#mistral monday

[dropshortdoe]

Mistral my beloved

[queermtl]

Queer MTL : quoi faire en mai 2024 // Queer MTL things to do: May 2024

With May, we welcome the full blossoms of spring, and MTL’s queer scene ramps up! This month, Montréal is stuffed to the brim with events, parties and unique experiences painted in all the colours of the LGBTQ+ rainbow. From drag to community, circuit to underground, here’s some of our picks for the best LGBTQ+ things to do in the city. For further announcements, including those not announced at time of publication, follow Queer MTL on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr! Got an event coming up? DM it our way!

LEGEND

🎥 Cinema 👑 Drag 🥳 Parties 🎶 Concert ✊ Activism 🏳️‍⚧️ Trans 🏳️‍🌈 Community 😆 Comedy 🎭 Performance 💪 Sports and Dance 👯‍♀️ Dance 🎤 Karaoke 🎨 Arts 📚 Literary / Educational 👠 Ballroom / Vogue

Mercredi 1 mai / Wednesday, May 1

👑 RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 finalist Sapphire Cristal, Cabaret Mado 🎭 The Poly Mic open mic, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 😆 Fast Tales, storytelling comedy show with Alo Azimov, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 😆 Broad City’s Ilana Glazer, L’Olympia 🎨 Drink & Draw by @Hommehomo, Bar Le Cocktail

Jeudi 2 mai / Thursday, May 2

🎶 Montréal’s Trans Masc Choir / Chorale, Quai des Brumes 📚 Book launch: Here & Now, Volume II: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writers, Librarie n'était-ce pas l'été. 👑 Cabaret Mado celebrates its 22nd Anniversary of drag in Montréal’s Village!, Cabaret Mado 👑 Finale MX Cocktail, Bar Le Cocktail

Vendredi 3 mai / Friday, May 3

🎶 Wake Island & Radwan Ghazi Moumneh: خُلق/هُجر | Born to Leave, Centre Phi 🥳 Lez Spread the Word hosts Get Together LSTW, L’idéal bar & contenus 🥳 High Heels Prohibited celebrates 14 years of events Nymra & Sofisticated, Le Salon Daomé 🥳 Super Taste MTL presents What’s My Age Again? Pop Punk & Emo Dance Party, Cabaret Berlin 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Pétula Claque, Jimmy Moore and Peggy Sue, Cabaret Mado 👑 Vendredi Fou with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Samedi 4 mai / Saturday, May 4

🎶 Veda Hille with Woodpigeon and Justin Karas, MAI/SON 🏳️‍🌈 Jhalak Montréal presents the Desi Queer Social—Watch Party & Board Game Night, 2100 Guy Street 🏳️‍🌈 The MEM—Centre des mémoires montréalaises hosts exChange Intergenerational Dialogue & Artmaking Event, MEM 💪 Montréal Roller Derby hosts Yellow vs Blue—Home Team Showdown, Arena St-Louis 🏳️‍🌈 The Festival JOUISSIF featuring inclusive erotic arts features an exposition, market, ateliers, performances and more, Bain Mathieu 🏳️‍🌈 Giant Thrift Store, Kapara Vintage 🎤 Bareoke: Strip Karaoke, Café Cléopatra 🥳 Super Taste MTL presents ABBA and Friends Dance Party!, Bar Le Ritz PDB 👑 May the 4th Be With You Star Wars themed drag show with Woody Fungi, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 🥳 Tropiloco with Rizof, DJ Peignoir, Pio Bandgi, Arielle Roberge, Kanatonik, Leroy and Michael Jesus, 750 rue Mistral 👑 Soirée Queer SLAYspace with Démone LaStrange, L’Espace Public—Brasseurs de quartier 👑 Jimmy Moore personifies Britney Spears, Cabaret Mado 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Pétula Claque, Jimmy Moore and Peggy Sue, Cabaret Mado 👑 The Butterfly Effect with Miss Butterfly, Bar Le Cocktail 👑 Drôles de Drags with Miss Butterfly, Ciathanight, Crystal Starz or Emma Déjàvu in rotation, Bar Le Cocktail

Dimanche 5 mai / Sunday, May 5

🏳️‍🌈 The Festival JOUISSIF featuring inclusive erotic arts features an exposition, market, ateliers, performances and more, Bain Mathieu 🏳️‍🌈 Giant Thrift Store, Kapara Vintage 🎭 Ligue d’impro Gailaxie, Cabaret Mado 👑 Le Tracy Show with Tracy Trash, Kelly Torrieli, Kitana, Bobépine and Pétula Claque, Cabaret Mado 👑 Dimanche Show with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Lundi 6 mai / Monday, May 6

👑 C’est ma Toune! : Karaoke Edition with Jessie, Bobépine and Peggy Sue, Cabaret Mado 

Mardi 7 mai / Tuesday, May 7

👑 Cirque de Teddy Boop House of Shade with Woody Fungi, Teddy Boop, Lady MonRose, Lulu Shade, Sarah Winters and Fahad Madi, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 👑 Full Gisèle with Gisèle Lullaby and Special Guests, Cabaret Mado 😆 Stand Up St. Henri Open Mic focusing on women, non-binary, queer and allied comedians, Impro Montréal

Mercredi 8 mai / Wednesday, May 8

🎭 The Poly Mic open mic, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 😆 The Poly Showcase Queer Comedy Night with Eve Parker Finley, Andrew Khoury, Elie Gill, Sarah Boivin, Ali Azimov and Guillaume Pras, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 👑 Trashilaz with Jessie Précieuse, Lady Boom Boom, Yannick Rockstor and a Surprise Guest, Cabaret Mado

Jeudi 9 mai / Thursday, May 9

🎥 Cinéma Moderne hosts queer filmmaker Léuli Eshrāghi for Siapo viliata o le atumotu, featuring screenings of their video works and a conversation with Nayla Naoufal, Cinéma Moderne 🏳️‍🌈 Press Start Youth Coop hosts Penser Globalement, Agir Localement—Think Globally, Act Locally!, Bâtiment 7 👑 Sami Landri presents Le Sami Party, Cabaret Mado 👑 Butterfly de nuit with Miss Butterfly, Bar Le Cocktail 

Vendredi 10 mai / Friday, May 10

📚 Book launch: The Caravaggio Syndrome by Alessandro Giardino, in conversation with Christopher DiRaddo, Librairie n’était-ce pas l’été 🥳 Queen & Queer present Queen & Queer Dance Party Satosphère with DJs Nymra & Sofisticated, Beatrix and DJ Sam, and VJs Delta and VJ BunBun, Société des arts technologiques [SAT] 🥳 Cerise Noire goth night with Laura Krieg and Bad Faith Actor, Bar NDQ 😆 Le Roast Show : Old School versus la Relève with Virginie Courtiol and Kathy-Ann Giguère, Bar le Jockey 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Celes, Erica, Nana and Dallas Dubois, Cabaret Mado 👑 Vendredi Fou with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Samedi 11 mai / Saturday, May 11

📚 The Violet Hour Book Club reads RM Vaughan’s Pervatory, Archives gaies du Québec 🥳 Blush presents Graduates Cabaret featuring student performers and NGL Flounce and Somebody3lse and go-go dancers all night, WIP 🥳 Private Loft Party with DJ Groove and DJ Sir-D, 370 rue Guy 🎭 Hot Moms & Kings: A Burlesque Fundraiser with Salty Margarita, Madrose, Jim Jewels, Jaqq Strapp, Clara Develours, Kate Pearl, Dark Felina, Classy Clare and Woody Fungy, Bar Le Cocktail 🎭 Asian Burlesque Festival—Montréal Edition with Big Daddy, Minx Arcana and many more, Le National 👑 Jimmy Moore presents Madonna: The Celebration Tour, Cabaret Mado 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Celes, Erica, Nana and Dallas Dubois, Cabaret Mado 👑 Drôles de Drags with Miss Butterfly, Ciathanight, Crystal Starz or Emma Déjàvu in rotation, Bar Le Cocktail

Dimanche 12 mai / Sunday, May 12

💪 Montréal Roller Derby presents a Free Outdoor Roller Derby Game, Esplanade Tranquille 👑 Afternoon Drag Cafe with Itsh and Timothy Toxic, L’Orbite 🎭 Ligue d’impro Gailaxie, Cabaret Mado 👑 Le Tracy Show with Tracy Trash, Aizysse Baga, Kiara and Marla Deer, Cabaret Mado 👑 Dimanche Show with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Lundi 13 mai / Monday, May 13

📚 The Board of Kola Writers presents Lectures Logos Readings with Maguy Métellus, H. Nigel Thomas and an open mic, 2741 Notre-Dame West 👑 The Tortured Poets Department Drag Show: Karma with Taylor DeVil, EmmÖtional Damage, Esirena and Lana Dalida, Cabaret Mado 

Mardi 14 mai / Tuesday, May 14

👑 Full Gisèle with Gisèle Lullaby and Special Guests, Cabaret Mado 😆 Stand Up St. Henri Open Mic focusing on women, non-binary, queer and allied comedians, Impro Montréal

Mercredi 15 mai / Wednesday, May 15

😆 Admiring Librarians Fundraiser Telethon Show with Raquel Maestre, Elspeth Wright, Lucy Gervais, Andrew Khoury, Ray Resvick, Mariam Khan, Merry Kringles, Carmina Berbari, Melissa Gi, Jonathan Burrello, Leslie Simpliciano-Szigeti, Andria Learmonth, Abby Stonehouse, Guillaume Pras, Belén Arenas, Becca Redden, Maya Kanitkar, Jason Houle, Dan Pearse, Tony McIntyre, Lauren Mallory, Elie Gill and Sadie Moland, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 🏳️‍🌈 PRISE II, Ressource alternative en santé mentale and Regroupement des ressources alternatives en santé mentale du Québec host Communauté LGBTQ+ et santé mentale, 10794 rue Lajeunesse  👑 Mercredi Drag Live with Jessie Précieuse, Victoire de Rockwell, Lady Guidoune, Johnny Jones and more, Cabaret Mado 

Jeudi 16 mai / Thursday, May 16

👑 Burger Queen Supper & Show with Eva Moist and Moh Dafok, Notre Boeuf de Grâce 👑 Sashalicious celebrates 15 years of drag by Sasha Baga with Lady Boom Boom, Aizysse Baga, Zaire Schatzi and surprise guests, Cabaret Mado  👑 Butterfly de nuit with Miss Butterfly, Bar Le Cocktail

Vendredi 17 mai / Friday, May 17

🥳 Discoño with Nina Sky, Samia, Empress, Niabi b2b Ms Baby [duppy grlz], Théâtre Fairmount 🥳 Psychedelic Babylon presents Roots of Consciousness with Tristan (UK), Le Sainte-Catherine Hall 🎤 Soirée karaoké—spécial artistes queer, La Tétro 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Sasha Baga, Carmen Sutra, Miss Fountain, Nana and Zara Schatzi, Cabaret Mado 👑 Vendredi Fou presents Pants Free Night (although dress code participation is not obligatory) with karaoke and performances, Bar Le Cocktail

Samedi 18 mai / Saturday, May 18

🎶 Cindy Lee with Freak Heat Waves and Tutz, La Sala Rossa 🥳 Super Taste MTL presents Céline Dion Dance Party—Céline, J'irai où tu iras!, Bar Le Ritz PDB 🥳 District Events presents Rise with Rosabel, Club Soda 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Sasha Baga, Carmen Sutra, Miss Fountain, Nana and Zara Schatzi, Cabaret Mado 👑 Drôles de Drags with Miss Butterfly, Ciathanight, Crystal Starz or Emma Déjàvu in rotation, Bar Le Cocktail

Dimanche 19 mai / Sunday, May 19

🎭 Ligue d’impro Gailaxie, Cabaret Mado 👑 Le Tracy Show with Tracy Trash, Sasha Baga, Gina Gates and Pétula Claque, Cabaret Mado 👑 Les succès oubliés : Best of with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Lundi 20 mai / Monday, May 20

👑 Crystal Starz presents Celine Dion: Taking Chances, Cabaret Mado

Mardi 21 mai / Tuesday, May 21

🥳 The L Nights celebrates 9 years of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive ladies nights, Riverside St-Henri 🎶 Buck Meek of Big Thief with Jolie Holland and Bells Larsen, Théâtre Fairmount 🏳️‍🌈 Club de lecture queer presents a discussion on Camilla Gibb’s De proches parents, Bibliothèque Saint-Charles 👑 Full Gisèle with Gisèle Lullaby and Special Guests, Cabaret Mado 😆 Stand Up St. Henri Open Mic focusing on women, non-binary, queer and allied comedians, Impro Montréal

Mercredi 22 mai / Wednesday, May 22

🎭 The Poly Mic open mic, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 😆 The Politics Show with Elie Gill, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 👑 RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Star Derrick Barry, Cabaret Mado 

Jeudi 23 mai / Thursday, May 23

🏳️‍🌈 Press Start Youth Coop hosts Penser Globalement, Agir Localement—Think Globally, Act Locally!, Bâtiment 7 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 👑 Krystella Fame presents Girls’ Night Out : En français svp, Cabaret Mado 👑 Butterfly de nuit with Miss Butterfly, Bar Le Cocktail

Vendredi 24 mai / Friday, May 24

🎶 Fuego Fuego: The Downtown Rumba official pre-party with Jetlag, Oka Bel’Oka (DJ), Pedrolito (DJ) and Eva Soriano, Le Studio TD 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Tracy Trash, Adriana the Bombshell, Nana and Krystella Fame, Cabaret Mado 👑 Vendredi Fou with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

Samedi 25 mai / Saturday, May 25

🎶 Fuego Fuego festival with Maluma, Olympic Park 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🎤 Bareoke: Strip Karaoke, Café Cléopatra 👑 Jimmy Moore personifies Taylor Swift, Cabaret Mado 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Tracy Trash, Adriana the Bombshell, Nana and Krystella Fame, Cabaret Mado  👑 Érica et ses divas with Chibouki and Lady ZaZa, Bar Le Cocktail  👑 Drôles de Drags with Miss Butterfly, Ciathanight, Crystal Starz or Emma Déjàvu in rotation, Bar Le Cocktail

Dimanche 26 mai / Sunday, May 26

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Community Clothing Swap, Parc La Fontaine 🎶 Fuego Fuego festival with Rauw Alejandro, Olympic Park 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🎭 Ligue d’impro Gailaxie, Cabaret Mado 👑 Le Tracy Show with Tracy Trash, Celes, Velma Jones and Marla Deer, Cabaret Mado 👑 Bonne fête Emma Déjà-Vu, Bar Le Cocktail

Mardi 28 mai / Tuesday, May 28

🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🎭 FTA presents Nadia Beugré’s Prophétique (on est déjà né.es), an exploration of trans and queer identity, Monument National, Salle Ludger-Duvernay 👑 Full Gisèle with Gisèle Lullaby and Special Guests, Cabaret Mado 😆 Stand Up St. Henri Open Mic focusing on women, non-binary, queer and allied comedians, Impro Montréal

Mercredi 29 mai / Wednesday, May 29

🎭 The Poly Mic open mic, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 😆 The Dope Show with Raquel Maestre, Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🎭 FTA presents Nadia Beugré’s Prophétique (on est déjà né.es), an exploration of trans and queer identity, Monument National, Salle Ludger-Duvernay 👑 Our favourite TV foursome returns to the stage with Les Golden Girls with Tracy Trash, Velma Jones, Marla Deer and Prudence, Cabaret Mado 

Jeudi 30 mai / Thursday, May 30

🎭 Lust Cove presents Fuck Borders, an immigration fundraiser for Mina Minou with Kaya Koko, Malinka Molotov, Minx Arcana, Freya Moon, Irony, Yaya Havana, Phoenix Inana and Diyosa Haliya, Café Cléopatra 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🎭 FTA presents Nadia Beugré’s Prophétique (on est déjà né.es), an exploration of trans and queer identity, Monument National, Salle Ludger-Duvernay 👑 Butterfly de nuit with Miss Butterfly, Bar Le Cocktail

Vendredi 31 mai / Friday, May 31

🎶 Camera Obscura with Photo Ops, Théâtre Fairmount 🎭 The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) presents dance and theatre at various venues, all details available on their website 🥳 Super Taste MTL presents 90s Dance Party Plastic is Fantastic Edition, Cabaret Berlin 👑 Mado Reçoit with Mado Lamotte, Gisèle Lullaby, Marla Deer, Nana and Crystal Starz, Cabaret Mado 👑 Vendredi Fou with Michel Dorion, Bar Le Cocktail

OTHERS / LES AUTRES

🤠 Club Bolo—Danse Country Montréal meet on Fridays at the Association sportive et communautaire du Centre-Sud.

👯 Tango/Salsa Queer holds lessons every Saturday, visit queertangomtl.com for information or contact tango.queer@hotmail.com or call +1 (514) 709-4678 for prices and signup information, Espaces des Arts.

🏐 Les Ratons-Chasseurs (Montréal’s LGBTA dodgeball group) holds regular events. Keep an eye on their Facebook for upcoming opportunities to join in and play. 

🕹Montréal Gaymers hosts regular gatherings including board game nights and gaming gatherings. Check their Facebook for what’s next!

🏃🏾Join the Out-Run run and workout club for people relating to the queer / sapphic experience. Details on their Instagram!

🐦 Bird lovers should keep their eye on Queer Birders' regularly scheduled birdwatching events and excursions. Join the Facebook group and get those binoculars at the ready.

👠 Twice a month on every second Tuesday, Bring It! hosts an OTA night of ballroom and vogue with commentator and DJ. Follow their Instagram for dates and details.

[melodiaemfrp]

Hello, Attuned! Thank you for participating in Melodiae’s twelfth Activity Check! Listed here are characters that did not pass the check (Five (5) days of activity in-server) for the period of Monday, May 8th to Sunday, July 7th.

If you believe your muse(s) are listed here by mistake, you may reach out to the Masterlist on or before Saturday, July 15th. All characters that do not have activity accounted for by 11:59 PM EST on this date will be removed from the server by or before the next inbox run (Tuesday, July 18th)

If you did not pass the check, you also have until Saturday, July 15th to reapp your muse(s) by sending an ask to the Masterlist indicating your intent to reapp the character. You DO NOT have to resubmit the whole application; simply provide your name, the character’s name & series, your OOC contact, and the date in an ask. Muses marked with an asterisk (*) have failed two consecutive checks, and are ineligible to be reapped this way unless they are an OC. These muses must wait one full week, and may resubmit their entire application on or after Saturday, July 22nd.

Muses that are not reapped by 11:59pm EST on Saturday, July 15th will be removed from the server by our inbox run on Tuesday, July 18th.

Thank you for your continued interest in Melodiae!

- The Melodiae Team

ACE ATTORNEY

THE GREAT ACE ATTORNEY

Ryuunosuke Naruhoudou (Mica)

ARKNIGHTS

Ernesto Salas (Tequila) (Hika)

Ling (Hika) *

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Flora) *

Nikolai Gogol (Kit)

Sigma (Rosel)

CHAINSAW MAN

Power (Satsujin)

CODE GEASS

Suzaku Kururugi (Laur)

CRITICAL ROLE

Lucien Tavelle (Aria)

Mollymauk Tealeaf (Myco)

DEATH NOTE

Light Yagami (Light)

Matt (Mail Jeevas) (Aria)

DELTARUNE

Kris (Willow) *

DEMON SLAYER

Rengoku Kyojuro (Rose)

Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Rose)

DETECTIVE CONAN / MAGIC KAITO 1412

Hakuba Saguru (Lucifer)

DEVIL MAY CRY

Dante (Willow)

DON'T STARVE

Charlie (Emberlyn)

DRAGONFABLE

Tomix Danao (Birb)

ELSWORD

Raven Cronwell (Nova Imperator) (Sadie)

ENSEMBLE STARS!

Ibara Saegusa (Aria)

FATE

GRAND ORDER

Enkidu (Lancer) (Aria)

Romani Archaman (Linette)

FINAL FANTASY

XIV

Amour Darling (Pax)

Ardbert (Mica)

Breakfast Sandwich (Emil) *

Charlenaux Valmont (WOL RPR) (Star)

Hilda Ware (Rhia)

Osial viator Lacus (OC) (Owl)

Shara Ruivert (WOL SGE) (Jun)

Zero (Myco)

FIRE EMBLEM

THREE HOUSES

Felix Hugo Fraldarius (Owl)

SACRED STONES

Lyon (Jun)

GENSHIN IMPACT

Kaeya Alberich (Laur)

Zhongli (Ree)

GRANBLUE FANTASY

Lucilius (Aria)

HADES

Zagreus (Moshi)

HONKAI IMPACT 3RD

Elysia (Mikey) *

HONKAI STAR RAIL

Dan Heng (Xing)

Jing Yuan (Hika)

Pom-Pom (Satsujin)

Stelle (Rhia)

HOW TO WIN OVER MY HUSBAND

Rudbeckia de Borgia (Alice)

JUJUTSU KAISEN

Inumaki Toge (Jun)

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

PART 2

Joseph Joestar (Stan)

PART 5

Leone Abbacchio (Tom)

PART 6

Foo Fighters (Tom)

PART 2

Julius Caesar "Gyro" Zeppeli (Derrick)

KAMEN RIDER

REVICE

Hana Natsuki "Aguilera" (Lucifer)

Yukimi Igarashi (Lottie)

ZERO-ONE

Aruto Hiden (Isu) *

Jin (Lottie) *

KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!

Fran (Carmen)

LEGEND OF ZELDA

Dark Link (Pax)

MEGAMIND

Megamind (Birb) *

MORIARTY THE PATRIOT

Sherlock Holmes (Rosel)

OCTOPATH TRAVELER

I

Alfyn Greengrass (Shae)

II

Temenos Mistral (Shae)

Trousseau (Shae)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Erika Ishikawa (Rhia)

Grey (Cee)

Shimmer (Rhia)

Witch Princess (Pax)

PERSONA

3

Elizabeth (Aria)

Minato Arisato (Athiel)

5

Morgana (Satsujin)

PROJECT MOON

LIBRARY OF RUINA

Hokma (Rosel)

LIMBUS COMPANY

Demian (Rosel)

Don Quixote (Swub)

Faust (Tian)

Galeas Sturm (Fris)

Gregor Samsa (Ghost)

Ryoshu (Rosel)

PROJECT SEKAI

An Shiraishi (Kyuu)

Ena Shinonome (Rhia)

Hatsune Miku (Mikey)

Rui Kamishiro (Fris)

PROMISE OF WIZARD

Figaro Garcia (Ree)

PSYCHEDELICA OF THE BLACK BUTTERFLY

Ai Minato (Carmen)

SUPER SENTAI

DOUBUTSU SENTAI ZYUOHGER

Misao Mondo (Nox)

TEAM FORTRESS 2

Spy (Red) (Birb)

THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Michael (Myco)

TOONTOWN

Chip Revvington (Xanthe)

SOUZA SAMONJI

Souza Samonji (Rose)

TRIGUN

STAMPEDE

Millions Knives (Eris)

TSUBASA: RESERVOIR CHRONICLE

Fai D. Fluorite (Ashley)

TWISTED WONDERLAND

Malleus Draconia (Laur)

Morrigan Desrosier (Fris)

WITCH'S HEART

Noel Levine (Lottie)

[mariacallous]

Russia announced Wednesday that it views Norway’s work with other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as provocative, warning that Norway’s efforts to bolster its military in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year will likely be the death knell for Oslo-Moscow relations moving forward.

“Oslo is now among the most active supporters of NATO's involvement in the Arctic,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, according to TASS. “We consider such developments near Russian borders as Oslo's deliberate pursuit of a destructive course toward escalation of tensions in the Euro-Arctic region and the final destruction of Russian-Norwegian relations.”

In her statement, Zakharova also warned that any further “unfriendly actions will be followed by a timely and adequate response.”

The news of Russia’s complaints about Norway comes just a day after Norway raised its military alert level in response to suspicious drone sightings. Norway has arrested several Russians, including one son of an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s, and accused them of illegally flying drones in Norwegian airspace or taking photos in restricted areas as concerns abound about potential Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warned Russia to cut it out, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

NATO countries ought to be on alert to Russia’s aggression in light of the war in Ukraine, Støre warned Monday.

“Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war,” Støre said. “But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant.”

Norway has previously hosted exercises and has long hosted rotational deployments of U.S. troops for arctic training. Russia’s announcement comes weeks after the U.S. Air Force participated in a combat arctic integration training exercise with NATO allies and the Royal Norwegian Air Force at Norway’s Ørland Main Air Station, according to the U.S. Defense Department. The allies worked to operate quickly across weapons platforms and systems to try to deter Russia along NATO’s eastern flank.

“The sum is that together, we can better defend not only Norway and the Nordic countries, but also Europe should the need arise,” Col. Martin Tesli, the 132nd Luftving Base commander, said in a statement.

The U.S. Air Force’s 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed for the exercise was also able to work with the Air Force from Finland, which is in the process of joining NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow’s warning appeared to be just the latest Russian attempt to assert its own narrative as its relationships with countries across Europe and the West continue to deteriorate.

It’s not the first time Russia has tried to raise red flags over what it sees as provocative action from European countries and NATO cooperation. Moscow warned before it invaded Ukraine this year that it views the expansion of members in NATO—which was established to counter threats from the Soviet Union—as a threat to Russia. The Kremlin has maintained that Ukraine’s interest in joining the military alliance poses a threat to Russia, a claim it had repeated in recent days.

Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and European nations is “the most serious security policy situation we have experienced in several decades,” Støre emphasized.

Norway has been working to help Ukraine defend against Russia’s invasion since the outset of the war. The country has sanctioned the Russian government in an attempt to get Moscow to back off from the war and had provided Ukraine with military assistance. The assistance includes an air defense system, Mistral surface-to-air missiles, thousands of anti-tank missiles, protective gear such as bulletproof vests and helmets, and armored vehicles.

Oslo has also sought to ramp up its military budget. Just last month, Norway proposed boosting its defense budget for next year by nearly 10 percent, according to Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. A chunk of the increase is dedicated to weapons for Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

“Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is a threat to Norwegian and European security. The war has already had major security political, economic, and humanitarian consequences,” Gram said. “The need for military support to Ukraine is necessary, extensive, and time-critical. This budget strengthens the Armed Forces and stands up for Ukraine.”

Norway is also helping to train Ukrainian soldiers alongside the U.K. and has promised to provide Ukraine over $1.1 billion (in USD) in financial assistance over the next two years.

Norway isn’t the only nation Russia has protested in recent days. Late last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow sees no point in maintaining diplomatic relations with Western states writ large.

Lavrov noted that Russia would like to focus its world diplomacy on countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, rather than work with the West.

“We will shift the ‘center of gravity’ to countries that are ready to cooperate with us on equal and mutually beneficial terms and look for promising joint projects,” Lavrov said.

[jcmarchi]

"Chatbot Wars": Elon Musk Releases xAI's Grok Chatbot Under Open-Source - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/chatbot-wars-elon-musk-releases-xais-grok-chatbot-under-open-source-technology-org/

"Chatbot Wars": Elon Musk Releases xAI's Grok Chatbot Under Open-Source - Technology Org

Elon Musk announced on Monday that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, would be open-sourcing its ChatGPT competitor, “Grok”.

Coding artificial intelligence systems – illustrative photo. Image credit: Kevin Ku via Unsplash, free license

This decision comes shortly after Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the organization of deviating from its original mission in favor of a for-profit approach.

Musk has consistently voiced concerns about major technology companies, like Google, utilizing technology for financial gain. In response to the lawsuit, OpenAI revealed emails indicating Musk’s support for a for-profit entity and a potential merger with Tesla.

Musk’s move to open-source Grok allows the public to freely access and experiment with the underlying code, aligning xAI with companies like Meta and Mistral, both of which have open-sourced AI models. Google has also contributed to this trend by releasing an open-source AI model named Gemma, offering developers the opportunity to customize it based on their requirements.

While open-sourcing technology can accelerate innovation, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of open-source AI models for malicious purposes, such as the development of chemical weapons or the creation of a super-intelligence beyond human control.

Musk has expressed his desire to establish a “third-party referee” to oversee AI development and raise alarms if needed. In an effort to provide an alternative to OpenAI and Google, Musk launched xAI last year with the goal of creating a “maximum truth-seeking AI.”

Musk had previously indicated his preference for open-source AI, emphasizing the original intent of OpenAI to be a nonprofit open-source organization before transitioning to a closed-source model for profit.

Written by Alius Noreika

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

01/28/2024 – 02/03/2024

Sunday

Manga Sunday yayyyy Girl Meets Rock is getting interesting, I was totally expecting the guy from the guitar shop to walk in, but it was Rin instead. Rin herself is pretty intriguing, as it seems like she’s keeping some cards close to her chest in regards to the band…

Undead Unluck is good as usual, it’s fun to see an older and more surly Top. Another sick mom to add to the tally, though. Maybe in this loop we’ll see more details about Top and Haruka’s potential romance.

Oshi no Ko fun, the deadpan humor really got to me.

Dandadan okay, I’m a little tired of the non-stop action sequences.

Magilumiere good, obviously there’d be some drawback to Midorikawa getting the chip implanted, but I’m sure they’ll find a way to circumvent it.

One Piece good.

CIPHER ACADEMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GODDDDDD IF THIS IS THE END I’LL BE SO SADDDDDDDD I really hope it’s not…I’m holding onto Nisioisin copium so so so hard… The chapter itself was also amazing, with a look at everyone’s true backstories, Kogoe laying out her philosophy but Iroha turning it on its head, THE HANDSHAKE SPREAD WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE IROHA HAS HIS HANDS AROUND THE WORLD, EVERYONE ELSE SHAKING HANDS BUT YOU DON’T KNOW HOW SINCERE THEY ARE, MORE YOSAIMURA/ANON, TAYUTAN… The timeskip is so scary…I can’t tell if it’s the beginning of something new and everything else has just been the prelude, or if it’s a hasty jump to land some sort of epilogue… I’ll keep holding out hope but please…

Live Roulette gave me Siegfeld Junior High’s 1st Live today, so I watched/listened to it as I read a book (more on that later). I’m impressed by how far they’ve come in such a short time, especially Mtzw, whose rendition of Rebellion here was a lot stronger than in the stage play months earlier. Hinapiyo is still the reigning vocalist, though, and I’m so glad they gave her Mimorin’s descant in Watashitachi wa Mou Butai no Ue. I wish they did the arm choreography in Onikurenai… Overall it was a fun show, they’re all so cute and energetic and I appreciate all the harmonies they’re doing.

As for the book I’m reading, it’s Ring of Fire by P. D. Baccalario. It’s the first book of a series that I really liked as a child, so I’m reading it again to see if it holds up. So far, I’ve been a little disappointed…the cutaways to the random adult characters pulling the strings and talking cryptically feel like such momentum killers, and the usual “kids exploring a city on an adventure and solving puzzles” thing isn’t really grabbing me here. I do love that one scene in the beginning, when the kids are first meeting and the lights go out…I can imagine the scene so perfectly in my mind – the silence of the snowy night, the nervous excitement of meeting new people and coming across a strange situation together…it’s all so thrilling, and it’s the one scene that stuck with me after all these years. I’ve just gotten to the part where the apartment building collapses, and it’s genuinely harrowing – I can’t believe they actually killed that guy (but I don’t like how it basically amounted to a fat joke). Finally, it feels like we have some actual stakes (halfway through the book cough). I’m also seeing the bits of Harvey/Elettra and Mistral/Sheng shipping going on, I think it’s cute and I’m curious to see how they develop. (Speaking of Sheng lmao c’mon man 好 doesn’t actually mean cool, it just means good, so it’s weird to have that be his catchphrase.)

Afterwards I finally watched Day 1 of Ijigen Fes, the IDOLM@STER x Love Live! concert, and it was okay. I’m probably biased, but literally none of the IM@S songs interested me except for Tulip, which I already knew that I liked. (Thank you for having Rikako sing Tulip…they did that for me…) The Love Live girls had a decent showing, but the highlight for me was definitely KALEIDOSCORE… Liyuu’s singing is just so amazing.

Monday

Day 2 of Ijigen Fes today, and oh my GODDDDDD SHU’S PERFORMANCE WAS SO GOOD just so much fun and energy, it was like watching Avril Lavigne for real… THE NEW VERSES FOR RYOURAN VICTORY ROAD WERE SO HYPE OH MY GOD AQOURS NO LEADER TAKAMI CHIKA!!!!!!!!!! OSHIMAI NANTE NAINAINAI!!!!!!!!!! It’s so surreal seeing the Cotton Candy Ei-Ei-Oh MV playing on the huge screen in Tokyo Dome… Also Snow Halation makes me cry literally every time I see those UO’s go up ahh

Afterwards the Live Roulette dealt me AZUNA’s unit live, and it was just okay. I’m not the biggest AZUNA fan anyway, but I do like some of their songs like Maze Town and Kakushiaji. Shizuku’s solos were both great as well, and the bit with the plushies was cute, but the most memorable thing about this concert would definitely have to be Tomoriru’s goodbye…it’s so unfortunate that things turned out the way that they did, but I’m glad she gave us some great performances as Setsuna before she graduated. But man, when they all started tearing up at the end of Tokimeki Runners… (I cried again…very emotional set of lives today.)

I finished reading Ring of Fire while watching the concert, and there’s no way on god’s green earth Mr. Baccalario seriously expects me to believe there are PALANQUINS in fucking SHANGHAI in 2006??????? Or rather, I can’t believe that he believed that while writing this book LMAO for how globe-trotting and international this series sets out to be, it falls a little short with non-Western cultures. Now that I’ve finished it, there’s this feeling of…lingering disappointment. I love kids going on adventures, and I love the setting and the feeling of fate converging on these four kids, but the adventure itself was so lackluster… Most of it is just poking around Rome until they happen upon something that leads them to the next step, and by the end they’ve got a “mystical all-knowing” Romani woman straight up telling them what to do… I know the author is trying to do a “it’s all fate leading the way” thing but it just comes off as unsatisfying and being cryptic for cryptic’s sake. And for that matter, the book tries hard to give each kid their screentime, but it’s a little silly when Elettra gets all the action while Mistral’s kidnapped and subsequently rescued because the female villain “went soft” and Harvey and Sheng go into a house, get scared, leave, and contribute nothing else to the climax. The ending even points out how so many things have been left unanswered (as if it’s not confident in its own plotting), and I don’t know if they’ll be answered in the later books, but it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like is anyone ever gonna explain the in-universe reason why the professor guy had a trunk full of teeth with letters carved onto them? Because it’s so blatantly just “cool Italian history trivia” + “oh right we need a puzzle for them to solve” shenanigans with no logical throughline. Also the villains were cheesy as all hell, oooo it’s the DEVIL and his number is SIX SIX SIX WOAHHH I know it’s a kid’s book, but come on…

Tuesday

Not gonna lie, the news that Cipher Academy is ending sent me into such a depression spiral that I just laid in bed all day playing Animal Crossing and moping and cursing Shounen Jump as a whole. I’ve never held the magazine in very high regard, as I feel like most of its big “hits” are just boring derivative battle manga (and I feel that especially with some of the newer series they’re heavily promoting…), so Cipher Academy caught me by surprise with its amazing character designs and writing and heartfelt emotion… I’ll talk more about it later in a different post, but Cipher Academy is genuinely the best manga I read in 2023 and now one of my favourite manga of all time, and I really wish it could’ve lived longer (and that I could collect it physically in English…). Excluding One Piece and Undead Unluck, I hope all of Jump’s series [COMPLIANCE VIOLATION]

Wednesday

Chainsaw Man good. Nayuta’s really in it now.

I’m continuing my anime concert and book reading duets today with AZALEA’s 1st Live and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. It felt a little weird to be watching the big Love Lives out of order when I’m literally three years behind so I chose Azalea’s live, and I was itching for a good “four kids go on an adventure” after being disappointed with Ring of Fire so I picked Perilous Journey back up. The live is fine so far – AZALEA isn’t one of my favourite subunits, but the new songs from their full album were such bangers that I had to check this live out. The light choreography in SKY JOURNEY was actually kind of amazing, I wish Love Live did more stuff like that.

Perilous Journey is fun so far, just some good ol’ adventuring with a dash of mortal peril.

Thursday

The new Dungeon Meshi was really fun. I’m trying to keep up a tradition of making/eating good food to go with the episode (so far it’s been fenzhenrou, meatballs, and soup), so today was homemade hash browns…not necessarily the healthiest thing, but I had to make something in a jiffy and it was either that or not eat anything so I think Senshi would let me slide. Lots of great comedy moments, but also I love how the ghost chapter really has a whole self-contained thematic arc that’s even topped off with a sitcom-esque punchline at the end. I love Laios being a weird guy and having fun with his sword parasite buddy.

I read a big chunk of Perilous Journey today, and what a perilous journey indeed. But it’s so satisfying to see the kids use their wits and abilities to solve each clue and thwart their pursuers, as well as eerie to see the “ghost” of Mr. Benedict and Number Two along the way. What I’m noticing is how much care Trenton Lee Stewart gives to each of the kids’ emotional states – in contrast to Ring of Fire where each kid basically had one defining personality trait to set them apart and nothing else, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance all feel really fleshed out and real, each with their own worries and perspectives and ways of thinking. (Sorry to compare you, Baccalario, but I can’t deny that it was on my mind since I read this right after Ring of Fire.) I especially love Reynie as a protagonist and a leader for the other kids, his keen emotional intelligence and observation skills means that he’s usually careful about what he says and is constantly keeping an eye out for the others’ wellbeing. There’s a lot of subtle character writing going on here, and each pair within the quartet have a distinct and believable dynamic. Story-wise, I think I prefer the set-up of the first book a little more – at least when they were in that institute, they had some room to breathe and regroup and feel safe in each other’s presence. Here it’s just non-stop action and pursuit, which has me anxious the whole time.

Friday

Drag Race time: I really don’t care for Plane Jane and all the drama she’s causing, it’s just annoying at this point. I hope they don’t try to solve a redemption arc down our throats but it’s looking likely. The girl groups were fun, I hate to say it but I actually do like the style that recent RuPaul songs are going for. I’m just glad that Nymphia is holding her own through all these different types of challenges. Runway-wise, I really liked Q’s look as it all looked well put together and considered, BUT OH MY GODDDDD NYMPHIA JUST STEALS THE SHOW EVERY TIMEEEEEE. I’m sad to see Amanda go…

I don’t usually talk about music on here (because cataloguing every new song I listen to would be insane, even for me), but Louie Zong released a new album called RAT TAXI and I think I’m going to induct it into the STM Awards…which I think is a first for Week in Review? I just love the beats and the instruments he used on this one, and there’s not a single song I don’t like, which is my only criteria for albums to make it in. So yayyyy

Saturday

Touched grass today and went home and immediately fell asleep

[eurovisionsocialnewswire]

ITALY: Firefighters hampered by strong winds as they battle Sardinia outbreaks

Firefighters on the island of Sardinia battled to bring a series of outbreaks under control on Monday, August 7. The emergency crews’ efforts were complicated by a strong wind, known as the mistral, blowing across the Mediterranean island. In Nuoro, the most seriously affected area, the local fire brigade deployed six teams totalling 30 personnel, as well as 12 vehicles, according to local media.…

[trickerycleric]

mistral monday. temenos tuesday. wellsley wednesday. temenos thursday. sanctum knight saturday. inquisitor inquisunday

[graemepark]

LONG LIVE HOUSE EXTRA RETURNS!

My regular Long Live House Extra DJ Mix returns after a festive break. The mix is an extended and uninterrupted mix of the first hour of the latest Long Live House Radio Show with extra tracks not included in the show and it’s exclusively available every Monday to Mixcloud Select subscribers (see below).

This week's mix features Gabriels, Funkadelic & Soul Clap feat. Sly Stone, Rose Royce, That Kid Chris, Hercules & Love Affair & Anohni, Honey Dijon feat. Latashá, S'Express x Daddy Squad, Ashley Beedle, Louie Vega & Jay 'Sinister' Sealee starring Julie McKnight, Kenny “Dope” and more.

LONG LIVE HOUSE EXTRA 09JAN23

Title (Mix), Artist

A Message Of Love, Beatconductor

Turnaround, Lovetempo

Love & Hate In A Different Time (Greg Wilson & Che Wilson Remix), Gabriels

Let's Do It, Tuccillo

In Da Kar (XL Middleton Remix), Funkadelic & Soul Clap feat. Sly Stone

I Am One, I Am Many (T.U.R.F. Rejack), James Curd

Sweat, Majestic & Karen Harding

Car Wash (Broken Blues PDM Mix), Rose Royce

Let's Hold Our Hands Together If We Wanna Get There (Lipelis Disco Mix), Kito Jempere, Adam Evald & Antoha MC

The Beef, That Kid Chris

Jesus Is (AJ Mora Vocal Remix), Zona feat. Chellena Black

Mistral (Charlie Soul Clap Remix), John Camp feat. Greg Paulus

One (Seth Troxler Remix), Hercules & Love Affair & Anohni

Don't Be Afraid, Honey Dijon feat. Latashá

Music4TheMind, S'Express x Daddy Squad

Way Up To The Sky (Groove Mans Hypotherapy Mix), George Acosta presents Windbreaker

War On The Bullshit Revive, Ashley Beedle

Let Them Dance (Idjut Boys Remix), D.C. LaRue

Diamond Life (Deep Dish Numb Life Remix), Louie Vega & Jay 'Sinister' Sealee starring Julie McKnight

Brazilica, Kenny "Dope"

MIXCLOUD SELECT

As well as Long Live House Extra, Mixcloud Select subscribers get access to my recent club sets, classic sets, exclusive mixes and more all for the price of a hot drink every month. By subscribing, all of the artists, writers, producers and creators featured in my mixes get paid royalties.

As a new year treat I'm giving all of my Mixcloud Select subscribers an exclusive discount code to use on my official GP Smiley website store. If you want to treat yourself or someone else to an official GP Smiley t-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie, beanie, bobble hat, cap, badge or more, then sign up to Mixcloud Select to access a discount code which is valid until the end of January.

Once you’ve subscribed, head to my Mixcloud Posts where you’ll find the discount code which is available to new and existing subscribers.

[elwynten]

Chapter 31

Team JSMN Invited to Pern

Monday after class, I stopped Jyll before she left the classroom. "Jyll, are you busy?" I asked.

Sunflower, Mousa and Nell stopped to see what I wanted to talk to Jyll about.

"Hi guys." I said to the rest of her Team. "I would like to invite y'all to stay the weekend at my place." I offered.

Jyll looked at her Team then back at me. "Why are you asking?" She asked me.

I grinned. "I like y'all. And I've invited other Teams to spend the weekend at my place. I've asked Team RWBY to spend last weekend at my place. And I thought your Team would like a break from school. So, I thought I would invite some friends to spend the weekend at my home." I told her.

"Team RWBY has gone to your house?" Jyll asked me.

"Team's JNPR, and RWBY have been to my place for a weekend, so far." I told them.

Jyll looked at her Team. "Do you want to stay at Eilwyn's place this weekend?" She asked them.

They looked at each other. Nell shrugged her shoulders, and Mousa said "It's okay with me."

"We have a beach where you can go swimming. If you're not into that, there is a big library, a craft room, a lab and even a recording studio." I told them to let them know there was several different things they could do.

Sunflower perked up when I said, recording studio. "You have your own recording studio?" She asked excitedly.

I chuckled. "Yes, I do." I answered her.

"I'm in." Sunflower said. "When are we leaving?" She asked excitedly.

I help up my hand to her and looked at the rest of her Team.

Nell nodded her head in agreement. "Get away from Beacon Academy for a weekend? I'm in."

Jyll gave Mousa a questioning look. Mousa shrugged her shoulders again. "I'll go, it might be fun." She said.

Jyll looked at me. "It looks like we're all going. When and where?" she asked.

"We'll meet at my dorm room an hour after our last class on Friday. We'll leave from there." I told them.

"Can I bring my instrument?" Sunflower asked.

I grinned because I know how much she likes playing and singing. "Absolutely you can bring it." I told her.

"Thank you." She said grinning from ear to ear.

"You're welcome. If you want to make a recording, I'm sure we can find someone to operate the equipment, for you." I said. "Well, I need to go. See you Friday an hour after our last class. And remember a bathing suit if you want to go swimming. Unless you want to go skinny dipping." I reminded them. "See ya later." I said as I turned to leave.

There were giggles and blushes at my mentioning skinny dipping. "See ya." "By." They said, and it sounded like Sunflower had pulled her bango/mace (a Shamisen) out and started playing it.

As I walked away, I heard Sunflower say. "He has a recording studio? WOW!"

I had made an appointment to see Professor Ozpin, again. I don't really think he wanted to see me after our last meeting. But then, we did capture Salem and give her to him in hamster form.

Shortly before the time for the meeting, I headed to Ozpin's office. I took the elevator up. The elevator doors opened up and I stepped out. Professor Ozpin was sitting at his desk.

I walked up to the desk and created a chair to sit in and took a seat. "Good day Professor." I said.

Ozpin looked at me for a moment. "Hello Mr. Tengee, what brings you here today?" He asked me.

"As I mentioned last time we talked. I need to know where Adam Taurus is. I believe he is in Vale somewhere, but I need to know his exact location. He's planning on attacking Vale and Beacon Academy, by bringing in Grimm to help him and the White Fang."

"Are you sure about that?" Ozpin asked me.

"I'm positive. Adam's out to kill as many humans as he can. Also, Qrow needs to be brought in. Some of the Queen's pawns and the Queen have been dealt with. So, I need him to find Oscar Pine and Maria Calavera. Oscar is a young farm hand for his aunt. He lives fairly close to a train station that would take him to Mistral. He's younger than Ruby Rose so it might not hurt to see if he could stay with Tiayang, Ruby's father. And he could go to Patch for a year or two for training, before he comes to Beacon." I told him.

"Why is he important?" Ozpin asked.

I grinned. "In the future I've seen. You will be killed, and Oscer is who you 'reincarnate' into." I informed him.

Ozpin looked surprised. "Yes, it would be a good idea to have him close. If you know he is the next person I will join with if I die." He admitted.

"As for Maria Calavera. She will be heading to Argus in three or four months. She will be needing to go to Atlas to have her optical implants worked on. Once she is found, Qrow can bring her back here and I can heal her eyes. And as a side note, she has silver eyes, and she was known as the Grimm Reaper." I told him.

He sat up straighter. "The Grimm Reaper is alive? I thought she was dead."

"Everyone thinks that, but she's very much alive. But it would be a good idea to let everyone think she is still dead." I said. "Now Raven Bronwen. I need to know where she is also. She is the Spring Maiden and is using the maiden powers to pillage and destroy villages and kill people. So, she needs to be stopped." I added.

"Raven Bronwen is the Spring Maiden? We didn't know where the Spring Maiden was or who she was." Ozpin said.

"I plan on taking her Maiden powers away from her, more or less." I started.

"More or less? What does that mean?" Ozpin asked.

"She will still 'have' the Maiden powers, but she will not be able to use them. And while I'm at it, I'm going to shut down her bandit tribe." I said. "I know her general location. I can start there if I have to."

"It sounds like you plan on doing most of this, yourself." He stated.

"No. Qrow will do a lot of searching to find many of these people. Once they are found, then my Team and I will deal with many of them. I guess you could consider it, training missions. And lastly." I said.

"Oh, your finial coming to the end?" Ozpin asked sarcastically.

"The end for now. Arther Watts needs to be found. I don't know where he is." I finished.

"Arther Watts, he's a very intelligent scientist." Ozpin said.

"I know, and he was working for Salem." I answered.

Ozpin nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Salem's always had followers. People willing to do her bidding for the promise of power." He said.

"You can take the Spring Madian's powers away, like you took Salem's powers away?" Ozpin asked me.

I smiled. "Yes, I can. Well, I can't take her powers away, but I can nullify her powers so she can't use them." I explained.

"How can you do that? Her powers and immortality came from the gods of light and dark. How can you take something away that was given by the gods?" Ozpin asked.

"That's one of the 64 million LIEN questions. When I received all these powers and abilities, I also received the ability to nullify other people's powers and abilities. And if I understand it correctly, I can even nullify the powers of the god of light and the god of darkness, and I can even make them mortal." I told him.

Ozpin looked at me thoughtfully. "You're a god?" He asked me.

"Not even close. I might have a lot of powers but I'm NOT a god. And I've never claimed to be one." I responded.

"If you're that powerful, why did you come to Beacon Acadamy?" He asked me.

I grinned. He had asked me that question before. "I answered that the first time I talked to you. I'm here to learn to be a Huntsman and to change future history.

"You can give people different powers and you can nullify powers that people already have. You could be more dangerous than Salem." Ozpin stated.

I nodded my head in agreement. "True, but the only ones that need to worry about me are Grimm, Salem, and criminals."

Ozpin nodded his head with a thoughtful look on his face.

At that time, I nullified Ozpin's reincarnation and gave him immortality. I also gave him regeneration and durability.

I stood up and dissolved the chair I had been using. "Until next time." I said and headed to the elevator. As the elevator door opened, I turned to Ozpin. "By the way. I've nullified your reincarnation and replaced it with immortality. I also gave you durability and regeneration." I turned and entered the elevator. Ozpin had a shocked look on his face as the elevator doors closed.

[degenerate-otaku]

It is now E-Girl Mistral Monday

[howlingday]

Tutor AU how does juane first class go 

The weekend spun by Jaune so fast, he couldn't believe it was already Monday. However, unlike the whining Nora, Jaune's plight was less to do with his desire for no homework or classes, and more with the looming threat of expulsion if he failed to improve his classmate's grades.

Classes ended shortly after lunch, as they always did, with only two classes following the meal. Jaune sat in the library, waiting for Ruby. He glanced at the stack of History books, all written by Doctor Oobleck himself. Jaune never questioned it before, because the books were definitely written in an unbiased perspective, but he thought it was odd the only history books in the school were written by the professor teaching it. With a shrug, he pushed the thought from his mind.

"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby greeted, dressed in her casual clothes, cape included. She sat down. "I'm ready for my tutoring!"

"Great!" Jaune chirped. "We can get started!"

"Well, actually, can I beat this boss first?" She pulled out her scroll, showing a paused game. It was the one wirh ninjas, whatever it was called. "I'm really close!"

"Can it wait until after tutoring? It's only going to be for an hour."

"Please, Jaune?" She pouted, quivering her lip like a puppy.

Jaune was about to say yes when a figure stood in the hall behind Ruby. It was Professor Ozpin. He was watching him! A cold shiver ran down his spine and Jaune gulped hard.

"You waited until now to play it, right? You can wait a little longer." Ruby groaned, then set her scroll away. Professor Ozpin left and Jaune sighed in relief. "Okay, so let's review from today's lesson. Why did Menagerie win against Atlas during the Beach War?"

"I don't know." Ruby answered.

"It's in the book." Jaune replied.

"Which one?" She asked.

"This one." Jaune pulled 'History's Greatest Underdogs' from the stack.

"Which chapter?"

"The one we read today."

"Which one was that again?"

Jaune groaned. This was going to be a long hour. Opening the book to 'Chapter 6: Under Seas', he handed the book to Ruby.

"It's in this chapter, the one we read."

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby nodded. "I remember this! I was daydreaming about a dolphin being captain of a pirate boat. Did you know they're mammals?"

"Yes, and they're the ocean's worst criminals. Can we please focus?"

Ruby gasped. "How are they criminals? They save people, Jaune!"

"They also, uh, do bad things to people, Ruby." Jaune flushed a bit. He thought it was inappropriate to discuss sexual violence, human or otherwise, with a young girl like Ruby. "And to other animals, and other dolphins."

"Nuh-uh!" Ruby stood up, hands on the table. The librarian shushed from across the room. Ruby sat down and repeatedly softly. "Nuh-uh."

"They do, and-" Jaune stopped, narrowing his eyes at Ruby. "And you're supposed to be studying."

"Well, you distracted me." Ruby huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away.

Jaune clenched his jaw and his knuckles. With a breath out, he relaxed. This was a history class. Not a debate team.

"Just... Just tell me who Captain Root was." Ruby read the book, letting Jaune grab another text book, 'History Repeats', from the stack. Once he opened the page, Ruby answered from the book.

"Captain Barrington Root was the captain of the MS Popo, and would later be made of the Admiral of the Menagerie Fleet." She looked up. "So he was a pirate captain."

Privateer, actually, but Jaune didn't want to get into semantics right now. So he nodded. "Yup. Can you tell me why Menagerie won against Atlas?" Ruby looked down, but Jaune put his hand over the page. "Without the book."

"How would that help?"

"Who was Captain Root?"

"He was a pirate who becomes a navy bigshot later. We just talked about it."

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, and that's why I want you to try without the book. Round off what you remember from class." Jaune turned the page, showing a map describing the naval battle between Mistral and Menagerie. "If you need help, you can look, but I want to see you try without it."

Ruby's eyes closed. Her lips twitched and moved, and her brow scrunched. She was tapping her forearm as she had her arms crossed. Her eyes suddenly opened.

"Because Mistral didn't have pirates!" She blurted.

Jaune sighed. "No, they still had pirates back then, Ruby. But they didn't help out in the Beach War. Mistral was entirely neutral. Well, kind of."

"So there weren't pirates fighting pirates?" Ruby asked.

Jaune shook his head. "All the ships on this side," Jaune pointed to the Mistral side of the map, "were Atlas soldiers who commandeered Mistralian merchant ships. Before this, they were just soldiers who only knew how to ride horseback, at most."

"But Menagerie is used to boats and ships."

Jaune nodded. "Why?"

Ruby kept her eyes open this time, though she still scrunched her lips. She then pointed at Menagerie. With a grin she answered.

"This is a port town here." Jaune nodded. She then pointed along the island. "And here. And here. And here. And here! They're all port town!"

"Which means what?"

"Which means they have more experience with oceans. They could outsail any ships in the port."

Jaune nodded. It was all true. He looked to the clock, and time was almost up. He opened his mouth to call it early.

"I bet the Grimm situation got worse in Mistral."

"Huh?"

"Think about it." Ruby said, waving her hand out. "Somebody just broke into your home and stole your job. How would you feel?"

"Angry." Jaune answered. "And worried. If I had a family, they could starve."

"Exactly, and because the Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, it could have only gotten worse when those same guys come back and tell you they lost."

"And Atlas didn't have flying technology yet, so they could only reach Menagerie by sea, but with Grimm on the shore and in the sea, it'd be impossible to mount another assault." Jaune loomed at the clock, then back to Ruby. "Nice job, Ruby. You taught me something during this."

"It started making sense when I thought about why that area is called the Black Shore." She closed the book and set it on the stack. "Same time tomorrow?"

Jaune nodded. "I'll see you then." When she was gone, he chuckled. That's right. Ruby was failing History, but she was acing Grimm Studies. Maybe he could use that for the others.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

For Fab Friday, or rather Fab Monday, I wanna bring this excerpt from my latest Royalty/Arranged Marriage AU.

POV: The Prince’s father

“It was a good deal, it really was. For everyone except the betrothed-to-be.

He doubted that a daughter of the Mistral Emperor would want to leave the life of luxury. This wasn’t the life of an Anima aristocrat, who every day found some new height of indulgence, it was an uncertain future in a backwater island kingdom in the south.

But did anybody ask the girl, when drafting the deal ?”

Arranged marriage AU, you say????

I am SO HERE FOR THIS.

I love the conflict you've teased so perfectly - a life of luxury vs a backwater island. That's gonna be JUICY.

Great job!!! ♥

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness chapter 74

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(Ruby PoV)

"Spar with me," I ordered Cloud when I found him in the evening. He looked up at me in surprise from where he sat at the dining hall table. "Please. Like we used to?"

He sighed. "Can I at least finish digesting first?" He asked.

"Oh. Right." I suppose that was fair. I'd ambushed him a little.

"The doctors are insisting that I get three meals a day. Keeping my brain fed the proper nutrition," he said. "It's about repair and regrowth."

"But you're not sleeping well."

His eyes flicked away. "No. I suppose not."

"Penny said that's an important time for the brain to repair itself."

"Been talking with Penny about me?"

"She's my friend," I defended.

He raised his hands in surrender. "No judgement. Just curious."

"Yeah. I was talking to her during my mission today a little."

"I see. What was the mission?"

"Parts transfer for Amity." I slid into a seat at the table next to him. "Did you have a mission today?"

"Searching and destroying Grimm out in the tundra. Some bigass Goliaths were encroaching on Mantle. They needed somebody who can hit as hard as I can."

"Did anything interesting happen?"

"Nothing me and Limit Breaker couldn't handle."

"They usually have you deploy a landing strategy out there in the tundra."

"Limit Breaker. It's my go to for all my problem solving." He smiled. "I can glide pretty well when it's active. Not unlike you." He poked my side where he knew I was ticklish and I flinched to cover my ribs with my arms and let out a giggle.

"You should see some of the things I can do with Petal Burst now," I said with a smile.

"More of your usual bullshit, I suspect. You always did cheat."

"Hey, you and your semblance are in my ballpark now," I protested.

"My semblance doesn't make me invulnerable the way yours does. I have to work hard to give that impression."

"That why you always keep it almost charged? All the time?" I wondered.

"Maybe I'm a little paranoid," he agreed. "Sue me. I've got a lot to be paranoid about." He gave me a genuine smile that warmed my heart while I looked up at him. I reached out and stroked his hair and he leaned into my touch with a tired sigh.

I giggled up at him. Then I gave him a kiss that squashed out noses together. I really had missed him so much while he was gone. It was good to have him back. So good. I looked forward to the next chance I could get some genuine alone time with him. And Weiss if she wanted to be involved in that. I think she would.

I didn't mind sharing that kind of thing with her.

"Well alright. No sense delaying any longer." He slid off the bench and ruffled the part in my hair. I glowered at him with a smile and fixed my head dressing.

"You ready for a fight?" I asked. I slid off the bench and made to keep up with him.

"Are you? I'm going to knock you flat, Rubes."

"I'd like to see you try. We'll see if you can touch me." I used to beat him handily. Now… now I wasn't sure. He'd grown so much since even before Mistral.

I held his whole arm and skipped to the arena to keep up with his long gait.

It was late on a Monday so nobody else was using the room. Cloud strode in and spun his sword from the harness on his back in the broadsword form. I once demolished him with his weapon in that stance.

He carefully checked the tip of the weapon with his fingers. Drawing it back with his right hand and stretching out his left to brush off some Grimm ash that remained on the tip.

Crescent Rose unfolded from my back and I rolled it around hand over hand in his direction. I twisted the weapon behind my back and held it there until he looked over at me and gave me a firm nod.

He activated his semblance immediately because he was a cheater like that. And he dashed forward on a pocket of air with both hands on his weapon, holding it just before his shoulder. He had one leg bent at the knee and the other straightened out as he flew.

He swung in a low horizontal cut at me. I blocked with the blade of Crescent Rose but the attack sent uncomfortable vibrations all the way up my arm. He was truly unbelievably strong. If I was going to beat him it was going to be with my speed.

He flicked his blade out the other direction. I vanished in a blur of petals and popped back a step for a moment and leveled my weapon at him. I shot him once in the stomach and he grunted. He lowered his blade to block the next shot.

He was on me in a blue haze. He tried to hit me again but I met his strike. Then I expanded the blade of Crescent Rose backwards to make it longer. It forced him back an awkward half step.

I capitalized and slashed at him three times, spinning my blade up and around my body as I did.

He came back on me but I blew apart into three red caped swirls of red and nearly teleported behind him. I made to cut at him but he kicked me in rapid succession and brought his blade around down onto me.

I blocked high and pulled the trigger on my weapon to give us some horizontal momentum. I'd been ready for it and he hadn't and it pulled him off to the side.

I slashed at him twice with the blade and he knocked both attacks to the side fairly easily like he was still warming up.

I burst forward then back and caught him in the front then in the back. He grunted under the blows twice and though he stumbled he didn't look particularly hurt.

I twirled around in a circle and tried to catch him with the fully unfolded blade. He blocked alarmingly easily and riposted. He thrust his blade forward, then upwards in a massive flying leap.

Then he came back down on me from above with all the weight of his sword and armor and him. I burst into petals rather than take the hit. I reentered the same space I exited and kicked out with one of my legs. He blocked it on the side of his own.

He very rudely made to drive his elbow into my face. It snapped my head back. Then he brought his blade forward in slashing motion with the tip buried in the ground and slammed it into the whole of my body. His blade was taller than me, even held at an angle like it was.

He tried to open me up and combo me but I burst apart once more and flowed back together behind him. "Almost," I teased. I wrapped Crescent Rose around his waist and fired to jerk the blade backward against his body.

It caught him and made him stumble back, ripping into his golden aura. Then he whipped around and went for his Cross Slash. The first hit struck me in the stomach but I vanished out of the way of the following attacks.

He danced back a step. He was now in his limited state. He immediately flexed and started to charge the next round of his semblance and I took that as my cue to attack. His semblance forced you to approach him. To play his game. I pulled Crescent Rose over my shoulder. Then across my stomach, then around behind my back and in a twirling fashion over my head.

Cloud deftly blocked each one of my attacks and rather than riposte he stuttered back a step and went for his semblance again.

I whipped the barrel of my weapon up at him and fired at him three times in rapid succession. He dived into a hovering roll but not to the side or backwards. He dived towards me. His right hand held his weapon up behind his body easily enough and his left came up and forward to grab me. He snatched me by the neck of my cape and yanked me into the air like a brute. He made to slam me into the ground but I vanished again, I left him with only a palm full of petals.

Each time I disappeared it cost me something. I wasn't sure if that was his plan, to bleed me dry but it might just work.

He flirtatiously sniffed the petals for a moment in his hand before he blew them at me. I blushed a little but resolved to not let him distract me. Or to try not to. He was distracting enough without trying as it was.

He jumped and brought his weapon down in a massive overhead strike. I vanished rather than take that one either.

He guessed where I was going to reappear and trapped me in an attack that swung upwards and knocked me into the air. When I made to dodge in mid-air he read my dodge attempt and was waiting for me with a swing at the ready.

He hit me three times in the span of a tenth of a second. I yelped as I was flung into a pillar of cubes.

"You alright Rubes?" He called over to me. I was struggling to get up for a moment. I didn't have the most aura in the world. He had spades more than I did. That last attack did something like twenty five percent of my aura in one go of the mighty triple hit.

I picked myself up and blew my hair out of my face with a pfft upwards and to the side. I pointed the business end of my weapon at him in response and shot at him four times. The first one hit him in the chest and gave him his semblance. The next three went wide as he suddenly blurred to the side. My shots missed because of it and he started to close the gap on me incredibly quickly.

He flickered into my range and caught my whole body up in a massive upwards swing. He followed it up by juggling once. Then he let me down rather than spending the remainder of our match hammering me while I was in the air above him.

I quickly moved in on him and pulled Crescent Rose across my body and at him. Then from another side. Then I spun and tried to hammer him with the blade.

He reached out and caught the long handle of my weapon and picked me up into the air with it using one hand. I kicked him in the chest but he mostly looked bemused.

"This is serious," I protested. He wasn't taking me honestly!

"You're seriously cute." He countered. He had a wide grin on his face. "You're just not strong enough yet. We should do weights together."

I blushed at the thought of Cloud in tight workout clothes and doing exercises together. It sounded good to me.

He bent in and kissed my cheek before I could react.

I let go of my weapon and punched him in the chest. It did nothing.

He kicked me and made my aura collapse inwards with a crackle of red. He inhaled deeply, like he was enjoying the smell.

I rose with a tired sigh and he came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. I jerked back like I was going to resist but then he kissed my neck and I let out a little moan. He ran his lips over to my jawline.

"Your sweat tastes delicious," he whispered right into my ear.

I shuddered. I tried weakly to push away from him. "You're cheating."

"No. This is cheating." He poked my sides with fingers while I was tight in his grasp and without aura to spend to get away and I laughed hysterically as he tickled me. He spun me around and he kissed my lips full on. I dissolved into the kiss with a little sigh. My eyes fluttered closed.

"Cloud…" I mewled against his lips. "We should stop. We're in public." I pushed against his rock hard chest weakly.

"We don't have to be." He released me, twirling me away from him like we were dancing. "You tease."

"Me?" I asked, shocked.

"In that new outfit. Absolutely. You and Weiss both." He laughed. I turned as red as my cloak.

"You're the one looking all… all like that." I pointed up at him. With his piercings and hair done up. He gave me a brilliant smile.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, little Rose?"

"I'll show you. Seriously. You look all… so hot." He kicked a leg up as he leaned against the wall with his knee out. His foot was flat against the wall and he looked like the hottest thing I'd ever seen in a man.

"Prove it," he murmured. His voice was full of an electric current. I could remember the feel of his aura smothering mine. I shuddered again. I could feel my own heartbeat between my legs.

I would prove it, damn it. Or my name wasn't Ruby Rose.

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"I'm going to Cloud's room for sex tonight," I told Weiss as I stepped out of our shower. "Well, we'll actually be leaving campus and finding a hotel room. The beds here are too small."

Her eyes ran up and down my figure in the tight towel. She flushed at me. Whether it was about my state of undress or how directly I came out with my plans I wasn't sure.

"I-I see. And…?"

"And is that something you'd be interested in?" I asked. She was already in her nightwear.

"Maybe…"

"Clear and effective communication, Weiss. We won't hold anything against you if you're not ready."

"I want to be ready. I'm just nervous I suppose."

I walked up to her, sashaying my hips as I did. I relished the way she watched me. Oh yeah. Weiss was bi as hell. Poor girl. Let me take care of you…

"You have nothing to be nervous about. Cloud and I will take such good care of you. He's a really attentive lover. He listens. He explores." I shuddered a little as memories ran me over. I got goosebumps as I recalled being pressed firmly against the cold tile of a shower wall. The chill of the tile and heat of his body and the water had been a stark contrast.

Then that time I rode him out in Anima. The way his body flexed under mine while we held hands was etched into my mind. His hands falling to my hips to control the pace even though I whined to be in charge. It was so domineering as he thrust up into me. So good.

Weiss took in my hardening breasts. I'd need to be careful. I just got out of the shower. I didn't need to let these thoughts overwhelm me. It was hard though.

"Well I suppose. He and I did get awfully close the other night."

"You said nothing happened," I pointed out.

"Some kissing happened. Some dry-grinding happened. But I wanted you to be there for my first time and I told him so," she informed me.

"You're such a sweetheart." I kissed her lips. She groaned a little as I pushed her back. My wet hair fell on both of our faces in a tight curtain. She went for my bottom lip but if she thought I'd bottom that easily again she'd be… oh…

I whined. I really was just a bottom in her hands. At least with Cloud I could pretend I was a switch. Even if it was only because he let me. I tried to soak that in. It was only because he allowed it.

She placed her hands on my back just above my butt through the cloth of the towel and pulled me deeper into the kiss. She put her tongue in my mouth and I wrapped my lips around it, small and pink, and gave it a tiny suck.

Her breath hitched when I did it. I sucked very gently on the tip of her tongue and welcomed more of it wiggling into my mouth. The tips of both our breasts were hardening now against one another and it felt good to pull her close.

"So…" I panted when we separated. "So will you be there?" I asked.

She rapidly nodded. She breathed hard and tried to calm herself down again too. Ha. Take that. I could kiss like nobody's business. "Is Cloud a top or…?" She asked.

"Yes. But don't worry. He'll take care of you. Between the two of us we'll find a nice place for you."

"Then I'm looking forward to it."

I squealed a little. I was going to be having sex with my best friends. I walked away from Weiss and began to put on matching underwear for the night. A nice surprise for Cloud to enjoy later. Not that he would care that much but it was the principle of preparation that was the thing.

"I think I might be a switch," Weiss mumbled. "I always thought I'd be a top but when he picked me up in the air on our date night it was just too much, he made me melt."

"That's what happens when you run into a real top. Cloud at least lets me pretend a little. But he's always the one in control. I'm not sure what it is my deal."

"You melt is your problem. You can't be in control when you're all gooey," Weiss said.

"It just feels so good though." I whined. She gave me a dark and thirsty look when I did and a little of her own dominance showed. She had that same hunger Cloud had. "And if he says he feels like a dog we'll just remind him how much of a man he really is. I don't know how much it'll help but it'll feel good."

"For all we know we're about to cure him. A lot of chemical activity happens in the brain during sex."

"Science!" I exclaimed pointing at her. "Take that Salem." She laughed.

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-WG

[sirianhewigxiii]

Part 1 A Regular Night Off  Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Winter opened the door and entered. Even though she spent most nights in her personal quarters at the military base, it was good to return home every so often.  

Home obviously not being Schnee Manor, which back when she was younger, she used to only ever refer to as “home” as a formality. After she had been officially and financially cut off, the first thing she decided on getting the moment she started making her own money was her very own place away from the manor. Away from him. Just thinking about that person made her blood boil to the point where it almost clouded her vision.

She took off her gloves and her white military coat. While neatly hanging the coat on the hanger in the small doorway and putting the gloves in one of the pockets, she noticed the folded weapon on the floor leaning against the hanger. A weapon she was all too familiar with. All anger seemed to almost immediately vent out of her and smiling gently she walked into the living room to look for the owner of said weapon.

Part 2 Partners Chapters: 1/1 - Summary: 

Winter was standing inside the airship, she couldn’t bring herself to sit down, like some of her fellow students. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she was tapping her finger on her upper arm. She was trying not to pay too much attention to the chatter of the other students, even though or maybe exactly because it was mostly about her. After all she was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

She was also in their group of initiates, which meant there was a chance one of them could become her partner during this. This being the Atlas Academy Initiation which they were all about to take part in. Winter had worked too hard to screw up now and she was trying her best to concentrate on the task ahead which was, to begin with, a deliberate jump out of an Atlas airplane in full flight with no parachute whatsoever. They had been in the air for about 40 Minutes and they should be arriving at the spot designated for the initiation any moment now.

“We have now reached our destination. All students get ready to be deployed.”

Part 3 The One in which they were tired Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Being in a special program meant that the amount of training, lessons and the workload attached to that were enormous. As such it was now the end of a particularly exhausting week and Winter was completely drained. She slouched towards the lower bunk which was hers, only to simply drop down on it face down. She closed her eyes and groaned into her pillow, pulling it closer to her face…so much for always maintaining a perfect form…Luckily she was alone, if somebody saw her like this, she would never be able to live it down.

Just as the thought of somebody maybe entering the room had left her mind she heard the door being unlocked. A measly “Nooooooooo…” was all Winter was capable of thinking as she heard the door open.

Part 4 Good Together Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

„This looks super sketchy.“

Cassie’s eyes were narrowed and her ears pulled back. Winter couldn’t help but notice how “suspicion” was undoubtedly written all over her. From what very little time she had spent with her new partner Winter had realized that she seemed like the type of person who was relatively easy to read.

Winter preferred that kind of person, she’s already had enough pretense and phoniness in her life. Winter couldn’t help but to think about how strange it was for her to be standing in an abandoned dust mine with a stranger who she had met not too long ago and still feel more at ease with herself than she had ever felt at Schnee Manor.

They had been walking inside of the mine for some time, when they found a small railway line. It was presumably used to transport tools and utensils and they had decided they would follow it in hopes that it would lead them to one of the caches they were required to find during the Atlas Academy initiation.

“Well ‘sketchy’ isn’t a word I would use, but I agree…still this is definitely a right spot.”

Part 5 Overtime Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Winter sighed. She had read the same two lines for about the fifth time now.

The general had been out on routine military base inspections around Remnant and she had picked up the paper work while he was gone. Usually Winter didn’t have any problems picking up where General Ironwood had left off but with the upcoming Vytal Festival in Vale and all of the security measurements Atlas was meant to provide during that time, it seemed like her usual workload had at least doubled.

She was just thinking about having some coffee brought to her office, when she heard knocking on her door.

Part 6 A Bother Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

It was a late Friday afternoon, classes were finished and Winter was sitting behind her desk, trying to grind through a report which was due by Monday. She was well into it and she figured that if she kept going like this she’ll be done by the evening, so she could review everything over the weekend. She had started early because she wanted it to be absolutely perfect. Winter already knew that she wouldn’t like her current first draft and she would need the time to change and add to it.

She grabbed one of the books she had been using as a reference to read up on certain aspects in her report, when she suddenly had a strange feeling…she closed the book immediately, slammed it over her head and felt resistance.

“Ugh.” - Bullseye. Winter felt a hand drop onto her shoulder. A hand which was attached to an arm that would have otherwise moved around her shoulders and belonged to her partner. A partner who was now standing behind her and slightly teary-eyed holding her nose.

Part 7 Warmth Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

When Winter entered their room carrying her notebooks and books she borrowed from the library she found her partner sleeping on the lower bunk, the one that at the beginning Winter had claimed for herself. Ever since the two of them had first taken a nap together a while back, Winter would find her partner more often fast asleep like this on top of her bed. She had concluded that Cassie simply couldn’t be bothered to climb up into her own bed whenever she was exhausted and while Winter had at first been annoyed at her partner’s level of laziness, she also couldn’t blame her for taking those occasional naps to begin with. Not only were their schedules packed due to being in a special program, but Winter, during her own sleepless nights, had more than once noticed her partner suffering from nightmares that had her tossing at night. And while Winter could see her partner suffering, she also didn’t really know how to handle the situation.

Winter recalled how when they were both still children her younger sister would every once on a while knock on her room door whenever she had a nightmare.

Part 8 A Regular Night Off (cont’d nsfw) Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Winter and her partner were still sitting on the sofa, cuddled up and simply enjoying each other’s company.

They weren’t paying much attention to the program they were currently watching and Winter had leisurely been drawing patterns on her partners palm and around her fingers, gently massaging two weeks of weapon-wielding strain out of it. Just what had she been doing? Wiping out an entire Grimm nest? As long as she got home safe, Winter rarely asked about the specifics. She knew that her partner could take care of herself. She was also, thankfully, a lot less reckless than she used to be, back in their academy days. Still Winter would be lying if she said that she wasn’t occasionally pacing around at night when her partner had spend more than a few days away on a mission without contacting her. Winter nuzzled closer to her partner and felt her shift slightly.

“Win-ter.“ Her partner’s voice was soft and she nudged the side of Winter’s head with her nose.

“Hm?” In response Winter propped herself up a little. She felt another quick nudge as she moved and then a kiss was placed on her temple. First the one, then a second one, lingering. A soft quiet laugh escaped Winter.

“Let’s go to bed then.“

Part 9 The Stranger (Bonus Story) Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Weiss was taking a walk through the empty hallways of Atlas Academy. Ever since she and her teammates and friends had come to Atlas she had been feeling restless, but she also knew that it had been necessary.

When she had broken out of the manor and left her home kingdom a few weeks ago she didn’t think that she would be so back soon, let alone living in the dorms of Atlas Academy with her friends.

Friends and teammates who had always been by her side to support her and she couldn’t be more grateful and happy to have them. Winter as well, was now able to be by her side to train and teach her like she used to be able to before she left for her own combat training. At first Weiss had felt lonely when she saw her sister leave, but Winter had also been teaching her that she should be able to stand on her own two feet. If she kept up with her training and continued to get stronger she too could choose her own path. Weiss had been determined to follow suit and chase after her and as harsh as it may have appeared at the time, she was grateful for having been pushed this hard by her sister.

Part 10 Apart Chapters: 10/10 - Summary:

Winter had entered their room to find a bunch of weapon parts spread all over most of the floor.

A week of compulsory holidays was coming up and starting tomorrow the academy was giving its students a small break. Most of them used that time to return to their homes, quite a few however still remained at Atlas Academy. Especially those who originally came from one of the other kingdoms considered the traveling for such a relatively short amount of time simply too much of a hassle. Being from Mistral Winter’s partner was one of those students who stayed. She was planning to use this time to completely take apart, clean and readjust her weapon.

As for Winter…She put the books she had borrowed inside of her suitcase and closed it up. Her hand remained on the lid. Schnee Manor wasn’t too close to Atlas Academy, but it also definitely wasn’t far away enough for her to justify staying at the academy for the upcoming week. She was sure that she still could have made up some kind of excuse, but it was a holiday after all and more than anything she wanted to at least return for the sake of her younger siblings and mother. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to whatever pompous dinner party Jacques was planing…

Part 11 The Stranger (Bonus Story Followup) Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

This picks up shorty after Part 9 of the Series - The Stranger (Bonus Story) —-

Winter entered her private quarters at the military base.

She had just accompanied her younger sister back to her dorm room and decided to quickly go back to her own room. Weiss had been taking a walk around the academy and gotten as far as the military wing where she had coincidentally met her partner moments before Winter arrived to pick up said partner.

Her partner who was sitting on Winter’s bed, a book next to her, and now fighting to hastily put on an arm sling.

Winter sighed.

“Why do you never listen?”

Winter walked towards her partner who was now pouting to the side.

Part 12 Step by Step Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Winter had received a message from her partner asking her to come to their room.

Her partner usually wasn’t the type to send messages asking for her to come and meet her somewhere. ‘Pragmatism’ as Cassie called it or ‘laziness’ as Winter called it, had her simply use her semblance most of the time to materialize somewhere close to Winter whenever she needed something from her. Or she would just come and quickly get her whenever they needed to be somewhere together.

Cassie also usually didn’t care much about whoever she would give a heart attack by simply appearing out of nowhere.

And so curious as to why her partner had specifically asked her to come and meet her, Winter had quickly packed up her things in the library and started to walk back to their shared room.

When she entered the room her partner had been sitting on the lower bunk with her knees up against her chest and her face burrowed on top of them.

Part 13 Apart: C-Side Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

This runs parallel to the Apart Story Arc/Part 10 of the Series and narrates a day of Cassie Grey’s holiday while Winter was at the manor. —– It was late in the afternoon when Cassie rematerialized into the double room.

She had just picked up her weapon which she had dropped off at one of the academy’s facilities this morning. Cassie had spend the past two days cleaning and readjusting it herself in her shared room, but there was no way she could freshen up the paint here.

She simply didn’t have the time to neatly remove the old and apply the new paint on her own. She also couldn’t do it without basically poisoning herself with the fumes in the room. And that’s even if she was to crack open a window the entire time and overnight and also risk freezing to death in her sleep.

Cassie also would have had to go back to combat lessons without a weapon, because there was no way the paint would have completely dried in time by the end of the holidays.

The Atlesian military however provided the academy with facilities that allowed her to simply drop off her weapon in the morning, input the paint job she wants done on a terminal and simply come back to pick it up all ready in the afternoon.

Part 14 Comfort and Ease 1/1 Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Winter’s head was resting on her arms on top of her desk. She had finished every report and piece of homework for the week and she had connected a pair of earbuds to her scroll. She had closed her eyes and been listening for a while when she suddenly felt something close to her head. She bolted up and immediately removed the earbuds.

“C-cassie, when did you come here?”

Her partner was standing next to her with a smug smile on her face. Had she been so engrossed that she hadn’t even felt her materialize? Or had Cassie actually used the door for once and she simply hadn’t heard her?

“Oh, just a few moments ago…”

“I see, did you find what you needed from the library?”

Winter tried to immediately distract her while subtly pushing the pause button on her scroll and turning it face down. She wasn’t going to risk her partner asking questions she really didn’t feel like answering.

“I did. I already placed the books on my desk. You didn’t notice however since you were so absorbed in whatever you were listening to just right now.”

Dang. Winter should have known better.

Part 15 A Partner’s Present Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

It was the weekend and Winter was quietly working away on her academy assignments at her desk. She was alone in the room.

In fact she had been alone since this morning. She had even woken up to a note beside her pillow telling her that her partner will be back around noon.

She reached for her scroll and sighed. It was already some time past noon. Maybe whatever Cassie was doing took longer than expected.

But Winter didn’t mind. Because as much as treasured and loved her partner, today of all days she simply wanted to be left alone. Just as the thought had crossed her mind she felt how her partner was about to materialize behind her.

One of Cassie’s arms moved around her shoulder and her head dropped on the other side.

“Winnn-teeeerrr.” She was cheerfully humming her name.

“What do you want?”

Winter was a little irritable today and she really wasn’t in the mood for any of her games.

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

Cassie chuckled and nuzzled against her.

“Here.”

Part 16 Semblance Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

Cassie was alone in her room.

Her grandmother was in the kitchen making light dinner preparations for later. Cassie had greeted her from the front door without going to see her and she had immediately sprinted to her room on the second floor afterwards.

The small Faunus sat by her bed on the floor, her arms around her knees and her face burrowed in them. Her body hurt, her elbow was bruised, her sweater was torn in that place. Her ears hang low and they were sore from all of the tearing and pulling.

——– ——–

Winter was in her father’s office.

A gala he had put together at the manor had just ended. She had played the violin well, she had quietly stayed by his side and behind him.

Everything had went well up until the moment one of his business partner’s sons had asked her to dance and she had refused.

Part 17 Rest Chapters: 1/1 - Summary:

It was the evening and Winter was sitting on her bed.

She put the text book she was reading down on her knees to look at her partner who was currently at her desk grinding away at a report and sighed.

Cassie had been at her desk for quite a few hours now and Winter could tell that her partner was getting increasingly more frustrated at the subject Winter knew she had no interested in whatsoever.

What’s more, her partner was bored by the subject and she hated the professor teaching it. And Winter couldn’t blame her since she as well couldn’t have cared any less for him.

[trashyinferno]

Rescue Me: Mini Hiatus+Sneak Preview

Yeah, you read that right. Mini Hiatus. So what’s that mean? And why am I doing one? I’ve been pushing and pushing myself writing lately, and while it’s amazing stress relief, I have midterms in... well, they start Monday. Add to that a recital where I’m performing three pieces (and is basically my “can you still be a music major” check in), and just overall stress... It’s gonna be a hot minute before I get the next chapter up. I’m so sorry y’all. I know you’re used to quick updates, but I’ve gotta take a knee for midterms. THERE WILL, however, be an update very, VERY soon - I already have some of this next chapter (and the one after that) written. I’ve set a hard date on when I’ll be updating. My beta is ready to kick me back into gear when the time comes (she’s also forcing me to study, which is a huge help). We’re going to be okay. In the meantime, I’ve got an extra special surprise/apology: Some scenes from the chapter AFTER this next one! :)

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He falls.

But… he doesn’t. Not really.

It’s a strange falling, one where his body instinctively knows that there is nothing beneath him and he will die – can he die? – but his mind recognizes that this isn’t free falling. This isn’t crashing. This isn’t spiraling or collapsing or even plummeting.

So yes, it’s a strange sort of falling, here in the black.

Wind whistles in his ears, tears at his clothes – a suit, he thinks even though the darkness blinds him, and a scarf and a green vest – burns around his eyes. Tufts of soft hair whip against his forehead.

You are a stranger here, a voice, harsh and booming, whispers from everywhere and nowhere, why have you come?

He ponders the question.

Why have you come?

“I don’t know,” he murmurs truthfully.

A speck of white shines above his head, and that is his only warning before the darkness bursts into brilliant white.

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He wakes in a thick fog, his vision clouded and blurry. His head pounds angrily even as the rest of his body tries unsuccessfully to fight off the exhaustion that has settled comfortably in his bones. A heavy, warm sensation rests on his chest; his eyelids feel so incredibly heavy.

A small round face peers down from above him. “You… have brown eyes,” the owner, a boy, whispers in awe.

The vision of wide hazel eyes escorts him back into unconsciousness.

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The man is first aware of a tickling sensation running along the tip of his nose.

He doesn’t particularly appreciate it.

He tries to roll to the side, to curl away from the foreign object, but a second sensation, a tugging at his wrists, stops him before he can get too far. The knowledge that something restrains him pulls him from sleep fairly quickly, his eyes shuttering open with little care. Rope, rough and thick, binds his wrists tightly together. There’s a rope protruding from the top that leads away from him to… He cranes his head upward, not knowing how much slack the lead grants him. The rope stretches through the air to a post about three feet away from his bed.

His eyes leave his restraints and travel down to his “bed”. If it could be called such, anyway. His “bed” seems to be three or four bales of hay someone has shoved together. There’s a bright, alarmingly orange blanket coving his lower extremities, and he has a pillow. It seems as though his captor has been generous.

He sighs, struggling to get to a seated position. Every muscle from the top of his head to the tips of his toes aches painfully. He has to maneuver carefully around the lead. He doesn’t have much slack, and because it’s slightly above and out in front of the hay bales, he finds himself sitting where his head had just been previously.

He carefully scans the room, relying on bright light that streams through a large opening in the wall on the far side of the room. It’s a fairly spacious area. His hay bales take up one corner of the space – the corner farthest from the opening, he notes with annoyance – but the rest of it is fairly empty. A few tools, farming tools, lean precariously against a sink in the other corner on his side of what he’s now starting to realize is a barn.

He glances down at his bare feet and runs them along the floor’s wooden slats. Pine and cedar, he’s willing to bet. Both of which grow well in Mistral, which gives him some sort of indication as to his location.

He’s not entirely sure why he knows how to distinguish between different types of wood. Nor does he understand why he knows which trees grow well in Mistral – pine, cedar, and ash, for the curious. He doesn’t even know where, or what, Mistral is, so the knowledge that he’s in Mistral does nothing for him.

His head throbs. All of this is so familiar that it’s almost painful.

He sighs, letting his chest hunch over his legs. He closes his eyes and takes a slow, careful breath. He holds it for five seconds, lets his heart settle, and exhales just as slowly.

Soft footsteps sound in the quiet air.

The man tenses ever so slightly.

He’s not alone.