#if someone fucking tries using this post to attack me i’ll steal all your bones

[tenitchyfingers]

I’m so weirded out because like my grandma died a LONG time ago and my dad yesterday was like “today grandma would be 100 years old” and it’s like... wow. I mean, sure? But still... wow. 100 years, she was pretty much born during the rise of fascism and she must have been a 20something during ww2... my dad was born like 5 years after the end of it which means he was born at the start of the cold war

And my grandparents lived during fascism and were definitely adults at the height of it. And I don’t know how they felt about it. Whether they were collaborators or not, whether they valued their own lives above others or not, whether they were fascists or partisans or pretending to be fascists to survive... i don’t know. And I don’t know if I want to know. I’d rather remember my grandma as granny who took care of me and ate snacks with me in front of the tv and played cards and tabletop games with me. Should I wanna know? I don’t know. It’s weird. I know nothing about all of my grandparents, because they died too soon and I never asked. Because I mean, she died when I was starting middle school and I’d never been a particularly curious kid, and my other grandma... I didn’t have a tight relationship with her, but granny... had I known she would pass so soon, maybe I would have tried asking. She never offered stories, and I didn’t ask. Maybe she didn’t want to expose me to the full fucking cruelty humans are capable of while I was still going to primary school? I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting too fixated on this and the possibility to ask is gone. Maybe it’s ok this way, and it’s ok that I never asked and she never told me anything. I’ve read Apt Pupil ok

And like yeah these events are not so old, in the big scheme of things 100 years are nothing, there are still holocaust victims that are alive, there are people alive who were there during segregation and the apartheid and I’m definitely not gonna say some shit like “look how we’ve progressed” because we really have not after all, but... these things have been taught to me like they’re something very far away, very far removed from me, from us. And my grandma lived through them and now she’s gone (and nope I can’t ask my other granny or my grandpa because they’re all long gone too) and I’m beating myself over the head for not asking them for their perspective. She lived to see the decade of fash and commie terrorism... she was there when women got the right to vote... she was there and was 26 when the country ceased being a monarchy and became a democracy... but I know nothing about her perspective about anything before my birth. I know nothing about my grandparents except for what I saw. I just know my grandpa was inprisoned in France and thus that he hated the French? Or something like that? And that’s all I know. I guess the trauma was still too strong at the time of their death, I’m thinking about it now. Or maybe they just didn’t like thinking about it, maybe it was too painful or too shameful. I don’t know.

And I’m also thinking about how maybe a lot of other Italian kids feel this way, because we as a country never allowed ourselves to look back and face the shit we did to each other and to other people, the colonization, the fact that we never really fucking punished fascists properly, the fact WE HAVE FASCIST PARTIES RIGHT NOW, OCCUPYING PUBLIC BUILDINGS ILLEGALLY AND STORING WEAPONS, MEETING AND PLANNING AND BURNING LIBRARIES AND WEARING FUCKING “AUSHWITZLAND” TSHIRTS WITH THE DISNEY FONT, GOING TO BED WITH THE BIGGEST RIGHT WING PARTY IN THE COUNTRY, FOLLOWING A DUDE WHO ECHOED SHIT MUSSOLINI SAID RIGHT BEFORE BECOMING A DICTATOR. But the communist and socialist parties are all pretty much gone, also thanks to the fucking US meddling as always (thanks guys! You really did us a solid there!) - speaking of, I wonder what our country would be like today if all the socialist leaders hadn’t been assassinated either by the neofascists or infighting or outsiders (because yeah, all Americans are outsiders and the only thing we like about America is the media, which is why I think it’s ridiculous when y’all call yourselves Italian just because you saw The Sopranos and your great great great grandfather was cousins with a first generation Sicilian immigrant and you only knew it by looking at a family tree thingie because no, being Italian is a matter of shared culture and language and traditions and history and you’re not Italian if you can’t even speak Italian and participate in our culture and didn’t even bother getting a fucking paper to attest your citizenship because anything else is inappropriate and we’ll clock you as a fake pseudo-Italian who’s pretending to be Italian because “it’s exotic and cool” instantly anyway and “blood” is completely irrelevant and an essentialist, I’d say it’s also inherently racist because it’s based on the idea that your genes determine your identity and who you are, and guess who says that? Racists! Fascists, even. I would know what fascism is, I’M ITALIAN, and Italian-American culture has nothing to share with Italian cultures at this point, so just fucking say you’re American and deal with it however you will, but stop pretending you’re anything else. You’re some sad bum from New Jersey or whatever, just embrace it and stop acting like being 1/22738284 Italian on your father’s side means being Italian because that’s not the case at all.) (if you’re gonna say like “lol who even wants to be Italian”, then good, thank you. I’d rather be reviled as an Italian than having fucking yanks pretending they give a shit about Italy or be Italian. If you want to be Italian then you should live here, participate in our culture, show the bare minimum actual interest in living with us, learn our language - and it doesn’t matter that you speak it well or not, the important would be TRYING, we’re thrilled whenever someone shows interest but you don’t get to be American in every way but say you’re Italian without even trying to interact with us truthfully, just because you ate at Olive Garden - which by the way is NOT Italian food - once and because it feels exotic and foreign or whatever the fuck the appeal is. Fuck that. You obviously get to say you’re Italian-AMERICAN but not Italian. I will fight you any time over this. /Italian rant #57285939)

I honestly don’t know what the fuck happened exactly and what will happen. I don’t know and I’ll never know my grandparents’ stories because I never fucking had that conversation with them and that sucks. 100 years though. Wow. It’s been 100 years since 1920. “The roaring twenties”, but my great-grandparents probably didn’t live them that way. They were poor as fuck farmers who lived in rural north Italy and lived in what was effectively still a feudal system. PRACTICALLY FEUDALISM ALL THE WAY TO MY PARENTS’ TIME, I know that much cause my parents, inversely, my parents can’t shut up about how poor they were and how great farm life was (you know, I can understand why they feel that way, rural life is so quiet and I love the optics of it, the simplicity, the “do it yourself” style of living, i love my garden with snails and tomatoes and fruit all over and greens, I love it when I can just go outside and drink my coffee and be quiet. I would never live in the city because I like the countryside and I saw how life in London is... it’s too big and too busy and I’m already anxious as shit as it is. And like yeah maybe it’s a bit inconvenient sometimes but it’s ok, I live right next to the town where pretty much all of my social life is and i love taking walks among the fields, and this is also why I hate reading city people’s takes on how the countryside is shit... fuck off, it’s great and you’re just too superficial and spoilt and too far removed from nature to understand the appeal but don’t worry, when you grow old you’ll probably move to the countryside too and you’ll get it. Also people like saying rural communities are too racist... sure, we’re racist, but you’re racist too and you better not delude yourselves into thinking you’re any less fucking racist just because you vote dem and you have black friends, it’s bullshit and deep down you know it, I know you’ve heard racial slurs even in the city, maybe you’ve witnessed to race-based bullying against kids, you’ve heard racist shit and maybe you’ve done racist shit and swept it under the rug out of shame. At least with rural racists you know exactly what they think because they’ll let you know soon enough; city racists and especially dem racists love their public image too much to expose themselves and would never admit they didn’t hire someone because of their name or that they used the n-word “privately” - hi Destiny - or that they think non-white people can exist but far away from them, it just doesn’t look good and they would be shunned in liberal circles!).

Anyway. 100 years. That’s insane.*

And now I’m here on my phone trying to convince my parents to install fiber internet. In just a 100 years this is what happened. Happy birthday nonna, I guess?

*(Again, I know, duh, but I never thought about it ok?)

[uzunofu]

I looked through the chapters with the incidents you mentioned in this post, @crossdressingdeath. Brace yourself, it will be a long post.

First, "the one time [JYL] claims WWX as family (something which as far as I recall she does at no point before or after, certainly not where other people might hear) is also the one time where not doing so might negatively affect her".

She says it three times during that scene. The first two are in relation to her demand for Jin Zixun to apologize.

"A-Xian is a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he’s as close as a brother is to me. Calling him the ‘son of a servant’—I’m sorry, but I won’t accept this."

...

Jiang YanLi’s voice was soft, “Madam, A-Xian is my younger brother. Him being humiliated by others, to me, isn’t just a small matter.”

The third time:

Madam Jin raised her brows, looking Wei WuXian up and down. Her gaze was somewhat cautious, as if she was feeling displeased, “A young man and a young woman—you two can’t stick together all the time if nobody else is present.”

Jiang YanLi, “A-Xian is my younger brother.”

— ch. 70

To me, this last one sounds like a politely incredulous, "I just told you he's my brother and you're still insisting on this?" It's not a "no-no-no, it's not like that!", it's a "are you being serious right now?"

You are right in that she never does it before or after, but in this particular scene it's not about saving face.

You are also right in that she drops her demand for an apology, but JZxun literally stormed away, and then there was the Epic Confession from JZX and things got derailed. Did it seem like sweeping things under the rug at WWX's expense? Well, yes. But also, would it have done him any favors if she kept at it? I really don't know. It could've made things better, it could've made them worse.

Then, "stealing food from a guy who grew up STARVING ON THE STREETS even though JC had almost certainly already eaten".

“Fooling around again! Your sect leader, I, has already poured you a bowl and put it outside. Kneel for me to express your gratitude and go drink your soup outside.”

Wei WuXian skipped outside before he turned around and came back, “What do you mean by this, Jiang Cheng? Where’s the meat?”

Jiang Cheng, “Finished it. There’s only lotus roots left. Don’t eat them if you don’t want to.”

Wei WuXian attacked with his elbow, “Spit out the meat!”

Jiang Cheng, “No objections. I’ll spit them out and let’s see if you’ll eat them!”

Seeing that they started to argue again, Jiang YanLi quickly interrupted, “Okay, okay. How old are you two, fighting over some meat? I’ll just make another jar…”

— ch. 71

WWX doesn't generally seem food-conscious. This is reiterated later on in this chapter when the narrative mentions that when he first came to Lotus Pier, he was careful not to take too much or draw too much attention because he was afraid to be judged a burden. It's possible to read it as a confirmation: see, the soup incident several paragraphs earlier was serious for WWX even though neither JC nor JYL realized it. But I'm reading this in the opposite way: WWX used to be like that but not anymore. I also can't help but remember Xie Lian eating a steamed bun he picked up from the ground and saying that it's edible, it's still good, why waste food? We never see stuff like that from WWX.

JYL here doesn't take JC's side. In fact, she doesn't take anyone's side, she just wants them to stop bickering. Again, it's possible to say that JC is in the wrong here and WWX is in the right, so her not taking a side means silent agreement with JC. But really, I just don't think it's that serious.

A few chapters later, during LWJ's visit to the Burial Mounds, Wen Qing carelessly sweeps away WWX's things to clear a seat for LWJ. WWX goes, "Hey!", and Wen Qing also doesn't take him seriously. But no one tries to point at her and go, "See, she doesn't respect WWX, and she never apologizes for that." It's banter. Later on, it stops being banter between WWX and JC, but at this point, it's just shenanigans.

Then, the incident with the dogs and the tree:

Seeing how worried he seemed, Wei WuXian took the initiative, “Relax. I won’t tell Uncle Jiang. I only hurt myself because I suddenly wanted to climb a tree last night.”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng sighed in relief. He swore, “You can relax as well. Anytime I see a dog, I’ll chase it away for you!”

Seeing how the two finally made up with each other, Jiang YanLi cheered, “That’s the spirit.”

— ch. 71

She is happy because they made up and because this exchange seems like a tentative start to a friendship: "I'll cover for you" returned with "I'll protect you from your fears". Yes, JC used that fear against him in the first place — but he apologized and promised to make up for it. WWX falling from a tree wasn't directly JC's fault anyway; he didn't chase him up that tree and then push him down so that he'd get injured, he only told him to stay out of their room. It was a childish tantrum that led to unfortunate consequences. Not many children would willingly admit to a wrongdoing.

I also want to note that we don't actually learn WWX's leg was broken in this chapter. JYL says it isn't broken, it's probably not even fractured, and later on it's mentioned that the doctor cleaned and bandaged their injuries, but her assumption of his leg not being broken isn't refuted. We only get confirmation that it really was broken in chapter 87 when he shares this story with LWJ.

Finally, "JYL gets upset at WWX for breaking [JC's] arm".

Jiang YanLi, however, noticed [Wen Ning's] awkwardness. She asked him a couple of things and began to chat with Wen Ning outside. Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng stood in the yard.

[...]

After he drank a mouthful, Jiang Cheng spoke, “How’s your wound from last time?”

Wei WuXian, “It healed a long time ago.”

Jiang Cheng, “Mn.” With a pause, he continued, “How many days?”

Wei WuXian, “Less than seven. I told you before. With Wen Qing, it was nothing difficult. But you really did fucking stab me.”

Jiang Cheng ate a piece of lotus root, “You were the one who smashed my arm first. You took seven days, while I had to hang my arm up for an entire month.”

Wei WuXian grinned, “How could it seem realistic if it wasn’t hard enough? It was your left hand anyways. It didn’t hinder you from writing. It takes a hundred days to heal a wound to the bone. It wouldn’t be too much even if you hung it up for three months.”

— ch. 75

So: she wasn't even present during that conversation. After this, they part ways.

JYL doesn't really seem to have much of a role in WWX's life apart from comforting him and being placed on a pedestal. She mostly comes off as lacking because of the obvious comparison to Wen Ning. Even though he is just as gentle, he also stands up for WWX during the golden core reveal and does it spectacularly. JYL wields her social position, Wen Ning wields his physically indestructible nature (JC lashes him with Zidian, but since Wen Ning is a corpse, he can just keep talking). The circumstances, however, are different. Wen Ning has years of resentment built up, both for himself and for WWX, but to JYL Jin Zixun is a non-entity. The golden core reveal takes place in private and whether Wen Ning keeps going or stops, it can't make things any worse, but the Phoenix Mountain scene is a public almost-scandal and had she insisted, it could've gone two ways: either people back down because WWX has someone in his corner (unlikely, because JYL is a woman and JC, his sect leader, isn't in his corner) and admit that he didn't break any hard rules, or they use this as further ammunition against him.

I think WWX was right in the falling-from-a-tree-into-LWJ's-arms scene: JYL wasn't strong enough, so could she have caught him?

[tenmillionwhumperflies]

Cloudwalker Series Part 13

Okay this got split in half because it was like 3k words. Have more protective Avizon and a little Ihuka whump (mild beating).

Warnings: Mild beating, pet whumpee

Master-list Here Total WC: 1700

It wasn't long until Avizon's supplies began to dwindle. He needed to go back to town, to stock up and fill his cart. He decided to take the birds with him. They couldn't fly off, and he doubted they'd try to run. Ihuka had certainly learned this lesson. He'd been trying hard to please him since then. They'd earned a trip outside. Besides, he would need travelling supplies for when he went to the Great Library. He wasn't sure if he wanted to take his birds with him. Was it safer to seal them in the castle for the day or two he'd be gone? He was unsure.

But first things first, the market.

He went to their room and found that Dyan and Ihuka were asleep, a tangled mess of limbs, feathers and drool. Avizon couldn't help but smile. They'd settled in well overall, and they'd been far less trouble. Ihuka had his bad days still, but he found it was easier to set him off cleaning with Dyan and it seemed to work the resentment out of him that way. He couldn't afford to punish him much more. He was already so afraid of him. He thought he'd wanted a challenge, he thought he'd known what he wanted but things were changing every day. They were changing him... They reminded him more and more of his old self, before everything changed, before everything had been stolen from him. 

His master’s words rang in his ears. This is dark magic you seek. It will corrupt you, it will change you for the worst and it will eventually kill you.

"Wake up, little birds. We have a long day ahead of us," he called.

Ihuka yawned and tried to hide under his wing to get more sleep.

"I saw that, Ihuka. Wake up, there's a good bird. I might even buy you a gift if you can behave yourself.” Dyan stretched his wings out and sat up, “Where are we doing today, master?” “We’re going to the market.” Dyan gulped. “You mean...” “No, no! Not that market, a different one, for food and supplies. Don’t worry, all is well.”

The tension in Dyan’s body visibly dropped away. Avizon petted his head. “Get dressed. I’ll see if there are any coats leftover from the servants.”

“You had servants?” Dyan asked softly. Avizon cleared his throat. “No, they were before I took over the castle.” Avizon’s attack that day had led everyone to flee, leaving everything behind. Even the purple and turquoise clothes they wore had belonged to cloudwalkers owned by the princess. He shuddered at the memories, the thought of past pains.

He shook himself out of it. “Get dressed,” he found himself repeating. “and wake Ihuka up. Meet me outside by the horse.” “Yes, master.”

Avizon paused for a moment, remembering Dyan had hurt his wrist the day before because he’d been cleaning so much. It wasn’t broken, just stiff and achy. “Is your wrist still hurting?” Dyan nodded meekly. Avizon ruffled his hair, “alright, take it easy.”

Avizon left them to it. He rummaged around in the empty bedrooms until he found a chest with cloudwalkers clothes in. He knew they had to be somewhere. The princess had always spoiled her pets, and yet beaten them when she felt like it. Looking back, he really pitied those creatures. The Princess had always had a terribly good arm for striking. He wondered what had happened to those two, Fluffy and Flutter, she had called them. What had been their real names? Where had they come from?... Perhaps he could make some inquiries when he was in the city.

He looked in the box, seeing what he could find. There were shoes that looked agonising to walk in, accessories of all descriptions. He took the two bandannas out, they could be helpful, and finally he found the coats with a lace-up back. He hoped they would fit. He could always buy them new things when he got there at least. He brought it all downstairs and outside, where his two cloudwalkers were waiting patiently.

He made two piles, one for Ihuka with the white coat with purple stitching and one for Dyan with the black coat and turquoise. He gave them the bandanna. “Put these on, then I will need to wrap your wings. I’m not having those vermin stealing your feathers.”

It took a while to get everything sorted to go. Ihuka liked having the bandanna hanging loosely around his neck once Avizon had tied it for him. Dyan was more nervous, but Avizon had an idea. He tied it around his wrist and tucked it all in neatly. “There, that should support it.” Dyan cheeped out a thank you. He let them both sit in the cart, with their leads secured to it. They took it as a chance to nap. 

Avizon didn’t mind, it meant he could reflect without distraction. It seemed the past was determined to haunt him today. His horse nickered softly as she pulled the cart along. “Steady, Secret, steady girl.” She continued on her way, not caring for the rain that started. Avizon grumbled and pulled up his hood. Thunder clapped overhead, he heard a squeak from inside the cart and Secret looked unsteady. He worked on reassuring her. “It’s alright, little birds, no need to be afraid, we’re almost there.” The rain did mean that a lot of people had gone home, which meant this would be easier for him. He knew what to expect, he knew how the people were, but they feared him at least, and he could soon get them to scarper if he wanted to.

He brought the cart to a stop under a basic shelter, which kept the rain off his horse. He tethered her to the post and patted her neck. “Good girl. Steady now.”

He went to the back and untied the cloudwalkers, “You’ll have to come with me. I don’t want you getting stolen. Come on out.”

Dyan and Ihuka carefully climbed out, both looked unsure. He left their leashes short. He trusted them to stay by his side, but he didn’t trust the people. He urged them onward and brought them into the large wooden building where most of the stalls were. He set to work buying what he needed and much to his surprise, the cloudwalkers behaved. They followed him wordlessly, but Ihuka was tense, his head constantly moving. Dyan seemed used to this, but Ihuka was certainly not. He took a moment to pat his head. “Easy now.”

He bought what he needed, and the market owners would send their assistants out to pack his cart. The place emptied quickly, probably because he was here, but there were still half a dozen people or so. He relaxed the leashes, giving them more space to wander. He frowned when Ihuka’s suddenly went limp. When he looked, he quickly found the rope no longer held a cloudwalker on the end.

The rope had been cut.

“Ihuka?” he called out. He heard a yelp and a shout. “Nasty little thief! Go on, fuck off!” Avizon turned just in time to see one of the stall owners kicking Ihuka when he was on the ground. He glowered. “Come, Dyan.” 

A second man came over to Ihuka, an older man that could have been the first’s father. He slapped the young man in the back of the head. “What the hell are you doing?” “It took from the stall!” the younger man defended. “Aye, and I’ve told you to usher it off and inform its owner to pay for the items. You don’t beat the fucking things, someone owns them! They’re animals, they don’t know how the stalls work.”

The older man crouched down to look at Ihuka but Ihuka shied away.

Avizon walked calmly to the stall, seeing Ihuka curled up. He whined seeing him and got on his knees, hugging his stomach. On the floor, he saw a piece of liquorice root. “Your greatness! I… I.Is this your pet? I. I. I had no idea!” the younger one exclaimed. Avizon ignored him. He crouched in front of Ihuka, opened his coat and moved up his shirt. He saw where he’d been kicked hard, it looked like it would bruise. Hopefully nothing more…

“Dyan, ask Ihuka what happened,” Avizon said, but he glared up at the young man who realised he had just made a terrible mistake.

Dyan did so and reported back. “He took a bit of the root, he said they use it in the wild, that he couldn’t resist it… It does smell so good, I...”

Avizon took a piece of liquorice root from the stall and started to chew it. He wasn’t keen on the taste, but he had a point to make. “Where’s my beating then, sir? Or are you suddenly not so keen?”

“Please, your greatness, I… Is there anything I can do to make up for my mistake?” the young man groaned in fear while the older one kept his distance. Avizon smirked. “Well, for one thing, I’ll have all of your liquorice root, and because you kicked my cloudwalker three times, you can half the price, the half it again, and then half it again.”

The older man did not seem too happy but he wasn’t about to argue. “Yes, your greatness. Could I offer you anything for the bird’s pain?” “Yes, and if I find any bones have cracked, then I will be giving this man the same treatment.” Avizon was in no rush, he tended to Ihuka, hushing him as he tried to check for breakages but Ihuka wriggled a lot and pushed his hands away. “M.master, no… please...” He lowered his head down and let out a weak mercy squeak.

Avizon gave up looking for now. He didn’t want to upset him too much. “You’re not in trouble, little bird.”

After Ihuka had chewed on some herbs for the pain, Avizon took a fresh piece of liquorice and held it out to Ihuka, who was still curled up on the floor, no doubt still afraid. He knelt down and brushed a hand through his hair. “On your feet, good boy.” He gave him the root and picked up his lead. He inspected it, seeing where it was clearly burned.

“M.master?” Dyan suddenly whimpered. Avizon turned to see Erix in the doorway glaring at them.

[cryptidsandcatacombs]

What If I Killed Someone For You

Rating: absolutely postively adult for violent yandere content. Anyone under the age of 18 better go away. No reading allowed for anyone under the age of 18. Plus there's like one adult joke in here so no one under the age of 18 allowed for that reason either.

Summary: This is literally fueled by my love of yandere content #nojudgingcringecultureisdeadandikilledit. Noe better watch himself because he's been my muse lately. Anyways uuuu idk yandere stuff here so you know someone's getting stabbed. We should probably do something about that, but we're not gonna. Thems the rules chief. No, you can't stop it either you total fucking killjoy. I'll start stealing toes if you do. What will I do with said toes? Black markets are a lucrative business and I need the money cause I'm broke fam. So really it's the economy's fault that I'm chopping toes. Say thanks late stage capitalism. This is brought to you by idk the monster under your bed who chops off the toes for me. He gets paid by the hour so try no to run too much ok.

Oh and this fic contains lyrics from If I killed someone for you by Alec Benjamin. Yes I'm inserting song lyrics into a fic like it's the early 2000s.

I'm packing up my things and I'm wiping down the walls I'm rinsing off my clothes and I'm walking through the halls I did it all for her So I felt nothing at all I don't know what she'll say So I'll ask her when she calls

Would you love me more? If I killed someone for you

Oz was considered by most a laid back sort of guy. Never angered easily. He can get frustrated like every other person, but not so easily angered.

However, despite his laid back nature, he had a vice. Jealousy. One that he was very self aware of. He often tried not to let it get the better of him, but there it was. A beast clad in green with eyes of emerald staring him directly in the fact tempting him with its siren song.

The siren song came in the form of Noe Archiviste and....whoever this girl was that was hanging all over Noe right now. She had a voice as sweet as molasses and brown curls that fell down her shoulders like waterfalls. She would run her hands over Noe and look at him with her doe eyes. She was a cute on overall. Couldn't blame Noe for taking interest if it was there.

He seemed to not the mind the attention he received from the lady...nor the frivolous compliments....nor the blatantly flirty way she seems to be touching him with every caress of his hands into hers and the way she wraps her arms around his neck.

Oz's eye twitched. Oz could have stuffed down all this rage and envy that suddenly sprouted from the ether, but jealousy was truly Oz's vice. One he wasn't planning to fix any time soon. He wanted to sit there and be happy for his dearest Noe. Stay to the sidelines and be happy for his good fortune for love is one of the greatest things you can find.

However, there was another urge. One just as strong.

"I want her to die," cried Oz's thoughts. "I want her gone. She can't take Noe away from me. She can't. I know him and I aren't together in a romantic sense, but...I don't want her taking away my chance either. She has to go"

"Now now Oz," said another voice in Oz's head, "You know that's wrong. You can't go around getting rid of anyone you see as a competition or obstacle towards someone you care about."

Oz was prone to scolding himself at times like these. He always held himself to high moral standards. Sometimes too high. To the point of self-loathing. Impressive if you ask the writer. Self awareness? Bitch please for shame. This isn't a call out post for myself. What is it you may ask? Hey, we're getting off topic you little trickster. You're supposed to be a reader. Not breaking the fourth wall.

"Yes yes I know I can't do that. I'm not going to. That still doesn't save me from any form of feral urge to wring her neck and ship her body down the river and hope and have her loved ones pray she can be identified by her dental records. Fuck does she even love him. What if she's out to hurt him or worse just wants him for his body? Look at him! He's gorgeous. Who can blame her? What if she doesn't love him like I do," said Oz's internal thoughts.

"Oz you're being dumb. She might love him unconditionally too and he deserves that for himself," Oz argued internally with himself back.

"I know I know, but I'm just saying what if. I just don't like the idea of him getting hurt nor the idea of her taking him away from me. I'm entitled to that feeling aren't I," Oz continued to debate with his voice of reason.

"Fair, but lets just wait and see. He's a big boy and can handle himself," Oz's voice of reason stated.

"Yeah a big boy in more ways than one I bet," said the third internal Oz voice of being horny and all around slutty that constantly lives there.

"This is getting us nowhere," Oz himself decided to just cut the internal argument off before it turns into a blood match to the death. This was disturbing his routine of stalking Noe for ...research purposes.

Oz looked over to now see them sitting down at the nearby cafe. They were seated across from each other. Oz noted Noe might be enjoying his usual coffee or tea. He liked it extra sweet either way. The man has one hell of a sweet tooth.

"Yeah I bet that brown haired hussie doesn't know that, but I do," Oz thought to himself smugly.

Oz looked back at Noe's companion to see her touching his arm and doing the egregious crime of looking into his magnificent purple eyes. Wait....was she now touching his face?

"You lucky bitch," Oz thought to himself this time with anger brows drawn on the words for dramatic emphasis.

Oz ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Damn it! How long is this date going to last? I hope it stops before I puke up a lung," Oz thought to himself this time internally rolling in pain.

Hours passed and Oz with surprising tenacity had stayed there all day following Noe around with the clever disguise of wearing a hat and ya know some shabby clothes. Truly no way he could be recognized. Yep, he's got it all figured out.

Oz decided to follow them home from a fair distance. Oz looked up to see the sunset. It was starting to get dark and Oz hated the dark, but he hated certain people who might harm those he loves even more. A little nyctophobia isn't gonna hurt.

Oz followed quietly until he noticed they stopped in front of a flat. It was her flat. Noe escorted her to the door like the gentleman he is and waved her good night. Oz had found a nice dark alleyway to hide in so he wouldn't be spotted.

Noe headed towards Oz's direction which caused Oz to hide deeper into the darkness. Oz bit his lip from the anxiety of being found and having some explaining to do. Like who was he kidding? This disguise was paper thin!

Noe looked like he was passing by Oz, then stopped. Oz froze. Oh god had he spotted him?

Before Oz could register what happened next, Noe had gone in a flash. Oz knew he was fast, but he couldn't see where he went.

It was then a grunt and the sound of what seemed to be something getting bashed against the wall behind Oz. Oz slowly turned to find Noe whose hand was pressing something against the wall.

It was then he grabbed whatever he was holding and slammed it again. Oz stared into the darkness to see his eyes glowing red to match the blood on his gloves.

After another slam, the clear sound of bone cracking from the impact could be heard. Noe dropped, what Oz could assume, the now lifeless body of the person he just killed.

Noe turned to see Oz and Oz froze. "Ok ok maybe he doesn't know it's you," Oz thought to himself. "Oh I know."

"Aye top of the morning to you," Oz did in his best Irish accent that he could muster.

Noe leaned down and inspected Oz. Oz could only look at Noe confused as Noe lifted Oz's arms and looked over Oz's face and the rest of his person.

Noe then gave a sigh of relief. "Good, I was afraid he had hurt you Oz," Noe said putting a hand on Oz's shoulder.

"Wait, you knew it was me," Oz said face turning hot.

"I mean, I'd recognize you from anywhere. You're not hard to miss," Noe pointed out.

"Oh uuu so what happened exactly," Oz asked now curious about the now lifeless elephant in the room.

Oz went to look at the supposed body only for Noe to yank him back and shook his head no.

"You're squeamish," Noe said taking his bloody glove off, putting his now bare hand on Oz's face,"I wouldn't look."

Oz shuddered taking Noe's advice.

"The man had been following you. I know of him. That vampire right there would have killed you where you stood if I hadn't done something," Noe said honestly.

Oz batted his lashes in shock taken aback. "I...almost died," Oz asked.

Noe nodded. "Fortunately, he doesn't kill in broad daylight, so I had to wait til night. I had just noticed him following you today. I don't know how long he's been doing it for, but if I had noticed earlier, he would have been dead on the first day," Noe nearly growled out. "I'd rather not have killed him in broad daylight either,ut if I had to, I would have," Noe wanted to point out. "If he had attacked you, I absolutely would have."(edited)

Oz turned pale. "W-wait, when did you notice I was...," Oz said not knowing how to word his next question.

"Following me," Noe asked for him, "Since I left the house. You're not exactly subtle."

Oz blushed. "Oh uh sorry I was just curious as to what your daily routine was like and then I noticed you had a female companion, so I was trying to see if you were safe," Oz said nervously.

"Her? She was lonely and needed company, so I obliged. She's a bit friendly, but so am I," Noe pointed out.

"So are you...interested in her? Dating her even," Oz asked getting to the point.

Noe shook his head. "Not in the slightest," Noe said heading towards the body making effort to cover it up. "I'll dispose of the body in a minute. Let's take the back ways so I'm not caught soaked in blood. I need to get you home," Noe said quickly leading him back.

"Wait what if someone finds it," Oz asked fearfully.

"This will be quick," Noe said picking up Oz and speeding off.

Oz could often forget how fast this unstoppable force of a man was.

A few minutes later, Oz was back on his doorstep. Oz rubbed the back of his neck looking towards Noe wondering what Noe was going to do now.

"Now, go inside and don't come check on me. I don't want to have to hide more bodies this evening should more make the fatal mistake of coming after you," Noe said waiting til Oz got to his door.

"Ok ok," Oz said opening his door.

Oz waved Noe off as he sped away to do the dirty work.

Later that night, Oz flopped over into the bed still registering the fact he just saw Noe Archiviste straight up body a man. The sweet, gentle lamb of a man just increased the body count this evening. The man was now a statistic in vampire based deaths. Truly mystifying.

Oz wanted to stay up and see if Noe was going to be ok. However, sleep took Oz before Oz could make any quick decisions. It had been a long day.

As Oz slept, Noe crept in with any blood soaked clothes supposedly disposed of. Noe bent down and ran his fingers through Oz's hair.

Noe's fingers drifted to Oz's pulse on his neck. Long has Noe fantasized about marking Oz's neck. The thought made him shiver, but he couldn't. He couldn't bare to do it with him possibly not consent as marking someone like that is a big deal.

Noe pressed a little more of the pulse of Oz's neck. The beat made Noe's heart race and what Noe could swear was drool. To be so intimate with Oz to the point he trusts Noe to drink his blood. It was enough to make him shiver.

Noe shook himself from these thoughts. He couldn't give in. Not without Oz's permission.

Noe got up quietly and shut Oz's door bedroom door behind him as he left. He couldn't bare to kiss Oz's face good night as he was afraid it would trigger something in him.

Noe fled out the door into the dead of night towards his place. He wouldn't let any harm come to Oz. Even if that danger was himself.

[theloyaltyofthewolves]

recently the mood has just been no thoughts, head empty; just soft SKZ Virgo boys~

okay okay okay. okayokayokay. let’s talk about the virgos. (this is going to be a long post, so go make yourselves some popcorn or tea or white wine or somethin because i have been wanting to write this from the moment i started this blog and this bitch is long.)

it’s a little impressive, honestly, to have a group of eight people consist of three virgos. considering it’s one of the most underappreciated signs in the zodiac, that’s a lot of earth sign, and that’s a lot of virgo. but i think the interesting thing about the virgos in stray kids is that they are all different versions of the same sign. like one of those pokemon whose evolution is the same creature, just with a different coat color. they play so perfectly off and into each other. it very much feels as if it was meant to be. 

let’s start with the baby.

seungmin is almost a cusp. he’s right on the border of libra and virgo, which means he inherited a little bit of both. cusps are often pretty conflicted people, but i think seungmin wears it well. he’s got the steadiness of a virgo—his feet are planted firmly in the soil. he’s got the motivation of a virgo, that self-discipline that verges on cruel. listening to the paranoid ways that he cares for his voice—no a/c, only masks, no shouting—that’s that virgo neurosis. he’s the controlled virgo, the perfectly-aligned virgo. the stereotypical virgo. good with money, level-headed in an argument, prone to fits of contained anger if things don’t go his way or he experiences unanticipated setbacks. he’s the impatient, exasperated, long-suffering virgo mom friend. tough love, rough love. brutal honesty and uncensored opinions. getting his teammates out of bed and into the van, forcing vitamins down their throats, throwing sunscreen at their backs and water bottles at their heads because god fucking damnit, can’t they take care of themselves for once? the advice-giver, the maknae with a head full of barbed wisdom. he’s the knows better kid, because he does. seungmin knows better. he knows what to do, so he’s the one they call. night or day. i’ve messed up, i think i really messed up this time. and he’ll talk them off a ledge, go to the only all-night grocery store, buy some ice cream and some gummy vitamins. show up at jisung’s door and say take a deep breath. you’re going to be okay, peabrain. grow up a little. sharp and a little bit caustic, but his friends have learned that the sting usually means he’s right.  

and within that rough love, there are moments of unthinkable sweetness. holding hands under the table to calm nerves at radio interviews, pressure on the back of a neck to hold back a panic attack at an airport, warm arms under the covers the night before a concert. the ability to bring such profound comfort is uniquely virgo--it exists nowhere else in the zodiac. no other sign has the capacity to ground, to center. there is assurance of course in the gentle touch of others, of the i feel you, i am with you, you’re going to be okay. but that’s not how seungmin brings comfort. it’s not gentle, it’s not soft. it’s not treating someone like they’re about to shatter to pieces. it is an unyielding and forceful kind of comfort. you are breathing. your heart is beating. you are alive--now fucking act like it. that’s what seungmin does, he brings his teammates back to the ground and he ties them there, strings a rope between his hand and theirs so that there is no slipping away. it’s a rough love, a tough love, but it works. like splashing your face with cold water, or pinching the back of your hand. a little bit of pain – just a little – to remind you that you are still alive. you’re still feeling. and then seungmin will sit and he will wait and he will keep his teammates together until they’re strong enough to do it themselves. nothing weathers the winds and the waters of time like a virgo’s love. 

there are souls in this world who have lived many lives. people that you encounter and can sense, somehow, somewhere, a very immense sort of old. not old like grandparents or textbooks, not old as in dusty attics or love letters, black and white photographs. old as in ancient. like the sea, or the mountains, the canyons. the redwood trees and the milky way. sometimes you encounter people who hold that great vastness of time in them, and yongbok is one of those people. his soul has been around for a very, very long time. it’s seen the oceans rise and the moon go yellow. this is not its first time on earth, nor will it be its last.

yongbok is the old-soul virgo. the contemplative, philosophical one with his head in the clouds. he spends a lot of his time thinking, just like all virgos do. they are the overthinkers, the worriers. worring over things that have happened, are happening, will happen. past, present, and future, worry worry worry. and i know he doesn’t really come across like that at first. i too was fooled into believing that yongbok does not have a brain. plot twist: i actually think yongbok might use his brain the most. not for common sense, or anything. like let’s be real: yongbok has definitely never asked himself whether the thing that he is doing, such as eating a banana peel or gluing googly eyes to all of minho’s possessions, is a good thing to be doing. that thought process has never entered his head, nor will it ever enter his head. this is because wisdom and intelligence are different traits, and while yongbok’s got wisdom coming out the ass, he’d sit on wet paint because he didn’t take the time to read the sign. i think that’s why i’ve always felt like yongbok wasn’t really made to be an idol. like, of course he deserves it and he belongs with stray kids. he’s good enough and he’s brave enough and he’s strong enough. but there’s just something about him that screams i was not made for a life of glass and steel and concrete. i was not made for a camera lens. he was made for a cottage on the edge of the sea where he can sit and contemplate the great unknown unhindered by paparazzi or a world-class act. he’s too soft for that, too gentle. too sincere and genuine and open-hearted.

i think yongbok learning to make peace with the discord within himself though – an inner yearning for a simple life and an unquenchable thirst for success – by finding fulfilment outside of the business end of stray kids and devoting himself instead to his members. i could talk for hours about yongbok and his cooking and his sunshine, but i’ll restrain myself and just say: yongbok isn’t the backbone of the team. he doesn’t have the strength and willpower the way chan or minho do, the physical capacity to endure weight and pressure and carry his teammates to the finish line like changbin. he’s not grounding like seungmin or jeongin, he’s not electrifying like jisung, and he doesn’t bleed humanity like hyunjin. yongbok’s power, his role in stray kids, comes from his softness and his genuine love for them. the way he looks at them like they hung the stars. the gentle, silly, dumb ways he loves them, gives and shows that love just by being present. he’s the sunshine kid, he brings warmth because he brings love, because it comes off of him in waves. 

and then there’s jisung. little jisung! a virgo in his own right, although you wouldn’t think it given his propensity for dramatics and conflict and stage-stealing. what makes jisung a virgo is his defiance. i’ve talked about it before, could talk about it until i was blue in the face, but jisung is filled with fire. i don’t know what force made him this way, but whatever it was, it made him with the intention to burn. burn down stages, burn down cities, burn down countries. ashes to ashes and dust to dust, jisung is meant to bring the world to its knees. there is a hurricane in him, a maelstrom. it strains at the seams of his skin to be released, rages against his bones until they crack under the weight of all the life he’s kept contained. there is a light in him that will never go out and every day he fights against it swallowing him whole. 

that kind of fire knows no master. cannot be handled, cannot be contained. cannot be scripted or framed or repositioned. there is no politics in jisung’s fury and ocean, it is just sheer energy and flame—human spirit, you could say. virgos are masters of their own fates. they do not let higher powers take their will from them. the backbone of every revolution is a virgo, because they’re unfazed in the face of authority. virgos only believe in power they can see and touch. that means they are not fallible to state or god. no wonder why jyp had such trouble with jisung at first—there’s no way a kid like that, with that much cyanide and gasoline in his veins, fell into line. in fact, we know he didn’t. in a place so constrained and regimented as an entertainment company, someone like jisung must have chafed at every corner. virgos can’t be tricked into believing, there will be no blind faith from them. you have to put your money where your mouth is and prove yourself. not just that you’ve got a cause worth fighting for, but that you’re even worth the time of day to listen to in the first place. i don’t know about you, but i kinda doubt jyp’s menacing management staff and their consumerist rhetoric made the cut. it’s one in a list of a million reasons why chan stands out to me, why i know he’s so much more than he lets on. because for all that jyp entertainment tried to force jisung to his knees, chan only needed to ask. 

aside from raging against the machine as all good virgos do, jisung is- how do i put this? jisung’s really fucking smart, in the way only virgos (and scorpios!) ever are. like okay, no lie. the kid’s this close to being a genius. whenever they play games based in deceit or lying, jisung can play them under the table. remember when i said jisung’s got an emotional intelligence that’s off the charts? this is an example of that. he knows his teammates better than they know themselves because he spends every waking hour of his day paying attention to them. i’ve noticed this with most of the “mood-makers” in kpop. their role is to keep the pulse of the group up and racing, and that means they need to know how each one of their teammates is feeling, regardless of whether he’s hiding it or not. jisung needs to have his teammates’ tells so thoroughly intuited that he can read them from the other end of a stage during a black-out between performances. that’s his job. so of course he’s a virgo, because he needs that virgo intuition and logic, the ability to fill in the gaps on the heel of a dime. to know in the hair’s width of time before the commercial break ends and they’re back on the air, if jisung needs to draw the spotlight because hyunjin’s feeling a little bit ganged up on by the hosts or chan’s voice is starting to give a little. to smooth out the edges, hide their rough edges under a veil. because that’s what he does, and that’s what he’ll always do. cover for his teammates. hold them up the only way he knows how. 

they make a pretty formidable trio, don’t you think? between seungmin’s brutal honesty, yongbok’s stubbornness, and jisung’s wit, i imagine the three of them get what they want. that’s how virgos are. they expect more and they expect better and they do not take shit from anyone. if a virgo thinks that they’re right, there is a zero percent chance that you will get your way. it will save everyone involved time, energy, and effort to give in and acquiesce. otherwise, you’re facing an uphill battle that you will not win. not with one virgo, and certainly not with three. i honestly pity the rest of stray kids. no one does stubborn quite like an earth sign. 

they are also, quite bluntly, essential to the team. stray kids are eight pieces of one whole, and the virgo line take up a pretty considerable fraction of that whole. without their support, be it through seungmin’s fierce and brambled comfort, yongbok’s soft and humble warmth, or jisung’s quick-thinking, stray kids would implode. there’s a reason there are earth signs in every kpop group—they’re the ones with their shit together. they’re the ones that keep everyone else’s shit together, either through nagging or just brute force. they are the grounding weight, the support net. smart, sharp, ever-aware, to show up on top of their game. stray kids’ virgos are nonstop. they’ll keep it together, keep their team together, if it fucking kills them. 

you know how it is. different circus, same clowns. - @hexglyphs 

[f-117-nighthawk]

I’m in a Playlist Mood

I was scrolling through my dark matter tag looking for something I made a while ago to reference in the next chapter of Carry Me Home and ran across my last playlist explanation post. It put me in the mood to think about this again, and I’ve added...a lot. The playlist might’ve actually doubled in length since then (Thank You Abyss) and I’ve moved some stuff around in order. So, more playlist meta under the cut (it’s LONG)

So first thing: I’ve actually created two new playlists (well, one new one and actually made the third playlist have more than two tracks) since that post jhadsfljd. Working forwards in time (kinda), we have:

Dark Matter: The Road to Ruin

The Road to Ruin is the Main Playlist, the thing I use to write to, the thing I lie in bed and listen to to think up new things, and half the thing that keeps the timeline in place (it’s actually more updated than World Anvil rn whoops). Here we have overarching plot hooks, character development, and the story of six Paladins and their friends trying to save the universe.

Turn the Lights Out I sort of explained in the last post and I can’t think of too much more to add. The TLDR is it’s about the Lions (and, well, technically [REDACTED] too....) and sort of why I refer to a fully-melded Lion-Paladin duo as Spirits.

(I was here/Will you welcome and recognize me/I'll be there/I was here/Will you dread me, will you despise me/I'll be there/For the last living thing)

Remnants of Stars is again about Galran philosophy and the actual process of the quintessence nurseries filtering quintessence back into the universe. But the bit about giving in to know the truth becomes important much, MUCH later.

(As children of space/With stardust in our veins/We will give in to know the truth/We are the remnants of stars)

Your World Will Fail, Dark Matter, and Eater of Worlds are about [REDACTED], about what happens between that instant between the first plank time and the next. They’re an overarching theme, but also the event that everything else builds from, whether that be interpreted as the beginning of the universe or the Voltron comet crashing into Daibazaal.

(Your world will fail my love/It’s far beyond repair/Your world will fail my love/It is already there)

(Bring me your soul/Bring me your hate/In my name you will create/Bring me your fear/Bring me your pain/You will destroy in my name)

(Can’t imagine the violence/The rage and the love in my madness/I am the eater of worlds and I’m looking for someone to feed me)

Apocalypse 1992 is actually the main story of Through Apocalypse Skies, although its framing story is shortly after String Theory. It happens between parts of Awakenings, detailing the rise of [REDACTED] and the final hours before the destruction of everything sentient species knew beforehand.

(Fly high through apocalypse skies/Fight for the world we must save/Like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain/Chaos will triumph this day)

You Keep What You Kill covers the slow degeneration of the Empire between The Fall and the Battle of Arus. The knowledge harshly taught by the Thuanial War is forgotten under the influence of Zarkon, Haggar, and [REDACTED]. Marzin and Galraasa quickly rise the ranks as the Empire’s left and right hands, like omens of destruction before them. The four are the ‘holy half-dead,’ the ones who shape the devouring of the universe before them.

(Defying dimensions/These ruthless creatures will steal your soul/Breaking away from the chains of mortality/They won't be taken down/Bow now to the holy half dead/The master to death mongers calls)

The Seven Sisters is about Keith, mostly, and connected to Closure via its influence on Child From the Stars (Lost in the Dark) and also to Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met

(I cast my hope upon The Pleiades/The Seven Sisters who would come for me/They'd fall to Earth to grant a child's dream/But I'm still waiting)

Starlight is the newly added Adashi song. Here, it’s the sad part, based around the time that the SFSS Genesis launches for Kerberos. It also is sort of about Shiro’s thoughts throughout the war as he watches ‘from distant skies’ (and influences String Theory kinda)

(At night the earth will rise/And I'll think of you each time I watch from distant skies/Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite/I'll think of you each time they wash me in their light/And I'll fall in love with you again)

Abyss is Awakenings again. It’s specifically the Red Lion waking up on Sendak’s ship to her new Paladin, but also sort of the rest of the Lions as they find new Paladins for the first time since The Fall

(Open my eyes in a daze/How long has it been? Am I so out of place?/Warmth I can no longer feel/My mountain is gone, I'm surrounded by steel/The strangest of structures arises ahead/Seems to be held up by nothing/Where have I gone, do I dream?/How can the stars be all I can see?)

Who Will Save You Now is about the Paladins in First Contact. It’s the video messages they send to their families, the warning that Something Is Out Here that they need to prepare for. It’s a declaration of protection for Earth, but a recognition that the Paladins may not be able to do what they say.

(I will not take from you and you will not owe/I will protect you from the fire below/It's not in my mind/It's here at my side/Go tell the world that I'm still alive)

The End of the Beginning and Nobody Gets Left Behind are the aftermath of the Battle of the Sarnan Nebula, the end of season two. The End of the Beginning hasn’t been posted yet, but it’s also the second of the four Closure fics. The End of the Beginning also has influence on String Theory. 

(Every night I die just a little/All this time, I'm caught in the middle/All your life, you fought with no winning/This is just the end of the beginning)

(Don't even try to pretend/That you're rough and just as tough/As when you're missing a friend/Attack and take him back/Cause when the team isn't whole/You've got a hole in your soul)

A Simple Plan is sort of part of The End of the Beginning, but really takes place after it. It’s the newly shuffled Team Voltron attempting to track down Lotor as Haggar tries to keep him under her control, and the new Black Paladin’s slow shift away from the things that he was pushed into and to the Blade. (And... guess what... it has influence on String Theory!) Fun fact I found out recently: The Spiritual Machines are by and large also the people behind Les Friction, which explains so much.

(What is this space we’re climbing/What is this place we’re stuck in/Why do we feel we’re sinking/How do we get out – get out of this) 

Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met skips all the way over Naxzela and to the Mission to the Baaria Shipyards, the first major offensive that isn’t somehow connected to canon (even if only a very very small part of it is actually at the shipyards lol). This is also the song that solidified Keith’s very queer identity in Dark Matter.

(In this lonely place, bathed in silence and thoughts of you/I can't see your face but I'm trying to envision you/So are you really out there? Are you awake with memories/Of a boy you haven't met yet who's wished upon the Pleiades?)

TRIALS (reimagine) and String Theory are.... hoh boy. [REDACTED], [spoilers], and the turning point for a lot of things, which is why it has the honor of being the separating fic between my two main Dark Matter folders. TRIALS being on here is a fun story, because I associate that song very heavily with my main Star Wars fics, since that’s where the series title comes from, but the reimagine version of it gave me such strong Dark Matter vibes, it ended up here. It has heavy influence on the first part of String Theory, and is what I’ve been using for general pacing of the first half. String Theory itself isn’t the weirdest song on the playlist, but it’s really hard to find the connections to it without several layers of abstraction and backstory on [REDACTED]. String Theory is also weaved into a good chunk of fics before it.

(The ending won't be forgotten/It's written in the stars and the hieroglyphs/Sending the lionhearted/The stones break bones, but we're venomous)

(You don't believe in space/You don't believe in light/You don't believe that anything is well beyond your might/We walk across the sky and beneath the ocean floor/We're never going anywhere we've never been before)

House on Fire is the aftermath of String Theory, and a large vibe of We ARE Struggling Together! (Rise Against says it’s about parenting???? lol fuck that) (okay but actually, switch the parental love part to sibling love/general familial love and that’s a pretty good description....)

(So I'll just hold you like a hand grenade/You touch me like a razor blade/I wish there was some other way right now/Like a house on fire we're up in flames/I'd burn here if that's what it takes/To let you know I won't let go of you)

Belgrade is the klance song! It is a) bop b) always stuck in my head because it is That Good. The line in the chorus about ‘sweet songs of seduction’ is eternally funny to be bc a)they’re both ace and b)QPR’s don’t usually involve seduction as far as I know. Belgrade also leads almost directly into...

(We pretend in the darkness/We pretend the night won’t steal our youth/Singing me the sweet songs of seduction/Let me be the fool, fool, fool/Who will live and die for you)

Here to Save You is about Sam. Mostly. It’s also about Pidge. And Zaivorge cannons.

(A slave for humankind/I made sure I would survive/To stay alive/Now it's time to move on/When there's nothing left to prove/I'm coming to get you)

Iron is what eventually replaced Ten Thousand Against One. The plot has actually changed a lot since it was that song like. two years ago (three?) at this point. It has more of a focus on Keith knowing what’s going on due to [spoilers] and coming to accept parts of himself that are suddenly very obvious (kiiiinda the third closure fic?)

(You can't live without the fire/It's the heat that makes you strong/'Cause you're born to live/And fight it all the way/You can't hide what lies inside you/It's the only thing you know/You're embracing that, never walk away)

Birthright and Firewall are not exactly a direct result of Iron, but they wouldn’t happen how they do without it. They’re actually largely about Lotor, but then [REDACTED] swings back into the fray and things learned in String Theory/the framing story for Through Apocalypse Skies hit in full force.

(The voices in my head have all begun to sing/(The voices in your head have all begun to sing)/And they sure as hell hope I am listening/(I sure as hell hope you are listening!))

(They come to your dreams with illusion/They come to bring shape to your mind/You know how to stop the intrusion/We all have to fight for our lives)

and then, The Day the Earth Collapsed

(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)

Here Comes the Reign doesn’t come into full effect until several months after Birthright/Firewall after Galraasa meets their fate, but starts with The Day the Earth Collapsed. It’s largely about Haggar and [REDACTED]

(You made something they can't take away/Now bring the fire of the burning sun on everyone)

Closure is placed where the fourth of its fics is. Closure in general is a lot of Keith’s character development and some of the struggles he goes through to accept his place in the universe and the fact that yes, he does have people that care about him. The last fic is me shining a brighter light on Closure’s chorus and taking a ‘last goodbye’ as never needing to say it again

(I am the child from the stars/That got lost in the dark/Between heaven and hell/I am forced to live on/I am the cause when you sin/I am the demon you skin/But there is no more tears to beautify/This is my last goodbye)

Ember and Soulbound are two closely related missions involving both Voltron and the Blade (specifically the Dark Whispers) in which [REDACTED] comes in with a vengeance, and some revelations about certain people’s fates are had. Soulbound is actually sort of from Krolia’s perspective.

(Dark matter falling from the sky/Dancing flames reflecting in your eyes as you watch them burn/Watching all your riches witches burn)

(Soulbound, endlessly forever/Locked between the darkness and the light/Don't drown in the swarming, blackened rising/Hold on to humanity and fight)

Darker Matter and Other Worlds Than These are. Well. [REDACTED] and [spoilers] and String Theory’s revelations rearing their ugly head once again, but this time with extra context and just a little bit of [spoiler]

(Dream yourself away/The pull of you shredding time and space)

(There are monsters in the sky/There are demons in the sea/I have seen them with my eyes/I've seen what you won't see/Pull the wool out from your eyes/It won't shade your frail belief/In the end we cannot hide/There are other worlds than these)

Godhunter is a fun one. The combined effects of String Theory, Soulbound, and Darker Matter/Other Worlds Than These come to a head and Team Voltron goes, well, hunting.

(She's been watching for a century/With hatred, and with scorn/If you know the hunter's coming/Then you hide or keep on running/'Cause she's slain the gods before)

My Darkest Hour is revenge for Godhunter, as well as a distraction from it, although Godhunter continues all the way to Louder than Words. 

(When the sun comes crashing down/When the world is spinning round and round/I will face what must be my darkest hour)

Faster Than Light is almost direct aftermath of My Darkest Hour, and sort of the inverse of Godhunter, where now Team Voltron are the hunted, even as they attempt to continue hunting. Oh and, Marzin and [REDACTED] are big parts

(Once more we're flying fast as light/Dark matter passing in the night/Pursued by a force we can't outrun/As we hurtle towards a dying sun/We maneuver through the remnants of a moon/On the solar winds of supernovas/There is not a place to hide, the Matriarch is close behind/It's plain to see she's coming for us all)

The Reckoning, This is a Call, World on Fire, The Wind that Shapes the Land, and Louder Than Words are the finale, what everything has been building towards. Earth’s faction, Haggar, [REDACTED], Voltron, the Empire, and the Coalition, all clash together in a final desperate bid to finish or prevent the final result of Your World Will Fail/Dark Matter/Eater of Worlds.

(I see your face, find peace of mind/Between the madness and the sadness and the fire burning/The end of war, the great divine/We'll see the day of reckoning)

(This is a call to action/This is a call to arms/All lives for one, together/There are no false alarms)

(World on fire with a smoking sun/Stops everything and everyone/Brace yourself for all will pay/Help is on the way)

(Search within/Uncover the will to win/Turn against the tide that washes o'er/Find the strength to fall and rise again/Open up the gates, unleash the force/I am the wind that shapes the land/Old as time and twice as strong/Oceans arise at my command/I alone can carry on)

(We have the force to fight/We have the blinding light/A war is more than heard/Coming in louder than words)

Dystopian Fiction

Dystopian Fiction is focused on what happens on Earth during the main playlist. I split it out because putting stuff like Cross the Line on the main playlist was getting clunky, and I figure Adam and Veronica (and the rest of the Paladins’ families, but mostly those two) deserve a chance for their story to shine on its own.

Dark Matter is on here because title track, but also it does end up with effects.

(Don't stop, don't think/Move up, don't blink now/On your knees pray for rain/Don't breathe when you take your aim)

Codebreaker is Adam’s song! I have him primarily as a cryptologist for the Garrison, teaching on the side and as a reserve pilot. Aviators says Codebreaker is actually about Cyperpunk 2077 but uhhh Fuck That it’s about Adam being The Best and dealing with...

(Codebreaker can't you find/Can you read between the lines of code?/Tell me all that you know/How far down the hole does it all go)

Cross the Line is the Éskhayklos’ image song. They’re a neo-luddite movement turned terrorist group that are upset with the way the Sol Federation is trying to fix Earth, stating that humans are the one that pushed it into this state, they should leave it to die and die along with it. Akane Shirogane was their worst nightmare. Cross the Line fits because, well, they crossed the line when [spoiler beep] and they were happy about it. (And “human cause” comes into play later when they pick up anti-alien leanings)

(Cross the line, redefine, break away unbent, unafraid/Together we stand in the dark/Seeking the light and what is right, together we cross the line/Our journey will come to an end and then our human cause will be/Justified)

Who Will Save You Now here is about Sam, and the aftermath of Here to Save You, in addition to its referenced role in the main playlist

(Alone with this vision/Alone and blind/Go tell the world I'm still alive)

The Day the Earth Collapsed is exactly what it says on the tin.

(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)

Dystopian Fiction is the title track for this part. With the events of The Day the Earth Collapsed, the Garrison and our heroes on Earth are at their lowest point. It really is a piece of dystopian fiction, between [spoiler] and [spoiler]. And also: “Nobody can shoot me down, not just yet” is about Adam bc Fuck Canon

(I'm a dead man/In the wasteland/I'm a soldier fighting for superstition/Under search lights/In the long nights/We've been written like dystopian fiction)

The Reckoning is the only one of its little subset that made it over here, because it’s the only one that references events from before its eponymous fic (both verses are Very Earth)

(We're all alone, walking in twilight/The night has been long and so many have fallen/Feel no remorse, light will be breaking/Our freedom is worth it all)

Filaments

Filaments is the least complete, mostly because it’s the ‘sequel series’ of sorts. I have ideas for it, but I still haven’t posted most of the major story beats from the main portion of Dark Matter, so I’ve been purposefully putting it on the backburner. I do have enough to write Carry Me Home and put some foreshadowing in other fics.

Dark Matter is here because, well. A) Title track, B) yes, it still has effects. It’s the overarching theme, after all. Filaments sort of has a subtitle itself, which is ‘The Undoing,’ after the other part of the lyric that the subtitle of the main playlist comes from. It’s about undoing a past mistake (that wasn’t obviously a mistake until much later) and reconciling the events of Your World Will Fail.

(I am the keeper/I am the secret/I am the answer/I am the end)

Filaments is the title track of this part. It’s... a little hard to explain why without giving away the entire plot (what little I have planned lol) but it’s about the connections between different parts of the universe, and some fall-out of Darker Matter/Other Worlds Than These.

(These glowing filaments/Conducting this enchanting/Sarcophagus that's holding us)

Starlight is, again, Adashi song, and this time the happy part

(Don't leave me lost here forever/I need your starlight and pull me through/Bring me back to you)

Carry Me Home is what I’m in the process of writing right now, and it’s about the aftermath of the Quintessence War, specifically about how Shiro decides to settle down on Earth and what he does to build himself a home.

(Carry me home to the morning light/carry me home before you wave me goodbye/Oh, carry me home...)

[spectralscathath]

Scars Remain

Fair Game Week, Day 5: Hurt/Comfort

There was someone else standing in the darkness of Qrow’s cell.

Ao3 Link

(post ep 12, fair warning. Emphasis on the Hurt part of this prompt, Gothic Horror, please check the tags before you read)

Someone was in his cell.

Qrow blinked awake, years of training stopping his breathing from changing. It stayed how it was, long and slow and steady, barely a hitch to give away the fact that he’d woken up.

He was facing the wall, practically pressed against it, and his instincts told him that whatever presence currently occupying his cell was behind him. There wasn’t anywhere else they could be. He wouldn’t be able to get a look at them without turning over. If they were here to kill him, it was best to wait until they got closer, where he could launch his own surprise attack before they realised he wasn’t sleeping at all. Any hint that they’d been detected would put them on edge, make them wary.

Or… he could let them do it. It would be easy. No one would hear.

No, that was stupid. That was a bad idea. His nieces were still out there. Somewhere. Unless they’d been arrested like him.

“Hello, Qrow.” His head turned on instinct at that voice, that resonant baritone that not two days ago had breathed its final breath. The darkness in the cell felt almost physical, like trying to peer through thick smoke. He barely made out the shape of a man in the corner, leaning against the door. The window had been tinted black too, he realised, blotting out any light from the outside world.

“Clover?” He sat up, absolutely certain now that this was probably some sort of weird sleep paralysis. Clover was dead, and gone, all because of Qrow. The dead didn’t come back. Guilt choked at his throat. Even just a memory of the man he’d called friend, who he’d killed, that was enough to fray at what was left of him.

“The one and only,” was the reply. Cocky, self-assured, and proud. That sounded… it sounded like Clover, but there was something off about it. “You have something of mine.”

Qrow cocked his head, his instincts flaring, warning him of danger. “The pin?”

“That too.” There was a purr under that, something that bordered on possessive. Qrow tensed up, fist clenching around the bloodied pin.

“You’re not real.” It was sleep paralysis, fuck knows he’d woken up plenty of times to see weird shapes in the corner of his eye, nightmares from his scouting trips beyond the kingdoms that followed him into wakefulness.

He knew Taiyang had times when he woke up feeling cold, pressure constricting on his chest, like a hand reaching in and yanking on his heart, when he was reliving a mauling that didn’t leave scars.

Night terrors. Sleep paralysis. Stress-induced hallucinations, whatever the fuck someone wanted to call it.

It. Wasn’t. Real.

There wasn’t any danger.

Qrow forced himself to relax, because hey, it wasn’t real. If nothing else, he could apologise to a fake. He’d never get the chance to do so otherwise.

“I’m sorry I got you killed.” He didn’t mean for his voice to crack.

There was an answering chuckle, one that Qrow had gotten used to on endless missions playing cards in the back of a supply van, card tricks and banter shared between them. The figure by the door moved, still too far in the darkness for Qrow to see anything. “I’ll let you make it up to me. Close your eyes.”

“What?” He puffed up a bit in confusion. The fuck?

Another chuckle, rumbly and syrupy and sliding through Qrow’s defences like they didn’t exist. “Close your eyes.” There was a definite movement. A step forward.

Qrow scrunched his eyes shut in an instant. His subconscious was a nasty bastard. He didn’t want to see what kind of Clover it had dragged up. Probably the one bleeding out on snow, dying so fast he didn’t even have time to shiver from the cold.

Qrow didn’t want to see that. Not again.

He heard footsteps, heavy ones, come near him. A hand on the side of his head had him flinch to the side. Definitely not real. Clover’s hands were warm, Qrow knew that from the amount of casual touches the guy tossed around. All of them Qrow appreciated, especially the ones where Clover would first shuffle the deck, then slide Qrow’s cards over to him, fingers lingering long enough to brush against Qrow’s.

He felt more fingers touch his chin, tilting his head up and he nearly opened his eyes again. No. Whatever bloodied corpse his brain was throwing at him was not a mental image he needed. He was seeing it enough, if it wasn’t other people he cared about.

Something wrapped around his head, across the bridge of his nose, behind his ears, to the back of his head. He recognised the feeling. “What the fuck- is this a fucking blindfold?” Okay, now this was getting weird.

Dream Clover laughed, this time a lot less friendly than before. “Yep. So, I’m not real?”

“You’re a sleep paralysis hallucination, you’re not my first.” His pulse thudded loudly in his throat as he felt those hands tie off the blindfold and one of them cupped his chin again, tilting Qrow’s head from side to side. He had a feeling that his own hallucination was observing him.

“Not your first?” Clover’s voice took on a teasing tone. “Figured as much.” The hand on his chin tightened to hold him still before there were lips brushing against his, just a little cold, a bit rough, unfamiliar and full of lost opportunity.

Qrow froze up, eyes snapping open to a darkness even more complete than that of his cell. What the fuck? This was not standard practice for nightmares.

Clover’s other hand ran through his hair, fingers dragging through the dark strands in a soft tug, and Qrow melted into it all. He kissed him back, one hand coming up to rest on the other man’s jaw, pulling him closer as Qrow tried to pretend that this wasn’t all some messed-up dream.

Clover deepened the kiss, a soft nip at Qrow’s lower lip inviting him to do the same. He accepted and let himself fall into the sensation, trying to do anything to stop the hollow ache of loss.

The hand gripping his chin trailed down, knuckles brushing against his throat before those fingers trailed over Qrow’s collarbone, eliciting a shiver, and down to the clenched fist, clasped around a lucky pin. Clover pulled back, a small whine leaving Qrow’s throat as he did, their foreheads pressing together.

“Is that where my pin is?” Clover taunted, his grin so obvious Qrow knew he was wearing it even with the blindfold on.

“I like sparkly things, sue me,” he retorted, opening his hand and letting Clover grab the pin himself.

“Don’t play coy with me, Qrow. You got me killed and looted my body for this.” The almost-jovial tone did nothing to stop Qrow from recoiling, feeling like he wanted to be sick. He did scavenge Clover’s corpse to get that pin, or close enough to it.

Revulsion began to bubble in his stomach, his hand coming up to press over his mouth as he realised that a tragic, grief-stricken keepsake was stolen grave goods. He was such a piece of shit, as if he had any right to pilfer anything of Clover’s when he’d gotten the man killed himself.

A hand pulled on his wrist, tugging it away from his mouth before gloved palms and bare fingers were cupping his cheeks, the steadiness telling him that Clover really was looking him in the eyes. The silence felt like forever before Clover broke it. “You can make it up to me by telling me a story.”

Qrow reached up to grab Clover’s wrist. “Haven’t I already told you plenty, Shamrock?” The nickname flowed naturally. He could easily picture the twinkle in pretty green eyes that always answered it.

He got another one of those amused laughs, Clover leaning in to steal a quick kiss from him. “You haven’t told me all of them. For example,” the hand he wasn’t holding to his face moved to his right bicep, pushing his sleeve up to trace a trio of white scars, old and faded. “Where’s this from?”

Qrow couldn’t deny him. It wasn’t even that bad a memory. “First mission I ever did for Ozpin. The operative me and Raven were sent after got a lucky hit.”

“Oh yeah?” Clover prompted him to continue. “What mission?”

He felt those cold fingers trace the scars and shuddered, the touch sinking under his skin and wrapping comfortingly around his bones. “We chased her to the Western continent, the one north of Vacuo. People go there, set up settlements. They don’t come back. She’d stolen some important stuff from Vale after killing some beacon students as a message for Oz. Raven and I were recon.”

Clover moved his hands to Qrow’s hips, cool fingers teasing at the hem of his shirt. Qrow kept talking. “Turns out those settlements? They get infected. It’s always in different ways, but the end results the same. Parasite grimm, puppeting around the bodies of people who were reckless enough to go off the edge of the map.”

“Huh.” Clover’s hands stilled for a moment before they started pushing his shirt up, pausing when another scar came into view, wrapped around Qrow’s left hip. This one was jagged and torn, left by a blade but far from a clean cut. “And this one?”

“Marcus Black, an assassin who specialised in killing Huntsmen. He was sent after Summer when she was pregnant with Ruby. Tai and I barely drove him off, but we managed it.” His heart stuttered as he felt Clover’s hand trace over it, and he pulled Clover in for another kiss. No one could hear them.

It felt too real to be fake. Not even a dream could mimic the feeling of Clover’s mouth on his, before a kiss was pressed to the corner of his lips, the line of his jaw, and sharp kisses were nipping down along the line of his throat. He swallowed hard, each kiss bringing a small flare of pain that was quickly soothed by his aura, leaving warmth in their wake.

He tried to pull the other man closer, ignoring the chill coming off him as he tilted his head to give Clover more access. He didn’t deserve this, not after what he’d done, but fuck it all he wasn’t going to complain. He could have plenty of time to feel revolted with himself later and drown in guilt, but right now Clover seemed to actually still want him. He wasn’t usually so lucky.

His shirt was rucked higher as the scar from Marcus was deemed finished with, Clover shifting to knock his knee carelessly, confidently, between Qrow’s, resting it on the bunk as his bulk crowded Qrow against the wall behind them.

Qrow suddenly remembered what scar was next and reached down to grab Clover’s wrist, a moment before it uncovered the bright violet scar tissue that curved delicately along the underside of his ribs, like a promise and a threat all in one.

“Wait. That’s-” He bit back a groan as Clover pressed a kiss to one his collarbones, sharp teeth closing on it a moment later.

He never really considered Clover as being a biter, but he guessed the man had a few surprises. Still, the sting from Tyrian felt too raw now, after what had happened to Clover. Was Clover’s death his penance for surviving the killer’s venom? “Clo- stop for a sec.”

Clover ignored him with a rumbling growl and lifted the hand Qrow wasn’t holding, using it to roughly push the collar of his shirt aside to give him more access, nails scratching lines of fire along Qrow’s skin. He felt those teeth start pressing against the junction where his neck met his shoulder, right beside yet another pale scar, and a spike of horrified clarity jammed through his brain as he realised they were too sharp something was so so wrong-

“I said stop!” He snapped, pulling both feet up and kicked Clover clear across the room. He ripped the blindfold off and slammed a fist against the thick glass of the window, a chill going up his nape as he amplified his semblance. Come on, there was only so much misfortune that could happen here-

His jinx worked, the technology powering the blackout function making a robotic screech before cyan hexagons rippled the ebony screen away, the night sky tainted purple and red from Salem’s storm, light streaming into the cell and letting Qrow see.

Clover picked himself up off the ground, only it wasn’t Clover. Tanned skin had become white as bone, his nails black and sharp, more like claws. Clover’s hair had remained its usual brown, tinged red in the light from outside, his bloodied uniform switched for a plain black tank top with a deep V-cut stretching down to the middle of his chest. His death-stained pin was affixed to his left breast, where it winked at Qrow with a taunting glint.

Dark red veins crawled their way from his fingertips up his arms, more stretching out from the black scar tissue in the centre of his chest and up towards his face, where they curled over the edges of his jaw, his temples, reaching hungrily for his eyes. And his eyes…

Gone was the teal green that reminded Qrow of shallow seas and malachite, of flirty winks and open warmth. Angry, hungry red eyes glowed in the remnants of the darkness, set over pools of pitch black, deep and infinite and empty.

Qrow’s stomach rolled as he looked into those eyes, before the Grimm- monster- Clover? Gods he was so sorry - grinned at him, inhuman fangs glinting in his predatory smile. “Clo…”

“I like Clo,” Clover chuckled, the sound that had been comforting and warm now setting Qrow’s teeth on edge. “Shamrock’s cute and all, but Clo just sounds so much better, especially the way you say it now.”

Qrow pressed himself back against the wall. “You’re not Clover.”

“Sure I am,” the smile was a warped echo of Clover’s brightest grin. “Here’s proof,” he unbuttoned his vest, pulling it apart to show the rest of the scar from Harbinger. From Qrow’s own weapon.

Qrow pressed his hand to his mouth again. Yep. Gonna throw up. Fuck- and he thought the hybrids on the Western continent were bad, with their bodies half-covered in Grimm. This was worse. So much worse.

This was pure. Like Salem. This was a being of life with a desire for destruction.

“What has she done to you?” This was all his fault. Salem never could have done this if it wasn’t for him. “Fuck, Clover, I’m so sorry, I never meant for any of this-”

“Don’t apologise,” he winked. “Actually, I want to thank you. I’m glad you killed me. Now I’m finally on the winning side.”

His blood turned to ice in his veins.

“Clover?” He asked in a broken little voice, eyes quickly misting up like he was some emotionally messed-up teenager. But seriously, what was Clover saying?

Clover laughed, throwing his head back as the sound rolled out of him with a fey recklessness. “Don’t sound so upset, Qrow. It’s a compliment. You shouldn’t brush those off, remember?” Those blood red eyes twinkled at him, the reminder of how Clover had actually seen through some of his bullshit turned barbed and painful.

Qrow shrank on himself a little bit, guilt and pain rolling off of him in waves, not missing the way Clover’s tongue licked at his teeth, leaning forward slightly as something visceral and greedy flickered in his eyes.

Right. Negativity.

“Clover, this isn’t you-” he started, before the Grimm man strode towards him, waving his hand like he was waving off Qrow’s words.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m more interested in you.” Desire darted across Clover’s features, the formally attractive thought turned monstrous reality.

“Back off.” Qrow flattened himself to the wall, one knee bent up in case he needed to kick the fucker again. His fist clenched around the blindfold Clover had used, realising it was the armband the man always wore. That felt way too intimate a choice and it sent weird and confusing signals spiralling through Qrow’s head.

Clover stopped for barely a moment, quirking a brow. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No, fuck off,” Qrow snarled, hurt oozing out the cracks in his shattered defences.

Clover came closer, catching the kick Qrow shot at him and shoving it to the side as he situated himself back between Qrow’s legs, bringing his hand up to softly run the backs of his knuckles over Qrow’s cheek. Qrow snapped his teeth at the offending hand, catching fingers and ripping flesh. Black smoke spilled into the air as Clover pulled his hand back, studying his fingers as the white skin knitted itself back together in a gory display. Then those eyes were back on Qrow’s own red, indulgence and gluttony filling Clover’s formerly kind eyes.

“I’m not here to hurt you, pretty bird,” he crooned, voice going down into a lower register that sent a traitorous shiver down Qrow’s spine.

“Bullshit. I felt your teeth.” Get away from him get away.

Clover ran his hand over his brown hair, messing it up a bit. “I got carried away,” he offered as an apology. “Besides, you still owe me at least two more stories.”

“Deal’s off,” he glared at him, eyes hazing over in a way he really did not want to deal with.

“Come on,” Clover grinned and reached forward, pushing the collar of Qrow’s shirt aside to reveal the thin scar that drew a line over his shoulder. “I like these scars, pretty bird. They make you look good enough to eat.”

Fear sparked along Qrow’s nerves as he looked at Clover, wondering if the man meant that as a threat. Clover waggled both brows back at him and deliberately flashed his fangs, tongue sliding over them in a way that didn’t ease Qrow’s sudden apprehension.

Clover almost purred at the feeling of Qrow’s distress and carded a hand through Qrow’s hair again, this time soft, caring, almost loving, with none of the possessive debauchery of before. It hit at something in Qrow’s core and shattered it, like when a diamond was struck in just the right way.

A tear escaped him, sliding hotly down his cheekbone before he roughly scrubbed it away. Fuck, no, he didn’t want that. Not that kind of breakdown. Not in front of this twisted mockery of the man he maybe, may have, cared for. Clover was an almost, and this monster currently sliding a hand up Qrow’s thigh was not Clover.

It couldn’t be.

Clover gave him a considering look that was too familiar for those eyes and Qrow swallowed, part of him wanting to just toss caution to the wind and take whatever he could get. Carve out some good fortune from all the calamity.

“I have a second chance, Qrow. And this time I can use it to do everything I should have done.” That feckless, amoral light was back in his smile. “Make the right choices.”

“You’re wrong. She’s going to kill everyone.” And Qrow had just handed her a member of Jimmy’s inner circle on a silver fucking platter.

“I know.” Clover’s thumb rubbed circles on the skin of Qrow’s hip, his other hand resting on the bunk beside them as he loomed over Qrow. “But not you.”

“Why not?” He hunched his shoulders defensively, wondering why he wasn’t shoving him away. He hated how under the deathly pallor and red veins he could still see Clover’s jaw, how the fangs caused the laugh lines on Clover’s face. It was too familiar and not close enough to what he wanted.

“Because I have a second chance to say everything I should have said.” Clover leaned forward so his next words were growled into Qrow’s ear. “That I want you, Qrow. That I want you to be mine. That I want to find out what we could have. I want to find out if I can love you, pretty bird.”

Clover pulled back and looked him in the eye, something regretful, almost human, flickering in the depths of endless red. “When I said you had something of mine, I meant that you have my heart. It’s yours. Are you going to tell me that after everything, you don’t feel any of that yourself?”

Qrow’s mouth felt dry, paralysed with the choice. It wasn’t right. This wasn’t Clover, this couldn’t be Clover. This had to be a Grimm taking Clover’s body for a spin.Saying the words Qrow wished he could have heard. It was a trick, a trap, a lie. It had to be.

He’d seen hybrids. They never looked like this. This was like Salem. This was as though Clover’s very essence had been changed, on a deep and irreversible level.

But it had still been Salem. Proud, arrogant, hurting Salem, who had sparked a conflict between gods that brought a world to ruin, long before she ever became what she was now.

This was still Clover. Twisted, dark, destructive, but part of him still had to be his Clover.

Maybe that part of him staring back into Qrow’s eyes, with a trace of apology and guilt swimming under the carnal desire.

He extended a hand to rest on Clover’s chest, cringing as he touched the blackened scar, and felt something thump under his fingers. Maybe it was a heart. Maybe it was still human.

Maybe Qrow was fooling himself.

But he pulled Clover close anyway, whispering something that wasn’t quite an ‘I love you’ against the monster’s lips, before Clover’s next kiss, sharp with victory, stole his breath away.

-------

And though no one's to blame, It's a crime and a shame, But it's true all the same, It's a dangerous game...

This was very fun. Gothic Horror is one of my favourite genres to play with. Poor Clover just isn’t lucky whenever I play resurrectionist, now is he?

[thewhumperinwhite]

FBI AU: Father

Previous: Rescue / Interrogation / Awkward / Painkillers

This brings us up to speed with what I’ve already written for FBI AU, which means I’ll have to establish an Actual Posting Schedule where I post my stories more evenly again lmao

@whumpitywhumpwhump

TW for: implied/referenced child abuse; referenced noncon; Cops,; drugs/coming down off drugs/refusing pain meds;Rona in general, who is I maintain is Basically Good but whose brain is still uh.... a terrifying nature documentary; also Art in general which means references to suicidal ideation and just...…. generally discounting his own trauma.

Continues directly from Painkillers but if you don’t wanna reread: Art tells Simon not to let his dad into his hospital room and says “he killed my brother”; Simon passes this information on to Rona, along with the file on Art’s brother’s “accidental death;” she’s a bit skeptical.

Rona does, though this is information that doesn’t ever need to make its way to Simon’s ears, read the file. It’s suspicious, she guesses, but not as open and shut as Simon seems to think. It sounds like the senator and the kid were alone in the house; any court case would be about proving intent, which is a messy business she has absolutely no interest in bothering with. It might be possible--maybe--to prove Heinrich Senior pushed his kid down the stairs; even given that there’s absolutely no way to prove he did it with the intention of killing him. You could maybe offer a history of serious physical abuse as evidence, but the actual victim of the abuse is too dead to testify about it. 

No, obviously what convinced Simon was the way the kid said it, and Rona--gets that. Simon’s shot a few cult leaders, and threatened a few more into surrendering, but he’s never carried a bleeding teenager out of a building before. That gets in your head, gets your, like, evolutionary mom-instincts all tangled up inside you. Rona still keeps track of a couple of kids she pulled out of drug dens, when she was younger. You get over it after a while; bad things happen to a lot of people, you can’t take care of them all. Trying doesn’t do anything but make you worse at your job.

“Heinrich Lange,” a terse voice is saying to the receptionist. “I’m here for my son.”

Rona’s head snaps up from the trashy magazine she’s been reading. She’s been sitting in the front reception waiting area for twenty minutes because she’s avoiding Simon, who is stalking the halls looking annoyed, and Farah, who may or may not be in her missing son’s hospital room, because she may also be where they’re holding her missing daughter for questioning.

“I have a personal physician at a facility upstate,” the voice is saying. “I want him transferred. Start the paperwork now.”

Rona looks at Senator Heinrich Lange and knows immediately that he pushed his youngest son down the stairs of his upscale townhouse. His intent in doing so seems kind of immaterial at this point. She’s on her feet before she’s consciously processed the decision to get up.

“You can’t have him,” Rona says flatly at Heinrich Lange’s back.

Heinrich Lange turns sharply, and does the old-white-man version of the double take everyone does on first seeing her. He’s taller than her, but that never really matters.

“Who the hell are you,” Heinrich Lange says. He isn’t really what she’s expecting--she’d expected the slimy kind of abusive father, the kind who donates to charity with the same hand he uses to touch his kids. Heinrich Lange Senior looks more like the good old-fashioned kind that hits his kids in public and expects you to be too scared to say anything. Rona smiles, letting him see her teeth.

“I’m one of the agents who pulled your son out of the torture chamber,” she tells him. “Arthur Lange is part of an ongoing FBI investigation. He can’t be moved to a private facility where he’ll be outside our protection.”

Heinrich Lange looks at her, like a water buffalo would look at a lioness, not sure which one would win in a fight. The answer is always Rona, if only because she doesn’t have to ask. She watches that knowledge register in his stance, but Lange still looks belligerent--he seems like the kind of man who pisses on his kill rather than let anyone steal it, even if it means he can’t eat it either. That’s kind of the type of man Rona has the least patience for. She feels her smile widen.

“Protection from what?” Heinrich snaps. “Your captain claims you caught the man who attacked my son.” He emphasizes the words “my son”, like he’s going to scare her with the legal claim he supposedly has, but Rona knows the legality is on her side and also that it doesn’t matter; he isn’t taking Art out of here.

“Maybe you haven’t heard the words ‘ongoing investigation,’ before,” Rona says. Heinrich’s face twitches at the insult, which wouldn’t’ve even really been an insult if she hadn’t known he’d make it one. “We caught the leader of a death-cult we’ve been investigating for a while now. We found your son in their compound. We don’t know the extent of your son’s involvement. We’re not letting him out of our sight until we’ve eliminated all possible threats to his safety.” Rona tips her head very slightly at the end there, and Heinrich’s eyes flash; nobody would assume he was included on that list unless they already knew he belonged there. Heinrich Lange isn’t a very sophisticated villain; after interviewing Micah Trent several times, it’s almost refreshing.

“You don’t have any claim on the boy,” Heinrich says, raising his voice and also calling his son “the boy;” even the receptionist is looking at him with alarm now; this is the easiest game Rona’s ever won. “I’m his goddamn father.”

Rona actually laughs at that one, which he recoils from like a slap in the face, as she knew he would. “This might be news to you, Senator, but your son’s nineteen years old. And I’m going to bet he wants to stay here, though I’d be happy to ask him for you. He knows there’s people in this city who want to shut his mouth any way they can.”

That one’s a little overt, but Rona’s sure enough now not to worry, and Lange’s expression of guarded alarm just makes her more sure. She’s gonna have to say all this stuff again to somebody who matters, and a U.S. Senator has enough money to make the Bureau nervous, but none of that matters now that she’s smelled blood in the water.

Heinrich turns to the receptionist, since he knows he’s lost; she takes almost a full step back from him, because he doesn’t know how badly. “Get me someone who knows what the fuck they’re talking about,” he snarls, and the receptionist doesn’t even reach for the phone, though her hand is sliding under the desk; there’s probably a panic button under there. Rona laughs again, though there’d probably be actual consequences if this little girl called security on a Senator and there’s no guarantee the hospital knows they need her like the Bureau knows they need Rona, so Rona claps a hand to Lange’s shoulder, transferring all his ire to herself immediately.

“Don’t bother,” she tells him before he can scream at her. “You’ll hear the same thing upstairs I’m telling you now. You can’t have him. Go home.”

“You bitch,” Heinrich Lange says, already turning to storm out of the hospital. “You’re fucking done working in this town.”

“The FBI is a national organization, kiddo,” she tells him, and pats him on the shoulder on his way out. He doesn’t take a swing at her, which would have been the best icing she could have asked for on this already-excellent cake, but he does make enough effort to leave with dignity that not even the onlookers who arrived too late to hear him talk can possibly have any respect for him left. Rona rocks back on her heels, delighted.

“Jesus, I need a fucking cigarette,” she says, turning to grin at the receptionist, who looks back at her, alarmed. “You need anything? Buy you a coffee.”

The receptionist blinks at her, then back at Heinrich Lange’s retreating back, and then to Rona’s delight she says, “Cappuccino. Was that really his father?”

“Yep,” Rona says, waving away the change the receptionist offers her.

“That poor boy,” the receptionist says, and Rona laughs all the way to the coffee machine.

----

Art’s head is clearing, which is always the worst part of being high.

The duty officer, Chase, finished taking his initial statement with a promise to “see what he could do about getting Karim in to see him,” which is not as strong as he remembers the initial promise being, but his memory on that is a bit fuzzy, so it’s possible he assumed it was more binding than it was.

The more awake he feels, the more every part of him hurts, some of the pain deep in his guts in ways that make him feel dizzy and sick, but he resists pressing the button that’s supposed to flood him with opiates. He needs his head clear for what comes next.

He remembers waking in the dark, every inch of him either burning or frighteningly numb, and seeing the face of the agent who carried him out; he remembers the man stripping off his sportscoat and dropping it around his shoulders, and he remembers being sure that no one would ever touch him again without wanting to hurt him, that he had been freezing and the jacket hadn’t even really helped, the cold was in his bones, blood loss probably, but the fact that this stranger had wanted to let him cover himself had made him cry when he’d thought he was done crying for good. 

He could kind of use that jacket now, actually; some of the wounds that need dressing what seems like every hour are in places Art doesn’t want strangers touching even when he knows when he’ll next be able to shit without bleeding. The nurses are largely women and therefore apologetic and gentle about it, but the doctors don’t even always ask first, and one of them tried to move Art’s legs apart when he was half asleep and Art kicked him in the face, despite the immediate disabling pain in his broken hip. He isn’t sorry, but he won’t do it again; they pumped him full of sedatives afterward and he spent the rest of the day grinding against the fog in his brain, knowing he should be panicking, which is not all that much better than actually panicking, for the record.

None of that is why he isn’t asking for more pain meds, or at least not all of why. He needs his head clear because he’s heard from one of the nurses, who seems like she thought she was comforting him, that the whole Coven is going on trial, on charges starting at attempted murder and building from there, and that’s not fucking acceptable. He’s not that invested in the girls, though he’ll put in a good word for them if he gets the chance; he doesn’t feel too bad about that, given that he essentially didn’t meet them until they were cutting him open. But Karim isn’t going from nine years in a cult straight to a prison, thank you very much. He’ll bust him out himself if he has to, but they aren’t actually sure he’s ever going to walk again, so it’ll be more expedient to keep him from getting locked up in the first place.

The agent who found him, Simon, seems cut up and unsettled by his condition, at least as far as Art remembers--he’d been pretty out of it when he saw him again. Art’s sorry about that, and sorry he apparently got shoulder-shot during the dramatic rescue, too, presumably because his arms were too full of what was left of Art to draw his gun; but he isn’t too sorry to exploit that a little, if he can. He’s ready to spin the story, leave out Karim’s initial promise to kill him, since he knows what it would sound like to someone who didn’t know him before, and leave in all the parts where Karim saved his life over and over and is the reason he isn’t taking the current opportunity to overdose on opiates like he could so easily do right now.

It is fucking ironic, obviously, how close he came to dying just about the second he didn’t want to anymore.

The door to his room opens, and he looks up, hoping it’s Simon Blake and not any doctors holding needles, and then he stares, because it isn’t either of those, it’s the creepiest-looking woman he’s ever seen. She’s probably mid-thirties, and her hair is a thin side-shaved mess of curls so pale as to be almost translucent, showing the pale pink of her scalp underneath. She’s wearing dark glasses even indoors— though he can’t fault her for that; the fluorescents are murder on his eyes too— and a pantsuit, though she seems to be wearing combat boots underneath.

The woman leans in the doorway and looks at him over her glasses. Her eyes are a fairly unsettling shade of violet. “Morning, starshine,” she says dryly. “You lucid, or just awake?”

Art closes his eyes to settle into the pain, and then sits up a little. It’s bad, his hip and ass both screaming in different voices, but it’s doable. “I’m lucid. Are you with the FBI?”

The woman eyes him, maybe with curiosity. “Rona Cowl,” she says with a nod. “Blake’s my partner.” When she speaks, Art feels with a shiver down his spine that there’s something off about her teeth, but he shoves the feeling away.

“You helped carry me out, then,” he says. He folds the hand he can move in his lap and looks at her steadily. “Thank you.”

Rona Cowl narrows her eyes at him, though he can’t think of anything he can have done wrong. He forces himself to stay still and not visibly go on the defensive.

“You are lucid,” she says slowly, moving to sit in one of the chairs beside the bed. Rona Cowl looks at him, and then she reaches forward without changing expression and presses two fingers against his dislocated shoulder.

Pain shoots up Art’s arm, and a short wail tears out of his throat before he can smother it.

“Yeah, I thought so. I’m calling the nurse to get you more painkillers.” She starts to get up.

“Don’t,” Art says, and she stops, surprised. He takes a moment to catch his breath, letting the pain settle back into a dull ache. When he’s sure he’ll be able to see, he lifts his head and glares at her.

“I don’t need them. I need to talk to Agent Blake.”

Rona Cowl raises an eyebrow, and waits for him to go on. Art considers her. He doesn’t feel like he has a good enough handle on who this woman is to know what tack to use— but if she tells the nurses to dose him, they will, and he deeply does not want that. He’s got to try something.

“I want to tell someone what really happened. I want to make sure the FBI understands. So they don’t hurt people who have already been hurt enough.”

Rona Cowl looks at him for a long time, her violet eyes slightly narrowed. “You mean Karim Mun,” she says finally, which could be good or very bad. He feels his free hand clench, and forces it to relax, nods once, keeping his face blank. 

“Karim never hurt me. He saved my life. I don’t want him to go to court until I’ve made that clear.” He makes sure his voice is calm and unmodulated; he knows emotion will make him easier to dismiss.

“I hear you’ve been asking to see him,” Rona Cowl says, and she raises an eyebrow again, so it might be a trap, but Art feels his heart clench in his chest. 

“Yes,” he says, and it comes out husky and desperate, so he takes a breath to let his pulse slow again. “Yes,” he says again, more calmly. “He was held by Micah far longer than I was. I want to know for sure that he’s alright.”

Rona squints at him. She must be albino, he thinks, and he’s read that albinism causes vision problems. It sure feels like she can see him, though. Then her face clears, though she still has that dangerous tilt to her brows. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” she says mildly, and clicks out of the room.

----

It’s— all very complicated. And a distraction from what Rona really meant to do, which is ask him about his father. Though she’s certainly ignoring her own advice now, and getting distracted from the actual case.

Broadly, Art Lange doesn’t have much to worry about. It’s likely Karim Mun will have a one-on-one meeting with a judge, not a trial, and given he was taken at fifteen and seems to be one of the few cult members who didn’t actually kill anyone on his own, he’s likely to get off without much more than mandatory counselling, which christ knows he’d need anyway. 

But this thing with Art Lange’s father changes things, makes everything worse and more suspicious. Rona knows, to some extent, that beating Heinrich Lange Senior is just a welcome distraction from Micah Trent, who has a million more lives tangled up with his, not to mention better lawyers and a squirrely-er brain. It probably doesn’t actually change anything, but knowing Art Lange isn’t just a normal kid who got kidnapped by a cult does make her more suspicious of everyone else involved. It’s possible Art just has the worst luck of any rich kid on the planet, but it’s also possible someone saw vulnerability and pounced on it, and she’s not sure that person would have been Micah.

Which means it’s time to see whether Karim Mun is cleared to walk around or not.

[its-all-ineffable]

Shadowhunters 1x01, ‘Review’(insulting it while raving about how good the books and movie are)

So, you know....where do I start?

Lets start with Clary. First annoyance - she’s supposed to be fifteen, turning sixteen! But Netflix and Freeform were like, “Oh no, we can’t have teenagers making out, we must age everyone up! Sixteen year olds cannot be involved in making out!” I just...ugh! Why would you do that? The top that ‘Dot’ gives her as well, like, I wouldn’t give any 18 year old that top! I know they go out clubbing, but I would not give Clary that top. Plus, it’s not here style! She wears t-shirts, jeans, combat trousers, and sneakers. She does not do see through tops! Or heels, which she ALWAYS seems to wear in the series! Also, her hair is orange, not ginger. ORANGE. Wrong colour guys!

Right, Pandemonium. It’s an all ages club in the book. ALL AGES. That means that 15 year old Clary and 16 year old Simon can get in there, along with 16 year old Jace and Isabelle and 17 year old Alec. In the first chapter, it says “It was a long wait to get into the all-ages club”. C’mon guys! Also, that confrontation with the demon! In the book, it’s very different, with Isabelle seducing a boy with blue hair into a storeroom where Alec, Jace and Izzy interrogate him. Clary follows. The film follows this narrative better, with Isabelle seducing a male-presenting demon to here, and it being killed. Also, Isabelle’s costume in the film is more like the one described in the book, and much nicer. 

The whole bit where Clary comes home to her mother after the Club scene is completely wrong! Her and Simon go to Eric’s poetry reading (this is flipped in the film, they go to the poetry reading then Pandemonium), then she ends up confronting Jace outside Java Jones (which does happen in the film), and getting a phone call from her mother to not come home. She does so, and finds the place destroyed, which is when a demon attacks her. She uses the sensor she steals from Jace to kill it, and he comes to ‘rescue’ her. She never gets a chance to tell Jocelyn about what happened at the club. Also, Pandemonium is not Magnus’ club. Magnus doesn’t even appear until they go to his party to confront him about the block on Clary’s memory! I know they have to change certain things, but I hate the way they screwed this up!

Luke as well - I love Isiah Mustafa’s portrayal of him, and I think he’s a very good actor, but his character is so different it’s almost unrecognisable. He’s a kind bookseller, who encourages Jocelyn to tell Clary the truth, and gets angry with her when she doesn’t. 

‘Dot’ is completely wrong too. Madame Dorethea is the Fray’s elderly neighbour, who lives in the downstairs apartment in the old Brownstone house they live in that’s converted.  She is a physic and abrasive towards all, barely appearing for most of the novel. She does have a portal in her apartment, but we only discover this near the end of the book. She is NOT a warlock, but the adoptive daughter of one.

Isabelle - OH MY GOD, ISABELLE. I love Emeraude and her acting, but Isabelle is NOT NICE. She dislikes Clary a lot in the first book, and Clary dislikes her. They have conflicting personalities, and Isabelle is unhappy with the fact that she is not the centre of attention of all the boys (bar Alec). She is not kind to Clary at all at first, and actively discourages the idea that Jace is her brother. She says “Jace? My brother? No. Whatever gave you that idea?”. This is a drastic change in the series, where Isabelle refers to Jace as her brother a lot. Also, the clothes she leaves Clary when she wakes up from the demon attack are a red shirt and black trousers. Not a tight leather dress! Also - “ ‘You might want to clean up a little. You smell.’ Clary glared at her. ‘Thanks a lot.’” - they don’t like each other.

Also, because Luke is not a cop in the book, it takes longer for Clary to overhear him saying he doesn’t care - it’s when she and Jace return to her apartment to pick up spare clothes, have tea and a tarot card reading with Madame Dorethea and find Simon hiding in Luke’s bushes. That’s where Simon comes back into it. Not finding Clary in an abandoned church. So the order throws me completely. At least in the film they kind of tried to keep major events major, and in some semblance of the order they’re in in the book.

The Institute is all wrong - Hodge, Jace, Alec and Isablle live there, and Max, Maryse and Robert do when they’re not away in Idris, but there are not loads of other people around. And the tech? What? Who decided that the Shadowhunters are basically super spies? Why? Just why?

Maureen, Simon’s bandmate, is, in the books, a friend of a cousin of Simon’s bandmate Eric, who goes to all their gigs and has a big crush on him. And she’s 14!! I understand they wanted to change things, but what the fuck? And she’s not even mentioned in the City Of Bones novel! She comes into it in the 4th book, and only as a side character! I’m not saying that I don’t like Maureen as a character in the series, because I do, but it confused the hell out of me when I first watched the show, and it creeps me out because every time I hear the character’s name, I remember that she’s a 14 year old girl in the book.

And I can’t even talk about Jace. He needs a post of his own. I think Dominic Sherwood is a great actor, and I liked him in other things, like Vampire Academy, but I just....you know what, I’ll make a post for Jace. I can’t cope with that rabbit hole right now.

At least we have Matthew Daddario, perfectly capturing Alec’s salty, bitter attitude. He is annoyed that Jace has already taken so many risks for Clary, thinks she’s an unimportant mundane who’s more trouble than she’s worth. Truthfully, when I first watched this show, Alec was the only reason I decided to keep watching. His character was the most true to the original version of himself, and while I love the movie (and most of the actors in it), the Alec never went over well. Alec is abrasive and unkind at first, but he’s not a complete dick, and he’s not someone who would try and physically strangle Clary like he does in the movie. So, kudos to Matthew Daddario for being the only one allowed to play his character as he was written, and doing it well. 

And Alberto did a great job at portraying Simon as a kind, nerdy friend who’s hopelessly in love with Clary. I’m just a sucker for Robert Sheehan, which is why I prefer movie Simon just a tinsy tiny bit more. But both Simon’s are excellent, and portray the essence of the character super well!

Before people get triggered over all this though - I like this show. I respect the actors. I’m also aware that it’s and adaptation, and that adaptations, no matter how faithful they are, change the source material to fit themselves. I get that. The film did it. The difference is, the film did most of it well. The show...doesn’t. It tries, but it just feels clunky in a lot of places and I hate it. It gets better as it goes into later series - I think the writers get better, and the actors clearly feel more comfortable in their characters, but it still does a lot of things that irritate me and I wanted to point them out. But the actors try their best, and god bless Alberto Rosende and Matthew Daddario for being the gems they are. 

I always say that if we could have the film, and replace the Alec and the Magnus from it with the ones for the show, that it would be my idea of a perfect adaptation. And it would, in my mind. But people have different opinions, and I respect that. I also like a lot of the characters from the show, like Isabelle and Luke, I just feel conflicted because they are SO different from their original iterations, and I like the characters Cassandra Clare presented me with in the books. 

Please don’t be insulted by this, these are my opinions, I just wanted to share them. Yours are probably different. Feel free to share them with me. And Jace...I can’t even with the show’s Jace. I just...jesus.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant/review. Hope you...enjoyed it? I don’t know.

[funsize-lucifer-hongjoong]

We Are Stars for each other

 Here is Chapter one of my first fic. We are Stars for each other. It’s not great I’ll admit, but I’m a first time writer, so please take it easy on me. I’ll be posting chapters periodically here until we get up with my AO3 page (Links up top) 

RATING IS M FOR MATURE FOR EVENTUAL SMUT

Reader x Hongjoong (an maybe a pinch of wooyoung)

"Another beautiful day in Seoul", you think quietly to yourself as you walk to the nearest subway station.

It's only been a year since you moved, after a particularly nasty breakup. You needed change and what better way than to move across the world. When you finally caught your train, you stayed in deep thought, remembering how you got here in the first place.

Shortly before the big move, you contacted a friend of yours whom you went to High school with, Park Min Seo. She was an exchange student from South Korea, with a bubbly personality.

When she moved back to Seoul after College she became a model for an international agency, traveling all over the world. When you'd asked her if you could move in with her, just until you got on your feet, she said yes immediately. She added that she was gone for long periods of time, and it'd be nice to have someone to watch over her place while she was gone.

Then, a week later on your 30th birthday, you did it. You sold off your entire life and got on an airplane. When you landed at Incheon Airport you were overwhelmed by everything. The number of people, the noise, and the lights. Even at night, Seoul was lit up. It was going to be hard, and scary, but you knew it was everything you needed.

The first few months were hard. You wanted to give up and just go home. Your job was demanding at times, and you weren't used to it. Every day when you got up, you looked in the mirror to tell yourself, "Today is gonna be a better day, just keep pushing." Sometimes you'd say this to yourself with tears streaming down your face. It didn't matter though, your struggles had to end sometime, right?

---

Walking into your shared apartment, you spot Min Seo on the floor directly in front of the TV

"Another variety show? Do even watch those for the entertainment or just to see cute boys, Minie?" You teased her gently, knowing your pet name didn't sit so well with her.

She turned to you sharply, "Aish, Y/N! Be quiet! A new group is debuting and I've been watching their pre-debut for months!"

You put your hands up in defeat, a smile playing gently at your lips.

Min Seo had been there for you through all the ups and downs. Even when she wasn't home she was only a call or text away.

She had things she loved though, and K-pop was one of them. She would go on and on about her bias in this group or that, but to you, it wasn't important. You weren't particularly into K-pop. If a song was playing from a cafe or in a taxi you'd sing along what you'd heard before. There was just no time for it, you had work, and a life to live.

No sooner are you walking down the hallway to your room when you hear her scream. Quickly you turn around and run back into the living room to assess the damage she may have caused herself.

"Jesus, Min Seo you scared the life out of me! Are you alright?"

"Oh, my actual GOD! There's a fan event for Ateez next week. There's a hi-touch, a concert, and everything. I have to get tickets. Now." She says this as she's getting up to run to her phone, ordering what you presume is tickets for said event.

She looks up at you with a sad face, "Y/N, go with me, please? I don't want to go alone, and I know no one else will."

"Alright Minie, I'll go, but only to the concert. I don't like the idea of touching the hands of young men. You don't know where they've been." You shudder as the thought skipped through your mind.

Min Seo looks up from her phone with a smile on her face, "Good, 'cause I already bought two tickets."

The next week goes by without you realizing it. You're so busy at work, that by the time you get home you can barely shower and pass out. When finally Friday comes along to greet you with open arms.

"Thank Christ for the weekend." You say softly, as you sit down on your bed in exhaustion, knowing that sleep isn't far away.

Waking up was the worst part of it all. You suddenly remembered you had a concert to go to. The anxiety started to set in.

"What do people wear to these things?" You leaf through the clothes in your closet, "There's nothing in here but work clothes and pajamas for fuck's sake!" snatching a pair of jeans from your drawer.

Finally dressed in jeans and a plain shirt, your hair in a high ponytail, you couldn't be bothered to try.

With one final look in the mirror, "Well no one said I had to impress anyone."

"Sorry I took so long, I was doing my makeup!" Min Seo comes running through the kitchen, zipping her pants, "I hope we aren't late."

She's dressed beautifully, her hair is curled, and her makeup flawless. You secretly wished you had the ability to look so perfect with no effort.

"Are you trying to flirt with those boys, or kill them Minie? cause your ass, in those jeans, is gonna give 'em a heart attack!" Jokingly, you poke at her butt.

She looks almost insulted, "AISH! Does it look bad?! I can change into something else!"

"Oh no Minie, they look great, can we go now? There's a drama on tonight, and I'd like to make it home in time to watch it."

One cab and twenty minutes later, you're there. A small venue with high windows, on a modern white exterior.

Inside you can see a table and some chairs set up, a small stage on the other side with standing room, and posters adorning the walls with 8 men plastered on them, along with ATEEZ in orange lettering.

"Isn't San smoking hot? He's the most handsome bias I've ever had" Min Seo says, raising her eyebrow for added emphasis, as she drags you inside.

"Not really," you look at the poster above you, "None of them are. I'm here to support you Minie, not flirt with teenagers."

"Y/N! They're all of age, thank you very much!", she huffs in your direction before she turns toward a side door, "There they are! I'm dying right now."

When she pulls you to stand in the line, you see them all for the first time. Each one of them is dressed to perfection in red suits with gold accents and chains.

For a moment you find yourself thinking that they weren't too bad. Then you noticed all the boys were aggravating each other. They were pushing and laughing.

"Men acting like teenage boys, no surprise there." You say as you stand at the back of the room and out of the line.

You stand at the back, waiting for Min Seo when you feel someone staring from across the room. Scanning across the room, you see girls in line, security guards, and then a pair of green eyes.

At the end of the table is where he's sitting. He seems smaller than all the others. His hair is short on top, bangs barely brushing his forehead, but the length touches the top of his shoulders.

It was his eyes you couldn't get away from. They looked mischievous like he was up to something. You see him bite his lip, and the thought crosses your mind to go up and talk to him. You quickly force the urge back down.

You close your eyes and lean your head back, thinking, "Y/N, you're just doing this because you're starved for attention, don't be so desperate. He's a kid."

It was apparent when you came back to yourself that he wasn't just a kid. You tried to steal another look at him. He seemed busy with the girls coming up. Thoughtfully, you take his form in, and he looks like he was made to be an Idol.

Harmless staring turned into a bad idea when he sees you. Green eyes again, peering into your soul. Your breath hitches in your throat, a pink flush pulsing across your cheeks.

You look at him, slightly confused, "Does he think I'm a fan or something? 'Eh, it's probably just a misunderstanding."

Then you see it, he lifts his hand and waves. You're feeling flustered now, though you aren't sure why. With a slight raise of your hand, you wave back.

"Aw, isn't he cute. He thinks I'm a fan,"

A few moments later Min Seo runs up, red eyes and blushed cheeks, rambling a million miles a minute, "and San grabbed my hand and laid it against his face! Y/N? are you even listening?"

You snap back to reality, the face of the boy with the high cheeks in the front of your mind.

"Huh... Oh, sorry Minie, I was lost in thought." You played it off well, you think.

As the hi-touch ends, the workers come out and move tables and gifts out of the way. Girls were pushing and straining to see the boys as they walked over to the stage.

All 8 members are standing in a line and the little one introduces himself as Hongjoong, and they are Ateez.

Your eyes are stuck on the boy standing at the opposite end though, the tall one with grey hair. His eyes are haunting you, as he scans the crowd, smiling and waving. Young girls are screaming. It seems he's a hit with nearly all of them.

"Leave it to me, to like the one that everyone else likes." You roll your eyes as the thought passes your mind.

One thing that doesn't change, is the little guy at the end, his eyes keep drifting to you. As soon as you catch him, they dart away again. His cheeks are pink.

"I need to get in touch with their makeup artist," you decide, "They all look like they're in love. Big contact lenses, dark eyeliner, pink cheeks, and red lips. They're literally produced to seduce." Thinking to yourself, you space out.

"Oh, Y/N, I think HongJoong is staring at you." Min Seo says, without turning too much, as to not draw attention.

"Yeah, Minie. I see that. He probably just thinks I'm a fan and that he's gotta be nice."

As the words leave your mouth the music comes on. Min Seo pulls you toward the stage, pushing to the front.

"Pirate King! They're dancing to my favorite song!" Min Seo says while pulling your sweater sleeve.

"Alright Min Seo, chill. It's ok. They aren't going to jump across the stage and kiss you or anything."

The look Min Seo gave you chilled you to the bone as she replied, "Don't jinx me, you don't know what could happen!"

Once again you put your hands up in defeat. There was no losing against her in an argument.

That's when you look up a bit and see the little one doing a vicious body roll in front of you. He was biting his bottom lip, and you couldn't look away. A blush had crept up your cheeks without you knowing it. He smirked and then disappeared into the group of boys behind him.

The music was nearly deafening it was so loud. While 8 men weaved in and out of formations, dancing in time with ease of practice and years of training.

The grey-haired one was at the front as the music blared out in English, "Will you be my friend?" with a shy wave and a kick of his head to the side.

You felt like you were melting from the inside out. Heat pulsing through your body to the beat. The hip thrusts next nearly made you pass out cold.

"Fucks sake, Minie. Is this for kids?! They're practically eye-banging the crowd while they literally bang the air." Min Seo had no reply, she was dead silent.

Looking over to check on her you could see she was engrossed in the current debauchery you just mentioned.

All she could do was mumble out a few words, "Don't curse, Y/N." with a gentle slap on the arm.

When you look back up you notice the formation changing. The boys all ducked down, leaving the little one in the middle, standing alone. His voice dropping a bit as he raps with precision. You're awestruck by the amount of power behind such a small guy.

As you're staring, trying to figure out what exactly you're seeing, he says "You need a Pirate King." while pointing at you and winking.

You can't seem to help it, but your eyes are drawn to the one with the cat-like stare and grey hair. Stuck on the way he sneers and grimaces while dancing.

"Stop it Y/N! These are teenage boys. You're just being needy, and stupid." You think while smacking your forehead.

As the song ends, the boys wave and bow to the crowd. All the girls, Min Seo included, start to scream terms of endearment.

Shaking your head in disbelief, you catch him staring again. He winks at you with a smirk. You just raise your eyebrow at him.

"Well that one's layin' it on thick." As you turn to leave, Min Seo right behind you.

Leaving the building was no easy feat. Tons of teenage girls were clamoring over one another to get out so that they could catch a glimpse of the boys as they got in their vehicle.

Min Seo stayed back a bit, to let the stampede pass. As you both walk through the door into the cool spring air.

Min Seo turns to you, "So dinner and a drink before we head home?"

"You nailed it Minie. How do you know everything I'm thinking?" There's relief in your voice.

She puts her arm through yours, "Cause I'm your best friend, silly!".

Thank God for Min Seo.

[kob131]

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/175385877264/savior-mom-raven

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/176137740129/savior-mom-raven-2-continuation-of-the-first

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/176568358797/savior-mom-raven-3

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/176882491272/savior-mom-raven-4

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/177623054713/savior-mom-raven-5

One of my friends notified me that there’s FIVE entries of this shit now.

So since my original posts on this have been lost to the ether-

Let’s do this shit.

“Ozpin’s stable at least.” Qrow said as he exited the school infirmary, “I don’t know what my sister was thinking, but she’s going to pay when I see her again.”

“count me in on that action.” Glynda muttered, “I haven’t forgiven her for what she pulled at the dance.”

“You hold a major grudge.” Qrow replied, “Anyways, we have to figure out where Raven went.”

*Buzz*

“What’s up Tai?” Qrow asked as he answered his scroll.

“Qrow! The Kids! They’re gone!”

“WHAT?” Qrow couldn’t believe his ears. First Ozpin had gotten hospitalized, and now Yang and Ruby had disappeared.

“I just got back from the meeting, and they were gone!”Taiyang cried, “i don’t see anything suggesting a struggle, no points of entry were forced. Some of their stuff is missing, Qrow! What the hell happened?”

“Raven…” Qrow realized, “But how did she convince Yang and Ruby to…”

Yeah, how the fuck did Raven convince Yang and Ruby to leave their house with some rando?

After the meeting…

Yang and Ruby were quietly napping in their beds. The memory of finding out that their mom had died was still fresh, and they were trying to feel better about it.

*ZWOOM*

A red portal opened up, waking Yang up as a woman clad in red stepped through.

“It’s okay Yang. I’m here.” She soothed.

Yang had no idea why, but this woman telling her that everything was okay made her feel… comfortable.

“Who… Who are you?”

“Figures your father never told you…” The woman sadly trailed off, “I’m Raven. I’m…” She took a deep breath, “I’m your biological mother. Do you know what that means, Yang?”

A. How is Yang feeling comfortable around Raven? The bitch left before Yang could even remember her and this CLEARLY takes before Taiyang told her so for all she knows, Yang should be yelling for an adult.

And B. Gee, I wonder why Taiyang didn’t tell his young daughter that she wasn’t relate to the woman she called mom but rather some random douche who ditched her?

Yang shook her head.

“I’ll try to explain it later.” Raven replied, “But for now, I’m here to get you to safety.”

“Are we in trouble?” Yang asked as she moved to shield her sister from a threat she didn’t know the location of.

Am I really to think Yang is stupid enough to believe some random woman that appeared out of nowhere at face value with no questions asked? Even as a child, I would have known better.

“No… But, I’m here to keep you safe. You’re going to have to come with me. Can you carry your sister?” Raven asked, “It’s okay if you can’t, but I want to know.”

Lady, if you’re so strong pick her up yourself, especially if you think it’s urgent.

“I… I can carry Ruby.” Yang replied.

“Okay. You make sure you have everything. I’ll get her stuff, then we have to get going.”

“You’re not staying here to protect us?”

“I…” Raven looked solemnly to Ruby’s sleeping form, “I can’t keep you safe here. People will want to use you. For their own gain.” Raven tried to figure out a good analogy to help explain to a toddler but Yang managed to beat her to it.

“Like how the Mad King used Mogar on X-Ray and Vav?” Yang asked.

Raven looked away for a moment, “Okay, one: You’re a bit too young to be watching that, and two;” Raven trailed off, “Yes? It’s close enough.” She found a travel bag. Big enough to carry Ruby’s clothes in it (not that there was much to pack), and a diaper box or two. Raven made a mental note to potty train Ruby as soon as she could speak and walk.

And we’re suppose to believe Qrow and Taiyang would allow this...how again? You know, aside from ‘shut up, it’s my headcanon’?

Also where the fuck is Raven getting off on kidnapping Ruby? With Yang, there’s the bare bones excuse that Raven pushed her out but she has no right to take Ruby. This is inexcusable no matter what. Especially since Ruby only exist because Raven ditched Yang and her dad in the first place. Oh and since Ruby is effectively a baby here, she won’t even remember her own father. Imagine a father losing both of his kids right after losing his second wife where he already had a depressive spell from the first time round.

Fuck, Raven might just have Taiyang’s blood on her hands.

Also: X-Ray and Vav is a comic in the RWBY universe, not a show.

“What about my clothes?” Yang asked.

“I’ll find another bag.” Raven answered as she went off to do so, “You grab anything that you and your sister want to hang onto. Stuffed animals, toys, books, or anything that you want to hang onto.”

“Is there anything you want?” Yang asked as she set Ruby down gently.

Raven looked at an old picture of team STRQ together. Back before everything hit the fan. She carefully slipped the photo out of the frame and tucked it into her pocket. “I have everything now.” She said in a sad tone, “Now hurry up. I don’t know how long we have.”

And now she’s stealing Taiyang’s memento of his old team, probably the most valuable thing he has. Fuck, is she trying to get him to commit suicide?

And if she actually cared about Team STRQ: why doesn’t she have her own damn picture? Either she’s stealing for fun or she never cared about STRQ in the first place.

Have until what?”Raven didn’t answer. Instead she simply replied, “When you’re ready, come back here. You can drop off anything if it gets too big or heavy for you to carry. Call for me if there’s something too high up for you to reach.” Raven replied as she sat on the bed and started to think.

What the hell was she getting into? Yes, she wanted to get Yang and Ruby away from Ozpin, but she felt like she was getting in over her head. She had the Spring maiden to think about, and now she was going to take on two kids? - One of them wasn’t even old enough to talk.

She looked over at Ruby and saw her squirming. She looked like she was having a bad dream. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on her head. Affectionately rubbing Ruby’s cheek until the smaller girl calmed down.

Yang walked back in with a few books and a small stuffed cat and a plush parrot. “There’s a book at the top shelf of the kitchen, and a storybook in Ruby’s room that I want to take with me.”

“We can get the storybook on the way out.” Raven said, “Show me what book in the kitchen was please?”

Yang led the way, and Raven estimated that it would be about an hour until Tai got back to check on the kids. When they arrived to the kitchen, Yang pointed to the book that she was talking about and Raven raised an eyebrow.

“Sweetie, that’s a cookbook.”

“I know. I just want to learn how to cook yummy stuff like mommy did so that Ruby can feel better.”

Raven’s heart felt a sting when Yang said the word ‘mommy.’ She knew that it was selfish, but she also know that she shouldn’t replace Summer. She’d have to remember to instruct Yang to not go any further than ‘mother.’ She didn’t deserve anything more affectionate beyond that.

Bitch if you cared about Yang you wouldn’t have left her in the first place!

“Okay, Yang.” She ruffled Yang’s hair a bit, “I’ll see if I can’t find someone who can give you a hand.”

“Can we go then?” Yang asked.

Raven took one last look around to take in the surroundings.

“Let’s move. Say goodbye to your house Yang. I gotta keep you safe from Ozpin.”

“Why?” Yang asked as she hurried along to catch up to Raven, “What did he do?”

Raven looked down at her eyes. No. She decided. She wouldn’t put the desire for vengeance into someone so young.”I’ll tell you when you’re older sweetie.” She said softly, “But just know that him and everyone who works for him can’t be trusted.”

The two found Ruby still sleeping where Raven had left her.

Raven put her mask back on as she pulled her sword out and made a portal with it. She took one last look at the house before shifting the bags that were on her and gesturing to Yang and Ruby to follow her.

They stepped through.

And the portal closed.

And Raven just committed kidnapping. All because, in her own words, ‘vengeance’. And she’s suppose to be the good guy here.

Great.

Raven looked at the small bed to see Yang with her small parrot plush. She chuckled to herself a bit. A small colorful bird was something sentimental to her, and now this old blackbird was taking care of her.

No doubt Summer made the parrot for her. She could tell by the patchwork. Summer always seemed like the kind of mother that would make her kids the stuffed animals she wanted rather than buy them.

Yeah, because Summer gave a shit about her kids. She didn’t ditch Ruby the instant she got scared and then come back and steal her and her sister from their home to live among murderers and thieves because of her own hang ups.

Raven sighed again. It had been about four months since she had taken the kids, and she was well-aware about that Qrow and Tai had placed a bounty on her. She’d like to see them try to take Ruby and Yang away.

Me too since you don’t have Maiden abilities and Qrow is stated equal and your camp could barely handle V5 Yang and Weiss, let alone two fully trained Huntsmen.

Changing the tribe’s goal of finding a permanent place to live helped, but there was not many places that they could go. Vale was out of the question, Mistral was too obvious, Atlas was… Atlas, and Vacuo would have too many possibilities for someone to rush in and try to attack them. The only other option was Menagerie, but she knew that she and her tribe wouldn’t be welcome there due to them being human.

And her tribe of mass murdering thieves would give two shits about the lives of two kids because..why again?

If Summer were here, she’d have reasoned that it would have been because they would stick out like a sore thumb. She had more faith in other people than she did, that’s for sure.

She’d also wouldn’t be a self centered egotistical asshole ad would give the kids back to their family.

Shaking her head to try to keep the tears she shed for her partner away, Raven was well-aware that Menagerie’s desserts were the best bet, despite everything. It wouldn’t be easy, but there wouldn’t be any potential ambushes to worry about, they could find an oasis and build a small villa around it, and if they needed to, they could try to find some animals or other wildlife to make clothes and other supplies they’d need.

Meangrie’s deserts are stated to be hospitable and the wildlife incredibly deadly. So at least Raven’s lack of actual intelligence is intact.

The big problem would be the discomfort and getting there. There weren’t many ways to get to Menagerie without going through the main port, and a group of humans traversing the dessert of a faunus-populated area would raise several alarms.

She looked at the moon. They weren’t that far away from a relatively small village. Maybe they could stock up on supplies while there.

Time for Ruby and Yang’s first mass murder.

Damn, reading those storybooks to Ruby and Yang made her soft. She actually went in and defended them… Though, she had to admit: When she started slicing through the grimm to keep the villagers safe, she felt… good. It almost felt like Summer was right there. By her side.

Then why did Raven leave in the first place and if so, why didn’t she reform the tribe BEFORE this? Also ‘Grimm’ is a proper noun.

The village had thanked her and her tribe by giving them food, ammunition, and other supplies that they needed.

Needless to say, it had been a bit of a shock to Raven. She had forgotten how actually being a huntress could benefit a person… And how nice it felt protecting others.

This sounds more like Summer than Raven Branwen,

... You just tore out Raven’s character and shoved Summer’s into Raven’s body didn’t you Dudeblade?

Some of the other tribe members found it refreshing, and some saw it as going against their original code. A divide was made, and half of the group became defenders, while the other half continued to raid villages. Raven held some sympathy for them, but she made it clear that if they crossed her path while she was defending a village, that there would be no mercy.

How is this character Raven Branwen again?

“Mmm!” Some whimpering caught her ear, as she turned and went back inside the tent to see Ruby squirming in her sleep again. This was a regular occurrence. Ruby had trouble sleeping, even with her plush cat, Ruby would have the occasional bad dream at best, or a full-on nightmare at worst. It was those nights that Raven crawled into the cot with her, and held her tight while stroking her hair.

Probably because you took her from her home to be surrounded by strangers in the middle of nowhere.

‘Yang was a bit stronger. A bit too independent for Raven’s liking, but she knew that it was selfish to want to take Summer’s place.

Yang spent most of her time with the Spring Maiden- Robin. That was her name. The two had formed a bond that let Yang have an older sister figure in her life, and gave Robin motivation to become stronger to protect her surrogate sister.

Raven smiled at the memory. Sure, it was just a few days ago, but she could never forget the smile on Yang’s face when Robin had used her powers to make a small statuette of a recent exploit together. Two days prior, Robin had reported that Yang had beaten her first grimm without any weapons.

At first, Raven nearly had a heart attack, and was ready to draw her blade at the girl for letting Yang do something so dangerous.

But then Robin explained herself. She and Yang had been out gathering some firewood when a beowolf pack had appeared. Robin managed to beat back most of them, but got caught off-guard by the alpha. S

he had shut her eyes, thinking about Yang’s safety, and how she failed her when she heard it.

A scream of rage.

Yang had launched herself at the beowolf and started punching and riding it like it was a bull. Robin couldn’t believe her eyes. Within a minute or two, Yang had managed to defeat the beast, and Robin was simply stunned. 

A. And yet you stole Taiyang’s place.

B. Sure sounds like Yang got over the whole ‘Never going to see he father and uncle ever again’ thing pretty quickly. Very quickly. Unrealistically quickly.

And C.Great. A fucking toddler killed an Alpha Beowolf. So Yang’s gonna be a Mary Sue.

Oh and D. So Taiyang leaving his kids alone for an hour is bad but Raven letting her daughter go out into openly Grimm infested woods is a okay huh Dudeblade?

After having to do some harsh chores as punishment for allowing Yang to be put in danger and not doing anything, Raven had to admit that she was slightly ashamed and a bit jealous that she wasn’t there to see it herself.

Robin said that it was almost as if she was on fire, and that if she were to die, that she would want Yang to have her powers.

There was a small debate of burdening Yang with the powers of the Spring Maiden, but Raven had conceded. Robin trusted Yang with everything, and if there was anyone that she felt was deserving of the power, the two agreed (albeit, begrudgingly on Raven’s part) that Yang was the best candidate. Yang had seen Robin in action enough times that she knew what the maiden was capable of.

Raven couldn’t wait until the day when Yang would surpass her.

Raven looked down to see Ruby nuzzling her chest. “It’ll be alright, Ruby. I won’t let anyone hurt you or your sister. I promise.”

In her soul, however, Ruby heard the voice of both Raven, and of Summer. Whom she felt embracing her aura.

Raven paused for a moment. In that instant, she had thought she had felt Summer’s embrace for herself.

She should sleep.

Perhaps then she wouldn’t hallucinate her partner’s warm hugs.

Yep, Mary Sue route confirmed.

And great, Raven is fucking delusional too now.. Because I’m pretty sure Summer wouldn’t be embracing anything regarding what Raven’s done.

“This has gotten harder.”

“Agreed. Ever since Raven changed tactics, people are less willing to out her. She’s really changed. I’m pretty sure that Ruby should be about four by now. Not that Raven would know when her birthday is.”

“You’re not suggesting that we actually let Raven keep Ruby and Yang, are you Qrow?”

“Tai, relax. There’s bound to be some people willing to tell us her location.”

“As much as I hate to agree with Qrow here, he has a point.” Glynda added, “The reports we’ve gotten keep talking about a smaller group than before. There’s no doubt that some members likely didn’t like where they were heading, and bailed out.”

“The few we captured seem to be more afraid about displeasing her though.” Ozpin agreed. He was using his cane more often as an actual cane ever since he was discharged, “In addition, some of them mentioned that Raven has the Spring Maiden. We cannot allow someone so powerful to be with Raven of all people.”

“That is also a big problem. Raven could be putting dangerous thoughts into her head.”

“Not to mention Yang and Ruby’s heads.” Tai said, “What if she’s teaching them that it’s okay to steal?”

“Tai, stop.” Qrow tried, “You’re just being paranoid.”

“What if she’s putting them through some kind of dangerous training?” Taiyang cried out.

A. Still don’t buy that Raven would change.

And B. Pretty fucking understandable reasons considering Qrow OUTRIGHT DESCRIBED HIS TRIBE AS ‘MURDERERS AND THIEVES!’

“Now where has Ruby gone?” Raven looked in her large tent. There was a bit of giggling coming from her cot, “Is she under this rock?”

There was more giggling coming from her cot.

“Maybe she’s… under this table!” She looked under it, while keeping her ears trained on her cot.

“She’s not under here either. Maybe she’s turned invisible?” She asked as she made her way to her cot.

“Huh, my cot seems to be pretty lumpy today, I wonder-”

“BLARH!” Ruby jumped out of the cot and put on her best ‘scary face.’ Had she not been three, it would have been considered more intimidating than adorable.

“Oh my!” Raven feigned surprise rather well, “there you are! You nearly gave me a heart attack, little rose.” She picked up and nuzzled her surrogate niece.

“Did I really auntie Raven?” She asked. Raven smiled fondly as she nodded.

There was that small voice in the back of her head that kept telling her that Summer would be fine if she took up the role of mother in Yang and Ruby’s lives, but she kept up her efforts of keeping that voice quiet.

That voice was selfish. It wanted her to replace Summer.

She say as she replaces not just Summer but Qrow and Tayang as well.

“Auntie Raven?”

Ruby’s voice snapped the Mercenary leader out of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Can we watch Yang and Robin train?”

Raven smiled softly as she readjusted the toddler in her arms, “Alright. Have you used the bathroom yet?- We don’t want you wetting yourself.”

“That was one time!” Ruby replied. She was pretty smart for a four-year old. Or so Raven assumed. She wasn’t around kids enough to know what was going on. She remembered having a small party for Ruby’s birthday not too long ago. A village let them have a small celebration.

Yang had went out and found some flowers, and Robin had made a small stone statute of a rose. Yang would be turning six in a few months. Maybe the two of them could start talking about weapons. Robin has been teaching Yang a little hand-to-hand.

Raven felt a presence when she and Ruby arrived at the place where Yang and Robin were training. It almost felt… familiar. She looked at Ruby, and felt that her aura was warmer.

After a long while, Ruby started dozing off, and Raven decided that it was enough excitement for the day, and started heading back to her tent.

Tucking Ruby in, she felt that warm aura again. She knew that it felt familiar. She knew whose aura it was. And maybe… Maybe now it was time to accept it.

Summer was- is with her. Watching over her. Her and the kids.

At least, that was what she felt she had to accept.

Perhaps she was hallucinating.

Again.

Yes, yes Raven is hallucnating.

She isn’t some misunderstood, tortured loner. The moment Ruby reminder her of Summer, Raven nuked her in the face. She gaslighted Yang and tried to manipulate her into turning against her own sister and uncle. She ditched Yang FOR A THIRD TIME to save her own hide.

She;s a selfish bitch.

“It’s not your fault auntie…”

Raven didn’t try to respond to Ruby at this point. It was a hard day for all of them. Despite it being her blade, Ruby didn’t blame her. Raven felt that she should be blamed though.

Robin was dead.

It was a hard decision to make. Raven had brought Yang with her on the hunt, and Yang was busy keeping an eye on Ruby. That’s when they attacked.

A group sent by Ozpin had came in and tried to not only take away the girls, but also tried to take away Robin.

Since there was nobody that Raven trusted to help heal her, Raven had tried to rush back to the camp, or a village.

But Robin’s wounds were too great. Too severe. If she went to Tai, the girls would be in danger of being taken away from her, and brainwashed into being Ozpin’s puppets. Qrow was the same story.

So she cared so little about this person that instead of sucking up her pride and getting some help since it might result her crime being undone, she lets her die in agony.

Wonderful.

She had been an idiot. She should have left Yang and Ruby at the camp so that she could have portaled over to them.

Robin had asked- begged for Raven to end the pain. She had reached for the blade, and before Raven could stop her…

Robin was gone.

Yang was the Spring Maiden now.

And despite all of it…  Ruby didn’t blamed her for not being able to stop Robin.

Raven needed time. And she knew that she couldn’t take long. It was only a year ago when Yang and Ruby had lost Summer, and now…

Raven needed time. She had said so. She had a person that would take care of them.

Yang and Ruby had gone to their tent. It wasn’t too extravagant. But it was nice. It was close to Raven’s.

“Summer… What am I supposed to do now?”

Raven had long given up fighting the hallucination of Summer that had haunted her. It wasn’t going away, and Raven had come to accept it. There were times when she almost believed that it wasn’t a hallucination. But her rationale wouldn’t let her believe that her partner’s spirit was actually there with her.

Why? Why couldn’t she save those she cared about?- She could only do it one time. Every time she tried, it only worked the first time.

It was too much. Maybe she was only capable of saving people once, and that was it.

How about,you know, acting in the interest of others and not yourself?

Also: Raven is officially mentally ill. She outright admits it.

“No it isn’t.”

“What took you so long?” Raven looked at the hallucination. Summer was still as beautiful as she remembered. A little transparent, but she could still see her.

“I wanted to make sure you wanted me.” Summer replied.

“Robin’s dead, Sum…” Raven muttered, “She… I… I couldn’t save her.”

“How is Yang taking it?”

“She’s with another member. I’m not sure how she’s handling it, but…”

“-Raven?” Another tribe member started, “May I come in?”

Raven looked to her side and noticed that Summer had disappeared. Sighing, she looked back, “Yes. What is it?”

“It’s… It’s Yang. It’s her eyes… They’re-”

“Let me see for myself.” Raven got up, “I should be able to handle it, and she could probably use someone to help her get through this.”

Yeah, this is just another reason why Raven shouldn’t be allowed to raise kids.

Raven had found Yang on the edge of a cliff nearby the camp. The girl was staring off into the distance.

“Yang?”

“What do you want?”

Raven had expected this. She knew about how much Yang looked up to Robin, and how much the two cared for each other. She didn’t know how to handle a situation like this. First Summer, then her home on patch, and now Robin. Raven didn’t want to know how Yang would react if she lost anything else.

“I wanted to check up on you.”

“So you do it now, huh?” Yang replied.

Raven sighed, “Yang… You’re strong. A lot stronger than me. I guess… I guess I thought that you didn’t need me as often as your sister. I was wrong. I want you to know that. And I know how much Robin meant to you. If you’re angry at me, then-”

“I’m not angry at you for not saving her.” Yang cut off.

Raven was surprised. She had understood why Ruby had forgiven her, but Yang?- She was a bag of emotions, nobody knew what they were getting when they grabbed one.

“You aren’t?”

“I’m mad at you for not killing those huntsmen that killed her.” Yang ground out, “Why?! Why couldn’t you just make them suffer? Just a little bit…” She started crying.

So under Taiyang’s care Yang was an altruistic woman with abig heart and tried her best to be a good person.

Under Raven’s she’s now a sadist. At age 6.

Fucking wonderful.

Raven was stunned. She had done her absolute best to make sure that Yang wouldn’t fall to the talons of vengeance, and now she had failed. She reached over, and embraced Yang, who had stopped crying for a moment only to start crying harder.

“Yang… revenge is hardly worth it.” Raven explained, “Don’t make the mistakes I did.”

“I don’t care.” Yang choked through, “They took her away from us… from me. She was like a sister to me, and now…” Yang shook her head.

“I want them to suffer.”

“Yang, there’s an old saying,” Raven started, “Before setting out for revenge, you should dig two graves-”

“We already dug one. It was Robin’s.” Yang snarled, “What’s one more?”

“Yang. One grave is for the person you want to kill. The other is for you. Revenge is a never-ending cycle.” Raven chastised, “What you really need is justice.”

“You never felt vengeful?” Yang accused.

Raven looked on to see Summer’s ‘ghost’ trying to comfort Yang. It was a sweet gesture, even if it was just a hallucination of her doing so.

“Every day.”

And look at the result.

If Raven actually cared about Yang not being vengeful, she wouldn’t have STOLEN her and Ruby in the first place as her revenge.

When Ozpin had gotten the report, he was dissatisfied. The goal was to rescue Ruby and her sister and get the Spring Maiden on their side. It wasn’t to mortally wound said maiden.

The war against the grimm was a difficult one, and what he needed to end his curse was a Silver Eyed Warrior to defeat Salem.

But Raven had been selfish. She had taken them away. Not only was his best chance of defeating Salem gone, but Tai and Qrow were constantly pushing themselves to their very limits to try to find the girls.

It was likely that the Spring Maiden had been trained to think of a certain person when in near-death situations, so the Maiden had to still be in the tribe.

Ozpin wanted out. He wanted to be free from this plane of existence.

Pretty sure Ozpin would care more about the innocent children being kidnapped from their family than his own bullshit.

“Professor Ozpin,” Glynda’s voice came over the intercom, “It’s Taiyang and Qrow. They wish to speak with you on the progress on finding the girls.”

Ozpin sighed, “Let them in.” he said, as he sat back down in his chair.

After a few seconds of waiting, the T and Q of team STRQ finally wandered into the room.

“I understand that you two are aware why you’re here?”

“I just want to see my girls again.”

“And we will do that. But first, there’s another matter to deal with. The Spring Maiden died when we sent the Huntsman Team out there to find and retrieve her as well as find Yang and Ruby.”

“And?”

“The Maiden was with the tribe. While it’s likely that she had a bond with someone there, that tribe wasn’t as close to each other, so the Maiden might be out there somewhere. We can’t dismiss the idea that the Maiden might be among them.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with getting my girls back.” Tai pointed out, “I want to find them now!”

“Qrow, do you have any contact with your sister?”

“I don’t have a sister. Not anymore. Not after she took the kids.”

“Qrow.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll see if there’s some way to contact her.”

“Try to get the kids back.”

“I doubt Raven would be so willing to give them up so easily. She gets some bargaining chips with them.”

“At least try.”

Not even gonna try to show Ozpin calming and reassuring Taiyang like he’s ALWAYS done? Or Qrow giving any kind of shits about his brother in law’s emotional state? Yay...

And here’s a man whose hysterical at the loss of kids who were taken from him after losing his second wife and I’m suppose to side with the kidnapper?

“You wanted to see me?” Raven asked as she settled into the bar that Qrow had requested they meet at.

“Yep.” The place was pretty sparse. Raven had insisted that Qrow come alone, and Qrow had requested the same.

Both of them had their weapons on them as well. No matter what, Raven and Qrow both wanted to keep the battle limited to a one-on-one fight.

“I’m not giving them up.”

“Then I guess visitation rights are off the table then?” Qrow snarked.

“I’m not against it.”

This took Qrow by surprise, “Really?- I thought that-”

“You thought what, Qrow?- That I was using Yang and Ruby as living weapons?- That I didn’t care about their safety?”

Considering you took them back to your bandit camp which regularly attracts Grimm, let Yang wander around in Grimm infested woods and stole them which SHOULD leave Yang with psychological an emotional scarring-

Yes.

“If you did, then you wouldn’t have taken them!” Qrow accused.

“I did that to make sure that they wouldn’t be turned into living weapons!” Raven snarled.

Bull fucking shit. This is the same woman who tried gaslighting Yang in Volume 5.

“Oh here we go! Just because Ozpin was the one who gave Summer the mission, doesn’t mean he treats everyone like a living weapon!”

“No. He treats them like pawns.“ Raven clarified, “Like pieces on a chess board. Some pieces more valuable and useful than others. And I won’t let you, or Ozpin make Ruby and Yang into pieces in his deranged chess game against the goddamned Grimm Queen. I’m giving them the chance to avoid being placed on the board, a thing none of us got. Not you, not Tai, not me, and… not her…”

Except if that were true-

Why doesn’t he just declare open war on Salem? I mean, a person who sees people as pawns doesn’t care if a few thousand pawns get killed. And he’s always shown to respect the autonomy of other people. So I call bullshit.

Especially coming from someone whose a mass murderer AND a gaslighting emotionally abusive parent.

Raven barely whispered that last part, but Qrow knew who she was talking about.

“You don’t get to use that excuse. What if Yang and Ruby want to become huntresses?- Are you just going to stomp out their dreams like that?”

“As far as I’m aware, Yang would likely rush Ozpin, and start beating him while demanding the names and addresses of the hunter team that killed Robin.” Raven replied, “I’m doing that old bastard a favor by making sure that he doesn’t start assimilating a new body in the near future. As for Ruby… She can attend any school that isn’t Beacon. I hear Shade’s a good academy.”

Yeah because you’re brainwashing her. Great job, proving Qrow right. Also, apparent RUby can do whatever she wants...so long as you approve. Nice freedom. What’s wrong, scared Ruby would learn that you’ve been lying to her and stole her and her sister from their family?

Also he doesn’t assimilate jackshit, you manipulate bitch.

“You would say that. And who’s Robin?”

“Of course you wouldn’t treat her as a person. You work for Ozpin.” Raven muttered, “Robin was the Spring Maiden, a dear ally, and the closest person Yang had to an older sister. And the team Ozpin sent got her killed. It took me a month to find the paperwork proving that it was him and not you or Tai.”

You killed that ‘dear ally’ for power in canon. I don’t believe that for a second.

“I take it that that Robin chick didn’t like Yang so much, so the power didn’t go to her?”

Raven glared. She knew that if Yang had heard that, Qrow’s feet would be encased in ice while he would be taking a beating.

Funny how Yang’s anger issues have only gotten worse compared to her canon counterpart. Almost like you’re a shit mom.

But she couldn’t reveal that.

“Did I touch a nerve, Rae?” Qrow taunted.

“Once we get to our intended destination, I’ll portal over to Tai for discussions on visitations.”

Raven looked behind her brother. She saw ‘Summer’ motioning for her to go in for the metaphorical kill.

“And now, I’d say that you go back to your feather-crested journal. I’m sure you’d complain all about your murder in it.”

Qrow paused for a moment. Summer had given that to him as a gift, and he had never shared it with anyone outside of her.

“How did you…”

It was too late.

Raven had portaled away.

“Dammit, Branwen! You were supposed to give us the signal for when she was going to use her semblance! What happened?”

“Sorry.” Qrow said into his communications device, “It looks like Raven went through my stuff, and caught me off-guard or something.”

“Great. Y’know Ozpin is still on our case about not getting that girl back alive. Dunno why he wanted that specific girl, but now we have no idea what to do now.”

“Cool your ass, Avel. I’m sure you and team APLE are on edge as much as the next. But you killing her means that we don’t know where a… certain asset is. Oz is just worried.”

“He sounded more angry and enraged than he did worried.”

“Then you probably weren’t good enough.”

Funny because between the two of them, Raven’s the immature whiny bitch.

Also Raven is still delusional as fuck.

“Radon, how is Yang holding up?”

“She’s been training with a variety of weaponsss. I’m rather scared of what kind of weapon she’ll ultimately end up making.”

“Any favorites so far?”

“She seems to favor a lot of swords and blades, but she also practices with gauntlets.” The beaver faunus rubbed his side, “She managed to knock me around with those gauntlets of hers.”

“Just the gauntlets?”

Radon nodded.

“Where is she now?”

“She said she wanted to do some exercises in her tent. Are you sure about this Raven?- You said that you wanted to keep her off the path of revenge, but right now-”

“I’m trying to keep her from getting killed. I can’t do that if she’s not prepared. I tried so hard to stop her from this, but now…”

Raven shook her head, “I’ll take a look. Where’s Ruby?”

“She’s off gathering berries with the other kids. This tribe is becoming more and more like an orphanage.“

“Is that a problem, Radon?”

“Not at all. After all, I heard from some of the elders that that was how you came in.”

“Hmm.” Raven went off to find Yang. Hopefully, she could keep her off the path just a little bit.

Hopefully.

So great, Raven brainwashing MORE kids. At least it sounds like she didn’t kidnap those kids...

And so that’s the story of Kidnapping Not-Mom Fake Summer if we were to give this an accurate title. Because in honesty, Raven kidnapped RUby and Yang, she isn’t a mother and this isn’t even Raven but rather Summer Rose transplanted in Raven. 

And this is why I hate Raven Stans.

[future-gays-of-america-blog]

Chapter 3: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but You Might as Well Just Shoot Me

As the van pulls out of the hangar, Hailey begins to strike up a conversation.    

“You know, we really should think about replacing the lift with an elevator. Oooh or maybe even an escalator!” comments Hailey,

“Oh yeah, sure. And who’s gonna pay for it?” asks Hannah. “Nevermind, don’t answer that. Knowing you, you would probably just steal the money from your ex-drug lord.” 

“That’s not a bad--”

“NO,” Hannah interrupts. “Say one more word about an escalator or elevator and I will throw you out the window.” Hailey nods quickly and remains silent for the next few minutes of the ride.

They arrive outside the scene, and Port walks over to talk with the responding police officers. The rest of the team begins to move to their positions. As Cody gets closer to his, Maddie pops into his comms. 

“Okay Cody, there are four people in front of the door. You need to take them down and make sure the door is blocked to restrict hostile escape.”

“Wait, I only see three.”

“Look around stupid,” Maddie says, and she waits for him to reply. 

“Oh, I see the fourth now. He was on the roof,” Cody mumbles. 

“Any more concerns?” 

“No ma’am,” Cody answers bitterly.

He crouches down around a nearby corner and presses his hands to the ground. Slowly, a few vines of thick ivy begin to creep upward near each of the guards. By the time one of them realizes what’s happening, it’s too late. The guard tries to shout out to his companions but the vines shoot out of the earth and restrain each of them. All except one: the one on the roof. 

The rooftop is too far for ivy to grow fast enough to stop the guard from escaping. Cody’s solution is to sprout a parcel of leaves to encase a handful of water hemlock that had been ground into a powder. He promptly throws the small pouch at the remaining guard, creating a toxic cloud upon impact. The last guard begins coughing, inhaling more of the poisonous gas. In a few moments, he collapses and begins convulsing.

Before he walks away, Cody grows a firm wall of plants over the door. He turns to leave and finally notices the pain in his leg. Looks like one of the guards managed to get a shot at him. 

“I’m going to need to be taken back to the base right about now,” Cody says into the comms.

“What for?” Maddie asks.

“A bullet wound.”

“Oh my god, Cody. Port, if you would,”

“I’ve got it,” Port answers.

Seconds later she appears through a portal, grabs Cody by the shoulders, and pulls him through another portal. She drops him on the floor of the base next to Maddie and quickly returns back to her post. 

“That’s one way to do it,” Maddie mutters as she moves to patch the hole in Cody’s calf.

Back at the subway, Port opens a path for Hannah and herself to enter the room with the hostages. 

“If you can get all of the guards up in the air for a second, I can open portals underneath them that lead straight to the police station holding cells,” Port whispers to Hannah. She nods in response and cracks her knuckles.

“Going up!” Hannah yells into the room, flipping her hands upward.

“So much for stealth,” Port mumbles as she opens portals under each of the criminals. Hannah flips her hands back down and all six of the men drop down into the awaiting portals. She descends to the floor to assist the hostages, unaware of the seventh masked man behind her.

“Orbit! Behind you!”

Hannah turns to look around, still somewhat unfamiliar with her superhero alias. The seventh guard begins firing at random making it near impossible for Port to stop every bullet. Hannah holds her hands in front of her and uses her gravitational field to create a gravity assist, flinging the bullets back around at the shooter. 

The bullets rip through the shooter much faster than they left his gun while Orbit looks on in terror at what she’s done accidentally. 

“Orbit, what the fuck did you do that for?!” Port asks fearfully and steps closer to the hostages.

“I-” Hannah’s eyes widen “I didn’t mean to-”

“Well you fucking DID,” Port hisses “Go get Maternity and Moon Mistress before you kill someone else.”

A lump begins forming in Hannah’s throat, but she swallows it quickly and walks away. 

She soon comes across Hailey and Sarah. Hannah sees Hailey rubbing Sarah’s back while she breathes frantically into a paper bag.

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this. Please don’t make me do this, aaaahhhhh!” Sarah yells in between breaths. 

“What the hell happened here?” asks Hannah, the concern clear in her question.

“She gave herself a panic attack,” answers Hailey calmly.

“How?”

“She tried to give someone a ton of confusion but their confusion caused them to have a panic attack, which rebounded back to her.” 

Sarah stands up, the emotional effect now gone and her own emotions returning. She strolls down the aisle of armed shooters, her face showing her annoyance, and without breaking a sweat, all of the guards begin to fall to their knees. 

“What are you doing?” yells one of the guards, struggling to walk as his knees shake beneath him.

“I’m doing what you deserve,” she answers calmly while maintaining steady eye contact.

“And what might that be, babe?” asks Hailey, grinning.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll see.”

The guards begin to drop like flies, but one gets back to their knees to fire off one shot before falling back to the floor. Hailey falls to the floor, screaming in pain, after being shot in the back. Sarah spins around and kneels next to the love of her life. She searches for the last shooter and stares him down, forcing an emotion on him so strong, he turns his gun around shoots himself in the head.

“Maddie we need medical attention, NOW,” Sarah screams over the comms.

“Port, if you would,” Maddie says as prepares her station to give medical care, but she gets no response. “Port?”

“Since it looks like Port’s gone AWOL, I’ll fly her to the base as fast as possible,” says Hannah, as she picks Hailey up off the ground.

“Alright, as for everyone else, get back to the mission van and head back to the base. The police should be able to take care of the rest.” Maddie says as she removes her headset and prepares for everyone’s arrival. 

Hannah and Hailey are the first to arrive and Maddie assesses the situation immediately and begins dealing with Hailey’s bullet wound. Cody stands nearby, assisting through the guidance of Maddie.

When the rest of the team returns, there’s still no sign of Port. They all shrug their shoulders and assume she’ll show back up when she wants to.

In about an hour, Hailey’s conscious but forced to stay on bedrest, and Sarah refuses to leave her side.

[stargleeksil-blog]

Criminal Minds S07E04 “Painless” review

Episode 04 – Painless

Heyo! So so far this is shaping up to be one of the most awesome seasons (excluding 2-5 XD) and this episode’s name is seriously freaking me out.

Really frightened of what’s going to happen.

Aww, Hotch is reading to Jack and he’s the best in the class, of course he is. Jackie boy.

“We just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night.”

“So he’s reading at a fourth-grade level.”

He’s holding back?

“Why do you think that is?”

“Paul Cain?”

“Yes, he’s been over. He’s a friend of Jack’s.”

Wait. So Jack’s bully is a friend of his and he invited him over? Something’s not right here.

“How long hast this been going on?”

“Well, Jack says that things are going very well at school, so the steps you’re taking must be working.”

“Let me know if anything changes.”

“Can I keep this?”

“Thank you so much.”

“Does anyone remember this picture?”

“Hotch and I were there.”

“That’s principal Doug Evans. We had to drag him to safety.”

“High school bombing in Boise, right?”

“School shooter and school bomber.”

“A kid named Randy Slade shot three students and set off an IED in the cafeteria via cell phone, killing himself and thirteen kids total, but not before posting all of his plans online.”

“Last night, Principal Givens was killed by a bomb modeled exactly like the old one.”

“It feels like the unsub wants to attack the man who kept the school together after the bombing.”

“It’s a pretty symbolic target.”

“And this week is the tenth anniversary of the massacre.”

“And today is the first day of a four-day event to commemorate the bombing at the school.”

“Except commemorating it isn’t enough for this unsub.”

“No. He wants to relieve it.”

Andy Partridge: “You may leave school, but it never leaves you.”

“Perpetrators of school violence are often sophisticated with their weapons. Randy Slade carried his bomb in his backpack.”

“This guy hid his in Givens’ clock radio.”

“Yeah, and progressive. Each one tries to top the body count of the one previous.”

“And they’re loners by default, not by choice. They try to join various social groups, but they get shut out.”

“Randy Slade wasn’t a loner at all. The family cooperated fully with us.”

“He was a high-functioning psychopath, straight-A student, varsity wrestler, lots of girlfriends.”

“With an above-average intelligence that made him incredibly resourceful. His explosive of choice was Semtex. It’s found at demolition sites, but it’s held under lock and key.”

“Which made us consider the possibility of a partner. Never found one.”

“Slade was too much of a narcissist to share credit.”

“But he was also an impulsive teen, which is what bothers me about this unsub.”

“His sense of control?”

“And the end game that he’s working toward. Slade’s pathology revolved around the big kill. This unsub could have done the same if he’d waited for the candlelight vigil.”

“Which means there’s no blaze of glory fantasy here.”

“This unsub has more bombs made, and he’s savoring the anticipation of his next attack.”

“Did you get the student files to our technical analyst?”

“Good. We’ll start with criminal records.”

“What’d you find, Garcia?”

“A blast from the past, I believe. Does the name Brandon Slade ring a bell?”

“Yeah, the bomber’s younger brother. Sweet kid. He couldn’t give us much back then.”

“Most seven-year-olds don’t. They do, however, grow up to become seniors who attend the same high school.”

“I thought the Slades were gonna leave Boise.”

They separated and the mom and kid stayed ... yikes.

“Did you question Brandon about last night?”

“We’ll need to talk to him.”

“So this unsub has to be tied to the school somehow, right?”

“Current student, alumni, family member who lost someone?”

“It could be Slade groupie celebrating his hero.”

“He taped nails to the exterior of the bomb, specifically to rip open flesh. That’s a sadistic detail of Slade’s the unsub copied.”

“Except he tricked Givens into blowing himself up.” 

“A groupie probably wouldn’t show that much self-control.”

“But someone with an ax to grind against the principal would.”

“Maybe he’s a surrogate for the tormentors in high school he can’t punish.”

“Who were yours?”

“I don’t even remember.”

What?

“You don’t even remember?”

“Wait, were you one of the mean girls?”

“No.”

WHAT? NO WAY!

“Valedictorian, soccer scholarship, corn-fed, but still a size zero. I think that you might have been a mean girl.”

“I was actually one of the nice girls, even to guys like you.”

“Guys like me? I’ll have you know that my social standing increased once I started winning at basketball.”

“Oh, yeah, you played basketball?”

“I didn’t play. I coached basketball. I broke down the opposite team’s shooting strategy.”

“Is that why Morgan kicked you out of the pool last week?”

“Yeah. It took him three rounds to realize I was hustling him.”

“Huh.”

Okay, it’s official, Reid is my favorite. Who the fuck scams Morgan and gets away with it for so long? DAMN.

“Well, it looks like we’re not the only ones interested in Brandon.”

“It’s gonna make it a lot harder for us to talk our way in.”

“Unless we use it to our advantage.”

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.”

“My name is SSA David Rossi of the FBI. That’s R-O-S-S-I.”

“So if anyone has any questions, you’re free to ask them now.”

Well that was certainly a distraction of the press.

“Mrs. Slade? I’m Special Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI. This is …”

“Martha, we can do that. We’ll just have to come back later.”

I, too, don’t believe that her son did it. But ...

“Let us prove that for you.”

“Once we rule him out, we can get these people off your lawn.”

“Martha, you can observe. You can stop us and call your lawyer whenever you want.”

“Agent Rossi was always very nice to Brandon. Let him do it.”

Of course Rossi is the cutest thing ever and leaves a good impression.

“Dave.”

“All right, feel free to call me if you have any other background questions. My phone number is …”

“It’s Dr. Spencer Reid. R-E-I-D.”

What the ... oh my god, it’s Morgan payback. I am starting to like this episode. Oh boy.

“You know, there’s a sniper right be … oh!”

“Never mind.”

I love that Rossi is into video games.

“Oh, a while back. After this kid told me how much he loved playing with his big brother.”

“First edition. I’m touched.”

I’m impressed. And apparently, the kid is also a good writer. Damn.

“So are you.”

“I read one of your AP English essays. The Futility of Jay Gatsby and the Green Light.”

Whoa.

“Well, I was curious as to, uh, what kind of kid you grew up to be.”

“But that didn’t stop you from getting beaten up on a regular basis.”

Hee hee, that kid is seriously my fave here. ‘You bang your fans, mine beat me up.’ He’s sharp as fuck.

“And uh, Principal Givens, he couldn’t stop that, could he?”

“That must have really ticked you off.”

“Well, just because you downloaded them doesn’t mean you sat here and watched them.”

Ooh, someone’s been taking lessons from Garcia.

Rossi was much cooler ten years ago?

“So were you.”

Oh snap.

“When did Harry leave?”

“Is that why Brandon ended up in North Valley?”

“Just want to see if you took after your big brother.”

“Actually, dude, I don’t think you’re mean enough to have done it.”

“But tell me the truth. You’re happy that Principal Givens is dead, aren’t you?”

“Well, Randy wanted the whole school dead.”

“Whoa. Am I missing something here, Brandon?”

“Well, did Randy have some sort of agenda? Did he target specific people inside of the school?”

“We didn’t. We couldn’t find any logic to his actions.”

“So how do you know, huh? Did he tell you?

“Did a seventeen-year-old confide in a seven-year-old?”

“Did you find something?’

“He had a list, didn’t he?”

“If he still has the list, it’s somewhere in that room.”

“Martha, do you know anything about this?”

“I can have a search warrant in an hour.”

“Tear it apart.”

Whoa.

“Yeah, bookshelf is clean.”

“I love dating readers, hate profiling them.”

“Catcher in the Rye, Atlas Shrugged.”

“These are all titles that a teenage kid would obsess over, but Randy made that list when Brandon was just a kid.”

“You’re right. So, however Brandon got his hands on that list, he would have hid it in something a seven-year-old would read.”

“Hotch! We found it.”

“Principal Givens is on this list.”

“You’re on speaker, JJ.”

“So we might have another one.”

“Might?”

“One of the North Valley alumni was killed in her motel room. No bomb or gun this time. Looks like he used his bared hands.”

“You got a name?”

“Chelsea Grant.”

“She’s on the list.”

Shit.

“The unsub crushed Chelsea’s throat so she couldn’t scream, then he pulverized her ribs, sending fragments of bone into her heart.”

“Principal Givens was high-profile. Chelsea wasn’t.”

“Right now the only thing connecting them is they’re both on the kill list.”

“A kill list Brandon kept secret for ten years.”

“But he was in custody when this happened.”

“The question is, how did the unsub get the exact same list?”

“We ruled out a partner, but not exclusively. Slade made every part of his plan public.”

“It doesn’t make sense that he would hide a partner. He didn’t want to share the credit.”

Well, I really don’t like where this is headed.

“And this weekend is the partner’s best chance to claim it.”

“Partners of dominant psychopaths are usually submissive, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be intelligent or that they’re physically weak.”

“The unsub laid low after the bombing and successfully evaded police and FBI. That took cunning and patience, which he’s exhibiting now with his current murders.”

“We think he fits the loner profile Slade debunked. He grew up in an abusive home, which kept him from forming the normal social bonds in high school.”

“Even outcasts eventually form friendships. But this unsub was the outcast the outcasts rejected.”

“He won’t stand out in any capacity, and as a matter of fact, most of his fellow students probably won’t even remember graduating with him.”

“And that invisibility is what made him attractive to Slade.”

“This partner wouldn’t steal the spotlight.”

“Slade turned to the cafeteria because of the names on his list ate there together during fifth period.”

I love the way he points with his pinky.

“So his hatred festered when the names on the list emerged from the cafeteria as media heroes.”

“And now he wants to finish the job that Randy started.”

“Emotionally, this weekend is more a high school reunion to him than a memorial.”

“We go to reunions to show who we grew up to be. Often that means changing everything about who we are.”

“Consciously or not, Randy Slade revealed clues as to his partner’s identity when he detonated his bomb.”

“Agent Prentiss will be conducting cognitive interviews to see what the survivors might remember.”

I’m with those skeptics. I mean, they survived a traumatic experience, and now they want them to relive it? No dice.

“Yes, but there may be some details that you didn’t think were important at the time that could help us now, things that could help us learn about the partner.”

“The interviews we’re going to conduct won’t focus on what you saw, but what you felt.”

“The Boise police have offered everyone on this list a protective detail.”

“So as you can see from your board there, this kill list is weirdly similar to high school. Group one is like the popular kids – prom court, football team, Dean’s list .the Heathers, if you will.”

“Kid’s in Slade’s social circle.”

“What about number two?”

“That would be the kids from the other side of the tracks, 180-degree difference, kids this close to getting kicked out – stoners, burnouts, mental cases.”

“Chelsea Grant is on this list.”

“Maybe Slade targeted them because they disgusted him?”

“But they didn’t threaten Slade’s sense of superiority. He wouldn’t have even cared about them.”

“All right, well, maybe the partner put them on the list. They’d be closer to his social status than Slade’s.”

“Why would the …”

“I’m so sorry.”

Oh my God, it’s working.

“Why would the unsub list kids that he fit in with?”

“Apparently that’s how this clique worked.”

“The kids in it were meaner to each other than kids on the outside.”

“Garcia, separate out all the kids who got into trouble regularly. Then eliminate the names that the partner put on the list. Now, who’s left that came to the memorial?’

“Right. Whoever made the list wouldn’t put their name on it.”

“Uh … Sir, I think … I think I’ve got him.”

“Lewis Ramsey. FBI.”

“Put the drink down. You’re coming with us.”

“Did you hear the conversation?”

“What did you notice?”

“That was when he ordered you to lock the doors, right?”

“What did he say?”

“Why did he detonate so early?”

“Now, let’s go back for a second.”

“Randy was pointing the gun at you. Did you see the cell phone in his hand?”

“What was on it?”

“The black cell phone?”

“Are you sure? The grey cell phone was the detonator.”

“The black cell was the one he’d talked to his mother on.”

“Then how do you explain your fingerprints in her room?”

“You’re very convincing, Lewis. But you were convincing ten years ago, too.”

“Oh, yeah. You were blowing up in the back parking lot, right?”

Oh dear, sarcastic, judgy Morgan is seriously the hottest fucking thing.

“Yeah, of course it was.”

“It also allowed you to pose as a loser. The very type you wanted to kill.”

“You know how we know? You wrote it down.”

“‘All the losers in this godforsaken school’.”

“But you did type up the rest of the list.”

“Lewis, we know how guys like Randy make friends.”

“They build up rapport through secrecy.”

“Only the two of you are smart enough to see through the BS of high school, right?”

“And it felt so good doing whatever Randy said and not have to tell anybody about it.”

“Make me a list of kids we should kill.”

“Sure, Randy.”

“Get me a pound of Semtex from your dad’s construction site.”

“Whatever you say, Randy.”

Ugh.

Oh what, he thought he wouldn’t use him? God, this dude is stupid as fuck.

“He would use you?”

“You were mad that he actually did it.”

“But you were also mad that he left you behind.”

“Then why come back?”

“What does a loser like you have to gain by seeing all the kids that he hated so much?”

Oh shit. Morgan talking down on potential unsubs shouldn’t be getting me all hot and bothered like this.

“You buy it?”

“He fits the profile, and the evidence points to him, but he seems sincere. He’s not the unsub.”

“He was the partner, but look at how Slade added ‘all the LoSeRs in this Godforsaken school’.”

“This capitalization isn’t an accident. Look.”

“L-S-R … Lewis Stuart Ramsey.”

“So Slade named his own partner.”

“Ironically, Lewis’s marijuana conviction saved his life.”

Thank you for using ‘ironically’ correctly.

“Well, that puts us back to our original problem.”

“If the unsub isn’t the partner, how did he get his hands on a list that Slade and Lewis kept to themselves?”

“The only answer is that part of the profile is wrong. The unsub’s vendetta has nothing to do with the list.”

“Did you get anything from Jerry Holtz?”

“Only that he mixed up the cell phones that Slade used. It felt like he was making the story up, but I only had a hunch.”

Important lesson: Always trust your gut instinct, Emily.

“We need to find him now.”

“There’s a connection to the victimology that we’re missing.”

“Whatever he’s holding back might be the key.”

Oh shit, the guy Emily interviewed just got stabby-stab-stabbed like shit. Fuck.

“Jerry Holtz?”

“How long?”

“Less than an hour.”

“The only people who knew we were doing cognitive interviews were the other survivors.’

“The unsub must be a part of that group,”

“Well, we don’t know that for a fact. He could have been lying in wait. Look, Hotch wants me to go through the victims’ lives and find the overlap. We can compare their histories with the unsub’s.”

“Well, what else do we have to go on?”

“Spence said the unsub would have broken his hand beating Chelsea to death. Did you notice anyone with a cast on their hand, someone who seemed hurt?”

“No.”

“I might know why. This unsub doesn’t feel pain.”

Of course he does.

“There’s a medical condition called pain asymbolia, where patients register harmful stimuli without being bothered by it.”

“They’ve been documented holding their hand over an open flame because their brain doesn’t send pain signals to the central nervous system.”

Oh shit, so this fucker can’t even register pain? Damn, that is fucked up.

“Sounds pretty rare.”

“You sure the unsub has it?”

“The crime scenes prove it.”

“This unsub displayed an unusual level of savagery towards his victims.”

“And consider this – he smashed through a glass display case, but there were no cuts on Jerry. That means he most likely punched through it as a show of force.”

“Now, the only way the human body could withstand that level of pain is if he couldn’t feel it at all.”

When Reid realizes something is up ...

“It must have taken a major toll on someone’s emotional development.”

“A significant contributor to our sense of empathy is the way we personally experience pain.”

“And the unsub didn’t develop his sense of empathy because it was cut off.”

“Does every person with asymbolia have this?”

“Actually, most feel empathy just fine, which makes me think the rest of our profile is still accurate.”

“Loner, invisible, outcast, boiling rage ….”

“Son of a bitch!”

WHAT?!

“Hi! This is Dr. Spencer Reid. I actually can come to the phone right now with a very special message that your mother is …”

“Reid.”

“Sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“I don’t know where that came from.”

“Where were we?”

“I’m going to have Garcia check medical records. What causes asymbolia?”

When Reid suddenly realized that Morgan got him back ... 

“Severe trauma produces lesions in the insular cortex, usually after a stroke.”

“But this unsub’s young, it’s most likely caused by an external factor.”

“Like a bomb going off next to him?”

“Yeah, a bomb going off next to him.”

“I will crush you.”

“What?”

“What?”

Ooh, my puppy is gonna get it this time.

Okay.

I just ....

Hands down one of hte best scenes in the entire seven seasons so far.

HOLY SHIT.

“It’s so weird seeing yearbooks again.”

She’s so cute! I love JJ so much.

“A friend of mine who teaches said that Facebook is making them obsolete.”

I’m in total agreement. Facebook is making life obsolete, but ... different discussion for a different time.

“I’m having serious flashbacks going through these senior bios.”

“Four years of accomplishments boiled down to one paragraph.”

“Hey, did your school have anything called Top 10?”

“No. Is it an academic thing?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Only ten of the survivors listed it, including Jerry and Chelsea, and neither of them were valedictorian material.’

“Okay, so … what are we looking at here?”

“Well, maybe it’s a clique inside a clique.”

“Yeah, but it’s jocks, nerds, theater geeks. Nothing that would bring these kids together.”

“Except …”

“What?”

“I know what the Top 10 is.”

“Recognize the Top 10?”

“No.”

“They were the students that went in front of the cameras after the bombing.”

“I thought all the surviving students were interviewed.”

“After the initial aftermath, yes, but these are the kids that went on talk shows, traveled to other schools.”

Wait. So the list comprises of those ‘elite’ that have gone on talk shows and talked to schools about the tragedy? Oh boy ... I have a bad feeling about this.

“My guess is that they didn’t self-select who made the cut.”

“Principal Givens did.”

“That’s why the unsub killed him first.”

“He was an outcast who wanted to fit in.”

“Being a survivor should have been his golden ticket. But he was excluded again, and that’s why he’s killing them.”

“Yeah. The rules of high school never changed, not even after a tragedy.”

“Go ahead, Garcia.”

“Hey, listen up. I cross-referenced students files with medical records.”

“Now, there were six kids that were knocked unconscious in that blast, but only one fits the outcast profile.”

“His name is Robert Adams, and he just used his credit card at a local restaurant, the address of which …”

“I just sent you right now.”

“I’m on my way.”

Oh shit. That fucktard who can’t feel anything just took the top eight hostage in a fucking restaurant ... oh damn.

“He’s nowhere near the window, so there’s no line of sight.”

“We profiled this would be like a reunion to him.”

“He wants people to recognize who he is.”

“I think I know what he wants to be recognized for.”

“Robert Adams, we’re with the FBI. We just want to talk to you.”

“We know why you’re doing this, Bob.”

“Bob, you’ll be in the news for a couple of days. But no one will know the real story.”

“Tiffany … what did Randy say to the kid who looked him in the eye?”

“But he didn’t say it to Jerry, did he, Bob?”

Wait, so this whole thing started because they stole his thunder and told his story? Oh boy. This is fucked up in the head.

“Did he, Bob?”

“We can give you back your story, but you have to drop the gun.”

“Drop the gun.”

“Bob.”

“Morgan, he’s heading to the south entrance.”

“Copy. I got the back covered.”

Awesome.

“FBI. Drop the weapon, Bob.”

“Hotch!”

“Prentiss, in here!”

“We need medical in the boiler room.”

“Hold your fire.”

Damn. Hotch is one badass motherfucker.

Khalil Gibran: “Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”

My gorgeous honey enjoying his music

Until ...

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled musical selection with an important announcement.”

“Never wage a practical joke war against an MIT graduate, because we have a history of going nuclear.”

Who hacked into his playlist?

“Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the dulcet sounds of me screaming in your ear.”

Screaming.

“Okay, kid, that was cute.”

“But that’s all you got?”

Snoring.

“Hey, baby gi…”

Screaming.

I am so in love with this show.

Oh my God, Rossi giving him the white towel of surrender. AWESOME!

“Uh-uh.”

“All right, Reid, it’s on.”

“Just know that paybacks are a bitch.”

Snoring.

Oh my fucking god, just when I thought this show couldn’t get any better. This is seirously the best episode ever.

“Hey.”

“How’s Jack?”

“There’s a kid that’s being mean to him at school, and Jack’s solution is to invite him over and make friends with him.”

“That is the sweetest and saddest thing I’ve heard.”

“How did you find out?”

“His teacher told me.”

“He wants to solve it himself.”

I love Jack Hotchner so much. He is possibly the best human being ever ... on television.

“There’s probably a part of you that wishes you could step in.”

“Well, there’s a part of me that wants to protect him from everything that could hurt him, but I know I can’t.”

“No. But you can show him that he doesn’t have to face it alone.”

“How did you get by in Paris?”

“Um, I, um … I played a lot of online scrabble.”

“With some girl named Cheeto Breath.”

XD

I am so in love with this kid.

“We haven’t talked to mom in a while, so I thought it would be a good idea if we did it again.”

“Buddy, you’re not making me sad.”

“It makes me happy, because it reminds me what a great job mom did with you.”

“So maybe if we got in the habit of doing this again, you know, mom could help us.”

“You know, if you have a bad day.”

“Mrs. McKee said Paul’s been mean to you.”

“No?”

“Okay.”

“Well, mom, look out for Jack anyway.”

“Oh, dad, too. Of course.”

“Good job.”

“Okay. Time to settle down.”

“Good night, buddy.”

“I love you, too.”

Best daddy award to Hotchner.

And best son award to Jack, because that kid is the fucking best!

So despite the horrific part of this episode - oh my fucking god how the fuck are those people managing to make me giggle during a serious show???? 

The Morgan/Reid prank war.

The knowledge that JJ is addicted to Cheetos and plays scrabble.

And Jack Hotchner always brings a huge smile to this face.

Again, thank you so much for keeping up with me and my crazy notions.

See y’all next time!

[shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl]

More dangan thieves

“Toot! Toot! This is a HOLD UP!”

“Or maybe doot doot? Ibuki can’t choose which gun to use! Tu turuu~”

“Cease your movement, unruly shadows! Do not make me repeat myself.“

“Are you sure that’s aaaaall the money you have? Let’s open you up and check just to be sure!“

Ibuki Mioda Codename: Noise or Encore Arcana: Sun

Mask: Metal face mask from Mad Max except it extends up to her two oni horns hair [NOTE: unlike all the other masks, only Ibuki's doesn't cover her eyes but beware, her true power lies in her voice]

Ourfit: Looks like something picked out from Kingdom Hearts with all the unnecessary belts and zippers, honestly what style is she even going for? The color scheme is still the same except instead of the school uniform, she wears a lot of leather like a post-apocalyptic musician. Her gloves are mismatched: her right is pink and ends at her wrist while her left is striped pink and ends at her elbow.

Persona: Mousai [yes, she gets all 9 muses in 1 summon, she calls them her band]

*NOTE: Ibuki is that one character who actually tried to apply to become a Dangan Thief. In a convenient turn of events, she managed to eavesdrop on one of their meetings (who knew that doing dubious vocal training at suspicious corners would pay off!) and she was excited as hell! She thought they were cool and wanted to try it out. Through sheer confidence (much to the annoyance of the party), she was able to convince them to let her join (mostly to watch) on one of their field days. Things escalated but thankfully she awakened her persona in the moment of crisis.

Skillset: Strong nuclear skills, weak to psychokinesis; high critical rates but also low resistance to status ailments

Weapons: Guitar axe, sword flute, hammer drum, tuning dagger, trombone shotgun, trumpet pistol, harp crossbow, violin bow, french horn grenade launcher (where does Ibuki get all these weapons?!)

All-Out Attack Card: "Face the music" blasting from speakers (think Coma Doof of Mad Max Fury Road) with her weapon on fire she shouts, "This girl is on fiyaaaaaah!"

Awakening Scene: Mousai: All this shouting reminds us of a song, does it not? A pitiful song. Look at them, walking all over you, drumming to a rhythm that silences yours. Are you just going to let this miserable song go on? Where is your voice? Why aren't you singing louder than these fools who think they can!

Ibuki: This is the part where Ibuki proves you wrong mysterious voice inside Ibuki's head! Clearly you're new to my concert 'cause you would know that I was just warming up! Ibuki didn't become a rockstar by being quiet, Ibuki ROARED! I'll show you just how loud I can be at FULL VOLUME!

Mousai: And here we thought you couldn't get any louder. Your song has finally reached us. As you already know, all great musicians had to sign a contract. I art thou... thou art I...

Ibuki: ROCK AND ROCK AND ROCK AND ROCK AND ROCKROCKROCKROCKROCK AND ROLL, MOUSAI!

Quotes: "Onwards to the next concert, Ace Detective!" "Too fast! I didn't even get to do a solo!" "I leveled up! And I have song to celebrate with!" “Oooooh! A new skill! I can totally rock this!” "That sparkle! That shine! That shining shimmering splendid! It's a treasure chest! Let's go for it!" "A safe room you say? Let's take five and rehearse." “Nothing exciting like wandering in someone's world inside their head.” "Hehehe... I'm just warming up. Bring on the show!" “Can I get an encore? Do you want more?” "Wheeeeeew, boy am I pooped! Let's stop the tour here please." "Look, a shadow! We should go say hi!" “A rabbid fan saw us! Run run run RUN!” "It's like an amateur facing off with a pro... boring and unfair." “Mmmmmhhhhh, I feel like that one would explode with just one note.” "Huh?! You want to fight that? Okay but this is a death flag just saying." “Watch out! This feels like one of those important showdowns! Gotta get your cool lines ready beforehand.” “All my friends, we're glorious! Tonight we are victorious!”

*BATON PASS!* "LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!" *PROTECT* "Move, bitch! Get out the way!" *ENDURE* "Ugh... My last one standing game is strong!" *PERSONA!* "Burn the stage down, Mousai!" *Follow Up* "Need a second voice for that solo?" *Cover Fire* "Please oh please let me do the chorus." *Harisen Recovery* "Wake up, get up, GET OUT THERE!" *low on health* "I can see it... my ending! AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" *healing someone* "Don't die on me for plot device!" *getting healed* "Aaaaaaah! Feeling alive is so much better than feeling dead." *giving buffs* "Power ups for more power!" *physical attacks* "How do you like the sound of that?" *attacking* "GET REKT!" *attack misses* “Oh no! My hidden ditzy character is showing!" *couldn't finish off enemy* "Can't believe it didn't die, so rude!" *fainting* "It's weird... I can't seem to hear anything... so sad." *getting resurrected* “An encore? Well don't mind if I do!"

[lmao these are all song lyrics] *status ailment* "I, I shake it off! I shake it off!" Burn: "It's fire burning! Fire burning on the dance floor!" Freeze: “Yo, VIP, Let's kick it!!!! Ice! Ice! Baby!” Shock: "Girl, I'm all charged up! Cutie! Electro-cutie!" Forget: "See you driving 'round town with the girl I love and I'm like. Forget you! Ooh, ooh, ooh~" Charm: "We found love in a hopeless place~" Rage: "Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the floor! Let the bodies hit the... FLOOOOOOOOOR!" or “ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!” Despair: "Please don't take... my sunshine away..." Hunger: "Ah ya ya ya ya I! Keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean!" Dizzy: "You spin my head right round, right round. When you go down, when you go down down." Sleep: “In the jungle... the mighty jungle... the lion sleeps tonight... A weema-weh, wimoweh, wimba way, awimbawe..." Silence: *#@$%&?! or (somebody stole my car radio and now I just sit in silence) Mouse: *to the tune of hickory dickory dock* "Squeaksqueaksqueak squeaksqueaksqueak squeak~"

Mementos Chats: "The acoustics here are amazing! I bet I can yell and it would ECHOOOOOOOO!" "Uuuuuuuggggggghhhhh. Why does Silence even exist? It just makes me want to be LOUDER!" "I tried singing to them shadows, like legit singin not attacking-singing. And they just exploded? Rude!" "Shadows haven't developed the advanced hearing we people persons have. Otherwise they would have been enjoying my concerts." "Hey, maybe I should write my next song about Dangan Thieves. 'You stole my heart so I'm stealing your distorted desires'"

Ibuki: Maybe I should try bringing more instruments next time. I want to try pulling off a concert with my new band! Hajime: For the last time, your persona is not a band. Please only limit summoning them for thieving purposes.

Hajime: I knew you always had a dangerous taste in music but this is just taking it to the next level. Ibuki: What are you talking about, SpaceAce? This is just my usual.

Chiaki: This is so exciting, I think. I've always liked those characters who literally use music to attack. Ibuki: Awwww, that's so sweet of you, Bonbon. I'm gonna dedicate my next song to you!

Nagito: You are lively as always, ahahaha. Nothing can keep your hope quiet, how wonderful! Ibuki: Damn right! Noise is here to turn up the volume!

Fuyuhiko: Where the fuck do you get all these crazy shit weapons? Ibuki: They're Noise Originals obviously! Made them myself to use during concerts but my bandmates never let me.

Peko: The way you wield your instruments... it is quite intriguing. It looks reckless but under trained eyes, it actually holds perfect form. You make it look so easy. Ibuki: Hrrrrr, I don't really get what you say. I just play like how I would, ya know?

Mahiru: Please tell me you don't actually use your weapons in real life. Ibuki: Definitely nadah! Noise is against fighting. Oh, but I do use them to play some sweet notes sometimes.

Ibuki: If I can summon nine people, that's eight more than normal! Oh, no! Does that mean Noise has multiple personalities! Impostor: No, that's not it. I can assure you that's not your case and there's no need for you to worry.

Impostor: Ibuki:

Tsumiki: U-Um, please not so loud when near other people. Hiiii! I'm so s-sorry! It's just, um... it could cause hearing problems so... sorry! Ibuki: It's cool, dokidoki! I just gotta be loud far far away, got it.

Sonia: You have quite the unique persona. To think that your other self looks like a group of nine persons, how interesting! Ibuki: I knooooow! It's like my fantasy band! Me, myself, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and Loud I.

------

Gundam Tanaka Codename: (Evil Overlord) Lich Arcana: Strength

Mask: Aku Shogun of Sorrow Mask by EpicLeather

Ourfit: Typical evil overlord getup (think castlevania dracula). Old fashion, dark and edgy, with a cape (black on the outside, violet on the inside), and his purple long scarf still wrapped around his neck. His left sleeve is rolled up until his elbow but instead of bandages, there's a gauntlent made of bones. His gloves have a skeletal design.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though none of his hamsters have awakened, Gundam still insists on bringing the Four Dark Devas of Destruction with him, even going so far as making them all tiny  individual masks, and redubbing them as the Four Dangan Devas of Thieving. Their codenames are as follows:

"Supernova Silver Fox" San-D: Inari "Mirage Golden Hawk" Jum-P: Horus "Crimson Steel Elephant": Ganesha "Invading Black Dragon" Cham-P: Ao Shun

Persona: Kaminari-sama, god of lightning, thunder, storms Note: unlike popular depictions, Gundam's persona looks more adorable than threatening, it's cute AF, takes a form similar to the momonga, japanese dwarf flying squirrel, but with sparks

Skillset: Strong zio skills but weak to garu Weapons: Pair of sai and revolver or flintlock

All-Out Attack Card: “INFINITY UNLIMITED FLAME” written in a summon circle with dark flames scorching in the background and he says, "Ha! You weak creatures make me laugh!"

Awakening Scene: Kaminari-sama: How many times more will you let people make a mockery of your power? You are a Lord of Darkness, are you not? And yet rather than respect, they throw ridicule and insults at you, call you a false god. A powerless god. I ask you this, are you truly that powerless?

Gundam: For a demon born from the abyss of my heart, you should already know the answer. I've been ridiculed enough by others so do not dare join their mockery! A powerless god you say, ha! They spout insults AND lies! My power is no joke. And they would regret every word they said that assumed otherwise!

Kaminari-sama: Spoken like a true Dark Lord. As long as you understand your rights then let us proceed with the contract. I art thou... thou art I... The power you've longed for is already within your grasp. You are no benevolent god. You are an Evil Overlord who destroys all obstacles and punishes all those who oppose you!

Gundam: That's right! Bwahaha! At last! The seal on my dark powers has finally been broken! From this day forth, I have been born anew, only to lay waste to those before me! Strike them down, Kaminari-sama!

Codename: Gundam: Hahaha! At last! The time to unleash my wrath upon the world has come! Tremble before the destructive force before you!

Chiaki: Congratulations on unlocking your persona, Gundam. New party member acquired!

Nagito: It was quite the sight to behold, your awakening, truly I am lucky to witness such hope. Ah, and now you've decided to join us as well. Hmmm, I suppose it's time to address the next issue. So what should his codename be?

Gundam: Ha! I've been waiting for this moment! From here on out you shall address me by my true name! For I am Evil Overlo—

Mahiru: Overruled.

Gundam: W-What's this blasphemy? I haven't even finished yet!

Fuyuhiko: Yeah, you don't need to finish that for us to know it was going to be a long ass name. Newsflash edgelord, we're only shooting for two syllables at most.

Gundam: How preposterous! That is simply not enough to seal my abyssmal power in words. Do you not understand the consequences should my strength remain unrestrained? This pathetic world shall be torn asunder!

Peko: Perhaps we should hear him out first. There must be at least something short for a codename in what he was proposing. Let's try to focus on the main component of his name and then debate on the honorifics later. Is that acceptable enough?

Gundam: Hmph, as long as you do not forget then I shall agree to those terms for now.

Tsumiki: Then um... What would you l-like your codename to be?

Gundam: Evil Overlord of the Underworld

Mahiru: Too long! And I still can't pick any of those for a codename! Take this seriously, will you?

Gundam: You dare question my name? It would seem mortals still lack the skill to comprehend true power before their eyes.

Impostor: It's actually more of a technicality. We can't call you Overlord or Lord because it'll simply get confused with mine, King. Evil and Underworld are out of the question. Is there no other name you wish to go by?

Gundam: Ah... I see. Someone else has claimed a similar name. Even a dark lord such as myself knows to honor rights. I did not foresee such an event.

Chiaki: In other words, you didn't have any backup aliases... I think.

Sonia: Hold your head high, my dark overlord! For I shall crown you with a name worthy of your esteem!

Gundam: What? What is this name that you speak of, Dark Queen?

Sonia: *whispers to herself* Actually, I go by Enchantress here but I don't mind being called your Dark Queen... *clears throat* There is a name spoken with fear in my country. I believe only you can hold it with the same tenacity. Lich, a being of the dark arts. It suits you, does it not, Evil Overlord Lich?

Gundam: Evil Overlord Lich... Fuhuhu... Yes! I can feel the dark arts resonating with it! COWER BEFORE THE MIGHT OF EVIL OVERLORD LICH! Bwahahaha!

Chiaki: Good for you, Evil Overlord Lich.

Hajime: No. No way. We are NOT going to call him that all the time.

Gundam: Traitor! You had promised me freedom in choosing my name! Are you saying that you had no honor to uphold those words from the very beginning!

Nagito: Oh, my. It seems you've upset him. It would be a lengthy discussion if we decide to change his codename at this point. How about we settle for a compromise instead?

Hajime: Fine. We'll call you Evil Overlord Lich whenever but in battles we are redacting that to Lich. Is that compromise enough?

Gundam: I suppose those are agreeable terms. The contract is sealed. You now have my blood in your hands, do your best to not fall prey to its insanity.

Hajime: Yeah, sure whatever. Good to know that you're finally happy. Now let's go.

Gundam: Do not dare to leave just yet. There is another important matter that needs your immediate attention. Be grateful that I had warned you or else you would have suffered a horrible death.

Fuyuhiko: Oh, c'mon! We've already spent like ten minutes here. What else do you want to talk about? Your fucking madeup backstory?

Gundam: You should tread carefully with your words, mere mortal. But no, this urgent business does not address me. It is a decision regarding beings higher than myself.

Mahiru: We get it. Higher powers. Fancy words. Just get to the point and let's be done with this.

Gundam: Now that my power has been sealed by name, I request your assistance in performing more seals... specifically four.

Quotes: "I have spells that last longer than that fight. Let us set off!" "Muwahahaha... I can feel it! Power surges through my veins!" “My repertoir increases yet again!” "A treasure chest? What dangers does this one hold within?" "We've arrived at a safe room. Do not waste this moment's reprieve." “This journey pales in comparison to the trek I did to reach the Underworld where my brethren live.” "An Evil Overlord is a being void of humanity. Worry not for I need no rest." “My mortal vessel is proving to be cumbersome. Even so, I will not let it hold me back.” "Do not mistake this exhaustion for weakness. Contain such great power puts a toll on any mortal body and my vessel has reached its limits." "Fiends run amok. Shall we cleanse the area?" “Ack! We've been sighted? They must have felt the disturbance in the air." “I take pity on these unworthy opponents.” "They are no threat to us. Quickly decide on their fates." "Tread carefully! Even from this distance, I can sense the oppressiveness of their powers." “We must prepare ourselves for this one or our lives shall be forfeit.” “Another victory to add to my inordinate saga!”

*BATON PASS!* "Face the wrath of The Evil Overlord Lich!" *PROTECT* "Fool! Defend yourself!" *ENDURE* "You fiend... Did you think that was enough to best me?" *PERSONA!* "Rise forth, Kaminari-sama!" or "Strike them down, Kaminari-sama!" *Follow Up* "Call upon my wrath!" *Cover Fire* "Let my thunderstorm rain upon them!" *Harisen Recovery* "Do not disappoint me!" *low on health* "Hmph... Did you truly think that dying would strike fear into my heart?" *healing someone* "It's far too early for you to join me in the Underworld." *getting healed* "I shall remember your generosity." *giving buffs* "By the dark arts, I imbue you with strength!" *physical attacks* "Lightning strikes! Twice!" *attacking* "Your end is nigh!" *attack misses* “Preposterous! You avoided your fate?" *couldn't finish off enemy* "Delaying the inevitable will only bring you greater suffering." *fainting* "Fallen I have... but my life was one lived to the fullest." *getting resurrected* “A second chance? If you truly miss me then I will gladly return at your call.”

*status ailment* "Curse this mortal body!" Burn: "This fire holds no flame against my Infinity Unlimited Flame!" Freeze: “This frostbite is all bark and no bite!” Shock: "Betrayed...? By my own element?" Forget: "My name... has been sealed again?" Charm: “The call of darkness beckons me!” Rage: “Face the wrath of my fury!” Despair: "All these struggles... are they even worth it?" Hunger: "The beast within howls! I recquire sustenance immediately!" Dizzy: "What's this? I can't sense their aura as sharply!" Sleep: “Snore... Tremblewithfear... Zzz...” Silence: !!! Mouse: "SQUEAK!"

Mementos Chats: "Be grateful, foolish mortals, for I am a generous Dark Lord who spares his time for your thievery." "Some of the shadows look more animalistic than fiendish... what is this inner turmoil?" "The storm surges on outside in the real world. Now is the time to strike terror into the shadows!" "I can feel it... My Evil Eye tells me that there is great malice within the walls of Mementos." "I shall conquer the real world and the cognitive world as well!" "An Evil Overlord serving as a Dangan Thief... Of course, evil is known to wear many masks."

Chiaki: Our personas should reflect our own psyches, right? Hajime: I guess. I mean they aren't called our "other selves" for no reason. Chiaki: Hmmm, I see. I wonder what that says about Lich. Nagito: Ah, I now understand why you brought this up. He does posess an... interesting persona. Fuyuhiko: Just call it as it is. It's fucking adorable that's what. Mahiru: For a guy who's edgier than a knife, he's actually a huge softie on the inside. Ibuki: Oyaoya? Could this be what they call "gap moe"? Tsumiki: B-But it's still dangerous! It h-hurt a lot when he got brainwashed and used it on me, hiiii! Impostor: True, we must not underestimate it for its appearance. His persona is terrifying... no matter how cute it seems. Peko: That may be so... I wonder if it's fur is as soft as it looks... Maybe since it's a persona, I can actually get to pet it. Sonia: It would seem that everyone has taken a liking to your persona, oh Dark One. It's very cute indeed. Gundam: Cute is not befitting for a god! It's merely a disguise for you to let your guard down- cease your shallow appraisal on its appearance!

Gundam: I thought we agreed that you would address me by my full title outside of battles. Hajime: Lich can you not.

Hajime: I can't believe you really did bring your hamsters with you... Wait, are those masks? You even made them their own masks? By hand? Gundam: How else do you suppose would they acquire garments fitting of gods?

Chiaki: Whenever Lich talks, it's like I'm playing an old fantasy RPG. Recruiting an Evil Overlord as a party member is amazing, I think. Gundam: Even for someone as aloof as yourself, you say the wisest things. No need to thank my generosity, you're welcome.

Nagito: It's actually quite thoughtful of you to make masks for your hamsters. These are very well made even. As expected of someone filled with so much hope! Gundam: Fufufu... Your praise will not earn you any favors but it is acceptable enough.

Fuyuhiko: You could tone it down with your fancy shit. Seriously just yell zio like any person with common sense would, no need for a five minute incantation full of crap. Gundam: You lack the power to understand the full potential of my spells. My incantations fuel the strength of my skills so do not underestimate their value.

Peko: Even in the Metaverse, the animal-based shadows fear me... Gundam: Do not despair over such a loss. Come now, let my Four Dangan Devas of Thieving comfort you.

Mahiru: Your outfit is impractical as always. Isn't that cape too long? You're going to step on it one day. Gundam: A small price to pay for the physical manifestation of my power. There is nothing to fear for I, Evil Overlord Lich, shall die by

Tsumiki: Um... Is it really alright for those four to join us? These battles can get life-threatening...   Gundam: Fret not, nurse of the heart. These four devas are more trained than I. Should the need arise, they are capable of defending themselves.

Impostor: So we have a King and an Overlord, and yet our leader is called Ace. Gundam: The Chosen One must humble themselves to serve a position of such high authority. Although this does bring attention to an issue. Perhaps we should discuss with him a change of title.

Ibuki: Yahooo! Now that Lychee has real powers, does that make him OOC when he talks about his fake real powers? Noise is confused. Gundam: It's Lich, Noisy One. And I don't need to understand your outdated language to know that you've thrown ridicule at me. I've always had this power. It's just that only now with the seal is broken can you bear witness to its wrath.

Sonia: Oh, how lovely! You brought the four devas with you today as well. May I? Gundam: ...They would not be so opposed.

Sonia: As expected of you! Your outfit is as handsome as your usual! Gundam: *hides under scarf* I... could say the same to you. Yours suit you quite well.

Gundam: It is... new to me to have a creature bound to me and yet have no obligation to care for it regularly. Sonia: Oh, you're talking about your persona, aren't you? I see, I didn't think it would bother you this much. That just shows how much dedicated you are, it's quite admirable.

Gundam: That was a formidable move you used back there. Your fire for chaos burns ever so fervently. Sonia: Thank you, that's one of my favorite fires actually.

-----

Hiyoko Saionji Codename: Ibis Arcana: Tower

Mask: Red bird shaped mask with a long black beak

Ourfit: Traditional shrine maiden attire (red hakama or pleated skirt tied with a bow, white haori, some ribbons) The sleeves look like feathers to further resemble the Japanese crested ibis.

Persona: Karura, divine creature with human torso and birdlike head

*NOTE: Hiyoko is recruited after getting Mahiru, she is introduced during one of Mahiru's confidant events. If you use Mahiru enough times in the active party then this will trigger an extra quest wherein Hiyoko eventually joins the team. She only joins because of Mahiru obviously.

Skillset: Strong garu skills and weak to zio. Good at inflicting status ailments and debuffs, and nullifying party debuffs. Weapons: Tessen (japanese war fan) and fukiya (japanese blow gun)

All-Out Attack Card: "Dance on someone's grave" painted on the backdrop of a traditional stage and she says, "Squish! Squish! Ahahaha! You're all WEAK!"

Awakening Scene: Karura: What is your next step? Will you just cry over it like some child? Have you not grown up at all? For all the elegance and maturity that your dance brings, your steps falter outside that of a stage. How pitiful. Perhaps crying suits you more than dancing given how spoiled you've become.

Hiyoko: How dare you! I'm not a kid! I haven't been a kid ever since I wore my first kimono! Why are you so mean to me? Aren't you supposed on my side? Everyone keeps ganging up on me. I hate you all! Cry? Don't make me laugh. The only ones who'll be crying are my enemies as I crush them under my heels!

Karura: Yes, that is the attitude most befitting on you. The dance is always most exciting at its climax. I art thou... thou art I... Abandon your childlike innocence, you have no need for that where we are heading. The merciless spirit of a warrior suits you more, as it should. Do not shed tears but rather strive for your enemy's bloodshed.

Hiyoko: Hmph! You don't need to tell me twice. I'm gonna have soooo much fun playing with them! And CRUSHING them to pieces. Once I enter the stage, only I leave in one piece. Dance, Karura!

Quotes: "Too easy. Hey, what are you standing there for? Let's go, bowtie." "Yaaaay! I leveled up!" “New skill! Yay! I wonder how painful this one would be!” "Look! A treasure chest! It's all sparkly and shouting to be opened!" "Finally, a safe room! My feet huuuuuurt!" “Why isn't there just a shortcut to the treasure?” "I got a good sleep which means I can play more today!" “As long as I get to kill some shadows then I guess I can go along just a bit more.” "Ehhh? We're still going? I don't wannaaaaaaa." "Look, a bug! Let's crush it." "We were spotted? This is all your fault!" “They're so weak that at least insects leave a mark after.” "Huh? Are you sure? They look pretty scary to me." “They're obviously big bad meanies. Don't get us killed over your stupidity.” “Victory! Yay! Who knew killing shadows could be so fun!”

*BATON PASS!* "Ibis elegantly flying in!" *PROTECT* "Hey, pushover!" *ENDURE* "*sniffles* I don't want to die!" *PERSONA!* "Slaughter them, Karura!" or "Soar, Karura!" *Follow Up* "Let's kill them while we're at it." *Cover Fire* "I'll help if you ask niiiiicely." *Harisen Recovery* "Don't be such a baby!" *low on health* "A little help here?!" *healing someone* "You owe me for this." *getting healed* "*mumbles* Thanks..." *giving buffs* "Now you don't have any excuse." *physical attacks* "Oh this? Don't mind the sharp edges." *attacking* "Ahahaha! You're going to get sliced like fish!" *attack misses* "Huuuh? You have a lot of nerve to dodge that!" *couldn't finish off enemy* "Seriously? Just die already!" *fainting* "*crying* Why... Why are you all so mean?" *getting resurrected* "*sniffles* Thanks. Now I can finally get my revenge."

*status ailment* "I don't feel so good... *sniffle*" Burn: "Too hot! I want some ice cream!" Freeze: “Are you trying to freeze me to death? Get me a kotatsu!” Shock: "Tch! I'm going to kill you twice for this!" Forget: "Huh? What was the next step again?" Charm: “Well who could blame me? If I'm fighting then I'm fighting with the winning team.” Rage: “I'll break you... piece by broken piece!” Despair: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Why is this so hard!" Hunger: "Sweets! Hand me gummies right now! No yellow!" Dizzy: "Euugh... I think I'm going to be sick..." Sleep: “Zzz… CRUSH” Silence: ...! Mouse: "Squeak!"

Mementos Chats: "Killing shadows is sooooo much fun! Yay!" "You know what else is fun? Having the shadows beg for mercy as we extort more money from them. "I was raised in a traditional household and traditionally, we always get what we want." "All this fighting makes me crave for some sweets." "If I knew how much fun it is to kill shadows without consequence then I would have signed up for Dangan Thieves sooner!"

Hiyoko: Ehh? You're the leader? Well aren't you just disappointing. Hajime: I'm really starting to think we shouldn't accept everyone who joins.

Hajime: Why am I actually not surprised at how sadistically good you are at this? Hiyoko: Ew! I'm not interested so don't bother complimenting me.

Chiaki: Amazing! I've only seen it in videogames but you can actually fight using fans! Hiyoko: I can do so much more than just fight. There's slice and kill too.

Nagito: I was wondering how you would adapt here but clearly I've underestimated your hope. You're more than capable in battle, I'm pleasantly surprised by this development. Hiyoko: Why is this creep here? Are you going to kick him out or do I have to?

Fuyuhiko: Don't get all cocky just because you've got a few tricks up your sleeve. Hiyoko: Oh look, the Baby Gangster knows how to talk.

Peko: So that makes two of us with bird motifs... Hiyoko: It's frustrating that I wasn't the first one but I guess we have no choice but to share.

Tsumiki: I-I'm so happy that you're with us too! Hiyoko: Shut it! No one asked for your opinion, pig barf! But for the record, someone has to look after you so you don't screw up like you always do.

Ibuki: Ibissy~ Look at you! Killing shadows! Stealing treasures! Wow, you sure grow up fast! Hiyoko: It literally only took me one minute to get a persona and "grow up".

Impostor: Is something the matter? You've been staring. Hiyoko: Wow, I knew pork feet was rich but I didn't think you'd have the balls to wear rich.

Sonia: It's amazing watching you do battle. Your dances are just as captivating as they are deadly! Hiyoko: Not all of us can be this good so I step it up.

Gundam: Since you are new at this, I am generous enough to guide you. Should you have any questions, know that I know more than you. Hiyoko: You guys really don't discriminate when recruiting, huh.

Hiyoko: Waaaaaaaaah! I'm so happy I get to be with you more, Big Sis! Mahiru: Now, now. No need to cry. I'm happy too.

Mahiru: It's a good thing that you joined us. Your skills are unique and valuable. Debuffs can really take a toll. Hiyoko: Not as useful as yours, Big Sis! I'm so happy that there's at least one reliable person here!

Mahiru: I'm kind of jealous that everyone has such elaborate personas and mine is just... this. Hiyoko: Why are you getting sad over that? Yours is waaaay better than what the rest of these losers have.

Hiyoko: Yay! Killing shadows is way more fun than squishing bugs! Mahiru: Hearing you say that with such a carefree face makes me worry a bit... Just don't get too carried away.

[team-adults-blog]

4.03 The Four Horsemen

A Reaction: Apologizing for the map upfront. Not as funny or with as good of an analysis aspect as 4.02, but my reactions to kabby will always be prime. 

NYKOOOOOO I love him so much. Dang they 40+ on the way.

Lol Abby is either the only sensible one or overly dramatic because she’s the only one who covers her face before approaching.

All the animals are dyinggggg noooooooooo

Hold up. When did Octavia get a kick-ass sholder tat? This is definitely a major step in her assimilation into grounder culture. It’s more than just Indra accepting her now- maybe it’s only trikru at the moment and she gets the tattoo from them, but it’s still a big step from last season when she’s still getting hate from them. Sure she’s always going to get hate for being an outsider, but probs more from killing everybody now. Kudos. It’s rad.

Indra “I’m so proud” Roan one death to save thousands, it’s good politics. Indra has the warrior daughter she’s always wanted, but has it gone too far?

Dr. Squad all with crossed arms. What a posse. So happy for Sachin. His promotion shots on instagram made me even happier. 

These like 6 people are all that’s left of Luna’s people… So fish are not friends. Or food.

Yo check out this groovy map of the mid-Atlantic. Here’s the fun part where I waste way too much time trying to pinpoint where these places are using google maps. 

[Skip if you don’t have time right now or are just rude]

Polis=Baltimore/ Dc, looks a little above DC based on the Bay. It makes sense for Polis not be in DC because Trikru is. Tondc/ Ton DC was like “Washington DC” on a road sign and Lincoln got his name from the Lincoln memorial, which we get a glimpse of in S1.

Mount Weather= Looks to be around Luray area- which is really interesting to me because the cave/ tunnels would check out. A caving plug: Luray and Grand Caverns have really great features, but they’re dead. Railings and steps and lights have been put in everywhere to make it more accessible for folks, but more importantly to bring in a ton of money. To see Living caves in the valley, my brother is a cool dude who takes his students- and more importantly me- to see neat things without harming the cave like some punk ass bitch yanking stalactites off the ceiling.  

Arkadia= Looks to be around Culpeper… but if it was slightly more south (because the map Raven has is shit, but I’ll get to that) I could argue it’s between Charlottesville (!!!) and Culpeper, although more towards Culpeper. Like Orange/Madison counties. Literally no one cares about this but me because that is my homeland. Also TJ, Monroe (the president, not the dead character from this show that I should get back to…), and J Maddy-Mads. Zach-attack (this also works because he was a major general, not just for the rhyme) Is actually the closest to Arkadia- his house is in barboursville which puts him 25 min closer to Culpeper than TJ and Monroe. GW is up by Ton DC. Wilson is southwest of Arkadia. I don’t know/care enough about where Tyler and William Henry Harrison were from and I’m not going to look it up. This history/ geography lesson was brought to you by the Mother of Presidents, and viewers like you. Thank you.

Luna’s Rig= Somewhere off of DE/NJ coast. They might go back there, but otherwise I honestly don’t care where exactly the rig is. Like. Nyko just said that 40 people died on their way to Arkadia and Luna’s like this is all that’s left of my people. Soooooo… sorrynotsorry

Becca’s Island- I struggled figuring out what that said. I’m leaning towards it being a fictional island because the only thing I can think of it being is Sandy Hook. However, there seems to be land in the bay, soooo Sandy Hook would be part of the continental land mass instead of an island. If the picture wasn’t so wonky the only argument would be for Sandy Hook. I believe it’s only listed here because it will become plot relevant later this season when the tech team decided they need to access Becca/ A.L.I.E.’s drone or something to monitor radiation.

Note: The coastlines don’t match up perfectly. At first I was excited they’d taken rising sea levels with climate change into account, but that should make the bay larger and thus the gap between eastern Maryland/ Delaware and DC larger. So some of the Virginia coast looks good, but the east coast is on a passive margin (I took Geology guys can you tell), which means that it’s not colliding into another plate and thus being squished in on itself or mountain building (this is happening in the middle of the Atlantic) like on the U.S. west coast. But at the end of the day, I don’t think they really considered this when creating that map because 1) some areas are larger than they are now (like Long Island is now a peninsula instead of an island), indicating receding seas while 2) some coasts are cut off indicating rising sea levels. Basically. They would have been fine using a regular map from the internet. Not sure why they decided to render this shitty one or what purpose making their own serves. Maybe they don’t have rights to steal from the internet…?

You, the reader are now thinking, “who the fuck cares? That map was visible for under 30 seconds. all we were supposed to recognize is that it’s the VA/DC/MD area. Let’s move this train along I want to hear about things that actually matter.” And to this I say, you are not wrong. Let’s go. This 15 sec clip took me an hour to analyze and I’m not proud.

[Resume reading non-geography post here if you skipped. There were some jokes in there... not good ones]

Bellamy’s face at “choosing who lives or dies is your specialty” Ouch. Clarke can’t get a break. First Jasper, now Raven. Good thing he’s always on her side.

Someone’s taking the rover. My gut thought: is it fucking Jaha? Oh wait. Jasper’s problematic too and would pull that. Nope. Fucking Jaha. Your gut is always right. 

Naturally, radical Jaha who went off to find the city of light is not encouraging a trip to go find a doomsday bunker by a religious fanatic. Raven is the skeptic voice of ME. Like hey guys, remember when he did this last time? If it’s not real Clarkiepoo gonna make that list. I like

DOOMSDAY CULT MAN SAYS “there is a way out of the darkness. I can show it to you. You can be saved. Join me…” okokokokokok. Abby stays behind in Arkadia to show them the way out of the darkness. Then she is forced to take the chip and gets the rest of the camp to join her in the CoL. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

DAD AND NATE ON GUARD DUTY TOGETHER. MY HEART. DAD MILLER IS GREAT. I like Miller Sr.

Raven x Abby

Alright. Time to defend mom. Raven’s position of wanting to save the pills- because it’s too late for them to work on Luna’s people- is understandable. Abby’s desire to save people is also understandable. I happen to love Raven x Abby scenes because they’re both so stubborn and both usually have equally strong, but different arguments. Dr. Abby probs should not have told her eldest daughter she’s killing this child. Howeverrrrr my mother, Abby, and even I, with my son VPJB, understand the power guilt has over your children. My son tried to attack a shadow for 45min today so I’m still choosing my battles. Back to the show- the emotion they bring as actors is fantastic. I’d like to pull their history out of the back of your head. Abby and Raven meet because they both have someone who went down in the dropship they desperately want to see. They bond. They trust each other and sass each other and Abby tells Raven to go down without her. Raven tells Clarke how great her mom is at a time when Clarke thinks floating Jake is still 100% her mom’s fault. Raven gets shot, Abby frickin saves her life and she only has one lame leg instead of being paralyzed from the waist down. Kudos Dr. Abby. BUT. Raven hurts, and chronic pain is rough on people, so you’ll lash out. Raven calls Abby out for being a crappy chancellor and doctor. Abby hits her. She’s instantly sorry she lost her temper and they’re distant but not terrible. Despite some heated moments, they’re fam. Abby adopts everyone she sees, and Raven, with only Finn in S1 becomes family. Then Finn dies. Then her mentor Sinclair (who I really really really really really liked and wish got more developing prior to THAT episode [sidenote: I hate when secondary/ tertiary characters get developed just so they the audience feels some emotional investment that turns into pain. Especially within the same episode. Except they’re only there for that one episode to drive another character’s development as in the dying child (Adrian) Luna brought.], so now Abby and her friends are all she has. There’s love there, which doesn’t make talking to each other ok, but I’m confident they’ll forgive each other.  It hurts more because of the love.

Murphy steals medicine to help a sick kid. Important because his father got floated for stealing him medicine when he was a sick child, and the medicine ended up not working. Abby knows better than to ask where he got it. She’s broken the law to save people before. Yay Jackson being sweet with this child. I frickin love Nyko too. He’s one cool dude.

Octavia x Indra x Gaia

Mom saves her daughter. Octavia is like oh nooo here let me help you up, my b. Another mother daughter conflict. But this time really related. Indra: My daughter was meant to lead armies. My daughter was meant to lead our people. Me and Gaia: looks like you got that after all. This scene was great. A parent who cannot understand their child. So common and yet this is the best portrayal of that I’ve seen, mainly because it wasn’t “But basketball’s your dream!” “No, Dad. basketball is your dream, not mine!” Octavia comes up with a plan to save the flame and Indra’s daughter. Loyal to Indra over Roan. I love that. Ilian’s sledgehammer was entirely too dramatic. Should have spent the money used on that effect for Raven’s map. I’ve got a bone to pick with Kirk Douglas or Michael Cliett- whomever was in charge of that. Not bitter. Omg Gaia is so sweet and lovely. I love her. I want her to stick around. Don’t let the radiation get her!

Bellamy + Clarke  x  Jaha

Leadership is lonely, it’s good she has you. You keep her centered. Obviously Jaha sees Clarke as the leader and Bellamy as her sidekick/ compass more than an equal? I feel like they co-lead well Together. Wink. You’ve got it backwards. Nice. But Jaha is giving Bell some questionable advice here- he’s saying stop blaming yourself for the massacre, you were doing what you though was best for your people, and as long as that’s true, you don’t need redemption. Sort of, Jaha. You may think you’re right, but someone is yelling at you that you’re wrong (i.e. Abby x Kane S1 culling, Kane x Boris S3 massacre), so you actually might need some redemption, maybe for your people to accept you, maybe for your soul. Kane goes off in search of redemption and atonement after he realizes the way of life on the Ark doesn’t have to be how life on Earth is. Bellamy, realizes slaughtering a village of non-militant grounders is wrong as he’s taking part in it. That’s why he convinces Pike to let Indra live. Yes, they both think they’re right, but when they realize, even in hindsight how wrong they were, they feel guilty. Jaha on the other hand is very set in this “That’s what I thought at the time and I won’t let the present change how I see my past actions.” He’s much more cold and cognitive than emotional, even with himself. Jaha’s all like, dude get over it, how many people do you have to save before you forgive yourself.

I’d say Jaha has been distant enough in that he’s been off by himself for most of the plot, or at least separated from the core group, to merit his comment on the state of Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship seriously. He has plenty of background with Clarke- his son was her best friend, their families were close pre-S1. Anyone can see Bellarke works well together, but Jaha’s outsider-insightfulness that everyone else may be too close to see (or too close to tell one of them) is that they center each other.

The List

First, can we talk about the Kabby couch parallel? Abby is snoozin at the start of S3 so peacefully and Kane glances over before going back to his sector mapping. ON THAT SAME COUCH is a peacefully sleeping Bellamy for Clarke to glance over at. He makes the list. I wonder if Riley did. Is Clarke reserving spots for grounders too or just sky people/ people in Arkadia? Bellamy gets spot 99. Good. Awe. He writes her name for her. Good job. Bellarke fans are screaming. Now we put it away... Y’all did a bang up job of that. Fold it once and put it in the OPEN CUBBY of the desk? No one will ever find it there. Snooping Jasper and Monty looking for their long lost weed never will. Oh wait. 

Funny how we’ve got another group of “100.” It’s always good to remember your roots.

End Thoughts Me: SHE’S A NIGHT BLOOD YOU DON’T HAVE TO RUN TESTS ABBY (and also you could have said “I’d like to run tests” slightly less creepily to a person who’s not the biggest fan of technology.) Abby and Clarke 20 seconds later- yeah there’s another variable here. yeah she a nightblood. Very happy Jackson got so many lines, even if they were tiny and sometimes in the background, he was in the conversation.

Noteworthy Absences and How I Feel About Them

Marcus Kane- I knew it was coming. I’m sure something big is happening with Octavia in the next episode. I thought the balance between Polis’ Octavia x Indra plot was well balanced with the Arkadia and Jaha x Bellarke plots. They were all satisfactorily interesting, a relief after Jaha’s 2B/3A plotlines. Adding a diplomatic Kane plot would be too much. He would have crowded Indra and her daughters’ scenes too. I’m good, but he was missed.

Harper McIntypre- She could have been standing guard with the Millers? Nate and Harper are besties. I like it. But then I want her to develop, so I’d rather her sit this one out and have meaningful airtime in another (or the next) episode.

Bryan- Also could have been on guard with the Millers. I actually would be really interested in seeing Bryan and Sergeant David Miller interact. Then again, He and Nate just had a fight last episode over fundamentally different beliefs, so they need air. In this case I do NOT want to have Miller Sr. interacting with them. He’s already had enough awkward interrupting couple-moments. I think he needed to be absent. There were already three plot lines and Briller drama would have pulled the show in too many directions, as with Kane. I’m cool with that.

Monty Green/ Jasper Jordan- This was a mother-daughter conflict episode with a splash of following Jaha’s whims. They didn’t fit. I’m cool with that. They’re going to find that letter Clarke should have hid in her pillowcase next week.

Echo- I’m bitter. She should have yelled at someone. What a badass.

Riley- Who is this dude. I just looked on IMDb and he’s in 6 episodes. Everyone seems to know him. I need to be part of that.

I felt we needed a refresher on full names…or lack there of...

I have no life and am very lonely. But it’s my own fault. so that’s just a nice explanation of why I have time to do this...