#the kuana

[celestial-coordinates]

Viispaa Prime

Origin

Humans have often launched animals into space to examine the effects of vacuum and zero gravity on the eggs and organs of various species, and along those lines, in 2032, a satellite (named DSREB-1112* or “The Enterprise”) containing various species of insect and other samples ranging from egg to tissue to preserved specimens was launched, intended to loop around the moon, then the sun, and back before being studied. However, the propulsion system malfunctioned and misfired, sending the probe into deep space, unable to return; it was deemed a loss and NASA moved on, forgetting it for some time.

*Deep Space Radiation Effects on Biological specimens

Unbeknownst to them, an advanced race of beings known as the Kuana came across the pod when it exited the solar system. They took a fascination with the objects inside and returned to their corner of the galaxy where they began to work on the samples, breaking down the genomes and studying the life present on the curious little rock they'd been monitoring since the planet unfroze itself [thousands of years ago by earth time]. Among the samples, they were very fond of the angry, flying needles and determined them to be worthy of the status as a core genome sample.

Wasps became the majority focus of the gene manipulation and they incorporated aspects of their own DNA, as well as pieces from other samples that were on the satellite, and even certain amounts of bio-enhanced technology to create a sapient race of wasp beings to serve as companions, soldiers and living weapons. Human mental evolution fascinated the Kuana, and with the organ tissues of humans being present from which to derive the genome they sought, they made sure to give their wasp beings most of the emotional capacity found within humans, allowing them rational thought, free will and expression, wrapped in a roughly humanoid shape that would seem familiar. From them, the Kuana gave them advanced light sensitivity and organelles within their eyes that would indicate mood and status with colors, even those in ultraviolet and infrared spectrums that humans cannot detect on their own. Finishing their project off, they enhanced some of the natural aspects of wasps themselves by lacing carbon into their chitin to enhance its strength, giving them advanced mental processes for being able to quickly assess stimuli, boosting their immunity and antibodies to make them disease and toxin resistant, and equipping them with rechargeable stingers in their abdomens.

Biology

Viispaas stand roughly anywhere between 6’7” to 10’3” at full height when standing (add about 6-9” if their legs are stretched to full) and are predominantly male (60% male, 40% female). They have 6 limbs and 2 sets of wings: one set of proper arms with hands tipped with two fingers and a thumb, a vestigial set of arms that are weaker but just as functional, and digitigrade legs tipped with two claw-like toes which are sensitive to vibration and chemical traces. Their wings are able to vibrate fast enough to displace air like a rotor and lift them off the ground, however their flight performance is affected by air density; on earth, most Viispaa can fly above most buildings, ranging from 2-4 stories off the ground, but above 6 stories they expend more energy than is deemed worth the result, as falling from that height from exhaustion can cause injuries.

Female Viispaa rarely pass 8’7”, are thinly built and deemed “speedsters”, equipped with long stingers for swift actions. Male Viispaa are rarely under 7’8”, are broadly built and deemed “tanks”, equipped with smaller stingers but are capable of moving forces up to 5x their mass and can deadlift things 3x heavier than what most humans can generally accomplish. Most Viispaa can live between 90 and 110 years old, close to that of humans.

Both sexes have genitalia reminiscent of humans respective to their biological sex and reproduce in a manner familiar to humans as far as positions are concerned, however Viispaa cannot readily reproduce with humans. Male Viispaa produce soft, fertilized egg-like pods about the size of a goose egg they can insert into a female Viispaa where her muscles carefully tuck the pods into a womb-like part of her abdomen; the pods attach and the second half of the genes are introduced, fertilizing the pods and turning them into proper eggs. The embryos develop in the safety pods for about a month before the female seeks out a safe area to lay her clutch, producing anywhere from 5-15 fist-sized eggs which are expelled through a cloaca near her stinger. Over the course of a month, the eggs hatch into larva and then metamorphose into young Viispaa with features like human preteens. They reach adult size within a year.

When not having sex for breeding, males can release a semen-like fluid at climax instead of insert fertile pods, and females experience pleasure much like human females do. Viispaa male genitals have unique muscles that allow them to adjust within their partner and some more experienced lovers can simulate friction through penile muscles alone, without thrusting or grinding, which works well when paired with a smaller partner.

Humans and Viispaa can have sex with each other, but those unions will be sterile without intervention from Kuana genome technology.

Viispaa bodies are insectoid in appearance with milky blood-like fluid that starts mostly clear in the body and becomes opaque when exposed to air; their muscle tissues are reminiscent of cables and the matte black “skin” on parts of their bodies is rough, not unlike a coarse fabric mesh. While generally very tough creatures, Viispaa skin can still tear and the Kuana developed this mesh-like growth to facilitate quick repairs that stitch together easily. The chitin parts of the Viispaa body appear like polished metal or plastic but are also formed from a kind of pseudo-solid fiber not unlike a non-newtonian liquid developed specifically by the Kuana which is flexible and pleasing to the touch but extremely resistant to impact damage, though generally fairs better against high velocity, small surface area projectiles and angled blades over broad-coverage blunt force. Naturally reinforced with carbon fibers for durability, Viispaa chitin doesn’t restrict their movements or range of motion and protects most of their vulnerable areas from everything short of a long fall or being hit by a semi truck.

This soft armor feature is why Viispaa can create facial expressions without excessive plates.

Viispaa eyes are large and compound and have a visible spectrum that touches both infrared and ultraviolet hues humans cannot see but which they use to communicate with each other at a distance. The Kuana have similar faculties, which is where they derived the trait from, as they communicate in light and color more than sound, thus by watching the colors of the Viispaa’s eyes, they were able to determine their status. Hiding their emotions is difficult, as the color change is prompted by hormones and other chemicals from the brain, thus any change in mood can alter the visible hue of the lens, even if it’s only slightly. The colors appear solid and sparkle as light reflects off of the facets, but when changing it happens rapidly; using slow motion, one can see how individual facets of the eye lens act like pixels, changing color individually and starting at the outside edge before moving inward in a rough spiral, making the transition appear as a swirl in a majority of specimens though bursts (inside to outside) and fades (inner to outer or outer to inner sweeps) have been found as well. Complex feelings can produce interesting chromatic palettes such as gradients, flowing color rotations, and other things but these are usually accompanied by outbursts from the Viispaa due to distress.

UV and IR light patterns are activated by specific modified color changers in the eye lens that add specific layers to their emotional hue; UV flashes can be detected at range and used to communicate messages in a way similar to morse code (Viispaa on earth actually learn morse code to be able to click and blink in a way that can be decoded by human companions) while IR readings only appear in response to high stress and physical damage; IR signatures are uncommon on Viispaa due to their naturally low body temperatures with most hot spots on the body being a result of sunlight and black patterns. The eye lenses showing fields of intense IR activity are a sign the Viispaa has been injured or is in need of immediate assistance, even if they can’t communicate directly otherwise.

Viispaa have eyelids, however not for blinking; the translucent lid is used for high speed flight, rain and closed for sleeping because they cut out light signatures coming in and out so they aren’t distracted but can still see somewhat if they’re awake. It’s the only method of hiding their light signatures but is suspicious on its own so not really effective for that purpose.

Viispaa stingers are mostly retracted into their abdomens with males only leaving the tip exposed while females tend to have several centimeters visible at all times; when needed, Viispaa can contract muscles to unsheathe their stingers fully, which are black, curved and occasionally have rear-facing barbs to make removal much harder if they’re left in the target. A male’s stinger is generally 1-1.5 inches per foot in height while females can be twice to three times as long and are coated in a fluid that numbs the flesh around the stinger so it doesn’t cause pain if it’s ripped out during attack, but also can numb the wound of the target, making the sting undetectable for a certain period and thus likely to cause blood loss or worse injury. Unlike common bees, Viispaa will not die from losing their stingers; they rarely lose them unless they are at full draw when used, allowing them to use their stingers rather indefinitely unless they break off. At this point, there is another stinger stored within the abdomen that slides into place within an hour; at any time, a Viispaa has three stingers, one at the ready and two on standby, and they naturally replenish used stingers within about a month. During that time, they tend to crave things rich in iron, carbon and calcium.

As for diets, Viispaa primarily ingest things rich in sugar and simple carbs, and can also consume roots, vegetables and fruits; they enjoy refined sugars in low amounts but avoid meat-based proteins and other things unless they have cravings, such as healing or recharging. Eggs, dairy and other animal byproducts are only as needed, but Viispaa generally will not eat meat of any kind; they also fair well with salt and sugar licks, as the Kuana often provided enriched mineral supplies to ensure they got what they needed while subsisting off of sugar water and nectar for energy. Breeding periods are often punctuated with increased cravings for minerals and vegetables to help the developing embryos while most of the fluid in the egg pods is sugar-based.

Viispaa have jaws and cheeks with tooth-like plates for consuming solid food, but many opt for juices or other liquids just for sheer ease of ingestion and quick intake into their bodies. The mandibles on their faces are for communication primarily, making clicks and hums they communicate in naturally and also helping in the event of eating solid foods. While they generally hum, buzz and click, they are capable of vocal speech dependent on their environment; high engagement and active teaching produce more eloquent Viispaa, as they’re easily distracted and unlikely to pick up on the nuances of language on their own save for key and common phrases. Females tend to develop speech faster than males but males are better at recognizing body language and expressions.

Uniquely, Viispaa have regenerative abilities as well; as long as they aren’t killed outright, have a steady supply of food, and rest, they can recover from most injuries. Cuts and piercing damage close within hours, broken plates and larger injuries can heal within a month, and while they cannot reattach lost limbs, a removed wing or body part will reform fully in about 6 months depending on resources.

Genome Inclusions

Vespula vulgaris, the common wasp; base genome derived from preserved specimens and eggs stored onboard the satellite

Apis mellifera scutellata, the East African Lowland Honey Bee; behavioral patterns were adapted from studying specimens cloned from preserved subjects, prompting the Kuana to change the lethal nature of bee toxin into a numbing agent in order to preserve the aspects of community and group behavior they found useful for their project; some varieties of Viispaa have recessive aggression and mobbing behavior from strong scutellata genes, however they are rare and typically not sent to make landfall unless the location is hostile

Camponotus consobrinus, the Banded Sugar Ant; a social insect to reinforce their sense of community, ability to work together with a purpose, preference for sweets and sugary substances for food, and the foundation of their strength

Anax strennus, the Giant Hawaian Darner; a member of the largest, fastest group of insects, these egg samples were used to derive the wing blueprint for the Viispaa and allows them to fly in all directions, hover, and reach speeds faster than most land vehicles

Homo sapiens, human beings; organ tissue from donated bodies including a liver, stomach and skin grafts, and blood, heart and brain samples from both a male and female cadaver (recently deceased) sent to study the effects of close exposure to the sun provided sequences for regenerating tissue, the extent of the human immune system, and initiated the fascination with human mental evolution; the human genome is the second blueprint used alongside vespula vulgaris to create the base of the Viispaa

Ambystoma mexicanum, the axolotl; preserved whole and partial specimens which were curiosities to the Kuana but ultimately provided the enhanced regeneration genes that allow the Viispaa to regrow limbs and heal from damage; axolotls are also popular pets for the Kuana because of their silly, simple natures

Externus adstrum sapiens lovecraft, the Latinized name for the Kuana; named for their Eldritch appearance and advanced, almost mystical technology evoking a sense of fascination and fear akin to Lovecraft’s tales, the Kuana are peaceful beings and masters of merging technology with biological components; they derived the light sensitivity, skin-respiration and color-changing eyes from their own genetic sequence, as well as a predisposition for friendly relations and curiosity to override the xenophobic and territorial behaviors found in both the insect and human specimens and orbital observations made over the course of human history

Most other features are created through artificial means (Kuana bio-tech) and other trace sequences taken from other species can be found but they are minimal, usually acting as catalysts or binders to ensure the genome is stable

[clever-fox-studios]

The project I'm MOST proud of so far though is Astar City, and that extended universe. Currently I'm trying my hand at a scientifically minded spec-bio project for one of the aliens featured there, the Aska'a Thani, but I don't have any details yet.

Instead, I'm going to gush about my bugs ♥️

The Viispaa species were made artificially by the Kuana as a means of interacting with humans early on; they have traits primarily taken from wasps and bees with human, Kuana and some other DNA snippets thrown in to make them intelligent and emotional, sentient creatures.

Viispaa Primes are the default, original variant, standing between 5-8 feet tall with heavy gender dimorphism and moderate coloration that sticks to the yellow and black scheme of most bees. In recent years, newer generations have gotten more colorful with new pigments being added in.

From this mold are many variations, some of which haven't been fully figured out yet. Above are the current examples of the standard: Vaivron (left) and Zivv (right), who are due to get a redesign to simplify their patterns a bit.

From them is a specific mutation only referred to as a "hornet".

Hornets are easy to spot because of their sharper features and reddish-brown or black-blue coloration and are, well...

Angry lil bastards. The aggression that was dormant in the Primes becomes much more prominent in the Inimicus mutations, making them unpredictable; many of them are required therapy and stimulation to provide safe outlets for their anger, and often end up in labor jobs or in the military to help curb that behavior in a useful way.

They are not mindless, always raging beasts though, and tend to dislike that label. Many are fully aware of their triggers and how they feel and behave when set off, they don't always lose themselves to the anger, it's simply how they are and they take measures to control themselves. Usually.

Some are just assholes and want to get away with it because it's "how they are".

After them are the Puer.

Puer are the honeybee drones of the Viispaa species, majority of them being small, child-looking, genderless individuals who exist as safe companions to actual children. Called "nanny bugs", Puer drones are stingless and extremely hardy, meant to play with children and be able to go with them where they want to be when parents can't or won't follow. They come in an array of colors that make them popular and easy to spot amongst kids and parents alike, making it easy to find them in crowds and for little ones to identify their "safe bug".

While made for children, Puer are intelligent and can reason like adults in order to explain things as needed when kids can't communicate well, but often come off as childish themselves as they naturally know how to age regress to match the demographic they're part of.

Being genderless though, and sexless, Puer have to be bred from a Queen, much like a beehive.

Queens are called Zinnias and have a chance of morphing from a clutch of eggs at a rate of roughly 1:1,000. They can breed with any standard male wasp (including hornets) and are integral in the care of Puer drones, as well as being social safe zones. Zinnias are well protected and often sought for safety by children and young women, as where there is a Zinnia, there's likely one male wasp eager to protect her.

They can be spoiled rotten as well, as Zinnias with favorable color genes tend to be better off than regular ones.

After them are the Curantis, the fluffiest of the Viispaa.

Being the first to fully deviate from the wasp body plan, Curantis were developed for a handful of reasons but mostly as not only an inverse of the Zinnia variant, but also as caretakers for non-children. With inherently friendly, positive dispositions, Curantis's ended up gravitating to mostly customer service and retail spaces, as they enjoy helping and chatting with others.

Astar City's customer service scene is very mindful of the well-being of the Curantis and thus customers don't get away with nearly as much nonsense as they do elsewhere, though you wouldn't catch a moth mouthing off to someone for no reason. Except the males.

Avalons are similar safety beacons to Zinnias and very easy to spot with their wings, but tend to be more crass and direct, as they're very protective by nature and dislike their wards being picked on by others.

Stay tuned for more bugs! There's quite a few variants left to go, including the Artifex (ants), a few military grade versions, and some spoopy Bois meant to do the dirty work :)

[is-them-cheese-puffs]

(And, yes, I know there’s also Mountain Glenn, Kuchinashi, and Argus, but I didn’t want to make it too complicated of a poll.)

[dragynkeep]

Kuo may come from Chinese, 括 meaning 'to include', 國 'nation, country' or 廓 'big, empty, open'. Kuana (Hawaiian) means 'Standing, position, attitude'. So either place to be included, nation of standing, or empty place? In theory, I kinda like the idea of Menagerie being a mish match melting pot of lots of different nations (in design and language) since Faunus come from everywhere in Remnant and only just got their own home but that would needed to have been addressed in story

Tag yourself, I'm empty place-

But the idea of Menagerie being the one that is the most culturally diverse, similar to some countries in our world, would've been great worldbuilding given it's unique formation and shown to be a haven for all Faunus around the world.

But the biggest issue besides addressing the mix match nature of Menagerie's naming and style, is that it's not unique to Menagerie. All the kingdoms are like that with no solid culture or influence in mind. And it's most egrigious in that because there's no actual culture to speak off, it's all like a filter.

Nice on the surface, but offers nothing of substance.

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Lava

Rating: G

Director: James Ford Murphy

Cast: Napua Greig, Kuana Torres Kahele

Release year: 2014

Genres: romance

Blurb: The two volcanoes Uku and Lele fall in love, but face one expansive obstacle.

[the-blackbird-roleplays]

In the Heat of the Hunt

(Feeding the Beast: Chapter 4; a closed RP with @a-den-of-demons)

Sun and sand is usually a wonderful combination for a vacation... Unfortunately for Leo, trudging around in the desert outside Kuo Kuana in Menagerie didn't in any way constitute a vacation. Kallen had found another contract for him, the beautiful Huntress certainly living up to her fiery personality since moving in with him and forcing him to purchase a larger home to accommodate the now four-person relationship...

"Why must things get so complicated..." He sighed, sipping from his canteen as he scanned the desert dunes with a pair of binoculars. He was looking for a beast of some ilk, though until recently it was mostly nocturnal. Some monster of some kind, a monster other than the beasts of Grimm, had been spotted around the outskirts of the city.

His contract? Search and Destroy.

The employer? The Ruling House of Kuo Kuana

"Hm.... If I finish this contract quick... I wonder if Kali Belladonna will be a little more... Generous with the reward~"

[chittychittyyangyang]

Blake is clearly Japanese, and Yang is clearly chinese, so isn't giving them darker skin tones racist?

I'm going to answer this is good faith, and I will accept no follow up.

Blake being "clearly" Japanese, just no. Belladonna is Italian believe, and Kuo Kuana seems to have a lot more influence from the Pacific Islands. Even if she was Japanese, there are darker skinned Japanese people.

Yang isn't just Chinese. Even so, Chinese people can be darker skinned. I also find this ask suspect because a lot of people in the fandom make Blake darker skin (and people have been shitty about it since V1) . I've reblogged a lot of it. I've NEVER gotten anything like this in my inbox in my years running this blog until it's Yang too. Weird.

I have met with many fans of the show over the years, and it seems like many POC can see themselves as the characters and want that reflected in their skin too. It made a lot of sense to me that someone with textured hair could see Yang's protectiveness of hers as similar to their own experiences. RW/BY sure lacks protagonists with darker skin, and it's not racist to make fan art of them darker (what is this take from anyway, 2003???)

I believe it was Miles who responded to some harressment a black Blake cosplayer got years ago that Blake is Blake no matter the skin tone.

At the end of the day though, I am so very White and not the arbiter on what is or isn't racist. However, I'll always question the motives of anyone that raises a fuss over someone making cute art of characters with darker skin tones, more so in a show that lacks skin diversity.

[ofdarkestdesires]

Open RP Starter: The Milfadonna's Moonlighting

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the voice you all came here to see. The lady of the night, the cat that caught the songbird, Lady Nightshade herself~!"

Kali heard the rising cheers from behind the curtain, and her lips curled into a smile. As the curtains rose, she stepped forward with an elegant flair, bowing and blowing kisses to the adoring fans in the crowd. A wave of euphoria and excitement rolled over her—this, this was what she lived for. This nightclub, this stage, and those in the crowd that stared at her like she was the most gorgeous woman in the world...this was what she loved.

It was something Ghira had never understood. She loved her husband, of course, but he just didn't understand her love of music. So, when he'd started getting busy with the White Fang and running Kuo Kuana, and neglecting her a bit...she'd started coming here. Moonlighting as a cabaret singer for the late night patrons. And...she loved it, so much. For once, in all her years being with her husband, she felt like she was finally being herself.

[bestworstcase]

i am asking you about tdt! remnant with particular interest in unhinged climate

it is so kind of you all to enable me (@meltedintoair @froginboillingpastawater @lemon-embalmer @blakistan)

don’t mind the unfinished continent i’m still (through gritted teeth) figuring the strandlines out… also if you’re wondering why solitas looks like that it’s because for narrative reasons i needed land at the north pole here’s what she looks like Put Together

ANYWAY you will notice that i’ve moved things around. anima and menagerie north by a solid 30’ and rotated sanus a little bit counter-clockwise for the sake of not having vale and vacuo on almost the same latitude. mostly this is for the sake of bringing the various climates of these places into more reasonable bounds for an earthlike-ish climate—except for vale, which has a maritime climate with cool summers and coldish winters at 6’N, because i fixated on the puzzle of “earthlike climate except for this One Region” like you would not believe.

but before we get to Refrigerated Vale we have to talk about

✨the moons✨

yes moons plural. because i looked at the broken moon and heard the siren call of THE TIDES. tdt!remnant has three moons: mar, the original, which is (like the canon moon) not tidally locked and has a massive dark crater on one side (THE MOUTH OF THE MOON–), and the much smaller anthe + ogmios, which formed through the accretion of debris flung away when the god of darkness exploded the moon and are smaller.

INCIDENTALLY the hegemonic calendar is a lunisolar calendar with months correlating to mar’s cycle and 8-day weeks (octs) correlating to ogmios’ much shorter cycle; anthe is culturally associated with the god of animals and khimerism—that’s the monotheistic worship of the god of animals practiced by many fauni—has an anthean lunar calendar that is wildly different. the vytali common calendar has 12 months divided into 8-day octs (with some gnarly intercalation going on to align the calendar with the solar year); the khimeric calendar has 17 months divided into 9-day enneads with an intercalary month and handful of three-day-long leaping festivals that rotate the calendar through the solar year in a fifteen year cycle. it would be remiss of me not to plug fantasy-calendar for all your batshit calendar making needs. i have a spreadsheet where i pin down all the math and then just set everything up in FC it has never let me down.

back of napkin math:

on average the tides are about +/- 3.9 m. neap tides where all three moons pull against each other, +/- 3.7 m. spring tides where they line up, +/- 4.2—these are the open ocean tidal range, coastal tides are highly variable but as a very rough estimate tidal ranges along the (habitable) coasts are probably somewhere between ~2 and ~16m, with significant amounts of uninhabitable coastline where the tidal range is much larger and building on the high tide coast means your settlement is several kilometers inland at low tide. riverside building is also quite difficult because tidal bores are. pretty extreme

port cities don’t have harbors the way we think of them. they have either sprawling, complicated systems of locks operated by konurgists (=professional practitioners of dust-based magic) or they have cliffside dry docks designed for lightweight vessels to ride in and out with the tides. vale’s wharf district is a maze of locks and caissons. argus and kuo kuana have dry harbors.

the other thing about multi-moon systems is you get more significant tidal flexing ergo more volcanism

so where earth experiences ~70 volcanic eruptions per year on average, remnant the triple moon tsunami tides planet gets to have a “statistically there is always a volcano erupting somewhere in the world” trivia question, and all the air quality problems and acid rain you get from that.

SO the first consideration with regard to tdt remnant’s earthlike climate is that the conditions which produce it are very different; i… am That kind of person who back of napkin crunched numbers for all of this (and spent like an hour fiddling to not tidally lock the planet to the star 😭) BUT the numbers don’t matter per se; the salient piece is that the sun is both cooler and a little further away than ours (<- yes this IS me looking into the camera like i’m on the office about the god of light) and the planet is kept habitable by tidal heating, meaning the friction produced by the moons stretching and squeezing the planet as they orbit around it.

the moons stress balling the planet is also what causes The Volcanoes, which release greenhouse gasses (keeping remnant warmer than it would otherwise be) but also semi-regularly you’ll get enough big eruptions in clusters to Deflect The Fucking Sun like it’s 1816 and global temperatures nosedive and climates all over go haywire for a year or two. i think this happens on average about once per century but the current historical period—the seventh era—begins with a quarter century called the forge years when the planet got HAMMERED by four really bad volcanic winters in quick succession. think “14th century black plague” levels of decimation, except it was worldwide famines + just an explosion of conflicts and wars over food sources + grimm, whose populations spike whenever there’s a major volcanic event because the planet’s mantle is a mixture of molten rock and atrum (=grimm juice).

(there are very few true herbivores in this world. there are a lot of animals that eat plants when it’s warm and meat when it’s cold. true herbivores tend to be either animals that store huge food caches or animals that can go a really, really long time without eating. plants mostly either develop super deep root systems, or pump out antifreeze proteins when the temperature drops, or develop cold-mediated serotiny, or a combination.)

BECAUSE OF ALL THAT, remnant’s oceans circulate in a completely different way than ours; tidal heating warms the bottom water at the poles, causing it to rise in strong east-to-west or west-to-east currents, forcing colder surface water downwards and flowing towards the equator. consequently remnant does not have permanent ice caps, although most of solitas is perpetually snowy above its strandline.

(the strandline is where the water is at high tide; as noted in many cases this is several kilometers inland from the low-tide coast. anima, solitas, alukah—that’s the unnamed dragon continent—and sanus are all a single contiguous landmass at low tide, with huge land bridges exposed. it is generally not a good idea to try to walk, with the exception of one specific island chain that is small enough to traverse safely on foot by walking island-to-island over a span of about three days, four if you’re being cautious.)

the upshot of all this is it’s relatively warmer and wetter at the poles and cooler and drier at the equator compared to earth, because the oceans are effectively upside-down, warmest at the bottom near the poles. (if you’re wondering why the tidal heating is distributed this way, the real-world exemplar i’m working from is europa. interesting reading!)

northern anima is a bit of a special case because even though it looks coastal, it isn’t; the sea in between it and solitas is very, very shallow and at low tides is just this for hundreds of kilometers:

so within that curve of the “dragon neck” shape, the whole strandline is functionally landlocked with respect to the warm rising polar currents and during the wintertime can actually get colder than the region of solitas where mantle is located.

and then there’s the impact of dust.

i’ve drifted quite a bit off the basic ‘fantasy elements’ approach taken with dust in canon because the concept of dust as a sort of crystallized energy appeals to me; so there are four basic kinds of dust (thermal, electromagnetic, kinetic, chemical) which can be further divided into subcategories by their specific actions. for example most ‘burn’ and ‘ice’ dusts belong to the thermal family and are distinguished by whether they radiate heat or absorb it. and i say ‘most’ because there are also things like organic-solar/“bog” dust, which forms in peat deposits and produces heat but is classed as an electromagnetic dusts because it’s solar-powered.

large deposits of dust modify the regional climate in often dramatic ways. and this is how we get Refrigerated Vale—the difference between vale and other equatorial regions isn’t as huge as it would be on earth, because remnant’s equatorial band is relatively cool and generally falls more into a ‘warm-to-hot mediterranean climate’ than tropical, but vale is very noticeably cold for its latitude. there are Two Reasons for this.

one is what i’m calling the tarthic koniohaline climate system (TKCS pronounced “ticks”). the tarth sea—that’s the body of water surrounded by alukah, solitas, and sanus—has a huge, several-hundred-kilometer-long seam of variegated dust running along the southern continental shelf, roughly following the curve of the alukite/sanite coastline but further out to sea. (“variegated” meaning it’s a mixture of different types all sort of entangled together.) sort of akin to a barrier reef, but dust.

the tarthic dust formation is mostly a mix of absorptive thermal dusts (colloquially: frost) and kinetic dusts (colloquially: tidal) which together act to cool and desalinate water upwelling against the continental shelf, which is then pushed southward in a clockwise direction along the sanite/alukite coast. that produces a very cool, wet climate along the coastline with frequent thunderstorms as cold fronts coming off the water collide with warmer air rising from the vivax sea to the south (which again: think mediterranean).

vale sits on the southern periphery of the TKCS and is cooled by prevailing winds originating from the tarthic coast. it isn’t as rainy year-round as the vitrine peninsula but it does get quite a lot of precipitation.

the other factor Refrigerating Vale is that there’s absorptive thermal dust in the mountains, too. eastern vale—the counties in the northeast part of the continent, which were contested during the great war and (unlike in canon) not wholly lost to the grimm—has a very pleasant climate, warm summers and mild rainy winters, sometimes snow in the north and at higher altitudes. prevailing winds are fairly dry and warm when they hit the mountains and then rake over peaks that are just covered in frost/ice dusts and act as a giant heat sink, so western vale gets these bitterly cold, super dry winds pouring down the mountains during the summer that collide with warm coastal winds and cause huge storms. in winter the prevailing winds are much weaker, though still freezing, and blow further out to sea so there are fewer storms and infrequent snow but the snow that does fall tends to stick until the spring.

and that’s why the maragda valley is nicknamed the world’s refrigerator and vale’s chief export is various frost/ice dusts :)

OTHER FUN DUST-RELATED THINGS.

the southern part of alukah is called the mordicchiate coast and it’s one of the only regions in the world with a true tropical climate because it’s very, very rich in an assortment of kinetic dusts (mostly different grades of grav) that essentially cook the region by Vibrating Constantly

the other tropical region is in equatorial anima, a big swath of jungle and humid-subtropical grassland in what’s called the palash basin. it’s hot because it’s the caldera of an ancient supervolcano and one of the most volcanically active regions in the world. there are a lot of grimm. there are so many grimm in the palash basin. there’s also a strip of super-fertile land running along the northern rim of the palash region so people keep trying to live there anyway.

along the southwestern coasts of solitas (where those free villages are in arrowfell) there are just enormous underground seams of radiant thermal dusts which heat up the land enough that it’s possible to farm there during the summers; it still snows year-round, but the soil isn’t frozen so all you need is tents with clear panels you can uncover/cover to control sunlight.

the nequam desert—that’s the one surrounding vacuo—is also laced with radiant thermal dusts that bake what would otherwise be a warm arid steppe into a parched, burning-hot desert that wants to kill you. there are hotspots all over the place where the dust veins are so close to the surface that you can cook on the ground; nomadic desert peoples notoriously almost never use cooking fires and were instrumental to vacuo’s success in the great war because radar systems were still very rudimentary and no fires at night meant vacuan guerrillas could maneuver undetected until they appeared seemingly out of fucking nowhere to maul enemy supply convoys.

the wildlife in the menagerian interior are unique on remnant because there is a preponderance of electromagnetic and chemical dust formations on the surface—mostly “shock” dusts, which discharge or generate electricity—and the animals living have been in an evolutionary arms race for millions of years with the result that if it can’t generate electrical shocks on its own, it’s gluing electric rocks to itself decorator-crab style or it’s got specialized structures in its mouth that it can pack dust into and discharge shocks from when it bites you. “how can the wildlife be more dangerous than the grimm,” the rest of the world asks. “we have scorpions whose stings deliver an electric shock at a high enough voltage to kill you before you hit the ground,” says menagerie. “and lightning snakes. and an electrical tortoise. and storm bears–”

there’s a volcano called mount halog on the northwestern dragon-head peninsula of alukah that began to erupt in 332 VE—twenty-five years ago—and has been more or less continuously oozing lava and half-formed grimm ever since.

acid rain (and snow) is a worldwide issue because of the extreme volcanism and in rainy climates settlements exist in a more or less constant state of repair and reconstruction; once a settlement is abandoned it will fall into ruin very, very fast unless the climate is extremely arid. the most volcanically active regions in the world are northern alukah, the palash basin, and the east coast of anima; volcanic smog blows north to kuchinashi from the palash basin fairly regularly.

black rain is a very dangerous weather phenomenon caused by ateric ash—the stuff grimm disintegrate into when they die—floating up into the atmosphere and then precipitating down as liquid atrum. which. coagulates into new grimm. the drippings from the wyvern in canon are the same in principle but much more severe; typically black rains will spawn lots of small grimm—think rat- or cat-sized—and may not leave puddles large enough to form something like a beowolf at all. but a swarm of rat-sized grimm is still no picnic, and black rain is difficult to forecast, so within the vytal league it’s standard practice for huntsmen and grimm extirpation forces to be kept at the ready whenever heavy precipitation is expected, just in case it’s tainted.

the oceans are also quite a bit more acidic than earth’s and tend to be very nutrient-rich near the poles and barren with pockets of life here and there in the equatorial regions—which, as discussed in the Whale Post, in combination with the relative cold creates selective pressure for VERY LARGE akin to the phenomenon of abyssal gigantism but extended higher into the middle pelagic zones. the greatest diversity and density of oceanic life is around the north pole.

(the MONSTER WHALES are called hafgufa, females live in pods around the north pole, males are solitary and range worldwide.)

also,

because atrum does not freeze above absolute zero, and because the planetary mantle is atrum intermixed with magma, every spreading rift in the ocean also constantly pumps out rivers of atrum, which 1. plays an important role in moving and mixing waters to sustain those pockets of nutrient-rich waters where marine life flourishes in the equatorial regions, and 2. slowly but steadily spawns diluvian grimm. the VAST majority of grimm in the world are sea monsters born from these underwater rivers :)

[the-path-to-redemption]

So I just found out that Menagerie is a real life word and the definition is interesting to say the least.

"a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.

It CAN be a good allegory for how POC were treated like animals and entertainment for white people. Take a look at human zoos. But no instead it is used for a fictional nation and a region where faunus live where they don't face an discrimination.

a strange or diverse collection of people or things.

"some other specimen in the television menagerie""

While I understand that this an emphasis on how faunus are treated inhumane and experience racism. My issue is that their "safe heaven" and "place where they can home" is named something that is described as "collection of animals kept in captivity for exhibition"

For any people who need an example. Imagine a racial slur being used to name after a nation or country that is home for POC.

Bro the whole Menagerie thing pissed me tf off for years now ever since I realized what it means. Not to mention the actual name of the settlement, Kuo Kuana, meaning "rejected" or "trash" or any horrible shit the writers could make up by butchering a language.

I agree with you that it can be use as a good allegory for how even though humans were willing to give Faunus their own safe haven governed by a Faunus leadership, they will still give them an island where 2/3rd of it are inhabitable and giving it a demeaning name like "Menagerie", but I refuse to actually believe that the Faunus themselves would name the only place they could live, the settlement that they built something like Kuo Kuana. I don't even believe that they name it that ironically, as a form of reclamation or some shit, that's fucking dumb! I would never imagine, as minority, living in a place named after something that was meant to demean me, no matter who fucking named it that.

Another problem I have with this whole thing is that no Faunus spoke up about how fucked up it is that their independent nation was named Menagerie; not even the people who were born there and still lives there. The writers literally do not give a fuck about this storyline, because if they had even tried, you would see Blake or even a random Faunus telling someone on why calling their land Menagerie is insulting. Hell, you could even have Blake, the native of the island, telling Sun that no one on the island likes the name, and they prefer to call it another name that isn't fucking Kuo Kuana. Easily integrated lines that could do so much for the world building of Remnant, yet no one on CRWBY has two brain cells to rub together that they're being extremely racist with this part of their show.

I'm tired.

[citadelofmythoughts]

Drama or comedy?

Yang moves to Kuo Kuana to live with Blake. Yang being Yang wins over a lot of natives quickly, but some Faunus are extremely distrustful of her and scheme to drive Yang away by trying to get Blake to break up with her by making Yang seem mean, violent, unfaithful, etc.

Naturally none of these work, but the schemers are determined to prove that Yang is a fraud who’s just trying to get with the Chieftain’s daughter.

If it was me writing this, it'd totally be a drama. The angst for both of them would be amazing. Yang would feel horrible because the last thing she'd ever want would be to come between Blake and her people and she's also be terrified, that even though she *knows* Blake loves her, that some of the slander might actually work. And bless her, she'd just try to be even more obliging and generous to everyone even if people start taking advantage of that generosity.

Blake for her part would be FURIOUS. Furious and disappointed in the Faunus who are going along with it.

We don't see Blake angry often but people slandering someone who has don't nothing to deserve it, especially someone she loves more than life itself would be pure righteous fury.

[bridgyrose]

Team RWBY visits Blake’s house in Menagarie. Blake tries to keep them out of her old unchanged room so Ruby doesn’t discover that Blake used to be a lot like her, feeling afraid of seeing a look of pity on Ruby’s face

“And this is my parent’s place,” Blake said with a smile as she walked to her parent’s home in the middle of Kuo Kuana. It was different to come back here with her friends after being away for so long and finally making amends with her parents, but it was a promise she made to her folks that she’d let them meet the people who helped her realize what was truly important. And truthfully, she did want her friends to meet her parents too. “Please behave.” 

Weiss nearly scoffed at that. “We know how to behave.” 

“I know, but… I… I havent seen my parents in a few years and I’m worried about messing things up.” 

“You dont have anything to worry about,” Yang said as she put her arm around Blake. “I promise, we’ll all be on our best behavior while you show us around and we meet your parents.” 

Blake smiled a bit as she relaxed, looking over her teammates before knocking on the door. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for the heavy door to open, wanting to make sure she was invited in before walking in with her friends. She let out the breath she held as the door opened, nearly freezing as she felt her mother pull her into a hug. 

Kali smiled as she squeezed Blake tightly. “Ten years is a long time, dont you think?” 

“I didnt think I would be welcomed back.” Blake pulled herself away from her mother and relaxed a bit, motioning to her friends. “And these are my teammates: Ruby, Yang, and Weiss.” 

Kali smiled as she looked at each of them. “Its nice to meet you all. Now, why dont we go inside and have some tea?” 

Blake nodded and motioned her team to follow her and her mother inside, still nervous about being home again, though everything about her old home was still familiar to her even after all these years. The kitchen to the left, living quarters to the right, and straight ahead were her father’s office and the main room of the house. Even the hired servants that helped around the house were still familiar to her. 

“This place is a bit bigger than I thought it’d be,” Ruby said quietly as she slowed her pace, looking around. “And a lot… fancier.” 

“Why dont you show your friends around?” Kali said as she turned to go to the kitchen. “I’ll make sure there’s enough tea for everyone while we wait for your father to get back from his meeting.” 

“Sure.” Blake hugged her mother before relaxing and smiling at her teammates. “I’m sure I remember enough here to give a bit of a tour.” 

“Maybe we could start with the library,” Weiss suggested. “I’d love to learn a bit more about the culture here.” 

Yang nodded. “And maybe we could see your old room. Learn a bit more about what a younger you was like.” 

Blake froze for a moment at the thought of visiting her old room, still unchanged over the years of her absence. The White Fang flags over the years as the group went from peaceful protestors to terrorist organization, all of her old hate for humans and the way they treated her people, everything about the person she used to be that she tried to move past, still on the walls of her old room. “L-lets start with the library and then I can show you the courtyard. My mom has a wonderful garden that we can relax in for a little while.” 

“That sounds like a great time,” Ruby said with a smile. “It was a long trip and a bit of rest will do us some good.” 

“Well, you have a point,” Weiss agreed. 

“Great!” Blake smiled a bit and started to bring her team to the library, eyeing the hallway to her room for a moment as they walked past, still dreading bringing any of them, especially Ruby, around to it. The last thing she wanted was to see the look of pity that her teammate, her leader, the woman she looked up to and loved, would give her for how she used to be. Sure, it wasnt a secret about how she’d been before, but it was different to see it plastered on the walls. Still, she had time to remove all of that later, for now, she wanted to spend time with her team and family. She relaxed as she entered the library, giving a smile to her team. “This is our library. Most of the books are still ones you can find in other kingdoms, like maps and fairytales, books on grimm, and other stories, but we do have some faunus legends and other records of Menagerie that most people never had.” 

Weiss smiled and made her way to the nearest bookshelf, pulling a few books off the shelf to read. “I’ll be here for a bit if you guys want to go to the courtyard.” 

“I’m sure Mrs. Belladonna will grab us when tea’s ready,” Yang said as she pulled a book off the shelf. “So I’ll stay here with Weiss.” 

Blake nodded and looked at Ruby. “Then, would you like to join me?” 

“Of course,” Ruby replied. 

Blake smiled and took Ruby’s hand to take her to the courtyard, making her way slowly to the outside with a small blush across her cheeks. Being alone with Ruby had come a little sooner than expected, it was a plan of hers once they had been able to rest, but she wasnt going to complain about this sudden stroke of luck either. Afterall, Yang had mentioned it was fine to date her and Ruby at the same time, so it wasnt like she was going to be alone in trying to plan all of this out. As the fresh air hit her face, she relaxed a bit and pulled Ruby to a bench. A breath of fresh air was just what she needed to calm her nerves. 

“This is the courtyard,” Blake said as she sat down. “Its changed a lot since I was here last, but mom started to get into gardening once we were able to settle down here once dad was elected chieftain.” 

“It looks beautiful.” 

Blake smiled as she watched Ruby make her way around the flowers, seeing the smile on her face. A smile that, while it wasnt rare, never did cease to surprise her with how childlike she could be. Almost as if her inner child seemed to call the shots any time she came around anything she enjoyed. 

“I was told I would find you two here,” Kali said as she entered the courtyard carrying a tray of cups and a hot tea kettle. “Where’s the rest of your friends?” 

“In the library, “ Blake answered. “They wanted to take a look through a few of your books.” 

“I’ll go grab them and let them know their things are in your room.” 

Blake paused for a moment. “My room?” 

Kali nodded and stopped at the doorway. “Your father neglected to mention that you four didnt have a place to stay while here, so we didnt have any of the guest rooms set up. So, we had your bags moved to your room until they were ready.” 

“O-oh, dont worry, I’ll make sure everyone's things get to the guest rooms!” Blake took a quick glance at Ruby, making sure she was occupied before rushing off to her room to grab her team’s packs. Of everything she had wanted to avoid, her team's things ending up in her room was certainly the least of her luck. 

Blake opened the door to her room, relaxing when she saw her team’s things still there without the others having been told. All she had to do was take the bags to the guest rooms- 

“I didnt expect for this to be what your room looked like.” 

Blake’s ears flattened as she heard Ruby’s voice at the doorway of her room, a bit too late to try to keep her out. She watched as Ruby made her way to one of the White Fang flags on the wall, one of the old designs that had been sliced through with a knife. Though, the look of pity she was afraid of didnt come, instead, it was almost as if she was studying it. “I… I didnt want any of you to see this.” 

“Why not?” Ruby asked as she walked around the room. “We know this isnt who you are anymore, so why try to hide it?” 

“Its one thing to tell you about my past, but its another to actually show it.” Blake sighed and made her way over to Ruby, staring at the hate on the wall. Unsent letters of how much she hated humans littered a small section of the wall, a bitter reminder of when she was younger and in a much worse place thanks to Adam. “Its a piece of me I’m still ashamed to admit to.” 

Ruby nodded and gently felt the flag above the letters, following the cuts in the fabric. “You shouldnt be. This may have been you at one time, but the rest of us know that this isnt who you are now and wont be who you’ll become in the future. Your past is just a reminder of how cruel the world can be. And while its not a fairytale, we’ve taken strides to make the world a better place. As huntresses, we help those who cant help themselves, and even though we cant fix everything, the little kindness we can do ripples out towards others and makes the changes the world needs.” 

Blake smiled a bit at Ruby’s words, gently putting her hand over hers and moving it away from the flag to take it down. She held the fabric in her hands, staring at the slashes she had made when she was younger. “And maybe one day I can help bring the White Fang back down a path that’ll actually work.” 

“And you’ll have the rest of us to back you up.” 

Blake nodded and folded up the flag. “Lets get our things into the guest room, and then, do you think you can help me pack away some of this?” 

Ruby grabbed her pack along with Yang’s. “Are you sure?” 

Blake nodded and put the torn flag into a small chest under her bed. “I dont want to get rid of it, but I dont want to keep this up either. If I’m going to be here for a while, I want it to be a room I can stay in.” 

Ruby smiled. “Then I’ll be glad to help you.”

[lovingdabeessss]

So, in response to this:

@tumblingxelian that’s really interesting!! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the different times grim have shown up through the historical perspective and lens!! Specifically on the appearance within the collapsed mine in atlas, an appearance I’ve always found really interesting because it’s sooo remote of a location. My personal theory based on this and others and just general love of the thought is that when it comes to extreme long drawn out emotions or huge mass tragedies, grim will be compelled to stay there for an extended amount of time depending on the extent of the tragedy even if there’s no more negative emotions being produced afterwards or just no people entirely Unless possibly a big enough tragedy occurs somewhere close by drawing it more then where they are

Thank you, I am glad you found my take there interesting!

So, broadly speaking we know that Grimm are drawn to negative emotions. When Mercury's leg got shot, we see Grimm becoming alert all over. We also can argue that Blake on the ship to Kuo Kuana was something of a Grimm lure as the Sea Feilong was drifting beneath it and seemed to become more agitated as she did. Plus as V2 established, it was expected that the White Fang would radiate negative emotions and steadily lure more Grimm towards their general area at the very least.

There's other examples but what I take from this is that while Grimm are drawn to all 'negative' emotions to one degree or another, they seem more... Just drawn to or otherwise aware of stuff like sadness, or subtle dread.

While it seems to be stuff like anger and rage that really gets them active. Not that a Grimm won't attack a sad person, just that they are less likely to be drawn in large numbers to sadness or act as aggressively on it.

Overall, I think the more 'hysterical' or extreme and intense the emotion is, which usually coincides with panic or rage than anything else.

Heck, we also saw Tyrian fall to despair near a Grimm and while it did eventually go for him, it seemed to take a bit to work up to it, compared to how quick on the draw they can be when someone is angry.

As a result, stuff like slavery and prisons, despite causing long term suffering can be sustainable, if still not often advisable.

IE, they are much easier to pull off in an area where the prisoners and slaves would be a minority compared to the comparatively happy citizens.

Meaning such things in small towns would be harder likely making banishment, denial of entry or swift executions more common. & it would discourage stuff like group punishments, torture, or like, executions designed to cause fear, as all those will create major emotional spikes. While in contrast, sadness or long simmering frustration while something of a draw, aren't enough of one to completely undercut the systems.

As to your idea, that is fascinating and given the magical nature of Grimm, Remnants souls and the overall setting. I could very easily see emotions... Clinging to a place so to speak. Or otherwise leaving such a big impact on the nearby Grimms psyche that they remain drawn to the location regardless.

Sorry for not having as much to add there ><

YEYAHHAHSHSHHSH AWESOME THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Ok ok ok on this these are all awesome points I love this so so much yeah it’s so interesting to think about how they would deal with things like prisons especially

Maybe in places like atlas they’d keep the prisons in atlas due to it being so up in the air which less grim are naturally to keep in away from people? Maybe that’s why the mine is so far from people?

Maybe other places keep them farther from general society? Maybe underground? I wonder what affects the grims ability to be drawn to negative emotions?

Your so so right about the banishment thing that’s so true I wonder if any out of kingdom societies were formed based on that? (And promptly destroyed they don’t often last long)

I think that when it comes to emotion panic and desperation are the biggest draws of grim because of how consuming and consistent of an emotion it is but your SO right about anger that and hate are a big bright flag to grim for sure when it comes to sadness I think the biggest threat is meltdowns just total collapse crying sobbing meltdowns bring grim FAST which are a big common thing in huge tragedies or traumatic events/loses

And YEAH I think that there’s definitely something kinda magical to emotions in the Rwby world sense the grim are drawn to it it must have something to it that’s kinda tangible so maybe the thought it could linger places isn’t to far off!!! Right!?? Maybe? Idk I’m just having my fun little theories

Thank you so so so much for this response I love it I love a analysis on top of my analysis thank youuu

[freeusemuses]

Open starter: She needs some milk!

It was evident that Kali was in heat. Evidenced with how little the MILF wore as she moved about Kuo Kuana. Eventually spotting your muse, and quickly dragging you aside to an alleyway, where she quickly made her intentions known. "See this choker?~ I wat you to shove your cock down my throat until it snaps~"

(Go nuts with her)

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Secrets: Single Mom AU

Blake: (after putting Kela to bed) What a week... I'm sorry you had to deal with that. My mother can be a bit much.

Yang: It's no problem. I'm just glad she didn't kill me. (laughs awkwardly and grows silent)

Blake: ...Is something wrong?

Yang: I was just... uh.... I was just wondering when you were going to tell me you and Kela were going to move to Menagerie.

Blake: (shocked) How'd you hear about that?

Yang: I saw a sign in the window saying the building was under new management. When I asked the owner what was going on, he said that he sold the complex...and dropped that you hadn't renewed your lease... I figured that your mom visiting was just to work out the little details.

Blake: .....Yang...I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to bring it up. My job at Vale Publishing doesn't pay enough for me to afford the new rent. When I told Mom, she suggested we move to Menagerie. There were a lot of pros: Kela wouldn't be bullied at school anymore, we'd be around family, we'd have a big house to live in while I saved up, and I could get a job that pays better.

Yang: Blake, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. I just... wish you had told me instead of me finding out on my own...

Blake: (hugs Yang) I'm still up in the air about it...

Yang: (hugs back) Why? Everything would be so much easier in Menagerie for you and Kela.

Blake: But you won't be there. Kela would miss you so much. I don't think I could look her in the eye and tell her we have to leave and you won't be coming with us.

Yang: ...What about you?

Blake: ...That's really a no-brainer. I love you, Yang. I want to make us work, but a whole continent away...

Yang: Would be hard on everyone... I know... and I love you too. Both you and Kela, more than anything in the world. So I want you to do what's best for the both of you. Don't worry about me.

Blake: (holds Yang tighter and cries)

-One Week Later Offboarding a Ship in Menagerie-

Kela: (holding Blake's hand silently as they make their way to the gangplank)

Blake: ....Are you excited to start a new summer in Kuo Kuana with Grandma and Grandpa?

Kela: I guess...

Blake: (kneels down) Baby, I'm sorry. I know this isn't perfect, but things will be better here. I promise.

Kela: I miss Yang... (sniffs back tears) She didn't even see us off...

Blake: (hugs) I miss her too, baby. I miss her too. But she couldn't take off work.

Blake & Kela: (walk down the gangplank to the dock and see Ghira and Kali waving for them)

Kela: (sees blonde hair hiding behind Ghira, gasps, and sprints down the dock) YANG!!!

Yang: (jumps out from behind Ghira) There's my little fighter! (catches Kela in a bear-hug and holds her tight) OH!!! I swear you got bigger just in one week!

Blake: (rushes up and hugs Yang) What are you doing here?!

Yang: You know. It's a crazy thing. My boss just so happened to need a few foremen to come to Menagerie on a new construction contract. Something about wanting to set up a new office on the island to help with the infrastructure. My name just happened to get pulled out of the hat.

Blake: (wipes tears from her eyes) You're ridiculous.

Yang: But you love me.

Blake: I do.

Kela: I love you too!

Yang: (clutches chest) I love you too, baby girl. (hugs and kisses Blake and Kela) I love both of you so much.

Part 1

[the-blackbird-roleplays]

Haven for a Housecat

(A Closed RP with @a-den-of-demons)

"Understood." Nolan muttered into his earpiece as the data was transferred to his custom-built smart-glasses. He smiled softly, the details on his newest mission coming in quickly.

With the recent increase in terroristic activity perpetrated in Mistral against the Schnee Dust Company, there were many that feared the White Fang, the until-recently peaceful Faunus Rights group, had turned to violence to get their message across. There was certainly evidence to support this left at the scenes of the incidents, but the evidence was just a bit too obvious for Nolan's liking. With the approval of his DedSec Cell's leader back in Vale, Nolan was sent to investigate.

His mission: Gain access to the home office of Ghira Belladonna, Chieftan of the capital city of Kuo Kuana. From there, he'd have to search Ghira's files, records, and communications to see if there was any link between the Belladonna family and these new attacks.

Fortunately for him, the how of him getting access was currently sitting with her back to the bartop of a beachside cantina on one of Menagerie's more secluded stretches of sand. That how being the needy housewife of the Chieftan: Kali Belladonna.

Nolan smirked as he turned off his smart glasses, striding up to the beachside bar and standing next to Kali as he smirked softly, making no attempt to hide his eye drinking in the milf's curves as he ordered himself a Daquiri.

"You here alone?" He smirked at Kali, glancing at the blue ice-pop currently being salaciously savored by the milf's lips. "If so... maybe your next drink should be on me?"