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seasonofthewicth · 3 years

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nobody does it like you do - act 2

Thank you so much for all your reactions to part 1! I hope you enjoy part two just as much :)

CW: mentions of past minor character death (incl. a pregnant woman)

7.3k - masterlist - ao3

Her first day of shooting isn’t great. It’s not bad by a long way, but it could have easily been better. They’re on location in a forest somewhere in the outskirts of Rifthold and she didn’t even know there were places in the city like this, she’d assumed it was all the sprawling metropolis of skyscrapers and crowded streets, but apparently not.

She’s cold. There’s a machine beating down torrents of fake rain on her and Fenrys where they stand opposite each other on the muddy path through the trees, they’re filming the scene where their characters first meet. Her feet are soggy inside the canvas trainers she’s wearing and they keep spraying water on her hair to keep the wet look running throughout all of the takes and she hates it. She’s uncomfortable and stiff but she comforts herself with the knowledge that Fenrys is the same if the frown he wears whenever the camera isn’t on him is anything to go by.

It helps, barely.

She keeps having to spit water out of her mouth between lines, she swears it never rains this heavily in real life but who is she to comment, and she watches Rowan’s lips twist in displeasure where he sits behind the camera every time she does it. Aelin’s not sure what else she’s supposed to do, he can sit there out of the line of the water all fine, but she can’t speak with her mouth full.

It can take time to fall into the natural rhythm of shooting a new project, even the shitty ones she’s done in the past have shown her that, but there’s something about the way Rowan watches her that prickles the back of her neck, his stare intense and heavy as he watches, that adds the pressure. She wants to show him that she can do this. She wants his approval.

She ignores the reasons why.

After they finish and Rowan has called cut she sulks back to her trailer, she’s only just managed to change out of her sodden clothes when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Fenrys, warm and dry now in his own change of clothes.

They’ve sort of become friends recently, after swapping numbers after the table read he had texted her first. The studio has put him in the same complex as her and they’ve shared a car back there a couple of times after some of their meetings. She likes him a lot actually, and while she knows his reputation of infamy with the ladies follows him around like a bad smell, she feels comfortable with him.

“That could have gone better,” he tells her as he flops down onto the two-seater sofa at the end of her trailer, the other half has a mound of clothes dumped on it that she hasn’t bothered to sort through yet.

She just shoots him a look that she hopes says tell me about it.

“Tomorrow will be better,” he tells her, reassuringly. He would know she supposes, he has far more experience than her.

“I hope so.”

“How’re you finding it so far, working with Rowan?” he asks, and she frowns, bristling at the fact that he somehow knows the worst question to ask already. Aelin doesn’t think she’s behaved weirdly around Rowan since the day at the table read, in fact she’s tried to avoid him where possible. Maybe that’s it.

“Fine,” she says, but that’s not quite true. It messes with her in a dangerous way every time she knows he’s watching her. She should be able to turn that part of her brain off during a scene, she trained for years to learn how to do that, but he gets to her. She’s working on it.

Fenrys laughs, seeing right through her.

“He’s not bad once you get to know him, the first time we worked together I thought he was a total dick.” She gives him the same look as before as she clears the clothes and sits down next to him.

“I swear he’s not that bad. He’s just-” Fenrys pauses, weighing her up with a look, and something that he takes in from the way she stands, gnawing on her lower lip with her hair still wet, has him saying; “He’s got a lot riding on this.”

“Why?”

It doesn’t feel like he has a lot riding on this, his last piece was nominated for the Oscars, how much higher than that can you get? It’s not like he’s in the same position as her, desperately clawing herself back to a place where she can be cast in a role and it not be followed by a stunned, oh?

She knows there were articles written when her casting was announced that were doubtful of her ability to do this movie, that questioned whether she’s up to the task and whether she’s good enough to be standing next to names like Fenrys and Rowan. Some of the articles were straight up mean, and she only knows that because she searched them up like a masochist when all the ones Elide sent over were far too nice.

A dark part of herself can’t help but fall prey to some of the headlines. The ones that throw around words like nepotism, the ones that question whether Aelin is talented enough to be where she is cut deeper than any knife, and only half of it is because she sometimes wonders the same. She should be better than that, but the reminder catches in her throat that she really does have a lot riding on this.

“It’s not really my place to say.”

That’s a load of shit, and she tells him so. He only shrugs, not willing to so openly gossip about their boss.

“How well do you know him exactly?” She’s fishing for any details, but it definitely could be passed off as casual curiosity.

“He directed my debut, we keep in touch every so often.” He’s nonchalant. “He asked me to audition for this.”

“Nice humble brag.”

Fenrys only flashes her his movie star grin, in combination with the wink he throws at her it’s almost an effort not to blush.

“He wanted you cast, you know?” That she didn’t know, but it’s nice to hear.

“Why? He doesn’t know me.”

“You’re hard work, you know?” He’s joking but it doesn’t sit quite right. She knows it’s true. “Come with us tonight. There's a group of us getting dinner, and you can ask him yourself.”

It’s an olive branch. She knows it’s obvious to everyone that she’s uncomfortable, still hasn’t quite found her feet on set after taking such a break, and it’s one that she’s grateful for. No matter how closed off she knows she still seems to them.

“Okay,” she says and Fenrys’ smile is genuine and a part of her lifts, it’s a start.

They share a car to the restaurant and he fills the journey with easy chatter. She appreciates it because she feels really fucking rusty. It’s been a while since she spoke to anyone outside of her immediate circle of friends and family, and it’s always been easy with them. This is different, but not unwelcome.

Sometimes she worries that, as much as they love her, Aedion, Lysandra and Elide are inclined to tread lightly around her. She’d like to think that she’s not that fragile, that she could take the full front of their humour and teasing like she used to, but then remembers when Fenrys’ joke fell flat for her in the trailer and she thinks again.

Either way, the cast and crew here don’t treat her like she’s broken, or even breakable, and it’s refreshing.

Fenrys leads the way into the restaurant, and there’s definitely paparazzi down the street snapping away at them as they cross the short distance from the car to the door. She tries to ignore it, she’ll text Elide once they’re done here, even though Elide will probably be overjoyed. It’s probably (definitely) easier to publicise your talent when she’s out there doing things with other famous people compared to staying inside her home alone.

Fenrys greets the staff on the door and they lead them through the restaurant to a staircase at the back of the room and it leads up to a private space with only one table. Right, privacy. Some of these guys are proper celebrities.

They’re the last ones there, and there’s two seats left at the table. Manon is here, so is Rowan and one of the executive producers who she thinks is called Gavriel.

“Alright guys, you all know Aelin,” Fenrys says and she smiles as they greet her.

Fenrys holds a chair out for her, the one next to Rowan, and she slides into it as he takes the one on her other side.

Rowan offers her a quirk of his lips, one she returns as she takes him in. He’s wearing short sleeves this time and she gets a good look at the tattoo snaking the whole way down his left arm. It’s in the Old Language and she can’t read it, even though her father had spent hours trying to teach her when she was a kid, but the lettering is beautiful and neat. She wants to reach out and touch, to trace the lines that roll down his golden skin.

She doesn’t. Obviously.

A waiter comes over to take their drink orders, Fenrys gets a beer, Manon and Gavriel opt for wine, but Rowan asks for an orange juice. He’s not drinking either and she wonders if it’s related to the reason he needs this movie to go well. So she’s nosy? So what?

She sits back and observes as the conversation flows, laughing along at the easy banter that flows between the three men and the sarcastic quips Manon throws in. Fenrys clearly understated his relationship with Rowan, they seem tight and have a clear fondness for one another. It’s easy to slot herself in as the night progresses, snarking with Manon and joining in with the general light-hearted mockery of Fenrys.

She thinks maybe so far she’s got Rowan wrong.

Tonight he’s quick-witted and charming, and he makes his best effort to include her in the conversation which she appreciates. It’s a contrast to the dark and teasing side of him she’s seen so far in the hallway and the table read. Maybe he’s decided to just start again, pretend they never met before she was cast, and she can do that too.

“So, Aelin.” Manon turns the spotlight to her after a while. “Tell us the scoop. I’ve not seen you in anything for a while.”

It’s not a nasty question, Aelin can just tell from the way she asks it, nothing more than genuine curiosity lies in her tone even if the phrasing is somewhat harsh. Manon might not be the bubbliest of characters, she’s blunt and doesn’t beat around the bush, but she’s not unkind, and Aelin doubts if she knew the truth she’d ask that question in such a way.

Elide managed to keep the worst of her… career break? One could phrase it more like breakdown, out of the limelight. She somehow managed to keep the worst of it hidden, and Aelin will owe her that for the rest of her life.

All the world knows is that Sam was murdered when they were both still newbies to their respective industries, neither of them had had their big break yet, and after that she took a break. For three years.

She remembers the headlines from the time, most were in smaller magazines, Sam wasn’t famous enough to make the front pages. Her mouth tastes like bile.

Singer-Songwriter Sam Cortland, 20, murdered in random street attack in Orynth, girlfriend Aelin Ashryver unharmed and working with police to identify suspect.

No one knows she knelt there in his blood begging for him to open his eyes, not even Aedion, or Lysandra or Elide, and she blinks back the image now. Her hands are curled into fists below the table and she forces herself to uncurl them and lay them flat against her jeans.

“Yeah,” she says after clearing her throat. “I took a break from it all for a few years, but I’m back now obviously and really excited for it.”

Manon nods and Gavriel raises a glass. He’s been nothing but kind to her all night. He kind of reminds her of her father, though he’s not that old, probably not even forty yet. He’s softly spoken and counters each snarky comment from Fenrys or Manon with something softer but no less amusing.

“Good to hear,” Fenrys says with a grin, clinking his glass against Gavriel’s.

The way Rowan watches her as he raises his own glass in a toast to her, careful and without speaking, tells her he knows. At least the basics about Sam, and it seems like maybe he did google her just like she joked back at the table read.

Their meals arrive then, mercifully taking the attention away from her. She needs to find a better way to deal with the attention than shutting down, especially if this film is going to be as big as everyone thinks it will be. She should call her therapist.

She will.

Eventually.

They leave the restaurant not long after, Fenrys covering the bill, emphasising that this was a celebration and an initiation for Aelin. She almost blushes for some unknown reason at his words, but she likes it. It sounds good. Like she really is back, or at least will be.

They each give her their numbers, and she likes the way he’s in her phone now as Rowan rather than Rowan Whitethorn, it feels like he’s not just someone from work. Not just her boss.

They each say goodbye and share a series of embraces, ignoring the small group of paparazzi that follow, desperate for any kind of incriminating image of any of the five of them. It’s clear that most of them are here for Fenrys, but she still makes sure to keep her expression clear and guarded as Rowan wraps her into a one-armed hug when they leave. It’s not just for the paparazzi.

Back in her apartment, when she’s tucked up in bed knowing she should be asleep, she can’t stop herself from googling him. She’s honestly surprised she’s lasted this long.

The first few news articles to come up are all about the movie and she scrolls past them, instead pulling up his Wikipedia page and scrolling straight to the personal life section. Maybe this is the weirdest way anyone’s ever got to know a friend, but she’s intrigued and still slightly flustered by him so it will do.

The section on his personal life is relatively bare, and it doesn’t surprise her. His Instagram account alone told her pretty explicitly that he’s a private kind of guy. She almost scrolls away after the first few lines, they don’t give her much information other than the college he went to and the languages he speaks, but she reads the final few lines of the section anyway.

In March 2018 Whitethorn’s fiance, Lyria Woods, passed away as the result of a road traffic accident. The driver of the other vehicle was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident and was later sentenced to 6 years in prison for death by dangerous driving. Woods was 12 weeks pregnant with their child at the time of the accident.

Only a couple of weeks after the Oscars that she and Lysandra watched. She does the maths and realises this is his first film since then and thinks she knows what Fenrys meant.

Fucking shit.

Her second day of shooting goes better than the first, just as Fenrys said it would.

She’s more relaxed when she crosses the set from her trailer with a coffee in hand and she thinks she knows her place a little better now, even after only one night spent with the others.

She lies back while her make up is done, chatting to the make-up artist instead of sitting silently like the day before, and she’s almost ready for the discomfort that her wet hair will bring. The weather adds to the atmosphere of the film, dark and dreary and moody, and she gets why they’re doing it, but it still sucks.

Fenrys is ready when she gets there, and while she’s not avoiding Rowan today after finding out about his… past, she just finds it difficult to look him in the eye knowing what she does. He probably wouldn’t be surprised that she knew, if it’s on Wikipedia it’s public knowledge and they have made jokes about googling each other, but she feels weird in a way that she didn’t learn it from him. It feels intrusive, or invasive, to find out about something like that through Wikipedia.

But even though they bonded somewhat last night, and he greeted her this morning with an easy hey, they’re still not close. No matter that she thinks she might want them to be. She’s trying again to ignore the way she feels drawn to him, the way her eyes seek him out without her permission.

She knows she kills the take. Knows it from the high five Fenrys slaps against her palm once Rowan’s called cut and from the swift nod he offers her when she glances towards him.

There seem to be two Rowan’s too, there’s the award winning director Rowan Whitethorn, and then just Rowan.

Rowan Whitethorn is cool and calculating and distant, quiet while he watches their scene from his place behind the camera, the big black headphones he uses pushed down around his neck. His eyes are as sharp as a hawk’s while he watches for all the minute details of their expressions and any improvements they could make. He doesn’t give her that many she’s pleased to note.

The way he instructs them is impressive, with clear directions and thoughtful analyses. She’s been here two days and she knows how he got the Oscar nomination, he’s scarily intelligent and seems to know exactly what’s off about a performance before she figures it out herself.

The other side to him, the side that is just Rowan is…

Just Rowan is the one she likes more.

She suspects the smile he gives her later, after they’ve nailed the bulk of the scene in one take and she’s being twirled around by Fenrys, comes from him.

She has two full days off in a row, and she decides the best use of her time is to go and stay with Aedion and Lysandra. Fenrys isn’t free, and the reason she is is that he has a load of solo scenes to shoot, and she doesn’t envy him at all.

Lysandra is ecstatic when she announces via a group text to her and Aedion that she’ll be at their house for lunchtime, and she loves it, but it makes her feel a little guilty. That she’s let it get to the point when her friend reacts like that at her promise of a visit is quite frankly appalling, but she finally feels as if she’s taken the first step. She’s on the bottom rung of the ladder, and it’s taken her a while, but she’s there now.

Aedion and Lysandra live in a disgustingly big house in a gated part of the suburbs, and she knows the house isn’t exactly what they would have chosen in an ideal world, it’s too big and garish and grey, but there are gates by the entrance and 24 hour security.

It still messes with her head that Aedion is that famous. Aedion. Her gangly cousin, always too tall for his own good, who used to pull her hair when they were kids and sneak her extra helpings of cake at family parties before her parents divorced. She doesn’t know that much about football, so little in fact that her dad and Aedion teased her relentlessly for years, but everyone tells her he’s good.

Like really good.

The salary he gets from the Ravens is more than enough proof.

She rings their front door bell and she can hear Lysandra’s quick steps before the big wooden door is pulled open.

Her friend is glowing. Her dark hair falls into waves near the end and her staggeringly beautiful face is free of any make-up and unblemished and dewy. She’s had time to get over the insecurities that come from being friends with Lysandra so it barely phases her as she wraps her arms around her friend.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispers into Lysandra’s hair. It smells like coconut and citrus and just Lysandra.

“I missed you too. So much,” Lysandra sighs as she pulls back, dragging Aelin into the house and shutting the door.

Their hallway is grand and open but there’s a pile of their shoes by the wall and a rack of coats that make it feel more homely. There are framed photos carefully arranged on the sideboard in the entry way that show the two of them with their whole family and all of their friends.

There’s one on there of Aelin and Lysandra at eighteen, their arms thrown tightly around each other while they grin massive, excited smiles at the camera, or more likely Elide behind it. She remembers the day it was taken, Lysandra had signed to her first agency and arranged to move to Rifthold, and they had taken her out to celebrate.

It was around the same time she signed for her first movie, a tiny role with two lines and twenty seconds of screen time but it got the ball rolling with her first proper acting credit, and she’ll never forget it.

A head of golden hair pokes around the kitchen doorway at the end of the hall and she lets her cousin sweep her up into a hug, swinging her up and around so her feet dangle above the floor.

“Alien, we’ve missed you.”

A stupid nickname from when they were young, the kind of young where he thought it was hilarious to replace her name with an extraterrestrial, but it only makes her smile now, squeezing her cousin tight before he puts her back down.

“Yeah, I bet you’ve been lost without me.” She beams at them, taking a moment to soak in how it feels to be with them even as Aedion rolls his eyes. “I’ve missed you both too.”

“Lunch is ready, come on,” Aedion tells her as he takes her case and drags it through the house, leaving it by the bottom of the stairs. It’s then that she spots the frilly pink apron tied around his waist.

“Alright,” she laughs. “I can’t wait to try what the domestic goddess has in store for us.”

Peals of laughter burst out of Lysandra and she grins back at her, forever grateful that they managed to keep their relationship with each other from ever impacting on their relationship with Aelin. At first she had been worried that Aedion and Lysandra would become AedionAndLysandra and that she wouldn’t have a place left with them, but she needn’t have worried, and they worked too well together for Aelin to have ever wished for anything different.

“Gods, shut up,” he mutters, slinging an arm around her shoulders and leading her to the kitchen. “So annoying, both of you.”

She grins as she hears Lysandra smack an overly dramatic kiss to his cheek.

Aedion’s a surprisingly good cook, the lunch he’s made is tasty despite being carefully planned to fit into both his and Lysandra’s strict meal plans. If they’re the cost needed to be able to live in a house like this, Aelin doesn’t want it.

“So,” Aedion says after he’s finished chewing a mouthful. “How are things going?”

He asks it with a gentle kind of sensitivity that she understands what he’s really asking. She knows it’s code for are you still sober? but she also knows he hasn’t asked it because he doubts her. Aedion and Lysandra have always been in her corner, even in her darkest moments they were there.

She never wants to put them through anything like that ever again. Never wants them to experience anything as terrifying as the last night she ever touched a drug. That night, almost a year ago now, will forever be the bottom of her pit. She doesn’t remember much of it, other than the devastation on Aedion’s face as he carried her out of the men’s toilets of a seedy nightclub in Perranth. The way he’d bitten his lip as he picked her up off the sticky floor, pulling the hem of her dress down to cover her underwear where it had ridden up.

The thought makes her sick.

He’d had to skip a game, leading to a bollocking from his coach, but he’d done it for her. Had carried her out of the club and into a car, waiting to take them back to his house. Lysandra had stroked her hair where she lay on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor while Aedion called a doctor to the house. Even through his panic he had thought of her and how little she would want it publicised that she’d been pulled out of a club, off her fucking rocker on whatever substance she’d been given by the lowlives she had fallen in with. She’s really, really lucky that for once Aedion hadn’t been followed by paparazzi.

She takes a sip of her sparkling water before she answers, it feels like all she ever drinks these days and it tastes like shit but it’s worth it if she never reverts back to where she was.

“I’m good.” She’s almost surprised to find that it’s true. “I’m feeling much better.”

She can barely look at them, can barely take the level of subdued joy on their faces.

“We’re glad Aelin, really glad.” Lysandra’s voice is sincere.

“So, how’s the new project going?” Aedion asks her, sensing her discomfort almost immediately.

“That’s good too actually.” It is. It feels good to have something positive to focus on, something that she feels is productive and worth doing. “It’s nice to be back and be busy even if the morning shoots begin disgustingly early. It’s good to be on set, surrounded by it all again and to remember that I can actually do this.”

She stabs her fork through a piece of tomato a little aggressively as she finishes and the look Lysandra shoots her tells her she’s not impressed with the self-deprecation but that she’ll let it slide for now.

“And Fenrys Moonbeam, is he really that good looking in real life?”

Aelin laughs. “More actually, sometimes it's too much.”

“Nice,” Lysandra nods appreciatively.

“Is he alright though?” Ever the overprotective older brother figure, she expected some version of this question from Aedion.

“He’s great. He’s hilarious and it really helps on the long days,” she says before taking her next bite.

“And Rowan Whitethorn’s directing isn’t he? What’s he like?”

Aelin blinks and finishes chewing slowly. “He’s… fine.”

She knows she’s fucked it when Aedion and Lysandra share a look, matching smirks beginning on each of their faces.

“Fine,” Lysandra repeats. “What exactly does fine mean Aelin?”

She purses her lips. “He’s a great director.”

Lysandra rolls her eyes. “And?”

She could probably lie here, they’d probably let it slide if she said some bullshit about how they’ve not spoken much and how she barely knows him, but she honestly needs to talk to someone about this. You know, to set her straight.

“And he’s really hot.”

She’s blushing as Lysandra laughs and Aedion chuckles.

“You’ve got a crush,” Lysandra sing-songs, and when she doesn't respond she says, “Have you got a picture of him? I don’t think I actually know what he looks like.”

She can’t blame Lysandra for that, she’s still kicking herself for not recognising him that day in the hallway, but he was only on screen for a few seconds at the Oscars and it wasn’t long after Sam so it wasn’t like she was paying attention in that way. She still thinks she should have noticed.

She pulls her phone out to find the only picture she has on there with Rowan. She had only taken it this week when they were eating breakfast with Fenrys one morning, in one of the tents that had been set up for them to sit in between takes, and Fenrys had pulled his phone out to snap a photo of her for his Instagram story.

She’d been wrapped up in one of the huge parkas they’re given for the times in between scenes holding her croissant high up in the air when he’d taken it. He’d captioned it she could have dropped her croissant and tagged her, and she’d gained a good few thousand followers. She’s almost at a million and they’re only a couple of weeks into shooting.

She had taken one of him in response and then spun around to force Rowan into a selfie with her, he’d protested but she’d pouted until he relented, grumbling something about actors that she knew he didn’t mean. She didn’t post it anywhere, she kept it to herself and she can’t lie, she’s looked at it way too many times since.

She’s smiling a wide smile, cheeks stuffed full of her croissant and it’s really kind of gross, but the small smile on Rowan’s face makes it bearable. More than bearable, she has to resist the temptation to make it her lock screen because that would be weird.

She remembers the heat of his chest where he had stood behind her to lean down so their faces were level, the hand he rested on her shoulder to steady himself and the way his fingers had brushed against her neck in the lightest caress.

She hands the phone over to Lysandra and wants to pull it back almost immediately.

It’s not that she’s embarrassed or whatever, even if they think it’s a bad idea they’d let her down gently, it's just that their opinion matters to her a lot. And while they haven’t exactly approved of her string of random hookups in the years since Sam, they’ve never tried to comment on it other than to check she’s in a good place with it, but she knows they’re waiting for the next person she sees seriously.

There’s a fairly large part of her that thinks her first relationship since Sam shouldn’t be with her boss. And that fucks her up a bit, because since when was she considering a relationship with him?

“Oh yeah,” Lysandra says, scaring away the intrusive thought and raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. “He’s hot alright.”

Aedion nods along, peering over Lysandra’s shoulder. Lysandra’s eyes are far too knowing when she looks back up at Aelin and passes the phone over. She doesn’t say a word before locking the phone and sliding it back into her pocket.

“You’ll have to invite us to set sometime.” Lysandra is sneaky but not subtle.

“I will,” she agrees.

The next week flies by, she shoots every single day but one, and she’s far too exhausted each night to do anything other than scrounge up a measly meal that can be pulled together from her cupboard basics and the limited vegetables in her fridge before falling straight asleep. They’ve made good progress so far, and she knows it's going to be good, but she’s tired.

She’s seen a lot more of the process outside of her own character by now too, and she’s amazed, but not surprised, when she persuades one of the crew to let her watch back one of Fenrys’ solo scenes from the previous week. He’s a phenomenal actor, that much is clear, but she had allowed herself to get caught up in Fenrys as her friend, the happy and funny guy she spends her time with, forgetting the talented and driven lead actor of their movie.

Not that she can forget it in the scenes they share, but she’s mostly concentrating on the emotions her character is going through, and responding to what Fenrys gives her. It almost feels too natural for him, and she forgets that it takes work.

His text meets her at lunchtime on the Sunday they both have off, when she’s still in her pyjamas on the couch, debating whether to start a new series or watch the latest cheesy rom-com that Netflix has released.

She auditioned for one of them a couple of years ago, and she’s far enough past the bitterness that comes with not getting the role that she could enjoy it. Maybe a little, cynical part of herself thinks she’s glad she didn’t get it. What she has now is far better. She’s being a snob, but she straight up doesn’t care. It’s not like anyone else is here to judge her.

Fancy coming to Rowan’s to watch the game? I’m leaving in 20 his text reads.

She didn’t plan on doing anything today, but the invitation sparks something in her, and she’s never been to Rowan’s place before. The studio put him in a house about thirty minutes from set, and she’s curious. How much luxury does the big name director get compared to what she and Fenrys have got? She’s lucky really, that Dorian managed to negotiate the same for her as they offered Fenrys.

rowan’s??? She replies, followed by what game????

She gets up off the couch, putting the lid on the tub of yoghurt she was tucking into with a spoon and walking through to the kitchen to throw it back into the fridge.

Tall, grumpy guy that bosses us around all the time comes through a minute later and she grins at her phone at the description. It’s followed up by Ravens v Panthers.

She taps out, getting changed will be ready in 15 and he replies with three smiling emojis.

She doesn’t think it will be anything fancy if her impromptu invitation is anything to go by so she only swaps her pyjama bottoms with tiny cartoon sheep down the legs for a pair of black leggings and throws a sweatshirt over her oversized t-shirt.

Manon is there when they get there, sprawled across the two seater sofa at the far side of Rowan’s living room, and she gives them both a wave when they enter the room. The house is a pretty modest, two-up two-down in a sweet neighbourhood and it’s cosy inside with relatively modern decor. She doesn’t know for sure whether or not that fits Rowan, but she feels like it does.

He doesn’t let them in, Fenrys swings the door open and marches in like it’s his own place and she wonders how much he and Rowan have hung out, or whether that’s just him. Rowan appears in the doorway about a minute after they come in, a bowl of snacks in his hand that she thinks could be popcorn and he puts it down before coming over to wrap Fenrys in a hug. They slap each other on the back in the way that guys do before pulling back.

Aelin stands at Fenrys’ side watching the exchange, unsure whether to greet Rowan or just take a seat, and once they’re done he seems to regard her with the same sort of uncertainty. Fenrys darts around Rowan to throw himself onto the other sofa and she doesn’t give herself long enough to doubt her decision before she opens her arms and steps towards him.

“Hey,” he says simply as he wraps her into a brief hug. “Thanks for coming.”

She wraps her arms around his own broad shoulders, and it feels nice. He’s warm and strong beneath her hands and the way his arms loop around her waist, so far his hands reach back around to her stomach, gets her in a way that she really doesn’t need to think about. It feels really good pressed up against him like that.

“Hey,” she breathes as he pulls back, and she knows he sees the blush on her cheeks. She’s not fifteen, she really needs to sort herself out. “Thanks for having us.”

“Of course, make yourself at home.” He gives her another half smile, offering a flash of his straight, white teeth, and again she’s struck by him. That his place is behind the camera is a crime. “I’ve got more snacks and drinks in the kitchen if you want.”

“Beer?” Fenrys asks her, already heading to a door that she assumes leads to the kitchen.

She shakes her head, “do you have sparkling water?” She directs the question to Rowan who nods.

He doesn’t have to speak before Fenrys says “on it,” and leaves the room.

She assesses the seating choices left in the room, there’s a cream two-seater sofa opposite where Manon lies, and that’s probably her best bet, but Rowan has already taken his seat on it, an ankle crossed over a knee as he settles into the cushions. There’s plenty of room to sit by him and not touch, and she weighs it up against having to ask Manon to move.

She’s friendly with the girl, but still feels slightly intimidated by the calculating and sarcastic blonde despite the fact that she’s a few years younger than Aelin herself, so maybe Rowan is the safer choice.

Fenrys comes back into the room just as she takes her seat.

“Move your feet, Blackbeak,” he demands as he hands her a glass of sparkling water, it’s chilled with a couple of cubes of ice and she appreciates it.

Manon lifts her legs for Fenrys to sit, but plops her legs back down across his lap immediately and sticks her tongue out at him as she does. Aelin feels herself smile at the display, and the fact that she’s included in this circle of friends. She hasn’t really made an effort with anyone new since Sam, the only people she’s really spoken to are Elide, Lysandra and Aedion, and they were all there for her before Sam. It feels really damn good.

She really, really, doesn’t understand the rules of football, but it’s easy enough to cheer along when the others do and laugh at their outrage when something doesn’t go their way. It’s the most animated she’s seen Rowan so far, and she’s not quite sure which way their allegiances lie, but it’s probably with the Ravens being in Rifthold and all, and she knows her own is.

Everytime Aedion gets the ball or is shown on screen she can’t hold back the cheers. She’s proud of him and she knows how hard he works to be as good as he is, and even knowing as little as she does, it's special to watch him excel.

Rowan and Fenrys both seem a little starstruck that he’s her cousin, to her he’s just Aedion and they’re the real, scary celebrities, but they gush about him like starstruck little boys.

“And you were at his house last weekend?” Fenrys cries, almost outraged that this is the first he’s ever heard of it, but honestly? They’re both Ashryvers; it’s not like it's a secret.

“Yes,” she laughs. “He’s basically like my brother.”

“Gods, Aelin.” He sounds almost pained that she hasn’t brought this up before. “You've been holding out on us! Please give me his number or introduce me or something.”

“Sorry.” She laughs again and throws a smile to Rowan that he returns with another quirk of his lips. “Invite me earlier next time and I’ll ask him to sort a box for us at the stadium.”

“Seriously?” Even Rowan sounds awed now.

“Yeah, just let me know,” she says. “It’s no big deal.”

It really wouldn't be, Aedion has been telling her for years to invite any friends she wants to games, she would just need some friends outside of him, Lysandra and Elide first.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” he says, watching her with a smirk still playing on his lips.

She shrugs. “Just make sure you text me early next time.”

“Oh, I will,” he says, and she has to look away from him. The way his voice curves around the words, all low and intense, is definitely about more than just the game.

She tries to pass it off as just looking to where Fenrys is cheering loudly at the next play, but Manon is there again, looking at her with such a knowing expression that she immediately focuses back on the TV.

At half time she needs to use the bathroom and Rowan gives her a quick rundown of the layout of the house. She’s quick to do her thing and runs by the kitchen afterwards to grab a refill of her drink and find something to eat.

Rowan had told them all to help themselves, explaining that he felt they had as much right as he to poke through the cupboards in the only just filled rental property and she gets it. The places the studio rent out for them are nice enough, and she’s more than grateful that they do, but it’s never quite home. Even if her home is somewhat impersonal, it’s still home.

She’s on her tiptoes, scanning through the relatively well stocked cupboards on the hunt for anything chocolate, when someone enters the kitchen behind her.

“I know I said help yourselves, but you’re going to eat me out of house and home at this rate.”

It’s Rowan, and he leans against the doorframe as he watches her startle and spin to face him, his legs are crossed at the ankles and his arms are folded over his chest. The pose highlights his powerful arms that she wants to be wrapped up in again and he looks really good in the dim lighting of the kitchen. It bounces off the lines of his tattoo, shining and highlighting the swirls that she can barely look away. She wants to ask what it means.

Aelin scoffs and pushes the cupboard door shut gently, they’re not eating that much and if they are it’s definitely not her, Fenrys and Manon are another story.

“There’s nothing stopping you from kicking us all out,” she says and he laughs, shaking his head.

He tilts his head to the side, his gaze picking her apart by the second before he says “maybe not all of you.”

His words and the way he shifts in the doorway as his eyes run her up and down gives her the confidence to bite her lip and look up at him through her lashes. He pushes off the door frame and comes to lean against the counter by her side.

He opens a cupboard door on her other side and rummages through a shelf before handing her a foil packet.

“I have a feeling this is what you were after.”

She accepts the chocolate and tucks it onto the counter at her side as she mirrors him and leans against it too.

“Unsurprisingly, you’d be correct.”

He presses his lips together before his lips twist again, it’s the same expression from before that she knows means he wants to smile but he can’t quite commit, and she feels her body loosen like she wants to lean forward to press into him. She doesn’t though.

What she does instead is take a sharp breath and a step back. “Thanks.” She waves the bar of chocolate in the air before stepping around him and making her way back into the living room, forcing her steps to seem calm and collected as she feels his gaze heavy on her back.

“Anytime.” His words follow her out of the room, they’re a promise.

Luckily, Fenrys and Manon both ignore it when Rowan follows her and retakes his place next to her.

#rowaelin #throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #rowaelin au #ndilyd #nobody does it like you do #cw: minor character death

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christinesficrecs · 3 years

Text

Law enforcement Sterek 💜

Unmapped by Jerakeen | 11.3K | Explicit

Stiles can never leave a good mystery alone.

Uncover the Endless Hours by BarlowGirl | 15K | Mature

The one where Stiles is a cop and Derek doesn't sleep.

The Road to Self-Actualization Is Littered with F-Bombs by blue_fjords | 24.8K | Mature

It's Stiles’s final Spring Break of his college career, and he's got plans to do a whole lot of nothing. But Derek has other plans for him, and before he knows it, Stiles is joining Derek to go undercover at a couples' retreat in a bid to catch a ring of thieves. It's the world's most perfect plan! Nothing could possibly go wrong!

Pack Up; Don't Stray by the_deep_magic | 55.2K | Explicit

Werewolves are an enslaved underclass, collared and tagged by human masters. Detective Stilinski’s on duty the night they bring in an untagged stray.

Noteworthy by DLanaDHZ | 12.3K

Stiles and Derek share a desk at the station but work different shifts. Stiles is messy and Derek is very neat, which seems to work out fine... until the day the first passive aggressive sticky note is left on the desk telling Stiles to clean up. One note turns into two turns into two hundred as both officers become increasingly interested in their desk partner.

Murder, He Wrote by mklutz | 31.6K | Explicit

And that was how Stiles accidentally became a New York Times bestselling author.

Just Act Normal by zosofi | 78.6K | Explicit

If someone had told Stiles back in high school that he would be an Oscar winning actor by the time he turned 25, he would’ve probably told Scott to punch them. The thing is, though…they would’ve been right.

Which makes returning to Beacon Hills, center of all that is supernatural and better left avoided, all the more awkward.

Howlin' For You by Lenore | 33K | Explicit

A college AU with strippers, crime bosses, and a mystery to solve.

Hostage in Love by allyarra | 6K

The one where Derek is a SWAT officer and Stiles is the newest hostage negotiator.

Glazed and Confused by wishingonalightningbolt | 13.7K | Explicit

Stiles is a forensic tech with the San Diego FBI. He thinks he's been fairly lucky, since he's never had his life threatened, sustained few injuries, and only has to work with his least favorite agent every once in a while.

And then all of that changes.

gave your smile to me by Sarageek16 | 4.7K

In which Stiles is a hooker (but not really), Derek wants to feed his skinny little body, and there is soup. Not necessarily in that order.

Fucked Up People (Cling Together) by linksofmemories_archive | 15K

“Can we stop at a non-fast food restaurant?” Stiles asked. “Like a place where we sit down and they take our order and then bring us the food?”

“Sounds like a date.”

“It’s not a date.”

“I know,” Derek said. “I was kidding.”

flint & tinder by grimm | 43.5K | Explicit

Casting spells, chasing monsters, wooing your coworkers and fucking them in their offices - it's all in a day's work for Stiles Stilinski.

Five Times Detective Stilinski and Fire Captain Hale Had Sex In Public, and One Time They Did It In A Bed by bleepobleep | 32.8K | Explicit

"Did you say--" Stiles starts.

"What?" Derek growls.

"We're not a couple!" they both retort in unison.

"We're not together," Stiles insists.

Lydia coughs pointedly. "An incident report filed by 87th Precinct Captain Erica Reyes. March twenty-fifth, eight p.m. Came back to the precinct to grab my coat, only to hear Stilinski banging his new boyfriend in the holding cell."

Deputy Derek Hale, Alpha by eldee | 12.6K | Explicit

Deputy Derek Hale has recently become an alpha, and that changes things for him. Now that he's back after a leave of absence, he's hoping to get what he and Stiles had almost-started back on track. The thing is, it seems Stiles is going through some changes of his own and Derek's not sure how he fits.

Darling It Is No Joke by thehoyden | 13.2K | Explicit

The first thing Stiles thinks when he opens the door is that it’s not his birthday, but someone has sent him some kind of cop stripper.

CSI: Beacon Hills by Jerakeen | 8.2K

Back when Stiles was in high school Beacon Hills didn't have a crime lab, because they simply didn't need one. Those were the days.

Cherrybomb by the_deep_magic | 13.1K | Explicit

Stiles is yanked up to his feet so fast that his world spins and his shoulder aches and he’s a second from screaming police brutality! when he gets a good look at the cop’s face.

Holy shit. Stiles was just tackled to the ground by a fucking underwear model with a badge.

Ain't Nothing so Good as the Cake and Eating it by sofonisba_found | 51K | Mature

Derek thinks he's doing alright in life, with his family at his side and a job he loves. Despite his family's concerns he remains adamant that he doesn't need a mate, afraid to take the risk of letting anyone close enough to try to hurt his family again. That is until he realizes that his true mate has been right under his nose for years, and that now through his inaction he may lose him.

#sterek #sterek fics #ficrecs #classic sterek fics #deputy!derek #detective derek #detective stiles #deputy!stiles #labrat!stiles

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the-hate-keeps-me-warm · 2 years

Text

I've had a bad few days at work so im gonna make a rwby so self indulgent it kills me so most if it will be oscar and team arson fluff and maybe some angst

Do I think any of these are or should be cannon probably not but they make my heart fuzzy

Cuddle piles all of arson take naps together a tradition originally started by Nora after she found Oscar napping after training and decided to join him eventually it evolved into the whole team cuddling while they nap at first emerald is super weirded out by the question but agreed anyway and Nora kinda doesn't want her to join in at first but she cant say no to oscars puppy dog eyes as soon as it started emerald melts and passes the fuck out and ever sense she gets grumpy(more than usual) if they don't nap in a few days

After atlas leadership falls on Oscar winter tries but the others don't trust her like they trust Oscar and winter honestly isn't opposed to not being in charge for fear of becoming like James

Speaking of winter she respects Oscar a lot and doesn't let him being a kid stop her from trusting him not as blind as she did James but trust none the less

They also do some training together as winter is the most experienced fighter besides ozpin with them she's a good teacher as we see with Weiss and Oscar likes her tough love teaching style

(This one's very specific shit and a little dumb)

After loosing jaune ren and nora start to get a little over protective Nora holds Oscars hand whenever there in crowds and ren always walks behind him if there's a chance of him slipping away I think that if its not addressed it gets worse to the point of almost paranoia because of how horrified of loosing another teammate they are some refugees get into a fight over sleeping spots and Oscar tries to break it up and gets shoved down and Nora overreact threading the assailant more than necessary and after Oscar and her have a long conversation about her fears and some of them are put to bed

Oscar doesn't give up on team rwbyj if the others belive they are dead hes not super vocal about still beliveing there alive but if hes asked he doesn't hide it

He keeps a journal of everything that happens while there gone for them and even writes letters to each of the fallen lots to ruby and jaune most of which he never gives either of them out of embarrassment

Oscar is more angry than he seems but is too scared to blow up or yell like he wants so i think he writes to take out his frustrations maybe some of its poetry or self indulgent revenge tales he feels guilty no matter what and hides them

Oscar and Whitely are friends its not instant i think Whitely is wary of anyone who isn't willow or winter at first but I think he warms up to Oscar the fastest it starts with awkward small talk but grows quickly

I think they play swords with sticks and winter find them and turns it into training but there both still having fun so it doesn't matter

I think winter starts training Whitely and asks Oscar to spare with him sense he's closest to his skill level Oscar takes it easy on Whitely till he gets his bearings and finds Whitely fun to fight so they spare often even with winter training him I don't think Whitely wins often as Oscar has real combat experience but there not overly competitive

Not a head cannon but just an idea since long memory is basically used like a blunt rapier it would be cool if Oscar adopted sword and pistol or sword and dagger like winter i just think it would be neat as well as Oscar to differentiate himself from oz (also if he does sword and dagger the knife is called either pine needle or roses thorn)

Oscar is a morning person on his team only jaune is also a morning person so this leads to his whole team groaning at his morning chipperness

Oscar and jaune are the only ones who drink coffee on team arson ren likes tea emerald prefers energy drinks and Nora hates the way caffeine makes her feel and can barely tolerate soda

Oscar drinks his coffee black and jaune likes lots of sugar so Oscar wakes up extra early to make jaune coffee so he doesn't have to and so he can spend more time with jaune

Southern Oscar

he says y'all and aint like a mother fucker and it pissed Whitely off to no end because of how much of a grammar Nazi Jacque probably was

He also loves country music and has a soft spot for the sad stuff he also likes to sing and is pretty good he even sometimes sings while jaune plays guitar he gets very shy tho and will only let team arson listen and maybe the others but he needs to be hyped up first

Oscar and ozpin sing duets in there head all the time it's very cute and even if oz can't sign he likes to hear Oscar sing and he's less embarrassed if someone sings along

Emerald finds Oscar needs to be hyped up pretty often and just decides that she's gonna take every opportunity to do so oh hes feeling insecure about his looks she tells him how handsome he is and how much she likes the way he dresses he doesnt like his height short king all the way of if he's doubling himself she reminds him that she trusts him tho usually not those exact words

(if y'all think this is me shipping them grody let friends gas up friends platonically)

Emerald is very nice but lived in a way where being nice hurt her so now she's catching up on all her kindness with Oscar shes instantly glued to his hip as I think she's an awkward person at heart when she's not scamming or lying and uses being mean and sassy to hide it and she knows Oscar the best so she sticks with him but she feel like she's being annoying so unnecessarily bribes him with food and stuff to hang out with her most of the time they plan on going to eat but do something completely different

Oscar can dance not waltz or tango or nothing fancy just simple things line dancing and stuff you learn in school

Oscars aunt is a big smocker and when he was 12 she got the nastiest brand of cigarette she could and left is somewhere gross so it would get all tar tasting and let him smoke it safe to say Oscar still gags if he smells tobacco smoke

Now these are some rosegarden ones so you can skip that if that's not your style

Oscar has never even kissed a girl before ruby not counting his aunt kissing he cheeks or forehead so he's really scared of messing it up but I head cannon ruby as maybe having kissed one other person but him so she's not any more experienced and there just so perfectly bad at it together

Ruby knows Oscar isn't a huge fan of pda so she tries to keep it to incocent hand holding and occasionally a kiss on the cheek or a goodbye kiss

Oscar is little spoon he likes to feel safe and ruby is a protector and likes to make Oscar feel safe rarely and usually only when she's had nightmares is she little spoon and Oscar doesn't mind

They both are confident people in many ways but are also deeply insecure about many other things oscar doesn't like his height or his scars and i think ruby doesn't like her hands (I actually have a wip I'll never finish about this exact thing )

Ruby definitely gets jealous more than Oscar especially before there officially dating and she hates it she knows its stupid to get jealous over him blushing at neon or holding noras hand or giggling at one of yangs dumb jokes and she tries not to let it get to her especially sense she knows for sure Nora and yang Arent doing it on purpose but she does politely ask neon to stop and she does instead now she teases ruby

I think they don't fight often its usually more tension than fighting them both knowing something is wrong but can't or wont talk about it but when they do fight its usually not for very long they both hate it however they argue constantly but its in good fun and usually about meaningless things like what comic is better or what to have for dinner

As we've seen in volume 8 if ruby gets upset she can yell and she hates doing it especially cause oscar hates it so much

And Oscar is stubborn as hell if he believes he's in the right until ruby yells then he folds and looses all his confidence and that's usually how there arguments end is them apologizing to each other and maybe crying a little

When ruby and Oscar first meet Oscar has never read a comic book before his local library didn't have any so ruby loves showing him the world of comic books which leads them to staying up late into the night discussing them and falling asleep on each other while reading yang and Nora take lots of pictures to tease them with later

I actually don't know if they ever get married I think neither would feel the need but say they do Weiss definitely plans it and is rubies brides maid along with the rest do wby

Jaune is Oscars best man and helps Weiss with the planning

Both of there stag parties are polar opposites Oscars is just him and the guys hanging out and chilling while having fun and rubies is a 9 hour journey where multiple felonies are committed and someone maybe dies ruby made all of them swear to secrecy cause oscar might have a heart attack otherwise

When they first get together yang decides to give them both the talk and its so awkward and yang is so bad at it so eventually blake and ren step in and explain things to them and ruby and Oscar are both still super embarrassed

Yang is very supportive of there relationship she wants ruby to be happy and trusts her to make her own decisions and trusts Oscar not to intentionally hurt her

Qrow on the other hand does not his reasoning being that Oscar might not be long for this world and that will only make ruby more unhappy in the long term but he doesn't stop them hes not her dad and he doesn't get to tell her what to do he knows that and he respects rubies decision to stick by Oscar very early on he decides to try to talk Oscar out of it and he in essence tells qrow to go fuck himself in the least insulting way possible and he respects Oscar for it

Tai and oscar hit it off when they meet they share in a loving of cooking and gardening they are both also huge softies tai of course does the shovel talk but doesn't even take himself seriously when he does and neither does Oscar

#oscar pine #rwby #this is dumb #ruby rose #rosegarden #team alpn #team arson

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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You know, bringing Penny back already had the risk of cheapening her death, but NO ONE having an emotional reaction whatsoever and Pietro being like “Yeah, I guess she did die lol :D” just DESTROYED the weight of her death. Just another reason I felt nothing when she died again.

The lack of reaction to Penny's resurrection will, forever and always, be a black mark on the series for me. I'm not at all surprised that she was brought back given her android status and popularity among the fandom, I can't even fault RT for restoring our original Penny perfectly given the latter (as opposed to getting a "Penny" without her personality and/or memories), but the sheer indifference to her cheating death? Not just that, but treating her return like a joke? Oh haha, silly Penny with her overenthusiastic hugs. I sure missed that bubbly girl back when our enemies manipulated our now murdered friend into killing her and that trauma kick-started the destruction of our school :)

And this trend in the fandom of going, "Just wait"? Penny suffered from it too. Massively. Like we were told to just wait to return to Oscar's mystery shopping trip, or for the reconciliation with Ozpin to start, or, now, for Emerald to undergo an actual redemption arc, the lack of reaction to Penny's return was explained away as shock (and haven't we heard that one before). Ruby will need to grapple with these emotions, it's just that she was so stunned by this turn of events! But, quite obviously, that never happened. Ruby and Penny's relationship fundamentally returned to where it had started, with Penny making comments about how she isn't allowed certain freedoms and Ruby reminding her that she's a real girl despite it all. A death and the trauma of losing a friend? Not a part of their Volume 7-8 dynamic, to the extent that the story throws them a party in the arena where Penny died — and where Yang was framed, and where the Battle of Beacon began — and not a single character has anything to say about that. The meaning that Penny's death carried in Volumes 3-5 was, in short, erased... and then Penny's entire journey of learning that she's always been real is erased too in an effort to kill her off for good. Her human body wasn't included because it was something she strove for (it wasn't), or something the group needed (it wasn't), or because it was a thematic culmination of her journey (quite the opposite), or even because it follows her inspiration (Ironwood's Tin Man would have something to say about that). It exists solely so that Penny could be murdered again, this time for good. The mad scramble to theorize that she's not really dead (again) is telling. Even the most complimentary fans, those who were quite happy with Penny becoming a human and took no issue with her story throughout 7 and 8, recognized that her death was a horrific, meaningless scene that served only to drum up shock value and give Jaune something to angst over.

I'd even go so far as to say her time as the Maiden was meaningless too. Not just in terms of her not actually doing anything with the powers and Winter ending up with them as originally planned — those two points have both been covered extensively — but in regards to the fact that the group didn't react to that either. Our formerly dead friend came back and a short time later is one of the Maidens? Neat! And that's the extent of their emotional investment in Penny's change. Neat, we've got a stronger fighter now. I just answered that ask that referenced Yang and Ren's fight and that's literally Yang's entire thought on the matter: "We have the Maiden." The Maiden is positioned as a useful tool in this war; a checkmark in the "Victories" column when your friend thinks you haven't achieved enough. But doesn't anyone care that the Maiden is Penny? It's particularly strange to me given the six years of fandom discussion surrounding Pyrrha's almost-time as a Maiden too. As someone (quite obviously lol) interested in Ozpin's character, his desire to make Pyrrha the next Fall Maiden is often viewed as one of his worst acts, supposedly taking this poor, defenseless student and manipulating her into accepting a power that will ruin her life. So much of this is conjecture and even more is an erasure of Pyrrha's agency, and the hypocrisy here is on full display when we look to the reaction to Penny's acceptance of the powers instead. No one is worried about how this power is supposedly going to ruin her life. Or drive all her friends away. Or make her a target to be murdered (again) which is precisely what happens. Or turn her into a tool for the evil men around her to abuse — even though Penny is the one who actually has storylines revolving around her agency, from Pietro building her to be Atlas' obedient weapon to Ironwood ordering her back to his side. Yet the characters don't react to this change with any of the horror we might have expected, because these views don't derive solely from fan headcanoning — we've got moments in the text too. Like Jaune convincing himself that Qrow and the others forced Pyrrha into this. Or the knee-jerk reaction to "real" magic and the horrible things it must do to you. Yet Penny walks out of that lab brimming with a foreign magic, something that Ironwood had always planned to pass onto one of this allies, a power that they know has gotten numerous people killed, and our group is just like, "Cool. Penny upgrade." Everything about Penny's Volume 7-8 journey demonstrates a lack of forethought; the authors' inability to connect what they're currently writing to what came before and what will come later. The lack of reaction to her death, the framing plotline going nowhere, a total acceptance of her as the Maiden despite complicated feelings in the past (and we can toss Yang's assumed secret about Raven in here too), the ableist and contradictory message of giving her a human body, dying again just an episode later, doing so in a way that throws Jaune back into the same situation we've seen before... none of it is emotionally fulfilling when set against the rest of RWBY.

And Emerald, as you say, is a crucial part of all that. Emerald is the one who originally orchestrated Penny's murder. We see her love for Cinder pushing her to attack Penny again just hours before she joins the group. Emerald pretends to be Penny in order to get close to Ironwood... and the only thing we get from all this is a quip about how "weird" it feels to do good. Their stories are woven together and the fact that RT doesn't seem to realize that does a huge disservice to them both. The question of, "How does Penny grow after being resurrected post-murder?" and the question of, "What will it take to redeem Emerald?" are irrevocably linked to one another... and yet neither character was given the chance to answer those questions in a fulfilling manner.

#rwby #mymetas

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amara-scott · 3 years

Text

Enjoy your dinner.

Movie: The Gentlemen Characters: Raymond Smith x Reader Categories: Teasing

you’re reading part one | part two

Takes place a few weeks before the movie timeline.

...

3rd Person P.O.V.:

Her father knew very well that she did not enjoy these kinds of events. Richlings bragging about their richness to other fat cats. Not to mention the young ones. The ones her age, who did not have to flip a coin to get any of the wealth their parents owned. Dirty or good money, does not matter. It is more dirty than anything else though. And she knew that also. Another reason for her to usually not stay longer than needed.

It has been a while since her father has last asked her to join him and her mother to a dinner party. It was way more just a synonym for let’s see who will embarrass themselves first by drinking too much of the way too expensive bottle of rum. Long translation - but a hundred percent correct.

And even though she loathed going, she always used the opportunity to make the largest impact possible without trying to say a word. She loved the longing stares and the surprised ones every time she did indeed attend alongside her parents. Today it was just her father though. Her mother was out in Paris, probably spending all the pocket money her loving husband gave her. At least their love for each other seemed honest.

(Y/N) P.O.V.:

When I walk down the stairs to stop in front of a mirror in my hallway, I hear another honk of the limousine waiting outside. I sigh, grabbing a light coat and throwing that over my arm, holding a small clutch in my hand. After locking the door behind me, I greet Mitch with a smile.

“ ’Ello Miss (Y/L/N), hope you are doing well today.” I hold back a roll of my eyes, long forgotten how many times I made him call me by my first name. If I had to guess, probably around 64 times. He doesn’t work for me, he works for my father and my father alone.

“Very well indeed, how about you, Mitch?” He smiles, about to answer, when a voice from inside the car calls out.

“-You can chat on the way there, we’re late as it is.” Now I do roll my eyes at my fathers words and send Mitch another small smile. He nods, closing the door when I’m in, going back to the drivers seat.

“Wow, darlin’, you look lovely tonight.” I greet him with a kiss to each cheek and buckle up.

“Thank you, is that a new suit? I’ve never seen you wear burgundy red.” He nods, smoothing out the fabric.

“It is, it is. You’re a smart one. I despised the colour but your mother thinks it looks expensive and high-class. And you know her- there’s no telling her no.” I chuckle along and we get a few small-talk questions out the way before we finally arrive at the mansion. Some old business partner of my father’s. I can’t keep names in mind so I usually go the shy and long time no see route. It usually works.

My father helps me step outside and Mitch rides off, picking us up later again. Before walking after my father I take a deep breath and exhale, placing a smile onto my face. Fake- but no one seemed to notice the last few times. So no worries there. Walking up the stairs, an arm wraps around mine and I glance up to my right, frowning at the sudden physical contact. James. Yes, the one person I loathed the least. Or you could say - who I actually liked a bit. I grin and bump my shoulder with his as he guides me up to the entrance.

“Hello there gorgeous lady, haven’t seen you around a lot lately.”

“Well, can you blame me? These types of gatherings do not amuse me much. They rather support my boredom and make me want to drown in expensive alcohol. I don’t want to turn into an alcoholic.” He smirks at my statement but shakes his head.

“You’re a special one, you know that?” I nod, sighing dramatically. I look up front, where my father is already involved with other suit-wearing snobs.

“I know- I am.” I try sounding posh, but fail miserably, making us both laugh. I still have my arm wrapped around his’ as we get offered a drink and then he is off. Talking business, making connections. A life I would not want to live. That is why James and me could never be more than friends. Even though he might wants change my mind on that one day - I would never accept his advances.

“Well, well, well. If it is not little Miss (Y/L/N) Junior. How are things going?” I turn, taking another sip of champagne as I recognise the slimy man in front of me. His eyes wandering up and down my presence.

“Oscar- what a nice surprise-” My fake smile widens and I let him kiss my knuckles briefly - even though some of the potatoes I had for lunch earlier wanted to revisit. He must be double my age - I never thought of that. 50 at least.

“Would not be that much of a surprise to you if you would join our parties more often.” So it is his housing we are inside of right now. Good to know...

“Oh, Oscar. You know I am a busy woman. Cannot have fun all the time.” My smile starts to hurt my cheeks but I keep it up. Having held it for longer. My record is 24 minutes and 37 seconds. Yes, I know. Very impressive.

“But you never fail to make a grand entrance, what a gown on you - just lovely. Perfectly fitting for you, an extraordinary woman.” His sickly, slimy words feel like nails scratching on a chalk board but I hold back a flinch, nodding once. Not quite sure how to reply. I glance down at my drink, assumingly and very unconsciously having drank it all.

“Oh, would you look at that- I think I need a refill, it was lovely chatting-” “-Let me get you a new one.”

“No need, Oscar. I will just go myself.”

“Oh please, I insist-”

“-Here, take mine. I don’t drink Champagne.” I turn to my right, looking at the source of the new voice. A man I have not seen before stands there - a neat three piece in dark blue, adoring his well shaped physique. His dirty blonde hair combed back to perfection. He rearranges his glasses with his free hand before it disappears in the pocket of his trousers. The other one still holding out the glass to me. I realise I held a breath and nod at him, this time smiling genuinely.

“Thank you-” I drift off, not taking my eyes off his. A little staring contest going on. I accept the drink and take a sip. Not having blinked once. Just like him.

“-Raymond. Raymond Smith.”

“Nice to meet you, Raymond Smith. I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“I know that.” I quirk an eyebrow at his answer, him staying silent though, a small smile grazing his lips.

“Well, why don’t I give you a little tour? We have a whole new balcony on the east wing-”

“-no, thank you Oscar. I just found a way more interesting activity.” I cut him off, not taking my eyes off of Raymond Smith. I see his lips twitch but he is holding back a smirk. Which makes my smile grow. I only hear a huff and grumbling.

I then break the eye contact, feeling rather lost now and walk past him, closely past him. My shoulder barely touching his jacket. I can feel his eyes on my back, making me sway my hips a tad more than usual. The things the right man can make you do.

I decide to sit down at an empty table and pick out some of the delicate canapés placed in the center. It looks like a mushroom tartlet and once inside my mouth I nod to myself. One thing that makes me come back to these parties is definitely the appetisers and the drinks. Lot’s of effort goes into them but no one seems to enjoy any. Either because they are busy laughing at jokes that are not funny or because they think others would judge them for eating. I learned to not care, ever, about what someone thought of me because I eat more than them. Their loss.

“Enjoying the food, I see.” I chew quickly and swallow thickly, holding a napkin to my lips as Raymond sits next to me at the round table, taking a tartlet himself. I hum.

“I do, cannot be mad about the food. I am a true gourmet, what can I say. But- you probably already knew that, did you not?” I grin at him, watching his chew and making eye contact with me once more. He chuckles, shaking his head.

“No, did not. I will note it down though.” His teasing tone sparks my interest and I wonder how far I could go. Or what he works as. Why I have never seen him before.

“Tell me, Raymond Smith, who are you?” I turn toward him, leaning my arm on the table and tilting my head slightly, full attention on him. He wipes his hands at a napkin, eyes cast down as he seems deep in thought. Choosing his words carefully. One of the only men here who do.

“I don’t really exist. I just - like a good dinner party every now and then.” I bite my lip at his cheeky reply, trying to hold back all the things running through my mind.

“Can I guess?” I lift my head and he nods, gesturing for me to go ahead. He leans back slightly, probably expecting the most cliché answers anyway. So I think again, observing his posture and the drifting of his eyes every now and then. Back over to the big table. A couple people sitting there. He must be here either with his wife or colleague. I shake my head at the wife, he wouldn’t be sitting here with me if he had one.

“Well, seeing as you’re not here by yourself, you must be the right hand to someone or - maybe you are the kid of a big fish.” He smirks, nodding. One must be correct. I go with my first instinct. “-a right hand man it is.” I look back over to where he seemed to focus earlier. I do know a few of them. One being a partner to my father’s business. Another one the son of said partner. And then - no way. Micheal Pearson himself. The Micheal Pearson. Sticky bush Pearson. But Raymond would not be involved-

“-I see you figured it out.” My eyes snap back to Raymond and I close my mouth, licking my dry lips in the process. I tense up, not knowing if running would be an appropriate reaction. But then again - I never cared about appropriate behaviour that much.

“And I also see you’re taken aback.” It sounded more like a question really. But I only nod, sending him a small smile.

“It is not every day that I cross paths with true gangsters.”

“I will take that as a compliment. And just for your information-” He leans in closer, elbows on his thighs. “-there are a few more gangsters here than you would like to care.”

I gulp at his intense eyes, he leans back up and stands to his feet, smoothing out his suit and buttoning his jacket.

“Well, if you would excuse me, my duties as a right hand man are needed. Have a good rest of your evening, Miss (Y/L/N). Enjoy your dinner.”

“You too, Mister Smith.” He nods, walking off. I look after him, Mister and Misses Pearson walking off with him and exiting the building. I let out a breath I was holding and sink back into the chair. Not without being haunted by those icy blue orbs.

...

_________________________________

More The Gentlemen Imagines

Full Masterlist

part two

#the gentlemen #Raymond smith x reader #Raymond smith #the gentlemen imagine #Raymond smith imagine #imagine

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 3 years

Photo

regina king/viola davis/alan s kim & christina oh/coleman domingo/celeste waite are the only people who looked good at the oscars

 regina king’s silhouette is lovely, i wish it wasn’t powder blue because it does read a little dated, but the interesting shoulder treatment makes it good. if the big shoulds were squarer or they didn’t have the fun faux petal-like lapel thing happening at the bust it would read Very eighties. glad about the texture on the train’s hem, i almost wish i was…more? on a bigger scale to bounce off the shoulders’ line? or much tinier? i am a fucking sucker for beading and this rules tho

 viola davis’ bodice fucking whips. i think she would have benefited from the join between the bodice and the skirt being a little less abrupt? i wish it didn’t cut her off at that point and flowed a little more. i also with the skirt was a little fuller. this one just looks fun thought and it also looks comfortable to wear. i want to see the back. this is generally how i feel about modern alexander mcqueen- love it, great concept, wish they pushed it a little further. she looks amazing tho

 alan s kim and christina oh are adorable- i said out loud to myself “ah here’s the little young lord of the manor” and i cannot find a single fucking thing about who christina oh is wearing. love the ties at the ankle, love the satin, i want to see a full fucking view of the jacket please!!! show me the folds!!! this is fun!!! more of this at big events please!!! give me more fun twists on the power suit and neat silhouettes!!!

 coleman domingo’s custom versace suit apparently took 150 hours to embroider but by god is it worth it. Dude Fashion at the oscars is so stagnant to the point that wearing a black velvet tux instead of a regular black tux gets you a shoutout. i like the sense of movement the lines of beading give, i like the detail of the button placket also being beaded (eliminating the need for a tie and making it look much more interesting) and love a fun texture. good job mr domingo

 celeste waite is wearing gucci, who is not the name i would have matched to that dress. it is mostly silk crepe, a fabric i fucking hate, the silhouette is really simple, which is nice compared to some of the fucking nonsense walking down that carpet. i like how the long fitted cuffs draw attention to her hands and her very cool heart purse, and i like how the upper sleeves have volume but not to a leg o mutton degree. houndstooth is very hard to wear right next to your face, and i like the solution of the mesh collar. the points give what is otherwise a very plain dress a little bit of texture, and the deep pleats in the houndstooth make it much easier to wear by breaking up the pattern a little. i also like the point up from the waist to the bust, giving it a much more flattering shape, and how there’s no abrupt cutoff and delineation between the houndstooth on the bust and the houndstooth on the arms. it’s just a Very Nice Dress with some fun design solutions that don’t call a lot of attention to themselves. you could put a lot of different body shapes in this dress and they would all look great. favorite dress good job gucci ms waite looks fucking fantastic

#i want to do a post about the dresses i hate also but i have siblingchat to attend #textile crimes

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ve1vetyoongi · 4 years

Text

Operation: Love Letters | 01

💌 CHAPTER INDEX 💌

♡ ⇢ pairing: ot7 x reader.

♡ ⇢ chapter word count: 5k

♡ ⇢ genre: mystery, college!au, romance, fluff, eventual smut.

♡ ⇢ warnings/rating: none, PG.

♡ ⇢ summary: When every student on campus is going crazy about a survey that claims to make true love bloom, your best friend manages to convince you to join in on the fun — except you’re disappointed to find out that your results just seem to be lost causes. That is until a love letter from a mysterious secret admirer turns up and you find yourself on a mission to find the person behind the pen — but you quickly realise it’s going to be a lot harder than you initially thought when you have 7 possible bachelors to investigate, right? Operation: Love Letters a-go!

♡ ⇢ schedule: updated every day at 5pm GMT in the run up to Valentine’s Day 2020!

💌 A/N: hello! i’ve been working on this series for a couple weeks now and it makes me so happy to finally be able to share it in the run up to valentines day! as the story progresses, there’ll be a ton of clues dropped about who the identity of the secret admirer is before the final reveal...so keep reading to find out! i hope you like it hehe, drop me an ask and lemme know your theories!! <3

You scoff as you read the flier you crumple in your hand. It's that time of year again, huh? February. Valentine's. The month of love.

Yeah right.

Every year your college holds a charity event for Valentines day. You fill out a survey nicknamed the Love Calculator, where you answer so called "deep" questions about yourself and most importantly what you look for in a Valentine's date — and then a computer analyses your answers and, for just a couple bucks, works some cupid style magic and matches you up with your ‘most compatible’ person on campus.

The instructions say you're supposed to send a love letter to your number one match. And if they respond? Then it's a match made in heaven! Insert eye roll here.

It's conceited really, just a ploy to draw money out of the student body with the promise of true love — which is exactly why you've never joined in with the hype before.

Until this year, that is, when your best friend Jimin, ever the hopeless romantic, managed to convince you to sign up. Which is how you find yourself in the gymnasium, surrounded by heart shaped balloons and the cheesy cover of I Wanna Know What Love Is that plays over head, stuffed into a booth as you fold up your survey and scribble your name on the front with a roll of your eyes.

Jimin's beanie falls across his face as he excitedly rummages around in the satchel slung across his torso to fish around for a pencil, hopping from foot to foot as he places delicate crosses in the boxes beside Male and Looking for a soulmate.

"I still don't know about this." You murmur as you tap your foot and stare down at the pink piece of paper in your hand, nerves brewing inside you for a reason you can't quite put your finger on. There’s a reason you’ve never done this before -- what if you get someone weird as your first match? Or worse what if you aren’t compatible with anyone at all and you find out you’re destined to be painfully alone forever?

This is definitely a bad idea. You should just rip your survey up right now and throw it in the trash and nobody would ever have to know you even came here, even if just to entertain your best friend's fantasies.

But Jimin is too fast, snatching it from your fingers before you can protest and pulling you gleefully by the elbow over to the Calculation Station where he slides both of your surveys over to the cheerleader manning the desk with a dazzling smile, all much to your dismay.

"Oh come on, lighten up!" He says, clasping his hands together wistfully as he eagerly watches the cheerleader input your data into the computer. "This is gonna be so fun! Who knows? Maybe I'll match someone really hot and we'll get married and adopt the cutest babies ever--."

"Or you could match with a crazy serial killer." You interrupt with a raise of your brow.

Jimin shrugs. "I guess that would suck, but it would make an awesome Netflix Original. I'd totally get famous and win an oscar and—” He drags you over to the counter when he notices the cheerleader beckoning you with a finger. “Too late now anyway, our results are ready!"

The printer beside the desk spits out two pieces of paper, and the cheerleader glances over them with a nod before folding them up carefully and handing them over to you with a wink.

"Have a good day, and don't forget to spread the love!" She says, and you offer her a sheepish smile as you take your results.

Jimin is already pulling you out of the gym and into the hallway, finding a quiet corner where he eagerly unfolds his page with a grin that falls right from his face when he reads the names littered across his page surrounded by a plethora of hearts.

"What the heck! Are you kidding me?" Jimin thrusts his results beneath your nose so you can read the names for yourself. "I got Park Chanyeol as my number one match?"

You bite back a laugh. Jimin and Chanyeol had a fling last summer, but it ended on a sour note when Chanyeol ended up being allergic to Jimin's pet kitten who he refused to part with for anyone, no matter how hot.

"Maybe it was meant to be after all?" You laugh as Jimin crumples up his results and throws them into a nearby trash can with a childish pout.

"You were right. It was dumb. I would've been better off matching with a serial killer." Jimin grumbles, shoulders slumping forward as his dreams of true love crumble. He perks up when he notices you wringing your own results in your hands though, paper still sealed tightly. "Come on, your turn! Let's see who you got."

"Maybe I should just throw this in the trash, too. You said it yourself, the survey was dumb anyway." You shrug.

"Nope. I'm not letting you get away that easily." Jimin clasps his hands together, looking up at you with a pout. "Please? For me?"

You have to admit, there’s a strange fluttery feeling in your stomach as you turn the paper over in your hands. Who knows? Maybe Jimin was right, and the love of your life’s name was printed right on this here paper, and you were wasting your chance.

To hell with it! What's the worst that could happen, right?

"Fine! I'll open it."

Jimin claps giddily and with strangely shaky hands you unfold the paper, Jimin crowding around with his chin on your shoulder so you can both read your results.

Wow. You gaze down at the list of names you've never even heard of, strangely disheartened. You aren’t sure what you were expecting but this is not exactly the life changing love story you were promised when you handed over five bucks to that cheerleader just now.

You can't help but feel your stomach drop. Are you seriously disappointed? It's not like you had high hopes for this thing in the first place.

"Well damn," You crumple up the paper and drop it into your backpack with a chuckle, joining the hustle and bustle of students walking to class. "That was totally a waste of time."

Jimin pats your shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, you never know, someone could get your name and send you a love letter."

You raise your brows. "I appreciate the positivity but I don't think that's very likely."

“Don’t be such a downer! It’s the month of love after all.” Jimin slows down, heading towards the bathrooms. "I'll catch you up okay? All this excitement made me need to pee!" And with that he disappears into the little boy's room with an air kiss sent your way.

With a fond shake of your head you head towards your locker, thumbing in your combination and lurching open the metal door -- but your forehead furrows when something small and pink unexpectedly floats out and lands beside your feet.

"Huh?"

You bend down, fingers curling around a pearly pink envelope, eyes widening when you see who it's addressed to. You.

You turn it over in your hands, glancing side to side with narrowed eyes, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Could this be what you think it is? A love letter? Only one way to find out...

Your thumb slides beneath the heart shaped wax seal, hands trembling as you shake out the note folded up neatly inside and let your eyes fly across the messy words scrawled in pink pen with a gasp.

Your heart thumps. Your shaky fingers have left crumples along the edges of the paper, and you know you should throw it away before you even entertain the idea that this is real, let alone meant for you.

But your eyes keep tracing the pen strokes, the neat and even but unsteady handwriting; a nervous hand wrote this letter, you realise. A boy's hand. The letters are slanted just enough to tell, and there's smudges of ink where their wrist dragged carelessly across the page.

"Y/N? Are you okay?"

You jump at the sound of your name and shove the letter between the pages of a text book before slamming your locker closed just in time to flash your best friend what you hope is as close to a non-suspicious smile as you can muster as he bounds up the hall towards you.

"You ready to go to class?" Jimin asks, holding out his elbow and you nod. "It's a shame about the Love Calculator results huh? But who knows! Maybe we'll find Valentine's some other way."

"Yeah." You nod with a small smile, lost in thought as your mind drifts back to the love letter stowed away in your locker. "Maybe."

A smile appears on your lips. Maybe your results aren't so useless after all.

"From your secret admirer..."

You finish reading the love letter you found addressed to you in your locker with a triumphant smile, expecting a far more enthusiastic reaction from your roommate Yoongi. who just peers at you over the lid of his laptop with a bored expression.

"That's it?" He blinks. "You really paid five bucks for that?" He offers you a roll of his eyes as he watches you dance around your apartment waving around a piece of pink paper excitedly. "They didn't even leave their name?"

"Well duh," You slump down beside him on the couch, clutching the note to your chest and sending him an eye roll. "That would defeat the purpose of a secret admirer."

Yoongi just scoffs and goes back to his work with a shake of his head. "I can't believe you even did that stupid Love Caluclator thing. It's probably just a scam, anyway."

You pout, smoothing out the corners of the letter attentively. "You're just jealous nobody sent you a love letter."

Yoongi crosses his arms, flustered. "Am not! For your information I didn't even do the survey. Why would I care about what the results of a dumb survey have to say, anyway?"

You cock your head at him and dangle your results in front of his face teasingly. "Oh, so you won’t want to know who I matched with then if it's so dumb?"

He narrows his eyes with a puff, before snatching the paper with a shake of his head. "Fine. But only because you insisted."

You watch with a smug smile as Yoongi drags his finger down the list, distaste etched into his features as he reads each name out loud in turn before he splutters around the very last one.

"Hold up. You got me?" He chokes, holding up the page and pointing to where his name is printed in bold pink letters. Yoongi averts his eyes when you bust out laughing, crumpling up the paper and lobbing it at you with a scoff. "What did I tell you? It's dumb."

You clutch your sides and prod him with your foot as he grumbles under his breath. "Why? I thought you weren't scared of what a silly little survey has to say?"

"I'm not scared. Like I said, it's clearly a scam." Yoongi's cheeks heat up and he flashes you a look that tells you to quit teasing. "And this proves it."

"Oh don't get so worked up, Yoongi. I'm just messing with you." You unfold the paper and point to the biography beneath his name. "It says here we're only 10% compatible anyway, which kinda makes sense when you think about it. I'm a pretty decent roommate after all, right?"

Yoongi pushes away your results and buries his nose in a textbook instead. "You're being a pretty annoying roommate right now."

"Hey! Can you at least concentrate on this for a second? My love life finally gets interesting and you decide to do homework?"

Yoongi slams his book shut and finally turns to face you. "Jeez, Y/N, how can you even be sure the love letter isn't just...a prank or something? You're probably just wasting my time and your own getting caught up in it."

"Wow, you really have no faith in me huh?" You roll your eyes. "Because I just know. Whoever wrote this letter wanted me to read it. They left it in my locker on purpose! Is it so bad that I wanna know why?"

"Next thing I know you'll tell me you're going to actually try and find this person." Yoongi laughs breathily, but when he sees how you stare at him, arms crossed and unblinking, he lets out a groan. "Wait. You can't be serious?"

"Well why not?" You shrug. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"How do you even plan on finding them? All you have is a crumpled up note and a list of matches."

"Honestly, I haven't thought that far yet..." It's then that Yoongi turns the page of his textbook and a folded up note flutters onto the carpet. "Wait...what's this?"

He just shrugs, not even bothering to look up as you open up the paper. "I don't know. Must have been inside that book."

"Is it yours?"

Yoongi shakes his head, leaning back in his seat to stretch like he's exhausted by your interrogation. "Taehyung checked it out of the library this morning. He said I could borrow it. Why?"

Your eyes widen when you see what is written on the piece of paper in front of you.

"Hey! Look at this." You punch Yoongi in the shoulder, ignoring his ow! to run your fingers over the pen marks on the paper. "Don't the scribbles seem familiar to you?"

Yoongi rubs his arm with a bored expression. "I mean, I guess?"

"Goddammit, Min Yoongi! Would you take this seriously?" You fumble around in your pocket for the love letter, placing them side by side on the table, heart skipping a beat when you take in the similarities between the two. "Take a look at the handwriting. It's totally written by the same guy!"

Yoongi's own eyes widen, pursing his lips as he nods. "So what? Now you know he had a Bio quiz last week. Hundreds of students sat that test."

A smile grows on your face as an idea strikes you, and you rip the book from his grip. "Yeah, but how many of those students took out this exact book from the library?"

"I don't know — probably a few — hey!" He reaches for you as you get to your feet, but he's too late, and you're already taking off with his textbook. "Where are you going with that! I need to study!"

"I'll be back in a few hours, I promise." You call as you slip on your shoes and slide the book into your backpack."I just need to get to the bottom of who sent me this love letter first!"

It's almost silent in the campus library when you arrive, apart from the scratch of pens against paper from students with their heads bent over text books and the repetitive classical music that floats through the book shelves like a calming wave.

You head over to the check out desk in search of some guidance, perhaps able to interrogate the poor kid on duty about what he knows about the text book, but it's empty, and no matter how many times you ring the little bell on the counter, nobody comes.

With a sigh you duck behind the closest towering book case, dumping your bag so you can get down to business by yourself. Even if you had to search high and low, you had to find where this book came from. Surely it would give you a clue as to who sent you the love letter, right?

Blowing dust off an old stack of books, you drag your finger across the spines until you reach the B section, tongue between your teeth as you mindlessly thumb through books on Baking and Beaches and Birds before you come to a stop where you should come across Biology...except all that you find is a gaping hole that matches perfectly with the size and shape of book in your hands.

Dang. Already a dead end? Maybe Yoongi was right...hundreds of people could've checked out this book so this was probably a dumb clue anyway.

You're about to give up when a flash of a red sweater catches your eye through the gap in the shelf. There in the corner sits a lanky boy, so tall his legs stick out from beneath the desk he inhabits by the window. His fingers play with a silver pen, but he's not interested in the open notebook perched in front of him with lines half filled, too busy wiping away the condensation on the glass and gazing out at the hustle and bustle of the city in rush hour that juxtaposes the quiet company of books and dust he resides among.

Huh. Something strikes you about this dude, but you can’t quite put your finger on it yet. You duck behind the book shelf, moving a couple books to the side so you can peer between the leather spines to get a better look, and it's then that you notice the text book propped open beside him — Biology 101 — an exact copy of the one tucked beneath your elbow.

"Do you need help with something?"

You jolt when a pair of dark eyes appear and stare right back at you through the gap in the bookshelf, making you drop the textbook with a crash that elicits a series of harsh shhh! sounds from nearby. Upon further inspection you quickly realise it's the same guy you were spying on just moments ago, staring at you intently now as you stammer to form a response.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people?" You grumble, clutching your chest and dipping down to grab the book and simultaneously hide your burning cheeks.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He says, notebook deserted on the table behind him now so he can peer at you curiously through the shelves with a smirk. "It's just you looked sorta lost so I thought I'd offer my assistance."

He points to the name tag pinned to his sweater with a grin. Kim Namjoon — Librarian. Hold up...where have you heard that name before?

Oh god...you totally got his name in the Love Calculator Survey! Awkward.

It's okay, maybe he doesn't recognise you...

"It's Y/N, right?" He says as he straightens the books you knocked down earlier and thrusts a hand through the shelf for you to shake.

Dang it.

"That's me..." You take his hand with a sheepish smile, eager to escape the situation by walking to the end of the book case, but he just follows you, eyes bobbing above the spines of old books. "Wait..this might sound weird, but you don't know that because you happened to send me an anonymous letter do you?"

"Uh..." He's much taller when you finally step out of the aisle and come face to face, and he peers down at you intrigued but with confusion still evident in his voice. "No?"

Phew.

"Good to know. Just checking." He seems to find your rambling funny, biting back a smile as you jerk the Bio text book towards him. "Then uh, yeah, actually. I do need help. Have you seen this before?"

He scans the front, nodding his head slowly. "Biology 101. Yup, I've seen it. I might be wrong but I think that probably came from the science aisle."

You roll your eyes at his sarcasm. "No, I mean, have you seen it anywhere suspicious. Like someone shady reading it in a dark corner or smuggling it out of the library like drug cartel—"

"Nope. Pretty sure I saw a guy with blue hair check it out this morning though if that's who you're looking for?"

Taehyung. Damn it!

"Not quite." You cross your arms with a sigh before an idea strikes you. "Hey, is there any way you can see who checked this book out before?"

"I mean, yeah." Namjoon lifts the hatch of the check out desk and slips behind, flipping the book open to the first page and typing a couple numbers into the computer. "If I just scan this barcode..." You watch as he scans the book and turns the monitor towards you so you can watch as a document loads up. "It should give us a list of people who checked it out this semester."

An involuntary gasp leaves you when you read the list of names that pops up on the screen, eyes wide as you lower your voice to a whisper. "Is there any way I could get a copy of this?"

"Yeah, sure." Namjoon hits a button and the printer beside him spits out a mirror image of the document on his screen. You snatch it up with a breathy laugh, shoving it into your backpack and fishing around for your phone, thumbs moving across the screen at the speed of light to punch in a phone number you know by heart.

It quickly dawns on you that this mystery might be bigger than you ever expected -- and you wouldn’t be able to solve it alone. No. It was time to bring in the big guy. Park Jimin.

"Nah this shit is legit legit!" Jimin splutters as he flops back onto your bed. He's still in his cheer costume, rushing over to your place as soon as practice ended and he got the SOS call, and he let's out a gasp as his wide eyes scan the love letter for the nth time.

"So you'll help me find out who wrote it?"

"Duh. You know I love a mystery and a cheesy romcom story arc. You're, like, totally going to marry this guy and live happily every after." Jimin clutches his chest, eyes dreamy as he peers at you over the rim of his round lens glasses. "And if you don't I totally will!"

"Hey!" Jimin erupts into a fit of giggles when you launch a throw cushion at his face. "This isn't a movie, Park. I just wanna know who sent it. Ya know...for clarity." You wrinkle your nose when Jimin's narrowed eyes prod you to admit otherwise. Of course you weren’t actually interested in this love letter guy. Right? "Don't look at me like that! It's probably just some stupid prank anyway..."

You hug your torso with a frown. What if Yoongi was right and this was just a wild goose chase and you were falling right into the clutches of the perpetrator? What if instead of a secret admirer the love letter trail led to nothing but humiliation?

"Well there's only one way to find out." Jimin jumps to his feet, pacing the room for a few seconds with his hand on his chin before an idea strikes him and he starts and ripping down the schedules and homework reminders from the pinboard above your desk like a man possessed. “We have to get to the bottom of this mystery ASAP. And lucky for you, you’ve got me to help you.”

"How?" You inquire, watching curiously as he rummages through your drawers to retrieve a pot of push pins and a ball of red string that you just so happened to have lying around. Without further ado, he rips the cap off a pink sharpie to scrawl Operation: Love Letters in big letters at the top of a sticky note, pinning it in the center.

"It's certainly not environmentally friendly, but I've always wanted to make a murder board...although I suppose this is more of a romance board?" He lays out the pieces of evidence you have already gathered on the carpet; the love note from your secret admirer, the biology book scribbles, the list of library book borrowers and last but not least your Love Calculator survey results. "But as your best friend it is my duty to call the official investigation into Y/N's secret admirer to action." He grins. "So, what clues do we have so far?"

"Well we know that my secret admirer has to have been one of the people on this list who borrowed Biology 101." You grab a highlighter pen from the pot on your desk. "Hey look! A couple of the names on this list match up with my Love Calculator results."

Jimin's eyes light up as you start drawing circles around the names that correspond with both lists.

"Jung Hoseok, Kim Seokjin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook, Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon..." Jimin reads, nibbling the eraser of a pencil thoughtfully. "Kim Namjoon. Isn't that the guy you spoke to at the library?"

"Yup." You confirm. "But he didn't seem to know anything about the love letters, so I think we can rule him out of the investigation."

"Cool. But maybe he knows someone who does?" Jimin says, crossing his name off the suspect list but scribbling his name onto a post it note next to the words POSSIBLE ACCOMPLICE? and pinning it next to the list of library borrowers, connecting the two with a piece of red string.

"And we know right off the bat that it's not Yoongi," Jimin draws a line through Yoongi's name on the list. "So we've narrowed it down to four potential bachelor's. Jung Hoseok, Kim Seokjin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook. Now we just need to find out if any of them had a motive to send you this letter. Any ideas?"

You ponder for a second, eyes fixated on the unfamiliar names on the list, before shaking your head negative. "I mean, I've probably seen each them around campus a couple times?"

Jimin looks unimpressed. "That's all you can come up with? No secret romantic rendezvous or crazy drunken hookups I don't know about?"

It's your turn to roll your eyes. "Jimin, you know better than anyone my idea of a crazy night is eating a whole packet of Cheez-It's and binge watching The Vampire Diaries instead of studying for my calc test. Besides, you know I'd tell you every detail if I had."

"Fair point." Jimin shrugs.

"If only we could read his name." You murmur, flopping onto your bed and holding the note above your head, closing one eye to get a better look at the splodge of ink in the middle of the page that obscures some of the sender's messy handwriting. "It seems like my admirer spilled something right where he signed his name..."

"Hold on a second," Jimin's eyes light up and he rips the note from your fingertips, ignoring your hey! of protest to perch on the end of the bed. You almost choke when he lifts the note to his nose and inhales, lashes fluttering closed before he exclaims, "I've solved it!"

"Huh?"

"This smell..."

"Smell? Jimin the fuck do you mean—"

"Cologne," Jimin drawls, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world as he pulls you to your feet and jumps on the spot excitedly. "He didn't spill anything, he left you a clue! Your secret admirer sprayed this note with his cologne before he sent it off and it made the ink bleed right here, but lucky for you, I just so happen to have a smell profile on every cute boy on campus."

You raise an eyebrow. "Honestly under normal circumstances I'd be concerned but right now I'm just intrigued. Elaborate?"

"Remember that guy I had a huge crush on last year?"

"Yeah? The footballer?"

"Right!" Jimin's finger slams down onto the name written in curly scrawl at the bottom of the love calculator list. "I would know his cologne anywhere. And it just so happens that it says his name right here!"

Jung Hoseok.

"He's my admirer?" You gasp.

Jimin shoots you a triumphant grin. "Come on! We have a secret admirer to expose. Operation Love Letters a-go!"

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tintinwrites · 4 years

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Fanfiction Writer Appreciation Day

The loveliest people have been tagging me in these and I need to show some love, too!!

@ollypopp: Hello, I’m a little bit in love with Olly. She’s such a great, intelligent person and she’s the one to go to if you want INCREDIBLY written Mando fics. She also writes for other Star Wars characters!!

@flightlessangelwings: Jey is not only incredibly cool and gorgeous, but writes lots of Mando and Frankie, and there’s also Billy Russo in there if you are a fan of The Punisher/Ben Barnes!!

@thirsty-flygirl: Laurie is kind and loving and she writes a really amazing Poe and Javi that NEED to be read, y’all!!

@woakiees: Hadley knows things about me nobody else does and I love her for not outing me LMAO. She writes Poe, First!Order Poe, Santi, and more, and she writes like she belongs in 1864 but with a modern twist. Absolute poetry right there. Definitely read her fics.

@poeticandors: Sweet, sweet Kami who always doubts herself despite writing amazing stories. Her Moulin Rouge AU with Poe is my F A V O R I T E and she wrote an amazing Cassian fic as well as a bunch of other fics! Kami is beautiful in every single way.

@damerondjarin: Taylor may be in butt jail, but she’s such a kind, sweet person who writes so well. Your one stop shop for Oscar and Pedro characters!

@agentpike: Bri is my little baby hoe and she writes with such talent and sweetness that you must read her fics. Marcus Pike would fall in love with her the moment he met her.

@yougottakeeponkeepinon: Amanda, you are a better person than I could ever dream of being. You also write so many characters with such clear, in character distinction and I love that about you, please read her things!

@darksideofclarke: LISTEN I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU WRITE SO MANY CHARACTERS BUT YOU DO AND IT’S AMAZING AND you are a hoe like me!!

@damndamer0n: Looking at Ty is like looking at my own soul and it’s crazy because I never thought anyone could understand. Other than that, she writes smuts and even ordinary paragraphs with such beauty, and detail, and realness, and good characterization, I’m always amazed. I’m sure you all know Ty, but I need to talk about her anyway. Read her fics, please.

@mylifeliterally: My opera baby!! I love you!! Please read her fics if you haven’t bc they are SO sexy and I need to read them all too!! Such a good writer.

@huliabitch: Even though all of Julia’s subposts are about me, I still love her and need to read her fics bc her headcanons are FABULOUS. You all need to read and follow her.

@maxlordd: Soybean 1 is a theatre kid with a gift for writing and you should probably read her fic. Also she’s funny sometimes I GUESS.

@perropascal: Apparently I’m her fav hoe so I’m obligated to put her on here also she’s a good writer and also a hoe!! <3 Love ya.

@shadow-assassin-blix: I don’t know how you come up with such great ideas all the time but you do and I think that’s neat. Follow her!!

@propertyofpoeandbucky: Lani, you are what I read before I even joined Tumblr with this blog and even if your interests change, you are still amazing! Everyone probably follows her but please do so if you don’t!!

Very important mentions bc we’re not as close as I’d like to be but I think you’re all incredible writers and people:

@pedropasscals @beskars @qveenbvtch @cinewhore @rzrcrst @spacegayofficial @yespolkadotkitty @themandadlorian @starryeyedstories @writefightandflightclub @softpedropascal

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365days365movies · 3 years

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January 8, 2021: The English Patient (1996) (Part 1)

Y’know, it’s weird. I distinctly remember the existence of this film as a kid, because of references made to it in pop culture...but I remember neither the film itself, nor the actual references. The film I’ve never seen, and the references are probably lost to time. This month has been a test of my memory, I guess.

However, the reason for this film’s notoriety in the ‘90s isn’t exactly a mystery, as it won 9 Academy Awards. Yeah. NINE, out of TWELVE NOMINATIONS. And this would FINALLY be a good time to mention something; something I should’ve said a LONG time ago. The Oscars...kinda suck. Yeah, they aren’t to be used as a bastion of quality when it comes to film.

And yet, to win as many awards as this film did...there’s gotta be something there, right? Well, let’s find out, shall we? Let’s jump in to the desert and World War II! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

The starting days of World War II. A prop plane flies over the Sahara, and a group of German soldiers shoot it down setting the pilot ablaze, and almost certainly killing his passenger in the process. The pilot survives, horrifically burned, and he’s found and cared for by a group of Bedouin nomads

Meanwhile, Hana (Juliet Binche), a Canadian nurse, cares for patients, and finds out that her love has died in battle. Amongst all this, we flash forward to the beaches of Italy in 1943, where Hana is now caring for the amnesiac pilot, the Hungarian Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes). As they move camp alongside the rest of the camp, Hana’s friends inexplicably die when their vehicle hits a landmine in the road. Damn, this is an unlucky lady.

She seems to echo these sentiments, declaring herself cursed. She spots an empty monastery, probably bombed at some point, and asks for permission to stay behind and care for Almásy there. She’s given it, to the reluctance of her commanders, and two two move in for the long haul.

Hana scours the monastery, and finds a library stacked with books, as well as a plum orchard. As she speaks with Almásy, we discover he’s a well-read man, with his only possession being a copy of Herodotus’ Histories, a classic Greek text from which we get many stories, real and fictional. But in the book...are memories...

Flashback! The Bedouin from earlier is speaking with Almásy in the desert, and he gets information of a landmark far away. An cartographer and archaeologist, he is in Egypt as a part of a pre-war expedition with the Royal Geographic Society. Their task is to map the Sahara, using a prop plane to do so from the air. He’s joined by Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth), his wife Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas), and his friend Madox (Julian Wadham).

That night, in the present and the past, Hana and Katherine both recall a story of Herodotus, one of the ancient king Candaules, his queen Nyssia, and his assassin Gyges. The next day, in the present, Hana meets a neighbor back in Canada (where she lives normally), David Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe). The thumbless Intelligence Agent asks to be allowed to stay, which Hana allows.

However, it would appear that Caravaggio is there for another reason, and he begins to interrogate Almásy, also revealing his name. This leads, of course, to a flashback, during which the Count clashes with Katherine a bit in a marketplace. However, that night, the two dance at a party, and it’s revealed that he may care for her more than expected. And who knows; that might be reciprocated.

In the present, Hana breaks down in sorrow, having lost a bunch of people. Caravaggio tries to comfort her, and it’s revealed that Almásy might actually be the person who removed Caravaggio’s thumbs, and that Caravaggio believes that Almásy actually remembers everything.

The next morning, in flashback, Geoffrey Clifton leaves the desert, as well as Katherine. While the Count shows some concern, Geoffrey brushes it off, saying that she loves the desert. In the present, the monastery group is now joined by another member, Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh mine-sweeper, who asks them to leave the monastery. Still, he and his sargeant, Hardy (Kevin Whately) stay there as well, as Germans have been spotted in the area.

Flashback once again, and Katherine and the Count become a bit closer as they continue to survey the desert. While stopped, Almásy discovers a cave covered in hieroglyphics, one of which we actually saw painted during the opening credits of the film. This is a real archeological site, called the Cave of Swimmers! Also means that the group is currently in Libya. Neat! And while this is an important discovery, the day ends poorly, as they overturn a car and wrecking it in the middle of the Sahara.

Almásy stays behind and sets up camp, surprisingly accompanied by Katherine. She kindly offers to him paintings of the hieroglyphics, but he coldly refuses them. She storms off. And SPEAKING of storms, they’re in the desert. She quickly comes back once a massive sandstorm hits the camp, and the two take refuge within the wrecked car.

Buried in the car, the two really begin to bond, as Almásy recounts different types of wind. But Katherine seems to be taken by the more open and caring side of him, somehow opened up by the storm. The next morning, they wake up a bit too late, and are missed by their returning friends until nightfall. In the process, it’s discovered that Almásy‘s actually been harboring affections for Katherine quite a while, and she finds this out by reading entries in his journal.

In the present, Hana appears to be falling for Kip, who may or may not be feeling the same; it isn’t made especially clear as of yet. Back in the past, Almásy returns to acting cold towards Katherine, most likely to allow her to preserve her marriage, as she begins to feel the same towards him.

Here’s the problem, though: he still has sand in his hair.

Yeah, so, I couldn’t find good footage or a GIF of it, but they go the fuck AT it, lemme tell you. It’s a very passionate beginning, but that leads to a solemn end, as the two realize that she’s married, and he’s not a big fan of commitment. And so, they part ways.

Not that it matters, because after their one-shot love affair, neither of them can truly forget. Christmastime is here, and Katherine is serving as a nurse. However, she’s soon the one getting a check-uNo. No. That was terrible, holy shit...

Lemme tell you one thing: this movie is pretty good at partially concealed yet highly passionate love scenes. However, they almost get caught, when it’s revealed that Santa at the party is actually Geoffrey. Katherine confesses to him that she’s tired of the desert, but they’re stranded there at the moment, due to the impending World War II.

Which, I think, is a good place to pause. Only at the halfway mark of this long, LONG movie. See you in Part 2!

#the english patient #anthony minghella #ralph fiennes #juliette binoche #willem dafoe #kristin scott thomas #naveen andrews #colin firth #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #romance february #usercori

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marithlizard · 3 years

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First Impressions: RWBY v8c10, “Ultimatum”

How many ultimatums will be delivered and will anyone listen?

(Flashing-lights warning. I hope this is the "there's no practical way to negate all possible risk so we're being cautious" kind of warning, and not the "fuck you epileptics bring on the cool strobe effects" kind. )

Ironwood, entirely alone. I am reminded that Watts thought Plan Evil could seriously fail if he called on Vacuo for aid. Could Vacuo seriously have gotten enough forces here in time to help? Or was it sharing information and alliances, in itself, that would've been an effective defense? We'll never know because that just isn't how Atlas rolls.

Those soldiers are terrified in that particular “our boss has been casually shooting underlings who disappoint him” way.

Why do you *care* about imprisoning Qrow and Robyn? They're no threat to you, you have a giant Grimm army destroying your kingdom, let them go fight it! And his focus is on Qrow in particular. ....Ah. He must believe Qrow did kill Clover.

"Fuck you epileptics" it is. Why do studios do this? I don't need fancy special effects if they're going to hurt other people, thanks.

What WAS that??? Slowed down, it looks like....lightning struck the whale and it exploded? what?

The bomb hasn't gone off, there's Winter and the Ace Ops carrying it. oh no.

what?

green in there. Penny?

Are they dead?

It's...like a nuke. A nuke just detonated.

No. Not Penny. That was Oz green magic.

Everyone can't be dead, we'd have no show.

Something glowing in the ruins. Someone moving in the smoke, carrying the Lamp. Neo?

She's *skipping merrily* with her umbrella and the lamp. What the fuck. What happened between her and Jinn?

So Winter and the Ace Ops are fine, the whale is dead, we don't know about anyone inside. Okay. Oookay.

Watts sounds stunned, but only for a second until he pulls his armor together. "She'll come back."

*watching villain infighting with popcorn*

You know, I despise Watts, but it's impossible not to admire that ability to fast talk with melodramatic emoting while seconds from death. "Presentation!", as Megamind would say.

...on the other hand, there's a point where melodramatic fast talk stops convincing your subject and just pisses them off. And you have now passed it.

"You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy". He really is a social Darwinist. And what is it he called her? A bloody what?

Oh, wow, I 100% thought she was going to kill him.

Is she....crying???? Even Watts looks stunned. And somewhat disbelieving to be alive.

JOYR are okay. Oscar looks agonized, holding his head, but quickly gets a grip on himself. Merge? No merge?

...That's odd. No one thought to stop and look for the Lamp in the ruins of the whale? We know it's gone, but they don't know that. Shouldn't recovering it be really damn important?

YAY FINALLY DISCUSSION and championing from Oscar. I figured Ren would be the one to notice. And oof, Oz was taking the brunt of the torture after all, without taking control? Regardless, I'm very relieved that he's still around.

The cane stored kinetic energy? From all the lifetimes he spent carrying it, moving around with it? That's kind of neat. Doesn't particularly make sense, but it doesn't have to, it's magic.

Emerald could've run away while they were stopped to talk about Oz. No one was looking at her. But she didn't move or even lower her hands. Listening and thinking. Despite what she says, she wants to join the heroes.

Citizens packed into subway tunnels but not allowed to occupy most of the space, lined up in bleachers on the sides under guard. That doesn't look remotely practical or sustainable, but it sure looks very military. (Seriously. At least a quarter of those people really need to go to the bathroom right now. Babies need diaper changes. Children should be having screaming meltdowns. The writers handwave a lot more than they should sometimes. )

The whale is gone, but what about all the other Grimm? Shouldn't they be attacking the tunnels? This is far more of a negative-emotions draw than Mantle, pre-or-post election.

Ironwood why do you have to be SO DUMB. You ought to know damn well who blew up that whale (perhaps that's why you dropped the subject so abruptly). And you certainly ought to know Watts "betrayed" you, because you never should've let him near technology to begin with. Or thought that beating him up would get him to help you.

Still on with the raise-Atlas idea, I see. It's the only one you have.

What is you thought needed to be done with Qrow, Ironwood? He holds no power beyond skill as a Huntsman, no leverage to help you reach your goals. Is there a plan here, or just nonsensical personal vengeance? You didn't even care about Clover enough to justify that level of investment in revenge, he was just an operative.

Ohhh, he does think Qrow has leverage over Penny. I suppose it's true too, through Ruby. But it's still a dumb plan. And Winter isn't on board with it in the slightest. She needs to get the hell out of there.

Harriet, you backstabber. That isn't even remotely accurate. Is that going to pay off for you, Bree, sending your homicidally unhinged CO into an even greater rage? Now you'll get to be the leader of the Ace Ops, so I guess so.

...ships? Allies? Cavalry, now? Oh, the evacuation dropships! Ugh, he's going to order them shot down isn't he. He’s just spotted his point of leverage. Someone get this man a white cat to pet while he sits at his desk.

NEO I LOVE YOU

Oho! Did she not ask a question, after all the fan debate over whether or not she can? She certainly could have - no one will know until Jinn is summoned again. And the Lamp is still a powerful bargaining chip either way.

Aww Oscar was offering to hug Ruby there for a moment. See, Nora, that's what someone who actually wants hugs looks like.

Ah, fuck, Ironwood's going to straight up threaten to massacre everyone in Mantle. Winter, Marrow, your time to defect is NOW.

"If there is no Mantle then there is no reason for you not to work with me" uh yeah, buddy, no one but you thinks it works like that.

Only one ultimatum, but it was certainly a doozy. (EDIT: Well, maybe two. Does Neo’s count? She didn’t make any threats.)

Well! I did like the episode, though I continue to be greatly annoyed at the lack of any lines or screen time for my favorite characters. I’d never have expected Salem and the whale to be wiped out mid-season just like that. A lot of people are going to call it bad writing, but I think it’s very much in line with how these writers like to subvert traditional story structure. It would be awful writing if Salem were destroyed this way, but they took pains last episode to show us that isn’t the case.

(How long will it take Salem to revive? Hazel said a few hours at most, when he killed her. Ozma’s magic blew her into atoms and that will probably take significantly longer. But I’m sure she’ll be Voldemorting her way back by the end of this volume.)

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 spoilers #rwby v8 spoilers #rwby v8c10

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wu-sisyphus-gang · 4 years

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Motion Sickness 63.2: Dreams and Honor

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I waited at the altar alone. Ren's wreath of pink and green was there. Penny was off to one side and waiting. But I was under the arch and up on the altar all alone and waiting. I folded my arms in front of me and looked out into the tiny crowd of guests. Oscar was close by to perform the ceremony. But really it was just me. Just waiting for my ladies to walk my way.

There was a cool breeze which was nice but I still felt hot and dizzy in my peach yellow tuxedo.

Then Ruby exited the house in her trumpet style wedding gown with her father beside her and for the second time that day my heart stopped in my chest. Her father was leading her by the arm down to me where I was waiting and the blood rushed to my face like I stood up too quickly. My face got hot and it felt like a dozen hooks were in the flesh around my eyes and we're all pulling gently. It was a little like I was seeing sunlight for the first time. Looking at her. It was a blinding rush.

Weiss walked out in a low back mermaid gown and I nearly stumbled. I laughed a little when I saw her and only when my face moved did I realize I was crying. It still felt like all the skin on my face was being gently pulled away in a rush like hyper. Really right behind the eyes. It was a different kind of blinding sensation. Like I was being plunged into darkness as my blood pressure spiked and my vision tunneled. I didn't actually pass into unconsciousness looking at Weiss. But I did spread the legs of 'unconsciousness' and tease her. I almost made sweet, sweet love to unconsciousness. And it burned me in my skull like I just smoked a bowl or got a runner’s high.

I exhaled a shaking breath. I could do this. I could do this. I was a man. Come on, man. I was getting bopped. They were crushing me like a beer can. Only it was my brain.

Taiyang handed Ruby off to me. She smiled and gave me a gentle giggle. My expression must have been funny. Because she was laughing at me. I couldn't get it together before Weiss was given to me by Klein. She tried to hide her own laugh behind her hand. It was a dainty quiet thing and I was glad they were deriving so much amusement from me. So glad. I mean… I did alright in my tuxedo. I did alright. I didn't look like a god though. They looked like little bright goddesses in all white.

Taiyang and Klein took their seats in the single front row.

Ruby cooed, "aww." And she patted me on the arm.

"He's crying," Weiss whispered.

"I told you!" Ruby shot back at a pitch that would be hard to hear even just a little away from us.

"Yeah," I managed to croak out like an idiot. "I am." I couldn't stop or get it together. My face still felt flush like I stood up too quickly. I'd love to see a graph of my blood pressure over the last two minutes? Five minutes? I hardly remembered watching them walk down the aisle. They just sort of appeared. They were doin' it on purpose, too. It was hard to prove but if I was a betting man, I'd bet on that.

"Welcome all of you!" Oscar began in an Ozpin like fashion. "We're going to go ahead and get started…" Ozpin trailed like he was Oscar. "We are gathered to celebrate the union of these three in matrimony as a commitment for the rest of their lives."

"This marriage is being created through equality, mutual respect, affection, and a willingness to not abuse the power they each grant one another over themselves. It's not an easy trick to manage. It isn't a cheap trick. And if it's an illusion, then it's an illusion like the horizon or time itself. It possesses a recurrent and quiet beauty," Oscar pressed on.

I didn't much feel like Ruby's or Weiss's equal. Not really. It made me want to laugh a little. Ruby and Weiss were… well, they were fantastic. And I was mediocre at best. You feel me? Like I mean honestly. Who wrote this? Probably them. That made it a little harder to laugh at. It made it somehow stronger like they wrote it into existence like a law of nature. Like gravity or electromagnetism or color.

"We are gathered here today to witness an enormous union surrounded by few friends and family members. We would like to embrace a quiet moment of silence for those fallen." Oscar bowed his head.

My first thought went to Pyrrha. That… hadn't healed. It was a gaping wound in my heart that just rolled like waves on a beach. What if. Splash. What if. Splash. What if. And it was hard to tell that voice 'enough. I'm happy where I am and you can't take that from me.' I didn't always succeed in doing that. Sometimes it got the better of me. And I couldn't master myself. I couldn't tell it to shut up because it was so deep.

Then my thoughts ran to Ren and Nora. I'd gotten them killed in a bad, bad way. I robbed them of their chance to explore one another. What if. Splash. What if. Splash. What if. In Pyrrha's case it was like yeah. Maybe. But in Ren's and Nora's I took that from them. And it was hard in a different way than the way Pyrrha was hard. But I'm not sure it was any less hard. It was brutal.

I looked at the flowers set out for my dead team. It was so far from enough to do them justice that I wanted to laugh a touch madly. It was like a nagging wiggling worm crawling through my brain and driving me absolutely nuts as it ate away at the grey matter inside. The pain I was in was excruciating. It was the sort of pain which unwinded you.

"Okay. I think that's quite enough of that. Because today is a celebration. How many of us struggle and fail to find even one person to spend a lifetime with? And you three are so very fortunate to have found not only one, but two others to share it with. That's something beyond special. It is exceptional. And it tends to defy all logic and reason. I'm sure it wasn't easy to build what you have here. It probably stumbled together. It was probably fragile at times. I'm sure if you could go back you'd do it differently. Yes it worked out. But it didn't come to you all wrapped up in a neat little bow. Things like this are never clean. They can't be. But it's stronger for the difficult times. Scar tissue is stronger than flesh. And that's not to say your wounds are healed. Probably not. But you are better for it together. You may now go into your vows."

"I, Ruby Rose, solemnly swear that I know of no lawful reason why I should not be joined in marriage to Jaune and Weiss. And I ask those present to witness as I take them as husband and wife."

"And to Weiss I do swear to always be your best friend and partner in action. Besties to lovers. You know?" She giggled. "I know I'm a little energetic. I love your patience with me. I know I try you. It doesn't go unnoticed and unappreciated. I love that about you. It's quiet and strong but never lonely. I'll always be there beside you when you need me. Less than a call away. Always. You were there for me when I was hurting so bad and I want to work by your side as mothers, huntresses, friends, and lovers. I think we can make a wonderful life together."

"And to Jaune I want to be a light in your life. I know you are trialed and a lot is resting on your shoulders. I want you to know you can share that load with me. I ask a lot of you and put more on your plate. But if it's at all possible I want to make your life a little easier. I want you to always be able to count on me and never hide away in yourself. I want to feel with you and be a part of your struggles. I don't want you to ever hide what you're feeling from me. You've had some rough times and you have more ahead but maybe they can be happy even if they are difficult. Maybe you can let me take care of you. And I want to."

"I, Weiss Schnee, solemnly swear that I know of no lawful reason why I should not be joined in marriage to Ruby and Jaune. And I ask those present to witness as I take them as wife and husband.”

“To Ruby I never had a friend like you before or since I met you. For the first time in my life I wasn’t truly lonely and that’s all thanks to you. I want to mirror that companionship for you. I want to give back what you have given me. I will always be your partner. And together in true sisterhood I want that intimacy with you I started to crave in Mistral. And I was hungry to have you and be with you. I was starved all my life and it was like eating for the first time when I was with you. I can’t wait to continue to explore each other.”

“For Jaune you won my lonely heart. I got to know the real you. You’re protective, kind, and only a touch obsessive. Your drive is both your greatest vice and greatest virtue. You know how to push yourself and you keep pushing me to be better beside you. You make me want to be a better person. More kind, and gentle, empathetic. You make me hungry for more and I want to give you the rest you deserve. I want you to rest beside me, now. Rest like you belong here. Let your aura shine and shed power like a star. I want to provide you that gentle comfort and support. I want to be a good night’s sleep in your mind. If I could give anything to you it would be that. Because you’ve earned it.”

“I…” I started and choked and stopped for a moment to take a breath. “I, Jaune Arc, solemnly swear that I know of no lawful reason why I should not be joined in marriage to Weiss and Ruby. And I… I ask those present to witness as I take them as my wives.” My voice was shaking and low. But it was getting smoother as I talked more. I got into my rhythm and started to flow and I let my voice timbre.

“For Weiss I think everybody fantasizes about marrying their first crush. I don’t have to fantasize. From the moment I saw you I knew that I wanted you and I would do anything and be anything to impress you. I still feel that way. I still would do anything and everything to impress you and win one of those soft centered smiles you sometimes give out like chocolate. I want the last thing I ever see to be that little real smile I usually have to work hard for. And I want the last thing I ever hear to be your voice hitting a high note and singing me a sweet song. I want to work and struggle and earn those smiles from you. I vow to try as hard as I can to get just one more of those smiles each and every day.”

“To Ruby you were my first real friend. And I couldn’t have fantasized for a better first friend to have. When I fell apart you pulled me together. I could have been and would be nothing without you. Because you were the first person to ever really believe in me. I want to give that back to you. I want to believe in you and support you and be always faithful to you in every way. I feel like I can never ever be half as a good of a friend as you have been to me over these years. But I swear to try my hardest. And I swear to plea against fate and make your dreams come true. I don’t have dreams of my own. I borrow a little bit of yours and it makes me strong in ways I never imagined I could be. I vow to dream up something you can share in and be a friend of such unflinching affectionate solidarity that you always have a safe space you can return to.”

“You have all decided to exchange rings. Please take them and in doing so bind yourselves to this union.”

I reached out to the pedestal on the altar and took the largest Titania and engraved ring. I slipped it on my finger.

“I take this ring as a sign of my fidelity to you two and my undying love. In doing so I bind myself to you both,” I murmured.

“I take this ring as a sign of my fidelity to you two and my undying love. In doing so I bind myself to you both,” Weiss hummed and put it on her finger.

“I take this ring as a sign of my fidelity to you two and my undying love. In doing so I bind myself to you both,” Ruby whispered and slid her’s on.

"By the power vested in me I pronounce this union. You may now kiss," Oscar informed us.

Ruby and Weiss leaned in and kissed me. One on each cheek and then turned and pecked each other to the applause of friends and family.

It didn’t feel real. I stared at the ring on my finger and how the silvery metal caught the light. I turned my hand around, this way and that and stared at it. It felt like a long lost memory or a distant dream but I was awake. It was happening to me.

“Jaune?” Weiss got my attention.

“Wha…?” I wondered dumbly.

“Come on,” Ruby took me by the arm.

We weren’t really going anywhere for the recessional. Dinner was going to be served right here. Salmon and beef steaks and vegetables were served and I sat at a table with a wife on each arm. And that was pretty fucking slick. Not gonna lie.

I thumbed my left earring with my left hand wearing the new ring. It felt fake. It felt too… dreamlike. Consciousness was an abstract if it wasn’t an outright illusion. This felt untrue. It felt too good to be real. Things this good didn’t happen to me. They just didn’t. I felt as though it was going to be robbed from me at any moment.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, Jaune,” Ruby began over dinner. “Are you hiding your aura away on purpose? Does it have to do with Salem?”

“No… no. Am I? I don’t mean to be.”

“Well then, let it out. Let me taste your emotions,” Ruby pleaded. She was a hungry little empath. She wanted to feed off of me. And of course I was going to allow it. I allowed my golden aura to stretch all joyful and elated out of my body. I let the surrealness of it all known and I could taste Ruby’s and Weiss’s emotions. Ruby tasted like cinnamon and flowers. Weiss tasted like cold coffee and custard pudding and crushed crisp ice. I could literally feel how happy they were through our auras and my head fell in my hands and I started crying again.

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-WG

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