#clover is. ANGRY !!@@ AND SPITEFUL!

[cheeseinthesea]

"Wow this art is so good it looks just like ai" what if I boil you alive

[a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten]

Why Ceroba and the Feisty Four were right

Not bothering with any fancy opening, it's exactly what it says it is: Ceroba and the Feisty Four were right to call out Starlo.

Now before you crucify me, I love Starlo as a character. But I'm tired of people (not calling out anyone in particular) pretending that he's done absolutely nothing wrong and demonize Ceroba and the Feisty Four for snapping at him (largely Ceroba, but I see the Feisty Four get shat on every now and then). And this is not me calling Starlo a jerk. Typically, calling him a flat-out jerk would mean he did shit on purpose with malicious intent, and I don't think he acted out of spite. Rather, he did all those things because he just didn't think about it in the moment. I understand that, and I can 110% relate to that myself, honestly.

That being said, he did make some legit dick moves over the course of the game. Exhibit A: Having Moray walk around with a snake in their boot and giving them rashes.

IK some of Starlo's more wild fans would probably do anything he says and all that, but put yourself in Moray's shoes (or boots I guess would be more appropriate). If your friend made you walk around with a rubber toy in your footwear that gave you a nasty rash, I think you'd be reasonable at least a bit angry at them.

Exhibit B: The Boulder Droppers

They're literal goddam boulders. That shit could've killed someone. Setting them up at a busy mineshaft is reckless enough as it is but leaving them on after you're done using them just makes things even worse.

Exhibit C: Blaming Clover for everything that happened and shooting them over it.

What am I supposed to say? If you hate Ceroba for what she did to Kanako and Clover, keep in mind that Starlo basically did the same exact thing.

Again, this is not me calling Starlo an asshole overall. Yes, he is a good monster deep down and just made some legit mistakes. But my point is, he does have flaws nonetheless and I can't stand people who ignore them. Like, him accepting what he did was wrong and coming to terms with that is one of the best parts of his character! C'mon guys.

And yes, people treat Ceroba as a horrible friend because she wasn't into it and apparently 'hates that part of Starlo' or whatever. If Ceroba actually hated Starlo's obsession with Western culture, do you think she'd indulge in his ramblings on humans?

...or helped him set up all of those wanted posters for him?

...or helping his family search for him when he 'goes missing' during a neutral run?

*sarcastically* Wooooooow, what a horrible friend...

Yes, I understand Ceroba is a very blunt and sarcastic person, but I think because of that, she ends up coming off as harsher than she means to be. Trust me, I can relate to that.

To call her a heartless bitch is a disservice to her character. She does care deep down, even if she isn't that good at showing it.

And hey, she's a mourning widow and mother, I wouldn't blame her for not being good at showing positive emotions.

As for the Feisty Five, our favorite enby fish puts it best themself:

My point is, despite snapping at him, Ceroba and the Feisty Four did not hate Starlo. They understood that his obsession over Western Culture was really important with him. It's made clear that they know he's a good monster deep down, despite his transgressions and were very ready to forgive him.

They just wanted him to dial it back. And yeah, he needed to. Granted, this is targeted at the 'Starlo did nothing wrong' crowd. If you admit that he's pretty heavily flawed but that Ceroba's done worse, I can accept that. Hell, despite me being a Ceroba apologist, I might even agree with you to a degree. But I am a bit tired of the fandom putting him on a pedestal while overhating everyone who remotely criticizes him.

[metaknightcorp]

HELLO HI I LIKE YOUR HOW TO BEFRIEND A NODDY GUIDE, I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT MORPHO AND MARX'S RELATIONSHIP PLSSS ITS SO INTERESTING

Ohoho little did you know that I am the world's first Marxpho knight shipper GET READY IMMA BOUT TO SCREECH MY AU TO HELL AND BACK

First, we gotta know about who the two death sentences in my au are lol

So first we've got Marx, a noddy (technically demi-god) who inadvertently killed all of the star warriors while he was asleep (they were fighting over him with the dark matter). Marx is basically living a repeat of Kirby, but getting into detail about that would be a spoiler. He's a silly guy that likes food, but doesn't like sleeping because he's scared he won't wake up.

Morpho, on the other hand, is a grim reaper who has a burning hatred of Kirby due to a misunderstanding. She got the job to go after him. Morpho's really spiteful and angry most of the time, but when she calms down she's bubbly and curious (and autistic lol).

After Morpho meets Marx (and inadvertently waking up the entire noddy species), she lets him go and the two don't encounter each other again until the first movie of my au, when Kirby tries to recruit Morpho to track down the big bad. She initially refuses and tries to kill the pink blob, but since Marx had snuck out after Kirby, he had jumped out and got in the way, and his presence ends up convincing Morpho to come along because of her interest in him.

Over the course of the rest of the movie, Marx and Morpho get to know each other better, playing silly pranks on Daroach, eating Galaxia's food and generally chatting. Morpho ends up with a crush on Marx, but she still can't understand why he trusts Kirby. At the end of the first movie, Marx ends up getting put into a coma and Morpho refuses to leave his side the whole time throughout the second movie, even nearly getting herself killed protecting him when the antagonist of the third movie kidnaps the comatose noddy at the end of the second movie.

During the third movie, Morpho ends up forcing Kirby to come with her to get Marx back. During the adventure Kirby informs Morpho about how Marx tried to take over the world, but she doesn't believe him until they find Marx, wake him up, and he confirms it himself. Morpho feels betrayed and runs off to not be seen in the rest of the movie, but they make up in the fourth movie.

During the anime portion of my au, Morpho and Marx officially start dating. It goes great... Until Morpho accidentally uses a multiplication spell on Marx and ends up creating three infant clones of him with weird variations in their DNA. There's a green baby with heavily amplified powers, Clover, a yellow baby that's a girl, Sunny, and a blue baby that almost died first thing, Storm. Morpho feels really bad about the whole incident since it also almost killed Marx too, but everyone's gotten better by the time the fifth movie rolls around.

There's one last detail about them that's important, buuuut it's spoilers lol

[taliesin-the-bored]

“The Elder Knight” by Dorothy L. Sayers

Note: the speaker is Galahad; the elder knight is Lancelot. This poem is one of my favorites. It’s unusual in that its version of Galahad is really, really spiteful, and the ending is unforgettable.   I.

I have met you foot to foot, I have fought you face to face,

I have held my own against you and lost no inch of place,

    And you shall never see

    How you have broken me.

You sheathed your sword in the dawn, and you smiled with careless eyes,

Saying "Merrily struck, my son, I think you may have your prize."

    Nor saw how each hard breath

    Was painfully snatched from death.

I held my head like a rock; I offered to joust again,

Though I shook, and my palsied hand could hardly cling to the rein;

    Did you curse my insolence

    And over-confidence?

You have ridden, lusty and fresh, to the morrow's tournament;

I am buffeted, beaten, sick at the heart and spent.—

    Yet, as God my speed be

    I will fight you again if need be.

               II.

A white cloud running under the moon

   And three stars over the poplar-trees,

Night deepens into her lambent noon;

   God holds the world between His knees;

Yesterday it was washed with the rain,

But now it is clean and clear again.

Your hands were strong to buffet me,

   But, when my plume was in the dust,

Most kind for comfort verily;

   Success rides blown with restless lust;

Herein is all the peace of heaven:

To know we have failed and are forgiven.

The brown, rain-scented garden beds

   Are waiting for the next year's roses;

The poplars wag mysterious heads,

   For the pleasant secret each discloses

To his neighbour, makes them nod, and nod—

So safe is the world on the knees of God.

             III.

I have the road before me; never again

   Will I be angry at the practised thrust

That flicked my fingers from the lordly rein

   To scratch and scrabble among the rolling dust.

I never will be angry — though your spear

   Bit through the pauldron, shattered the camail,

Before I crossed a steed, through many a year

   Battle on battle taught you how to fail.

Can you remember how the morning star

   Winked through the chapel window, when the day

Called you from vigil to delights of war

   With such loud jollity, you could not pray?

Pray now, Lord Lancelot; your hands are hard

   With the rough hilts; great power is in your eyes,

Great confidence; you are not newly scarred,

   And conquer gravely now without surprise.

Pray now, my master; you have still the joy

   Of work done perfectly; remember not

The dizzying bliss that smote you when, a boy,

   You faced some better man, Lord Lancelot.

Pray now — and look not on my radiant face,

   Breaking victorious from the bloody grips—

Too young to speak in quiet prayer or praise

   For the strong laughter bubbling to my lips.

Angry? because I scarce know how to stand,

   Gasping and reeling against the gates of death,

While, with the shaft yet whole within your hand,

   You smile at me with undisordered breath?

Not I — not I that have the dawn and dew,

   Wind, and the golden shore, and silver foam —

I that here pass and bid good-bye to you —

   For I ride forward — you are going home.

Truly I am your debtor for this hour

   Of rough and tumble — debtor for some good tricks

Of tourney-craft; — yet see how, flower on flower,

   The hedgerows blossom! How the perfumes mix

Of field and forest! — I must hasten on —

   The clover scent blows like a flag unfurled;

When you are dead, or aged and alone,

   I shall be foremost knight in all the world —

My world, not yours, beneath the morning's gold,

   My hazardous world, where skies and seas are blue;

Here is my hand. Maybe, when I am old,

   I shall remember you, and pray for you.

[oddly-oc]

Wip oc lore: Cain (part 1)

Probably my most fleshed out character due to them being my current favorite, you may have noticed from me drawing them non stop. Starting with the general personality I'd imagine them as very, theatric, very caring and overall a bit of a caretaker character. They will try anything at least once, and value personal growth above all else.

Tw: Child abuse

Cains was born from a blue rose, taking the shape of a child no older than nine. Their skin was as black as space and stars at their joints, They woke with their eyes towards the sky and a single purpose, help people sleep.

So that was what they did, using magic stardust they would help their fellow fairies sleep as well as their caretaker clover. She was a different fae being far bigger than them, resembling a willow tree.

The beginning of the end was possibly when a new king was crowned, Virgil Goodwin. He was a renowned wizard for his heroic defeat of a giant bat like beast. Virgil was pale and and terribly sad the day he was crowned, and unfortunately recently windowed.

The king did not fancy the idea of marrying again and so went out to grab his own child, he picked Cain from his back garden. Virgil thought it would be a valiant effort to unite fairies and humans through their new prince, to that end he stole the fairies wings and so Cain grew to the size of a normal boy.

Cain did not like his new father, he was barely around and when he was he was angry. Unable to let himself mourn he took it out on anyone around, Cain's Nana however was kind, though an orc she raised Cain as her own for quite a few years. For a time she even convinced Virgil to let her handle the discipline.

Though the more she treated the child with care and the more Cain seemed to pull away from Virgil, the less the king liked the arrangement. Unfortunately there was nobody else, his advisor Finnegan fled the moment babysitting was mentioned and nobody else seemed up for it for fear of the kings tempor.

Especially considering how powerfully the boy lashes out even with restricted magic, so Virgil tried to connect. Unfortunately this only led to a worse relationship, as Virgil didn't see Cain for what he was only for what he could be. So Virgil did something truly terrible to a child who was supposed to remain young forever, he made Cain grow up. Cain lost two of his arms and his antenna in the process, and his nanna had been let go.

Cain threw himself into rebellion more than before much to Virgil's dismay, he was involved in relationships with people he knew his father wouldn't approve of just to make him angry. He got piercings, and dressed as informally as he could for meetings, and so Finnegan the Royal advisor was set to watch the man.

In his twenties him and Finnegan formed a complicated relationship, one of deals and secrets. Finnegan drank Cains blood in exchange for letting him sneak around, though this did not protect Cain in the event he got caught.

In the event Cain was caught, he was sent to the dungeons. In the dungeons his father would use whatever to make the lesson stick, but it never worked. Glass, hot iron, knives or fists, it was as though the only thing the man loved for was to spite his captor and so he did.

Despite Cains immense pain and terrible emotional state, he took great joy in seeing his father annoyed. It was a small victory in the face of hopelessness, as this happened his father became more distant. Not just because it wasn't worth the effort, but because the king was dying.

He keto it well hidden, hidden enough Cain didn't notice but he was coughing up blood and was quite done with his child's attitude. So when Cain rejected his arranged marriage, Virgil did something impulsive. He cast a curse, and so Cain lost most everything beautiful he loved about himself. His starry skin was now a mundane brown like a human, his hair was kissed with grey and his skin ruined by wrinkles.

Cain hated this, enough he would do anything to leave the palace. He wanted to go home, so he made a deal with an ancient being. Old enough she'd seen the beginnings of human kind, the red lady.

He promised to care for her children in exchange for shelter, and clung to her for physical comforts. He eventually found his old family...but they didn't recognize him, he no longer resembled himself. Their Cain was a child and they were an adult and so Cain was alone, with nobody but the red lady.

(I don't wanna make this too long so gonna post a part two later)

[petracozbi]

Sorry, I've kinda been spam-liking your blog, I hope it wasn't a bother! I rly like your trollsart, specially your oc, Clover’s dad(?), I was wondering what the lore behind the character(s) is, if you have any?👀

Oh wow, thanks a lot! It’s really no bother at all!

I’m just happy someone can get some enjoyment out of my art, none the less my ocs. I never actually expected anyone to be interested in their lore, so I haven’t written it down, but I can give you the basic gist of it (:

Also, I’m assuming you’re referring to the troll with the messed up ear from this post, feel free to message me if I’m wrong:

Yes, the troll that (I’m pretty sure) you’re referring to, is Clover’s -as well as Trevor’s (“adopted”) dad - I’m putting “adopted” in quotation ‘cuz Trevor just kind of got brought along after Clover found his egg

The lore for Clover’s dad isn’t as throughout as Clover’s and Trevor’s, and I first and foremost created him as a plot device to add a little more angst to Clover’s and Trevor’s backstory (although Trevor doesn’t remember much)

Clover’s dad is a metal/dad-rock troll (I haven’t decided fully yet), who played in a band in his youth, when he met Clover’s mother, a pop-trolls, who ran away in an act of late-teenage rebellion to spite her controlling parents. They immediately became smitten with each other, after Clover’s mom approach him after a show one night, and they hit it off.

They started dating, and Clover’s mom hit the road with Clover’s dad and his band. They had a ‘good’ few years, that was basically one long bender; but one day, Clover’s egg appears in the hair of Clover’s mom. Clover’s dad is ecstatic, mind you he’s deeply in love with Clover’s mom, and the thought of starting a family with her seemed great to him. Clover’s mom, not so much..

All she wanted was freedom, she never wanted children, and the egg appeared in her hair, so she couldn’t even run for it.

Basically it goes downhill from there; Clover’s mom starts distancing herself more and more from both Clover’s dad and Clover, she becomes miserable to be around, constantly start fights over little things, etc. At first, Clover’s dad assume it’s a side effect of carrying the egg, and when Clover first hatches, it almost seems she’s gotten better, but that was only until she lost interest in Clover, like a kid loosing interest in a toy..

Clover’s dad tried his best, but there was no getting through to her (there never had been, but he’d been blinded by love, and he still is). Even worse is when Clover’s mom start blaming Clover’s dad and his music, saying he stole her freedom, and calling him horrible names on a daily basis, all the while he just sits and takes it.

I should mention the band is long gone by this point; Clover’s mom wanted them out, so ofc Clover’s dad, blinded by love, obliged. She also starts making more and more demands, one of them being, he can no longer sing his “horrid and violent music”. It of course doesn’t take long for Clover’s dad to turn gray, but despite this, he still stays with her.

Wish I could say Clover’s mom was as dedicated, but she leaves not long after Trevor’s egg hatches. This sends him into a total spiral, and he accidentally ends up neglecting Clover and Trevor to the point, where Clover runs away with Trevor.

That’s all I got so far, hope it wasn’t too much information, I guess I got a little excited to share about oc😅

Thanks for the ask!

[i-hope-youre-hopeful]

Steady Heart

I don’t even know what I want to write. I don’t want to write much, because I’m afraid of going to sleep too late. Still, I didn’t wake up until like 7:00pm, so. There’s that.

I was watching old dances. I love watching them but I hate it. It makes me miss it terribly. Dance used to be the best time of the year. Eventually it became my only hiding place. I don’t have it anymore, much like I don’t have most things from my past anymore. That’s okay. I just miss everything and I’m scared of losing more. I will just have to find another place to feel Your presence.

I have steady heart stuck in my head. Father, please steady my heart and keep it on the right path. Keep it leading me toward you. Keep it grounded in spite of everything. Keep it resilient. Keep it soft. Keep it as Yours. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the One I love. Here’s my heart, Lord. Hold it close. Slow my heartbeat. Quiet the fear and the confusion and the loudness. Tune my heart to sing your praises. Steady my heart.

Please help us get rest tonight. Please help us to get done what is needed tomorrow and this weekend. Please give me strength to do what I ought to, even if it’s hard. Please help me see my loved ones soon if possible.

I feel ever more trapped in my family dynamic. I feel constant fear that I was wrong, and almost even more fear that I am right. I am so frustrated and tired of fighting. I hate it. I’m angry. I’m always angry. Unfortunately it doesn’t really matter. I just wish my family would grow up I guess. I don’t know.

As I approach the one year anniversary of dating my boyfriend I am struck by relief and anxiety. Relief because I don’t feel like I did a year ago, and anxiety because I am ever more afraid that I am making the wrong choice. I resent that God brought me up with very specific rules on who to look for and then handed me a man who was none of those things. What was I supposed to do? Am I wrong? Nothing has gone wrong, I’m happy and he’s happy and there isn’t any issue that I’m aware of. But I just find it so hard to believe that that’s sustainable given his background and my history. He is nothing like what I thought a future husband would be like. Maybe I just pictured a grownup and I haven’t become a grownup yet myself. Maybe it’ll all work out fine and we’ll be together forever. I want that. I really do. I’m just scared. I do love him. I’m just scared. Ever scared. I’m sorry I’m always scared Lord. It is not you who I doubt. It is me.

I don’t believe in myself like I used to. I used to be special. I used to have feelings and prophecies and messages for people, but more and more I felt them contrived and I felt myself less and less set apart and I felt further and further away. I feel like I’m too sinful now, too grown up, too smart and not wise enough. I don’t find clovers like I used to. I know it’s small, but I felt it was a little bit of magic inside me that led me to them and I feel like I gave that magic up. I’m sorry if I did. I’m sorry if I’m overthinking it. I hope I’m not doing too wrong. Maybe I’m just growing up the way I’m supposed to. I hope i do right, whatever right is. I think too much. I think every action I take is catastrophically important. I need to rest.

I don’t feel any better, but I do. It’s complicated.

Here’s my heart Lord, as much of it as I can give tonight. Please be patient with me. Steady my heart.

[froqpi-art]

blushy nozel cuz silvas are just like that 

[megashadowdragon]

on the aceops defeat

The Ace Ops' defeat at the hands of RWBY and Qrow seems out of place since they are obviously better fighters, but is in a fact a beautiful representation of an Aesop. An Aesop is a story that warns us of a moral that is important to follow; even the best can fall if they aren’t careful. The Ace Ops did themselves in by ignoring the very lessons they represented, while Team RWBY succeed by heeding those same lessons:

Harriet is based on the titular hare from “The Tortoise and the Hare”, an Aesop about how overconfidence will cause you to fall behind and ultimately fail. Harriet’s pride in her skills riles up her competitive nature when Ruby provokes her at the start of the fight by insulting her, and she refuses to listen to the latter’s pleas due to said pride. Harriet's ego causes her to focus on fighting Ruby exclusively, the girl who innocently compared the speed of her Semblance to Harriet's all of once, ignoring her team in the other room and not supporting them at all; as established in previous encounters, her role in the Ace Ops is to plug gaps in their defence and give them openings through rapid attacks, and her absence leaves them vulnerable. As Harriet becomes more impatient and angry, she becomes sloppier (missing attack openings, letting Ruby escape her grip). Finally, when she becomes hyper-focused on taking down Ruby, she fails to notice Weiss who creates a thick wall of ice for Harriet to run into at full force, knocking her out. Ruby is fully aware she might fail in this fight, but in spite of her obvious fear of fighting the more experienced Huntress, she stays focused and rolls with the punches until Harriet goes down.

Elm and Vine are based on “The Elm and the Vine”, a story about the importance of cooperation in marriage/partnership. During the fight, Elm lets her anger get the best of her, openly declares she's aiming to kill, and ignores Vine’s attempts to only subdue their opponents. Likewise, Vine refuses to go along with Elm’s desire to use lethal force that's contrary to their orders. This destroys their teamwork and causes them to barely help each other at all, and against Blake and Yang whose synchrony is unparalleled, this is bad news. This disadvantage becomes most apparent when the two girls subdue Vine, leaving Elm completely shocked and alone, and allows Blake and Yang to take her down within seconds. Marrow is based on “The Dog and its Reflection”, which warns the reader that if you covet everything, you lose what you have. Marrow is the most conflicted of the Ace Ops, completely loyal to General Ironwood but genuinely wants to cooperate with Team RWBY. By trying to simultaneously fight Weiss but also talk her down, he leaves several openings for her to attack. Even his Semblance reflects this: he can only freeze targets in one direction at a time, but he can’t stop more than one fighter if his opponents aren’t grouped close together. When he tries to freeze the Armas Gigas, he releases Weiss and she’s able to knock him out. He wanted to covet both his loyalty and his relationship to his new allies, and it led to his defeat. Weiss completely ignores his pleas (return to Ironwood's custody and cast in her lot with Atlas) because she is fighting for what she has, and refuses to betray her team for anything.

Clover is based on “A Fisherman’s Good Luck”, a tale saying that the best luck comes from being patient. Clover immediately prioritizes his newest orders of arresting Qrow in mid-flight back to base, ignoring both Qrow’s offer to peacefully discuss the sudden changes with Ironwood and that he’s supposed to be transporting the deranged serial killer Tyrian to Atlas. This impatience forces Qrow to defend himself and gives Tyrian an opening to crash the plane, and then Clover continues to irrationally focus on incapacitating Qrow first instead of Tyrian in their Mêlée à Trois. The situation resulting from his impatience puts Clover in the unluckiest situation possible: Qrow being forced to pull an Enemy Mine with Tyrian, breaking the Ace Ops leader’s Aura and allowing for Tyrian to stab him in the back, leading to his death. While the outcome is definitely not in Qrow's favor, he at least tries to de-escalate the situation in spite of Clover effectively betraying his trust, spending most of the ensuing fight trying to talk Clover down, and is set to patiently keep trying (until Tyrian took the chance away). He at least walks away from the fight due to that patience.

[convoy914]

I am NOT going to stop being critical of the execution of Penny’s second death. I see your arguments, (neurodivergent, I should add) people on Twitter, and you’re free to view it that way, it’s fine to interpret it differently, but I do not. Again I feel like if it was literally any other character it would have worked out FAR better. As it was, it was a waste of a character and they could have handled it a lot better IMO.

I am ALSO not going to be fucking stupid about the rest of it, however. Poorly executed as the context was, it’s STILL important and I’m not just gonna ignore that because I want to be irrational angry at characters that aren’t Cinder. I GET feeling close to Penny and you’re not wrong to, but you’re not Penny, y’know? In spite of that massive misstep, one of the worst the show has ever made, Volume 8 is STILL the best Volume thus far and I’m eagerly anticipating Volume 9.

I may be critical of that moment, and I won’t stop cause IN THE MOMENT it was just awful, but I’m not going to start acting like the people I’ve hated for YEARS because of this. Especially after last year, I refuse to fall into that pit like so many other have. I’m not going to INVENT problems with the rest of the Volume based on willfully inaccurate interpretations of what happened. I’m gonna be critical but proportionate and I’m not gonna contradict my own points because I want to be irrationally angry at Jaune or Harriet or whoever. I‘ve been here SO long, I know how easy it is to fall into that pit and I refuse to do so myself. I won’t

In conclusion, it is correct to criticize Penny’s second death. But the lengths some people have gone to are the exact same RW/DE style arguments I saw after Pyrrha, and Clover. And I can’t get behind THAT either. You can try and argue how it’s different this time, but I’ve gone over it in my head, and, uh, no. It really isn’t. It is in fact possible to hold BOTH these opinions simultaneously, as I’ve been saying for MONTHS now. I’m so tired. Don’t attack people for any of this tho, I’m trying to EXPLAIN the patterns I’m seeing, not attack people. But then if people are THIS determined to be Like This…would it work? Eh, here’s an attempt anyways

[shelli-gator]

I was wondering if you had any general Ted headcannons. I'm not looking for anything specific, just more Ted stuff.

Sure! :D I have a few Ted headcanons! Let's get this bread!

- I hc that Ted's mom was a lovely and rather timid female, with a firmer military man husband. Ted's mom was naturally one of Julien and Maurice's care takers, so Ted sometimes got to see them and hang out with them when they were little.

-Despite his fathers disapproval, Ted's mom encouraged him in all his drama classes and theater performances. His father didn't see that as fitting for the son of a military man, but he was away from home too often to take much of a role in Ted's rather soft and gentle upbringing. He still craved his father's approval however, and after his father dies when he's still quite young Ted would later end up pursuing a military career himself, as if he might still be able to take some of that approval he never got by pursuing a career his father would have wanted for him. At the same time, he still acts, because that's really where his heart lies.

- He was always the most well liked boy in lemur school. Handsome and friendly, the ladies fawned over him, and most of the lads liked him well enough. He was the sort to eagerly help them with homework, and frequently brought treats to class.

-He always admired Julien, and often assisted him with homework and the like. It was by his insistence that everyone let Julien win at everything. Everyone likes Ted, so they listened to him. Whether it was out of admiration for Julien, or simply trying to amicable with the spoilt prince, I'm not sure. Probably a mix of both.

-In spite of Ted's efforts, his peers still voted him as prom king over Julien, regardless of what he told them to do. This was still painful for him however, because he knew he had to give it up to Julien no matter how much it hurt him.

-His main subjects were English, drama, art, and home ec (baking and the like). He also did biology and math, but he wasn't super great at those subjects.

- His best friend is Dorothy, and she took a lot of the same classes as him. Otherwise he would hang out with anyone really. He was on good terms with Willie, Horst and Pancho, and he often tried to hang out with and get closer to Julien and Maurice. He had a lot more success than Karl, though Julien would use his friendship to get his homework done, run errands for him, or otherwise dress him up/listen to his stories with little reciprocation on his part. Julien doesn't remember much of that up until the Prom episode, but after that he's sorry he took him for granted.

- Some of Ted's favorite colours are shades of cyan and magenta, two colors that look spectacular with sparkles. (Maybe that's why he liked the way Crimson looks? And why Horst painted him and Julien in cyan and magenta swimwear)

- Ted loves to wear women's clothing. He and Julien steal a bunch of goodies from one of the local resort gift shops, and Ted looks very fetching in a pink flower pattern sirong and white bikini/one piece swimsuit. He also loves sunhats, and they're great for keeping the summer sun at bay at their many beach parties.

- Ted is one of the kingdom's best dancers besides Julien, along with Willie. He knows many different types of dance styles, and he throws all of himself into his routines as a form of expression.

- He and Dorothy are big into crafts and the like. Dorothy makes their own soaps, conditioners and the like, and Ted l o v e s them. He helps her out with choosing ingredients, and they sell them/gift them to people. Thought most lemurs tend to prefer their own natural musk, Julien loves their conditioners to help keep his fur silky.

- With that said, Ted's prefered scent is Madagascar Vanilla.

-Ted's biggest fear is being unloved and alone. He's always been liked by everyone, but he longed for a male mate. But when Julien snubbed him before their prom, and took his crown for good measure, Ted was terrified of forever being alone.

-He then hooks up with Dorothy, his best friend, thinking this is how he'll have his perfect life and marriage, and it will make the pain and loneliness go away. It doesn't, and he keeps trying to fake it till he makes it.

-Ted is a romantic, and longs to have a secret admirer. He was enamored with the idea of Zora's secret lover, and very much wishes a man would write him letters or show his admiration/affection towards him. He loves the idea of being wooed, and would adore any attempts of such no matter how clumsy they may be.

-When pushed far enough, he's an excellent and often ruthless fighter, especially when he needs to protect his friends. Violence can sometimes leave him shaken though, especially if he gets seriously angry.

- After AHKJ, Ted starts working with Pancho as his Captain of the Ringtail Guard. They often play Good Cop/Bad Cop with perps, switching rolls on the fly to psyche out whoever is unfortunate enough to be interrogated by them. Though Pancho has a lot less tolerance for his fear tinkling than Clover did, and sometimes they can be at odds over some of Pancho's more wild/reckless schemes. Fortunately for him, Pancho is open to criticism and input, even as his superior.

-Ted has a rather broad range of music, and we already know he loves euro techno. Maybe he would like this genre of music, but I think about him the most to songs by Autoheart (they're an LGBTQ band too!). "Moscow', 'Anniversary' feel very Ted, and I use them for whatever ship he's in. They're bouncy and great for dancing, especially Anniversary.

"It's not hard, with you I have an alibi, you don't care the reason why I misapply. All I need is a fraction of your happy heart, all I need is you. And beauty's in the eye of the beholder, you have lips that permanently smolder! When in Moscow I just wanna fold you up and keep you warm."

"Now come here baby, come a little closer. You'll write words, and I can be composer. Let's get a dog, an Irish Red Setter, it's all we need to get better! It feels good to not be with a wannabe, I am free whenever you're in front of me. All I need is a fraction of your happy heart, all I need is you."

Edit: Just thought of another one! It seems like Ted is taller than most of the other lemurs when he's standing up straight. What if he makes himself shorter to be less intimidating to other leems, especially males as he wants to be the more submissive one of the two. And his smiling face and friendly demeanor makes him easily non-threatening.

That's a few of my headcanons for him. :D thanks for the Ted ask! I love this beautiful man!

[realitycheckmyart]

I have never been so angry at unnecessarily sexy character designs in a video game. They were secret agents in a puzzle thriller game, for goodness sake.

I recently had the pleasure of playing an old game called Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward. It was the second installment of the Zero Escape series and was a sequel to 999. I had previously played 999 as a teen, and then again as an adult. So I thought to give Virtue a go. The Zero Escape series is a puzzle thriller where through sheer wits and intellect, nine characters try to survive a deadly game of life and death. Overall, I had about 77 hours of fun playing Virtue. The story was a bit crazy but the puzzles were pretty good.

Unfortunately, two of the character designs were pretty sexist. Everyone else had suitable and practical outfits (including three other ladies in the cast, one of whom is not shown in the line-up below). But these two ladies were given the short end of the character design stick.

Meet Alice (dark skinned lady) and Clover (pink girl). They are highly trained secret agents who are currently hunting down a terrorist organisation. Alice is a math genius who can do astronomical equations in her head. Clover is a new recruit with supernatural telepathic abilities. For some reason the character designers thought they should look like eye-candy strippers instead of, you know, secret agents. And no, they weren’t undercover at a super sexy nightclub if you were wondering.

Normally I would give these character designs an eye roll and forget about it. But unfortunately for me, I had spent about 77 hours with them. After all that I had more than enough spite to fuel a quick redesign of their outfits, plus three in-game sprites for comparison. 

I picked their colour palettes from their 2D illustrations - which were used in-game and to promote Virtue. So, their 3D counterparts do have a slightly different colour palette. For my redesigns, I kept the majority of the patterns, shapes and colours which they had on their canon designs. I just shuffled things around and gave them what I thought were practical yet fashionable outfits.

[ikuyeah]

The Dawn Breaks

Summary: With miles and miles on the road to his repentance left to go, William Vangeance finds comfort in the familiar dark magic enveloping a figure clad in gold. The one that he’d let slip away. His Golden Dawn. 

(Part One of the Attract Light series)

A/N: I binged Black Clover after it appeared on my Netflix feed and I have many William Vangeance feelings. So here I am. Writing fic. Anyways, by the time I post this I'll have read the rest of the manga chapters but keep in mind that I wrote this before reading it. Hope y’all enjoy my first foray into Black Clover.

Yami’s eyes fluttered open for a moment, catching sight of familiar violet irises filled with mirth. Shifting, he felt the blanket that definitely wasn’t there before sliding down his broad frame. He suppressed a sigh of relief. It looked like Vangeance would be fine.

Ever since the Golden Dawn Captain had the soul of the elf removed from his body, he’d been bathed in dark guilt and remorse for everything he’d failed to do from protecting the citizens to believing in their respected Wizard King.  

Despite his rough demeanor, he had really meant it when he said Vangeance was someone he considered closer than a mere comrade. That aside, he was also important to her which motivated him to break free from his drunken haze for a moment.

“I’m not sure if he let you know but after the meeting the Wizard King said we need everyone with great magic power to join this fight…” He murmured, almost doubting Vangeance had heard him but the other man turned his head before he could reach the door.

“I see, so she is to return.” His eyes which were mirthful turned dark with uncertainty. “How soon?”

Yami nearly grinned. It seems that even after being outed for housing an angry elf, some things about him would never change. Neither his kindness nor his feelings seem to have waned after all. “What’s with that look in your eyes, Captain Shiny? I thought your bond of friendship was stronger than that.” He didn’t hold back his grin this time, raising a brow when Vangeance’s own lips quirked into a smile.

“Indeed. But that’s beside the point now, Yami. After all…” Vangeance turned back, walking out the door. “Friendship is a stepping stone to the greater bond I will be pursuing with Sukehiro Aki.”

-

Eight Years Prior...

William watched from his perch on his World Tree as the Magic Knights started mobilizing. He’d been on patrol when the fighting broke out. The small gang of magic users were strong and their leader could conceal their magic well. While he scanned for the routes he’d have taken, he spotted a knight sprinting for what seemed like no reason until he caught sight of the brightly glowing outline in front of her. 

“My Moon Glow makes it so anyone I touch has their mana drained!” She cheered, the glowing outline fading out until the once invisible gang leader was exposed. 

William responded quickly, causing the roots of the tree to grow and block him.

Taking advantage of this, the girl aimed a swift kick at the criminal’s side, her leg engulfed in dark magic.

William’s eyes widened a little in realization. He’d heard that they had a new recruit who had the same magic as Sukehiro Yami but now that he could see her the resemblance was uncanny. 

The girl looked up and waved to him with a bright smile. “Thanks for the save! I think I’ve heard of you before from Yami. You’re Vangeance, right?” She called out.

William jumped down from the tree branch with ease, making sure the criminal was apprehended with the tree’s roots. “Indeed, pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m afraid I have not had the pleasure of knowing your name.” He held out a hand to her.

“Oh! I’m a new recruit. My name’s Sukehiro Aki. Though, you probably already had the Sukehiro part figured out.” Shaking his hand enthusiastically.

“The resemblance is astounding.” He digressed. “In both appearance and magic, it seems.”

Aki blinked at him and sighed. “Yeah, but I’m grateful to the Captain. It seems he knows that my talent lies more in reconnaissance than my brother. You’ve met him. His power is much too explosive to deal with anything requiring tact.” She mused.

William found himself with his shoulders rising, a laugh almost bubbling out of him. “The Captain knows not to judge people by their familial ties… or their upbringing.” He agreed.

The subtle change in his tone caught her notice and Aki seemed to stare at him for a while. “Your magic is incredible, Mister Vangeance.” She nodded to the tree behind him. William glanced back at the foliage, by the time his eyes met hers again, her expression softened considerably. “And remarkably, I think your character is even more incredible. So, I look forward to working with you in the future.”

William took a moment to let her words sink in before responding, returning her budding respect with a hopeful smile. “Likewise, Miss Sukehiro. Just Vangeance is fine.”

“Hah, well then just Aki is fine.” She retorted, stopping him before he could say that was hardly the same. “Would be kind of awkward if Yami and I were in the same room. And speaking of names, Vengeance is really satisfying to say so I hope you don’t mind me saying it often. Vengeance, it’s got an impact to it!” She said excitedly. 

William’s shoulders rose again in an aborted chuckle. He considered declining calling her by her given name but decided it wouldn’t hurt to honor her request. “Very well, Aki.”

-

William sat at his desk in his room, breathing deeply as he stared out at the trees lining the Golden Dawn’s estate. He hasn’t been able to calm his heart since Yami had told him Aki was returning. His feelings for her had been buried under many worries and beneath his guilt for his many recent transgressions. But, in spite of the years they’d spent apart, the flame of his admiration never flickered for a moment.

He remembered vividly the sound of her laughter and the warmth of her hand the few times they’d high fived and even the one time they shook hands. He remembered the brightness of her smile even after it dulled, even after the toll of dark magic weighed her down and stole the smile from her radiant face. He remembered the oddest things she’d talk about like how it was that butterflies slept and how queen bees were born. He remembered her idle musings about what it would be like if all the Kingdoms were united as one nation as well as her musings about the merits of different kinds of cheese in mac n cheese.  

And he’d missed it all so much.

Opening one of his drawers, he smoothed out the folded and unfolded piece of parchment, his name written across the top in hurried letters.

Will, 

I fear I’m no longer in control of myself, my friend. I’m ashamed to write this, to let you know my weakness. But you are my best and closest friend and so I can’t leave without letting you know the reason. I think you already knew that it would happen, but the extent to which my faith has been devoured by this magic is great and so I’m leaving to find a way to restore it. It’s funny, that I’ve misplaced my faith. Bet you’re relieved you didn’t have someone as messy as me in your Squad huh?

You’d probably say no, because you’re kind. I hope that one day when I return I can greet the kind person who’s looked after me all these years with a kind face and strong faith. I hope I can be someone who stands beside you to marvel at it, at your Golden Dawn.

For now, that’s reason enough for me to find it. My lost faith. I hope it returns to me soon so that I may return to you soon, my friend.

Aki 

“We are, the both of us, quite a pair.” He said softly. “To think that I’d lose my faith as you’d lost yours. Maybe your return… would return it to me. Your faith in yourself and my faith in myself.”

A knock on his door startled him out of his reverie and he gently placed the parchment in its previous place, pushing his drawer closed as he called for them to enter.

“Captain Vangeance, we have the gate keeper’s report like you requested and there’s no Sukehiro who entered the Capital today.” The two Golden Dawn members bowed. “We apologize.”

“It’s no trouble. Thank you for indulging my request.” He nodded gratefully.

“We’ll check again tomorrow, Captain Vangeance!” They bowed again and then promptly left.

William watched them go, amused. “Everyone around me is very kind.”

‘It’s because you’re kind.’ Her voice whispered in the back of his mind, resounding in his heart.

“No matter what it was you thought you were,” He murmured, fingers intertwining like the beginning of a prayer. “You were always just as kind… Aki.”

-

Six Years Prior...

“Vangeance!” 

William turned, smiling as the dark haired girl approached him. “Aki, you look well.” He greeted. 

As she passed, several nobles in Grey Deer uniform sneered at her. “That peasant, just because she’s friends with Vangeance and the sister of that monster the Captain picked up she thinks she’s all that.” One of them huffed.

“If Vangeance had a brain in that mask of his, he’d know to stay far away from her. She probably has dark blood in her veins too. A peasant and a monster.” The other said, egging on his companion as he spat in Aki’s direction.

Aki dodged the spitball and stopped in front of him, a hand raised. “I wasn’t sure what kind of greeting you’d prefer. So, high five I guess!” She laughed nervously.

Watching their fellow knights out of the corner of his eye, William regarded his friend in a low but resonant tone. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, my friend.” He said, lightly tapping his palm against hers. “After all we’ve been working together for this long. How is Tsukuyomi’s Moon Bow progressing?” He asked, genuinely interested in her spell’s growth.

“You were right about me not extending my magical awareness enough.” She said with a sigh. “Looks like Moon Magic really does draw strength from the moon. I think I’ll be able to do an area attack soon. I’m close to a breakthrough after mastering control of the Moon Bow.” She said, practically vibrating with excitement.

William raised a brow at her. “An area attack?”

“I’m going to gather the shadows and use it to redirect the mana somewhere else, maybe make it explode. It’s going to turn everything quite bright and I’m not used to so much light concentration yet, but I think I’ll call it Akatsuki or something of the like. That means Dawn where Yami and I come from.” Aki explained.

“I see. I have no doubt your mana can support the attack, but will you be alright?” He asked. Aki had always been more like him than Yami in that way. Though she trained with all her might to build her strength, she had a frailer body. It took a lot of her concentration just to control her dark magic.

Aki grinned, raising her arm up and flexing it. “I got my first arm muscle! So don’t worry about it, Vengeance. Leave it to me! I’ll sneak in, make them explode, and then sneak out!” She said with complete determination.

William only nodded. Aki had a lot of mana, it was why she was able to keep up in spite of her smaller form. However, William couldn’t help but worry for his friend. It seemed the darkness was looming larger over her with each mission. He wasn’t sure how long it would take until it overwhelmed her.

“I think it’s about time we dismissed the pleasantries, Aki.”

Aki looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

William looked back at her, hoping that by tying his friend to his own fate he’ll be able to save her from the pain. Yes, this was only so she could be safe.

“We are friends aren’t we? Call me William.”

Aki’s eyes widened, in awe of both his trust and his thoughtfulness. It had plagued her from time to time whether or not he found her bothersome. The sentiment brought tears to her eyes. “Man, I’ll miss saying Vangeance. But maybe…” She tipped her chin down, wiping at her eyes discreetly. “Will… has a pretty nice ring to it too.”

The darkness flickered out for a moment, surprising William.

The older knight clenched his fists at the motion, his resolve hardening. ‘I’ll do what I can to save you, my friend.’ He thought. 

When Aki looked up at him again, she was greeted with a warm smile. “Well, why don’t we enact your genius plan, then? I’m interested in seeing this Dawn attack you’ve come up with.”

-

Asta burst out the door to his room with a yell that he’d work hard again that day. “Time to do the chores-” 

The young Magic Knight gaped, realising that all the chores were complete. They had even fed the magical creatures. “All the chores are done?!” He screamed.

A dark haired girl poked her head around one of the corners, bowl of food in hand. “Ah, you must be Asta. Yami’s probably been working you to the bone so I figured I’d give you a break. We can do the chores together tomorrow.” She shrugged, beckoning him into the kitchen. “Come on, I made breakfast. You can just exercise twice as much later.” She insisted.

“Oh, thank you. Wait- Who are you?!” Asta pointed at the girl, eyes drawn to the black cloak over her yellow turtleneck. “You’re a fellow Black Bull member?” He asked, sitting down at the dining table.

The girl placed a bowl of rice with meat layered on top of it in front of him. “Oops, I guess Yami never bothered to tell you. I’m Sukehiro Aki, nice to meet you!” She patted him lightly on the head and walked away to wash the pan and other kitchenware she used to cook.

“Sukehiro…” Asta murmured, munching on the meal. In a corner of his mind, a memory rose. Didn’t the Captain once mention to him that he knew what it was like to be far from siblings? He remembered, because he’d gone as far as to ask the Wizard King about it but he’d said to ask Captain Vangeance. The rest of the Black Bulls said that they were away, training. But that meant that this girl...

“Yami’s my older brother.” 

Asta nearly choked on his rice. “You’re Captain Yami’s younger sister?!” 

“Wow, you sure love to repeat what’s said. Then again, there are weirder quirks.” Aki laughed softly, bubbles flying into the air.

“Sorry, I really had no idea. Do you have Dark Magic too?” He asked, considerably calmer now. He couldn’t explain it himself, she seemed to have a very calming aura.

Aki’s grimoire floated up, the book pure white with a giant moon etching in the middle surrounded by clouds in the same style as Yami’s. In the middle of the moon was a three-leaf clover. “Sort of. I can manipulate and create dark energy. I’m also quite blessed by the moon. It’s hard to explain. But yes, it’s a form of Dark Magic.” She shrugged and then promptly disappeared, appearing again in the form of Asta’s shadow before getting back to cleaning up.

“My abilities are more suited to reconnaissance so my attacks depend heavily on stealth and precision.” She admitted. 

“Wow, I didn’t sense your Ki at all!” Asta beamed at her, in awe of her magic ability. “I think you’re the most normal Black Bull I’ve ever met.”

Aki’s eyes flashed and she leveled an intimidating stare at Asta, making him shudder lightly. “You should be more careful, Asta.”

“Y-Yes, Aki-Senpai!” He saluted instinctively.

Aki’s eyes softened and she laughed loudly. “You should have seen your face.” She teased.

“Don’t be fooled, kid. This little menace can cause quite a stir. Understandable, since she’s a 2nd Class Intermediate Wizard.” Yami strolled in, ruffling her hair.

“Ew, if you’ve just left the bathroom please keep your hands off me.” She laughed, shoving him away from her.

“Huh? Did you get even stronger while you were gone? Did you become too big for your brother’s love now? You little shit, let’s fight right here and now.” He teased.

“You know that’s way dangerous and stop giving Henry a hard time fixing the base.” Aki smacked playfully at her brother’s buffed up arm, frustrated when her hits just bounced off of him harmlessly. 

Asta stared at them, eyes shining in interest. “I wonder what a fight between two Dark Magic users would be like. Wouldn’t they cancel each other out?” 

Yami puffed smoke out of his mouth, considering his options. “Hey Aki.”

The younger Sukehiro looked up at him. “Yeah? Captain Nii-san?” She asked.

“Have you gone to see the magic-obsessed Wizard King yet?” 

Aki shook her head, staring at her brother. Sometimes she couldn’t exactly pinpoint if he was being lazy or being tactical but this seemed like something he’d planned. “I’m going after I finish with these plates.” She answered, waiting for his next move. 

“You’re going to see the Wizard King? Can I come?” Asta asked, eyes getting even bigger at the mention of the man.

‘Ah, but why go through the trouble, Nii-san?’ She wondered. “Of course. But you better be ready to go.” She shrugged, still trying to decipher why it was that Yami was trying to send her to the Capital.

“Yes, Ma’am! I’ll get Finral-Senpai!” He responded, speeding away. Soon after, the sound of Finral yelling ‘She’s here?’ resounded in the halls. 

“What are you trying to do?” Aki asked, scrubbing at the plates while Yami had his own bowl of katsu. 

Yami grinned, sending a light gust of dark energy her way to ruffle her hair again. “Nothing much. Just making sure Clover Kingdom knows they have their beloved Golden Girl back.”

-

Five Years Prior...

William stepped out of the castle and was greeted cheerfully by a familiar dark haired girl clad in gold and black.

“Vangeance! Uh, I mean Will!” She called out, coming to a halt in front of him. “I heard you and Nii-san were called in by Captain Julius! But I guess it’s Wizard King now, huh? What was it for? Are you going to be Captain of the Grey Deer or is it Yami? Or are you going to be co-Captains? I hope it’s not just Yami, he’s a mess.” She rambled, stopping when William raised a hand in front of her.

“My apologies for cutting you off.” He bowed lightly. “We’re going to be Captains of two new Squads.”

“Two new-” Aki gaped. “I see. Somehow, it seems like something strategically beneficial that only Julius-sama would do.” She nodded.

“In that vein, I’ll be heading the Golden Dawn. And I want you to be my Vice Captain.” William said, his eyes searching hers.

“You want-” Aki raised a hand to cover her mouth after letting out an audible gasp. “I-I can’t be your- Will, no one will respect you if you do that, I’m only an Intermediate Wizard a-and I’m a foreign peasant-”

“I hold you in great respect, Aki. I trust you and you are my friend. I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t believe you were qualified.” William retorted, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. He couldn’t understand if it was rage at whoever made her believe she wasn’t qualified enough or anxiety at her answer. “So please, consider this offer for as long as you have to-”

“I’m sorry, Will.” She cut in, shocking both him and herself. “I respect you too. I do. And I respect your dream. Which is why I can’t be your Vice Captain.”

“Aki-”

Aki’s grey eyes were full of unshed tears as they met his. “Someone like me… can’t stand next to someone like you.”

William extended a hand to stop her but she’d already disappeared, traveling away from him in the shadows. 

“Ah, Vangeance. I apologize. I probably shouldn’t have been here for that.”

William willed away the overwhelming sadness in his heart as he turned to face Yami. “I apologize. The fault is mine for inciting her in public.” 

“Still, I am sorry. That troublesome sister of mine, she respects you but she really didn’t have faith in your friendship just now did she?” He groaned, wanting nothing more than to have a drink already to celebrate his becoming a Captain. He didn’t want to be here dealing with his kid sister and her feelings. “And don’t you say it was your fault for not giving her a reason to have faith in you.”

Idly, he thought that the way he spoke was a lot like Aki. The thought felt like a stab to his side. “Yami, I appreciate your attempt to console me. However, I am quite fine-”

“Shut up, will you? I’m trying to say…” Yami patted his shoulder, making it a point not to look him in the eye. “Thank you for being her friend, Vangeance.”

William was quiet for a moment before speaking. 

“I trust you’ll care for her from here on, as her Captain.” He said, gliding out of reach and then out of sight.

-

In a flash, Finral’s magic transported them to the Capital.

“Here we are. It really is great to see you again, Aki-san.” Finral smiled, genuinely elated that another member of the Black Bulls had returned.

“Thanks Finral. Sorry if Captain Nii-chan has been using you as an instant bathroom button this whole time. You’ve gotten pretty powerful since last I’ve seen you.” Aki complimented, proud that he’s been trying to curb his womanizing behavior at long last.

Waving goodbye to the Spacial Mage, Aki and Asta made their way to the Wizard King’s office. The door swung open and Aki came face to face with a much shorter and younger boy.

“Julius-sama… Did you lose weight or something?” She asked, looking down at the kid.

“How does this look like losing weight to you, Aki-Senpai?” Asta asked.

Aki ignored his retort, continuing with her report on the last dungeon she traversed. It was underground with many water passages. She’d learned a lot about navigating in a place where there was no moon to draw power from, forcing her to make use of the abundance of darkness and shadow around her.

Julius only laughed and nodded as she told him of her escapades, glad to see his old friend. “You seem more settled, Aki. It was right of Mereonleona to send you to those dungeons.” He complimented.

“They were a nightmare.” Aki froze at the memory of them. “But somehow, I’m alive and my magic has settled considerably so she’s right yet again, I suppose.” 

“Was your magic not very stable before, Senpai?” Asta tilted his head quizzically. 

“Something like that.” Aki shrugged, patting him on the head. “I’m guessing I have to check in with Owen?” She asked, turning to Julius.

“If you would.” Julius gestured for her to leave, his own squad of knights escorting her out.

“See you in a bit, Asta.” She called out, slipping through the portal and out of sight.

Asta lingered, his eyes meeting Julius’. 

“Were you able to learn about Yami’s mysterious sister? I’d imagine it was a shock to meet her after you asked so arduously after her.” Julius smiled as though amused.

“I never got to ask Captain Vangeance like you told me to because of the whole… elf situation.” Asta rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “But the older Squad members mentioned she was always away on extended training.”

Julius nodded. “I guess you are wondering what it was about Sukehiro Aki’s magic that caused her to go on such a long training period.” Julius guessed. 

“You don’t have to tell me. I can ask Aki-Senpai.” Asta blustered, undeniably curious but wanting to respect his elder.

Julius shrugged. “Yami and Aki don’t think it’s worth talking about. They will likely pass it off as nothing.” He placed a hand against his cheek thoughtfully. “If it’s insight on your senior, I’d say that her magic is something that could easily overcome her because of her form.”

“Her form?” Asta ran a hand through his hair, his brain was really getting a workout today. “Like when I use the devil’s power and my body hurts after? Something like that? Aki-Senpai is much smaller than the Captain and he trains a lot to use Dark Magic. Is she less able to control it because she can’t… develop muscle?” He asked.

Julius clapped his hands. “That’s exactly right, Asta-kun.” He said gleefully, proud that Asta could deduce that on his own. “But aside from that, she was very mentally weak as well. Sad to say, not everyone can handle the pressures of being different like yourself and Yami.” His voice softened and Asta could almost see the hurt in his own eyes, like he was recalling Aki’s painful memories.

“But you said Aki-Senpai is better now. Does that mean she’s feeling better? Mentally?” Asta asked but before Julius could answer he shook his head. “Nevermind that, if she’s not feeling well, we’ll help her feel better because she’s a Black Bull.” He half-yelled. 

Asta realised he’d gotten worked up again and bowed. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be more considerate as the future Wizard King.”

“You really have guts Asta, saying that to the Wizard King.” Aki said with a laugh, entering the room. “No matter how child-like he looks now, Julius can be pretty smart and powerful. It’s going to take a lot of work to be the Wizard King.”

Julius let out a low laugh at her jibe. “Child-like…”

“Aki-Senpai. I’m counting on you to help me become Wizard King one day!” He reiterated, bowing to Aki this time.

“Alright, alright. Get up.” Aki bowed to Julius and grabbed hold of her junior. “I’ll see you for tea sometime?” She asked with a bright smile Julius hadn’t seen since her rookie years.

Julius nodded. “I’m looking forward to it, Aki.”

-

Five Years Prior...

“Captain Vangeance, we’re back with the details about the fight that broke out involving the Freese Family. It appears that several of our knights were injured in the crossfire. Lord Freese was fatally injured upon the arrival of the Black Bulls but his daughter was brought safely home by their Spacial Mage.” Alecdora summarized blathely. 

William forced his hands to relax against his writing desk, letting go of the pen he’d been gripping fearfully to prevent his hands from trembling. “I see, I will see to it that I personally apologise for our mishandling of the situation. Perhaps we can provide aid for the young lady.” He forced himself to think on how they could serve the girl, the clear victim of the crime, before moving his focus to Yami’s squad. “And the Black Bulls?”

“There were no casualties on their end.” Alecdora seemed hesitant to continue but cleared his throat nonetheless. “However, the nobles have called a trial at the Magic Parliament against Sukehiro Aki.”

William’s breath hitched. “On what grounds?” He responded, a little quicker, a little more defensive than was typical of him.

Alecdora didn’t seem to notice, still dutiful in providing information. “She used a frightening Dark Magic technique against the opposition which drove them insane even after they were apprehended. She herself was almost unable to stop her own magic. They’ve come to the conclusion that she is to stand trial.” 

“I see.” William’s mind worked through scenario after scenario, thinking about what the nobles would punish her with. “Damnatio will be adamant on a life sentence at the very least for failing to save Lord Freese and execution for the use of magic unbefitting a knight of the kingdom.” He threaded his fingers together and placed them on his lap under the table, he couldn’t stop shaking. In the back of his mind, he felt Patri’s influence growing stronger, his own hatred of the situation amplifying it. 

Pushing his chair back, he stood up and started walking. “I will ask the Wizard King for advice on this matter. Please see to it that we address any needs the Freese family have.”

“Yes, Captain.”

With a wave, Alecdora was dismissed and William made haste. Traveling to the Wizard King’s office even by broom though quick felt like an age to William. The festering anger and helplessness burned in him, amplified by Patri’s own sentiments. 

By the time he reached his office, Julius couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards him. William, who was an enigma to everyone, was obviously distraught in Julius’ eyes.

“I see you have caught wind of this trial Damnatio is holding.” He began, forgoing the formalities. 

“I have faith that you have something planned.” William felt himself slowly relaxing, the reassuring calmness in Julius’ eyes helping him grasp his own sense of calm. 

“It’s troubling. I’ve only been Wizard King for a short time. The decision to make Yami the Captain of the Black Bulls and them being so unconventional hasn’t reflected well with the nobility. It will be a long fight if we do it head on.” The older man’s expression dropped in what seemed like deep sadness. “They can’t afford to let a single one of their members lose control.”

“What does that mean for the trial?” William asked, not quite understanding where this was leading.

“There will be no trial.” Julius clarified, sliding an envelope across the table towards him.

William picked the envelope up, recognising Aki’s messy scrawl on the back. To Will.

“I’ve made a concession with Damnatio. Aki is to spend time away from the Capital and prove to the Magic Parliament that she can control her magic. She will be returning in intervals to be checked by Owen and their own Healers and researchers to make certain she’s recovered.” He explained. 

“Aki has always had impeccable control over herself. She would never have endangered anyone, not even with provocation.” William stared at his name on the back of the pure white envelope in disbelief. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t think of another way.” Julius bowed slightly and William’s eyes finally snapped away from the letter to protest. “I assure you that she will return, I will see to it.”

William bowed, lower than he’s ever bowed to anyone in his life perhaps. “I trust your judgement in this and I apologise for implying I had doubted you.” He said earnestly, sliding the letter delicately into the inside pocket of his uniform. 

“I don’t mind it.” Julius let out a mild chuckle. “After all, love is quite the troublemaker. To think it made you fall to your knees.” 

William was suddenly very grateful for the mask even though it looked like Julius knew even with it on that he was blushing. “Contrary to popular belief, I am entirely human with feelings of my own.”

“I never doubted it. Though the situation is unfortunate, I’m happy for you.” Julius nodded. “When the time comes, seize your chance at happiness. If not for yourself or for Aki, then for me.”

With Patri’s anger simmering in the back of his mind, William doubted he’d have his chance at a life with Aki even if he wanted to. But nevertheless…

“I will. I swear it.”

-

Alecdora burst through the doors of his Captain’s office. “I apologise for not requesting entry, Captain. But Sukehiro…” He breathed in deeply, doubling over from his effort to rush back to the Golden Dawn’s headquarters.

“Settle down and tell me what Captain Yami’s done.” William gestured to the seat across him which was for visitors. 

“Sukehiro Aki is in the Capital. She’s been spotted in conversation with the Wizard King.” He breathed out, unsurprised when his Captain pushed his chair back and stood up. It was like deja vu. 

“I leave the rest of today’s affairs in your hands.”

“Yes, Captain.”

-

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me, Asta?” Aki asked as they strolled through the Capital streets looking for Finral to transport them all back.

Asta tilted his head up, arms crossed behind his head. “Congrats on what, Aki-Senpai?” He asked.

“For passing the Magic Parliament exam of course. Now they won’t execute me. Isn’t that great?” She shrugged.

“Eh?? They wanted to execute you too?” Asta screamed, in shock that she could say something like that in such a blase way. “What’s up with those guys? Why do they keep wanting to execute us?” He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around nobles and their weird biases. 

“Ah, I’m pretty sure that when my magic went out of control years ago we also got all those negative stars. Sorry about that. I really tried to make up for them by taking all those dungeon missions from Julius-sama.” She bowed repeatedly.

“Those were because of you too, Senpai????” Asta spun around, unable to express the shock with just his hands anymore. As he was spinning around, he caught sight of a familiar white uniform and stopped, thinking it might have been Yuno but instead of dark hair the figure was wearing a strange mask over his head.

“Wah, it’s Golden Dawn’s Captain!” Asta started waving, eyes widening when the man kept walking, stopping once he was in front of them. “H-Hello, Captain Vangeance.”

“Asta, it seems you’re as lively as ever.” William nodded at the young knight and then turned to Aki with a genial smile. “And you have a new friend with you.”

Asta’s eyes went from Aki to William and back. The Wizard King had told him to ask Captain Vangeance about Captain Yami’s sibling but given the way he was talking, Asta decided to try introducing them. “Yeah, this is Captain Yami’s-”

“I’m glad to see you in good shape, Will. Being Captain really becomes you.” Aki easily slipped into the conversation, her body language emitting a kind of comfort you get when in the presence of an old and dear friend. It reminded Asta of how he felt when he talked to Yuno and he figured they must be good friends.

“You look like you’ve grown as well.” The Captain responded just as easily, more relaxed than Asta had ever seen him. “And, if I may, being home becomes you.” 

Aki laughed but her laugh was lighter and brighter than when she did at the base. Asta could feel the overflowing fondness from it. “I wasn’t entirely certain that would be the consensus but it appears I was wrong. Then again, I’ve never been all that clear on how others’ viewed my power.” She retorted, their conversation like a game of wits with no end in sight. 

William’s expression became serious. “Believe me, my friend. You were many things to us, but you were never something to fear. You were far too kind.” His lips quirked up, like some kind of unspoken meaning had been shared between them. 

With a scoff, Aki responded. “Said the King of Kindness himself.”

“You flatter me.”

“Excellent, would you like me to dole out some more?”

The Knight Captain’s shoulders shook as he began to chuckle. “Only if you would allow me to reciprocate, perhaps over dinner?” His tone was playful now, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that behind the mask his eyebrows were raised in challenge. 

“My, you really should watch what you say, Will.” Aki said, trying to difuse the tension with what was clearly nervous laughter. Around them, women of both noble and common background began to murmur. And though she spent all this time building her resolve so she wouldn’t fall to the sound of their scoffing, it still put her on edge. “Women fainter of the heart will misunderstand.”

William smirked like she’d fallen into his trap. “And if that is my goal?”

Aki blinked at him in confusion. “What?” She asked, disbelieving. Surely, he hadn’t meant what she thought he meant.

“I have romantic feelings for you, Aki. I always have. And I made a promise that if you were to return to me, if I had a chance at a future with you, I would take it. So this is my proposal, I wish to court you properly. I won’t hold anything back any longer, not my secrets, not my fears, and least of all my feelings. And, if you would allow me, I would like to return the comfort and love I felt when you were by my side a hundred fold.”

But William continued, past the rising voices of the people around them. Past the jeers of nobles saying that the William Vangeance was consorting with some wild woman from the Black Bulls and the pained whispers of women insisting they were a better match for him. Past all the sticks and stones society had thrown at them again and again.

“I hope that this time you will consider this offer for as long as you have to so as to make a proper decision.” He added, a teasing lilt to his voice.

William stood in front of her, a shield against it all, showing her how he felt.

“I will await your acceptance or rejection of my offer for as long as it takes.” He finished with a dramatic swish of his cape, walking into the crowd that had formed without another word.

Aki stood still, trying to process what it was that just happened. William, her best and closest friend, had proposed to court her. He’d incited her in public again with complete faith that the dark magic that was essential to her would not overcome her. And most importantly, he had feelings for her. He’d felt that way all this time. Despite clearing all of those facts up in her mind…

“Wh-What the hell just happened, Asta?” She asked, turning to her junior who was staring at her with wide eyes.

“The Captain of the Golden Dawn just confessed to you, Aki-Senpai!”

[i-loves-my-lemurs]

Fanfic writer's director's commentary! Thanks to @candycoloredwolf for the ask! I chose to talk about my first panchulien oneshot 'Wanna Dance?'. I wrote it in a single night on impulse so there's a few grammar mistakes and other stuff I noticed upon revisiting it.

I probably went way overboard on my commentary (oops) but it was so much fun going through it all. I hope this is entertaining.

.............

*the crocodile ambassador gave him an unusually soft smile.*

After everything that's happened in the show, I feel like the croc ambassador would have warmed up to Julien quite a bit and come to respect him as a leader. Also he's trying to butter Julien up before complaining about one of his subjects.

*provided they were on their best behaviour. It had said on the invitation that it was a 'sophisticated' event, so Maurice had managed to wrangle all of the lemurs into formal wear, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, dancing in pairs to the soft music*

Man, I just love it when characters dress up in fancy outfits and go dancing together (like in the prom episode). One of my favourite tropes in fact, so I just had to throw it in there!

*but still all this fancy partnered dancing wasn't entirely to the ringtail's taste.*

As much as I like the formal dancing stuff, it wouldn't be something Julien would enjoy, so he's already looking for an excuse to bounce and throw his own afterparty. He's only stayed so far to try and be polite and improve relations between their kingdoms or something else that Maurice told him to do.

*Clover, Sage and the rest of the mountain lemur kingdom was there, and the king and queen were happily sharing a waltz. Maurice was dancing with his sister while Prince Brodney was teaching their children the steps*

This takes place after the show's finale, but without the inclusion of the zoosters, so sort of like a parallel universe? Where Julien and Clover are monarchs together, which I think is neat. Also People tend to forget that Maurice has a sister, myself included really, and I kinda wish they'd had more cute bonding moments, so I gave then a brother/sister dance.

*even Pancho was leaning against a tree*

Aside from the main squad (excluding Mort of course) Pancho is the only minor lemur that Julien really mentions here. Almost like he was looking for him specifically. Hmmm....

*He caught Julien's eye and winked. Julien chuckled fondly.*

Casual flirt.

*"I do have a minor issue with the behaviour of one of your, ahem, subjects*

That little cough just feels like something the croc ambassador would do when he's embarrassed, or to sound authoritative, so he did.

*Julien tore his eyes away from Pancho*

"Tore his eyes away" almost like he didnt want to look away. Hmmm...

*The anxious lemur was currently giggling as he twirled his new boyfriend around*

Ah, I just want Willie to be happy and have a good time with his bf. He deserves to laugh more. New boyfriend infers that they're in the early stages of their relationship, so they're just messing around being silly and cute and having fun together.

*but Horst and Mary Ann weren't doing much better.*

Horst and Mary Ann deserve a nice romantic dance. It would be pretty awkward because she's twice his size and can only really walk on all fours, but they don't even care. They just cut their own path through the dance floor and ignore everyone else, no matter how annoyed the other dancers are because they keep getting in the way.

*"Well, they're both males!" He said. "It's completely unnatural, wouldn't you agree?"*

Oof, the croc ambassador wants that snooty monarch solidarity with Julien since he's the most popular king in Madagascar, but that ain't happening any time soon. Not with that attitude!

*Julien was lost for words. He had known ever since he was young that he liked boys. Every male in the kingdom liked boys! In fact, it was considered a little unusual if you WEREN'T interested in the same gender.*

I like the idea that homosexuality is just the norm in the party kingdom, kinda like She-Ra. People are just gay and nobody thinks anything of it and coming out is celebrated. Julien doesn't care if you're gay or straight though, he just cares for his peeps and wants them to love who they love.

*whatever their genders were*

A subtle difference between Julien and the croc ambassador, Julien says 'genders' while croc ambassador says 'sexes' because Julien is more open to the idea of gender not being confined to biology.

*Julien took a few deep breaths and tried desperately to not get angry.

"What's the problem man, they're just dancing." He remarked in what he hoped was a neutral tone.*

Julien tries to keep his cool here, a bit of his character development showing. He now knows that everything doesnt have to be a scene, so keeps his temper. It's also kind of to protect Willie and his partner though. He knows they're having a good time and he doesn't want to bring to their attention that their host doesn't like what they're doing, because he knows they'll be upset.

 *"rather not have it ruined by such atrocities being committed!"*

And this was the point where I started to hate the croc ambassador too while writing.

*"Oh, hey Julio." Pancho smiled at him. "I was just gonna-"*

Pancho was just gonna say that he was bored with the party and wanted to leave. He would have asked if Julien wanted to come with (he could tell Julio was getting bored and he couldn't have THAT), which would have been a different fanfiction entirely.

*"Wanna dance?" Julien said.*

I honestly can't remember if I thought of the title or this line first.

*He considered sticking his tongue out at the reptile's back, but ultimately decided that such a juvenile display wasn't the best way to get his point across.*

Again, character development. Julien has matured (a little) and realised that there are better, more fulfilling ways of getting revenge.

*"OK." Pancho said with a shrug, and slid his paw over to Julien's waist,*

Once Pancho can mentally catch up with what's going on, he rolls with it. In fact, he sorta likes the idea of dancing with Julien, and had been trying to gather the courage to ask him for most of the night. I wonder why...

*As they danced though, he began to feel his attention drawn to a different place: how smooth Pancho was on the dance floor,*

We all know Julien's attention span is not great, so there's no way he's going to be able to stay angry when he's too busy being distracted by Pancho's smoothness.

*He raised an eyebrow. "You just couldn't resist?"*

Not entirely subtle flirt.

*"But you know, you're not a bad pick." He patted Pancho on the arm.*

Not entirely subtle either flirt.

*"Abner over there's been missing steps and stumbling all night!" He glanced over at Abner and his wife with a small frown.*

Poor Abner, he's the one getting picked on tonight. Bit of a running gag here.

*Pancho's eyes widened and he instinctively pulled Julien closer, whether it was to shield him or to further prove the point, Julien couldn't tell, but the ringtail wasn't complaining.*

Pancho does pull Julien closer on instinct to protect him, he knows how badly homophobia would hurt Julien's feelings. Julien is just loving it though. He was more angry for Willie's sake than hurt anyways.

*"But us lemurs dance with guys all the time!" Pancho exclaimed. "I've seen you kiss four different guys at a party once! What's his problem?"

"That's what I'm saying, wait I did what?"*

Even if they weren't a couple, dancing together is just something the males would do. They're that casual. And of course Julien would go around kissing everybody at his parties when he gets drunk enough. Poor Julien doesnt remember half of what he does at parties though.

*"Oh no, I don't mind." Pancho remarked, then cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away.*

Awkward silence much? Internally Pancho is just screaming *why did you say that?!" because he doesn't know how to handle his feelings right now, especially not with Julien so close.

(For any other ballroom dance enthusiasts, what they're dancing would be a mix between a waltz and a slow dance. Like a casual, less fancy waltz that's quite easy for them to get the hang of, but still quite romantic and personal).

*"You know Julio, I don't think he's gonna notice." Pancho remarked.*

But eventually Pancho plucks up the courage. They're already dancing, he tells himself. And Julien just wants to make the crocodile ambassador mad. Julien kisses people platonically all the time so he won't question it. If he doesnt like it, say you were doing it to piss off the crocodiles. And if he does like it... well...

*"Well, I had an idea." Pancho was avoiding his gaze again."*

He's still nervous of course, but he's made up his mind. It's all or nothing, baby!

*"Lay it on me." Julien said.*

And he does! Literally!

*And holy Sky Gods.*

I was tempted to have this line be 'holy crap' or 'holy sh*t' because that's what I would say idk but holy sky gods just works better for the show's lore, and allows the story to keep a G rating.

*All thoughts of spiting the crocodile ambassador had been fully driven from his mind*

Julien just gets so caught up in the moment, he's all "what crocodile ambassador?" he just wants to keep kissing.

*Julien stroked his paw through Pancho's soft fur and deepened their kiss.*

I imagine Pancho's fur would be very soft, he's always playing around with explosives so he's bound to get his fur burnt off every now and then, and it grows back softer.

This was the first time I wrote the lemurs kissing, so it's not the most explicit thing in the world. I probably couldn't write an explicit kiss scene to save my life though.

*"Hoo-ah." Pancho sighed softly.*

Hoo-ah" is exactly what Pancho would say after having his mind blown by a kiss like that. Just no thoughts, head Julien.

*"Yeah, crocodile ambassador certainly thinks so." Pancho said, a wild grin overcoming his face*

Heh heh, Pancho's happy because he just got to kiss his crush (and he liked it!) But also because he can see the croc ambassador is pissed and he loves the opportunity to mess.

*some looking angry, some looking intrigued*

Some of the crocs are intrigued because they've never been able to be open about who they are or experiment because of compulsory heterosexuality in their kingdom. Seeing two guys just being so open about their attraction to each other would definitely help them rethink things. They've never seen gay love expressed like this and it's new and exciting.

*Julien's face broke out into an ecstatic grin.

"Yeah that's right!" He called wildly. "I kissed a guy! At your party! Boom, I like kissing guys! Ha, suck on that loser! Woohoo!"*

Oh the sweet triumph of proving a point. This rant was a joy to write, it just feels very Julien.

*He grabbed Pancho's hand and held it up.*

Grab your boyfriend's hand, hold it aloft like a prize.

*"I'm like ninety percent sure Ted likes kissing guys!"*

Haha, poor Teddy needs to be extracted from the closet, pronto. Julien just has an excellent gaydar.

* and tucked a protective arm around his daughter's shoulders, turning her away from Julien.*

I imagine princess Amy would have some questions after this, questions which her father would definitley struggle to answer. If she really wants to find out what Pancho and Julien were doing, I imagine she'd visit the party kingdom alone, and the lemurs would be happy to answer her questions. Pancho and Julien may have ushered in a new era for the crocodile kingdom and their relationship with LGBT+.

*There came a cheer from the crowd of lemurs and they all began to head off the dance floor*

Of course the other lemurs go with Julien immediately, he's their king after all and the moment he suggests that someone might not be cool with their sexualities, they're ready to bounce.

*Clover and Sage at the front hand in hand,*

Clover and Sage would definitley be behind Julien 100%. The moment he declares that they're out of there, they just drop everything to leave with him.

*some mountain lemur ladies holding hands too.*

Mountain lemur lesbians? Anyone? I just think it's neat.

*"You read my mind, Julio."

Julien pulled Pancho towards him and tried to ignore how it felt like there was a little party going on in his stomach when Pancho called him that.*

Julien really likes that name! I see it as an affectionate nickname Pancho gave him that eventually just evolves into a pet name that makes Julien a little warm and fuzzy inside every time he hears it.

*Julien's heart leapt with joy to see Willie clutching his boyfriend's hands as they danced.*

Daaaww, Julien might pick on Willie but at the end of the day he likes to see him happy. He's glad they don't have to stay at a party where their dancing is scrutinised.

*Pancho rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as they stood face to face. "I'm sorry about kissing you, I just-"*

Now that there's some distance between them, Pancho has had time to think and wonder "oh sheesh, what if I messed it up, what if he only felt like it was platonic" and he's now all embarrassed, poor leem. He's just a guy in love.

*He nodded, then cleared his throat in an attempt to get a grip on his emotions. "You know, um, while we were dancing*

And now we see Julien trying to hold it together, these two are just so precious and I can totally see them stumbling over their feelings like that.

*kissed Pancho on the forehead, giggling slightly at the other lemur's squeak of surprise.*

Pancho is the perfect height for affectionate forehead kisses, let's not forget it!

*Pancho and Julien headed onto the dancefloor together and moved their bodies to the beat.*

They would have spent the night together just dancing and vibing (and making out probably).

*Nobody there who gave them the stink-eye or who told them that they were wrong. They danced and had fun and kissed without a care in the world. Julien felt so happy that his kingdom was a place where he could kiss Pancho all he liked.*

Ah I really went to town on the "love is love" concept here, didn't I? Well, a theme is a theme.

Julien's just really happy at the place he's created. He's glad they can dance and kiss and all that jazz, and he did that, he created a kingdom free of prejudice. It's exactly how I can see the kingdom's relationship with LGBT+ going down, a place where they're all just happy to vibe and be themselves.

.........

And that's the end. I hope you enjoyed this premium insight into my writings, and if you want commentary on another of my stories, or just have random questions, then my inbox is always open :)

[its-a-branwen-thing]

On Qrow: Part II

Back at it again with the white vans an over-analysis of one of my faves! In my last post on Qrow, I focused a lot on how legacies play into his character. How he’s slowly becoming a character who can leave a legacy, but that the journey there is still ongoing. And it always is.

Disclosure, as always, this is all pure speculation, enhanced by my personal opinions, and for fun! :)

Legacies play into all of these characters. RWBY is about stories. Especially in regards to our heroes: specifically Ruby, Yang, Oscar, Juane, and Ren. All of them have character legacies that inform who they are today. Summer, Raven, Ozma, Pyrrha, Li Ren. These are all characters that we know had/have their own motivations, destiny, and ideals--and those echo through the narrative in such grand ways.

Mementos are a big part of these characters’ stories. While not all of these are explicitly physical items that serve as reminders, there are stories behind these shots and the objects or focus of them. Ren killing the Nuckelavee with his father’s dagger, Ruby’s mother and their shared silver eyes.

That’s why taking a look at a particular spot in V4 sparked a new idea:

Qrow is also a part of legacies. But this is one he was upholding. In V6 we saw his realization that his own followed legacy was in jeopardy--the one thing he’d staked his life on--and that continues to inform his faith in his nieces and the younger generation going forward. Because it isn’t Oz’s path he’s following, but theirs. Even if it is is hard letting them go it alone.

Qrow chooses his path at the end of V6, and it’s to help uplift this new generation, so that they can create their own stories in honor of or in spite of the ones that were left for them. It’s subtle, but it illustrates that Qrow’s growth has been in doing the things he believes is right, which is why he cautions James on so many of his decisions, why he seems to hang back, to lash out less, why he seems...well, softer. He’s not drunk, for one. And two he’s not as worried for his proteges. They’re taking fine enough care of themselves. Which is why the emphasis on his connection to Clover is so fundamentally important. Because if I look at it from a storytelling standpoint, we see these two characters express very similar ideals with completely different views of how to follow them. But it’s the story Clover has, the one where he’s a beloved leader and soldier, that impacts Qrow’s future the most.

It’s also between them that we witness one of the most brutal death scenes in RWBY.

My knee-jerk reaction to this scene was that it was the beginning of the Scarecrow “losing his mind”, so to speak, because it has been the pattern of the Oz generals to fall by the thing they were seeking in their allusions. But every time I followed this thought I couldn’t realize why it felt so wrong to me. I thought for a bit that Qrow might turn, the he might really and truly go crazy, but I honestly can’t see it. Why? Because if I’m reading Clover’s character right, we see that the fundamental differences between him and Qtow are what the story’s been pointing to all along: one is part of a legacy he never questioned, while the other has no tethers to his old legacies. Qrow’s placing his faith, quite certainly, on the future. (Also, if you wanted to make a point about the cruelty of reality, you could do it elsewhere. RWBY hasn’t really been that kind of show). And what really hit me as an important factor in this is the final shot of Qrow:

He isn’t angry. He isn’t gunning immediately for Ironwood. He looks heartbroken. He looks as he has all season--quiet, but in control.

He’s also holding onto...that’s right, a memento.

Yeah, back to talking about mementos, I am.

In seeing what was said about their relationship by the writers (communication not being 1:1 with writing/animating--also, again, not looking to discuss the implications of that at the moment, I understand and sympathize), I think I’m beginning to see some of Clover’s decisions, as they’re written, in a completely new light.

He’s cocky. He’s proud. But he’s a good guy. He encourages Qrow. He obviously likes him as a person. And this whole season we’re rooting for them to be good partners why’d you sneak in all that sexual tension though, yo, in whatever way that is. But then it’s made clear that Clover and Qrow both prioritize entirely different things until E12 when Qrow nods to Tyrian and...you know what I won’t even....no, I’m not even gonna poke that. The same different things that ultimately split team RWBY and the Ace Ops up. It’s even in their fights. If Qrow is the “Clover” to RWBY, Clover is the “Qrow” to the Ace Ops. Both the oldest and wisest of the de facto teams. Those fights are set up like that for a reason. Even them sharing shifting focus in E12 is significant. And RWBY wins because the Ace Ops don’t “care” about each other as they do, that’s the whole point that I can see. And so Clover shares his teams’ fate...but, like, way worse.

Clover knows when his orders seem harsh but he doesn’t question them. He’s never been shown to do so. He hesitates, sure, but so does Marrow. And unlike Marrow, Clover isn’t a new addition. He’s older. He’s their leader. It’s his charge they’ll follow. He’s not a character easily changed. We knew who he was the moment he swung in to arrest our heroes.

(Side note: I used to think this was a conspiratorial look that they were planning something. But I think now what I see is Clover noticing and then ultimately ignoring Qrow’s concern. His look hardens back to Ironwood with what I can now see as resolve. It’s why Qrow looks down. It’s almost like he’s hurt.)

So when we encounter this duo in the tundra, after their plane crash, and we see Clover’s character attempt to negotiate with Qrow, we see Qrow’s resolve harden. He isn’t going to follow Ironwood’s orders. He finds them wrong. But Clover is Ironwood’s right hand, he can’t listen to any personal feelings he may have, as Qrow and Robyn do. He even parallels Marrow in his conversations with Robyn, in that they both advise her to follow the law on two separate instances, and she makes it abundantly obvious that she thinks the law is rubbish. But Clover is the law. He’s supposed to uphold that trust. Because he’s entirely loyal. He’s a good person upholding a man he trusts. We don’t know his history, but I assume as the elite of the elite he earned his position. He spent years earning Ironwood’s trust (as Winter says--”You can’t buy loyalty you have to earn it”). And he isn’t a disingenuous character with sneaky ulterior motives. He’s how he’s presented. Point blank, heart presumably on his sleeve. I thought he’d turncoat to join our heroes, but now I see why he didn’t. (Then again, not having all the information is...testy)

Which is why this hits so damn hard.

“Sometimes the right decision is the hardest to make. I trust James with my life! I wanted to trust you.”

I wish I could emphasize that last line more. Clover is making an extraordinarily hard choice. He’s choosing loyalty to Ironwood over his partnership and relationship with Qrow. Because he trusts Ironwood more. This isn’t a character failing, it’s just tragic.

And with that last line I think he feels that Qrow betrayed Ironwood as well and, by effect, him. Because if Qrow had just listened to Ironwood’s plan and given himself up, none of this would have happened. But now that Qrow’s gone rouge, so to speak, he has to see him as an enemy. He has to use tactics to lure him to cooperate. Clover wanted to trust Qrow too. And at the end, like a lot of other trusting partnerships this volume, it ended in a loss of that trust. Also Qrow breaking Clover’s aura after the Ace Op has Tyrian on the ropes is SO. GODDAMN. PAINFUL. And when Qrow sees that Clover’s willing to follow these orders, he probably thinks he’ll follow any, and likely why he sees this as a betrayal. Because he’s used to that which i will discuss next time thank you.

What makes this scene so poignant, what makes me realize Qrow’s next arc is going to tie into what Clover left for him, is because Qrow likely understands exactly what Clover was going through. Once upon a time he defended Oz. He ran Oz’s missions. He put those priorities first. He bet his life on this fight. And in the end he didn’t even know the truth of what he was fighting for. Oz lied to him (Yes, I understand why). Meanwhile this whole season has been built on the prospect of lies. Qrow knows the cost of blind trust. He’s trying to tell Clover to listen to his conscience, not silence it. He’s trying to tell him to do the right thing.

And at the end, Clover seems to do just that by telling him, infuriatingly, “good luck.” Not just in the broader sense, although what an absolute madlad. But in the sense that he understands why Qrow chose that path. Why Qrow made that decision to refuse arrest although I’d be hella pissed about him teaming up with Tyrian! tho Why you done did me like that, bruh?!.

Clover’s telling him, really, to do what Qrow thinks is right. It’s the final note of evidence for my theory. Clover’s spent this season prepping Qrow to have faith in himself, and now it’s Qrow’s turn to realize that potential. It’s a blessing, really, that he gives him. To finish what he started.

And Qrow clearly keeps Clover’s charm. Because he’s carrying on Clover’s legacy too, and the mistakes that may have been made along the way. He has to remedy them. And this isn’t the only instance of a “baton pass” between these two. If Qrow is in search of a new legacy (which, truth be told, might involve bringing Ironwood down), then he needs a new team to do it with. And, as it’s been stated countless times by this show, he isn’t the waste of space he say he is and it is a damn shame he doesn’t have a new team yet.

Which brings me to my final desperate reach point.

“What would you guys do without me?”

[sakura-chans-blog]

I’m back!! May I please be sorted into a dormitory? I try to be friendly and polite to strangers and to acquaintances. My rule is to show respect until they give me a reason no too. To my close friends, I become a lot more vulgar and loose lipped. I’m the friend that people go to when they need advice or when they need someone to vent too. I like feeling useful. I hate seeing people being upset. Is it obvious that I want to become a therapist? Psychology is pretty cool. (1/3)

Hello!  Thank you for the ask and thank you SO MUCH for your patience!

Your heart shows me...Heartslabyul!

Your creativity and friendly nature makes you a perfect fit for Heartslabyul!  Riddle was pleased to find that you were not only respectful, but also were good at following rules which is very important in this dorm.  Your friendliness is appreciated in this dorm, not only by Riddle, but for those that are afraid of the prefect.  Many students go to you for emotional support and counsel as there really isn’t anyone else they can go to (the school should really look into hiring a counsler now that I’m thinking about it).  Although there are strict rules about diets, those are only on special occasions that you would have to eat differently, so you wouldn’t have a problem with finding food you already know!  As for your small temper, it isn’t a problem as it seems that the other students seem to have tempers as well.  Since you try to follow the rules most of the time, you’ll be okay if you have to bend one or two as long as Riddle won’t catch you!  Being emotional is perfectly fine as well, there is nothing against being emotional in this dorm.  As for the procrastination, as long as the work would get done in time, no one would have a problem with you waiting to do your work (I don’t think there is anything in the Queen’s rulebook about this, but correct me if I am wrong).  You having a messy room wouldn’t be a bother, although Riddle or Trey might mention that it would be a good idea to tidy up a bit if they see it.  It is great that you excel in history, science, and art classes, ESPECIALLY the art class!  Someone needs to help Cater painting roses after all, so that would be a perfect side job for you!  It’s alright that you aren’t good at P.E or English, none of the Heartslabyul dorms tasks have anything to do with those.  Your creativity is very appreciated by any who would get to see your work as can be a breath of fresh air from the normal colors that they see everyday!  Although the rules may be hard to keep up with, you’ll definately have a great time at this dorm!

  Here’s what Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Trey, and Cater think of you!  (This is going to be very long, so I’m sorry in advance!)

Riddle, as stated above, was glad to see that you show respect and know to follow rules.  He was also happy that you are friendly to both the students and him as people usually are too nervous to talk to him.  Riddle would definately go to you for emotional support, especially after a certain event at the end of Chapter 1 of the game (I didn’t say what actually happened to avoid spoilers for those who don’t know what happens, but i can edit it later if you want me to say what happens).  As for the eating, Riddle will make sure that you would follow the rules and eat what was given to you on the special occasions, but if you absolutely could not eat it, he would most likely understand albiet a bit huffy.  Since he is the prefect, he makes sure that everyone follows the rules and would be furious if one would be broken, but he would at least reprimand you if it was the first time he caught you instead of going straight to using his unique magic.  Regarding your temper, he doesn’t mind too much as he has a major temper as well.  Riddle doesn’t mind that your emotional, as he tends to be himself, and if you were sad then he would help talk you through it until your better.  If he would catch you procrastinating, he would tell you not to wait until the last minute and offer to help you work on it.  With having a messy room, Riddle would tell you to tidy up but if you don’t then he would stop telling you to.  He was very happy to see you enjoy history, science, and art as he immediately placed you on rose painting duty with Cater.  Riddle likes that you enjoy drawing and would sometimes watch you; he might even request that you draw a rose!  You two might have a few bumps on the way, but you would grow into good friends!

Ace was pretty chill when you two first met, he liked how friendly you were and that you are respectful.  It bugged him a bit how easily you followed the rules, but that’s just how Ace works.  He would go to you for advice on things like what to text to his brother or grandmother and he would also go to you to vent if he’s mad at Riddle.  He wouldn’t mind that you are picky and would even help smuggle some foods for you on those special occasions.  If Ace would catch you bending a rule, he wouldn’t tell Riddle and would most likely join you for fun and to spite Riddle if he was annoyed at the prefect.  With your temper, he has one too so he understands what it’s like.  Ace is fine that your emotional, but if you are in a bad mood, he will do anything to make you feel better and would recommend playing some hedgehog croquet to cheer you up.  He doesn’t care if you procrastinate; he does it himself all the time!  Ace is also fine that your room is messy, he isn’t one to judge.  He was pleased to find out that your good at history, science, and art, so he tends to go to you as a study buddy if he needs help.  Ace enjoys watching you draw and likes sit in with you to just watch you for hours until you finish.  If he would ask you to draw anything, it would probably be a heart with spikes on it.  You two would have a close bond and would be good friends!

Duece was very polite when he first introduced himself to you and was happy to find out that you are friendly along with respectful.  He also was glad you followed the rules as well as he wouldn’t want you to be in trouble with Riddle.  He would go to you for support if he had a rough day at class or just needed someone to talk to if he needed to speak about a private matter.  Duece understands that you are picky and tries to help out the best that he can like finding recipes for the foods you like and getting the ingredients for them.  If he caught you bending the rule, he would advise against it but if you still would go through with it he would end up helping you so you both would take the blame and not you alone.  Duece is alright with your temper, but he will try to calm you down so you won’t be upset.  He is alright that you are emotional, but if you are sad then he would ask you to go on a walk with him to talk and cheer you up along the way.  As for procrastinating, he tends to be guilty of it as well from time to time, but would go to you to work together if the deadlines for both of your projects matched up.  Duece doesn’t mind that your room is messy, he is disorganized himseld, but he would offer to help clean it either with you or for you.  He was very impressed that you excel at history, science, and art and would often come to you for homework help as his grades really need the assistance.  He likes to watch you draw, but would ask first if it was okay to watch.  If he would ask you to draw anything, it would be a spade with a checkered pattern.  The two of you would become close friends with each other overtime!

Trey, as he is the vice-leader of the Heartslabyul dorm, was happy to see that you not only were respectful and followed rules, but you were also very friendly to them which he admires.  He would recommend you to other students before even thinking about going to you himself as he would rather help others before himself.  But he would go to you if he was overly stressed and needed to vent.  He isn’t unfamiliar with picky eaters, as he has many younger siblings, and helps you as much as he can by helping you make your meals to suggesting different foods to Riddle when special occasions arise.  If he caught you bending the rules, Trey would stop you immediately and reprimand you but he would leave you off the hook and not tell RIddle the first time it happens, but would tell you to not do it anymore.  He takes the most care of Riddle as he is the vice-leader; so he is the most comfortable with tempers and wouldn’t be against yours, but he would help calm you down so you don’t get extremely angry.  Trey perfectly understands that you are emotional and offers his support as well; if you are sad, he will help cheer you up by recommending different activities around the dorm and if that doesn’t work then he would sit and talk you through it.  He wouldn’t like that you procrastinate, but he would help you get it done in a timely manner so you would have one less problem to think about.  He doesn’t like that your room is messy and asks you regularly if you would tidy up, but knows that he can’t control everything you do and would stop asking after a while.  He’s glad that you excel at history, science, and art; he sometimes sits in with you while you both would study so neither of you would be alone.  He enjoys watching you draw and even tries to draw with you sometimes.  If he would ask you to draw something, it would be a clover with a few little roses growing around it.  You two would have a strong friendship and would have great trust in each other!

Cater was happy to meet you and was happier to see that you are respectful and follow rules, so Riddle won’t go too crazy!  He also likes that you are friendly and would definately be friendly back at you.  Cater would go to you for emotional support if he just needed a break or if he needed a good talk or advice.  He’s fine that you are a picky eater and helps out when he is able to, like helping get rarer ingredients for the foods you like and cleaning around the kitchen so you wouldn’t have to.  If he catches you bending a rule, he would say it’d probably end badly and try to stop you, but would most likely end up doing it anyway with you because he would be bored.  He’s okay that you have a temper, but would give you some space to cool off before he would talk to you.  Cater is alright that your emotional and if you feel sad, he will do everything in his power to cheer you up because he hates when his friends feel blue!  He’s pretty nuetral with your procrastinating and he’ll offer to help out a bit if you need it.  He also doesn’t care that your room is messy, his is a little bit disorganized too.  Cater is impressed that your so good at history, science, and art and would come to you to get some advice on projects and to study together.  He loves to sit in with you while you draw and enjoys talking while you work.  If he would ask you to draw something, it would be a diamond in a few different colors.  The two of you would have an interesting relationship, but become close friends!

I didn’t realize it would be this long, so I’m sorry again!  Thank you again for your patience and I hope you enjoy your stay at the Night Raven College!