#anyway yeah i want to smooch the jester

[snail-noodle]

"my my my... what do we have here?"

you shivered in fear at the gigantic being before you. you and your cookie friends had tried your best to seal the rift in the tree with white lily cookie. however, your actions proved pointless. white lily cookie's powers were still too weak and your time had run out. you all watched in horror at the towering cookie grinning down from above.

"it's been so long since we've seen new faces! we were starting to get bored being by ourselves in here..." shadow milk cookie smirked as he took a look at each cookie standing before him. when his eyes had reached you, his gaze stayed far more longer on you than the others. you trembled from his piercing stare, a small whimper escaping from your lips as you backed away and hid yourself behind pure vanilla cookie.

shadow milk cookie chortled at the pathetic display. "Oh, how I have missed the faces of fear from you cookies! Never gets old!" now that the rift had opened big enough for him to pass through, shadow milk cookie stepped out of the silver tree that had kept him and the others imprisoned for so long. the smaller cookies screamed in terror as they scrambled to get out of his way. every footstep he took practically shook the earthbread beneath their feet.

"pure vanilla cookie!" fear clouded your mind as you tugged your leader's arm in desperation. "what are we going to do?!" anxiety gripped your heart when he hesitated to think of a solution. one of the most powerful beings in all of cookiekind has just been unleashed and is ready to bring chaos to the world once more. just how on earthbread will any cookie be able to stop such beasts?

before pure vanilla cookie could even think of an answer, you cried out in alarm as you were suddenly lifted into the air. the other cookies screamed your name as you watched their forms grow smaller and smaller. you gasped as you were face to face with the grinning jester.

"what a cute little cookie you are." he eagerly examined you as if he were a child that had been given a new toy, turning you this way and that. "it's been ages since i had a little pet to dote on. you'll make a fine addition to my collection!" your mind raced as you tried to understand what you have just heard. a collection? a pet to dote on? what on-?!

your thoughts were interrupted as you heard a snap of... fingers? confused, you found yourself locked inside some sort of bird cage; the bars were thick enough to keep you from escaping. shadow milk cookie cooed as he watched you attempt to break free. "no-!" you tugged and pulled at the bars keeping you in.

"no! y-you can't keep me in here! Please!" you cried out to him in desperation. shadow milk cookie only giggled and shook his head, "ah, ah, ah! you're staying right by my side, my little cookie." you shuddered in fear as he began to summon his powers once more. shadows seeped out from your surroundings and from his body. multiple cold blue eyes stared at you and the cookies still down below.

"now, my dear..." with a clap of his hands, monsters of every kind stepped out from the shadows, ready to obey their master. with a manic grin, shadow milk cookie spread his arms out in grandeur to the cookies below. with a perfect view from above, you could only watch in horror as your friends were surrounded at every side by monsters of different sizes.

"let the show begin!"

[gentlebeard]

hi lets show some love for our mutuals. tag your favorite mutuals and tell them why you love them

thank you, dear anon. time to spread lots of love:

@blakbonnet - what would i do without meow? she’s so smart & kind & funny & so fucking talented. writing, painting, making gifs, clowning - there’s nothing she can’t do. we have one and the same brain and often send each other almost identical messages at the same time. she’s my biggest fan and greatest supporter. team beard brought us together and now i never want to be without her!

@sherlockig - my soulmate, my sunshine, my rock. not only is she incredibly sweet and one of my best friends in the world, she’s also the backbone of the ofmd fandom. she graces our screens with fantastically edited screen caps of our beloved blorbos. we’d be lost if alexz didn’t put so much love and energy into picking the perfect frames! i’m so grateful for her presence in the fandom and in my life.

@saltpepperbeard - jodi. my wifey. my one true love. nothing brings me more joy than seeing her gifs or reading her insane tags on posts. they’re better and more entertaining than any newspaper or novel. every time she has an insanely brilliant (or angsty) thought, i wanna propose to her all over again. her writing makes my brain tingle in the best possible way. btw all of you are invited to our next wedding 🥰

@bizarrelittlemew - one day i saw one of ida’s gif sets and was like: hell yeah, i wanna see more of that. i came for the gifs but stayed for her love of rhys darby, her kindness, her writing, her amazing vibe, her creativity, and her lovely self.

@not-nervous-jester - jams is the hottest person on this hellsite. they’re just so effortlessly funny and amazing. their brain has the most wrinkles because they’re so fantastic and intelligent. i invite jams to make out with me regularly because i’m secretly (or not so secretly, i guess) obsessed with them. anyway, i’m smooching you and your brain, jams!

@skysofrey - kaitlin is the sweetest human ever. sunshine in a bottle. kindness personified. seeing her yellow hearts in the tags improves my mood instantly. she deserves to have a perfect day every single day.

@stedebonnets - another 10/10 human being. how anyone can be so sweet and supportive is almost unbelievable to me. ara will make you feel like the most special person on this planet with just a few words and sweet emojis. i bet ara’s hugs feel like coming home after being gone for years.

@dickfuckk - i once called josh the bts king because he’ll know or find anything that is just slightly adjacent to ofmd. his dedication to @ourflagmeansbts is insane to me. on top of that: nice & funny dude, hilarious videos, my dj archive 😌

@rainbowcrowley - after just casually communicating over tags we have finally moved our relationship to the next stage (dms & laughing about shitty memes about politicians, apparently). addi will tell you they make “mediocre gifs” but that’s just a blatant lie. their gifs always look fantastic. a very sweet bean.

@darkinerry - marlena will come out of nowhere and throw spectacular taika gifs into your inbox or just make a straight up insane gif set of that man with clips they probably had to kill someone for. idk how else they do it or where they get them, it’s a mystery to me. excited puppy energy 24/7.

honorable mention goes to olivia aka @snake-snack-stede who is, hands down, the most hilarious person in the ofmd fandom. i’m looking forward to your s2 shenanigans as much as the episodes!!!

if i didn’t mention you, know i still love you. and you’re amazing. 💕

[blindrapture]

FRIDAY JUNE 17TH, 2011 (Going Brazilian)

8:10 AM TOO FUCKING EARLY SHUT UP

3:27 PM That’s better. I’m all rested up. Four and a half hours left. Shit, this is gonna either be really awesome or really, really get me killed. Or worse.

4:52 PM Just remember, Jordan. It’s for Donnie. It’s for Donnie. It’s for Donnie.

5:21 PM Prog. Prog passes the time away quickly.

6:19 PM Taking the sharpest rock,you cut the titan loose from his bonds After all you have been through, you'll be damned if you fear the sea anymore Only takes several cuts, and the tentacles all withdraw from the trench "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Down comes lightning Strikes the titan All of those tentacles concentrate on you now Steam vent opens beneath And you are dragged to Hell

7:57 PM Door’s knocking. Paul Blackwood, you put it best in “Lowest Point” when you wrote Ready to end, ready to dissolve into atoms that are no longer your own.Then again, you also put it best when you said Draw a stairway for my God to spite the sofa of my faith. Hahahahahaaa… it’s for Donnie, it’s for Donnie, it’s for Donnie. >.<

7:58 PM Miiistreeeeess! :DDD Do you mind if I write this stuff down? I mean, it is an historical moment, our first date and everything. O: "Of course! I'm flattered! And also hungry. Let's go." …yes, let’s. x_x;

8:32 PM "Wow, I like this place. My pet, I praise you for good choice in atmosphere." Well, you know me. ^w^;; Always trying to please. "I'd be blushing if it weren't for my perfect wooden skin. When do we get to eat?" That’s entirely up to you! You’re the boss. >w> …she leaned over the table and smooched me on the cheek. Then she snapped her fingers and now we have a puppet waiter. "I'll have the steamed lobster, and my pet will have a large pizza, with pepperoni, spinach, and anchovies." o: How do you know my favorite food? "Oh, I know everything about you." .....god I hope not. but I just smiled. :) The waiter’s gone off to fetch our food. …SO, Mistress. I know it’s not my place and everything, but c’mon, it’s a date! Can you tell me about yourself? What’s your name? :D "Well, as you've probably gathered, they call me the Harlequin. I don't want you ever using that name, though. My title fits your lips just fine. ..besides, 'Harlequin' is back from when I was just a puppet…" …Mistress, you were once just a puppet? o___o "I know what you mean; how could I ever be someone's puppet? How could I fall for someone who just wants control over me? Someone who doesn't actually love me for who I really am? I.. don't really know, sometimes. ...I just don't know." ...o_o;; "I guess I'd may as well tell you this. If you're really, like.. going to be in my life, if you actually want to be around me, I can.. trust you. There was once a Master. Once. Before he met me. Oh, he was the cock of the walk, he had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand, he commanded respect, and you wouldn't believe, I mean even if I told you you literally wouldn't be able to believe just how many powerful people there were who did all he said. Again, before he met me. I was just another one of his victims at first. He had no reason to keep me alive. I was nothing, I was just a fucking girl, do you know I'm not much older than you? But he saw something in me. I think I reminded him of someone he knew. I don't know, I never worked up the courage to ask him, I really don't think he'd have told me. But he kept me around. He had me work for him, killing many innocent people. And I gained the epithet 'The Harlequin,' much like your 'White Jester.'" Wait. Really??? "Yeah. Funny, how things go, isn't it? I killed people, I was feared for it, and my master's pride in me grew and grew until, one day, he and I were properly in love... kinda." Kinda? "Yeah... I mean, I wasn't like you. You're, like, naturally submissive, so you came to the Pet lifestyle quite easily. I was... I am... naturally dominant, it's who I am, it got me into a lot of trouble back in my.. old... life... and, anyway, I didn't like serving some big honcho. So I did a very nasty thing." Did you.. kill him? "I did far worse than kill him. I made him wish he was dead. I had help, one of his friends, a guardian angel... he backed me up, and we made that fucker pay, together. That night, that 'friend' visited me again and gave.. gave me... my wooden skin. Which makes me invincible. It makes me a goddess. And I'm... thankful!!" ...I.. don't think you are. "Not what? Invincible? We can go toe-to-toe, you can fight me if you dare, you'll see, nothing can kill me. Nothing can even harm me! Nothing gets in my way. Nothing stops Rosa Syclus." ..Rosa. o: "You are never, and I mean never to call me that. Never repeat it. That life is over now. I will rule forever!" Of course, Mistress. "You're a good boy. Thank you for all this." It's. ..it's fine. c: Our food's here!

9:13 PM That was a delicious meal, Mistress. (Even though I never directly saw you eat; every time you left my sight and I looked back, you’d just have less food.) "I agree. Oh, and I have a present for you!" Aw, a present? .w.; Really? What? "I think you'll love it." (…motherfucker, there’s Tiger Stripes!) May I? "I don't see why not. Here, play us a clickity-clackety song, young Springsteen!"

9:14 PM Now that I have Tiger Stripes, what do you say we play a game, Your Greatness? "God, you're just so cute when you're trying to propose ideas. I'd love to play a game." Well. It’s simple. If you can get Tiger Stripes off me, you win!

9:19 PM RUNNING KITCHEN The puppets aren’t in here. I guess Mistress is really enthusiastic about playing along. Okay, I know where to hide, but the B-4000k isn’t open. Fuck. C’mon c’mon c’mon open open open oh my god open OPEN MY GOD THAT WAS LOUD KAY, I’m ducking. In front of the oven, behind the table. I should be obscured from Mistress’ view when she comes in. …"I like this game; it’s like my pet is playing hard-to-get." fuckfuck she’s in the kitchen now shhhh "I could swear I heard the sound of a pencil scribbling on paper!" ..welp. “Oh, was that Tiger Stripes hitting a table? Oh, not just any table, that was thaaat table right there! I think I’m just about to dominate you, bitch.” Her giggles, oh my god here she comes “AH. There’s my bitch.” She’s coming, just gotta be ready to swing… “Maybe after I ram that guitar up your ass, you can choke on my hairy pussy.” Sorry, Harly.. but this time, *sunglasses* you’re going Brazilian. Swing DIRECT HIT OH MY GOD CLOSE CLOSE OVEN CLOSE CLOSE OVEN CLOSE CLOSE OVEN CLOSE RJK(AGDJ YES OHHHH MY GOD THAT WAS ACTUALLY A FUCKING BADASS ONE-LINER I SAID BURN, YOU FUCKING PSYCHO. BURN. BURRRRRRRRN. BURN IN HELL WITH THE REST OF YOUR FUCKING PUPPETS. I can hear her screaming, oh my god, that’s pretty… disturbing. x_x;

9:26 PM Okay, it’s been long enough. Time to get out of here. …that noise didn’t sound like banging. That noise sounded like lifting. Tiger Stripes, give me strength. ..oh! Hi, Mistress! I see you lifted the oven door from inside! And I also see that you’re kinda on fire! Like, wow, you’re hot! Literally! Hahah, I mean.. you’re not mad at me, are you? See, that’s.. how you win the game! You shove the other person in the oven! I’m running now BONES YOU TOLD ME THAT THING WOULD BURN HER THEN AGAIN NO YOU DIDN’T YOU JUST GAVE ME THE RECEEEEEEIPT

9:30 PM OUT OF THE KITCHEN OH GOD THE RESTAURANT’S FRONT DOOR IS BLOCKED BY FIRE WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT FIRE COME FROM MISTRESS IS BEHIND ME ..AND SHE’S ALSO MELTING OH MY GOD THAT’S PRETTY BADASS She’s scorching black and her paint’s dripping off and she looks pretty hot! …oh, kissing your ass won’t work this time? Fuck.

9:31 PM WAIT, can’t we just cuddle? :DDD …STUPID QUESTION YOU’RE ON FIRE STAY AWAY Okay okay okay okay what to doooo OKAY NEW IDEA THERE ARE TWO DOORS TO THE KITCHEN SEE YA

9:32 PM I think I made it to the restroom without her spotting me. I think. Oh god I’m actually pretty scared, this is the fucking Harlequin we’re talking about. I can hear fire approaching and paint dripping to the floor closer and closer. Oh god shhhh

9:34 PM She’s walking away. I think I actually fooled her. Oh my god. ..wait. She stopped. …SHE’S CHARGING THE DOOR HIDE

9:35 PM shh

9:36 PM ..she’s not moving. Oh god, I’m in a stall, this is just like when we first met. Do I dare look under? …go for it oh my god. OH MY god she’s bending over, looking at me, yep. Except her face is mostly missing, except for one eye, staring at me, glaring at me while dripping to the floor. And she’s on fire.

9:37 PM ..I do not want to look again.

9:38 PM Then again, we’ll be here all night otherwise. She’s patient. …o_e She’s now officially faceless. Still on fire. Three stalls away. …….o___e Two stalls away. …………o_____e RUNNING, STICKING OUT TIGER STRIPES SO SHE WON’T TRIP ME

9:40 PM OH MY GOD HIDING UNDER ANOTHER FUCKING TABLE IN THE KITCHEN SHHHHH

9:42 PM She’s not saying anything at all and it’s really fucking creepy. She’s just melting. Slowly. I think, if I just avoid her for now, I’ll be good.

9:43 PM I HAVE AN IDEA I’ll whack her with Tiger Stripes again. Maybe, since she’s melting, she’s weak against it or something! C’moooon, Tiger Stripes. C’mooon Tiger Stripes. BATTER UP

9:44 PM …..o_____e I, uh.. well.. Tiger Stripes destroyed her wooden skin, alright. Now it’s shattering like a big piece of glass. And now esgjk9fb.. ..asrjgwemiefwmiefiwe. mwirIW$wrwirein! D: It’s Rosa Syclus. At least, what’s left of her after all these years of puppetry. She’s.. I mean, the wood’s gone, and the fire stopped with the wood. So now it’s just Rosa. And me. She’s in a dark-crimson dress. She’s a ginger. Freckles. And, well, okay, she’s more of a corpse than anything else, a living corpse. Except her eyes aren’t anything like any zombie I’ve ever seen. Her eyes are conscious and calculating. There’s no rage in those eyes, no impatience, no desire to rush and catch her prey, even though I’ve just been standing here like a sitting duck, writing for a while now. ..she’s put a hand on her hips. She knows I’m writing down her appearance. I don’t think she’s just creepy, journal; I think she’s a deductive genius. I think she can tell everything about you just by looking at you. Like Sherlock Holmes, but better, ‘cause she’s a dominant fucking girl! She’s just in the crimson dress. Nothing else. I think. …she just flashed me her naked crotch; yeah, she’s both wearing nothing else and she’s a deductive genius. And much hotter under the wood. ….no, Jordan. Don’t think about how hot she is, nor how brilliant and respectable she is. She’s a psycho. She’s a psycho. She is a psycho. Remember how she’s been forcing sex on you all this time? ”Forcing sex.” There’s a word for that, Jordan. Okay, Rosa. I don’t know what you’re planning, but right now I’m after one thing and one thing only. Revenge. You’ve caused too much trouble and I’m talking too much THIS IS FOR DONNIE! Rjsdgguig BEING SAT ON IS ACTUALLY PRETTY ENJOYABLE RIGHT NOW

9:50 PM RAGH BEING UNABLE TO GET FREE IS ALSO VERY LOVELY BUT I REALLY NEED TO.. GET GOING. …FJK(FEAJKEA MKI FUCK. FUCK. F(JICJI FUCK! ..RAGH OH MY GOD THAT WORKED SHE'S MUCH LESS HEAVY WITHOUT THE SUIT GOTTA RUN

9:52 PM KAY KITCHEN HIDE shh OH HI YOU’RE SMART I FORGOT OH GOD

9:53 PM FREEZER, slammed door shut, holding it shut, cold in here, fuck. This is pretty intense and terrifying. But if she was able to find me that easily then… What if she’s known I was planning this all along? Fuck. What if I really can’t kill her? How do you stop someone who’s fucking invincible? …I think I’ve got an idea.

9:55 PM Okay, this is gonna be extremely dangerous. And risky. But I’m gonna risk it. This time, I’ll write out the fucking plan before I do it so I don’t write during the action. Okay? Okay. So the plan is to open the door and get her to run in here, then for me to run out and slam the door shut and move something in front of the door. Then she can either freeze to death or for all eternity. Okay, kicking the door down in 3, 2, 1, GO

9:56 PM FFFFFF RHA HEY FUCK YUP GOTCHA TRAPPED OH MY GOD. …HOLY FUCK, DONNIE!

10:00 PM Donnie’s holding the door shut; I’m running to get something to keep the freezer shut with. …how heavy’s the oven? oh my god, why was this so expensive, even I can move it. I’ll move it in front of the door anyway.

10:01 PM Donnie and I are relaxing now. Rosa’s banging on the door. I haven’t heard one peep out of her since I set her on fire. Donnie’s shouting at Rosa, saying how we’re not afraid of her anymore. “We’re not afraid of being under your control, because we’re smarter than we look.” …Rosa’s stopped banging. Is she crying? o_o;

10:15 PM We decided to wait another fifteen minutes before we started moving out. Y’know. Just in case. Now we’ve left the restaurant. Over the fifteen minutes, I filled Donnie in with as much as I could. She can read this journal if she wants the full story, anyway. Donnie says she’ll fill me in on her story later, but the important part is she wanted to risk coming back a day early, so she entered a rabbit hole on the way back. I thanked her so much for it.

10:19 PM Donnie wants to stop by the house we’ve been staying at one last time.

10:34 PM Donnie’s telling me to come upstairs; there’s something she needs to show me.

10:36 PM Oh. :D Right. The promise I made before she left. Well. The puppetry is over, so maybe the genuine emotion can really begin? In the meantime, goodnight, journal. You’ll always be my first love. ;D …note: Donnie, if you ever read this, don’t kill me please.

(Attached: see following log.)

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[naffeclipse]

So, about that specialty as a fanfic writer post! I've been thinking about it a bit and wondering what to say that isn't just repeating all my gushing I've already done about your writing in general, but then I realized the post says fanfic author specifically so I'm gonna focus on just that! (thinking about fanfic as its own kind of genre in a way, even though definitions like that can get pretty complicated on what constitutes what but I digress and it's just the start of the ask fkjghskjdgh)

So anyways! I think your specialty as a fanfic author, regarding what I know about fanfic, the communities, and all the shapes it can take, is the construction of a story and the way you put the characters of the source material in it. And I know this might sound pretty general for fanfic (your writing is so good in general after all XD), but I'd explain it like this:

You are incredibly good at creating a world, a plot, with its own rules that might be completely different to the source material, and yet the way you build the characters is very recognizable. Of course when it comes to Sun and Moon, there really isn't that much that canon offers to us, but the few aspects that we do have, the fandom has kept secure and transformed, analyzed, subverted and played around with them to create many wonderful scenarios! And I just absolutely love the way you play with all of them! And not just Sun and Moon! You clearly know a lot about fnaf in general and you apply that to make the AU you are working on all the much richer! The way afton is always this looming evil figure, in whatever version you are using (glitchtrap or the man himself), how you have had different versions of Vanessa, from a vicious antagonist, to a friend trapped by the circumstances (just like it's up to interpretation in the games!) and how there is also glimpses to such a wider story whenever you mention characters like Michael or Charlie, or even Freddy.

But then you are also very good at sticking to your plot! Fanfic is, of course, a medium to have fun and exploring all sorts of branches to a story is fun (and you do that a lot in your blog too, which I absolutely love and will always be excited about!), but when it comes to a world you have planned, the specific fanfic you are writing, I'm just so impressed how you can choose what to focus on, and while you imply things, you know what is relevant to the story you want to tell, and how to stick to it, even though worldbuilding about all the rest of the source material tends to be very tempting, but might not be what the story requires from a technical standpoint. Again, I feel there's no wrong way to go about fanfic! It's just the method you use is very, like, precise? And for what you want to achieve i'ts just perfect! You figure out what your structure is, what your plot needs, and the fun thing is that if we wonder about the rest, what goes beyond the story or little details you feel might not be able to be included, we can still send asks about them! So it's not like it's lost or anything. You have your beginning, your middle and your end and you nail them every time! It's so cool!!

So yeah! I think your specialty as an author of fanfic in particular, is your way of figuring out what you want to do with your story, structuring and building it really well, and knowing how to make the characters fit the world while maintaining all those little references to canon, no matter how different the world is to the source material!

Sources (aka fanfics I had in mind while writing this XD): Deep Dreams, Sleuth Jesters, and Cryptid Sightings.

Chaotik, I've been rereading this over and over and I am completely melted. I'm just a puddle now, thank you ♥ You are so sweet and kind, ahhh! I'm gonna smooch you on your head *smooch*

[animefan299110]

LHAW Chapter 4: Training and a Movie

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late, great Monty Oum.

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

Jaune whistled to himself as he moved the spatula through the eggs in the frying pan. It had been a few days since he and Tai had their talk and Jaune felt as though a small portion of the burden that was on his shoulders had been lifted. Granted he still had the occasional nightmares of that night, but it was nice to know that he was slowly starting on the path to recovery. He just wish that Yang was as well.

"Jaune?"

Jaune stilled slightly at the voice behind him. He turned to see said person with her disheveled pajamas and greasy blonde hair. "Oh, hey Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No; just got up." Yang said, her eyes looking at the sizzling eggs in the pan.

Jaune followed said gaze and was tempted to chuckle a bit. But decided against it since he figured it wouldn't be appropriate to do so. Instead he only asked, "You hungry? I could make you breakfast if you want."

"Huh?" Yang asked in confusion as the smell of the eggs wafted through the air. She snapped out of her stupor and blinked at Jaune. "Oh yeah, sure." Jaune only smiled as he resumed his work. As Yang took a seat at the kitchen table, she turned to him and asked, "By the way, what were you whistling when I came down?"

"Oh that," Jaune said while continuing his craftsmanship in cooking, "that was actually "Prof. Love" by SMOOCH."

"SMOOCH?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't heard them in ages."

Hearing this, Jaune looked back in surprise and asked, "You used to listen to them?"

"My dad and Summer did." Yang said while shrugging her shoulders. "They used to be big fans of them. I remember whenever one of their songs came on the radio, the two of them would just dance like a pair of knuckleheads and sing the song. Sometimes my dad would have Ruby in a baby carrier and she would move her arms and legs thinking they were playing some game." She smiled a little at the memory of the two adults dancing and singing badly while little Ruby was gurgling and giggling in a baby carrier. Her smile soon turned to a frown as the memory reminded her of a time when everything felt right in the world and not messed up.

Jaune noticed and said nothing as he set a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of Yang. He then sat across from her and began eating as well. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before he finally broke it. "Yeah, my parents were big fans of SMOOCH as well." He said. "It's actually how they met each other."

"Really?" Yang asked.

"Yep." Jaune said simply. "My dad was just going there to have a good time and my mom was a groupie traveling with her friends. She had a little too much to drink that night and my dad brought her back to her hotel room. He left her with a glass of water and a note with his number on the nightstand. She called him the next day and well...the rest is history." Yang nodded; it now made sense where Jaune's gentleman-like persona came from.

Jaune paused a bit to eat his food before he continued. "When I was fifteen, my mom, my dad, my sisters and I went to one of their concerts. My sisters weren't keen on going, but they changed their minds when they found out that the opening act was The Lunatic Jester Brigade."

"So your sisters are into crappy music, huh?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"Yep." Jaune said as he mirrored Yang's smirk before continuing. "Anyway, when SMOOCH came out onto the stage, I was in awe by their music. I remember how I wanted to be cool like them."

"So you wanted to wear makeup in your 50s and sing in front of thousands of old-timers like you?" Yang asked as she gave another smirk.

"You know what I mean." Jaune said, giving Yang a sarcastic glare. "I wanted that confidence that they had to do what they do best. It's a trait I'm lacking." He added sheepishly. Yang nodded in acknowledgement; Jaune certainly had some self-confidence issues, especially when it came to training and knowing girls.

"Who knows?" Yang said with a shrug. "Maybe one day, you'll find something or someone to help you with that."

"What; like a wingman?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Exactly." Yang answered simply. Jaune only rolled his eyes; he didn't have a lot of male friends and the only one closest to being a wingman was currently traveling to Mistral with a bombastic red-head and a crimson reaper. He frowned slightly at the thought of his teammates and friend and how much he missed them.

The rest of the meal was met with silence between the two blondes. After they had completed their meals, Jaune took the plates and silverware and brought them to the kitchen sink to wash them. Yang, meanwhile, rose from her chair and made her way towards the stairs. But not before turning back to Jaune and saying, "Thanks for breakfast; it was…good."

"No problem, Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I'm just glad you were willing to join me." Yang returned a small smile and made her way up the stairs. 'At least she's talking and smiling a little.' He thought to himself as he washed the dishes.

When he had placed them on the drying rack, Jaune made his way upstairs and into his room, where he retrieved Crocea Mors and pocketed his Scroll. He then headed downstairs onto the first floor quietly so as to not alert Yang. He walked into the kitchen and opened a side door that led down into the basement. Jaune then locked the door behind him so as to get some privacy.

The Xiao Long house had an interesting basement; not only did it house the heater and electrical box, but it was also set up as a training room for the winter months. Tai had shown it to Jaune before the axe incident and told him that he could use it for training whenever he wanted. The training room had several manikins, benches to relax on, a few Mu ren Zhuang wooden dummies, and a man-made training circle. Jaune couldn't help but notice a few broken pieces of mankins and wooden dummies lying in a heap in a corner. No doubt they were the unfortunate victims of Yang and Ruby's training sessions. 'Mental note,' Jaune thought, 'try not to destroy too much training equipment.'

After setting Crocea Mors down on a bench, he proceeded to move the manikins and wooden dummies out of the training circle. As soon as he made sure the equipment was kept at a safe distance, he pulled out his Scroll and opened the folder that contained the video of Pyrrha. He then propped it up on the bench and pressed "play" before picking up his sword and shield.

As Pyrrha continued to talk, Jaune did not move or follow the intructions at first. He just stood there, wanting to just hear her sweet and caring voice again. It had only been a few months since the fall of Beacon, but he was still haunted by her memory and what had happened between them that day. But despite that day and what he felt he had failed to do, he knew that he couldn't give up on making himself stronger. Not just for her memory, but for all of his friends and teammates.

The video immediately rewound itself to the beginning. ""Alright Jaune, just like we practiced." Pyrrha said. At this, Jaune lifted his sword and shield, waiting for her to continue. "Follow these instructions: shield up. Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward." Jaune did as he was told: he lifted his shield slightly higher, tightened the grip on his sword, and placed his left foot forward with his right at a 90⁰ angle.

"Ready?" Pyrrha asked before saying "Go."

"AAAH!" Jaune cried as he thrust the sword forward.

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

For two hours, he followed Pyrrha's instructions, trusting and swiping the air just as she had taught him. He breathed deeply and slowly as he collapsed down onto the floor. He tried to stand up by using his sword to boost himself up. He then placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to continue training, but he was too worn out. He gritted his teeth in anger at the thought that despite all of his training, he still felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.

After a few minutes, Jaune decided to call it a day and placed everything back to where it originally was. He then left the basement and went upstairs to take a shower. As he step into the stall, he let the warm water wash over him while trying to calm down. The past was the past; he couldn't change it even if he desperately wanted to. Yet it didn't make him feel any better as he fought the urge to punch the tile wall in frustration.

After he got out of the shower and dried himself off, he felt the dampness of his hoodie and sighed knowing that he would no doubt have to wash it. "I swear I wear that hoodie so much I wonder if people think I don't wear anything else." He said to himself before putting on a white t-shirt. He then went downstairs, put his hoodie in the washer, and sat down to watch some TV. Upon turning it on, a news station immediately popped up with an anchor reporting news about Beacon and Vale. Almost on instinct, Jaune picked up the remote and changed the channel, only to come across another news network reporting the same old information.

"Despite countless searching and questioning, Professor Ozpin, the once great leader and headmaster of Beacon Academy, is still being reported missing."

*CLICK*

"Leo Caspian, an advocate for faunus equality rights, was found dead in his home last night along with his wife and two sons. Originally thought to be the work of human supremacists, experts now confirm that the murders were committed by the White Fang. It has been noted that Mr. Caspian strongly opposed the organization's extremist ways throughout his career."

*CLICK*

"Atlas officials continue to impose a ban on trade and have cut off all communication to the outside world."

*CLICK*

Jaune shook his head as he kept flipping through the channels, each covering a story more sad and depressing than the last. It felt like the entire world was going to hell and it was getting worse every day. He clenched his fist at the fact that the culprits responsible were right in front of him and his friends the whole time and they were all too blind to notice. He remembered how satisfied he was when he had found out that Roman Torchwick met his end at the hands, or rather mouth, of a Griffon Grimm. 'Poetic justice at its finest.' He remembered thinking when he heard the news.

His channel surfing came to an end when he came across the RMC movie channel that showed actor Spruce Willis walking through an airship terminal. As the baggage claim station came into view, the words "Try Hard" zoomed into view. 'Try Hard it is, then.' Jaune thought before setting the remote and leaning back into the couch.

Five minutes into the movie, Jaune noticed some movement to his right. He turned and was surprised to see Yang walking down the stairs. "Oh, hey Yang." He said.

"Don't mind me," she said with a wave of her hand. "I just came down to get a snack. I'll be out of your hair so-" She stopped, however, when she saw what was playing on the TV. "Are you watching 'Try Hard'?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah." Jaune said in surprise. "S-Sorry if the volume is too loud; I can turn down if I'm disturbing you."

"No; it's fine." Yang said as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. "I actually like this movie. Did I miss much?"

"Not really," Jaune said as he shrugged, "Spruce Willis' Shawn McCain found out that his wife is registered under her maiden name. No action yet."

They sat in silence for a bit, watching the terrorists find Tony's dead body on the stairs with the words "Now I have a gun" written on his shirt. "You know," Jaune said, finally breaking the silence, "I'm sad Alan Bickman is dead; he was a great actor and this movie helped cement his name into the movie business."

"Hmm." Yang hummed in acknowledgement.

They soon came across the signature moment when Spruce talked into the radio and said "Yippee ki yay, mother******". "Oh right; I forgot." Jaune said in disappointment. "RMC censors that phrase."

"It's stupid, really." Yang added. "I mean it's one of my favorite quotes and they have to ruin it.

"I know, right?" Jaune said in agreement. "It's one of the most iconic action movie quotes and they tarnish it by censoring it."

"Exactly." Yang replied.

Sometime later, the screen showed Spruce crawling through the air ducts muttering to himself.

"You know," Jaune said, "this scene always irks me. He's crawling through a metal air duct and he's talking to himself. First, metal isn't exactly silent when you crawl on it. Second, the echoes are going to reverberate off the walls and out the vents. At some point, one of the terrorists is going to hear him."

"Huh." Yang muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Never really thought of that until now." They decided to watch the rest of the movie in silence, just so they wouldn't be talking over an important scene.

It was during a slow scene that Yang's gaze fell on Jaune. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something different about him. It wasn't his hair since he never changed it up. The dilemma wracked her brain until her eyes fell upon a piece of clothing he was wearing. It made so much sense now: he wasn't wearing his signature hoodie and armor.

It was a bit surprising for Yang considering the only time Jaune didn't have his hoodie and armor on was during non-combative classes. In those, they were required to wear their school uniforms and nothing else.

Gazing at Jaune without his signature equipment, she noticed that he had gotten slightly bigger over the year, not in body fat, but in muscle build. He may not be as bulky as the guys she was into, but he was a far cry from the noodle he was when he first came to Beacon. She then glanced at his arms, which had developed some muscle as well and seemed to hug the sleeve of his shirt. 'Wow,' Yang thought as her cheeks turned slightly pink, 'guess Pyrrha's training really paid off.'

"Y-Yang?"

"Huh?" Jaune's question suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times before noticing that Jaune was looking at her with concern. "Oh…sorry Jaune." She said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Jaune said. "It's just that you were staring at me for a while now. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Yang said with a wave of her hand. "I just noticing that you didn't have your hoodie and armor on."

Jaune glanced down and smiled as calmness washed over him. He looked back at her and said "Oh this? I was training downstairs in the basement and my hoodie got damp. I put it in the washer and my armor is upstairs."

"Oh," Yang said once the truth was revealed, "sorry, it's just….I've never seen you wear anything other than your hoodie and school uniform."

Jaune paused for a bit as he contemplated that bit of information. It was true that while at Beacon, he had only worn his hoodie and school uniform. But then again, Beacon had a pretty strict dress code, second only to Atlas. "Well," Jaune began as he scratched his head, "I guess I never really needed to use this shirt. I mostly kept it around in case of an emergency."

"Hmm" Yang said, turning her attention back to the TV. After a few minutes, however, she said "You know, you should wear it more often. It looks good on you."

"Oh." Jaune said, a bit surprised that Yang made that comment. "Um…d-duly noted. Thanks for the advice." Yang only nodded before turning her attention back to the movie.

It's wasn't long before McCain and his wife left with Fargyle and the credits began to roll. Jaune then turned the TV off and began to stretch while Yang rose from her spot and made to leave for her room. Jaune suddenly got an idea and when Yang was at the foot of the stairs, he said "Wait, Yang." The girl stopped and looked at him. "I was just wondering," he began while scratching his head, "maybe we could do this again sometime. You and me, watching a movie, just…hanging out." He took notice of her impassive expression and quickly added, "I-I mean, that's if you want to. I don't want to put any pressure on you. I-I just thought it would be a nice way to hang out. A-As friends, of course."

Yang continued to say nothing as she made her way up the stairs, resulting in Jaune's face to shatter in disappointment. Halfway up though, she paused and looked down at him. After a minute of silence, she said, "Sure."

"W-What?" Jaune asked in surprise by Yang's answer.

"Your idea of hanging out and watching movies…I'm willing to do it." She said. She then pointed her finger at Jaune and said, "But no romantic comedies; they're cheesy as hell. So no Nottingham Hill or 30 First Dates."

Jaune only smiled as he chuckled and said, "Sure thing Yang." Yang returned a small smile as she continued upstairs. Jaune sighed contently and turned the TV back on. 'At least she agreed.' Jaune thought to himself, 'that's a start.'

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

And thus concludes another chapter for Love Heals All Wounds. Well guys, I have an announcement. After I publish the next chapter for my My Hero Academia story, I will be taking a break from writing from May 21st to June 17th. Even writers need vacations.

But that doesn't necessarily mean I am abandoning my current stories. I just need to "recharge my batteries" so to speak...and now I'm reminded of Penny. Excuse me...

*Twenty minutes of crying later...*

Anyway, don't forget to favorite, review, and follow for more updates. And of course, kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for beta reading this chapter. Next time on Love Heals All Wounds...there will be some angst, though not as much as the second chapter.

Until next time, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...I'm not even going to say it anymore.