#raven branwen prop

[chasma-cos]

Raven Branwen’s Sword: Omen

So I’ve finally got around to posting how I made an Omen prop for my Raven Branwen cosplay (from RWBY)

Details under the cut! (will be fairly long and pic-heavy)

For materials I used foam core, paper towel rolls, corrugated cardboard, 3mm craft foam, a length of baseboard, jewellery wire, masking tape, high-temperature hot glue, plasti-dip/flexidip, metallic red and silver spray paint, a semi-gloss clear sealer and various colours of acrylic paint for details and weathering.

Tools used were a high-temperature hot glue gun, a belt sander, a heat gun, a utility knife to cut the foam core, and a scalpel to cut the craft foam.

All craft foam used in this project is 3mm thick, and all glue is high-temp hot glue.

I started out with a screenshot taken from RWBY that I (tried) to edit into a semi-decent profile for Raven’s weapon. I then scaled it up to the size I wanted it to be in real life and printed it out to use as a proportion guide.

I then traced the pattern out onto foam core (foam board) and cut out all the pieces, angling (beveling) any edges so I would have a “seamless” fit when assembled. I then test fit the pieces together with some masking tape to make sure everything lined up correctly. I then glued one side together with high-temp hot glue, while leaving one face off so I could later add in the “rotary chamber” part, as well as taped any open foam edges with masking tape.

(sorry for the tall pictures) For the rotary part, a pop can ended up being the perfect reference size, so I took two paper towel rolls, cut them to the correct length, and then cut a slit down one side of each of the paper towel rolls, so I could interlock them. I taped them together and slid a pop can through to make sure I had the correct circumference, and then Very Carefully glued them together with hot glue to make a single cylinder.

 I then measured out where I wanted the dips to be on the rotary chamber, and cut out some 3mm craft foam and glued that on with hot glue. The dust cartridge part (the coloured part on the chamber in the next photo) is a strip of corrugated cardboard with the top layer of paper cut off so you could see the corrugations.

I then sealed the rotary part with plasti-dip, and then painted the dust cartridge part with acrylic paint and dry-brushed silver paint on the edges to weather it.

The blade is made from a piece of baseboard I got from a local hardware store. I used a belt sander clamped into a workbench to sand down the baseboard until I got the blade shape that I wanted. 

I then measured and cut out some 3mm craft foam, test-fit it around the wood using masking tape, and then glued it (with hot glue) around where I wanted the hilt to be.

(I painted the inside of the sheath black just in case you would be able to see inside but it turned out that it probably wouldn’t have mattered much)

The hilt was measured and patterned out in relation to the sheath, so that the faces would match when the sword is sheathed. I cut out each panel out of foam core, and then test fit the pieces together with masking tape, angling any edges that needed to be angled to achieve a nice fit. I then glued it together with hot glue.

By this point the rotary piece was fully dry, so I was able to glue it in place inside the sheath, and then glue the other side of the sheath closed. I also finished off the pommel on the hilt of the blade. On both the sheath and the cross-guard I taped any edges where the foam from the foam core was showing with masking tape.

Adding the finishing pieces. The “trigger” part on the hilt of the blade is a piece of thick jewellery wire covered in craft foam, and then poked into the cross-guard and glued in place. 

The handle on the sheath is 3 pieces of foam core cut out and stacked together. I covered the top of the handle with a piece of craft foam, and the bottom with masking tape. It was then glued on with hot glue.

The flat end covers for the rotary chamber are an almost-semi-circle piece of foam core with a strip of craft foam and glued in place. The curved end caps were a bit more difficult. I used the top of a plastic toy baseball bat I found (that just happened to be the perfect size) to pattern out a rounded end cap. I then cut the pattern out of craft foam, and glued it together, and then glued it to the sheath.

The little cone shaped part on the end is some craft foam shaped into a cone with a circle foam core glued onto the end, filled with hot glue, and then glued on.

The rectangular panels on the top and bottom of the sheath are strips of craft foam that are glued on.

(I don’t have as many photos of the painting process, as I was a little rushed while doing this part especially) Time for sealing! After heat sealing the foam parts with a heat gun, I masked off the rotary part since it was already painted, and then sprayed everything with multiple layers of FlexiDip, which I ended up not liking how it was reacting to some parts of the build, so I then switched to plasti-dip. 

Once everything was sealed, I very lightly misted the black sheath and hilt of the sword with silver spray paint. I then masked off the hilt of the sword, and painted the blade with the red metallic spray paint. I also masked off the sheath and painted the panels on the top and bottom and the little cone on the end with silver metallic spray paint.

After the paint dried, I weathered the sheath and hilt with silver acrylic paint on the black parts, and black acrylic paint on the silver parts. Then I gave everything a couple coats of clear coat.

Overall I took me about a week to make this, mostly because I left it until the week before the convention to finish it. Here’s some more photos:

[freedomisborn]

Ravens sword WIP Finally able to put the small details of use on it and I love it! This is my first ever attempt at highlights/battle damage That lil bit closer to the finishing line

[set-wingedwarrior]

Fic request: Raven and Summer living in married bliss in Patch.

There it is, better late than never! I never wrote about this ship before, so I hope you'll like it! It's really short, I know, but trust me and wait another one or two days; I'm sure you won't be disappointed ;)

Again, because of the tags mess, if you like my writing a reblog would be super apreciated, thank you!

Enjoy!

AO3

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

It’s a beautiful morning in Patch.

The Sun rises, giving the place a pleasant warmth. Flowers bloom, all the little creatures living in the woods wake up as the birds sing to the birth of a new day.

In everything, it is a simple, regular and beautiful morning. In everything but one thing: the little Branwen-Rose cottage, that is about to start its first day as the home of the newly married couple that’s been living in it for the past year.

Raven mumbles as her sleep gets disturbed by the sunlight. She covers her eyes, silently damning herself for forgetting to close the blinds, before her own nudity gives her a reminder of why she forgot in the first place. Upon that, it isn’t as annoying anymore.

She turns, now more awake, only to find Summer propped up and laying her weight on her hand. “Goodmorning.”

“Morning.” Raven mumbles back, leaning for a kiss “Were you watching me sleep?”

Summer gives her a guilty smile “I was just admiring my beautiful wife.” Raven scoffs at that.

“I like it when you call me that.” she confesses.

“What?” Summer smiles teasingly “ My wife ?”

Raven answers by dragging Summer- her wife -, down, on top of her, and smashing their lips together in a much more passionate morning kiss. “…yes.” She says, breathless, after the two of them parted.

“Good, because I love calling you that.” And when she seems right about to kiss her again, Sumer leans away.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Raven asks, dragging her back pulling the bed sheets.

“Let me go,” Summer giggles, wiggling in Raven’s arms, who refuses to release her “I just want to make my wife breakfast. Starting the marriage with the right foot and all of that.” she adds on a joking note.

“Mmmm, I’ve got a better idea.” Raven mumbles, turning Summer in her arms to be face to face “One that doesn’t involve you leaving this bed.”

“Rae, we have to eat something.”

“Oh don’t worry, I plan to eat plenty.”

“Raven!”

It’s Raven’s turn to smirk now, raising an eyebrow, and challenging her.

Summer holds her gaze for a few seconds, making Raven worry for a fraction of a second that she might lose this one, until she speaks again.

“…ten minutes.”

Raven’s grin grows wider in victory, before she rolls them and settles on top. Her dark hair falls aside, like a tent covering them from the rest of the world, comfortable and familiar.

“That’s more than enough.” she says smugly.

This time, it’s Summer who smirks with the spark of a challenge in her eyes “Wanna bet?” Raven’s eyes widen for a moment, before returning to her smug self.

“Bring it on.”

That’s how a good marriage starts.

[secret-engima]

okay 1) i can’t believe you’ve reawakened my rwby obsession that hasn’t been a Thing since vol2 first came out years ago how dare you. 2) i have a mighty need for canon rwby, tai, qrow, and oz to meet always i dreamed’s storq. i can only imagine the reactions.

I regret nothing!!!! *does the gremlin dance*

THAT WOULD BE SO FUN. So chaotic.

Just- It would be GREAT if somehow it’s the canon cast stumbling headfirst into Team STORQ’s world. And nobody knows how Tai got there when everyone else happened to be on campus but he’s here and after some paranoid pointing, Ozpin and the Much Younger Ozpin agree that this is all very strange and they need to run damage control. Team RWBY is staring at an Oz who only looks a few years older than them, maybe in his early twenties at most, and Qrow is trying to fade into the background because he knows where they are in this other timeline and he doesn’t want to think about it.

But it’s late, and Ozpin is struggling to sort accommodations for dimension travelers who need to stay secret, and suddenly a portal opens. Canon Qrow, Tai and Oz all freeze, young Oz looks briefly alarmed and then resigned. Team RWBY doesn’t get it until out struts a 20-something RAVEN BRANWEN dressed in her pajamas, “Oz. It’s almost mid...” she takes in the dimension hoppers with a blank look, then props her hands on her hips, “I’m not going to ask what happened, I don’t wanna know. But I assume they need a place to spend at least the night?”

Young Ozpin makes a faint noise of agreement into the hands he’s hiding his face with. Raven nods calmly, rolls her shoulders in thought.

Hefts young Ozpin over her shoulder like he’s a glorified potato sack, “They can stay in the guest cabin, Tai won’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, what?” says more than one canon character while canon Oz makes a strangled noise at the sight of Raven carting off his younger version.

Raven calls over her shoulder, “Hurry up, the portal is noisy, and if you wake up Yang after I just got her settled there will be blood to pay.”

Extremely off balance, they all file through the portal into a bedroom that is about 80% bed.

A younger Tai, Summer, and Qrow are already sprawled on it in varying states of sleep and Raven is contentedly flopping a resign younger Ozpin down on it without hesitation or remorse.

The only reason none of the canon characters make a racket is because their brains are universally bluescreening as Young Raven kisses her Tai’s forehead to settle him down, steals young Ozpin’s glasses off his face to put them on the nightstand, and then herds them all out what is undeniably the house on Patch.

Canon Qrow, in a strangled whisper: You- uh- that- them- uh-

Raven eyes him in vague amusement: Words, brother. I know you have them.

Yang finally snaps and snarls: You’re- you live here? You’re still here? But-

Her voice trails off and Young Raven pauses. For a moment her mask cracks and they can see she’s not handling this nearly as calmly as she appeared, then her mask is back in place and she gently runs a hand over Yang’s hair. She looks ... melancholy, “So you are going to have my hair when you grow up. That... well. That’s something.” She shakes her head and resumes herding them all to the guest cabin, “Yes. I live here. I ... stayed.” She shoots a look at the extremely quiet and withdrawn canon Tai and Qrow, “by my own choice. So stop beating yourself up over what you did and didn’t say. If your- if the other- if she left,” Raven grits out, “that was her mistake. No one else's.” She stands in the doorway as they’ve all filtered in and glares at the floor, “You can sort out the rooms however you please, we’ll deal with ... all this. In the morning. But for the love of the moon, keep any crisis you have down to a dull roar. I just got all the kids asleep.”

“Kids? Plural?” Tai manages to stumble out and younger Raven smirks briefly before sauntering out without an explanation.

Their brief stay in another dimension does not get any less weird.

Team RWBY get to meet bby Ruby and tiny gremlin Yang as well as a few tiny kids they don’t recognize that apparently Raven adopted off the street? Summer is alive so everyone is an emotion meeting her (and she them for obvious reasons) and NOBODY is sure what to make of young Ozpin, because he is clearly a part of the little clan here. He tolerates being nudged and hair-ruffled and flopped on by the other members of Team STORQ, he has a bright green mug for hot coco that has “1# Sad Wizard Man” sloppily written in marker on it, and the tiny children adoringly call him uncle and beg for stories when they aren’t staring at the dimension counterparts with huge eyes.

The two Qrow’s are prickly around each other, because not only is this weird ... younger Qrow is not nearly as much of an alcoholic as canon one. He’s ... happier. More grounded. You can tell and it’s a weird feeling on both sides to see the differences. Canon Tai is maybe having a tiny crisis because Raven STAYED???? There’s a world where Raven stayed. But RUBY IS A THING?

Other Tai, obliviously: Well yeah, she’s Qrow’s and Summer’s. Yang just calls her little sister because she always wanted one.

Canon Tai, Qrow, and Team RWBY: *dial up noises of incomprehension*

[luimnigh]

Do you think in the flashback Cinder was in the Higanbana tavern? The sponges that both Cinder and the waitress use are similar, as well as the wooden floor pattern. There's also a furnace upstairs in the Higanbana tavern. And it can't really be a coincidence that the waitress seemed to be terrified when Raven's portal was shown, after all, Branwen does mean "blessed white raven" and in the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, Cinderella was able to summon white birds to assist her

Nah, it’s just asset re-use. They’re probably the same props and sets as were used back in Volume 4, but I don’t think that’s supposed to mean anything, especially since the rest of the set is blacked out. 

I think most people would be terrified of a swirling black and red portal in the upstairs nook of their bar. 

[shitlinguistssay]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: RWBY Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mercury Black & Emerald Sustrai, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long Characters: Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose (RWBY), Qrow Branwen Additional Tags: it's an angsty holdover guys!, Emerald Sustrai Needs A Hug, Hurt No Comfort, Post-Battle, Raven is Mercury's Mom AU, Angst, Blood and Injury, not enough that I think it warrants an archive warning, Guilt Series: Part 3 of Brawl in the Family AU Summary:

Ruby didn’t want to think about what they looked like. She was dirty and bruised. Yang’s new weapon was dented and hadn’t retracted. Emerald had a long, bloody scratch on her stomach from their fall. They smelled like smoke, Emerald and her propping up Mercury. He was limp. Like a corpse. “We went out,” Ruby said in a small voice.

What happened before Mercury woke up.

[jadekitty777]

Fall For You

*Runs in screaming and slams this down with forty minutes left to go* 

I will not lie that this one is not my best. Time crunch got to me and I kind of rushed this one. Um, but... I finished? 8D

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to read, reblog,or comment on my stories this week! Your support has been greatly appreciated and encouraging. Another thank you goes out to the many of you who inspired me to write some of these stories; they wouldn’t exist if not for you. Finally, a thank you to all the other participants who made such great fics and art this week;  you all are awesome!! 

Day 7: AU

Dedicated to: @tama-negis (I formally apologize though; you deserve something so much better than this)

Rating: K+

Pairing: Qrow/Clover

Word Count: 2.7k

Ao3 Link: Fall For You

Summary: To Qrow, there was no greater feeling in the world than the sensation of flying through the air, nothing but the bar and Clover to rely on.

That's why the fall was so devastating. [Circus AU]

~

“Net check!”

Qrow rolled his eyes as Clover fell backwards off the trapeze platform, saluting as he went. He looked over the edge just to make sure his partner hadn’t died, before shouting down at him, “You know, after two years, that’s decidedly less impressive.”

“Don’t lie. You love it just as much as you love me.” He was too far to actually see if he was winking, but Qrow knew he definitely was.

Rather than respond, he just continued on with the safety check. He gripped at the bar, pulling on it. No give, no worrisome noises. Rigging seemed secure. He took another step back, before doing a running leap off, holding on tight as he traveled over the net until he came to a stop at the center of their stage.

He twisted his body upwards, landing on the top of the bar and swung back and forth lazily, listening carefully to everything above him. During a performance, over the roaring crowd and blasting music, it was impossible to hear any of the small, subtle sounds of the cabling above. So, any out of place screech or worrisome clonk that could imply something was about to give would go completely unheard. But in the near silence of the empty Big Top, he could hear even the tiniest creak of the frame as it bore his weight.

Nothing out of place.

He slipped his feet off the bar, freefalling for a fraction of a second before his arms caught it. Everything held. Just as it had the last two times they’d done the check throughout the day. He thought it was a little excessive, but James was a stickler for routine, and after taking partial ownership of the circus, had immediately enacted the three-check rule.

There were a lot of those kinds of changes the performers of the former “Marvelous Circus of Oz” had to put up with when they officially became partners with James’ “Fabled Ace Ops”. Higher demands on performance training, complete restructuring of acts and teammates, stricter guidelines on fashion. Qrow wasn’t even allowed to wear nail polish anymore.

“You got to be fucking kidding me!” He remembered shouting at his new boss. “What do you think’ll happen Jimmy? Is my polish gonna eat through the bar?”

Ozpin had to pull him aside after that one, practically pleading for him to cooperate. It was hard to continue being pissed off when he had to face his old friend’s weary, desperate eyes. He knew this was a shitty situation, for all of them. But it was either this or all of them be out of a job. So, Qrow let it go and tried his best to play nice.

Though, he supposed as he turned around on the bar to face the platform Clover was once again standing on, not everything that had resulted in the merger was terrible. Sure, he’d been downright hostile when James had first reassigned Raven with Summer’s act and appointed his own star trapeze artist to him – but it didn’t take long for Qrow to warm up to the other man. Clover was like a magnet of good qualities: friendly, confidant, encouraging, honest.

He was also ridiculously attractive, so that was a plus.

Qrow rocked his body, gaining momentum until he could swing himself back over to the platform, securing the bar down. “Alright, we’re good.”

“No, you missed something.” Clover spoke up.

“What?” He looked around, doing a mental catalogue of his checklist. “No, I didn’t. Wha-ah!”

Strong arms wound around his waist, pulling him in and a big, wet sloppy kiss was planted right on his cheek. “You forgot the kiss for good luck.”

Qrow snorted. He didn’t believe in superstition, especially with names like theirs. He had to of gotten every good luck-bad luck comment probably known to the universe. Didn’t mean he wasn’t above teasing about it. “You’re disgusting and a heathen.”

Clover gasped loudly, before whirling them around, letting him go. “Oh Qrow, my love! How could you wound me this way?” He backed up the two steps it took to get back to the edge, hands crossing over the center of his chest. “The pain, it’s just too much to bear! Goodbye cruel world.”

And with another wink, he went back over.

Qrow tried, he really did, but even biting down on his lip didn’t stop the guffaws that escaped as he looked down again. “You’re an idiot!”

“Joke’s on you,” He hollered back triumphantly, “I’m yours!”

Even with the distance between them, he was sure Clover knew he was smiling.

~

The night was going spectacularly well. The audience was receptive and easily emotive. They’d gotten loud cheers for Summer and Raven’s silk dance and wows for Elm and Vine’s high-wire act. It had been a while since they’d had a crowd this good and the rest of the crew was feeling it too, all of them buzzing to get on stage and feed into the energy.

“Alright, Marrow and the kids are finishing up. Qrow and Clover you’re up. Robyn and Tai, get ready to follow.” Oz called as he snaked his way between the teams, popping his top hat back on his head as he went.

“Ah, what a shame that your act will be completely overshadowed by ours.” Robyn taunted. Though she lacked malice, her pride wasn’t unwarranted.

When people thought of circuses, they thought of all the typical acts: animal taming, clowns, trapeze work. No one really thought of fire arrows. It was the only act of its kind in the world, and one that had happened by complete mistake.

Robyn, from James’ crew, was an extremely precise archer – able to split her own arrows and even bounce them off other obstacles and still hit a target’s bull’s-eye. Tai, from their circus, was their fire performer, his talents ranging from being able to spin and juggle batons that were ablaze on either end to swallowing lit torches and breathing plumes of fire upwards like a dragon. Early on into the merger, the two just happened to be practicing by one another, showboating and trying to one up each other on their skills. One thing led to another, and Tai ended up challenging Robyn to shoot through his flames and still hit her target.

It was when she pulled it off, that the idea to combine their acts was born.

Qrow wouldn’t deny it made for a hell of a sight – but that didn’t mean he’d let her get away with her ribbing without giving back a bit of his own, “Please. Ours will be so good, they won’t be able to get it off their minds long enough to pay attention to yours.”

“Hah, you wish!”

Clover, smug as can be, threw an arm over his shoulders as he added, “Now Robyn, you know wishes are for stars, of which Qrow and I happen to be.”

“And they say I blow a lot of smoke.” Tai intervened with a wave of his hand, “Get on outta here you two before you end up holding up the whole show.”

Anything more that they might have said was interrupted by the sound of laughter floating in with Marrow, Ruby and Yang as they returned backstage. The three were propped up on each other’s shoulders like a human Leaning Tower of Pisa. Qrow and Clover were quick to assist the younger man bearing their combined weight, helping the younger girls down on their feet.

He didn’t have a lot of time, but Qrow still took a second to ruffle Ruby’s hair. “Good job kiddo.”

The eight-year old gave him a tooth-gaped smile, saying, “Break a leg Uncle Qrow!”

“In thirteen places.” He promised, before following his trapeze partner out into the darkness of the stage.

“And now, it’s the moment you all knew was coming. Introducing our Flying Aces, Qrow Branwen and Clover Ebi!” Ozpin’s voice boomed from where he stood in the center of the stage.

Qrow linked his arm with Clover’s just as the spotlight moved to capture them, both of them raising up their free hands up high as if catching the applause from the audience. So close, it was obvious how similar their clothing was – himself in a black leotard that blended into red and Clover in a complementary white to green one. Though turned from the crowd, on their backs was a design choice Qrow himself had insisted upon: Wings to follow the color gradient.

They were the Flying Aces after all.

Oz continued with his announcement, but having heard it so many times before, he mostly tuned it out as he and Clover split from one another, each of them climbing up the ladders to the platforms opposite each other. As the final words from their ringleader faded, the lights below went out, bringing all the attention skyward.

Qrow unhooked the bar that he’d secured only hours ago. The music started to roll, but the moment he went swinging off the platform, it was as if everything else faded. There was nothing except him, the bar and the sensation of wind and weightlessness as he turned his body around, hooking his knees around the edges and hanging down free. As his movement slowed, he eased his grip, gravity bringing him down into a short drop before his ankles caught onto the edge instead. After another few moments, he unhooked his left, all of his weight now on just the right leg as he let his free limbs spread out wide like a taxidermist’s greatest prize.

Mostly he was a distraction, performing small tricks while Clover got into place, throwing himself off his own platform to gain momentum so he could prepare to catch him. He knew his partner was ready when he signaled him with a salute. Qrow pulled himself up so his legs could dangle once again, pushing himself into motion once more. At the apex of their swings, he let go, Clover gripping his wrists easily. They flew together briefly, before he returned him to the bar, Qrow doing an easy spin midair to catch it.

It was his second leap that earned them applause, this time somersaulting twice in midair before being captured. Even over all the white noise in his ears, he could make out Clover’s exhilarated chuckles and a breathless laugh left him as well. This was something they shared: The excitement of the flight, the adrenalin born from hanging freely nearly thirty feet in the air, the thrill brought on with each completed trick as their routine built together.

The joy of doing it all with someone he loved.

Without question, it was that last one that made him do what he did next.

Qrow’s hands clasped onto the bar as he was thrown back to it, swinging his legs up and fitting them between his grip so he could hang upside down again, this time prepared to grab the other man so they could move into the second part of their act.  Clover took his turn to fly over, doing a flip of his own.

But Qrow didn’t move into position for the catch.

Hours later, when asked, he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone precisely what it was that warned him – maybe he heard something snap. Maybe he noticed a change in his balance. Or maybe it was just a feeling in his gut. But somehow, he knew.

So, for the first time since they’d perfected the move, Qrow missed.

Clover went flying one way.

As the rigging broke above him, Qrow went the other way, further and out of control.

The freefall sensation wasn’t unfamiliar to him – he’d dropped thousands of times before. On those rare cases it was unintentional, he was usually even talented enough to make it look like part of the act.

The white-hot agony that laced through him as something impacted his side with the force of a bullet was new though, unexpected in its ferocity.

It was all his mind could grasp at until he was bouncing off the edge of the net and the ground rushed up to meet him.

~

Incessant beeping roused him.

His first thought was he immediately wanted to go back to bed. Whatever the hell he had been doing must have been brutal, because his body ached all over, particularly centralized in his shoulder and hip and his stomach was especially throbbing.

Qrow made a noise in the back of his throat, trying to raise his arm to shut off the alarm, only to find it oddly weighted. His head flopped to the left and he grumbled, “C’ver, ‘larm.”

Suddenly the weight lifted, still there but entirely focused on his wrist. Oh, it was a hand.

“Qrow? Hey babe, you awake?” Clover’s voice coming from above him rather than beside him was what finally got him to open his eyes.

Immediately he realized he wasn’t home in the trailer when instead of just more bed and a window, there was a machine next to him and a wall a few feet away. The machine was the thing making the noise. His gaze rolled around, taking in the IV stand next and gathered a pretty good guess on where he was.

A shift made him look towards the figure hovering over him. His partner looked like a wreck, expression pale and drawn. Dark circles were laden under sleepless eyes.

“Hey.” Soft as his voice, Clover’s hand brushed through his hair, “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Qrow replied, swallowing around his tongue which felt oddly swollen. “Heavy.”

“Yeah that’s probably the anesthesia wearing off.”

“Anesthesia?” That didn’t sound promising.

His partner took a moment to pull the chair behind him closer, sitting down right at his bedside. The hand still holding his squeezed lightly. “Do you remember what happened?”

Shifting through his own head, vague memories of spotlights and soaring through the air came back to him – as well as a stomach-dropping sensation that wasn’t meant to be there. “I fell.”

Clover’s voice shook a little, “Yeah, you did.”

There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but the most important one came out first, “How bad am I?”

“You’re gonna be okay. You, have a few fractures but, nothing major broke.” He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Your stomach’s a mess though. When the cabling gave out, part of it snapped back and hit you. It ripped right into your intestines. You were in surgery for six hours.”

Qrow took that in sluggishly, focusing mostly on the first part. It meant he could still perform. The rest of it could wait for more thought another day.

So, he moved on. “What ‘bout you?”

“Hm?”

“Where were you when I fell?”

“I, uh,” Clover’s laughed, but it sounded a bit wrong. “Down on the net. I was uh, flying over to you and you just didn’t catch me. I think you knew something was wrong, ‘cause Summer said you never even reached for me.”

The significance of that hit him instantly. There were a few universal rules any trapeze worker knew – the topmost being just how vital it was for the flyer to swing after a catch. The human skeleton was a surprisingly delicate thing, and the arc of motion that followed alleviated all of the pressure the body underwent from the flight and drop. But, if the flow of motion was hindered or stopped all together, say by a snapping cable line, all that pressure suddenly didn’t have anywhere go and instead the force would compact onto the body.

At best, the sudden whiplash would have injured Clover’s spine, maybe bruised an organ or two.

At worst, it would have broken his neck.

His partner lifted his hand, lips pressing against the back of his skin as he whispered reverently, “You saved my life.”

Qrow let out a slow breath, mouth pulling up in a smirk. “Nah. I just took falling for you real literally.”

This time, when Clover laughed, it was much more genuine, even as tears finally flowed from his eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

His reply was a victory: “Joke’s on you. I’m yours.”

With no distance between them, neither of them could miss the other’s smile.

[ranger-lcat]

Not For Qrows

Qrow Branwen has a stomach of steel. His crow self, not so much.

Aka - Qrow eats something he shouldn’t and Tai takes pity on him.

TaiQrow domestic fluff dedicated to @kesonafyren

—

Dishes were just one of those things that never seemed to be done. Even now he had to get the batch from lunch done, so he wouldn’t have to do them with dinner. 

Finally he set the last of the dishes into the drying rack. He dried his hands and grabbed his jacket to go outside where the girls had escaped to. They had wanted to play in the leaves, and maybe he could rake them into a huge pile for them to jump into. He did not expect to see them crouched down, playing with something he couldn’t see.

“Hey girls, what’cha doing?” They lean back and he can see they’re holding food out to a bird that’s standing in front of them.

“Dad, look how close we got him.” Yang declares. Ruby holds more out to the bird.

“Here birdie.” Ruby coaxes. The crow pecks at the food. 

“I see.” He kneels down next to his girls. “What are you feeding him?”

“Some of our Halloween candy.” Yang shows him the wrapper. 

“Ruby you shouldn’t feed animals candy.” He tries to grab the candy, the crow is quicker. The rest of the piece is in his beak and he flies into the trees to gulp it down. 

“See he likes it.” Ruby points are the crow.

“Chocolate still isn’t good for birds.” He tries.

“But it has peanut butter. And that is good for birds.” Yang justifies.

“That’s… sigh. Chocolate can make a lot of animals sick. Next time you want to feed an animal, come check with me first ok? You don’t want to make anything sick, right?” Ruby looked upset. 

“Is the birdie gonna be ok?” She was tearing up. Taiyang looked at the crow. The bird looked smug. 

“It looks like he’ll be fine. He must not have eaten that much.” He pats both of his girls heads. “How’s about we play for a little bit. How big of a pile do you think we can make with all these leaves?”

—

Tai was cooking dinner while the girls were coloring at the table. The leaf pile in the backyard slowly being blown back over the exposed grass. There’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it.” Yang says, dropping her crayon and jumping out of her seat. Tai turns off the stove and moves to follow her. He can hear the door open as he leaves the kitchen. “UNCLE QROW!” Yang yells. Ruby squeals and jumps from her chair. 

“Hey Firecrack- oof!” Qrow grunts as Yang jumps on him. Ruby zooms past Tai and jumps on Qrow as well. Qrow grimaces. “I love you too, but you’re hurting me.” The girls jump off and hover, concerned. 

“Did you get hurt on your mission?” Yang asks.

“I’m gonna be fine, just a stomach ache.” Qrow is leaning on the doorframe, an arm wrapped around his stomach. He’s trying to smile, but it looked more strained. He jumps as Ruby places her hand on his stomach.

“Are you hungry? Dad just finished dinner.” Ruby asks.

“No, I’m not hungry.”

“Come on girls, let’s let him in.” Tai picked Ruby up and whispers to her. “I bet he ate something he shouldn’t.” 

Ruby gasps. “Uncle Qrow. Did you spoil your dinner with cookies?” she accuses. Tai snickers. Yang pouts. 

“How come you didn’t share?” Tai actually laughs out loud at that. Qrow pouts as he slinks in. 

After closing the door, Tai gives Qrow a one armed hug, careful while holding Ruby and of how Qrow is feeling. Tai keeps his arm along Qrows shoulders and presses their foreheads together. Qrow’s a little clammy.

“Go lie down, I’ll bring you some tea in a minute.” Tai tells him. 

—

Tai convinces the girls to sit and eat dinner while he goes and checks on Qrow. The mug of tea held carefully as he goes up the stairs. He’s honestly not that surprised when he finds the guest bedroom empty, so he moves to the next room. Qrow is nestled in Tai’s bed, curled around the pillows, but still on top of the covers. 

“You know you’d be more comfortable under the blankets.” Tai places the mug on his nightstand.

“Too much work…” Qrow groans. 

“I’ll grab an extra blanket. Can you at least sit up and drink your tea?” 

“In a min…” Qrow curls tighter around the pillows. 

“Alright.” He pulls an extra blanket out of his closet and tucks it around Qrow. “Just rest ok, I’ll check on you after the girls are in bed.”  

—

After the afternoon outside, the girls fell asleep rather quickly. Tai sighed in relief as he goes to tend to his childish team mate. Qrow is still curled up in a ball, the mug of tea, cold and untouched. Tai sits on the edge of the bed and strokes Qrow’s hair out of his face.

“How are you feeling?”

“I think I’m dying.” Qrow whimpers.

“You’re gonna be fine. I’d thought you’d learned to not eat things you shouldn’t as a crow.”

“Are you gonna say no to Ruby?” 

“They’ll have better snacks next time.” Tai promises. “But for now, you need to actually drink the tea I bring you.” 

“It hurts too much to move.” 

“Do you want the heating pad?” 

“Please.”

“Back in a minute.” 

It takes a few more minutes to prepare another mug of tea, but the heating pad is right where he left it, so that goes in the microwave while the tea steeps. Tai is quick to pull it out before the timer can wake the girls. He brings both back to the bedroom.

“Ok, time to sit up.” 

“No.” 

Qrow doesn’t move so Tai takes it upon himself to help. Qrow whines as Tai forces him to sit. But relents when Tai presses the heating pad against him and rearranges the pillows to help keep him propped up. 

“I swear, you’re worse then Raven or Summer on their periods,” Tai complains.

“Take that back,” Qrow mutters. “Raven would punch you, not whine.”

Tai just shrugs and gives Qrow the fresh mug. There are a few careful sips before qrow actually drinks the tea. Tai uses the time to change and get ready for bed, bringing an extra set of his old sweats for Qrow to use. With Tai’s help Qrow is relaxing in sweat pants instead of his usual hunter’s gear. The heating pad pressed directly onto his bare skin. Tai doesn’t have the heart to tell him off, especially after the sigh of relief Qrow made at the contact. 

Tai does make Qrow shift over so he can get into his own bed, even if he is sitting up. Qrow lays down, resting his head in Taiyang’s lap. 

“Sleep, you idiot.” Tai pets Qrows hair to soothe him.

“But I’m your idiot.”

“Yeah.”

[freeusemuses]

Not many people got to live and see the Branwen tribe, but the man before Raven was in the most rare of positions. “So tell me something ms tall dark and brooding, you haven’t tried to get rid of me, why’s that?” He asked with a smirk.(personified-filth)

Raven had her head propped up with one hand, as she sat in a sort of makeshift throne inside her tent in the Branwen camp. She’d been fixing this new captive with a bored expression, and upon them speaking rolled her eyes. “If it isn’t obvious to you now, I don’t know what else to say.

[shadow-0f-x]

Bumbleby Week: Meeting the Parents (Part 2)

//Kali and Ghira time. Let’s go!//

Blake and Yang had been dating for more than a few months by the time they had saved the world and traveled to Menagerie on vacation. The New Fang had made massive strides toward true equality, with assistance from Weiss Schnee, new CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. Blake couldn’t be prouder of her parents. That’s why they were visiting, of course, according to Kali Belladonna.

When the pair arrived at the chieftan’s home, Yang was a little more than nervous. By which, Blake deduced, she was panicking. That was until Blake’s mother had opened the door, in which Yang stopped and grew a blush.

Kali was less than impressed. Blake wasn’t specific when she said that she was bringing someone special over, so Kali has assumed Sun Wukong would be making a grand return to the Belladonna home. When she saw a different muscular blonde, she was surprised.

“Well, hello there. You’re someone...different. Well, come on inside.” Kali presses herself against the door to welcome the young couple inside. Blake and Yang hurried in.

Ghira looked up from a paper on the table. He looked upon Yang with approval and then motioned to his wife.

“That’s 20 lien for me. I knew she wasn’t into that monkey boy, dear!” Ghira smiled and heartily laughed, much to Blake’s shock.

“You took bets on my relationship life? Really, Dad?” Blake protested at the behemoth of a man. Yang kept mostly to herself.

“Well, with a letter like what you sent, of course we would, Blake! It’s the only respite I get from the constant peace meetings. Humans are still resistant to the peace we are offering.”

Yang’s presence suddenly became apparent, despite her best efforts.

“Oh but enough about that, who is this young woman you’ve brought with you?”

Yang introduces herself under both of her parents’ names. Yang Branwen Xiao Long. Ghira was in disbelief at the name. Everyone knew Raven Branwen, the bandit leader turned Spring Maiden turned Hero.

“But, that would make you-!”

“This Spring Maiden, yes. I’ve never used the powers, though. I want to be a Huntress. Not a target.” Yang looked up, determination in her eyes.

“Well, you’ve certainly proved that to me. But I think it’s my wife that needs convincing.” Ghira clapped Yang on the back, the force barely rocking the blonde. That gave Ghira pause.

“Pardon me, but I need to test something. Can you put your elbow on the table Ms. Xiao Long?” Ghira moved the papers on the coffee table and propped his arm at an angle. The arm wrestling position.

“Okay, Sir. Fair warning, though. Don’t be surprised when I beat you.” Yang boasted confidently. She met Ghira’s grasp. Blake made the smart choice to step back.

“I would expect nothing less. Come on!”

The two pressed grips with neither making any headway. Ghira was putting the pressure on though, and began to make progress against Yang. This all changed when Yang used her semblance. Her hair shimmered and eyes tinted red as the back of Ghira’s palm slammed across the table. The only thing harmed was the table, which grew a small crack.

Ghira, picking himself up, bust a gut upon sight of the crack, which caused Yang to giggle a slight amount.

“I was right again! Thank you for that! You certainly have my approval” It was now Yang’s turn to be confused. Blake’s parents seemed to be complete opposites.

Kali entered the room at this point. Sighing at the cracked table, she set the tea tray down and moved down the hall, calling for Yang and Blake.

“Well, I suppose this is my judgement, right?” Yang looked to her girlfriend for assurance. Blake squeezed her metallic arm and led her to where Kali had gone.

They were in Blake’s room, which looked fit for a princess. On the massive bed sat Kali, who had a predatory glare, much like the animal her Faunus traits came from.

“Hello. I’m Kali Belladonna. I presume you are Yang Xiao Long, my daughter’s partner both in combat and romantically.” Kali’s words were calculated and concise, two things that put Yang on edge. She gulped, which Blake picked up on.

“Yes, Ms. Belladonna. You are correct in that assumption. Blake and I have been together for a few months now. Since we left Atlas. Since we...” Yang paused and slightly shook, and Kali finished the sentence.

“...Killed Adam Taurus. Blake told me and Ghira. That was a great feat for Blake. He tortured her heart and mind at the same time. Turned her against us. How will I know you won’t do the same?”

Yang remained silent. She wanted to answer, but her words were stuck in her throat.

“I see,” Kali continued. “And if I may ask, how did you gain that prosthetic? Blake’s letters from Beacon told me that you had both arms intact, and I know Atlas technology when I see it.”

In this moment, Yang’s eyes shot open. Beads of sweat began to form. Memories of that night, when Yang was ready to give everything up to save Blake. To end that monster. It was Blake that pushed her back to the house she stood in. A grip of the hand. Kali saw all of it in Yang’s eyes.

“Okay. I’ve heard enough.” Kali stood up and walked toward Yang, with the same look and a catlike grace in her step. On the hunt.

Kali scooped Yang into a hug.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to you, sweetie. Thank you for protecting her. For protecting each other.” She turned to Blake. “I want grand babies, am I understood?” She then moved to a lockbox as a flustered Blake stuttered out a response.

From the box, Kali retrieved a small photo. She handed it to Yang. It was a picture of Blake as a very young baby. Still in diapers with a pacifier in her mouth. Her entire infant form was gripping a yellow, stuffed dragon. This time it was Blake’s turn to gain ten tons in her bottom jaw.

“I suppose my daughter’s ‘toys’ haven’t changed much have they?” Kali suggested with a sly tone. She was now playing with Yang, who was red as a beet.

Kali emerged from the room, chuckling out loud, with the young lovebirds in tow. She spoke to Ghira, who resumed looking over his documents.

“Dear could you prepare dinner tonight? We need something special for Ms. Xiao Long Belladonna, here.”

//I FINISHED ON TIME! Oh my god I did it! I want to apologize, guys. It should not have taken me this long today. I ended up deleted my draft of Part 1 on accident and having to redo the whole thing. Anyway, this is finished and I had a great time writing this. I always thought Meet The Parents was a great trope when done not horribly. I’m gonna sleep now. It’s 11:54 by the time I post this. Goodnight everybody!//

[aftermathdb]

DEATH BATTLE Review: Gray vs. Esdeath

First Sub-Zero vs. Glacius, then Weiss vs. Mitsuru, and now this. Ice seems to be a cool power to give to fighters for there to be three-ze of n-icely themed episodes around them.

Okay, I’ll stop.

So, it’s been noted on TvTropes that Gray actually fills a lot (if not all) of the requirements to be Esdeath’s ideal lover, so this should be interesting.

Gray′s Preview.

So, in keeping with the theme of Natsu dying, being brought back to life, then abandoned by his adopted dad; Erza being a slave ad losing her best friend and an eye, Gray’s childhood was pretty traumatic.

This kid was one of the few survivors of a demon that killed his whole family and wanted revenge, so a stripper named Ur basically adopted him and taught him Ice Magic.

But the revenge story gets a bit worse, because he recklessly decided to take on the demon…

And then “Stripper Mom”, as Boomstick put it, died killing the demon.

Speaking of stripping, we get into our first Wiz and Boomstick segment.

Well, Gray has also gotten a nice group of friends after joining the Fairy Tail guild.

And he also met this admirer in Juvia.

Don’t feel bad about shipping them. Everyone does it. Even the characters.

Speaking of, as someone who recently started watching Fairy Tail, uh… When Juvia vs. Lapis (Steven Universe)?

and we have feats!

Gray also has access to “Demon Slayer Magic” which, similar to Dragon Slayer Magic, lets Gray eat his element to power up. And it probably would’ve been useful when he fought that demon.

And the guy scales to other Ice Mages that can make a snowstorm over the entire kingdom of Fiore.

All of which comes out to over 27 Gigatonns of TNT.

And speaking of scaling, Gray can also scale to Natsu dodging lightning

Or Erza busting up a meteor.

Shame that this wasn’t available to Erza when the research for her fight was being done, right? Timing!

But, since he’s in a world where fighting for your friends, Gray isn’t one to give up so easily.

Esdeath′s Preview.

So, apparently, Esdeath is flipping insane! Subscribing to a “Survival of the Fittest” mentality

When her dad died, she had the mentality of “Dad’s weak. He deserved it.”

Which, as a Raven Branwen fan, hurts me. Speaking of, Raven Branwen vs. Raven Darkholme when?

Back on topic…

The fact that he name is inspired by the Japanese phrase “I am a sadist” really drives home how insane she is. This is about as subtle as Wario being inspired by Warui.

Anyways, after proving herself, she got a Teigu, or an Imperial Arm.

From swords, to lances, to… Giant Scissors… These things are made from what are essentially boss monsters.

Esdeath chose blood. And since she’s totally sane…

she… Drank it.

After the side effects, she got Ice Magic!

She’s got a limit, but what she can do is insane.

For the record, this goes on for a while where Boomstick shows that he’s into being the “M” part of BDSM and complains about the generic anime protagonist almost winning her over.

Anyways, Esdeath can use ZA WARUDO! and freeze time… Like, literally freeze time.

It’s a once per day thing, but she’s still really strong. Either way, it’s already stronger than Gray’s Last-Resort move (Sorry for not having a shot of that, I work in a grocery store and I’m essential, so I didn’t have time to get it).

We got feats!

She once made an entire snowstorm over a continent.

Now, in fairness, she had to consume her ice army to pull this off, but she’s still strong.

She’s taken on opponents who can take on these giant things called Primus Imperators.

Which are insanely powerful.

And despite her death, she’s still proven just how powerful and dangerous she is.

The Battle Itself.

Zack and Luis are heads on animation, Gray will be voiced by Mark Allen Jr. and Esdeath will be voiced by Emma Breezy. Lost Ice Storm by Brandon Yates, and audio led by Andrew Scott.

So, the fight starts because Esdeath is attempting to conquer, and Gray isn’t having any of it.

And, as per tradition, Gray strips.

If I wasn’t A: Scared of Juvia, and B: Scared of Juvia, I’d totally ask Gray out on a date. But Esdeath isn’t exactly… impressed.

And Gray even acknowledges Esdeath’s similarities to Juvia.

I guess the script said to make Esdeath sound like as much of a dominatrix as possible. Regardless, it’s clear that Gray has versatility as his stuff keeps catching Esdeath by surprise. Speed is about equal, as neither has any real issue landing and dodging hits. So it’s going to come down to power.

So the two end up making an entire snowstorm. And it’s so intense that I bet even Mitsuru would shiver.

But, similar to how Ace made a massive inferno and Natsu ate it, Gray uses his Demon Slayer magic to eat the snowstorm.

So after eating it, Esdeath gets a bit more conservative with her own Ice Magic.

And Gray even lands a major blow.

So, we are getting to the finishing blow…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Verdict + Explanation.

So, right off the bat, speed is equal.

So that means that the other edges are going to be major factors.

Let’s face it: covering an entire country with an ice storm is way more impressive than doing the same to a kingdom.

(Yeah, can’t wait for the Fairy Tail sequel series to come out with something that gives Gray an edge. Same thing happened with Erza, it’ll probably happen here. To be honest, I’m mainly basing this assumption off the trend of the DEATH BATTLE curse).

Now, since Esdeath needed some extra help to pull that off by using her ice generals as betteries, they divided her power output by about 3 to determine how much ice she can output per day.

Which comes out to…

93 Petatons. And we all know that a Petaton is a whole lot bigger than a gigaton.

And Esdeath’s a renowned general. So she’s not going to fall for the same trick twice, so Gray only really gets to use his Ice eating trick once.

And Esdeath’s Time Freeze is a lot more reliable than Gray’s “Encase the enemy in ice” attack.

And while the whole “Ice Demon Slayer” thing would reasonably let Gray kinda resist the Time Freeze, it doesn’t necessarily mean an auto-win. Resistances didn’t help the generic anime protagonist much, so it won’t really help Gray.

Overall impression.

Okay, credit where it’s due, this episode made me actually start watching Fairy Tail, so props for that, but Sasuke vs. Hiei got me to binge Yu Yu Hakusho with more enthusiasm than this. Incidentally, Krillin vs. Kuwabara is a better and more appropriate matchup than Krillin vs. Saitama.

Back on topic, this fight was really great. Check the comments of the music, Brandon has the lyrics of the song in the description. The fight animation is pretty good, but really, once you hear that Esdeath is in the Petaton range, it kinda becomes a forgone conclusion. It’s easy to see that Esdeath wins.

The Wiz and Boomstick segments have gotten better though. Boomstick’s smile isn’t as nightmare-inducing as they used to be, but maybe that’s because I’ve seen it enough times.

Regardless, the voice acting is top-notch, and the math is really solid.

Now if only we didn’t keep learning these new… interests about Boomstick. Like, I want a dominatrix to step on me too, but still. TMI. Just once per episode’s enough.

7.8/10.

Next Time…

… I swear, if the Pokédex entry about moving mountains is actually used as a determining factor…

Well, it’s time for Poké Kombat! I wanna be the very best! So I’ll fatality my foes! To beat them is my real test, to rip out spines is my cause~!

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

A forearm four-armed fight.

[sachiel21]

A BB FF where Yang's Clan and Blake's Clan are enemies and both are the daughters of the leaders and they both fall in love with each other and end up keeping their relationship a secret.

Prompt #1 - A Clandestine Affair

Rated M for sensuality.

Yang woke up to her lover shifting in the sheets of thebedroll. With surprising speed, she loosely wrapped her arms around the otherwoman.

“Mm,” she mumbled into her shoulder. “It’s still darkoutside. Stay with me.”

Blake wriggled out of her grasp and gazed at the blondefor a moment before pressing a lingering kiss on her soft lips.

“It’s dawn. The light is on the horizon. I have to go.”

“It’s just the Harvest Moon, shining through the tent. Wehave more time. Stay. Don’t go,” Yang said, running her fingers down her side.

Blake suppressed a shiver. Even though her entire bodycraved the warmth Yang offered, she knew to stay meant death. She was thedaughter of Ghira of the faunus White Fang clan and Yang was the daughter ofRaven of the Branwen clan. Their clans were sworn enemies. If she got caught,she would be killed on sight.

Blake gently took her hand and moved it off as shereluctantly got up to get dressed.

Yang watched the movement of her shoulder blades under theskin of her back as Blake put her arms through the sleeves of her white shirt.A hunger reignited in her belly.

“We can’t keep doing this,” Blake said, pulling on herbreeches.

“Doing what?” Yang asked, propping her head up on herbent elbow as she lounged side long on the bedroll. She gave Blake her bestsmile to entice her, a thin blanket the only thing covering her from the waistdown.

“Meeting up like this,” Blake said, turning away with ablush. She fastened the ties of her black leather tunic. “It’s dangerous.”

Whatdid they have? Stolen moments in the dark. Her hand clampedover Yang’s mouth, smothering the sounds when she reached the height of herpleasure. Was it worth all the risk?

Theirs was a strange courtship. They first met in theforest, their fierce warrior reputations preceding them, Blake the swordwielding shadow and Yang the golden haired brawler. The battle kicked offimmediately, they gave the fight everything they had but it ended in a draw.

Exhausted and out of strength, they silently agreed to atruce and made their way to the stream to clean their own wounds. Yang caughther eye and pulled a face and it made herlaugh. The next two times they met, they lowered their weapons and sattogether in the glen, exchanging spare words and glances.

“Canwe be friends?”

For some reason she was inexplicably drawn to Yang. Blakeknew it was wrong. Yang was a human and a girl. They were from different clanswho were wrapped in a bitter turf war. It could never work.

The next meeting Blake was determined to end it. Sheattacked her with ferocity, Yang barely had time to bring up her bracers. Theydidn’t hold back and yet again, it ended in a draw. With nothing left and tootired to fight her desires any longer, Blake dropped her sword and kissed her.

It was hot and messy. A different battle took place. Theytore each other’s clothes off, trying to get as close as possible. Blake lickedthe sweat off her neck. She felt like an animal. After they were finished, soreand satisfied, they lay together in the clearing underneath the stars, sharingskin and stories.

“Blake…” Yang gently wrapped her arms around her waist,embracing her from behind. “I love you…” she said shyly.

Blake stiffened up at the mention of the word love. Itseemed too big like a vast overarching concept that she didn’t understand. Butin her heart she knew it was true, and she felt the same way about Yang.

Yang buried her nose into Blake’s hair, inhaling deeply.She laid a kiss on her neck.

“I’d do anything for you. A love like this is worthfighting for. Worth dying for.”

“Yang…” Blakesaid, closing her eyes and leaning back into her embrace, her faunus earstwitching against Yang’s cheek. “Don’t say things like that.”

Suddenly Blake turned around in Yang’s arms and broughttheir mouths together in a frantic kiss. She pushed Yang back on to the bedroll.

“I want to stay with you forever. I don’t care whathappens. They can kill me if they want. I’d die for you. Let it be the nightand not the day,” Blake rasped, laying kisses across her thighs.

The inside of the tent began to brighten from therising sun.

“Nnngh,” Yang whimpered. “It is the dawn. Blake… You have to go.”

Blake didn’t hear her, too intent on taking everythingYang was willing to give.

“Blake,” Yangsaid urgently again.

A voice spoke just outside Yang’s tent.

“It’s my mother,” Yang whispered. “You have to go.”

Blake gave her one last kiss as she was about to leavethrough a flap at the side of the tent. “Farewell, my love.”

“Farewell!”

A/N I had fun with this prompt. It is also inspired by the bedroom scene from Romeo and Juliet.

[shera-dnd]

Who cosplays and as what kind of characters?

Bow and Glimmer do matching cosplays whenever possible and love getting into character. They usually cosplay duos from their favorite cartoons, with Team Rocket as a notable example (they still have a video of them doing the motto)

Entrapta likes making super complicated props and wigs (have you seen her character’s hair?). She once cosplayed Raven Branwen with an actual working rotary chamber scabbard.

Perfuma has cosplayed basically every disney princess ever and once cosplayed Yzma to match Bow’s Kronk (Glimmer couldn’t make it to the event and was so pissed)

Adora and Catra went as Korra and Asami ONCE, but Catra hates conventions (because she hates crowds) so they never did it again

This is probably an unrealistic amount of cosplaying, but fuck it, I like to imagine these fictional characters dressed as other fictional characters.

[insanescriptist]

What if instead of being Qrow's son, what if Xanxus was Qrow and Raven's brother or cousin. I like to think that Xanxus would make a better Headmaster of Shade than the cowardly lion, though if that did happen I suspect he would run Shade a bit like how he ran the Varia.

Thought about it and then was like, hmm… but also bandit logistics.

See, Qrow and Raven were born to the tribe and so their mother had to have been part of it. And presumably high-ranking, so as to monopolize the resources to support her through the pregnancy and her babies after.

So by default that makes their father also a bandit (possibly high ranking) or a random guy she hooked up with in a village bar, possibly before attacking said village.

Honestly if Raven and Yang have similarities in approach and appearance facially and in body type, I’m gonna bet that Grandma Branwen would have no trouble in finding a guy to scratch an itch.

Now Grandpa Branwen could have siblings, who could have had children as well. Possibly scattered in little villages and the major settlements depending on number and means. Living in a tiny village points to not having much money but whatever, sending disgraced relatives to the countryside is something like human nature.

Genetics do say that either Granpa or Grandma Branwen was blond, for Yang to be blonde as but anime hair colors be anime hair colors.

So I thought about it obviously but decided it would be far more fun to have a more immediate connection. Now Raven could have had a one-night stand with someone before Tai but seeing as how her reaction to motherhood via Yang was ‘cut and run’ I obviously couldn’t do the older brother route or even a younger brother route.

Which obviously meant Qrow who has plenty of drunken shenanigans and would be irresponsible enough to sleep with a few of them, despite his attraction to Summer.

I then had to do math and seeing as how Beacon takes students in the 16-18ish year range usually and keeps them for four years, so all graduates are 20-22ish by the time they graduate depending on birthdays and when they started their education.

Now assume a few years as Team STRQ working for Ozpin and presumably as Hunters as well; Ozpin thought well enough of Qrow and Raven’s abilities and loyalty to bless them with their corvid form okay? That wouldn’t happen overnight. It’ll take time. Three years would make them twenty five-ish, again depending on birthdays.

It’s enough time to make the cracks in the team show more as Qrow’s aversion to those he loves due to his Semblance means Raven turns to Tai for emotional support, which ends with them being lovers and then Raven getting pregnant. Qrow due to not being around because he doesn’t want to somehow influence his sister into a miscarriage or kill a baby somehow through his luck practically vanishes into work, leaving Tai and Summer with no translator to understand how Raven feels and thinks due to not having the cultural context of being born and raised as bandits. So Raven believes she’s losing her edge, getting weak, hates that and cuts and runs leaving Tai and Summer to raise Yang as they’re much better suited than her to be good and loving parents. Qrow then gets the excuse to be away aka chase after Raven, who by this time had to have a.) found the Spring Maiden and b.) trained her for some time and then killed her to gain her powers because The Powers That Be say the cut-off age for inheriting Maiden powers is 30 and Raven would be only a few years off at max. Raven then runs off to lead the bandit tribe. Meanwhile Tai gets Summer pregnant, breaking Qrow’s heart further and Qrow becomes both a workaholic and alcoholic. Ruby is then born and a few years after Summer disappears on a mission (possibly for Ozpin) and is presumed dead. Qrow finally comes back to Patch to support Tai from out of range of his luck.

That series of events is canon and by the time Yang is five, Qrow and Tai are at least thirty. Add twelve years to the start of the show and the known living members of Team STRQ are at least forty-two. Twenty-five is just for ease of math purposes. (Also props to Raven for having been the Spring Maiden for over/nearly a dozen years without getting discovered as such by Salem’s forces, unlike Amber.)

Also if you want to, you can point to Qrow’s avoidance of his Team to be a catalyst for the end of Team STRQ. Mostly lack of communication.

Now by making Qrow a father at twenty and Xanxus about eight, I can interfere in the very tail end before Raven runs off, depending on how Raven and Tai’s relation went and how fertile Summer is. Because Qrow and the cast think that Raven’s disappearance sent Tai to Summer’s arms (the wiki says so), not that the relationship had already failed and Tai so Summer was quick to make a move. Presumably with permission. I can finesse things, it’s fanfiction. It’s legal. Qrow doesn’t know better.

Especially if Raven doesn’t have Yang at twenty-five but older than that; it cuts things closer with the Spring Maiden but Raven’s already going to be disillusioned with Ozpin at this point. Further disillusionment with the Spring Maiden once found… killing the Spring Maiden and taking her powers is pretty much the step of no return for Raven. So she never does, at least obviously.

I suppose that there’s benefits to having a more flexible timeline than most series…

Now Xanxus existing will force Team STRQ to communicate with Qrow again, or at least Qrow with his team beyond, ‘hey, I’m alive still, go be happy without me.’ So Qrow gets to see what a mess his team is without him. If the connection wasn’t immediate, he wouldn’t have bothered.

Also, he hadn’t realized he was the Voice of Reason for his team. Is hilariously ironic.

—

Now for clarification purposes, Lionheart-guy ran Haven Academy in Minstrel. Shades Academy is in Vacao.

And yes, Xanxus would be an awesome headmaster of Shades and bring some more order to the land. Ozpin and the rest might hate him a bit but that’s for his ethics, not his ability. For being as old as he is, Ozpin is he’s remarkably passive and squeamish. Not that he does nothing, but that he’s not aggressive in what he does do. In comparison Salem sends Cinder who is nothing but aggression and guile.

[nowdefy-moved]

@deceivor said      :      hugs weiss tight !!!!!!

unprompted  gay.

      there ‘ s  always  an  unshakable  emptiness  lingering  within  sanctum  of  marble  heart  ‘ pon  vernal ‘ s  absences.  it ‘ s  to  be  expected  ;  she  ,  the  member  of  a  tribe  with  duties  &.  loyalties  woven  perfectly  for  raven  branwen  ,  would  never  stray  too  far  from  the  wilds  in  her  soul   &.   weiss  knows  that  all  too  well  ,  but  that  doesn ‘ t  make  times  like  this  hurt  any  less.   so  do  forgive  her  for  the  non  -  ladylike  pout  now  crossing  expressionism.  dancer  build  hunches  o ‘ er  atlas  cafe  table  ,  elbows  propped  up  on  table  top  ,  chin  being  cradled  by  ivory  carved  hands  whilst  saddened  baby  blues  gaze  absently  into  coffee  cup  ahead  of  them.  how  does  the  phrase  go    ?    if  you  love  something  ,    set  it  free  &.  if  it  comes  back  ,  it ‘ s  yours    ?   ah  ,  right.   lioness  would  never  outright  admit  that  one  syllable  word  to  vernal ‘ s  face  ,  whether  out  of  fear  or  some  form  of  childish  shyness  ,  but  she  knows  it ‘ s  there.   &.  maybe  that  is  what  ultimately  brings  vernal  back  to  her  in  the  end.

      truthfully  ,  prior  to  being  scooped  up  like  some  precious  prize  ,  weiss  is  standing  &.  readying  to  take  her  leave  back  to  motel  room   ,   but  the  shift  of  her  stance  &.  familiarity  of  bandit ‘ s  weight  along  her  back  prompts  her  otherwise.   excitement  slathered  on  tongue  ,  girlish  laughter  chirping  betwixt  cherry  soda  lips   before  spinning  ‘ round  in  the  taller ‘ s  grasp  so  slender  arms  may  coil  tight  ,  tight  ,  tight  around  faux  spring ‘ s  waist.   you  really  did  come  back  to  me.    ❛   vernal  !   ❜   weiss  says  ,  beloved ‘ s  name  coated  in  sweetest  of  honeyed  tonality.    ❛   i ‘ d  ask  how  you  managed  to  bypass  the  borders  ,  but  something  tells  me  it  was  easy  for  you.   ❜   kiss  pressed  to  sun  -  kissed  cheek  ,  leaving  an  imprint of  her  lipstick.    ❛   i  missed  you  so  much.   ❜   sneak  away  from  them  more  often.

[itsdawnforyou]

PREEETY sure that tattoo was a raven raising outta flowers. Which makes me question my existence. Especially if raven's semblence works based on those tattoo bond thingys. Which means IT WAS RIGHT THERE INFRONT OF OUR EYES FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND WE DIDNT NOTICE IT

Props to rooster teeth if that was an intentional clue and we are all dumb. Your attention to detail is amazing.

Calling it now

Vernal isn’t dead

Because her semblence is resurrection

Because the tattoo on her arm is of a Phoenix rising from spring flowers.

Because Raven didn’t describe Vernal in the past tense: ‘Vernal -isn’t- the Spring maiden’

Not wasn’t. Isn’t.

Because she WAS the Spring maiden that ran away from Haven Academy, and for whatever reason, Raven DID kill her, which transferred her maiden powers.

But because her semblence is resurrection, she came back to life, just without them.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY- my fire wife Cinder is gonna get totally fucking REKT AND I’M SO NERVOUS.

And if Cinder defeats Raven (Because at this point the fight has been confirmed) the maiden powers will transfer back to Vernal in time for her coming back to life.

I’m calling it.

Cinder I <3 u but you’re fucking nonce m8