#this whole chain of events honestly destroyed me

[abooklover]

Alex is stronger than me because if I just came out to my dad who then convinced me to spill my heart out to the love of my life, which I did while lying on a pontoon in the middle of a lake only for said love of my life to literally roll off of it to escape the conversation and then fly out of the country I think I would die on the spot. But no Alex Claremont-Diaz is like no siree, I love you and I’m gonna fly across a fucking ocean to tell you that.

[lynnaquinn]

So as I work on Rustbelt and Marked becomes the first book anyone will ever see of it, I grow more and more in love with the setting.

First off, recently because of other games, I've learned of a side of Post-Apocalypse media I never knew about, this honestly helped me develop the world into more of a unique setting. I never knew of the whole Roadside Picnic style settings.

But I digress, going back to what has happened.

So when I started arranging things, when the first book broke into three unique books, I rearranged what classes were in which Encampment Groups to have it make more sense to me. Marked went through huge changes in this in that I swapped out Dimensional and Lost to put in two of what I call "Blue" factions (reference to an in house categorizing of factions between Red, Green, and Blue, all lined up with the Terrain "Food Chain" and yes, these terms will change when final product is made.) I swapped the Rift-Scarred into a "Red" faction and then took the HUGE bite of putting the Ghostrunners as my "Blue" for book 1, making ECO the "Green."

The concept behind the world is that due to our fucking over nature, weather is so intense that we now live in what the corporations call Walled Cities. Through some "proprietary" tech that "wasn't given to them by something beyond us" the cities are shielded from the Apocalyptic storms happening outside them.

These cities are Capitalistic Hellscapes that sell different means of escapism almost like drugs; things like AR chips to remove the grime from your sight (or any other filter you choose,) splicing for cosmetics, and black bagging the homeless to "test new products on."

If the generator goes by its own failing or a storm getting in causing it, then for a brief moment a nuclear level event happens, ripping space and destroying the city.

The Rift causes the survivors to be forever changed. Some are scarred physically and mentally but gain psychic abilities, some become closer to the animal kingdom or even change themselves, and those unlucky to be connected to the AR slowly get their engrams dissolved into the digital aether.

You play the survivors of these Rift-Torn Cities within the first book.

Some rule concepts that used to be only some factions have also evolved to be an every faction thing honestly. These are things such as Leader/Unit Options and Archetypes.

Probably still need to figure more descriptive names for these hahaha.

Leader and Unit Options are a choice shared by Encampment Classes with similar themes that are a) Completely optional in your list, and b) meant to be thematic and fun. It is an option like having one of your Team be a Robot or an Intelligent Animal or what not or your Leader being a Cyborg or Hybrid or Splicer.

The Unit Option offers new equipment, the Leader Option offers new Equipment Sets for your leader, but you get to keep your leader type's ability. Both of these give stat changes to their stat line.

Originally I was only going to do one per the few that allow it, but now each faction gets 2 sets they can choose from and allows 2 Unit Options in their list instead of 1! This increased the original 2 sets to 5 now!!!

Archetypes were another "only some Classes had them" mechanic. They originally were replacing faction equipment on those Classes and offered a choice to the player that they HAD to choose one of.

Each non-leader originally had 2 equipment slots, the Archetype would take one of them presenting 3 that a player could choose from that were thematic to the class and each had 2 pieces of equipment that a unit only could have 1 of.

They work the same now, but with every faction having one, I've pressed the equipment limit from 2 to 3 to compensate so everyone can have some fun with the equipment outside of Archetype Choices.

Another thing was increasing D10 to D12 and upping the 4 basic stats on ALL models by 1. This was just to have better variance on odds.

Beyond that, swapping around Speed and Perception stats then changing Will to Grit really seems like a minor change, but honestly is one that feels important to me.

What other changes am I thinking of? As I've narrowed the books down to 4 planned, I thought of extending the 12 Classes in future books. But in the hours before typing this, I started to debate putting the upgrades just inside the books that have those classes. This would add alternative themes and options for each Class and related NPC Classes.

Just some thoughts hahaha.

[masschase]

i saw the wholesome ask meme and i’m dying to know

16. What was the happiest moment of their life?

- snail-eggs :)

Wholesome OC Ask Meme

Firstly, I just wanted to say that as suggested by this meme, I have wrapped Casey in a blanket burrito.

I mean in my current posted canon she's really missing Matt, plus, much like an angry kitten, it's much safer for everyone this way.

Now, onto the question:

16. What was the happiest moment of their life?

Oh there are a lot of options here but would rather talk about one in depth than a load of them so...

I'm going to go with the day she found out Johnny was still alive. Now obviously in my HC, the whole time travel mission interfering meant that she found this out in 2016 rather than 2020 but really this goes for either of those occasions.

Now as I said, she has had a lot of happy moments, but to me it's the fact that it's the undoing of one of her worst moments that makes it so significant. Casey's life before the Saints was rough but nothing can compare to losing friends right before your eyes. She may not be the most open with her emotions but she has constant nightmares. Lin. Carlos. Aisha. The Earth being destroyed.

But she didn't really see Johnny's death in those nightmares, because she never saw him die. In fact she would frequently have far more pleasant dreams of going to Johnny and Aisha's old place and talking with him. Only ever there, she never really dreamed him anywhere else, and they were always so vivid.

She never saw Aisha but sometimes she would hear her singing absent-mindedly in the next room, always in the next room no matter which room she and Johnny were in. In their apartment, in her dreams they were both still alive. Sadly she's not really a lucid dreamer but she would look forward to these unpredictable meetings, even if they remained scattered shards of hope amongst the nightmares.

That hope spilled over into real life. She always was a big believer in signs from the universe. So maybe it was because she didn't see him die, maybe it was because of these dreams, maybe it was because she was the first older male figure in her life to treat her with any tangible compassion, but Casey never fully let go of the idea Johnny might still be alive somewhere in reality too.

Unfortunately people around her don't share this view. Her friends try to help her accept it. Her shrink tries to help her accept it. They are trying to be kind and rational but it doesn't normalise Johnny's death for her, it just makes her feel like she is crazy for disbelieving it. Everyone is unintentionally gaslighting her and she eventually starts to internalise it. She stops talking about it as often. She starts to accept that maybe Johnny only exists in those dreams of hers now. Which only makes it frustrating that as she starts to let him go, they are becoming less frequent.

So when she finds out he's alive after all, she doesn't just feel ecstatic to get her best friend back, she feels incredibly validated. It's like a giant "Fuck you, I was right!" to the universe. And honestly, what better thing to be right about than the undoing of one of those deaths that have been haunting her for years?

Unfortunately the chain of events that snowballed from his full return in 2020 was something she's maybe not so proud of.

OPE.

So yes, I would say that's probably her happiest moment up to this point. There are some pretty significant ones in her future but... well... spoilers. ;)

[plaid-shirtsandvibranium-arms]

Nemesis: Retribution (4)

Summary: 10 years after the Avengers had left you for dead during a mission gone wrong, you unexpectedly re-enter their lives. Wholly unrecognizable from the person they used to know and now with a new team behind you, they ask for your help to stop a chain of syndicates who were manufacturing and peddling the super soldier serum. You were determined to say no until the chance at the vengeance you had been chasing for years was added to the offer.

Fandoms: Avengers, Marvel, MCU, The Punisher, Daredevil

Pairings: Female Reader x (Frank Castle, Billy Russo, Matt Murdock, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Pietro Maximoff)

Warnings: EXPLICIT SMUT. SHAMELESS SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR (18+ ONLY. I WILL BLOCK YOU), voyeurism, exhibitionism, authority kink, praise kink, spanking, slight dom themes, polyamorous relationships, reverse harem, blatant disregard for canon timelines and events, angst, Punisher canon level of violence and gore, strong language, mentions of trauma, mentions of character death, fluff if you squint, 

A/N: Slowing it down just a bit to move plot along. Freaking out on the reblogs and comments are encouraged and will be rewarded with cookies. Seriously though, I love hearing what you guys think and use some of it to make the next chapters better. I adore you all! Have at it!

No permission is granted to repost, steal, or translate my work. Not even a credit makes it okay. Tumblr is the only place I post my writing. If you see it anywhere else please report it.

Series Masterlist | Full Masterlist

1:4 Apple Crumble

Steve Rogers had kindly offered for you and your team to stay at the Compound. For however long this mission would take, you were all going to start running straight at it early tomorrow. In terms of the mission, he was relieved to have your help. The sooner the serum was out of circulation the better and they truthfully did need your help. This underground world was more your scene now and you could better navigate it.

On a personal level, he was glad that you were sticking around even if it was on a contract. He would take whatever opportunity he can and make the best of it. That's how he's always been and he wasn't going to change that now.

He told himself that it was because he was the Captain that he was at your door this late after you all had agreed to part for the night. It was out of consideration that he carried with him some of his own clothes to offer you in case you needed something to change into. It was out of a need to clear the tension with you now that you were going to work as a team again that he was knocking on your door.

That was all.

You opened the door a moment later wrapped only in a short towel and with your hair still dripping wet from the shower. The smile that rose on your face was sly as you leaned on the doorframe with your arms crossed and your hip cocked to one side. He swallowed.

Maybe that wasn't all.

"What can I do for you, Cap?"

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was far too distracted by the little droplet that rolled down from your temple to the valley of your breasts. He shook his head and cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus only on your eyes and not the inappropriate answers that sprung to mind at your question.

"I brought you a change of clothes in case you need it," he managed to say. "And I wanted to talk to you if you're not too tired."

You opened the door wider and took the clothes from him without a word, turning into the room toward the bathroom. You casually dropped your towel to the floor and Steve choked at the sight of your bare back, a small set of black panties the only stitch you wore. The breath in his chest released only when you disappeared into the bathroom, the door cracked open offering him enticing glimpses as you moved around.

Steve hurriedly closed the door behind him and as he made his way further in, he caught sight of an open go bag beside your bed with clothes clearly visible. There was also a shirt and sweats beside it, the design he knew belonged to Pietro. He felt a little embarrassed. Of course Pietro would have already beaten him to it and that your team always came prepared. Still there was a satisfaction that bloomed in him when you stepped out clad in his shirt, the hem barely reaching mid thigh and bare feet soundlessly crossing the carpeted floor until you came to sit with him on the sofa. You tucked your legs under you and rested your head on your hand over the back of the seat.

"Gotta say I like this look, Steve," you grinned at him.

He chuckled, self-consciously rubbing at his beard and pulling at the hair at the back of his collar. The light dusting of red on his cheeks didn't go unnoticed by you.

"What? You don't like the all American apple pie look?"

You hummed and took a leisurely look at him from head to toe. Rugged and imposing as he appeared, the heat on his face intensified at your obvious appreciation and the way you swiped your tongue along your bottom lip. You were biting your lip when your eyes met his again, trying to stop yourself from laughing at how flustered he was getting and how much you were enjoying it. You've always found Steve handsome and he made apple pie look damn good, but this look on him was just so dangerously delicious.

You had a type.

"I'm more of an apple crumble kind of girl. I like the texture better," you winked. "And I don't mind a little beard burn."

"Will your team mind that I'm talking to you without one of them here?"

You raised an eyebrow and held his unsteady gaze, clearly understanding he meant more than just your professional relationship with the three men.

"You're curious."

"It's none of my business. That's not what I came to talk to you about," he stammered, unaccustomed to how forward you were.

"What did you want to talk about then?"

"I wanted to apologize properly and thank you for agreeing to help."

You groaned and threw your whole body back on the seat, causing Steve's shirt to ride up just shy of completely flashing him. You sat back up and pinched the bridge of your nose, letting out a long breath. It was only the fact that it was Steve that you were even entertaining this conversation.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Steve," you firmly dismissed.

"I do, Nem. We all do."

"Fine. List down what you're sorry about. Let's go through it one by one or we can draw lots to make it interesting."

"Nem," he said, low and clear with warning yet imploring you to listen. "Can you take this seriously for one second?"

The ever present smirk on your face dropped as you sighed heavily and ran a hand through your hair. For the first time since he's seen you, your expression softened a fraction and a shadow of the person he used to know passed across your features.

"Listen to me, Steve. I don't blame any of you. I'm not angry at any of you. I honestly have no room for more anger even if I wanted to be."

In the beginning you were. There were days while you were getting tortured that you hated them while you pleaded to the heavens for them to rescue you. It had taken a decade and three incredible men for that inferno of fury to turn into a manageable bitterness.

"Do you know how tiring it is to be so fucking angry all the time?" you chuckled darkly. "It took a while, but I learned to prioritize what I choose to be angry about."

"Salvacion," he muttered and you nodded, your eyes staring blankly forward.

"I've carried that name for a decade, Steve. That asshole has to die by my hands."

Steve saw now how selfish he was for forcing the conversation with the purpose of earning your forgiveness. It was for easing his own guilt that he was doing it when instead he should have just been thanking you for what you did and had to endure.

"Why didn't you ever come back?"

"I tried, Steve. When I was recovered enough I tried to go back. Did you know my sister had a girlfriend?"

He shook his head, throat suddenly closing at the sight of absolute misery in your eyes. He regretted starting this conversation even more.

"Jill. She was amazing to Lily and she was like a sister to me too," you smiled a little, not in your usual sarcastic way but with a hint of gentle fondness before your expression hardened once more.

"I saw her and I just couldn't bring myself to face her. I'm the reason the love of her life is dead. I couldn't, Steve"

It started off with the fear that they might have killed Jill too. You told yourself you had to know, but truthfully you were trying desperately to find a connection to Lily. You found her visiting the graveyard, laying flowers on two stones and spending the afternoon sitting on the ground tearfully talking to the dead. The shame burned through you and from then on you made it your sole purpose to destroy the man who took Lily from you both. Until then you had no right to face her. You had no right to return to the life you once knew.

Steve noticed that you weren't crying although the look in your eyes was swimming with grief. He expected you to cry, but somehow seeing you with dry eyes only made you look more in pain. You only clenched your fists, your shoulders tense and your jaw stiff. Steve decided he would tell the others instead of having you go through this conversation again.

He would do that for you.

You woke up surprisingly refreshed the following morning, strangely lighter than you have felt in the past decade. You didn't expect for that talk with Steve to have such an impact on you. You smiled ruefully, remembering your many counseling sessions with Curtis before and that maybe you were finally seeing his point.

FRIDAY had directed you to the larger conference room for today's briefing session with the rest of the team. You were wearing another one of Steve's shirts paired with your usual cargo pants, a fact that didn't go unnoticed judging by the raised eyebrows and teasing smiles. Billy in particular was leaning in to whisper to Matt what was going on.

"You don't have to tell me. I can smell it," Matt chuckles, crinkles visible at the edges of his dark sunglasses. "His cologne is quite distinct."

You smacked Billy on the arm, but laughed with them as well before throwing a wink at Steve who proceeded to blush a deep red. As you took your seat, a cup of coffee suddenly materialized in front of you accompanied by Pietro's ever bright smile. You smiled gratefully and took a sip, eyes slightly rounding in surprise at the taste.

"You remembered how I took my coffee."

"I've forgotten nothing about you, little star."

You haven't taken your coffee that way in so long. It's been just strong plain black coffee lately, the lack of sugar and cream where you lived with the boys being a factor. It had seemed pointless to eat something sweet when there was a permanent sour taste in your mouth from life. Now though you couldn't seem to help taking one sip after another, licking your lips before going in for more.

Right now this tasted right.

You didn't notice that Billy was smiling adoringly at you and sharing a look of approval with Frank as the briefing began, happy that someone aside from him was spoiling you. You certainly didn't know that Matt was smirking because he heard your heart literally skip a beat at the sweet gesture.

It took hours for the meeting to wrap up, but there was still more to do before you could actually take action. A number of the Avengers were sent out to gather more intel while the rest would stay to make further preparations.

"I only really need to talk to Frank a bit more," Steve said as he approached your group. "Why don't we have Pietro show you guys around the Compound? There are some improvements I think you'll find interesting."

Your tour guide for the afternoon appeared beside you, taking your hand in his and bouncing on the balls of his feet in his excitement. He was just too cute that you couldn't help but let out a small smile. The effect he had on you remained it seems.

"A tour would be really helpful for me," Matt easily agreed.

"And I go wherever the pretty girl goes," Billy added, slinging his arm over your shoulders.

"Great. Surrender your weapons and you should be good to go," Steve asked with a pointed look at both you and Billy who groaned in answer.

Billy was ready with a string of complaints and counter arguments when the clang of metal on the glass conference table stunned him into silence. He watched in complete disbelief as you removed every gun and blade attached to your body, efficiently dismantling them and lining them up on the table.

"Is she?" Matt murmured, leaning closer to Billy.

"Yeah."

"All of them?"

"Yeah."

By the time you stepped back, there was practically a decent sized armory on the table. How and where you managed to fit all of it on your person was a mystery to them.

"You missed one," Billy said, snapping out of his daze.

He stepped in front of you and casually slipped his arm up the front of your shirt and under your sports bra. His fingers grazed unnecessarily close to your now hardened nipples and he simply winked when you raised an eyebrow at him. Billy pulled out two small throwing daggers soon after and placed them alongside your other weapons.

"Oh yeah. I keep forgetting about those," you chuckled.

"Do you always come armed to the teeth?" Bucky snapped, clearly bothered by the display.

"She doesn't want her team to carry extra ammo for her, Sergeant," Billy scowled at him, the obvious animosity surprising Bucky. When he turned back to Pietro, his expression was back to his usual playful one. "So how about that tour?"

Frank turned to Steve when you had exited the room. "You gotta teach me that trick, Cap."

"What trick?"

"First time in 10 years I've seen her take any kind of order without a knife fight first," he said, cracking a smile and shaking his head.

It turns out that coming back was doing some good for you and this made him more comfortable around the Avengers. He wasn't about to braid them friendship bracelets but he was less inclined to pop a cap in their ass. At least for the time being.

Walking around the Compound brought back some of that wonder you felt when you first stepped in, but it recalled everything you had lost. Sensing the sudden tension in you, Billy gripped you by the waist and pulled you into his side. He kissed your temple, a silent reminder of what you had gained.

Pietro had been an absolute sweetheart, specifically describing what was in the area for Matt's benefit and pointing out the changes to you. The training area was your last stop, the place you had spent the most time in during your short stint here. There were loud sounds coming from the area and walking in you saw fresh-faced recruits in paired off sparring sessions.

Your full attention was on Pietro as he happily listed off the new features and answered questions from Matt and Billy, the latter now in businessman mode as he thought of what he could implement for Anvil. You were having an unusually pleasant time until a familiar shrill voice demanded your attention.

"Well look what the street cat dragged in. Y/N?"

You knew that voice. A decade with torture and trauma included apparently couldn't change how much her voice grated at you. The cold smirk made a reappearance on your face as you slowly turned to face her, the three men with you were instantly alarmed at the change in your demeanor.

"Kim," you nodded.

"Thought you were dead."

"Thanks. Can't say I thought about you at all though."

"I see you're still pathetically clinging to Pietro."

"What can I say? He's really cute," you said with a wink at Pietro who seemed to enjoy the compliment.

She sneered at you, her irritation rising when you weren't backing down like you used to do. She couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed about you, but you seemed rougher around the edges and far too cocky for her liking. Luckily, she still remembered a sure-fire way to take you down a few pegs.

"I'm teaching a class on hand to hand combat. How about we show them a demonstration on what a real fight looks like?"

You giggled as your smile grew, a disturbing sight that made even Kim doubt herself for a moment. You nodded your head in easy acceptance and she looked like she was pleased at herself for getting this opportunity. Before you could step forward though, you found Matt's walking stick blocking your path.

"What? It's not assault if it's provoked," you grinned at the frown on his face.

He hated it when you found loopholes, but he relented with a heavy sigh. He was too used to this. He leaned toward Pietro and told him that he should inform the Captain.

"Get some snacks too, roadrunner," Billy chuckled, delightedly watching you strip off your shirt and walking confidently towards Kim on the sparring mats.

Pietro had returned a moment later after completing his task, actually handing Billy a bag of fresh popcorn. The smile on his face froze when he caught sight of your bare skin. So far all he had seen as evidence of your torture was what was visible on your neck and face. He had stupidly brushed that fact aside, too excited to have found you again. Now the vicious marring on your beautiful skin was a cruel reminder of their failure as your team. They had failed you.

He had failed you.

Back in the conference room, the same feelings were shared by two super soldiers. They had pulled up surveillance on the training area after Pietro's message, just in time to see you take off that shirt.

Bucky felt the air leave his lungs at the horrific sight. He was alive and you had paid a heavy price for saving him. He could barely keep his eyes on you, the shame burning through him. He didn't want to imagine the amount of pain you had to endure to sustain those injuries.

"Don't you people dare look at her with pity," Frank warned. "Those scars are a testament to her strength. She's damn beautiful."

Steve agreed. He'd caught a glimpse of your scars last night and jarring as they were, your complete lack of self consciousness to them just made you more alluring. Looking back at the screen though he was concerned that you could hurt yourself. Kim was a top agent now, high enough in the ranks to be training recruits and leading missions. She had proven herself deadly in combat, but the way you were grinning was chilling in itself.

"One question before we start," you said.

"What?" Kim scoffed, flipping her braided hair over her shoulder.

"When's your next mission?"

"2 weeks. Why?" she answered, perfect brow raised in confusion.

"Just calculating your recovery time," you shrugged. "I'm nice that way."

Kim predictably charged at you then, growling and cursing at you under her breath. You smirked, standard SHIELD movements were easy to read for you. You stayed completely still and relaxed in your stance as she lunged at you with her fist. You timed your movement precisely, sidestepping at the absolute last moment. One hand grabbed at the back of her head, forcing it down to ram against your oncoming fist with a sickening crack.

Broken nose.

Kim shrieked in pain as the blood gushed from her nose and she tried to pull away from you. You didn't let her. You pulled her down by the shoulder to bend her over before driving your knee up her midsection. She wheezed at the impact, the mat below her smattered with her blood.

Bruised ribs. Maybe slightly broken.

You unceremoniously threw her aside, letting her fall groaning on her side. You clicked your tongue, watching her struggle and turning to the class she was supposed to be teaching.

"Lesson 1, kids," you waved your hands in Kim's general direction. "Don't end up like that."

Broken ego.

You turned to go back to your boys when the glint of metal caught your eye. You tilted your head just in time for the dagger to zip past your eye line, only thinly scratching at your cheek. Your hands reacted on instinct, reaching for the small hidden pocket along the waistband of you pants. You flicked the thin blade with deft fingers, embedding on the mat and landing it purposely close to Kim's eyes that it cut through her fake lashes.

"Nem!" Steve's unmistakable voice boomed through the speakers. You had forgotten that they had FRIDAY everywhere. "We said no weapons."

You rolled your eyes and smiled cheekily at the cameras. "It's just a nail file. I don't like keeping blood under my nails."

"You call that training?" Steve groaned rubbing his eyes and turning to Frank.

"I call that anger management," Frank said, amused at how unpredictable to handle they already found you when they've barely scratched the surface. He noticed how Bucky looked furious, his metal hand clutching a little too hard onto the table. "Don't like what you see, Sarge?"

Bucky didn't answer. He didn't tell them that he didn't like what he saw because he knew he was a major contributor in what caused it. If only he had been kinder, gentler, more honest. Maybe things would have turned out differently.

He walked down the hallways much later gripping a first aid kit in his metal hand and nervously running the other through his cropped hair. The cut on your face was barely anything, but he needed an excuse to talk to you. He was afraid you would turn him away, but he was terrified that you wouldn't. He didn't know what to say to you. He didn't know how to begin to apologize for everything he's done. His palm grew sweaty and beads were beginning to form on his brow.

He was only a few steps away from your bedroom door and he was sorely tempted to turn back around when he noticed that it was cracked open and he could hear voices from inside. He should have followed his instinct to keep his distance but a high whine that definitely came from you pushed him to peak through the small opening.

What he saw made his already thumping heartbeat grow quicker. His eyes grew wide and his throat went dry. Whatever he was expecting, it definitely wasn't this.

You. Stark naked. Grinding your mound on someone's face.

You looked absolutely glorious as you wound your hips in your chase for release; head thrown, back arched, and lips in a dreamy smile. The view he had of you, facing him and deep into your pleasure, was enough to cause his pants to tighten. He couldn't see which one of your teammates was beneath you, the bedframe blocking his view. Whoever they were, Bucky was jealous. He wanted to taste you too.

He felt that stirring of longing again now as he watched you in the throes of passion with another man. He felt it the moment you stepped back into their lives. He felt it during the 10 years they thought you were dead. And he felt it when you were still in training as a recruit every time you smiled at Pietro and Steve.

You picked up your pace and he could see muscular arms reach up to grip your waist and pull you down harder. You were panting curses, your breathing turning erratic and Bucky could see your thighs begin to shake. The sight of you coming undone has to be the most entrancing thing he's ever seen.

Movement from you and your partner pulled him from the hypnosis caused by your erotic display. His face heated up, deeply embarrassed at having watched you for so long and finding enjoyment in basically violating your privacy. He was about to leave when the man whose face you had been riding, came up to kneel behind you.

He pulled your hips back against his own, sliding his hard length easily into your dripping cunt causing you to moan so deliciously that Bucky felt a shiver run down his spine. You reached your hand up to grip the back of his head, letting him bury his own in your neck as he set a languid pace with his thrusts.

Your head rolled to the side and your eyes opened, locking directly with Bucky's. You smirked and reached down to circle your swollen bud, pressing your back further against the hard body rutting behind you and purposely putting on a show. You winked at him.

He bolted out of there.

"That wasn't very nice, honey," the low voice was thick with lust in your ear. His breathing was growing labored too, finding your heat wrapping around him overwhelming.

"I don't see you stopping, Captain."

"How can I when you're gripping me so tight?" He snapped his hips earning a sharp moan from you. "Did you like that? Torturing my best pal with me balls deep inside you?"

You sighed and closed your eyes. Apple pie Steve wouldn't have whispered such sinful things to you, but this Steve could make you cum with just filthy words alone.

"Yeah, you did. Look at you clenching and soaking my cock from having Bucky watch you. You like being bad to him, honey?"

A sudden smack to your ass had you snapping your eyes open. He chuckled into your neck, biting down hard on the juncture as he felt you gripping him even tighter.

"Answer," he growled, landing a harsher smack to your bottom.

"Yes! Yes, Captain, I did."

"Good. Will you be good for me now, honey? You caused a bit of trouble today." His thrusting was still slow, making sure you felt every ridge and vein with each stroke as he drove you into a stupor. "Will you be a good girl for your Captain now?"

"Yes, Captain."

He smirked against your skin, pleased at your compliance. He was reveling in the power he had over you. Frank had said that you never took orders without a fight, but here you were being so good for him. Pliable. Yielding. He was enjoying it.

He gathered your hair in one hand and pulled, your back arching beautifully and emphasizing where his cock was buried deep inside you. With each thrust his cock came out glistening with your slick. The image made him lose control, abruptly escalating his pace to rail feverishly into you.

He had you gasping and clutching at the sheets instantly, begging for him to go harder and push you over the edge. He bent over you and reached around to rub furiously at your throbbing clit.

"Cum like a good girl, honey. Cum around my cock," he commanded. "I wanna feel you fucking drown me."

You came, lights dancing in your eyes and your head empty of all thoughts aside from the pleasure that racked your body. He followed soon after with a loud grunt, the sensation of you fluttering around him too much to resist.

He fell on top of you, spent and satisfied. Your sweat and heavy breaths mingling together as you both tried to return back to the world. You liked the heavy feel of him on top of you, strangely finding comfort in the weight.

He dragged you with him when he rolled off you, spooning you and planting kisses on the back of your shoulders that had your skin tingling from his beard.

"When are you going to put him out of his misery?"

"When it stops being fun?" you chuckled.

Steve wasn't going to push the issue. He knew that it was up to you whether you forgave Bucky or not and when that would be. It would be on your own terms how things moved. Just like what happened between you two. He wasn't expecting it, but the heated argument about the injuries you inflicted on one of his best agents had somehow escalated into him spanking you and you growing wet from it.

Not that either of you were complaining.

You turned around in his arms to face him, looking up at him with a taunting smirk. "You sure your old heart can take being in a polyamorous relationship?"

He chuckled and pecked your lips before going back in for a much deeper kiss that had you swooning. When he pulled back, he was looking at you lovingly.

"I'm known for waiting too long about things like this. I lost my shot at you 10 years ago. I'm not missing out on you again."

His words were firm and genuine. He honestly thought that he would mind having to share you with several other men. He thought that he would feel jealous and possessive. Instead, he felt reassured. He knew that wherever and whenever he lacked, someone else would pick it up and he would be the same. There was a sense of relief knowing that you would always be taken cared of by people who felt the same for you as he did.

"Well then you have some making up to do for waiting so long," you said nibbling at his lower lip.

He groaned and grabbed your thigh, hitching your leg up on his hip. Your thighs and core were still sticky and slippery from both your releases. His tongue dove into your mouth and he could feel you moan against his lips as he ran the tip of his cock against your still sensitive core. Your nails dug into his back as he sunk in, fitting perfectly inside you.

"You're running with a super soldier now, honey," he said, eyes burning with want. "I can do this all day."

------------------------------------------------

A/N: Some asked about Jill and Kim so here you go, lovelies. Come freak out with me in the comments and reblogs. Thank you all for the support! More coming soon. 

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[cosmicjoke]

SnK Final Episode

Well, I finally got around to reading the last chapter of SnK in the official English translation.  Honestly, I know a lot of people had an issue with how this story ended, and took exception to a lot of things, but on this re-read, I found myself just as moved as I was the first time I read it.  It broke my heart again.

Obviously, this final chapter focuses heavily on Eren, Armin and Mikasa, as it should.  It is, after all, their story.  And Eren is the tragic would be hero who instead became a monster.

I think what struck me most on this read through was how all the lessons Eren learned, all the lessons he took in, this recurring concept throughout SnK of sacrifice, and needing to let go of what you love in order to achieve real change, needing to sacrifice what means the most to you in order to make a difference, is exactly what Eren did.  But then, somewhere along the way, the root of these lessons, the true meaning of them, became twisted for Eren, and he lost sight of what this idea of sacrifice really means, and in particular, what it meant for the Survey Corps, and the ideals of that group.

In a lot of ways, Eren’s actions, his conviction in committing mass genocide in order to secure the futures of his friends, and the island, seems like the ultimate sacrifice.  Eren even says to Armin that he didn’t know if any of them would survive this conflict, and what is that, if not a great sacrifice on Eren’s part, to risk the lives of the people he most cares about in order to achieve a world free from the curse of titans?  He gives his own life too, sacrificing his desire to continue to live, and to be with everyone.  He allows Bertholt to live, and directs Dina Fritz toward his own mother, in order to set off the chain of events which will lead to all of this.  One can hardly think of a more horrific sacrifice, extreme beyond reason.  This is the side of Eren I find supremely tragic.  This part of him which did, I think, genuinely care for and love his friends and comrades.  This part of him which genuinely wanted only to make sure they had the chance to live long, happy lives.

But then, there’s the other side of this whole situation.  The other thing Eren confesses to Armin.  Which is that, even if he hadn’t known from his glimpse at the future that all of his friends and comrades would come to stop him, he still would have likely flattened the earth.  He confesses that it was just something he wanted to do, indeed, NEEDED to do, and he couldn’t answer Armin’s question of why.  We only get the vagueness of Eren’s thoughts here, remembering his father telling him he is “free”.  And it’s ultimately, I think, that freedom that Eren sought, above all else.  The primary, driving motivation for him, more so than securing the futures of his friends.  And it’s also, ultimately, what darkens Eren’s sacrifices, and calls them into question.  Eren sought freedom for himself.  When he discovered the existence of human’s beyond the walls, as he confesses to Ramzi, his initial reaction is a wish to see it all destroyed.  Eren had a picture in his mind of what true freedom looked like, and that picture consisted of a pristine world, untouched and unoccupied and undiscovered by humanity.  The existence of humanity outside the walls sullied that picture for Eren, robbed him of his own, personal realization of true freedom.  And that destruction of his dream, coupled with Eren’s, I believe, inborn compulsion towards violence and destruction, is what lead him, ultimately, to commit mass genocide.  So on the one hand, Eren sacrifices everything for the sake of his friends and comrades.  On the other hand, Eren sacrifices humanity for his own, selfish dream.  This duality of Eren’s actions is really fascinating, and in the end, deeply tragic.  He’s at once acting in a way totally selfless, and in another, totally selfish.

Where Eren truly lost sight of the lessons imparted to him by his comrades in all the years they fought together, is in how he ended up twisting this idea of self-sacrifice, of doing what needs to be done to achieve a specific goal, away from its intended meaning (that is, the overall good of humanity) and applied it instead to the good of the few, and in particular, his own desire.  Eren, in the end, was unwilling to give up the things most important to him, despite initial appearances.  He didn’t want to give up his friends, and he couldn’t curb his own lust for freedom, both of which lead to Eren twisting and betraying the ideals and philosophy of the Survey Corps, which was to fight for and protect humanity. 

And it was Eren’s actions, meant, at least on a surface level, to protect and ensure the survival of Paradis, which ultimately lead to its destruction, by engendering a mindset of defensive hostility among its people, uninterested and mistrustful of any sort of peace negotiations. 

I’ve seen some Jaegerists in real life claim that it was the rest of the world which was hostile towards Paradis at the end, and that’s what lead to it’s destruction.  But no.  The allied nations sent Armin and the rest to Paradis to negotiate peace.  We see in those final panels of the story that these negotiations, ultimately, failed, and it was because the people of Paradis had adopted a warring mentality.  It was the people of Paradis who took on Eren’s own philosophy of fighting to win, who decided to pit themselves against the rest of the world by building up their army and declaring themselves a separatist nation. 

It encapsulates, at its core, a theme we see throughout SnK, which is how violence begets violence.  A perpetuating cycle.  And Eren’s act of extreme violence, born both from a selfless wish for his friends to live, and a selfish indulgence of his own desire, leads, ultimately, to more of the same.

I think what bothers me most about Eren’s actions, is that he took them without anyone else’ consent.  He chose to keep the future he saw to himself, and chose not to speak of it with anyone, none of his friends, none of his comrades.  He simply decided to act on his own, and in the process, rejected their trust in him, and his in them.  And the only reason I can think of for why he would do this is that he knew his friends and comrades would do everything in their power to stop him before he could ever activate the Rumbling if he did, and that would have made his deepest desire, to level the world to a blank slate, impossible to achieve.  In the end, Eren placed the fulfillment of his own need above the well being of his friends, and above the well being of humanity as a whole, and again, this is, at its core, a betrayal of the ideals and philosophy of the Survey Corps.

They started out fighting titans, only with the hope of freeing humanity from their tyranny, and to better the lives of all people.  What Eren ended up doing, in the end, was perfectly the opposite.  He ended up destroying the lives of almost all people on Earth. 

Also, just as a side note, I really hate the disingenuousness of people who say Armin was thanking Eren for committing mass genocide.  That ISN’T what Armin is saying, and I think everyone who claims it is knows that too, and they only say it as a means of shitting on this incredibly important story.  Armin is thanking Eren for his self-sacrifice, for taking on the burden of making himself into a monster for all of their benefit, not for the actions he took to do so.  Armin calls what Eren does a mistake, and that’s exactly what he means.  He’s telling Eren in that moment that what he’s done is wrong, and he promises Eren that he won’t allow that mistake to have been made in vain, that he’ll make sure to salvage what he can from it. 

Also, also, I can’t write a post on the final chapter of SnK without talking about Levi a little, lol.

Levi’s final moment with all his fallen comrades never fails to tear my heart to pieces.  It’s the first and only time in the entire story that we see Levi cry.  When, at last, the truth of his heart is revealed on his face.  Levi says to the images of his fallen friends “You see that?  I guess this is it.  What you dedicated your hearts for.”  And he gives them the salute, the first time he’s ever done so.  It shows Levi’s belief in their cause, and his embracing of it.  His embracing of their ideal.  But I think Levi still struggles with knowing whether all of this was worth their lives, in the end, and his tears are a reflection, I think, of that doubt.  It’s revealed to everyone that the power of the titans is gone as a result of Eren’s actions, and this is what Levi must be referring to when he says what he does to his lost comrades.  At last, the original goal of the SC has been achieved, humanities freedom from the oppression of the titans.  But at a cost which, in itself, betrays everything the SC fought and sacrificed to achieve.  Levi’s tears, in my mind, are a result of his deep sadness at this realization.  As he wonders to himself in chapter 136, this is what they all gave their lives for?  To see the hearts and lives of the worlds people trampled?  Of course not.  They gave their lives for the opposite.  To see the hearts and lives of the worlds people uplifted.  To win them freedom and hope and control over their own destinies.  Whether that was humanity as they understood existed at that time, only the people living behind the walls, or upon discovering people beyond the walls, still, it was always for HUMANITY that the Survey Corps fought, for HUMANITIES freedom and right to live on its own terms.  So, as Levi has always struggled with the worth of their cause, with his ability to believe in the possibility of that ideal world won through the sacrifice of his friends lives, I think he continues on with that struggle here, as a world without titans has been achieved, but at the cost of the ideal that went with it.  At the cost of the very humanity they all fought and gave their lives to protect.  In so many ways, it only reaffirms for Levi what he’s known his whole life, which is no such ideal world can ever, truly exist.  That his fallen friends and comrades gave their lives for something which will always remain a distant dream.  For Levi, who values life more genuinely than any other character in the story, and could never justify anyone sacrificing their lives for anything less than that ideal world, this must be the bitterest of pills to swallow.  To know that they all gave their lives for something which can never, truly be.  Because I think Levi always wanted to believe in that ideal, and he clung to the hope of it for so long, to its possibility.  It was that hope, unlikely as he always knew it was, that allowed him to keep fighting until the bitter end.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

It’s hilarious how Leif stole the box for nothing. She did it to keep the moon from falling and talked about the ‘cosmic ecosystem’ would lead to that, but I guess it really was bullshit because the finale reveals that the moon’s descent has nothing to do with the gems. No wonder the Core dismisses Leif’s concerns, it was in full control of the moon this entire time. Because of Leif, she kickstarted a chain of events that led to Barrel and Andrias being left alone and the former dying; Led to Amphibia falling into a dark age as Andrias projected his anger towards Leif by suppressing her species more. And it eventually led to the calamity box and its power being destroyed, the freaking MOON destroyed. Which is ironic because Leif talked about preserving nature and the ecosystem and her actions destroyed the tides.

The characters don’t even acknowledge the implications of this, the show just breezes past it despite being about nature and the effects of colonization. We don’t get anyone discussing the destruction of the moon as the lesser of two evils, it just happens and everyone unironically cheers and is more focused on Anne dying because I guess she really is the center of the universe, hence being elevated to Godhood out of freaking nowhere with a deity that had zero setup and foreshadowing. Because Anne is so cool that not only can she show these three species how it’s done in getting along, she can show this ancient god the error of their mistakes without even trying!

But back to the original topic; You can’t even say that Leif saved humanity because of her efforts because she never cared about humans. Matt even went out of his way to confirm it, Andrias said he’d conquer savages and Leif cheered. She did this purely to save Amphibia only to cast it into a technological dark age and cause the obliteration of its moon. Suddenly that vase of Leif giving the box to Vikings takes a dark turn, because she’s not some hero who’s learned to empathize with them and help; She’s just dumping her problem onto these lesser savages for us to take care of, all for the sake of HER world that was gonna colonize is and her world alone. And Leif immediately left Earth so there’s no way she could’ve learned to value humanity, and apparently she never chose to check up on Barrel or Andrias? Never send the latter that letter of hers to get to him?! Just hid?! Unbelievable.

I mean, I would argue Andrias' choices are definitely his own, including how he reacted to Lief's betrayal, but like, it really feels like they had a-lot more planned with the Lief stuff and the vikings thing maybe, but....we never really got it, cause filler more important and no time I guess to explore anything with Earth and Amphibia having connections prior to the calamity trio. Honestly, it really is so weird how they handled the core and the gems. Like, the whole vision would lead you to believe if the core gets the gems, that's what would happen, but...no??? Core was possessing the moon in Amphibia this entire time, and decides to just fucking crash it, making the vision pretty weird to look back on as a result.

And don't get me started on the goddess thing. I will never understand it. Look, its a cool idea and I do find the memes of Anne at 91 being told time to become god, funny. But like, where was the foreshadowing??? What reasoning is there beyond her having used all three gems??? What even is this god that we've not had foreshadowed or hinted at properly prior? What's the point beyond referencing that joke of Anne high on dentists drugs say Domino is some god??? Like, what???

[bookwormsid1015]

BNHA: This Time Around

[A Semi-CloudNight Oneshot]

“Aaahhh! It feels so good to unwind like this,” Fukukado Emi, best known as the Laughing Hero: Ms. Joke, laughs in relief as she leans forward against the bar countertop, a mug of whiskey in hand. She’s dressed in her civilian outfit, which consists of high waist blue skinny jeans and a light yellow crop top tee shirt with a bold white stripe stretching across her chest. Her mint green hair is held back in a low ponytail, and black slip-on sneakers adorn her feet; her outfit accented by  a black choker around her neck and three beaded bracelets coating her right wrist. 

Joining her at their favorite bar is Tatsuma Ryuko (Ryukyu), Takeyama Yuu (Mt. Lady), and Kayama Nemuri (Midnight). Nemuri’s rosy red lips tilt upwards into a sly smile, and she raises her glass of red wine to her lips. Unlike Fukukado, Nemuri is dressed to impress, with her beautiful dark blue dress fading to a vibrant pink as it travels down towards the helm of her dress, perfectly matching her light complexion. Black three inch heels adorn her feet, and her deep indigo hair is held over her head in a messy bun, staked into place by a black pin that distinctly resembles a fox tail. 

Nemuri pushes up her crimson red glasses, still smiling. “Me too,” she agrees happily. “My agency has been so busy lately with all the League of Villain madness. It feels great to just be in the moment every now and again.”

Sitting on Fukukado’s other side, directly across from Nemuri, Takeyama stares down at her small glass of champagne, her eyebrows knitted together in exhaustion. The Giant Hero, like Ms. Joke, is dressed in casual clothing, wearing short blue jean shorts with a simple orange tank top and a single star-shaped golden necklace around her neck. Her long, wavy blond hair is tied back in a ponytail, which spirals down to her midback in beautiful platinum waves. 

“I knew starting my own agency was going to be hard, but I didn’t think it would be this hard,” Takeyama confesses, exhaustion lacing her tone. “Like, I can’t effectively take down any villains because my size destroys so much property, and I hate that my fans only seem to like me because they want me to step on them! It’s so weird! People are weird and gross!” She drops her head onto the table and groans mutely into the polished wood. “And here I thought the big city would be different from home.”

Tatsuma places a gentle hand on Takeyama’s back and pats it reassuringly. Like Nemuri, Tatsuma is dressed for the occasion in a simple yet elegant violet dress with a chain of pearls around her neck and diamond earrings in her ear. It is no surprise Ryukyu would wear such beautiful jewelry, though given her status as a dragon, Nemuri wasn’t surprised.  “Don’t worry, Takeyama. We all start off rough, but guaranteed your agency will become amazing,” the Dragon Hero encourages the blond heroine gently, and Takeyama’s shoulders only slightly relax.

Fukukado taps her chin, her dark green eyes thoughtful. “Come to think of it, aren’t you and Kamui Woods, like, a thing now? I heard his agency is successful, maybe you can talk to him about it,” she says, and Takeyama reaches across the table with frantic shushing gestures.

“Don’t say that outloud! We want to keep our relationship private! The last thing we need is the media crawling up our asses about it,” she snarls at the Laughing Hero, and Fukukado raises her hands in surrender.

“Oops! My bad!” Fukukado yelps and frantically checks around her in case anyone was listening in. Nemuri and Tatsuma make eye contact from across the table and snicker to themselves.

“Kamui Woods is a very dependable man, though,” Tatsuma adds. “I’m proud of you.”

Takeyama buries her face in her hands. “Can’t we talk about anything else?” she whines.

Fukukado’s smile returns full force, and a shit-eating grin splits across her face. “But why though? Everyone loves hearing about a good romance!” She cups her hands to her cheeks and swoons giddily. “Like, just the other day, I ran into Eraserhead at a coffee shop! It was so amazing, like something out of a romance novel!” 

Nemuri’s cerulean eyes widen slightly. “Oh yeah, he told me about that. Didn’t he leave the second he saw you?” she asks.

Fukukado’s cheeks flush red, and she chuckles awkwardly. “Oh, yeah, he did. Something about not wanting to deal with my energy or whatever. But that just makes it so much more exciting! I mean, look at him, all dark and mysterious and broody~!”

“Not to mention a total hobo who forgets to shower half the time,” Nemuri adds. The other heroines at the table chuckle.

“AND he’s the only one who I haven’t gotten to laugh yet!” Fukukado goes on, ignoring Nemuri’s remark. “One of these days, I’ll get him to laugh! If not, at least smile! Yeah, that would be amazing.”

“Why not use your Quirk?” Tatsuma asks.

Fukukado shakes her head adamantly. “He erases Quirks, remember? Besides, I don’t just wanna make him laugh! I want to really make him laugh, you know? Something authentic. Using my Quirk would just be dishonest and mean.”

Nemuri shrugs her shoulders, though a part of her is secretly relieved. She’s known Eraserhead since high school, and knowing him, the main reason he wouldn’t want to try dating Fukukado would be because he doesn’t want to be influenced by her Quirk. Then again, this is Eraserhead they’re talking about. After what happened in high school, he probably wouldn’t give her a chance either way. He has trouble enough making friends, let alone dating. The cruel reality of hero work scarred him, and the mere thought of it hurts her heart. Fear guides him, and Nemuri desperately wishes she could do something to help.

“What about you, Midnight?” Nemuri perks up, and finds the eyes of the other heroines glued on her. Fukukado leans forward eagerly, her dark green eyes sparkling like diamonds. “Do you have anyone you’re with right now? With your gorgeous looks and bedazzling personality, I’ll bet yes!”

Tatsuma casts Fukukado a significant look. “Ms. Joke, your bi is showing,” she comments, startling a laugh out of Takeyama.

Nemuri glances down at her wine glass and slowly sways it around in her grasp, watching the dark red liquid roll within its transparent chamber. Her smile becomes wistful. “I’ve had flings, but serious relationships? Nope. I haven’t had any in years. Probably not since high school,” she replies honestly.

Takeyama lifts her head, blinking at the R-Rated Hero in surprise. “What? There’s no way. Your entire aesthetic is about intimacy! Especially the sexy kind,” she gapes, and Nemuri chuckles at her reaction.

“It’s true. I haven’t had a proper boyfriend since my third year in high school, and to be honest…” Nemuri’s smile becomes bitter, and she chuckles in spite of her hypocrisy. “I don’t think I’ll ever date again. Hurts too much.”

Fukukado grimaces slightly. “Oof, was he really that bad?” she asks, and Nemuri immediately shakes her head.

“No, no. In fact, he was amazing. He was the sweetest, funniest, most loyal person I’d ever met. He cared about everyone unconditionally, and he would always go out of his way to help people. Hell, this one time, he found a kitten stuck in the rain and brought it with him to school,” she reminisces, smiling at the memory of him. Even now she can clearly see his broad, glowing smile, and the image sparks an old pain in her heart. “He was my everything. Even though we wanted different things out of life-- with him wanting to start an agency with his other friends, and me wanting to start the Midnight Agency-- we still promised we’d be together. That we'd make it work.”

Fukukado’s brows are drawing together in concern, now, and acid rises in Nemuri’s chest at the realization in her eyes. “Wait, you’re talking about him in the past tense,” she says. “What… happened?”

Nemuri’s smile falls completely, and she utters a deep sigh. “The worst,” she responds. “About fifteen years ago, we were alerted to a villain attack in Tasomiya Ward, a giant monster with the ability to stockpile power.” Tatsuma and Fukukado’s eyes widen nearly simultaneously, no doubt recognizing the event, but Takeyama blinks at Nemuri in confusion; she’s too new to the career to know. 

Her voice shudders, but still, Nemuri goes on, “All of us were there. Me, Eraserhead, Present Mic, and… him. We did everything in our power to stop the monster, but it was too big. We couldn’t do anything. I was evacuating everyone out of the area while he, Present Mic, and Eraserhead went to go stop the villain. Civilians got hurt; there’s no way to protect everyone. But he…”

The image washes over her, stealing away all her breath in an instant. She can smell the salty rain clouds, she can feel the slick pavement beneath her boots, the uncomfortable way debris clings to her sweaty skin. Above all else, she remembers rounding the corner just in time to see a cloud explode to life over a class of kindergarteners and their teacher, leaving them protected but him exposed. Their eyes made contact, and before Nemuri could do anything, before she could call out his name or take a step forward, a giant chunk of debris was upon him, and she was helpless to watch it swallow him whole.

The scene barely lasted for more than a few seconds, but she can still see it. The sickening crunch resonating through the air as his skull cracks open, the violent spray of blood from his head… She suddenly wants to throw up her wine and crumble into a ball. Old insecurities she thought she’d abandoned were suddenly creeping up the back of her mind, whispering terribly in her ears.

“Your quirk is useless. It couldn’t protect anyone, especially not your loved ones.”

“It’s because you’re so useless he’s dead.”

“Why are you even a hero?”

“Midnight?”

Nemuri snaps out of the memory and finds the other heroines looking at her in worry. She quickly realizes she’d dropped her wine glass to cover her face, and while thankfully the glass didn’t break, the wine was splattered all over the table top. It looks exactly like his blood.

“Midnight,” Tatsuma reaches out to her and gently takes her hands, leading them away from her face and gripping them tightly. Nemuri clings onto the contact, desperately wishing her hands were someone else’s. “Are you okay? Do you need a moment?”

Nemuri shakes her head slowly and slips her hands out of Tatsuma’s reach. She hates it when people look at her with those worried eyes. “It affected all of us,” Nemuri goes on. “Obviously, it hurt me. I lost my boyfriend and the guy I wanted to… but Present Mic and Eraserhead lost their best friend. Their brother.”

Fukukado shakes her head, tears springing to her eyes. “Oh, Midnight, I’m… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to open an old wound,” she whispers in horror, and Nemuri shakes her head again, this time with more resolve.

“It’s fine, really. It gave me a horrible wake up call, that above all else, we are heroes. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Every day we go out there and put our lives on the line. We could live, we could die, but what matters most is protecting others.” She glances down at the wine spilled all over the table, and her own reflection stares back at her with wary acceptance. She sighs, long and tired. “Watching him die made me realize how easily life can be lost, how tragedy can strike in an instant. That’s why I want to embrace my youth for as long as I can, so I can live enough for both of us.” Her reflection’s lips quirk upward into a trying smile. “That way, when I die, when I can finally see him again, I can tell him about all my adventures with pride.”

Nemuri looks up and finds herself staring into the wet faces of the other heroes. Tatsuma, Fukukado, and Takeyama are all staring at their senior hero with wide, tearful eyes, and Nemuri likes to think in this moment, they felt more respect for the seasoned heroine.

Nemuri smiles back at them and wipes the tears from her eyes. “Remember that, you three,” she tells them. “Go forward knowing nothing-- not even love-- is certain, but don’t let it scare you. The world is scary, dangerous, and even cruel, but what’s most important is cherishing the people in our lives.” She raises her wine glass and what remains of the wine sloshes around in its glassy imprisonment. “To living.”

Fukukado, Tatsuma, and Takeyama look between themselves. One by one, they lift their drinks to the sky, each glass a different shape containing a different drink. “To living,” they echo, and tap their glasses together with Nemuri’s. The R-Rated Hero smiles truly, her heart swelling with pride.

Nemuri drives home alone that night.

Of course, the four heroines stayed at that bar for hours, laughing and drinking together once the shock of Nemuri’s lost-love bombshell faded away. As their senior, Nemuri only drank a few sips of her wine every now and again (although the gruesome memories made her want to get wasted out of her mind), and she allowed the other heroes to have their fun and get as wasted as they want. Takeyama and Fukukado were joking around, having a blast singing old pop culture songs together, occasionally getting Tatsuma to join in whenever the Dragon Hero got over her shyness.

Eventually, Nemuri dragged the three drunken heroines back into her car (thankful they all decided to take Nemuri’s car there and back), and she drove all the ladies home, making sure they had all their possessions with them before leaving. Once she dropped them all off at their houses and made small talk with any partners they had waiting for them, she decided to gather her wits and go home herself. Today was a long day, and she was surprised to find herself emotionally exhausted so soon.

The bar is a fifteen minute drive from her house, but as soon as she leaves her car and strides up the driveway, she pulls open the front door and steps inside her dark home. Despite it’s nice size, being a two story house with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, only Nemuri lives in it, though she’s not completely alone.

“Meow!” Nemuri looks down, and her heart lifts slightly as her tabby orange cat comes bounding over to her, high in energy despite his age. Nemuri kneels down to collect him in her arms, and she cradles the cat like a baby.

“Hello, Sushi-baby,” she coos at him as she kicks the front door shut and locks it behind her. “How are you doing? Were you keeping the house safe from big bad strangers while I was gone?”

Sushi meows in response and nuzzles her bust.

The house is big and empty now, but one day, Nemuri hopes she’ll marry and settle down, maybe start a family all her own. It won’t be for a while, and honestly, Nemuri is scared to start dating out of fear of herself or her partner dying, but she decided a long time ago to live by her words so she bought the house regardless. She’s getting older now, and at thirty-two, she knows she doesn’t have much time left. At the very least, Oboro would want her to be happy, even if her happiness isn’t with him. She just hopes she can find someone accepting of her tastes and interests, like he did. 

Nemuri enters her living room and sits back in her recliner, pulling out her phone to amuse herself. Sushi immediately adjusts himself in her lap and kneads her legs with his paws, turning around in a circle before plopping down into a comfortable loaf. Nemuri scratches him behind the ears with a faint smile.

“We’ll be okay,” she says, more so to herself than to the cat.

Sushi’s lazy purring is her only response.

Nemuri leans back into her chair and sighs. Tomorrow will be a new day.

[steamberrystudio]

I also love the changeling art! I have played through each route once and Elliot's twice to see the different endings, and I bet I'll keep on playing too. It's honestly the best and most engaging VN I have ever played. I am wondering though if the events in each route are still happening in the different routes if that makes sense though? Like obviously stuff like Danny getting kicked off the team seems to happen in all the routes, but does stuff like the rogue vampires coming to town happen?thx

I left it vague on purpose since I didn't really want to have to address it! LoL. There are hints that some things are overlapping but that Nora's lack of involvement causes things to go differently (so some events don't blow up the same way they do when she's actively involved and making it worse. LoL). But really, I just needed characters to be freed up for other plots without having to worry about how the other events would be affecting things so I didn't try to address it.

In the end, I always sort of imagine my games as having a 'butterfly effect' style story line where the players decisions in the common route end up completely altering the flow of events that follow - even events that seem like they couldn't possibly be connected. (Gilded Shadows follows this same sort of principle). You might see some vague overlap in events but never a complete overlap.

Thinking about it, certain plots really wouldn't happen at all without Nora being involved.

For instance, the events of Marc's route - since Adrian would never encounter Spencer, that would never trigger the whole chain of events that follows.

Much of Ewan's route also would never happen without Nora being involved with Ewan as well.

William's events could probably happen in the background and stay low key because without him being emotionally attached to Nora, there would be no trigger point for things to explode and become the big deal they become.

With the other three routes, it's a little more difficult to explain why the events would be so low key but I just assume events are happening either at a slower pace or the timeline was thrown off by the "butterfly effect" I mentioned.

So, for instance, because Nora meets Ewan in the library instead of Elliot, the Ferals end up lying low for another couple of weeks and don't really start ramping up their hunts until after Nora has already destroyed the Faerie hill - which puts the events of Elliot's route happening after the events of Ewan's route are over.

How does Nora's meeting someone in the library affect something like Ferals? Who knows? In this theory, Nora is the butterfly flapping her wings and the Ferals are the storm that somehow gets delayed as a result.

This is actually something I always struggle with as a writer because it doesn't feel right to me to have events just RANDOMLY differ, but I definitely cannot logically say all the route events DO happen whether Nora is present or not (because then the presence of some characters in other routes makes no sense). That's why I like this butterfly effect theory where I can say the reason the other route plots don't happen in the same way or at the same time is just because of CHAOS THEORY and butterfly effect.

So.........that was a really long, rambly answer to a very simple question. XD

[saimotass]

little things in v3 that make me appreciate the game slightly more (spoilers)

the fact that the two incest plotlines can directly be traced back to tsumugi, whose fantasy in her love hotel event deals with her and shuuichi being stepsiblings. the fact that brother-sister incest happens twice within this killing game (with korekiyo & miyadera, and monotaro & monophanie) could be just tsumugi trying to extend her incest fetish to the public.

tsumugi probably named monophanie that way because she knew that she wanted to make kaede the protagonist (at least for the first trial). monophanie sounds like monophony, a term in music that refers to a unified, completely homogenous sound, such as a single instrument in a piece, or every instrument playing the same exact melody.

tsumugi's place in the trial room is exactly where junko's was, right in front of monokuma. she wanted to copy junko's killing game so much that she wanted to take the role of being in her position.

because it's so ambiguous whether tsumugi ever says the truth at all during her entire confrontation, it's almost to the point where she doesn't even have her own identity, and tsumugi shirogane could just be another fictional character she made up for herself. she could have deliberately chosen to raise her voice and have blue hair to pay homage to sayaka, who technically started the killing game in the first place.

the monokubs all have different homages to various former contestants in the killing games. monokid is a guitar player like ibuki and has syo & junko's long tongue. monodam is a robot much like mechamaru, and his name could be a reference to gundam, while his attitude seems pretty similar to twogami's (wanting everyone to get along regardless of whether it's possible or not). monosuke has a gruff attitude similar to mondo, enjoys baseball like leon, and is associated with money like celes and togami. monophanie is sweet and shy but still obedient and cruel, like mikan and touko, and her color scheme brings monomi and chiaki to mind. monotaro has a scarf like gundam, uses throwing stars that bring to mind izayoi from dr3, and has a leadership quality to him like kiyotaka and twogami.

the monokubs have similar color schemes to the warriors of hope, with a few of them having similar traits to them. monotaro and masaru are both the "leaders" and hotheaded, and are orange-red. monophanie and kotoko are both submissive yet still scary, and are pink. monodam and monaca both control their friends and associates and become power hungry because of it, and are both green. monokid and nagisa don't have much at all in common, but are both blue. monosuke and jataro also don't have much in common, but are both associated with neutral tan colors.

tsumugi and the ultimate impostor both show up in this game, but tsumugi is impersonating them, which would probably be her dream -- she's essentially cosplaying a cosplayer who's cosplaying as someone with no identity.

tsumugi doesn't end up contributing a lot because she's an intern for team danganronpa -- she's not used to having a say in major decisions and big meetings, since she's low on the chain of employees.

you never actually see tsumugi's face in the shot of everyone after kaede's execution, probably because she was either smiling or just completely expressionless. she got away with murder by killing another person, and as such would probably be incredulous or ecstatic about the result of the first trial.

when kaede asks tsumugi about her favorite anime, she mentions hers, and her favorite episode of said anime is episode 53. she probably was lying here, and just said that number in a panic. she hadn't probably thought that far into her backstory as tsumugi.

tsumugi probably planned for shuuichi, maki, and himiko to still survive the school being destroyed, since she gave them some of the most emotional moments in the game, killing the people closest to them. shuuichi had the deaths of both kaede and kaito, maki had her breakdown after kaito's death, and himiko lost both angie and tenko within the same trial. it would make sense that she had planned for them to survive through the whole thing, even if kiibo kind of sidestepped her plan a bit.

at the end, before her execution, tsumugi seems actually pretty neutral about her plan failing, even saying that she's proud to have made a perfect copy of the original killing game's plan. this could mean that she intended for the entire thing to fall apart, bringing an audience surrogate, a masterful liar and criminal, and a gifted detective into the same season all together.

kaito's illness was either planned from the beginning, or implemented after tsumugi realized how close he and shuuichi had gotten, and how helpful kaito's been to him. kaede was an easier target because there was a believable reason to execute her in everyone else's eyes. kaito probably would have never killed if he hadn't been battling his illness, since he agrees to help ouma in chapter 5's plan knowing that his time is limited. tsumugi probably instilled a handicap on him, knowing that he was the most hopeful and optimistic of the characters besides kiibo, who she could easily manipulate since he was essentially just a standin for the audience itself.

the inclusion of the remnants of despair as a plot point for part of the game makes sense when tsumugi is revealed to have created the entire season. she's a huge fangirl and wanted to have a nod to the second game. it also would make sense as something that she would just randomly throw in as a means of fanservice to the audience.

the demo's whole gimmick of makoto, hajime, and hagakure being part of the game alongside the new characters is put in a new light after the reveal that the original games were just works of fiction in v3's universe. plus, it's implied that makoto and hajime are actors, which would make sense. technically speaking, everyone in v3 is an actor as well, and with tsumugi cosplaying as a bunch of previous characters in the final trial, chances are that the makoto and hajime actors aren't the original characters, merely portraying them.

tsumugi being the mastermind makes so much sense, and the theme of truth vs. lies makes sense in terms of her constant denial that fiction can't influence reality. as a big fan of danganronpa before becoming part of the games themselves, she's more than likely well aware of the effects that fiction can have on real life, and probably agrees with shuuichi deep down.

the parallels between tsumugi and junko are interesting, but the ways in which they die are the most. they're both crushed to death, and while junko's smiling the entire time (save for the very end, when the crusher stops momentarily, allowing her a bit of confusion as to why it isn't working before she dies), tsumugi is just blank the entire time. it goes to show how even though she got to live her dream and become her idol, she just didn't have the same dedication and devotion to the cause that junko did.

also, kokichi and tsumugi are both crushed, and both were suspected of being the masterminds, also being the representatives of two criminal groups. they're very good antitheses to one another when you start to compare and contrast the two.

i could keep going but honestly we'd be here for a while

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

Speaking of moments in "Cordially Invited", there's this bit that just makes me horribly sad later on when they're in the dining room and Winter loses patience with Jacques' tirade where they cut to James and Clover's' reactions (and then to Robyn's), and he looks... not disappointed but very "ooh, yep, was waiting for that", like he recognized that she was playing into Jacques' argument without even needing to hear his response. Which doubly sucks when he reprimands her because I very acutely get that frustration of someone speaking up and only ending up offering more ammunition to a belligerent opposition, but I also think that she was fully within her right to speak "out of line" (as she puts it later in the hall with Penny) in his defense.

Ohhh yea that moment HURTS because I think James knew the odds where very high something like this would happen but he still brought Winter their. Whether it was for moral support from her or because she insisted on being their we don't know for sure but I like to believe he brings Clover and Winter with him for moral support for himself because out of everyone these two are the ones who have consistently had his back and been their for him. They've fought for and believed in him at every turn and he needed that support going into this conversation because he knew things would get bad and that it all would likely go south very quickly.

Speaking directly about the moment you brought up this moment lasts for a split second and thus was very VERY difficult to get a grab of. I want appreciation okay?

THe looks pained here like he knows Winter is right and knows she means well and has her heart in the right place but he also knows this is what Jacques wanted. As you said he knows what Jacques is going to do and how he's going to twist Winters words and he knows the heat is really going to get turned up against him and he just doesn't have an argument. Winter in her breaking point against her abuser accidentally started off a chain of events that would make James's life hell.

The next shot we see of James is him glaring at Jacques so we don't get to really see all of his emotions on this whole thing play out.

And he looks like he is gearing up for another fight. We don't see his face when he scolds Winter and sadly we don't even get a side view of his face so I can't really say for sure what's all going on in his head when he scolds Winter, but it is safe to say he doesn't blame her for all of this and even understands the outburst. But he also is the General and is in a very bad position with the other council members so I believe he also had every right to scold her because whether or not she meant to she has taken the conversation exactly where Jacques wanted her to take it.

Jacques warned James that he had handed Jacques the noose to hang his career, but he was wrong. Winter did it for him and James can see that all playing out before his eyes. He has two choices now, tell them everything and risk Salem discovering the tower and destroying it, or keep his secrets and be kicked as the General and Headmaster and lose the project to whoever takes over.

We don't get to see what he decides and honestly I'm not sure what he would have done. Neither option is particularly good but he is backed into a corner and the council thinks he's actively trying to hurt Atlas and words won't be enough anymore.

It's definitely an emotional moment that shows how good Jacques is at playing people even if CRWBY promptly forget this trait about him in literally the next episode.

So yes I agree Winter has every right to snap and be furious with her father but here and now is the worst possible time for this to come out for James and really puts him in the hot seat.

[thebad---catholic]

My problems with AOS

Well here I am, 10 years late with an opinion no one asked for, but I have to write this down and throw into the void so that I can be at peace. I’ve been salty about this film franchise for a very long time now. This will mostly focus on Star Trek (2009) with the other two movies sprinkled in.

1. Starfleet

Honestly where do I even begin? In TOS, Starfleet was modeled after the navy (idk how accurately, but Roddenberry was in the air force so I’m assuming he’d know how all that works). You can get a feel for the chain of command, and everything feels natural with character ages and things like that. There’s a procedure for everything.

AOS Starfleet feels more like a high school club than an interplanetary exploration organization. Jim is supposed to be twenty-five when he gets the rank of captain- after he was almost expelled for cheating. He has no idea how to operate or run a starship. TOS Kirk moved through the ranks of Starfleet and was promoted on merit and leadership skills- he worked for his position.

Why was Jim the only person who knew what was happening when Nero showed up? Was there any requirements to joining to Starfleet other than get on the shuttle? Why did the linguist not know the difference between Vulcan and Romulan when they’re the linguist? How did Pike bypass the chain of command to appoint Jim Kirk as First Officer which was an obvious show of favoritism to someone was about to be thrown out of the academy? Why the fuck was he allowed to keep the title of captain? What the fuck?

Speaking of Jim.

2. Jim Kirk’s Character

I...don’t like Jim’s character in this film. It’s not terrible for a younger version of Kirk, but like I said though, there’s no reason Kirk should be this young. And in this one he’s just kinda a douche.

We know from TOS that Kirk gets around, but he genuinely cares for his exes, and in general respects women. He uses sex appeal as a strategy, but more than anything this comes off as a subversion of the femme fatal trope bc Kirk is a man. In the movie, he’s just a standard action movie protag who has lots of sex just because.

The scene when the Orion woman says she loves him and he replied “that’s so weird” is just...so weird? Like I can’t imagine Kirk doing anything in that situation than backing off and explaining that he doesn’t feel the same way. The scene continues with him hiding under the bed when Uhura walks in. Watching how the camera angle makes Jim out to be a voyeur made me uncomfortable then and it still does. It could be explained that Jim is trying to figure out Uhura’s identity or that he’s listening in and people look at who they’re listening to but like...she was in her underwear. You shouldn’t look at people while they’re getting undressed, especially when they don’t even know you’re there? Is that a hot take? Apparently.

In TOS there’s this really nice scene in This Side of Paradise(S1E24) where the whole crew is high (again) and has abandoned ship, leaving Kirk to tend to things. We see Jim move around the ship with a little clip pad and make the proper checks. This is a captain who knows his stuff. That is the Kirk we should have seen if we’re going to see Jim become captain.

AOS kirk goes through a standard “stop being an asshole” arc commonplace for male protagonists, but this happens well past the point he should stop being an asshole. Either the AOS series should’ve been a prequel with Jim becoming captain at the end of the trilogy, or he should’ve been older with a completely different arc- maybe coming to terms with his rank? Imposter syndrome? Learning to trust his crew and building trust with them? Building a friendship with Spock and McCoy? There’s a lot to work with here.

3. Spock and Uhura’s relationship

Why. Like why. For what. Por Que.

I like giving Uhura a bigger role, I don’t like making her a love interest to do that.

It doesn’t make sense for either of their characters. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, linguist expert who handles all transmissions to and from the enterprise- an icon of black women’s representation is now demoted to Spock’s nagging girlfriend. This bothers me more than a little bit.

It manages to make even less sense for Spock. A hallmark of Spock’s character is his duality. He struggles to combat his emotions and the human half of him. His repeating character arc in TOS is coming to terms with humanity while upholding the Vulcan way of life. Having him in an established romantic relationship before this arc is supposed to happen just makes for a boring romantic subplot about a relationship that shouldn’t happen and that I don’t care about.

TOS Vulcan culture is kinda shitty. Explicitly patriarchal and stuff, and also kinda racist against humans. The source of Spock’s inner conflict is not himself but a society that views him as lesser for being half human. However, one thing that I can certainly understand from a “logical” (logic in quotations bc racism and sexism is fucking stupid) people is ritualized arranged marriages. It just...makes sense to me that Vulcans would simply have their mates chosen for them and then marry that person and be done with it. Neat. Logical. Conformity.

This makes Spock and Uhura’s relationship even stranger. Why would Spock go so against conformity that he dates someone before he truly comes to terms with himself? Even if they throw out ponfarr and arranged marriage, it still doesn’t work but now it especially doesn’t work.

My personal theory is that Spock and Uhura’s relationship was established purely to make shippers shut up. It’s no secret Spirk is the most popular ship from TOS. I have no doubt they knew this while writing the movie. So to quietly wrap a no homo on Spock and Kirk’s friendship, they use Uhura as a prop to do so.

The teacher/student dynamic should only be relegated to fan fiction and the throwaway line about oral sensitivity makes me cringe. Every. Time.

4. McCoy

Karl Urbans performance is easily my favorite part of this movie. He captures DeForrest Kelley so well it hurts. He made Leonard Nimoy cry. His chemistry with Pine made McKirk go from the most underrated triumvirate ship in TOS to rival Spirks popularity in AOS. His scenes with Zachary Quinto are just *chefs kiss*.

So why doesn’t he have more of a role? The triumvirate is missing a third.

In particular, there’s a scene where Uhura, Kirk, and Spock make their way down to a planet to talk to a Klingon. I can’t remember which movie it was or why, but Spock and Uhura were bickering and Kirk remarks “can we do this later?”

The line was funny. It would’ve been golden if it was McCoy and not Uhura.

A fantastic performance by an underutilized character in a movie where that character should’ve been at the forefront.

5. Representation

I am skeptical of any movie that advertises diversity. Nonetheless, it made me happy to know Sulu was going to be gay. This is Star Trek after all, known for its diversity and large LGBT fan base, and an homage to George Takai who’s a gay man irl. So whatever.

The fact that I wasn’t expecting much says a lot about the current state of LGBT rep in media but this blink-and-you-miss-it shit is really starting to get to me.

I mean he jus- he doesn’t even give his husband a KISS. Like why.

6. Destroying Vulcan

WHY. Oh god why.

This isn’t Star Wars, JJ. We don’t do that here.

Imploding Vulcan was the most god awful shock value bullshit plot device I’ve ever seen in a movie and it was done entirely to make Spock sad. Besides the gaping plot hole of “why did Nero go back in time to destroy Vulcan when he could’ve just saved Romulus” I’m just grasping to find a purpose for this particular event. New fans don’t care at all about Vulcan while I was enraged that they would do Amanda that dirty.

It’s not just that they did that, it’s more that they did it like that. Vulcan’s destruction should’ve caused a federation wide meltdown as the biggest catastrophe in the entire franchise. If they were gonna make the stakes so pointlessly high, they should’ve treated the destruction of Vulcan exactly how they would treat the destruction of earth. There a million ways to treat that event with more gravity and million better plot lines that don’t involve G E N O C I D E

7. Miscellaneous petty bullshit because I’m a baby

-lower the fucking stakes Jesus Christ

-Don’t like the set. It’s bright and white and boring and gives me a headache. You don’t need a remake of the old set but like have fun ya know? Shit looks like an Apple store.

-Christine and I are the same in that we are both soft and are thirsty for Spock. Imagine my surprise to learn she wasn’t fucking there. Same with Janice but I’m more pressed about Christine. I don’t even remember the name of that blonde doctor lady who is Not Christine but i didn’t want her.

-The costumes in AOS look boring but still don’t feel like a uniform either. I deadass think Chris Pines outfit in the SNL skit looked better than the actual movie (minor adjustments needed)

-I didn’t notice this at first but someone pointed out that women’s uniforms don’t signify rank and now I can’t not see it. I don’t...think this movie treats women good? Or McCoy? Or just people who deserve better?

-Lens Flare

-I get why they did it but I don’t like that they misquoted the opening theme to say “no one” instead of “no man”. I probably wouldn’t have even notice except they gave the line to Uhura. Comes off as just a touch too “yay feminism” which is really rich coming from that treated Uhura like an object to be looked at when she wasn’t too busy being Spock’s emotional support gf, and completely cut two women from the main cast.

8. Conclusions

If I could describe these movies in one word it’d be generic. Which sucks because Star Trek far from generic.

They’re fun to watch but not think about. It was nice that I got to see a Star Trek movie in theaters. I just wish it as the same Trek I saw on TV.

[tiamat-zx]

Beau/Yasha: A Story of Sapphic Sentinels

Beauregard Lionett. Yasha Nydoorin. Two broken hearts trying to hold the pieces together so tightly that they can’t afford to let their guards down. And then they first meet in Trostenwald, and from there we have a rather complex progression into their relationship.

Whether it may end in them becoming each other’s Second Loves, or just very tight platonic friends who don’t mind occasional flirtation on the side, or perhaps something else entirely, that’s still nowhere close to being determined yet. That said, I’d like to offer my own introspective on their relationship thus far. It’s purely my own insight which may be different from others, so please bear with me.

(LONG POST. You’ve been warned.)

The way I see it, at the very beginning Beau only had a physical attraction to Yasha born purely out of lust and her own need to use sex as a distraction from her own trauma and fears, thus her relentless flirting. It didn’t bother Beau much at the time, thinking Yasha was flustered because she was playing hard to get.

But then the Iron Shepherds happened, and Yasha and Fjord and Jester were taken from them. And then Mollymauk, Yasha’s closest friend in the carnival, had died and Beau blamed herself for it, refusing to let it happen again and chose to devote her every effort into getting them all back into their fold safe and sound, only for Yasha to leave them again for a short time before reuniting in Nicodranas and joining them as they ventured to Xhorhas.

And then after some time, Yasha confided in them about being a widow and having a wife: Zuala. Hearing that, and hearing that Yasha herself actually ran away from her wife’s execution, made Beau react with a simple “Oh” because it reminded her of when she lost her first love, her partner in crime who was left to rot in jail when Thoreau bailed his daughter out and, no doubt soon right after, shipped her off to the Cobalt Soul to quash her rebellious nature and make her more “pliable” to behaving. Thankfully for Beau, and for her companions, that didn’t stick and it only refined her body and mind into the Expositor she would later become. Not because of him, but in spite of him. Because while his actions did pave the foundation for her future growth, it was Beau herself that laid down the roadmap, her own path.

And then while in pursuit of Obann, they had a campfire conversation in the Barbed Fields. And that was their first real moment of bonding and it wasn't even close to what most Critters expected: it was a show of vulnerability and solidarity talking about losing loved ones as Beau confided in Yasha about Tori and that she understood Yasha’s pain, even if it was nowhere close to that level. And I believe it was around this time that Marisha stated that Beau's not interested in a deeper relationship than that (and also that she didn’t want to say or do things that would give shippers the wrong impression). That said, though, it did make Yasha think more about this monk that she met months ago, understanding that she’s not alone in grieving a loved one being lost and that may have opened up a possible development in their budding relationship.

But then Obann happened. And I think it was during this time that Beau’s feelings toward Yasha changed. Suspicion gave way to concern. Concern gave way to determination. Determination to get her back. To make their family whole. And now that I think about it, Beau was very reliant on Jester’s strength of heart in the time that Yasha was gone, unafraid to confide in her whenever she was distressed. I feel it was during this time that she realized she had a crush on Jester and fell in love with her best friend. And yet, I do feel that she might see it as getting her hopes up; she doesn’t know how Jester would respond. After all, Jester loves everybody and Beau also doesn’t want to overstep her boundaries with Jester any more than she already has, lest she screw up and make things unbearably awkward.

So even when Beau realized she was harboring a growing crush on her best friend, she knew it would be a very unlikely outcome for her. So she diverts her focus from that to saving Yasha from Obann. And despite the numerous failures, she and the Mighty Nein eventually made headway, destroyed the Permaheart, and exposed the Angel of Irons’ true identity. Also, Beau was able to suss out that the abyssal rifts opening up were happening on both sides of the conflict, proving her earliest suspicions that the war was one big distraction. And she was right: it was an elaborate gambit in a plot to release Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion, from the Abyss.

This plot came to a head in Rexxentrum, in the Chantry of the Dawn. Beau almost died twice that day: once by Yasha’s hand, and once by Obann’s. But she still survived. As for Yasha, had she slain Beau that day, piercing her heart with the Skingorger as if piercing her own, in an ironic reflection of Molly’s own demise, she would’ve taken her own life because that would’ve been the straw that broke the camel’s back. But (and this is just my own theory that may or may not be true considering that sometimes she had some small control over herself even when “chained” by Obann) she didn’t and she resisted making that last fatal twist. But just barely.

And because she resisted, and because Beau was able to survive, Yasha was saved. Sure, Caduceus broke the shackle, but it was Beau's forgiveness and refusal to blame Yasha despite the glaring scar in her own chest that SHE caused. That's what saved her. Even though Yasha slew many Cobalt Soul monks earlier back in Zadash, and almost killed her, Beau still didn't blame her.

She couldn't.

And then the return to Kamordah. The reunion with Thoreau and Clara Lionett. Beau meeting her baby brother, her “replacement”, for the first time. Beau’s resolve eroding in real-time as she tries to hold it together the whole time. And Yasha lingers behind to call out Thoreau, saying that he should’ve shown his daughter how lucky he was to have her. And she shows no hesitation when confronting Isharnai the Prism Sage, intent on protecting Beau from any further misery the hag could impart upon her, even if it meant destroying her own happiness.

That right there? I think that was when it began to truly change for both of them. And by the time they arrive back in Nicodranas in time for the peace talks, they are slowly growing closer again, going back to being casual and flirty but this time YASHA is the one also returning the flirting, which I’m glad for because the fish market scene was hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure, as was the joining in of Jester’s crafting time.

And then the harp performance. Beau saw Yasha in a new light as she played. A healing light. Way back in the Barbed Fields, Beau knew that there was something about Yasha that she was excited to see. At first glance, one would assume this was foreshadowing to Obann taking her away. But upon reflection, I don’t think Beau was expecting her own words to end up referring to this. And the look on her face and the exhale of breath she makes after mentioning that Yasha’s playing was amazing, that was probably when it hit her.

She’s in love with Yasha.

Which brings us to the events after the specter ambushed Beau and dropped her flat with a single gaze as Fjord AND Yasha dove in to heal her and get her back on her feet (it’s totally a competition, trust me). Now, in the past Beau would always refuse to be cared for or even admit when she needs to rest. But then she asks Yasha to carry her just like back when they first met and Yasha reluctantly did so at that time, though not to the extent that Beau would’ve liked.

And then here in the present time Yasha does so again, but without hesitation or embarrassment. And not once does Beau hide her contentment, living her best life and loving that she's being pampered by both Jester and Yasha even when everyone is aware of it.

Will this lead to a confession between the two Sapphic Sentinels? (That’s my new nickname for them, come at me lol)

Well, not quite yet, as it's up in the air as to who will bring it up first. That, and lingering questions and doubts about Beau’s feelings for Jester as well as what Yasha herself is thinking as she seems content with still loving Zuala but allowing her heart to make room for another after all this time.

Honestly, if anything, it might be Yasha who makes the first move and goes to confront her fear head-on and confess. But like everything else in their relationship, that remains to be seen.

[casualtheoriesandthoughts]

The role of memories in Kingdom Hearts

I recently replayed KH Re:CoM and I have to say it’s one of the more brutal entries in the series, with very little light-hearted letup on the action of the main story. Marluxia and Larxene, more so than nearly any other antagonist (even more than Xemnas imo) in KH, are incredibly cruel. Ansem SoD is literally a ghost haunting Riku and taunting him with his grief (and honestly made me think this is why a lot of fans came to support Riku in the first place). 

The scene where Larxene flings Riku Replica to the side? Positively gut-wrenching. Sora being uncharacteristically angry? It honestly made me slightly uncomfortable. Naminé accepting her fate to be forgotten by Sora (despite him promising to meet her again) was super tragic.

But more than anything else, I feel like Re:CoM is a somewhat overlooked entry in the series for its influence on the meta-universe of KH (even if it is a bit of a ridiculous game with the card system). Especially since Melody of Memory has been released (spoilers ahead!), I felt the need to revisit Re:CoM for its lore on the role of memories in KH. Memories are an intriguing dimension of what I’m going to start calling the metaphysics of the KH universe. In this post, I’m going to cover things that memories do in Kingdom Hearts, and the implications it has for Melody of Memory and the ending of Re:Mind (last warning: SPOILERS AHEAD). 

Re:CoM - Memories and connected feelings shape the heart

As Sora enters Castle Oblivion, we are told that the deterioration of his memories has already begun. Naminé is actively altering the links in his memory to insert her presence therein (all at the behest of Marluxia, who is manipulating her desire to meet Sora and her loneliness). Despite the creation of false memories in Riku Replica and Sora, however, they still induce people to experience very real feelings. Before his final battle with Marluxia, Sora still feels a responsibility and desire to protect Naminé in spite of the fact he has no personal relationship with her in reality and that she manipulated his memories. He also goes out of his way to tell Riku Replica that his own feelings are real, and that even if the memories are false, his experiences are his own and even possesses his own heart. For Sora and Riku Replica, all feelings are genuine even if they arise from false memories.

It’s worth noting the way memories are referred to in Re: CoM, starting with the title: Chain of Memories. A chain can be either shackling or connecting, as Marluxia and Naminé allude to when speaking about Sora’s memories. Marluxia orders Naminé to control Sora by way of his memories, in order for the latter to do his bidding (help him to take over the Organization, that is). Naminé, on the other hand, refers to Sora’s memories as that which tie him to his friends and loved ones, especially Riku and Kairi. His feelings of friendship and love towards others never fade in spite of his memories being changed, and is even willing to allow Naminé to destroy his heart by erasing his memories.

But that’s where it gets complicated. It is highly implied that memories have the ability to shape a heart, but only at this point is it suggested that the erasure of memories can actually destroy a heart. Marluxia states that if Naminé were to erase Sora’s memories, he would become an empty shell incapable of feeling (which coincidentally describes a Nobody). That said, she doesn’t actually do it, and when she destroys Riku Replica’s false memories, his heart does not disappear. This is why Riku Replica is able to return right before Sora fights Marluxia, his heart intact. This seems to indicate that Marluxia was either speaking in hyperbole, or simply did not know the true relationship of memories to hearts. 

It may then be more accurate to say that the destruction of memories traumatizes and numbs a heart rather than destroys it. Larxene comments during Reverse/Rebirth that Naminé’s magic almost remade Riku Replica’s heart by changing his memories, but not quite. In the KH universe, memories seem to be inscribed on a heart rather than fundamentally altering it. Yet, memories also bind hearts to the world by giving them meaning. 

Remember that as Sora journeyed through Castle Oblivion, people outside apparently forgot about him and remembered him spontaneously when awoke from his pod in Twilight Town. It’s not just the individual memories that make up a person, but the shared memories and experiences which connect hearts together in a “chain” of memories. In the presence of others, characters acquire purpose and senses of self. In Reverse/Rebirth, Riku rediscovers himself after falling to darkness and battles against his insecurities by rekindling his connections to people like Sora, Kairi and Mickey. This is how he maintains the light within, by dwelling on his memories of his bonds to his friends.

In that context, we might see how memories play an important role in giving rise to new hearts later on. 

358/2 Days - The case of Xion

Xion is one of the most curious and earliest cases of a heart being generated seemingly out of nowhere in KH (I’d say possibly even before Riku Replica). Just like Riku Replica, Xion in 358/2 Days is derived from the memories of her original persona (in her case, Sora). She is not a true Nobody, though Vexen muses that his replicas are a special kind of Nobody in the Day 23 Report of 358/2 Days’ Secret Reports. In addition Xion, unlike Riku Replica, actively embodies many of Sora’s qualities while being distinctly aware that she is not truly Sora. It is this crisis of identity which eventually leads her to believe that she must return to Sora, and forces Roxas to defeat her. 

After that, people cease to remember Xion after she returns to Sora, a fact about which I’ve always wondered. Consider that Riku Replica, upon returning to Riku (or at least residing in his heart), does not fade from Riku’s memory or anyone else’s. Axel repeatedly doesn’t remember Xion even when hints of her come up (such as the fact that Roxas wields two Keyblades, his knowledge of the Replica Program and his many interactions with Kairi, even during KH3). Yet he clearly remembers Riku Replica as evidenced in the Day 194 Secret Reports from the 358/2 Days. This is well after the events of Re: CoM for both Sora and Riku’s stories, as Xion had already met Riku in his Organization XIII coat. 

In theory, one might assume that Axel shouldn’t remember either Xion or Riku Replica because they have both returned to their original forms. Yet objects that belong to them or are about them remain in existence (ex. Vexen’s reports about the Replica Program). Even Xion’s personal memories and those attached to her are sealed inside Roxas’ heart. Presumably because Sora never actually met her or Roxas (a crucial difference from Riku and his replica), and Roxas lost his own memories in his fight with Riku, memories of her became doubly compromised when he returned to Sora. So this begs an important question: what do memories do when it comes to having a heart? 

I would say that memories, especially independent ones, allow for the arising of new hearts. Riku Replica may have acquired a heart (and therefore a distinct existence) when he decided to defend Naminé and claim his memories of her, even though they’re not real. In contrast, it is not clear whether Xion has a heart at the end of 358/2 Days, and it is implied that she has one by KH3, and essentially confirmed in Re:Mind.

From where, one can only vaguely guess. Let’s look at other KH beings: darkness is the source of Heartless; nothingness of Nobodies; negative emotions (or rather Vanitas) of Unversed; dreams of Nightmares ,Dream Eaters and Spirits. It would seem that hearts arise from light, or perhaps Kingdom Hearts itself (seeing as it appears to be the bedrock of reality). It makes sense since Kingdom Hearts is composed of all hearts that exist. But crucially, it is memories which give hearts their forms. Xion returns to existence when Sora liberates her memories/essence from within Roxas’ heart during Re:Mind. 

Memories clearly play some role in generating an existential niche for hearts. They also may very well be the reason that people can be re-completed: Axel recalls his memories as a kid as he spends time with Roxas and Xion (Day 118 Secret Report). He even says that he feels like he has a heart in the presence of Roxas, Xion and Sora (and very critically, is unsure if he in fact doesn’t have one in a conversation with Roxas). Marluxia seems to recall his memories as Lauriam from KH Union Cross, right as he is defeated in KH3. Terra’s memories occasionally surface in Xemnas, and his feelings of loneliness come up as he dies in KH3. 

Sora states in KH Re:CoM that he was able to return to being whole after becoming a Heartless by holding on to his memories of Kairi, and her own ability to free him from the darkness. Roxas, Xion and Riku Replica all develop hearts distinct from their original personas as they experience the world and forge new memories. Xion is primarily able to return to the world because people’s memories of her are restored. Her true consciousness becomes freed through Sora’s actions, not unlike the way Sora’s friends and allies suddenly remember him at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2.

From this, we can deduce that memories are critical for three things: 

existing as a unique, complete individual

returning from states of incompleteness (such as being a Heartless or Nobody) 

verifying that someone actually still exists in a reachable place

The last one is the kicker with Xion, and bears on a working theory of mine about Melody of Memory and Re:Mind’s endings (which I’ll put in another post for clarity). Hope this interests some people, and inspires some discussion about the possible connections between Re:CoM and Melody of Memory!

[vvaane]

Evon

Hi, i’m Evon. Yea that’s the best way to start writing about a god damn serial killer, a proxy or whatever you guys call us. It’s late at night and you might be wondering why someone like me would write a book, dont i have people to kill? Cops to run from? Watch my back maybe? Nah man i used to do that before... that happened. Do you ever contemplate about your life? You know things like: what if i didn’t do that? what if i stayed silent? what if what i said once changed the whole story? Yea i know, a lot of what ifs. What can i say, i like to think. I may be a monster who kills like killing machine but i still have 'me' time.

I think i’m just rambeling now but yea another thing about me is that i like to talk, maybe too much sometimes. I wasn’t always like this though, as a child i was very quite and kinda depressed. Childhood isn’t my best memory to be honest, all i remember is wasting it on suffering and building up rage, until of course, i snaped.

Usually if someone asks me about that time of my life, i kill them without hesitation but in this case no one asked me so here we fucking go. Appriciate this because i’m not gonna talk about my shity life ever again. I was born on a beautiful day of summer, 4th of july 2000. I don’t have memories of my family, the only thing i know is that my mom commited suicide because of postbirth depression and dear old dad didn’t even bother to raise me or to even be in my life, good i killed him. Anyways, i spend my childhood at a church, raised in the name of this so called god, yea that place as holy as it sounds like, it wasn’t. Everyone feared the priest. What can i say, he was the best, always beating and torturing us many times even if we didn’t do anything wrong, my best and only friend was killed by this motherfucker. I myself got in trouble many times just because i 'wasn’t a man'. I don’t know how are you supposed to be a man at 13 years old but sure. You got 3 chances to 'go on gods way' if u didn’t make it you were send to a room that looked like an old basement of a castle. The room was dark and the only light you were seeing was from a little window, the door was big and scary honestly, when you first come into the room you would see a big statue of that bitch Mary. There the priest would give you 3 options: beat you, tie you in chains and not feed you for a week or put you in isolation for up to half a year. That guy was crazy and i’m pretty sure he hated children. Every kid would choose to be beaten because it lasted a short period of time compared to the other options. I was a maniac since i was little so i tried everything, being beaten till i was unconscious which isn’t that bad compared to the other things, i was beaten with everything you can imagine, chains, belts etc. I still have scars all over my body from that. Many kids weren’t strong enough and died. Their bodys were thrown in a room and from there they would be put then in the crematorium like they were nothing. Next i was tied and not fed, let me tell you, you get so hungry at one point you would even eat youself and i have seen one kid bite into his own arm somehow. Now the last and worst, isolation.I’ve been in isolation for maximum 2 months, i was put in a diferent room, this one had no windows so no light would come in, i felt like i was in a box, i had no bed, no nothing, i would eat once every 2 days half a bread. Many kids who went there didn’t come back. My friend was always send there even if he didn’t choose that. Dear Mike died when he was 15, i was 14 at the time.

Anyway, believe it or not that prepared me for what was next to happen. How do u think i survived the proxy training? That shit is hard but i will get there in a minute. After my friends death i felt like i wasn’t myself, i felt like some other me was taking control over my mind and body. When the priest found out about this change in my behavior he said i was possesd my some kind of demon and he performed this so called exorcisms on me that consisted in bathing me in holy water, tyeing me to the bed and saying many prayers. Useless. It wasn’t any of that. I actually had a second personality, a manifestation of my darkest and deepest thoughts and ideas. It was really hard for me to get used to this other me, over the time i even gave him a name: Devon. He became my best friend, he was the the only one who understood me. I faked being a normal kid so that the priest won’t try to take Devon away from me. I didn’t take any meds so day by day he was stonger and stronger, over the years we did many things, we destroyed a lot, first it started slow with plates and glasses but then i started to kill some animals around the church and the fact that i enjoyed it scared me at first. After i started doing this things i always felt watched, usually i was dizzy and sometimes i started to hear whispers even if i was alone in a room.

Years went by fast if i think about it, like if they were nothing, winters were the hardest because it was always cold and with all the tortureing sure it wasn’t the best thing. I was 18 when that event happned, i still remember every detail. It was summer, the weather was really hot, i was in my room when Devon took control out of nowhere, he wanted me to escape, to be free, to take revenge for every single thing they've done to me. He was right, i had to do something to get out and i wasn’t only gonna do that, i had to kill the priest and burn this place down. That church was what you guys call hell. If it’s hell then it has to burn. All day i wondered through every room in search of gasoline and matches, eventually at exactly 7:45pm i found what i needed, i stared at the objects like they were my saviours. Devon took control again and everything started, i poured the gasoline on every hallway of the church until the priest saw me, he wanted to hit me but i managed to fight him for a while, he was stronger than me so i ran away with the gasoline, i took a hatchet just to know i have something to defend myself with. I lit the match and threw it, i enjoyed the view of this place burning, i felt like i was able to dream again, i felt free and i didnt care who was still in there, the only thing that mattered was the fact that i got revenge and that im finally free. The view was ruined by the priest who was running in the woods. Of course i chased him with the hatchet until i lost him for a minute but then i heard a scream so i went in that direction. the adrenaline was overwheliming, i felt so powerful like i could do anything. After running for like a good 10 minutes i saw the priest dead with his killer getting off of him. The anger i felt in that moment is unimaginable, he stole my victim, the only person i wanted to kill with my hands, he took that away from me. I started running towards him with my hatchet. He stayed still like he didnt care, as i got closer to him i saw that he had the same weapon as me. I stopped and he smiled at me:

-You remind me of myself when i was little.

-I don’t fucking care what i remind you of, you just killed my victim!

-I’m Toby, Ticci Toby, nice to meet you...

- Evon, i said hesitantlly. Why are u doing this?Being nice.

-Thats a rule i have to follow, don’t kill or be rude to other killers.

Thats what changed everything, right after that i saw this faceless man behind Toby, he wasnt scared at all. This creature began speaking to me somehow.

-Child, i can give you a new home and i can let you be who you are, you don’t have to be afraid!

I didn’t have a place to go to so i accepted, i didnt know the training was gonna be so hard and long though. First i had to fight every proxy and that Masky guy left a scar on my face that went over my eye and my eye changed colour, from brown it went bloody red. Then i had to learn how to kill, how to survive, how to run from cops, it was hard for me but Toby helped me a lot. We got close and he took me with him every time Slends would give him a job. He was the youngest before i came in the picture. He told me his story, i told him mine. I had a friend after a long god damn time.

Now i’m 21 and i’m one of the best proxys Slender ever had. Toby is still the best of the best and to be honest he deserves the title. That’s my story. Now that you know it you should be prepared because i might come for u next.

[owlflyingaroundthemoon]

On January 6th Capitol Hill was stormed by Trump supporting rioters who wanted to disrupt the democratic confirmation process and (probably) cause harm to the elected officials. The whole night I watched it live, I was speechless. I knew what the news would show the morning after, I knew how this obvious coup d’etat would be portrayed by far right news anchors.

I was speechless. I was on the other side of the world but I somehow was still worried. Somehow is the wrong word perhaps, I was rightfully worried. In fact, everyone everywhere who cares about human rights and fairness should be worried, regardless of their personal interests regarding the USA. “Why should we care?”, oh you for sure should. Because I know for a fact, if this were a smaller country with not as many resources, with not as much coverage, this coup d’etat could have worked. A sitting president inciting a storming of a governmental building is a first in American history and the whole world should care about negative firsts, preventing negative firsts.

“Don’t meddle in our politics”. “Your opinion literally doesn’t matter”. Oh so wrong you are. Everybody’s opinion matters when an influential country looses whatever smidgen of democracy it used to have. And I don’t want to say America is destroyed now, because people will forget about this as well. However, I am so certain that is this exact chain of events had had ocurred in a Middle Eastern or a South American country, the USA would have been very concerned. Maybe a little bit too concerned. To the point of sending troops to overthrown a dictator perhaps.

This comparison pains me to make but, these far-right reactionaries and rioters should remember America’s considerable role in helping the Allience powers win the Second World War. They fought against the fascists, they were anti faschist. As partially ethnically Jewish, and as a human being, it makes me hurt to see some of those Americans now, storming the Capitol while wearing “Auschwitz camp”, “6MWE” t-shirts, ridden with anti-semitic dogwhistles and racist memorabilia. Petrifying. American’s fougt agains the monarchy, now reporters such as “Liberty Hangout” promote a US monarchy, a far-righ riot featuring the proud boys is blamed on ANFITA, Republicans fail in honestly condemning their own side. Disgraceful.

Not to be dramatic but, American history classes lack a very important aspect of the education they have to provide - teaching students about the horrying events of the past. It should not atop at “Colombus sailed the ocean blue”, “Natives and the whites signed a peaceful pact”, “We won the WW2”, “Stalin starved people to death” and other childish claims which lack all historical nuance. In Germany children are taught in depth about their terrifying past and never to repeat it. Even then far-right groupd still exist in Germany. What would you expect from a country where people with a basic high school education unironically think Hitler was a “sOciAliSt”.

My grandfathers fough the war. They were veterans, they were martyrs. They survived the Holocaust, they fled their towns t escape those exact “camps” that were printed on the rioters shirts. Seeing people who have never lived through that glorify the other side now makes me seriously doubt their sanity.

Misinformation and unableness to live in the same reality. Calling an establishment democrat president-elect a “marxist”. They want to “protect their heritage” with the flag of the confederacy that lasted only for 5 years and by flying a Trump flag over an American one which is the flag of a pathetic one term president. A man was waving the European country Georgia’s flag for f*ck’s sake.

6 million was not enough for them. I am disgusted and scared.

[nekoprankster218]

Fucking crazy RWBY dream time. Unfortunately don’t have all the details because of immediately forgetting a lot as soon as I woke up, but what I still have in my memory is still so insane. No spoilers for RWBY Vol 8 btw, since this dream version has its own storyline. Although I do mention a Vol 7 spoiler that’s carried over to Vol 8.

SO! First I need to explain that at one point in my chain of dreams (because one of the ways I dream is to have a chain of technically separate ones but sometimes they either transition from one to the other smoothly or even one makes reference to a previous one from the night) last night had a dragon around attacking a place and eating two of the royal children and the later RWBY dream also added to it by showing the dragon destroying a kingdom Ender Dragon style. There was once a “blue eyes blue dragon joke” except the dragon was blue with white, pupil-less eyes (so it would’ve actually worked as an inversion of the joke if my brain wasn’t stupid).

Anyway, so when my dream chain re-contextualizes the dragon dream as me and my dad watching RWBY in the new dream, my dream also shows off some other parts of the dream episode. Actually, there’s a good chance that the chain of events is dragon dream > dragon dream becomes RWBY plot > cut to living room where it’s all apparently been an episode that I watched. I don’t remember the full thing, but the end of the “episode” is...honestly kinda lit fam. I don’t remember if it was a season finale or not (actually might not have even made e distinction within the dream), but it ended with a crazy cliffhanger that changed everything and set up hype for the next volume/rest of the volume.

So the scene is a flash forward to the modern day, and Ruby is walking down the side walk next to a high school football field. A pan reveals a teenage boy that’s never been seen before walking directly behind her, and I don’t know why but it’s just known that he’s protecting her although it’s also unknown if Ruby even knows he’s there. A eulogy can be heard going on in the football field thanks to speakers, and the school is solemnly mourning a high school student who’s described as brave and reliable and basically a daily life hero. The thing is, even though the audience knows little about this modern day world, it’s clearly implied that the boy walking behind Ruby is the boy being mourned, so either he’s a ghost, he faked his death, or he immediately reincarnated.

Reincarnated? Why would you say that? Well, maybe because it’s also somewhat-implied, somewhat-confirmed to the audience that the boy is Ironwood’s modern-day reincarnation, and everybody in Remnant will eventually reincarnate in this modern day timeline (either because of death or the end of Remnant at the end of the series or just because the passage of time is still unclear at this point).

But! That’s! Not! All! At the end of the eulogy, his final message is read, and it causes Ruby to actually freeze and gasp, as well as me once starts to transition to being an episode being watched. These final words? A thank you to “the Fire Bird.”

Context: in this dream-version of RWBY, “the Fire Bird” is a badass nickname of Raven’s. Also just for clarity’s sake, one of the divergences this dream-version has that I am aware about is that Ironwood is more heroic - either he never had his antagonist turn, or it was so minor that he was easily redeemed in the audience’s eyes once he went back to the heroes. Also another divergence I know about is that at one point Raven was fighting against Team RWBY from going to a dangerous place and even tho she was on the villain team connected to that place/story arc, it’s later implied to the audience that her true goal was to protect them from the danger because she was convinced they’d die.

And I don’t know how I know with such little information, but the implication here is that reincarnated!Ironwood somehow had his Remnant memories and was trying to reach out to others who were reincarnated from Remnant, but also especially Raven. Because, apparently, besides foreshadowing the whole modern-day reincarnation thing, this scene was also serving as foreshadowing that Raven was about to save Team RWBY’s lives in the next volume/the end of this volume.

Anyway, so dream-me was freaking out about all of this and what it all meant and what was going to happen next in the story, and that’s all I remember. Almost bummed it turned out to be a dream because just the reveal that everyone’s gonna reincarnate in the modern world by the end of the story was already so crazy and I loved it.