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bobbimorses · 3 years

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hi! i had a question about something and was wondering if you could help out. i've read a lot of fics where clint is extremely resistant to accepting medical care when he is injured, stubbornly refusing to go to the hospital or medical wing or whatever. is there any sort of canonical basis for this in the comics? thank you!! (and no pressure, and no worries if you don't have time/interest to answer!)

ok wow your timing is impeccable bc i was involving this in a thing after the previous fic ask!

in the comics, i would say it's situational on the injury and period of time (it'll make sense when i get to these examples)

in avengers #231, clint breaks his leg in battle, and is shown next issue to not exactly be compliant with medical treatment, including a dislike for anesthetic

(a sentiment echoed in the iron age #1, which takes place shortly after)

in this instance, clint’s denial about the extent of his injury, or what he doesn’t like about being declared medically unwell, is the fact that he’ll lose his spot on the team, which is like his whole deal:

he also doesn’t like being “mother-hen’d,” and at this time is in his jerk stage, so that, combined with getting kicked off the team, makes him lash out in said jerk-mode:

so it could be said he can be very crabby when visibly injured

in hawkeye v1 #4, clint doesn’t want bobbi to know he’s just gone deaf bc he “couldn’t stomach pity,” and she basically has to chase him down to admit it and probably is the one to drag him to a doctor

in the west coast avengers’ lost in time arc, there’s a whole new dynamic to clint’s treatment of his injuries; clint’s now a team leader and wants to keep up morale, and prevent the team from stopping frequently so they can get forward in time (into the past) as quickly as possible (don’t ask). so that’s a whole “take a hit for the team, don’t wanna slow them down” thing.

wonder man blows up a bunch of guns in front of clint, burning him. of course, his primary concern with an injury as always is “i can still use bow???”:

(from west coast avengers #19. tigra....why.)

but he keeps transparency with his team and doesn’t deny that he’s injured (even admitting he has a fever), or that he needs a doctor, and doesn’t refuse stopping for one; he just kinda tries to...push it aside a bit until he can’t any longer.

(shortly after this, he dies, is revived by khonshu, and invents moon knight’s weapons so. all in a day’s work)

in avengers spotlight #22, he goes to a marriage counselor with bobbi, and the office is then ambushed by some mercenaries. clint ends up getting chased and battling a whole multitude of mercenaries. 3 issues later, he ends up injured in the sewers, and it turns out the doctor was in on the whole thing:

so in avengers spotlight #27, after he’s apparently been showing symptoms of illness for a while, he refuses to undergo tests bc of his newfound distrust:

and now his denial of sickness also has a new element of “we have bigger fish to fry”

(turns out he had a bladder infection). also right as he was leaving this doctor, a supervillain blew up the sidewalk underneath him, so clint really had a terrible streak with going to doctors here

in widowmaker #4, he gets smacked at the back of the head hard enough to draw blood, but refuses to get looked at, which we can again assume is part of his dislike of being fussed over

which culminates in hawkeye: blindspot, where he’s been ignoring symptoms while avengering that turn out to be him going blind.

after being told this by tony, steve, and dr. blake, he still continues to run around doing business even though he’s not been cleared for duty and they want him to stay at avengers tower. so obvs his response is to beat up cap when he tries to ground him for his wellbeing (yes they look like clones):

we’ve got twofold reasons here: he initially ignored the symptoms bc his whole schtick is impeccable aim reliant on eyesight. then, he refused to be cooped up under medical supervision bc he was more determined to see-through the investigation of his (evil) mentor’s death

anyways, now that we’ve gone through these, i wouldn’t say clint has a hatred of doctors or denial of obvious injuries or anything, and he’s gone to the hospital on multiple occasions. in fact, avengers: no road home #8 stipulates that he’s apparently done so a lot, which, ow:

but would i say he’s more comfortable healing up with the avengers instead of a hospital like in fics? well, i guess possibly? the thing is, the avengers didn’t consistently use an infirmary for the longest time. so for decades of issues, people were just going to the hospital for anything that needed more attention than setting a limb etc. (ok a baby was delivered once but we don’t talk about that). but in avengers v3, wanda is healing clint with new healing magic she learned after he’s beaten grievously by the wrecking crew, so i’d say that would both be more convenient and preferred by him...if she didn’t end up killing him a few issues later bc i don’t recall any ally avengers using “healing magic” on him again.

so i think my answer to every aspect of your question is, essentially, “idk it depends” but also “yes.” on one hand, he doesn’t like to face when his status as an ace archer or avenger is threatened. on the other, he does get injuries treated to prevent as much, but sometimes it’s only after it becomes way too apparent. or sometimes he just wants to push through to get the job done. and he doesn’t like feeling helpless or pitied. so, you’ve got your base elements, but it’s not like a phobia of hospitals or anything (except for that stretch with all the doctors blowing him up and trying to cut off his limbs for a bounty. that was fair)

#i in fact was using half of these details lmao #...whomst would like to beta #long post #meta #clint barton #again i stress the avengers don't really go around like 'oh let's go to medical'#there was no 'medical'#there was 'let me get the bandages from the infirmary i forgot we had'#'cap has turned into an old man in the infirmary'#and 'my wife is having an affair with hawkeye in the infirmary'#also re: magic #obvs the phoenix force healed clint but that was after it burned him to a crisp #there's other instances of injuries getting treated but these are what spring to mind

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nexyra · 3 years

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James Ironwood, for character ask? 👀

Aaaa thank you so much for the ask ♡ More rambling incoming !! Sorry for the wait btw, I've been both pretty busy and tired ;;

If you hate James Ironwood and don't wanna hear one good thing about him tap out now please ღ

My fav ship(s) for the character

I am not a super big shipper when it comes to James, but there are still some I like more than others soo here goes :

I think Ironwitch is a pretty good one. It's not necessarily a ship I'd search content for but I think these two would work well together ! Glynda is stern and honest and a no-nonsense kind of woman. She has the strenght to stand up to James when he slips or gets too stubborn when faced with the high stakes. At the same time, we've been shown that she cares for him and she knows he's only trying to do what's best for people. She has faith in him but also the ability to stand at his side as an equal. She seems to be the more steadfast of Ozpin's circle : loyal, you know you can trust her, and she will not crumble. This is the kind of personnality that I think James both admire and feel safe with. And the other way around, I think James is a good match for Glynda too. On a day to day basis, he's serious enough to not annoy here, but he's also a softie in some aspects and that's a nice combination to smooth out Glynda's edges.

Ironqrow is a completely different dynamic. The "we're annoying each other" dynamic is not one I'm particularly interested in usually xD But these two certainly had strong & interesting moments so it's a pretty valid ship !! Despite how they might butt heads because of the difference in their upbringing they (prior to V8) clearly trusted each other with their life. Even if Qrow jokes about shooting himself if he had to be one of James' man, when everything goes to shit there is no doubt in his mind that James wasn't responsible. Similarly, while James talks of shooting Qrow for his misbehaviour, when push comes to shove and we meet a tired Ironwood, run ragged by the pressure he's under... the only thing he does is hug him and reiterates how glad he is to see him. So again, they clearly have a lot of faith and trust in the other, and that's solid ground for a relationship.

My least favorite ship(s) for the character

Same spiel as always, shipping kids and adults is a big no from me; so any ships between Ironwood and RWBYJNOR can qualify here. That said, among the less uncomfortable ones, here are those I don't really like

This one is again because I love their relationship but platonically only, I'm talking of Winter Soldier. The reading I like best is not that Ironwood is Winter's Jacques 2.0, nor that he groomed her; but that he was an important father figure in her life. Protective and caring, who tried to help her escape with what he knew. I don't see James recruiting Winter as a way to gain a strong ally. But rather that Winter wanted to detach herself from her family name, and make something worthwhile of herself all on her own. And that the military is what Ironwood knows and understand, so naturally it's a career he'd see as a good path. Just like Winter then proposed it to Weiss. I like to think they care about each other a LOT and they're their own tight family in between the lines, even if professionalism might throw a wrench into it. For short I love them together but not romantically please =)

I don't know if there's a ship name for this, but Salem x James Ironwood would be a big nope from me too... In general, let's just assume I ship Salem with nobody because abuse.

My fav & least fav platonic relationship(s) for the character

Fav platonic relationship would be (have been because we dont talk about V8?) with Winter. Fooor the reasons I've explained above I suppose x) I (again) love the trust they had in one another and the quiet support.

There was also his relationship with Oscar that I really liked during V7, although it has been soured a bit by the (valid) reading from some people that Ironwood sought out Ozpin a lot through Oscar, and given his identity issues it is not ground for a greatly healthy relationship. Their interactions were still very intersting though ♡ I consider Oscar to be the kid who went at trying to appease James' fear or make him reconsider his decisions the best way. There was true understanding and hope for a working relationship here. I do feel that Oscar put in more work than James however (emotionally) and I wish there had been pay-back instead of a gunshot.

For my least fav relationship ? Probably Robyn or Watts ? Robyn was always very antagonistic toward Ironwood since their priorities are so different. And I overall just don't really like her after V7 so there are very few relationships with her I'm interested in (the exception is her ship with Fiona I think it's cute). Meanwhile, Watts is just a petty asshole hell bent on ruining Ironwood because he didn't pick his project. I'm not very interested in hate relationships, and since theirs wasn't deeply explored anyway, it's even more the case here. Their fight was great though, one of my favorite RWBY fights !

My favorite thing about the character

Well this was completely proven wrong by V8 buuut as of V7 I liked that he was a deconstruction of the military general (dictator) trope. Sooo you can guess how i feel about V8 X) In general among RWBY, several of my fav are fav BECAUSE they look like one trope but also have key differences that from the get go make the character stray away from said trope. For example I'm not a fan of the princess tsundere archetype at all, but I loooved Weiss in V1 BECAUSE she was extra-willing to listen and change her mind, and you could very easily tell that it was her upbringing speaking more than herself in most occasions.

Similarly, I wasn't a big fan of Ironwood before V7. I didn't hate him you know and he wasn't lower than most characters in my Tier list but I also didn't particularly care. But you know what ? I've aaaalways had a really soft spot for the "angsty angry traumatized teen". And RWBY made the mistake of extending that soft spot to "tired adults trying their best" (only to repeatedly beat them up/make them villains after making me care about them but what can you do uh)

Soo in general, I loved that Ironwood was trying so hard. I loved that he was tired and in over his head but learning and listening and trying to do good and be better despite his fears. I liked that he told his entourage about Salem and was loyal. I liked that he cared about helping the people above his own image and the way people perceived him. I liked that you could tell this was a terrible situation all around, and his decisions WERE questionnable but we could SEE that he meant WELL and was genuinely trying so hard despite how scared and tired he was.

My biggest criticism for the character

Well this won't be a surprise but in general I just wished he had stayed a morally grey character we were allowed to feel for instead of a cartoon black villain. I didn't need James to be THE Hero or anything like this despite some accusations levelled at those who like him. Him becoming one of RWBY's antagonist is honestly fine by me ! It is interesting. But I'd have preferred they kept him ambiguous and trying in his own way. (And smart because V8 Ironwood was dumb af)

I can be a tad overprotective of his character since he's just... so despised, so I think that I have inadvertently distanced myself from any of his flaws... somehow like "people are already yelling all of them so I don't need to add to this shit show" you know ? skjfkd But I KNOW he has them and it would still have been good to develop his flaws, just... not like that

But yea I'd have liked it if V8 Ironwood DID diverge from RWBYJNORQ and became an antagonist but not an iredeemable villain. LIKE,, we redeemed Hazel and Emerald and IRONWOOD is where the writers draw the line by saying "nope this one is rotten" ?? What ?

When was their writing at the peak according to me (ex : best season)

V7 definitely ! Ironwood carried V7 so hard haha. His character was fleshed out and given nuance and made to struggle and evolve and I loved him in that volume.

A song I think fits them & why

Hunger • Monsters & Men Human • Rag'n'Bone Man Way down we go • Kaleo Beekeeper • Keaton Henson Thistle and weeds • Mumford and Sons Castle of Glass • Linkin Park It's all so incredibly loud • Glass Animals

A headcanon to make up about them

His metal parts impact his metabolism so Ironwood is terrible at holding his alcohool and very little manages to knock him out. He's a workaholic. His low tolerence for alcohool is a great tool whn friends need to put him to sleep.

His joints crack and hurt in the cold, his metal parts as well and they are an hassle in the sand. James like to keep his room temperature warmer than the average atlasian because of this, otherwise he has to spend 30 min every morning simply unwiding muscles to move around efficiently.

He's not a good singer but has a nice low voice for telling stories. If he had kids, he'd probably avoid lullabies but compensate with bedtimes stories.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

As always, I'm kind of reflecting along the way as I write this, and one thing I'm thinking right now is... Doesn't it take away from the atlas arc message ITSELF to just pile up so many "standard bad guy" stuff on Ironwood ? Like, I wanna ask... why do we hate him ? Is he an antagonist because he lets fear get the best of him ? Because he's a classist who doesn't care about Mantle like some fans argue ? Because he's too stubborn and wants to be THE hero ? Because he doesn't listen to others ? Because he abandonned Mantle ? Because he kills peopke left and right ? Because he wanted to bomb a city ? I think you might see where I'm going with this : his status as villain is kind of messy. V8 just kept piling-up flaws and villainous actions onto Ironwood with no concern for whether this was a lenght he would go to (using the certainty that he would go to any lenghts to enact his plans), ,or whether these were one of the initial flaws/failings that led to his "fall" as an antagonist. What lesson is Ironwood supposed to learn ? Personally the very first time I yelled at my screen "No ! Why would the writers choose that ?" is when Ironwood shot Oscar. When answering criticism against medias, many people tend to look at it only through the lense of "well it makes sense in universe" or as if there were no other ways for the story to devolve. But at the end of the way, everything in a story is a choice from the writer even if it is influenced by the characters' personnalities. If I took the scene where Ironwood shoots Oscar, someone might tell me "he's crippled by his PTSD, he COULD do this." Maybe, that's a reading I can somewhat understand at least. But the writers have the power to NOT put his character in such a position. When I saw the wreck that was V7 finale, I ranted to my bestfriend about it and at no point did i say "why did Ironwood do that", I said "why did the writers make him shoot Oscar, the only point narratively would be to make irredeemable" Aaaand that's what they went for and I obviously didn't care for it. So if I had to rewrite it; I would have kept Ironwood's "mistakes" more focused. If he's wrong because he wants to abandon Mantle, because he's (understandably) scared and doesn't want to take risks; then stay focused on that. It's what makes RWBY leave, and out of all his V8 actions that's really the only thing RWBY needed to tell the whole world he wasn't an ally anymore apparently. - Don't make him shoot Oscar point blank, instead Oscar can simply fall because he flinches away from Ironwood's outburst; and a distraught/guilty Ironwood can decide that he doesn't have the time or capacity to help because of the tense situation. (Killing and not saving someone don't hold the same moral weight at all). - Don't make him kill people left and right or bomb cities, maintain the flaw of Ironwood struggling with his PTSD and his fear and not being able to take risks. - Don't paint him as a black villain, and eventually write V8 in such a way that RWBYJNORQ show taking risks might lead to a bigger victory, which was the volume's theme anyway. For example, following Oscar's destruction of the whale, a growth can occur that would bring back together the two anti-Salem factions : Oscar's risk put Atlas out of harm's way, which leads to Ironwood seeing that maybe there WAS a way to save Mantle as well as Atlas despite Salem's presence and he might have jumped the gun too quickly because of his fears. I'm not sure, I haven't thought about this extensively honestly but I hope you see what I mean. I think it would have been more focused & more in-character to focus Ironwood's failings on his fear; and the fact that he cares for the people and the greater good sometimes at the cost of the individuals. The idea that by sacrificing individuals too much you forget the people you're fighting for in the first place, could have been interesting to dig deeper into. Keep to the idea that Ironwood is somewhat disensitized to the individuals suffering for the sake of the greater good, instead of making him just

callous & uncaring.

My guess for their MBTI/Enneagram

I think pre-V8 Ironwood was an unconventionnal ENFJ. Aka, the type of character no one would type ENFJ because they go by stereotypes and Fe stereotypes are just enneagram 2 everywhere (aka nice, kind, helpful) whereas Ironwood has an enneagram tritype very common among xxTJs so that's what he looks/behaves like, but the way he thinks (what's best for the people, ethical values derived from an Atlasian upbringing) align more with Fe cognitively I think I'm going with ENFJ 6w5 1w2 3w4

Starting from V8 though, Ironwood veered clearly into ENTJ territory (types aren't supposed to change but I wouldn't say RWBY is the most consistent media when it comes to characters' personnalities)

One aspect that I think would be nice to delve deeper into ?

I understand why they didn't care to, but it'd have been interesting to get a few backstory hints for Ironwood. How did he lose half his body ? How did Oz recruit him ? Or some pieces about his upbringing ?

#rwby #james ironwood #james ironwood canoncrit #rwby thoughts #rwby rewrite #rwde #ask me stuff #enneagram #mbti #v7 spoilers #v8 spoilers #pro james ironwood

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nishaapologist · 3 years

Text

THE WORK OF WOLVES - MASTERPOST

The new Overboss, in Nisha's mind, is too young to be as monstrous as she is; she looks like some young lamb, her flesh soft and tender under the harsh edge of a blade, and Nisha doesn't expect her to survive the cruelty of their world, bathed in blood and steel as it is. Yet, when she slaughters Colter with all the skill of an abattoir butcher, and smiles as brightly as a machete's glint in the light, it's clear there's more behind those big dark eyes than anyone could ever come to expect.

By their fruits shall ye know them, and all that.

Even hundreds of years after the bombs turned back the clock on what-once-was America, people still often underestimate the ambitions of dark-eyed little girls with a taste for poor behaviour. Andrea Jiménez intends to prove she’s the worst of them all.

A Fallout 4/Nuka-World DLC series about raiders getting everything they ever wanted, and maybe a little bit more. Featuring Nisha/f!Overboss, he/him lesbians, and a whole damn amusement park of queer people. It's going to be a great summer season of 2287.

FICS (full length):

The Work of Wolves (ongoing)

FICS (short length):

Welcome to Flavourtown

Kinktober 2022

ART:

Rottweiler Bandogge (your local Pack dog breeder)

A Quadruplet of Rotts

Andrea Jiménez Concepts

Nisha Concepts

There They Go, Kidnapping Baby Molerats Again

I'm Something of an Asshole

Nisha, Local Menace

Andrea, Nisha, Mason (1920x1080 wallpapers)

With Arms Like Those, Who Needs Knives?

Itty Bitty Overboss

The Work of Wolves, Cover Art

Nisha's Fat T*ts

S U C C (i'm sorry i draw memes sometimes)

so true best tits :)

Andy

Got Me Confused

i got worms :(

Andy Andy Andy

The Kill and Grill

Bite Bite

Tierney

+3 Charisma Drip

Thonkin' (i'm still drawing memes my bad)

Scalpel

The Work of Wolves, Cover Art V2

heehoo pupper :3

Cut Here

Lamb, She-Wolf, Overboss, Warlord

Batch of Andys

Valentine's 2022

Nisha's Haircut

Andy's Hangout

Local Twink

Open Jacket

👀

Arf

Andy + Alejo

do you see this shit alejo

Sorry Girls

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS

cover them up, slut

Nukacade

Stupid Boy

Gender Envy

Nisha, Local Menace V2

Graffiti

Who Would Win?

Fun With Knives

The Jiménez Twins (2078 AU)

Itty Bitty Nisha

Lame-Ass Boyfriend

Cigars

Off The Leash

Nisha, Growing Up

Playing With Dolls

Bestial Warmonger

Nuka-Express

THE FOLLOWING IS PURE FICTION

negotiations

ART PART II:

60: Feeling Lucky? 61: Andrea Jiménez Concepts, Redrawn 62: Andrea, Nisha, Mason: Redrawn (1920 x 1080 wallpapers) 63: Andy, Getting Older 64: YOUR OVERBOSS NEEDS YOU! (Fallout Roleplaying) 65: Perfect Seat 66: F.B.I (Female Body Inspector)

MISC. STUFF:

The Work of Wolves tag

Cover art V1/V2

Andrea + Friends: Fallout Roleplaying stickers/emojis

TESTIMONIALS:

"I love these little murder gremlins. Your characterization remains spot on. Great job murph ily"

"Reading this makes me regret short-changing the disciples at every turn. But it's really nice to see the Commonwealth's resident murder queen unrestricted loathing. This is superb."

"got a VERY strong opening on andy's hot girl summer here i think id like to dip her low and kiss her so sweetly in the moonlight"

"ha, gay."

"They're gonna kiss while just covered in blood aren't they?"

"you can't catch me kinky thoughts!!! I am too fast!!!"

"This? THIS? Is the shit I've been looking, PRAYING, for, and oh boy, have I found it. JOLY.GOOD.SHOW."

[you can help add more testimonials by commenting on AO3!]

NOTES:

The Sole Survivor, aka Nate/Nora, does NOT show up in this series in any meaningful capacity. Also, pretty much every character unless implied/mentioned otherwise is queer, and the vast majority of the Pack are nonbinary because they tripped over and spilled all the gender juice. Whoops.

Given the nature of this content and subject matter, there are standing content warnings for explicit and bloody violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, mentions/scenes of murder/torture/suicide, sexual content (severity of which will be marked ahead of time), extremely bad language all the time, and people making bad decisions, intentionally, for profit. There are also tags and warnings for individual chapters on AO3.

Finally, this fic updates in batches because I am a chronic double-drafter, so there will be hiatuses between batches whilst I build a buffer! However, when chapters do go up, they will be (more or less) posted every Saturday at 4pm GMT (or 4pm BST if you're reading this between March and October), so look out for that!

If you like my fic or my art, why not leave some kudos, drop a comment, and reblog? It means the world to me! ♥️

#fallout #the work of wolves #masterpost #here it is! not a ton of content yet but since it's a Thing now #it gets a masterpost sdfghjsdfjh #EDIT: it has content now lmao #EDIT EDIT: it has a LOT of content now

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doctorfiction · 5 years

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Hi! I have a character that is shot in the head by assassins and ends up permanently blind, but without any other brain damage. As currently is, the bullet goes through the optic nerves - but is this realistic? Is there enough room between the optic nerves and the frontal lobe for a bullet to pass through? Or would it make more sense for the bullet to go somewhere else, like the occipital lobe? Thanks!

Hi! I have a character that is shot in the head by assassins and ends up permanently blind, but without any other brain damage. As currently is, the bullet goes through the optic nerves-but is this realistic? Is there enough room between the optic nerves and the frontal lobes for a bullet to pass through? Or would it make more sense for the bullet to go somewhere else, like the occipital lobe? Thanks!

This is a fantastic question and shows a good basic grasp of neuroanatomy. While a gunshot to one of the optic nerves would result in partial blindness, it would also most probably result in death, or at the very least, a devastating loss of cognitive function. Rendering the victim totally blind would require a second assault on the other optic nerve. The sum total of these combined injuries would be death or at the least a persistent vegetative stage with no conscious brain function. Occipital lobe injury is a more plausible scenario. Even so, it’s still a very densely populated building with some very sensitive neighbors.

We will approach this dilemma in our usual manner: a minimal number of needed terms, simplified anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology with a drawing to answer your question and a twist that you might find useful in your story.

PROBLEM:

An assassin’s bullet renders a character blind but otherwise sensate with minimal to nil collateral sequelae.

SOLUTION:

What you are looking for is cortical blindness. I am going to give you a plausible scheme for this and present a related condition called blindsight that you may find applicable to your protagonist.

TERMS:

Sight: The special sense by which the color, shape, position and form of objects is perceived when the light from those objects strike the retina.

Blind: Unable to see, lacking the sense of sight.

Cortical Blindness: Loss of vision with an undamaged eye due to injury to the Occipital Cortex.

Blindsight: The ability of individuals with blindness to detect and respond to visual stimuli despite lacking awareness of having seen anything.

Occipital Cortex: Paired region of the brain divided by a sulcus (a narrow tract separating organs). It is located in the posterior and inferior aspect of the brain and takes its name from the nearby occipital bone. It is the site of Visual 1.

ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, and PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

A brief (as humanly possible) explanation of vision as it applies to your scenario; Use this in conjunction with the Illustrations for a walkthrough of the pathways for sight and blindsight.

Retina: Located at the “back” of the eye, this structure creates 2D image and converts it into electrical impulses to be transmitted to Visual 1 in the Occipital Cortex for processing. The receptors include Rods for light-sensing and gray-scale imaging and Cones for the perception of color. This organ then compresses the data to allow transfer along the limited capacity of the Optic Nerve.

Optic Nerves: Known as Cranial Nerve II (CNII), they carry monocular (one -sided) input from the Retina of each eye to the Optic Chiasm where they are converted to binocular signals.

Superior Colliculus: Paired structures in the midbrain that receive input from the optic nerve. Loosely, they allow the cortically blind to perceive and react to movement even though they cannot “see” it in the conventional sense.

Optic Chiasm: The X-shaped area where the Optic Nerves cross and combine the images from both eyes allowing for binocular and stereoscopic vision.

Optic Tracts: These continuations of the Optic Nerves carry information from both left and right eyes from the Optic Chiasm to the LGN.

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN): One of the nine nuclei the visual inputs pass through on their way to Visual 1; this nucleus is the major relay center for impulses to Visual 1.

Optical Radiations: The sorted fibers from the LGN represent the final transmission pathway to Visual 1.

Visual 1 (V1): Located along the Calcarine Fissure, this structure is the primary processing center for visual data associated with basic sight perception.

Calcarine Fissure: Narrow openings along the medial aspects of the paired Occipital Cortices where the Optical Radiations from the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus link to Visual 1.

SIGNIFICANCE:

So, the take home is this: To result in complete cortical blindness, an injury occurring prior to Visual 1 would need to be penetrating and duplicated on the contra lateral (opposite side.) Due to the other critical structures in this area, the result of the direct contact and “shock wave” of the penetrating missile (bullet) would be gross deformity, loss of cognitive and midbrain function and at best, survival on a respirator.

The only plausible scenario for a single insult resulting in bilateral cortical blindness without gross deformity and loss of cognitive and motor function would be a midline non-penetrating or minimally penetrating injury to the posterior occiput bone.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY:

A gunshot anywhere along the described pathway will result in a visual defect, but only one spot will cause total Cortical Blindness while preserving the appearance of the eye and giving a chance to avoid catastrophic collateral damage or death.

Both Eyes: This would indeed result in total blindness but would grossly disfigure both eyes and almost certainly be fatal.

Optic Nerve through the Optic Radiation: To cause total Cortical Blindness would require a shot on both sides and would pass through the Frontal and or Parietal Lobes. Damage would again be catastrophic with a near one-hundred percent certainty of death.

SOLUTION:

The only real possibility would be a single shot through the center of the Posterior Occiput. If the bullet were small bore (22/25 ACP) and round nose, (take a look at my previous post on the effects of different size bullets) there is the possibility that the bullet would not penetrate the occipital bone, but rather the shock wave would shatter the occiput and drive fragments through the narrow sulcus to the Calcarine Fissures bilaterally and result in total Cortical Blindness with little collateral damage.

This is a “long-shot” (excuse the pun,) but it is the most viable scenario and there are anecdotal accounts of precisely this mechanism and outcome.

Fictional Applications:

The fact that this injury leaves all of the “upstream” transmission, integration, and coding intact allows for some interesting story applications:

Blindsight:

The protagonist is able to “see” things that others cannot:

The protagonist cannot see what’s in front of them …

. . . but now has the ability to “see” events that are occurring elsewhere. These could be events happening now, events that are about to happen, or “cold case” events that have gone unsolved.

This provides a ready-made opportunity for introspection and character arc:

Egocentric — Altruistic (Dr Strange)

Bully — Protector (Pretty Woman))

If you need a Superhero:

Powerless — Powerful (Spiderman)

Or if you need a Supervillain:

Meek — Aggressor (Megamind)

Consider the possibilities with a smashing title such as 2020 Blindsight, or Visual 1.

doctorfiction

The Doctor is In

“When to call me: you’ve been stabbed, shot, poisoned, separated from an appendage, knocked or beaten unconscious, run over by a tractor mower, or generally about to bleed to death. Otherwise, leave me alone.”

— Aurelius Hogue MD, Doc Hollywood, 1991

Welcome. This blog belongs to a long time MD, a short time MFA. Doctor by profession, novelist by habit.

What I do on this blog: Every week, I’ll design infections, injuries, psychoses and neuroses for your fictional characters. You tell me the effect you want and I’ll tell you how they get there. Think of it as medical care in reverse.

What I don’t do on this blog: I do not diagnose or treat your real life infections, injuries, or psychiatric conditions. I do not help you undertake real-life nefarious pursuits. This advice is meant to be taken only in the spirit it is intended: helping bad things happen to good characters, fact meeting fiction.

Ground Rules: My ask box is always open, but the Doctor is only in once a week. Please keep your novel’s specifics out of your message. No character names, keep the scenarios general — we want it to be useful for more than one writer, if we can. Please do provide age and sex and any pertinent pre-existing conditions. I don’t need to see your character’s insurance card.

What is your chief complaint?

The Doctor is in.

— The Doctor

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monomonomagines · 4 years

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Could I have a thing with the v1 girls and their s/o who is very talented at art. The girls find a sketchbook with countless pages of sketches of them and their s/o tells them they are practicing for when they do a more finshed piece because they hate they did not perfect drawing their gorgeous ass

Hello, Anon! I know I took a while getting to requests (as I’m sure you saw), so I’m very sorry if I seem rusty at all. However, I do hope that you’ll still enjoy this and that it is well worth the wait! I really appreciate your patience and support more than anything so thank you in advance. I again, hope that this is to your liking!

Sayaka

Sayaka was used to her more artistic fans giving her drawings and other sorts of gifts but she wasn't normally surprised by that.

She was an idol after all so things like that were expected. However, even with how flattering it was, she didn't care half as much about all the fan mail and gifts she received if she were to compare it to anything you got her.

You got to know the real her unlike most other people, you got to see every side of her even the ones she didn't like and you made her feel beautiful.

However, even if you made her feel that way she didn't realize that you'd want to capture her image.

She happened to chance upon a book without a title laying on a nearby table when she went to see you after a hard day of practicing for an upcoming concert.

She wanted to ask you about but since you had been in the kitchen to grab the two of you drinks, she couldn't help but let her curiosity take over as she grabbed the book and opened it up, displaying a ton of images of her.

Were these really all her? She had gotten so absorbed in flipping page after page that she couldn't help but jump when you exclaimed that none of those were finished.

She couldn't believe it though, you were so talented and here you were telling her that none of these were good enough but how weren't they.

She loved each one, even the scribbly messy ones that littered some odd pages. She loved them and even more, she loved that you wanted to perfect drawing her.

Overcome by her emotions, she lost her normal composure, pulling you into a hug as she softly tells you, "I love them. I can't wait to see the final piece. Thank you, S/o!"

Celeste

Celeste, unlike Sayaka, would probably be aware of your artistic talent from the start of your relationship.

She'd always request pieces from you, sometimes even in ridiculously exorbitant amounts despite you being just one person.

She never meant anything by it though, she loved your art and wanted to be the subject of it more than anything.

That's why she didn't think anything of finding another one of your sketchbooks.

If anything, she was planning on just moving it to a better place when it slid out of her grasp and fell to the floor displaying a multitude of drawings of her.

She would've been annoyed at that accursed book for falling out of her hands but at that, even her minor annoyance was washed away by a wave of joy.

As she picked the book up and began to skim through it you had happened to walk in to bring her some tea, just the way she liked it when she made eye contact with you.

"Thank you for the tea darling, were you planning on keeping these all from me?"

She had a pleasant smile on her face but as you quickly explained that none of these were done she appeared to be in deep thought.

"Ah, so you want to perfect drawing me? Well then, by all means, continue practicing. You can start now by drawing me as I enjoy my tea."

She'll sound as though she doesn't care much but a small smile will be on her lips the entire time you begin to draw.

Sakura

Sakura normally helps you to tidy up your place for spring cleaning as moving certain pieces of furniture to clean around them was difficult for you to do alone.

It wouldn't be until you were taking a bathroom break though, that she'd notice a book of yours on a table you still had to wipe off.

She'd only think about helping you out when she'd go to pick it up and accidentally swipe it off the table instead, causing the poor book to splay itself open only to display a ton of drawings of her.

What was this? Before she could get a word out her hands had already shot out to pick up the sketchbook as she began to finally process that these all were indeed her.

However, before she could close the book you had already made your way back to the same room and caught her peeking at your messy drawings.

All you could do was explain that none of them were done and you wanted to perfect drawing her when you noticed a smile on her face.

"I didn't mean to look but I'm glad still that you'd want to draw me. I love your drawings, S/o/" She'd assure in that gruff voice of hers as you go to hug her promising to show her the final piece.

Aoi

Aoi has always been a bit hyper and even rough at times. It wasn't like she meant to but she could be a lot like a child at times with these traits.

That's why unlike the others she couldn't just happen to chance upon a book of yours.

Instead, she had happened to slap it right off your desk as she was telling you a story, using her hands for dramatic effect causing the poor thing to fly across the room, spilling itself open for both of you to see.

Aoi was about to apologize, shocked out of her mind by her own mistake as she ran to pick it up only to see that those beautiful girls you drew were her.

"S/o? A-are these really me!?" She calls out, red tinting her cheeks as a dopey smile creeps across her face. "You should've shown me these are great!"

Aoi, wouldn't want to listen even as you explained that none of these are done, insisting that they're perfect. She loved all your drawings of her even the scribbly messes.

"S/o, you're the best! I love all of them!" She says pulling you into a big hug as she continues to disregard your comments on how they're "not that good". You can't convince this girl of that even if you had Sakura to help you.

Toko

Even though Toko had been dating you for a while and knew of your artistic talents, she didn't think much of them.

You'd never draw someone ugly like her she'd always think to try to kill off her own hopes of you thinking she's anything more. She didn't mean to always fall into those kinds of thoughts but by now it was a habit for her.

She always thought you'd eventually leave her for someone far prettier or nicer or something so she didn't bother to look much at your sketches.

Rather, she was just planning on shelving a book when she noticed one that was placed haphazardly on top of the whole bookcase.

Mild annoyance bubbled under her skin as she went to pick it up, knocking it off the shelf instead and causing it to fall open.

Of course, she thought bitterly as she grabbed the poor book. They were probably drawings of some girl you liked more than her and wait....were these her!?

She was so overcome by the shock of it all that she'd immediately shut the book only to soon begin giggling madly.

You liked her, you really liked her. She was so happy that she needed to ask you about it.

She'd pick the book back up, nervously walking to where you were currently sketching in another book asking you as she holds it up, "S-S/o are t-these really m-me!?"

You couldn't believe her eyes as you realized she saw all of those and you couldn't help but to come clean, telling her how you wanted to perfect drawing her only causing her to erupt in more giggles.

"So you r-really like me, huh? I guess I might b-be glad to know you do though."

Mukuro

Mukuro loved you dearly for always being there for her. She would never dream of invading your privacy but she happened to feel like you were hiding something from her.

You'd normally, proudly present your drawings for her to see and praise but lately, when she'd ask about them you'd just make some excuse that none of them are done.

It wasn't like you and she couldn't feel as though maybe you had just grown tired of her. She knew she wasn't as pretty as her sister and that she wasn't as great at expressing herself as other girls but did you really dislike her now? Was she not enough?

Despite these thoughts, she waited until you fell asleep on the couch at your place to take a peek in your latest sketchbook.

She expected to probably see someone else or maybe even just things she couldn't give you but she didn't expect to see her.

It shocked her and yet she couldn't stop herself from flipping page after page to see more. You hadn't gotten tired of her and she was so overjoyed that she couldn't stop herself from bombarding you with questions when you woke up.

At your insistence that none of them are done and that you haven't perfected drawing her, she's barely listening though as she pulls you into a hug.

"I love you. I'm so glad that you can love someone like me."

Junko

Junko was used to all sorts of things made her image thanks to her looks. She knew she was beautiful and she was honestly surprised that you hadn't already drawn her.

Contrasting Mukuro, Junko wouldn't be above snooping through your stuff as you went out to pick up some food for you two.

She wanted to know what you drew and why you barely showed her anything. She had a pretty good guess of course, but seeing is believing or so they say.

She was quickly able to find the latest sketchbook on our bedside table as she opened it and to her delight was greeted by countless sketches of her.

She'd take her sweet time admiring each one, only setting down the book once you caught her as you came back home and began to explain that those were all works in progress.

If these were all only practice then she was just excited to even more. However, she definitely would want to tease you about them just to cause your face to contort more.

"Awww, S/o you should've told me you loved drawing me! I would've modeled for you anytime!"

Kyoko

Kyoko would notice you acting suspiciously immediately.

She had a pretty good idea that it had to with your latest sketchbook as you didn't seem as talkative about your latest drawings.

She didn't want to pry but she was worried about you and decided to use her skills to quickly locate the object in question on your desk when you were making the two of you a snack.

She was planning on quickly making sure nothing was any cause of concern and slipping back into the living room without confronting you about it when she noticed that every drawing was of her.

She was at a loss for words, embarrassed that she thought there was any cause for concern about these doodles of all things.

She still wanted to confront you about and would probably ask you as soon as you come back to the living room with snacks.

She'd calmly listen to you go on about how none of them are done and how you want to perfect drawing her and wouldn't be able to help a small smile makes it's way across her normally cold features.

"I think they're all perfect but I'll look forward to the final piece. Thank you, S/o."

#danganronpa #danganronpa imagines #dr1 #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #danganronpa x reader #x reader #sayaka maizono #celestia ludenberg #sakura oogami #aoi asahina #toko fukawa #mukuro ikusaba #junko enoshima #kyoko kirigiri #ask #mod toko #look at that i'm finally getting some requests done again ^w^

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nyc-uws · 4 years

Photo

12 Shocking Things I Learned by Working as a Butler at the Plaza Hotel

You’ll never look at hotel staff the same way again.

Bloomberg Brandon Presser

Old-school service is alive and well at the Plaza: High tea treats are served in brass birdcages, tuxedo-clad bellman whisk away luggage to gilded suites, and chefs bear toques that tower above their heads. But in the age of Amazon Prime—when we all want everything now—what is it really like blending vestigial aristocratic assistance with light-speed wish fulfillment? In order to properly find out, I accepted an offer from New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel to join its team of butlers, a coterie of 10 servicemen (and one woman!) who trot around the property’s 20 floors day and night, making sure 282 rooms’ worth of guests feel like royalty. For two hot days in July 2017, I raced around with a team that, like the city itself, seemingly never sleeps—hearing tales of the trade from the department’s director, Emma, and serving guests alongside some of her most experienced staffers.

This is an elite crew: It bears a combined 147 years of experience, and many have served as house managers for affluent families all over the world. Me? I got express credentials for my two-day residency—unprecedented for the Plaza. They included a detailed orientation of the property and a uniform fitting for my hotel-issued attire (gold-plated name tag and all).

Over my short tenure, I delivered laundry to Middle Eastern princesses and fetched lobsters out of wishing wells—and listened to colleagues delight in the oddities of their jobs, from fielding requests for Viagra or comforting a weeping woman over spilled blueberries. Serving the world’s rich and famous, it turns out, plumbs the depths of an alternative universe that readily embraces the absurd without even batting an eye. And that was only the beginning of what I learned.

Here, 12 secrets to keep in mind the next time you check into a five-star hotel.

One VIP List You Don’t Want to Be On

Hundreds of butler requests roll in each shift—mostly to fill ice buckets, handle laundry, and shine shoes. Complimentary packing and unpacking requests are also common, though they can turn into day-long affairs. A surprising number of international guests will purchase adjoining suites: one to sleep in and one for their luggage.

By matter of corporate philosophy, every guest should feel like a VIP at the Plaza. But a hierarchy still exists among those who check-in at reception. At the top of the pyramid are kings, queens, and heads of state—or as butlers call them: V1s, and they are ever-present on the property. Then come high-payers, long-stayers, guests booking a large block of rooms, and recognizable celebs. They’re called DVs, or distinguished visitors. On the bottom of the VIP totem pole is the SA group, known complainers or otherwise difficult and demanding guests who require “special assistance.”

Bath Time Can Be Awkward

Another common request for the butler team is to draw baths with a signature blend of salt, oil, and roses—especially during the colder months of the year. But the butler’s duties aren’t necessarily complete once the tub is full. Bal, the Plaza’s resident bath-time specialist, said that 95 percent of the time, he’s asked to remain within arm’s reach as bathers suds-up. Most of them, he said, want more hot water or scented oil, and are happy to keep him on hand while they relax in the nude. He is often left to pull the plug from the drain, elbow-deep in leftover water.

It gets weirder. One of my butler colleagues at a previous job in London was asked to ship in and set up a guest’s order of fresh oysters in the bathtub. He diligently filled the tub with ice and laid the oysters out, only to discover that the guest wanted the oysters placed in the tub around his soaking body. Eventually, the client seemed satisfied: He purchased the room next door for his butler so he’d always be near.

Hotel Guests Are Pretty Predictable …

The Plaza’s guest relations team researches everyone staying at the hotel on an individual basis, using a variety of social media tools. (The favorite is LinkedIn.com.) Butlers, on the other hand, often use past trends to size people up on the spot. They send electric kettles to the rooms of arriving Asian guests, who often bring noodles from home to cook in their suite. They keep an eye on the minibar when tending to Americans in their thirties and forties—they’re considered the partiers of the hotel, likeliest to plow through the booze. Middle Eastern VIPs get what is called an “Arabic Amenity”—a tray of dates, dried fruit, and nuts; they tend to prefer these to chocolates, cakes, or other sweet desserts. And the butler staff knows to immediately ask Western businessmen if they have shirts or suits that needs servicing upon checking in; they’re always the ones who treble the quantity of laundry in the basement.

… Except When They’re Totally Unpredictable

Despite the overwhelming regularity of guest behaviors, travelers can mystify even the most experienced of butlers. During my shifts, lobster shells kept appearing in the fountains of the hotel’s interior courtyard. Every day, the staff would fish them out, only to find a new one a few hours later. It turned out that a Middle Eastern prince was ordering cooked lobster from room service for every meal and then throwing the empty shells out the window to land in a fountain below. (Emma asked him to stop—nicely—but pieced together the mystery only on the day of his departure.)

Another time, a woman called Emma hysterically crying “as though her husband died and she just discovered the body.” When Emma finally calmed her down, she comprehended the real reason for the guest’s tears: There was no more Kleenex in her suite, and her young daughter had been forced to blow her nose on toilet paper.

Sex, Drugs and … Come Again?

As at any hotel, requests for drugs and prostitutes do happen—but not frequently. Bal has been asked for drugs only two or three times in his 10 years at the Plaza, and he is careful to stick within the boundaries of the law. Condom needs are another story: Mouhsine, one of the other butlers, always carries a pack with him, especially in the evenings. On being called to fulfill one such late-night request, no one answered the door after several knocks; he gently entered the room to find the two guests in the “go” position, waiting to be walked-in on.

Far more interesting than sex and drugs are the more outlandish client requests. Recently, Emma fielded a service call from a woman searching for some missing chocolate-covered blueberries, which had fallen off a window ledge. Emma offered to obtain replacements from the same brand and store, but the guest was adamant about retrieving her exact snack. Emma and the security team trawled the hotel’s interior courtyard for hours, blueberry-hunting, to no avail. During my brief tenure, the weirdest request was for two liters of intravenous saline solution—meant for a doctor’s ailing wife, who was presumably on the wrong side of a stunning hangover.

Some requests are even more bizarre. One butler told the story of how he was asked to replace all the furniture in a suite because the guest didn’t like the color blue. Another was sent off to scout the city’s reliquaries for a justice of the peace trophy—a prize for a newly minted lawyer. Another arranged for a live tarantula flown in from Africa to be served as a meal. Of course, butlers always deliver with a straight face.

Mind the Pillowcases

Missing pillowcases can be a real issue at the Plaza. But it’s not the tourists that have sticky fingers. And it’s not hotel pillowcases that are getting stolen. At least once a week, a white pillowcase that was brought from a guest’s home gets mistaken for a hotel-issued version and is sent out for cleaning. Sometimes they’re never seen again, in which case Emma dispatches a bellman to purchase new coverings, drawing on the hotel’s coffers, no matter the price.

Christmastime: Not so Merry

“Party season,” which spans October to December, feels like a constant carousel of functions, banquets, and events at the Plaza. Every evening, there are four or five requests for assistance at looping bow ties and zipping up cocktail dresses. And in the last few years, requests for holiday-themed decorations in the rooms have become so commonplace that the hotel now offers a standard Christmas package that includes a fresh, fully decorated tree, assembled by the butlers pre-check-in for $500.

The Customer Is Not Always Right

Complaints follow regular patterns. Every day, a guest will complain about too-slow laundry service. Though forms clearly offer standard and expedited return times, they’re not fast enough for some.

Minibar charges also lead to regular disputes. A full raid of your room’s bar runs $600 at the Plaza—something that happens at least once a week. The likelihood that guests will not want to pay is almost guaranteed.

This requires butlers to document everything with pocket cameras, whether it’s open booze bottles spread across the room, stains on laundry that existed before washing, or evidence of damaged furniture. Every ticket is verified on a computer and photos are attached, so when TripAdvisor.com lights up with a fiery review, the butlers are able to provide evidence to dispel any falsehoods.

The Easiest Way to Get Banned

It’s a lot easier than you might think. The hotel has a strict anti-discrimination policy, and zero tolerance is given to guests who mistreat the staff because of race, gender, age, or creed. Even now, guests sometimes request that staff of a certain ethnic extraction not be allowed to service their rooms; others will ask service members if they are legal in America. Emma, the director of the butler team, cited several incidents of sexism, too, such as the time guests asked to speak with a manager but grew angrier when she showed up instead of a man.

The refusal of services goes all the way up the ladder to DVs. At least two specific celebrities are permanently banned from the Plaza—one, a pop diva expelled for excessive drug and alcohol use and a belligerent attitude towards the staff, the other a sitcom star who took his anger issues out on a suite’s worth of furnishings.

Afternoon Tea Leftovers Don’t Go to Waste

Hidden within the Plaza’s secret back-of-house corridors and tunnels is a cafeteria reserved for the staff. Open during lunch, dinner, and late-night hours for (surprisingly good!) hot meal service, the canteen offers bagels and drinks for the peckish throughout the entirety of the day. But the savviest snackers know to visit the cafeteria at exactly 5:30 p.m., because that’s when the leftovers from high tea at the Palm Court upstairs are put out for the staff. (They serve only the food that was prepped but not plated.) Emma said she practically lives off mini cucumber sandwiches. I liked the tiny blueberry cheesecakes.

A Good Tip Can Make It Worthwhile

New York City’s hospitality workers are protected under a spectrum of different unions. While bellmen and room service are considered “tipping staff,” the butlers do not expect fiscal rewards for their work, beyond the Plaza’s paycheck. But Bal and his colleagues still see a few ex-presidents from time to time.

His biggest tip during the last 10 years? It came from a French model-actress keen on setting up a romantic weekend for her boyfriend, a well-known fashion magnate. Bal placed flowers on every flat surface throughout their suite, organized lunch in a helicopter over Central Park, and tracked down a very specific, very expensive bottle from a specialist store off-site. By the end of the weekend, she handed him $8,000 in cash.

Seven months later, the founder of the fashion label was back at the hotel with a different girlfriend.

When to Call It a Night

The Plaza maintains a Betsey Johnson-designed suite in honor of Eloise, the capricious six-year-old that fictionally lived on the property. It was here that Nimer, another member of the butler team, had his most bizarre service experience to date. A request was put in for someone to come up and read the beloved children’s book as a bedtime story, but when Nimer arrived there were no children to be found. Four thirtysomethings were neatly tucked into one, large bed. Concealing his shock, Nimer read to them for 90 minutes—then tracked down Eloise on video, in case they hadn’t had enough.

This post originally appeared on Bloomberg and was published August 8, 2017.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/12-shocking-things-i-learned-by-working-as-a-butler-at-the-plaza-hotel?utm_source=pocket-newtab

#Working as a Butler #Shocking Things

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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You know, I can't help but stop thinking about how Cinder's Grimm arm reminds me on Peter Pettigrew's silvery hand in Harry Potter. So... Do you think it is possible Cinder might die (that is, if she dies... Which I just assume since I see now way she can be redeemed anymore) not by Ruby's hand, not by Neo's hand, but instead by her own? Like... Literally. Sorry, I couldn't stop myself from making that pun...

Heyo Seaberry! That’s actually a cool observation. Outside of theconnection to Team STQR, Cinder is sort of like Peter Pettigrew, only minus thecowardice. If anything, LeonardoLionheart was more like Pettigrew in terms of personality and motives fortheir betrayal, at least in my opinion. In regards to your question; not tosound negative or anything like that but if I’m being completely honest withyou fam, this squiggle meister is at a bit of a loss on what the CRWBY Writersare doing with the characters and their respective stories; particularly thevillains.

I was already kind of iffy on their choice last season to bring Neo back intothe story to play pawn to Cinder andher schemes. Even now when we’re nearing the finale of V7, I still personally thinkthat Emerald Sustrai wouldhave been the better candidate to be Cinder’s accomplice while in Atlas. Itstill peeves me a little bit that the CRWBY Writers' rationale for Neo's returnin V6 was because "theythought Cinder having an accomplice to Atlas would've been cool" according to the V6 DVD Commentary.

Even though….Cinder has always had accomplices throughout her whole run in RWBY. In V1, she was Roman's formersidekick before she received a promotion within the PLOT and becameSalem's representative with Neo taking over as Roman's right hand protégée asof V2 while Emerald and Mercury became Cinder's primary two goons.

This dynamic was retained until theconclusion of V5 only for Cinder to wind up on her own after suffering ahumiliating defeat by Raven Branwen. If you’ll allow me to get nit-picky here, I’m still in awe that the Writers believed resurrecting afan favourite character for the sole purpose of slapping her with a new backstory that was never previously established in the main canon, repeatingthe same purpose that she had in prior seasons minus the emotional connectionand history was a quote, unquote, “a coolidea”.

In my opinion, it would've been more compelling towatch Cinder all alone; forced to claw her way out of her rut and find her ownway to Atlas Kingdom by her own devices and naturalcunning. It could’ve also been an appropriatetime for the story to touch base on Cinder’s past and how she became themegalomaniac we see her to be now. But nah, let's do the exact same thing we'vealways done with her character. Give her a pawn to manipulate and get to do herbidding.

But at least with Emerald, therewas the established history and relationship between her and Cinder that’s beenhighlighted since the events of V2. Cinder even once referred to Emerald as her‘apprentice’ or rather her ambition was to mouldEmerald (and by extension Mercury too maybe butthe focus was more on Em) into her perfect apprentice in a similar fashion tohow Salem moulded her.

Emerald being Cinder’s accomplice toAtlas would’ve been a great opportunity to not only flesh Cinder out more as avillain but Emerald as well.

But nah, let's side-line the characterwho was actually built up as a close accomplice and apprentice under Cinder formore than two seasons (both before and during the Mistral Trilogy) and had amuch better chance for development in favour of bringing back a belovedcharacter who had zero connection to Cinder outside of being the boss to herformer boss.

I don't care if Miles and/or Kerrypromised Neo's return from seasons before; given how V5 ended, Emerald should’vebeen Cinder’s accomplice to Atlas, exactly like she’s been for several seasons,more so than Neo. We could’ve had a Claudia from the Dragon Prince moment forEmerald where she refused to believe that Cinder’s dead and out of her loyaltyto her, ups and abandons Mercury and Hazel in favour of remaining in Mistral inorder to track Cinder down.

Imagine if…LittleMiss Malachite and her Spiders had double crossed Cinder---but instead of ratting her out to Neo, theywere going to apprehend Cinder to collect the bountiful reward for her captureas advertised all over Mantle as a result of what happened at Haven.

Imagine if…Cinder found herself cornered by theSpiders only to be saved by Emerald of all people, who instantly made waste of the Spiders. Without hesitation,Emerald kills each and every last Spider who dared try and harm Cinder; furtheremphasizing her loyalty to the Fall Maiden as a means of remaining by her side.Imagine if this move even earns Emerald great respect in Cinder’s eyes.

Instead of using Neo, imagine if …Cinderfulfilled the very desire she voiced back in V3. Back then, Cinder said thatshe desired to become someone powerful enough to be feared by others who stoodagainst her.

Instead of using Neo, picture analternative scenario in which, after Emerald had saved her, Cinder returns thefavour by protecting Emerald in a sense from an enraged Little Miss Malachitewho draws a weapon on her. Picture Cinder unleashing her fury on poor MissMalachite; overwhelming the crimeboss by pinning her down with her Grimm arm while her other hand threatened toburn her face off with her Maiden Magic.

Instead of using Neo, let’s say Cinder used her own powers to intimidate a fear stricken Little Miss Malachite into using her resources toget Cinder and Emerald to Atlas in exchange for spearing her life. Let’s say…forwhatever reason, MissMalachite had Spiders in Argus whocould’ve easy commandeered a Atlesian airship from right under the military’snose for her if needed. So that’s what happens. Cinder and Emerald receive whatthey need from Malachite and as soon as she had served her purpose, Cindereither could’ve killed her to prove her power or…chosen to spare Malachite as auseful ally to her and Salem later. That could’ve been a neat, small littlealternative to what was done in the canon.

I guess what bothered me the most aboutthe decision to suddenly bring Neo back was that you didn’t really need Neospecifically for this role of being Cinder’s accomplice for the Atlas Arc.Personally, I think the showrunners missed a golden chance to further developEmerald. Instead of Neo, I would’ve gone with Em since her connection to Cinderactually ties into her own respective story as opposed to some shared vendettaon wanting to kill Ruby. Not to mention that I believe Emerald’s Hallucinationssemblance would've worked just as well as Neo's Illusions; probably even bettersince Emerald could’ve further messed with a target’s mind similar to what shedid with Yang and Pyrhha back in V3.

Nothing against Neopolitan.I don’t dislike her as a character. I just personally feel like this shouldn’thave been the purpose the Writers brought her back into the main story for.

Youbrought her back to be Cinder’spawn. Not sidekick.Not even apprentice. But her pawn. Her tool. Her little ice-cream flavoured puppet. That’sthe best you got for her? A rehash of her last purpose within the PLOT onlythis time with a character who doesn’t share any kind of emotional bond withher and has a better chance at double crossing her once she’s done using herfor her own personal gain.

The only saving grace for this ideawould be if Neo becomes the General Jinjur of the RWBY story and actuallysomehow winds up becoming an unlikely ally to the heroes once she learns herlesson with Cinder. Either that or my “cracktheory” about Neo double-crossing Cinder firstby pilfering the Relic of Creation for herself

But then again, this is only my opinionand these are only my thoughts and ideas.

In terms of Cinder Fall, I have afeeling that they're going to give her a win this time. I'm more leaningtowards the hunch where Cindersucceeds in gaining the Winter Maiden magic with her sights set on acquiring the Relic of Creation; especiallyin the event that Neo fails to claim the Relic of Knowledge from Oscar and asCinder told her, she needs a relic to basically get back on Salem's goodside.

So if Neo fails in retrieving the lamp,the staff will be Cinder's next best option at redemption in Salem's eyes.

Not to mention that I remember hearingsomething about us learning about Cinder's backstory at some point for thisarc. I know the likelihood of her being killed off is there given the way thePLOT suddenly had her and Neo reappear for this season after the end of V6which reminded me an awful lot of how they handed Adam Taurus last season. Butneedless to say, I think it's safe to assume that Cindermay survive for another season or two.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2020)

#squiggles answers: rwby #cinder fall #neopolitan #rwby neopolitan #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #seaberry-siren #squiggles answers

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thewebcomicsreview · 5 years

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Tonight on Legend of the Hare: Rasslevania!

This was originally supposed to be a birthday, but then I thought of the phrase “no holds barred mitzvah” and changed it last second. do like that Jill and Riley both don’t actually know what a bar mitzvah is. Given that the next few pages portray the event as taking place in an arena (?) around a wrestling ring (??) and one of the people in attendance is a music industry scout (?!), it’s also possible that I didn’t know what a Bar Mitzvah was, or at the very least didn’t bother to change any of the later pages to account for this change. This is a really stupid plot point! And it also means that the band is tempted by money at a Jewish event, which is one of those things I probably should have stopped to consider the implications of, but I clearly didn’t consider the implications of anything I was doing on any level. In the aborted LotH Version 2, this whole scene was going to be an actual birthday party, and Riley would sing a song that would be way inappropriate for kids and the family would kick them out, which Riley would blame on Jill before Peggy showed up an arrested them all. It would be at the police station where the rabbits first appeared, and V2 was getting very far from V1 before I gave up on it.

There’s something very Scott Pilgrim vs the World-y in those first three panels, especially Jill’s band being a retro gaming reference. Who came up with that name, anyway? Also, wow, I just told Carlos to draw a generic indie wrestling poster and gave him a sample of one, but I totally passed on a chance to put a joke on the poster. Missed opportunity, past me! Also, using “Goldstein” as a generic Jewish name, bluh. That’s lazy, it should’ve been a funnier name. If it’d been, like, “Rick ‘The Rack’ Ruckus presents: His son’s no-holds-barred mitzvah” then there’s a little character in it, the idea that maybe it’s the dad who likes wrestling and not the kid, which gives me an opportunity to have a joke later about the son being bored and also kind of helps explain why there’s no actual Bar Mitzvahing going on. You can tell how much I’m feeling a page by how much effort I’m putting into finding these spaces for a joke. In a perfect ideal word, a writer should spend as much time on a page as the artist, going over every line and background detail and trying to find ways to get as much mileage as possible out of every panel and taking every chance for a clever joke. Obviously, this doesn’t usually happen in practice. But it should! It’s very easy to pop out something passable in ten minutes as a writer in a way an artist can’t, but you should hold yourself to a higher standard and even now I don’t do that as much as I should.

Panel 3 looks like a generic alley, but I actually took a photo of an alley in Boston I liked and had Carlos use it as a reference

I’m not quite sure why I found this image so striking, but it adds a little to the sense of place that this alley has a brick road instead of a paved street, and is one of the very few visual clues that this comic takes place in Boston and not Generic City, so it was worth the time to photograph. Also, hey, that’s Eoin in a trenchcoat reading a newpaper in the background of paper three there. The original opening to Legend of the Hare would have had Trenchcoat Eoin (back when he was called Teporingo) and Mary Farrier at Doink Burger scoping Jill out as a potential rabbit champion. This never got past the first draft stage and mostly revolved around Mary being a hyper child and not focusing. Interestingly, the script I have for that opening establishes Legend of the Hare as being set in Oregon. I wonder why I set it there originally, given that I’ve never been. It might have just been a reference to Gravity Falls?

Anyway, this is the first appearance of Riley, and note that even this early he’s making fun of Jill behind her back. Old man Starflower seems to just accept what Jill is saying as normal, which looks like a joke but is also foreshadowing, since Starflower knows a bit more than was ever shown to the audience. Sadly, it never comes up in the comic because everything’s a mess, but Mary Farrier the horse champion is Starflower’s daughter, and it was through him that the rabbits learned of Jill. It’s all connected, but offscreen because I wasn’t doing anything properly.

The Lore Post for this page will be of grave importance to a few people: It’s the first appearance of Helen Alvarez, the Rooster Champion and surprisingly popular minor character! Helen doesn’t actually appear on-panel for like 40 pages, and by then she’s very clearly sick of all the “cock” jokes, but she seems to be in better humor about it here:

Dear Diary,

I don’t know if anyone’s going to read this, but if you’re reading this now, hi.

So today was odd. I skipped school and then a bunch of Roosters flew me off to Cock-Narnia. Little bit unexpected, that twist. They gave me the whole “Chosen One” spiel I’ve seen in a million fantasy novels, though they didn’t seem to know who actually chose me or why. They offered to let me go home, but I told them nah. Even a crappy Harry Potter LARP thing run by birds is better than Mom and Brad. And, honestly, I wasn’t going to make a better career choice than being the “Lady of Cocks”, so I might as well get on the Cock while I can. Got the tattoo and everything. I’m sure that’ll stop being funny any second now, but I’ve only been here a few hours so I’m going to ride the cock train just a bit more.

The cocks – there it is, this is old -the roosters are not very smart. Which I guess isn’t surprising, because they’re birds? But they can talk, so you’d think they’d be smarter than normal birds. And maybe they are, but they ain’t shown signs of it yet.

I tried to get some details on what my Cock Destiny (okay, one more) was, but no one was able to answer me. Kind of defeats the point of having a prophesied destiny if it’s a mystery, doesn’t it? If I wanted vague promises of future greatness, I’d see the guidance counselor again.

Isn’t that life, though? In that….um…..you never know what you’re gonna get? Or something? I dunno. I really don’t know anything. Supposedly once I sign up I get all kinds of magical girl superpowers, but I don’t feel very super right now. I mostly just wanna lie down. Such hero. Very amaze.

Actually, lying down sounds like a great idea right now. I need to stress over all my decisions today. I’m gonna go do that.

How was your day?

Holy hell, you can tell this lore post is old, there’s a doge reference.

#Legend of the Hare #Saffron and Sage is back in production by the way #That'll update soonish

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emilylorange · 5 years

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Do you got some tips on lineart/ line thickness? Thanks!

Linework is a thing I’ve struggled with forever and I feel like I’m only just now starting to get a handle on it, so everything I say should come with a grain of salt.

The two tips I see around mostly are to vary line weight to make it visually interesting, and to use thicker lines around important shapes (such as the outline of a person) to make them easier to read, while using thinner and thinner lines as you break down into details.

None of this helped me, lol

So here’s the things that helped me finally start to figure it out:

1. Your linework is only going to be as solid as the sketch. If you wait until you’re inking to fix something, it’s too late. Don’t be impatient, clean up the drawing, because you want it to be crisp and clear where the ink needs to go, no ambiguity.

2. Try to limit how many times you lift your pen. My lines turn out gross and scratchy and bulbous from going over them too many times, and that’s a result of either being impatient or unsure. So now, when I make a shape, I try not to lift my hand until I come to an intersection with another line. Working digitally makes it easiest to practice this and grow confidence, because you can just hit ‘undo’ if the line is bad. Working this way has sped up my digital process 3x because I’m not wasting my time trying to fix one line.

3. It’s okay to break the rules a bit, to emphasize things that are more important. So you’ll see I draw massive eyebrows of late, because eyes (and hands after them) are where the most expression we read in the body comes from. I also have been trying to add literal weight to forms by making their undersides or lower portions heavy in line weight (like the hand here).

4. Doing these things is a lot easier when you have the right tools! Oh my god. IRL, brush pens (or if you want more control, an assortment of differently sized microns) help so much, because you can have the right pen for the right size, rather than worrying about going over a space again and again.

Digitally? I found this pack of free brushes for Photoshop: https://www.deviantart.com/robot-h3ro/art/Hero-Artistic-Brushes-Photoshop-V3-705781546

I’ve been using the ‘Lineart for Comics V1′ and ‘V2′ pretty exclusively for a couple weeks now, including that draw above, and I’m never using the hard round again lmao

aNYWAY I hope that helps :V

#shut up emily #anwers #not art

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rwbyconversations · 6 years

Text

Adam Vs Yang Test Footage Summary

So yesterday I linked to a video that contained the previously lost test footage of Adam fighting Yang from Volume 3. However, yet again Rooster Teeth’s copyright ninjas have struck again, deleting the video. I’ve therefore decided that third time will be the charm and that I’ll simply summarize the video and use screenshots to simulate the footage. From what we know, the footage was worked on by Monty before his death, with Shane Newville doing some work on it before the decision was made to have Adam one-shot Yang (If I recall, this information comes from Shane’s open letter to the RWBY fanbase).

To note, this is very picture heavy so I put it under a keep reading for the sake of both mobile users and people on data.

The footage opens in a foggy arena, with Adam standing around before turning to face the camera- and Yang.

If this was happening in canon, I imagine this happening either right after Adam has stabbed Blake to draw Yang out, or in an altered timeline, Yang was the student Adam was preparing to stab before Blake jumped in (it would explain the state of the food hall when Blake arrived).

Adam and Yang seem to stare each other down, or else they would have exchanged a few short words before they started to throw down.

Yang snaps her gauntlets on and begins firing, while Adam partly unsheathes Wilt.

Adam begins walking forward at a sedimentary pace while Yang begins firing, the music of the footage muting every time a shot lands, but Adam walks right through the blast. Either Adam was just tanking all of this damage with his Aura, or the partially unsheathed sword was a cue for the team to go back and further animate Adam using his sword to absorb the gunfire.

Interestingly, this idea was actually reused in the show proper, with Yang’s nightmare having her firing wildly at Adam with the shots needing no visible effort to block.

Yang stops firing for a second, taking in how little effort Adam is putting into defending himself with concern before he retaliates.

Adam begins by firing a wave of energy from his sword (Judging by what Jaune and Qrow did, this just seems to be a thing sword-wielders can do in RWBY. Is it their Aura?).

Adam then launches a blisteringly fast string of attacks, moving so fast he leaves afterimages behind and in front of him (probably another animation effect, I recall hearing at RTX that Oscar’s rapid-fire cane strike in the Hazel fight was done by layering several models on top of each other, so maybe this was the same effect in principle?).

Adam launches another string of strikes on Yang, using Iadio and Blush’s gun-sheath to smash Yang’s defenses like a jackhammer. One strike sends her back and impacts the wall behind Yang so hard it fractures.

Adam starts moving quickly around Yang, using theses dark apparitions to throw her off her game before making an overhead slash that, upon hitting the ground, creates an upwards explosion.

Yang finally powers up and activates her Semblance. A lot of Yang’s animations here are recycled from her V1-2 fights (one shot is even lifted directly from her fight with Neo), while a lot of the custom work in this test footage is new animations for Adam.

Yang starts firing wildly and desperately (EDIT: looking back and with a reminder by some fans, Yang’s actually using the Dempsey Roll, an attack she used in the Yellow trailer and her fight with Mercury), but all of her attacks miss while Adam launches several more strikes that easily get through her defenses. Even point-blank, Adam easily dodges with a backflip.

The last shot of the test footage is Adam throwing up his sword before an ominous cut to black (Yang’s arm presumably got cut off soon after this).

And that’s the summary of the teaser. Adam gets a lot of cool-looking moments in this short, particularly the shot where he gets to use his Iadio again. While I think I’d have preferred the one-shot we got in canon (I don’t think it’s fair to compare what we actually got compared with a glorified test reel), seeing Adam fighting still would have been an absolute treat.

#rwby #adam taurus #adam vs yang #yang xiao long #rwby analysis #rwby test footage #rooster teeth #monty oum #shane newville

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bobbimorses · 4 years

Note

I saw you mentioning that Clint's personality/portrayal in more recent works has been done poorly. What sort of things do you want to see acknowledged/come back in the modern Hawkeye portrayal?

ok, i’m gonna refrain from embedding panels since this will be so long. skip to the bold for what i’d like acknowledged again because i first try to analyze what recent misinterpretations stem from before getting to your point. whoops!

currently, people seem to overwhelmingly portray clint in only these terms: coffee, catchphrases, and clueless. now that’s not to say that the man doesn’t drink coffee, or that he’s an omniscient super-genius, but that people have taken traits from one portrayal they recognize and run so far with it that it seems like that’s all he is.

i think this is because a lot of people have either misinterpreted the circumstances at play in fraction’s hawkeye, or only know of clint from fanon or decontextualized panels from that run and subsequent appearances

here’s what was happening in fraction’s hawkeye: clint was in a state of depression. fraction’s run took a lot of inspiration from hawkeye’s first solo series (v1), by gruenwald, where clint’s also shown in a rut. in both runs, his depression partially stemmed from his lack of belief/confidence in himself. in v1, it’s a betrayal that makes him doubt he’s worthy of being loved. in fraction’s hawkeye (v4), it’s the amalgamation of all the beatings he’s recently taken in the avengers that makes him doubt he’s worthy of being an avenger.

v4 immediately follows from clint being burned to an absolute crisp (then healed...but not instantly) in a big event, avengers vs. x-men, while facing the phoenix-possessed x-men, aka god-like powered beings. issue 1 of v4 opens with clint being completely wrecked in a fall while avengering. he’d also been killed and thrown around a lot of other major marvel events in a short time prior to all this. basically, he’s been painfully reminded of just how human he is among a bunch of gods and super soldiers. he can handle the pain, but he can’t handle that all the breaks and burns are reminders of his fragility, his humanness; how was he unable to stop them from happening? he starts to question his place in the avengers.

so what you see in fraction’s hawkeye? the moping, the mess of an apartment, the subsistence on pizza, coffee, beer and cereal, long periods of just being on the couch and wanting to nap, the occasional apathy and bewilderment at things happening around him? that’s depression. clint’s not on his A-game, he’s at a low point. unfortunately, a side-effect of v4′s popularity (it’s a well-made comic!) is a lot of people only know this side of clint; they don’t have the image of clint on a good day to “compare” against, and think “this is it.” but that’s not it; i think v4 is meant to show that even the most heroic can slip into apathy when sinking into depression. v4 is about clint finally accepting help from his friends, his neighbors, overcoming his indifference, and believing that not only is he the one that has to stop the villains, but that he can and will. because he’s hawkeye.

now onto what’s lacking in portrayals that misinterpret/represent clint:

jumping off from that doubt in his capabilities, clint has previously been shown to suffer from insecurities. his outwardly overconfident attitude was, in his beginnings, a mask for his low self-esteem and total self-reliance. of course he knew he was the earth’s greatest marksman, but was this enough to take on all these world-ending threats? eventually, after proving himself time and time again, he shed a lot of these insecurities. his confidence was more than earned. his cockiness also threw enemies for a loop: “look at this dude with a bow saying he’s gonna annihilate us. as if he-OH NO.”

now, he’s being portrayed in an inversion of that same strategy: he’s written as getting enemies to underestimate him by acting dumb, bumbling, a klutz. the problem with writing this as clint’s consistent strategy instead of an occasional usage is uninformed readers, or decontextualization, will have people thinking he’s actually like that. that’s why i miss clint being brash and overly-boastful to throw enemies off. he’s already “just a guy with a bow,” why does he need an extra layer of feigned incompetence if everyone already sees him as that guy?

he does have that lingering thought of “am i really good enough to be an avenger?” but he responds to it by trying to be even better, and that drive is what makes him excel, one of the best, worthy of the rank. that drive should always be present. it also makes him kind of competitive (though that’s also just for fun)

snark & attitude: clint’s also always been snarky. i wouldn’t say he’s at the level of spider-man in terms of constant quipping, but when clint and pete have fought together, they’ve given each other a run for their money. clint’s humor also has a sort of lovable jerk quality to it at times, because he’s very light-hearted about it. he’s got a certain levity about him, because you have to when you’re aiming an arrow at a dude made of steel. i’ve seen this quality slowly return to the comics, i think. on that same note, his belligerence with authority, though obviously now more mellowed, can come in little doses like questioning aspects of a plan/order. clint is a confrontation magnet and can be a real loudmouth, even if he’s fiercely loyal to his team.

street smarts! clint has always been clever and had out-of-the-box thinking because he had to scrap by in an orphanage, then a travelling circus (and have you ever played a carnival game?). he’s used his smarts to gather intel, infiltrate (break into) places, trick people, and defeat many a villain. and he’s not above cheating to do it. he literally defeated an elder of the universe, saving the entire defeated roster of the avengers and the universe, by pulling an old carny trick.

trickshots: the first elder of the universe he defeated was with a combination of his cleverness and a trickshot. i want more trickshots again! ricocheting shots, shots where he’s had to determine all the involved angles almost instantaneously in his head, just ridiculously pulled off shots from a distance or at difficult targets all really demonstrate clint’s skill. he didn’t and doesn’t do all that training to not be the best archer. speaking of...

training: clint regularly trains to maintain and hone his skills daily. this isn’t really an issue with current comics writing per se but some people seem to think he just sits around all day (and not just for a vacation). literally his whole shtick is training a skill so much that he’s on par with superhumans. c’mon, guys. relatedly, he’s also skilled in combat because he trained with cap (ronin skills!)

acrobatics: clint spent his adolescence in a circus and was always trying to get in the show, so you know he brushed up on acrobatics. clint and cap even did some gymnastics training in the early days. i want more flips that clint didn’t necessarily have any business doing when he could’ve just leapt around with much less flare, like the typical showman he is (tales of suspense did have this)

accent: this one’s more nitpicky, but i’d maybe like a return of a little bit of a lilt on his dialogue again. i know marvel phased out overly-phoneticized accents, but clint, orphaned carny that he is, always had a casual way of speaking, and i enjoyed how that was reflected in his written dialogue. dropped g’s in gerunds, d’s in and, shortened word combos, etc. it doesn’t have to be over the top, just touches where needed. this is a thing that was kind of present in fraction’s hawkeye, actually.

leadership: though it’s not like marvel denies clint ever led multiple teams (editorial wouldn’t let that happen), lately he’s sometimes written as if he doesn’t have this experience to draw from, and sometimes not. it’s a bit inconsistent. this isn’t to say clint has to be the leader at all times, he works well in a team in any capacity--just don’t shrug off the development and coordinating abilities he gained from his leadership

disaster?: i don’t fault situations where clint's going about the motions and suddenly everything around him is a disaster because when isn’t it with clint’s luck, dude once got cornered by like 10 supervillains in a sewer. and the man can make some bad decisions. but just remember how he’d respond to a disaster: thinking up a plan (or trying to on the fly), using all the resources at his disposal to conquer the problem, maybe insulting 5 people in the process, trying to wink after he gets stabbed

i’m not trying to disparage some people’s interpretations of certain aspects of clint, i’m just advocating against a misunderstanding or persistent misconceptions of clint as a character. he’s a character rich in development because he’s been kicking around continuity for over 50 years now. he went from screaming at cap like a grounded teenager to being offered the shield and rejecting it out of utter respect. he’s complicated in his experiences, his relationships, and many facets of his character, though his motivations can sometimes be simple (help people, show off, prove i can be be that good by being better). to whittle hawkeye down to one note would be a disservice to clint barton’s journey and evolution.

actually, here’s a panel:

#Anonymous #to be clear this is abt comics #this answer was almost as long as my conlaw exam #meta #i've had a compilation of panels mentioning clint training sitting in my drafts #it's so long there's just no text to it #also not to say 'every appearance of clint should be written based on this template from issue -13 from thunderbolts'#bc that's just restrictive #varied writing keeps things fresh #but like...there's layers #WAIT i forgot to talk about his relationships #bring back clint's close friendships #it's like a running joke now when he shows up for a few panels in something #and everyone's like 'ugh hawkeye's here'#stop!!!#at least no road home had him and wanda on a diner friend date

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texanredrose · 6 years

Text

Shivers in the Cold

Based on @pocket-penny‘s ideas! Mama!Winter AU set in a semi-canon continuity, around the time of V1.

Winter strode through the halls of Atlas Academy with her chin tilted up and gaze fixed ahead of her, ignoring the hushed whispers all around her from passing students. She remembered being one of them- a mere child, thrust into a hard won world where she could shape her own destiny only if she had the strength to reach out and do so- and she keenly recalled seeing the few Specialists who would come periodically, marching down the main hall to the labyrinthine interior offices that housed the command staff of Atlas’ military forces. They never looked around, never acknowledged the students, and that sort of aloofness appealed to a young woman raised in the Schnee household. It was how her mother regarded her, how her father did when he wasn’t incensed, and she wanted to possess that sort of solid confidence, the ability to brush off the world as if it meant nothing.

Graduating and enlisting constituted the first two steps towards that goal. Her father had objected at first, not content with having her out of his sight and away from his control, but she’d carved an ivory mask for herself. He couldn’t intimidate her and her victories motivated Weiss in turn, every moment spent away from school or duty used to train her younger sister in combat. Winter became the lost cause and Weiss the new focus of his frustration but she’d given the middle child the tools she needed to break free. That she chose to attend Beacon instead of Atlas spoke to the strength of Weiss’ will and Winter could be proud of that.

She hadn’t said the words, of course. Chided her sister’s overconfidence- she’d done that the moment she saw bloody bandages around the younger woman’s left eye, because the lessons would serve her better in pursuit of her goals than simple praise. Winter had always known Weiss possessed the innate ability and drive, that she just needed it channeled, and allowing her sister to lapse into complacency would be the surest way to dash those hopes.

So, she remained strong. Aloof, and allowed the words to be said without ever leaving her lips, for the best.

Brushing through the door at the end of the hall with nothing more than a nod to the military personnel stationed outside it, Winter proceeded through the winding maze of desks and offices, past pencil pushers and planners, to find herself standing before a familiar door. Four years ago, she’d stood in this exact spot beside three other fresh faced teenagers and, together, they received their first team assignment from the Headmaster. Now, she would receive yet another assignment from the same man, as her General and commanding officer, bereft of the few friends she’d made over the years.

Out of all their differences, this stood as the one she could honestly pinpoint as the one Weiss had done right. According to her letters, she’d made fast friends with her teammates- a hyperactive leader, a quiet book worm, and a brash brawler- and spoke of them glowingly, now moreso than when the semester started.

Steeling her nerves, Winter rapped her knuckles against the thick oak door three times, satisfied by the sharp noise that followed. A few moments later, she heard the muffled order to enter and swept into the room with her shoulders back, marching to the large desk and stopping a few steps away. She snapped off a crisp salute.

“Specialist Schnee, reporting for duty, Sir.” Winter waited until the man acknowledged her before dropping her arm and settling into a more comfortable but attentive position. Although she hadn’t looked anywhere except at her commanding officer upon entering the room, she could feel another set of eyes on her- somewhere back and to the right of her. It wasn’t the sort of heavy, disapproving stare she usually felt and likely had nothing to do with her, so she didn’t bother with investigating.

“Schnee, right on time.” General Ironwood let out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his temple. “I’m afraid I have a mission for you that’s a bit... out of your area of expertise.”

Winter’s brows twitched, slightly. She prided herself on excelling at every conceivable measure a soldier could be weighed by, with a spotless record and a diverse skillset, and she’d found herself surpassing even those above her in seniority. “Whatever it is, Sir, I’m sure I can handle the task.”

“You say that now.” He stood, bracing himself against the desk for a moment before standing up fully. When his eyes fell on her again, they didn’t belong to a superior officer or a Headmaster. Instead, she saw the man who’d pulled her aside three years ago and talked to her about her future- the first person to speak of such as a tangible thing she had the power to control rather than a vague idea predestined by blood or an unscrupulous father. “We’ve developed something truly unique, Winter. I’m not sure if we can even put a name to it yet but this has the potential to change the face of Remnant as we know it.” The General walked around his desk, prompting her to turn and face him as he stopped in front of her. “However, something as new as this is... delicate. Were news to get out, I can’t imagine the repercussions we would face- both as a Hunter Academy and as a kingdom. Atlas depends on the utmost secrecy in this regard.”

“Absolutely, Sir,” she replied, mollified that her abilities weren’t under question; to the contrary, the magnitude of her mission simply demanded the best of her skills. “You have my word; I will keep this secret. It will never leave this room.”

“Good, but I’m afraid that last part isn’t possible.” Ironwood’s gaze shifted towards whoever else occupied the room. “Penny, come here.” Winter turned her head, seeing a young ginger wearing a green skirt, a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and bright green eyes. She didn’t seem old enough to attend the Academy, nor did she look particular inclined to become a Huntress, but Weiss’ description of her team leader seemed similar. “This is Penny- officially, Penny Polendina. She is the future of Atlas military.”

With a slow blink, the Specialist did her best to refrain from showing her disbelief. “In... what way, Sir?”

“In every way.” Turning his attention to the young woman, the General put a hand on her shoulder. “Penny, this is Specialist Winter Schnee. She will be your guardian for the next few months. Greet her, just like we talked about.”

“Greetings, Specialist Winter Schnee!” The young woman almost bellowed, causing both soldiers to draw back slightly from the volume.

Recovering her composure, Winter took a moment to collect herself and extend one hand, defaulting to the most formal tone she’d been taught while growing up. It always seemed as if the easiest way to interact with those younger than herself lay in acting- or at least sounding- older, more refined, to garner that instant sort of respect. “Salutations, Miss Polendina.”

The ginger tilted her head to the side, completely ignoring the woman's hand. “Sal-u-ta-tions?”

“It’s another greeting.” The General sighed. “You may need to give her time to process everything. She’s very young, by every standard imaginable, and you’ll be her new teacher.”

“Sir, what about the girl’s parents? Or other relatives?” Although the last person to put utmost faith in family members, Winter could see a lot of... potential backlash without a proper agreement existing beforehand, and she’d learned a thing or two about the difference between questioning orders and inquiring to the extent those orders would cover her own actions. Seeing as the young woman didn't seem keen on shaking her hand, she withdrew it and placed it behind her back, focusing on her commanding officer entirely.

“Penny doesn’t have parents, not in the traditional sense.” Ironwood drew himself up, glancing down at the ginger. “She is the first artificial sentient being capable of generating aura- a robot with a soul, if you will. She’s only been online for a few hours but it’s obvious that no amount of programming will give her the experience she needs to pass as human.” His gaze shifted to her. “I plan on integrating her with students this year, in time to compete at the Vytal festival and test her prowess against students from the other Academies. It will provide an excellent baseline to measure her combat abilities against...” The corners of his lips turned down. “However, as it is, she’s... not exactly subtle and the other kingdoms might have some strong objections to this sort of weaponry being fielded.”

“Sir, with all due respect, what exactly am I supposed to do?” She tried to keep the irritation from her tone. Aside from being introduced to, effectively, an upgraded version of her usual retinue of Knights, Winter didn’t see much need for her presence.

“Become her guardian,” he replied, clasping his hands behind his back. “Teach her how to interact with others and hold a conversation. Raise her, in a sense. You’ll also be training her to fight.” The General moved back to sit behind his desk. “I know you mentioned that you trained your sister in combat- trained her well enough to be accepted into Beacon despite no transcripts from a formal combat school. I know Professor Ozpin very well; he wouldn’t have accepted such an odd case without being reasonably sure that she’s capable.”

“That’s an entirely different scenario-”

“Not from where I’m standing.” He put a hand on his chair and glanced between them. “She learns faster than anyone you’ve ever met and I wouldn’t give you this mission if I didn’t believe you fully capable of completing it.” With that, he sat down, grabbing a manila folder and handing it to her. “Here is all the documentation you’ll need. Effective immediately, she’s a ward of the state being put into your care, Winter, and we have three months until the festival.” He looked at her then- as an officer, as a Headmaster, and as the closest thing to a real father she’d ever had. “I know you can do this. Don’t let me down.”

That straightened her posture and banished any sliver of doubt from her mind. “I won’t.”

“Good.” With a nod towards both of them, he turned his attention elsewhere. “You’re both dismissed. I expect a progress report next week.”

Winter delivered another crisp salute and turned on heel, marching to the door and stopping with her hand on the knob. Turning her head to look over her shoulder, she noted the robot hadn’t moved. “Penny, come with me.”

Bright green eyes- or, perhaps, some manner of sensors that mimicked eyes disturbingly well- snapped to her before her head gave a quick jerk, an approximation of a nod that preceded the awkward motion of movement, stiff even by military standards. The robot fell into step behind Winter, the two of them going back through the winding maze. The way she carried herself discouraged lingering looks- and she doubted many within the internal machinations of the higher echelons would ask questions anyway- and all the students were herded into classrooms or training halls by the time they stepped back out into the main hall.

With every step, Winter’s mind raced: with her new orders, it seemed like she would be stabilized near Atlas HQ for the next few months. She would need to be assigned living quarters and have her airship grounded rather than simply docked. On top of everything, she would need to adjust her expectations accordingly; being in such close proximity to the Schnee estate and not going to visit her father would surely invite a host of problems all its own, unless she minimized her presence as much as possible. That would be a trial in its own right but she would deal with it when the time came.

“Specialist Winter Schnee?” Her shoulders jumped, the volume of the robot’s address catching her off guard. “Where are we going?”

“First off, lower your voice.” Winter stopped, attempting to turn around and address her new charge directly, but found herself pushed a few feet along as Penny didn’t stop and quite nearly ran her over. “Secondly, be mindful of where you’re going.” Green eyes watched her for a moment, making her brows furrow as she straightened out her jacket. “I expect an answer when I address you, Penny.”

“But you didn’t ask a question.”

Reining in her frustration, she kept the General’s words in mind and tried again. “Answer can also apply to statements. When one directs a statement towards you, they expect to be spoken to in turn, usually in regards to the topic they brought up. Now, to answer your question, we’re going to the satellite office for the Atlesian military to be issued a temporary domicile. It’s on the edge of the grounds, away from the students, so follow me. And not so closely this time.”

“I will comply with that statement, Specialist Winter Schnee.”

“You may call me ‘Winter’ for the duration of your time under my guardianship.” They walked through the main doors and out into the sunshine beyond. Seeing as the school year had just started, the tail end of summer had just left them, allowing for the mild heat to be combated easily by cool breezes. “Now, I have a few rules that will make the next few months a bit easier on both of us. First, unless explicitly stated otherwise, you will follow me. This will make it easier for me to keep an eye on you.”

“I am confused. How can you keep an eye on me if I’m behind you? Isn’t direct line of sight required for you to put your eye on me? Aren’t eyeballs supposed to stay in the ocular cavity?”

“It’s an idiom, Penny.” She sighed, rubbing at her temple. This would be a long three months.

Hours later, they stood before an apartment building a few miles away from the Academy campus. It didn’t look like much but, frankly, military lodging rarely did. They had a first floor, two bedroom dwelling with a kitchen, single bathroom, and laundry facilities- more than adequate for their needs.

Well, her needs, anyway. Penny had oh-so-helpfully informed her that she only required an electrical port to recharge her primary battery. Apparently, generating an aura didn’t come with powering her... exoskeleton. It was a bit difficult to wrap her head around- the usual Paladins and Knights didn’t inform her of their battery status, they just swapped out with the fully charged ones- but she’d established a sort of ‘bedtime’ to ensure Penny wouldn’t be wandering around the apartment while she slept. She’d already had to stop the robot from examining everything in the housing office, to include an electric pencil sharpener, and it proved that Winter would need to pay close attention if they spent any length of time in public.

At her feet sat a duffel bag, packed with a few changes of her uniform and more casual clothes so she could blend in with the general populace. Penny, unfortunately, didn’t have a wide wardrobe; she’d only had the single outfit prepared before being released into Winter’s custody and the manila folder contained a military account number so she could purchase the necessary supplies.

“Considering the... interesting day, I think it would be most prudent to order some manner of delivery and turn in early for the night." She glanced down to her side, expecting some manner of confused response. Instead, she was met with silence as Penny stared behind them, at a playground currently inhabited by five or six children, running around like little heathens and screaming while their parents talked in a little huddle off to the side. "Penny?"

"Are they like me?" The robot's gaze followed the running children, most of them about the same age her exterior approximated, although she certainly looked a year or two younger than the age specified on her documentation.

"No, they are not." She turned and waved a hand towards the playground. "Those are human children. Your objective is to emulate their behavior." Her lips turned down at the corners. "Not perfectly, mind. You should endeavor to be well behaved."

"Are they not being well behaved?"

"They're..." Winter blinked, glancing at the children again. For a moment, an old memory resurfaced, one she'd thought discarded long ago. She wore dresses back then, her hair free around her shoulders, and she'd ask to go play with the other children. They'd passed a park somewhere near the SDC headquarters, where her father had decided to parade her about like some sort of trophy, and he'd brushed off her request with a biting comment about behaving better than some lowly, common ruffian. "They're playing. It's what children do."

Penny looked up at her. "I know I'm not a human, but am I a child?"

"For all intents and purposes, I would say so," she said slowly, caught between being honest and being mindful of the General's intentions. "But if anyone inquires, you're seventeen years old, quite nearly an adult by our standards."

"Does... that mean I can't play?"

Winter considered the request for a moment, all too keenly remembering the disappointment that had filled her tiny chest when she'd been denied the same request. "I... suppose it couldn't hurt." She straightened out her uniform and rolled her neck. "Come. I'm sure you can play... uh, I believe it's called 'tag' or something similar."

"Tag?"

"Yes, it's a game children like to play." Bending down, she collected her bag and lead Penny across the street, making the short distance to the playground. It seemed the sort of area that was maintained as a neighborhood park, which she supposed would facilitate the process of socializing the robot in lieu of actually attending Atlas Academy. "Someone is designated 'it' and they must run after others, lightly tapping one to transfer the designation. It's everyone else's job to avoid the person with the designation." She stopped at the edge of the playground and nodded to herself. "Think of it as your first lesson in pursuit and evasion. Only use fifty percent of your abilities, though."

"How do I initiate the game?" Penny looked at the children- who seemed to be aware of the newcomers' presence and stealing glances their way- and then back.

"Approach them and ask if you can play. If they say no, return to me and we'll find some other activity to occupy our time," she replied, at least thankful that the robot had no shame or shyness to overcome and simply didn't understand what would be standard social procedure by this point in a person's life. "And remember to be polite. Say please when you ask and thank you when they reply, regardless of what that reply is. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Winter." With that, the robot marched off to attempt her first interaction with beings 'her age', so to speak.

She watched, ready to intervene if needed to protect the property of Atlas military, but she could feel the approach of someone else, the intrusion already unwelcomed long before the words came.

"Excuse me." She turned her head, regarding a woman over a decade her senior, a clearly fake smile on her lips. Judging by the amount of make-up and the state of her clothes, she was likely someone convinced that by dressing and acting just so she could be perceived as someone more important than she actually was. Perfect. "Is that your niece?"

"She's adopted," Winter replied coolly, not allowing her concern to show as the eldest of the children- a young man, perhaps about sixteen- gave Penny a crooked grin and a nod, seeming to agree to the ginger's request. However, something lurked just behind his eyes, something recognizable but not immediately identifiable and it put her on edge. "I'm her legal guardian."

"Oh! Such a generous soul." The woman chuckled, the sound grating on the ears but not enough to warrant a sharp rebuke. "How fortunate she must feel to have been taken in by someone belonging to our illustrious military. No doubt your exceptional discipline will have her whipped into shape in no time."

The comment caught her attention, causing a twitch in her brow as the children began playing a game of tag. Seemingly, due to being the newest one to join, Penny started off as 'it' and lightly jogged after the other kids, who dashed towards a... jungle gym, she believed was the term. "And what, exactly, makes you thinks she requires discipline?"

"Well, it's just how they are, dear." Winter turned her head, conveying either disbelief or confusion; either way, the woman continued as if she'd merely remarked on the weather. "Taking someone into your home; there's bound to be some behavioral problems, especially with as old as she is." The woman frowned. "Why, she doesn't seem to walk right! It's a shame, really, being burdened when you try to do a bit of good." Some part of her wanted to summon her beowolf to chase the woman away, the race to see which would rouse her anger first- the woman's voice, the unwanted disturbance, or the entitled vein of the conversation- decidedly won in that very moment. Winter had dealt with these types before; they practically swarmed the Schnee manor whenever an event was held. "Hopefully, you'll have kids of your own one day to make you proud. Like my little Hansel- why he's the light of my life! He's finishing up his last year at combat school before attending Atlas Academy."

Although she’d rather tune the woman out, Winter continued listening while her gaze kept track of Penny’s movements. Even when limited to fifty percent her abilities, she could keep pace with the others well enough- and they well knew it. Hansel didn’t seem too happy about this, ducking through a set of bars and coming out the other side, a quick motion preceding something rather curious. When Penny took her next step, her foot moved out from under her, balance robbed in the fraction of a second. The robot, however, had reactions to match her above average strength and speed, quickly recovering and continuing her pursuit.

“I was quite the candidate myself, back in the day, you know, but I chose a different path. Now it’s up to my precious Hansel to live out his mother’s dream.”

Penny caught up to the boy again- his endurance severely lacking considering how winded he was already- and again he made a quick motion, a small bit of dirt and rocks flying into the robot’s face as she tagged him. The surprise attack stunned her, enough for him to smack her shoulder- and hard too if the wince that followed was any indication, though Penny seemed more inclined to regard his reaction with her brand of stoic curiosity rather than any manner of offense.

“He’ll become the leader of his own team, go on to-”

Finally, she’d had enough.

“He’ll be lucky if he isn’t kicked out before the end of the first year,” Winter said, reaching the limit of her patience and projecting her voice. “Penny!” She waited for those bright green eyes to meet hers. “Increase your speed by twenty percent.”

She remembered the balls, the parties, the meetings growing up- how her father had lauded abilities beyond her reach and held her accountable when she failed to meet expectations. She could get perfect grades and not be smart enough, she could be the fastest in her class and still be slow, she could weather more blows and triumph against stacked odds and still only achieve anything by luck. Growing up as a Schnee had pushed her to the limits of her body and her sanity before she’d had enough of it, rejecting her father’s ever changing expectations kept just out of her reach in favor of the strict, mandated standards set by the military, where she could take refuge in rules and regulations laid out in plain black-and-white text rather than some figment of her father’s imagination for who and what she should be.

Ultimately, her father was a product in the same line as this woman. And she’d had enough.

“Yes, Winter!”

As the robot returned her attention to the game, the soldier set her sights on the woman beside her. Thankfully, neither the name nor her appearance seemed to be ringing any bells of familiarity with the woman, so she had at least a little leeway in that regard. Not that she’d get much of a lecture for dressing down someone ‘beneath her’ but it meant she could probably remain in the area without Schnee bodyguards showing up to ‘escort’ her home for a meeting.

“As much as you seem to believe otherwise, your son’s arrogance is a direct result of your attitude, and he will fail at Atlas Academy unless he learns a bit of humility.” Her voice remained cool and crisp, watching the combination of horror and fury swirling in the woman’s expression with little more than smug satisfaction, especially as she heard the pitch and tone of the noises the children made shift from vaguely mocking to surprised confusion. She didn’t need to check to know how the game had turned towards Penny’s favor. “Our kingdom relies on the Academy to produce strong Hunters and Soldiers, and your son stands little chance of earning either title given the way he relies on his Semblance in such a simple game. As dependent as he is now, he’ll be sorely outclassed when he reaches initiation, much less any trial beyond.” Winter returned her attention to the playground, pleased to see Penny easily keeping out of reach of all the other children, who seemed to have banded together now that they were clearly outmatched. Penny’s movements remained jerky to the naked eye but they prized economy of motion over fluidity, and the myriad of gears and springs that served as her joints were far better suited to absorbing shock and establishing balance than flesh and blood, capable of being calibrated with precise measurements and in mere nanoseconds. “My daughter hasn’t even discovered her Semblance yet and look at her. She’s making your son look like a joke, and a poor one at that.”

“Why, I never-”

“That’s perhaps the most accurate statement you’ve made all afternoon,” she said, ignoring the woman’s sputtering to call out. “Penny! Come!”

Jumping clear over the children attempting to block her way and tag her as she went past, the robot approached at a light jog. “Yes, Winter?”

“It’s time for dinner.” She reached down and picked up her duffel again, offering a small smile. “Did you enjoy playing with the other children?”

Orange brows twitched before her expression changed to an approximation of Winter’s own. “I think so.”

“Excellent.” Turning to head back across the street, she motioned for Penny to fall in step beside her, which she did. Whatever the woman, the other parents, or the children thought of them mattered less to Winter than the dirt beneath her boots. “Next time, we’ll try to find children who can keep up with you.” As they approached the street, the woman and her son left the soldier’s mind as she focused on adjusting a few habits, to better keep their cover story intact. “Penny, going forward, we’re going to have to make a few minor adjustments.”

“Like what, Winter?”

“First, you’ll only call me Winter in the presence of General Ironwood or other soldiers in uniform. Otherwise, call me ‘Mother’-” in her mind, she saw red stained glasses and empty bottles, bleary eyes staring at her without recognition flashing in them “- correction, call me ‘Mom’ going forward. If anyone asks, I’m your adopted mother and we’ve only recently begun living together. You don’t like talking about where you were before living with me and you don’t remember your parents. Am I understood?”

“I am confused,” Penny said, a slight inflection in her voice indicating a question- something she’d picked up, likely, from studying the questions Winter herself had asked. “’Mom’ is the designation for a parental figure, is it not?”

“It is, yes, but I mean that I’m the only parent you can clearly recall. If anyone asks about your parents, that’s the answer you are to give them.”

“Understood, Mom.”

“Good.” As they came to the curb, Winter quickly looked both ways before escorting Penny across, a hand on her shoulder. “And I want to lay down a new rule. If anyone, for any reason, is using their semblance or stands to harm you or others, you are fully authorized to use everything in your power to stop them.”

“But, General Ironwood said that I’m to keep all self defense protocols locked until I’ve complete combat testing.”

“I’m well aware of what the General said but I’ll not have you be attacked by some ruffian and stand there entirely helpless.” As they reached the other side of the street, she steered them towards their temporary domicile. “No child of mine will be the target of bullies.”

“Yes, Mom,” Penny replied, and something about how easily it slipped from her mouth stirred an unknown sensation that lurked at the back of Winter’s mind and rushed forward, a little pride igniting in her chest.

“By the time we’re due to report to General Ironwood, you’ll be well on your way to being on par with just about any prospective student at Atlas Academy, and you’ll be a top contender for the Vytal Festival long before it arrives.” She lightly squeezed the girl’s shoulder, noting the unusual amount of rigidity and brushing off the thought. Only so much could be accounted for, after all.

“What are you basing these projections on, Mom?”

“You have me as your teacher,” Winter replied, lips curling into a satisfied smile.

#Mama!Winter AU #Winter and Penny learning how to human together

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