#one thing i remember for certain is that the sphinx is cool

[tegutassels]

the sphinx from The Adventures of Puss in Boots occasionally pops into my head, should i try that show again

[solastia]

The Dragon’s Lair | 6

- Riddle Me This -

Pairing: Dragon Hybrid Namjoon x Reader

Word Count: 5,094

Notes: It feels like so much has happened and this has been going on for so long, right? But this is actually the very beginning of my long and complicated outline lmao. Anyway, it’s time to meet our Sphinx! I wonder who this could be *insert lenny face here*  And if you’re wondering if there will ever be an end to me adding other kpop fandoms: no, no there will not be. We’re catchin em all. 

The winter storms were slowly giving into the spring rains. Of course, this made everything horribly humid and muddy, but at least you weren’t snowed in for days on end anymore. 

As soon as you were able, you scheduled contractors that specialized in hybrid-friendly rooms to help get one prepared, as you fully planned on starting the adoption process for Mark when it was done. You had to make sure it had its own heating and cooling system separate from the rest of the house, insulation for winter, and UV lighting, among other things. Needless to say, it was not going to be a quick process, but Mark was safe at the shelter with Heechul’s near-constant vigilance. 

You’d also begun to clear out the barn that you’ve only been using for storage since your grandparents had adopted out all of their animals. You weren’t quite sure how serious you were yet about getting some animals in there again, but for now, it gave you something to do while construction was going on inside your home. 

You spent a lot of time throwing out or giving away anything unusable, sweeping out stalls, and scrubbing everything down until it shone like it hadn’t in years. Thankfully you still kept in touch with a lot of the people that had worked with your family over the years and it was easy to have fresh supplies brought in, half of which you weren’t even sure you’d ever use, but everyone was happy to hear that the farm was going back to work in a sense. 

Despite all these other changes, your relationship with Namjoon was settled into a comfortable path. Not to say that things were unexciting - the man never failed to find some new way to make your heart flutter - but it felt secure and steady now. Like the two of you being a forever thing was assured. It continually surprised you when you remembered that you actually hadn’t been together for very long. He felt like he’d always been there. 

Most days were simply routine. You’d both wake up at the same time and shower - together more often than not -, have breakfast and then he’d head to the shelter while you’d work in your office. At least three times a week you’d meet up to have lunch together, thankful that both of you had lenient bosses that wouldn’t freak out when an hour-long lunch turned into two or three. Once he was home for the day, the two of you usually just spent your time together. You’d watch a movie or read while you cuddled on the couch, oftentimes ignoring the screen to simply listen to him talk. The way he viewed the world was beautiful and you never grew tired of listening. 

Namjoon had put his foot down and declared date night mandatory. So every single Saturday without fail he’d drag you into town for some event or into the mountains for a hike, always doing his best to create the most romantic day possible. You’d tried to convince him that he didn’t need to do all this, that simply walking with him in the forest near your home was romantic as long as he was there, but he claimed he was still “courting” you so it wasn’t something he could just stop. You assumed that meant it was something to do with his Dragon side and let him do as he pleased. 

Once a week you’d usually tag along and go to the shelter, spending most of your time in the playrooms. According to one of the volunteers, Heechul’s shelter held an average of one hundred and fifty hybrids at any given time, which seemed an astronomical amount if one didn’t know about the secret wings and the fact that you were pretty sure he’d borrowed the whole ‘bigger on the inside’ concept. 

You tried to spend as much time as you could with all the hybrids, but as you were only one person there was only so much you could do. Still, you did have your - as Heechul called them - “cub club.” There have been many arguments in the little group about the name - starting with you wondering why they needed a name at all - since they were composed of all different species, but they gave in after Heechul’s continuous use of it and the fact that it apparently was cute, according to Namjoon. 

Basically, it was a group of hybrids that seemed to have singled you out as a clear favorite and would follow you around the moment you stepped into the building. The unspoken leader of the group was your little Mark, who was always waiting by the front door of the building when you would come in. Usually right next to him was Felix, who seemed to split his time between your cubs and Namjoon’s fan club fairly equally. Some newer friends of yours were a teen tiger hybrid named Seonghwa, and wolf pup siblings Changkyun and Jooheon. There were a few others that came and went, but these were your regular crew. 

Today was one of your shelter days, and you were once again surrounded in the playrooms. Mark was sitting next to you with his raccoon hybrid friend Donghyuck, who was an honorary member of Star’s Cubs at this point with how often he was attached to Mark. They were both coloring a picture of their dream bedroom - a sneaky idea you’d gotten so that you could have Mark’s room ready and decorated when the adoption finalized. 

Felix was having a Namjoon day, so after he’d run up to hug you when you’d first arrived, he’d gone right back to the class that Namjoon was currently teaching. You’d probably see him again at lunch, and then he’d talk a mile a minute about everything Namjoon was teaching him and demand cuddles. 

Changkyun and Jooheon were currently wrestling around on the floor near your feet. They were a complicated pair. They had both been found in the wild several months ago, seemingly without any sort of parents or guardians whatsoever. The boys themselves weren’t sure, but you judged them to be around nine or ten. They were smart kids but had obviously been living on their own for quite some time. They mentioned a “her” a few times, speaking of someone from their memories that would make certain foods or clean them, but they couldn’t remember who she was. Their mother, you assumed. 

Needless to say, they were perhaps not the most well-mannered children, but they were sweet and eager to please. To you, at least. The other volunteers usually tried to interact with them as little as possible after a few too many bites and temper tantrums, often referring to them as feral monsters. You had, of course,  taken that up with Heechul, but the damage had already been done and they were labeled as such by everyone. From the day Jooheon had met you, however, he’d decided you “smelled nice” and would bring you scraps from their dinners (that they apparently hoarded - bad habits left from living in the wild). It had taken Changkyun a little longer to warm up to you, but one day he’d just walked up and pushed Felix out of your lap and took his place. You’d scolded him and made him apologize, but you’d let him stay, deciding it had probably been a very long time since he’d been hugged by anyone besides his brother. They’d gotten better about waiting their turn and learning to ask first, but you still went out of your way to cuddle them as much as they’d let you. 

Seonghwa sat nearby doing his homework. He was...interesting. It was the nicest thing you could think of to say about that whole situation. The thing was, he was a nice kid. Almost seventeen, had been here for a few years. Definitely beautiful, no denying that. You didn’t know too much about his past yet, as you hadn’t wanted to pry and he didn’t volunteer much information. He helped you with the younger kids a lot though, asked you about your work, was genuinely sweet, and fun to talk to when he was just chill. The issue was...you were apparently his “first love.” 

He wasn’t creepy about it or anything. He really was super sweet. He would bring you flowers and treats, help you carry anything heavy, and was just really attentive. Unfortunately, then he’d start walking around you in circles, staring intently with his tail flicking around in the air as he sang to you. He had a sweet voice, but they were of course all highly inappropriate love songs to be singing to an older woman. And according to Namjoon, the circling and singing thing was a tiger courting ritual, so you took great care not to acknowledge it. You’d tried letting him down as gently as possible, but somehow he seemed to just consider it more of a challenge, and you really didn’t want to be mean and be his first heartbreak as well. Namjoon surprisingly - or not since he could be a brat himself - thought it was hilarious. He’d often ask how your tiger cub was doing, laughing when you’d swat him. Of course, he was still a territorial dragon, so he would occasionally go out of his way to kiss you with a bit too much tongue or pinch your butt where everyone could see to get the message of your status across. 

Things at the shelter have been fairly quiet and routine, as far as such a big place could be. That’s why you were awfully surprised when Heechul storms into the playroom looking distraught and frazzled. He brightens slightly when he spots you, rushing over and placing his hands on his hips. 

“You’d be perfect, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier!” 

You frown, thoroughly confused. “Thanks, I think. For what?” 

He clucks and shakes his head. 

“We have an exotic on his way here. He was one of mine that I raised until he was ten, and then he was adopted by this lovely couple. Unfortunately, they were a bit too old even then, but they adored Seokjin so I let him go.” He sighs wearily and flops into a nearby recliner. “They passed away last year and left him everything. He’d been living on his own just fine until someone tried to rob the place and he ended up hurt. Then the police of course had to see his medical records and - surprise! - a hybrid had been running around owning a house and living free for an entire year and they don’t like that. They were going to send him to a state-run hybrid institution, which essentially means death if you’re not a baby or usable on the black market. So, he called me in a panic and I have it all settled with the police that he’s officially one of ours and they don’t have to worry about him anymore. But he’s too used to independence to stuff him back into regular hybrid life, so I was thinking maybe you could foster him? Just like, let him hang out at your place until we figure out some way he can go back to living how he likes?” 

“I mean, I have to check in with Namjoon, but I don’t see why not. What kind of hybrid is he?” 

“Sphinx,” Heechul answered, his deadpan voice at odds with his amused eyes. 

“A what now?” 

“Sphinx. You know, part bird, lion and man. Likes riddles. Has big statues.” 

“Sure, why not,” you sigh. This place really made your brain hurt. 

Heechul chuckled and reached out to pat your shoulder. 

“Thanks. I know it’s a lot to deal with right now, with your new romance and getting ready for Mark, but Seokjin deserves a chance. I think you’ll like him.” 

“You know, it’s really creepy when you do that. At least let me tell you with words what I’m planning about Mark.” 

“I didn’t even need to use magic to see that’s where it was headed. He’s basically already yours,” he scoffs, standing up with a light groan. 

“When is this Seokjin going to be here?” 

“He’s on his way to the shelter now. I figured he could just come here first, meet you and have dinner with everyone, then head home with you guys after. If that’s okay.” 

“Again, just have to check with Joon, but it should be fine. Sphinx and dragons aren’t like, mortal enemies or anything, are they?” 

Heechul grins, “Hardly. In fact, I remember they were actually pretty good friends when they were little. Jin was older and would tolerate Joonie like a big brother. Not sure how well Namjoon remembers him, though.” 

“Alright, I guess. Joon’s class is over in a few minutes. I’ll go talk to him now.” 

“Thanks, Star!” 

You shake your head as he flounces away, wondering when he’d started using that name too. At this point, that was basically your official name. 

“Does that mean you’re going to have to stay home all the time? To take care of a new hybrid?” 

A little sniffle came from your right as you registered the fact that your cubs had just been quietly listening to your conversation with Heechul. Mark’s eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears and you quickly snatched the boy up and cuddled him close. 

“Of course not, sweetheart. By the sounds of it, he’s older than both me and Joon, so he’s not going to need much looking after. He basically just needs a place to crash until he figures out what to do.” 

“Oh,” he sniffles again, and you try not to laugh about the fact that it’s not helping, as his nose is starting to water too. “So you’ll still come to see me?” 

“Of course! And as soon as the farm is cleaned up you can come to visit me too. How does that sound?” 

“Really? And Felix? And Hyuckie? And...and…”

“Yes,” you interrupt, knowing the boy will try to name literally everyone he’s ever talked to. “Anyone that wants to visit will be able to. I just wanted to make sure it’s safe first, so no one gets sick.” 

“Okay!” Mark squeezes you clumsily but is quickly back to being a ray of sunshine and crawling off of you to go back to his picture. 

“Seonghwa,” you call, snorting inwardly as the tiger practically jumps to attention, “Watch the kids for a bit, okay? I’m going to see Namjoon.” 

He nods quietly and sets his books down, smiling softly as he watches you leave the room. 

*** 

As you’d expected, Namjoon was more than agreeable to the idea of helping his childhood friend but was understandably concerned over how his dragon instincts would react to another creature in his new den with his new...well, mate. (Although he insists that you aren’t official mates yet. And he blushes and refuses to answer whenever you ask what makes you official).

“It’s just, like, I don’t want to stress him out even more, you know? If he’s already going through all this, then I don’t want to be growling and snapping at him,” Namjoon sighed as he stood with you in the lobby, grasping your hand tightly as you both waited for Seokjin to show up. 

“I know, but Heechul told me that Seokjin is the only one of his kind as well so if anyone were to understand that this is a learning situation and not blame you for it, it would be someone like him, right?” 

Namjoon shrugs, “I guess. From what I remember, Jin hyung was really outspoken too, so I think he’d be sure to let me know if I do something to offend him.” 

“And if all else fails, you can just take him behind the house and piss on him,” you try to hide your grin as you tease him. 

He growls playfully, leaning down to tug your hair. “Watch it. I’ll mark you next.” 

“I thought you already did,” you quirk an eyebrow as you refer to certain activities that had taken place before he’d let you leave your bed that morning. 

“Hey, let's keep the rating down in my presence, please,” Heechul sighs wearily from the other side of you. 

The two of you fight valiantly to keep your giggles under control, only able to stop fully once a taxi pulls up in front of the building and nerves once again take over. 

The man that steps out takes even your breath away - quite a feat considering how whipped you were for your own boyfriend. He’s tall, nearly as tall as Namjoon, and has a regal bearing. He has a face that many would pay millions for, with full lips and wide expressive eyes. His hair and lion ears were the same mahogany brown shade, as was the fluffy tip of his long tail. It seemed he had no trouble showing off his lion side. You weren’t sure if that’s all there was to his transformation though, considering he was a Sphinx, not just a lion. 

He turned to pay the driver, who was actually smiling and laughing like the two of them were old friends. Seokjin reached out and shook the man’s hand heartily and shoved what was apparently too much money towards him if the way the man tried to argue about it was any indication. You supposed this meant Seokjin was the friendly sort, which boded well. 

You were a little confused by the fact that the hybrid was only carrying a single suitcase. Perhaps he had left the rest behind to be picked up later? From what Heechul had told you, the hybrid had grown up in a fairly wealthy household, spoiled and doted on. You would think he would be walking in here with twenty name brand suitcases, and yet here he was with only a small rolling suitcase meant for a child with Mario on it. Something about that felt wrong. 

The hybrid seemed fine, however, breezing through the front door with a wide smile like all was right in the world. He stopped right in front of Heechul and stared at him a moment, cocking his head. 

“You haven’t changed a bit, hyung. You don’t have a single new wrinkle. Are you trying to compete with me?” 

Heechul huffs and reaches out to hug the man. Seokjin laughs quietly, pulling Heechul into a bear hug so fierce Heechul squeaks a little. He releases him and pats him on the shoulder before he turns to Namjoon. 

“Don’t tell me you’re little Joon bug? You can’t be anyone else, with those dimples. I used to swear I could use them as cereal bowls if we ever ran out.” 

Namjoon shyly looks down and kicks his foot, but he’s smiling. “Hi, Seokjin-ssi. It’s nice to see you again.” 

The hybrid waves his hand carelessly, “Just call me hyung, Namjoon. Or even just Jin.  We don’t need honorifics with our kind.” 

Namjoon nods and pulls you closer, drawing the Sphinx’s attention. His thick brow raises your way as his smile quirks mischievously. 

“And this must be Miss Star, the one I’ve been hearing so much about,” he raises up his hand like he’s going to shake yours, but the moment you grasp it he holds on tightly. His face suddenly settles into serious lines as he looks down into your eyes. 

“Answer me this. As small as your thumb, I am light in the air. You may hear me before you see me, but trust that I’m here.” 

You hadn’t been prepared for this, for some reason. Duh, Sphinx’s whole thing was about riddles. 

You bite your lip and give it some thought for a moment. “A hummingbird?” 

His smile brightens back up and he releases your hand before he slaps Namjoon’s back. 

“Hey, she’s smart. You got a good one” 

“Yeah…” Namjoon answers dreamily, staring down at you with a dopey grin. You blush and grab his hand. 

Jin’s arm was back to flailing around again, and you were wondering if he was in control of his limbs or if it was the other way around. 

“Hey, listen, want to hear a joke about construction?” he asks. You’re not sure if he really expects an answer, but you squeak out a somewhat genuine sounding “Sure,” anyway. 

“I'm still working on it,” he answers, before cackling loudly, his laughter practically shaking the glass windows as he slaps his leg in amusement. 

You decide, if nothing else, he seems easy to keep entertained. 

You politely laugh and wait for him to finish before taking the chance to steer the conversation in another direction. 

“Are you hungry? We thought we’d stay and have dinner here before we went home. Only if you’re comfortable with that, though.” 

“I’m famished,” Jin answered, slapping his flat and obviously in-shape stomach like it was the opposite. “I wouldn’t mind sticking around. Kyungsoo still the cook here?” 

“Yup. And Wendy is making dessert,” Heechul tells him as he grabs the little suitcase. 

“Sounds great.” 

It hadn’t escaped your notice that no one brought up his past owners or any difficult subjects. You sigh quietly as you walk behind everyone as they went to the dining room, knowing that it was probably going to be all up to you. 

***

Dinner had gone as it usually did, with only the occasional fights to break up between over-enthusiastic kids. You used the time to observe Seokjin, trying to see what you could pick up about him in a group setting like this. He was polite and charming, yes, but very quick to steer the conversation away from himself. You supposed he wasn’t ready to talk about his problems, which was fine. You had time. 

He was also an enthusiastic eater and at one point seemed to have an almost mini-competition going on with the elephant hybrid over who could eat the most. You’d decided to break it up before anyone found out since the elephant was only seven and didn’t need to compete with a grown man. 

Seokjin and Namjoon seemed to get on perfectly well, thank goodness. Jin treated him like a little brother - making sure his bowl was full, teasing him every time he stared at you, telling him at least five jokes about giants. 

The man didn’t seem to have a shred of animosity in him at all, which would normally be a good thing. If one didn’t take into account what had happened to him. He should be upset and crying, or at least mad. Irritated. But he seemed more like he was just visiting some dear old friends, with nothing to fret about. That worried you more than anything because the poor man was probably just really good at covering it up then, and you hoped you’d be able to help him. Or that he’d even let you. 

These thoughts plagued you the whole way home, as you occasionally peeked into the rear view mirror to see Jin sitting quietly with his tiny suitcase that you still hadn’t been able to bring yourself to ask about. 

At least he was here with the two of you, somewhere he could be safe and have people looking out for him. That was the best you could do for now. 

After you show him to a spare bedroom, he thanks you quietly, smiling with his lips but not his eyes. The door closes and you sigh, retreating to your own room to wrap yourself in Namjoon’s arms. It haunts you that something like this could happen to him if anything were to happen to you. That he would get sent back to the shelter with nothing, despite the fact that you wanted to give him the entire world. You’ll have to ask Heechul what you can do to make sure he’s safe. 

***

When you wake up the next morning, it’s to the smell of meat cooking. Normally, this would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, you’ve been living with Namjoon for far too long and your mind now associated unsupervised cooking with near-death experiences, so instead your first reaction is terror. 

You jump out of bed, unmindful of your state of near-undress, and run to the kitchen. Your ears are hyper tuned to every sound, waiting for bellows of pain, but so far you simply hear the slap of your bare feet against wood and sizzling from a pan. 

You round the corner and grab the wall, catching your breath as you stare into the kitchen. Namjoon is sitting at the bar eating a heaping plateful of scrambled eggs and cheese, giggling as Seokjin preforms some a dirty gesture involving sausages and eggs. The Sphinx is standing over the stove with your bright pink apron, confidently cooking away, and both men are fine. You breathe a sigh of relief, slumping slightly as the tension leaves your body. Both men turn at the sound, smiling in greeting. 

“Morning, baby. Jin’s making breakfast. He’s a good cook!” 

“I see that. Morning, everyone,” you reply, walking in and trying not to let on how nervous you’d been. You peck Namjoon’s cheek and peek over the bar at the stove. 

Jin meets your eye and smiles mischievously like he knows what you were concerned about. 

“And here is one for you, madame,” he says with a flourish, setting a plate in front of you piled high with food and even garnished with a couple of tiny flowers from the garden. 

“Wow,” you blurt, honestly astounded by his skill. Everything looked perfect and you couldn’t wait to dig in. 

“What’s with that look?” He says loudly, quirking an eyebrow at you. “You just fell for me, didn’t you? Ah, I’m too charming.” 

You laugh and take a bite, nervously peeking at Namjoon to see if he’d taken the joke too seriously. Seokjin must have magic in his food because you doubted the dragon had even heard since he was too busy shoveling food in his mouth like you’d been starving him for months. 

“Slow down,” you cluck and tap his shoulder. He turns and grins at you with a disgustingly full mouth.

“Isth good,” he mumbles, and you laugh despite your disgust. 

“I can see that.” 

You swirl your fork around as you watch Jin settle in with his own plate, letting him get a few bites in before you strike. 

“So, Joonie and I both took the day off to help you get settled in. We figured you might need to do some shopping or something. I know the bedroom is pretty bare since we were focusing on another room right now.” 

Jin glances up and for a moment his gaze is troubling. You’d seen the brief flash of melancholy before he’d covered it up with a charming smile. 

“I could use a few things to tide me over until I’m out of your hair, I suppose. I do have my own money, but most places around here won’t let you shop without a license.” 

“That was nice of them to leave you money, They must have been good owners.” 

His eyes cloud over and he glances away from you, staring at one of the windows. 

“They were amazing parents. But the money that they left for me got taken away. I believe everything went to my Mom’s cousin - someone she didn’t even really know.”

“I thought you said you had money?” 

“I...uhh...had some stashed away. My dad never liked banks - didn’t trust them. He always had a rule that whenever you used your card, you should take out some cash and squirrel it away just in case. So we’d always take a little out and stash it in this fake book. From the outside it looks like Crime And Punishment, and who reads that willingly?” he snorts, peeking over at Namjoon. “Besides this kid, obviously.” 

Namjoon just shrugs, unbothered with the truth. 

“But...Jin hyung, you mean they kept everything?” 

The Sphinx sighs wearily and drops his fork, reaching up to rub his forehead. 

“Everything. The cousin’s lawyer grabbed my old suitcase from storage and told me I could keep anything I could fit in there as long as he approved of it. I got some clothes, my mom’s recipe book, my dad’s favorite fishing lures, and the stash of cash because he thought it was just another book,” Jin shrugs like he’s just telling a story, never mind that the sound of your heart breaking was probably audible at this point. 

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” you murmur, struggling to stay calm for his sake. 

He shrugs. “No big. I’m a hybrid. Should have expected it.” 

“No, you should not have. People treat actual animals better than they do hybrids and it’s disgusting. I’m so very sorry. I know nothing I say can erase what’s been done to you. Just know that you are safe here and welcome in my home for as long as you like.” 

Jin opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut again like he can’t figure out what to say. Namjoon grins proudly at you and slaps Jin’s shoulder. 

“Told you, hyung. She’s the best. And she’s right. You are welcome here and I can assure you that I feel no urge to fry you to a crisp.” 

“I...was not aware that was a potential issue. Thanks for not ruining my beautiful face, I guess,” Seokjin says, obviously done with the serious talk and choosing to fall back into humor. 

“And with that settled, I should probably go put on some pants. Thanks for the breakfast! We’ll meet up and go shopping in an hour, yeah?” 

You grin at them both and leave the room, the smile dropping the moment you were sure they couldn’t see. 

Poor Seokjin. 

He had grown up loved and cared for by those people, and just because he was a hybrid he’d lost everything. The fact that this could easily be Namjoon’s story if you were to kick it tomorrow didn’t sit well with you, either. You needed to figure something out that could stop this from happening. Or at least figure out somewhere hybrids could go besides back into shelters. It seems like an impossible task, but one that needs doing, obviously. 

As laughter filters towards you from the kitchen, you smile. One thing is for sure, your first task is going to be convincing Seokjin that he’s already home. 

[thecagedsong]

Forgotten Light: Chapter 7: Preparations

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Chapter 7: Preparation

Agad came in over breakfast.

“Agad, welcome to my home,” Seth said, taking a long drink of milk. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Have a seat. What have you got on Kendra?”

Agad looked more tired than Seth had ever seen him, and let Seth’s joke go flat. He sat down and the six-armed woman that worked in the kitchen put a plate of oatmeal out for him. “Thank you, Simrin,” Agad said. “I have some news, not much of it good. I was able to track the goblins that stole the barrel, they were hiding in Goblin town.”

“Sounds like a fun place,” Seth said.

“You would probably enjoy it,” Agad said, bowing his head, “Just make sure not to lose your eye, or your tooth. It’s in Nevada, not a proper preserve, no caretaker. But they keep to themselves and have general distractor spells, so everyone leaves it alone. I found Slaggo there.”

“Long trip for a goblin on the run.”

“The Sphinx probably helped him, and a wizard named Vernaz. I thought she was an ally and gave Mendigo’s materials to her to be reconstructed. She was good at laying enchantments, much better than me. Her other talent is teleportation, and could have easily helped Slaggo leave Fablehaven with the barrel. I’m positive the barrel made it to the Sphinx.”

Seth finished his last bite of oatmeal, “Then we’re sure that the Sphinx and Ronodin are working together. That sucks, one of them is bad enough.”

Agad massaged his forehead, “I fear it was a mistake to make the Sphinx an Eternal. It will certainly keep the new demon prison closed from him, but I underestimated how cunning he is, even with his Shadow Charmer powers diminished.”

“What did you do to him?” Seth asked.

Agad shrugged, “Not enough apparently. He can’t hear the undead anymore, but we couldn’t dampen much else without killing him. He can put out fires, undo locks, shadow walk. That’s apparently enough to strike against us.”

“The Sphinx had this huge rant about refusing to be a captive,” Seth said, “We should have paid more attention to it. There was no way he was ever going to live by someone else’s say so. Remember, you gave all of us the call, we’re all to blame.”

“Yes, the long life seemed the greatest weakness to the mortal locks,” Agad replied, “It made sense at the time to have at least one person who would not feel that burden, but you are right. He firmly believed in his own rhetoric, and not acknowledging that was a mistake. Both the Sphinx and Vernaz have slipped away. Vanessa is going to be insufferable, and I am going to deserve every minute.”

Seth gave a joyless laugh, “Plenty of mistakes to go around. If the Sphinx happens to die, will that open the new prison? Asking for a friend.”

“No, the prison will remain closed,” Agad said, finally a little amused, “I do not think you would be able to let him die, and that’s fine. But if he happens to die, there are enough already constructed locks in place that the demons of Zzyzx will remain sealed. If the Sphinx comes under your power, save him because you are good, or do not save him because he has harmed those you love and will continue to do so for his own benefit. Do not worry about Zzyzx.”

“Noted,” Seth said. Agad finished breakfast and Seth led him to the War Room.

“I also examined the barrel here,” Agad explained as they walked, “The other half appears to be deep underwater.”

“Why would they do that?” Seth asked. “Did anyone touch the letter we left?”

“Your letter remains in place. An interesting response, and I see only advantages in it. The letter remains physically here, my only recommendation is to make it waterproof so when they pull the barrel up and remove the letter, it doesn’t get ruined by surrounding water. Which answers your other question. They didn’t destroy the barrel, which means they likely intend to use it again.”

“Can you find it?” Seth hoped. “Even a general location would help narrow down the search.”

Agad was already shaking his head, “It’s too deep, and somewhere protected. I can’t get a read on it aside from the fact that it is deep enough that the pressure would kill a human.”

“Great,” Seth said, running a hand through his hair. They approached the War Room, and Seth sat down with Agad across from him. Grandma and Grandpa were already there, and rushed to greet Agad. They updated him on Tess running around the preserve with the Cloak of innocence. Agad gave them the same information about Kendra.

“Any other leads?” Seth asked when everyone was caught up.

“Not quite,” Agad said, “I was unable to gain contact with the Fairy Queen, so we are waiting to see if her connection to Kendra remains strong. No further leads on Bracken either. The only good news I have is that Warren and Vanessa managed to help the caretaker regain a foothold of the Crescent Lagoon sanctuary.”

“I have Bracken’s horn,” Seth said, blinking. He was glad that his friends had some success, but they were okay, Bracken was not. He pulled it out of his emergency kit, “Kendra gave it to me before she lost her memory, along with the medallion and a bunch of information she was keeping to herself.”

“Bracken did say that he had re-established full connection with his horn,” Agad said, “May I see it?”

Seth nodded and offered it to the wizard. Everyone was silent as Agad’s brow pinched in concentration.

“The connection is weak, it feels as though he is under water. No, underground and under water,” Agad said, snowy eyebrows rising, “I would not have been able to tell had I not recently examined the barrel, but working around the water, earth and darkness, I can sense that he is not currently in pain. He seems…bored. He can’t sense me on this side of the connection. But…I would venture to say, he’s at approximately the same depth as the barrel. Within a couple hundred feet of each other.”

“Good,” Grandma said, “Ronodin is handling everything from a master base. There is a good chance Kendra is near them as well. Can you tell Bracken anything about Kendra being near him?”

Agad concentrated, then shook his head, letting out a shaky breath and lowering the horn. “At most, I might be able to push his subconscious thoughts in a certain direction. But I’m positive thoughts about Kendra already haunt him. His last prison ended with her after all.”

Uggh, of all the times to be a lovesick dummy. “Ronodin wants the horn,” Seth said, “That’s what Kendra told me, and I think he tried to get her to give it to him at the Dragon feast.”

“I shudder to think of why he wants it,” Agad said, then offered it back to Seth. “If he wants it badly enough, he’ll find whoever has it. He will likely be more willing to deal with you, knowing how much you want Kendra back. He will also suspect that you have it if Kendra does not. If he contacts you, use your judgement, rely on your grandparents and allies, contact me, and do not endanger the world.”

Seth took it and nodded, placing it back in his adventure kit, silently thanking Agad for placing the lead back in his hands. He would have thanked him out loud, but didn’t want Agad to rethink the choice.

There was a knock on the door, and Knox opened it, letting Tess fall through. “Seth! Seth! I saw the nice dragon! It was so huge!”

Nice dragon? Oh, she left with Eve and they went to see Dromadus. That’s okay then.

“Tess made it back,” Knox said, following her. Patton Burgess’s stingbulb shut the door behind them.

“We took turns flying the winged mounts and walking along the road, over all a very short trip,” Patton said, taking a seat next to Seth. “We heard about Kendra losing her memory. I’m so sorry.”

Patton offered his arms for a hug, and Seth took it, squeezing tightly.

Patton smiled and patted Seth on the back, returning the hug. “Don’t get too attached, I only have a day left.”

Seth released him, “I know,” Seth said, “But I’m glad you’re here while you are. Kendra was kidnapped by Ronodin and the Sphinx working together, and we’ll take any help you can give.”

“Hey, I deserve a hug too,” Doren protested, and both he and Newel tackled Seth in hug, ruffling his hair, before settling back like nothing had happened.

They went through yet another round of catch-up, as Tess squeezed herself in between Knox and Seth, fairly bouncing while waiting to tell her story.

“Tess, this is serious,” Knox scolded, “Kendra’s in a lot of trouble.”

“I know,” Tess said, holding still, “But the fairies at Fablehaven told me all about Bracken and Kendra. Bracken is like, this super cool fairy prince who likes Kendra and totally saves her all the time. And Kendra has a bunch of wicked cool powers from the Fairy Queen, they’re going to be okay until you and Seth rescue them, if they don’t rescue themselves.”

Not how Seth would describe them, Kendra spent a lot more time saving Bracken than the other way around, far as he knew. He was surprised that the Fablehaven fairies were that nice about Kendra though. He wasn’t the only one.

“The fairies said that?” Grandpa asked.

“Well, they said Bracken pitied her, not that he liked her,” Tess admitted, “but that’s what girls always say when the cool boy likes someone else. And they said that the Fairy Queen gives Kendra powers to do stuff for her, and the Fairy Queen is the most powerful person ever. So everything is going to be okay. Really, we need to worry about us.”

Attention snapped to Tess like a guitar string.

“The Dragons are planning to attack us. Tonight! Dromadus doesn’t know how, but he heard them acting like they already won,” Tess explained. “I was supposed to tell Seth. Oh! And don’t tell anyone who told us about the dragons, that’s a secret.”

“Tess,” Knox said slowly, “That’s the kind of thing you say right away.”

“But it’s rude to interrupt people,” she said, confused.

Seth stood up, and he saw Grandpa raise his eyebrows in surprise. Why was he surprised? This was Seth’s job, after all, for a little while longer anyway.

“Okay Agad, welcome to the next round,” Seth said, “Did you check the magical defenses? How are they holding?”

Agad shared an amused look with Grandpa, who just nodded. “I did. The protections seem more secure than ever, even more than when I was caretaker here.”

“The Dragons are certain of victory, but will be unable to mount a frontal assault,” Grandma mused.

“Is Celebrant being hasty?” Patton asked, “From what I understand, dragons with losing streaks don’t stay king for long.”

“Perhaps Dromadus is toying with us,” Marat offered, “His help is rather unexpected.”

“I don’t think Dromadus would do that,” Seth said, “When Kendra and I met him, he seemed kind of like the Fair Folk. Didn’t want the sanctuary to fall, but not gonna do anything about it. And if he isn’t right, and the dragons don’t attack, there’s nothing to gain. If he lied, we wont trust him in the future.”

Marat tilted his head, acknowledging Seth’s statement.

“Anything is possible,” Agad said, “It could be that Dromadus is working with Celebrant, and they are hoping to find a weakness as we scramble to cover ourselves.”

“We have to treat it like a real threat,” Seth decided. “Whatever we show, it can’t be worse than them coming after us when we are unprepared. Possible weaknesses?”

“We should go over our magical defenses one more time,” Marat suggested, “Review the treaty and see if there is anything we missed. It is possible we have a traitor in our midst that will grant them access.”

Unfortunate, but true. He hoped they had been careful enough, though he hadn’t been around much to make a good guess himself.

“What about the barrel?” Knox asked. “We know where that is now, right? Could that be the weakness?”

Agad frowned, “It feels out of character for Celebrant to brag of a victory achieved by allies on the other side of the barrel, but we should not discount it. It is currently the greatest hole in our defense.”

Something about what Knox said bothered Seth. They know where it is now. They weren’t dealing with the Sphinx, but they kind of were. What had the Sphinx done in the past while they thought they were safe? And what was it about Knox’s statement that bothered him?

There wasn’t the textbook method: create a problem, send a friend to help, friend is a traitor. This was a different tactic. The Sphinx liked to stay one step ahead, control the board from both sides, and make threats to force you into action when you’d really just like to sit on your winning streak. Seth thought about the stories he had shared with Knox. Sometimes he planted a traitor, and sometimes the Sphinx sent invisible assassins after you because he already knew where you were going to be. Sometimes he let demon dragons out of their prisons when you weren’t looking.

“Guys,” Seth said, a sick feeling in his stomach, “Hey,” he stopped Marat and Agad in the middle of their discussion about magical defenses. “Bad thought. Someone was controlling Mendigo way before when the barrel was first stolen, right? Probably Ronodin, since he’s been hanging around the preserve and making deals with the Dragons. We thought the person left with the barrel, but it was in the basement the whole time.”

He waited for someone to deny what he was hinting at.

“Ah,” Grandpa Sorenson said, “I see. Between the time the barrel was lost and found, both sides of the barrel were out of our control, and Mendigo was available on our side to assist a sleeper agent.”

Grandma, Tanu, and Agad all looked like they were about to throw up.

“What are you saying?” Knox asked.

“Seth is suggesting the possibility that someone is already here, but remaining hidden,” Marat clarified, “An insightful observation and deduction.”

“Celebrant could claim credit for successfully distracting us,” Agad admitted, “Not as good as a frontal assault, but enough for him to claim the win. Especially if he can claim the kill. If the enemy is hiding near the Blackwell, it would be nearly impossible to sense them around the aura of the undead.”

“The question is,” Grandma said, “whether the source of the threat is already here, or will it come through the barrel yet. I am loathe to give up our only connection to Kendra.”

“Any way we can make sure we aren’t being listened to, Agad?” Grandpa asked.

“Not that I can create without knowing our spy and what he is using,” Agad said, shaking his head. “We will have to plan even though we may be spied upon.”

“There can’t be a bunch of them,” Seth decided, “I can see through most hiding spells, and I haven’t seen anyone. I can’t get around distractor spells, that was Kendra’s half…” he looked down at Tess, fairy struck, who was sitting still and paying attention like a good girl. Plans were starting to come together “Let’s not talk about everything here. I want everyone to split into groups. Agad, Marat, where’s the best place to examine the magical defenses?”

They shared a look, “The tower where the Roost used to be,” Agad said at last. “The protections still form a small dent there, where a dragon may come closer than other area.”

“Okay, head to Seth Tower, I’ll meet up with you after.” Seth said. It was energizing, being heard and listened to. And to actually be doing something! The brothers nodded.

“Tanu,” Seth said, “I want your potions ready by dinner, whatever happens, you’re going to need to be stocked and ready to go.” Several people caught his emphasis, but didn’t say anything, just like he wanted. Well Tess asked, but Knox shushed her.

“I would appreciate an assistant,” Tanu said.

“I’ll help,” Patton said, standing up, “Unless you have a job for me elsewhere.”

Seth shook his head, “Helping Tanu is perfect.”

He turned to Grandma and Grandpa, “I need you guys to work with the staff. Let them know we’ve been warned of a threat, organize extra lookouts and patrols, organize a watch over the barrel, that kind of stuff. We don’t know what direction the threat coming from, so we cover as many directions as possible.”

Now it was time for Grandma to look amused, and Grandpa to look proud.

“Understood Seth,” she said. “We will retreat to the Winter Study to plan. Henrick will be back soon, and his help will be invaluable with this. We should wait to inform the staff until after he joins us.”

“Great idea, go for it. Er, where’s the Winter Study?” Seth asked, trying to remember from their tour.

“Directly below Kendra’s bedroom,” Agad said. “On the first floor.”

Seth nodded, he’d knock on doors until he found the right one.

Seth turned to his remaining players, “And finally: Doren, Newel, Tess, and Knox. I have a very special job for you. Wait outside the door while I make sure of something with Agad.”

“That’s our cue to leave,” Grandma said, patting a hand on her husband’s leg.

“The abundance of caution while in command suits you,” Grandpa said, standing up. He put his hand on Seth’s shoulder as he passed, “I’m proud of how you’re handling this situation.”

Considering a little over a week ago, he’d gotten a stern lecture about endangering his cousin and the consequences to trying to trick magic, this was quite the change. Grandpa smiled, and walked past him. There was a small lump in his throat. This feeling was why Kendra always did her best to make people proud of her. It was rarely sent his way.

Tanu and Patton also left, then the satyrs and his cousins went just outside the door.

Seth walked close to Agad and lowered his voice, “Tess is Fairy struck, can she see through distractor spells?”

Agad nodded.

Seth smiled and nodded as well. He whispered. “Can you bring the treaty document to the tower?”

Agad shook his head, “It is locked in a box in the Winter Study. The medallion opens the box. I recommend against moving it.”

Seth looked at Marat.

“I agree, with my brother. We have the contents memorized, we should only consult them upon need.”

Seth nodded, then stepped back.

“See you at Seth Tower soon.”

The two of them left, and Seth took a moment to fling himself on the couch and groan. The energy had left when everyone else did. Leading was such hard work! For the millionth time, he wished Kendra had let him turn the key. Sure he’d be kidnapped and being trained into an evil Shadow Charmer right now, but Kendra was so much smarter than him, she would have figured out about the intruder way before.

Probably because she had better judgement than him and didn’t usually trust terrible people right off the bat. And like she said, people usually had enough confidence in her to just trust her with important stuff.

The door creaked open, “Uh, Seth, did you have a job for us?” Newel asked.

Seth got up and went to the door. Remembering from his first day, he used the medallion to unlock a desk drawer in the corner, and pulled out a key ring, slipping it into his adventure pouch.

“Yeah, follow me, I don’t know how much of the keep Tess and Knox got to see,” Seth said, “And it’s a good time to get an updated map of it, in case we come under siege. It’s possible the Dragons are just going to stare us down until we run out of food. Any of you got any talent at drawing maps?”

There was a pause as Seth led on.

“I’ve dealt with a fair amount of treasure maps in my day,” Doren admitted, “And I’m not a shabby hand with a pen. I can draw.”

“Awesome,” Seth said, “Start with the storerooms in the basement storerooms, where the barrel was before, then the dungeons, then the ground floor. If you can get through those floors by lunch, that’d be great, but make sure to do them all. I want you three to go with him, and look for anything that seems suspicious. Look through the dungeons, but if any of you touch the Blackwell, or the chain next to the Blackwell, I’m throwing all of you inside it,” Seth said.

Seth had led them into the library and started pulling out loose sheets of paper, “Doesn’t matter how small. If it seems out of place, make a note of it.”

“Are you sure this is the best use of our time Seth?” Newel asked dubiously.

Seth grinned, “It’s a very good use of your time.”

Seth started writing on various blank papers, while they all watched him. He turned to his younger cousin when he was finished.

“Right. Tess? I want you looking for pictures and weird things on the walls.”

On this sheet of paper, Seth had written:

Every single time you see a person or creature, point at them, say something nice about them, and ask if you can talk to them. Knox will either say that you’re busy, or that the person isn’t there. Nod and keep walking every single time. Don’t let anyone know what’s written here, keep it a secret. Put a clean sheet on top of this one.  

“Here’s a list of the things you should look for. This is an old castle, there might be secret passages that we need to find out about before someone sneaks in,” Seth said, handing her the paper. She immediately started reading.

“Knox, you’re looking up higher, pay attention to cold or warm drafts and the items in the rooms, make note of which ones have weapons, look for places where the intruder could be staying,” Seth said, handing him a piece of paper that read:

Tess is going to ask to speak to everyone she sees. She has magic eyes like Kendra. If you see who she’s pointing to, tell her that you’re too busy to bother them. If you don’t see who she is pointing to, tell her that there’s no one there and you don’t have time for games. Make notes, but don’t engage.

He turned to Newel, “Your job is to make sure no one runs into walls while writing stuff down, and make sure to explore everything. Bring the cool stuff back to me, so that our item troll doesn’t try to keep it for the shelves.” Seth said, spouting nonsense. “Write down where you find it though, in case Agad says we need to return it or unleash another apocalypse.”

“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Newel nodded with a salute. Seth handed him a paper that read:

If someone was listening to our meeting, they are going to be following you. Watch for them. Tess and Knox are going to be acting weird, just ignore them. You’re on protector duty.

And Seth handed fully blank sheets to Doren, “And, of course, you’re on the map. Here’s paper, pens, clipboard, and scotch tape. Everyone know their job?”

The four of them looked excited as they nodded. “Good,” Seth said, “Meet back in the War Room after lunch.”

Doren and Newel slung another salute. Tess tried to copy them and slapped herself in the face. Knox just rolled his eyes.

They left, and Seth debated between going to check up on Grandma and Grandpa, or heading straight to Seth Tower.

His grandparents couldn’t set anything in stone without Hendrick, so he’d head to the Tower. He’d be able to see Henrick coming back, and take him to Grandma and Grandpa when the Alcetaur arrived.

Up at the tower room, Marat and Agad were waiting for him.

“So, magic defenses in place?” Seth asked.

Agad nodded, “Perfect, just like I said twenty minutes ago. Mind explaining more of your plan?”

“Sure,” Seth said, “Grandma and Grandpa are doing exactly what I said they were. Running the past week from Blackwell made them the best people for that, until Hendrick gets back to help. Tanu is also doing exactly what I told him too.

“I sent Tess, Knox, and the satyrs looking for people hiding themselves with distractor spells, but they look like they’re creating a fresh map of the lower floors. Tess is pointing out everyone she sees to Knox, Knox is telling her that they’re too busy to talk to anyone and taking note of the people that Tess sees that he doesn’t. Because they’re the group doing the most suspicious work, I’m hoping any spies here are following them, letting the rest of us get things done. Newel is on the look out for someone following them, and thinks that’s what he thinks they’re doing. Doren is actually creating a map.”

Seth was rather proud of that plan, and feeling pretty ingenious for coming up with it in only ten minutes.

“Once again, not bad,” Agad said.

Seth gave a dry smile, “I learned from the best teacher. The Sphinx betraying me and my friends over and over. After this, I’m going to do my own sweep, trying to see through the shadows while shadow walking.”

“Might I recommend also holding your unsheathed sword at the same time?” Marat said. “That is the sword of Tregain, yes?”

Seth glanced down, “Oh that’s right! This sword helps make people look away from me, especially bigger creatures. I’ll definitely do that.”

“A very pro-active plan,” Agad said, “I will admit to not even considering the idea of someone hiding in the Blackwell. The barrel messes with the traditional rule of only allowing visitors a single night of stay, as that magic is activated upon crossing the boundary.”

“I do not believe that is all to our caretaker’s plan,” Marat said, amused, “I believe he feels he will do more for our mission elsewhere, and intends to return the mantle of caretaker to me.”

Agad gaped, then turned, “Is this true, Seth?”

Seth nodded, “Celebrant is no longer co-caretaker. The issue we came here to solve, the weakening barrier, is fixed. There’s no problem with Marat being caretaker, according to Dromadus, so long as he stays in human form. I’d be a lot more useful helping track down Kendra and Bracken.”

“Before you go any farther,” Agad said, holding up a hand, “There are things I wish to disclose to the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary. The remaining lines of defense after the sanctuaries fall. We can continue to discuss your possible resignation afterwards.”

Seth hopped onto a wide window ledge, “Okay, hit me. What else we got before the next apocalypse?”

“These secrets should not be repeated,” Agad warned, “Except to your most trusted ally at the time of greatest need.”

Seth glanced at Marat, who nodded, “I am already aware of the provisions my brother speaks of. Do not worry.”

“The first is why Dragons from fallen sanctuaries have yet to invade the mortal world,” Agad explained, “There is a magic item, perhaps the most magic item in existence —”

“More then the Wizenstone?” Seth asked, eyebrows raised. He was starting to suspect that there wasn’t an actual standard for how ‘magic’ an item is.

Agad paused, and Marat chuckled. Agad continued, “No, I suppose, not greater than the Wizenstone. Possibly it’s equal. I would not like to test either object against the other. The skull of the first dragon that ever lived, Abraxtus, is more heavily ensorcelled, than any other object I have ever come in contact with. It is called The Sovereign Skull. It takes all the disbelief in magic that all mortals generate, and creates a repulsive barrier against dragons. This is our absolute last line of defense, and must be protected at all costs. Only a few wizards know the location, and that information will never be divulged for its own protection.”

Seth nodded, “Can I have the name of a wizard that does know? Just in case.”

Agad looked him straight in the eye. “No.”

Seth nodded, “That’s fair. Sounds like we’re hoping it doesn’t get that far.” As though they had ever had any luck in that department.

“Another line of defense: the Dragon Slayers,” Agad said.

Seth grinned, “The Somber Knight was so cool. A bit of a downer, but a real life-saver. He’s still a bit���messy, after rescuing Kendra from being dinner. You’re talking about the ones at the other six sanctuaries, right?”

Agad nodded, “In addition to the other six at sanctuaries, there are five others that have been living in the world, waiting to be called upon again. It will take a while to wake them up, but Celebrant declaring war was the key.”

Seth nodded, “You did the same thing with the dragon preserves that you did with the demon prisons. How are these guys at handling immortality? We sure they didn’t try to off themselves?”

Agad said, “They all already had experiences with extended lifespans, so hopefully we are rousing them from a pleasurable retirement. And then there is a line of defense you are slightly more familiar with: the three treasures in the secret dragon temples.”

“Right, gauntlets that control dragons. Every dragon in a hundred miles comes by to kill you if you look at them funny,” Seth recited, remembering Thronis’s warning.

Agad nodded, “There are two other items, and two other sacred temples guarding these items at dragon sanctuaries. The harp that can send any dragon to sleep, and the shield that can defend against any dragon’s attack. These items were necessary to winning the war against the dragons the first time, and now that we’re facing war again, we need them back.”

Seth tilted his head, “Did they already get new guardians for the temple here at Wyrmroost? Cause we killed them, and its not like those were your ordinary, everyday dragons, and no one besides Gavin and Thronis knew we went there for the obsidian waste key.”

“It would be foolish to assume they aren’t guarded,” Agad said, considering carefully, “Though it is also strange that Celebrant has never ranted against your party for that affront. The answer is that I do not know.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about the predicament.

“Well,” Seth said, “How buried is the translocator? Me and Kendra have been in the temple treasure room, we, er, I, for the moment, could grab the gloves and come back in a snap.”

Marat spoke up, “Bringing the translocator back into play at this time would be a dangerous move. That item is really too powerful. Dragons in human form could use it to escape the sanctuaries without a fight.”

Agad nodded, “All the artifacts are currently inaccessible. We used the Chronometer to hide the translocator, the sands of sanctity, and the occulous six more years in the future, waiting for us to finish designing the vaults. The Font needed to remain in the present, to support our first immortal, but that is the only artifact accessible. At least, until the Sphinx made off with it during his escape. Good thinking, but unfortunately untenable.”

A horn sounded from the parapet over the gate.

“That means a dragon is coming, right?” Seth asked, turning around in the window. “Raxtus maybe?”

“It means official visitors,” Marat clarified, “It certainly has been seeing its use this week. It also announced the arrival of the carriage from Stormguard.”

“Got it,” Seth said, standing up, “Anything else you need to tell the current caretaker of wyrmroost about the grand scheme of defenses?”

“No, those are our three lines: talismans, dragon slayers, and The Sovereign Skull,” Agad counted.

“Okay, I’ll keep those in mind, and never tell anyone, unless I absolutely have to,” Seth said, drawing a cross over his heart for good measure. “My plan is simple. Celebrant is a great big ego, right? He hates Kendra for insulting him, and it’s embarrassing that he keeps losing to a couple of kids. He’s getting help, he’s getting desperate, no matter what his plan is, right?”

Agad nodded.

“So, I’m going to offer him one last insult as caretaker,” Seth said with a grin, “His little rebellion isn’t even worth my time. After we deal with our guests at the gate, I’m going to do my sweep of everywhere while walking through shadows. Then I’m going to give being caretaker over to Marat, and we’re going to leave, with the barrel. That’s Blackwell’s biggest weakness, and it doesn’t need to be here for us to use it. I’ll leave Marat with a parting note to read to Celebrant, letting him know that we have better things to do.”

Agad started chuckling, moving his hand to cover his mouth when it didn’t stop.

“Boom,” Seth said with relish, “Biggest weakness removed, whoever is in the castle has to figure out how to kill Marat, who’s going to be a lot harder to kill than me, I get to go after Kendra, and we throw one last insult over our shoulder.”

Agad continued to laugh, but the most Marat gave was an amused look.

“And how exactly do you intend to leave?” Marat asked, “The walkway between the typical entrance and the Keep will not be guarded for this trip.”

“We have some pretty cool rides,” Seth said, “Not sure you saw them when Patton came in, but Kendra met up with a fairy godmother and boom, the luvians we were riding all have wings. We’ll need to make it so they can leave the sanctuary with us, but if they can make it through the sky on a festival night, they can probably get us past the barrier. We’ll have to ask them of course, but I think we’ll be in pretty good shape. They strike me as adventurous.”

“I would like to make one suggestion,” Agad said, wiping a tear from his eye, “Leave in peace, no one attacks at all, and leave before night falls. I’m sure they intend to strike in the dark. You leave two hours before sunset, and Celebrant likely wont have time to demand to know what you’re doing. Use Tess’s cloak of innocence to see you safely past the barrier.”

“Oh, that is wicked,” Marat chuckled. “But we have dawdled enough. The horn summons the caretaker to official business.”

Seth took one last look out the window and down the road, and paused. He pulled out his eyeglass from his adventure pouch. “Is that…Henrick leading a bunch dryads?”

[ancientechos]

Summer Days

For @windup-dragoon, based on a bunch of random discord convos!

Hien/Kirishimi + Emet-Selch/Arianna ♡ 2192 words ♡ some kinda modern au

The scent of the sea is fresh and crisp, circling in Hien’s lungs as he takes in a deep breath. It’s warm, and sunny, and vibrant: a perfect day to visit the beach. Perhaps take to the surf, enjoy the waves...

Unfortunately (or not?), two of his trio of companions have a quite different idea of what “fun at the beach” looks like.

“C’mon, Hien! The day’s not gettin’ any younger!” Kiri waves a hand in front of his face impatiently, shouldering her bright yellow surfboard and gesturing toward the sea. “We’re gonna surf, yeah?” She follows his gaze toward the small construction of umbrellas and towels they’d left and gives a small laugh. “Just leave ‘em, they said they’re fine.”

Emet, lounging on his towel, notices them staring, and gives a hand movement he’d like to assume is a wave but is really more likely to be a shooing motion. The smaller figure a little ways away from him, meanwhile, has most of her face obscured by the hat upon her head and the book held up to her nose.

“Besides, Emet’ll probably break his bones if he tries goin’ surfing.”

Hien can’t help but snort at the woman’s exaggeration.

“And Ari, well -- she’s not really too fond of this sorta stuff.”

It still feels a little off to simply leave their companions -- though really he wouldn’t mind Emet not being here at all, he feels just a smidge bad for Arianna.  Whilst he cannot pretend to know the quiet, dark-haired woman very well, he at the very least knows of her through Kirishimi, and at best doesn’t want to seem rude...

But Kiri does know her, so he supposes he should take his chances and simply relax. They had all come here to have fun, after all. Even if their definition of such was not exactly the same.

That was still fine.

Exhaling softly, Hien drums his fingers along his own surfboard, a bright lime green colour.

“You’re right! Let’s enjoy ourselves -- ” No sooner has he finished speaking than Kirishimi has already launched herself across the sand, giving a loud cheer of victory.

“Well? What are ya waitin’ for, slowpoke?!” She turns to regard him, one hand on her hip, pale hair framed by the sun. But what does Hien Rijin in is the enormous, joyful grin that spreads across her face.

Rivalling even the gleaming star behind her, the happiness is enough to spear him straight through the heart. He remembers precisely why he’s fallen for her.

He has just never seen anyone more beautiful and genuine in his life.

“Sorry, sorry.” He lifts a hand in mock surrender. “I won’t keep you waiting.”

The sand grows damp beneath his feet, gets between his toes and he merely kicks them beneath the gentle laps of water. His girlfriend is already nearly knee-deep in salt and fighting to get ever further past the waves, to finally use her board.

“I bet I’ll catch a bigger wave than you,” the woman taunts with a sharp quirk of her lips, glancing back at him over her shoulder with one blue eye. Her black two-piece is already soaked by the water, some droplets courtesy of the children playing in the shallower waters.

“We’ll see about that,” Hien replies, with a tiny smirk of his own. If there’s anything his love can bring about him, it’s his competitive flair.

It doesn’t take them long to find a decent wave; the water here is good for surf, the wind bustling their hair and Hien’s swim shorts as they struggle to find their balance. A swell of water takes Kirishimi away from him -- brings her back just as quickly as he surfaces at the top of the wave and he sees her, arms outstretched, braid streaming out behind her.

He can’t see her face from this angle, but he’s certain that if he could, he’d see that bright, free smile again. Sure enough, she gives a delighted whoop as another wave curls above her, and she tumbles below the surf.

Hien can still hear her laughing and chuckling, but his stomach drops out from underneath him anyway as he sails downward, thoroughly soaked now as he falls into the water. He surfaces with a gasp, grasping for his board before it can bob away from him entirely.

“Wasn’t that fun?!” Kirishimi yells at him excitedly a few feet away. Her laughter fills the air as another wave picks her up, sways her. “Let’s do that again!”

By the time they return to the beach, they’re thoroughly soaked. Hien’s hair is nearly coming undone from its ponytail, and Kiri has long ago lost her braid to the depths.

Emet and Arianna have for the most part not moved, the woman still curled up in her pale sundress. Through the shadows, it’s clear she’s wearing a swimsuit beneath, though she seems to have no inclination to actually put it to use. And the other, well...

He’s not entirely sure, but Hien thinks Emet’s eyes are closed beneath those dark sunglasses he’s wearing.

Kirishimi makes her way onto the towel nearest Emet, sighing loudly. They’ve both propped up their boards nearby to allow them to dry in the sun, doubting they’ll return to the sea for today.

“Man, that was tirin’,” Kiri proclaims, bunching up her hair. “We’re all soaked.” With this she squeezes -- allowing a series of water droplets to spray upon Emet as he reclines beneath the shade.

With a jerk and a stifled sound of annoyance, he pushes his sunglasses off; though Hien can cover his mouth with his hand as he turns away, he can’t quite stop his shoulders from shaking in mirth. Arianna shuts her book silently and eyes them both from beneath her hat somewhat warily; once it becomes clear neither Hien nor Kiri have any intention of spraying her, she relaxes somewhat.

“Couldn’t you have picked somewhere with less noisy brats running amok?” the older man hisses, narrowing golden eyes at Kirishimi in a way that implies he’s not simply talking about the little urchins clambering about the sand.

“Ahahah, sorry.” Not really. If anything, Hien finds seeing his former rival irritated like this amusing. “This just seemed the closest to all our residences...”

Not telling him that he and Kiri are actually, currently, “renting” one of the beach houses here.

…Which is actually owned by the Rijin family, though Kirishimi doesn’t know this, either. It’s fine for her to think it’s just temporary. For now.

Mentally patting himself on the back for being able to keep his composure, Hien finally turns back to his companions.

“Besides, we came here for a bit of fun, right? Stretch our legs a little, maybe let’s walk around -- I hear there’s a sand castle competition further up the beach. It might be nice to take a peek.”

Thus that’s how the four of them end up shuffling down the shoreline, toward the mass of sand and small crowd of people they can see milling about. The sun beating down on their sculptures allows them to harden and set, preserving them for at least until the moment they’re destroyed.

Most of them are quite impressive -- not all of them are grand castles and mansions. Some are cats, dogs, sphinxes, even dragons. It’s hard to believe they could simply be made of sand...

Beside the rows upon rows of majestic and interesting sculptures they’ve just walked through are a few children making their own play at sandcastles, though for the most part they amount to merely mounds of dirt.

“I bet ya couldn’t make anythin’ better than that, Mr. Architect.”

One of Emet’s brows twitches as he pauses mid-step to glare down at the highlander.

“Excuse me...?” His gaze flicks from the cheeky-looking woman to the sorry pile of sand currently being kicked about by a gleeful young boy.

“Ya heard me! I bet ya can’t make anything as cool as what we just saw,”

Privately, she mumbles under her breath that it hadn’t even really looked like sand anyway. Far too realistic...

The man scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“And why on earth do you think I care what you think?”

Once it becomes clear her attempt at challenging him isn’t working, the woman kicks it up a notch.

“Whoever builds a worse one’s gotta pay the tab at dinner later -- how about that?”

The expression on Emet’s face transforms from derision to vague amusement; he gives a shrug and filches a bucket and small plastic tools from one of the pairs of children puttering in the sand.

What seems like hours later to Hien but realistically can’t be, and his rival has already amassed a miniature crowd of his own, much to the discomfort of his date. Whilst Kirishimi and his sculpture is -- reminiscent of a castle, certainly, with no shortcuts taken for details...it’s lopsided and amateur, whereas Emet’s is most certainly...not.

The proudly tall, spiralling castle, decorated with small stones and other gathered trinkets, could well rival one of those built in the competition. Hien can hardly believe the thing the older man’s managed to create in such a span of time. Were it not made of sand, he’s sure it would gleam beneath the sun.

“Well,” Hien says with a nervous laugh as they push through the small row of onlookers, “I do believe you’ve lost your bet, Kiri.”

“Why didn’t ya tell me yer some kinda sand castle champion, Emet?! That’s cheatin’!”

“Mmm? Oh, I’m nothing of the sort.” The man’s tone simply drips with arrogance as he discards his final tool into the sand. “I’ve never built one before, and that was easy.” His smirk doesn’t fade as he grasps Arianna by one of her thin wrists, pulling her closer to him and out of the crowd. Hien pretends not to see the way his normally blade-sharp gaze softens as he presses a hand to her dark hair.

________

They’d all gotten time to change and get ready before heading out to the fancy restaurant. Halfway there, Hien can see Kirishimi beginning to brood about her supposed having to pick up the tab, and tries to reassure her.

“Listen, how about I pay instead? Anyway, it’ll be fine.”

“Huh? You pay? Nah -- it was my bet, Hien. And anyway, I’m not worried.”

Certainly not, that’s why the sun has left her gaze.

They all meet in the parking lot, Emet looking utterly bored whilst Arianna holds her cellphone in her hand. While she still doesn’t speak around him, Hien would at least like to think she seems a little less nervous in his presence than before.

Before they can set foot into the restaurant, Emet abruptly raises both arms, coming to a halt approximately a foot from the doors. The others stop in confusion.

“Do wait a moment.” The smirk is, once again, disturbingly palpable in his tone even without looking at his face. “I need to open the door.”

Comprehension seems to dawn on Arianna, as she rapidly begins to tap at her phone screen; if Hien strains his ears, he thinks he can hear Emet’s phone vibrating in his pocket, though the other man seems to have zero inclination in looking at it. In a last ditch effort to wheedle the man’s attention, Arianna grabs at the sleeves of his coat --

“Open sesame.”

-- just as he says this and takes a step forward.

The automatic doors, of course, open. He gives a ridiculous half-bow that has Arianna, for once, reeling away from him even after he attempts to coax her back. She merely gives a stiff shake of  the head, hiding her expression.

“Yeah? Of course it opened?” Kirishimi says aloud, seeming irritated herself.

“You’re very welcome.”

Though he doesn’t bother to explain, Hien has the suspicion that display had not really been for them.

Things are mostly quiet once they find their reserved seating, thumbing through overpriced menus. Hien can feel Kiri deflate slightly beside him, doing mental mathematics or perhaps concerned about her dress in comparison to the other patrons.

But the food is delicious; not even Emet’s subtle attempts to antagonise him can possibly ruin Hien’s mood. He can only be thankful that Kirishimi doesn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied by her meal. He even manages to trade numbers with Arianna, letting her speak to him as opposed to through Emet or Kiri.

And when the check arrives, Emet swipes it with an annoyed exhale before either he or Kirishimi can move.

“Perhaps next time, eh? I did choose the restaurant this time, after all...”

Hien isn’t sure there will be a next time, but nods graciously regardless. Despite his presence, after all, he did quite enjoy his day with Kiri. And perhaps he even has a new place to take her, where they might enjoy dinner together, without his jabs.

[gravityfallsauzine]

It's been a while since I've been in the Gravity Falls random and I'm not exactly familiar with all the AU's mentioned on the forms?? They familiar but if I could have a tiny little reminder what they consist of in the general world/character basics -- that would be really cool for me to keep in mind. (You might have also touched on this before but I can't remember)

Oh whoops, I actually forgot that’s the kind of info that might be needed ^^;

So I’ve actually got two links that details quite a few AU’s

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uWiGPA_FkdpfcTaRjepjuryvneV6mFhZZshceSaINj4/edit

https://alltheknowledgeintheuniverse.tumblr.com/post/147956727673/i-have-a-small-favor-to-ask-as-i-am-v-confused-rn

Docs list credit to @eregyrn-falls and special thanks to both them for creating it/ letting us use it and @karin848 for alerting me to the 2nd list!

I actually don’t know a whole lot myself concerning certain AU’s ( there were a lot of AU suggestions, many of which we hadn’t heard of before, so my memory is a bit foggy on which is which as well ) but here’s some basic info I have!

Monster Falls - Dipper finds a magical stream in the woods that turns everyone in town into monsters! Dipper gets turned into a cervitaur ( centaur but deer ), Mabel is generally either a mermaid or a unicorn, Stan is a gargoyle, Ford is a sphinx, so on and so forth. Some people follow canon with the exception of the fact that, well, every character is a monster now, and others create a whole new plot centered around it!

Relativity Falls - Role/age swap! 12 year old twins Stan and Ford have just been shipped off to Gravity Falls to live with their Grauntie Mabel, but something about the town is amiss... ( every character who can be switched around with someone is switched; Manly Dan works at the shack and Wendy is his Mom, Preston Northwest is the snooty son of Pacifica, that kind of deal )

Reverse Falls - Another role swap, but in a different sense.Cosuins  Gideon and Pacifica are in Gravity Falls for the Summer, and they have to put up with the evil perfomer twins Mabel and Dipper Gleeful. The personalities in this one are completely swapped around; Dipper and Mabel are the mean, snooty kids but amped up to the level that their the villains, and Pacifica and Gideon are the series heroes. This one is actually so amazingly diverse in what people do for it, that, while many things stay the same, you get an entirely new experience with each person!

TimeStuck - One -- or both -- of the Mystery Twins, generally Mabel, ends up back in time prior to the Portal Incident, usually during Stan’s grifting days ( occasionally, all the way back to Glass Shard Beach). It’s basically a time travel fix-it AU, the kids doing the fixing.

Reverse Portal - Stan ended up in the portal in 1982 instead, I think in some iterations he picks up a kid along the way?

Drifting/Grifting Stars - Drifting Stars stems from Not What He Seems, with Mabel getting sucked into the Portal and travelling the Multiverse with Ford. Grfiting Stars is? Hard to find anything for, but in more than one instance it was suggested right alongside Drifting Stars in the interest check. It looks like it’s the same deal but Stan instead of Mabel? But I’m going off of the like. 3 posts that popped up (I’m positive there’s more, but I never get the full scope of what’s available in my search results anymore)

Mystery Trio - (This one I know a bit more on, so longer description) It was based off a theory from before A Tale of Two Stans, then became an AU. But basically, Stan, Ford, and Fiddleford, prior to Ford falling in the portal, were a mystery hunting team living in Gravity Falls together. It’s a very fun AU filled with adventures of the three together. You’ll find some of the old fandom name confusion in certain posts, as it was when everyone thought Stanley was Stanford, and vice versa.

And everyone is free to suggest a different AU they want to create for! These are just the ones that, based off the interest check, we expect to have some content for each one.

Though, I would like to remind everyone some may not be comfortable with their AU’s being used, so please keep that in mind when choosing.

...but yeah, that’s the info for the popular AUs and then some! I hope this helps!

[psyga315]

Fixing RWBY Volume 6

So, I decided to try my hand at rewriting RWBY. Though, I’m not gonna do the whole “rebuild it from the ground up” angle, but rather tackle one volume to try and have it tie its plot together a little better. In this case: Volume 6. As such, this isn’t “fixing” RWBY so much as tweaking it. So, for the most part, Volume 6 is mostly intact save for the scenes that were changed up.

The first thing we need to establish is the underlying theme. What is this Volume about? From the titles, it seems to imply that the story is about RWBY/JNR breaking away from Ozpin’s path and doing things their way, as most of their titles relate to this subplot. That said, the ending song, character short, and huge part of the climax have the theme of cutting out abuse from your life. Namely Adam.

So, we need to restructure the Volume based off a central theme of both subplots: how to grow past the teachings of your mentor. This can even tie in to the villains’ subplot. Now, it is worth noting that the increased focus on Adam throughout this tweak isn’t to “adambate”, but rather to add prominence to him in the same way Pyrrha was given prominence in Volume 3.

Let’s begin with…

Episode 1

This should pick up right where Volume 5 left off, with a brief montage of the fallout of the Fall of Haven (named such because despite the heroes’ best efforts, without the Headmaster, the Academy fell into disarray for a bit) followed by Mistralians welcoming the Menagerian Faunus with open arms. This is also where Qrow’s exposition comes in, though for a nice jab at the heart, when he mentions how Lionheart died a hero, it cuts to the little girl from Volume 5 (the one who asked “does he know where mommy is”) visiting her mother’s grave to show that something isn’t right with that story.

To further compound this, Sun brings up Lionheart’s betrayal before Blake cuts him off and reminds him of the consequences to the Faunus relationships should the truth of him conspiring with the villains slip out.

So we get the departure scene unedited, though with a scene where Blake tells Sun that, while she thanks him for his efforts, she realized in her separation from Yang that she has feelings for her rather than Sun. Sun, being Sun, is 110% cool with it and encourages her to go after Yang, though Blake mentions how it would be easier said than done given how she believes that she burned that bridge down when she ran.

Most of this episode remains unaltered save for the lamp exposition being done in this episode. The reason for all this exposition is to get them out of the way and to also mentally prepare people for what they expect to be another chat-heavy Volume, only to pull the rug from under them when the train suddenly gets attacked by Grimm. I feel like this might be a better way to poke fun at last Volume than have the characters lampshade it.

Obviously, Ozpin brings up that the Relic attracts Grimm, as that’s the very inciting incident that creates the lack of faith in Ozpin subplot, but Ozpin also brings up that the Relic’s attraction is faint. Jaune combines his Semblance with Ren and is about to cover the train when they hear screaming and a familiar laugh. JNR run to see what’s the matter. When the sound of fighting ensues, Blake is the first to investigate.

Blake goes out to see what’s going on and sees Adam tossing a civilian off the train and laughing about it. Naturally, she freaks out and cuts the connection of the train. She soon realizes what she had done (left JNR alone with Adam) and her fear and paranoia kick up into high gear, causing the Grimm to focus on RWBY’s train rather than JNR’s train.

This is where we see how, despite RWBY coming back together, they hardly are coordinated, especially with a panicking Blake and a twitchy Yang. We get to see this in contrast to JNR’s fight with Adam, where the group is in sync in handling Adam. I’m not gonna sugar-coat Adam’s power level. He’s weak sauce, plain and simple. The only reason he’s “strong” is his ability to gas-light people and trick them into getting angry. Given how Ren and Jaune both went through that ordeal, though, they handle Adam, though his Semblance does throw them off.

The only way they manage to get Adam off their back is Jaune realizing what his Semblance does and, in a scene that demonstrates his strategic mind, overpowers Adam’s Semblance to where his Moonslice pushes him away from the group and out of their sight for the time being, with the obvious note that, because he has a buffed Aura, he’d be able to survive. Just as JNR realize they’re stuck, they hear someone:

“Don’t fret, passengers. The glory of Atlas shall guide you to Argus!”

And we don’t see JNR until after the “Ozpin gets BTFO” Arc and the Apathy Arc.

The fight with the Sphinx and Manticore is the same with the aforementioned bumbling around, and we even see Weiss try to summon again before a Manticore pummels her, with Weiss just saying “screw it!” and using another of her Glyphs to pwn the Manticore.

Episode ends like usual.

Oh, and Ruby’s gift for Yang is explicitly shown to be the magazine she reads in the train because why show the bag if you’re not gonna reveal it.

Episode 2

This is kept the same, except the Cinder scenes are moved to its own episode.

Episode 3

This is kept the same, However, I will add in a detail that makes the God of Light much more benevolent (and nicer) than in the show. Namely, worshippers of the God of Light are the ones to try to talk to Salem about how death is natural and Salem only visits the God of Darkness. The God of Darkness agrees to revive Ozma, but she must do his version of bending the knee: take a dip into his pool. Doesn’t destroy her but instead make her an immortal lord of the Grimm.

God of Light comes in and goes “WTF!?” as the God of Darkness revives Ozma. This time, the battle between the two ends up destroying humanity (and broke the moon) save for Ozma and Salem. Ozma has no idea what happened and Salem kept mum on what happened. They settle down and have kids, but eventually Salem feels compelled to tell Ozma about what happened… and Ozma is devastated. And thus, he does the thing that causes Salem to forever despise him for the rest of his days:

He calmly walked to the pool of Light, left behind in the battle, and takes a swan dive into it, presumably killing him.

It doesn’t though, and instead makes him one with the God of Light, just as Salem became part of the God of Darkness. The God of Light laments in how the world he and his brother created was destroyed simply because humanity relied on them too much. And so, he asks Ozma to unify the world’s remnants, but he also gives him a stipulation: he must also gather the Relics and call upon the Gods when humanity is ready to be judged. If the humans learn to live with each other and not demand anything of the Gods, he will walk among them once again. If not, however aaaaand the world goes boom.

Ozma has his whole reincarnation thing where he finds out that Salem, in her grief, killed their kids and used the Grimm to attack Humanity 2.0, which are basically the Light Brother’s attempt to remake humanity, just that Aura and Semblance are his half-assed means to replicate his brother’s magic, with Dust being the remnants of the Dark Brother’s magic. There’s an implication she had a hand in making Faunus, but not in that “she made them” sort of way. Rather she caused some of them to have more violent features like fangs and stingers that caused humanity to fear them. This causes Blake to react with horror and anger at Salem.

While I was tempted to add a scene where Ozma has more to do with Salem’s fall from grace or give her a reason to hate him, like how the Maidens he gave magic to were Salem’s daughters, but I decided to keep his overall role the same and give the basic gist that he hates people finding out the truth behind his lies because it reminds him of what he did when he found out about what happened to his world. However, there is heavier emphasis on how he had led people to their demise against Salem. Namely how, when Ruby sees Ozpin’s many forms falling before Salem, she sees a flurry of Huntsmen… and a certain white-cloaked figure before it too scatters like a rose.

That and Oscar sees Pyrrha’s death and the whole Maiden thing that Ozpin did to her.

The other thing is that Ozma discovers Salem’s immortality because at one point he does kill her but she doesn’t die. Not because Jinn goes “lol, you can’t.” since I kinda want to make Jinn more benevolent like the God that made her and not somehow sowing the seeds of discord.

Episode 4

Same episode, but now Ruby’s pissed at Ozpin as well. Not enough to punch Oscar or even berate him, but enough to say “good riddance” or “coward” when Ozpin retreats.

The bit with Salem is still kept in but we actually get that scene where Salem wanted to have a word with Tyrian back in Volume 5 (remember that, V5?!). She explains to Tyrian that Qrow is still alive despite his efforts and he breaks down, apologizing to her and even offering to kill himself for her approval and how the only reason she didn’t let him is because he’s still of use to him. This is contrasted with Emerald’s fear of Salem when she talks with her about Cinder’s failure. This basically serves to show the full extent of just what Ozpin could have been but also show how Ozpin isn’t like Salem.

Episode 5

So, this is where a little bit of a change comes in. As the group stay at the Brunswick Farm and they settle for the night, every one of the characters gets an introspective of their developing apathy. In order:

Oscar is worried about being regarded as Ozpin and is even worried about how Jaune would react.

Qrow is depressed over Ozpin’s machinations and, as the episode ends, finds a stash of liquor.

Blake begins to berate herself about Adam and explains the reason of why she let Adam run (namely because of his whole “get inside your head” tactic she mentioned in the finale) to Yang.

Yang, much to Blake’s dismay, doesn’t blame her, but she doesn’t also forgive her either. Instead, she’s caught up in the thought of calling Ozpin out for omitting information about the Relic, only for herself to have omitted information about the Maiden. In short, she also feels guilty about what happened.

Weiss is upset about having to return to Atlas and is visibly shook over her near-death experience and how she was ultimately the one to blame for putting her guard down. Incidentally, she’s the only one who doesn’t feel tired, but that’s only because she’s mindlessly practicing the same fencing moves over and over until her body tires out for her.

Ruby’s the only person who is outright concerned about Salem’s immortality and how no one can beat her. Not just because Yang’s edgelord of a mom was correct, but how her own mother died and proved that statement. She talks to the only person who isn’t affected by the Apathy, Maria, that she just wants to bring the lamp to Atlas, go back home, and never go out again.

Maria eavesdrop to every bit of this, but gives Ruby the advice she needs to move on: “What do you think your mother would do if she knew the truth?” and we end with Maria asking Ruby: “My glasses are no good, but… what color are your eyes?”

Episode 6

Episode mostly remains the same, though with the explicit notion that the Apathy only fed on the negative emotions the group felt and didn’t amplify the doubts they had, thus they don’t go “lol, it was all the Apathy’s fault we were like that”. Probably also either drop hints about this being Adam’s place from when he was a slave there (even have Weiss notice a branding iron with the SDC logo on it and frowning to show foreshadowing) or it being Roman’s home (and it’s Ruby who feels upset with this revelation).

It’s also in this episode that we get a little exposition on the Silver Eyes (the whole “they only work on Grimm” thing and the fact that the Light Brother made them) and this causes Ruby to quickly utilize it when the Apathy attack them. Blake decides to try and sacrifice herself to atone for what she did to Yang, but Ruby’s eyes go off and you know the rest.

Episode 7

This is entirely Cinder’s episode, where she gets out of the Vault and gets the help of the Spiders. However, there’s a heavier emphasis that it’s Adam that was trailing RWBY the whole time and not misleading us by implying it was Hazel.

This also leads to the whole Neo fight and the whole “I was ordered by Salem not to kill Ruby” thing, but Neo gives a jab by implying “why didn’t you kill Ruby when you had the chance?”, as she had heard about the Fall of Haven and Cinder’s role in it, to which Cinder just meekly answers with “well I was going to.”

Basically, rather than sprinkle the Cinder scenes across the volume, condense them into one. We end on Adam recovering from his fall and tracking down RWBY, finding the house and scornfully growling before he kills a stray Apathy.

Episode 7

Basically the same, but heavier emphasis that Tock’s employer was Salem and that she has a connection to Tyrian.

Episode 8 & 9

Keep this relatively the same, but have Cordovin explain why she doesn’t let Weiss’s friends through. “Let’s see, we have an angry girl who attacked someone without their aura on live television, a drunken waste of energy who attacked an Atleasian general in front of a crowd, the team whose member utterly destroyed our masterpiece Huntress-in-training (cue a frown from Ruby and a scornful look from Jaune), and, of course, the Faunus.” She doesn’t even add any details, she just says “the faunus” for Blake. Weiss gets upset and that’s when she goes “we’re done here.”

Now, here’s where this gets the most change, because in all honesty, that whole “Oscar’s missing” thing was stupid cliff-hanger baiting. So, here’s how the change begins.

Jaune calls out Oscar like he did, but adds in one final hook: “Did Pyrrha know about this before you killed her!?” in the same venom that Hazel had. Ruby stops Jaune and tells her that Cinder killed Pyrrha. Jaune tosses Oscar aside and leaves in a huff. Ren and Nora are understandably pissed as well (please let them have more dialogue to address that Pyrrha was also their loss, RT) and it’s agreed that everyone needs to have some space, especially with what had happened at the farm.

And so, slowly and surely, we have our group split up to comfort each other. In order:

Oscar approaches Weiss and tells her about how he wants to help the team and atone for how Ozpin inadvertently hurt JNPR, feeling as though, if he is to become him, he might as well lay the groundwork for a better Ozpin. This naturally gets Weiss inspired to go clothes shopping with him, especially since they’re going to Atlas and if it was cold back there, it’s gonna get colder where they’re going.

Blake talks with Ren and Nora and talks about her experience with Adam. Ren is annoyed when she starts wallowing about him and asks her to get to the point. She mentions how Adam mentored her much like how Ozpin mentored them, but the difference was that Ozpin genuinely cared for them whereas Adam manipulated her. She comes clean about her past at the White Fang to them and expresses a small bit of regret in not letting Ozpin know about them, but that they need to keep moving forward for Pyrrha’s sake. It’d be a bit too cynical for Ren to go “we haven’t heard that one before”, but if we’re going in the tradition of lampshading Volume 5… I dunno, maybe a lighter version of that where it doesn’t sound condescending?

Yang goes out drinking with Qrow to confirm she’s old enough to drink. She hardly is able to talk to Qrow though because every time she does, she worries about slipping up and talking about how she hid the fact that Raven was the Maiden, only for Qrow to mumble out nonsense that ends up implying that he does know about that and knows Yang kept it a secret, but that in the grand scheme of things, there was nothing they could have done now that she’s who knows where. Though this further guilt trips Yang because she believes now that, had she not yelled at Raven and convinced her to leave the Relic back in the vault and closed it, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Lastly, Ruby talks with Jaune in a scene that mirrors the whole Weiss/Yang scene in Volume 5 with a heavy dose of the Oscar/Ruby scene from the same Volume. Though now, with this line:

“I saw my mom die when Jinn told us the truth. She died the same way Pyrrha did. But she didn’t throw her life away. She fought and despite knowing she couldn’t win, she did it to protect the ones she loves. And I’m certain Pyrrha did the exact same thing.”

Jaune is moved by this and instantly thinks of how to get into Atlas.

Smash cut to a sobered up Qrow (with Yang there, she was able to get him sober before they returned) telling him it’s a stupid plan. Jaune explains the plan in the briefest detail he can and Ruby vouches for him. Basically, what happened at the end, but instead of “we didn’t need an adult to save us” it’s more “we tried the adult way back at Haven and all that did was make us fish in a barrel for Salem. Now, we try it our way.”, hinting to the finale’s title.

Emerald and Mercury have their thing, but at the end, they sneak out with Tyrian and Watts after the former tells them to do what makes them happy (they lampshade how odd it is coming from the crazy man), but the stinger of this volume shows they, on route, saw the Grimm be made with wings.

The Final Quarter

So, the heist goes like before, but with Cinder and Neo getting involved. Not by much, but they mostly just sneak in their airship by using Cordovin’s fight with Ruby as a distraction for them to slip by. We can even have the guys at Argus warn Cordovin about it only for her to brush it off.

The fight doesn’t change by much, but one should change it so that Ruby and the group are reluctant to destroy the mech because of Jaune bringing up how it’s used to protect Argus from big Grimm.

The big scene that changes, though, is Adam’s fight with Blake. It begins with Blake telling Yang that she’ll go to the tower alone, but Yang knows better. They both know Adam is following them and that Blake is aware that Adam is waiting for the right moment for him to strike. Now, this can go one of two ways. The Bumblebee route where they plan out the entire fight (right down to Yang feigning a panic attack in “Seeing Red”) or the Feels Route where the following happens:

Blake wants to atone for her misdeeds and she sees this as the best way to do it, telling Yang to go with Ruby and the others. Yang doesn’t have any of it, but as she grabs her, she notices it’s a shadow.

Blake confronts Adam without being scared. They both know that only one person will come out of this alive. And so, they fight.

As they do, flashbacks of Adam’s past comes to light, emphasising who he was prior to the character short: a scared slave who was purchased by Brunswick from shady Schnee Dust Corporation members whose pain (remember, they had the branding iron) attracted Grimm and prompted Brunswick to bring in the Apathy. From there, he joined the White Fang and made it his mission to oppose humanity for their crimes and we see his slow and gradual fall from grace to the madman that we know him today.

Adam’s reason for hating Blake is simple. She ruined everything. As soon as she ran during the train heist back in the Black Trailer, Adam was caught by the police (as Blake stole the part of the train that kept going) and were it not for Banesaw, he would have been arrested. At first, he wanted to leave Blake for dead, but as soon as he saw her being friends with not just humans, but a Schnee, he was furious and Cinder enabled him to want to destroy everything Blake loved.

Let me repeat this for clarity: Adam was always a manipulative gas-lighter. It’s that Cinder encouraged him to do the whole “I will destroy everything you love” thing.

Yang comes in and… Okay, I’m gonna address an elephant in the room.

Yang’s PTSD is a subject of controversy. You have Unicorn of War showing a person’s thoughts on how Yang’s PTSD is properly portrayed and then you have MuffinManDan making fun at how it wasn’t portrayed. Really, her scene can go either way, but in the spirit of what Adam’s true strength is, here’s how I imagine the rematch.

Yang fights Adam like how it happens, but you can see that Yang is acting purely on adrenaline. Adam notices this and starts to take advantage of it, taunting her about the events at Beacon. Yang begins to panic and Adam’s true strength, his gas-lighting, shines. For a good chunk of the fight, it looks like Adam has the upper hand, continually guilt tripping Yang and Blake and mocking their determination to protect each other.

“You humans are all the same! Nothing but squabbling idiots who are quick and easy to anger!” Adam lands the final blow on Yang…

CLANG!

“Yeah…” Yang used her hand to catch his sword. “Like you.” And her eyes flash red.

It turns out Yang had seen Adam for who he truly is and had no reason to fear him. Her freaking out was her fighting fire with fire and pretending to be afraid. She then lays into Adam and blows his every statement back with each hit. So basically, this is where that whole “she promised to stay by my side, too” “you mean the person she thought she promised?” “WHAT DOES SHE SEE IN YOU!?” exchange come in.

And then Adam is killed. He gets a bit of a better send off than what he got, but not by much. Basically, as he dies, we get a flashback to Adam and Blake working together for the first time and having a genuine scene where Blake bonds with him, as though to illustrate that, had Adam let go of his spite for humanity, he would have had a better life. Adam falls on the ground and dies. Blake breaks down, but Yang reassures her that it’s over and we get Bumblebee confirmed. No, they don’t kiss because kissing over a corpse is goddamned creepy and Bumblebee deserves better than reminding the audience about the Lannisters.

The Leviathan comes, along with the Grimm, but this time we get a bigger emphasis of Ruby realizing she fucked up as we see the Grimm attack civilians and even the Cotta-Arcs getting menaced by a Grimm (though not killed), though Jaune takes part of the blame as he’s the one who suggested it and even strategized how to disable the mech.

However, Ruby, in her culmination of her character arc, decides to do something about it rather than wait for someone else to help her. She has Weiss summon the Queen Lancer and fly off to confront the Leviathan. There, she tries to use Silver Eyes, but the doubts in her head cause the Grimm to nearly eat her had it not been for Jinn stopping time. Remember, in this rewrite, she’s pretty nice and not tearing the team apart with two words.

So Ruby gathers the courage to Silver Eyes the Grimm, Cordovin saves Ruby and the heroes head to Atlas, Bees buzzing with delight as we hype up Weiss’s inevitable reunion with her father and we get a scene where Tyrian rallys some Faunus who are in Mantle, telling them that “our Queen has proclaimed change. Atlas will fall!”

DVD Exclusive Episode Because $$$

This is basically expanding on the stinger that last Volume had, where Raven laments about the past life choices and we finally have that STRQ flashback episode we’ve been wanting, though it’s mostly Raven’s POV so we don’t get any juicy stuff aside from how she left Ozpin and became the Spring Maiden. This is probably the only wish fulfilment I would want out of this entire rewrite. Think of it as the “beach episode” of RWBY.

It ends with Taiyang asking Raven what she’ll do now that she’s realized what a coward she is. Cut to black, see you next Volume.

And that’s how I would tweak Volume 6. Not much except by the end, and even then, I tried to keep most of the scenes intact but reworked the context and made it more worthwhile. Unfortunately I doubt I was able to work in the theme I wanted to do at the beginning, but that’s basically the rough sketch I have for this tweak.

[littlemisssquiggles]

I feel Qrow and Team RWBY overreacted to learning everything from Jinn I watched in utter disbelief as they looked down on him coldly not an ounce of sympathy in any of their eyes and brutalized him I mean what did they actually learn from Jinn that was so earth-shattering besides that Salem can’t be destroyed at least not by Oz, that warranted them bullying him to the point of withdrawing deep into Oscar’s head. I get being upset, but man, that whole scene is still hard to watch. Your thoughts?

Hellothere anon-chan. Apologies for thelate response. Well from this squigglemeister’s perspective, once the truth came out, it wasn’t so much that Ifelt the heroes overreacted in theirtreatment of Oz. I’d like to believe that their resentment was warranted giventhe nature of the circumstance and especially since Oz did promise Yang no more lies and half-truths back in Mistraland ultimately, he did break thatpromise. Although I stand firmly in the Courtof Oz, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to deny or excuse the wrongfulnessin his recent actions towards the team placed in his care. That much I willsay.

However,that being said---for me, the thing that bothered me the most was how everyone on the hero team more or lessadopted the SAME type of reaction towards the revelation of the truth;including certain characters I expected to be a little more considerate.

 Afterthe events of V6CH2- V6CH4, what I found interesting about the reception ofthose episodes was how divided the FNDM became afterwards on their differentstances on Oz. This led to some pretty cool discussions and heated yetrespectable debates between folks who believed the heroes were in the rightagainst folks like myself who believed Oz’s actions were properly justified anddidn’t favour the others’ treatment of their former mentor. Till this day,those conversations still exist. Heck I’m even discussing it with you now anon-chan XD And that’s fascinatingbecause it shows that not every opinion is as all black or all whiteas some might perceive. They’re might even be some grey in there too of allshades.

Basicallythe point I’m making here is noteveryone is going to share the same kind of reaction to the same issue or whenreceiving the same information and this was something that I wished wasreflected in the series.

Ididn’t like how the Writers portrayed EVERYONEas being angry at Oz’s choice to withhold the truth. I didn’t like how EVERYONE turned their backs on Ozincluding the characters I expected to be in his defence. Characters like Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna; who Oz had shown compassion and understanding toin the past when they were enduring their own personal qualms. I’ll come backto that point in a minute. Let me just say this.

Saywhat you will about Oz being in the wrong in his choice to deceive and continueto deceive even when asked the truth in light of it being promised of him. Youare correct and I will give you that. However, on the flipside; you can’t denythe fact that our heroes were also wrong in how they chose to treat Oz in theaftermath in spite of learning all that he and the other Wizards went throughwith their own eyes.

Fromwhere I’m standing, it’s not just Oz whomade a mistake. Everyone---QROWBY as well as Oz---made bad moves followingthe events of the Argus train crash. I’m just better able to excuse Oz on hisactions as opposed to rest of the team.

Ozwas wrong for continuing to lie to everyone even when asked of the truth. Asbad as the truth may be, I will admit that Oz dug himself his own grave themore he continued to deflect Yang’s questioning of the truth leading to Oscarneeding to intervene.

Iwant to say that the heroes were wrong for forcingthe truth out of Oz via Jinn, however on one end I sort of can’t since Oz’sown actions did bring him to this point. I have to acknowledge that that wholescenario could’ve been easily avoided if Oz had been upfront especially afterhe promised that he was going to be. Jinn would’ve probably never been summonedif Oz had just told the truth right then and there in his own words. Hecould’ve even summoned Jinn himself and shown the heroes the truth whileexplaining, again in his own words, why he didn’t want them to know. He didn’twant them to lose hope since it fed into his fears that they would.

Butas we know, this didn’t happen. Oz tried to get the Relic from Ruby leading toOscar taking control to stop him. Oscar tells Ruby about Jinn. Jinn is summonedand we get that whole ordeal. Like I said, my beef with the heroes isn’t somuch that they used Jinn against Oz. That I believe was justified. Oz’sresilience brought the group to this point so I’m looking at it as him notgiving them much of a choice than to do this since he refused to do it himselfeven when asked and after he promised he was going to be honest.

WhatI took issue with was the whole aftermath scene where, even after seeing thetruth for themselves, what everyone chose to focus on in the end was ONLY thepart where Oz didn’t tell them about Salem’s immortality.

WhileI didn’t like how Oz choose to withhold the truth from the others, how I internalizedthis newfound information was that, rather than focusing on one part of thepicture---the part where Oz didn’t tell the truth---I took into accounteverything that the Lost Fable revealed regarding the Gods and Ozma and thecycle and pieced together the grander picture.

Andonce I saw the bigger picture, I was able to come to the conclusion that Oz(and by extension all the Wizards) was justified in his choice to keep thetruth about Salem under wraps. While I’m not condoning his lies, I can’t helpthat part of me that felt his actions were just. That type of information inthe wrong hands could’ve led to chaos and widespread panic thus bringing forththe Grimm. So I don’t blame Oz was choosing to keep the truth close to thechest before deciding who to disclose this type of info to and when.

Callme weird but am I the only one who thinks that Oz might’ve eventually told theheroes the whole truth about Salem but during a moment when he felt the timing andsetting was more appropriate? Likewhen they’re probably safe and sound in Atlas among their Atlesian comradeswhere everyone could’ve learnt the truth together at the same time as opposed tobeing stranded in the middle of the northern Anima tundra where tensions were alreadyhigh and they also happened to be carrying a lamp that was a homing beacon forthe Grimm?

Iunderstand that this is a stretch but I can’t help but consider thatalternative. When asked why he still continued to deny information from thegroup following the train crash, Oz didn’t exactly say he wasn’t going to tellthe truth. As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, his exactly words toYang were:

“…Please,now is not the time…”

Hedidn’t say yes. But he didn’t say no to answering Yang’s questions either. Ifanything, all he said was the more calm and collected equivalent of “NOT NOWYANG!”

Andy’know what? When I look back on that scene, Oz was actually kind of in theright in that moment for telling Yang that then would not have been theappropriate time to reveal the truth. Like I said, they were stranded in themiddle of the northern Anima coastline, far from Argus with their weaponry andaura possibly depleted from their previous run with the Manticore and SphinxGrimm.

Theywere also down one third of their original party unexpectedly joined by MariaCalavera---the blind and hard of hearing defenceless old lady who hadunknowingly remained a stowaway on the then crashed train.

Notto mention that at that point, the two remaining thirds of the hero team were alsocarrying the Relic that was originally said to attract the Grimm and speakingof the Grimm, the team weren’t exactly chipperafter the train crash either so emotions were already starting to peak at thatpoint.

Sotaking all of that into account---Oz opting to not reveal the truth in thatmoment now more feels more like a wise and conscious move appropriate for thetype situation the group were saddled in which makes Yang’s choice to continueto challenge him on the matter in spite of their surroundings and predicamentat the time come off as…rash.

Imagine if…right after the traincrash, Yang and Ozpin’s dispute was interrupted by the arrival of more Grimmwithin the area attracted by the Relic and the rising tensions as a result oftheir argument.

Imagine if…our heroes were forcedto abandon their left over supplies from the train and actually had to find away to survive in the cold of northern Anima while protecting Maria and while underthe strain between Yang and Oz as a result of their previous spat whichautomatically placed a wedge within the remaining team causing further divisionin a time when standing together for their successful survival was the betteroption.

Imagine if…we had received thatstory for seven episodes of V6 before arriving in Argus?    

Asa matter of fact, I’m now forced to consider the alternative scenario since wealready know the opposite outcome. Now this makes me curious.

What would have happenedif Oz had actually revealed the truth to the team right then and there?

SomehowI’d like to think that Oz would’ve eventually told the group everything. Afterall, the Wizards did choose to eventually confide in others they chose totrust.

Ozpin’s Inner Circle is an example of this.While Oz never told his peers the final detail about Salem’s immortality, itdoesn’t deter the fact that he did ultimately tell them and given his past, whoknows how many years it took for Ozma; and by extension his descendants, to rebuildtheir ability to trust others with the truth especially following what happenedbetween him and Salem.

Basicallywhat I’m trying to say is…I get why Oz chose to do things the way he did in thetime he did it. Again, not trying to give him a pass on his lies. I’m justsaying that I understood his reasons given his experience and the past heshared with Ozma and the other Wizards before him. Oz could’ve broken the cycleif he saw it fit but I figured he too must’ve had it rough during his time(which is why it’s a good call on the story to have the Cycle of Deceit bebroken with Oscar instead as the current successor to Oz).

SoI get Oz’s reasons. I just wished the actual canon characters showed adifferent range of understanding as opposed to the hive mind mentality of everyone sharing the same reaction to thetruth: Nothing but resentment and mistrust of Oz all around.

Tome, that kind of took me out of this conflict and is why I believe this is onlybeing done to push the PLOT. You really expect me to believe that aftereverything revealed in the Lost Fable, after everything revealed about Ozma’spast and his struggles that no one---NOT ONE PERSON---was willing to try and atleast understand Oz and why he made his choices.

Seriously?NO ONE? I mean there is best boy Oscar but noone else? Not even the characters whose personalities and past storiesshould have allowed them to have this level of understanding? Sorry but I findthat hard to believe.  

Andthe real kicker for me with this whole charade is that Oz has always beenportrayed as someone willing to help anyone regardless of their backgrounds andtheir own past mistakes. This is the same soul who even defended a man who had downrightbetrayed him; choosing to honour his memory only for the good he hadaccomplished in his life rather than focus on the negative.

That’show much props I at least have to give to Oz. This is also the same soul whonever once turned his back on anyone on his team. No matter how angry hispresence made them, no matter how distrustful others might’ve painted him, evenwhen his whole team have turned against him even, Oz never turned his back on anyone. He was always there to offer guidanceor extend a helping hand to his comrades.

Hehad his faults, quirks and own fair share of obvious skeletons---most belongingto his fellow Wizards and the rest his very own---like everyone else. He may bea being in an endless cycle of magic and immortality with other great menbefore him but at his core, meaning the man he was and is, Oz is still a humanbeing. He’s still a person. His own person and this same person wasstill willing to do everything he could for the people in his care. Even whenthey themselves might not trust him anymore.

Andyet, the one time he needed that same level of empathy in return, everyone gavehim the cold shoulder.

Nota selected few of them. EVERYONE and by Gum, does that stillbother me.

EvenRuby turned her back on Oz! RUBYFREAKING ROSE! Our so-called indomitablespirit, spark of hope and smaller, more honest soul…turned herback on Oz and wasn’t willing to at least try and understand him? What? 

Youmight find that I sound like a broken record by mentioning Ruby but in allseriousness, I am in awe at how the Writers have been portraying Ruby as oflast season. This is the same girl who has always been willing to understandeveryone she meets; human or otherwise.

Thesame girl who was willing to extend a hand in solidarity to Raven Branwen even after she was shownto have betrayed both her daughter, her brother and their friends to theenemies.

Where was that hand toOz? I’mnot trying to imply that Ruby isn’t allowed to be upset over the news regardingSalem. I’m more saying that in spite of everything that’s been thrown herway---the good, the bad and the ugly---Ruby has always been depicted as someonewilling to put her faith in others and givethem a chance.

Maybesomeone else can help rationalize this for me in their own words but from myperspective, I can’t help but feel like that aspect of Ruby’s personality waswritten out of her character for V6 and by extension V7; at least when it comesto the Ozpin Dilemma, purely for the sake of advancing the current story.Because right now, the agenda seems for everyone to remain resentful of Ozuntil the Writers are ready to reintroduce him back into the PLOT and haveeveryone miraculously reconcile with Oz in the end in the most contrived waypossible. Not to sound like a negative Nancy about this kind of stuff, but Ican’t help but feel like this is thecase given certain patterns I’ve beenpicking up with how the CRWBY Writers have handled their story in reference toconflict and resolution.

IfI may be so bold in saying this but I haven’t exactly been enjoying the way inwhich the show has characterized Ruby for these past two seasons (V6 and V7) ESPECIALLY for this season. I may evengo so far as to say that personally I think V7 may probably be the worst portrayal of Ruby Rose I’ve seen todate and I’m saying this as a Ruby fan.

Ruby’sbehaviour and actions have felt so unlikeher in comparison with her demeanour from previous seasons. She’s still heradorkable self but what I’ve disliked is how the show has had Ruby say and dosome questionable things that haveotherwise resulted in poor consequences for other characters who committed tothe same type of actions yet…Ruby gets away unpunished nor does she get theopportunity to make up for her mistakes.

Casein point, how she made the same decision to lie and withhold secrets fromtrusted allies, similar to Oz and in the end, it’s not even Ruby who gets totell Ironwood the truth about Salem. It’s Oscar. I get that Ruby was neededdown in Mantle at the time and I get that she expressed wanting to tell theGeneral the truth. However…that doesn’t hold the same level of poetic justice as Ruby being the one tospeak to Ironwood herself and reveal her own reasons at the time for choosingto withhold the truth at the time.

Iget that Oscar is meant to be the Little Prince and him talking on Ruby’sbehalf could be seen as an example of to him ‘being responsible for his rose’, however I only saw that moment asOscar making amends for the actions of Oz and his past Wizards.

Tome, I wish the Writers had have both Ruby and Oscar reveal the truth to Jamestogether; providing a platform for both our two smaller, more honest souls to rectify the penalties of theiractions and others before them. Plus I would’ve loved for Ruby to be present inthe room when Oscar voiced Ozpin’s rationale for withholding the truth. Iwould’ve loved to have seen Ruby’s reaction to hearing Oscar say that Oz didn’t wish for everyone to lose hope and that washis reason for holding onto the truth for so long. This could’ve provided amoment for Ruby to rethink not only her own recent actions again but also howshe treated the ole soul last time and thus reach some level of empathy towardsOz.

Istill can’t get over the fact that Ruby mimicked Oz in the same actions thatlanded him in the dog house with everyone yet the PLOT portrayed her deceit assomewhat of a positive thing. Atleast in the sense that it never had the same payoff as Oz. What? In my opinion, you can’t have two characterscommit the same type of wrongful action and only punish one while the othergets a free pass. In the spirit of fairness,it doesn’t work that way. Either both characters are held accountable for theiractions or both of them are excused of their actions.

Youcan’t have Ruby commit deception and have the other characters stand with herin solidarity of this with a willingness to cooperate even when doubt isclearly shown when previously you highlighted these same characters instantlyturning their backs on Oz for the same deceitful action. It doesn’t matter ifone kept a secret for several thousand years while one only kept their secretsfor only a few weeks. Deception is deception. If the other heroes werewilling to stand with Ruby in spite of her dishonesty then they should be ableto extend this same olive branch to Oz.

Thisis where I’m praying Oscar will come in. Since Oscar seems to be the onlyperson willing to understand Oz and vouch for him then I’m hoping we get a momentwhere, through Oscar’s help, the group is able to rectify things with Oz.

Myone concern with this is whether the PLOT will portray the other heroes onlywilling to give Oz a second chance becauseof their trust in Oscar and not because they themselves actively desire torectify things with the spirt of their former headmaster. I’m not sure if I’dlike this idea if done in the canon. To me that sounds just as bad as having thehero team miraculously forgive Oz just like that without any real kind of nuanceto it or regard for a proper reconciliation moment so it just ends up comingoff disingenuous (like how theyhandled Jaune and Oscar’s patching up back in V6CH9).

IfOz is to somehow make a return, I’d rather it be before an audience whoactually want him back; surrounded by people who now better understood the hugeamount of pressure he and the other Wizards were under for so many lifetimes.Basically what I’m saying here is that I don’t want the Writers to half-ass it. I’d rather watch an entireseason partially focused on Oscar possibly working together with Ruby to mendthe tethered trust between their teammates and Oz as opposed to watching yetanother moment of conflict be resolved sloppily and half-heartedly by the PLOT.

I’mhonestly growing weary of those but we shall see how things go for theremainder of V7. In the meanwhile, I hope this answers your question anon-chan.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

[inventors-fair]

Enter the Selfhood: Commentary

@arashisann - Arashi’s Storm is an interesting card. “Static numbers” are something I haven’t seen on a card before, but I grok it. I would assume this is rare, then? I can’t think of any way that this would be broken, but in certain instances I can see where it would be annoying. And does it change things like Divination’s “draw TWO cards” or just things like Lightning Bolt’s “deals 3 damage?” I’m not sure.

@follower-of-liliana - Sprouting Stampede isn’t what I expected from a follower of Liliana, I’ll say that much. Breeding is a unique ability that I’d like to see played. Bookmark it for a future set! Oh Pokemon, you’ll never fail to impress. Still, wish there had been something about Liliana from you. Call it personal bias.

@greensunzenith - Orathna, Jail and Jailer // That Which Consumes is weird as butts and I love it. “Unspent mana?” That’s crazy. I don’t understand at all what it’s supposedly referencing, but for sheer insane design potential, I think that this is awesome. I don’t like how TWC only has two toughness. For a god, that’s… I’m just not a fan of my gods being that weak.

@haru-n-harkel - Harkel’s Research is hard to pin down. I don’t think I understand why this card couldn’t be blue, in a way? The thing about colorless is that it isn’t an identity. The Eldrazi, where we see the most colorless space, are defined by their lack of identity and otherworldly nature. What is a colorless person? Harkel as a character seems so blue from this mechanical enchantment and from the flavor text. What I feel is that they’re RESEARCHING colorless-ness? Maybe there’s a world I don’t understand.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes - Ilynhe’s Protection is an…odd card? It’s wearing a lot of hats. I feel the anti-Phyrexianism of it, but it just seems like it’s mechanically hating an feeling over a mechanic. Am I making sense? I don’t know where this card fits into Magic. It’s a card that seems only to exist because someone doesn’t like Phyrexia. It wouldn’t make sense in any world as far as I can tell.

@kavinika - Storyteller’s Night is a great card for saga interaction. I like it for that. I just don’t feel the personal aspect of it. Mechanically, it’s a great build-around-me card that is powerful and devastatingly fantastic. Flavorfully, are… YOU the storyteller? Why not reference that on the card’s name, or the text? Save this card, because it’s good, but I don’t feel it matches this contest exactly.

@reaperfromtheabyss - Drake’s Adaptability is cool! I just wish the first two abilities were more powerful. That last ability, the land tutoring? It’s awesome and I love it. Drawing a card or doing +1/+1 counters? Compared to the third one, it’s just not as powerful, and that’s a feelbad. Still, the concept is cool. Instant-speed is an interesting design choice.

@thetabbybadger - Rhynn’s Summoning is a cool Bant-oriented card. I love, LOVE how the total power of the Drakes summoned this way is equal to the mana spent on Rhynn’s Summoning. As a legendary card, I don’t like it. I would love to cast this when I’m behind, not when I’m already winning with my Legends or whatnot. That was what made things like Sphinx’s Revelation so good, the fact that you could cast it when you were behind. I wish this card worked the same way.

@tmstage - So, I shouldn’t have to explain why Thomas’ Calm is broken. Remember Yawgmoth’s Bargain? Any recursive abilities need to be exiled to prevent infinite gameplay. Three mana, infinite sacrifices - it would be great in theory and not bad in limited, but it would be insane in any eternal format and broken beyond belief.

@wpandp - Tree’s Winning Entry? Heh, seems cocky. Well, as for the card itself - pretty cool stuff. The name really makes the flavor weird, but let’s assume it was a placeholder name. Instead, mechanically, let’s parse it. I think the flash-giving ability and the cost reduction should be separate lines personally, but I don’t know if that’s a perfectly proper template. Also, that very last line - is it intentional that it has to fight something that you control if your opponent controls no creatures? Just wondering.

Thank you all for your entries!

[rtfcooperhook]

treasure at tampines private

This was it, the big one. The one we'd been waiting for, the one we had been looking forward to so much. And it didn't disappoint. We had a brilliant time. It confirmed, yet again, that one of the things I really like about cruising is its leisurely pace. It is the opposite of cars and traffic with all their rush and noise. Just being on a cruise calms you down. Just being on Equinox cheers you up. It is a superb ship and getting to know it was a pleasure.

The passenger flow is easy, despite the ship's size. They've improved ways of managing groups on and off excursions. It all seems effortless. The food was great; we went to many great places; we met many nice people; and the sun shone. What more could you want? We often say a ship is a destination in itself. This is particularly true of Equinox, especially if you like looking at pictures. There are two types of art on board; the for-sale work and the ship's own artwork in the public areas. The latter is excellent and we found a fine descriptive catalogue in our cabin. I asked if this was free or, if not, could I buy one. It was not free, but later a complimentary copy was delivered to our stateroom. That's Celebrity style for you and, personally, I can take a lot of it. The tours and excursions we took were superb. To be overwhelmed by the pyramids, how un-cool is that? But they did overwhelm us. And so did the Sphinx. Some people say tourism is ruining the world, damaging the sites by sheer numbers. I'm not sure that's true. Were the famous places ever empty? I doubt it. I suspect there were as many people thronging Ephesus in its heyday as there are today. We were really moved by Israel, if for no other reason than to see the vast forests of trees in the desert, each one planted by hand. Massada was, for us, perhaps the highlight. It simply reduced us to silence. treasure at tampines  We loved Turkey. In Athens we were really disappointed to miss seeing the new Museum, but it was Monday, closing day. We should have known. The visit to the Dead Sea was simply amazing. Mind you, certain things can irritate, even on a cruise, especially in hot countries. One of those things is a mild skin condition known as heat rash. This can occur in many places on the human body and we needn't go in to details. The treatment for this complaint does not include soaking in a warm bath containing water with a 30% concentration of salt. I should have realised that. Instead, I plunged into the sea and almost immediately plunged out again, like one of those missiles that whoosh up from underwater when fired by submarines.

There followed a little dance on the beach. This involved upending a chair and scattering clothes, dropping my watch - kindly retrieved by another bather who hadn't yet been scalded (thank you, Sir, whoever you are) - before setting off in urgent need of a fresh water shower. I was not the only one surprised by the bathing experience. A lady near me walked into the sea backwards, still talking to a friend on the beach. The water had just about reached her knees when the buoyancy lifted her feet from under her and she toppled over backwards with a loud splash and a squawk! From the beach appeared a huge lifeguard who scooped her up and set her vertical. Shaking herself like a dog she said: 'Where did he come from? He's gorgeous!'

Other tours were equally superb although, to be honest, I had not anticipated riding a camel. Someone had ticked the box that said I would. I swung myself on to the beast and clung fast to the pommel. Led by a robed youth we set off to places where Google Maps fear to tread. At the end of the outward leg, the adolescent holding the rope stopped, looked at me and said: 'Tip!' I said: 'I'll tip you when we get back.' He said: 'Okay, we gallop!' Do you remember the music from Indiana Jones: 'Dun de dur dere, dun der dum?' Yet another fine mess you-know-who had got me into! Mrs Tick-the-Boxes hadn't finished yet. She had more fun in store. At Santorini, she signed me up for the Volcano Hot Springs excursion with its disclaimer: 'Must be able to swim 50 metres in open sea-water.' I know how her mind works. She thought, he can do that - or not - as the case may be - so tick yes! On the way to the Volcano Hot Springs, surging along on the crowded sailing boat, there was much talk about whether the water would ruin your swimming costume.

Mrs Tick-the-Boxes thought it might. She said: 'That's why I brought along something old that I'm about to throw away. Him!' she added, pointing at me. When we dropped anchor, I stood on the gangplank and viewed the distant shore. A shove in the back made up my mind as to whether I would swim or not. But it was worth it. When I finally beached, at the end of a frenzied doggy-paddle, someone covered me with handfuls of sulphurous mud. I mean, who wouldn't pay good money to have this done to them? Back on Equinox we shared a delightful dinner table most nights with friends old and new.

[justangrymacaroni]

Rachel Elizabeth Dare: An Essay

(a.k.a. a discussion of the portrayal of strong female characters and their relationship with fandom, canon, and a whole bunch of other shit i wanted to scream about at 1:50 am)

it really Rattles My Gears that a character as cool as Rachel Elizabeth fucking Dare is constantly thrown under the bus.

“Percy Jackson and Rachel Dare had a really genuine and cool friendship that became obsolete as soon as Rachel was no longer a potential love interest for him” -- @ofswordsandpens​ 

i’m gonna take it a step further and argue that Rachel stopped being a relevant character in the story as soon as she “lost” the role of a potential love interest. not to mention the fact that fandom seemed to collectively h a t e her ass because of that potential love interest. WHY THO? 

let’s fucking discuss.

unfortunately, no discussion about Rachel can occur without the mention of the ship of the century. percabeth. i’m going to assume that percabeth shares its origins with the pjo series itself, allllll the way back in 2005. (holy shit).

2005 fandoms were a LOT different than the fandoms we see today. remember, this was before DashCon, the Mishapocalypse, “fandoms grab your weapons”, and everything else that sort of.....gave fandoms a bit of a wakeup call. not that there was anything inherently wrong with it initially, but there was a shift.

2005 was before that shift.

the original pjo series percabeth romance followed a familiar young adult romance trope: boy and girl meet. girl is strong willed. boy is relatable. girl hates boy. they are thrust together through magical/extraneous circumstances. they become friends. then best friends. then hopelessly in love--BUT WAIT THE WORLD IS ENDING OH NO.

but what makes percabeth so popular? what makes it different from the other tropes we’ve seen? i think the answer lies in the characterization. sure, the tropes are there, but the characters sort of rise above them. annabeth and percy exist independently of each other. their relationship is healthy in that they are able to support each other without completely being reliant one another. 

but i think the most significant part of all this, especially in concerns to Rachel, is that annabeth and percy grew up alongside the readers. as the characters  aged, their actions and thoughts--a.k.a the writing style over time--became more nuanced. the stakes rose, the conflict became complicated. and their relationship progressed relatively slowly, meaning the ship had plenty of time to grow in canon and fandom.

enter Rachel Elizabeth Dare. her character at the very beginning didn’t have any obvious romantic implications. percy runs into her, they chat, there’s a monster, she gives him her number, and BAM. done. she’s gone until the next book.

but within that short amount of time, she is brilliantly characterized. her actions and thoughts are unique from what we’ve seen. she’s funny, demanding, sarcastic, and brave as fuck. 

next book comes out and “uh oh, she’s a love interest!!!! KILL HER BURN HER FUCKING ANNABETH AND PERCY ARE FOREVERWELHKWJGBKHWKJEK”

wtf.

let’s talk about annabeth and Rachel. i argue that fandom loves annabeth for the same reasons they hate Rachel.

she doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit 

annabeth: she’s tough and kicks ass!

Rachel: she’s mean.

she doesn’t put up with PERCY’S shit

annabeth: she’s so funny lol she’s the yin to his yang

Rachel: she’s mean and wrong for him.

she fights, even when people tell her no

annabeth: (example--not wanting to be given dummy questions from the sphinx) she’s smart and independent, she has her own mind and she uses it

Rachel: (example--flying into a demigod battle to warn the others) omg she’s a MORTAL why is she constantly bursting into this story? she’s annoying!!!

sadly, most of the reasons behind the fandom’s dislike of Rachel lie with her relationship to percy, in that people don’t want her to be in a relationship with percy.

but let’s fucking stop talking about percy FOR JUST ONE SECOND.

Rachel is an awesome character. she can see through the mist, and it’s because of this that she wants to learn more about half-bloods, not some hot guy she ran into once. like she says herself, percy was only such a fascination for her because he opened a door to an amazing world. she didn’t need him to be a part of that world.

(ok now we’re done talking about percy)

Rachel Elizabeth Dare has shown time and time again to go above and beyond what was needed from her. examples include walking into the labryinth to help some kids she barely knew, getting in a fucking helicopter and flying into a monster god battle, and allowing herself to be possessed by an ancient prophet spirit-ghost-thing.

she does all this because she wants to, because that’s who she is. she’s the girl that covered herself in gold paint for an art movement. she’s the girl who demanded to learn more about terrifying monsters and kids with swords. she’s the girl who threw a blue hairbrush at kronos.

not to mention how compelling her story is. a mortal who can lift a curse on an ancient prophet??? WHAT??? as soon as the love triangle is over, she’s gone. and i’m So Mad About That because she was so interesting! she goes off to private school while possessed, and thaT’S ALL WE KNOW????

it pisses me off how a character only seems to exist for a romantic subplot, but i’m used to it.

now, what’s really interesting is how this affects female characters in fandom. i can’t say male characters, because while they can be entirely subjected to this “i exist for the romance” trope--gayle from hunger games, bella’s high-school guy friend from twilight, hermione’s quidditch boyfriend holy shit i’m forgetting his name--when it comes to fandom, the girls are treated worse.

i’m going to cut to the chase and tell you why. internalized misogyny is a tricky thing. it can lead you to see a female character solely through her relationship to the male counterpart. it does not matter if she has wants, aspirations, or independent thoughts outside of that relationship. 

when it comes to shipping, she’s not even a character. she’s a threat. female characters are trashed mercilessly in canon and fandom when it comes to this.

look at mary watson’s and irene adler’s treatment in the johnlock fandom.

look at how lavender brown was viewed back in the old harry potter days.

look at all the dead girls from supernatural.

look at martha from dr. who.

skyler from breaking bad.

betty from mad men.

meg from supernatural.

rachel from glee.

guinevere from merlin.

mercedes from glee.

lana lang from smallville.

iris from flash.

terra from young justice.

and on and on and on and on and on

just. Yikes.

from now on, whenever i see a female character hated on because of whatever fucking “threat” she poses, i’m calling it the Rachel Elizabeth Dare Effect.

The Rachel Elizabeth Dare Effect: When a female character is treated poorly in canon and/or fandom, for reasons including any to all of the following:

-- she poses a “threat” to a popular ship

-- hypocrisy for hatred of traits (traits loved in one character but hated in this one)

-- a shallow refusal to see character outside of romantic pull/ties

-- pitting female character against another female character in a bizarre attempt to prove one is superior

not all of the ladies i listed strictly apply to the Rachel Dare Effect, but are worth mentioning because it brings up a topic that needs to be addressed in concerns to storytelling.

look. i love rick riordan’s stories and universe. the pjo characters mean a lot to me. i also love percabeth. do not mistake this post as a way to proclaim my hatred for certain characters and ships. that’s the exact opposite of what i believe. if you don’t like Rachel outside of the reasons i’ve shown above, then by golly, you do you. but this is about more than a personal preference.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and characters like her, deserve so much more than what fandom has thrown at them. please, take pride and care in what you write and read. it has a scary effect on young minds.

[psyga315]

Tweaking Volume 6

So, I decided to try my hand at rewriting RWBY. Though, I’m not gonna do the whole “rebuild it from the ground up” angle, but rather tackle one volume to try and have it tie its plot together a little better. In this case: Volume 6. As such, this isn’t “fixing” RWBY so much as tweaking it. So, for the most part, Volume 6 is mostly intact save for the scenes that were changed up.

The first thing we need to establish is the underlying theme. What is this Volume about? From the titles, it seems to imply that the story is about RWBY/JNR breaking away from Ozpin’s path and doing things their way, as most of their titles relate to this subplot. That said, the ending song, character short, and huge part of the climax have the theme of cutting out abuse from your life. Namely Adam.

So, we need to restructure the Volume based off a central theme of both subplots: how to grow past the teachings of your mentor. This can even tie in to the villains’ subplot. Now, it is worth noting that the increased focus on Adam throughout this tweak isn’t to “adambate”, but rather to add prominence to him in the same way Pyrrha was given prominence in Volume 3.

Let’s begin with…

Episode 1

This should pick up right where Volume 5 left off, with a brief montage of the fallout of the Fall of Haven (named such because despite the heroes’ best efforts, without the Headmaster, the Academy fell into disarray for a bit) followed by Mistralians welcoming the Menagerian Faunus with open arms. This is also where Qrow’s exposition comes in, though for a nice jab at the heart, when he mentions how Lionheart died a hero, it cuts to the little girl from Volume 5 (the one who asked “does he know where mommy is”) visiting her mother’s grave to show that something isn’t right with that story.

To further compound this, Sun brings up Lionheart’s betrayal before Blake cuts him off and reminds him of the consequences to the Faunus relationships should the truth of him conspiring with the villains slip out.

So we get the departure scene unedited, though with a scene where Blake tells Sun that, while she thanks him for his efforts, she realized in her separation from Yang that she has feelings for her rather than Sun. Sun, being Sun, is 110% cool with it and encourages her to go after Yang, though Blake mentions how it would be easier said than done given how she believes that she burned that bridge down when she ran.

Most of this episode remains unaltered save for the lamp exposition being done in this episode. The reason for all this exposition is to get them out of the way and to also mentally prepare people for what they expect to be another chat-heavy Volume, only to pull the rug from under them when the train suddenly gets attacked by Grimm. I feel like this might be a better way to poke fun at last Volume than have the characters lampshade it.

Obviously, Ozpin brings up that the Relic attracts Grimm, as that’s the very inciting incident that creates the lack of faith in Ozpin subplot, but Ozpin also brings up that the Relic’s attraction is faint. Jaune combines his Semblance with Ren and is about to cover the train when they hear screaming and a familiar laugh. JNR run to see what’s the matter. When the sound of fighting ensues, Blake is the first to investigate.

Blake goes out to see what’s going on and sees Adam tossing a civilian off the train and laughing about it. Naturally, she freaks out and cuts the connection of the train. She soon realizes what she had done (left JNR alone with Adam) and her fear and paranoia kick up into high gear, causing the Grimm to focus on RWBY’s train rather than JNR’s train.

This is where we see how, despite RWBY coming back together, they hardly are coordinated, especially with a panicking Blake and a twitchy Yang. We get to see this in contrast to JNR’s fight with Adam, where the group is in sync in handling Adam. I’m not gonna sugar-coat Adam’s power level. He’s weak sauce, plain and simple. The only reason he’s “strong” is his ability to gas-light people and trick them into getting angry. Given how Ren and Jaune both went through that ordeal, though, they handle Adam, though his Semblance does throw them off.

The only way they manage to get Adam off their back is Jaune realizing what his Semblance does and, in a scene that demonstrates his strategic mind, overpowers Adam’s Semblance to where his Moonslice pushes him away from the group and out of their sight for the time being, with the obvious note that, because he has a buffed Aura, he’d be able to survive. Just as JNR realize they’re stuck, they hear someone:

“Don’t fret, passengers. The glory of Atlas shall guide you to Argus!”

And we don’t see JNR until after the “Ozpin gets BTFO” Arc and the Apathy Arc.

The fight with the Sphinx and Manticore is the same with the aforementioned bumbling around, and we even see Weiss try to summon again before a Manticore pummels her, with Weiss just saying “screw it!” and using another of her Glyphs to pwn the Manticore.

Episode ends like usual.

Oh, and Ruby’s gift for Yang is explicitly shown to be the magazine she reads in the train because why show the bag if you’re not gonna reveal it.

Episode 2

This is kept the same, except the Cinder scenes are moved to its own episode.

Episode 3

This is kept the same, However, I will add in a detail that makes the God of Light much more benevolent (and nicer) than in the show. Namely, worshippers of the God of Light are the ones to try to talk to Salem about how death is natural and Salem only visits the God of Darkness. The God of Darkness agrees to revive Ozma, but she must do his version of bending the knee: take a dip into his pool. Doesn’t destroy her but instead make her an immortal lord of the Grimm.

God of Light comes in and goes “WTF!?” as the God of Darkness revives Ozma. This time, the battle between the two ends up destroying humanity (and broke the moon) save for Ozma and Salem. Ozma has no idea what happened and Salem kept mum on what happened. They settle down and have kids, but eventually Salem feels compelled to tell Ozma about what happened… and Ozma is devastated. And thus, he does the thing that causes Salem to forever despise him for the rest of his days:

He calmly walked to the pool of Light, left behind in the battle, and takes a swan dive into it, presumably killing him.

It doesn’t though, and instead makes him one with the God of Light, just as Salem became part of the God of Darkness. The God of Light laments in how the world he and his brother created was destroyed simply because humanity relied on them too much. And so, he asks Ozma to unify the world’s remnants, but he also gives him a stipulation: he must also gather the Relics and call upon the Gods when humanity is ready to be judged. If the humans learn to live with each other and not demand anything of the Gods, he will walk among them once again. If not, however aaaaand the world goes boom.

Ozma has his whole reincarnation thing where he finds out that Salem, in her grief, killed their kids and used the Grimm to attack Humanity 2.0, which are basically the Light Brother’s attempt to remake humanity, just that Aura and Semblance are his half-assed means to replicate his brother’s magic, with Dust being the remnants of the Dark Brother’s magic. There’s an implication she had a hand in making Faunus, but not in that “she made them” sort of way. Rather she caused some of them to have more violent features like fangs and stingers that caused humanity to fear them. This causes Blake to react with horror and anger at Salem.

While I was tempted to add a scene where Ozma has more to do with Salem’s fall from grace or give her a reason to hate him, like how the Maidens he gave magic to were Salem’s daughters, but I decided to keep his overall role the same and give the basic gist that he hates people finding out the truth behind his lies because it reminds him of what he did when he found out about what happened to his world. However, there is heavier emphasis on how he had led people to their demise against Salem. Namely how, when Ruby sees Ozpin’s many forms falling before Salem, she sees a flurry of Huntsmen… and a certain white-cloaked figure before it too scatters like a rose.

That and Oscar sees Pyrrha’s death and the whole Maiden thing that Ozpin did to her.

The other thing is that Ozma discovers Salem’s immortality because at one point he does kill her but she doesn’t die. Not because Jinn goes “lol, you can’t.” since I kinda want to make Jinn more benevolent like the God that made her and not somehow sowing the seeds of discord.

Episode 4

Same episode, but now Ruby’s pissed at Ozpin as well. Not enough to punch Oscar or even berate him, but enough to say “good riddance” or “coward” when Ozpin retreats.

The bit with Salem is still kept in but we actually get that scene where Salem wanted to have a word with Tyrian back in Volume 5 (remember that, V5?!). She explains to Tyrian that Qrow is still alive despite his efforts and he breaks down, apologizing to her and even offering to kill himself for her approval and how the only reason she didn’t let him is because he’s still of use to him. This is contrasted with Emerald’s fear of Salem when she talks with her about Cinder’s failure. This basically serves to show the full extent of just what Ozpin could have been but also show how Ozpin isn’t like Salem.

Episode 5

So, this is where a little bit of a change comes in. As the group stay at the Brunswick Farm and they settle for the night, every one of the characters gets an introspective of their developing apathy. In order:

Oscar is worried about being regarded as Ozpin and is even worried about how Jaune would react.

Qrow is depressed over Ozpin’s machinations and, as the episode ends, finds a stash of liquor.

Blake begins to berate herself about Adam and explains the reason of why she let Adam run (namely because of his whole “get inside your head” tactic she mentioned in the finale) to Yang.

Yang, much to Blake��s dismay, doesn’t blame her, but she doesn’t also forgive her either. Instead, she’s caught up in the thought of calling Ozpin out for omitting information about the Relic, only for herself to have omitted information about the Maiden. In short, she also feels guilty about what happened.

Weiss is upset about having to return to Atlas and is visibly shook over her near-death experience and how she was ultimately the one to blame for putting her guard down. Incidentally, she’s the only one who doesn’t feel tired, but that’s only because she’s mindlessly practicing the same fencing moves over and over until her body tires out for her.

Ruby’s the only person who is outright concerned about Salem’s immortality and how no one can beat her. Not just because Yang’s edgelord of a mom was correct, but how her own mother died and proved that statement. She talks to the only person who isn’t affected by the Apathy, Maria, that she just wants to bring the lamp to Atlas, go back home, and never go out again.

Maria eavesdrop to every bit of this, but gives Ruby the advice she needs to move on: “What do you think your mother would do if she knew the truth?” and we end with Maria asking Ruby: “My glasses are no good, but… what color are your eyes?”

Episode 6

Episode mostly remains the same, though with the explicit notion that the Apathy only fed on the negative emotions the group felt and didn’t amplify the doubts they had, thus they don’t go “lol, it was all the Apathy’s fault we were like that”. Probably also either drop hints about this being Adam’s place from when he was a slave there (even have Weiss notice a branding iron with the SDC logo on it and frowning to show foreshadowing) or it being Roman’s home (and it’s Ruby who feels upset with this revelation).

It’s also in this episode that we get a little exposition on the Silver Eyes (the whole “they only work on Grimm” thing and the fact that the Light Brother made them) and this causes Ruby to quickly utilize it when the Apathy attack them. Blake decides to try and sacrifice herself to atone for what she did to Yang, but Ruby’s eyes go off and you know the rest.

Episode 7

This is entirely Cinder’s episode, where she gets out of the Vault and gets the help of the Spiders. However, there’s a heavier emphasis that it’s Adam that was trailing RWBY the whole time and not misleading us by implying it was Hazel.

This also leads to the whole Neo fight and the whole “I was ordered by Salem not to kill Ruby” thing, but Neo gives a jab by implying “why didn’t you kill Ruby when you had the chance?”, as she had heard about the Fall of Haven and Cinder’s role in it, to which Cinder just meekly answers with “well I was going to.”

Basically, rather than sprinkle the Cinder scenes across the volume, condense them into one. We end on Adam recovering from his fall and tracking down RWBY, finding the house and scornfully growling before he kills a stray Apathy.

Episode 7

Basically the same, but heavier emphasis that Tock’s employer was Salem and that she has a connection to Tyrian.

Episode 8 & 9

Keep this relatively the same, but have Cordovin explain why she doesn’t let Weiss’s friends through. “Let’s see, we have an angry girl who attacked someone without their aura on live television, a drunken waste of energy who attacked an Atleasian general in front of a crowd, the team whose member utterly destroyed our masterpiece Huntress-in-training (cue a frown from Ruby and a scornful look from Jaune), and, of course, the Faunus.” She doesn’t even add any details, she just says “the faunus” for Blake. Weiss gets upset and that’s when she goes “we’re done here.”

Now, here’s where this gets the most change, because in all honesty, that whole “Oscar’s missing” thing was stupid cliff-hanger baiting. So, here’s how the change begins.

Jaune calls out Oscar like he did, but adds in one final hook: “Did Pyrrha know about this before you killed her!?” in the same venom that Hazel had. Ruby stops Jaune and tells her that Cinder killed Pyrrha. Jaune tosses Oscar aside and leaves in a huff. Ren and Nora are understandably pissed as well (please let them have more dialogue to address that Pyrrha was also their loss, RT) and it’s agreed that everyone needs to have some space, especially with what had happened at the farm.

And so, slowly and surely, we have our group split up to comfort each other. In order:

Oscar approaches Weiss and tells her about how he wants to help the team and atone for how Ozpin inadvertently hurt JNPR, feeling as though, if he is to become him, he might as well lay the groundwork for a better Ozpin. This naturally gets Weiss inspired to go clothes shopping with him, especially since they’re going to Atlas and if it was cold back there, it’s gonna get colder where they’re going.

Blake talks with Ren and Nora and talks about her experience with Adam. Ren is annoyed when she starts wallowing about him and asks her to get to the point. She mentions how Adam mentored her much like how Ozpin mentored them, but the difference was that Ozpin genuinely cared for them whereas Adam manipulated her. She comes clean about her past at the White Fang to them and expresses a small bit of regret in not letting Ozpin know about them, but that they need to keep moving forward for Pyrrha’s sake. It’d be a bit too cynical for Ren to go “we haven’t heard that one before”, but if we’re going in the tradition of lampshading Volume 5… I dunno, maybe a lighter version of that where it doesn’t sound condescending?

Yang goes out drinking with Qrow to confirm she’s old enough to drink. She hardly is able to talk to Qrow though because every time she does, she worries about slipping up and talking about how she hid the fact that Raven was the Maiden, only for Qrow to mumble out nonsense that ends up implying that he does know about that and knows Yang kept it a secret, but that in the grand scheme of things, there was nothing they could have done now that she’s who knows where. Though this further guilt trips Yang because she believes now that, had she not yelled at Raven and convinced her to leave the Relic back in the vault and closed it, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Lastly, Ruby talks with Jaune in a scene that mirrors the whole Weiss/Yang scene in Volume 5 with a heavy dose of the Oscar/Ruby scene from the same Volume. Though now, with this line:

“I saw my mom die when Jinn told us the truth. She died the same way Pyrrha did. But she didn’t throw her life away. She fought and despite knowing she couldn’t win, she did it to protect the ones she loves. And I’m certain Pyrrha did the exact same thing.”

Jaune is moved by this and instantly thinks of how to get into Atlas.

Smash cut to a sobered up Qrow (with Yang there, she was able to get him sober before they returned) telling him it’s a stupid plan. Jaune explains the plan in the briefest detail he can and Ruby vouches for him. Basically, what happened at the end, but instead of “we didn’t need an adult to save us” it’s more “we tried the adult way back at Haven and all that did was make us fish in a barrel for Salem. Now, we try it our way.”, hinting to the finale’s title.

Emerald and Mercury have their thing, but at the end, they sneak out with Tyrian and Watts after the former tells them to do what makes them happy (they lampshade how odd it is coming from the crazy man), but the stinger of this volume shows they, on route, saw the Grimm be made with wings.

The Final Quarter

So, the heist goes like before, but with Cinder and Neo getting involved. Not by much, but they mostly just sneak in their airship by using Cordovin’s fight with Ruby as a distraction for them to slip by. We can even have the guys at Argus warn Cordovin about it only for her to brush it off.

The fight doesn’t change by much, but one should change it so that Ruby and the group are reluctant to destroy the mech because of Jaune bringing up how it’s used to protect Argus from big Grimm.

The big scene that changes, though, is Adam’s fight with Blake. It begins with Blake telling Yang that she’ll go to the tower alone, but Yang knows better. They both know Adam is following them and that Blake is aware that Adam is waiting for the right moment for him to strike. Now, this can go one of two ways. The Bumblebee route where they plan out the entire fight (right down to Yang feigning a panic attack in “Seeing Red”) or the Feels Route where the following happens:

Blake wants to atone for her misdeeds and she sees this as the best way to do it, telling Yang to go with Ruby and the others. Yang doesn’t have any of it, but as she grabs her, she notices it’s a shadow.

Blake confronts Adam without being scared. They both know that only one person will come out of this alive. And so, they fight.

As they do, flashbacks of Adam’s past comes to light, emphasising who he was prior to the character short: a scared slave who was purchased by Brunswick from shady Schnee Dust Corporation members whose pain (remember, they had the branding iron) attracted Grimm and prompted Brunswick to bring in the Apathy. From there, he joined the White Fang and made it his mission to oppose humanity for their crimes and we see his slow and gradual fall from grace to the madman that we know him today.

Adam’s reason for hating Blake is simple. She ruined everything. As soon as she ran during the train heist back in the Black Trailer, Adam was caught by the police (as Blake stole the part of the train that kept going) and were it not for Banesaw, he would have been arrested. At first, he wanted to leave Blake for dead, but as soon as he saw her being friends with not just humans, but a Schnee, he was furious and Cinder enabled him to want to destroy everything Blake loved.

Let me repeat this for clarity: Adam was always a manipulative gas-lighter. It’s that Cinder encouraged him to do the whole “I will destroy everything you love” thing.

Yang comes in and… Okay, I’m gonna address an elephant in the room.

Yang’s PTSD is a subject of controversy. You have Unicorn of War showing a person’s thoughts on how Yang’s PTSD is properly portrayed and then you have MuffinManDan making fun at how it wasn’t portrayed. Really, her scene can go either way, but in the spirit of what Adam’s true strength is, here’s how I imagine the rematch.

Yang fights Adam like how it happens, but you can see that Yang is acting purely on adrenaline. Adam notices this and starts to take advantage of it, taunting her about the events at Beacon. Yang begins to panic and Adam’s true strength, his gas-lighting, shines. For a good chunk of the fight, it looks like Adam has the upper hand, continually guilt tripping Yang and Blake and mocking their determination to protect each other.

“You humans are all the same! Nothing but squabbling idiots who are quick and easy to anger!” Adam lands the final blow on Yang…

CLANG!

“Yeah…” Yang used her hand to catch his sword. “Like you.” And her eyes flash red.

It turns out Yang had seen Adam for who he truly is and had no reason to fear him. Her freaking out was her fighting fire with fire and pretending to be afraid. She then lays into Adam and blows his every statement back with each hit. So basically, this is where that whole “she promised to stay by my side, too” “you mean the person she thought she promised?” “WHAT DOES SHE SEE IN YOU!?” exchange come in.

And then Adam is killed. He gets a bit of a better send off than what he got, but not by much. Basically, as he dies, we get a flashback to Adam and Blake working together for the first time and having a genuine scene where Blake bonds with him, as though to illustrate that, had Adam let go of his spite for humanity, he would have had a better life. Adam falls on the ground and dies. Blake breaks down, but Yang reassures her that it’s over and we get Bumblebee confirmed. No, they don’t kiss because kissing over a corpse is goddamned creepy and Bumblebee deserves better than reminding the audience about the Lannisters.

The Leviathan comes, along with the Grimm, but this time we get a bigger emphasis of Ruby realizing she fucked up as we see the Grimm attack civilians and even the Cotta-Arcs getting menaced by a Grimm (though not killed), though Jaune takes part of the blame as he’s the one who suggested it and even strategized how to disable the mech.

However, Ruby, in her culmination of her character arc, decides to do something about it rather than wait for someone else to help her. She has Weiss summon the Queen Lancer and fly off to confront the Leviathan. There, she tries to use Silver Eyes, but the doubts in her head cause the Grimm to nearly eat her had it not been for Jinn stopping time. Remember, in this rewrite, she’s pretty nice and not tearing the team apart with two words.

So Ruby gathers the courage to Silver Eyes the Grimm, Cordovin saves Ruby and the heroes head to Atlas, Bees buzzing with delight as we hype up Weiss’s inevitable reunion with her father and we get a scene where Tyrian rallys some Faunus who are in Mantle, telling them that “our Queen has proclaimed change. Atlas will fall!”

DVD Exclusive Episode Because $$$

This is basically expanding on the stinger that last Volume had, where Raven laments about the past life choices and we finally have that STRQ flashback episode we’ve been wanting, though it’s mostly Raven’s POV so we don’t get any juicy stuff aside from how she left Ozpin and became the Spring Maiden. This is probably the only wish fulfilment I would want out of this entire rewrite. Think of it as the “beach episode” of RWBY.

It ends with Taiyang asking Raven what she’ll do now that she’s realized what a coward she is. Cut to black, see you next Volume.

And that’s how I would tweak Volume 6. Not much except by the end, and even then, I tried to keep most of the scenes intact but reworked the context and made it more worthwhile. Unfortunately I doubt I was able to work in the theme I wanted to do at the beginning, but that’s basically the rough sketch I have for this tweak.

[vorthosthewillis]

Planeswalker’s Guide to Stawthese

     Stawthese is a fan made plane, created by yours truly. It actually started as a D&D world simply called the Wastes, back when I played 3.5 with my college buddies. It grew, expanded, and evolved over time but sadly after leaving college I haven't had time or a group to play with, so the Wastes were left in a distant corner of my mind. Fast forward to when I began writing the first short story for Finn, and vainly thought to myself,  “What if I made the Wastes into a plane? That would be so cool!” Spoiler alert: it wasn't. There was too much of the world, too many stories I wanted to retell, and most importantly it derailed Finn’s story. So I scrapped it, and tried again. I wrote the story I meant to write, and the Wastes were reduced to a cameo through the name of Stawthese (an anagram). Since then, I have begun looking carefully at Stawthese, and deciding how it can be influenced by the Wastes while still standing on its own. I have even written a few short stories based it now, and introduced the smart but reckless goblin pyromancer Libs, the shape-shifting albino dragon Kia, and several citizens of Kel Tol.  But... I wanted to be able to show you all more. I started this, and well... Hope you all enjoy this look into the backwater plane of Stawthese!

    Stawthese is a plane hidden from sight and recovering from the ravages of war. Sometime around 800 years ago, a massive, plane-wide war erupted, destroying most of the world and its people, forever shaping the rest. The cause of the war and most details about it has been lost to time, but one thing’s for certain: the world as a Planeswalker who visits it now is very different then what is might have been. On top of all this, a planeswalker known only as Faults unleashed a powerful and massive worldspell with the last of his oldwalker powers over Stawthese during the Mending. This spell effectively has placed a shadow over the plane, hiding it from view. It is still very much possible to planeswalk to and from Stawthese... its just finding it in the first place that is almost impossible.

    Stawthese is a small plane with one large landmass and a host of small islands surrounding it. In roughly the middle of the main continent stretching from northeast down to the central west is a massive mountain chain, called the Bacctoc Mountains. The Bacctoc Mountains are so high that the snow there never melts, causing them to receive the nickname the “white backs”, a term generally used by every race but the dwarfs. The dwarvish legion of Stawthese make their home here, and between their might and their bonds together, they are not a force to be taken lightly. It is said that they are strong enough to take all of the lower half of the main continent if they so wished, and many wonder why they haven’t, given the reputation they had before the great war. No one wants to be the first to ask this to the dwarves, though.

    On the western side of the continent, just below the Bacctoc Mountains, is the region  called Khedive. This region can largely be split into two parts; the northern half consists of foothills that eventually become the Bacctoc Mountains,  while the southern half becomes more flat and littered with lakes and streams that originate in the foothills. To the far west are steep cliffs that let out to the sea, while to the east is a giant canyon that stretches all the way into the Bacctoc Mountains, simply called the Khedive canyon. Because of this the only real ways into Khedive are through the mountains or to the southeast, which leads this area to usually be somewhat isolated. This isolation was pivotal to the survival and exploding growth of the goblins. Nearly going extinct before the great war, now the goblins not only have thrived, but also established all of northern Khedive and a large portion of southern Khedive as their homelands. What’s more, interactions with several artifacts left from the great war have over time magnified the intelligence of roughly a third of the goblin clans, most notably the Quickhands clan. While they are not geniuses by any means, these particular goblins clans are still far smarter than the others, and should not be underestimated.

    The southeastern edge of Khedive skirts just below the Khedive canyon and becomes the region of Sashev. Sashev is a small but long wooded region, fueled by streams from Khedive that flow through it and empty out into the ocean. This area is not claimed by any one race, rather pockets of aven, humans, elves, and goblins can be found throughout it, though aven mostly to the east and goblins mostly to the west. While small, Sashev stretches along the southern coastline, and if you want to reach the various islands to the south or east of the main landmass, you'll either need a pirate or you’ll have to go to Kel Tol, the only significant  town in Sashev. A heavily fortified port town consisting of mostly humans and aven, Kel Tol is itself a remnant of the great war and the time before it.

    North of Sashev and east of the Khedive canyon lies the great forest region of Wurin. The forest is another remnant of ages past, as though the entire region is a enormous forest, the innermost sections contain impossibly tall trees, high as some of the smaller mountains and several centuries old. In this innermost sanctum is the ancestral home of the aven, and is fiercely guarded. The outer sections of the Wurin forest are slightly more varied, with aven and elves alike. Numerous beasts make their homes within the Wurin forest, including the terrifying, always hungry wurms. In the past half century however the elves have become more withdrawn and aggressive, and so the outer edges of the forest have become even more dangerous with both beast and elf hunting visitors.

    Two grasslands surround Wurin, one to the northeast called the Land of Dragons, and one to the south and west called Raalo. Raalo is mostly flat grasslands, with small forests interspersed throughout. Humans primarily call this area their home, though the rare elf, aven, or dwarf family can be found if one looks hard enough. The humans of this region live in various small villages and towns, the biggest (called Azel) lying on the literal edge of the Khedive Canyon. Multiple roads pass through Raalo, whether going between towns, north to Wurin or the Bacctoc Mountains, or south to Sashev. The regional in general is usually bubbling with activity as the main crossroads for most of the civilized world. In contrast, to the northeast of Wurin lies the Land of Dragons, a grassland that quickly develops into rolling hills and then the foothills of Bacctoc Mountains. This area is largely deserted, as not only is it out of the way of civilization, but also people still remember why it is called the Land of Dragons. While it is commonly accepted that dragons were wiped out during the great war, beforehand this region was the home of the oldest dragon of that time, a brute named Drazir. The two biggest draws of the region are the Bone Coast, where ancient bones and other treasure common washes ashore, and the Visho Pass, which leads all the way north through the mountains to what lies beyond. Here is where the only settlement in the Land of Dragons exists: the dwarven fort of Visho Bastion blocks any access to the pass from both the north and south, and is where the military might of the dwarves can easily be seen.

    The area north of the Bacctoc Mountains has been uninhabited since the great war. It is also by far the largest region on the mainland of Stawthese, rivaling the size of all the other regions below the Bacctoc Mountains combined. This area is called the Wastes, at least by those who still remember it exists. The dwarves of the mountains guard the area with extreme prejudice, and it is believed no one other than the dwarves have been there in centuries.  What it looks like, as well as what might be found there, has been lost to time.

    Beyond the mainland of Stawthese lies several islands. Far to the southwest lies the isle of Traxyln, were supposedly you could find strange creatures with human faces, lion bodies, and wings called sphinxes who trade with those who come but also guard the isle from any who wish to go further inland than the beaches. The Ontrican Archipelago lies just to the southeast of Sashev, and while it is a chaotic paradise for pirates and outlaws, the furthest and largest island in the archipelago (known as Ontrica) contains the largest collection of history and knowledge from before the war and also about the various strange artifacts that have appeared since then.

Directly south from Sashev is three desolate islands called the Three Widows, though no one alive knows why. Ships going from Traxyln and Ontrica take extra time and go north of the widows though, as south of the widows is a gigantic whirlpool known ominously as the Chimney. Though its exact size is unknown, it is estimated to be at least as big as the region of Raalo, and ships that go south of the widows run the risk of getting trapped in its grip long before even seeing it. Though legends tell of those who survived (and some must have some point, or else its existence would not be known) no one in this time who has left to explore the Chimney have ever returned. Though other islands exist around the mainland, they are either small, unknown, not named, or all three.

Races of Stawthese

    There exists five major races of Stawthese  (humans, dwarves, elves, aven, and goblins), as well as several other species scattered through the land.

Humans

    The humans of Stawthese originated from the islands of Ontrican Archipelago, and eventually spread throughout most of the mainland. Dark-skinned, lean built, and cunning brains describe the vast majority of the humans, who despite not having a natural home region on the mainland have made their presence known. They control the Ontrican Archipelago, hold the most power in Kel Tol, and are plentiful throughout Raalo. On the island of Ontrica, humans are almost the sole inhabitants, and if nothing else control the city of Morfe, where the histories of the world are stored and studied. They can also be found on the isle of Traxyln as devout servants to the mysterious Sphinxes, though once one enters into service, they may never leave.

    Like most worlds, humans can be found in all colors, though they can be found more commonly in one color or the other depending on location. For example, humans are more common in blue on Ontrica, white in Raalo, green in Sashev, and in both red and black on the archipelago. In general though, they do seem to be slighter more common in blue than any other color.

Dwarves

    The dwarves of the Bacctoc Mountains are a mysterious group with little known of their current status. Before the war, they were extremely militant, and were carving an empire both in the north and west of mainland Stawthese. They were most territorial over their home mountains though; it is thought that at that time the dwarves nearly killed off the goblins and perhaps did succeed in killing off the vishano, both of which shared the mountains with the dwarves.

    While most historians of Morfe agree that the dwarves were not the instigators of the great war (in fact, what can be found makes it seem like no race instigated the war, so how or why it started is still a significant mystery), it can definitely be stated they were one of losers. After the war, the dwarves retreated fully into the mountains, and to this day only small delegations leave to trade down in Kel Tol or live in self-described exile, usually far from the mountains in Raalo. Even those in exile will not speak of their home region, though. What is known beyond their military might is the stories of their teamwork, fellowship, and strong bonds together, both from bits of history found and what can be seen from dwarves living among the rest of the races. Dwarves living in communities outside of the mountains work hard to be useful and important members of their communities, and make faithful friends.

    The dwarves of Stawthese are primarily in white and red.

Elves

    The elves of Stawthese live a story of tragedy and corruption, for while the dwarves might be considered one of the losers of the great war, of all the surviving races the elves suffered the greatest loss. The elves’ home region is in what is now known as the Wastes, and all elves in the modern age are refugees. Some have taken residence in the Wurin Forest, while others now live far south in Sashev. The vast majority though moved underground, hidden below Khedive and Wurin, and stayed there for centuries until recently.

    All elves have dark skin, dark blond or light brown hair, and the characteristic elf ears. However, the elves underground have skin that is black as coal and true stark white hair. The most startlingly difference is their eyes; the eyes of the elves underground have slightly grown in size and become bright yellow. These elves actually have trouble seeing in bright sunlight.

    Within the past half century, the underground elves have become aggressive and are attacking goblin sites in northern Khedive. Within the past thirty or so years that strange violence and aggression spread to the elves within the Wurin Forest. In the modern age, the only place where you can reliably talk to elves and not expect violence is in Sashev, but many are beginning to wonder if it will be a when and not an if for whether or not they will also fall to the mysterious violent streak.

    While they were originally green, the elves of Stawthese, especially the more violent ones, are now in both green and black.

Aven

    There are actually two species of aven on Stawthese; more traditional ones by multiverse standards, and then the flightless ones, which some call by the derogatory title the “Clipped”. Both originated in the ancient and giant trees of the Wurin Forest, but at some point even before the great war the two species began to split.

    The traditional, hawk-like aven more closely resemble the aven of Alara over places like Tarkir and Amonkhet. The flightless aven however, have stunted wings that cannot support them in flight, and over time their bodies became larger, fat looking to someone new to the plane. They have slightly longer necks with narrow beaks as well as significantly stronger and larger legs, and so look down on the other races, in both a figurative and literal sense. Traditional aven value their intelligence and can be found the archipelago, Wurin Forest, and even a few tribes in the Khedive Canyon, while the Clipped have developed a strong affinity to nature and live predominantly in the Wurin Forest and Sashev. Unlike most aven in the multiverse, the Stawthese aven commonly eschew family structure in exchange for personal growth, only living in communities for necessities. How that personal growth is obtained depends on the species though; traditional aven believe they choose their fate while the Clipped believe that fate played games and screwed them, and they must grow with what they have.

     While the traditional aven can be found in blue, the Clipped are more common in green.

Goblins

    The youngest of the major races, goblins before the great war shared the Bacctoc Mountains with the dwarves, and were almost extinct by the time the war began.  In a sense, they could be considered the “winners” of the war. When the dwarves retreated from the western part of Stawthese, and the Khedive canyon was formed near the end of the war, the surviving goblins moved into Khedive and flourished. On top of this, some goblin clans began collecting relics and artifacts from the war, and a few were still active. Though their true purposes are still not known and most of them have vanished over time, what is known is that they began to change the goblin clans holding them. Nowadays, the goblin clans of Khedive are firmly established as a major race, and while not geniuses the goblin clans who once gathered artifacts, especially the Quickhands clan, are intelligent and curious where they fit in the greater world.

    While there used to be eight goblin clans, sudden and devastating attacks from the underground elves within the last half century completely killed off a large population of goblins before the rest united against the elves. There are five surviving goblin clans.

The Rockcrush Clan live in the far north of Khedive and regularly raid into the Bacctoc Mountains against the dwarves. They are firmly red. 

The largest clan, the Hilldust Clan, lives in north and central Khedive and leads an offense against the elves. They are firmly red. 

The Cliffjumper Clan inhabits the sheer cliff faces of Stawthese’s southwest coast. These goblins have developed fascinating ways to hunt and fish the ocean, and are both red and blue.

The Quickhands Clan used to live in northern Khedive, but elvish attacks nearly destroyed the clan and now the remnants live near the border of Sashev. The most intelligent of the clans, the majority are thieves, but are also currently the representatives of goblins to the rest of the modern world. They are both blue and red.

The final clan, the Blindgut Clan is a small clan of all blind goblins in northern Khedive. Why they are all blind, and how they survive is unknown. They are in red.

Other Races

    Several other races exist on Stawthese, though nowhere near as common as the major races.

    On the distant isle of Traxyn, sphinxes have been found. However, they refuse entry onto the isle, allowing visitors only onto the coast. Because of this, and the fact their servants never leave the island, nothing else is known about them.

    Though necromancy does exist, it is very rare and commonly hunted down once discovered. While it is rare to find a zombie, it is not impossible, particularly on some of the more obscure islands in the Ontrican Archipelago.

    Historians report that there used to be other races before the great war. In particular, there appeared to be Minotaurs who lived north of the mountains as well as Vishano, which the Visho Pass is supposedly named for. Both are assumed extinct.

    Dragons also existed before the war. While reports vary on exactly how they looked, all agree on the ability which made them supremely unique: they could shapeshift, from their dragon form to the form of either human or elf depending on type of dragon. While some were selfish and wild, like the legendary dragon Drazir, but others were considered to be champions and protectors of the smaller races. They fought with the dwarves during the great war, but then vanished near the end. It is assumed they were killed and are extinct, though with their abilities it cannot be confirmed.

Notable People of Stawthese

Titus Soie

    The human Titus Soie is in name the governor of Kel Tol, but in practice is the de facto leader of Sashev. Titus was a pirate for almost 30 years, and a captain for nearly 20 of those years, so he is no stranger to leadership. However, he is getting older and has given up the chaotic nature of the sea, both in the literal and figurative sense. He has seen the chaos of the Ontrican Archipelago,  and vows to not let it infect Sashev. Titus has actually been the driving force of establishing actual communication between races in recent years.

     Titus, like the walls of his city, protects and shelters his people as much as he can. He is white/green.

Maya Patel

    Titus employs a guard to help protect Kel Tol and its citizens, one of which is the elf Maya Patel. While not a magic user, Maya is a skilled fighter, utilizing dual custom-made hand crossbows in order to mow down enemies. While Maya is an elf, she has lived her entire life in Sashev and is fiercely loyal to Titus and Kel Tol. However, that loyalty only extends to those two and people she considers friends; those against her or even just those who don’t fit into those categories will find no help or mercy. She is acutely aware of people's opinions of elves, but unable to convince them they are wrong, she has chosen to hate the racists in return.

    While she used to just be a simple guardswoman, she has recently uncovered two secrets that  could propel her into the spotlight:  dragons still live, and there is other worlds than Stawthese. She is green/black.

Winu Roluc

    There is no leader of the aven, but there is an aven in charge of keeping the ancient and giant trees of Wurin alive. Winu Roluc is a traditional aven who has spent time with both the elves and others of her kind in order to learn how to harness the power of nature to keep the inner forest of Wurin safe from wurms and other creatures. Winu understands just how important the ancient trees are to the ecosystem as a whole and works tirelessly to keep the proper spells intact to protect them. While she is an expert on the trees, she is less than perfect handling actual people, and unless they can hold an intelligent conversation, she generally will just fly away.

    Winu focuses on drawing strength from nature in order to create massive spells. She is blue/green.

Libs Quickhands

    Even though he is still young, the goblin pyromancer Libs Quickhands is widely considered by goblins as the only reason reason the Quickhands clan still exists today, as he used his pyromancy abilities to kill an invading elvish army. He has gone on to become the first ever official goblin representative invited to Kel Tol. Libs is intelligent yet impulsive, eager to learn yet mostly naive to the dealings beyond Khedive. Unlike the majority of his tribe, Libs is a terrible, terrible thief. 

    While pyromancy is Libs’s primarily ability, he also has learned some basic mind spells, namely how to counter other’s mind magics from affecting him. He is red/blue.

Steric the 5th

    The current Lord of the Dwarves goes by the title Steric the 5th. He has never left the Bacctoc Mountains, so no non-dwarf has ever met him, but much can be told just from his actions. Steric has been the Lord of the Dwarves for 134 years, and during that time has increased trade with the rest of the world by nearly triple what it was before his rule. He has also established communication and representation with the rest of the modern world, namely through sending a representative to annual summits hosted at Kel Tol in order to keep peace between the races. At the same time however exiles from the mountains have nearly doubled, and Steric has reinforced the Visho Bastion to the point of it being a massive, supposedly impenetrable fort. What his plans are for the dwarves are unknown. He is white/red.

Kiaantho, the White Scale

    There is only one known living dragon in the world, and even then only a handful know of her existence. Kiaantho has no intentions of revealing her presence to the public and typically stays in her human form and by the name Kia. Even then however, Kia stands out; she is albino, and as she is only 300 years old, she appears as an albino human teenager in her human form (whether that is due to her age or under her own control is unknown). She is an accomplished actress in order to protect her identity, and in reality she is a passionate friend and ally who often sees the long term benefits that others cannot.

    The question has arisen that if she was born 300 years ago, then there must be other dragons. However, Kia rarely talks about her past other than to state her age, and never the circumstances of her birth. Whether or not she is as clueless about her race as the rest of her world remains to be seen.

    All Kia wants is to be treated as an equal and (other than her friends) be left alone, but if her secret gets out that she is not only the last dragon, but also one of the most powerful creatures on the plane, she may never get that wish. Kia is red/white.

Planeswalkers of Stawthese

    There is no known planeswalker originally from Stawthese, however there are two non-native walkers that currently reside here.

Finnegan Olleg

    Finnegan Olleg, more commonly known as just Finn, is an elf from the world formerly known as Mirrodin. Finn lived through the fall of Mirrodin to the Phyrexians, and only sparked at the end of the war. His first walk actually took him to Stawthese, deep into the Bacctoc Mountains where he almost froze to death. Since then, Finn has created a home on Stawthese, living in the Sashev region right beside its border to Khedive. The fall of Mirrodin laid heavy on Finn for a long time, and only recently has he begun to move on. He has developed a friendship with the goblin Libs Quickhands, and is slowly willing to interact with the world at large.

    While Finn is a somewhat decent hand to hand or one-handed weapon fighter from his experiences on Mirrodin, he truly shines in his magic. Finn’s power set is almost entirely defensive, and he is most proficient at redirection and hexproof magics. Finn is green/blue/red.

Faults

    Little to nothing is known of the planeswalker called Faults. Faults is an oldwalker, from before the mending, whose magical speciality is controlling others. It can physically control others like a puppet, mind control others, or even just completely rewrite the person’s mind and soul as devoutly loyal to Faults. It uses this ability to create its self proclaimed “experiments”; one such experiment (admitted by Faults) being the quickening of the Great Aurora through controlling and manipulating Oona and almost every fairy under her mere days before the Mending.

    The Mending caused Faults to search for a way to prolong its “godhood”, leading it to Stawthese for unknown reasons. What no one else knows is that Faults was present for and most likely participated in the ancient great war, and so its return is likely connected. In addition, it has spent the majority of its time since the Mending corrupting and transforming first the underground elves and then the Wurin Forest elves into believing Faults to be their literal god and following its every command. Its next move is unknown.

@actualborossoldier, @baldore-of-the-boros, @foilmountain, @confused-phyrexian, @gigaguessmtg, @the-foxwolf, @nantukohunk, @erybia, @triumviratethree, @ anyone I forgot. If you want added or removed from the list let me know!

With this out of the way, the next short story is in my sights. It may be a direct continuation of Stand in the Rain, or simply the next in the “series”. Regardless, I promise to start working on some answers. If certain things are really causing you to scratch your head, let me know and I will see if , story/plot  permitting, I can reveal them sooner rather than later. Good night!

[theticklishpear]

(A table of contents is available. This series will remain open for additional posts and the table of contents up-to-date as new posts are added.)

Part Eleven: Companions From Myth

The scale of creature companions can be measured in all kinds of ways, from non-talking to talking, small to large, minor to major characters, and mundane to mythical. As we’ve progressed through the series and talked about all kinds of things to keep in mind as you go about creating and writing with your creature companions, I’ve touched somewhat on the extra considerations needed when your companion is a creature drawn straight from the pages of myth, but these unique and long-standing legends are just a bit more complex than picking up your average draft horse and shoeing them into the story. First, as stated in Part One, this series is dealing specifically with mythical creatures that do not share body shapes with your humanoid characters. We’re not talking about satyrs and minotaurs, naiads and harpies; we’re talking about chimeras and hippogryphs, dragons and phoenixes. Aside from should they exist, what their physiology is, what abilities that physiology gives them, and the general advice on writing characters not cardboard, what else could there possibly be to cover with mythical creatures?

Yes, That Research Word Again

As a fantasy reader and writer, a lot of my advice steers toward the fantasy side of things, which has brought in a lot of fantasy-oriented authors. This leads to lots of ideas and inspiration drawn from all kinds of places across the globe. As great as it is to start seeing more creatures than the standard (often) Roman and Greek mythos, writers hoping to incorporate these creatures should be doing as much research and reading as they can. Maybe you don’t plan to stick that close to their origins, or maybe your world has different circumstances for their creation, or some of their abilities/powers function differently than they do in the legends, or maybe you’re afraid that filling up with the origins will taint or diminish your ideas for what you really want to do. I still advocate for taking a look and reading some of the myths where these creatures appear. Knowing the baseline for what your audience is going to be expecting when you say the name of your creature will help you better meet or completely twist those conceptions. What’s the saying? Know the past so you can avoid it in the future?

Research will also afford you a really interesting view into how a creature has made the rounds across the globe. Have you ever looked into gorgons and naga, let alone the hundreds of different ideas about dragons and Bigfoot and yetis from across the world? There’s a global disparity in how each of these creatures are believed to exist and function. If you’re able to kind of put aside what your expectations are and open yourself up to learning about some of the variations, you may find yourself flooding with new ideas to work with, providing a welcome twist on an old subject.

Remember, too, that your audience’s knowledge of these creatures will have come not only from ancient stories, but also from modern interpretations. Much in the same way that donut has become an accepted spelling of doughnut through media and marketing, so too have pegasi and other creatures changed over the years from perpetuation of an idea that went over particularly well (think Tolkien and elves). Research will help you discern the differences that have arisen through the years between the original and the modern interpretation.

Establishing Your Mythos

With your newfound awareness from your research and before you begin writing your mythical creature, it’s your turn to decide what stays and what goes from the original sources. This creature is coming to life in your world, not our world, so the associated historical mythology that comes with the creature changes. In essence, you are creating your own sets of history and mythology taking place in the world you’ve created for your story. You get to decide how they work, where they come from, how many there are, and how their abilities/powers will work. Maybe much of it remains the same, maybe not. It’s up to you, but it needs to be consistent.

Sirens were birds who threw themselves in the ocean when Odysseus resisted their song, not the dangerous merfolk we think of now. So, metaphorically, what does “siren” mean in your world? To be more clear, what is the essence of the creature you chose within your world’s setting? What are they? What kind of creatures are they and how do they function in this world that is not ours?

Take notes, make rules, and stick to them. Just like with magic systems and deciding what kinds of creatures have the ability to talk, for your mythical creatures to work and function as believable races, there have to be certain things about them that are unique identifiers to their race that are consistent within their race. Let’s say your sirens are merfolk. This means that every time they appear in your narrative, they should be the half-fish, half-human merfolk of your world. You shouldn’t have sirens that are also elfish, nor dragon-sirens unless you’ve established that the “siren” ability to draw people with your voice is an ability that anyone could have rather than a racial/creature function. In other words, know your world! The basic ideals that create good, understandable, relateable worlds apply to your mythical creatures, too. Be consistent, know what you’re writing, and don’t deviate from the rules you’ve established.

Drawing a Character, Not a Caricature

Look, half this series has been about making sure your creature is more than just a side character or a gag. If you’re going to have these creatures, they need to be characters, too! The same goes for your mythical creatures, but with an even heavier emphasis. These creatures come with preexisting ideas and it can be very easy to just say, “It’s a unicorn! You know everything there is to know about them already! Moving on.” And sure, you don’t need to spend 20 pages explaining what they are and how they came to exist, but you do need to remember that these creatures are more than their lore. They’re more than a horse with a horn. They’re more than symbols of innocence myth has painted them to be. These are characters first and foremost.

It’s possible your creature may be the main character of your story, but maybe not. When you’re writing, be sure the focus is kept on what’s really important to the story. If that’s not the horn on your unicorn’s head, don’t start your paragraphs pointing it out. Put the focus where the focus belongs, even if that means paying less attention to this super cool creature from myth because your main humanoid character is the focus at the moment. You send your audience messages through the amount of time you spend on things: in short, just like with class lectures, the more time you spend talking about A Thing, the more your audience pays attention to It and takes note that perhaps this Thing will be important later. If it’s a false signal you’ve given because you wanted to spend time talking about this very different, very new, very unique creature instead, and it never does really “pay off” later, then you’ve created a sticking point for your audience that never resolves and never feels cathartic.

It’s an easy trap to fall in, especially since we have a tendency to describe things which are out of the ordinary and skip over the things which are not. If a character goes to the bathroom and it’s not plot-relevant, we don’t describe it. We assume our characters do certain things and that there are certain setting pieces included when we say “in the library” without always describing those. However with a mythical creature present, everything about them becomes new, shiny, and extraordinary. We’ll always describe their webbed fingers when they come on screen, or mention the sharp edges of a claw digging in the dirt. Those details can be great, to a certain extent, but it can also become overwhelming and a word sink. Keep yourself aware of the picture you’re drawing of the creature with your words. Are you over-exaggerating certain features or physiology on accident because saying, “It walked with them,” felt too understated when dealing with a sphinx?

Finally, your book is not a history lesson. Any world lore (from our world or yours) that you want to include should be fully integrated into the story, not a word-dump on the page. Just like with the tumultuous history of a key trade city, you don’t want to just give its history on the page. Integrate the information into the story in ways that make the information natural to what’s going on. And if it never comes up? Don’t force it. Conversation, action, and observation are great ways to build natural segues for your world-building, so use your imagination and ingenuity to find ways to feed those details in where they’re necessary for the understanding of the story. Be discerning and take a long, hard look at whether the information really is required. Your audience is smart; don’t underestimate them.

Next up: Creatures in real estate!

[terryblount]

Project Warlock – Review

For me, there is nothing like taking a break from all the cover-based shooting, open worlds and stealth mechanics with a well-crafted first person shooter. These games are like the taking shots at the bar: They may not be as fancy as wine or as intricate as a cocktail, but they are hard, fast, and guarantee a night to remember!

However, I am hardly thinking of the AAA military shooters that cause angry fans to break the internet every year. No, no. What gets the job done are shooting arenas, an arsenal that would make a warlord drool, and legions of monsters begging to be introduced to your shotgun. What is needed is a classic, arcade shooter.

I was therefore excited to dig my claws into Buckshot Software’s latest indie title named Project Warlock. It has been some time since I tasted that sweet violence only this genre of games can provide, and Project Warlock seemed an excellent place to ‘get back into the game’ so to speak. Ferocious enemies, perilous environments, many weapons to choose from… its all here!

Whoops… might have squeezed the trigger a little hard there…

Unfortunately, my experience with this game fell tragically short of my anticipation. While it boasts all the right features on paper, Project Warlock just makes too many stupid mistakes in its execution. I would be lying if I said my overall experience was a positive one.

Shoot first, ask questions later

Much like every run-and-gun FPS on this planet, the story counts as much as crust on pizza. You play as, you guessed it, a unnamed warlock that has to rid the world of evil monsters and their overlords. Players will basically just shoot the crap out of everything across five main worlds ranging from medieval castles, frozen wastelands, Egyptian deserts and urbanized dystopias, before facing off against the ultimate source of all evil in hell.

It is generic, but it’s all you need. Each world features 5 main missions along with one boss fight. These 5 missions are then divided further into smaller gameplay episodes generally lasting around 6-8 minutes each. You spend your time massacring monsters, searching for multicoloured keys, and making your way through the maze-like levels while keeping an eye out for secrets.

Health. Put every damn XP point on health.

The reason why Project Warlock’s missions are so chopped up is that this game contains absolutely no checkpoints or quick saves. Your progress is only saved at the ‘Workshop’ once you complete an entire mission. If you die during an episode, there is the option of using an extra life to restart the episode from the beginning. No lives? You have to replay the ENTIRE mission.

Most players will find out soon that this game is seriously challenging; even on easy difficulty, most enemies can kill the warlock in a few hits. Playing on the hardest difficulty must be an exercise in outright masochism, unless brutal challenges are your idea of a turn-on.

Pixel perfect

So let us consider the good, the bad, and end with the ugly. What Project Warlock absolutely nails down to the last pixel is its visual presentation. Much like the classic FPS games of old, namely Doom, Heretic and Wolfenstein, this game embraces a visual theme composed of low polygonal environments with sprite-based enemies.

As such, textures, objects and particle effects appear as if they have been plucked straight off an old Pentium 1 machine, but Buckshot Games have used the Unity Engine to add some nice, modern lighting effects. Much like Octopath: Traveler, the final effect is a pleasant fusion of flat sprites that still manage to impart a three-dimensional feeling to the overall visual style.

No effects

More pixels!

Players are even given the option to activate additional visual features like even more heavily-pixelated textures, or classic CRT styling if you really want to go old school. These small little touches shows how Project Warlock strives to be authentically retro in its presentation, and it honestly made me feel like I was a kid again at times. Yes I am THAT old!

This girl is on FIYAAAAAA… man I love Alecia Keys.

The darkness descends

Most unfortunately, Buckshot Games wasted the game’s visual potential by making many environments too dark. I get that they wanted to give the game a more somber tone, but I often struggled to see what was going on. This was totally unnecessary as Project Warlock would certainly have been more visually appealing if it had a more colourful and varied texture palette.

To make matters worse, some levels take place in almost total blackness. The game does provide the player with one spell that throws a small circle of light, but this cannot be used simultaneously with a weapon. Seriously, have we learnt nothing from the whole Doom 3 flashlight fiasco!?

Let us risk a little more light… more… more… more…. and more… little more….

The light spell was not the only useless magical trick. In fact virtually all of the spells I unlocked in the workshop were all a waste of upgrade points (which are really hard to find by the way). A ball of lightning that floats in mid-air and shocks individual enemies sounds cool, until you learn it barely does damage.

So you opt for the magical axe that can be summoned to slash at your foe, right? Might as well wack yourself with the worthless thing for all the good it does. The final nail in the coffin is that I often experienced a bug where the magical spells would not even go off. This usually happened when I loaded into a level for the first time. Not good.

Just shoot me

The one thing that has always defined arcade shooters since Doom in 1993 is that they make you feel super powerful. When Duke Nukem or Serious Sam pick up their guns and put on sunglasses, you know its on. Given the ridiculous irony of not choosing to use magic in a game called Project Warlock, the gunplay better had be very good, and for the most part it is top-notch.

The sound design in particular is impressive. The guns create delightful booms and bangs which later had me casting apologetic looks at my subwoofer… before taking aim at a flying devil lady and KABLAM!

My girfriend when I leave the cap off the toothpaste…

Every enemy that ends on the receiving end of your gun explodes into a gorgeous mess off flying giblets and blood everywhere, which really adds the cherry on top of a great shooting experience. The warlock even has a wood cutter’s axe as a melee weapon that makes a wonderful ‘WOOSH’ sound right before chopping whatever is bothering you in two.

Descending into Hell

Still, the engaging gun action and nostalgic visual impact fail to distract from the really silly flaws at play here. While the opening sections of the game show a lot more attention to level design and gameplay, it is as if the developers just lost their perspective as they were creating the final areas.

Dark Souls games have taught us that a game cannot just be hard for its own sake. A game’s difficulty must exist as a fair challenge for the player to do better. The player might not have the skills to overcome certain obstacles yet, but they must have the tools.

However, when I flip a switch and four robots capable of killing with one or two shots spawn all around me in pitch darkness, that is neither fun nor exciting. That is just poor enemy placement rather than a enjoyable challenge. Don’t forget: You will be forced to replay the entire mission from the start if you run out of extra lives.

I really do not understand why the developers thought it wise to insert these scenarios so frequently into the game’s latter half since it nearly ruined my whole experience.  The only challenge I got from all of this was trying not smash my keyboard through the screen.

The simple addition of a quick save option might have alleviated much of the ham-fisted difficulty curve, and it was therefore a silly but crucial oversight. I know that is not how things were done in the golden days, but Project Warlock paid enough respects to the past through its visuals. It is not essential to bring in every single aspect of retro shooters just for the sake of authenticity.

Stay right there sphinx boss! Now, I will take my flashlight out but don’t even think about moving!

Then there are the boss fights. Did Buckshot Games never play Serious Sam? Now THAT is how you make a player face off against a colossal enemy. What you don’t do is give the boss almost hit-scanning weapons while endlessly spawning lesser enemies on the ground. Even if the boss fight is a separate level, dying means replaying the entire previous mission if you want another go at it. Another design choice that simply baffles me.

This game could have been an excellent homage to everything that made the proto-FPS titles the quintessential video game experiences of their day. Sadly, what little potential it shows cannot outshine its numerous design faults. As it stands, I find it hard to recommend Project Warlock to anyone other than people who absolutely relish difficult games, or those waiting for the next Doom mod to arrive.

Nostalgic art style

Sound design

Variety between levels

Satisfying gun play

Poorly constructed boss fights

Warlock game with useless spells

Frustrating difficulty spike

Several levels are too dark

Shoddy enemy placement

Playtime: 8 hours total for single player campaign

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using GTX 1070, i5 4690K, 16GB RAM

Project Warlock – Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[datingadviceguru-blog]

10 Sexy Texts That Will Make Him Fall In Love

Guys are often seen as stoic, silent creatures who “don’t want to talk about it.” If my coaching client calls tell me anything, it’s that a lot of women struggle with getting their guy to open up about his feelings.

Like I’ve said in my past blog posts, men are often taught at an early age that losing their cool (i.e. showing emotions) is a sign of weakness.

It might seem like we’re the unreadable Sphinx, but the truth is that we do have a soft and gooey center – if you know how to get to it.

(I just realized that sounds a bit gross…)

But the hidden, private part of him is reserved for that special woman in our life.

If you can crack the secret code to make him open up, he’ll know you’re “The One“.

Text messaging is one of the ways you can tell a guy that you’re the right girl for him – but indirectly.

Men are known for communicating in a straight-to-the-point, let’s-not-beat-around-the-bush kind of way.

But not when it comes to dating and romance…

He won’t say it (or even be consciously aware of it), but your guy is always be up for a nice, steamy session of text flirting. He lives for the thrill of the chase.

And beating around the bush is, in fact, a GOOD thing for both of you.

Considering the way a guy’s brain is wired, sending him a well-crafted text message is just like throwing a match into a gunpowder.

Yes, your man is a powder keg of love (and lust!) that’s just waiting for a chance to explode. Here are 10 of the best text messages to light his fuse:

#1: “My mind’s been running wild with naughty, naughty thoughts all day…and it’s all your fault”

Just like you, men want to be WANTED.

Most women want men to acknowledge their beauty and personality, but your typical guy is after a more sensual kind of longing.

Desire begets desire.

Your man needs to know that he’s running through your mind harder than a triathlete gunning for the gold medal.

When he’s aware that you’re ALSO thinking of him in an R-rated kind of way, you’ll create a feedback loop that’s directly wired into a primal part of his brain.

Naturally, he’ll push you to elaborate on what you just told him – the next step is to supply him with one detail at a time.

EXAMPLE: “I was thinking of the weight of your body pressing against me.”

After you’ve texted back and forth for a while, wrap things up by saying “I’d love to keep this going, but I have to get back to work (or any other reason of your choice).”

You want to end it – and leave him wanting more.

Then, finish it off with:

“Besides, I’d rather continue this conversation face to face… I’ll let you count the minutes until then :)”

How detailed you want to get is up to you. But if your conversations at this point aren’t getting sexy yet, I suggest keeping the tone suggestive rather than using actual explicit words…for now.

#2: “I’m feeling like FedEx right now…because I’m interested in a certain package of yours ;)”

Did you just indirectly reference a part of his anatomy?

Yeah you did – and he’ll love you for it.

Let me be totally blunt with you – a red-blooded man loves it when his woman “wants his biz“.

The thought of a girl craving his manhood is all it takes to get him firing on all cylinders.

A man derives a BIG part of his masculinity from this part of himself, so he’ll feel extremely gratified knowing that you want him in this very specific way.

Yet another flirty text – #3: “Nothing sounds better than hearing you say my name when you _________. I’ll just let you fill in the blank :)”

Never underestimate the power of a horny man’s imagination. We’re first and foremost visual creatures, so give our mind’s eye something to work with.

We’re tantalized by what we can’t (or want to) see. Give your guy’s mind an excuse to work overtime, and he’ll create the perfect image to burn into his brain.

By letting him “fill in the blank”, you’re basically giving him a free pass to picture the two of you in the dirtiest situation he can imagine.

Trust me, he’ll want to fill in those blanks in more ways than one… if you know what I mean.

Try this text – #4: “Wanted: sexy, handsome guy to supply love-starved girl with a steady shower of kisses. Generous perks and benefits await qualified candidates.”

Send this separately: “Only one spot open…let me know if you’re interested.”

Pro tip: Your text messages don’t always have to read like a page out of “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

You don’t have to sound like an erotica author all the time, and he’ll appreciate you mixing it up with a little levity. Also known as FUN.

As much as he appreciates the raunchy stuff, shifting gears every now and then keeps you from being too “intense”. A dash of humor will break up the monotony, give him a nice chuckle and STILL keep the sexy vibe going.

(Oh, and feel free to customize this “sexy ad” text with your own “job description”.)

A good girlfriend knows how to tickle his funny bone…along with the other parts of his body.

Super texting – #5: “I was just thinking about the sounds we make when we’re alone together. It’s like a song stuck in my head and I can’t think of anything else.”

Guys aren’t just turned on by visuals. Supplying his brain with the right soundtrack is just as powerful and will complement his dirty daydreams.

Use audio and engage his senses…

#6: “I need to hear you say my name…especially when it’s out LOUD and you’re out of breath.”

As with the last text, planting strategic “audio clips” will have a HUGE effect on him – sometimes even more than the pictures in his head.

Give your guy the best snippets from the last time you got physical with him, and he’ll be craving you so much that it hurts.

#7: “Licking a lollipop right now, and I can’t stop thinking of you for some reason. I can’t put my finger on it…maybe you should come over and help me figure out why.”

And we’re back to visuals! I’ll admit some guys can be dense, but 99.9999% of men will immediately understand this text.

Trust me, this is one metaphor that WON’T fly over his head.

#8: “Just thinking about the way your tongue feels against my skin…great, now I need to freshen up down south… Care to help?”

Yeah, this one’s self-explanatory, so make sure you’re ready for what happens next when you fire off this little gem.

#9: “It’s freezing here and I’ve buried myself under a bunch of blankets. Not wearing anything was probably a wrong move.”

Not all sexy texts have to be graphic. In some cases, less is more and implying nakedness is a good way to pull this off.

Remember, sexual desire is like gravity…sometimes all you need is a little push and the rest takes care of itself.

Keep it to hints as much as you can. Guys like dirty when you’re WITH him, but they prefer imagination when you’re not.

#10: “I’m playing film critic today and found a movie online…but it’s a porn flick. Wanna watch it with me? Your input would be highly appreciated.”

“Playful” is the operative word when it comes to texting a man. Inviting him to watch porn is a guy’s secret wish, so you get extra points by being creative about it.

Of course, choose something that you genuinely DO want to watch.

Most of the time, turning him on boils down to a matter of pointing his mind in the direction you want. Give him the right material, and he’ll run with it.

You probably know by now that it doesn’t take much to get him started.

While sending him the right text messages is a step in the right direction, it’s only ONE PART of that special combination that will unlock his heart.

And by “combination”, I mean cultivating certain behaviors, attitudes and habits that speak to your man in a way no other woman can.

If you want to be THAT girl in your guy’s life, I’ve found a way to simplify the process and take you to the quickest path to his heart.

For instance, did you know that you need to know how to match his connection style?

I’ve prepared a short video that will explain what his connection style is – and why it’s critical you know this about him.

This is the missing piece in the love puzzle that a lot of women miss – and this often spells the difference between staying together and splitting up.

https://www.datingadviceguru.com/10-sexy-texts-that-will-make-him-fall-in-love/

[ghozt1ng-blog]

Mysteries of the Q Files

Chapter 12: Party Preparations

“You are paying for these accessories from your own quickly diminishing savings, young man,” Trick’s mother told him.

“If we solve this case, I want my allowance tripled,” Trick haggled.

“No son, there will be no negotiating. As it is now, if you solve this case, your father and I might not murder you in cold blood for what you’ve done.”

“Are you recording this Naomi? Since she’s pulled the murder card, I think that justifies me using blackmail.”

“No one just gets away with blackmailing the FBI, much less their mother, Trick,” Naomi said with a satisfied smile. “But I can start recording if you want. It’ll be great to play at your funeral.”

“Oh, there won’t be a funeral. Just a dark night burying him under the flowerbed, which he keeps forgetting to water and weed by the way,” Susan Brown said with her own satisfied smirk.

“My mother and a my partner in crime teaming up against me. This is going to end terribly,” Trick muttered.

They were driving to a clothes store so that Trick and Naomi could dress themselves for the parts they were about to play. He settled on dressing up as characters from the show Supernatural. It would pass of as costumes at the party and then when they met with the outcasts, they could act like nerds, and Supernatural was a show that enough of a normal following that they probably didn’t risk getting excluded for their taste in series. They would dress in flannel and frayed coats. He and Naomi had also agreed between themselves to have knives on their person just in case. After the vampire attack, they were beginning to feel the reality of this case even more. He was proud of his new friend, that she wanted to tough it out and solve the mystery.

Even if Naomi was siding with his mom, there was still hope for her yet.

“Fine! I’ll pay for it myself,” Trick groused.

“My clothes, too,” Naomi added.

Trick threw her a nasty look as his mother said, “That sounds like a very gentleman thing of you to do, Patrick. I think naomi here is just the kind of good influence you need in your life.”

“I’m happy that you are enjoying this,” Trick said sourly.

“Immensely,” his mother said crisply. “So tell me, what exactly are the two of you looking for in at these two gatherings that you are getting all dressed up for?”

Trick sighed. “I think there are two motivating factors behind these kidnappings and attacks. The more I think about it, the more certain I feel that the cool kids did something to anger the less popular kids in town. They embarrassed them through some terrible prank or attack, something along those lines. These kids want to get back at them, they don’t just want to get even either, they want complete and utter revenge. Now then, the girls who were taken do share a similarity in who they wanted to date. The jerk who got taken by a different creature was also a part of the same circle. That vampire could have gone after all the people at that table, just like the wolf could have easily killed all three girls at the party. But instead the targets were specific. Someone is using the established pecking order to pick their targets. This suggests one of the popular kids. Maybe one of the popular kids is being used by or working with the kids who were humiliated to take out their revenge.”

“That sounds too complicated for a bunch of teenagers to put together,” Susan said.

Trick raised an eyebrow at her as Naomi spoke up. “That is why I think there might be something off about this town. Has Miles looked into what I requested earlier? What kind of renovations have been done in this town. Something crazy might have been unearthed.”

“She’s looking into it,” Susan assured her. “But there is a lot that we are working on at the moment. She’s busy and focusing on what she and Agent Conturbatio are doing. I’ll admit, I don’t like the way that man wants to use you kids for this investigation, but I have the feeling that everything will be taken care before school starts again on Monday.”

“Why do I have the feeling that your certainty has very little to do with what we’re doing,” Trick asked, feeling suspicious.

“I just don’t like that we are sending you into possible danger without knowing more.”

“Then why do you think the case is almost solved,” Trick fired back.

“Agents Miles and Conturbatio have their own special lead. We’ll know everything soon enough, and after that, we’ll have this case wrapped up.”

So they’re keeping stuff back from us. That’ll make things especially dangerous from this point on.

At the clothes store Naomi and Trick beelined it for the Loners R’ Us section. These were the types of clothing that people only wore when they wanted to appear edgy or tell people to get lost. This was far from Trick’s usual style choice, but when in Rome. Naomi came up to him after only ten minutes in stylishly ripped jeans with a hanging flannel shirt and a long, frayed jacket with plenty of pockets.

“I thought girls took forever to choose their outfits,” Trick said.

“I’m obviously not like every girl and nor am I a stereotype, Patrick, you’ll do well to remember that,” Naomi retorted.

“Duly noted.” Yup, definitely hope for you, Naomi.

Trick chuckled and quickly chose his own outfit. He had seen a few episodes of Supernatural, and he kind of liked Dean’s character. He tried to make himself look like the cool guy, but he was missing the signature jacket. Oh well, he wasn’t that big of a nerd. They then went and each got six knives a piece. Trick also got a machete to hide across his back. Just in case. Not because it felt totally cool or anything.

How did a small town like this get cool stuff like this? Then again, there are weirdos walking around in lettered jackets. So dumb… That went out of style long ago!

Trick also kept in close touch with his informant. He had let Rachel know all about the kidnapping and from her figured out some interesting things. If the Sphinx was holding information back, then so would he. Everything about these popular kids came down to dating. More so than most places he had seen, who you were in a relationship with, gave you the status you enjoyed. Everyone who had been kidnapped so far was trying to climb the social ladder. Seriously, this town was unreal. Hence being over prepared with knives.

Knowing what kind of social spiderweb he was about to get himself and Naomi into, Trick wondered if he should be more worried about the monsters or the teens with whom he was about to be rubbing shoulders.