#ruby on rails training

[magistersign123]

Unleash your inner developer with this beginner-friendly course. Learn Ruby's fundamentals step-by-step, with no prior coding experience needed. Build confidence and create real programs as you master concepts like variables, loops, and classes.

[techvoot-solutions1]

Unlock the power of seamless API development with Ruby on Rails! Explore the reasons why ROR stands out as the preferred choice, offering efficiency, scalability, and developer-friendly features.

Dive into the world of robust API creation with our insightful guide.

[whiteknight-week]

Hello & welcome to White Knight Week 2025! Due to this being the first “White Knight Week” proper in quite some time, we’ve kept the prompts to a simple overall theme:

“Missing Moments”

With this theme, we will explore the moments between moments. The actions that could’ve been done, the fights that may have sparked, and the words that went unspoken. Starting from the early days of Beacon and ending in the dunes of Vacuo, we will seek to fill the void or inspire a new reality altogether.

Let your passions burn and inspiration flow. Be it in written form, art, discussions, or memes! Do as much or as little as you please, but feel free to share on r/WaveOfWhiteKnights on Reddit or the Tumblr page!

White Knight Week will start on: Monday, May 12th, 2025 and go till Sunday, May 18th, 2025, and does cover two very important days in regards to our Knight and Queen: Weiss' birthday and the Canonization day of Jeanne d'Arc.

We are still in the early planning stages for the event and plan to have daily discussions and posts. Please see below for the prompts if you wish to participate! As a note, Fics and art may be featured on White Knight Wednesday!

[ Day 1 ] - “Beacon Bits” ( May 12th )

Have you ever wondered how Jaune got Weiss’ scroll number? Or maybe if they ever talked about the events of the dance? Have you ever thought about a world where Weiss Schnee & Jaune Arc end up as partners? Or maybe a time they team up to help some folks out in Vale during the break between V1 & V2? Explore all these possibilities & more on our first day of White Knight week “Beacon Bits”!

[ Day 2 ] - “Nightmare Nights” ( May 13th )

Day 2 of White Knight week checks into the ‘what if’ world of Ice Queendom. “Nightmare Nights!”. What happens after the Nightmare? Does Weiss simply recover, or do the events haunt her? Maybe a Kind Knight gives her someone to talk to. Or, maybe Jaune has questions of his own to give to her. Why did he have a sword that could kill the nightmares? Why did she give him such a big sword and heavy cape? Maybe while in the Nightmare, Nega Weiss has … problems fighting Jaune. Does Jaune still think about his Nightmare? Does she?

[ Day 3 ] - “Haven House” ( May 14th )

Day 3 of White Knight Week brings us to the Kingdom of Mistral and the wild events that come with it. What did Weiss & Jaune do at the forever house? Did they talk about the fall? Did they miss each other? Were there things left unsaid from Beacon they wanted to get off their chest? What about the time after Weiss’ near-death experience? Maybe there’s a chance they took a tour of the kingdom and ran into some bad guys? While volume 4&5 often get a lot of flack for the “Forever house” maybe we can make it better with some White Knight pizzaz!

[ Day 4 ] - “Argus Adventures” ( May 15th )

Happy Birthday Weiss! Welcome to day 4 of White Knight Week! Today's prompt will be ‘Argus Adventures’. While the group only spent a few days at the seaside city, the setting is ripe with opportunities for our goober duo. What interactions could you see them having? Why did Weiss gravitate towards Jaune when they reunited? Did they have a wild and crazy grocery adventure while Ruby had her chat with Maria? Or did something 100% off the rails happen in a fun little AU side story?

[ Day 5 ] - “Atlas Ambling” ( May 16th )

What happened at the movies!? A common question by many, but - there were so many other things our heroes could have done. Weiss could have brought everyone around to explore Atlas proper. Did Jaune find a place he’d want to bring Weiss to? Or maybe Weiss thought of a place to bring Jaune to? If Volume 7 gave us anything, it gave us the endless possibilities of our heroes hanging out as they would have back in Beacon. Maybe Jaune and Weiss will find themselves alone at the school and decide to watch movies together. Perhaps they train in the Hardlight Training room until banter starts turning into flirting. With the nearly endless possibilities of Atlas & Mantle ( As well as the other villages nearby), what can you see the two of them doing?

[ Day 6 ] - “Everafter Evenings” ( May 17th )

With RWBY reuniting with Jaune in the Everafter, there was so little time to talk. But what if Weiss and Jaune did get to talking in the EA? They could spend some time together in the Paper Village. Or, maybe they will go out to look for Ruby as a duo? Perhaps you should explore an AU where the two fall together and how they come to deal with everything they’ve been through. Do they go back in time? Or do they find a way to find the others? In “Everafter Evenings” please feel free to dive into the ‘what if’s’ of the Ever After and White Knight!

[ Day 7 ] - “Vivid Vacuo” ( May 18th )

They did it; they’ve finally made it to Vacuo! Yet, things feel so … off? With Jaune still dealing with the experience of the Everafter, trying to acclimate himself to Remnant, & Weiss now dealing with the fall of Atlas, her home, and the people of Vacuo who are less-than-kind towards her in particular, the White Knight Duo has quite a hefty load on their plate. Will Weiss be the one to step up and support Jaune? Will Jaune be the one to protect Weiss from the people? Do they simply find time to have somber chats at night and, maybe, grow closer? On this 7th and final day of White Knight Week we look to the future for our Knight & Queen. What do you see happening for them in Vacuo?

[cuubism]

more equestrian dreamling for you

-

Hob should have expected that Roderick would insist on getting Ruby out to competitions far sooner than was advisable. Dream had made progress with the horse, gotten it to relax a little bit, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea to throw Ruby into a new, chaotic environment. Roderick wanted what he wanted, though, and as he was the horse’s owner Dream was still somewhat beholden to that. At least, if he wanted to be the one training it.

So here they were at a competition.

It couldn’t possibly have been worse conditions. The yard was busy, the competition arena surrounded by people, the loudspeaker was shrieking intermittently and the wind was whipping every flag, blanket, and banner into a fury. Nevertheless Dream was in the warmup ring, trotting Ruby around.

Everything was… okay so far, Hob thought. Ruby was trotting around with relative calm, Dream weaving him around the other horses warming up. Other horses being there probably helped matters. Back home Dream had already noticed that Ruby seemed calmer when other horses were around, and had taken to having Hob hack Ellie in the ring while he was riding Ruby so the horse wouldn’t be alone in the arena.

Roderick was on the other side of the warmup ring from Hob, yelling at Dream over the wind, but Dream seemed to be ignoring him.

Alex came up beside Hob, watching nervously. “Will it go well?” he asked.

“Dunno,” Hob said. Dream’s skill was considerable, but horses were always inherently unpredictable. And Ruby even more so than normal.

“But, I thought he was—”

“What your father doesn’t get,” Hob told him, “is that horse training isn’t a linear input-output situation. You can’t just make what you want happen. No matter how much money you throw at it. And especially if you rush.”

“My father always gets what he wants,” Alex said quietly. Hob felt kind of bad for the kid. Must have been rough to have a father like Roderick Burgess.

“We’ll see,” Hob said.

When Dream’s ride came up in the queue, he stopped beside Hob at the ring entrance. Hob handed him a bottle of water, and Dream drank.

“Can’t convince you to postpone?” Hob said, already knowing the answer. At least Ruby had behaved during the warmup, that was something.

Dream handed the water back, shaking his head. “I would rather fight other battles than argue over one competition. Besides, if he performs poorly, perhaps Roderick will finally acknowledge the folly of his expectations.”

Hob doubted that. “Just keep on your toes.”

“Don’t worry, I am aware he is going to look sideways at the crowds, and the flags, and the judge’s booth, and so on.” He sighed. “I miss Jessamy.”

“You’ll get Ruby there too, eventually.”

“Perhaps if Roderick gets out of the way.” The ring steward was summoning him, so with that he walked Ruby off to the competition ring. Hob followed at a distance, taking up his spot by the ring to watch.

The first half of Dream’s test went… relatively well, all things considered. Ruby was spooky, trying to move away from anything that moved outside the ring, and Hob could see Dream fighting to keep him on the rail. The horse seemed more tense, too, without any other horses around, but with the exception of a little jigging and sidestepping at certain corners, Dream managed to mostly keep him focused.

Hob started to think maybe his worries had been overblown. They weren’t going to earn the highest score by any means, Ruby was still far too inconsistent and tense for that, but it would be fine as a starting point. Honestly, Hob didn’t much care about the horse’s success in competition. All he really cared about was Dream’s safety.

He finally relaxed a bit once they were past the halfway point of the test and nothing had gone terribly wrong. Meanwhile, by the arena entrance, Roderick stood with arms crossed, eyes like ice. Clearly having the exact opposite experience as Hob, growing more tense with each mistake Dream and Ruby made.

Hob was really growing to hate that man. If there was one thing that terrible fall had instilled in Hob, it was the belief that none of this competition stuff was really that serious. Of course they wanted to do well. Of course he wanted Dream to do well. But he would rather see Dream perform so badly that he quit upper level competition forever than see Dream hurt. After falling with Ellie, Hob hadn’t cared about any title they’d ever won together. He’d only cared that they were both alive.

He never wanted to try to make Dream do anything, though. And Dream was a very good rider. Hob took comfort in that.

He kept watching the test, keeping half an eye on Roderick on the other end of the ring. 

Dream cantered in a big circle across the middle of the ring, then up the long side of the arena towards Hob. The wind gusted, blowing papers about, ruffling Ruby’s tail. And just as Dream and Ruby were passing one of the flags, the wind cracked through it. Like the sound of a whip.

Ruby spooked sideways, head thrown up, eyes rolling. Dream kept his seat, but before he could get him settled, another huge gust of wind blew loose papers across the ring, and one caught Ruby right in the face.

The horse reared, head tossed, stumbling backwards, throwing itself off balance in its panic. Dream leaned forward to counterbalance but it was too late, Ruby had stepped too far under himself.

Hob was already running by the time he toppled over sideways.

He lost sight of Dream in the resulting scramble of limbs as Ruby thrashed in panic and clambered back to his feet. At least he didn’t fully flip over backwards on him, Hob thought, panic rising in his throat, at least—

Hob had seen Dream come off a horse only once before, when Jessamy had tripped on a hack out in the woods and unseated him. She’d just stood there afterwards, looking down at him on the ground as if wondering what on earth he was doing, as Dream brushed pine needles and dirt off his clothes.

Ruby, meanwhile, bolted out of the arena and was out of Hob’s sight in seconds.

Hob missed Jessamy, too.

He didn’t chase the horse, though. He kept running for Dream. Dream who he could see now, still on the ground. Who hadn’t popped back up, brushing dirt off his jacket, like he had that time with Jessamy.

Alex tried to follow Hob, stumbling uncertainly, but Hob pointed him in the other direction. “No! Go help catch the horse!”

Alex ran off after Ruby, looking shaken, and Hob skidded to a stop in the sand beside Dream. He knelt down by Dream’s collapsed form.

Dream wasn’t obviously mangled by hoof prints, though his eyes were closed. But when Hob called his name, his face scrunched up in pain. Dazed, then, not unconscious. That was good. Thank God.

“Dream,” he called again. He touched Dream’s cheek with a light hand, but didn’t dare move him. “Dream?”

Finally, Dream’s eyes opened, slowly focusing on Hob’s face. “…Hob.”

“Yeah, darling,” Hob said, with a relieved smile.

Dream started to try to sit up, but Hob pressed him back down. “No, don’t move. Stay there. He fucking trampled you.”

“Barely,” Dream muttered, but settled back down. “What spooked him? I did not see it.”

“Flags. Papers flying around.”

Dream sighed, closing his eyes again. “Typical. I warned Roderick.”

“Roderick’s incapable of listening to anyone but himself.” He took Dream’s hands in his own. “Squeeze my hands?”

Dream obligingly squeezed Hob’s fingers, then let go.

“Good. Move your toes?” In the distance, he could see the actual show medics running towards them. Hob had first aid training too though, at least. Another thing he’d picked up after getting crushed into the ground.

Dream moved his legs, but grimaced.

“Alright, where did he get you?” Hob said. “I know you’re hurt somewhere or you’d have fought me more about getting up.”

“I expect you will find a hoof print here,” Dream said, touching his thigh, and Hob winced. “I. Hit my head on the ground. My… chest hurts.”

Anxiety swooped through Hob’s belly, but he tried to stay calm, for Dream’s sake. He had been wearing a helmet, at least. And he was lucid. That was good.

Finally the show medics were crouched next to them. Hob could tell they would have preferred if he got out of the way, but he didn’t leave, though he tried to make some room for them. And he kept Dream’s attention as one of them eased his helmet off so he could lie flat.

The helmet had a sizable dent in it. Hob winced.

“Did they catch Ruby?” Dream asked.

“No clue.”

Dream chuckled. “You don’t care at all, do you?”

“I’d rather he not get hit by a car or something, but no, I care more about you right now.” They were in the middle of a huge equestrian park, anyway. Probably Ruby would get bored and start grazing somewhere and someone would catch up to him eventually. “He looked fine when he got up, anyway.”

“It’s not his fault, Hob,” Dream said.

“I know.” Hob looked around, but Roderick was nowhere in sight. Typical. “It’s someone’s fault, though.”

“We can handle Roderick later.”

One of the medics asked Dream a few questions, then wrapped a c-collar around his neck. He was surprisingly docile about it, which Hob found worrying. Dream was never docile.  

Hob was forced to move back a few feet as the medics got Dream on a stretcher. They hadn’t even considered just getting him on his feet. Fuck. Fuck.

Dream cried out as they moved him, a short, sharp cry of pain, quickly cut off. Hob rushed back over to him, taking his hand.

“I’m fine,” Dream said, finally breathing out again. “Go. Make sure the horse is okay? I am fine.”

“Fuck that,” Hob said. “I’m going with you. I’ll text Alex, make sure they get Ruby sorted.”

Dream smiled faintly, and Hob knew that, no matter what Dream might have said, it was the right call.

He rode with Dream to the hospital. He kept going back and forth on whether he should be worried or not. It could all just be some nasty bruises. That was probably the case with Dream’s thigh, considering he’d apparently been stepped on but wasn’t complaining much about the pain. Hob was worried about his head, but thankfully he didn’t seem too concussed, and hadn’t been knocked out. He hadn’t gotten a good look at Dream’s chest yet, since his shirt and show coat were still on. He hoped it wasn’t too bad. God.

He still held onto Dream’s hand the whole ride, watching him wince whenever the ambulance hit a bump in the road.

“Did you know,” Dream said when they’d almost arrived, “I have never been taken to A&E in an ambulance before?”

“Never?”

“No. It’s been… a long time since I’ve been hurt falling off. I broke my wrist once as a child. But my riding instructor drove me to hospital.”

His riding instructor. Not even one of his parents.

“Well, new experiences all around,” Hob said, trying to be cheery and not think too much about Dream’s childhood, which always made him feel terribly sad.

“I’m not enjoying it,” Dream said, closing his eyes again where he lay on the stretcher, and Hob laughed, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

When they arrived, and were waiting to be seen, Hob occupied himself getting Dream’s riding boots off. They were custom fit, and Dream would be peeved if the hospital staff tried to cut them off. Dream watched him with an amused quirk of the brow. “Will you do my show coat as well?”

“No,” Hob said. He wasn’t mucking around with Dream’s chest.

“Breeches?”

“They will definitely get the wrong idea if I do that.”

Dream laughed. “Perhaps I want them to get the wrong idea.”

“Dream.”

Dream only laughed again. Hob swatted his hand when he came to sit beside him again. “You mustn’t be feeling too badly if you’re trying to make jokes.”

“Maybe I’m just coping.”

“Poor darling.” He leaned over to give Dream a light kiss. “You’ll be alright.”

Dream gave him a weak smile.

Fortunately it turned out that Dream’s neck was fine, and he was able to take the c-collar off. They also let him take off his own clothes—with some help from Hob—before any further testing, so his beloved, tailored show coat wasn’t lost to scissor butchery. Hob also updated him, long-sufferingly, on Ruby, after Alex texted him to let him know that the horse had eventually been found—as Hob had predicted—grazing in a far corner of the property.

“We will have to work with some flags at home,” Dream said, and Hob wanted to bang his head into a wall. But then both of them would be concussed, and someone had to drive the rig home, and if Hob let Alex drive they would all die in a ditch. So he refrained from giving himself a head injury out of exasperation.

“Maybe on the ground, first,” he said instead.

“Well, of course,” said Dream.

His leg wasn’t broken, just bore a hoof print shaped bruise, and his concussion was mild—thank God for helmets and soft arena footing. He’d fractured two ribs—“Mildly!” Dream said, when Hob expressed concern about it, and Hob once again contemplated cracking his own head open on the wall—and they wanted to keep him for a night just in case.

If Hob’s madman of a husband was going to insist on continuing to ride this horse, Hob was going to make him start wearing a body protector. At least Hob had learned something from his own fall.

Eventually, all the tests were done, and they were left alone for some time. They’d originally been supposed to go home tonight, but Hob had managed to arrange another night’s stall for Ruby, and called Matthew to make sure their horses back home were taken care of. Horses made everything so complicated. But there was no way he was leaving Dream.

“You should get a hotel for the night,” Dream said, looking at Hob with tired eyes from where he was now lying in a proper hospital bed.

“And spare myself the entertainment of you on pain meds?”

“The meds are frankly unnecessary,” Dream complained.

Hob thought the way he’d been wincing every time he breathed suggested otherwise, but what did he know.

“Hey, if someone offers you a good time, take it,” he said, and Dream quirked a smile.

Hob took his hand, twined their fingers together, kissed his knuckles. “Hey,” he said. “It’s gonna be okay. Yeah?”

Dream’s smile wavered. “When he flipped on me. I did see my life flash before my eyes.”

Hob saw his life flash before his eyes, too. Which was to say, he saw Dream’s death flash before his eyes.

“It’s scary,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do.”

At least Ellie had, as far as Hob had seen on video, done her best not to trample him when she got up. Ruby, it seemed, had had no such presence of mind.

“I am glad you were there,” Dream said. “Not that I wish for you to have had to watch. But. When I… found myself on the ground. I.” He closed his eyes, shying away from the feeling.

Hob squeezed his hand. “Hey. Dream.”

“I. It hurt. Well, at first it didn’t hurt, because I had the wind knocked out of me, but it hurt after and— it’s silly.” He finally opened his eyes again, looking a bit embarrassed. “But I just wanted my husband.”

“It’s not silly.” Hob clutched Dream’s hand close. “It’s okay. Didn’t you know I just wanted to get to you, too?”

Dream gave him a fragile smile. Hob didn’t want him to move too much, so he leaned in and pressed his forehead to Dream’s, resting beside him on the pillow.

“So,” Dream said. “I am guessing we did not win.”

Hob snorted. “Pretty sure you got a zero. Levade wasn’t in the test, Dream. Overachiever.”

Dream laughed, clutching at his chest in pain, but laughed nevertheless.

“Next time you can try trick riding where they actually want you to throw yourself on the floor. You can do one of those pony races where you have to jump off and grab an egg and get back on.”

“I did those as a child,” Dream said. “It was more fun than this.”

“I bet.”

Dream closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against Hob’s. “I am only riding Jessamy for a while.”

“You’re not riding at all for a while.”

Dream grumbled. “Now you are a rule follower?”

“Yup. But trust me, by tomorrow, you won’t be thinking about horses at all.”

Dream groaned. “You will tend me in my infirmity?”

“Of course.”

Then Dream smiled. The pain meds were definitely starting to make him a little loopy, Hob thought. “Good husband,” he said, and awkwardly pet Hob’s hair.

“Go to sleep, you.”

Eventually he did get Dream to sleep, God bless pain meds. But sleep didn’t find Hob for some time. He sat up, watching Dream. The rise and fall of his chest. The beep of the heart monitor on his finger.

All told, the damage wasn’t too bad. Definitely not as bad as it could have been. As he’d feared it would be. But Hob kept seeing the fall in the back of his mind. The flashing moment when Ruby toppled and Dream disappeared from his sight. Over and over and over.

He leaned on the bed, head in his hands. Thought about it for a long, long time. How much it hurt to be the one watching it happen. Worrying. Always worrying.

Eventually, he fell asleep, hunched in his awkward position on the bed that would definitely make his shoulder ache come morning. But he wasn’t about to move a single muscle.

[prince0fpaints]

Pirate!Sloan x reader

No warnings for this one enjoy!!

Stone cold Sloan, the most callous, ruthless, unruly pirate that sailed the Northern ocean. Everyone knew the ship they ruled the sea with, the aged burgundy wood that turned darker whenever the salty sea would kiss the sides. The spruce lining of the ship covered with cracks and splits on the wood showed all passersby on the seas just how resilient the captain and their crew is.

The capitan, Sloan Cameron, sat in their cabin, dim lights softly swinging from the water cradling the ship rocking slowly over the waves. They were currently drafting up what would be a new map the captain and their crew had just recently left a brand new island, untouched by any, and because Stone Cold Sloan had found it, they laid claim to it immediately, now it would be untouched by any crew other than their own.

They yawn and slump back in their wooden seat, stretching their arms over their head and cracking their knuckles, deciding it best to get up and stretch their weary bones. They took their time standing and dusting themself off, adjusting their many gold and leather belts before grabbing their maroon coat, it fit their well built figure perfectly, the way the velvety outside hugged their biceps, the leather padded shoulders sat like crowns on theirs, and the flow of the coat near the middle of their calves, singed at the edges due to narrowly escaping a battle. And then the final touch, the wide brimmed hat, complete with a ruby red feather. It was a signature for the Captain of the Rosetta crew.As the captain stepped out from their quarters, they adjusted their hat, making sure it sat comfortably on their mop of messy brown hair, bleached from the long hours of work. Their sun kissed skin illuminated by the moonlight, showing to the world the hunky figure that bore tattoos to the nighttime world.

The capitan sighed deeply, leaning over the railings of the ship, looking out into the deep, endless, blue. They often wondered what their life would be like if they didn't choose this life, would they take up a fishing career? Perhaps become a carpenter, maybe a sculptor! Would those quiet and dull lives replace th-

Splash!

Sloan was startled out of their trance, their train of thought completely derailed as a large amount of water soaked the entirety of their head, knocking their hat off.

“What in God's name!?”

They hissed, recovering from the shock of icy waters and rushing to the side of the ship, spotting a golden glow beneath the surface of the water. And by the time they went to shout for their crew, they were already standing behind them. With nets, harpoons, and ropes at the ready.

And in that moment they decided, ‘Nah, I wouldn't have it any other way.’ and then, the ship was off, following the specter of golden light that swam beneath the sea's surface. The orb of light was fast, dodging each harpoon that shot past it. Many failed attempts to shoot the creature were futile, nets were kicked off the sides and shot from cannons, only to wind up empty or damaged.

Sloan muttered curses under their breath as they realized they were down to the last net, and they decided to take matters into their own hands. They took their coat and hat off, shoving it into a random mate’s hands. Stomping towards a crewmate off to the side, they snatched the net away and loaded it into a canon. They lined the shot up, one chance, one moment, it all came down to one second.

. . .

Cheers and praise roared from the small crew as their capitan announced the success, ordering their first mate to set the rope for the net to be reeled in. They took their hat and coat back as they watched a light glow brighter the higher it went. And what they saw plastered a wide smirk on the captain's face.

. . .

You didn't like this, you were swimming away as fast as possible. Just your luck, you make a bet that you can outswim a pirate ship and now you reap the consequences of your actions. Struggling to bite apart the threads of some ropes that encased you, you thought you could make it, you thought you could escape but…

A whistle. “Lucky find!”

…You were sorely mistaken. The next thing you knew, your hands were tied up and you were being stared at by a bunch of women on a ship as their capitan shushed them and ordered them to move aside. You swallowed the lump that was in your throat as you watched the leader of this group smile brightly, a gold tooth in place of one of their real ones as they spoke directly to you.

“You are a treasure I can't just give away..”

[rachetmath]

Why RWBY Ain't MC?

(Okay if you already seen this ('Jaune More MC Ruby? 'https://rachetmath.tumblr.com/post/744057722669039616/jaune-more-mc-ruby) Then you should know where this is going.)

Jaune: And that's what is wrong with your characters.

RWBY: *shocked* 

Ruby: Oh crap.

Weiss: Oh God…

Blake: My people…

Yang: I am a basic bitch?

Jaune: Yeah you girl's characters are all over the place. Not just that… you have so much screen time yet do nothing with it. You're basically side characters to your own stories. 

Yang: Not true.

Jaune: Yes true. Look let's start with Ruby.

Ruby: Me?

Jaune: Yeah, because some of my character issues should have been yours, like killing Penny for example. Considering that was suitable punishment for what you have done. You lied to James. You drove him off the rails. You and your team made the mess. 

Ruby: Um…

Jaune: But that's too easy. Let's really go down the shit hole. Ruby, you have silver eyes. Yet you barely use them. You never trained with them. We still know nothing about them. And we don’t know if they’ll work on Salem.

Ruby: um…

Jaune: And you know that would have been answered back at Atlas if you went on the battlefield. Speaking of Salem, why the hell would you put Ironwood someone more of my problem than Salem, if I recall knows who your mom is.

Ruby: Well I had to protect Penny.

Jaune: Mhmm. Okay. Speaking of your mom what did you learn about her in The Ever After?

Ruby: Um-

Jaune: Not much. Yeah. And again no villain besides Cinder and Neo were interested in you. Not even you are interested in them considering you barely remember them. Like Ruby, you don't do anything. Like you fast but slow in the head. Hell even Neo ganging up on you, you still didn't deserve it. I actually deserved it.

Ruby: How?

Jaune: Again Pyrrha died. Ozpin died. All because of me. And even if you killed Penny it's still going to feel like my fault because I could've prevented it.

Ruby: Oh no. 

Weiss: Jaune-

Jaune: Nope. Your turn. You are worse than your father.

Weiss: I-

Jaune: You talk about how your father does business but you don’t do business. Nor do you know how to run a business.

Weiss: I mean-

Jaune: You lied to your sister’s face. Your sister who trained you and made sure you were able to leave Atlas. You got Klien fired. You threatened your own brother.

Weiss: Um-. I-i

Jaune: Oh let’s not forget how you destroyed your home and now your family is broke.

Weiss: Well at least I’m a good teammate.

Jaune: Didn’t you almost divide your team about two times? Also, how is everyone insulting me when you barely win your fights?

Weiss: Not true.

Jaune: Flynt Coal.

Weiss: Luck.

Jaune: Vernal.

Weiss: I was rusty.

Jaune: More like spamming.

Weiss: We defeated the Ace-ops.

Jaune: Neo and Cinder. The ones who were supposed to be on the same level as them. Did you win?

Weiss: Shit.

Jaune: You know what I should mention this. In Argus, I must have been under some stress or high as a kite, because now that I think about it, the deal Cordoven gave us, wasn’t that bad.

Weiss: Jaune she was planning to send me back to my father.

Jaune: Alright, then instead of accepting those terms and going to face your father, basically lying claim to your life, you cowardly avoided him and let your friends be what scares him. Not you. In fact, you were willing to endanger yourself and thousands of people to avoid him.

Weiss: … … ….

Jaune: Look I understand you don’t have to face everything alone. But there are some moments you have to deal with alone. Instead of having to escape your father like last time, you could have returned, stood up to him, and left out the front door from which you came in. Why? Because that’s how much you care about your friends and your freedom that you won’t let anybody, especially a man you can easily crush into ground beef take from you.

Weiss: By god. I am my father. 

Jaune: Yeah. Blake.

Blake: *looks at him*

Jaune: Blake, I would be concerned for my people if I were you.

Blake: Why?

Jaune: Well-

Me: Nope. Nope. I’ll explain. Blake, you remember the hound right?

Blake: Yeah.

Blake: A silver-eyed person.

Me: Look at his head.

Blake: “Look at his head”? I mean I see- oh. Oh my god.

Me: Yeah. A faunus. People who have animal-like features.  Again with silver eyes, we know nothing. But Faunuses on the other hand, we know where this could lead to.

Blake: Oh no.

Me: And you single-handedly divided the White Fang. And if hunters or people start siding with Salem, what does that mean for the Faunuses who are now venerable because of you?

Blake: Oh GOD! What have I done?!

Me: I mean I started questioning whether you cared about your people or not. Considering you didn’t bother staying in Mantle to protect them. You trust a criminal more than an official officer or hunter. Even though Robyn was doing the same crap Adam and Roman were doing. Good job.

Blake: *crying*

Me: Now for you.

Yang: Me?

Me: Yes. I never thought I come back for your ass. But here we are. Now then, what the fuck did Raven tell you to do?

Yang: Um.

Me: The same thing your father was telling you to do. Think. Don’t just follow orders. Don’t just act. Think! 

Yang: I did but-

Me: You didn’t think it through.

Yang: Look trusting Robyn-

Me: When you confronted Robyn what was your plan afterwards?

Yang: Um-

Me: Remember you didn’t tell her everything so she was still skeptical. She was tearing James a new one. So what was the point?!

Yang: Um-

Me: I mean, how were you going to chop Ruby off when ultimately you are more at fault than she is?

Yang: Um.

Me: Like at least Ruby was trying to lower the tension. You as per-fucking-usual added way more fuel to an already heated fire.

Yang: Well-

Me: I already mentioned how you are the biggest hypocrite, a simp and horrible sister. Now I might as well say you are the weakest link in your team– no, your squad.  

Yang: Hey-

Me: You've been losing fights.

Yang: Name-

Me: Mercury.

Yang: I beat him.

Jaune: Wasn’t that part of the plan to set you up though?

Yang: Yeah but-

Me: Round two, what happened then?

Yang: They double-teamed me.

Me: Before that you couldn’t land hit on him.

Yang: … … Adam.

Me: 2 v 1. He wasn’t even at his best. Bro was in his feelings.

Yang: The Ace-ops-

Me: Marrow, for one, could’ve ended that fight before it started. Second weren’t they arguing half the battle? Also didn’t Elm have your partner and for “reasons” she decided to let Blake go? Selling the match.

Yang: A win is a win.

Me: Okay Salem. Did you stand your ground and fight?

Yang: Um. Tactical retreat?

Me: She wasn’t even putting in effort. The cat.

Yang: I mean-

Me: Kilgore.

Yang: He does not count.

Me: Neo and Cinder. Again, on Ace-op level.

Yang: Come on, man, she-

Me: A win is a win right? So if you get a ring out or fall that is not victory. Neo won. Two to Zero.

Yang: … … …

Me: Raven… Raven trusted the lamp to you. Not Ruby. You! And you just… you just lost it like that. You fumbled- you fumbled so bad. And what’s crazy is I mentioned how you searched for the deadbeat instead of your “real mom” but it seems Raven is a better mom than Summer now. How? Not only is she alive. She knows what happened to Summer. And she saved your ass so many times. Three times.

Yang: Not-

Me: The train. Your first defeat.

Yang: … ….

Me: I’m not going to count Adam. But she let you leave her tribe camp alive, with your friend no less, knowing full well she didn’t have to help you especially when you came to her and was ready to fight when she wouldn’t give you what you wanted.

Yang: …. …. 

Me: And she let you walk with the relic. She could’ve killed you two times. But she didn’t. Why? Because whether she likes it or not, you are her DAUGHTER! And she LOVES you! 

Yang: Um…

Me: I hope- I hope Raven puts her hands on you because you earned the most savage ass whipping alive.  You basic bitch.

Yang: *shocked*

Me: Anyways y'all had plenty of opportunities to make your characters good. You all were given a good amount of screen time, however, the writers don't allow you to face your problems, shield you from consequences, and try so hard to prove you are always in the right all the time that you all might as well be Mary Sue. The worst kind of Mary Sue. The do no wrong type of Mary Sue.

Jaune: Damn. 

Me: Jaune, bro, I hope you survive this cause I still stand by this the writers did you dirty man. You didn't deserve that man. You didn't- you didn't deserve that. You and your team deserve better. 

[captainclickycat]

Behold: A summation of my plot revisions for Prom Queen because apparently I can't think about anything else right now.

1. So to start with, make it so Lori's mother wasn't falsely accused of murdering her dad. She really did do it. Because (it's either outright confirmed or heavily implied) she was one of the possessed killers. Maybe we get a flashback of how it went down at some point. (If Lori is around in the flashback, maybe we see her mum do the "briefly wrestling back control" thing and manage to restrain herself from hurting her kid, or do something to save her.) Point is, she was a killer. Other stuff can be left still intact (Lori still doesn't deserve to be ostracised and treated like a social pariah, and it's still painted as diabolical for people to taunt her about it.)

1a. By extension, Ruby Lane's mother gets a mention of some kind, since we know she's around during this time period. She wouldn't necessarily have to make an appearance, but there should be some acknowledgement that this isn't the first time they've explored what it would be like for the killers' family members and loved ones who were left behind.

2. The curse and the town's gruesome history are acknowledged throughout the film, and this affects how the characters react to the killer. Possibly it's common knowledge, so when everyone's aware that they live in a town where ordinary people are prone to seemingly just going crazy and killing everyone, their first assumption is that the killer they're dealing with this time must also be some ordinary or trustworthy person they know. There should be time to get a scene in where characters speculate about who's coming after them, and start to get paranoid about whether one of their absent friends or a trusted staff member has gone off the rails.

3. Possibly concurrent to this, there's a particularly clued-up character (akin to Josh in the first films) who can provide some well-delivered exposition about what might be going on. I'm thinking the school news reporter could qualify for this one. You know, the one who was really disconcertingly cheerful about reporting the murders when authorities/a news crew showed up? She strikes me as someone who would want to know more about the town history, especially anything gory or scandalous, if only for the sake of putting together a more interesting exposé. Who's to say that knowledge couldn't also come in useful when the kids are running from a killer themselves.

4. Then the original reveal can more-or-less remain intact, after a lot more toying with audience expectations vis a vis whether or not the killer is possessed. Turns out they're not! They're just regular killers! This town has those too sometimes!

4a. As an addendum to this, maybe the family is in on the whole Sunnyvale deal and managed to sort out an agreement where they participated for a cut of the profits. Maybe they were friendly with the Goode's, maybe Nancy's old Sunnyvale boyfriend was a Goode son, and he willingly cut her in as an exchange for keeping the whole thing under wraps. But the Falconers preferred a more hands-on approach to the sacrifices, instead of just using someone else as a puppet. (That's where the "it was beautiful" scene comes in. These people just take a perverse delight in murdering.) I'm not sure how this exposition could be done with Lori still surviving at the end (and let's give the girl a break, she can still survive) maybe through flashbacks, maybe Nancy gloats about it to her but doesn't give her all the information (making it sound like some sort of criminal contract, or a Strangers on a Train deal or something) and we get the rest of the information through flashbacks. Or maybe the family do come out and say they're in league with the devil but Lori just thinks they're crazy murderers. By extension, they could be involved in Lori's mother's possession somehow (maybe before they realised they preferred to do the dirty work themselves) so there could still be the revelation that it's their fault Lori's dad got killed.

4b. ...Or not. Maybe the whole possession history is just a red herring, and the Falconers aren't actually any more clued-up than anyone else. But they still take advantage of this town's history and the culture of paranoia and distrust that must have arisen to some degree in order to deflect the attention from themselves and their own ordinary, common-or-garden murder hobby.

That's what I've got so far. Taking suggestions for other details.

[ezralovrr]

STOP ATTACKING ME! - A short Helluva Boss OC Drabble

Yeah I’m not gonna lie.. I don’t really like Stolas, I’m sorry. His whiny attitude about how Blitzo doesn’t love him is honestly really annoying. So here’s my frustrations being put into a small story!

(Also this basically serves as an origin story to Raya’s rivalry with Stolas.)

Stolas likers, I’m sorry in advance. This one isn’t for you.

.

.

.

.

The Goetia palace was lavishing as ever this evening; the crystal chandeliers sparkled in the evening light, the constellations painted on the ceiling seemed to glow, and the polished marble floor reflected the silhouettes of the avian royalty of Hell.

While Stella flounced about on the ballroom floor and squawked to her peacock acquaintances about her stupid husband, the owl prince Stolas stood 10 feet away from her, meekly sipping on some rich wine. “Witch.” He hissed under his breath. He was dressed in his bathrobes, as he couldn’t bother to get into his more formal attire. It’s not like anyone would care, anyways. Pity, pity, pity…

Andrealphus gave his brother-in-law a snide glare as he strode over to his cackling sister, who was loudly singing about what foolish things her husband had said this week. She did like to torment him, so this was nothing new to the owl prince.

Stolas huffed and ruffled his feathers, a look of sadness creeping up on his beak. If only his “star-crossed” lower-class lover Blitzo could whisk him away from the “Still Not Divorced” party, leaving his teenage daughter Octavia to sit awkwardly with her mother…

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard someone yelling mildly as they struggled to climb over the balcony rail. Stolas’s ruby eyes lit up, and he dashed over to the balcony he was standing next to, grabbing the arm to pull his lover up to the pala-

It was a human.

“Oh.” Stolas sighed. Regardless, he helped her up and into the palace, as he didn’t wish to be rude. “My apologies. I thought you were someone else.” He briskly turned to an imp waiter, trying to offer the woman something to drink or nibble on. She refused politely, though by the look on her face, she wanted to discuss something with the prince.

“It’s alright. I actually wanted to ask you about something regarding your.. affair.” The words “affair” seemed to haunt Stolas. Affair was far from what could be described about his loving, totally sincere relationship with Blitzo. “…Right then. Please, pray tell, what do you wish to query me?” Stolas adjusted his bathrobe to appear decent.

“Why do you still chase after that imp?” She shot him a subtle yet icy cold glare. Stolas felt his heart quake. “…What- What is your name..?” He asked the human. She gasped lightly and adjusted her corn-colored hair. “Raya. Why do you wish to know?” She tilted her head up at the prince. “I- …With all due respect, miss Raya… I genuinely feel a strong, warm connection to that little imp.” Stolas stared off into space as a sick warmth spread to his beak.

Raya clenched her teeth, clearly annoyed he was trying to change the subject. As he started to ramble on and on, she felt slightly agitated and wanted to square the conversation back. “No- no, you’re not listening to me, your highness.” She spoke out, causing the owl to hoot slightly and shut his beak in mild shock.

“…Like I said, you’re chasing after someone who isn’t interested in you. You deliberately harass the poor man, exploiting him for your pleasure and to keep his business afloat, and even prioritizing him over your daughter not once, but twice. You flaunted your first affair to your wife. And I get that she’s awful, but it doesn’t give you an excuse to do so. You spend all your time wailing and waiting for your imp prince to rescue you from the wicked witch, but you’re just living a fantasy. A sick fantasy in which you leave your daughter alone as feared. And no amount of coddling could change that, which is why you need to take the first step and accept that Blitz. Doesn’t. Love you.” Raya went on a long-winded rant, essentially calling out the Goetia prince for his attitude and actions.

Stolas was horrified, his legs were shaking like a great earthquake, his heart heavily beating as sweat trickled down his beak. It was true, but he didn’t want to accept it. He hated confrontation, he hated owning up to his mistakes and recognizing his flaws. And then, right before she could deliver the verdict…

“STOP! STOP IT, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE, STOP IT!” Like a child, the owl prince screeched and stumbled back, crocodile tears streaming down his face as he made a scene. “No- wait- I- I didn’t mean to. Your royal highness, I apologize. Please, just breathe and think rationally for a second…!” Raya lightly raised her hand to soothe the prince.

“WITCH! SHE’S RAISING HER HAND AGAINST ME! SOMEONE, PLEASE TAKE HER AWAY!” Stolas cried out, dark blue feathers slightly falling from his body.

The orchestra paused as the royal avians turned to the scene. Andrealphus raised an eyebrow, mildly confused at the behavior of his brother-in-law. Stella, however, had a wicked, almost proud grin on her face. Two hellhounds grabbed Raya by the forearms while she was distracted from attempting to ease the prince.

“Ma’am, it’s nothing personal. We’d like for you to leave the premises at once.” One of them barked at her. “No, wait-! I’m not done! Octavia! Princess! Please just know that my door’s open if you wish to have a safe space!!” Raya called to the Goetia princess as she was dragged out of the ballroom. Octavia, while mildly confused, as put at ease as she went to go comfort her tantrum-throwing father.

Raya was tossed outside of the Goetia palace, and she hit the pavement upon impact. “Respectfully, you are disallowed from entering this palace again.” The other hellhound affirmed her as they shut the doors. “Damn it all…” Raya sighed and picked herself up. She shivered slightly, mildly irritated that her confrontational approach didn’t work out in the end.

Just before she was about to leave, the door opened and closed quickly. Raya turned around, finding a prideful Stella exiting the palace. “Well done. Really, darling, well done!” She slowly applauded the human. “What?” Raya mouthed to no one in particular.

“You really took the words out of my mouth. Although I’m still mildly disgusted that the imp-sucking excuse of my husband is being coddled right now back upstairs… you really said some things I wanted to hear for a long time.” Stella smiled lightly, offering a hand for the human to shake. Raya stared down at her hand, then pulled her lavender cardigan sleeve a bit over her palm before accepting the handshake.

“I’m… honored, I guess.” She awkwardly brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. “Well, I must head back to the Still Not Divorced soirée. Just keep in mind though… I admire your bravery.” Stella curtsied lightly before taking her leave and re-entering the palace.

Raya stood there, flabbergasted. Although her mission was unsuccessful, she at least felt satisfied voicing her thoughts on the prince.

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.

.

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And that’s the end! I’m gonna be honest, I’m not really keeping up with the show anymore, so I tried to write the characters to the best of my ability.

[jnightshade2-blog]

Oh unholy night by CantFindADecentAlias and JNightshade

The train thundered through the night, its wheels clattering against the rails in a steady rhythm making its way back to his hometown for a long overdue family Christmas.

The sound was hypnotic, a lullaby for the sleepless. But not for Christian who sat in the dimly lit smoking car at the rear of the train, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. The scent of tobacco mingled with the faint aroma of leather from the worn brown seats. Outside the window, the darkness stretched endlessly, broken only by the occasional flicker of light from distant towns. He had not been looking forward to this journey home all year, and now it was here he was unable to rest, even in his sleeping quarters. Worrying too much about what his family might say or do had kept him from his dreams.

The door to the smoking car creaked open, and a tall slender woman stepped inside. She moved with an elegance that seemed out of place in such a utilitarian setting, her long black coat sweeping behind her like a cloak. Her pale face glowed faintly in the weak light, and her piercing ruby eyes caught his attention immediately.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, her voice smooth and low, carrying a faint accent he couldn’t place.

Christian nodded, gesturing to the seat across from him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was striking, her dark hair cascading in waves over her shoulders, her lips painted a deep crimson. But it was her eyes, those glowing blue eyes that held him captive. ‘Were they reflecting some unseen light’ he mused as he watched her without wanting to be noticed.

She sat down gracefully, lighting a cigarette of her own. “You seem lost in thought,” she said, exhaling a plume of smoke that curled like a wisp of silk upwards joining the crowded layer of smoke at the top of the carriage.

“Oh It’s...the train journey home,” he replied, his voice quiet. “The quiet sound of the night, it does something to me. Makes me think too much.”

She smiled faintly, her eyes narrowing as if she found his answer intriguing. “The sound of the tracks though, they have a rhythm, don’t they? A heartbeat, steady and unrelenting. It can be...comforting, in its own way.”

Christian nodded, his gaze drifting to the window to see the world rolling by. The train’s rhythm seemed louder now that she mentioned it, more deliberate. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk.

“I find it helps me relax,” she continued, her voice softening to a near whisper. “If you listen closely, it’s almost like the train is singing to you. Can you hear it, Christian?”

He blinked, startled by her words. “How do you know my name?”

Her smile deepened, and she leaned forward slightly. “I know a great many things about everyone on this train, including you. It’s in my interest to know these things, so that I can keep an eye on things. This is why I know about the soothing sound of the tracks…”

The rhythm of the tracks grew louder in his ears, drowning out the hum of his protests. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. The sound seemed to quickly sync with his heartbeat, steady and relentless.

“Just listen,” she murmured, her cold glowing eyes locking onto his. “Let the sound carry you now. Let it calm you as you listen.”

Christian felt his body relax against the seat, his grip on the cigarette loosening until it fell to the ashtray. The clatter of the train tracks filled his mind, pushing away all of his other thoughts. He simply sat, relaxed and lost himself in the sensation. He couldn’t look away from her eyes, their ruby glow pulsating in time with the rhythm.

“That’s it,” she whispered, her voice a gentle caress. “Let yourself go. You don’t need to think anymore.” A smile spread across her alabaster face.

His head nodded slightly as the carriage swayed gently from side to side, his eyelids drooping. Her voice and the train’s song had wrapped around him, binding him in a cocoon of calm. “I don’t need to think...” he repeated, his voice barely audible.

She reached across the table, her cool fingers brushing against his cheek. “You’re mine now, Christian. Do you understand?” her crimson lips curling back to reveal the beginnings of her fangs.

“Yes...” he murmured, the word slipping from his lips without hesitation.

Her smile turned predatory, and she rose, taking his hand and guiding him to his feet. “Come with me,” she commanded, lifting him effortlessly, like he weighed nothing at all.

He followed her through the narrow corridors of the train, his body moving as if it belonged to someone else. She led him to her private compartment, where the shadows seemed deeper and the air colder.

“You’ve been searching for something, haven’t you?” she asked, her hands gliding to the collar of his shirt. “Something to fill the emptiness. That is why you have not been home in so long. Because you haven’t found it. You haven’t been satisfied.”

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

“I can give you that” she said, her lips brushing against his neck. “I can fulfill you, but you must trust me. Do you trust me my dear?”

“I trust you.” his reply, monotonous.

“Good,” she purred and smiled, revealing her fangs fully now. Her hands held him firmly, pressing against her ample bosom. And with a single swift motion, she dove into her neck and bit into his flesh. The pain was sharp but fleeting, replaced by a surge of warmth and pleasure that coursed through his veins. His knees buckled, and she held him steady, her strength shocking and absolute.

For him, the pleasure became everything. It dissolved the world around him and everything went black. Just at the edges at first, but the more she drank the more the world became black; almost completely gone.

When she finally pulled away, her lips were stained with his blood, she bit into her wrist. The dark, ruby liquid welled up, and she pressed it to his lips.

“Drink,” she commanded. “Drink and be reborn.”

Christian obeyed, the taste intoxicating, filling him with a power that he’d never known before. The rhythm of the train tracks faded into silence as his senses sharpened, his body transforming. Where once were scrawny and limp muscles there were thicker, more robust. When he opened his eyes, the world was alive with a new, electric clarity. His gaze met hers, and he saw his reflection in her glowing eyes; eyes now mirrored in his own.

“Welcome to eternity, you are born Christian into a world of darkness” she said, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. “Now, my dear come, the night awaits and I have much to show you.”

“Yes Mistress” he replied with a wicked grin on his face.

Oh unholy night by CantFindADecentAlias and JNightshade

The train thundered through the night, its wheels clattering against the rails in a steady rhythm making its way back to his hometown for a long overdue family Christmas.

The sound was hypnotic, a lullaby for the sleepless. But not for Christian who sat in the dimly lit smoking car at the rear of the train, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. The scent of tobacco mingled with the faint aroma of leather from the worn brown seats. Outside the window, the darkness stretched endlessly, broken only by the occasional flicker of light from distant towns. He had not been looking forward to this journey home all year, and now it was here he was unable to rest, even in his sleeping quarters. Worrying too much about what his family might say or do had kept him from his dreams.

The door to the smoking car creaked open, and a tall slender woman stepped inside. She moved with an elegance that seemed out of place in such a utilitarian setting, her long black coat sweeping behind her like a cloak. Her pale face glowed faintly in the weak light, and her piercing ruby eyes caught his attention immediately.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, her voice smooth and low, carrying a faint accent he couldn’t place.

Christian nodded, gesturing to the seat across from him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was striking, her dark hair cascading in waves over her shoulders, her lips painted a deep crimson. But it was her eyes, those glowing blue eyes that held him captive. ‘Were they reflecting some unseen light’ he mused as he watched her without wanting to be noticed.

She sat down gracefully, lighting a cigarette of her own. “You seem lost in thought,” she said, exhaling a plume of smoke that curled like a wisp of silk upwards joining the crowded layer of smoke at the top of the carriage.

“Oh It’s...the train journey home,” he replied, his voice quiet. “The quiet sound of the night, it does something to me. Makes me think too much.”

She smiled faintly, her eyes narrowing as if she found his answer intriguing. “The sound of the tracks though, they have a rhythm, don’t they? A heartbeat, steady and unrelenting. It can be...comforting, in its own way.”

Christian nodded, his gaze drifting to the window to see the world rolling by. The train’s rhythm seemed louder now that she mentioned it, more deliberate. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk.

“I find it helps me relax,” she continued, her voice softening to a near whisper. “If you listen closely, it’s almost like the train is singing to you. Can you hear it, Christian?”

He blinked, startled by her words. “How do you know my name?”

Her smile deepened, and she leaned forward slightly. “I know a great many things about everyone on this train, including you. It’s in my interest to know these things, so that I can keep an eye on things. This is why I know about the soothing sound of the tracks…”

The rhythm of the tracks grew louder in his ears, drowning out the hum of his protests. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. The sound seemed to quickly sync with his heartbeat, steady and relentless.

“Just listen,” she murmured, her cold glowing eyes locking onto his. “Let the sound carry you now. Let it calm you as you listen.”

Christian felt his body relax against the seat, his grip on the cigarette loosening until it fell to the ashtray. The clatter of the train tracks filled his mind, pushing away all of his other thoughts. He simply sat, relaxed and lost himself in the sensation. He couldn’t look away from her eyes, their ruby glow pulsating in time with the rhythm.

“That’s it,” she whispered, her voice a gentle caress. “Let yourself go. You don’t need to think anymore.” A smile spread across her alabaster face.

His head nodded slightly as the carriage swayed gently from side to side, his eyelids drooping. Her voice and the train’s song had wrapped around him, binding him in a cocoon of calm. “I don’t need to think...” he repeated, his voice barely audible.

She reached across the table, her cool fingers brushing against his cheek. “You’re mine now, Christian. Do you understand?” her crimson lips curling back to reveal the beginnings of her fangs.

“Yes...” he murmured, the word slipping from his lips without hesitation.

Her smile turned predatory, and she rose, taking his hand and guiding him to his feet. “Come with me,” she commanded, lifting him effortlessly, like he weighed nothing at all.

He followed her through the narrow corridors of the train, his body moving as if it belonged to someone else. She led him to her private compartment, where the shadows seemed deeper and the air colder.

“You’ve been searching for something, haven’t you?” she asked, her hands gliding to the collar of his shirt. “Something to fill the emptiness. That is why you have not been home in so long. Because you haven’t found it. You haven’t been satisfied.”

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

“I can give you that” she said, her lips brushing against his neck. “I can fulfill you, but you must trust me. Do you trust me my dear?”

“I trust you.” his reply, monotonous.

“Good,” she purred and smiled, revealing her fangs fully now. Her hands held him firmly, pressing against her ample bosom. And with a single swift motion, she dove into her neck and bit into his flesh. The pain was sharp but fleeting, replaced by a surge of warmth and pleasure that coursed through his veins. His knees buckled, and she held him steady, her strength shocking and absolute.

For him, the pleasure became everything. It dissolved the world around him and everything went black. Just at the edges at first, but the more she drank the more the world became black; almost completely gone.

When she finally pulled away, her lips were stained with his blood, she bit into her wrist. The dark, ruby liquid welled up, and she pressed it to his lips.

“Drink,” she commanded. “Drink and be reborn.”

Christian obeyed, the taste intoxicating, filling him with a power that he’d never known before. The rhythm of the train tracks faded into silence as his senses sharpened, his body transforming. Where once were scrawny and limp muscles there were thicker, more robust. When he opened his eyes, the world was alive with a new, electric clarity. His gaze met hers, and he saw his reflection in her glowing eyes; eyes now mirrored in his own.

“Welcome to eternity, you are born Christian into a world of darkness” she said, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. “Now, my dear come, the night awaits and I have much to show you.”

“Yes Mistress” he replied with a wicked grin on his face.

[dotthings]

Back on my slow, full series rewatch of SPN and noticing some things in S4 about the theme of Sam and Dean’s specialness and Dean’s love/hate relationship with hunting and the nature of Sam and Dean as heroes.

Sam post first. I’ll post the Dean one separately.

In season 4 leading up to 4.15 Death Takes a Holiday (written by Jeremy Carver) Sam’s been training with Ruby, drinking demon blood, and developing his demon-related powers more strongly. Dean’s been uneasy about that. And running alongside this is Sam increasingly growing drunk on power, as well as his detachment and sense of specialness.

SAM Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order. DEAN You're kidding, right? SAM What? DEAN You don't see the irony in that? I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death. SAM Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they? DEAN stares. DEAN We're no different than anybody else. SAM I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to hell. DEAN looks away. SAM Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're gonna be.

It’s not that Sam is 100% wrong. Their job, their lives, are unusual, they do have to deal with weirdness most people don’t, in a highly dangerous, unpaid job, Sam does have demon blood powers, Dean has been to hell. But there’s also a bunch of things in Sam’s pov here that is linked to his S4 overall arc of going off the rails, moving away from who he is.

Way back in S4, there’s in-story comment on how Sam and Dean have plot armor while other characters don’t. Via Sam expressing an alarming sense of superiority—rules don’t apply to them, if other people die too bad it’s the natural order, they’re special. This isn’t Sam (and I really appreciate Sam’s sense of horror during the S14 reveal about the plot armor). Sam’s got his head twisted around here. Sam’s talk about specialness screams of Sam falling for Ruby’s cosmic trap, priming him to get where he needs to be to set Lucifer free.

One of the things that was so appealing to me about SPN is Sam and Dean’s ordinariness as heroes. They’re just a couple of guys from Lawrence, Kansas yanked into the world of the supernatural. They’re both the everyperson pov, while they’re also both outsiders and “freaks.” Sam and Dean often have to reject “great destinies” that cosmic beings try to force upon them, they rebel, tear up the pages, make the story their own. Free will was always a big theme on the show. Rebelling against the cosmic being manipulated system.

[harveyhalladon]

Hello creatures of the night♡

I am Ruby, and I don't know how to use this app so don't judge me

My pronouns are She/Her, and I am Pansexual and I have ADHD and Scoliosis♡

I might post. If I do it could be - my Ocs, Death Note, The Outsiders, The Maze Runner, 911/911 Lonestar, Cobra Kai, Supernatural, Scream, Gravity Falls, Genshin Impact, Cookie Run Kingdom, The 100, Bungo(u) Stray Dogs, My Hero Academia, Teen Wolf(rarely if at all tbh), Demon Slayer, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss, Good Omens, Stranger Things, Star vs the Forces of Evil, My Little Pony, Hunter x Hunter, Spy x Family, Harry Potter, Saiki K, The Promised Neverland, How To Train Your Dragon, Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, Honkai: Star rail, and more🫶🏻

My best friend is @Peachy4angel

[howlingday]

Appreciation ask in your inbox now

I just have to say. I really love your work and all your aus . I always love it when you write more details in each au. I may like Jaune very much, but I still how you write other characters as well. You gave us details for all of the RWBY cast a pokemon and wrote small background, personality, relationship details for them.

Thank you, I really enjoy your writing.

Oh, why thank you. I appreciate your appreciation.

I'll admit that not all of my works are winners, but I try to see it as a sort of trial-and-error system. If it works, it works, and if people ask for more, I try to give them more. If it flops, I try to avoid making the same mistake again. And, of course, writing is only one half of writing, because you also have to read to learn from others. Heck, sometimes I'll reread my own works to figure out what I could do to improve!

Part of the reason I write Jaune, Ruby, their teams, their allies, their enemies and so on is because I got a critique in one of my works that the way I wrote everyone in it was so out of character. The only praise I got in the story was "writing Nora good" but it was a back-handed compliment because they added "but it's hard to write Nora wrong". That being said, I try to make characters as accurate as I can because I saw a lot of, and still see a lot of, "Harem King Jaune" fics. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to write the good guy getting the girl (or multiple girls because everyone deserves some love), but when it gets to the point that the character you're writing comes off as a pathetic, selfish tool who sees women as objects, then you've gone off the rails on your crazy train, alright?

Alright, let me get down from my soapbox now and finish this by saying that writing is a skill, and like every skill ever, it's going to take a lot of practice to get right. Start small. Do a bit from your favorite show/game and recreate it with your favorite characters. Soon enough, you'll pick up what makes good writing and, before you know it, you're writing 10+ chapter stories with their own points of intrigue.

Keep reading, keep writing, and always

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[gisellelx]

Twilight Advent Calendar, Day 5

Dec. 5 - What is each Cullen's favorite college major so far? What new major should they should try someday?

Masterpost/Prompts

Jake: got bored while Renesmee was in medical school. He started at what was at the time Paris Diderot in math, hoping to shore up for a Mechanical Engineering program eventually. He sidetracked into programming, and after he finished his short course, started working on Ruby on Rails. It feels a lot like working on cars, including the triumph of getting the thing running.

Renesmee: hasn't experienced multiple majors yet, so her medical studies are it. She wanted some distance from her grandfather's preference for trauma medicine (plus, she feels a little inferior in that her human half makes her a little less bright and a little less fast than her father or grandfather) and was originally headed for obstetrics until COVID hit. She's proud of having been able to be of such great use during the hardest parts of the pandemic, but like many doctors, she's burned out and is thinking about just straight up pursuing French literature the next go-round.

Bella: Also hasn't had lots of time to pursue many degrees but she worked her way through the content of a bachelor's degree while Renesmee was growing up in Forks, and then felt comfortable with Edward's offer to forge a transcript for her so that she could take an M.Phil at Cambridge in English Literature while Renesmee was in medical school. She's joked to Edward that she'd like to study neuropsych so that she can understand his messed up head better, but the longer this joke has been going on, the more she thinks she'd actually like to do it.

Jasper: loves history and has taken several degrees in it. He wanted to become a specialist in the American Civil War but he kept getting into fights with his professors (once the Cullens had to move because he was ranting so hard about what the Civil War was actually like that he tipped several people off). So he's actually an expert in the Almohad Caliphate and has two very obscure books on the topic published by almost unknown university presses. He also enjoys philosophy, especially Eastern philosophy, but has not done advanced work in it. He's the only person apart from Carlisle in the family to have published books.

Alice: took one one of her greatest challenges in hiding her vampirism to study dance under one of Balanchine's top students in the 1970s. She doesn't care much for formal education, but she's thought she might like to pursue a degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology the next time the family lives in the area.

Emmett: moved with Rosalie to Knoxville for a brief stint in the 1990s, where he studied kinesiology. Like Alice, he doesn't much care for the value of formal education, but he has a degree from the University of Tennessee and he's damn proud of it. If he does more than just hide in college sometime again, he basically just wants to go back there. In addition to Maria, he's a big reason the Cullens can't live in the southern US—they're afraid that if Emmett is within a reasonable run of Alabama or Georgia, he'll just go there and stir shit on behalf of the Vols.

Rosalie: is proudest of her medical training and how she can best Edward at it. But she also enjoys her mechanical engineering studies and is immensely proud of the things she's been able to invent thanks to them. She has been loath to study early childhood education, because she always thought it would make her too depressed, but after helping raise Renesmee, she's thinking that might be the next one she does.

Esme: most loved her M.Eng. in architectural engineering, which she received in the 1980s. While studying architecture felt challenging and transgressive because she was born in an era where advanced schooling at all for women was rare, it still felt enough like "art" to feel like something a woman should do. Architectural engineering, on the other hand, put her toe to toe with mostly men, and with her brains and her experience, she smoked them every single day. She was embarrassed for being so proud of it but Carlisle reveled in her joy and the way her success brought out an uncharacteristic braggadocio. She enjoyed the mathematics of it immensely, and if she did a new degree for fun, it might be in more theoretical mathematics. But the pandemic has opened up a world of opportunity for her for work (by @palmofafreezinghand) and she doesn't foresee that happening again soon.

Edward: would tell you his happiest time has been getting his two medical degrees of course, because he idolizes his sire. But in the 1940s, Carlisle shipped him off to Juilliard to study jazz piano. His mother had always wanted him to go there, and it gave him a great deal of peace to finally do what she wanted. After the pandemic, he's giving some thought to biochemistry, because he's seen the fact that he might actually be able to have an impact on the world like Carlisle does, and he's desperate to feel useful. (And he's suffering with anxiety about becoming an empty nester.)

Carlisle: mostly studies medicine of course and adores it, but his favorite course of study was his Ph.D. in musicology, specializing in the Baroque period. The book he published from his dissertation raised new questions about which compositions should be attributed to Bach and which should not and why won a first book award for its novelty, which was funny since he was mostly relying on his direct knowledge rather than his research.

His most meaningful degree, however, is his doctor of divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary. Like Edward, it was closing a loop of what his parent wanted him to do, but in it he found meaning and peace and closure he didn't realize he was missing.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 35- Part 19

Is this doing anything? I mean I can see it's changing the rail connections, but- for what purpose?

Well isn't that appropriate. 

I see the group gathered again, and…oh dear, there's a blockage. Uh- Cain? Any insight?

Ah…I see, this is still happening. Not surprising though, given what's happened to her.

I wonder…what would have happened if we'd said “Yes” to Connal? I mean, I'm sure we would have fought him, but I’m talking about besides that. Would Sirius have done something to Anna while we were distracted with Connal? Or would it have been better to free Heather from Connal right away instead of making her wait longer? Then again, I guess if we didn't go up to Sirius' office, we wouldn't have learned about Anna and Noel’s father, and we wouldn't have blown up Sirius at the end there. So thinking about it like that, maybe saying “No” was the better option…?

And yet…I don't know. I just don't feel as satisfied as I thought I would, coming out of that. Maybe I'm still kinda salty about not being able to beat up both Connal and Sirius, maybe I'm upset about not being able to get the Ruby Ring or the Amethyst Pendant back despite everything, or maybe…maybe it's some gut instinct telling me “No” was the wrong choice in actuality. I haven't felt like…this before while playing this game, even after something like the Pyrous Mountain incident. And that's what concerns me…

Now, going back to a narrative for this- while I'm feeling all kinds of mixed in the gut, Xera herself in-universe probably…is not. I mean sure, Team Meteor still having the ring and the pendant isn't good, I'm sure she's not satisfied with Connal getting away scot-free without a fight, and Heather still being catatonic isn't good either, but even so? I think she's just grateful that something finally went about as right as it could've. No allies getting badly injured or killed this time, Heather and the other kids are out of Team Meteor's clutches…sure, the gems are still gone, but those can probably (hopefully) be stolen back at some point. The kids (most importantly Heather) are more or less safe again, there's now potential for Heather to properly recover…those are the most important things, and I think that's enough for Xera right now. 

Anyways, speaking of the others…they're still here to talk to! Like Shelly, let's start with her!

No need to remind me, I already talked about that just a few screenshots ago-

Oooh, is that what those switches are for? We're gonna need to make a path for the train to get to the rubble? Well sign me up for a surprise puzzle after a stressful battle!

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[jjr1971]

Images from this years Kumoricon 2023! Portland is such a fun city, and my good friends Deb & Brian drove down from Seattle to hang out for the weekend. I got to meet voice actors Dani Chambers and J. Michael Tatum (he's really TALL by the way!). Happy to see RWBY cosplay still out there in the wild (Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna) as well as Old and New Vash the Stampede. Even some Barbie cosplay! I flew out on Thursday to PDX (after several delays and a VERY bumpy ride until we passed the Rockies), at lunch at PDX in the same bar & grill at PDX (Hopworks) with the same bartender, whom I greeted. I then went straight to the Oregon State Convention Center after a quick ride on the Red MAX Line Train (light rail). It was late enough in the day that I was able to check into my hotel room at the Hyatt Regency without delay. I dropped off my things and promptly got on TriMet Bus #77 to the local Safeway grocery store, and came back with 2 six packs of PNW craft brew in tow and some distilled water for my CPAP. I got snacky late at night and had a Tuna Poke Bowl at the hotel bar in the Lobby, then I went back upstairs and binged Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix on my iPad until like 4am, then snoozed for a few hours before getting up for the breakfast buffet to start my day at the con. Unfortunately the viewing room had technical issues so some of the anime content I wanted to watch I couldn't at the scheduled times, which was annoying. I got to meet Dani Chambers and had her autograph a character print of a Chibi version of Chise from Ancient Magus Bride, then had a California chicken sandwich at Red Robin and then met my friends at the hotel. They had to go to pick up their badges so I got in line for the AMV Contest screening. It took my friends 2.5 HOURS to clear registration, which was a nightmare. Deb ended up catching only the final category, so we made time to watch the encore AMV Contest screening Sunday morning. They went back to Seattle on Sunday after lunch but I attended the AMV Contest Winners reveal screening which was also fun. We did at least watch the AMV Aftershow on Saturday before grabbing dinner at the hotel restaurant. We watched Kaze-san and Morning Glories (English Dub) in the viewing room Friday evening then went out separate ways. Saturday we did shopping in the Dealer's Room/Artist Alley, then took the Blue MAX Line train over into the West bank side of Portland. We had a sushi lunch then appetizers at Deschutes Brewery (a Portland institution!) then rode the streetcar back to catch the Red MAX Line train back to the hotel. We attended a panel called Laugh Out Loud AMVs that was actually more like a game show and not very good. We did get a few laughs at the end but we kinda wish the whole panel had been that way. We got some to-go dinners from Burgertime and unfortunately Deb & Brian were pooped out and retired to their room while I attended the AMV Classics panel which was GREAT. All in all, it was a great trip and I still love Kumoricon (my 2nd time, back to back) and I really like Portland, Oregon. It's probably one of my favorite out of state cons now. I even worked up the courage to Cosplay as Lum's Dad from Urusei Yatsura. Not the best, I know, but best I could throw together as an amateur on my budget. I did that Friday when the weather was best.

[lesbianboyfriend]

@camgoloud tagged me to post 10 songs with names in the title!! ty <33 i couldn’t find the last time i did this tag so. there may be repeats

irene / courtney marie andrews

lolo 13 / laura jane grace

adam raised a cain / bruce springsteen

rhiannon / fleetwood mac

pierre / josh groban and the original broadway cast of the great comet

christine / lucy dacus

shameika / fiona apple

victoria / georgia train & bitter ruin

ruby off the rails / sarah and the safe word

billy & anne / the altogether

too sleepy to tag anyone um beloved mutuals do this if you want and say i tagged you <3