#really had a moment of 'oz SAVE ME....SAVE ME OZ....'

[elegyofthemoon]

7-10 i love body mods hehe

body mods are really neat!! personally i'm not super big on them though (it just doesn't really fit my style i think orz but i have The Most Basic NPC Style so you know alskf) these will be a little T T bland my apologies

7:Have tattoos?

nope!!

8:Want any tattoos?

i kinda do and i kinda don't. i go back and forth with it a lot. but if i wanted any tattoos it's going to wind up being a l'cie symbol or the contractor symbol from pandora hearts ( / n \) predictable.

9:Got any piercings?

my parents pierced my ears when i was a baby and while i don't wear earrings anymore, the hole just never closed up so you can still see them there lmao

10:Want any piercings?

not really tbh ! i think the most i'll ever do - and it's not even a piercing really, it's just an ear cuff, and that's about it lmao i'm not big on piercings. looks nice on others!! just not for me

[jebewonmorelike]

Charisma Boss Employee

wc: 3.5k (oh no guys, i'm only getting worse) pronouns: none used; n/a warnings: some angst; some fluff! this is a powerful one. some swears, mention of an ill mother, ricky's dad is mean :( but it's just a story! i'm sure ricky's real dad is very nice lol summary: when richboy!ricky crashes his car, his dad takes away his credit card and forces him to get a part time job at the diner-- and reader is the unlucky employee tasked with training him ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ CELEBRATORY FIC FOR RICKY TOP 9! This is an epic you guys. I think you'll really love it! For some reason, Ricky inspires some great plot lines for me. And I just love richboy!Ricky he's such a doll.

Ricky was not having a good day. In fact, Ricky was having a no good, very bad day and he was not about to be pleasant to the worker training him to make a vanilla milkshake.

“So you’ll pour the milk in with the ice, screw the lid on and shake the container,” you explain, handing the tall blonde boy next to you the carton of milk.

He takes it reluctantly, measuring the 10 oz. without much care and screwing the lid on.

“Make sure that it’s—,” you start to warn, but he’s already shaking the container…

And it’s contents has already flown out from the loose lid and drenched the both of you.

He winces, an exhale of an embarrassed laugh escaping his lips.

“Maybe if you took the sunglasses off, you would’ve been able to see that you hadn’t tightened the lid all the way,” you say annoyedly.

He shakes his head quickly. “I can’t take them off.”

But being covered in a mess that this stupid rich kid made has not positively impacted your level of patience for his ridiculousness, so you reach up and snatch the sunglasses off of his face.

“Hey! Give them back!” He protests as you run around to the other side of the counter with them, quickly closing the bar top on the counter so he can’t follow you. You watch as he attempts to open the passageway in the counter, but lucky for you he wasn't paying attention when you had shown him where the latch is.

"Please," he begs now, looking around frantically as he places his large hand above his eyes to seemingly block the view of his face. "Please, I don't want anyone to see me here."

You snort. "People see me here every day and I have yet to die of embarrassment."

"Yeah, well, I'm not like you," Ricky remarks snidely, sinking down below the counter to hide from customers.

How had this happened to you? You clocked in this afternoon with a pretty good attitude: this was the eighth-to-last shift you'd have to work before finally having saved enough money to buy the little red Kia Rio from the used car dealership down the road.

But that good attitude was suddenly shattered when you saw your boss standing in the kitchen with an older, professional-looking man in a suit and a tall, blonde boy wearing Prada sunglasses indoors. You weren't quite sure what was happening yet, but you felt a sinking feeling in your gut nevertheless.

"(Y/N), you're late," your boss said as you walked towards the little gathering in the kitchen.

Your brow furrowed in confusion. "What? No, I'm not; my shift doesn't start until--."

"This is the building owner, Mr. Shen," your boss introduced, cutting you off. "And this is his son, Ricky."

Your eyes widened, nodding out of respect and smiling politely at Mr. Shen. "It's nice to meet you."

"Sure," Mr. Shen replied flippantly. "Quanrui, say hello."

"Hello," Ricky greeted reluctantly, looking back down at his phone screen. You studied him for a moment, taking note of the dyed blonde hair, the Rolex on his lithe wrist, and the thin, delicate tattoo running down his neck behind one ear. The best way you could think to describe him was... punchable.

"You're going to be training Mr. Shen's son for the next few days," your boss announced. "Like I told you about last week."

"What!? You didn't tell me that--."

Mr. Shen cut you off abruptly. "As Tom here probably told you--."

"It's Tim," your boss corrected quietly.

"My son crashed his car last week on a midnight joyride around the city," Mr. Shen continued, glaring at Ricky, whose eyes were still glued to his phone. "So, as punishment, I've taken away all his credit cards and I've asked Tom if he could give him a little job here for a bit until he's learned his lesson."

"It's actually...," your boss laughed much too cheerily before he continued, "It's actually Tim, sir, but whatever you prefer is fine. Our shift manager, (Y/N) here, is so grateful to get the opportunity to train your very capable, and might I add handsome, son. Isn't that right, (Y/N)?"

"Well--."

"Exactly! Go grab an apron and a pair of ears for Ricky," Tim ordered you, as you ran to the corner of the room to grab the supplies.

"Ears?" Ricky asked suddenly, finally looking up from his phone.

"Oh... Yes, ears! The Hungry Dog Diner-- all of the waitstaff wear dog-eared headbands," Tim explained enthusiastically as you walked back over and handed Ricky the uniform pieces.

"Why did I invest in this business again?" Mr. Shen asked in an alarmingly genuine tone.

You watched as Ricky flipped the ears over in his hands, horrified. "Dad, do I really have to wear this?"

"Son... You are a terrible student, you can't take direction, and you have no work ethic. I'm not sure if you possess any skills at all," Mr. Shen announced harshly. "No other business is going to hire you except the ones that I own, so just make it easy on us all and put the ears on, Quanrui."

You had to work quite hard to keep your eyes from widening at Mr. Shen's rather stiff criticism of his son, especially in front of strangers. You couldn't help but wonder what he said when no one else was present. Ricky solemnly placed the dog ears over his perfectly-coiffed blonde hair, the loop of the apron finding its way around his neck.

In that moment, if he wasn't so positively punchable-looking, you might've almost felt sorry for him.

"Excellent!" Tim exclaimed, clapping his hands together in the midst of the looming awkward silence. "(Y/N), why don't you show Ricky the milkshake machine? That would be a great spot for that handsome face to be seen by customers!"

Ricky audibly groaned as you led him out of the kitchen to the front countertop area.

~

And now, here you are. Covered in ice and milk, holding Ricky's sunglasses and allowing the implications of the sentence, "Well, I'm not like you," to sink in.

"Bastard," you say.

Ricky's wide eyes appear from behind the counter as he sits up on his knees to peak out at you. "What did you just say?"

"You rat bastard," you repeat, staring him directly in the eye. "You're not like me? Then why are we both wearing this stupid apron and these ridiculous dog ears, huh? Why are we both working this annoying ass part-time job? Why are we both covered in milkshake ingredients?"

You're surprised when Ricky doesn't retaliate, just stares back at you in shock.

"I actually think we have a lot in common right now. The only difference being that, for the next six hours, I'm in charge. So you're gonna take off these sunglasses and make every flavor of milkshake absolutely perfectly, or I am going to fire you!"

Ricky blinks, tilting his head to one side curiously. "Would you really fire me?"

You stare back at him wordlessly, confused by his lack of anger.

"Even though my dad would probably sue you or frame you for some petty crime or something?"

Ricky stands up from behind the counter, nodding appreciatively. "That's kind of badass."

He takes your apparent inability to speak or move as an opportunity to grab his sunglasses from your hand. "I'm gonna get all of this milk off of me. I'll be right back-- and I'll put these away in my bag."

After another moment of temporary paralysis, you run to the customers' bathrooms and clean yourself up. When you make your way back to the counter, you watch as Ricky very diligently measures 10 oz. of milk into the shaker cup.

~

"Okay! Time to head out, Ricky," you call from the kitchen, panicking slightly when you're met with silence. "Ricky?"

You run from the kitchen to the countertop area quickly, just in time to see Ricky holding all of the quarters from the cash register in his hand and counting them with his fingers (and then recounting them when he loses track of the total).

You have to admit... He looks pretty cute like this.

Ricky had been a pretty decent employee for the rest of the day. He mastered a few milkshake flavors, he seated customers in booths, and you'd even let him close the register after proper demonstration. Quite honestly, he was nowhere near as incompetent as his father had made him out to be.

Not only that, but you'd found he was fairly easy to get along with when he wasn't being a spoiled brat.

Tip-toeing your way over to him, you lightly smack his upper arm. "Boo!"

"NO!" He shouts in defeat. "I ALMOST HAD IT THAT TIME!"

You can't help but laugh, holding out your hand for him to pour the quarters into. You count them in less than ten seconds and drop them back in the drawer.

"Whoah," Ricky says, shaking his head as you finish counting the rest of the coins. "I really don't have any skills, do I?"

"Stop that," you say, entering the final totals into the register and closing it down. "It's not easy. You'll get better with practice. Besides, I watched you do a bunch of things today that I would say required skills."

"Oh," he replies, clearly not expecting your kindness. "Thanks."

You smile. "Same time tomorrow?"

"TOMORROW!?" He exclaims, hanging his head sadly. "But we were just here today."

You chuckle. "Welcome to the working world, Ricky."

~

"Here you go, one strawberry and one cookie dough milkshake for the two runway models on lunch break," Ricky says, placing the drinks on the counter. The two girls giggle, cheersing and placing the paper straws in their mouths.

This week had gone quite differently than you'd expected. It seemed as if word had gotten out that a rich, handsome young man had started working the counter at Hungry Dog's and groups of girls had flocked to the diner the past few days to get a milkshake from Ricky.

Though very wary of being seen on his first day, Ricky was now eating up the positive attention. He didn't even seem to mind wearing the dog ears. He conversed easily with the customers, tastefully flirting even with the regular group of elderly women that came in for lunch every Thursday. He was a natural.

And you hate to admit it, but... it's irking you a bit. You'd been Ricky's go-to pal the first few days and you enjoyed joking back and forth with him. He'd shared a lot about his life with you, in the way that coworkers often do. He'd talked about school, his friends, and even his dad and you liked having these conversations with him. Everyone else that worked here before him had been so boring. But now every girl in the city was coming to the diner for a milkshake and vying for his attention.

Maybe you should have let him keep his sunglasses on after all...

"(Y/N)!" He calls, grinning. You put your rag down on the table you're cleaning and make your way over to the counter. "I'm sorry, I don't remember the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate milkshake."

"That's okay," you say, grabbing a glass and opening the cooler. You point to the peanut butter sauce, chocolate chips, and the peanut butter cups. "Three tablespoons of this, a quarter cup of these, and a good handful of these, too."

"He has such big hands though," the girl at the counter admires.

"Uh..." You look down at Ricky's hands by his sides. "Yeah, I guess. I hope you really like peanut butter cups."

He frowns when you meet his gaze. You start to walk back to the table you were cleaning when you hear Ricky again. "(Y/N)?"

You turn to face him, noticing he still looks kind of upset.

"Chocolate ice cream?" He asks quietly.

"Chocolate ice cream," you confirm, giving him a half-hearted smile as you resume your buswork.

~

"What is the meaning of this?"

Your eyes dart to find the origin of the sound, spotting Mr. Shen standing angrily in the doorway with your boss on his heels. "Quanrui, what on Earth is going on?"

Ricky blinks back anxiously at his father. "I'm--... I'm working?"

"No you're not! You're surrounded by girls," Mr. Shen replies, walking towards his son.

"Well, they are paying customers," Tim responds softly, scurrying behind Mr. Shen as the girls on the barstools at the counter get up and leave hurriedly. You walk over to the countertop area cautiously.

"This is supposed to be a punishment. Where is that worker who trained you?" Ricky's father demands.

You clear your throat and step out from behind him. "I'm here."

"What exactly have you been doing? He's supposed to be miserable! I mean, for god's sake, he's making a milkshake and he's smiling. Smiling!" Mr. Shen exclaims, a stern finger pointing at you. "That's not right."

You swallow, maintaining an even temper. "Is a frown more suited for milkshake-making?"

From the corner of your eye, you see Ricky's eyes widen a concerned amount.

"On Sunday, you said Ricky had no skills. You basically called him useless in front of people he'd never met before. And I thought, at first, that maybe you were right; an irresponsible rich kid cruising through life and he'd be a pain in my ass. But, honestly... He's been great. He can take direction, follow a recipe, clean a table-- hell, he can almost count change!"

"Well, I can count change, I just--."

"And his most notable skill: charisma. I mean, we haven't made money like this in years! There's been people flying in and out of here all week just to look at Ricky. I've overheard him talking to customers for the past few days and he's just really great with people," you say, not backing down.

"That doesn't make any sense! He barely says two words to me," Mr. Shen rebuts.

You want to hold your tongue, but, with everything going on in your life... you just can't. "Maybe you should think about why that is."

If people could explode from anger, Mr. Shen would be in pieces by now. "Is this true, Ricky?"

You look up at Ricky, hoping that maybe he could find it in him to stand up for himself-- especially after you'd just done the heavy-lifting for him.

But he's not looking at you. He's not looking at anyone. He's just staring at the floor.

Mr. Shen is frightening now as his voice comes out so coolly, "Tom, fire this worker at once."

Tim looks at you uncertainly. You're his best employee. But you know the chances of Tim sticking up for you are slim to none. You've fought this battle alone-- and for what?

"Just go," Tim says, mouthing an I'm sorry after.

So you go. You're running back into the kitchen, taking off your apron and throwing your stupid dog ears onto the floor. You're so upset that you don't hear footsteps approaching behind you as you walk towards the back door.

"(Y/N)!" Ricky calls, hand finding your shoulder. You turn around on your heels to face him.

"What?" You spit. "What could you possibly want? Huh?"

"I--... I wanted to see if you're okay."

"Okay? I just lost my job... for defending you, of all people! I must be crazy," you say, shaking your head in disbelief at your own actions.

Ricky's brows furrow in defense, his eyes a bit sad like they had been earlier. "Well, it's not like I made you do that."

"No, you didn't," you say, nodding as you understand the error in judgment you've made. "So, I guess I'll just get going."

"Oh, come on!" Ricky exclaims, not letting go of your shoulder. "You're telling me you liked working here all this time? You're way smarter than me-- shouldn't you be trying to go back to school?"

"My mom is sick." The words escape your mouth before you can swallow them back down as you watch the shock contort Ricky's face. "I was working here to save up money for a car so I could stay at the hospital even after the buses stop running."

He stares back at you; the silence, deafening.

"Good luck, Ricky," you say finally, pushing the back door open and stepping out into the warm, afternoon air.

~

Come to the diner, I need you to calculate our expenses for the month

You fired me.

I knowwwwww. I said I was sorry! But I really need your help. And I know you'd hate for this diner you've spent so many pathetic years of your life working at to close down :(

You are not helping your case.

I'm sorry, please just come as soon as you can

Fine.

So, here you are again thanks to Tim's text. Walking through the back door of Hungry Dog's Diner like you do every day. But something's off when you step inside. When you realize you can't hear any noise, you look around concernedly for a body-- any body would do to ease your anxiety.

Just then, Ricky walks into the kitchen. He smiles timidly.

"Hi," he greets, a little awkward wave accompanying the word.

"Hi," you return, unamusedly.

"Tim's out here," he says, walking out of the kitchen as you reluctantly follow. You walk past the counter and out towards the booths, Tim waving at you from one in the back.

But as you walk past the glass doors, you see something in the parking lot that has you frozen in your tracks.

There, in the parking lot of Hungry Dog's Diner, is the little red Kia Rio from the used car dealership down the road.

"Go look at it," Ricky says behind you, gently pushing you forward.

You run out through the doors and stare at it in awe before remembering who brought you out here to see it in the first place.

Turning around slowly, your eyes meet Ricky's. His bottom lip is between his teeth as he chews it in nervous anticipation. You step up to him, silent before smacking his chest with your hand, hard.

"Ow!" He yelps, rubbing the spot that you hit.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You hit me," he complains with a pout.

"Your dad gave you your credit card back, huh? You think you can just buy something for me and your dad can pay it off and all will be forgiven?" You accuse, tears quickly welling up in your eyes from frustration.

“No! No, no, it’s—… it’s not like that! I swear,” he claims, sincere eyes boring into yours. “I bought it with my own savings. It was... It was almost everything I had.”

You stare back at him wide-eyed for a few moments and then hit him again. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU!?”

“OW!” He yelps louder, rubbing his chest once more.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” you say, a mixture of emotions now flooding your senses. “That’s—… It’s—… You didn’t have to do that.”

It hits you now— a wave of immense, conflicting gratitude and embarrassment. You’re suddenly wailing quite cartoonishly, tears running out of you so quickly you’re afraid you might form a puddle.

"I'm just really sorry. I should have defended you... and I should've stood up for myself, too. You've been really nice to me this whole week and I can't imagine I was always particularly easy to deal with," Ricky apologizes, swallowing hard before continuing. "You really need this and it's my fault you weren't able to get it on your own. I was actually gonna by myself a new car with the money, but... what would I have been using it for?"

"How did you know this is the one I wanted?"

He laughs. "Tim said you showed everyone that walked through the doors a picture of it at least once."

You smile sheepishly, before uncertainty causes you to sigh. "Still, Ricky, this--."

"Maybe you can just drive me to work from now on," he suggests, a shy smile now gracing his lips. "And we'll call it even."

"To work?" You ask, tilting your head.

He smiles. "Yeah. You're rehired. Duh. I, uh... I finally talked to my dad about everything. And I told him I would be really lost at Hungry Dog's Diner without you."

You smile, a blush creeping onto your cheeks. "I'll repay you for this. I promise."

"Go ahead, get in!" Ricky says with a laugh, reaching in his back pocket and tossing you the key. You run to the driver's side and fling open the door, hopping inside and turning on the car. Ricky gets in the passenger side and looks around appreciatively.

"Not a McLaren, but it's got charm," he says, nodding.

"I love it," you reply, grinning at him. "I really love it. Thank you."

"You know, I might need a ride other places once in a while, too, like... out to dinner?"

"Why would I drive you to go out to dinner?" You ask, obliviously.

He blinks back at you, waiting for you to comprehend.

"Oh!" You gasp, ears burning as you bask in the heat of his gaze. "Oh, um... I guess, yeah. Yeah, I could probably... I could probably drive you to dinner. And then eat dinner with you."

"Good," he says happily, grinning at you as he leans back in the car seat, flipping his sunglasses down over his eyes. "But since I'm actually broke now, you're paying."

[bestworstcase]

@cryptidblues tumblr ate this one too, maybe drop tumblr support a line to check if you’ve been erroneously shadowbanned 

Oscar is dying! He’s dying! We’re getting the full weight and crisis of the merge in volume 10 I NEED IT. The image of him collapsed on the sand as the sunrises with his back to the long memory OOUGH just like Ruby and crescent rose after she drank the tea, before the tree took her. The reversal on “I don’t want to be me anymore” / please let me stay myself. The lad is being eaten alive! From the inside out! By an unstoppable brain parasite that will kill him! And Replace Him! I Need the slow build up of horror from Oscar and everyone involved. “And Oscar…just isn’t himself” they’re place setting. Getting the table ready. Ooh yknow he’s hiding those merge episodes/attacks from his friends. I NEED the existential terror and dread! BUT I NEED THE CATHARSIS OF OSCAR BEING KNOWN, SEEN & SAVED TOO ;-;

NOT to make a post oscar about ozma instead but the thing that is really, really pulling the hinges off for me is the implication that this is happening because oz started actively fighting the merge. as long as oscar resisted and oz kept up the drumbeat of “this is inevitable, there is nothing either of us can do,” the curse kept on quietly eroding oscar as the boundary became thinner and thinner between them. it was, for lack of a better term, stable. 

the moment oz tries to resist, the curse starts trying to rip him forward. to force him to take over, inflicting what seems to be torturous amounts of pain on both of them. the subtle, silent, invisible violence that was inflicted on oscar before explodes outward to attack both of them. 

how many times have i said this curse is specifically designed to make it impossible for ozma to change? that the whole point is to prevent ozma from ever changing his mind or defying the god of light? never doubt me. the literal fucking instant ozma tries to break free, the curse becomes YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. 

the curse had a failsafe the whole time.

/ozma tangent

oscar though. this poor kid. like the greatest burden on his shoulders in the last four volumes has always been that no one wants to openly acknowledge what’s happening to him and the nature of the merge’s violence being so completely internal means that no one has to look at it except him. and he’s been so isolated in that existential dread but he’s also grown so accustomed to being treated like just. the next ozpin. that when the violence abruptly becomes externalized in reaction to oz’s resistance, oscar… hides it. keeps it to himself. somewhere deep down the idea that it doesn’t matter to anyone what happens to him got lodged in his brain so deeply that he keeps it hidden!!

and i’m obsessed with the emotional complexity the layers of what he’s feeling with regard to ruby, because it’s not as simple as that he misses her and aspires to her optimism; there’s also some underlying resentment there (“you were always so sure that everything would work out…right up until the moment it didn’t” <- paraphrasing) because she was wrong and he wishes he could borrow her certainty but she was wrong. she fell. she was wrong. 

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, everyone else believes that they’re gone forever. that they’re dead. oscar doesn’t. he’s thinking about it in terms of where they might have gone, what might have happened to them, he’s doing research because deep down, there’s a teeny tiny spark of hope that hasn’t been extinguished yet. so there’s this subtext of i wish i had your certainty. even though you were wrong. i’m still trying to find you. we’re still fighting this. you always saw me for who i really was. i don’t know who i am anymore.—there’s this tension throughout the monologue between bitterness and hope, and i don’t know if oscar is even capable of seeing that he is still hopeful or that he does have, if not ruby’s kind of certainty, something of his own that rhymes. he’s feeling this bleak about everything and still trying to figure out where they are because he doesn’t believe they’re dead. 

it was oscar’s idea to put the memorial where the portal had been. it’s taller than a person and shaped like a door. it’s a memorial but it’s also a symbol; the portal is gone, but they were inside it still, we should build our own door so they can find their way home. and then they do, according to the context given. the blacksmith gave them a doorway that went right through their memorial.  ETA: never mind, misremembered

ruby confronting and facing his mortality after running away from it for three volumes to galvanize her to really try to save him vs oscar doing whatever he can think of to somehow save her while roiling in all these complicated painful feelings about how no one cares to know how he’s suffering because it isn’t like there’s any real hope for him. tasty!

[theosb0rnway]

Just finished the Bad Batch finale and HOLY SHIT IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

THEY ALL LIVED!!! HOLY SHIT THEY ALL LIVED I CAN'T BELIEVE IT--

So um.... yeah Tech's still not dead to me, CX-2 is alive, everything is fine, we'll see him soon, it's fine-

Crosshair GOT HIS HAND CUT OFFFF- Not the biggest Crosshair fan but I still feel so bad.... BYT AT LEAST HE MADE THE SHOT AND SAVED OMEGA AND HE GETS A HAPPY ENDING NOW

Speaking of happy endings, THEY ALL GET TO GROW OLD!!!! I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY FOR THAT, I'M SO GRATEFUL THEY GET TO LIVE THAT PEACEFUL LIFE THEY WANTED, EVEN IF WE DIDN’T GET TO SEE IT

GONKY'S ALIVE AND WELL, THANK THE FORCE

Emerie helped the kids escape I'm so glad they all made it too AND THE KIDS LOOKED SO CUTE ON PABU WITH MOX, DEKE, AND STAK

ECHO'S STILL ALIVE AND HELPING THE CLONES FIGHT, HELL YEAH

They rescued the clones!!!! I'm SO FUCKING HAPPY they did

HEMLOCK AND RAMPART ARE FUCKING DEAD, LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO

Rampart was a double-crossing son of a bitch and he got what he deserved. Rest in peace, Nala Se. You may not have always been on the right side, but you died doing the right thing.

Did I mention that I don't think Tech is dead?

The CXs were SO COOL I wish we got to see more of them!!!

DID I MENTION THAT I DON'T THINK TECH IS DEAD?!? (I'm not losing hope guys, I'm not-)

The Zillo beast absolutely RIPPING UP TANTISS was fucking FANTASTIC and I love it and it was VERY VERY MUCH DESERVED

Baryn is me, I need loud destructive noises to fall asleep LOL (this is why I can only fall asleep to FNAF songs in my ears-)

Seeing grown up Omega made me cry, and I love that older Hunter looks like pretty much every older Hunter fanart ever drawn-

Wish we could have seen older Wrecker and Crosshair, and GIVE ME SCENES OF BOTH OF THEM HEALING, PLEASE- (Crosshair did not eat on screen the ENTIRE SEASON I don't like that at ALL.)

Overall, I thought the finale was a solid 9 1/2 out of 10, the only thing that could have made it better was a CX-2 is Tech reveal, but... I mean I got everything else, so I'm not entirely disappointed.

I'm still staying VERY MUCH a part of this fandom, sorry not sorry to my followers who came for the Ninja Turtles and got Star Wars copy-paste men instead-

As I mentioned, I do have a Bad Batch project coming out soon, and I guess I could call it a fix-it now... but yeah, I'm not done with Star Wars and at this point in my life, I really don't think I'm leaving this fandom any time soon. Yes, it has some issues, as all fandoms do, but it's where I fit best at the moment. I'll still be posting other stuff, but Star Wars and the Scream franchise are my main fandoms for now.

Thank you to the cast and crew of this WONDERFUL show, you did it again, Star Wars. (*puts TBB in my top 3 TV shows of all time*)

And thanks to all my friends here on Tumblr who helped me get into this show and traded theories and so much more! (Also special thanks to @atyourdinosaurs for all of your love, theories, and ideas [and for inspiring my new project], and to @casp1an-sea and @thecoffeelorian for being two amazing friends I made from this fandom!)

We had a great run, guys. It's a honor to love this show and to be here for its final moments. Here's to more Star Wars and to more Bad Batch content in the future.

-Oz

[verdemoun]

BOO!!! Did I scare you? What's Halloween like in timewarp au? What's the gangs first experiences with it, and do others help the ones experiencing it for the first time navigate the holidays? Also sorry for being the insane Micah bell fan in your asks but does Micah get a Scrooge moment for each Holiday

yes you terrified me silly

Bessie is so careful to explain Halloween because children in costume approaching house full of gang of outlaws that are used to shooting people who come on their camp 'territory' on sight is a recipe for a goddamned disaster. Like sit down conversation breaking down the concept and answering all their questions and begging them not to eat all the candy because it's socially acceptable to egg the houses of people who do not provide candy and various other tricks.

The 1899 gang are all together for their first Halloween and do end up loving it. Lenny forces Sean and Jenny to dress up in matching Dorothy, tinman and scarecrow costumes and go out clubbing. Hosea and Bessie go out for a fancy Halloween dinner party dressed to the nines like 19th century aristocracy.

Arthur gets to take Isaac trick or treating just wearing his actual timewarped clothes complete with replacement gunslinger hat (rip he never gets His hat back).

Kieran contently watches horror movies alone snickering to himself about how fake the effects look only to still scream in terror and need to be talked through a panic attack when Bessie and Hosea got home.

--

The whole gang come around to the idea of Halloween, only because 90% of them see it as a chance to wear their pre-timewarp clothes and get drunk.

John dresses as a pinkerton one year because Abigail Jr insisted on dressing up as her daddy the rancher and wearing John's timewarp clothes. His justification was it was the scariest thing he could think of, which still did not save him from nearly getting his nose broken when he went up behind Arthur and shouted 'this is the pinkerton detective agency!'.

At Abigail Jr's insistence Abigail is almost always dressed as some variation of princess goddess fairy queen angel. She then blank stared at John and said he had to be dressed as the frog prince but still as an ugly frog no one knows is a prince. She wanted to dress as a witch.

They usually do some sort of get together for Halloween, because there's something really innocent and fun (read: cathartically traumatizing) about being able to see each other in their canon era clothing. Of course, some still insist on dressing up but that's just as fun.

With the additions of Karen and their daughter Maeve, the MacSummers quartet+child finally complete Lenny's vision of a full wizard of oz group costume. Before anyone could poke fun of them for making Maeve dress as Toto they realized she absolutely insisted on dressing as Toto as an excuse to bite people. Sean is very proud of her. Karen also insists on being a sexy cowardly lion.

Arthur and Charles going on modern era dates in their canon era clothes making up for all the time they didn't get to have being in a relationship in canon era. Big scary outlaws having milkshakes at a 24 hour diner.

Between Abigail Jr being a witch and Maeve being Toto no one was save from bitten or whacked with a magic wand as Abigail Jr cursed them.

Micah in the club in outlaw garb getting offended when he boasts his costume is the famed gunslinger Micah Bell III only to be met with blank stares and 'who??'.

Isaac and Jack, who of course dressed as the fabulous killjoys, also go hang out with Isaac's gang and will absolutely be arrested for graffiti and trespass that is escalated to destruction of property when it is discovered they mixed sugar into the still-wet concrete slab of a commercial site being built on what should have been protected land.

At least once someone dressed as an O'Driscoll. Fuck it it was probably Micah and Sadie almost sent him to the next life before she realized it was Micah and was still contemplating using it as an excuse to kill Micah when Kieran, to everyone's surprise and slight pride, absolutely walloped him with a two by four and Micah spent the rest of Halloween in emergency with a concussion.

[j2d3]

Mr. Loverman | Jefferson/Mad hatter x reader | pt 3

Picture this since before the curse you and Jefferson have been best friends, your character is the chesiare cat but a witch version ( NOT A FURY 💀) . This is staged during season one during the time of the curse, your memory is erased but he still remembers you. ( Also Jefferson doesn’t have a daughter in this!!!)

There was something missing inside of me, I feel like a big part of me is missing. When I met that man it was like something changed, like he woke up a part of me.

I slip out of bed and put on a short black and gray striped dress, with black short sleeves, black ruffles in the end. I pair my dress with converse and black see through thigh highs, I feel so free dressing like this, it’s weird really but so comfortable.

I figured that the man seems to have the answers that I want so maybe I could get in contact with him, I know that Emma and Mary Margret may not like this idea but hey who says I’m telling them about it.

I walk out my home onto the sidewalks preparing for the long walk I’m about to take. What if he’s actually fucked up in the head? What if the minute he sees me he’ll shot me dead? No that won’t happen I know it, there’s something different about him than the rest of these people in this town.

I stand in front of the white big house, taking a big breath before walking to the door. I knock on the door two times, slowly but firmly.

“Hello Jefferson, are you home?!? I wanna talk to you! I’m sorry I hit you with a vase it slipped out of my hand, well it didn’t but I had to protect my friend. Look I promise my friends aren’t here, I’m completely alone.” I look down at my shoes nervously, what if he’s not home? I look up to knock again but as soon as I lift my fist to the door it opens.

I stand there frozen for a few seconds, looking at the man in front of me. To my surprise he doesn’t seem mad at all, he seems relieved, maybe a bit joyful.

“Hi..” Is all my mouth can manage to say, his eye contact is a bit intimidating in a way.

“Hi.” A smile escapes his mouth, along with a small chuckle. I don’t know why but I feel a little comforted right now, like I’ve been in this moment before.

“So you wanna talk? I suppose about what me and Emma were talking about, is that correct?”

“Yea, that’s correct.”

“Come in then.” He hands out his hand in a welcoming gesture, I stand there a bit scared. What if he tries to kidnap me again?

“I won’t do anything to you, I promise.” He leans into me, still holding out his hand. I take it, giving him a slight smirk. I walk in hand with his as he leads me to the couch, our hands separate when we sit down together.

“Believe it or not we were put under a curse, a curse by the evil queen. Snow White had given birth the same day the curse happened, Emma is that baby. She’s supposed to be a savior, she’s supposed to save us.” I process what was told to me, I feel like it would be kind of selfish of me to ask what character I was but I went ahead any way.

Time skip•

After some time talking with Jefferson I had figured out more. Regina is the Evil Queen, Emma is Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, and Jefferson’s hat teleports him to a lot of portals such as Wonderland, Oz, and another land I can’t quite remember.

“If we were all characters before the curse who was I? We’re you really the mad hatter?” I guess I really let curiously get the best of me, Iean more closer to him with curiosity as he reads me.

“You were….the chesiare cat, and I was the mad hatter.” I hold on to the thought that I was a cat, if the curse ends will I become a cat. What does that mean. I tilt my head in confusion, mouthing the word “huh”. He laughs at me in response, while I tilt my head back to normal.

“Chesiare cat? Does that mean I’m a cat? Well I turn into a cat when the curse ends? What does that mean?” Jefferson breaks into a fit of laughter for a few seconds, I suppose my curiosity amuses him.

“No actually you were a witch, a witch that could transform into a cat whenever she wanted, teleport wherever she wanted. You know you were quite powerful in a way…” Jefferson zones out as if he’s remembering something, theres something more he knows about he just is not saying it I know it.

“Oh, a witch that seems cool!”

“It is, you know if you want to know about your story you can ask Henry about. He has a storybook about all our lives before the curse, who we were.”

“Did you not know me that well before the curse? So you don’t know me that much?” I observe every emotion he displays on his face, as if I’m trying to catch a mouse but really I’m trying to catch the truth.

“Yea, I guess you could say that.” He turns his head to the fireplace in front of us. The empty, cold,withered fireplace. There it is, there is that slip of emotion. I don’t want to make assumptions but I have feeling we were close, or friends at least.

“Well ok, I guess I’ll make my way out, to ask Henry about my story.” I get up and walk towards the door, feeling his eyes burn through me.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Well yea, I got the answers I needed and now I’m looking for a new answer which you don’t have since we weren’t that close... Hope to talk to you soon!” I emphasize on the close part looking him in the eyes before smiling and leaving out the door. A part of me feels sorry for Jefferson, but I plan to help Jefferson get Emma to break the curse so we all can be saved.

Time skip •

I walk over to the Park Henry usually hangs out at, spotting the little boy and his big book of “stories”.

“Hi Henry, can I read my story in that book of yours if you don’t mind?” Henry looks up surprised, I think he was surprised that I would want to know my story.

“Well of course Chesiare cat! I’m glad you asked!” Henry opens up the book to page 33, “The Chesiare cat”

[xbadgerbearx]

chapter 1: perv

summary: When a new serial killer prowls the streets of Gotham and murders politicians in Gotham, Batman is forced into unraveling the city's dark secrets. Only, he didn't expect to team up with you. What an unlikely duo...

pairing: Batman x Reader

word count: 2k

warning: spoilers for The Batman (2022)

note: no use of (y/n) and enjoy!

Sonata in Darkness: ... [2]

“Thursday, October thirty-first…

The streets are crowded for the holiday, but hiding in the chaos… is the element. Waiting to strike at the decent… the vulnerable…

But I’m there too. Watching.

Two years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal. It’s a big city, I can’t be everywhere… but they don’t know that.

We have a signal now. When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call… It’s a warning.

Fear is a tool.

They think I’m hiding in the shadows… 

But I am the shadows.

I am vengeance.” 

———————————————————————————————

“Watch where you’re going, pipsqueak.”

The man who backed into you spat, grumbling as he stumbled away. Sighing, you rolled your eyes but kept your composure and continued on your way with a covered tray in your hands. Luckily the bastard didn’t make you drop it. 

The dim club obscured most features of a person, but the colorful lights revealed everything with a flash or blink. You were dolled up in your work attire: glamorous makeup, a slutty dress, heels, the whole works. Men and women alike found you irresistible—a real catch. 

You approached the table with a friendly smile as you set the tray down and revealed its contents: drops. The partiers cheered and clamored to get their hands on the drugs presented before them. With a wink you left the group, all while ignoring the stares and occasional whistles. Slipping behind the bar you saw the bartender waving to get your attention.

“What’s up?”

“Drops. Mr. Cobblepot wants these—“ He pointed to another tray, this time with a thick envelope and a fresh drink, “—delivered to him upstairs.”

“Sure thing,” you said as you gathered the item and sauntered out of the underground club. The almost calming blue light of the 44 Below was immediately erased by the harsh, flashing red lights of the club upstairs. If you weren’t so used to it, it would have given you a headache. You were almost there when suddenly-

“Selina?”

“Oh hey, my little mouse, haven’t seen you all night,” Selina purred with a smile. “Where’re ya off to?”

“Oz. He requested some samples from below.” 

She hummed in understanding. “Want me to come with? I’m not doing much.”

“Yes, please.” 

Your night just got slightly better. Selina was a friend of yours—your best friend, actually. You guys were sharing an apartment at the moment to save on some cash, but you didn’t mind. The only thing that drove you a little crazy was that she’d seemingly turn up with a new stray cat almost every few days. As long as they didn’t start stinking up the apartment, you didn’t really care. At least they were cute.

You guys linked arms and laughed as you made your way past the crowd and to his office, heels clicking on the cold metal floor. Selina took the tray from you to hold it herself—how sweet. Getting closer to his office, you could hear men talking in low tones. Making your way inside, the men silenced themselves. Oz was sitting on his couch while a man clad in a black suit stood in front of him. He looked very… menacing as he stared you and Selina down.

“Hey, it’s okay, baby,” Oz thankfully interrupted. “Mr. Vengeance don’t bite.”

Recognizing the man as the one and only caped crusader did not calm your nerves in the slightest. ‘The Batman’ was only a slightly new figure in Gotham, known for taking justice into his own hands—his reasons unknown. ‘Maybe he flunked out of the Police academy,’ you had thought humorously at one point. Figuring it was only a matter of time before he tried to involve himself in Penguin’s business, it was still surprising to see him in your boss’ office. 

 He was still staring at you—no—into you. His harsh blue eyes never wavered from yours, even as your friend gave him a pointed look and delivered the tray to Oz. He finally looked away when he heard Oz ruffling through the money in the envelope and setting a stash of drops on the tray. As Selina set down the drink onto the table, you too had looked away from the dark man, and your eyes fell onto the photograph before her. It was Annika being escorted by Mayor Mitchel, no doubt, but you could also make out you, Selina, and Oz standing behind the couple talking. Selina gave you a look.

“Thank you, honey,” Oz said, breaking you out of your spell. You smiled hesitantly and turned to leave, daring to look back at the black crusader, but he was already looking your way. Linking arms with Selina again, you hastily made your way out of there and back into the main club area. Before you could though, she yanked you back and pressed herself against the nearby wall, urging you to do the same.

“That was Anni.”

“Yeah, I saw. Why’d he have a picture of her?”

“I’m not sure,” Selina said. “But it can’t be good. Shh, now listen.”

You couldn’t see what your friend saw, but suddenly she gave a sharp turn and started rushing away. 

“Go, we have to leave. He saw us.”

An indescribable feeling swelled inside you, but you obediently slinked away after her. After grabbing your belongings and coats from the locker rooms, Selina grabbed your hand and led the way outside.

“Taxi!” 

However, it wasn’t long after when you clambered in the backseat of the car that Selina got a phone call. “Hey, it’s me. What’samatter, baby? Slow down, I can’t—on the news? No, wait for us, we’re on our way home. We’re gonna get the hell out of here, I promise…if we have to go sooner, we’ll go tonight!” Selina gave you an uneasy look. “Look, sweetie, we’re just a block away, I‘ll be there soon. Love you.”

———————————————————————————————-

The rain pelted against the man’s back as he peered into some windows with his binoculars atop a nearby building. A woman with short, blonde hair was a wreck and sobbing at the TV. Not long after, two more women, the very same he saw earlier in the club, rushed in to comfort. The dark haired one stayed behind to reassure her as he watched you slip into the back rooms to pull out a bodysuit. You looked around, paranoid in your own home but saw nothing, so you hastily shimmied out of your club dress and into your new apparel–a catsuit. The man moved to get a better look; his eyes lingered a little too long before jumping back to the two other women. By the time you finished getting dressed, the other woman he saw you with was gearing up and you two were sliding out the window. The now-pixie haired woman flipped over the railing and onto the ground while you slid down a nearby pole. Reaching the bottom, you made your way to the garage and hopped on a motorcycle that the woman was operating. The man rushed after the pair, worried that he’d lose them. Climbing onto his own bike, he pursued the women and gave chase.

————————————————————————————————

The rope was thin and light, but just sturdy enough to carry a person. Once your partner in crime made it down through the skylight, you tossed down the lock picking kit to her and lowered yourself down. It took some investigating, but after a while Selina ran her hands along a rather large painting and managed to find a button. Pressing it made the painting retract and allowed the safe to eject. 

Silently working as one, you assembled the tool until it was completed and Selina could look through the scope. As she was deep in concentration, deciding to look around the room wouldn’t hurt. It was a nice, big office, only fit for a mayor. As your eyes wandered, you couldn’t help but notice a shadow flicker overhead. “Cat?” you whispered.

The split second it took to look over at her gave the shadow enough time to materialize just as Selina cracked the safe.

“You’re pretty good at that.”

Instantly your body went into fight mode. A flurry of kicks and spins forced the stranger to make space between you and the safe. As you were fighting, Selina rummaged through the iron box until she found what she was looking for—the passport. Interested in what was in her hand, the man made a bold move and grabbed your leg that was coming for him, twisting the appendage and throwing you away as he stalked after her. Leaping to your feet, Selina called out, “Catch!” 

Smoothly catching the book and zipping it away in your front breast compartment, you joined your friend in attacking the assailant. With his back facing you, you jumped on top and wrapped your legs around his face, choking him between your thighs. His breath turned ragged and he wheezed frantically; his hands went straight to trying to get you off. In return, he took multiple blows from Selina from the front. Finding it almost impossible to knock you off first without dealing with your partner, he delivered a calculated punch that rendered her breathless before he flung her across the room. Gasping, he finally got a hold and heaved you over his head and onto a table. One of his hands immediately went to your throat to hold you down; your hands met with it at once. His grip was strong and unrestricted; it felt like he could kill you if he pressed down a little harder. Seeing the fight leave your body as your eyes bulged and glistened in fear, he took a moment to examine you. Your hands were still furiously pawing at the glove around your throat as you struggled to gasp for breath. He wouldn’t budge.

Giving you a glare as he drank in air, his gaze fixed themselves onto the front of your suit. Sliding his free hand down, he unzipped the breast pocket and fished out the little passport. He struggled as you fought for breath. His hand on your throat disappeared, leaving you gasping as you collapsed to the ground, body hunched over itself as you started a coughing fit. He flipped open the book.

He stood in front of you, panting, “Kosolov, Annika… He hurt her? That’s why you killed him?”

He gave you a while to respond. Rising to your feet and rubbing your neck, you choked out, “What? We didn’t kill anybody.” Selina rose to her feet. 

A door creaked open just as you went to swipe the book in his hand. Effortlessly, he pulled you into his chest and spun around the corner, his hand covering the lower portion of your face. Panic swelled inside of you; was he going to choke you again? But the pressure remained consistently light as he shushed you, so you took the chance to take deep breaths to calm your racing heart. You could almost feel yourself melting into his embrace. Echoing footsteps slowly paraded around the room you had previously occupied—Selina must have hid. Thoughts trampled around in your mind until the sound of the door squeaking shut awakened you. You broke free from his grasp.

“Rat?” Selina whispered out as she crawled out of her hiding space. Whispering back, she slinked into the room.

“I swear, you’ve got the wrong idea, okay? We didn’t kill anybody-“

“He thinks we murdered someone?” Selina asked, even more pissed off at the accusation

“-We’re taking back what was stolen. Mayor Mitchel took it from her when all she’s trying to do is leave this dump of a city.”

“What does she know?” The Batman asked, face highlighted by the skylight from above. 

“Whatever it is,” interjected Selina, “it’s got her so spooked she won’t even tell me.” 

“She did seem upset.” Your eyes widened, ‘What?’

“Back at your place,” he continued. “Let’s go talk to her.” Meeting hesitant looks, he offered the passport back to your friend who gladly snatched it out of his hand.

Sneaking out of the apartment undetected, he followed behind to where your bike was—his was parked right beside it. Climbing onto the passenger seat of Selina’s bike, you called out to him. “Hey…how much did you see at our place?” His eyes darted to your figure but failed to meet your eyes before busying himself with his own bike. Was that…bashfulness?

“Perv.”

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Shipping War - Round 2 Side D

MiShanks art by @oz-gauze. Check out the original post here.

Propaganda under the cut.

Propaganda for Iceburg x Paulie:

"I find the 'IcePaulie' ship in the "One Piece" fandom particularly compelling, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, the two characters involved, Iceburg and Paulie, are wonderfully complex and engaging. Iceburg, as the mayor of Water 7 and president of Galley-La Company, is a serious, highly respected figure whose calm and composed demeanor grounds the duo. On the other hand, Paulie, one of the company's top foremen, is known for his strict moral code and boisterous nature, which provides a perfect contrast to Iceburg's character. What I appreciate most about the 'IcePaulie' ship is the potential for dynamic interactions and growth that arise from these contrasting personalities. The calm, collected Iceburg and the more hot-blooded Paulie provide a balanced character interaction, which can lead to interesting conflicts or heartwarming moments of mutual understanding and respect. Moreover, their shared commitment to their work within the Galley-La Company serves as a common ground that bonds them together, further enriching their relationship. In conclusion, the 'IcePaulie' ship, to me, is about more than just a potential romantic or platonic relationship. It's about the exploration of two distinct characters, their individual quirks, values, and the unique dynamic that forms between them. This interplay of personalities and the potential narrative arc their relationship could follow are what make the 'IcePaulie' ship truly captivating to me."

It's one of my fav ship not including the big 5 so 👉👈 It's really damn adorable and romantic, like just paulie being extremely overprotective and iceburg just loving him more everytime. And how they deal with the others shenanigans (that they love)

Propaganda for Shanks x Mihawk:

They had a massive battle at one point, when mihawk showed up on that island where shanks was relaxing shanks convinced him to get drunk with him very easily, also in the war of the best mihawk just flat out said he refused to fight shanks

Goth swordsmith & Golden retriever

Two of the most badass characters in the whole series, cat/dog energy, the fact that Mihawk specifically sought Shanks out to show him Luffy's bounty??, also Mihawk leaving the fight because he didn't sign up to fight Shanks??, I love two middle aged man who are somehow friends AND MAYBE MORE lmao

They’re so funny to me. Like seriously goth Mihawk and happy chaotic Shanks. I just think they could be so good together

Rivals to lovers -- Powerhouses -- Introvert and extrovert -- Mihawk wears red and has black hair while Shanks wears black and has red hair like ✨Color schemes✨ -- SAME BIRTHDAY YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME THEY DON'T CELEBRATE IT TOGETHER

They are rivals. They are besties. They are so friggin gay for each other. It's DILF love.

what if we were both swordsmen but you lost your arm to save the future king of the pirates so i have remained SOOO bitter about it but then find out the kid u saved has a promising swordsman so im less bitter so i go drink with you and you force me to ditch my wine for booze but it works because you care about me despite my solitary life so we remained long distance bfs and think about each other constantly. is that something

Mihawk being a recluse but going out of his way to visit his bf regularly is proof enough

[missvelvetsstuff]

The Wrong One

Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Reader meets Steve while he is on the run and sticks with him through everything. Until he sees Peggy Carter again.

Chapter 11: Babymoon

Warnings: swearing, angst

Baby girl Y/L/N was born at 30 weeks gestation, 11 lbs, 1 oz and 25 inches. She was closer in size to a 3 month old than a newborn.

Y/N had been contemplating a name ever since she found out she was having a girl. When she first found out she was pregnant, before Steve left her, she had thought about naming a girl Sarah after his mom. Now she was uncertain but refused to use any inspiration from Steve.  She thought about Jamie since Bucky had been such a rock for her but baby wasn't his and maybe Y/N had dreams of her and Bucky's kids in some hopeful future. She wasn't sure how he felt but some of his actions pointed to romantic feelings. It was hard to trust her instincts after Steve.

The day after baby was born, after breakfast, a lady from the records office showed up to record all the details for her birth certificate. Bucky watched with interest because Y/N had kept mum about her decision.

Y/N looked at Bucky and smiled at him lovingly "Her name will be Guinevere Hope Y/L/N."

When asked who the father was she made a face, "Unknown" then smirked at Bucky with a glint in her eye. He looked at her a little shocked but said nothing.

The recorder missed the looks but smiled at them and kept her assumptions to herself when she saw how big the baby was born. She left wishing them the best.

Bucky turned to look at Y/N as she nursed not so little Winnie, with a question on his face.

She smiled at him "Guinevere because she was the lead female in my favorite play, Camelot, which my father introduced me to. But we will call her Winnie, to honor the woman who raised an amazing man like you, of course. I wish I could thank her in person because you saved me, Buck. I don't know how I would have dealt with everything without you."

He looked surprised and blushed "I don't know what to say, doll. I uh" he stammered, then swallowed "Ok. And father unknown?"

She smirked again "It's really a safety thing. We don't need to advertise that there's a super soldier baby. Pepper and I talked about it. The fact that it denies him that basic acknowledgement is just a bonus." She giggled

Winnie pulled back to see about this noise her mama was making and smiled, even tried to laugh but it came out as a little cough. Y/N smiled and put her over her shoulder to burp her.

Bucky was startled by the loud and slightly wet burp that came out and jumped a little.

Y/N chuckled "Some super assassin, scared of a baby's burp. We need to make sure to tell Helen she smiled already. I'm pretty sure that's not a newborn thing. I think this little one will keep me on my toes."

The peace was broken when Steve showed up with flowers and another teddy bear with a pink bow and a Captain America shield.

Y/N tensed and Winnie picked up on it, rubbing her face on her mama's shoulder.

Steve smiled "I left after she was born last night, you looked tired so I figured today would be better." He reached out to rub the baby's back but she mewled and flinched when he touched her so he quickly pulled his hand back, his smile faltering.

He rubbed Y/N's shoulder which she shrugged off and turned to glare at him. "Why are you here, Steve?" She asked coldly.

He looked pissed for a moment before he reined his temper in "Y/N, you know why I'm here. Regardless of what happened between us, she is my daughter and I have the right to get to know her."

She shook her head "I wouldn't come here boasting about any rights, right now. I told you I wouldn't keep you away from her but I had to have an emergency c-section after you came pushing your way back into my life and caused all kinds of unnecessary stress. She and I both could have died yesterday but you didn't think about that when you forced your way into my house, did you? When have you ever really considered me first, since we've met? It's always what you want, what you need, what you deserve."

Steve tried to protest but she cut him off.

"Even if you didn't know I was pregnant, you still left Bucky behind. After all we went through and all your end of the line bullshit, you left him here to fend for himself in a future he didn't belong in either. I can't believe how selfish you are." She was getting worked up again and Helen came quickly after the blood pressure monitor started beeping.

"Y/N, you need to calm down, your blood pressure is spiking again and-" she noticed Steve and shook her head "I should have known you were here, Captain. You need to leave and stop upsetting my patient. No more visitors."

Steve looked at Bucky who wasn't moving to leave "What about him?" He spat "Why does he get to stay?"

Helen shook her head again, "Because he's her birth partner and-. Ugh, just go."

Steve looked like he was going to protest but deflated when he watched Y/N and Bucky interact and care for little Winnie. He shook his head and left.

Steve went over to see Sam for some support but it didn't go how he expected. Sam wasn't pleased with him either.

"You left her, man. Without even saying goodbye and you wonder why she's so hostile with you? Seriously?" Sam chastised him.

Steve shook his head, "But I wanted.."

Sam interrupted "All I keep hearing about from you is what you want or deserve. What about what she deserved? What Bucky deserved? Leave them alone."

Steve clenched his jaw "But she's my girl and Bucky just swooped in and-"

Sam had it "Enough!! She was your girl and Bucky has been helping her since you weren't there. If her and Bucky are happy together, I think they both Deserve that."

Steve sighed "I just wanted to be a father, have a family. But now I have to share that family with him."

"Him?" Sam scoffed 'You mean the best friend you abandoned? I thought you'd be glad he has found some happiness." Sam countered.

Steve sat with his head in his hands "This isn't how it was supposed to go. Growing old with Peggy was supposed to be like I dreamt of as a kid but she wasn't a fan of all the trappings of that dream. I wanted to retire and rest, travel without having to fight anyone but she wouldn't slow down so I was home alone too much. Kids would have interfered so she refused. She didn't have time to cook and clean so I became a house husband. Not to mention the guilt over leaving Y/N and Bucky behind." He looked up at Sam

"I felt like I would never get it in this time so I went back and still didn't get it."

Sam sat next to him "I'm sorry going back wasn't everything you wanted but that doesn't excuse your actions then or now. You almost got Y/N and your daughter killed the way you stressed her out so much." He paused "Just give them a minute to settle in and she will let you have time with the kid."

Steve spoke so low Sam almost didn't hear "Y/N named her after Bucky's mom, not my mom but his."

Sam patted his shoulder "Yeah, I know but he's been there for her, takes care of her and she wanted to honor that.

You need to respect that too."

Steve drew in a breath like he was going to say something else but he saw the look on Sam's face and deflated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning while Y/N was feeding Winnie, Bucky came back from some meetings and turned on the news to show Y/N.

"You've got to see this, doll."

There was Steve, looking serious in a press conference. Y/N was shocked when he apologized for his recent behavior and words. He told them the incident at the gala was based on a misunderstanding and that he was the one who left her right before she discovered she was pregnant. He stated that Y/N and Bucky had his blessing and he was looking forward to raising his daughter with them.

Steve stepped down before answering any questions while Y/N and Bucky looked at each other in shock.

She grabbed his arm "Is he sincere or is this another ploy to manipulate us and get what he wants? I want this to be real but I don't know if I can trust him."

Bucky pulled her to him "I don't know what's on his mind but I'll be here regardless."

She looked at him shyly "You know you don't have to right? Don't get me wrong I appreciate everything you do for us and love having you around but you should be living your life. Find a girl to settle down with, have a couple of kids of your own, you know." She said sadly

Bucky looked her in the eyes "What if I found that girl but we have to wait cuz she just had a kid?" And leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

Y/N leaned into the kiss, feeling sparks running down her body. She absentmindedly chased after when he pulled away. She realized what she was doing and pulled back, opening her eyes and felt her face heat up.

She looked at him in wonder "Are you sure? Lady with a kid is a lot to take on. Me being your friends ex adds another level of potential drama. I don't know that I'm worth all that.

Bucky shook his head "I'm positive and you are worth all the drama in the world, to me. I already feel like her daddy and love her like she was mine. We've been talking and playing for months."

He paused, looking uncertain

"Unless, unless you don't want this, don't want me like I want you."

Y/N laughed softly "Are you kidding me? I've been holding myself back from attacking you. I just want you to be sure. I don't want to get my hopes up or for Winnie to grow attached, only for you to leave because it's too much. And I don't want to mess up your recovery."

He looked deep into her eyes "I haven't been so sure of anything in my life. I'd propose today if I thought you'd say yes." He chuckled at the panicked look on her face

"Don't worry, I wouldn't even dream of proposing until you're healed and your hormones are getting back to normal."

He gently took her hand

"I can see a future with you and it wasn't so long ago that I couldn't see any future for me at all, much less a happy one. Now I can see myself growing old with you and I can't wait."

She smiled at him "I've been feeling it too but didn't want to scare you away. Let's just take it one day at a time and see where things go."

Bucky smiled and kissed her again until Winnie started trying to push him away and they both laughed, feeling lighter than either had felt in awhile.

Chapter 12

[odiesdayoff]

Borrow

pair: Dano!Edward Nashton x fem!reader | Adrian Chase x fem!reader

summary: Vigilante & Riddler borrow (steal) your car for a job.

warnings: smut (minors dni); handjobs; mention of blowjobs; dubious consent; kidnapping; i try to be funny

i love these nerds and im trying to get back into writing...

You leaned your head against the steering wheel and let the tears stream from your eyes. The Gotham City Public Radio station was permanently stuck, the knob broke off of the console weeks ago. Some campy songs from the 90s played softly. Pathetic, really. Two months into your new jobs and you were already having a breakdown after you clocked out.

The passenger door opened and before your panic was registered, a masked man sat next to you, shut the door, and pulled the safety of a gun off. He was in green, wearing mostly tactical gear. The mask he wore had openings that allowed you to see his eyes. His voice was muffled, seemingly going through a voice changer. “Get out of the car.”

You stared down the barrel of the gun before shakily unbuckling your seatbelt and opening your door. “Shit.” A hand grabbed your arm and pulled you from the car. It was another masked man, but he had an entirely different outfit…or suit. His mask was almost completely covering his face, save for a tinted visor over his eyes. His suit was made of nylon and was mostly teal and darker blue.

The man outside of the car looked you up and down, then at his partner. “Shoot her. I don’t wanna waste any of my bullets.”

The other man shook his head and put his gun down. “She’s innocent.”

“She’s seen us and knows what car we’re in! She’ll go right to the cops once we leave.” The man held your other arm and slightly shook you to emphasize his point.

You struggled against him. “I won’t tell! I’m also very against the whole ‘shooting me’ plan.”

The other man thought for a moment, silent. “Put her in the trunk.” He pulled a thick roll of duct tape from his waistband and tossed it to the man holding you. He wasted no time pulling the tape off and covering your mouth. Your heavy breathing and slight whimpering were muffled.

He dragged you towards the trunk, wrapping your wrists together. He hoisted you into the trunk and taped your ankles together before fully pushing you in and closing it. Your surroundings went dark as you could vaguely hear their voices in conversation. The car started to move.

Adrian nodded his head to the song on the radio before Edward slammed his fist against the console, turning it off completely. “I still don’t see why we couldn’t just steal an uninhabited car.” He sighed, crossing his arms and looking forward at the road, which was quickly darkening.

“Carjacking is a crime,” Adrian retorted. He flicked his blinker on and waited for the light to turn green in order to turn left.

It was like Edward was working with a child. He still couldn’t believe he got wrapped up in something like this. Arkham was looking like the genuinely better deal than having to spend time with this man. “Kidnapping is a much worse crime. One we are actively doing.” He gestured to the trunk.

Adrian shook his head. “We’re just borrowing her car…and her. We’ll give it back and everything will be cool.” He smiled, though nobody but him would know that. Neither of the two took their masks off in front of each other. If they passed each other on the sidewalk, they wouldn’t know a thing. Unless, that is, they started to talk.

After a lot of driving and little conversation, Adrian pulled into the parking lot of the abandoned building they were due to meet The Penguin.

He thought it was a little unethical to be working for someone who wanted to be a crime boss, but Oz had convinced him that he was only trying to become the boss so that evil guys like Falcone or Maroni wouldn’t be there. He was happy to help. As for Edward, he was released on probation under the surveillance of Oz, given that he worked for him.

“You got my information?” He smoked a cigar and observed the vehicle the two literal serial killers stepped out of.

There was a hot pink bumper sticker that read hot girls hit curbs along with another that read fart zone: enter at your own risk and a few different cartoon characters scattered all over . He rolled his eyes. The left side of the car had thick scratches, the paint completely stripped off. The front bumper was held to the car with several strips of duct tape. Knowing Vigilante, there was a good chance that it was his personal car.

Riddler held a flash drive in his hand and tossed it over.  “All the employee information from the new mayor’s office. Are we done here?”

Oz twirled the drive between his fingers. “You boys did good. Glad to see you two getting along.” Sarcasm dripped from each word. Again, Edward crossed his arms. “Yeah, yeah. Get back in your, uh, Vigilante-Mobile and I’ll call you when I need something else.”

Adrian laughed and held up a hand. “That piece of junk isn’t the Vigilante-Mobile.”

The Penguin raised a brow and playfully smirked. “Is it yours, Eddie?”

“It’s stolen,” Edward stoically replied.

Vigilante slapped Edward’s back and laughed again, shaking his head. “It’s not stolen, dude. We went over this. We’re just borrowing the car and her for the time being.”

“Hold on, what does ‘and her’ mean?” Oz looked at the car, then at the two masked men standing in front of him.

Vigilante shrugged. “We didn’t want to kill the girl who owned the car, so she’s in the trunk.”

“You mean to tell me there’s some broad in the trunk of that car?” The men nodded. “Show me.”

Fear still pulsed through you, moreso when you realized that the car wasn’t driving anymore and the men had left the car. Did they plan on leaving you there to die? Or worse?

Suddenly, light poured into your eyes and you looked up. Three men, one of which you hadn’t seen before and didn’t even have a mask, looked down at you. Your eyes widened with fear. The man in blue held out a hand to present you. “See?”

The unmasked man took a hit from his cigar and blew it in your direction. “She’s cute. You two need a little extra cash? I’d buy her off your hands.”

You frantically shook your head and tried to scoot yourself further back into the trunk, now against the back seat.

“Relax, we’re not selling her. That’s gross.” Vigilante scoffed at Penguin’s proposition. It was bad enough that he was kinda sorta committing a crime by taking her car and her, but human trafficking was certainly not the business he wanted to be a part of. Unless he was busting it.

“Always looking for new blood at the Lounge. She’d be real popular.” He turned around and started for his own car. “Do what you two gotta do. I don’t care.”

The masked men looked down at you once again. “This looks too much like kidnapping. Can we put her in the backseat? And you can sit with her.” Vigilante looked at Edward with pleading eyes that he could barely see.

“Fine.” Edward shook his head and went to sit in the back.

Adrian reached into the trunk and slinked his arms under you, picking you up. The man was surprisingly strong. He shut the trunk and sat you next to Edward in the backseat. He sat in the driver’s seat, turning to face the two of you. “Seat belts!”

Edward begrudgingly buckled himself in, then reached over you and buckled you in. The car started to move once he had heard all the necessary clicks.

You felt a hand rest on your thigh and sure enough, it was Edward’s. A part of you wanted to feel disgusted, but god you were horny and this was the closest thing to action that you’d gotten in a long time.

He squeezed you when the car made a sharp turn and the faintest gasp left your mouth. The duct tape didn’t stop the sound entirely. He looked at you, at his hand placement, then back at your face. You wondered if he could see how hot your cheeks were and you didn’t even know if it was from embarrassment.

Curiously, he inched his hand further up your thigh. “When was the last time you got laid?” He wasn’t talking to you, rather the other man.

Vigilante laughed. “Wow, uh, I had this sweet threesome with Peacemaker and this chick we met in a bar. It was so hot, but that was, like, a few months ago at least. Back in Washington.”

Edward tried to keep a straight face. It seemed like his partner was lying, but he could never be too sure. The man was full of surprises. “You wouldn’t mind if I…” He glanced at you.

“In public? That’s illegal!” He nearly stopped the car short.

He unbuckled your seatbelt and pulled you on his lap. You straddled his leg and faced him, feeling the friction between your pants and the thick fabric of his own. Each of his gloved hands held your hips. “The car isn’t public.”

Vigilante fully stopped the car and looked back at the two of you. “Yes, it is. Put her back in the seat. God, you’re worse than Peacemaker.”

With a heavy eye roll, Edward pushed you off of him and buckled you in again. Adrian gave a satisfied nod, then faced the road. You faced forward, quiet. Not that you could really say anything in the first place.

After each name that you heard, you tried to burn them into your memory. Man in blue knows Peacemaker. He was the guy that killed all those butterfly alien…things. You read an article about it quite a while ago. By association, that guy must’ve been Vigilante.

The man with the cigar said something about bringing you to the Lounge. If he was the Penguin, then that meant that he was talking about the Iceberg Lounge.

The man in the green was the only one you knew. You never saw him up close…or long enough to actually recognize. The Riddler. You moved in just a few months after he flooded the city and everyone was still talking about it. You went on a date with someone who openly admitted to being a part of the cult that followed him.

You weren’t necessarily opposed to the idea of keeping this whole thing quiet. Neither of them hurt you, other than the eventual ripping of the duct tape that was certainly stuck to the hair on your arms and everything else. You dreaded that more than the men in the car with you. Did that make you a bad person? Or at least an immoral one?

“Can I at least get a handjob?” Edward whined.

Vigilante tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and shook his head. “Fine. Under your pants, though. I don’t wanna see your dick.”

The duct tape didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would as it was pulled from your wrists. It felt strange to have control of your hands once again, as if it were days. In reality, it was about an hour at most.

You didn’t hesitate to reach for his pants, pulling his jacket open and grazing your fingertips against the buttons on his jeans. Impatient, he pulled his shirt up, revealing his soft stomach and happy trail that disappeared under his pants.

You followed the trail. As your hand wrapped around the base of his cock, he let out a deep exhale that turned into a soft moan. Has it been that long since he’s had any type of sex that wasn’t with his own right hand? It isn’t that much of a difference if it’s your right hand, is it?

“Can you shut the fuck up, dude? It’s bad enough I gotta know it’s happening, I don’t wanna hear it, too.” Adrian kept glancing in the rearview mirror and rolling his eyes from behind his visor. He could clearly see the bulge in Edward’s pants and each time that your fist gently pushed against the fabric as you jerked him off.

Edward white-knuckled his seatbelt as he tried to stay quiet. The combination of the warmth of your hand and the friction of the fabric of his pants were well enough to send him over the edge, but he knew that he needed to last as long as possible. For his own sake. And to beat the humiliation of finishing after a few lousy pumps. “Fuck.”

You continued to stroke him until you felt the droplets of warm cum trickle along your fingers. This was a first for you and you would be lying if you said it didn’t give you a boost of confidence to see how quickly the man unraveled at your touch. You wondered if he was attractive under the mask. His face would be on the internet, right?

With him distracted with the aftermath of his orgasm, you pulled your hand from his pants and took the duct tape from your mouth. You bent down to take it from your ankles. He was heavily breathing and leaning against the back of his seat.

“So, um, you’re not gonna kill me, right? I think we established enough trust here to know I won’t go to the cops.” You looked toward Vigilante, who had fully focused his attention back on the road.

He shrugged. “I guess so. You know you have almost all of your warning lights on. That’s, like, really bad.”

This man was the last person that should be judging you. Nobody cares if your check engine light is on. “I can’t afford a new one and I don’t want to get it fixed…until the mechanic industry hires more women.” You crossed your arms as if this were a righteous decision. Your bank account didn’t allow for a car that wasn’t close to breaking down at any point.

“Whatever, dude. It’s your choice. I support women’s rights. What I can’t support is lying, which I know you just did. How can I be sure that you weren’t lying about going to the cops?” Once he was at a red light, he turned around to face you.

Your cheeks burned from embarrassment. He was smarter than you thought, surprisingly. You scratched the back of your neck. “I’ll suck your dick.”

He blinked, not sure what to do. “Oh…okay.”

[bridgyrose]

Penny rocked back and forth in her chair as she stared at the plate of cookies in front of her, hesitant to pick one up. Her night had been strange enough between the robbery, nearly getting killed, being saved by a huntress, and now she sat across the table from the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, as he looked over her file. Taking a cookie felt almost too normal to consider. 

Ozpin slowly placed the papers on the table and picked up his scroll to watch the footage from the robbery. “I dont think I have ever seen weapons like yours before. Who taught you how to use these?” 

“My uh… Uncle Qrow did,” Penny said quietly. Then, she motioned to the gloves that sat next to her. “He also helped me rig everything up so I could use my gloves to control everything with motions. And if I hold a pair of swords, I can make the others mimic the same motions.” 

“Seems a bit different for a girl like yourself, dont you think?” He motioned towards the cookies. “You are allowed to take them. I find sweets tend to help people calm down a bit.” 

Penny slowly took a cookie and bit into it. It was softer than she had expected. “It is, but… I wanted to do something different from others. Something that could set me apart from others in school.” 

“I see. And the dust robbery, that was all coincidence, right?” 

“It was, sir.” 

“Seeing as you were able to hold your own, I think it would be appropriate to extend an invitation to attend Beacon this year.” 

Penny paused for a moment as she swore she misheard Ozpin. It didnt come at a complete surprise, the little she remembered from her previous life let her know she was still on track for what she wanted, but she didnt expect for things to be this… easy. And yet, no matter how much she was jumping for joy on the inside that this would bring her one step closer to finding Ruby, accepting the offer felt like a larger burden than it should’ve been. 

Finally, the words left her lips as she spoke. “I-I… I would love to. But I would need my dad’s permission.” 

“Of course,” Ozpin said as he motioned for Penny to leave. “I’ll be talking to him about this offer to make sure that I do have his permission first. You’re free to go.” 

“Yes sir,” Penny said as she left the interrogation room. She slowly made her way back out to where Taiyang and Yang were waiting for her and gave them a weak smile as Taiyang pulled her into a hug. “I am fine.” 

“That doesnt stop me from worrying about you,” Taiyang said as he hugged Penny tightly. “You could’ve been hurt with that robbery. If I had lost you-” 

“But you did not, dad, and I am fine.” 

“I know, but the what ifs are still there no matter what happens. Even if you know you’ll be safe, I need you to be careful. Can you at least promise that for me?” 

“I will.” 

“Taiyang, a word please,” Ozpin called out. 

Taiyang nodded and let Penny go. “I’ll go talk to Oz and see what he wants.” 

Penny gave him a smile and sat down as she nervously waited to hear what her dad was going to say after hearing the offer. A dream come true so close to crashing down around her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tapped foot against the floor. 

“I’m sure things werent that bad,” Yang tried to reassure her as she put a hand on her shoulder. “No one got hurt, right?”

“Yes, but Dad is right, I could have gotten hurt or worse. And now Ozpin wants me to come to Beacon.” 

“Really?! I thought you’d be excited about that!” 

“I am but I am also worried.” Penny stopped tapping her foot against the ground and watched Ozpin and Taiyang talk in an office, trying to read their lips. “What if dad says no or tries to keep me from going to Beacon at all? Then I will have to find another school to go to and it will not be with you.” 

Yang nodded and gently squeezed Penny’s shoulder. “Even if he doesnt let you now, you can apply in two years. At that point you’ll be an adult and he cant stop you.” 

“Yes but-” 

“No buts. I promise, everything will work out.” 

Penny gave Yang a small smile, her heart starting to pound harder in her chest as she watched Taiyang walk back over to her. It almost felt like time had started to stand still as she waited for him to say something. 

“I’ll let you go to Beacon under one condition,” Taiyang said. 

“A-anything!” Penny yelled out as she stood up. She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. “Anything you ask dad.” 

“Try to stay out of trouble.” 

Penny quickly pulled Taiyang into a tight hug. “Yes dad.”

[strqyr]

Yknow sometimes I think about how Ozma was visibly horrified by the task Light gave him, so horrified he collapsed. The only reason he came back was for Salem and when they split he defaulted to the task, purely bc I think he felt like he had no other purpose. Granted he worked towards it when he was with her, but definitely more as a "Screw it, I'm here, may as well try" and he was questioning it.

Like. Oz has such a complicated relationship with the task. He's obviously given up on it, and likely hates it, but in the beginning I think he probably wanted to believe it Might be good. But then he gave up on it when he found out Salem can't he destroyed (which was likely a last resort option for him), and later came to the conclusion that the task doesn't matter at ALL. The Gods don't matter. Remnant doesn't need fixing because it was never broken, and to him, this is his freedom.

Honestly, I really wonder what Ozma was gonna say in response to "We could've had freedom." Was he gonna say "I thought we already were"? Or maybe a simpler "I'm sorry"? Gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. Salem sees Remnant as it is as a cage with the gate closed. Ozpin sees that the gate is open. They have such opposing views on freedom,,

one of the very first things we learn about ozma is that he had been ready to give his life for justice countless times before he met salem, finding someone worth saving it for. like, he was a legendary warrior and he was alone, and for that reason i think his reincarnation is the key to his character, bc what if light had just made him immortal or anything like that that didn't ensure he was never alone? after the fight with salem, he would not have had any connection to the world—"that world just isn't as dear to me without her." is what he said when he first refused the task—so in his darkest moments, when he saw no point in any of it, i think the chances of ozma bringing the relics together just to end it would have been much, much higher than they ever were due to reincarnating, because then he wasn't alone, and each of his hosts had some kind of connection to remnant as it was.

there's also, like. yeah, he kinda worked towards the task with salem, but once salem went "let's kill the non-believers", it ended right there. that's not what the god of light asked of him; humanity was meant to live in harmony and set aside their differences, not fight amongst themselves. and while the general angle with the whole judgment deal is yikes, asking for peace isn't like. horrible thing to ask for lol of course ozma would be like "yeah, that sounds great!"—it's the "...or everyone dies" that's the problem; there's no second chances, he has to get it right the first time, and that's terrifying.

what that also meant for ozma is that once the split happened, him and salem were opposite forces; she wouldn't accept the gods return and thus would work to prevent it from happening, so in ozma's mind he needs to destroy salem to have any chance in favorable outcome. . . and then jinn tells him "lol nope" and that's that.

what else can he do? he's gone through two attempts at his task and both ended poorly; one went into a direction he wasn't comfortable with—he was a legendary hero who fought only for righteousness, this was never going to go well with him—and with the other he didn't even get properly started before it ended.

he found himself in a dead end, but over the years he's found peace in other things; the world is fine as it is. humanity does not need to be made whole again. ozpin made a collection of fairy tales that included stories like a man getting into a staring contest with the sun (and wins, but at the cost of becoming blind) and one of humans breaking the sun with their demands only to make a new sun, the old one becoming the moon, even going as far in his notes as to make it evidently clear the sun is a celestial gift from the god of light.

like. there isn't even need to read between the lines, oz has made it abundantly clear that he believes in this world's and it's peoples' right to exist as they are.

as for what he was going to say, i'm definitely leaning towards "i'm sorry" simply bc i like the idea that in that moment, ozma. . . he had been warned by light that he would not find comfort but only pain, but he didn't let that stop him. he still went to salem, but that's what's on his mind, and he's sorry, because it didn't have to end this way.

[mushroompollution]

Chapter 35- The Sablier Arc part 1

Read the manga: imgur || mangaread (ad warning)

As the true protagonists of this Story, this arc opens on Oz Vessalius, Gilbert Nightray, and Alice, a powerful Chain in the form of a teenage girl, linked to Oz through an Illegal Contract. The trio have spent the last 34 chapters searching for Alice's memories, a way to sever the Contract and save them both, and answers to what happened in Sablier 100 years ago.

Previously, Gilbert had returned to the Nightray family estate to meet with his younger brother Vincent, an encounter that had turned violent when the younger brother had suggested that Gil kill Alice to save Oz. He'd been avoiding his friend since, but when finally Oz manages to draw Gil out of his apartment, he has an announcement to make:

They're going to Sablier.

On the train, Oz says that their associates at Pandora all seem to be hiding something and dodging questions about it, so the ruined capitol city must be important. And now that the train is moving, and there's no way to run away, Gilbert has to admit what he knows.

Sablier really is a prohibited place, but not the entire city, and the rumors of poisonous gasses are mostly embellished. The area around the train station is poor, but modestly developed, with mostly legitimate business and accommodations. But beyond that lies an impoverished ghost town of citizens who, for one reason or another, have nowhere else to go.

At the center of the city lies a deep crater, a rough circle carved out of the earth, the heart of the Tragedy of Sablier. That, Gilbert explains, is truly prohibited. They should be able to gain entry by mentioning either of their family names to Pandora's guards, but...

Oz seems distracted. Noticing some children watching them from behind ruins of the old city, he suddenly takes off without explanation.

Back at the edge of the crater, Alice speaks with Gilbert in a serious, reserved, open way that's rare for her, especially with this man she only tolerates because of Oz. She's worried that her power as a Chain seems to grow weaker as the Seal on Oz's chest advances, and that it might have moved again without him telling either of them.

Gilbert can barely follow her train of thought, however, as every time he looks at her, his head begins to hurt. Vincent's words ring in his ears and drown out Alice's.

You're supposed to hate that Rabbit very much, aren't you?

Gilbert's head hurts. So. Bad.

Alice doesn't seem to pay him any mind. Not in her usual, self-absorbed, grandiose way, but because she's staring dolefully over the chasm below. "I'm just saying, what if... my powers continue to fade away.... what will happen to me?"

It's an unusually vulnerabile question from her.

But Gilbert can't hear it. His brother's voice is joined by his own, echoing with each pulse of his head.

kill her.

kill

anyone

who harms

my Master

kill her

kill

her

The sound of cracking earth catches Alice's attention. She looks down, blinking a few times as lines form beneath her boots. "uhh hey, Raven--" she starts, taking a step back.

Gilbert storms off. He's confused. His head hurts, and he's so fucking confused. Until just then, he wanted to kill her. Yet, at the last moment, he had saved Alice. But not just that.

There was someone else in his mind then, lost in that trance. A ghost of some memory that wasn't his. Or at least, that he wouldn't claim.

And some other voice, echoing along his own, saying

kill her

Oz catches up, and reprimands his friend and valet for running off. He asks what's wrong, and what had happened with Alice.

Gilbert doesn't know. He admits, for the first time, to anyone, that he's been thinking about his past. His memories of his childhood were a blank, after all. As far as he knew, his life began when the door to Abyss spat him out in the Vessalius's basement. And it isn't that he wants to remember them, either.

But he can't help the feelings that keep overtaking his mind, or the way his body acts on its own sometimes. He admits that he's scared if he does remember, will he still be himself? He feels like he can't stand on his own anymore.

But Oz reassures him, promises him he'll be Gil no matter what. And he'll be right there by his side to hold him up! Gilbert laughs that Oz isn't nearly tall enough to say that yet, and the tense conversation seems to ease. But Gilbert's heart still hurts.

How much does he want to make that small little body carry? No. He has to settle his own problems. He won't let his own weakness and wicked memories consume him--

Just as his head starts to hurt again, he's surprised by a child racing past him. The adolescent bumps into Oz, nearly knocking him off his feet, but doesn't stop. Someone less observant might not have noticed, but Oz immediately shouts for Alice to stop that kid!!

If he takes that wallet, there won't be any money for meat!!

A glint of malice shines in Alice's red eyes and she throws out a leg with lightning speed, knocking the escaping thief to the ground.

Oz runs over, throwing his arms around the child, who hollars and yells and struggles, generally causing a scene and drawing a crowd as the teenager pries his wallet from tiny hands.

It's only then that Oz realizes, he reconizes this vagrant child.

The son of an Illegal Contractor that Oz had attempted--and failed-- to save just a couple months before.

He can't believe it. And by Gilbert's expression as he approaches, neither can he. As Oz exasperatedly tries to understand this immense coincidence, another familiar, unexpected voice shouts from beyond the crowd of spectators.

[anotherprofessional]

Ey, finally got this pair on my seventh run through this game.

Really weird to not hear Jack's voice from Cal or the Killer but this a probably My best run, Oz had a really cute moment in the mirror house and They actually gain some self-confidence and became a parent to Cal's kid (kind of a follow up on the Fatherhood ending meaning Cal's kid looks like this to me) :

It's cute (The two bonded over Cute dog's pics) even if it follows the pattern with Cal between all three of these games that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover...While Cal is a cinnamon roll is definitely not innocent if you know what I mean and He can kill you in the second game even if it doesn't make sense how He was able to kill Oz or Zoe.

Roadtrip feels new while keeping the old stat system but feels way more important to check on other stats than compared to the first two games since you can game over very easily if you're like me and got game over on week 2 because I'm dumb and didn't pay attention to other states besides the one I was mainly after (Milo may or not may have saved two of my runs). so far I do like it, not sure if it's my fav yet and I prefer It over the camp as it feels like a step up from it also save states are nice.

[someidiotwithalaptop]

Alright: What the FUCK happened to Summer???

Because something sure did, and every new thing we hear about her gets more disturbing, and it haunts me.

So, I'll start with stuff that's fairly certain and like, small leaps of logic before I go full tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist. We have very little actual info about Summer, nearly all of it from different characters talking about her.

From Yang we get the basic facts from her family's perspective: Summer was a Huntress who went out on a mission and never came back. We also get the characterization of, "Super-Mom: Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters."

From Qrow, we learn that 1. She was a brat, which like, honestly STRQ was probably just "oops! all brats" 2. He thinks she would have pressed on if she knew the truth, which, uh, she almost definitely did. "We don't have to kill you to stop you," is not the sort of thing you say to Salem if you don't know she's immortal, that's all I'm saying. 3. Whatever her final mission was, she didn't tell him or Tai or Ozpin. I'm inclined to believe Ozpin when he says he genuinely doesn't know what happened to Summer, since his biggest secret is already out—plus he's been genuinely repentent about the mess his lying caused in Volume 6 and is taking steps to do better in the future. It would feel really weird thematically if he knew and was keeping yet another giant bomb of a secret. So Summer went on her final mission alone, or at the very least, she didn't tell any of Ozpin's inner circle where she was going.

We'll get to speculating about why not later, but I think this point is probably going to be important in Ruby's character arc—whatever Summer's ultimate fate, she got there because she tried to save the world alone, and we've seen Ruby do something similar. Like she's not running off after Salem by herself, but she's definitely trying to shoulder the burden of leading and inspiring everyone to keep going all on her own, without asking for help as that responsibility has been slowly yet systematically destroying her mental health. I mean ffs she's been literally carrying her team on her shoulders for two episodes now.

HOWEVER: Oz, Tai, and Qrow don't know anything about what happened to Summer, but it's possible that Raven might. When Ruby tries to reach out to her and convince her to work together, because they'll have a better chance than if they try to do it alone, Raven says, "You sound just like your mother," in truly the most bitter, disdainful-ass tone I have ever heard. And then she opens a portal for Cinder to throw a fireball at her. Whether this is about a more generalized friction that maybe contributed to Raven leaving, or a specific moment when Summer tried to get her on board with whatever she was doing on that final mission, is kind of uncertain. Or it could be both!

(And it might also be she married my ex bitterness but, admitting my biases here, I hate that fucking trope with a fiery passion and I think it's more interesting if her anger at Summer is actually about Summer.)

Regardless, if Summer did ask her for help, then based on how Raven reacted to Ruby I don't think she got it lmao

And then. Oh, and then. We get Salem!

"Your mother said those words to me. She was wrong too."

"Her again?"

So like. Salem definitely met her. Had a whole-ass conversation with her, even.

And that fucking smile??? Salem did some shit to Summer. It's just a question of what, exactly?

Right. Okay. So after they kill the Hound and realize WHOOPS that was a person and he looks an awful lot like Ruby! and everyone reunites, Ruby says this:

"When I saw its eyes, I knew. Salem used to kill people with Silver Eyes, like Maria. But she’s always wanted me alive. Why would that change unless, when she met Mom, she learned she could do something new?"

Timeline-wise, this seems accurate! But I'd like to also insert TR into the equation. It's a little hard to tell given the uhh, body horror of it all, but he definitely looks younger than Qrow (which is maybe not saying a lot given that Raven looks at least ten years younger than Qrow and she's his twin lmao) and, more to the point, like he's probably younger than Summer.

Like, yeah, hard to tell, but I don't think this man is past forty. And even if he is, it doesn't seem like Salem's had him for very long, seeing as she never sent him after Ruby or the relics in previous volumes. So he's probably an example of what Salem's been doing to SEWs after Summer.

Also, Salem calls him an experiment, and says that so far she's pleased with the results. Meaning Summer isn't exactly a Hound, though I wouldn't say that puts grimmification off the table. Just that it's not in the exact same way he is. And it's worth pointing out that the way TR has been grimmified, it's left him completely without agency and unable to disobey Salem. Even after Ruby blasts the Grimm off his head, he's still left repeating "Take The Girl" over and over without any sign of whoever he used to be coming back to the surface. It's possible that is what Salem is referring to when she calls him a successful experiment.

So the way Salem has dealt with people with silver eyes has gone:

Maria (kill her) > Summer (?!?!) > TR (an... experiment) > Ruby (bring her to me alive)

Adding TR into the mix, it seems unlikely that the "something new" Salem learned she could do from Summer Rose would actually have been, y'know, a Hound. Plus from a narrative perspective, I don't think we're going to have Ruby literally saying exactly what happened to Summer into the camera only for her to turn up, Hound-ified just as expected, a couple volumes later. So, some possibilities:

Ruby is actually exactly correct about what happened to Summer, but she's not going to show up later so there's no reason not to just tell us. Personally I doubt it's this, given the way the mystery has been unfolding over eight volumes and counting. It'd be kind of weird to just tell us instead of showing us, or indeed having the Hound literally be Summer. Also, if Summer is a Hound too then why is TR an experiment?

Summer was Grimmified but didn't survive the process, so she gave Salem the idea but she's not actually a Hound. This also seems a bit odd to me given that would mean she's basically just dead like we assumed, but with extra steps. Like it's upsetting but it doesn't represent the kind of dramatic upheaval to the sisters' worldviews that it feels like this is building towards. It doesn't explain how fucking smug Salem is about the whole thing.

Summer was Grimmified, but didn't actually lose any agency. This would explain why Salem is still experimenting, and why she's so pleased with TR—he's even more singleminded in carrying out her goals than Tyrian is. It also fits with the way the Grimmification worked on Salem. Even after she jumped into the goop, she was still very much herself—it's possible it influenced her, but she was definitely capable of showing love and affection to both Ozma and her daughters. She just, uhh,,, was also willing to try and murder them. But it's unclear to me how much of that was Evil Goo and how much was just that there's no way a human being spends any significant length of time as the Last Woman Alive without some unpleasant side effects. We're social creatures and we do not generally do well when completely deprived of company.

Summer wasn't Grimmified at all, the whole Hound thing is a red herring.

In either 3 or 4, regardless of how much body horror happened, Ruby is wrong about what happened to Summer. And in order to not undercut that moment of utter despair at what probably happened to Summer... I feel like what actually did happen has to be. like. worse.

AND IT'S A TAD DIFFICULT TO GET WORSE THAN THE HOUND.

So. Time to put our tinfoil hats on: what if we add an element of horrible betrayal?

Yes this is a Summer-joined-Salem conspiracy post.

But hear me out okay! Circling back a bit, why wouldn't Summer tell any of the inner circle where she was going? If she talked to anyone, it was Raven, who had already noped the fuck out by the time Summer went on her final mission. Now, if it was just Tai and Qrow I'd say she might've kept it from them for the same reason everyone always keeps that secret—she didn't want them to lose hope. But... Ozpin already knows. There'd be no reason not to tell him what she was doing, unless she knew he'd try to stop her.

Now: my goal here is to make all this make sense, without altering the first foundational piece of characterization we get for Summer. Namely, "Super-Mom: Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters." I'm not saying Summer learned the truth and went, welp, if you can't beat 'em join 'em. Because both Summer and Raven tend to act as foils to Ruby and Yang, and "gave up immediately" doesn't feel like an interesting foil to Ruby's perserverence. But, if you find out that there's an existential threat to the entire world, and she can't be killed...

Isn't it worth trying to negotiate?

Especially if, say, you were absolutely desperate to end this war in your lifetime. Because Summer knows that if it's really impossible, if Salem can't be stopped, then Ruby will get dragged in whether she likes it or not. All because of a trait that Summer passed down to her.

Salem's been killing people with silver eyes, probably for millenia. It's easily possible that Summer had her own visit from someone like Tock, or noticed the same thing Maria's father did, that there's a suspicious lack of people with silver eyes considering how useful they are against the Grimm. As long as Salem is a threat, Ruby is going to be in that same danger. Forever.

So she has to do something, right? If there's even the tiniest chance she can end this now, before Ruby will ever have to suffer for it, before she gets pulled into an impossible war and Yang comes charging in after her, because of course she's going to try to help her sister... isn't that a chance worth taking?

This is why I think Raven knows some shit, by the by—when she's telling Yang about Salem, she actually kind of indirectly drops the same bomb that went off in Volume 6, it's just that she didn't do it in the same explicit terms that Jinn did. "She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until Humanity crumbles at her feet."

"Can't be stopped" is Raven's translation of can't be killed, since "We don't have to kill you to stop you" seems to be a flavor of terrifying exclusive to Ruby and apparently Summer. But "can't be reasoned with" implies that somebody tried. And like, let's be honest. Do we really think Raven was the one who decided to give diplomacy a go?

Not to mention this line, which I'm like 90% sure is referring to Summer:

"Or... you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others."

It really seems like Raven knows something she's not telling us. Like, if that is a reference to Summer's fate, does that mean Raven knows what it is, or is she just speculating like everyone else? Does she have a portal to Summer, and is that giving her information the others don't have? All that, combined with the fact that she's also way more bitter about Summer than everyone else, seems signficant.

Anyways. Let's say Summer decides to have a chat with Salem.

She can't tell Ozpin. He'd try to stop her, because he'd see it as a suicide mission. Qrow or Tai both might tell him, or agree with him and get in her way, so she keeps it from them too. Maybe she goes off completely by herself—or maybe she goes to Raven, because she's the only one who might be able to help who Summer knows won't breathe a word of it to Ozpin. Either way, Raven doesn't help her. She's not getting anywhere near Salem.

And then... well. Salem got here by manipulating people, by swaying them to her cause. Summer asks her what she actually wants out of all this. Isn't there some way they could resolve this without this endless war, all this endless death?

Important to note, I don't think we've heard Salem's motivation in her own words. At least, not since the Lost Fable, when she wanted to rule with Ozpin as the new gods of Remnant. I think it's safe to say at least a few things have changed since then. Closest I can think of is what she says to Cinder in Volume 8, "In pursuit of a new world, no cost is too great." Which is ominous, but also quite vague, and says nothing about what she plans to do with the relics.

Instead, we get a whole lot of people guessing. Ozpin thinks she wants to die. Tyrian thinks she wants to destroy the world. Hazel and Mercury think she wants to remake it, with no Huntsman Academies, with them as the new top dogs.

There's a pattern here—Salem never actually says what she wants, and other people have a habit of projecting their own motives onto her actions. Ozpin wants to die, Hazel wants to destroy the Huntsmen Academies, Mercury wants to be the one with the power so he's not getting hurt, and Tyrian's just in it for the chaos.

And it's not like Salem hasn't done stuff like that on purpose. By the time she started growing her army against the gods and telling people they would all steal immortality like she did, she'd already tried to kill herself. She didn't want immortality. She just let people think she did, because it was more convenient for her.

So if this agent of Ozpin's comes to her, absolutely desperate for a way to end the fight before it can come for her daughters, well... why not just tell her about the gods? About how Ozpin plans to one day reunite the relics, and submit Remnant to their judgment? About what might happen if he does?

(TBH I don't think Oz will ever do that, not because I think he's decided not to or anything like that, but because I doubt he'll ever see a humanity united enough for it to be worth trying. We're an argumentative bunch.)

But like. To Summer, all of a sudden there's this other, even bigger existential threat. And Salem isn't like Ozpin. She does have a plan! She wants to destroy the relics, so that the gods can never be resummoned, because of course she hates them and so she would never want them to come back!

(Again, not saying this is actually true, my best guess is that she's trying to bring them back so she can fight them again slkdfjlskdj)

And then, if they succeed, not only will the gods not be a threat anymore, Salem won't be a threat either. She'll have gotten what she wants!

"This can all... be... over..."

Summer has to finish this. There has to be a way for her to do this by herself, to save everyone, to put a stop to it all in time to protect her children! (Raven can't be right, it can't just be hopeless!)

From there, all Salem really needs to do is be a bit careful how much she tells her other followers about what she plans to do—which it seems like she has—and eventually find a way to either hide what relics she has or convince Summer that she's trying really hard to destroy them, definitely, pinky promise!

(And, as an aside: if true, it's very possible that the reason Salem's so insistent on keeping Ruby alive isn't that she wants to turn her into another Hound, but rather that was one of Summer's conditions.)

All this, of course, may or may not come with a sprinkle of Grimmification. Because why not add some body horror to the good old-fashioned betrayal horror! Though, if I'm right and not going completely off the wall here, I suspect it's probably more in the vein of Cinder than TR. Namely, like, consensual.

Regardless, it definitely feels like Summer has been idealized to a point that's just sort of... begging for trouble. She's the perfect Huntress. The best of us. The one who would have pressed on. And like, historically putting people on pedestals like that has not gone well in this show (see: Pyrrha). Not to mention the way trying to be the perfect Huntress that Summer was has been affecting Ruby over the years.

Also, definitely totally unrelated to all of the above: I think paragons that turn to evil despite or indeed because of all their wonderful paragon qualities FUCK SEVERELY and I would like to see it.

[rwby-confess]

60-something confessions, weve paid our tribute, what are YOUR confessions

Okay, here goes 10 confessions from me:

1.

I wish we had seen Pyrrahs friendships, I think she and Ren would've been good friends since both of them are so level headed.

I headcanon that they would take care of the school garden together, Pyrrah would struggle a bit with delicate plants but same time be happy to be able to learn from his peers new things for once.

One day she learns that Nora and Ren are orphans. Her respect for them grows, seeing them as so much stronger for not having the same support she had growing up, yet here they are thriving. She makes sure to invite them over during holidays and for other things they possibly missed out on as kids.

She doesn't care for cooking but often goes to shop for ingredients with Nora.

2.

I think Freezerburn is incredibly soft.

Weiss is able to cool down hot-headed Yang and Yang is able to melt away the Ice Queens tsundere tendencies. :'-) <3

3.

I miss seeing the street fashion influence when it comes to designs, ofcourse I understand why it isn't there as much anymore but I can still moan about it.

Yangs' tsuyome-esque looks was my fave, it was fire and I wanted to cosplay it so badly.

Ruby's look reminds me of something I wore when I was 12yo actually

4.

Only on my second watch I realised that Ironwood looks really hot with this look and it's a shame that it got SO little screen time. And same with Winters first look.

5.

Also on my second watch I realised that the straps on Oscars' gloves are green not black ???

6.

Remember bootleg Neptune from volume 4? Yeah he sure exists. But what if he did more?

Weiss is trapped in Atlas, she's lonelier than ever, she can only go to places and events dad approves of. And this guy keeps coming around, maybe they meet at the Schnee Manors garden, why not go for a bad boy?

They have fling going on, for Weiss it's mostly out of boredom and finding him good looking. If she's trapped might as well have fun. Maybe they'll get in trouble or have some other sort of side plot going on together but eventually when Weiss gets a window to escape out of Atlas, she's faced with a decision.

Stay with the guy who obviously finds it insane to trade living high life in Atlas to go chase some pals she met at school in other kingdom. Weiss snaps out of the rose coloured glasses after hearing this, ultimately choosing her friends.

Idk I just wish they let them do the usual young people fuck ups and learning experiences if there's going to be whole volume of them sitting around

7.

Yang's probably closest thing Oscar got for mother figure...

8.

The bird thing. Make Raven tell Weiss and Yang how the experience was as she remembers, give them reason to be shocked. So here's my suggestion:

Maybe the process was violent since current humans aren't used to magic in any shape, they're stripped from their autonomy in that moment and it's humiliating.

Like Amber was in the chamber beneath Beacon, Oz did it to Branwens there in similar way? Underground to not attract grimm, no one to hear their screams, its cold and dark, they're stripped like Amber to act as guinea pigs for this man.

Qrow has (more or less) made peace with all that trauma and what happened since he thinks its suffering for the greater good. After all, the man doesn't really have home to go back to. He doesn't want to bring misfortune to people he loves and the tribe doesn't really want him back.

However Raven learns that Salem can't be beaten, meaning she and Qrow suffered for only to be ideal candidates for a suicide mission...

9.

I want Qrowin angst, please crwby, I want to suffer lmao

Give Qrow absolutely losing it, calling Winter after Atlas falls asking her if she knows where the kids are? Where did she last saw them?

And when Winter tries to answer Qrows questions she can't bring herself to say it; they're gone. She was there and she couldn't save them, not even her own sister. The words just won't come out... and after the silence she tells him to meet her in Vacuo, after all he deserves to know.

Whatever differences they had in the past feel so miniscule now.

(Aaand I headcanon that both of them craved for a "normal" family, making this little story even more horrible!)

10.

Yang "shooting" kids' leg on live TV should've had more consequences me thinks. Give me atleast someone commenting or being vary of her.

Her arm is brand new Atlas tech according to Tai, maybe someone would see it as an issue after finding out that she got it for free from Ironwood himself.

Maybe anti Yang propaganda being showed around town could've pushed her to work with Robyn (lol)

"Quite frankly miss I'm about to piss myself right about now, so this one is on the house"