#thank ruby for this post

[pmpknsoup]

[lulady030]

Gotta stay positive, right ?! Smiles all around !

[z-1-wolfe]

🫢 i think she might have liked it, not 100% sure ngl

(also i am so sorry,, the first time i posted it tumblr literally ate the post and it disappeared?? so i deleted it and started over)

5th times the charm and all that :')

[zexapher]

A Fond Farewell

With Rooster Teeth beginning its draw down, an era has truly passed. The company has lasted more than two decades. 18 (soon 19) seasons, five mini-series, and cameos and references in Halo itself for Red vs Blue. 9 volumes alongside two movies, a chibi series, Ice Queendom, and its own games for RWBY. And so much more beyond that, RT Shorts, podcasts, Achievement Hunter, The Slow Mo Guys, and on and on. That’s a lot, especially for a little startup launching off a web series. I was listening to “This Isn’t Goodbye, It’s See You Later” by Richie Branson while I was making this little memorial post. It’s a song made for another Rooster Teeth show, Camp Camp, and I have to say it’s some very appropriate music for this moment.

The day the news dropped, I wrote up a little comment in response to Rooster Teeth beginning its closing down, and I thought I’d share some of it here. I grew up with Rooster Teeth, a bit of a cheesy line I know, but it’s true for a lot of us. I was just a little kid way back in the early 2000’s, a kid that liked Halo (a game I didn’t even own for a long time, but played at a friend’s house), and was just getting curious about what I could find about it on YouTube. And that brought me into the world of music videos and skits and montages made for that little game I liked.

From there, I discovered a small web series called Red vs. Blue. I’d sneak onto my folk’s computer to watch it since they didn’t appreciate the language, and in doing so I dipped my toes into the wide world of the internet for the first time. As I got older, I eventually hopped onto Reddit for its discussion threads of Rooster Teeth’s latest show, RWBY. I began my first in-depth fandom interactions, speculating about the show, enjoying the flood of fanart, even got into fanfics about RWBY (those fics have had their own amazing evolution alongside the show) and to this day it’s the fandom I’ve followed and bookmarked the most fics from. All the while I was making friends and bonding with people through the community this company and its shows have created.

Watching the shows and people grow over time was, looking back on it, just like watching myself grow. I was never really a social media/internet kind of guy, until it came to Rooster Teeth. The shows, shorts, podcasts, it all opened up a whole new world for me. It’s sad to see it coming to a close, and I hope it gets picked up in the future. But I’m happy, too, that it’s left so much behind, and had such an impact on me. It’s left me with so many good memories. Rooster Teeth, its shows, those that created and worked on it, and above all the community around it will always have a special place in my heart.

So, I bid a fond farewell to Rooster Teeth and its crew, and anyone who may drift away from the fandom in time. I wish you all the best.

[foxaoxarts]

IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS- *EXPLODES*

[angelic-petty]

love live! x halloween

[8nigiris-spam]

yesterday I infiltrated a HNK cosplay meeting (I wasn't a rock sadly) and many canon things happened

if any of these cosplayers see this post, say hi >:)

[ace-geographer]

Hellooooo!!!

I come bearing yet more text posts!

Hopefully no one is sick of me yet lol

Part 5/?

[presiding]

naomi campbell? billie lurk?

[misty--nights]

Here's a short silly thing inspired by this convo with @anshares (you really have to stop giving me such fun ideas). I wrote this in like 30 minutes with no regards for historical accuracy. Enjoy some silly ghost kings banter and He Xuan being down bad for Shi Qingxuan because I have a brand and am incapable of writing his pov without making him pine pathetically ^^

“Is this what you spend my money on?” Hua Cheng asks from his side. He Xuan rolls his eyes.

“What do you care?” He Xuan finally asks. The glass bottle in his hands feels far too frail, like it could shatter with one wrong movement. He Xuan very carefully doesn’t think about what else—who else—feels too fragile under his hands. “I’ll pay you back either way.”

“I’m sure you will,” Hua Cheng mutters. His attention is fixed elsewhere, though, eye caught by a little box decorated with delicate white flowers. One track mind, He Xuan thinks, but doesn’t say.

One can find just about anything in Ghost City. There are many sketchy, and even downright dangerous establishments, but there are also genuine shops, with rare products that are nearly impossible to find elsewhere. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look. He Xuan has had centuries to familiarize himself with the place. He knows exactly where everything he needs can be found. And right now, what he needs is a new hair product Shi Qingxuan has been raving about.

He Xuan opens the bottle in his hands and takes a deep breath. The product inside smells sweet. Like a meadow, he thinks, and the summer breeze. It’s a familiar smell, the same one his mind has come to associate with Shi Qingxuan, the one he always catches when the Wind Master throws his head back to laugh. He Xuan closes his eyes, and he can almost hear that precious laughter. His treacherous chest clenches at that and he knows if he were still alive his whole face would be blushing.

Hua Cheng is looking at him when he opens his eyes again. He raises an eyebrow at him, and He Xuan has to resist the urge to growl. He still has products to buy. It won’t serve him well to anger Hua Cheng before he pays. A silver butterfly flutters down to land on Hua Cheng’s shoulder and his mouth twists into a sharp, dangerous smile.

“What?” He Xuan asks, closing the bottle again and setting it down on the shelf he took it from.

“Nothing,” Hua Cheng says, but that smile is still there, sharper by the second. “Just wait until the next time you complain about my face when talking about His Highness.”

He Xuan feels a shiver run up his spine. He won’t ask, won’t give Hua Cheng the satisfaction, but he knows whatever face he was making when smelling the product will be a blow to his pride for years to come.

“Whatever,” he mutters. He tries to sound indifferent, but he knows it’s not very convincing. Hua Cheng, thanks to some miracle, doesn’t call him out on it. “There’s supposed to be a new scent from this manufacturer. Help me find it.”

“You think I’m here to do your work for you?” Hua Cheng asks with a scoff. He still sets the little box down on the counter and turns towards the hair product bottles. He Xuan doesn’t call him out on it. “Why do you need a different one, anyways? I thought you always used the same.”

“Shi Qingxuan mentioned the new scent reminded him of me,” He Xuan replies without much thought.

He realizes his mistake a second later. Hua Cheng has turned to look at him with an intensity he doesn’t like, both eyebrows raised in surprise. He Xuan holds his gaze for a long moment before he has to look away. Once more, he feels like he would be blushing if he could.

“Well,” Hua Cheng says. He Xuan waits for him to say more, but he doesn’t.

There’s an odd look on his face when He Xuan turns to look at him, one that feels too knowing. In the silence that settles around them, he debates the merits of just puffing out of existence. He doesn’t know how he’ll be able to look Hua Cheng in the eye again after this.

“Just help me find the damn bottle,” he finally manages to bite out after what feels like an eternity.

Hua Cheng just hums and turns back towards the shelf. He lets the topic go for now, but He Xuan is not so naïve. He knows Hua Cheng, and he knows he won’t let it go forever. This conversation will come up again, at the worst possible moment. He will brace himself for that. Until then, though, he will do his very best to pretend he never said anything incriminating, pretend nothing has changed since he first took Ming Yi’s place as the Earth Master. After all, he has become truly amazing at lying to himself on that matter.

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Okay but that makes me think of a scenario where blake jokingly calls Yang her hubbie and yang calls her her wifey and it annoys the hell out of everyone everytime they do it

Good, Gods, this is amazing! Let's fricken go!

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Ruby: Thanks again for inviting us over for dinner, Blake!

Weiss: Yes, thank you so much for the invitation.

Blake: (from the kitchen) You're welcome. It's the least we can do after you guys helped Yang and I get our stuff moved in.

Ruby: It was no problem! What're teammates and sisters for?! But, where is Yang?

Blake: (placing serving dishes filled with food on the table) She should be here soon, but I can give her a call. She had to make a quick run. (pulls out her scroll and dials Yang's number)

Yang: (answers her scroll on her headset as she's driving Bumblebee 2.0 home) Hey, babe! I'm on my way home now. I should be there in about five minutes.

Blake: (rolls her eyes with a smile before teasing with a shit-eating grin) Well, hurry up. We have company, and they're beginning to wonder where my wonderful hubby is.

Yang: (loosens her grip on the throttle momentarily before picking up speed) Maybe they're just wondering how long they'll get to have my beautiful, amazing, totally sexy wifey to themselves before I get home.

Blake: (blushes with a smirk) Oh, please. As if anyone could compare to you, my blazing fireball of love. They're just counting the seconds until you grace them with your presence.

Yang: (snickers) Save some compliments for when I get there, babe. I might need a little extra sweetness tonight.

Blake: (playfully) Sweetness? I thought you liked it when things got a little spicy.

Yang: (full blown flirting) Only in combat, my gorgeous goddess. When it comes to you, it's all about the sweetness mixed with the spice.

Blake: (twirling her hair around her finger) Well, I'll make sure to have a dessert that matches your taste—sweet and just a hint of mischief.

Yang: (laughing giddily) Deal! I'll see you in a few!

*CLICK*

Blake: (stares at her scroll with a dumb smile on her face before turning back to the table) Uh...

Ruby & Weiss: (looks of pure disgust and diabetic illness spread across their faces)

Ruby: The dessert is right there, Blake!!! (points to the cherry pie on the table)

Blake: (blushes awkwardly) Ummmmm...

Weiss: Good, Gods! Control yourself, you bisexual biohazard! We're about to eat!

[sincerely-sofie]

TW: child abuse and neglect (flashbacks and mentions), blood

•••

Twig learned a myriad of lessons before the few weeks she spent looking for the pair of siblings.

For one, Opal’s friend, disguised as a Gligar when Twig first found her, is actually a Zorua. The second Twig entered the house, the child still nestled into her arms, Opal had rushed to them and pointed out an injury that neither Twig nor Ark could see. The second she saw Opal, Zorua must have felt safe, because the disguised dropped shortly afterwards.

Second, Zorua’s illusions can hide injuries and the blood that came with it. Twig saw the red on her arms before she knew the wound was there. Only Ark could fully see it, and he bristled and recoiled on sight, turning Opal away from the scene and telling Twig “we need to get her help she needs it now Twig-”

The third thing she had learned was that whenever you think you’ve learned the maximum amount of stitches someone can have, know that there could always be more.

Fourth, you can be in a similar position as the child you saved, but still can’t answer your daughter when she looks at you with terrified, distraught eyes and asks you why while trembling. You can learn that you can always find new limits to your rage and fear when you hold your daughter close and she asks if this is her fault. You can learn you can find the words, be as outwardly as comforting as you can, but the intensity of the inferno burning inside you doesn’t fade.

Fifth, Grovyle never did forgive himself for Crystal Cave despite what he tells others and himself. Ark had spoken to Celebi, who had come with Dusknoir and Grovyle to go on a mission to hunt the siblings down. They had all gone pale when they saw the child’s state. Twig repeatedly caught Grovyle looking at his own hands and looking back at Zorua, and she can see the nausea brewing inside him as his mouth tightens. Zorua is much younger than Kip was that day — only a few months behind Opal.

She’s younger than Opal.

Six, miracles actually do exist beyond time traveling shenanigans, because Zorua pulls through. She is covered in bandages, her body is skinny, she is lethargic and tired, but she has defied all the odds and she’s alive.

Seven, she learns there are even more levels to her rage when Zorua immediately looks around wildly and then begs Twig not to tell her siblings she was here and that they’ll be upset if she doesn’t come back soon.

Eight, Opal, Lucky, Manaphy, Spindle, and Bud are more emotionally intelligent than Twig gave them credit for. They introduced themselves slowly and separately without complaint. They go at Zorua’s pace. Gradually, Zorua gets more comfortable, and there are mornings where encouraging her to come out of hiding is less difficult.

Nine, Zorua’s name is Ruby, but she can’t speak of her siblings without trembling. Reassurances that those two won’t even get near her again only do so much.

The tenth and final lesson Twig learned was that there is a point where you’re so angry you can’t feel it anymore. In the months that Ruby was recovering, no one had heard a thing about anyone looking for her. Grovyle tells her that in the times he’s checked Boulders Quarry, no one came back in search for her. Dusknoir confirms this. The siblings are no where to be found, or at least, they are, but they have taken on a different appearance and still aren’t even making an attempt to look for Ruby.

It’s one week, then two, then three, and Dusknoir makes the comment that the siblings have somehow made themselves harder to track down than Grovyle did in the Dark Future and present. They know they’re looking for two Zoroarks — Opal had confirmed as much — but things are more tricky when said species can illusion themselves as other Pokémon. Dusknoir suggested spreading a rumor that a little Zorua had been found and wanted to find her siblings again, but said siblings didn’t seem to take the bait. There was no way that they were going to make Ruby help in the search, and Twig had murdered the offer that Opal gave to help hunt them down. It would be over her cold, dead, unfeeling body before Twig ever let any children near those monsters.

It’s towards the end of the week that Ruby and Opal wake Twig up in the middle of the night, both transformed into Charmanders and holding hands, that they finally get something to blow open the case.

“They wanted me to go to another town,” Ruby whispers, squeezing Opal’s hand. “They’re going to be mad I didn’t make it and stayed here. They’re going to be really, really mad when they come back. They’re going to come back and take me away- and I don’t- I don’t wanna-”

“Ruby,” Twig’s voice is soft and firm, “I promise, nobody here will ever let them take you. They’re never going to hurt you ever again.”

“But what if they break in?”

Twig almost frowns, but she immediately schools her face into something cool, “do they break into homes a lot?”

Ruby slowly nods her head, looking at the floor, “they’ll look for a while, and when they find me, they’ll watch to know when the best time to break in is. Then they’ll grab me, and-”

She chokes and trembles, her eyes start going far away, staring into an abyss no one else can see. They are only stopped by Opal’s gentle squeeze and Twig’s words.

“It’s okay, they won’t,” a soft smile follows. “Do you want to stay near me for the rest of the night?”

Both Opal and Ruby are curled up beside her in that next moment. Ark comes into view, holding more blankets and pillows. He approaches, gently tucking in the kids and then whispers to Twig.

“I relayed Ruby’s words to Celebi and she passed them along to Dusknoir. He said three days.”

Something sparks up inside her, she’s unsure what it is, but it keeps her up all night as she waits.

***

Three days, and Opal yells “Mother! Dad! I had a nightmare! Come here!” and then as soon as they arrive, she points to the window while never taking her eyes off them, “we need to get rid of that window, Monsters can get in!”

From the corner of her eye, Twig sees it. She sees the silhouette of someone move away just a second too slow for her to miss it.

“Stay with them so they’re safe,” are the only words she gives Ark before she turns on her heel and marches out the door. The Gardevoir and Gallade wave to her from their house, then turn back to speak to one another.

Twig knows that Gardevoir and Gallade would be asleep and staying indoors if they had awakened this late at night. Twig knows that Gardevoir and Gallade wouldn’t be whispering insults about Opal, promising to make her shut up for good if she gets in their way. Gardevoir wouldn’t whisper the words, “that brat is really going to get it once we get to her. I swear if she said anything I’m going to tear off all her fur.”

Twig marches up to them, grabs their arms, and yanks. Her grip is so harsh that “Gallade” squeaks and then joins “Gardevoir” in yelping when Twig pulls them. They stumble, almost tripping over themselves as the illusion finally gives way and reveals two Zoroarks. They look at her, and whatever irritation or defiance they had vanishes into dust as they gave into her eyes, illuminated by her brightly burning, purple flame on her tail.

Twig feels it. She feels the fury, pain, despair, and pure hatred that were building up over months, but had nowhere to go. The plan to have everyone surround the siblings and bring them to justice goes out the window, and Twig is positive that Ark is probably trying to make contact with Celebi so that there isn’t a double homicide. She doesn’t care.

“Six months,” she seethes. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for six fricking months — looking for six months. You hurt your sister, threatened to hurt my daughter, planned on hurting your sister again, tried breaking into my home — I’m going to tear you both apart.”

•••

Sorry it isn’t the best and I know Twig, Ark, Grovyle, and Dusknoir — actually, probably all of them — are probably ooc, but I hope it’s still a fun read!

Also, I chose Ruby for the name of the Zorua because I thought it fit at the time, but halfway through writing this I felt like it didn’t but I didn’t know what I would change it to. Feel free to rename this character — the fic is for you, so I feel like you should have most say in this. I also chose Zorua because I thought it would be cute if Opal had a friend who could also “transform” into different Pokémon.

It wasn’t at all too triggering— it was just so amazing that I was taking ages to finally gather my thoughts and react to it! It’s so poignant and impactful in all the most profound ways it could possibly be that I was absolutely flabbergasted by it all, and along with the gift of a new character I wanted to give it the thoroughly grateful response it deserves. I’ve reread it throughout the days since you sent it in and every time it left me floored by emotion. I’m sorry for not replying sooner— the writing is so impactful that I think I kind of forgot that the author might be worried about my silence indicating the subject matter upset me. I was too busy having stars in my eyes whenever I thought about it.

I want to make art of Ruby + a profile for her to go along with this, which is the main reason I’ve been taking a while to respond— but I want to reassure you that you did nothing wrong whatsoever, so I’ll give an art-free response now and make Ruby’s profile later!

The characters are all represented in such lovely ways, and the pacing and prose are both absolutely astounding. This was a phenomenal piece and it’s been keeping me company as I’ve come down with a bad cold— I’ve been feeling severely under the weather, and this fic has been a silver lining amidst that. Ruby is precious, and I’d kill for her… actually, hang on. Move over Twig, I want to get a few punches in.

Thank you so much for this fic! I’m sorry for the anxiety you must have felt in the time I didn’t respond— rest assured that this is something I adored the second I received it and will treasure forevermore :>

[frosensteel]

Y'know, somehow I never put together before now that all three of the Frosen Steel girls have an arc about struggling with a role/responsibility given to them by their family, and then realizing that it's holding them back from being themselves, and rising above it.

Your Frostbyte post made me think about that parallels between Weiss and Penny, with the obligations of the Schnee family name/legacy and being created combat-ready and assigned to be the Protector of Mantle, respectively.

But then I realized that Ruby faced something very similar with the expectation that she'd live up to Summer's legacy.

Oh my god anon you're so right. A few years I did made a post about the parallels between Penny and Weiss (and I have been meaning to add more to it...), but I also never thought about Ruby also has parallels with them!

All three of them had roles and mantles thrust upon them (albeit in Ruby case she wasn't aware at the start) and it all comes back to their families. Weiss was always defined by her family's name and legacy, Penny was created to save the word by her family* and Ruby is a silver-eyed warrior because of her mother...

*I can't remember how much the show touches on this, but I believe that Pietro genuinely wanted to give Penny a chance to live, but since he was being funded by Ironwood, he had no choice but to let his daughter also be a weapon. Meanwhile, Summer sacrificed herself so Ruby didn't have to become another silver-eyed like her - and in the end failed ("I forced a bigger sacrifice on you") - and Jacques only saw Weiss as a tool. Of course, these situations aren't all that comparable, but just like you said, it is still very interesting to see how all three of them had to learn how be themselves in a way, with Ruby being the most recent when she chose herself.

[supermarketcrush]

bottoms (2023) my best friend bottoms (2023)

[udurghsigil]

i'm too sleepy to say this properly but i really don't understand why everyone seems to be moving to bluesky from twitter. like obviously i get that musk-run twitter is shit but also twitter at its core is shit. crazy small character limit that you can't get any fully-formed thought out with, like/follow counts, infinite scroll, lack of customization, etc. i get that it's got some better moderation but its the same social media slop as every other platform. why would anyone want a twitter 2. the only new social media i thought had promise was cohost and that thang died before it even got any widespread awareness?

[the-sky-queen]

Do you still do that thing where we give you a number and you tell us about the au with that number? Cause I'm really curious about 21

Yes! No one's asked about that ask game in a while, but I'd still love to talk about whatever fics people are interested in!!

The name for 21 is Sonic Phantoms! I don't have a whole lot more written that I can share with you, but I will gladly ramble about it. My basic idea for Phantoms was a Forces rewrite where Infinite breaks Sonic down during his torture on the Death Egg before infecting him with the Phantom Ruby. Sonic becomes another one of Eggman's enforcers and stays that way until the very end of the war, where he's able to fight back against the Ruby's influence just long enough to save his friends from getting a sun dropped on them.

In Phantoms, the Ruby is actually a somewhat sentient hivemind like entity that takes control of people to use them as host bodies. "Infinite" is a personality that only exists because Zero came into contact with the Ruby. Once the Ruby is destroyed, Zero returns.

I originally envisioned Phantoms to be my official Forces rewrite for my Sonic-verse (my personal version of canon). I'm currently flipflopping on that idea. Haven't quite made a decision yet, but I REALLY like all the worldbuilding I've done for it! So it may just get officially absorbed into my Sonic-verse. :D

Feel free to ask more about Phantoms if you're interested! Or any of the other numbers for that matter! I love talking about all my AUs.