#tracking on snow is easy peasy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itsclydebitches · 4 years

Text

RWBY Recaps - Volume 8 “War”

Hello, everyone! Story time.

Yesterday food was delivered for my two idiot dogs (they’re thrilled about it) but, because it was delivered by Fed Ex, shenanigans were bound to ensue. These particular shenanigans involved realizing that the food had not been left at the front door like tracking said it had. Instead, it was down the very long driveway by the mailbox. Specifically, it was on a low wall beside the mailbox, currently inaccessible due to a mound of plowed snow.

Now, how the delivery guy managed to get it there I’ll never know, but given that our postal system is currently killing itself to get us our Amazon orders for Christmas, I shrugged, let it go, and resigned myself to lifting an 18 pound bag plus box over that snow without dying. Which meant that in reality I just dragged it, uncaring what bumps the bag might accumulate along the way. What are the dogs gonna do? Complain about presentation?

Snow successfully circumvented; I was home free!

… until I was lifting the box into the car, hit a patch of black ice, and was suddenly looking up at the sky, my right hip and leg screaming.

I’m fine. Bruised, but fine. It’s 2020. Did I expect to not fall? C’mon, Clyde. Be sensible.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because falling on ice at 10:00pm with an oversized bag of dog food was less painful than watching this episode.

I jest... but only a little. To be fair to RWBY, it admittedly wasn't painful in any new way. Everything that's a problem this week has been a problem for years now: confusing motivations, changing semblances, unpersuasive character beats, etc. So in some ways this episode — especially as a hiatus episode — is rather underwhelming. I expected RWBY to do something big before taking six weeks off, but this episode simply set the (unstable) stage for what's to come. With the exception of Ren, nothing changed this episode, which makes for a rather "Okay..." note to end on. It's not inherently bad, it's just a bit of a letdown after hyping ourselves up over the expectation that something even crazier than grimm soup will happen. Which, to again be fair, is on us as opposed to the writers. But that feeling of, "If this was last week, what in the world will we get right before an unpredicted hiatus?" was palpable. Turns out the answer was, "A pretty tame episode."

As always though, let's start at the beginning. This episode is titled "War" — straight to the point — and it's actually a little shorter than our last three episodes, adding to that "Okay..." feeling overall. We open on the outskirts of Atlas, amidst what appears to be a wheat field, or something similar. Upon reflection, it makes sense that the bubbled city would be able to grow things not normally growable in the tundra. This might also explain Cinder's strange beginning. Perhaps her orphanage existed on these rural outskirts and then she was brought into the city proper? We'll probably never know for sure, but at least this is a simpler answer than, "The Madame went off to an entirely different Kingdom to secure her child slave." Occam's Razor and all that.

Ironwood's army has assembled to hold off Salem's army. Wow, aren't we glad Ironwood invested in thousands of trained professionals rather than a handful of independent fighters? Seriously though, this is now a battle of numbers. May says later in the episode that Ironwood's forces are doing their best to assist Atlas, so they should go help Mantle... but that help only exists because years ago he recognized that the tiny class sizes of the Academies, this

wasn't going to be enough if grimm attacks suddenly increased. Sure enough, now they're in a situation where Ironwood needs even more men to keep up with Salem's creation magic. The fact that he has any at all is crucial to what little hope is left. How do Jaune, Yang, and Ren think they're going to get the time to look for Oscar without everyone dying while they're gone? Because Ironwood's army is keeping the attack at bay. I love how the story keeps angling for the "Military people are evil" message while actively showing us how much a military is needed in this world. If Ironwood had been a generic Good Guy who dismantled his armed forces because others wanted to ignore that they've always been at war against objectively evil creatures — both the grimm and Salem — then there would have been nothing to hold Salem off until small team rescue/bomb plans could be implemented.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. As usual. The army is on the front lines and one guy is scared enough that he's shaking. Can't say I blame him. As always, RWBY functions best when it leans towards horror, with skeletons rising alongside the normal grimm and intense music playing to convey the stakes. Ironwood watches the onslaught and immediately calls for a civilian evacuation into the subway system. Get people below ground, behind a few, defendable entrances, rather than wandering about the city where land or sky grimm can pick them off easy-peasy. Makes sense. Yet I'm already seeing fans make snide comments about how Ironwood is "still running," which just demonstrates how many viewers take the emotions of the show at face value — who is Good and who is Bad — rather than considering the situation and deciding for themselves. What's far more egregious than viewers enjoying a story however they'd like on a Saturday before the holiday though (seriously, my salt aside, no one has to enjoy RWBY any one way) is that RT again tries to paint Ironwood as crazy when he's... just not? Beyond the choice to animate him with scary expressions

once he gives the order the soldier starts to say, "But sir — " and Ironwood yells for him to obey right now. The scene makes it look like Ironwood is doing something shady again. Here's this goon balking at the order, but we're not told why. What's bad about getting the people to (relative) safety? Why is this order treated like something to question at all? We're not told and, from what we do know, it's not something that would be questioned, so unless we learn something new post-hiatus, that line exists only to make Ironwood look bad. It's a (nonsensical) excuse to have another ally turning against him (slightly) and to give Ironwood the chance to look scary and violent again. Nevermind that his city is under attack and if a subordinate started questioning a completely sensible and time-sensitive order? I might yell too.

So we're off to a great start. The above looks particularly stupid given that we immediately see the flying grimm arriving in a populated area, terrifying all the civilians there. Everyone bolts for the subway and we cut away from a man trying desperately to reach his daughter, unsure if either of them survive. But people want Ironwood to not use what few resources he has? See, this is why generic messages like, "You have to stand your ground" don't work. Sometimes there are situations where you should run and that doesn't automatically equal being a coward. It means you're smart enough to take the actions necessary to save as many lives as possible.

Later on we'll have a similar issue with the message, "You have to trust people" when my darling Oscar briefly loses his mind.

Now though, we see that the "fugitives" Yang, Jaune, and Ren have been taken into custody. Of course they have. Look, when the preview dropped yesterday I saw a number of takes along the lines of, "How dare the Ace Ops do this. They need to put aside their differences until the attack is over!" but no, they really don't, because it's no longer their responsibility to extend trust towards this group. Especially when doing so, to their mind, has a high chance of making a horrific situation that much worse. What are they going to do if, in the middle of a Salem attack, the kids they decided to trust betray them, attack them, and leave them knocked out somewhere while the world burns?

...Oh wait, they already did that.

See, the group broke trust first. Numerous times. The Ace Ops listened to Yang admit that she and Blake had betrayed Ironwood days ago. Then they watched Ruby betray him again by alerting the rest of the team, turning them against him. They swore they wouldn't attack, so Team RWBY attacked them first. They learn that Qrow had a hand in murdering their leader. They encounter the group again and Weiss gleefully asks if they want a second defeat. They watch Ruby tell the entire world to dismiss Ironwood because he’s the one who can’t be trusted. Outside of JYR not immediately attacking them when they arrived to help (something I praised them for), this group has never put their trust in the Ace Ops. So why do they — and we — expect the Ace Ops to do so now? Imagine for just a moment that it was reversed. We find out that someone betrayed the group for no good reason, set themselves against them, continued to do so as everything fell apart, told the rest of the world they’re the enemy, and then a close associate is involved in Ruby's murder. How many people would expect the group to just shrug all that off? Would they put their differences aside and embrace these people because blind trust is (supposedly) the right thing to do? Of course not! Yang would punch their lights out and everyone would cheer, but that's because they're the established heroes. Outside of that role, no one else is allowed to mistrust those who have proven themselves untrustworthy and take precautions against getting betrayed again. To say nothing of how these characters don’t have our meta perspective. Meaning, they live in a world where this trio is not a part of a protagonist group destined to remain a part of the plot because that’s how story conventions work. They’re three random teens who were promoted to huntsmen early. They’re three soldiers out of many who can, at any time, be taken out of the fight. No one on the Ace Ops is working under the belief that they “have” to be a part of this fight. From their in-world perspective, you could toss them in jail for the rest of the battle and that’s that. Outside of their fugitive status they are entirely unimportant.

So yes, Jaune, Ren, and Yang are in handcuffs. They deserve to be. Don't worry though, they get out very soon.

Yang makes a snide comment about Winter "Still just following orders" and honestly? I've lost the love I used to have for her as a character. Yang is just an exercise in frustration whenever she speaks now. Thus far she's blamed Ruby for everything that's gone wrong (ignoring her own choices there), did a 180 to yell at Ren for acknowledging how bad things are, worried nonsensically about Blake being disappointed in her even though Ruby is the one she fought with, and is now back to the "You just follow orders" shtick. Yang will label anything she personally doesn't like as evil order following, but conveniently ignores how following Ruby's orders helped get them into this mess, and how the one time she went AWOL made things even worse. These characters don't actually have beliefs they stand behind, they just say whatever is currently necessary to make themselves look good, even if that contradicts previous statements or actions.

She also gets mad at Vine for saying that grimm don't take prisoners, ignoring that she only found this out a few hours ago. No one in the group is equipped to navigate the emotional minefield that is this war because they can't even take two seconds to put themselves in another’s shoes. Weiss doesn't bother to consider Whitley's situation. Jaune points at the snow and gets frustrated that Harriet doesn't magically know there's grimm soup flowing nearby. Yang snaps at Vine for stating what she also knew to be a basic fact about grimm up until Oscar's kidnapping. It's all framed as, "How can you be this stupid?" rather than, "Oh yeah, these people haven't had the experiences I have. If I was randomly told this I'd doubt it too. I should try to explain this in a way that will make sense to them and increase my chances of being believed."

This is the group who decided it was a good idea to tell the whole world about Salem and did it just as badly as I suspected they would. The story has shoved a delicate, information-based war into the hands of punch-happy teenagers and refuses to grapple with how that's a bad thing.

Anyway, Ironwood comes on the radio to say that the whale is pretty indestructible on the outside, but it might be vulnerable from the inside, so let's get a bomb in there. Seems like a good enough plan as any, especially given that the grimm is currently on the very outskirts of the city, away from the civilians if/when it's blown up. What kind of bomb might this be though?

Could it, perhaps, end up being a now severely damaged android who is based off of Pinocchio?

Time will tell. For now, the group is quite obviously upset that Ironwood is planning a big BOOM while Oscar (and Ozpin! Tellingly, no one mentions Ozpin...) is still inside. Here's the thing: Both sides are right here. YJR are right to be worried about their friend, while the Ace Ops — who have no emotional ties to Oscar and, as just established, are questioning whether or not a grimm really kidnapped him — are right that they cannot prioritize a single life over the entirety of Atlas. They just can't! And any hero worth their salt is going to recognize this. You cannot knowingly sacrifice thousands of people (if not more) for one (admittedly awesome) farm boy. It would be a different situation if the people of Atlas volunteered to remain in danger to give Oscar a chance at escape, but that obviously isn't the situation here. If someone told me, "Sorry, Clyde, we can't get you out because the place you're in is super dangerous and attempting to extract you would likely cause the rescue party to die. Also, the longer we don't blow this location up the longer lots of other people die" I'd be like, "Fair enough. Have a nice life!" I mean, obviously anyone would be terrified and devastated by the news, but if you're still thinking straight and have even an ounce of compassion for others, you don't trade all those lives for your own. Spock does not open the door to flood the whole Enterprise with radiation!

And notably, neither does Kirk. Oscar isn't given the chance to sacrifice himself — ignoring his choice to try and undermine Salem's forces rather than escaping — so Jaune, Ren, and Yang are deciding that for him. Which, again, makes sense for them emotionally, but it's still a selfish choice. They're prioritizing their family over everyone else's. If someone ever told me they’d risked a whole city for my sake I’d be touched, but also pissed as hell. Because what were you thinking?

Which is really my biggest issue with this divide. It would have been nice if the show had done more to make me believe these three are that ride and die for Oscar. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that they are and I'll take this characterization over the apathy we had in the past, but let's be real, it kind of came out of nowhere. The group as a whole pretty much ignored Oscar up until the movie invite and two of these characters — Yang and Jaune — have actively hurt him in the name of getting at Ozpin. Now suddenly they're willing to toss aside their huntsmen duties — protect the people — in order to save him? Nice sentiment, it's just that, as always, we have very little development for it, especially given the level of emotion shown. Particularly when it comes to Ren. The prospect of someone sacrificing Nora? I 100% believe that he draws a hard line and this kick-starts a change in his semblance. Ren is shown to be thinking about how he lost his teammate Pyrrha? Totally believe it! Someone is sacrificing the kid I'm not sure he's ever had a conversation with? That's less persuasive. At the very least, it would have been nice to have the trio grapple with whether they can or should prioritize Oscar over everyone else, rather than taking such a black and white stance of, "Of course taking the time to save this one guy while everyone else dies is worth it. You're evil for thinking otherwise."

We even get a shot of Winter's hand shaking and clenching like Yang's used to, just to hammer home who the correct party is.

While they begin this argument we cut to Salem who is literally conducting her grimm in their attack against Atlas.

Very nice. I love when a villain has

Emerald watches her, clearly freaked out, and then sneaks off to where Oscar is held. In the hallway she encounters one of the jellyfish grimm, so she casually makes it not see her until it has passed.

Her semblance works on grimm, but not “real girl” androids? Okay.

We all realize how crazy powerful Emerald is though, right? The stuff that she could do in a fight is staggering and I'll be forever salty that all she managed in the Penny battle was to create a couple different Cinders. Emerald, Marrow, Salem herself... RWBY has a real problem of having the antagonists conveniently not use the power at their disposal when the heroes need to win.

So Emerald starts listening in on Ozpin's torture. We learn that Hazel was recruited when he tried to kill Salem numerous times and had to watch her keep reforming. Which, if I remember correctly, is a technique she used back when she and Ozma were playing at Gods. It worked and now Hazel believes that they "share a vision. She's going to create a new world order," one without Kingdoms or Huntsmen Academies. No, says Ozpin, she's going to divide humanity past reform, summon the Gods, and hopefully die when they take out all of Remnant.

...My god, did we finally get Salem's motivations after seven years?

Seriously though: seven years. It's way too late, especially when we now have so many questions attached to this supposed goal. If Salem always wanted to divide the world irrevocably, why didn't she attack, oh, say, a thousand years ago? Why has she kept to the sidelines until now? None of this answers why she held off until our simple soul was conveniently ready to fight her. We also have the issue of Salem's knowledge, or lack thereof. So she obviously knows about the Relics and that they'll summon the Gods, but not how to work them? How did that come about? Even Ozpin's motivations are murky now. He repeats Salem's curse word-for-word — though notably, minus the "You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest" part — yet unless Salem told him this herself when they first reunited — and we know they both hid things from the other — Ozpin could have only gotten this line from the lore episode, something he witnessed along with us just a few weeks/months back. So is he only now realizing that this is what Salem wants the Relics for? Might he be wrong? Or did he somehow figure this out lifetimes ago and we're just not told how? If this is the case, why haven’t Salem’s motivations come up before now?

This sudden, "Oh yeah, she's always wanted to die" feels pretty tacked on. Like RT had Salem arrive last Volume because that's ~cool~ and then suddenly realized that they have to deal with her motivations now, so they hastily cobbled this together. But, as said at the start, this is entirely expected for RWBY nowadays. A problem to be sure, though one we've been putting up with for a couple of years now.

During all this, Hazel shouts that this is what Ozpin deserves and the first word out of his mouth is, "Yes."

But Oscar and the rest of Remnant don't deserve it, so make the right choice for them. How did RT think they were going to make this guy an antagonist? Ozpin has so much self-hatred and yet is still trying SO HARD that he makes Ruby Drinking Tea While The World Burns Rose look laughable.

Oh yeah, we'll be getting to that scene in just a second, but for now I just want us all to appreciate Ozpin as a character, even if the story won't.

....

.......

..............

...Okay, moment done lol. Sorry, Oz, there's a lot to cover this episode.

We cut to a semi-conscious Nora who asks Weiss, "Now what am I good for?" So that’s a double serving of oof. That's when Ruby arrives with fine china steaming with tea. Or coffee. Or hot chocolate. Whatever it is these girls are drinking. What comes next is accompanied by a strange kind of vindication for me. I mean, the fandom dragged me so hard for taking issue with their snuggly smiles during Ruby's message, yet now we literally have the girls sitting back in a mansion as everything goes to shit around them. I know the knee jerk reaction to this will be, "They have to watch over Nora" and “They deserve a break” but really? All three of them need to watch her? And a break during the height of the action? Blake says she hopes everyone else is okay, but who is actually out looking for information about the rest of their team? May. Who's going to do something to get Nora help? Whitley. These characters are so good at telling us they're the heroes while rarely ever displaying those traits. They all (somehow) saw the attack on Atlas and have the ability to get out there and defend people — the job they wanted — yet Ruby looks out the window and asks, "What can we even do?" while taking a long sip of tea. The people of Mantle are (supposedly) freezing to death, yet one of the few with aura, Weiss, sits by a roaring fire going, "Do we just wait for someone to come? If they even come.” I'm sorry, you didn't consider this before you told the whole world about Salem? No one questioned whether asking for potentially non-existent help was worth the risk and what they'd do if it never came? Or even just what they’d do in the meantime? I’m not saying the girls can’t have basic necessities like drinks, or that it can’t be done in style when that’s conveniently available. I’m saying them enjoying the food, warmth, and relative safety of the Schnee household (built on racism) while casually talking about what, if anything, they should do for the people dying outside looks a bit Not Good. "Should we wait for the fire department?" Asks the character as their kitchen burns, sitting beside a number of water buckets that could help slow things down. "If they even come," they sigh, taking another sip of tea. This is ridiculous! The city is currently under attack by the series' Big Bad and half our heroes are just sitting around, watching the evil lightning, wondering if they should try to do anything about it.

"How did it all get like this?" Ruby asks her cup, ignoring the many steps she took to make things this bad. It continually boggles my mind that Ironwood is out here trying to keep people safe in the subway, coming up with a plan to blow up this whale, sending out an army to kill countless grimm... yet "What can we even do?" Ruby is supposed to be the hero here. You know, the one who has silver eyes and could one-shot huge numbers of Salem's army if she actually went out there and tried to help.

Ironwood is taking action... and so is May. As said, she's the one out looking for info on their teammates and when she returns says that they should all get back down to Mantle. Why? Because, as mentioned earlier, Atlas at least has an army to help with things. Mantle only has them.

Yet suddenly, Weiss doesn't want to leave.

Where did this come from? They succeeded in their preferred plan of telling the world what's going on over Ren and Yang's plan of helping what people they could, and now they're looking for something to do. Why wouldn't they head back to help? (Especially now that the shields are down.) Weiss yells that there are people dying in Atlas too but, as established, Atlas has the army. And where was this concern when they refused to let Atlas leave? After a Volume and a half of pro-Mantle content, this seems to come out of nowhere. Worse, Weiss tries to guilt May by asking if she has family in Atlas, which leads to the reveal that she's trans. Her family rejected their daughter.

I want to be clear that I'm very happy RT made this canon. For what she is — a side character we know incredibly little about — I really like May and the fact that they were clear in her identity rather than keeping it to twitter deserves recognition. Yet I'm not going to pretend that the reveal didn't leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, simply because we have this incredibly privileged cis girl, who knows a great deal about shitty families, hearing how horrible May's was and still trying to tell her she needs to suck it up and help Atlas over Mantle. When May angrily asks whose side she's on, Blake makes a comment about hearing that before, comparing her to Ironwood. May is painted as the misguided one here, but can you imagine if someone told Weiss to go help Jacques over her found family, Team RWBY, regardless of what he's done to her? The fandom would explode, and rightly so. There's something to be said for realism here, showing us Weiss and Blake's inability to see where May is coming from... but it doesn't feel like a commentary on that. It feels like another Penny situation: May is put in her place for being inconsiderate, even though this time it's her choosing to help people who are ALSO in danger over the people who represent family she's broken with.

I wanted conflict this Volume and I absolutely got it, but damn if it isn’t badly thought out at times.

Because rather than grappling with these personal motivations, Ruby brushes them aside by yelling, "There are no sides! We want to help everyone."

Does that extend to Ironwood? Ruby's speeches started falling flat when she betrayed Ozpin, attacked Cordovin, betrayed Ironwood, attacked the Ace Ops... This girl does not want to "help everyone." She wants to help those who agree with her.

Yet her rock solid optimism generates the question, “So how exactly do we get out of it?” which, as expected, Ruby has no answer to. The story keeps showing us how bad a leader Ruby has become, yet no one is actively responding to that. They kinda disagree about lying to Ironwood, but still go along with it. Yang kinda criticizes her sister, but that's then lost to general worry as they split (on Ruby's end, anyway). They want to know how she'll lead them next and are seemingly fine when Ruby continually says, "I don't know." At this point I'd be like, "Well... you didn't like May's plan of going back to Mantle, but apparently can't come up with a plan yourself... so I'm going to go with her."

This is the same conflict we had last Volume: Ruby spoke optimistically about saving everyone, yet was unable to come up with a way to do that. Ironwood had a plan that, while horrific, might save a lot of lives. Yet Ruby is presented as the one to back. Now here she is, hours later, still unable to figure out a way to achieve her perfect outcome. Ruby wanting things to be a certain way is not going to make them so and I’m wondering when someone within the group is going to recognize and act on that.

As Ruby fails to answer this crucial question, we pull back to see Whitley listening in at the door.

Cutting back to Ozpin and Oscar, Hazel has listened to all this craziness about Gods, immortality, the destruction of Remnant... and literally goes, "Cool story, bro."

Okay, he says "Nice story" but the emotion is the same. Which I'm really happy about! I mentioned in a recent post that, as far as we know, Hazel hasn't been told anything about the Gods up until now. What Ozpin is telling him sounds like gibberish at worst, incredibly hard to believe craziness at best. Now chuck in Mercury's point that as a tortured prisoner he'll say anything to get free, as well as the fact that this is Ozpin talking to Hazel... and I'm really glad Hazel just ignored his speech (for now at least). It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Granted, this means that the plan literally amounted to, “Let’s info dump a bunch of nonsense-sounding lore on our enemy in the hope that he’ll believe us and betray Salem.” It’s something to try, certainly, and it admittedly is a much better plan than what Oscar is about to cook up.

So since Hazel won't listen to Ozpin, Oscar wants to try instead. Why did you two switch in the first place? It's really obvious that RT is having the characters do weird things in order to stretch out the plot.

Either way, our farm boy is in control again. What new strategy will he try?

"Her name is Jinn."

This is BEYOND stupid. No, none of this "You have to trust people" nonsense. This is not “people,” this is Hazel. There is a Grand Canyon's width of difference between learning to trust your allies and blindly trusting an active villain who just rejected your "Please defect :(" speech. Even if we remove Hazel from the equation, this is still a monumentally foolish move. I mean, has Oscar considered where he is? This isn't some random warehouse he's been taken to, this is a semi-sentient grimm, a creature creating other creatures out of its ceiling

and whose doors automatically open when people need them to (Mercury). This is a living being created by and connected to Salem herself. How does Oscar know Salem can't hear everything he says? Or that the whale can't relay information to her? That the grimm in the walls won't pop out and run to their master? Or even that a normal person isn't listening in at the door — like Emerald is. If that had been Tyrian instead, that's it. They're done. Game over.

Someone: "Wow. Salem got the Lamp and managed to ask where the Beacon Relic is. Since the school is still overrun by her army, she snatched it up quick, finished destroying Atlas, and is now on her way to Vacuo. She's nearly completed her plan in days! How did all this happen?

Oscar: I, um... told her what she wanted to know?

Someone: You what?

Oscar: But not Salem! I just told Hazel! ... and then the information somehow got back to her.

Someone: "Somehow?" You deliberately told one of Salem's henchmen this crucial piece of information, in a place where there was a good chance you would be overheard by conventional or magical means, and you're surprised that she "somehow" learned it and used that information to doom us all?

Oscar: ...Yes?

This is so staggeringly stupid it... well, it could only have been done by a kid. So at least that fits lol. Oscar, I love you, but Ozpin should have been screaming in horror the second those words left your mouth. Generations of precautions undone because a kid wants to believe the best of the guy currently pummeling him. Sweet, but stupid. I’m all for optimistic characters, they just can’t risk the whole world on that optimism. Oscar risking himself on the seemingly doomed plan to turn Hazel is one thing, Oscar risking all of Remnant on the seemingly doomed plan to turn Hazel is another thing entirely.

Even though you know this is precisely how the story will go. Oscar willingly hands over Jinn's name to Salem's forces, but happily none of the THREE who hear about it will tell her. The story's unwillingness to follow through on consequences doesn't change what a bad move this was. I mean, Oscar himself accused Ironwood of playing into Salem's hands by disagreeing with them about how to not die, yet a few hours later he will willingly give Hazel the one piece of information Salem needs to move closer to world-wide destruction? That's uh... well, that's something.

They should have just had the poor boy be tortured, spill the beans to make it stop, and start an arc of self-forgiveness. Oscar can be awesome without coming up with world-dooming plans.

So yeah, Oscar is hoping that Hazel will use the Lamp himself and find out the truth. He wants Hazel to trust him and the man he despises most in the world enough to go against the immortal woman he's terrified of, get the Lamp away from her somehow to use for himself, wasting a once in a generation question to confirm all this, so that Salem will lose a guy with muscle who, to be frank, is absolute insignificant in the grand scheme of her power. Fantastic.

As said, Emerald overhears all this and immediately runs to Mercury, who is less than convinced by her "Salem wants to destroy the world" talk. Just as he's expressing doubt, Tyrian appears to confirm that this is exactly what she wants to do — and he's loving it.

“Of course she is! You’re surprised? Salem is destruction incarnate!”

It's a legit point. Are our villains so dense they never considered that Salem might do something to the world they didn't like? It's like the group not thinking about how Salem is still around if Ozpin has been fighting her for a thousand years. RWBY continually gives the impression that these characters don't think about their situation past what they're doing at any given moment.

Tyrian maintains his title as best villain though, simply because I understand what he's doing, why he's doing it, and he's so damn good at it.

Also, can we appreciate Mercury's face here?

Amazing. This is the kind of humor we should be getting in such a tragedy-laden Volume.

The two of them, Tyrian and Mercury, head off to Vacuo for the Secret Mission, despite Mercury's newfound hesitation. I quite liked these quiet moments between him and Emerald. It has a very "Do what you've gotta do" vibe while showcasing their care for one another, something we haven't seen in a while.

Back with the airship group. YJR are still horrified that Ironwood would blow up Oscar (even though he has no idea Oscar is there), begging the Ace Ops to give them "a chance to try to rescue him first.” Ren goes pretty hard on the "no one is replaceable" bit, which is frustrating not being what he’s saying is inaccurate (it’s not), but because that's not the issue here. The writing has Harriet start yelling about Marrow replacing her old teammate and Winter replacing Clover, but the question is not whether you'll just forget a teammate and move on with someone new, but whether you're willing to sacrifice them for the greater good. That's the stance: Should we sacrifice one life to save thousands? Will you, as a protector of the people, put those people before your own found family? Yet what RT has Harriet say is: Oscar is replaceable. Which obviously makes her come across as an ass. Like the random soldier questioning Ironwood — or making Elm about to punch a defenseless Ren in her anger — it exists solely to show how bad these character are... even as they say pretty persuasive things.

The writing also continues to be confused about whether the Ace Ops are friends or not. Yang certainly didn't think so... up until she asks (rhetorically) whether Marrow would sacrifice himself for Elm, Harriet, and Vine. Since their introduction, the story has loudly insisted that the Ace Ops aren't friends... up until it's revealed ("revealed") that Harriet is actually gutted about Clover. So which is it? Are we supposed to believe that these are cold soldiers who only work together out of duty, or that they're a team who clearly love one another? I'd say that show has shown us the latter, but it doesn't seem to understand what point it's trying to make. Does this look like a soldier who doesn’t care?

It’s especially weird when Ren again makes the claim that this is why they lost to Team RWBY. Because they're not a team.

...So is this why they did such a fantastic job fighting the geist, demonstrating such perfect teamwork that the group was open-mouthed impressed? Is this why they nearly took down a Maiden together? Is this why Ren, while furious at Yang and Jaune, was still able to work seamlessly with them to try and rescue Oscar? Do we think if Yang was suddenly beside Ruby again that the two would fail spectacularly in a fight because they had a minor disagreement?

This is now the third time RT has tried to excuse nerfing the Ace Ops with, "They disagree about things and are thus not friends and thus can't fight well together" — despite all evidence to the contrary — and it's getting really old.

At one point Harriet tells Ren, "I had you pegged as the most level-headed of the bunch, but I guess you’re just as naïve" which, ignoring her then random claim that people are replaceable, is correct. I also pegged Ren as the most level-headed of the bunch considering he was just yelling at Yang for how much damage they've caused, all the mistakes they've made, and that maybe — just maybe — they should have tried harder to work with Ironwood. Yet now here he is, in a position to start that process, and the Ren we got in the snow is simply gone. He's fully Team Yang and Jaune again, facing off against the evil Ace Ops.

I knew this was going to happen, but it's still disappointing. The story gave Ren a great speech to appease those of us frustrated with the direction the story has taken... and now we’re back to ignoring that. Ren was told off for daring to question how great the group is, apparently thought it over in the snow, and is now of the opinion that yes, they are that great. People are going to die because of us? Who cares about that anymore! We will absolutely, single-handedly rescue Oscar and there's no reason why this might be a questionable choice when an entire city is on the line. Again, emotionally understandable (if we buy into the group suddenly loving Oscar this much), but it rings hollow right after making Ren the one person who was willing to look at the big picture.

Good news though: Jaune got the braincell this week! He suggests that they go in to try and rescue Oscar/provide intel, but won't stop the Ace Ops from launching the bomb when necessary.

See, this is heroic. This is what the group should have done during the Mantle conflict: Volunteering to take the personal risk of facing off against Salem while letting Atlas try to escape. Basically, not forcing everyone else to risk their lives for their pipe dream, which is what Ren and Yang want by rejecting the bomb entirely. Jaune recognizes here that they can't prioritize Oscar over an entire city, but also that they may still be able to save him before the bomb is complete and ready to go. So they compromise, with JYR the only ones at risk.

Good job, Jaune!

Winter agrees to this plan with a firm, "I outrank you" to Harriet. People are going to love that.

Oh, but in his anger Ren's semblance suddenly changes. So we're back to the ridiculous.

Truthfully, I like this direction. Granted, I would have liked some buildup to it, especially since this is the second time this Volume that RWBY has dropped a major semblance change on us, but the idea itself is really cool. Ren can now see emotions! Awesome! And I don't mean that sarcastically. I actually think that’s a neat extension of his original semblance.

Too bad the story seems to think he's a mind reader.

Seriously, take a look back at the dialogue. What Ren sees are confetti-like petals floating around a person, their color seeming to determine their emotional state. Red means Harriet is mad, blue is sadness for Marrow, etc. But what Ren ends up saying is a great deal closer to mind reading. Harriet is angry about Clover and is gutted at his loss. Marrow is questioning his place here and wants to leave. These aren't base emotions, they're targeted thoughts and feelings about situations not immediately apparent from the verbal conversation. “In fact, you don’t want to be a part of it at all anymore." How does Ren know that? They just gave him telepathy instead of the cool power with firm limitations that the imagery suggests.

There are also some, uh... iffy implications in all this. For example, Ren allows Yang privacy by not reading her mind emotional state, but has no qualms about reading every one of the Ace Ops’. So privacy is only for the people you care about, huh?

We could also say something about RT perpetuating unfortunate racial stereotypes: the two women of color are pure anger, the marginalized man is pure sadness, the Asian coded character is pure calm... and the white woman set to turn against the others gets a mix of all emotions. AKA, human complexity.

To be clear, I don't think RT is doing this deliberately. Rather, they’re writers who have demonstrated time and time again that they don't have a good handle on depicting the sort of sensitive material that RWBY is infused with, and that extends to the mild, but still unfortunate, implications in scenes like this. Even if we ignore the iffy details — a benefit of the doubt that, at this point, many fans aren’t willing to grant — we're still left with the continuity errors. Visually, we're presented with a woman who is experiencing multiple emotions at once and is, therefore, torn. Yet Ren reads Winter definitively: "I know you [don't want this] either." It's yet another moment that makes me wonder how much communication there is between the writers and the animators, because too often the two seem to be at odds with each other.

As the group prepares to go into the belly of the beast (literally!) we return to Ruby who is, once again, failing to make me believe she's this super compassionate person.

“Wait! What about Qrow and Robyn? Maybe if we get them out of wherever they’re held—”

Please tell me I'm not the only one who took issue with this? Ruby doesn't express an ounce of worry for her uncle, not even when she learns he's been arrested, and the one time she brings him up it's in the context of what he can do for them in this fight? Ruby doesn't grapple with whether to rescue her uncle (personal desire), or get the message to the world (her version of the heroic action) and then realize that, now that her duty is done, she can finally turn to the more selfish act of helping her immediate family. Instead, Ruby seems perfectly happy to let Qrow stay in prison up until she's unsure what to do next and thinks that maybe he has the answer. Heaven forbid Ruby think about rescuing him because she loves him.

Sadly, this Ruby is long gone.

In recent years she's expressed no gratitude for him saving her life, no respect for him as her teacher, demonstrated incredibly little compassion for his own struggles, and outright told him that if he wasn't going to listen to her then he doesn't need to be part of the team. Then he's arrested and she doesn't care until she deems him useful again. Like the fandom wondering where the sisterly bond between Ruby and Yang went, I'm likewise wondering where the bond between Ruby and Qrow went.

May outright rejects this though, yelling that they still don't get it. “This is not a situation where everyone wins!"

She tells the trio they have to choose for once: Are you going to help Mantle, or Atlas?

...which means there's immediately a knock at the door, interrupting the moment where they have to decide.

See, this is just like Ren. The story keeps giving us moments where characters speak absolute truth, dangling the potential for the group to grow from these realizations... only to pull back before it goes anywhere. Ren is once again aligned with Yang and Jaune in their desire to save Oscar. May's demand is interrupted by the plot. If means nothing to give us these moments unless the story acts on them.

It's Klein at the door. Whitley called him to help with Nora because I guess he's a doctor now, as well as a butler? Fine. Let’s run with it. Weiss is super pleased to see him and hugs Whitley for the good deed.

Why so shocked that Whitley would look out for another, Weiss? Could it be because he's had so little reason to be kind when everyone, including you, has treated him horribly? If Klein always had these medical skills — if you’ve grown up with a doctor — why didn’t you talk to your brother and ask if he knew how to contact him? And of course, she apologizes to Klein for her father’s actions, but not to Whitley for her own. Whitley's surprise isn't cute to me.

Weiss stuck a weapon in his face, insulted him, sent him to his room like a toddler... and now is randomly hugging him because he did something she liked. The context of this scene doesn't paint Weiss in a good light. Like the rest of her friends, she only extends basic respect and kindness towards others when they're assisting her. Whitley was nothing to her until he suddenly proved himself useful. That's not cute sibling love, it's a love that's going to run out the moment Whitley puts a toe out of line, according to Weiss' unspoken list of what behavior keeps him in her good graces.

I believe that Klein cares for Whitley because he greets him kindly and gives him that shoulder pat on the way up. Whitley didn't need to first prove himself to Klein somehow and Klein didn't start this interaction by shoving a gun in Whitley's face, just in case he wouldn't let him through the door. They feel more like family than this hug does.

So yeah, Whitley and May have done more good this episode than our entire main cast. How about we just make this story about the side characters instead?

We then hear a massive boom and the group runs out to find a crater. Penny has landed in front of the manor, which is pretty convenient considering we saw her pass out as she fell.

She's somehow still in control despite the hack and apologizes to Ruby, then falls unconscious (again).

And that's where we end! Definitely a cliffhanger, though a rather underwhelming one considering we already knew Penny was in serious trouble. As said at the start, this episode felt rather underwhelming to me, especially as a halfway point before a hiatus, and compared to some of the stuff we've seen previously. It's not bad per-se — especially if we ignore the issues that have been around for an age now, which is most of what this recap deals with — it's just not terribly exciting either. Everything of importance — Salem's attack, Oscar's rescue, Penny's demise, subordinates turning, Nora's condition, etc. — had already been established in previous episodes and very little of it moved forward. Ren's semblance is the only thing the episode gave us that we couldn't have (generically) guessed for ourselves between last Saturday and now.

So yeah, underwhelmed is the mood of the day, with a hefty dose of salt for everything that continues to be a story-breaking problem in this show. I will say though that, as has become the trend for this Volume, all the establishing shots are gorgeous. RWBY is, at the very least, pretty to look at.

As a final note, in lieu of the Bingo board (since, again, not a whole happens plot-wise) I want to point out something mentioned by a friend: how absolutely bonkers our timeline is now. We began the second day last episode with the sun rising (recall that Jaune had tried to sleep that night at the outpost. So it’s definitely sunrise as opposed to sunset).

And we re-confirm that it’s sunrise at the start of this episode.

Yet throughout the episode many of our shots take place at night (note the stars behind the trio).

These moments with Ruby can't take place in the past because they're talking about the attack, an attack that only happened after Jaune's group met up with the Ace Ops and the geyser attacked — during early morning. I doubt I'm supposed to believe that it has been another full day of Salem starting an attack, a full day for the group to fly to the whale, a full day for Penny to fall, a full day which would put us at the end of the Volume’s timeline at only the halfway point... so I think RT is just going for the aesthetic of night shots without thinking about what that does to the continuity. It's a mess.

Not the highest praise to end on, but I’m working with what I’ve got lol. I feel as naïve as Oscar when I say that maybe Part II will be better.

I will, of course, see you all in six weeks. Until then, I'll do my best to catch up on asks. Another doomed endeavor, but one can try!

A very Happy Holidays to all of you who celebrate and, as always, thanks so much for reading! 💜

[Ko-Fi]

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby recaps #rwby war #mymetas

94 notes · View notes

mixtvpes · 4 years

Text

— BREEZY LOCKERS ARENT FOR HIDING

info;

- words: 1371 words or something like that

- description: the newest survivor has just been summoned to face their first trial in Ormond, a cold snowy place often with snow storms and high winds. Ormond is home to the killers The Legion. their leader shall appear in efforts to get close to the newest survivor. however, none of them knew how turning the situation would become.

- ship: frank morrison x reader (gender neutral)

ع˖⁺ ☁⋆ ୭ 🕊.⋆｡⋆༶⋆˙⊹

you took a big inhale of the cold winded air and tried calming yourself down. being it your first trial you were scared out of your mind. what happens if you die? is that it forever? will marks be left on your body? do you even have the skills to make it out alive? so many thoughts in such a short amount of time. thankfully, you were next to your teammate David King. the tall brute like man was for the most part calm and silent but kept a very protective feeling close to him. he signaled you over to a generator he was working on, though you were very hesitant on joining him on it, he assured you that you’d do fine and all you needed to do was really focus. you trusted him and started working on the generator. over time it started getting easier to repair. David finished it and quickly told you to get out of the area. he split off from you and ran the opposite way. you didn’t understand why he left but figured this is your time to really get an idea of how these trials are. now you were completely alone and in a windy snow storm.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

the winds really started to pick up after the first generator was fixed. the air became very crisp and cold from the snow, the ground becoming crunchier the more you walk on it. however you had spotted a wooden cottage that looked like a good place to possibly hide in and at least it will get you out of the snow storm. you wrapped your sweater around your body and mouth as the weather declined in warmth quicker and quicker. you decided to start running to help boost the warmth back in your body and allow yourself to get to the cottage faster. when you got to the cottage, you suddenly felt a presence behind you and heard rapid breathing. “ We need to get in here come on!” the unfamiliar voice said before shoving you into the cottage. “h-hey!” you said back to the mysterious person as they continued to shove you. “the killers coming this way we need to hide in this locker! let’s go or we both die” he said in an assertive tone. you really didn’t have a choice here, you could either stay out in the cottage and get murdered or you could get in this locker with this random person. you figured it must’ve been another survivor you just missed meeting before hand. you got into the locker after the other survivor entered. “so what exactly are we doi-“ “shhhh shh shh” you were quickly cut off with a shush and a finger to your lips. “do you hear that?” instead of hearing the whisping wind blowing all you could hear was an enormously loud heartbeat. you got closer to the survivor incredibly fearful, hoping the rumors of killers being able to smell your fear weren’t true. you closed your eyes and just hoped the heartbeat would soon leave. in quick time it surely faded away and you let out a sigh. “is it gone?” you asked, looking towards the survivor, unable to see the whole survivors face. “yeah i think so.” through the lined of the locker, little light peaked in only visible enough to paint a picture of the mouth of this other survivor. “so, what’s your name? you look new” “oh um my name is (x), i am very new to all of this. i actually thought you may be new as well since i don’t think we’ve been properly introduced yet.” you saw a smile creep onto the survivors face. “you know i dont think we have been properly introduced, the names Frank.” you couldn’t tell if the breeze was actually getting chillier or if it was this dudes creepy grin. “(x), do us a favor and peak out the locker to see if the killers really gone” he was still smiling when he requested this which struck you as very odd but maybe he was just a weird guy. you faced the locker and peaked out and saw nothing. “i don’t see it, i’m gonna open the door” “good idea” as you were slightly opening the door you were once again pushed, this time landing on the floor. “what the hell!” you slowly turn your back to face the locker once more only now the survivor who was previously not visable now had a bloody smiling mask on. that’s when the heartbeat came back.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

“o-oh my god...” you whispered as you tried crawling backwards away from the killer. “well now we’ve been properly introduced! time to decide, do you wanna reeeeaaallly piss me off and make me kill you for fighting back or do you wanna make this easy peasy and let me just kill you without the pissed off part?” he turned his head looking at you, bloodied smile still cheerful as ever. in panic you turned back around to try and get yourself up quickly since there was a pallet behind you. as you attempted to getup however, frank decided to grab your leg, tripping you as a result of you staying down. he started walking towards you saying all kinds of wicked things. it was his way of riling himself up as well as provoking your fear so his high would last. as you attempted for your second time to get up he once again tripped you. bending down to you and getting ready to stick his knife in your back. “jesus christ do you not learn? so fucking stupid” he said to you. “get the fuck off me!” you kicked his stomach pushing him off you but in the process skinning your leg across his knife.”heh” he scuffed, getting back up and seeing your blood on his knife. the blood does things to killers and puts them in a fury, or better for frank’s case, a frenzy. as you got up you started running away trying your best to make it over to the pallet fast, frank was already in frenzy mode. his speed increased and he was out for more blood. he caught up so close to you and when he went to go swing his knife, you smacked him out of frenzy by a pallet. “fucking BITCH” frank called out. he destroyed the pallet as you ran away, losing track of your blood. to your fortune there was a survivor close by that was able to heal you up. she said her name was Claudette and how she was a studious botanist and was trained to help heal. when you asked her how much more the team has to do in order to escape she gave you a brief puzzled face. “we’ve already completed mostly everything, i think the last two are finishing the last generator up. how did you not notice, were you being chased or just not doing anything?” you coughed up at the direct question and said “yeah i guess you could say it was a chase, i didn’t realize it had lasted for that long though.” all of a sudden the last generator was popped and a loud noise ran across through the whole map. “come on let’s go open an exit gate and get out, this place is too cold” she says. you follower her along to go and find the exit gate.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

there was one last attempt made by frank to try and get more of (x’s) blood. it seemed far richer and more exciting than anyone else’s blood, the fear you also held close to him was mesmerizing. never had he met a survivor to drive him this crazy. however all the survivors had left before frank could stick his knife into any. from that day forward though frank made it his new goal that if he ever saw (x) in another trial, he would really commit to the chase and not let you go. you became the thing he thought of most and he was perfectly fine with that. however next time, he’ll find every opportunity to get you alone into a trap again. you have become his prey, and shall the predator hunt once more.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

AN:/ hi hi so this is my first writing piece 👉👈 i’m kinda proud of it but i hope you all like it and if you have any requests feel free to send some :)

#dead by deadlight #dbd #dbd legion #frank morrison #frank morrison x reader #dead by daylight survivor

55 notes · View notes

star-labs-intern · 4 years

Text

Serendipity: A New Year’s Kiss harrisco fic

A/N: This is super late but it is for @heckyeahharrisco ‘s beautiful Harrisco New Year’s Kiss Anthology! Happy almost- New year!

Summary : Harry and Cisco have a one night stand the night before NYE and then find themselves at the same New Year’s party.

Serendipity

The date was December 30th and Cisco was out at the bar, drinking. The holidays had been stressful to say the least and he deserved some proper rest and relaxation. He was hoping for someone to flirt with, so Cisco wasn't at his usual haunt tonight. He was at a place a little further across town that was usually very busy but tonight, looked like a ghost town. He looked up when a tall, lanky man of ambiguous age came to stand near Cisco.

“So...Do you come here often?" Harry Wells found himself asking, aloud.

Cisco barked a laugh. “That line ever worked on anyone before?”

Harry chuckled and reddened a little. “Honestly haven’t used it on anyone in a while. But I’m truly curious. You don’t exactly strike me as a regular.”

Cisco nodded at the drunks asleep at the counter. “No, I am certainly not a regular.”

“So that means, young attractive man, not at his usual neighborhood bar… looking to get into trouble tonight?”

Cisco found himself laughing for the second time. “You’re the one calling me attractive without even buying me a drink, let alone introducing yourself.” Cisco smirked at this handsome stranger. “And I’m the one looking for trouble?”

“Harry Wells. And I’d love to buy you a drink, even if you don’t tell me your name.” Harry leaned closer to the man with the beautiful curly hair, anticipating his response.

“My name’s Cisco. Cisco Ramon. And, yes, I think I’ll let you buy me a drink.” Cisco sized Harry up for a second.

“Oh, you’ll allow me to buy you a drink? How kind of you.” Harry quipped.

They decided to move to a table to talk. One thing led to another and suddenly Harry was asking Cisco to come home with him. Then, before they knew it, Harry and Cisco were two single people heading home together on a cold New Years Eve, Eve, intent on having some fun with no expectations.

Cisco always buzzed with nervous energy before moments like this and Harry could feel it radiating off of him.

“Relax,” Harry cooed as they got out of the taxi. They stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to Harry’s apartment. It was bitter cold but Cisco stared up at the door and then looked sheepishly back toward Harry.

Cisco couldn’t help feeling a little bit of hesitation. Harry was an older man, a stranger, bringing Cisco into his home, after all.

“Hey,” Harry stopped Cisco by gently grabbing him by the shoulders. “You good?” Harry asked seriously, instead of complaining about the cold or rushing Cisco inside.

“I’m so good,” Cisco nodded, suddenly back in the moment with refreshed enthusiasm.

Harry grinned and pulled Cisco to him, kissing him slowly. Cisco felt lightheaded.

"Let's go inside. I'm cold." Cisco complained when they parted.

"Hmm, I think I may be able to help with that," Harry replied cheekily as they ascended the steps and disappeared into the apartment

***

The next morning Cisco was up cooking breakfast, even though it was Harry’s home.

Harry grinned waking up to the smell of food. “I don’t remember telling you to get out of bed,” Harry teased as he came into the kitchen.

Cisco blushed, “Good morning! I think we both deserve some food after last night,” he deflected the flirtation but looked at Harry under low lids.

Harry came to kiss Cisco squarely on the mouth. “You are amazing. Thank you for such a wonderful evening.”

“I certainly enjoyed myself,” Cisco grinned and kissed Harry back before breaking away. “Now! Unless you want burned eggs to ring in the last day of the old year, I suggest you stop distracting me,”

"Whatever you say, Cisco," Harry grinned

***

Later that day, Cisco was at home preparing for his New Years Eve party. He was going to Mercury labs with his best friend Caitlin Snow. He was going as “back up”, as moral support for Cait, who worked there, and he had to start getting ready.

His phone vibrated and, expecting a message from Cait, Cisco opened his phone. What he found was Harry’s apparent phone number, saved under “That Hot Guy” and a new message saying “Had a blast with you. Hope to see more of you in the new year.”

Cisco rolled his eyes and quickly texted back “You saw plenty of me last night. You’re so corny”

After hesitating for a moment, Cisco texted again, “But I also had a blast and we should def do it again soon”

“Sounds like a plan” Harry texted back and Cisco bit his lip, thinking of another night promised with Harry. He was a little bit irritating, for lack of better word, and there were moments where Cisco kind of wanted to strangle him, but boy did they have chemistry…

With another twist and turn, Cait was picking Cisco up for the party.

“What did you end up doing last night?” Cait asked, in the car.

“Honestly, I went out to the bar and had a one night stand,” Cisco winced as he told Cait.

“Did you really??” Cait grinned. “Give me all the details, why didn’t you text me where you were?? What if he had been a murderer?”

Cisco laughed. “I have my pepper spray, don’t worry. I can handle myself. He was… very smart. A little older than me. Kinda sarcastic in this really annoying way.”

Cait was looking at Cisco. “And how was it?”

Cisco rolled his eyes. “It was really nice and I had a really good time.” He said, looking out the window again and avoiding Cait’s reaction.

“Did you get his number??”

“Oh my god, Cait, enough of the third degree!”

When Cisco peeked at Cait, she was still grinning from ear to ear. Cisco groaned and filled Caitlin in on the rest of the details.

“Wow, Cisco. Good for you!” Cait complimented as they got to the party and started getting out of the car.

“Thank you, it was fun, yes, and hopefully I will see him again, but now it’s time to enjoy this party! So please, no more Nancy Drew-ing my love life, okay?”

Caitlin pretended to zip her lips. “Time to party,”

Cisco smiled. “Thank you!”

***

Cisco had tried his honest to god best, to continue and forget all about Harry.

They had been at the party a little over an hour, when Cisco spotted him. “Oh shit. I’ve gotta be fucking dreaming,” Cisco muttered to himself.

“What are you doing?” Cait asked as Cisco was suddenly hiding behind a waiter holding a tray of appetizers.

“Nothing,” Cisco replied, stealing a glance from behind the waiter, to see if Harry had noticed him. He was a little ways away, standing profile, speaking with some woman in a fabulous pant suit, and it didn’t seem like he had spotted Cisco yet.

“Are you hiding from Dr. McGee? She adores you, she wants you to come work with us.” Cait asked, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s who that is. Nope. Actually, yes, I am hiding from Tina McGee, I don’t want her to see me in this hideous tie I picked out with champagne glasses on it.” Cisco lied, poorly.

Cait rolled her eyes but then narrowed her eyes at Harry. She was starting to put the pieces together.

“Cisco…”

“Listen, Cait, I think I’m gonna have to go home early, I’m getting a terrible stomach ache…”

“Cisco, is that the man you slept with last night??” Cait whisper yelled at Cisco, pulling him out from behind the waiter with the appetizers and dragging him to the entrance.

“What? Where would you get a crazy idea like that?” Cisco laughed, nervously this time.

Cait looked at Cisco and blinked, waiting for him to come clean.

Cisco pursed his lips. “Not gonna buy the stomach ache story, huh?” Cisco asked.

Cait laughed. “You’re the worst. Just go over and talk to him. Just say hi and make it not awkward, and then come find me. I’ll be mingling.”

“Fine.” Cisco grimaced. “I can’t believe I told you any of that. This is the worst New years party ever,” Cisco whispered to Cait before going off to find Harry.

Cisco spotted his tall demeanor at the drink table. He was grabbing another glass of champagne. Cisco took a deep breath and approached Harry.

“So… Do you come here often?” Cisco asked, mirroring Harry’s words from the night before.

Harry glanced up at Cisco. His eyes were wide. He took a swig of his champagne before he answered.

“That line ever worked on anyone before?” Harry asked with a tight lipped smirk. They smiled at each other, in shared loaded silence for a moment.

“Did you know I was going to be here?” Cisco asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Did you know I was going to be here?” Harry turned it around.

“Touché.” Cisco commented, grabbing a champagne glass and offering Harry a toast. Harry tipped his glass to clink with Cisco’s and they shared a drink.

“Well, I just wanted to say hello. Enjoy your evening.” Cisco said.

“Alright, Cisco. But I have to warn you, these things are dreadfully boring,” Harry commented.

Cisco laughed and headed back off to find Caitlin.

“All sorted out?” Cait asked.

“Easy, peasy,” Cisco said in reply.

“I don’t even want to know.” Cait said.

Forty-five minutes later and Cisco was starting to get what Harry meant. This was a giant party but people kept going in and out, finding different groups to linger in, it was impossible to keep track of who you had and hadn’t met yet. All these academic types started to blend together after a while. It was honestly starting to give Cisco a headache.

Cisco gave a sharp gasp when someone grabbed his arm, suddenly.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” Harry’s rasp was soft in Cisco’s ear and his fingers were tight but gentle holding Cisco’s arm. Where had he even come from?

“A little,” Cisco admitted, looking up at Harry.

“Aren’t you bored yet?” Harry asked again, soft this time leaning all the way in, to whisper in Cisco’s ear. “If you’re as bored as I am, you should meet me up on the rooftop in fifteen minutes.”

Cisco felt shivers up and down his spine, and said, “Make it ten,”

Harry grinned and walked off. Cisco was thankful that Cait was otherwise occupied talking to a gaggle of her coworkers.

Cisco waited four agonizing minutes before nodding at Cait and then walking off down the hallway to find Harry.

He took the elevator up to the top floor. He followed the signs for the staircase. Cisco went up a half flight of stairs and found a door which was propped ajar with a rock. On the door it said, “Roof access, CAUTION”

Cisco slipped through the door careful to keep the rock propping it open.

He looked around, “Harry?” He whispered.

“Over here,”

Harry was draped in shadow, leaned against a chimney. He held open arms to Cisco.

“You’re not worried we’re gonna get stuck up here?” Cisco asked as he got slowly closer

“You saying you wouldn’t want to be stuck up here with me?” Harry teased

Cisco laughed and then, finally, he was close enough that Harry pulled Cisco to him and they kissed, gravitating together like magnets.

***

Cisco returned to the party a little while later looking very red and with very messed up hair.

Cait quirked her head at him when he returned. “Where have you been? You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

Cisco gave her a small grin. “You should see the other guy,”

Cait narrowed her eyes at Cisco.

“You’re lucky you made it back in time for the count down.”

Harry and Cisco made eye contact from across the room. They were each pretty happy that they had gotten to steal away for a little while.

Cait and Cisco tried to maneuver themselves closer to where the action was happening.

Cisco lost sight of Harry in their move.

Suddenly they were counting down from thirty and Harry had come up right behind Cisco.

When the clock struck zero, Harry took Cisco by the arm and swung him around to face him. “Happy New Year, Cisco,” Harry whispered, and suddenly dipped Cisco low, kissing him deeply.

Cisco gasped but was thrilled by the most exciting New Years kiss he could imagine.

Harry stood them both back up and when they broke apart, he chuckled sheepishly as anyone who saw them, wolf-whistled and shouted. “I thought you were my secretary from behind! Your long hair!” Harry winked at Cisco who bit his lower lip, shaking his head at Harry’s sneakiness and terrible excuse.

Cisco touched his lips where they had kissed, only seconds before. “Honest mistake,” He said, eyes glaring daggers at Harry and Harry grinning like a lunatic. Halfway across the room Christina McGee looked a fraction more stressed out than she had already.

“Happy New Year, everyone!” Harry shouted and made off into the crowd.

Cait leaned over to whisper to Cisco. “He is something else.”

Cisco smiled and touched his lips, where Harry’s had just been. “You’re telling me.”

#harrisco #new years eve #nye #harrisco drabbles #this is silly but i had fun writing it!#so there's that #happy new year

20 notes · View notes

miss-choco-chips · 5 years

Text

Twisted soulmates

BIG Thank you to @iphoenixrising who let me babble on chat about this idea, and to @the-sky-is-a-lie who is an awesome sweetheart and read and edited this for me (THANK YOU!)

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

Tim has three names on one wrist. His soulmates. Tim has one name on the other wrist. His nemesis.

...or are they?

Tim gets his first mark the night the Graysons fell, ‘Richard John Grayson’ forever tattooed on him, the otherwise unblemished white skin of his left wrist almost shining in contrast to the new addition.

Young, he might be, but not stupid; never stupid. Neither of his parents would approve of a circus artist, perfect as he may be in Tim’s wide opened eyes, so he had to be smart about this. His mind hasn’t stopped whirling since the little touch that burned Dick’s name on him and vice versa, all kind of plans on how to broach the subject with the adults, how to make Dick like him beyond the promised love of a soulmate, every possibility dancing through his eyes, while his parents look for their seats at the stands none the wiser.

He's planning on asking his mom to stay after the show, so he might properly introduce himself to this marvelous trapezist, maybe proclaim an interest in the training - anything that could improve his overall abilities was a good thing in Janet’s eyes, and having her on board would be enough to force his father to accept. He’s excited at the prospect, and a part of him thinks Dick, up the trapeze getting ready for his act, feels the same. That he could feel, through the bond that snapped in place when the other kid first touched him, an echo of his own happiness, a joy at finding, so soon in life, something as beautiful as this.

He’s going to stay after the show. He’ll talk to Dick, introduce himself properly, be as mature as possible- Dick wouldn’t want a dumb kid as his soulmate. Maybe even make friends with this wonderful boy that can fly and is destined to love him.

(Love him, him, him. He can’t wrap his head around this strange concept of being on the receiving end of something strong and wonderful. He might cry.)

Then the tragedy occurs, and Tim's too traumatized to think about doing anything about it. He can't pester a grieving boy with this. They are kids after all, and it’s not like their bond is going anywhere.

(I don’t want to wait, please don’t forget about me, please love me.)

---.---

Dick has just been adopted, his entire worldview had changed, adding a soulmate to care about would be just too mean of him. Tim can take care of himself, even when sometimes, after his parents left for yet another trip, he yearns for someone to hold his hand after a nightmare. To brush his hair back and hug him.

But that’s just the child in him. He doesn’t need it to live, it’s just a silly comfort thing to wish for, like the baby blanket his mother had made the servants take away once Tim turned four. So he keeps quiet. He waits.

Dick’s name is on his left wrist, after all. He is his soulmate.

----.----

He gets his second mark years later, when the Batcave’s security is breached and some strange men attack Bruce. The giant penny is too tall, but he still get a good look at the man below it, and something in his gut twists. It all makes sense a few minutes later, when Bruce is fighting someone else and the man in green robes pushes Tim aside, holding him hostage to get the Batman’s cooperation.

The skin on his wrist, the one that doesn't have Dick's promised love tattooed on it, burns. He doesn’t dare look down, aware of how taking your eyes from the predator in the room could mean instant death. He doesn’t need to, anyway; he already knows.

Tim’s pretty sure this is his nemesis, because no way he'd be destined to hate Dick and love this criminal, and they are on opposite wrists. So… getting away is the first step on his ‘do not interact with this terrorist until I’m significantly better at defending myself’ plan. Easy peasy.

He catches the side glance the man shoots him, because of course he also felt the burn, and there’s curiosity there. Something akin to amusement, which, Tim can get behind, he’s also seeing the irony of this, the utterly ridiculousness of him being important enough in the grand scheme of things to warrant being tattooed on this man’s skin.

There’s also possessiveness there, which isn’t fun at all. Stranger danger, his mind screams at him.

His nemesis shouldn’t be possessive of him, unless he has a really fucked up view of his enemies, in a ‘their death is mine, and mine only’ way. Because this is his nemesis, there's no doubt in his mind of that.

Dick is on his other wrist, after all, and he is his soulmate.

----.----

Bruce goes mental when he finds out later, and almost blows a gasket. Ra’s, as Tim later finds out his nemesis is called, is suddenly one upping the Joker on Batman’s high priority enemies list, which means only a glimpse of him anywhere near the city borders would warrant a call to Superman, Bruce’s ultimate last resort. That’s how big this is.

Young Justice has split feelings on the matter. Cissie and Cassie, ever the bloodthirsty ones in Tim’s humble opinion, suggest tracking the man down before he can get to their leader, and taking him out of the game. Probably permanently. Kon seems torn, half with the girls, half with Bart, who finds the whole thing amusing and exciting. Ra’s Al Ghul, one of the most dangerous enemies the Justice League ever faced, and little old Robin is his fated enemy. Not Superman, not Wonder Woman, not Batman himself; just their Rob. That, according to the speedster, is so, so, so crash. The rest of the team, if they have opinions, keep them to themselves. It takes a while to calm the room down and focus on their mission of the day, but he eventually succeeds.

Dick, on his part, comes back from where he was brooding with the Titans after a fight with his mentor to fret over Tim, and everything is right in the world.

He isn't afraid of Ra's. He has his new family, new friends, and soulmate.

----.----

There’s something on his pillow when he gets back from the weekend with his friends.

A perfect rose, white as snow, thorns so sharp Tim knows they would pierce skin if touched. Not that he would be so stupid as to do it, not when foes like Ivy existed.

But… there’s a ribbon, and it sends ice through his veins. A red ribbon, tied at the stem’s exact center. A flower with a ribbon, the universal symbol of soulmates.

He’s pretty sure Dick’s back in San Francisco. Which leaves...

No.

He squares his shoulders and searches in his bag for his Robin gauntlets, protecting his hands with them as he disposes of the rose.

His right hand stings a little through the entire process.

----.----

When he gets his third mark, he's honestly surprised. As well as on the edge of unconsciousness from blood loss.

The blood flooding his airways is his, and the building that he believed was his safe place would never feel like that again. His knocked out friends litter the hallways, the bo staff he tried to use to defend himself long lost to the fight, as this man, his hero, his Robin, his apparent Soulmate, tries to kill him.

(Their eyes meet and they feel it at the same time, the twist in their stomachs, which is what stops Jason's blade. Tim’s hand raises up, weakly, and carefully brushes against the one holding the knife. It burns, and everything goes black for a minute.)

(Jason stops breathing. He has the Joker on one hand, and was markless on the other until now, so this runt has to be his soulmate. No way it's the deranged clown. Which means he almost....)

Jason runs away (this is Jason, his wrist claims, not the mysterious Red Hood any longer) and Tim patches himself up, does damage control with his friends, calls Batman. His heart is beating twice as fast as usual, but he tries to be logical; Jason is on the same wrist as Dick, who is his soulmate, and opposite to Ra's, who's most likely his nemesis. Ergo, Jason's gotta be his soulmate.

His confused, probably traumatized, totally not in his right mind soulmate.

He's gotta be patient and wait. Jason surely will get better, will come back to Tim, will fix this mistake he almost made, will... will love him.

Dick is his soulmate, and calls him ‘little brother’, which hurts, but he says it with such warmth that it soothes the ache. Dick loves him.

Jason will, too, someday.

----.----

A few weeks later, he wakes up in the middle of the night, conscious of the feeling of being watched from the shadows of his room.

There’s the teddy bear Steph won for him at the fair some months ago, sitting on the chair near his bed where he last put it, but… odd. There’s something about it that’s not quite normal, something that wasn’t there when he went to sleep half an hour ago.

It took him less than a minute to spot it, which would still be shameful if Bruce ever found out, but he sees the unusual shine in the bear’s eye and groans, more tired than rightfully angry, feeling like the moody teenager he never actually was.

A hidden camera. This was the fifth of the year, what the hell?

Pissed off, he gets up and takes the scissors he leaves by his bedside (can’t exactly go to sleep with a birdarang there, his dad might check on him at night and freak out, but sleeping without a weapon in easy reach just makes him uncomfortable) and makes quick work of the bear, getting the device out with as minimal damage to the plushie as possible. He’ll fix it later.

Beyond done, one hand opens the window with more strength than absolutely necessary, the other flying back to gather momentum and throw the thing right at the supposedly empty shadow on the roof of the building across the street. He’s not surprised when a dark gloved hand catches it, the rest of the body still perfectly concealed by the night. Fucking ninja.

No words needed, he slams the window shut again and grumbles his way to his desk, turning on his lamp. He’s not falling asleep again tonight, so might as well work on some cases.

----.----

His fourth mark is both exciting and like a bucket of cold water.

It's a fucking kid.

Is this how Dick felt when he first got Tim's mark? No wonder he avoided talking about the subject, this was uncomfortable as fuck. Granted, it didn't necessarily have to be a romantic soulmate, platonic soulmates were a thing too, but... still. Awkward.

Even worse because the kid didn't have another mark and, as Tim was his first, was convinced he had to be his fated nemesis. No matter how hard Tim tried to explain the opposite; after the heart stilling moment where he extended his hand for a shake and was slapped away, thus providing the skin to skin contact needed for the bond to form, the brat was sure it was nothing but a ruse to get him to lower his defenses or something. God this kid was fucked up.

So. In short. There were two of his soulmates trying to kill him. Great.

But... Dick was on the same wrist as them. Dick loved him. Dick was his soulmate. So Damian... Damian had to be, as well. Maybe he'd grow out if his hate, maybe it was just a phase.

Maybe.

----.----

His mother and father were dead. Steph was dead. His two best friends were dead.

Tim was numb, going through the motions but not really feeling anything. His only source of emotion, nowadays, was his constant rage at Damian, and the adrenaline while fighting a bad guy.

He barely slept. He couldn’t remember the last time he properly ate. The manor wasn’t comforting enough with the little assassin roaming around for him to get any shut eye, and how could Tim be sure he wasn’t going to poison his food?

Sleeping in safe houses seemed the smarter move, even when they weren’t really safe at all, judging by the ‘gifts’ that kept appearing every time he turned his back. Food - sealed and untempered with - files on whatever case he was working on, a brand of turkish coffee that he would gladly down even if it contained poison…

Flowers, hundreds of them, all white in color, tiny red ribbons tying their stems.

Tim shivered at the meaning, but no longer minded the feeling of eyes on him while he slept. Looking for hidden cameras was too much effort to be worth it, as long as there were none in the bathroom and his walk in closet. He couldn’t care less, these days.

----.----

Jason tried to kill him. Again. In the middle of a Pit Episode, even after all Tim had done to help him, to mend their relationship.

Damian was even worse, abusing Tim any way he could, any time he got the chance to get away with it. And it was a startlingly large amount of times, considering their family should be more attentive to attempted murder. None of Tim's effort to bond ever bore fruit.

But he's still convinced they are his soulmates, so he's gotta be patient. They have to be.

Because Dick is his soulmate, and they share a wrist.

Because Dick...

----.----

Dick betrayed him. In the worst possible way, in the most vulnerable moment of his life. When Tim needed him the most.

Jason tried to kill him.

Damian tried to kill him.

Dick betrayed him (which was, arguably, worse).

Dick was his soulmate. Jason was his soulmate. Damian was his soulmate.

They had to be.

----.----

His quest for Batman would’ve been a lonely affair, if not for the honeyed voice whispering in his ear. The silent eyes he felt on his skin wherever he went, more heavy than his three assassin escorts’ stares.

What a crazy world it was, where Tim’s nemesis believed in him, while his first soulmate, the one he loved almost his entire life, claimed delusion. Where his nemesis sent his people to keep him alive, to keep others out of his way, while his other two sought his death.

What a crazy world indeed.

----.----

-I think we need to talk, Timothy. About this bond we share.

-I’m listening.

Timothy, he said, but it didn’t sound like his name at all.

In his mind, it echoed something scary, something that made him shiver and tense.

It sounded like Mine.

----.----

Ra's al Ghul was probably his soulmate.

He's gotta be. Because there's no way Tim's fated to love three people that are just going to break his heart again and again and again.

When he goes to the League for help looking for Bruce, he steels himself in place when Ra's’ voice in his ear makes him want to flinch. He grits his teeth at the viper like words murmured in soft tones. Makes himself accept when Ra's offers to train him in the ninja arts after he successfully brought his mentor back. Clenches his fists when he's asked to dinner in a dimly lit French restaurant.

Ra's didn't retaliate when Tim blew up half his bases. He kept giving Tim pointers and praises. Seeking his company.

So he breathes in.

He forgave Damian for being a killer, Jason for being one, too. He surely can find it in himself to forgive his actual soulmate for being a criminal.

In time.

Right?

...Right?

----.----

Something dark and victorious twists in Ra’s chest when the Detective doesn’t flinch away from his touch, and silently accepts the white rose and red ribbon he presents before guiding him deep into the restaurant. There’s acceptance in Timothy’s eyes, reluctant but hopeful, even if he stirs away from any ‘dangerous’ topics of conversation and very firmly drops a drug test pill in his glass of water the second the waitress turns her back on them.

Ra’s doesn’t comment on it, merely mirrors the act on his own wine (one could never be too sure, not when an enemy as interesting as this is seated across from him) before raising it for a toast. Not that the Detective was aware of the reason.

He’s got a lot to celebrate.

Deceiving this one wasn’t easy, after all.

----.----

Later that night, alone in his room, Tim turns in the bed, his back to the cameras on the far end of the room. The movement is slow, lazy, following his usual sleeping patterns. A clumsy hand pats the mattress, blindly looking for a pillow and dragging it to his chest, face hidden by its softness. He goes lax again, peaceful and oblivious to the world around him to any lingering eye.

Once he’s sure there’s no way anyone could see him, Tim lets a slow, dangerous smile creep on his face, his heartbeat thundering in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins, feeling so alive it’s almost painful after all the numbness.

Ra’s was looking so smug, like the cat that got the canary. Oh, he tried to hide it, but Tim had made it his life's mission since he was twelve to understand the man to his truest essence, to be able to read him as one would a book, and practice had taught him how to play him like a cheap kazoo.

He probably shouldn’t smile, safe as he is in hiding his face in the pillow, but he can’t help it.

Deceiving Ra’s, soulmate or not, wasn’t easy.

#Tim Drake #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #bruce wayne #ra's al ghul #Ra's is creepy #but he's smart about it #OR IS HE #Young Justice #Timdick #Jaytim #damitim #ra'stim #soulmates au #nemesis au #which one is each though #my writting

778 notes · View notes

almaasi · 6 years

Photo

Thank you SO MUCH to the 2,000 people subscribed to me on AO3 (and my 10,000 followers on tumblr)!!!

Thank you for your endless kindness, and every comment ever sent my way. Thank you for getting excited about what I make. You’re all wonderful.

In celebration, here’s some art, which is based on a dream I had the other day. Plus!! Under the read-more: A fic rec of people’s favourite 15 stories, which you guys voted for in my recent survey. ♥

★ A list of the many ways YOU can support my writing and art !!

★ All my Destiel fics on AO3

★ Subscribe on THIS PAGE to get an email when I post a few fic~

Top Voted Destiel fics (written by @almaasi)

☆

Try-Something Tuesday · 48k · NC-17

Human AU. Dean Winchester teaches a third-grade class. He’s new to this whole ‘bisexual’ thing - but by pure happenstance, he meets Castiel: a particularly dapper male librarian who moonlights as a substitute teacher. Dean’s curious and Castiel is willing, so why the hell not? Except, fate never intended it to be one-time-only…

☆

Of Shampoo and Fruit Flies · 17.6k · M

Dean’s roommate is not what anyone would call ordinary. Cas is asexual, and autistic, and he frustrates other people with his unrelentingly ‘childish’ ways – but it’s different with Dean: they have an exceptional bond, something truly profound. Dean figures Cas wouldn’t respond to the idea of a crush the way most people would, so he has no intention of telling him he’s been harbouring non-platonic feelings for him for years. Then one night everything falls to pieces: Cas overhears something he wasn’t meant to hear. Things were never normal between the two of them, but now they might never be comfortable again.

☆

Note to Self: Cas Loves You · 3.4k · T

Dean is not just drunk – he is VERY drunk. Castiel ushers him back to their motel room, completely aware that by the time Dean wakes up tomorrow, he won’t remember anything about tonight. What better time for Castiel to confess his love?

☆

Sam Accidentally Sees the Whole Picture · 10.4k · NC-17

Sam’s been through a lot lately, what with tonight’s hunt rendering his skin an aching shade of purple and all. He can deal with Dean being overly concerned about Cas’ broken finger, and - God help him - he puts up with the sound of their preposterously soppy love confessions and first kisses on the adjacent bed. But he cannot be expected to remain silent and feign sleep throughout the entire duration of their first-ever lovemaking session. He just can’t. Especially not, because it seems apparent that Cas is more intent on deflowering himself than letting Dean do it.

☆

A Postcard for Castiel · 4.7k · G

The teacher assigns a buddy to all the children in her first-grade class. Everyone writes their buddy a postcard, giving them a compliment. Dean is supposed to write something for Castiel, the mysterious autistic kid in the corner – but he doesn’t hand anything in. Does he have nothing to say? Or does he have too much to say?

p.S. will you Be my Boyfrend ?

☆

Dean’s List · 3.3k · T

Dean writes out a list of men he would go gay for. Sam has a suggestion to make.

☆

Understanding Your Body in Ten Easy Steps · 12.2k · NC-17

All Dean has to do is track down a decent porno for Cas to watch, help him find his sensitive spots, then hang back and let him do his thing. Easy-peasy. No homo. …Absolutely no homo at all.

☆

Welcome All Winchesters · 60.2k · NC-17

When Dean’s engagement breaks off three days before Christmas, he’s left with nobody to accompany him on a road trip to his family’s mountain log cabin. His best friend Castiel happens to be available, and is willing to help him through a tough time. But when Dean’s mother and brother arrive, expecting to meet the person Dean plans to marry, they understandably assume Castiel is Dean’s fiancé. After a weekend of comfortable domesticity, sharing clothes, intimate conversations, and definitely-one-time-only therapy sex, it feels almost too easy for Dean and Cas to fake a loving, romantic relationship. The hard part is going back to being friends afterwards. They can’t keep their hands off each other, and they’ve discovered some fun things to do together which they’d never tell another soul about. And, oh boy, feelings. Now being ‘just friends’ is so impossible, it seems as if fate had another plan for them all along…

☆

Snow Place Like Home (But My Home Is With You) · 47.8k · NC-17

It’s Christmas Eve, and Dean, Sam and Castiel are snowed into a small town with a big festive spirit. They splurge on a fancy room in a B&B – hey, they deserve a treat. There’s a tiny plastic tree and a working TV, so they could perhaps overlook the lack of hot water and Dean having to bunk with Sam. Sleeping arrangements soon reach a happier equilibrium: Dean’s just cuddling Cas to keep him warm, he swears – the tingly feeling means nothing! Christmas Day arrives, and Cas still doesn’t have a gift for Dean. Dean doesn’t know what to give Cas, either. Sam has a few ideas, but will the other two truly understand what he means?

☆

Love Him in His Sleep (Love Him Always) · 32.7k · NC-17

After Cas banishes Dean’s nightmares, Dean starts to have wet dreams… about being cuddled. When he wakes, he’s sticky and aroused - and he loves it. Oh, he loves it a lot. Castiel, meanwhile, is struggling with his own descent into the murky waters of human morality. How is he supposed to explore all these new lustful feelings if Dean insists on keeping him at arm’s length?

☆

Cowboys and Real Estate Angels · 36.8k · NC-17

Castiel crosses paths with the ever-charming Dean Winchester at a rodeo show in Texas, of all places. Dean’s singing days are long bygone, but his crowd-pleasing skills haven’t waned one iota. Unexpectedly, Castiel finds himself in Dean’s bedroom; they take and they give, and discover that sometimes strangers can find love like this, too. (And if a man’s faith can’t be put in God, it needs to go somewhere…)

☆

Nine Times We Met (And One Christmas We Parted · 58.4k · NC-17

On the last day of school before Christmas vacation, Mr. Castiel Quinn discovers that one of his young students has smuggled male pornography into the classroom. Upon being told that the photos belong to the boy’s uncle, Castiel vows to himself that he will keep the other man’s preferences a secret. It’s 1947; a man experiencing attraction to another man or fantasising about his sexual touch are transgressive faults, which could potentially result in imprisonment - or worse. But then the uncle walks in. The photos are of him: Dean Winchester, a rogue with an empty pocket and a child to feed. Castiel doesn’t know it yet, but his life is never going to be the same again. Years pass between chance meetings, but even though they live their lives apart, Dean and Castiel’s story is proof that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

☆

Angelhawke · 407k · NC-17

A Dean/Cas Fantasy-Drama AU, set in a medieval world where two men are separated by a curse: every sunrise and sunset, both are eternally bound to transform into animals. Every night when darkness falls, Dean Winchester becomes a wolf, and his human mind is lost until the dawn. As the sun rises, his lover Castiel becomes a hawk. Their story has been the same for five years - until the day that a young thief named Sam stumbles into their twisted lives. Without even realising it, he becomes a part of their destiny, their paths entwined in prophecy and fate. Together with a few old friends, they set off on a journey to break the curse, but it won’t be easy. To pass the time, Dean and Castiel take turns to recount their past to Sam, narrating the tale of how they met, how they formed their profound bond, and how they found themselves wanting what no man should ever want: the touch of another man.

‘Angelhawke’ is a saga of forbidden love, friendship, and magic - but above all, family. Partially based on the 1985 movie ‘Ladyhawke’.

☆

Sharing the Rain Dog · 19.8k · M

When some asshole hits a dog with his car and drives off, the first two people on the scene are Dean and Castiel. Castiel’s an FBI agent with a plane to catch, and he doesn’t have time to take the dog to the vet. Dean’s a musician, and he doesn’t have the money. An agreement is reached: Dean goes, Castiel pays, and they’ll exchange details and meet again to work things out. But who gets the dog? Sooner or later they’re going to realise that having shared custody of one pitbull isn’t ideal. She needs one home, not two. One stable, loving home…

☆

Our Garden Home · 36.3k · G

Flower fairy Dean has caught a thief in his trap. As it turns out, it wasn’t a mouse stealing his food. It was Castiel: a hissy, bitey bat sprite with one wing and a forlorn, lonely heart. Dean offers a warm space in his nest, where Castiel can stay until Springtime comes around again. However, Castiel becomes more than just a guest. With a little effort, he helps make Dean’s nest a home.

☆

275 notes · View notes

eightcurioussouls · 6 years

Text

CHAPTER 11: SNOWY TERRAIN.

(( small warning- one of these kids will die, frisk will reload tho, dw ))

The next area didn't seem so bad- a haphazardly-made sentry station was the only thing that rests within it, Olivia had quickly hopped over to inspect it, and burst into laughter, causing Victor to wander over and look at it himself, and he sighed, shaking his head, “Papyrus left a note.” Was all he said, taking Oli’s hand and carrying on, the others following.

The next area held a much better looking sentry station, and Olivia broke away from Victor to head closer, almost jumping away at the monster that pops up.

“Did something move?”

Olivia almost gasps.

“Was it my imagination?”

No, it couldn’t be, could it?

“I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving, for example, a human…”

The girl stood in place, staring dumbfounded at the dog monster. Dog. Puppy. Pet puppy?

“I’ll make sure it NEVER moves again!”

Olivia was pulled into battle, a grin on her face as she watched the monster move.

⚫ Doggo blocks the way!

She goes to pet, looking curious.

⚫ Doggo is too suspicious of your movements.

“Don’t move an inch!” He barks, and he sends out an attack- a knife, as blue as her SOUL- it collides with it, but no damage is taken.

Oli did look a little surprised at that.

⚫ Doggo can’t seem to find anything.

Oli’s fingers twitch as she dives for the pet option, small hands beginning to pet the dog monster, he suddenly seemed oddly surprised, beginning to shout “PET?” as well as a few other words.

Another attack happens, Oli doesn’t move for it.

⚫ Doggo has been pet.

She notices the name in yellow- being quick to spare the dog from her merciless ticklefingers.

Once out of battle, the dog seemed, as Victor would say, shooketh, “S-s-s-something pet me… something isn’t m-m-moving… I’m gonna need some dog treats for this!!!” He ducks into his station, and Oli looked at the others, grinning.

After that debacle (and Victor asking, ‘do dogs think of treats as weed?’), they head onwards.

The next area greeted them with Sans! Victor dies a little on the inside. “hey,” he calls out to them, “here’s something important to remember.” Diction raises an eyebrow curiously at that, “Oh?” “my brother has a very special attack.” He started, “if you see a blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you.” “Fuckin’ gathered that.” Victor grumbled.

“here’s an easy way to keep it in mind, imagine a stop sign. when you see a sign, you stop, right? stop signs are red. so imagine a blue stop sign instead. simple, right? when fighting, think about blue stop signs.” He stated, Gracie gave a nod, “Right, thank you.” She murmured. During all of this, Frisk had headed upwards, coming back with a small fistful of snow, they gave the others a nod, and they carry on.

They come across a flat piece of land- and the two skeletons- Victor narrowed his eyes, “Wasn’t he just- what the fuck??” He muttered, Diction sighed, “Let’s not question it.” He replied.

“YOU’RE SO LAZY!!! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!” Papyrus boomed, earning a grin from Andres- loud noises, his favourite. Sans shrugged at him, smiling as usual, “i think that’s called… sleeping.” He responded, “EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” The taller skeleton stated, and finally took notice of the group, “OH-HO! THE HUMANS ARRIVE!” He exclaimed, Andres giggled softly.

“IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I CREATED SOME PUZZLES!” He stated, “I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!!” The kids all look at each other, oh no.

“FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!” He holds out a blue sphere, “SOUND LIKE FUN?? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK.” He rubs his jaw with a gloved hand, Andres already looked really excited! He doesn’t know why, but that sounded great. “OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW.”

The kids look between each other again, not noticing how Andres stepped into the maze, only realising too late-

ZAP.

Andres covered his mouth, stumbling back as Papyrus got shocked. The skeleton stood for a few seconds, before-

“SANS! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” “i think one’a the humans have to hold the orb.” “OH, OKAY.” The kids watch as the tall skeleton shuffles through the maze, noticing the tracks he left behind before he carefully places the orb on the ridge of Andres’ cowboy hat, “HOLD THIS PLEASE.” He chirped, and headed back.

“OKAY, TRY NOW!” He called, and Andres looked at the floor, retracing his steps carefully, the others begin to follow suit, like a conga line, again.

Once out of there, Papyrus gapes, “INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAILS!” Andres giggled at that, “YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY!” Victor goes to open his mouth to tell him about the footprints, but Gracie’s stare causes him to cease, “HOWEVER!” Papyrus continues, “THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY!! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS!” He gestures to the other skeleton, “YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!” He then proceeds to moonwalk away, Victor just, stared, “He better teach me how to do that.” This entire time, Frisk had been chatting to Sans, too, they seemed to be talking about a costume, once they were done, the children carried onwards.

Cason had rushed off to the nearby vendor within the area, almost excited, he bought four items from them before coming back to the others and passing them out, “We can share them- there’s two of them on each treat.” He exclaimed, showing the Bisicle to the group. Frisk gave a soundless chuckle, and the group spent a few minutes figuring out the nearby Ball Game, too, especially since Frisk had nabbed the red flag for the game- they took note of their virtues, the traits that define them- and Diction glanced to Frisk, “Y’know… they don’t really have a name for your SOUL.” He stated softly, curious, Frisk shrugged, and signed to him, ‘Most people call it Determination. It’s not the real name, but it’s something we generally accept.’ Diction nods to that. And they head on again.

“HUMANS!!!” Papyrus yells as they walk up, “I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR…” He stares at the ‘puzzle’, a sheet of paper on the floor, and looked to his brother, “SANS!! WHERE’S THE PUZZLE!!” “it’s right there. on the ground.” Diction had walked over to it, picking it up, “trust me. there’s no way they can get past this one.”

“Of course we wouldn’t.” Diction replied, “You deliberately changed one of the words in the puzzle, we wouldn’t be able to finish it.”

“OR WE COULD-” Victor started, irritated, he walked past Diction, and stood next to Papyrus, “-DO THAT, YOU FUCKING RASPBERRY CROISSANT.”

Now Papyrus looked a bit annoyed, “SANS!! THAT DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!!” He yelled, “whoops. i knew i should’ve used today’s crossword.” Sans chortled, “WHAT?! CROSSWORD?! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST.” “what? really, dude? that easy peasy word scramble?” Sans raises a figurative eyebrow, “that’s for baby bones.” “UN. BELIEVABLE.” He turns to the group, “HUMANS! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE.” He exclaimed.

Without even missing a beat, Oli yelled, “JUNIOR JUMBLE!” Victor gave her a questioning look, Papyrus, however, cheers, “HA! HA! YES! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT...” In the midst, Oli leans to Victor, “It’s hard because I can barely read English.” She mumbled sheepishly, Papyrus continues, “IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!” He runs off, Victor huffs, folding his arms, “thanks for saying junior jumble just to appease my bro.” Sans piped up, “yesterday he got stuck trying to ‘solve’ the horoscope.” He added, the kids gave a collective sigh, and carry on.

They come across spaghetti in the next area, and Olivia gasps, heading over to it, it was so cold, it was stuck to the table.

But does that stop Olivia? Apparently, it doesn’t, she grabs the nearby fork, stabs it into the frozen spaghetti, yanks out a piece- Victor distantly goes, “Olivia Jamee Bianchi, what the fuck? How did you do that, that was stuck to the table, what-”- and bites down on it, she stands there, chewing for a few seconds before looking at the others and grinning, “It’s good!” She exclaimed.

The others stare at her, dumbfounded, and Cason had to rip her away before she went back for more. Frisk had saved meanwhile, and Diction inspected the area- and the note left nearby from Papyrus- before heading onwards.

The sign by them in the next piece of the forest held a sign, only warning them of ‘dog marriage’, for some reason, it gave Gracie of all people chills. The kids took a few steps forward, and-

⚫ Lesser Dog appears.

Andres was pulled into battle. The boy checked his options, blinking, and went for one of the pet options.

His eyes widen as Lesser Dog’s neck expands.

He then proceeds to take the next five minutes of petting and dodging attacks, which just makes the dog’s neck grow and grow.

“Andres.” Victor called out. No response, “Andres.” Nothing.

“ANDRES ABEL DIAZ SO HELP ME GOD IF YOU DON’T SPARE THE DOG NOW I WILL COME OVER THERE-”

Andres turns to stare at him, pouting, before begrudgingly sparing the dog, “Thank fuck.” Victor muttered, the boy waddled over, now looking like a sad puppy.

Once looking around the area, the children realise that they need to pull a switch to proceed, it took them a solid three minutes to find it, Frisk had taken a moment to head back to save, and they carry onwards.

They all halt when they see a pair of dogs with axes come forward, Gracie pushes the children back, concerned, “What’s that smell?” One asks, “(Where’s that smell?)” The other asks, “If you’re a smell…” “(Identify yoursmellf!)” They proceed to walk around the area, before stopping by Gracie.

“Hm… here’s that weird smell.” The first stated, “It makes me want to eliminate.” Gracie’s breath catches in her throat, “(...Eliminate YOU!)”

They lunge for her, dragging her into a battle.

⚫ Dogi assault you!

Gracie wheezes, looking around- before looking at her options, she chooses to check Dogamy.

⚫ DOGAMY - 6 ATK 4 DEF.

⚫ Husband of Dogaressa.

⚫ Knows only what he smells.

She frowns at that, vaguely hearing a “Don’t touch my hotdog!” And a “(He means me.)” Before getting smacked with a pair of axes.

They whittle down 8 HP from her.

INTEGRITY: 12/20 HP.

She wheezes, fumbling blindly due to shock, she accidentally checks Dogamy again- getting the same result- she vaguely hears the others yell, they were panicking.

She gets attacked by dogs throwing hearts this time- she just barely avoids one hit, but another heart hits her.

INTEGRITY: 8/20 HP.

Was she… going to die? No- not now, she may have no items but she can’t give up.

⚫ The dogs keep shifting their axes to protect each other.

Gracie bit her lip, and decided to check Dogaressa this time.

⚫ DOGARESSA - 6 ATK 4 DEF

⚫ This puppy finds her hubby lovely.

⚫ SMELLS ONLY?

Another ring of hearts is thrown at her- she takes a hit from one, and then the other ring hits her full force.

INTEGRITY: 0/20 HP.

She screams.

Victor lets out a devastating “NO!” When Gracie’s body hits the floor, a SOUL of deep blue rising up only to be encased in a small container, Diction placed a hand on Frisk’s shoulder, eyes wide, “Load, Frisk, load!” He exclaimed, Cason was trying to quell the sobs of the youngest two, Oli cries for ‘mama', and Andres was throwing a tearful fit.

Frisk shakily nods, fumbling through the menu quickly as the dogs re-sniff for their next victim.

Finditfinditfindut- THERE. They slam their hand on the LOAD button, mumbling inaudibly.

‘Mom, come back- please come back. I don't want to lose anyone else!’

[LOAD.]

(( aaa, gosh i'm so sorry this took so long! I ended up powering through this at like... 12:30 am this morning and it took two hours to type up six pages on my phone buT ANYWays me? murdering the mom friend? yes i may also make a new fic for side stories, that delve deeper into the kids' backstories and what happens during timeskips, too! anyways, i'd appreciate any constructive criticism and i'd love to hear your thoughts on this so far <3!! ))

#Runaway Patience. {Olivia.}#Abandoned Bravery. {Cason.}#Shot Down Integrity. {Gracie.}#Forgotten Perseverance. {Diction.}#Abused Kindness. {Victor.}#Neglected Justice. {Andres.}#Fallen Determination. {Micah/Frisk.}#story line #storyline #frisk (undertale)#undertale human souls #undertale fallen humans #cyan soul #orange soul #blue soul #purple soul #green soul #yellow soul

16 notes · View notes

sorcierstudies · 6 years

Text

ha lol this was inspired after three unproductive snow days, courtesy of canadian winters :)

Snow days are great but not great at the same time. I think to myself ‘i gOttA sTudY aNd dO a kaAjiLlION tHinGs’ but haha that never happens. This post is pretty much an easy peasy list of steps I need to take so my free day doesn’t flop :)

- Take time in the morning to schedule

- Schedule flexiblyInclude time for productive relaxation

- Try to hang out and socialize with people

- Take time to do things you normally don’t have time for

- Block everything so you can shift things around in case anything happens

- Check my habit trackers to keep me on track

Note: I feel like most of my habits are based on routine, which is based on coming back from school. When I don’t go to school (whether it be the weekend, breaks, or snow days) my routine gets messed up and my habits get messed up too. By checking my habit trackers, I can remind myself what I’m trying to build a habit of.

A method I use to easily chunk and schedule is writing out how (physically) how much free time I have, the tasks I need to accomplish, the time it will take, and the difficulty. I tackle the hardest tasks early so I won’t give up on them later. After that, I alternate between hard/easy/medium and split up the tasks even further if I have to.

Hopefully, this was easy peasy :) Do you get snow days a lot? Maybe I’ll expand on this someday, but the bottom line is taking advantage of an extra day!

update 2/25/19: i had a snow day on the day i scheduled this post for, whatta coincidence! i followed my own steps for once and had the most productive snow day.

5 notes · View notes

windup-warrior · 6 years

Text

Prompt 4: Saving Time

Corners Cut

“Time is the longest distance between two places.”

― Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

If a penny saved is a penny earned, what can we say about the temporal equivalent? Is a moment saved, a moment earned or is it not such a one to one translation? Admittedly I am both a lazy hedonist and also a moment hoarder, so this is a subject that simultaneously perplexes and amuses me. I was once told that I am only so lazy as I am for the sake of investing my time and energy into only the most worthwhile endeavors. Or I am just a lazy ass. It could honestly go either way.

“Get up, lazy bones. It’s nearly midday.” The crowing call came with a looming shadow over my resting form. With the sun overhead, it wouldn’t be long before its progressive descent to the horizon in the distance would soon cast its harsh light over my cozy sleeping spot tucked beneath the overhang of the old woman’s home.

“I’m up.” I groaned, draping an arm over my eyes to shield them against the light. Little by little I dragged it away while cracking my eyelids bit by bit, little by little until I could peer up at the shaded form standing over top of me. A stout thing, the Midlander was a wrinkled old thing late in her sixth epoch. Her wrinkled hands sat upon the breadth of her hips, one pinching at a piece of parchment marked with black ink and bearing what looked like a triple cream coffee stain in the corner nearest my reach. “What have you got for me today, Garwynn?”

“A few things from the merchants in town and something to take to the mender. If it’s not too trouble.” She thrust the parchment my way and with a yawn, I took it off her hands to look it over. A few dry goods, fresh meat, a handful of crafting materials. It would be easy enough to knock out and get back to being lazy for the rest of the day. Pushing myself upright, I picked a piece of hay from my hair and brushed my side off while yawning.

“Easy peasy.” At sixteen, it was essentially my goal in life to get by doing the absolute bare minimum. In a post Calamity world, I had no family, no school, no direction or purpose in life save for survival. Garwynn Armstrong was the only one keeping me honest at that point. She gave me a place to stay, menial jobs through which I could make a little pocket gil, and kept me on the straight and narrow. She had lost her husband and only child in the Calamity, leaving her just as alone as I was. We were kindred souls of a sort, I guess. After her passing when I was eighteen, I took her surname as my own, abandoning my father’s name in favor of the only person I have ever truly considered to be “family”.

“Don’t dilly dally either, child. The birds need their greens before supper.” Garwynn leaned down to pinch at my cheek, prompting a scrunch of my nose and a little grumble as I got to my feet. She smiled and retreated into the modest one room cottage set on the fringes of the Chocobo Forest not terribly far from Tailfeather in the Dravanian Forelands.

“Dilly dally shilly shally.” Singsong tones and a dragging lack of pep to my step made for an odd combination but wasn’t that me in a nutshell? Garwynn knew how it would go. It was why she let me sleep as late as she had but still roused me to get something done before the day was through. It was a nice balance that she struck for us both, a beneficial partnership through which she gained a part time companion and someone to tend to the chores and errands that she was getting too tired to do in her advanced age. In turn, well, I had a home. Kinda. She didn’t exactly have the space for me inside, not unless we were sitting or dining together. But there was a generous stable with unused space for me to lay my head and stash a handful of my possessions. When the weather was particularly bad, she would coax me inside and let me curl up in front of the wood fire stove in the corner of her cottage where I would warm my bones while listening to the rumble of the Midlander’s snoring as she slumbered across the room. Usually before morning, I would sneak back out to the stable and bury myself beneath a few layers of gear and a pelt or two until the weather broke. Old habits, they die hard.

The path from Garwynn’s to Tailfeather wasn’t overtly treacherous, frequented by traders and pilgrims alike as they passed through to more promising prospects further on down the line. With a rucksack on each shoulder, one full and one empty, I tromped through the woods en route to my final destination. There I handed off one bag to the mender with the promise to pick it up in a short while. From the mender, I made my way to the collective of traveling merchants that had a habit of lingering near the middle of the small hamlet. On slow days there would be just one but if you were lucky, and I usually was, there were a handful to pick from.

Today was a slow day.

“Shite.” I muttered under my breath when I saw the line congregating near the sole trader. He looked flustered but pleased as punch about the business he was dragging in. I suppose that is inevitable when you’re the only one from which people can buy their needed items. The Dravanian Forelands was by no means a kind or forgiving landscape. Sure, if you tried really, really hard, you could provide for yourself while working the land and hunting and gathering. At least until winter came and blanketed the landscape with feet of heavy snow. Only the most hearty and hale of animals remained and they were usually some of the more vicious species that populated the forest around the town. If any of your preparations faltered during the summer and fall, it would make for an immensely long winter until you could finally get what you needed. As such, many capitalized on the traveling merchants who passed through to get their various sundries to bulk up stockpiles for every season. Dravanians were nothing if not resourceful and well prepared usually.

“Excuse me… I just need a few things…” I piped up, raising a hand to try and get the sole merchant’s attention. At an angle, he heard my call but didn’t see where I was, leaving him to search the crowd around him.

“What do ya need la-- oh.” He stumbled when he saw me, locking gazes and quickly looking away to retreat to the nearest patron perusing his wares. “You’ll have to wait like the rest of these good folk. If there’s anything left for you when they are done, you’re, ah… you’re welcome to it for a premium.”

“A premium? You’re pulling my tail, right?” Typical. So very typical. Not even here could I escape the persistent prejudice that seemed to permeate through every tier of society. Jerks. Whatever. I scanned the list in my hand and turned away from the man. It would likely be at least an hour before I got my turn. There was no way I was going to sit and wait for him forever just to pay more than anyone else for whatever he may have had left.

“Keimfyr!” Five minutes later, I was rounding one of the peripheral buildings on the edge of Tailfeather in search of a particularly reliable Roegadyn who frequented these parts. Like Garwynn, he lived on the outskirts of the forest but ventured in often to peddle his own wares. I found who I was looking for, thankfully, and lit up with a bright smile for the man as he looked my way.

“Little kit, how’s Garwynn?” He called with a jovial smile in return. His nickname made me crinkle my nose but he could only laugh at that too. With the way he towered over everything and everyone, I was sure that he called everyone little. It wasn’t personal, right?

“Doing well enough. Sent me out for a few things she needed… but the only guy in town is, uh… a bit of a jerk. So I was wondering if you might be able to help me out…” I asked hopefully, lifting up onto my toes with a little bounce.

“Well… maybe. What have you got?” He asked, gesturing for me to hand over my list. I passed it over without argument and rocked back on my heels while he scanned it. The low thrum of a contemplative note in his throat had me holding my breath. After a moment or six, he finally nodded and turned away to his chocobo, rounding the side to flip the flap on his saddlebag. “I might have some of this. If you aren’t keen on waiting for the arse over there, you could always hunt some of it down yourself. About… five hundred yalms north, north-east of here, you could be able to track it down if you are careful.”

“I’m always careful!” I protested, puffing myself up as if it would make me bigger than I was. I wasn’t quite full grown yet so that probably put me at four and a half fulms high even if I stood on my tip-toes. He chuckled and reached over his chocobo to ruffle my hair. As if it wasn’t already a totally hot mess. Thanks Keimfyr. Sinking back, I scowled at him and waited for him to get the rest of my requested items, which I ultimately traded for a modest amount of gil. With a stuffed ruck, I thanked him and promised I would give Garwynn his best for him, before taking my leave, setting off north out of Tailfeather along the Whilom River’s babbling path.

“Should shave an hour off of today…” Talking to myself was fairly normal. Sometimes the voices answered back but for the most part, it was an echo chamber into which I called but never received anything in return. Maybe I should have spent less time talking and more time listening because by the time I shut up, it was too late. The crunch of underbrush met my ears only a moment before the heavy weight of something yellow, red, and musclebound bowled into me from the side. Frumious bandersnatches, curse them all.

I rolled before sharp teeth could embed themselves in my throat, half of my bag’s contents scattering across the ground. Swearing, I ripped free one of the two blades I carried on the regular, a smaller dagger I kept sheathed on my hip. Backhanding my grip, I slashed out to try and gain myself a little space. The tip of the blade only narrowly grazed the bandersnatch’s shoulder and served only to piss it off more than it already was. It dove forward, the pointed edge of a wicked tusk caught me in the leg as I tried to spin away, sending me crashing to the ground with a sharp cry. It gave me enough time to pull the hatchet from my back, whirling it in my grasp so I could lash a heavy handed blow into the its chest as it pounced. The bandersnatch let out a wailing snarl and bucked its way off of me, rolling over then recovering enough to leap at me again. I hacked and slashed over and over, cleaving flesh and fur alike until it stopped moving. It collapsed over my lower body, leaving me panting and pinned down. Not that I could stay like that for long though, the commotion would assuredly draw more predators if I didn’t take my leave as soon as possible.

Ultimately I made it back to Garwynn’s an hour later than I originally expected, bearing just a fraction of what she asked. To boot, I forgot to grab her garb from the mender before I returned. As I limped up to the front door, a fluttering of the nearest window’s curtain drew my attention before the door opened.

“What happened to you?” Garwynn asked, padding out onto the front step on bare feet. I sighed and shook my head.

“Long story. I took a shortcut.” I said with a wince as Garwynn leaned down to poke at the puncture wound in my thigh.

“What have I told you about cutting corners, little one? Come inside, we’ll get you cleaned up.” She put a hand to either of my shoulders and steered me over the threshold and into the crisp warmth of the cottage within.

“What about the stuff? I lost half of it…” Admitting that wasn’t easy, pinking my cheeks with embarrassment. Garwynn passed her hand over my hair and gifted me a soft smile that made the corners of her eyes crinkle.

“Never fear, dove. We can get it tomorrow, don’t you worry.”

#FFxivWrite2018 #Saving Time #Cutting Corners #Karma #flashback #Karma age sixteen #dravania #tailfeather #writing prompt

2 notes · View notes

sneezingpotatoes · 6 years

Text

Another Cold Winter [Part 1]

Wow, hello xD I’ve returned after a long-ass break with a new fic if anyone is even interested anymore since I’ve been inactive xD But anyway, whoever reads this, I hope you enjoy it xDD

SO THIS IS ASAHI SUZUKI <3 Aka my bae, aka I love him so much! I mean I love them both but he's my bae, you know?

http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/SeichiYagami/media/bWVkaWFJZDoxNDQyODEwNzA=/?ref=1

And this is Kaede Takahashi, Asahi’s bestest friend in the entire universe xD And probably his only friend... feels bad.

http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/SeichiYagami/media/bWVkaWFJZDoxNDQyODEwNzE=/?ref=1

Okay so I used a random Anime Dress up website to make what my characters look like xD Sorry about the stupid pose they're in, I couldn't change it xD

Asahi hugged his arms tighter around his torso in order to stifle his violent shivering that rattled his spine. The cold winter air was already biting straight through his thin leather jacket, and he had no intentions of standing in it any longer. Damnit! Where the hell Is Kaede?! He mentally groaned, I don’t know how much longer I’ll last out here! Just the thought of staying out in the cold for a couple minutes longer made him grunt. He sniffled, softly at first, but a little rougher the second time, as he could feel the cold air loosening up his sinuses. He quickly brought up an index finger and attempted to rub away the burn that the cold winter air left behind from his rough sniffling, but cringes as he feels the cool burn turn into a prickling sensation in the back of his nose. He gives a quick twitch into his plaid scarf, releasing a firm sneeze into the soft piece of wool. “Huh-KSHht!” How damn cold is it, anyway? He grimaces, still feeling the strong sensation linger about. A shaky fist is brought up halfway, patiently waiting for the inevitable. A mumbled curse is heard through breathy hitches as he draws his fist closer to the cloth. “Hhuuhhhnn… Ikgsht-Kshht!!” Asahi aggressively jerked into his scarf once more, being overwhelmed by the pair of toppling sneezes. Always in triples… He drew in a long, wet sniffle, not wanting to get his scarf any wetter than it already was, seeing how the tiny droplets of sick on his scarf had already gone stone cold, making him cringe and shiver when his chin and lips laid up against it. “Ektsshuhh!!” Or was it quads...? No, I could’ve sworn it was triples. He blinks a few times, dazed by the force of the unexpected sneeze, and lets out a light cough, having felt the sneeze scrape the back of his throat. He hated sneezing, seeing how his were normally pretty messy and there was never just one. There had to be multiples. Every. Single. Time. Whether he had a quick fit or maybe a fit where the last one gets lost at the airport and has a late arrival, who the hell knows! His nose can’t make up its damn mind. Asahi and cold weather never really got along, and today wasn’t going to be any different. He mainly hated it because cold weather meant that colds were going around, and that he had to wear restricting, heavier clothing. Since coats and sweaters weren’t Asahi’s idea of fashion, he always tended to under-dress around cold seasons. And today, this was going to bite him in the ass… hard. He pulls down his scarf as another shiver creeps up his spine, making him clench his teeth and squeeze his arms even tighter. He drew in another deep, liquefied sniffle, feeling his nose start to leak heavily. Damn him! Whenever I see his face, I swear, I’ll—

“Asahi!” Kaede yelled as he rushed down the flight of stairs from his apartment room. “Sorry I’m late!” His panting breaths escaped his mouth in puffy clouds of vapor from the cold air. He gave Asahi a sheepish smile as if he were pleading for forgiveness. He really wanted to do a number on Kaede, but his warm smile and innocent nature served as a protective shield and flushed him with guilt.

“What the hell took you so long?!” His voice was grave with irritation written all over it, but of course, Kaede appeared to be immune to the wrath of Ol’ Asahi.

“I overslept again, my bad… I’ve been cramped up in my room all week studying for the AP exam today…” Asahi gave a stifled smirk at the word study. Kaede was the smartest student on school grounds that he knew of, so why would he need to study? Kaede sighs as he trails behind his best friend, waiting for the new puff of vapor to disintegrate completely before speaking once again. “I’m sorry,” He apologized again, “Can’t imagine how cold you are with that paper-thin jacket you’re wearing. If my mother were here in the mornings, she would’ve let you in.”

“It’s not that cold…” He lied right through his teeth, biting back a much-needed sniffle. The cold winter air was truly getting underneath his skin. All he wanted to do was get the hell inside, it didn’t matter where. He jammed his hand into his jacket pocket, having to force himself to leave his nose alone, unless he wanted to walk into the school looking like Rudolf.

“Are you kidding me?” Kaede yelled in disbelief, “It’s going to snow soon! I feel like I’m going to shatter into little shards of ice if another breeze hits me!”

Asahi bites his tongue in attempt to hold back a snarky remark. You weren’t the one standing out here for an hour and a half. Breaking his own rule, he brings up a curled index finger to gently brush up against the rims of his nostrils and freezes dead in his tracks. Clear phlegm had started to leak down unto his lips, since he stubbornly neglected to sniffle in front of his friend. He probably hadn’t noticed earlier since his entire face felt numb. “You wouldn’t happen to have any tissues on you by chance, would you?” He could feel his cheeks burning into a light pink as he asked that pride shattering question. He disgustedly cupped his hand to hide the leaky mess so that at least his friend didn’t have to see it.

“Is that even a question?” Humored Kaede as he reached into his jeans pocket, revealing a pack of travel tissues. “In this weather, it’s practically mandatory to carry these around, you know.” He takes a sheet of tissue for himself and hands the rest of the pack over to Asahi, who gratefully accepts them. He distantly watches as Kaede removes his glasses and gives a gentle, damp sounding blow into the tissues. My gods, everything this man does is pure perfection. The hazel eyed teen folded up the tissue and stuffed it into his jacket pocket, regretting the decision of grabbing one tissue instead of two. He brings up a gloved palm and presses it lightly underneath his nose, feeling it gently twitch against the touch of his hand. “Hiitssch!” The itchy sneeze sends Kaede whipping forward, nearly snapping at the waist. Asahi looks at his best friend with concerned eyes through his now soiled tissues before tossing his onto the ground and returning the pack of tissues to it’s rightful owner. “T-thagk you, I’b sorrhhy! I-I juhhs— Hh-hih…! Jus’… Hh’igssch’u! Hahh…” He froze for a moment, squeezing his nostrils shut, trying to kill the tickle rallying in his nose and to save himself from the embarrassing false buildup game. Even the way he sneezes are absolutely stunning. The way he tries to speak through his hitching is just breath taking. A sigh is released from Kaede as he blows his nose for the second time and tucks the other used tissue into his pocket. “Sorry about that,” Kaede chimes with a warm smile, still rubbing underneath his nose with a gloved finger, “I hope I didn't spray you or anything! It's been so long I almost forgot what a sneeze felt like... We should pick up the pace. We’ll be late.” The brown-eyed teen nods without saying a word, and instead spends the rest of the walk giving his friend a mental body check, trying to figure out any telltale signs of if he caught a cold or not, since he was too insecure to ask him about it.

***

After warming up and chatting in the cafeteria awaiting the chiming of the morning bell, the resonance from the bell finally fills the school and the two teens head to their math class together. Asahi made it his mission to keep an eye on his best friend Kaede, just in case he actually did have a cold, he’d be the first to know about it. Although there was nothing he could really do, since he was never prepared for these types of situations, he’d take him to the nurses’ office if he wasn’t feeling well, or he’d wait in the restroom with him for 3 class periods like he did last year. Asahi audibly sighed as he sat down in his desk, hating how he had math of all subjects to be the first period of the day. It wasn’t so bad since Kaede was also in his class period, and they sat right next to each other. The tardy bell rang and his teacher promptly locked the classroom door, not wanting to deal with any tardy high school students on a test day.

“Wow, such amazing attendance today. We’re only missing about a third of the class today. If only I could get this amount of students to show up to my class every day.” Mr. Yamamoto stated bluntly in a monotone voice, already grabbing the stack of tests from his desk. “Alright my star pupils, as you know, today is your AP Math exam. The test should be easy, yesterday’s 8th period said it was easy-peasy and the scantron results came back with a perfect %100. So, if you fail this exam, you’re a complete nincompoop and you need serious help.”

“Really???” A petite girl in the front row questioned with pleading eyes full of hope as if her dreams had come true.

“Heck no!” He erupted, “This is AP Math. Your brains will poof to ashes due to burnt out brain cells. I’m already scheduling your funerals.” The little girl slumped deep into her chair, arms folded, with an intense scowl directed at the math instructor. “You know the drill, no talking, no phones, yada yada yada. Once I hand out the first test, your souls are mine.”

Asahi followed suit and slumped down deep into his chair as well, already feeling his head begin to pound deep inside his skull. He hadn’t studied for this exam; He never studied for any of his classes, but this was also the only AP course he was taking, and not to mention he’s already failing it with a D-. If you count playing Dragon Blazers for 9 hours straight studying, then he would be the king of studying. He only took this class so that he could at least have one class with his childhood friend. He had straight hundreds for his daily work, since he would only copy Kaede’s worksheets, but he failed every test/quiz, and today would be no different.

“Good luck, champ. You’re gonna need it.” Mr. Yamamoto whispers to Asahi after he sets down the packet. Great. Thanks. He peeks over at Asahi, whose pencil was already scribbling and jotting down equations and answers on the exam packet. He would stop writing for a moment and bite on the eraser of his pencil, only to quickly begin his writing again. The brown-eyed teen rested his head on his desk, not even knowing where to begin. He picked up the packet and flipped through the booklet glaring at each question, the next one seeming way harder than the previous questions. Derivatives? Antidifferentiations? Integrals? God himself would have to do the test for him if he were to pass that exam. Maybe if I take a nap, last week’s lessons will just come to me. He foolishly thought, knowing damn well he hardly ever paid attention in this class. If there were a test about Kaede, he would definitely pass, seeing how every day he would focus his attention only on him. He knows that Kaede prefers wooden pencils over mechanical pencils, that every Friday Kaede likes to hole punch all of his graded papers and place them neatly behind his labeled math divider that he sketches on whenever he’s bored or has free time, also that he likes to be the last student to put away his math textbook so that he can meticulously straighten up the entire shelf for the next class period, and that he—

“Suzuki, lift your head up and get to work!” The slamming of a plastic ruler against Asahi’s desk causes him to jolt upright in his seat. It slammed so close to his arm that he felt the breeze from the swift hit wiggle through his bangs. “If you’d like to take a nap, I’m sure the principle would love to provide you with a nice warm cup of after school detention!” Muffled snickering amongst the other classmates are heard as they buried their faces into their tests, not wanting to be the next victim of Mr. Yamamoto. Kaede gives him a brief look of concern before returning to his exam. Asahi opened his exam, trying his best to hide the flush of embarrassment from showing in his cheeks, but failed horribly. Well I guess I don’t have a choice but to start working on this stupid exam…

***

Every minute that passed felt like an eternity for Asahi; He could’ve sworn that he’d been staring at question number one for five days now, and to make matters worse, he had extended class periods for the exams so he had to stay in this stupid hellhole even longer. Asahi rubbed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose, starting to feel worse than when he first entered the school. He attempted to discretely take in a light sniffle, but even the slightest inhale gave him the spotlight of the classroom. His nose was filled up with so much phlegm that it made a gurgling sound if he even attempted to breathe out of his nose. The room was so quiet that it felt like you could hear a feather drop. Asahi pinched his nostrils shut, feeling a familiar undesired itching sensation return. He tried to make as little movements as possible, as to not attract the attention of other students trying to work on their exams, but mainly so that he didn’t disturb Kaede. Despite his pinched nostrils, the itching still decided to wiggle its’ way under his fingers; his left eye began to twitch awkwardly from the sensation, and a stifled hitch barely escaped his grasp. Sick tears welled up on his eyelids and blurred his vision to the point where he decided to just close his eyes completely. He brought up a trembling hand to cup his mouth in order to muffle his now soft hitches. “HhHngh… Iihhehh…? HhHIEH-! Nnngg…” A few of the students that sat in the desks around Asahi gave him dirty looks, but he couldn’t see them. He was in his own little bubble just trying to figure out whether he should just release the sneezes or just quench the itching back down to a tolerable place.

Kaede took a look at his suffering best friend, only to see his head tilted so far back that his chin was perpendicular to the white board, with his nose and mouth squeezed so tight he’s sure that if he squeezed any harder his face would tear off. The hazel-eyed teen reached into his pocket again and placed the pre-opened tissue pack onto his desk, giving three quick taps on his right shoulder before resuming his exam. The three gentle taps on his shoulder caused Asahi to jolt in his seat from the unexpected touch, making him lose his concentration on quenching the itch. The sensation erupted like a dam breaking, forcing Asahi to jerk into his partially cupped hands over his desk. “KSHHNXGT! Huh’kgxsht! Hekshhn-ktsshuhh! Hh-hhuhHHh-!” Asahi could feel his own cheeks turning a dark red as the class shifted their attention to him and irritably blessed him, waiting for him to finish what he’d started. He knew how awkward he must’ve looked and sounded while he was trying to relieve himself of this pestering itch, but he couldn’t help it. He knew this feeling. He still needed to sneeze even though he had already finished his quad. Why the hhheelll d-do I stil— “EGSHUH!! Hegshh-Eksshh-Keshhuh!” He took a moment to collect himself ignoring all of the blessings, still trying to wrap his aching head around what the hell just happened.

“Bless you, Asahi.” Kaede’s whisper cut through all of the embarrassment and self-pity he had to offer. Asahi couldn’t help but pry open an eye to look at the angel himself. Kaede gave him a smile so warm Asahi could’ve sworn he would’ve melted if they weren’t sitting by the cold window. “Are you feeling alright?” He mouthed the words this time, discretely, seeing how Mr. Yamamoto was already becoming restless from Asahi’s outburst. The brown-eyed teen slowly nodded, as he grabbed a handful of tissues from the pack and emptying out all of the phlegm he was storing in his nostrils, not caring about the opinions of others anymore. “Nngxt! Hh… Hngt!” He successfully stifles the double into his soaked tissues, still feeling a tickle lurking in his nostrils. He balls up the tissues and sets them at the corner of his desk and promptly grabs for the rest of the tissues that were in the travel pack, but before he can open up the tissues correctly, he violently dips forward into a cupped hand. “NNGXT’shuh!” Of course. The third. “God bless you.” The teen says, hazel eyes still locked onto his own exam. This time Kaede was the only one that blessed him; It made him feel soft inside, having a special ‘God bless you’ for all to hear. Asahi furrows a brow at his best friend. Normally he would’ve been the first one finished with his exam, but three other students had already finished ahead of him, and probably a fourth one was on the way. I wonder… Asahi blew his nose once again, still feeling a lingering tickle in the back of his sinuses. Why the hell do I still need to goddamn sneeze for? He wondered, feeling very agitated with his ticklish nose. “10 more minutes everyone!” Announced the math instructor, “I repeat, 10 more minutes!” Asahi instantly picked up his pencil and quickly began circling random letters and filling in random bubbles all over the scantron; Anything to at least get a grade above a zero.

#I'm back baby 2.0 #Sneeze #Sneezefic #Sickfic #Snez #Snezfic #cold #my ocs

14 notes · View notes

tnf-frozen-north · 3 years

Text

A Letter to Garin

Garin,

Dear friend, my mind is in tatters. In the days that followed the fall of Dougan’s Hole, Easthaven, and Good Mead I can hardly keep track of the world. It swirls with memories of the past, what we’ve lost, and how we must move forward to prevent more death.

Day 1

Following our defeat of the chardalyn dragon we were invited to spend the night in the home of Keeper Siever. The celebration was subdued as many of us reflected on the challenges and loss in recent days. Orka seemed to take it the hardest. She showed up to breakfast harried by a poor night's rest. Vellyne Harpell, the member of the Arcane Brotherhood that helped us defeat the beast, joined us for breakfast and quickly shifted to our next endeavor. I’ll be frank and say that the woman likes to talk. Much of what she shared was useful, but with my focus elsewhere, much of it was lost on me: - The Ythryn mythallar is a massive crystal ball that used to keep the city of Ythryn afloat. It possesses the power to control the weather that could be the key to ending all of this. In order to find the lost city and artifact we need two items. - The professor orb known as “ Professor Skant ” is a family heirloom of Vellyne’s that we can use to find the city. Unfortunately it was stolen from her by Nass Lantomir, another member of the Brotherhood. - The Codicil of White is basically the magic book of Auril and her followers, we will need it to enter Ythryn once we have found it. - Both the orb and book are located at Auril’s seat of power on an island in the sea of moving ice. What could be simpler? We slip under the nose of an all powerful demigod, steal arcane artifacts, find a city no one has ever found before, tamper with magic beyond our comprehension, and save the world. Easy peasy.

Day 3

We arrived in Bremen late last night and found ourselves at the end of a pier this morning blowing an ancient horn. The massive whale that emerged was the legendary Angajuk. Garin, he was just like all of the stories say. Huge, white as new snow, and saddled with the Lady of the Lake. The mention of Auril made the beast bristle, but once we agreed to deal with Auril's roc they were more than willing to help. A roc is a big bird apparently. I had to ask.

Day 5

The Lady of the Lake is an amazing vessel, not just in construction, but I can’t wrap my mind around the magic that keeps us alive under the sea. If one chooses to sleep they will miss the never ending array of beast, shipwrecks, and history lost to these waters.

Day 6

It is bone cold on the isle of the Frost Maiden. Colder than the words I have. Colder than any winter you and I have ever experienced. It seems that the lady does not intend visitors and nor do we intend to stick around. Mid-morning we came across an imp like creature curiously watching us from a far. Knox approached and spoke with the beast. Apparently it was an Ice Mephit. He welcomed us and invited us to the Fortress of Grimskalle . Not one of us was interested in going with him, nor his offer to join us in our travels.

Day 7

We decided to make our way to a recent shipwreck on the island yesterday. Departing the Mephit and watching it follow us from afar was unsettling. I guess no less unsettling than the ice sculptures that pepper the island, Orka waking us in the middle of the night in shredded clothing and terror in her eyes, or the frozen creatures we encountered at noon. When we finally made it to the wreck we discovered the orb and the frozen corpse of Nass Lantomir, the thief who stole it. When we got closer a white weasel burst from the snow and a voice filled our heads. Before we could engage TK picked up the orb and was clearly possessed by the ghost of Nass. Orka, skilled in the ways of death, cast out the ghoul and returned TK. The days that come will be trying my friend. For now I seek sleep and happy moments.

Yours, Marsden

1 note · View note

yurio-plisetksy · 7 years

Text

Frustration: Yuri Plisetsky x Reader

Request: Hello~ If it's not too much of a bother can you do a scenario where Yuri comes home stressed from practice to his shy, sensitive s/o and when she tries to comfort him, he lashes out at her and takes his frustration out at her. Angst with a fluffy ending would be nice ^^ Is this okay?

WARNINGS: Strong language, angst

From the moment he had woken up, Yuri knew this day was going to be shit. As if the gods had chosen him to feel goddamn awful from the moment he opened his eyes. He could already feel a raging headache pound behind his eyes, and he had done nothing more but sit up in bed and preparing himself mentally to leave the comfort of his bed.

Maybe a shower would help him wake up a bit, and it definitely did after he had gotten undressed, stepped under the steaming water only to be surprised by a sudden temperature change, making the water turn from a perfect 39 degrees, to satan personally crawling out of the shower head and licking down his back with boiling water.

With a very manly squeal he quickly jumped out of the small space, only to miss the grip of the mat laid in front of the bathtub in favor of the slippery tiled floor. He cursed as he lost his balance and the side of his head hit the seat of the toilet, his nude frame slamming onto the ground. You couldn’t exactly say the shower had gotten him rid of his headache…

15 minutes later he was sitting at the kitchen table, a plate filled with two burned pieces of toast. He read over the little pink post-it note you had left, telling him you had an early shift and that you’d promise him to cook his favorite for dinner. Yuri gnawed on a bite of his toast, not even caring about the awful taste as his eyes scanned over your handwriting.

Compared to how he was feeling now, his morning had been easy peasy.

He could feel tears burn in the corners of his eyes, and his teeth were clenched together in order to contain himself from snapping at his trainer. He couldn’t tell you if the sweat on his back was from practice or pure frustration, but it could easily have been a combination of both.

Lilia noticed as well, Yuri was lacking something. There wasn’t as much passion in his performance, and the glint of excitement that was usually visible in his piercing orbs was now replaced by a complicated form of fear. And Yuri recognised that fear. He had felt this way before, for example, when Victor had left him to become Yuuri’s coach, or when his former coach had resigned two weeks before his previous GPF. It was a fear filled with frustration, anger and disappointment. It made him feel sick.

And her words continued to repeat themselves in his head, the harsh truth that she poke haunting him like a hidden shadow that was towering over his frame.

“Disappointed… I expected more from you by now.”

He stood in front of the mirror in the locker rooms, fingers clenched around the sink to the point it forced his knuckles to turn white. His knees felt like they could give in any minute, shaking and losing strength the more he tried to contain his emotions.

He could feel his lower lip quiver under the pressure of his contained sobs, and as much as he wanted to cry out and scream at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t. He needed to face his coach again within a few minutes, and he didn’t feel like explaining how pathetic he felt. He couldn’t cry because he wanted to look strong in the eyes of his trainer. But right now as a tear ran down his cheek, sneakily escaping from the inner corner of his right eye, he wondered if he wanted to stay strong. Was it wrong to be weak from time to time? Was he even capable of continuing this act of strength, or was it going to break him at some point?

“Yuri, you got 5 minutes.” Her voice announced, snapping Yuri out of his own thoughts to return back to reality and face the problems he wanted to avoid. And with a body filled with tension and sadness, he joined his trainer on the ice where he was expected to deliver the perfect performance within a week. Even though he didn’t even think he’d make it through this day.

You could hear the familiar sound of the door unlocking, and relief washed over you as you figured Yuri had gotten safely through the snow storm that had been announced earlier today. But you were proven wrong when he entered the kitchen, drips of blood combined with melted snow staining his lips and nose. A gasp fell from your lips and you rushed over to him.

“Are you okay? Did you slip?” Yuri usually loved it when you became worried over him, but right now he wanted to do nothing else but sulk on his own. He had heard enough people talk today and every little thing seemed to annoy him right now.

You grabbed his chin to inspect hurt area, but with quick reflexes Yuri smacked your hands away from his face. You flinched at the motion and quickly pulled your hands back. With raised eyebrows you stared up at him, confused about what made him react in such an aggressive way.

“Don’t touch me…” He mumbled, wiping the blood of his face with the sleeve of his jacket, refusing to meet your worried gaze. You wondered what you had done wrong to deserve being treated in such a cold manner, but as you opened your mouth to speak up you were yet again shut down by a harsh glare in your direction.

“I can’t deal with you right now… leave me alone.” He snapped, voice slightly raised, caused by his growing resentment. He wasn’t even aware of how much his words hurt, and after trying to help him, you were left clueless with only your own sadness to soothe you.

“D-Did something happen? I’m just trying to help-” You were cut of by a loud groan. Yuri’s fist came in contact with the marble counter of your kitchen, and you jumped at the sudden outburst of your boyfriend.

“For fuck’s sake, I said leave me alone! Can’t you hear?!” The sound of his bag slamming against the kitchen door was perfectly in sync with Yuri slamming it shut behind him as he rushed towards his bedroom. You were left alone in the kitchen. Tears streaming down your face at the way he yelled at you. The two bowls of Katsudon were left on the counter as you sat at the kitchen table, palms pressed against your closed eyes as you silently sobbed by yourself.

But in the bedroom it wasn’t much different. Yuri was seated in the middle of his bed, legs crossed and hands wiping his tears away as they continued to stain his cheeks. He felt so worthless and pathetic. And after a shit day at practice he had managed to hurt your feelings as well. He didn’t meant anything he said,and he definitely didn’t want you to hurt you in any way, but as you commented that he needed to be more careful, it just triggered him in the wrong way after all the disappointment that was thrown over him today.

You guessed it was about 30 minutes later when you finally managed to calm down a bot, and the only resolvement in this situation seemed to be conversing about it. Confront him about his sudden outburst.

With a hand on your chest you wandered towards the direction of his bedroom,head spinning from the remaining sensation of sobbing.Your cheeks were stained with tear tracks.

But as you neared his bedroom door, you were shocked to hear him crying as well. And not just crying, but softly sobbing into a pillow held closely to his chest.

You wanted to knock, but you felt like you had all the right to approach him now. So with shaking hands and cold sweat running down your neck you opened his door, and revealed the blonde sitting on his bed, crying to himself and muttering that he should calm down, but not in a mental state to actually act towards his own advice.

You entered his bedroom and softly closed the door behind you. Shuffling towards him, you crawled onto the mattress. He finally noticed your presence by the dip of the fabric as you made your way towards him. His eyes couldn’t see you in the darkness of his room, but he knew you were there by the sound of your soft breathing…

“___, I-I… I can’t explain… I’m so sorry…” He hiccuped, trying to apologize for his behavior, but feeling another wave of unexplainable emotion take over his voice and throat. You shushed him gently, sitting behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist.

“It’s okay, Yura… You don’t have to say anything…” It wasn’t until you pecked the space between his shoulders blades that he turned to you, pulled you into his lap and burrowed his face in the crook of your neck. His cries were silent, but you could see his shoulders shrug involuntary. His tears stained your shirt, and his hands clenched the fabric tightly into his hands, pulling you more against him.

There was a sudden wave of relief washing over you as he cried into your shoulder. Something had been nagging him, and to have him finally spill everything and release all his stress and frustration felt really satisfying.

“___, it’s so frustrating… and skating went bad… and Lilia…. The Grand Prix Finals…” His sentences were broken, but you didn’t need to hear more to confirm he was stressed about the upcoming competitions. It probably hadn’t helped much that he had slipped and hurt himself, and maybe other factors had also caused more triggers.

But the only thing that mattered now was that Yuri found his strength in you, and he now knew when he felt weak or pathetic he could borrow your support to lift himself up again.

“___… I l-love you…” he spoke in between hitched breaths. You smiled and nodded, running a hair through his blonde locks as you held him tightly.

“I know. I love you too.”

#yuri plisetsky #yuri plisetsky imagine #yuri plisetsky x reader #yoi #yoi imagine #yoi x reader #imagine

339 notes · View notes