#so they might just think the bird thing *is* his semblance

[strqyr]

...wait—

Still, who knows what [Ozpin] may have hidden from us over the years.

in v7, qrow raises the possibility that ozpin may still be hiding something from them ( and that it likely has nothing to do with summer's last mission ).

then, in v8, we get this exchange between salem and oscar:

If I know my Ozma, he has used some means of deception to hide [the Beacon Relic's] location differently than the others. I need to know where it is.

I... That's not something I know about.

Of course. He would keep that one guarded as long as possible.

so, besides knowing ozpin made the relic at beacon "a bit more challenging" to find than at the other schools—and we have some level of comparison to be made here, as the haven vault had extra security in the elevator being only accessible with lionheart's pocket watch, so whatever ozpin did with the beacon vault, it needs to be more challenging than that—he's definitely keeping secrets so important related to it that not even his closest allies know about it.

...whatcha hiding oz? 👀

[runningfrom2am]

leveling the playing field XIII

summary: with nowhere else to go after getting caught cheating to help lucy gray, you both make some desperately stupid decisions.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 4.2k

tags/warnings: capitol brat!reader, maybe slightly ooc coryo, idk i tried my best. do they love each other or hate each other? who knows (we do, kind of). implications and mentions of abuse, so read with caution!! also a little bit of swearing but that's neither here nor there. oh, and manipulation (both of them lowkey)

masterlists // nav // requests

a/n: nothing much to say other than thank you guys and i hope you like it :)

series masterlist

You think you might die from this heat. The ice bag that Coryo brought you only lasted so long, especially when you shared it with the covey, which cut its window of efficacy in half. Both of you trailed behind everyone on the way to the lake, besides for Maude Ivory who found a very comfortable spot on Coryo's back. You should have thought to buy her some new shoes before the several-hour hike, but you didn't think that would be of consequence.

"How is Sejanus?" You ask, making conversation as you wipe the sweat from your brow. You'd like to gauge if Coryo knew anything more about your mutual friend's habit of hanging around with the wrong people.

"He's... yeah. He's fine." Coryo sighs, adjusting his hold on Maude Ivory's legs around his waist as he steps over a tree root.

"You don't sound so sure." You laugh, tilting your head up at him.

The bruise on your cheek wasn't red anymore, now healing into a yellowish hue that Coryo could hardly tear his eyes away from. He wishes you were still in the habit of wearing makeup every day, then he wouldn't have to stare down the result of his failure every time he looked at you. He shakes his head. "Well, I'll tell you about it later."

You just nod, looking down at the ground in front of you to make sure you don't trip. Now it was your turn to wish that the two of you could talk about what's going on between you. Whatever Sejanus is up to with Billy Taupe reminded you that even though you're far away from the chains of the Capitol, you still weren't entirely free. Even if now it was just free of the prying ears of a little blonde girl who loved to talk. "If you could change one thing about your routine right now, what would it be?" You ask, looking up at him again and squinting at the sun as it breaks through the trees above you.

Coryo draws his head back for a moment, confusion washing over his features at the seemingly random question. "Uh, everything. Next question."

"Ah-ah," You shake your head, hair falling into your face which you quickly pull back again. "Only one thing."

"Okay, fine." He chuckles, shaking his head. "Um... not sure, honestly. Maybe I'd have more success trapping those damn Mockingjays." He grumbles, looking up into the treeline.

You laugh, rubbing over the mostly healed scratches on your arms. "Nothing yet, huh?" Up until the point that you forgave him, you had gone out every night for almost a week, having learned a better system for opening the traps that didn't result in them cutting up your arms with their claws. Not so much as a thank you from the birds that apparently could speak, until you had started to thank yourself every time you reached around the side of the traps to open the metal, just so they would echo it back to you. You knew it was crazy, but it had become a fun semblance of a normal routine.

"Not one. Hardly any Jabberjays either, we think someone was setting them free in the night, they were easier to trap at first." He replies, smiling at you despite his frustrations about it. He couldn't wait until they could catch enough for Dr. Kay so he could start shooting them instead. "Rebels, most likely."

"That's annoying." You laugh, trying to hide the nervousness in your tone. "Why would they care about some birds?" It was a stupid question to pose, to poke holes in his only theory when it didn't already point back to you.

"They're hardly more than animals themselves." He grumbles, shrugging. "No, actually, I'd probably spend more time with you, if I could." He changes his answer and effectively, the topic as well. At this, Maude Ivory lifts her head from his shoulder.

"Are you guys in love?" She asks, turning her head so she can look at you now.

"Oh, no." Your cheeks burn as you laugh, shaking your head. "It's complicated big kid business, Maude Ivory."

"That's enough." Coryo chuckles nervously, spinning her on his hip and carefully putting her down. "Go bother the others."

The girl giggles, walking backward in front of you with her shoes in her hand. "It's why, I love you, you're as pure as the driven-" She starts to sing a song you were writing with Lucy Gray, knowingly taunting you, but you're quick to cut her off.

"Hey! Don't!" You laugh quickly, pretending to push her forward so she'll run along. "They've got some thin walls in that house..." You chuckle quietly, avoiding his gaze as you watch her run up ahead.

After a few moments of silence, Coryo speaks again. "What about you? What would you change?"

"Can I be uncreative and say the same thing as you?" You ask, cheeks still red.

"Sure." He nods slightly, a small smile on his face.

"Great, because those birds are starting to get on my nerves." You joke, bumping your shoulder against his arm.

He smiles, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I hate you too."

"Oh, hush. You know I love you." You freeze up as soon as you say it, suddenly it holds a lot more weight to it than your typical friendly banter.

At that, Coryo drapes his arm over your shoulder with a satisfied smile, pressing a kiss to the side of your head.

"Can you tell me about Sejanus, now?" You ask, head placed on Coryo's lap as you lay on the dock. You had been out of the water for a little while, now, utilizing the sun to dry your wet hair and skin.

He looks back up to the cabin, seeing Lucy Gray and the rest of the covey scattered and picking plants or lying in the grass. "Uh, he just keeps sneaking off, and I found a good bit of money in his locker, but he told me he was broke so... I don't know what he's up to."

You sigh. "I've seen him hanging around Billy Taupe a lot. They're a sketchy crowd in the nicest of terms."

"Well, he is district. It doesn't surprise me that he'd associate with them." Coryo explains, distracted in a weak attempt at braiding a small section of your hair.

"He's gonna get himself killed." You mutter, eyes closed to block out the sun. You couldn't tell Coriolanus about how you ran into Sejanus a couple of weeks ago, knowing he would ask questions about why you were out at that time too. It's easier to lie to Sejanus than to him.

"It's not our problem if we stay out of it." Coryo tries to ease your mind.

"We can't just stand by and watch, though. It'll eat my conscience alive if something were to happen to him."

Coriolanus looks down at you, watching your calm expression form into something resembling worry. He chews on the inside of his cheek and nods to himself. He would have to do something, if Sejanus ended up getting in some kind of trouble, the guilt of knowing without acting will kill you. "Okay. I'll figure something out. I'll get him to keep his distance." He promises.

Days had passed since that interaction, and Coriolanus is crippled by the fear that he made a horrible mistake. He got the full story from Sejanus, and it was worse than he pictured.

You liked Sejanus, at least you acted like it when he was around. Coriolanus could always see that the district-born boy meant something to you, even if it was unclear based on the way you spoke about him when he wasn't present. Him running off into the woods with a bunch of derelect rebels was far from a viable option, Coriolanus wouldn't have it. He couldn't risk your reaction knowing that he told you he would do something to intervene.

He needed to talk to you. You were the only one he could trust to tell about the Capitol-bound recording he sent off of Sejanus' confession, or the news that his family had been kicked out of their apartment back home. He wasn't even sure he wanted to tell you. Coryo had been fighting this internal battle for what felt like ages, so maybe he could just include the basics, leave out his actions, and let you lift some of the tensions from his shoulders by telling him it would be okay. That it would all be over soon, and that you're proud of him for passing his exam. He could get the two of you out of this dump by the end of next week, and he couldn't get you away fast enough.

Unfortunately for him, when he finally arrived at the Hob on his night off you were already on stage with the Covey. You were laughing, dancing and spinning, occasionally joining Maude Ivory on her hip drum while Lucy Gray sang. The crowd loved you, and you loved the attention. He'd be lying to himself if he tried to say he didn't love watching you so happy, but the timing was inconvenient at best.

Coryo found his usual spot against the wall, sitting down next to Sejanus. He wasn't about to let him out of his sight, not anymore.

"Give it up for our friends in the band!" He smiles at Maude Ivory's excessive spirit as she holds her arms out to encourage applause before her eyes lock on him. Her face lights up more, somehow, and he greets it with a nod.

She turns to you while music is slowly tuning out, and gives a slight tug on the bottom of your new dress. It had been scuffed up in your fight with Ash, but you had cleaned it up nicely- hardly a stitch was out of place.

You look down at the girl, who just gives a slight nod in the direction of the wall Coryo was sat against. "He's here, you gotta sing it now!" Maude Ivory says, loud enough so you could hear but not enough to be picked up by the mic behind her.

You look very briefly over at Coryo, shaking your head at her as your cheeks turn rosy. "He's never gonna hear it." You say, leaning down to her level. "Who even says its about him, huh?"

"You can't trick me, Sage." She giggles, pointing at your nose.

"C'mon, lets do it!" Lucy Gray chimes in encouragingly as you stand back up. "I'll play for you. All you gotta do is sing."

You roll your eyes playfully, shaking your head again. "No, I-"

"Now, welcome back for her second performance with us, Sage! She's gonna take us over for a minute here. I promise, y'all are in for a real treat." You're interrupted by Maude Ivory making the announcement for you. Internally you cuss, plastering on a nervous smile.

"It's beautiful, you gotta relax." Lucy Gray says in your ear, already adjusting her hold on her guitar. "If I can sing a breakup song to the whole country, you can sing a love song just to the folks in this room. C'mon." She smiles, nodding for you to take the mic as Maude Ivory bows you in.

You'd played this song a bunch back at the Covey's home after Lucy Gray caught you humming the abstract tune of a lullaby your mother used to sing to get you to sleep when you were little. You didn't remember a single word, but the melody was enough for her to recreate and embellish it into one of their songs, to which she insisted you help her write the words for.

Coryo is leaning forward, elbows rested on his knees as he watches you. From what he knew, you weren't much of a singer. The redness evenly spreading across your cheeks and nose in time with the intro music was evidence enough of that.

"Sing for us, sweetheart!" Someone from the crowd calls out, which is matched with whistles that force Coryo to sit up to try and get a look at who the hell is yelling at you. His jaw is seized until he hears your voice echoing through the large room, drawing his gaze back to you on the stage.

"I've taken some hits, so no wonder I'm wary. It's why I need you, you're as pure as the driven snow..."  You look over his way only briefly while you sing the first round of the chorus, trying not to let your voice catch from the nervousness still pumping through every inch of your body.

He knows it before you're finished, but the last word, the one you didn't let Maude Ivory get to on the way to the lake, makes his heart flip in his chest. The eye contact he made with you as you said his name was so heavy with everything you've ever wanted to say to one another but never had, and he completely swells with pride knowing that it was about him.

"Cold and clean, swirling over my skin..." The inclination, again, to shout to everyone that you were his girl was immense and overtaking. Just like the first time, but now he knew it for sure. He was positive."You cloak me, You soak right in, down to my heart."

By the time you render the final verse, his whole world has changed."It's why I trust you, you're as pure as the driven snow..."

I'm gonna marry her.

He's up as soon as the song is over, heading for the back of the stage as you take your bow. Your smile is wiped when you look up and he's no longer there, and neither is Sejanus. Worry pools in your insides as you scan the crowd, giving a rushed smile to Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory as you jump down. You hurry to the back of the stage, brow furrowed as you search for Coryo.

By some miracle, he's there. If you're not mistaken, he's got tears in his eyes as he strides up to you quickly, the stage lights leaking past the stage to illuminate him just enough. His pace and his intense expression only worry you more. "Is everything-" You ask frantically, only for your question to be disrupted by his actions.

Coryo takes a deep breath, and then, as soon as you're within reach, he cups your face in his hands and leans in. The world around you seems to fade as his lips meet yours in a passionate, long-awaited kiss.

Time stands still, and in that moment, everything falls into place. The worries that plagued him when he walked in completely dissolved as he felt your hair in between his fingers. When he finally pulls away, a small smile graces his face.

You're both breathing heavily as you stare at each other, and it's then that you realize he wasn't crying due to any kind of upset. He was crying because of you. With a smile so real that you could feel the sun on your back, even late at night in this dim building hundreds of miles from the comfort of your collective home.

"Coryo..." You say, smile fading as you regain perceptions of your real life.

"I know, and I have so much to tell you..." He grins, leaning down to kiss you again.

It was your turn to interrupt, pressing a hand to his chest to stop him in his tracks. Tracks you so desired to follow, wherever they may take you, but right now you had bigger concerns. "No, no it's... where is Sejanus?"

He pauses, and it's like the spell is broken as he straightens his posture, looking around as if Sejanus should be right there. "Uh... shit." He had completely forgotten about his friend as he fell under the trance of your voice, of the song you were singing to him.

You're quickly out from under his arms, walking back around the side of the stage to go look for your friend.

"Coryo-" You stop, and he's right on your heels as you turn back to him, pointing toward the back wall. "Go check the bar. Keep an eye out for Billy Taupe. Obviously. He's probably with him." You instruct and he nods to you quickly before beginning to push his way through all the drunk people in the crowd.

You try and scan the sea of faces, but you don't see Sejanus anywhere. The music the Covey is playing is loud, drowning out any hopes you had of being able to shout for the boy. You could follow Coryo in the search, but that would no doubt just waste time. You groan, pushing your hair back out of your face in frustration. You shouldn't have stopped Coryo from kissing you again, if Sejanus wants to be reckless you should just let him. The two of you already saved his life once, was that not enough for him?

You glance down the deserted hallway to your right, and then your feet are carrying you toward the back room in an instant. You turn the corner and push the sliding door open when you hear shouting coming from the other side. "What the fuck is going on?" You ask, eyes flitting between Sejanus, and the two other boys in the room, alongside a girl who who you vaguely recognize.

"Y/N?" Sejanus asks, turning back to you quickly.

"Y/N..." The girl mutters to herself, rolling the name around in her mind and on her tongue. You can see it in the way she's looking at you. You ignore it, eyes locked on your friend now.

"I told you to not get involved in things you shouldn't, didn't I? Didn't Coryo?" You scold him, gesturing to the door.

"It's not- I didn't know they were going to buy weapons! It's not what I wanted, they told me the money was only for supplies, that no one would get hurt!"

"These are supplies." Billy Taupe's friend, Spruce, replies.

"Why would you trust them!" You spit, pointing vaguely at the other people in the room.

"Listen, Princess-" Billy Taupe starts, a bitter taste to his tone just as the door slides open again. Coryo's frame is blocking your view of the boy in a second, tucking you carefully behind his back.

"Talk to me. Not her." He hisses, and you grab his arm. The feeling of his skin under your palms is comforting, warm, and tense in your grip. "What are you doing, guns, Sejanus?" He turns his attention to your classmate.

"Coriolanus, I didn't know this is what they would do, they lied to me-" Sejanus starts his pleads for help again on a separate set of ears.

Unsurprisingly, his response is almost identical to yours. "You thought they would be honest? What are you doing? There are peacekeepers right outside!"

"That's what I said." You mumble in exasperated agreement "Why did you even give them money at all?" You ask, hoping to get some answers.

"Sejanus wants to run off with these dimwits into the woods up north," Coryo explains to you.

"What?" You ask, shocked, looking past him at the boy you've known for years. The thought of never seeing him again pulls at your heartstrings in a way you're unfamiliar with. "You can't. Absolutely not."

"You're not my Ma, Y/N!" Sejanus spits.

"Wait, I know you." The girl cuts in, pointing at you. "You're that missing girl. From the Capitol. Y/N Y/L/N. My dad got a call about you!"

You freeze up at the accusation, biting your tongue as you look up at Coryo. A memory flashes in your mind, that's why you recognize her. She's the girl who Lucy Gray dropped a snake on in the reaping- the mayor's daughter. "Huh?" You ask, trying to look as confused as possible.

"Don't play dumb, we're past that." She scoffs and you just shake your head.

"Genuinely, don't know what you're talking about." You relax your posture, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Well," She sighs, shrugging sarcastically. "I'll go tell my dad where you are. Your family sure is missin' you..." She starts to take a few steps before the back exit and you clench your jaw at her smug smile. You want to rip the hair out of her head and throw her body in the lake to rot.

"Mayfair, you can't leave." Billy Taupe scolds her, grabbing her arm which she quickly yanks away.

"This is ridiculous and confusing, and you act like I don't see the way you still look at Lucy Gray! Why don't you take her with you instead, huh?"

"She is coming, isn't she?" Spruce asks, seeming just as confused as you in a completely opposite way.

"You were bringing Lucy Gray?!" Mayfair shouts, shaking her head at her (now presumably) ex-boyfriend.

"She said she wanted to come!" Billy Taupe defends and you laugh, shaking your head.

"Okay, so clearly there's some major communication issues in this gang of misfits you've found, Sejanus, so let's just go and leave them to it. It won't benefit you to be stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of starving idiots who will kill each other in a week if they get too lazy to hunt." You plead with him and he shakes his head at you.

"Y/N, wait-" Coryo says, looking back at you only briefly.

"Yeah, Capitol Princess is right. I'm out." Mayfair says, raising her hands in defeat and turning to leave. "You'll all hang for this!"

"This power trip you have about your father being the mayor pales in comparison to what my family has. You'll all be dead by the morning if you say a word." You tell her, voice calm as she freezes, turning to look back at you.

"She's all talk, she won't tell anyone." Billy Taupe tries to defend her from the tensions rising in the room. You were concerned about getting sent home, of course, but if she told about their plans to run, everyone in the room would be executed come the morning light.

"Oh, you think I'm scared of you, Sage? You think I won't tell? Ask Lucy Gray." She's right, Lucy Gray had told you about how this girl was responsible for the reaping being rigged to result in Lucy Gray's death in the games. What they never accounted for was her strength, her intelligence, and her having Coriolanus Snow and Y/N Y/L/N as mentors.

And how Lucy Gray became a victor, known initially to most of the Capitol for her similarities to you. Only, Lucy Gray wasn't bat shit crazy.

Coryo's mind is reeling at the threat made to you as the girl starts to walk away. Within a second, before you can even make a move to tackle her, he's reaching onto the table and grabbing one of the guns. He lines up quickly and squeezes the trigger, letting the bullet fly square into the center of the girl's back. His training had paid off sooner than he thought. Coriolanus wasn't about to have you caught, sent back to a home much worse than that safety hazard at the edge of the Seam where you're currently staying.

"Mayfair!" Billy Taupe is quickly at the girls side, but she's already dead. Sejanus is shaking, and you are fighting back the smile that threatens to form on your lips despite the stress of the moment. "What have you done?" He screams at your friend.

"She was gonna get us all killed!" You defend. "You should be thanking him! Trust me, she was nothing special."

"You've got something comin', Capitol boy." He says, shaking his head as he looks up at the two of you, hatred filling his eyes. "You think you're gonna blame me for this? That you'll never get caught?"

You resist the urge to just shrug, agreeing that no, probably not. Undeniably, your best move would be to blame him. "He was defending all of us, can you not get that through your thick skull?" You settle on, keeping your footing as level as possible as Coryo pulls you back closer to his side again.

"If I swing, for this you will with me!" He screams in anger, back on his feet and moving quickly towards you as Coryo shoves you back behind him, lining up again. He didn't have to shoot, though, because Spruce does. The boy's body flings into the wall to the left of you from the force of the impact, slumping against the floor.

Your heart is pounding as you look between your two friends. "Sejanus, are you alright?" You ask, trying to approach him as Coryo starts shouting orders at Spruce to get rid of the guns.

"Hey, he's fine." Coryo grabs your arm, pulling you close to him to look at you. "I'm gonna handle this. Get back out there and sing, play the violin, just do something, okay?"

You glance back at Sejanus again, who is clearly panicking so bad he looks like he might faint. "No, I'm not leaving you, and Sejanus-"

"Sejanus is fine." Coryo says again sternly, shaking your shoulders now as he looks into your eyes. "Go back out there. I will handle this. I'll find you soon." He promises, gently pushing you in the way of the door. "Go. Now."

You swallow the anxiety sitting uncomfortably in the back of your throat and nod, glancing only briefly at your friends before you leave, closing the door quickly behind you.

taglist: @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @klplynn , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @gloryekaterina , @andrewgarfieldsbitch , @queenofspades6 , @pepperonipastas , @ladybug0095 , @lunamothwrites , @sbrewer21 , @mus-tbe-a-weasley , @splxtscreen , @unclecrunkle , @karmaswitch , @coconut-dreamz , @nekee-lilac02 , @ooooglymoooogly , @riddlerloveb0t , @lovedbalances , @notyourwildestdream , @snowlandson-top , @too-lit-for-fanfic , @utopiakys , @deafeningballoonnacho , @roosterschanelslut , @chmpgneprblem , @cosmoetik , , @urvampgfsworld , @carolanns-world @nan-nie , @shakespearseclipse , @iovemoonyy , @notyoursweetheart-honey ,  @xyzstar , @eatpizzasass, @slytherinholland , @queenofshinigamis , @elodiebeau , @soulessjourney

i've closed my taglist for coryo now!! sorry to everyone who wanted to be added, but unfortunately there was significantly more demand than i expected and i sadly just can't tag everyone. BUT! if you still want notifications when i post for this fic, please turn on my post notifs!!

[stillmonsterz]

it's gonna get better (teaser)

(this is the final part to brave it together)

pairing: jay x reader genre: suggestive, angst, slight humor summary: your tumultuous tryst with jay might have ended, but your relationship with the karma club and its members has only grown more entangled. a winter trip to the swiss alps tests your friendships, your willingness to lie, and your resolve in staying away from jay. despite your previous inclinations towards isolation, you're starting to realize, a little too late, that being around people isn't too bad. content: drinking, drug usage, sexual themes, rape mentions, murder mentions, suicide mentions, threats, more to come. estimated word count: 20k

taglist: @moon7jay @belowbun @bambangan @praliliaaa @jjklvr9 @iveivory @magicshop1913 @sseobonggs (if i forgot you, please let me know!)

It took you until evening to gain even a semblance of your composure. You had spent some time working on your scarf, mindlessly purling and knitting. You had tried to watch a movie, but your eyes grew unfocused. Finally, you had decided to lie on your bed as you did at the motel, staring at your ceiling. If you focused, you could still smell Jay's woodsy, spicy scent, as though it had permeated the very walls of your room.

When dinnertime approached, you stripped down to your underwear and examined yourself in the mirror. Your body was a patchwork of fresh skin and mottled bruises that Jay had given you over the past month. When you raised your arm, you could see the nail marks he had made. As usual, bright red hickeys adorned your neck. You’d have to cover them up again so no one would get any ideas.

Then you realized that this was the last time you’d have to cover up a mark that Jay had given you. After this, the evidence of what the two of you had had would fade away, your cells would replenish, and it would be as though he had never touched you in the first place.

It didn’t seem right, that you and Jay were finished. At any second, as you rummaged around in your closet for an outfit to wear, you imagined that Jay would burst inside of your room, demanding something. He’d lie on your bed again, smoking your cigarettes while complaining about how they tasted. He’d tell you that he had been joking, that he had never intended to leave you, that you were his. He would kiss you again, choking you in his grip.

Instead, the minutes dragged on, and Jay never showed up. You pinched the inside of your arm and once again, you didn’t feel a thing. Just a dull register of a sensation.

After you got dressed in your usual sweater and long skirt, you checked your phone. You had gotten a text from Riki.

Riki: how’s my favorite traitor 😂

You: Not a traitor. Didn’t betray anyone.

Riki: when you give me an explanation for saying one of my friends raped you in a group chat literally called “anti-kc”

Riki: then you can be not a traitor

You had to admit, the evidence against you was stacked. 

Riki: are u ready yet

Riki: i’m hungry

Riki: i’m thinking i’ll get the “she lied” salad with the “our friendship is ruined” combo

Riki: the “i can’t believe i was going to take her to cliffside laser tag” meal 

You: That was never going to happen.

Riki: stop

Riki: haven’t u done enough

Riki: maybe a side of “lying wench” chips

You: Are you done?

Riki: not even close.

You: I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

Riki: good

Riki: that’s plenty of time

Riki: the “hoes mad” burger with the “she’s a bird” fries

Riki: crisp waffle fries with extra salt

Riki: ketchup representing the shed blood

He kept going on like that, so you turned your phone off. It bothered you that you couldn’t tell Riki the truth. Well, you could. But if you told him that Jay raped you, and Riki somehow found out that you had been hooking up with Jay for the past month, you would look insane. Or like an idiot. How could you explain something that you didn't even understand? No, you’d rather have Riki hate you than tell him the convoluted truth.

You were used to Karma Club members hating you, anyways.

–

Dinner with Jake and Riki at Stoker’s cafeteria was as insufferable as you had imagined. Bundled under a coat and a high-necked sweater that masked the marks made last night, you wordlessly ate your meal while Riki and Jake talked. Riki sat on the right side of you, jostling you whenever he would gesticulate wildly as he recounted some story. You weren’t really paying attention to anything he said. Your focus was on Jake, on the way he bit his lip as he looked between you and Riki.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jake said slowly, setting his fork down, “but are you and Wednesday, uh…”

Riki winced, and you marveled at his acting prowess. “It sort of just happened,” Riki said. “ We were at the party, and she came to see me, and well, I just went for it. It wasn’t like I meant to steal your girl or anything.

“No, no, no,” Jake said, waving his hands furiously. “No, it’s fine. She wasn’t my girl, never was, never…haha. You guys are cute together, honestly. Same age and everything.” Nervously, he started folding his paper towel into small, neat squares. 

“No, I really should have told you,” Riki lied, swallowing a bite of chicken breast. 

“It’s cool,” Jake said through gritted teeth. “Why would I want to know if my best friend and the girl I, uh, know, have a thing? That’s none of my business.” 

“Glad you understand,” Riki said, beaming at Jake. 

Jake got up from the table. “Gonna take a leak,” he muttered before staggering away from the long bench. 

As soon as Jake disappeared from view, Riki’s face fell.

“What are you doing?” you asked. “Why are you telling Jake we’re together?”

Riki leaned towards you so that he could whisper. The Stoker dining hall was relatively full at this hour, mainly by students from other dorms, and you were beginning to learn that there were eyes and ears all over Sadame University. “Because,” he began, voice thick with anticipation, “things were getting way too dicey in our dorm. “For whatever reason, things between Jake and Jay got worse after last night. Jake’s skittish as fuck, and Jay’s acting like he wants to kill Jake. I figure this has something to do with you.”

You winced. 

“It’s no good,” Riki continued. “Jake’s been going to Jungwon’s room and pacing around and shitting himself and whatever. Remember how I told you that there has to be a balance to shitstirring?”

“I do recall that.”

“This is it,” he said. Riki used his hands to mimic a scale, one hand representing a plate dipping too low. “Right now, tensions are too high. That’s no fun, you know? So I have to even things out.” Riki brought both of his hands to the same level. “If I redirect their attention, make myself the target, then they’ll both hate me instead. But they like me, so nothing bad will happen.”

With your index finger, you pressed down on the palm of one of his hands, forcing it downwards. “What if something bad does happen to you?”

Riki pushed against your finger, steadying his hands once more. “It won’t. I know you and everyone else loves to pretend like the Karma Club members have their own special brand of evil, that we’re just, like, complete sociopaths, but I know them.”

“It’s been three months…”

“A lot can happen in three months,” Riki said. If you reflected on the path your life had taken in merely one month, you would be forced to agree with him. 

You pulled your hand away from his and sighed. “Why do you like bad things so much? What about good things?”

“That’s not true,” Riki said. “I love good things. I like bad things too. I’m a very deep person.”

“As deep as a kiddy pool,” you said. 

“Don’t make me laugh,” Riki said. “I’m still mad at you for trying to fuck us over.”

You thought about arguing with him, but you decided against it. Riki felt like a true friend to you - at least, he had felt like a true friend - but the thought of baring your soul to him only for him to be unreceptive to your sorrows made you feel sick. You pushed your plate of food away.

“You know, for a while there I almost thought Jay had like a weird thing for you,” Riki said offhandedly, cutting another piece of chicken breast and spearing it with a fork. “I know, I know, it doesn’t make much sense considering he hates your fucking guts. But the dedication with which he hates your guts was scary. Elite hatred. What did you even do to the guy, anyways?”

“Nothing,” you said, “which seems to be the problem.”

Riki chewed his food, staring into space with a thoughtful expression. “He still hasn’t brought Isa over,” Riki said. 

“Maybe you just haven’t noticed,” you said. Memories of that night with him in his dorm room, sex tinged with a faint hint of romance, your limbs tangled together in post-coital bliss, spun through your mind. 

“No, he explicitly said, ‘Don’t let that bitch Isa get near my room or I swear to God I’ll kill you all,’” Riki said, mimicking Jay’s voice perfectly. 

You shrugged. “I don’t know, then.”

“I just always found it weird,” Riki said slowly, “I’ve never seen him be nice to her at all, besides when I would come to the library to pick you up to get a smoothie and I would see them flirting or whatever. Isn’t that so weird? Like, why would Jay get close to Isa in public? Specifically, at the library.”

The hickeys still marring your neck felt as though they were burning, and you scratched at them absentmindedly. “Yeah, weird…”

“Hey,” Riki said in an unusually light voice. “How did you get home last night?”

Riki’s long bangs had fallen into his face, obscuring his eyes. For the best, as you didn’t know how you’d be able to look into them. “What?”

“How’d you get home?” Riki repeated. 

“Uber and a bus,” you said. 

Riki nodded and leaned away. “Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” Jake asked. He swung his legs over the bench and settled into his spot again.

“Interesting she’s okay with us sharing a room, considering she’s just so, so shy,” Riki said, putting his arm around you in a constricting half-embrace. “The third-floor bedroom has two single beds, right?”

Jake’s lips twitched. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “It does. Jungwon and I were thinking about taking that one, though.”

Riki waved his free hand dismissively. “Just sleep together, Powerpuff girls style.”

“Fuck off,” Jake said with a smile, playfully pushing at Riki.

“You’re going to knock your soup over,” you said, but it was too late. Jake’s chicken noodle soup sloshed over the table, staining the crisp, white tablecloth. 

“Aw, man,” Jake said, pouting slightly.

Riki shoveled the last of his chicken breast into his mouth. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “This is the second tablecloth we’ve fucked up.” 

“Third,” Jake said, picking bits of pasta off of himself. “When we left Sunoo alone with the chili and he fucking-,”

Riki laughed. “Oh shit, yeah.” Riki stood up and held his hand out towards you, his gaze imploring. Reluctantly, you loosely joined hands with him, and he pulled you to your feet. “Come on, let’s go watch the Scream movies.”

“No,” Jake whined. “I wanted to watch the Amazing Spiderman.”

“No one asked,” Riki said, pulling you along with him. You stumbled after him, disappearing into Stoker’s dorms. Despite yourself, you scanned every possible corner for a hint of Jay, a trace of his breath, the sound of his sardonic laughter. 

He wasn’t around.

–

Halfway through the second Scream movie, Riki announced that he had to take a massive shit. 

“And why did you choose to tell us that?” Jake asked, slapping Riki’s leg as he got up from his plush bed. 

Riki shrugged, shimmying between piles of laundry he had left on the floor. “I thought you might need to know about my bowel movements.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, that’s up to you,” Riki said, leaving to use his ensuite. 

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jake scrambled on top of the bed to sit next to you. He had been sitting cross-legged on the floor; Riki had insisted that you sat next to him. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jake asked. 

“Tell you what?”

Jake gestured wildly. “That you had a crush on Riki. I guess I could have guessed, but like, come on. Instead, you sort of made me feel like, I don’t know, I might have had a chance at some point…”

Had you? “Uh, it sort of came out of nowhere,” you said, belatedly realizing that you had copied what Riki said almost verbatim.

Pushing his tousled hair back, Jake licked his lips and sighed. “Right. Right, yeah. It’s just that I feel like kind of a dick now.”

“You didn’t do anything,” you said awkwardly. 

“I mean, I don’t want to seem like I’m being pushy or that I’m entitled to anything, but you could have told me. Or Riki could have told me. I mean, like, you guys were pretty close and everything, but I didn’t think he was into dating…”

The name “Sieun” came to your lips, until you remembered that no one knew that Riki had dated Sieun. “Well-,”

“Like, you didn’t lead me on, I knew you had your own issues and all to sort out, but if you were going to date one of my best friends, I think it’s only fair to tell me. You know, out of…respect for my feelings? And so it wouldn’t be like I was hitting on my friend’s girl.”

If this was how Jake reacted to the mere idea of you and Riki getting together, you didn’t want to know how he’d react if he found out about you and Jay. “Sorry, Jake.”

Jake sighed again, his entire being seeming to deflate. “It’s fine, whatever. It’s cool.” After a period of silence, Jake said, “I don’t even care, you know? I mean, it wasn’t like it was serious. Like I like you and all, but it wasn’t serious.”

“Right.” Then you recalled what he had said at the party, when he had came out of the bathroom so flustered. “You said you had something to tell me, back at the party?”

“Oh. Yeah, that.” Jake slowly made his way to the floor again, one knee tucked into his chest, the other leg spread straight. He looked at the plasma-screen TV mounted to Riki’s wall blankly. “Well, I was going to ask you to go on the KC trip with me. I was going to pay for everything, but I guess Riki is going to take you now…”

You nodded, then realized he couldn’t see you. “Yeah.”

Jake bobbed his head up and down slowly, his lips pursed together. “Cool.” 

When Riki came back, Jake stood up as though being pulled by strings. “I’m gonna head in,” Jake muttered. “I’m still a little hungover.”

Riki clapped Jake on the back. “See you, Jake.”

Jake made a little wave, bid you goodnight, and left Riki’s bedroom. Riki sat down beside you and smiled. “So, what’d you guys talk about?”

“He had an episode,” you said flatly. 

“Perfect,” Riki said. “It’s all going according to plan. Now get out of my room.”

You didn’t have to be told that twice. “Good night,” you said, gathering your long skirt up and standing. 

“Good night,” Riki said, zipping his hoodie all the way up and covering his jet-black hair with his hood. “I mean, just night. Bad night. I hope your night is shit.”

You squinted at him. “You’re really bad at this.”

Riki had turned the lights out to fit the gloomy atmosphere of the movie, but you could make out his features via the light from the television. Suddenly, he looked older than his age. “I’m bad at it because I genuinely liked you a lot,” he said quietly. “I saw you as a friend, like a real friend. Everyone knows I really liked you. But you lied on one of my friends, and not something petty. You lied about something really fucked. I thought you’d be above doing something like that. It’s something… something I would probably do.”

“Riki-,”

He pointed at the door. “Out, before I lose my nerve.” 

You wouldn’t tell him the truth, couldn’t tell him the truth. He wouldn’t respect you at all if he knew what you did with the man who sexually assaulted you.

 With some horror, you realized that Riki didn’t know that Jake had a problem. If Riki kept pushing Jake, who knew what he would do? The only thing you could do is trust that Riki knew how to balance the scales of his bizarre game. 

The walk to Fawcett left you with far too much time to reflect. You knew that you had never fully had Jay, that he wouldn’t allow you to possess him in a tangible form. But you hadn’t realized that you would lose your friend, too.

[shadysadie]

Hot take: the Wittebanes were not Puritans

So since Hollow Mind came out there have been a lot of jokes about how the Belos is a crusty old Puritan. And while he is certainly crusty and old, I don’t think he was a Puritan.

I understand why everyone jumps there, when we think of Witch Hunts in Colonial America the very first thing that comes to mind is the Salem Witchcraft Trials. However, the Salem Witchcraft Trials began in 1692, that is 80 years after Masha says the Wittebros showed up in Gravesfield, and 30 years after the events of Elsewhere and Elsewhen.

If Masha’s information is correct, (which it might not be but we’ll get to that) then Caleb and Philip arrived in Gravesfield in 1613, which is closer in time to the settlement of Jamestown (1607) than the Salem Witchcraft Trials. 

The Pilgrims didn’t even land at pride rock until 1620, seven years after the Wittebros arrived in Gravesfield. The Mayflower Pilgrims were really the group responsible for creating the idea of religious charters. They specifically wanted to leave England to create their own religious society. Many other groups followed, (notably the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which later became the home of the aforementioned Salem Witchcraft Trials) but the Mayflower Pilgrims were the first group of religious extremists who came to America looking for their Zion. 

Prior to that, the motivation to settle the “New World” was mainly financial. Ships were chartered through the Virginia Company. Which as we all remember from our favorite wildly inaccurate and problematic 90s Disney movie, the Virginia Company was in it for the money. The New World had resources and Britian wanted them, damnit, Glory, God, and Gold and the Virginia Company.

That meant, if Caleb and Philip really did arrive in Gravesfield in 1613, their family likely made the trip for financial gain, not religion. If that’s the case they were less likely a member of an obscure group of religious extremists, and more likely to be either Protestant like King James and Queen Elizabeth. (They could have also been Roman Catholic, evidence for that comes later).

“But”, you say, “weren’t Puritans the ones persecuting witches at the time?”

Yes and no. 

In the Americas, Witch Hunts will forever be linked to Puritans, but in Witch Hunting long outdates the Puritans. King James himself, was a witch hunting fanatic, he personally oversaw hundreds of witchtrials. He wrote books about finding witches, and it was specifically the King James endorse translation of the Bible that features the infamous “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (in many prior translations the word witch is something more along the line of “sinner” or “evil doer”). By many estimates, upwards of 1500 people were executed for witchcraft as a result of his reign. If we are going with Masha’s 1613 timeline, the brothers would have left England smack dab in the middle of his reign, right after the King James Bible was published.

(^this GIF has nothing to do with the Owl House, I just love sassy Gay King James in his bird mask, look at this cocky ass bastard, you know him and Belos would have been genocide buddies)

However, I can’t pretend to be focused on some semblance of historical accuracy and take Masha’s information at face value, even in the context of the show it wouldn’t add up because according to the sign we see in Yesterday’s Lie, Gravesfield was established in 1635. 

(Granted there is a difference between a settlement and a town, it is possible that 1635 was when Gravesfield was officially acknowledged as a town and the boys just lived there pre-establishment). 

However, in the name of historical accuracy, I have to assume Masha got the date wrong, because the English didn’t even settle in Conneticut until the 1630s. The Conneticut Witch Trials began in the 1640s. By this timeline and demographic, the likelihood of Caleb and Philip being Puritans goes up by a lot. 

However, if we look at Philip’s clothes an his goals, there are still signs that don’t point to Puritanism. First look at the clothes Caleb and Philip wear as children:

Philip’s pants are red and Calebs are green. While it is a myth that Puritans could only wear black, the colors that they were allowed to incorporate into their wardrobe were typically still neutrals (dark yellows and beiges). Green would be pushing it, and red would be unbelievably bold.

Additionally, the ruffles on Philip’s shirt in the journal and Jacob’s book, would have been seen as incredibly vain.

 The blue/black coat that Caleb wore in the puppet show, and Philip later wears in Elsewhere and Elsewhen and King’s Tide has gold buttons and gold embroidery. Gold and Silver accessories of any kind would have been considered incredibly sinful and conceited. 

Which would also make it really weird for a Puritan to choose gold to represent himself. Infact his whole emperor authentic is much more reminiscent of the Catholic Pope. His own role as the messenger of the Titan’s will is also very papal in nature.

Finally there is the term he uses, “Witch Hunter General” is an illusion to “Witch Finder General” which was a rank made up and used by Protestant Matthew Hopkins and not really used by any Puritans. Such a title would also probably have seemed pretty vain.

Now you might say, “It’s a fictional story, why does any of this matter?”

The answer is: It does not, but I am high and have ADHD and this was the rabbit hole I fell down.

[freesia-writes]

Chapter 1: Family Dinner

Enjoy a riveting tale of romance, suspense, adventure, and self-discovery as Hunter finds his path after the events of TBB. With engaging imagery, emotional depth, comic relief, and some fun twists and turns, the story will take you on a delightful ride with our beloved Sergeant, leaving you satisfied as he finds his happily ever after… eventually. 😉 Rated PG-13 for some mild suspense, suggestive talk, alcohol and drug use, and adult themes. Banner and dividers by @pinkiemme Master List here

BEFORE WE DIVE IN... Now that we’re past the finale, I’d like to make this fit in as well with that as possible. But I also want to enjoy it. ;) So here’s where this lies… Tech was found alive and well (living in a hut in the forest on Tantiss? lol) and came with the boys after they BLEW IT ALL UP. Omega is living with them as well, for now, because they all thought it was wise to give her a break and some semblance of “normal life” while the rebellion continued to build. She might seem a little less like a full soldier here and more like a typical teenager on the brink of adulthood, and that might be a bit of a shift from her development throughout season 3, but I think it’s still reasonable to think that some of the typical adolescent stuff might come up once she was immersed into a more typical adolescent setting. Maybe not, but again… it’s just for the plot. ;) 

I’m changing the setting for a variety of reasons, but they left Pabu out of fear that the Empire might still have it on their radar. You’ll learn more about the island of Xylo in a couple chapters. Crosshair didn’t lose a hand, but he’s still got some lingering effects from his time on Tantiss. Echo opted to spend a year with the Batch before rejoining the rebellion. The events of this fic may seem relatively domestic after all that the Batch endured, but I really just wanted to have a warm and fuzzy story with family, humor, love, and some plot twists. Ultimately, the purpose here is to enjoy a romance adventure with Hunter, so please forgive any plot holes and just enjoy the ride. ;)

Chapter 1: Family Dinner (Word Count: 2.5k) Fanart by @nika6q

The balmy sea breeze ruffled the tablecloth and made the string lights dance merrily above the jovial scene below as the clinking of silverware on plates punctuated the steady hubbub of conversation that rose and fell with the emotion of what was being shared. Some overly-optimistic sea birds hovered above on a swell, fastidiously watching for any dropped crumbs before swooping gracefully into another updraft. Crosshair was looking at them down the edge of his finger, which he had shaped into a gun with the help of his thumb, and his focused squint was interrupted by a smack on his arm. He flashed his partner a wry grin as they chuckled, shaking their head at his “murder noodle antics”, as they’d come to call it. 

“Stop traumatizing the wildlife and eat your fish,” they laughed.

“This looks an awful lot like traumatized wildlife too, you know,” Crosshair answered, picking at the fillet with a fork. “I mean, what horrors did this thing have to endure at the end of Wrecker’s line?”

“I’m starting to feel like traumatized wildlife,” his partner jabbed, grinning ear to ear as they took a bite of their brightly-flavored steamed vegetables. 

“If it decreases any potential reservations you may yet hold,” Tech interjected, “As far as neuroscience has yet been able to distinguish, this particular genus of sea creatures do not possess the pain receptors necessary for the experience of pain with which humanoid species are familiar.”

“Thanks, Julia Child,” Crosshair muttered, a hint of fondness flickering beneath the dry humor.

“If you are metaphorically comparing me to the infamously accomplished chef of the Core Worlds, it is hardly an insult, Crosshair. You are losing your edge.” Tech’s savage burn was delivered at a slightly louder volume than usual, and Wrecker’s boisterous laugh immediately broke through. The massive clone pointed a gleeful finger at Crosshair as he finished his bite between hearty chuckles.

“That one’s gotta hurt!” Wrecker exclaimed, pulling his hand back as Phee smacked it away. 

“You tryin to resurrect the grumpiness? Come on, big guy. Think it through,” Phee said playfully, arching a sharp eyebrow at Wrecker, whose unabashed grin remained unfazed despite her mockingly stern correction. “Or I’m gonna kick you out of our house.”

Omega giggled, sharing a glance with Hunter across the table, who gave her a half-smile and wink before turning back to Echo, who was filling him in on the newest developments at his Defense Training Academy.

“I didn’t think it would fill up so quickly,” Echo mused, tearing apart the large fish filet on his plate with his fork. “I guess the Empire’s got everyone spooked, even out here. But it’s a good thing, I think… They’ll be ready to fight if it ever comes to that, but Maker willing, it won’t.”

“They’re doing the same on Pabu,” Phee chipped in, leaning forward to nod at Echo. “Shep’s got a whole daily regimen of exercise, strategy, and drills for any possible scenario he can think of. You should talk to him; he could use your military expertise.’

“I’d be interested to hear what he’s doing,” Echo nodded in return. “Maybe we could make a trip that way sometime soon.”

“Can I come?!” Omega said brightly, tugging Echo’s arm from her seat beside him. “I’d love to see Lyana. I wish we’d been able to stay there.” 

“Me too, kid,” Hunter said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair after resting his wooden utensils on his plate. “But you know trouble follows us wherever we go. It’s better for them this way. Besides, Xylo is pretty much the same–”

“Aside from an entirely different subset of ecosystems and a much larger diversity in flora and fauna due to the greater size of the island, yes… Xylo is similar to Pabu in that… they are both islands,” Tech interjected, wavering at the end as he caught sight of Phee's fondly arched eyebrow directed at him.

“I know,” Omega said, “It’s just hard making friends wherever we go and having to leave them… Jek and Shaeeah, Hera, Lyana… But everyone at school is really nice so far too.” She was so sweet, so earnest, always trying to look on the bright side while still being true to her feelings… Hunter’s heart warmed in his chest as he listened to her thoughts. 

“Yeah, how’s that going?” Wrecker asked. He was the best uncle, ever-vigilant about her experiences on the island of Xylo since they’d made a decent attempt to integrate into society. It had been the better half of a year already, and they felt as though things were just now settling into some faint hint of an established life. 

“I love it!” Omega exclaimed enthusiastically, causing infectious smiles to appear on several of her family members’ faces. “It was the best year for me to join – it sounds like everything before this was all just academic units, but now they’re getting to really live it out and see what they want to do in life!”

“Academic units are highly useful building blocks for success in individual endeavors, Omega,” Tech reminded her. “Or for saving one’s life when careening toward the earth at fatal speeds in cargo containers…” he smirked, enjoying his own dry humor for a moment before falling silent. Phee was the only one who caught the slight flash of a frown at the corners of his lips and the way he subconsciously rubbed his thigh – echoes of the pain of the past. 

“I know, Tech, but I’ve been studying everything, and now it’s time to actually do stuff! The forestry section just wrapped up, and this week I get to start shadowing Madame Dreyfus – she’s a seamstress who dyes her own fabrics! I heard that if I do well, she might let me make my own outfit for the Advancement Ceremony at the end of the year!”

“I’m sure you’ll do great, kid,” Phee said confidently, smiling warmly above the table while her hand joined Tech’s beneath, gently placing it on top of his where it rested on his thigh. 

“Maybe you could make Wrecker something to wear so he has more than two shirts,” Crosshair suggested, squinting at his brawny brother, who rolled his eyes, unfazed, and brushed a few crumbs off his open-chested brown tunic.

“Maybe you could make Crosshair some pants that aren’t so kriffing tight so he’s not acting like he’s got a wad of fabric up his–”

“Language, Echo,” Hunter growled, and Omega wasn’t the only one who enjoyed a hearty chuckle.

“You know I hear worse than that at school,” she giggled, eyes sparkling with delight as Echo gave her a wink. 

“I know…” came Hunter’s answering grumble, and Omega reached across beneath the table to give his leg a little tap with her foot, watching his face soften as their eyes met.

“Anyway,” Echo continued, “With the number of sign-ups at the DTA, we’re going to need some other instructors and guides soon. I don’t suppose any of you are interested in donating some of your time and expertise to whip these locals into shape?”

“DTA?” Crosshair’s partner whispered.

“Defense Training Academy,” he murmured back, rubbing an idle hand up and down their muscular arm. “It’s what the cool kids call it.”

“Then I will definitely not call it that,” they snickered, and Crosshair smirked as he turned back to Echo.

“They’re gonna need more time before they can handle anything I’ve got to teach them,” he said. “But I’d pay good money to be able to watch them fight Wrecker for sport. Er, practice.”

“That’d be fun!” Wrecker laughed, smacking his closed fist with his other hand. “Gonna have to wait though. I’m swamped with projects after the last mudslide. Everyone wants things added or changed to their rebuilt homes so it’s all takin a lot longer.”

“They’re keepin you busy, huh?” Phee asked, knowing that Wrecker loved every minute of it. He’d never had the opportunity to put his skills to use outside of his service to the Republic, and she’d been privy to many a conversation filled with his enthusiasm for craftsmanship. It helped that he was able to lift and move most everything by himself, too.

“Yeah! Now if I could just get Hunter to stop freaking out the locals when he’s out huntin,” Wrecker said, narrowing his eyes at the Sergeant, who smirked and shrugged.

“Look, the whole island is open access. It’s not illegal. Besides, I think they’d be complaining a lot more if their favorite meats weren’t available at my shop anymore…”

“That’s for sure!” Omega chipped in, wearing a wry smile. It struck Hunter in that moment just how much she had changed in the short time they’d known her. Especially since the Tantiss rescue, where they’d successfully extracted her along with Tech and Crosshair before blowing up the entire facility and everything in it, her face had gotten more angular, her hair longer. She was wildly intelligent and had an enthusiasm and warmth that was unmatched, but as she’d grown, they’d had their share of conflicts. Hunter couldn’t relate, having had his entire life planned out for him as soon as he’d reached “adulthood” with his rapidly-accelerated aging, but there were endless nuances to a young woman that he was having to figure out as they went along. Sometimes he forgot how much she was aware of – she’d been so sheltered from certain realms of civilian life, but having nestled into life on the island, she’d become much more connected and “up with the times”, so to speak. She continued, a glimmer in her eye now, “I heard some office ladies talking about you the other day!”

“Yeah?” Hunter asked, squinting at the mischief on her face.

“Yeah,” she echoed, idly rolling the last piece of sushi on her plate. “One of them said she loved your butcher shop and that you’ve got the best meat on the island,” Omega said slowly, face straight as a board. “The other one said she couldn’t agree more, and a third one said she hasn’t been to the shop but would love to have your meat in her mouth.”

Echo choked on his drink, Crosshair’s toothpick fell out of his mouth, and Wrecker exploded into a guffaw that sent the sea birds tumbling through the air before quickly regaining their graceful hovering. Hunter pressed his lips together, focusing his gaze on Tech’s completely impassive face to try to stabilize himself before replying.

“You’ll have to point out the third one next time I take you to school,” Phee said quietly, nothing but innocence painted across her features. 

“Seemed like an odd way to say it,” Omega muttered, twisting her mouth to the side, and Hunter genuinely couldn’t tell if she was pulling his leg or not. 

“You will find that there are many nuances to speech specific to geographical and cultural areas that might make one phrase sound entirely different than it would in another place. I would not worry about it. The point is that we should congratulate Hunter on his successful business,” Tech suggested, speaking loudly over Wrecker’s continued laughter.

“Yeah,” Echo agreed. “He sure is satisfying his customers…”

“Apparently not all of them,” Crosshair prodded, and his partner elbowed him again.

“Moving on,” Hunter said emphatically, “Wrecker, when can you fix the chimney? Winter will be here soon and I can only keep it so warm with that draft…”

“Yeah yeah,” Wrecker said, waving him off amid residual chortles. “I’ll come by this week.”

“Taungsday?” Hunter pressed.

“Mmm, Centaxday maybe. Taungsday is the “Grand Re-Opening” at the tiki bar. They got new freshers! Supposed to be all fancy now.”

“Anything would be fancy compared to the pits they had,” Tech sniffed. “While wildly inconvenient for relieving oneself during a raucous night of imbibing, they could have been permanent fixtures in the cultural museum considering how primitive and dated they were.”

“I’m sure the locals would be thrilled at that exhibit,” Phee affirmed, rising to her feet to begin clearing the table. The Primeday tradition of dinner at Tech and Phee’s had been one of the first things everyone had agreed on, and in the months since they’d arrived on Xylo, it had been the grounding activity each week that allowed them to feel a sense of belonging and routine. 

Everyone got up to help clean up except for Wrecker and Hunter, who lingered behind to finish their drinks. Tech had not only developed an interest in cooking, but had also discovered quite the knack for mixing drinks. He couldn’t stand the local tiki bar down on the beach, insisting that their proportions were all wrong and they were using nothing but cheap garbage to try to make as much profit as possible. However, considering the beautiful waterfront location and the fact that it seemed to be the main gathering place for the entire town, no one seemed to mind quite as much as Tech. 

“Headin out early tomorrow?” Wrecker asked, swirling the liquid in his wood cup.

“Mhm,” Hunter answered, mimicking the movement before taking a sip. “The Kod’yok are migrating and the locals love their flank steaks. You good to walk with Omega?” 

“You betcha, although she’s getting old enough that she probably doesn’t need it anymore, ya know…” 

“I know, but let’s let her be the one to suggest that, eh? I don’t want her feeling thrown out on her own in a new place. Plus, we can never be too safe.”

Wrecker sighed. He’d been able to let go more quickly of the paranoia that still seemed to rest on Hunter’s shoulders, although he was aware of the crippling responsibility the Sergeant felt for all that had transpired, from Crosshair being separated from the squad back on Kamino to the rescue attempt that had cost Tech his life, or so they thought. Recovering the rest of the team had been a harrowing fiasco, but they’d emerged victorious… barely. 

They’d found a planet in the middle of nowhere, uncharted in most of the records Tech was able to find, and it had been a welcome respite from the increasing turmoil across the galaxy that accompanied the spread of the Empire. Xylo was similar to Pabu in its feeling of safety and anonymity, unknown by virtually anyone outside the island, and there were a handful of other similar islands scattered across the rest of the planet, most of which was covered by water. Xylo was the largest island on the nameless planet and had so far been a good place for everyone to settle.

It was late by the time everyone had finished their cleaning and conversations, and Hunter was the last to leave, thanking Phee again for her usual hospitality as she disappeared around the corner with a wave. Tech saw him out, pausing on the doorstep to fiddle with one of his pouches.

“I finished this today,” he said, handing a small bag to Hunter. “It will function excellently anywhere on the planet. I can assemble others if you feel a need, but I believe our existing comm devices suffice.”

“Thanks, Tech. One is good for now. I appreciate it.” And with that, they went their separate ways.

~ Master List ~ Next Chapter

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[d1ssenter-be-damned]

*opens trenchcoat to reveal several pamphlets with fic tropes on them* What kind of nicities might you be interested in Tumblr user error-is-bae? `<•##>3

well hello there anonymous tumblr user that im fairly certain is one of two people.

listen man i know everyone and their dog has written a fic where gabriel atones for the errors of his ways by throwing himself into rebuilding lust w minos. but i cannot get the concept out of my head

every interp ive seen thus far has minos be angry, yes, but i dont think hes been angry enough. i want him to break. i want him to tear into gabriel like a rabid fucking beast. i want him to grab him by the throat and throw him to the floor hard enough shards of concrete get lodged in his lungs. i want gabriel to scramble back instinctively because he knows hes no match for a prime soul, especially not without his Light but he's not fast enough and then Minos grabs him again and he can't breathe--

and i want him to just go limp. to accept his fate. and minos just gets angrier because he wants him to fight, he wants to revel in the feeling of his bones crunching and listening to him scream but it's not satisfying if he doesnt fight back and he did not waste away in that god forsaken prison watching everything he'd worked so hard to achieve (peacefully! he never wanted a fight, he wanted to thrive, he tried to reason--) be torn down by his own withered hands only for gabriel to rob him of what little gratification he could receive as if he hadn't already taken everything from him. i want him to roar "why won't you fight me?!" as he lifts gabriel by his collar. he wants to see the spirit that gabriel had before (when they were colleagues, friends even, when they would spend their time debating philosophy and literature and enjoying being together), wants to watch it break under his fists--

(and he thinks of the way gabriel looked down at him so long ago, the divine light of the spear held to his throat shining across his armor, the way he had pleaded for some of that previous kindness to return only to feel as the head pierced his skin and dug its way through his flesh, blood curling down his neck in rivulets and pooling in his mouth as he gasped for any semblance of breath he could take--)

and for just a second he thinks of how things could have been so much different if gabriel had a heart. if he was allowed to rule his kingdom in peace, allowed to let his people prosper and grow and have a second chance. and he looks at gabriel, sad and limp and broken in his grip, but hes not broken like a warrior after a valiant fight or a killer after a spree, hes broken like a fledgling bird with clipped feathers pecking at fingers for its own survival, like a child tucked away in a damp street corner waiting for it to be safe to move again, like the people he had helped build a new life in death.

and on one hand it infuriates him because gabriel is the reason he never got to see his people thrive, never got to see his kingdom grow and live and by all means he should despise him for everything hes done

but at the same time he remembers the gabriel from before the Council, remembers their late nights together, remembers the intelligence and the wit and the charm and the kindness they had Beaten out of him, sees how hopeless and faithless he has become

and sees that he has the chance to be better.

but he has to think about it. so he drops gabriel to the ground and watches as he scuttles back and coughs for breath and looks up at him and can practically feel the confusion and disbelief radiating off of him and if he's honest hes not sure hes making the right decision either. so he turns around and stalks away before he has the chance to change his mind.

anygays. i spent way too long writing this out cus im just obsessed with the concept of them growing closer Slowly because obviously minos can never truly forgive him and gabriel cant ever be rid of that Guilt but i do think there's something there to work from. they just have to put in some effort.

[blaqueswanzaghouliishiilikeda]

iwtv ep 3 rewatch thoughts

Louis: I don’t want you kill people anymore, there it is.

Lestat: A fish that doesn’t swim. A bird refusing to fly.

I’m borrowing this statement to use for Louis in this moment - I believe this is when Lestat diagnoses Louis with hysteria.

In this scene the power imbalance between them becomes defined more by patriarchal gender dynamics. Lestat dives into a more rigid paternalistic approach when dealing with what he perceives to be Louis’ irrational shame of being a vampire and going against his very nature despite what Lestat has been trying to teach him. This reading of their relationship is intentional. so much so that while he says this the focus of the camera pans out to frame a shot of Antoinette walking past and there’s a parallel shot of Louis and Lestat sitting at a table next to another couple, a man and a woman who are presumably husband and wife, where both husbands’ (Lestat and the man) gazes follow after Antoinette and Louis and the wife literally notice at the same time. This is them (as in the writers etc. etc.) being really over handed about what they’re implying about Loustat’s relationship/marriage/companionship moving forward. Louis is literally sitting on the same side the wife is sitting and Lestat the husband. Antoinette poses a very similar threat to both Louis and the wife who is a bw (only her black husband could die behind Antoinette, at worst, given the era).

For what it’s worth (not much) I don’t think Lestat is actively plotting in the sense of being aware that he is forcing a gendered hat on Louis that doesn’t fit. I think he believes that this is a role Louis is suited for, especially if he’s drawing from the trauma of his relationship with his mother and the ways Louis might remind him of her. What I mean by that is his focus is on the front he see that Louis is putting on. He thinks he’s removing the offending hat Louis is, for a reason he can’t understand (and won’t bother to), clinging to. I think he believes the final frontier of Louis’ problems is simply submitting to his vampire nature (and to him lbfr) which i talked about in the tenor scene. (He doesn’t realize he hasn’t escaped the confines of humanity, he just benefits from them more in a way that lends to his ability to live as if they don’t apply to him)

Louis’ acting like he’s not a vampire and Lestat likens this to his business “a cover, an illusion to throw off the scent of the dogs.” The section of the Azalea where they are engaging in “polite conversation,” where the word “vampire” is off limits is a front for the nefarious business of trafficking women where consumption of bodies is allowed as long as Louis can separate himself from it. Pimping hidden in the shadows of the Azalea, the way he seeks to hide his vampirism in the shadows of his humanity. Bluffing is fine in a game of poker against humans Lestat believes is beneath him—against human’s he naively believes he elevated Louis above by giving him the dark gift—but it’s no way to live as a Vampire and it’s no way to love Lestat.

This is most offensive to Lestat, and I don’t doubt concerning given the impact it will have on Louis. Lestat: “You’re going to struggle. I fear for the feline population of New Orleans.”

He’s being really snarky about this, but I believe he means it. Louis’ hunger will not be satiated by eating cats or other small animals. He will be weakened physically and mentally by it. Lestat drives this point in by saying he’s gonna render them extinct in the area, behind this reluctance to kill or feed from humans. Lestat fails to see Louis is trying to regain some semblance of control over his life where he has very little control over how so many things are playing out against his favor even with the success of the Azalea which is unstable. There’s also the situation with his family. The fact that he has to kill to survive but doesn’t want to. the fact that he believes himself already damned, but still full of shame and guilt. Then as things worsen between him and Lestat etc. etc. He needs something to control.

Lestat sees this as more than just a moral quandary just not in the way it could have lent to the understanding of Louis so much as it clearly imo pokes at Lestat’s insecurities about whether he can be loved for who he is fully. He sees himself as above humanity, fully immersed in being a vampire and proud too and Louis is rejecting that so in a way, to Lestat, he’s rejecting him and the dark gift he’s given. He thinks he’s being played the fool. (“I can pretend the fool”). Louis agreed to all these things and now he’s switching up and holding out. (marriage contract etc. etc.) Lestat overcorrects so egregiously he’s the agent to his own fear being realized—the threat of Louis leaving him.

I don’t think i’m saying anything of a revelation to say Lestat can stop himself from acting out. I don’t think it’s anything new to say he has a clear need and demand for attention. He immediately follows this up with causing a scene and performing. He hops on stage and plays the piano for and with the people of the Azalea—what Louis seems more inclined to give his time and energy to rather then enjoying being a vampire and his new life with Lestat. Plus It’s not like it doesn’t work a little. Louis’ in 2020 in Dubai with a whole new husband crediting his white ex for something i doubt he actually was the catalyst for. idk I have my doubts about his claim about the Wolverine Blues. I think Danny being openly and immediately doubtful, as far as to play it, was intentional in making us question that as well imo.

He does this again tho. In part because it sort of worked in his favor this time especially since he threw the scent of this being what he does when he feels threatened (which i believe to be the main reason he does it again) to he was helping Louis out bc the pianist was gonna leave Louis. An interesting redirection considering this is a reaction to the fear that Louis will leave him. He’s playing poker. and he sort of* won this hand. So yeah he does it again, but more manically, later on with Louis’ preference of military men (i just know he thought about that sailor at the bar and it sent him over the edge) when he sees Louis would rather let an old flame do him “some face” (🤭) and eat a dog than fuck him and feed with him. but let’s not jump ahead. let’s let ep3 seduce us as Louis has been seduced!!!

antoinette brown said she gone be here all night y’all she really claimed the eternal night from jump. you can see the moment Lestat gets the idea to torment Louis with the “rotisserie chicken” (🤭 anon you will always be famous). She passed by and he turned so quick to Louis all bright eyed like “you’re going to struggle” ☹️ knowing he gonna be the agent of that particular struggle.

*i say sort of bc Louis is impressed by the scene he created when he starts playing, and it probably smoothed things over that night, but he doesn’t budge on his disordered eating bc that’s not how it works Lestat!!!! (“did i forget to mention i’m terrible at this game” or something to that effect)

[jelzorz]

139.

It's obviously not a good idea. Obviously. Nyx can't say she doesn't know that because she's had first hand experience with these kids. That Moonshadow elf girl has very sharp blades and a very short temper when she's prodded about stuff she doesn't want to talk about, and this, y'know, seems like something she won't want to talk about at all but still. Nyx is curious. She can't be blamed for that.

It's been smooth sailing for about a day. The only real drama has been trying to stay on Zym's good side because he, apparently, still hasn't forgiven her for trying to kidnap him which she supposes is fair. Other than that, it's been Rayla throwing up over the side of the ship and Callum watching and starting towards her and then changing his mind which is frustrating as it sounds because it's happened four times.

Nyx hadn't asked because she's got some semblance of tact, thank you very much. She'd spoken to their Crownguard friend instead:

"What's wrong with those two?"

"Hm? Oh." Soren had shrugged. "It's kinda complicated. They used to be a thing—"

"Yeah, no, I know all that, I was there." Nyx had waved him on impatiently. "What's wrong with them now?"

"Oh, uh." Soren shuffled awkwardly on the deck. "They kinda broke up."

"They kinda broke up?"

"Yeah but it's complicated. They obviously still like each other but y'know. They've gotta sort it out on their own. I wouldn't recommend bringing it up."

It's cute that Soren would think she would listen to his advice but Nyx takes pride in being a professional shit-stirrer and there's certainly shit here to stir. On land, this would be a stupid thing to do but Rayla is incapacitated on water which not only makes this safer, but more amusing. She sidles up to Rayla that afternoon while she's throwing her guts up (again) and nudges her elbow with a smirk.

"Your human friend's grown up a bit," she comments.

"Shame you haven't," snaps Rayla. The bite in her voice is impressive for someone who looks so green.

"I'm just saying," says Nyx casually. "He cleans up good. Heard he's back on the market."

Rayla's eyes narrow into a glare. "Excuse me?"

Nyx shrugs. "He seems like a pretty good catch if I do say so myself, and if you don't want him, then don't mind if I—"

"Don't even think about it," snarls Rayla.

"Why?" presses Nyx. "Thought you threw him back. Too little a catch?"

Admittedly, that last taunt might have been pushing it, and Rayla, rightly, draws a blade and levels it at Nyx's nose. "It's none of your business," she hisses. "Nose out, Nyx, or I'll take it off for you."

Touchy. Nyx studies Rayla, and beyond the sick, beyond the rage, there's a shame in her eyes that looks like it needs to be addressed. Nyx takes pity on her at last and presses the blade away with a finger.

"Birds like me are opportunistic," she says, "and you've got one heck of a fish. I'd just consider reeling him back in while he's still hooked, y'know? I don't imagine it'll be long before someone else notices what a catch he is." She throws in a wink to add a little flair before she stalks off again, leaving Rayla less green and considerably more red.

[sweethangman]

hey pretty boy too proud to say hi now that you’re whoring around with the prince?

you never respond to my hi’s. not politely at least…

doesn’t mean i don’t enjoy ignoring them. 

oh my apologies then… good evening jason…

…

as expected. goodnight, my good knight…

okay, okay, hello? shouldn’t you be helping clean up the ball?

shouldn’t YOU be helping clean up the ball? it’s YOUR engagement.

i’m on watch here? every night?

you know… your view of the hallway is completely obstructed by that column.

the only thing i’d have to miss behind that would have to be even smaller than you. 

i’m not THAT small. 

oh yeah? come get it…

HEY GIVE THAT BACK!!!  I DONT HAVE TIME FOR… DEMEANING CHILDISH GAMES! 

i suppose where you’re standing is… acceptable… i just was trying to be helpful.

hmph. word at the ball was that you left to chase the prince… i didn’t think he was your type. 

he’s actually an ex-ex prince…

wish he was the ex-ex-ex prince.

THAT’S TREASONNNN!

like the king hasn’t had the exact same thought… what’re you doing around his harem? i thought you at least cared about doing your job in addition to everyone else’s. 

people can have a sense of duty without sacrificing ALL semblance of fun. 

drinking until you pass out and sleeping in a strangers bed doesn’t seem like fun to me. 

and what would you consider fun? having the same dreary job for 8 years in a row?

9 years actually.

9 years. positively thrilling if you ask me… y’know, if you wanted to join, you could just ask.

i have a fiancée!— also, i don’t want to!!

mhm.

Good day sir here are the knights letters what do i look like an errand boy deliver them yourself fine just thought youd want to deliver them to your friends guess ill just have to go over there and tell them what a wonderful friend you are to me fine give em here oh my engagement present how is it oh um its really good actually thank you the guy who writes them is great at what he does i already have birds of the southern isles and finches around the world but i've never had an illustrated one before though mustve cost a fortune oh it was nothing im so happy youre enjoying it might be the best engagement present ive gotten the king got me a sword with his coat of arms on the pommel which is nice but its also what he got me for my graduation and im not really sure what to do with two swords wow im honored if we ever visit the provinces i can show you all the birds in real life im never gonna visit the northern provinces im needed here well i grew up in the north as a kid my memories not the sharpesg in the world but i could try and describe what they were like youre from the north i never wouldve guessed you seem like you sprang right into being a fully formed courtier well thank you i moved here when i was 7 so i had time to learn the ropes and lose my accent how about you oh uh well i was born in a nearby town i think or the king thinks im an orphan but ite completely fine i have a better life here than i could ever dream of with the king taking care of me and a job i love a job im good at so not as interesting as you thats way more interesting im glad you found a home here yeah are you in love with maya did she put you up to this she said we'd talk about this later no i swear im sorry if its a touchy subject no its fine i of course im in love with maya we're engaged id be the biggest fool in the world if i wasnt in love with her right i wouldnt know dont you fool around with a lot of guys i thought youd have figured out love by now thats nowher enear love sometimes if i want something from someone and they want a little intimacy in return well why would i turn thay down you shouldnt i mean you cant its not a currency you can exchange why not im cute even worse you have to use it responsibilty how do you know they dont think its love i dont wanna contaminate your big knightly brain

Sorry i did that all from memory i think a lot of that is wrong anyways JASONLOUIS IM CRYING GG O,,,,,...MMLL

[rwde-rewrites]

This might be a controversial opinion, but I personally like the idea of magic existing alongside Aura and Semblances. I think the idea of a story having multiple distinct magic systems, especially if one is more powerful and mysterious than the other, is really neat.

But the key word here is "Distinct". In order for this idea to work, the differences between magic and Aura need to be clear. But, there are no rules for what semblances can do (Except not turning you into a bird. That is the sole rule of semblances), and there are no rules for what magic can do either. In fact, it seems like semblances can actually do more than magic in RWBY.

Semblances let people:

Enhance their physical and mental capabilities

Manipulate Luck

Create all different kinds of Illusions

Summon eidolons

Shrink objects

Turn objects into gold (Yes, really)

Telekinetically manipulate objects

Shapeshift into rose petals or iron (Only bird related shapeshifting is banned, apparently)

Absorb various types of energy to become stronger

Teleport

Turn invincible for 60 seconds (This is the weirdest one to me)

Fly

Mess with people's minds in various ways

Steal or copy other people's Semblances

And other stuff I'm probably forgetting

Meanwhile, magic lets you:

Fly

Shapeshift into birds (and presumably other forms, but we literally never see that)

Manipulate the weather

Shoot fire, lightning, and ice.

Create, lock, and unlock weird doors

Obviously, this is doesn't work. Semblances can do practically everything magic can and more. Meaning that magic doesn't feel different or special in any way.

So, what would need to be changed? The most obvious route would be to restrict Semblances.

One way to do this is just create a list of things Semblances cannot do. Such as:

Semblances cannot physically change their user's body. While we're at it, let's also add that Semblances cannot physically transmute other objects either so no shrinking or turning shit into gold.

Semblances cannot create fire, earth, ice, lightning, etc., only Dust can do that (God, I haven't brought up Dust yet). And anything that a Semblance does create is just an Aura construct that will vanish like Weiss's Summons or Sun's Clones.

Semblances cannot grant flight. A bit pedantic, but the scene of Amber first using her Maiden powers by floating into the air would hit harder if flying isn't something normally attainable in RWBY.

While I would like to add more stuff to the list of cannots, when defining a power system based on what is can't do, it's best to keep the list of restrictions short.

Another way to limit Semblances create specific categories that Semblances fall into and have each Semblance be some variation based on their category. For example:

Enhancement: These Semblances enhance the user's pre-existing capabilities in some way when used. This would cover stuff like Harriet's, Neon's, and Ruby's speed (And Ruby's would stay speed, none of that pseudo-teleport stuff), Ironwood's super willpower, Maria's preflexes, Hazel's pain tolerance or fast Aura regeneration (Pick one), and maybe Tock's 60 seconds of invincibility (though I still think that's dumb).

Absorption: These Semblances can absorb damage to make the user stronger. This would cover stuff like Yang taking damage and then getting a limit break, Nora absorbing specifically electricity, and Adam storing damage in his weapon and then returning it.

Manipulation: These Semblances allow their users to manipulate objects around them. This would cover Pyrrha's polarity, Glynda's telekinesis, and Neptune's hydrokinesis (which only exists in the books).

Constructs: These Semblances allow for the creation of constructs made of Aura. These constructs aren't permanent and disappear after time or if the user's Aura breaks. This would cover Weiss's glyphs and summons (though, I personally think these two powers are too different to be a single Semblance), Sun and Flynt's clones, Neo's illusions, Blake's after images, Vine's whips, and Elm's sticky feet.

Mind: These Semblances allow for the manipulation of the minds of other beings. This would cover Emerald's illusions, Ren's emotion suppression (In canon, it only masks your negative emotions from Grimm, but here, it would actually dampen your feelings while used), Fox's telepathy, Yatsuhashi's memory erasure, Marrow's freeze (here, it would be mental manipulation, rather than however the hell it works in canon), and Robyn's handshake of truth.

Any other Semblances in the show would be altered to fit one of these categories or cut entirely.

Finally, another option would be to cut Semblances completely. Instead, have Aura techniques that characters can use by manipulating their Aura in special ways:

Sending out sword beams of condensed Aura from their weapon swings to attack from a distance. THIS IS A CANON TECHINQUE. I want to stress this, Aura techniques are already a thing. Blake shots a sword beam at Roman in V2, and Qrow does the same to Winter in V3.

Leaving behind a physical shadow made of Aura to take a hit. At higher skill levels, these clones can even more and attack on their own, like what Adam did with his shadow clones in the fight against Yang in V6 (Which means that this is also a canon Aura technique, I guess?)

By expending a some Aura, people can temporarily increase their speed or strength in short bursts. Stuff like Ruby's speed would be handled with this.

Aura normally covers the body like, well, an aura, but it can be extended and manipulated. This allows for the creation of Aura whips from the hand or Aura anchors from the feat to duplicate affects similar to Vine's and Elm's Semblances in canon.

Aura can be used to activate dust (this comes from the Dust WoR video, which seems to be noncanon now) and manipulate its effects. This allows for technics like Weiss's Glyphs or that funky glass stuff that Cinder used in V2.

And finally, a secret technique passed down through the Schnee family allows the creation of an Aura construct that mimics a foe the summoner has bested (A mental requirement more than anything). While powerful, it is incredibly taxing on the summoner's Aura.

Here, Aura itself becomes the main power system akin to something like Ki from Dragon Ball or Hamon from JoJo. After awhile, the audience would get a feel for what it can do, but the writers would still have some freedom to introduce new techniques so long as they aren't too out of line with what's already been shown. Obviously, this would limit the collective abilities of Hunters more than any other option (and require the most changes to canon), but in doing so, it would could magic even more notable.

[hamliet]

Hi! What do you think comes after this volume? Which characters are taking focus in Vacuo in your opinion?

I think Volumes 10-11 will be set in Vacuo, and Volume 12 will wrap things up in Beacon.

I think Winter needs a teeny bit of focus with Weiss helping her complete her arc, but we're talking like, a moment. Sun and Neptune may get mini-arcs, but emphasis on mini. I think Qrow's arc needs to continue, since we last saw him frantic and thinking he'd seen his nieces die. Cinder needs to keep spiraling, and I suspect Yang may have to confront Raven (or that happens at Beacon; I lean Beacon but we'll see). Nora needs focus as we have to discover who "Just Nora" is. Ruby will also clearly get a lot of focus, since I think her decision in the finale of Volume 9 will be to be herself... but she has to determine what that means going forward. It's also clear Ruby's arc's central question--who am I--mimics Oscar's, so Oscar gets focus too.

That said, as the main center of focus in Atlas was Penny, I think the main center of focus here will be Mercury (and Emerald). Why? Well, metal stages and alchemy, but also because almost every single one of other arcs we need can all be further developed in commentary on the plot point of saving Mercury.

Ren and Nora are clear parallels to Emerald and Mercury; hence, Nora discovering who "Just Nora" is might well mimic Emerald and Mercury discovering who they are as individuals now that they are on opposite sides (plus Emerald still hasn't fully cemented her bond with Team RWBYJNOR). Also, Nora's endgame is clearly being with Ren, because with him she can truly be herself, and I suspect that will comment on Emerald and Mercury's bond too.

Plus, the whole "identity" question is certainly a theme in the arcs of Oscar, Ruby, and Jaune. For Ruby specifically... with Neo in Volume 9 we're just starting to explore what it means to save a villain. Mercury is set up to be saved. And, I do think Ruby will save Cinder from her Grimm arm via her silver eyes probably close to the end of the story, and that this will be a climactic moment of unparalleled importance. But Ruby's not there yet, not even close to it.

Mercury's definitely going to have major internal conflict after Emerald left, because they clearly love each other (whatever that love is, romantic or platonic). He's never had a person he cares about be on opposites sides with him before, so now? What does he do? And what obligation does Emerald or her new allies have to try to understand him and save him?

These are all questions that could lay a valuable foundation for Ruby eventually deciding to save Cinder not because she's earned it, but because Cinder is a human and human beings do not deserve to end up like Summer.

(Clearly also I think the question of Ruby and Summer's influence will be huge in Vacuo, which will also eventually tie in to Yang and Raven; I also think Emerald and Mercury's relationship with Cinder will foil Ruby-Summer and especially Yang-Raven).

Lastly, I think Qrow's arc offers a lot of potential in regards to Mercury. Qrow and Mercury are foils, and they are both also prominent foils of one Tyrian Callows, who is the absolute worst and whom I expect to die at the end of Vacuo's arc like Watts did in Atlas. Mercury has never had a positive mentor figure in his life, and particularly not a positive male mentor figure. Qrow would be poised perfectly to take a broken kid who has been horribly used by his mentors (see both Qrow's being seen as a tool by the Branwen Tribe and Oz turning Qrow into a bird; Mercury lost his semblance to his father and is being manhandled by Tyrian) under his wing (heh, pun intended) and help him. (Plus, I honestly suspect Mercury's semblance will have something to do with wings...)

[starstruckodysseys]

you and me and the worlds in between

(or: ash has been nineteen a while. mia has been nineteen before, and she will be again, and again, and again.)

The end of the world comes in waves, because a single, all encompassing ending would be too satisfying.

Ash floats over the Atlantic Ocean, racing circles around a statue-esque Mia, whose dark hair flows in the wind the debris brings with it. Her perfect, dark skin is marred by ash - actual ash, not Ashleigh Schneider, who can only hope to touch her in such a way - and the bags under her eyes are such a deep purple they almost look black. She stares, unblinking, at the ocean before them, the water drying up and rocks falling around them, like mini meteors. They’re not strong enough to be anything terrifying, just a more concussive form of hail.

Ash has been nineteen a long time, long enough to have seen this play out before. They’ve watched empires fall and cities crumble to dust and the earth itself end and start back up again, like a movie being put on fast forward. It still leaves a bitter, coppery taste in their mouth every time.

They pause their gentle flapping to settle down next to Mia, and though she hardly spares them a glance, she brushes her hand against theirs, tilts her head toward them in silent acknowledgment. Ash has grown past the need for recognition, reciprocation. They’re content to sit in silence, to watch the world fall around them. It’s a strange place for a first date. Lucky them it isn’t their first.

Mia has been nineteen before, and she’ll be nineteen again, and again, and again. Ash has seen this before, too, watched the cycle repeat and repeat like a skipping CD player. They harness the weight of the world on their back and grin like it’s the first time they’ve been here.

Mia winces as a particularly large piece of rock crumbles down into the ocean. What's left of it, at least. She drags the toe of her boot across the dampened sand, drawing meaningless little lines in the grains.

“How come you chose to come out here?” She asks. There’s no judgment in her tone, only a monotone sort of curiosity.

Ash shrugs. “I wanted to see if it was still here, I guess.”

Here is a rotting, abandoned old beach house, one their parents used to own centuries ago. It hasn’t been kept up with - there’s mold in most of the closet corners, a bird’s nest in the rafters of the open living room, decaying blankets strung across clotheslines that can hardly hold their weight anymore. But it’s theirs, in a sense. The only rock they’ve had in their eternal life.

They don’t know why they’d asked Mia to come with them, though it’s not as if she’s any safer at home than with them. To be fair, her “home” is an empty apartment with a dad who hardly recognizes his daughter, and they don’t even know if it’s still standing. It might be better for her if it weren’t.

Another rock falls down, this one leaving a burnt out crater in the ground, scorch marks visible in its wake. Ash leans over, brushes a piece of dust off of Mia’s denim jacket, and stands up, dusting off their own ratty jeans. She looks up at them, finally, blue eyes meeting green.

“We should go,” they say by way of explanation. “It’s not- I don’t think it’s safe here.”

It’s not safe anywhere, and they both know that. Mia still takes their hand, and the only thing Ash notices as she uses it is leverage is how warm her palm is in theirs. She doesn’t pull away once she’s standing up. Ash isn’t quite sure what to do about it.

They swallow. “You ever wanted to see Pompeii?”

“I mean,” Mia hesitates. “Sure? I thought it was destroyed, though?”

“So is everything else,” Ash says with a shrug. “Are you coming or not?”

It’s a rhetorical question more than anything, because they already know the answer. Mia scoffs out a laugh, some semblance of a smile on her face, and Ash bites their cheek to stifle a grin.

For some odd reason, her hand is still in theirs. That’s alright, it just makes it easier for them to fly her away, up and over crumbling cities and fallen communities, evaporated oceans and broken bridges. The world sits in disarray, suspended in discord, dissonant tones coming together to create disaster. It’s almost beautiful, in a horrible sort of way. Ash has seen creation form in the rubble of chaos enough times to stop worrying about how they get there. They quite literally cannot die - you stop worrying about a lot of things once that happens.

Their hair, dark brown and matted and barely held back anymore by their headband, flows freely behind them. Mia manages to look as elegant as ever, even thousands of feet off the ground. She glances over to them, smiles faintly and fondly, and Ash feels the familiar sensation of their stomach swooping to the point it feels like they’re falling.

Mia’s life is tragedy in B minor - Elle had told them about music terms once, decades ago, huddled together on a piano bench in an era where their love was frowned upon, giggling like the schoolgirls walking down the sidewalk outside the speakeasy. It had been one of the first times Ash had met her. They’ve met countless variations now, of course, Janie and Lizbet and Allison and Ginny and Lila and hundreds upon thousands of others. She’s been nineteen a while. She doesn’t usually get very far past that.

She never remembers them. They’ve stopped expecting her to.

Pompeii is beautiful in a way that maybe only Ash can appreciate. After the second time you watch the world end, it kind of gets predictable, repetitious, redundant. So they’ve begun to pay attention to the details, focus on the smaller picture while they still can. It’ll be there, in some version, when they begin again, but for now they have a girl in her final hours beside them and they’ll be damned if they don’t make the time count.

They lead her down cobblestone pathways, through arches and columns overgrown with moss, to sit at the water’s edge. It’s more peaceful than the ocean, rippling calmly around them. The sun shines down on them, warm and comforting, almost like a blanket. For now, they’re content to sit in this peaceful moment. Mia leans her head on Ash’s shoulder, and they stare out at the volcano looming in front of them and ignore the sheen of tears that clouds their vision, internally blaming it on their glasses and heat flow and a million other things that aren’t the case.

Naturally, this is when the volcano erupts.

The sky turns blood red, which feels a little too on the nose for Ash’s liking. They don’t get to focus on that for very long, though, because smoke and ash fill the air, quickly followed by lava, boiling hot and angry. Ash can’t tell if it’s the smoke or the sulfur stench burning their lungs as they stand up as fast as possible. Mia moves to follow them, but she’s only human and can hardly move as fast as they can. They reach behind them to grab her.

They’ve never been fast enough to save her before. Why should they start now?

Her hands graze theirs for hardly a second, but when they turn around she’s lost to the haze surrounding them, caught in the sea of ash - actual ash, again, because Ashleigh’s never been the one to catch her. They’ve tried, of course, but nature has a plan and when there’s a will there’s a way, so they’ve learned what is meant to happen and done their best to prevent it every time, yet to no avail. They don’t know why they keep trying.

Yes, they do, and their reason is a girl who builds walls around her that only Ash has ever tried to knock down, who acts like she never cares until someone actually asks, who has lived and lived and lived and still manages to draw the short end of the stick every time. She’s one of the only things that’s remained consistent in their long life. They wonder if she knows that, sometimes, when she gets a certain kind of glimmer in her eye when she looks at them.

As they frantically float their way through the clouds of smoke, likely burning their lungs, but they’ve dealt with worse, they eventually catch up to the coughing and choking ahead of them. A moth drawn to a flame; they always have been, always hyper aware of her presence.

“Mia?” They call out hesitantly.

“Ash,” Mia chokes out, and when the smoke clears she’s crawling on her forearms toward them, her legs dragging behind her. “Ashleigh! I-” she coughs, “I lo-

“I know,” Ash soothes, because they’ve seen this film a thousand times. A lump forms in the back of their throat as they float down next to her. “I know.”

The funny thing about loss is that it never really gets easier the more it happens.

Two days after Ash turned nineteen, they fell ill. Deathly ill, everyone said, the healers and the scientists and even the gods, according to their parents. It led to them being bedridden for days that turned to weeks that turned to months. They’d accepted that they were going to die, in all honesty. So had Austin, yet he refused to leave their side anyway.

They couldn’t leave him alone, he said, though the tears clogged his throat so much they could hardly make out the words. They’re his other half, the one to understand him in the huge, cruel world.

Ash had squeezed his hand and apologized and danced around the words stuck behind their teeth.

They’d been more sure of dying than anything else in their life, which is why it had been such a shock when their mother came home, one day, a vial of pale red liquid in her hand. Drink, she’d said, and they had. Why shouldn’t they? Nothing else had worked, yes, and they had lost hope months ago, but their mother and their brother looked at them with hopeful, pleading eyes, and so they sipped the whole thing until it was gone.

To no one’s surprise - or at least, not their own, though they’re sure everyone else was less shocked and more hopeless by this point - nothing happened, the same as everything else they’d tried. But they slowly started to feel better, if better could mean not actively dying, and through some miracle, Ash had lived.

…And lived. And lived. And just kept on living, somehow, and it wasn’t until Austin was getting into his thirties - they��d always had good genes - that he noticed the two of them weren’t mirror images of each other anymore. Ash had felt older, but when they looked in the mirror they hadn’t changed a bit, not a wrinkle or graying hair in sight.

Their mother had unfortunately been gone for years by that point, but their father was still around to explain the potion of immortality she had been instructed to give to Ash.

It had been great, at first, not having to worry about dying - from old age, at least, because the thing they don’t tell you about immortality is that it doesn’t make you invulnerable. But then they’d sat by and watched as everyone they’d ever loved died practically before their eyes. Their mother, of course, was first, and then their father, and then, in a moment they try to forget as much as they try to remember, because it was their last with him, Austin. A piece of them died, that day, because he truly had been their other half, their rock in the storming ocean of life.

They’d found Mia - Eve, at the time - near the river in town, years and years down the line. It wasn’t love at first sight, but her long skirt billowed in the wind and her long, dark hair flowed behind her, and Ash had felt a certain kind of magnetic pull they couldn’t ignore.

It was the first time they’d met, but it certainly wasn’t the last. The world had ended and restarted over and over, but they kept finding their way back to one another, as if they were tied by some sort of string of fate. And, through it all, Ash kept on falling in love, helpless to the whims of whatever powers rested above them.

They’ve lost her countless times - she only stays nineteen for so long, after all. Maybe this time, though, they don’t have to.

Ash reaches out a hand toward the girl they swore their life to years ago, a smile on their face.

[firemama]

Jafar's return was essential to the Aladdin story. Sure the movie sucked in the way it was made and let's not even talk about the animation quality but to fully scrap Jafar's return would be to get rid of a crucial part of the original Aladdin that ties in with the sequel. Jafar wasn't dead yet and it's just normal he would seek revenge after all. Plus, Jafar was the most favorite villain of all of the Aladdin villains (not even Mozenrath sufficed according to fandom surveys). You really gotta cut Jafar some slack.

i WILL cut Jafar some slack cause he *is*, you're right, a pretty terrifying disney villian all things considered.

But I really truly think he's only at his best as working from, y'know, inside the system. He's a scary bad guy because he's bribed, threatened, and manipulated his way into a very high seat of power; he's scary because he blackmails and gaslights and lies.

Jafar as a genie is uh, very specifically... less interesting? it loses the metaphor of corruption in the high ranks, and it's more about the "innately evil strong monster" kind of character, and he doesn't even function as a particularly good or interesting foil to Genie, the other member of the species? Like, if we WERE going to do a whole movie with a focus on Jafar Returns in 'my' version of re-written aladdin...

well, I think i would have focused a lot more on juxtaposing Jafar to Genie for starters. Jafar was a human that became a genie out of greed for power and it inevitably enslaved him to another's will (again, movie 1 is definitely good with jafar, because thats such a good metaphor for politics) so I would have a movie focus a lot less on the redemption of a magical talking bird (is Iago funny? yeah, but not enough to drive plot, sorry) and focus more on it maybe revealing more about Genies as a species, or about The Genie himself. was *he* human, or was he born a powerful being? What are the implications of that, was he ALWAYS enslaved or was he born with a semblance of freedom, and how must genie feel about having watched a man simply gain the same powers as him, become bound?

Idk. I think Jafar aught to be confined to the first movie, in my opinion, and in true kids movie fashion instead of being Killed by Laval, he aughta just be imprisoned in the lamp indefinitely in the Cave of Wonders. If I DID do a return-of-jafar movie, i think i would change from a triology to four movies, and i might put it as the very last fourth movie; return of The Big Bad style, and maybe do a little bit of exploring of Genie's backstory now that it's been revealed aladdin's father was a previous master of the genie. But im still not really convinced on how to do a good job of utilitizing Jafar as a villian, because he's *scary* as a moralless man, but not as a genie; he's merely Strong as a genie.

(Also, if we did the fourth movie thing with a Genie vs Jafar foil, I'd probably make there some point in which we find out The Genie had a name. as it stands in my triology, I think The Genie is the only genie until Jafar makes is fucked wish and that 'Genie' is his name. But if we were doing a Thing where we compare them, i think Genie should have been born/created/etc to different name and that 'The Genie' would have been a title he was given as, y'know, a legendary tool?)

[kitkatopinions]

New RWBY ep (for once not two days behind.) Criticisms and praise below the keep reading

Praise

The theme song is starting to grow on me. It's got a bit of Sonic-vibes? Like Adventure 1 and 2 Crush 40 stuff, which is my business. It's not as good and there's something off about the sound mixing and Casey's vocals could be better, but it's starting to grow on me.

Weiss's reactions to the Red Prince kind of make sense to me lol. She's dealt with pompous rich people her whole life and I feel like both her sense of superiority that we still see at times and her probably projecting Jacques (and to a lesser extent, Whitley) onto this little red prince but with none of the history makes her treating him like an annoying pest at the start very in character.

I'm digging the suspenseful music that plays during the 'describe the rules' and the start of the chess match. And I love the concept of Ruby being forced to play as chessmaster, with the lives of her friends on the line. I also like that a lot of Ruby's soldiers on the board are already beaten up and busted. It gets across that the game isn't necessarily fair early on (which is good because in war and in the war in Remnant, not everything is always going to be 'fair.')

I also like Ruby's worried and panicked expression as she sits at the chessboard. She's treating this seriously.

Weiss's little bow is so cute.

Yang's little Sonic the Hedgehog style grin is also cute.

The animators are doing what they can to carry this volume in terms of facial expressions and getting across emotion when they can. Some of the choices aren't so good, but moments like these are (as far as the animation goes.)

While there are elements of it I don't like just from this brief listen, the OK Goodnight song in this episode sounds like it's pretty good and the kind of song I'd willingly seek out to listen to. That's a great improvement from my complete disinterest and dislike in the majority of the music from the last two seasons where I didn't actually like a single track. Looking forward to hearing more.

I kind of... Dig the cat sometimes? Obviously it's uncreative in its concept and I wish it was more humanoid and just based off of the Chesire Cat instead of actually being a cat and some of its 'random' lines are annoying and stupid, but. There's an element of creepiness to it that I wish they'd done more of, but is nice to see. His "Promises are like birds. They taste great, but always escape." *Leans in super close to Ruby's ear.* "You should go. Before he changes his mind." The voice acting is good, and hopefully after the writers are done trying their hand at humor with the cat, it takes on more elements of the cat from Coraline.

The loud sound effects for things like Ruby landing on the wall are good, they add an element of suspense to an otherwise not very suspenseful moment.

Neo fell like a comet and it looked fucking radical. I don't think she meant to turn into Ruby and Cinder? Or for her semblance to change and provide her with doubles? But I think it's cool. A bit campy, but cool. And I think Neo expressing her rage at Cinder and Ruby both by transforming into them was cool and a good way to establish her current angry mindset.

Criticisms

Yang: "Are we sure we should do this?" Ruby: "The Red King helped Alyx." I sure wish there was a way for us to know the actual story of Alyx In Wonderland in canon because all I know is that Alyx defeated the Red King at a board game, so Ruby being like "he helped her" has me immediately kind of frustrated. I do not know what to anticipate because it's like they're making up the details of this rip off Wonderland book while they're writing each episode. Why couldn't they have said that Alyx 'got help from the red king after defeating him in a board game' last ep?

Immediately no on the Red Prince btw. I know he's meant to be annoying, but I thought I might have a chance to like this character (my history of liking flamboyant posh spoiled rich kids is vast,) and instead he's just another annoying character in a volume filled with annoying characters.

Blake is so... Weird this season. I feel like she's so far removed from who she was in this first five volumes that trying to compare her to Blake of the past is pointless at this time, but she's even more different than ever this season and the "happy birthday" moment really just drives that home. I feel like if I picture Velvet doing everything she does, it makes more sense to me.

Also I'm not saying that Yang and Weiss's attitudes don't make sense, but they really aren't helping anything and I'm getting kind of annoyed with their "I'm too tired for this, I'm pissed off at everything, I'm gonna act like all of this is just too lame for me" kind of behavior. It's not helpful and it's getting boring. Ruby and Blake are at least trying, and the other two can't even be bothered to put on a happy tone for two seconds if it means they might get to go home to help the refugees being attacked by Grimm after suddenly losing everything and getting launched into Vacuo, the place Salem is likely to attack next.

Weiss: "Did I used to be this unbearably pompous?" Maybe not to that extent, Weiss, but you were horrible in other ways, soooo.....

Wait wait wait... So the toy block soldiers get hauled off into the bushes and beheaded, two seconds after them and the red prince were played for comedy by the way, and the reactions from Team RWBY are

There's no reason for us or Team RWBY to think these block guys aren't sentient feeling people, there's no reason for us to think that they aren't really dead, and Team RWBY just moves on immediately? No 'you can't do that?' No pulling out their weapons? No questioning whether or not they should fight this monster beheading his people for the crime of making something the wrong color (real creative of the rwby writers btw /s.) They just... Move on? No questions asked? God, when did these characters become so... Lifeless? Even if we say they're trying to stay on the red prince's good side, they don't talk about it? They don't have a moment of upset where the hot-headed Yang or the compassionate Ruby or the once-feisty-and-justice-driven Blake or even the so-done-she-can't-manage-a-smile Weiss so much as say "hey" or "what was that for?" Ruby literally said "How could you" when the red prince tossed aside green glass but barely reacts with anger, sadness, or surprise when he kills people? Yeah, I know she has an emotional attachment to that barely used in the show so far weapon because it was Penny's, but it's two people's lives she's pretty much ignoring here.

The Red Prince: *Smirking darkly while pointedly refusing to tell Ruby that no one will be hurt during his game, heavily implying that this game is to the death or at least to the injury.* The music: *Suspenseful and foreboding.* Ruby, in an uncertain and serious tone: "Uh, can you... Advance one space forward, please?" The little pawn on the board:

Soooo the pawns aren't taking this seriously, they're taking a swing and then relaxing as they get carried away in stretchers. The stakes for this got lowered by three hundred times and watching it, I no longer felt that much suspense. Sure Blake, Weiss, or Yang might get injured, but they're not going to die or get knocked out for the count in episode three, so I'm not that worried.

But wait, there's no reason to believe the Red Prince's red pawns are evil or non-sentient, and WBY are attacking them with a smile at Ruby's command? Bit weird, right? Why aren't Team RWBY trying to avoid needless harm or at least frowning when they're forced to harm things? Ruby seems to be the only person taking this seriously.

"We want to go home, and we believe the tree can get us there." The suspenseful music stops playing. Ruby's voice changes to a completely different tone as she says "Yang, you're up." Fun music starts up. Yang starts Wreck-It-Ralph-style punching Pawns. All in like two seconds flat. Guys, try to ease into your tone change! It's jarring!

"Blake is a faunus... And the rest of us are human." Guys, I seethe with rage every time the writers of this show act like Blake is a different species of creature than the others rather than a different race of human. Every time they refer to Blake or other Faunus as not human it is literally DEHUMANIZING. They literally will say "Blake is not human" and "Faunus aren't human!"

More angelic imagery with Weiss, which I don't like. How are Team RWBY even kind of struggling with these toy soldiers? By all accounts they seem very weak. And the combat... While it isn't Volume 5 levels of bad, it also just isn't isn't good. Combat in RWBY hasn't been that good since volume three, and it's a real shame. I want to like it, but I just can't. Also even when the pawns seem to be taking this slightly more seriously, I feel like it just isn't well done still.

The moving through the Red Prince's castle is so... No. It's like right out of Phineas and Ferb's Across the 2nd Dimension. I liked when Ruby hit the wall and reacted to that, I think they should've kept that without knocking it up to eleven immediately. And they didn't react to it? Ruby wasn't like "one minute I was on the floor, then I was on the ceiling I think, then it was this twisty ramp and the soldiers were right there but they were on other floors?! Upside down?!" Like, yeah, in the moment, she was just running, there wasn't time to ask questions while she was running, but then she stops running and is like "I didn't beat the chess game :(" When wacky stuff breaks all the rules of the universe they're used to, they should... You know. React to it.

Also

Ruby's flower petals had barely disappeared by the time the soldiers were walking over the trapdoor, and this looks like a long hall. How did they not see her jump into it?

Also also, why is it that the mice attacked Blake because specifically her ears and only her ears resembled a cat, but Little barely reacts at all to the presence of the Chesire Cat?

The Cat: "Times change, you know. And so do we when it's our time to change... Don't you?" *Ruby and the team get engulfed by a bright light and suddenly find themselves in a clearing outside.* Me: "Wow the cat just teleported them? They're going to take this time - the most obvious time - to ask about the cat's magic or react vocally to the fact that really freaky stuff like instant teleportation or gravity changes is going on or talk about how dangerous it is that WBY are small or ask the cat what the hell he's talking about, or say that all this wackiness being in the Alyx in Wonderland book is something they knew but it's all still really weird for them to go through in real life or something like that." Yang: "There was a Red King!" Blake: "But something's changed since then." That's what... We already knew that, guys! Didn't they already come to that conclusion earlier? Why - what - the dialogue in this season is so badly written.

Weiss: "Great, so we're not in the stupid story after all." Me: "They're going to take this moment - the most obvious moment - to talk about how they probably didn't just blue skadoo into the pages of a book and that this place might be an afterlife or another world and Alyx or the author must've gone through this and gotten back to Remnant and the fairy tale is just based on that story and that it isn't even like the story they know because everything is clearly different and also maybe express concern about the tyrant beheading people considering that there's no reason to think the world they're in is fake or that the stakes don't matter because it isn't just fiction (for them) and they're clearly in a real place where people have real feelings." Weiss: "We're in its stupid sequel." ... Close enough.

Could Little stop being annoying for three seconds? I want to kick this mouse into the sun like it's a little dog named Teacup

Weiss: "What is the deal with this cat? Can't anyone here be normal?" Blake: "That's not just any cat! When Alyx was lost, she met the Curious Cat who loved to ask questions!" Yang: "And the Curious Cat helped Alyx find the tree!" They're... They're only just now realizing that's the Curious Cat? Guys, if I had gotten transported into a book I'd read enough as a kid or was culturally well known enough that I could recall details about the plot as a nineteen year old, why would I not be able to recognize a character like that? Especially one so fucking iconic looking! This isn't getting transported into Narnia and meeting a little girl and because she looks like any old little girl not realizing right away that it's Lucy Pevensie. This is basically like getting to Narnia and seeing a big old lion breathing life into trees and telling you he's the real king of the whole wood and talking about the deep magic and then ten minutes later being like "Oh shit are you Aslan?" This is quite literally like getting transported into a world like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and seeing a grinning cat gradually disappearing while offering confusing conversation and then ten minutes later being like "Wait that wasn't just any cat, that was the Chesire Cat!" I am reeling.

All in all, this episode was better than the other two, but still really lacking imo. I give it a four out of seven. I didn't laugh once, didn't feel emotional once, but they got a couple of grins and a bit of suspense out of me.

[black-quadrant]

joshbeat?? joshbeat

Joshua was convinced Beat didn’t like him. Why would he? There’s no reason for Beat to give Joshua the time of day, all things considered. The same went for all of Neku’s friends. Beat was particularly protective of Neku, and Joshua frankly had expected the two of them to grow close after their return the Realground, but apparently not as close as Neku and Shiki did. After several aggressive attempts on Neku’s part to convince Joshua to meet with them, he finally caved. That’s when he really got to talking to Beat and they buried the hatchet, so to speak. Joshua began to spend his downtime in the RG seeking out his company. One thing led to another, and Beat asked him out (which Joshua did not see coming. “Can ya even do that? Do they let you outta your bird cage?” Joshua had giggled at that. “I’ve already been breaking rules to see you. I suppose your rebellious nature is rubbing off on me.” Even though they’re drawn to each other, they’re, for all intents and purposes, polar opposites. They don’t make sense. And that’s what Joshua loves about them – about this. Bundled up in Beat’s hoodie at the skate park, watching him perform stunts with silly names. It’s just so… normal. If Joshua ignores the thrum of the UG in his Soul and tunes solely in to Beat, he can feel his vibrance for life. It’s addicting. It’s nothing like Joshua’s accustomed to, not even when he was alive. As he peels back the layers, becoming ever more intimate with each other, he continues to discover new things about Beat that endear him. His loyalty was especially attractive, and more so now that it’s been bestowed to Joshua. Beat’s not from any elite background; he’s not textbook smart. One might suspect Joshua would gravitate toward the more eloquent and erudite types, but that’s not the case. If there’s anything Joshua detests, it’s being bored. Beat challenges Joshua simply by being himself. His boundless excitement and penchant for total spontaneity ensure Joshua’s never bored. Even when things feel so normal like they do now. He could get used to this. He can’t, but to acknowledge that he could is… monumental. But for everything Joshua adores about Beat, he can’t fathom what Beat sees in him. Joshua watches with a growing smile as the brawny boy comes jogging back to him after practice, covered in sweat, panting and beaming with pride. It’s the least ideal time to ask, so it’s obviously the best time to ask. “What do you see in me?” Big blue eyes bat open wide, perplexed. Joshua lets slip a fond giggle and pats the space beside him to sit. “As in… what drew you to me? Why are you dating me, of all people?” It clicked then and Beat, flashing him one of those boyishly toothy grins, slings his arm around the petite set of shoulders to tuck Joshua in close. “Anyone can be forgiven, a’ight? Even you. You got a good heart. It’s just buried under a whole lotta hurt. I dunno what happened…” Joshua flinches and Beat gives him a reassuring squeeze. “But I don’t have to know what all went on when you were alive. All that matters is now. Yer smart… you teach me things. An’ you’re not so prissy, after all, not when I’ve got you squealin’ laughin’ an’ tryin’ to’ do ollies even if you fall an’ scuff up yer jeans. I know ya do that for me…” He takes Joshua’s hand and intertwines their fingers, resting their joined hands on his knee. “You’re more than ya want everyone to think you are. But I see you, more and more each day and I like the side of you that’s real.”

Joshua stares fixedly into his boyfriend's eyes, unaware of the pure shock wiping all semblance of dignity from his face, complete with slacking jaw. And Beat, looking adorably nonplussed, gives Joshua the tiniest shake. "Yo... you okay?" "That... was so articulate." Joshua says, awestruck, and smirks. "Maybe you are rubbing off on me." For just one stolen moment, Joshua’s not the Composer; he’s just a boy, and yet he's never felt more... important.

"I mean, I am an' I know ya hate when I sweat on ya--"

Joshua snags the chain around his neck and yanks him into a kiss before he can finish.

[fabricated-misslieness]

pairing: Sam Drake x male reader

req: no | wc: 1k

summary: Sam Drake has four little birds tattooed on his neck. He hadn't thought about what that might mean for his lovers.

warnings: suggestive, making out, neck kissing, neck biting, feminization (at Sam, just a nickname)

a/n: i finished uncharted 4 yesterday

Sam's meaning for the four little birds on his neck was freedom. Though their blue coloring had long since faded and their black outlines were beginning to thin out, the meaning still held true for him. Freedom was, unequivocally, one of his defining values.

It was the reason he got the tattoo something over a decade ago. The birds and their freedom were his hope, and sometimes, they were his wish.

Although Sam Drake liked to remain amorous and flirtatious, he hadn't thought about that romantic kind of aspect when getting the tattoo.

Except... he wasn't so sure this was specifically romantic.

The dim streetlights barely shined through the shoddy motel blinds, leaving hardly anything perceivable to vision in the room. Sam didn't need them anyway, and clearly, neither did you. He was mighty excited to test his new freedom, and you were just perfect for it.

"You're–" You're interrupted mid-sentence as Sam steals another kiss, pressing himself closer to you. "eager."

"Believe it or not," The time spent apart from your lips was infuriating, but he supposed he could settle for the warmth and skin to skin contact as he spoke. To say he was "all up on you" was an understatement. Everywhere he could touch, he did. His hands were wrapped around you midriff and one of his legs 'round your waist. "I just broke out of prison."

You scoff into the next kiss.

The light switch was right next to the door, but it was barely opened until it was slammed shut again, and slammed against it, another body.

The dim lights left everything up for imagination, except for the parts that shined. Sam's neck was one.

It's not long before the long, passionate kisses turn sloppy and not any longer until your hands begin to wander. Sam catches one of them as it sinks below his shirt. It's cold from the brisk air of the night and it's such a contrast against his positively burning skin. Regardless of his flaming vigor, he catches it in his hand. "Are you sure–"

"Yes."

Your kisses lead down his stubbled chin and towards his neck, where, finally, you catch sight of his tattoo. "Four little birds." You breathe out.

"Yeah." Sam's eyes are trained on your lips. They're rosy and swollen, slightly parted. They, and the skin around them, shines under the light. He wants to kiss you... but he also wants you to kiss him. "Do you like 'em?"

You press a kiss to one in reply. "Does that tell you anything?"

"It tells me a lot," His breath hitches when you dare to nip at the blue bird. The rest of his sentence comes out rushed. "of things."

It was amusing how easy it was to make him break simple speech. "Like?"

"Well..." Sam takes a moment to think, but it doesn't last long before his mind becomes jumbled in love. The nip, using only your lips, turns into a lick. The saliva chills the spot on his neck, turns it cool against the heat radiating between you two. When some semblance of coherence even returns to his mind, your teeth make a mark against neck.

""Well" what?"

He gulps. The movement of his Adam's apple is loud and clear within your view, and though very attractive, it wasn't your focus. "You like it."

"What's it?" The next bird is much too clean, untainted. You press a kiss to it as you await an answer, a real answer, from your lover boy.

"Nipping." In response to that, you nip at the blue bird. Sam leans his head back against the wooden door with an unmeditated caution, causing a noticeable thud to ring out within the room.

Sam doesn't acknowledge it, but you do. "Are you alright, princess?"

He groans pleasedly at the nickname, threading multiple fingers through your hair and leaving them tangled. A blush sprouts at the edges of his cheeks as he registers the sound. "Y-Yes."

You, too, seem pleased at the sound as you make another rewarding mark on the second blue bird.

Sam moans again, less shameful about it now. Still, he keeps his gaze away from you, afraid of facing those eyes of yours and ending this moment too quickly. His hand clenches yours instinctually, and suddenly you're reminded of its position.

Your hand's chill has turned into a warmth now, against his hot skin. You bring it slowly up his side, no doubt causing shivers to run down his spine. To him, it feels like more than just pleasure. The roughness of your fingers running across the expanse of his smooth skin causes pleasure and shivers and goosebumps and shockwaves. His body reacts absolutely animalistically, causing his hips to buck forward.

"Is there anything more to tell?" You press a small peck against the next bird.

He smiles down at you, finally finding the courage to look into your eyes. They burn, bright even in this dark room, and he can tell they're half-lidded. "You're amazing with your tongue."

A chuckle escapes your lips, quickly followed by your hot tongue darting between them to wet the third bird tattooed on his supple neck. Sam quirks his head at you with a look undoubtedly covered in love and lust, but most of all pleading. You obey him without a price, marking him for the third time.

Sam laughs, the divine rasp of the thousand cigarettes under his lifetime belt unhidden. Ecstasy rises in its tone along with it.

"Anything–?"

The next thing he says is already well thought out in his mind. "You like them, those blue little birds."

"You're wrong," Sam, at first, gasps when you skip nip and lick and go straight into bite. Your teeth are harsh and rough against his delicate, aging skin but he's utterly in love; he lets that love show in clear, beautiful, breathy moans worthy of a princess. "I love them."

Your hand slides down his side, much wilder, much faster, and he doesn't have the time to prepare himself.