#but yay. I need to set my priorities straight i am all over the place mentally but okay baby steps i just don’t wanna kill myself

[ashmp3]

i had a wonderful coffee date with virgo bestie and we were making plans. she is a scientist always going to conferences you know how it is my busy smart woman BUT we literally pulled out a calendar and went…. Maybe we should go to Milica Pavlović concert together (i already went once lmfao) and yeah i think it’s a plan 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ aaand maybe some fun plans in august but nothing is confirmed yet 🧿 oh i love summer so much you guys

[calliecat93]

Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 7

(Top Dislikes)

Gosh, we are so close to Volume 8 now, and it’s driving me crazy! But we’re not there yet. So let’s continue to remember what Volume 7 delivered upon us. Last time I did the Dislikes post, so now it’s time for the Top 5 Likes post! Which this was so, SO much easier to come up with than the Dislikes list! Like I said there, this volume is so well-written and jam-packed full-on content. It was a rollercoaster of a ride where even though I didn’t want to get back on for a while, that thrill was everlasting. Whether V8 will give the same result will be determined soon, but for now let’s go over the Top 5 Likes of RWBY Volume 7. As always, just my opinion, so take with a grain of salt~

Okay, let’s go!

#5. Oscar Development

By far one of the biggest criticisms against Volume 6 was how it handled Oscar. There was a LOT of good setup concerning his identity crisis as he struggled with keeping control, maintaining his own identity, and the potential burden of just being another of Oz’s wasted lives. While he DID reach a new confidence by the end which was nice, it... was more or less offscreen. To many, myself included, Oscar felt wasted and I specifically criticized how the execution made it feel like depite what Ruby said and what the narrative is trying to say, it DOES feel like Oscar’s viewed as just Oz’s vessel and that’s all his importance amounted to. I was hoping that Volume 7 was going to rectify this like they did with Ruby in Volume 6. Did they do so?

Absolutely yes.

While they still have a bad habit of setting up Oscar in trouble but it turning out to be a fake-out (his disappearance due to Neo), the volume did a LOT to improve his position. With Oz gone, Oscar has to be diplomatic on his own. He’s in a position where he can get close to Ironwood in a way that the others can’t and see him actually vulnerable. Unlike the others, who keep just pointing out to Ironwood how his actions are problematic to varying degrees, Oscar can see what’s really causing it: fear. Which is something that Oscar can relate to. After all, he was terrified when his quest began, but he always faced it and went forward everything to do what was right. Even when it meant leaving home, even when it meant facing unjust anger from others, he did so.

Oscar tries to reason with Ironwood. He tries to have him realize that it’s okay to be afraid. That it’s okay  to be honest with those around him. That it’s okay to be vulnerable. Ironwood isn’t the only one either. In the beginning, he’s worried about Ruby’s lie because of how much it reminds him of what Oz did to them. You could argue that he’s developed into the conscious of the group, but he knows how to reason with these matters in a peaceful way. He’s becoming more of a diplomat similar to Ozpin, which even Ironwood points out in Chapter 9.

Then there’s the finale. Sadly, despite all of his pleas and how much he reached out to him, Ironwood ultimately rejected him and Oz. He rejected the route of trust and embraced fear, sealing the deal by shooting Oscar. But while he couldn’t help Ironwood, he did help someone else: Ozpin. His words convinced the former headmaster to at last return and face his own fears, saving them both. It also allowed Oscar to gain more of Oz’s power and memories. The boy has gone form a scared teenager entering a world he doesn’t truly understand, to becoming a courageous young man filled with compassion and hope for those around him. And this time, we got to actually see that growth unfold. He’s still got a long path ahead of him, but this greatly amended Oscar’s character and I am grateful for it.

#4. Penny Polendina

SHE CAME BACK! YAY!!! I MISSED HER SO MUCH!!!

Every since hr death in V3, I fully expected Penny to come back at some point. And indeed, she did! And with her memory intact, thank goodness! While I do wish we got some more exploration in how she felt about dying and such, her role int his volume was so well done I can forgive it. She has more screentime in this volume than Volumes 1-3 combined, and I love it! A cute new design, her struggling between duty and her own wants, trying to understand feelings and finding them to be a beautiful thing, there is SO MUCH going on with her here.

Penny is part of Ironwood’s inner circle, having been assigned as he Protector of Mantle. She takes her job seriously and does her best to protect the citizens. She’s elated to see Ruby and the others again and tries to assist them as much as she can. But as the volume goes, we see how much she struggles between her dedication to Mantle and Ironwood’s orders. It’s especially clear fter she is framed for the massacre during the elections. The poor girl is mortified, everyone viewing her as just another of Ironwood’s robots. Even Ironwood feels this way with his insensitive comment bout her being ‘under his control’ during the Council Meeting. The poor girl just needs a hug.

But this helps set Penny apart from Atlas. Unlike the others, who are following orders, Penny is trying to follow her heart. She tries to encourage Winter to do the same when she snapped at Jaques, even saying that all she did was speak form the heart and has no reason to feel ashamed of it. After Ironwood declares martial law, she is clearly upset and outright says that it’s wrong. She even asks Winter if this bothers her, and isn’t very convinced by her argument about the general taking on the burden. Penny chooses to embrace her feelings, not reject them as Winter, the Ace-Ops, and Ironwood have done.

It ends with Penny comforting Fria as her Maiden powers go out of control. How does she do this? She simply goes up to her and gently asks her if she’s okay. She shows the old woman more compassion and care than she’s probably had in quite a while. As a result, Fria ultimately transfers the Winter Maiden powers ot her. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that despite being a robot, Penny is a real girl. Hell, she is by far the most human of the Atlesian characters in this volume. She ultimately feels disheartened by Fria’s death, but still goes with Ruby and the others because that’s the right thing.

Penny’s character arc was a delight. There were so many expectations with her return, and I am so happy with the result! Penny feels so much more three-dimensional now. She still has the sweetness that made us love her before, but she also grew as a character. She embraced her feelings, she made choices for herself after having to abide by Ironwood’s rules for so long, she even managed to get some payback on Cinder for her death. Her good-heart and kindness was rewarded at the end. I do worry for her, especially since Salem’s Whale Grimm is absolutely a Montstro reference, but I’m still so happy with her in this volume~

3. The Atlas/Mantle Conflict

I am... not good at talking about this kind of thing, so I apologize if this seems rambly or all over the place. The big conflict pf the volume was the division between Atlas and Mantle. We knew going in how Atlas was seen as a bastion of civilization, but also full of snobs and an army leader who doesn’t exactly have his priorities straight. We knew that Mantle was the former capital and it was easy to assume that it probably wasn’t in the best state... and HO BOY were we right.

While Atlas looks futuristic and pristine, Mantle is run-down and out-of-date. The former capital and it’s people have not been treated well and worse, Atlas controls everything including their heating system. Ironwood has forced the city to be without essential provisions for Amity, and has therefore left them vulnerable to the Grimm. It’s easy to see why Mantle would resent Ironwood and Atlas as a whole, and why it was easy for Watts and Tyrian to widen the divide. It’s like the Chorus conflict in the Chorus Trilogy in RvB, only we’re there to see the division outright instead of coming in many years later. Our heroes are trying to mend the divide, but it’s so much easier said than done when neither side will budge.

There’s a lot of contrast with the two sides. Ironwood is a seemingly cold man with an authoritarian streak. Robyn is more laid-back, if a little cocky but her heart is very much set on helping Mantle. Both can be very brash and place trust above all else. But they both run their respective groups very differently. Robyn views the Happy Huntresses as her friends, while Ironwood trained the Ace-Ops to be his loyal attack dogs. Robyn is willing to give her trust until it gets broken, while Ironwood is wrapped by his own paranoia. We see how these two groups function. They have similarities, but are also very different especially when it comes to how their leaders treat their respective groups.

There is a HUGE class issue between Atlas and Mantle. It’s not helped by Ironwood’s plans causing further suffering, and of course in the end he chooses to leave it open to Salem in favor of saving Atlas. The fandom has fought back and forth for months over if this was right or not, which only proves the point of the division. You can see where each side is coming from, and we care for the people on each side. The conflict was presented throughout the volume with the heroes trying to help, but they sadly fail. The moment Tyrian’s slaughter happens in Chapter 6, you can break the tension with a butter knife and it doesn’t let up. We’ll probably only see more of it with Volume 8 now that Mantle has no protection. But as far as this volume goes, it was presented very well and very strongly.

#2. The Fall of James Ironwood

Love him or hate him, Ironwood is by far one of the strongest written characters in the show. Ever since his intro in Volume 2, we have been building up to this moment. The man has a LO of flaws. He’s arrogant, brash, favors military might over being discreet, and has a bad tendency to not learn form his missteps. These flaws contributed to the Fall of Beacon. But we also saw a man who was honest, righteous, respected Ozpin, and for all had flaws seemed to have good intentions. He was always willing to put himself on the front lines and took none of Jaques’ elitist shit. Sure he caused the Dust Embargo and closed Atlas down, but he also defended Weiss in Volume 4 and was clearly upset about the Fall fo Beacon. We saw a flawed, but still good man and if he could just embrace his flaws and open his heart, he could have been the great hero that he appeared to be.

Sadly thought, that wasn’t meant to be.

Ironwood is shown to be dishelved and plagued by paranoia, but he HAS created a plan to re-establish communications and expose Salem. But his police state with Mantle has the heroes concerned, so they lie to him about Oz and the lamp. The man continues to make questionable decisions, like I already said about his treatment of Mantle. But he still seems devoted tot he cause and like despite these calls, his intentions are still good and it will pay off even with the bad press. Heck, after Robyn tells him to trust her in Chapter 9 and with a push form Oscar, he seemed to FINALLY be doing the right thing. he revealed the truth about Salem to everyone, he worked alongside Mantle, and he faced Watts in the same place where his greatest failure had occurred. It seemed like all the begging and pleading had worked.

Sadly though, it all fell apart once Ironwood saw the glass chess piece.

Ironwood’s greatest enemy isn’t Salem. It’s not Robyn. It’s not he council. No, it’s himself. He has closed up his emotions and his hear to everyone around him. He has buried himself in his paranoia and his pursuit in defeating Salem. With every mistake, Ironwood failed to learn and move forward. He just became more and more consumed by his own fear. He wanted to be a strong leader. To be like Oz. But like Oz, he ended up losing himself and unlike Oz, he couldn’t acknowledge where he went wrong. In many ways you can sympathize with him because of the bleak situation and him trying to do what he can with what he has. But sadly, none of that can justify the path that he ended up taking.

Ironwood is angry at Team RWBYs lies. This and Salem’s approach pretty much causes him to snap. He’s going to let Fria die so that Winter had the Maiden powers. He's going to abandon Mantle to their demise in a futile plan to raise Atlas into orbit. When RWBY opposes this, he orders them to be arrested. He even coldly confirms that he’s leaving Mantle to die. However one feels about this choice, as a cruel but necessary choice to save what can be saved, or a needless sacrifice made by a fascist dictator, one can at least make an argument about either point that makes it hard to say who was right. Him snapping at Oscar and knowingly shooting the kid to his demise? No. That one cannot be justified at all, especially since he was as cold as steel when he did it.

This moment has been built-up since we met him all those years ago. We wanted Ironwood to do the right thing. We all hoped that he would. But he didn’t, and it isn’t shocking at all. We saw enough to like Ironwood, but to also be very much aware of his faults that he just never seemed able to conquer. His fall form grace is tragic, yet done in such a satisfying way as well. I felt for him, but there was no justifying his actions. I kept hoping that he’d pull through, but once Chapter 11 hit, I knew we were at the point of no return. The James Ironwood we once knew is no more, consumed by his fear. What will happen to him next? Will he manage to realize his wrongs? Or will he continue to fall until there’s nothing left to salvage? It’s hard to say. But for now, the tin man has lost his heart,. A very sad, but very well done, character arc for sure.

1. The Theme of Trust and Fear

When I first heart this volume’s opening, Trust Love, I liked it... but the more the volume went, the more the optimistic song felt out of place for the dark volume. Considering this IS an anime, that’s probably intentional. But the more I examined the lyrics, especially after the full version came out, the more I truly realized how it fits with this volume. The song speaks of one trying to live in their dream world, but they need to face reality and trust those around them. They need to stop waiting for a miracle, they need to take control of their life now and move forward. hey need to... well, trust in love. Then you have the finale song, Fear, which  outright asks ‘who will you be when you are faced with fear? Will you see the person you hope to see? Or will you see a stranger?” Will you feel proud? Or will you feel betrayed?

This is the theme of the volume. The theme of trust and the right thing against fear. Ironwood claims to trust the heroes, yet he can’t trust anyone else and his own fear is slowly consuming him. The heroes are mistrustful of Ironwood, but they trust each other and want to help mend the divide between Ironwood and Mantle. But at every turn, fear gets ii n he way. Tyrian’s slaughter makes Mantle afraid and enraged. Ironwood’s fear keeps him from opening up and it leads to his downfall as I already described. The Ace-Ops don’t fight together as a team, which leads to Team RWBY who DO trust each other to defeat them. Clover is blinded by his loyalty to Ironwood to recognize that he’s doing the wrong thing, and it leads to his death. Not to mention the mistrust between him, Qrow, and Robyn lead tot he crash to begin with.

As Oz says in his monologue, fear is the greatest thing that everyone shares. We see everyone afraid. Ironwood is afraid. Ruby is afraid. Ozpin is afraid. Even Cinder is afraid. It’s all for different reasons. Ironwood is afraid of Salem. Ruby is afraid of the uncertainty ahead. Ren is afraid of failing Nora and the others. Cinder is afraid of failing to achieve her foals. Qrow is afraid of bonding with others, especially considering what happened to Clover. Ozpin...d o I even need to elaborate on him? The title to Chapter 13 is ‘The Enemy of Trust’. What is that enemy? Fear. Recently, I’ve been feeling that same fear of trust. Fear of being hurt. Fear of being betrayed. Fear of the unknown. It’s a VERY powerful force, and a tempting one at that.

The message of the volume ultimately si that it’s okay to be afraid. It’s perfectly human to feel that way. You don’t need to get over it. It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid, it’s what you do in the face of it that matters. Will you face it? Will you do what’s right? Will you find it in yourself to trust and love again? Or will you succumb to it? Will you end up repeating your mistakes because of your fear? Will you make the wrong choice? What will that say about the person you are? One way or another, we all will find out the answer to that question. We may not know the answers for a long time, but you ultimately need to try and do what’s right. You can’t let the fear control you. You need to decide who you will be when ti comes, and if in the end you will be happy with who you are left with.

Ironwood chose to repeat his mistakes, and is now a heartless tin soldier. Ozpin ultimately chose to return and face it and while only time will determine how that goes, it’s a step in the right direction. People like Ruby and Oscar still tried to do what thy knew was right. Weiss was afraid of her father, but faced him to gain her freedom. Blake feared Adam and the White Fang and chose to run, but eventually decided to fight back and ultimately won. Yang was afraid after losing her arm and of being abandoned, and while she struggled she ultimately faced it, proving herself stronger than her cowardly mother. Even after Ruby broke down when it became clear that Salem killed her mother, she still faced the wicked witch, told her off to her face, and pulled herself together enough to warn everyone about Ironwood and stand her ground. And there’s so any other examples that I could list. 

I think considering the times right now, this message is incredibly important. It’s been a major part of the series since the start, but Volume 7 especially made it prominent. We need to trust in love. We need to be courageous enough to do the right thing. We need to be able to express our fear and doubts with others to become better. In a world where everything 9si uncertain and everyone is on edge, I think that the themes here are more relevant than ever, and was handled very well. Especially with that monologue in Chapter 13. As such, this is my favorite part of RWBY Volume 7 without a doubt.

Well, that’s it folks! It was nice to revisit Volume 7 again after so long~ But as we close the book, we’re about to open another for Volume Eight. What’s gonna happen? I don’t know. Am I scared? Oh big time. But I’ve come this far, I’m not backing out until the very end. So I hope that you all enjoy Volume 8, and as always I look forward to reviewing it all~ See you all on premiere day~!

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 9 - Etrian Odyssey 5

AN: Late night update, yay. A shorter chapter compared to previous ones. I mean, it’s ten pages. My attempt to keep chapters short didn’t last very long :’D Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 9:

It was with a sense of defeat that Drayce led his party back to the Crescentia. He kept Faelen close to his side, however, to remind himself that things could have gotten a lot worse. He held no regrets about handing over that token. It was an easy exchange.

No treasure was worth someone’s life or safety.

He still felt a sense of guilt, though. He knew he really shouldn’t. How was he to know that those two were bandits? They didn’t look or act like the bandits they had encountered before. Which was likely the reason why they had been sent to follow them.

There was no doubt in Drayce’s mind that Keane was involved.

As they stepped into the foyer of their guildhouse, and before Drayce could announce their return, they were greeted by the sound of hurried footsteps from upstairs. For a fraction of a moment Drayce felt a sense of panic rise in his chest. But that was soon pushed aside when Caelem suddenly appeared.

And he appeared quite excited as he all but bounded down the stairs. "There you are!"

Drayce was honestly startled by their unconventional welcome. Yet, he was hopeful, too. "Hm? Cal? Something happened?"

Caelem nodded his head as he eagerly explained, "The map seemed to have activated for a moment before it faded out again. It pointed to an area a few steps away from a symbol that looked like a set of stairs."

It took Drayce a few seconds for the information to filter in. "It did?" he asked before a thought occurred to him and he quickly pulled out the partial map of the second floor. He quickly located the area approximately where they had discovered that lotus engraved token. And he showed the spot to Caelem.

"Wait, hang on, look at this map, Cal. Was it about here on the parchment?"

Caelem immediately nodded his head. " Y-yes, that’s right!"

So that piece of parchment was a map.

Kamali glanced at the map before he turned his eyes toward Drayce questioningly. "Did that token…?" he murmured.

Caelem tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Token?"

Drayce rolled up the map and quickly placed into the pocket of his coat. He then shrugged off his armour. "Let’s head into the library."

The others followed suit, choosing the comfort of removing their armour. It was also an indication to them that they weren't to return to the labyrinth again that day. Those bandits may or may not be there, but it didn't matter right now. They may have lost that mysterious silver token, but they weren't out of the game yet.

Making their way to the library, Drayce decided to go first with his discoveries from the labyrinth. Caelem had given him the quick rundown of what had occurred anyway, and what Drayce had discovered would help shed some light on what had happened in the library.

As Drayce told the rest of his guild what happened, he could sense some of his guilt rising from the pit of his stomach. He also sensed some guilt from Faelen, which was unjustified. While the bristle of protectiveness from Ashton was utterly justified.

"Bandits, huh?" Ashton murmured.

He wasn't the only one outwardly bristling, though.

"What? They hurt Faelen?" Caelem practically hissed as his tail physically bristled before concern made its way to his features. He immediately turned to give Faelen a quick once over with his gaze. No doubt searching for any possible injuries.

Faelen flushed lightly at the worry and genuine protectiveness directed at him. "He didn’t hurt me. Just…scared me."

Caelem wasn't entirely convinced, however. "But that’s the same thing, isn’t it?"

"It is in my books," Drayce immediately responded.

Upon seeing that Faelen was indeed unharmed, and was a tad flustered at the attention, Shashi folded an arm across his chest as he took on a musing pose. "So, you found a small silver token, like that of a coin, with an engraving of a lotus?" he asked, getting back to the mystery at hand.

"That’s right," Drayce replied. "And if I am to assume anything, there’s more. And those bandits are after it, too."

Shashi tapped his cheek a few times before a semi dark expression appeared on his face. "If so, then they are likely after the map as well."

That was definitely a high possibility. There was also a possibility that those bandits don't know they have it. Though, he couldn't safely rule out that they did. He would have to be careful not to talk about outside of the Crescentia.

"You said that it activated for a second. Has that happened before?" Drayce asked.

Shashi dropped his arms limply to his sides and shook his head. "No. What happened today was the first time."

Ashton roughly folded his arms across his chest as he restlessly shifted from foot to the other. "So, once again making assumptions here, those bandits have only one token. The one you found."

"More likely than not," Drayce responded simply.

"It appears as if these tokens are needed to activate the map," Zohar commented. "Further still, perhaps the map needed to be discovered before the tokens were to be active."

Drayce took a second to let that mull around in his head. "Sounds reasonable. Let’s assume that there are at least four of them. One for each corner."

Shashi immediately agreed to that notion. "That seems plausible from what I have seen of the map. Fortunately, if they do find another we will know."

Not the most favourable of circumstances, but it would have to do.

"That’s something," Drayce sighed.

Kamali turned to Drayce and gave a softly concerned look. "What would you like to do now?"

Drayce didn't need to think too hard on the response. "Now? I’d like everyone to stay within the Crescentia. Especially you, Faelen."

"Ok," Faelen returned softly, giving the slight indication that he was nervous in returning to the labyrinth.

“I’ll have Theodore inspect the boundaries,” Zohar offered as an extra protective measure.

Drayce gave Zohar a grateful smile. “Please, do. Everyone else, let’s relax for the rest of the day.”

He got some thinking to do, honestly. About how he was going to deal with those bandits and what it was exactly they were hoping to achieve. But more importantly, how he was going to ensure the safety of his guildmates. That was his number one priority.

Everyone began to file out of the library in order to remove their explorer garbs and get comfortable, and more likely than not, check the premises. As Drayce himself moved to follow, Ashton grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him aside to where he and Shashi stood. He waited until everyone else was out of hearing range before he turned to regard Drayce.

“Drayce. Shashi and I would like to have a couple of words with you in private,” he said quickly, with his voice low. “Let’s speak in your office.”

Ashton had said all that in a hushed tone, being mindful not to draw the attention or curiosity of the others. That was both curious and worrying. That could mean one of two things; they had something unsettling to inform him of. Or something important they didn't want the rest of the guild to know.

“Sure,” Drayce replied simply.

The three of them soon left the library and headed to the office that appeared to be the official room to discuss sensitive matters with him. Of course, that made total sense. And Drayce couldn’t help but wonder briefly if his grandpa used his office for the same reason and what kind of stories were discussed in that very room.

“Is there something wrong?” Drayce asked the moment the three of them entered his office and securely closed the door behind them.

“I spoke with Zohar last night and have been doing some research on this other lotus blade,” Shashi replied in his usual straight forward manner. “And from what I have discovered, what Zohar has informed me is accurate.”

So, there is another lotus blade?

"It also appears that the Turquoise Lotus Father did indeed have a brother," Shashi continued. "And he was the one that wielded this other blade."

Drayce furrowed his brow in worry. "Really? So, he fought alongside the Despot, too?"

Shashi nodded his head as he reached into one of his pockets within his coat and pulled out a small but often used notebook. "Yes, but from what we have discovered, it wasn’t willingly. The blade is said to possess whoever tries to wield it. Which is what we believed to have happened to the brother."

Drayce sat on the edge of his desk and loosely folded his arms across his chest. "So, the Turquoise Lotus Father became a masurao to save him?"

"That’s what we believe, yes," Ashton answered.

"The Turquoise Lotus Father was named as such due to his caring nature," Shashi added as he flipped through his notebook. "He had no intention of being a warrior, until the war happened and his younger brother was enslaved. At this point, this is all we know."

Still, that was a lot of information discovered in just a couple of days!

"We’ve told Caelem of the Turquoise Lotus Father, but not of the brother as of yet," Ashton stated, explaining the, well, secrecy of their conversation.

Totally made sense, though. The information of another far more dangerous blade being out there somewhere would be alarming to anyone. They also needed to make sure that the map they had was leading to the Shining Lotus rather than that darker blade.

He couldn't help but briefly wonder if those bandits new of the legends. And of the lotuses blades.

"Yeah, that seems the best thing to do for now.," Drayce commented idly. "Just until we can find more information."

Ashton nodded his head. "We could discover more if we knew the Blade Brothers’ actual names." He sounded a little exasperated when he said that.

Names would indeed be helpful. However...

"Though, it appears that this Turquoise Lotus Father is better known for that name specifically."

Ashton had to agree to that. "Probably true. In any case, we'll keep looking. That's the safest thing to do now."

Yeah, safest. They should be safe within the walls of the Crescentia.

After a few utterances of taking it easy, Ashton and Shashi left the room. And left Drayce to his thoughts. Pushing away from the desk, Drayce instead walked around it to take a seat upon the chair. He leaned back into it as he swivelled around to gaze idly out the window.

So...the Turquoise Lotus Father had a brother. A younger sibling perhaps. Or even a twin.

As that thought entered his mind, a sharp pain appeared simultaneously in his head and from his temple. It was a sudden and sharp pain that prompted a small yelp of pain and for him to clutch his head.

Again? Why did the word brother cause him such pain? And why was it always followed by that empty feeling of lost? As if he was missing something. Or rather, someone.

Drayce gritted his teeth as he endured the pain and discomfort. It thankfully subsided soon after and he was left with a very mild headache. It wasn't exactly a headache. Just a low ache.

He soon found a distraction when the door to the office opened and Blayke stepped inside. He walked over to the desk and stood before him. However, a furrow appeared upon his brow as Drayce swivelled the chair to face him.

"You ok?" he asked simply as he gave him a suspicious and inspecting look.

Drayce managed to plaster a reassuring smile upon his face and nodded. "Yeah, just a small headache from using the old grey matter. What's up?"

Blayke didn't look one hundred percent convinced, which wasn’t much of a surprise. It wasn’t easy to convince at the best of times. He soon folded his arms across his chest however, indicating that he was willing to drop the subject this time. But Drayce had better not test him again.

Drayce knew that look well!

"I think we need to speak with Ramus about this," he stated.

Drayce sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so, too. He might be able to help us out like last time. If Turquoise Lotus Father fought within the Legendary War, there might be something about him in the council’s archives. Hopefully, at least."

Blayke shrugged. "Only one way to find out. I also want him to know about those bandits. That’s honestly my first concern." His expression then went dark. A purely protective kind of darkness. Something that Drayce had only seen Blayke and Ashton do.

Seeing the two of them together with that same expression was rather frightening!

"I knew that brat rubbed me the wrong way for a reason…" Blayke muttered under his breath.

Drayce uttered a small sigh. He was obviously talking about Keita. The kid tricked them all.

But he just had to give his best friend a smile in return. Those bandits may have gotten the drop on them once by using their willingness to help another in trouble to their advantage, but it would not happen again.

Not if Blayke had something to say about it!

"Anyway, I'm going to pace the boundaries of the property like some caged tiger," Blayke stated as he turned on his heel and headed for the door. "We'll visit Ramus tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sounds good," Drayce returned. "And you be careful. Especially if you use Blazing Link. We can't afford to have the back garden ablaze."

Blayke snorted in response, but made no attempt to dispute it. And, needless to say, if he happened to stumble across a bandit, to won't be happy.

That did cause Drayce some worry, though he could do little to stop Blayke's restless pacing. It was understandable, really. He was feeling angry and frustrated and needed an outlet. The best thing Drayce could was to check in on him occasionally.

Speaking of checking in on someone, he had better see how Faelen was doing. What happened today was unnerving. And was sure to leave the rover feeling rattled.

Setting aside his research for the time being, Drayce pushed back his chair and took to his feet. Faelen had headed to his room after they all departed from the library and was likely still there. Nashoba was likely to be with him, too. Hopefully. Blayke would have taken the white wolf with him on his pacing, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to keep him away from Faelen.

As Drayce headed to the second floor, the sound of the front door opening and someone cheerfully announcing their arrival caused him to travel halfway down the second set of stairs. In the foyer was Tokala and Salim. Back from their wanderings around the city.

“Oh, good, you guys are back,” Drayce greeted, inwardly relieved that they hadn’t encountered any trouble during their outing.

“How was your exploration of Iorys?” Kamali asked politely as he approached them in the foyer.

Tokala smiled brightly. “It’s so much bigger than I thought! And the market district had so much interesting stuff!”

“Sounds like you had fun,” Drayce said with a smile. “That’s good.”

It was best that they didn’t tell the two about what had occurred in the labyrinth that day just yet. Maybe after dinner. Just so they’d, too, be cautious about any possibly (and likely) future meetings with those bandits.

Ashton appeared from the back of the guildhouse. It was more than highly likely that he had been inspecting the boundaries, too. Or just inspecting the windows and doors.

Upon seeing that their guests had returned, Ashton placed a smile to his lips and motioned toward Tokala. “Good, just in time to help me with dinner.”

“Got it!” Tokala answered readily and once again cheerfully before he hurried to follow Ashton to the kitchen.

“Hey, Salim, why not do some fishing? We’ll need that for dinner tonight,” Drayce suggested. Both wanting the pugilist to be doing something as he knew his need to keep moving. And for him to be outside should Blayke need a hand or two.

Salim seemed grateful for the suggest. “Yeah, alright. Anything for food.”

It was honestly good to see that they were settling in well within the Crescentia.

With everyone back under the same roof, Drayce felt a sense of relief wash over him. He turned on his heel and headed back up the stairs and made a beeline to Faelen’s room. The door wasn’t closed the entirely way, indicating that the young therian inside wanted some quiet time to himself, but did not want to be locked away from the rest of his guildmates entirely.

“Fae?” Drayce called out before he slowly pushed opened the door.

Faelen at on the end of his bed with Nashoba’s head resting on his lap. It appeared that he had been stroking the wolf’s fur, likely to help calm himself. Or out of absentmindedness as he mused about the day’s events.

“Are you all right?” Drayce asked as he stepped into the room, allowing the door to remain ajar behind him.

Faelen perked his head up at the sound of his voice and immediately turned toward him. “Um, yeah. I’m ok.”

Drayce sat down on the bed next to him. “You sure?”

Faelen’s flatten slightly against his head and he returned to running his fingers through Nashoba’s fur. “I’m sorry about the token,” he said, guilt in his voice as he turned his eyes toward his wolf companion.

“Don’t be silly,” Drayce immediately returned. “It’s that bandit’s fault.”

“But that token was useful, right?” Faelen asked softly as he rubbed Nashoba’s ear.

“Perhaps,” Drayce answered honestly. “We don’t know for sure. But, hey, there’s likely other tokens out there, too. And we have the map.”

Faelen nodded his head idly. But Drayce could still see and feel his guilt. Which was unfair. Faelen shouldn’t feel guilt for something that wasn’t his fault. “You gave it up pretty quick.”

“Of course, I did.” Drayce slipped an arm around Faelen’s shoulders and pulled him toward him so that he leaned up against him, his head on his shoulder. “You’re far more precious than any treasure.”

Faelen stilled for a moment before he rested against him fully and comfortably. “...That makes me happy,” he whispered to himself. He then tilted his head back to look up at him. “Drayce?”

“Hm?”

“That also wasn’t your fault, you know?” Faelen said firmly as he looked into his eyes.

That startled Drayce for a moment. Though, guilt was probably coming off of him in waves. He was the guild leader, after all. It was his job, his purpose to keep others safe. Though, if he asked anyone if what happened was his fault, they would all tell him that it wasn’t. Still...

Faelen suddenly frowned as he turned to look upon Nashoba once more. “Keita…didn’t seem that bad at the start. He was kinda funny.”

Yeah, there wasn’t anything really to indicate that the kid was a bandit. Still, there was something about him that made Drayce believe that he wasn’t a hundred percent truthful in his actions or words.

Blayke, on the other hand, was downright suspicious of him.

That, strangely enough, brought a small smile to Drayce’s lips. “…Blayke didn’t like him.” And Nashoba made a soft whining sound, as if agreeing with him.

Faelen gave a soft half chuckle. “Blayke was kinda funny, too.”

“Hm.” Drayce made a noise of agreement as he ruffled Faelen’s hair. He was glad that he was feeling better. “He’s wonderfully snappy. You should see him when he’s tired and annoyed.”

Faelen giggled before he fell into a contemplative silence. “…I don’t think he would have hurt me.”

Maybe so, but there was still a possibility that he would have. “I wasn’t going to chance it.”

Faelen nodded his head. “Drayce?”

“Hm?”

Faelen suddenly pivoted in his spot and hugged him around the waist, burying his head into his chest. “You really are like a brother to me, you know?” he murmured against the fabric of his shirt. “I’m glad I met you.”

Drayce immediately wrapped his arms around the younger rover and rested his chin atop his head. “You’re like a brother to me, too.”

And that meant he wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt his guildmates. He didn’t care what happened to him personally. But no one was allowed to threaten or attempt to harm anyone from his guild.

Ever.

[7wanderingpaws]

Korean Dalmatians Part 1 (Jinyoung) AU

Hello, dear readers!

This was a pretty cool request that I got a little while ago (and just finalized the first part, sorry for the wait). I was so excited to write this, I hope it came out well.  The second part will be up soon! 

Please let me know what you think? And thank you to the creative anon! <3

- - - Jinyoung x reader - - -  101 Dalmatians AU (request)

It was a late night flight that you took that day with Jewel. Actually, the first flight of the new day. Exactly at 00:45 you were boarding the plane hoping your beautiful dalmatian Jewel was all safe and taken care of. You had a long journey ahead and when you sat down at the window seat, the weather in London was cold and it was just about to rain. You had to smile to yourself. It all looked like in some modern Sherlock Holmes film.

The flight was too long for your legs and your entire being. You never travelled to South Korea before but you knew this was the best thing to do in order to escape this utterly horrible witch that was chasing you and your pups.

Although you were sad, this was for the best.

~ 2 weeks later ~

"Jewel! C'mon, we are going out to the park!" you shouted and heard heavy taps of your big doggo. She was excited, tong out, tail wiggling. You chuckled as you put on the leash and you were all set to go.

Living on the 5th floor had its ups and downs and since you preferred taking the stairs, it had its downs this time. Jewel, being an energetic dog, was literally dragging you, you barely managing not to fall down and break your poor self. "Jewel, slow down a bit. You're so out of control today," you mumbled as Jewel looked behind her at you with a cheeky expression. "Huh, how dare you. I feed you, I wash you," you complained silently but it was all just jokes. And Jewel knew it.

The Boramae park was not far away from your apartment building. It was a busy park surrounded with tall buildings (owned by Samsung, of course). You heard the park was famous because of some old war aircrafts standing there, so you wanted to check those out during the walk. You were sure Jewel knew this information too.

"I think it's fascinating," you told her, feeling a little bit lonely at the fact that you had zero friends in this huge, gigantic city. "A park where old aircrafts are..." And soon they appeared. There was a helicopter that was occupied with amazed children.

"Wow, Jewel, look at that! Isn't it awes-" Jewel suddenly pushed you really hard, making you fall down on your fours. Ouch. Jewel's leash escaped your bloody hand and before you could collect yourself she was sprinting to a place you didn't see at first . "Jewel!" you screamed, getting up. But your leg gave out and you fell again. Oh my god. This is so embarrassing.

"Miss, are you okay?" you heard. And then heavy taps. And then something was licking your face. Someone. Jewel was back. But wait. There were two dog tongs?

You looked up and was met with a rather handsome face. The stranger was reaching out with his hand to you.

"Is this your dog?" he asked, not caring that you were speechless and breathless.

You accepted the hand and with some strong swing, you were standing on your twos again. "Thank you," you said and took Jewel's leash from his hand. You noticed another dalmatian dog. "Is this your dog?"

The stranger was looking at you, somehow dazed and then his face softened and he smiled, giving a gentle laugh. "Yes that is my dog. So she is yours I suppose."

You nodded and made sure to give an ugly face to Jewel. It was to no avail though. She was busy flirting with this guy's dog. "Wow. I guess they like each other," you said.

You checked your hands that were on fire. Scratches that were bleeding made you sharply take in the air.

"Oh, let me see that," he said and made one step towards you, taking your hand. Then he stopped and looked at you. "May I?"

You couldn't stop looking at him. He was Korean and he had this cute English, giving off such gentleman vibes. Damn. So, of course, you just silently nodded.

Since the dogs kept playing with each other, you decided that there is no need to keep them under strong, eagle's eye. You and this stranger decided to sit down to a nearby bench.

"My name is Jinyoung by the way," he said. "And that hand of yours will be just fine. Make sure to clean it once you're home."

"I'm Y/N. Thank you. Are you a doctor?"

He laughed happily. "No. At the moment I'm still a student in my last year. I'm volunteering at the Boramae academy, that's why I'm here."

"With your dog?"

He nodded, looking at his pup. He was treating Jewel so nicely, you caught yourself longing for some relationship as well. But you knew the priority was to protect Jewel at all costs. “There are some poor children, so Marty and me go there usually to help out and make the kids happy.”

Could you be stunned any more with this guy? And he had these soft gestures, tender body language: his body just slightly turned towards yours... 

“What about you? May I ask what brings you all the way to Korea?”

“Erm.” You never really thought about lying to people because you never anticipated that anyone would be interested in what you are doing in Korea or with your life whatsoever. “Well, I came to visi-”

“Excuse me.”

Both you and Jinyoung looked at a young girl who interrupted your talk. She looked so cute and innocent. You offered a smile.

“I was wondering where did you get these beautiful dogs? May I pet them?” she asked but didn't really wait for an answer and proceeded to pet them.

Although Jewel and Marty looked at her sceptically, they just continued on with looking at each other with heart eyes. It was rather shocking for you.

“I got mine as a present from auntie,” answered honestly Jinyoung, looking at the dogs with loving eyes. “I suppose Y/N's Jewel is also pure breed?”

You nodded. “Certainly.”

“They are beautiful. And you too!” she exclaimed, looking at you suddenly. 

“Oh, no,” you said kindly shaking your head and felt Jinyoung's stare on you with even a brighter smile.

“Oh yes! Your eyes are so big and your face has perfect proportions.”

“Thank you,” you bowed your head hastily, pushing a stray of hair behind your ear. 

“Do you live somewhere around?” the girl kept on asking.

“I live just around the park,” you said truthfully, amazed that this girl was so interested in you. But secretely, you knew it was because of Jinyoung. She kept giving him side glances but he had eyes only for you to be honest. He found you also pretty, your smile catchy and your own self magical. He wouldn't mind reading a book next to you while you play with his hair in this park, while both dogs are running happily around.

“So hopefully I will see you around?” said the girl.

You ended up exchanging numbers. The only thing that was left is for you to hope you will not lose this friend, whose name was Miso. 

“Found a new friend!” said Jinyoung as you both stood up. “Actually, two.”

You looked up at him questioningly. 

“Obviously, the first one was me,” he added with a laugh. You also laughed for no particular reason. You became a bit nervous. 

“I think me and Jewel will take our leave,” your voice was a bit off. There was something you desparately wanted to ask him but did not have the proper courage to do so.

He nodded. He didn't move an inch.

“So...” you turned to your dog. “Jewel! Come, we are going home.”

Jewel looked at you. She didn't move an inch.

“Jewel, come. You will get delicious food.”

She turned her head back to Marty and started to lick his face. Your heart dropped. Oh. Of course she is not going to move unless Marty does.

“Do you want to come over for dinner maybe?” you heard yourself ask, looking boldly into Jinyoung's eyes, but he was already nodding.

“Yes, I'd love that.” Was he breathless?

-

It was 22:32 exactly, when you took another sip of your wine. Sweet and red, a combination you could not resist. And right now Jinyoung's lips were painted red. You did not doubt they tasted sweet as well. He was laughing at something you said (you already forgot what it was) and the dogs disappeared somewhere in the other room. Probably asleep as well.

“Your apartment is quite nice,” Jinyoung commented. “You have a good taste.”

“Thanks. Although I was lucky to buy it with everything in it already. Seoul is pretty darn expensive, Jinyoungssi.”

“Oh, tell me about it. Living as a student in this big city is sometimes quite inconvenient. Especially the transportation, but oh well. What can you do?”

You nodded, dazed.

“I am so sorry, Jinyoungssi,” you said. Your head was slightly spinning and you felt like on cloud nine. He was perfect and you kind of wanted to... “Can I give you a kiss?”

Jinyoung stared at you, a little bit taken aback. No doubt, he wanted to kiss you now for many hours but he himself didn't have the balls to do so and here you were, doing all the job he was supposed to do. He didn't respond. He leaned in straight away, connecting your lips in a sweet, touchy kiss. Once you both tasted each other, the upcoming kiss was definitely more passionate. 

While still kissing, you both put your empty wine glasses down and his hands were on the small of your back while yours were in his hair (it was softer than it seemed). You let out a loud breath as you moved to his neck while he bit your ear playfully.

One smacky kiss after another, you found yourself in your bedroom. Both of you peacefully tucked in and sound asleep just like two doggos in the other room, one head resting on the top of the other.

-

5 months later

Jinyoung had your hand intertwined in his as you made your way home from a theatre play. Miso texted you that the puppies were all okay at home, playing around. You couldn't wait to see them. They were quite the number but nonetheless living now with Jinyoung, for you everything was possible. He was mostly busy with school and still stayed at the dorms during the week but the weekends were all yours, yay!

“Come up to at least say bye to them,” you pouted as you were just about to say bye. “They love you much more than they do me.”

Jinyoung laughed and squeezed your cheeks. “God, you're so cute I think I will just have to listen to you.” He pressed his lips to yours. “But just for a little bit,” he whispered into your lips.

“You sure?” you breathed, giving him another kiss.

“Damn yes,” he said and deepened the kiss. But you still ended up laughing into it. “Let's go, you kiss ruiner.” 

Once in your apartment, you were met with dead silence. You weren't sure how that was possible with so many pups and two adult dogs.

“Miso?” you called, throwing your keys on the table. Jinyoung already looked suspicious but for what reason though? “Miso? Where are you?”

Silence.

You looked at Jinyoung, a little bit alarmed now. “Jewel?”

“Marty?” 

“We are home, pups, come out!”

Silence.

Oh no. Why? 

Both of you started to look into each room, opening wardrobes and doors and anything that was basically removable was removed. Even the carpets. No dogs were found though. Where were they?!

[lazymilkshakecolor]

Inheritance

Chapter 8: Trust

Beta-read by @kairi-chan

Sarada was doing rapid taijutsu training with Hotaru to improve his stamina while the other two genin and Tsubaki set up camp for them to spend the night.

''Her demeanor changed a lot.'' Tsubaki remarked while he sticked the fish they had caught earlier into sticks.

Hana, upon hearing that, took a look at Sarada, who was on the defense from Hotaru's attacks.

''Not just her demeanor changed.'' Akihiko said, looking at the double swords hanging from her waist that replaced the sword that she would normally carry with her.

Sarada suddenly stopped her defense and went on the offense, punching Hotaru with her palm open on the chest then grabbing his hands and tying them behind his back.

''Good job, but you're still in massive need of stamina training.'' Sarada said, letting go of the panting Hotaru, who fell on the ground the moment she let him go.

Hana ran to him, making sure he's okay while Sarada went and sat next to Tsubaki, who was lining the fish he stuck to sticks over the fire.

''How far are we from Amegakure?'' Tsubaki asked.

''About a day or two if we travel slowly.'' She replied.

''And when will the reinforcements you called yesterday will arrive?''

''The trip from Konoha to Ame is about four days, and knowing the person that I called for, she'll probably be running here, so I'll say two days.'' Sarada said, unsheathing her sword and proceeding to clean it.

''Are those the famous falcon claws?'' Tsubaki asked, getting closer to Sarada to look at the swords more closely.

''Swords that were stained by the blood of more than a thousand ninja,'' he continued, staring at the silver sword Sarada was carrying, while it's twin was still sheathed. Sarada sighed, ignoring Tsubaki's rambling. That is, until he said something that touched a nerve.

''I see why you're using them. Amegakure is the place the Crimson Falcon was born in.'' Tsubaki said rather bluntly, not knowing the full weight of the incident he just mentioned.

''Speak another word and your blood will be on the sword,'' Sarada said, voice menacing and cold as her eyes moved to glare at Tsubaki for a second before returning to her swords.

Tsubaki gulped, and the three genin that were standing behind them did the same.

Ten minutes later, they were all seated in a circle around the fire, they were all quiet, Tsubaki too afraid to speak while the genin were thinking about what they read yesterday. Well, Akihiko and Hana were thinking about it, Hotaru was thinking if his sister will give him one of her fishes before something came to his head.

''Hey sensei,'' he called out.

Sarada raised her head from the book she was reading and looked at Hotaru, silently telling him to proceed.

''Are you able to beat that guy that attacked us yesterday if he attacked again?'' Hotaru asked, which got both of his teammates attentions.

Sarada grinned the way a mother would grin at her son when he asks her if the hokage is strong. ''As long as we work together nothing is impossible, and I was third in command of anbu for a while so give me a little credit guys.'' she said, eyes returning to her book.

''And what do you want us to do if he attacks?''

''I won't let him get to you, but if he brings allies with him, which is likely, you guys are tasked with protecting Tsubaki, understood?''

The three genin nodded.

''I might know a place near where he will face us, where you guys can hide and easily escape if worst come to worst.''

''And how do you know where he's going to attack?'' Akihiko said, skeptical of her blind confidence.

Sarada took a deep breath before a frown settled on her face. ''I know how his sadistic mind works,'' she said before she got up,'' I'll take watch all night, so you guys sleep.''

Then she jumped on top of a tree, sitting on one of its highest branches.

The three genin shared looks before closing the matter.

Hana noticed that Hotaru was staring at her, she sighed, and handed her remaining fish to him. ''You're the best Hana!'' he said before taking a bite from it.

.

.

.

Hotaru woke up to the sound of things hitting the ground roughly, he ignored it and closed his eyes again, trying to get more sleep, that is until he heard his sister's shriek. He jumped from his sleeping bag and ran outside, grabbing a kunai along the way ready to defend his sister from anything and anybody.

''The medic aptitude test also has a dodging speed part, you need to be quicker.'' Sarada said before throwing another pebble at Hana, who barely dodged it.

''What are you doing?'' Hotaru asked, looking at the kunoichi.

''I'm practicing my aiming while Hana is practicing her dodging,'' Sarada answered.

''Ohh,'' Hotaru said before he winced when a pebble hit his sister's arm, leaving a red mark on her skin.

''Get ready, we're leaving after in about five minutes, '' Sarada said, throwing the pebbles she had left on the ground.

''Where's Akihiko?''Hotaru asked Sarada.

''He woke up first and went towards the nearby lake, he said he wanted to wash up.''

''I see…'' Hotaru muttered.

Both twins had the same thought about their dark haired teammate. I wonder why he dislikes sensei so much, Hana and Hotaru thought.

It was obvious to them from the start that he avoids spending time with their sensei when they are not with them. He even keeps talking with her at a minimum for some reason, not even asking her for advice on training and such. As for Sarada, she gives him his space. But from the look on her face, her patience seems to be running thin.

''I'll go get Akihiko then.'' Hana said, running towards the lake before Sarada could say anything.

Sarada sighed before she went to wake Tsubaki up.

.

.

.

''You okay?'' Hana asked Akihiko, who was sitting by the lake, staring at the water while his hands fiddled with a pebble.

Akihiko nodded, moving a little to the right so Hana could sit beside him. They sat in silence for a while before the kunoichi broke it.

''Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer it if you don't want to.''

Akihiko gave Hana a look that said ' go on.'.

''How doyou know Sarada sensei?'' she asked tentatevaly, afraid that he'd find her question too personal.

She fully expected him to brush her off, but to her surprise he answered after taking a deep breath. ''She's good friends with my step mother, and a dear colleague of my father's.''

''I see, your step mother, isn't she the second command of ANBU?'' Hana asked. As a kid, Hana used to have low self esteem. Partially because of the boys in her class saying that she must be a boy because she's fast and strong. Things only boys were supposed to be, or were supposed to be in their idiotic minds. Ever since then, she had a habit of researching strong women in Konoha's history, which led to her role model being the strongest kunoichi in the world, Sakura Uchiha.

''She is, she took the position after father died…'' he trailed off, and Hana took it as a cue to drop the subject.

''Come on Aki, Sarada-sensei says we have to go,'' she said, jumping up from her seat.

She waited until Akihiko stood up and then they got back towards their camping site, where they found Hotaru inspecting Sarada's twin swords.

He was staring at them with astonishment in his eyes, like a kid playing with a new toy. Hana would have normally scoffed at her brother's childish behaviour, but she's got to admit that they were beautiful swords, with their sharp silver edges and black and red handles.

Red… Hana didn't forget what Tsubaki revealed yesterday, ''Swords that have the blood of more than a thousand ninja.'' Hana knew by now that their sensei was a very dangerous person, not just from the bingo book they got yesterday, and not just by what Tsubaki has said or from her fight with Ksuzu. She figured she was dangerous from the look of terror some of the missing nin they were sent to capture got when they recognized her.

''You ready?'' Sarada's voice struck her out of her thoughts.

Hana looked towards where the voice came from, to see her standing next to Hotaru, who was swinging the swords left and right in a way Hana was sure would get him injured and not his imaginary opponent.

''Okay, that's enough action for you.'' Sarada said, grabbing the swords and giving them a twirl before she sheathed them.

''Come on now, there's a place straight ahead that makes the best pancakes,'' Sarada said a tinge of excitement in her voice.

Stars appeared in Hotaru's eyes after she mentioned the magic word.

''Yay pancakes!'' Hotaru shouted, before he started a conversation that lasted more than ten minutes about what toppings are the best as Akihiko and Hana sweatdropped the whole time.

The Crimson Falcon is fangirling over pancakes… Tsubaki thought, trying his best not to facepalm.

.

.

.

When they arrived in Ame after two days of travel, Sarada's whole demeanor changed, which alerted the three genin that something happened or is about to three genin and Tsubaki didn't dare open their mouths as they watched Sarada's back.

She suddenly stopped and turned around to face them. ''Listen guys, about ten minutes from here is where he'll face us,'' she said as she crouched down and dusted some dirt off the path, to reveal a hidden wooden door beneath all the mud. ''You will hide here with Tsubaki, your number one priority is to be safe. If something happens and you couldn't handle it , you just run straight through the path and you'll arrive where I am at.''

Sarada looked at them all for a second before speaking again. '' Akihiko,'' she said while she walked closer towards him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. ''You're the leader while I am gone.''

Akihiko looked up at her before nodding.

''But will you be alright on your own?'' Hana asked, reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of the woman's jacket.

Sarada smiled before speaking. ''Did you forget all the things you read in the bingo book you got your hands on?''

The three genin all gulped.

How did she find out?! Hotaru thought.

Sarada raised her hand and patted Hana's head. ''Don't worry about me Hana, just be safe.''

Hana looked up at Sarada, to notice for the first time that she has a faint scar near her right eye, close to her nose, like somebody was aiming to scratch her eye.

''Don't underestimate yourself Hotaru.'' Sarada told him, to which he nodded, a confident grin appearing on his face.

The brown haired boy had an inferiority complex, which is why he used to bully his classmates, now that he stopped being a bully, his low self esteem became apparent and with it came his low understanding of how much talent he has.

''You still got the Koteh?'' Sarada asked Tsubaki, who nodded in response.

''Alright then, I trust you guys with the protection of Tsubaki and I hope you complete your mission successfully.'' Sarada said.

''Hai!'' the three genin said before Sarada nodded and turned away from them, running towards where she was sure Ksuzu will meet her.

.

.

.

Sarada sat down near a wooden poll, waiting for him to show up. She could see the dead bodies on the ground without the help of her mangekyou, the rain mixing with their blood and washing it out into the dirt. The smell of death still lingered in her nostrils every time she even thought about this place.

The place where she spilled blood for the first time on her ANBU uniform, the place where her blades have met the throats of more than three hundred men and women, while the rest were killed by a chidori to the chest. That was a damn bloody battle...Sarada thought, remembering her bloody hands and swords. But how could it not be when The Crimson Falcon was born as a consequence of it?

Sarada took a deep breath, sensing her old comrades presence.

''Nice weather we're having, isn't it?'' a voice echoed around her.

''Is it?'' she asked, standing up.

''Is it, tell me, was it like this when the massacre happened? Or was your lust to kill too blinding for you to notice?''

Sarada merely scoffed at his taunting. A couple of years ago, those words would have sent her into a self destructive cycle, but now, she knows better.

''What? You're normally a shatter mouth during fights, you scared?'' he asked.

''It's a shame really,'' Sarada said, putting her hand on the hilts of her swords. ''I thought that I wouldn't have to spill more blood in this place again.'' She said, hands unsheathing her swords and mangekyou sharingan activated.

Ksuzu only smirked atpiralling tomoes. ''I'll make you spill your own blood here.'' He said, activating his steel release and summoning tw the sight of the six so giant swords before charging at the former ANBU captain.

[maidenariana]

Ari Beats the Gatekeepers Part 1 or.. Ari Knew She Was Right So She Went Around Those In Her Way

Unfortunately, due to the lack of clear guidelines and training in all levels of government regarding policy on transgender name and gender changes.. transgender people need to be prepared, they need to know more than 'the supervisor,' they need to be polite, but confident and assertive, and maybe someday, the gate-keeping will stop for all of us. Well, we can dream!

Today was a difficult day filled with aggravation and disappointment.. however, today was also a wonderful day topped off with a victory over red tape and a would be gatekeeper.

If you have been following my story long enough, you may remember I legally changed my name and updated my driver's license and social security card information in May of 2016. Well, I was also in the midst of my divorce during that time. I wanted to apply for a passport since I never had one before. I filled out the paperwork over the summer and set it aside. I wanted to be able to apply with the divorce date filled in so the records were accurate. I decided, "no rush, I can wait until my divorce is final." I did not anticipate it taking 11 months for my divorce to be final. It was not contentious.. my ex and I handled ourselves in the best manner possible in my opinion. Still, due to all of the built-in delays (30 days to respond here, 30 days to respond there) and some rather inept lawyer-ing from her representation.. it took 11 months! 

Guess when it was finally final? The irony.. it was Inauguration Day! That's right, I waited to send out my passport application due to that one little box not being able to show that I was legally divorced and in doing so, I am one of the transgender people now holding my breath to see if I sent it in time. In time for what, you ask? In time to be treated like a human being rather than be treated like a criminal by the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is now the white house.

Anyhow, one of my loved ones had to be admitted to the hospital on the 19th, just one day before my divorce was final.. this threw a new wrinkle in things as I took the needed time to care for my loved one. She had to be top priority. My passport application waited another two weeks for me. (My loved one is due to be released tomorrow - yay!!!)

Finally, yesterday I went into my local post office which is also an acceptance facility for passport applications. I asked the woman working the passport desk to take a new photo for me because the Walgreens employee made me look like a grandma in my first attempt at getting an acceptable picture. This woman had kind eyes and she was also very knowledgeable and patient. She went through all of the paperwork I brought... my physician's statement, my legal name change court order, my photocopy of my id.. then she paused.. 

"Is this the only birth certificate you have?" she asked. I said, "Yes, Why??" (as my heart began to sink)

"I'm sorry, but you need the long form and this is the short form. They will reject it immediately if your parent's names are not on the copy."

My heart sank as she told me I could get a copy the same day if I went to one of the Cook County Vital Records locations. I thanked her and decided I would just take the next day off (Friday) and take care of it. I double-checked the website when I got home and confirmed that the nice woman at the post office was correct. She had not given me bad information. I just missed that detail in my research. 

I started Friday morning at the dentist getting my newly prepared crown put in place of the temporary crown I got 3 weeks ago. Once that was complete, I was off to the Vital Statistics room of the Bridgeview Illinois Court House. Of course this involves going through a TSA like security (only not as invasive). They had the lines split for men and women. I of course went through the women's line. They were nice enough and there were no issues. I found the right room, took a number and waited. I got called up to a station and told the woman that I needed a long form birth certificate. I showed her the short form one that I had (with my original birth name), my court order for my name change, and my current license. She started punching things into the computer then went to get a supervisor. Of course, I could already tell this was not going smoothly, but I hoped the supervisor knew the drill and knew that everything I brought was more than sufficient to prove who I was. NOPE! She told me that there was no way they could issue me MY birth certificate since my driver's license now stated a different name. She said that I could be anybody. I had given her a stamped and sealed COURT ORDER for the name change and she told me she could not help me. 

I was so dumbfounded by the inept logic that I did not have the words to argue as she handed me a form to fill out and ship to Springfield Illinois so that I could have my birth certificate updated (a process that takes 4 to 6 weeks) BEFORE they could help me. Of course, as you can tell from the title of this post, I knew this supervisor was wrong. I decided then and there that I would visit each of the 5 other Cook County locations that day until I found a supervisor that knew the actual guidelines. Of course, because of the extended conversation about my gender and my name change with many people behind me waiting for their turn.. I had about 12 pairs of eyes looking quizzically at me when I turned around to leave. That's okay though, because I smiled at them all, knowing I was right and that this was not a true road block. I imagine I had a rather determined look on my face..

It turns out, I only had to visit one more location! That's right, after another twenty minutes of driving, the helpful people at the nearby Markham, IL location sorted me out in a matter of minutes (well, after I waited in line for about 25 minutes). The clerk did ask for a supervisor, but she returned just to tell me that I should make sure to also send the right form to Springfield, IL so that my birth certificate would match my ID in the future. I promised her that I would. I paid for two copies of my birth certificate and thanked the woman.

I glided out of there, feeling like I had just won a major victory. I knew I had enough time to get to the post office and still get my passport application out that very same day. I drove straight there (an hour drive back by that point). It was the same woman who had to turn me away the day before. I said cheerfully, "Hello again! I have the correct long form birth certificate, although I had to go to two different locations to get it!" I explained what had happened to her and she basically shook her head and lamented that it was sad I had to go through all that. She carefully went through all of my documents and told me that everything looked good and that I was all set. I paid for expedited processing and my passport application is now on an airplane.

I went home, filled out the form I was given to change my birth certificate and went back to the post office to get that sent out along with another physician's letter and legal name change court order. This should not impact my passport application, because with expedited processing it should be finished by the time they get to my birth certificate change in Springfield (a slower process by all accounts). If my passport gets rejected because the birth certificate I sent has my old name and the system gets updated and shows my birth certificate has changed.. then resubmitting will be fine and less complicated because my birth certificate will show the correct gender and they will have no reason to question it or to deny it. What a tangled web.

By this point it was late in the afternoon and I was elated to have all of that done, but I also had several stress knots in my neck. I looked across the street and saw one of the salons that I frequent. I decided to get a blow out (they also give you complimentary neck and shoulder massages). The girl doing my hair did a great job and had some suggestions for a cut as well. I plan to go back on Wednesday for a cut, but went with just the blowout for today.

The point of writing all of this out is that I hope it is helpful for anyone else dealing with this. Even if you have only one county court house you can visit, perhaps going on a different day and getting a different clerk will get you different results. It is unfortunately a toss of the dice every time we as transgender people have to deal with changes to identification documents. Be in the know, do your research, know more than the supervisors, be prepared to politely but assertively stand up for what you know to be the correct process. You could also even suggest that they call another location to ask how they handle it if they are unsure. 

I titled this post with "part 1," because I am fully aware, that there is a strong chance that either my passport application or birth certificate update request will be denied. As long as one of them comes back as expected, then I know the next attempt should be the last to get this all finalized. Of course, Mr. Drumpf could sign an executive order on Monday that calls all of this into question and both of my requests could be halted. If that happens I will immediately contact the lawyer who represented me for my divorce (she is also a transgender woman) and together we will take on the U.S. Government if we have to. 

I will keep standing up for myself and keep going to any lengths to make sure I am not denied. You should do the same 😉

-Ari

My goal in sharing my transition is to represent transgender people in the positive light that we all deserve. Re-blogs are always okay if they are for this purpose, but if you are a fetish blog or fetish website then I want nothing to do with you and you do not have my permission to use my images.

[calliecat93]

RvB16 Episode 11 Review: Sword Loser

Well guys, we’re edging into the final few episodes (IDK if it’s gonna end at the standard 19 or not at this point, but still) and the Reds and Blues are almost re-united. With everyone back int he present and Chrovous beginning to push his plans forward through Donut, what will happen next? Well let us find out.

Overview

Huggins is back at the Cosmic Powers planet, that I... think they later called pile? IDK. Anyways, Huggins approaches Atlus and the other Gods, ready to make her plea. To say that Atlus is unhappy that Huggins talked to the Reds and Blues instead of crushing them into dust would be an understatement. But hey, Golfing Guy is enjoying this! Huggins however reasons that they can’t hurt them, they don’t know what they’re doing, and that their best move is to negotiate with the three that she’s already brought with her. Atlus storms off to go think about it and to relieve some stress... which according to his wife,includes turning into a swan. I went to go look up if Zeus could do that... and he can. And that is all anyone needs to know...

Since he can’t turn into a swan, Atlus instead blasts at the moon as Kalirama goes to talk to him. She’s not exactly happy about their position either, especially since... you know, Goddess of Destruction and all. But she’s also Goddess of War and therefore thins that strategically, it’s best to go the negotiation route sine Huggins hasn’t rounded up all the Shisno yet. Atlus gets so angry that he blows up part of the moon... and if you’ve watched RWBY, we now who to blame for the moon’s state there. Jerk! Atlus takes a moment to cry... no seriously, he cries. But after it, he calms down an agrees to go through with it as he and his wife... have some alone time, if you know what I mean.

Meanwhile, the Grif SIbs and Tucker are waiting on some kind of island with Grif telling his sister about Doc betraying with... with vegan pizza. GOod to know that Grif has his priorities straight still. Huggins shows up, saying that all is good and that none of the Gods are conflicted about this whatsoever, but warns them to be on their best behavior. Atlus and his entourage show up... and Tucker nearly fucks everything up cause he’s still on his power trip. GI Tucker. But Atlus does try to be diplomatic and even lets Tucker grow giant size. Cause that’s what he needs! Fortunately Sister just asks why Atlus can’t shrink and Kalirama talks him into listening. So Tucker goes back to normal size, ha!

So the Cosmic Powers wants to see all of the Reds and Blues, but Grif tries to convince them to give them three wishes first. Which kudos to Grif cause trying to be reasonable with an authority figure has got to be killing him right now. Apparently Atlus doesn’t understand the concept of genies, but Kalirama explains it to him so Atlus agrees... too bad that Tucker negotiates it to just three and not three per person. Oh and what does Tucker want you may ask? Why a giant dong of course! Because Tucker! Also I guess that Atlus doesn’t understand Earth slang, so Muggins has to explain it to him. Did I mention that I love Atlus?

So this all ends with Grif pretty much getting annoyed at Tucker being Tucker, and makes the first wish himself. Does he wish pizza back into existence. Shockingly no. I assume that he does this because of Tucker being Tucker, but he wishes for of all things an energy sword! But longer! Tucker wishes it away, but Grif uses the final wish to get it back. Poor Sister didn’t get anything, bummer. So yeah... Grif has a sword now! Cool! So since the Cosmic Powers fulfilled their end of the bargain, then ll that’s left to do is have the Reds and Blues be reunited. And Huggins doesn't get to be tortured and even gets complimented for her work! Yay!

The three go... somewhere and as Grif plats with his new sword and uses every sword punt hat he can think of (which seeing him happy just makes me happy), Sister is clearly annoyed at Tucker. So much so that she goes into another time period for a few hours to let Tucker reflect. When she comes back... yeah that didn’t do anything. Sister reflects that after this, everyone will be together again and there won’t be anymore Sis and Tuc’s Sexcellent Adventure (easy to sneak in your episode titles Joe). Tucker is... perfectly fine with this. After all, Sister never seemed to care one way or another, just going and sleeping with random people. Never.. you know, him.

That... was the wrong thing to say. Big time. Sister decides fuck just being silently disappointed and gives Tucker one HELL of a verbal smackdown. She points out everything that Tucker has done so far: go mad with power as King of England, expect her to bow before him during it, frequently screwed up Sister’s sex attempts, and now fucked up the wishes all to try and make his penis larger (okay part of that was Grif’s fault, but at least his wasn’t about his own ego). She points out Tucker’s entire character, being so insecure about his own sex life and his own ego that he needs to try to have sex with any woman just to make it happier. He’s been nothing but a narcissistic egomaniac and is simply upset that Sister doesn’t want to band him. Shes a very sexually active person and loves being sexual, but Tucker? He only loves himself. And since he can’t see that despite having good qualities, Sister is finally fed up.

Sister walks off as Tucker is left completely frozen and without a rebuttal. Even Grif seems pretty surprised by his sister’s harshness... before rubbing it in with a sword pun and going off to have his fun. Yeah, I think Grif enjoyed that. So Tucker is left alone, still speechless, as the episode ends.

Review

I’m already seeing people saying that nothing happened this episode, and I’ll argue about that in a moment. But first, my thoughts... I liked it! It’s more filler-ish than the past couple, but as I said I’ll talk about that. But it was a funny episode, and we’re making some progress as we head for the endgame. The Reds and Blues are about to get back together, the Cosmic Powers are going to make some kind of move, and we have whatever Chrovous is going to have Donut do in play as well. I can say that this episode wasn’t what I was expecting, but that’s not a bad thing and we need these things to move forward. So I’m glad!

Speaking of the Cosmic Powers, I get that people feel that it’s out of place. I really do. And yes I would like mroe on an explanation about them and if not this season, I hope that Joe puts one in next season. But... honestly I’m having a ball with them. Like Atlus was set up as this serious figure... but it didn’t take long at ALL to show that Atlus may be powerful, but he’s also a dork. He enjoys violence, the thought of being diplomatic makes him cry, and he doesn't understand Earth slang at all. He is very much a fitting RvB character and I am enjoying the Hell out of him. Kalirama also calming him down, explaining things to him, and overall being a... pretty good wife despite being a Goddess of Death and wanting to go the violent route, but knowing it won’t help also makes her a really good character. They’re both super enjoyable. Heck, even Golfing Guy’s couple of lines and just enjoying all the chaos made me giggle. Look I get it, it’s bizarre and so different form the usual sci-fi, but IDK I’m just having a lot of fun with the God stuff. I tried to hate it, but... I just don’t. I don’t see why they make this season bad, but maybe I’m just too open minded. Point is, I am having fun and that’s what matters.

Onto the Grifs and Tucker now... ho boy. Hooooo boy. So not much to say about Grif in this one, but still it was nice that he was trying to be on his best behavior since Huggins asked him to. Also yeah him not wishing pizza into existence was kind of weird since we knwo how pissed that made him... but as I said, Tucker was being Tucker and Grif I think decided to hit him where it hurt.  I think he’s willing to delay pizza to make Tucker shut up for a little bit. Plus I can forgive it because Grif was HAPPY.  Like... genuinely HAPPY for the first time since Episode 2. Look, fate has been incredibly mean to the guy all because he wanted pizza and he deserves to be happy at least for an episode. Also I gotta wonder if Geoff was able to keep a straight face when Joe had him do a bunch of sword puns, or if he just cursed at having to do a bunch of puns. Bonus points if he blamed Barbara even though she’s not a writer. She’d take it!

That leaves us with Tucker and Sister and... man, where do I start? So... I did not expect that. At all. I mean I’m glad it happened, but I definitely didn’t see it coming. But let me talk about Sister. SO... I’m going to be honest, I did not care about Sister whatsoever before this season. In BGC, she had been utterly pointless as far as I was concerned. I mean her personality fit and it was nice to see Grif actually show that he could care about someone, but being added at pretty much the last second and not being used in over ten seasons means that Sister didn’t get much focus or anything to do. I guess the reason she can be now is because Becca actually works at Rooster Teeth full-time now , but still it meant that while I thought she was an okay character, I didn’t care about her either.

This season had my opinion do a complete 180. Joe has done an excellent job giving Sister more depth. Like Sister is very sexually active, and that’s fine. But we see that she can be smart, has more common sense than at least Tucker, is a sociable person, and I believe that Sister is RT’s first officially bisexual character. And I am super glad that Sister isn’t demonized or shown to be, well... slutty because she’s a sexual person. While I am the kind of person who believes in having sex with someone you have a commitment to, that it only me and my own personal preference. I think that as long as everything is consensual and you aren't cheating on/hurting someone, you are free to do whatever you want with your sex life. While Sister mentioned screwing with someone married to the head of HR, I assume that she wasn’t aware of that and she said that she needed time away from that, so at most I can say have her learn to be mroe careful, but the point is Sister is allowed to be sexual and it isn’t made a bad thing.

The reason that it’s a bad thing with Tucker is because of his ego and how incapable he is of handling rejection. For years, Tucker has always been obsessed with sex and picking up women. He seems to realize that there is some kind of issue with it, but only it how it affects him. Like he got served a class action law suit and felt bad because he now owes child support, not int hat he left a bunch of kids fatherless. This whole season he’s been pursuing Sister, and she has flat out rejected him or he screwed it up whenever it looked like she was reconsidering. When Sister tried to have sex with others, he ruined it for her. Then he becomes King of England and goes on a power trip all because Sister still passed him over. Then with the wishes, and why Sister isn’t upset at her brother, Tucker kept trying to get a larger dick. Again, only caring about inflating his own ego. To put it simply, when Tucker doesn't have to be a leader or worry about anything serious, this is what he reverts to and what he’s been since the series began: a narcissistic egomaniac who is so insecure and so bad with women that he just acts more and more like an asshole and keeps trying to inflate that ego.

I am going to be honest, I NEVER thought that RvB would bring attention to this. I mean I never took it seriously and while I could certainly understand others finding Tucker’s behavior problematic, it’s a comedy so I always took it as such. IDK if they’re addressing it because Joe saw an opportunity, people pointing it out and Joe deciding to do something with it, or if someone just realized that in the current climate it wasn’t alt hat funny anymore. But I am glad to see this direction. One, it helps give Sister more depth and show her as more than just a one-note party girl-like character. She’s smart, insightful, and has good social and judgement despite how she seems on the surface. It’s also, for the first time in sixteen years, pointing out Tucker’s biggest character flaw and why it is a bad thing. This is why I get pissed when these kinds of episode get slammed as ‘nothing happening’. Yes, ti did. It is called character development. Sorry it isn’t with the Freelancers, but it is what it is. Everyone is free to have their opinion, but here’s mine down below.

Final Thoughts

I loved this episode. I loved the character focus and development with Sister and Tucker because I feel that it was sorely needed. I liked the comedy with the Cosmic Gods and Grif just having a blast with the sword. And yes, I love this season. It’s bizarre, nonsensical, and yeah it has some pacing issues. But it’s fun. It has plenty of character stuff, but it’s overall just fun. I’m pretty positive that this season is like 7 and 11, it’s a setup for next season. But before then, Joe is just letting the season be funny while keeping in the character stuff. I like that. I like that he’s letting us have fun. We’ll see how this all ends, but for now I really enjoyed this episode and I’m going to keep watching to the very end.