#that the death actually has weight; let alone matches the themes of the show in bitter sequence or irony

[ramblinseahorsey]

Me when yet another live action drama is only sad for sadness sake, pulls random stuff out of nowhere not even trying to pretend they're not making everything up as they go, and makes the characters 1 dimensional, but the costuming in the waltz scene is to die for, the camara work fully immerses you, the violins going ape in the score when THAT character comes running toward our hero legit sends your heart a flutter, and that one chick's acting are breathtaking, not just in that one scene she cries a lot, but in every sigh, every wry smile, every sentence spoken with just her eyes, giving us a visual symphony in a movie that was honestly probably though up by a computer of a bored billionaire, all of this talent making even ME be able to last the whole movie because even if the higher ups didn't try, didn't care, dangit, someone did!!! And I love them! And I hope and pray they get the chance to all unionize and get treated better and get appreciated!!!

And when my teeny attention span, exhausted from actually somewhat concentrating on something bleh for over an hour, can be convinced by a youtuber to spend ANOTHER hour on the topic of this media?? With editing skills and jokes that make a thousand advertising companies and comedians cry in jealousy? That I remember for days after, despite being a video about the newest dramady, blorbo mceebeysans goes to California to out love triangle his ex smippy doosia the third?? In 3d??? People actually loving what they do is a powerful thing man. Cringe didn't die of natural causes, we best it to death with our fists.

my two favorite artistic creations on this earth are incredibly well written reviews for bad movies and tv shows, and the painstakingly crafted costumes, makeup, production design, score, and sound work on bad movies and tv. the overall piece of media is bad, but someone was able to make something beautiful despite that. film critics flex their best prose describing how bad something flopped. the production teams behind stupid and bad projects might even know things are stupid and bad but work their ass off on their portion, knowing people might not even care bc the direction, writing, or acting was bad. i hope all those people know i love and support and see you. when i walk out of the theater or finish a show i thought was fucking garbage, know that i still appreciated your meticulous work. i am rooting for your shit to be recognized somewhere better. i saw the detail you put into it and my disappointment lies in all that was wasted. the film critic writing the best takedown of all time? i know you've been waiting for this and i see you. i love the good art that grows in the cracks of the sidewalk of bad art.

[hellishhin]

Unfamiliar Servitude

Length: ~3,100 words

Content warnings: Very mild servant/master interactions

Post themes: High fantasy, found family, friendship tension, unkind master, new friends, frustration at being ordered around, homesickness, devout friendship loyalty

Summary: Tensions are high after Sadie pledged her servitude to the cold and unforgiving Taerand Calentavar. Kireen is angry and believes her sacrifice was unnecessary but Brimir is grateful she saved his life. Sadie has a soft moment with K'lai'a'la and makes a promise she won't do anything stupid to get in trouble with Taerand but her first day on the job makes that difficult. His vague instructions and barking orders gets on her nerves and she finds herself scolded regularly. It's only the first day and she's already struggling to hold her tongue but she must do it to fulfil her promise to her beloved friend.

Intro with links to all previous posts

[next post]----[previous post]

The eyes of the entire room felt like pinpricks across their skin while three guards escorted them briskly out the front door. By that time, the remains of the vase were nowhere to be found and the party had not quite returned to its previous vigor. Once they were free of their escort and well away from the manor, Kireen let it out. “What in the nine hells, Sadie! Did you really just turn yourself into a slave to save someone we don’t even know?!” by this point she had stopped walking, towering over Sadie and glaring down at her. This was matched by an equally fierce glare from the halfling, fierce enough that their size difference did not seem to matter quite as much.

“I know him well enough to know he doesn’t deserve to die. Also, are you forgetting that K’lai’a’la’s neck was on the line too? I don’t care if he decided to not execute her, she could have been flogged and that’s way worse.”

“That part hadn’t even been decided yet and now you-”

“Stop,” once again K’lai’a’la’s soft voice cut through the tension like butter. “Do not yell. I do not like yelling.”

Sadie’s face flashed through a range of emotion starting at annoyance and ending at tight-lipped resignation. “She’s right, it’s already done. I will move to his manor in the morning.”

Brimir then dropped to a knee and pulled Sadie into a tight hug, “thank you, Sadie. You are a true hero,” then he began to sniffle, drunken emotions taken over as even the threat of death had not sobered him up sufficiently.

“You’re welcome, Brimir. I’d do anything for a friend,” she said soothingly then looked up at Kireen from behind his back and gave her a sour face. Kireen just narrowed her golden eyes at her.

“Then to make it up to the rest of us you’re going to help us with the favor we still have to do for Taerand,” Kireen said to the back of Brimir’s head then reached down to pry him off of Sadie who was sagging under his drunken weight. When he stood, he looked at Kireen through tearstained, blood-shot eyes.

“Anything. I will do anything. I owe it to all of you,” he sniffed and wiped his nose across the back of his hand, smearing snot unattractively over his face. “I just froze. That man is… well he’s scary. I shouldn’t have snuck in.”

“Yes thank you for stating the obvious, too bad you couldn’t have had those thoughts earlier today and none of us would be in this situation,” Kireen’s face was still taut but she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that there was no changing the situation now and it ended better than it might have otherwise. She turned and led the way as they continued toward the Stag in awkward silence.

Once they turned onto the street and saw the warm firelit windows of their home, K’lai’a’la touched Sadie gently on the shoulder, bending down to do so.

“I come in to get dress off. Then I go to my tree.”

Sadie nodded and looked up at Kireen who did not look back. Instead, she entered the Stag and made right for the stairs. Sadie turned to Brimir who was swaying on his feet and sighed. From the bosom of her dress she procured a key and handed it to K’lai’a’la.

“Go upstairs and wait for me, I’ll be right up,” then she approached the bar where Dwinain was wiping the counter off. “Did ye have a good time Blaze?” he asked jovially and glanced to Brimir who was following Sadie like a sad, lost puppy.

“It’s a long story but before I tell it I need you to know I’m moving out in the morning,” the rag froze in place.

“But where’ll ya go?” behind his beard he looked quite perplexed.

“I am going to live with Ser Calentavar. I work for him now. But not right now Dwinain I have an elf in a dress who wants out of it and I need to get a room for my friend here,” she rubbed a hand across her face while the other hand gestured in the vague direction of Brimir. Sadie had seen Dwinain’s face contort in a frown before but not quite to this degree. His eyebrows and moustache almost touched.

“Number seven then. But we are going to speak of this before you go,” he hopped off his platform and brought a key out to them. Wordlessly, Sadie gestured for Brimir to take it and then he was stumbling up the stairs toward his bed.

“I’ll give you the money for his-” but Dwinain clasped her hands in his before she could continue.

“The night is on me. I know ye can take care of yerself but that won’t stop me from saying be careful,” he pulled her in for a tight but brief hug and Sadie returned it, melting slightly into the embrace. But then it was over.

“Thanks Dwinain, I’ll explain before I go. Promise,” he nodded and wordlessly went back behind the bar.

K’lai’a’la was waiting awkwardly in the center of her room when she entered and was surprisingly quiet even as Sadie removed the pins from her hair. It wasn’t until she was back in her normal mossy clothing that she finally spoke.

“You should not have done that,” K’lai’a’la has never been truly angry around Sadie but the slight furrow between her brows showed she was nearing upset.

“Can you please just drop it? I feel like I did what was best and I want to go to sleep now,” her tired features really showed her age and the candles seemed to shine extra off the silver streaks in her hair.

“No. Do not leave tomorrow. Stay here.”

Sadie hopped off of the chair and pushed it back in its place then started to undress herself, keeping her back turned to her friend.

“I can’t. I already made the promise and I can’t break it. Why do you two even hate him so much anyway? He only tried to…” She trailed off as she pulled a few pins from her hair.

“He try to kill me. He try to kill storyman. He try to kill you,” she said with a little more heat than Sadie was expecting which made her turn to her friend and look up at her.

“Hey, tonight was just a couple mistakes and he’s really strict. He wasn’t going to kill you in the end so I will be fine. I can’t break my promise to him but I can make one to you that I won’t make any mistakes while I’m there, ok?” she smiled and held her hand up, palm facing outward. K’lai’a’la knelt down and sighed but put her palm against Sadie’s and their fingers interlocked, sealing the promise. Sadie gave an extra squeeze.

“You can stay here tonight if you want,” but that made K’lai’a’la shake her head. “I go to tree but be back at sunrise.”

“How about… sometime after sunrise?” That made K’lai’a’la frown. “Ok fine I’ll leave the door unlocked.” The elf nodded and quietly left Sadie alone with her thoughts.

She haphazardly tossed some of her clothes and trinkets into her trunk but wasn’t fully finished before she fell into a fitful sleep.

***

When dawn broke with her rosy fingers, the click of the door opening pulled Sadie from her light sleep. K’lai’a’la looked quite awake but quietly watched and waited as Sadie began the process of getting out of bed. There were not many words to be had as she finished her packing. When she went downstairs there was a modest breakfast for her that she only poked at. Kireen was finishing her plate already and also didn’t have much to say.

“Can you all not act like I’m walking to the gallows? I’m literally getting a job as a servant, something a lot of people actually wish they could do,” the early morning made her extra bitter.

“You have a point,” Kireen actually sounded sincere “but when he treats you poorly and you complain about it to us, I get to say I told you.”

Sadie rolled her eyes and was going to respond when the door opened and Taerand’s majordomo entered with two other male servants in tow. He approached and gave her a polite nod. “Good morning, Miss McRimmik. I have come to collect you. Where might my assistants find your things?”

“Room four. It’s unlocked,” something churned in her stomach as she set the key on the counter where Dwinain put his hand over hers for just a moment before taking the key. The two servants went upstairs and the majordomo procured two letters from his tunic and handed one to Kireen, the other to K’lai’a’la who did not take it. Kireen took it instead.

“Ser Calentavar would like to meet in two days' time, once Miss Sadie is settled in.”

“About time,” Kireen grumbled and just tucked the letters away without opening them. The majordomo nodded at Sadie and she hopped off her stool and made for her new home.

***

The manor had a different air about it than the night before. It was a lot more subdued and seemed less lived-in, almost. But soon Sadie was back in front of Taerand and his large desk that was starting to seem more like a judge’s bench than a desk. With a nod, the majordomo left, leaving only her and Taerand. He was sitting, shuffling through parchment on his desk while she stood there. Finally he looked up.

“Take this to the kitchen and give it to Jordo,” he handed her a folded piece of parchment. She slowly took it, looking more than a little baffled.

“Okay… who is Jordo?”

“I do not have time to introduce you to every one of my staff,” then he went back to looking at the papers on his desk. Sadie just stood there for long enough that he looked back up at her.

“If I was not clear before, you are to leave now to deliver that message to the kitchen. Go.”

Remembering her promise to K’lai’a’la, she silently left the room with the parchment in her hand. She hadn’t been told what to do with such authority since she was a child and Ethna was ordering her about. Even then it got on her nerves. Once she reminded herself that this was only temporary, she focused on finding someone to ask, ignoring the glaring question of just *how* temporary this would be.

An older woman was carrying a basket of laundry toward the main staircase and she approached, clearing her throat.

“Excuse me, I’m new here. Can you tell me where I can find Jordo? I have a message from Taerand.”

The woman pursed her lips “you have a message from Master Calentavar, child,” she corrected “the kitchens are down the far hall, last door on the right,” and she continued up the stairs with her basket.

“Thank you! I’m Sadie by the way and I’m not a child, I’m a halfling,” but the mistake didn’t actually bother her.

“Sigrun,” was all the woman responded with. Sadie followed her instructions and did indeed find the kitchen and could probably have found it on her own had she caught a whiff of the delicious smells which seemed to be dying down after breakfast. The kitchen was spacious with a large wooden counter in the center of the room. An oversized oven took up one corner which was next to a large cookfire. Shelves of more kinds of food than she could identify lined one wall. From the ceiling hung pots and pans of so many different sizes and shapes she couldn’t begin to fathom what one could need with such a variety. Even just the sight of the pans had her halfling stomach rumbling. Peeling her eyes away from the vast culinary expanse, she saw a fairly large man with his back to her. He was dressed in a well-worn but clean linen shirt with an apron tied around his waist. Sadie cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, are you Jordo?”

“I should think you wouldn’t have to ask if you’re in this kitchen,” he said coolly and when he turned around, his eyes were centered three feet above her head. It took him a moment before he looked down and realized she was there. “Well hello there, my apologies, I didn’t see you. I suppose we haven’t met, have we. You have the right man. I’d shake your hand but I’ve got raw lamb all over,” he gestured behind him to a beautiful rack of lamb he had been rubbing seasonings and butter all over, presumably to let it age. Her mouth started watering.

“I’m Sadie. I’m new here, just started this morning.”

“Well then it’s nice to meet you. Set the letter just there if you don’t mind,” he gestured next to him, between the lamb and a plate of biscuits. He turned back around to continue his work and when she set the letter where he asked, she eyed the biscuits long enough that Jordo chuckled and bumped one on top of the pile off with his elbow. “Oops, look out below,” the biscuit bounced off the counter and Sadie managed to catch it. “That one was burnt anyway, wouldn’t do to be served.” It was, in fact, very slightly darkened along one edge as though it were too close to the wall of the oven.

“Thank you,” she bit into it and even though it was a simple biscuit it was the best she’d ever had. Jordo chuckled at the noises of pleasure emanating from the small halfling.

“I’d finish that here if I were you. Nothing wrong with havin’ it just don’t want to get crumbs on the carpets.”

“Thank you for the advice and the biscuit. Do you like working here? Is Taerand nice to you?”

“Master Calentavar? He pays me well and I get to cook, can’t go wrong with that I don’t think,” his tone was genuine enough that she believed him but he wouldn’t be the last person she asked today. She was going to be cautious since Kireen and K’lai’a’la were so worried.

“Do you cook for the servants too? Is food included?” She asked after another bite of biscuit.

“I do and it is but there’s a budget for it. We don’t get lamb that’s for sure. Well, I get to taste it but I don’t get my own portion at least,” he didn’t seem too bothered by that.

She chewed and nodded, “so what do I do now? I did the job I was asked to do.” This time he turned to look over his shoulder, his thinning hair slipping into his eyes.

“If you were not given a second task you better get back and ask him what he wants next. He’s probably expecting you to return to him once you deliver my message.”

“Oh. Okay. What does the message say?” she asked, not picking up on his advice.

“Just a meal list for a private dinner in two nights,” he didn’t seem concerned that his advice wasn’t heeded. Sadie just did not want to leave the kitchen. To her it was one of the most magical places she’s experienced. But it finally sunk in that he had a point.

“I’ll go now, thanks for the biscuit Jordo. It was nice to meet you!” She stuffed the rest of her biscuit in her mouth and he just chuckled as she left.

She returned and entered Taerand’s study, finding his icy gaze upon her. Only when the door was shut behind her did he speak.

“I did not realize my kitchen had moved across Stawold,” he said flatly.

“Well you didn’t tell me where it was so I had to ask,” she did not like how upset he seemed, she knew she hadn’t been gone more than ten minutes and that wasn’t long at all.

“Five minutes is far too long for a message to be delivered within my own manor. Do you understand?” Sadie had no idea why he was so stern and why that message was so critical. Jordo didn’t make it sound critical.

“I’m… sorry?” Once again, she found herself baffled and it wasn’t even midmorning yet.

“Two more rules you have disobeyed that I shall correct just this once. You will always knock before you enter a room and you shall address me as Master Calentavar. I will ask again, do you understand?” The hint of threat in his tone gave her pause and Kireen’s voice was in her head I told you so.

“I understand, Master Calentavar. I apologize.” She also had a promise to K’lai’a’la to uphold.

His frigid demeanor warmed up slightly. “Good. Now deliver this to my page.”

***

The day was long and by the end of it, Sadie was tired and her feet sore but she barely noticed. He had her running around the manor all day and listening to him barking commands at her was starting to wear down the filter between her mind and her mouth. Luckily, she was dismissed to her room before it broke fully and it helped when she found out she was given a private room. Maybe he was just testing to see how she did under pressure. Maybe she could put up with this, but the weight of that maybe would get significantly heavier if the next day was anything like the last.

The more she thought about how many times the word ‘master’ came out of her mouth over the course of the day, the more disgusted she became until she was just throwing the clothes from her trunk into random drawers. She was Blaze, the hero of Stawold, the best performer in the whole town and she was calling someone else master? Her blood started to run hotter in her veins and she felt it burning her cheeks. What’s worse is she never kept her promise to tell Dwinain what happened and he hadn’t said anything to remind her. Not to mention, she missed her bed at the Stag, she missed the sound of drunken laughter floating through the walls; there was no laughter here. Only obedient silence. A knock at the door caught her before she started knocking candlesticks off of surfaces.

“Yes?” The door opened and a younger servant girl peered in. Sadie recognized her but if she had asked her name, she promptly forgot it.

“Master Calentavar would like you to sing while he has his supper.”

Her promise to K’lai’a’la was the only thing that had her snatching up her dulcimer and attempting to plaster something resembling a polite look on her face. She is the great performer of Stawold, after all.

Taglist: (adds/removes always open!) @betwixtofficial @taerandcalentavar @talesfromaurea @faelanvance @definitelyquestionit @drippingmoon @dontcrywrite @a-wild-bloog

[aslitheryprinx]

These are from song titles, but I think these are poggers (I hope, at least)

* And there was life inside "it"

* Can it really be called "Cinderella" ?

* Love inside an empty box

* World is full of wonders (Or "Full of wonders!!!!")

* Near

* Angel's clover

Don't worry anon, they are most definitely poggers! (Both of my current ao3 published works have names based on song lyrics, so that really fits my vibe haha.)

There are so many good prompts here! I couldn't help but write like.... A lot lmao.

CW: dehumanization, themes of child abuse, themes of death. Be safe!

____

And there was life inside "it"

They called it RNB-00. It was the first in a generation of experimental life production using DNA from one of the most volatile creatures in the worlds: endermen. There were no endermen hybrids. The children could not survive, and the birth was volatile, tearing the parents and anyone near them apart with the violent magic.

They would perform the experiment anyways.

An unfinished human embryo, carefully extracted from someone who would be written in the paperwork as a volunteer. An enderpearl, freshly taken from a creature they didn't consider "human" enough to need even dubious content. DNA, taken directly from the brain of the enderman.

They spliced together the three ingredients, cheering when the chimera of enderman and embryo inside its tubes showed signs of life.

But some things are not meant to be done.

Nature is not meant to be tampered with.

The experiment turned south quickly. The specimen convulsed in its tube, growing at a rapid rate. Vibrant purple magic lashed out, dancing through the lab with a vengeance. There were the cries of a newborn mixed with the shrieks of an enderman- then, an explosion.

RNB-00 fell to the ground, the magic pulsing from it too bright to be looked at by the naked eye. A second explosion rocked the lab, this time all-encompassing and final. The building turned to ash and dust and settled around a new crater.

There would never be a RNB-01.

A shape rose from the center of the crater. It was a child from one angle, maybe two or three, with pure white hair, scarred cheeks, and a red eye.

From the other angle, it was a monster. Something not quite enderman or human. Jet black hair, and velvety black fur covered the left half of it. It's eye glowed an unnatural green, not the color of humans or endermen.

It toddled slowly away from the epicenter of the explosion, no memory of what had happened. As it walked, it noticed a mark, a brand, on it's right arm: RNB-00. The child stared, and blinked at the word.

And he named himself Ranboo.

Can it really be called "Cinderella"?

When Tubbo was young, he saw Cinderella, once. Even with how young he was, the story resonated with him. He wished all his stepfather did was give him chores, but he knew exactly how it felt to be unloved, unwanted, forced to stay on the sidelines. He just hoped his fairy godmother would come soon.

When he was a little older, he looked back on the story of Cinderella with nothing but bitterness. He was old enough now that he knew fairy tales didn't happen. There was no "fairy godmother" coming to save him; there never had been, there never would be. All he had was himself and his shitty situation. He wanted to forget the story that had given him such a bittersweet lie, but it was burned into his memory.

As he reached his teens, the anger turned into weariness. It wasn't Cinderella's fault his stepfather was a piece of shit. It wasn't the character's fault that she had help to break free while he didn't. And how miserable he was wasn't Tubbo's fault either, no matter how much his stepfather screamed it.

When he was 16, feeling ancient yet younger than he had ever been, he stopped comparing himself to Cinderella. Cinderella hadn't stood over her stepparent's body with a bat. Cinderella hadn't called the police on herself, showing them what she'd done and then the reason why, covering his skin beneath his clothes. Cinderella had been freed, but she hadn't paid such a heavy price for that freedom.

Tubbo had. Tubbo was far from a Cinderella story.

Love inside an empty box

Tommy's love was dangerous. He learned that at a very young age. Love for him wasn't just a feeling, it was a physical thing, at least to his eyes. He could feel every last drop of care, of love gathering around him like a storm. And just like a storm, when the feeling touched down, it was deadly. People, animals, anything that was touched by the love he couldn't stop feeling crumbled under the weight of something that shouldn't exist.

Tommy couldn't stop himself from caring. But he could stop himself from hurting. Hurting others, at least. Tommy commissioned a solution from a witch with a terrible reputation for cruelty, but a renowned skill with magical crafting. It cost him everything he owned, and some of who he was, but he walked away with an empty box made to hold what he couldn't afford to keep.

For years after that, every time he felt love building up in his chest- his care for friends, the people he considered family, even for strangers- he tore it off of himself and flung it into the box. Over time, the box grew full, bursting at the seams with his love. He learned to discard all but the most precious feelings, keeping those in his overstuffed box that weighed nothing and locking them inside.

But no lock lasts forever. Nothing lasts an eternity.

Tommy was alone with nothing but his thoughts, his box, and the ghost of a brother who was only really that in the privacy of his mind. He let his eyes shut, the box held loosely in one hand. The ghost, not knowing the consequences, touched the box.

And the seams of magic holding it together shattered and the love Tommy had stored away broke free, as powerful and terrible as a hurricane.

If it had been Wilbur, the man would've died as surely as he had when a blade was thrust through his heart. But this was Ghostbur, and you cannot kill what is already dead.

Still, such power has consequences. All the love in the box, far too powerful to be contained for long, spilled over, pouring over and around the ghost and the boy.

Yes, such power has consequences. The boy with too much love and his brother that never was would face those consequences together.

(world is) full of wonders

Wilbur is a simple musician. He travels alone, playing an ode to all of the world around him. He sings to the trees, the sky, the river, the sun, anything he pleases.

Though he knows it's silly, he can't help but imagine they sing back. He tries to match the harmony he hears in his mind, tries to play along with the symphony of nature. He can never keep up, but likes to imagine the world is fond of his efforts.

But even musicians can stumble into trouble. Too caught up in the ballad he played to the tune of the wind, he didn't hear the rattle of bones, the drawing of a bow. He heard only the twang as an arrow released before it pierced through his skull and everything went black.

But Wilbur wasn't gone. He didn't cease to exist, like he always assumed. He felt the cool caress of the void, the gentle brush of the universe against his mind and he gasped. Clearer than he'd ever heard it, he heard the song of the world, in perfect harmony and tune. This time, it sang along to him, to the pulsing of his soul.

Wilbur had no body, but if he did he would weep. He had no lungs, no mouth, no voice, but his soul took up the melody he longed to sing anyways. He sang with the universe until the song became more and more impossible to replicate and he could only listen in awe.

He woke up painlessly, laying on a gentle green field. His guitar was by his side, and his sweater was cleaner than it had ever been. He knew instinctually that he was not in the world he'd came from. This was a new world, a universe untouched, a new song to add his voice to.

Near

It hit him, one day, as he absently peeled a potato over the sink. That he didn't remember if he'd ever touched another person.

Techno had froze for a moment. It was quite the revelation to have out of nowhere. He dismissed it a moment later, memories of how he and Phil would bump shoulders as they walked and talked fresh in his mind.

But all too soon his thoughts turned back to the uncomfortable topic. Sure he'd touched Phil before, but that was through layers of armor and clothing. Had he ever had skin to skin contact with another person? Anything, as simple as a handshake? Hell, even something during battle would count.

He came up empty, and it was driving him crazy.

He didn't need to touch people. He didn't. Having someone he cared about liked close to him was good enough. He didn't need physical contact to reassure him. He never had, not even as a child.

Though that may have had something to do with the chorus of voices he'd had in his head that had kept him on the brink of insanity for most of his childhood. His voices were always there, always with him, so what need did he have for another person's company?

Except he did like company, Phil's especially. And he had it, plenty of it, more than he could ever possibly need. So why did he suddenly feel so off balance?

He asked Phil about it next time he saw his friend. He kept it casual. It wasn't a big deal, he didn't need to worry Phil by letting how much this had bothered him show.

"Hey, Phil, have we ever touched?" He asked. Phil gave him a weird look, then bumped his shoulder.

"Like that?" He asked, unimpressed. "Mate, maybe you should check your own memory before you call me old man again."

"Nah," Techno dismissed, "I meant like... skin to skin. Like a handshake or something."

This actually gave Phil pause. He thought for a moment, then laughed.

"I guess we haven't. Weird. Why?"

"I... Don't think I've ever touched anyone like that," Techno said. He tried to keep his voice steady, but his heart was pounding as he poured out his weakness in front of Phil.

The other man was silent for a long time. Techno could practically hear the shouts of ever??? running through his mind.

Suddenly Phil turned towards him, pulling off a glove.

"Handshake?" He offered with a smile, something sad beyond the amusement in his eyes. Techno rolled his eyes, but he hesitated taking his glove off. Slowly reaching out, as if Phil's hand was a snake that might strike at any sudden movements, he placed his hand in Phil's.

The sensation was like a fire roaring to life on his hand. It didn't hurt, not like a real fire, but it somehow burned. He froze, his brain having trouble processing the bizarre feeling. It was overwhelming, and the best thing he'd ever felt, and yet it was almost a relief when Phil gently pulled his hand away.

"We'll take it slow, alright mate?" He said, nudging Techno with an elbow. The piglin's brain began to work again and he snorted, pulling the glove on again and falling back into step.

"Of course. We can't overwork your old man brain," Techno said dryly, earning him a sharper nudge. He grinned, the amusement softening to fondness as Phil walked just a little closer, letting their arms stay pressed together as they went.

It was strange how you didn't notice you were missing something until you had it. Bare contact was a little too overwhelming right now. So he was right. For now, this was enough. Having his best friend near him was all he needed.

Angel's Clover

There is a special plant that only grows in the land of celestials. An ethereal clover that sprouts from the weary souls that come to rest on the soils of heaven. The souls and the clover flourish in time with one another, tended to by the celestials that walk the lands. It is only a rumor, in the eyes of mortals, but one who walks among them knows it to be true. He is the Angel of Death, and his presence can never touch the sacred halls of the celestial lands, lest they wither and die.

But souls do not always complete the journey, to find their final rest above. Some souls are too broken, too hurt to reach the peace of the celestial lands. It is the duty of the Angel of Death to guide the souls, and it is his duty to heal them so that they may be guided.

In the land of the mortals, there is one place where the clover grows. It is in the humble garden of a plain looking man, who wears a large hat to block his eyes from the sun, and keeps his unearthly wings folded beneath his cloak.

In his garden, the Angel of Death nurtures the precious remnants of life.

[clansayeed]

Bound by Circumstance ― Chapter 16: What Fools These Mortals Be!

PAIRING: Nik Ryder x trans*M!MC (Taylor Hunter) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Circumstance ⥽

Taylor Hunter (MC) has made it good for himself in New Orleans; turns out moving to a new city fresh out of college to reinvent yourself isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. Things only start to get confusing when he finds himself the target of a malevolent wraith. Good thing someone’s looking out for him though — because without Nighthunter Nik Ryder as his bodyguard he definitely won’t survive long in the twisting darkness of the supernatural underworld he’s tripped into.

Bound by Circumstance and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the book Nightbound and the rest of the Bloodbound series. Find out more [HERE].

Note: Circumstance only loosely follows the events and plotline of Nightbound, and features a separate antagonist, different character motivations, and further worldbuilding.

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Circumstance/series tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

In which everything changes incrementally; giving the illusion that nothing has changed at all.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Whatever arguments may have started to divide them earlier — the Coven Elders have been accused together and they wear that accusation like a badge of honor.

Taylor sees it now; understands. The blood at their feet serves not to drown them but to unite them in their act. In the pride it gives them.

“It all makes sense,” Katherine says low, almost breathlessly, “you ignored the Council because you’re the ones trying to destroy it. Of course there’s no threat to the Coven… the Coven is the threat.”

The presence of the beast ripples underneath Cal’s human skin. He bares his teeth as fangs, flexes nails that threaten to grow in size and strength.

“You’re worse than cowards — you’re murderers.”

The Elders don’t just take the accusations; its like they thrive on them. On the answer finally revealed; spoken to the air and given power because once heard it can’t be taken back.

But there’s a difference between pride and guilt. The proud own up to their actions. The guilty simply know when to stop feigning innocence.

And Katherine isn’t entirely right. It doesn’t all make sense; rather there are so many things that don’t make sense that they, too, start to pile down on the weight Taylor already feels on the verge of collapsing underneath.

They can pick at the details later. As far as he’s concerned nothing has changed except that leaving was just made so much harder.

“Nothing to say in your defense?!” Cal’s words threaten to slur together in a long growl. He’s just over the edge of the turning point; holding the wolf within back with the lightest grasp.

Unfortunately… its enough.

Enough to draw a sneer from Elder Daniels; to make them—quite literally—force their hand.

“Silence the mutt.”

Vion spreads his crooked fingers wide. The pressure of his magic makes Taylor’s ears ring; keeps him standing by helplessly and in pain as all around them the pots and their lilies begin to shake with new purpose.

CRACK.

The roots are larger than they should be; black and rotting yet strong enough to burst through the solid pots at their master’s command. They race outward and ensnare Cal like living rope. Smear soil over his flesh as they coil tight and bind him — bind the wolf within.

There’s no hesitation as Katherine draws her nearest blade — skidding to her knees as she grasps the nearest root and tries in vain to sever the connection.

As if it would be that simple.

And all this is happening with Nik still at his side — refusing to let him fall.

Go help Cal, help Kathy, do something more than hold me up; Taylor wants to say. Would, too, if he didn’t see the burning fury barely restrained on Nik’s expression.

“WHY?!” he demands; shouts because he knows what happened the last time he pissed them off and he’s a man with a death wish; happy to do it again.

Elder Millet seems almost offended that he need ask. “As if the powerless could even hope to understand. Tiny, fragile minds corrupted with the Here and Now — unable to see what is to come; what it will cost us.”

“You’re not making any sense!”

“Because you do not have the capacity to understand!”

Taylor breathes in through his nose, hard and burning. Fights down the continued waves of aberration that chip away at him like a chisel to stone to look Millet dead in the eye.

“What… do you think you saw…?”

She looks back unashamed. “An Evil the likes of which the world has never seen. Spreading a hand across the horizon and laying waste to all that falls within its shadow.”

“The bloodwraith.”

“No—insolent, ignorant halfling…” she snarls back, “the wraith was the cure to the disease. The lesser of the two Evils, but the only one allowed to come to pass.”

It is an answer, but that’s the only thing. It isn’t a reason, or a justification. Not to anyone but them.

“And this—this Evil—you’re trying to tell us the Council had something to do with starting it?” Nik takes the full weight of him, now.

Before Millet can speak Daniels raises a hand to stop her. Doesn’t deem them worth the explanation. “You are incapable of understanding.”

“Try me, witch.”

In Taylor’s eyes she’s wading through a lake of blood as she approaches. Leaves not one but hundreds of red-stained and smearing footprints in the wake of each step.

Instinct drives Nik to try and pull himself, Taylor back to some semblance of safety but instinct is no match for magic. It keeps them frozen in place; caught mid-turn. The tension of an agonizing step trapped within his muscles and threatening to tear his physical form in pieces when it snaps.

Daniels reaches for them — “Don’t touch me—back off!” growls the Nighthunter; but it’s futile — and shows a gentleness so uncharacteristic to what they’ve seen so far from her that it renews his nausea in the way she strokes Ryder’s chin.

“There is no such thing as unity under many. The divisions were clear… and the future all but made destiny. There was but one chance. One choice to be made in the hopes that this community — our city beloved — would not be swept up in the chaos.

“Only under the Coven, and the Coven alone, does New Orleans stand a chance of surviving the flood to come.”

Behind her the other Elders share the same resolution, the same acceptance of a still unspoken fate. Vion’s aged hand trembles with the strain of his magic but his voice is clear and strong.

“Come Hell and high waters.”

“Come Hell and high waters,” Millet parrots; and she need only hold out her open palm for the Wheel of Fortune to glide back to the safety of a completed deck.

With her jaw set Daniels completes the mantra; “Come Hell and high waters.”

No, not a mantra. A prophecy — a promise.

Whatever they have seen as a collective — they demand the rest of New Orleans accept that the evils they have wrought are the better alternative. What the actual fuck.

“But why him?”

He isn’t the only one caught by surprise. The way Nik’s fingertips dig into his shoulders; hold him tight in the face of whatever is to come now that they’re privy to the Big Bad Plan — he feels undeserving of it.

“An unfortunate circumstance to be sure,” though the way Daniels’ upper lip curls while looking him over Taylor feels less unfortunate and more meddlesome, like a smudge of dirt on her expensive shoes, “one that could have hindered us under the right conditions… especially when you were brought onto the board.

“But fear is a powerful thing, Nighthunter. The fear of the unknown — and the fear of being known.”

Millet shuffles her deck idly. “Inconsequential in the end.”

There was a time Taylor would have been relieved to hear of how inconsequential he was to all of this. Especially in the early days — when it seemed like his name had somehow ended up on the bloodwraith’s hit list by mistake.

Now it only leaves him feeling helpless. Mortal.

But when did that become not a good thing?

Each breath Taylor manages is shallower than the last. There’s not enough oxygen getting to his brain — not enough in the room to share. He’d give it all to Cal to keep him alive if he could. Can he?

He wants to ask Elder Daniels… but his tongue appears to be swollen too large for his throat.

The now-familiar figure of The Fate hovers over her shoulder. So close that if it was really there no doubt the witch would feel their breath wet on the nape of her neck.

The Fate closes their eyes. Bows their head of short—long—curly—straight—no hair down in mourning.

Nik tries to get Taylor to just take his coat for a fourth time — even has the right arm out of the sleeve which is farther than he’d gotten on previous attempts — but he continues to refuse it.

Maybe before attempt number five he’ll understand it isn’t the coat that he’s trying to crawl inside of. But the safety of something—someone—as solid as his bodyguard.

The base of Cal’s tumbler meets the bartop so hard he’s surprised nothing breaks.

“Another.”

Garrus already has the whiskey in hand but hesitates. He’s a good person like that. There are still a few good people left in the world.

“Maybe you should let what you’ve got settle first, my friend.”

The werewolf’s grip tightens on his glass. His skin is flushed red, knuckles pale. But he could be covered in Mardi Gras-themed body paint and the bruises from Elder Vion’s spell would still shine through.

“Another.” And Garrus pours — because good people just want to help.

At her back booth Ivy slams another dusty tome closed — another dead end and another very un-Ivy like hiss of rage pushing out of her like a monster’s cry.

She’s checked them over for bogies, hexes, and curses over and over again. Nothing to be found, yet every time she thinks of a new spell there she is attempting it at their backs.

As she’s whispered under her breath over a dozen times now she just can’t understand why the Elders had let them go. They let her continue because they can’t understand it either, and if anyone has a good chance of figuring it out its her.

But yeah — it’s starting to get a little annoying.

They walked out of 937 Prytania Street four hours ago. The last three hours have been the most trying of Taylor’s life.

Every time he thinks he wants a drink, wants to numb the pain the way he’s most familiar with and is very very good at, he moves just a little bit closer to Nik. They’re practically on the same stool.

What happens now?

His body answers because his head is still recovering. Pulls him up from where he sits — grip lingering on a leather cuff — before he pulls away entirely.

“I’m gonna…” Only he doesn’t know how to finish that sentence — where his feet will carry him is just as much a surprise to him as the rest of them.

He’s on the apartment landing by the time Nik catches up.

“Taylor — hold up a sec, will ya?”

He does the bare minimum in not opening the door. Now that he’s gotten some distance, though, its like his body is switching to autopilot. Finds he can’t look Nik in the face, or say anything beyond a grunt of affirmation.

Nik leans against the wall, ducks and weaves his head in an obvious attempt to catch Taylor’s eye that he doesn’t humor because he can’t. “I know you’re prob’ly still mad at me about — about the hospital. And you’ve got the right idea ‘bout restin’ up before we start plannin’ our next move, but maybe you shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Maybe I should stay with you is his unspoken offer. And he knows just how much courage he had to muster up to offer — to try and open up rather than hide away in his flask like he so desperately wants to.

Only Taylor doesn’t understand why he knows that. Why he’s suddenly in Nik’s head in the same way he was in Elder Daniels’ head, the same way he was in all the Elders’ heads.

The only reason he wishes he knew is so he could turn it off.

Taylor squeezes the doorknob and uses up the last of his mental and physical strength to keep from sobbing — because he swears the metal starts to yield under his touch.

“I’m not resting, but your choice.”

Leaving the door open behind him isn’t an invitation for Nik to join him but its not a rejection either. He doesn’t have to check if the man has followed behind.

“Maybe you should, though.”

“Where was that attitude when all this started?”

“Damn, Rook. The same place that lip was hidin’ I bet.”

“This isn’t something I can just sleep off. It —” he falters, doesn’t know how to go on, “— it doesn’t matter.” It doesn’t.

Inconsequential, remember?

And he almost makes it. Almost manages to have enough of a chip on his shoulder that Nik actually turns back towards the stairs.

Taylor’s starting to feel bad about hurting him. But if Kristin, Vera, Cal were any indication — Nik was just on a long but inevitable list.

He only almost makes it because Nik is, under all his armor, a decent man. Because he turns back ready to offer one final parting statement of comfort and sees Taylor take out his frustration on his phone charger. The way he rips it out of the wall so hard it lashes in a way his tongue can’t at the moment; shoves it in his front pocket like he hopes it breaks.

“You goin’ somewhere?”

He stands in the doorway; as immovable and solid as the door but somehow more. Arms crossed over his chest and its like a throwback to the Nik Ryder he met the other night. Like nothing of importance has happened in the spaces in between. Nothing important has happened, he supposes, nothing that really makes a difference — that can change the inevitable.

No fucking wonder the Coven Elders let them go. They aren’t a threat; not to the bloodwraith — proven twice over by now, and not to the Elders themselves. All that’s left now is to wait for it to come and take him the same way it took Carlo and Denna.

“Is that what’s botherin’ you,” Nik asks, though Taylor had no idea he’d been speaking aloud, “you think I’d let that thing anywhere near you?”

Then that’s it — they’re gonna do this and there’s no avoiding it. Fine. Makes Taylor pivot on his heel and it must have been a subconscious act on his part to avoid looking at Nik full-force because even facing him it feels like he’s collided face-first into a cement wall of Ryder-related emotions. None of them his but… that doesn’t matter.

The emotions don’t need to be his to be felt by him.

“What’s the point in pretending anymore, Nik?”

“Who’s pretending anythin’?”

“You! Standing there pretending that there’s still a chance. That—that this isn’t over; that they haven’t already won.” Wow does it feel good to say that out loud.

Across from him Nik looks stunned. He’d make a snapped comment about dropping whatever act of innocence he thinks he can manage but no — no Taylor can feel it. It’s not an act.

Some part of cynical asshole Nik Ryder thinks they still have a snowball’s chance in hell of weathering this storm.

“Rook… what’s gotten into you?”

“Stop.”

“Seriously — this doesn’t sound like you at all.”

“Oh yeah, and how the fuck would you know?” The door is open and the Shift is empty save their friends and he’s shouting and he really couldn’t give less of a fuck because its like wave after wave of soothing relief washing over him. Leaves his voice hoarse, cracking in his throat but compared to all the other types of pain he’s been in recently its a cakewalk.

“Seriously, Ryder, how the fuck would you know what I’m like? Because to my knowledge you’ve only known me for—what—five days? Hell probably four when you take into account the fact I’ve blacked out cold twice. At least back when I was drinking I was having fun up until the unconsciousness thing.

“Oh and, you know, since I apparently need to make it very clear to you; none of this has been fucking fun.”

Taylor hates him. Hates his cool messy hair and his little scars that show how worldly he is; how much he knows about the real real world. And right now more than anything he hates how the man’s remaining so fucking calm.

“Is that right?” is Nik’s snarky reply — and he hates that too, “well you must be the only one not enjoyin’ it, since I know for a fact Lowell down there’s real-damn-eager to have a repeat performance.”

Taylor recoils because it stings. Words sting; that’s why they have power. But the memory of Cal bound… that brief instant when Daniels raised her hand and he thought strangled gasps would be the last thing he’d ever hear from the man…

It makes him shake in rage, in fear, in grief.

“Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“I said stop it.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, Rook,” any other time it would be interesting, even fascinating to witness the way he sees the energy and intent build up in the man’s legs—sees in his mind’s eye like a reality folded over the one they’re standing in a different Nik take those steps forward and embrace a different Taylor who breaks down in his arms — any other time, “I’m only followin’ your lead.”

He shakes his head until it hurts. “You’re mocking me — riling me up. Stop it!”

“And how would I know how to do that, huh? How would I know which of your fuckin’ hundred-thousand complicated buttons to push to get you all riled up? ‘Cause you’re right — I am. Seems to me the only way I can get you to feel anything at all is by forcing you!”

“Oh my god—” but try as he might there really isn’t anything left in him to hold back the hurricane; the first tears starting to fall down his cheeks, “— you—fuck you, Nik. You’re the one who did this to me! Got me involved in all this shit and made me realize my whole life’s a fucking lie and—and changed me somehow so now all I do is feel!

“I can’t stop feeling, Nik, I can’t… I can’t stop… I can’t feel I — can’t stop…”

There’s that same building tension — only this time it’s solid; it’s real. It’s Taylor’s knees aching on the apartment floor and his body shaking so hard he’s actually medically worried about himself but Nik is there. Holding him — keeping him as still as he can in an embrace warmer than it should be and tighter than it should be and needed more than it should be.

“EE—Ever since Lamrian,” he struggles for air; is drowning in his tears, “ever since Elric—h-he did something to me. I felt it. Felt—felt him. What he was feeling. Knew what he knew and s-saw things from… from before I was even born like? That’s impossible.”

“No, actually it’s not.”

“I —”

“There’s this thing among fae folk; Living Memory. You heard ‘em mention it a few times,” he’s silent — takes Taylor longer than he’d admit to realize he’s waiting for acknowledgment and only continues when he gets it, “and it kinda is what it sounds like. They’re heavy spiritual beings, the fae. I guess they can literally put a piece of their soul in important memories so they’re never forgotten. I guess you could call it bookmarking them for later.”

“But —”

“Lemme finish.”

“I — yeah.”

Nik’s nod is approving. “You’ve always been able to see through glamours—we know that. But I’m guessin’ you weren’t runnin’ around the backyard throwin’ grimfire at your friends for tag.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Sure is — but it means you got that nifty little trick from when Elric helped you at the Beau-Keyes. If just bein’ near your own kind gave you that kinda power then it makes sense if you think about it. Lamrian’s a piece of the fae realm in ours. Living Memory is a shared fae soul. Honestly I was wonderin’ what kinda wacky mojo you’d end up chucking out.

“I’ll admit, though — I was really hopin’ it would be something to help us out when shit went down with the Coven.”

That’s all it takes — one little thing to fucking ruin it. To make him try to wrangle his way out of Nik’s arms, to try and hit him because who the fuck says something like that? If he could have done something doesn’t Nik think he would have?

“Fuck—fuck you, fuck y—”

But Nik’s a vice. Or a particularly stubborn stain. He’s got his claws in and won’t be letting go any time soon. “Hey — stop. You know what I meant.”

“There was just… there was so much blood, Nik.” When he closes his eyes the world is red with eyes of gold. “So much blood.”

Its enough for the man to pry them apart just enough — Taylor never thought he’d miss that stern businesslike twitch in his scarred brow but there’s a first time for everything.

Especially this week.

“Tell me what you saw.”

He spares most of the details — who he’s sparing though is a debate for another day. But it’s harder than he thought it would be — not describing the blood, that… that’s worryingly simple.

There are things he remembers that he doesn’t know he remembers until he speaks them aloud. In giving them a name, a description — it feels like he’s willing them into existence. The shadows that were once formless cloaks around the Elders’ bodies now taking on the shape of the bloodwraith, of many; scattered between them lurking like movement in a mirror out of the corner of the eye.

And fuck all if he knows just how he comes to this particular conclusion, but Taylor finds himself developing sympathy for the blighted beast.

“None of the Elders summoned it,” he says, and makes it true by doing so, “none of them hold its leash. They control where it goes and who it attacks, but there’s, like, a middle man or something.

“If it was set free the Elders would be the first ones to die. I’m… I’m certain of it.”

“I don’t doubt you Rook, not for a second.”

“But…” He looks up — doesn’t remember at what point they found themselves leaning under the kitchenette counter like it’s a lean-to on a deserted island but its low on the list of immediate concerns — and forgets words for a moment as he watches the cool calculation of the Nighthunter soften in… in Nik’s very being.

He would like to note that his previous outburst, while fueled by irrational rage at the unknown, is still completely valid. He knows next to nothing about Nik Ryder and apparent secret fae-slash-elven heritage aside Nik Ryder knows next to nothing about him.

And you totally need to know more than jack shit about someone to fall head-over-heels for them, right?

Right?

“Don’t leave me hangin’ now.” He teases down at Taylor.

Taylor who kinda-sorta falls in love with the genuine crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Too bad, though. Because if this were a movie or story like he’s been pretending then that love might be enough to save the day.

Too bad because it isn’t, and it won’t be.

“But nothing’s changed. We can’t stop the wraith or the Elders. One way or another it’ll come for me and it’ll kill me.”

Nik grabs his chin between two fingers. Rasps a very serious, very final “Over my dead body,” and ensures he has the last word with a kiss Taylor can now quite literally feel in his soul.

[rwbyconversations]

RWBY Volume 6 Vocal Songs review

Well, we finally have it people- the Volume 6 soundtrack is out. And hopefully this time Spotify mains won’t feel left in the corner like the Ladybug fandom does during the inter-RWBY shipping discussions.

I’ll say overall I adored the songs this year and there weren’t any duds- in fact this is probably my new overall favorite lyric soundtrack since Volume 4, which was just overflowing with bangers. This year was similarly jam-packed, with every new song being the usual outstanding fare that RWBY has become known for.

... and then there’s the remixes which continue to be absolutely awful and will never go onto my playlists but this is the token mention of the remixes. Why do they keep doing them, the only good one’s been Sacrifice.

But regardless, this is my review of all the vocal songs in Volume 6. Enjoy! (forward warning I’m not a music critic so don’t expect anything too deep here)

All GIFs were made by @edelblume​, someone actually proficient in talking musical theory.

1) Rising

Rising was already one of my favorite openings to date for RWBY, if for no other reason than the superb opening animation itself. But fortunately, the song itself more than met my expectations. Featuring an incredibly strong riff from Jeff from Alex along with a surprising synth appearance in places, Rising kicks off the soundtrack with gusto, a defiant acknowledgement that their road is faced with a permeating darkness, but it won’t last, and much as nature simply knows how to be, they were born with the knowledge to do the right thing and stand against evil. For they are paragons, and death can’t hold them down for long. After years of ranking Time To Say Goodbye as my favorite opening of the show, Rising supplants it and takes its new spot on the throne.

2) Miracle

Miracle was a surprise- for the first time since Volume 3 and It’s My Turn, we got a new song in the premiere alongside the opening itself, capping off RWBY, Oscar and Qrow’s desperate struggle to buy the Argus Limited time to escape with its civilian cargo. It’s a much bleaker song than Rising, coming right as the heroes are about to have their senses of morality tested by the truths that Ozpin had been hiding from them for years. Miracle laments how they’re running out of time and that their own triumphs don’t matter- a reckoning is near and they have to answer the question of whether or not the path they’ve been walking was the right one, or just one made of lies. As the heroes scramble for a miracle, they’re dismayed to find that none’s in sight, but as they realize they’re fighting on the sight of light and all that’s good in the world, they’re determined to stand and fight until their miracle arrives.

Miracle can be seen as a proper theme song for the first half of Volume 6, as it more deeply examines the themes of the volume, especially the team’s inner conflict. The final verse especially can be seen as almost an abridging of the Brunswick arc, as the team reach their lowest points and despair at how nothing they do is worth anything before they take a breather and decide that even if the end time are coming, they’ll face it head on and give it a bloody nose before it consumes everything, still hoping for that miracle to arrive- just like a young silver eyed girl arrived in Brunswick to cleanse its tainted halls of apathy. 

Miracle was a surprising song back in October last year, and now that it’s out in full it’s honestly my favorite song lyrically on the track. It’s a perfect assessment of the situation the heroes wind up in this volume, capping off with their blunt refusal to let the end take them quietly. 

3) Lionized

I know they spell it Lionize but I don’t care, they say Lionized in the song for Christ’s sake! 

I’ve been waiting for this song for nearly an entire year since RTX and the short that won me back onto RWBY, and fortunately Lionized didn’t disappoint. Adam finally got his solo song to bow out his character after sharing From Shadows with Blake, and much like his character short, it offers a compelling, if truncated, account of his rise and fall into darkness. 

While Amity Arena’s bio had already revealed Adam’s early life to be horrific- born into slavery in an SDC dust mine, dreaming of looking up at the sky with his own two eyes one day- Lionized also makes no point of hiding the details, having the lyrics open with Adam reflecting on how he was “Insulted and reviled, Enthralled by human overlords since I was a child” (which gives off serious vibes of Adam being a sex abuse victim as a child to me and Jesus Christ). That punishment broke Adam and drove him mad in his desire to make humanity pay for what it had done to him and the hundreds of thousands of Faunus in those mines. 

Jeff kills it in this song- it’s easily my new favorite solo from him as we get a deep dive into what drove Adam past the brink of madness, as his revenge dovetails into building him up and making him more of a figurehead than an actual hero- “Watch them fall as I am glorified,” “You’ll see, I’m their hero/I’m here, I’m your savior, I’ll be lionized!” And the guitars are something else, a constantly churning ripping and shredding beat that combines with Jeff’s voice sounds like a feral animal about to attack. And if there’s one way to get me hype for a villain in anime, grab some guitars and start shredding. 

While Miracle might be my favorite song of the OST on a lyrical level, Lionized just knows how to get me hyped and this’ll probably be the one that gets the most replays on my playlist. It captures the old spirit of RWBY’s original music and delivers with a rip-roaring track that matches its narrators madness with shredding gusto.

4) Big Metal Shoe

I had no expectations for Big Metal Shoe. In fact I figured this would be the weak link of the soundtrack. Surely what seemed to just be a diss track at a villain I wasn’t especially fond of wouldn’t make for a good song, right?

And then we got Caffeine 2.0 and... it was actually kinda good. Again, I’m a simple man- throw some guitars at me and I’ll smile and nod like a kid watching fireworks. This sound wound up being a fun little darkhorse for the soundtrack, alongside a seeming self-imposed challenge by Williams and Abraham to make as many fairytale references in two and 3/4 minutes as physically possible. 

There is one downside though- this song’s actually incomprehensible. I don’t understand half of it. Jeff and Casey have this problem a lot of the time where it’s hard to understand them but this is just peak “Are you even speaking English anymore?” And then Lamar shows up for the Token Lamar Rap Verse that every RWBY OST includes and then it gets even worse.

While I wasn’t expecting much from Big Metal Shoe, it still made for a fun few minutes. Now I can’t wait for Flynt’s lyric video so I understand most of the song! 

5) Forever Fall

RWBY’s track record with ballads can be generously described as “hit or miss.” For every Cold or Home, we have Wings or All That Matters. Forever Fall has a crucial advantage over those weaker examples in that I actually like most of the characters featured in the song. Being about Pyrrha encouraging Jaune from beyond the veil while Jaune struggles to press on, much as she did in the Boundless Jaune Amity Arena bio, it’s a somber tune, and easily one of the better attempts Jeff and Casey have made at a slower, more quiet song. I’m not the biggest fan of how RWBY has handled Pyrrha’s death since Volume 3, sometimes it feels a little like they keep JNR around just to more easily have access to angst fuel for it, but Forever Fall definitely helped set the bitter stage for the statue scene, which does still stand as one of the better scenes of Volume 6 (even if it does lose some of its weight once you realize Pyrrha probably wouldn’t have actually liked the statue due to her hatred of being put on a pedestal). Casey knocks it out of the park with her voice and the piano plays a beat on many a fan’s heart. 

I’m especially fond of the theory that this isn’t so much a Pyrrha singing to Jaune song as it’s a song that can symbolise both of them at the same time. Credit to the crew for that.

6) One Thing

Neo’s far from my favorite character in RWBY, and I’ve made no secret of how I think she’s dreadfully overhyped outside of being a good luck charm for well animated fights. Luckily for her and fans then, her charm status made it into Maya unscathed, and Neo was protected by the universal rule of soundtracks.

The villain songs are always really fucking good.

Casey finally lives out her dream of voicing Neo in One Thing, a bitter revenge fantasy where Neo makes no reservations about how much she’ll love putting down anyone and everyone responsible for Roman’s death. She talks (heh) of how she had nothing before Roman came- not a voice, not a home, maybe not even a name if I’m hearing that one line right. “Then a brand new flame brought a brand new name.” 

Add in a badass as all hell chorus and Neo jumped up a few places in my personal RWBY polls thanks to the presentation of her musical debut alone, to say nothing of her fantasies about killing Cinder (can relate). One Thing shows just how effective a great song can be, setting the scene for a fantastic fight scene, a solid return for a fandom-beloved character and then even making someone who considered her the Boba Fett of RWBY start to like her. I’m eager to learn more of Neo’s past before she met Roman, whenever that day comes.

(btw is it bad if I kinda ship Neo and Roman now?)

7) Nevermore

I don’t have a lot to add that hasn’t been said since the finale aired- it’s a pretty great song and a fantastic closer for the volume, I hope Atlas means we finally stop getting Blake or Yang-focused credit songs because this was the third in a row and it’s getting tiring, the disconnect between the writers and actors calling Adam “the worst” while the songs and bios paint a far more complex picture is a bit of an odd disconnect that I hope doesn’t repeat if they ever remember that Cinder’s an abuser too. 

8) Armed and Ready Acoustic

Nice song, shame it’s gonna get ruined by all the fucking Beehaw/Yorse jokes. You weren’t funny in February, you’re not funny now. You’re not even worth a comment about beating a dead horse. Not sure I like the acoustic going full country but whatever. Wake me up when I’m The One gets the acoustic treatment.

9) Indomitable

Indomitable was the song I was probably the most hyped for in the V6 OST alongside or even surpassing Lionized. Ruby’s Silver Eyes scene was a strong contender for the best scene of the season and single-handedly made up for what otherwise could have been a Breach-level anticlimax of a finale, and part of what made it work was Indomitable, the short but powerful song that played as Ruby gave Bubbles The Leviathan both ocular barrels. Ruby finally getting a song after five straight albums was ambrosia to my soul, after years of having to make due with “Maybe Ruby’s song is meant to be the OP?” as Weiss, Blake and Yang got song after song after song, oftentimes getting multiple songs in a single year (Hi Yang. Stop hogging the jukebox. Please.). Finally, I thought, she’d get a track, and one that appeared to be about her accepting her role as the light standing against the darkness, all capped off with a beautiful quiet tribute to Monty in the form of his old blog quotes about the human spirit.

So I must admit, when I listened to Indomitable proper, I was... disappointed on the first listen. It’s still a lovely song, but it wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be and it took a little while to appreciate it in spite of that.

Indomitable is a tribute song to Monty, a la Cold from Volume 3. But while Cold had a double meaning that made it work in and out of universe (being a song from CRWBY mourning Monty that could also reflect on Jaune mourning Pyrrha), Indomitable is far less connected to RWBY in-universe unless Ruby had a dream offscreen where she met a tired looking guy who made worlds based off his ketchup stains then woke up and made a Christian Rock song out of it. 

Rather sadly for me at least, this also hurts the original Indomitable scene in question as well. It doesn’t truly fit the original scene now, as much as it did when we thought the song was about Ruby recognizing her spirit. It was a great way to cap off a volume that was overall great for Ruby. As she finally got to take center stage as protagonist in her own show, we finally got a new song about her standing unyielding against the darkness. What was a great character moment for Ruby has now rather sadly been hurt by the song. Not terribly, I still love the climax of Volume 6. But now the song just feels a touch out of place.

I know some people have already been rather critical of anyone who didn’t like the song because it wasn’t what they wanted (I’ve seen a fair few people express disappointment that the song wasn’t the Ruby-focused song the chorus and placement in the show led us to believe) and that tired old “subverting expectations” argument came up. To which I must reply that “What did you expect me to take from a song showing up during Ruby’s most powerful moment, that the song was actually about Port?” While what we got was still a powerful song that makes for an interesting trilogy of songs of RWBY dealing with Monty’s death in Cold, Let’s Just Live and Indomitable, I think Ruby’s fanbase especially are very fairly allowed to be disappointed that they were stripped of the chance to finally get her first focus song in half a decade. Instead we get another Ruby song where she’s not even the real focus (much like Blake’s trailers get hijacked by her supporting cast, Ruby’s songs get hijacked by anyone within a mile of the recording booth),  

I still liked Indomitable, and it does become a stellar song after the first chorus.. It still has Ruby’s overall attitude and the lyrics do still allow one to reflect on Ruby and her growth over Volumes 1-3 and 6. It’s a lovely, touching and very emotional tribute to Monty and a rousing anthem to celebrate his legacy (wait does this mean Indomitable breaks the Monty Rule? ;) ) and had it been a simple bonus track that we only learned about when the OST dropped a la BMBLB or Dream Come True it would have been a lot better in my opinion. We still got a lovely song and in the heat of the moment, it worked really well for Ruby. But at this point, I really just want a new inarguable Ruby song above all else, and this probably should have been kept as a bonus song instead of being used in-show. Still good, but I’m just a bitter bitch and wanted something else

Conclusion and ranking

Volume 6′s vocal tracks were a near-perfect selection this year. After Volume 5′s tracklist was more comparatively disappointing (Smile and This Time are the only ones I’d really go back to at this point), the V6 tracklist was far more impressive and a near constant streak of home runs. While Indomitable wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be, it was still a touching tribute to Monty and proof that his soul lives on in RWBY. If Jeff, Alex and Casey are as on fire next year as they were this year, the wait for the Volume 7 OST will be even more painful. Round of applause for the music team this year, they did a stellar job and I wish them all the best for Volume 7. 

1) Miracle 2) Lionized 3 One Thing 4) Rising 5) Forever Fall 6) Nevermore 7) Indomitable 8) Acoustic Armed and Ready  9) Big Metal Shoe 10) The music that played during Merc and Em’s scene in Lost.  10) The godawful Triumph and Path to Isolation remixes. Please. Leave the songs alone, I hate Volume 5 but even it didn’t deserve that torture. 

Thank you for reading. 

[megashadowdragon]

@spoonoftar  @thehtg-therealone

Someone made a thread about 1 on 1 fights recently. So I decided to post this.

Understand something though: This is purely about story. A lot of people tend to jump to conclusions and will have knee jerk reactions without even reading but I want to make it clear this is just about what would make for good storytelling. This is me explaining why I believe this particular rivalry has a lot of story potential.

I'm aware that no one is going to enjoy this but I do this because a lot people are under the impression that RWBY needs less 1 on 1 fights and that couldn't further from the truth. One thing that most people don't seem to understand is why this form of storytelling is so effective. Over-the-top spectacle can be visually appealing but unfortunately by itself thats all it will ever amount to. A battle that is all flash and no substance. One such example is Raven vs Cinder. While the fight makes for decent eye candy it is by far lacking in terms of story. There is a reason why fights like Gaara vs Rock Lee, Ichigo vs Byakuya, Deku vs Todaroki, Gon vs Pitou, Luffy vs Rob Lucci etc have and will be engraved in the minds of viewers for years to come. It is because people are attracted to great drama. Not simply the flashy abilities. While that can get people interested in a series it's appeal is only surface level. Thats not whats going to stay with people. What makes a fight great is the character drama between the two individuals. It's the story told through that conflict.

I get that RWBY is a show that tries to push Teamwork & Unity as a theme....but so does literally every other shounen battle series. Yet they all still have very memorable and compelling 1 on 1 fights. You don't have to have one or the other. Both are necessary. Wanting to emphasize Teamwork is great but the fact is that in Battle focused stories 1 on 1 fights is actually what builds character. Something that many would argue is utterly lacking in RWBY.

Which is why I argue that there is far more story to pull out of the Jaune vs Cinder conflict than there is the Ruby vs Cinder conflict. And that this is the better narrative to spin based on what we already have.

Keep in mind I'm not saying that Jaune & Cinder are the only characters you can(and should) do this with.

Ruby & Salem

Weiss & Watts

Yang & Hazel

Blake & Tyrian

Are all Hero/Villain relationships that you can build great character drama with by setting up a proper clash of ideologies. I'm only using Jaune vs Cinder as one example because pretty much everyone hates Jaune and would be glad to see either him or Cinder killed off never to be seen again and I feel that is an utter waste of story potential.

But first I'd like to explain why Ruby & Cinder fails as an effective Hero & Opponent dynamic as RT is currently trying to present it as.

Why Ruby vs Cinder Fails

“If your characters don’t have a response—in speech, in thought, or in action—to the events happening to them, they haven’t been touched by those events, and the reader will likewise remain untouched and uninvolved.” —Beth Hill

It's very clear that Cinder & Ruby are being set up as rivals. Silver & Gold. Naive cute youth, vs Cunning mature beauty etc. Not to mention Cinder's very typical "Villain obsessed with the Hero" shtick. Though I'd like to argue(and I'm sure I'm not the first) that their conflict doesn't really work. The narrative tries to set up some sort of a beef between them, but ultimately it just falls flat. We know that Cinder really really hates Ruby.....But why? Because she scarred her face? This comes off as really shallow and isn't something that the audience can really invest in. Now you could argue that this is done in an attempt to make Cinder seem vain or petty, but without any backstory the audience isn't able to be invested in her reasons. Because again, it's superficial. On the flip side, what is Ruby's reason for despising Cinder? Because she's evil? Because she hurt her friend? Again, these are incredibly superficial reasons. It comes off as "I'm good and you're evil therefore I hate you". It can be seen as nothing more than a good guy who hates a bad guy for being bad, and a bad guy who hates a good guy for being good. Not to mention, Ruby hating Cinder for killing Pyrrha is hardly believable in the first place due to the fact that she has hardly spent any time with Pyrrha whatsoever. Without any deep seated emotion behind them or layers to this conflict it will always come off as empty. A vapid and contrived good guy vs bad guy beef loosely concocted to make Cinder hate our main Hero and nothing more.

However the conflict between Juane and Cinder has again far more story potential. From an emotional standpoint it just works. Jaune had strong feelings for Pyrrha be they romantic or otherwise and thus unlike Ruby it gives him ample reason to truly despise Cinder. This alone is already enough reason to be emotionally invested in the conflict as we have watched Jaune and Pyrrha grow closer over the course of Season 1 only to have her be brutally murdered by Cinder. Jaune's feelings of weakness, self-doubt, guilt, and anger are all heavy emotions brought about by Cinder's actions and we perfectly understand why he feels the way he feels. His animosity towards Cinder is only stoked knowing she feels no remorse over her actions and in fact practically forgot about it. As such we genuinely want to see Jaune get revenge for Pyrrha and make up for his failure at the end of Volume 3. So already when looking at just Jaune's side of things we find that his motivations for hating Cinder make perfect sense due to the emotional weight behind them. But what could make Cinder care enough about Jaune to hate him like she does Ruby?

Values in Conflict

"Great drama is not the product of two individuals butting heads; it is the product of the values and ideas of the individuals going into battle. It's conflict between characters and their values. A good opponent has a set of beliefs that come under assault as well. The beliefs of the hero have no meaning, and do not get expressed in the story, unless they come into conflict with the beliefs of at least one other character, preferably the opponent. The actions of the hero and the opponent are based on a set of beliefs, or values. These values represent each character's view of what makes life good. In the best stories, the values of the opponent come into conflict with the values of the hero. Through that conflict, the audience sees which way of life is superior. Much of the power of the story rests on the quality of this opposition."

-John Truby, The Anatomy of Story

Parallels: First when looking at their characters they're both very similar in some respects. Especially in terms of their goals. In Volume 3 Episode 7 opens with Cinder stating that she wants to be Strong, Feared, and Powerful. From this it can be inferred that there was indeed a time where she was not those things. Why else would she desire them? It was because she did not have them. Therefore, once upon a time Cinder was weak, pathetic, and powerless. Her semblance also hints at this as it really seems rather pathetic compared to most. It's barely anything that could provide an advantage in combat. I wouldn't be surprised if her power was once considered worthless or even outright unfit for combat. Basically from this we can conclude she was an individual who was in a situation where she constantly felt weak and helpless and because of that weakness she desired power so strongly that she would do anything for it. Even her name which has been implied to be fake and something she invented on her own hints at the idea that she hated the person she was and wanted to become someone else entirely. Now, similarly Jaune has also always been considered a weakling. A joke. A goofball nobody, that no one ever takes seriously. As we know from Volume 1 this is something Jaune is fully aware of and he despises it. He hates being pathetic. Weak. Thus, he desires to be a Hero. Someone he can respect. So much so that he'd forge his transcripts and infiltrate the most prestigious Huntsmen School in the world. He'd go to such drastic measures as to commit a crime of this caliber if it meant taking a step towards his dream. As such if we were to give them a conflict: Cinder's reason for hating Jaune could be that he is a reminder of what she used to be. A living breathing remnant of that pathetic weakling she once was. Thus looking at him disgusts her as he symbolizes her past self, the identity she tried to forget that keeps coming back to haunt her. So having Jaune serve as a reminder of her own weakness will be the start of her wanting to see him dead just as much as, if not more than Ruby.

But how will their conflict be structured? Since RWBY is an anime, or more specifically an honorary shounen considering it's place in Jump. Lets use a bit of shounen storytelling. Shounen's most prominent writing technique is one where the fights act as Character Arcs in and of themselves. Now, matching one's internal struggle with the external one is nothing new or revolutionary but shounen battle manga have unquestionably mastered the technique. Every fight tells a story and can even sometimes be considered the "Hero's Journey" in miniature. Often acting as clashes of not just personality, but ideologies, and are used to explore the themes of the narrative. The main thing I'm pointing out with this analysis is how fights can and should be written. Fights can be far more than a mere spectacle of flashy movements and abilities. With this in mind lets just imagine that each of their fights/clashes/encounters spurs on development in the two culminating in a final fight towards the end of the series, that concludes the story arcs of both characters.

~Themes~

Ambition: Both characters clearly posses great aspirations and ambition. Now I know Ambition is a word people like to tie to Villains. Deeming them selfish because of it, whereas the Heroes are portrayed as "selfless" doing things for the sake of others rather than themselves. However theres nothing wrong with having an Ambition. It's not an evil thing in it itself. Nor is it synonymous with greed. It's perfectly normal to have goals and to work hard towards achieving them. Thats all Ambition is. However the difference is in how you go about achieving those goals. Sometimes the hero and the villain are basically the same except for the fact that each took a single step in a different direction. Thus, one layer of this potential conflict between Jaune and Cinder can be about Ambition and how each character represents the flip side of what it means to pursue a goal. Now their goal in itself is somewhat similar. They both seek power and strength but for different reasons. While for both of them it is on some level a quest for self-worth, Cinder desires power largely for the sake of having it. So that she can inspire fear. Jaune desires strength so that he can protect those close to him and to have the ability to help those who need it. Where Cinder is ruthless. Jaune is Kind and Compassionate. Where Cinder uses the people around her like tools for her success. With Jaune we see that his support system on the ladder to success is built on friendship and mutual respect. Cinder tears down those around her using them as stepping stones to achieve her goals whereas Jaune holds up those around him and they eagerly do so for him in turn. Cinder may have worked hard but she gains strength by stealing from others whereas Jaune simply works hard and his power is one that literally allows him to give power to others instead of taking it. And Lastly, where Cinder's actions are clearly rooted in some deep seated hatred. Jaune is motivated by love. Or at least the memory of the woman who once loved him.

Destiny: Another layer to the fight could involve Cinder's belief in Destiny. Putting that empty one-liner of hers to good use we can pit Cinder's Destiny against Jaune's Hard Work in a clash of ideals. When creating a clash of ideals it's important to look for the positive and negative versions of the same value. A thematic clash of a Self-Made form of Destiny vs Predetermined Fate form of Destiny. Jaune's position in this thematic conflict being that the person you turn yourself into is entirely up to your own actions. Not Fate. This was also Pyrrhas version of Destiny. Jaune is essentially carrying on Pyrrha's will by representing her ideals in his final rematch with Cinder. It's the idea that regardless or who they are or where they came from it is their actions that brought them here. This should involve Jaune showcasing the techniques he's trained his ass off for pitted against the powers Cinder has ruthlessly stolen while under the belief that this is her Destiny. One that Fate owes her. During their final fight thanks to his training with Ozpin, Jaune has reached his true potential and with a combination of his newfound strength, some strategy & tactics forces her to concede that the previously untalented nobody is now not only the "stronger" fighter but also the stronger person. With Cinder ultimately coming to the conclusion that she could have been anyone she wanted to but has willingly turned herself into nothing more than a monster. A beast to be put down. And she had no one to blame but herself. Hers was a path of self-destruction where Jaune's path was one of self-overcoming. Having triumphed over his own weaknesses and short-comings whereas Cinder merely succumbed to them. Jaune's victory shouldn't simply be in defeating her or watching her die. He should utterly destroy everything that she believes in. Proving that everything she did to achieve her goals was worthless. That everything she did uptil now meant absolutely nothing.

Ozpin & Salem: Whats more, another layer to this fight could be to depict the difference in ideals between Ozpin and Salem. I've always been curious as to who would train Jaune. After all he is the weakest but the one with the most potential and storywise it just makes sense to bring him up to the level of everyone else so that he's not a hindrance on the battlefield. But in regards to training I've always had in mind that either Ozpin or his own Father would be the one to assist him. While I may prefer the latter, despite my preferences I will admit that Ozpin makes the most sense. It's far more appropriate that both Ozpin and Jaune; the two people who experienced the biggest failings during the Fall of Beacon come together to correct the mistakes they made. Both of their failures being tied directly to Cinder it makes sense that their combined effort should be eventually what put her down. With Ozpin seeing Jaune's immense desire to overcome Cinder he finally decides to train him personally to aid in his success as well as make up for his own mistakes. Seen from this perspective it's hard to imagine how Ruby even has a stake in this conflict at all. Cinder's defeat should mean something for characters involved and seeing Cinder defeated should mean the most to the man who failed to protect his school and the boy who failed to protect his partner. That way the victory is actually emotionally impactful because of how personal the victory is to those who had a hand in it. You can also think of this as being similar to Deku & All Might's situation. Remember Ozma is basically the Original Hero. So we have a young boy whose always wanted to be a Great Hero being trained by the former Greatest Hero there ever was. Thus, adding a new twist to the fight so that now it's a battle between the boy trained by Ozpin and the girl trained by Salem. Both Salem and Ozpin have raised up two youths who represent their ideals and the winning side will essentially be the ones to inherit the world. Not only would this conflict be about leaving the world to the next generation but also through these two individuals be a battle that asks the question of what ideology will decide the future. In addition to this, Jaune and Cinder could be used to mirror the conflict between Ozpin and Salem. Acting as a microcosm of their grander conflict. We have this generation's new Hero a White Knight attempting to save a beautiful Princess(Cinderella) from destroying herself on the path of Evil. Just as Ozpin tried to do years ago with Salem but failed. Here we can have Jaune succeed where his Master had failed.

Summary

So heres a quick and shortened Summary of how their conflict can play out: Jaune, no longer grieving over Pyrrha is now using her death as inspiration to become the Hero he dreamed about. He will no longer be treating his life as if it had no value. Pyrrha did not sacrifice hers so that he could die pointlessly. That would make her a fool who died for nothing. If he died then Pyrrha will have wasted her time on him. Death is not an apology. He makes an oath that he is going to live. That he would repay her sacrifice with success. With victory. By becoming the greatest Huntsmen he could possibly be. And save as many lives as possible in the process. He would do it too. Remember an Arc never goes back on their word. But the first step to that, would be defeating her killer. He would seek to surpass and overcome Cinder. Rectifying his first and greatest failure. He attacks her everytime he sees her. He loses every time but each fight he comes back just a little better than before. He won't stop coming back either. No matter how many times she seemingly gets rid of him Jaune Arc always comes back. Whenever he is not on screen he is busy training. With a new move or a new trick here or there and gradually he begins to become a real nuisance to Cinder. Now, remember from Her perspective Jaune represents her past self. Or rather a better version of her that was weak and powerless yet still striving to be strong and through effort is slowly beginning to achieve it. Though not through the methods she currently uses. This is important because Jaune's consistent interactions with Cinder will start to affect her development. Causing her to reflect on her actions and question if the path she's on is the right one(note: we did see a brief glimpse of this when Cinder was watching Tyrian attack that Ursa like a madman). After all if the man she once deemed a weak failure can continue to grow like this what had been stopping her from simply doing the same? He had not sacrificed his limbs and turned himself into a monster. Did she really need to be ruthless? or even join up with Salem to achieve her goals? Thoughts like this combined with Cinder having flashbacks to her past whenever she sees Jaune suddenly makes him someone she must kill at all costs due to him drudging up old memories, making her question everything she's done up until this point. Then it becomes about proving herself correct. About putting the past behind her. That, if she didn't kill this fool and prove that his way was wrong then she'll have lost any justification for her existence and acquisition of power. She had to join up with Salem. It was the only way to become powerful, strong and respected. She had no other choice. But in addition to these thoughts there was also a new emotion bubbling to the surface whenever she interacted with Jaune. Respect. Admiration. For the person who was just like her. Showing stout determination in the face of those who deemed him weak. Driven to prove them wrong. Absolutely dedicated towards achieving his ambition. These such traits would lead to her sparing his life on occasion and additionally, she finds herself slowly yet surely looking forward to their encounters. She remembers his name now. How could she forget? Jaune Arc? The name practically rolled off the tongue. Now whenever he appears before her stronger than he was before she can't help but grin. Eager to attack him. See how far he's come. At this point she's nearly forgotten her hatred towards Ruby. She was enjoying watching Jaune improve himself simultaneously proving wrong all those who doubted him. Even her.

Similarly, we see that Jaune slowly starts to understand Cinder over the course of their encounters, whereas in their first official meeting he couldn't comprehend her actions at all. He starts to relate to her intense drive to be something greater. Bits of information lead to him coming to the conclusion that at one point she was someone like him, weak and helpless. However she'd actually achieved her goal. Coming from absolutely nothing to someone so powerful. Which gave him hope of him doing the same. But her path has made it clear she didn't have any of the heartfelt support that he did. Her having only the monstrous Salem to turn to. Jaune against his better judgment begins to feel sorry for the one known as Cinder Fall. Yet the same time he'd also begrudgingly come to respect her and all that she'd overcome. But he was confused. Why did she desire further power? Did she not see how strong she already was? Then it dawns on him. She had already overcome so much yet she hasn't overcome herself. She was still so lost in her own anger that it has blinded her to the realization that she had already achieved her goal. So Seeing her as the monster he could have become, Jaune makes the decision to let go of his hate for Cinder. Lest it turn him into a monster as well. Thus no longer feeling hatred for the woman he so consistently opposes he begins seeking answers. To understand her. To learn why she is the way she is. After, learning of her past her understands what he must do. Spending all his time with Ruby had taught him that being a Hero was about more that just rushing in and slaying some monster, it was also about lending a hand to those in need. Even if they didn't deserve it(Edit: While I think it'd be interesting if Jaune comes to this realization because of Ruby, we do in fact already see this in Jaune's character when saves Cardin despite all the horrible things he'd done to him).

(Note: This fight can occur just before the final battle. You can have Jaune & Oscar show up fresh out the metaphporic hyperbolic time chamber (or whatever kind of literary device you wanna use) in time to help Team RWBY deal with Salem. However Jaune doesn't have to literally surpass Cinder for this to work. You can have him surpass her metaphorically. In fact it might be more thematically potent to have Jaune still be weaker than her in terms of overall power but still manage to win. Showing that for all her great power she's still worthless without the strength of character that Jaune has and thats what makes her weak.)

Long story short, their fight concludes with Jaune completely besting Cinder. Jaune's final blow kills the parasite Grimm within her. Cinder dies, but only for a moment before Jaune's powers restores her again, but in that brief moment she remembers Ruby and how pointless her hatred towards her was. How petty she was back then. This brief moment of repentance causes the maiden powers to be sent to Ruby. With this victory, Jaune crushes her ideals and sets her back to Zero. Destroying her Grimm parts and using his semblance to completely restore her human limbs and heal her scars. She is completely human once more. Giving her a chance to start over.

The point being: these two characters, whether it's their personalities, characterization or themes simply make for the better conflict. It works because Jaune's existence attacks her beliefs about herself and her motivations for being on the path she's on. Cinder's existence provides Jaune with motivation while attacking his weaknesses as a character and pushing him to be better. Thats what a proper Hero/Opponent dynamic should look like. Yes, I understand that some people prefer Team fights because they find it interesting to have other characters cover their weaknesses in battle and while that may be "useful" it's not as compelling storytelling as having characters overcome their weaknesses. Having someone to protect you is fine but if relied on it can reduce the characters to feeling stagnant. You cannot grow if you're always being protected. A 1 on 1 forces a character to face their weaknesses and find a way around it or overcome it. This is what builds character and leads to character growth. Hence why 1 v 1s are significant in stories like this. It allows the characters to stand on their own two feet when they have to. More importantly, this specific encounter can actually tell a proper story. One of two people with opposing world views, and personalities that come into conflict who are ultimately challenged and changed by said conflict. Jaune helps to rid Cinder of her hatred and desire for destruction, even giving her the option to choose her own path from here on out, while Cinder inadvertently helps Jaune to become the Hero he initially set out to be. Theres arguably room to take this a step further by going in a romantic direction, what with Jaune being a "White Knight" and a wannabe Prince Charming and Cinder being "Cinderella" and a wannabe Princess but ultimately the point is the fight itself gets a story across.

Final thoughts

-Some would argue that they just want to see her get unceremoniously killed off, and while that might be emotionally satisfying in the moment but Jaune saving/not killing her is the better conclusion because it better expresses an answer to a thematic argument. It's essentially one big middle finger to her entire way of life. Crushing everything she believes in the process.

-I know some people might take issue with Jaune being able to restore limbs but this is purely theoretically and I only included it because of the symbolic meaning it provides of the "monster" of Cinder's rage being destroyed and her humanity shining through. However, it should be noted that Semblances grow over time. They evolve. If we look at it in rpg terms Jaune's Semblance is basically at level 1. So for all we know it might not be outside the realm of possibility if it grows even further.

-Others might take issue Jaune beating her at all because she's a maiden but it's entirely appropriate imo. You don't really need to be as powerful as someone else to actually beat them in a fight. "Power levels" don't always decide the outcome of fights.

-If this is to work then theres one thing he should be doing and it's constantly training. That kind of all day, every day, work all day/sleep all night, Roronoa Zoro/Rock Lee style training routine. Only to emphasize the theme of his Hard Work vs Cinder taking the Easy Route of just stealing power instead of becoming strong through her own merit. Basically, Jaune takes the hard road to growth while Cinder cuts corners.

-One more thing that I neglected to mention earlier that leans into the idea of Jaune & Cinder being used to represent the greater conflict between Ozpin & Salem(and I mean strictly thematically not romantically) is that one of Jaune's themes is that he represents The Sun. Jaune's first name meaning yellow in French and the etymology of the name "Arc" not only has "Holy" connotations but is also a reference to the Sun. Jaune Arc essentially means Yellow Sun. The reason this is significant is because the Sun in ancient times was worshiped as the "Life Giver". Which is literally Jaune's Semblance. So Jaune is the Yellow Sun that Gives Life and Cinder is the burning flame that reduces all things to Ash. One representing Life and the other representing Death and Destruction. Much like the God of Light & Darkness but more importantly like Ozpin & Salem as it makes for a great way to symbolize the Cycle of Life, Death & Rebirth. With this in mind if my scenario plays out, the scene where Jaune saves Cinder can be read as: "a wild flame reduces all life around it to Cinders but through the light of the Sun that life is reborn from the ashes anew". If such a thing happened I'd be curious about whether or not this could lead to Cinder gaining a new Semblance, one representing her growth as a character. Something Phoenix related? I dunno, thats just a random thought.

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Hi, I've decided to have Bagheera, albeit reluctantly, to sabotage Mowgli near the end of the race, and she gets angry at him and runs off, upset, with Bagheera heartbroken and regretful for want he just did. That, and it feels more emotionally resonant, as well as sad. Also, how do you feel about Troll!Jim and what would you do to rewrite Jim's choice, Merlin, as well as season 3 as a whole? Finally, are there any films you hate, but everyone loves? - The Sapphire One.

It sounds like that plot arc is coming together well for you.

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I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hated the movie, but despite it’s popularity I did not care for Rocky Horror Picture Show. It felt like the plot lost coherency about twenty minutes in. That may be intentional and part of the appeal for the target audience?

+=+

Okay, take a bathroom break, get some water and a snack, and make yourself comfortable. This could take a while.

Making Jim a troll was a frustrating narrative decision for many reasons.

One, as many before me have pointed out, it undermined the ongoing theme of how Jim not being a troll means he has connections, abilities, and thought processes that previous Trollhunters didn’t, which gives him a strategic advantage because Bular, Angor, and Gunmar were all used to fighting troll Trollhunters.

Two, making Jim strong enough to beat Gunmar in single combat went against the show’s ongoing narrative about the importance of teamwork. I was expecting Gunmar’s defeat to be a team effort, probably culminating in Gunmar trying to attack one of the Trollhunting team in front of him while Jim struck from behind and/or above (aided by a shadow portal or the Warhammer’s flight ability) to land the killing blow.

Three, characters are supposed to develop over the course of a show if it doesn’t have a floating timeline with an implied reset button between episodes. Jim ends the series in much the same position as he began it, having been freshly altered by Merlin into what the wizard has decided the world needs.

His friends and family on the other side of the bathroom door begging Jim not to go into the potion also strongly mirrors them begging him not to go through Killahead Bridge alone in the Season 1 finale - I think somebody spliced together those scenes and overlayed angsty music, actually, but I don’t recall who or have a link to the video - which means he made basically the same mistake again after supposedly learning better.

Four, there are practical concerns when shapeshifting. Jim has no experience physically being a troll.

The heightened senses of sight, hearing, and smell could cause over-stimulation.

The reduced sense of touch (“I didn’t feel a thing!” Jim declares after getting knocked across the yard and through a fence by AAARRRGGHH) could cause dissociation.

Jim’s new height and the new length and weight of his limbs could cause clumsiness, and not being used to his faster reflexes could result in over-compensating for any movement and exaggerate the clumsiness.

Radically shapeshifting right before a massive battle and having maybe a day to train in his new form could just as easily have reverted Jim back to a beginner’s skill level. (Also the loss of a finger on his dominant hand could affect dexterity.)

Five, Merlin treated Jim terribly when manipulating him into using the potion. I read a fic where Merlin strongly urges Jim to become half-troll without beating him unconscious and tying him to a chair first, and Jim does go through with it, and it’s still upsetting but it feels so much more like Jim made the decision instead of a child being browbeaten by an authority figure until they give in. (Chapter 5 of Forget your perfect offering, by Hagar - that wasn’t why it’s point five, I’m listing these in the order I think of them, but it’s a fun coincidence.)

Six, as I have commented on before, Jim transforms one episode before the finale. That kind of last-second power-up feels like a cop-out where the writers couldn’t actually figure out how to let the protagonists win and so had to shove in some deus ex machina to make it work.

The audience got 49 episodes of human!Jim, cheering him on and wanting to see his victory, and then 3 episodes of troll!Jim, seen under circumstances which mostly emphasized how different he was from human!Jim (in order to show how much he sacrificed), and so it basically felt like a new character showed up and was given the grand finale that the former protagonist was supposed to get. If Jim had transformed midway through the season, it would have been less jarring.

Seven, which ties strongly into point six; radical alterations to the visual design of a character in a predominantly visual medium such as a cartoon create the impression of introducing a new character if we don’t have time to see parallels between the new and old version. There is a physical resemblance between Jim’s troll and human forms, sure, but …

Jim also starts acting differently post-transformation. He’s more confident (playfully kissing Claire during their sparring match) and gets angry more easily (which, to be fair, might be circumstantial). This could be natural character evolution, but it’s a pretty steep jump, emphasizing the impression of troll!Jim and human!Jim as separate characters.

For me, the fact that the Shadow Staff couldn’t recognize him after the transformation even though Claire still feels an emotional bond with Jim is the most damning evidence that the writers essentially killed the human Trollhunter off to replace him with a troll one.

Eight, connecting with point four, I wouldn’t have expected the writers to tackle this in any case even if the characters acknowledged the possibility, but there was a possibility of regression. What if the potion turned Jim into a sixteen-year-old troll instead of an adolescent one? There would functionally be no Trollhunter for years until Jim grew up again or died, since the Amulet is linked to one bearer until death.

Nine, what if the Amulet had considered Jim ‘dead’ and called a new Trollhunter? Was that why Jim had to bring it with him while transforming, so it would still be able to recognize him? Perhaps worse, what if it didn’t consider Jim dead and so didn’t call a new Trollhunter, but still didn’t acknowledge troll!Jim as the Trollhunter?

I guess points four, eight and nine are basically the same point - there were a lot of ways it could have gone wrong which the characters weren’t given time to consider.

Compromised immune system because Jim has no prior exposure to troll diseases in a form where he could actually catch them; the chance of Jim ‘bridging the gap’ and letting trolls and humans get each other sick; Jim not knowing he’s vulnerable to sunlight and not happening to be in the shade when the sun came up; the interspecies half-and-half organs not being compatible with themselves and Jim dying of organ failure within hours of transforming; Jim and the Amulet having to ‘relearn’ each other like he’s a newly-called Trollhunter again …

Ten, we never get to see Jim out of armour after he transforms, creating the impression he can’t take it off. (Supposedly he can and he’s just stressed, but still.) Even in his two-second cameo in the second season of 3Below, he’s wearing the Eclipse armour. 

Why is he still wearing Eclipse? Gunmar is dead. Jim doesn’t need the Triumbric stones anymore. As far as character alteration in animation goes, palette swaps are like the cheapest one. There is no reason for him not to revert to Daylight … unless he can’t, because the armour won’t shut down, or the Amulet won’t let him summon the other version.

I suppose he could just be saying “for the doom of Gunmar” out of habit, or because he doesn’t want to say “for the glory of Merlin” anymore.

All that said, now that troll!Jim has been established, I do not think the writers should change him back to human!Jim unless he gets the ability to switch back and forth between both forms.

Undoing Jim’s transformation permanently and entirely would feel like the writers shrugged and said, “we’ve written ourselves into a corner and aren’t sure how to get out of it so we’re just bypassing the whole issue.”

Just like killing off the entire Janus Order (as far as we know) by the end of Season 2, so that, when the Familiars were rescued in Season 3 and any Changelings who weren’t in troll form already would all be forced back into troll form at once, the show didn’t have to either explore the repercussions of Changelings being exposed to the world, or explain how they somehow avoided being exposed to the world despite having no forewarning to hide from humans in that moment.

Or having Jim know Angor’s backstory, despite never learning it, even though he would presumably have had feelings and reactions regarding that knowledge.

Or newly-weaponless Claire, whose politician mother would be able to quickly alert the city about any supernatural threats, being the one to go with injured Jim to protect the trolls en route to New Jersey and find the hypothetical Heartstone out there, while Toby, who still has his Warhammer and has canonically been described as having an ‘almost troll-like’ knowledge of minerals, stayed behind in Arcadia, so that Toby could be in the main cast of 3Below Season 2, even though Claire and Eli were seen at play rehearsals together in Trollhunters Season 1 and so it would’ve made just as much sense for Eli to go to Claire about extraterrestrial presence in Arcadia if she had been the one to stay, and we could’ve had a fun scene of Claire asking for a serrator to replace her destroyed staff.

If I were to rewrite Jim’s choice, with full creative freedom, he would not have gone through with using the potion. If I were contractually obligated to have him choose to transform, he would have consulted his teammates on the issue before going through with it, and they would have agreed that the potential improvement of their odds against Gunmar was worth the risk if Jim was willing to take it (basically “I don’t like it but I won’t stop you”) - possibly Jim and Merlin would keep from the rest of the team the detail about the transformation being permanent.

I’m going to wait and see what Tales of Arcadia ultimately does with Merlin’s character before determining how I would rewrite him. If he’s going to be a villain, he’s fine as is, though I might adjust some of the other characters’ reactions to him. If he’s supposed to be a hero, he needs tweaking.

[The things I’ve said before about how I’d rewrite Season 3] remain true.

[samscns-blog]

      *    𝖎𝖋   ur  ready  to  two  step  into  some  absolute  BULLSHIT  tomfoolery  ,  ya  girl  𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧  is  ready  for  u  with  my  lil  firecrotch  son  ,  𝖘𝖆𝖒𝖘𝖔𝖓  .  strong  silent  type  ,  ABSOLUTE  buffoon  ,  barely  keeping  it  together  so  hopefully  by  the  time  we’re  done  w  him  he’s  still  in  something  resembling  one  piece  :’)  all  my  love  to  u  and  u  cute  asses  !  i’m  so  excited  to  get  this  all  poppin  !

⋆  ╰  another   year   at   hollingsworth   ,  another   year   of   the  big   six rivalry   .   i   hear   that  SAMSON  MAILOTO   is   ensuring  SIGMA  ALPHA  NU   gets   a   solid   pledge   class   and   stays   at   the   top   of   the   ranks   .  oh   ,   you’re   not   familiar   with  HIM  ?  SAM   is   the  KJ  APA   look   alike   from  THE  BRONX   ,   NEW  YORK   .   a  part   of   PC  ‘16   ,  he  is   majoring   in  KINESIOLOGY   and   has   plans   to  ENTER  THE  MMA  AND  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  PUBLIC  EYE   after   undergrad   .   it   makes   sense   they   pledged   their   house   ,   their  PHLEGMATIC   &  SOLICITOUS   attributes   make   them   perfect   matches   .   however   ,   their  TREPIDATIOUS   &  AUSTERE   attributes   keep   their   name   alive   on  greek   rank   .   if   you   don’t   catch   them   dancing   to  BLEACH   -   BROCKHAMPTON   at   a   fraternity   band   party   this   year   ,   you’ll   be   sure   to   catch   them   nursing   their   morning   hangover   at  THE  SNU  HOUSE   .  cheers   to   another   wild   semester  !

⋆ ╰   𝑺 𝑻 𝑨 𝑻 𝑰 𝑺 𝑻 𝑰 𝑪 𝑺  .

𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍    𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 :     samson  ioaleki  mailoto

𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬     :    sam  ,  sammy  

𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆    /    𝒂𝒈𝒆 :    february  4    ,    twenty

𝒛𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒄     :    aquarius

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓    𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚    /    𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒔     :     cismale  identifying    with    he  /  him  /  his  pronouns    

𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏     :     heteroflexible  and  pansexual  ;  he’s  never  actively  considered  himself  as  lgbtq+  but  has  also  never  given  it  much  thought  ddjdjdjdkjdk

𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏    :    kinesiology  major  at  hu  ,  aspiring  welterweight  mma  fighter  ,  us  olympic  representitive  for  men’s  boxing  in  the  2020  olympics

𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔    𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆    :    gryffindor

𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏    𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅    𝒃𝒚     :     eliot  alder  from  mr  robot  ,  kylo  ren  from  the  new  star  wars  series  ,  detective  elliot  stabler  from  law  and  order  svu  ,  steve  rogers  from  the  mcu  

𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔    :    -    trepidatious  ,  austere  ,  apprehensive  ,  hesitant  ,  antisocial  ,  hostile  ,  bellicose  .

+        phlegmatic  ,  solicitous  ,  benevolent  ,  rational  ,  stalwart  ,  loyal  ,  reliable  ,  optimistic  .

𝑃𝐼𝑁𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐸𝑆𝑇  located  here  !

⋆ ╰    𝑨 𝑵 𝑻 𝑬 𝑪 𝑬 𝑫 𝑬 𝑵 𝑻 .

bullet  points  for  the  win  bc  who  has  time  for  all  the  tomfoolery  i  could  spew  from  my  ass  !

sammy’s  mom  was  a  housekeeper  in  upper  manhattan  for  some  fancy  dancy  homes  who  needed  their  gold  toilet  seat  covers  sanitized  3x  a  day  ,  u  know  the  type 🙄

samson  grew  up  in  a  run  down  apartment  in  a  small  samoan  community  in  the  bronx  and  has  always  been  a  lil  antisocial  weirdo  since  those  warm  dark  eyes  came  into  the  light  .  he  rlly  minded  his  own  business  n  wasn’t  really  curious  about  literally  anything  besides  running  and  wrestling  w  his  cousins  .  his  mom  struggled  to  keep  him  fed  and  housed  and  dressed  and  worked  relentless  hours  but  never  left  sam  needing  anything  ,  a  literal  fucking  legend  of  a  woman  and  he’s  proud  to  carry  her  last  name  !

sammy  always  felt  the  weight  of  never  wanting  to  be  an  extra  burden  to  his  mother  and  learned  to  really  be  self-sufficient  ,  likely  explaining  his  satisfaction  with  being  so  alone  

he  vaguely  remembers  the  night  his  life  changed  in  middle  school  ,  the  hushed  strained  whisper  from  the  living  room  ,  he’s  your  god  damned  son  too  ,  think  about  him  for  once  in  your  fucking  life  .  it  hit  like  a  fucking  train  once  the  story  picked  up  ,  5  time  nfl  superbowl  champ  father  to  secret  love  child  .  think  arnold  schwarznegger’s  secret  son  level  scandal  !  suddenly  his  shithead  of  a  dead  is  trying  to  salvage  his  image  ,  fighting  for  split  custody  arrangements  ,  telling  the  press  how  much  in  child  support  he  payed  ,  anything  to  save  his  ass

this  is  the  first  time  samson  remembers  being  fueled  by  rage  in  his  life  ,  as  a  relatively  well-tempered  child  ,  the  injustice  of  having  this  near-stranger  try  to  be  a  “  DAD  ” to  him  while  shitting  all  over  his  mother’s  name  made  his  fucking  blood  boil  and  becomes  a  theme  for  his  future

he  spends  the  next  chapters  of  his  life  going  to  the  fancy  private  schools  in  new  york  his  dad  picks  for  him  and  tearing  his  tie  off  on  the  ratty  bus  ride  into  the  bronx  to  go  home  to  his  mom  .  he  hates  having  to  haul  ass  back  and  forth  ,  wishing  he  could  stay  with  the  only  family  he’s  actually  given  a  shit  about  ,  but  bears  it  for  the  sake  of  not  causing  his  mom  any  more  torment  .  his  father  is  as  awful  as  could  be  imagined  ,  and  samson  hates  every  second  of  existing  with  him  ,  the  snarky  little  comments  at  school  and  in  the  ritzy  wealthy  circles  that  make  him  feel  more  of  a  black  sheep  than  he  ever  asked  to  be

this  becomes  the  root  of  his  anxiety  ,  bearing  the  weight  of  the  world’s  expectations  on  his  young  shoulders  and  repressing  his  own  needs  and  desires  as  a  result  .  he  goes  into  every  sport  imaginable  ,  his  father’s  DNA  being  increasingly  difficult  to  deny  ,  but  finds  a  particular  talent  with  fighting  and  takes  on  as  many  fighting  styles  as  he’s  able  to  master

turning  18  should  mean  freedom  for  sam  ,  but  nothing  is  ever  as  simple  as  he  could  ask  in  his  life  .  in  order  to  keep  the  child  support  payments  that  admittedly  help  keep  his  mother  afloat  ,  his  father  asks  one  more  thing  of  samson  :  hold  off  on  his  pro  mma  dreams  for  just  a  little  longer  in  order  to  attend  his  alma  matter  ,  hollingsworth  university  ,  as  a  publicity  move  and  then  he’ll  be  out  of  sam’s  life  in  every  way  except  financially  .  with  the  dream  of  completing  college  like  his  mom  always  aspired  for  him  ,  sam  agreed  and  went  on  to  appease  the  man  one  last  time  ,  joining  his  former  fraternity  to  sweeten  the  deal  (  and  secure  a  lovely  brownstone  in  his  childhood  neighborhood  signed  in  his  mother’s  name  )  and  is  a  year  out  from  graduating  and  letting  mma  be  the  only  reason  his  name  would  ever  appear  in  the  tabloids  .

⋆ ╰    𝑨 𝑵 𝑨 𝑳 𝒀 𝑺 𝑰 𝑺 .

personality  wise  ,  i  describe  sam  as  the  stupid  bitch  w  big  npc  energy  ,  if  u  want  him  to  talk  u  gotta  talk  to  him  first  and  even  then  he  might  just  give  u  that  hostile  stare  and  just  .. . .  remain  silent  KSDFSDF

he’s  about  as  NOT  a  people  person  as  physically  possible  ,  would  really  be  content  just  sticking  to  his  inner  circle  for  like  the  rest  of  his  life  without  concern  .  he  seems  like  this  rude  stand-offish  dick  but  the  truth  is  he’s  PAINFULLY  SHY  and  has  a  p  severe  case  of  generalized  anxiety  disorder  so  interactions  ?  w  new  ppl  ?  are  a  HARD  pass

did  i  mention  he’s  on  steriods  bc  that  def  adds  to  his  anxiety  and  hostility  !  lmao  !  he  started  juicing  in  high  school  when  his  dad  kept  pressuring  him  for  football  and  how  he  was  “  twice  your  size ”   at  that  age  ,  n  he  HATES  the  dude  but  he’s  also  lowkey  insecure  abt  his  lack  of  a  father  figure  so  ?  used  daddy’s  money  to  start  his  first  cycle  and  pay  off  to  test  clean  and  now  he’s  been  hooked  on  and  off  .  he’s  currently  starting  a  new  cycle  to  bulk  up  for  the  new  season  and  prep  for  the  2020  olympics  but  swears  he  wont  be  on  them  forever  :/

they  make  him  SUPER  aggressive  when  set  off  ,  it’s  a  decent  thing  that  sam’s  so  monotone  and  shy  that  he’s  also  pretty  laid  back  and  kinda  hard  to  rile  up  .  he  really  doesn’t  take  much  personally  and  won’t  do  a  huge  “  chest  pumped  bro  lets  do  this ”  show  bc  he  ?  thinks  all  those  guys  who  do  that  are  tools  LMAO  but  find  the  right  button  to  push  n  he’ll  become  the  very  thing  he  despises  !

if  u  can  get  past  the  literal  awkward  silence  and  resting  bitch  face  ,  sammy  is  actually  really  well  known  for  being  just  a  generally  decent  guy  .  the  perception  is  often  that  he’s  a  dick  bc  he  think’s  he’s  better  than  a  lot  of  ppl  ,  but  the  truth  is  he’s  just  too  nervous  to  start  conversations  n  most  ppl  assume  its  an  ego  thing  vs  a  “  i’m  about  to  piss  myself  thinking  abt  all  the  ways  this  convo  can  go  wrong  so  i’ll  just  not  talk  and  glare  @  u  instead  ”  thing

if  he  had  his  shit  together  he  would  definitely  qualify  as  a  dad  type  ,  but  since  he  doesn’t  ,  he  won’t  SSHSHSHSH  but  he’s  really  just  a  softie  deep  down  ,  he  has  a  stupid  as  HELL  sense  of  humor  and  is  really  objective  and  level  headed  .  the  gryffindor  in  him  is  DEEPLY  loyal  ,  like  to  the  death  ,  but  he’s  got  lots  of  hufflepuff  in  the  sense  that  he’s  really  willing  to  get  his  hands  dirty  to  help  those  in  need  .  u  need  help  moving  ?  someone  to  keep  u  company  while  u  babysit  ?  feel  nervous  walking  alone  after  class  at  night  ?  sammy  might  leave  u  on  read  if  u  text  him  bc  he’s  a  Dumb  Bitch  like  that  but  he’ll  show  up  on  the  dot  ,  hands  in  pockets  ,  exactly  where  u  asked  him  to  be  ready  to  do  what  u  asked  him  to  do  .  the  mans  is  a  super  hard  worker

he  def  still  feels  kinda  weird  at  uni  ?  he’s  p  smart  but  some  of  the  classes  unrelated  to  athletics  and  anatomy  have  given  him  a  REALLY  tough  time  (  dance  appreciation  for  his  fine  arts  credit  almost  tanked  his  gpa  LMAO  )  and  he’s  not  top  of  his  class  or  anything  but  ppl  still  try  to  talk  to  him  bc  of  the  whole  “  famous  dad  ,  future  olympian  ”  thing  ,  which  he  can  pick  up  from  a  mile  a  way  and  makes  him  super  uncomfortable  .  even  being  in  a  frat  w  a  bunch  of  old  money  rich  boys  makes  him  DEF  feel  like  the  odd  one  out  ,  and  he’s  just  counting  down  the  days  until  he’s  OUT  OF  HERE

in  conclusion  :  i  love  u  all  .  lets  suffer  together  .  :~)

[missmeikakuna]

So, Apparently, I Find Fairies Hot Chapter 2

Rated: T

Fandom: Original Fiction

Relationship type: Male/Male

Description: You know those movies and TV shows in which an effeminate gay character has a crush on the popular jock? Strike that, reverse it.

Daniel is technically popular at school but fades into the crowd. After an injury at footy (Australian football) practice, he is forced to focus on improving his grades, starting with English. Luckily, the new kid in school knows a lot about Shakespeare and is willing to tutor him. Now if only this new guy wasn't so attractive.

CONTENT WARNING: Homophobic slurs are used. Also, there are some sexual references but nothing too graphic.

Chapter 2: Is it gay to read a play?

Daniel sniffled, rubbing his nose. As he walked home he scowled at every flower he passed. He was walking alone, looking at his phone several times a minute in case Eddie cancelled. 

He gasped a little when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a grinning Eddie with his hand on his shoulder, moving forward from the momentum of running.

‘I may as well walk with you,’ he explained with heaving breaths. ‘That way I can get to your place straight away and we can study a bit earlier.’ He took a closer look at Daniel. ‘Why do you look so grumpy?’

Daniel sighed. ‘Spring. Fucking hay fever.’

‘That’s a shame. I love Spring. It’s like all the plants are rising from the dead. That and Halloween’s in Spring.’ Daniel chuckled. ‘What?’

‘Rising from the dead? The only thing that’s rising is my impatience for all this pollen.’ A sneeze.

Eddie turned to his side but continued walking the same direction. ‘Are you taking any medicine for it?’

Daniel shook his head. ‘I’ll be fine. I’m just being whiny.’

‘You really should take care of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll end up in the doctor’s office or worse, you’ll be miserable all season.’ Eddie leaned in even closer, not noticing how Daniel’s body tensed up. ‘So, what do you do besides footy… and sucking at Shakespeare?’ Daniel glared at Eddie. ‘What? Okay, to be fair I’ve always sucked at sports. Or does surviving a mosh pit without being squished or trampled to death count as a sport?’

‘I, uh… don’t do much outside of that and watching TV. I need more hobbies. Speaking of which, what did you have on last night?’

‘Corpse Windmill was on and it was their last performance before they head back to the Netherlands. They’re this really obscure comedic technical death metal band. They debuted in 2004 as a reaction to postmodern notions of-’

‘I think I get the point.’ Eddie pouted and Daniel’s heart twisted. ‘Uh, well, actually, instead of telling me about the band you can tell me about that technical metal stuff.’

Daniel halted as if a record had just been scratched. ‘You listen to metal?’

Eddie pointed at his face and laughed. ‘Why are you so surprised? It’s obvious by the name I gave myself. Eddie’s the mascot for Iron Maiden, and Ironpoe’s a combo of Iron Maiden and Edgar Allen Poe, who’s the best gothic writer; you cannot change my mind.’

Daniel frowned at his hands. Into his pockets they went. ‘I don’t know much about metal.’

‘What do you listen to?’

‘Pop and Rap mostly.’

‘Well, there is rap metal but it doesn’t have the best reputation. I’ll try and find a really good artist and show it to you.’

‘Thanks. I just thought you’d listen to, I dunno, songs you’d play in a gay bar.’

‘What songs do they play at a gay bar? I’ve never been to one.’

Daniel looked at the ground. He sneezed. ‘Oh. I haven’t either, obviously, but I imagine they’d be the songs that go ‘doof doof doof doof’ or ‘ins ins ins ins’. I dunno.’

Eddie laughed so hard that tears began seeping out if his eyes. ‘Say that again.’

Daniel bit his tongue.

Eddie scoffed. ‘You’re no fun.’

‘Sorry.’

The two took the rest of the trip in silence.

Eddie took a good look at Daniels home, which was a two-story grey concrete monstrosity with big glass windows and a sizeable garage. The garden was covered with ferns, a palm tree casting a shadow over the sand-coloured cobbled driveway.

When they stepped through the front door, the duo saw Daniel’s mother standing by the kitchen counter, a phone up to her ear and a scowl on her face.

‘Why hasn’t he fired her yet? Honestly, if I have to work with her one more time…’ Eddie waved at her. Daniel’s mother failed to notice him. 

Daniel grabbed Eddie by the arm and dragged him to his room before he could do something to grab her attention. 

Eddie struggled not to turn up his nose when he saw how messy Daniel’s room was. Underneath the unmade bed was a pile of dirty dishes that had been shoved there. Posters of half-naked women were placed across the walls without a thought to making their heights match. However, one part was as clean as Mother Theresa’s criminal record. The desk seemed to have never been touched.

The two boys pulled their copy of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ out of their bags and sat on the bed. 

‘Okay, first I need to properly assess the damage,’ Eddie said. ‘Could you read the bit we read yesterday again? Actually, read it from here.’ He pointed to the start of the first miniature monologue by Robin.

Daniel took a deep breath. ‘The… king… doth…keep…his-’

‘You can stop now.’

‘I didn’t even finish the first senten-’

‘I’ve heard what I need. I think you’re reading it word by word, even though in real life the words in a sentence should flow together. Try reading the whole sentence before speaking.’

‘What if I get a word wrong?’

‘You keep going. In the theatre, you can’t just stop or slow down if you don’t know what to do. You’ve got to improvise. With Shakespeare, it’s tougher since everybody already knows the lines but the show must go on.’

Daniel did as he was told and smiled when he finished a monologue. When he saw that Eddie’s expression didn’t match his, he frowned.

‘You don’t need to put on a posh voice. Shakespeare’s plays were performed in front of commoners, so everyday people were able to enjoy it.’

Daniel gulped before repeating the monologue. ‘Now what the hell did I just say?’ he asked.

‘Okay, so you’re a fairy jester talking to another fairy. According to you, the king of the fairies is having a party and he’s mad at his wife because she kidnapped a child and now pays lots of attention to the child, making the king jealous. Now read it again with that in mind.’

Daniel nodded. After he finished the monologue, Eddie clapped. Daniel grinned. ‘Now let’s talk about themes,’ Eddie declared.

He taught Daniel the same things Dr Daylings said but rephrased them to be more relatable. Daniel nodded in understanding the whole time.

Eddie looked at the time on his phone. ‘Oh my god, sorry for lecturing you for so long. Let’s take a break and just hang out or something.’ Daniel lied down on his back and sighed in relief. ‘Was I that annoying?’

‘No, you were really good. Where did you learn so much about Shakespeare?’

‘I’ve watched his plays live a lot.’

‘Makes sense. So, um, I have a question. Don’t take this the wrong way.’

‘Well, now I’m worried. What is it?’

Daniel bit his tongue for a moment before continuing. ‘Why do you act so… stereotypical? Like, you almost look like a chick. I mean, you’re clearly not because chicks are hot and… I mean, not that you’re not hot, but… I didn’t mean that that way!’

Eddie spat with laughter. ‘Jesus, you’re blushing!’ He breathed slowly to calm his laughter. ‘I’m just being myself.’

‘But how can you be so open to people you’ve just met?’

Eddie was silent for a few moments as he pondered the question. ‘Well, some gay people can’t really hide it. It’s too obvious. So why should I bother? I know some gay guys just act like regular guys, but I’m just not that. I was always kind of girly. When I officially came out to my parents, they had this bored look on their faces. It kind of pissed me off, not gonna lie. I mean, thanks, Mum and Dad! What, was all this fear for nothing?’

‘When did you know you were gay?’

Eddie chuckled. ‘Oh god. I think it was the cashier at the café my parents took me to every week that made me realise it. He was so cute. Of course, nothing was going to happen between us because he was around fifteen and I was seven, plus I’m pretty sure he was straight.’

Daniel put his hands in his pockets, still lying down. ‘Do… all gay guys know they’re gay that early?’

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t…’ He frowned for a second before smiling again.  ‘I don’t know any other gay guys outside of the ones I see on Drag Race. Oh, I did meet a bi guy once at an Iron Maiden concert. He didn’t look super stereotypical, but when we were waiting for the show to start I saw he had a pink, purple and blue pride bracelet.’

‘Bi?’

‘You know, bisexual. Bisexuals are… wait, you probably already know that. Phew, I guess I can stop a lecture before it starts.’

Daniel was silent as the image of his old friend spiralled into his mind like a tornado before spinning away, leaving a destroyed mood in its wake.

‘Let’s get back to studying,’ he grumbled.

The next day had English class. After asking the class who wanted to read a part, Dr Dayling’s eyebrows jumped up when he saw Daniel’s hand up.

Daniel read a monologue, constantly looking at Eddie for approval. Eddie gave him the thumbs up and a smile.

Dr Dayling nodded. ‘Well done, Daniel. I have no idea what fairy used their magic on you, but you should thank them.’

During lunch, Daniel invited Eddie to sit on the couch with Daniel’s other friends. James glared at Daniel, but he didn’t notice.

‘Shit, we’ve got PE after lunch, don’t we?’ Eddie asked. James nodded. ‘How do I get fitter?’

Daniel smiled. ‘Well, my gym has a free trial for new members.’

James snickered. ‘What, so he can stare at all the guys in the shower?’

Daniel wanted to respond to that, but he kept his mouth shut. Eddie rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously? Jock guys aren’t my thing anyway.’

A quick, sharp pain pricked Daniel’s heart.

Just as quick was a girl’s response. ‘You watch too many American movies. We don’t have ‘jocks’ here.’

Eddie ignored her and continued ranting about homophobia, making everyone near him groan except for Daniel, who could no longer pay attention to anything Eddie said.

[weareallfallengods]

Survival

Writing prompt:

If you’re over 25 and haven’t done something remarkable, you are hunted down and killed. Some people invent things. Some make cures for diseases. Others become established members of their community. You’re pushing 30, and somehow not dead yet, even though you cant think of a single thing you’ve done thats remarkable in any way. Why aren’t you dead?

I write for adults about adult themes with adult language. I try to tag possible triggers (but I know I'm not going to get all of them), so if violence or implied death or cussing bothers you, you'll probably want to find a different author.

********************************************

Somehow, that date came up again. Not quite sure how, but somehow, the number circled on my shitty wall calendar with the coffee splatter on it managed to be today. Again. It's been doing that for 5 years now.

At first I wanted to be a surgeon- save people's lives, make a difference, all that shit. Yeah, I was caught up in the hype for a while too. Just like everyone. Thought I'd make some ground-breaking discovery and change the world. Just like everyone. And then, at 22, I flunked out of med school. That was it. Dream over, kaput, fin.

When I opened my termination letter, it was like reading a death sentence. 10 years of prep and study down the drain. 3 years left. 3 years, and no idea what to do. No clue what I could do to save my own life after all those years learning how to save others.I drank for a solid month. I dont even remember that month now. My only memento from it is an entire skip of liquor bottles. It's a miracle I didn't die from alcohol poisoning. Not that I didn't try.

See, I was afraid. Scared, actually. Terrified would be more accurate, if I'm honest. I knew I only had 3 years left until they came for me. Unless I managed to do something extraordinary within the next 3 years, they'd come for me, and the only thing that would remain is a 2 paragraph obituary in the local paper, followed by a vacancy announcement. When you're suddenly forced to confront your own imminent demise, and see every dream, hope and aspiration you'd had evaporate, right in front of your eyes, its perfectly natural to drown that in a swimming pool of vodka.

But then, after a month of drowning, and a week of curing a hangover that would make Satan shudder, I got angry. Like Bruce Banner angry. As I was leaving an all night diner, the notice board caught my eye. Having nothing better to do with my life, I stood there for a while just reading every single card in detail, every single lost cat, every used car, every 5k charity run. And then I saw it. And I thought, "You know what? Fuck it, why not. I've spent all this time trying to do one thing that I've never actually done just whatever I feel like, had hobbies, anything really. Why the fuck not."

And that's how I ended up 2 days later in some shity warehouse district, rolling around on a mat with some dude I didnt even know, sweating and swearing profusely and having the time of my life. "Sasha's Self Defense" it said on the small, weathered and rusted sign on the brick wall out front, next to a door that looked like it had been transported straight from the proverbial gulag.

I'd naively thought this was going to be one of those Karate Kid knock offs for some reason when I first arrived. Sasha soon disabused me of that notion. In fact, when he saw I'd brought a new gi in a duffle bag, he laughed so hard he had to slap his ass down on a rickety folding chair just to keep breathing. Once he calmed his mirth at my expense, he let me know in a no-nonsense, 'I'm an old-timer and seen some shit in my day' heavily accented tone that this would be a class that focused on survival at all costs. "No bullshit wax on-wax off," were his exact words I believe.

And boy was he right. When I told him I'd set aside my year's tuition for lesson payments, well, wouldn't you know it, I became his most prized pupil; I quickly learned this was not a good thing. It meant 14 hours a day of the most humiliatingly punishing activity ever dreamed up by Moscow's Finest. I couldnt even move the morning after my first day. But somehow I limped my battered frame down to the bus stop and was only an hour late. Ha, only. Sasha seemed to take it as a personal insult. The only thing he hated less than sloppiness was tardiness it seemed. Apparently the 10th Circle of Hell was reserved for those who dared be late. And he made you earn your way out of that circle.

His only saving grace was fairness. If I had to suffer, at least I wasnt alone. Well, at first anyway. The few other students that suffered his wrath along side me doing slavic folk dances with wrist and ankle weights very quickly learned that this wasn't the type of class they had thought it was and soon I was alone with Sasha.

On the days I did well, I got treated to pierogies. Oh man, I lived for those pierogies. They were made by angels and served by someone I can only describe as if Jesus came back as a woman. Who was Russian. And spoke even less english than Sasha, if that was possible. His sister was as completely opposite to that sadistic maniac as it was possible to be and still be a human being. Where he was loud, she was soft. Where he was tough, she was gentle. Where he was strict, she was generous, even indulgent. Blonde to his brunette. Slim to his barrel chest. Cousin by marriage, I think they said. Well, relatives of some kind anyway. And she was the only one who could make him laugh. And when he laughed, the whole block knew! He was just that loud, that boisterous, with everything he did.

But I loved his little Anya. Just like everyone. But like in a wholesome, mom-ish kind of way. I loved her because I got to sit for an hour when she was around. Because she"d always tuck a to-go container of pierogies into my bag. Because she'd chide Sasha for pushing me too hard. In short, she was an angel.

But I have to hand it Sasha- in 4 months, he took a scrawny bookworm into someone who could pose for Men's Health. In 6 months, I could beat Ivan, his partner, in 5/10 sparring matches. In 7 months, I ran a marathon. In 9, he had me enter a triathalon. And I made it into the top 50 out of 500 entrants. Not too bad if I say so myself. In 12 months, I was beating Ivan almost every time.

And that's when the other Ivan showed up. After a year, Sasha decided it was time I learned weaponry. After all, no real fight was fair, he said. And Ivan (another cousin? Sasha had one heck of an extended family) instructed me on everything from broken beer bottles, to knives and pool cues. And my medical training paid off, because more often than not, I was the one stitching myself up if training got a little rough that day.

Eventually, I moved into the gym. Not sure how it happened, but I think I just got too tired to leave one day and never really left. Sasha didnt seem to mind since it meant I wasnt ever late again. Plus the coffee he imported was the best thing ever. Like it was so good that's probably the Extraordinary Thing he did to live as long as he had.

The days just melted together, into one long symphony of beautiful exhaustion and physical torment, as I poured myself into the first activity I could remember doing purely because I wanted to, something that numbed the dread of the finality of my life expectancy.

But then one day, one specific day, the one I'd been dreading in the back of my mind for a year came around.

They found me.

I guess they were a little slow in finding me, not surprising since I'd basically just disappeared from my old life, no forwarding address type thing. It wasnt intentional, it just sort of happened, what with me diving head first into something purely for me, without the thought of doing it for someone else. But they found me. Just like they find everybody.

See, it doesnt matter if you try to run, if you move, or change your name. They always find you eventually. I just hadn't thought about it in a long while. That year was the first time since I was probably 14 that I'm hadn't thought about the Gardeners. I guess that's why it surprised me so much.

Yeah, Gardeners. I dont know who came up with the name, in guess some misguided attempt at a positive PR spin bullshit to pass off squads of government assassins who's only job was to track down the NCs of the world and eliminate them. Sorry, NCs- Non-Contributors; the people who hit their expiration date without doing something noteworthy, something that was deemed to "advance or bolster the Human Condition" to borrow a phrase from the civics classes we had to take every fucking year of school. A cutesy sounding name that was supposed to make the government sound like a benevolent old couple pulling weeds from their garden of humanity. The worst lies always sound the sweetest, dont they?

And I was now 25.

It happened a few weeks after my birthday. Just another routine day for me, going for a light 5k run after my soak in a mineral bath. Light rain, most of the streetlights out, the few lights on in the warehouse district reflected beautifully off the streets. That's why I ran at night, all the colors changed that normally bleak neighborhood into something beautiful. It was just one little thing to balance out the harshness of reality, and I reveled in it.

I don't actually remember what happened exactly. I do recall seeing a suspiciously conspicuous homeless guy huddled under a loading dock awning, and then just a flash of movement from the corner of my eye. I think it happened really quickly; at least that's what Sasha said the next morning as he was making arrangements for me to visit another cousin of his "back in the old country". It could have been. God, after seeing the bodies around me in the aftermath, I hope, for their sake, that it was fast. 5 bodies. All still. I still remember my breath turning to blue fog, blurring the details of them. Helping me to be able to pretend I didn't see the blood mixing with the rain and oil, spreading out over the concrete like a macabre inversion of the cloudy sky above.

I'm glad they wore masks. It's bad enough having that scene burned into my brain forever, without specific people's faces being etched there as well. I'm glad I dont see their faces in my mind every time I close my eyes. I just wish I could still enjoy the rain. They managed to take that from me, even if I'm still breathing, so I guess they didnt completely fail. They just killed a part of my soul instead. But hey, there's plenty of people that don't like the rain, right? But I bet they don't smell blood when it does though.

And that was pretty much it. No sirens, no manhunt, nothing. Before I could process what was happening, I was on a bus, headed for "the old country", which, as near as I could tell, looked an awful lot like Pittsburg. Sasha's 'cousin' met me at the bus depot there, a man of very few words. Not as loud as his cousin, Zhena tended to communicate with looks, grunts and shrugs mostly. Same work ethic though.

And then the cycle repeated- 14 months this time before they caught up with me. Too bad that Zhena got caught up in it, he was a great guy. He and I didn't really become close or buddies or anything, but it still hurt to see what happened to him. To what was left of him anyway. The Gardeners definitely were trying to send a message with that. To quote an old wise man, "I didnt want to know, but now I do, and I'm telling you, you dont want to know." And that's coming from someone who was training to become a surgeon, so just trust me on this one.

This time, they were waiting for me. I think they'd planned on Zhena being enough of a distraction that they'd be able to take me out easily, but since since I woke up the next day on the floor of the sparring ring in a too large pool of blood that wasnt my own, I'd say they failed. The difference this time was I was on my own. No 'cousins' to call in favors from. No family I could call because I didnt want them getting a visit from the Gardeners either. I was alone this time.

Weirdly, I was actually OK with that. I'd been surrounded by family, teachers, advisors, tutors for so long that solitude was actually kind of nice. I could hear myself think my own thoughts for the first time in what seemed like forever.

I'm not ashamed to say that I took what little of value there was from Zhena's gym (I knew him well enough to know that Sasha was his only family) so that I could get a seedy hotel for a while. I did at least have the decency to let Sasha know, and that that would be the last he ever heard from me, to keep him out of trouble. Bad enough that 10 people were already dead, I didn't want Sasha or Anya's name added to that list because of me.

And so I vanished. Completely. Sure I travelled, kept studying and training like I had been, but never staying longer than a few months, never using the same name, copying other random people's habits and patterns so I didnt have one of my own for them to track down. Yeah it was cliche, but hey, I figured my dad watching all those spy flicks when I was young had to be good for something, right?

Sometimes I was a baker, sometimes a delivery driver, even a dock hand. Whatever it took to make a buck so I could eat.

I got really good at other things too. Like disposing of bodies. Not really a skill I ever thought I'd want or need, but Necessity is a harsh and demanding teacher. Sadly, my skill as a surgeon came in handy- bodies are easier to get rid of when they're in smaller pieces. And people are easier to turn into bodies when you know how they're put together intimately. Not what I had in mind for my life, but since it was the choice between this or dying, well, I guess I can put up with it.

I suppose that catches us all up to the present, more or less. OK yeah theres a lot that's gone down between Pittsburg and now, but it was all pretty much the same: lather, rinse, repeat. Literally sometimes. Those were the days it felt like there wasnt enough soap in the world to get all the blood off.

So here I am, I'm my single room in Kandahar, staring at the date that had somehow come up again. Every year, they send someone. Usually a team. And I survive. No matter how they come at me, or when or how many. I survive.

And I'm sitting here, staring at the calendar, steaming cup of espresso, just staring, as a light breeze fluttered the corner of the calendar page, sending the orchids dancing in the vase next to it. All I could think is, "How? How does this keep happening? I'm not even supposed to be here, not supposed to be alive."

As I raised my cup of espresso, something slid under my door. "OK that's weird," I said aloud as I stood.

The chair made an ungodly screech as I pushed it back and made my way over to where a small, cream colored envelope sat on the floor, a couple inches from the bottom of the door. It was heavy for it's size, but not because anything was in it, just the paper was that thick. Probably hand-made. It's odd the little things you notice in times of stress. Heavy, rough paper, no postmark, nothing written on the outside, just the flap tucked in, not even sealed. Reminded me of how my mother used to give out birthday cards. I always thought that was a little weird, but it was just one of her quirks that made her even more endearing to everyone.

I sat down a little heavier than I had planned and felt the chair crack a little. There was a single sheet of paper inside, folded in half; I was right- handmade paper. But that wasnt important, what was important was the heavy, blocky hand-written message it contained.

"We've been looking for you for a long time. It has come to my attention that you may have something unique to contribute after all. We may have been too hasty in judging your Ability to be a Contributor. I believe you do actually have a remarkable Ability to Survive. I'd like to speak to you this afternoon in the plaza outside the Blue Mosque. I will be alone, and you can approach me, so as to allay your justifiable suspicions. I will have a silver coffee set on the table in front of me.

I believe we can help each other, if you're willing to listen to my proposition.

-Soon,

Baddar"

Well, this is interesting.

[ashdownbloodline]

We Need You For Something...

Part 1: The Knock Of Change

This is my first fanfic, I hope you all like it. I need to thank @dammn-dean for all her help! She has really helped me through all this. If you haven’t, go check her out. Let me know what you guys think of it.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Original Character (Yauna), other OC’s and Avengers pairings later.  

Words: It's high

Warnings: Adult Themes, Language, Eventual Smut, PTSD, motions of Torture, Fluff, Death

Summary: Yauna just wants to be normal and Tony recruits her as his head engineer. Her past catches up and shit goes crazy.

(Again gif isn’t mine)

(Age 27) so eight years after prologue

The sun peered through the high windows of the England town house, warming the hard wood floors and helping to reveal the sketches underneath of Yauna’s latest project. 

She walked from the floor to the ceiling to the walls, trying to change her angle of thinking. Every time she found a new position, gravity would betray her, pushing her curly, carrot red hair into her face and hiking up her blue, green, and black long tartan skirt.

Finally, she landed on upside down as being the most productive. Moving her hair into a loose bun and threading her feet through the rafters on the ceiling, she let her weight hang from her legs. 

The tattoo on her back moved under her skin, making it itch. “Stop it! I need to finish this.” Artemis wanted to keep moving, she had been cooped up for too long. 

Her skirt took to gravity and fell into her face, letting out a huff of frustration. She flicked her hand and pinned her skirt to stay at her knees with her magic.

She was working on a project for a client in Brighton, where she lived luckily. Working as a private engineer for tech companies and other facilities was nice, her own hours and she could show up the men of the field that downgraded women. 

That particular benefit made Yauna so happy and gave her the satisfaction she needed to continue. This project was being particularly stubborn though, the power supply requirement was giving her problems.

What felt like moments were actually hours passing, as she tried to figure out a solution. About three hours later, she groaned in frustration and was about ready to give up, just then there was a knock on her door.

After a moment stunned she started to dismount, hoping it wasn’t her neighbor about the late night music. Not going fast enough apparently, there was another aggressive, impatient knock. 

“Hold on, a girl needs a wee feckin’ moment!” Her accent rang out, as she righted herself and walked to the door. Opening it she found three men standing in front of her; Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers.

She smoothed her skirt and untied her hair letting it fall to just brush her shoulders, then invited them inside. “Hello, you bies need a bevy?” She asked standing in her entry way, taking in their appearances. 

Tony in formal suit as always, Bruce was in dress pants and a cardigan, and Steve was in jeans, a t-shirt, and a jumper. 

They looked at her in confusion, she mentally kicked herself and a soft pink of embarrassment dusted her cheeks.

“Sorry, a drink. Do you want a drink?” Bruce let out a small chuckle and Steve gave her a reassuring smile. 

“No, we need you for something in New York.” Tony said in a businessy tone. “Hello, I’m Steve Rogers. These are my coworkers-” 

Yauna cut him off, “I know who you are dearie.” She smiled before continuing pointing at them in order, “You are Tony Stark. You are Bruce Banner, love your work by the way. And you are the product of the miracle serum, Steve Rogers. I’d love to pick your brain sometime.” 

They stood for a moment in silence. “So, what are you bies needn’?” Yauna looked at the men standing in front of her, praying they weren’t here on business with her past.

“Um, we are here to ask you to come work in New York with us.” Tony stattered, shifting foot to foot. He hadn’t been nervous very many times, let alone intimidated, yet right now he was both. 

Yauna’s face turned slightly grimmer, causing the entire group to hold their breaths waiting for her response. “What are you needn’ me for?” She said apprehensively, hoping they just meant her brain. 

Bruce perked up, “We need you for-” Tony cut him off, “Can you show me what you’re working on over here?” Talking about anything else right now was preferred by Tony, he could talk tech and science. He needed to let his brain cool off a little bit.

Plus Tony wanted to test her a bit, wanting to see what skills she really had. Tony and Yauna talked about her projects for about an hour and a half, drawing Bruce’s and Steve’s attention every now and then. Solving some of her problems and arising others, Tony was impressed. She knew a lot and was creative, more creative than him. 

Her frustration limits were far better than his and she was fun to be around. She was kind, taking time to explain to everyone everything that she was talking about and listening to what idea each person was offering. She was perfect for the position he wanted to fill.

“I want to offer you my position, per say. I want you to be the head of engineering for the team. If you accept, you’ll have your own lab and you can enlist the help of anyone you wish and who accepts, as long as they are approved security wise of course.” Tony watched her expression, unreadable and under debate. 

“Pepper says I need to stop stressing so much. So, I found you. You’re brilliant and I’d trust you with the position.”

Finally she nodded, “I have some conditions.” She stated, at which Tony nodded for her to go on. 

“I will take the job as a trial period, the environment is important to me. I need to make sure that everyone is comfortable before agreeing long term. Also, I want to keep my flat here until I decide that this position is perfect. Lastly, I request that my hours be flexible. My inspiration varies and a tight schedule isn’t a friend of mine.” 

Tony took in the information and gave a small smirk, “Of course, I’m not asking you to sign your life away in one second. A trial period is perfect and you’ll be living at The Compound, so your hours are yours to make. Except meetings, I will work with you and the others to find good times, but you will need to attend those.”

Yauna smiled brightly and laughed, “Well, I’d be happy to work fer ya!” She pushed her hand out waiting for Tony’s. 

In that moment, Tony noticed the thick light pinky-white scar on her neck.  Starting on one side of her neck, disappearing behind her neck and reappearing on the other side, then trailed down her chest disappearing into her sweater. Absentmindedly, he took her hand and shook it lightly. 

Yauna noticed his gaze and knew immediately that he noticed, thinking to herself. Eventually I’m going to make to tell him, he will find out. I want it to be from my gob, not someone else's. For now, she pushed it to the back of her mind, focusing on the deal at hand.

Talking over some other detail with each person, they left with a box of pastries she told them to take or else. Each of them seemed to like her, she was really nice and personable. 

But, they all noticed the subjects that made her eyes grim and they all noticed the scars. That would have to be addressed sometime later, eventually. 

Tony told her to be ready by Thursday, that someone will be here to pick her up and she could pack up her stuff that she needed to ship. The door closed and Yauna took a deep breath and thought, Well, this is going to be an adventure…

On the way back to the Compound, Tony had to ask them to get their opinion. “What did ya think?” He said from the pilots seat, his question pulled Steve and Bruce out of their conversation. 

“She was nice, I really like her.” Bruce said first with a shrug. “Yea, she seems knowledgeable.” Steve said with a nod to agree with Bruce. 

“I’m curious where she got all…” Bruce gestured to his neck, not wanting to say the word, it made him hurt to think about all those he could see. 

Tony ignored his comment, he didn’t know what to think of all those scars. But, for some reason he still trusted her. 

“Okay, then I’m sending you to pick her up Steve.” He declared instead. The rest of the flight was silent, not uncomfortable just silent.

Thursday came sooner than Yauna had expected, she had all her essentials packed in her green suitcase. The file she had made for Tony was in her haversack, all her secrets (well factual secrets) we tucked so close to her. 

Taking one last look in the mirror at her mustard yellow sweater with bows at the wrists and her light blue jean overalls, she paired with a blue and green based rainbow beanie and brown slip ons. Maybe she should have rethought her outfit, she fidgeted with her curly hair, but just made it poofier. Ugh, why did my mother give me this stupid type of hair!

There was a strategic knock on her door, moments later drawing her out of her anxious thoughts. Walking up to the entrance she had to shush Artemis, who was clawing under her skin with anticipation and worry. Then, she flung the door open to the sight of Steve Rogers. 

He was dressed in a baseball cap, gray jumper and gray sweatpants almost matching. She smiled, Steve looked slightly rough today and in need of a smile. “Ready?” He asked returning the smile. 

“Yea, you okay?” Yauna pushed the straps of her haversack over her shoulders and took up her suitcase, proceeding to follow him to the car waiting at the curb.

He waved his hand dismissing your concern, “I’m just tired...Had to deal with a lot of stuff last night.” Yauna gave him a sympathetic smile as she moved to the back of the car to stuff her suitcase in. 

“Here let me get that...Is this all you’re bringing?” Steve pushed the suitcase in and looked at her expecting more. 

“Yea, ‘m mailing the rest. Is all I need for a quick bit.” She didn’t mean for her accent to slip through so much, not that she was ashamed, but most people didn’t ever know what she was talking about. 

Steve chuckled a bit surprised for a moment. “Okay, well shall we?” He motioned for Yauna to get in, then they were off.

The ride to the airport gave time for Steve and Yauna to get to know each other better, and the plane ride to New York allowed even more. Before they landed, Steve started feeling protective over her anticipating what the others would do. Weirdly, he felt like she was like a little sister to him, she had something about her that reminded Steve of home. 

The plane landed and Steve showed Yauna to her quarters, “Well, here we are. Do you need anything?” He sat her suitcase down, that he had insisted on carrying, giving her time to think. 

“No, I don’t think so. Thank you Steve.” She smiled and it was infectious, giving him a twinge of happiness. They waved goodbye and Steve set off down the hallway. 

Yauna pulled out the keycard he had given her, then she remembered something. Whirling around jolting a bit, “Wait, Steve?” He jerked around nodding to her to continue. 

“If you see Mr. Stark, can you tell him to come see me when he gets a moment?” Steve laughed at how formal she was, but nodded, “He actually was going to come see you anyway.” Yauna gave him another infectious smile and yelled thank you, he turned back around and continued down the hallway.

She swiped her card and the door slid open to reveal a living space, including; a couch, end tables, a dining table, a coffee table, and an entertainment center. 

On the other side of the television stand stood a tall bookcase with a note, “I hope this is enough space for all your books and more. You can thank Bruce and Pepper later. -Tony” She laughed and noted to thank them later . 

Next to the living room was the kitchen, fully equipped with appliances, cabinets and a breakfast bar. On the back wall was a glass door leading to a balcony with chairs. 

There were two doors on the left wall, the one closest to the door was the bathroom, the second door was the bedroom; a bed, a walk in closet, an entertainment stand, end tables and a desk. 

Next to the entertainment stand was a door to connect the bathroom to the bedroom. Yauna started to unpack what she had brought with her, not starting putting anything too far away just in case what she talked to Tony about didn’t go over well.

A few hours later, about 8:30 pm, a musical knock came on her door. She steadied her nerves again, opening the door with a smile. “Hey, came by to see how you were doing. And I wanted to show you your lab.” His face looked lighter than it did when he came to see her over a week ago. 

Yauna didn’t move from her place in the door though, her face serious. “I need to talk to you about something first.” She moved beckoning him in before he could say another word. “Yer gonna find out sooner or later. I’d rather it’d a’bea from me.” She turned pulling out the file she made for him about her life, her real life. “This is everyt’ing, well almost everyt’ing.”

She handed it to him, preparing herself for rejection like always. Tony flipped the folder open, he saw a picture of two children and their mother and father. “That’s my mother, father, brother, and I. We are part of a hidden society that protects everyone from the horrors and evil's lurking in the background.”

“My parents died when I was 11, murdered actually. I was kidnapped by a family friend before they died. He killed them while he had me, my brother had to kill his goons.” She explained, then went silent for Tony to read the rest. That file had everything; her parents death, her whole ordeal, the aftermath, and her powers. 

After Tony finished and set the file down, Yauna waited long for his words. Finally they came, “Why did you show me this?” He questioned without any emotion, Yauna took that as a sign for the worst. 

“You needed to know. Work only happens with trust and you can’t trust me with this big of a secret. I wanted to be hired for my brain not my powers, I just wanted to be normal. If you can’t trust me, I understand.” Yauna hung her head slightly, some hope still left.

She figured if she was going to go out better go out with a bang. “I’m a half-breed, that’s what they call me where I come from. I have demon, human, and angelic blood coursing through my veins. The mix allows me to have powers.” She went silent after her admission, hoping that her honesty would help her in some way. It seemed to stay silent for years.

Then his voice broke the silence again, “Of course I trust you, I did even before this.” He gestured to the folder with a laugh, “Yauna, I understand and thank you for telling me. This won’t be a problem with anyone, we all have our pasts.” 

Yauna’s eyes jolted up to his, “No! No, I don’t want anyone else to know yet. I don’t want to be judged because of what happened.” Tony nodded, “Okay, you can tell them in your own time.” 

He laid his hand on her shoulder giving her a soft smile, “Come on, I’m really excited to show you your lab. No one is as passionate about this as I am.” Yauna smiled, following him out the door.

That went better than I expected. Now, hopefully I can keep it together. She thought as Tony showed her around the rest of The Compound, telling her he made a mandatory breakfast for ‘everyone’ tomorrow to meet her. He agreed to make Friday keep her secret as well, she could use her magic when needed and Friday would be her watchman.

She made her way back to her room, after the two said their goodbyes and goodnights. After sliding the door open, she looked around and felt excitement well up inside of her.  Now it’s time for decorating! She thought as she looked around the apartment, nearly jumping up and down. 

Alright! There’s part one of this series. I’m so sorry this is really late. I’m going to try and post the next one in about 5 days. Let me know what you think! I’m always open for questions or suggestions! Till next time. 

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

All In Review: (September 1st, from The Sears Center in Chicago) SCU vs The Briscoes: [***1/2] We start off Zero Hour with a bang because it was really a great match and to be fair I wasn't even expecting it to be this good. They had a good amount of time, good chemistry, solid storytelling, crowd was super behind the SCU guys and they nailed some big spots like the finish, where the ROH Tag team champions went for the doomsday device and Kazarian countered into an insane scoop power slam for the win, which will set them possibly as the next challengers at Death Before Dishonor. Really cool way to hype the crowd..S C U ! Winners: Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky Over budget battle royale: [***1/2] Maybe I'm overreacting but for me it was the most fun battle royal(e) I have ever seen. Everyone had its spot, it was fun, some good moments (Cage and Grace squaring off was nuts) to hype the crowd and the ending a lot of us wanted: Bully Ray thought he won but then Flip Gordon revealed himself to be the "son" of el Chico and eliminated Bully Ray causing a loud pop from the crowd. Great way to get Flip into all in and great storyline. Well done everyone. ps: Dear Impact wrestling, can you please book Brian Cage vs Jordayne Grace for the X Division title at BFG? Winner: Flip Gordon MJF vs Matt Cross:[**1/2] A good opener to give Matt Cross, who you may know as Son Of Havoc in Lucha Underground, a deserved win at the show. Nothing more to add Winner: Matt Cross Christopher Daniels vs Stephen Amell:[***] I have to be honest: I wasn't expecting a good match out of this one but it was really surprising for me, considering that Amell is an actor and managed to perform in a such a good way. Yeah Amell isn't a wrestler, but he has some guts and looked better than people who make wrestling their living, so I can't say anything bad about him. The most surprising thing tho is that he actually lost, which for me it was a shocker because i would have been some money on Arrow to win this match. Great night for SCU in Chicago( let's not forget that that was the worst town they have ever been in) Winner: Christopher Daniels Tessa Blanchard vs Madison Rayne vs Chelsea Green vs Britt Baker: [***1/4] And even the ladies killed it,because they had a really great match and the crowd exploding with this is awesome chants and a big standing ovation mid match was a great moment. They all shined, but one of them came out huge and she is the winner of the match: Tessa Blanchard. The actual impact women's champions legit looked like a star and she is definitely the future of women wrestling, because let's not forget she is still 23 and she has already done some big stuff. The match itself was fun,fast, enjoyable but at times a little sloppy and I'm not sure if they botched or not the ending, but it was still a really good bout. Kudos to them for being apart of history. ps: Britt coming out with the old ROH theme song of his boyfriend Adam Cole made me mark out. Winner: Tessa Blanchard NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Cody vs Nick Aldis[***] It was easily the best build match of the even and it turned out to be ok, even tho with some overbooking and probably not the best of finish, but just the final moments are worth the match alone: just watch the reaction after Cody won, the loud pop and the commentary going all silent for a few minutes. Goosebumps. It's great to see the NWA gaining so much buzz thanks to Cody and All in. It will be interesting now to see which are the plans for the title now that they have a champ with huge fan following and star power. Winner AND NEW NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Cody Chicago Street Fight: Joey Janela vs Hangman Page:[***3/4] Even with this match I have to be honest: I wasn't even expecting this one to be this good. They killed and put on a great match even with some funny moments that we saw on BTE and it had some really cool spots, like the powerbomb Janela took from the ramp on the table and the rite of passage from the ladder on the table who gave Page the win. Page keeps improving every match he makes and he deserves some gold...but what even more golden, was the post match, as we saw the "res-erection" of Joey Ryan with the help of the penis-Druids. That post match was easily one of the funniest moments I have ever seen in wrestling since I started following this form of art/entertainment/whatever you call it. Kudos to everyone involved Winner: Hangman Page ROH world heavyweight Championship: Jay Lethal vs Flip Gordon: [***1/4] This one was another really solid and in some moments also funny match, as they really well managed to build the storyline of Lethal going back to his black machismo roots during BTE and the match. Flip did his best to win, even going full hulk hogan(without racial slurs) but it wasn't enough to beat Lethal who caught him with a top rope cutter followed by his Lethal Injection. It could have been a great moment for Flip to win the title at All In, judging by the storyline he was involved in, but I guess ROH isn't really to have him as their heavyweight champion...but hey flip got some retribution of Bully tho in the post match thanks to Lethal, cabana and a table Winner AND STILL ROH World Heavyweight Champion: Jay Lethal Pentagon Jr vs Kenny Omega:[****1/2] I had a lot of hype for this match. Really a lot of hype and they didn't failed to deliver. Simply a wonderful match between two of the best wrestlers in the world. Great wrestling and storytelling as I loved that they booked to elevate Kenny's finisher, because he only needed to hit just 1 One winged Angel to defeat Pentagon, while he kicked out of the Mexican's finishers. The result was very predictable because new Japan wouldn't let Omega lose tonight since he is their champ, but at one time, I felt Pentagon could beat the IWGP champion. Post match we had a surprise as Jericho, dressed as Pentagon, attacked Omega before their big Bullet club vs Alpha Club match at the cruise of Jericho. If you want to check out just one match of All in, this one is the perfect for you. Winner: Pentagon Jr Marty Scurll vs Kazuchika Okada:[***] If I could talk about a match I was hoping to steal the show, but turned out to be a bit disappointing, it could be this match. Don't get me wrong, this match was good but not as good as I wanted it to be or as it could have been. Even tho the crowd loved it, I felt the match went too long and it is actually true, as this match was supposed to last 12 minutes less, and this match and another one going to long, had some consequences on the main event. Also I felt that Okada and Scurll don't have a great chemistry and they could have done a lot more. Okada won as expected because in Japan, a heavyweight wouldn't never lose a match with a junior and unfortunately for Scurll, he is a junior in Japan. Also I bet NJPW, even without the weight stuff, they would never let Scurll beat their golden boy Winner: Kazuchika Okada The Golden Elite vs Rey Mysterio, Fenix and Bandido:[***1/2] As I said in the previous match, two matches going longer had some consequences on this match as this bout was severely rushed to make sure the should could end in time. 12 minutes spot fest PWG style who was really fun to watch and had some super cool spots, but not much storytelling, but it is fine since the wrestler involved fit more a certain wrestling style. Bucks and Ibushi going over is the right call but the ending was super rushed because they were short on time which really sucks because it was planned to last 28 minutes instead of 12. A good main to close a superb show Winners: The Golden Elite Overall: so let's start with the negatives: the order of the matches for me, but it's not really a big negative at all. But the rest was great: cool wrestling, cool moments, 5 hours that felt good to watch and not boring at all. It is clear that when a promoter knows what his audience wants to see and lets his talent perform at their best, it easy to get a great show like this one. And also, there is not only WWE around, not only WWE can draw 10k people, there are a lot of alternatives and the more alternatives the better. It was a great night not just for Cody and the bucks but also Pro wrestling in general [8.5]

[fantroll-purgatory]

@47098

FIRST: Alternia or Beforus or some type of AU?

Alternia!

Name (preferably include how you came up with it and why):Talpie Mammor Talpie, taken from the scientific name for a mole. Mammor, an altered version of the god of greed.

Maybe substitute Mamuna for Mammor? I know that’s kind of a nitpick, but Mamuna is a regularly accepted alternate spelling of Mammon when she’s presented as a demonness. (It’s also the name of a Slavic demonness of maliciousness and gluttony but we don’t really have to acknowledge that).

Talpie Mamuna...

Age: 6.9 sweeps

Weapon: Unsure!

Flashbang. She wants to be the center of attention but doesn’t like hurting people. Boom.

Inventory: ADVENTURE STYLE. When she picks things up, they get locked in chests. To open them again, she has to find a key hidden somewhere. She likes to keep things fresh.

I like that haha. Do the keys just get randomly scattered within the environment she’s in? Is there a certain radius? Things to think about.

Blood color: Cobalt.

Trolltag: vivaciousMoneygrubber [VM]

I do like this already. I might also recommend illustriousMoneygrubber[IM], just because of her goal to make a name for herself. Because she’s so charismatic, i think Moneygrubber definitely comes off quirky and proud despite typically being an insult.

Quirk:  OBVIOUSL¥ ONL¥ THE B€$T AND MO$T AMAZING QUIRK €V€R.

(replaces Es with euro signs, Ss with dollar signs, and Ys with the sign for yen. also talks in capitals, because she likes to be heard.)

Fitting!

Special Abilities (if any): None!

Since she’s a cobalt, she DOES get the benefit of psychic resistance!

Lusus: A blind mole with Big Hands. Like Drilbur.

Oh that is so cute I love that. I definitely don’t disagree. If I Had an alternate recommendation for consideration, may I suggest a badgermole?

I recommend this mostly because of the title recommendations I’m going to be making later- but we’ll get to that.

Personality:

The most confident person in the room, Talpie is always a standout when compared to anyone she is close to. She LOVES standing out, hence her always choosing to look different. She never lets things lie, instead dragging things out until she decides that it’s over. She is ultimately insecure about her body and certain parts of her personality- IE: the loneliness and fear for personal relationships, as well as her poor eyesight due to her tenfold vision- but loves every other part of herself. She wants to project herself for the world, take it by storm, make a name for herself, yet she fears rejection or failure because of her weaknesses.

Talpie is very charismatic, extremely happy to talk to anyone who wants to listen to her. She can ramble on for hours about nothing or give solid- if not blunt- advice about most anything. She might be a bit much for some people due to her extreme advice, either giving humble advice or passion filled declarations of emotion or intuition. Other times she will shoot down people’s ideas in a heartbeat and replace them with her own. Often she will think a plan is foolproof despite only taking minutes to think it up, but because of her extreme adaptability it somehow still works out (most of the time). Her recklessness does often get people hurt, though, and while she may not show it she does always feel sorry when she hurts people. She is a compassionate person on the inside, a cold-blooded worker on the outside. Notice that that said WORKER, because no matter how much she wants to act like a cold-blooded, badass killer, she can’t hurt someone for the life of her.

She is incredibly caring. When someone is hurt, she will complain about their weakness yet carry them to safety. When someone is heartbroken, she will tell them they should have expected it yet offer them a shoulder to cry on. When someone is depressed she will be blunt and forceful, but speak in a way that will only cheer them up. She can’t handle not being the center of attention, but she will focus her own attentions to whoever she feels needs it. If she thinks you don’t actually need help, she won’t bother with you unless she decides there isn’t anything better to do. If someone gets hurt while she is about to achieve something and they won’t live if she keeps going, she will choose the life of the person ahead of her goal. She will blow it off, absolutely, and call them a fucking stupid idiot, and she WILL regret it, but she knows that she’s weak in that regard. (or, she calls herself weak for it)

She is goal driven. She knows this. She knows that she would always end up choosing her goals over the people she cares about, aside from a few special circumstances. She wants to make a name for herself, craves the validation that comes from overcoming adversity and proving everything wrong yet she fears the loneliness that has come from that endeavor so far. She fears that she will be lonely her entire life, so she tries to keep herself at a distance. She doesn’t think she can be successful and have meaningful relationships.

Her tenfold vision is the reason why she isolates herself, as well.

I love her personality and the amount of thought you’ve put into! Characters with conflicting goals and natures can be very fascinating to play with. I’m going to go through real quick and just kind of note (mostly for myself) themes I see in her personality.

High energy, impulsive/reckless, caring, adventurous, afraid of isolation and loneliness, prioritizes her aims over other people (except in life or death situations), considers herself weak for making concessions out of concern for other people, overconfident and self-conscious at once.

Interests:

MONEY

action movies (she likes to watch action movies with female protagonists b/c she is a big lesbian)

HEROINES IN… NICE CLOTHES (spandex)

GETTING SHIT DONE

WHOOPING ASS

TABLETOP ROLEPLAY (alone, she doesnt have any irl friends only online ones) saying dumb things and instantly regretting it SIMPLICITY

“Saying dumb things and instantly regretting it” really made me laugh hbhg. I feel it, Talpie. Also tabletop roleplay alone... interesting. Does she act out the scenes herself? Like some kind of... pacifist flarp? Maybe she could like writing stories too, uses the tabletop roleplaying to write down these Adventures.

Since she likes the idea of Making A Name For Herself she could maybe also be interested in military, even if just a little bit? It seems like on Alternia the best way to Get Known is to be an actor or to be Really Powerful And Influential and since most people end up growing up into the military... it’s an unfortunately efficient way to receive validation and commendation.

Title: SYLPH OF TIME

Now... I think time player probably does fit her at least adjacently, but I think in this case it might be playing too much into what she Wants To Be and isn’t providing her with enough of a challenge. I know not all titles have to Aim For Change, but she seems like the kind of character with a rocky starts who needs something to either break her down or force her to Develop.

so I’m going to shift this to... Rogue of Blood, I think.

A passive role like Rogue would be very hard for her to play, because it is something lowkey, something that is focused heavily on sharing- something she doesn’t seem very keen on. Learning not to allocate things properly would be a struggle for her.

Blood is the aspect of the bound. The tied. I think giving her a role that forces her to be more grounded and to find more bonds might be a good idea.

The Rogue of Blood passively moves around ties, moves around the relationships and responsibilities and chains that form between people. With this ability she’d be able to passively lead a group. It makes sense for someone so goal oriented and trying to shunt her into a leadership position instead of letting her do her own thing might create some interesting dynamics.

This is also why I suggested the badgermoles earlier- they’re the original earthbenders in the ATLA universe and the inverse of Breath is Blood, of air is earth. It’s something that might force her to be more down to earth.

Her inverse would be Knight of Breath, which would explain her starting out inundated with all this adventurous energy. Her intense separatism is something she uses entirely, recklessly, and hasn’t yet learned to harness. Once she does, though, she’d be able to exploit freedom and movement, shifting around obligations to leave Openness and Opportunity in its wake. Fun stuff.

Land: CASTLES and CREVICES

Love that name. I might also recommend Castles and Cells just to make some jokes about shackles wrt her aspect.

Dream Planet:Prospit

I think I Do agree with this assignment. I was a little on the fence because of her doubts, but the fact that she lives more in the moment and makes some impulsive decisions and seems to focus a lot more externally than internally sold me on it.

So with all that figured out, I can finally assign her a sign.

Scorcer, the sign of the Champion.

Now on to the redesign!:

Horns: I kept them the same! I like that they kind of look like the claws of a mole, so I thought they fit her theme 

Hair: I fixed up her bangs a little to put it more in front of the horns, just to kind of push the horns back and make things look better layered. I also wanted to adjust the bangs to be based off of Evie from The Mummy! For the back of her hair I changed it to a braid as a reference to Lara Croft. 

Face: I got rid of the artifacting around her eyes to make things look crisper and cleaner. I also made her mouth a bit thicker just so it would stand out more on her face. 

Cape: I changed the color to match her blood. I thought the saturation would help it pop more and would bring in a more cohesive design. I also made the strings pop more. And I adjusted the back of the cape to be more rounded. I thought it made it look more like it was laying on the ground and gave it more visible weight. 

Shorts: I brought in a different bright saturated blue in the same family as her blood color to give it a new range of values. It helps her pop a lot, again. And I gave her some gold snaps! Very passive reference to her greed theme. 

Shoes: I liked her little leggings, so I kept them that color but gave them a more distinctive outline. I also changed her shoes. I used some of Jake’s shoes as a base, but added a steel toe and made them bright red. 

Thank you for sharing another lovely troll!

-CD

[nottodaychacha]

Riverdale Chapter 19: Death Proof

 In which Betty continues to be the #1 best at everything, Jughead leans hard into the gang #aesthetic, Archie doesn’t screw everything up for once, Veronica finally starts acting like the badass she is, and all the parents are terrible except, shockingly, the Lodges (sort of).

Initial Thoughts

K: I like Toni and am glad she turned down Jughead and said she prefers girls. Now I can like her without complication. And I’m so glad they kept her bisexuality.  One of the great things about the new comics are how much more diverse they’ve become and it’s good to see the show at least attempting that (even if they could definitely do better), rather than white washing and straight washing everyone.

K: And I don't think Toni was trying to steal him away or anything. I think her issues with Betty were more what she represents (the Northside vs. Southside, affluence, oppression, race) than it was about wanting to steal her boyfriend.

K: I'm torn on them getting back together. Like, I knew they would and wanted them to, but that was fast and we didn't get to see the scene where she explains what actually happened. I wanted more exploration of their emotional states while apart. I do hope they at least go into how all of this is going to affect their relationship.  I miss the Betty/Jughead emotional I'll support you no matter what scenes from the first season. I am glad they are back together for mystery solving sake, too. They are better detectives together than apart.

K: Though I do love the Betty and Veronica mystery solving duo we got briefly. Yes, let's just follow a drug dealer into his den in our cutest high heels.

R: While I severely questioned Jughead and Archie's drag racing abilities, I never once (because she is a goddamn dark angel with a ponytail of gold) questioned Betty's ability to fix a muscle car.  Because she's amazing. 

R: Let Ronnie and Archiekins hang out in bed together in the middle of the day because nobody's parents give a shit, and be like, "Oh, no, your dad was shot, we better screw in the shower."  Bughead needs to be the, "You have to win a race that your dad goaded you into to save his gang?  I'll Rosie the Riveter myself and fix up this muscle car for you."

R: So, the Mayor is the worst.  She's like, "I'm not going to unite this town.  Also, fuck these students, who cares about them.  What's that?  My daughter did some drugs?  BURN THE SOUTHSIDE TO THE GROUND!  Why?  Because I'm the mayor, that's why." 

K: Who cares about arrest laws?  Like, they just rounded up people for, like, being in school and wearing flannel? Flannel and 80s denim being the official uniform of the Serpents  .

R:Open shirts and greasy hair being the official uniform of the Ghoulies.

The Big Bad

Theory: Maybe there's the real killer and then random dude (Hal?  Hal's secret twin? Sheriff Keller, Rosewood's rival for worst police ever?) who just took the opportunity to screw with Betty/use her superior intellect and detective skills.

1. The handwriting on the two letters didn’t match.  2. Whoever it is has to know Betty pretty well to know about the Nancy Drew book. 3. Other than the Sugar Man, the people he’s going after make no sense if his aim is genuinely to “clean up Riverdale” like he told Betty.

We would like for Sheriff Keller to be like, "Oh, yes.  I know exactly what's going on!  Just let me go to my secret Sheriff only room to get my thoughts together." Then he runs to the restroom at Pop's and calls Betty on a burner phone.

Side Quest

So Dangerous Minds was the Sugar Man all along. Sure, we guess that makes sense?  Like A) if he's Stand and Delivering these kids, no one would suspect him and B) easy access to his network of dealers. Plus, like, it's a shitty school so he probably doesn't have to do too much actual work.

Is Tall Boy evil or stupid? Why did he have to get Jughead on his side? He's like, "As the son of FP, you hold a lot of weight with the teenagers."  Like all 10 of them?  What about the pool hall full of adults?  Is that not enough of a quroum to vote in a joint venture with the Ghoulies?

The dynamics of this gang continue to confuse us. Like, Tall Boy appears to be the only active adult member now and Toni is I guess the only girl, so is this just a gang of like 16 year old boys? 16 year old boys who think taking care of dogs is a good gang initiation and solve their problems via Grease themed drag races and yet are also somehow the most feared and reviled people in Riverdale?

WTF Riverdale

Jingle Jangle.  JINGLE JANGLE. We continue to be expected to believe that any self-respecting drug dealer would name his product Jingle Jangle.  We refuse to take that seriously.

Yeah, it's bad or whatever.  But it's not meth.  It's like the kids did ecstasy with a stupid name and shoved into a pixy stix, and the parents are losing their minds about it.

Moms and Pops

So the Lodges were almost not terrible! Sure, they were fine with working with the people whose son would have most definitely raped Cheryl had he not been stopped, but they didn’t hesitate to throw them under the bus (possibly literally) when they found out he tried to do the same to Veronica.  So...progress?

Penelope is a monster.  She is just the worst, all of the time, end of story. Throwing the check in the fire at the end was not enough to make up for blaming her own daughter for her assault. Just an awful human being.

Homage of the Week

I mean, Grease obvi. Just look at this.

Cha Cha just wishes she could be Cheryl.

Most Riverdale of the Week Award

Despite us being total Betty stans, the winner is Cheryl!  She totally rocked the drag race.  Her conversation with Betty in the garden was hilarious.  She confronted her mom about her abuse and she pressed charges against Nick St. Clair, both very brave moves. She found out who the Sugar Man was.  Also, this.

A little insight into Cheryl and Betty from R because it was too good to not share:

I like that both Betty and Cheryl get stuff done and get answers, but in totally different ways.  Betty is journalistic, and a go getter who will walk into a creepy abandoned house that a killer told her to go to alone, or who will "innocently" ask the Sheriff questions under the guise of writing a school article.  Whereas Cheryl is just 100% about being super snarky and acting like she doesn't care, only to later put on her flashy red duds and some ballin' lipstick, and hold her mom's breathing tube closed or threaten to destroy the hush money.  Betty is about finding her answers, but Cheryl is all about forcing them into the open, whatever it takes.

Best Lines

“Not the kind of drag race I ever imagined myself going to, but at least the guys are hot.” - Kevin is all of us.

“I beg your misogynistic pardon?” - Veronica, defending women always

“I'm a school-newspaper reporter!” - Betty, the highschool newspaper reporter who is smarter than every adult in town.

“You catch my Riverdale drift, boys?” - FP, king of the puns.

“You are an enigma, Cooper.” - Jughead “heart eyes” Jones

“Oh well. Karma’s a bitch.” Veronica, stone cold and speaking the truth

“I found out who killed Jason Blossom. I found out who the Sugarman was. You're next, Black Hood. I'm breathing down your neck. Can you feel it? Can you feel me?” - Betty, the ultimate badass

-K & R

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Spud

1.        Far greater and more important tributes will be paid for Danny Frawley on fair greater and more important platforms by far greater and more important people. 

But whilst it will not go undersold here that he was a cherished, beloved and legendary father, husband, friend, captain, teammate, coach, leader, colleague, commentator, analyst, he was also a great and important personality in so many of our lives. 

Chances are, and it helps I know the vast majority of this column’s recipients, that most who read this would at some stage have engaged in the weekend Triple M football coverage, be it a must-have outlet in consuming their footy media or as a knockabout way to unwind on a weekend. 

The week is for work but the weekend is to rest and to play and for so many of us it meant the Saturday Rub and their self-deprecating, piss-taking, barley football-themed banter that we all enjoyed and got a lot from. 

Spud was paramount to that. We may not fully at the time but now can appreciate how much his work on the wireless gave to our lives. To this day we could all remember how memorable, funny and enjoyable all of that was. 

For me I think to when he spent ten minutes giving Garry Lyon a complete once over on his demeanour in his return to rescue Melbourne, it was some of his best work. “The Sheriff’s back in town!” Or any of their 360 feedback session were great, too when he christened Tony Jones as Chompers or went for ‘Haircut’ Timms, the list goes on. Hit up YouTube or the Triple M footy podcast and reminisce. 

So for us, we remember Spud for many things, be it Bounce, Richmond coach, or St Kilda legend. But in amongst that and so much more we pause, remember and thank Spud for the laughs, memories and outlet his personality provided us all every weekend. A tough day was always lightened by the humour Spud brought every single time. 

The last ten years may have been tougher than Spud deserved but he leaves behind a legacy to be proud of. Not just in terms of football and then entertaining so many of us, but with regard mental health too. 

RUOk day is this Thursday and Spud was an ambassador for it. But one day is never enough. Every day and any day is a day to check in with someone. And perhaps don’t literally ask them if they’re ok, have a longer chat than usual with someone you cherish, get a sense of where they’re at. Or better still, have a conversation with someone you only just know that you otherwise wouldn’t. Get a read. And if you think something’s off – you’re probably right. 

And if nothing else this Thursday, or Friday, or later today – do it because Spud would want us too. 

So to Spud, please rest easy now big fella, you’ve earned it. The troubles are behind you but the impressions you’ve left on many, those who knew you or many like us that only felt like we did, will live on for eternity.   

Rest up now, mate.

The rest of this seems trivial but let’s drift elsewhere...

2.       Patrick Dangerfield. Looked immense in that second half, in fact it appeared he was single-handedly dragging his team within a sniff, and given the margin in the end was just the ten points credit it to him for that. But in the first half, going the other way, he was to blame as anyone in a hooped jumper. Danger had as many tackles for the game as De Goey did. In the first half where the Pies were running ragged, it was the Geelong midfield who weren’t up to stopping them, and no.35 was one of the main culprits. Sure. When you’re that good running ‘that way’ then you might be forgiven. But in a big final, where the game was lost in the first 40 or so minutes, not running ‘the other way’ kinda makes all that jazzy, sexy, look at me stuff in the second half all a bit redundant for mine; it’s the reason he is playing this Friday and not having a weekend off, really.

3.       Silver lining to the De Goey injury – this column isn’t sold he, Elliott and Stephenson are ready to click in the same team. Sure, they’re all clearly best 22 so on talent alone no De Goey is a net loss, no question. But the impact, negatively, of not getting the best out of one or two of that trio because the meshing, the chemistry, the most effective structure to play them in doesn’t exist, or exist yet, is one worth avoiding. Doesn’t mean De Goey’s injury is a good thing, doesn’t mean their premiership chances are assisted, if anything they’re worse off. But it’s a problem that goes away, at the same time, which is a silver lining for sure.

4.       Six of Darcy Moore’s intercept marks were contested. Not six of all his marks, but six of his intercept marks. That’s phenomenal. And how many gooses in the media wouldn’t have played him. Please be serious.

5.       Blicavs into the ruck on Friday changed the game? Yeah nah. Lets look at this properly. Firstly, the weather decision was trash because anyone with a weather app saw the forecast rain was never turning up. But don’t forget how small the Pies forwardline is. Brody Mihocek is barely a tall and that’s all the Maggies have. If anything have a go at the Cats for not dropping Harry Taylor on matchups, but that’s another point. Blicavs in defence wasn’t going to change a thing, and if anything is fractionally more trustworthy as a ruck than Rhys Stanley. But Stanley, Blicavs, Brad “Pill” Ottens, its up against Grundy so the point is moot anyway. Either way, the game was over because the Cats midfield didn’t work hard enough and the game plan stank.

6.       Brett Deledio is a star and what a bit of teamwork that was in his final game. Cooked the calf really early on but kept going to honour rotations for his teammates. A tremendously talented player crueled by injury and no Tigers fan forgets he left only 12 months before the premiership drought was broken. And no hard feelings at all for seeking success elsewhere, it would have been richly deserved. Onya Lids.

7.       Geez Shane Edwards was good on Saturday night, but its all about Dusty. Yes, Martin was a total freak show when he touched the ball, but it was six snags, predominantly from inside 50 groundball, hardly a hard-working performance. He had as many disposals on the night as David Astbury, so lets be sensible.

8.       But back on Titch, 29 touches, six tackles, eight clearances and a goal. The coaches gave Martin nine votes in the Gary Ayers Medal, sure, but Edwards as well got nine too. Did he get a mention anywhere Sunday morning? Hardly.

9.       Riddle me this. Jeremy McGovern threw Matt Guelfi into a Bunnings chair on the boundary at Optus a few months ago. Got a week. Nic Naitanui with similar if not a tad more force throws Zach Merrett into the fence, gets off. If Merrett’s head hits the edge of the fence that’s properly serious. So would the penalty then be more? Or does Nic Nat get off because Merrett was fine, despite the action? Or does hair-pulling allow such a reaction? Don’t get that.

10.   And, lets not forget, in the AFLW there are rules saying long-hair must be tied up, to avoid hair-pulling deliberately or accidentally. But Nic Nat, who looks great by the way, love the dreads, can free-flow to his heart’s content.

11.   And further again, hair in the NFL is considered part of your uniform. So technically pulling Nic Nat’s hair might be a high tackle but if you get a bit below the neck you might be alright.

12.   The Toby Greene one confuses me. He mustn’t have eye-gouged. If he did, give him life, but if he hasn’t, fair enough. Now it all looked very rough and getting close to line-crossing, but a hefty fine just confuses me. It’s a free kick or its lots of weeks. Not some contrived in the middle result. Then again, for mine, what would’ve been better was some greater flag-flying from Bont’s teammates, Greene had a week to do whatever he liked to Bont and that grub shouldn’t have had such a luxury.

13.   Still rated the Dogs’ season, bitterly disappointing end but that lineup, keeping fit, has fourteen plus wins written all over them next year. A ‘buy’.

14.   Giants, play like that again they are a show. But would you trust them? Last time these teams met, in Sydney, the GWS rolled over, but can look like worldbeaters otherwise. No idea.

15.   Brissy, yeah, just got spooked, had enough pill to probably keep that thing closer a lot longer but stuffed their chances and made a right mess of it. Sudden death footy now so they might have another win or two in them but they’re cutting it fine.

16.   Richmond still wins the flag for mine. Their toughest game will be Friday week. West Coast wins this Friday, say, and does it really well, the Eagles are probably the best chance this comp has of preventing a second Tiger flag in three. Because if not, the Tigs will be very difficult for the Pies or Lions (or Giants) the week after, making amends for the lost year last year. West Coast are a tricky team to play against, in good form, anywhere in the country. I still think Richmond wins that prelim matchup though, but not as easily as the odds may say.

17.   How good is Steve Smith. The fact he is averaging over 100 in first innings since his first test century? That if he had played Headingley he’d be the first ever to score 1000 runs in a series during this Oval test match? Or that remarkably his average in the last Ashes over there was actually higher than this one? Freak. Total freak.

18.   And Steve Harmison can sod off the salty prick. Says no matter what Smith will always be remembered as a cheat. Now Steven. We only remember you for your accurate line and length to second slip and your wobbly guts that used to shift side to side in your run up. If you’ve got nothing nice to say then stick to your Weight Watches program and aim for the stumps next time my old mate.

19.   And yes, we cut it fine with the test going to the last hour, threatened by a draw caused by bad light, but we have been the far better team. Australia has declared three times this series, England only once, Australia has two scores over 400, England only one, Australia has only one all out score under 200, England has three. And total wickets so far, England 67, Australia 74. Clear to me.

20.   Rafa Nadal wins number 19, one within Federer. Last two years now, has made five finals, won three, Fed, two finals, won one. Djokovic, who is on 16, only four finals but won them all. Federer is seen as the GOAT (if its not Laver) but five years older than Nadal, so surely finishes up before, likely to be overtaken by the Spainard, and is 4-10 to Nadal in Grand Slam matches, 10-14 to Nadal in Finals and 3-6 to Nadal in Grand Slam Finals. If Federer is better than Laver, and Nadal ends up with more Slams than Federer, surely Nadal is the GOAT?

[benofie]

OMG, thank you!!! This is EXACTLY the argument I've been making to everyone who says "I like how they ended Arya's story..." and I basically chime in with, "well let me tell you why it sucked!" Below is the break down I have made already elsewhere on where I think S8 went wrong and why, particularly in relation to Arya's story...

I actually thought the first three episodes of S8 were written pretty well and were pretty much in character for the most part overall. I think episodes 4, 5, and 6 was where it all went to shit. And I think this is because they built up our characters over 1-3 and then had to FIND WAYS to break all of them down over 4-6. And this is where the bad/contrived writing came in.

The more I think about Gendry's proposal scene, the more out of character for him it seems and the more contrived I felt that writing was. When I think about every other Gendry scene and compare it to that one, they don't match. And it's more than just him being tipsy and excited and in love. He proposed to her like he had just met her the day before. It was like he didn't know Arya Stark at all. It didn't seem to carry any of the weight of their experience together. And I don't care if they hadn't seen each other in years and there probably ARE a lot of things about her that he doesn't know, he should've known that asking Arya "don't call me milady" Stark to be the Lady of Storm's End was the WORST proposal he could've made. 

Imagine if he had approached that differently... something more like, "Look, I know you don't want to be a Lady. But I love you just as you are and we can have whatever life you want. We can travel, you can teach me to use a sword, and I will make you as many weapons as you want for the rest of your life... I just want to be your family..."

[Side note: I literally just wrote this into a fic where I accepted the show ending but still had them reuniting years later...

End note, back to rant...]

Not only would that have felt more in character for him as well as acknowledging their experience together and what he knows about her, but I think she might have actually considered it! OR, if her answer was still no because she doesn't want to get married yet, at least that would have made sense! But that entire scene was specifically written just to get her to say "that's not me." 

What I also don't like about that, is it reduces this choice for Arya to something she said to her father when she was 11 (or whatever). So are they saying that her entire journey and character growth and experience with and affection for this man doesn't matter because she's committed to this one line she said to Ned when she was a child? And who says that her life with Gendry, even as his Lady, would necessarily have to be anything like the life she had rejected all those years ago? As Lord and Lady couldn't they make their own rules and reject traditions? But these options aren't even explored or discussed or considered because Arya has to stick to "that's not me." 

It's the same thing with "what's West of Westeros?" This was one line she said to a minor character in S6 and this becomes her grand finale? Why was this the theme they had to recall and use for her? Why not "I can be your family" or "the lone wolf dies but the pack survives"? Apparently because "what's West of Westeros?" gives Arya a bittersweet ending, and allowing her to reach a satisfying conclusion with Gendry would be too perfectly happy and they couldn't have that.

Well then why didn't they write S8 to build up to "what's West of Westeros?" They seemed to be building up a conflict for her all season between revenge and love or death and life, if you will. But no, all that is thrown out at the very end because she needs to be alone on a boat heading West. 

It's refreshing to find this corner of the Internet that sees the mistakes made with Arya's story with sanity and clarity. There was no actual reason that Arya and Gendrya, specifically, couldn't have a happy ending except for this bizarre notion the writers seemed to have that NO character was allowed an actual happy ending.

💔😡

One thing that has me so frustrated about the proposal is that when Arya says “that’s not me” -it’s like Arya is returned to the age she was at the very beginning of the series. You can grow up, be unique and awesome, but also realize that what you want as a child will be different than what you want as an adult. If Arya had said no due to unresolved PTSD, fear of what Gendry would think of her Faceless Men training, etc., I would buy that more than her digging in her heels about 1/2

digging in her heels based on an old childhood ideal. Wouldn’t you have liked to see some screen time where these reunites siblings, Arya with Gendry truly process that they are different people? I’ve always thought Winterfell/Jon were so huge in Arya’s mind -I would have loved to have seen her work through the reality versus the idealized memories. Because maybe then her not going back to Winterfell would have made some sense. 

The main issue I take with the scene is that you can see the hand of the writer. It is constructed for Arya to reject it. And they had her reject it by echoing words she said at eleven years old which is just silly. It doesn’t even take in the full context of what she said.

It’s natural at that age that Arya has a narrow, incomplete and somewhat naive view of the world. In the show, she seeks very much to not be Sansa and if Sansa likes romance and knights and wants to be married than Arya doesn’t like or want those things. It makes no sense that at age 18 Arya isn’t more knowledgeable of how the world works. She literally witnesses Sansa be Lady of Winterfell. Her brother abdicated his crown for a Queen. It still rankles that they use Gendry to nudge Arya to the end they selected where she’s seperated from her family and alone. Gendry who is the same person who literally spent years with Arya and knows exactly what she’s like and loves her anyway. Loves her because of her nature not in spite of it. He loves her in the way that Robert never loved Lyanna. He wants her with him because he loves her but also because Arya is more capable at being a Lord than he is and Gendry recongizes that. It would be a relationship of equals. Another issue I have is that Arya’s arc was pretty clear all the way until the very last episode. The whole season was set up as Arya chosing life over death. They used Gendry and the Hound to represent these two sides of Arya. The first scene of the season is her perspective of seeing three important people to her for the first time in years. First, Jon (representation of her lost innocence), followed by the Hound (her darkness, need for revenge, depression and isolation), and finally Gendry (representing a future, love and life). The duality of Arya being represented by Gendry and the Hound continues into episode 2 and even 4.Arya in episode 6 was useless. Why depict her leaving King’s Landing on a white horse – the entire scene was indictive of something positive for her character – only to have her lingering in the city to tell Jon things he already knew and things that were stated by Tyrion in his scene with Jon? Lastly they never resolved the Arya and Gendry relationship or give a satisfactory follow up. It’s left in an awkward place simply because by doing so they could justify Arya’s depature easier. Arya was never allowed to work through her trauma so she could have a happier life. She wasn’t allowed a soft ending because than it would conflict with the loner assassin image. It bothers me a lot because Arya has always been about family. About pack. She never gets to deal with anything (and neither do other characters)