#also jimmy being like 'youre standing at the top. feet in cement. i get it now. right?' '....right'

[fox-guardian]

pulled up a mouthwashing playthrough to get reference screenshots of the ship. rewatched the scene of Curly confronting Jimmy. feeling physically ill about it. got no screenshots

[whumping-every-day]

Locked up and left behind?

I am so happy to be answering some of these! Thank you so much for writing in! 

Yellow is requested, Red is completed!

Locked up and Left Behind, with Gabriel, for the wonderful @jay-whumples and @kestrelsparverius​!! This is a short excerpt from Gabriel with his former Master, before Stefan and Maria. Enjoy! 

Content warnings: Abuse, slavery, threats of death and violence, begging.

Masterlist 

–

“Please, please d-don’t do this, please-”

“Shut up.”  

There’s a sharp smack, and Gabriel falls silent, save for his quiet sobbing.

They’re in a abandoned warehouse, miles away from the cellar that Gabriel calls him, and the boy is terrified. The place is quiet and abandoned, and there are dust motes drifting through the dying sunlight. It’s silent as the grave. This is the kind of place someone could hide a body.

Gabriel stumbles as he’s dragged forward, further into the warehouse, and his panic only grows as Master produces a key.

“No, no no please,” he cries as the thick steel door is unlocked. “D-don’t leave me h-here, please Master, don’t-”

“What did I just fucking say?” His Master is incensed, and Gabriel whimpers pitifully.

Inside the steel door is a steel room, covered in rust and dust and discarded junk. The old equipment looms, craggy and frightening. There’s also a row of crates, big metal boxes that must have at some point been used to store grain or oil.

Master shoves him forward, and Gabriel trips and falls, skinning his knee on the rough cement floor.

“Fucking useless,” the man scoffs. The door thunks shut behind them, and Gabriel huddles on the floor, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Master hunts through the junk on the floor, and eventually comes up with a rusted, bent crowbar. The man hefts it in his hand, considering and cold, and the look in his eyes has Gabriel crying and pleading in earnest.

“Please, Master, please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean it, I didn’t-”

“You didn’t mean to run away?” The man laughs, and it’s a sharp, cold thing. There’s a vicious quality to the man’s scowl, a gleam of enjoyment in his eyes. The man is enjoying this, and he’s savouring Gabriel’s terror.

Master strides back over to him, and Gabriel whimpers and curls his arms over his head. But instead of a flurry of metal blows, there’s a kick to his chest, and Gabriel goes sprawling on his back. He gags on air and wheezes with the pain, and then there’s a heavy boot settling on his chest. Master presses down and sets the jagged edge of the crowbar under the quivering boy’s throat.

“You would deserve it!” The man spits. “Stupid, disobedient little cunt! Is this what you wanted? To make yourself so much of a nuisance that I have to take you out here and make sure you never bother anyone ever again?” The crowbar is lifted threateningly, and Gabriel cries out in blind terror, clawing frantically at the boot holding him down.

“P-p-please Master, d-don’t, please don’t, I’ll be g-good, I swear, I w-won’t do it again, I’ll b-be better, I p-promise I will, please-”

“Hmm.” Gabriel knows, on a deeply visceral level, that Master would have no problem caving his skull in with the crowbar and walking away. But the man is waiting, one eyebrow raised expectantly, and Gabriel squeezes his eyes shut and keeps begging.

“I’m s-sorry, Master, I didn’t, I didn’t mean to run, I’m sorry. I – I won’t do it again, I’ll take my p-punishment, Master, please, I’ll – I’ll b-be good and take it-”

“Oh, you stupid little thing.” Master’s grin is eerie, and he waves the crowbar under Gabriel’s nose, enjoying how he quivers. “You’ll be good and take what I give you either way.”

Gabriel is still crying, but his tears well up and spill more quickly in response. “Please,” is all he can whimper. He doesn’t want to be left here in pieces, or stuffed in a barrel for a homeless person or scavenger to find months down the road. If he had just been good to begin with, if he hadn’t gotten curious about the outside…

“You deserve this,” Master repeats, and Gabriel feels his last bit of hope sputter and die. The boy gives a last bout of sobs, shuddering and from the gut.

“Y-yes, Master,” he sniffles weakly. He does deserve this. He was bad and this is punishment. He should have been better. Master lets him cry and snivel for a few seconds, before the foot pinning him down is removed.

“Alright, alright. Quit your bellyaching.” He’s kicked onto his side, and Gabriel gasps for air in surprise. Master’s fingers close in his hair, and Gabriel cries out as he is unceremoniously hauled over to the metal crates. He can’t get his feet under him; he’s just dragged, and Gabriel can feel strands of hair being yanked from his scalp.

“You’re a disobedient little shit,” Master is growling as he drops Gabriel to the unforgiving floor. The man’s attention is on the metal crates, and he uses the crowbar to jimmy the lid of one open. When it falls to the floor with a loud clang, there’s a cold pit in Gabriel’s stomach.

Master crouches in front of him, and Gabriel flinches as his face is grabbed.

“Say thank you,” the man snarls as he towers over the boy. Gabriel whimpers, but he can’t speak with the man’s hand digging into his cheeks. “I hope you understand, boy,” Master continues. He’s still angry, Gabriel can see it, in the baring of his teeth and the wild look in his eye. “I would be well within my rights to chop you into bits and leave you here. Do you understand that? Do you?” There’s a terrified whimper and a nod. “Good. Then you understand that I am being merciful by choosing to punish you instead. Don’t you, you fucking waste of space?” There’s a quiet sob that time, but still a nod. “Okay then.” Master’s hand snaps out, and Gabriel tastes blood as his head is thrown to the side. Pain blooms across his cheek. “Then say thank you.”

“Th-th-thank y-you, Master,” he sobs.

Smack. “Again.” “Th-thank you, M-Master!”

Smack. “What for?”

“Th-thank you f-for p-punishing me, a-and teaching me t-to be b-better, th-thank you-” Gabriel cowers as he waits for another blow. There’s blood dripping from his lip and a ringing in his ears.

“One more time, pet.” There’s no strike this time, and Gabriel heaves in an unsteady breath, his vision blurred with tears.

“Th-thank you, M-Master.” The words come immediate and unbidden, without hesitation. “I was b-bad, Master, th-thank you for t-teaching me to be better, th-thank you.” Once he’s done, Gabriel squeezes his eyes shut and prays it was enough.

“That was a good start.” Master stands again, leaves Gabriel huddled at his feet. Something clangs nearby, and Gabriel flinches. “However, as lovely as that was… I’m afraid your actual punishment is just beginning. And I hope for your sake that you can remember to be grateful.”

The dusty cement is cool under his cheek. Gabriel can feel the wetness of tears on his face, and he knows he’s going to be dirty, after. He’s oddly fixated on that fact, until he’s abruptly kicked in the ribs.

“Get up, dipshit.” Gabriel’s head is spinning, but he pushes himself to obey on shaky limbs. He staggers a little once he’s up, and his eyes fix on the waiting empty box. “Get in.” Gabriel goes cold all over, and he looks to Master with beseeching eyes. But the man only stares back, hard and unyielding, and Gabriel feels more tears slipping down his cheeks. “Don’t make me repeat myself, you useless little shit. In.”

Gabriel flinches with his whole body, and he whimpers but drags himself towards the metal crate. His feet are numb. If he tries to disobey, Master will beat him down and put him in anyway.

The inside of the box smells like dampness and mildew, and something scuttles by his foot. Gabriel is shaking, and his skin feels too tight, too cold. The box is small, he’ll have to fold over to fit all the way inside…

“P-please,” He can’t help but whimpering, just one last time, as Master approaches with the lid. “Please, please, n-no…”

“Ah-ah. What did we just talk about?” Master pauses with the lid, and Gabriel can only stare back up at him with frightened, lost eyes, a startling blue amidst all the filth and grime. He knows what the man wants, and Gabriel closes his eyes as more tears slide down his cheeks. “Thank you, Master,” he whispers in defeat.

“There you go.” Master pats his hair one last time, and then the lid is fitted on top. There’s some clanging and groaning of metal after that, and then something is fitted on top of the crate.

Gabriel reaches up a hand to press against the lid, and it’s firmly sealed shut. There’s already panic brewing in his gut, shortening his breath and making it hard to see.

“M-Master?” It’s quiet for a long moment, and Gabriel sucks in a panicked breath – it’s as if he can already feel the air growing thin. “Master?” “Don’t you be making too much noise, boy.” The man is still standing outside of the crate, and the relief that floods Gabriel’s system is like heroine. Master knocks the side of the box, and the loud ringing makes Gabriel wince. “I’m going to leave you here now,” the man continues. “When I come back, I expect you to have learned some lessons about obedience and gratitude.” There’s a smile in his voice as it moves further away. “I’ll lock the outside door, so don’t worry… no one will ever find you down here. Until I decide that you’ve learned enough.”

Gabriel can’t breathe. His hands are shaking in the darkness, and he jumps and cries out as that same scuttling from before sounds again, grazing his bare foot. What he is trapped in there with? A rat? A cockroach? A very large spider?

He doesn’t consciously decide to start screaming and clawing at the lid. But he does, and in the pitch black, Gabriel can’t see the blood dripping from his fingernails as he scrabbles and tears at the metal. He can’t feel the pain through the blind panic, and through the din of his struggling and tearful screaming for his Master, he can’t hear the lock click as the man leaves.

He’s desperately screaming apologies and pleas for mercy in equal measure, but there is no response. There’s no response when Gabriel sobs and claws at the lid, and there’s no response when he eventually stills, quiet with exhaustion and shock. It’s pitch black and quiet within the box, and Gabriel cries and cries, till his head pounds and there’s no moisture left in his body.

The box doesn’t open, and Master doesn’t come back. Not during the long, long night, or the following day, or the night after that.

Eventually, Gabriel finds himself wondering if he’s always been in the box. Was there ever an outside? He’s not sure.

But when (or if) he is ever allowed out… he knows he will be grateful.

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

RWBY VOL 7 / VOL 8 - HEAD CANON TRAJECTORY/TIMELINE.

Heya Folks, so I’ve been enjoying the weather and bashing around ideas that would make for an epic fic,or even just my theories of how V7/8 could possibly play out. 

(Its in no way a prediction or do I have any expectancy of this any of this happening, just a lil bit of fun  and by no means a demand made of CRWBY or a claim that I know what they have planned or that I can write it better, anyone who claims any of the above and that they can are dipshits in my eyes.) 

I don’t have time to dedicate to writing it so I thought I’d get it down on bullet points, but If I do make it into a fic with will be called “Birds of a Feather.”

As we are going into Vol 7 and the Atlas arc, here are some thoughts. 

 * Picking up immediately from the end of VOL 6

 TEAM RWBY/ORNJ/Q&M

 Arriving in Atlas, our trusty heroes touch down and are detained by the Atlas Military. Though they plead for an audience with General Ironwood and explain why they are in possession of a military Airship from the Argus base, (The ‘lengthy’ report from Caroline Cordovin having yet still to be written and submitted.) their pleas fall on deaf ears at first.

 Weiss makes an adamant plea that her sister, Specialist Winter Schnee be contacted, rather than her father, as they have top secret information detrimental to the tide of the coming war which needs to be delivered immediately.

 They are still detained whilst the personnel in question are awaiting confirmation of information provided. 

Whilst detained, Blake is split from the group, much to Yang and Weiss protests, but Blake tells them that its ok, and is taken to the Faunus allocated holding cells, I shall be referring to as The Pound/Kennels

 (Divergent, Yang refuses to be split from Blake and so is held with her.)

 Whilst split from the group, Blake (&Yang?) sees how the Faunus ‘prisoners’ are treated, realizing that there is still very much to be done with regards to Atlas and its prejudices towards the Faunus community

 (It would also be a great way to show and not tell, even if there are snippets of info about the disparity between Mantle and Atlas parted to the two women.)

 Maybe Blake tells the Faunus of what occurred in Haven, that the WF is now back under the leadership of Ghira, returning to the previous peaceful ways, working with the humans rather than against.

That Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan are dead. (This could also segue-way into a brief moment of showing just how much killing Adam has affected both women)  The news is met with mixed reactions from the Faunus.

 * Specialist Winter Schnee arrives to the holding place of our main cast. After a heartwarming reunion between the Schnee sisters (as heartwarming as Winter can be) information is relayed minus a few omissions bout stealing an airship and vicariously causing the subsequent Grimm attack back in Argus, the Relic and Ozpin being in Oscar’s head, a request to see Ironwood is made.

(Extra points of some Winter/Qrow friction… The pair are cynically sassed by Maria.)  

 Weiss also makes it known that Blake (&Yang?) have been detained elsewhere and demands their return. The heroes are delivered to Ironwood and they are reunited with Blake (&Yang?). Apologies are made to Miss Belladonna for her treatment. 

Discussion of the Relic, Salem’s plans, Cinder as the Fall Maiden, etc occur, finally bringing Winter into the fold and Ironwood up to speed.

 (Yang still does not admit that she is aware that Raven is the Spring Maiden)

 Ozpin finally makes an appearance, much to the groups surprise, Winter’s shock and Ironwood’s expectation. (Maybe a tiny bit of unmentioned but shown discord from Winter towards Ironwood at being kept in the dark?)

 Qrow questions Jimmy about the Relic of Creation/ where abouts of the Winter Maiden and the importance that Salem and her faction do not get their hands on the two Relics. Ozpin presses the issue to be met with Ironwood cryptically parting that the Relic of Creation is ‘safe.’ Much to Ozpin’s and Qrow’s frustration.

 Mention of new clothing needed, Maria’s goggles, Yang’s arm and Gambol Shroud needing to be fixed. Lodgings are offered at Atlas Academy

 Our heroes make moves to go to lodgings leaving behind Qrow, (maybe Oscar/Oz and therefore vicariously Ruby) with Ironwood and Winter so that they can strategize. 

*Weiss begins showing the group round Atlas, (perfect opportunity to show us the aesthetic of Atlas much like we got to see Argus. The tech, architecture, culture etc.)

 Blake is ‘cat’ called so to speak, (Get your pet back on its leash) thereby showing the audience and the group just exactly what Faunus face on day to day basis.Everyone comes to Blake’s defense, esp Weiss and Yang.

 If Blake does not come under fire then at least in the background the group witness Faunus treatment, via difference in clothing, service jobs etc. 

It could even play out that when trying to enter an establishment that Blake is either denied entry or forced to enter through a Faunus door, akin to Apartheid or at the minimum, disgusted looks.

 Weiss is rather vocal. (What’s that supposed to mean?) and outright refusing to enter an establishment that treats Faunus that way…. The proprietor would end up grovelling and snivelling…. 

“I’m willing to make an exception for an illustrious Schnee!” OR ”So the news ‘is’ true… You have lost your mind!”   (As a call back to Jacques threat in Vol 4)  

 Nora offers to go in there and smash the place to bits.

 Blake begins to voice concerns that maybe she ought to put back on her bow, much to the group’s dismay.  (Maybe some sage advice parted from Maria)

 Henry Marigold is in the background having witnessed the altercation before slinking off????

 Our group meets Flynt and Neon, who offers to take them to the Academy and get settled. Brief happy reunion occurs. 

Neon walks through the streets of Atlas bold as brass, seemingly unaffected by the looks they are garnering, but also calling out to a few vendors she knows who jovially return her greeting, giving the sense that she is much liked (and as a direct contrast to the previous altercation) much to Blake’s surprise  

 New outfits are acquired. A few weaponsmiths admit that maybe Yang’s arm Atlas Tech is beyond their skill.

 Maria says that an ‘old friend’ will most certainly have the skill to repair her arm, and Blake’s weapon.

 *Maria goes to visit her ‘old friend’, with Blake and Yang(Ruby if she has returned from strategy meeting, or if she never attended it) in tow.

 They are brought to a workshop/lab. As Maria and the old man catch up, and he is looking at the goggles/weapons that need to be fixed. the girls have a look around.

 Ruby is fangirling over weapons. (They come across either the schematics for Penny, half built androids, ie inner framework etc ) OR a previous model, who is working as the old man’s assistant. 

Ruby is taken aback, when she meets the Penny 2.0, who does not recognize her and Ruby realizes that she has none of Penny’s memories. Ruby is visibly upset OR The audience sees schematics for Penny’s design, or an arm on a workbench in the processes of being rebuilt, or very distinctive feet poking out from under a cover. (this would save Ruby from yet another heartbreaking moment)  The old man in question is Professor Polendina. Once they find out that this professor Polendiina, he and Ruby have a heartfelt discussion about Penny and he is pleased to hear that penny had become what she always wanted which is a real girl and that she had made friends, who remember her fondly and will never be forgotten.  Prof Polendina fixes the goggles and begins preparing to fix Yang’s arm telling the group that it will take time and they can return at a later date.

 The group leave.  

(DIVERGENT NEON BRINGS BLAKE TO MANTLE TO SEEK OUT A FAUNUS WEAPONSMITH TO REBUILD GAMBOL SHROUD WITH SOME NEW ADJUSTMENTS, THEREBY SHOWING THE AUDIENCE THE AESTHETIC OF MANTLE, OLDER TECH, LIVING SPACE AND CULTURE THEREFORE FURTHER CEMENTING THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE TWO PARTS OF THE CITY)  

 *Meanwhile. Cinder and Neo arrive in Atlas/Mantle, immediately going about finding a Spider’s Den for information on TEAM RWBY.

 Tyrian is stirring up trouble amongst the Faunus in Mantle, claiming that siding with his ‘Queen’ will grant them the tools to overthrow the Atlesian Elite whilst Watt’s pays a visit to Jacques and other people in positions of power, fear mongering and telling them what exactly is coming to Atlas, that they don’t stand a chance and the only way to ensure their survival is by siding with his employer.

 This begins to sow the seeds of dissonance, and doubt in Ironwood’s leadership.  

x-x-x-x 

THIS IS ONLY AS FAR AS I HAVE GOTTEN WITH PAINSTAKING DETAIL, THE REST BELOW IS BRIEF OVERVIEW.

I have have a loads more written that I am corralling together but its something I’ll keep working on keep you posted.. If I do ever write a fic .. It will be called Birds of a Feather cause a good chunk of it is tied to the return of Raven and a desperate last stand with the Branwen twins back to back, trying to give Tai much needed time to get the kids out of the city. 

 There's a huge flash in the sky, behind the kids as they are escaping and all we hear from Yang is a very soft '"Oh' or a gasp. .. 

 (She is the only one who knows her mother has died as she felt the power entering her.  She keeps this to herself as nobody knows Raven is the Spring Maiden other than Cinder.

 It’s not meant to be some overly dramatic scene, just a soft realisation that Raven was indeed thinking of her in her last moments and did care.

 I'm a firm believer that Raven made out to Cinder's faction she didn’t give a shit about Qrow or Yang as an added layer of protection, that when she finally did double cross Cinder that Salem's faction wouldn’t come after them in retaliation, esp given Raven's semblance and her still being able to make a portal suggesting that she is still very much attached to her brother and daughter)

TO DO WITH THAT.

Yang spends the rest series not using her semblance, her father and friends believing it is to do with what she has learned in the last 3 volumes, rather than something else, which Blake does pick up on.

If Yang does use her semblance it will be sparingly and the others just think that is has evolved.But Blake defo knows otherwise and presses the issue.

 Maybe someone returns with Qrow's weapon signifying he is dead and that there was no sign of Raven, who everyone assumes ran and left him to die. Maybe a negative comment is made by Tai to that effect causing Yang to lash out an tell him Raven's died protecting them..

 When asked how she could possibly know, she tells the others that she is the Spring maiden. 

On the Weiss /Blake/Faunus issue. The Fall of Atlas causes the Atlesian elite to flee to Mantle where they are met with mixed reception. Some Faunus are adamant that they don't help. Others rush to help them.. 

 The Atlas Elite come to realise the kindness that these people are offering even after they have been treated as lesser.. (extra brownie points if the douchebag who told weiss to get her faunus on its leash is actually the background accepting help) 

 Whilst the group are hiding amongst the locals, attempting to regroup and Winter tries to coral what is left of the Atlesian Military, taking over command after the death of General Ironwood

.Weiss comes to see just how bad the conditions really are in the factories, esp SDC factories and truly sees how the other half lives. She is aghast to see other human beings running around with her Grandfather's legacy branded into their skin.

 When she points this out to Winter, she finds out that her older sister was aware of it,  but only due to her military duties. 

Weiss is of course appalled that Winter would keep this from her, who in turn tells her it was out of protection, that there was never a right time.

 Weiss vows that when all this is done she is taking back the SDC from her Father/Whitley no matter the cost.

 Some faunus are not at all happy that the Schnee's are down amongst them and it is Blake that comes to her defence explaining the new focus of the WF, what happened at Haven and that Weiss will stay true to her word. The faunus from the detention centre back at the start, back this up. 

The group find that they are being hunted for and make the ultimate desicion to leave and make a bid to escape.

A call is made for all Atlesian Military personal to return to their posts as the a new council has been formed , with Jacques Schnee at its head, (with Salem obv pulling the strings cause Jacques is a now a puppet.) having taken the place of Ironwood.

All Atlas students are also called to go back to the academy. Team FNKI refuse.    And Winter goes freaking rogue, gathering soldiers and personnel loyal to Ironwood.  Team FNKI join her, as do other students and Faunus from Mantle  vowing to protect what it is left and not let it fall until the very last man/women

(maybe the Branwen’s Last Stand happens here??? ).

Our heroes abscond with the Relic of Knowledge but without the Relic of Creation which is now in Salem's possession.  Spotted by Emerald, and it is suggested by a short clip that she follows them at close quarters. 

Our heroes are battered, injured and moral at an all time lows, (similar to vol 3 , as in all fairness they need a huge loss to balance things out and remind us of the stakes and NO ONE is protected by plot armour, extra points if Ruby loses an eye)

At the end of volume 8 , our heroes are in a non disclosed location, licking their wounds and wondering if they can truly carry on.  

A flash to Atlas devastated, surrounded by flying Beringals etc in the sky circling.

 TO DO WITH THE VILLAINS , 

This plays out concurrently over the two volumes. 

As Salem and her hoard of flying monkeys descend on Atlas and tear it asunder. Emerald and Mercury come across Cinder and Neo.

As Emerald rushes to apologise profusely that they didn't know  she was alive. Cinder brushes her aside. 

 Over time, Emerald comes to witness the difference with the way that Cinder treats Neo and becomes increasingly envious, Mercury points out what he did in V6E9 that Cinder doesn't give two shits about her, to which she replies,

 "You don’t know that!". 

The tension between Neo and Cinder build, mainly from Emerald's side, as Neo literally sassily  shrugs it off. Maybe at some point there is a 1v1 fight

 (mainly cause I really wanna fricking see a battle of the semblances... Hallucinations v's Illusions. 

Creating something from nothing, that only one person can see,  ie, Emerald's multiple copies of Mercury surrounding Yang back in Haven..... 

V'S twisting the real to look different, as I noticed Neo can only manipulate matter, as a disguise rather than create something from nothing.Neo needs something to work with. So Neo manipulates matter and Emerald manipulates the mind) 

 We know that Neo would win in a 1v1 with just fighting skills,  though we are also aware that Emerald is fully capable of taking on a number of Grimm by herself.  I think the semblance aspect would really make fight between the pair anyone's guess.

 Ultimately, either Neo throws the fight in order to stay close to Cinder and her original goal which is stabbing that bitch in the back, or Emerald wins.

OR 

 Emerald is defeated, exhausted and hurt. Surrounded by Grimm, Cinder leaves her to die.  

(Extra points for Emerald on the ground reaching out with hand as the city burns around them , eyes brimming with tears, as Cinder gives her a look , before turning her back and walking off. Cause I’m a sucka for heartbreak)

 Emerald's fate is unknown, until we see her at the end of the volume, spotting our Heroes leaving , there by kick starting her road to redemption, of sorts.

 (It always struck me as odd that in V6E9 why her and Mercury were present and told a very strategic piece of info.

 "The only thing that can stop Salem's plans for Atlas, is Vacuo coming to their aid, that Vacuo must be kept out of it at all costs!"

Esp when CRWBY are known for keeping things very close to the chest and making every cent of their budget count.. Which leads me to believe that it is important esp with concern to Emerald and Merc, which again makes me think that Emerald will eventually leave with that information and deliver that info to Vacuo, either out of genuine guilt and wish to make rights, or as a way to avoid being imprisoned. 

 We know that Vacuo have a very laxed view on criminals etc.. so it’s the perfect place for Emerald to flee to,  whether Mercury goes with her remains to be seen.)

 That’s as far as I’ve gotten with concerns to that. 

TO DO WITH THE BRANWEN’S LAST STAND.

This could happen anywhere long the narrative, maybe towards the end of v7 or v8 I see this pair standing back to back surrounded by enemies. Anything to stall and allow Tai to lead the kids out of danger. Cuts to scene in the aftermath of an epic battle with their slain enemies, Both sat on the ground, leaning back to back, both exhausted, maybe Qrow injured,  Qrow takes out his hip flask, giving it a shake, he takes a sip. He hands it to Raven, who takes a small sip before handing it back, Enemies approach a second time surrounding them, Cinder or maybe even Salem. they are severely outnumbered. The Branwen’s struggle to their feet supporting each other. 

“I never thought it would end like this!”

“We came into this world together, we go out of this world together!”

“Ah come on, that’s not like you, who says it’s over?”

(either line is interchangeable for either character)

They exchange a look, both knowing that this is the end, before turning with weapons raised and running into the fray. 

Cut to where the kids are, who witness sanse huge flash in the background, Yang’s soft ‘Oh’ and then cut back to Qrow’s hip flask on the ground, dented and scorched. 

Yes! I know , I am  a monster!

[junker-town]

The Celtics might have a better future without Isaiah Thomas

Thomas has turned himself into a Celtics legend and deserves absolute credit for it all. But in pursuit of a championship, Boston might be best off letting him go.

When Isaiah Thomas dropped 53 points in the Garden three weeks ago, he cemented himself as a Boston legend. Thomas turned a point guard duel against John Wall into a one-sided affair by taking over the fourth quarter and overtime in the Eastern Conference semifinals, scoring the most points in a Celtics playoff game since John Havlicek.

After Thomas was shut down for the rest of the postseason with a hip injury, the Celtics won Game 3 against the Cavaliers on Sunday without their starting point guard. It was a glimpse into a potential future for the team that doesn’t involve Thomas, and it was compelling.

But first, a few disclaimers.

Isaiah Thomas may finish fifth in the MVP race this season and it will be completely deserved. His incredible regular season was a sensational journey for anyone who followed along.

Thomas also tragically lost his sister this postseason and fought through emotional and physical pain before succumbing to a hip injury that may require surgery.

If LeBron James doesn’t disappear for the first time all postseason, or if Marcus Smart doesn’t explode for seven three-pointers, or if Avery Bradley’s three-pointer doesn’t get the perfect bounce, the Celtics probably would have lost Game 3. It’s not about the win or the loss. It’s about how they played.

The fact remains that the best future for Boston might be one without Thomas.

We all know about Isaiah’s biggest challenge: he’s short.

Despite all of his remarkable abilities, Thomas will always stand 5’9. He has developed dozens of tricks to make up for the height disparity he faces 100 percent of the time in the NBA, and he’s an incredible athlete. But there are times when Thomas is nearly a foot shorter than his counterpart.

Thomas’ offensive production speaks for itself. He’s an elite scorer with incredible pick-and-roll skills who is dangerous behind the three-point line. Put him on any team in the league and Thomas would probably improve their offense.

But defensively, Thomas is marked by constant mismatches. This isn’t just a problem because Thomas is a bad defender (he tries) and his man can shoot over him. It’s a problem because Boston constantly must gameplan around the weak link in their defense, always trying to find the place where they can hide him to cause the least amount of damage. It must limit how the Celtics can play defense, and you never want to limit a team coached by Brad Stevens.

Thomas’ offense clearly outweighs his defensive weaknesses, which explains his role and his accolades. But when you play Thomas for 36 minutes every game, there is a ceiling on how good defensively you can be. Boston circumvented it well during the regular season — they were a top-five defensive team last regular season before falling to No. 12 this season — but best-of-seven playoff series take on a life of their own.

Boston is angling to be the best team in the league one day

Despite their No. 1 seed, the Celtics aren’t among the elite yet. They outperformed their expected win total by five games and snuck past a lackadaisical Cavaliers in the final days of the regular season. (That reflects well on Stevens.)

If Rajon Rondo doesn’t get injured, maybe the Bulls beat Boston in the first round. In the next round, they took advantage of that home court to beat the Wizards in a tight seven-game series.

In the Eastern Conference finals, Cleveland annihilated the Celtics in Games 1 and 2 with Thomas playing. The lesson seemed clear: Boston isn’t a championship contender yet.

The Celtics are headed that direction, however. They’re both the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. (Thanks, Nets!)

This year’s top prospect is a do-it-all point guard named Markelle Fultz. He hasn’t been marked as an elite defender, but he’s 6’5 with great athletic tools. Fultz made a name for himself with chasedown blocks in college, and the only way he could be a defensive weakness is if he really doesn’t try. Like, it would have to be 2014 James Harden levels of effort.

(By the way, if Fultz reaches his offensive ceiling, Harden is a good comparison.)

Boston also has another top draft selection coming next season (they own the Nets’ 2018 first round pick outright), a couple of well regarded overseas prospects, and they could also reach maximum free agent salary cap space this summer.

Thomas, on the other hand, is a free agent in 2018. He’s only making $6 million, which might be the best value in the league. You see where this is going. The Celtics, who aren’t talking like they’re interested in trading the No. 1 pick, draft Fultz in June. Then they ...

Sign a max free agent (Gordon Hayward?) and trade Thomas. Or ...

Trade for a superstar (Paul George or Jimmy Butler) in a package including Thomas. Or ...

Keep Thomas during Fultz’ rookie year to make sure he’s really your new point guard of the future. Normally, you would never want to let player like Thomas walk without getting something back in return. But the Celtics are so loaded, they might have the luxury to wish him goodbye.

There are a hundred different options, and some do include Thomas in Boston for the long-term. If the Celtics don’t use that cap space this summer on a major free agent, they could re-sign Thomas to an extension this offseason. If they felt extremely bold, they could draft the top wing in the draft, Josh Jackson, over Fultz.

Even if they draft Fultz, there’s an argument that they’d work together just fine. SB Nation’s Celtics Blog made that case.

There’s going to be plenty of questions of whether Isaiah Thomas and Fultz can mesh, and usually when we’re talking about bringing a high upside lottery guard to a team with a solidified starter the answer is no. However, this isn’t the usual circumstances, Thomas isn’t a guard on the decline with a limited offensive repertoire with a young prospect being brought in who will only be a plus offensively if he’s at the one. Both Thomas and Fultz are electric guards that can score at all three levels and can absolutely put offenses on their backs. They are also capable players off-ball who know how to come off screens, and can be just as lethal to opposing teams. You’ll hear the legitimate questions about defense and get the occasional Lillard-McCollum comparisons, but one thing to keep in mind is Fultz has actually shown solid defensive potential and averaged 1.6 spg, and 1.2 bpg. He’s become one of the best guards in college basketball at the chase down block and when engaged can really sit in a stance and move his feet.

It helps that Thomas and Fultz already have a friendly relationship, both hailing from the University of Washington. Thomas reached out to Fultz after the lottery, and told him that he thinks they could thrive if he ends up in Boston.

“He asks questions; I answer them,” Thomas told reporters. “He's a good friend of mine. If it happens, we'll figure out how to play together. If not, we'll go from there.”

The Celtics don’t have to decide now. Team president Danny Ainge has said that Thomas can play with anyone and they could take Fultz’s rookie year to gauge how the two players work together. Maybe Boston will decide the two players can work as a monstrous matchup dependent duo, playing them together or separate totally based on the team they face.

But if Fultz is as good as we think he is, then Thomas will always be a player who limits how high he can reach.

Game 3 was a preview of what Boston could look like without Thomas.

The Cavaliers are an especially hard matchup for Thomas, who is stuck guarding Kyrie Irving or acting as a tiny roadblock for LeBron James’ drives. Cleveland is built with shooters that aren’t phased by a Thomas closeout. After blistering shotmaking in the first half of Game 3, the Cavaliers only managed to score at a 93.6 offensive rating against Boston’s defense.

We also saw a perkier Boston offense with rapid, generous ball movement that resulted in 332 passes after averaging just 304 in the first two games, per NBA.com’s player tracking data. We’ve known all season that Cleveland’s defense isn’t great, even if they’re much better this postseason now that they’re trying. But a little bit of that regular season defensive team showed back up in the second half, allowing plenty of open shots (see: J.R. Smith on the final play) that Boston happily knocked down.

Saying goodbye to Thomas would be hard. At times this season, like the 53-point game, it felt like Thomas should be in Boston forever. But you also must consider that he’s 28 and small point guards sometimes precariously fall off. The Celtics might just have to wait out LeBron James, so youth is an asset. Thomas has done everything possible to make him a part of Boston’s future. It just might not be enough.

Thomas is an incredible player and an even more incredible story. He’s a Boston sports legend now. But if the Celtics have the highest aspirations about their future, then the best case scenario might be one without Thomas, despite everything he has done.