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knight-engale · 4 years ago

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He is finished!!! I love him so much

Profile below!

★ Akahiko Yureimoto ★

"How much are you paying?"

■ Name || Akahiko Yureimoto ■ Japanese Name || 幽霊本赤彦 ■ Rōmaji || Yureimoto Akahiko ■ Alias || Roku ■ Epithet || n/a ■ Nicknames || ■ Birthday || August 12 ■ Age || 20-21 ■ Gender || Male ■ Height || 5'11 (180.3 cm) ■ Hair Color || Dark auburn ■ Eye Color || Blue ■ Blood Type || B- ■ Quirk || Rokurokubi ■ Status || Alive ■ Occupation || Mercenary ■ Affiliation || Varies ■ Fighting Style || Melee Combat

■ First Appearance:

Manga: TBD Anime: TBD

■ Portrayal:

Ja: Junya Enoki Eng: Alejandro Saab

◣ A b o u t ◥

███ Short Introduction

Akahiko Yureimoto is a young mercenary currently in the service of the Police Force. He doesn't seem particularly thrilled about his employers.

███ History

Akahiko was born the only child of poor parents. However, he had no idea that they were poor when he was little, as his parents amassed lots of debt trying to live beyond their means. His father, afraid of some of the people he owed money to, faked his death when Akahiko was 7 and fled the country. This sent his mother spiraling into a depression, and she was often emotionally vacant during Akahiko's childhood and teenage years. Because of his unfortunate parental circumstances, Akahiko learned how to fend for himself at a young age, though the legality of some of his actions is questionable.

At age 12, while on his way home with leftovers from a particularly high quality restaurant, Akahiko was mugged by a local gang. The gang took everything that Akahiko had on him, including his food and clothes. When he tried to fight back, he was held down and the gang's leader slashed his face with a knife, leaving two large wounds stretching from the corners of his mouth and across his cheeks. Humiliated, mostly naked, and injured, Akahiko stayed in an alleyway overnight, too dazed to go back home. He was eventually found by a kind old woman, who helped him recover without asking questions. However, she wanted to report the incident to the police, which Akahiko didn't want, so he ran away, leaving a note thanking the old woman for her generousness.

For the next few years, Akahiko laid low and worked to grow stronger. Eventually, money became particularly tight. At 15, and under the alias "Roku", he began to sell his services to whomever would pay, be it criminals or minor Pro Heroes. At first, he acted as mere extra muscle for small periods of time, but as his notoriety grew, his clientele expanded, and by 18 his contracts would last for a few weeks or longer. His willingness to work for either side of the law was often met with uncertainty or displeasure, and so he developed a strict loyalty code, promising employers that he would not turn on them while a contract was in effect, or else he would forfeit the money earned.

At 19, Akahiko was apprehended by the Police Force and held in custody. Honoring his contract, he refused to say who his employer was while being interrogated. He remained in custody, and tried to figure out how to escape. Unable to think of anything else, he begged to be released under any conditions the police set. After much deliberation, and with much persuasion, he was released under police supervision. Akahiko found the supervision annoying, as he still needed contract money, and so formulated a plan. He approached the police with a bold proposition; since he had numerous underground contacts, he could act as a double agent, reporting any findings back to the police--for a fee, of course. To his surprise, his offer was accepted, though it didn't get rid of his "policeman babysitter" situation.

At some point more recently, with police permission, he joined the League of Villains as a double agent.

◣ A p p e a r a n c e ◥

███ Appearance

Akahiko is tall with a slender build and moderately muscular chest and arms. He has dark auburn hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He has one piercing on his left ear. He has large scars on his cheeks due to his childhood attackers. Akahiko maintains an surprisingly classy casual style, which consists of short sleeved shirts, leather or dark denim jackets, tight pants, and boots, often with heels. He also often wears scarves or neckerchiefs, alongside face masks which hide his scars. Akahiko's mercenary costume is a light grey sleeveless hoodie, matching basketball shorts, grey socks, kimono sandals, and a tan face mask, along with whatever earring he happens to be wearing that day. This costume does not change in the winter, often to his detriment.

███ Personality

Akahiko maintains a rough and often aloof exterior. He doesn't seem particularly invested in any current events, and as a general rule doesn't get emotionally attached to employers or invested in anything he's hired to do. He doesn't show much emotion around people he doesn't trust. He's trained himself to keep an extremely level head to avoid being taken advantage of. Akahiko is of a pragmatic and tactical mind, carefully planning how to go about anything he sets his mind to. However, he isn't the best at thinking on the spot, and often needs a little time to regroup if what he's doing gets derailed. He's also particularly manipulative, putting on a charming nature to get his way. He's gotten very good at flattery. Although he is currently employed by the police, he despises law enforcement organizations, blaming them for his difficult childhood. Though he is willing to work with them in exchange for payment, he does not trust them whatsoever. Oddly enough, he does not harbor quite the same feelings for Pro Heroes, though he doesn't like how they seem to capitalize on people's suffering. Despite his apparent emotional distance, Akahiko is surprisingly caring and kind, as evidenced by his continued efforts to support his mother. He also helps to support young children who are involved in the underground, giving them money or food when he can. This unexpected side of him was brought on by kindness showed to him when he was young, and a desire to pay it forward, as well as the morals his mother taught him when he was little. Though Akahiko has many crimes to his name, he considers himself honorable, if not entirely moral. He refuses to go back on his word or violate his contracts, and actively avoids killing or permanently maiming anyone. He also goes out of his way to repay debts if possible.

███ Likes

✔ coffee ✔ cool weather ✔ rain ✔ sweet food ✔ video games ✔ fashion

███ Dislikes

✘ Stain (thinks he's annoying) ✘ his scars ✘ extreme weather ✘ spicy food ✘ untidiness and dirtiness ✘ being outsmarted

◣ A b i l i t i e s ◥

Overall Abilities: Akahiko is a particularly capable young man, able to fend for himself and then some. Though he avoids direct confrontations, relying more on stealth, he can hold his own in an extended fight.

Inhuman Flexibility: His Quirk allows him incredible flexibility, usually at inhuman levels.

Dexterity: Akahiko has remarkable dexterity, due in part to his Quirk. He uses his dexterity to repair and tailor clothes.

███ Quirk

Rokurokubi: He can stretch his neck, arms, fingers, legs, and torso indefinitely, though stretching his torso too much can lead to spinal damage. While a body part is stretched, he can maneuver that part however he wants. Staying stretched for too long makes him sore. Stretching burns a lot of calories, and he needs to eat a lot to make up for it.

███ Stats

Power: 4/5 B

Speed: 3/5 C

Technique: 4/5 B

Intelligence: 4/5 B

Cooperativeness: 3/5 C

◣ B a t t l e s & E v e n t s ◥

TBD

◣ M i s c e l l a n e o u s ◥

███ Trivia

He and Tsukauchi share an English voice actor.

He was loosely based on Yuri from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

He's biromantic asexual.

He's incredibly insecure about his scars, hence the mask.

He's actually pretty lonely and secretly wants a significant other.

███ Quotes

"Charming, aren't I? It's one of my few virtues."

"My real name? Wouldn't you like to know."

Original template (c) dre-tama | modified by Phantom-Otaku

BNHA (c) Kohei Horikoshi

Akahiko, artwork (c) knight-engale: stylish babe

#bnha #bnha oc #bnha ocs #mha #mha oc #mha ocs #digital art #digital fanart

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

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Aliens (1986) Review

[This review contains spoilers.]

Aliens is a perfect sequel, if there is such a thing. It's bigger, glossier, a bit longer, and it did an exceptional job building on the original story.

There are a number of parallels to the original. The story begins with Ripley waking up, and ends with the survivors going into cold sleep. The characters are again only known by their last names; even Newt has a very non-little-girl nickname. There's a huge explosion at the end, but the alien still manages to make it aboard the "lifeboat" to wreak more havoc. There's an android on board who ends up in pieces. Best of all, like Ridley Scott did in the original, James Cameron spends an entire hour setting up the story, and successfully pays it all off during the rest of the movie.

There are a number of differences, of course. Instead of "truckers," we have a crew of badass marines. There are many aliens instead of just one. The cast is twice as big and the stakes are higher, too, since there were sixty-some families on the "shake-and-bake" colony.

But we still have Ripley, and she is several levels of awesome. This is the movie where Sigourney Weaver proved to the world that a woman could be an action hero. She was terrific in scene after scene, from her tirade in the conference room at the beginning, to the pulse-pounding Ripley-in-the-loader versus the alien queen battle at the end. I've always loved the way she took over and drove the tank to the rescue, and the sequence in the lift where she loaded up with many, many, many weapons on her way into the queen's lair to rescue Newt. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for best actress for this movie, and she absolutely deserved it.

I also loved Michael Biehn as Hicks. He and Ripley were on the same wavelength throughout the movie. I particularly enjoyed the "nuke the planet" exchange, and the one where he showed her how to use that massive assault rifle. Ripley and Hicks were made for each other. I really wanted Ripley, Hicks and Newt to end up together as a family, maybe with Bishop as the weird uncle who sleeps on the couch. Maybe in Alien fanfic. Is there Alien fanfic?

Paul Reiser gave a wonderfully slimy performance as the Company rep. Very smart, casting a comedian, since this is a character that we expect to be evil, but the fact that it's Reiser makes us think we might be wrong. Bill Paxton is wonderfully annoying as the cowardly Hudson, and I loved that he went out in a blaze of glory. Newt is likable and has courage; she's not a cutesy kid at all, and Carrie Henn certainly had a greater acting range than Jonesy the cat. And I always liked that Bishop turned out to be the opposite of Ash, since we expected him to be just as bad. Especially since he was played by the master of evil, Lance Henriksen.

My favorite supporting actor in this one, though, is Jenette Goldstein, who is a standout as Vasquez. Hard to remember so long ago, but when this movie came out, women didn't serve in combat. Vasquez made a very strong impression on me. And I loved that Gorman redeemed himself by going back for Vasquez. Their scene in the air duct always gets to me.

Unlike most of my favorite movies, I saw Aliens in the theater. It was an unforgettable movie experience, literally edge of your seat. I remember actually feeling mildly nauseous. (That's when you know they got you – when your audience wants to throw up.) Aliens doesn't hold up quite as well as Alien does, in my opinion, but it's still an outstanding movie. I always watch them together. Like I said, pretty much the perfect sequel.

Bits and pieces of androids:

— The action takes place 57 years after the original. The planet got a name, or more accurately, a designation: LV426.

— Alien and Aliens always makes me think of two of my other favorite movies, Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It's not surprising, since the two franchises share James Cameron and some of his favorite actors: Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein and Bill Paxton.

— Bishop explained that Ash was a Hyperdyne Systems 120-A2 model, and a bit twitchy. (You'd call what Ash did in the original movie "twitchy?") And that the more recently manufactured androids are subject to Asimov's rules. Hyperdyne always makes me think of Cyberdyne.

— There are several shots of Ripley's feet and she's wearing Reeboks. Really fun product placement that didn't detract from the story at all. I usually hate product placement.

— James Horner's music is memorable, and effectively heightens the tension. Like it needed more heightening.

— Dan says that Alien is a cold movie, and Aliens is a hot one. I thought that was an interesting observation.

— While looking up quotes, I discovered that James Remar (Dexter's father) was originally cast to play Dwayne Hicks, and was later replaced by Michael Biehn. I hadn't known that. I can't imagine this movie without Michael Biehn. I absolutely loved him in the first Terminator movie.

— As with Alien, there is an extended version. I prefer the theatrical release. But the extended version gives more weight to Ripley's need to save Newt; Ripley had a daughter.

— For me, the story ends with this movie. I'm not fond of the other sequels. One of our writers has offered to review them, though, and if he does, I'll very much look forward to reading them.

Quotes:

Ripley: "Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?"

Gorman: "Look, we can't have any firing in there. I want you to collect magazines from everybody." Hudson: "Is he fucking crazy?" Frost: "What do you expect us to use, man? Harsh language?"

Ripley: "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." Burke: "Hold on a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it." Ripley: "They can bill me."

Ripley: "Look. No bad dreams there." Newt: "Ripley, she doesn't have bad dreams because she's just a piece of plastic." Definitely Carrie Henn's best line. And she delivered it beautifully.

Newt: "My mommy always said there were no monsters, no real ones. But there are." Ripley: "Yes, there are, aren't there?" Newt: "Why do they tell little kids that?" Ripley: "Most of the time it's true."

Ripley: "You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage."

Ripley: "Get away from her, you bitch!" I remember the audience cheering that one.

A worthy sequel to an excellent movie. Four out of four M41A pulse rifles, ten millimeter with over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launchers,

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

#Aliens #Ellen Ripley #Dwayne Hicks #Hudson #Vasquez #Bishop #James Cameron #Doux Reviews #Movie Reviews #something from the archive

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ganymedesclock · 7 years ago

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I always feel bad for getting angry at things that are clearly fandom jokes, but at the same time, if the jokes are not something the character would actually do (or an understandable hyperbole of how they actually are) it just... sets my teeth on edge and this may have inspired a lengthy post about Keith’s childhood and fan depictions of that I have seen.

Like. Canon Krolia is established as someone who plans things out. She’s smart, a strategist- she has to be, because she’s a career spy with a long tenure under one of the most dangerous people in the empire. Remember, we were introduced to Warlord Ranveig by Lance commenting that “I’m guessing you don’t get that title by being a good person”, during the Kral Zera he murdered someone onscreen more obviously than we’ve seen before and flung their body aside, and was experimenting on a living creature with quintessence.

Krolia has to have a pretty ironclad set of nerves to, day in and day out, for years, lie through her teeth to this guy, undermine him, and feed intel back to his enemies, her allies. Especially since, while we don’t see the two of them together, Ranveig was like four times her size.

And that’s reflected by her behavior within the episode- “I’m guessing Ranveig is dead, since Commander Trugg is attacking my base,” she says, with complete neutrality like she’s discussing the weather report.

This is also a trained military personnel who’s received a pretty darn long and comprehensive training in the use of a sword. That is to say, someone who has a very keen idea of how this is not a toy, must be used carefully, and is very dangerous, because she regularly uses its danger pointy bit to end the lives of other things.

So the No Fun Humdrum Clockie is here to say: there’s no way in hell someone with those kind of credentials would leave her weapon where a baby could get it, much less put it directly into his lacking-motor-dexterity hands. There’s no way someone as smart as Krolia would look at her kid trying to eat his own foot because he doesn’t realize it’s attached to him yet and go “hmm, what should I give him, this nice safe baby rattle or this deadly weapon that could cause him grievous injury?”

And part of the reason this makes me mad is the assumption that Krolia’s otherness- her being an alien- would make her inept at being a parent without evidence that this is actually part of her experience. The show illustrates that it’s really not hard in this universe for sentient life to understand each other and most of their needs are similar.

It’s frustrating to insinuate that Krolia, as someone smart enough to operate as a high-stakes deep-cover spy, can’t understand how babies work and would just bash ahead cheerfully endangering her son when that’s something she tacitly refuses to do.

It’s frustrating when sympathetic galra are so often framed as baffled or incompetent- like if they aren’t specifically placental mammals themselves they must have no idea what a placenta is! (Just like humans clearly have no idea what the hell an egg is because we don’t hatch from eggs, right?)

Even though the galra in this situation would actually be better set up to understand or, at bare minimum, not be thrown that far by humans being unlike them because the humans in this setting are only just meeting aliens for the first time now- the galra have met hundreds of other sentient beings in this time. Even if you have a bunch of headcanons about humans being different from galra, it runs a pretty high risk of arrogance to act like humans are somehow more different and more special than any other sentient race that the galra can’t possibly understand us.

And when I look at something that’s just supposed to be funny like a picture of Krolia carrying Keith in a baby harness with her sword sheathed in the front of the harness I know that’s not consciously and willfully what the artist is thinking, but it’s still... frustrating, very frustrating, because... child endangerment is not funny.

Depicting a smart perceptive character who is shown to be worried about her child’s welfare and caring about how he’s actually feeling rather than what she thinks he should be feeling, as a negligent parent more concerned with her cultural standards or expectations-

(“Why is my baby so short, and not like a galra? I was definitely not prepared for this, somehow expected that having a partner that’s not a galra at all would still mean my children have stereotypical galra phenotypes”)

-than the actual reality of her child’s situation? Is not funny. It’s just frustrating. And it’s frustrating that most of the times I go into Krolia’s tag, that’s a sizable chunk of the content- depicting Krolia as a Wacky Incompetent Space Mom who doesn’t know how babies work.

Would Krolia probably be a little more militaristic than the average soccer mom? Yeah, but look at the actual reality of her situation. Where’s Keith who grows up in this comfortable environment, and as an elementary schooler knows how to wriggle out of people’s grip and a couple of ways to break out of restraints, and he’s really good at hide ‘n seek, and he has a toy, cloth-wrapped dagger that’s weighted so he can get used to the reach of it but soft-edged so he doesn’t cut himself or poke his eye out because he’s not ready for a real one, not yet.

Because Krolia wouldn’t just be idly going at this with an expectation that her Knife Boy must grow up to be the pride of his Sword Family. Krolia’s raising Keith, however much time she was allowed to spend with him, would be tinted hard with a lens of, she’s not going to have all the time in the world to make Keith safe.

Because she’s gonna know from the start that Keith is half-galra and the empire is not safe for half-galra, it’s barely safe for full galra, and Keith’s the son of a rebel so he’s gonna learn what all Blades do, he’s gonna learn to hide.

And frankly? Keith’s dream of his father in s2e8 carries that sort of vibe. His father talks very gently and carefully in language that a young child would easily understand (which is where Keith’s memories of him stem from) but also talks about staying hidden, where the advancing enemy army can’t find them.

Keith didn’t have a Normal Suburban Childhood with a white picket fence, and he didn’t have a negligent sitcom childhood, because he had parents that loved him, but his parents were a little more worried about whether or not the lurking space empire would come after them and kill them all than they were about “our baby is gonna be a doctor!”

So yeah, the first foster parent that got Keith after he lost his father probably was more than a little concerned that he’d been raised by conspiracy theorists or some kind of cult because why does this kid have a clear sense of what to do if he was kidnapped. Who taught him how to get out of an arm-bar choke, he’s all of eight and should have a strangely committed interest in dinosaurs or dolls or something else normal.

That’s not to say nothing funny ever happened in Keith’s childhood. It’s not to say Krolia never held up her baby boy who was staring lovingly into her eyes and asked herself “what the hell am I doing,” because she’s used to high stakes, she’s used to danger, but she’s not used to having this incredibly vulnerable tiny squishy thing, and bringing him into the world she’s put him where her enemies can reach him, and he’s not ready for the universe, but he can’t be ready, and she’s used to adults that choose and willingly take those risks and not a toddler who have no idea why anyone would hate his mommy or want her- and him, and their whole family- to die.

Where’s Krolia stressing out because she thought she was ready for this but Keith is so very small and so very soft, and that’s how all babies are, sure, but they’ve never been her baby before.

And frankly, given my reads on Krolia and her partner, there were probably more than a few times Keith was upset and Krolia sorta awkwardly handed him off to his dad because oh no, those are complicated emotions, how do you handle those.

Just- there could be all kinds of funny things in Keith’s childhood, that are, I think a lot funnier than “Krolia why does our child have a knife”.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Keith #Krolia #Dad Kogane #readmore

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chasholidays · 7 years ago

Note

Thanks so much for doing this again, and happy holidays! Timestamp for Superstars In Their Own Private Movie, prompt: Quidditch fantasy draft?

ftr I’m using the American version of football in this because I put negative effort into pretending it takes place in the UK, so sorry for incoherent worldbuilding

Original fic here!

From what Clarke can tell, disappointment with the interaction of the wizarding world and the Muggle world is about 90% of Raven and Monty’s life motivation. Which does make sense, admittedly. Clarke was kind of disappointed with things that were lacking in the Muggle world, when she started interacting with it, and it’s probably even worse for Muggleborns. After all, they have all these stories about magic and wizards and dragons, but they don’t think those things are real. Clarke always knew Muggles existed, and always assumed that if she wanted to learn about them, she could just find a book.

Honestly, she doesn’t know why previous generations of wizards are so uninformed about Muggles. It really doesn’t make any sense.

Regardless, Raven and Monty are Muggleborns who want wizard stuff to live up to all their expectations, which is why they create Fantasy Quidditch League.

“Don’t we already play Quidditch?” Bellamy asks. “Why do we need to fantasize about it too?”

“Aren’t you a Muggleborn?” Jasper shoots back. “Don’t you know about fantasy football?”

“I don’t know about any Muggle sports,” he says. “It’s confusing enough that I know about Quidditch. Which one is football? The one where they kick the ball?”

“No, the other one, where they throw the ball,” says Raven.

“Sometimes they kick it!” says Monty. “I think. Honestly, I don’t actually know sports, but I do know that fantasy football is a huge letdown for one reason: it’s not actually fantasy.”

“If that was supposed to clear stuff up, it didn’t,” says Bellamy.

“Okay,” says Monty, “imagine me. I’m this dorky little kid who reads all the time and loves nerd stuff.”

“Why do we have to imagine that?” Raven asks. “That’s literally still you.”

Monty ignores her. “And I hear about this thing called fantasy football and I think it’s the coolest thing in the world. I assume it’s a video game where you get to play football as various fantasy races, but no. It’s just this thing where people make up their own football teams and pretend they’re playing against each other.”

“And that’s bad,” says Clarke, frowning.

“It’s not nearly as awesome. Which is why fantasy Quidditch is going to be that awesome. We’re going to make this happen.”

“We still don’t know what we’re making happen,” Clarke reminds him, and Raven grins.

“Wizard video games. That needs to start being a thing. And we’re starting with making Monty’s fantasy Quidditch dreams come true.”

“Isn’t Quidditch already a fantasy?” Bellamy asks. He’s very attached to this point. “We’re on broomsticks. We’re wizards. Sounds like a fantasy to me.”

“Nonhuman magical creatures can’t play, though,” says Raven.

“Which is bullshit,” says Jasper. He’s been surprisingly quiet about this; it really must be Monty’s pet project. But he’s dating a veela right now and has feelings on nonhuman issues.

“So the idea is that you’re creating a team and then playing it in a league,” says Monty, ignoring him. “Either you do it as a single player versus the AI or there’s a multiplayer mode where your team goes up against other teams.”

“But what do you actually do?” asks Clarke.

“First, you draft. That’s putting together the team. It works slightly differently depending on if you’re doing single- or multiplayer. Which do you want me to explain first?”

Clarke already has a headache, but everyone else except Bellamy looks engaged. So she puts her head on his shoulder, and he kisses her hair. “Whatever you think is best. I’ll catch up.”

“It’s a lot easier to play, don’t worry. Basically, I have a roster of three-hundred named, pre-generated characters. Ten races, with thirty characters of each race.”

“Okay, by race,” says Bellamy. “What are we talking here? Giants? Goblins? Leprechauns?”

“We decided to make our own,” says Raven.

“Yeah, I wanted races to have their own pros and cons,” says Monty. “That’s how it works in Dungeons and Dragons, which was kind of my inspiration. Like, elves are nimble, so they get a bonus to their dexterity. But that works partially because those other races aren’t real. I don’t want a game where if a giant plays it they’re offended because they automatically have a penalty to intelligence or something. So we came up with ten fantasy races that have various advantages and disadvantages. Like—“ He pulls a character up on the TV. “This is a Mora. They have eyes on the sides of their head, like grazing animals do, which gives them a great field of vision. But they tend to be slower and clumsier. There’s one Mora who’s very light and quick, and she’d make a great seeker, but most of them work better in other positions.”

“So you get options for your team,” Bellamy prompts, before Monty gets too carried away with individual pros and cons.

“Yeah, the basic single-player mode gives you a random selection of eighty characters, and you play in an eight-team league. There’s a random draft order so you won’t always get the first pick you want, but your players do level up as you play, and they retain that. So if you keep picking some really crappy player, they’ll improve. Some of them have hidden unlocks. Like this guy,” he says, pulling up a different character. “He’s basically Magikarp.”

“That doesn’t clarify anything for some of us,” Clarke reminds him.

“It’s a Pokémon. It’s awful, but if you play with it enough, it turns into a really good Pokémon. If you play with this guy he’ll get very slightly better every game until the twentieth, and then he gets awesome. And he keeps that upgrade, and you can recruit the improved version next time.”

“And that only works when the player has him on their team, right?” Miller asks, and Clarke shoots him a dirty look. As Monty’s boyfriend, he’s more up on the terminology than she is, and he really likes video games, whereas Clarke still has no idea how they work. Like wizard chess, but digital is the extent of her understanding. But as another pureblood, Clarke feels as if he should be as in the dark as she is.

“Yeah, only experience gained on the PC team counts, but that means if you keep picking, say, Neesa Lynta,” he says, pulling up yet another character, “then as she gets better, the AI will be more inclined to take her from you in future drafts, because she’s better than characters you haven’t built up.”

“Okay,” Bellamy says, with a tone that means he’s taking over the situation. “This is really cool, Monty, but–I’m still not sure what we’re actually doing here. I’m not getting any more information out of what you’re saying. This is basically my limit.”

“For a Muggleborn you’re really bad with video games,” Clarke teases, and he grins.

“Aren’t you supposed to be into that, Slytherin?”

“Yeah, bad at video games is a known Slytherin kink. But he’s right,” she adds, to Monty. “What did you want us to do, exactly?”

“You need to be my test group. Everyone else I know knows too much about video games. I want to see how you guys do with the tutorial.”

“Then shouldn’t you have sent us into it blind?” Bellamy asks. “Instead of giving us the whole spiel?”

“Did anything I said make the game make more sense to you, or are you more confused than before?” Monty asks, not unreasonably.

There’s obviously no good answer to that, so Bellamy just straightens up, disentangling himself from Clarke. “Okay, so–tell us what to do.”

Monty grins. “Who wants the controller?”

They agree that Bellamy can take point on the actual selections, and Clarke settles against his side so she can advise.

And, she has to admit, Monty did a pretty good job with the whole thing. The tutorial takes it slow, giving them a small, pre-made team so they can learn the controls, and then adding in each of the different character types with a short explanation of what their advantages and disadvantages are.

“How does it know when someone catches the snitch?” she asks Monty, as Bellamy tries to use a combo to score a goal. He can control one beater or chaser at a time, while the computer controls the rest of the team, but he doesn’t have the option of being the seeker or the keeper.

“Programming,” says Raven. “There’s a base time range for when the snitch can be found, which goes from five to twenty minutes. It’s impossible to find the snitch right away, no matter how good your seeker is, because no one wants to feel like they lost to the RNG before they got a chance to do anything. After that, it’s basically chance. Using the seeker’s stats, advantages, and disadvantages, it spits out a time when they’ll catch the snitch. Whichever team’s seeker has the lower time gets it.”

“You must have put so much work into this,” she murmurs. “It’s amazing.”

Raven grins. “And you haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

“That’s because Bellamy sucks at this game,” says Miller, and Bellamy scowls.

“Fuck you, it’s a tutorial. I’m learning, dickface.”

“Learn faster, I want to play.”

It is an in-depth tutorial, aimed not only at teaching the basics of this game, but of gaming in general, but Bellamy makes it through, finally getting to a small draft, picking his team, and beating the computer with them.

“So, now we’re at the good part,” says Monty. “Pick multiplayer and we can do a tournament.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” he admits, holding out the controller. “There are four of you, me and Clarke can watch.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Monty wheedles.

“But then someone else can’t play. We’re good. I’ll just heckle.”

It’s probably for the best; Monty, Raven, Miller, and Jasper take the controls, and Clarke settles into Bellamy’s lap, his arms around her. It’s the kind of thing she thinks Muggles do a lot, gathering around a television to play games and talk trash, and Clarke can admit she understands the appeal. There’s something warm and companionable about it.

“Hey, we’ve got Bellamy in the draft!” Jasper crows.

Bellamy shifts a little under her, curious. “What?”

“Some of the characters are not very subtle parodies of real Quidditch players,” says Raven, moving her cursor over to find the character in question. “All the Argonauts are in here, and a few others too. Just for fun.”

“Wait, you named him Buzzayou Bloke?” Clarke asks. “Really?”

“I think it’s got a nice ring to it,” says Monty. “Nate’s Jathan Pounder, if it makes you feel better.”

“What about me?”

“Clank Manticore,” says Raven.

“I’ll take it. Is there any way you can make it so all of us are in the draft? Because that would be way more fun.”

“Turns out hacking programs is a lot easier when you made them and you’re a witch,” says Raven, with a flick of her wand. About a dozen of the character portraits flicker out, replaced by vaguely familiar faces. “Okay, I’m definitely taking Emori, she’s a great seeker.”

Monty’s next. “I’m taking Jathan Pounder, because I’m a good boyfriend.”

“I’m taking Buzzayou,” says Miller. “I think he’s going to be a great seeker.”

“I programmed him, and he’s not,” Raven shoots back.

“I’ll take Clank, so Clarke doesn’t feel left out.”

“Thanks,” she says, and Jasper blows her a kiss.

The teams are pretty universally horrible. There’s an unofficial rule that no real Quidditch player can be in their actual position, so Raven’s justification for picking Emori falls apart pretty quickly. Clank ends up a keeper, which is both her and Clank’s worst position, while Miller puts Buzzayou as his seeker, as promised. Their teams–Jasper’s Hogwarts Hogwashers and Miller’s Flying Losers–end up as the first match, so Monty and Raven set aside their controllers and settle in to watch with Clarke and Bellamy.

“This is the grudge match, right?” Monty asks. “Infamous rivals Buzzayou Bloke and Clank Manticore, finally going head to head. May the best player win.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to work,” Raven says. “But since every player is assigned to a shitty role–”

“That just means our innate skills will come out,” Jasper says. “I’ve been playing video games for longer than Miller, but he’s a very promising rookie. This is all going to come down to skill.”

“Oh my god, you’re going to commentate this game, aren’t you,” says Raven, flat.

“I figured Monty would do it, he doesn’t have to play.”

“Yeah, I’ve got this. Come on, Raven,” he adds, grinning. “It’s not Quidditch without commentary.”

“And this is his dream,” Clarke adds. She nudges him. “Is it as awesome as you wanted it to be?”

“It really is. You think it’s going to take off? Can wizards get into fantasy Quidditch?”

Right on cue, Miller has one of his characters lob some sort of acid spit at Jasper’s keeper, blinding him, and Jasper swears revenge.

Clarke shakes her head, smiling. “Honestly? Yeah. I think it’s going to be a hit. I’ve got next round,” she adds, settling back against Bellamy.

It really is the perfect way to spend an afternoon; people are going to love it.

#liminal-lady

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marciellacarrfmp · 6 years ago

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Dexter Navys worked with ASAP rocky on a few of his music videos, the first row of screenshots form his films is from ASAP Rocky’s Forever music video, the second row Money Man, the third row LSD. After watching all the videos I noticed that Navy uses unusual angles and techniques, with camera angles moving from low to high and spinning in a matter of seconds, really creating the feeling of movement, in some cases even making me feel a little sick as the movements are so quick and all over the place.

In the first music video, Forever, it starts of with the camera seemingly go over and under the people and the ground, each time cutting to a different scene. It then seems to get even more unusual as things seem to appear in different places and it is edited very meticulously and cleverly enabling it to have a smooth flow. The overall video is chaotic, with the camera spinning, ducking and going through obstacles all at a high speed, meaning there is a lot of information to absorb in a short space of time. I do like the overall video however it is VERY frantic and chaotic and unusual. I will try to use some of the camera angles as inspiration, turning the and twisting the camera and even possibly using a go pro and attaching to a person to get a real in the moment feel.

The second film Money Man is has a different feel to the first, with big bold red titles introducing the film, giving it an old cinematic feel. This is also carried through through the film as the first few minutes are black and white pictures which are flicked through at a fast pace, and every so often returning to a video of a black woman getting her hair braided. The entire time this is happening there is no music, in fact a muffled voice narrating, with red subtitles flashing along the bottom of the screen. I like how the red mirrors the red titles at the start, and how the red contrasts to the black and white images. Later on in the film the images become videos and include men with guns, a strip club, and drugs which could be seen as ‘masculine’.

The voice behind the images is a woman called Rina and opens about where she lives, in a wasteland called the Butterfly Canal, which is where where ‘they’ send you when you've been ostracized from the norm of society. The first sentence alone sparks my interest as it makes me question who is ‘they’? Why has she been cast here? Did she not conform to the norm? These questions therefore heavily link in with my project of the ordinary. She then goes on to say that the canal isn’t far from where the “normal flies live”. What does she mean? Who is she referring to? She then proceeds to make references to wings, and butterflies, her words mirror images of butterflies on the screen. She also talks about her her brother, ‘died’ and how his eyes turned black and she swears to never touch a wing. I think possibly the wings and butterflies which are shown throughput the film are a reference to guns and also when ‘eyes go black’ is when someone is on drugs. (To be honest I find the whole thing rather strange but I know that there is probably a really deep and contextual meaning behind it all)

However what did really like within this film is the use of black and white, with a few colored images on the screen, for only a second. I also really like the idea of using pictures flicked through, I specifically liked in the film when it was hands. I also like how words in the song or whilst Rina was speaking linked in with the images, making it feel very connected.

The final music video, called LSD, short for Love, sex and drugs was edited in a similar way to the first video, with the camera angles being frantic and heavily moving. This film also however was edited in a way to make it feel like you were on drugs, things going in and out focus and images having a psychedelic look do them, which can be seen through the screenshots. It links to my project as being on drugs and being high makes ordinary things seem as though they are something they aren’t. Also the concept of doing drugs is so ordinary to certain people, especially to those who go to raves and festivals, also those who are homeless. On the flip side to that the concept of doing drugs can be seen as very out of the ordinary and some people due to their own naivety don’t realize the true extent of how many people do it.

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nezzfiction · 8 years ago

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ENMY Chapter 35 - The Trades Made With Fate

Chapter Synopsis: While Yang manages to pass her Semblance's Trial, the accomplishment is not without its cost. As Mercury, Emerald, and Neo get ready to fulfill their assassination contract on Qrow Branwen, their targets enter the Tower.

Series Synopsis:

Team RWBY is disbanded, and Yang must find herself new allies. For her, that might very well be yesterday's enemies. Joining up with the likes of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, the four will comprise Team Enemy.

Links to read the series: Ao3 or FF.net

Or hit the jump below

The Trades Made With Fate

“You get what you pay for.”

Beneath the ground, she sensed the heart beat in the earth’s core. Pulsing in a powerful, but slow rhythm. A low bass resonating under the skin. The pounding in her chest synchronized with it.

Its reach branched out like roots from a tree, seeking Remnant’s surface. A way into the light of day. She felt it thread through the air, as clear as she could see them. They weaved like weightless strings. They sang, they hummed, they connected to her like emotion. So surreal and intangible, but at the same time, ever-present.

Her right hand reached out for them, and they gathered to her touch

Yang opened her eyes and the image faded. The scenery before her, replaced by a heavily vegetated area beside a nearby stream. Vibrant greenery filled her vision. The land was overgrown with nature with left unchecked. A small pocket world untouched by civilization.

She felt a warm tingle at the end of her right limb. Aura coursed there and collected.

With some reluctance, she attached her prosthetic to it. The familiar sensation of machine joining with flesh jolted her nerves, waking up her pain receptors.

Yang operated her metal fingers, and they answered her will. Though, something was amiss. Her movements lacked a certain dexterity to them. A sluggishness in the mechanic motions that gave her pause.

She pumped her fist and a cartridge ejected from her forearm. Yang caught it and examined the amount of Dust it held.

The contents indicated it was full.

Yang reloaded it and made Ember Celica’s engines fire briefly.

It drained her Aura like something hungry. The warmth in her limb evaporated with an immediate chill.

That’s not good.

Yang ejected the Dust cartridge again to look at it.

Full.

No change in the amount whatsoever.

With a heavy sigh, she disconnected her prosthetic and set it aside.

Crap.

Seriously, it’s just one thing after another.

Yang gave an annoyed pout. Her good hand started picking at the grass to vent her frustrations.

“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did kinda screw those two over,” she said to herself aloud. “It would be weirder if there wasn’t some sort of price. The question is, how am I going to deal with this now…”

She turned around ideas in her head for a while, but came up with nothing.

“Well! I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it.”

“Something we need to worry about?” Raven approached. “For someone who just passed their Semblance Trial, you look oddly displeased.”

“I’m reflecting on the consequences of my actions. The truth is, I might have failed the trial in a different way.”

“Oh, look. Vague speech does run in the family.” Her mother joined her side and started examining her prosthetic arm. “Does it concern your Semblance? You told us you weren’t suffering the negative effects of the Reaper’s Semblance. No bloodlust, no deathly urges or visions?”

“Not a one. It’s not the Semblance that’s the problem. It’s what it cost me…”

“And what exactly was that?”

Yang flipped a shard of Bane in her hand absentmindedly, and then swiftly crunched it between her teeth.

…

No effect.

“A REALLY big handicap,” Yang groaned.

Raven stared at her wide-eyed. “That’s going to be a problem.”

“No kidding.”

“But the life-seeing Semblance, or whatever you’re going to call it?”

“I don’t know everything about it yet. But if you’re wondering if I’m still a force to be reckon with, I’m sure I can still land a fist right where it hurts.”

“As long as you’re not completely defenseless.”

“Yeah. Welp! That’s just the results of the choices I made,” Yang said, while stretching her back. “Just a tradeoff I need to work around.”

“Hmph. I know all about bad tradeoffs.”

The two inhaled deep, taking in the natural air around them. Only the sounds of the forest’s inhabitants filled silence for a while.

“The scenery is nice and everything, but why did you have to come all the way out here?” Raven asked. “You couldn’t do your mediation nearer to the house?”

“I dunno. Life feels more abundant here than anywhere else, and the resonance is good.”

“More things about your mysterious new Semblance?”

“I wonder~”

“Hmph.”

Even now, Raven couldn’t shake off the strange feeling she received from being under Yang’s gaze. She put her hands over her daughter’s eyes in a playful manner, and the younger girl laughed.

“Did you finish saying goodbye to your father?”

“Yup. Ready to go.”

Raven released Yang’s head, and quickly cut open a portal.

A moment later, they both appeared near the entrance to Haven Academy. Just to the side of a building, where they could not be seen.

“That’ll never get boring,” Yang said, as she stepped into the clear. “Wonder if I’ll ever get to do something like that someday.”

“Maybe if you strike a desperate deal with a conniving bitch of a Witch, you might. I wouldn’t recommend it, though.”

Raven’s mention of her made Yang think about Salem. The Witch wasn’t only a sworn enemy of her mother, but in some ways, herself. Salem was referred by Emerald and Mercury as the one responsible for Cinder. The real puppeteer behind everything.

It was difficult to feel any sort of enmity towards someone she had never met. There were times when Yang tried to picture what she looked like, but it would never take. Perhaps against her mother’s wishes, she wanted to speak with the Witch one day, and find out for herself.

Whether she’s worth killing or not…

…

“How did you know not to take the deal?”

Raven’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You said during your trial, two paths were presented to you—two identities to take. And you made a completely different decision. You know, life would’ve been easier if you picked one. So, how?”

Yang stuck her tongue out and put a finger on her chin in thought.

“I don’t know, actually. I thought both deals sounded like scams so…I decided to pick a fight instead.”

“…”

“If I’m being honest, I didn’t give it much thought. I mean, the options sounded so crappy, I didn’t think they were worth considering.”

“…”

“That…wasn’t the answer you were looking for?”

“Pft!”

“Hm?”

“Pft—hahaha!”

“Mom?”

“A scam…Hahaha!” Raven laughed again, arching her head back. “That’s right. Only an idiot would agree to something that was clearly a scam.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Well, it still cost you in the end. Do you regret it now?”

“Nope. Wouldn’t have wanted it to go down any other way.”

Her mother smiled.

“A decision made without regret has to be the right one. I wish I could’ve realized something so simple back then. But I’m glad you don’t have to repeat the same mistakes.” Raven breathed a contented sigh and recovered from her brief fit. “You’re growing up. It might be time for you to grow up from your little band of misfits too.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“You know what I mean.”

“You’re saying I should leave Team ENMY.”

“From what I know, you’re already on your way out. You tagged along with them to meet me, and here we are. I also have some info to pass regarding a way to revive Cinder. It’s going to take them off-continent. Are you going to follow?”

“I…” Yang paused. “I don’t know.”

“Even though it was me you came for? They aren’t the friends you think they are, Yang. Deep down, you understand that.”

“…That may be so.”

“This is the same thing. Don’t make a decision you’re going to regret. That’s all I can say.”

Yang replied with a short nod.

“I won’t. Just need to give it all some thought.”

“Alright.” Raven turned slightly, and cut open a fresh portal. “Yang,” she stressed. “I might need you for something soon. Be sure to answer your scroll when I call.”

“You got it.”

“I’m serious. What might happen next is very important.”

“Alright,” Yang answered seriously.

“And Yang?”

“Yeah, mom?”

“I’m proud of you.”

“…”

Struck speechless, Yang struggled to assemble some form of response. Fortunately, her mother filled in the blanks.

“Answer your scroll.”

The girl sighed, “Yeah, yeah.”

And with the last of their parting words exchanged, Raven disappeared through the portal.

* * * * *

As soon as Mercury entered the doorway of Team ENMY’s room, a black envelope was thrown at him by Emerald.

“We move out in five,” she said.

“So, they finally found them?”

“Yeah. Moment of truth time.”

He took out the papers inside the envelope and read them.

“East of the Windpath? How are we supposed to get there?”

“That’s what I’m working on right now,” Emerald answered, while holding her scroll to her ear. “Inna. I need those clearance codes you used to sneak out an airship a while back. What do I need them for? I need them to sneak out an airship. Why else?”

In one corner of the room, Mercury spotted Neo writing a letter and placing it under her pillow. It would be easily found if someone were to toss the place looking for clues.

“What about Yang?” he asked. “She might try to find us, if we suddenly take off.”

“I’m already giving her a call,” Emerald replied, after hanging up on Inna.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. She’ll never buy it coming from you. You’re a terrible actor.”

“Hey! I fooled everyone when I faked my leg being shot.”

“Only worked cause all eyes were on Yang. Seriously, Merc. You wouldn’t be able to sell it. Plus, your feelings make you compromised.”

“I don’t have feelings.”

“Whatever. Stow it and pack your gear. We’re traveling light.” Emerald leapt from her seat, and started out the door. “Yang. Some stuff’s come up. We won’t be back for a couple nights. I found a lead on Cinder, and we’re following it…”

Emerald’s voice trailed off as she moved down the dorm halls.

“We’re really leaving, huh?” Mercury muttered.

Neo glanced at him and nodded. She took the sketchpad she drew her life story into, and place that too under her pillow. It was difficult to part with, but she always intended to give it to Yang. Something she always put off, because she was constantly adding more drawings to it. Including some rather indecent doodles sketched in secret.

Mercury packed the necessities for travel and the supplies needed for the fight. As far as sentimental objects went, he had none. Save for a pair of keys to a motorcycle he built with Yang.

He stared at them for a while, before leaving them under his pillow as well.

Emerald returned.

“We’ve got our airship, our clearance, and blondie’s out of the equation. I’m not forgetting anything, am I?”

“Don’t suppose you’re going to leave Yang anything.”

“No. Why? Did you guys?”

Mercury and Neo only stared at her.

“Of course, you did. Well, I haven’t got squat to use as a parting gift, and letters aren’t really my thing. So, I’m just gonna do her my professional courtesy, and leave without a trace. Now, get your asses in gear.”

As they filed out, Mercury looked back at the dorm one last time.

It was unlike him, he knew. This room was always meant to be just another temporary living space. Just like Yang was always supposed to be just a temporary eyesore.

They formed a team and took her on because they had to. Extra baggage he and Emerald had to carry around out of inconvenience. Attachments were never part of the deal.

…

He wondered if the next time they met, it would go down the same way Yang fought Weiss and Blake. Former teammates doing everything they could to defeat the other. Except in their case, it would probably go to the death.

…

It wasn’t long…but it was nice.

Nicer than I ever thought it would be.

“See ya, blondie.”

* * * * *

It was in the middle afternoon, when Qrow and Team RNJR finished crossing the mountain range, to the border-end of the Windpath.

There, the place in which all the gusts and gales gathered, tornadoes snaked their way into the sky like the trunks of giant trees. The thunderous dark clouds above, like treetops.

Air currents swept across, and then rose upward like geysers. The points of the vertical drafts centered on numerous mountain peaks. There lied the only safe harbor for the travelers. Eyes of the storm that were permanently fixed, so long as Remnant stood.

The group ventured to one mountain in particular. The tumultuous winds grew so fierce as they neared their destination, they were forced to tie themselves together. Their weapons stabbed into the earth to keep themselves groundside.

It took a herculean effort, but in the end, their efforts paid off.

In the center of the hurricane funnel, loomed a tower of dark green marble. A strangely solid structure in contrast to its stormy surroundings. Almost like the construct itself was the source of tamed atmosphere around them.

“Let’s get in there,” Qrow beckoned. His tone filled with an eagerness for answers.

The group entered the premises and shut the heavy doors behind them. Finding themselves in what seemed to be a wide lobby, they could barely see anything through the darkness.

Until a green light spawned from Qrow’s waist and illuminated the chamber. Mechanisms throughout the Tower activated in the same moment, and they could hear the gears of clocks cranking.

When the Huntsman looked to the source, he saw that it was Ozpin’s cane that acted as the activation key.

Before the party, a lattice hologram was woven into existence in the form of Beacon’s late Headmaster. His appearance a perfect mimic of how they remembered him. Postured with both hands behind his back, straight and prompt.

“Oz?” Qrow couldn’t help but blurt out.

“Yes. Good work on making your way here, Qrow. There isn’t much time. I suspect Salem will learn of this location soon if she hasn’t already. Follow me.”

As the ephemeral body turned to lead them deeper into the Tower, Qrow yelled,

“Wait a second! I want answers! Like what the hell is this place? And where the hell have you been?”

“Qrow. Time is of the essence.”

“Yeah? Well, that’s tough! You gonna tell me I’ve been carrying you around this entire time, and you just never said a word?”

“I wasn’t in a capacity to do so in the open. Besides, I’ve hardly been mute through your journeys, have I?”

“So, I wasn’t just going crazy.”

“No, you certainly were not. Now, we must proceed to the top floor. Once the synchronization process has begun, we can take the time for explanations.”

“Oz…!”

“Qrow. I apologize, but I need you to trust me—Just once more.”

“Damn it! Fine!”

The hologram of Qrow zapped to the end of the chamber and started the elevator. Qrow and party followed without another word, and reached the top of the Tower in the next few minutes.

Once the elevator doors opened, they entered the office that greatly resembled the one Ozpin possessed at Beacon.

As soon as Qrow crossed the threshold, he was overcome with an invasive consciousness. Dropping him to his knees and causing him to brace his head.

“Qrow!” Jaune shouted with concern.

“Do not fight it, Qrow,” said Ozpin. “It may be your natural inclination to resist, but I assure you, this is a necessary measure.”

“What…are you doing to me?!” Qrow grunted in pain.

“Naming you my successor. It has fallen onto you to act as guardian of Remnant. Nothing so different from what you have been doing your entire career as a Huntsman.”

“Why me? Why can’t you—“

“My life as ‘Ozpin’ has expired. It is time for another to carry on my fate. Another to lead the fight against the Witch—and that individual is you.”

“I don’t understand…!”

“Relax, and we shall speak. But for now, you must remain in this room until the synchronization process is completed.” The hologram turned to address the others in the room. “Ruby Rose. Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you must stand guard over Qrow until everything is finished. The process will take a day. Please, stay vigilant.”

Jaune and Ren took Qrow by each side and helped him into the desk chair, at the far end of the office.

“Alright, you have me onboard for this craziness. Time to explain yourself, Oz. You said we have a whole day. Get talking,” Qrow spat, as he took a gracious swig from his flask.

“Very well, but we will convene privately, as we have been. These are matters fit for your ears only.”

The Huntsman nodded and closed his eyes.

Right when the hologram was about to disappear, Jaune called out to it.

“Hold on!”

“Mr. Arc?”

“We came on this trip to find more about what happened to Pyrrha. Qrow promised us that. I don’t know what you’re doing to him, but we need to know.”

“I am aware of the deal you’ve made. What happened to Miss Nikos was a tragedy—“

“Don’t give me that! You don’t really care! I just want what I was promised!” he shouted with fury. The only thing keeping him from further lashing out was Ren and Nora gently grasping his arms.

“…And you will have it,” Ozpin answered. “The true identities of the ones, who masterminded the events of Beacon and the fate that befell Miss Nikos. But for now, I must ask you to assist Qrow in completing this task.”

“I can’t trust anything you say.”

“While that may hold some truth, protecting Qrow will ultimately work to your benefit.”

“How do you figure that?”

“The attackers, who will try to interrupt the process. They are likely to be cohorts of the ones you seek, if not the culprits themselves.”

“How do I know you’re not lying to get us to stay?”

“…You do not. I am sorry.”

“…”

“I sometimes wonder if I made the correct decision in letting you stay at Beacon, despite your forged documents. Yes, I was aware and admitted you into my school regardless. But I saw a potential in you, the spirit of a protector, and a fine Huntsman you could one day become. I can only hope I was not mistaken. Miss Nikos certainly shared the same thoughts.”

“You…!”

“Again,” Ozpin removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Allow me to apologize for what happened to Miss Nikos. It is and was my deepest regret. I would have gladly given my life in favor of returning her to you. But I can only succeed in joining her, and telling her you all still carry her spirit with you.”

Jaune went quiet for a moment.

“Just hurry up,” he barely whispered.

“You have my deepest gratitude, Mr. Arc.”

The hologram blinked out of existence. Qrow nestled more comfortably into his seat. And then there was nothing left to them, but to wait.

Jaune walked over to Ruby, who was looking out the window.

“Hey, you okay? You haven’t said much about……Ruby?!”

He turned the girl by her shoulders, and saw her staring blankly into his face. The silver in her eyes glinted eerily. Her normally cheerful visage was devoid of all signs of life. She looked almost like a doll.

“RUBY!”

Ruby blinked.

“Huh, yeah? What is it, Jaune?”

“Hey! Are you okay? What happened?”

“I don’t know. Did something happen?”

Jaune continued to stare at her confoundedly.

“You just completely blanked out. It’s happened before, but this time was different.”

“Really?”

Perhaps, even more than Ruby’s sudden trance state, was her complete lack of concern that disturbed Jaune.

“Did you hear all that between Qrow and Ozpin?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you don’t have a problem with it?”

“I’ve known for a while. Ozpin filled me in on the way here.”

“What?!”

“What.”

“How come you never said anything?!” Jaune was now almost shaking violently.

“Huh. I wonder why I didn’t. I should have…”

As Ruby was entering her trance state again, her head whipped in the direction of something outside.

She broke away from Jaune and moved towards the window. Upon opening the latch, violent gales blew inside and sent Jaune, Ren, and Nora reeling a few steps back.

Undeterred by the torrent, Ruby pressed the gun stock to her shoulder and aimed down the scope of her Crescent Rose.

*Bang*

A single shot into the windwall that encircled the Tower.

No one except a few, would know the target of Ruby’s confirmed hit.

A small Nevermore with a hole pierced straight through its eye socket, plummeted to the earth.

* * * * *

Salem staggered back, clutching her eye in immense pain. The black veins on her skin rippled at the violent reaction.

After some time passed and allowing the pain to subside somewhat, the Witch steadied herself and made for one of the palace’s more secretive sections.

She laid her hand on a door, prompting a purple sigil to respond to her touch. It faded upon unlocking.

The long hall she entered, was lined with shelves upon shelves. Occupying each row and empty space, sat balance scales. Ornate in design and forged with dark brass finishes. Each of them, bore a string of letters at their base. Some tipped to one side, while others in even balance. They teetered and swayed as Salem walked past.

The Witch stopped at a collection of scales she set aside specifically at a desk.

Their bases read:

Blake Belladonna

Adam Taurus

Raven Branwen

Black Family

Muramasa

With a sharp smile, Salem dropped a series of coins in all their scales. Previously, hanging down to one side, they oscillated with the newly added weight. Eventually, settling on an equal state.

The world turns,

And turns,

And turns.

And you can’t stop it,

You arrogant old fool.

��&C��/

#rwby #yang xiao long #emerald sustrai #neopolitian (rwby)#mercury black #raven branwen #rwby fanfiction #ENMY

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