#give a portion of the story of Penny

[bridgyrose]

Penny nearly flinched as she heard the sound of a hammer slamming down onto molten metal, her eyes wandered around to look at the spirits that flew around her like fireflies. It was unlike anywhere she’d seen on Remnant, and yet, almost familiar to her. As if it was something she’d seen in a dream. “W-where… am I?” 

“This is the Ever After,” the Blacksmith replied as they looked up from the anvil, almost curious as they looked over Penny. “Though, you aren’t one of mine.” 

“One of yours?” 

“Someone who belongs in the Ever After. No, you’re a lost soul. One that shouldnt belong here, but needs help.” 

“I-I guess I am lost,” Penny answered quietly as she looked away. “Though, I-I am not sure how I got here to begin with. I know I died, but I… I do not know why I am here.” 

“No one in the Ever After dies, they ascend,” the Blacksmith answered. “You must’ve been caught between Remnant and here instead, so instead of making it to the afterlife in Remnant, you’ll be allowed to ascend and take on a new life.” 

“But I do not want a new life, I want the one I had with Ruby.” A faint blush crossed her cheeks as she said those words and a smile crossed her lips. “She made me feel… human. Like every part of me mattered and that I was more than just a weapon. That I was loved and cared for, that I was allowed to be my own person. I-I do not wish to live a life where I did not know Ruby.” 

The Blacksmith smiled and offered a piece of floating array to Penny. “Choosing yourself is always an option, though I cannot guarantee where you’ll end up once you’re back, only that you’ll arrive where you’re needed most.” 

Penny nodded and reached for her weapon, only to pause as she caught her reflection in the blade. For a brief moment, she had thought about choosing a different life, one where she could be anyone she wanted. One where she didnt have to be her. And yet, even with those thoughts in mind, she took hold of her sword. 

The blade itself was warm, nothing like how she thought it’d been. She smiled at the Blacksmith as she felt herself start to get pulled away. “Thank you.” 

“Good luck, Penny.” 

Penny took a deep breath as she felt her body plunge into a pool of white light beneath her, only for everything around her to turn black. Then she felt a pain in her side as she gasped, green eyes opening wide as she started to pant. Finally, she started to get her bearings as she realized she was on a cot in a tent. 

“You’re finally awake,” a young man said with a smile. “Mom said you were probably as good as dead when we found you. Figured some bandits left you for dead after taking anything they could from you. She’ll be surprised you’re awake.” 

Penny nodded and sat up, wincing as the wound on her stomach started to act up. Her fingers clutched at the bandages around her side, still getting used to the feeling of being alive again. “Where… where am I?” 

“About four days north of Vacuo,” the young man answered. “Though we’re probably going to get moving again in a few days. You’re welcome to stay with us until we can get to a village that has an airship. Otherwise, we might be able to lend you a horse once you’re feeling up to traveling.” 

“That is fine, I can call my friends and-” Penny paused for a moment as she searched through the pockets of her dress, unable to find her scroll. She frowned a bit and leaned back a bit. “Or not. Do you have a scroll I can borrow? I am sure Ruby is worried about me.” 

“I’m sure we can find one. By the way, I’m Garnet Valkyrie.” 

“Penny Polendina,” Penny answered. 

“Its nice to meet you. I’ll let you rest and grab some food for you.” 

Penny relaxed a bit and laid down. “Valkyrie, huh?” she thought to herself. The only Valkyrie she knew was Nora, though now that she thought about it, Garnet did look a lot like her. The same orange hair and blue eyes, though he did seem to have the same smile as Ren along with his skin tone. 

She sat up again as she heard someone outside the tent, then paused once she saw a woman walk in with a plate of meat and bread for her. Familiar orange hair had a few streaks of gray, her skin was scarred in a way that looked like lightning had run through her body. 

“You must be Penny,” the woman said as she placed the plate down next to Penny. “Garnet said you woke up and I wanted to meet you myself.” 

Penny nodded and took the plate, still staring at the woman. Now hearing her voice, without a doubt she knew exactly who this was. “Thanks, Nora.” 

Nora cocked a brow. “How do you know my name?” 

“Its me, Penny,” Penny answered as she tried to move off the cot and stand up, wincing before she could move enough to get her legs over the side. “Though it seems to have been a long time.” 

Nora took a step back as she looked Penny over. “P-Penny… but you… Ruby told us you were killed… how are you back?” 

“I do not understand it myself.” Penny looked over her hand and smiled a bit. “But I met a woman who gave me another chance. A chance to be with Ruby again and to help others.” 

“That… might be a problem,” Nora said quietly. “A lot has changed since you died.” 

“LIke what? And where is Ruby?” 

“Assuming Weiss hasnt moved her yet, she’s still buried out on Patch.” 

“I… I do not understand.” 

Nora sighed and sat down. “Ruby was killed by Cinder just a couple years after Atlas fell. Then we lost Sun and Coco while trying to reclaim Vale and the relic. We lost a lot of friends while trying to stop Salem.” 

Penny felt her heart stop for a moment as she listened, her whole reason for being alive gone. She was supposed to be here for Ruby, and yet, with Ruby gone… A tear fell into her lap and she moved a finger to her eye to wipe away a few more, not sure when she had started to cry. “I… I want to see her.” 

“Ren and I will send out a rider to the closest village to see if they have an airship that can take you to Patch.” Nora sat up and gave Penny a sad smile. “I’m glad to see you again, but… I’d be careful giving your name out. A few of the churches see you as a saint now. If they find out you’re back, its anyone’s guess about what they’ll do.” 

“Thanks, Nora.” Penny slowly picked up some meat with her fork, staring at her reflection on her fork. She still looked like she did all those years ago, out of place compared to everyone else. But now, she had a start. She’d go to Patch and visit Ruby and then try to find her place in this world. 

Weeks went by as Penny healed and an airship came for her to take her to Patch, and over those weeks she learned more about what she had missed. Salem had been defeated a little over a couple decades ago and a monument now stood in a reclaimed Vale to memorialize those that lost their lives to stopping Salem. Atlas had been rebuilt and renamed as Neo Atlas, a reminder to humanity that nothing is ever lost. And the grimm had started to become restless. Without Salem to control them, while many areas saw grimm keeping to themselves, others like Mistral started to see the grimm attack in larger groups, making it harder to keep villages safe away from the kingdom walls. Even as the airship flew over Vale, she could still see the mark that Salem left with her grimm river, much of the farmland now dead due to the grimm. 

“We’ll be arriving at Patch shortly,” the pilot said over the speakers. “Please stay seated in case of grimm activity.” 

Penny stared outside the window for a little longer before making her way back to her seat, her heart pounding in her chest as her emotions ran wild. Love, grief, terror, anger… all of it still new to her. She took a few deep breaths to calm her heart as the airship descended, lucky that there werent any airborne grimm around to halt the descent. Finally the airship landed and Penny clutched the armrest of her seat. 

“You may now depart.” 

Penny slowly got up and filed out of the airship with everyone else with shaky steps. Cold air hit her cheeks as she stepped off the airship, a reminder that it was mid fall. She shivered as she walked away from the landing pad and into the streets of Patch, pulling what was left of Ruby’s cloak that Nora gave her over her shoulders. It wasnt warm, but it at least kept the breeze off as she walked through the small town and out towards the place Nora said Ruby had been buried. 

It took almost an hour for Penny to reach the gravesite, her cheeks red from the cold wind and her body aching from the cold. She hadnt been sure what to expect, but seeing Ruby’s grave next to her mother’s did bring her a bit of comfort. Penny knelt down and rubbed her hands together to try to keep warm. Tears welled up and stung her eyes as it finally hit her that Ruby was gone. 

She wasnt sure how long she sat there on her knees shivering, but as the cold air stopped, she looked up to see a glyph behind the grave blocking the wind. Then, she turned to her left, then to her right to see a woman she didnt quite recognize  standing next to her. At least, until she saw the scar underneath what she could only describe as stress induced wrinkles. “Thanks,” Penny said quietly. 

“Its a bit cold to be out here dressed like that, dont you think?” Weiss asked. 

“I-I just came from Vacuo. I did not expect it to be this cold.” 

“Maybe this will help.” 

Penny paused when she saw Weiss hand over a green cloak, almost surprised that she still had the cloak that Ruby had given her in Atlas. She slowly reached for it, then pulled away. “I-I cannot accept-” 

“Please, take it, its only going to get colder tonight.” 

Penny nodded and took the cloak from Weiss and put it over her shoulders. The fabric felt warm against her skin, much warmer than what she had before. “I will make sure to return it to you before I leave.” 

Weiss shook her head. “After Ruby passed, we thought we went through everything she had. I only found this today when I got a message about a lockbox we never knew about. I was planning to leave it as an offering for her, but I think she’ll be happy to know its being put to good use now.” 

“I am glad she kept it,” Penny whispered under her breath. Her chest felt warm as she kept the cloak around her arms, glad she had something more to remember Ruby by. “How do you know she would not mind?” 

“She always wanted to help people even until she died.” Weiss knelt down and lit a small candle at the side of Ruby’s grave. “What brings you out to her? Only a few of us know she’s here.” 

“I-I wanted to… pay my respects to one of the fallen heroes,” Penny lied as a small hiccough escaped her lips. Well, it wasnt a complete lie, she did want to pay respects to Ruby, but not because she was a hero. Because of what she meant to Ruby, to try to say the words she never did to her. “But I should get going.” 

“Since you’re out here, why not come to my place for some tea to warm up? Next airship wont leave until morning and it’ll be a pain to get a room at the inn.” 

“That… that would be lovely.” 

“I’m Weiss,” Weiss said as she stood up and offered a hand to Penny. “What’s your name?” 

“P-Pen- Penelope,” Penny answered through another hiccough. She took Weiss’s hand and smiled a bit. “I go by Peneolpe.” 

“You look familiar. Like an old friend I knew.” 

“Maybe you can tell me stories about her. A-and Ruby. I would very much like to hear more about Ruby.”

“Tea first to warm you up, and then I can tell you a few stories.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penny motioned for her swords to swing around to slice through the grimm, a smile crossing her lips as she watched the blades move as commanded. It took months to get everything to work, and while she was glad that she could finally take them on a test run, the amount of grimm that were showing up had started to worry her. She looked behind her towards the caravan she was protecting, yelling between breaths. “Get across the bridge now!”

“Are you sure you can handle this?” the caravan leader yelled back. “There’s no shame in blowing the bridge!”

“My job is to make sure you get across the bridge and to the next village!” Penny took a few steps back towards the bridge, eyes on the grimm in front of her. “I will follow once you are across!”

“We’ll hold you to that, Penelope!”

Penny sighed as she heard the name, still not quite used to being called it. Still, she couldnt worry about that now, not while the grimm were more aggressive than normal. Her blades stayed between her and the grimm as she tried to keep them from the caravan. Then, she paused as a larger beowolf made its way closer. She swore the eyes were silver instead of red, her body freezing as she remembered the Hound when it attacked.

She came out of her thoughts as she felt the grimm ran into her. Penny lost her footing and fell back, slipping off the edge of the bridge. No scream left her lips as she fell down the abyss, swearing she saw silver eyes staring back at her as she listened to the caravan leader call out her name. Soon, she felt water rush around her. It was warmer than she had expected, almost turning to light as she continued to sink. She closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate until she felt air across her face.

Penny gasped as she swam to shore and climbed out of the water, coughing as her body practically glowed. She picked herself up and started to walk back to the bridge she had fallen from, pausing as she watched a gash on her arm heal itself. With a sigh, she continued moving on forward, ready to continue her work.

[imimprisoned]

Hermes: Messenger of the Gods, God of Boundaries, Roads, Travelers, Merchants, Thieves, Athletes, Shepards, Commerce, Speed, Cunning, Language, Oratory, and Wit.

Offerings include:

1. foreign foods

2. souvenirs/objects from trips

3. white or red wine

4. stuff you like from other cultures

5. silver objects

6. statues/depictions of Him

7. honey

8. written stories, letters or messages

9. postcards

10. crystals/gemstones like amethyst, quartz, smokey quartz, orange topaz

11. olive oil

12. incense scents like frankincense, lavender or myrrh

13. maps

14. flowers like crocus, hydrangea or chrysanthemum

15. coins or money

16. zodiac or astrology related items

17. turtle-shaped objects

18. caduceus

19. petasos (winged helmet)

20. talaria (winged sandals)

21. naturally shed feathers

22. strawberries

23. depictions/imagery of cattle, turtles, rams, hawks, hares, roster, guard dogs, snakes

24. silver/yellow/light blue/purple candles

Prayers to Hermes:

Swift Hermes, provider of fair fortune, who travels freely among the worlds.

In pennies found, in laughter and delight, in messages trifling and essential, in unexpected twists of our life's plan, with these you touch us, genial son of Zeus.

Hermes, guide of souls, light-hearted one, swift as thought; you know the depth of impulse, quick-witted god of those who live by luck.

We thank you for the path unworn, for cleverness, for gifts unearned, for change unbidden.

Excellent Hermes, we praise and honor you.

2. Keen-minded Hermes, light fingered one, light footed one, quick and cunning, bright and merry, ever watchful, ever agile, ever sharp of wit. The wings at your feet carry you to any landing-place, in any realm; wearing the cap of Aidoneus, you tarry, unseen by mortal men. Wielder of the golden sword, player on the shepherds pipe, god of herdsmen, god of thieves, god of cities and of pastures, rustic and urbane, you walk the line between contradictions. Hermes of the borderland, Hermes of the threshold, god of the uncertain, consistent and contrary, you stand in the doorway, you stand at the edge; the knife-sharp boundary between two worlds is yours.

Hermes, child of rich-tressed Maia and thundering Zeus, Ithank you for your many gifts, I praise your might.

3. Hermes of the ready wit and the lightning smile, Wing-footed one who carries the words of the gods,

Compassionate one who guides the newly-dead to the hall of Hades and fair Persephone, Quick-thinking one who takes interest in the world and works of mankind, whose hand we see in a run of luck and a clever scheme, I call to vou.

Hermes, bearer of the herald's staff, your gifts

are great.

You guard our homes with constancy and care,

You grant to us a portion of your own craft and wile,

You join with us when we revel and are merry, You stand with us when we are far from home, alone.

You are ever with us, O Hermes;

He who holds in hand the good of men, I honor you

4. Swift Hermes,

Provider of fair fortune.

He who guides travellers,

He who treasures wit and humor, I reach out to you.

Grant me peace,

Grant me protection, And I shall give you My devotion.

5. May Hermes bless you with safe travels, and protect you from theives.

[biggsodorcitystories]

The Starr Siblings: Shadow of a Father (TUGS AU)

I've seen a lot of new TUGS OC posts on Tumblr recently, which inspired me to make this post.

For anyone new to the Tugs portion of my AU, I should add the following catch-up:

Ten Cents, Warrior, Hercules, Sunshine, and his twin sister (my OC inspired by Salty's Lighthouse) Aurora are the five grandchildren of Captain Starr. They are the children of Captain Starr's adopted daughters: Silver Penny (Hercules Warrior and Ten Cents' mother) and Bright Dawn (Sunshine and Aurora's mother). This would make the twins the cousins of the older three, were it not for the fact that all five have the same father - Theseus Oleander.

I want to give Theseus a proper introduction once I have gotten through the other characters in my AU, as he is set to be the 'Big Bad' for the entire story, above the Z-Stacks, Bluenose, Burke & Blair, and even Johnny Cuba. But his presence is still very much felt within Bigg City, particularly by his five children, none of whom share his surname.

WARNING: MENTIONS OF PARENTAL ABUSE/NEGLECT, AND CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS UNDER THE CUT

Hercules:

As the oldest, Hercules was eleven when his father disappeared out of his life. Since then, he has witnessed the aftermath of his father's actions, from his mother's breakdown, to his younger brother being sent to live with his godparents for a year, to seeing the long-term impact his father's second disappearance had on his aunt and half-siblings/cousins.

The impact on Hercules, however, has been far from insignificant. For reasons known only to himself, Theseus found his eldest son to be a disappointment (read: I haven't completely decided why yet) and was emotionally abusive as a result. Hercules suffers from very severe self-esteem issues, which he hides from all but a few people, and even unwittingly handed out the same kind of abuses to Warrior as a teenager. In recent years, he has been working on these and has made amends with Warrior, but some scars can not heal, and he still struggles with becoming over-attached to his remaining and new male role models. He remembers his father with a toxic mixture of hatred and a strange kind of desire for the father he always wanted.

Ajax/Warrior:

Born eight years after Hercules, Warrior - then called Ajax - was only three when his father left and, as such, has rather fuzzy memories of him. But his initial memories of his father were much happier than Hercules', as Theseus favoured his second son heavily and turned him into a spoiled brat. But little Ajax's world was turned upside down when his father left, leaving him helpless as the image of his father and his teachings were torn apart before his eyes. Luckily, Ajax's godparents - Big Mac and Top Hat - did a lot of work to correct his behaviours and provided him with a vital source of stability that set him right, but he still suffered from the emotional abuse that his older brother unknowingly subjected him to throughout his teens. Ajax - who now goes by his middle name of Warrior - suffers from his own self-esteem issues and a deep-seated fear of being rejected by his remaining family. However, he is probably the most open, accepting, and kindest of the siblings.

Having grown up witnessing the aftermath of his father's presence and learning of the pain his mother, aunt, and two of his brothers experienced as a result of his father, Warrior feels a raw and implacable hatred for his father and has struggled to find any peace or forgiveness for the man.

Ten Cents:

Conceived days before his father's disappearance, Ten Cents is the only sibling whose life is directly untouched by Theseus' influences and was given the surname Starr at birth. Though he grew up without a father, Ten Cents was never short of strong male influences: his grandfather, O.J, Big Mac, Top Hat (though Ten Cents will jokingly deny this one) and later his older brothers and Uncle Patch (Sea Rogue). Therefore, he has always claimed that he never felt the need for a father.

But Ten Cents' largely happy childhood came with the price of his ignorance. Despite their fractured relationship, Hercules and Warrior shielded their baby brother from the worst of it, and his family never told him about his father. So Ten Cents grew up in a protected little bubble under the careful gaze of his family and fleet. Frequently, he has wondered about his father and how it would be to meet him. This would make him the most vulnerable if Theseus would ever return, although Theseus - despite having a paid pair of 'eyes' in the port - has no idea that Silver Penny gave him a third son.

Sunshine and Aurora:

The twins are the result of an affair between Theseus Oleander and his sister-in-law, Bright Dawn Starr. After tricking her with lies and convincing her to run away with him to Newcastle, Bright Dawn fell pregnant with and gave birth to the twins. Despite finally having a long-awaited daughter, Theseus disappeared from the twins' lives when they were less than a week old. But unlike Ten Cents, Sunshine and Aurora didn't have an extended family to protect them and were raised by their mother alone. But Bright Dawn, whose mental health had been deteriorating long before Theseus got to her, was far from a competent mother and would punish the twins for any transgressions (real or imagined) with violence. Aggravated by bullying and abuse for being fatherless outside the home, the twins learned that they only had one another for support and grew up overly dependent on one another, appearing more hardened and older than they should have been.

The twins lot improved when a series of incidents and misfortunes led them to the Starr fleet, eventually reuniting them with their family and finally being able to have a relationship with their mother when she got some help. They even got a new father figure when Bright Dawn reunited with and married her childhood sweetheart, Patrick "Sea Rogue" Teach. They quickly decided to take their stepfathers name once he proved to be the father they needed.

The twins, much like Warrior, hold their biological father in contempt for what he did to their mother and for willingly abandoning them to a childhood of misery and abuse. Sunshine, in particular, holds the most resentment, as the years of abuse he suffered while trying to protect his sister left physical, mental, and emotional scars that only became fully apparent once they were settled and happy. For this, Aurora will throw the blame squarely at Theseus' absent feet.

[bestworstcase]

people who talk about "cast bloat" in v7/8 are so funny to me bc v4 and especially v5 really suffer from having so few minor and supporting characters—like. literally the only new faces are 1. nameless bit characters, and 2. arc antagonists (the albains, ilia, lionheart, raven, and vernal).

and i think that is the reason those two volumes feel so… empty. they're not actually that slow-paced and there is in fact a LOT of narrative meat on the bones, but v4-5 feel slower and feel like there's less going on in them. (and that is not exactly an uncommon opinion: "nothing happens in v4-5" and "v4-5 are slower paced and that's good actually" are both sentiments that i see a lot.)

but… like, v4 comes out swinging with salem putting her plan into motion, and while juggling between blake / weiss / rnjr / yang on their separate journeys does slow down the progression of character arcs in terms of watching time, narratively things do happen at a fair clip and the story does a good job of weaving these disparate threads together thematically. similarly, v5 murks up the timeline by being non-chronological but none of the characters are ever just sitting around and there is quite a bit of momentum. it just doesn't feel that way—

—because these narrative events feel isolated. menagerie is crowded with nameless extras, only one of whom gets a shred of actual characterization; the only side characters who get anything at all are the antagonists involved in blake's arc. similarly, rnjr meet a few bit players during their journey across anima and then… literally just lionheart, once they reach mistral. vernal is the only bandit with an identity beyond "bandit."

the atlas portions of v4 are comparatively memorable because we DO meet new characters of varying importance: jacques, klein, and whitley get a decent amount of fleshing out in relation to weiss and ironwood, with ironwood's headbutting with jacques giving an indirect glimpse into atlas politics; then there's smaller characters like henry marigold, the business people who talk about the faunus and economic inequality with jacques, the socialite who scoffs about the fall of beacon because how is this our problem.

the same can be said for the other arcs too. the blacksmith and the mayor at the beginning of v4 breathe life into that village; the friendly captain makes the ship feel more alive. nameless extras don't do much for a narrative—they just visually fill out a scene—but bit characters with a bit of personality bring the world to life.

so during the beacon arc, there's a steady widening of the supporting cast (team cfvy + sun and neptune + penny and ironwood in v2, winter and qrow and various tournament competitors in v3). and then in v6, we get dee and dudley, maria and jinn, the cotta-arcs and cordovin and the encounter with pyrrha's (probably) mother. and in v7-8 there's the ace-ops and the happy huntresses and pietro along with bit characters like the councilmen and racist grandma and fiona's uncle. and v9 is chock full of memorable side characters. there is a significant and consistent presence of side and bit characters.

compare that to v4-5, which have long sections of narrative where The Only Characters are… the core cast and the arc antagonists. it makes the world feel smaller and that makes the narrative events feel insulated and unimportant.

a bare-bones cast of only characters who are strictly necessary for the plot will not make v10 feel "tighter" or "better focused," it'll just make vacuo feel lifeless. lol. (and this is not even getting into how rwby uses side characters to develop its core cast; like the point of robyn being so prominent in v7-8 is not to develop robyn herself, it's to incite development with ruby, penny, blake, yang, ironwood, and qrow. she's a catalyst. this is true also of the ace-ops and may.)

[leifygreeens]

hello!! your writings are so fun to read!!

if its alright with you, could i please request maru x penny x gn! farmer !! it could be general headcanons or anything. maybe it could be like how they would prepare for and celebrate bdays? i think thatd be cute and maybe chaotic xD up to you >:3

Hey!! Sorry this is so overdue (I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot about the ask atp, my bad).

I really hope you like this, I'm sorry it's taken me so damn long to get this out to you, and as always, thank you for your request. I hope you have a lovely day, Anne! <3

Fluffy as hell. That's it, those are the warnings.

For birthdays and anniversaries, Maru and Penny will ask that you get home early, and get ready to go into town

You’ll shower, dress up a little more than usual, and walk to the Saloon

Maru and Penny reserve the private dining space, because the volume of the saloon is a little much when you’re looking for something intimate and personal

Gus is always happy to have you, and goes out of his way to make sure your dinner goes smoothly

He gives free desserts and drinks, as well, and will bring them to you with a grin

When dinner is finished, and you’ve all gone home, Penny and Maru will sit you down in the living room, and bring you their gifts

Penny typically goes for sentimental pieces, like annotated books and trinkets that hint at an inside joke or two, paired with heartfelt letters

Maru is less sappy, but just as sincere with her gifts

She’ll commonly gift you with machines she’s built to make your lives easier, or the occasional items she caught you staring at a little too long during your trips to the city

After presents, you’ll watch movies for a portion of the night, and when the light of day finally fades away, Maru and Penny will drag you up to the loft

“The loft” used to be the attic of the farmhouse, until Robin deconstructed the walls and the ceiling into an open air space, and cut out some bits of the roof to account for the windows to make some skylights

Cushioned with plenty of blankets and pillows that Penny thrifted or made herself, it’s a pretty cozy space

But you’ll climb up the ladder steps as a trio, and make yourselves comfortable

You always take the middle, with Maru and Penny on either side of you

There's several personalized things up there, like the mini bookshelf Penny and Maru use for their books (Maru loves her academic books, and Penny fills her shelves with classic and modern literature of all genres)

There's also a spot up there for your pets, and plenty of potted plants for extra greenery

Maru and Penny's favorite part of the loft is the bedded space, however

But anyway

Maru has her telescope up there, and (weather allowing) Maru will open one of the windows and you’ll stargaze

Sometimes Penny makes up stories for constellations, or tells you the stories she does know

You’ll point out stars or clouds of color in the night sky, and Maru will tell you exactly what they are, how they form, and she can tell you what they’re named, as well

But on the days where the weather isn’t so perfect, and the stars are obscured, the windows will stay closed, and you’ll watch the rain pitter against the glass or the lightning arc across the sky

On those days, you’ll talk about anything, everything

Or, if you prefer the quiet, Maru and Penny are content to just lay back and enjoy the sky with you

If your birthday or anniversary is in the winter, and the window has frosted over, then Penny will read to you

She always lets you pick the book you want her to read, and if you're feeling cheeky, you'll make her read one of those really sappy romance books she loves so much

Penny can never get through a reading without blushing like a madwoman, even later on in your marriage

It gives you and Maru more ammo to tease her, later ;)

You'll stay up there for the rest of the night, in a giant cuddle pile, sleeping comfortably in each other's arms

It’s safe, and cozy, and you wouldn't have it any other way

[moltensmusings]

Wanting to ramble a bit about them so figured I'd give my late take on some of the concept art from rwby remnant archives that people have shared online.

Starting with the dresses:

There's a high chance due to budget and restrictions of the animation program these designs got replaced with what we had in the end. But these are infinitely better than the ones we did get. The ruby hair and clear rose dress, the Weiss look being simple but also very expensive in appearance as her fits should be. Blake with the longer version of her dress that fits her so well at this point in canon. And yang dress is just, top tier. I've always disliked her actual dress from the show because it just didn't fit her as a character. Yang has a loud personality and the dress should be eyecatching.

Penny concepts:

I adore these penny designs and I think in a more traditional Pinocchio story they'd fit, but it does make sense that they opted to use what ended up as her canon design. The ones I like the most are the blue and white, the bottom right green dress, and the two top green and purple dresses.

Penny has always felt very refined and put together in her design. A perfect robot visually. I think she really does look like something someone from atlas would design and that's fantastic. All in all no bad designs here but some just made more sense.

Neo concepts:

Controversial take maybe, I'm glad they didn't make her a faunus. I've never made it a secret that their faunus lore/handling of the faunus characters is bad and I think her final look is just perfect. She's a design where her inspiration isn't immediately clear but it's such an intelligently done one that when you hear her design inspiration it clicks.

Faunus Neo is cool in theory but doesn't work to me.

Sun concepts:

I love these designs but I do understand why they shifted things. I do wish they'd reused them in volume 4, though, when Sun's traveling around. A big disappointment of rwby is how much team SSSN gets disregarded by the writers. Maybe we'll see portions of this reincorporated in Vacuo if we get volume 10.

I could stare at this concept for hours, I really love it.

Those are the ones I've been thinking about since I saw them. Hopefully I can see more character concepts later.

[kitkatopinions]

Your take on the recent RT announcement of a storybook anthology series to show what was happening in Remnant during volume 9?

I really feel like it's unnecessary at best at the moment and really doesn't give me any hope at all for... Anything going forward. XD

Like, 'this shows what's happening in Remnant during V9' V9 happened over the course of like a day and a half. And yes, it's obvious to the audience through the visual of the ships over Vacuo that it's been at least aa bit longer for the people of Vacuo than for RWBY+J in the Ever After (which I didn't want.) But if they were doing V10, I think they could stand to actually confirm how long they were gone in the show before they're like 'aren't you curious about what happened during all that time?'

Number one, it makes me feel like they will just brush over any time gap and have RWBYJ be like 'Well I guess it's been six months' or whatever and then move on quickly. Number two, despite caring about and liking a lot of the characters left in Vacuo, my hope is below zero for the fact that we'll see anything good or worthwhile at all.

Here are my predictions:

We'll get a minor cameo from Team SSSN and Team CFVY working with Team FNKI or something and at best Sun will ask about Blake and Nora will offhandedly say something about Blake belonging to Yang and Sun will be like 'oh, good for them.' Nora and Ren will get back together. Winter will get a ton of focus and weirdly will be like the only person really allowed to grieve for the presumed dead kids in more than a passing way. Maria and Pietro will also make a minor appearance and the anthology will say like one thing about Pietro missing Penny, but there's not gonna be any info on what happened to them out in the tundra or how they got to Vacuo. Qrow will get like a moment of acting bummed about Ruby and Yang and then Robyn will put a hand on his shoulder and Qrow will just move on. Theodore will make an appearance being 'the good member of Oz's inner circle' where he'll make some comments about never trusting Ironwood and will say something to Oz like 'it's a good thing you had those girls picking up the slack' and Oz will be like 'I know,' and they'll mention Glynda in passing. Mercury and Tyrian will be dealt with in this anthology.

And honestly, I could like all of them so much and I still wouldn't buy this because 'what Ren and Nora did in passing while Ruby was committing suicide' obviously doesn't matter as much to me as seeing Ruby actually go through the plot. And there being enough time for an 'anthology' to happen in Vacuo does damage imo to the main story because it gets consequences of V8 for Remnant and personal conflicts and moments I'd have liked to see addressed in the actual show for characters all brushed aside.

Also some people in the Discord chat I'm in mentioned that they think it's possible that the 'Beyond' portion of this is concerning.

As in, we might be getting important things like Team RWBY+J's return to Remnant and reunion with the others in this instead of waiting for V10 out of a desire to quickly tie up loose ends in the fear that V10 will never happen.

I've been on the 'V10 will probably happen but it might be the last season and probably will get rushed hardcore' train, but everything that RT does with RWBY makes me feel like V10 might not happen after all, or at the very least will only happen if the projects they make sell very well.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

BFCD Masterlist || Black Femme x Asian Character Relationships

This is a list of the ships with at least one Black female character x at least one Asian person or performer (Instances in which the characters aren't human will count as the person portraying the character's race).

As of the 4 Year Anniversary of blackfemmecharacterdependency April 30th, 2024, I am not going to be active. I decided to simply post what I had. The list is incomplete for the foreseeable future, but everyone is welcome to add on to it. Especially because I had several ships planned that I didn't get a chance to add before I had to stop maintaining the blog.

General Tags:

Black + Asian (This is for People with Black and Asian in them. They aren't necessarily ship representation, but sort of are because they are a product of such relationships and may be used for FC's if you have a character of similar makeup)

Black x Asian (This is for ships) | Black women with Asian men | Black women with Asian women | Black Woman with a Bigender Asian | Black Woman with Nonbinary Asian

Exceptions include if there is a nonbinary performer who plays the role of a female character, or vice versa, on the Black end. If there is an EXPLICITLY AFAB MALE, please do not suggest or expect them to appear.

List will include people from and with backgrounds from the countries on the map, but I don't intend to put any from Russia's portions, unless a special circumstance appears.

It was a little bit difficult for me to figure out how to curate the list (there are more of these relationships than I realized. So, for now, its mostly separated by regions of Asia, with the left portions on one list and the right portions on another. Not a perfect breakdown but everything to the left of China (west) and South is going to be the first part, and China to the east will be the second.

*

4400: Keisha Taylor x Soraya TV

Anything's Possible: Kelsa x Khal Movie

Big Brother: Taylor Hale & Joseph Abdin Reality TV/Real Life

Jonesy: Susan x Nisha Comic Book Series

Mythic Quest: Dana x Rachel TV

The Haunting of Bly Manor: Hannah Grose x Owen Sharma Mini-Series

Lucifer: Mazikeen x Eve TV/Comics

The Princess and the Frog: Tiana x Naveen Cartoons/Misc

Ragnarok, The Animated Series:Judia x Iruga Alam (Idk enough about these characters to know anything. I will put them on this end, because it sounds like this is where they go)

Sleepless: Pyppenia x Cyrenic Graphic Novel

Tut: Suhad x Tutankhamun Miniseries

*

Anime

Basquash!: Miyuki Ayukawa x Dan JD (I will be so honest with y'all. Inthe years of finding content, none of the times that I have ever found some, I have never seen an inkling of a pairing from that show and so just don't expect to see them here just because I included the names from suggestions)

Bleach: Yoruichi x Soi Fong

Borotu: Karui x Choji Akimichi (Once again, had no clue. Actually, I didn't know there was a Black women even In this series, which gives me pause to seek out content. Them fandoms where you never see the negress usually 1000% cannot be trusted. Long story short: Don't expect content.)

Hunter x Hunter: Canary x Amane | Revolutionary Girl Utena: Anthy x Utena

Books

Can't Escape Love: Regina Hobbs x Gustave Nguyen Book - Alyssa Cole

Let's Talk About Love: Alice x Takumi Book - Claire Kann

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Hazel Levesque x Frank Zhang Book Series | The Sun is Also a Star Natasha Kingsley x Daniel Bae Book/Movie

And just a fun tidbit for y'all. This assignment has my computer thinking I need suggestions. I haven't read any of these, but came across them, so here you are.

Cartoons

Amphibia: Jess x Ally | Dragon Age Absolution: Miriam x Sapphira | The Dragon Prince: Janai x Amaya | Inside Job: Gigi x Andre (Adult) | Invincible: Amber Bennett x Mark Grayson (Adult) | Miraculous Ladybug: Ayla x Marinnette | The Owl House: Skara x Willow | The Proud Family: Penny Proud x Kwok

Comic Books

Batgirl: Rebirth: Frankie Charles x Malaya | DC Bombshells: Nell Little x Alysia Yeoh | Goldie Vance: Marigold "Goldie" Vance x Diane Kimura | X-Men: Ororo Munroe x Yukio

Movies

Boogie: Eleanor x Boogie | Bottoms: Josie x Isabel | Cinderella: Cinderella x Christopher | Lightyear: Alisha x Kiko Hawthorne | Ninja Assassin: Mika Coretti x Raiko | Romeo Must Die: Trish O'Day & Han Sing

TV/Streaming Series

The Baby-SItters Club: Ashley Wyeth x Janine Kishi | Black Lightning: Anissa Pierce x Grace Choi (Comics/TV) | Chicago Med: April Sexton x Ethan Choi | Dark Matter: Nyx x Two | Fate: The Winx Saga: Aisha x Grey | Gen V: Marie Moreau x Jordan Li | Heartstopper: Elle Argent x Tao Xu Webcomic/Streaming Series | Hunters: Roxy Jones x Joe Mizushima | Into the Badlands: Veil x Sunny | Killjoys: Aneela Kin Rit x Delle Seyah Kendra | Motherland: Fort Salem: Abigail Bellweatherx Adil of Tarim | Neon: Mia x Felix | New Amsterdam: Helen Sharpe x Cassian Shin | Helen Sharpe x Akash Panthaki | Nine Perfect Strangers: Delilah x Yao Book/Miniseries |

Orange is the New Black: Poussey x Soso | Power Rangers: Aisha x Adam | Aisha x Rocky x Adam aka Nesha's First Throuple | Tanya Sloan x Adam Park Kids TV | Riverdale: Josie McCoy x Reggie Mantle | Josie McCoy x Sweet Pea | Shadowhunters: Maia Roberts x Jordan Kyle Book/TV | Star Trek TOS: Uhura x Sulu TV/Movies | Star Wars: Jannah x Rose | Ketsu x Sabine | Pamich x Jessika Cartoons/Comics/Movies | The Umbrella Academy: Jill x Ben Hargreeves | Wheel of Time: Nynaeve al'Meara x 'Lan Mandragoran Book/Streaming Series

Webcomics

Dom & Mor: Morgan x Dominique | He's Harmless, I Swear: Tammy x Tomoya | If You'll Have Me: Momo Gardner x Priscilla Giang Webcomic/Graphic Novel | LMLY: Sofia x Leon Webcomics

Video Games

Mortal Kombat: Jacqui Briggs x Takeda Takahashi

*

To Reiterate: The list is incomplete for the foreseeable future

[technetiumai]

Postcards to Penelope

I’m starting a new project! And I’m hoping to find some helpers/collaborators!

I’m psyching myself out a little with posting this, so I’m just going to put what I wrote in the description of the interest form (here’s the form, btw: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecj8EbP26XDPjpqyqhsgjlMjA4GaMZjc-dTPiSCdEcl5Q3Ow/viewform?usp=sf_link). So if you read this, you don’t need to worry about reading that. 

I’m looking for people to participate in the execution of a fic told through postcards sent to willing members of the fandom, with history slowly being released online in the form of Penny and Shepard's notes to each other in road atlases, cryptozoological texts, VW bus manuals, and the manuscript pages from books they've written/are writing together.

It is current day 2023, and Shepard and Penelope have been travelling around the US doing magickal research for several years. Penny heads back to the UK for a short period of time, leaving Shepard to fend for himself. He takes this opportunity to do more in depth research into the quiet zones.

What I need:

Primarily---Postcard Recipients:

People (US only for this part of it) who are willing to have postcards sent to them, and post them somewhere where other members of the fandom can see them once they've received them.

The fic works under the conceit that Penelope has spelled scraps of paper with her name on them for Shepard to paste to his postcards/letters to her, so that they will arrive in the mail wherever she happens to be.

The actual people receiving the postcards will be supplied with these scraps so that they can use them to cover their real addresses.

The reason it is restricted to the US is because that's 45 cents/postcard vs. $1.45. I'm pretty bummed about that, but it is what it is.

Yes, Shepard is using US postage and it is still reaching Penny in the UK, it's part of the spell, roll with it!

Secondarily---Lore Contributors:

If there is anyone unable or unwilling to participate in the snail mail portion of this, I am going to need to go

deep

into lore, particularly of the American folk legend, urban legend, cryptid, and American-maybes-and magickal-places-(which I have taken to calling 'maples' in my head)-that-we don't-know-about varieties, and am hoping that people may be willing to collaborate with that portion of it.

This role can take up as much or as little of your time as you want. It does not have to take up any more of your time than you might spend talking about fan theories on discord (or indeed any time at all, if you change your mind about participating), it will just take place in Google Drive documents or rather than discord or tumblr, to avoid spoilers for anyone not participating.

I will have documents laying out what I am using as accepted canon within this universe and documents, that will be able to be edited by anyone with a link, that will contain particular questions that I specifically am trying to answer within my story and any ideas that anyone involved wants to contribute.

If it seems kind of silly that I'm trying to take extra steps to crowd-source this part of the fic (which it kind of does to me, which is why I bring it up) I am basically trying to write the entire history, metaphysics, physics, etc. of the entirety of the magickal US (and extending into the rest of North America), which I don't think I can do alone, nor do I think I should.

Anyone contributing will be given credit, and if this project, or portions of it, are posted on AO3 they will receive joint writing credit/the fic as a gift/credit in the notes, as they see fit.

Anyone who has any ability to give sensitivity input as to the inclusion of Native American legendary creatures and locations would be particularly appreciated.

You can not be a lore contributor if you are receiving postcards.

Tertiarily---Agent of Chaos:

If anyone wants

even deeper

involvement in the project, I'm looking for one person who might want to be a full collaborator. I'm very interested in the idea of a person playing a third party magickal force, where I am Shepard and Penny (and the postcard receivers are also Penny, to a certain extent), and this collaborator is acting as a force to prevent/confuse/f*ck with Shepard and Penny's communications.

This person and I would workshop what exactly the role of this person would be.

I imagine my writing a bundle of pre-written, pre-addressed, pre-stamped post cards to this person, and they do.... something? Like I said, we'll workshop it XD. This idea is clear as mud to me, but I love it enough I just wanted to put it out there.

Unfortunately this will possibly also need to be someone in the US? (But we can talk about it.)

Where the lore contributors will only have special access to world-building elements, and postcard recipients will only be engaging with the story as it happens, if there is an agent of chaos, they would likely either be instrumental in the creation of the entire plot, or would at least be aware of it (or at least as aware as I am XD).

Here’s the interest form again: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecj8EbP26XDPjpqyqhsgjlMjA4GaMZjc-dTPiSCdEcl5Q3Ow/viewform?usp=sf_link

People who expressed interest (in the form of ‘eyes’ and ‘zoomeyes’ reactions on discord 😂): @martsonmars @raenestee @skeedelvee ... I guess that’s everyone who’s tumblr I know.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Paldean Winds Episode 4 Review - The Video Project Is Done

Is it weird to tear up from this anime? This episode isn’t even a sad one, yet I shed some tears. They’re not tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy. I felt overwhelmed because this finale was the perfect love letter to the Paldea region.

The story for this episode is the final product of the video project. It turns out to be an amazing success as the main characters did as they wanted to. Ohara got the orchestra and her father to perform the music; Aliquis got his favorite streamer Iono to collaborate for the project and Hohma managed to make it a success. On top of that, each main character managed to get a happy ending of sorts too. Ohara realizes how much she likes playing flute and that her dad actually enjoyed conducting for the performance. Aliquis’s brother is coming over and he’s going to battle him with Meowscarada by his side. Hohma is going to write about Aliquis’s battle with Nemona, but in a way that everyone would enjoy—he requests an interview with him. I’m amaze that each episode was able to give them the closure they needed for the finale. I’m amazed with the character development.

The animation was just so fluid. I especially loved the Iono segment where she pranced about and even had movement for every Gym Leader she introduced. Wit Studio went all out with this, seriously. Even for smaller segments that show the Pokemon, I can see the care they put into it. I am also amazed with how much they were able to squeeze in for a 7 minute and 40 second video. They had all the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four and Geeta, all the teachers, Nemona, Penny, Carmine and Kieran, Clavell, DJ G-Rave and even the faceless player character make an appearance! The only downside was that Arven and Team Star didn’t make an appearance in this episode; though, Arven had his fair share of screen time in Episode 1 and Team Star had some in Episode 3. I also really loved each portion of Paldea and a Pokemon wandering about; I quite liked Ghimmighoul running towards a chest.

This was the perfect way to end the series. Showing off everything about Paldea was definitely a smart move. The four episodes showcased so many aspects that Paldea has to offer and nothing feels too off. There was even some new information that the games have never given us like Larry working for the Pokemon League for 25 years—the reason why he’s so exhausted and jaded makes absolute sense now. Just from this mini-series alone, I can tell that Gen 9 will be an unforgettable era.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for future eras. This was definitely a success, so I am absolutely sure the next generation will have a mini series as great as this one. It gives me hope for the future. What are your thoughts about this episode and the whole miniseries as a whole?

[raulf-o]

We're not Ready for Progress

Change is scariest when you are comfortable… And we are way too comfortable.

I do not believe that I have to repeat nor indulge myself in the usual trope of capitalism bad, people comfortable, people lazy, people ungrateful, people ignorant, people bad, people stupid, people uneducated. Yes a lot of those would be true, but most of those are the fault of the system we have in place that instead of helping people be better, get better, help themselves, it keeps them in a spire of misery. Yes, the system is also created by humans, and not an unknown entity with immovable laws. The laws and systems we live under are movable and can change. Yet, this takes a lot of courage. Courage many do not have. And while my brief introduction would lead you to believe that this is due to comfort, that’s not the entire story. That’s just something to draw you into the rest of this ramble. The honest truth is that there’s a large portion of this problem that comes from fear of the unknown. Change, and more precisely systemic change is an unknown. It brings anxieties with it and a lot of unanswered questions. Yes, of course, we have the answer to a lot of things and we can learn a lot, have learned a lot, from what doesn’t work with the current system. But, corruption can always undermine changes. Because it would mean a blind trust that not just a system can change, but that people can also change. Something that is rather tough to sell to anyone. And while anecdotal evidence is out there, if you are to ask most people, they will tell you they do not believe a person can usually change for the better. And so we’ve arrived at the reason for this whole post… We’re NOT Ready for Progress…

Prisons shouldn’t exist. Yes, at all. Prisons do not solve problems. Prisons do not help people be better people. At best, prisons scare people into not wanting to comit other crimes. But most people that go through the prison system, usually, become repeat offenders. Why? Because it doesn’t solve any of the problems to begin with. And what’s worse, in some countries even after they serve their sentence those people get out with fewer rights and with fewer opportunities. Which is why they often become repeat offenders. Instead of rehabilitation, you get persecution once you have finished your sentence. If you are from the US of A, this just might be the case for you. But that isn’t to say that the rest of the world is doing a better job. While the nordic countries are getting as close as possible to what we should be doing, it’s not perfect either. Because either way, we do not fix the systemic issues that bring crime. These things are a innate failure of the system and we should be very unhappy about it. And if your prison system is for profit, you should be livid with rage, especially if the prisoners also work for pennies as slave labor. 

Yes, personal responsibility is a thing, but unless you personally choose when and where and to whom you are born. Most of the things in your life are predetermined by the system. Meaning that any person is born to a predetermined set of options in their lifetime, as infinite as that might seem, it is quite restrictive. If you are born in a poor country, if you are born in a poor city, if you are born in a poor neighborhood but in a wealthy city, if you are born in the country side away from possibilities, these things predetermine most of your life. To get out of these situations in the current system necessitate an herculean effort. Whether it’s in terms of money, time spent doing things or just the mental pressure, there’s a lot hinging on you changing your life if you are born to struggle. Considering you can’t just move into a richer town or a richer country easily, and you can’t just meet the right person to give you a hand to help you pull yourself out poverty. Some of these things can be literally impossible. Pair that with poor education, lack of access, racism, xenophobia, abuse, an uncaring system, people’s disposition to not believe in change for good. And you have this whole disaster.

Which is why I believe prisons shouldn’t exist. It’s hypocritical. If we are to believe that most people are kind, caring, loving, compassionate, empathetic and good-willed, then we should believe not in punishment, but in rehabilitation and fixing the problems that cause crime to happen. And it would be great if we were to deal with those in the following order: poverty or badly paying jobs, corruption, lack of opportunity and mobility, lack of public transport, lack of mental health help and basically lack to a good living standard, affordable housing, affordable quality food and quality free time. These are the things we should actually focus on, rather than just punish people and believing in fairy tales that they might suddenly turn their lives around. It isn’t going to happen. Their circumstances didn’t change. The place they live in is the same, no matter how many years they spend behind bars, if you send them back into the same environment, with the same lack of everything, they are going to relapse, because we never really gave them a chance. And this is just one small example of a reflection of ourselves and how we see ourselves. We do not trust in ourselves to be good, decent people. And this shows in how we systematically think about crime in an archaic way. Basically shouting everyone is a criminal, everyone needs to be punished, everyone needs to suffer, and only a chose few deserve better. Which is ridiculous, not because it isn’t true, but because we’re punishing and dooming ourselves to suffer like we’re sado-masochistic freaks. My point is that in order for progress to be made we need to treat ourselves better believe that we deserve better, be better and believe that there’s better out there for us. Only once we do that we might have the courage to change and be the change we want to see in this world.

[cherry-berry-candy]

okay, usually we try not to rain on 13's parade too much, especially since we follow some people who really appreciate her era! but we feel like this post did a bit of poor pissing.

for the moment, i'll take note that, yes, the doctor is literally referring to the automated system. but to point this out to say the episode was never pro-company/amazon/capitalism is just... wrong. this episode is still incredibly confused on its messaging. even aside from the doctor's praise and excitement for the company, the episode is, at best, confused on its capitalism stance.

we spend a decent portion of the episode focusing on how awful the pay and conditions are for the workers- in particular, lee mack's character. he mentions how there is no privacy on the job, because of the "constant random monitoring". he makes so little money that he can only go see his daughter twice a year. he "splurge[s] on an economy shuttle". and he notes that half the galaxy is unemployed, because advances in technology took their jobs.

this is all (seemingly) critiques of capitalism! too few people are getting paid too little money to do automated work with too little privacy! this is where the confusion starts, though. the viewer will notice that the idea of people still needing to work when that work is already automated is bad. the episode, based on what happens by the end, and what op mentioned, does not.

after the dust is settled, the solution is not to push for worker's rights. all of the pay problems and privacy problems are still there. people still have to work in the first place, despite everything being automated. in fact, the solution is to push for more people to be hired. THIS SOLUTION IS NOT ANTI-CAPITALIST. Not even close! This solution is very much capitalist status-quo, and completely ignores all the capitalist critique it brought up earlier!

I can already imagine what people are thinking at this point. "Okay, but you can't expect this one scenario at space Amazon, the biggest retailer in the galaxy this one company to be able to kickstart such a widespread change" and something along the lines of the episode being about incrementalist change. But the episode seemed to suddenly lose interest entirely in even a desire to change anything else. Not to mention this solution is, imo, strictly for the worse!

Like, again. All of these rights violations are still there. No one makes any mention of how these problems are still there, no one makes any mention of what an anti-capitalist episode easily would have in people still needing to work for pennies while automation can already run everything.

With all this on-and-off focus, by the way, on capitalist exploitation, with the doctor being so excited about this big exploitative company (intentional statement or not!)- and with this classic "villain who's in the right but went TOO FAR" (except the writers seemingly didn't realize he wasn't even right), i feel like it's not unreasonable that when we hear the all-too-familiar phrase-

The systems aren't the problem. How people use and exploit the system, that's the problem.

Our brain immediately goes to every single other time the phrase has been used outside of the context of this one scene in this one show. In-universe, it is literally about the automated robots. But as a story, with like. Themes, and metaphors, and all that good stuff, is it really that unreasonable to read this as a statement on capitalism too?

Like, if you can read into the rest of this and give it explanations that mesh with, but are not pulled from, the text- then you can understand folks pulling more than the literal in-universe meaning of the words.

oh my god this is years late but everyones perception of kerblam is literally wrong??? when the doctor said the "system" wasn't wrong, she meant automation? not the company? like the concept of automation isn't inherently wrong (there is a good point for making dangerous and menial tasks automated) and it wasn't trying to hurt people. And when she said the people exploiting the system were wrong she meant people exploiting automation (including charlie, who was using it to kill people so the system would take the fall. the doctor even points out he isnt an acitivst, he's just killing people). the metaphor is a bit fumbly. but it was never pro company/amazon?? the episode ends with a focus on the company being people led. man, i dont think ill ever not get annoyed with the way people bring this episode up to make series 11 look bad.

[too-jung-for-you]

My trip to Vegas is being overtaken by passive aggressive hostility, finger pointing, financial issues and a Christian dad.

Long story short I’m not good with money. Not in the way you think. I could be given five ones and I’d end up a penny short. There’s no way it could happen except with (My Name) Logic. I am also the oldest of four and an adult child of alcoholic and emotionally un-intelligent parents (whom I love dearly). So that means I take care of a lot of their electronic and virtual concerns including bank juggling, hospital, Benmo, airfare, and hotel reservations.

If I could only put names where things need to be or organize passwords I’d be smooth sailing as #1 Child. However, my parents try to make me pay for things and give me their portion yo satisfy the car rental and hotel. You would think that would be fine. (My Name) Logic enters the building.

My Bank: $502

Mom and Dad Bank: $502

My Credit Card: needs $1,004.00 for car and hotel and gas $500 on it already.

But mom only sent me $210.00 day before I needed to have the Credit Card post by day of. Which means I needed it four days before to post in the clear. Then she paid me the remainder $242.00 day of.

I transferred my half onto my CC and kept my spending money on my Debit early, so I could pay half on my CC and half on my Debit at the hotel, right? Wrong. The hotel can’t split payment until checkout and needs one card in the total amount PLUS incidentals on check in (totally understandable and reasonable). EXCEPT

CC: $502

Debit: $502

AND I CANT MOVE cash in two minutes instantly!!!

So mom and dad pay on their debit card and now are out of spending cash.

So then I Benmo mom and dads half back and I have some confusion (until typing this out) on how much owes who. So mom and dad transfer Benmo instantly BUT IT WONT POST UNTIL AFTER WE GET HOME! So now they’re broke and I have $600 of my spending money. EXCEPT my bank doesn’t show $502 being sent to Benmo so I really only have $98 to spend after.

SO THEN I shuffle $502 to my 2nd Debit for them to use until their bank can post (hopefully instantly) and use my CC for spending. Which now has $320 because I’ve already spent for stuff. MEANING:

My Bank: $-527.00 (+$25 over draw fee)

2nd Debit: $502 (mom and dad use)

CC: $320

Mom and Dad bank: $0 (ghost money of $502)

[ronearoundblindly]

Do You Two...Fondue? (12)

Summary: Steve is looking for something until he's caught off-guard. (No warnings on this one except for some suggestive language.)

Man With A Plan, Part Two (see previous or series)

Tony’s on the phone giving him the combination for the classic lock on the storage room door. It was probably a deliberate choice made by Howard half a lifetime ago, and Tony, whether out of respect or ignorance, never upgraded the entrance.

“Ok, got it,” Steve says, yanking down the spinner to release the lightly rusted clasp, “thanks.”

“Dare I ask what you’re hoping to find in there, pal?”

“Well, if Howard never inventoried this, I may find—“ the room is covered in thick dust “—nothing.”

“Hasn’t been touched since the Smithsonian strip-mined your wares for posterity…”

Steve taps his toe to a box, hoping it doesn’t evaporate into a cloud of dust and cause a mini-avalanche. “I can see that, Tony. I’ll call if I need anything.” A heaving sigh precedes the hangup.

He’s looking for something very specific and very, very small. If he can’t find it in this mess, it’s not the end of the world because Steve already assumes it was really lost seventy some-odd years ago when the SSR reclaimed all his possessions. If Bucky hadn’t ‘died’ before Steve, his friend would absolutely have kept Sarah Rogers’ ring safe, seeing as he heard her tell the story over meatloaf at the Rogers’ house before she got sick.

Joseph and Sarah Rogers married without two red pennies to rub together, or at least, neither was willing to spend what little they had on a wedding ring more than temporary tin. When Steve was born, Joe bought Sarah a garnet ring, which is red like ruby, for a July birthday, but much more affordable. His mom would touch that ring all the time. Steve can even remember that she’d talk to it from time to time, to let Joe know they were doing ok, to let him know how wonderful their son was.

A huge portion of the stuff in the room is meaningless to Steve, but when he hits an item he does recognize, it’s like taking a bullet. He has to sit down and relive years of things he’d forgotten, and he’s covered in dirt by the end.

The obvious turning point to the tedious and overwhelming task at hand is when Steve moves an ancient duffel of clothes aside, but the clank of metal sounds as he drops it to the floor. Beneath his original clothing, threadbare things three sizes too small (which was baggy on him then), is a metal box from the TB ward—his mom’s personal effects.

As he lifts it out, he hears stuff rattling around. Steve knows that he never actually brought himself to open it, even back in the day. For all he knows, Sarah was buried wearing the ring he hopes to find. Her coffin was not open.

He swivels the clasp until the lid pops open, and the first thing he thinks is it’s not here. His fingers swish around the contents until a makeshift fabric pouch pokes out, hand-sewn shut out of what feels like bedsheet. Steve rips it open and dumps three things into his palm: two small clip-on earrings and garnet ring set in gold.

He wasn’t expecting the flood of appreciation that knocks his insides around until he secures the ring on the second knuckle of his pinky, kisses the cool stone, and whispers, “I found her, ma.”

The search for the ring took so long that he’s not back at HQ until well after dark. Your cast came off a few days ago, and you are officially home enjoying alone time. Or, so you’re supposed to be until he opens the door to find you laying like a plank on his couch, an intense, wide-eyed gaze staring at the ceiling.

“Hey, wasn’t expecting to see you tonight. How long have you been waiting?”

“A couple hours.” Your tone is flat as a pancake.

He clutches at his pocket where the ring is temporarily held until he can get to his desk that’s right beside you for a box that will work well. “I’m sorry. How was the day?”

“It should have been great,” you bark, sitting up quickly, attention lined up with Steve’s move to the desk, so he can’t finish the transfer. “I was up for a promotion. Did you know that?”

“That’s awesome.” He plants himself behind the rocking chairs to sorta cover him from the waist down, hoping nothing in his pockets is visible. “Bruce says nothing but good things about your work. I’m sure you’ll get—“

“No.” You put a finger up. “I won’t. I won’t be getting a promotion because I’m dating an Avenger, and Bruce Banner is an Avenger. So my boss is your teammate, and therefore, I cannot have possibly earned the job without this connection.” You’re face is scrunched in bitter anger and you stand to approach, dismissively flicking your wrist between the two of you.

He’d say your range of motion appears to be coming along great, but it’s not the time. “I doubt it matters tha—“

“I can’t accept it now,” you scream, though the volume is weakened by the buildup of rage closing your throat. You lift your head to stop tears falling. “I already told Bruce to take me out of the running.”

“Keeps, woah.” Though he’s torn, Steve rounds the chair to steady your flailing body. “I’m sure it’s—“

“You can’t do anything, Steve. You cannot do anything without making this worse. If you so much as talk to someone about it, you’re pulling strings, and suddenly they are right!”

Both of your fists are pressed to your face. You’re right, too, of course, because you can see what Steve doesn’t even look for. He can’t do anything, and the one thing he has done so far was a mixed bag at best.

Yes, the story, the photo, the symbolism had the desired effect of turning the public’s interest in you positive, but the frustration didn’t all just go away. They’ve still asked if you’re pregnant. Still asked if you want kids and Steve’s kids and how many and when. Doesn’t matter what the answer is because it’s none of their goddamn business. However, not since that horrendous Norm-grooming-you article has your professional integrity been questioned, and Steve knows work is a hard line in the sand for you. 

Never insult Keeps’ intelligence. Ever. She will eviscerate you. This is known.

It’s because tears finally fall that Steve pulls you to his chest and wraps you up tight. He can’t help it.

“I was part of the dream team once,” you cry, wiping your face, fighting not to relax, fighting to stay serious, “and now I’m just some fat idiot who sleeps her way to the top.” You utter this nonsense at your lowest points on your darkest days. Steve’s heard it only twice, how scathing and vicious you get, and it horrifies him to see from the other side.

He’d be a hypocrite to tell you to ignore it; he listens to all these things, too, but where he has thicker skin, time, and training on his side, you went from one person on one of the seventeen different lab teams in the building to recognized and judged by billions of people overnight. The betrayal you feel that of your teammates think you cheated in some way must run deep because those are the people who know you and see the work you do. How could they believe this? It makes Steve want to go give the lot of them a piece of his mind, but, you’re right of course, he can’t.

It’s all he can do, however, to hold you here in the privacy of his rooms. At this moment, he’s a liability to the rest of your life it seems.

The only movement you’ve made in his arms is to tuck your forehead in against his sternum and sigh. It is not the perfect-hug sigh. Steve moves one hand to your hair and gives it a few lazy scratches just how you like.

You finally relent and rest your arms around his waist for a proper hug, but Steve can’t relax all the way because this position leaves your hand very close to his pocket, and if you roll your hip just an inch to the side, you’ll feel the curve of the stone poke.

So here he finds himself in quite the predicament. You have a serious and legitimate concern that has upset you, but in order to keep his intentions a secret, he can’t comfort you properly with his clothes on. He briefly considers distracting you with touch but that diminishes the significance of your predicament as well as cheapening intimacy with you. Steve still can’t find a way to explain himself that doesn’t make him feel like he’s back on the Coney Island Cyclone.

What he’s learned over the years is that the serum made him a super-soldier, but it specifically remade his body to fight and survive in battle. That’s not the same as enhancing his life. It just means he can stay alive more easily and for longer. Steve’s condition makes him strong and less susceptible to pain, and unfortunately, less sensitive to touch in general, but he has significantly more control over his body which looks like he’s being less responsive.

It’s not a problem that matters to anyone except him and Bucky on the entire planet. Lucky for Bucky, he doesn’t mind a bit of rough loving (even from before all that physical torture). Steve does mind. A lot. Any advice Bucky has on sex is really not Steve’s type of sex, so he’s left with no one else on the planet who can relate to this particular problem. Not that he’d want to talk about this with anyone else on the planet, considering how long it’s taken him to even talk to you about it.

Of course, he thinks about you. Of course, he thinks about sex. How he could turn thought into action without ruining everything is the tricky bit. The strength he has means he bruised your thigh simply by forgetting control for an instant on the couch, and Steve is ashamed. He clearly has to plan his actions better or you’ll end up hurt. 

It was one of those pivotal moments in his life, seared straight onto his heart like a brand: you wanted him to really hug you and said he wouldn’t hurt you. He’s sure you’ll never fully understand what that meant. It was like getting permission to live, to step out into the sun after years underground, and the person who offered him that deserves everything.

You should be with someone who makes your life easier, not harder, but…Steve really cannot imagine giving you up.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” you mumble, drawing him back to the present, “about what people say. I like my life with you, but I won’t give up work. I won’t. I’m not living my whole life for you or for work, but they make me feel…I don’t know, evil for wanting both. I don’t want everything. I don’t want easy. I don’t want handouts. I don’t want to play favorites. I just want a balance.”

“Honey, I don’t know whose standard you’re holding yourself to, but those people do not love you.” Steve kisses the top of your head. “You are my standard. For everything. We can get you both, find you a balance.” 

Your tears soak through his shirt. “But you could choose someone who fits this better.”

Steve can’t allow it. You have to know. He has to see it in your eyes that you understand. He moves to grip your arms and push you far enough away to look up at him. What he gets is the same face that asked how can I help you today, Captain Rogers.

If he has to do it right now, he will. He’ll get down on one knee and stammer and hope for the best, but he has to see you smile before he lets you go.

“This. This role, this place in my life,” he says firmly, tilting your chin so you can see and really hear him, “it didn’t exist before you, not really, There is no mold, and I’m not choosing anyone else. It can only fit you. No one else belongs here.”

Your eyes are clear, but their light dulls in doubt.

“Do you want the promotion?”

You nod.

“Then go get it, Keeps. Hell of a time to listen to people’s talk! You can’t live your life like that.” Steve fights the urge to repeat the last as ‘we can’t live our lives like that.’ You deserve separate recognition for your accomplishments; it’s why the idea of you being held back by even the mention of him boils his blood. He knows life isn’t fair—that’s been pretty obvious to him since he was four—but he refuses to make your life about him. You are not engaged. You are not married. Even if—God-willing when—you two are, your career will never be his to decide. He will happily accept whatever priority you place him at in your life; he just has to be in it.

The lilt of insecurity still glazes your eyes, but he can see the slow build of a decision.

You squeeze at his waist and warp your mouth comically. “I guess…I could call Bruce.”

Steve sighs and smiles. “You call him—“ he kisses your forehead “—and I will get cleaned up while you do that.”

You sniffle one last time before looking down. “What did you get into?” You brush dust off your front. “Maybe I’ll join you,” you cough, realizing it’s all over your face, too.

No. Steve has to step away and has to know you are not paying attention when he tucks Sarah’s ring somewhere safe. A call is as good a distraction as any.

“Bruce first, though? Call him.” He points to your phone while heading into the bedroom.

Once he hears you start talking, he slips into the closet to open the wall case that holds his tact suit (well, one of them, since several quinjets have one, too), hurriedly finding a secure, closed pocket on the utility belt in which to hide his treasure. The case seals again with his handprint, and Steve is relieved one piece of tech has been upgraded in his favor today.

(Next part)

Tags: @im-a-slut-for-fluff

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

The Reaper and the Death Angel Part 14

Part 13

Series Masterlist

Contains: Migraines and depiction of living with chronic pain, OC has curly hair, mentions of medical PTSD and shit doctors, hurt/COMFORT, Jax is a sweetie, caretaker Jax. A lot of these experiences are unique to people who experience chronic pain/migraines. This was also very cathartic. I'm sorry if the story no longer applies to you. If I forgot anything please don't hesitate to tell me.

2.9K Words

Comment if you want to be tagged

The aftermath

You managed to get a few hours of sleep, but being knocked out with a stun gun triggered a terrible migraine so you were now sitting at your dining room table trying to fight it off with a coffee. You were still going to see Abel come visiting hours, when you were trapped in that car, your thoughts drifted to him often. You wondered what his future would be like; you were pretty sure that Gemma was to one who got Wendy the meth, and while you understood what drove her to it, it's still concerning that she would have so little regard for the woman who brought her grandson into the world.

"Hey y/n, how you feeling?" So Sam was up early too.

"Like trash, I'm going to try and see Abel before the migraine sends me to bed. I should have expected it after yesterday but I always hope that I'll be lucky." Sam shook his head.

"I wish you'd just take your meds and rest, you'd be ripping me a new one if I was the one in pain." You huffed.

"I'll be fine, the coffee is helping and I'll make it till tonight, which is the only thing that matters." He huffed.

"Please don't tell me you're going to work after you see Abel." You rolled your eyes at him.

"I have to, after yesterday there's so much paperwork to fill out and I have to help Travis pick out the new team from the rest of the museum. Billy called like two hours ago and said they didn't want to wait and that they wanted to expand to contract as much as possible. I'm kinda stuck."

Sam slumped over in defeat, "if you're not home by 3pm I'm coming to get you, I can't have your laid out for three days because you refuse to look after yourself."

"Hey Gem, how's the little guy doing?" You sat down next to her, nursing another coffee. She looked over at you and smiled.

"He's doing great, the doctors are surprised with how well he's doing."

You returned her smile, "Dr Dale is excellent, no offence by this hospital is small and underfunded."

She huffed a laugh, "are you trying to tell me that you paid for Dr Dale to help Abel? That must have cost a pretty penny." You pursed your lips in annoyance; you didn't mean to put it that way.

"No, I just donated a portion of my latest book sales to neonatal research, and I would greatly appreciate it if Jax never heard about it." She nodded and fully turned to face you.

"What's your play in all this? You don't know any of us and you've gone out of your way to help." You looked down at your feet.

"I'm doing my best to be a good person Gemma. I saw a need, I had the means to fill it so I did. I have no ulterior motives." You put a hand on the incubator before continuing.

"I know what you're going to ask me next, I have no intentions of pursuing your son. Jackson is a kind, caring man, I would never ask him to take on my baggage. After everything he's been through, he deserves a soft place to land and I am anything but." She put her hand over yours.

"You should give Jax more credit. He's a big boy, he can handle a lot." It seemed Gemma's mind was made up.

"I am not a replacement for Wendy, I'm here to be Jax's friend and that's it. There's no point in rehashing this Gem, it's not going to happen." She stood up over you.

"You make it seem like it's your decision alone, you're telling me that if Jax walked in here right now and told you he loved you, you wouldn't respond in kind?" You didn't respond right away, choosing instead, to turn your attention solely to Abel.

"It's more complicated than that." You said it more to yourself than to her.

****

"Hey Sam, I'm gunna head to your place to see your Sister. Do you want me to get anything for the house on my way?" Sam huffed and shook his head.

"She's at work, if you want to get her anything, get a coffee strong enough for her to chew and she'll be grateful for the rest of her life."

Jax was concerned, the tone is Sam's voice was short and aggravated.

He always sounded happy when he spoke about you.

"Is something wrong?"

Sam shrugged, "she almost died and she's back at work. She looks after everyone else but she won't look after herself and she will scream bloody murder if someone tries to do it for her. I love her man, but she frustrates me like crazy sometimes."

****

Jax did what Sam ask and stopped by the coffee cart before coming to your office. Unlike most of the time, the blinds to your office were all closed and he couldn't see in, he knocked on the door and it took you a while to answer.

"Hello Jackson, I've been waiting for you to arrive." He handed you the coffee and you looked at him like he was the best thing you had ever seen, "thank you, you have no idea how much I needded this." You seemed really different, Jax was worried.

"Are you ok?"

You waved your hand at him, "I'm fine, just worn out."

You sat down at your desk and put a pair of glasses on, they were a little old fashioned, like something out of the 60s with pointy ends.

"I didn't know you wore glasses?" Jax liked the way they looked on you, it made you look like a teacher he would have had a crush on in high school.

"Not really, my vision is fine. They're just for eye strain." He noticed you were shifting in your seat a lot.

"Are you sure you're ok? You don't look very well." You took a deep breath.

"I almost died yesterday. I mean, I eat trauma from breakfast but I can't shake the feeling that something else is going to happen. I'll be fine in a few days." Jax understood, he had felt that way since the moment Abel was born. He watched you get up slowly then grab your head and wobble, he got up and stood next to you, fearing you were about to pass out.

"You're not ok, what the hell is going on with you?" He didn't mean it to come out as short as it did, you flinched at his raised voice.

"I'm fine, I just have a migraine. I'll be over it soon enough." Jax didn't believe you for one minute.

"Is there anything I can do?"

You shook your head, "no, really I'm fine. The coffee really helped." You didn't found fine.

"You can barely stand, you're not fine." He put a hand on your shoulder and gently pushed you down, you sat without any resistance. When he looked down at you he could see you were about to cry.

"I'm not distressed or sad, it's just part of it." Jax knelt down next to your chair and put a hand on your knee.

"Maybe you can tell me about it, let me be the one helping for once." He could see you wanting to fight him but he lifted his hand and took your glasses off, "I don't like seeing you like this, and I know Sam is worried. Save me the trouble of having to call him to come and get you and let me help."

You practically collapsed into him, "I'm in so much pain. I can't think, I just want a break so I can get this all sorted and then I can go home." Jax squeezed you harder and gripped his kutte in your hands.

"Do you have something you can take that will help?"

You nodded, "yeah, I like to avoid it if I can. I take cannabis for insomnia and strangely enough it's helped heaps but it's just the breakthrough pain that gets me." Jax started rubbing his head up and down your back.

"Why don't you like taking it?" the more he touched you the more you calmed down.

"It's a long story."

Jax pulled away a little to look into your eyes, "I want to hear it, you've listened to all of mine the last few months, I think I can spare some time for you."

"Migraines aren't just bad headaches, they're a neurological disorder. Everyone has different symptoms and they can change over time. I'm in the attack phase, meaning I'm actually in pain, but there's also the Prodrome that happens before. For me, that means I start to have trouble speaking and I feel really strange. Even now, it's really hard for me to make sense, I have to put a lot of effort into not stuttering. And my emotions are also really funny, I'll cry for no reason which I find really embarrassing." He could hear the strain in your voice.

"After the Prodrome is the Aura, for me I start to smell things that aren't there, some people get flashes of light or lose sight in one eye, some people don't get anything." Jax thought it sounded like torture.

"The pain or indecent phase is the one that everyone knows. The pain is different for everyone, for me it's a mix of throbbing and pressure but my eyes and jaw also start to ache. It hurts so much I get nauseous and when it's like this I can't really move around a lot." He promised himself he would never complain about a headache again.

"The reason I don't like taking my prescription medication is that it makes me feel really spaced out the next day, I don't even like to drive the next day. That's made 1000 times worse by the Post-drome, which is the after-effects, again, it's different for everyone. I get really really hungry and I can't concentrate on anything." Jax could feel his eyes getting wet and his throat getting tight.

"I'm also really worried that one day I won't be able to have access, for most of my life I wasn't believed. It took two trips to the hospital for anyone to even do any tests. My doctors are great now but all it takes is one to label me as a drug seeker and I won't get anything." You sounded panicked now, he pulled away again and put a hand gently on your cheek.

"Hey, I believe you. I believe you 100 percent, but I'm also not going to leave you like this. I'll give you some time to pack your stuff and then I'm going to drive you home. It's not up for debate y/n, I know you don't want to worry your bother, and I will call him and tell him what state you're in if you don't look after yourself." You try to glare at him but it just came out as exhausted.

"Ok."

****

Jax did most of the packing while you sat down and told him what to do, when it was time to leave your office, he watched you tense up as you opened the door.

"It's the light, it makes it a lot worse." It really looked like you were building up the courage. As the door opened and the light flooded in, you cringed and took a deep breath.

"Give me your keys, I'll drive and you can rest your eyes." You smiled just a bit.

"Do you know how to drive stick Teller?"

Jax suppressed a laugh and took your keys from your hand, "we're about to find out."

Jax drove as smoothly as he could, noting that you would flinch at every bump. By the time you were back at your home, he was thinking about calling you an ambulance.

"Are you sure you don't need me to take you to the doctor?"

You nodded really softly, "yeah, it's not as bad as it looks." Jax really doubted that.

"How about you stay in the car and I'll go in and shut all the blinds and curtains?"

You rested your hand on his wrist, "thank you Jackson."

A little while later, he came out and got you, "your room was locked, I don't know if you want me to open it. It looks like you've got it locked up like Fort Knox."

He wasn't lying, you had a smart lock on your room that required a fingerprint or a code. "I'll give you the code. It's like the rest of the house, metal shutters on the outside and curtains on the inside." He took you inside and left you in the darkened lounge room while he fixed up your room.

"I need to have a shower and eat something before I take anything. There are some noodles in the kitchen cupboard, can you put a packet on for me in about ten minutes." Jax watched you disappear into your room and got to putting the pot on the stove.

The noodles were almost done when you came out of your room, you were looking much better.

"How do you feel Darlin?"

You gave him a small smile, "better, thank you."

You sat down with the bowl in front of you, when you started eating, it actually looked like you were enjoying yourself, "why noodles? I would have thought anything with any taste would make you feel worse." You huffed at him as if the answer was obvious.

"It's salty and the MSG makes it easy to keep eating. I'm lucky, for some people, MSG is a terrible trigger. Thankfully since I moved here and started taking edibles, I haven't had one bad enough where all I was able to eat is rice and bread." You spoke about it like you were talking about a paper cut, it worried him a little.

"I think I'm going to head to bed now, I........ can I ask a favour? Jax nodded, "I don't really want to be alone, can you stay with me until Sam gets home?" He could hear the distress in your voice.

"Of course Darlin, I'm sure you don't want me laying in your bed in my work clothes and I know you got spare stuff here, can I have a shower first?"

You reached out and hugged him, "thank you Jackson, you have no idea how wonderful you are."

****

Jax wasn't really paying attention to your room the first time he went in, it was a really nice space. Your bed was a huge four-poster with a canopy, and unlike most of the house, the floor was covered in plush carpet. There were plants hanging from the ceiling and other than the dark bedspread, the theme of the room was very light and open.

The bathroom was very much the same, well organised and clean, with indoor plants dotted around the space. Your shower was amazing, he didn't think you would mind him using your soaps so he indulged and the room was flooded by the gentle smell that you carried with you everywhere, had he not been so worried it probably would have ignited other feelings in him.

When he came out you were already in bed, "did you take everything you needed to take?" he made sure his tone was firm enough that you wouldn't argue.

"Yeah, it takes about an hour to work."

You moved the covers and Jax climbed in next to you, "I like your room, it's really fancy." You giggled a bit.

"It's my trouble-free zone, there's no shop talk in here no matter what." Jax could appreciate that. Jax could hear whimpering at the door, "sorry, that's the dogs. They usually sleep in with me." Jax got up and you put a hand on his wrist, "you don't have to let them in, I'm ready putting you out by asking you to stay, let alone asking you to share a bed with my dogs." Jax smiled at you.

"I like your dogs, there's plenty of room of all of us." Jax opened the door and they walked in quietly and did their best to get on the bed without moving it too much.

"That's sweet." Jax reached over and pat both of them on their big heads.

He laid down next to you and you wiggled close to him, he reached up and put a curl behind your ear.

"You're looking better."

You nodded, "the meds are kicking in now, all I want to do is sleep." He was pulling you into him and rubbing your back.

"You can sleep, I'll be here when you wake up in the morning." You went to protest but he stopped you, "I'm sure your brother will be grateful that he doesn't have to come home and worry about you, this way he can enjoy the rest of his day." He felt you move your hand from under the covers to stroke his face.

"Thank you Jackson."

****

Sam came home just after six, the whole house was dark, which he understood but he didn't understand why Jax's shoes were at the door. He looked around, the clothes he wore that day were in the laundry but he was nowhere to be found.

He got his answer when he checked your room, he peeked his head in and saw that Jax was wrapped around you. You were both asleep and the dogs were sleeping at your feet. He closed the door and smiled to himself.

At least he had finally confirmed a suspicion of his.

Part 15

Hello dear reader, if you've gotten this far thank you. I realise that the more I flesh out the OCs the less relatable it is and I understand if you are on longer interested in reading it. Regardless, feedback is always appreciated.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

The problem with your argument is actually disregarding this AS a trolley problem. The writers literally praised themselves for writing….a trolley problem. The original point of the scene was to present a morally complex situation. The argument that “well the writers retconned it later so-“ really holds no water in my book because the original writing of the scene was for a morally complex trolley problem.

This is also severely downplaying Ruby’s own disregard for human life in the lives of the exhausted army whose already been fighting all night and is not in any shape to battle again. Ruby knows this and doesn’t care. This is a decision not of saving everyone be not this is a decision of whose lives will be sacrificed for the other and while it’s easy to say “it should be the army, it’s their job.” It becomes a lot messier when realizing that if the atlas army falls, at minimum half of the worlds fighting population is…gone. And when faced with an immoral witch hellbent on ending the world with no plan in place to stop her….that’s a significantly more dangerous situation to be in that risks the entire world ending.

Meanwhile James said that only a small portion of Mantel was left (importantly no one refuted this point, only that leaving anyone is bad) and no it’s not good at all that any civilians died….at the end of the day Ruby’s choices still led to civilians dying. That’s just fact. And even if things had gone according to her “plan” her plan still involved holding a battle literally in the middle of a civilian population. Thinking that no one would die in that fight is just ludicrous in my opinion. The Grimm and Salem don’t care if it’s a civilian or a soldier or a hunter dying, they just want to kill.

Yes it’s a terrible situation, but no matter what side was chosen people were going to die. Pretending otherwise is a severe disservice to the characters and the situation being presented. We shouldn’t have to “turn off our brains and enjoy the story” when Penny’s arc in volume 8 exists. Stories like that are not stories wherein you can just hand wave another characters difficult choices can be hand waved away because “it’s a feel good story” nothing about Penny’s ending is even remotely feel good and trying to dismiss James’s situation is also disregarding Penny’s.

And no, it’s not giving up without even trying. They tried to evacuate and tried to get as many people out and fought, it’s why the army is now exhausted and not in any shape to fight Salem herself. It’s about recognizing how bad things are and that the fate of the world is being decided by this battle. If Salem wins she is over halfway to ending the world. That means everyone dies. James knew this and had to make a difficult decision. It’s not a perfect solution but neither is team RWBY’s that’s the point that’s the problem. They don’t have a perfect solution because they don’t have time thanks to Salem.

This isn’t about saying one side is good and one side is evil this is about “what side will lead to the least amount of death” with James focusing on the long term goal while Ruby is focused on the short term both fueled by their traumas from Beacon. James is terrified of fighting Salem head on and thinks they don’t stand a chance (proven correct) and Ruby is traumatized from losing two good friends at Beacon and doesn’t want a repeat of that and doesn’t want anyone else to suffer from that.

That is a compelling story. That is the kind of story CRWBY insisted it was writing up until their trolley problem had too many people not picking their precious mains so they threw James’s character out to force people to side with her. Regardless Ruby doesn’t fight for every life, she throws Ironwood away the second it becomes to hard while immediately forgiving multiple mass murders cuz they looked sad. She sits in a mansion drinking tea during the main battle tsking despite saying it was their duty to fight. That’s not fighting for every life. That’s fighting for what’s convenient and easy.

So... about the "Ironwood Was Right" thing.

I recently saw this resurface a bit, in the context of Ruby's regrets in Volume 9. Basically, taking the fact that she felt like she'd failed as the show saying that yes, actually, she was wrong to go against Ironwood's plan in Volume 7.

I feel like I went into thinking about this trying to debunk it on a logical level. Like, is it actually a good idea to fly off into the sky in one big long stalling measure when your opponent is literally immortal? What's stopping Salem from grabbing all the rest of the relics and then just waiting as many generations as it takes, until the people of Atlas forget why they came up there in the first place and return to Remnant out of curiosity?

The thing is, treating it as an argument about what's the more "rational" choice is missing the point that like. We're talking about a story. We don't know exactly how many people are in Atlas and in Mantle and where they are and how many more trips they'd have to take to finish the evacuation, because details like that would just bog things down.

This is not a trolley problem with x number of people from Mantle on one side and y number of people from Atlas on the other. This is a trolley problem with a wealthy and powerful person on one track, and a disadvantaged person an alternate track, and Ironwood choosing to pull the lever instead of trying to stop the trolley. The point is not "how many." It's not about math. The point is that there is a fundamental difference between dying in the central location while a bunch of Huntresses and Huntsmen do absolutely everything in their power to protect you, and dying abandoned in the mines you used to work while the city built off of your labor flies away to safety.

The question this conflict is asking is about whether or not other people can be sacrifices. Ironwood says yes—team RWBY disagree. That's the actual crux of this argument. Does Ironwood have the right to decide who deserves protection and who isn't worth the risk? Do we get to give up on other people before we've even tried to save them? It's about the idea of certain people being disposable. Mantle's wall isn't important, Amity is. Amity will protect all of Atlas, and that wall will only help the people in Mantle. It implies that their safety is an acceptable sacrifice for the greater good. It treats them as disposable.

There's a reason it was Nora who spoke up and pointed out that it's always Mantle being asked to bear the burden for the greater good. Nora has been a disposable person before. Hell, Cinder has been a disposable person! The way Atlas (through the madame) treated a living person as a resource to be exploited or sacrificed is the entire reason that Cinder is trying to burn the kingdom down. Thematically, Atlas cannot escape the danger she poses by sacrificing more disposable people.

One of the biggest themes of this show is cooperation. It's all about how Salem can only be defeated by working together. But working together is not possible if certain people are taking on all of the risk, all of the sacrifice. Everyone has to be willing to put some skin in the game. Like, imagine trying to do a group project if you knew half of you were guaranteed to get an A no matter what and the other half weren't.

So the idea that Volume 9 is supposed to come back around and say that actually, that plan that would have literally divided a city in half and cut loose the poorer half like fucking ballast, that was the right thing all along and Ruby Rose was wrong to challenge it... that would be an absolute disaster of a thematic statement.

This is not a show about hard military men making hard military choices. It's not going to contrive a situation where cold-blooded calculation determines that the right thing to do is to pull up the ladder. Because outside of weird philosophical experiments about trolleys, the right thing to do usually has more to do with empathy. Compassion. Cooperation. All that gay shit.