠났습니다. (방탄소년단-BTS)"

Papyrus (Sans' Brother) -

you've played the foolish game that I play and kidnapped a child, and tried to unalive an innocent newborn. (Frisk Undertale)

Lord Boxman (John [NOT canon] ) -

hate crimes (will not elaborate). You are an active danger to the civilians that roam this basement so I tied you up like a doggie.

Barney Calhoun ( Half-Life [not HLVRAI DON'T mix them up] ) -

not patriotic to the free American States, how sickening. I actually can't think of anything else right now so I'll come back to you (maybe).

Kowalski (Penguin of Madagascar. The Smart One) -

Kowalski, Kowalski, Kowalski. You're a nerd dork, and endangered the entire world. But your worst crime was becoming an internet meme. And you're bi.

Jerma985 (Jeremy Elbertson. The SUS guy from the game Among Us) -

Oh, Jerma. Sweet, sensual Jerma. The crimes are infinitely endless, like the formula to Pi. (I don't know if that's correct). You threaten 'chat' and to 'ban' members on the platform Twitch™. My ink is travelling hold on oh it's smudging holdon.

Oh, Jerma. Your worst crime of all is being so handsome and delectable. However. I'm currently not on the market.

Shadowy Venomous (Professor Venomous' heterosexual repression) -

My, Oh, My. My Sweet Darling. You are so Yaoi and Sugoi. I'm bethrothed by your immense dedication and passion, and I would like to further our relationship. I'm handing you this note, please tick yes. *hands him a note with 'do you like me' on it, with 2 boxes, one being yes, the other being no* please say yes. I am YANDERE AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO MESS WITH ME!

The scene is set with a large group of individuals ranging from short to tall, from all different section of the Fandoms (#Tumblr). Please BTS fans do not come for us, this is just a bit of tomfoolery. From left to right: Stinky gay homeless, Stinky gay homeless again, Tied up chickie (stinky gay homeless), Jungkook (BTS stans please dontgetmad at me) saying 'What the FLUFF!' because he is a kawaii catboy, Skeleton (Sans' Brother), and Half Life the game smoking a fat blunt (I don't know why.)

Please refrain from any comments about the accomodation, I am short on funds (The government has cut my benefits). We are in an economic crisis. I'm hashtag WOKE.

I'm writing this with my Glitter Gel pens and feelin' girly! ₊˚୨୧·₊ ♡·₊

YOU ARE ALL HERE TO BE PAWNS IN MY BIG GAME OF HUMAN CHESS (plus skeleton and catboy and chicken and snake and penguin). Enjoy the RIDE because it's BUMPY. You must ALL post on the torturous HELL that is TUMBLR.COM. buhehehehehehe~

I will KILL you if you do not OBEY.

- Billy ꔛ‬♡

[440mxs-wife]

Mail Order Bride, Part 8: Arrivals and Departures

Pairing: Sheriff!McCoy x Paige Stone (OFC). Other characters: Nyota Uhura, Deputy Jim Kirk, Eleanora McCoy, Donna McCoy. Evan, Lyla, Jacob, Tyler (Stone family OCs), Doc Anderson

Word Count: 8540

General warnings:  As the title implies, mail-order bride arrangement, parent’s illness, outlaws, overprotective sister, Wild West-level violence but some fluff as well. Each chapter will have individual warnings as needed.

Chapter warning: Talk of pregnancy, probably still more medical inaccuracy, confrontation with ex, reunion with family, Leonard being just the best husband ever, parental death

A/N: This is set around the 1930′s in the Western U.S. I will endeavor to remain as true to the historical timeline as I can. There may be some....bending of history to fit the narrative, but hopefully nothing major. This is, after all, a work of fiction. :) Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters!

A/N 2: This is longer than my other chapters, I know. I thought about splitting into two, but the title wouldn't have worked if I did. It's one of the most personal things I've ever written. In this chapter, my art is imitating my life, and I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when you read it. As always, thank you for reading, and on with the show. ❤

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tears of joy brimmed in Lyla's eyes at seeing her firstborn after such a long absence. "My darling girl," she replied softly, and held her arms out to beckon her daughter to her side. With Leonard's help, Paige carefully lowered herself to sit on the edge of the mattress. She leaned forward as far as her stomach would allow, but she was still within her mother's reach. "Oh, my sweet girl, I can't believe you're here," she sobbed, then gasped as she looked closer. "And you're pregnant?!"

Paige nodded and felt the waves of emotion crashing over her all at once, from being back in her childhood home and seeing her family again. Mother and daughter embraced another few moments and then pulled back. Paige felt Leonard's hand on her knee as he crouched beside her, his thumb caressing the area. She covered his other hand with her own and gave him a watery smile.

Lyla turned to Evan and insisted that she wanted to join the others on the main floor of the house. He tried to discourage the idea, stating that she needed to rest, but Lyla wouldn't hear of it. She was tired of being cooped up in bed, and she was eager to hear more about the handsome man who accompanied her daughter on such a long journey. Evan finally relented and helped his wife walk out of their room, while Leonard assisted Paige.

By the time the four of them arrived in the living room, everyone was occupied with some sort of activity. Two were reading, while the rest were locked into either playing or watching an intense game of chess. Evan helped to get Lyla situated in her chair, as Leonard did for Paige but on the sofa. Jacob brought each of them a glass of lemonade, then took his perch on the arm of the sofa and flashed an expectant look to his sister.

She rolled her eyes at Jacob before clearing her throat for her announcement. "Everyone, I would like you to meet my husband, Leonard McCoy. Len, this is my family." When she called each sibling's name, Leonard acknowledged them with a wave or a nod. Her younger sisters were shy and giggly, as she expected they would be. In contrast, her brothers tried to appear as her "protectors", puffing out their chests to appear stern and tough. She secretly smiled, but also rolled her eyes at their antics.

"Mama, Papa, I know the contract said I would be marrying a man named Matthews," she started, her father nodding in agreement. Paige explained what kind of man Jed Matthews was, and how he met an unfortunate end after getting caught cheating at cards. She mentioned how she didn't know about any of Jed's shortcomings until she was saved by the sheriff, Leonard, at the train station.

After the shock wore off, Leonard quickly assured his in-laws that it wasn't their fault Jed had lied in his advertisement. He told them he admired Paige for what she was doing and her reasons for it. It made him want to do what was right for her and her family by taking over the contract. "I didn't expect to fall for her," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "However, she had my heart almost from the get-go. And it sure didn't hurt that she was the prettiest and kindest woman I'd ever met," he winked at Paige, causing her to blush.

Evan and Lyla could see how much in love their daughter was with her husband, reminding them a bit about their own courtship. It might not have been the most traditional of beginnings, but they knew Paige had a good man by her side. Because she trusted him, they silently agreed to do the same and officially welcomed Leonard into the family.

***

After a dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread, Tyler and the younger kids took care of the dishes. Once that chore was finished, Paige was roped into a friendly game of Monopoly with her siblings. Leonard chose instead to watch, so he could keep close to his wife and make sure she was comfortable. Between turns, Paige's and sometimes Leonard's hands roamed over her stomach as if to soothe the baby growing inside.

Throughout the game, Evan and Lyla sat their respective chairs, soaking up the atmosphere. Even though there were a few heated moments, the jabs traded between siblings were all in the spirit of the game. At one point, Evan glanced at his wife, who had a contented smile on her face as she watched her children laugh amongst themselves.

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his own face as he turned towards Lyla. "You are so beautiful when you smile, my darling," he noted.

Lyla chuckled softly. "Thank you, my love. I am....so happy right now. All of my children, together, under one roof, enjoying each others' company. Our eldest daughter is married to a good, strong, kind man, and she's having his child. My heart is full, Evan. This is one of the most perfect moments I could ever hope for, and I don't want to miss a second of it." She reached over and held out her hand, palm up, which he took in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

***

A few days later, Paige and Leonard volunteered to do the grocery shopping for the family. Her sisters, Charlotte, Holly, and Molly, along with her youngest brother, Eddie, asked to accompany them. The girls insisted that they knew best what was needed at the house, while Paige wanted to make sure that Eddie was included.

When the kids asked if they could tag along, Leonard shrugged and quipped, "the more, the merrier," as he held the door open for his wife. They borrowed Evan's 1932 Chevrolet Confederate BA, since it was big enough to fit them all. He gave Paige a wink and a smile before closing her door and settling into the driver's seat.

Once inside the store, Leonard decided they should split the grocery duties. "Us men will handle the butcher's counter, while you ladies get started on the rest. That sound good to you, little man?" he asked Eddie. The young man's eyes grew wide as he gravely nodded and gave Leonard the thumbs-up. Leonard patted him on the shoulder, then gave Paige a long kiss on the cheek. "See you soon, darlin'," he grinned.

"Well, girls, looks like we have our work cut out for us," Paige told her sisters, smiling as the "men" walked away. Her eyes followed the pair and watched as her brother grabbed Leonard's hand, causing him to look down at Eddie. Before they disappeared around a corner, her husband shot her a mischievous wink and a small wave. She felt the tears forming in her eyes, knowing that, without a doubt, Leonard was going to be an amazing father.

"Sissy?" Charlotte piped up. Paige hummed in response, finally tearing her eyes away to focus her attention on her sister. "Are you having a boy or a girl?" she asked.

"Oh, Charlie, I won't know until the baby is born," she explained.

"What if you're having twins, like us?" Holly gasped excitedly.

"I am NOT having twins, Holls," she chuckled. "Twins would be wonderful, but it won't be this time around. I'm sure Doc Anderson would've told us by now if there were two babies instead of only one." Paige marked off a few more items on the list and massaged her lower back. She was about to head for the next aisle when she heard someone call for her from behind.

"Oh, my goodness, Paige? Paige Stone is that you?" the voice exclaimed. It was one that Paige would recognize anywhere, especially after all of the nasty remarks that had ever been thrown in her direction.

Paige cringed as she stopped in her tracks, her hands tightly curled around the shopping cart handle. She took a few deep breaths as she tried to keep her stress to a minimum for the baby's sake. "Hello, Abigail," she finally managed.

Abigail gave Paige the once-over from head to toe, her eyes finally landing on Paige's midsection. "Hmm, I see congratulations are in order! You do know who the father is, don't you?" she snickered.

Before Paige's outrage could take hold, a man approached Abigail's cart squinting at a piece of paper in his hand. "Darling, I found the list you were looking for. We should start with--" Thomas abruptly ended his statement and replaced it with a question. "Paige? Paige Stone? What on earth are you doing back in Columbus?"

By this time, Paige's patience had reached its end. "First of all, it's Paige McCoy, if you don't mind," she snapped. "I left here and got married almost a year ago. I live happily in Boulder, Colorado with my husband, and he happens to be the sheriff," she retorted. "Second, I only came back for a visit and to introduce him to my family. Not that it should matter at all to either of you."

"Is that a fact? Well, I had heard that you left town, but no one knew exactly why. I mean, there were so many rumors, it's hard to know what the truth really is. So, tell us, Mrs. McCoy, where is this husband of yours?" Abigail sneered, then leaned in close to Paige. "You know, I don't think there is a Mr. 'Sheriff-of-Boulder' McCoy husband. I think you made him up. You're wearing a fake wedding ring and only telling people you're married to avoid the disgrace of being an unwed mother out in public," she hissed.

"Excuse me?" a deep voice from behind them demanded. Everyone turned to see that Leonard and Eddie had returned from the butcher counter. He stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest, eyes narrowed at Thomas. "Is there some sort of problem here?"

"What business is it of yours? Who in the world are you anyway?" Thomas scoffed.

Leonard's face darkened at the other man's attitude. "I'm her husband, Sheriff Leonard McCoy, if you don't mind," he replied evenly.

Thomas audibly gulped. "W-well, you see, Paige and I are old friends who happened to run into each other after a long time," he stammered.

"You know, in my experience, 'old friends' usually don't make baseless accusations about a fake marriage. I don't take kindly to people who think it's okay to harass my wife. No one--and I mean, no one--has the right to speak to my wife like that." He snaked a protective arm around Paige's waist and tucked her into his side as he glared at Thomas and Abigail.

Paige glanced up and locked eyes with him and mouthed the words, "thank you" to her husband. Then he kissed the side of her head and mumbled "I love you" against her skin.

"W-well, we have a lot to do today, but perhaps we can chat some other time. Come on, Abigail, let's get our shopping done," Thomas insisted, gently tugging his wife's elbow. "Congratulations, Paige. On your marriage, and um....everything," he hastily added, then steered his wife away from the scene.

Leonard hooked a finger under Paige's chin and tilted it up to catch a glimpse of her warm hazel eyes behind her wire-rimmed spectacles. "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Of course I am, my love," she replied. After a peck on the lips from her husband, she returned her attention to the task at hand. "Okay, now that they're gone, what's next on our list?"

***

That night as they lay snuggled together in bed, their talk turned to the events at the grocery store. Leonard laughed at Holly's question about having twins, and how Charlotte wanted to know whether it was a boy or girl. "Son or daughter, makes no difference to me, only that he or she is healthy and so are you," he remarked.

Paige smiled and patted his chest. "That's exactly the way I feel as well," she murmured. "I saw Eddie take your hand on the way to the butcher's counter. I thought that was so sweet, Len," she whispered. "He's always been kind of quiet, being the youngest of eight, but I've never seen him take so easily to someone he just met. Means he trusts you, and that's one of the ways I know you're going to be an incredible father."

Leonard's heart swelled at hearing his wife's praise. He admired how easily she interacted with her brothers and sisters, with understanding, kindness and love. It reinforced what he already knew, which was that she would make an outstanding mother. "Say, who was that woman who was giving you so much trouble in the grocery store?"

She snorted with disgust at remembering the earlier incident. "Ugh. Her? That was Abigail Forrester, now Abigail Morgan, Thomas' wife. He decided to end the relationship with me in favor of one with her," she muttered.

"He let you go? Then I suppose I should send him a fruit basket, or thank you card, or something, because he really did me a huge favor," he affirmed with a laugh. When he saw the shocked and annoyed look on Paige's face, he quickly moved to clarify his thoughts. "I-I mean, he broke your heart, which I should punch him for, but if he hadn't ended things with you, we might never have met."

"Hmm, I suppose you have a point," she replied grudgingly. "I can't even imagine my life without you in it, and I don't want to, either."

"Darlin', a world without you is one I don't want to live in. The only place I want to be is where you are mine and I am most definitely yours." He curled his arm around his wife to pull her closer for a kiss that quickly turned passionate. "I love you, Paige."

"I love you, Leonard. Sweet dreams, my love." She reached behind her to turn off the light and closed her eyes.

***

Soon it was time for the McCoys to begin their return trip back to Boulder, Colorado. The entire Stone family insisted on seeing them off at the depot, including Lyla. Accepting her decision was not without some difficulty on Evan's and Paige's part, each encouraging her to stay home and rest. However, Lyla maintained that she felt well enough, and would therefore accompany them to the station.

With the luggage situated on top of the car, everyone piled in as best as possible, and they journeyed to the train station. Paige and Leonard were on the receiving end of many hugs that day, from siblings and parents. She could tell that her husband was still a bit overwhelmed with all the attention from her large family as compared to his smaller one. Nevertheless, she happily noted that he had relaxed a bit as compared to when they first arrived. 

Finally, it was Evan's and Lyla's turn to say their last goodbyes before it was time to board the train. Leonard stuck his hand out to Paige's father, who grasped it and pulled him into a fierce hug. "You're a good man, Leonard McCoy," Evan remarked, his voice gruff with emotion. "I know I don't need to tell you to take care of my daughter. But, as her father, I'm required to remind you," he chuckled.

"I understand, and thank you, sir. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to take care of Paige. You and Lyla did a great job of raising her, and she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I hope you and some or all of the family can visit after the baby is born," Leonard suggested.

"We'll do our best, though a lot of that depends on Lyla and her health. She's a strong woman, God love her, and she's battling this with all she's got. I know she'll keep fighting so she can meet her grandbaby at some point," Evan remarked.

A few feet away, mother and daughter were exchanging their goodbyes. "I'm so proud of you, Paige. You found yourself a wonderful man who loves you, and now you're going to be a mama, too," she gave her a watery smile.

"I'm scared, Mama," Paige whispered. "I mean, what if I can't do this? What if I'm not fit to be a mother?"

Lyla cradled her daughter's face in her hands and locked eyes with her. "Darling, listen. You've had plenty of practice with your brothers and sisters, and they love you. I have faith that you can do this, that you will be an amazing mother. Trust yourself and trust that husband of yours, and you'll be all right, sweetheart," she whispered, a few wayward tears sliding down her face.

Paige nodded and covered her mother's hands with her own. "I love you, Mama," she choked out.

"I love you too, my sweet girl," Lyla answered, touching her forehead to Paige's and took a deep breath. By this time, the men had joined them. Sensing the heavy exchange of emotions, Evan and Leonard put their arms around their wives in a kind of group hug.

When the conductor bellowed out the last call, Leonard and Paige broke away and reluctantly boarded the train. They found their seats, which had a window that faced the platform. As the train pulled away, everyone waved frantically until they were out of sight. Evan gathered his family and shuffled back to the car to go home. Although the house felt a little empty without Paige and Leonard, the family took solace in the new memories made from the visit.

***

In the weeks since the McCoys returned home, Leonard was kept busy training his two new deputies, Carter Davis and Pavel Chekov. At the same time, Paige was occupied with setting up the nursery. Leonard and Jim had placed the crib against the wall, with a changing table at one end and a chest of drawers next to it. Little by little, Paige had been washing the baby clothes and blankets she had received thus far and placing them in the drawers.

Nyota and Christine were only too happy to help their dear friend as they fawned over the tiny clothes and shoes of various sizes being added to the drawers. Sometimes Donna and Eleanora would visit as well, often leading to Leonard coming home to a house full of giggling women. He didn't mind at all, because he knew Paige needed the distraction and companionship while he was at work.

Fortunately, his deputies were doing well enough in their training that he was able to leave the office a bit early one day. He was looking forward to seeing his wife after some of the long hours he'd been working. Before leaving town, he stopped at the florist for a bouquet of assorted blooms that he hoped would brighten her day.

However, when Leonard walked in the door, he was met with silence rather than the usual group of chattering women. Since this was unusual, he called out for Paige. He didn't hear anything at first, so he called her name again, straining his ears as he walked further into the house. That was when he heard a soft, "in here" from his wife. A strangled sob escaped with it, accompanied by a sniffle coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Paige was sitting at the table, her hands rubbing absently over her ever-growing stomach. She was brokenly humming what he surmised was a lullaby, tears streaming down her cheeks. He watched as her hands stopped and she dropped her head into her hands. Her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs and Leonard could stand it no longer.

He lightly knocked on the doorframe because he wanted to make her aware of his presence without startling her. Paige gasped in surprise, her fingertips hastily wiping the tears from her eyes. "Uh, L-Len, you're home early. Is everything okay?" she asked, flustered.

Leonard moved further into the kitchen and placed the bouquet on the table. He knelt between Paige's legs, one hand resting on her thigh and reached up with the other to cradle her face. "I believe I should be asking you that, darlin'," he remarked. Then he held out his arms and Paige wasted no time in throwing her arms around his neck. She clung to him as closely as she could at this stage in her pregnancy.

His hand stroked the back of her head as her sobs shook her body. "Oh, sweetheart, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" he murmured.

After a few minutes, her cries had subsided to mostly sniffles. Paige drew back so she could wipe her cheeks and face her husband. "I....I was thinking about Mama today. Been doing that a lot since we've been back, trying to prepare myself. Because sooner or later, this illness of hers is going to run its course."

"Baby, I know you're probably still a little shaken up after seeing her. Maybe because you haven't been there to know the extent of how her illness has affected her. She's still here, though, and fightin' so hard to stay here," he affirmed.

"But, I have to face the fact that someday, she's not going to be here. And it's not fair, Len! There's so much she'll miss, like birthdays, anniversaries, and seeing my brothers and sisters grow up. I....and what about our child? Will she even be here to meet him or her?" she cried.

"Darlin', I wish to God I knew the answer to that question. And you're right, it isn't fair. Not to you, or your mama, or anyone. I can only imagine how hard this is for you and your family to be experiencing, and I wish you didn't have to," he responded.

"I know, I wish it wasn't this way as well. I can't even fathom what my father's going through, watching the love of his life battling for every breath. Knowing that one day, she won't be there across the table or on the other side of the bed from him," she added softly.

Leonard pulled her even closer, flush with his chest and his chin resting on top of her head. "It would leave a terrible achin' in my heart if for some reason you were gone from my life," he shared. "I don't know if that's somethin' I'd ever get over."

"I feel the same, Len. You're in my heart and my soul, and a hurt like that would take a long time to get over, not that I ever could. I just wish there was something more I could do for her, for them. I'm the oldest, I feel like I need to step up and take charge and help out. Only, we have our life here as well," Paige noted.

"Sugar, the time will come when your help will be needed, though maybe not in the most obvious ways," he offered. He felt her head nod against his chest in response.

Paige noticed the bouquet on the table and caught Leonard's gaze, flashing him a shy smile. "Are those for me?" she wondered.

Without breaking eye contact, he nodded and grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Though no flower in the world could ever match your beauty, my love," he murmured.

"You sure are a smooth talker, Leonard McCoy," she replied with a wry grin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, sugar," he returned as he caught her in his embrace once again.

***

The next couple of months pass without much incident, with Paige's body continuing to grow as she drew ever nearer to her due date. During that time, she made sure that the house was spotless, as if preparing for a royal visit. If she wasn't scrubbing or sweeping something, she was rearranging the nursery, anything to keep herself busy.

Leonard tried to convince her that everything was perfect, and that she was only going to make herself more tired. Fortunately, his mother explained that Paige was "nesting", which was completely normal and part of getting ready for the baby. She stated that the best he could do would be to support her and keep her from becoming completely exhausted during this phase. There would be time for that later, while bringing his son or daughter into the world.

As she neared her approximate due date, Paige began to experience some of the symptoms of the first stages of labor that Dr. Anderson described. It started slowly, with some tightening around her midsection that lasted for a moment or two, then subsided, only to return some time later. She alternated between wanting to sit down and relax to feeling restless and going for a walk around the house. Then there were the endless trips to the bathroom at all hours. She was almost to the point where she considered sleeping in the bathtub, if only to be nearer to the toilet.

On one of these nights, Paige felt the urge, so she carefully eased out of bed so as not to wake her husband. As soon as she stood, she experienced a gush of fluid from between her legs. This was followed by a sharp stab in her abdomen, causing her to cry out in pain. At her outburst, Leonard jolted out of bed and rushed to her side. He helped her to the chair in their room while he regained his bearings and focused on the next steps.

"It's all right, sweetheart, you're going to be okay," he soothed. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to get something to clean you up," he winked then ran off to the bathroom. He returned with a warm wet washcloth and helped her into a change of clothes. "Let's get you back in bed and as comfy as possible, then I'll call Doc Anderson."

With Leonard's assistance, Paige got back into bed, with several pillows stacked behind her to keep her sitting upright. It wasn't long before there was another sharp pain to her midsection. She gripped the sheets, attempting to ride out the wave of extreme discomfort she was feeling. Her breaths were coming out in short bursts as a way to manage the contraction until it eventually subsided.

Once he was sure Paige was stable, Leonard kissed her forehead and ran downstairs to the phone to call Doc Anderson. The physician relayed some instructions and promised he and his nurse would be at their house as soon as possible.

Leonard then called Jim to put him in charge of the sheriff's office, after he relayed a few instructions concerning Carter and Pavel. Jim assured him that everything would be fine, that all would be taken care of in his absence. He reminded Leonard that he needed to stay focused on Paige and the baby and sent his best wishes for a smooth delivery.

After he replaced the phone receiver, he walked over and unlocked the door. As soon as he turned the latch, he heard the start of another contraction and rushed up the stairs. "How far apart are they, darlin'?" he asked, grasping her hand.

He watched as she scrunched her eyes shut and tried to breathe through the pain. "Ab-about....e-every f-four m-m-minutes," she answered between bursts of air.

"Okay, sweetheart, I've got you. Doc Anderson is on his way--" he paused when he heard movement downstairs, then smiled. "In fact, he just got here. We're up here, Doc!" he called.

Soon Dr. Anderson and Nurse Kelley reached the top of the stairs and they strode in with kind smiles to assess the situation. "Looks like Baby McCoy is intent on making an appearance," he commented. "Let's see where we are in the process and how your labor is progressing, shall we?" He moved to the end of the bed and began his examination.

Leonard moved to sit behind his wife, her back against his chest. The friendly but efficient physician took note of how quickly the contractions were occurring to determine the stage of labor. Dr. Anderson concluded that Paige was fully dilated and would soon feel the urge to push, and encouraged her to do so. Leonard was her support, both physically and emotionally, mumbling a stream of reassuring words in her ear.

A few but exhausting hours later, a new life was welcomed into the world and into the McCoy family. A healthy baby girl, Layla Ann McCoy, was born and it was love at first sight for her parents. After she was cleaned up and checked over, Dr. Anderson placed the newborn on her mother's chest, her father looking on in wonder.

"Congratulations, Sheriff and Mrs. McCoy," Nurse Kelley remarked, with Dr. Anderson echoing the sentiment. "She's beautiful."

"Gets that from her mother," Leonard replied softly, then kissed Paige's temple. With their eyes still locked on their daughter, they thanked the doctor and his nurse for their assistance. Dr. Anderson stuck around long enough to make sure the baby got started with her first feeding. Then he and Nurse Kelley bid the new parents goodbye and quietly exited the house.

***

News of Layla's birth spread like wildfire among their friends and Leonard's family. Donna and Eleanora barely waited all of twenty-four hours before they stopped by to see the new addition. As expected, Auntie Donna and Grandma Eleanora were immediately smitten with the baby. They also brought a few prepared meals to keep in the refrigerator. This would prove useful for the new parents while they adjusted to a new schedule or if they didn't feel like cooking.

Other visitors soon followed, with Leonard's protective side making an appearance when Paige or Layla showed signs of needing sleep. His girls were of the utmost importance to him, and he wasn't afraid to escort visitors out of the house if he thought they'd stayed a bit too long.

Leonard also made sure to send the birth announcement in a telegram back to Paige's family back in Columbus, Ohio. A few days later, Evan sent a return message that stated they would be arriving in Boulder within two weeks' time, and Leonard was hopeful that the visit would include Lyla. With her inclusion, it would mean doctors deemed her well enough to travel that far from home, as long as she was with the family.

He wanted their visit to be a surprise, yet was well aware that Paige would want everything to be perfect, including a spotless house. However, he was also learning the challenges of adapting to a newborn and how it can wreak havoc on a new parent's sleep cycle. For this reason, he called for reinforcements, namely Nyota, Christine, Eleanora, and Donna. The ladies all pitched in to keep things neat and orderly, as well as to provide a bit of respite for Paige.

On the day of the family's arrival, Leonard got ready for work as if it were any other day. Even though he knew it was going to be anything but an ordinary day. He couldn't wait to see the look on his wife's face when she saw her family standing on their doorstep. The thought curved his lips into a smile which was still present when he went downstairs for breakfast.

Paige had completed Layla's morning feeding, then placed her in the bassinet that sat at one end of the table while she fixed breakfast. She had just finished sliding some scrambled eggs onto Leonard's plate when he waltzed into the kitchen. He paused at the table to bid his daughter good morning and kiss the top of her head, cooing at her to try and coax a smile out of her.

He soon abandoned his efforts of a smile from Layla and turned his attention to Paige. "Mmm, good morning, sweetheart. This breakfast looks amazing, thank you," he beamed before leaning down and pulling her closer for a kiss. He plucked the plates from her hands and turned to set them on the table before he pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you, my love," she replied brightly. They each dug into their meal, with sounds of approval coming from Leonard after nearly every bite. When he was with Jocelyn, he was responsible for most of the cooking, which was mediocre at best. Though his ex-wife's mother taught her the basics, Jocelyn's culinary knowledge didn't develop much beyond those fundamentals.

Luckily, Paige was more than qualified in this area, which saved his palate but threatened to expand his waistline. She was especially gifted with her baked goods, from cookies and cakes, to muffins and pies. Prior to having Layla, her sweet treats were frequently for sale in Nyota's café. No birthday in Leonard's office passed without a birthday cake from Mrs. McCoy, in whatever flavor the birthday person desired.

When Leonard was finished with breakfast, he placed their plates in the sink to be washed later, then returned to the table. He leaned down to kiss the top of Paige's head, but first hooked a finger under her chin to catch sight of her warm, hazel eyes he adored. "Sure wish I didn't have to work today. I'd much rather stay home with you," he grinned.

"Hmm, I'd much rather you stayed home with me too," she agreed. "But you still have those two new deputies to boss around, and that's probably more fun than I'll be having around here."

If you only knew, he thought. "I suppose I should get going. Lots of 'bossing around' to do," he smirked. "I love you, sweetheart," he remarked as his lips met the crown of her head.

He drew back to see her beaming smile directed towards him. "I love you too, Len. Have a good day at work, and please be safe," she added. 

"I will darlin', I promise," he responded. He pulled his watch out of his pocket and checked the time. Only another hour before the Stone family would be arriving on the train, and he couldn't wait to reveal the surprise to his wife.

He leaned over Layla's bassinet and noticed she was asleep. His finger gently traced her delicate cheek, being careful not to wake her. "Be good for Mama, babygirl," he whispered before heading for the door. He paused at the threshold, shot a wink at Paige over his shoulder, then closed the door behind him.

***

After Leonard departed, Paige moved into the kitchen and began to tidy up from breakfast, humming to herself as she worked. Our first anniversary is next week, she suddenly realized. A smile crept up on her face when she thought of the events of the past year and how much her life had changed. From leaving home and arriving in Boulder, to the friends she's made, and of course, in her marriage to Leonard. And now, I'm a mama, she noted as she leaned down to kiss her sleeping daughter's forehead.

First anniversary is said to be paper, which lead her to the idea of a book as a gift for Leonard. He devoured crime novels, which some may think unusual for a sheriff surrounded by it every day. Not Leonard, though, as one of his favorite authors was Agatha Christie. Paige made a note to herself to check the bookstore in town for Miss Christie's latest novel when she's there for her weekly visit with Nyota.

Three hours later and satisfied with her progress, Paige was enjoying a glass of cold water when she heard a knock at the door. Puzzled, she set down her drink on the table and made her way to the door. "Who is it?" she called. "Len, is that you?" she asked, thinking he may have decided to come home for lunch but had perhaps forgotten his key.

"It's me, sugar, but I can't reach my keys out of my pocket. My hands are full, can you please open the door for me?" he explained through the door.

Paige unlocked the door and the sight before her was enough to knock her over with a feather. Her parents and all of her siblings were standing on the front porch, having traveled all the way from Columbus, Ohio. "SURPRISE!!" her family whisper-yelled.

Her hand flew to her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes as she scanned everyone's face until finally landing on her husband. "Sorry, darlin', for fibbin' to you, but I very much wanted this to be a surprise."

"Oh, it is, it absolutely is, Len," she affirmed. "This is wonderful! I'm guessing this why you're not at work today?" she wondered.

Leonard nodded. "Jim's mindin' the office for the next few days, so I can be here with you and your family. Can ya forgive me?" he asked.

Paige hesitated, but only for a moment before her face broke out into a huge smile. "Of course I can, but there's nothing to forgive, Len. This is the best surprise ever!" she gushed. "Goodness, where are my manners? Come in, come in, everyone!"

Leonard helped usher the family into the house, where hugs were exchanged all around. Evan and Lyla remarked how lovely their home was, while the kids talked about their first train ride. Everyone was trying to keep quiet because the baby was still sleeping, but it wasn't long before the first cry was heard.

Paige rose from her seat at the table and reached inside the bassinet to calm the awakening child. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay, Mama's here. Mama's here," she crooned. Leonard was at her side, his hand stroking his daughter's hair as she worked through the process of waking up. He pressed a kiss to the top of Layla's head and offered to change her diaper. Paige carefully transferred the baby to her husband's waiting arms and gazed fondly at him as he walked upstairs.

"We named her Layla Ann McCoy. She'll have to meet her Nana, Papa, and all of her aunties and uncles after she comes back downstairs from a diaper change," Paige giggled. "While we wait, would anyone like anything to drink?"

A few minutes later, Paige was pulling the glasses out of the cupboard when she was startled by the arms sneaking around her waist from behind. A small shriek of surprise escaped her, while she felt the rumble of laughter in Leonard's chest as he pulled her close to his body. "Relax, darlin', it's just me. I left our little one in the very capable hands of her grandmother so I could help you," he explained.

The couple returned to the group with the refreshments and distributed them around the room. In the meantime, Layla had since left her grandmother's arms and had been passed to her grandfather. Evan's eyes shone with unshed tears as he gazed at his granddaughter, her hand clasped tightly around his index finger. "She's beautiful, Paige. Most perfect thing I've ever seen," he whispered.

Lyla reached out her hand, beckoning her daughter to her side. "She's amazing, just like her mother," she affirmed.

"Thank you, Mama and Papa. She's really a good baby, not too fussy. Of course, as soon as I say this, she'll start crying and prove me wrong," Paige giggled and everyone else joined in. "Where is everyone staying while you're here? I'd love for you to stay here, but we don't have enough rooms," she mentioned.

Leonard gently placed a hand on her shoulder and her attention swung to his soft gaze. "Ma and Donna offered up the empty rooms in their house, which isn't too far away from here. Just up the road," he confirmed.

Paige slumped into his side as he curled his arm around her and held her close. "You really did think of everything, didn't you, my love," she murmured. "Thank you so much, Len."

"Anything to see a smile on your lovely face, sugar," he replied as they watched everyone interact with their daughter.

***

The next few days included socializing with and getting better acquainted with Eleanora and Donna. Leonard drove Paige and the baby to the house on his way to work so she could be with the family. Once he got her settled in, he grabbed himself a muffin and a coffee, kissed his wife and daughter goodbye, and left for the office.

When they all headed to town for the weekly grocery run, they stopped by Nyota's café for lunch. Not only was she happy to see her best friend and Layla, but to meet Paige's family as well. Warm hugs were exchanged, and there were free hot fudge sundaes all around, much to the delight of Paige's siblings.

Before the last night of the family's visit, Paige decided to have an early Thanksgiving dinner, since everyone was together. Leonard's mother and sister were invited, as were the sheriff's deputies and their partners. The seating arrangements had to be creative, as the table wasn't large enough to accommodate everyone, but no one cared. Being together was the most important, and as long as they were, that's all that mattered.

Since Paige did most of the cooking, she was shooed out of her own kitchen when it was time for clean-up duty, albeit under protest. Evan and Leonard assumed dish duty, while Jacob and Tyler hung around in case there was any "man talk" going on. Paige and the younger siblings joined their mother and the others in the living room, where Layla was being fed, courtesy of her Nana.

Paige watched as her mother guided Layla through the feeding process, burping her every so often. After eight children, Lyla was definitely an expert, though each child was different for her. "I remember when you were this small," she remarked softly, her eyes never leaving the baby's face. "After you were done feeding, you'd snuggle right into the crook of my arm and go straight to sleep."

"Layla does pretty much the same thing, whether it's me or Len that's feeding her," Paige replied. "How're you doin', Mama?" she wondered.

Lyla sighed. "I'm doin' the best I can, sweetheart. I take it one day at a time, try to get the most joy possible out of every day. Your father, bless his soul, has been with me every step of the way, no matter what, in good days and not-so-good days. He's definitely taking the 'in sickness and in health' portion of our vows very seriously," she added with a watery chuckle.

Oh Mama, she thought as she fought back the tears gathering at her lash line.

By this time, the kitchen was all clean and those on duty for it returned to the living room. Seeing that Layla was asleep, Leonard gently scooped her up and took her upstairs and tucked her into her crib. She fussed a little at the loss of contact with him, but soon relaxed and settled back into sleep mode.

When he returned to the living room, Evan was in the middle of a story about something that happened at his workplace. Jacob chimed in afterwards with news from his job, and the others talked about what they were learning in school. One by one, Paige's brothers and sisters were showing signs of sleepiness, thus it was agreed for everyone to return to Eleanora's for the evening.

The next morning, Leonard and Jim drove the family and their luggage to the train station for the trip back to Columbus. Paige and Layla rode with Leonard, while Donna and Eleanora tagged along with Jim. Many tearful goodbyes were exchanged, along with lingering hugs and wishes for a safe trip home. Paige took Jacob and Tyler aside and implored them to look out for their parents in her absence, not that they needed to be reminded.

When the conductor hollered the final call for ticketed passengers, the Stone family reluctantly peeled themselves away and boarded the train. As luck would have it, they managed to secure window seats for one last look before they were pulled away from the station. Paige balanced Layla against her hip and waved her little hand to the family as the train departed.

***

The day of Layla's six-month appointment was a bright, sunny day, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. Dr. Anderson was pleased with her development and how she'd reached every milestone for her age. Leonard and Paige ended the day with lunch at Nyota's café and visited Donna and Eleanora before finally heading home.

Since Layla had fallen asleep in her car seat, Leonard carried her upstairs to her crib to continue her afternoon nap. He fully intended to sneak in some quality snuggle time with his wife while his daughter slept. With Layla occupying so much of their time, it was important to him that he keep that physical connection with Paige. He wanted to show how much he loved her, not only as a wife and mother, but also as a woman.

Paige sat down on the couch and started to arrange the pillows in the corner, leaving room for Leonard to join her. She liked to sit and rest her back to his chest, his arms holding her close to his body. She was reaching for a blanket to drape over them when the phone rang, which caused her to freeze in her movements.

She rose from her seat to answer the phone, each step filling her with trepidation. Most anyone she knew preferred to communicate in person, rather than use the telephone. As she approached the ringing phone, her fears grew that this would be the call she'd been dreading for many months. "Hello?"

"Hey, Paige," the voice on the other end answered shakily. It was Jacob and it sounded like he'd been crying but was trying to hold it together. "I have some news for you about Mama."

Paige took a sharp intake of breath at his response. She didn't notice that Leonard had returned to the living room and immediately knew something had happened. He rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "What is it, Jacob? What's happened, is Mama okay?" she asked urgently.

Jacob explained that about a week ago, Mama had fallen in the kitchen. When she stuck her hand out to brace herself for the fall, she ended up with a deep cut on her thumb. "Papa took her to the hospital to get stitched up. When they took her vital signs, the results with her heart and lungs caused the doctor to be concerned, so she was admitted."

"Wait a second, so she's in the hospital?" she wondered. By Jacob's hesitation to answer, she knew there was more to the story, so she asked him to continue.

"They hooked her up to one of those machines to give her breathing treatments, only it wasn't really helping much. Over the past few days, she kept getting weaker until....I'm so sorry, Paige, but Mama's gone," he choked out.

The receiver dropped from Paige's hand and her knees buckled under her; however, Leonard fortunately caught her in time. He guided her back to sit on the sofa, then went back to the phone. He could hear Jacob calling out for his sister, so Leonard assured him that he would take care of her. He offered what he hoped were some comforting words, then ended the call.

Paige was still in a state of shock, not knowing what to think or what to do. All she knew was that her mama, the person she turned to for guidance and share her joys, was now gone. And she didn't get the chance to say goodbye. That thought alone opened the floodgates and she broke down as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces.

Leonard returned to her side instantly, gathering her in his arms to comfort her. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I know how much your ma meant to you," he murmured. Although he'd only met his in-laws twice, he felt as if he'd known them since the day he and Paige met. They welcomed him into their family, without question, despite their non-traditional courtship.

As he held and comforted his distraught wife, his thoughts drifted to when he lost his father, David, all those years ago. An incurable illness had taken his life as well, which left a teenaged Leonard as the man of the house to look after his mother and sister. Perhaps that was why he became a sheriff, so he could protect those who couldn't do so for themselves.

After some time, Paige's sobs gave way to quiet whimpers and sniffles, though Leonard continued to hold her. His hand rubbed up and down her back to soothe her while he whispered words of comfort in her ears. When she placed her palms on his chest and pushed a little, he loosened his hold a bit. He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Then he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb and kissed her forehead.

It wasn't much longer before they heard Layla's cries, signaling she was done with her nap and wanted out of her crib. Paige started to rise from her seat, but Leonard nudged her as he insisted he would attend to their daughter. He hooked a finger under her chin to tilt her face up to meet his, then leaned in and kissed her lips. "I'll be right back, my love," he promised.

While she waited for Leonard to return with Layla, she could hear him up in the room, chattering away with her. It brought a small smile to her face, hearing how sweet he was in his one-sided conversation. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice right away that he had returned to the living room, Layla on his hip. "See there, sweet pea? There's your beautiful mommy," he cooed. "She's kind of sad right now, and I think she needs some lovin's from you," he winked.

Paige gave Leonard a tired smile and held out her arms. "Come see Mama, sweetheart," she replied softly. He obliged, and watched as she embraced their child, eyes closed and gently swaying her side to side. He decided that some tea may help his wife relax, so he quietly excused himself from the room.

Once he had left, Paige positioned Layla lengthwise on her thighs, with her head resting on her mother's knees, and her feet pointed at her stomach. Layla's hands tightly grasped Paige's thumbs, while her remaining fingers curled around her daughter's tiny fists. "Someday, my little love, I'm gonna tell you allll about your grandmother. She only met you that one time, but I know she loved you sooo much. We even named you after her. Well, sort of, anyway," she gave a watery chuckle.

Leonard stood silently in the doorway, watching, as Paige continued. "I remember everything she ever told me, everything she taught me, and I can't wait to share it all with you." She brushed away a teardrop that had landed on her daughter's forehead before picking her up and placing her on her shoulder. "I love you so much, Layla," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Her eyes then landed on Leonard, tears streaming from them in earnest now.

He quickly crossed the room and sat down beside her, pulling mother and baby close to his side. "Shh, it's all right, sweetheart. I've got you," he soothed. They stayed curled up together for some time, until Leonard felt Paige's breathing had evened out because she'd fallen asleep.

Leonard gently plucked Layla from her mother's arms and rose from his seat. After placing his daughter in the bassinet, he nudged his wife until she was laying down on the sofa. He draped a blanket over her sleeping form and returned to pick up his daughter. "Let's get you somethin' to eat, hmm?" he suggested as they headed to the kitchen together.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags:

@marvelouslytrekking​ @writercole​ @spacedancer1701​ @anna-phora @hlabounty96 @darkestfireee​​  @rooweighton​​  @phoenixisred @avnging-221b @differentbluebirdfury @missvelvetsstuff @evangeliamerryll

[givekennyabreak]

Refuge (Kenny Liu x gn!reader)

Summary: Life is tough at whatever the hell this town is, but at least Kenny got you by his side.

Word count: 733

Rating: M

Warnings: spoilers for s2e3 of From, mentions of blood, death, canon compliant violence and gore, a lot of swearing, reader is hinted to wear glasses, hugs, use of (Y/N).

The loud slam of the front door is what startles the duo.

"The fuck?" Swears Jade, as they watch Kenny storm by without a single word.

The chess board is on the coffee table between them, ivory pieces thrown around as Jade tried to teach his confused friend how to actually play it - not just imitate my little pony characters with the horse pieces.

"Something's wrong." (Y/N) whispered, already standing up from their seat on the couch.

"He probably saw his crush with her fianceé again-"

"Dude, he'd just sulk." They retorted, brows furrowing, glasses slipping down their nose. "Something bad happened."

Jade opened his mouth to say something again, but whatever it was got lost as the resident fix-it 'guy' turned around and towards Kenny's room.

"Well, fuck me, then."

Three quick raps against the door was enough to let Kenny know who was on the other side.

His mom called out to him instead of knocking and Jade knocked once before storming in shouting or mumbling from time to time.

"What is it?" He asked, voice strained. It wavered a little, and he heard a small thump against the wood - his friend leaned their forehead against it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" (Y/N) said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.

The freckled man chewed on his bottom lip, fists clenching by his side. He wanted to stop - to sit or lay down, he was absolutely fucking tired, but his legs wouldn't stop pacing around.

He just saw a young, bright woman die with an iron stick through her head, and those things, those monsters, had the audacity to leave her there to suffer more and more and more until-

"Kenny?" (Y/N) whispered, softly, still waiting for his answer.

"Come in, please."

The deputy kept his eyes on the ground. He heard the door open, and then close; then, a pair of black combat boots appeared in his field of vision.

"Kenny, look up, please."

He didn't. He wouldn't dare look up because he'd see his friend's innocent, happy face and remember the screams amidst the forest.

The first tears fell without him realizing.

The sobs wracked through his body like the thunderstorm a couple of days ago, and it was only then that Kenny felt his friend actually hoist him up by his waist (with little struggle) and his legs soon felt the soft mattress against them. With a small push, he sat down, still looking at the ground, and (Y/N) kneeled by him.

"I don't know what happened." They said, hands cupping Kenny's freckled, warm cheeks. "But I'm here for you. If you do say anything or not, I will be here."

"They- they stuck an iron stick through one of the passengers head's." The deputy managed to say through the sobs, his own hands now engulfing the ones over his cheeks. "She was in the forest. They kept her a-alive."

(Y/N) gritted their teeth, jaw set tight.

"And she felt nothing at all, until she started to scream and then Boyd had to pull the thing out and Kristi held her hand and all Ellis and I could do was watch as she died stuck to a tree in a forest in the middle of nowhere without being able to call her mom one last time!"

The deputy cried harder then, holding his friend's hands with an iron grip. He sobbed until his body shook, and the entire time (Y/N) stayed close to him, their own forehead resting on the crown of Kenny's head.

At some point, the freckled man let go of their hands, and snuck his arms around their waist instead, hiding his teary face on the crook of their neck. (Y/N) opted to hug him back, one of their hands on the back of his head, pointer finger drawing random patterns on the soft black hair.

"I'm sorry." Kenny whispered, still sniffling. "Sorry to dump this all on you."

"Don't ever be sorry about telling me these things, Kenny." They retorted. "I'm here for you, always. No matter how gruesome or cruel, you can let it out to me."

Kenny, for the first time since he got home, looked up at his friend.

Lopsided smile, fogged up glasses, wild hair sticking up to all possible directions, gentle eyes.

"You can always count on me."

Kenny smiled back.

"I know."

Okay this was a RIDE

I hope I made all the two characters justice lmao sorry if I made Jade seem annoying, he just strikes me as an annoying brother (like my own younger brother) so yeah

Hope y'all like it :)

Also if the English is kinda wonky pls tell me bc I'm a tired Brazilian worker :')

[illarian-rambling]

I suppose I can call this a very late STS ask but even if not I’ve been curious for a while - you’ve talked about the siren empire and their views on land-dwellers a lot but I’m curious about how they treat their own people. What’s it like being a siren? I know they have pretty harsh punishments and Sepo seems to remember the food fondly but I’d love to know anything else you want to share :)

1 A.M. is close enough to Saturday for me

Sirens, by and large, live very normal lives. It's easy to forget this, especially for humans who only see their Singer-Priests when they're out sinking ships, but a majority of sirens have never even been to the surface, much less seen a human. They have apartments and convenience stores down there, theaters and libraries and public parks too. They work mostly mundane jobs or go to school. They love elthuryah (chess basically) tournaments and wine smuggled in special containers from the surface is enjoyed as much as its vintners are despised. Generally, they treat each other no better or worse than humans do other humans.

The one thing is the theocracy. Sirens are brainwashed from the moment they're born into thinking that they are the superior people, that they were made in their god's image and everyone else is a mocking imitation that must be exterminated for its own good. A siren could watch a human die as easily as a human might watch a prayer candle burn. Everything from their entertainment to their education is carefully curated by the Silver Sovereign and her temple to reiterate this cruel way of thinking.

This is why heresy is a big no-no for sirens. When Sepo killed the Silver Sovereign's heir, he killed the future mouthpiece of the Great Anglerfish. Also, the Silver Sovereign is an absolute monarch, so her punishment for him wasn't limited by laws or anything. Given that he killed her only daughter and burnt down her palace, she gave him the worst punishment she could think of---Voiceless and left for monster food. The siren populace was on board with this because, with all the propaganda they're fed, all they knew was that this guy tried to kill the mouthpiece of their god for no reason.

So yeah, daily siren life is pretty normal aside from all the propaganda and regular temple visits. Sirens don't even know those things are odd because why would they? They usually deeply love the temple, especially given the free medical treatment priests provide. Seluthena and the rest of the Ulahdrian empire is a fine place to live when it comes to security and a career. This is why it's so rare for sirens to leave. No sane person would give all that up for a surface world they've been taught all their life is the realm of false-faced demons and a hateful sun.

It's 1984 the fish version down there, basically. Hope this answered your question and thanks for the ask!

[autobot-ratchet]

MTMTE 56, 57, and Revolution

MTMTE 56

and now for something completely different

“I know I'm paranoid. Contrary to popular belief, that doesn't mean I think everyone's out to get me. It just means I don't know who is and who isn't.” HEY. BIG SAME LMFAO not to gripe on fandom culture once again but y'all literally ruined my brain chemistry and I think it's fair for me to talk about it lmAO I know that not literally everyone who participates in fandom is an insane person who wants to start a harassment campaign against a complete nobody like me because it would be easy clout and no one would help me, in fact most of you are pretty cool, but I know someone will. Because someone always does. I've seen enough of my peers get hurt and/or die to know that someone always does, even if you think you're not popular enough. Like, I hope y'all realize what a fucking act of bravery posting all this has been for me lmfAO you have no idea how many times I've had to stop myself from editing out a hot take out of fear that even one chronically online individual might feel the need to punish me to protect the purity of the funny alien robot comic, including this paragraph

gfdsjkk I forgot Fort Max just fuckin kicks Prowl while he's in his alt mode so it just looks like he's kicking a police car. ACAB

oh god Outrigger's a fuckin youtuber lmAO

aww I do like that both Fort Max and Red Alert tried to get in contact with anyone they could when they saw everyone's farewell message, they still have everyone's numbers. Ooh except Chromedome changed his, or at least I assume Prowl's talking about Chromedome

ooohh right, this was another theory if I remember correctly, that Fort Max used to be Pious Maximus, like he got shadowplayed from being one to the other. I vaguely remember a panel I think way back in the Shadowplay arc of a dude in the background who looked kind of like Fort Max when Prowl and Chromedome found one of the institutes

casually thousand yard stares off into space at Sentinel's monologue about how Cybertron is now full of “mongrel Cybertronians” and he wants to “wipe the slate clean.” I wish life would imitate art would imitate life a little less lmfAO

*points at Prowl* lol but also Sentinel leave Red alone, he doesn't deserve this

MTMTE 57

ohh man here we go, last issue of MTMTE. It's not the end of the comic, it just changes names, but this still always feels like a milestone. The name changes, the main artist changes, this is absolutely a turning point and it always feels strangely bittersweet to reach it during a readthrough

“You're not one of THOSE, are you?” is still such a funny line of dialogue, truly on some care bears villain shit

still incredibly funny that Prowl has to use his table-flipping skills to reactivate the titan. The release mechanism was just. Conveniently table-shaped

man no wonder Red Alert got overwhelmed and tried to end it, poor dude's been out here playing 4D chess with his own brain for millions of years

fgshdjks Sentinel gets knocked into a pit by a bird and unceremoniously falls to his death. I've never seen anyone get more owned in my life

“You hate change. I sympathize.” “I hate endings.” “Same thing.” yEAH. YEAH THAT'S WHY THIS ALWAYS FEELS SO BITTERSWEET like yeah it's not an actual ending, but it is the end of certain constants that had been established (like the name, the main artist, etc) and like. That's enough! That's enough of a change for it to be felt! Not to get too deep or anything but it's normal to mourn for the loss of a life you're still living because it's no longer the same life

MTMTE Revolution

but before we move on, one more issue of MTMTE lmAO

god I completely forgot about Crankcase's online boyfriend

gfsjdkl Krok and Fulcrum trying to help Crankcase prepare for his date........ they're real ones

gOD THEIR STUPID HOLOMATTER AVATARS...

THEY FUCKIN BURIED HIS ASS god they are so bad at humans lmfAO

aww, Grimlock... shame he had to level a handful of cities to get his keepsake back but that's very sweet lmAO

fdhjks poor MP3

[dawnslight-aegis]

13. check

(sequel/follow-up to last year's pawn.)

“Check.” The deep blue marble knight tapped lightly against her golden sandstone bishop, and Kaede plucked it from the board so Aymeric could move his piece into its place to threaten her king.

“I swear I beat Alphinaud like three times recently. Not that you can tell by how long it takes you to beat me.”

Cool blue eyes regarded her in amusement, and he turned his attention back down to the board. “Master Alphinaud is not bad at chess, but he plays far too defensively. You, on the other hand, tend to overstretch yourself. You wield your queen like a blade, as if she can win the game for you by her power alone.” The amusement in his expression faded, and turned more contemplative. “If you lose her, your strategy crumbles. You must learn how to utilize the strengths of every piece, from pawn to queen. And you must trust the lesser pieces to stand on their own, as well, without their champion.”

Kaede sighed and moved a rook to take Aymeric’s knight. “I feel like we’re not just talking about chess now, are we?”

“It often imitates life. The queen can no more win a war on her own than you can, my lady. At times, even the weakest soldier can be the one that tips the battle in your favor.” As he spoke, Aymeric nudged a pawn forward, and Kaede groaned in frustration to realize that the humble piece had blocked off her king’s only escape route. “Checkmate, dearest.”

Slumping back in her chair, Kaede eyed Aymeric with irritation – less due to the loss, and more due to the too-accurate assessment of her strategies. “I’m glad you are enjoying the new set, at least. Even if you are using it to systematically dismantle me in eight turns or less.”

“Very much so. I’ve had quite a few interesting conversations with members of the House of Lords on the differences in nomenclature between this version and dragonchess. And the way someone plays can reveal quite a bit about their mindset. ‘Twas a practical gift, as well as a thoughtful one.” He reset the board with swift, economical movements. “Would you like to play again?”

That pulled a reluctant smile to her face. “Gods above. Only you could receive a board game as a nameday gift and somehow turn it into work. But yes, fine. And this time, I will try to rely on my other pieces as well.”

“Nothing would please me more.”

[poseidons-lovechild]

i just started to re-watch criminal minds.

my highlights of season 1 (spoiler warning ig)

aaron hotchner is so daddy

reid is so baby

gideon is so unhinged and crazy - and a dad

derek is just sooo cocky and it's so funny how he wears a suit in the first few episodes

the cuts and edits in s1 are peak cinema

elle my darling <3

god i missed the title music

why is gideon always talking to someone, then gets an idea and runs the other way w/o another word lol

"ocd? i'm thinking more like omg." hahhahahahah

reid and gideon playing chess aaaaah

the mandarine scene in ep5 lives in my mind rent free, so dad coded

how is it that i'm surprised everytime again when gideon starts yelling for help in ep7

hotch almost gets strangled and gideon looseness his tie and says "take your tie off for once in your life, huh?" dad energy.

gideon yelling at rats? lol

elle calling gideon dad!!!

"what kind of doctor are you?" harsh

"billie is running out of time, guys." "so are the parents." "oh, come on. a little hope, huh? we'll make it. we'll make it." i'm repeating myself: DAD ENERGY.

aaron hotchner in his vest? ouff. i'm sweating. and elle? oh lord.

"divorce is not uncommon in the bau." is that right, aaron?

"just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie." whoever said hotch doesn't have humor was blind.

love sassy hotch so much i'd fuck him senseless

"do i look twelve years old to you?" "fourteen." lol

"if i wasn't a lesbian i'd jump your bones. i've always had this thing for middle-aged men." relatable af

reid just called morgan a whore??

haley called gideon hotch's wife? i didn't remember that. also so passive-aggressive: if she's pissed by his job, she should just say so.

also hotch with baby on his arm? lord have merthy

elle speaking spanish: so hot

gideon imitating a russian accent: dad energy (i sound like a broken record)

i am convinced that david rossi taught gideon how to cook

i'll never understand why fisher king I is in s1 and fisher king II is in s2

i love that aaron is cleaning the blood of elle's walls

like always: stay away from white males in their early 20s to early 40s, don't go outside and keep your windows and doors locked.

[veralevina15]

Radovid's chess monologue: devotion, betrayal and *lub-dub, lub-dub*

Today I’m going to explain to you the criminally overlooked Radovid’s chess monologue. That is not a comical crazy nonsense. That’s absolutely gorgeous speech about devotion, betrayal and *lub-dub lub-dub*.

Chekmate. They say that's the game of kings. That chess teaches one to think strategically. What a load of rubbish! Both sides have identical pieces, the rules stay invariably the same. How does this mirror real life?

Radovid, despite his young age, is a rather experienced ruler. He had to solve this most difficult puzzle called “politics” more than once. Politics is not chess, and here no one plays by the rules. Therefore, Radovid had very quickly accustomed himself to cold calculation, flexibility of mind and a certain amount of cynicism.

Witcher, do you know why I play chess?

Whatever the answer, Radovid ends the introductory part of the monologue and proceeds to the main one.

I play chess to reveal the game's secret. Blood thumps inside this chessmen. You need only listen - and you will hear. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub...A heart pumping with life. I take a pawn - and hear flesh being rent. I win a piece - and hear screams from the depths of its bowels. I want to break the chessmen open, squeeze the truth from them. Do you see what I mean?

This whole piece is one continuous metaphor. Let's look at it in more detail.

Blood thumps inside this chessmen. You need only listen - and you will hear. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub...

This is the most memorable moment, although Radovid only poetically compares the figures with people, and “lub-dub” is nothing more than an imitation of a heartbeat; a symbol of how noisy life is in a chess piece, if instead of it we imagine a living person, but on the political "board" of kings.

A heart pumping with life. I take a pawn - and hear flesh being rent. I win a piece - and hear screams from the depths of its bowels.

Through chess images, Radovid paints a picture of real political life with numerous deaths and sacrifices in the name of a certain goal. Dead flesh, death screams - this is what remains of the "pawns" that kings sweep away from their political board with a wave of their hands.

I play chess to reveal the game's secret.

Do you see what I mean?

What secret is he talking about? What is the "truth" that Radovid set out to squeeze out of chess? Perhaps these are the most difficult questions of the chess monologue. In order to fully understand them, you need to answer the king “No, I don't” and listen to Radovid’s further explanation.

You do not beacause you are not a king. Pawns see only the comrades at their sides and the foes across the field. The king has the differen view of the chessboard. His greatest foes surrounds him. His own chessmen might trap him. And that is check...and death. You see, witcher : сhess is a art of sacrificing your own pieces. Now do you see?

This is the key point of the monologue. Here is a real possibility in chess, when the king gets a checkmate only because he is blocked by his own pieces, and an analogy with royal power, when lieges betray their monarch. This is a clear allusion to a conspiracy against the king of Redania, arranged by the Temerians and Dijkstra (which is typical, none of the king's inner circle or from other Redanians, with the exception of a traitor soldier, is involved in the conspiracy. This makes one seriously doubt the veracity of Dijkstra's speeches and the journal entry that, they say, everyone would be happy about the death of the White Eagle).

The king is afraid of betrayal, because recently several rulers of the North have fallen victims of evil intentions: Demavend III, Foltest, and even earlier - his own father, Vizimir II, who was killed by Philippa Eilhart. Radovid is very afraid of repeating his fate. The situation is doubly aggravated by the war with Nilfgaard and the beginning of the Witch Hunt. The king is always on the alert, because he knows for sure: a lot of spiteful critics have divorced around, who in the most decisive way decided to throw him off the throne.

Thus, the “truth” that Radovid wants to squeeze out is the desire to obtain convincing evidence of the loyalty of his pawns, close associates and subjects (Geralt, Roche, etc.). Not without reason follows the explanation of the message about the king, locked in a trap by his own pawns.

His greatest foes surrounds him. His own chessmen might trap him. And that is check...and death.

He is absolutely right. Vernon Roche and Geralt are exactly those "pawns" that can lure the king into a deadly trap.

Another aspect of this monologue is reasonable sacrifices for the common good. In chess, one must be able to sacrifice one's pieces, as well as on the field of big politics - one's subjects (for example, Whoreson Junior). In the context of the infidelity of the lieges to their king, Radovid probably also takes into account the need to sacrifice unreliable pawns in time so that they do not harm the monarch. No wonder he orders to kill Geralt on the bridge of St. Gregory, because he suspects him of treason and barrier of all kinds. This is a fair assumption, given that on behalf of the witcher, the player can interfere with the plans of the king more than once.

You see, witcher: сhess is a art of sacrificing your own pieces.

It turns out that, on the one hand, chess doesn't mirror the real life (after all, no one plays by the rules in politics!), and on the other hand, how many figurative references can be found in chess to the real life of kings (and not only kings! ). Here is such a duality and depth. Perhaps, this is precisely the “secret” of chess for Radovid. Speaking more globally, chess in an incomprehensible way combines many different motives: ethics, metaphysics, music, mathematics, philosophy, and even love. The game is full of a bottomless amount of hidden meanings, and Radovid, as a talented chess player, understands and feels this very well.

And if we go back a little and answer the king's question "Yes, I do"?

Radovid: …I want to break the chessmen open, squeeze the truth from them. Do you see what I mean? Geralt: Yes, Sire, believe I do.

Radovid will react quite sharply to this.

You know shit. You're merely humoring me! I was not speaking literally.

These words of Radovid destroy any ridiculous assumption that the king, they say, in a fit of madness treats chess as if it were alive. And the king clearly does not tolerate any sycophancy. Perhaps it is for this reason that His Majesty will not give such a detailed explanation and will limit himself to only one phrase:

First hidden truth: a monarch is always surrounded by fools. Understand?

Around the monarch there are always a lot of sycophants who naively think that they are smarter and more cunning than their ruler and can easily deceive him. Radovid was surrounded by the ambitious sorceress Philippa Eilhart, who wanted to rule over Redania through obedient “pocket king”, and arrogant, blooming nobles, who did not respect the young heir.

At the end of the scene, Roche gives an extremely strange assessment of the king's speech:

Radovid's sinking ever deeper into madness, as I see it.

Also, an equally strange entry appears in the journal on behalf of Dandelion, where, among other things, it is indicated that

Geralt's meeting with Radovid confirmed the rumors circling around the king's mental state. The Redanian king was a dangerous madman trapped in his own world of disturbing visions

It is completely incomprehensible, on the basis of what Radovid's phrases we should have the impression that His Majesty is insane. If you listen to the king carefully, it is quite obvious that he says the right and logical things, in fact, describing his royal life, and the Eagle uses very beautiful images for this.

The words about the "mad king" looks like a deliberate denigration of Radovid. "Madness" is an inappropriate word to describe the state of mind of His Majesty, his pain and his anguish. But, of course, by the events of The Witcher 3, the king is on the verge of breaking, and a real abyss has opened up inside him. However, this is not about chess at all.

[chessanator]

hiii i love sendiing asks 🥤 recommend an author or fanfic you love 🪐 name three good things going on in your life right now 🔪 what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? 🏜️ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Thanks for the ask!

🥤 Recommend an author or fanfic you love

I really like @flairina's self-insert fanfics, though I've only read the ones in our shared fandoms.

It's a fancomic rather than a fanfic, but I'm also quick to recommend Captain SNES. Such an expansive and epic fandom-based storyline that the multi-month waits between updates are forgivable, especially since they always come.

-

🪐 Name three good things going on in your life right now:

My chess club has just locked in winning the local league, even with a match still to go.

I've regained momentum on my WIP TUoHS.

Sorry, just the two for now.

-

🔪 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

For TUoHS, I've got an entire document containing stats for all the Class Trials in all three Danganronpa games, trying to get a handle on the game design aspects of what I'm trying to imitate. I don't know how much effect it had on what actually ended up on the page - all my class trials are exceedingly long - but it certainly counts as research specific to the the way I write fics that I wouldn't expect anyone else to do.

-

🏜️ What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

I appreciate comments with a bit of concrit in them, which dodges some of my hangups and makes it really feel like the commentator read the work.

That, or people doing their own read order of Empty Virtue.

[obscure-reference-girl]

Masks & Misunderstanding Chapter 6

Pairing: Pavel Chekov/Leonard McCoy

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 4743

Summary: Leonard thought that a nightclub where you had to wear a mask was idiotic, but he humored Jim and accompanied him to the club during shore leave anyway. After Jim fucked off into the crowd of dancing bodies without so much as a ‘never you mind’, Leonard went looking for him and found something unexpected. Meet unexpected: sexy, young, blonde...and if he reminded him a bit too much of a certain Russian navigator he wasn't going to linger on that thought.

Chapter Summary: Leonard settles into being Pavel's friend...or at least he's trying his best...he swears.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45899593/chapters/117117565

Author’s Note: Alright Ladies, Blokes, and Non-binary folks, are you ready for some fluffy crack? This was entirely too much fun to write. It is ridiculous and self indulgent, but isn't that what fanfic is for?

It turned out that it was a lot harder to be someone’s friend when you knew what your cock felt like pounding into their ass. Or, at least, it was for Leonard McCoy. The smallest gestures-that had seemed perfectly innocent before-were now laced with sex and tinted with desire. Had he really never noticed the way that Pavel bit his lip while playing chess? He had certainly watched enough matches between the lieutenant and their captain and first officer. He had even played Pavel himself a few times though lord knew that Len was no great shakes at the game. Pavel demolished him every time, little Russian chess genius. It seemed like that was how everything was going these days, Pavel just plowed through his life like a tractor reaping the season’s harvest and leaving a path of destruction and nothing but Pavel in its wake.

He could have pined in peace if he hadn’t known that Pavel was, at the very least, attracted to him…cared for him. Knowing that there had actually been a chance made him feel like a Denebian Slime Devil was slowly eating his heart. The more time he spent with Pavel as ‘friends’ the more Leonard realized just how stupid he had been. Pavel didn’t need his protection. Len was really just trying to protect himself from getting abandoned again. He was such a fucking idiot. He had lost his chance and he wasn’t going to fuck up one of the only friendships he had just because he had finally come to his senses.

So he steeled himself to be just friends with Pavel, to be the best friend Pavel had ever had. Pavel deserved that. But lately it was getting more and more difficult to stick to his guns. Leonard had agreed to help Pavel get his field medic certification for away teams which meant that they were spending more time together than ever. This was great on the being a good friend front, but it wasn’t doing wonders for Len’s sanity. Today he and Pavel had agreed to meet for lunch and then Jim had given Pavel the rest of the afternoon in sickbay.  

When Leonard reached the mess hall, Pavel was already sitting at a table in a secluded corner. His arms were folded on the table with his forehead was pressed into them and he was muttering to himself, his adorable accent even thicker than usual.

“Meester Chekov do zees, Meester Chekov do zat. I cannot do zat! Nobody can do zat! It’s not possible.”

“You have to stop performing miracles Pahsa,” Leonard said as she slid into the seat next to him. He slapped Pavel on the back.

“Bones is on an away mission, but I need a chief medical officer.” Pavel said, doing an imitation of the captain. “You visited medbay once didn’t you Chekov? Good, you’re my new CMO.”

Leonard snorted at Pavel’s reference to his brief stint as Chief Engineer.

“You did great.” He said.

“Mister Chekov, did you break my ship?” Pavel continued with his imitation. Leonard laughed again.

“Well you hadn’t actually broken it, in the end. You kept Scotty’s jury rigged engine room from falling apart and no one died. I’d even go so far as to call that a success.”

Pavel laughed and rolled his head to the side, looking over at Len.

“You have a pretty low bar for success Leonard.” Pavel said. Len just shrugged.

“My best friend is Jim Kirk. No point in setting the bar too damn high.”

 When they arrived in the medbay a half hour later, Christine had an equipment requisition file she needed Leonard to sign off on so he asked Pavel to wait in his office for a few minutes. When he returned, Pavel was seated in Leonard’s chair with his heels kicked up on the desk and was rummaging about the drawers.

“What are these?” Pavel asked, pointing to the contents of a drawer. Leonard peered over the desk and broke out in a conspiratorial grin.

“Oh those? Those are my stress balls.” Len explained.

“I have never seen you with a stress ball before,” Pavel observed.

“Oh no, I don’t squeeze them. I throw them at Mr. Spock and the Captain when they come to bother me. Great stress reliever.”

Pavel laughed. It was free, and full, and sent shivers down Leonard’s spine.

“Anyone else I would think is joking,” Pavel said, shaking his head. “But you would just actually do that.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on, let’s get to work.” Leonard plucked a stress ball from the drawer and chucked it at Pavel’s head. It bounced off and Pavel laughed again as he pushed himself up to stand and followed Len out into the medbay. Leonard walked them over to a biobed and leaned his hands onto it. Pavel rested his hip against the other side and crossed his arms, slightly cocking his head at Leonard.

“So what’s on the agenda today Professor McCoy?” Pavel asked slyly, dragging out the word professor.

“Have you gotten to the chapter on emergency medicine without a tricorder?” He asked Pavel, already knowing the answer.

“I’ve gotten through all of the chapters.” Pavel replied.

“Of course you have, Pasha” Leonard said despairingly. “Well, I was thinking that today we could cover some basics for dealing with breaks and sprains if your equipment craps out on you.” Leonard jerked his head at several bandage rolls. “Lord knows you tinker with medical tricorders and dermal regenerators enough to already know your way around them.” Leonard slapped a hand on the biobed. “Hop on up.”

Pavel turned and placed his hands on the bed behind him, pushing up to sit on it. He swung around so that he was facing Leonard and propped one foot on the biobed so that he could rest his chin on his knee.

“Playing doctor now, are we?” Pavel asked coyly. He gave his eyebrows a shrug and smirked at Len, adding, “Kinky.”

“Just take your damn shoe off,” Len grumbled. “Sock too. And pull up your pant leg a bit.”

Pavel did as he was told, but his eyes were still twinkling with mirth as Leonard grabbed a long bandage strip.

“The most common injury you��re liable to deal with is a sprained ankle.” Leonard explained, determinedly not looking at the smirk Pavel was still wearing. He grabbed Pavel’s foot and began demonstrating the proper technique to wrap it. “You want to keep the ankle at about a ninety degree angle. Start with two passes around the ball of the foot…” He explained. As his fingers slid up Pavel’s ankle Pavel jerked.

“Do I need to tie you to the table,” Leonard growled.

“Is that a threat or a promise…Doctor?” Pavel replied, putting heavy emphasis on Leonard’s title.

“Oh it’s a promise, all right. Apparently I have to gag you too.” Leonard said. It was something he frequently threatened to Jim, but to Pavel it was addressed in a much more teasing manner. With a lurch of his stomach he realized that he was-there was no other word for it- flirting with Chekov. He gave himself a mental head slap and continued explaining the procedure.

 This pattern of flirting continued over the course of the next few weeks as they made their way to deep space three for routine maintenance of the exterior hull. Pavel would flirt with Leonard. Leonard would flirt back. Leonard would do complex mental gymnastics to convince himself that it was casual and harmless. The knowing looks from Jim weren’t helping this last bit.

Speaking of Jim, it seemed like he found every excuse to smash Len and Pavel together like they were tiny ceramic figurines he was telling to kiss. He sent Pavel down to sickbay with unnecessary reports, asked Leonard to join him and Pavel in the mess before quickly making an excuse to leave, and he had even instituted a mandatory senior staff game night for “team building”. Somehow Pavel and Leonard were always paired off or seated next to each other and Len knew that Jim was behind it.

When their game night coincided with their first evening docked at deep space three, it was no exception. Leonard and Pavel were sitting side by side on one of the couches in the rec room. The senior officers were playing charades tonight and somehow Pavel had drawn Leonard’s name. Scotty was teamed up with Spock which Leonard thought was sure to be amusing and Sulu and Uhura were also paired up which he found to be completely unfair considering they were two thirds of the three musketeers, Leonard having the remaining third for his partner. Jim, naturally, was presiding which meant that the prompts were getting progressively suggestive as the evening wore on.

Uhura had just somehow correctly guessed “bouncing on an exercise ball” from Sulu’s haphazard squat bouncing that looked very much like he was bouncing on a dick. This meant that Leonard and Pavel were miraculously were tied with Uhura and Sulu. While it had been positively hilarious to watch Scotty and Spock try to guess that the other was “swatting a fly on their ass” or “milking two cows at the same time”, they hadn’t been particularly successful.

“Tie breaker!” Jim announced. “Pick your fighters!” Leonard didn’t like the delighted look on Jim’s face.

“I’ll do it,” Pavel told Leonard. “He’ll have a much harder time embarrassing me.” To be fair, he was probably right.

Pavel and Nyota joined Jim and read their last clue. Nyota shot Jim a disparaging look and Pavel swallowed hard. Leonard was about ready to smack Jim upside the head.

“Alright,” Jim said turning to press a button on his digital hourglass. “Time starts….now!”

If someone had asked Leonard what he was supposed to be doing during the ensuing fifteen seconds he wouldn’t have been able to tell them. His brain seemed to have temporarily left his body. When it returned, his only thought was that surely Jim wouldn’t have actually used whatever obscene act it looked like Pavel was trying to perform.

The only reason the round was so short was that Sulu was swift with his answer of, “Eating a popsicle, Jim you fuckhead!”

Nyota ran back over to Hikaru and gave him a high five, while an exasperated Pavel returned to sit next to Leonard.

“Come on Leonard! That one was easy!” He cried.

“That?” Leonard spluttered. “That was obscene!”

“I was eating a popsicle!” Pavel exclaimed.

“You are not allowed to eat popsicles ever again.” Leonard said.

“Why Len, did that bother you?” Pavel said, drawing out ‘bother’.

“Oh, shut up.”

  The morning of the last day of repairs Leonard was stuck in a corridor arguing with Spock over lab equipment. Spock wanted to borrow several liters of biofluid for an experiment and Leonard insisted that it couldn’t be spared at the moment.  Len was just about to tell the hobgoblin that he could live long and get fucked when Pavel strode purposefully down the corridor. He walked right up to Leonard who had been momentarily speechless, tracking Pavel’s movement. Len parted his lips to greet him, but never got that far because Pavel fisted a hand in the front of Len’s uniform and dragged him into a searing kiss. For several moments Leonard’s brain short circuited as it tried to process the fact that Pavel was kissing him.

“My birthday was today. I’m twenty, not a teenager anymore.” He whispered against Len’s lips before quickly turning on his heel and walking away, seemingly unaffected. Leonard, on the other hand, was very affected. His lips felt hot and tingly. His skin felt too tight. His brain was a foggy mess.

“I…uhh…I…” Leonard spluttered.

“Your speech seems to be impaired doctor.” Spock supplied helpfully. “Might I suggest a visit to Nurse Chapel?”

“Y-yeah that sounds like a good idea,” Leonard mumbled. He turned in a daze and began making his way towards the med bay.

  Leonard had been heading to the medbay anyway when he had run into Spock that morning. He did not, of course, actually take Spock’s advice and speak with Christine. He didn’t need help to parse out exactly what had him thrown. He had kissed Pavel Chekov. Or rather, Pavel Chekov had kissed him. Leonard had been too astounded to do much kissing back. Mostly he had had just stood there like a dumb lump, too shocked to so much as form a single word. Len had been thinking about kissing Pavel since the night at the club.

It had been his biggest regret, even before he knew who he had been with, not knowing what the other man’s lips felt like. Now he knew and it was driving him to distraction. He made his way through his shift in sick bay distracted and inefficient. Christine had certainly noticed-she kept elbowing him in the ribs when he spaced out.

   Jim caught Leonard as he was leaving sickbay later that afternoon.

“Hey Bones,” Jim began and Leonard braced himself for it. Spock must have told the captain about the encounter in the corridor. “It’s Chekov’s twentieth birthday, you know.” Okay, not what he had been expecting.

“I’m aware…” Len started cautiously.

“So we’re going down to the station to celebrate,” said Jim, slapping him on the upper arm. “There’s a bar that does karaoke.”

“Karaoke,” Leonard said incredulously. He didn’t quite want to believe what he was hearing.

“Yep,” Jim said, popping the p. “Karaoke.”

“No,” Leonard said shortly. “Not happening. I’m a Doctor, not a lounge singer.”

“Aw come on Bones. Pavel wants you there.” Jim whined, giving Len his best puppy dog eyes.

“Damn you Jim Kirk,” Leonard griped. “You’re going to pay for this one. I don’t how and I don’t know when. But you are going to pay.” He said, emphasizing each word.

Jim just laughed and told him, “Meet me at the transporters, twenty hundred hours.”

             At eight fifty, Len changed into a pair of black slacks and a dark-blue, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He met Jim at the transporter room and Jim gave him a quip about “forearm porn” before they beamed down to the station. The bar was only what would have been a couple of city blocks from the station transporter platform. When they arrived, a small group of people was already gathered by the entrance. Pavel was there, of course, along with Sulu, Uhura, Scotty, Christine, and surprisingly Spock. Jim plowed through the group and asked a waitress for a table.

The bar was dimly lit, with a depressed section of floor in the center scattered with round tables and their accompanying chairs. A small stage was located at one side of the depression. The surrounding elevated area housed the bar itself and standing tables. The waitress led them down three small stairs into the depressed area and sat them at a table near the stage. A female Andorian was singing, quite badly, as her friends laughed and clapped a few tables over. Jim ordered a round of drinks for the table as everyone situated themselves around it. Then he turned to face them all.

“Thank you everyone for coming.” Jim said, the king presiding over his court. “As you all know, our favorite navigator turned twenty today. So we’re here to get him properly drunk and sing very badly!” There were a few laughs and appreciative claps. “Now, as a little birthday present I’ve asked Pavel to choose everyone’s songs.” Now there was a chorus of groans.

“You better not screw me over Pasha!” Sulu exclaimed, using the nickname reserved for close friends. Pavel just laughed darkly. He wasn’t giving anything away.

The group talked and laughed as they drank, half listening to whatever wailing happened to be emanating from the nearby stage. Pavel has ended up sitting between Nyota and Leonard and Len was trying to figure out just how accidental the frequent brushes of Pavel’s knee against his own were. They were a couple of drinks in when the first person from their group was called up. Sulu took the stage tentatively, clearly uncertain about what song Pavel might have selected for him. The dulcet tones of Creep by Radiohead began and Sulu gave a happy laugh. Pavel smiled indulgently.

“I went easy on him,” He said. “This is his go-to karaoke song.”

“You mean you nutters subject yourself to this on a regular basis?” Len asked. Pavel laughed and waved him off as they returned their attention to Sulu. He really wasn’t half bad.

Scotty was up next with a hilarious rendition of Walking On The Moon by The Police. His accent made it positively ridiculous. By the end of the song, Nyota’s head was on Pavel’s shoulder and she was shaking with laughter, tears in her eyes. Pavel himself looked like he had received the best possible birthday gift and Leonard suspected that Scotty would be hearing renditions of the song ringing through engineering for weeks to come.

Scotty was followed by Christine, who had entirely too much fun singing Cindy Lauper’s Girls Just Want To Have Fun. She wasn’t good, exactly, but what she lacked in talent she made up for with enthusiasm.

Leonard’s own name was called next and he made his way up to stage cautiously. Jim gave him a wolf whistle and Len shot him a death glare. He took hold of the microphone gingerly, like it might be diseased, but laughed when the music started and he recognized the song. That little bastard!

“Really?” He yelled at Pavel in mock outrage. “Really? I told you that in confidence.”

“Come on Pav,” Len could hear Jim demand. “You didn’t go with country?”

“But why would I miss the opportunity to share Len’s affinity for The Beach Boys with you all.” Pavel replied, his smirk evident in his voice.

Leonard was glad for the two shots of tequila in his system as he started singing Kokomo. He made it through the song without incident, unless you counted Jim doing an exaggerated parody of sexy dancing incident which at this point in his life Leonard did not. Len did snort into the microphone when Christine smacked Jim on the ass, but otherwise he managed to keep a straight face. As he returned to the table, the next singer was announced. Or rather singers as it turned out.

“Nyota Uhura and uh…Mister Spock?” The MC announced. It looked like he was bemusedly trying to figure out if Mister was actually Spock’s first name or alternatively why the hell someone would be announced at a karaoke bar as mister anything.

“Hey! Why does Spock get a duet?” Leonard demanded, punching Pavel in the arm.

“Because I took pity on him.” Pavel replied with a shrug.

It turned out that the duet was Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. Nyota, of course, sounded fabulous. Spock could sing too, but he looked immensely relieved that his requirement was minimal. When they returned to the table he gave Pavel a nod. “You are a good man Mister Chekov,” He said. Jim burst out laughing and almost missed his name being called.

When he did finally take the stage it was for a raucous display of Take on Me by Aha. Much like Christine, Jim compensated with showmanship and ludicrous dancing. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t hold a tune, by the end of the song the entire bar was clapping and cheering.

Jim gave a dramatic bow and returned to the table with a shit eating grin. “I had them save the best for last.” He informed them just before Pavel’s name was called.

Pavel walked up to the stage with a confidence that was likely in part to a generous amount of vodka, but also seemed to be a natural self-assuredness. When he was standing behind the microphone Leonard finally really registered what he was wearing. Pavel was wearing an impossibly tight black t-shirt with a low V-neck and tight black pants tucked into black boots. With his tousled curls falling every which way over his forehead he looked like one of the edgy rockstars Leonard had a thing for as a teenager.

When Pavel started singing Leonard didn’t immediately recognize the song. He did, however, notice that Pavel had the voice to match his look for the evening. It was low and soft, a little bit edgy, and sexy as hell. Leonard started to register the lyrics and shifted uncomfortably when he noticed their sexual nature. When the chorus started he was finally able to place the song, I Touch Myself by Dyvinyls. Sweet baby Jesus.

Jim flashed Pavel a mega-watt grin and double thumbs up before turning to Leonard.

“Don’t you just love this song Bones,” He said with a smirk. Leonard wondered momentarily if Joanna would forgive him for killing her Uncle Jim.

“You knew about this,” he hissed threateningly at Jim.

“Sure did!” Jim hooted happily. “Work it Pav!” He hollered towards the stage.

Pavel was certainly “working it” as Jim said. The majority of bar’s occupants were watching with rapt attention as Pavel sang and danced across the stage. He looked like sex on a stick. By the time he neared the end of the song, Leonard’s pants were uncomfortably tight and his nails were digging viciously into his palms. He felt like he may have forgotten to breath for the past several minutes.

            “Ohhhh, I don’t care ‘bout anybody else when I think about you I touch myself.” Pavel leaned forward a bit, his knees bending, and shrugging his right shoulder forward as he ran his and down and back up his inner thigh. The whole time, he never broke eye contact with Leonard. That is, until he quickly spun around to face the back of the small stage, still singing into the microphone.

“Ohhhh I don’t care ‘bout anybody else,” he was shaking his ass in time the music and god if those pants weren’t sinful. Leonard almost groaned out loud, realizing they were the same tight leather pants that Pavel had been wearing that night at the club on Iliria 4. Pavel turned over his shoulder to smirk at him before continuing, “When I think about you I touch myself.”

“Ohhhh I don’t care ‘ bout anybody else,” He turned the rest of the way forward and finished with his arm not holding the mike extended, finger pointing right at Leonard. “when I think about you I touch myself.” He gave a dramatic finish, dropping his head back and bringing his hand to his chest, clawing his fingers into his shirt.

           “Ow Ow!” Sulu cheered.

Jim and Christine wolf whistled and Spock gave them a withering look.

Uhura shouted, “All right Pasha, shake that ass!”

Pavel went pink and ducked his head as he returned to their table.

           Leonard shifted uncomfortably in his seat trying to surreptitiously adjust himself. Jim was shooting him knowing looks so he kicked him under the table.

           “Ow!” Scotty hollered. “What was that for?” Apparently he had misjudged the kick.

           “Muscle spasm,” Leonard said with a shrug and an attempt to sound innocent. Jim snorted. Bastard.

           They stayed at the bar for a few hours, ordering snacks and more alcohol. Jim flirted incessantly with the waitress. Several of their group decided to sing more songs of their own choice including Scotty’s rendition of Friend’s in Low Places, Jim and Christine’s Don’t Go breaking my heart, and Sulu and Uhura’s energetic version of Wannabe. When things were finally wrapping up and Jim had paid, Leonard excused himself to the restroom.

           When he returned to the table he found it empty with the exception of Pavel. Len gestured around at the empty chairs in question.

           “Jim insisted on leaving,” Pavel explained. Of course he did. Leonard had his suspicions about Jim’s motives.

“I offered to stay behind and make sure you got back ok,” Pavel continued.

           “Yeah right,” Leonard said, shaking his head. “Like I’m the one from this group that needs minding. Can you even see straight kid?” The familiar moniker slipped out accidentally, but Pavel made no sign of unhappiness and didn’t try to correct him.

           “Leonard, I’m Russian.” Pavel said as he stood up and slung on his jacket. He said it simply, as though it explained everything.

           They left the bar and were walking almost shoulder to shoulder down the station promenade when Leonard decided to challenge the statement.

           “That doesn’t mean you have a higher alcohol tolerance than the general population,” he insisted. Regardless of the fact that you seem to be walking straighter than I am, he added in his head.

           “Oh, but it does Len.” Pavel replied, bumping Leonard’s shoulder with his own.

Leonard stopped and turned to Pavel.

           “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” He demanded. Pavel turned to face him and Leonard was abruptly made hyper-aware of their proximity.

           “Yes I am,” Pavel laughed. “But you know you love it.” He had leaned closer to almost whisper the words in Leonard’s ear. Len shuddered and tried to take a step back, but realized that there was a wall behind him.

           Suddenly Pavel was kissing him again, his hands threading through Len’s hair. And this time Leonard wasn’t going to be a passive statue. He grabbed the lapels of Pavel’s jacket and hauled him closer as he pressed desperately against Pavel’s lips. He slipped his tongue between Pavel’s parted lips and rolled it against Pavel’s own. If the whimper that escaped from Pavel was anything to go on, he deeply enjoyed the sensation. The sound sent a pulse of heat straight through Leonard making his stomach tense and his cock twitch. Growling into Pavel’s mouth in response, he flipped them around to push Pavel’s back against the wall. Len’s hands came to press against the wall at either side of the other man’s head and he returned to his thorough and fierce exploration of Pavel’s mouth. He pressed his body against Pavel’s and could feel the erection straining against the leather pants that hugged his body like a sin. Len ground down into him and Pavel’s hands dropped to Len’s shoulders, nails digging in through the fabric of his shirt.

           Pavel broke the kiss, breathing heavily, and Leonard locked his mouth onto the pulse throbbing in Pavel’s neck instead. “Pasha,” Leonard breathed against his neck. He could feel a shiver run through the younger man’s body. Pavel let out another whimper, and this time it formed the shape of a name. His name. “Leo.”

           The endearment pulled Leonard back to his senses and he drew back slowly, taking in Pavel’s swollen lips and disheveled jacket.

           “We should get back,” He said finally. Pavel nodded reluctantly and accompanied him back to the transporter pad, both of them trying to steady their breathing as they went.

           When they were safely back aboard the enterprise, Len walked Pavel to his room. He lingered, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. Pavel placed a hand on Leonard’s forearm and Len trapped it under his own.

           “I should be going,” He said, returning Pavel’s hand to its owner.

           “It is my birthday you know.” Pavel said suggestively.

           “Trust me, I’m aware,” Leonard huffed with a laugh. “And right now I’d really like to give you a present to remember, but we’re both drunk.” He sighed.

           “You just have to be the responsible old man, don’t you?” Pavel said despairingly.

           “Hey, I am an old man.” Len responded.

           “Obviously not that old,” Pavel said in reply gesturing towards Len’s obvious erection, unaffected by the copious amounts of alcohol. Leonard laughed at his brazenness.

           “I guess not.” He said. “But yes, I do have to be responsible.”

           “I know,” Pavel sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “It’s part of why I love you.”

           Leonard froze, not entirely sure what to make of that. Pavel didn’t even seem to notice what he had said and Len decided it was just the alcohol talking. Surely he just meant that it was a thing that he liked about him (the way Leonard loved how direct Christine was). He watched as Pavel fumbled with the entrance code for his quarters and turned to leave when Pavel was halfway through the door. Len turned back for a second and gave Pavel a small, hopeful smile.

           “Goodnight, Pasha.”

           “Goodnight Leo.”

[nel-world]

hi

So, y’all ever notice how there’s an app for everything these days? I’m talkin’ about everything. You need to find a place to eat? There’s an app. Wanna track your steps? App. Tryna figure out if you got enough gas to get to work? There’s probably an app for that too, like “You’re Gonna Be Late, Bro.”

But the wildest part? The moment you get an app, it’s like a whole new relationship. It’s all good at first—you’re excited, you’re checkin’ it every five minutes like, “What’s new? What’s happenin’?” Then, after a week, it’s blowin’ up your phone like a clingy ex. “Hey, remember me? You haven’t opened me in a while. How about a notification?”

And what’s up with all these permissions? You download an app to play chess, and it’s like, “Can we access your contacts? Can we track your location? Can we read your mind?” Nah, man, I just wanna checkmate, not be checkmated by Big Brother!

But let me tell you, the real drama starts when you gotta delete an app. You’re sittin’ there, lookin’ at your phone like, “Do I really need this? Have I outgrown this app?” It’s like a breakup conversation in your head. “It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve changed. I’ve moved on.”

And some apps don’t wanna go! You hit “delete,” and they’re like, “Are you sure? Are you really sure? How about we send you some updates? We can be better, I promise!” It’s like they’re tryna slide back into your life with that “I miss you” text at 2 AM.

Then there are the apps you download just to feel productive. You ever get one of those habit-tracking apps? You’re like, “Yeah, I’m gonna drink more water, meditate, and finally read that book.” Two days later, you’re ignoring it like a gym membership. Every time you open your phone, it’s just sittin’ there, judgin’ you like, “So… you just gonna skip another day?”

But you know what the worst is? The social media apps. They’re the sneakiest. You download ‘em thinkin’ you’re just gonna check in for a minute. Next thing you know, you’re deep in a rabbit hole, watchin’ videos of people buildin’ tiny houses out of Legos at 3 AM. You’re like, “How did I get here? I just wanted to see what my aunt posted.”

And then they got the nerve to ask you to rate them! “Would you like to leave a review?” Uh, yeah, sure: “This app took my time, my soul, and my sanity. 5 stars.”

But for real, though, apps are like modern-day relationships. Some are great, some are toxic, and some just don’t work out. But no matter what, we keep swipin’, downloadin’, and deletin’, tryin’ to find the one that’s gonna stick.

Here’s to hopin’ we all find our perfect match—an app that doesn’t ask for too much, gives us what we need, and knows when to chill with the notifications.

This is America? I’m fucking in! Big Pimpin’ was the epitome of the American dream and I needed to be part of it. I wanted to be like these larger-than-life American superheroes they called rappers. I wanted to be a pimp like Jay-Z and a gangster like 50 Cent. I made it my life’s goal to live the Big Pimpin’ lifestyle. Whenever I watched BET, I forgot I was a small foreign Chinese boy and I felt like a badass gangsta. I started imitating how the rappers walked and how they talked. I would go up to my classmates and say, “Yo what up, dog. Our geometry teacher is a bitch, homie.” I felt like my identity was being judged based on the other Asians around me instead of my own personality, my inside voice screamed, I listen to Jay-Z, motherfuckers! In high school, thong thong thong thong thong!” This was one of the first songs I heard on American radio. It was catchy as hell, but I had no idea what a thong was. Then when I saw the music video, everything made sense. I couldn’t rap for shit, but I wanted so badly to be part of the glamorous rap game that I’d seen on Rap City. Chris downloaded a bootleg copy of Sony’s ACID Music Studio, a beat-making software, and he started cranking out some sick beats. Then Jeremy, Phil and I would go to Chris’s mom’s apartment and record our raps on his five-dollar computer microphone. Next thing you know, we’d formed a rap group just like N.W.A. Chris’s mom’s apartment and his Dell desktop became our recording studio. We felt like the real deal and we called ourselves Syndakit. The first time I recorded at Chris’s house, he played me a beat he had just made. It sounded like a real track I’d heard on Rap City. I pulled out my notebook and I was ready to write my first rhymes, but I I never got a record deal, but I experienced creative freedom for the first time