#not to be THAT GUY who brings up ATLA where it doesn’t belong…. but I’m saying you could literally drop Zuko in HRE Star Wars and it would

[loveoaths]

I know this is a highly loaded emotional scene, etc etc etc, but all I am thinking about is that in the High Republic Era, A:TLA level Force shenanigans were possible.

[gaysimpsstuff]

Fatgum As a Dad

This was inspired by a conversation I had on a discord server, we all have daddy issues and want Fatgum to adopt us so here’s all the shit we collected.

There are some serious themes in here, mostly regarding the biological parents of the kid, but it’s vague as possible. If anyone wants me to add a trigger warning please let me know.

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It all started when he was a kid, when he learned what an orphanage was. One of the kids in his class mentioned being from one, so when he got home he asked his parents about it. 

“Mom, what’s an orphanage?”

“Well, Taishiro, it’s where children that don’t have parents go. Then people can come and adopt the children. Why do you ask.”

“A kid at school said he’s from one, when d’you think he’s gonna get adopted?”

“He might, not all children get adopted. Some of them stay in the orphanage until they’re adults.”

“BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR!” he shouted. “EVERYONE DESERVES A HAPPY CHILDHOOD!”

“Well, honey, life’s not fair. And not everyone gets a happy life. It’s how most villains are made, actually. They were hurt more than everyone else and couldn’t handle it anymore. Not all villains are like that but many are. I think you should stay away from that kid, Taishiro. He might turn out a villain.”

But he didn’t stay away. And he made it his mission to become a pro hero so he could make a ton of money and help as many people as he could. He’d help even villains, keep them from doing something dangerous and inspire hope in them.

Then, he’d adopt any kid who needed a father. All the orphanages and foster programs would be empty. Homeless children off the street and in his house, being fed and clothed. He’d care for each and every one of them, not wanting a single person to feel like they didn’t belong. 

He finds most of his kids at pride parades. He walks around with a shirt that says ‘FREE DAD HUGS’ and a box full of candy. He remembered one of the kids walking up to him slowly.

“Um.. are you Fatgum?” 

“Yes I am!”

“Can I have a hug?”

“Yes you can, Kiddo!” he got down, and the kid put his arms on his stomach (Fatgum’s too big for anyone to fully hug, the dude’s taller than Allmight!) he wrapped his arms around the kid before he heard sniffles. He looked down and saw that the kid was crying.

“M-my parents never hug me like this!” they exclaimed. “They haven’t since I came out. They want to kick me out when I turn thirteen!” 

“Can I have their number? I’m going to... talk to them.”

He ended up taking the kid’s family to court, and since the parents were going to just kick the kid out anyways, they let Fatgum adopt them, but they kept nagging him about how he was ‘going to be raising a little demon.’

“Then call me Lucifer.” he spat right back. Now, that kid’s grown up, has pride flags all around their walls, and doesn’t ever doubt that they’re loved.

Fatgum probably bakes with his kids. Helping them up onto the counter to mix ingredients and play with the dough. If they mess something up or break a glass, it’s fine. He doesn’t yell at them or sigh and shake his head, he just kissed the kid on the forehead and helps them clean up the mess. 

The food always turns out amazing, and Fatgum always tells the kids that. All of his kids are now Gordon Ramsay level chefs and have probably met Gordon Ramsay. 

No matter what their body type is, Fatgum tells his kids their handsome/beautiful and are model worthy. If anyone comments of one of his kid’s body, whether it be negative or... ‘positive’ in a creepy way, you can expect that they’re getting slammed into the ground. No questions asked.

One of Fatgum’s kids is really good at make-up. Like, really good. So Fatgum did the only thing a rational father would do. 

Ask for a make-up job.

It didn’t end all that well...

“Hold still.. I gotta get the eyeliner on.”

“Gosh, Kiddo it’s making my eyes water.” 

“I know, just hold still... aaaand...... done! Now don’t touch it or it’ll smear!”

“Wow, that looks great! You’re really good at this!”

“Thanks, dad- you smeared it already didn’t you?”

“....Nope.”

Fatgum: I'm not gonna do it, it just seemed like a good option. 

Fatgum not even two seconds later after seeing a trans kid crying: now carrying said child on his shoulders while his spouse is chuckling in a corner after signing adoption papers I did it.

This man would get his kids almost anything they wanted. Especially kids with ADD/ADHD/Autism/Tourettes/Anxiety who need stim toys.

Kid: chewing on their nails.

Fatgum: here take this stim toy, and this one, you chew this one so that might help-

Kid ends up with more stim toys than they can count.

Fatgum: just doing his job 

The Daddy Issues Gang: Hi dad- oh shit wait- Hi- I- fuck- trauma ensues. crying

Fatgum: grabs the daddy issues gang we're going to the nearest courtroom say hello to your new father its me im the father ok lets go.

Kid: um, dad can I talk to you? 

 Fatgum, turning around quickly: yes? 

 Me: ‘he moved so quick, he's mad at me, I'm gonna get yelled at’ Sorry, sorry! 

Fatgum: uh, no. I'm getting you ice cream and a new stuffed animal no questions asked

He'd just know when something's wrong, and he’d be great at comforting.

His usual style of comfort is to let the kid sit on his stomach and tell him what’s wrong. His body is one giant pillow for his kids to lay on, he can fit at least eight of them if they cuddle in closely.

Once filmed a commercial dressed as the Cool-Aid man, and all of his kids were in the commercial.

Fatgum: Busts down wall  “OH YEAH!”

Director: “And CUT! Okay, try a little more aggressive-”

Fatgum, in tears: “I don’t wanna scare my kids.”

As stated before, if anyone makes his kids feel bad he’s punching them to the ground, but sometimes he’s not in a position where he can do that. Like if a Karen mom ever comes over.

"Linda stop bringing lemon squares if you're going to talk about my son that way because they're just as sour as your attitude."

Fatgum but he slaps the toxic members of your family and tells them to do better or he's taking you.

Then takes you anyway because you prefer him.

Fatgum with a sweater that says ‘mr dad guy on it’

Fatgum definitely watches ATLA, and quotes Uncle Iroh daily. When his kids are minding their own business they suddenly hear

“Leaves from the vine... falling so slow...” 

INAUDIBLE CHAOS AND PANIC

Fatgum agency cosplayed ATLA characters on Halloween.

Fatgum was Iroh.

Kirishima was Sokka.

Tamaki was either Momo or Appa.

Maybe get a couple others in on it too, Mirio could be Aang and if Kirishima convinces Todoroki to join for a while he’d totally be Zuko.

Fatgum lets his kids squish his face.

Fatgum used to work with a hero who was hard of hearing, so he learned sign language to help them, and he’s got the skill saved in case one of his kids might be deaf.

So one day, Kirishima invites Bakugou on patrol with him, and we all love that headcanon of Bakugou going deaf, so when he gets pissed at something, he starts insulting everyone around him in SL.

Fatgum notices and starts signing back to him.

YOU’RE ALL MOTHERFUCKERS AND I HATE YOU ALL!

Hey, now, let’s calm down and not call everyone motherfuckers.

FUCK YOU TOO

Bakugou...

Everyone thinks that they’re doing magic, because they’re making all these shapes with their hands and keep looking offended at each other.

Now, Fatgum tries his gosh darn hardest to keep up with the memes, so when his kids come home with good grades, he says “That’s so pog, Kiddo!”

All of his kids are embarrassed.

In the middle of a battle, he throws Kirishima at a villain and they both scream “YEET!” the villain afterwords forever lives in fear of the word ‘yeet’ because he thinks it’ll result in a human rock being thrown at his face.

Fatgum can’t text very well, because his fingers are just too damn big-

sonhsisntextsblooklikehthis'

Translation: so his texts look like this

you learn to understand his texts

Someone better get him a large tablet instead of a phone

If he gets married after he adopts the kids, there’s going to be a huge competition over who does the rings and who does the flowers etc.

If any of his kid’s ever bring home a romantic partner, you can bet your ass he’ll be all over them.

“What’s your average grade?”

“E-eighty percent sir!”

“And do you take sports?”

“No sir, I wish to be a biologist.”

“I see, I see...”

“DAD, YOU AREN”T INTERVIEWING MY PARTNER, ARE YOU? YOU SCARED OFF THE LAST THREE I DON’T WANNA DEAL WITH THAT AGAIN!”

“SORRY, KIDDO! I’LL LET THEM GO NOW! I’ve got my fucking eyes on you. Don’t screw this up.”

Hope y’all enjoy this, if y’all want I can write some headcanons for if Fatgum’s kid becomes a villain-

[sokkabaddiebender2021]

An ATLA Rant: Imperialism & Nuance

Just to start off, this is coming from a girl who’s grandmother was Filipino. No, I have not personally experienced imperialism in my lifetime, but it is a subject that I think is very serious and important to me because of my heritage.

That said, I have absolutely zero idea how you could watch avatar: the part airbender and come out of it saying that it is pro imperialist. Absolutely zero.

I agree because this is a pan Asian inspired show that was written was created by two white men (with the help and advisement of several poc as well but that is a topic for another time), people, especially people of color, have every right to be critical of it. But this argument that the show is somehow pro imperialist just doesn’t make sense to me.

The fire nation is in the wrong. The show makes that VERY clear. Their actions towards other nations is called out by several characters (Zuko, Roku, etc). Their destruction of other cultures (southern water tribe, air nomads, attempted earth kingdom) are seen as diporable and downright inhuman. Not only that, but we see the devastation this cultural genocide brings upon main characters like Katara and especially Aang and how they must heal from it.

Moving on, the show absolutely was not teaching people to stand docile and peaceful against their oppressors. Katara and Aang literally destroy a whole fire nation factory!! When the fire nation was attacking the northern air temple, they were kicking their asses off the cliff!! They planned a whole invasion to attack the fire nation capital to end the war!! (Let’s not forget Katara incititing a riot against the fire nation in the imprisonment episode with the earth benders). I could on and on about all the times the gaang meets the fire nation with violence and encourages others to fight back against them, but that would be going wayyy too in depth.

I think where people get far too simplistic here is that they think that atla is telling people to not use violence against their oppressors because the show is critical of people like Jet and Hama. First of all, the characters are given a lot of nuance in the show. Both are introduced with tragic backstories of the horrors that the fire nation inflicted upon them (I still get chills with the scene when Hama explains her story).

Despite this, both characters have every chance to use their abilities to fight back against the fire nation in a way that helps. You know, like fighting against the army and not innocent people who have no idea that the fire nation is actually in the wrong. The narrative is not that violence is bad! Peace is the only way! I think it’s that you can’t let your veagance lead you away from fighting the right people. That’s the issue: neither Jet and Hama were fighting the right people.

And we first see both characters fighting soldiers in their first scenes. Hama in the flashback when she’s defending her home (and rightfully uses violence to do so) and Jet when he helps the gaang take down some fire nation soldiers in the forest. This is just violence directed at the right people. But instead, both attempt to murder and in Hama’s case, torture people who take no part in the atrocities the fire nation has committed. Are they ignorant? Well of course they are because as we very obviously see, they’ve been fed propaganda their entire life while also living under an authoritarian regime, something that’ll give you no will to think other than the things that are spoon fed to you.

So let me ask you this, was it right for Jet to try and murder an entire village of innocent people, literal children included? Was it right for Hama to imprison and torture lord knows how many innocent citizens just because they belong to an nation that they have no actual knowledge of its evil? I’m hoping your answer is no, and the show would also say no as well.

When both Katara and Aaag choose not to kill, the narrative is not saying that they shouldn’t kill these men. The narrative allows both characters to make their own choice in what ways they wish to do, and it has nothing to do with what is actually right or wrong, because ultimately it is up to what each character wishes to do. Katara sees Yon Ra as the pathetic old man that he is, so she sees no purpose or healing for herself in taking his life. This is a personal choice made for herself, and that is all that matters.

The same goes for Aang. This poor boy is desperate to uphold the beliefs of his people, so he finds another way. A way that still upholds his beliefs while still ending the tyranny of Firelord Ozai. It is ridiculous to say that this is a passive take to imperialism, because yes he doesn’t literally murder someone but he still takes the dude out. And honestly, Ozai’s fate is worse then death (especially considering who Ozai is). Once again, the narrative is not saying be passive to your oppressors and don’t use violence. Its saying that because Aang is living in a world where his beliefs have been forcefully removed and disrespected, he has every right to continue to defend them in the ways he sees fit.

While some may see the narrative as more sympathetic to Iroh and Zuko, I think it’s just because they ARE some of the main characters of the show, as compared to those like Jet and Hama. We see much more of their story just as we see much more of the gaang’s story. Not only that, but their narrative purpose is far different from these two other characters. Iroh and Zuko are meant to show that despite them being from the fire nation, they are not inherently evil people. Jet and Hama are meant to show that even while they are against the antagonistic force of the show, they still can commit evil. Not only are Iroh and Zuko’s actions never justified, but they both must go on a journey to unlearn the hateful propaganda instilled into them, and remedy their ignorance. The narrative never says that neither Jet and Hama cannot also redeem themselves, but Hama feels no remorse for her actions, and Jet does attempt to redeem himself, but ultimately falls back into old habits (I believe he could’ve redeemed himself, but I’ll agree the writers were a bit sloppy in his end, like I’m not sure why they had to kill him other than to make him a tragic character but whatever).

To finally wrap up this essay, ATLA is not a black and white show. The show is not pro imperialist for condemning the violent actions of two characters who happen to be victims of imperialism. The show is not pro imperialist for allowing two children to decide for themselves whether or not they want to end the lives of someone. The show is not pro imperialist for not making the antagonist of the show a one note and one dimensional bad guy.

I’ll end this with the speech that Zuko makes to Ozai when he prepares to leave on Day of Black Sun:

No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.

[bloodbenderz]

humaniterations (dot) net/2014/10/13/an-anarchist-perspective-on-the-red-lotus/ this article from oct 2014 is very dense — truly, a lot to unpack here, but I feel like you would find this piece interesting. I would love it if you shared your thoughts on the points that stood out to you, whether you agree or disagree. you obv don’t have to respond to it tho, but I’m sending it as an ask jic you feel like penning (and sharing) a magnificent essay, as is your wont 💕

article

i know this took me forever 2 answer SORRY but i just checked off all the things on my to do list for the first time in days today so. Essay incoming ladies!

ok im SO glad u sent me this bc it’s so so good. it’s a genuinely thoughtful criticism of the politics in legend of korra (altho i think its sometimes a little mean to korra unnecessarily like there’s no reason to call her a “petulant brat” or say that she throws tantrums but i do understand their point about her being an immature and reactionary hero, which i’ll get back to) and i think the author has a good balance between acknowledging like Yeah the lok writers were american liberals and wrote their show accordingly and Also writing a thorough analysis of lok’s politics that felt relevant and interesting without throwing their hands up and saying this is all useless liberal bullshit (which i will admit that i tend to do).

this article essentially argues that the red lotus antagonists of s3 were right. And that’s not an uncommon opinion i think but this gives it serious weight. Like, everything that zaheer’s gang did was, in context, fully understandable. of course the red lotus would be invested in making sure that the physically and spiritually and politically most powerful person in the world ISNT raised by world leaders and a secret society of elites that’s completely unaccountable to the people! of course the red lotus wants to bring down tyrannical governments and allow communities to form and self govern organically! and the writers dismiss all of that out of hand by 1. consistently framing the red lotus as insane and murderous (korra never actually gives zaheer’s ideas a chance or truly considers integrating them into her own approach) 2. representing the death of the earth queen as not just something that’s not necessarily popular (what was with mako’s bootlicker grandma, i’d love to know) but as something that causes unbelievable violence and chaos in ba sing se (which, like, a lot of history and research will tell you that people in disasters tend towards prosocial behaviors). so the way the story frames each of these characters and ideologies is fascinating because like. if you wanted to write season 3 of legend of korra with zaheer as the protagonist and korra as the antagonist, you wouldn’t actually have to change the sequence of events at all, really. these writers in particular and liberal writers in general LOVE writing morally-gray-but-ultimately-sympathetic characters (like, almost EVERY SINGLE fire nation character in the first series, who were full on violent colonizers but all to a degree were rehabilitated in the eyes of the viewer) but instead of framing the red lotus as good people who are devoted to justice and freedom and sometimes behave cruelly to get where theyre trying to go, they frame them as psychopaths and murderers who have good intentions don’t really understand how to make the world a better place.

and the interesting thing about all this, about the fact that the red lotus acted in most cases exactly as it should have in context and the only reason its relegated to villain status is bc the show is written by liberals, is that the red lotus actually points out really glaring sociopolitical issues in universe! like, watching the show, u think well why the fuck HASN’T korra done anything about the earth queen oppressing her subjects? why DOESN’T korra do anything about the worse than useless republic president? why the hell are so many people living in poverty while our mains live cushy well fed lives? how come earth kingdom land only seems to belong to various monarchs and settler colonists, instead of the people who are actually indigenous to it? the show does not want to answer these questions, because american liberal capitalism literally survives on the reality of oppressive governments and worse than useless presidents and people living in poverty while the middle/upper class eats and indigenous land being stolen. if the show were to answer these questions honestly, the answer would be that the status quo in real life (and the one on the show that mirrors real life) Has To Change.

So they avoid answering these questions honestly in order for the thesis statement to be that the status quo is good. and the only way for the show to escape answering these questions is for them to individualize all these broad social problems down into Good people and Bad people. so while we have obvious bad ones like the earth queen we also have all these capitalists and monarchs and politicians who are actually very nice and lovely people who would never hurt anyone! which is just such an absurd take and it’s liberal propaganda at its best. holding a position of incredible political/economic power in an unjust society is inherently unethical and maintaining that position of power requires violence against the people you have power over. which is literally social justice 101. but there’s literally no normal, average, not-politically-powerful person on the show. so when leftist anarchism is presented and says that destroying systems that enforce extreme power differentials is the only way to bring peace and freedom to all, the show has already set us up to think, hey, fuck you, top cop lin beifong and ford motor ceo asami sato are good people and good people like them exist! and all we have to do to move forward and progress as a society is to make sure we have enough good individuals in enough powerful positions (like zuko as the fire lord ending the war, or wu as the earth king ending the monarchy)! which is of course complete fiction. liberal reform doesn’t work. but by pretending that it could work by saying that the SYSTEM isnt rotten it’s just that the people running it suck and we just need to replace those people, it automatically delegitimizes any radical movements that actually seek to change things.

and that’s the most interesting thing about this article to me is that it posits that the avatar...might actually be a negative presence in the world. the avatar is the exact same thing: it’s a position of immense political and physical power bestowed completely randomly, and depending on the moral character and various actions of who fills that position at any given time, millions of people will or won’t suffer. like kyoshi, who created the fascist dai li, like roku, who refused to remove a genocidal dictator from power, like aang, who facilitated the establishment of a settler colonial state on earth kingdom land. like korra! she’s an incredibly immature avatar and a generally reactionary lead. i’ve talked about this at length before but she never actually gets in touch with the needs of the people. she’s constantly running in elite circles, exposed only to the needs and squabbles of the upper class! how the hell is she supposed to understand the complexities of oppression and privilege when she was raised by a chess club with inordinate amounts of power and associates almost exclusively with politicians and billionaires?? from day 1 we see that she tends to see things in very black and white ways which is FINE if you’re a privileged 17 yr old girl seeing the world for the first time but NOT FINE if you’re the single most powerful person in the world! Yeah, korra thinks the world is probably mostly fine and just needs a little whipping into shape every couple years, because all she has ever known is a mostly fine world! in s1 when mako mentions that he as a homeless impoverished teenager worked for a gang (which is. Not weird. Impoverished people of every background are ALWAYS more likely to resort to socially unacceptable ways of making money) korra is like “you guys are criminals?????!!!!!” she was raised in perfect luxury by a conservative institution and just never developed beyond that. So sure, if the red lotus raised her anarchist, probably a lot would’ve been different/better, but....they didn’t. and korra ended up being a reactionary and conservative avatar who protected monarchs and colonialist politicians. The avatar as a position is completely subject to the whims of whoever is currently the avatar. and not only does that suck for everyone who is not the avatar, not only is it totally unfair to whatever kid who grows up knowing the fate of the world is squarely on their shoulders, but it as a concept is a highly individualist product of the authors’ own western liberal ideas of progress! the idea that one good leader can fix the world (or should even try) based on their own inherent superiority to everyone else is unbelievably flawed and ignores the fact that all real progress is brought about as a result of COMMUNITY work, as a result of normal people working for themselves and their neighbors!

the broader analysis of bending was really interesting to me too, but im honestly not sure i Totally agree with it. the article pretty much accepts the show’s assertion that bending is a privilege (and frankly backs it up much better than the original show did, but whatever), and i don’t think that’s NECESSARILY untrue since it is, like, a physical advantage (the author compares it to, for example, the fact that some people are born athletically gifted and others are born with extreme physical limitations), but i DO think that it discounts the in universe racialization of bending. in any sequel to atla that made sense, bending as a race making fact would have been explored ALONGSIDE the physical advantages it bestows on people. colonialism and its aftermath is generally ignored in this article which is its major weakness i think, especially in conjunction with bending. you can bring up the ideas the author did about individual vs community oriented progress in the avatar universe while safely ignoring the colonialism, but you can’t not bring up race and colonialism when you discuss bending. especially once you get to thinking about how water/earth/airbenders were imprisoned and killed specifically because bending was a physical advantage, and that physical advantage was something that would have given colonized populations a means of resistance and that the fire nation wanted to keep to itself.

i think that’s the best lens thru which to analyze bending tbh! like in the avatar universe bending is a tool that different ethnic groups tend to use in different ways. at its best, bending actually doesn’t represent social power differences (despite representing a physical power difference) because it’s used to represent/maintain community solidarity. like, take the water tribe. katara being the last waterbender, in some way, makes her the last of a part of swt CULTURE. the implication is that when there were a lot of waterbenders in the south, they dedicated their talents to building community and helping their neighbors, because this was something incredibly culturally important and important to the water tribe as a community. the swt as a COLLECTIVE values bending for what it can do for the entire tribe, which counts for basically every other talent a person can have (strength, creativity, etc). the fire nation, by contrast, distorts the community value of bending by racializing it: anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is inherently NOT fire nation (and therefore inherently inferior) and, because of the physical power that bending confers, anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is a threat to fire nation hegemony. and in THAT framework of bending, it’s something that intrinsically assigns worth and reifies race in a way that’s conveniently beneficial to the oppressor.

it IS worth talking about how using Element as a way to categorize people reifies nations, borders, and race in a way that is VERY characteristic of white american liberals. i tried to be conscious of that (and the way that elements/bending can act in DIFFERENT ways, depending on cultural context) but i think it’s pretty clear that the writers did intend for element to unequivocally signify nation (and, by extension, race), which is part of why they screwed up mixed families so bad in lok. when they’ve locked themselves into this idea that element=nation=race, they end up with sets of siblings like mako and bolin or kya tenzin and bumi, who all “take” after only one parent based on the element that they bend. which is just completely stupid but very indicative of how the writers actually INTENDED element/bending to be a race making process. and its both fucked up and interesting that the writers display the same framework of race analysis that the canonical antagonists of atla do.

anyway that’s a few thoughts! thank u again for sending the article i really loved it and i had a lot of fun writing this <3

[sokkalore]

What are your favourite zukka fics that you would rec (love your twilight au btw)

HELLO i’ve been waiting all day to be done with work/able to get on my computer to answer this so i’m going to just. try my best and i’m definitely going to miss some but here are SOME of my absolute favorites

(do you take this jerk to be) your one and only

Under the leadership of Fire Lord Iroh, the Fire Nation has made every attempt to restore peace and make amends for the harm they inflicted during the Seventy-Year War. Their newest proposal is a literal proposal: a marriage to unite the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes.

The Fire Nation offers Prince Zuko’s hand.

The Water Tribes offer Princess Yue’s.

Sokka is apparently the only person in the world who has a problem with any of this.

Blue

Iroh insists they create a new life and identity in Ba Sing Se. Zuko wants nothing more than to bide his time until his next opportunity to return home, until he realizes ‘Lee’ can get away with things Zuko never could. Zuko dons the mantle of the Blue Spirit again only to lose his focus when the Avatar comes to the city. This time, however, his attention is drawn to the annoying Southern Tribe warrior.

Mass Times Acceleration

[Zuko calls at three in the morning and says, tears in his voice and rage through his teeth, “I want to run away.”

It’s Sokka’s turn to carry the brain cell in his household but he doesn’t waste a second before he’s saying, “Tell me when and where—I’m coming too.”]

Or,

A road trip AU featuring two teenage disasters, abusing Ozai’s credit card, and A Lot Of Sea Lions.

it’s the illusion of separation 

Sokka takes a job washing dishes at the new tea shop in town. It's a great gig, until he finds out his only coworker is his old high school bully. Sokka really should quit, but he also really needs to afford rent.

Also, Zuko is kind of hot now.

Those Who Favor Fire 

After a failed attempt on his life, Sokka fakes his death, dons a disguise, and infiltrates the would-be assassin's ranks in an attempt to bring them down from the inside.

Zuko learns of his husband's tragic death, mourns, and vows revenge.

The Road Between Action and Inaction

Sokka does a shitty k turn in the parking lot across from the bus station, pulls up to the curb where the boy is looking determinedly at his phone, and rolls down the passenger window. “Hey! Which way were you going?” He may die, but at least his conscience will be clear.

The guy blinks at him.

“Don’t.”

Oh, he’s prickly.

---

Or: the hitchhiker au, featuring Sokka and Zuko falling in love without even realizing it.

Protective 

What Zuko wasn’t prepared for was something else, something far more animalistic. Every time he saw that necklace, he felt something clawing at the pit of his stomach: a sensation that was somewhere between “protective” and “possessive.” Although logically he knew it wasn’t true, the thought always appeared before Zuko could stop it: Sokka belongs to me.

Or, Azula kidnaps Sokka. That doesn't sit very well with Zuko or Katara.

(let me be) there for you

Sokka pulls out a clean piece of parchment and starts to write:

Reasons Why Sokka Would Be A Great Bodyguard for Lord Zuko

He smiles in satisfaction at the title. Seeing it in writing only makes him feel more confident in this brilliant, two-minute-old idea of his. Zuko is one of his closest friends, and Sokka is a great fighter, he would be the perfect bodyguard! He has the entirety of his trip in the Fire Nation to prove it to Zuko. This is going to be a piece of cake.

(or, Sokka mistakes his crush for just a strong desire to be a guard for Zuko, and Suki is amused)

Moving Mountains

Soulmates are chosen by the spirits and can hear each other’s thoughts. Sokka thinks it’s cheesy and dumb. Zuko thinks it’s poetic justice that he doesn’t have one because he doesn’t deserve it. Cruel irony is finding out that the prince of the Fire Nation (and the person currently hunting you) is your soulmate.

(Set during and after the events of ATLA, and during some of the events of the comics that follow. This was an excuse to write a slow-burn where Sokka and Zuko are soulmates)

Question Marks

Zuko pulls away first. He stares at Sokka and raises his one brow. “You do realise,” he says dryly, “that you just instigated a major international incident?”

Or: Sokka is impulsive. This is a problem. Especially when he ends up kissing the Fire Lord and immediately running away.

sirens & sleepless nights

Life can be pretty hard living in a city under a totalitarian regime. Between adhering to the ridiculous curfew, keeping himself from being gunned down by a passing patrolman, and paying his unnecessary tolls to the state for, say, breathing, Sokka has his hands full just getting to work. Add aiding a resistance group on top of that, and Sokka should really be getting paid for this.

Then, one night, Sokka finds an injured patrolman collapsed in the street, who tells him with blood on his lips, “If the patrol finds me, I’m dead.”

[kitkatopinions]

Is it bad that i want ironwood to be alive in the show and travel with the ace ops and have a redemption? I know most of his fans are happy that he is dead so they cant ruin him anymore but still, his ending is so wrong to me like they redeemed cordo, emerald, FUCKING HAZEL, but not james? I was pulled back into rwby because of james and the atlas arc. v6 last episodes pissed me off so much i didnt even watched the finale to this day but then i saw scenes of james and winter and the ace ops in v7... and now i just want him to swim up from the ruins and be the amazing character he was before v8. His death is so fucking sad to me even with how much they ruined the character... he deserved a redemption arc the most (and better writers, sorry the ask got so long but james ironwood gives me so much feels)

You know, I am right there with you, anon. Here's the thing about James. We didn't see an on screen death and the writers kept his semblance completely unmentioned in volumes seven and eight, but made it public. Yes, Miles Luna said 'rest in pieces' (the total douche) when talking about him in a cameo, but tbh, Miles Luna is sloppy and unprofessional, he could straight up say whatever to try and make the next 'twist' in RWBY surprising.

In fact SPOILER ALERT. I don't remember who, but after Avengers Infinity War when Loki died, people in the project 'confirmed' that Loki was good and truly dead this time, and of course no one believed them and of course no one was surprised to see some version of Loki escape alive in End Game. They had a better ability to twist a not-quite lie out there, due to multiple universes and time travel or whatever (idk the details, I stopped paying attention after I watched and hated Thor Ragnarok.) But still, it stands that if you want to make a character death believable in today's day and age when 'character death' is taken back so regularly and sometimes multiple times per character, writers should A. show the death/show a body (which they didn't do for Ironwood or Watts,) and B. Not leave any character threads hanging.

With Ironwood, they didn't delve into enough emotional responses to things (like Oscar/Oz getting shot off a cliff, or Qrow ever confronting him,) which leaves his story feeling like it lacks a solution and like there's still a lot to be resolved there already. But confirming his semblance outside of the show proper, which seems to act as a form of at least partial mind control, is obviously one giant thread too. Of course, this is MKEK, so the likelihood that they were foolish enough to give Ironwood a semblance that forced his actions at least in part and then not address it, kill him off, and expect everyone to just be happy with that on top of the lack of emotional depth they bothered to give other characters in regards to his 'fall' is high. However, that doesn't make James feel dead, he still doesn't feel like a dead character to me, yet, even if I know a lot of the reasons for that feeling stem from bad writing.

But on top of his semblance being a very big thread that was left untouched, his semblance also would be a very easy out if the writers did want to bring him back or if they wanted to bring him back and redeem him. His semblance could help him survive Atlas and Mantle falling, and it could easily be explained as having pushed him into his acts of villainy. It would still feel like a big ol' retcon (especially with how hard they tried to convince everyone he's pure evil,) but for once, I would like a retcon that actually goes my way in this show. XD

On top of that, you're absolutely right that in the show where Hazel can get 'death equals redemptioned' and tell life lessons to Oscar, Ironwood could be able to be redeemed even without the semblance. In the show where Hazel can beat a child while victim blaming the already-a-victim-of-abuse guy in the kid's head for *checks notes* training young women to be able to fight the soulless monsters who will devour anyone (four to six year old child or not,) and then get redeemed within 24 hours of that... yeah, Ironwood could be able to be redeemed. Emerald can murder Penny, try to kill everyone else at Haven, try to murder Penny again in Atlas, and then join the friend group enough that everyone good naturedly ribs her, including Penny who giggles over Emerald saying 'switched sides' despite the fact that Emerald never once apologized for literally murdering her in cold blood. So yeah, I don't think it'd be off brand of the show to have the 'does bad for good reasons' guy get redeemed even if they did make him express regret that he hadn't tortured children. Clearly, the standard isn't 'if they apologize they're worthy of redemption,' and the standard isn't 'if they only always had good intentions they're worthy of redemption' or 'only kids who are villains can get redeemed,' or even 'so long as they haven't tortured or tried to kill children they're worthy of redemption.'

However, here's where things get a little tricky. Because the standard in RWBY seems to have much more to do with what was done personally against the main group that made them mad or sad, rather than actual moral standings, harm done to the world, intentions, etc. I've talked about that idea in another post, that the show (whether intentionally or otherwise) is treating going against Ruby and her team as worse than actual criminal acts. Emerald's actions are easily brushed aside without her ever admitting she was wrong or trying to apologize, but Ozpin's act of not explicitly trusting Team RWBY with dire secrets months after knowing them is so unquestioningly bad that he has to give an in-depth and very serious apology while explicitly saying he was in the wrong, which the mains then begrudgingly and seriously accept (even though they were laughing with Emerald mere seconds before.) Which isn't to say that I don't think Ozpin had anything to apologize for, just that the framing of Ozpin's dialogue and reception versus Emerald's is ridiculous. Therefore Ironwood being redeemed after wishing he could torture, shooting a child off a high place, and threatening to destroy a town... In the narrative of the show, that can be brushed aside fairly easily. But both the show and the FNDM at large have constructed a narrative where going against the mains is what's treated as hard to come back from and worthy of all the ire and disgust in the world - unless the character comes crawling back, bowing to Ruby's whims in every plan, and regretting ever doubting Ruby's amazing simple soul and the protagonist approved goals she's decided on.

If the price of Ironwood coming back and being redeemed is him kissing up to Ruby and joining the gang of people who just pat her on the back and assure her she doesn't ever need to change or listen to others... I might kindly ask MKEK to keep him dead. Ironwood belongs to his fans now as far as I'm concerned.

They can bring James back, and they even have an easy way to redeem him in their back pocket. But I don't trust them as far as I can throw them, and with the way they've been writing their show, I'd just as soon let James rest.

[persephonesfill]

choke on me—chapter six

breathe me in (prequel fic)

chapter five

chapter seven

a/n: not much to say about this one, i just hope you guys enjoy it!

rating: explicit

warning(s): this chapter contains smut bc i have no self control

—————

Tony is sore in that delicious way that comes with a good fuck, feels the echo of Steve’s cock pressing into him and splitting him in half. It’s not impossible for a man of Tony’s age to get hard so quickly after an orgasm, but definitely improbable. Were he less desperate, less crazed, he might consider the side effects of regularly sleeping with a super-soldier without a condom, but all he really wants is for Steve to fill him up again.

He wants Steve to tie him down like he promised once and leave more bruises and bites, leave his mark on Tony, until there’s no doubt that Tony belongs to him in a way he has only ever belonged to himself.

He says so, and Steve fucks him again, all slow and deep now that they've taken off the edge. Tony spreads his legs willingly, pouring all of the love he has in his body into every kiss, every caress to Steve's skin. He didn't have the courage to say it just yet, but he wants Steve to feel his love. It takes them no time at all to come again, Tony's toes curling, his fingers sinking into Steve's skin.

"God," Steve gasps into Tony's throat as he pulls out of him. Tony's right there with him, his skin hot to the touch, his legs still shaking from the force of his orgasm.

Steve lifts his head from Tony's throat, and Tony brings him down for a kiss. They exchange languid, sweet kisses like they have all the time in the world. They don't. They don't because HYDRA's back and worse than ever, and Tony knows down to the marrow in his bones that there's something else on the horizon. Something ruthless and out for blood.

He wants to savor this moment with Steve, wants to live in it for as long as humanly possible, because who knows when they'll get another moment like it. Unfortunately, Tony's discomfort wins out.

"We're sticky," he says against Steve's lips and wriggles his hips. Steve pulls away from him and glances down, observing the mess they’ve made of each other; Their come and the lube is starting to dry on Tony's skin, leaving it tacky.

"I'm not sorry," Steve says softly. He runs a finger over one of the bruises he left behind on Tony's collarbone, presses a feather-soft kiss there. He does the same to the hickey on Tony's neck and the bruises on his hips and works his way back up to Tony's lips. Steve tastes like salt as Tony moans into his mouth. His cock gives a half-hearted twitch at the thought of one more round with Steve, but another orgasm might actually send him into cardiac arrest.

Tony breaks the kiss and pushes Steve's hair back from his forehead. Two bright blue eyes pierce him like hooks snagging his skin. "I don't expect you to be. Sorry that is," he clarifies at the look of confusion upon Steve's face.

"Come on," Tony murmurs. "Follow me."

Steve does so willingly, easing out of the bed and taking Tony's offered hand. Tony leads him into his bathroom, trying his best to ignore the heat of Steve's stare on his ass.

His shower is large enough to accommodate five grown men and is more than enough space for Tony's purposes. The water kicks on with a hiss, coming down like a bout of summer rain. "Turn around," he murmurs to Steve. Steve does as he's told, and Tony grabs a spare loofah and his body-wash, working it into a good lather. He scrubs Steve's shoulders and his back, his fingers working on loosening any knots he comes across. Steve carries so much tension like he's Atlas, forced to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders for all eternity. Steve moans, his hands pressed against the marble tiles. He pushes back into Tony's touch, his head falling forward into the spray.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can," Tony says. He lets the water run down Steve's back, washing away the suds before he turns him back around to face him. "Because I want to," he whispers like it's a secret. "Is this okay?"

Steve swallows before nodding. Tony repeats the process on Steve's front, running the loofah across Steve's pecs and the firm muscles of his stomach, delighting in the way Steve seemed to tremble at his touch. He's never done this for a partner before. Usually, Tony's dates didn't stay long enough to cuddle, let alone shower together, with the exception of Pepper. But this...it had never been like this. It's like he's discovering a new element again or building his suit for the first time. Bringing something into being that which the world had never seen before.

Steve returns the favor, taking his time as he washes Tony's body, lingering over scars, old and new. He pauses when he reaches Tony's sternum. The skin is smoother there, newer. Tony can hear his heart beating like a war drum in his ears, and he's almost certain Steve can feel it.

Steve places his palm directly over Tony's chest like he's trying to reassure himself that it's still beating. Tony puts his hands over Steve's, effectively trapping him.

"Can you feel it?"

"I can."

"It's because of you," Tony confesses. "I'm alive, Steve. I made it. This is proof, honey."

The pet name slips out unbidden, but Tony doesn't have it in him to take it back. He doesn't want to anymore. And given how Steve's eyes soften at the name, he doesn't want Tony to take it back either.

"They got close today," Steve says. His brow is furrowed, a scowl twisting his features. All of Tony's hard work, trying to get Steve to relax, down the drain. "Too damn close."

"It's going to take more than a bunch of neo-nazis with delusions of grandeur to kill me."

Steve's shivers. Tony doesn't know if it's from the shower or if it's the thought of Tony's heart stopping. Either way, it's time for them to get out. If they stay in here any longer, they'll shrivel up like raisins.

Tony shuts off the shower and loans Steve one of his towels. He shuffles into his bedroom, his exposed skin prickling. Steve stands in the middle of Tony's bedroom, hunched in on himself, almost as if he doesn't know what to do with his body. An uncharacteristic display of shyness from him.

Tony supposes that their day has come to an end; The sun has gone out of sight, the edges of the sky tinged with a thousand shades of pink, orange, and violet. They should eat dinner, and Tony needs to gather up everyone's armor and weaponry for some much needed updates and—

He doesn't want to be alone. And seeing Steve standing there like he has no place in Tony's room, in Tony's life, makes him want to remediate his mistakes. He wants Steve to stay for as long as he wants to.

"Tony, I—"

"Steve, I want—"

"Sorry," Steve blushes. "You first."

Tony’s suddenly aware that they’re just standing there in their towels, nothing else separating them from seeing each other’s bodies. This time feels noticeably different from all the other times they’ve seen each other in the nude. It’s more than his body being laid bare. "Can you...can you stay with me?"

"Tony?" Steve whispers, a little bit of awe seeping into his voice. Tony holds back a flinch, trying to tamp down on the surge of guilt that threatens to choke him. Had he been so cruel to Steve, so sparse with his affection?

"It ends now," he thinks. He'd never make Steve feel like that again, even if it killed him.

"Please?" Tony asks. "I don't...I don't want to be alone. Please stay with me."

“Okay,” Steve says. His voice is softer than Tony’s ever heard it. It strikes a chord within him, like an electric shock directly to his core, leaving him exposed and bleeding. They change the sheets together; Tony doesn’t feel like sleeping in a wet patch if he can help it. It feels intimate yet routine. Like he and Steve have done this a thousand times already.

Dropping their towels, they slide into bed together, tossing and turning until they’re somewhat comfortable, both of them unused to sharing a bed after being alone for so long. Tony curls up into Steve's side, tangling their legs together. Steve's hands stay at his sides, not pulling Tony close but not pushing him away either, making his stomach twist.

He doesn’t want there to be any distance between him and Steve, wants to press against him until he can’t tell where they begin and end.

Steve has that cute little wrinkle in his brow when he's thinking hard about something. His skin burns where it’s pressed against Tony, flushed from the heat of the shower...or maybe Tony’s proximity.

Tony’s lips find their way to the shell of Steve’s ear. “Hold me, please?” he whispers. Steve tenses, every muscle in his body coiled like a tiger ready to strike.

“Please?” he says again, a hint of desperation bleeding into his voice.

Steve’s hands hesitate at his sides before he wraps Tony up in his arms, the full heat of his body engulfing Tony. He melts into Steve’s side, letting a sigh of contentment escape. There’s no sound but the sound of their breathing melding together; Tony’s bedroom might as well be on another planet, he and Steve, the sole occupants. It’s a comfortable silence, one that Tony doesn’t feel the need to fill for once with inane chatter. For the first time in years, he feels safe. He feels loved.

Steve strokes Tony’s arm, his touch far lighter than one would expect from a soldier; he touches Tony like he’s something precious, with the soft, exploring hands of an artist. Of a lover.

Steve’s the one who breaks the silence, clearing his throat before he speaks. “Tony,” he begins. His voice is rough, unsure like he doesn’t know what he wants to say exactly.

Tony hums, signaling that he’s listening.

“Seeing you fall, today...it brought me low."

Tony closes his eyes. What little peace they have falls away. He knew the conversation was coming, but he hoped they’d at least have a day to regroup. He’s had the conversation plenty of times with Pepper, with Rhodey, even with Happy. He’ll hear Steve out, but the second Steve even hints at Tony quitting as Iron Man, he’s digging his feet into the proverbial sand.

“It was like losing Bucky all over again,” Steve continues. He’s stopped caressing Tony but still holds him close, a reassurance. “And if they had gotten your hands on you...like they did to him...God, I don’t—I don’t know what I would have done.”

Despite his body heat, Steve’s words leave Tony cold and shivering. He had prepared for Steve to beg him to stop, to step away from the suit. He hadn’t prepared to think about sharing the same fate as Bucky; Battered and broken, only to be put together worse off than he was. A mindless puppet forced to commit countless horrors. And if HYDRA did it to Bucky, what was stopping them from doing it again, especially since their precious asset was on the run? Who’s to say there wasn’t an army of brainwashed super-soldiers somewhere, ready to usher in HYDRA’s new world order?

Tony closes his eyes, pressing his head against Steve’s skin to clear the chilling image from his brain.

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Steve whispers with a fierceness to his voice. Steve frees one hand and grabs hold of Tony’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. “You hear me? I’d die before I’d let them get to you. To any of you.”

His heart speeds up again, and given their proximity, Steve can surely hear it, how crazy he makes Tony. With a declaration like that, how can he not love Steve with everything he has?

“And what about you?” Tony asks. “Who’s looking out for you?”

Steve swallows. “This isn’t about me.”

“Like hell it is,” Tony snaps, anxiety creeping up on him like a thief. “You’re not the only one who was worried today. If you’re willing to lay your life down for me, at least respect me enough to let me do the same.”

Steve doesn’t speak. Tony doesn’t know if he shocked him or offended him, or perhaps Steve was just thinking over what he would say.

“Is that what you think?” Steve says quietly, hurt coloring his voice. “That I don’t respect you? That I don’t know what you can do? Tony, I admire you. Not for your looks or your money, but for who you are.”

Tony can’t look away. It’s like there’s some electric current going from him to Steve, and the second they break eye contact, it’ll cease to exist.

Steve pushes on. “You have such a big heart, Tony. The world needs you. I need you. So, I’m not going to apologize for wanting to help keep you safe. I know you can take care of yourself, but if something happened to you...something I could've stopped…"

Steve trails off. Tony doesn't want to think about what his death would do to Steve. On many occasions, Tony had learned to never trust people who said they didn't have a dark side because chances were that they were lying. Steve had been his exception. Steve, who held him when he was lonely and drank hot chocolate with him on the nights when his demons got to be too much. How could someone like that have a dark side?

But Tony remembers how Steve fought by his side like a demon, like the god of war himself. What he saw today scratched the surface of how far Steve Rogers would go for someone he loved.

But did he love Tony? Did he love Tony like Tony loves him? Before his anxiety could get the best of him, he pushed the thought from his mind. Regardless of how Steve truly felt, Tony would still care for him. There was no going back. Hell, Tony didn't want to go back. Steve was in his heart now, whether he liked it or not.

"A promise, then," Tony states. "A pact. We protect each other. We take care of each other."

Steve practically pins Tony down with his gaze. Tony wets his lips and finishes with, "We trust each other. Alright?"

"One condition," Steve replies, "and I'll agree. Just promise me one thing."

"And what's that?" Steve's response is instantaneous."Don't pull away from me."

There goes Tony's heart again, beating like it wants to leap out of his chest and directly into Steve's hands. He hears the unspoken words in Steve's condition, and he realizes that that's precisely what he's doing. Handing Steve his heart on a silver platter.

"Here you go. Here's my soul, too. Whatever you want, it's yours," he thinks.

"Okay," Tony says. "I can do that. I have a condition, too."

"What's yours?"

"Don't stop kissing me," Tony says, feeling silly for even saying the words, but Steve doesn't laugh.

Instead, Steve swallows, and in one fluid motion, he's rolling so Tony's beneath him, his arms bracketing Tony's sides.

"I can do that," Steve whispers, stealing the words right from Tony's mouth.

[aangarchy]

The plotholes of book 3

Now I want everyone to hear me out on this one: book 3 is my favorite atla season. I bet it is for a lot of people. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect, far from it actually. This book has some of the biggest plotholes and things that generally do not make sense. My explanation is that this season might have been rushed, but we don’t know that for sure. I’m gonna be talking about these instances and explaining why I think they don’t make sense, and how I think they could have been improved. My opinions, nobody else’s. Feel free to agree or disagree, but do so respectfully. So strap yourselves in, this might be a long post.

1. The war meeting: Zuko joins the gaang right after the invasion happened. Right before this invasion, Ozai held a war meeting because he got intel from Azula about the invasion. There they also discussed what would happen after the invasion and how the comet would come into play. We only found out about what was discussed in this meeting 3 days before the comet, when Zuko chooses to tell the gaang about Ozai’s plan to burn down the world. Zuko however, had known about this for weeks, and only chose to share this information right when Aang decided he would face Ozai after the comet.

Now here’s where this doesn’t make sense to me: why in the hell would he not immediately tell this information as soon as he got to the gaang? Ozai’s plan to burn down the planet is the drop that made the bucket spill for Zuko, it was partially a reason for him to leave, as he didn’t agree with the plans discussed in that meeting. It would have been much easier for the gaang to trust Zuko if only he had opened with “hey I have important intel regarding the firelord’s plans for the comet, maybe it could be useful, also I can teach firebending.” This information is treated like an afterthought when it should have been discussed immediately after.

2. Nobody telling Zuko about the change of plans: this is piggy backing off of the first one. Zuko only told the gaang about Ozai’s plans after Aang and the rest reveal that they’re planning to defeat Ozai after the comet. This is news to Zuko. Why? Let’s say Aang decided he wasn’t ready after the play, seeing his character, although a caricature, die on stage. That must have been jarring for him, especially since everyone in that audience seemed so confident that this would be the outcome. Then we’ll say this play may have been a week, perhaps two weeks before the comet, as they still have time for “time wasting nonsense” to quote Sokka.

So what happened? Did Zuko go to bed immediately after the play and Aang broke the news when Zuko was asleep? Did nobody think “hey the avatar is about to give us important news maybe wake him up”? Did nobody think to tell him after? There’s absolutely no reason as to why Zuko doesn’t know that Aang made this decision, especially since everyone else, including Suki, is aware of it.

3. The southern raiders: this entire episode doesn’t make sense to me. I understand that we needed Katara and Zuko to bond, because Katara still didn’t trust him (with good reason) and in order to win the final battle, trusting each other plays a pretty big part. But going on a rogue mission to get revenge on the man that killed Katara’s mother is a bit of a stretch. First of all Katara and Zuko both act out of character, with Zuko making xenophobic comments towards Aang and Katara basically telling Sokka he didn’t love their mother enough. Second of all, Zuko and Katara basically bring the entire mission in jeopardy by running off and putting themselves in danger. What if they got captured, and now the firenation has the Avatar’s waterbending master AND the traitor prince in custody. What if they got followed back, and the army now knows the location of the Avatar?

Their first move is to invade a watchtower belonging to the fire nation on APPA. The BIGGEST animal you can possibly find. They steal an important map containing information of the positions of the raiders. Then they go to the southern raiders and attack the captain straight on, who even turned out not to be the guy they were looking for, and then they just LEAVE?? It’s not like that captain doesn’t know these people are affiliated with the Avatar, they flew in on APPA for crying out loud, the only flying bison known to exist, which everyone knows belongs to the Avatar. Then they go to a poor town in the firenation and stalk the killer, for Katara then to realise she can’t kill him and they return home, and afterwards they didn’t even apologise to Aang or Sokka for making snide remarks, stealing Appa and running off. Appa isn’t everyone’s pet, he’s Aang’s. They could have at least asked permission, which they didn’t. Aang even called them out on trying to steal Appa. He let them go after, which I still think is a mistake. This episode could have been done in many different ways, and having Katara and Zuko bond could have been done by just letting them TALK to each other. Vigilante justice missions should be the last thing on your mind when you’re about to embark on a mission of which the outcome will change the world forever.

4. Aang’s pacifist agenda: don’t get me wrong, Aang not wanting to kill the firelord makes complete sense, especially because he even refuses to eat animals. That’s not the part that seems off to me. What seems off to me, is that Aang only talked about not being willing to kill like 2 days before the comet. If he only realised he didn’t want to kill right then, what exactly was his plan for the invasion? Why does it seem like he’s prepared to do anything to end the war during the invasion, but right before the comet he gets to his senses and talks about not wanting to kill another human? If the invasion had succeeded, did everyone expect Aang to kill, and did Aang have a completely other plan? Did Aang think they were just gonna capture the firelord and be done with it? I feel like they should have been clearer about the invasion plan and wether or not the intention was to kill or not. “Defeat” the firelord is too vague, because it could mean a bunch of other things before it means kill. It’s not like the word “kill” is too harsh for Nickelodeon, hell they have an entire debate on to kill or not to kill right before the final showdown. So why was this even a debate? And why right before the finale?

5. Combustion man not listening to Zuko: this one’s a short one. Zuko was the one who paid combustion man to kill the Avatar. With that he also demanded this to be in silence, he didn’t want the world to know that Aang was still alive. It’s why combustion man burned down that letter when those two guards saw Aang and tried to warn the firelord by messenger hawk. So now let’s fast foreward to combustion man’s last fight at the Western Airtemple. He’s attacking everyone down below, and Zuko swoops in trying to stop him. Combustion man however, throws Zuko off with ease. Zuko tries to make him stop by telling him he’ll pay double. Combustion man doesn’t listen and even goes as far as to blast Zuko off of the cliff. What exactly is combustion man’s motivation to not listen to Zuko and continue attacking the gaang? Did he get a better offer from someone else, maybe the firelord? Did he find Aang’s wanted poster and realise the payment was more than what Zuko offered? He’s a mercenary, an assassin, he gets paid by other people to do the dirty work, it’s not like the writers established that he’s a bounty hunter. What was combustion man’s reason for ignoring his recruiter? Did he know Zuko was a traitor, and if he did, why did he care?

This is it for now, I know it’s not a scandalous amount, but it’s still a lot considering this is an otherwise very thought out show. Overall I think this book needed more communication in between characters, and more heartfelt scenes. It’s still my favorite season though.

[jyndor]

more word vomit on avatar and how it frames marginalized peoples’ desire for revenge from an american, just what the world needed right now

so I have a lot of thoughts about how avatar frames vengeance and forgiveness, in particular for people who are the victims of imperial destruction. I do understand why people think that wanting revenge can make people bitter and disallow healing, and there is some validity to this. and resentment definitely can be an obstacle to healing emotional pain.

hama is a woman traumatized by the genocide of her people, by the unending cruelty of fire nation imperialism. when she develops her bloodbending skills, she feels like she is taking back some control from those who wronged not just her but her culture and civilization. but by becoming the titular puppetmaster, she is victimizing fire nation civilians who have done nothing to her.

she serves as an important foil to katara. in her conversation with zuko in crossroads of destiny, she tells him that he represents the fire nation in her mind, and she even says she is wrong to do that (which is kind of funny given that he did fuck with the gaang a LOT. she would have good reason to think of zuko’s face as being the face of an empire she hates when during a big chunk of the journey, he was the one coming after them) since her pain stems from her mother’s murder. and zuko is not the man who murdered kya.

when the gaang travels through the fire nation, katara is the first to really recognize the impact that imperialism has had on the fire nation’s own citizens. she risks sokka’s timeline and lies to the group about appa being sick just to become the painted lady and save some fire nation citizens. when these people realize that a waterbender has appropriated their sacred spirit, they are furious until sokka tells them that they can fuck off with their shit, and that they are alive to be pissed at her because katara saved them. still katara feels guilty about potentially desecrating such a culturally and spiritually important figure for these people.

when she and zuko go on their glorious ninjas of love and revenge journey to fuck up the southern raiders, katara decides to spare the life of her mother’s killer because she realizes that avenging kya is not going to bring her back or make katara feel better. she would just be killing a shitty old man who doesn’t even care about what he did.

I’ve already talked a bit about why I feel like aang’s forgiveness shit in that episode is fucking stupid and out of character, so I am not going there right now. katara explicitly didn’t forgive yon rha, but she was able to forgive zuko, and this is where I’m gonna bring hama back into this. katara forgiving zuko for the wrongs he did (specifically betraying her in the catacombs of love) makes sense because zuko worked to redeem himself and to make up for his actions. 

we don’t know a lot about what hama’s experience was like in the village or while running her inn. aang’s assumption upon hearing that people are going missing in the woods is that the villagers are doing something to make a spirit angry. and that’s interesting, because in the end we are to assume that they didn’t do anything except live as fire nation citizens in a fire nation village unlucky enough to be near hama’s inn.

her desire for justice warping into bitterness and insanity is kind of the crux of the episode. hama ends up imprisoned by the fire nation once again, and this time it’s not because she’s a waterbender standing up to fire nation imperial might, it’s because she hurt innocent people with her waterbending.

and here is where I get conflicted. those fire nation people never did anything to hama in the same way that I personally never did anything to peoples who have been harmed by american imperialism, but because I am an american citizen, and in particular a white american citizen, I have benefited from the violence done to those peoples and their cultures. and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that those villagers probably are not against fire nation imperialism.

it doesn’t even matter since the point the writers are trying to make is that when your need for justice turns into a need for indiscriminate vengeance, you end up re-victimizing yourself above all else. I think that is an interesting message.

but that brings me to jet.

so jet is way more sympathetic than hama, and it’s not just because he’s a cutie. he is literally the leader of a guerilla group called the freedom fighters, which lol I see you and your social commentary, atla. being "freedom fighters” is how western powers have historically framed the “good” rebels in any given conflict. jet isn’t deliberately targeting innocent civilians, but he isn’t going to stop his attacks just because they might become collateral damage.

jet blurring the lines between fighting for liberation and being a terrorist is a nuanced take on the issue, especially considering when the show aired. jet is characterized by his justifiable anger at the fire nation. he has legitimate grievances, personal grievances.. the irony is that he is willing to put his own people at risk just to get back at the fire nation.

in the second season, despite genuinely wanting to change his ways, jet’s hatred of anyone who is fire nation is what gets him imprisoned and later killed... by his own people, no less. he isn’t smart about how he fights against fire nation imperialism. he loses the moral high ground when he loses sympathy for two refugees just because he thinks he sees iroh heat up his tea with firebending. forget for a moment that zuko and iroh are in fact firebenders and that iroh in particular is quite responsible for damage done to the earth kingdom. when jet decides to go after them, he still thinks of them as refugees. and despite knowing this, jet can’t accept that the fire nation has also hurt its own people in its fight for supremacy.

the story about jet isn’t necessarily dealing with forgiveness, in the same way that hama is never asked to forgive the fire nation for its crimes against her and her people. the narrative suggests that both jet and hama would have been better served if they hadn’t associated fire nation randos with the fire nation military and government. if they had just aimed their anger at the fire nation government.

which... okay, come on. like, I appreciate that I personally have not dropped bombs on weddings in iraq (which of course is itself an invention of the west), but my government is still my government, my tax dollars are my tax dollars. I’m not gonna be offended by some guy in iraq hating americans indiscriminately even though I personally object to my government’s foreign policy. my personal objections didn’t save that guy’s family. murdering american civilians to avenge murdered innocent civilians would be a bad thing, and legitimate grievances wouldn’t stop the us from probably nuking everyone at this point so like I really don’t recommend it.

but the feelings? well, I can’t argue against them because I’ll never, ever understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of american empire.

context is ALWAYS important. avatar ran in the mid 2000s, during the height of the wars in afghanistan and iraq. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a story about how imperialism harms children took off during a time when these illegal wars of aggression were becoming less and less popular in the states. it is also an american show, written by americans for an american audience. it appropriates several cultures to which the creators do not belong, and it does so lovingly and respectfully... sometimes.

centering conversations about imperialism on the forgiveness of the marginalized peoples is... kinda weird. given that a lot of the peoples that inspired different aspects of the show have been oppressed by western imperialism - the inuit people obviously inspired the southern water tribe, the sun warriors are an amalgamation of different mesoamerican civilizations, the swamp water tribe is influenced by cajun people, not to mention the massive influence drawn from chinese cultures - I think we should have seen some post-war stories in the show (fuck the comics, if you care about things enough to write extra materials, put them in the main medium of your fucking story since otherwise most people will not see them).

stories about reparations from the fire nation. stories about the ethics of removing the descendants of fire nation colonists from the earth kingdom. stories about zuko and katara searching for ursa lol I’m sorry. I think an american audience could have really benefited from those stories.

idk guys, what do you think?

[jouretnuit-nightandday]

let me have a dance with her

Bumbleby Week Day 1 - Atlas Ball

They haven’t had much time to talk after getting to Atlas, though Yang wonders if they even need words at this point. They’ve both felt it, the shifting of their relationship, inevitable and immense like the shifting of continental plates. One minute they were still mending, dancing around each other, the tension palpable. The next, they’ve watched Adam fall to his death, blood staining his shirt, and Blake is crying on her knees, and Yang’s arms are around her, and everything’s changed.

Or: It’s the worst party ever, but Yang and Blake still find each other.

Yang usually loves parties, but this has got to be the worst she’s ever been to.

Everything about it feels stifling - the crowd of people dressed in their fanciest clothes, the chatter of conversation, incessant and grating, the air, heavy with perfume and incense and candles and the sour smell of sweat underneath it all.

She’s standing near a glass door that leads out to the garden, eyes scanning the crowd. She has no trouble finding Ruby and Jaune hovering not too far from Ironwood, who’s busy talking with a group of high-ranking Atlas military personnel. It takes her a little more time, but eventually she spots the rest of her friends, all engaged in conversation with various guests.

(Weiss is talking to Winter, hands crossed in front of her, and if Yang didn’t know her as well as she does, she wouldn’t notice the way her knuckles have turned white, the fragile tautness of her back, like a bowstring ready to snap. Yang’s heart aches for her, but she doesn’t move. She knows Weiss can handle whatever this is, and she also knows Weiss will call for help if she needs it.)

She sighs and takes a sip of her drink - some sort of creamy cocktail she hates - while she looks around for potential targets. It’s their goal after all, the whole point of going to this stupid, terrible party in Atlas: gathering information, making people talk, looking for any trace of Salem’s influence, any indication of where the war will hit next.

Yang hasn’t done much of that, so far. People here are just so fucking delicate, so poised and polished - they make her feel inadequate, awkward, too big and too loud and too much, a goliath in a dust shop. So she drinks, and flexes the fingers of her metal hand, and eyes the crowd, and reflects on the fact that this is the first party she’s ever hated so much.

She loves parties where people are happy, that’s the thing. There’s a way to loose yourself in a party, with the music and the lights and alcohol and bodies pressed close together and the sound of laughter. Yang grew up in a quiet house, after Summer died. A loving house, certainly, built by her father who, despite losing so much, still found the strength to give his children a home. But a quiet house nonetheless, so filled with absence and ghosts that even the babbling of her little sister couldn’t drown out the grief.

So Yang is drawn to the noise and the fun and the fleeting joy of parties. And this one has none of it.

She tries to smile at an older woman wearing an extravagant hat with silver feathers - the woman ignores her pointedly. Yang rolls her eyes, takes another sip. On the right side of the room, Blake is standing beside a marble column, talking with a man sporting the most ridiculous mustache Yang’s ever seen. He’s a little taller than her, and leans his head down to say something close to her ear. Yang catches Blake’s eyes, and winks. Blake rolls her eyes, clearly bored out of her mind. Yang hides a snort of laughter in her cocktail. The man smiles, Blake smiles too, and says something that makes him laugh. She’s good at this, Yang thinks, with pride. The daughter of a diplomat, through and through. She will be a great leader, someday, when the war is over and they have a future to think of.

A future. Yang can’t imagine a future without Blake, and now there’s something tightening inside her stomach, something pressing, urgent. She wishes she could just grab Blake’s hand and leave, and talk about their future, maybe. They haven’t had much time to talk after getting to Atlas, though Yang wonders if they even need words at this point. They’ve both felt it, the shifting of their relationship, inevitable and immense like the shifting of continental plates. One minute they were still mending, dancing around each other, the tension palpable. The next, they’ve watched Adam fall to his death, blood staining his shirt, and Blake is crying on her knees, and Yang’s arms are around her, and everything’s changed.

Blake brings her cup to her lips. The crystal lamps hanging low make her look ethereal, almost, in her black and purple dress, like a character out of a fairy tale, an enchantress, a queen. She’s wearing a bow, and Yang wants nothing more than to tug it out and free her ears, thread her fingers in the silklike softness of Blake’s dark hair.

Someone bumps into her, shaking her out of her reverie. “Yang, we’re supposed to be mingling”, Nora whispers way too loud. Inexplicably, she’s managed to get ahold of a full platter of dainty little fishcakes. There’s a waiter looking baffled and kind of scared on the other side of the room - Yang has no idea what went down, but she winces in sympathy nonetheless. “Stop staring at Blake and go talk to people!”

She stuffs an entire cake in her mouth - Yang can’t help but be impressed - and winks. “Or, you know, go talk to her, and ask her for a dance, lovergirl!”

Nora punches Yang’s shoulder, hard enough that if Yang were anyone else she’d be left with a bruise, and saunters over to where Ren is politely listening to a couple of old men wearing monocles and, absurdly, powdered wigs.

Yang turns her eyes back to Blake, but she’s disappeared in the ever-moving crowd. She sighs, takes one last look at her sad half-empty cup, and decides she’s had enough. She leaves the cup on a nearby table, and slips through the glass door, into the garden.

Outside the air is cold and sharp, refreshingly clear. It smells crisp, of fresh snow and something minty. Yang takes a breath, feels her lungs ache a little, pleasantly so, and rolls her shoulders. She’s in a paved alleyway, surrounded by marble sculptures and trees covered in a thin layer of ice. The music still comes through the opened window, and without the rest of the party, Yang can finally appreciate the lilting melody. The band is playing a classical piece, an atlesian waltz, both beautiful and melancholic. She closes her eyes, savoring the moment.

A sudden noise makes her jolt. A little further up the alley, in the semi-darkness, there’s something…someone? Yang takes a step forward, muscles tensing instinctively. “Is someone there?”

She hears shuffling, light footsteps, and then she blinks, taken aback. It’s a group of children, hiding in the garden, hesitantly walking toward her. Five of them, all dressed in warm and practical clothes, though not fancy enough to look like they belong in the party. Two of them are Faunus, siblings probably, with nearly identical dog ears amid dark curls of hair. The oldest looking one, who must be around ten, maybe twelve, pushes the other kids behind him, protectively. He’s glaring at Yang with outright suspicion. Yang relaxes her whole body, drops her shoulders, opens her hands, makes herself look as harmless as possible.

“Hello,” she says, with a smile. “I’m Yang.”

“Hi!” a little girl replies, cheerfully, before the older boy shushes her. “You from the party?” he asks, still frowning.

Yang nods. “Wasn’t much fun, so I decided to come out here. Lucky I did, cause clearly I found the real party!”

She winks at the kids, and they relax, all at once. She knows she’s won them over, so she crouches down to their level, and they come closer, curiously eyeing her metal arm, her wild hair, the shiny material of her ball dress. Yang pokes at the little girl, who giggles, delighted by the attention.

“What are you guys doing out here?” she asks. One little boy with dog ears and curly hair points at the door she just came through, rubs his neck. “Mama said we can’t go in, but we wanna listen to the pretty music. Are we in trouble?”

She shakes her head. “No, you’re not in trouble. It is very beautiful music.”

The older boy extends a hand. “I’m Max. Our parents are all working tonight, in the kitchen and stuff, so we’re waiting for them to go home. But we snuck outside to hear the music.”

Yang shakes his hand, gravely. “That was a smart move. I did the same thing.”

Max grins, looking down at their joined hands. “Do you know how to dance the atlesian waltz?” Yang nods, amused by his excitement, now that he’s no longer scared of her. “Would you, huh, teach me?” he asks, a little shy.

She laughs. “Sure thing.” She stands up, pulling him towards her. The other kids scatter in a half-circle, wide-eyed and fascinated. “Okay, so first you need to face me and put your other hand on my shoulder.”

It’s a little awkward - Yang is so much taller than him - but they manage a semi-correct position. Yang taps his feet with her own to widen his stance, then places her hand on his waist. “Okay, now listen to the rhythm of the music - one two three, one two three. We’re gonna follow the rhythm. Look at my feet.”

She leads him through the steps, and they start dancing clumsily. He’s clinging hard at her dress, a little unsure, and the line of his shoulders is too stiff - he almost trips a few times. Yang stays gentle, guiding him back to the rhythm again and again every time he falters. It reminds her, weirdly, of teaching Ruby how to swim - the patient repetition.

Max is not a bad dancer, and when he’s mastered the steps, Yang tries something a little more challenging. The other kids clap and cheer as Yang twists and turns the two of them around, her golden dress flowing in the cold air. She’s so focused on the dance - and on not stepping on poor Max’s feet - that she doesn’t notice when the other kids stop cheering, until there’s a hand on Max’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Blake says, to Max, with a kind smile. “Would you let me have a dance with her?”.

The boy glances at Yang, steps back, and suddenly his little hand on Yang’s shoulder is replaced by Blake’s, suddenly Blake is standing in front of her, face to face, her hair glowing under the moonlight, eyes brighter than any star above.

Yang feels warm all over. She rests a hand on Blake’s waist, almost shyly, and grabs her other hand. Blake’s skin is soft under her fingers, and familiar. They lock eyes, and start moving with the music, twirling on the icy paved alleyway, feet perfectly in synch. The children are standing on the side, watching them with awe and delight - the little girl’s mouth opens comically wide. Yang smiles, soft.

“What are you doing out here?” she asks Blake, low as a whisper, before spinning her around and back in her arms.

“I was looking for you,” Blake says, simply. She smiles too. The music slows, and she presses herself against Yang, until their bodies melt into one, cheek to cheek, heart to heart. “I couldn’t handle the party anymore, I just wanted to be with you,” she murmurs into Yang’s ear.

Yang trails her hand until it rests on the curve of Blake’s lower back, metal arm circling around her waist. “Me too.”

“Are you okay?” The words are soft, but sincere, and there’s genuine concern in Blake’s eyes. Maybe she’s wondering what drove Yang outside the ballroom. Yang’s chest fills with affection and gratitude.

She brings her other hand up to cup the back of Blake’s neck, and now the dance looks more like a swaying hug. “I’m great. Except…”

“Yes?” Blake breathes out. Her own arms are tight around Yang, fingers digging a little into the bare skin of her shoulder blades.

“Except I really want to kiss you right now,” Yang murmurs. She feels Blake shivering under her hands, feels the way her breath stutters out of her lungs, and she’s not nervous, not at all. It feels right, and the moment is perfect - the two of them in an iced garden under the moonlight, having just escaped the rigidity of atlesian etiquette.

Blake leans away a little, so she can look up and into Yang’s eyes. Yang reads wonder on her face, but also something else, something unwavering, the tranquil strength of absolute certainty. So she lets Blake tugs her head a little lower, until their noses are touching, until Blake’s lips meet hers.

It’s the gentlest kiss, the brush of butterflies wings against one another, yet it’s powerful enough to shake mountains inside Yang’s heart. Her cheeks burn, every inch of her skin is tingling, down to her fingertips. Blake kisses her again, a little rougher this time, capturing her lower lip between her teeth for the briefest instant. Yang feels on the verge of falling. Maybe she already did.

But she hears a small gasp, from behind her, then a giggle, and a couple shushing sounds.

Right. “We have an audience,” Yang murmurs against Blake’s mouth.

Blake chuckles and lets go of her, taking a step back. “Maybe we should go back to this later, in private.” Her expression shifts to something hesitant, and she blushes, pretty pink. “I mean. If you want to?”

“Yeah,” Yang says, catching Blake’s hand in her own, squeezing once. “I’d like that.”

The little girl comes up to Blake, and tugs at the side of her dress. “Excuse me,” she says, very solemn and obviously imitating Blake from a few minutes ago. “Can I have the next dance?”

Blake smiles, before schooling her expression into seriousness. “It would be my honor.”

She hoists the child on her hip, and starts spinning, and Yang watches her, her heart beating steadily in her chest, sure, like she’s never been before, of what she feels and what she wants.

Blake and Yang spend the rest of the evening laughing and dancing with children and looking at each other, thinking of their first kiss under the stars, and of many more to come, and when it’s time to leave, Yang sighs, happily.

See, now that’s the kind of parties she loves.

[ft-dads-au]

The Princess and the Knight

Femslash Fairies 2020 Prompt: Fairy Tale Pairing(s): Erza x Mirajane, Gray x Natsu A Collaboration by @mdelpin​​ and @oryu404​​

AO3 | FF.Net

May 16, 2021

“Are you sure he’s going to be fine with you guys?” Gray fretted nervously even though he could already see that Aki was perfectly happy sitting next to Atlas on the sofa, both kids focused on the cartoon that was playing on the TV.

“He’ll be fine,” Erza declared, flashing him a reassuring smile, “You’re actually doing us a favor. Atlas is much easier to manage when Aki is around. Just go and have a good time, we’ll call if anything comes up.”

The sound of Natsu’s footsteps coming down the stairs echoed all around them, and it didn’t escape Erza’s attention that Gray had already begun to smile at the sound. It warmed her heart to see it. She’d never expected Natsu to find love again so soon after Lisanna, and she knew he still had some trouble accepting it, but she truly believed these two were right for each other.

Gray wasn’t the only one who was aware of Natsu’s imminent arrival, both boys looked up from the cartoon expectantly and were not disappointed as Natsu lunged himself at them in a mock tackle, both boys giggling as their sides were tickled.

Erza let them play for a minute, knowing the boys had been waiting but soon reminded her brother of his plans. “Hey, don’t you guys have to be somewhere at 8?”

“Oh yeah!” Natsu flashed a grin at his sister, a recent development that she was thrilled with, having thought at one point that she’d never see it again. “Monster trucks wait for no man.”

“Monster trucks?” Gray groaned in protest, “Seriously? What are we, five?”

“Hey, last week we went to the stuck up wine thing you wanted, it’s my turn to pick. Trust me, you’ll love it!”

Erza went into the kitchen, ignoring the bickering that was still going on behind her. She found Mira peering through a book as she waited for the microwave popcorn to finish popping.

“What’s that?”

“Oh! It’s a book that Aki gave me when they got here, I guess it’s a collection of fairy tales,“ Mira explained as she handed the book over to Erza, “I was just looking through it. It’s pretty cool.”

Erza read the title on the cover, ‘The Enchanted Closet’ by Rogue Eucliffe, illustrated by Juvia Lockser. “Rogue wrote this, huh? That’s surprising, he didn’t strike me as the fairy tale type of guy.”

“I know, right?” Mira chuckled, “They’re not like any of the conventional fairy tales, though. The one Aki showed me is about a princess and a female knight. I skimmed it a little, it looks good.”

“Well, assuming we ever get them to bed, I look forward to reading it. Hana might get a kick out of the story too. Did you know that when I was little, I dreamed of being a knight” Erza giggled at the memory as the microwave beeped, “I used to chase poor Natsu around the house with our dad’s practice swords all the time, our cat too! ”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Mira grinned, “I kind of liked the idea of being a princess myself.”

They poured the popcorn into several bowls and took them and some juice boxes out to the living room where Natsu and Gray were still saying goodbye to the kids, Hana having joined them.

“Will you both get out of here already?” Mira groaned.

“Right!” Natsu smiled sheepishly, looking slightly uncomfortable at Mira’s presence.

Mira sighed at him, “You have to get over this, I’m fine with it. Now go, have fun.”

“Okay,” Natsu bowed his head slightly before grabbing on to Gray’s arm and dragging him out the door, calling out to the kids, “Please be good for your aunties.” before closing the door behind them.

“It’s going to take him a while to not feel guilty,” Erza reminded her, “especially around you.”

“I know it’s just, he should be able to realize that Lis would have wanted him to be happy.”

“Give him time, all of this is a big adjustment,” Erza advised as she wedged herself in between Atlas and Hana, “Now, what are we going to watch?”

Mira climbed on the sofa, placing Atlas on her lap so she could sit next to Erza. It wasn’t long before Atlas tugged at Aki’s hand, urging him to sit with Erza so they could be next to each other again, and to Erza’s surprise, Aki complied.

They let Hana pick the movie and settled in comfortably to watch.

~~~

“Alright, time for bed!” Erza clapped her hands with a smile once the credits started to roll, “It’s way past your bedtime already.”

Mira helped Atlas change into his pajamas while Erza did the same for Aki, and Hana dressed herself, recounting all of her favorite parts of the movie. They all went to the bathroom to make sure the kids brushed their teeth well, and then it was time to wish each other a good night.

“Story?” Aki bounced on his feet in hopeful excitement, soon joined by Atlas.

“Of course, I made sure to bring your book upstairs with us,” Mira chirped, showing the book to the kids. Secretly, she was just as excited as they were to dive into the story she’d caught a glimpse of earlier. “But just one story, and then it’s time for you to sleep.”

Hana and the boys huddled together under the sheets in Natsu’s bed, their eager faces waiting while Mira grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to the bed. Erza took a seat right beside her, on the edge of the mattress, straightening her skirt as she sat down.

“The Princess And The Knight?” Mira asked, flipping through the pages of the book in search of the story. A loud, excited yes came from all three children, causing her to chuckle with delight.

“Alright then, I found it!” She made herself comfortable in her seat and brought her index finger to her lips, signaling for the kids to be quiet.

“So, Once upon a time…”

Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a girl, the only daughter of the town’s blacksmith. Her mother had died when she was young, so she spent her days at her father’s side, helping him with his forge and learning how to craft beautiful weapons. She especially loved his swords, which though ornate, were perfectly balanced.

Her father didn’t only teach her how to make the weapons, he taught her how to use them as well, and many a pleasant night was spent sparring as she learned how to fight to defend herself and protect others.

Over the years, her skills grew, and she would fight anyone who would accept her challenge, including the knights who commissioned weapons from her father. Much to her father’s satisfaction, she soon surpassed even them.

Yes, the girl was a talented swordswoman, but she was also rather lonely. Even though she was quite beautiful, with long scarlet hair that flowed down to her waist in soft curls, and kind eyes that shone as beautifully as any brown diamond, she was also intimidating.

Mira peered at Erza over the edge of the book, barely containing her glee when she caught the other woman rolling her eyes at her, and quickly continued.

The boys shunned her because they could not best her, and the girls didn’t quite know what to make of her strange ways. No matter how much she tried to fit in, her advances were always shunned. And soon, she stopped trying, resigning herself to a life of loneliness. She resolved to work even harder to become a knight, even though no woman had ever achieved it, a fact that only made her more determined.

It was around this time that she began to hear of a princess trapped in a tower from the knights that often visited her father. Full of curiosity and always eager for a tale, she asked her father if he knew anything about it.

“What do you know of this princess the knights were talking about?” she asked him one evening as they sat by the fire after their evening meal.

“Do you mean the demon princess?”

“A demon princess?” The girl repeated eagerly, her curiosity aroused even further.

Her father chuckled, beckoning her to his side, and as she sat at his feet he grabbed a silver hairbrush which had belonged to her mother and began to brush out her hair, “It doesn’t matter how old you get Pet, you still love a good story. Let me see, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of it before, this story has been going around for a long time. It began when I was a boy.

“Not too far from here, there lived a beautiful princess. The firstborn child of a king and queen that ruled over a vast and prosperous kingdom. She had been born with hair as white as snow, and eyes as blue as a summer sky, a recessive trait in the royal family that prophesied demonic powers.”

“Just like us, auntie Mira!” Atlas exclaimed excitedly.

“Well, you two definitely have a demonic side to you every now and then,” Erza joked, dodging a playful swat from Mira, “See?”

“Just let me finish the story! Now, where was I…”

“Yet as far as anyone could see, the princess was an angel, sweet and kind with no hint of malice to be found anywhere. ‘Much like you, my Pet,’ her father declared, and the girl rejoiced at the pride she heard in his words.

“But there were those that still believed that the princess held great power, strong demonic magic that had not yet manifested. So they sent an army to the kingdom, determined to capture her and control her magic to their will. This much I know to be true, for I remember seeing the clouds of smoke from the battle, which went on for days.

“The King tried to protect his family, but their kingdom was a peaceful one, the soldiers no match for the veterans that were at their door. One by one, her family fell dead trying to protect the princess, and all she could do was cry in fear.

“But then something peculiar happened. The pain and loss the princess suffered awakened the very demon that had lain dormant inside her and might have remained so had she been left alone.

“Those soldiers went in expecting to face an angel, but they were met with the wrath of a demon. None of them left that castle with their life.

“The princess, not used to the strange magic, collapsed from the strain and was locked away in the tallest tower of the castle, one of the few parts of the structure that was still standing. Wizards from the Magic Council set many measures in place to dissuade those who would attempt to obtain her power from ever being able to reach her. At least that’s what people say, but I don’t think that’s what happened at all.”

“What is it you think happened, Father?” the girl asked with interest, knowing her father to be a wise man.

“I think the demon princess was so horrified by her actions that she used the last remnants of her emerging magic to enchant the woods around the castle and set up trials and obstacles to prevent anyone from ever getting to her again. Then she locked herself in the tower, determined to keep her demon from hurting anyone else,“ he declared, his words laced with great pity as he continued to brush the girl’s hair.

The girl remained quiet for a few moments, considering her father’s words before asking a question, “Surely she must have known it wasn’t her fault. She was attacked, did she not have the right to defend herself?”

“It’s not so easy to deal with the guilt of taking a life, Pet, regardless of the circumstances. She was a young girl, and she was forced to endure a lot of death and violence. I would not blame her for wanting to hide away.

“Regardless of how it may have happened, many men have tried and failed to reach her. Some following tales of her beauty, while others sought control of her power, but none have ever succeeded. The few that have returned have never been the same again. They speak of monsters and other horrors, but their tales are all different, which I have always found interesting.”

“What do you think it would take to rescue her?”

“I think it would require a noble knight, one who only wished to free her for her own sake.”

The girl frowned, “Why must it always be men who perform the great deeds, Father? Women are just as capable, are they not?”

“I never said it had to be a man, dear heart, “ the blacksmith retorted, eyes twinkling, “You did. I firmly believe the measure of a person lies in their heart, not their gender. And frankly, I know of no one with a purer heart than yours. If you set your mind to it, I have no doubt you could reach the princess, and convince her to return to the world she left behind.”

The story of the demon princess captivated the blacksmith’s daughter, staying with her as she grew older. The idea that she could be the one to rescue the princess had taken hold of her, giving her life a purpose it had previously been lacking.

Once she came of age, she decided to set out on a quest. To prove her skills and worth as a true knight, and to free the demon princess from the terrible fate she’d met.

‘How lonely she must’ve been in that tower all those years ’, the girl thought, especially if what her father believed was true.

She ventured out into the world, armed with nothing but a satchel of traveling supplies, and her own sword, the finest ever made by her father. She walked for many days until she came upon a large field covered in flowers of every color imaginable.

The girl had never seen anything like it before, and she spent quite some time examining all the different types of flowers. She soon decided she’d bring some to the princess, a small reminder of the beauty that lay beyond the confines of her tower.

Once she’d picked the most beautiful flowers she could find, the girl moved on, eventually reaching the enchanted forest that surrounded the castle. At first glance, it looked no different than the woods near her own village, so she entered it bravely, choosing the path she thought would lead her to the castle.

Soon, she began to hear noises, the crunching of twigs behind her, and unnatural growls, but she continued on, remembering how her father had said no one had ever had the same story.

The girl believed the trick to getting through this obstacle was courage. If the princess hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone else, then it was likely that none of the things she would see or hear were real. She believed that with all her heart, and so she continued on her path, trying her best to ignore the sounds that came ever closer.

It was night time when the first creature approached her. It was wolflike in appearance, although it was larger than any wolf she had ever seen. With red glowing eyes that hinted at great cunning. It howled loudly, and soon others came, surrounding her and cutting her off from any means of escape. Their fangs dripped with saliva, making them look ravenous. They growled as one and moved ever closer.

The girl’s heart raced in her chest, but she slowly removed her sword from its scabbard and held it in front of her to boost her courage. Reminding herself that nothing in the forest could hurt her, she ignored the wolves, pretending as if they weren’t even there. With her head held high, she took a shaky step forward. The first one was the hardest, but once she realized the wolves were only looking at her with mild interest, she continued on her path, soon reaching what seemed to be a garden maze, the likes of which she had only seen in storybooks. There was no way around it.

The hedges that made up the maze’s walls were tall and impossibly neat, giving proof of its magical origin. The girl soon realized it would be incredibly easy to lose her bearings once inside, so she climbed the tallest tree she could find, trying to see the inside of the maze, but no matter how high she climbed, the hedges seemed to grow taller blocking her view. It was pointless to continue, there was but one course left to her. She would have to figure out the maze as she went, but it would have to wait until the following day. It was dark, and she was tired. She settled down to sleep in front of the entrance content in the knowledge that she had made it past the first obstacle.

“What are you doing here?” A voice asked from behind her, and when the girl turned to see who it was, she was stunned.

A beautiful girl sat atop one of the wolf creatures from the forest, her long white hair billowing around her even though there was no wind, while her blue eyes peered at the knight with open curiousity.

“I’ve come to rescue the princess,” the knight replied simply.

“Why would you want to do that? Do you seek her power?”

“I seek nothing but to free her from her tower.”

The girl snorted, “Likely story, they always want something.”

“I do want something,” the knight confessed, her cheeks coloring at her admission. She grabbed her satchel and searched for the flowers she had carefully packed, taking them out to show the girl she suspected of being the princess. To her dismay, the flowers had wilted and now looked pitiful, “I was hoping to make a friend.”

The girl looked intrigued, She climbed down from the wolf, grabbing the flowers from the knight. “Let me see those.”

She blew softly on the wilted flowers, and much to the knight’s surprise, they perked right back to life.

“These are very beautiful, thank you,” the girl smiled, her eyes twinkling with the force of it. “A female knight, huh? Perhaps you might be different from the others after all. We shall see.”

“Remember to follow the flowers,” she proclaimed before climbing back on the wolf and disappearing into the night.

The knight jerked awake to find it was already morning. She scrambled to her satchel, dumping out the contents on the ground only to find the flowers she had picked so carefully were nowhere to be found. Not sure what to believe, she chose some of her provisions and ate a small breakfast, placing the rest of the items back inside the satchel.

She entered the maze slowly, keeping her eyes on the hedges. If they could grow taller, there was no doubt in her mind that they might also be able to move. She had a feeling this obstacle was going to be difficult. Each direction looked much the same as any other, and so she picked one at random, hitting dead end after dead end. It took her hours to reach the center, and she was growing discouraged. It was when she looked for her water canteen that she noticed the solitary red flower that grew on one of the hedge walls. It seemed almost exactly like one of the flowers she had picked the day before.

Remember to follow the flowers, the words came into her mind unbidden, and she blinked slowly as the dream reasserted itself. She thought about whether she had noticed any flowers before but couldn’t recall, having been too focused on keeping track of whether she was walking in circles.

But now that she had seen one, she followed the direction it pointed out, finding more and more flowers along the way until she finally made her way to the exit where someone was waiting for her.

Or rather something. A creature with pointed ears, wings like a bat, a reptilian tail, and long, sharp claws stood before her. The demon’s eyes were as white as her hair, and her skin was pale, almost translucent, showing the black veins that ran underneath it.

The girl knight took a shuddering breath as she faced her adversary, drawing her sword yet keeping her distance and assuming a defensive stance. The demon opened her mouth, but all that came out was a diabolical screech, and when she lunged at her, the girl knight had no choice but to engage in battle. Blow after blow, the polished metal of her sword clashed with the demon’s razor-sharp talons, but all she did was counter and dodge the attacks.

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you,” the knight pleaded, jumping away from the fierce whips of the demon’s tail just in time, “It was you who came to me in my dream, wasn’t it? I still mean what I said, I want to be your friend!”

And as the knight spoke those words, she could distinguish the princess’ sad voice through the demon’s ear-piercing screams.

“Who would want to be friends with a monster like me? Leave while you still can. I can’t hold it back, it’s too strong! I don’t want to hurt you!”

The knight thought of all the times the demon could have hurt her but didn’t, and she took a huge gamble. She placed her sword on the ground and walked towards the demon who continued to hiss and spit, but as she suspected, didn’t attack.

“You’re no monster, and I have no intention of leaving you behind.”

“Don’t come any closer,” the princess cried in fear as the knight moved towards her, “It will kill you, just like it did the others!”

The knight ignored the princess, having already decided on a plan of action. She didn’t stop her charge until the demon was within striking distance. It peered at her in confusion, its tortured eyes looking incredibly tired. The knight smiled warmly before wrapping her arms around it in a tight embrace. The demon struggled until the knight murmured, “ I’m here now, you don’t need to protect her anymore.”

“Thank you, brave knight,” the demon finally spoke, it’s voice receding as the princess appeared in its stead.

“I don’t understand,” the princess looked around her in confusion as the maze and everything else that had been a part of the demon’s magic faded into nothingness.

“I think I do, The demon was always a part of you. It’s a manifestation of your magic. When you were in danger, it came to your aid, and it has been protecting you ever since.” the knight explained.

The princess thought about it a moment, clearly not entirely satisfied with the explanation, but soon she shook her head and smiled at the night shyly, “So, it looks like you did rescue me after all.”

“That’s a knight’s job,” the girl said proudly.

“And don’t knights usually get a reward for rescuing the princess?” she teased, enjoying the flustered look on the knight’s face. “Well then, brave knight, close your eyes.”

The girl had no idea what to expect when she closed her eyes, but it was certainly not the soft pressure on her lips, which lasted but a second and was immediately followed by a melodious giggle.

She opened her eyes to find the princess grinning at her, eyes full of mischief. “Why did you do that?”

“Cause you’re my friend,” the princess grabbed hold of the knight’s hand and ran, dragging the still flustered knight behind her. “Come on, slowpoke, I want to see everything that’s waiting for us beyond this castle!”

And so they embarked on a new adventure, leaving the ruins of the castle behind them to discover all the marvels the world had to offer. Although the princess never reclaimed the throne, and the blacksmith’s daughter wasn’t officially knighted, that didn’t matter to either of them. Somewhere along the way, they had fallen in love with each other, and nothing would ever be more important to them than that.

They lived happily ever after, forever remaining the princess and the knight in each other’s eyes.

“The End,” Mira smiled fondly as she closed the book, placing it on the nightstand next to the bed so that Aki could find it easily once he woke up. He’d already fallen asleep, a small smile on his face, and his teddy bear held tightly in his arms.

“That was amazing…” Hana swooned as she got up to go to her own bed, knowing her brother was likely to thrash around in his sleep. “Good night!” she hugged her aunts and left the room, still reveling in the fantasy world of knights and princesses.

“Did they eat a lot of cookies?” Atlas wondered sleepily, about to nod off as well.

Erza got up from the bed and tucked the boys in. “I’m sure they did, all kinds of delicious, freshly baked cookies,” she appealed to him with a ruffle through his hair, and with that, the little boy closed his eyes and departed to dreamland.

“That was quite a story. You’d think Rogue would be a little more subtle with the casting, though, “ Mira giggled.

Erza rolled her eyes, “No kidding. Come on, Princess, I think there’s still some cake left in the kitchen.”

“Whatever you say, brave knight,“ Mira smirked, grabbing Erza’s hand and dragging her down the stairs.

Both girls had big smiles on their faces, their hearts filled with the fond hope of what could be. Someday.

@femslashfairies​

[musashden]

Well I had the weirdest fucking dream last night...

And it’s been rattling around in my noodle all day so here goes. 

It starts out with me on a date with Curtis - a former teacher of mine who was also my fuck buddy for 4 non consecutive years. Long ass story on that is for a different day. Me and my best friend @neogenesis85 made a pact that if I ever started seeing him again she’d kick my ass. No joke, I want my best friend of 20+ years, my ‘life wife’ to beat me within an inch of my life if I EVER think having a relationship with this man is a good idea. And dream me remembers this, so already it’s a nightmare. I wonder why am I here with him, in public, having dinner like its alright. 

It’s something we never did IRL. Our ‘relationship’ was very much a dirty dirty dirty little secret for years. 

So I’m like ‘hey we have to get out of here, someone is going to see us’ and we move to leave when who should come in but my BFF (the one that’s going to beat me) and a group of friends from high school - all of which know Curtis as well. I shove him into a group of other white people (to camoflauge him) and proceed to distract my friends so he can leave without them seeing him. 

It works! But for some reason we leave in my BFF’s car - a vehicle I have never driven IRL. Weird dream just keeps getting fucking weirder. And just like any nightmare I watch myself make the terrible decision to fuck Curtis. Why dream Musa, why? Dream me wants to get murdered apparently. 

Anyway my brain skips the sex scene because just like IRL I know it’s going to be sad and disappointing. Fast forward, apparently now I have Curtis’s baby.

I often have this nightmare: I suddenly have a baby and I have no idea where it came from or who the dad is. NBD. But this time I do. It’s Curtis’s baby which is legit the worst cause I know he doesn’t want kids - and neither do I but in the dream the kid is here and alive and Chinese for some reason. 

Let me lay this out right here - I’m black. Mixed like hell but not Asian in any way, shape or form - I’m just high-yella black. Curtis is white. Like the whitest half German, half Russian cracker ass cracker from Vermont you can imagine. That basic white bitch with blue eyes and a pointy nose is Curtis. But for some reason the child I give birth to in the dream is full on Chinese - specifically Chinese as he speaks Mandarin to me at just a few months old. So my baby is a genius and so am I because I understand him when he speaks. 

You see he speaks to me because I accidentally lock him in the car. Another nightmare scenario because I have 5 nephews IRL and leaving any of them in the car was an automatic heart attack for me. I still check the backseat to this day. But I lock my baby in the car but he’s fine - he’s in his chair, watching a kids show on his tablet and when I start freaking out he tells me not to worry... in Mandorin. But I understand him... my seven month old completely Asian dream child.

Okay. But I don’t listen and scream for help. But it attracts a bunch of people with Covid19. This nightmare has reached critical mass. The baby I had with my former teacher fuck buddy is locked in my car and a bunch of coughing idiots who are barely wearing masks keep trying to comfort me. 

But then theres this random guy that comes and gets the door open. But I can’t get to that side of the care because of the coughing idiots. This guy turns out to be CPS worker that immediately takes my baby into custody. 

I. AM. Freaking. OUT!

I can’t wake up. Normally at this height of stress I can jetison myself awake. But this asshole guy is taking my dream baby away and the idiots won’t get out of my way. I break the car window to crawl through and get to him but they are gone by the time I crawl in the car. 

All of a sudden Dante Basco is there. I’m freakin out, screaming that ‘they’ took the baby (IDK if Dante was the real dad at this point, it doesn’t make sense as he is Filipino - not Chinese. I know this). He gets rid of the sick people and comforts me as I keep asking “what the hell are you doing here? you don’t belong here” He takes me inside a nearby store to call the cops and report the baby missing. When I pick up the phone it just sounds like one of my nephews screaming. 

I wake up. My nephew screaming and playing was real and their noise wakes me up. Thankfully

A few things about all this now that I thought about it: 

The ‘Chinese dream baby’ may have been Spock... I’ve been thinking about how his human mother  raised him so my mind created a dream baby with a bowl cut speaking a language I don’t understand (Vulcan). The CPS worker may have been Sarek taking him away because I was raising him like a human.

I don’t have a kids IRL. I don’t want any so a regular nightmare I have is that I suddenly have a baby or am pregnant and I have to deal with it alone.

Dante Basco showing up is probably just me thinking about watching ATLA again. Plus he’s a nice guy, my brain was like ‘okay calm her down, send in someone she likes’ and boom - Dante.

This covid shit is seeping into my subconscious mind and I don’t like it. Going to the store is cause for high anxiety in me. And the thought of bringing one of my nephews or any baby with me is a legit nightmare. 

I often dream that my best friends are mad at me for doing something stupid and end up having to ask them if certain things really happened because my dreams are so vivid. 

TL;DR - my current fears are a little weird.

[calliecat93]

Happy 2020 everyone! Hope that everyone had a great holiday! I did, but man the week break for the show left such a void. But we’re back on track now! SO last time we got Schnee drama, Weiss getting the clue to bury her father, and Watts dooming the city of Mantle to die in the cold. With all of that and us nearing the climax of the volume, what will CRWBY serve us this time? Well, let's find out!

Overview

The people of Mantle and understandably confused and upset about the heating going off. They think that Atlas did it, wondering if they still have heating and if they really would just turn it off. Pietro and Maria are also there, clearly concerned. Back at the Dinner Party as the Council continues their questioning of Ironwood’s actions, one of Jaques’ staff informs him of the recent developments and that it happened under his authorization. Jaques is shocked, but of course, he doesn’t tell the rest of the council this. Asshole. The Council is done… but Robyn isn’t. She wants to know what kind of secret Ironwood is hiding that he won’t share with even the Council. She suggests settling things then and now, offering her hand to Ironwood to use her lie detector Semblance.

Before Ironwood can do anything, Weiss bursts in. She reveals that she knows who the true criminal is… and that her father worked with him. She shows WIllow’s Scroll, revealing Watts much to everyone’s shock. The footage is played and reveals everything. Watts wanting revenge for being disgraced despite all the work he did for Ironwood. How he offered to rig the election if Jaques caused chaos for Mantle. How Jaques full-heartedly agreed to it, even laughing at it. Jaques has been exposed, and he has no way to defend himself. He tries to run for it, only to be blocked by Weiss’ Knight. The same Knight that he used on her when she tried to earn her right into Beacon. The same armor used by Nicholas Schnee, the man that Jaques essentially robbed the company from. Jaques has nowhere to run nor hide, and Weiss places him under arrest.

As things worsen in Mantle, the people using Fire Dust to create a giant bonfire and another riot breaking out, Ironwood and the Council question Jaques on his crimes. They’ve pieced together that Watts, along with Tyrian, were the ones responsible for the murders at Robyn’s rally and he has access to both Mantle and Atlas’ systems. The latter all thanks to Jaques giving him the access one he got his Council seat. Jaques is charged with Treason and Accessory to Murder as the asshole denies his involvement in all of it, claiming that he had no idea of Watts’ plans. This may be true, but he still allowed it to happen, so the blood is very much on his hands. Watts has access due to him and given time, he’ll be able to do what he wants, placing the Kingdom is grave danger.

It’s at this point that the Council is alerted to the growing crisis. Jaques immediately tries to again to defend himself, but Winter shuts him up and orders him to get the heat back on. But… he can’t. Watts used Jaques authorization and proceeded to lock everyone out. Ruby questions how bad this is as Ironwood tracks down Watts’ activity, specifically Amity. So far, Watts hasn’t unlocked the secrets there, but if he finds out then… yeah. With no way to trace him and hm already locking out more people, it looks bad. At this point, Robyn is even more curious about what the heck is going on and questions Ironwood about the Communications Tower. Something that Ironwood is shocked to find out that she knows of. In Mantle, the citizens have lost it as they attack the Atlesian robots, and with all this negativity, the Grimm are coming in. Saybers, and even worse, Goliaths, attack and all with the giant gaping hole in Mantle’s walls. Ho boy…

Back up above, Robyn reasons with Ironwood, having realized that whatever is going on is much bigger than the Kingdom or even Remnant. She knows that Ironwood is scared, but he needs to talk to her and the others. However, Clover and Oscar barge in, telling Ironwood of the Grimm attacks. Hearing this and with everything else, Ironwood is upset and unsure of what to do. Oscar goes to him, encouraging him to tell the truth and to work with everyone with Ruby saying that he isn’t alone. Ironwood gets into General mode, telling Oscar to go back to the Academy as RWBYJNRQ and Ace-Ops go down to Mantle to save the people. As they head out, Ruby and Oscar talk and agree that it’s time to reveal the truth. Oscar agrees to do so, allowing Ruby to go and do her duty.

Everyone heads out, Clover stressing that their duty is to get the people out, not fight the Grimm. Ironwood has revealed the truth to the Council and Robyn, all clearly stunned especially the latter. But Oscar has now told Ironwood the truth about Salem’s immortality, and he is stunned. He questions why Oz would hide this, with Oscar guessing so that they wouldn’t lose hope. But he says that Oz would be proud of Ironwood and that he’s fulfilling Atlas’ intent of being a  place to inspire hope. Ironwood starts to point out that Oscar talks like he was there, but he gets informed that the transports have arrived so for now they have to save it. Needless to say, Ironwood’s not exactly up for any more surprises.

The gang’s transport is attacked by a pterodactyl Grimm, one that Harriet can’t shake off. As such, they’re forced to jump for it as it takes a wing. Meanwhile, Jaques is carted off by the military as Willow and Whitley watch. Whitley is quiet, sitting on the stairs, before running off. But there’s someone else also there… a black-haired, green-eyed waitress who skips away. She enters some room where there’s a full view of Atlas Academy. She is greeted by… CInder. Yep, after hearing nothing of her since the end of V6, she’s back folks. And the girl? You guessed it, Neo in disguise. Cinder asks if Neo found what they were looking for, and the girl gives a devilish smirk as the chapter ends.

Review

So… this chapter is… okay. It’s not good. It’s not bad. It’s only okay. And that is all due to the execution. It was… pretty flimsy, unfortunately. I’m not gonna say bad because there are still four chapters to go, so anything can happen. But from how things are shaping up… I have concerns, to say the least,

Let’s talk about the good parts, FIrst, Weiss arresting Jaques. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. We have been waiting for this day for a long, long time. It never even crossed my mind that once she got hard evidence, Weiss would go straight to the council to expose her father then and there. Admittedly it feels… kinda easy? Like Jaques only just got elected, and he’s been de-powered this soon? But really? Jaques is a minor antagonist compared to Watts and Tyrian and is just a pawn in their game. He served his purpose and after his atrocities in this volume alone, he got what he deserved. It was also so great to see Weiss be the one to bring him down, showing that she has broken free of her father once and the girl that he tried to imprison send him to live out that fate.

So is this the end for Jaques? Maybe. Again, a lot depends on how the end of Volume 7 goes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back into the future if we stay in Atlas. After all, the SDC has lost its leader, and this is going to cause problems. They can improve themselves, or become so much worse. IDK if Whitley will by default become the new Head or if he has to wait until he’s of age, but if he does… that is bad. Not just because he’s still a kid with no experience, but chances are Jaques still has power over him. He likely has ways to manipulate even behind bars, and Whitley was clearly not happy to see his dad be carted off. Whitley still has hope, and maybe this will help him cut the line, but I doubt that’s going to happen for a while. But for now, Jaques is where he belongs and hopefully, he stays there until he dies.

So let’s get into the iffier bits. So all of the truth is out now. Ironwood reveals Salem and the Amity plans to the Council and Robyn. Okay, good. Oscar, with permission from Ruby, reveals Salem’s immortality to Ironwood. Okay, good. We see Ren and Nora getting along at least for now as they go into battle. Okay, good. Robyn accepts that Ironwood isn’t a bad person and that Atlas isn’t to blame for Mantle. Okay, good. Everyone is acting overall mature with Ironwood taking the truth overall well. This is… a problem for me. A BIG problem.

Don’t get me wrong I’m glad that everyone is acting mature right now, especially with the current crisis. That is more important. But… do you seriously expect me to believe that it was this easy to resolve all of this? That Ironwood, after how his paranoia and shoving away his humanity was built up, was able to be briefly distressed and then accept the truth like that? That Robyn could look past Ironwood endangering and mistreating Mantle and a Grimm attack now underway because he refused the proper resources without any resentment? That the Council is going to trust Ironwood’s horrible decisions after this? That Ruby just suddenly decided that it was time and suffer no consequences or allow us to see her thought process regarding it? Really guys? REALLY?

No. This was too clear cut. Too easy. RWBY is an idealistic show, but you cannot build all of this up and just drop it because of a few revelations. Ironwood still caused most of the Mantle problems even before the framing. He still left Mantle vulnerable and unable to repair the wall, which leaves them open to the Grimm. He was still a borderline tyrant and no matter the intention, that is inexcusable. Same with the heroes. There was so much fracturing/built-up between them. Ren and Nora’s vastly different viewpoints coming in between them. Blake and Yang making decisions outside the rest of the group. Which great that they suffered no consequences for that even though it should have been discussed at least. We don’t see the gang talk about these things. We have Yang question Ruby once, and nothing after from anyone else. We don’t see Ruby struggle with her decision aside from being uncertain, and she is again not allowed to talk about her feelings outside a one minute talk with Qrow about it. I thought that we got over this ‘don’t show Ruby’s development’ issue in V6. I’m just… disappointed because it feels like all of this build-up, all of this struggle between right and wrong got a slap on the wrist and now it’s okay with NO ONE suffering ANY consequences!

Now again, the volume is not over. Something could go very, very wrong. And if we stay in Atlas at the end, we have Volume 8 where these choices can come back to haunt them. But judging this on it’s own with the rest of the volume, it’s really flimsy. Again, I am glad because there is a crisis going on. This isn't the time to argue amongst themselves. But why not have the show acknowledge that while still showing that these issues aren’t being dropped? V6 did it in just the first chapter. If the remainder of the chapters proves me wrong, I’ll re-asess for the Full Volume Review. But for now, it is the weakest chapter of the volume with only Weiss’ scenes and a few bits I’ll get into in a second saving it. This was far too contrived.

Okay, let’s talk about the other stuff. The Mantle scenes were brutal. But the people’s actions make perfect sense. Their anger and hatred for Ironwood and Atlas ave been built-up all Volume and now that they’ve been practically sentenced to death? Yeah, I’d snap in rage too. It’s gonna be brutal, and not just due to the Grimm. Are the people even going to accept the heroes' help? As far as they know, the Ace-Ops are Ironwood’s personal attack dogs and Penny is still a murderer. They’re not gonna believe any word to the contrary now. So not only do the heroes have to deal with the Grimm, but they have to try and save citizens that don’t want their help and are likely gonna fight back. Needless to say, Mantle is in big, BIG trouble. Upside, maybe we’ll FINALLY get the Robyn and Qrow vs Tyrian fight!

There’s also Oscar. Oh golly, Oscar. The merger is for sure happening. He’s talking, as Ironwood said, like he was there in the past. He’s giving advice that goes beyond his years. He clearly has Oz’s wisdom, but still his own viewpoint. Like he said, Oz would have likely kept the secret but Oscar goes the opposite route. It shows that he’s getting the memories and experience, but he’s still him. Will it stay that way? IDK. But it’s good to see more of the signs being there. Oh and the Rose Garden tease... I don’t care. Moving on.

We now come to the ending. Not gonna lie, they got me. I was NOT expecting Cinder and Neo until maybe the tailend of the volume. Like… right before the credits or even the stinger tailend. This… is bad. Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see them. Unlike many others, I love CInder as a villain. I hate her as a human being, but she’s a good villain. Neo… I’m indifferent over, but she’s getting to show more of her stuff now and I’m always open to that. If I really had to guess… Cinder is likely gonna attack the Academy. Why? To get at Oscar. She doesn't know where the Maiden Powers are, so she might as well get the Relic that she failed to get last time. IDK if Neo will follow or go at Ruby, but either way things just got a lot more complicated. Pray for our heroes guys, they’re in for a world of trouble…

Chapter Ten Predictions

Honestly? I have zero idea. I assume that we’re gonna get some Grimm fights… and if I‘m right citizen fights. Also kinda scared that if he’s able, this will be the point where Watts hacks into Penny to turn her against the heroes. Hey, he’s already copying CInder’s plan, might as well go the ‘take over the robots’ part. Then we have Oscar at the Academy, and if I’m right about Cinder… well… hopefully, someone like Winter is there also. If she’s not busy getting the Maiden Powers, in which case keep her far away from Cinder please. Either way, it’s gonna be brutal I think.

Episode Stats

Favorite Character: Weiss Schnee and Oscar Pine Favorite Scene: Weiss exposing/arresting Jaques Least Favorite Scene: All scenes involving the secrets because again, way too easy and contrived. Favorite Voice Actor: Aaron Dismuke (Oscar Pine) Favorite Animation: Grimm vs Airplane Rating: 7/10

Final Thoughts

I complained quite a bit here… well okay, a lot. But at the end of the day, what matters is if in spite of the flaws, I am still able to enjoy the final product. And when I look back… I did so. Are the contrivances distracting? Sure. But at least I can see what they’re doing and can follow along. Things are still moving forward, and I remained excited about the next episode. Scenes like Weiss arresting Jaques, CInder and Neo’s return, and the Mantle scenes were very well done and left an impact on me as a viewer. So yeah, I’m not 100% happy with the chapter. But I was still able to enjoy myself and it addressed what it needed to. So I’ll call this chapter okay. Not the best, not the worse, just okay. 

[shirorozutriea]

Experienced a Loss, but dared to Confront it

I don't know how would you guys react to a certain OOC here. I hope you don't mind it. This is an AU, so yes, there's bound to be OOCs, I hope you would still like it nonetheless. Day 5: Loss

Months have passed since the beginning of our beloved couple's relationship bloom. The two will admit that that day was the best thing that happened in their life. And so far so good, everything is all happy and fine. No drama, no angsty walkthroughs, no fights except for the countless of debates of who's the most wonderful girlfriend.

 “O Romeo, Romeo, where art thou, Romeo—again why?” Asked Yang looking Weiss.

 “Why what?” Said Weiss tapping at her laptop.

 “Why Romeo and Juliet?” Asked Yang. “I get that its classical and it's made by William Shakespeare.”

 “I just happen to relate with the main heroine.” Shrugged Weiss.

 Blake picked up the book and scanned it. “Juliet Capulet.”

 Weiss nodded without looking away from her laptop. “Yes. Lady Capulet.”

 Blake gave her a look.

 “But why? Juliet is like, blinded? Or something like that.” Said Yang, looking incredulous.

 “Blinded?” Asked Weiss and Blake, blinking at her.

 “Yeah. Blinded by love. Y’know, falling for Romeo at first sight and then agreed to marry the guy despite the short time they knew each other. Like, that's ridiculous. Seriously.” Frowned Yang.

 Weiss blinked.

 “I didn't know you read Romeo and Juliet?” Asked Blake, looking flabbergasted.

 Yang pouted. “Hey! I can read classical too ya know.”

 “Yes, yes. Just surprised.” Chuckled Weiss. Yang continued to pout, which earned a giggle from the two.

 “Where's Ruby anyways?” Asked Yang, looking around for her wonderful gay sister.

 “Bought some cookies.” Replied Weiss.

 Yang laughed. “Ruby and her cookies.”

 “Yes. Just a little bit and I swear she's going to marry those cookies.” Scowled Weiss.

 Yang laughed while Blake snickered.

 “Are you serious? You're jealous on a peace of flour?” Laughed Yang.

 “Aah, young love.” Teased Blake.

 Weiss glared at the two. She then looked at her laptop and frowned.

 “What's with that frown, Weiss?” Chuckled Yang. “You look like you're on the verge of killing someone.”

 Weiss sighed. “As a matter of fact, as much as I want to, I can't. I don't want to be classified as a murderer.”

 “Who is it, Weiss?” Asked Blake, concern etching from her voice.

 “You know. The usual. Father and his persuasive arguments.” Said Weiss. “And—oh no…”

 Weiss face etched into worry and downward horrified. She can feel the cold sweat in every part of her skin, and her eyes began to water. The couple shared a look, before looking at their friend in worry.

 “Weiss.. tell us what's wrong..” Pleaded Yang.

 “He—he knows…” Said Weiss, her breath hitched in horror.

 “He knows what, Weiss?” Frowned Blake as she look at her friend whose in any moment might palpitate.

 “Ruby.. a-and I…” The two gasped.

 “Crap..” Cursed Yang. Blake looked at Weiss and held her hand.

 “Whatever happens, we're here for you, okay?” Said Blake, her ear twitching.

 “Ye-yes.. and he wanted… to-to meet her.” Weiss looked at her friends with a pleading look. “I-I don't know what to do. What if.. what if he hurt her? Oh god..”

 Blake hugged her and shush her, then brushed her hand in her hair in comfort. Yang patted Weiss’s head.

 “Don't worry. We'll be here for you. If you need to fly to Atlas with Ruby, we'll be there. Maybe not directly on the mansion you're going, but nearby, okay?” Assured Yang as she also hug Weiss.

 “Weiss?!”

 They heard Ruby shout from the door as she made her way to her crying and terrified girlfriend.

 Ruby looked at her and kissed her in her forehead and hugged her, whispering to her to help her calm down.

 “Weiss, what happened?” She asked as she wiped her tears.

 “Father.. wants to meet you…” Stuttered Weiss, taking a deep breath. Ruby's face scrunched up in anger as she brushed her hand on her hair.

 “I'll be there to face him.” Said Ruby, lightly growling. Weiss shook her head.

 “I don't want you to get hurt…” She muttered. Ruby raised a brow at this.

 “And you won't? Weiss, I love you, and I swear that I will be right beside you with every step you take.” Declared Ruby as she cupped her lover’s face.

 “Well, looks like we're on board on raiding a Schnee douche.” Grinned Yang, earning a jab from Blake.

 Ruby kissed Weiss’s forehead. “I love you and I will always be here for you.”

 And almost instantly, Weiss relaxed.

***

They were already on air towards Atlas. The skies are bright blue, with clouds ever so gently pass by. The flight towards Atlas was barely bearable, with Weiss constantly fidgeting on her sit with Ruby beside her. Ruby saw how her girlfriend tap her fingers to her knee, which is often displayed when she's anxious or nervous.

 “Weiss, it’s all going to be alright, okay?” Reassured Ruby, holding the latter’s hand entwining them. Weiss only nodded in response and rest her head to her lover's shoulder.

 Ruby brushed the white locks from Weiss’s face. Her eyes are closed and there are visible dark circles under her eyes due to a few sleepless nights before the initial flight to Atlas. Ruby couldn’t help but to worry, not for her sake when she meet the father, but for Weiss’s sake when they meet the father. To Weiss, her father was nothing but a tyrant person and an unloving father. She may had been given her necessities and others, but all with a price. From what she remembered, it was either recitals just to show face or meet the suitors.

 All passengers, please remain sitting for the duration of the flight. The plane will be landing in thirty minutes. Thank you.

 “Hey Rubes, wanna see if I can jump while the plane is landing?” Asked Yang from her right.

 Blake elbowed her girlfriend. “Yang, no.”

 Yang pouted and slouched on the chair, while Ruby giggled at the sight.

 “So, how is Ice Queen?” Asked Yang.

 Ruby's eyes drooped at the question. “Still restless. She's very anxious right now.”

 Yang frowned. “Whatever this bastard did to her, did give her a pretty bad reminder.”

 “And that bastard you're talking about is her father.” Said Blake. Yang face contorted into anger.

 “I still don’t get how a father could treat his child like that.” Grumbled Yang.

 “There’s no perfect fathers. But Jacques is beyond imperfect.” Said Blake, sighing.

 Ruby is very thankful to have a family like them. Aside from her dad, Yang and Blake had been the greatest family she ever had.

 Ruby shook Weiss to wake her up. “Weiss, we're nearly landing.”

 Weiss groaned and her eyes fluttered, showing those beautiful blue pools. Ruby grinned and kissed her forehead.

 “We're here?” Asked Weiss, groggy.

 “I think so.” Said Ruby.

 As if on cue, the speaker blasted off sentences. Along the lines of it are get ready to go down and get your things.

 The four grabbed there bags and head out to the exit, heading outside the airport only to be greeted by cold air.

 “Really? Is winter already the season here?” Asked Yang, rubbing her palms.

 “This is normal in Atlas.” Said Weiss, as if the cold never bothered her in anyway(ELSA!).

 “What are you? Elsa?” Said Yang.

 “I didn’t get the title of Ice Queen for no reason, right Yang?” Smirked Weiss. Yang gasped.

 “She accepted it!” Guffawed Yang.

 Weiss shook her head while smiling. “Come on. Father needs to see us.”

 Ruby looked at Weiss and hold her hand. Weiss jumped in surprise and looked at her, then she smiled at her and hold hers as well.

 “Well then, and off we go.” Said Ruby.

***

“What a surprise for you to bring the whole… uninvited visitors..” Said Jacques, his voice laced with sarcasm. Weiss didn’t said a thing and just held a steely gaze.

 “Now, I know you know why I called you and your undesirable choice of a suitor. I’m very disappointed to you, Weiss.” He said as he stared at the two.

 Ruby glared at him and her fist curled in anger.

 “Look how she behave. Glaring at the host of the house. Such dreadful manners.” Spat Jacques.

 Weiss snapped.

 “I can stand with you spouting nonsense at me. And the occasional stomp to my ego and pride, as well as my feelings. But, I cannot let you insulting my girlfriend and my friends slide.” Growled Weiss.

 Jacques scoffed. “Is this the result of you joining in the wrong sorts? How inadequate. Are you even worthy of a Schnee?”

 “The only not worthy of the Schnee name is you!” Snarled Ruby. Weiss looked at her in surprise, but regained her composure and didn’t oppose on her outburst.

 Jacques glowered at her. “What did you say, brat?! I’ll have you know, I made the Schnee name more well-known and more powerful. I made it grow. I shaped it to what it deserves to be.”

 “Grow? All I see is your egotistical sorry ass grow. You changed the Schnee name from what it supposed to be. And I am certain that grandfather is disappointed to you.” Spat Weiss.

 “How dare you insult me at my own house?! You ungrateful little twat!” Bellowed Jacques. He stood up from his chair and prepared to slap Weiss, but Ruby took a hold on his hand.

 “Dare? Yes, I dare. Because what you are doing as of now is unworthy of the Schnee name. You have caused millions of people out there, pain and suffering. You belittle everyone you deemed unworthy of your praise. You made countless mistakes, and have yourself involved with countless of crimes. And you ask how dare I insult you in your own house? May I remind you that this house doesn’t belong to you, but belongs to my grandfather who spent his life shaping up the good name that is a Schnee. But what did you do? You blemished the Schnee name, and polluted it. I should be asking you that question. How dare you?”

 Weiss growled at the man and glared at him. Her hands balled into a fist, her palms turning white.

 “And on top of that, you neglected your daughters and son. Well, you may have pamper Whitley because he’s a boy and would be the sole heir of yours, a carbon copy if I do say honestly. But, the question is.. is that how should a father act?”

 Weiss voice quiver and soften. Her eyes glisten and her shoulders droop. She gripped the hem of her blouse and quiver in her spot.

 “Do you even know how we—I feel? I'm like a piece of trash thrown into a pit because I don’t serve anymore purpose to you. I’m like some paper, only to be crumpled because you made a mistake and that mistake is me.”

 Weiss inhaled and sighed. Her eyes fluttered close. Her mind reeling. She wanted to tell him how she feel, what she had always felt. And now is the time.

 “You know, as a child, I've always admire you. How well you seem to cooperate with others or how well you negotiate with them. I've admired you from afar. And as a child, a father with a heart of gold is an admirable one. Also, you had this streaking determination to do what's best for everything and everyone, including us.”

 Weiss opened her eyes and looked at Jacques. His gaze was hard yet soft. Like there was a mist hidden in his eyes that are slowly fading away. She rubbed her arm and her gaze diverted from him.

 “You were a father figure… a great.. Dad. But you changed. The moment that incident happened, you changed. The day where mother had left you, you changed. And my opinion, adoration and admiration, slowly withered away. You became harsh, strict, and arrogant. You were not the same person I used to admire.”

 Weiss exhaled and swallowed the lump on her throat. There was a long pause before she continued.

 “You were lost. You lost yourself in the heap of melancholy and confusion. You lost your light… your warmth.. and you lost your love. And now, I know why you resent me and Winter. We look like mother, and I am an exact spitting image of her, both personality-wise and physical-wise.”

 Weiss was tightlipped and her eyes stared to water.

 “I lost my Mom… now I’m losing my Dad.. just exactly how fast she left us.”

 Weiss suppressed a sniffle and walked away, leaving a gaping Jacques Schnee. Blake and Yang quickly followed to comfort Weiss, leaving Ruby looking at him with a melancholy look in her face. Jacques sank in his chair and put a hand on his eyes while deeply sighing. His fingers tapped at his desk and Ruby saw familiarity at the motion.

 “She acts like you.” She spoke. The man looked at her in confusion. Ruby sat on a nearby chair and smiled sadly.

 “Deep down, she still admires you. She kind of acts like you. With the way you fidget with your hands just as the same as Weiss.” Smiled Ruby. Ruby bit her lip and looked at him. “I’m sorry for saying you are unworthy of the Schnee name, despite not knowing you in any degree.”

 Jacques slowly sighed. “You were.. right for that matter. Weiss is right. My daughter is right.”

 Jacques looked at Ruby and bowed. “I, too, apologize, for insulting you, your friends and your relationship with Weiss. I knew nothing about you to spout some.. atrocities.”

 Ruby blinked at the man. She then smiled understandingly. Jacques looked Ruby intently and spoke.

 “Have I been a bad father?” Asked Jacques, even though he knows the answer he still wanted to hear it.

 “In some degree, yes, you have been.” Ruby answered. She closed her eyes and sighed, leaning on the chair tilting her head up before opening her eyes. “But just like Weiss said, you are lost.”

 “Lost…” Mumbled Jacques. He interlocked his hands and rest his elbows on the desk, his hands covering his mouth. “I may… perhaps been lost..”

 “I know how you feel, Mr. Schnee.” Said Ruby, smiling sadly. Jacques looked at Ruby. Ruby continued to look at the black ceiling.

 “I was once.. lost. I lost and drowned myself in sadness and loneliness. It may have been in a different circumstances, but you and I were the same once.”

 Ruby sighed and draped an arm on her eyes covering them. Jacques listen intently and had gain a different light towards her.

 “True, you may have been a bad father to them… but that could change. It can change. You still have time to correct your mistakes. And that's all that matter. For you to make things straight once again.”

 Ruby sat up straight and smiled at the man. His eyes widen, tears brimming in his eyes.

 “I.. I'm sorry…” Apologized Jacques, his eyes clenched shut.

 “Don’t say sorry to me. Say sorry to your family.” Grinned Ruby. Jacques nodded and smiled at her. His eyes no longer hard and steely, instead it was warm and soft.

 “Would you mind listening to me?”

 Ruby nodded.

 “Willow.. their mother… left. And of course, as a person who loved, it hurts. I couldn’t bear the fact that she would leave us—me. But she did anyways. And after that, I drowned myself to work and neglected my children. I support them, financially, but not as father would do, but as a business man who didn't care for anyone. Self-centered, if you may.”

 Jacques sighed and tapped his finger in the desk.

 “I am a bad father. I didn’t support them as a father would do. All they had left was me, and yet, I didn’t do my responsibility. Instead, I worked and worked, and drowned myself to my own thoughts, ignoring everything and everyone.”

 Jacques chuckled sarcastically. “Pathetic, am I right?”

 Jacques sniffled and gulped. “But… if I were to be given a chance to change.. I will. I have been lost for so long..”

 Jacques looked at Ruby and smiled genuinely. “I think it’s time for me to find myself.”

***

“Weiss, are you alright?” Asked Yang.

 There they stood in the middle of the estate in the fountain. Weiss stood in front of the fountain with her head down. Yang and Blake behind her, trying to comfort her.

 “I missed my Mom. I missed Winter. Heck, as annoying as my brother is sometimes, I missed him too. And I also missed my Dad.” Weiss sighed and looked up. She covered her eyes from the sunlight, before the clouds moved and covered the sun.

 “I wish.. everything was the same as back then… but no matter how many times I wished for that to happen… the results are always the same… nothing..”

 Yang looked at Blake and stepped forward to Weiss and grabbed her arm pulling her to her chest, hugging her.

 “It's alright, Weiss. Everything is going to be alright. Let it all out.” Yang coped while running her hand on the latter’s head.

 Weiss gripped the back of Yang’s clothes and wailed. Yang held herself back from crying. She doesn’t want Weiss to feel anymore bad by adding to the fuel. Meanwhile, Blake called Winter and informed her about the talk with Jacques and asked her to take care of her sister while she go back to the estate. Blake also told her to call Whitley and come with her, the latter hesitated but agreed and ended the call.

 Weiss just sobbed and cried her pain and sorrows. Blake walked towards the two and hugged them both. It was jarring to see her like this, the Weiss who is proud and confident. Crying, sobbing… broken.. it was shocking, but she understood how she felt. If she was in her shoes, she would act the same, she would feel the same.

 Minutes later, Winter arrived with Whitley behind her. She looked at how miserable Weiss looked right now. She felt her insides churn at how her beloved sister looks right now. Meanwhile, Whitley was shocked. She may have seen her sister cry, but not like this. He felt a stinging feeling inside him after looking at her sister.

 “Winter… Whitley..?” Weiss pondered. “How? Why?”

 “Blake called and informed me of the circumstances. I brought Whitley along with me.” Said Winter. “What did he do?”

 “Nothing extreme… I just.. snapped at him and told him how I felt..” Mumbled Weiss.

 Winter looked down and sighed. “I wish I had the courage as you do, Weiss.”

 “Is that father with Ms. Rose?” Asked Whitley.

 The group perked at the question and looked behind. They looked at Jacques and Ruby. Jacques looked nervous, while Ruby is calmly smiling.

 “I guess the whole family is here.” Chuckled Ruby. She looked at the man and nodded.

 Jacques nodded and steeled himself. “I.. I am sorry for everything.. I don’t expect for you to forgive that easy.. but I want to do things right…”

 Jacques looked at Weiss. “I know I can’t bring back those old days, but I would at least make those old days as possible as I can. Your mother left.. I don’t want you to lose me once again…”

 Weiss had her eyes wide. She brought her hand to her mouth, tears running down on her cheeks. Winter was shocked, as well as Whitley. Weiss ran towards her father and hugged him tightly and sobbed in his arms. Jacques smiled and run his hands to be hair and brought his free hand to ask the other two to join, and they immediately joined.

 And that’s how everything had ended.

***

“I am so sorry to cut this meeting short, but I need to make amends.” Said Jacques. “I need to start over again.”

 Weiss smiled and nodded. Winter raised a hand.

 “Would you like me to give you assistance.. Dad?” Smiled Winter. Jacques looked at her wide eyed, but smiled and nodded.

 “Yes, please.” He said. He ran a hand on his hair and tapped his fingers on the desk. “I hope I'll get to meet you again, Ms. Rose.”

 Ruby laughed and shook her head. “Please call me Ruby. We’re family here.”

 Jacques smiled and pondered. “Family, huh? Very well, Ruby. You may call me..”

 Jacques thought for a minute. Then he looked at Weiss and Ruby, then back at Weiss. His eyes glinted mischievously. Weiss blinked at the mischievous look of her father and suddenly got nervous. Jacques smiled teasingly and spoke.

 “You're my future daughter-in-law, might as well let you call father or dad. And, don’t be formal around me.” Shrugged Jacques. Ruby looked at him bewildered, as well as the rest.

 Ruby then grinned and looked at the blushing Weiss. “You got it, Dad.”

 Weiss blushed brightly and Ruby laughed.

 A few months later…

 “Winter, do we have anything in schedule next week?” Asked Jacques as he viewed every papers in front of him.

 Winter browse to her tablet and looked at the calendar. “Nothing of some sorts, Dad.”

 Jacques hummed and thought for a minute. “Call Ruby.”

 Winter blinked and grabbed the phone from his desk and called Ruby putting it in speaker.

 “Yello? Is there something wrong, Dad?”

 “Nothing. Is Weiss there?” He asked.

 “Nope. She's with Blake right now. Why?”

 “That's good.” Coughed Jacques. “Are you and your family free next week?”

 “Next week? Hmm.. yeah. Pops is on break and our schedules are fine.”

 “Very well. Please do pack necessities. We're going to a resort.” Smiled Jacques.

 “Resort?! Whoah. Sure thing, Dad! Shall I tell them?”

 “Please do, Ruby.” He chuckled at his future daughter-in-law’s enthusiasm.

 “Okay. See ya soon, Dad.”

 “You too, Ruby.” Said Jacques and ended the call.

 “Resort, huh?” Smiled Winter. “I’ll inform Whitley.”

 Jacques chuckled and nodded. “Go ahead, Winter.”

[darkzeruda1214]

(MILD SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HASN’T SEEN THE SERIES YET)

Seriously there are some spoilers, I warning ye...

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this series is good since Aaron Ehasz came in to co-creating the series. Being the head writer of Avatar the Last Airbender, it’s without a doubt he’s amazing at his job. And thankfully that hasn’t diminished over the years because the Dragon Prince is just that good of series.

Now granted I understand that everyone has different tastes, and what they consider good and what they don’t like.

But I say that if you liked Avatar the Last Airbender, then I totally recommend watching this series.

Also fun little fact if you haven’t already, but Jack De Sena (Sokka’s voice actor) comes back  to play as the main character in The Dragon Prince, Callum.

(As well as a couple of other notable AtLA VA’s coming in to voice TDP characters. But I’ll let you guys find those in the series yourself)

A lot of the pros this series offers is quite a number of things, but I’ll stick with a few major good ones:

When it comes to worlds building, this series is at top notch. I haven’t seen such an interesting world since watching Avatar. So much that I want to know more about the world itself. The traditions, customs and all the regions that it will explore. The world definitely feels inspired by middle earth stuff as well as exploring the concept of magic. Feels like a mixture of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. But in a way that it feel’s like it it’s own. And not like a copy and paste with a couple of minor adjustments. It genuinely feels and looks to be it’s own little world that breaths life.

The magic displayed in the series actually feels inspired but new it own sense. The magic derives from these primal sources consisting of the: the sun, moon, stars, earth, sky and the ocean. (Sounds familiar right?) and not only that the series’ seasons are split up into books just like Avatar has done, showing that it’s roots of inspiration still come from AtLA no doubt.

Another thing that this series is really strong and dependable in, are it’s characters. Each and every main character feels relatable and realistic. None of them feel 2 dimensional and all have backgrounds and reasons as to why they act they do. I think it’s more prominent with the show’s lead female Rayla, something about her shows there’s more to her than the show is trying to reveal.

Also, just in general the reason why the main three characters act the way they do feel like it’s something anyone would do in their situation. Unlike some franchises *cough* *cough* every character has a personality that fits them in a unique way. There’s not a single character in the show that I hate. Even Viren has his reasons, Chaotic good till the end.

And I’m not kidding, the show’s villain’s actions feel genuine and not just there to simply be an obstacle. His motives behind them are realistic and understandable and to see his past is what allows him to grow as an individual despite some of the bad choices he makes and have others do for him.

Not everything he does is intently bad (though it’s debatable).

And the music, don’t even get me started on the music. It just sets and brings the mood in the right temperature. It sounds ancient but at the same time new and fresh. Sharing traits from Avatar does help, yet create it as it so it belongs. It’s able to tell it’s own story, the mysteries, the surprise and the overall feeling the occurs in Xadia and the rest of the lands.

It’s simply that majestic.  

-However, even with the pros there’s always going to be those cons. I can name a couple of in small instances that make me want to cringe. But it doesn’t cause me to “consider” stop watching the series.

Except for one.

The animation.

To me the animation is the weakest link in the series. Now it’s not the animators fault considering how low budget they were under. So they had to make due with what they got. But upon the positive reviews on the show, they got in a little extra incentive. And if you can get pass the 30 frames per second in the first book. It should still be an enjoyable series. The second book increases and ups it’s quality significantly.

And speaking of the second season.

Oh Man. Where do I start. 

Season 2 grew a beard and a pair. It got dark. Quick. I didn’t expect something like this until later on the series. And the show isn’t afraid to touch up certain topics or brush over them and make it either essential to the plot or make the world feel alive.

I can’t really describe it, in simple words, it’s easier to understand once you watched it. I seriously do recommend this series.  

Another complaint I have, is how short each book/season is. I understand that they may be on a time limit and possibly budget. But I would’ve liked having a couple of extra episodes each book. Because it just feels too short. But other than that small detail, this show is definitely worth watching.

All I’m waiting for now is book 3. (Edit book 3 is out, and if I thought book 2 grew a beard, book 3 grew a pair of balls).

Again the animation might be a bit nitpicky, but once you can stomach it, the show is definitely top grade. I can’t stress it enough. And why yes I do agree that everyone has their own interests and what they like to watch and I completely respect that. But if you are a fan of AtLA this show captures that spirit perfectly, and I can guarantee the characters are what make this series feel just as special. I won’t deny that the first few episodes might feel childish (and with good reason since the show is made for a younger audience) but it’s just the right amount of childish sprinkled with a hint of adult content (not that kind, though... there is one scene. But that’s not the point!) throughout the episodes.

[hasbrobear]

This is what I think rwby season 7 or 8 finally will go down. My opinion and what I think. And nothing about shipping in this. For once heh.

So in the last episodes after all the filler or nice emotional or awesome stuff comes by like dealing with Weiss’s father or Ozpin still technically being alive explained to James.

James:What do you mean Ozpin in a kid?!

Or

James:So your the kid Ozpin residing in.

Or hell maybe as their arguing, Salem and her massive army of Grimm, flying beringals come to Atlas and I’m hoping she’s has another leviathan to use as like a ride, come over to get the relic.

Salem:(riding on Leviathan) Yes go and get what belongs to me!

The teams split up with JNR and Oscar staying up and evacuating the people on the flying kingdom, either via bullhead or Air travel. And the entire atlas military support Team RWBY And JNR in evacuating Both faunas and humans from the top and bottom layer to safety.

(Though with some resistance from Jaqcues who says the faunas should be left to distract the Grimm while the humans get out. And earn a well deserved punch from ironwood himself.)

Rwby go down and are immediately attacked by the beringal Grimm. A bunch of atlas ships crash the Knights and paladins and Troops. With the soldiers knowing they’re fighting a loosing battle, only motivated with the fact that they’ll be sacrificed to save both human and faunas innocents from the carnage they trained to deal with.

Team RWBY will try to fight Salem head on. But it will be a sweep her her since she’s the Grimm queen.

Weiss:Agh! She’s so strong!

Yang:We can’t... Ahh.. beat her!

Blake:This is impossible.

Ruby:Gnnn come on guys.. we can do this!

Then Jaune notices that Oscar isn’t there and so does Nora and Ren But Ren tells them that he can take care of himself and top priority is to keep any Grimm form attacking civilians. (And as an addition here will be a part where Jaqcues gets attacked by a beringal but then Jaune reluctantly kills it since Jaqcues is still Weiss’s father and he’s not pity enough to let him get killed because he doesn’t like him. Team RWBY and JNR are the good guys.)

As for Qrow, there’s two things that might happen, either he gets cut out due to his voice actor being fired(which I will not talk about) he gets killed or is the first one to die/ or the one I’m hoping for, he and Winter team up against Watts/Tyrian/ or Hazel to protect the relic.

Ironwood would probably be in the largest ship there, or maybe Atlas’s military base of operations coordinating the attack.

Maria Calavera would probably be the one to take Oscar down to the battle and then say goodbye as she flies off to try and evacuate anyone else under Atlas.

Maria:Good luck kid.

Oscar:Thanks... (eyes change)

Ozpin:I will need it. (Gets off)

So back to Salem, as it turns out as she was going to kill one of the girls, Oscar comes out and stalls her for time. She recognized Ozpin in Oscar and ignores him and starts monologuing about how she won and he’s lost. And how she is going to finish off he last of the silver eyes warriors(Ruby not Maria) and she explains how she knew that Summer was killed, bringing an emotional state to Ruby who yells out and uses her powers on Salem now with the added focus to Salem mostly.

Ruby:Mom... no... NOOOO! (Eyes shine)

In a large flash(bigger than Pyrrha and at Argus) all the Grimm underneath Atlas are destroyed instantly, except for Salem and the Leviathan. Who are both statues. Ozpin would reminisce and say sorry to her while she was frozen.

Then in a horrifying realization Salem’s statue slowly cracks and they all would panic before they get into Maria’s bullhead and fly off. But while Ruby looked at Salem she got an idea.

Ruby:(looks up at atlas)Thats it!

She remembers how Atlas was floating because of the dust inside that is activated by machines. So she calls Jaune and tells him to tell Ironwood to shut down the machines so atlas can fall. He hesitated but does so as the city was nearly fully evacuated. Ironwood reluctantly agrees to do this seeing as he can eliminate humanities biggest threat and does so. But in a twist Cinder and Neo show up and attack them.

Cinder:(walks in with Neo) Hello again~

As Atlas is slowly loosing dust power JNR and Ironwood fight with Cinder and Neo. As this happens Neo gets knocked out and Ironwood manages to keep Cinder at bay as the others get to a ship with a pilot. Seeing that they didn’t have a quarrel with Neo, JNR tie’s her up and throws her into the storage in the ship while keeping her weapons. As Ironwood ‘takes care’ of Cinder he was actually wrong and then cinder shoots an arrow into the piloted head killing him thinking she’s taking them all down with her.

Cinder:If I’m dying then I’ll take you with me!

Then Jaune moves forwards and decides to deal with Cinder once and for all with Nora and Ren at his side. They then go fight her while Ironwood mends his wounds and turns the ship on. He then flies away as the team stayed to fight Cinder. As they were going to finish her off she stops them and says something about Pyrrha before Ironwood comes back and hits her with the bullhead. She’s knocked away and then Nora and Ren get into the bullhead and as Jaune was going to do so he gets shot in the back by Cinder’s arrow.

Cinder loses her mind and is crazy on killing any of her enemies after all the stalling and fighting. (Like How Freiza did in DBZ) and she goes to kill Jaune but he manages to stall a bit more and jumps up to grab the bullhead. His hands slip and he’s going to fall back down but both Nora and Ren grab his arms and pulls him up as Cinder throws fireballs at the ship but misses due to her rage.

Cinder:THATS IT! IM KILLING ALL OF YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! HAHAHAH!v

By the time they’re all flying away from Atlas Qrow(If he isn’t dead) and Winter m get word of what was happening and they then fly off, (with winter on a nevermore.) leaving Salem’s henchmen there.

And as for Emerald and Mercury, they’re just being taken by Hazel to a redemption or something. Or maybe they could assist in fighting 2 skilled Huntsmen and escape via bullhead.

If it was watts he’d do the same, (if it was Tyrian he might crawl on the manor and grab onto Winters nevermore and pull her down. Qrow helps her and then takes a stink to the side for her. He says “not again” before winter quickly distracts Tyrian and summons another nevermore and fly them off.)

Anyways after a couple moments the entire kingdom loses power and starts to fall. Albiet slowly at first. And Cinder tried to get into a bullhead and fly out(remember she can still do that) and just as she’s going to get out a random Flying beringal(something she’s never seen) comes out and attacks her seeing as she’s a maiden and half human. She manages to kill it but it destroys the control panel and she noticed how everything around her is floating up and the wind is leaving. She sees fire around the borders of the flying kingdom.

Cinder:What?! Oh... oh..... shit....

Salem under them breaks free if the stone prison and yells out in rage and looks around to try and find the group and Ozpin.

Salem:Where are they?! Where the hell are they?!

She then hears a loud noise and then she slowly looks up only to see the ENTIRE kingdom of atlas falling towards her. She’s terrified and intimidated by this as she stood there and saw it get closer as she and everything around her was shadowed. Cinder on the island sighed and closed her eye as Salem closed her eyes as well, the then utter their final words.

Cinder & Salem:Son of a bitch.

Then BAM! the biggest explosion in rwby history from all the dust in the mines, and Isolde the kingdom that held it up exploded. Creating something similar to a nuke mushroom cloud and RWBY and co watch in awe as the shockwave hits them and makes every ship stumble a little. They see he bright lights begin to die down and let out breaths.

Yang:Well.... that was a thing.

Of course she’d say that. And also, Cinder would definitely be dead from that, and the maiden powers go to someone else, who knows who it will be maybe, Neo? Maybe Nora since she was the last female she saw, maybe Emerald if it was the last she thought off but the main point is she’s dead.

Neo would either be taken into custody(only to get out later lol) and JNR and RWBY would reunite with Oscar trying to get over the fact that they just experienced the battle of a life time.

Nora:Wait... does this mean Weiss is poor now?

Weiss:... I don’t care.

She’d say since she has her friends. (Now after that if Tyrian was there Qrow could die from the sting this time and die off. Or he could stay or something else after being cured.)

And after the credits of it all it fades to black and then in the large amount of rubble that was once Atlas. A pale hand broke out of the rock and steel. Mangled and broke with the fingers bending the wrong way another arm in the same state comes out and they start to glow and heal themselves. And after a couple moments of resurfacing Salem comes out of the rubble, with her robe and clothes in tatters and her body bruised and slowly healing form the immortality she’d vow to pay back RWBY and her friends for dropping a kingdom on her.

Salem:I’ll.... get them for this... and their little friends too...

(And Maybe for destroying the relic idk)