#oh god no that means vol 1 is about to be fully a year old no no no no

[synthshenanigans]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LIGHT & NIGHT!!!!

It officially became a year old today :}

[scvrllet]

hi, can i request a headcanon for dating five from tua? ty <3

warning(a): fighting, mentions of alcohol

The biggest little shit ever

Snarky remarks and sarcasm are just how he talks after growing up with his siblings and old habits die hard so good luck

But on a real note, he can be sweet and a big softie when he wants be 

I mean c’mon, he was stuck in the apocalyptic future for years before getting recruited by the Commission. He had to build up that cold demeanor so something its hard to let hsi guard down and allow himself to be vulnerable 

It takes some time for him to fully open up to you at first and you can’t really blame him to be honest

But if you’re persistent and patient, he will allow himself to be vulnerable whenever he’s around you. It just takes some time

This doesn’t mean he’s can’t be an ass at times. Oh my god I wouldn’t be surprised if you hit him (playfully of course)

Despite being an old little shit, he’s still very fun to be around when he isn’t so focused on saving you and his family or getting hunted down by the Commission

Speaking of which, he had insisted on getting the relationship as private as possible. This extended to his siblings though he wasn’t as he good as hiding it. Thankfully, they never mentioned it and knew that he would tell them when they were ready

You didn’t understand why until you followed him one night, walking close behind him as he entered an abandoned warehouse with a women with silver hair. She closed the door behind her and you were going to step further until you felt a cool blade pressed up agaisnt your neck

“Take one more step and your blood will be on the ground.” The person whispered dangerously close to your ear. 

You closed your eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Your body relaxed and the person lowered the blade giving you enough time to grab hold of their arm and flip them onto their back. Caught off guard with the wind knocked out of them, you were able to see who your attacker was. Tanned skin, short hair cut just before her shoulders with bangs framing her face. ‘A good enough description to report to the police later on.’ You thought to yourself before pulling up your sleeves seeing as she was getting ready to fight back

Before you could take another step forward, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around you from behind and the women with silver hair form before came to aid your attacker 

“You’ve got yourself a fighter Five.” The silver haired women said as you struggled in Five’s hold

“Who the hell are you?” You asked harshly, your anger only increasing when she chuckled and ignored your question

“Feisty as well. You’d do well in the Commission, I wonder why your boyfriend never seemed to introduced me to you.” The women said and looked at Five amusingly before turning to your attacker and leaving

“Five let me go!” 

Instead of listening to you, he used his power to bring you somewhere else before finally letting go. He mirrored your glare and the two of you continued doing so until he decided to speak

“What the hell was that for? You could’ve been killed but now thinking about it, that would’ve been much better than the mess you just got us into!” His words made you confused but not enough for you to stop be mad at him

“I wanted to know where you’ve been going lately, is that so bad? You were becoming distant again and I was scared. I never know what's going to happen whenever I’m with you Five, I just needed to confirm that my thoughts weren’t right.” Your voice became softer and softer until it was barely a whisper

The tension in the air loosened as the two of you stood before each other. Neither not knowing what to say and hoping that the other would talk

“I’ve told you everything already. From the Apocalypses to where we are know but what I didn’t was that I was hired as an assassins for a few years.” He said, avoiding your gaze as he looked down at the ground. “That women you spoke to back there, was my boss. She made me a killer.” 

“And the girl who held a knife to my throat?” 

“Her daughter, Adoptive daughter.” 

Silence followed after as the two of you tried to figure out what to say. It felt like hours before you decided to ask. “So what’s the plan?”

Five looked at you, tilting his head to the side wondering you had meant by ‘plan’

“Well she now knows about me, and my skills I guess. What’s the plan going to be? Surely you’re not just going to let it slide.” You continued and Five smiled at how well you knew him

“Let’s get some drinks first, then we can discuss this.”

“You always want drinks.”

“I’m sorry who always ends up drunk by the time 1 am rolls around?”

Five Hargreeves Tags: @a-c-lee @mikariell95 @honeyydippaa @missingyoucth @dora-the-grownup @spicyfrenchfries @eleventhdoctorsangel @euphoniumpets @studyxuxi @wukindly @woohoney @gardengirl-18 @its-me-jospeh @thegirlwholikestomanythings @ilovemilk2k16 @shelteredheart @sebastianstanslefteyebrow @the-victorian-catholic @xxcxrolinexx @sekano @hitoshi-s-stupid-bitch @illufrustration @alorathebear @susceptible-but-siriusexual @im-dead-and-hurting @cosmos06 @youremorethanamelody @littlebuzzzybee @jasper--jordan @strawveryy @abelbai000

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[nissakii]

Scent. a Haikyu!! Fanfiction pt.16

[want to read all chapters right now? Our fanfictions get updated every monday on our blog, click here to continue reading!]

“Why don’t you tell me something about omegas and how you react to them”. The phrasing maybe wasn’t that ambiguous, but the words were spat out with poisonous intention. Words that should enter your head and linger for a while not until one realizes they consume you. At least that was my intention on that day. I’ve heard enough times that those kinds of mind games were allegedly ‘horrible’ and ‘insulting’, but I never understood what the big deal was. It’s not like I’m taking away a toy from a child. We are all adults here, and life isn’t about who is the nicest. It’s about who succeeds. And if some little mind game is what gives me the head start. I’ll do it. Albeit possibly that I lost my chances to be friends with Oikawa, I must admit my words to him were pretty harsh, I felt like he took it well. Which isn’t good. He wasn’t fazed by it at all, I had noticed his smile maybe twitching a little but he only retorted with a smart explanation of how natural pheromones worked and made me look like an idiot country bumpkin. I still remembered his smile as he asked me if I understood what he meant, and maybe I was just angrier than usual but I could swear he was being all smug about it too. So I found someone who was willing to play the same game as me. Hm. The other interesting thing on that day, which keeps replaying in my head, was that omega girl. It was honestly shocking to scent an omega for the first time. My curiosity ran with it and I was glad she was fine with me being so close, I have heard stories in which omegas retorted with less ‘accommodating’ ways. I even caught her gaze after a lecture of mine, but she didn’t budge and I wasn’t up for conversation. Still, the way she looked at me after coming for Oikawa was insane. She didn’t yell or tried to fight me, she didn’t shy away either. She just looked at me. And it was terrifying. Her eyes were piercing through me as if to provoke me to continue, her scent had doubled up in intensity which I wasn’t expecting at all, and her sweet caramel scent suddenly burnt to crisp. Her voice was sharp but not too emotional, it was distinct for me to listen to. “I would ask you to mind your own business”. Stone cold, I gotta say. It made me take a step back and raise my arms in defense with a smile and the situation immediately deescalated, Oikawa had caught her scent and was just as aggravated and I realised the rumours I had heard were partly true, but the incident seemed a lot more severe than I had imagined. I mean it was the first thing I heard when I came here, it was on social media and every other first year told me the same thing. “It’s good you’re an alpha, the rest don’t have it easy here”. Maybe I really shouldn’t have meddled too much, it’s still a school I really wanted to go to and Osamu is here as well, so I really shouldn’t destroy my own chances that much. The caramel girl was technically right, I should mind my own business. But was that fun? Nah. The door creaked open as what I would assume could only be my brother entered the dorm room I was in. “Samu!”, I chimed excitedly. … I only pushed in the door a little bit and already heard my brother squeak my name. “Samu!”, he chimed and I entered the dorm with a greeting. “Ossu”, I placed the plastic bag with some utensils I needed for my classes on my bed and looked at Atsumu sprawled on his side. The dorm room we were given was actually quite small. I was used to having a bit more space to myself, but with the scholarship I was glad I atleast got a twin room with my brother. Although when I looked at him I sometimes thought differently. The two beds were pushed to the far end of the room and to the walls on the sides, a desk separating the space in between. In front of Atsumu’s bed, which was the one on the right, the other desk was situated which was supposed to be mine. I remember when we moved in here the dorm looked horrendous, but with enough cleaning and the right duvets and covers it felt a lot better. And of course my side was a lot neater than his. “S’that my

shirt?”, I recognized the pattern on the front and he merely scoffed at me. “Uh, no?” “Really?” “Uh”, he intelligently mused to himself and I sighed. “Nevermind, you take what ya want anyways. Make sure to wash it later, I gotta head to the library”, I left the bag with the supplies on my bed and instead fished out a list with the literature I had to get. “Alright, see ya” “See ya”, I retorted and headed back outside. I grabbed the list in my hands and tried to check which building I had to go to. “Why are there multiple libraries?” Linguistics? Human sciences? Okay I definitely don’t have to go to the law department. With at least twenty minutes of running around campus I finally went up to someone outside and asked for help. “Oh yeah that’s pretty confusing I guess, uh so you need to search for building 4, the library should be the glass building right next to it!” Nodding and bowing with a slight smile I made my way to the mentioned building. The way over there was very pretty, the pathways went under huge trees and the ambiance felt really good, but I had no time to walk around exploring. Finally, I looked at the beautiful building in front of me. Still belonging to the campus, but it was obvious that it was either newly built or otherwise rebranded. The walls showed a tinted version of the life inside, the higher stories dimly shining in a warm light. I approached the entrance and two huge doors slid open when I wanted to step inside. Murmuring was to be heard everywhere, and for the fact that it was a library I was a little shocked at the rumbling noise. As if I was entering a mall, tall metal gates that I had to go through demanded my student ID. I saw other students move swiftly between the poles and swish their ID quickly at a screen and I tried to emulate the gesture, completely overwhelmed with all of the technology. With I beep the gates opened and I stood still to admire the interior of the building. Standing in the middle, and elevator right in front of me lead to the different levels of the library. When I looked to the right I saw a reception and an information center, and to the left the toilets and another gate leading to a cafeteria where to be found. Stepping into the elevator I looked at the signs that signalled me which level I had to go to and I pressed the button. Floor 7 out of 12. This crap is huge! More and more students entered and left the elevator again, stopping at every floor to change its inhabitants. After some minor bumps in the road, I finally got to my desired floor. When the metal doors opened, I finally felt the silence. Shelves and more shelves of book were to be seen, students rummaging through them to find what they were looking for. Maybe it was the fact that the library was so huge, but i didn’t see too many people here. Looking up at a sign that read “Arts and human sciences” I knew I was at the right place. Walking inside I started to look for my books. Big mistake. The labels on the books were highly confusing, and I had no idea where to look. I peered at my list again. Introduction into Culinary Arts vol.1 – [1998-TR-CA-54] Huh? What about the good old alphabetization? I had no idea what those codes meant, and after only finding books on history and other weird subjects, I had to check for help. I went back to the entrance of the library and followed the arrow sign that said ‘reception’ until I found a desk with a young woman sitting behind it. She was focused on her laptop, quickly typing away as I approached her. “Hi”, I whispered and she shot up in her seat. “Oh, sorry, uhm can you help me find these books please?”, I whispered again as she visibly relaxed and smiled lightly. “Yeah, sorry I’m a bit jumpy today. What books are you looking for? Wanna read them here or rent them?”, she asked in a hushed voice and I realised I didn’t have to whisper all too much. “Rent please, but I have no idea where to find these. The codes are really weird”. She stood up from her stool and walked around the desk towards me. “Are you new

here? The codes are confusing at first but you’ll get used to it”. I nodded and handed her my list, and she concentrated on that for a moment before showing me something. “See that code? It’s made so you can narrow your search. [1998-TR-CA-54] means you look for the shelf number 54, then for CA which stands for culinary arts, then the authors initials which are ‘Tatum Rebecca’ and then the release year 1998”, her fingers pointed on each letter combination and then to the shelves around us. Puzzled, I still looked at the myriad of shelves in front of me and she must’ve caught my expression because she stifled a laugh and took a step towards the shelves. “Want me to help you?” I nodded and she replied with a hum as she started walking. “The library gets a little confusing at first”, she mused as I walked next to her, “I think I might’ve seen you on a library tour before? Are you new?” I nodded, “I just moved here, so everything is a little weird to me still”. Her eyes crinkled shut as she stifled another laugh and suddenly looked a bit taken aback, she looked to the floor and back up at me but not fully, “Yeah I felt the same when I came here for my first semester”. She turned around to face me and I looked down at her nameplate. Asami. Beta Committee. I pointed at the name plate with a cocked brow, “so you’re a beta?” She stopped in her tracks and gave me a look. “Uh yeah, I am”, she followed my gaze and suddenly started talking really fast, “Oh my god! I didn’t even introduce myself. You’re new you must be taking everything in still!” “It’s fine, I mean I saw it on your nameplate. Is Asami okay?”, I inquired and she nodded lightly with a shy smile. “I’m Osamu Miya, nice to meet you”, I slightly nodded my head as well and she beckoned me closer to follow her. As she walked through the shelves and pathways she explained more about the library. There were way too many faculties and abbreviations to remember, but luckily they hung up a lot of flyers that showed which abbreviations stood for which topic. I only needed a couple of these, but after finding the first two books my head started to buzz with all the information. “And here you have the department of culinary arts, its quite remote from the rest of the library but I guess you’ll have your peace and quiet here!”, Asami chimed happily, her voice raising a little bit as there were almost no students here. It was actually quiet nice to have no background noise. It reminded me of home, when I walked to school and I left a sleeping Atsumu behind. The breeze catching my face as I made my way to school. I hummed and looked around to locate the last books on my list. For my business and economics classes we had already found the book I needed, well Asami found them, but this time I tried to get the book on my own. Walking towards the shelves before the beta could even move, I already found the correct number out of sheer luck and started to check for the right letter combinations. I felt Asami roaming behind me, I could smell her rosey scent behind my form but she didn’t budge. “Ah”, I exclaimed as I pulled out the book I needed with a little too much excitement. She clapped quietly and nodded proudly. “You caught on really quickly! We could use a bit of help from someone like you in the committee!” “The beta committee?”, I asked with my index finger pointing to her name tag again. “Yeah! We always have a place for new students, and you could even work here in the library”, she concluded and I smiled a little. “Well I am flattered I guess, but I am not a beta”. She staggered for a moment and looked at me confused, until I saw her nostrils flare up and she held her hand to mouth as she realized her mistake. “Uh, uhm I- I’m sorry I-“, she started stuttering and I cut her off with a relaxed shake of my head. “No worries, I actually get that a lot”. “Ugh, no it’s not fine, I shouldn’t have assumed your secondary gender that so weird”, she slumped a little and took a step back, her eyes not even reaching my face anymore. “It’s no big deal, I get

this often even at home. People think my scent is a bit more subdued so” She nodded but still looked away, a weird silence brooding between us now. It’s really not that big of a deal though. “Oi!”, hushed yell came from the door and we both looked towards it to find a lean man leaning onto it. “The reception was empty, what are you doing?” “Oh, no”, the beta mused and clasped her hands together anxiously before looking back at me, still more distant than at the beginning of our conversation. “I’m sorry, that’s Akaashi I have to go back to the reception!”, and she turned around to meet the other guy before I could say anything. She was so jittery all of a sudden. “Uh, yeah”, I mumbled back as I watched her interact with said Akaashi, before I turned back to my list. They both left soon after that, and I was left alone in the silence of the shelves trying to find the few books I had left. After a couple of minutes and endless shuffling, I counted off my list and stopped with a satisfied huff when I realized I had everything I needed. The books were actually quite bothersome to carry, so I snagged one of the book trolleys that were laid out to help with transporting the literature and leisurely pushed it next to me as I approached the reception again. This time, there were a couple of students standing around the computer, and I curiously walked closer. “No way, I can’t take Thursday. I have extracurriculars there!”, another male beta I assumed argued with Asami who was typing frantically on her computer. “Well I don’t have any other slot for you, I’m sorry. It’s either Thursday for you or Akaashi, and Akaashi is already taking Friday this time”, she mumbled a bit more annoyed than I expected. She really was different when calm. I already released when she assumed I was a beta that she felt comfortable, but when she suddenly drew back I felt her environment must be very precise for her to relax. Good thing Tsumu isn’t here. “I can take both days”, Akaashi mumbled, and I took another step and cleared my throat to interrupt. “Sorry, can I just check these out?”, I asked and Akaashi immediately nodded and typed up something into the computer even though Asami was still sitting in front of it. As a result she retreated into herself with a squeal and grumbled when Akaashi slightly pushed away her swivel chair. “Can you give me the books you wanna take with you?”, the aloof beta asked politely and I pushed the books towards him. As he scanned every item on the list, I felt the eyes of the other male beta on me. I wasn’t sure if I had seen him before somewhere, but he looked at me with slanted eyes before scrunching his nose and inhaling my scent. He suddenly calmed down a lot and even smiled a little, as if his cause for concern was suddenly gone. “You’re new here aren’t you? What’s your name hm?”, he tilted his head and leaned forward on the counter. “Uh, yeah. I’m Osamu Miya, nice to meet you”, I prompted back and the beta nodded, like he was pleased with the answer. “Any interest in joining the beta committee? It’s very-” Asami nudged his arm and furiously shook her head to signal something and I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Is it really that ambiguous? “What Asami? I’m trying to recruit fresh meat here! We need the help!” “Actually I am not a beta. I’m an alpha”, I retorted lamely, and I felt a twinge of surprise when Asami’s eyes shot up to me in fear. “What is it?”, I asked and felt annoyance crumbling up slightly. “Oh”, the beta I was talking to shot back with venom in his voice and Akaashi only sighed while typing in codes for the books,” and alpha are you?” I nodded with scrunched eyebrows. What is he getting at? “Well, then you can leave”, she kissed his teeth and looked to the side as if disgusted. “Futakuchi! You can’t say that! It’s borderline discrimination at this point!”, Asami pulled at the guys sweater and he broke away but kept looking at her as he spoke. “No way! We have enough alpha’s strolling around terrorizing us! What about us hm?!” “Don’t mind him. He’s very”,

Akaashi looked at Futakuchi and then back at me with disdain written in his features, “passionate”. “It’s about beta’s not getting the recognition they deserve! Beta supremacy!”, he whisper yelled at Asami who only sank her head into her hands. Beta supremacy? Somehow that didn’t feel right to me. Personally I didn’t take much care into being an alpha, the whole secondary gender thing wasn’t of much interest anyways. I generall talk to the people I wanna talk to, and when it comes to more serious relationships, I tend to not have a type. Although most Alpha’s go for omegas and vice versa, and most beta’s tend to stay in their own bubble, I felt it was almost restricting to think about that when choosing somebody. “Pay them no mind please”, Akaashi pushed the rented books towards me and I pulled them towards the small trolley with a nod. “You can take that one to your dorm, but please bring it back as soon as you can”, the calm beta continued and I thanked him with another nod. That Futakuchi guy still kept on glaring at me, while Asami swatted at his arm when she realised I stared too. “Yeah I’ll bring it over later, thank you”, I looked at the beta girl until she finally looked back and thanked her as well. She nodded and I turned around to get back to the dorm. My phone buzzed before I could even start moving and I checked my text messages. Tsumu: bring me pudding pls? You’re insufferable… Tsumu: thx o3o With a sigh I pushed the phone back into my jeans pocket and left the library behind.

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[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Vol. 5 "True Colors"

This is a re-posting from October 4th, 2018 in an effort to get all my recaps fully on tumblr. Thanks!

Guess who’s back, back again

Clyde is back, tell a friend

How long will my focus and work ethic last? Who knows, but with Volume 6 on the horizon and a fantastic new poster out, I’m feeling like it’s time to dive back into RWBY Recaps. Never too late to guiltily dust off an old project, right?

Right.

We’re back in Volume 5. Yes, I did a bit of Volume 1—extreme illusions of grandeur and productivity there—but we should really round out 5 before 6 comes knocking on the 27th. I’ve got almost a month. Let’s see how well I do, starting with “True Colors.”

We open on an image of Qrow and Ozpin together, notably Ozpin given the prim posture and ever-present coffee mug. Qrow makes the comment that things “aren’t looking good” and really? No shit, bird boy. We’ve gone from “Oh no, Ruby is having trouble becoming a leader!” to “Oh no… Weiss is trying to overcome a racist upbringing…?” and are now firmly in the territory of “OH NO a bunch of our faves are dead and Ozpin is forced to possess a child??” Things haven’t looked good for a while.

Ozpin is ever the optimist though. He points out that yeah, things are bad, but they could also be worse. “Humanity is a resilient force” he says, which oddly enough, sounds a lot like the kind of thing someone not a part of Humanity would say. Jury’s still out on whether Oz was the lowly farmer unfairly cursed by the gods, or a god himself justly punished for some sort of hubris… or something else entirely. It just strikes me as significant that he often distances himself from others in not just actions but speech as well. Could be a glimpse into his true nature, aka someone literally not human. Could also just be the result of spending thousands of years reincarnating while everyone else around you suffers and dies. That’ll make anyone feel subhuman…

Qrow challenges Oz’s happy-go-lucky attitude, reminding us that a huge number of pro huntsmen have been murdered and Salem couldn’t have achieved that on her own. She’s had help—and plenty of it. But Ozpin stands firm that it “doesn’t take a great number of people to cause harm” and there are “far more people in this world willing to prevent it.”

Enter our protagonist.

Subtle!

Ruby is adorable, as always, hesitantly approaching the two of them and awkwardly accepting the invitation to chat. It’s a striking difference in how she acts when it’s just her and Qrow, which is expected. Ozpin remains a much more distant authority figure and now he’s inhabiting the body of a boy her own age. I’d be a little unsure about how to act around him too.

Ruby finally asks what we’ve been worried about since the beginning of this Volume: if Cinder defeated Oz then does that mean Salem now has the Beacon relic? Luckily, no. Oz says he made finding the Beacon relic “a bit more challenging than at the other schools.” So Ruby asks the second question that’s been on our minds…

Ozpin: “No, my cane is not a relic.”

Ruby: “I have no more questions :)”

Okay now wait. I'm calling bullshit lol. That cane is 100% a relic. I mean could I be wrong? Absolutely. But it’s way more fun to be confident so I’m calling Ozpin out on this. For a number of reasons:

1. He’s absolutely the kind of guy to do what no one else expects. “The cane is so obvious!” Yeah, which means everyone will be looking for the relic elsewhere, hidden away like the Haven relic. Who the hell would have it out in the open? Ozpin. He would. Expect the unexpected.

2. He’s alsothe kind of guy who might lie to someone about it. Ozpin has been playing this game a long time and he’s not above a few smiles and carefully placed words if he thinks it’ll keep things on track. The Haven relic is the one currently in danger—no reason to announce the Beacon relic’s location and shift the team’s focus just because a former student asks him for the truth. It’s too dangerous and Ozpin is very adept at, as he says, playing things close to the chest. And I don’t blame him. That’s how you keep humanity alive.

3. The scene doesn’t show us Qrow at all who is a lot less adept at lying, to say nothing of the fact that—if he knows about the relic—he wouldn’t feel good lying specifically to Ruby.

4. Ozpin’s previous comment about how this relic is a “bit more challenging” seems significant. That is, why ONLY make the Beacon relic so difficult to find? All the relics are important so why not give them all the same precautions? Well, the answer is simple if your precaution is something you can only do for one of them: keep the relic with you.

5. Qrow, arguably Ozpin’s closest friend (husband-friend), was entrusted with getting the cane back to him and it’s used as the introduction between Oscar and Qrow. Seems like a pretty damn important object.

6. We’ve seen this cane fend off crazy powerful attacks and it never takes any damage. Granted, all the weapons in RWBY are pretty hearty, but Ozpin’s cane seems particularly indestructible. Almost like there’s something similar to magic surrounding it.

7. We’ve still got those gears. That cane transforms into something…

8. The fact that Ozpin immediately homes in on Ruby’s question, quickly counters it, and then tells her to leave (go gather the others). He’s in charge of the conversation here.

9. The fact that the scene suddenly turns light-hearted and humorous. We’re meant to shrug this moment off and not think too hard about it. Well, too late now.

Granted, Oz has a good explanation here. He states firmly that the cane is indeed precious, though only to him, and that it still “has a few tricks up its sleeve.” Nothing he says counters what we already know, yet it doesn’t reveal any of his cane’s secrets either. We’re still in the dark. So until we’re not I remain suspicious about his claim that it’s totally definitely absolutely not a relic.

(The headmaster doth protest too much.)  

(Edit Feb. 2019: I was so wrong, folks!!) 

But we’re moving on. Qrow gets a call from Lionheart asking them to meet up with him to discuss potentially going on the offensive against the bandits. Ruby is ecstatic and runs off. Ozpin? Not so much. He and Qrow both comment on how strange it is that Lionheart has suddenly changed his tune and the addition of some creepy music all but beats us over the head with, “It’s a trap!!” This time when Qrow says that things aren’t looking good Ozpin’s only response is, “I know.” So much for the pep talk.

We cut to Lionheart himself, having just finished up that call, and as we pull back who should we find but Raven. She makes blunt what we already know, “I never expected that you would be the one with the guts to betray Oz” while we get a nice crane shot so that we can see Raven circling him, standing while he’s seated—a predator stalking prey.

Though of course it’s not actually courage driving their actions here. It’s cowardice. At least Lionheart is willing to admit it. He says straight out that he’s terrified of Salem and doesn’t think anyone can beat her, so why not join the winning side? Raven, meanwhile, is still firmly in denial. “I’m not scared,” she says. “I’m smart.” Please, girl. You’ve spent your whole life running and you don’t know how to stop now. “Man up,” Raven continues (god that’s a terrible phrase). “You did what you needed to do to survive. There’s no shame in that,” which is where we see the divide between their morals and everyone else surrounding Team RWBY. They’re scared, but they fight despite their fear because they know it’s necessary to help both others and themselves. Raven is only out for herself and her selfish actions hurt family (Qrow), children (Yang), friends (her tribe), and allies (Ozpin) in the process.

“Who are you trying to convince?” Lionheart asks her. It's great seeing a villain who knows exactly where the line is even as they can’t help but cross it. RIP the complex ones.

We move back to Menagerie where Ilia and the others are still leading the attack on Blake’s family. Kali if BAMF here, snatching up a tray as both defense and weapon when her gun runs out of ammo. We get to see her clocking Yuma before we catch up with Blake and Ilia—and I enjoy the contrast in colors between these two scenes, from full blown battle (cold) to friends-turned-enemies (warm):

Ilia spouts the same arguments as Raven: she doesn’t have a choice about her actions. Violence is the only way to survive. Despite the rhetoric Blake is willing to let her go, but Ilia has other plans. The fight, while not spectacular, does showcase the clear parallels between them—both in their arguments and the use of long/short range weaponry. When asked why she doesn’t leave Blake responds that she runs away too much. Beyond the obvious theme from our title—everyone showing their “True Colors”—the focus of this episode is quite obviously who’s willing to fight for others and who’s only out for themselves; who’s able to distinguish between when a literal fight is necessary and when another avenue can be taken. We see time and time again that Team RWBY is leagues ahead of others in terms of that kind of maturity.

From a world building perspective I appreciate Ilia’s use of her camouflaging skills. It’s rare that we see the Faunus actually using their animal abilities (beyond Sun swinging around on his tail) and that’s definitely a useful one in battle… though it's undermined somewhat by having a weapon that lights up with electricity. Gotta think that one through…

And then Blake sETS THE HOUSE ON FIRE? Damn, girl! This isn’t even a real battle—at least not between the two of them. Ilia says two seconds later that Blake isn’t taking this seriously, neither of them truly wants to kill the other, so is burning down your house really the best option here? I always knew Blake was secretly the most dramatic of the bunch.

(That’s a lie. I'm sorry. The most dramatic is clearly Weiss, but she’d be proud of Blake’s ridiculously over-the-top strategy here, I’m sure.)

Blake manages to pin Ilia and keeps trying to talk her down. It works. Sort of. Ilia starts to cry as she admits that she doesn’t know what else to do, but at that moment Ghira comes crashing through the wall with another fight at his heels. (This family is rich enough that they don't care about the property damage.) And then we get this,

This is a sharp reminder that though Blake and Ilia might be fighting more with words than fists, the same can’t be said for her parents. They are, notably, in very real danger. The fight picks back up with Ilia clearly torn now between her loyalties. She defends herself though when Sun joins the fray, pausing only when Blake begs the two of them to stop. However, their fighting has already cracked the pillar holding up the second story and Ilia gets caught underneath. Surprisingly, she’s saved by Ghira (which tells us more about his character than all his bickering with Sun ever could) and there’s a nifty bit of teamwork used to get him out—Sun’s copies hold up the balcony; Blake uses her weapon to pull her dad to safety. The brother (Fennec) who tries to attack him from behind is justifiably crushed under the rubble.

Kali is safe and joins the gang. The fight is basically over, but Corsac attacks out of pure grief and rage, allowing Ilia to stun him from behind. Now I’ve got a lot of feelings about Ilia, most of which boil down to just plain not liking her. I already explained in depth my issues with her being the (so far) sole queer character on the show and this is now compounded with her supposed “redemption.” There are problems inherent in making the (again, only) queer character an antagonist, but there are more problems in making them an antagonist and then refusing to stand by that. Rooster Teeth had her as a complex villain and then the moment she was revealed to have feelings for Blake it’s, “Never mind! She’s good now!” in the span of half an episode.

And how does this redemption occur? Ilia attacks Blake and goes after Blake’s parents. She continues to attack them after being given numerous chances to walk away. She turns on her allies… only after the fight is won. If Ilia were a different kind of character her stunning Corsac could have easily been seen as a survival strategy rather than a true change of heart. They’re now outnumbered four to two, so—like Lionheart—why not quickly join the winning side? I honestly wish Ilia was out to double cross Blake if only because that would be consistent with her loyalties up until now. It would make sense.

In the grand scheme of things though these are minor points. What strikes me as far more significant is 1. that Ilia and her allies could have killed Kali and Ghira. I admit that she wasn’t fighting Blake full out, but the purpose of this attack was to assassinate her parents and the fight did lead to at least one death. That’s not just something you bounce back from. Maybe I’m an asshole, but I couldn’t wave that away as a “bad decision” like Blake does. They could have died. And 2. the most important of all, we’ve yet to see any true change in her thinking or ideology! Ilia joins the gang because she lost and she's left standing around awkwardly with Blake—the girl she’s in love with. Would Ilia have second-guessed her actions if they'd succeeded in their mission? I doubt it. In the aftermath of failure she's contrite, but Ilia was pretty damn adamant about killing humans---and the Belladonnas---just a few minutes ago. If her redemption is based on circumstance and her one-sided crush… that’s not a redemption I can get behind.

But it’s what we’re rushed into. Blake gives a rousing speech about how no, they can’t just use humans as a scapegoat for this attack. They can’t allow figureheads like Adam to speak for them. She says that they’re all “looking for simple answers to a very complex problem” and that despite it not being what they want to hear, she doesn’t know how to just “make hate go away.” That’s a huge development from the girl who went to Mountain Glenn and said passionately that she was going to change the world, but without any concrete ideas as to how to do that. Now Blake can admit her own ignorance and knows at the very least what not to do. They’re not going to change the world through violence like this—they won’t change it for the better, anyway.  

I’m with her through all that, up until Blake agrees to take Ilia to Haven. The guard yells out, “You’re just going to forgive her? After all she’s done?” and Blake says only, “Yes.” You know what that is? It’s a simple answer to a very complex problem. It’s painted as admirable on her part—Ghira says she’s learned the lesson of how powerful forgiveness can be—but I think this is RWBY’s fairy-tale simplicity shining through and it doesn’t fit with the heavy material we've been tackling the last few volumes. There’s a big difference between forgiving someone and making sure that they face consequences for their actions. There’s a difference between forgiving them and thinking practically about whether you can or should trust them with your safety and the safety of others. Hell, forgiveness usually takes more than five minutes and often times doesn’t happen at all! Ilia has done none of the work to justify Blake’s forgiveness and though having forgiveness handed to you might read as a beautiful ideal, it doesn’t work well in the gritty, complicated, racially loaded storyline that Rooster Teeth keeps trying to pull off. It feels cheap in the face of all that Blake suffered through this volume, especially when they turn Ilia’s actions into a literal joke. She stabbed Sun? No big deal! He pinched her and now they’re even! How much of a joke would this be if Ghira had suddenly collapsed from his own wound? Or Kali hadn't casually rejoining them entirely unharmed? Maybe I’m more bitter than I thought, but Ilia’s redemption feels like an unintended smack in the face.

The townspeople buy into the happy picture though and we get a chorus of them agreeing to join Blake in the fight to defend Haven. Plans are made to arm, train, and transport the people of Menagerie in two weeks time. Getting civilians into fighting shape that quickly might be a challenge, but at least Blake knows a ship captain who owes her a favor.

And that’s where we end this episode—forging a path for the future. Stay tuned for the next episode “The More the Merrier” as we count down to the Volume 6 premiere!

Other Details of Note

In that opening shot we have what looks like a pretty generic print on the wall—who doesn’t like sunsets?—except that it also shows a crescent moon without the broken pieces. Artist’s interpretation? Time before the moon’s demise? Animator’s forgetting about it while drawing the random painting that viewers are only going to see for about two seconds? You decide!

I really appreciate that Ozpin praises Ruby for being the first to realize the potential implications of the Beacon relic. She’s praised for her skill with Crescent Rose and for being one of the youngest to attend Beacon, but it’s rare that people comment on Ruby’s intellect. She’s smart as hell with one of the more strategic minds of the group—that’s partly why she makes such a good leader. It’s good to see someone, particularly her headmaster, acknowledging that.

After Qrow gets the call from Lionheart he immediately reaches for his flask… despite still having a steaming drink beside him. Apparently working with this guy was tough even before they knew he was loyal to Salem.  

Edit Feb. 2019: Lionheart says that “I’ve done things Ozpin will never forgive” and that’s one hell of a loaded line after hearing Ozpin’s thoughts on Lionheart in Volume 6.

“Sorry, Dad” Blake says right before she burns down their library. Somehow I don't think 'sorry' cuts it in this situation...

[ebdaydreamer]

Miss Holmes - Vol.1: Chapter One

Fifth Fic for my Sixteen Fics challenge

I wrote this a while ago, and I'm publishing the first chapter for my Sixteen Fics challenge. The next chapter will definitely not be out for a while, but I WILL continue this (I'm waaay too excited).

Fandom: Sherlock

Warnings: N/A

The Holmes Family is... dysfunctional, at best. Secret keeping geniuses with a passion for puzzles. Trying to be a normal human female in this mad family is no easy feat. "Welcome to The Game, Doctor Watson."

[AO3]

“Afghanistan or Iraq?” asked the man Mike had just introduced him to.

John felt a wave of shock pass over him: how on Earth could he know? They’d literally just met, and he didn’t go around telling people that he was retired from the army - he could do without the constant sympathy.

“Sorry?” he replied.

“Which was it?” He asked again, turning briefly to look at him, “Afghanistan or Iraq?”

John glanced at Mike, who merely sat there looking smug.

“Afghanistan,” John answered cautiously. “Sorry, how did you know-”

“Ah, Molly, coffee, thank you,” the man cut him off as a woman walked in with two steaming mugs. She passed one to the man and set the other on the table. When his phone was returned to him, John felt an immense curiosity and natural defensiveness stream through his veins.

The man and the woman had a short conversation about lipstick where the man commented that her mouth was too small, but instead of getting offended, she merely backed out of the room awkwardly. As she left, John heard her exchange a few words with someone, “Oh! Hattie, didn’t see you there. Coffee’s on the table.”

“Thanks, Molly,” the girl replied, strolling in with files in hand. John got a good look at her. She appeared to be in her mid-to-late teens, maybe around college age. She was quite tall with fairly sharp features. Her dark hair had been straightened and was worn in a half up half down style. The man’s gaze was immediately drawn to her as she picked up the coffee.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned.

The girl turned to him, an incredulous look on her face, “I work here, remember?”

“Yes, I know that,” the man rolled his eyes. “Don’t be obvious. I mean here now. You don’t have any shifts today.”

Moving away from where she was storing away the files, the girl made an exasperated noise before turning to him, “I’m filling in for when I’m busy tomorrow.” She spoke through clenched teeth, and John couldn’t help but wonder who she was, “remember?”

A flicker of remembrance flew across the man’s face, before he swiftly went back to his work and the girl went back to her’s.

Baffled by the past two minutes, John decided to try again asking how on Earth he knew about Afghanistan. However, he was interrupted when the man spoke again, “How do you feel about the violin?”

John looked over at the girl, assuming the question was for her, but when she made no movement, he realised it was directed at him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I play the violin when I’m thinking,” the man said as if this explained it. “Sometimes I don’t talk for days on end.” He stopped typing and looked at John, “Would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other.”

Just as he threw him a large smile, the girl sniggered from the corner.

“Something funny?”

“Please!” the girl chuckled, “that is not even close to the worst things about you! They’re probably your best qualities.”

“Alright. Name something worse,” the man challenged.

“Where do you want me to begin? Alphabetically or descending in levels of annoyance?”

“Sorry,” John interrupted, not fully believing that this child was sassing an adult and he appeared to be not only fine with it, but encouraging it. “Who are you? And who said anything about flatmates?”

“I did,” the man answered, picking up a coat. “Told Mike this morning I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for.”

“No ‘must’, in there. You are a difficult man to find a flatmate for,” the girl cut in.

The man gave her a sarcastic smile. “Apologies, I forgot to mention another annoying thing about living with me is my lovely fifteen year old daughter,” he said to John, gesturing to the girl.

“Oh!” Mike said, realising that he was the one doing introductions here. “John, this is Hattie. Hattie, John Watson. Old friend of mine when I was a pupil here.”

Hattie gave him a pleasant smile, offering to shake his hand. John took it, wondering if he could live with a teen girl. He wasn’t sure he was up for fighting for the bathroom or being around teen mood swings. But then again, maybe she’d be with her mother half the time? Surely if her parents were living together they didn’t need a flatmate.

Hattie ran her eyes over him, and he felt like he was being scanned. “Iraq or Afghanistan?”

“Afghanistan,” the man answered for him.

Now John was shocked. How in God’s name did she too know about Afghanistan?

“Sorry, how did you both know about that?”

They ignored him, and the man wrapped his scarf, picked up his phone and addressed his daughter, “I’m off. Text if you’re going to be out late.” He then turned to John, “Hattie and I have eyes on a nice little place in central London. Together we ought to be able to afford it.” He paused, looking up at John, “We’ll meet there, tomorrow evening; seven o’clock. Sorry – gotta dash. I think I left my riding crop in the mortuary.”

The man went to exit, and John whirled around, “Is that it? “

The man moved away from the door, facing John. “Is that what?”

“We’ve only just met and we’re gonna go and look at a flat?”

The man glanced briefly at Mike and his daughter before turning back to him, an almost challenging look on his face, “Problem?”

Looking towards Mike for help, he gave a disbelieving smile, but his friend just watched the man. Not quite believing the situation, John faced him again. “We don’t know a thing about each other; I don’t know where we’re meeting; I don’t even know your name.”

The man took a moment took look at him, and John briefly thought he would apologise and backtrack a little, but when he opened his mouth and started speaking a mile a minute, John realised this wasn’t the case.

“I know you’re an army doctor and you’ve been invalided home from Afghanistan. I know you’ve got a brother who’s worried about you but you won’t go to him for help because you don’t approve of him - possibly because he’s an alcoholic; more likely because he recently walked out on his wife.” As he kept speaking, John couldn’t help but gawk in awe as this man - this stranger - blurted out the things he kept close and avoided sharing with anyone. “And I know that your therapist thinks your limp’s psychosomatic -” John steered his gaze away from the man towards his leg, shuffling as he felt blood rush his face, “quite correctly, I’m afraid.”

From the corner of the room, the girl let out a long sigh and John momentarily peered at her before reverting his gaze back to her father. Her lips were pursed and her eyes shifting, like she was trying to gage a reaction.

The man noticed her and directed a question at her, “How much did you get?”

“I missed the brother thing,” she replied.

“You would’ve,” he said in what John assumed was supposed to be reassuring. The man turned back to him, beginning to exit the room again. “ That’s enough to be going on with, don’t you think?” he asked smugly.

Then the man was gone, and John started trying to process what the hell just happened, when the door creaked back open and the man was leaning through it.

“The name’s Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker Street.”

He gives a sort of click and winked at John, closing the door and yelling back to Mike and Hattie, “Afternoon!”

Feeling his mouth gape open a little, he turned to Mike, a million questions on his tongue, before closing it again, realising half his thoughts might not be appropriate in front of the man’s daughter.

Luckily, Mike answered one of those questions for him, “Yeah. He’s always like that.”

Hattie snorted, “No he’s not. Usually,” she hoisted up a pile of files into her arms, one arm free to open the door, “he’s a lot worse. But then again, I was raised by him.”

Just as she was about to walk through the door, she turned back to John, an almost welcoming smile on her face, “I really do hope you’ll end up living with us, Dr Watson.”

Then she was gone, and John was left wondering what the hell he was getting himself into.

***

Once back in his bedsit, John still hadn’t fully progressed the strange meeting he’d just had. They were quite odd, the Holmes’. Somehow both of them knew about Afghanistan seconds after meeting him and the man even knew about Harry, though he did say it was his brother. Not only were they seemingly psychic, they had a peculiar relationship for father and daughter; she spoke to him in a tone that he would expect parents to scold their children for, but instead, Mr Holmes encouraged her - then again he did seem rather rude and arrogant. The girl, at least, appeared to be a little more polite, though certainly not to her father.

Sitting on the bed, John took out his phone, curious to see what text Holmes had sent.

‘If brother has green ladder, arrest brother

SH’

Who the hell was he?

Filled with even more questions, John pulled himself to his feet and retrieved his laptop. Slightly hesitant, he typed ‘Sherlock Holmes’ into the search engine.

He found a website - ‘The Science of Deduction’ - that gave little insight to what the man actually did, never mentioned his daughter, and had an analysis on tobacco ash.

Bewildered, John decided to open a new blog post; for once something actually happened to him.

As he began to type, he questioned whether or not mentioning the child would be a good idea: he knew some people were incredibly cautious about their name on the internet (though less so these days, it seemed), especially for children. You hear all those ghastly stories about cyberbullying…

Just to be safe, John decided to leave out the girl, and if he did end up moving in with them and continued his blog, he could discuss it with her - though it wasn’t like his blog was about to explode in popularity.

***

Hattie collapsed into the couch far sooner than she probably should have, especially with the two essay questions and four worksheets she had due in on Monday, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

School had been rough, but it had been much worse in the past. At least now most left her alone. But in Science, they’d done group work - her perfect torture. Her intelligence was far superior to her classmates, yet unfortunately for them, they could never take advantage of that, something she’d protected herself against when she’d started Primary School. However, that meant she usually got frustrated with her group. She didn’t see why the teacher just didn’t let her do a practical by herself.

Sherlock had asked her countless times why she didn’t just let him homeschool her, and she reminded him of two things.

1) He was too busy.

2) At least one of them should have some form of social skills.

Admittedly the second one wasn’t too impactful.

Her thoughts shifted to Dr Watson. He didn’t seem to have a completely negative reaction to them. His hesitance now was probably in that they appeared to be freaks and the stereotype about teenage girls.

They’d had them before; they’d had worse.

At this moment, her Dad was in the kitchen, doing some kind of experiment. Knowing she didn’t possess the energy it would take to simply walk into the kitchen, she called out, “Daaad?”

“Hm?”

“Get me a packet of crisps?”

She heard his sigh, but smiled, as he brought them her anyway. He turned to go back into the kitchen, but Hattie stopped him again, “Dad?”

“What now?” he groaned, childishly.

Hesitating, she fiddled with the packet before opening it, saying what was on her mind, “You’re not going to sabotage this one, are you? Drive him away? I’m tired of moving. It’s all I-” she cut herself off, forcing down the lingering nightmares.

Sherlock seemed to get how deep this went, and sat down next to her, rubbing her arm with all the affection he could muster. “I’ll be on my best behaviour...most of the time.”

She smiled, dropping the unopened packet on the floor, “Good. Pass me the blanket, please?”

Rolling his eyes, he handed her the blanket that was far too thin for January. “Lazy thing.”

“Yup,” she agreed, though not entirely true. It was a miracle if she slept through the night, let alone feeling her body send itself to sleep.

So, yeah, she was kind of an insomniac.

“Night Dad. Don’t blow anything up.”

“Goodnight, Hatshepsut.”

[abundantchewtoys]

Strife 2 reaction

Time to listen up on Strife 2! We're pumped to hear what cool tunes Tensei has concocted. We deliberately didn't listen to any of the previews - I don't think Blaperile even heard about those songs' titles before now!

Just looking at the track list, I can see we're in for good stuff. Off the bat, what I expect is a good few remixes (Arachnofunkia), extended versions (Spirit of Storms) and possible shipping songs (Aerosoul - John/Dirk? Or  :P).

I'm glad Tensei was able to create a finished version of King in Red, I'm interested to hear it based on the snippet in White Host, Green Room. I saw Heel Girl as a WIP on his Tumblr, but I don't remember exactly in what way it differed from Of Gods and Witches. Well, it's a Grimbark Jade song, that much I remember.

I wonder if the track art contains a lot of Homestuck references - I saw the artist post the track art they finished on Tumblr but I scrolled over it and don't really remember, but I think so.

HOLY SHIT, Blaperile just unpacked the downloaded album and it contains a MASS load more of songs. I saw "Duet" pass, and he saw "Dance of Thorns", omfg!

---

1. Spirit of Storms

Maybe this song won't get extra track art when the artist finishes up the rest, because it's the first song on the album.

... THAT is a lot HIGHER pitched than I thought this remix of Stormspirit would start. Wow. This is a nice rearrangement of the small soundbit we got at the start of Strife.

2. Sanguine Panchromatic

Sufferer song? I think this is gonna be a Sufferer song. Track art TBD.

Oooh, Blaperile's right, it's like it references Iron Knight. So, is it more like a Karkat song? ... Are those violins? Strings in a Vantas themesong? I like it.

3. G4M3 OR D13

Latula song? I'm betting a Latula song.

... Is that Troll Game Grl. Pfffff. Troll Game Grl is a Tealblood, of course!

Awesome track art, sneaky game sprites but we spotted them.

I wonder how Tensei is going to go about this. I mean, 8-bit music combined with his kickass guitar riffs, uhmmm?

... I'm not 100% sure, but I might have heard this song on his Tumblr before, or maybe I did click on the preview at the time... Yeah, that last one. Straight up forgot about it until now, shame on me.

Hahaahh, so yeah, he does it masterfully, 8-bit + riffs right there.

I gotta say, I love how Tensei's songs have, like, chorusses and crescendos. (That's about all music creation lingo I master, though.)

Pure golden awesomeness.

4. Rouge on the Rox

... Roxy song, hands down.

N'aww, track art TBD.

... Samba!! Pfffff. What, Walls Covered In Blood remix somehow? :P ... Loungey music, I dig it.

If Roxy was a James Bond-esque spy as well as the classy superhacker she already is, this would be her themesong. Heh, the first part of the leitmotif on the guitar reminded me of the Kid Next Door opening theme, actually, probably intensifying the spy impression I got.

5. Perfect Cascade of the Heart

Somehow I doubt Tensei is remixing Total Eclipse of the Heart, but I don't even know the motif of that song, so who cares?

So, yeah, Cascade remix FTW? Potentially rewritten for Dirk?

... Pffff, Elevatorstuck 2.0 wasn't what I was expect-----

NEVER MIND.

There's the Cascade-esque sounds. AND SAXOPHONES OMG. Oooh, and the windy-music from Knife's Edge, I think!

Now this is song fit for "lösgehen", niiice.

The last three songs have been salacious.

6. Hope Strikes Eternal

Now, I don't want to hope that Tensei would remix Eternity Served Cold, but I also don't want to NOT hope, you know? :P

... That is not Jake in the track art, that kind of looks like a Jade-troll. With cherub wings and antler horns. WTF. The colours are Hope, but the symbol of the outfit is like a feather, heheh. Like the feathers in the wings.

Well, okay, an angel is part of the Hope-aspect's theme. Skaian clouds in the background.

... That piano opening, wow. It reminds me of the Rose-meteor shower song from Vol 10, I think.

At 1:15, that little bit reminds me of one of Tensei's songs, maybe Atomyk Bonsai?

I think Tensei had a whole original story to tell, perhaps not linked to a specific Homestuck kid but more like, the Hope aspect itself and how powerful it is?

7. Aerosoul

So yeah, what, John song? John/Dirk song? Erisolsprite song? What is it going to be? ... Maybe a Tavrosprite song out of left field. Or (Tavros) song, since "soul".

The feeling I get from it is kind of a grimmer Heir Conditioning. So, what, like a grimdork John song? :P

8. Arachnofunkia

Serket song on Number 8 FTW!!

So yeah, how's this going to sound versus Spider8reath? I'm pictuing something more closer in spirit to Midnight Spider, but who knows.

Heheheh, track art with a four-horned troll on the guitar, which reminds me of the track art for ... MeGaLoVaniac from LOTAM. So yeah, I have to wonder, also seeing as to how it's Arachn-O-Funk-Ia, whether it might contain a MeGaLoVania reference, or at least be similar in spirit?

... That sure is a funky spider right there.

Even though none of the songs so far were remixes of anything besides Tensei original sounds, I like how there's still that FEEL about them that makes them spiritual remixes.

Bit around 2:40 reminds me of Heir Conditioning's piano bit, which is again an example of what I was saying.

9. The King In Red

Of course this makes me think of the Red King from the Alice Through the Looking Glass story, but also of a blood-drenched king. So this could really go a lot of ways. But I distinctly remember a choir from the bit in White Host Green Room, so I'm leaning towards the latter...

... Wow that track art. It's like a combination of the Grand Higblood's throne room, and the White Queen's throneroom. Prospit Dreamer gone mental?? Is this supposed to be, like, a brownblood troll Mirthful Messiah follower or something?

... "REMIXES 'CRUSTACEAN'" WTF???

Pipeorgan opening for dramatic effect.

... Well this sure would fit nicely with a king gone mad, that's for sure. (If King Lear was a Prospit dreamer.)

Oh yeah, I recognize the Crustacean part on the piano.

Dear God I get the (positive) goosebumps from the dreadful feeling in this song. I understand fully well that Tensei's been toiling on this song for so long!

10. Heel Girl

So if this is supposed to be Grimbark Jade song, what's the track art going to show since it seems like all original characters each time? (I was already reminded a few times of the track art on Sburb OST.) Some other corrupted character? ... Oh, track art TBD.

... Well, at least I should be right that it's Jade-themed, it remixes Courser.

This song is definitely old though, I just realized that I first listened to it before Songs Unsung was even out.

... Yes that sure is what I remember!!

Atomyk Bonsai meets Knife's Edge.

2:00 Oooooh, instrumental intermezzo! No, I'm wrong, the rest of the song is the Courser remix, Tensei style! Awesommmmmme.

Boy these last two songs are jawdroppingly good. Together with the 3rd to 5th songs they make up my top favorites so far.

11. Unite Division.

So in what sense would this song reference Unite Synchronization, I wonder?

"Remixes 'Liquid Negrocity'"! OMFG, what, is this going to be kind of more like a counterpart to Time On My Side, specifically written for Dirk this time??? Or something else entirely.

We know he can do great things with the Liquid Negrocity riff, in any case.

Maybe it's the song to officially fit with the track art?

... This ALSO sounds like it could fit a character gone mad. So, maybe more like a Jack song still. I'm not 100% sure, but maybe Tensei had posted this as a nameless WIP soundbit on his Tumblr as well. Years and years ago, that is. (That I remember, speaks to the memorability of his songs, doesn't it?)

12. Spirit of Storms (reprise)

Well, this sure is going to be a reprise of Spirit of Storms. I wonder how it will sound now that it's the closing part of the album versus the opening part.

... Wow that sure is festive ^_^

----

And that's all 12 official songs, now on to the bonus!

Well, actually, we'll listen to it at a later date, it's been enough.

^-- A later day turned out to be the next day... --v

Part 2!

I wonder what bonus songs could be on here. We spotted Dance of Thorns, so I wonder if he remixed it, if so how, or extended it, if so how. Also, what was that thing I saw regarding a "duet" - Tensei doesn't sing AFAIK, not in his Homestuck songs anyway, so, like, is it a collab song?

13. The King in Red (Beta)

Oooh, coool! Just like how Volume 8 contained the "beta" (aka original) version of Cascade as a bonus track, it seems some of the bonus songs here will be beta versions of pieces on the album! (That may or may not have been said on the funding page, bluh, I don't want to go check at the moment.) So, what, that includes Dance of Thorns?? I wonder how a 1.0 version of it would sound, taking into account the difference between Anbroids and Anbroids 2.0, for instance.

So, here's the familiar choir and pipeorgan in any case, it's not like the instruments are different.

Ooh, there is (something akin to) that choir piece that came in White Host Green Room! (somewhere between 01:00 and 01:30). And a small quoting of Crustacean's already in this version, too.

Well, that sure is a shorter version of the final song, I'm glad he extended it.

14. Unite Division (Beta)

I spotted another few (Beta)'s underneath the listing of the previous song, heheh. So, if the previous song is anything to go by, the quoting of Liquid Negrocity in this bit should be smaller.

Hmm, this beginning kind of reminds me of the Lemonsnout Turnabout, heh. Wow, sudden snaring bits.

Maybe it was this version of Unite Division Tensei posted that time on his Tumblr...

Hmm, the start of this song was very different from the original, I liked it a lot as well!

16. Arachnofunkia (Beta)

Well, as long as we're in this beta zone, might as well :P

I wonder what the differences here will be. There were more differences to the final version with Unite Division than the King In Red, will this one fall somewhere in the middle?

... I think Tensei removed some of the blaring basses to get that 'funk' feeling in the final version. ([s]That certain je-ne-sais-quoi[/s])

17. Heel Girl (Beta)

So I figure this is the version I heard of this song on Tumblr as well.

I think this might be the closest to the end product of all beta's so far.

18. daet with roze

... Is this something from the perspective of Roxy? LMAO. Or... Drunk Rose, pffffff. Actually, Blaperile immediately thought of SBaHJ, and Drunk Rose gets her Roxy on with regards to spelling and such, so yeah.

A date with Drunk Rose. Aka Jasprosesprite's precursor. Welp.

... Wow, blues-y. Jazz is... Well, it kind of is fitting for Jazz-prose (sorry not sorry), but also brings that Midnight Crew/Felt feeling along. (9-in-the-evening dress FTW!)

... Wow, those... I don't know what to call them, 8-bit-trumpet-blares? Sound good - by the end a bit silly, but yeah, seeing as how Rose gets when she's drunk...

19. Dance of Thorns (Karaoke)

... WUT.

I...

WUT.

BUT DANCE OF THORNS HAS NO LYRICS!!!! (When suddenly, it does.)

I... I guess this means it's a whole new instrumental version??? Fit for singing to in a bar. Well, given what I said earlier in this reaction post, Tensei's songs often sound to me like they could have a chorus and verses, Dance of Thorns is certainly no exception.

I'm intrigued...

... It sounds like it might start a bit more bitty, I'm not sure???

... Ooooh, after the start it suddenly goes a whole nother way!! IT'S A REMIX!!!

Aww, no violins in that one part that's the same as in the original version...

... You know, I'm suddenly wondering if this Dance of Thorns without the violin parts??? Pffff, as in, BRING YOUR OWN VIOLIN KARAOKE NIGHT! Hahahahah.

Yeah, that MUST be it, wow... Hahah. Awesome. It sure sounds like a remix this way, so different in parts.

(Also,I suppose there was no 'duet' in this list, I just misread 'daet'.)

19. Bound in Blood (Beta)

Oooh, a song he didn't put in the final version. The name doesn't ring any bells, in any case. (Unless it was made into the Sanguine song.) I wonder why, did he just not see it fit in, or was it difficult to extend the original bit?

It starts out instrumental, and then that... dancey... leitmotif from Doctor, I think, comes in, wow. (Or well, Penumbral Phantasm more like.)

... WOWWWW. Rock on.

This went a whole other way than we're used to from Tensei.

20. Duet

*tableflip* Okay, so I WAS not mistaken, hahahahah.

But uh, duet between who? I kind of think there won't be a guest artist collaborating on this song, but I don't know?

I don't really have an immediate thought between which characters this could be a duet, either. (Wild unsubstantiated guess: Bicyclopsdad's two heads. :P)

... Piano bit start is John's, probably. Then the violin starts... And I think I heard this one before on his Tumblr, too!

This just goes to show how varied Tensei is in the genres he can do. Like Blaperile points out, this is reminiscent of Jit's style of songs, like October on One Year Older!

---

Wow. Cool album, that's for sure.

He's did it again. There's guaranteed to be a few ear wurms in this batch, I can tell you that.

[auburnfamilynews]

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

How to navigate a weekend of college football through an Orange and Blue lens

Welcome back, Tiger fans! Boy wasn’t that BYE week something. Just a fine and lovely weekend to enjoy some extra time with the family, maybe take in a movie, and oh yeah...LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL @ Georgia. Ain’t nothin’ finer in the land than a drunk, obnoxious Georgia fan...being hit square in the jaw with the same reality 39 years running while the beginnings of a hangover start taking effect. There’s no limit on the joy I have had this week knowing that this, the year in which Kirby has more 5 stars than literally any other school in America, finding a way to BLOW IT against a far inferior opponent.

See, that’s what the Rootability Index is at its core. It’s deciding who we hate the most on any given weekend and how a team winning/losing helps Auburn. And we always hate Georgia and Alabama the most. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the weekend’s slate!

Auburn at Arkansas

It’s easy to hate the Bama’s and the Georgia’s. But it takes a true, battle-worn member of the Auburn family to understand why we hate Arkansas so much. The youth’s like Ryan just won’t ever fully understand. So let’s take a painful journey down the path to why we should hate Arkansas...

Disrespecting Bo Jackson at his jersey retirement in 1992. This game was also a tie, meaning Pat Dye’s final team would not be selected for a bowl due to the pesky Hogs coming into Auburn and ruining an otherwise perfectly good day. This was also one of the first Auburn football games I remember attending.

1995. Pat Nix’s senior season would have, and should have, culminated in Auburn’s first birth in the SEC Championship game. Arkansas led 27-0 in the first half in Little Rock. Arkansas ended up beating Auburn that day 30-28 and went on to win the SEC West.

2002. Fred Talley. Still running through my nightmares, Fred Talley. Hey! Guess who won a share of the SEC West in 2002?!? AUBURN! Know who they shared it with? F****** Arkansas! Guess who didn’t get a second chance at a Georgia team who won in Auburn thanks to an uncalled offensive pass interference? AUBURN. No I’m not over it. No I never fully forgave Tommy Tuberville for it. Look relationships can be complicated, and when you lose to F****** Arkansas enough times when it costs you a chance at an SEC Championship you have a lot of mixed emotions about a person who otherwise did some wonderful things. Which leads me to...

2006. OH COME ON! WE WERE NUMBER TWO IN THESE UNITED STATES AND WE DON’T SHOW UP FOR A HOME GAME AN THE UNHOLY HOUR OF ELEVEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND GET SCHOOL BY SOME HIGH SCHOOL COACH RUNNING A GIMMICK OFFENSE WITH A TRUE FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK. Oh, wait, there’s more! Guess who won the SEC West that season?!? ARKANSAS. Again, just beating an Arkansas team that did not have nearly the talent of that Auburn team puts them in Atlanta, in a rematch against Florida with a legitimate shot at a national championship.

2008. What better time to fire an offensive coordinator who clearly wasn’t meshing with the staff than after losing to Vandy right before a bad Arkansas team comes into Auburn? This was supposed to be a “get right” game for a struggling team before a BYE week. Instead, Bobby Petrino hands us a 3-point loss and folks start to realize that maybe the Tuberville era is closing on the Plains.

2012. So you’re 1-3 Auburn, with losses to Clemson, Mississippi State, and LSU. What better way to “get right” than have a 1-4 Arkansas team come to Auburn coached by John L. Smith? How? Why? What? All valid questions to ask yourself after this continues to happen.

Jimmy Sexton. Auburn let Jimmy Sexton play them twice. All thanks to some sort of hilariously misguided allure to the Natural State. Shame on us for the contracts that followed. Shame on Arkansas for existing and therefore letting this happen.

I despise this program. They’ve put me through more unnecessary pain and frustration than ever should be allowed. And for all of the negatives some folks like to find in Gus Malzahn, I for one am sure thankful to have a coach who takes great pride in slapping this program with the hand of God every chance he gets. Sure, it’s probably with a bit of restraint now without Bert on the other sideline and replaced by one of his friends, but make no mistake, this game is personal for Gus Malzahn. And you know what? It’s damn personal for me to. Let’s trick play their butt early and often. Then let’s run down their throat 55 times for 500 yards and find a real ground threat for Death Valley next weekend. Give me this again, for it gives me life...

Florida at South Carolina

My orange and blue lens really wants to pull for South Carolina. I want an upset or two this weekend. I’m extremely bitter over what happened two weeks ago. And Florida is an old rival, and I sat through many losses to Steve Spurrier in Jordan-Hare Stadium as a child. That being said, Go Gators. Look we need Florida to win here. What I would give to play that team again in Atlanta. Hell, what I would give to just see Florida in Atlanta for the hilarity of Georgia finding a way to screw this up beyond belief! So my long-term dreams outweigh my desire to laugh at Florida for losing to this guy...

Missouri at Vanderbilt

Stay healthy, Mizzou. Keep winning. You can’t win the SEC East because of some real stupid NCAA probation, but you can be good enough to spoil the dreams of the rest of your division. So yeah, don’t lose this game.

M-I-Z! Z-O-U!

Texas A&M at Ole Miss

No part of me feels like an Ole Miss win does anything to harm our chances against them in Auburn in a few weeks. This is a bad football team who is playing a lot better offensively with John Rhys Plumlee in at quarterback. They just aren’t as good as us. So...what could be more hilarious than Jimbo Fisher headed down a road straight to 6-6 town? You’d just hate to see it.

Hotty Toddy!

Kentucky at Georgia

Oh man. Surely there’s no way that Georgia could find a way to lose to a team with multiple quarterback injuries! Yeah, no way that could happen with all that talent in Athens.

When you prepare the right way, good things will happen. pic.twitter.com/AcPgn9oPpL

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) October 15, 2019

With that in mind...C-A-T-S CATS! CATS! CATS!

(Also, once again, never forget that this happened...)

LSU at Mississippi State

I actually feel bad for Joe Moorhead. He deserves a better life than being in Starkville among folks that actively hate him for not being Dan Mullen despite also being a good, albeit overwhelmed, football coach. I hope he leaves for other pastures. I also hope his football team does some damage to LSU in a loss to the Bengal Tigers. Just show us some of LSU’s weaknesses, State. Play tough and give LSU some body blows going into next week. Hell, stay in the game for a while for all I care. Just find a way to lose. We don’t need this LSU team brought down to earth by anybody other than us. Let the heads that talk continue to fill everyone’s head on the Bayou with dreams of beating Alabama. And then sure, go beat Alabama...after losing to us.

Geaux Tigers.

Tennessee at Alabama

You know on one hand part of me wants to be on the “Fire Jeremy Pruitt” bandwagon because I just want something to go right in Knoxville so that maybe one day this series can get competitive again. And getting blasted by Alabama would theoretically move things in that direction. On the other hand, LOL nah to hell with Alabama. It’s a hopeless cause but I’m here for it anyway. At least I’m old enough to vividly remember the better, simpler days until Tennessee gets its act together again.

Go Vols!

Figured out how to root today? Get it? Got it? Good. War Eagle.

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/10/19/20921834/rootability-index-vol-2