#there'll be more to this eventually. i have an idea for where i want it to go. but there's not really much on plot lmao

[ploffskinpluffskin]

i may never have the actual courage to put myself Out There and post this particular story where anyone can see it (aka ao3 hhh) but it did make me smile while writing it

The problem, Natori had long concluded, was that Claudius was not handsome. Had he been even the slightest bit charming, or dashing, or even just relatively well-groomed, then perhaps Natori’s stubborn fondness for the cat might have been easy to explain away as mere infatuation. Certainly it would have left him feeling about as frivolous as a lovelorn schoolgirl, but it at least would not be some frustrating, unexplainable mystery.

Today the lavender-coated cat comes sauntering into the dusty church with a large, wolfish grin, stopping before Natori where he is counting their paltry collection of coins only so he can lean smugly against the doorway and wait. Natori eyes him with as much preemptive exasperation as he can muster (...which isn’t much, much to his own private dismay), and excuses his helper (who, also much to his private despair, regards the pair of them with a look that reads as unreasonably knowing). 

“Toldja I’d come back, babe,” Claudius says when they’re left alone.

“No,” Natori begins sharply, nearly interrupting him. “You told me specifically you were not coming back last time. I remember quite vividly.”

“Bahh, I was just mad. You know I can’t stay away from my favorite bump in the road.” Here Claudius moves closer, paying no mind to Natori’s own prim body language, slipping an arm across the other cat’s shoulders and pulling him close with a light hip check. “I’d get too sad.”

“Well, we can’t have that, I suppose.”

“Nope.”

“And I suppose this new wanted poster I’ve seen around has nothing to do with your impromptu arrival. Just a coincidence that you come back to where you can claim sanctuary just as you’re running from the bureau again?”

“Aw, babe, you’re killin’ me. I’m all genuine, promise.”

“Hm. And just what did you do this time to have their dubious attention?”

Here the other cat leans back, evidently finding the wall a better support for this particular position.

“Eh. You know.”

“I don’t.”

“Well, it’s not important.” Spoken hastily, in an all too telling fashion which Claudius doesn’t appear to recognize as such.

“No?” Natori looks up to fix his smug guest with an eyebrow raised over the flattest gaze he can currently manage, and he must manage it rather well since Claudius responds to it by fidgeting with his paws before he seems to realize what he’s doing. “I would never have imagined you as the type to ever say no to a rousing story.”

Most likely appearing more confident and nonchalant than he feels, Natori leans forward against the table he’d been previously counting coins upon, settling his chin against the butt of his paw.

“What inconceivably humiliating mishap must have occurred, I wonder, to make you reluctant to indulge in a little tall tale.”

Claudius huffs, glaring stormily at the paw he’s currently drawing circles on. 

“Sure doing your damnedest to make me regret coming back, babe,” he eventually grumbles under his breath testily. Here Natori finally smiles at him, cool but undeniably affectionate, despite himself.

“You say the same thing every time, and yet here you are.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Claudius sulks.

“That you might loiter here for reasons other than my use as a bump in the road? Never.”

“Good. Glad we're all copacetic on the matter,” Claudius responds first briskly. At least before he adds moments later, almost mopily, “... the view isn't bad either.”

A long silence passes between them after that, Natori abruptly aware of how he is stretched across the table and wondering furiously to himself whether Claudius’ words were intended to be read as an innuendo. The other cat doesn’t leave him long to wonder— padding over, leaning forward so that they’re nearly nose to nose, and all with a wide, suggestive grin plastered upon his face.

“I think you’re happier to see me than I am to see you, babe. I can tell.”

Not that long ago, Natori would have felt quite scandalized by that. He would have recoiled, bitten off some panicked, impulsive denial, and Claudius would have been left nursing a massively bruised ego. They might even have argued bitterly, to the point that Natori might be left wondering if the other would ever return. 

Here, now, still at least patently unsure what to say, how to say it, he manages only a soft amusement, a slightly crooked look of knowing concession. And the effect must be rather novel, as Claudius remains in his spot as if mesmerized for a fleeting moment, and then hastily pushes himself back up again. Natori is not quite so eager to return to propriety, and is even bold enough to take a moment to stretch before straightening. There’s a mute warmth which has settled in his chest, a familiar comfort he’s in no hurry to analyze or dislodge.

“You haven’t had a meal in a while, have you.” It’s not a question. Claudius’ sheepish hemming and hawing is answer enough. Whatever he tries to say This is about in an attempt to seem the suave, rakish charmer he very much isn’t, Natori knows it ultimately comes down to the food.

It’s as they’re moving further into the church, Claudius quite uncharacteristically trailing behind in a dutiful manner, that the fluffier of the two tries, “Warmed up to me pretty quick this time, you know, babe,” in an attempt to salvage that aforementioned pretense. “I didn’t get you into some trouble last time, did I?”

Natori snorts, not turning around, not otherwise explaining himself, and responds idly, “Stranger things have happened.”

[lesbo-tuliplvrr]

angst and fluff???

starting the day in bed all cuddly bc you're finally sharing a rest day

sadly, a friend of abby unexpectedly comes over, and abby knows how hard their friend's breakup has been, so she let's them stay.

reader is sooo pissed and usually abby can immediately recognise the jealousy and bad vibes, but she's so distracted

when the friend realises this, she asks to see abby's room and tries to kiss her

reader sees this and literally just storms off

im so sorry its so long lol, angsty ending pls. i hate miscommunication, but i have a feeling you'll do it amazing

you can totally change it too !!

off day

girlfriend!abby x girlfriend!reader

summary: abby continuously fails to heed your warnings about her best friend's intentions. when it gets to the point where she can no longer give her [friend] the benefit of the doubt, you're already gone.

cw: fluff (not for long HEHEHE), angst, kinda irritating abby, miscommunication but not really more like disregard or misunderstanding of said communication, swearing, kiss without consent, no specific physical description of reader, she/her pronouns are used.

a/n: tysm for the request anon:) I had something like this in my ideas to write anyway so I really just killed two birds with one stone. I changed things up a bit hope you don't mind. initially I was gonna make nora the friend but I can't do my girl like that so I just pulled mari's name from yellowjackets because I cannot stand her and can't wait till she dies :D (100% certain she's pit girl idc). anyway, hope you guys enjoy!! lemme know what you think in the replies!

wc: 2.5k

For the first time in a really long time, yours and Abby's off days coincided. Meaning you both could sleep in as long as you wanted. Could stay in bed all day, entangled in each other if you wanted to. And for the most part, that was your plan. Of course you would eventually have to leave the comfort of your shared bed to shower, and eat and perform other bodily functions needed to survive, but for the better part of the day you planned to never leave Abby's side. And neither did she plan to leave yours.

"I missed this so much," Abby spoke from where her face was nuzzled in your neck. She planted a kiss there, making you giggle at the feeling.

"I'm not leaving this bed ever again," you said, sinking deeper into the comfort of Abby and your shared bed. Abby looked up at you, raising up to kiss you sweetly on the lips. You reciprocated the gesture, easily getting lost in her touch. The kiss deepened, both not wanting to pull away. It really had been so long.

Abby had you pinned to the bed in no time, kisses no longer being focused on your lips but being littered everywhere on your body, when suddenly-

Knock Knock!

You and Abby arose due to the sound of frantic knocking, quickly throwing on your robes and heading towards the front door. Abby looked through the peephole, alarmed to see one of her best friends standing on the other side looking frazzled.

"Mari what the hell?" she questioned, opening the door for her friend. The friend in question immediately threw herself into Abby's arms.

"I really need you right now, Abby."

Reader

You weren't a toxic monster. Friends existed. Abby had friends who would need her at times. Just like there'll be times when she'd need them. It was the same for you. But you couldn't help but feel irritated at the sight of Mari.

She was one of those friends that were only suddenly a constant presence after their friend was taken. it seemed like she'd always find the times when you and Abby were just enjoying yourselves to barge in and make things about her.

At first you didn't want to think like that, chalking it down to just a standard case of jealousy. Abby had even noticed your change in behaviour.

"Don't tell me you're jealous of her?" Abby laughed, seeing you roll your eyes in relief and sigh after Mari left, having spent the entire day clinging to Abby.

You felt lousy for feeling jealous. It was so stupid. "I know I don't have anything to worry about but I just wanted to spend today with you." you voiced your frustration to her.

She scooped you up, carrying you to you guys' room, "I'm glad you know that I only have eyes for you. And plus, I am so not her type."

"You don't have to be her type for her to not want me around," you mumbled under your breath, still ashamed at your own pettiness.

"I heard that," Abby chuckled, "and I meant that she doesn't like girls."

A part of you felt stupid and embarrassed. Yet, not a big enough part for you to completely drop suspicions.

But that was only one out of the many other times she had coincidently showed up to hang or seek comfort from Abby, when you both intended on spending time together.

You even confronted Abby about it.

"I know how this may come off, but I'm not trying to limit how much you see your friends." you started, "but it gets to a point Abby. And either you're not seeing that she's taking advantage of your willingness to help and showing zero respect for what we have or you know and you're just not bothered by it. and quite frankly, I can't tell you which is worse!"

Abby heatedly responded, "She isn't taking advantage of anything! She's my friend and if she needs my help I won't hesitate to give it to her. Why are you making it out to be a bad thing that I care about my friends?"

You huffed in frustration, "I'm not talking about your other friends though am I Abby? I'm talking about Mari. Specifically, Mari. If she doesn't have feelings for you, she clearly doesn't like or respect me, and if you have no problem with either of those then I think you need to think a little harder about the future status of our relationship from here on out. I don't want to argue or make things worse but I'm getting tired of sounding like a broken record."

She went quiet at that, seemingly thinking it over.

After a moment of silence, Abby spoke up, “Look, baby. I'm sorry you've been feeling that way and I've been of no help. but I've already told you that she's straight-"

You sighed, rolling your eyes in disbelief. How could she still not get it?

"-But!" she interrupted your huff, "I trust you. If she doesn't make you feel respected then I'll take care of it."

You didn't look convinced.

"I'll have a chat with her. Don't worry, babe."

And Abby did come through on her promise to talk to her. The only thing was, Mari didn't exactly follow through with giving you guys space.

For the time being after Abby had spoken to her, she gave what you took as a half-hearted apology, stating she didn't mean to intrude or make it seem like she didn't care. But not very long after, she continued her usual behaviour. Just in a more careful way now that she knew you were keeping an eye on her.

So, to say your suspicion at yet another one of her intrusions was warranted, was an understatement in your opinion.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Abby asked, guiding a still attached Mari towards the living room. You closed the door behind them.

She divulged into how much her breakup from 2 months ago was still affecting her, claiming that a resurfaced picture of her and her ex triggered her that morning. In your eyes; bullshit. It seemed Abby could also see the crap for once, turning to make eye contact with you.

You raised your eyebrows at her as she turned back to face Mari, telling her to go wait for her in their bedroom.

When Mari left for your room and Abby and you were left alone, she started, "I know you're probably mad that we were interrupted, but she really is struggling a lot with this breakup."

You looked at her deadpan, already accepting that your perfect day at home with Abby was no more.

"And I know, her timing is unfortunate. again." You gave an oh really look, like you hadn't been pointing that out for the past 9 months.

You sighed, quite fed up with the same back and forth, "Just go help her Abby. Your friend needs you."

She looked at you, how apologetic she was evident on her face. But if she were truly sorry you wouldn't be having the same problem over and over.

She walked closer to you, holding your shoulder, "I'll go take care of it really quick, I promise. Then we can have the rest of the day to ourselves."

You scoffed, "That's not what I was concerned about but sure." Of course she still thought this was about you being petty or jealousy. Why couldn't she get it?

"Wha-"

"I'm gonna go get something for you guys from the shop. She'll want something sweet right?" You said, throwing on a coat and shoes, grabbing your wallet from the kitchen island where it remained the night before and heading out to your neighborhood mini mart.

After every argument and discussion you've had about this same issue, she still thinks it's a matter of being irritated at the intrusions? Well sure it was, to some extent, but this was so much more than that. And if Abby was gonna continue refusing to see the truth then this relationship could not last much longer.

Abby

"Sorry I took so long," Abby apologized to Mari, stepping into your and her room. Her friend was looking around your room, poking at the little trinkets and pictures littered around the area.

"It's fine," she responded, moving back to sit on the edge of the bed with Abby, "Is she mad? I know she doesn't like me."

"What? No, she doesn't not like you," Abby replied not so convincingly. Mari clearly wasn't convinced. "She's just..a bit frustrated I guess. We were gonna sleep in and do nothing today seeing as we're both off for the first time in forever." she chuckled.

Instead of feeling apologetic like a normal friend, Mari's facial expression changed to one resemblant to annoyance before she finally spoke up.

"Don't you think she's being a little unreasonable?"

Abby turned to her, confused. "Huh?"

Mari continued, "I mean. I'm not trying to imply anything bad about her but did she think she'd get to be the only person in your life now?" She finsihed with an eye roll and sickening smirk.

"What? No, that is not the case at all-"

"But it is!" Mari stood up, "She doesn't like me hanging around you. It's like she wants you all to herself or something. It's weird."

Now Abby was irritated, "Mar you don't know what you're talking about. If she gave off that impression it's because the times you choose to show up are when we don't want to be interrupted. Which is pretty often if I'm being honest." Abby stood up too, matching her friend's energy.

"What do you mean 'we'? You can't actually agree with her? We were friends before you even met her."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I'm just supposed to choose you over her!" Abby was infuriated that Mari could ever think that way, immediately jumping to your defense.

"She's my girlfriend. And we see and talk to each other enough, quite frankly. I get to hang out with you more than I get to with her because we're both always busy, so yeah. If I were her I'd be a little frustrated if every time I finally got the chance to be alone with my girlfriend, her friend was suddenly showing up!"

Mari looked taken aback at the tone Abby had taken with her. She had never spoken like that to anyone, let alone her friend.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice."

Expertly, Mari broke down in tears covering her face. Now Abby felt double bad. She was already going through so much and instead of being a comfort, all Abby could do was yell at her.

She quickly pulled her friend into her arms, caressing her head while repeating how sorry she was. Mari looked up into Abby's eyes, gradually bringing her face closer and closer to hers. Neither of them heard the front door open and your footsteps coming closer to the room.

As soon as the room door opened, you saw Mari on her tiptoes, lips pressed against Abby's. Abby immediately turned to where you stood in the open door, not realizing the compromising position she was in until you dropped the bag you held. Your face angrily held a Now do you see? expression as you slammed the bedroom door behind you, retreating to the living room. You had no interest in hearing what she could possibly have to say.

Just as you stormed out, Abby pushed Mari away from being so close to her and called out for you. "Baby, wait!"

"What the fuck was that?!" Abby bitterly asked her soon to be ex-friend, roughly wiping the feeling of Mari off her lips.

"I- I'm sorry, I just- I've liked you for so long-" Abby scoffed looking away from Mari's face, fuming, "-and- and she's no good for you! I'm sorry but you know it too, she's toxic Abby!"

Abby raised her eyebrows, eyes widening at the sheer insanity Mari was spewing, "The only toxic one here is you Mari! You know she warned me about this. I can't believe I didn't believe her."

"Wha- see?! She warned you about me? Who does she even think she is, she just got here! I've been your friend for years!"

"Too bad, so sad mari," Abby taunted, finally fed up with her, "Who she is, is my girlfriend and you're not going to get in the way of that. So while I'm asking nicely, get the fuck out of my house I never want to see you again."

Mari looked at her dumbfounded. Like she couldn't believe the words she was hearing.

"Out! now!" Abby demanded, following Mari out of the room. Mari, accepting this really was the end, stormed out of the front door completely ignoring your presence. You sat at the kitchen island watching Abby from across the room.

Reader

You looked at Abby who was now making her way towards you. She felt the anger in your muted facial expression, knowing she fucked up. Bad.

"I- you were right." You didn't say anything, continuing to stare at her.

"Believe me when I say, I really had no idea she felt that way and was trying to get in the way, I gave her the benefit of the doubt but I shouldn't have dismissed your skepticism. I should have known better than to think you'd have an issue with her for a reason so silly as plain jealousy.”

You didn't grace her with a response this time either. She came closer, placing her hands on your thighs, looking into your eyes.

"You told me so and I let it get to this point and I am so so so sorry, I promise she won't be an issue anymore. I told her off, for good this time."

Your jaw was clenched, teeth grinding against each other as you tried to muster up the courage to forgive her. A single tear ran down your face, your eyes red in anger and frustration and sadness. she tried wiping the tear from your cheek but you brushed her hand away, finally speaking up.

"No." you said, shaking your head as you got up from the seat in the kitchen.

Abby looked frantic, "Wh-what do you mean 'No'? I told you I was sorry, I- i took care of it." She trailed after you.

You moved through the living room, heading straight to open the front door. Abby quickly stopped you, using her strength to hold the door ajar so you couldn't leave just yet, "Where are you going?" Her voice sounded shaky.

"I need some space, Abby. Please?" you asked, not looking her in the eye. You couldn't handle seeing the pain in her eyes. You needed to think about yourself right now.

Time and time again, you've shut out your own gut feelings to please Abby. Insistent on there being no ulterior motives on Mari's part, you trusted her. Maybe you were just jealous. Maybe you were too possessive of Abby. But jealousy was not such a blinding emotion that you were rendered unresponsive to disrespect.

She respects you. She respects us. You believed her again.

Yet here you stood. Relationship hanging on by a spider silk thread.

She begrudgingly let you go, trusting you'd not too long be back. Your mental bags were already packed, however, and there was no coming back.

a/n: sooo how we feeling bout that one?? idk tbh. also are mini marts a thing in the land of capitalism (america)? I've literally never been there so if they aren't, just pretend if you're american. (it's in the name, it's like a little supermarket/shop usually walking distance from housing areas. you're never really too far away from a mini mart in the caribbean) . also, it's crazy to me how subconsciously my default when writing is to relate to an american audience (I hate yall so bad for that, jk jk, or am i). like where I live, coats are utterly unnecessary. no one wears a coat that isn't a rain coat unless it's part of a fit and they're going to one of the colder malls typically up north, idk I just found that funny.

anyway I'll stop yapping and continue writing the other requests I've gotten. mwah! love yall. thanks for reading!!

[admirationandromantics]

Going overboard, 4: Loyalty

Okay, so next chapter out, hope you like it! Sorry for posting a little late, but here it is anyway (btw sorry for the gif...) Again, reminding people that my requests are open and next chapter will be posted tomorrow <3 PS! Don't worry, there'll be more smut later in the story.

“Chris!” I shout, turning him around. He starts grunting, eyes slowly opening. 

“Ash?”

“No, no Chris it’s me.” I say, trying to sound comforting. 

“What happened? Where are the others?” 

He slowly sits up, looking around. His hand moves up to his head, touching a large bruise. 

“We heard Josh, and Ashley got dragged into this room. The door was locked, and I did my best to get it open.” I nod, hand on his shoulder, signalling for him to continue. His breathing quickens as he continues talking. 

“And, and… When I got in she was laying on the floor. There was this guy in a mask.” he trails off. Like he doesn’t know what happened after. I get nervous, is there some kind of murderer on the mountain with us? 

“And then? I ask. 

“Then you found me.” I look around, but there’s no trace of Ashley nor Josh. I help him up, and while he’s a little unsteady at first, he composes himself. 

“We need to find them,” I state, taking the flashlight beside him and turning it on. We start walking, hoping to find some sort of clue to where they could’ve been taken. The kitchen seems empty, and I’m about to walk out the door when Chris stops me. 

“Look.” He’s holding Ashley’s small pouch, embroidered with her initials. There’s some sort of red liquid on it, and I have to turn away. Fucking hell, this guy might have killed Ashley. 

“Not good, not good, not good” Chris keeps chanting to himself. I look worriedly up at him, he has to get it together. 

“Chris…” I whisper. “We need to keep a cold head, okay? Don’t jump to conclusions” 

I already feel the dread of my words. They might both already be dead, and I’m postponing the inevitable. 

“Yeah, you’re right” he whispers back. 

“But why would he keep me alive?”

“I don’t know…” I hadn’t thought about that, and I had no idea why. It didn't make sense. We make our way out of the kitchen, walking to the hallway. As we open the door, two crows fly by, and we both shriek. I’m about to ask what the birds are doing inside when I shine the light on the wall, covered in blood. “Shit shit shit” I ramble. This is not safe. We need to get out of here, out of the lodge and off this mountain. Chris grabs hold of my arm, clearly in shock. I keep going, dragging him with me. 

“Ash!”

“Josh!”

No one answers. The next door leads outside, and I look around. They must’ve gone outside, there are no other doors. We walk outside, and I shiver. I don’t know if it’s because of the cold or because I’m terrified. We walk down the stairs, and continue down the path. There’s blood spread several places over the snow. We come to a crossroad, and Chris starts walking left. I follow suit, coming to a small opening in the woods. We continue forward, Chris looking back to see that I’m still here. 

A man suddenly pops up from the ground, making both of us scream. It’s not a man, it’s a made up scarecrow-like prop. 

“What the hell?” I whisper. 

“Who would do this?” he asks, looking back at me again. 

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

I look forward, seeing something bloody and pink in the snow. I point there, making Chris shift his vision. We walk around the prop, seeing a bloodied pig-head at the bottom of a tree. 

“Aw, shit” he comments. And I gag. 

“Chris, I want to go” I state, already starting walking back. 

“Hey, hey. We still need to find the others”

I sigh in disappointment. Yes we do. I nod towards the other pathway, urging him to lead the way. He’s the man after all. We walk past the broken fence, eventually getting to a shed. 

“Ashley! Joshua!” we both shout, but yet again no answers. The shed’s door is open, and I hesitate going in, but Chris is already some paces in front, so I have to follow. There’s nothing much there, a bunch of tools and wood. Chris suddenly yells out. 

“Shit!”

I see a small cage falling from the ceiling, him barely dodging it. 

“What the fuck?” I whisper, and he shakes his head at me. 

“Chris!”

We both stop. That was definitely Ashley’s voice. 

“Ashley!” we yell in unison. We both run forward, looking around for her. 

“Where are you?” I ask. 

“I… I don’t know” she answers, and I try to follow the noise. I touch something cold and metallic. Wire fence. 

The light comes on, and we’re met with Ashley and Josh tied up against a couple of tree plates. 

“Josh! Ashley!” 

There’s a big, red saw in the middle of the room. 

“Guys, are you there?” she asks, looking up. 

“Hello, and thank you all for joining me” a dark voice says. I look around, seeing a speaker in one of the corners. 

“What the fuck?”

“Oh my god, Josh wake up!” she shouts again. I look over, seeing Josh open his eyes for the first time. 

“Oh Josh!” I shout, making him look over, giving me a confused yet scared look. I tug at the metal, but it’s not budging. 

“Tonight, we’re going to conduct a little experiment,” the unfamiliar voice says. Chris finds a door to the room, and he tries opening it, putting in his whole body. 

“Fuck fuck fuck!”

Ashley starts crying, scared out of her mind. 

“Don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of here” I tell them. 

I look around for something to cut the wire, anything, but can’t glimpse something useful. 

“A sort of test…”

“Ashley, what the hell is going on?” Josh asks, starting to shake, trying to get out of the grips. 

“Now, for this experiment, we’ll need the cooperation of our two test-subjects, Joshua and Ashley.”

“Holy shit, oh my god”

I grab the sides of my head. How the hell do we get them out of there? Chris is still trying to get the door open, but to no avail. 

“But, we’re going to need one more brave participant to help decide which subject will live, and which will die.” My stomach drops, and Chris stops tugging at the door, looking over at the both of them. No, this isn’t real. This can’t be. Ashley goes into full panic mode, screaming and trying to get loose from the ties. 

“Oh no no no!!!” 

“Chris…” I whisper, reaching out and touching his arm for comfort. What the hell is going on? He’s standing completely still, in a shocked state. 

“Get us out of here! Get us out of here now!” Ashley shouts while continuing to wiggle. 

“No you can’t do this, let me out of here you maniac!!” Josh shouts at the same time. My heart raises, and I look up to Chris. His eyes are wide open, and I can feel him shaking. 

“Please, please, everyone calm down” the Psycho continues. 

“It’s all very simple, Christopher”. Chris looks up at the speaker, waiting for some sort of instructions. 

“You will find a lever placed directly in front of you.” We both look forward, seeing a red lever with pictures of both Ashley and Josh. 

“All you have to do is choose who you will save.” My heart stops, eyes widens and hands shaking like they’ve never done before. The saw starts, making loud mechanical noises. 

“No no no no!” I yell, and start running to the door, trying to get it open. Chris is still standing still. 

“Please, stop, please” Ashley pleads, mascara running down her cheeks. 

“Don’t do this, stop this now” Josh demands. He looks over at me, and we lock eyes while I still do my best to get the door open. Chris suddenly gets out of his trance as he slowly backs away from the lever. 

“Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap” he keeps chanting. 

“Dude, buddy, let’s just think about this for a minute” Josh starts, but is interrupted by Ashley’s screams for help. 

“Get me out of here, please, please!” 

“You can’t let us die!”

Chris starts spiralling. 

“Just, just, just give me a second. I need to think.” He looks over at me for support, but I don’t know what to do. I give him the same panicked expression he bears himself. 

“I can’t think straight!” he shouts, grabbing his head in his hands, refusing to look at them. I want to help them, but I don’t know how. Ashley, who’s been my friends through good and bad, and Josh who I just started being with once again. They both had betrayed me in some way, but there was not a chance I was going to pull that lever. Tears fill my eyes as I stop tugging at the door, sinking down beside it. I can’t help but break down, the situation is too complex to do anything about. 

“Ashley, I will get you out of this, I won't let you die!” Chris comforts, but Ashley keeps her eyes shut while continuing crying. 

“Please, please no…” Josh begs. 

“Chris!” I yell over the sound of the saw. I stand up, looking around again. I see a small metal rod in the corner. I run for it, taking a hold of it before hearing the Psycho’s voice again. 

“You have chosen to save… Ashley”

“No Chris, no!” Josh shouts. Ashley keeps crying loudly. The saw starts moving toward Josh, and run to the door, placing the metall between it and the wall. 

“No no no no no” Chris rambles, not knowing what to do. 

“I thought we were friends, man! I thought we were friends. Why would you do this?” Josh cries, and I continue to push the metal. 

“No no Josh!” I hear Ashley shout. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Josh I- I don’t…” Chris continues, too deep to get his thinking straight. 

“Stop this, you can’t do this!” Chris shouts to the maniac. I hear Josh’s screams, hearing the saw starting to cut through him. The door cracks open, and run in, just in time to get covered by his blood.

“Josh!” I plead, and hear soft spoken protests before he goes silent. Ashley still has her eyes shut, crying, also covered by his blood. 

“Don’t look, guys, don’t!” Chris shouts. 

“Why? Why can’t I look, Chris, please tell me he’s okay” she whimpers. 

The door on the other side pops open, and Chris runs in and unties her. I rub the blood off my face, being met with a saw still moving, and Josh’s body parted in two. The world goes silent as I fall to my knees. His eyes are closed, his upper body still being held up by the ropes. I cry, loudly, screaming and shouting. I can’t breathe, my intakes small and quick. I feel two arms take hold of me, dragging me out of the room, and out of the shed. 

“We need to go” Chris whispers, his voice squeaky and broken. I let him lead me out to Ashley, who’s sitting in the snow, crying and shaking her head. 

“Chris!” a familiar voice says. Matt and Emily are coming towards us, their eyes filled with worry. They start running, Emily kneeling down to me, her face filled with horror. She uses my tears to dry off the blood on my cheeks. Matt gets a hold of Chris, keeping him on his feet. 

“Who’s blood is that?” Emily asks, clearly shaken already. 

“Are you guys okay?” Matt adds, having to use his full force to stop Chris from falling down. 

“Josh…” I whisper, and Emily looks down at me again. 

“Josh what?”

“H-he died” Chris begins, starting to cry even harder. Ashley can’t stop sobbing, mumbling ‘Josh’ over and over. 

“Right in front of us” Chris continues. 

“What?” Matt asks, clearly confused. 

“There’s this Psycho on the mountain” I add, grabbing Emily’s arm to keep myself up. 

“Wait what, a Psycho?” Matt asks, looking down at me, waiting for me to continue. 

“He’s going to kill us all” Ashley manages to squeak out. 

“Something’s not right” Matt states, looking at Emily. 

“We need to get out of here” she adds, helping me up on my feet before helping Ashley. 

“I still don’t understand what’s happening”

“There’s a maniac, and he killed Josh with a saw in some sick game”

“He’s going to kill all of us”

“I had to choose between him and Ash, and the saw cut him in two, spilling fucking everywhere and he dead and…”

Ashley falls to the ground again, but I am quick to grab her, keeping her steady. 

“What? What the fuck, oh my god Chris” Emily starts, but I don’t know what there’s to say. 

“I-I killed him, I did!” Chris cries. 

“No the Psycho did, you didn’t” I shakily tell him, holding onto Ashley for dear life. 

Matt and Emily look at each other. 

“No, this is insane, we need to get help” Emily states. 

“We’re going to figure this out” Matt says, keeping his hands on Chris. “We need to find the others” he adds, seeking confirmation from Emily. 

“But we also need help, Jess and Mike are off 69-ing each other and god knows where Sam is.”

“She’s in the lodge” I state, suddenly scared for her. I didn’t even think about looking for her before coming here. 

“Okay, we split” Emily starts. 

“You guys get to the lodge, find Sam. We’ll go get help, there was some radio tower on the mountain, we could try and reach someone there.”

I nod. At this point, Ashley has stopped crying, she’s just completely silent. Chris takes her off my hands, starting to walk back to the lodge. I follow them, turning around to Emily and Matt. 

“Be quick, come right back when you’re done” I demand, and they both nod back at me. I run back to Ashley and Chris, unbothered by all the animalistic sounds coming from the forest. I just cry, silently. Josh is dead. Josh, who I was with just an hour ago, is dead. The picture of him being capitated covers my mind, clouding all other senses.

I arrive at the lodge, but instead of walking in, I sit on the stairs, stroking my fingers over the scrape on my other arm. I touch my hand, still feeling a faint warmth where he held me. It’s in my imagination, but I still let myself believe it. I sit outside until the tears stop flowing, and my lips are cracked and skin salty. 

[spoonfulofmilo]

hey, I love your writings. Can you please do a Lando x reader, where the reader is lily’s best friend and often hangs out with Alex and Lando with lily. And Lando is constantly flirting but the reader is clueless and one time she says “are you trying to flirt with me?” And he replies “for a year now, thank you for finally noticing!”

thanks so much for your request, sorry if it's a little short :)

sorry it took so long to get out

my masterlist can be accessed here

Please keep requesting - y'all have awesome ideas we agree on a lot of stuff :) - my guidelines are here, and if you want some prompts, they are here.

also feel free to come in and start chatting to me in my asks, would love to get to know y'all better

and if you want to be added to my taglist lmk :)

lando norris x female!reader

“Hey Y/N. I love your outfit today.” Lando blushed slightly as he complimented Y/N

“Aww thanks, I got it from Dior, as a gift for some sponsorship I did a while ago.” Y/N smiled as she did a small twirl to show off the outfit.

“Yeah…” Lando awkwardly tried to pass it off as a friendly comment.

—

“Hey Y/N, do you want to go for dinner tonight?” Lando looked more hopeful, there was no way she could interpret an invitation to dinner as solely platonic.

“Aww yeah sure, we should go to that new restaurant around the corner. There'll also be some fans there, so we can please the fans!” Y/N grinned as she started rambling about what they could have there.

“Yeah…” Lando awkwardly tried to shuffle away again, once again thwarted by Y/N’s oblivion.

—

“Hey Y/N, do you want to come around to my room after?” Lando didn’t entirely mean it in ‘THAT’ way, but there was no way Y/N could interpret an invite to a hotel room as anything but romantic.

“Yeah sure, F1 2020?” Y/N grinned as she looked at Lando, eyes sparkling. The same eyes that were the sole reason that Lando was stuck in this spot now.

“Yeah…” Lando was very tempted to punch something now.

1 month in

“Is she taken? Is this why she isn’t flirting back?” Lando had managed to corner Lily, who had been the one encouraging Lando to begin flirting with Y/N, but now Lando was just annoyed.

“No, definitely not. She would tell me. Not to mention she would be showing me so many photos. Also I was on her phone last week, the closest was some guy called Karl, I quizzed her. It’s her brother’s boyfriend.” Lily attempted to reassure Lando.

“Okay, so why isn’t she flirting back?” Lando was a little pissed at the fact that he’d been flirting with Y/N for a month, and she was still acting like it was entirely platonic.

“Because you have fallen in love with someone who quite frankly, Lando, is the densest person I know, so you’re screwed.” Lily patted Lando between his shoulder blades, trying to reassure him, while remaining brutally honest.

“Thanks Lily.” Lando got up and stretched, ready to try again, and then the race.

“Just keep trying, I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.” Lily reassured before he wandered off again.

“Eventually.” Lando sighed.

3 months in 

“Daniel, how did you get a girlfriend?” Lando shyly approached his ex teammate, and watched as his eyes lit up.

“Ooooh, got your eye set on someone, Lando? Who’s the lucky girl?” Daniel shook Lando’s shoulders, ready to tease the young boy.

When Lando hesitated Daniel seemed to sense that there was something he wanted to say, and paused and his eyes lit up a little less.

“Is it a guy, Lando? You know I won't judge…” Daniel tried to approach the topic, sensitively. He knew he was known as the ‘happy go lucky’ guy, but he knew when his friends needed to talk, he needed to just be there for his friends.

“No, no, no. Definitely a girl. I just-” Lando quickly shut down those rumours, while he wasn’t homophobic, he was definitely straight, despite the way he acted around his teammates.

“Aww has Lando gone all shy?” Daniel immediately resumed the teasing.

“No, the complete opposite. I’ve been blatantly flirting with her for almost 3 months and she has no idea.” Lando sighed.

“Have you come up with the idea that she…just maybe…isn’t into you like that?” Daniel tried to let him down slowly.

“No, Lily asked her and she said she has a crush on me, she’s waiting for me to make the first move. Which I have been doing!” Lando put his head in his hands, knees up to his chest.

“There’s a lot of women around Lando, maybe the densest one isn’t for you.” Daniel was half teasing him, half trying to let him down easily now.

“No, I would've said that 3 months ago. Now that I’ve realised she’s THAT dense. I’m now determined to make her realise that I’m flirting with her.”

“Wait, Lando…are you talking about Y/N?” Daniel’s eyes widened.

“Yeah why?”

Daniel couldn’t help it and started laughing.

“My man, you are going to die a virgin.”

“She’s not that dense is she?” Lando looked slightly panicked.

“She once walked in on her surprise birthday party and asked what the party was for.” Daniel was trying to hold his laughter.

“I’m fucked.” Lando buried his face in his hands.

“Yeah you are, but you’ve got your mates.” Daniel clapped him on the back before wandering ahead again towards his garage.

9 months in

“Lily, you are friends with the densest person I know.” Lando sighed

“Oh I know. I’ve been trying to hint that you’re flirting with her for the past, what? 9 months. Yeah she is a dense motherfucker.” Lily laughed slightly, but stopped at the hopelessness on Lando’s face

“Any suggestions?” Lando looked so defeated.

“No. just keep trying, eventually she’ll get it. Or she won’t and you’ll just have to move on.” Lily comforted him, before he got up and went off to race.

A year in

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” Y/N started laughing at the idea, however she stopped when she saw Lando’s face.

“For a year now, thank you for finally noticing” Lando laughing and throwing his hands up before seeing Y/N’s face.

“A year?” Y/N looked shocked and a little sad.

“...yeah” Lando noticed how all of their friends stepped back and tried to give the 2 space. “You’re a little dense.” he shrugged.

“Oh my god- you were FLIRTING WITH ME?” Y/N looked so shocked.

“...yeah!” Lando looked a little sheepish.

“Oh, my god, Lando I’m so sorry, you should’ve asked me on a date or something, I would’ve said yes and…” Y/N started rambling and wringing her hands as she panicked. ‘A year, how did she not notice’ she thought to herself.

“I did. Or well, I thought I did, but you uhh didn’t realise.” Lando scratched at the back of his neck, looking down at the floor.

“OH LANDO! I’m so sorry, uhhh, if you still want, we can go on a date?” Y/N offered, also kinda sheepish.

“Of course, I would love to.” Lando smiled, before offering his hand to Y/N, and she took it, smiling.

---

taglist: @leosxrealm, @tallrock35, @wolf-knights, @janeholt3

[kalinara]

So recent posts have got me thinking about the Throuple, and how I personally feel about it. And I'll be honest. I dislike it and I love it.

I dislike it because, ultimately, there really isn't much there. A couple of suggestive panels, a house schematic, one scene of expressed attraction between the guys, one scene that seems really heavily implied that they'd intended to go to bed together (I'll post that later, it's from early X-Force and it's pretty suggestive, IMO), and a few cameos in pride issues.

If Marvel was advertising this relationship, I'd call it queer-baiting at best.

But I always kind of wonder about the background of things. And I tend to assume that the Throuple was never intended to be a thing by the suits and higher ups. I think maybe a few creative types kept slipping things under the radar.

It does mean, unfortunately, that, in terms of actual story or emotional development, it's lacking. I mean, look, biased Scott fan that I am, I would have REALLY liked to see Logan apologize for basically everything AvX onward before those two characters hopped into bed together. I'd like to see Jean get to have opinions about everything that happened while she was gone (many things that she'd now remember from her younger self's point of view), before that happened too. These are characters with a lot of history.

So in terms of execution, the Throuple is a fizzle. (Hell, even the Jean/Logan side barely got off the ground. Some bits where she kept him alive when he was trying to save Xavier through time - which she'd have done even if he were just a friend. And one sex scene in the hot springs. That really feels like a satisfying culmination of decades of yearning. If I were a Jean/Logan fan, honestly, I'd probably feel cheated.)

But you know, I do love it for other reasons. Because however shitty the execution, the IDEA is firmly planted and that idea isn't going away.

All you have to do is go on reddit or tiktok and see anytime one of those toxic masculinity fanboys starts bitching about how Logan is 100% straight "blah blah woke agenda", and you get at least three people jabbing back "yeah, except on the moon".

And that's the genius of it. Because NO one likes those particular fans. And so even people who are utterly indifferent to the idea of the Throuple. Even folks who dislike the execution are very pleased to troll that hypothetical dude at every chance.

Marvel can say what they want. Brevoort (whether he believes it or is just Marvel's spokesperson) can say what he wants. The fact that the annoying fanboys go "I'm so glad he didn't walk back his denial and cater to the wake agenda" are just admitting that there's something TO deny.

I'll be honest, I suspect the issue is Logan's fanbase. It's the largest by far and Marvel doesn't want to alienate the straight men in the crowd. But the thing is, they're aging out. And younger generations of fans are more openly queer than we are, and definitely more than our parents were. This is going to be a non-issue. Especially when the new generations start running the asylum.

It'll take a long time, of course, and there'll be a lot of bullshit before then. But you can't put the genie back in the bottle. The idea is out there. And like Kitty, Rachel, Betsy, Bobby, Mystique and Destiny, Rictor and Shatterstar, EVENTUALLY we'll get to the point where Marvel admits what we all know. (And we knew for a while. The Throuple didn't come out of nowhere.)

Marvel's most famous and popular X-Men character is queer.

More than half of the Original X-Men, that earliest dream that creators never seem to be able to stop revisiting, are queer*.

The flag ship pairing of the X-Men involves a woman and a man who are queer*.

That's pretty awesome.

(*I know technically we're talking about an MMF throuple and it doesn't rule out Jean being straight, but let's be honest here. Jean's got more than enough suggestive interaction with Storm, Emma, Lorna and Wanda to make a strong enough case for bisexuality in her own right.)

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor, Chapter 5: Going Home

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader (eventual). Other Characters are the usual suspects: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Spock, Christine Chapel, Scotty, Guinan. Jocelyn (Leonard's ex-wife, mentioned)

Word Count: 4955

Warnings: Medical stuff, Leonard slipping into "doctor mode", supportive townspeople, friends trying to get Leonard and the Reader to confront their feelings about each other, scheming CEO, escape from the hospital, Jim still being his usual, charming, mischievous self. Slow burn (I know) but it's going to heat up a bit here and going forward.

Summary: Fresh off of his divorce, Dr. McCoy receives word that he has inherited a 5,000-acre farm and home in Logan, Montana. Finally, he has an opportunity for a clean slate and to start his own clinic out west and leave his ex-wife behind. Along the way, he'll meet a cast of unique characters, each with a place in his new small-town life. But there could be trouble ahead in the form of a powerful CEO hell-bent on acquiring Leonard's property by any means necessary.

A/N: This idea was posted by @hailbop1701, with a specific list of plot points/dialog, which will appear in bold in this chapter. Still not sure how many parts there'll be, but I hope you like where I take the story. Also, I have intermixed AOS with NextGen to include additional characters.

A/N 2: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

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

Previously:

"If it's a war they want, I'll give them a war."

The incessant beeping from the machines at your bedside finally broke through the fog of your concussion. You tried to move your bandaged right arm, then noticed it was partially held down by hands tucked under a head full of dark hair. A gentle smile curved your lips as you recognized who was keeping vigil at your bedside.

As you carefully attempted to slide your hand out, Leonard stirred awake. His head slowly rose and he looked around before eventually his gaze landed on you. He leisurely blinked his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness level of your room and flashed you a tender smile. "Hey, you're awake," he murmured.

"You noticed," you teased. "Where am I? How long have I been out? What's the prognosis, Doc?"

"One question at a time, darlin'," he chuckled. "You're at the hospital in Belgrade, where you've been out for the past day or so." He moved to sit on the edge of your bed and explained about your concussion, broken left arm, plus the second-degree burns. "Your prognosis is good, although you've got some recovery time ahead of you. And you can bet I'll be makin' sure you're takin' it easy. Doctor's orders," he winked.

"Whatever you say, Doc," you quipped, then dropped your gaze to your hands in your lap. "Thank you, Len. 'M real sorry I interrupted your fishin' trip with Jim. Have you been here this whole time?"

"Been here pretty much since Uhura told us you were brought in. And don't you worry none about the fishin' trip, sweetheart. That's not important. What is important is there were hardly any injuries, yours being the most serious. As you can see, though, we got you patched up, and you're safe now," he affirmed.

A knock on the door paused your conversation as you called out and granted entrance to your room. Jim carried a vase of flowers, while Uhura brought in a bag with the pharmacy's logo on it. When you asked her about it, she explained that Mr. Spock and Christine put in a few magazines, plus your Lemon Drops and some Butterscotch Disks.

"How nice of them to do that," you remarked, your eyes becoming glassy. You cleared your throat to regain your composure. "Oh! That reminds me. I'll need to reorder our clinic supplies from the pharmacy, since everything was in the back of the truck."

"Will you please relax? Let me contact Spock, and we'll get the supply order all sorted out. You just focus on getting enough rest so you can get out of here," Leonard replied.

"What're you talkin' about, I am rested," you protested weakly as you yawned, and your eyelids began to droop again.

Leonard gave you a barely-contained grin and rested a hand on your cheek. "Uh-huh, yeah, keep tellin' yourself that, sweetheart," he lightly chuckled.

When he stood up to leave, you grabbed his hand. "Please don't go," you pleaded softly.

"Close your eyes and rest, darlin', I won't be gone long. Jim and I are going back to the house and get cleaned up, then we'll come right back here, I promise. Need anything from home?" he asked.

"Mmm, maybe my toothbrush, please?" you mumbled.

Leonard bent down and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "You got it, sugar," he whispered. "Nyota's going to stay with you while we run home, okay?" You nodded slowly in response, your eyes already closed and halfway to dreamland. He met Uhura on the way out of your room. "Take care of our girl, hmm?"

"Of course, Dr. McCoy," she replied with a knowing grin. In response, he rolled his eyes with a smirk as he strode down the hall.

***

A short time later, the car wove its way along the highway returning to the McCoy family home. On the way back, the conversation was sporadic, with the silence filled by the music from the radio, playing at a low volume.

Mostly, they talked about how worried they were for you and how to make your recovery at home as easy as possible. They also speculated about who was behind the attack. "Tell you this much, Jim. I'm not going to stop until we find the sonofabitch who's behind all of this," Leonard growled.

"I'm right with you, Bones. You know you can count on me and just about everyone else in this town to help you," Jim vowed. Leonard nodded his head in thanks.

As they turned up the driveway, they noticed a few unfamiliar cars parked near the house. "Um, Bones, were you expecting company? 'Cause it looks like we have some people waiting for us," he gestured towards the figures rising from their seats on the porch.

Jim and Leonard slowly exited the car and cautiously approached the house. As they got closer, they were relieved to see that their visitors included Mr. Spock, Christine, and Scotty. Also in attendance was Guinan, whom they'd had yet to meet, until today.

"Good evening, Dr. McCoy. We hope you can forgive us for appearing on your doorstep without a prior invitation," Spock began. After everyone was again seated, he asked about your condition.

"She's fine, Nyota's staying with her at the hospital. They haven't mentioned when she'll be discharged, but I'll take a look at her chart the next time I see her. Once she gets home, I hope she'll do what's best and take plenty of time to rest. Not that I think she'll listen," Leonard commented, the others smiling in agreement.

"A fine, strong woman, that one," Scotty observed. "Have the authorities figured out who did this? I mean, why would anyone want to hurt a lass as kind and sweet as she is?"

"Indeed, Mr. Scott, but perhaps she was not the target," Spock suggested. "After all, it was Dr. McCoy's truck to which the explosive device was attached. The perpetrator would not have had any reason to believe that someone other than Dr. McCoy had driven the vehicle to town."

'Wait a minute, are you suggesting that I was the target??" McCoy exclaimed. "Why would anyone try to kill me?! I'm not important!"

Immediately, a chorus of protests arose from multiple directions. "I believe your statement is incorrect, Doctor," Spock remarked.

"Aww, Bones, you're the best out of all of us," Jim agreed. "We all know that gruff, cantankerous, sarcastic layer of yours is just a cover for your true compassionate nature. My theory is that NorthStar Corp had something to do with it. Especially, considering how relentless they've been about getting you to sell to them," he noted grimly.

"The lad has a point, Doctor. Whatever is on this land you have, they want it, and they've proven that they're willing to cross any line to get it. And they don't care who gets in the way," Scotty muttered.

Leonard thought for a moment about what his friends were saying, and realized there was more than a kernel of truth in their words. He was deep in thought, trying to decide how to best handle the situation, when he felt a hand on his arm. He jerked back in surprise, then eventually relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Hello, Dr. McCoy, my name is Guinan. It's nice to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances. I own a little place called the Tenth Avenue Pub, where I tend bar and I listen," she explained.

"Yeah, I've heard of your place. Been meaning to stop in, but haven't had the time," he replied.

"It's a nice place, even if I do say so myself. You should come by some time. By the way, I sure liked your Uncle Walter. He was one of my regulars, and I spent many a night listening to his stories. He had some good ones, ol' Walter," Guinan grinned as she gave him a sideways glance. "One night, he even shared with me some old records from a survey done on this land," she revealed.

Leonard leaned forward in his seat with his curiosity now obviously piqued. "Really? What did the reports say?"

"They revealed extensive veins of copper and silver all over your property, running beneath the earth's surface. Not only that, but he found some blue stones in a couple of areas that turned out to be sapphires. Valuable ones, too. I believe all of that is what NorthStar Corp is after, Dr. McCoy," Guinan finished.

Leonard's mouth dropped open in surprise at this revelation. His mind reeled with the possibilities of what he could accomplish as a doctor by having that kind of wealth. He also understood that there were some persistent people who would stop at nothing to acquire these resources. They could be among the ones who attacked you and were therefore dangerous. "All right, what do I do?" he asked.

"You need to contact a surveyor to get an updated analysis. I believe the company your uncle used is still in business, Blue Mountain Survey and Mining Corp. With them, you'll finally know what you've got going on under this land of yours. Then, you can decide what to do about it," Guinan advised.

"Good idea, thank you. I'm sorry, everyone, but Jim and I only stopped home long enough to clean up. Then we, or at least I, need to get back to the hospital. As I promised her," he murmured the last part, mostly to himself. 

Upon hearing Leonard's last comment, Spock convinced Guinan and the others to take their leave. He assured Dr. McCoy that everyone would take turns keeping an eye on the place while he was away, assisting in your recovery. Each of them shook his hand as they passed him on the way to their cars and offered their wishes for your swift return.

***

After everyone left, Jim and Leonard entered the house, each to take a shower, pack a few things, then return to the hospital. Leonard suggested that Jim could stay home if he wanted, instead of going back, but he wouldn't hear of it. He said you were his friend, and as such, he should be there to keep you company, even if it was just to sit there and tell dumb jokes. Leonard agreed and smiled at Jim's dedication to your friendship.

From his drawers, he pulled a few days' change of clothes, mainly T-shirts and jeans, plus sleeping attire. He also grabbed pajamas and a change of clothes for you, knowing you would need something to wear when you left the hospital. When he withdrew the clothes from your dresser, he brought them to his nose, closed his eyes, and deeply inhaled. He detected a hint of rose, mixed with something that was uniquely you.

When he started to stuff everything in his bag, he abruptly stopped and listened. The house was quiet, too quiet. He became aware that it was because you weren't there to fill it with your laughter, your questions, or your singing in the kitchen or shower. Suddenly, his heart ached in places he thought he'd completely closed off after the divorce. He realized that it was due to your absence and he sat down on the edge of the bed.

That was how Jim found him when he came in to check and see if his friend was ready to go. He took a seat next to Leonard, who was staring at the wall in front of him. "Hey, Bones, you okay? What's going on?" he asked.

Leonard took a deep breath before answering. "It's too quiet here without her here. Feels so empty, but she's everywhere I look. She's only been moved in with us for a few weeks, and I'm already so used to her being here. With what happened that day with my truck, I-I almost lost her, Jim. If she....if....if I....," he trailed off, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"You care about her, Bones. It's okay to finally admit you like her," Jim grinned, happy that his friend at last realized his feelings.

"Of course I like her, what's not to like?" Leonard countered.

"No, no, you like her, like really, really like her," Jim teased.

Leonard snorted. "What are we, in elementary school? Next thing you know, you'll be singing that damn song about us sitting in a tree and k-i-s-s-i-n-g or something," he grumbled.

"Well, I could do that, but I've been told I have a terrible singing voice," Jim smirked. "Seriously, you should tell her how you feel, then kiss her the very next time you have a chance." He continued despite his friend's glare. "You belong together and everyone knows it except the two of you," he added with a shrug.

"Everyone? Who, exactly, is 'everyone'?" he wondered.

"Let's see. Me, Uhura, Spock, Christine, Scotty--" Jim ticked the names off on his fingers, one by one, but was interrupted.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he sighed. "You know, I didn't think I ever wanted to be in another relationship, not after what I went through with Jocelyn and the divorce. As you noted earlier, I'm grumpy, cantankerous, and what else did you say? Oh, yeah. Sarcastic. Usually all of that keeps women away, but not my girl. Noooo, she must see me as a challenge, one she's not willing to back down from," he finished with a wry grin.

"You don't really want your girl to back down, though, do you?" Jim asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Nope," McCoy answered, a mischievous smile crossing his face as he finished packing his bag.

***

Boston, Massachusetts - Headquarters for NorthStar Corp, CEO's office

Miles Cooper was seething. First, Travis Myers failed to produce results through a contract signed by Dr. McCoy over his land. He was fired, which sent him on a downward spiral, and out of control. As part of some misguided revenge for her tanking the deal with McCoy, Travis decided to set his ex-girlfriend's apartment on fire. Unfortunately, the blaze got out of control and spread to the other units. The building was declared a total loss and displaced around 15 tenants, including some with children.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the authorities to catch up to Travis and charge him with First-Degree Arson. Such a charge carried a sentence up to a maximum of 20 years in prison, if convicted. And, with the newly-discovered security camera footage, conviction appeared highly likely to occur. What an idiot, he muttered to himself.

Second, the explosive that his operative attached to the truck didn't harm Dr. McCoy in any way, because he was nowhere near it when it was destroyed. It was the perfect plan on paper, yet the execution of it epically failed, since it missed his intended target. In fact, you were the one in the hospital, recovering from injuries, which only seemed to strengthen Dr. McCoy's resolve. I am surrounded by incompetence, he inwardly grumbled.

A tentative knock on his door broke him out of the silent rant going through his head. "What?!?" he barked. His assistant, Connor Morris, pushed open the door and strode up to Cooper's desk to hand over a piece of paper, his boss' patience already thin. What about this document could possibly be important enough to warrant an interruption?

As Cooper read through the document, he became more frustrated as he learned that Dr. McCoy had called for a new survey of his land. He'd already secured a team attached to a mining company, further complicating an already tense situation. Dammit. If McCoy ever discovers what he's inherited, he'll never sell to NorthStar Corp. I've got to do something and do it fast, Cooper thought.

His eyes left the paper to address his assistant. "Call an emergency board meeting. Tell them we have a situation that needs handled at once. Attendance is mandatory," he ground out. Connor nodded and swiftly exited the office to begin making the necessary phone calls.

Maybe I've been going about this all wrong. So far, blunt force hasn't worked, what with the apartment fire and blowing up McCoy's truck. No, perhaps the matter calls for a softer touch. He knew about McCoy's ex-wife, who was currently married to a real-estate developer. She was tired of the long hours and less than first-class lifestyle as the wife of a doctor. So, she traded in a doctor for a real-estate mogul and ascended a few rungs on the social ladder.

When Dr. McCoy moved to Montana, he left her and her now-husband in his rear-view mirror. I think it's about time for a reunion, Cooper smiled to himself as a plan formulated in his mind. Considering the wealth potential for the McCoy land, he anticipated Jocelyn's greed would win out and bring her to Montana. With the board members' gluttony, they would offer little to no resistance for this course of action. Satisfied with his solution, Cooper leaned back in his chair and rested his steepled index fingers against his lips, an evil grin snaking across his face.

***

Uhura quietly turned the page on the magazine she was reading while you slept. She was still trying to come to grips with how close she came to losing you, her best friend. It was by sheer luck that you survived, considering your injuries. It would be a long road to recovery, but she was sure you were strong enough to get through it. Especially with Dr. McCoy on your side, every step of the way, she grinned to herself.

When will these two wise up and admit how they feel about each other? she wondered. It was a conversation she'd had many times with Jim, who was just as frustrated as she was. Only his situation was worse, because he had to live under the same roof with you and Leonard pining for each other. Uhura shook her head in silent amusement, wishing her two friends could see for themselves what was already obvious to everyone who knew them.

"Hey, stranger," you murmured, your eyelids fluttering open. "I see you drew the short straw, huh?"

Uhura chuckled softly. "Nah, I don't mind the quiet, as long as that means you're getting the rest you need after what you've been through," she affirmed, squeezing your hand. "Plus, it gives me time to think about....stuff."

"Oh really?" you returned with an arched eyebrow. "What 'stuff' are you thinking about?"

"About you and Dr. McCoy," she replied simply.

"What about Dr. McCoy and me? We're just friends, Nyota," you assured her.

She rolled her eyes at your assertion. "My dear, sweet friend, when are you going to admit that there is more going on between you than 'just friends'? I've seen the way you look at each other, and there are 'more than friendly' glances passing between you," she pointed out, grabbing your hands. "He looks at you like you're the only woman in the world. You look at him like he hung the stars and the moon, just for you."

Your eyes widened in surprise and bit of panic. Does Leonard know? Oh god, am I that obvious? you thought. "I mean....it feels like we've gotten closer since I've been living at his house, but....I'm sure it's all in my imagination," you declared hastily as you pulled your hands away.

Uhura dropped her head into her hands and groaned loudly in frustration. Before she had a chance to comment any further, the subject of the conversation strode through the door. In his hands, he held a bouquet of yellow tulips, gardenias, and pink roses in a decorative crystal vase. "Just friends, huh?" Uhura snickered.

"Quiet," you hissed, then beamed a smile at Leonard. "You're back! And you look refreshed," you commented.

He returned your smile as he placed the flowers on the table near your bed. "Amazing how a little soap and some hot water can make a man feel like himself again," he replied, then reached for your chart.

Before his fingers could grasp it, a man named Dr. Bennett strode into the room. He wasn't the same doctor as had been treating you since you arrived, which raised your suspicions. You tried to keep your expression neutral as Dr. Bennett reviewed your vital signs, inspected your injuries, and asked about your pain level. "You seem to be healing well, no complications so far. Any questions?" he wondered.

"Um, well, just one: when can I go home?" you asked.

Dr. Bennett heaved a deep sigh and appeared reluctant to give you an exact number of days. The more you pressed him about leaving, the more reasons he came up with to keep you. Nothing you said was convincing enough to get him to agree to release you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Leonard's level of suspicion and annoyance also rise. His eyes darkened and his fists were clenched at his sides as he tried to maintain his composure. You reached over and as soon as you touched his hand, it relaxed and he intertwined his fingers with yours. Fortunately, Dr. Bennett's phone rang and informed him that his assistance was needed elsewhere in the hospital. He gave you one last glance before heading out the door.

"I don't know what that guy's problem is, but he's up to something. I read your chart, and there's no reason for you to stay here any longer," Leonard muttered. "We're going to sneak you out of here, don't you worry," he promised and squeezed your hand.

"Are you sure something's going on? Maybe he's just being overly cautious or--" you started.

"He may be a 'doctor', but he could have a PhD in Ornithology, for all we know. That doesn't make him qualified to be your physician, so we're gettin' you out," he replied with determination.

"I'm all for going home, Len. However, you have your own stuff to deal with, I don't want to add to it," you finished in a small voice.

He sat down on the edge of the mattress and gazed fondly at you. His right hand found your cheek and his thumb caressed your skin. "Listen. For me, taking care of you is not some duty or obligation. You've become an important piece in my life, and I'll do whatever is needed to keep it that way," he declared.

Your right hand reached up to cover his and as you ran your thumb over the back of it, you sent him a shy smile. "All right. Let's get out of here."

***

"Okay, we don't have much time," Jim whispered. "I saw a laundry area down the hall. Be right back." Within a few minutes, he had returned with a set of scrubs, which he basically threw at Leonard and gestured towards your in-room bathroom. "Go change, we'll wait out here for you."

Leonard stood stunned for a moment but broke out of his haze when Jim made a shooing motion with his hands. He reappeared a few minutes later after he had exchanged his regular clothes for scrubs. Jim handed him a doctor's long, white coat with the hospital's name embroidered on it to complete the illusion.

"Now we're going to get you unhooked from everything, then Uhura is going to help you get dressed. We'll leave the I.V. in for now, but disconnect you from the fluid bag. That way we won't alert the staff or anything," he explained.

"You're the doc, Doc," you sighed. Leonard caught your smaller hand in one of his larger ones, his thumb gently rubbing circles on the back of it, then returned to his duties. He maintained eye contact with you while he unscrewed the connection between the I.V. port and the bag of solution hanging from the pole. When he was done, he tenderly kissed the back of your hand and winked as he released it.

"While Uhura helps you get changed into regular clothes, Jim and I will try and hunt down a wheelchair to take you out in. You still feelin' okay? How's your pain level?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine, Len, just anxious to get home and sleep in my own bed," you assured him.

As soon as he left, you removed your finger from the pulse oximeter and as quickly as your injuries would allow, you hurried into the bathroom. An alarm sounded and a nurse rushed into your room to make sure you hadn't fallen or were in any kind of distress. She called your name and when she heard you answer from behind the closed door, she turned off the alarm. "Let me know when you're back in bed and I'll hook everything back up, okay?"

You gave a noncommittal grunt in response and you were relieved when you heard her retreating footsteps. "That was close," you muttered. "Hand me my shirt, please?" She passed you the T-shirt that Leonard had packed for you, which looked very much like one of his. Uhura noticed as well and smirked as she helped you balance enough to pull on your jeans. You finished sliding your feet into your shoes at the moment Jim returned, also dressed in scrubs.

"Your chariot awaits, milady," he grinned with a deep bow. With a playful roll of your eyes, you sat down and allowed Jim to position your feet on the pads of the wheelchair. He handed you a baseball cap and told you to keep your head down until you were safely in the car. Once you were settled, Jim grabbed the keys and left the room so he could drive the car up to the doors.

Leonard played the part of your physician, pushing your chair at a brisk but not overly noticeable pace. Uhura walked ahead of you, opening doors and checking around the corners, while you drew ever closer to the exit. You closed your eyes and crossed your fingers that you wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves in your escape.

The three of you reached the sliding doors at the exact moment that Jim pulled into the pick-up lane to meet you. A security guard started to take an interest in you as you crossed the threshold, which increased your anxiety level. But by the time he had caught up, you, Leonard, and Uhura were already in the car and leaving the hospital's grounds.

What you didn't know was that this particular guard was stationed at the hospital to keep an eye on you. He wasn't looking forward to the call he had to make, but he had a duty to his employer to keep him informed. "Yeah, Bennett? Better tell Cooper that she's escaped....yeah, I'm sure! Just saw her climb into a car with McCoy and her other two friends." The man grimaced as the call disconnected.

***

The next few weeks were spent getting used to a new routine of post-hospital care. During the first couple of weeks, Leonard insisted that you rest and recover from your injuries. You initially protested, leading to a few verbal clashes with Leonard. Eventually, his persistence paid off, because you decided to let yourself be taken care of. You spent your days engaging in more relaxing activities, such as reading, plus there was a large library of movies to choose from.

In the quiet afternoons, Mimzy stretched out in the puddles of sunlight on the floor, while your thoughts frequently drifted to Leonard. What was he doing, how busy was the clinic that day, has he eaten lunch or drank any water, you wondered. Does he miss me? You shook your head at that last question as ridiculous and mentally scolded yourself. Leonard McCoy did not have romantic feelings for you, even though you had them for him.

Since you'd met him, Leonard has held a special place in your heart. He may be gruff, sarcastic, and a bit set in his ways, but you saw beneath the surface. In your eyes, he had a kind, warm heart, a sharp wit, and was caring and sweet, especially with kids. And there was no question of how handsome and charismatic he was, which anyone could see. You'd fallen in love with all of it, all of him.

A similar mental conversation was occurring in Leonard's mind about you. What is she doing, is she in any pain, should I check and see if she needs anything, he pondered. Does she miss me? He scoffed at that last notion and returned his attention to the patient currently in his care. You had better things to do with your day than bother thinking about him. There was no way you had feelings of any kind other than friendship for him.

The minute you stepped out of your car on the day he met you, he was intrigued. To him, you were smart, funny, and kind, frequently putting the needs of others ahead of your own. When your apartment building burned down, he didn't hesitate to offer you a place to stay. Still, you were concerned that you were somehow inconveniencing him. Now, he couldn't imagine his house or his life any other way than with you in it. Nor did he want to.

Perhaps Jim was right, and he should tell you how he feels. After all, you did kiss him before he took off on that damned fishing trip, that had to mean something, right? He recalled that Jocelyn wasn't as free with her affections towards him as you seemed to be. It was one of the contributing factors in why the marriage ended, because he stopped feeling that connection to her.

On the other hand, you didn't hesitate when it came to physical expression. You took his hand, or to put yours on his shoulder or arm as you walked by him without a second thought. The warmth of your touch lingered long after you'd left his side, leaving him wishing for your return. And more than once he'd caught you staring at him, only for you to quickly look away, a sheepish smile on your face. Maybe...., he thought to himself, a smile spreading across his face as he resolved to explore this idea further and see where it would lead.

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

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @hailbop1701 @anna-phora @spacedancer1701 @lassie-bird @phoenixisred @wayward-dreamer @erindiggory @strangesgirls @genevablog26 @dumpsterhippie @lokis-deares @medicatemedrmccoy @rooweighton @mamamercurymist @d-doki-doki @malmeansbad @ghosttrekkie @imamotherfuckingstar-lord @bellestalesoffiction @silversword7000 @maximumtacoshark @xspacedemonx @ilachoasgrem @imherefordeanandbones @jax-the-oregonian @madame-slayer

[velvet-vox]

(This post is wrong as all hell. Please, only read the notes and reblogs of this mess.)

The Confession Discourse.

(Imagine lacking so much time and will that you take almost two months to answer one single rebuttal)

This post is simultaneously a follow up to my previous confession on @md-confessions and a response to @oldmanjenkins985 's confession on that same ask blog.

Originally, I wanted this whole argument to be a @md-confessions blog's exclusive thing, but I was too slow, and the confession box was closed, so now, after delaying it for weeks, I've finally decided to make my response to the whole thing, while also keeping some unsaid stuff for myself for when I'll eventually finish writing my giant critique of Doll, who at this point I'm not sure if I want to publish before episode 8 or not. You can find the links to all of the confessions that I'm talking about right above, in the coloured words.

I think that the best way to start this response is by going through @oldmanjenkins985 's confession and rebutting each and every point with my opinion, then I'll start speaking more generally on the whole subject matter while providing the reasons that drove me to make that original confession.

Read and Rebuttal.

"So, basically the way you talk about rewriting the story is that you just want an almost completely different story than the one we got. Getting rid of the school elements? Say goodbye to episode 3 and 4. 2 can still happen but there's some stuff that needs to be cut and stuff to fill those gaps."

Alright, so, to be perfectly clear, I wasn't saying that I wanted an entirely different story than the one we got. Originally, while making that confession, I was under the assumption that it was always Liam's intention to eventually escalate the story to "end of the universe" proportions, and that the reason why he decided to rush so much of the plot was to get to that aforementioned conflict with the Absolute Solver. Therefore, my suggestion was that, since Vickers seemed more interested in the apocalyptic aspects of his story and didn't have the time or resources to flesh out anything else, he should have sacrificed the whole school setting earlier on (since, despite how much I like it, it was kind of useless after the pilot, where it set up Uzi's character and flaws. It was semi useful in ep 2 and 3 to also set up Doll's character, but I'm currently advocating her erasure, so those instances don't matter to our argument) and just went straight to the things that he actually wanted to tell.

However, as I've learned more about the production history of this show, I no longer believe that to be the case; the Absolute Solver was always a planned thing, but not in the way it is currently iterated; I'm sure Liam rewrote the entire plot so many times, that, whatever he had in mind at the beginning, it's so wildly different from the final product that it might as well be a completely different show.

The school elements were probably very relevant to the first few drafts, but in the final take, they are completely disregardable, and I know that because the show itself quickly disregards a lot of those elements in episode 4, so this isn't even an idea I came up with in my spare time, Murder Drones itself instilled this notion in my head to begin with.

"but 3 and 4 not happening AT ALL like they do, that would have serious ripple effects."

Duh, that's what happens when you change a part of your story, it usually changes your whole story, even if in minor ways.

My main goal here was to make the story of Murder Drones simpler so that it better sticks to the eight 20 minutes long episodes.

In his current form, the story of Murder Drones is too big to be fleshed out in an eight-episode season, we aren't even sure if there'll be a season 2, and even if there was, season 1 is so crammed already that episodes 6, 7, and most likely 8 feel like the ending of a second season to me; that's just how crazy the pacing is.

"And episode 5/6 would probably go down differently as well since Doll wouldn't be there to steal the keybug."

Have you ever wondered why Doll didn't steal the keybug back in episode 4 when Uzi found it in that abandoned warehouse? Neither N nor V were there to help Uzi in case Doll decided to do the same thing that she did to Cyn in episode 6; Doll didn't even need to go straight into the Cabin Fever's labs (even if that's exactly what she ended up doing in ep 6), she could have just simply disappeared into the woods; the main gang doesn't know where her hideout is, therefore, she could have just stalled with the keybug until she figured out a trap or a setup (the one thing she has been consistently excelling at) to get rid of the trio (at least temporarily) and enter Cabin Fever labs to find what she was looking for.

So, why doesn't she do it? Well, it's simple: it's because she doesn't know what the keybug does at this point of the story.

Doll only learns about the secrets hiding down in the elevator shaft off camera through Tessa, who then engages her to steal the keybug from Uzi in episode 5.

Therefore, excluding the fact that yes, episode 2 through 6 would play out differently, Doll, in regards to her choice to steal the bug, it's only a tool for Cyn; and while this wouldn't feel like it if the show was better paced, due to the fact that our protagonists immediately teleport to the labs, and the way her arc plays out in the next two episodes, she also feels like a tool for the plot as well.

Again, all of this would have been perfectly fine with better pacing or more spotlight on Doll as a character, but that wasn't the case, so moving on:

"And Doll just being a plot device and not a character? Don't even get me started on that."

She is a character and a plot device, a lot of fictional characters are simultaneously plot devices, especially protagonists and antagonists, the trick stems in the writer's ability of masking the second component and, ideally, even the first.

Storytelling is all about manipulation; how capable you are to make the audience buy the events being told even if they are completely fake.

Some characters achieve this narrative illusion almost perfectly, while others like Doll are harder to pass by if their writing doesn't hold up.

You can fault me for my excessive scrutiny, but I'm going to explain how I got to this point at the end of the rebuttal.

"She's one of the most tragic and well written characters of the show and I LOVE her.

If it was just for that, I love her as well, but I don't find her to be one of the most well written characters in the show, far from it; I actually consider her to be a hot writing mess, though that doesn't stop me from thinking about her basically every single day.

Do I find her to be one of the most tragic characters in the show? Objectively speaking, no. A lot of other characters had it worse than her, Alice and Beau are technically more tragic characters than Doll, as they never had any other choice at every single turn. V had it worse, N had it worse, Cyn had it worse, Tessa had it worse, heck, you can easily make the argument that J of all people had it worse than Doll. By comparison, if you lack the emotional intelligence to understand that, just because one person's trauma is worse than someone else's it doesn't mean that the other person's trauma doesn't matter, as all life scarring experiences affect us in an indiscernible way, that invalidates certain statements such as "well that person clearly had it worse than you, yet you became a sh####er person than them, so your trauma doesn't matter because you could have just simply overcame it like that one person did, but you didn't because you were always a jerk", Doll just looks like a giant a#####e.

Is her tragedy the one that affected me the most? (Looks back at the several months of emotional damage preceding and succeeding her death) Yes.

I feel like that's partially due to how much I personally relate to Doll, but even if I am fully willing to admit that V's entire life story is technically far more sad than Doll's, I just have way more traits in common with Doll, plus it also helps the fact that Doll (to me) is the most down to earth character in the entire cast. Her serious demeanor may alienate her from the show's tone, but it helps her to be more likable to me, as she, more than any other character, feels like a real world person that reacts accordingly to all of the nonsense and murder happening around her. We don't get enough of the human characters for me to feel like: "Yeah, this guy is definitely me if I was in Murder Drones, I would do the same things and react in the same way to all the horrors happening around me". I like Uzi's and Tessa's quirkiness, and I could be considered a weird-boy even if I never was ostracized in school or emotionally neglected by my parents, but I don't personally relate to their antics and their comedic reactions to the horror moments pale in comparison to Doll's genuine reactions to pretty much anything. Also, while all Murder Drones fans can claim to share some traits with N and V, none of them can really say that they personally relate to being a disposable slave; therefore points to Doll being the most grounded Murder Drones character.

So yeah, Doll is a very tragic antagonist, but I am a Wakfu fan, thus I know the secret ingredients behind a truly magnificent sympathetic villain, and I can say that Doll lacks a lot of the pieces that make someone like Nox such a heart breaking rollercoaster of emotions. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to know what I'm talking about since Wakfu is a pretty obscure franchise, I'm only mentioning it for propaganda reasons, but nonetheless, I'm pretty confident in saying that I know what differentiates a good sympathetic villain from a truly great one; Doll has a lot of pieces of the latter but she ends up falling into the former due to various reasons, most noticeable reason of all being that she never feels like the protagonist of her own story, just a side character that refused to remain as such.

Loving her doesn't stop me from thinking about her critically. Soon we are going to discuss what her place in the narrative is and why it doesn't work in the way it was intended to.

"Her flaws especially."

I would really like to open up a tangent here, but I feel like that's a discussion for another day; so sure, you love her flaws, go on.

"She's very much a mirror to Uzi. Both had their parents (or parent in Uzi's case) get killed by disassembly drones, both are infected with the Solver, and both want to figure out what the hell it is and how to fix themselves. The difference between the two, is that Doll SAW V rip her parents apart while laughing."

There are way more differences than that, but I'm sure you already knew that, sorry for being incapable to pick up on sarcasm.

"Uzi was likely only a baby when Nori died, and even if she wasn't she didn't personally see her die."

I have nothing to say here, but I thought that it would be better to separate this sentence from the next one, just to narrow down the focus.

"That was what let her get over her grudge, because she had a grudge against a concept, while Doll had a grudge against a person."

This sentence doesn't make any sense to me. People can absolutely have a grudge against a concept, and Doll's hatred for the Disassembly Drones being targeted rather than vague like Uzi's hatred is (even if Uzi doesn't hate the Disassembly Drones, though I'm not sure what that scene with Uzi in episode 2 "The humans sent you without a communication relay and reformatted your memories to soup. Covering their tracks means that they are past negotiating. Not like they tried negotiating with my mum" was supposed to mean. Uzi in general is such a strange character to me, weird-girl my a##, Uzi stans, your daughter is straight up an enigma) it's not what allowed one to get over their grudge compared to the other.

One example of this is Bradford Buzzard from the DuckTales remake: he was traumatised as a kid by her strict grandma, who forced him to go on dangerous adventures with her, so when he grew up started hating the entire concept of adventures, and sought for a way to eliminate all unpredictable elements from the world and his life. This is only one example but you get the idea.

To be fair, you did mention the fact that you were tired when you started writing this, so I'm pretty sure that you weren't reflecting carefully when you wrote this part, plus once a confession is sent you can't correct it anymore, as such, I believe you would have probably changed this sentence if you taught about it a little longer. Therefore, I'll just let this one slide.

"Doll continuously decides to work by herself as a result, unable to overcome her hatred for V (very understandably mind you)."

Absolutely, screw all those people who said that Doll was being unreasonable by not joining sides with Uzi, 90% of all normal human beings wouldn't want to stay anywhere close to their parents murderer, especially Doll, who for some reason is the most realistic member of the cast, even if she isn't human. Plus, if you believe the theory that Doll's parents were killed during the pilot (there are some plot holes in the timeline of events for both this theory and the "child Doll saw her parents die" theory, but that's something for another day), then it's technically Uzi the one who created her rival, which would contradict the "Doll is completely consumed by revenge" allegations, as Doll weirdly enough sympathizes with Uzi and *insert here a giant analysis of Lizzie's line in Episode 3 "Dude, no one is gonna notice she is missing. Just do your thing, and I'll let in V" and how many questions it raises* despite her knowing that she was the one to let in her parents killer.

But ok, this is completely unrelated, let's move on.

"This ultimately ends up getting her killed because she alone could not take on the Solver, a threat we time and time again have seen to only be stoppable when people work together against it. When Uzi and N work together in ep 2, Doll protecting Lizzy in the same episode, in ep 4 when N helps Uzi regain control, in ep 7 when Nori and N fight back against possessed Uzi. Then think about all the times it succeeded. In ep 5 at the Gala it had Tessa alone, in ep 7 it had N and Uzi on the ropes when they were alone, in ep 4 when Uzi was on a rampage and V was trying to kill her rather than help her."

Uh uhm.

"Doll's death doesn't ruin her character, it IS her character (might be overexaggerating there but I really liked that sentence). Tragedy and bad choices stemming from reasonable thinking. A result of her going alone, trusting nobody."

I don't know what to say here.

At first I was like "Ehhhhhhhhh, you are kinda right but not in a positive way" but then I realised that there are a lot of right and wrong things in this paragraph, and in order to pick them apart I would have to go through a massive side tangent that would take focus away from the rest of the confession, as such, I'm just going to leave this as it is and maybe I will address it in a future post.

"Also, we don't even know that she's dead! Yes, it's likely she is, but Cyn only swallowed her core. It's possible it gets thrown up in ep 8 and she gets to continue living."

We'll see, but if I was the one who killed Doll in such a dramatic and gruesome way I wouldn't have her revived right away in the following episode, where there are already a lot of ongoing plot lines that need to be tied up; nor would I do this if I want for the stakes to remain high.

Sorry for bumming down your optimism, but I really struggle to see how Doll could possibly bounce back up when she was just brutally executed in the most anticlimactic way possible.

"Don't judge her before the season is done."

I will judge Doll based on what's already present in the episodes because I have very valid reasons to believe that her arc was being made up as the story went on; planner and pantsie are two different terms used to identify the writing style of a writer, the former is for writers who spend time planning out the various aspects of their stories before releasing them, the latter is for writers who make up their story as they go along; both writing styles have their advantages and disadvantages, and writers can actually adoperate both simultaneously if they need to, and that's what Liam Vickers did: he planned out a lot of aspects of his series (at least in the final rewrite), like the Tessa reveal and the Solver mystery, and made up other aspects as the episodes went along, like Doll's entire storyline.

Getting the obvious differences in characterisation between Pilot and series Doll out of the way, have you ever wondered why we get the reveal that Doll's parents have died both in episode 2 and 3? It would have been a lot better if it was just revealed to us in The Promening, after all Liam's writing is hardly ever on the nose when it comes to this type of stuff, why repeat to the audience information that they already know?

That scene with Lizzy and Doll in episode 2 is in general one of the most forced scenes in the show; it serves his purpose of setting up Doll and Lizzie's characters alright, but it doesn't make a lot of sense if you start peeling away at its layers for a while.

I can and will judge Doll as she is right now if her story was being made up as the show went along, I've seen good pantsie writing in my life, and I can usually tell at which point the writer lost sight of his original idea and it's starting to fall apart.

"If you like the series how it is, Doll and the school elements are VITAL. Irreplacable. And if you really don't like how the series went, as it seems you do considering you think it'd be better if the entire thing was rewritted, make a fanfiction"

I like how the series is, but I really like how Murder Drones could have been.

Ideally, in a perfect universe, we would get two 20 episodes long seasons that set up all of the things that have happened in these 8 episodes and also give us plenty of time to flesh out all of the cast, the world, and look at side stories that reinforce the main themes of the series or give us some breathing room between the big events.

Of course, we don't live in that perfect universe; we only have 8 episodes to tell a story, thus, we need to be very thoughtful of what we put inside the plot because we don't have a lot of time to flesh everything out.

Probably, for the story that Liam wanted to tell, 16 or 12 episodes would have been enough, even if it still seems a little bit scuffed, but again, we don't have those, and he should have paid more attention to that fact.

We'll circle back at this in just a moment.

"Whew, that was...a lot. I think you can tell I really like this show. Again, I apologize if I come off as rude or pompous or whatever."

No problems. You sounded genuine.

"I'm just very passionate about the show. I don't think it doesn't have flaws, it is rushed and Liam isn't one for super fine worldbuilding details, but ultimately those barely affect it for me. They dock like, half a point combined for me."

And if that's the case, good for you. I'm happy that you can still enjoy the show the way it is because I've become pretty miserable as a result of picking apart all of its flaws and wishing for them to not exist.

The real Reasons.

Now that I have taken apart all of the individual pieces of the confession, it's finally time for me to provide you with some answers.

The main reason why I wrote that original confession was because of this Other confession, that basically pointed out the fact that confessions as a whole started s#####g ass, and it got me into questioning if I could write something better.

I had a couple of ideas I wanted to discuss, and threw a couple of them into that original text, hoping that it would live up to my standards. @oldmanjenkins985 read it, disagreed with what it had to say, and that's how we've got to this point.

As I have stated in the first part of my rebuttal, I used to believe that Liam Vickers was so interested in his end of the universe storyline that he wanted to go for it at any cost, even if that meant skipping important character work and rushing through most of the plot points he had in mind.

With that assumption, I thought that all the other ideas, like Doll, Alice, Beau and the sentinels, were just things that Liam came up with as production progressed and thought they were too cool to disregard, so he kept them. He kept them even if he didn't have the time to flesh them out or the courage to simplify his story so that we, the audience, wouldn't feel robbed.

I really love Doll.

I can't stress this enough, I love Doll way more than I love Murder Drones.

But exactly because I love her so much, I need to keep her at harm's length; she's not a real person, she's a fictional character, and as such, she can and should be eliminated from the story if the final product would benefit from it.

I'm someone who's willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the sake of art, even if it means eliminating good ideas that can't be done justice in their execution, and I believe Doll to be the biggest example of this due to her own niche role in the narrative and how said niche exists only because of her.

Let me explain: Doll is the main side antagonist of the first season of the show.

Let me repeat that: Doll is the main, SIDE antagonist, of the first season of Murder Drones.

You don't just "make" a side antagonist and drop it into the story because he's important, no, you have to consciously make room for their existence because they are not as necessary to the story as the protagonists, the supporting characters, or the main antagonist. The niche that Doll fills in the story is one that innately benefits her and her only, so she needs extra character work to make sure that she feels connected and important to everything else going on.

Alice and Beau are roadblocks, you could say that they had a lot of untapped potential, but the show never teased us with said potential in the way that it teased us with Doll's, so they don't feel like wasted characters because that's all they were ever meant to be.

I would cut Lizzie and Alice out of the story to give Doll more development, but I wouldn't cut Doll out of the story to give Lizzie and Alice more development.

Two out of three fulfill their roles decently and extra screen time isn't mandatory, the third one has a role that exists only to benefit them and as such they should be given the necessary screen time to make their presence not feel like a burden.

Another thing that I've noticed while writing "The insane, untapped potential of Rebecca from Murder Drones" (which I encourage everyone reading this to check out, as I consider it to be my masterpiece), is that Doll doesn't really tie all that well into any of the themes of abuse present in the show; sure, there's her relationship with Lizzy, but you can interpret that in a miriad of ways, some of which being more healthy than the others, and a lot of them even positioning Doll as the abuser and Lizzy as the still guilty yet repented victim.

Side antagonists or just general side characters whose stories are focused on exist to expand the themes or the world of the setting, and they need to be included into the narrative only if you have the time to focus on them, otherwise they need to remain on the concept board.

My obsession with Doll isn't a temporary fluke, it's going to carry on for the rest of my life.

But guess what? I've been hyper obsessed with a lot of things in my life, Murder Drones being one of them; when the dust will be settled, the only thing that will matter is the quality of the actual show, and in his current state that future isn't looking so bright.

I've seen a lot of Murder Drones creators losing a lot of interest for the show after episode 7, and I myself have lost my suspension of disbelief after having lots of time to internalise it.

I'm not sure if anyone reading this has noticed it yet, but ever since episode 7, the world of Murder Drones has become ten times smaller. We've erased Tessa, the school setting, JCJenson and Doll from the equation; many people now believe that the planet is going to be destroyed and only the most relevant characters will survive its collapse, thus eliminating the entire worker drones society from the plot; all human life is most likely dead and the planet Earth was revealed to have been destroyed back in episode 6; it really feels like with every passing installment the Murder Drones universe just keeps getting smaller as the stakes get higher, and I don't think that's a good thing, it actively harms the potential and creativity of Murder Drones as a series, and it makes it harder for the fear of the unknown to have any sort of impact when the universe is so claustrophobic that it's far easier to assume that all of the undiscovered mysteries are just the angles of the room.

If I had to compare Murder Drones to any other series, I would say that the Epic Mickey franchise is the best way to describe how I feel about it.

Both series are a collection of pretty cool concepts and have a lot of angsty and edgy material as a part of their world building, and both of them execute some of their individual ideas perfectly while the overall product misses the mark of a masterpiece.

And while Epic Mickey is held back by the poor gameplay of both installments and the poor writing of the second one, Murder Drones is held back by a lack of focus and restraint from his creator.

People often point to the founders of Glitch when they try to justify the rushed pacing of the story, but in my opinion, if the higher ups of Glitch were truly responsible for their show's shortcomings, at this point at least one of the members of the crew should have made us aware, and this reasoning still doesn't take away the blame from Liam, as he still has mostly unchecked creative freedom.

Remember that video on Liam's official YouTube channel titled "So I've been given too much creative power and made a show"?

Well, you know what the saying says.

"With great power comes great responsibility"

And this is true even for art.

[innocent-artery]

Hi can you write a Robin Buckley x reader fic, where Robin and reader were each other's first kiss (they didn't tell anyone)and now are partner for a science project. At first they dont realize who each other are, but once they realize it it's awkward, eventually reader asks Robin if she wants to go on a date and Robin says yes

Of course! I fell in love with this idea as soon as I read it, I love Robin with my whole heart and I hope I did her justice.

we fell in love in october

1.8k words

Summary: The cute girl in your science class has a first kiss story that's strikingly similar to yours.

Pairing: Robin Buckley x reader

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, extensive warnings will not be given. Reader discretion advised.

While listening, I recommend listening to secret hiding spot kinda love, a spotify playlist by me!

~

You didn't think anything of it at first. But then again, that's usually how these things go.

When you stepped into class on the first day of school, taking the first empty desk you saw, you didn't think it would ever make a difference. You didn't think you'd even spare your seatmate a second glance, planning to daydream through the entire period.

But the more you sat near her, noticed her in your peripheral, you found yourself leaning back to get a better look- still trying to be as subtle as possible. She was leaned back in her seat, legs spread open in a manner that would earn a side-eye from most parents, right leg tapping furiously. Her arms were folded comfortably over her middle, and she was chewing on her lip. Her eyes darted towards you, and she gave you a shy wave.

Shit. You hadn't realized in your curiosity that you'd actually turned your head all the way and were now staring at her. You ducked your head, giving an embarrassed 'hi'.

Robin seemed to be opening her mouth to say something, but it snapped shut when the teacher, with a very dinosaur-like face and cat-eye glasses, cleared her throat in a shrill and exaggerated manner. She began calling out names, and you let out a quiet breath.

You were now hypervigilant about how often you glanced at her, cheeks warming every time she caught your gaze. It wasn't panic that flared up in your stomach, but you weren't sure what else to name it. Excitement, perhaps?

"Buckley, Robin."

"Here!" Your seatmate raised her hand, and upon further inspection, you noted the chipped black paint on her nails. Her fingers and wrist were adorned with silver jewelry. It waved, and shit.

She caught you again. Your head whipped back towards the front, and you could have sworn you heard a quiet laugh.

. . .

"Today's the day, Pop."

Your head fell back, a groan paving the way for an exhausted laugh.

Robin had given you the nickname Pop a month into school, after she'd made a comment that you, like Mary Poppins, were "practically perfect in every way". You'd laughed it off and rolled your eyes, spending the rest of the day desperately praying nobody asked why you were smiling to yourself.

It was October now, temperature dropping rapidly and making way for snow season. So every time Robin trudged into class her cheeks and nose were tinged pink, making your staring problem- which Robin had long since told you she picked up on and teased you for- much worse.

"Don't remind me." You sighed, grinning.

"Wonder how she'll do it." Robin scooted her chair in, folding her arms over the desk and resting her chin on them. "Arrange partners, I mean."

You shrugged. "I just hope I don't get stuck with Carol."

"Ooh, yeah. You'll get stuck doing the entire project." Robin agreed.

"Hem hem!" You winced at the sound. Robin snickered, hiding her face in the crook of her arms to stifle the noise.

The teacher droned on and on about what you assumed was the relevance of the project, how it would impact your grade, and how she would be grading it. You didn't hear, Robin was making faces to mimic your fossil of a teacher.

"You'll be working with your seatmates, and no, there'll be no exceptions."

Your ears perked at that. You and Robin looked at each other in sync.

Robin's face, though it was excited, had a strange undertone of shock. Like she'd just realized something; what it was you had no clue.

"Guess you didn't get Carol after all." Robin smiled, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. She looked a little panicked, actually.

"Thank God." You rolled your eyes, then glanced at the clock. "There's no way we're going to get this done by Monday."

Robin was looking over the material. "Yeah, definitely not."

"We're gonna have to meet up over the weekend, when works for you?"

Robin looked up abruptly. "Sunday," she blurted out after a second.

Sunday.

. . .

You shouldn't have spent as much time as you did standing in front of your mirror, glancing at the clock and then back at your hair.

You'd spent the entire morning cleaning your house, checking and re-checking if your room looked appropriate for company. You had your books and papers laid out neatly over your comforter, finding nothing else and everything to fuss over.

When the doorbell rang, you leapt from your seat, nearly slipping on the hardwood floor as you scrambled.

When you opened the door, Robin gave you a wave. That same awkward wave she'd given you on the first day of school. Your heart fluttered.

"Brought us a little pick-me-up." She held up a plastic bag in the other hand.

"You're a lifesaver." You stepped aside to let her in, blinking at the proximity as she passed you. She was actually in your house. You thought you might shit yourself.

You led her to your room, sitting awkwardly on your bed as she stood looking around, taking short steps as she took in your posters and pictures and furniture. You watched her, trying to gauge a reaction. Did she think your wallpaper color was immature? Was there dust on a picture frame you'd forgotten to swipe off?

When she glanced over at you, you expected her to make a joke but instead she winked.

You certainly weren't expecting that.

Robin laughed at your stunned reaction, sitting down next to you. "Sorry Pop, force of habit." Her head was ducked, curtained by chestnut hair. She ruffled it, tsking.

You cleared your throat, reaching for the plastic bag she'd left on the nightstand. "So, what'd you get?"

It turned out Robin had gotten coffees. While you sipped yours happily while you worked, you noticed Robin pursing her lips and scrunching her nose every time she took a sip. You wondered why she got coffee if she didn't like it, but didn't press.

Speaking of work, you made very slow progress. Your conversation went off topic a few too many times, too busy laughing and too engaged in stories to work and talk simultaneously. At some point you'd abandoned the project completely, lying side by side on your bed and staring at the ceiling.

"So you've never had your first kiss?"

You frowned. What's so bad about that?

She caught on immediately, shaking her hands. "Not that that's a bad thing! It's just, you're really pretty, so that's a little hard to believe, you don't just have guys lining up?"

You were fidgeting with your fingers. "Technically... okay, you cannot tell anyone."

Robin rolled over on her stomach, chin resting in her palm.

"When I was little, probably seven or eight, I made friends with this girl at the park. I didn't know her, I don't even remember her name, but she was really nice. She had so many band-aids on her legs, and she wore this old baseball cap with a smiley face on it. Anyways, us being dumb little kids, we kissed under the slide. It was more of a peck, really, and she ran away as soon as we did it. I never saw her again. But anyway, I don't know if I really count that as a first kiss, because I was so young and it obviously wasn't a romantic thing.."

Your voice trailed off when you noticed Robin's expression. Her jaw was hung open, and she wasn't blinking.

"Robin?" You asked, voice hushed and tense, but she didn't speak. She sat up, rigid in her movement, and walked slowly out of the bedroom, hands folded over her mouth.

The reality of what you'd just confessed hit you like a truck. You told her you'd kissed a girl. Even with how much you padded it over by saying it happened when you were young and stupid and that it meant nothing, fact was fact and if it gets told to one wrong person, it can get warped and twisted into some predatory lie and you could end up kicked out of the house and getting beat up behind grocery stores.

One minute passed. Two, three. Finally you couldn't stand the silence and hauled yourself onto your feet.

Robin was standing just outside the door, leaned against the hallway wall with her arms crossed, one hand picking at her lip. Her head jerked to look at you, cheeks paled despite the warm light from your bedroom washing over her normally honey skin.

Your hand was shaking on the doorknob, lips chapped as you opened them to speak. "I know what it sounds like-"

"You remember the hat?"

Your brows furrowed. "Huh?"

Robin shuffled past you, reaching elbow-deep into her backpack until she tugged out a tattered old snapback with a very familiar yellow stitching on the front.

Your jaw fell open. You looked, dumbfounded, between her face, equally awestruck, and the hat.

"That was you?"

Robin nodded. "That was me."

You smiled, even if only out of anxiety. "You ran away from your first kiss."

"Hey, you surprised me!" Robin threw her hands in the air. She was smiling again, ruffling her hair and shaking her head. She turned to you, who was sat back on the bed now. "Anyways, you don't even consider that a first kiss."

You shrugged. "I didn't like you then."

"But you like me now, eh Pop?"

You froze. Robin laughed, flopping back down onto the mattress. "Kidding, kidding."

But she was still chewing her lip, ducking her head down so that her hair shielded her face. You stared at her rifling through papers, resifting as though she herself didn't know what she was looking for.

"Robin."

She looked up, the most bashful you'd ever seen her.

Your body acted on its own. Your lips caught hers in a moment of reckless abandon. Briefly, before panic settled in, and you began to draw away, but a hand on the back of your neck pulled you back in.

The world around you seemed to fade, the only thing going through your racing mind was the shock of your own actions. The fact that you were actually kissing her.

When you broke the kiss, she chased after you, forehead rested against yours. Her eyes were still closed as though scared to open them, breaths held. Her hand was shaking against your skin.

When they did open, they were wide and terrified. You winked at her, and they softened, laugh lines closing around her eyelids.

The silence was deafening. She rested her face in your shoulder. It wasn't until she started giggling that she looked up.

"What's so funny?"

"I didn't run away this time." She grinned.

"Good for you, Robin." You rolled your eyes, pressing another chaste kiss to her lips.

You sat there for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, fingers tracing over hair and jawlines. That is, until Robin jumped, clapping her hands against her thighs.

"The project! Shit, it's so late!"

Shit.

~

[starwarsmum]

Onto the next chapter of Introducing: Mousinette! Finally we see Marinette arrive in Gotham ❤️ there is a panic attack depicted in this chapter. It isn't intense, but it's there

As the Easter break approached, Marinette was snowed under by her tests and commissions. She apologised to Barbara but wasn't able to keep up with their weekly chats. She had a conditional offer for her university of choice and she had to get the appropriate grades. She promised that she would catch up with the other woman as soon as she was free but, for now, she was under more than enough pressure.

Marinette slept for 36 hours straight when the final test was complete, and the final commission boxed and sent to the buyer. When she eventually awoke, she was hungry, bleary and wanted to crawl back into bed to sleep for another 36. Unfortunately, Penny and Jagged had made plans to stop by that day and Marinette had promised to be available and not half-dead for the visit so she had to shower and make herself presentable.

“Lil M! It feels like forever since we saw you last, how's my favourite little rocker?” Jagged's voice boomed as he caught sight of her. She grinned and snuggled into a hug from Penny, making him cry out in mock outrage. “We were just talking to your parents about our plans for your break, Rockette.”

“Oh?” She was only mildly interested in the plans, as she knew her parents had asked her to keep her schedule free to help more in the bakery now that she didn't have the BAC breathing down her neck. “I hope they involve plenty of rest, seeing as I still feel like I haven't slept in a week.”

“Well, there will be plenty of time to sleep on the plane!” Penny said brightly, making Marinette pull away from her sharply. “Ah-ah,” she admonished, shushing Marinette before she could start bombarding them with questions. “Your parents agree that you've more than earned a holiday, which is why you haven't been allowed to take on any new clients, and your parents asked you to keep your schedule clear.”

“We knew you wouldn't do it unless you had another obligation, Marinette,” Tom said mournfully, regretful that they had had to trick their daughter. “We are more than capable of keeping the bakery running without you, and Penny and Jagged offered to take you to see your new university during the trip.”

“I don't even know if I passed yet!” Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands up. It was only token resistance, she knew that if they had taken the time to work with her parents then there was no way she wasn't going. “How long do I have to pack?”

“Well, the jet leaves in 4 hours-” Marinette cut Jagged off with a screech, launching herself back upstairs without another word. The adults stood around chortling as they waited patiently for her to re-emerge with her suitcase. When she came back down half an hour later, pink suitcase and carry-on in tow, he continued as though there had been no interruption. “-and as we don't have to fly commercial, there'll be plenty of time for you to tell your little friends that you won't be available,” he finished smugly. 

“Maman, Papa, thank you so much,” Marinette squeezed them both tightly, promising to keep them updated while she traveled. They parted tearfully, but Marinette was also excited to see where she might be living in half a year's time. “I can't believe you didn't tell me, I have no idea if I packed everything I'll need.”

“Anything you don't have, we can pick up for you,” Penny reassured her. “Besides, it's only for 2 weeks, and we have a pretty packed schedule ready for you.”

“Wait, does Barbara know?” Marinette asked excitedly. When Penny confirmed that it would be a surprise for her too, Marinette squealed and immediately began planning what she would wear to meet the young woman. Penny eyed her carefully, noting the light flush to her skin and the over-bright sheen to her eyes. She knew Marinette had a good head on her shoulders, but also that she had a tendency to let her heart lead her, which didn't always end well.

Choosing to shelve that problem for later, Penny allowed Marinette to babble excitedly about everything from the architecture she had seen in pictures of Gotham, to the latest red carpet fashions. The nervous excitement kept Marinette bouncing in her seat during the flight, and whenever Penny and Jagged closed their own eyes to get some rest, she pulled out her sketchbook to jot down new ideas. 

When they eventually touched down, it was late evening in Gotham, meaning that Marinette's parents would be getting up soon to start their morning bakery routine. She fired off several messages to confirm that she was safe and sound in Gotham, unsurprised when only her parents messaged back.

They trudged to the Rolling-Stone’s apartment, Marinette yawning and bleary-eyed. The adults promptly sent her to bed, saying they would wake her at a reasonable hour to discuss their next plans. She sleepily demanded that seeing Barbara be a priority, as she was supposed to be having a video call with the woman the following evening anyway. Only once they had agreed, did she allow them to prod her into the room that would be hers for the next 2 weeks.

She was asleep almost before she had fully laid down, Tikki settling into the crook of her neck.

_ _ _

Barbara Gordon was used to long nights, being the main coordinator of the bat-family’s nightly activities. At 32 years old, she had seen her share of horrors and continued wanting to make a difference to their city. She was used to spending her days catching up on some sleep, before assisting the GCPD with cold cases so that she could afford everything she wanted.

When Penny Rolling had contacted her to help out with a budding designer's website, she had been intrigued. She had then proceeded to look for as much information as possible about the girl, not wanting to go into the agreement blind. She hadn't expected to find out about Parisian superheroes as part of her research, but she took it in stride as much as she was able.

Then she had met Marinette and immediately felt a protectiveness that defied logic. The girl was clearly competent, clever and driven, something Barbara appreciated, but there had been an underlying sense of vulnerability, which had ignited motherly instincts she hadn't known she possessed. She often wondered if this was how Bruce felt when he adopted yet another stray vigilante. It certainly explained why the manor was always overrun.

She had been relieved to find out that the ‘Hawkmoth situation’, as Marinette called it, was long resolved, and that she didn't need to worry about her brand new sister being caught up in attacks anymore. She had enough sibling-figures that threw themselves into danger with reckless abandon, thank-you-very-much. 

On this particular evening, the Bat-boys were needling her for information about her sudden acquisition of not 1, not 2 but 3 MDC original pieces. They were green with envy, none of them having been successful at locating Jagged Stone’s now famous designer (because she would not allow them to crack her firewalls, she was the Oracle for a reason) and so they had taken to trying to trick information out of her. 

“C’mon O, you know I've been a Jagged fan since the beginning. Our first date was at one of his concerts! We know she's French, we know he thinks of her as family, but how did you get ahead of us on the waitlist for a commission?”

Barbara snorted, keeping it to herself that she had deliberately asked Marinette to hold off on accepting the commissions the boys had sent her. The girl was strangely accepting of the request, stating something about knowing what it was like to tease a sibling-figure. She refused to elaborate, but Barbara wasn't too concerned - Marinette had a lot of friends, lots of them probably felt like family at this point.

“Can we keep the line clear, Nightwing?” Came Bruce's exasperated voice. “Oracle, how is the situation at the dock progressing?”

“Looks like you should be good to engage, they just swapped a couple of briefcases. I have some decent photos of the exchange, lovely and clear. I doubt this politician expected to have this much scrutiny, he's not even covering that very distinctive mole of his.” Being a corrupt official was bad enough - a sloppy corrupt official? It was like he wanted to be caught. 

A couple of hours later, Barbara signed off of comms, intending to get a better night's sleep before she had her catch up with Marinette the following day. It felt like it had been months, rather than weeks, since she had spoken with the girl, and she missed her. 

When she awoke the next morning, she had a message from Penny, who had apparently landed the day before and wanted to crash the video chat that night. Barbara's two favourite civilians, available on the same evening? Not just a ‘yes’, but a ‘hell yes’. She smiled as she tidied up her living space, knowing that Penny would want to stop for dinner after the call.

She got a response saying that Jagged had other plans that evening, so she found the details for her favourite local takeaway. She was just putting away her work when her phone lit up with messages from Dick. She was about to open them when her doorbell sounded.

After doing a visual and auditory check that it was, in fact, Penny Rolling at her door, she buzzed her up to the apartment. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. So she was instantly on high alert when she heard hushed voices making their way to her door. She grabbed her safety bat from the stand beside the door, and prepared to depress her emergency beacon.

As the door swung open, she leveled her bat at the two women who appeared, which made the smaller one almost drop the boxes she was carrying. Penny cried out in alarm, pushing herself between the two and shouting for calm. After a minute or two’s confusion, everyone had calmed down enough for Barbara to recognize Marinette.

“Well, I guess that means you're surprised?” Penny said into the strained silence. Marinette frowned at her, before dropping in front of Barbara and catching her eye. “I'm sorry Babs, I didn't think bringing Mari would be a problem, I just wanted to do a nice surprise for you-”

“Penny, could you take the boxes to the table and let Jagged know we made it safe?” Marinette interjected, smiling up reassuringly at the older woman. Once Penny gave a jerky nod and went through to the other room, Marinette dropped her voice. “It's okay, Babs, you're okay. Whatever you're seeing right now, it isn't real. Can you feel my hand? It's on your arm right now. Maybe you can remind me what perfume I chose today, I'm so scatterbrained.”

“Y- you smell like strawberries,” Barbara said in a strangled voice. “Strawberries and flour.”

“That's great,” Marinette continued, flashing a beam at the woman. “Can you tell me what you're thinking right now?”

“That I'm a grown woman and I'm having a panic attack,” she bit back a hysterical laugh. “I'm so sorry, I don't- I don't get surprise visitors. The last time someone came by unannounced I ended up in this chair.”

“Oh, my God, Babs, I'm so sorry,” Marinette's voice strained with tears, her comforting hand starting to shake slightly. “I had no idea, or I would have emailed you last night when I landed. Tell me what I can do to help you, please.”

Barbara took several deep breaths and fought to bring her heart rate down. She could hear Penny speaking tearfully to someone on the phone, probably Jagged. She startled again when Penny reappeared in front of her, holding her phone out.

“Babs, are you okay?” Dick's voice came through the line and Barbara started to feel grounded again. She let out a semi-hysterical hiccup and he carried on. “Do you need me to come to you? Or do you want to come here? You'll never guess who showed up here, Babs! Jagged Stone! Did you know Bruce knows him?”

“Dick, you knew that he knows him,” Barbara laughed. She wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and glanced at Penny. “And let me guess, you're using his phone right now?”

“I totally am,” Dick said gleefully, and Barbara could almost imagine him sitting on the edge of a sofa, his knees bouncing up and down. “ And he said that he can get me an in with his designer! So now you won't be the only one with an MDC original!”

They had a very short conversation before they handed the respective phones back. Penny and Jagged had another quick conversation and they decided it would be better if everyone was together, so Dick was coming to pick the three up.

Marinette immediately began to fret that she hadn't baked enough, eyeing Barbara’s kitchen thoughtfully before deciding she simply didn't have time. “I'll have to make more next time,” she shrugged, making Barbara laugh, which made her beam back at the woman. 

When Dick showed up, he immediately introduced himself to Penny, squealing that he recognised her from Jagged's tour photos. Then he spotted Marinette and did a double take. Barbara could see him eyeballing the black hair/blue eye combo and wondering if it was too late to rescind the offer to take them to dinner.

“Dick, this is Marinette, she's like my French little sister,” Barbara said, beaming up at Marinette. She gave a subdued ‘hello’, no doubt still feeling guilty for sending Barbara into a panic attack. “Penny introduced us when Mari needed help with something, but we decided to stay in touch.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Dick, Babs has told me a lot about you. I'm sorry you had to come to get us after we frightened her,” Marinette said, looking down as her feet fidgeted. Barbara and Dick exchanged a look, communicating wordlessly. Barbara felt her heart twang as she rolled towards her.

“Listen, Mari, it's okay. You're a teenager who had no idea what I've been through, because I never told you. And Penny, I assume you forgot because you don't visit often, so I get it. I'm sure it won't happen again,” she ended gently, piling boxes of baked goods onto her lap to help move them to the car. “Now come on, we might as well get back to what I'm sure is a very eventful evening with Jagged Stone.”

They filled the car with mindless chatter, Marinette and Penny talking about things they'd seen in Paris, reminiscing the time Penny had been akumatised in Marinette's bakery, or when Fang had turned into a dragon. Dick kept shooting Barbara incredulous looks, but she only shrugged and asked light questions. She would have to explain it in more detail later, but maybe they'd bring it up at dinner.

As they pulled up to the manor, Marinette's eyes widened visibly. She turned and looked at Dick, looking bewildered at his very casual, almost disheveled looking attire. Penny laughed aloud, nudging Marinette until she closed her mouth with a snap.

[vampiremeerkat]

Assuming that the Lorax is not a figment of the Once-ler’s imagination but a real creature, how would he feel about his enemy’s eventual death? Would he feel relief? Would he grieve the potential of the relationship they could’ve had if the Once-ler hadn’t been a selfish greedy asshole?

For everyone with the 21st century "Too long, don't care" lifestyle: Once-ler was his enemy, but also the only human he came to know on a personal level. He'd feel many conflicting things, but not relief. For everyone who likes LENGTH and GIRTH: "Feel about his enemy's eventual death", as in, generally speaking, at any given day?

Lorax never thought about the reality that is Once-ler's mortality. His death is unlikely to fix matters, since empires tend to come with successors and it's mostly Once-ler's "Regular Joe"-customers and fans who are the problem. If they stopped buying, Once-ler would've fallen. Besides that, Lorax is a creature that represents life. He accepts that death and sickness are facts of life, but they don't bring him joy. If he needs someone or something to die in order for his problems to disappear, he'd feel like a tremendous failure.

If you're talking about the scene where Lorax visits him at his deathbed, you could say most of every emotion washes over him during their talk.

The Lorax has to show care to all animals and plants, but has never established a deep emotional connection with a living creature like one does with a friend, family member, or lover. He'll call any animal his friend by default, but they're not his "friend". He has an instinctual drive to only do what he was made to do -guard Truffula- and doesn't want to engage or think about Earthly behaviours like making friends, starting a family, building a home, eating food, all that stuff. The idea behind it is that doing so will take food or a social connection away from a creature that actually needs it to survive, but also, there's nothing inside of him that wants or needs it. He doesn't even get hungry.

But, meeting The Once-ler challenged that drive. Lorax spent alot of time with him and taught him about the land's flora and fauna, which only helped Once-ler kill and exploit everything easier, but in the context of what we're talking about, it resulted in Lorax feeling unprofessionally close and responsible for him. It made him a worse guardian than he could've been.

Once-ler is alot of firsts: Truffula's first human resident and Lorax' first real social connection. Since Once-ler was a child when they met, Lorax chose not to return to the skies upon learning he was alone and more or less silenced his instincts by telling himself he wanted to confirm if it was safe to let a human stay in Truffula. Having that said, though, I guess it's also fair to argue Lorax doesn't have "instincts", just a very strong sense of duty and love for Truffula. Either way, Truffula's destruction was a tremendous betrayal, but one Lorax blames himself for at the end of the day.

Once-ler's death grieves him, but at the same time, he feels guilty to be grieving him, but at the same time, he knows his past set him up to fail, but at the same time, he believes his cunningness and awareness are signs of intelligence and should've allowed him to beat his own madness, but at the same time, he knows a bad upbringing can't be ignored by merely wanting it, but at the same time, his animal friends died a horrifying death because of him, but at the same time, Once-ler was also someone a spectator would call his friend, but at the same time, his biggest enemy, but at the same time, he thinks it's inappropriate to spend time condemning a dying man, but at the same time, believes Once-ler should take responsibility.

Relief comes when Once-ler plants that seed at the end of the story. Once-ler did this for no other reason but his love for the orange Shih Tzu, since he doesn't care about Truffula, doesn't think there'll be an afterlife reward for him, nor did Lorax say anything to motivate him to drag his practically deceased body down a flight of stairs to do this.

The dead won't be brought back by Once-ler's late gesture, but him beating the odds pleases The Lorax as much as it saddens him. It's not the lost potential of what their relationship could've been he cares about, but the potential of what Once-ler could've been. He never wanted/planned to have a relationship of any kind with him, let alone involve himself with a human, he detests those, and in a perfect world, Once-ler would've grown up a functional, kind man who never infiltrated Truffula at all, and thus, never met The Lorax.

Lorax knows it'll only hurt him if he befriends mortal creatures, since they will die on him eventually. Seeing Once-ler at his end was an uncomfortable experience for him.

[mekkatoniks]

Alright y'all, first Sunnyblr post but this one is real important to me because it includes both something that is threatening TO ME as a writer and also something I see as mischaracterization which is something I despise. My apologies if I can't put this together in a better way, I feel real anxious right now lmao. You may have seen the clip, maybe two, of Glenn talking about AI. This has caused a major reaction, originally down on Twitter (bcs. of course) and I guess I'm here to provide the whole thing, in writing.

First thing's first I wanna reassure you that Glenn did not use AI in the writers room. He views AI as a threat.

I watched the whole interview when it came out and here's the summary: He says he was personally surprised by the quality of the AI at writing jokes, some time after Matt expresses that he doesn't view ChatGPT/AI to be "good enough" to really interfere with writers (may have to check up on this wording). They did not use this material in the show. Charlie and Glenn did this only to test it. This follows by him saying he thinks we're gonna get to a point where eventually we'll have to accept the way things are going (at the point we're at already I think we can't really fight AI here, but put protections in place for writers against AI and its improper usage, so using it to solely generate ideas, using it as a replacement for writers as a whole, etc), that it's a tool people will have to learn to use, but that ultimately there'd still need to be at least one human in the room to curate it all because there's never really going to be a fully finished product (which isn't an endorsement of that type of heavy AI usage, seems more like an observation and that AI will always still have limits).

Jay continues from this saying that even if it does create a fully finished product, there'll still be the appetite for people to tell stories to other people, and that for every big shift it stays the same. Jay is also in agreement that it'd be a tool but that it isn't something to be scared of, just more aware of; he doesn't view it as a threat. Glenn replies that he does view it as a threat and continues to talk cynically about it, saying we could be close to having just one guy and then your writers room is entirely chatbots (this is not spoken as a good thing obviously. It's kinda comedic but there's truth in it especially for cynical people I suppose). Matt makes a joke about that being Glenn's dream and Glenn laughs about it (it was pretty fucking funny) and is like "i'm a bit misanthropic ur right lol". When Matt begins speaking again Glenn jumps in to say that he is not saying that it's a good thing, which is more likely to be in reference to AI as well. At the end of the question Jay says he stands with the WGA and Glenn agrees. That is all that is said in that portion of the interview. So I suppose the end point is... he doesn't support AI, certainly not to the extent some are making it seem.

I get major anxiety when it comes to things like this - as in, people reacting to something in a way that indicates they have misinterpreted or don't have the full thing or anything like this, it legitimately makes me feel sick. I can understand people's reactions at least because AI is a threat! That's why the WGA wants protections for writers from the improper usage of AI, because they've drawn similar conclusions and want to prevent it. Fuck, I'm a writer. I of all people would understand how this affects anything. But this specific situation is not one that really calls for the type of reaction it has received? It's gotten to a point where people have started attacking him for real petty reasons like appearance because of it. It's immature, unnecessary, and really just low.

If I've had the most uncritical thinking moment in the whole universe and you think there's something really wrong with the way I have viewed the situation, that I've been the one to misinterpret it, then please be civil about it. Or even if there's a point you want to just bring up. Due to issues I have, I avoid posting about a lot of things because I'm always focused on getting things right and the idea that I may be getting it wrong, in a space where people can see (and let's be honest there's always a chance of seeing the most vile shit in response and I feel anxious over it for days which is unhealthy), is distressing to me. But I'm slowly putting myself out there lol, I mostly just came here to give comfort to anyone or assuage much of their anxiety as possible. I do not at any point want to look like I'm dickriding but this is something I feel has truly been perceived wrong by a lot of people! I think the timing of everything, being asked that question and answering it during the strike, has definitely contributed to a lot of this and tension is high for a lot but I genuinely think Glenn's answer as well as Jay's were nuanced for the time they had to answer it (they can't go on too long) and I appreciate that. Thank you for reading!

[tadpolesonalgae]

qq in cbmthy are az and r going to fuck. sorry i know it's going to be like ages from now but i now desperately want a scene where az is desperate to eat r's pussy but she thinks its wrong fnsnfkjsngfksd

anyway as excited as i am for az/r development eventually i'm more excited about how the plot develops and what exactly you have in store for us wrt the plot.

Haha no worries!

So, I doubt they'll be sexually intimate again in the main story - there'll eventually be romantic intimacy, emotional intimacy/vulnerability, and potentially a case of forced proximity, or maybe something else a little trope-y if I think their dynamic becomes healthy enough to handle it, but nothing even close to explicit sexuality.

Something I have considered though is writing a bonus chapter that's separate from an epilogue where we can see how Az and reader work together in the bedroom? How I usually write Az is he generally has a taste for bdsm, then sprinkling in whatever other kinks I feel like adding. Comparatively, I imagine reader would be much more vanilla leaning? I think she would want sex to be comprised of romance and intimacy rather than being lust- or kink-fuelled; likewise I imagine things like degradation and humiliation being hard passes for her.

That being said I think some elements of bdsm might appeal to her: like having a clear system that she understands, set rules to follow, plenty of reassurance and guidance from Az to make sure she's comfortable and safe. I think a large part of having a relationship like that is that there's trust between the two partners, so in that sense I imagine it might suit them well. Similarly I imagine introducing emotional intimacy into sex (something reader would be keen on) would be something Azriel would be new to, and likely need time to adjust to.

I also imagine reader potentially having an oral fixation and enjoying having Azriel's fingers in her mouth, which would probably be something they'd have to approach slowly due to Azriel's loathing of his hands

From that viewpoint I think the idea of writing a bonus chapter of them learning to understand one another, carefully compromising in bed, and taking care not to go at anything too quickly could be something necessary to show a side of their relationship that we won't get to see in the main story due to the sexual nature of those ideas <3

[stekken]

Almost exactly two years ago, I purchased my first fighting game. I had technically played fighting games before, when visiting friends, but I played them like party games, and they were designed to be played that way. None of us were especially competent with the controls, and the games were built to be flashy and exciting in spite of that. Thanks to Core-A Gaming, a YouTube channel covering fighting games and the culture surrounding them, I was aware that this wasn't really the fighting game experience.

Fighting games are a treasure trove of interesting subjects, and Core-A Gaming is very good at exposing and sharing them. What the videos inspired in me was envy, I think. Lee, the voice behind the Core-A Gaming videos, said that a good match in a fighting game feels like an engaging conversation. My feeling, then, was that of looking in the window of a locked room at a conversation I couldn't be a part of.

I remember dropping 60 dollars on my game of choice, but having looked at the Steam price history, it was apparently only ever 20. This error in my memory is likely because it was a big purchase for me at the time, more than a 60 dollar game would be for me today. I remember thinking "If I'm going to put this much money into this, I better follow through and make good on it."

The game was Granblue Fantasy: Versus. It was new, so I could count on being able to find matches quickly, and it was supposedly beginner-friendly. Not wanting to embarrass myself, I tried to become competent before ever fighting another player. I worked my way up to being able to beat the highest difficulty AI, at least some of the time. The scope of what I wanted to accomplish before entering my first match kept growing. Eventually, I was aiming to beat every character at the highest difficulty with my main, and to beat my main on the highest difficulty with every other character. After less than 30 hours playtime, I dropped the game, never having fought a single real opponent. It wasn't a conscious decision, I just stopped feeling the pull to replay it.

Fighting game culture isn't only unique among gaming cultures, it's isolated. Fear creates a boundary to entry, and attempts to circumvent the boundary circumvent the very appeal of fighting games. The source of fighting game's value to me was the same as the source of the fear: other people.

2 years later, I'm returning to fighting games. I've purchased a budget fighting game controller with directional buttons instead of a joystick, to lower my barrier to entry and avoid wrist pain. Incidentally, it cost what I remember Granblue costing: sixty dollars.

I'm attempting to connect with the community more this time, joining subreddits and Discord servers for my new first game of choice—Guilty Gear: Strive—and for the fighting game community more generally. I'll dabble in a variety of fighting games, including those gimmick games with only one mechanic, like Footsies and Divekick. I'll write down plans and strategies and practice guides and record my thoughts and feelings as I go.

Most importantly, though, I'm going to try and put the fun first. I'll start playing real matches early, record them, and use the replays to guide my practice.

To get used to my new controller, I launched Celeste. I've completed the base game and most of the DLC, and the DLC is where I started this session. In seconds, it became clear this was a bad idea. After a few deaths, I started a new save file instead. My bumbling around the early areas made me think of Razbuten's Gaming for a Non-Gamer series, where Raz's wife is so new to keyboard-and-mouse controls that every movement is a problem to solve. After about an hour, I'm feeling more confident, and continuing would likely just make me better at using my controller for Celeste, not better at using it in general. So, I switch over to Guilty Gear.

After completing a few tutorials, I go straight to an online match. I wonder if there'll be a messaging system, so I can share that this is my first match. There isn't. I pick the character I think is prettiest, which is this one:

I enter the lobby, make a lesbian-ass avatar,

and start a match. My opponent is using the same character the first tutorials did for my AI opponent, this guy:

I don't know my character's moves, and throughout the matches, it never even crosses my mind to use directional inputs like quarter-circles to launch projectiles. I almost never jump, mostly just dashing about, blocking, attacking, and occasionally grabbing. I do much better than I expected, actually, but that's still not very good at all. I was ready to be totally bodied in the first match and decide where to go from there, but that's not what happens. I was totally bodied by any normal standards, but my expectations for my performance were very low. The real goal was to inoculate myself to facing other people. There's some actual back-and-forth, though, and my heart rate goes up. After two games, my opponent declines a rematch, no doubt wanting someone who can actually play. It was fun!

I have high hopes for this. Eventually making friends through fighting games would be an incredible experience. I also want a broader view of video games both as a player and a as nascent game developer, and need to get out of my bubble. If there aren't growing pains, I mustn't be growing.

I plan to keep documenting my experiences with this, for a variety of reasons. I want to stretch my writing muscles and get used to putting myself out there online. I want to hopefully connect with other people who play fighting games, and play with or learn from them. I want to for my own views on fighting games, instead of trusting others to do that work for me. And I want to be able to look back on where I've been. Playing fighting games is supposed to be a journey, after all.

[ccaptain]

@aguilareye: 👫👀 ( meme source. )

i. Kaeya consistently gets Boothill bullets every time they meet: even before the Birds and the Bees talk Lan gave him DSFHSJFJ ever since he saw him snack on his magnum ones and was given the Chocolate Bullet, for every travel and stay Kaeya gets him some boxes of those of different materials and size. and gives at least one or more to him when they meet to munch on with his cute happy smile. He attachs a small colorful label on each box with the name of the planet he got it from and the materials they're made of in case Boothill likes a particular one and he has to remember where he got it from to get more for him <3 I like to think that he's unconsciously Pavloving Boothill to associate him with snacks honestly...........

ii. Cathill behavior... my beloved... I see your ''BH hugs Kaeya and rubs his face on his head or cheek before they rest their foreheads against eachother'' that you told me about and I raise you: them developing a little routine where Kaeya tugs Boothill down for a kiss and they nuzzle and join foreheads... and then he puts his arms around BH's neck to be picked up and continue keeping the forehead contact as they move. That, or once he's picked up Kaeya peppers his very handsome face in soft kisses all over his cheeks, nose and forehead and lips. Cathill and Cateya... the perfect match. Granted if they join foreheads as they walk Kaeya will make a little, cute flustered laugh while Boothill will have to coordinate where they're going, so if they fall it's on him DJSAHFHSHF

iii. Them trading voice messages on the phone: I tossed the idea to u like... yesterday^ two days ago?? I just keep thinking about it because as I said it allows them to be a bit more involved in eachother's lives by hearing and commenting on what they hear from the voice note. Boothill fixing himself surrounded by the little sounds of tools against metal, Kaeya's voice underlined by the fizzling of oil as he starts on his morning eggs or is also fixing something in the amusement park or going through books... just them hearing eachother's lives so it feels like they're never too far apart... BH could throw a comment in and Kaeya would be all smug like ''if you're that curious, come see me!'' as an excuse to, in fact, see his favorite cowboy............. them hearing eachothers late at night and BH's voice is just that side of soothing and familiar enough to to make Kaeya's tone begin to get more and more huskier and sleepier until he succumbs to rest as he's in the middle of one of Boothill's voice messages, with his phone laid on the pillow next to him... and it's the best fucking sleep he ever got in years. Them saying goodnight to eachother would just end me in all honesty ;-;

iv. In the KaeHill verse, Kaeya has renounced the possibility of eventually going to forever rest in The End. I thought about hitting you with some meta The Hunt/Enigmata verse but all of my HCs for this meme have been cute, why not add some FEELS to it? The developing bond he has with Boothill has made Kaeya come to the conclusion that he no longer wishes to rest in a meadow of white flowers, no matter how peaceful it could be after his goal is done and over. No- what he wishes is to be at Boothill's side, knowing that they'll both live forever- Kaeya can't and doesn't want to go when Boothill expresses wanting to see him and be with him, and when there's clear relaxation and happiness for his presence. If he goes, there'll be an Enigma-shaped void in BH's life, no more kissing blue tears away, no more solid presence of someone who tells Boothill the truth always and foremost even if it means danger for Kaeya- he doesn't want Boothill to have found and developed a connection and trust with an eternal being that won't die and deteriorate, only for said being to disappear once it's all over and done with. The call of eternal rest is a gentle lull, but Boothill is much more tender and concrete and present- even since he has confirmed to Lan that he considers Boothill his ''mate'', non-specified when as they're all over the place, internally he has renounced the decision of eternal rest to be at his side, when fate brings them together. Mythus may give Kaeya another goal after learning about this decision, but this also means that he'll get to stay at the gunslinger's side for much longer while he accomplishes that. Forever is more bearable when they're together. HEY SHRIMPY. GET THIS. HITS YOU WITH A CURVEBALL OF FEELS

[quiverpaw]

Please show ravenpaw, and crescentpaw, kestrelpaw long lore and backstory. I think those three are interesting.

i'm glad you like them! although i don't have as much for crescent and kestrel, ravenpaw's the secondary protagonist alongside rookyboy.

>internalized homophobia, arranged marriage, uhh i guess transphobia although somewhat minor all for ravenpaw's stuff

she's very very much the favorite child of her mother, although that's mainly because she has a lot of expectations. when jackdawstar dies she'll have to be leader someday!

and heteronormative rules apply and they also want her eventually to marry copperpaw, which is something she's not really fond of the idea of.

she's close with him, true, but also with their mutual friend ternpaw, way much moreso. she thinks she might love her; ternpaw's energetic, and always knows how to make her feel better! there's just so much keeping them apart.

for one, ravenpaw is bewed to copperpaw. that pretty much means no one outside him, ever! even if they both aren't interested in liking each other.

two, ternpaw's a healer. that's kind of obvious, although ternpaw says she'd stop being a healer if it meant they could be together. bad thing to say when her mentor is about to die.

three, neither of ravenpaw's parents are fond of ternpaw, they think she's too rowdy, and being so obviously queer sets off the both of them. jackdawstar's a little less caring about this fact, but she considers ternpaw a troublemaker and doesn't want her spending time with her precious daughter.

and four, ravenpaw is straight. at least, she wishes she was. eventually there'll come a time when ternpaw confesses to ravenpaw, and she freaks out, inherently ruining not only their blossoming relationship but their friendship forever.

~ ternpaw's (she/her) meant to be a light-hearted character with a good personality that bounces off ravenpaw and rookpaw's gloominess. originally a tomkit named fogkit and then fogpaw, she had her egg "cracked" through meeting cascadeclan's healer, sliversplinter. she's been ternpaw since.

when she was younger, ternpaw was a little more reclusive and sad about herself, to a point of where it was effecting how she was being taught and occasionally misusing herbs like honey or catmint. she's gotten out of this slump, though.

she is a fellow host of the rendezvous alongside copperpaw and honeysucklepaw. she loves parties and getting to know everyone, so they're her favorite activity, especially since haarclan is so very gloomy.

ternpaw's mentor, maggotbreath, is very very old. about fourteen, and due to die anytime soon. when he does, she's going to have to become a early healer.

as well, starclan's mad at her for trying to get close with ravenpaw and being generally dismissive of their warnings. she does have one friend in starclan though, a cat named cowriepaw who died before her time.

when a queen named bumblesnag has her kits, ternpaw/flight's inexperience will accidentally cause the death of two of the kittens, with two of the remaining four also eventually dying later. this'll affect her confidence, but ternpaw's resilient!

not to mention her father squallscreech is going to be having a new litter, ternpaw's half-siblings gullkit, petrelkit, aukkit, and albatrosskit. we'll see how that goes!

~kestrelpaw's lore is kind of slim only because i haven't thought of it.

(they/them) kind of weird and the twin of kitepaw, kestrelpaw and their sibling grew up without relatives in cascadeclan except each other. although they did have ploverpaw and her mother chaffinchfur, their relatives, in haarclan, they only visited each other every once in a while.

this made the two very close, although kitepaw saw more interest in hunting, while kestrelpaw sought out making a name for themself, at least, not being a nobody.

greedy for all of this kestrelpaw eventually, intentionally sought out the dark forest after hearing something about it from a older apprentice named juniperpaw. they became the first apprentice of jaystar, who eventually convinced kestrelpaw to go out and invite rookpaw to tag along for training.

overjoyed to have a training buddy the two did so every night. kestrelpaw was arguably the best fighter out of cascadeclan's apprentices, although disliked for "fighting dirty", often intentionally going for the eyes and ears (much like how rookpaw does.) they have a weird interest in him, but it's not romantic or anything.

-crescentpaw (she/her) is the daughter of someone named crescentmoon. she was originally named moonarykit, and had a littermate named eclipsekit, but the two died during birth- so her grandmother, marrowsneak, renamed her and raised her alongside her own daughter starlingpaw.

she's kind of mean overall, i wanted her to have similar vibes to heathers or mean girls, but just a litttle bit more chill. crescentpaw's well liked out of all the apprentices, totally near the "peak" of the social latter, although her main group of friends consists of vinepaw, bearpaw, ravenpaw, and ternpaw.

she used to have a small crush on ternpaw back when she was still fogpaw, although ternpaw turned her down on the idea of not wanting to cause trouble with her being a healer. crescentpaw was cool with this although the two still are very fond of each other.

she eventually grew to like a clanmate named brightpaw/brighteyes, and they briefly courted, although she found him too clingy and broke that off, too.

recently crescentpaw's been hanging out with rookpaw, much to the chagrin of her friends. she finds him pathetic and kind of funny.

her warrior name is going to be crescentmoon, as a homage to her mother (like a milkfur situation), but she'll deny it to take her own name as crescentcurve.

crescentpaw's also unique in her role! she, her mother marrowsneak and aunt starlingmoon are all albinos. marrowsneak chose to cover herself with plants and foliage to protect from the sunburn. starlingmoon just toughs through it and the eye sensitivity to remain a warrior. crescentpaw took a different approach- becoming a permanent guard of sorts. a self-proclaimed "warden" who is always on watch at camp during the day and will do hunting at night. she just better be careful, with all the dangers in the woods...

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor, Chapter 4: Change of Address

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader (eventual). Other Characters are the usual suspects: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Spock, Christine Chapel, Scotty, Keenser, Miles O'Brien.

Word Count: 4909

Warnings: Mention of destruction of property, oblivious and a bit insecure Reader, nosy but well-meaning friends, injured Reader, Leonard being protective and becoming aware of his "feelings", Jim being his usual, charming, mischievous self

Summary: Fresh off of his divorce, Dr. McCoy receives word that he has inherited a 5,000-acre farm and home in Logan, Montana. Finally, he has an opportunity for a clean slate and to start his own clinic out west and leave his ex-wife behind. Along the way, he'll meet a cast of unique characters, each with a place in his new small-town life. But there could be trouble ahead in the form of a powerful CEO hell-bent on acquiring Leonard's property by any means necessary.

A/N: This idea was posted by @hailbop1701, with a specific list of plot points/dialog to be included. I won't put the list here, because it'll give away too much. Not sure how many parts there'll be, but I hope you like where I take the story. Also, I have intermixed AOS with NextGen to include additional characters.

A/N 2: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

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

The drive to town to check out your apartment situation was a quiet one. Leonard was focused on the road, with occasional glances in your direction. At the same time, you tried to take comfort in the fact that no one, especially Mimzy, was hurt. Neither of you knew what to expect when you got there, because as Nyota had explained, the building was a total loss. Leonard was therefore determined to support you in whatever capacity you needed.

As soon as you arrived on the scene, you scanned the area for the Fire Chief. You wanted to check in with him so he could cross your name off of the list of tenants accounted for. And you wanted some answers as to how this could've happened. It was an older building, so maybe it was outdated wiring? Did a tenant burn popcorn in the microwave? Or, perhaps it was something deeper than that, like someone with an ax to grind? You shuddered at your last thought.

During the time you were speaking with the Fire Chief, Leonard waited for you, leaning against your car. Uhura checked on you first, then wandered over to stand with Jim, who had just pulled up in Leonard's truck. They talked for a while, mostly about you and Leonard. They compared notes and traded comments about how his eyes hadn't wavered from you in the slightest. He seemed on alert, ready to step in if you needed anything from him.

Finally, you heaved a weary sigh and gave the Fire Chief a tired smile as you shook his hand. "We'll keep you updated on the situation," he promised. You nodded, then thanked him and his crew for their efforts. He patted your shoulder, then walked to his truck and drove back to the station.

In the short time Leonard had known you, he had never seen you look so defeated. Usually, you could find the silver lining in most any situation, but this was different. It was not a typical situation, because you had just lost your home and most of your belongings. It was going to be difficult to see the upside right at this moment. Once the chief was gone, you shuffled over to your car and leaned against it, copying Leonard's stance. You took a deep breath. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he replied softly. "You okay, darlin'?"

As tears streamed silently down your face, you first nodded and tried to smile, then you shook your head in response. A choked sob escaped, which caused Leonard to reach out to draw you into his arms. One of his large hands splayed across your upper back, while his other one cradled the back of your head. He began to whisper soothing words in your ear to comfort you. "Shh, it's okay sweetheart. I've got you," he crooned.

After a few moments, your tears subsided, and you drew back to look at Leonard. His thumbs gently wiped away any remnants of the salty tracks from your cheeks. "Thank you, Len," you remarked, your hands curling around his wrists and thumbs massaging the area. "Sorry for breaking down like that."

"Are you kidding?" he gently chided. "No apology necessary, and completely understandable. What'd the Chief say?"

"Oh, um, nothing much," you sighed. "He says the preliminary examination shows that the fire started in my unit, possibly an electrical short in the kitchen or something," you muttered. "Should have the official report in about a couple of weeks or so."

By this time, Uhura and Jim had joined you and Leonard by your car. Both of them gave you a hug before releasing you back to Leonard, who put his arm around your shoulders. "So, you got a place to stay, sweetie?" Uhura asked you.

Jim and Leonard exchanged a meaningful glance between them, which did not go unnoticed by you and Uhura. "What?" you inquired, your eyes darting back and forth.

The staring contest between the two men continued, each one wordlessly trying to goad the other into answering you. When you asked a second time, Leonard finally responded. "You could stay at my house," he blurted out. He scowled at Jim, who wore a smug, triumphant look on his face.

It was the last thing you expected to hear, which caused you to stare first at Jim, then at Leonard in shock. Before you could answer, Jim started throwing out reasons why you should consider it. How there's more than enough room at the house and you'd never be late for work. "And you have to admit, the view of the sunset from the front porch is just about the prettiest thing you've ever seen," he declared. "Except for you, of course," he added cheekily, and which earned him a glare from Leonard.

You caught Leonard's eyes, searching his face for any sign of hesitation or that he might change his mind. "You sure you're okay with this? I wouldn't want to be a bother," you answered hesitantly.

"Oh, he's sure, all right," Jim interjected. "In fact, we talked about asking you to move in before we came out here. Isn't that right, Bones?" he added, daring his friend to contradict the statement.

"He's right, we did talk about it. And I would've asked you myself, were it not for this overgrown man-child next to me who's unable to keep his mouth shut," Leonard muttered. "But I didn't say anything because I didn't want to intrude on any plans you may have already made," he assured you.

"Unfortunately, I really hadn't thought that far ahead," you chuckled softly. "I would love to stay with you, but only if you're sure," you replied. "I promise I won't stay any longer than is necessary, and I won't let it affect my work."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "I'm not all that worried about any of that, darlin'. You are welcome to stay as long as you need or want to. There's plenty of room at the McCoy Estate," he quipped. "And you're hardly a bother. If anything, I've got the better end of the deal, with one of the best cooks in town," he grinned. "What do you say? Shall we first see if there's anything you can salvage from your place?" He held out his hand for you to take and waited patiently until you gently gripped it in your own.

"Well, I can hardly argue with any of that," you laughed for the first time since you'd heard about the fire. "Let's see what's left of my stuff, if anything."

Jim and Uhura watched as their friends headed towards your apartment to see if there was anything worth saving. "Well, well, this should be interesting," Jim remarked. "The two of them together, living under the same roof? Gonna be entertaining, that's for sure," he smirked.

"Certainly should be, with those two. Wonder how long it'll take before one or both of them cracks under the pressure. You know you have to keep me updated. So, you got some sort of plan?" Uhura asked.

Jim threw his arm around her shoulder and gave her a mischievous look. "Oh, ye of little faith," he grinned. "Of course I do, I've been working on getting those two together since they met. Let me tell you what I've got," he winked conspiratorially.

***

The transition from living in your apartment to the McCoy Estate wasn't as difficult at you thought it would be. True to his word, you had your own room, complete with a bathroom nearby that included a shower and tub. The closet was the perfect size for the batch of clothes you were able to rescue from your apartment. Mimzy settled in right away, finding the best spot for looking out of the window and which provided the best sunlight for napping.

Sure, there were challenges, though you found they were outweighed by the companionship you gained after living alone for so long. Mimzy brought you comfort, but she wasn't usually up for those late-night chats. No, it was Leonard's company you sought, his presence you craved. As the weeks went by, the more time you spent together, the more time you wanted to spend alone with him.

>>>

One night before closing the clinic, you noticed that there were no appointments for the following day. It had been steady, nearly non-stop with patients since the clinic opened, so this was a golden opportunity for a day of relaxation. You couldn't wait to tell Leonard and see the relief on his face. 

When he walked into the kitchen after his shower, Leonard was greeted with the most heavenly aromas. A large pot of chili was simmering on the stove, while a pan of freshly baked cornbread stood cooling on the counter, along with a Dutch apple pie. He was definitely looking forward to dinner tonight, though he wondered what the occasion was.

With your attention on preparing the meal, you didn't yet notice as Leonard slowly crept up to your side. Your back was turned towards the doorway, as you hummed to yourself and gently swayed from side to side, oblivious to the eyes on you. "Something smells fantastic in here," you heard from behind you.

You nearly dropped the spoon you were stirring the pot with as you whirled around in surprise. Leonard casually leaned against the counter with his arms crossed lazily over his chest. He was barefoot and wearing a pair of navy-blue lounge pants, slung low on his hips, with a gray T-shirt. His eyes danced with mischief, while a tender smile graced his lips. "Well, what do we have here?"

"It's my mama's special recipe chili, with cheddar cornbread, and a Dutch apple pie for dessert," you remarked.

"Sounds amazing. Although I don't know what I did to deserve such an elaborate meal, but whatever it was, I'll do it again," he chuckled.

"Nothing in particular, Len, I promise. It's not that elaborate, either. Weather's getting cooler, so I thought it was time to make some chili. Naturally, cornbread has to go with it," you shrugged.

"Naturally," he agreed, then chuckled as he began to set the table for two. When you told him that Jim was joining you, he rolled his eyes and grudgingly grabbed another bowl and spoon. Most evenings, it was the two of you for dinner, and truth be told, he preferred it that way. "But what about the apple pie? Something's going on. What's the occasion?"

"If you could please bring the chili to the table, I'll be happy to explain," you added mysteriously.

With a raised eyebrow, he did as you asked, while Jim rushed in and found his seat at the table. Leonard waited until you were finished serving to begin your explanation. You mentioned how you had checked the schedule for the next day, and that it was clear of appointments.

"Are you sure? I don't think that's happened since we started," he noted. "I swear, we've seen everyone in town at least once already," he joked.

"Believe me, I checked it twice, for exactly that reason," you assured him with a smile. "No appointments, no physicals, no immunizations scheduled, nada. Soooo, I'm thinking you are due for a day off, Dr. McCoy."

Leonard paused with his spoon in mid-air to consider your offer. He'd once commented to Jim that he wanted a sign that would advertise McCoy Clinic on one side and have Gone Fishin' on the other. The weather report showed the perfect conditions for a relaxing day of drowning worms, so why was he hesitating? "We can't just close, the town depends on us to be available," he countered, shaking his head as he returned his spoon to the bowl.

"Bones, when are you going to get another chance like this?" Jim groaned. "There's no rain in tomorrow's forecast, mild temperatures, and a light breeze. You haven't had any time to enjoy this 'inheritance' of yours since we moved here, and it won't be long before winter sets in." He slapped his palm on the table, pointed to his friend, and declared, "That's it. I've decided. You are going to play hooky tomorrow."

"And what if a patient needs our services?" Leonard asked.

"I've already thought of that," you responded. "I'll go in like normal. I can answer the phones, and I'm sure there's some filing or something I can do. Maybe I'll catch up on my reading list. If someone shows up, I'll give you a call. By the time you get back, they will be all checked in and waiting for you."

Can I really do this, take a day off? he silently wondered. The idea of having a day free from seeing patients made him both excited and nervous. However, you and Jim had a point, that this was a rare opportunity, and he was damned if he was going to waste it. "All right, I'll close up shop for tomorrow," he relented, grinning at the cheers and applause from you and Jim. "On one condition, though," he hastily added.

You tilted your head to the side and tapped your chin with your index finger. "Which is?"

A smug smile crept across his lips. "You have to take the day off, too. No answerin' phones, no filin' papers, nothin'. Matter of fact, I don't even want you to go into the office. You deserve a day off as much as I do, darlin'," he affirmed.

A day off? For me? you thought. It was almost a foreign concept, even though in previous jobs, you'd taken vacation days from work. Unfortunately, considering the pile of work that typically greeted you upon your return, it was almost not worth it to take the day off to begin with. Leonard ran a tight ship, was dedicated to his patients, but even he knew when to knock off for the day. "Okay, I'm in. You and Jim can go fishin' and I'll find something to do on my own."

"Wait a minute, I never agreed to--" Leonard sputtered.

"Hey, thanks Bones! I'd love to go fishin' with you, get some of that 'manly bonding' in," Jim replied with a wide grin. "We can leave early, I've already scouted out a great place along the river where we'll be sure to fill our buckets. See ya in the morning!" He dashed off down the hall, towards his room, a beaming smile still on his face.

Leonard's shoulders drooped as he hung his head in defeat. After a few seconds, he looked up at you with mournful eyes. "Why do you hate me?" he whined. You had to fight hard to keep from smiling at his pitiful question. "You told me I was due for a day off, which would imply that I was supposed to do something to relax! Now I have to spend it talking to Jim all day," he grumbled. "That's not my idea of relaxing."

A giggle escaped your lips before you could stop it. "I'm sorry, Len. Have fun with your 'manly bonding', though," you grinned, your hand on his forearm.

"Yeah, you're having way too much fun with this, and you are definitely not one little bit sorry," he shot back, trying to sound annoyed. However, you could see the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in amusement.

***

The next morning, you rose early to put together a picnic basket for Jim and Leonard, with coffee as the first order of business. While it was brewing, you packed some sandwiches, fruit, chips, and a jug of sweet tea. The finishing touch was some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you baked last night as a peace offering to Leonard for hijacking his day off.

Jim was the first to arrive in the kitchen, placing his backpack enthusiastically on the table. "This is gonna be so great! Two friends, out in nature, fishin' and shootin' the breeze," he grinned.

"As long as you keep the breeze-shootin' to a minimum, Jim. Leonard really needs this downtime to....I don't know, decompress or something. I swear, sometimes he's wound up tighter than an 8-day clock," you muttered. "Please?"

Jim put his hands on your shoulders. "You can count on me, sister. Bones will come back so relaxed, you won't even recognize him," he promised.

"I just hope....I mean, he clearly deserves more than a few hours to not have to think about work, because he's had enough other stuff to worry about. First, there's the thing with NorthStar Corp hanging over his head, not to mention the general pressure that comes from being a doctor. Then we add my troubles to the list, with the apartment fire and moving in with you guys. I'm starting to wonder if it's--if I'm too much and maybe it would be better if I wasn't here all the time," you murmured.

Leonard was about to enter the kitchen when he heard your last comments about his list of worries. He was disheartened to hear how you felt you were adding to them, and that you thought the best solution was for you to leave. No, he thought to himself. Please don't leave, sugar.

Ever since you'd moved in, this house he inherited has felt more like a home. It's been transformed by your warmth and kindness, and most importantly, your bright smile. Around nearly every corner, he could find where you'd left your imprint. He could see you in the kitchen cooking dinner or curled up on the couch watching a movie. Even with the little knick-knacks you brought over from your apartment, it was you he saw. It wasn't something he was going to let go of without a fight.

"Listen, you leaving here is not the answer," Jim started. "Bones would still be worried about those things you mentioned whether you were living here or not. 'S just how he is, and it's because he cares so much. Besides, he wouldn't have asked you to stay here if he didn't want you here. Think about that," he winked.

Leonard silently thanked Jim as he strode into the kitchen like he'd not been eavesdropping outside the door. "Coffee ready yet?" he asked. You held up a travel cup, already prepared the way he liked it. He took a sip and gave you an appreciative smile. "Hold down the fort for us, will ya, darlin'? And enjoy your day off," he remarked. Before he could talk himself out of it, he dove in to give you a quick kiss on the forehead, followed by a wink.

Jim slung his backpack over his shoulders and picked up the picnic basket full of supplies. As he passed you, he shot you a smirk that said, See? I told you so, then ran to catch up with Leonard. You shook your head and rolled your eyes as you picked up your book and began to read.

***

After a little more than an hour of blissfully uninterrupted reading, you finished the last chapter and closed your book. According to your email, the next book in the series had been released last week, so you decided to pop into town. Since the boys borrowed your car, you grabbed your wallet, sunglasses, and the keys to Leonard's truck from the hook near the door. A quick flip of the dial to some classic rock music, and you were on your way.

While you were in town, you decided to pick up the supply order from Mountain Vista Pharmacy for the clinic. You had spoken to Mr. Spock earlier in the week to let him know what was needed, and he agreed to have it ready for you. Some items had to be obtained from an outside vendor, but Mr. Spock didn't mind if you had it shipped to his pharmacy for later pickup.

The bell above the door jingled when you walked into the pharmacy and received a smile and nod from Mr. Spock. "Good afternoon, Mr. Spock! I'm here for the supply order for the clinic," you called.

"Of course, I'll be with you in a moment," he promised.

While he attended to the short line of customers at the counter, you browsed the magazines aisle, flipping through a couple of them. You paid particular attention to the ones about cooking, always on the lookout for new meal ideas. After choosing the one with the simpler recipes and everyday ingredients, you added it to your shopping basket.

It didn't take long for Mr. Spock to clear the line of customers, after which he waved you over to the counter. In addition to the cooking magazine, you added some Lemon Drop candies and Butterscotch Disks to the order. Mr. Spock regarded your choices with a raised eyebrow, then gave you a wry grin when you playfully warned him not to judge you for your sweet tooth.

"I heard about the fire at your apartment building. I am pleased to know that no one was hurt in the incident," he remarked.

"Yes, so am I. All of my neighbors were able to get out in time, with one grabbing my cat. She's definitely enjoying life at Dr. McCoy's house, though," you replied.

"So, you're living with Dr. McCoy, hmm?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "A logical decision, I believe, considering you are his assistant in the clinic."

"Oh, come on, Spock, it's more than just a 'logical decision'," chimed in his assistant, Christine Chapel. "They're well-suited for each other!"

"Whoa, wait a minute," you interjected. "It's not like that, Dr. McCoy was being a good friend by offering me someplace to stay. He doesn't think of me that way," you argued.

A look passed between Spock and Christine that showed your argument was a less than convincing one. Fortunately by this time, your clinic order was brought to the front counter. You quickly exited the pharmacy, following the young man out to the truck as he carried the box.

Along with the pharmacy order, you also had a small list of things to get at Scotty's hardware store, The Tool Box. Light bulbs, batteries, a roll of duct tape, and a package of small nails for hanging pictures were added to your basket. While you were there, you found some antique-looking drawer handles that you thought would look nice in the kitchen, so you added them to your purchases.

A similar conversation concerning your living arrangements with Leonard played out between you, Scotty, and his assistants, Miles O'Brien and Keenser. As with Spock and Ms. Chapel, you assured them that there wasn't anything romantic between you and Leonard. Before their speculation could escalate, you quickly paid for your items and added them to the rest of your purchases.

With everything nestled safely in the bed of Leonard's truck, you wandered over to Mr. Chekov's Java Station Café and Book Nook. In desperate need of new reading material, you treated yourself to one of the best varieties of coffee available at the café. In the bookstore, you made sure to grab the next book in the series you were reading, plus a second book by another of your favorite authors.

On your way back to the truck, you checked your watch and noticed it was late into the afternoon. The guys should be getting back from fishing, and when you saw Uhura from across the parking lot you waved at each other. She had just left work for the day, so the two of you stopped at the fire station to talk to the Chief. He regretfully informed you that there was no new information on your case. After making lunch plans for the weekend, you and Uhura parted ways.

Before you climbed into the truck, you noticed a wire dangling from the rear bumper. At first, you thought it was a loose connection from the license plate light. You were going to tuck it back in place, then you saw a timer, with its numbers counting in reverse. It was attached to what looked like a small homemade explosive device and was nearing zero. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as you jumped to your feet and began to scream, "OMIGOD, RUN!! RUN!! EVERYBODY RUN!!!"

Seconds later, you felt a searing blast of heat as you flew through the air and landed on your left side, with shards of glass raining down. A sharp burst of pain shot up your arm to your shoulder, followed by a cracking noise, and you knew something was broken. With a shaking hand, you reached up to where you felt something warm trickle down the side of your face. As you pulled your hand back, your fingertips were a bit sticky and covered in crimson.

Nyota rushed over to your side and you could see her lips moving, but her words sounded to you like she was speaking underwater. She tried to get you to focus on her as she shouted for medical attention from the paramedics at the fire station. Tiny black spots appeared at the edge of your vision, and you fought to keep them at bay as they began to grow. You grabbed her arm and she swung her panicked gaze back to you. "Find Leonard. Fishing with Jim," you whispered before you finally lost consciousness.

***

"Isn't this great, Bones? Two friends, communing with nature, spending a quiet afternoon together, no work in sight," Jim mused as he cast his line into the water.

"The afternoon would be quiet, if not for your running commentary. You're scarin' the fish away," Leonard grumbled. He was about to cast his own line back into the water when Jim's phone rang. He gave the man an exasperated look, which quickly morphed into concern as he listened to the conversation.

"Hello?....Wait, wait, slow down, Nyota. She WHAT? Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll tell Leonard. We'll pack up right now and meet you at the hospital in Belgrade," Jim assured her, then disconnected the call. He turned and winced when he saw the puzzled look on Leonard's face at the mention of "hospital".

"Tell me what? What happened? Who's in the hospital?" McCoy demanded.

"No time for questions, Bones, just grab everything and throw it in the trunk, we can sort it out later. I'll explain on the way," Jim promised.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, I'll drive. Just tell me what's going on," McCoy pleaded.

Jim grabbed Leonard's arms to steady his friend, and in part, himself. "Listen. There's been an accident. And once I tell you what happened and who's involved, you'll be thankful that I'm the one driving," Jim muttered.

At his friend's tone, he knew it had something serious to do with you. He nodded solemnly and hurried to pack their fishing gear plus anything else they brought with them. Once everything was stowed in the trunk, both men climbed into the car, buckled their seatbelts, and sped off towards Belgrade. "Okay, we're on the road. Now will you tell me what's going on?"

***

Twenty minutes later, Jim pulled the car into the lane just outside the Emergency Room entrance. Leonard barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before bolting out of his seat and stepping through the sliding doors to the ER. He marched up to the Nurse's Desk and demanded to be updated on your condition.

At first the nurse refused to confirm to Leonard that you were even a patient of her hospital, let alone release any status information to him. As he was still arguing with the nurse, Jim appeared at his side after parking the car.

He tried to turn on the charm, since his friend's direct approach didn't seem to be working, but the nurse was steadfast in her refusal. Fortunately, both your doctor and Uhura heard the commotion. They came out and were able to smooth things over then explain about your condition and the extent of your injuries.

Nyota looped her arm around Dr. McCoy's elbow and led him and Jim down the hall to your room. As they walked, she explained to him what had occurred, filling in the gaps in Jim's account of the situation. She asked about the fishing trip, and if they'd caught much of anything, or if it was all "manly bonding" time. Her questions drew a huff of laughter from him and, for a moment, he forgot he was at a hospital waiting to see you.

When they arrived at your room, a nurse was just leaving, after he collected your vital signs. Leonard asked to see them, and was handed the clipboard with your information. The nurse said you were still unconscious, but that it was okay to go in and sit with you. "Your girl's a fighter," he said. "Injuries like hers and all she kept asking about was if anyone else got hurt and if they were okay," he explained, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's my girl," Leonard remarked softly. He took a deep breath then slowly turned the handle to open your door. The sight of you that greeted him made his heart sink to the floor. 

There was a tube in your arm to deliver IV meds and fluids, while your other arm was in a sling. You had multiple lacerations on your face, neck, and arms from the flying glass in the explosion, and it was likely you had a concussion. Near your bedside, a machine beeped as it monitored your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. Bandages covered what was likely second-degree burns to your forearms and upper chest.

"Oh, sweetheart," he whispered. "Who did this to you?" He reached up with a shaky hand to gingerly touch the bandage on your temple. His other hand gripped yours as a few tears rolled down his face. He silently vowed that whoever was responsible, he would hold them accountable, no matter what. "If it's a war they want, I'll give them a war."

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

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