#the cursed heiress spoilers

[rosesnink]

In My Eyes

Author's Notes

This idea has been in here for a while, but wasn't consistent until, well, last night hehe. I wanted to share more lore on Marianna's story and give her a proper wrap, and this is my final goodbye to her. She has been a delight to write, and I look forward writing her again in the original novel on the works

Summary: A meaningful talk between Marianna and Mr. Sinclaire will lead them to make an important decision

Word Count: 2.2k

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Rating: PG-13

TW: Major character deaths, spoilers from CH16 of The Cursed Heiress, mentions of chronic illness and murder

Book: Desire and Decorum AU

“Why did you not tell me right away?” Ernest asked, observing a little Elizabeth sleep in Marianna’s lap, looking like an angel.

Marianna blinked “Pardon?”

He nodded towards her “Why didn’t you tell me about her? Or that you had my child inside you?”

Marianna sighed, asking a footman to take her to a peaceful room. Surprisingly, he obeyed the woman’s command “Isn’t it obvious, Ernest?” He shook his head negatively, “you had just buried your wife, your reputation was already in shambles, you had neglected this beautiful estate to be with me and you were not ready for it. Not to mention, I was me and you were you.”

“What do you mean, Marianna, that you were you?” Deep down, he knew the answer, despite his question.

Marianna scoffed in helplessness “Do you truly want me to say it? I was a widowed prostitute, and you were a man of respectable family in a precarious situation, not to mention very young.”

“Too young for what? Take care of my child?”

Marianna lowered her gaze.

“Maybe I wasn’t in the best state, or had the best situation back then, but I would’ve never forsaken you or my firstborn child for anything in the world.”

Marianna bit her lip.

“I may be wealthy, but I am not a monster.”

She finally looked at him “Regardless, I would’ve been miserable, and you too.”

“How come? We make a great team.”

Marianna looked at him “Joanna was bound to come to your life. And, let me be honest, Elizabeth is illegitimate and a girl. You’ve seen firsthand how they treated Joanna. They would’ve been restless with her, and I lack the strength, power and connections to protect her, or us, for the matter. You shall see soon it was for the best.”

Ernest finally stood up and knelt before Marianna, taking her hands in his. She whispered “I didn’t want to sentence you because of one night.”

He squeezed her hands “It wasn’t just one night, Marianna. It was several, and they meant something to me at least! You meant a great deal to me, and you still do. Despite my reputation, my state and everything in between, I know with my heart that I would’ve grown to respect and admire you and give our little girl the world.”

Our little girl.

Three words had never made his heart soar more. It was even more beautiful and intense than any touch from Joanna. He wasn’t certain that she’d ever be his, but Elizabeth was his. He knew that from the moment he looked her into her eyes, which had been his dearest mother’s eyes.

“Can’t you see? You’re too wonderful to make me miserable.”

A tear rolled down “Don’t. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Was it worth it? To raise her on your own without asking me first?”

She smiled sadly “I wasn’t alone. You employed me to the best lord in the world.”

“And I shall spend the rest of my life indebted for what he did.”

He grabbed a napkin from his breast pocket and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then, he rested his head on her lap, sighing. He stayed there for a few minutes before he looked up and whispered “If you saw yourself through my eyes, you wouldn’t say such things about yourself.”

She stroked his cheek, and he closed his eyes “What a world would that be, if instead of seeing ourselves through those who hate us, seeing ourselves in the person that loves us most, don’t you think?”

A small tear rolled down his eye this time, giving for a moment into her touch, the touch that had gave him such comfort and saved him from his own doom.

“But alas,” Marianna continued “we live in a world where we are forced to see ourselves in those who scorn us and are deprived of such life-saving and often rare sight.”

“We still have time. Marry me, Marianna.” She was about to protest, “hear me out. Let me give you a decent finale to your life. Don’t you want Elizabeth to remember us united and loving each other in our ways? For her not to be illegitimate?”

“You don’t want to marry this dying old crone.”

He stroked her cheek “You are not a crone, and I just proposed to you.”

She chuckled “Would you marry me despite your heart belonging to another woman?”

His heart stinged “If she were here, she’d understand and encourage me to do so. At least think about it. We wouldn’t be the first couple to marry with one convalescent. And I happen to know a trusting man who could pull it off.”

She bit her lip, then looked up, in the direction where Little Lilly would wake up anytime now.

“…I shall give it some thought.”

In the graveyard, late at night, in yet another sleepless night, Ernest sat in front of his beloved’s grave, full of flowers and thoughtful gifts.

Lady Joanna Mills Foredale, 1796-1816. Daughter, fiancée and beloved socialite. Your family and friends will always remember you fondly. Rest In Peace.

“I know I haven’t visited you much, my love, but I think you can guess why. Her name is Elizabeth, and she grows each day even more. It is both thrilling and terrifying. I also… have proposed to Marianna. She is yet to give me an answer, but… I owe her, and little Elizabeth as well. She was on her own, raising her for three whole years while I was—,” He took a deep, shaky breath “All her life, she has suffered. I found out her husband beat her, and she was taken from her children to keep on working. I have located one willing daughter to say her goodbyes. My heart will always be yours, but if I have a chance to make things right with the mother of my child, then I shall. Because it is my duty, to protect both Marianna and Elizabeth. They are both very important to me. And they need me now, even if they pretend to be fine.” He stroked the grave “I know you’d understand. You were always smarter than any of us. And that…killed you in the end. I wonder if the fact that you preferred me over the duke is what drove him to…to…” He sighed, fighting tears that rolled down any ways. Then, he leaned his forehead on her grave “I only hope that you’ve found peace with your father and betrothed. If someone’s qualified to take care of you in your eternal rest, it’s them. Know that my heart shall always have a place there for you, and when my time comes, we shall be together again and we’ll watch as my children carry on our jobs. And when Marianna joins you, I hope that the two of you can be the good friends you would’ve been, and to wait for me.”

He closed his eyes harder, envisioning her wide blue eyes, the colour of the clear ocean, her red hair that shone as bright as a bonfire, and those beautiful lips he had the privilege to kiss before everything went down.

On his way back, he planned everything should she say yes or no. When he reached his estate, he saw an anxious Marianna waiting for him in the bench. She looked like she had made her choice. She approached him and, despite looking pale and tired, she squared her shoulders and announced “I have made a decision.”

“Well?”

“…I have decided to accept. But I have conditions.”

He nodded “Name them.”

“As I am ill, we shall not share a bed. Only a witness and Elizabeth shall attend, and, when I’m gone, I want you to not hold back.”

“Marianna—,”

“Listen, you are in your prime still. Find love, even if it’s for a while. Enjoy life, and don’t cage yourself for me or your promise to Joanna prevent you from living your life as you see it fit. She’d ask you the same. You know that.”

He sighed. She was right. She would. He nodded, and cleared his throat “It is truly happening.”

Marianna chuckled “It is not our first nuptials. We shall be fine.”

The next day, Ernest Sinclaire stood in the church’s altar for the second time, with Marianna reciting her vows in a simple, yet elegant dark ivory dress and a white veil to cover her sickly features. In the benches, their witness, Mr. Bartholomew Chambers and their daughter Elizabeth, who was dressed in a beautiful white dress, her blonde hair decorated with baby blue ribbons and a wide smile, seeing her parents united before the church and society.

“I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

He kissed her forehead and hands, and, noticing she was growing tired and weak, carried her in his arms to the carriage, where Mr. Chambers and Elizabeth threw them flowers and got into the carriage. Elizabeth would spend the night with Mr. Chambers so it’d look legit, and then they’d talk more thoroughly about their short marriage.

And indeed, it was short, for thirteen days after Joanna had died, Marianna had followed her. He and Marianna had been married twelve days and one night. He gave her the desired Jewish burial, a discreet affair in which he, a few friends from London and her previous life and her remaining children had reunited to bid her farewell. Theirs wasn’t a novel love story, but there had been love. A rare, one-of-a-kind love that had trespassed time and society rules. Not to mention, the fruit of their love was standing with him, watching as they buried her mother. He picked her up and kissed her head “It’s all right, my love,” he murmured “she’s sleeping with the angels now.”

And, after midnight struck in his estate’s clock, he wept. For the earl. Joanna. Marianna. Poor Percival, whom he couldn’t contact. His parents. The life he would’ve had, had destiny not been so cruel to him. And the fact that he was as he had begun this March: alone, uncertain of the future, and with too many open wounds to even consider open his doors for visits.

He didn’t even open the letters of several of his acquaintances offering their condolences for his wife’s passing. The only thing he did was eat two meals and observe Elizabeth from afar, looking an exact copy of Marianna.

Two weeks later, an unexpected visitor slammed his office’s door open, determination in her eyes.

“What the—you!” He gasped.

“That’s right, me.” It was Madame Shirley.

“Can I help you—,”

“Yes, you can! By stop being a moping wuss and actually raise your daughter and make your promise to Marianna and your lady friend true!” He opened his mouth, but she stomped her foot “No! You listen, young man! I know that you’ve buried too many people these last months, and I am sorry for that, but that girl has been waiting for you for three long years, craving your presence and protection, and you have failed!” She cried out “It is not only you anymore, she depends on you. She’s always asking for you, she wants your hugs, your words, your guidance, not some stranger’s! Cry at night if that is what you need, but the moment the sun rises, you shall get dressed and be the devoted father your promised not one but two women who loved and died for her to be!”

Before he could say anything, she curtsied and left quickly, and soon the hoofbeats of her horse disappeared into the night. Then, everything she had said came in. For ten minutes, he cried, feeling stupid. Then, he wiped his tears and was about to check if Elizabeth was sleeping when he saw the candle still burning and knocked on the door. When he saw her struggling to read a book, he finally spoke “Would you like me to read it for you?”

She looked up and gasped before smiling wide “Papa!” She ran towards him and hugged his legs, nearly knocking him out. He laughed and kissed her nose, which made her squeal “I missed you as you missed me, my little princess.”

“Do you still love me?” She asked, her eyes searching for an answer.

His heart ached “I never stopped, my littlest dove.” He kissed her forehead “Never doubt my love again and I promise to never leave you again, alright?”

She nodded and he sat on the bed with her on his lap “Now, what are we reading tonight?”

“Robin Hood!”

“That was my favourite as well when I was a child. Very well then, once upon a time…”

That night, after a few chapters, Elizabeth fell asleep on his chest. And, for the first time, he slept as quickly, the warmth and cuddliness of his little girl compelling his grieving heart to be quiet and have a dreamless sleep with the girl he loved most beside him, feeling hopeful and with a reason to wake up and fight for a better world: so it’d be worthy of his little girl. He had, after all, promised her mother and his beloved that he would, and he was nothing less than a man of his word.

[1989stanz]

Well, two days ago I promised a fanfic to you all, so it is here! It's a inheritance games fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it. I accept any type of criticism, but just don't offend me. Thank you! @aaal-iz-well @myster3y @myfairkatiecat @riddles-n-games@aria-1105 @formulalina15

Prologue:

Jameson lost a 911 and has to deal with his penance.

Disclaimer:

All characters are from Jennifer Lynn Barnes's book The inheritance games. None of them are mine! Mentions of Nash Hawthorne, Jameson Hawthorne, Alexander Hawthorne, Grayson Hawthorne, Avery Grambs, Gigi Grayson and Maxine Liu. There's some cursing and mentions of murder, but nothing serious. The author didn't deep dive in these two delicate topics. No spoilers and no smut!

English is not my first language! So I apologize for any mistakes.

(P.S.: I'm always open for fanfic suggestions.)

Words count: 1.7K (sorry for being so long. I just couldn't help it 😭)

Jameson was never the type of person you could call “phone addicted.” He didn't spend much time scrolling because he was always busy with his brothers, a riddle, or doing something that the police would certainly arrest him for it. As a result, charging his phone wasn't something that occupied his mind, that's why his phone died often. That's what happened on this day. He was in a phone call with Xander when suddenly his phone went dead. Letting out a sigh, he opened the bedroom he shared with Avery to search for his charger. The room was quite a mess, with clothes on the floor, in the bed and hanging lazily around a chair. It reflected the owners' minds: messy as hell, but still comfortable somehow. There was a colored cube on the floor he accidentally stepped on and kicked away as he continued looking inside a drawer.“Where is it?”, he thought.“I know it's here. I remember the last time I used it and I put it in this drawer. . .” Before he could properly finish his inner monologue, he felt IT before he heard or saw it. He felt it strong and passionately inside of him, and deep inside he just knew what it was. Someone was approaching—HER. He felt her presence almost all the time when she was around. His heart would just stop as a true and genuine felling he had never felt before her took over his entire body and soul. It was exaggerating to describe it this way, but every single thing he felt and thought about her was exaggerating. “Jamie?”, Avery spoke and, oh, he loved her voice, specially when she said the nickname his brothers gave to him. Nobody else beside them had the right to call him this was, but her? Just listening to his nickname set his blood and entire body on fire. Hungry. He was hungry for everything, even for her—specially for her. “Heiress?”, he finally turned around and his heart pounded faster when he finally looked at her and realized why she called him. Her eyes were gleaming—they were always so bright when they stared at Jameson's eyes—, a challenge that he couldn't back down on her face. He clearly wouldn't back down from anything she proposed. “Jamie.” Avery knew he loved when she said it, so she usually did it when she wanted his whole attention to her, and god-damn, she was wearing one of his shirts. She had never done it before, but it looked way better on her. She looked beautiful, he thought to himself. And he FELT how Avery had an enormous effect on him. Forget hungry. He was starving just for a piece of her.

Smirking, he said, “So, now you steal my shirts?”, his green eyes glowing more than ever.

“Only when I want to catch you off guard, like now”, her eyes told what she didn't: Avery was enjoying what she was doing to him. Of course she did, he was acting like a damn dog. They stared at each other and did not break eye contact as she walked up to him and pressed her lips to his. The kiss wasn't soft or slow. It was breathtaking, and when she pulled away, he wanted more. Forget the charger, it could wait, but his hunger could not. And probably the 911 call he received from one of his brothers could too.

Grayson would never admit, but he was terrible. Not physically, Grayson Hawthorne was at no time physically terrible. He always makes to sure to be looking good. But mentally? His mind and feelings were so awful that just “terrible” wasn't an appropriate answer. He was drowning in work—again—, swimming like crazy and doing anything that was humanly possible to stop his brain from echoing a name. Her name. So that's why he was standing again at the place Emily had died, so-and-so far from the ground. He had no equipment and wondered—again— what would happen if he jumped. Of course, it was just a thought, Grayson wasn't going to jump, but just the adrenaline that he felt with this thought kept his entire head quiet. Her name wasn't there for a moment. But moments didn't last forever, so that's why he decided to finally go back to the house.

Once he arrived, his whole body ached for something. Escapism. Her name was there again, and he knew a way to stop it. Grayson quickly took some turns around the house, and before he could even think about it, he was in the cellar. Without realizing, his hands grabbed a Tequila, took off the cover and his nose caught the smell of the liquid. Eve. Eve. Eve. Eve. He took a swing. Eve. Eve. Eve. He took another swing, this time longer than the other one, and… Nothing. It was calm. And he took more long swings. He hardly allowed himself alcohol, but in that occasion he drank it like his life depended on it. 

Halfway through the bottle, one thought broke through his shields: “You need someone”. That hit him, hard. But for one second he stopped taking swings and recognized the obvious: he was broken, drowning, but he didn't have to be alone. He had his brothers and Avery and, somehow, that was everything. Eve couldn't touch this, it was totally his and only his. His family. That's what they were. So he picked his phone from his pocket and only sent one message for each of his brothers: 911.

Nash and Xander appeared in a heartbeat and, for reasons he couldn't tell, his heart overflowed with love. He felt it warm and quiet on his chest for the first time in a very long time. Nash was the first one to look at him, raising one of his eyebrows, “So what's the deal, little brother?”. Xander whispered in Nash's ear, “He seems drunk to you too, or did the explosion I caused today already affecting me?” Grayson almost raised an eyebrow when he heard his words. That would explain his clothes that seemed to be set on fire. Instead, he chose to analyze the room he requested their presence. The gaming area was an enormous place full of all kind of games, physical games—like bowling—or just games that required thinking, like chess. Being more specific, Hawthorne chess.

After four rounds of Hawthorne chess and three Grayson's victories later, strip bowling was the chosen game, and he found out in the worst way possible that strip bowling wasn't for him. Nash didn't have his boots and his socks. Since his brothers demanded when they first played strip bowling that Nash's cowboy hat wasn't a piece of clothing, he was shirtless but had his cowboy hat on. Xander didn't have shoes and socks anymore, and Grayson…was winning. He didn't wear a coat, shoes, socks, and his shirt. But he was happy to be with his brothers…or at least two of them. Grayson turned away as soon as he noticed that Jameson wasn't there and asked, “Where's Jameson?” 

“Probably doing something very dangerous and assuming risks that could get him to have a meeting with God!”, Xander replied with a smile. Nash frowned his eyebrows, “I called him like 10 times, and he didn't pick up.” Wasting no more time, Grayson reached for the phone in his pocket and called Oren. The bodyguard picked up immediately. “Any problem?”, he asked, his voice calm and powerful and useless for someone like Grayson, who knew the word “power” like the back of his hand. “Where's Jameson? Is he in danger?”. He could hear the way the bodyguard shrugged. “No danger in sight, if you don't consider sleeping in Avery's bedroom a dangerous thing to do.” Jameson was sleeping, and it was almost offensive that he lost a 911, but then he realized. Jameson lost a 911, and he was going to pay for it like Grayson did. He smiled and turn off the phone call. “As much as I love to see you smile, I can tell where this is going”, Nash replied. Xander was amused, his eyes as bright as the sun. “So Jameson really lost a 911?”. They didn't answer, but instead the rest of the evening was wasted between plans and more plans for his penance.

1:00 am

Jameson noticed that he lost a 911 call, and he knew his brothers would come after him with a wicked plan. Surprised wasn't an adjective to describe his emotions when Xander appeared out of nowhere at night and started to play a trumpet. But furious and about to end Xander were appropriate words. “STOP!”, he yelled through gritted teeth, trying to cover his ears with a pillow. Nash put a hand on his little brother shoulder to stop him. “Enough, Xan. Enough.” Grayson was behind him, and Jameson could swear he almost smiled. Reluctant, he got up from the bed. “It's time for my penance.” It wasn't a question, and nobody corrected him. Instead, he just received a devilish smile from Nash. It was going to be a very, very long night. 

1:30 am

Max was spending the Christmas holiday at the Hawthorne house in her own wing, where his brothers dropped him. She smiled, a big and bright smiled that he almost feared. Almost. “Hello, little duck.” He snorted. “Not sure about being a duck.” She meant dick, but he chose to ignore it. “However. Just sit in this chair and let me do my magic.” He sat, and she covered his face in a really white foundation, drawing a smile with her makeup pencil, covering his cheeks a really shiny red. “I think I know what you're doing, but I better be wrong.” Max smirked, and he decided that smirking didn't look good on her. Actually, it was never a good thing when someone who wasn't him smirked. “I can't tell you. Xander made me promise.” 

“I think so.” And he let her finish, putting a blue wig on his head, covering his hair. Thrilled, she picked a small mirror on the desk, showing his reflection to him. “Do you like it?”. He was right indeed. Xander had asked his girlfriend for a clown makeup for him. She gave him a card with an address written on it as he left her wing. He was going to kill Xander. Suffocated, precisely. With his own damn wig. Opening the card, there was an address that he did not recognize:

Flower Boulevard Street, 89

P.S.: Gigi must drive.

2:00 am 

Gigi knew how to drive a car. Of course she did. At least that was what she told him before breaking all the traffic laws. Jameson wasn't a fan of laws and endless rules, but after this 30 minutes painful ride and almost dying more times than he could count, he was a new fan of the traffic law, apparently. She stopped in front of a building, some pop music blasting on the radio, his face so white that it looked like he was a ghost. After a few minutes of searching for his soul that clearly was lost along the way, his eyes analyzed the construction. He had thought about the worst places that his brothers would have chosen as a location for the evening, but a big and luxury hospital didn't cross his mind, not even once. But there he was, standing in full clown clothes in the hospital parking. Gigi grabbed his arm. “What are you waiting for? I thought you liked a challenge.” He did, and that's why he entered the construction.

2:15 am 

He managed to get lost inside the hospital, but that was way better than Gigi getting lost four times while driving 'cause she insisted on not using the GPS. After a few minutes, he founded his brothers. Unfortunately. “Wooow! He looks awfully amazing”, Xander shouted. “This isn't your best moment, little brother”, Nash laughed. Grayson just looked, without saying anything at first. Then he raised an eyebrow. “I think you lost something, Mr.Clown”, he told Jameson, pulling out leather pants from his hands. Not common leather pants, but THE leather pants. He was doomed.

2:25 am 

Out of all his brothers, Jameson was the leanest, but the leather pants still squeezed him really tight. It was almost painful, and he needed ten minutes to make them fit. “Comfortable?”, Grayson asked, enjoying this moment more than anything else. Jameson gave a Cheshire cat smiled, not giving him the satisfaction to see his discomfort. “More than ever, big brother.” Grayson smirked, and he wondered why everyone was suddenly smirking at him all the time. Nash leaned on the doorway, his cowboy hat hiding his smile. “Ready to put on a show, Jamie?” A show? What the actual fuc...”

“I have balloons!” Xander tossed three bags of balloons at Jameson's face, and he caught each one, his face marked with confusion. “Why do I need balloons?” 

“For the kids!”, Xander smiled, thriving. “There are some sad and unfortunate kids on this hospital that need some fun and joy in their lives, and you're going to bring fun and joy. That's what clowns do, isn't it, Mr.Clown?” 

He could feel the need to wash off all the makeup in the sink bathroom and take off his ridiculous clothes, including his fancy clown shirt. But he promised it to his brothers. Grayson had called and he didn't come. That was his penance. “Where are the kids?”, he asked. 

3:35 am

One hour and ten minutes later, Jameson was at the edge of a breaking down. Sure he could deal with one or two kids playing with his wig, trying to pull his clothes, licking his face when they thought he couldn't see, getting on the ceiling, screaming, crying, popping the balloons, trying to slap him, laughing and making jokes of him, swearing, running and so much more. But twenty? It seemed and felt like hell. He couldn't even judge the kids, 'cause little Jamie was worse than that kids. He looked at Nash after one of them spat on his face, “Please, Nash. Please stop this.” All three of them laughed, Xander more pleased with himself than ever. He had video every time a kid did something to him and threatened to send them to Avery. Jameson didn't even try to stop him, his little brother was going to show Avery one way or another. And he was mortified. “Please. It's been one hour. I can't handle more.” Jameson Hawthorne didn't beg, of course not. But he was about to get on his knees if Nash didn't look at him and decided that the poor boy had enough. “Alright, kids!” He shouted and all of them immediately stopped what they were doing, something that Jameson couldn't do. He felt jealous. “Form a line, so the clown can say goodbye to you all.” They said an audible “noooo”. Apparently, they liked to torture him. He went to say goodbye to every kid when they finally formed a line, some of their names carved on his brain as he passed. Brian. Yasmin. Joe. Kloe. Patrick. Pablo. Iago. . .

“Where's Iago?”, Kloe said, looking behind her. Jameson counted the kids and there were only 19 of them. Oh, hell. “Nash”, he looked at his oldest brother while he nodded, understanding what he meant with just one word. “Go there, Jamie. We'll stay here.” He took a glance at the kids. “So, how are we feeling about dancing?” They screamed in excitement. Jameson couldn't understand how he did it. 

4:05 

Where were this kid? Jameson had searched absolutely every god-damn room of the hospital, had warned the nurses, and they still had not found him. He couldn't help but remember when he disappeared as a kid. It didn't take a couple of minutes to find him, it took hours. Sometimes even days. He swallowed hard, thinking what would happen if Iago wasn't found. What if he was in danger? How would his parents react? What if he managed to get out of the hospital…

“Oh my god, Iago! Can you calm down for a second? You're going to spill my coffee all over the room.” He heard someone say in a room at the end of the hallway, stopping to look what was going on. Gigi trying to take Iago off of the ceiling with a cup of coffee in her hand. The scene was a one to be recorded, if Jameson wasn't freaking out. “Iago! Get off of there!”, he commanded, and surprisingly the kid seemed to hear. “I don't know”, Iago mumbled and he looked worried. Scared. That shattered Jameson's heart. He picked up the kid, careful to not let him fall or break the ceiling. “Thank you”, the infant wrapped his hands around his neck, not letting go. Gigi was very embarrassed. “I couldn't get him off, he didn't hear me.” Jameson was so confused on why she was still at the hospital, at 4 am, drinking coffee. But all he did was to shrug, “They don't hear me too.” And they walked back to his brothers only to found Nash dancing with them. God has favorites, he thought. 

8:00 am 

Ten minutes later they arrived at Hawthorne House and Jameson dropped dead on his bed. After taking off the makeup, clown clothes and the leather pant, obviously. But his body naturally woke him up at 7:45, and he couldn't get any sleep after that. And that's why he was on the roof when he heard steps. “You put out quite a show to the kids.” It was Grayson talking.“The hospital called, asking if you're going to visit again.” Not a chance in hell. He liked the kids—actually, loved them— but he couldn't handle them all at once. It was draining. Grayson knew it, that's why he was smirking, almost showing a smile. “You know”, Jameson started, “that I only didn't pick up because my phone had died?” It was basically his way of saying that, if he knew that Grayson was calling, that he needed him, he would appear in seconds. And he always would. Despite all the offenses, the teasing and the fights, Jameson would walk through hell for Grayson. He knew that, and Grayson would do the same. If all that it took to make him laugh, smile or to just take the weight off his shoulders a bit was to see Jameson dressed up as a clown, he would do it a hundred times. And he would do it over and over, no just because “that's what brothers do”, but because that's what you do when you love someone—you show them your love and loyalty. 911 wasn't just a simple code, it was meant to their brothers know how much they loved and appreciated each other, even though sometimes they have a hard time telling or showing it. Jameson knew the meaning behind this simple code, and it would kill him if Grayson thought that Jameson didn't care for his older brother. They all cared for each other, that's what made them the Hawthorne brothers. Not just the DNA because, when you grow up between the Hawthornes, you couldn't care less for biology. “I know,” Grayson replied, and his tone gave something else. Of course, I know, but I won't go deep into it right now, he seemed to say. So they just stood there, watching the sun and enjoying each other's company, without admitting it.

[hannahlikeso741]

Drag me to Despair (15/17)

Summary : For Sebastian, meeting the new 5th year Slytherin girl, Aurelia Gray has been nothing short of eventful. But since using Dark Magic, he has been fighting those little whispers that creep in his sleep.

Now entering 6th year and they enter adulthood, He sees Aurelia in a way he cannot describe. With the gossip that surrounds Hogwarts, how will Sebastian keep his secrets? And who really is Aurelia Gray, and why is she so willing to follow him?

(Written mainly in Sebastian's POV, but this chapter is written in my MC's POV)

Warnings: NSFW as it contains spoilers, BDSM and smut with underage teens.

Pairings: Sebastian x fem! Slytherin MC (my own Mc, Aurelia Gray) with Sebastian x Poppy and fem! Slytherin MC X Garreth on the side.

Suppose you wonder about me.

I don’t blame you. What you heard from me was through his eyes after all. 

Do you have an opinion of me? How I behaved or what I said? Did I offend you, or did you see yourself in me? 

I beg of you, whoever you may be. To at least please hear from me. I apologize if my thoughts are tangled and frazzled, but I hope you would at least hear me from my words no matter how… unruly I may be. 

I will not take you to when I was born, but I will take you to where I was raised. A gloomy manor in the countryside, overlooking the lands my father used to own. As one may awe in its glory, to me it was a house devoid of emotions and love. A bold statement that means nothing after the surface. A place suffering from its high status that the residents felt the pressure. 

My father, a Duke with ties to Queen Victoria herself, is determined to keep this place to that status. To what ends, you may ask? How about marrying a rich woman that thought her dreams of marrying a prince came true, only to find it was all a lie? 

Because that is exactly what happened. 

Mother came from what they call the Nouveau riche, being an heiress, where her father made his money in the shipping business. I have been told she was naïve yet free spirited, a testament to where she came from the land of the free. She had her head filled with fairy tales, hoping one day she will have her Prince Charming. That day came true when she met my father at a New York City ball. He charmed her, with his golden hair and piercing dark eyes. How could my mother resist? They wedded within a short three-month courtship. 

It ends happily, right?

Lies. 

Mother found out that Father only needed her wealth, as his estate had been crumbling. Since then, mother stopped believing in happily ever afters. The stuffy rules, the need for appearances in British high society, and my father’s neglect and affairs murdered her free spirit. She tried her hardest to provide him an heir and failed the first three times, resulting in me and my sisters. 

I remembered her looking so gravely sick in the final month of her fourth pregnancy. The blue eyes, pale skin and black hair I inherited from her slowly went dull and haggard, as if she hadn't had the strength to carry on. I was only seven on the last day she was alive, humming to her overdue baby that familiar tune. 

“Lavender’s green, dilly dilly…” 

Call it a child’s instinct, but I ran towards her the minute she hummed it, hugging her legs. In return, she hugged me back, as I remembered her words she said to me. I will never forget her words. 

“Oh, my dear Aurelia… among you and your sisters, you resemble me the most. And with that, I have cursed you with my beauty and my fate. I wish I could spend more time with you, free you… alas, I fear my time is up. With beauty comes admirers, till you find one whose silver tongue you cannot resist. Be careful with who you give your love to, for it can lead to your demise…” 

I merely nodded as I hugged her tight. I wished I could hear her sing to me again, to read stories to me in the summer, out at the fields again. That night, I couldn’t sleep as I heard her screams of pain trying to bring my little brother into the world while my father merely waited, sorting out what needs to be repaired in the estate. It cost her life, and I knew there and then I was to be pushed aside, a burden to my father when word got around that it was a boy. 

Ever since then, Father was distant from me. He left me in the care of a governess, as my sisters had to prepare themselves to debut into high society. I watched my eldest sister sink to a loveless marriage that was full of arguments while my second eldest sister was sent to a convent after being caught with a lord’s son unchaperoned and indecent, all while growing into a woman myself. I’m alone now, with no one to love.

It left a scar on me. I can only have security or atone for giving into my passions. Unlike my brother, who my father pinned his legacy on, got his sins covered as he developed into a spoiled, arrogant brat. 

I should have been cast aside, but that changed when I first appeared in a high society ball. I only had thirteen summers, but I know the look in those eyes of the upper class that stared at me when I descended from the stairs. The whispers that lurk in high society then labeled me as “Snow White.” Black hair, lips as red as blood, skin as white as snow.

I hated it. 

Reduced to only my looks. My mother’s curse came true. They were waiting for me to grow up, a fine, delicate wallflower to their illustrious family, not caring if my looks would fade or die the same way my mother did. A pretty thing to be added. 

And they wondered why I didn't talk. It’s simple, I don’t want to. I might upset my father, anyway and I would rather be spared from his lectures and his fleeting temper. I am done being nice, silent, and merely accepting my fate as I get older. 

In the year I was between fourteen and fifteen, I rebelled as much as I could. Going outside to the fields, running about or hiding to be buried in books. Anything to escape the stuffiness of the manor that was my prison. I didn’t care about the scolding, being locked away for days on end or the empty threats. I knew Father needed me intact to marry for his own benefit. 

I didn’t care. All I wanted was to run away and chase… that glow. 

It was one of those days when I was in the fields again, enjoying the brisk freedom I had, anything to avoid needlework, playing piano or sticking my nose in Latin. The glow I kept seeing was stronger, calling to me to a spot. I didn’t notice my little brother wondering where I kept going, intending to chase me down or insult me, whatever it was. 

All I knew was I could harness magic at that moment, finally having freedom as the winds engulfed me as somehow, I had control over what seemed like lighting. I didn’t know my younger brother saw everything and gotten seriously injured when I lost control of my power. 

Father was furious, and I have attracted some eyes to the Grey household. 

I remembered being locked up in my room, yearning to go outside with only my governess and the servants for company. I begged and tried to escape, anything to just let out into the fields again. Until things changed, I had to meet Queen Victoria and explain myself. Father’s orders, something about the family’s reputation. I thought I am doomed to live in the convent, sent away to a far away colony. 

Until that is, I met Professor Fig, my mentor talking alongside the Queen. Something about a delicate matter, I assumed it had to do with me.

“Ah… pardon me, but you are exquisite.” 

I’ve heard those words a million times but those first words from Professor Fig, it felt like a father in awe of his daughter. Since then, as I was whisked away in private to learn more about magic under his tutelage, I considered him my actual father as he prepared me for Hogwarts, since he was the only one I knew that cared.

And that is when we had our adventures with the dragon and Ranrok, and so began my journey as the Ancient magic wielder. 

I recalled feeling dizzy as we were outside the Great Hall, trying to process what happened that day. But I had no time to think about it, as Headmaster Black urged me to follow him.

Steer yourself Aurelia, you have been in many balls. You can handle an opening school ceremony. 

I composed myself as I followed Headmaster Black towards the end of the hall to be sorted, looking straight with a composed posture and my hands folded to my front. My governess did tell me to correct my posture and to always have a presence no matter what the occasion. I paid no mind to the whispers, but I knew what they said. 

“Who is she?” 

“I wonder about her status, she has the aura of a royal…”

“Is she a pure blood? She has the air of one.” 

“Have to say, she is beautiful.” 

It is the same kind of whispers I always get from the balls and social affairs my father forced me to attend the minute I turned twelve. I am used to it, being told I’m beautiful and stunning. It seems I have the same effect in the wizarding world. I noted the four coloured tables, and the students who have their eyes on me. I was the last student to be sorted after all. I politely smiled at the red-haired teacher they called “Professor Weasley” and took the seat, weary on what the hat would place me in.

I only had one thing in my mind at the moment. 

The desire to be free, to be more powerful. 

I longed to escape the fate of my mother and my sisters, though that new magical ability I had discovered on my own. 

That hat knew my thoughts too well, yelling at the house I am to go to. 

“SLYTHERIN!”

I took a breath of relief to know where I was to be located, but something hit me. Professor Fig told me that Slytherins were mainly pure-bloods and half-bloods, and if I am right, I am considered a muggle born witch, a…Mudblood. I needed to fabricate a lie to survive. I learned that from those times of keeping up appearances in social events. 

I had no qualms about it… until I met him, getting to know my other Slytherins.

“Can I help you?” 

That guarded stance and pointed tone… I couldn’t help but to notice that it was too similar to what I had. A fear of anyone letting someone in. And the first person who didn’t comment on my looks. I’m not afraid of that, because I knew that emotional shield that freckled, dark haired boy wielded.

His name was Sebastian Sallow. 

 And since that first duel, I had wanted to be by his side. The first boy I knew that treated me as an equal, not to be cast aside. I willingly assisted him in his quest to heal his sister… just as much as he seemingly helped with mines. We both desired power to free us from our helplessness, archiving it by all means. A kindred spirit from being broken. 

That is until… he went too far with the Dark Arts. 

Did he not hear my pleas to stop? He went too far that I saw the madness in his eyes. Till he paid the price. I could only offer him little comfort when Anne didn’t want to speak to him again. How I pleaded to Ominis that Sebastian didn’t deserve to be sent away, knowing that look on his face that he regretted everything, I still saw some good left in him. It was a sad end to that term. 

I came back to that cold manor to a father that refused to acknowledge my presence, saying something about not wanting to be seen with a hysterical woman and I better be married by the time I turn eighteen, and a brother who said I needed to be condemned. 

What a joke.

I remembered spending the summer when I turned sixteen mourning my fate and my loss. Realizing I lost Professor Fig and Lodgok… I cared for them. Now I lost a friend and my father figure. I needed to go back to that world, carry on their memory and what they died for. Alas, it may not come true as… I am still my father’s daughter. Often I sent owls to my school friends and to him… it eased the loneliness.

That dreaded summer couldn’t pass any faster. 

It was the first time I took the train to Hogwarts, now having to look like a lady. I saw Poppy and Natty, they too had changed into a mature style as we sat together in the carriage. All 3 of us were just excited to put everything behind us, looking forward to a normal year. 

That is, until I arrived in the Great Hall, sitting opposite Ominis and Sebastian again. My breath was caught a little that I paid no attention to the murmurs that were about me. Ominis had grown, but Sebastian turned into a man that summer. I felt my heart fluttered a little, which I quickly dismissed as some 7th year boy distracted me, which I knew he wanted to court me. 

What I didn’t expect was the chaos that entailed. 

Miss Winter? I thought Hogwarts was above trashy gossip. Then when it spread, all I wanted to do was hide. It was like being back at the balls, where people only eye you for marriage. My sanctuary was ruined by a nightmare I tried to escape from at home. 

Which led to that fateful day in the Undercroft. 

Sebastian, the first boy I trusted and cared for… I turned to him for comfort. It hit me that I wanted him to be my series of firsts. 

My first kiss and my first man. 

I gave my lips and my body to him willingly. At first it was to help the other out, just like we did in our fifth year but on an intimate level. I can’t explain our relationship then, but it was more than friends. To stop myself from indulging further, I set upon those rules and he willingly followed. I still had a reputation to upkeep.

Honestly, I am surprised Ominis hasn’t caught on to our antics, which he nearly did but he was too kind to not press on about it. Ominis did warn me about dark magic, something I was concerned about. My body is a small price to pay. 

We agreed, right? That our intimate arrangement will come to an end, be serious with other people? 

I didn’t know my feelings then. I needed to keep it under control, for my reputation's sake. I swear I am beginning to think that the gossip is affecting me, resulting in me having to be quiet like how I was in the Muggle world. I feared people may find out about us. 

That is, till Garreth came along. 

He was… kind, gentle and he made me laugh… It is everything a girl would want in a relationship, right? A loving husband that can provide? But… he was so eager to please, that I didn’t felt… like he treated me as an equal. I yearned for adventure and danger… something Garreth wasn't interested in. The more I thought about it, the more caged I felt. Even his kisses treated me like a delicate being. 

Poppy suited Sebastian, really. I saw them together and I can tell… she was happy. He had no clue did he? Poppy never really got over her first crush. As a result of it, I thought her some things  I knew about Sebastian, what he liked and what to expect. After all, I knew what kind of a lover he was. He would prefer someone like her as she was born to the magical world, unlike me.

Then came my stay in Feldcroft for Christmas.

Father would have had a fit if he knew that I spent the night unchaperoned with another boy. I didn’t care, I merely wanted to not feel alone and Sebastian offered his company. I must have been frustrated from Garreth that I willingly crawled up towards Sebastian’s bed. I just wanted to be vulnerable again, to feel…

Loved. 

I didn’t regret giving him my lips again, nor my stay there. It was only us two… my status that I tried to hide didn’t matter, I could be living among the peasants but I would be free. Alas, I know that was nothing more than a dream as  this was a means to an end. Sebastian needed to be with Poppy and I did not want to get in the way. But I will treasure the memory and the necklace he gave me. 

We stopped seeing each other and only kept it as friends after that. 

I felt something in me die a little. Even till the point Garreth had asked if I was all right. I lied, of course. But I should know better when my eyes closed as Garreth kissed me, my mind turned Garreth’s red hair and green eyes to his familiar dark brown instead. The kind careful look Garreth would give me turned to one out of hunger, laced with a darkness I knew too well on one man. 

Like a moth to a flame. 

But I was so determined to not repeat the mistakes of my mother. She warned me, right?

Oh mother, you warned me so of falling for whom I gave my heart to, but putting it into practice made me a terrible student. How can he make me yearn for his touch that I never wanted another to hold me and take me to his bed? 

When I am with Garreth… I'm a wallflower, prim and proper. It will kill me eventually. But when I am with Sebastian, my wild, unrepressed and passionate side gets released into his arms without a scorn. I… 

I didn’t know what to do. 

Until it leaked that I stayed at Feldcroft, resulting in Poppy coming down and screaming at me. She had every right to be mad as she slapped me. I didn’t even fight back. I wronged her and Garreth. We haven’t spoken since.

Which led to where it was now. The argument and the confession in the Undercroft. In the brisk of it I… admitted it. Something that I suppressed for so long but it became clear as day. 

I loved him. I loved Sebastian Sallow. 

That knowledge is for him, and whatever he chose to do with it. I’m done with secrets and half truths. I will plead my mea culpa for leading him on, but I now know what I want. 

I must have taken up too much of your time. All I can say is, thank you for hearing my side. 

[currentfandomkick]

Danny gets a visit from Scarecrow. He’s reviewing his products and informing Scarecrow which set of fear receptors each sample targets. As far as Danny’s body is concerned? Adrenal gland- affective fear gas and toxins are carbon ghost weed. Some affect only the amygdala without triggering his adrenal glands were more like electrolyte drinks for Danny. Scarecrow is fascinated by Danny’s biology and Danny is given the man’s number so he can continue to be a willing test subject.

Tucker got bored while Scarecrow and Danny were doing drug experiments. Tucker just… decided to toy with the magic he has as Dulamann and noted raising dead animals is included. He now has a pet pigeon zombie named GiGi who is a demanding little thing expecting cuddles on his shoulder and coos. Tucker refuses to let Lancer return her to being dead, ans the class agrees.

Wes and Star ended up in a Riddler Scheme. Wes and Star get the riddles correct, sure, but Wes is bored so he treats it like an escape room. Star tells him he will not beat the Phantom Allegations if he keeps it up. Wes does keep it up and points out as they leave that Batman’s armor, build, and base structural features all could belong to Bruce Wayne and the Batman dating Bruce would be a clever cover, esp given the 6 lookalikes thing and Superman being a dead ringer for Bruce Wayne. Star reminds him that outting the living people’s secret IDs is poor taste. His response of ‘so you don’t want me to tell the rest of the A-listers which market Hood gets his snacks from and when then?” Star shuts up and demands his camera for the event as otherwise she will not hear the end of it from Dash.

Oddly enough, it was not Fenton who bit anyone. That was Sam in an attempted kidnapping of an heiress. She broke skin and the kidnappers are in the ER since the teens began their class trip. She is also arguing with Wes over photo composition and subject preferences and purposes. He thinks her aesthetic is boring and trite. She finds him to be a clout chasing idiot whose curse is the only thing stopping the Dannies from being outted as the Phantoms.

Everyone catcalled Selina with pspsps or whistles audible to dogs. Lancer tells them to “stop harassing the local rogues. They are not liminal, this is harassment” multiple times. Catwoman is bewildered and takes to dropping Robin (Damian) in front of them to see their reaction to him.

This began the vigilante response betting pool and subsequently sabotaging. How Paulina was not caught and made out like a bandit is everyone but Mikey’s to wonder. And he is spilling nothing.

Danny and Val were caught making snowmen as a date. His icecore kept him from any consequences (and gothamites were convinced he’a alien, meta or both at this point) while Val is seen in her Red Huntress suit teasing the crap out of him. Apparently this reminded the poor Mr. Freeze of his relationship with Nora and the man was very unwell. Batman reprimanded them… only for Danny to try and steal the man’s cape as “it rewrites physics and has a submix of cursed magic and black hole-centered magic. I need this to store the thermos not in my chest!” Batman is now Concerned for the meta boy. Val just rolls her eyes and tells him to see if Catwoman can get him a scrap to test and play with as a souvenir and possible commission for her at a later date. Batman is further alarmed, but is called away to help move victims with early stages of hypothermia.

Val and Danny are later seen in an argument with Red Robin and Spoilers on battle tactics in the middle of an escape(?) from Bane. Danny is insistent they ‘let him soup the man’ while Val is in favor of Danny hitting him with a wail and letting her contain him in her suit’s energy field. Spoiler is intent on getting the pair to leave her and Red Robin to moving the guy to a less populated area and wait for backup. Red is trying to trick the man into a corner and avoiding direct combat himself. Sam shows up and grows plants throguht his nerves to paralyze him for the time being, complains that they are inefficient and is seen chatting with Robin over various methods of ‘not liable to make a ghost but Worse’.

Batman issues a cease and desist communicating with Robin outside of rogue attacks

Tucker raises a crow from the dead for Robin. And runs into a determined zombie trying to kidnap him. Kwan throws the creepy owl mask through a wall while Tucker grumbles about not being into feathers, and the need to ask before assuming he’d be down for a fight.

Ashley shared a look with Britney before the pair agreed the Penguin looked severely underfed. They bring this up to the rest of the girls. Sam and Paulie share a look before every girl on the trip has gotten fresh fish and begin throwing it at the poor human-shaped Penguin shifter. Guy was so malnourished he forgot how to fully shift one way or the other :((((

Hannah managed to save a kid from a very unmatched ghost fight. Little girl names Jenny Falcone. Her uncle Carmine was real grateful and invited her and her class to dinner with them! The shoot out with the Maronis was not her fault! How was anyone supposed to know they were Mafia Mr. Lancer? Is it because they’re italian? That’s so racist Mr. Lancer. (Class incites a minor riot against Mr. Lancer until he reminds them that Falcone and Maroni are names on the ‘do not interact with’ list. Not far from the Wayne Clan and their itinerary.)

The class spread stories of ghost fights to their new friends. Danny had taken a shine to Scarecrow (to Lancer’s misery) and Grundy (to everyone else’s misery). Dash is the biggest Phantom Hypeman beside Paulina. Fenton being summoned mid-conversation with Grundy resulting in a city-wide rampage instituted another rule.

Dash started the sewer fishing against Danny as a joke. Pulling out a disgruntled Killer Croc and reuniting Jazz and Danny with their missing-for-twenty-years uncle waylon was on no one’s bingo card. Waylon insisting the lair stay with him and the Fentons approving annoyed the rest of the class. Why do they get to have unstructured time and we don’t was met with a mile long stare from Lancer.

Jazz was banned from Arkham Asylum with Sam. Jazz for appearing outside of visiting hours to ask Harley about a portion of her research into reformation facilitation with those believing themselves irredeemable. Sam for attempting to help Ivy escape with Harley.

Mia, Nathan and Rebecca did almost kill two-face and his goons during an ATM run. Their combined battlelust was cut short by Lancer using a Fenton-Grade Water Gun reeking of old cologne. The lecture on not adding to the ghost population, even in self defense while being a Guest in Thammy’s city did not stick to anyone besides Danny. His address of ‘okay, but do you want me to make them an Amity Problem?’ Got the message across.

Tiffany took Danny’s triple dog dare, to challenge the next rogue holding them all hostage in a punoff for longer than it takes the rest of them to escape was accepted. james and Dash made sure it wasn’t catwoman though—she wasn’t good at innuendo. She is good at wordplay and had the clown on the ropes until Tommy faceplanted whike getting up and Tracey tripped over him. The lancer lecture was not worth the lost bet. Fenton made out like a bandit with her owing him a rocket model of his choosing.

Kyle stealing Lancer’s emergency nausea crackers meant everyone heard it. Wes apologized for his brother’s munchies. Given Fenton’s behavior with Scarecrow, no one paid it any mind.

Tucker reviving a reanimated corpse who imprinted in Lancer and called him “Mr. lancer dad sir” aloud was embarrassing for their teacher and hilarious to everyone in the class. Spike called dibs in being the guy’s cousin and redesigning the bad owl mask. Lancer was a parent now by Gotham’s undead legal system. He did have a minor heartattack and had to stay in the hospital.

DPXDC prompt. Field trip.

Some people would call gothamites petty, but given that most of the USA population treated them as scum, they believed that their behavior was justified.

They didn't like tourists, to put it mildly. Therefore, after learning that in their city were people on a field trip from Amity Park who could not leave Gotham for several days due to weekly escape from Arkham, the news channel immediately decided that a short interview from the guests would definitely amuse the locals. The reaction of outsiders never ceases to be ridiculous.

Reporter: ~Good afternoon~ Gotham News! May I ask you to share what you liked most about our wonderful city?

Mr. Lancer*still in a cold sweat and looks at every passerby as a potential villain*: Uh, no, me..It's so unexpected. Well, first of all, people here are very…

Danny *is high after the tasting samples Dr. Crane gave him for free and is extremely eager to share his happiness with others*,* picks a microphone*.

Danny: Gotham is the best city in the world! Like seriously, damn, I'd like to die here. Although there are constant shootings somewhere, half the time people don't even shoot at me! I haven't been this relaxed since middle school! And in the evenings, there is often such a pleasant scent of fear and despair on the streets. This fear toxin of yours is a real miracle! It's sooo good!

Sam *decides to take the initiative in her own hands before Fenton says too much*: Personally, I am very pleased with the number of green spaces you have in your city. It's nice to see that here eco-activists are really being listened to. Also, the fact that most restaurants have a thoughtful menu for vegetarians left a very pleasant impression.

Dash in his favorite T-shirt "it's not gay if he's dead": Four words. Hips of Red Hood. The fact that it is not marked in the guidebook as the main attraction of the Crime Alley is a real crime. This dude clearly never skips leg days. My respect.

Tucker: What can I say? The speed of internet here, even during villains attacks, is absolutely  unbelievable. I don't want to leave this place.

Jazz: I love Gotham! Finally, I was able to buy all the works published by Dr. Harleen Quinzel. *girl picks up an impressive stack of books* For some reason, they are not available online.

The camera points at a red-haired guy with a twitching eye.

Wes: I'm 85% sure Bruce Wayne is Batman. I have a proof and I am ready to provide it.

A girl with a "Good Guess" pin from Riddler enters and takes camera away from conspiracy theorist.

Star: Sorry, he slipped out at night and went to look for problems. Again. Don't pay any attention to him. He's always like this when he drinks more than two energy drinks in a row.

[fishyfod]

Winter & Yang Parallels and Contrasts

A comparison of Winter Schnee and Yang Xiao Long, and how they are shaped by their society and circumstances.

Or a thinly veiled excuse to gush about two characters I like

[gif by 5by5brittana]

This is split into four parts:

Pre Volume 1 backstory and characteristics

Relationship with younger siblings

Parallel Journeys between V1-5 and V7-8

Rough Speculation for Volume 8

Spoilers for RWBY V8 E1-7. Under the cut because this turned out very long.

Also, take this with a grain of salt? I wrote this for fun. This really is just, me going off the deep end.

I. Childhood and Upbringing

Winter and Yang are both the eldest children of their respective families, and have spent most of their lives growing up in the shadows of their legacies: the Schnee name and the fallout of team STRQ. These legacies are tragedies, and for better and for worse Winter and Yang are in the unique position where they also know the before, the brief time their families were whole (at least on paper). As their families broke apart, Winter and Yang have felt the need to fill the parent role for their younger siblings (more on that later).

This is the curse of the parent-sibling*, in which the lines between adulthood, childhood and parenthood are all blurred together when one is still a child. Winter grew up as Willow and Jacques’s facade of a marriage slowly fell apart and Willow turned to alcohol, leaving Weiss and Whitley under the care of  Jacques - a manipulative abuser - and someone had to step up between him and Weiss and Whitley. Klein, it should be noted, was the exception to the rule, as most staff reported to Jacques. Yang never had Raven, she lost Summer and for a while Taiyang after he shut down - someone had to take care of Ruby. Qrow just couldn’t be a full-time replacement to any of them

* [I believe the professional term is “parentification”.]

[RWBY Official Manga Anthology Vol. 4: I Burn]

This is Winter and Yang’s own personal tragedy, and as inspiring as it might seem from the outside - a mature, responsible child that helps parent their younger sibling - it is not at all healthy for the child in question. It does not matter if things might’ve improved later, the damage has already been done. Parent-siblings tend to become caretakers as well, and this manifests in both Yang and Winter, albeit in very different ways.

Which leads me to the next point, which is to emphasize the differences in both of these scenarios. The expectations from the Schnee name are very much a product of high-class society and Atlas superiority, which is very different from STRQ’s private falling out. Winter is roughly 7 and 10 years older than Weiss and Whitley, so she’s about 12 when Weiss (5 at the time) would become more aware of Jacques’s behavior, 17 when Willow began drinking. Yang was about 6 when Summer disappeared and the trek to the woods happened, and it is unknown for how long Taiyang shut down. Willow became seriously depressed just before Winter left for Atlas, whereas Taiyang eventually got back on his feet. Winter was abused by Jacques, Yang was abandoned by Raven.

Winter’s speech often involves doublespeak with hidden meanings, a strict deference to decorum, and a fair share of veiled (or unveiled) insults. She is closed off, and rarely engages in open physical contact. In private with her siblings or close friends, she tends to be softer, and may hug or pat on one’s shoulders. She has learnt this behavior in order to navigate Atlas society and quell her father whilst protecting herself and her siblings. Unfortunately, Klein appears to be the only staff to put the children’s needs before his servitude to Jacques, so even Winter’s interactions with Weiss and Whitley are soured by this prim, and at times, hurtful behavior; even then appearances must be kept. This is why Winter doesn’t act like a typical “Mom friend”, and why her need to take care of others manifests differently: in her conscience and willpower to protect others. Hence, she trains to become a huntress, the personification of protection, a way to help despite her difficulties expressing that need more conventionally.

Yang is open and outgoing, an easy conversationalist and very physically affectionate with her peers. She is upbeat, and also tactful at the same time. Why? Some of it has to do with her severe abandonment issues, making her more prone to bask in her connections to others. Equally important are the experience and circumstances she had growing up. She grew up in Patch, a relatively small community that is at best middle class. She had Ruby - only two years younger - to entertain and to teach, and in such a small household that also means many chores and mundane responsibilities to take on. By all accounts, Taiyang made enough of a recovery from his depression to parent well enough, and seems a fairly affectionate person himself. With all this encouragement and learnt skills, little hinders Yang from caring for Ruby and others openly and proudly. Ergo, Yang acts like a “Mom friend”.

These are Winter and Yang’s main personas, one uncaring and one unreserved. It is only natural that away from prying eyes or when put on the edge, they drop the facade and act contrary to it. For example, when Winter is angry or provoked, she lashes out and loses her composure. Usually, when Yang is angry she acts quite cold and restrained in her anger, and tries to project an unaffected persona. Alone with those she loves, Winter is more open and talkative, where Yang allows herself to be melancholic.

Yang may be open and candid, and could even be described as wearing her heart on her sleeve, but she is extremely reticent when admitting weakness or sharing her own personal grievances. Which is incredibly like Winter, though she is also taciturn in general. They have a tendency to avoid creating truly personal connections with others. They’re both used to putting on mask of strength and reassurance, and are quite adept at controlling their emotions (to a point). This is a defensive mechanism - they emulate the adults in their lives (who know the values of keeping up appearances) since they do not believe they will be taken seriously otherwise. They have internalized that no one will act on their behalf unless they offer something in return. By acting quasi-maternally to their younger siblings, they continue this act because it’s how they think a responsible adult should raise children.

[RWBY Official Manga Anthology Vol. 2: Mirror, Mirror]

The “practice” in home on their sisters developed in them the belief they should put others before themselves, even outside their family. Selfless as it may be, without moderation this behavior could be quite unhealthy. The lack of concern to themselves makes them feel lost and without purpose, with low self esteem and self-destructive tendencies.

Winter gives up the luxury of the Schnee inheritance for servitude in the army, a perfect place for someone who believes herself expendable. She says her personal feelings don’t matter, and is willing to throw down her life for others. Sounds familiar? Yang wants to become a huntress, which conveniently allows her to help others while drifting along life with no true purpose. She has very low self esteem initially, and her semblance literally benefits her taking hits for everyone else.

Intertwined with this, is a desire to find purpose, and to find value in oneself. They seek independence and a sense of control. For Winter, this meant training in the Atlas Academy and abdicating the title of Schnee Heiress. She remembers well when she could no longer rely on her father’s allowance. For Yang, it’s having a bike of her own and going out at night. She becomes protective of her appearance and long hair.

It’s worth noting that particularly a physical aspect of this independence - fighting - was something taught to them by the neglectful parents. Taiyang taught Yang to fight hand-to-hand before Beacon, and the hereditary nature of the Schnee semblance means Willow was most likely Winter’s first mentor.

Part of this behavior is also a need to escape the situation at home. With Winter that goes without saying - Jacques is abusive. Yang wants to leave the home she held together when she was a child; note her desire to travel the world, and her attempts to distance herself from Ruby so she won’t have to be relied upon even at Beacon.

In a sense, they’re both searching for the same thing - a parent to replace the ones who failed them. Ironwood and Raven both offer to be their replacement parent, at the cost of asking the children to leave with them to a new home, the one they’re leading and ruling. This doesn’t fix their family problem, and personally I believe neither Winter nor Yang full-heartily saw it as a solution, but they were both desperate enough to find anyone - anyone at all - that would take a weight off their shoulders and put them first. Yang searches for Raven, hoping she’ll find in her a mother despite everything. Fortunately for her, Qrow saved her from running after Raven prematurely. Unfortunately for Winter, James’s close friendship with Jacques meant he has known her from a young age, had observed how Jacques manipulates her and her family, and eventually offered himself as a savior from her situation at home. He had subtly groomed her into thinking the military - and more importantly, himself - was her only option to escape Jacques.

Despite this major difference, some similarities between Yang and Raven’s relationship and Winter and Ironwood’s relationship persist: the bandit lifestyle Raven offers Yang is militant and violent, similar to Ironwood’s army. Yang’s learnt conditional trust in authority would fit quite well with a bandit hierarchy built on perceived strength. Winter’s authoritarian outlook lends itself quite well to rise up in the ranks of the military.

Lastly, I’d like to point out the “inherited” philosophies of their respective replacement parents:

Raven’s philosophy: The weak die, so the strong survive on their own.

Yang’s philosophy: If I am not strong, I am weak and will be alone.

Ironwood’s philosophy: Every sacrifice is worth the cause.

Winter’s philosophy: I am not worth anything, so I can be sacrificed.

They’re all destructive mindsets, but the children inverted the implied destruction caused to others into their own self-destruction, in concordance with their shared need to put others before themselves. Part of the children’s progression will be to rise above these philosophies.

II. Yang & Ruby vs. Winter & Weiss

In the previous section I explained why Winter and Yang both act quasi-maternal and how it affected their growth and character. Now let’s examine their primary familial relationship, with their younger sisters Weiss and Ruby.

The simple truth is that much of what I said about Winter and Yang’s childhood is equally true for Weiss and Ruby, which could be explained quite easily - there’s only so much a child can do to replace adults. The important distinction is that for Weiss and Ruby someone did put them above everyone else, and that’s Winter and Yang. Consciously or by instinct, the elder sisters wanted to provide the younger sisters the safety they felt robbed off, and to give them the opportunity to grow and live as children like they couldn’t. In turn, the younger siblings put them on a pedestal and idolized them.

It is heavily implied Winter acted as a buffer between Jacques and Weiss, and was her confidant. Note how fluently they communicate their true thoughts  to each other by hiding them in sneers and insults, yet drop all pretense in private and speak clearly what’s on their mind then. Winter worries about Weiss’s health and well-being, and isn’t interested in her studies and ranking; this is a deliberate choice to belie what Jacques instilled in Weiss, to put her happiness before her image. Winter mentored Weiss’s semblance training and is her harshest critic. She was Weiss’s main motivator to rebel against Jacques, and advised her to cut ties with the Schnee name like herself; she warns her of the futility in trying to reason with their father on his own terms. Winter encouraged Weiss to follow in her footsteps as a huntress, and also in her decision to figure herself out independently.

Yang, in her own words, was the one to hold everything together following Summer’s disappearance. She protected Ruby from feeling loveless and alone as she herself felt, by putting herself there where Taiyang couldn’t be. She gave her attention, she read to her and hugged her. She played with her and entertained her, and went along with every joke and scheme Ruby wanted to make. She enables Ruby to let loose and have fun, to take pride in her accomplishments and to stand up for herself. It’s important for Yang to show her support and pride in Ruby as frequently as she does, most likely to compensate the times Tai couldn’t. Among her family, Ruby goes to Yang when she is worried and afraid. Yang truly was Ruby’s best friend growing up.

Note how both Winter and Yang instilled values in Weiss and Ruby that are better than their own, and encouraged them to be better than themselves. They want them to actively search for happiness, although they themselves seem incapable of following the same advise - Winter went to a thankless job with little reward, Yang is afraid of forming friendships that are not just surface deep. The younger, prodigal sisters are assertive and have set themselves clear goals and ambitions in contrast to their elder sisters, who both prefer to follow and dedicate themselves to others.

[gif by deshieart]

The idyllic picture I described here is not complete. Winter and Yang may have significantly improved Weiss and Ruby’s childhood, but in their limited power as children - or perhaps their simple human limitations - there are blind spots in their relationships. There are issues the younger sisters have separate from the ones the elders tried to shield them from.

Winter still grew up in Atlas and under Jacques, and she is not immune from the dangerous influence of both. Early on, Weiss seemed to believe in similar ideas, and part of that behavior is due to Winter’s influence. Although Winter’s escape from home is understandable, it must’ve left some Weiss bitter being left behind. Winter forwent the Schnee name, where Weiss wants to  change it for the better, and part of me can’t help but think Weiss’s conviction was affected by Winter leaving home.

As she grew up, Yang had two main caretakers - Taiyang and Qrow - who both experience difficulties addressing and sharing their problems openly. Yang, in turn, learnt not to share her own issues and put on a reassuring facade. She compartmentalizes, keeping her issues separate from what she shared with Ruby. But children are more perceptive than we might think, and Ruby must have picked up on Yang’s behavior and took it in. Ruby has her own version of keeping to herself - she ignores her problems and represses, avoiding the issue altogether with seemingly no healthy outlet. [x]

The narrative of the show tends to juxtapose these relationships against each other, cutting from one to the other and comparing them side by side, parallel or anti-parallel. The most obvious contrast is in their warmth: in Volume 3, Winter and Weiss are polite and reserved even privately, having lunch at an outdoor cafe. Yang and Ruby are loud and brash, playing video games and ribbing each other with their uncle. Winter pushes Weiss to confront Jacques directly, Yang seems content to support Ruby’s initiative by following her.

In volumes 4 and 5, the narrative matches the sisters in opposites: it is Yang and Weiss that are bound home and want to leave, and Winter and Ruby fighting in Mistral. Yang and Weiss overcome their personal struggles, and view their sister as their salvation, but end up finding each other first by chance (incidentally, Yang “returns” to Raven at the same time Winter returns to Atlas back to Ironwood). Meanwhile, Winter and Ruby become aware of Salem and the larger war at play.

When they are united with their sisters, this trend continues as Yang initiates the hug with Ruby and stops her nervous blabbering, and Weiss hugs Winter to stop her alarmed frenzy. Yang and Weiss reassure Ruby and Winter of their well-being.

[gif by sirianhewigxiii]

Come Volume 7, Winter returns as a full-time character and we see how after their respective reunions, the sisters return to their preestablished roles. Winter and Yang support Weiss and Ruby in their decisions and actions, listening to their younger sisters as they did before. Now, however, the sisters are on a more even footing: Weiss is now free of Jacques like Winter, Yang acts more assertive like Ruby. As a result, the relationship is less one-sided. For example, though Winter is not as doubtful of Ironwood as Weiss, she listens to her input and divulges a secret to her, showing that despite having differing opinions they begin to see each other as equals. Yang goes along with Ruby’s plan to hide Salem’s immortality from Ironwood (and even takes it a step further when she reveals Amity to Robyn), but she’s not afraid to tell her she doesn’t feel comfortable with that decision. It’s a step up from what they had before.

In the finale of Volume 7 and the premiere of Volume 8, the bonds between sisters are challenged, and they separate from each other. Winter chooses her loyalty to Ironwood over her trust in Weiss, Yang chooses her conscience over her innate trust in Ruby. Mind, these situations are not completely the same: the split between Ruby and Yang is pragmatic and they still view themselves as united, the split between Weiss and Winter is ideological and they are on different sides of the conflict.

I’ll leave my speculation what will happen to the sisters in the latter half of Volume 8 for the last section.

II.V - Winter & Whitley

A brief aside about Whitley, would be to ask if what I said about Winter’s relationship with Weiss could also apply to Whitley. The answer is of course no, Whitley and Winter clearly have an entirely different relationship here. Frankly, pinpointing its exact nature more precisely is difficult, since the center of the Schnee narrative is Weiss and we have little interactions between the Schnees that don’t involve her. I cannot offer you a definite reason as to why the difference exists, but I have a few guesses.

I’ll assume what we see of Weiss and Whitley in volumes 4 and 7 is similar to what Winter and Whitley had, and take into account Weiss’s statement that Whitley never really liked Winter (or her).  As Willow pointed out to Weiss, Whitley was left alone with Jacques, and began imitating him and emulating his hurtful behavior. Jacques took him under his wing, when Willow was at her worst, Winter away, and Weiss in the process of leaving. Deep down he understands he was being abused by Jacques, but with the cards stacked against him his damaging attitude becomes clearer - and particularly, the likely reasons he resents Winter and Weiss for.

[gif by chittychittyyangyang]

So how come Weiss and Whitley turned out so different, and how does Winter factor into this? For starters, I’ll point out again that Winter’s influence on the Schnee household is very limited, and that humans tend to make mistakes. For her to gloss over Whitley, or to presumably ignore him, could be due to several reasons. Perhaps connecting with someone 10 years your junior was just too difficult. Maybe Jacques intervened more often with Whitley, seeing as he was younger and impressionable.

It’s difficult to tell what exactly happened here between Whitley and Winter, and I don’t think specifying here is helpful. I’ll sum up by saying that however their relationship turned sour, I lean towards the reason being human error rather than malicious intent. Family situations tend to be complicated.

III. Yang & Blake vs. Winter & Penny

Here I want to talk about more subtle parallels between Yang’s journey throughout volumes 1-5 and Winter’s journey in volumes 7-8.5. The major comparison here would be between Yang and Blake’s relationship, and Winter and Penny’s relationship.

Before I begin, I’d like to stress that although Bumbleby is clearly romantic in nature, here I’m more interested in their development separate from the romantic aspects of it. As such, it’s not my intention here to argue in favor of romantic Winter/Penny, though I have nothing against it. I view it more as a platonic relationship with some familial undertones.

I explained in the first section how Yang and Winter keep people at arm’s length, so it’s natural to wonder about the exceptions to that rule, their relationships with Blake and Penny respectively. When they meet their new partners, Yang and Winter seem mostly set in their ways, with no real tangible goal beyond wanting to help others where they can. To them, Blake and Penny are a breath of fresh air, determined and purposeful, and they’re challenged by their perspective.

To me at least, how Yang and Blake interact during Beacon is quite similar to what we see of Winter and Penny’s relationship in volume 7. It starts off as a working relationship, but the continuous presence around each other has lead it into easy affection. It’s a give-and-take of differing personalities finding common ground, though here the more apt analogy would be Yang/Penny and Winter/Blake. They begin feeling safe with one another, opening up and sharing intimate details about themselves, and the other’s opinion and well-being matter to them. They even work well together as fighting partners.

[gif by chittychittyyangyang]

Yang tells Blake about Raven and her complicated family life, partially in an attempt to stop Blake from overworking herself. After Winter’s outburst at Jacques, she shares with Penny her vulnerability regarding her family, and tells her she can’t let her emotions take control of her. Neither Blake nor Penny accept their lessons at face value, and question those beliefs. Was Blake’s determination really like Yang’s quest to find Raven? Are Winter’s emotions truly a hindrance and Penny should follow suit? Still, their disagreements don’t stop them from caring about each other, as we see when Yang hugs Blake and Winter holds Penny’s hands.

Blake is a faunus rights activist who fights for what she believes in, and Yang admires her for it, and is also subtly inspired by her. Penny is dedicated to her role as the Protector of Mantle, and Winter is endeared by her devotion to the cause. In both cases however, this beautiful aspiration is soured by Adam and Ironwood, who use Blake and Penny’s noble efforts for their own gain.

Next both relationships experience a “falling out”. Yang fights to save Blake from Adam at the end of Volume 3, and sacrifices her right arm trying to protect Blake. At the end of Volume 7, Winter and Penny fight Cinder, and Winter sacrifices her body (and purpose as a Winter Maiden) for Penny. We have Yang and Winter, defeated and critically injured, left behind by Blake and Penny, both running away from their controlling abusers Adam and Ironwood.

There’s an interesting tidbit here about their natures as characters, as both “falling outs” hammer on a shared flaw between the couples. Yang and Blake are both afraid of putting their trust in someone else, one is afraid of being deemed unsatisfactory and the other afraid of hurting by association. Winter and Penny are both self-sacrificial, the former thinks her opinion and thoughts are worthless, the latter wishes to put all the weight of the world on her shoulders. The finales and aftermaths of volumes 3 and 7 are a cruel display of these flaws.

Yang and Winter are both injured enough to require a replacement for parts of their bodies, a robotic arm and an exoskeleton. The supplier of both limbs is Ironwood, who projects himself onto both women, “rewarding” them for selfless acts of heroic sacrifice like he sees himself. He saw Yang’s fight the the tournament, criticized her harshly for it, then heard about her noble sacrifice and told her he wishes she’d return fighting soon. He groomed Winter to be his second, scolds her when she disobeys him, and after her injury emphasizes her importance to him. It seems to me that Ironwood attempted to make Yang indebted to himself like he managed with Winter before.

The process of recovery for both women is difficult, and in Winter’s case rushed. On a purely physical level it could be argued they have recovered from their injuries, as both eventually return to the field after their recovery. If we consider their emotional state, things become trickier; though Yang was at first offered a fairly lengthy recovery period on her own terms, in Volume 4 her main motivation to recover is not for herself but for other’s sake - appeasing Tai and worrying for Ruby. Similarly, Winter’s recovery is overshadowed by Ironwood’s orders and the current situation’s time constraints.

This behavior on Yang and Winter’s part is not so strange to me, when I consider Taiyang and Ironwood’s roles in their lives. Because of Taiyang’s issues when she was a child, Yang learnt to put others before herself, particularly when it concerns Ruby and Tai. Yang’s recovery becomes less about herself and more about others after Tai subtly insults her intelligence and her “moping”. I view this as falling back into old habits, Yang learning that if Tai is put through too much then she’s taken too much space (she puts on her arm after overhearing Tai saying he has to stay to take care of her), and must compensate by putting Ruby (and in a sense Tai) first.

[gif by sister-ilia]

After accepting Winter to the army, Ironwood acts as some form of surrogate father to her. Winter looks up to him because he offered her safety from Jacques, and looks for his approval constantly. Look at her reactions when she’s scolded by Ironwood for misbehavior. Ironwood offered her asylum in exchange for subservience. When Winter is in her hospital, he first reminds her how reassuring it is to have her on his side, and then proceeds to kill a councilman for disagreeing with him. It’s an indirect threat against Winter, one carefully cultivated throughout their working relationship in the military.

Regardless, the physical recovery is only part of a larger process Yang and Winter have to go through. Volume 5 made it quite apparent Yang suffers from PTSD and emotional trauma from her fight with Adam, and Blake leaving triggered Yang’s fear of abandonment. She faces Raven for the first time, and is haunted by Blake’s mere mention. She struggles against the past - the parent she wanted to put hope unto - and the future - the hope she has in Blake.

Winter faces similar struggles in the first half of Volume 8 parallel to Yang in Volume 5. She is traumatized by the fight against Cinder, most likely with PTSD as well, and Penny leaving as she did has shook her inner beliefs. For the first time, we see her visibly struggling to adhere to Ironwood’s orders with ease, and she’s deeply concerned for Penny’s well-being. She is torn between her loyalty - to Ironwood, the parent she put her trust in - and her moral compass - to Penny, who challenged her to follow her feelings.

Coincidentally, RWBY chose to portray Yang and Winter’s stress with a shaking fist, where they were injured. Having said that, Winter displays many similar physical ticks like that before her injury, but the deliberate focus on the same tick as Yang is too great for me to ignore.

Both of these struggles are also marked by a decisive choice to take action and be assertive, which is remarkable where these two are concerned. Yang forms the plan to find Ruby via Raven and refuses her offer to join the tribe. Winter forgoes Ironwood’s orders to bring team JYR to custody, and instead relies on them to save Oscar from the Whale.

Yang’s recovery does not in Volume 5 either (nor does it end in Volume 6 for that matter), but at the moment Winter’s parallel arc is unfinished. I’ll speculate about this a bit more in the next section.

IV. Rough Speculation

So when I say rough speculation, I mean it in two different ways. One, is that I’m mostly focused on characters arcs, and they’ll be fairly abstract. Two, is that I’m fairly sure most of these parallels are accidental and not intended, so I don’t hold much hope any of these will come true. Instead, think of these as “if I wanted to make these parallels intentional, how would the story proceed next?”

One parallel I do think is intentional is between the sisters. It is the first time we observe both relationships put into the test, and the outcome of this split will obviously change the sister’s dynamic with each other. How will these two relationships compare to one another by the end of the volume, I do not know, the current arc isn’t finished yet. I can only comment on how I want and hope these relationships will proceed. Currently, I see the physical split between the sisters as an opportunity to reevaluate themselves independently of the other’s influence. And, I think this change will be positive for all of them.

Though it’s obvious Yang’s choice deeply affects Ruby and will contribute to her expected breaking point, I think Ruby will come out stronger at the end of it. Yang’s choice to take charge herself is obviously very important to her growth as a person. Given how RWBY framed their split around a mutual understanding both sisters’ viewpoints are correct, I don’t think their reconciliation will be one-sided - they will come to understand where the other is coming from, and their relationship - and team RWBY - will grow from it.

Despite the difference in circumstances, I think Winter and Weiss will echo this development as well. Jacques may be mostly neutralized, but the Schnee family won’t be miraculously healed because of it. At the moment, Weiss is facing that reality now with Whitley and Willow, and I think her arc this volume will lead her to begin healing her family in earnest. Winter will almost definitely leave Ironwood, and for the first time in her life she’ll be free from someone seeking to control her, free to follow her conscience. It will also give her an opportunity to reconcile with her family without Jacques’s influence, which ties in quite nicely with Weiss’s arc - Weiss pulling her family together, Winter letting herself be pulled to them. Weiss and Winter’s bond will come out stronger, and the Schnees will finally have a chance to heal.

[gif by wnterschnee]

You might’ve noticed I put a lot of emphasis on when and where Winter and Yang make choices for themselves, because I think these moments are vital for them to grow as a person. Starting with Volume 5, there’s a been a slow progression where Yang asserts herself more often, which culminates in her decision in Volume 8 to break away from Ruby with her own objective. Like her, Winter in Volume 7 quite often disagrees with Ironwood’s plans, yet follows them anyway because of her loyalty to him. This loyalty is no longer enough to sway her in Volume 8 when she starts disobeying his orders.

Again, I’m comparing two unfinished arcs, but I’m excited to see where this development will lead us. Having Winter and Yang parallel each other like so would really hammer home how similar these two can be beneath the surface. If at some point it involves more direct contact to drive each other, that’d just be icing on the cake. For now I’ll enjoy that their only personal interaction with each other is Yang telling Winter “[she’s] still just following orders?”, followed by a glare - hopefully this preludes a future conversation between them talking about this exact point.

I’ve already touched upon predictions related to the first two parts of this analysis, what about the third? Here we can go a bit wilder, because we already know what happens to Yang (and Blake) in Volumes 5 and 6. How would I mirror Volumes 5 and 6 with Winter (and Penny)? When I think of Yang’s recovery arc, two major scenes at the ends of Volume 5 and 6 come to mind.

The first is her confrontation with Raven in the Maiden Vault, an incredibly powerful scene where Yang properly confronts Raven and calls out her cowardice. One of the reasons it works so well is how difficult it is to realize Raven’s place in Yang’s life is not clear cut; Yang hates her for abandoning her and shirking her responsibilities as a parent, yet there is still love between them. Raven’s reaction itself is both an admission of care when she concedes to Yang, and also another failure on her part by leaving her off with the responsibility, running away again. In simpler terms, Yang reluctantly confronts someone she cares for deeply, yet isn’t on her side.

Who would be the Raven to Winter in a parallel scenario? One possibility is Ironwood, who holds a similar position to Winter as Raven did to Yang. Ironwood is an almost paternal figure to Winter, but he’s making wrong and dangerous choices, and Winter seems to realize it as well. He used her and exploited her, but also offered her safety and stability. Even after Winter defects, I don’t think Winter will want to fight him physically (if she’s capable), and would probably attempt to sway him with her words. Admittedly I don’t foresee Winter’s attempt at non-aggression to be successful like Yang, so it might come to blows anyway.

A second possibility it to put Penny in Raven’s place. Given that Penny’s also Maiden like Raven, and she’s on her way to the Atlas Vault, there’s some potential thematic parallels. Given their established relationship, I think neither would want to confront each other physically, and would rather talk instead. It’s possible here Winter and Penny will switch metaphorical roles, and it might be Penny that gives Winter the final push towards the heroes sides. It’s also possible, given Penny’s hacked plot line, that Winter will instead have to sway Penny back from whatever the hacking did to her. The last interpretation would also fit in quite well with Winter and Penny’s arc focusing on personal choice and feelings winning over.

The other incredibly important scene in Yang’s arc is the Bumbleby vs. Adam fight. Blake and Yang finally liberate themselves from Adam, Blake’s abuser and Yang’s personal enemy, and they defeat him by working together. Yang is freed of her personal demons, Blake of her literal demons, and in the aftermath of his death they mend their relationship. Their trust in each other won over strength.

[gif by sister-ilia]

If a parallel scene to the Nevermore fight would exist for Winter and Penny, I can think of three characters that could fulfill Adam’s role. Cinder already set her eyes on Penny and is fairly likely to fight her again, and in their previous clash injured Winter. It matches fairly well plot-wise, but I don’t think Cinder is enough of a personal villain to either Penny or Winter to match the same gravitas as Adam. For similar reasons, Watts, Penny’s “puppeteer”, can also fill Adam’s proverbial shoes in this imagined scenario, but I fear he’s too inconsequential overall.

Or, it could be Ironwood in Adam’s place. Ironwood seeks to control Penny (like Adam did with Blake), and acts as Winter’s personal demon (like Adam was to Yang) by continuously conditioning her to repress herself. Like the Nevermore fight, there’s a motive for them to avoid killing him, but given Ironwood’s current state of mind he might push them to that edge in self defense. Even if Ironwood’s defeat would not involve death, it would be a liberate Penny and Winter, freeing them from his control once and for all - but a Pyrrhic victory all the same. I’ll admit, this might be my favorite way to defeat Ironwood.

Coda

I’ll emphasize one last thought regarding these character arcs -  it is my strong belief character progressions, and healing arcs in particular, do not have a clear and set timeline. What I outlined here are not endings, but steps in the way. RWBY seems to agree with my train of thought, and with Yang in particular we see this in her current arc: yes, she has progressed immensely from Volume 3, but the healing process does not simply end, even if it may seem that way on the surface. I approach Winter’s character in the same manner; I have high hopes of her character and as a person, but change is an ongoing process, and I’ll treat it as such.

Thanks for reading my analysis! I know it’s a bit long and messy, I’ve had to skim through some ideas that could be expanded upon, so send an ask my way if you’d like me to elaborate on anything.

Other interesting reads:

Kali-tmblr’s essay regarding siblings relationships.

Tumblingxelian’s review of Yang’s Volume 4 arc.

Petracore’s review of Winter’s Volume 7 arc.

Theseerasures’s comparison of Winter and Yang.

Schneefamilyincorrectquotes talking about Schneeblings.

[art-i-know-yes]

Looks at me there's only... 4 episodes out. I only needed a panic attack about the concept of time to do it. But let's get started

SPOILERS FOR S2 EP.1 OF DNDADDIES

Let's talk about how I nearly had a stroke over this

Ahhh jezzball

I was ready for the apocalypse

No. No I wasn't that's why it took so long.

AHHHH TEEENSS

Freddie is Taylor Swift. On-brand

RAD FACTS. Survival babe.

Matthew is Lincoln Li Wilson. Wow.

It will. Year older.

Will is Normal Oak. Babe. Come ON

MASCOT

Hate it

Beth is Terrie? Terry? SCARY MARLOWE

Also on-brand

Oooooo 25 YEARS. BLACK SUN.

Anthony reminds me of my DM bc our group goes haywire when she plans shvt

Crimson sky

Live here out live in the now

Are we watching a movie?!

Sandemous?

Gay??? Breakfast Club???

Ah. Grant. Makes sense.

Awwwww Grant he's grown. I'm going to FVCKING SOB.

Marcoooooo

"Closeenough-"

I'm getting Henry vibes honestly-

STREET TOUGHS

GRANT CARES SO MUCH I'M CRYING AND NOT FROM MY PANIC ATTACK

FIRST ROLL....IS A DROP

Give me the statistics of bullying me

Half-cover from gay dads

Oooooo Powerful women

TJ knows how it feels and completely understands and I love him

Caring families uwu

I'm FVCKING SOBBING YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HE UNDERSTANDS SO MUCH

I think the truth is coming out bc TJ was my favorite- is my favorite

12 SOCCER PLAYERS COME OUT OF NOWHERE

They BEGGING FOR HER BACK

EGHH

Convertible is the yeeeaaaahhhh the Swifts

The boyyyyy is Nick's babyyyyy

Of course Beth

AHHH THE BOI

Damn Taylor

Try-hard Cassandra. Love it.

"Mom. Mom. Mom"

EXCUSE ME!!! WTF!!!

NICK WHYYYY

Not 23andMe

IT ISN'T HUMAN

Taylor is half-DEMON

PRETTY SURE??? CASSANDRA!!!

*memories of headcannon gender fluid Nick* HMMMM PRETTY SURE???

Awww

New besties went from bullying to besties

GOD MAIN CHARACTER

Twins. If you will.

Awwwwwwwwwwwww babies. (I loved them so much too- love them)

Ohhhh that's what that was

SPARROW'S KID

They're so wary and scared

Awww the mediator wife

I. Love. Sparrow.

Ahhhhh. They need therapy.

"Does he have a friend yet?"

I. Love. Lark.

Audible QUESTION MARK

AN HEIRESS

And "WELL WELL WELL"

Trying to be a positive force

BAD GUY

I would bully Normal

Quiet-loud friendships are great

Why does your kid suck Sparrow

Set Taylor free

Gaaaawd main character complex

"I feel sorry for the both of us"

Pardon

Freddie beats Anthony AGAIN

I mean if you don't mind can I juggle

Double nat 20

"You CANCEL me!"

Bad bad mood

Honestly same

GASP LOUD HATE SO MUCH NO BABIES

AWWWWWWWWWWWW THEY WERE LIKE READY FOR IT

Hate

"WALK AND TALK MAN"

Is it thhheee remote

Can't do much it's SIGNED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT

"You see that guy"

Major L

*jukes car*

Why are you taking those kids drives away

Hatehatehate kick it full force

FULL FORCE

YESSSSS

"I'm JV not an idiot"

SCARY THANK YOU

"ohno"

YES

Immediately chokes to terms

CARDS

THEY'RE COLORED

CURSES

Was that Scam Likely

Damn

Not RON'S TRAUMA

OHHH THE TRAILER

SEXY

THE WHAT

"He's a librarian- YOU'RE DAD'S A SNIPER" good for you

Ahhh. Soccer terminology

Damn. Prepared.

Oooo SAILOR MOON TRANSFORMATION

Normal is a Cleeerrriiiiic. Scary the Warlock. Lincoln the Paladin Pal. Taylor IS A RANGER.

The elementary school!?

It's like I'm THERE

"That's good, no, BAD"

Don't talk to a women like that but hurry tf up

Lizaaaard man

Wow

Thank you Taylor

Natty 20

Awwwww the Wilson van

gg Scary

Gross

Turning babies into old people?

TIMING HOW FAST THEY CAN GO THROUGH LIFE AND GET 1 MILLION DOLLARS??? SPEEDRUN?!

Loving this new intro though

ANYWAY VERY VIVACIOUS BUT IT IS ALMOST 4 AM AND I HAVE SCHOOL SO NO TIME FOR ANOTHER EPISODEEEEEE

[murdereraisuha]

Classpecting TWST: Scarabia

For anyone who doesn’t know what classpects are, it’s basically MBTI if it was Homestuck and actually kind of cool. Each classpect/god tier consists of an aspect (ex. space, hope, mind) which takes a central role in a person’s life combined with a class (ex. knight, seer, thief) which describes how the person and their aspect interact. There are 12 aspects and 12 classes. 14 classes if you count the master classes, but I’m not going to be using those here.

So, I’m going to see if I can assign each Twisted Wonderland character a classpect and walk you through my line of reasoning, starting with the Scarabia duo because their aspects are rather obvious. Major spoilers for chapter 4 and minor spoilers for chapter 5. No knowledge of Homestuck required to read.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Kalim, the symbol for the life aspect, and the words “Kalim Al-Asim: Mage of Life”]

The life aspect is all about positivity, energy, healing, growth, and luxury. As we know, Kalim is an exceptionally cheerful and extraverted individual. Furthermore, through actions like lending an ear to his dormmates’ troubles and wishing for everyone to be happy in the Wish Upon a Star event, Kalim attempts to nurture and heal those around him. Finally, like the life players in Homestuck who are all heiresses to empires/corporations, Kalim is the heir to the multi-millionaire Asim family and has lived his life surrounded by luxury.

Now, how does he interact with life? His relationship with life doesn’t seem destructive, ruling out prince and bard. There’s no stealing, exploitation, or lack of life going on, ruling out thief, rogue, knight, and page.

Out of the 6 remaining, the one that seems to fit Kalim best is actually mage. Mages, the active knowledge class, know their aspect and know through their aspect. They have a lot of experience with their aspect which they use to inform their own decisions. The interesting thing about mages is how a large part of their experience with their aspect is suffering.

For Kalim, his wealth has certainly caused him suffering. Throughout his life, he’s been targeted by countless assassinations. His and Jamil’s lives have been put in danger by poisoning attempts enough times that Kalim can’t eat anything not made by Jamil anymore. Surrounded by people trying to kill him or exploit his wealth, Kalim’s status has isolated him from everyone.

Kalim also suffers from his high energy and recklessness. By throwing extravagant parties and getting himself into trouble, Kalim burdens Jamil with work and widens the gap between them, which eventually led to the events of chapter 4. Kalim’s inability to know anything other than luxury/life makes it hard for him to see Jamil’s hardships.

Because of his experiences, Kalim has gained knowledge such as how to identify poisons, how to remain cheerful even during hardship, and how to notice when others are feeling down. He then applies his knowledge through actions like throwing parties and breaking the cursed apple juice in order to accomplish his goals. I could keep going with this, but since I think this is enough proof I’ll stop here and say that Kalim is a mage of life.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Jamil, the symbol for the blood aspect, and the words “Jamil Viper: Witch of Blood”]

The blood aspect is about attachments and responsibility. It is the opposite of the breath aspect, which is about freedom and independence. For Jamil, his life so far has revolved around the metaphorical chains that bind him. As part of a long line of servants, he’s has been tied to Kalim since birth. Jamil has been forced to serve him, assume all his responsibility, and hold himself back so as to not outperform Kalim.

Jamil obviously does not have a liking or desire for the blood aspect, ruling out classes like maid and thief. Furthermore, since his main actions in the story (overthrowing Kalim, joining the VDC team) are focused on benefiting himself rather than others, he is likely not a passive class.

The remaining options now are witch, prince, and maybe knight. Out of these, I think that witch fits Jamil the best. Witches, the active manipulation class, manipulate their aspect and manipulate using their aspect. To see how this applies to Jamil, let’s look at how he executed his plan in chapter 4.

First of, he utilizes “Snake Whisper” a lot to hypnotize Kalim and make him do his bidding. He binds Kalim to his will, an example of manipulating using blood. It also distorts the master-servant bond between them, an example of manipulating blood. Furthermore, Jamil tries to use Yuu and the other Scarabia students to overthrow Kalim for him. He elicits sympathy in them for the poor, powerless vice dorm leader and warps Kalim’s image into that of a tyrant, shifting the students’ bonds and affection from Kalim to him.

Though I initially thought he might be a prince, Jamil does not outright destroy bonds like a prince of blood would. He rebels against the constraints of the system and manipulates it to his advantage; he only resorts to drastic measures when the Octavinelle trio uncovered his plans. Therefore, Jamil would most likely be a witch of blood.

[paxesoterica]

I keep seeing a lot of folks saying they either haven't seen or aren't familiar with The Witch from Mercury yet, so allow me, if you would, to provide a spoiler-lite introduction:

The Witch from Mercury is the latest standalone series in the meta-series of Mobile Suit Gundam, a mecha drama which frequently features conflicts between Earth and space colonies that involve the use of giant, human-piloted robots called 'mobile suits'.

Gundams are a special and rare type of mobile suit, though what makes them so varies between different series; in G-Witch, Gundams are considered 'cursed', for they offer great power to their pilots at an even greater cost...

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Prologue (sub)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Prologue (EN dub)

The prologue sets the stage of Ad Stella, the new calendar of this speculative future, in which corporations have become even more dominant, and space colonization around Earth has become reasonably common.

However, the increase of space travel is accompanied by humans suffering from the various hazards of space, which prompts the Vanadis Institute to invent GUND tech, a human-machine interface designed to help humans better survive adverse conditions. While developed with good intentions, the group and their technology is bought out by Ochs Earth, a corporation which directs Vanadis to construct mobile suits dubbed 'Gundams', which use GUND for increased combat mobility and advanced weapon systems, at the expense of harming or even killing the pilot.

One fateful day, as Vanadis attempts to improve GUND, one of the group's test pilots, Elnora Samaya, and her husband Nadim, are celebrating their daughter's 4th birthday; it is also the day the Mobile Suit Development Council takes action and disbands Ochs Earth, with one of its representatives, Delling Rembran, going even further to ensure a permanent end to Gundam development...

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury -Cradle Planet

This web short story details the childhood and teenage years of Suletta Mercury, the protagonist of The Witch from Mercury, from the perspective of the mobile suit she pilots, Gundam Aerial.

Growing up on a mining base orbiting the planet Mercury, with no children her age and most adults suspicious of her and her mother, Prospera, Suletta learns piloting at a young age to make herself useful.

One day, Suletta is overjoyed when her mother informs her that she'll be attending classes at the Asticassia School of Technology; unbeknownst to Suletta, Prospera confides to Aerial that she will be using this opportunity to advance her plans of revenge against Delling Rembran, now president of an alliance of mobile suit manufacturers called the Benerit Group...

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Episode 01 (sub)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Episode 01 (EN dub)

Suletta arrives at Asticassia, only to have a surprise encounter with Miorine Rembran, daughter and heiress of President Delling of the Benerit Group.

Despite the inauspicious start, the pair start to connect, until the intrusion of Guel Jeturk, Miorine's fiance and heir of one of Benerit's most powerful corporations; when Guel attacks Miorine, Suletta intervenes, and the two decide to settle things with a duel of mobile suits...

Addenda:

As a lot of people have already spoiled, yes, Suletta and Miorine survive the series and end up happily married to each other (though we do not get to see the wedding itself because the executives at Bandai suck).

It should also be noted that, despite its reputation as the 'yuri Gundam', G-Witch is *not* officially classified as yuri or girl's love, and thus doesn't have a lot of tropes you might expect from those genres - it is a mecha sci-fi military drama, but one whose beating heart is the changing relationship dynamics of a queer couple and their relationship with family.

So, regardless of how this poll goes, give it a gander! You might like it : )

(And yes, the entire show is legally available to view on Youtube)

Tumblr Top Ships Bracket - Quarterfinals

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.

[tojiverse]

toji with a special grade sorcerer!reader (implied exes) and instead of encountering w satosugu he fights reader

so i feel like anon wants this more in an angst direction (?) so i will be writing angst today!

warning: spoilers (if ur anime only? also spoilers for this arc as well the star vessel arc) violence angst

word count | 1.8k

When you saw him it was as if time had stopped, how ironic as your cursed technique allowed you to do such within your own control.

“Toji...” You whispered out before being snapped back to reality, you had the vessel and along with the boys you needed to make sure they got where they needed safely. 

“Yo, long time no see (l/n), unfortunate we had to meet like this isn’t it?” He asked and you glared.

By no means was your relationship with Toji smooth sailing, things were difficult, you came from a high clan and you had a reputation to uphold. As soon as your elders found out they threatened to strip you from not only status but being heiress to your clan. You relayed what they had said to Toji before leaving him broken-hearted. Now he stood before you, you could tell he had grown.

“Sensei, we have to deliver the vessel,” Gojo reminded you and you nodded.

“You two go on ahead I’ll handle things here,” You said unsheathing your katana, with a heavy heart. 

“Not so fast,” Toji had said from somewhere behind Gojo, impaling him with his weapon while Getou made off with the vessel. 

You quickly blocked him from attacking you, and he set off after the vessel you were hot on his tail. You had to leave Gojo quickly calling for medical assistance for him, while chasing after your ex before he could kill the vessel. You didn’t catch up in time as you yelled out for Getou to leave so you could do damage control, but it had been too late, Toji had killed the girl but at least Getou was out.

“Toji… I have to kill you now,” You whispered, you were seething. 

There was no way you nor the boys, minus Gojo would be forgiven for this disaster easily. 

“I’d love to see you try,” He said and you smirked. 

You set off blade ready and clashed with him, a smirk on your face. The two of you clashed around for a bit. You didn’t even notice you were outside once again until you heard a bird chirping.

“Why aren’t you using your technique, you could easily beat me with it,” Toji said he was amused.

“Shouldn’t use it on scum like you,” You said, you couldn’t believe this was happening right now honestly it felt like a nightmare. 

“You dated this scum, so I couldn’t be that bad,” He said with a smirk and you felt like you could scream.

Your body was on fire and you quickly slashed at him but he dodged it quickly. You put your hands looping your thumb behind your middle finger with the rest of your hand draped over it, Toji’s eyes widened.

“Domain Expansion: Time Stops All,” You whispered and there was a warping noise before you were both thrown into your domain. 

Within your domain time would be slowed for your opponent, not for you. You quickly grabbed your sword and walked over to Toji, taking your sword and impaling him in a fatal place, you undid your domain and began to walk away only to hear him weakly call out for you. 

“What is it Toji, I don’t have all day,” You said quickly and you turned around seeing what state you left him in. 

“I have a son, Megumi, take care of him, please make sure that he doesn’t return to the Zenin Clan,” Toji whispered and you looked up.

“You never made leaving easy, you’re a bastard but I once loved you. I’ll do it, so rest in peace Toji, I’ll take care of him,” You said and saw what seemed a smile appear onto his face while his eyes slowly closed. 

You groaned while wiping your tears, and quickly met back up with Gojo and Getou who seemed to be in better conditions.

“Sensei, we’re-” Getou began but you cut them off.

“No apologies, I have to quickly take care of some business, can I leave the reports to the both of you?” You asked and they nodded.

You headed home quickly changing before heading off to the direction Toji had whispered, slipping on glasses. You walked up to the home sitting on the porch with your legs crossed, and the boy came up to you with a confused look.

“Yo, your dad sent me,” You said with a small smirk and the boy looked at you. 

“Are you one of his friends?” He asked and you nodded.

“Listen, you’re going to come to live with me, you’re a sorcerer and there’s a clan looking for you, but I’ll protect you Megumi,” You said and he nodded, still looking confused. 

You extended your hand with a soft smile and he took it. You quickly hoisted him up with a smile and carried him off into your car helping with his seatbelt. It took everything within you to not cry, as he looked exactly like Toji, a carbon copy. You both rode in silence as you had to think over an excuse as to how to tell the boy his father wouldn’t be coming back. You also had to go to the Zenin Clan and had to talk over how Megumi would now be under your care. You sighed and the boy looked over at you.

“Is my dad coming back?” He asked and your eyes widened.

“Not for a long time, you’re stuck with me kiddo,” You said and he nodded. 

When you got to your estate with the child in hand your elders looked like they could die on the spot. 

“(y/n)-sama, what is the meaning of this?” One of them asked and you picked up Megumi walking past them.

You introduced him to the household maid asking her to watch over him while you spoke to the elders. After a long meeting the elders caved in to your pleas of keeping him. They told you that you would have to go alone to meet with the Zenin to which you nodded. You went back over to see Megumi doing homework and you crouched down.

“Hey buddy, we have to go somewhere okay? You can bring your work with you,” You said and he nodded.

You heard his stomach growl, to which he blushed, and you only frowned slightly. 

“We’ll get something to eat on the way too,” You said and he nodded. 

“Can we have sushi?” He asked and you smiled.

“Of course, we just have to stop by someone’s residency first, yeah?” You asked and he quickly nodded.

You both set out to Gojo’s place and you sighed, this had to be a headache. You stopped, parking outside the estate and taking Megumi with you. You knocked stating your name and that you had to see Gojo, to which you were let in and made your way to the meeting room. You quickly put Megumi down holding his hand and you both made your way to see him. Gojo’s eyes widened to see you with a child, you quickly explained the situation. He nodded agreeing to back you up and you let out a sigh of relief, smiling down at Megumi.

“Are you going now?” Gojo asked and you nodded.

“Yeah as soon as I take him to get sushi, it’s off to tell them,” You said and he nodded.

You said your goodbyes and you looked down at Megumi.

“Who is that man?” He asked and you smiled.

“That’s a friend and a student, Gojo Satoru, very strong boy,” You said and he nodded.

“I want to be as strong as him then,” He said and you smiled. 

You both got into the car and you drove to a nearby sushi place reassuring Megumi he could order whatever he pleased, multiple times as he wasn’t sure. After you both ordered and got your meals, you set out to the Zenin Estate, taking a deep breath. You got out with him, hoisting him up on your waist as he had passed out and stepped in, all eyes following you in deep silence. You walked into Naobito’s office with a scowl, as you had a rough encounter with Naoya beforehand, and you knew he’d be in there. Both men looked at you in utter shock when you came in unannounced with Megumi in your arms. Naobito, went to open his mouth but you gave him a piercing look and quickly put your hand up. 

“The (l/n) clan will be looking after Megumi Fushiguro as long as I live, I have already spoken with the Gojo Clan, and they plan to back me up, there is no buts, ifs, nor objection. The child will fully go under my custody,” You said while glaring and turned your head to Naoya. “Get out of my sight now, your father and I have lots to discuss.”

Naoya looked at his father who only nodded and he left glaring at you. You rubbed Megumi’s back in a soothing manner as the door slamming startled him.

“Hey buddy, back to sleep okay?” You whispered and he nodded.

He fell back asleep and you looked at Naobito, still glaring.

“You ought to teach your son manners, how will he get a woman if he’s so… brutish?” You said and Naobito only glared. 

“What is all this about your clan taking Megumi in, it was said that he would become a Zenin,” He said clearly confused. 

“I'll make it brief, I killed Toji, so I guess since I did you a favor, ridding you of him, permanently, you could do this for me and stay out. It was Toji’s final wish for the boy to stay with me permanently. I plan to honor it,” You said and Naobito proceeded to stare.

“Well, I’ll allow it under one condition, if you were to become dead or mentally incapacitated, Megumi is handed over to me, and then made sole heir to our clan,” He said and you thought it over. “I can assure you’re not walking out here cleanly with the boy, if we don’t come to an agreement.”

“Alright but I also have a set of terms, if you were to die or become mentally incapacitated, Megumi goes over to Gojo Satoru,” You said and Naobito nodded. 

You stood up slowly extending a hand, to which he took and you gripped it hardly.

“And may hell rain down upon you if you do anything to sabotage this, also he is never to find out I killed his father,” You said and let go, walking out. 

You made your way out the manor not before Naoya cornered you. You looked up at him, displeased to say the least. 

“Get out my way,” You said and he shook his head.

“Not until you apologize for disrespecting me,” He said and you laughed.

“Didn’t know you had a pair now, out of my way,” You said, shoving him and continued to walk. 

Watching over Megumi wasn’t an easy task, you had no idea how children worked, but he was such a good kid you couldn’t help but spoil him. Megumi would often have bad nightmares as a child where he would think you had abandoned him, which broke your heart because as long as you lived you’d stay by his side. 

[blue-heronstairs10]

R&R quotes I tabbed

*RUIN AND RISING SPOILERS*

key:

{…} = thoughts in book

(…) = my commentary

*…* = action

emojis = expressions

[…] = my subtitles

italics = it’s italisized in the books

-…- = not actually said in book

——————————————————————————————————

Apparat: he should not address you so.

Alina: why not?

Apparat: it was the Darkling’s title and is unfitting for a Saint.

Alina: then what should he call me?

Apparat: he should not address you directly at all.

Alina: next time he has something to say, I’ll have him write me a letter.

——————————————————————————————————

Zoya: are you ever going to name that thing?

Harshaw: she has a name.

Zoya: Oncat is not a name. it’s just Kaelish for cat.

Harshaw: suits her doesn’t it?

——————————————————————————————————

{David and Genya kept falling behind, but he seemed to be the one responsible for the lag. finally, Toyla hefted the huge pack from David’s narrow shoulders.}

Toyla: what do you have in this thing?

David: three pairs of socks, one pair of trousers, an extra shirt. one canteen. a tin cup and plate. a cylindrical slide rule, a chondrometer, a jar or spruce sap, my collection of anticorrosives,-

Toyla: you were only supposed to pack what you need.

David: *nods emphatically* exactly.

Alina: please tell me you didn’t bring all of Morozova’s journals.

David: of course I did.

Alina: maybe they’ll make good kindling.

David: is she kidding? *concerned look* I can never tell if she’s kidding.

Alina: {I was. mostly.}

——————————————————————————————————

Genya: David is oblivious. he’s been babbling about mineral compounds for the last hour.

Zoya: maybe he and Toyla will just put each other to sleep.

——————————————————————————————————

Harshaw: *cuts the sides of his scalp so there’s only hair in a single stripe down the center of his head*

Zoya: *shrieking* what did you do? you look like a deranged rooster!

Harshaw: Oncat insisted.

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: everyone okay?

Genya: never better.

David: *raises his hand* I’ve been better.

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: I am becoming a blade.

——————————————————————————————————

Ekaterina: I saw the prince when I was in Os Alta. he’s not bad looking.

Nikolai: *in the trees* not bad looking? he’s damnably handsome.

Nikolai: *still in the trees* brave in battle, smart as a whip. an excellent dancer. oh, and an even better shot.

Nikolai: *shoots Luchenko between the eyes*

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: first vomit, then tears. don’t tell me I’ve lost my touch.

Alina: I’m just happy you’re alive. though I’m sure you can talk me out of it.

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: thank goodness we had the foresight to be captured.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: Saints, Alina. I hope you weren’t looking at me to be the voice of reason. I keep a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: we’re heading into Fjerda.

Alina: oh good. enemy territory. and here I was starting to relax.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: it’s good to see you, Oretsev.

Mal: you too. thanks for the rescue.

Nikolai: everyone needs a hobby.

Mal: I thought yours was preening.

Nikolai: two hobbies.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: Baghra, how are you this evening?

Baghra: still old and blind.

Nikolai: and charming. never forget charming.

Baghra: whelp.

Nikolai: hag.

Baghra: what do you want, pest?

Nikolai: I’ve brought someone to visit.

Alina: hello, Baghra.

Baghra: the little Saint. returned to save us all.

Nikolai: well she did almost die trying to rid us of your cursed spawn. 

Baghra: couldn’t even manage martyrdom right, could you? come in and shut the door, girl. you’re letting the heat out.

Baghra: *turns to Nikolai* and you. go somewhere you’re wanted.

Nikolai: that’s hardly limiting. Alina, I’ll be back to fetch you for dinner, but should you grow restless, do feel free to run screaming from the room or take a dagger to her. whatever seems most fitting at the time. 

Baghra: are you still here?

Nikolai: I go but hope to remain in your heart.

Baghra: wretched boy. 

Alina: you like him. *disbelief*

Baghra: greedy. arrogant. takes too many risks.

Alina: you almost sound concerned.

Baghra: you like him too, little Saint. 

Alina: I do. he’s been kind to me when he might have been cruel. it’s refreshing. 

Baghra: he laughs too much.

Alina: there are worse traits. 

Baghra: like arguing with your elders? *turns to Misha* boy, go fetch me something sweet.

(I’m sorry it’s so long it’s just,,, they’re so iconic and cute)

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: how does Nikolai know you’re the Darkling’s mother?

Baghra: he asked. he’s more observant than the rest of you fools.

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: I don’t reserve my friendship for perfect people. and, thank the Saints, neither does Alina.

(did mans just insult himself ?? 💀)

——————————————————————————————————

Genya: *talking about how David didn’t look at her before*

David: I know metal.

Genya: what does that have to do with anything?

David: I...I don’t understand half of what goes on around me. I don’t get jokes or sunsets or poetry, but I know metal. beauty was your armor. fragile stuff, all show. but what’s inside you? that’s steel. it’s brave and unbreakable. and it doesn’t need fixing. *kisses Genya*

Genya: 👁👄👁

Genya: *kisses David back empathcially*

David: *kiss ends* *😳😊*

Genya: *☺️😄*

(they’re the sweetest S&B couple don’t @ me)

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: you can introduce him to Ana Kuya.

Alina: I already unleashed Baghra on Nikolai. he’s going to think I stockpile vicious old women.

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: but I guess I’m the same selfish ass I’ve always been. for all my talk of vows and honor, what I really want to do is put you up against that wall and kiss you until you forget you ever knew another man’s name. so tell me to go, Alina. because I can’t give you a title or an army or any of the things you need.

Alina: goodnight, Mal.

(😳✋🏼)

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: *hits the side of a mountain with the Cut*

Everyone besides Baghra: *claps and whoops*

Baghra: hmph. they’d clap for a dancing monkey.

Nikolai: all depends on the monkey. and the dance.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: does Morozova strike anyone as a little…eccentric?

Alina: if my eccentric you mean insane, then yes. I’m hoping he can be crazy and right.

——————————————————————————————————

Genya: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Nikolai is growing on me. he’s nothing like his father. and the man can dress.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: if you’re going to jump, at least give me time to compose a ballad in your honor. something with lots of sad fiddle and a verse devoted to your love of herring.

Alina: if I wait, I may have to hear you sing it.

Nikolai: I happen to have a more than passable baritone. and what’s the rush? is it my cologne?

Alina: you don’t wear cologne.

Nikolai: I have such a naturally delightful scent that it seems like overkill. but if you have a penchant for it, I’ll start. 

——————————————————————————————————

Zoya: toss him over. break his heart cruelly. I will gladly give our poor prince comfort, and I would make a magnificent queen.

Alina: you actually might, Zoya. if you could stop being horrible for a minute. 

Zoya: with that kind of incentive, I can manage a minute. possibly two.

——————————————————————————————————

{they wanted a Grisha Queen. Mal wanted a commoner Queen. and what did I want? peace for Ravka. a chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. an end to the guilt and dread that I woke to every morning. there were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy’s arms around me and watch the wind move the clouds. but those dreams belonged to a girl, not to the Sun Summoner, not to a Saint.}

——————————————————————————————————

Genya: the day I curtsy to you is the day David performs an opera naked in the middle of the Shadow Fold.

——————————————————————————————————

Baghra: I am Morozova’s Daughter, and the Darkling is the last of Morozova’s line.

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: or a Ravkan heiress or a Grisha like Zoya.

Nikolai: Zoya? I make it a policy never to seduce anyone prettier than I am.

——————————————————————————————————

Nikolai: I love it when you quote me.

——————————————————————————————————

Genya: you’re the prettiest walrus I know.

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: turned out I needed a good cry.

Zoya: next time, invite me. I could use one too.

——————————————————————————————————

Zoya: do you know what Baghra told me at my first lesson with her? pretty face. too bad you have porridge for brains.

Harshaw: I sent fire to her hut in class.

Zoya: of course you did.

Harshaw: accidentally! she refused to ever teach me again. wouldn’t even speak to me. I saw her on the grounds once, and she walked right by. didn’t say a word, just whacked me on the knee with her stick. I still have a lump.

Nadia: that’s nothing. I had some kind of block where I couldn’t summon for a while. she put me in a room and released a hive of bees in it.

——————————————————————————————————

Mal: same way Ana Kuhn got me to stop begging her to keep a lantern lit at night. 

Alina: really?

Mal: yes. told me I had to be brave for you, that if I was scared, you’d be scared.

Alina: well she told me I had to eat my parsnips to set a good example for you, but I still refused to do it. 

Mal: and you wonder why you were always getting the switch.

Alina: I have principles. 

Mal: that means, ‘if I can be difficult, I will.’

——————————————————————————————————

Zoya: if you’re not up here before I count it ten, I’m going back to sleep and you can carry me to Dva Stolba.

Alina: Mal, if I murder her in the Sikurzoi, will you hold me accountable?

Mal: yes. 

Mal: that means, ‘‘let’s make it look like an accident.’

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: *being mad and realistic then apologizing*

Zoya: maybe you’re hungry. I always get mean when I’m hungry. 

Harshaw: are you hungry all the time?

Zoya: you haven’t seen me mean. when you do, you’ll require a very big hanky.

Harshaw: to dry my tears.

Zoya: to stanch the bleeding. 

——————————————————————————————————

Toyla: he watches her the way Harshaw watches fire. like he’ll never have enough of her. like he’s trying to capture what he can before she’s gone.

Zoya and Alina: 👁👄👁💓

Zoya: you know, if you turned a bit of that poetry on me, I might consider giving you a chance.

Toyla: who says I want one?

Harshaw: I want one!

Zoya: Oncat has a better chance than you.

Harshaw: *holds up Oncat* why, Oncat, you rogue.

——————————————————————————————————

Zoya: you really didn’t think they were ghosts, did you?

everyone: 😬

Zoya: I am surrounded by fools.

——————————————————————————————————

Harshaw: Oncat objects to the landscaping.

——————————————————————————————————

Alina: Mal is the third amplifier.

——————————————————————————————————

[TW: hanging]

{the oak I’d once climbed on a dare still stood, untouched by the fire that had taken Keramzin. now it’s branches were full of bodies. the three Grisha instructors hung from the same thick limb, their kefta fluttering slightly in the wind- purple, red and blue. beside them, Botkin’s face was nearly black above the rope that had dug into his neck. he was covered in wounds. he’d died fighting before they’d strung him up. next to him, Ana Kuya swayed in her black dress, her heavy rings at her waist, the toes of her button boots nearly scraping the ground.} 

Darkling: she was, I think, the closest thing you had to a mother.

——————————————————————————————————

(unfinished)

[harrypotterhogwartshitpost]

Some highlights from my hogwarts mystery shifting script

For those of you that don’t know shifting, or shifting realities is the process of moving your consciousness from one reality to another (I have a post on it here.) Scripting is an optional part of the shifting process where a person writes down things they want to happen in their desired reality. 

My desired reality i’m currently trying to script is hogwarts mystery (obviously) and I’m scripting as my MC. I script every night, not because i think it’ll help me shift to do that, but i have a lot to say and it’s kinda a therapeutic way to end my day. 

Here are some highlights from what i’ve scripted over the last four days. 

--

“My name is Victoria Rose Ivvy. I was born London England on January 12th 1973. I’m 5’2 (or 158cm) with fair skin, green eyes, freckles, and long solid white hair.” 

A beautiful description to start us off. I love how i left out the word ‘in’ and didn’t even notice. Idk why but this feels like I’m the female heroine of a John Green book describing myself. 

---

“I’m very popular around school, though not always for the right reasons. While me and my friend Penny Haywood are unarguably the prettiest girls in school, a lot of the attention I get is derived from my brother and the cursed vaults. While most of the school thinks I’m mad and delusional, I still have a close group of friends that I can always count on.” 

Okay sis go off. *snap snap* ✨

---

“I definitely have expensive taste, but what does it matter when you can afford it?” 

Honestly, i made a point here. 

---

“Technically I’m an heiress”...”I love buying my friends things. I pay for their food, take them shopping, buy them gifts. Do I think they’re just using me for my money? Absolutely not! There’s so much more that goes into being my friend, the gifts don’t even make up for it.” 

At least I’m (kinda) self aware. I know there’s no way my friends are just in this for the gifts.🤑

---

“I get into my pursuit of the vaults because of Jacob, I have a feeling they’re linked to his disappearance. (Spoiler, I’m right.)”

Wow. It’s almost like I know what’s going to happen. 

---

“Rowan gets hit with the cursed iced and has to go to the hospital wing. She claims she’ll be no use to me when taking on vaults, which she isn’t wrong about.” 

Again, I made points here. Screw you Rowan. ❤️

---

“Ben, who was trapped in the cursed ice our second year, also starts acting suspicious around this time. Rowan is suspicious of him, and so am I but I can’t let them know that. I need Ben to trust me so I can use him for information. Ben may be a double crosser, but he’s still easy to manipulate.” 

Again, I made points. Also, Slytherin who??? Lmaooo. 

---

“Year four is when the real fun begins.” 

That, that’s the whole quote. 

---

“We are also introduced to Patricia Rakepick, the head cursebreaker at Gringotts. Apparently she’s here to handle anything relating to the cursed vaults. She Wishes!” 

Well, we already know how that’s gonna end… 

---

“Charlie’s very busy with being a quidditch star and being mentally ill and all.” 

I mean, he is… 

---

“This is the heartbreaking moment when I realize I might need Rakepick’s assistance….” 

At least Sickleworth is cute. 

---

“Charlie brings up a great point-” 

Wow, didn’t know it did that. 

---

“This is when Charlie realized Penny can brew us a beautification potion to use on the Red Caps. Of course Penny and I have to tease him a bit and ask if we’re not pretty enough to scare off the Red Caps. He freezes and gets all flustered and his face gets all red before we reveal to him that we’re joking.” 

I thought of this in my head a while ago. I think the scene is cuter how i see it in my head than how it’s described here. 

---

“I Wingardium Leviosa myself into the air to take a look around. While I have a much better view I realize I’m wearing a skirt, making things just a little awkward for Charlie and Penny.” 

This is inspired by the fact that my MC was in fact wearing a skirt for this scene in the story. 

---

“Bill jumps in front of me to fight off the Acromantula before I get hit.” 

As he should. 😌

---

“He [Dumbledore] says I’ve broken school rule too many times and gives me detention in the kitchens for the entirety of my fifth year. For some reason Bill and Charlie don’t get punished at all which is wack if you asked me.” 

It is wack tho. 😡😤

---

(thanks @eldritchscreech for vaguely implying i should do this yesterday.)

[rosesnink]

tch edit; stepmothers and stepdaughters that had a good relationship- joanna crochane and elizabeth sinclaire

elizabeth always knew that her father loved joanna from the moment she met her. she might have been three years-old, but such things never escaped her instincts. even when her parents had married for her sake, she somehow knew he often thought of her.

when joanna came into her life, she was reluctant to act as a mother to her. she preferred to act as a mentor, for she was her successor when she passed the throne to her. elizabeth, growing up as the memories of her late mother faded into a blur, looked up to her. she never called her mother, but always signed her papers as her daughter.

everyone said that they were like mother and daughter save one another. however, when elizabeth was married, asked joanna if she'd take her mother's place, and thus both women finally started treating each other like they always wanted. it was natural, for joanna's children called her father father as well.

it wouldn't be after mr. sinclaire eventually aged and passed away that their bond would strengthen. having spent many decades together, they found solace in each other's grief, for they have been the ones to reign in his heart: his firstborn daughter and the love of his life. they'd spend many more decades nursing each other's pain, and during joanna's darkest hour, it'd be elizabeth who'd pull her back to the light when she was at her worst, as well as being the head of the rescue mission when joanna was held captive by an old enemy she thought had vanquished.

[a-username-not-found]

WMMAP Athanasia Theory

Spoilers for manhwa readers!

Athanasia's Origin

So

We, novel readers, have read the side stories, right?

Remember that <Alternate Lovely Princess> Lucas that fell in love with Our Athanasia and clashed with Our Lucas? Yeah? Good.

Now, remember that journey <ALP> Lucas went in different dimensions, in search of Our couple? Yeah? Alright.

In one instance, <ALP> Lucas crossed over this world where Diana and Claude were in conflict over babe Athanasia and decided to take the bothersome magic (and her life too) in order to gain power and search again in various dimensions (who knows, maybe he felt some kindness too tho this is Lucas we're talking about). In this world, Diana is supposed to live, an exchange for her daughter's life. Now that <ALP> Lucas had taken the magic, Athanasia would've been dead too.

But what if, with her overwhelming power over time and dimensions, Athanasia have traveled through different dimensions and, maybe because <ALP> Lucas was searching aimlessly too, there's been a disruption that caused her to go to the realm of human world and be born as Lee Jihye? I mean, from the start of the series, Blackie/Raven was already there, stealing some chocolates and whatnot because Athy was powerful enough that her body can't contain it, so, it's possible, right? So, in the 'second' life she experienced in the human world, Diana and Claude were, I dunno, being lovey-dovey with each other. She's not with any family because they're in another dimension and she's just a literal outcast with the last ounce of her mana gone from being 'reborn' (WE ALL LOVE YOU ATHY)

Now, what about the <Original Lovely Princess> Athanasia?

They're the same.

But when <OLP> was about to be executed, her mana that refused to die along with her became out of control when she died, making her turn back time or travel another dimension where she's been just created, a fetus in her mother's womb. This must be why Athy can’t remember that she had a ‘first’ life in the <Original> Lovely Princess. And then <ALP> Lucas came. 

Now, then, remember that supposed treasure in the Topaz Palace? That (cursed) book where it's supposed to test the heir to the throne or something like that? I believe that <ALP> Lucas had found it somewhere in the dimensions, carrying it with him as a key to Our Athanasia's whereabouts. And just when he's close to the right door, Our (goddamn boyfriend material) Lucas led him "far away" (his words, mkay), into Seoul.

Athanasia, now Lee Jihye in Seoul, discovered the book in her workplace. Some computer shop or something. But if <ALP> Lucas was there, then it's not entirely impossible for the book to be lost in his hold, discovering the modern era with just a little mana left in him.

The book portrayed the Lovely Princess as Jennette because, at that time, Athanasia was not alive while Jennette is supposed to be the next heiress, as the daughter of the previous emperor Anastacius and the only young one/offspring left in their bloodline. But the book wants to test Lee Jihye as an heiress for she, too, has a right.

Thus, the beginning of Who Made Me A Princess.

Unfortunately, the manwha seems to have a different yet interesting direction of the story.

Athanasia and Lucas really have a great impact on one another in many ways

Also ALP Athanasia was probably that one in the dimension where ALP Lucas went to, just to find out that the groom is Izekiel lmao (it hurts) the Lucas in that dimension? That’s for another post, this is long enough

Alright imma out

[thatringboy]

For writing prompt, maybe RWBY+JN in Neverland/Afterlife just chilling?

this ended up with a bittersweet ending i'm sorry. ALSO: SPOILERS FOR THE END OF VOLUME 8 AHEAD

Staycation

Warnings: None

Characters: Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby Rose and (mentioned) Neo Politian

Ships: None

Word Count: 653

Summary: Team RWBY + Jaune need a stress reliever

For the most part, things had calmed down in their little campsite. Ruby still wasn’t talking to Jaune, Neo had vanished in the night - no doubt taking out her anger on an innocent palm tree - and the other three cycled through chores. Some other atlesian citizens who had fallen into the abyss of the pocket dimension had been located, but more were still missing. Any idea of returning to Remnant seemed as improbable as a certain redhead returning from the grave.

Weiss tied a knot in the lean-to shelter she was creating and looked out to the beach in the distance. She slipped Myrtenaster onto her hip and quietly walked over to where Jaune sat watching the waves.

“You know, this isn’t the end of the world.” She crossed her arms and watched him turn the broken blade of his sword in his hands. There was still a speckle of blood on it.

Jaune put the sword down in the sand next to him and pulled his knees to his chest. “Isn’t it?”

The ex-Heiress looked around for something to say, but her eyes fell back onto the sea. An idea flashed in her mind and her lips curled into a smile. Weiss reached down and began unbuckling her boots, dropping her weapon into the sand. Jaune watched as she tugged off her boots and unhooked her shirt from her pants, shrugging off her puffy sleeved jacket.

“What are you doing?”

Weiss tested out the water by sliding her toes into the wake. “I’m going swimming, what are you doing?”

She moved deeper into the water until it was up to her waist. She pulled up her braid and wrapped it up above her head so as to not get it wet. She splashed some water towards the shore with a smile. “Well? Are you coming?”

“Absolutely!” Blake appeared from the treeline, already shucking off her white coat and her boots.

Jaune watched the Faunus girl run into the water and splash Weiss in the face. Blake sunk herself to her shoulders with a contempt sigh. “I needed this…”

The young man eventually gave in and tugged off his armor and shoes, sliding into the water with them only to get sprayed in the face by salt water.

“Hey!” He rubbed the water out of his eyes.

Blake’s ears flattened as she jabbed an accusatory finger at Weiss. The second Schnee daughter retaliated by swinging her arm across the surface of the water, soaking Blake.

In the distance, Yang and Ruby could be seen walking along the beach. The three in the water watched as the older sister hoisted the younger over her shoulder and began running full sprint at the ocean. Ruby was shouting curses and protests all the way until Yang dumped her into the water fully clothed. The blonde hung back to take off her jacket and boots before joining the group, a smile plastered on her face.

Ruby retaliated by grabbing Yang’s shoulders and pulling her under the waves while the others laughed.

They played for hours after Ruby took off her extra clothing until the sun went down. They finally lugged themselves out of the water and made a fire on the beach. Down a ways, they could see another fire, no doubt lit by Neo. While Blake and Yang worked to dry off the wet clothing and Weiss did her rounds with the civilians, Ruby sat herself down next to Jaune and stared off into the distance.

The two sat in silence, the crackling of the fire bringing a heavy air around them. Ruby was the first to speak up. “I still can’t forgive you.”

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. “I know.”

“But,” she looked at him sideways. “We’re still teammates. Team JNRR forever, right?”

Jaune snorted and looked up at the night sky. He didn't recognize any of the constellations. “Yeah, Team RNJR forever.”

[ryqoshay]

Putting on Hairs: Monster Manual

Summary: Short descriptions of the monster types of each girl and the role they play in the theater or in association with it. Warning: This Manual may contain ***SPOILERS*** for characters not yet mentioned or explored or for scenes that have not yet been written, though I will try to keep things limited to what has been revealed.

This chapter also may end up being edited. A lot. This whole thing is a work in progress, so unrevealed or unexplored characters may have their monster types or roles, or both, changed if a better idea presents itself.

----------

Name: Yazawa Nico Race: Weredog Werewolf Role: Star of Putting on Hairs Background: Inspired to be an actress by her father, who wanted her to share her smile with the world. She has been acting pretty much as long as she has been able to talk. She had many lead roles back in high school and college, but was unable to land one upon becoming a professional, despite her popularity with both critics and general audiences. She earned enough to hire an old high school friend, Nozomi, to be her agent. It was Nozomi that found a newly opened theater willing to give Nico her first shot at stardom on the professional stage.

Name: Nishikino Maki Race: Salamander Role: Costar of Putting on Hairs Background: Maki was born into a family of famous and wealthy movie stars. However, she grew up falling in love with live theater, instead of the silver screen. Still, she obeyed her parents' wishes and became a child star in a television series and appeared in many commercials afterward. After college, she manged to persuade her parents to let her try performing in live theater and they made the connections that landed her costar role alongside the rising star, Nico.

Name: SakurauchiRiko Race: Demon, formerly of Amdusias' legion Role: Pianist in the orchestra Background: Fearing facing an eternity of playing the cacophonous music of Hell, Riko fled to Earth in an attempt to find something else. She was quickly drawn to the piano and was able to earn a meager living playing in bars and other small venues. She applied many other places and was eventually accepted at a newly opened theater.

Name: Tsushima Yoshiko Yohane Race: Angel, Fallen Role: Assistant in the costume department Background: Cast out of heaven and cursed, Yoshiko has spent years trying to find her place in the mortal realm. Somehow, she found herself in Tokyo and stumbled into a kind woman, Kotori, who offered to teach her how to weave her own feathers into garments that could be sold at a premium. When Kotori accepted a position at a theater being opened by her childhood friend, Umi, Yoshiko decided to follow and continue her apprenticeship. Name: Toujou Nozomi Race: ??? Role: Nico's agent Background: Nico's closest friend since high school where they were in the same drama club. They moved in together in college and have lived together since. Nozomi majored in business and began her own talent agency with Nico as her first client.

Name: Minami Kotori Race: Crane Role: Head of costume department Background: Childhood friend of Umi and Honoka. Has always had an affinity toward clothing and design. When Umi started working with Dia to open a theater, Kotori jumped at the chance to make outfits for the cast. She is quite skilled at using her own feathers to imbue exceptional qualities in the clothing she creates and is happy to pass this knowledge to Yoshiko, her assistant. She is also capable of using other materials derived from other beings, e.g. Phobetor's fur or Riko's wings. Favors are her preferred currency, particularly those that will benefit the theater.

Name: Sonoda Umi Race: ??? Role: Co-founder and Co-owner of the Sonoda Kurosawa Theater Background: Childhood friend of Kotori and Honoka. Daughter of the renowned Sonoda family who already have a theater in Tokyo. However, as her elder brother stands to inherit the family theater, she has decided to open one of her own in a different district.

Name: Kousaka Honoka Race: ??? Role: Owner of Kousaka Catering Background: Childhood friend of Kotori and Umi. Took over the family catering business when her parents retired. Happily contracts with Umi's theater as often as possible.

Name: Hoshizora Rin Race: ??? (cat something) Role: Delivery girl at Kousaka Catering Background: Childhood friend, now girlfriend of Hanayo. Happily supports her girlfriend's theater obsession, even if she doesn't share it.

Name: Koizumi Hanayo Race: ??? Role: Cast member Background: Childhood friend, now girlfriend of Rin. Obsessed with theater from a young age, Hanayo has always dreamed of becoming an actress. However, she lacks courage. Rin's encouragement and support were the driving force behind her joining the theater club in high school and eventually earning a degree in acting. It was also Rin's connection with Umi through Honoka that led her to be brought on at the new theater.

Name: Ohara Mari Race: ??? Role: Heiress to the Ohara chain of hotels and patron of the theater Background: Childhood friend of Kanan and Dia. Lost track of her best friends when she moved to the United States to finish high school and then Italy for college. Returned to Japan but was only successful in reuniting with Kanan. Both moved to Tokyo when they heard Dia was opening a theater there. She owns a sizable penthouse apartment near the theater where she lives with Kanan. She leaves a room open for Dia, should she ever wish to accept the offer.

Name: Matsuura Kanan Race: Kraken Role: Owner of a dive shop and driver for Mari Background: Childhood friend of Mari and Dia. Lost track of Mari when she moved to the United States to finish high school and Dia when she moved to Tokyo for college. Reunited with Mari upon her return to Japan and agreed to move to Tokyo with her when they heard Dia was opening a theater there. She lives with Mari in a sizable penthouse apartment. As Mari refuses to charge her rent, she contributes to the household in other ways, like driving for Mari.

Name: Kurosawa Dia Race: ??? Role: Co-founder and Co-owner of the Sonoda Kurosawa Theater Background: Childhood friend of Mari and Kanan. Lost track of Mari when she moved to the United States to finish high school. Then she moved to Tokyo for college and lost track of Kanan. She is not entirely sure how Mari and Kanan learned she was opening a theater, but she is grateful for the generous donations made by Mari. She is also grateful Mari has not attempted to use the donations as leverage in her repeated efforts to get Dia to move in with her and Kanan. As for the theater, she has not openly discussed her reasons for moving to Tokyo instead of staying in Numazu where her family was already established in the industry. Upon opening, she extended an offer of employment to her younger sister, Ruby.

Name: Kurosawa Ruby Race: ??? Role: General staff at the theater Background: Younger sister of Dia. Grew up obsessed with acting, though has never had the courage to try becoming an actress herself. She moved to Tokyo when Dia offered her employment at the theater she was opening. Her best friend, Hanamaru, has suggested trying for a few minor roles, but time will tell if she does so.

Name:Kunikida Hanamaru Race: ??? Role: Theater crew Background: Best friend of Ruby who she met in middle school. Raised in a temple with few modern amenities, she has limited experience with technology. However, the temple did host many events over the years, most of which included some sort of theatrical performace. As such, Hanamaru decided to join Ruby in moving to Tokyo and applied for a position in the crew for Dia's theater.

Name: Emma Verde Race: ??? Role: ??? Background: Born and raised in Switzerland, she moved to Japan to learn more about the country's culture by way of its theater production. At least that is what she would say if asked in a public interview. In private, among those she trusts, she would admit she wanted to learn more about the differences of public perception and acceptance of monsters in Japan compared to the rest of the world.

----------

Notes: So, that's what I have at the moment. I'll keep adding details as they come to me.

As mentioned above, I will attempt to keep this chapter spoiler-free. However, as spoilers personally do not bother me, if the interest is there with my readers, I will put everything I have here, not just the details revealed in the story, up to wherever I have managed to write. This probably will result in more edit notifications, as I will undoubtedly change things, right up to the point of it being used in the story. And I'm not opposed to possible retcons if better ideas come later.

Also, many of the ??? entries are due to me not having assigned that monster type or role to that girl, though some I have assigned, but have not yet revealed. I am still working on filling my spreadsheet and bouncing ideas off several fellow authors.

However, I am more than happy to accept suggestions from my readers as well. Feel free to comment over on AO3 or send a suggestion anonymously here, or message me directly here, on twitter or Discord. If I like the idea or your reasoning, I may end up using it, and as always I will do my best to credit the sources of my inspiration.

Also, the idea doesn't necessarily need to be a perfect fit. Koto's is probably the best fit out of all of them; I really don't think I will end up doing better. WoofNic is shamelessly stolen from daily-nicotine. Krakanan was too funny not to use, though I knew she had to be some sort of sea critter. Maki started as an Ifrit and was changed to salamander because I love the idea of her being smaller than Nico. Riko is a demon to be an opposite to Yohane's angel, but I'm also amused by the contrast between Riko's canon traits and those stereotypically assigned to demons.

[zebrawuzhere]

Super cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix to make holiday AUs out of or just to watch

So, I ADORE holiday aus and these movies are just so fucking cheesy that they make great fanfiction. Also, even if you don’t write fanfiction, they’re great 1 am binge movies (I know from experience). FYI, these are all straight couple movies, buuuuutttt.... that’s what fanfic is for! Here are a couple of my personal favorites, and I’ll add more later. Please spread this across the fanfiction community, I want this to be seen! (Also, if you end up using these, please send me the links, I want to read them!!)

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

Despite her vain stepmother and mean stepsisters, an aspiring singer works as an elf at a Christmas tree lot and finds her own holiday miracle. 

It’s basically a vine girl meets this rich boi and they’re like “ooh hoo hoo I like youuuuuuuu but i don’t know who you truly are hmmmmmmm”. It’s amazing.

A Christmas Prince 

When a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love - but will she be able to keep up her lie? 

These three are my personal favorites, they’re just.... pure fanfiction material. Like, royal AU, sass, a cousin who’s a bitch, and plus.... two sequels!!

A Christmas Prince 2: The Royal Wedding

A year after helping Richard get to the throne, Amber is about to become his wife. But is she really made to be queen? 

(Spoiler alert: she isn’t) This one... is great. All of them are great. But, weddings are really hard to write (at least in my experience), so...

A Christmas Prince 3: The Royal Baby

It's Christmastime in Aldovia, and a royal baby is on the way. Amber and Richard host royals from a distant kingdom to renew a sacred truce, but when the treaty vanishes, peace is jeopardized and an ancient curse threatens their family. 

This one is cool because there are 2 plots, the baby and the cuuuuuurse!!! Fun!!!!

The Knight Before Christmas

A medieval English knight is magically transported to present-day America where he falls for a high school science teacher who is disillusioned by love. 

This one makes a truly fantastic AU, I mean, time travel?? Her not believing the knight and then he disappears, and she’s like “oh shit he was telling the truth oh well, now I can’t tell him so sad alexa play all by myself” then poof poof love love ahahaha

Christmas with a Prince

Pediatric specialist Tasha Mason is focused on keeping the kids in her ward as healthy as possible. But when the handsome Prince Alexander Cavalieri breaks his leg on a nearby ski-slope, Tasha is forced to allow him to secretly get well on her floor, and she's furious that a spoiled Royal is interrupting the precious healing time her kids need. Soon, however, Tasha learns that some tough love and a lot of Christmas spirit could turn this royal pain into a knight in shining armor. 

Medical AUs, let’s go!! Plus, childhood friends, a crush spanning like 20 years, what’s not to love?

Holidate

Fed up with being single on holidays, two strangers agree to be each other's platonic plus-ones all year long, only to catch real feelings along the way.

Welcome to cliche-land! Complete with people thinking they’re weird, fake betrayal, love confessions loudly in-front of other people, and their family members shipping them. This basically is me, but without the romance.

Hometown Holiday

Krista is starting this New Year with a new business and a resolution to be more selective with who she dates. When Krista meets Ryan Rourke, an entertainment lawyer from LA, the two really hit it off. Ryan is in her hometown to sign a local rancher turned viral signing sensation as his new client. Now with Krista also in Rust Creek, maybe there is more of a reason to stick around. Both are holding onto things from their past and are forced to make some decisions if they truly want to be together.

A flower person, and an Entertainment guy meet-cute, what’s not to love??

Christmas Wedding Planner

Wedding Planner, Kelsey Wilson, is about to have her big break: planning her beloved cousin's lavish and exclusive wedding. Everything is going smoothly until Connor McClane, a devilishly handsome private investigator, shows up and turns Kelsey's world upside-down. Hired by a secret source, Connor quickly disrupts the upcoming nuptials but wins Kelsey's heart in the process.

OOH HOO HOO DO I SMELL DETECTIVE HOLIDAY AUS?? MY FAVORITE!! No, but seriously, this movie is greaaaaaaaaaat.

A Christmas Catch

A small-town policewoman falls for a suspected diamond thief at Christmas time.

Aw yiss more detective aus. This one is great because it’s just so fucking awkward, with the detective constant being watched and told what to say, as well as Sir Oblivioso.

The Holiday Calendar

A struggling but talented photographer inherits an antique holiday advent calendar, the contents of which seem to predict the future. Will this magical calendar lead her to love this holiday season?

Oh yeah, magic au, with them not believing it and constantly denying it, and I mean the romance isn’t the best, but oh well.

Midnight at the Magnolia

Longtime friends and local radio hosts Maggie and Jack fake it as a couple for their families and listeners in hopes of getting their show syndicated.

Fuck yes, the “we’re pretending to be lovers, when we’re just friends trying to deny our desire to actually be lovers” au! Woohooooooo!!!

Christmas With a View

Secret aspirations between a failed restaurateur and a celebrity chef threaten their blossoming Christmas romance.

Ah yes... the classic chef au. Lovely.

Christmas Inheritance

To be the CEO, an heiress is challenged by her dad to deliver a Christmas letter in person to his ex-partner in their hometown - traveling by bus, incognito and with only $100. Will she learn something from the people there?

Basically, weird, spoiled rich girl meets this guy who’s just trying to be nice to her, but she’s like “i don’t know how to survive ugh daddy help me”

Holiday in the Wild

Jilted by her husband on the eve of embarking on an African safari, a woman travels to the continent alone where she meets an elephant conservationist.

Divorce, wounded elephants, meet-cutes, what’s not to love??