#i love how all of them look like they're from different places too like blake very obviously belongs in gotham

[yang-png]

dc/rwby #1 is out and i am THRIVING THEY LOOK SO GOOD

[heretyc]

Horror [Trager, Eddie Gluskin, Val]

Horror: A collection of small fics, consisting of Outlast's most iconic antagonists [in my opinion].

The poll I started isn't over, but "canonically" is winning and I love it. Dark shit here we come lol. I will be writing for my beloved Terror-iffic Trio [aka my favourite antagonists from each game]. A party with these 3 would be lit.

Drabble ideas here.

Content Warnings: Uhhh...Outlast Antagonists lol. That is your warning.

Trager: Gore, awful jokes, his bare ass.

Eddie: Gore, murder, injury, mentions of his...lovely little display, sexual assault [minor, just a slight touch, no penetration]. [Please lord don't let him teach an art class.]

Val: Sexual assault [slight penetration w/ fingers], gore, murder, mud, Val's bare ass, mud breasts and mudgina.

I mean it, this is pretty heavy shit. It isn't too graphic, but if SA triggers you...either look away or read with caution. Trager's section is safe. Unless you're afraid of his ass...cause me too, man.

MINORS GTFO. Miners can stay as long as they're not minor miners.

Read with caution, I condone none of this. Fics underneath the cut.

You/MC take the place of the protagonist. So...you are Miles/Waylon/Blake. Yayyyyy....? Or nay? Depends on how you feel. MC is gender neutral, but is referred to with fem pronouns in Eddie's section for obvious reasons. You do not talk in Trager or Eddie's sections as Miles and Waylon were "mute". You speak in Val's section, though. You are described as having breasts in Val's section as both sexes/all genders have breasts. Tiddies for everybody!!

Enjoy.

Drabble idea: "See, this place isn't haunted!"

Sometimes, a saving grace can be your one way ticket to hell. And this had been an excellent example of that. The angelic voice over the dumbwaiter was a dream come true; after running and hiding for so long, it was like you were granted a break.

Only for your face to fall as the scarred face of a man greeted you. The air around him reeked of danger.

This was not the haven you were lead to believe was waiting for you.

"You made the right choice here, buddy," he declared before punching you in the jaw, a pained yell leaving your throat, and he was quick to take advantage of your shocked state to haul you into a wheelchair.

He must have done this a dozen times, as he was quick to lock your wrists into the cuffs attached to the chair. They were tight, and he merely chuckled at seeing your attempts of getting out of them.

He looked fucked up.

He stood in front of you, hands behind his back, and his eyes were scanning you like a wolf scans its prey before it mauls it to bits, "You're not a variant...huh. Well, buddy...you can call me...Trager. Everyone else does, anyway."

As Trager made noises looking you up and down, you looked at his face. Coated by some half-assed attempt at a mask and some strange glasses upon his face, you come to the conclusion that he was some doctor here.

He clicks his tongue and smacks you on the back, "You've got a lot of things to learn here, buddy. I am honoured to be your teacher."

Teach you about what, exactly? You didn't want to know. But he started to push you forward, and you only questioned where your hell would be.

This place was already hell, but...at the hands of some crazed madman, it was different.

Trager hummed to himself, making jokes here and there, and he once grumbled when you didn't laugh at a stupid impression, before he finally made it to an elevator. It was...somewhat cleaner up here, for some reason.

However...

You could feel a breeze upon your skin, and upon hearing the howl of wind and torrential rain, you saw an exit. Pitch black and windy, yet so much more welcoming than in here. You questioned if there would be a tornado warning or something by how violent the wind seemed to be.

The rain out there was intense, torrential, heavy and oh so divine, and Trager only chuckled.

"You want to take a quick walk, bud?" He leaned down next to you, eyes looking into yours like he was an old friend, despite also looking feral. "Run free, like Forrest Gump? Unfortunately, we're running out of time." He clicked his tongue once more, pulling you into the elevator.

This was a cruel joke. Even the Elvis impression - awful impression, mind you - wasn't as bad as this.

Standing beside you, Trager pressed a simple button on the control pad before clasping his hands together behind his back. After a moment of movement, he looked back toward you, his voice a tone that suggested jest, "Did you know they call elevators a "shaft" in other places of the world?" He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

Looking at him, you realized his skin looked...awful. Like he was a draugr from that video game you used to play.

His scalp was scarred, and after spending an hour in this place, you realize you're lucky your scalp was untouched.

Wires upon wires were wrapped along his arm, and upon closer inspection, you were horrified to notice that they weren't wires, they were tubes.

Of his own blood.

How did he not feel that?

A man like him probably enjoys that, to be honest.

His nails were quite long as well, albeit you couldn't blame him...hygiene in a place like this was laughable. He probably had to exert his inner wildcat to defend himself in this shit hole.

You nearly sobbed when the elevator came to its destination, and he took hold of the handles once more.

It smelled of death and lost hope up here.

Choruses of screams reached your ears and you flinched. He seemed to notice, as he violently shushed the poor bastards trying to break free of their confines, "Sh. Shshshsh...you weren't putting your tongue to good use anyway!"

Tongue...??

The man shrieking had a bloodied mouth, and he soon quieted after choking on, what you assume to be, his own blood. Trager only sighed, muttering to himself, "Really, I just needed something to lick my stamps."

This...was a cruel joke. Taking someone's tongue for stamps?? You were deep in thought, only for Trager to notice and grin evilly, "You should see what I do with the balls."

...Dear god.

"Yeah, this weird...cannibalistic guy downstairs begs for them...the guy knows what he wants, I gotta give him that. He reminds me of somebody...eh, buddy?"

He poked you in the shoulder as he pushed, and it appears he was referring to you.

"I saw your camcorder. You're some sort of journalist, here to...what, expose one of the biggest experiments in history?" He laughed at the notion, shaking his head. "I admire the bravery, really. Braving through disturbed masses...I have to admit, I'm impressed."

You only gulped.

"People love to say this place is...haunted." Trager noted, pushing you into a bathroom of some sort. Bloodied, smelled of decay and looked like a paradise for bugs and bacteria.

What had scared you the most was the array of torture devices he had laid out on a tray. This man was deranged, one way or another.

He continued his one-sided conversation, focusing on the aforementioned tray as he walked over to it, "I mean, who wouldn't? People love to paint asylums as haunted. They hear a ghastly noise or a terrified scream and immediately tell the papers that a house of human suffering is haunted."

Trager's hand hovered over each instrument of torture, trying to pick which one, but he hadn't stopped talking.

"And I am more than sure that's your entire...reason for coming here. Trying to prove it was haunted. But guess what, buddy?"

He finally picked up a blade, long and serrated, and he pressed it against a finger of yours, the edges sharp against your thin flesh. He leaned in close, his dry lips forming into a smile, "This place isn't haunted."

He moved away, the blade removed from your finger, and you breathed a sigh of relief as he placed it back down onto the tray.

"No, no. It's worse."

He finally picks up a gigantic pair of scissors, much like something you'd see picking away at a shrub, and he was more than eager to shut them and open them, metallic hisses invading your senses, much like the feeling of doom.

You will die here.

"This place is an example of human cruelty, my friend," he announced, voice loud and cheerful as if he wasn't about to maim you, and he placed the blades around some of your fingers. He cared not for your horrified shrieks and begs, he only leaned in once more and whispered,

"And you will be nothing but an example of what happened here."

Slice.

...

"Oh, come on, buddy...it's not like you needed your middle finger anyway. Now open up...I have some stamps to lick."

Drabble idea: "Oh my god, are you okay?!"

"Darling, please! You act as if I've done something rancid! What have I done to you to make you so afraid of me?!"

The bloodied behemoth on your tail was quick and hurried as he chased after you, his feet slamming against the rotting floorboards. You almost couldn't hear the music that played alongside the horrific display he handmade. The smell was awful, but the sight of it was enough to make you vomit.

You would not be the victim to the Groom. Not now. Not ever.

You would not have your pelvis slit, or your chest stuffed like you were a sex doll [ironically, that's all you would be to him], and you would not let him confess his undying love for you. It was fake and corrupt like this entire asylum.

Despite the smell of mildew and death, adrenaline filled your blood and you could tolerate the disgusting scents as you breathed in, your legs not yet faltering.

You've heard what he's done. The man who so giddily chased you rambled about it as you snuck around, and you were not pleased.

This was the only way out. Sometimes you have to take risks...right?

This wasn't worth it, though.

And sometimes, luck runs out. Like right now, as you are stuck in a dead end.

There was only an elevator. And it was not on your current floor.

Shit.

You could jump and risk a broken leg...or...

The emergency ladder. Broken and rusted, but it's tetanus over death.

You could explain all of this to the news with lockjaw.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Don't, don't-!"

You had leaped, gripping onto the ladder as your bottom half slammed against it. With a hiss you tried to pull yourself up, only for the ladder to break underneath you.

The top had snapped, and you tried to grab onto what remained on the wall, only to fall, your heart stopping.

Of all things to die from, it was a rusted ladder.

Oh well.

As your body slammed onto the top of the elevator, a sharp pang began to blossom from your ankle, and you look to see shards of glass sticking out of your flesh. Now coated in blood, you cried out and ripped the shards out, piece by piece. Blood pooled around your foot as you cradled it.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!"

The behemoth above looked down at you with a horrified expression, his hands out and wanting to hold you.

"I hate to see you suffering without me! Why would you do something like that to yourself?!"

His voice was full of panic and concern, and for a moment it seemed wholesome, until the panicked silence became one of anger. There was...tension.

"You would...rather die...than be with me...?"

His tone had shifted so quickly. He was unpredictable, and that's what had made him so...scary. In general, he had looked like he crawled from a 1940s horror series. Sweeney Todd had come to mind, actually...

"You're just another whore, aren't you?" He growled out, only to sigh, like this was a normal occurrence. "It's quite alright, darling. A good man can turn a whore into a house wife...and I have faith in us. Let me just..."

The elevator roared to life, and you panicked even more, now. Your poor heart would likely kill you before he had the chance to. But as you rose, he merely hummed to himself, waiting for the elevator to rise to his floor.

You had no chance at moving or escaping, as when you reached the proper floor, he was quick to grab you before you became sandwiched between the top of the elevator and the ceiling.

He dwarfed you. Instantly. He carried you bridal style, an eerie smile on his face, "Come, now. I must make sure you look perfect for our wedding."

You had no chance, now.

He clicked his tongue, footsteps hard against the rotting boards, and his voice was quieter as he spoke, "And I need to wrap up your foot...you are a silly one, darling."

It didn't feel silly. It felt like your ankle and foot were on fire, stinging like mad.

You had accepted your death already, but if there was also one thing you could accept, it's that he wasn't actually half bad.

Minus the...anger fits and the "whore" bit, he would have been wonderful. Looking up at him, you see a man soiled by corruption.

His eyes would have been a beautiful, shiny blue if not for the pools of hemorrhage. They had looked...empty. Dead. But whenever he looked at you, they shone like his soul had been revived.

Is this what he had wanted? Love?

Everyone in this hell hole had been deprived of it.

It was sad. Really fucking sad.

But you had read about what Eddie had done, and seen it too. And he was past the point of no return. He had done too much to be redeemed.

Dread made itself a home in your stomach as you were laid upon something cold and wet, and you were strapped in. Arms and legs spread, and your clothes were ripped off.

You were now nude, and being touched by the Groom himself.

His hands were gentle as he caressed a calf, "You have such soft skin...you will look absolutely beautiful," he cooed, hand gliding itself upwards toward your knee, then your thigh, and then...

You only flinched when you felt his hand begin to caress your genitals, as gentle as could be, as if he wasn't violating you. T'was the touch of a lover.

But he was no lover, no.

His fingertips merely grazed along your private flesh, rubbing it as if he had wanted to stimulate you, and you wanted to scream.

Eddie sighed dreamily, like he was a married man and his life would be filled with nothing but happiness, and he, luckily, let his hand glide up to your navel. "You look divine already, but when I'm finished with you? Oh, darling..."

He removed his hand, thankfully, but he was quick to turn on the saw, and all you could feel was cold air from its rapid movements and doom.

He gripped the sides of the table you were on, and he was smiling like this wasn't totally fucked up, "I know this will be hard..."

You felt the table move, slowly but surely, and you began to wriggle, but he continued, "You will have to deal with this...and then the conception, which I promise, will be wonderful," he winked as the saw came closer, "Then the pregnancy...and oh, I can just imagine the birthing. You will look so beautiful, darling...like a goddess. Mothers are goddesses in their own right."

And all you could feel was the sting of the saw, and your soul fading from your body.

...

"You're just like the rest. Filthy whore."

You're lucky you weren't alive to see your mangled body, tossed with the rest.

Ready to rot.

Drabble idea: "I want to go home..."

Val, in a sense, had been an angel to you.

They did not have a halo, made of purity and gold, or have pristine, white wings to wrap you and hold you close, no. They did not bear robes of white or play a golden harp or sing a divine chorus.

But they had wanted you all to themselves. And they would not let Knoth's guard dog, or his sickly bastards he called "friends", ruin you before they had a chance to.

Because unlike Knoth, or Marta, or Laird or Nick or whoever the fuck, Val would put you back together.

They are a loving mother, dedicated to spreading love.

It had been painted in blood on your way to the mines, 'LOVE SET US FREE'. Bottles encasing candles, bodies strewn up like Christmas decorations...

What were they trying to do, exactly? Make their cause look homey? Elegant? Acceptable?

You had felt oddly welcomed. Every single enemy in your way was slain, journals and notes left in your path to urge you to come to them.

"Come to me," the red ink beckoned you on the dirtied paper, "and I will show you my love."

They had been so kind as to leave batteries and bandages. Before you had taken the small, makeshift raft, a final note had been placed in one of the small shacks, the bed made and smelling of firewood,

"I am waiting for you."

You did not want this. But you needed to find a way out.

The mines were not welcoming. You were not alone. And you had been chased into the underground, where you are now; held down by Heretics as they muttered, "mother, burn..."

Like the fallen angel ready to relieve the sinners of their pain, their martyrdom, Val had approached, coated in mud and looking like the demon of the mountains.

In their hand was a torch, raging with fire, and it made their white eyes so much more intense.

They had hummed eagerly, the hum evolving into a laugh as the torch was placed down and the Heretics were shooed away. You were too afraid to move or notice their cold, dirtied hands leaving your flesh.

Their eyes were wide, pupils tiny, and they smiled as they strutted to you, "We are creatures of appetite..."

They moaned, feeling up their body and their fake breasts, like they were a porn star and giving you a show.

"I want to feel your hunger," their voice became quiet, something only you could hear, and they leaned close, your eyes staring frantically into theirs, searching for any fragment of humanity.

There was none. And you felt saddened, knowing that the Val in those journals was not this Val.

This was something different.

"I want to know your desires...and show you what true pleasure feels like," they rasped, pushing you down and straddling your hips, grinding against your clothed stomach. Your fear had aroused them.

"I want to go home..." you whispered, tears rushing from your eyes, and they only laughed, leaning close to your face and whispering, "This is your home, my love," a muddy hand came up to caress your cheek and wipe the tears away, "and I...will be doting."

You had no chance to respond or even acknowledge the powder blown into your senses, or the tongue forcing your mouth open, and immediately, they sought dominance over your own muscle, wrestling with it. It had ventured to each nook and cranny of your mouth, like they wanted to taste everything about you, and they eventually pulled away with a moan, saliva connecting you two.

They licked their lips, humming in delight as their hands rushed to push up your shirt and reveal your chest. "Your body...is delightful," they breathed out, squeezing your breasts and rubbing your nipples with precision.

That powder did something to you. You had hated the feeling of their hands, but now you were overheating; desperate and quiet moans leaving your throat and making the cultist above you grin.

"I don't..." You couldn't even finish your sentence, as they pinched a nipple and made you shriek. It made them chuckle, and their hands moved south, ripping your zipper and breaking it. They got off for a second to completely rip your pants and undergarments off, and their naked thighs wrapped around your bare hips.

"Did you enjoy my gifts?" They questioned, hands now massaging your thighs, "You needed those batteries so badly...to document the lies of Sullivan, didn't you?" They purred, their hands tight and knowing just where to touch to get you to cry out in pleasure.

"That's why you came here. Fell from the sky, wrapped in flame..." they bit their lip, feeling aroused at the notion, "To record his bullshit."

You had even forgot about your camera, and you questioned where it was, until Val snorted, "It's gone, my love," their hands moved upwards to your genitals, "taken away...by my children. You won't need it anymore."

There was no pain when you felt their finger enter you. It was more pleasurable than anything you had ever felt, and it made you moan the loudest, and Val had revelled in this.

With precision their fingers located your pleasure spot, and sped up.

Your pleasure was their pleasure.

"God doesn't love you...not like I do."

And in time...you would know it to be true.

[thishazbinamistake]

*Mild spoilers*

I watched the first episode, so here are my kind of disjointed thoughts if anyone is interested in hearing them:

So first off, I thought it was okay visually. I tried to ignore the weird animation errors, like how in one scene I noticed Charlie has five fingers on one of her hands instead of her usual four, and that they never fixed that one scene where Vaggie just... disappears in the background (you know the one), because I try not to be too harsh the animators for these sorts of things. But it definitely felt amateurish in places. Other than that, Viv definitely wasn't lying when she said it looked "fine". I've seen worse, for sure.

The voice acting ranges from pretty good to honestly terrible. Stephanie sounded like she could not give less of a shit about being there, and had some weird annunciation, making her kind of hard to understand in places. I was optimistic about Keith, and he sounded great, but honestly did not fit the character of Husk very well. Charlie was actually quite good, she has a great singing voice and overall I thought Erika did a good job for her. Alastor was decent, Amir definitely did a better job than I was expecting, considering how iconic Edward's performance was in the pilot. Niffty didn't talk nearly enough in the first episode for me to even form an opinion on her voice acting, but she's fine, I guess? Katie is literally just Brandon Rogers doing his Brandon Rogers voice.

Blake was super annoying, and he did not make Angel's constant sex jokes endearing or funny in the slightest. For the record, I didn't even like pilot Angel in the first place, but now, compared to this, I'm honestly starting to miss him. And I'm not even going to touch that "this body was made to be exploited" line with a ten foot pole.

Adam, though... God, he was easily the worst part of this first episode. His surfer-dude voice was annoying as shit, and his lines were so cringeworthy. He is not an entertaining or engaging villain in the slightest. Literally, every time he was on screen I was just waiting desperately for the scene to change.

In the first episode, we hardly get any glimpse into the personalities of honestly most of the characters besides Adam and maybe Angel, which is unfortunate because they're the two most annoying characters.

With Lucifer and Lilith's backstory, in typical Vivzie fashion, Lucifer is the sad uwu boy while Lilith is treated as being the one responsible for everything. Not really surprising.

As for the writing, it's 30% boring exposition, and 70% unfunny sex jokes. Literally most of Adam's dialogue is sex related. I hate him so much it's unreal.

And the songs... they sounded fine, but they don't feel like something you would want to casually listen to on their own. They just feel like they're meant to be transitions from one scene to the next and nothing more.

For as little as we saw her, I think my favorite part of the first episode was Niffty. She's honestly a super cute and fun character, and the scenes with her were the few times I actually cracked a smile. She's such a little freak and I love her. Everyone else was either boring or made me want to shove a screwdriver in my ears.

Finally, one of the most glaring issues to me (aside from Adam) is that the show didn't really give much of a setup for what was happening. We got a little exposition about Lucifer and Lilith and the fall of man and all that, but aside from Charlie, we aren't reintroduced to any of the characters from the pilot. This feels like a really dumb move because it's alienating to new viewers. If you were someone with no knowledge of the pilot scrolling through Amazon Prime looking for a new show to watch, and Hazbin caught your eye, you'd probably get confused about who all these characters are and what it is they're actually doing, so you'd probably just click off and look for something different. It's obvious the writers just assumed that everyone watching had already seen the pilot, I guess because they think only longtime fans would be interested in the show, which is honestly really sad. You'd think they'd want to try and grow their audience more, but it just feels like they only want to pander to the people who are already fans, which feels like a bad desicion from both a storytelling standpoint as well as a business one. A show, especially one that migrated from an internet pilot to a full series on a paid streaming platform, should be able to stand on its own two legs without needing the pilot to do all the explaining. Especially considering the designs and voice actors changing between the pilot and the series. I didn't expect them to completely remake the pilot, but they could have at least done a better job establishing the characters.

All in all, episode one was at best a 5/10. Like I said, I've seen far worse but this just felt like a bad note to start this all off on. For newcomers, it's confusing and downright unappealing, and for longtime fans it's just disappointing. I can really only see diehard Vivzie fans getting a ton of enjoyment out of it.

Still need to watch episode two, maybe things will improve from there.

[phoenix-fell]

Hi! I enjoyed your analysis. Hope you don't mind the ask. In the post you talked about alternating between background and foreground, what background scenes do you think are particularly worth paying attention to? Starting to realize how much Ive overlooked lol.

Thanks! And of course, happy to receive asks! Good question, there's a few I could name and there's some scenes that are technically 'foreground' but are extremely understated - like the close-up of Blake's sword but here's a few:

My favourite background moments to note, is a scene in 'Creation' - Vol 8 - where Penny is becoming human, there's a huge flash of light. Ruby and Weiss cover their own eyes, turning their bodies away. Whereas, positioned in front of the 'camera' (but not the focus), Blake and Yang immediately turn into each other, Yang placing a protective arm around Blake and shielding them both with her other arm. When the camera pulls away to show them in the background, Yang's arm is still around her and it shows Blake wrapping her arm around Yang too. The camera begins to focus on Penny, with the two of them stood comfortably looking on with their arms round each other. It's so easy to miss, especially the latter part, but I love the way they're framed together and is just such a nice little background inclusion as it shows an active choice to animate these two doing something differently to Weiss and Ruby.

Another one that's often overlooked is in 'Fault', Vol 8, the infamous "Yeah...Ruby..." line from Yang - the screen focuses on the part of the bike she's fixing and looking at before she initiates that conversation with Jaune, which is purple, and likely what prompted her to think of Blake.

There's also scenes, particularly in Volumes 7/8 as the cast grows, where lines are added in to imply off-screen developments they don't have time to show on-screen, such as:

"Have you guys ever thought about branching out - you always pair up but...." - Marrow, in Sparks, Vol 7, which is used to imply that they're spending more time together without showing it, partnering up on all their missions.

"Blake and Yang are off doing their own thing... Again." - Nora, in A Night Off, Vol 7. Marrow implied they're spending all their time together at work, Nora heavily implies that they're spending a lot of time together outside of work - likely to banish the notion that it's just a 'I just want to fight by her side' type of arrangement.

This one's much smaller, but in Risk - Vol 8 - after Ironwood has announced his ultimatum, Yang tells Ruby, "you know, that hound kicked us around like we were nothing, but Blake told me that you and the Schnees managed to take it down..." Simple, but just having Yang slot in that, somewhere offscreen after their Beeunion, she and Blake have caught up about their time apart. Later in this episode, once Ruby expresses hope in the form of a new plan, the camera pans out to show them all together in a circle. Everyone's focused on Ruby who had just spoken, except for Ren and Nora who look to each other, and Blake who honest to god looks like a sunflower following the sun as she just turns to beam at an oblivious Yang. I don't tend to place too much emphasis on two characters who are often in scenes together looking at each other, but there's something about the Renora parallel that stood out to me, especially as everyone else is very still - it was a choice to animate her this way. Blake's often shown staring at Yang, notably whenever something good happens and she's happy, or when she needs comfort/is worried.

Lastly, my three other on-screen understated favourites are:

This one is in 'As Above, So Below' Vol 7. They use parallels between these two and Renora often, the scene directly before this one is Nora comforting Ren by holding his hand, then pans to these two. Yang looking worried (as Ren did), then just a subtle smile from Blake and shared look between the two as they relax. Notably, they're sitting opposite Ren and Nora; showing how the two pairs 'mirror' one another.

Another 'blink and you'll miss it' (but not the BB fans! We see all) is in 'Worthy' Vol 8. Immediately after Yang falls and Blake was unable to catch her, we can see Blake's body almost entirely off the platform and Weiss having to pull her back up. The strong implication being that Blake was ready to willingly dive into the void after her. (I make no apologies for the fact that the screenshot looks like Neo is nudging Weiss' butt off the platform).

And lastly, who could forget this absolute screamer. It's a popular and iconic scene now, but you'd be forgiven if you didn't see Yang checking Blake out the first time in 'A Night Off' Volume 7.

But to add a little bit more into the 'background' notion of the scene that not a lot of people seem to talk about: Weiss is deciding what she wants to do. Three 'options' are presented to the audience, but only two invitations are extended to the team. Ruby explicitly invites Weiss to the party, Jaune invites Weiss to the movies... But earlier in the scene, Ruby asks what Blake and Yang are doing and it's met with a matter-of-fact statement that they had been invited out, but extend no invite, no cordial 'if you want in' or 'come along' to any of their teammates. These two are very much presented as being completely in their own bubble separate from the rest of the team.

Sorry this ended up so long!! I should have just made a separate post on background analysis and parallels because I have stuff from earlier volumes. I just love these two! Anyway, I hope this helped and hope you enjoyed!

[juliannepepper]

What to do if you don't have ideas:

Do you not have any ideas for NaNoWriMo? Do you not know jackshit about what you want to write? Well, as a professional thinker (don't search that up), I got some tips that can help you kickstart an idea for a story:

1. Mix and Match:

This is one I read from "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder (I know it talks about screenwriting, but, it's still very much applicable to all fiction writers. If you haven't read it, I would suggest you to give it a try). Try thinking of an elevator pitch, or a proposal that is one to two sentences long. If your proposal is good enough to hook yourself in, you got yourself a story worth writing. For Nanowrimo, you're pretty much writing for yourself. If you aren't hooked to the premise, don't even bother.

One of the best ways to do it is to mix and match. But, Julianne? What do you mix and match? You can mix genres, what if statements, pre-existing books, anything that can hook a reader (and yourself) in one to two sentences. For example, looking at popular stories:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Cinderella and cyborgs

City of Bones by Cassandra Claire: Harry Potter and angels

Lucifer (Netflix): Biblical figures in an LA cop story

Foul Lady Fortune: Shakespeare's "As you like it" set in 1931's Shanghai

West Side Story: Romeo and Juliet with New York City gangs

And the list goes on and on. You might be thinking that it's plagiarism to take two already existing ideas and mix it together. Well, let me tell you--as long as you aren't blatantly copying a pre-existing story and you're putting your own spin to it, you're fine. Of course, you can always put a disclaimer that says it's inspired by the pre-existing story.

2. Random Word Generators:

I did this for my personal NaNoWriMo in February of 2021, and it makes the planning stage a lot of fun. Go to a random word generator (there's a ton online), generate ten random words (I did 30, and it was too much for a single month to finish a book), and make an outline.

I took a typical plot outline mountain (I would suggest doing the same. It's the simplest outline), and assigned the words to the different beats. For example, if one of my words was "Dog" I can put dog in the exposition part of the plot outline mountain, at the very bottom. Maybe my character has a motivation for a dog. Maybe the character is a dog. Maybe there's a pre-established world-building element that has to do with a dog. The list can go on and on.

Once I put all my randomly generated words in their places, I expanded upon them. If my words in the exposition were "Dog, Feather, Jump," I would try to make a connection between the three words and think about how that would fit into the exposition of the story (maybe the character is the 'Guard Dog' to the queen and they're known for being as light as a feather and just as stealthy. They jumped at this opportunity the moment they saw it, to get out of their thieving ways). You can always change the words and exchange them for different words, as long as it sparks ideas.

3. Writing what you love:

Even if you don't have any ideas for a story, the best writers are also the best readers. Think about what you love in a story? What do you look for? What tropes stand out to you? What makes you care about a story? For me, I love fantasy books, a slow burn, a sarcastic main lead, action scenes. Write everything you love to put in a story in a list. Then, write down the things inspire you or are important to you. It can be a T.V show, a hobby, an already existing story, a person you look up to--anything that doesn't have to do with what you want to see in a book, but what inspires you to be creative.

After that, think of a theme. What is the main theme of what you want to write about? Maybe you love the theme of "love at first sight" or "being true to yourself." Maybe you're much more political and is interested in the theme "injustice in the current justice system" or "political parties driving people apart." But, think of a central theme.

Finally, outline the story. Use a pre-existing plot outline (though you are more than welcome to deviate. Remember, you have to finish a manuscript in a month). Write down where the story begins and how you want it to end based on your theme (ex: if the theme is about letting go, the beginning main character could be a hoarder and the story can end with the main character starting from scratch, maybe even giving their stuff to charity). Then, write how they get to that ending based on your inspirations. With the example of the hoarder, I love fantasy and slow burn romances. The setting would obviously be in a fantasy setting, and maybe their love interest helps them get over their hoarding ways. I'm inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, so I'm interested in incorporating martial arts in their magic system, or have the setting inspired by East-Asian cultures/Inuit cultures. Maybe the main character is the "Chosen one" in a sense and doesn't want to be. Maybe the main character is reincarnated. The list can go on and on, it's all up to how you want the story to go.

This option is the most vague, I think, but, it can really help you think of an idea of a story that you want to care about.

[vanadisvalentine]

It's All About the Bees, Baby

Well, now that I'm done crying and laughing and screaming, I can finally take a moment to relax and put all of my thoughts about today's episode in one place. Full disclosure that I'm not going to be talking about fandom drama or anything because I have negative interest in engaging with that sort of discussion. This post is about what the bees mean to me and to others, as well as why the big scene today was so beautiful.

To start off on a personal note, I've been watching RWBY since I was twelve, so coming up on a decade now. I remember seeing a ton of fanart and memes for volume one as it was airing and decided to give it a shot a few weeks before volume two started airing. I dropped it in the first episode because the sound mixing was awful (apparently I've always been an audio snob), but decided to give it another go based on the recommendation of one of my long time friends, and that was when I realized it was basically the perfect show for little twelve year old Valentine. Great character designs, awesome music, I dug the humor, but more than anything, there was a particular character who I could not get out of my head.

Yang Xiao Long.

Yang is still to this day very much my type. Brash, bold, boisterous, blonde, brawler. I have loved this girl since the day I first laid eyes on her and I will love her to the day I die. As you can probably guess, being twelve years old is often a pretty rough period in a baby sapphic's life. I knew I liked girls, but outwardly admitting it to myself was something that took a long time, and Yang sort of galvanized that process, which really kicked off after Burning the Candle aired.

This is the moment that made me go "Oh. Oh, she's like me, isn't she?"

And it was all downhill from there.

I don't think I need to stress how prevalent shipping is in the RWBY fandom. For a show that doesn't focus much on romance (there are romantic relationships in the show that get significant attention and one of those ships was sunk six volumes ago), it might be one of the most notable aspects of the fandom. If two characters exist, even if one of them was dead before the series even started, there's a good chance there's a ship name for them...be they family or not. Looking at you, Enabler. That being said, Bumbleby--great ship name by the way, you guys--has been the most prominent basically since the start, with White Rose/Ice Flower following closely behind. This isn't really surprising. They're half of the main four girls and Blake specifically went out of her way to choose Yang as her partner, so them becoming a popular ship is a no-brainer, but the reasons as to why it's truly something special didn't become clear until the audience had learned more about these two as characters. Their backstories, what they strive towards, what motivates them, what scares them, all of that. They might seem like oil and water at first glance, but really, they're made for each other.

Alright, let's head in another direction before this just turns into a post about what makes their relationship great. Bumbleby is a relationship that is important to people for a lot of reasons, chief among those reasons being that people see themselves in these girls who have been through so much, both together and separately.

Blake Belladonna is, for all intents and purposes, an abuse victim, something that is unfortunately all too common (especially among the queer community). She managed to escape that relationship for a time and found family in her team, but her relationship with Yang has always taken center stage. I don't think it's lost on most Bumbleby fans that on the surface, Yang and Adam are similar. Semblances aside, they're both prone to bouts of anger, but one of the (many) differences between the two is while Adam was attracted to Blake for what he wants her to be--another violent revolutionary to take on the world with him--Yang likes Blake for who she is. She cares about her, truly, evident by the fact that she's the one who knocks Blake out of her self-destructive spiral in volume two. For so many victims of abuse, the notion of finding someone who will love you for you and won't treat you the way your last partner did is almost like a fairy tale, so to see Blake move on from Adam and overcome her trauma with Yang by her side resonates with a lot of people.

On the other side of things, there's Yang. She has abandonment issues, of course, which is something that doesn't really mesh well with Blake "My Problems Can't Hurt Me If I Just Run From Them" Belladonna. Come on, her semblance literally leaves behind copies of herself to take damage for her, but the show spells it out for you during Mountain Glenn, so you don't need my analysis here. The difference between Blake and Raven, though, is that Blake came back. Because she cares, and even if she made a mistake, she tries so hard to make it up to Yang. For a lot of people who have been abandoned or tossed aside in their lives, seeing someone who left a loved one behind not only come back for them but earnestly try and make amends is moving because it's something they think they'll never have, or it's something they've longed for but never got.

Now, onto the big scene from today's episode, Confessions Within Cumulonimbus Clouds. First of all, the fact that the Ever After itself said "You two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other since forever, go and work it out"? Gorgeous. Beautiful. You love to see it. What's nice about the framing of the scene is that Blake and Yang are put into a situation where in order to progress, they have to...well, progress. "Take the next step", which is to, of course, confess already. And how do they take those steps? They have to open up, say how it is they truly feel about each other instead of awkwardly flirting and making Weiss want to pull her hair out. And the more they progress, the more solid the rickety bridge becomes, symbolizing that they're getting closer and closer to finally clicking.

Even then, there's a contrast between the two of them. Blake, while nervous, is ready to take the next step. She's ready to finally say what they've needed to say to each other for ages. Yang, though? She's scared. Scared that she'll mess it up, scared that Blake won't feel the same, scared that she'll fall.

But in the end, even if she's nervous, she knows it's Blake. Her best friend, her partner, her soulmate. And Blake urges her to say it, and it's the push she needs to take that next step.

Part of what makes this scene so special to so many people is that when it comes to fandom and queer shipping, so much of it is implicit. Even for something that is obviously gay, like Madoka Magica, Homura never says that she is romantically in love with Madoka, and the unfortunate reality is that without that, queer relationships are often just written off as bait. Hell, just this last season of anime we were given The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, a show that was commonly called bait even though the main characters makes it clear at several points that she is a lesbian who is attracted to the love interest. If there's no confession, it's bait. If there's no kiss, it's bait. So the fact that today, we were given both? It's so incredibly refreshing, because it is just not something that happens a lot in anime/anime adjacent media, especially not one as widespread as RWBY is, so people who mainly consume that type of art are left scrambling for crumbs, grasping at every glance or touch or smile, sustaining themselves off of fanart and fanfiction. You've got to understand that a lot of queer people--sapphics in particular--just...aren't used to this.

People have been clamoring over these two for a decade now. The hiatus between volumes eight and nine beat our asses, and we've been hyping ourselves up with "Bees kiss, bees kiss, bees kiss" since the trailer for this volume dropped, so to have it? To have it be real, be tangible, be undeniable? It feels good. It feels good to prove the weird ass homophobes who for some reason still watch this show wrong. It feels good to be vindicated. It feels good to be able to feel this joy.

We won, babes. We won. We can celebrate that, we can cherish that, and no one can take that from us.

[musicarenagh]

New World, New Rules: Three Sixes Speak Out Three Sixes is ready to shake up the music scene with their upcoming album, "Call Me The Devil," set to drop on January 29, 2025. But before then their latest single, which is titled"Welcome to the New World Order," promises a raw, unfiltered exploration of our complex modern landscape, blending hard-hitting industrial sounds with symphonic metal's dramatic intensity. The band has always been known for pushing boundaries, and this album is no exception. By collaborating across different musical styles and geographic locations, Damien, Blake, and Kill have created a record that's as provocative as it is powerful. Their approach goes beyond music—they're crafting a statement about global politics, personal struggle, and societal transformation. "Welcome to the New World Order" stands as a visceral commentary on our current moment. The track weaves personal reflection with broader social critique, challenging listeners to look beyond surface-level narratives. With Three Sixes, music isn't just sound—it's a conversation, a challenge, and a mirror reflecting our most uncomfortable truths. Watch “Welcome To The New World Order” https://youtu.be/4ne6_qSD6EQ Follow Three Sixes on Facebook Spotify Youtube Instagram   “Congratulations on "Welcome to the New World Order"! What inspired this song's concept and message? Damien: Thank you. Musically, the foundation was made by Kill and Blake. We were all on the same page as far as a vision went. After they did their parts, they sent it to me. I loved it on the first listen. Once I confirmed the arrangement with them, the chorus just immediately jumped out at me. After we agreed on that, the rest of the lyrics almost wrote themselves. The message came from what has been happening globally and building up for decades up to now. I felt it could be the voice and opinions of not just us as a band, but anyone else who has been following what’s going on, and listens to it today. How does this single fit into your artistic journey and musical evolution? Blake: I think this song in particular brings a musical intensity that sets the tone for the attitude of the album.  It’s a bit faster than anything the band has previously released, and that parallels the increased chaos we’re seeing around the world, as well as the intense feelings we personally have regarding current events.  This album was also a chance for me to contribute to the writing process, which given my musical influences, brings a different dynamic to the songs than what’s been previously released. Damien: It fits perfectly into what Three Sixes has evolved into. This record is another step forward as far as growth goes. I say this because we have generally never really touched on politics or social issues. Subject wise, I was focused in other places. So as this record was being written, all of us had been affected by the terrible economy and we as taxpayers- being treated like shit. It’s an honest view of what the world is seeing right now and it’s not good. Can you elaborate on the themes and symbolism in "Welcome to the New World Order"? Damien: What’s crazy is the guy that did our video is someone who none of us ever met. I found him on Fiverr. He literally lives on the opposite side of the planet from us. The only communication I had with him was online providing the lyrics, audio and logos. He took it from there. As far as the symbolism goes, I think the guy in the suit and skull wears several different faces; being those of death, surveillance and President Biden. I thought the factories with the discharge were good too, touching on the global environmental distress. I also thought the protests shown accurately depict what is happening now across the world, especially in American colleges. The overall theme is real-time, unchecked chaos. I think the symbolism was nailed. Blake: We’ll see how global policies evolve moving forward, but in the last decade especially, we’ve seen insane regulations and restrictions placed on citizens around the world.

  From COVID lockdowns to social media censorship to dystopian policies pushed forward by power-tripped bureaucrats, there are a lot of areas you can point to that have been contaminated by those who devalue freedom.   There are millions of people around the world, including us, who are tired of being conditioned to comply with tyrants.   https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=bcIiNK9zFNA&si=LDr2EFo4pxOIcVQC   What personal experiences or observations fueled the lyrics? Damien: Before I had the music for “Reject Control”, BLM riots were going on across the country. Although I live in Southern California, violent crime and home invasions were still going down near me at that time, just a few miles away. I was warned by several friends that it could be coming and to prepare accordingly. I did. Luckily nothing happened, but it spawned the lyrics for “Reject Control”. Most notably, the first four lines which set the tone for the rest of the song. “Call Me The Devil” was actually a sarcastic song simply to upset PC people because “I Fuck The Dead” (I.F.T.D) didn’t offend people anymore. So I started the tune with the first verse and chorus. Kill and Blake loved it. My only goal was to set snowflakes off on both sides of the aisle because as an Independent, I can do as much. When the guys wanted me to write more, I did. Only to realize I wrote a song about myself, haha! I thought and still think that was pretty funny. They loved this song so much that they wanted it to be the title tune for the record. My ideas were different, but I agreed and I’m glad I did. While I did my best to make it vague and open to interpretation, “Anticipating Death” was written about someone I knew who took their own life. In retrospect, that person was declaring through their own, blatant actions what they were going to do in front of anyone within eyesight and nobody saw it coming until it happened. At that point, it all made sense. I could go further with other tunes if you want, but there’s a few of them. Blake:  To build off Damien, we liked the idea of “Call Me The Devil” for the album title because that theme permeates across the album.  There’s heavy messaging in several of the songs that will likely upset some people, but even outside of our album, there’s the whole cancel culture epidemic. There’s an entire demographic of people who spend their time getting upset at other people for their views, from the left and the right, and people are demonized for whatever view they have.  The album title goes out as a middle finger to anyone, at any level of power, who can’t just have a conversation, but has to resort to name-calling and putting people down. Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Damien: This time around, it was different than others. Kill lives in Florida. Blake and I live about 20 minutes apart in California. Johnny (R.I.P.) lived about an hour from Blake and me in LA. With the exceptions of a few (Call Me The Devil, They and Anti-theist) the rest of the tunes started with Kill writing the riffs and arranging the songs. He’d email them to Blake. Those two would decide what they thought was best and would send them to me. I agreed with all of it. We found a formula and a great groove together. Outside the initial version of “They” all of us agreed on the song structures. Once that happened, I knew where the lyrics were gonna go and wrote them. The entire process was literally a total team effort. I think it shows. https://open.spotify.com/artist/7slJ2Wt7ni1AGHIgmgOMHw Are you exploring new genres or sounds? Blake:  I take influence from many different areas, and for this album I drew a lot of inspiration from Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, SepticFlesh, Psycroptic, Machine Head, and many others, not just in terms of musical attitude, but production and mixing.  These bands have symphonic and hybrid elements that elevate their music to a whole different level of experience, and I wanted to incorporate that into our sound and build off the previous Three Sixes albums.

Kill: I’m always pulling from different styles of music, personally. Sonically, I wish I had more patience to work with different effects and modulation. When it comes down to it, nothing beats simplicity. Damien: Always. It’s a never ending journey and nothing is ever out of bounds. It’s arguably my favorite part about what we do. Will "Welcome to the New World Order" be part of an upcoming album? Damien: Yes. It will be the second of 12 songs from our new record “Call Me The Devil”, to be released on Freethinkers Day, January 29th, 2025. What's next creatively for Three Sixes? Damien: We put everything we had from the last 10 years into this record. Shots were fired and the chamber is cleared, so nothing new in the works at the moment. How do you engage with fans and build community? Damien: We have an emailing list that we use to stay in touch, which we encourage people to sign up for, as well as social media and just going out to see other bands play. Blake: The most effective way to build a community, in my experience, is person-to-person.  Social media posts are great for reaching a large audience, but it’s typically a shallow following built in a very noisy environment, so having personal interaction or direct messaging tends to build stronger connections. Kill: Social media can be useful or a dumpster fire, either at any given time. It can be tedious to constantly engage, but outside of touring and making that impact with new fans, it’s the best way to develop and nurture those connections. What message would you like to share with global listeners? Damien: While we apologize for the long delay in between records, I can promise that it will be worth the wait. I’d also like to say that we brought “The album experience” back. So my suggestion to anyone who listens to our latest “Call Me The Devil” record all the way through for the first time is this- put on a pair of headphones, hit “play” and donate 45 minutes of uninterrupted time for a listen. You won’t be disappointed. Blake:  Put this album in your workout playlist, lol. Kill: First off, thank you for checking us out. We always welcome feedback and conversation regarding our music, or even bands you think we should know about!

[neptunevasilias]

I really should be going to sleep but instead I'm just gonna spitball everything I can remember off the top of my head (edit: this is a lie i did look through a few of the places i've written notes on their characters). I'll probably make a more organized post another time, maybe with some more points too.

First of all, they're both from Argus. They also both underutilize their semblance and avoid making it known. Their semblances are powerful, and also related. They pull in and repel the thing they ahve control over. Water is also a polar molecule, they attract each other. Water can even be repelled by a strong magnet. Their weapons are also similar, having two long forms and a gun form.

What's even more interesting is their differences. I've talked before about the difference in the attention they want. To summarize, Neptune wants the shallow attention that Pyrrha gets (but doesn't get it--he's described as having "about the presence of a chair"), but is averse to the genuine love that she wants from her friends. That's why he turned Weiss down. You can even take all of this a step further and connect it to their semblances. They want to draw people in, but Pyrrha unintentionally keeps people at bay and Neptune did this on purpose to Weiss. Jaune assumes both of them have lots of "other options" for dates to the dance, but they don't. They're also opposite in terms of how much they try to get the attention they want. Pyrrha doesn't try, she wants other people to come to her. Neptune throws himself at everyone he sees.

Their reasons for going to the academies were different, too. Pyrrha had great expectations put on her, likely trained from childhood in combat. She's seen as the model of a hero. Neptune is a coward. His life is ruled by his fear of water. It's implied he was sent to Haven (and Sanctum) specifically because they could help him control his semblance. I'd also wager that he wants to feel like a hero because as he is, he seems rather worthless because he's not a swimmer like the rest of his family, and he considers himself/his semblance dangerous (thinking that he almost killed his brother is what made his fear of water way worse). Although you could also make the point that they're both doing this because their parents want them to.

Meanwhile, they occupy similar spots in the narrative. As I said in the post I linked, Team SSSN is to JNPR as CFVY is to RWBY, and this specifically connects Sun to Jaune and Neptune to Pyrrha. If you are wise, you also know that Pyrrha and Neptune both are trailing behind their blond guy hoping that the effort they put in to their relationship is reciprocated instead of put towards someone or something else (this is repeatedly a problem with Sun. First Blake, then he puts his attention towards CFVY and the Crown case instead of patching things up with his team). Their conversations with Jaune on the roof were right after each other, on the same balcony. Jaune's conversation with Neptune is what makes him resolve to fix things with Pyrrha. Also, Jaune/Pyrrha and Sun/Neptune are both connected to sun and moon imagery.

Pyrrha's absence is sorely felt years later, but Sun takes Neptune's presence for granted. Pyrrha can part the crowd by walking through it and walks with the weight of the world on her shoulders (think about how that shot of her walking to the stairs at the dance looked). Neptune struggles to take up space, sometimes people even forget he's there.

The biggest difference of them all, of course, is that Pyrrha was alone. Neptune had, and has, Sun. We don't have an exact length of time they've known each other, but since Sun named Neptune's weapon ("an extension of ourselves"), we know they've been friends since Sanctum. The irony is that although Neptune is averse to being actually seen, he's had that with Sun the whole time (I'm going to throw in here that during the Neptune twitch stream, he said that he doesn't like to pour his own water and that Sun usually does it for him. This is nowhere near canon, but the sentiment is there). Pyrrha didn't get her partner until months before the end of her life.

There is so much I could say about how Pyrrha and Neptune parallel each other, but the fact that Pyrrha is from a Greek myth and Neptune from a Roman myth is really the cherry on top of it all.

[nexyra]

RWBY Analysis - Ozpin & Ruby, on the concept of leadership

In her song "Burned out", Dodie sings of her fans, how they look up to her and how uneasy that realization made her. For everyone is at the end of the day just as human as their neighbour; and having the hopes and expectations of others put upon you when you're just as lost as them can be a frightening thing. And this... made me think of Ruby & Ozpin.

On the subject of leadership, Ozpin tells Ruby the following : “Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?”

While I love this quote, I also have to analyze the drawbacks of this mentality and how they align with both Ozpin and Ruby. At the time, Ruby is a newly appointed leader and unsure of this reality. Ozpin's counsel give her the confidence needed to step up as a leader and take her duties more seriously, which in return appeases Weiss' and make their team all the more balanced. It is, in that context, good advice. A good leader should strive to lead by example and work hard to be worthy of the respect others give them, both in and outside of battle.

However there is one aspect that I find much more complex and that is... what does it mean to "always perform at your absolute best" and to have others follow you ? Note the use of follow, people letting you lead alone as opposed to "standing by your side" or a similar expression. It showcases in my opinion one of the biggest problem of Ozpin's leadership, but one that I feel has been inadvertently repeated by Ruby's.

- - - - - - - -

To cultivate hope and lies

When it comes to Ozpin's lies, I am of the firm belief that he had good intentions. Soo if you think he's the scorn of this earth, this might be a good time to tap out :D Now, this said I have a lot to say on the subject but I'll keep this short to stay on track (& make another unrelated post to develop my thoughts.)

In my opinion, at the core of his lies stand different beliefs. And on the subject of leadership, I think one stands out in particular and aligns with the advice he gave Ruby : the need to perform at your best to give others a reason to follow you.

Ozpin is the reincarnation of a centuries-old wizard and the headmaster of a school : what is one aspect almost every character agrees on upon meeting him ? "Oh, he's wise. He's knowledgeable. He has the answers. He has his shit together. He can tell us what to do."

Inherently, Ozpin's existence inspires respect and reassure. Just like to a child, a parent is all-knowing and unbreakable, Ozpin's status automatically give others the assumption that he knows what he's doing. And this, in my opinion, is one of the core problems of his leadership.

May it be with his inner circle, with RWBY, with ANYONE really; as soon as Ozpin reveals himself there are unspoken expectations that will chain him. He has the knowledge, he was here when it all began, he's the one calling the shots so he HAS to know exactly what to do. In that situation, breaking down and revealing to everyone how lost Ozpin is, how out of his depth... is unconceivable. And this is where Ozpin's conception of leadership becomes a problem as well. If you always perform "at your best" then you keep your doubts to yourself, you hide your sorrows and you put on a brave face. There are expectations in place that Ozpin wants (needs even) to meet. And thus the hopes of others and Ozpin's desire to fulfill them feed one another, as a perfect recipe for disaster. Because the more time Ozpin spends acting as if everything is under control, the more the expectations pile up... And coming clean about his humanity, the fact that he's just as powerless as the rest of them, becomes impossible.

And in that sense, breaking down the pedestal Ozpin had been put on was probably one of the best thing to do for his own mental health (though the method lacked a bit of compassion in my opinion xD)

The other part that somehow causes problem is how RELIANT on him his inner circle is. Despite their apparent friendship, Ozpin is the clear leader and as soon as he's out of comission, everything falls apart. Ironwood is the only one to call out Oz but in the end still wishes for the wizard to tell him what to do in period of stress. Qrow plays spy and takes order but doesn't seem really interested in stading at Ozpin's side as an equal. Glynda is stern but still defers to him etc...

All of them FOLLOW Ozpin but are just a few steps off from standing at his side. And this is something I see reflected in Ruby.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Following optimism up until it fails you

In Vol6, as secrets and lies are brought to the light, the loss of Hope that Ozpin feared so deeply happens. Is it worth it ? What are we even going to do with an immortal foe ? Maybe we should just go home. In that situation, Ruby is the simple soul who manages to keep her optimism, stand tall and say "No. We are taking the lamp to Atlas." And from then on her position as a leader and a bacon of light is reaffirmed. As Jaune put it in V4 "You gave us the courage to follow you."

Now is that, in itself, a problem ? Of course not. In fact I loved seeing Ruby come into herself and take the lead in Vol6. The problem in truth comes after, from the ramifications. From Vol6 onward, Ozpin has essentially been rid of his leader position and Ruby inherited it. And on a surface level sure, they are pretty different. Ruby is certainly closer to her partners : they're a family and they care about each other.

However, she is still clearly put at the lead. The others relied on Ruby's optimism and resilience to get to Atlas, and continue to do so. Setting foot in Ironwood's office, Blake tells Ruby "We'll follow your lead". They trust her, and whatever Ruby does... goes. They lie to Ironwood and Yang expresses some hesitations but eventually rally to Ruby's decision. And I emphasize this again : it is Ruby's decision. They did not pre-emptively discuss this as a group and then let Ruby be the spoke-person. Yang herself in Vol8 criticizes not their actions but Ruby's choices. Ruby calls the shots, Ruby is responsible for what happens, Ruby is their beacon of hope... Ruby is the new Ozpin.

Ruby has to be optimistic, and make the decisions and take risks because she's the leader. When Ruby leaves the room to break down, conversation & strategy stalls : the others don't take the lead. When things go south, it's Ruby's choices that led them here. Ever since Ruby has left Beacon, the only person who consistently encouraged Ruby to express the BAD, to share the negative has been Oscar. Even her silver eyes ask her to focus on only the happy memories to go off without a hitch ! The others comfort, they smile, they trust, they love even. But they don't want depressed Ruby finally grieving, they don't want honest "I don't know what to do" : they try to bring back confident and optimistic "we're gonna try" Ruby Rose. They want their earnest and happy but ultimately perfect leader that gives them reason to follow. In the end, even if they deeply care for her and have no shortage of warm coated reassurances for the teen, they still chain her down with their expectations. Ruby is NOT built for this. And I don't even say that in the "why is a kid calling the shots" sense, but "why is a kid put in a position where she's RESPONSIBLE for calling the shots ?"

Ruby is the youngest of the group apart from Oscar. The others should not rely on her this much to function. Blake telling Ruby that she looks up to her and that they'll follow her lead is admittedly sweet, but still builds up the pressure weighing her down. Blake calling out for Ruby's help when the teen has just been crashed to the ground by the Hound isn't even sweet anymore. They're all supposed to be equals. Blake is just as capable as Ruby. Calling out to your mind-controlled friend to bring them back from the edge is good. Calling out to your 17-old sister who's been beaten up because you need her to fight isn't.

They need to recognize that Ruby should not hold up the place alone. Because yes, they love her. But at the end of the day, Ruby is still the one bearing the weight of their decisions... Alone, even surrounded.

✦ ✦ BURNED OUT - DODIE ✦ ✦

He was certain; So was I There was comfort in her sighs

Dreams and ideas should not be the same thing You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, she'd want it, if she knew She could take it, I thought too Be careful, be cautious but you just wished harder You waited, smiling for this?

"But they love you!" Over and over, "they love you!" Thousands and thousands of eyes just like mine Aching to find who they are

"Oh, they love you!" Oh, you can feel how they love you ! Coated and warm but that's all they can do Words only get through if they're sharp

Oh, how fitting For one so fake Make me a fairy Whatever it takes

And just like a tale my dream was a scam You waited, smiling for this?

I am burnt out I smell of smoke It seeps through her cracks and so I start to choke Sentences sit in her mouth that are templated You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, maybe I'll talk about it... (maybe I'll talk about it) I can just talk about it... (I can just talk about it) I'll never talk about it... (I'll never talk about it) No, I cannot talk about it...

Don't build hope on something broken I am not cartoon. Cry for help, I am not joking I might just leave soon

[lexi-evans]

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 | 𝙲𝚎𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚡 𝙼𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚍! 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛;𝙵𝚝.𝙳𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢

Pairing: Cedric diggory x fem! Mermaid reader and Harry x Draco and professor's Remus Lupin x professor Sirius Black!

Didn't really plan on making it this long but—

CEDRIC LIVES! (I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE A FIC THIS LONG!! WHAAAT? —also please like and reblog🥺 I worked really hard on this fic) ❤💛💙💚

“But—professor if you already knew about then why call me, now? Why not before?” You asked, patting the fawkes on his head, gently. As it sat on your lap. Professor Dumbledore peered at you with his half moon glasses.

“Because we need you're help—now” You were surprised when he said, why in the world anyone would need you're help? “I'm sorry—professor, I don't quite understand, what you're saying”

Professor McGonagall entered the room and sat by the nearest couch.“No one knows the black lake better than you do, Y/N. That's why we need you're help” Professor McGonagall said.

“what is this about professor?” you asked, curiously. None of this make sense at all. “The second task, Y/N. It's in the Blake lake. We're going to take who is more important to our champion's and put them under the Blake lake, with a very powerful incantation. And the champions has to rescue them before 1 hour passes” professor McGonagall explained, you carefully listened to everyword she spoke.

“Wait—what? Er,you mean the task is in the black lake!?” she nodded her head, you shook you're head violently. “No—professor! This is a bad idea! If anything happens—then everything will go wrong, I can't—I'm so sorry, professor”

“Y/N, I believe you made a few friends in the black lake?” you nodded, “only a few—you have no idea what kind creatures lies in those water, professor. You're risking lives!!!” you said, you're patience wearing thin.

“I know—I know, you know the underworld better and this is where we need you're help, alright. You're job is to look after the champions, just making sure they don't get any injured—you're not allowed to help them but only make sure they make it out, alive”

“Make it out, Alive?” you sighed, heavily. You don't want anyone to get hurt, Not Harry, Not cedric, No one! “Alright, I'll do it—it's not like I don't want them to get hurt—I'll do everything in will, to protect them” with a heavy heart you agreed, at least for the sake of Harry.

Ever since his name came out of the goblet, he isn't himself. His boyfriend, Draco is doing his best to cheer him up. You felt the urge to protect the kid, from anything. He, of course is like a little brother to you.

“well, that's settled then” clapped professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall stood up from her seat, gesturing you to come along with her. “professor, you do realize what you're doing is not okay, right?” You asked, as both of you exited dumbledore's room.

“I know, Y/N. It's not in my hands to stop, now isn't it?—don't give it a much thought,alright? You'll be fine, don't worry”she said, giving you one last hug before leaving you alone.

Sighing you skipped down the Hallway, when you heard familiar laughs coming from the classroom. You turned around and decided to go in. “No—Sirius! Stop!! I can't brea—Ah, Y/N.” remus said, Sirius stopped tickling him.

“Hi, Y/N.Out for a walk, eh?” Sirius asked, settling down on the chair next to remus. “No, professor—I just talked with professor McGonagall and professor Dumbledore” they looked at each other, before looking at you with a confused face. “About the second task” their faces turned serious when you mentioned the task. You took a seat on one of the benches, Sirius looked at you intently. “Did Harry figured out about the egg, professor?”

“No, Y/N. He still didn't, says it makes a horrible noise whenever he opens it” Remus said. “The Blake lake” you glanced at both of them. “The second task”.sirius looked frightened, scared for his godson. Remus had a horrified look on his face. “That's what they said—I was planning on telling, Harry but since he hasn't figured out about the egg. I'm not going to—”

“It's okay, Y/N. There's nothing we can do, can we?” Said, Sirius. You shook you're head in pity. “what were they even thinking, Remus? They're going to kill these children with these kind of dangerous tasks”

“but—what does have anything to do with you, Y/N”

“You'll see professor, it's not for me to tell you—but you'll see. Please not worry, I'll do everything—anything to protect him. I give you my word” you were not kidding, when you said that. In fact, you meant every word in that.

You stood up, wanting time for you're own thoughts, “I'll take my leave, professor's and please don't tell anyone about this” they nodded slowly. You went outside.

Straight to the Blake lake, you stared at the water, intensely. Slowly loosening the tie around you're neck, you took of you're robes and jumped in the lake. In blink of eye, you're tail appeared with a huge splash, you dove in.

“Moony, I'm so scared—what if? What if something happens to him in the lake? It's too dangerous, Remus”

“I know, Love. But we can't do anything— remember what Y/N said, this has to do something with her. Trust me, she's an amazing witch I've seen—she gave us her word, I can see she meant it” Remus spoke softly, taking in sirius hand slowly rubbing it gently on his tender skin. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I just hope you're right, moony”

“But—I'm always right!?”

»»——⍟——««

The following week went by, swiftly. You became close with the members. Especially Cedric. At first you just thought he was a show off because of his fanclub but he was genuinely nice.

Fleur... Well, she's great. Such a sweet person. Sometimes you get confused when she speak but she's cool.

Krum.. Well, you only managed to speak with him few times and... Yeah, he's not much of a talker.

Harry, you adore this kid. You knew him since first year, he's you're friend and obviously Draco too. They're such a cute couple, you absolutely love of those kids.

“Hey, Harry! Draco” You sat next to them, Harry smiled at you gracefully. “Hey, Y/N, morning” said, Draco. Despite, the fact that he's a Slytherin. Ever since Harry and him started dating, Draco spent most of the time with you guys.

“so, Harry. Did you figured out about the egg, yet?” He nodded.

“I did, Cedric gave me a clue though —wouldn't have done it without him” Harry spoke quietly. You remembered the night, the little adventure you guys did, or so it seemed like, in the prefects bathroom.

“Come on, Ced!” You giggled, dragging cedric with you towards the prefects bathroom. You're footsteps echoed through the wide hall. “Y/N!! Slow down!” He laughed at you're excitement. “Oh, My snail walks faster than you” the moon was shining, bright. You felt wide awake just as the moon itself.

You said as you both came across the statue of Boris the Bewildered. You stood by the door and whispered the password “pine fresh”

The door creak sound echoed, meaning the door opened. Pushing the door, you ushered cedric to move along.

It was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor.

About a hundred golden taps stood all around the pool’s edges, each with a differ- ently colored jewel set into its handle. There was also a diving board. Long white linen curtains hung at the windows.

A large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a single golden framed painting on the wall. It featured a blonde mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face. It fluttered every time she snored.

“Y/N, what are we doing here? I'm a prefect, myself. You know I can report you, right?” he said, teasingly. You rolled you're eyes, playfully. “Not if I told you, I know how to figure out the egg, right? ” his eyes widened.

“go ahead, ced—report me” you grinned, devilishly. “no, you don't!” you looked at him, dead in the eye and said “Try me” before walking towards the pool and slowly took off the shirt, exposing the skin underneath.

“Y/N—you do realize I'm right here, right?” Cedric blushing madly. You stood there, in your bra and shorts on. Giving him a 'really?' Look. “I'm aware” you said, bending slightly pulling your shorts down slowly.

Cedric stood there awkwardly, looking at everywhere but you. You turned around placing your hands on you're hips. “You're not really planning on taking a bath with clothes on or, Are you?”

He shook his head, with his cheeks dusted with crimson colour. Without any further a do, you jumped into then pool and splashed water on him. “Hey!” He scowled lightly. “hEy” you said in mocking tone.

“Haha—very funny, Y/N” he said, you're getting impatient “don't just stand there,you daft–bimbo! Get in” he rolled his eyes before started taking of clothes his own. You swam around, making sure you didn't make such a mess.

You're hair slowly, turning into (F/C) color. As you're tail slowly, came into the view, “if you do—Y/N!! You—what?” you giggled softly, turning around to face him. You're skin,looked little paler than before.

You batted you're eyelashes playfully at him, looking at his shocked face with you're (F/C) eyes. “Like what you see, cedric?” you said, teasingly smiling at him sheepishly. The whole school is going to see you in you're mermaid form when the task day comes.

His gaze still lingered on you're lower body. You stretched out your hand, asking him to take it. When he touched it, you pulled him into the water. Laughing hysterically. “Gotcha”

He got up, and glared at you. Whistle you were still laughing at his face. “You better stop laughing, L/N” he said, watching you laugh at him. “Or what you gonna do?” you asked moving a little bit closer than you guys were already there.

“You might not it, L/N” He only called you, L/N when he's being serious. You, however find it very hot. He was only a few inches away from you. His few drops were dripping from his hair, “Oh, I think I might”

His eyes flickered down to you're lips and then your eyes. with any warning, he smashed his lips against yours, you immediately kissed him back, wrapping you're arms around his neck, smiling into the kiss.

You are absolutely smitten for this boy, it's been only few days but you felt like you know him from years. You're relationship with him.. Is magical.

“didn't think that would happen” He spoke breaking the kiss, as both of you ran out if breath. “did you?” you grinned, kissing him,again. After you're make out session.

“you were born with this?” He asked, you nodded shrugging. “A half—mermaid” You laughed a little playing with the bubbles. “I was born this way, I can change my appearance, at will”

“Kind of, messed up, isn't it?” You asked, blowing the bubbles. He shook his head, “I think you're pretty amazing and you're beautiful no matter what you are—human or—mermaid”

You faced him “Really?” Looked at him shocked. All you're life, you thought you were just—

“yes, you shouldn't talk about yourself like that Y/N—” He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, you rested on him. “It isn't always our choices, for everything we got. I love you and you also should love yourself” he placed a kiss on your temples.

You never felt so safe and this secured before. Does he truly care about you?

“So, how does this work?” He asked, holding the egg in his hands. “put it under the water” He did what you said, luckily this time it didn't scream. “Now wh—” you pushed his head under the water, along with you.

“Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you’re searching ponder this:

We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss,

An hour long you’ll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour — the prospect’s black,

Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back.”

You laughed as cedric took deep breaths. Then he turned to you “what does that supposed to mean?”

“Am I going crazy or —is Diggory seriously staring at our Y/N?” Draco asked, narrowing his eyes over the Hufflepuff.

Hermione who also noticed the famous Hufflepuff staring at you, laughed. Ron just rolled his eyes, went back to eating his food. You were too busy talking with Harry, you didn't notice.

Draco knows what you guys were talking about so he didn't bother asking, he trusts you. Were like his big sister, for both of them. These two were also very overprotective for you. Says they don't want to get you, heartbroken.

“Y/N!! I keep telling Draco—I don't dance and he says He'll teach me!” said, Harry Irritatedly. You laughed. “I will teach you!!!”

“No!!!” Harry dramatically whines. You glanced at hermione who's biting her lip to control her laughter, once you're eyes met both of you burst into laughter. “come on, Harry—I mean how bad could you be at dancing,hm?”

“You have no idea, Y/N. Last night , we practiced the dance together because he wants to impress our little ferret here. In conclusion, he suck at dancing” Ron exclaimed, following with a heavy sigh.

Draco pouted looking at Harry, omg he's so cute. “For me? Pretty please?”

“Stop! No not those eyes—draco!! Fine” Harry reluctantly, agreed. Who can say no this little cutie here, eh? The lot of you, continued eating, talking and lots of giggles from you, Hermione and Draco, though.

“Okay, alright—Let's talk about Y/N, here” Draco hushed them all, you laughed a little“what about me, dray?” you asked, confused. “Any reason, why diggory can't take his eyes of you?”

“what are you talking about, Draco—I don't, I don't understand?” you said, dryly.

“professor—you don't understand! If cedric really cares about me, then—I—how am I supposed watch over the others?” You panicked, looking at professor McGonagall. “I shall talk to professor Dumbledore about this situation, Y/N—don't worry”

“what about cho? She's close to him. She's his best friend!”

»»——⍟——««

The yule ball came, quickly. Cedric asked you to the ball which you gladly said yes, for. The night took it's toll. Professor McGonagall and professor sprout were standing behind you as you stood in front of the mirror. Looking at you're reflection.

“professor i—don't think I can do this!” you said, nervously. “Nonsense dear, you look amazing” professor sprout said, professor Lupin came into the room. “Professor McGonagall they—need you in the great hall”

Professor McGonagall nodded before leaving, you were standing in her room for Merlin's sake.she always looked after, as if you're her own but you never understood why? Nevertheless you were glad to have her. You were grown, alone. Having her always made you feel,happier. Professor sirius I mean black—peeked into the room. “Oh my—Y/N you look splendid!”

“Really?”

“Yes, Y/N—”

“professor McGonagall chose this dress, for me”

“Minnie, did a great job then!” Remus smacked sirius head, you giggled at you're professor's. You were always close to almost every teacher, except snape. You never understood why he's always so cold?

“The real talk is about you professor's!” you said, grinning. “You two look wonderful, rather very charming” You said, teasingly. Remus let out a laugh. Sirius flipped his hair “You can say it, Y/N—you're astronomy teacher looks better than DADA teacher”

“Enough! With the chitchat! Time for the ball, Let's go” said, professor sprout. “chop chop” The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o’clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open.

Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. You slowly made you're way towards the stairs. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself.

“well, don't you look—magnificent” you heard a familiar voice behind you, smiling you turned around. “Thank you, Freddie” he smiled along with his twin. “Seriously, Y/N. You look amazing—now I regret not asking you to the ball” said, George.

You giggled, “You alright?” Fred asked you, you looked at him, nodding. “Just..... Nervous” They smiled, softly. “There's no need to be—Diggory's got the most amazing girl” Fred kissed you're forehead.

“come on, we'll escort you to you're date” George offered his hand. You neatly tucked in you're arms linking with both of them, Fred to your right and George to you're left.

At the entrance of the hall, you found cedric standing nervously. Beside of Draco and Harry who couldn't wipe the grins of their faces. You have to admit it—they're such a cute couple.

Harry nudged the older's side, cedric finally lifted his head up. And his eyes met yours. His jaw almost dropped at how beautiful—gorgeous you looked. Harry and Draco smiled greatly at their friend. You we're striking down with the twins elegantly,arms linked with yours. He swore he never seen someone so breath-taking.

Carefully, step by step the twins helped you walk down because it's a little bit hard walking with such a pretty dress and heels. And they led you to Cedric “Hi” You said, anxiously. “Hey... —you look angelic”

“And you better take good care of this Angel, mate” Fred slowly pulled away his arm. Angelina came towards Fred smiling happily. “Don't want any broken bones now, do we?” George winked, as they head off.

“Mischievous one's, aren't they” He laughed, you turned to Harry who was smiling at something Draco said. “Harry!” You hugged him,“Hey Y/N” He hugged you back. “My little prince Charming is looking good in his suite” you ruffled his hair.

“I'm here too, you know” Draco rolled his eyes, it's clear he's jealous. “Aww, c'mere” You hugged him, softly pecked his cheek. “you're so cute, when you're jealous did you know that? No wonder Harry likes you so much” you pinched his cheeks. “Are you boys, ready? I wanna see my favorite couple rocking the floor” you said, feeling more confident than you did before you got here.

Cedric laughed, as if you said something silly. “well we d—” Professor McGonagall’s voice called, “Champions over here, please!” “I'm so not ready—let's do this” said, Draco. You giggled softly.

Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat, told you guys to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside.

they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. The doors were closed. “Ced—Cedric stop! Stop staring at me like that” you said, blushing. He smiled, like he's achieved something great. But he was genuinely liked you for real.

“You look marvelous, did you know that?”

“Oh my god” you covered you're crimson face, with your hands. “do I have to dance?” whined, Harry. Draco rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “come on, Harry! You'll be fine! Just look at me, only!”

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the all of you to get in line in pairs and to follow her. You've done what you've been told and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as all of you entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling.

The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

The light music echoed, alarming it's time for dance. Cedric gently placed his hand on your small waist, taking your hand in his. In the corner of your eye, you saw Harry and Draco who were grinning like idiots.

“I like this” you said, staring into his eyes. “I like being with you” you said, making it a little bit clearer. His face soften at you're words. “Thank you”

“For what?”

“For making me feel this way” you said, placing your head on his chest, listening his heart beat as you guys continued dancing slowly. “it's too early, I know—but I love you” said, Cedric as his grip tightened. You lifted you're head looking at him, shooked. More people joined the dance.

“you mean that?” He nodded, “I know it might seem like a joke—but I'm being serious” He said, sincerely. You waited for him to say ‘I'm kidding’ or ‘sike’ but nothing came.

You pulled away you're arms, quickly wrapped them around him, pulling him into a tight hug as if you're life depends on it. “don't leave me”

“I'm not planning on it, darling”

Both of you continued dancing for the next few minutes, till you saw professor Lupin and Professor black sitting on one of the chairs. “I'll be back” you said, hurrying over to the couple.

“Hello, Y/N—having fun?” Remus asked, generously. You nodded “Clearly, you're not! Come on professor” You extended you're hand. “professor black!” you gestured towards the dance floor. Sirius took you're right hand, and stood up.

“Don't be a part pooper,Remus! Get up” said, sirius. You laughed “Don't want to keep you're boyfriend hanging professor, come on—look even Harry's dancing!” Remus finally gave in and stood up.

You led both of them, next to Harry and Draco. “You better not step on my toes, black” threatened, Remus. Sirius chuckled. “Since when did I ever step on you're toes, moony”

Remus rolled his eyes at his boyfriend, playfully. “I see what you did here” Cedric whispered in you're ear, you shrieked. Slapped on his chest, lightly.

“C'mon, Love!” He dragged you away from the couple so they could have some privacy. On you're way you saw Dean and seamus. Dean looked so done with his Boyfriend.

Seamus caught your eye and waved, Dean then followed his eye and quickly waved when he saw you, you waved back smiling. “Having fun?”

“Not much fun but since I'm with him, you know I can say a little bit fun” said, Dean boringly.

You leaned forward and so only they could hear“I overheard professor Dumbledore talking about the weird sister's performance here, now. Get ready, shit's about get wild”

Seamus cheered loudly but dean shushed him off. You winked at them, walked away with Cedric. “we'll sit down for a bit! I know you want to dance for weird sisters music”

You grinned, he's just caring for you. The two of you talked for a while until Dumbledore stood up

and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments.

“C'mon ced! Let's go!! It's the weird sister's!!” you clearly forgot you're wearing heels and decided it was the great idea to run and almost fell, Cedric was quick enough to catch you just in time. “Easy there, love”

The crowd danced wildly, you laughed loudly as you're hair dances behind you. Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime.

He was so dwarfed by her that the top of his pointed hat barely tickled her chin; however, she moved very gracefully for a woman so large. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg.

“HEY Y/N!!!” Harry yelled, getting a glimpse of you dancing in the crowd with Cedric by you're side. “ALRIGHT THERE, 'ARRY?”

“I THINK DRACO IS GONE MENTAL”

“IT'S JUST THE MUSIC!! LET IT FLOW!!”

The Weird Sisters stopped playing, applause filled the hall once More. And another song, started playing but this time it's faster. You came across Fred and Angelina, who were dancing so exhuberantly that people around them were backing away in fear of injury.

You pulled Cedric by his tie so he can leaned down “like I said Shit's gone wild” You yelled in his ear, causing him to grin. “Of course”

By the time songs ended, you were exhausted. Cedric noticed this and slowly led you out of the crowd so you can have some breath. You're face turned red and sweaty from all the dancing. “well, that was fun” Said, Draco from behind.

You noticed the couple walking towards the chairs beside you. “I wish this night was longer” you breathed, Cedric looked at you confused “why?”

»»——⍟——««

Before you know it, the day finally came. The second task is today. The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all Leaving the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double oak doors to watch the second task.

All the students made their way to the Blake lake, as awaits the boats to take them to the stands. Almost everyone left, You walked with Harry by your side. “Alright there, Harry?” he nodded. “You?” you shook you're head. Sirius had his arm on Harry's shoulder and Remus was walking along side with him.

“All my life I only hid my secret... Away from this world. And now—I just. Don't know” He nodded understanding. The night on the yule ball day you told Harry and Draco about what's going to happen.

“I hope Draco is alright, can't find mione either” Harry says, disappointed. “They were held as hostages, Harry. Last night I went in there, to look—took permission from professor Dumbledore”You said, kicking the small pebble. Remus and Sirius looked at you with widened eyes.

The four of you reached the dock, Harry, Remus and Sirius got inside. Remus extend his hand for you to take and get in. You shook you're head, while laughing.

“She doesn't need a boat, Remus” said, Harry smiling. You winked at him. “You guys go ahead” They nodded, paddling the boat. You watched them go a little bit furthermore.

Sighing you took off you're clothes and started sprinting down the dock, then jumped into the cold water.

“Miss Y/L/N? Miss Y/L/N? Are you here?” professor Dumbledore called out, no one responded. The students looked quite confused why professor Dumbledore is looking for you. Cedric eyes searched around, but couldn't find you.

Suddenly, you're head popped up from the water. Professor Dumbledore let out a relief sigh. As students gasped. “can't get rid of me that easily, professor” He laughed. To others you looked like a complete different person but with same face.

Lugo bagman stood up pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, “Sonorus!” and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.

“Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One . . . two . . three!”

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake.

You waited patiently for professor dumbledore to give the signal. You were used to this cold temperature but you don't know long they can be in their. “Miss Y/L/N, here is going to look after our beloved champion's since she knows the underworld better and has known for year's—I must warn you, better not make any remarks about Miss Y/L/N or—we'll be have to make sure, none of you does it, again”

“Wicked” said, the twins at the same time. “GO! Y/N!” Cheered Ron, loudly among the students. You waved at him. He grinned

“Miss Y/L/N—it's time”

“wait! —” said professor black. Sirius walked over to the edge of the stand and leaned forward you swam a little bit further so he could speak with you.

“Please, look after my godson Y/N. I'm counting on you” he said desperately. “Please not worry, professor. I'll protect him no matter what—I promise”

You turned around and dove in, making you're tail splash huge mount of water.

You swam as fast as you could—there's no sign of anyone. You came across forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones.

You swam deeper, hoping you could find any of the champions. Then you caught a glimpse of Harry, He got his wand out of pocket and used a spell on the grindylow.

You sighed in relief but immediately panicked when you saw more grindylow's surrounding Harry. You swam, faster and then you hit few of them with you're tail. Then used you're hands to make bubble boost making knocking them unconscious.

“Harry!” you hugged him, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” you're eyes scanned him for injuries. He has few scratches on his legs, “Y/N! Please I'm fine” He said, swimming away. You watched him leave, well at least he must've known what he's doing.

You turned around and swam further searching for other champions, your hair flowing behind you. The deeper you went the more eerily the surroundings got. Some things wrong, you can feel it.

You were about to turn around until you heard something coming from the deep, dark green weeds. You know it's dangerous, even for you. But you went in. What if someone got stuck?

You're eyes widened, it's fleur she's got struck in between the weeds and few grindylow's were attacking her. You kicked away few of them but many more are coming. You have to get her out of here. You used bubble blast, again but there's too many of them.

You managed to get them off Fleur, she's crying in pain you can tell. The problem in being water is—no one can understand you're pain, you can't feel the tears. You made a huge wave, and sending it straight towards them.

Knocking them off, “Fleur? Fleur!” you called out but she doesn't seem alright. You held her tightly and swam towards the stands very fastly. It hurts a little bit, putting too much pressure but you didn't care.

All you cared is about saving her. The crowd waited anxiously for someone to arrive, You're head hit the surface.You swam toward the deck “Professor!!!” you called out for help. Professor McGonagall who is closer to the deck, came in to give a hand. Madam maxime gasped “Fleur!” she looked horrified.

“She's unconscious! Help her—I have to go back” You quickly spoke to Professor Dumbledore, beside stood professor Lupin and professor black worriedly.

You know the exact location where the hostages were held, you're sure the champions must've found them by now.

When you got there, Harry was surrounded by the merpeople, a spike was held near neck as he was floating near Hermione. You angrily swam, towards them. “Get back!!!”

Of course they know you, you came in here more than twice, every week. You went in front of Harry, protectively helding him back.

“You take your own hostage,” one of them said to him. “Leave the others . . .”

“No way!” said Harry furiously — but only two large bubbles came out.

“Your task is to retrieve your own friend . . . leave the others . . .”

Harry shook his head, furiously. “Harry! Take Draco and leave—she's krums hostage” you said, calmly. “please”

He sighed in defeat. You turned around when you saw Cedric swimming towards you. He pointed towards the watch, the time is almost finished. He cut cho free.

“Is krum coming?” you asked, he nodded. “Go” He swam away, with cho in his arms. Even though you know she's his friend you can't help but feel jealous a little bit but you trust him.

a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark. . . . It was Krum. He appeared to have transfigured himself — but badly.

The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes; the trouble was that Krum’s new teeth were positioned very awkwardly for biting anything smaller than a dolphin, and Harry was quite sure that if Krum wasn’t careful, he was going to rip Hermione in half.

Darting forward, Harry hit Krum hard on the shoulder and held up the jagged stone. Krum seized it and began to cut Hermione free. Within seconds, he had done it; he grabbed Hermione around the waist, and without a backward glance, began to rise rapidly with her toward the surface.

You smiled proudly at Harry's actions. He could've just taken Draco and leave but he wanted to make sure his friends were alright.

He turned to you. “Fleur didn't make it, Harry” you said, worriedly. Her sister... If Fleur didn't rescue her and then—she's gone?

His eyes widened, Harry tried to speak but only bubbles came out his mouth. “if we don't rescue her now and then she's lost to us”

He looked around, the merpeople isn't anywhere near you two. “I'll take care of them, you go” he nodded in agreement. Harry darted forward and began to hack at the ropes binding the small girl to the statue, and at last she was free.

He seized the little girl around the waist, grabbed the neck of draco's robes, and kicked off from the bottom.

You were too busy, dealing with the merpeople you didn't notice some of them slipping past and went towards Harry. “Argh!” you winced when the spear peered you're skin on lightly.

Over the surface;on the stands Cedric was facing back and forth. The time is almost over and Both Harry and you didn't return. He knows something gone wrong. “I'm going in” said, Cedric removing the towel that was wrapped around his muscled body.

“Mr.Diggory—it's against the rules, you're not allowed to go in” Cedric let out a frustrated growl.

No matter how many you fought, it seems they keep coming. Finally, you looked at Harry. His flippers were gone, he was struggling to swim with Draco and Fleur's sister.

Harry no longer can breathe oxygen, with all the strength left he pushed Draco and Fleur's sister towards the surface. The merpeople surrounded him. “Harry!!” You kicked away, the merman and swam towards him quickly. You glanced at the surface, Draco and Fleur's sister are safe. Draco helped Gabrielle swim towards the stands.

You caught him, but suddenly, a grindylow came out of nowhere and gripped on you're tail. You yelped. Using the strength left in you're hands, you blasted away the grindylow. You guys were few feet away from the surface.

You pushed Harry towards the surface and then sent a wave with you're tail causing him to break into the surface. You felt enormously relieved.

Harry breathed heavily as he reached the surface. He swam towards the stands. And was immediately wrapped up in towel. “Oh, Harry! Finally!” Draco kissed his head, hugging him tightly.

Cedric made his way to Harry. “Ha—Harry where's Y/N?” He asked, worriedly. “she's—still inside, i—” He was cut off when Sirius walked over and hugged him tightly. “she saved me” he finished taking in deep breathes. Everyone looked at the water worriedly.

You got away and popped up into the surface, right in front of the docks. Professor Lupin helped you get up on the stands, you were still in you're mermaid form. You breathed heavily, you laid on the deck. Cedric walked over to you, taking you in his arms protectively. He wrapped his towel around you.

You're eyes shot up, “Harry!” you searched around, he over to you with Draco by his side. “I'm here, Y/N” He smiled, “thank god” you breathed out. “No, thanks to you” said, Draco gracefully.

You laughed, leaning back onto Cedric's chest. He placed a kiss on your temple. “You got me so worried, Y/N” you smiled. “I couldn't be more thankful to you Y/N, for what you did! I owe you” Draco hugged you.

You stretched out you're left arm, motioning Harry to hug you. He smiled, and joined you three. “Thank you, Y/N” Draco said, again. You just saved his life (his and his life? Harry is his life so his life, I say).

He pecked you're cheek, just like you do for him. You didn't stand up, because of you're tail. And you don't want to shift back because.... You're clothes?

Harry pecked your other cheek, causing you to giggle. The others seemed to be in aww at you're interactions with the boys. Fleur walked over to you guys. “You saved me, thank you, Y/N. Harry thank you for saving my sister even though she's not yours”

“well, I have loads of help” he said turning to you. You giggled hugging him, Draco smiled widely. “And you—you helped her” she said turning to Draco, he might have helped her sister swim “Ah, yes a little bit” she kissed his forehead “thank you” she left went back to her sister.

Draco turned to you guys with a weird expression“didn't expect that”.

“I could never thank you enough for what you did today, Y/N. No matter how many times I say it, it wouldn't be enough” said, Sirius seriously.

“thank you for keeping you're promise, Y/N” said Remus sincerely. Harry looked shocked “You promised them? To keep me, safe?” you nodded. “I didn't save you just because I promised them, Harry. I saved you because you're my friend—a brother—a family—I love all of you” you said looking at Cedric, Harry, Draco, Hermione, and ron who stood by her side then Sirius and Remus. You smiled widely.

“A hug?” you asked, sheepishly knowing you'll be crushed the next second. Every one hugged you. You felt tears glistening in your eyes. You may not have grown up with love and affection in you're life before you got into hogwarts.

But you never felt so loved before. “come on, Y/N. Let's get you dressed” said, Cedric and tried to pick you up, but you slipped out, “Nah-huh I'll meet you at the land” you said, jumping in the water purposely splashing water on everyone.

“Y/N!!!!”

“IT'S SO COLD!! HARRY I'M SO COLD”you heard draco's voice, saying dramatically. “I only think you're hot, draco” “THIS IS NOT TIME FOR FLIRTING!”

»»——⍟——««

Few years later;

“I can't believe this is happening” you said, trying so hard not to cry. It's you're graduation and now you know it's time to say goodbye to the place you called home for years.

“Yeah,I'm gonna miss this place” Said, Cedric looking at the fountain in the courtyard. “I'm gonna miss everyone” you said, as a tear fell from your eyes. “me too—gonna miss the adventures that and competition's which nearly killed us” He wrapped his arm around you.

“Remember how we met? I was assigned to watch over you guys” you said, recalling the memory. “I do”

“and I'll never forget it”

“So, now what do we do?”

“I'll be in training to become an Auror”

“I know” “I love you” “I love you too”

“Y/N!! Y/N!!!” you looked up and saw Harry and Draco running towards you. You smiled at them, over the years they've grown up so much.

You still remember the greesy haired Draco and messy raven Harry like it was yesterday. “Hey boys” you said, blinking off the tears. “we know it's you're last day at hogwarts” said Harry hiding something behind him.

“So—we got you a present” beamed Draco. “Aww, you know you guys don't have to” you smiled at the younger. “don't be so nice, Y/N—you're gonna love it”

He showed you the present—“is that a pygmy puff?” you gasped, “oh my god, it's so cute” you squealed. “yep, got one from the joke shop—Fred and george gave us this for free” said Harry

“when we said it was a gift for you, of course” Draco laughed. You took the small pink fluff ball into you're hands, you almost melted at how soft it was.

You handed the pygmy puff to Cedric, he gently held it in his palms, it looked so small in his hands🥺 You hugged Harry and Draco tightly.

You'll miss these boys, the most. “I'll miss you two, so much” you said, through tears. “us too, Y/N—don't worry! We'll graduate before you know it and then visit you whenever we want” beamed Harry.

You laughed, “Of course! Anytime you want, doesn't matter” Draco bought up his sleeve and wiped off you're tears.

“We'll see you soon, Y/N”

»»——⍟——««

“NO! WE'RE GOING TO MY USE MY LAST NAME!”

“NO!! WE'RE GOING USE MY LAST NAME”

“WHat is going on?” you heard familiar voices, turning around stood there Fred, george and Your husband, Cedric in their suits. You let out a frustrated sigh. “They're arguing over who's last name they're going to use”

“Are you kidding? The wedding's in 5 minutes” said, Cedric checking his watch.

“Now they're arguing??” Asked, Fred who looked so done with the engaged couple.

Hermione groaned loudly, “Come on guys, let's go it's time”

You laughed at them, none of them really changed. Same kids from school, it's a good thing though.

❃.✮:▹ The end ◃:✮.❃

BONUS:

I was watching the IT movie,again the other day. It's horror film written by Stephen King and it couldn't help but— (I saw this one in Pinterest and I don't know what—but)

Anygays, I hope you guys enjoyed this fic and also thank you guys so much for 200+ likes for my “𝚈𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎| 𝙳𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢 𝚡 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛! 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛” Fic and like I promised here, Cedric's fic.

[reidscanehand]

What about a director's commentary on "The One Where Everyone Finds Out"?? I mean like... how did you come up with the idea?? How did you decide which BAU member's perspective to put first and which one on second place and so on until the end? Just general thoughts on how the story came to be...

Thank you so much for asking and absolutely I can answer this! My (very long) full answer is below the cut!

Feel free to ask me for a Director's Commentary on any of my works or send me a ⭐ and I'll talk about something I've written that I've always wanted to talk about!

I actually came up with the idea because the Friends reunion was coming up and I was rewatching it on my nights off at grad school. The arc/trope that they used to portray the Monica and Chandler relationship was that Monica and Chandler knew about their relationship and no one else did. It's a really commonly used trope, actually, but I thought about potentially turning the trope on its head a little bit? Like, what if everyone else knew and the two people at the center of the relationship didn't know? And then, of course, it becomes super meta because the people reading the story know before the characters in the story.

It was also my 1k Celebration and I didn't know what to do and I knew writing from all the different perspectives and taking apart and restructuring a story would require a lot of work and effort on my part. I'm always looking to challenge myself because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I never feel like I can stop moving.

When it came to structuring the story: I'm a massive Pride and Prejudice fan and, ever so occasionally, I'll get a lot of really cool messages and asks and opportunities to discuss it on here. My favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice is:

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It was too long ago. I was in the middle of loving you before I knew I had begun.”

I felt like that was a really good jumping-off point for Spencer and Reader's relationship. I knew I wanted to use moments from Season 8 because it's got some A+ Reid moments that I knew I could rewrite and restructure. I'd also get to include Alex Blake, whom I adore and who, in my humble opinion, doesn't get included in the fandom enough. Plus I knew that moving the Maeve storyline back a season that trauma would give Reid a reason to be (even more so) isolated from the rest of the team.

When Reid goes through a trauma (a regularly occurring event), the team treats him with kid gloves, like they're scared he's going to fall apart. By adding someone that knew the trauma, but was getting to know and understand Reid, I could create a love story around that. The Reader insert character totally knows what's happening with Reid and doesn't push him, but also recognizes how incredibly isolating it can be. By giving Reid a new support system and playing upon some really genuine and sweet moments from Season 8, I felt like it was a very full and honest love story.

In terms of how everyone found out: I structured the story around season 8 moments, inventing a few cases (I think there's, like, three or four), and created the Pride and Prejudice play because I liked the quote and could use it in a really literal way. Hotch was always going to find out first because I think he's the best overall profiler, plus, I knew he wouldn't tell anybody. I wanted Penelope to be the second one to find out because it would get the ball rolling on the others finding out (because she would immediately tell Derek, as she does in the story), but I also really like the concept of her being privy to an almost domestic side of the burgeoning relationship. Everyone else gets to observe Reid and Reader in the field, but Penelope only gets to see them in the office. I liked Derek being told and then almost reverse-engineering it and investigating the relationship, not wanting to push it, but searching for evidence and when he finds it he's, like, quietly proud. Because I love Alex so much, she was the Reader's way into the story. The Reader is her star linguist protege and I wanted to include James, too! There was a fantastic commercial a few years ago for some facetiming app where a girl was prepping for a date and called her dad because she burned dinner and he teased her about her date just as he was arriving and that was the energy I wanted for Alex's finding out moment. I knew JJ would be the most skeptical and the way to get her to warm to the idea would be through Henry. And then Rossi's story was where I knew I could bring in some comedy. He does essentially the same thing as Derek, but Rossi's is funny, whereas I think Derek's is more heartwarming.

I went back and forth for ages on whether I would write Y/N's finding out first or Spencer's, but then I decided to split it. I retold the story that everyone knew from Spencer's point of view first and then I wrote the bits in between the stories, some things that were mentioned (for instance, the conversation that prompted Reader to use tea tree oil as hand sanitizer from Penelope's story or the moment after they wake up when she falls asleep on Spencer's shoulder on the plane which is mentioned in Hotch's and JJ's stories) and then some things that weren't.

I always knew that I wanted to reference the Reader or Spencer not knowing something as a finale and the idea that Y/N is pregnant and Spencer doesn't know seemed like a sweet way to end things.

I hope this answered your question, or, really I hope that the over-answer isn't too annoying. Thank you for asking! xx

[somersetmummy]

(A/N) This chapter takes place right at the beginning of the story, prior to TNA Chapter 1. Some characters property of Pixelberry.

Original characters: Katie Hide (MC), Jenny Blake

New characters: Lucinda Hansen

Rating/Content Warning: Mild adult language

Word count: 2005

Summary: MC Katie Hide is an English rose, living in New York. She’s down on her luck and desperately needs a job before her visa expires and she’s sent back to London. A chance conversation with a friend leads to an unlikely opportunity. Little did she know that one little interview would change the course of her life forever.

- Bonus social edits at the end -

Just like any other Thursday morning of recent weeks, Katie and Jenny were killing time together in their favourite coffee shop just down the street from their shared apartment. It had become Katie's haven and her go-to place when she wanted to lose herself for a few hours people watching, letting the stories of their lives unfold around her.

She'd always had a knack for paying attention to the details, noticing things which passed by most others. It was a skill she'd relied on heavily in her work, always giving her the edge, at least it had until the time it led to her downfall at Panacea Labs.

Katie had recently walked out of her job after piecing together a scheme under the radar to roll out a costly new drug for treating MS, despite there being multiple warning signs that it was ultimately ineffective but instead just masked the symptoms. Anyone else would've just glossed over the signs, not even noticing, but to Katie, the anomalies jumped off the page unmistakably. It was when she tried to escalate her concerns that she was shut down and her life in the lab made a misery by the VP, Declan Nash.

It hadn't taken long for her to realise that the company was more concerned about profits than actually helping people and she knew that the battle to fall in line and keep her job wasn't worth it. After calmly and quietly sending a company wide report on her findings, she gathered her things and walked out before she could be accosted by security. Little did she know that Nash had already been keeping tabs on her communications, in his eyes she was a trouble maker, and the report never saw the light of day.

Unfortunately for Katie, the current opportunities for young women in the biotech and pharmaceutical world just weren't what they should have been and she spent the next few weeks furiously searching for something else to avoid her work visa being revoked. 

Having moved from London to attend the New York Institute of Technology and graduating with a Masters in Chemistry & Bio Engineering three years ago, she'd fallen in love with the city and the life she'd built. She didn't know exactly what the future held and couldn't put her finger on why, but she had a very strong feeling that she needed to stay in New York.  

Today, Katie had planned to work through all the job adverts remotely relating to her experience and qualifications, with Jenny on hand to offer moral support. Tiring quickly of hitting one brick wall after another, they'd long forgotten the laptop and instead had spent the last 30 minutes idly chatting about Jenny’s upcoming gallery event when Lucinda arrived, phone to her ear, her body tense and voice sharp as she wrapped up a call with her boss.

"Of course I've got someone Angela, I wouldn't put my name in the mix if I didn't. My candidate is going to blow the others out of the water, I just know Mr Dalton will be impressed....no not just impressed, he'll be awestruck..."

While waiting for her to wrap up her call, Katie heads to the counter to order Lucinda a much needed coffee and returns to place it down in front of her just as she hangs up. She tosses her phone onto the table and slumps back in her chair, defeated.

Jenny stares her down waiting for an explanation which she and Katie both know Lucinda desperately wants to give but is holding off for dramatic effect.

After a long sip of coffee and a moment of holding her head in her hands she finally exhales.

"I am so SO SCREWED."

Katie and Jenny share a look before returning their attention to Lucinda.

"I've just promised my boss that I have the perfect candidate for some billionaire business man's nanny position....." She glares at them both as if they should understand why that's a problem. "I never touch these sorts of jobs, I only ever look for candidates in finance, nannying isn't worth my time."

Katie chooses her words carefully, knowing how Lucinda can bite back pretty quickly when she's stressed. Speaking softly, cautious not to poke the bear, she looks Lucinda in the eye and internally braces herself for whatever might come next.

"So what made this one so different?"

Fortunately Lucinda seems to finally be relaxing, she replies more quietly.

"Filling this position will put me on the map, nobody in the firm has been able to secure someone for this guy, they only seem to last a few weeks before they quit so the sign on bonus never kicks in. If I could find the perfect person I wouldn't only get a great bonus, I'd be next in line for promotion to Senior Head-hunter."

Her demanding demeanour melts away and she's left looking almost vulnerable. Something Katie knows Lucinda doesn't find at all comfortable.

"Anyway, I'll figure it out, I always do."

She gives Katie and Jenny a soft smile, allowing herself to momentarily forget about her woes so she can refocus the attention back to them.

"So what were you guys talking about before I came in?"

As Katie opens her mouth to speak Jenny cuts in on her behalf.

"Oh Katie's just been trying to work out how to get a job before her visa renewal date comes up in a couple of weeks."

Katie lets out a sigh of her own, suddenly remembering how dire her employment prospects are and feeling equally as defeated as Lucinda.

"I can't believe I've worked so hard for my degree, I found the perfect job in the perfect city but now it's all gone down the drain and I'm going to have to go back home and never see you all again."

Jenny wraps her arm around Katie's shoulders, pulling her close. "Oh come on, like you'd be able to shake us off. Even if you are in another country!"

As suddenly as Lucinda dramatically entered the coffee shop she slams her hand onto the table making the others jump.

"THAT'S IT!" She cries, her idea almost exploding out of her. "This is just too perfect...."

Katie and Jenny share a confused look before turning back to Lucinda who is practically foaming at the mouth, clearly onto something, though they're not quite sure what.

"You need a job, I need a candidate." She says in her signature matter of fact style.

Katie still has no idea where Lucinda's going with this.

"It's win win. I'll put you forward for the nanny position, you'll get a great job which means you get to stay in New York, I'll get my bonus. Not to mention I'll look like a damn superhero at work!"

The cogs start to turn in Katie's brain as she begins to digest what Lucinda is proposing.

"But I'm not a nanny....and what about my visa, it's only valid for work in relation to my degree."

Lucinda waves her hand at her, dismissing her concerns. "No problem there then. This guy's family owns one of the biggest Biotech companies in the country, surely that's related to your degree? He's so desperate for a successful match I'll make sure the visa thing is part of the contract."

She cuts back in quickly just as Katie opens her mouth to object.

"And as for you not being a nanny, what about all those times in the lab when you had to pull rank and sort out the shit that went down between your useless colleagues? You've done more nannying of adults in the last two years than most actual nanny's do in their whole career with children."

Jenny suddenly chimes in "OH MY GOD, this is genius!"

Defeated, Katie turns to look at Jenny in disbelief. She may have had a chance saying no to just Lucinda but with Jenny on board with this idea as well she may as well give up now.

"This will solve both your problems, I mean come on, who wouldn't want to work for this guy..."

Jenny turns her phone to Katie, clearly having been searching while she and Lucinda were talking. On the screen Katie sees the most devastatingly handsome man she's ever come across. He's nothing like the guys she'd known before, this person, was a real man and the sight of him caused her stomach to flip.

While undeniably handsome, it's not just the physical attraction that she's drawn to. Her eyes move to the company bio underneath his headshot and in true Katie style, she scans all of the accolades and achievements the company has to boast about. Her mind races at the possibilities. There's no mistaking that working for this man could open the door to so many opportunities and experiences in the future.

With a sigh she resigns herself to the fact that Lucinda might actually be on to something, this could be the break Katie had been waiting for and would certainly solve her imminent visa problems if she could get it taken care of as part of the contract negotiations.

With a silent nod and slight shrug of the shoulders, she begrudgingly agrees, much to the delight of her friends who squeal at each other in delight. Lucinda immediately pushes her shoulders back, standing to attention, furiously beginning to type on her phone.

"You TA'd for your old professor right?"

"Yes, I did a year as their assistant after graduating. Mainly doing research and going to conferences with her."

Lucinda's eyes never leave her phone as she works her magic, spinning Katie's words into an impressive resume. After a moment she raises her eyebrows and flits her eyes over to Katie, a small gesture which Katie realises is an invitation to elaborate.

"Oh, yeah so that's actually how I got into Panacea Labs, I met a rep at one of those conferences."

Jenny rolls her eyes at the mention of Katie's old company, now affectionately known by them both as Pariah Labs. Despite what she felt about Katie's previous employer, she was immensely proud of Katie's achievements and wanted to make sure they were included.

"Weren't you the youngest lab boss thingy they'd ever had?"

"Senior lab technician." Katie corrects, knowing full well that Jenny hasn't got a clue about the finer details of her work. "Well, yeah eventually, after two years of working my butt off. But I hardly think they'd rave about that in any reference they give me. If they even give one to begin with..."

Lucinda waves a dismissive hand at her.

"With this resume, you won't need any reference from those bastards. Trust me."

Katie had no idea what Lucinda had written or how she'd managed to spin her experience to be more favourable for a nanny position but it must've worked because half an hour later Lucinda slammed her hand down on the table once again, causing everyone around them to jump out of their skin.

"YES! It worked...he wants to see you, you've got an interview tomorrow at the Dalton Enterprises headquarters".

She turns her phone to Jenny to show off the email and they fall into an animated conversation, no doubt planning how they're all going to celebrate once Katie inevitably gets offered the job. As they fall into a blur in the background, Katie looks back over the picture of Sam Dalton on Jenny's phone, not quite sure how she can be so hypnotised by someone through a photograph.

There's something about him which feels familiar, something drawing her in. It's almost as if they're viewing each other through a looking glass and she wonders whether in this exact moment he is feeling the same magnetic pull towards her, a stranger whom he hasn't even met yet. Tearing her eyes away from the phone, Katie's tries to steady the stream of unanswered questions flooding her mind and focus on how she's going to win this man over.

"Here goes nothing."

TAG List: @shewillreadyou @chemist-ana @txemrn @silma-words @thefrenchiemama @secretaryunpaid @sfb123

- Bonus - pre-interview pep talk with the girls -

[cassieschaosdimension]

Okay! Here it is the fanfic some of you have been requesting!

Enjoy it!

"Nico!" Will called to his boyfriend. "Put that sweater on right now! You know you want to!" He starts running after Nico with said sweater in hand. He knows his boyfriend wants to wear it, but the goth message is too strong.

Nico is being chased all over their apartment in New Rome by his overly energetic boyfriend who wants to match for their first Christmas on their own. He would have put the sweater on by himself, but it was too ugly to be seen on anyone. Even Hephaestus and the guy was ugly!

Will stopped all of a sudden and stared at the sweater in his hand. "Nico, it's not that bad! Please wear it! For me!"

Oh no Nico thought as he watched his boyfriend turn on that Southern charm and the puppy dog eyes. He tried to look away, but found he couldn't because Will was advancing slowly towards him.

"William," Nico says slowly edging towards the front door of their one bedroom apartment. "Be reasonable, would you want your dad, the fashion guru of Greek mythology to see me in that?!" The horror is present in his tone. "First off, I would not wear it and you know I would wear almost anything to please you. I draw the line at that thing!"

This gives Will a pause as he considers the question. He stares at the jingle bells stripes and Christmas tree underneath them. The green and gold don't work out and the red of the presents aren't helping the poor sweater's case. He thinks back to the time his dad yelled at him for wearing sandals with socks because he was in a rush after being late for cabin clean up duty. He shudders. He does not want a repeat of his over dramatic father flapping his arms while lecturing him on fashion choices.

Will sighs. "Alright Nico. You win this one. My dad's fashion lectures aren't for the faint of heart and I've had enough of them to last a lifetime. But please dress in green or red okay? You would look really good in emerald green." He starts walking to their room.

Nico grins to himself. He's won this round with his mad reasoning skills. Then again, he almost always wins his arguments with Will. Decades in the Lotus Casino arguing over games will do that to you. Then he registers what his boyfriend requested of him.

He starts to run after Will. "Will! I don't have emerald clothing! I have brown, black, and grey! What are you talking about?! William! Get over here!"

Will cackles to himself while going through their closet. He bought his boyfriend colored clothes for occasions with his father and Nico looks delicious in cool, dark times so that's what he bought. He was lucky he hid them on his side of the closet. He turns to see his boyfriend glaring at him.

Nico stares at his poor boyfriend he only knows wants to help him make an impression on Hades. It was only supposed to be the two of them and Hades and Persephone, but of course Apollo had to invite himself. Rolling his eyes at the memory he turns back to Will with his hands on his hips glare still in full force.

With a pleading look on his face, Will is desperate. They're running late and he doesn't want to leave the three gods alone more than they have to be. "Nico," cue the sigh. "We're already running late and I don't want to find a war going on with your stepmom in the middle. She's scary."

"Will… Fine!" Nico says throwing his hands up and walking to grab the shirt from his boyfriend who is now grinning broadly. He walks to the bathroom and changes into the shirt grumbling about Will and if he didn't live him he wouldn't do this.

Meanwhile Will is getting dressed in a dark maroon, fluffly long sleeve sweater and dark blue jeans with black vans. When Nico comes back from the bathroom his heart stops.

His boyfriend stands slightly slouched, uncomfortable with the attention. The emerald shirt sets off his long lashes, dark eyes, and raven hair perfectly. Will wants to swoon, but they have business to attend to.

"Good you're ready to go. Hades confirmed he's ready for us?" Will says coming next to Nico.

In response Nico nods and they head out the door. "Just so you know," Nico says with an undertone. "I'm only wearing this shirt and making nice with your dad because your mom loves me so now I need to win over your dad."

Will doesn't tell Nico his dad was won over the minute Nicon said hello, I'm only here because Will made me. Maybe he might actually behave. One can hope.

They head to the car deep in each of their thoughts. Nico is worried how long his dad is going to last in Apollo's presence. Will is worried how long Hades can stand to be in his dad's presence because Apollo is overbearing.

They have agreed to meet in the Underworld and Zeus has given Apollo permission to head down there to celebrate with them. As Will starts to drive south, the air in the car turns warmer. They banter and whine about the music choice. Nico wants Green Day and Will wants to listen to Blake Shelton.

They left around eleven in the morning on Christmas Day and it takes them about seven hours to get to Hollywood because of traffic in the LA area. They park the car and walk behind the Hollywood sign, Will grabbing Nico's leather jacket in the way behind the sign because even with a sweater on the Underworld is a child, unforgiving place. There Will grabs onto Nico and they shadow travel down to Hades' living room.

Nico wonders why they couldn't shadow travel in the first place and why Will insisted they drive when they walk in and he immediately knows why.

Persephone is standing by the wall her hands over her head while her husband and cousin are going at it.

"This is my domain Apollo you do not have the authority to say what's going to be served for dinner. I can do that on my own."

"But Uncle, you're serving turkey! It's supposed to be ham! Most mortals use ham!" Turning to his son he implores him. "Will tell Hades most mortals use ham for their Christmas dinner!"

Will is torn between getting the approval of his boyfriend's father and his dad. He ultimately goes for the one that will save his life. "Dad, many mortals celebrate Christmas differently or not at all. If Nico's dad wants to serve turkey then let him serve turkey! We are here as his guests and I expect you to behave!"

Apollo looks torn but nods and says "Will, I know you want to make a good impression on Uncle over there, but I am your father!"

"No dad. Mom raised me to have manners and her manners have taught me to accept all food unless I am allergic to it and I have no food allergies. Now sit down and we can eat." Will turns to Lord Hades. "Please excuse my father Lord Hades. I had a talk about this with him earlier, but it seems to have not rectified in his brain."

Hades nods and strides over to Nico. "Nico. Thank you for coming. I am starting to warm up to the boy, but I still need time."

Nico sighs his left hand clenching in a fist involuntarily. "Father you have been given years to accept Will. And it seems you have, but you don't want me to know. Father, the spirits talk."

Hades looks shocked and now angry. "Now listen here Nico. I may have approved of him, but he must be worthy of Maria DiAngelo's child. Bianca wishes she were here, but she is having fun in the fields of Elysium."

Meanwhile Will and Apollo are having their own discussion.

"But Will, Uncle said he didn't mind me coming!"

"Dad, you invited yourself here, remember? I know what mom saw in you, but really. Your manners need brushing up. For real. Just because Lord Hades is your uncle doesn't mean you can barge into his domain even with Lord Hades permission." Will feels like a dad reprimanding a child.

"William," Apollo strikes a pose. "I am the god of music and medicine. This is a celebration with my son and son in law. I had to come." He dramatically sighs and heads to the table. "Come now Will, let's stuff our faces!

As Will follows his dad he wonders who exactly the child is. He looks over at his boyfriend and his dad. They look like they're still having a heated discussion. Luckily for Will he has Nico's jacket so the chill in the air isn't as bad as it could have been. Nico hasn't noticed the jacket is gone until he brings his hands up to tig it around himself and it's gone. Looking up he mock scowls at Will.

Nico walks up to his boyfriend with an air of I don't care. They both know he cares very much. "Will, give me my jacket."

In response Will sticks out his tongue and says no. This results in a banter fight much like the one back at the apartment.

Will doesn't want to give the jacket back because it's warm and he's freezing. Nico says he can get him another one of Nico's leather jackets. But Will isn't having it. He knows this is Nico's favorite jacket hence why it was in the car, he takes that thing everywhere he goes. He wants to wear his boyfriend's favorite jacket. His boyfriend wants to wear his favorite jacket. The two of them are so engrossed in their argument they don't see the three adults smiling at them.

Persephone was reminded of how she first felt arguing with Hades over the fact she was kidnapped against her will by a much older man. She was intimidated by this man yet she felt some sort of weird connection to him. She pitied him because he was older and lonely down here with no one but Cerberus to keep him company. Eventually she came to care for this man unlike her stepson and his boyfriend who genuinely seem to get along even when arguing.

She goes over to break it up. "Boys, you can have this argument later. Nico, let Will keep the jacket, you can feel him shivering. I'll go turn up the fire. Will dear, come sit and stuff your face as your impatient father has been doing for the past half hour.

At this Apollo looks up turkey gravy dripping from his mouth. They all sigh and hope this is over soon. The dinner drags on and on and suddenly Hades can't take it anymore. While the rest of the group has polite conversation, Apollo finds it necessary to butt in and make it funny when it's not.

Normally Will accepts this behavior with grace, but not on Christmas and not when he is trying to get approval from his boyfriend's father who happens to be Lord of the Dead.

"Hey Dad," Will says from across the table where he has watched his dad pack away most of the food on the table. "I don't appreciate this and maybe I'll tell mom about this little gathering and how your Southern manners disappeared." He raises an eyebrow and Apollo's response is hilarious.

He sits up straight and acts like a Southern gentleman the rest of the time. Will signs in exasperation and turns to Nico and Lord Hades.

"Lord Hades, please forgive my father for his behavior," here he pauses while throwing side glances at his father.

Hades waves his hand in a gesture of peace. "Please boy. This is almost tame for my nephew. Did you enjoy your meal?"

Turning to Nico for reassurance Will answer carefully. "Yes Lord Hades. The good was quite delicious. Thank you for inviting us over for dinner."

"You are welcome boy," Hades says turning to his son. "Now, let's get the gift giving over with so my nephew can go home." The two snicker together and Will tries not to join in. It's impossible though as Persephone is talking to Apollo utterly bemused while he sprouts haikus about the meal.

"Father, here is my gift to you," Nico's voice carries as he hands a gift to Lord Hades.

"Thank you son. I appreciate it." His voice also carries. Apollo is beginning to quiet down and not be so energetic. Now he begins to get downright cocky. He's no longer dramatic.

He heads to their end of the table near the tree Persephone insisted on having. "Ahhhh presents. I remember when I was youn-" Apollo is cut off when Nico hands him a gift.

They're all speechless and Will stares at Nico in shock. Looking around at all of them he asks "what? I can give gifts."

A shocked silence falls over the room when Will throws himself in Nico's arms. He whispers in his boyfriend's ear. "He didn't expect to get one from you Nico. Look, you made him cry. " They look over still wrapped in each other's arms. Apollo is in fact hugging the gift while grinning with happy tears running down his face.

The look on Will's face says it all. Nico grins as he watches his boyfriend watch his dad open the gift. Suddenly Apollo is rushing towards Nico and grabs him in a hug. Stiffening Nico is confused but then reaches around the god and hugs him back.

Hades looks on with pride at his son who with Will Solanc's aid will grow to be a fine young man. He already was, but since he met Will he had grown in leaps and bounds in height and personality. He was proud of his boy.

Will is beaming with pride at the fact his boyfriend was thoughtful enough to get his dad a gift. To their surprise Apollo hands a gift right back to Nico.

The night is just full of surprises and after the gift giving and opening, Will and Nico start to clean up to head out. They had fun despite the rocky start and by the end of the night Hades had laughed out loud more times than Apollo can remember and Apollo hadn't felt the need to be cocky or arrogant. He was the man Will's mom must have fallen in love with.

As Nico and Will get up to leave Apollo hugs each of them, but Nico's is especially long. He whispers thank you for everything in his ear. Nico is absolutely shocked. He didn't think Apollo knew the words thank you. But here he was a mere demigod getting thanked by a god! Wow, Will's dad is full of surprises…

Apollo then goes over and hugs Hades and Persephone. He really is full of surprises today. He goes and leaves. In his wake four very confused people discuss what happened.

Hades wants to know how his nephew behaved all nice and sweet. He almost didn't recognize him! Persephone told him it was because he realized he could be himself and not have to put an image up.

Nico says he doesn't know which Apollo he finds most sickening, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Will.

They discuss it more and the four grow closer. The Christmas dinner really was a success even with Apollo there. Nico hugs his father and stepmother then gathers up their gifts. Will goes up to Hades and shakes his hand thanking him for inviting them. Persephone hugs Will saying he must come back soon when Nico next visits them.

Soon the two fade into shadows with the two immortals waving after them. Will takes off the jacket and puts it back in the backseat of the car with a grin.

"Well Neeks, I'd say it was a success though I was worried for a second." Will says getting into the driver's seat.

"Me too Will. Your dad actually seems like a really nice guy. I bet it gets tiring putting up a facade all the time," Nico responds through a yawn. "Will, don't drive all the way home. Stop at a hotel okay?"

Nodding Will turns the ignition and starts to drive. They talk about the dinner and how different it turned out from what they expected. Then they start to banter tearing each other with how they expected the night to end up.

"Neeks, you look really good in emerald holy Hera!" Will glances over at his tired boyfriend who is drifting off.

"Will, don't even start you look amazing in my leather jacket. Maybe I'll let you wear it more often." Smiling to himself Nico thinks he'll let only Will wear his leather jacket now. They can share it. His last words before he falls asleep are: "I love you William so pull into a hotel and we'll spend the night there. You're not driving all the way home this late."

Nico's soft snores fill the car and Will can't help but think he and Nico are made for each other. They complement one another perfectly and he thinks back on all the memories they've made together since they got together all those years ago.

Seeing a vacancy sign at a motel he pulls into the parking lot. He leaves Nico snoring away while he goes and asks for a room. Coming back out he rouses Nico and tells him he can sleep in a real bed.

Half asleep Nico leans on his boyfriend for support. The night turned out better than he could ever expected. Maybe next year they could shadow travel or even stay the night.

As Will supports his boyfriend while walking to the room he thinks of how grateful he is to Apollo for catching the eye of his mother so he could he born and also Lord Hades because he made Nico come into existence.

Opening the door, Will walks over to the bed placing the dozing Nico on it. After giving him a forehead kiss he goes to the other side of the bed. "Love you too Neeks."

Both Nico and Will dream about the wonderful Christmas dinner they just had and wonder what will happen next year.

And that's a wrap (lol) on they fanfic! I hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you think of it!

[kneamet]

Angel of cards (12/16)

Trigger Warning: no.

Summary: Joker, Mr. J, anarchist psychopath, Tom Hiddleston. He had many nicknames. Joker was Gotham’s most dangerous and insightful man, with sharp makeup and horribly memorable scars on his face in the form of a smile. He was absolutely crazy and deadly. No one knows his real identity and everyone is afraid of his cruel jokes. But what happens when he becomes obsessed with an ordinary girl?

She belongs to him. No one can take her away from him. Even The Batman.

Chapter twelve: point of no return

"So Harvey Dent didn't make it home," the Gotham Police Commissioner said in a calm, but slightly anxious, and broken voice.

Gordon's brow furrowed and he only drew it closer to the bridge of his nose, clasping his hands together. The Joker, who was now in the room with the lights off and James, only smiled slightly.

Did this wonderful commissar have any negative feelings for him? It's really wonderful, really. The Joker, just the Joker, always found Gordon a very nice and interesting person. In the Komi Republic, to be more precise, the only person in whom that very piece of light remained in a dark and unenlightened city.

Even Batman himself, this personification of "kindness and honor" was more likely... just a toy that, although it wanted to protect Gotham from crime, but which will definitely cross the very point of no return and madness... He just needs to be pushed to do it.

"Of course not," the Joker said, smiling. Damn, he thought, starting to brush his scars more. The handcuffs, which rubbed the skin and made it difficult to touch the scars, were extremely difficult. And why are they so big?

"What did you do to him?" in a steely voice, without ceasing to be serious, the man asked, to which the Joker raised his eyebrows and made an actor's surprised face, slightly opening his mouth.

Although he couldn't hide the fact that Gordon liked him too much. He looked a lot like the Joker's father. Not at his stepfather, not at his beloved mother's boyfriends, but at his own father, who always helped him until he died.

The Joker didn't really remember the cause of his father's death. Either because of the accident, or he was killed in an alley, or he committed suicide himself. He didn't remember. I was too small then. Nor did his mother help him to console himself afterward.

"I? I was here," the Joker clearly said, gesturing at Gordon, who was concentrating, unlike the man himself, on absorbing all the information that was being conveyed to him. "Who did you leave him with? With your people?" The Joker smacked his lips, starting to scratch his hands and trying to make it not visible. Unfortunately, his gloves were taken away. What an injustice, isn't it?

"If they're still your people, of course, not Moroni," the damn Italian guy, who's playing the hell out of himself. The same to me, a criminal authority, that even during the day is afraid to attack.

The Joker smiled at Gordon, who took a deep breath. That's right, contempt. Yes, and a misunderstanding. Didn't they understand that he wanted to make the world a better place? And that was the difference between him and Batman.

"It doesn't bother you, Commissioner... realizing how lonely you really are? " loneliness... what do these people know about real loneliness and misunderstanding? That's right, nothing. Although, when you get lost and all your loved ones abandon you, you realize that it's time for the exodus. "Do you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current situation?" it was a quick throw-in. He didn't care about Harvey Dent, though. Yes, he was also interesting, but if you compare all his advantages with those of Gordon, you can immediately understand who has more of that light in the dark.

"Where is he?" it was obvious that Gordon was trying to restrain himself and not yell at the criminal present, with whom he had to babysit and interrogate. It's just a pity that James didn't know that this most ruthless criminal had saved him.

"What time is it?" he asked quickly, trying to distract attention.

"What's the difference?" asked Gordon, seemingly oblivious to the Joker's random throw-ins.

"Depending on the time, he may be in one place or several," he said, prioritizing and moving his cuffed hands as if to indicate something.

"Since we decided to play games... I'll get a cup of coffee," Gordon jerked his chair around, which was a little jarring, and headed for the lighted door, tugging on the handle.

"The game' good cop, bad cop', guess what? " the criminal smiled and straightened his green hair with shaking hands.

"Not really," Jim smiled for the first time. A pleasant smile, Joker noted, just like his father's.

***

"Daddy, daddy, look, I'm a pirate!" exclaimed the little curly-haired boy, drawing from his bosom a small sword as tall as he was, and pointing at his father with it. The boy towered over his father, standing on the couch.

The man just smiled sweetly. He considered his son the most important thing in his life. A ray of sunshine, not a child. A kid who deserves better.

The man's smile faded for a second. His mind began to recognize the unpleasant thoughts and he looked away, looking at his hand, which had only a couple of badges left on it. One week or seven days left. Not much to catch up on.

"You will be my navigator," the boy said proudly, sheathing his sword in an imaginary scabbard. The man smiled and knelt ostentatiously, raising his hands in the air as if in surrender.

"But who are you, my dear boy Tom?" asked his father, with a mocking smile. Tom smiled fondly and drew his sword again, pointing upward.

"I'm your captain, and if you don't listen to me, I'll kill you!" the boy exclaimed loudly, raising his eyebrows and opening his eyes wider with excitement. He poked his father with his sword, and the latter, like an actor, fell from his knees, falling down as if struck by a toy sword.

"Dad, are you okay?" Tom threw the sword aside and ran to his father, sitting on his knees and leaning forward to face him. The man lay motionless until he suddenly opened his eyes abruptly and raised his hands to his son's sides, whose gaze changed from alarmed to smiling-frightened.

"Gotcha, little imp," the father whispered softly, beginning to tickle his son. There was a loud laugh from little Tom that couldn't be stopped.

***

"Where are Dent and Blake?" a loud bass voice asked, as if driven through an auto-tune. The Joker looked up. That's right, Batman, how could he forget that he was here.

Oh, how harsh he is now. It's like something out of a superhero movie that Tom loved so much when he was a kid.

Wait, did he say his angel's name? His favorite angel? How dare he, no one can say her name, only himself. And this guy in tights. More precisely, it wasn't a leotard, but it wasn't important at all.

But now he needs to be distracted from that. Is he interested in listening to talk about his angel? No, the Joker would definitely talk to Batman about his angel and maybe...

No, Tom! Don't even think about the Joker's favorite angel! It belongs to him, not to you! The Joker shook his head and licked his lips, scratching his head at the same time. That idiot Tom, you don't come here at the right time. Don't stop the adults from talking.

"That's right, don't stop the adults from talking," the Joker muttered as much as possible. It's a good thing that Bruce Wayne, who is hiding under the mask of Batman, does not have such a developed hearing. It's really nice. "These mafia idiots want to take you out... to bring back the past, " he said, blinking rapidly and repeatedly, licking his lips again, and lowering his head, but not taking his eyes off it. "But I know the truth. The situation is not reversible. You changed everything. Forever, " he shook his head and pointed at the man who had slightly opened his mouth with his hand.

"Why do you want to kill me?" what a languid voice, the Joker noted. Is Batman trying to pick him up? Maybe remind him that he has his favorite angel?

"I don't want to kill you," the Joker said, shaking with laughter. His laughter was too crazy, too selfish, too much... "What will I do without you? Robbing the mafia again? " Suddenly, his sudden laughter came to an end. He adjusted his suspenders with his right hand and shook his head. "No, no. No. No you... you complete me, " as if explaining something to a small child, the Joker said, gesturing with his hands again. Wait, did they take the handcuffs off him? He looked down. Really, how nice

"You're a creature who kills for money," Batman said sternly. The Joker saw his lips tighten. Another person expressing contempt for him? What kind of bad luck is this, the Joker asked theatrically in his head.

"Don't talk like everyone else. You're not like that, even though you want to be, " the criminal advised, as if saying something obvious. Well, it might have been obvious to him, but it wasn't obvious to Batman. Although, maybe the Joker was accepting his mental abilities? "To them, you're just crazy... like me. They need you now... and you'll get bored... they'll throw you out like a leper. Their principles, their code... these are just words that are forgotten at the first danger, " the Joker said, watching as Batman's face, or rather only his lower part, twisted his lips more and more.

Oh, dear, dear Bruce Wayne, why are you so angry?

"They are what the world allows them to be. I'll prove it. When things are bad, these... civilized people... they'll eat each other. I'm not a monster. I can see right through them, " obviously, right? Joker thought, but he hardly expected to be taken by the shirt now. Batman, clearly already angry, leaned him against the wall.

"Where are Dent and Blake?" the man spoke through his teeth. The Joker's mouth dropped open. His jaw was shaking.

"You have rules. Do you think you'll be spared? " he asked, holding onto Batman's strong arms. Hell, really strong. What a strong man he is.

"I have one rule," Bruce said, Oh, sorry, Batman, only pushing the Joker harder against the brick wall.

"That's what you'll have to break to find out the truth."

"Which one?" asked Batman, loosening his grip slightly, as if interested. The Joker could feel his scowl.

"The only reasonable way to live in this world is to live without rules. And today you will break your only rule," lowering the Joker to the floor, Batman only put his foot on his body, pinning him down. Oh, the Joker sighed slightly. No, he rarely felt pain, but now it really hurt. It's unpleasant when you squeeze your stomach with a foot made of some kind of plastic. He laughed hysterically, trying to hide the pain he felt from the world. "There are five minutes left, so you'll have to play my game... If you want to save one of them”, just give him a little push, the Joker thought to herself, and he'll be broken.

"'Them'?" there was so much hopelessness in his voice. It seems that this little rich boy has begun to understand something.

"For a moment, I thought you were right, Dent. When he rushed after her," Batman grabbed the Joker's suit again and pushed him painfully onto the table, quickly closing the door with a chair that only hindered them. Let us at least perform some useful function.

"Look, a. Does Harvey know about you and his baby? Are you in love with my angel after all?" Joker asked casually. Rachel, unlike Dent, had never interested him. An ordinary, boring person who reminded him too much of his mother. Her name was Rachel, wasn't it?

"Where are they?!" the man roared, grabbing the Joker again, but this time throwing him to the floor. At this, the criminal only laughed. How funny it is. Same to him, hero.

"Killing is also a choice," the Joker tries to deny, raising his hand and leaning one on the floor.

"Where are they?!"

"Choose," the man delivered the ultimatum, biting his lips lightly and licking them again, hoping that everything was fine with the makeup. Most likely, it is unlikely to wash off. "Your friend, the district attorney, or his beautiful fiancee. Or maybe you want to bring my angel back to you? You have nothing to threaten me with. All your power is useless, " he was acting psychologically on him. He encouraged me to make this choice in every possible way. On this difficult and disturbing choice. A choice that can affect a large number of people.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you where they are. Both. That's the whole point. You'll have to choose," Batman opened his mouth, looking into the eyes of the possessed man.

This is the point of no return. That moment was the tipping point. He will let the darkness into his heart. The hero who, without blinking once at eye contact with the abyss, looked at it directly, looked away for the first time.

[bfnbear]

From the San Antonio Express-News; Texas. June 29, 1998.

Young actor clicks in third try

Deborah Martinez; Express-News Staff Writer

Chris Cardenas finally found his match in Jared Padalecki.

For the past two years, Cardenas has gone to the National Speech Tournament to compete in duet acting. Each time, the 1998 Madison High School graduate went with a different partner. Each time he placed in the top six.

When Cardenas, 17, teamed up with Padalecki, 15, and traveled to St. Louis last week, they were gunning for Cardenas' last shot at a national title.

The pair turned in a tear-jerking rendition of "Dominick and Eugene," a story about a man's paternal relationship with his mentally retarded brother, before a crowd of about 3,000.

The judges awarded them first place, giving the North East School District its first national championship in duo interpretation.

"It means a lot to finally win. It was my last chance," said Cardenas, who plans to go to Carnegie- Mellon University in the fall and major in theater. "It probably does mean more to me than it does to Jared because I have been trying for this the past three years."

The most harrowing moments for the pair came after their final performance. They had to sit through a three-hour award ceremony in which winners in their category were the last to be announced.

Although the partners were poised about their performance, the national title came as something of a surprise.

"I was pretty confident of the scene, and I was confident we would do well. But there's always that little question in the back of your mind," Padalecki said about the stiff competition with the 200- plus teams of duo interpreters.

With two years left in high school, Padalecki said his partnership with Cardenas will help him prepare for future competitions.

"I love the way Chris acts," Padalecki said. "I respect his work. Everything I see him do he's always really good in. All the rest of the audience is really enthralled by him.

"It was a good experience and an honor to be chosen to work with him."

Both actors attributed their success to their coach, Mike Harrison.

Cardenas said his and Padalecki's championship was an emotional climax to four years of hard work in which he sacrificed teen- age experiences such as his high school prom.

"When I look back at the last four years, it's more important than a prom," said Cardenas, who described as a relief the actual moment after he and Padalecki were announced champions.

"It was like a sigh of relief because you're like tense and you're holding your breath and all of a sudden you can exhale," Cardenas said. "After that, you just start freaking out."

Overall, North East had the best representation of any school district in the nation at the 67th annual tournament, sponsored by the National Forensic League, said Diana Schumacher, assistant to the district's fine arts director. The tournament included events ranging from debate to speech and drama.

For Churchill High School, Blake Walker took home a fourth place in humorous interpretation and Danny Lutman placed sixth in the original oratory category, while Aimee Gonzalez took 10th place in dramatic interpretation. High School student Justine Fisher was a triple winner, taking fourth place in extemporaneous speaking, eighth place in policy debate with partner Justin Freeman, and 10th place in the Phyllis Flory Barton Debate Speakers Awards category.

From the San Antonio Express-News; Texas. August 11, 1999.

Teen trades ranch work for appearance on TV

Jeanette McNamee; Express-News Staff Writer

When Hollywood came calling for aspiring actor Jared Padalecki, the Madison High School senior was working on a ranch in Blanco, far from the bright lights of a television or movie studio.

Padalecki, 17, of San Antonio was one of two teens selected nationwide as a winner of Seventeen Magazine and Fox-TV's "Claim to Fame Contest." Patricia Pendleton of Putnam, Conn., was the second winner.

A tall, Matt Damon look-alike, Padalecki won an expense-paid trip to Santa Monica, Calif., to appear as a presenter on the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. The show was taped Aug. 1 and will be aired locally 7-9 p.m. Thursday on KABB- TV.

Winning the contest meant a welcome break for Padalecki from a couple of hot weeks spent building fences, digging holes and cutting trees on a Blanco ranch owned by Spurs chairman Peter Holt.

Padalecki was one of approximately 20,000 teens nationwide who entered the contest by submitting a videotape of themselves to their local Planet Hollywood restaurant. Each contestant had 30 seconds to tell why he or she would be a good presenter. That was not a problem for Padalecki, who had been in numerous speech tournaments and taken drama classes since he was in the sixth grade.

He and his parents, Jerry and Sherri Padalecki, flew to California on July 29 for a five-day stay. Although the show was taped in Santa Monica, they stayed in Beverly Hills.

The Teen Choice Awards recognizes popular teen stars in film, television, music, sports and fashion as chosen by teens across the country who completed ballots found in Seventeen magazine's June and July issues or accessed the magazine's web site to vote for their favorites.

An estimated 1,000 teens were on hand for the filming of the show.

"I thought I was just going to sit backstage and maybe just go on stage a couple of times," Padalecki said. "But, actually, they let me help backstage. They also had me handing awards (which looked like surfboards) to presenters and even sometimes giving them to the people who won."

"They introduced me on the show, too. I don't know if they're going to keep it or if they're going to cut it."

He got to meet such celebrities as Freddie Prinze Jr., Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brandy and Tara Lipinski.

But the most important part of the trip for the outgoing, personable Padalecki was the chance to meet agents such as Rich Beddingfield, manager/agent for Freddie Prinze Jr.

"We're going to keep in touch, and he (Beddingfield) is going to try and send me some audition material," a hopeful Padalecki said. "It's kind of tough living in San Antonio when the main acting cities, of course, are New York and L.A. So, instead of flying you back and forth, they send you the material and ask you to put yourself on tape and then you send the tape back to them, and they review it."

His parents are very supportive of his acting aspirations, he said.

"But it's a pretty tough business in acting, and they want me to have something as a backup. But if it all works out, they'd be ecstatic."

He's hopeful the audition tapes he sends to Beddingfield will lead to appearances in some TV shows or movies.

His mother said she and her husband share their son's enthusiasm for his acting goals.

"We think it's wonderful," she said. "He's been interested in it (acting) a long time. He was always a ham when he was little."

She is a teacher at [...] High School and Jerry Padalecki is an accountant with [...] Corp.

After graduating from Madison High School, Padalecki hopes to find acting roles in Los Angeles.

"I want to see how this next year in high school goes before deciding on college," he said. "If something happens during the year, like I get to be on a TV show or I send an audition tape and they like me and want to put me in a movie, then I'll go into acting. If I can do it, there's nothing else I want to do in the world."

If he finds acting jobs in L.A., he might attend the University of California at Los Angeles to major in theater or communications.

"Or, if this doesn't work out, I'll probably go to the University of Texas at Austin and major in engineering or computer science."

Padalecki has taken speech and drama classes for several years, first at Wood Middle School and then at Madison, where he's won awards in speech and drama competition.

He praises Madison's drama teacher, Mike Harrison.

"Mr. Harrison always told me I was real talented. But he also said it helps what you do in your lifetime. It helps the experiences you have and the way you see things," Padalecki said.

In addition to his success in drama and speech, he is an all-around 'A' student and a National Merit Scholar. He takes honors classes and is in the gifted and talented program at Madison. He also enjoys basketball and football.

His brother Jeff, 20, is a student at St. Mary's University, and his sister Megan, 14, is a freshman at Madison.

Forgot the link. Oops

[sprinkledonion-blog]

Another real long “I don’t like Bumbleby” post (Part 2)

Part 1 is here. 

The Adam fiasco

We’ve reached the most controversial point in the essay: Adam.

Adam was… a symbol. He didn’t have much to offer in personality and screentime, but he represented. Until he stopped representing and became a mere tool for Bumbleby to develop.

I know, I know, another Adam fan who coincidentally dislikes Bumbleby. What can I say?

Adam was the sacrificial goat for Bumbleby. His existence became so tied to them that his whole faunus vs SDC plot became just an afterthought. He became a puppet to do Evil Things; if you pay close attention, especially in daylight scenes, you can actually see the strings on his back.

Adam had lost his way in every sense of the word. And he became a monster: Bumbleby’s heart.

Bees are gonna beat me up for this one.

Yes, Adam became such a vital piece for Bumbleby to develop, their whole relationship revolved around him. Yes, he traumatized both girls, but V1-V2 gave us nothing else to chew on. No bonding, no cute smiles, no development. Adam triggered the rise of Bumbleby like kaboom. Bam, now there’s Bumbleby. And what cemented their relationship? Killing him.

I need to ask: why does a wlw relationship revolve around a man? Why does everything in RWBY come back to a man? Jaune speaks over Ruby. Pyrrha dies so Jaune can have development. Qrow steals screentime along with Oscar like a madman. Adam is a matchmaker. Can the “RWBY is a feminist show” take die already? It ran away when Pyrrha was fridged.

Worse is? Bumbleby is good because Bumbleby is BETTER than Tauradonna.

Or so it seems. Ahem.

Now. Of course it’ll be better than Tauradonna, as it isn’t an abusive relationship. But what I mean is, this is the ONLY thing going for it. Oh, you should ship it because it’s better than Tauradonna. No, it’s not its own thing. It’s just better than Tauradonna. And no, we can’t stop comparing to it.

I know abuse leaves you a wound it’s difficult to heal, and you’ll inevitably make a comparison. I’ve been in an abusive relationship too. But Bumbleby should be its own thing, developed separately from Tauradonna, and then compared. I didn’t get enough screentime and reasons to ship them, and now you want me to compare it to an abusive relationship? Of course I choose Bumbleby! The other option is horrendous and… hey, this is more manipulative than I thought!

And the killing… oh, there’s nothing more romantic than killing a guy together. Maybe I’ll try this next time I wanna date a dude. Forget Netflix and chill, this is the real thing!

The show handled it… shakingly okay. Blake cried, Yang comforted her. Alright. Fine.

But now Adam’s not here, what’s gonna happen? Let me guess: we’ll get all the Bumbleby screentime we didn’t get early enough. Some say “Great, now it’s gonna be RW-BY instead of RWBY”. Maybe. I don’t really care. Ruby seemed to be more comfortable alongside JNR, and Weiss does what she can. Maybe she could get incorporated to the team too? Or form a new one with Qrow and Oscar (and Ozpin)? Hey, it’s not a bad idea. Either way, the dynamics will change, but as long as they don’t take too much time off other characters, it’ll be fine. I gave up.

DC comics development

I’m not 100% sure of how to feel with this one.

I couldn’t read the DC comic, but some… definitely interesting screenshots were posted. I could see that they don’t care very much about canon (I can’t take Raven seriously anymore). But they also patched some things up, meaning: Bumbleby.

Remember when I complained about not seeing enough Bumbleby bonding to actually buy the ship? Well, DC comics gifted us one, two, eight panels of Bumbleby bonding: borrowing books, offering food, braiding hair. Sounds very nice… and very late. And very fake.

Why didn’t we see this on the show? This feels like those eight panels are supposed to show peak Bumbleby bonding and we must be satisfied with it. Peak LGBT+ representation right there. Why didn’t we cut off Arkos, Renora, Iceberg and Blacksun and spent time with Bumbleby instead? Why should I feel satisfied with a mere eight panels?

Not genuine at all.

Bonus: the newest take goes like “DC comics was CRWBY trying to build more Bumbleby with moments at Beacon we didn’t get to see in the show because the episodes were ONLY 6 MINUTES LONG”. So CRWBY had time to build Arkos, Renora, Iceberg, Blacksun and not the main ship? Those 6 minutes were enough to build straight relationships but not the main wlw one? What an unfortunate coincidence.

What would have you done differently?

Team BSCE.

Bonding: why is Yang interested in Blake? Why is Blake interested in Yang? What does make Yang feel like she can be vulnerable around Blake instead of, let’s say, Weiss? What do they talk about, that isn’t Adam, or Ozpin? Do they have private jokes? Do they look forward to spend time together? Does Blake know what Yang’s favorite food is? Do they train together more time than they should? Why do they love each other? How do they support each other? Does Yang read books about faunus?

Showing: how does Yang feel when Sun flirts with Blake? How does Blake feel when Yang flirts with guys? What makes them blush? What is their body language? Do they notice things about each other no one else notices? Do they think about closeness? Do they think about each other at night? Do they think about kissing each other? How does their attitude change? Do the rest realize something’s going on?

Conflicting: besides Adam, what problems do they have? Blake has been shown to feel like a burden and isolate herself, but what about Yang? Do they have things about each other they barely stand? Do they share the exact same mindset? Do they have arguments and about what? How do they handle disagreements and arguments? How do they approach problems? How do they fix them? Do the same problems come up over and over again? What things they don’t tell each other? What do they hide from each other? Do they expect each other to defend them on arguments with others?

Exploring: what’s their endgame like? What are their dreams and goals, and do they collide with each other? Do they think about the future? Do they have a theme? Did they develop separately, as individual people, before developing their relationships? Are they dependent? If one of them died, would the other (take revenge and) move forward, or fall into deep depression? Can they live apart from each other and things don’t change? And what if things do change? What things change? How do they face change?

Yes, I love asking questions. One brings another, and another, and before you realize, you thought a lot about the couple and their core. You don’t need to answer every single one of these questions, but it can help you develop a clearer and deeper relationship, better than… I don’t know, sudden love?

Show bonus (what I posted on twitter):

·         Yang interested in faunus. It is sudden, and Ruby realizes (Yang taking lots of notes during history class but only on faunus lessons, finding her in the library reading about faunus [allows for cute funny moment! Yang never reads!], talking to Velvet)

·         After being informed, Yang asking Blake about her experiences (Adam topic could be brought up and thus foreshadowed), making them closer. This also has an impact on Yang, which drives her to defend Velvet from Cardin, making friends with Sun, etc

·         Yang would also be more careful about the jokes she makes, trying not to make any racist ones and letting Blake explain her which ones are

·         Just talking in general. Deciding to spend time together when they're free (that does NOT mean they're never with the group)

·         Free time together allows for more talking and deeper topics brought up more naturally (ex: more about Yang's mother, maybe some other insecurities, further deepening her character)

·         Blake realizing Yang is allowing herself to be "weaker" around her, so she supports her a lot

·         They would defend each other in an argument against Weiss for example, and if that isn't the case, whoever wasn't defended would feel hurt and they would have to talk about it (fixing problems and talking out disagreements)

·         LISTENING AND TALKING TO EACH OTHER

·         Knowing small things about each other, for example Yang's secret place when she wants to think, Blake's favourite tea, etc

·         Yang trying to show off her strength, making flirtatious comments that Blake doesn't get and getting embarrassed

·         Yang feeling hurt when Blake spends more time with Sun and seems to be falling in love with her, but not acting on it because she doesn't wanna to get in their way and wants Blake to be happy

·         Blake missing Yang

·         Yang trying to flirt with other girls and Blake feeling strange

·         When talking with Sun, the Yang topic is brought up frequently and Sun realizes and tells Blake she seems special, Blake starts to realize something

·         Blake running away breaks Yang as she had put a lot of trust on her, even allowing herself to be "weak", and she knew about Yang's abandonment issues. Yes it's the same in canon, but it had more buildup and thus is more heartbreaking

·         During Menagerie arc, Yang is brought up often and Blake finally realizes her feelings, while Sun accepts his place as just a friend and supports her all the way (also Yang is his friend too, remember!)

·         From this point on you can drop canon on it just fine

·         BUT ADD THE TALK™! They need to talk about Blake running away. PLEASE.

Conclusion

This is not me saying “Do NOT ship Bumbleby”. Ship whatever the hell you want. I ship things that don’t even make sense. This is me saying “Your ship isn’t as good as you think it is, please stop attacking other shippers for pointing it out, and no, your argument ‘you’re just homophobic’ isn’t always valid”.

I don’t want to talk about bees anymore. Never again. But I probably will, when volume 7 drops. Until then…

Beehaw, I guess.