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razorblade180 · 2 years ago

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Twin Snowflakes part 52: Final Encore

TSF 51 <- Here!

Disclaimer: You may think I typed the wrong name in certain spots. I promise you I didn’t.

“Checkmate?” Shiva echoed back at Summer. She stood up and leaned against the tree she was so kindly flung against. “You can’t be serious?”

“Might as well drop the act. I can feel it, your control undoing itself.” Summer reached out in front of herself. The thought of her sword in her hand became real as day as it materialized. “We are past the point of tricks. Nowhere left for you to go. So yeah, checkmate.”

“In the end..it all leads back to you ay? Fine by me. I put you down before. What’s one more time?”

Cold air became frighteningly still, the moisture building steadily while the ice feeling they both were so accustomed to began to drip. What was a picture perfect snow forest steadily turned to slush as it rained. Summer couldn’t keep her grin in check while Shiva could only scowl harder. Fighting internally and externally was too much, but with a raging vortex of flames outside trapping her, Shiva could give Summer all the attention the girl so annoyingly wanted.

They moved in sync, rushing straight towards one another and clashing so hard that the trees shook. Steel met chilled hands briefly before pulling away violently. Again and again they traded blows that would’ve alarmed anyone if it were possible. Summer bobbed around lethal hands while keeping her eyes trained on Shiva. Their movements took Summer by surprise. She springboarded off Shiva’s chest and bounced through the trees.

“Oh no you don’t!” Shiva took chase. She blasted ice at a tree limb Summer grabbed, making the girl slip and fall to the ground. Shiva dove directly down at her. “Gotcha!”

“Timber.” She said as dozens of limbs she cut rained down from above. Summer got on her feet and watched Shiva evade the debris before making a gravity glyph that caught it all. Summer sent it right back up.

“Tsk!” Shiva punched her way through it all this time, ending with a blow against a shield of hard light dust. Shiva reeled back for another punch but Summer undid it and hit her with a wind blast that sent Shiva above the tree line. “Coward! Fight back!” Shiva yelled.

Summer paid little attention to the insult, focusing on forming several orbs of lightning she fired into the sky. Each exploded, spreading out like a spider’s web across the rain that stunned Shiva long enough for Summer to gain more distance. The buzz of bright yellow and electricity ticking her skin was enough for Summer to point her sword where she needed without looking, building the slush up that Shiva hit dead on. Summer couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Lost your touch for ice and snow?”

“What are you prattling on about!?”

“I just find it interesting that all this water is around the two of us and none of it is freezing. You didn’t even try moving the slush.”

Summer slung more lightning, watching her opponent endure it to get within reach. She switched to time dilation and flame dust. Ten rapid thrusts in the air left hanging flames that launched on a delay. Their explosive power connected with the electricity, creating a burst of plasma that not even Shiva could completely avoid. However, she persisted, finally driving her fist into Summer’s gut before tackling the girl to the ground.

Cold fingers pressed down on Summer’s throat as she tried to breathe. Her blade was angled right into Shiva’s side and pumped full with electricity that ran through both of them. Constant jolts loosened Shiva’s grip enough for Summer to brute force her body up, her forehead slamming right into Shiva’s nose. Summer would’ve followed up if they both were twitching violently.

Shiva flexed her hand out and struck Summer with a huge chunk of ice that sent her crashing through a tree. Her stab wound gradually healed but it was much slower than she would’ve liked. It was disgusting how far everyone has pushed her.

“Can’t believe this…” she growled. “How dare you think you try to rise above me. You’re pathetic! Worthless!”

Summer staggered to her feet. Both of her trembling hands gripped her blade firmly in front of her. “So what if I am…?” She wheezed. “You stabbed my brother.”

Summer drove her sword into the ground and used dust to send out a mass of jagged rock moving like a train towards Shiva, who responded with a similar attack made of ice. Both attacks blocked each other from view and sent debris flying everywhere. Summer kept her wits about her but wasn’t happy to learn that Shiva had fight left in her.

“So what’s your plan anyway?” Summer said on guard. “Even if you beat me, the world’s finest is currently surrounding you.”

A voice came from behind…“Not like they’ll kill me.”

Summer whipped her around just in time to block a dagger to the face. Shiva went for a leg sweep but a backflip onto a platform saved Summer. She put a gravity glyph under Shiva and watched the girl strain herself but move nonetheless.

Shiva grunted, “Grah! How do you have this much dust!?”

“Do you expect me to run out in my head? This place isn’t yours to control as you please. It’s mine!”

“I wouldn’t…count on that!” Shiva hit her hands against the ground.

Snow erupted from under Summer and wrapped her into a giant snowball. Now free to move, Shiva got up and formed a spear of ice she stabbed right through the snowball. When she tried to pull it out however, it wouldn’t budge an inch. Summer came bursting out of the top,grinding down the spear and slashing Shiva across the face as they backed away. Summer’s left shoulder started bleeding while Shiva winced at her own pain. Both held their injuries as they grimaced at one another. This wasn’t going the way either of them wanted.

“What the hell keeps you going?” Summer said in pain. She jumped back and fired off a fireball that Shiva quickly evaded with a jump.

Shiva focused her power the best she could to make a cutlass. The frail blade remained sturdy enough to clash against Summer’s as they swung at each other.

“What happened to checkmate? Did you ever think I’d lose to someone who’s family and has to constantly pave the way for them? Not a chance!”

“Tsk!” Summer pushed Shiva away and ignited her blade. “This fight is just getting started!”

“Heh, no Summer.” Shiva readied herself. “It was over before it began.”

xxxxx

Out in the real world, friends and family watch the roaring of raging flames in unending anxiety. Penny has flown Nick over to everyone else on the summoned Nevermore so they all could be together for what felt like an eternity.

“Its form should break down any moment now.” Penny said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “When it does, I will-”

Before she could finish her idea, something unexpected happened. A ray of light shined through the sky unobstructed by the frigid elements. Then…two more rays came through. Everyone looked up and around themselves, gasping as holes in the Diamond Dust snowstorm imprisoning Atlas appeared and grew bigger as the substance began flowing inward in streams. It was only a matter of seconds until the sun shone on the kingdom completely. As glorious as that was, the heroes were focused on the substance.The Diamond Dust rushed the vortex, hitting from all sides and dispersing it.

Nick felt panic hit him and stood up ready to go back in to stop Shiva, but was stopped by Penny putting her arm out in front of him and the others who were moving on instinct like Ruby, Yang, and Winter.

“Wait.” Penny said, scanning the scene. “It’s.. making something.”

More flames faded and with it some light. The base of the explosion was completely put out so the rest could fall apart. Now at the point of impact was a much smaller dome. More importantly, ash and smoke blew away for what looked like a speck of yellow several yards away and moving ever further. Penny used her thermal vision to identify it as body heat, but there was no need. With the flames dying down, Blake began to cry as her ears finally heard what she was searching for; a heartbeat.

“Veronica’s alive.” Blake said in a single breath.

Yang turned to Whitley and he was already guiding the bird back down to the now blackened field of burnt grass and molten metal that cooled under harsh freezing winds.

Veronica put one shaky foot in front of the other. Perhaps it was the intervals of phasing, adrenaline, or the fact she has now overcome her brush with what should’ve been certain death. Whatever the reason, all of Veronica’s strength was now fading from her body. She couldn’t even turn her head up to appreciate the voices calling her name or acknowledge the shadow of a massive bird flying overhead. Veronica had to settle for the comforting sight of both her parents landing on their feet right in front of her with tears flowing down their cheeks.

Veronica gave a tired smile completely with the black ash that soiled her face and singed clothing. “Told ya I was coming back.” She said as she fell forward into her arms. “Is being this tired normal? I don’t think I’ve ever felt this level of it.”

Blake ran her nail across Veronica’s arm, leaving a small scratch behind. “In a matter of minutes you went from amplified to no aura.”

“Oh, I’m zeroed out? Didn’t even notice.”

Yang felt the heat radiate off her daughter, but considering the lack of burns, her aura must’ve only broken moments ago. “If nine lives are real, you’ve used seven at minimum! You’re officially benched.”

“Fine by me…” The girl groaned as she sunk deeper into her parent’s embrace.

Jaune ran over to aid Veronica. Unfortunately his aura began to flicker after a few short seconds of using his semblance. “Shit. I’m sorry you two.”

“Why are you apologizing? You’ve done more than enough.” Blake reassured him.

The trio looked towards the rest of the group standing in front of them facing the rapidly spinning dome. It was so dense that it was difficult seeing Shiva kneeling inside with her arms stretched out to the side. Nick ran up with his blade to give it a good thwack! Sparks went into the sky on contact. Both Nick and the sword were sent reeling back. His feet slid along the ground before stopping exactly where he took off from.

“So that was a bad idea.” He said, working out his wrist.

Winter picked at him. “You shouldn’t have expected anything less. This exact Dust has been keeping us trapped for months.”

Penny scanned the inside of it, monitoring Shiva’s vitals. “She seems… lucid. Like she’s not all here.”

Veronica rolled herself over to speak. “She’s…fighting Summer. Shiva couldn’t even bother to mess with me, and I was right in front of her.”

“So it’s gotten so dire that handling all of us at once isn’t even possible.” Penny surmised. “This is all she has left, but given enough time this pocket of cold will help her gain strength.”

“Ha, in other words, our job remains the same.” Eliza said as she walked closer to the dome.

The young witch held out both her hands in front of her and let an endless stream of fire flow over the dome.

“If I recall, we all agreed that even if the fire is weak, what’s important is keeping the pressure on her. Summer made our fight more manageable. Let’s make hers.” Eliza said casually.

Penny’s swords flew past the girl and acted as lasers that helped attack the beam.

“Eliza is absolutely right! We fight on!” Penny said with much more enthusiasm than the young huntress in training. “Are any of the caches intact?”

Nora looked at the scorched area. “Doubtful but Ren and I can check.” They both ran off to separate ones to cover more ground.

Weiss checked Myrtenaster to find no more fire dust left. She then looked into Summer’s sword to find a little left along with other vials. “Winter, do you have any left?”

“No, but I have ideas where to get more. Ruby, do you have enough aura for a quick trip?”

“Not all the way to the base and back.”

“I wouldn’t make you go that far.” Winter pointed at Almanac. “There has to be several rooms easy to get in at this point. I doubt Shiva disposed of all dust and weapons then froze the combat school over. I’d start with science and training rooms.”

Ruby gave a thumbs up. “Give me about three minutes.” She said with a strained sigh before dashing away.

Fatigue was setting in on multiple people. Though the majority were used to long battles, it was hard not to feel the weight of what it meant failing now of all times. It both shackled yet kept them going. Instead of taking what was left of the flame vial and putting it into Myrtenaster, Weiss had the clever idea to use Summer’s weapon. Fire and hard light dust were blended together to produce a glowing red platform that hovered above Shiva’s barrier.

Nick understood full well he barely grasped the talent in traditional glyph making, but he couldn’t help but look at his mother after seeing her make what was essentially a heat lamp. “You say I’m talented but that is insane.”

“Always work with what you have. Situations breed inspiration. This is no more insane than your plan today. Speaking of which, now is as good of a time to try your final trick. Do what you have to do.”

“Honestly it’s more of a prayer than a trick, but I’ll do what I can!” Nick ran away and grabbed Valerie’s hand while he was at it. “I have a request.”

“Right now of all times? That can’t be good.”

“I need you to protect me in case all this wind decides to turn violent.” He stopped running once he was under the Nevermore behind Blake and Yang. “This should be a good enough distance.”

“Should I be concerned, or saying a few encouraging words?” Valerie said as she watched her friend sit down. “Nick?”

“I’ll be fine. I got you watching me.” He smiled. “Just keep your eyes out on anything suspicious.”

“Okay…good luck.”

Nick crossed his legs and shut his eyes. Howling winds sang in his ear while he allowed his mind to drift as he let the cold into his lungs with three breaths; each one deeper than the last. The howling winds grew more and more distant until they were silenced entirely. Nicholas opened his eyes to Gilgamesh sitting right in front of him with an intriguing smile across his face.

The space around them didn’t feel as cold as before and the dense ice floor wasn’t as abrasive. The most peculiar thing had to be Gilgamesh himself. His body was translucent and endless fleeting snow drifted off of him. Nick didn’t have to ask why. He already knows this fight has taken everything and more when it comes to pushing limits. As if he hit the bottom of a well and decided to dig deeper. Even so, the calm satisfaction that Gilgamesh held in his shining blue eyes was a sense of confusion for Nick.

“What’s with the look?” He finally asked.

Gilgamesh shrugged as he stood up. “We’re doing it. You are doing it. Nothing is being left to the imagination that wasn’t tried. Doesn’t it feel satisfying pouring everything you have and showing exactly what you’re about?” He looked down at Nick. “It’s been scary but oh so satisfying.”

Nick let out a “heh” and stood up proudly. “Gonna feel real shitty about it depending on how this ends. But… yeah, I guess I’ve found a bit of euphoria in the midst of this chaos thinking back on it. So…this is it huh?”

“Nothing left but to do. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Which will be victory.” Nick said sternly.

Gilgamesh a warmer smile, patting Nick’s shoulder in the process. “Well would you look at that? It’s like I’m looking in a mirror.”

Gilgamesh’s body faded away into snow and light that washed over his reflection. All that was left now was Nicholas holding Mort Froide in his right hand. His left joined in to hold it a second later as he raised it above his head. A sparkle in his eyes and hair flashed brightly…

xxxxx

Things were not going so well on Summer’s side of the situation. The girl still held in her heart that “checkmate” was in play, but it wasn’t happening easily.

Temperature grew slightly and the drizzle had turned into full fledged rain that poured down on the decisive final battle. Summer’s eyes fought to keep track of the white blur that bombarded her from every angle as it circled around her. Each blade skirmish was a clash of wills that drew blood from tired limbs and took precious breath out of burning lungs. Summer didn’t know how long this fight was going, but it felt close to endless. Neither had shared anymore words. Shiva’s movements had become manic in nature and left Summer acting on reflexes.

A chilled blade to the torso was returned with tempered steel across the shoulder; a palm the face that slammed Summer against dense oak made her retaliate jagged stone rising from the ground and into Shiva’s gut. All blows felt unpleasant despite the space they were in, but Summer really wished she could bounce back as quickly as her opponent. This very well was her best attempt against Shiva and yet the lunatic was as tenacious as ever. Summer had to assume it was because Shiva was currently in control. To make matters worse it felt as if a gap in power was trying to grow again. Was her strength truly nothing in the face of this woman?

Shiva landed on all fours then all but vanished. Summer could barely track the zigzagging approach with her eyes, let alone move her body in time. Shiva ran into her at full force and instead of defending, Summer grabbed the girl by her sleeves. They were both sent barreling out of the forest and were right over the lake. Summer felt her heart drop to her stomach watching Shiva grin. She felt the girl push down in an attempt to put her back under water to freeze it. Quick thinking and fear made Summer create a glyph below herself to get slammed into. Now she had to maintain it as she struggled with the problem on top of her.

Shiva tried to pull her arms away but Summer’s grip kept them on the girl’s collarbone. Even channeling cold to hurt her wasn’t enough to make Summer let go. Shiva fought to keep the kicking legs below her in place, but wasn’t expecting Summer to suddenly undo her death grip. Arms went straight by Shiva’s head and she felt her ponytail get yanked, hard. Her entire body was pulled back with it and Summer used the momentum to sit up and mount Shiva. Summer knocked the cutlass out of reach and Shiva’s head dangled over the edge of the glyph and she now fought tooth and nail against Summer desperately trying to dunk her into the water.

“LET GO.” Shiva growled and heaved.

Summer couldn’t say anything, desperately fighting back cries of pain as Shiva’s nails dug scratched her arms and face, digging a bit into flesh. Just a little more strength. If only Summer could muster a little more strength! Her lungs struggled to catch their breath and not even the rain cooled her body down. A pounding kept echoing in her ears that made her head hurt and heart beat faster. Was it her heart? Summer didn’t know. Thinking at this point was a struggle. Everything felt so overwhelming yet deceptively close to numbing. Not even her vision wanted to remain clear. Summer had no choice but to bail, jumping off Shiva backwards the best she could.

Shiva didn’t waste an opportunity, grabbing hold of her cutlass and throwing it like a javelin while she tried to recover. What she hadn’t counted on was Summer being barely fast enough to make the beginnings of another glyph. It wasn’t strong enough to outright protect Summer, but the damn thing was durable enough to cause the cutlass to crack. The energy inside it rushed out and the entire thing exploded, blasting both of them across opposite sides of the lake. Shiva’s body slid across the muddy snow. Ignoring the rain and her own injuries, she got back up on her knees in a matter of seconds. Her eyes grew wide seeing Summer on the ground across the water. The girl’s strength had utterly failed her as she struggled to lift her body up. Shiva watched in controlled silence, focusing solely on the power she channeled into her right hand as the world around them grew more violent. At last…the triumph she craved. Shiva fired her ice beam.

The space around it glowed too intensely to be ignored. Water it traveled over froze instantly and all Summer could do was struggle in place as it approached. Her vision didn’t need to be clear to see it, nor did the constant pounding silence its approach. Summer wasn’t certain if she was currently breathing; not that it mattered. Summer hadn’t even noticed that the rain had abruptly stopped, disturbed by a giant crash that trembled the world and brought an end to the pounding.

It all happened so fast. Flickering silver pierced the ground in front of Summer that splintered off the beam in multiple directions that carved up the landscape, encasing all in its path in ice that quickly shattered. Summer went stiff, her eyes recognizing the silver as a sword right before its owner landed right behind it. Shiva was also rigid at the sight of none other than Nicholas falling from the now crumbling ceiling up above. In the blink of an eye, a solid barrier of ice made a dome around Nick and Summer. Chunks of ice hit the ground surrounding the forest, but no impact was louder than the sound that left Shiva’s body as her final bit of clarity faded away.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” Her voice hollered like bloody murder. That was supposed to be it, the final moment. Her moment of victory after enduring the unfair odds. Yet once again for what felt like the hundredth time, one boy trivialized it. “NICHOLAAAASSS!” All other thoughts were pushed away but unyielding anger as Shiva began bombarding the dome with an onslaught of blasts that did little more than scratch the barrier.

The explosive fit of rage was reduced to nothing grander than muffled screams and rumbling from within. Nick slowly turned his head towards Summer. “I think I pissed her off.” He said dryly and with heavy sarcasm.

Summer was still in shock, her eyes welling up. This couldn’t be real. “N..i..ck?” Her voice trembled. He grabbed her by the shoulders to help her sit up. Though his eyes and hair glowed like Shiva’s, Summer could never mistake that gaze. It was him; Nick was here. “H..How are you-”

All possible questions Summer had were derailed by an unexpected forehead to the nose. It wasn’t aggressive in comparison to everything else she’s been through, but that didn’t stop it from stinging.

“Ow!” She yelped as she held her nose and scrunched her face. “What the hell Nick!?” A single groan left her lips. When she opened her eyes again, a gasp came out upon seeing her brother looking right at her with tears running down his face. “Hey? Shouldn’t I be the one crying here?”

Nick hadn’t planned on unraveling right here, but finally seeing his sister in front of her made it impossible to keep everything in. “I read them, your journals.”

And just like that, Summer felt her heart sink all over again. Looks like she would be crying after all. Tears came immediately as she held her hands tightly on her lap. Her head went down as she suddenly felt so small, wracked with shame over all the words she wrote in each book. Her body jolted from the feeling of Nick cuffing the side of her face to raise her head. There was no anger in his eyes, but the pain that was there made Summer weep.

“I…I can explain. I-”

“Me first.” Nick said calmly, not wanting her to spiral. “I’m not angry. I could never be angry. I’m only sorry I wasn’t a person you felt like you could tell. I…I didn’t listen or see you the way you needed me to. Summer, I don’t resent you for hating me. If what you need is less of me in your life then I’ll accept that, but damn it Summer…I wish you chose anyone in the world to confide in. I’ll take living in a world where you never want a thing to do with me any day because that’s still a world where you’re in it!”

His grip on her tightened as he sobbed. Nick could barely speak. “Don’t..hurt..yourself anymore. I’m sorry; I failed you as a brother.”

Red faced and a complete mess, Summer was quivering as she continued to cry. Her hands reached up and held his in place against her face. “You haven’t failed anyone; it’s not that simple. Gods, I wish things felt that simple, but it’s all a jumbled mess. I hate myself for feeling hatred towards you; towards everyone! I don’t even know if it’s mine if it’s all mine!” She heaved, looking for guidance in his eyes. “Every day feels like I’m still in the lake. I’m drowning, Nick, and I really want to get back on land with you guys.”

Nick wrapped his arms around her and held Summer the same way their parents hugged him after waking up. Never again did he want to feel like she was slipping away. “When this is over, we will all be there and we’ll try again. I’ll be better.”

“Shut up. You’re wonderful to me, I promise.” The warmth around her brought back bittersweet memories of the gentle hugs and hospital visits. “My twin, my fellow knight.”

Their embrace ended. Nick couldn’t stop himself from wiping away Summer’s tears when another loud and muffled shout shook the barrier. “…probably should deal with that.”

His remark made Summer chuckle a little. She nodded, “Yeah, that would be smart.” Summer wiped her own face again and then Nick’s. “Think Shiva will notice the redness.”

“Pretty sure her vision is red at the moment. Although…” Nick took a breath. “That might change soon. I didn’t come here just to chew you out.”

“Are you going to tell me how you’re here and why you’re glowing?”

“Good questions. Not a lot of time catch you up to speed for the past five months, so to make a long story short-”

“Five months?” Summer repeated, in shock. “I’ve been trapped for five months!?”

“….Umm, let’s unpack the rest of that later. Full disclosure, I wasn’t awake for most of it. Anyways, I’m here to finally give you what we all searched for.”

Outside of the barrier, Shiva continued to rage. Hit after hit, from blasts took ice constructs, barely a dent was made. Nick’s ice had to be made from the ceiling from part of the roof. It was the only reasonable conclusion because she’d be damned if her power was waning enough to yield to his attacks! Shiva still couldn’t believe the ceiling was gone! It had always formed with this place and vanished when she couldn’t make her presence known. She had no idea there was anything above it; let alone Nick! Though with his surprise revival along with his abilities, the growing list of things Shiva didn’t account for or never understood began to make a little more sense. It made her grumble. Twins really are far more trouble than they’re worth.

Shiva found a piece of the stubborn ice and made it into her new sword. The vexed girl was ready to jump over there and hack that dome into pieces when a strange sensation came over her. Buzzing filled her head like static, making her stumble from the lightheartedness. Shiva held her head as she found her footing.

“Ugh..” She groaned. It was as if she was rising from slumber before her mind cleared back up. The fit of rage no longer consumed her when she looked at her target. Shiva didn’t even have to waste power on it anymore. It crumbled down like regular snow.

Nick stood on alert silently. Summer however, had the same delirious expression Shiva had; it faded with uncertainty and concern being left behind. Summer tried finding her voice. “S…Summer?”

Shiva blinked twice. She stood up straight and let out the longest sigh of annoyance as her left hand ran through her hair. “So this is how you play things?”

“What?”

Shiva pointed her blade at Nick. “Letting him come here and steal the moment right from under you pisses you off and you know it! Always needing to be saved. Tsk! Take a hike already, Nick!”

Summer couldn’t believe it. Shiva wasn’t even attempting to reject her words.

Nick scoffed, “Typical, still trying to weasel your way out. It’s over for you. This ends now.” He looked at Summer to see if she was ready to fight. What he saw was his sister calmly looking at their foe before looking back at him.

“Hear me out…”

“Summer!” He said worryingly. “Don’t let her bait you! We are this close to-”

“Thank you.” Summer said kindly. “You came all this way and saved me when I needed it most. Now I hate to make you fret over me, but I’m asking you to trust me right now. See you outside?”

“…I’m not changing your mind, am I?”

Summer gave him a gentle smile. Truthfully, she felt like he was more in danger inside here at this moment than she ever was. “Help the others outside. Your little sister has this. See you outside?”

Nick conceded, sighing as he flicked Summer’s forward. “Guess we’ll start trying better right now.” His body began to fade. Nick looked at Shiva’s shit eating grin and smiled back.

“What are you so happy about?” Shiva arrogantly asked.

“I thought of this moment for years, but I never imagined it would look like this. It’s finally here, the last time I’ll ever speak to you again.”

Shiva’s grin dropped as the boy laughed in satisfaction, its echoes being heard after he disappeared entirely. Her eyes shifted to an overly confident Summer who shared her brother’s smile.

“You sent away your chance of victory.”

“I don’t think either of us believe that.” Summer said, raising her blade. “Tell me, did you always know?”

“Still an idiot I see. Of course I knew. Did you truly believe we had nothing to do with one another? Pfft, now I’m asking stupid questions. Of course you did.”

“Then why-”

“Do all this? Go so far? Why must you ask about things you clearly should know!?”

“I’ve never wanted Nick dead!!!”

Summer finally dashed forward, faster than ever! She jumped over the lake with a glyph and came down like a dart. Shiva stood perfectly in place, racing her blade and clashing with Summer’s.

“What were your words at the tournament? I wish you’d just get out of my life?” Shiva grabbed Summer by the collar and pulled her within breathing distance. “Do you understand how many times that single thought has rattled violently?”

Shiva didn’t wait for an answer, throwing Summer into a tree. “I’m just making our wish come true! Same with the rest of them!”

“Nonsense!” Summer swung herself around the trunk and sent out a wide air slash. “ You’re warping my thoughts!”

“Am I?” Shiva spit the air attack with a simple vertical swing, then sent out a cross slash of ice. “Or maybe you’re not as good of a person as you think you are? It was easy, wasn’t it? How many things have you written off as my actions instead of your own? You wanted this!”

Summer rolled to the right and left a trail of lightning glyphs as she slid along the ground. “I wanted to get stronger! To stand alone!” The glyphs moved around Shiva and made electrical pillars that caged her.

“And who's stronger and stands taller than me!?” Shiva twirled in place, releasing a blast wave that broke the cage. “You!? The crybaby that fails every time she’s needed most and needs a stage to feel better about herself!? Don’t make me laugh!”

Shiva got in close, creating sparks again as they swung their weapons. The cutlass moved like a bow across a violin, gliding across steel that protected Summer’s face before moving down to defend her body. Shiva aimed high again then rammed her knee into Summer’s gut. It was enough to make the pathetic girl lurch.

Shiva raised her sword high, ready to chop. “I know you’re not all that clever so I’m gonna say this slowly. Summer, riddle me this, why am I hell bent on destroying you?” Shiva swung down violently but Summer was fast enough to raise her blade. The pain her eyes displayed was a beautiful answer. “Correct.”

Shiva went for another kick. Summer sprung up with a jump and came at Shiva with rapid thrusts that all missed. The cutlass came for her neck again but Summer forced space between them by putting a fire glyph under her own feet. “You’re only showing the ugly side of things!”

“Ugly? Ha, I’m the beauty!” Shiva pointed up.

Summer immediately jumped back as a hunk of ice fell where she stood. It was then diced apart and fired like shrapnel with Shiva already running behind it to follow up. Summer ram right through it by spinning her blade in front of her, and let the long blade dance she had with Shiva continue. Each strike was trying to rip her apart. It’s not that Summer couldn’t keep up, but that she couldn’t overpower Shiva. After all, the words spoken weren’t exactly lies. Summer didn’t want to admit it, but she’s told herself many times that she wasn’t worth much; weaker than her peers and angry at her family. Still, the depths of his hate wasn’t born from her alone. Diamond Dust perverted these doubts for all of her life. That should’ve brought any comfort, but it didn’t. Summer knew she had worth, that others adored her sound and found things to envy. Yet…

“It’s not gonna work.” Shiva said as she knocked Summer away with a powerful kick. “Doesn’t matter if you understand things now. Flood your head with positivity all you like. No one changes so easily. I still want you gone.”

“I can change…” Summer winced, getting up.

“No, no you can’t. It’s the one lie you’ll never believe.”

“I said I can do it!!” Summer yelled.

Shiva’s eyes narrowed. “This is getting old.” She dug her foot into the ground and a chunk of ice shot up from the ground at an angle, hitting Summer in the chest and over the lake. Shiva grit her teeth watching Summer make a platform midair.

As Summer held her chest, Shiva appeared suddenly on the platform with her cutlass already swinging. Summer ducked the lethal blade and was right back to blocking relentless attacks that seemed to be getting rougher by the second. Summer met every attack with her own which only made Shiva angrier.

“Quit it already!” Shiva yelled. “You’ve never done anything that mattered! I’m what makes people not test us! Every day you’ve been buried I woke up just fine and showed these idiots what I’m made of! Me!! Not you, because you don’t do shit! You hide behind your family then complain about standing out. Give me a fucking break! You wouldn’t be anywhere without them! You wouldn’t even be fighting me now!”

Summer blocked a forceful overhead. “There’s…nothing wrong with help! I’m fighting you alone now because I know you’ll never go down otherwise!” She teared up. “I’m not what you say I am!”

“THEN WHY AM I HERE!?” Shiva was seething, tears stinging her face. “You try to loathe me for years when all I’ve ever done IS FULFILL YOUR WISHES!”

Shiva’s attacks became heavier, knocking Summer’s blade around with each one of her frantic blocks. Why wouldn’t this fight end already!? Shiva kept batting this weaker girl around and yet Summer dared to fight.

“What are you waiting for, huh!?” Shiva yelled at the top of her lungs. “If you’re gonna change then change! I’m waiting! Strike me down! Make me step aside if I’m in the way! All your words are hollow. If you want to be strong then get strong! Don’t cower! Stop acting so feeble! You keep talking about living then for fucks sake Summer, grit your teeth and actually FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!”

Summer’s blade gave way. Shiva’s cutlass cut across her torso and sent over the edge where she plummeted back into the unforgiving water. Shiva fell back down on the shore, watching waves settle. There was no smile or sense of relief. Only anger and frustration as she gripped her head and screamed at her own conflicting thoughts as she continued crying. As if…she expected more?

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

The agonizing cries reached below the water where Summer slowly sank as she stared up towards the light. Of all the things she expected, Shiva crying wasn’t one of them. Instead of freezing the water immediately, she fell apart in dismay. Perhaps Shiva thought so little of Summer that she assumed the battle was won. To give her credit, she wasn’t exactly wrong. Summer hadn’t the foggiest idea how to convince herself of anything that wasn’t self destructive. This was now the third time she ended up in this wretched lake. However, neither her father or all her family were around to help catch her breath. As her body reached the bottom, Summer thought of the words everyone had said to her today. She pushed off the floor and swam up; fighting through the warm pain of her wound.

Shiva finally pulled herself together enough to freeze the water. Not even a second later, a glyph covered the entire thing, absorbing the ice and turning it into the arm of a Gigas. It reached into the water and pulled out Summer; although her clothes and hair were completely dry as she stood in her creations palm. Not only that, but her clothes had changed to her tournament attire. Shiva looked at her with a mix of shock and anger.

“What is this? I’ve obliterated many summons today alone and you think part of one is gonna make a difference?”

“No. Unlike my brother, I still haven’t gotten the move down.” Summer looked at her work. “I’ll get there though. Never thought otherwise. It’ll just take time and effort.”

She moved without warning, returning her injury by getting a clean hit in on Shiva before she could back away. “All things take time and effort.”

“Don’t give that mumbo jumbo. Time is something you had plenty of and you squandered it.”

“I won’t deny that I’ve dragged my feet in places and in others I stopped moving altogether. That still doesn’t mean you get to decide I can’t start moving again!”

“Pfft, and you do? All you ever do is-”

“You’re right.” Summer frowned. “I don’t inspire confidence or believe in myself often. However…my friends and family think so much more. If they say I’m stronger than I know then I’ll take them at their word and keep fighting! Now bring it on!”

Shiva held back her disgust and readied herself as Summer was thrown at her. Shiva went for the face again to get Summer to block. However, her plan ended the moment Summer decided to grab hold of the blade’s edge before stabbing Shiva in the shoulder. Both grunted in pain as they drew blood.

“Grr, are you crazy!?” Shiva watched Summer grip the cutlass tighter.

“Of course. Look at us.” She laughed through the pain. “You said I fight for my life? Watch me put it all on the line!”

Shiva kicked Summer away but she charged right back in. A quick overhead strike was blocked and Summer sidestepped a thrust but the moment Shiva went for a slash aimed at the girl’s left, it wasn’t avoided. Again, Summer raised her arm and only used a glyph to soften the blow enough to keep her steady. Her counter was another stab to the body before a slash across the chest. Shiva started to sweat. It wasn’t that Summer had lost common sense, but had decided the only way to land hits were to get hit!

The timid girl who favored long range and pre-planning was now playing things by ear. Shiva tried to backpedal but Summer refused to leave. This overly aggressive approach made Shiva stand her ground, facing everything head on. Her ice met a blade bathed in fire and lightning that fought back against the cold. Even when Summer was hit in the face or grazed in the leg, she didn’t buckle. A glyph spun them around, knocking Shiva off balance for an opening. Cross slashes and thrusts came in quick succession before they were interrupted by a breath that blew Summer away.

“I’m not done yet!” Summer forced herself to fall with a gravity glyph then ran at Shiva with waves of elemental attacks coming off her sword.

Shiva cut through as many as she could before a wind slash cut her thigh. A flinch was all it took before several more hit their mark. She had no choice but to step back when she noticed Summer had come around to her right instead of charging straight. Shiva ducked a head shot and jumped a leg sweep until Summer forced her back down hard enough that she hit the floor. Shiva looked up to see a blade coming for her life. In a panic she blasted Summer away with her freehand while she tried to free herself from the gravity glyph.

Summer landed on her feet, sliding back a decent distance before standing up straight. With a single breath and her dominant foot forward, she composed herself. Summer was thankful it was here of all places this fight took place. Her next move would be exhausting but she had the dust for it. She gripped the chamber of her blade and spun it so hard it wouldn’t stop. With power in her voice she yelled… “Hey Summer!”

Shiva looked up instinctively and saw the girl standing directly in her path with a glyph big enough to walk through she had never seen before. It was right in front of Summer and facing ahead instead of laying flat. What made it ominous was that there was no symbol in the middle. It was only the outer rim with the center devoid of anything.

“Let’s get creative.” Summer pointed the tip of her blade inside random spaces of the circle. Smaller glyphs made of whatever dust mix was prioritized in the second were left behind. Fire, water, lightning, wind with gravity, ice with rock; any mix could be next until the circle was filled, and all that were created spun like gears. Summer spun her blade a single time like the hands on a clock then pointed at her perfectly imperfect creation. “Solitaire.”

All the elements fired at once, mixing together at the very end like the blade Summer wielded. The entire framework of the glyph began to spin, making the beam twist like a drill.

Shiva struggled more to move from her gravity imprisonment but found it useless. She quickly raised her sword to either break free or defend, yet found herself nearly paralyzed with shock upon noticing all the clashing had left fragile; chips and cracks trying to spread from the extra force weighed down on it. Shiva couldn’t believe it. She’d been played for a fool.

“Tsk!” Her teeth clenched as she looked over her shoulder at the lake that was dangerously close behind her. “You think I’m scared!?” She brought her sword up in front of her with both hands bracing it for impact. Shiva gathered as much ice and snow as she could muster in this split moment before fending off this attack.

It struck the blade in a continuous beam as Summer continued to pour all her strength into it. There was denying Shiva’s strength, her tenacity to face anything. However, Summer was surrounded by capable people all her life and one fact reigned true. No person could handle anything and everything all at once. Neither knew what element did it, but the cutlass broke. Shiva kept her arms out to push against the blast as it slid her closer to the shore.

“No…” Shiva grunted, arms shaking. “No, no, no, no, no, NO! It doesn’t end this way! It doesn’t end this way!!! I won’t let it!” Her shouts were filled with panic and bargaining as the cold water reached her feet. “Summer I… I…”

In that instant, pure fear was heard, and the sound it made shook Summer’s world.

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

The beam won out, taking Shiva right into the lake and causing a splash that looked more like a geyser erupting. Summer fell to her knees from fatigue as her attack ended, but she did not rest. “That voice…” she uttered, scrambling to the water and jumping in.

Summer moved as fast as she could to the point of impact before diving below the surface. Her eyes searched frantically to confirm the source of her urgency. As she swam deeper down, she found it. Summer held it tightly while swimming back up in no time at all, coughing as she took her first breaths along with a girl no older than five; herself.

They cried heavily and shook in fear as they were dragged back to the shore where they quickly pushed Summer away and fell to the ground, their glowing eyes never looking away.

Summer couldn’t believe her own eyes. “Y..You-” she took a snowball to the face. “Hey!”

“This is all your fault!” Shiva cried. “Why’d you even save me if you’re just gonna get rid of me!? I don’t want to die! There’s…so much I still want to do.” She wept.

The experience was surreal for Summer. A moment ago she did everything to put someone in the lake, and now this. Of all the times she’s seen herself, it was never the day of the accident. “You can’t swim.” She said broken up, remembering it all. “And I know how scary it is to drown without even being able to scream.”

Summer’s exhaustion finally made her sit down, causing Shiva to flinch. Hearing her cries for more than what she was given tugged at Summer’s chest. “You’re not every negative thought, are you? I was the one who was always fine with any way out. But you, you always reared your head at every life risking moment. Falls, the grimm attack in the woods, my cuts…” she trailed off for a moment. “You got everything I envisioned, including the desire to live. You’re proof I want to live.”

“And you wanna throw that all away!”

“No! That’s not- we are not meant to be like this! Summer, we aren’t well. What happened that day has twisted so much of what we’ve become. Stop lashing out!”

“Stop taking it!” Shiva wheezed. “If I’m not strong, then everything hurts! I already told you, I’m what makes the difference.” She dug her tiny hands into the ground. “If I’m gone then what will you do!?”

“That’s pretty obvious at this point. I’ll channel you. I mean if I learned anything today it’s that we’re pretty capable. That and stubborn.” Summer calmly said, more certain than she’s ever felt.

Shiva’s cries turned to whimpers and sniffling before she stopped all together. The sheer insanity of that answer, and the look Summer gave with it no less. It was enough to make anyone protest. Yet…Shiva found herself sighing instead. Her body became heavy and she fell backwards everything became blurry, but she could hear Summer getting closer. Shiva was put on Summer’s lap and found herself looking up into the girl’s eyes. Flowing up into view were tiny crystals and snowflakes.

“Fine.” Shiva said weakly. “Not like I could stop you. Checkmate is finally here. I’m…sleepy.”

Summer spoke softly. “We- I’ve caused a lot of trouble. Can’t say it’s all been worth it or that I’ll turn everything around, but I can say thanks for keeping me alive. I’ll take it from here, Shiva.”

“Heh, make up your mind. I thought we were past calling me that?”

“Are we?” Summer looked around at the crumbling world. It’s carved landscape, ruined trees that faded, the many scars of their battle, and the broken ice weapon in pieces on the ground. She looked back down. “Between what Nick told and what I put together, so many things make sense now and are unraveling. All except for one thing, an undeniable fact that sticks out the more I think about it. I’ve never used a cutlass, yet you wield it like a pro.”

Shiva smiled. “Hmm, a real head scratcher, isn’t it?”

And just like that, the little girl turned to snow that floated away as everything turned pure white. In the quiet space, one last thing was spoken.

“Look after your brother. Goodbye, Summer Schnee.”

xxxxxx

“Summer!” Called out the muffled voice of Nick.

What was a void of white became completely dark. Then, Summer opened her eyes to a circle of crying faces looking down at her. Each and every one of them filthy, covered in smoke and sweat from head to toe; including herself. She slowly turned her head right to look at Nick. He was holding her tightly and looked the most banged up, hair and eyes back to normal.

“Summer?” He said again.

The girl smiled weakly as she finally began to cry. “Who else would I be?”

#rwby #rwby au #rwby twin snowflakes #nicholas schnee #summer schnee #weiss schnee #veronica belladonna #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #lie ren #ruby rose #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #eliza marigold #winter schnee #penny polendina #whitley schnee

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fericita-s · 5 years ago

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Garden Party AU

@the-spastic-fantastic helped me with a new Agduna story I’m going to post in a minute, one where Agnarr has to get married/engaged immediately for Reasons, and in order for you kind readers to understand how important and helpful our brainstorming sessions are (and also how nuts - I mean enthusiastic- we are), I cut and pasted this one (with her permission). We had more exchanges than this one, but this is the one I saved.

F: And we did talk once about an AU where Agnarr asks Iduna to marry him because he has to get married and “You're my friend please help me out.”

But they both actually love each other

But are afraid to say

TSF: God, that would be a good one

"Listen, if you don't marry me, Alexsandra is who the council is pushing. Please save me."

F: Ok maybe that's what I'm writing next

AUs where they don't die in a boat

TSF: I will READ THE SHIT OUT OF THAT

Can you imagine the look on that bitch's face when Agnarr is like "Uh, so actually, here's my brand new fiancé"

"Courting is for chumps"

"We're totally getting married next week"

Or however you spin it

F: Ok so

Would it be very out of character if he announced it without even telling Iduna?

Maybe when Alexsandra is being bitchy to Iduna during a party or a council meeting

Then later gives Iduna the freedom to back out

TSF: OMG YES DO THAT

Is this a formal announcement or does he just tell Alexandra in a moment of panic and desperation while Iduna is standing there?

F: But Lady Wollen is all “What a relief, we need you married to stop Weselton from these crazy power grabs and there was no diplomatic way to do without a prior love match"

TSF: She's just like " . . .yes. Engaged. That is totally what we are."

'cause she's gonna be a bro about it?

F: Cue Agnarr saying "So sorry she said love match, I know it's not true"

TSF: :D

I love everything about this

So how does she explain she's still agreeing to marry him after he TOTALLY FUCKS UP THE MOOD by making that comment?

Or does Lady Wollen just slap him in the back of the head?

F: Yes how to keep the misunderstanding going because I feel like Lady Wollen would probably straighten it out

Or Iduna would yell at him

TSF: Hmm . . .

It could happen in a short time frame

F: Sorry messages are doing that weird thing again where I have to exit out and then go back in to read what you're saying so sorry this is like a monologue

TSF: Slow burns don't have to take place over months if you're agonizing inside the heads of the characters

No, you're good

F: Hooray are you asking for a SHORT STORY

And to answer a previous question, yes he says it in a moment of panic and Iduna is a bro

TSF: I think you could write it as a short story If you wanted

F: And also Iduna really likes the look of shock on Alexsandra's face

TSF: The bitch had it coming

Just a fun, angsty AU that takes place over two weeks because Lady Wollen is like "Oh fuck no, not letting them screw this up, I already have a dress and told the Bishop let's get you kids married, hup hup”

Oh, I'm sure that image sustains her better than air

F: Lady Wollen is a fairy godmother

Oh! Maybe Lady Wollen has figured out Iduna is Northuldra

TSF: Iduna could play it up too

F: Pieced it together after Rock Pox

TSF: Just immediate latches on to his waist and is like "Yeah, we're engaged. What's up?"

Ooooohhhh

Yes

Finds out from Eir what she used to wear

F: Convinces her to tell Agnarr and that it won't put the kingdom in danger

TSF: :D

F: Would Iduna be the one to say "Oh we're engaged?"

Because maybe with the power dynamics he would feel too bad about it

Alexsandra would have to be super pushy about something to bring Iduna to that though

TSF: Yeah, she'd have to basically grab the man's crotch or something

F: Oh! Or maybe it's more like Alexsandra is all "Gossip is that no one is getting anywhere with you, King. Not one woman courted yet at all? Be careful or another kind of gossip will follow about you and your ability to produce heirs"

TSF: I think Agnarr would be more likely to do it even with the power dynamic because he thinks he can smooth it over and beg forgiveness later, never expecting to wed

F: And Iduna is like "Oh it might not travel out of Arendelle but Agnarr is quite the ladies man."

TSF: Maybe Greet or Henrik can be there

And they're just like "You know what, fuck this bitch?"

"Oh - those two already have an understanding"

And Lady Wollen just happens to be passing by . . . Probably too contrived though

F: Or would he propose on the spot but like wink at Iduna

Whisper in her ear "Don’t worry I'll let you out of this later"

Or is that too awful

Wait tell me more about Greet and Henrik being there

This can basically be WAIL up to the garden party

and THEN IT TAKES A TURN

TSF: Ooooh

That'd be cool

Well, if Greet came with Iduna

And Henrik was wandering around

And Agnarr strolls up to Iduna and Greet with Alexsandra

Greet ain't gonna put up with that shit

And Henrik wanders over because he failed to charm that other girl and, hey, Greet is here and she's always game

And Alexsandra makes that bitch-ass comment

And before Agnarr can tell her off because he's still speechless about her comment re: Elias Greet is just like "Mistress? Bitch please. They have an understanding." And Henrik walks up and is like "Oh? Is it no longer secret?"

F: OOOOOOOH

OOOOOOHHHHHHH

I love that SO MUCH!!!

TSF: And Alexsandra (who maybe really did half pressure the Council into accepting her as The Only Choice)

Turns to Agnarr and is like "Is this true?!"

"Uh . . .yeah."

And Iduna is like "Sure is."

F: Totally takes any pressure from Agnarr off of Iduna

It's their crazy friends

TSF: Exactly!

But then Lady Wollen

Seeing an opportunity . . .

She plays dumb

F: TELL ME MORE

TSF: "Oh wow, kids! You are!? How delightful, I'm going to go straight to my office and send out the invites"

"And you poor babies already had to wait so long."

"Two weeks and you're wed!" "Don't thank me!"

F: Lol yes!!

TSF: She grabs Captain Calder on the fly and is like

"Listen. I'm on the highway to hell and you're coming with me."

"If we move fast, this will work"

F: Lol! Love it

Alexsandra came to the council meeting with an obscure law that if the king wasn't married and was heirless at age 21

TSF: Yyyyyaaaaaassssss

F: The kingdom that was theirs largest in trade must send a bride

And she's like "that me"

TSF: YES

F: Or something better worded

TSF: "To maintain strong trade relations and safeguard Arendelle's economy . . ."

F: Iduna gives a self-satisfied smile

"We've been practicing producing an heir. I don't think it will be a problem"

TSF: Agnarr chokes on his wine

Henrik is trying not to die laughing

She should get to deliver that one liner before Lady Wollen shows up

Because Greet and Henrik should suffer too

When everyone is suddenly like "Oh SHIT"

"Ok, seriously, you two NEED to get married now or we'll both be executed"

"What the hell are you talking about? Elias' dad made some big random speech about it."

Or something

I don't know

F: Oh my gosh this is SO GOOD

TSF: Please write it You'll rock it

#Agduna #the-spastic-fantastic #Garden Party AU #forced engagement

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kinetic-elaboration · 5 years ago

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December 14: 1x28 The City on the Edge of Forever (Also I’m 32)

For my birthday, I watched an ep of Star Trek, because I can. It was very good and I enjoyed watching but now I’m starting to get some pretty bad evening anxiety, so!! I’m going to try to ignore that.

Here are some thoughts:

I love this wavy camera work. Space turbulence.

I recognize that this intro really doesn’t have anything to do with anything but it’s still really, like, sudden--weird time things are happening and the ship keeps shaking!

Sulu’s looking damn good today. (I say this in every ep with a closeup of Sulu.)

That was a real rookie mistake on McCoy’s part there, stabbing himself with the hypo. (Harlan Ellison voice lol.) (Still better than the original script.)

“They’ll never catch me!”

Sulu and Spock have been trading eye shadow secrets obviously. It’s a real shame that the AOS movies didn’t give people awesome makeup. I mean heck if you couldn’t force yourself to give men obvious makeup (the horror!) you could have at least done something cool with Token Girl Uhura.

Kirk sounds very formal today. Idk why, but his tone is just slightly different--calling Scotty “Engineer” and something about his log... Probably just me being weird or an effect of there being so many writers on this thing.

Damn, McCoy was almost as good as Spock, the way he knocked that guy out so efficiently.

I’m pretty sure this is Uhura’s first landing party. And she barely gets to do anything because this is the Kirk and Spock Show today.

“Unbelievable.” / “That’s funny.” Is it though?

Legit laughed out loud when Bones popped up from behind that rock, right after Uhura said he wasn’t there.

I don’t think Spock likes the Guardian. “Primitive science knowledge? Excuse you, Sir.”

The Guardian really is just like hand-wave-y sci fi lol. Uh it’s really old and really advanced so it can’t really explain itself, the point is, time travel!!!! I mean I don’t hate it but still.

Kirk is very quick to want to play with time. A little vacation away from his usual work. Getting to satisfy his curiosity and be his nerdy self and learn things. Can you even imagine TOS Kirk in AOS???

Love the dramatic moments: Kirk looking very suddenly when the Guardian says “Behold.” Jumping into the sand as he fails to catch McCoy.

Kirk’s biggest fantasy--a vacation that’s also exploration--turns into his greatest nightmare--loneliness.

“No star date” Can you even imagine Starfleet HQ getting this? “Whoops we just destroyed literally everything. Don’t worry, we’ve probably fixed it if you’re reading this.”

History nerd Kirk. Correctly identifying the Great Depression. If Spock thinks THIS is barbaric, what would he think about today?

“I’m going to be difficult to explain in any case.” Truly, only Kirk, and his love goggles, would choose the ONE alien in his crew to take with him on the first expedition into the past. This was completely foreseeable guys.

Spock’s like “That’s a cool car. Let me examine it now. In the middle of the street. While people yell at me.”

This ep starts out so dramatic and now all of a sudden it’s a comedy, right down to the music. (Again, a sign of how many writers had their hands in this.)

“I’m going to like this century. Simpler, easier to manage.” LOL.

“You’re a police officer. I recognize the traditional accoutrements.” Spock is having such a good time watching this.

Really relying on American racism to explain the alien, huh? “I know you don’t know what Asians look like so.... he’s Chinese.”

“I double dog dare you to put together a computer, Mr. Spock.” Effective.

Put on the hat, the hat!!!!

Starfleet’s greatest Captain couldn’t come up with a fast fake name for Spock.

Kirk looks good in this outfit. Actually the outfits in general are great.

Honestly what does Edith think of these weirdos?

Kirk hears trash talk: “Shut up. SHUT UP.” No talking badly about women in THIS house.

She should have been living in our time. I wonder if she always thought space was cool or if Kirk (and uh literal actual alien Spock) inspired her.

Spock’s eye roll at “I find her most uncommon.”

Kirk definitely did manual labor in high school.

Spock really is building a whole-ass computer.

“I’ve brought you vegetables? What else do you want??” Is this the first reference to him being a vegetarian?

And there was only one bed...

Edith’s reaction to Spock’s sass is hilarious. She’s really not confused by him at all.

When Spock’s straightforward, honest answers about why he stole the tools don’t work, Kirk steps in with the charm offensive.

“By his side, as if you’ve always been there and always will” is basically the toast at their wedding.

Favorite thing about Edith remains that she meets an actual alien and says eh, not so weird, and then looks at the Iowa Farm Boy and is like ????????? does not compute.

“Why don’t you want to talk about the war? Are you a war criminal?”

I feel like Kirk gets a weird kick out of saying he and Spock “served together.” And like it’s literally the truth? But he has this little smile like he’s getting away with a cool lie.

Only about 10 years until we get the cool alien book about love!

Spock bringing out the big guns with today’s requisite “Jim.”

Imagine meeting McCoy like this: weird-ass uniform, rambling and paranoid. Thinks he’s met a humanoid alien. Getting so upset about 20th century hospitals he starts crying and rolling on the ground. He’s so empathetic. I love him.

What a way to go, killing yourself accidentally with a future weapon you steal from a 23rd century time traveler you mistake for a drunk.

Bones is so good at not being seen. That’s straight up comedy how he just passes by behind Spock. There are really weird, random comedy elements in this.

“She was right but at the wrong time.”

Kirk’s in love with Edith... I mean he’s not lol but that IS what a romantic such as him would say.

“I’m a surgeon, not a psychiatrist,” says the man who testified as a psychiatrist at a court martial in a previous episode.

How convenient that U.S.S. is an abbreviation she’d recognize.

“I don’t believe in YOU.”

I know this isn’t actually true, but it feels like Spock literally just came out of the room to be jealous while Kirk and Edith kiss.

Spock’s lesson “do[ing] as your heart tells you to do” is wrong.

So McCoy just got over it, I guess. Kirk was all ready to manipulate time to stop the accident but all they needed to do was find him, catch him, and sedate him a while I guess.

“My young man.” So cute.

The reunion hug with McCoy is adorable. I watched it 4 times.

Yet another Kirk vacation fantasy foiled.

No final talk on the bridge... Very dramatic and sad.

This IS a really good episode but I just still can’t get behind calling it the BEST Star Trek episode. To me, it doesn’t feel enough like Star Trek to be the best. It’s a really great story, and it’s entertaining to watch, but it’s not representative. Too few of the crew--not even really that sci-fi-ish at the end of the day. Like I said, the Guardian is really generic and ill-explained, just a prop for the main story. And while that main story is obviously all about time travel and the effects of time travel, even THAT is incidental to the real point, which is the moral question: save one or save many? But it’s not even a conundrum, like in TWOK/TSFS,because there is no real choice. Obviously Kirk is going to let Edith die. To do otherwise wouldn’t just damn many more people in the 20th century to death, it would damn his crew and his ship and, in a way, himself. So it’s more like, well, inevitably, she will die, and he will let her, but it will be really sad. So the point is just this tragic, doomed love story. Which is not a bad story in any sense, but it’s not what one generally primarily associates with TOS.

I’m not sure this is making sense because I’m just working out my thoughts as I type.

I do think there’s some interesting stuff here: I think one could do a lot with what this ep does for Spock’s development, since we don’t hear too much from him but he’s pretty intimately involved in all this. And the lessons it’s teaching him about feelings and vulnerability are...not great.

Also Uhura saying “at least be happy” in the beginning ties in interestingly to the rest of the narrative--he could have chosen his happiness, in a way, at least fleetingly. Perhaps it would have been more interesting if Kirk had ever really considered letting Edith live--but then, would he be Kirk if he ever considered it, seriously, out loud? Am I being dense by thinking the narrative should have said this in so many words, when it’s obvious enough as is?

I’m also not totally sure about the... message. I’d prefer to say there isn’t one, honestly, because of the way the conundrum is set up: as a non-conundrum. Because, obviously America should have entered WWII; if ever there was a war that was worth fighting, this would be it. Hence there’s no need to really interrogate whether or not Edith’s death was right. There’s no way it was not right. There’s no complication there, allowing the story to focus on the tragedy of Kirk’s inevitable decision instead. It could have been a different story, about weighing the pros and cons. And then possibly also a story with a moral lesson attached to the decision Kirk makes: about the many versus the few, for example, or about war specifically, since obviously this is airing with Vietnam as a background.

It could also have been a story about fate. Obviously, McCoy can and does change time. But you have all 3 of them ending up at the same place/time, right near this Big Event. You have the almost-fall on the stairs, implying death is out for Edith. You have the total set of circumstances around her death: as it actually plays out, she’s only there BECAUSE of Kirk and Spock. Were they always there? Does she get killed in a slightly different circumstance in timelines without them? The way the story plays out, all of these details seem so beside the point--again, the story uses time travel but isn’t really ABOUT time travel; it uses sci fi tools but is not telling a sci fi story--so it’s not even really worth interrogating.

(Other than just now, when I did.)

I think it’s pretty obvious that a lot of people had their hands in this story: Kirk’s very IC romantic nature is first and foremost and I like seeing this part of him, but the Command part is kind of hidden; there are moments of tragedy, in the traditional sense of the word, but also other parts that feel like Tomorrow Is Yesterday in terms of the style of comedy; the sci fi stuff is really random.

None of this is really criticism, just thoughts. It’s definitely a really interesting episode.

Next is the FINAL EPISODE of S1, which is RIDICULOUS imo. I’m fairly sure Operation Annihilate was one of the first TOS episodes I saw. I have a real soft spot for it so I’m looking forward to watching.

#star trek tos #the year 2020 #2020: fandom thoughts #2020: star trek #it's my birthday today

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doom-dreaming · 5 years ago

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The Sacred Flock: General Info and How To Join

I've been meaning to write this up for a while and I'm finally getting around to it. This is the definitive "about" guide for joining and writing in the Sacred Flock 'Verse, otherwise known as the Twins' Pet 'Verse or The Menagerie. It has a lot of names. So! Here are the answers to (mostly) all your questions!

1) What is the Sacred Flock 'Verse? You may have seen mentions of this around the Calypso corner of Tumblr and wondered what it was. It's a collaborative, relatively-open AU in which the Calypso Twins acquire and keep human pets as trophies and status symbols to reinforce their godhood.

If this sounds like something you might be into, click the readmore!

What this AU includes:

collars (bells and leashes optional)

branding

microchip tracking

cannibalism; Troy’s got monster mouth mods and Tyreen likes to get in on the action too, sometimes

What this AU does NOT include:

incest or pedophilia

marrying the twins

having children with the twins (both of them have had sterilization surgeries in this AU)

2) Sounds interesting, how would I join? There are two levels of involvement. The first level is simply contributing to the 'Verse! Suggest ideas, write something, interact with our posts, and you're in! Further down in this post I’ve listed some of the established canon of this ‘Verse, along with some tags you can explore to get a basic understanding of what you’d be working with.

The second level is our Discord server. To get into that, you must be:

at least 18 years of age

willing to remain active and contribute ideas to the 'Verse

at least semi-interested in the ongoing narrative

In addition, you should interact with our members (most of whom are listed below) outside of the server enough for us to get a feel for what you're like and how well you'd vibe with the rest of us. This includes submitting an RP "audition" to @clockworkrobotic (Kat) so they can meet your character. We don't have a lot of hard-set rules about characters, but the main thing we ask is that they be canon-compliant. Borderlands canon is pretty crazy, but think about the type of people the twins would want to have as pets and keep it realistic (no crazy powers, etc.)

The actual auditioning process involves a character interview and questionnaire that we set up, so if you're interested in auditioning, send a DM to me or Kat and we can provide more info about the setup of the server, aside from what’s written below.

3) The Discord server sounds cool, if I ended up in it, what could I expect? First and foremost, it is a kink server. Our focus is on pet kink and ownership and obedience. If you act up or get into a big enough argument with our twins, they will punish you accordingly. That's not to say you're not allowed to be soft and mushy and have fun, but we have lots of highly-specific channels for other flavors of twin-loving, so heed where everything should go and you'll be fine.

It is a private kink server and we ask that you be respectful of what people are choosing to share.

(Further note: our twins are played by real people and they really do their best to stick to canon characterization, which means they can be pretty villainous sometimes. Go figure. If you're very sensitive to discipline or the occasional sibling shouting match, the main RP may not be the best place for you. We want everyone to have fun and we know that tolerance levels and triggers vary from person to person. The twins will get mean because we (the mods) told them to be, given the understanding that this is a server about being owned by two fairly awful individuals.)

4) You still haven't scared me away yet! Is there any established Flock canon I need to include when I contribute? Yes! Our canon is constantly evolving, and the structure of the narrative outside of the server is quite a bit looser, but we do have established aspects for this AU. A good tag to check out (included at the end of this post) is '#flock worldbuilding.' Some main points include:

the twins' powers are a little tweaked. The leech ability is paired with a healing ability, and the twins can trade these powers back and forth at will

the twins and their pets (us) live in a large building known as the Holy Inner Compound, located near the Cathedral, so it's part of the same Dahl refinery, but the twins have renovated to make themselves some comfortable living quarters

in the center of the Holy Inner Compound is a huge garden. The twins discovered early-on that their healing was just as strong and just as reckless as their leeching, and a burst of siren energy created a beautiful tree that bears a strange fruit. The garden has grown ever since, housing all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and flowers both native and foreign. A pond of fresh water feeds small streams that meander throughout the garden. A good tag to look at is '#tsf: the oasis' (tagged below)

there is a conditioning process that new pets go through. It varies from pet to pet depending on personality and comfort level around the twins (they want you to trust them, ideally) and ends with a collaring ceremony, a public, live-streamed ritual that involves an official collaring and a reminder to the cultists that the Flock is to be treated with the same reverence as the Twin Gods

we focus heavily on the more religious potential of the COV, leaning into ritualism and ceremony; the twins are still streamers with huge personalities, we just ramp up the religious undertones the game didn’t really explore

we have a huge collection of animal pets (affectionately referred to as petpets) and if you want to see them, @glowydruglord did some adorable illustrations for us. Just check out the '#pet pets' tag on my blog to find them

I've started posting some supplementary material and will continue to do so for the next month or so. This includes:

maps of the compound (sketched floor plans and screenshots of my accurate-as-possible Sims build)

detailed information on the progression of the conditioning process

breakdowns of the different areas of the compound

overviews of the ceremonies and rituals used to induct new pets into the Flock

I think I covered the most important stuff, and you can check out the tags below (check them from inside my blog to get relevant results) to take a look at what this 'Verse has to offer. Most importantly, please interact with us if you want to be a part of this! We're all very friendly and me and @clockworkrobotic especially want to get to know the people who are contributing. We'll be happy to answer any questions or just chat!

Here are some of our most active members!

@afterthedreamer @bettersafethandicks @circiva @vialandmortar @cacklefrendly @vaulttouched @constantfantasymind

If you would like to interact with and contribute to this AU, please respect our guidelines. We have a wide range of personalities and preferences and we would ask that you be mindful of what that can entail. One person’s kink can be someone else’s trigger. If you have a question or concern, please ask us!

#twins pet verse #the sacred flock #the menagerie #flock worldbuilding #tsf: about #tsf: how to join #tsf: origins #tsf: the oasis #tsf: lore #the calypso twins #borderlands au

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spectraspecs-writes · 6 years ago

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Revanasi fic 4

Fandom: Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic

Universe: Kotor fic, New Canon, fem!Revan

Ships: Revanasi

Word Count: 2580

Trigger warnings: Death mention, Dissociation, Pregnancy, Miscarriage

I feel…

…something.

Something’s off. But I can’t quite peg down what it is.

Maybe I’ve just been nervous lately. I’ve been doing a lot of work with the Republic, with the new droid intelligence we’ve gotten in, G0-T0. And he’s not the problem, he’s a pretty chill droid. And a Zabrak has been helping me out with the droids, waiting for the Ithorians to let him down to the surface. Keeps calling me Master Jedi, which is annoying but I can live with it. (I feel like he recognizes me from the Mandalorian Wars. Not that he’s said anything, but it’s still weird.) But the TSF and the Republic troops have been really stressing me out lately. Either they see me as Revan or they see me as the Jedi who killed Malak and won the war. And most of them don’t say anything, but I can feel their eyes. I can hear their whispers, read their energies from across the room. Even the Zabrak, and it’s stressing me out. I’ve stopped eating breakfast because I keep throwing up in the morning. I know I need to be here, and I’m happy to help with the restoration effort, but it’s really got me on edge.

And then you add this feeling to it. The feeling is new, but it’s… persistent, I can’t turn it off. Which I’d really love to because it’s keeping me from getting to sleep.

A face flashes behind my eyes for a second. I know it’s a face, but there aren’t any details to it. And then I hear a lightsaber activate. And I feel something dark. And cold.

“Lila!” I cry out, sitting upright. I can’t catch my breath, I feel like I’m going to break down. It hurts. Not my body. Like… the Force hurts.

“Rena, are you okay?” Carth says. I didn’t wake him up, he was already awake. Early, getting dressed. No shirt yet. He sits down next to me and takes my hands. Trying to calm me down, but it’s not working, I don’t know why. “What was that, another memory?”

“I don’t know,” I cry, trying to make sense of it, “It’s fuzzy, I don’t know.”

He takes my head and kisses me. Still trying to calm me down. I’d love to calm down, believe me, I don’t like feeling this anxious, like my heart’s going to pound its way out of my chest. “Who’s Lila? Was she a friend, or…?”

“I don’t know,” I say softly, and I take a huge breath, “It’s like all I saw was a face, but it was hard to make out, and then a lightsaber, and then…”

“Do you want to show me?”

“No!” I say quickly, a little too quickly, so I say it again, softer, “No, I… it’s too much, hurts too much. And it doesn’t make sense.”

We’re both silent for a while. Then, “I think I need to talk to the Council about it.”

Without a word of argument, Carth says, “I’ll make sure the Hawk’s ready to go.” And he goes out to tell HK and T3 and to call the TSF.

A trip to Alderaan is not a big deal. Telos and Alderaan are on the same major trade route, so the trip doesn’t take very long. Not in reality, anyway. To me it feels like it’s so much longer. Because I keep thinking about what I saw. That face, the lightsaber, the inescapable knowledge that the face belonged to a person who was dead because of that lightsaber, and I have no idea who it was, who the lightsaber belonged to, or who was wielding it. I don’t know if that person was my victim or not. But somehow I know it was a child, and now that child is dead.

God, I hate this weird feeling! I wish it would just go away.

“Query:” HK says, “Master, you seem to be more anxious than normal. Is this due to anticipation regarding your meeting with the Jedi Council?”

“No, it’s the other way around,”I say to him, “I’m meeting with the Council because I’m anxious.” HK doesn’t add anything.

He remembers more than I do about Revan, however. Maybe he’ll know something about this memory. “HK, when I was Revan, did I… kill any children?”

“Answer: Not to my knowledge, Master,” he says, “Over the course of my time with you, we visited a number of planets with the small meatbags. However, while your apprentice displayed no such trepidation, you were adamant against harming them. You believed that no one should be punished for a crime they did not commit. The small meatbags were innocents.”

Maybe it was Malak, then, who killed the child. “Did Malak ever kill a child named Lila?”

HK pauses, like he’s processing. “Hesitant answer:” Well, that’s new. “The name is familiar to me, however, I’m afraid all further information regarding it is code-locked, Master.”

“By whom?”

“By you, Master. Or I should say, by Revan. My programming prevents me from relaying the information without first receiving the code,” HK says, “Suffice it to say, however, your apprentice was not responsible for her death. I believe the information was code-locked, in fact, to prevent his access.”

“But you do know the name.”

“Yes, Master. But more than that, I cannot say.” Well, damn. That didn’t provide anywhere near as much information as I had hoped. But at least I know she wasn’t killed by either Malak or myself. And that feels a little good, I guess. “Query:” HK asks, “Is that the reason we are meeting with the Jedi Council?”

“Yes, but don’t tell Carth.”

“Objection: Master, I would never reveal your secrets to your meatbag husband without your approval, either now or in the future, and I never have prior to this instance.” Good to know. Everyone needs an assassin droid they can confide in, don’t you think?

When the ship lands, Jolee comes out to greet us. And he’s a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you. Jolee is like the father I don’t remember, I feel so safe around him, we’re so much alike. “I can’t believe you’re still flying around in this stolen rust bucket,” he chides.

I shrug and smile. “Only until he crash into a planet inhabited by walking throw rugs,” I tease.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you to respect the elderly, damn it?” He says, and he hugs me, “It’s good to see you, lass.”

“You, too,” I say.

As we start walking to the council chambers, Jolee asks me, “You seem troubled, my dear. More so than usual.”

“I’ve heard that,” I say, sounding more nonchalant than I feel, “Jolee, if there was something different about me, you’d tell me, right?”

He smiles. “That, my dear, would depend on what it was,” he says, “Do you feel different?”

“I’m not sure,” I say, “I mean, I’m used to strange feelings, from memories coming back or from something happening on the surface of Telos, but this… I don’t know, there’s a new feeling.”

“Are you planning to ask the Council about this?”

“No, not this. I’m only asking you.”

He thinks for a moment. Then, “I wish I could advise you, but this may be something you need to learn about yourself in your own time.”

“Old man, you are too cryptic for your own good,” I tease him.

“Bah!” He exclaims, “I’ve just learned when to get involved and when to keep my nose out. And besides, I’m old, dammit! I’ve more than earned the right to be as enigmatic as I please.”

“Rena,” I hear Bastila say, “You seem different.”

Jolee gives her a look, like I can’t see it, but I don’t think too much about it. “People keep saying that,” I say, “What’s up?”

“Master Zhar is ready to meet with you,” she says.

“Just him?” I ask, “Not the rest of the Council?”

“I suppose,” she says, “Perhaps the Council felt he was the best suited. I’m not sure.”

Nothing changes. Nothing I can do about it, either. So I head in.

“Greeting, Padawan,” he says, “What can I help you with?”

I close the door. “A memory I have,” I say, “One of Revan’s.”

“Yes, I have heard that Revan’s memories have been slowly returning to you,” he says, offering me a chair, “But this memory is troubling you more than the others. Can you describe it for me?”

“What, Bastila hasn’t already? That’s a change.”

“Your bond with Bastila has facilitated memory sharing in the past, yes,” Zhar says, “However it is not always complete. This may well be due to the circumstances under which it was formed.”

“Were you there? When it was formed, I mean,” I ask, “Because I remember Malak firing on my ship, and I remember Bastila taking off my mask, and I remember shielding her from the view window breaking and bringing up the blast shields, but that’s all. The next thing I clearly remember after that is waking up as Rena and remembering the memories the Council gave me.”

“Yes, I was part of the team that helped retrieve you both.” Both?

“I had always figured… Bastila had carried me to an escape pod or something.”

“I believe that was her intention as well,” Zhar says, “However, we had believed you both perished in the battle. We were quite surprised to find the two of you in the rubble.

“Your efforts had shielded the bridge of your vessel, which was still intact after the battle. Bastila and yourself were seemingly comatose, but upon closer inspection, the Force was still flowing through both of you, connecting the two of you to each other. Your mind was damaged, as you are aware, but for Bastila, her heart could no longer support her. While her Force maintained your mind, your Force maintained her heart.

“Please,” Zhar says, “tell me about your memory. It may provide answers for the both of us.”

I’m in… kind of in shock, but all right. “At first it was… just a face, but I couldn’t make out any details on it. I knew it was a child’s face, but that’s it. And then I heard a lightsaber ignite. And I felt… dark, or… cold, I don’t know. But… she’s dead,” I say softly, haunted by it still, “And… I just know the name. Lila.” I shake my head, trying to make sense of it all, but I can’t. “I have no idea what it means, but I know it has to do with Revan.”

“Hmm…” Zhar hums contemplatively. Then, “The name is familiar to me. You are correct that it is associated with Revan.”

“Did I kill her? Do you know?”

“After you and Bastila had saved each other, you were each supporting the other’s life force, as I said,” Zhar says, “But there was a third life, unbeknownst to the Council until the moment of her demise.” He pauses, and takes a deep breath. “You were with child at the moment of your capture, and as the child became one with the Force, the name escaped from your lips.” Wait… what? “We could only assume the two were connected.”

Maybe that’s what this feeling is, then. When she died, a hole formed. But it didn’t bother me until I remembered it.

But that doesn’t make any sense!

I don’t know, maybe they’re not related. But at least that’s one problem solved.

“Is something else troubling you, Padawan?” he asks.

“No,”I lie, because I think I’d rather figure this out on my own, like Jolee said. I have no idea where to start, but still. I think this is something I need to get to the bottom of on my own. “Thank you, Master Zhar,” I say, and I leave.

I think the first step needs to be meditation. See if the problem is internal or external. Something to do with me, or my connection to the Force is telling me something. It could certainly be both, but I can at least try to narrow it down to one of those. So while Carth is piloting the Hawk back to Telos, I sit down in the cargo bay, where it’s nice and calm and quiet. All I can hear is the thrum of the engine through hyperspace. And my own breathing. Feeling the life, slowly, slowly.

I can feel Carth, close, in the cockpit. There’s no other life on the ship, but I can feel distant life. On Alderaan, Coruscant, Iego, other planets, other ships on the hyperspace route. Get smaller, Rena, smaller. Look for anything… new, small. Surprising.

Something…

…I feel…

…something… small…

…not suer what…

…where is it…

…inside…

And then I’m jolted back into the moment. Okay, the problem definitely has something to do with the Force. And Revan knows something. “What do you know, Revan?” I whisper to myself.

Let’s try this again. Show me what you see, Revan, show me what you know. Revan is usually stubborn, I can’t trigger memories at will. But she’s right at the surface now, so hopefully she’ll tell me something. In the zone, in the zone, talk to me, Revan, what do you know…

…

…I’ve felt this before…

…Lila…

I need to get scanned.

It can’t be right, can it Does it make sense? Maybe it makes a little sense, I mean, after all, we’ve… but no, it can’t be right. “T3,” I call to the droid, and he follows me into the med pod as I set up the scanner. “Run the scanner over me, tell me what you see.”

He beeps affirmatively and connects to the computer. I hear the scanner whir as T3 clicks and whits, talking to the computer. Then the scanner stops and T3 disconnects. “Beep dree deep whoo bee bree deep!” T3 beeps.

“You’re joking,” I say, even though I know utility droids don’t joke. “Go get Carth.” And T3 whirs off to fetch Carth from the cockpit. While I try to calm down. Come to terms with this new information now confirmed. This new… thing. Happening now.

Just Carth comes in. T3 probably took over in the cockpit, he’s more than capable. “What’s wrong?” he asks, “Teethree kept insistently beeping at me to come here, he wouldn’t tell me why. Are you okay?”

“Um…” I say, my voice warbling, “I’m not sure… if I’m okay or not.”

Carth pushes the scanner away, and double-takes at it, reading the display. “Are… are you telling me you’re… pregnant?”

I nod a little. “Turns out that’s who Lila was.”

Carth is speechless, but easy enough to read even without the Force. Generally is. He’s thrilled.

I don’t know how I’m feeling, to be honest.

I mean, I haven't completely comes to terms with who or what I am yet. I still haven’t been able to completely accept Revan yet. I don’t know what to do. Do I even think I can take care of a baby? I don’t feel like I can completely take care of myself! What makes me think I can do this?

Carth is now proceeding to freak out over me, even though I’m not even that pregnant. He’s talking about hiding all the blaster power packs and any weapons we kept. As though this baby could come out of me right now and be able to hold a blaster or Ajuunta Pall’s sword.

I’m so confused.

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sunfish-exotics · 6 years ago

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It’s been the year of the trade for me haha

Trading is definitely fun but didn’t help pay for my new cages I ordered yesterday. Oh well, it had to be done.

The good news is I’ve got some cute new critters coming in and babies going out! Always a good thing.

Shipping weather windows have just been non-existent though so it may be a while before they actually get here.

Anyway, I will be getting a TSF Firebold leo from @lunationgeckos , a female candy (toffee Superconda) western hognose, a TSF pos giant blood tremper leo, and a TSF pos giant blood het. tremper leo.

I’m also getting a female tang RAPTOR from @householdgeckos but I paid for that one haha

Damn you summer I want these kiddos now!

#text

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crimsonrune · 2 years ago

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Comm - Newbie Navigator (Nami TF/TG)

Another previous comm from @LunchiePanda, this one trades out the brunette look for a red-headed one as my sona becomes arguably the infamous burglar, pirate, and navigator, Nami! #TFTuesday #TFEveryday #TF #Transformation #TSF

Posted using PostyBirb

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thesydneyfeminists · 6 years ago

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Miles Frankin a.k.a. Brent of Bin Bin a.k.a. Mr. and Mrs. Ogniblat L’Artsau

Way before building each other up was cool or trendy, there was a woman already doing it all.

Miles Franklin was born Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin on October 14, 1879 in Talbingo N.S.W., Australia. She wrote historical fiction from feminist and nationalist perspectives. Because of these views, her books were controversial in Australia. The controversy even delayed the sequel to her first novel! Miles Franklin wrote not only under her own name but under two different pseudonyms: Brent of Bin Bin and Mrs. Ogniblat L’Artsau.

Franklin grew up on a cattle farm owned by her father near Tumut. Later it was changed to a dairy cattle farm. At sixteen, an article of hers was published in the Hebblewhite’s newspaper, the Goulburn Evening Penny Post. Some articles which appeared earlier may have been written by her, but no one knows for sure.

Her best-known novel, My Brilliant Career, was also her first one. She wrote it in her teens. The story is about a teenage girl growing up in the Australian brush who longs to break free and become her own person. Franklin published My Brilliant Career in 1901 when she was only 21. It was published by Blackwoods of Edinburgh. By the end of 1901, it had sold 1,012 copies. It would go on to sell another 1,105 copies in 1902. That is crazy amazing!

Image Credit: http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/arts/display/21623-miles-franklin

Franklin became a celebrity at only twenty-two. While she got fame, she didn’t receive money. Since My Brilliant Career was reprinted many times in Britain, and she was from Australia, she only received twenty-four euro equivalent for all the sales of her book. Between 1902 and 1915 she wrote the sequel to My Brilliant Career, My Career Goes Bung. But she was unable to publish it, as it was too controversial for anyone to print. It was eventually published in 1946.

After writing her first book, Franklin went off to America (‘Murka as she called it - so ahead of her time!), Chicago specifically, and began work as a secretary of the National Women’s Trade Union League of America. She held editorial positions on the League’s journal, Life and Labor, throughout her time there. She also suffered from ill health. She realized she needed some help and had the courage to ask for it. In 1912, she spent some time in a sanatorium. She did publish Some Everyday Folk and Dawn in 1909. This book was not well received. In Australia women had the right to vote (and the book describes this with a love story intertwined) and American’s were still fighting for the right. After this book, she decided to write under pseudonyms for twenty years!

She then wrote The Net of Circumstance under the pseudonym Mr. and Mrs. Ogniblat L’Artsau.

In 1915, Franklin moved to England. She helped during World War One as a cook and earned some money from journalism. From 1919 to 1926, Franklin worked as a Secretary with the National Housing and Town Planning Association in London. She organised a women’s international housing convention in 1924.

Franklin completed six novels under the pseudonym Brent of Bin Bin by 1933. Five were published in Franklin’s lifetime, one posthumously. The first, Up the Country, appeared in 1928, and was quickly reprinted a number of times. Ten Creeks Run followed in 1930 and Back to Bool Bool in 1931. She even concealed Brent’s identity from her publisher in the beginning.

Franklin made a point not to marry. She seemed to believe if she was married, she would have limitations or less time for things she enjoyed. After her father died, Franklin returned to Australia in November 1932. She lived for the rest of her life in the family home at Carlton. While in Australia, she did many things to help the writing community. She went to many events, from lunches to radio interviews to committees. Franklin stood for Australian literature.

In July 1936, Franklin won the S. H. Prior Memorial Prize of £100 for All That Swagger.

Miles Franklin died on September 19 1954. At her death, she left her estate to establish the Miles Franklin Literary Award. This award goes to the person who has written the best book or play that features “Australian life in any of its phases”. The first award was granted in 1957.

Not a bad life for a woman that took her nickname from an ancestor, Edward Miles, who had arrived in Australia as a convict in 1788.

If you want to learn about Franklin, please look here and here. By: Alex Berg

Sources:

https://www.connotations.de/article/sanjay-sircar-my-career-goes-bung-genre%E2%88%92parody-australianness-and-anglophilia/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Franklin#Selected_works

https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/author-biography/franklin-sarah-miles/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miles-Franklin

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/77226/20071011-0000/www.sl.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/miles/miles_guide.pdf

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sydney Feminists. Our Blogger and Tumblr serve as platforms for a diverse array of women to put forth their ideas and explore topics. To learn more about the philosophy behind TSF’s Blogger/ Tumblr, please read our statement here: https://www.sydneyfeminists.org/a

#miles franklin #feminist writers #feminism #feminist #feminist authors #female writers #female authors #women writers #women authors #women of history #historical women #australian women #australian writers #australian authors

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razorblade180 · 3 years ago

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Twin Snowflakes part37: Cunning plays

TSF 36 <-

Veronica sprinted up the stairs to her seat, sliding down the aisle to find now more than ever were the stands more than ever.

“Yo!” Summer said, raising her hand to signal the open seat beside her. She had expected Veronica to roll her eyes at the gesture, but the girl literally leaped all the way over to it. Looks like watching these matches outshined any bad blood.

“Thanks.” Veronica said, quick to the point. “Clothes holding up okay?”

“Y…Yeah, it’s still good. Umm, sweet cheer out there.”

Her cheeks got a little red. “Let’s never speak of that, but thanks. It’s no halftime performance but what could be?”

Summer blinked twice. Was that…a compliment? Even Veronica liked that performance!? Afraid of ruining the mood, Summer only smiled softly to herself and focused on the matches. Blake couldn’t help but overhear the quick conversation. She’d have to ask Ruby what she told Veronica. It seemed to have put her daughter in a calmer state of mind.

Back on the battleground, Eliza approaches Nick calmly. With a quick twirl of her spear she lunges forward, thrusting it at Nick’s chest. His blade comes up to deflect before he kicks off of a glyph. The battle is on! The two clash, trading swift blows with one another. The close distance makes wide swings problematic but Eliza is able to adjust. Her hands slide up and down, fluently switching her range of attacks; the blade’s tip grazes Nick’s arms every so often and despite his swiftness, Eliza can read his movements well enough.

“Holding back?” She grunted, keeping her voice low.

“Letting you warm up. This has to be believable.”

“Well it won’t be with those moves.” Eliza pushed him back then swiped at his leg with full intent to harm. If Nick wasn’t going to get serious then he was going to suffer the consequences.

Just then, he stopped her attack by stabbing his sword into the ground by his feet before the spear could connect. Instead of picking back up his weapon he leaped forward into a rider kick that hit Eliza right in the face. Using his other foot, he kicked off of her to slide Eliza back while retrieving his sword. Flames swirled around with a red glyph before Nick launched a perfect fireball.

Summer, Weiss, and Winter all threw their hands up, “HE DID IT RIGHT!!!!” They shouted with pride, even though fireballs are pretty standard. It was a big deal for him though! That’s all that matters.

Eliza smirked. There was pride knowing her lessons sunk into Nick’s skull. However, “Just one!?” Her eyes glowed golden. Fire erupted in her left hand then shot an even bigger fireball that blew away Nick’s attack. A single wave ignited more of equal size that homed in.

Nick swapped to funneling the flames completely on his sword. With both hands he unleashed a horizontal slash of fire that canceled out Eliza’s, ending in an explosion of smoke between them. It wasn’t long before orbs of fire, ice, wind, and lightning appeared from the top while Eliza pierced through it at high speed. Nick made a glyph that blocked the frontal assault, but didn’t stop the orb’s from coming over from the sides. He ran up his own glyph and vaulted over to the other side where he was met with Eliza’s spear stabbing straight up. Again he managed to block it, sending him higher.

Eliza brought down a lightning strike, hitting her airborne target to stun him. Without hesitation a silver orb manifested in her hand that she shot directly at him. The orb made contact, bursting into glittery particles and extinguishing Nick’s sword.

“Tsk, I see.” Nick brought his blade up defensively. Eliza jumped and swung her spear to the left, hard, crashing into Nick’s weapon and sending him flying out of his ring into hers. A loud buzzer rang and the crowd went wild.

“And just like that, Nicholas Schnee has gone down to third!” Port announced.

“What!?” Veronica gasped, “The fights aren’t both rings!?”

“Nope. Getting knocked into the one below yours or retreating to your field if you’re the one trying to advance counts as a loss. It’s why all sides of the ring get a barrier except the path leading up to it. That way no one can fall hundreds of stories.”

“Well if that’s the case then why didn’t Nick catch himself with a glyph? He’s no stranger to midair combat.”

Summer looked at Veronica puzzled. “You saw that orb right? Eliza didn’t tell you her semblance? It’s nullification.”

Eliza’s eyes went wide. She looked at Nick who was picking himself up. A tiny glyph could be seen manifesting in his hand before it fizzled out. “Oh…” is all she could say.

Summer observed the rest of her family's reaction to see they were as shocked as she was. That was a pretty careless mistake on Nick’s part. Yet somehow Summer felt like it wasn’t anything to worry about. Not because he had plenty of time to try again. Nick just seemed…unbothered. He definitely had a plan in mind.

“Ugh, not used to falling at all.” He said, shaking his body out. He looked up at Eliza, who was staring at him with judgment. “You clearly weren’t leaving anything to chance.”

“Unlike you, I have no reason to hold back. Just be glad I gave you a real excuse for that display. Enjoy being average for like the next five minutes.” Eliza walked away.

Valerie began to get ready but then saw Eliza sit down. “Aren’t you gonna challenge me? You can’t be that winded.”

“I don’t see why you’re in any rush, Queen.” She drew out that last part. “I’ll challenge you when I want and not a moment sooner.” Eliza put her spear down and enjoyed the grace period she was given, turning away from Valerie.

First phase was done. Now Nick had to pull his weight. Eliza thought about potentially facing Valerie. Even if she lost, much could be learned for her own sake and Nick Potentially. Valerie also wouldn’t be completely fresh. However, that goes the same for her as well. A wrong step could mean not being strong enough later. As for learning anything, the sound of a bell just now meant Nick would be far too busy to observe. Eliza looked at the third platform like so many others to see Jupiter walking up from fourth to challenge Nick. This could be a problem. Nick’s plan relies on intimidation. With his semblance locked, it only makes sense for others to jump at the opportunity to face him.

“Now Jupiter, will it really feel satisfying if you fought me at my-”

Jupiter bellowed an air blast at him. Nick immediately dodge rolled right then broke into a sprint as she let loose a volley. At least he tried to be civil. To be fair though, Nick didn’t want it to be easy either. He sneakily ejected the flame vial into his hand and waited for his opportunity; sidestepping the blast while getting just a tad closer.

“That all you got!?” He boasted, “Why not fight me up close!?”

“You wish!” Jupiter was no fool. Why give up her range when the enemy had no counter? She’ll keep the pressure on until he falters enough to make an opinion. Jupiter went to take in another breath.

Right as he felt the wind pull into her lungs, Nick threw the dust vial, causing an explosion. Smoke and embers flew right into Jupiter’s mouth and nose which made her cough violently as her hand pressed against her chest. Nick immediately took the opportunity to run forward and slash across her body. Not stopping, he began swinging left and right, quick thrusts and deliberate bashes to the chest as his opponent blocked what she could and tried to step away, but couldn’t. He wasn’t going to let up! The tactic was simple. Nick couldn’t be in danger if she couldn’t even breathe.

“That’s right, panic.” He thought as Jupiter tried retreating, but he kept within range. He caught an incoming punch with his left, gripping it tightly. “Bye.” He jumped over her head behind her back. In an impressive display of strength, Nick lifted Jupiter over his body and let her body slam against the floor so hard it shook.

Jupiter felt what little air she had left leave her body. The young fighter did her best to stand. Any moment Nick could knock her down again. However, it didn’t come. Not like she expected. Nick moved around her swiftly. A sudden force of pressure hit her upper back that while hurting, forced a cough that brought air rushing back into her lungs. Nick’s hand grabbed her wrist then casually pulled her backwards into a stumble down the stairs to her platform for the buzzer to sound.

“You good?” He said, watching her cough so hard that even her eyes were watery. If it wasn’t for semblance he may have considered easing up a little. Anyone else would surely pass out after several blows. “Hopefully your next opponent will have the decency to fight you at your best.”

“Screw…you.” She wheezed.

Yang whistled while clapping. “Woooo! Alright! I didn’t know you taught Nick some hand to hand.” She looked at Weiss, who was bug eyed.

“Ummmm”

“Why the heck taught him hand to hand?” Yang looked at everyone but didn’t see any prideful smirks. She did however see Veronica looking rather embarrassed. “Vee?”

“Now I could be wrong, but…pretty sure he may have potentially been vaguely inspired by my fight at school.” She nods, “Yeah…yeah most definitely. Honestly that’s pretty good considering he can’t phase so there’s that hehe.” She held her head down. “I know, bad influence.”

Weiss scoffed, “Pfft, I mean he just won with that maneuver so I’m not complaining.” Winter shot an icy glare at her that made Weiss look away as she continued sipping her soda and cheering nervously. “C’mon everyone, cheer! Woooo! Go Nick!”

To think without his semblance that he’d still completely control the situation, it was impressive, but also intimidating. Eliza understood that was the entire point but it also ticked her off. Did he pull his punches during their fight because he was confident her own skills were subpar? He sat down in his ring. Looking over his shoulder, he caught her staring. The way a glance could unnerve her was, well, unnerving. It wasn’t like he was trying either. Nick was simply looking at her, calmly assessing everything like she had done during the fight.

“Something on your mind?” He asked outright.

Eliza wasn’t sure how to respond. “A couple things I suppose. Nothing worth speaking about.”

“If you say so.” Nick stood up and began stretching his legs and rolling his shoulders. “Ugh, you know I think my body is finally shaking off the beating Max gave me. Dude packs a wallop, and I took a couple.”

Of course, How the heck could she forget that? Nick may have been warmed up from duos but he by no means came into this fresh. Even with aura fully replenished beforehand and his health checked by Penny herself, his body had to be hurting; fatigued at the very least. Then there was her, immediately striking his ribs and nullifying his abilities. Eliza felt foolish. Nick probably wanted their match to be long enough to get back into the proper swing of things.

“Oh…” was all she could say.

Nick chuckled. It would seem his partner in crime had caught on.

“What’s got you two so chatty!?” Valerie shouted from above, but was ignored by Nick completely looking in the other direction. Val couldn’t hide her frown at his treatment, meanwhile Eliza faced her direction with her spear at the ready.

Eliza spoke with utmost confidence,“Why don’t you come down here and find out? I challenge the queen!!!”

The crowd cheered and Valerie’s eyes widened, given Eliza’s previous reluctance. Nick looked over his shoulder, intrigued but not surprised. In fact, he was touched. This was no doubt Eliza’s way of making up for earlier; always the one to try and patch up blunders or misunderstandings. It was an honorable trait of hers. Nick could definitely work with this development.

Valerie had no choice but to accept, not that she would’ve refused. “I always wanted a serious match with you.” She said smiling, the path opening up for her opponent. “Gonna try removing my semblance too? That won’t make up for power.”

“Ha, why would I? Your words don’t mean anything to me.” Eliza said bluntly.

Nick began turning around to observe until his own arena flew, signaling a path forming. Halfway through turning back around, his body was pulled forward violently. He quickly stabbed his blade into the ground and looked ahead to see Bruno falling from the air with his hard whip ready to slam into Nick’s head.

“Surprise!” Bruno yelled with immense joy. Nick had put his hand up in defense, but Bruno intended to smash right through; that was until a glyph manifested between them. It blocked the attack completely and made Bruno immediately back up. “Darn! I guess your semblance is back.”

“Did you seriously attack your own partner why she could barely breathe!? That’s cold.”

“Huh!? Don’t be crazy!” Bruno folded his arms, “We may not be as dignified as Atlesians but teamwork is a universal concept. I beat up the people below her good then swapped willingly. Now she has more time to breathe while you have none left!” He broke into a sprint. “She can bat you around when I’m done! Still gonna act unimpressed like before, huh, pretty boy!?”

“I’m not that pretty.” Nick raised his sword and struck at Bruno’s weapon to deflect it. “Weren’t you on the eighth platform at the start? Someone is climbing fast.”

“I’m not the same kid as I was last year!” His telekinesis pulled Nick within range. Bruno swung for the ribs but Nick used the sudden moment to vault right over him. Bruno spun around without delay, aiming for ribs again but was met with steel blocking Nick’s right side. He didn’t let up though; attempting to sweep at the leg then catching Nick mid jump. Nick did indeed jump, but put up another glyph in between them to push off of. “Tsk!” Bruno pulled him close again.

This was annoying. If Nick had his way, he’d let Bruno take this platform then get beat up by Eliza, who’d easily rain down whatever element she wanted at a good range. Unfortunately, his plan hinges on pure dominance, unwilling to let anyone view the top three as easy pickings. Guess Bruno would get what he wanted.

“You want me serious?” Nick put another glyph between them.

“Nice try!” Bruno Raised Nick over the glyph to continue pulling him, when suddenly, the glyph glowed an intense white. An armored fist came flying out, punching Bruno so hard he flew onto his back.

The hand made a sword then tossed to Nick. The boy held Mort Froide backhanded then spun downwards like a buzz saw that nearly came down on Bruno if the boy didn’t roll out of the way. Nick pounced towards him with the Gigas blade aimed for the chest that Bruno sidestepped to the right, then Nick flipped his blade around correctly. He crouched into a spin that brought his blade slashing at Bruno’s shins. Both swords came swinging in an upward slash that ran up the boy’s body and chin as Nick jumped; lifting Bruno off the ground. Once again, Nick flipped his blade around and spun down, bringing his blades back down their brutal path. The abrupt change in momentum had so much force that Bruno’s body bounced when it hit the floor. Nick tried going for a kick but Bruno actually managed to use his semblance, flinging Nick hastily away.

Bruno hit the ground but quickly got up. He raised his head just in time to gasp as a sword was flying right at his face. He rolled to the left then gasped again, bringing up his hard whip to block Nick; who came at him with a downward slash. His eyes held an intense focus that spooked Bruno. His knee buckled, bringing him down to a kneel.

“Tired? I would be too if I rushed to get up here recklessly.” Nick taunted.

“Who said…it was reckless!?”

“Bruno, this is what, your fourth match technically? You either fought like a madman, or burned through your aura abusing your semblance by ringing them out. Jupiter isn’t the only one who needs a breath.”

“Shut up!” In a pinch, Bruno used his power on Nick again, but immediately interrupted when the Gigas sword flew right into his right side. He let out a pained shout. Somehow, Nick was reading him like a book.

Summer jumped a little in her seat. “That’s insane reaction speed.”

Winter nodded, “A testament to just how quickly your brother thinks. Odds are he saw it coming. Bruno has to know by now that Nick is aware of the flaw in telekinesis.” Winter looked at Veronica slowly looking around before quietly going back to the match. Winter smirked, “Does someone want to know the flaw?”

Veronica tucked her ears, “I’ll figure it out myself!” She said pridefully, watching the match closely. Bruno’s movements didn’t seem more telegraphed than Nick’s. Whatever it was, it had to be in the fighting style that was the tell. Something Nick was easily taking advantage of to the point of dominating.

Both blades were sent flying at Bruno for him to stop. He sent them right back at Nick who instead of dodging, managed to catch both midair as he himself leaped towards Bruno. Again, Nick hurled the gigas blade while keeping his own firmly gripped and as he swung where Bruno was dodging to.

“Ah ha!” Veronica said, gently hitting her fist in her palm. “That sucks. Bruno can’t move much and do telekinesis at the same time.”

Winter was actually shocked at how quickly she noticed. “First try, I’m actually impressed.”

“To be fair, it’s not radically different from my semblances, in a sense. It’s nearly impossible to hit something while not being tangible yourself. In this case, telekinesis means barely moving.”

“I would say Nick is generally at a disadvantage against a person like him.” Winter stated, “In fact, he’d lose if not for his practice in summoning. Bruno freezing him in place only gives Nick a reason to devote all his concentration into the glyph.”

“So Nick is just…switching gears essentially? The moment Bruno has an opening to use telekinesis, Nick is already focusing on summoning.” Veronica rubbed her chin. “Honestly, that’s pretty simplistic. He knows he’ll either land a hit on a stationary target, or Bruno has to stop using his powers to move. Here I thought Nicholas already had a million steps planned out.”

“There’s strength in simplicity.” Summer said, attempting to watch two separate matches. Nick’s took priority however. “He’s always been good at finding what he or another is lacking in combat, then abusing that flaw by doing what he’s good at. It makes me a little jealous. Raw speed and the endurance to maintain it is difficult.”

“Duh.” Veronica said with pure sass. “I’m not surprised you can’t maintain that when I have to force you to maintain balanced nutrition. Nick might not rest but he knows he has to eat correctly.”

For once, Summer couldn’t argue that. To make matters worse, she couldn’t deny that she’s been feeling better recently; more than she has in a long time. No way that performance, matches, and even training with Shiva would have been as smooth without Veronica yapping about dairy, stretching, and a bunch of other stuff.

Summer sighed, “You’re right.”

Veronica blinked twice. Well that was an easy point to prove. “Well…as long as you recognize that.” Not much more to say. It felt weird. An eruption of cheers from the crowd brought Veronica back into the matches.

Between a close quarters combat happening on stage one, and the overzealous battle on three, Port never felt so alive! “Oh ho ho! Things are heating up! Ms. Marigold and Valkyrie seem to be revving up, as for down below one three…”

Bruno’s lungs were burning. All he could do was keep moving. The boy had resorted to going on the offensive. At least this way he could set the pace. Relentlessly, he swung at face, torso, wrists, anything that might slip Nick up. It wasn’t working.

Nick maneuvered his blade perfectly, blocking all the attacks precisely. The only reason he allowed Bruno to do this was to spare himself some stamina. It wasn’t that Bruno’s attacks were slow, but when you’ve faced people such as Ruby, Winter, and Ren on occasions, reaction speed is a must. Drawing this fight out more would be a detriment however. Nick let the gigas blade in his left, fall to the floor. Distracted by the possible attack, Bruno’s eyes mistakenly followed it. Nick used that moment to swiftly swing Mort Froide, knocking his opponent's weapon out from his grasp. Nick put both hands on the hilt and spun into a horizontal swing that smashed into Bruno’s stomach. Nick followed through with it, sending Bruno flying towards the step. With no interference, he would’ve fallen back to his arena, however, Nick put up a glyph to catch him. Examples needed to be set. He kicked the gigas sword up into his hand then chucked it like a throwing ax; it spun at great speed until breaking against Bruno’s torso, flickered the boy’s aura before he finally fell down the steps.

Winces and “ooooo” were heard through the crowd while a buzzer went off. Nick looked on a Jumbotron full of names to see Bruno’s with his aura gauge at 15% the proper medics were already underway to give him a mandatory rest.

“Ouch!” Port yelled, “Nicholas Schnee isn’t pulling his punches it seems.

Jupiter, in the middle of a fight, notices Bruno’s loss. Her eyes shift to Nick briefly to see him watching her. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Jupiter was now faced with a situation. Win to defend Bruno’s spot, or dare get an automatic win against him to keep the pressure on Nick; who didn’t look the least bit frightened. It was a plan but one that could easily backfire and leave Bruno to fall who knows how many places. All she knew was she couldn’t lose her current match no matter what.

“Damn him!” He’s creating a gap between third place and the rest!”

Whatever her choice, Nick wasn’t concerned. He’d essentially be bottlenecking and gatekeeping regardless. Jupiter wasn’t too bad to handle and anyone below them rising up wasn't worth thinking about too much. He crossed his arms and let everyone see him observe the others, unbothered. The gunshots and explosions behind him didn’t matter when he could easily find a screen to view Eliza and Valerie if he needed to.

Remnant got a perfect look at Atlas’s favorite son give a chilling glare meticulously looked over those before him like a king watching the common folk. For watchers, it was thrilling; contestants found it terrifying, and Weiss was all smiles.

“Yep, he’s mine alright. Competitive to a fault.” She laughed, drawing a few concerned looks from family and friends.

Summer couldn’t believe how well he had gotten at partial summoning. It didn’t even seem to bother him. If only she could do it that quickly. “I wonder what he’s planning?”

“What do you mean?” Jaune asked.

“Nick’s pretty good at this kind of event, yet this feels like a different approach than previous years. He would’ve challenged Valerie immediately.”

“Well fighting Valerie more than once sounds like a chore. Maybe he wants time to burn?”

“Yeah but now he’s in third.”

Veronica leaned back as she watched Eliza swing her spread, flinging flames and wind from its tip that kept Valerie at bay. “I’m no pro but I wouldn’t want to fight a literal magical girl for hours either. Maybe he’s hoping they’ll tire each other out?”

“Mmm nah, not his style. Nick talks about beating Valerie in a fair duel so much it’s kinda annoying. He wouldn’t want her exhausted just to swipe gold. It’ll feel hollow. There’s something else that’s bothering me too. He uses dust glyphs for Eliza, couldn’t for Jupiter, and chose not to for Bruno. Instead he chose regular and summoning glyphs for a taxing physical match, even though he purposely engaged Bruno in doubles at long range with attacks way more efficient for the match up. I get not using lots of dust but…”

Summer raised interesting points. Nick was making interesting choices. They didn’t exactly benefit the specific situations, or the grander tournament as they know it. Still, his actions were deliberate.

Jaune looked at the flow of the matches as he rubbed his chin. “It’s too early to say but I think Nick is exactly where he wants to be.”

Weiss watched Eliza rain down lightning, dashing and sliding around on ice to keep Valerie at spear range, forcing the girl to dodge in a variety of ways. It was obvious to see Eliza was testing how Val reacted. An interesting approach. Valerie had plenty of matches overtime that’s been recorded. Why would someone as thorough as Eliza study Valerie’s moves when she might catch her off guard now? It would be a waste of-

“Oh!” Weiss said aloud, making others look. She immediately laughed nervously, “Sorry, it’s nothing.” She played off, trying not to smile too much.

Summer was right. Nick’s actions don’t line up perfectly with previous attempts, but they make a lot more sense if he's considering actions not just for himself, but another. It would seem Eliza not only listened to the request to look after Nick, but she’s downright right scheming with him!

“Well this is unexpected. Hope whatever they’re doing goes well.” She looked down a row to see Nora cheering like the proud parent she was. “Maybe I should’ve taken her bet.”

In the passageway, Max watched the fights. “Sure you don’t want me to walk you out?” He said, looking back to see Darren, still sweaty and shivering a little. “You don’t look so-”

“I’m fine, damnit!” He shouted. A chill ran up his spine as he rubbed his frostbitten finger tip, remembering the cold; feeling as if it still enveloped his very being, his soul. “I just…I just wanna lie down. Screw whoever wins. Like I care.” He walked off as best he could, the third place medal he had shoved aggressively in his pocket.

xxxxx

Somewhere on Remnant’s ocean, Oscar and Sparrow stand with their feet on sand and a dense, unknown forest to their backs as they look to the sea.

“Think Dad will be back soon?” Sparrow asked, wiping his face of dirt and sweat.

Oscar, who was so dirty right now that smudges of grimm blood on his face hid the stubble he’d grown, drank a bottle of water before dumping a little on his head to wash off a little. “Probably. He likes to take his time with these things. It’s a big island.”

“Yeah. So…..you think the gods are actually on this unmarked island?”

Oscar took a minute to answer, watching as their burning ship, wrapped in kraken tentacles, was pulled into the great abyss by the dying creature’s final act.”

He glared in pure annoyance and spite, “They better be.”

#rwby #rwby au #rwby twin snowflakes #nicholas schnee #eliza marigold #val valkyrie #summer schnee #veronica belladonna #weiss schnee #jaune arc #winter schnee #professor port #rwby whiteknight #rwbabies #oscar pine

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