#of horns and roses

[constantvariations]

I get why people want to get rid of maidens/relics/gods from rwby - and I definitely can't say I blame them - but I think they could be really cool if implemented differently and intertwined

This is essentially what I did for my conceptual rewrite, Of Horns and Roses

Four gods for the four cornerstones of life: creation, destruction, choice, and knowledge. (Destruction in this case would be more like the death tarot card: change or transformation rather than erasure.) The relics would have been their iconic motifs, representing them in temples and shrines, as well as being able to bestow a portion of their magic

Semblances would be minor magics, each stemming from one of the gods. This connection makes them compatible as a conduit for the god's power

Occasionally, the gods will call upon someone to be their Prophet and complete a quest in their name. Ozma answers Choice's call, leaving behind his lover, Salem, to embark on his quest. With Choice's crown upon his head, their powers flowing through his veins, they both believe wholeheartedly he'll be back

He dies completing the quest

Upon hearing the news, Salem flies into a rage and demands the gods bring him back. He died for them, after all, so they owe him

The gods refuse, saying that they understand her tragedy, but it would disrupt the balance of the world

Salem does not accept this. She's lost everyone she's ever loved - to sickness, to war, to politics, to miscarriages - and she'll be damned before she loses another. Fueled by rage and grief, she travels the world and sabotages every Prophet's quest, twisting the gods against each other by manipulating the blame

The gods begin an all-out war that destroys lands, civilizations, and Destruction blows a hole in the moon. The shards fall to the planet, slamming into animals and people, the leftover magic mutating them into endlessly hungry monsters. These will be known as Alpha Grimm. The ones they eat are reborn as lesser Grimm, not as powerful yet just as starving for the soul they lost

The gods stop, gazing in horror at the havoc they've wrought. That's when Salem strikes, piercing Creation with their own staff and taking their power. She declares the gods obsolete and brings back Ozma, taking her peacefully slumbering lover back home and ignorant of all that has occurred

The gods are forced to retreat. Choice reaches out to Ozma, laying bare their failures and Salem's machinations. Choice pleads with him to convince her to return Creation's power, lest the world fall into disharmony

Ozma talks to Salem, asking for an explanation. Salem says there should be no death, so suffering, and no apathetic, callous gods. She wants to build a new world with Ozma at her side. Together, they would be the parents of a forever utopia

All they have to do is kill the gods

Ozma, having always desired a family after losing his so young, is tempted. He could be a father to everyone, the protector he vowed to be the moment he picked up a sword. His love for life is the very thing that led him to becoming Salem's personal guard back when she was on her own quest as Creation's Prophet

But this body is both his and not. The killing blow aches even now, often leaving him lying awake late into the night or jolting him up long before dawn. His soul knows this isn't right, he isn't meant to be here

It tears him apart, but his choice is made. In the middle of the night, while his beloved slumbers peacefully in ignorance, he steals the staff and returns it to the gods

It's a hollow victory. Salem is immortal, death almost impossible for her. With the power of a god and the mind of a human, she will inevitably destroy the world because she doesn't understand the delicate balance of life and death, the purpose behind the rules

The gods bestow upon Ozma each of the relics, saying it's up to him to return the power as they must pool their energy to keep Creation alive. Ozma must choose the new Prophets wisely and carefully, as he won't be able to retract the powers like they can, and attempting to give someone the power of the wrong god will kill them. The gods estimate that the world has a few thousand years at most before it is overwhelmed and destroyed

Each gives a final gift. Destruction cannot sustain his body, as that is Creation's area, so should Ozma's body perish, his soul will carry on alongside another's. Choice blesses his soul so that it will be drawn to ones who are compatible. Knowledge grants him the instructions on how to assemble the relics to open the gate to the pocket dimension they'll retreat to in order to sustain the fallen away from hungry hands

They then leave Ozma with the relics, a deadline, and an impossible task. He does his best, but he's only human. He makes mistakes, trusts the wrong people, loses the relics several times, and succumbs to despair more than a few lives

All the while, Salem's offer haunts him. It would be so easy to give in, to beg for her forgiveness and rest in her arms until the world ends

But he loves the world too much, just like her

Salem doesn't bow, and neither will he

And there you have it: gods, relics, and maidens prophets connected and important to both background and plot. Gods that aren't stupid assholes for the sake of being stupid assholes. Salem being proactive with a goal that doesn't suck donkey balls. A reason for why the shadow war can't go on forever. A grimm origin that's more interesting than "hurr durr bad god make monsters"

Lemme know what you think! I got more thoughts and offshoots if y'all wanna hear more

[taskmastersource]

[deniquo]

when the the rosemary then

[cloud-ya]

amy rose amirite

[agambleaday]

The kids messing with dad's stuff when he's out the studio.

[transfemmbeatrice]

taskmaster contestants ask you things......... TWO (part one)

[kim-tey]

[charlotte-bopp]

First 6 days of my A to Z of taskmaster

[valentinevar]

I commissioned art of my Tamlin / OC Amawyn for my fic A Court of Brittle Thorns.

I'm obsessed with Tamlin with horns.

Artist credit: Kannamora, here's their twitter if you'd like to check out their work:

[crescentmoonsandroses]

Drew Vamp-Chan and Skulls from @theskeletongames' fic The Skeleton Games. It was fun, I love how much shorter Sans is than Vamp-Chan. (Actually, I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be a bit shorter, but I forgot to check the height chart before I drew it. Oh well.)

Underfell was made by Vic the Underfella. The Skeleton Games and Vamp-Chan belong to Poetax.

[magentacat]

Holy shjt that was amazing.

Is there more?

Just found a blurb I wrote during work a few years ago. Still holds up well I think

Context: Pyrrha finds Jaune training alone in the middle of the night. When she tries to figure out why, Jaune gives her the cold shoulder

[penelopepitstopp]

Some more highlights from Ed's old reddit ama on the Taskmaster sub

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

my little residents

[ahollowgrave]

-- mistletoe. pt iv. (feat. the darling Rika of @darcar!)

You've unlocked a second, secret version:

[agambleaday]

The hyperactive siblings interrupting mum and dad's date night.

[esmeblaise]

You guys really liked my swap au with davekat as rosemary so heres rosemary as davekat