#i had to change the caption to fix the aura

[quinintheclouds]

YES YES YES YES YES

Spoilers for RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 6

THAT WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN I HAD EVEN LET MYSELF HOPE FOR

It really looks like this is the Volume the writers realized how many answers we’ve needed for years and years, and is answering them now. I wish it’d come sooner, of course, but since they can’t go back and fix the pacing or writing, I’m really impressed and optimistic about how Volume 8 is going!

BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY

I would like to GUSH about how they handled the Oscar and Ozpin scenes. We have needed, nay, BEGGED for this sort of development, and it’s finally here. There’s too much I want to rave about so bullet point time! 

[Note: I love the farmboy so this wound up longer than expected -- have a read more for your scrolling convenience -- TL;DR at the end]

We got confirmation that Ozpin has been pleading with Oscar to let him take over so he can burden the pain and torture instead. Oscar is the one refusing, choosing to take it himself because he knows Salem and Hazel will be much harsher on Oz. I thought that was the case, but I’m so glad they addressed it because otherwise we’d be wondering why Oz hasn’t offered. It does make me wonder, is Oz still able to take control without asking? Oscar was able to fight it in vol 6, and he’s come a long way.

Hazel is holding back -- at least, Oscar says he can tell that he is. This would keep in line with the battle at Haven, when Hazel was suspiciously playing defense and stalling by letting Ozpin monologue, then letting Oscar give a little protagonist speech... I mean, it sure doesn’t LOOK like he’s holding back. Look at this kid:

moving on before I cry,

Ozpin suggests he take over and try to escape.

Oscar says no, he has a better idea. “This is our chance.”

Oz: “Hm. Maybe you’ve taken one too many hits.” I like this for two reasons: one, because it gives us a taste of the ol’ lighthearted Ozpin humor we’ve missed since he’s been gone, and two, because it shows that he and Oscar think differently. They have different thought processes, ideas, etc. Oz didn’t immediately know what Oscar was planning.

Oscar explains that Salem can’t take on everyone at once, and thus has been sending people to infiltrate all of remnant first, to attack from within. 

I LOVE that they had Oscar come up with this, because it is so in line with his character development in Volume 7. Not to mention how in volume 6 he was the one to figure out how to defeat Cordovin’s mecha. It’s cool to see him as a strategist, because while he’s a sweet kid from the middle of nowhere, he’s proven to be really smart and quick.

Plus, this gives him agency. People wanted Ozpin to return and save Oscar, but this is so, so much better. Oscar’s idea, Oscar’s choice, and Oz gets right on board. They’re agreeing to work together, despite their unresolved conflict. “Ozma learned the importance of living with the souls with which he’d been paired.”

AND THEN, A MOMENT I CANNOT THANK RT ENOUGH FOR:

The captions don’t show it, but Oscar AND Ozpin said this in unison. Now, this and the few seconds that follow were a rollercoaster of emotions. Let’s break it down:

When they said this together, I was positively GIDDY with excitement: they’re leaning into the “like-minded souls” thing and calling attention to the situation! Surely this must be a sign that Oscar and Ozpin will indeed both exist when their souls are one, as they are both equally parts of the combination of lives that is Ozma. Well, maybe not equally (yet?). 

Then, my elation was replaced with dread. What if this was actually an indication of them “merging” in the way some of the FNDM interpret it will go, rather than how I think it does? Or what if that’s not what RT is doing, but what if the FNDM takes it as a sign Ozpin is taking over?? I can’t last the whole break without knowing!

AND THEN!!! Ugh, this made me so relieved. Ozpin says, in a slightly amused tone of voice with a trace of a laugh, “We certainly are similar, you and I.” YESSSSS more references to them being like-minded souls!! But still having differences!! 

“Maybe we have been presented with an opportunity.” I’m really glad they went the route where Oscar is changing Ozpin’s mind on things. Oz no longer thinks he knows best, and is allowing Oscar to come into his own. Now he’s seeing how far Oscar’s come and the person he is.

Related note: The commentary for the vol 7 finale said that it was Oscar’s speeches to Ironwood about fear and trust that made Oz realize he’s been keeping secrets and hiding out of fear, and inspired him to come back. This is so promising for Oscar’s character going forward.

[Side note: Would love more info on what Oscar meant in volume 7 when he said “these memories... you’re back, aren’t you?” because? Is he just referring to the scenes with things like how he talked about Atlas’ history as if he were there, or does he have access to Oz’s memories now? 2 chapters ago we saw that he doesn’t yet know the location of the Beacon Relic. So unless he was lying really well, he doesn’t have ALL the memories yet. So which ones does he have? RT EXPLAIN]

Next,

I would like to call attention to the fact that Oscar smiled here. After Ozpin said they were similar, I was worried Oscar would react the way he has in the past: sad and conflicted about his identity, worried he’s becoming less of himself. But no. Like we saw in Volume 7, THIS is who Oscar Pine is. His development was his own, and we get to see that when Ozpin returned because Oscar had made him rethink his choices. Oscar Pine is more himself now than he’s been at any other point in the series. 

It’s really brilliant how the writers have used these last 2 volumes to show that Penny, the robot, is one of the most human characters on the show; and Oscar, the boy cursed to death and rebirth with a soul that was not his own, is one of the most individualistic ones. It’s just really cool how they’re playing with our expectations of the characters. (They’re doing great with Salem, too!)

[Side note: Penny’s soul/aura was given to her by Pietro, and they still have distinct personalities and identities. It’s possible that’s a parallel to Oscar’s situation, but I do feel the merge’s completion will result in one remaining soul/identity - just not a “taking over” situation]

Okay, that’s the last of that rollercoaster I mentioned. 

Time to get on a new one!

At long last, this episode finally gave us something we haven’t had since chapter 4 of volume SIX*:

*(I am not counting the one second of "Oscar." *glowy eyes* *Oscar blinks and is back in control* in the vol 7 finale)

OZPIN IS BACK!!!!

First, HELL YES I WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN!!!

Second, wow, they can change really quickly now. At first it took effort and was super visible, then just shook Oscar up a bit with the glowy eyes, and now it seems almost effortless, seamless. The eyes glow and the transition is smooth. I like it.

We didn’t get to hear Oscar’s thoughts after Oz said “Oscar, please,” begging him again to let him take control. So we don’t know whether Oscar allowed it out of pain, exhaustion, their plan, or a decision to trust Oz and work together here. Alternatively, Ozpin may have simply taken over of his own accord. I wish the writers would give us more insight to Oscar’s thoughts, because those scenes already have him talking inside/to his own head, so leaving some of his thoughts out can seem intentional and open-ended, which could mean more dragging out answers, but I think this was fine. Not the worst case of this by far lol

WHEN! HE! SPOKE!

I was hoping for this with all my heart. Over the course of volume 7 in particular, we saw Oscar’s voice, mannerisms, and speech patters start to resemble Ozpin’s. However, he still sounds and feels like Oscar. Going back to Volume 5, heck, even Volume 6 (which is when we last saw Ozpin in control), the voice of Ozpin speaking through Oscar is similar, but distinctly different from how Oscar’s speaking now. So I’ve been theorizing and hoping, and it CAME TRUE! Ozpin sounds more like Oscar now, while still managing to clearly be Ozpin.

Right from the first “Hello,” it was noticeable. It sounded almost like Oscar. I know it’s the same voice actor when one of them is in control (same body, same vocal cords), but that just makes it even more impressive. This is the first time we’ve heard Ozpin’s voice speaking through Oscar since QRWBY yelled at him in the snow in vol 6. And I was NOT disappointed.

“Why do you follow her?” I’ll keep saying it, but he sounds so much like Oscar confronting Ironwood. 

“I know how you see me. But her? Look at what she does, how is she the answer, why not stop her??” This gives me serious deja vu to Oscar’s speech towards Hazel in the Battle of Haven (and his speech towards Ironwood in v7′s finale). That speech had given Hazel pause then, and this one does as well, now. Ozpin sounds angrier, though, more aware of just how far gone these people are, but knowing they can change.

Hazel calls Ozpin out for the same thing the FNDM has been, and honestly, it’s been a long time coming. Hazel’s motivations are extremely misguided, Oscar was right to stand up for Oz/Gretchen at Haven, and the show really needed to reinforce the Ozpin-isn’t-bad-actually thing. Now it’s all out in the open. But it’s Ozpin’s response to this that elevated this scene even more:

That’s it. Ozma has spent countless lives fighting a war that may be impossible to win. But if no one tries, no one will survive. The gods will destroy all of Remnant. Still, every single lifetime, he chooses to try. Like Oscar said in volume 5 (about Hazel’s sister but writing-wise also kinda about Pyrrha), “She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself. So do I.” Like-minded souls.

AND THIS!!! Good gods I’m glad he said this. The show went way too long before anyone even questioned the “You can’t” answer from Jinn. Nora mentioned it in passing earlier, which I liked a lot (though this really should’ve been discussed in volume 6, but better late than never). But here? We see that Oz never gave up, never planned on losing, not sending people to a battle he “knows they can’t win.” While Salem is immortal, she is not infallible. Not even the gods were. Salem can be fought. Even Hazel has a moment of hesitation, perhaps even realization, before Salem enters.

Salem manipulates Cinder, offering her the maiden powers she wants so badly, and Ozpin interjects. “You’ll only be helping her bring about the end, for all of you!”

I just wanted to show these shots because again, just as we’ve seen Oscar’s mannerisms become increasingly similar to Ozpin’s, now that he’s back, we get to see the other way around. Look at the surprise and fear on his face. Look at how he widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows instead of narrowing/furrowing them now. Listen to the sounds he makes when tortured or thrown about. Listen to the desperation and earnest passion held in his pleas. He’s no longer hiding -- he’s being honest with the people who scare him most, and truly trying to help them see the light. 

[Side note: Cinder is not showing remorse in this scene, but I wonder how she’d react to Oscar, not Ozpin, being tortured. In the same episode, we have Cinder being tortured with a shock collar, AND we have Oscar decide to try to appeal to the humanity left in these villains. Last time we saw Oscar, Salem was torturing him with intense, almost electric magic. She might not care, but I wonder...]

ANYWAY I’m done for now. Have a TL;DR that wound up being long too

TL;DR: 

Basically, I’m super happy with the writers for the detail put into these scenes: 

they confirmed Oz has been begging to take over and bear the torture instead

had Oscar come up with an idea himself instead of getting rescued or immediately escaping

had Oscar view his dire situation as an opportunity, reminding us of his optimism and capabilities as a strategist

had Ozpin not know what Oscar’s plan was before he explained it (this might change as the souls become one, but it at least shows they think differently)

Oscar’s plan to appeal to the villains’ humanity and infiltrate Salem’s forces from within lining up with his volume 7 character development

had Oz trust Oscar and put his faith in him, which is progress for Oz

Oz and Oscar speaking in unison and agreeing to work together

Ozpin’s comment about them being similar, not the same

had Ozpin take control to speak to Hazel

Ozpin’s speech to Hazel and Cinder as parallels to Oscar’s speeches to Hazel and Ironwood, which CRWBY said were the reason Oz realized his secrecy is out of fear of trust, and Oscar’s points are what inspired him to come back.

Ozpin sounding and acting more like Oscar just like we’ve seen happen the other way around (though with Oscar, he’s holding true to his own ideas/morals, with Oz meeting him there)

established hope for some of our villains to defect, setting it in motion.

#oscar pine #professor ozpin #rwby ozma #the merge #rwby ozcar #hate calling them that lol but it's a useful tag #rwby8 #rwby #quinpost

[ominousunflower]

Crazy Composed: Chapter 1

Written for Day 1 (Eye Contact) of @luxyweek

Fic summary: Luka Couffaine is known for his saint-like composure, but five seconds with Xavier-Yves Roth is enough to make him completely lose his cool. And yet, after the two meet again at Le Grand Paris, they somehow find themselves spending more time together—which either means that something is going on between them, or Luka Couffaine has officially gone crazy. (According to his friends, it’s a bit of both.)

Rating: T Word count: 4545

___________________________________

“Thanks for staying to help,” Marinette murmurs to Luka, as she picks up a macaron with a pair of tongs and sets it on a businessman's plate. “I know you only came to the hotel to make a delivery.”

“It’s fine,” Luka says. Pouring another glass of punch, he smiles awkwardly at the businessman, then sets the glass alongside a dozen others. “You needed help, so I’m happy to be here.”

Normally, Luka would stay as far away from a catering event as possible. These sorts of things are always crowded and cramped, loud with chattering, and he tends to prefer quieter, emptier spaces. But the moment he’d walked into the hotel and seen Marinette off to the side wearing a half-smile-half-grimace, he’d resolved to stay and make her job easier.

So far, nothing too bad has happened. From what Marinette has told him, it’s some sort of business conference, which would explain why everyone is wearing suits and ties. Luka feels woefully underdressed in his hoodie and sneakers, but Marinette has assured him that no one will notice what he’s wearing underneath the apron.

The calm shatters when a familiar magenta-haired woman rushes up to the table, slipping between two people in line.

“Oh, Marinette,” Penny says. “Thank goodness. I thought I saw you down here earlier.”

“Penny!” Marinette says, eyes wide. “Um, what is it? Does Jagged need something?”

“There was a meeting earlier with some music folks. Somehow, Jagged and XY ended up in the same room, and…” Penny sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Well, Bob Roth is in another meeting, and neither one of them are listening to me. I assume since you’ve dealt with both of them before…?”

Marinette offers Penny a strained smile. “Say no more! I’ll see what I can do.” She glances at Luka. “Do you want to come? I know you’re a fan of Jagged, but…”

But you got akumatized the last time you spoke to Xavier-Yves Roth and his father. That’s probably what Marinette is too nice to say out loud.

Luka clenches his jaw. “I’ll come with you. Maybe the sight of my face will remind XY to watch himself.” Belatedly, he remembers that Penny is still standing there. He clears his throat. “I’m not going to cause any trouble, I promise.”

Penny just smiles. “I’m sure you two can handle them. Oh, and here—give me that apron, Marinette. I’ll take over while you deal with the problem upstairs.”

Marinette slips off the apron and passes it over to Penny. “What floor?”

“Fourth,” Penny says. “Room 412.”

“Got it.”

Marinette takes off at a sprint toward the elevators, leaving Luka to throw his apron on the table and follow her. They stick to the perimeter of the room, avoiding the crowds of people milling around the center.

“You don’t have to help, you know,” Marinette says, as they wait for the elevator. “I know you and XY aren’t on great terms.”

Luka folds his arms across his chest. He’s used to people thinking that he’s calm and collected, so he doesn’t appreciate the implication that he can’t handle a confrontation with someone who has two letters for a name.

Well, technically it’s just a stage name, but still. How does no one else see how stupid it is?

“I’m fine,” Luka assures her. “I know I didn’t handle things well last time. But I’ve learned from that mistake—I won’t let the Roths get under my skin.”

The elevator dings, and he and Marinette step inside.

Silence falls between them. Now, of all times, Luka is reminded of the fact that Marinette never really responded to his confession. He hasn’t exactly retracted it, and she hasn’t explicitly rejected it, so where do they stand, exactly?

While he’s sure that he still has a crush on her, anyone with half a brain can see that she and Adrien are a perfect match. (Of course, anyone with half a brain could also see that the two of them are probably Ladybug and Chat Noir, so maybe the people of Paris just aren’t that smart.) Luka has a feeling that any romance he starts with Marinette will ultimately lead to her realizing that Adrien is the one for her, and he’s not too interested in being a relationship catalyst.

But Luka is also someone who says what he means, so he’s not going to take back a confession that’s still technically true. Unfortunately, that has resulted in the current awkward silence, where Luka can feel the anxiety rolling off Marinette in waves. No doubt she’s worried that he’ll try to make a move.

Should he say something? No, because what if she’s not thinking that? Then he’ll just seem weird and anxious.

Luka sighs to himself. He wishes that people were easier to understand. Do they really think that his musical talent makes up for the fact that other human beings are a mystery to him? It’s a good cover, he supposes: being able to play a few bars based on a person’s aura, in a smooth way that makes them think he understands them. Why, yes, fellow human, I completely understand you! Listen to this G-major chord! I heard it in your heart.

It’s not a lie, though—Luka does understand emotions. He just doesn’t understand the thoughts that come with them.

Fortunately, Luka’s musings fill up the time it takes to get to Room 412, sparing him from any awkward exchanges with Marinette.

“Yeah, Fang!” an accented voice—unmistakably Jagged Stone’s—yells. “You want this cell phone? Been a while since you had some crunchy technology, huh?”

“Give it back!” another voice whines. Luka rolls his eyes. There’s no question that’s Xavier-Yves Roth.  

Marinette glances at Luka, then knocks on the door.

“Why should I give it back?” Jagged snaps. “You were going to post a picture of me with the caption Ragged Stone. I’m not a has-been! I’m rock-‘n-roll!”

Luka sighs. “Is he always like this?”

“Pretty much,” Marinette says. Her foot taps rapidly against the carpeted floor, and she knocks again. “Uh, Jagged! It’s Marinette Dupain—”

The door flies open, and Luka’s sort-of-idol Jagged Stone is standing on the other side, signature guitar slung over his shoulder. “Marinette!” he says, his accent butchering the r in her name. He grabs her shoulder and shoots her a finger gun. “Great! I’m so glad you’re here. Deux-letters here is trying to harass me with his Instagram or whatever. Do me a favor and keep an eye on him? I’m all fired up now, so I need to get a drink or something.”

“Um.” Marinette leans around Jagged and peers inside. “You didn’t actually feed XY’s cell phone to Fang, did you?”

“Nah. I’ve got it right here. I only destroy my property, you know? I’m not a vandal.” Jagged pulls the phone from his pocket and drops it into Marinette’s hand. Then his eyes fall on Luka. “Oh, hey! You’re Marinette’s guitar friend. Luka, right? Sorry for arguing with your mom that one time. You’ve got talent. We should work together sometime! Any friend of Marinette’s is a friend of mine.”

He pats Luka on the shoulder, then squeezes between him and Marinette. Grabbing his guitar, he starts playing it as he walks toward the elevator, filling the hallway with the sound of rock ‘n roll.

Luka stares after him, slightly dazed. “Did he just say he wanted to work with me sometime?”

“He did!” Marinette says. “And he’ll keep his promise, too. Jagged is a good guy.” She purses her lips and puffs out a breath. “But we’ve got a bigger problem.”

“Right,” Luka says, sighing. “Babysitting XY?”

“And Fang,” Marinette says. “Jagged left him here, and I doubt he and XY get along.”

Grimacing, Luka looks through the doorway at Jagged’s pet crocodile. Fang is lounging on a sofa, yellow eyes fixed on XY, who’s draped across an armchair on the other side of the coffee table. XY looks every bit as infuriating as Luka remembers; his lazy pose makes Luka’s fists clench involuntarily.  

“Stupid crocodile,” XY says, pouting. He grabs a pillow from behind his back and chucks it at Fang.

Fang growls and catches the pillow in his mouth, his large teeth instantly ripping it to shreds. Soon, all that’s left is a few shreds of fabric and stuffing that have fluttered to the ground.

Luka glares at XY. “Why would you throw something at a crocodile?”

XY shrugs. “It’s just a dumb lizard. Hey, are you room service? I want something to eat.”

Luka deeply inhales through his nose, calling on years of meditation to keep himself calm. “No, I…” He trails off as Fang crawls off the couch and starts plodding toward XY. “Uh.”

Marinette presses XY’s phone into Luka’s hand and rushes forward. “Fang!” she says, in the high-pitched way a person might talk to a puppy. “Hey, there! Who’s a good crocodile?”

Bizarrely, Fang stops and almost seems to smile at her. The song “Never Smile at a Crocodile” plays in Luka’s head, and even though he trusts Marinette to handle things, he can’t help but be slightly concerned.

Marinette pats her thighs and beckons Fang toward her, then starts backing toward a door off to the side. “Fang, do you want a bath? Some nice water? I bet that would feel nice. Why don’t we get you in the bath while we wait for Jagged?”

Apparently bath and Jagged are two of the words Fang knows, because he changes course and walks after Marinette to the bathroom.

“That was unbelievably stupid,” Luka tells XY.

“What do you mean?” XY says, waving a hand as he stares at the carpet. He doesn’t even have the decency to make eye contact with Luka when they’re talking. “Your girlfriend’s got it handled. I figured she would.”

“She’s not my—never mind. I’m not talking to you. It will just make me angry.”

Luka folds his arms across his chest and scans the room, waiting for Marinette to finish drawing Fang’s bath. He can hear the sound of running water echoing from the bathroom, though the noise isn’t as soothing as it could be when he knows it’s for a crocodile bath.

“How am I making you angry?” XY asks. “I’m just sitting here.”

It’s the WAY you’re sitting, Luka almost says, before he realizes how dumb that sounds. Instead, he just shrugs and stares at what little he can see of the bathroom through the open door. All he can make out is Marinette’s shoe and a giant crocodile tail, but it’s better than looking at XY’s face.

“Hey, can I have my phone?” XY asks.

“Why are you asking me?” Luka snaps.

“Because you’re holding it?”

Luka glances down at his hand, where sure enough, he is holding the phone Marinette gave him. The case is covered in some sort of obnoxious bling that makes Luka’s eyes burn. “Oh. Sorry.” Luka crosses over to XY’s chair and holds out the phone. “Here.”

XY grabs it from his hand without looking at him. “Thanks.”

Immediately, XY’s phone starts beeping, and a second later, an alarm tone goes off on Luka’s own cell phone. He digs it out of his pocket and sighs.

“What was that?” Marinette asks, running out of the bathroom with water dripping from her hands.

“Akuma alert,” Luka says flatly.

If his suspicions are correct, he knows exactly how this is about to go.

Marinette squeaks. “I, um—have to—macarons! Penny has no idea how to hold the macarons, and I…need to…go teach her.” She sprints across the room and pauses in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other. “I’m really sorry, Luka. I hate to leave you two—”

“Go ahead,” Luka says, trying not to sound too resigned. “I know the…uh, macarons are important.”

With a nod, Marinette runs into the hallway and pulls the door shut behind her.

Luka wanders across the room to glance out the ornate hotel window. From this spot on the fourth floor, he can see part of the Place des Vosgues, along with some familiar houses and stores.

As he looks outside, though, he can feel eyes on him. It’s hard to describe—similar to when he senses a person’s mood—but someone is definitely staring at him.

Praying that it is not a hungry crocodile, he slowly turns around.

XY’s blue eyes are fixed on him, staring out from beneath his ridiculous blond hair. His brow is creased ever so slightly, almost with an expression of trepidation. But, well, why would XY be afraid of Luka? Luka’s the one whose career could be ended in an instant by XY’s capricious father. Luka doesn’t have the power to do anything to XY.

Luka stares back, hoping that XY gets the message. Don’t mess with me or my friends.

XY nods slowly and goes back to fiddling with his phone.

Luka’s fingers itch for his guitar, but of course, he didn’t bring it with him, since he thought this would be a quick delivery stop. Mirroring XY, he pulls out his own phone and pulls up his contacts. Surely there’s someone he can text to pass the time…

Adrien Agreste’s name stares back at him from the top of the list. Luka considers it—Adrien is pretty fun to talk to, and would definitely sympathize with Luka’s current plight—but then he realizes that if Adrien is Chat Noir, he’s probably busy fighting the akuma right now.

XY clears his throat. “Uh, you play bass?”

Luka scrolls further through his contacts, because surely XY isn’t talking to him. But when he glances up, XY’s eyes are fixed on him again.

“Me?” Luka says. “I play guitar.”

“Right,” XY says. “That’s the one with six strings.”

Luka barely resists rolling his eyes. “Yeah.”

XY doesn’t respond, so Luka goes back to his phone. He pulls up the Ladyblog and skims it for updates: apparently the akuma is some sort of food-themed monster stomping throughout the city, and Ladybug has yet to summon her Lucky Charm. Based on past data, Alya has projected the battle to last twenty minutes, and advises civilians to stay inside to avoid being trampled.

Really, though, wouldn’t it be better outside? XY isn’t outside. Luka will gladly risk getting crushed by an angry hamburger man if it means escaping this awkwardness.

“And you, uh,” XY says. “You’re in that cat band?”

Luka sighs, keeping his eyes on his phone. “Kitty Section, yeah.”

He braces himself for some taunt about the name—which Luka will fiercely defend, because cats are excellent, thank you very much—but instead XY just says, “Oh, that rings a bell.”

“It should,” Luka says, gritting his teeth, “since we’re the band you and your father stole from.”

“Stole is kind of harsh,” XY says. “I prefer inspired by.”

Luka glares at him. “Is that a joke?”

XY shrugs.

“Have you ever had an original musical thought?” Luka asks, before he can stop himself.

To his frustration, XY gives another shrug. “Eh. Everything’s unoriginal, you know?”

Technically, that’s true, and Luka would agree if the phrase was coming from an actual artist. But it’s coming from XY. Scowling, Luka says, “There’s a difference between unoriginal and plagiarized, you know.”

In Luka’s head and in front of his bathroom mirror, he’s played out this scenario dozens of times, and in those imaginary conversations, he has said much more insulting things to XY. Of course, Luka would never actually say any of those cruel things…but XY is testing his patience.

When he thinks about it, though, XY hasn’t done anything wildly offensive today, except make very unwanted small talk. And that’s infuriating in its own way. Luka wishes he would do something bad, so that his irritation felt more justified.

“Yeah, sorry,” XY says. “I didn’t realize that was illegal.”

“It’s not the illegal part that bothers me,” Luka says. He wonders if he should even bother trying to explain what’s actually wrong. “It’s that my friends and I worked hard on that song, and Marinette worked hard on those costumes, and your father threatened us and undermined our work. But it makes sense that legality is all you two are concerned about. After all, you can’t make as much money if your father is in jail.”

He bites down on his tongue the moment the words are out. Does XY just bring out the worst in Luka? Or does Luka have less self-control than he thought?

“I mean, yeah, we wouldn’t want to get sued,” XY says. He’s now tossing a TV remote up and down, catching it with one hand. He won’t meet Luka’s eyes, which might be for the better; if he did, he’d see Luka’s brief moment of guilt over snapping at him. “Besides, coming up with stuff is hard.”

“So you understand why we were upset,” Luka says slowly.

What, exactly, did he do to deserve this conversation? Is it the fact that he’s flirted with both Marinette and Adrien? Is the universe somehow blaming him for keeping those two apart? Because, if so, that’s wildly unfair. Marinette and Adrien could be the last two people on earth, and they’d still find a way to be oblivious about their feelings for each other.

“You could have been flattered,” XY says. “We thought your stuff was good enough to steal—um, borrow. Or…yeah.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” Luka asks in disbelief.

Maybe XY is wearing noise-cancelling earbuds that Luka can’t see. Maybe that’s how he manages to be so utterly tone-deaf.

“Yeah,” XY says. “Why? Am I talking too loud?”

Luka sighs. “You’re surrounded by music. You perform all the time. You must be able to come up with something on your own.”

Distantly, he thinks maybe he should give up on this conversation. He’s wasting his energy on XY. There are some people who just don’t get it, and this wouldn’t be the first time Luka has exhausted himself for a lost cause. (For instance: trying to convince his mother that maybe some laws are worth following for the public good, and that it might be a bad idea to install actual cannons on the Liberty.)

“Maybe,” XY says with another shrug. Luka thinks his shoulders must be pretty toned from all the shrugging he does. “But why bother, you know? The computers write lyrics and tunes that people like. Guaranteed success. Seems stupid to write my own stuff.”

If success was all that mattered when it came to music, maybe—and for XY and his father, that’s probably the case.

Luka’s curiosity gets the best of him, and he asks, “Have you ever tried to write your own songs?”

“Yeah, once.”

Luka frowns. Is this the set-up for a joke? Is there a punchline? XY doesn’t seem clever enough to set up a joke, given that Ragged Stone was the best insult he could come up with.

XY stops tossing the remote and holds it in his hand, fiddling with the buttons. “When I was eleven, I wrote a few songs and showed them to my dad.” Luka almost asks, Then why didn’t you keep doing that? but XY answers him in the next breath. “He said they were garbage. And I mean, he’d know, right? He’s, like, a music genius.”

Luka has doubts about how much of a music genius Bob Roth is, but he supposes it makes sense that eleven year-old XY would think that. Even now, XY probably conflates success and money with ingenuity.

But Luka’s mind is hung up on one word, blaring in his ears on repeat: GARBAGE.

Luka doesn’t want to have sympathy for XY. Sometimes, people are just rude and nasty, and they don’t deserve Luka’s pity. Unbidden, though, his brain is conjuring up a scene: a little blond kid with less-ridiculous hair, wide-eyed and hopeful, showing his father his songs—only to be told that they’re horrible.

Maybe that’s not how it went down. Maybe XY didn’t care about the rejection. But Luka has a feeling that, deep under XY’s blaisé exterior, he still remembers the pain of being told that his creations were worthless.

Damn it. Now Luka has sympathy for XY.

“That’s ridiculous,” Luka says. He tells himself that he’s just angry on behalf of a fellow musician—because technically, XY is a fellow musician. “I can only imagine if my mom told me that my songs were garbage when I was eleven. I mean, they probably weren’t that good, but—”

“Your songs?” XY interrupts. Luka’s sympathy ebbs, replaced by the irritation he feels every time XY opens his mouth. Luka shouldn’t have mentioned his own music; now XY is going to criticize it, and of course his opinion doesn’t mean anything, but Luka will still be annoyed. “Nah, I don’t believe that. Your music’s good.”

It’s certainly not the most glowing compliment Luka has ever received, and it’s delivered with a shrug—and yet, Luka finds his cheeks warming slightly at the comment. Maybe because he never expected XY to actually compliment someone besides himself.

“Have you…heard my music?” Luka asks.

“Just the one song you played on that broadcast. The one we tried to…” XY trails off, and Luka stares at the side of his head, silently demanding him to finish the sentence. “You know.” Frowning, XY tosses the TV remote onto the sofa where Fang was previously sitting. “At least my dad thought your music was good enough to use.”

Luka winces. “I’m sorry.”

The moment the words leave his mouth, he can’t believe he said them. Did he just tell XY that he feels sorry for him?

“Don’t be sorry that you’re good,” XY says. “He knows talent when he sees it, right?”

“But that’s—that’s stupid,” Luka says, taking a step toward the couch. XY doesn’t look up at him. “Your father should have encouraged your music, or helped you to make it better. He shouldn’t have just—” He growls. “I’m not a big fan of him, so of course I’m not surprised, but that’s still unfair.”

XY tilts his head toward Luka, though he still doesn’t quite make eye contact. “So you’re a fan of me, then?”

“No,” Luka says flatly.

XY nods, seeming unbothered. “Anyway, that’s cool. No one’s ever gotten mad for me. Well, my dad yells at people to make them do things for me, I guess. Does that count?”

Luka resists the urge to facepalm. The way XY says such spoiled things so casually—is this how Adrien feels, dealing with Chloé all the time? Then again, Adrien and Chloé are friends, and Luka and XY certainly aren’t.

Although, if Adrien can be friends with Chloé, does that mean Luka could befriend someone like…?

No. Luka refuses to consider it. He’s not getting involved with someone this rude and high-maintenance. People might think Luka has the patience of a saint, but in fact, he does not. And why would he take XY under his wing, after he and his father tried to screw over Kitty Section? XY’s personal issues aren’t Luka’s problem, and it’s certainly not his responsibility to nurture XY’s creative side.

Xavier-Yves Roth is young, Luka’s conscience says. Of course he makes mistakes. His brain isn’t fully developed yet.

Neither is mine, Luka thinks back. Which is probably why I’m even considering something this stupid.

“You know,” Luka says slowly. “If you…did write another song, and wanted to run it by someone…”

XY is silent for a moment, and then he finally looks up at Luka with a quizzical expression. “You? You’ve never sold albums or topped a chart. You wouldn’t have any useful feedback.”

Ah. Yes. This is why Luka wasn’t going to get involved with XY. Luka sympathized with XY for having his father tell him his offerings were worthless—and then XY turned around and said the same insensitive thing to Luka.

So what if Luka hasn’t topped the charts with an album full of banal, soulless songs? At least he makes music he’s passionate about.

It occurs to Luka that XY isn’t looking at him with scorn in his eyes. He just looks confused, which means he doesn’t even realize that what he just said was insulting.

Since Luka is feeling charitable—and XY’s words are meaningless—he decides to shrug off the comment. “I’m not interested in songs that sell,” Luka says. “I was just offering a second set of ears.”

“Oh.” XY blinks. “I don’t really see what’s in it for me…but, yeah, I guess it could be good practice for you. You know, learning how to work with someone in the industry.”

This is not worth it, Luka thinks. You will gain nothing from helping him.

Be a charitable person, his conscience insists. Do something good without expecting anything in return.

Luka snorts to himself. He’s already helped Ladybug and Chat Noir save Paris several times as Viperion. Isn’t that enough charity for the year?

“What’s so funny?” XY asks.

“Nothing,” Luka says. “I was thinking of something else. I’ll…keep your offer in mind.”

“Sure,” XY says, going back to his phone. “I’m not usually this generous, so, you know—it’s a special offer. I bet a lot of people would be jealous.”

Luka sighs. XY might not know much about music, but he’s certainly talented at infuriating people.

Before Luka manages to think of a response that doesn’t involve scathing sarcasm, there’s a loud knock on the door.

“Luka? XY? It’s Marinette!”

Luka rushes over to the door, checking his phone as he does. According to the Ladyblog, the akuma was defeated about a minute ago.

He opens the door and Marinette runs inside, panting. “Sorry, the, uh—the…”

“Macarons,” Luka supplies.

“Right! Yes,” Marinette says. “But then I got distracted, and, uh—there was an akuma, did you hear? Crazy! I mean, not crazy, because Paris has had a lot of akumas, but, you know…”

“I’m glad you’re back,” Luka says.

Marinette nods, then leans forward and whispers, “How was XY?”

Luka shrugs. “About what you’d expect.”

That feels a bit disingenuous, though. Because XY isn’t quite what Luka expected. Yes, his attitude is infuriating, and he oozes upper-class shallowness—but Luka’s starting to realize that there might be a reason that XY acts the way he does.

Not that Luka intends to stick around long enough to find out.

XY groans and stands. “I guess that lame rock star isn’t coming back for his dumb lizard. You two can watch him. I’m going downstairs to get food or something.”

He crosses the room and brushes past Luka and Marinette without a word. His eyes meet Luka’s as he leaves—and there it is, again, that look of almost wariness.

Then he shrugs and leaves, and Luka and Marinette are alone with a crocodile in a bathtub.

“Thanks for not feeding him to the crocodile,” Marinette says.          

“Yeah, well.” Luka shrugs. “I didn’t want to give my favorite rock star’s pet indigestion.”  

A second later, they hear a grunt and a crack, followed by a tidal-wave splash; and for the moment, at least, Luka’s thoughts of Xavier-Yves Roth are forgotten.

#luxy #luxyweek2k20 #ml fic #ml fanfiction #luka couffaine #xy roth #xavier-yves roth #miraculous ladybug #my fic

[inkribbon796]

The Lost Ones Ch. 2

Chapter 2: A Star is Born

Summary: Now that Anti has his clone of destruction it’s a lot smaller and a lot less destructive than he planned. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get some chaos out of the little scientific miracle.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The glitch demon was not impressed.

He honestly didn’t know what he had expected, he’d barely been a part of the process past snipping off pieces of aura. But a brat sleeping in a glass box wasn’t what he’d expected.

Where was the doom? The chaos?

Anti glared at Beauregard, “It’s tiny.”

“Yep,” Bouregard was almost bouncing with glee. “We’ve named him Paul-08 since he’s the eighth one. He’s about five months now.”

“Don’t care, prolly not keeping the name,” Anti warned. “Ye said it was alive, looks pretty still ta me.”

She looked disappointed, “He’s sleeping, and we really like that name. Besides, he’s just a baby.”

“Don’t,” Anti repeated. “Care. Is it alive or not? I didn’t get ye fookers their auras ta throw a baby shower.”

“Yes, he’s alive, he’s just sleeping,” she told him. “We’re starting to get him to try solid foods.”

“Good,” Anti immediately reached in a picked the baby up, realizing one thing. “This kid’s freezing.”

“Yes, we think it might have something to do with the maternal side genes,” she admitted.

Anti stared at her before looking the baby over, who was starting to fuss. Fighting the urge to dump the kid back in the incubator and walk away, he studied the kid a bit closer, a light coating of dark fluff was already on top of his head, and his eyes were starting to darken from the normal baby blue.

Then his brain halted, “Wait, I didn’t brin’ anythin’ extra.”

“Oh, the maternal genes came from Smoky,” Beauregard was silently coaching Anti how to hold the baby, and to Anti immense relief he stopped fussing. “Whenever it turned more red it was receptive to cooperating even if it did become more aggressive in the process.”

“Smoky?” Anti repeatedly.

“Yeah Smoky and Bubbles, we gave them nicknames because it was shorter than writing Dark Aura and Warfstache Aura.”

“I like it,” Anti decided, “continue.”

“Well you would not believe how uncooperative auras are, it took us ages to actually get the kid. He had to coax Smoky into making the shape we wanted and after a couple tries we got this little cutie.”

The baby let out this little bubbly giggle.

It reminded Anti more of Wilford than Dark, but all he needed was the thing to keep breathing.

“Kay, we’ll be back,” Anti said, already opening up a portal and taking the kid through.

“What?” Beauregard looked panicked. “Wait! He hasn’t had his—”

Anti was stepping through with the kid and smiled, “Let’s go find your big scary dads and watch ‘em squirm.”

A couple of stolen baby things later and Anti was standing in a downtown plaza with the kid in a harness attached to his own chest, waiting while holding a phone he’d found ages ago and was using to post pictures online with him and the baby. The picture’s caption read: Not ready for swimming lesson but still likes the water. Don’t tell his dad.

His favorite so far was the picture he took was the one he took standing on a large fountain in Dark’s territory, holding two fingers up with the kid trying to grab the water.

Anti had to admit, the kid definitely inherited all of Wil’s charm and none of the anything Anti didn’t like about Dark . . . which fortunately for the kid that was everything about the Entity.

So Anti was checking his phone, standing next to Wil’s radio station, the kid trying to grab his phone and was fussing a little bit. Which meant that he was either hungry or something like that. He’d have to take the kid back at this rate because he was not changing the brat’s diaper.

In total he’d had the kid out for about ten minutes before he dodged Jackie who tried to snag the kid directly off his chest.

“Hey, hey,” Anti floated up and the kid started crying at the gust of wind suddenly rushing by them, startled and scared. “You don’t just steal kids, what kind of hero are you?”

“Okay, Anti,” Jackie approached carefully, having lost the element of surprise. “What’s it gonna take ta get that kid back ta their folks?”

A dumb hero, and a whole lot of noise. Anti smiled. “I don’t know, why don’t yah come an’ take it from me?”

However Anti was grabbed from the back of the carrier straps and dragged back towards the ground by Silver.

“Come on, Anti, just give us the kid,” Silver ordered. “Poor kid’s probably hungry.”

The screaming the kid was doing was starting to become shrill, a dull ringing confused for Jackie’s tinnitus, but was a byproduct of inheriting Dark’s aura.

Anti wrapped his arms around the kid and glitched himself away, slamming into a car. The instant Anti’s aura kicked up, the kid started snuffling instead of crying, trying to put some of the glitching pixels into his mouth.

“Come on, bend reality, do somethin’ yah ankle biter,” Anti demanded.

“Anti, don’t be a bastard, give us the kid,” Jackie demanded.

“Wish I could,” Anti looked at the car he’d crashed into and knocked it into the news station with his aura, it hit the gate and crashed into the entrance.

“Oops,” Anti smiled, and predictably color started to drain from the area, an odd red and blue effect echoing out from nearby objects. Well kid looks like Daddy’s on his way, Anti thought to himself.

If the glitch couldn’t get his kicks from the kid, he would get it from Dark.

Dark came from the shadows right in front of Anti, his aura whipping around him threateningly, “Anti!”

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Silver muttered under his breath, Anti was one thing. It was bad enough that Anti had the kid, but he hadn’t done anything with the kid yet. But Dark hated kids, he’d gone on the record for his disdain for children. He didn’t let them get into his network, he didn’t let them get near him. And Dark was already pissed.

“Ahhh,” a little coo came from the kid attached to Anti’s chest and two little hands reached out to touch Dark’s aura.

The act just about gave Silver and Jackie a heart attack. They’d seen adult superheros get hit by Dark’s aura and come out the other side like they’d bent sent through a blender.

Dark jolted when his aura met with something strangely familiar. His aura calmed down without Dark’s permission.

“What is that?” Dark asked, pointing down at the kid, his finger was grabbed by the kid.

“Jeez took yeh fer-fookin-e’er ta show up,” Anti rolled his eyes and took the kid off of him, and shoved the kid into Dark’s arms who looked about ready to drop the kid on the spot. “See if I babysit fer ye fooks again.”

Dark looked actually confused and Anti knew that regardless of if they actually kept the kid, he was going to savor this for the rest of his existence. Anti had never seen Dark twitch and blink so much, the ringing a bit more subdued.

The infant was already sticking Dark’s tie in his mouth and chewing on it.

“Anti!” Dark yelled at him as Anti began walking backwards, a huge smile on his face. Wilford pushed the car out of his way, looking frustrated and angry, the situation successfully escalating. “What am I supposed to do with this thing?”

“Uh, uh,” Anti held up his index finger. “Favor’s done, I charge full price next time.”

Wilford grabbed Anti who started whispering something to him.

Dark however glared at the happy child in hands who he was trying to hold away at arm’s length. He was smiling, drooling all over his tie, which was still loosely hanging from his mouth. Bright dark brown eyes beaming with happiness and his pudgy little arms reaching towards the mob boss.

A slew of questions was going through Dark’s mind:

Why did he give me a kid? Why would he even have a kid? Oh fuck! Is he Wil’s? What am I going to do if it’s Wil’s?

“Uh, Dark?” Silver asked.

Dark let out a little sigh of relief, “Finally you heroes are good for something.”

He turned and held the kid out for Silver. “Here, take the wretch back to its mother.”

Silver seemed to exhale in relief, “Yeah no problem, do you know who—”

“Well if you wanted a break, Darky, all you had to do was ask,” Wil chuckled as he snagged the kid out of Dark’s hands before Silver could take him.

The superhero stared at Wil in absolute horror, realizing that he’d rather have absolutely anyone holding the kid except for Wil.

The little boy let out a startled cry but going completely silent, starting up at Wil with large round eyes. Wil’s almost invisible aura making the kid’s pupils dilate just a little bit.

“Long day, huh Junior?” Wil smiled as the kid reached up for Wil’s curled mustache. “Did you have fun with Uncle Anti?”

“Wil, let’s not play games right now,” Dark demanded. “Give them the child.”

Wil looked confused at that, the baby grabbing at one of Wil’s suspenders and starting to chew on it. “Why? I got done with work early? I can take Junior for the evening.”

Silver and Jackie looked at the baby, Dark and Wilford, and then at each other.

“Wil, it is two in the afternoon, you didn’t get done with anything,” Dark spat, pointing at the cat lying in front of the radio station. “Anti threw a car at you.”

Wilford almost did a double take, staring at the car, “How long has that been there?”

“Give me the child,” Dark demanded, holding his hand out, his aura already trying to pry the baby from Wil’s arms. “Just go back to work and I’ll fix this.”

The baby started fussing and crying, grabbing onto Wil’s shirt.

Wil’s aura snapped into visible sight and Dark’s aura was slapped away, the mad man holding the boy closer to his chest. “You don’t remember Junior?”

“There’s nothing to remember,” Dark spat angrily, his ringing almost shrill, his shell echoing and fracturing. “Anti found some brat off the street, give it to me.”

“He’s ours!” Wil huffed, the baby’s crying was almost shrill, the boy’s ringing cry lost in Dark’s much louder one.

Dark felt the need to strangle Wilford, his fingers itching to summon an axe to bury into his chest. “You stupid idiot, Wil, that child isn’t yours!”

Silver and Jack were trying to get close but the dueling auras didn’t permit it. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control.

Wil let out an offended gasped and quickly slipped through a portal with the infant, almost slicing off part of Dark’s aura when he tried to stop him.

His shell was fragmenting into dozens of copies as Dark stewed in his own caustic anger. Then he screamed in furious anger, most of his aura turning into a caustic, blood red. His aura tore up the pavement and the gate, and just about anything else he could reach.

Dark’s fury turned to Anti who was just cackling off to the side, finding the whole mess utterly hilarious. He was floating off the ground.

He was in front of the glitch demon in an instant, glaring down at him in molten fury. “Where did you get that thing?”

Anti fought for breath before smiling, “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout Daddy, maybe yeh should go catch yer boyfriend ‘fore he kills the kid?”

Dark raked his claws across Anti’s face, narrowly avoiding destroying Anti’s tentatively corporeal form, but stomping into a portal to follow Wil’s decaying magical trail.

Cheering victoriously at himsef, Anti picked himself off the ground and saw one more game to play, Silver and Jackie already putting out a frantic call for a missing baby.

“How long before you think they realize it’s fake?” Anti chuckled, floating next to the two heroes.

“What?” Jackie demanded, pausing in his report of the kid.

“Pffft,” Anti laughed. “Come on, I magicked up a bag ‘a flour an’ stuck a clump ‘a dog hair on it. I mean what kid smiles at that piece of shite? I’m amazed Dark bought the illusion.”

“Anti, if you are fucking with us, and that was a real kid, it’ll die,” Silver threatened darkly.

Anti just laughed, “I wonder if Wil will try an’ make cookies outta it before or after he realizes it’s fake? Did you see Dark’s face when Wil told him no, I didn’t think Bubbles had it in him.”

Then Anti left, chuckling to himself, after all the lab coats had made one brat, if Wil killed it they could just make another one.

Silver and Jackie were just standing in the wake of destruction, unsure what to do.

“What are the chances he’s lying,” Silver demanded, “you’ve known him longer than me.”

Jackie frowned, “I don’t know, Anti doesn’t usually mess with kids, but they stopped crying when Dark first took ‘em, so maybe he’s telling the truth.”

“Let’s put out that APB, if that kid’s real we need to find their mom and fast,” Silver decided.

“Good thinking,” Jackie agreed and the two of them checked that everyone in the station was okay before leaving to find Abe.

#Superhero AU #Masks and Maladies #Egoton Origins #Markiplier #Jacksepticeye #Darkstache #Darkiplier #Wilford Warfstache #Antisepticeye #Bim Trimmer #Prof. Beauregard #Silver Shepherd #Jackieboy Man #technically child endangerment

[winter-chill]

RWBY 7 - 3 “Ace Operatives” Thoughts

So thoughts...

BOO!!! they didn't work on stuff themselves.. although if it was Pietro and not just random scientists, I'll let it go :) And i'l give him props for using the Amity fights footage (i'll talk more on weapons later)

Oh, dust mines, launch site... ghiest, oh that's gonna bring back some memories

God Nora being so giddy about her stuff puts a smile on my face

and the Blake/Yang nod, the first of so many bumbleby touches this ep

They're really trying to hit hard again with Jaune and that sash, though it was a good set up for his hair cut (since I wouldn't really think of cutting it now when he's in a cold climate ideal)

Another very slight, but nice detail about having Yang be actually armless, not just fixing it while it's on her. We need more points like this, or maybe i just like the idea of it, but having those details shown off and not forgotten is nice. Also that's a beefy arm, though I swear it looks larger in the intro?

Again, having Blake have an onscreen notice of her hair leads well into why it's cut (though not showing it on screen? nor how/why her weapon's fix being gold... missed opportunity , truly)

WAIT??? Ruby got a NEW cloak? BOO, I would have thought her current one was still the original, has she been swapping it with each outfit? but, all the cuts and tears, the detail and history from her past fights, lost :(

I'll talk about the Oscar scene when it shows up, not here

Again, lovely intro to their new looks, but... could have been more. Showing them actually zip things up, buckle them in, cutting their hair themselves. Just lots of little details that would have added so much

I'll say it again, I think Yang's new glasses look weird.. too anime for the actual show style, but, I guess they 'work' ?

Also they all look to Ruby, this is her mission, her shot to call, she's back with her team (just rwby) for the first time so it's good to see them keeping the team dynamic, she was leader for a reason.

OH THIS SONG IS A BANGER!!!! also, totally a Weiss song (it said mirror)

Bunny hopping Ruby :D adorable

SUMMON SWORD SURFING!!! Finally

Blake really making the use of that ribbon, a little detail they again seem to forget about during most of 4-6 until it's necessary (running from adam in V6)

And... yep, no nonsense Yang sticking with the classics, recoil  (( I take it back, Yang's arm is the same as the intro, though I still think it somehow got bigger than when she put it on ))

And end it all on an amazing pose shot

Okay Ace ops time. Harriet, let me see what that little backpack thing do. But for serious, rolling only stops you from getting hurt on small drops, not several hundred foot... Marrow though taking a similar root to Ruby, seeming to ride it down, but he's doing some troll physics there, "stand on chair, jump off building, jump off chair at last moment, you only actually fell 2 foot"

Also, boomerang, gun? Honestly I kind of dislike the generic gun looking form, would have been cooler if it didn't change, but just had a little barrel pop out an end when he needed to shoot.

And now JN- OMG ELM YES, Loving the attitude. Oh Vine what's that on your back? you wielding an expanding throwing star (three pronged)

erm, right... JN_R

so, we got, some sick new looks, Ren's ponytail especially. Jaune's hair (i was one to hate it at first) in motion looks great, the concept art didn't do it justice. Also holding his sword on his arm..... kind of reminds me of @kumafromtaiwan's design for Jaune

"okay Jaune, you got this, it's not gonna be like Beacon all over again"

Oh, is he gonna use his shield like a plow, smashing through rocks, or maybe as a wing and glide do............................

DID JAUNE JUST FORTNITE PARACHUTE SHIELD HIS ASS TO THE GROUND?

Moving on though, yep, Hard light dust was a genius move he would have stuck in his head from Argus, and opens up the question of adding (what i'm dubbing) Shield Shield, with his V4 Nuckelavee Sword Sword, to make hard light blades.... SWORD SWORD SWORD???

a quick little peak at his shield, the emblem lighting up as he shoots a blast to bounce him from hitting the floor, that better be used later too.

And another amazing pose shot!

Oh Elm, you really need to work on your social skills. Actually maybe all the Ace ops do?

POUTY NORA!!!

and, good luck bad luck duo for the final team, this'll be fun.

NEW SCROLLS! Love them, slim and cool, and with new team icons (c'mon girls, smile for your picture)

and that detail on how Ruby zoomed, Weiss had to summon, and Yang had some energy stored up, so their aura is down a bit, but Blake is 100%

THE EARS, THEY SENSE BEES

Oh Yang, adorable goof

Oh Blake, also an dorable goof!!!

And Marrow is indeed the baby of the squad, you said it well Harriet, if a tad harsh?

Weiss no, this is a bad place for your name, but you're here to make it a better one, to fix that remember!!

Has.. has no one taught Ruby to project her aura to keep her warm, or at the others just dealing with it better? Either way, same Ruby, i hate the cold

Okay, yes, Oscar chat time

I don't know what to say, I agreed with it the whole time. Atlas is in a mess, there are good and bad times to tell people, and it's nice that Ruby has her intentions, but this may have been the same path Ozma first took, hiding things "for now" but never finding a chance to tell the truth later... they just need to keep it in mind.

And Oscar, please look after the Relic, I can already see red flags over your head the moment you took it, be that from Ironwood doing shady shit, Watts/Tyrian stealing it, or Ozpin popping back up to use it's last question.

OH, Clover, hitting a man hard with that, bringing up STRQ :/ all those fanfics of Qrow ('s semblance) being behind Summer's death, they all feel more realistic

I almost forgot, Qrow's looking snazzy too, those cross buttons, the eye/feather emblem embroidery in the sleeves. No... no necklace though?

Oh god Qrow's getting shipped with everyone this volume it seems. Good catch Clover.... I MEAN LITERAL CATCH

Halfick? Halphr... what did he say? Don't bullshit me captions, that wasn't alpha

REN!!! PAY YOUR GIRLFRIEND SOME ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!! Jaune you dork, nice try?

Another great Bee moment, Yang too can sense a disturbance in the force.

Weiss this is great, but can you keep your emotional daddy issues and the racial discrimination of a whole people a little more separate. But it's nice to again see you trying to make some amends and distance yourself from being.. well, 'Jacques' and his actions

OOF, Marrow coming in, hitting hard, and then acting like he's.... a millennial "I'm just a teen who does research, what do I know, boomer"

this scene though. Issues and history of faunus oppression, followed by a Schnee apolagy, and a faunus using her traits to help fix the past for a new future... that's some symbolism

Oh, a jump scare, good thing about Blake's semblance there too

HARRIET YES!!!! BIG FISTS, JUST WHAT I WANTED!!! PUNCH THAT ROCK

And RW_Y right behind already running before the rumbles settled to help their girl

I LOVE THE GRIMM IN ATLAS. don't get me wrong, Deathstalkers are still top tier, but these things are awesome too

and now we get to upgrades!

Nice, so Yang has some trigger-able explosives, so she doesn't have to rely on her semblance to protect her when she's using his shotgun blasts

A subtle little thing there, Weiss being able to shoot an icle, not doing so from a glyph, but from the gun part of

Myrtenaster directly

Okay yes, this bugged me for so long. A scythe is a big weapon, the weight is in the blade as much as it is the handle, so having to turn it around all the time would be unwieldy and difficult in combat, so just a tiny upgrade like this is both smart, and amazing for Ruby to have realised she needed

Although I still don't get how shotting a bullet down the barrel, can give her swings an initial boost of speed........

Marrow really out here flying though the sky like he's on a zipline? though the buzz saw boomerang is, again, brilliant

Oh................ So the boy who cried wolf, can pause time? I erm- actually hold on, I need to figure out how that's logical......

I'm just gonna guess it's more "Harriet is moving so fast, he did this for dramatic affect XD

JN_R once again, taking a moment, a little nervous but willing and--- now they're very much not nervous, doing their thing, never first to run in, but never first to run away either.

Also, Vine has a stetchy arm semblance, and Elm has rooting feet semblance. Ye they make a good team (i ship them)

THERE'S THAT PURPLE SHIELD BLAST

And finally StormFlower is getting some love. I don't think they look different, but having those blades be used in more various ways... grapples were a great idea

and again, Nora using that spiked back of Magnahild for more than a place to stand when she launches herself, loving it!!!

Oh Jaune, being nervous dorky, Nora a little ashamed? or ready to be.. and Ren, quiet as ever (i think he's kind of looking up to Vine honestly) don't worry though, you kids did good

OH Harriet... you don't wanna be left out of the action do you :) RUBY YOU DORK! And that little back+forth was actually hilarious

Hmm, I was always wondering how a fishing rod could be a weapon.. i guess pulling a grimm in works, but what was your plan then, to punch the Ghiest?

OH MY GOD THAT ANIMATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

again, what are you doing Clover? At least Qrow knows his semblance, acting all "i'm gonna look around, things could easily go wrong here"

Good luck bad luck eh? OH MY GOD Qrow don't make that face, the people are gonna ship you two even harder now!!!

And the hammer duo charging in first... ye Elm/Vine is just Atlas' Renora, and I love that dynamic

oh, weird dust draft from Ren stopping, sweat boiling on the rocks... this room is gonna be interesting, mess things up a bit? fluxuating gravity, hot and cold spots maybe??? Ah yes, dust energy... makes sense

And Marrow in the background while we hear him on the coms, just a great little look at how Vine seems to be "distant" from the moment, doing the whole, Ren style of vague-speak

Ye it is kinda empt-- oh. Also good work having not just the face move, but the whole midsection being rotated... kind of as if, the face is stuck to that one position... COINCIDENCE?

Erm, does this one seem bigger than the V4 Ghiest?

And now we see Ruby trying to act as leader, pause to think, to come up with a plan, where as the Ace (while more experienced) seem to have both a plan on how to take it out, and might also be a little to reliant on Clover, knowing his semblance will fix any little issues

Oh that trumpet, a very self-knowing victorious tune.

And again, Vine and Elm doing a whole of semblance work, shame we don't see them use their weapons a bit more here, same with Marrow though not using his semblance (whatever it is) at all.

HEY WAIT. those black parts weren't there earlier, nor did they appear on the V4 Grimm until it needed them to pull toge- oh... they stretched the limbs to force both a space to cut them, and for the grimm parts to sort of 'be revealed'

And another eye colour semblance indication. Loving the runners pose Harriet does too. She's not time-pausing fast... (I take back what I said about Marrow's semblance earlier?) but things do act slower, even while she's running quicker than we'd see as normal in that moment. It's not time-pausing, but it's very very fast. And the motion blur trail!!, just a tiny effect, but it adds so much detail

Marrow really is the child of the squad, he's the one to make a mistake, but again- kind of had to rely on Clover there.. Interesting to see how things pan out when he's inevitably killed, or trapped, or just isn't there

Little details here and there. Vine using his semblance not just to grab, but to push the grimm back. Harriet taunting it to get it's attention and then getting out before it can hit her (but late enough that it keeps it's attention on her and really slams it's fist down). Elm again sticking to her name, rooting that fist down, being basically an anchor in all her actions. And Marrow... throwing his boomerang

UGH.. that little medallion touch pisses me off somehow, it's so pretentious? but anyway, he had a good idea, pulling it out by it's mask, kinda really relying on his semblance to get between it and the ice chunk without bouncing off anything. Again, very semblance reliant group

Erm... she punched the grimm.. but i wouldn't say it's dead.. are we gonna ignore that??? IT'S GONNA RETURN LATER I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT

Vine again grabbing dust, would have loved to have seen Elm basically kick one to stick it to her feet instead of just catching (or pinning herself to a wall to catch it, as if it was too high to jump and catch)

And Harriet going in for the catch, only for....oh.. that's the first thing RWBY or JNR did this fight? (also no weird dust affects, i feel upset)

But ohhh, her semblance isn't speed. I had this same issue in last volume, that her semblance early on was supposed to be speed, and yet she uses it to fly, to separate into several for moments, and she can 'merge' with others to carry then, when like for Nora in V4 her reaction speed should have been way too slow to really be ready for when she was basically thrown at the previous ghiest

AY yep, I'm shocked if Ruby has control over her eyes, she never tried to flash them off during this whole scene... but again, after Maria's story, hiding them from people we don't fully trust is better

And another little bee moment, Yang flirting with them puns

Omg! Elm carrying Ruby, Yang and Nora dancing, love this group dynamic

Hey, it's that guy from last episode, why are we... Robyn?

huh, kinda spooky... flickering lights... Robyn, watts, or...

TYRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why are you not wearing your coat, it's cold remember! but that entrance, reminds me again of that "Cheshire cat inspiration" people first thought of back in his V4 reveal

HIS EYES!!! So whatever he does that triggers them is still apparent, and his stinger either still uses his own venom, or it's semblance related

And that line. He's here to mix things up... either he's finally gonna kill someone and let the police find out (unlike last ep when his victim was in a building, it'll take time till that's discovered... oh wait, blood) or he's here for info maybe?

#rwby #rwby volume 7 #rwby 7 3 #rwby 7 3 ace operatives #ace operatives #spoiler #spoilers #rwby spoiler #rwby spoilers #rwby 7 spoiler #rwby 7 spoilers #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #yang xiao long #team rwby #Jaune Arc #Lie Ren #nora valkyrie #team JNPR #Oscar Pine #qrow branwen #Clover Ebi #Vine Zeki #marrow amin #elm ederne #Harriet bree

[kierongillen]

Drafts: How the hell do they work? While I brainstorm and mess around a fair bit pre-writing, once I've got the Thing fully put down it feels like throwing large chunks into or out of it would cause it to break. Any advice?

Starting the day with this. Excuse me if I’m rusty.

This question is making me muse about how Hemingway’s “Writing is rewriting” interlinks with Vonnegut’s Bashers versus Swoopers. I suppose it would make Hemingway a swooper, but I can’t picture him as one. I digress.

Like most things in writing, there’s various modes and various scales. Let’s go from biggest to smallest.

(I immediately question my order, of course.)

Biggest is just throwing it all out and doing it again. Total rewrite. This avoids structural problems by simply rebuilding from scratch. This is a lot of work, but occasionally necessary. 

Then there’s localised throwing out and doing it again. What purpose does this scene serve? If your write a scene that serves the same purpose, you don’t need to touch the rest. I talked about an example of this in The Wicked + the Divine 24. My first draft had Persephone leave a fancy party, then Amaterasu followed and a kiss. The core information was identical. It was dead and terrible. I came back to it later and re-did it, and worked out more connective tissue. Persephone’s already outside the party (remains the same) on a ledge (obviously loaded, but also adds to the aura of otherworldliness) smoking (back to the worldy) watching a display of fireworks shaped like her dead friends (theme and visuals). Amaterasu leaves the party, we have a similar conversation, and a kiss in a much more interesting sort of situation. Structurally, these are the same scene.

I also think of one of my very early gigs at Marvel where Warren Simons got me to rewrite the first scene of my Beta Ray Bill comic for him three times. First time basically Bill turned up to Thor and tried to talk him into hunting down Galactus. Second time Bill turned up to Thor and tried to talk him into hunting down Galactus, except this time it’s on some kind of thunderound mountain. Third time Bill turned up to Thor and tried to talk him into hunting down Galactus, during them saving a coastline by punching a tidal wave (which as well as being obviously a superheroic beat, also set up the theme of What To Do About Natural Disasters and as they saved a whaling vessel What About Unintended Consequences Of Good Acts). I don’t think Warren asked me to do a rewrite that like after that. I kind of got the point of the genre I was working in.

I would also note if you’re thinking structurally, you can both collapse and expand scenes. If the point of the scene is “they go somewhere and have an argument on the way:” you could do that as a whole scene or you could do that as a panel of them driving and a single caption, and a single expression. Less can be more, especially if you’re working in a form (like 20 page comics) where space is a zero sum game. To have one scene longer, you need another to be shorter. Choose your poison.

(If I were to guess, It sounds like that you’re having trouble separating your specific execution of a scene from the structural purpose of a scene. I may be wrong, but this may be a useful line for you thin to think along)

The use of the word “break” is also interesting. There’s no problem in breaking things. Broke things can be fixed. Rewrite a scene? What needs to be reworked to do what the story requires. And, just as importantly, you can decided to change what the story requires. Maybe the element you liked is actually a darling that has to die for the better purpose of the movie.

(DIE 5 had a rewrite where I inserted a thematic scene at the opening at the cost of some detail about a different part of the backstory. Both scenes actually the same purpose in the issue, but coming from completely different and contradictory angles. I decided that the information in the original take could come to the reader down the line, and saved it for the second arc.)

You know people say “film is made on the editing table”? Basically the argument is that it’s only be selecting and arranging the specific shots that the specific movie you’re watching exists. It’s also worth noting that shots can be taken from whenever, re-arranged whenever. Hell, record new dialogue. Hell, in the modern say, you can fix it in post, tweaking lips, etc.

By which I mean, if they can do that in film with a medium far less mutable than the prose we write stories or scripts in, clearly that sort of editing is much easier for us too. Tweak a panel. Does this increase the meaning I want? Great. If not, don’t. 

Your first draft is your most obvious draft. A second draft can tweak to make it less obvious.

And, finally there’s just a basic second draft which is just a surface polish. Punching up dialogue. Increasing clarity or whatever.  Shine the script!

Oh - it’s also worth noting that comics have a unique advantage as a medium. As in, you can do a lettering draft after the comic has finished. If a panel is clear just via expressions, you can cut dialogue. If it’s not, you can add them. If an artist adds something in the art (or inspires in another way) you can add something that nods towards it. Put it like this: all comics are dubbed.

(It’s also worth noting some artists object to rewriting after the pages have drawn. Check in with them before you do it.)

That’ll do. I’ll post now, in first draft state, as I am, SHAMELESS.

#writer advice

[bi-writes]

remember me (ii) — tom holland

just for tonight → remember me

not my gif

category: highly-requested extension summary: “Having some part of him, having some memory of him, would be better than not having him at all.” warnings: mature language, lots of angst, fluff, heartache (im a monster, im sorry)

masterlist

You didn’t hate anybody. You couldn’t. Your heart was too big to hate anyone, too heavy to ever waste the energy on an individual. But that didn’t mean you didn’t hate other things.

You hated dinner. When you would sit by yourself at your kitchen counter, eating leftovers from the day before, wondering how long the silence would continue. You hated late nights. When you would lay in bed staring at the ceiling, in a bed much too big, wondering why it was so cold. You hated yourself; you felt it the most when you laid down in the foyer of your apartment months ago in tears, your head in your hands as you asked yourself why you fell in love.

If you ever told your story, you knew they would tell you that you were stupid. That you were in love with someone that was in love with you, that you wanted someone that wanted you, that you were someone’s first phone call and last thought. They would tell you that you shouldn’t complain. But then you would have to remind them that you weren’t in love with just anyone; you were in love with an actor, with a celebrity, with not just a someone but a somebody.

You were in love with someone that was always halfway across the world. You were in love with someone that was always awake when you were asleep, asleep when you were awake, living life while you were only starting yours, becoming a star while you stayed in the audience. 

It was only a matter of time before the tension between you and him bubbled to the surface. And neither of you had expected it to go so terribly, utterly, horribly wrong.

youre avoiding me.

You blinked, reading over the jumble of numbers that you recognized much too quickly to your liking.

you changed your number. i think you are.

Your heart swelled. 

i wont stop calling. might as well just reply to me now. 

You shoved your phone to the end of the table. It slid against the wood, stopping just before the edge. Just like your breath, much like your sanity.

fuck, please talk to me. if you dont want to talk about it, fine. but tell me youre okay. just tell me youre okay.

You were not okay. You would not lie; not anymore. 

You hadn’t worn those heels in forever. You stuck them in the back of your closet. You never wanted to see them again. You never wanted to be reminded of him again. That beautiful satin dress was in a box, somewhere above your head, hidden between old dance costumes and musical trophies. You never wanted to be reminded of him again.

You were looking at those heels again. Not in your hands, not in your feet, but on your computer screen. Sitting at your desk, the clock counting down the minutes until you were able to leave, you were scrolling through news sites when your eye caught those familiar heels. When you scrolled back up the page, your breath was hitched in your throat. 

It was a picture of you and him at the event he had invited you to; in the satin dress and heels, his arm around you, his eyes not on the cameras but on you. You were looking straight ahead, your smile a lovely one, but he was simply looking at you. 

“These are for you,” a voice said behind you. You were about to swivel in your chair before an array of colors were placed in front of you. A bouquet of beautiful, lively red roses sat on your desk now. A few of your coworkers were peeking over your shoulder, their faces curious as your skin turned a darker color in embarrassment. You slipped the note off the bouquet, opening the card.

please talk to me. even if all you have to say is “i hate you.”

You were watching TV when your phone began ringing. The same crime show you loved to watch, the same detectives you’d come to adore, a different story to get you entranced and interested and shocked all in a single hour. When you had finally looked at your phone, you realized your phone hadn’t been ringing at all; it was your notifications.

You blinked a few times as your phone continued to vibrate and sound in your hands. You opened it quickly, only to be welcomed with a single picture on social media. You, your hair lovely just above your shoulders, your smile on display, and Tom, his lips on your cheek and his curls in every direction. You didn’t even remember taking the picture, but just the moment itself he had captured made tears well up in your eyes.

Sometimes it didn’t matter what you and Tom were. Sometimes putting a label on something so pure was just so difficult. Sometimes it was easier just for you to be you, for Tom to be Tom, and for time just to be still. It’s what made pictures of you and him, photos of moments captured like the one he posted, so incredibly special. It was easy to be together for just a second.

You didn’t even realize your hands were shaking until you found it difficult to read the caption. When you finally calmed your senses, you let out a struggled breath as you read it.

such a long way from home

His words would haunt you for the rest of your life. The clock moved, the days grew longer, the nights became restless, and his words were dragging on in your head as clear as the night he said them to you.

“If I give you tonight, darling, you’ll want tomorrow.”

Did he not understand that you didn’t give a damn? Did he not understand that it didn’t matter how long you would have him? Did he not understand that you just wanted to be in love, for however long he would allow you to be?

You had to realize that Tom did want to give you it all. He wanted nothing more than to hold you up high and give you the absolute world. He wanted nothing more than to give you everything you desired. 

But when someone gives a gift, they don’t expect to receive it back. When someone gives you flowers, they expect you to admire them, put them in a vase on your desk. When someone gives you a new jacket, they expect you to wear it. When someone gives you precious jewels, you show them off, hold them close to your heart, appreciate them.

When someone gives you a gift, they don’t expect to get it back.

Tom was too afraid to give you his heart. Because when morning came, when the sunlight came through and put a light on you more beautiful than any studio light ever could, he would have to take it back. He would have to take it back, he would have to leave, and to dangle something so precious in front of your eyes would be betrayal in his own. 

You would have to convince him that even one night of him would be enough. Having some part of him, having some memory of him, would be better than not having him at all. 

You were wearing the satin dress again. You fixed it so it was a shorter length, appropriate for the night scene you were about to encounter. You clutched a small handbag and your dignity. You were prepared to lose it tonight; you were prepared to lose everything for what you wanted.

You were the only thing on his mind when he noticed you. He thought the familiar figure of you was just his thoughts coming to life, the alcohol having too much effect on his brain. But no, you were real, and you were still so beautiful. He almost couldn’t breathe when he noticed the dress you were wearing. He had missed it so dearly.

Tom was not the only man that noticed your aura. As soon as you sat yourself at the bar, your dress had scored you a few free drinks. You had a smile on your face; a knowing smile as you declined them all, except from the man on the other side of the counter. Except from the man who had his hands too tightly wound on his glass, expect from the man who had stolen your heart a long time ago. A free drink was long overdue.

“Am I seeing things?” Tom said softly. His best friend, Harrison, turned his head from the conversation he was having. 

“What are you goin’ on about?”

“She’s...she’s here,” Tom breathed, swallowing hard as he watched your drink being passed to you. “God, s-she...she looks fucking unbelievable.”

Harrison followed Tom’s gaze until his eyes fell on you. When he noticed you sipping by yourself, his expression softened. 

“Mate, I...I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but we talked about this,” he reminded him. Tom shrugged his shoulders, as if he was oblivious. He certainly was; his gaze never left you. “You said it was over. You said...you said that this was over. That you weren’t being fair to her, that...that it was over.”

“Well, that was before she fucking showed up here,” Tom struggled to speak. He was remembering the last night he had left you. When it took every ounce of strength he had to leave you crying at your doorstep, when it took every piece of sanity he had to not give into his desires and just kiss you.

Your figure gave him every flashback of nostalgia, every memory of you going through him. It reminded him why he fell in love in the first place. It reminded him how dangerous you really were to his heart.

He would not come up to you for the rest of the night. He wasn’t sure if it was fear, if it was guilt, if it was just the sight of you that kept him from moving from his spot. You came alone, but you were never alone. Many came to speak to you, many came to offer to refill your glass, and you always politely said no. There was only one person you came to speak to, only one person that could fill your glass permanently. He was staring at you, but he wasn’t moving.

Neither of you were ready to break your pride. Neither of you were truly ready to let go of what little ego you had left and just speak to one another. It was many rounds later, many shots downed, before you figured it was time to go. In your head, it was Tom that had rejected you, and there was no need to pursue him any longer.

Every since that special night, you and him had grown apart. Partly from the sting of rejection, partly because you and him were on two different paths of life. You, wanting to stay grounded where you were to become successful. Him, never being home for long before he was in the sky again. As Tom watched you leave, he realized that it might’ve been his last chance to truly speak to you. 

The mere thought had him running with his tab still open. 

You were just to the end of the block when you heard your name being called. You took a last look at your feet before stopping your walk, turning. Tom was jogging to your spot on the sidewalk. He swallowed hard as he neared you. Seeing you up close already had his heart beating quicker than normal.

“(y/n), I...”

You blinked a few times absentmindedly, taking a deep breath. You gave him a tightlipped smile. 

“H-Hi, Tom,” you said softly. He ran a hand through his hair nervously, biting his lip as you noticed him look you up and down. You smiled sheepishly at the ground. You knew the dress would have an effect on him, but now he was making you feel giddy all over again. “Remember me?”

“O-Of course I remember you, darling,” he breathed, shoving his hands into his pockets. You looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. He was looking at you with some sort of guilt, and you hated seeing him so discontent. You hated being so discontent. “You...you haven’t been returning my calls, I...”

“Yeah, I...” You started, squeezing your eyes shut. “I just...I didn’t really know what to say to you, I guess. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, please...please don’t apologize,” Tom laughed nervously. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, reaching out and pulling you into his chest. You breathed a sigh of relief you didn’t realize you needed to let go of. Just the whiff of his homelike scent had you breathing softer, calmer. “You don’t know how much I miss you.”

“I know, I saw your post,” you giggled. “And the flowers. They were beautiful.”

“O-Oh, I almost forgot about those,” Tom replied, smiling as you pulled away from his arms. He led you to the edge of the street, where an empty bench was almost waiting for the both of you to sit. “I...I just didn’t want to lose one of my good friends over something so sudden.”

You looked down at your hands in your lap, a sour expression threatening to cross your features. Tom let out a sigh. There was a comfortable silence that you knew would not last for long. Everything would have to come out tonight. All your concerns, every doubt, all your feelings, would have to be spread out on the table tonight. It couldn’t wait any longer.

“Tom...we haven’t talked in a long while,” you began. “Which is kind of my fault, but...I-I gotta be honest, it’s not the first time we’ve gone so long without talking.”

“Yeah, yeah...I know.”

“Tom, I...” You took a deep breath, looking up from your hands. As soon as you moved, Tom tilted his head so he could meet your eyes. “I love you.”

He swallowed hard again. He wondered if it was the vocalization of your feelings that made him feel lighthearted or if it was the alcohol.

“I love you, Tom, and I’m not—I’m not sorry.”

His expression hardened. He moved one of his hands towards you, taking it in his and squeezing it softly. 

“I don’t want to have this conversation again,” Tom admitted. His voice was low and gentle, shaking almost. You intertwined your fingers, rubbing your thumb along the back of his hand. You were on the verge of crying, so you sucked in a labored breath as you studied your hands.

“Tom, I’ve waited for you,” your voice was shaking nervously, angrily, “I-I’ve waited for you for so fucking long. I-I can’t stand these stupid games that we play with each other.”

“These aren’t games, this is...our life.”

“No, they’re fucking games,” you disagreed, your voice becoming harsher by the second. Tom looked away from you, to the street. “They’re games that you play with me, and I can’t take it anymore. You ask me out, you show me a good time, you play with me, and then you leave.”

“You’re my best friend, (y/n),” he argued. “O-Of course I’m going to take you to events with me when I can. I-I want to share my life with you, I want to take you with me.”

“You drag me around with you, like I’m your...something,” you explained. “You show me off, like I’m something more to you, and then you just...go.”

Tom pulled your hand into his lap, licking his lips as he stroked your skin soft. He brought it up, kissing it before meeting your eyes. At this, your tears came down your face slow. Not crying, not sobbing, just watching him with a sadness and a heaviness that you were afraid of. 

“All I asked for was one night, Tom,” you breathed, sniffling. “J-Just one. I just wanted you for one night, b-but that was too much. I-It was too much...too much of me to ask of you.”

Tom reached over with his free hand, swiping his thumb across your cheeks to wipe away your tears. As soon as he cleared you of your cries, there were more. Too many for him to collect on one finger, and eventually he resorted to holding your face soft in his palms. You leaned into him, trying to hide the disappointment written everywhere on you.

Tom gazed at you with a sorry he could never say. He looked at you with a love he knew he could never give you. He stared at you with every promise he could never keep, with every ounce of pity he always had within him. His pride and joy in the palm of his hand, and he knew he could never have her. 

Neither him nor you would admit the heaviness of your hearts. With the way things were going, both of you knew this might be the last time you saw each other. You were trying to make something of yourself, and Tom was always doing something bigger and better each day. You were taking the stairs, and he was riding the elevator. You would never reach the top at the same time.

“You’re just going to leave again, aren’t you?” You whimpered. Tom struggled to maintain his composure as you continued to cry. You let them fall gently, reaching his palm slowly. Tom nodded his head reluctantly.

“’s not because I want to, you know that,” he tried. You shook your head, not wanting to hear any excuses or reasons or explanations. It was plain and simple to you; Tom would never be near you for too long, he would always be going. 

“C-Can you promise me something?” You asked. Tom swallowed, biting his lip nervously. He didn’t want to make you promises anymore. He didn’t want to assure you of a request that would never be fulfilled.

“What is it?”

“If you’re going to leave,” you whispered, opening your eyes. You made sure your eyes were on his. There was a brokenness in his irises that you hadn’t really seen before. “I-If you’re going to leave...p-please, Tommy...please don’t come back.”

Tom cupped the back of your neck, pulling you close. Before you could say anything, he was kissing you. You wanted to pull away and argue, but it was the most enticing feeling in the world. Your heart was swelling with something beautiful, and you were falling into something deep. You wanted to say you were falling into oblivion, into obscurity, into something with more depth than the dark. You wanted to say that, but the gravity of it all too overwhelming to measure in words.

You whimpered as he dragged you closer, his hand leaving yours so he could put it around your waist. Your hand slid up to grasp onto the fabric of his shirt, your heart so heavy it felt as if it would drop right into your stomach. You parted your lips for air, and Tom simply tilted his head to kiss you deeper. 

His kisses were the sweetest. As the moments passed, you were losing yourself in simply him. You could only focus on the grip he had around your waist, his breath that lingered on yours, his lips that were beginning to swell as he kissed you with a gentleness you couldn’t describe. He was holding you so delicately, loving you with a warmth you knew you would never forget.

You pulled away slowly, reluctantly, hesitantly. Your eyes were still closed. Tom rested his forehead against yours, his breath almost sporadic as he licked the wetness of his lips. He wanted to remember exactly how you tasted, exactly how you looked. It was too perfect not to commit to memory.

“I will always love you, darling,” Tom whispered. His voice was breaking as he spoke, and you let out the quietest sob. Tom held you closer. He broke his own rule by giving you a kiss, but he knew he couldn’t help himself any longer. “I will always love you...so much.”

Tom moved so he could cup both your cheeks in his hands. You reached up to place both your hands over his, kissing his palms as he looked down at you in every way you wanted him to.

“Can we just sit here a little longer?” You sniffled, closing your eyes as more tears gathered in his palms. Tom leaned forward to kiss you again.

“Until the sun comes up, darling.”

You smiled to yourself a little. Because finally, for once, he was letting you have him for the night. He was giving you his heart for a few hours, just to take it back again when he would leave. You let yourself sink into the blissfulness of it all, even knowing how much it would hurt to never feel it again.

Having some part of him, having some memory of him, would be better than not having him at all.

You knew you would savor every passing minute of the night. You knew you would memorize the number of stars in the sky, the colors of the cars parked in front of you, the name of the last drink he bought you. You knew you would remember exactly what he was wearing, exactly what you were wearing, how familiar he smelled, how wonderful his kisses had truly been. You would not forget a single detail.

“How will you remember me, love?”

You leaned into him, your eyes still shut.

“Like you are right now,” you breathed, smiling. Tom nuzzled his nose against yours, letting out a defeated sigh. “Someday, I’ll say I fell in love with someone. Someone that I couldn’t have. Someone that couldn’t have me.”

He laughed a little, kissing you again. You let him swallow your words, drink in your appearance so he could play this movie on repeat for the rest of his life. You hoped he would. 

“And I’ll remember you,” he whispered, “just like you are right now. And one day, darling, I will say that I fell in love with someone. Someone that...deserved more. Someone that deserved the absolute world from me. And I will tell them that my biggest fucking regret in life was never giving it to her.”

You let out a breath, wanting to cry again. Tom hushed you quickly. He kissed you soft, so lovingly you thought your heart might wither from the weakness inside of you. You whimpered as he whispered, “I love you,” between breaths, “I’ll miss you,” before kisses, “always you,” between tears.

“I promise that it’s always been you. It just can’t be.”

And just as he pulled away, the sun came up.

taglist: @tohollandback @lukescool @aussie-mantle @laughingismydrug @royal1958 @curiouspeterparker @spidey-schxyler @kingstomholland @the-crime-fighting-spider @positivethoughtsforever @wowspideyholland @queensholland @wtfholland

tagging those who commented: @djpaige13paige @spiderllandtrash @jamiemac26 @loverholland @thingsienjoylookingat @panicatttckiss @ashleykh

#tom holland imagines #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland x fem!reader #tom holland x you #tom holland fic #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland requests #my post #queue #tom holland

[mariabblackyr2]

Nothing Is Original (and thats ok) - Lecture Notes & Set Task

Aims for lecture: to start to think about originality, to think about the concept of what a copy is and how this might impact my practice. Also to begin to think about the terms pastiche and appropriation.

Palimpsest - a literal description of a physical object “ Paper, parchment, or other writing material designed to be reusable after any writing on it has been erased” 

By the 19th century the definition had to be tightened and was then referred to ‘a manuscript in which later writing had been superimposed on earlier writing’ 

During the 1800’s the word also evolved into a metaphor - with it retaining traces of its earlier form.

What is Originality? - How do we define it? Should we try and purse originality? Does it even exist? If so what does it look like?

The Artist as a Conman -  Wolfgang Beltracchi - in open prison, the thrill of the crime, painted exact copies of famous painters and sold them as the artists not his, shouldn't look at a painting to say this is this or that.

So why does it matter? Where are I going? And Why should you listen?

Everything is - uncanny, a hoax, theft, deja-vu, appropriation - nothing is every original - everything is re-appropriated.

To define something it can be easier to compare it to its opposites, for example to define appropriation art you can compare them to forgery to see similarities - so re-appropriation is using a piece of work again in your own style whilst forgery is right off copying.

Historical Context - This idea of copying stems from artist apprenticeships where they would be trained to be artists by copying their ‘masters’ - a necessary formation as part of artist training.

The practice can also be traced back to cubist collage - from works such as Picasso and Braque (1912)

As well as this the theme of surrealism follows ideas of copying and forgery  in works done by artists such as Salvador Dali, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg 

Alongside this Marchel Duchamp - presents everyday objects.

Appropriation within art practice:

The deliberate production of another artists work

Artists copying artworks for their own artistic expression 

It involves adopting intellectual property from elsewhere

Borrows images, styles, forms  from art history or pop culture

Evolved around the 1960’s and then peaked in the 80’s 

Appropriation - or making artworks using already existing artworks

Terms around The readymade, pastiche, parody, stealing, simulation

Appropriation :

Pastiche, Parody and the Remake 

Postmodernism has been characterized by new creations as well as the sense that everything that is ‘new’ has been done before.

Postmodernism asks the question, ‘can there ever be new ideas and images’ Will anything ever be any different from what has come before. However, does any creation or trend have to be new, does it really matter?

In today's day and age the world consists of a huge variety of images that are remakes or copies of each other- with pop culture, art and architecture the concept of an image being original has been thoroughly subverted.

A key term used to describe the culture of imitation, copying and parodying is pastiche. The film theorists Richard Dyer has written the way to understand pastiche is as an ‘imitation that announces itself as such and that involves combining elements from other sources.’

According to Dyer collage, montage - a style of composing that combines elements from different places - within imitating we can find different combinations and relationships to the original text 

Pastiche can be a form of play

Photographers who explore re-appropriation:

John Strezkar - uses found images to create collages and montages which recreate the original narrative of the photographs.

Jeff Wall - Wall created the photograph titled ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ which is remarkably similar to a Japanese Painting.

Levine says ‘ the world is filled to suffocating. Man has placed his token on every stone.every word, every image, is leased mortgaged. We know that a picture is but a space in which a variety of images, none of them original, blend and clash.’

Levine's work questions the ownership of art and what originality really is. Her image our famous for being is a blatant violation of their copyright.

Originality - ‘the action of mechanical reproduction effectively diminishes the concept of originality’.

The mass, mechanical reproducibility of art has reduced its authenticity 

Mass production removes what he calls the aura - a sort of unique authority - from the work.

Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: Its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.

The Death of the Author - Barthes extended this concept of ‘The Death of the Author’  to question originality and authenticity - he talked about how any text or image did not emit a fixed meaning  from one person but yet a range of quotations that were references to yet other text.

Igor Stravinksy - was writing ballet - corrected scores of classic manuscript - borrowing baselines whilst adding his own harmonies - ‘how dare you do that to the classics’ - you respect but i love 

Kleon loves newspapers - daily dispatch of human experience 

The artist as the collector - collects selectively - collect ideas

‘Stole words from the newspaper’ blocked out words on the page that he didn’t need to create a poem.

Published a book 

Thought he was ripping off government censorship - however work was said to be unoriginal

Tom Philips - uses books - paints and draws over the page leaving words floating on pages

Philips got it from William Burroughs who had a cut up writing technique 

Burroughs got it from Brion Gysin who was a painter cut through newspapers - poetry 

Tristin Tzara - cut up newpaper put pieces in hat them read them as a poem

Caleb Whitefoord - read across newspapers - funny combinations - published broadsheet

Kleon - idea ‘unoriginal’ - nothing is original - all creative work builds on what came before - every new idea is a remix of previous ideas

We are remix of ancestors - a genealogy ideas exists also - friends, books, music - mashup of what you let into your life

Stealing what meant something to him - expose yourself to the best things humans have done them bring them into what you're doing 

Good artists copy - great artists steal 

All art is theft - bad poets steal and de-face it 

Set Task

For the set task I did some research into Richard Prince as well as looking at the book Appropriation to further explore theory and ideas around the topic.

Appropriation - Documents of contemporary art 

‘ Pictures’ showcased artists who re photographed works

‘The death of the Author’ - ‘questions the notion of originality’

Appropriation art was justified via the ideas of Jean Baudrillard - merging reality with media's representation of reality itself

Happened around postmodernism

Influential galleries for appropriation -Metro Pictures and Sonnabend 

Artists who debated postmodernism 

Took place largely in the 1970’d/1980’s.

Barthes and Foucault were ‘ taken up by postmodernism to construct a critical space for works using appropriated imagery and stereotypes, largely through photography.

Jean Baudrillard 

‘The simulacrum is never what hides the truth - it is the truth that hides the fact that there is none. The simulacrum is true’ - an image or representation of someone or something that is not true - links in with Richard - simulacrum is a fable - it is fake

Richard Prince never wanted to copy but create a resemblance 

The technique is how you manage and reproduce the image - Prince disassociate’s from the images original intentions 

A late 20th century style and concept in the arts, architecture and criticism, which represent a departure from modernism and is characterised by the self conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories. 

Richard Prince

‘What Richard is doing is questionably legal, but even if something is legal and ‘starts a dialogue’ it doesn’t mean you should actually do it.’

An infamous appropriation artist

He re-photographs, scans and manipulates the works of others

Draws his subjects from subcultures and cultural cliches

Shows how we accept stereotypes and messages from marketing - how we rely on the icons that are created by marketing such as instagram. - reproduces cliches of advertising - revelling that the messages and images are fiction 

Taking things from the original environment such as a screen shot - the familiar becomes unfamiliar and uncomfortable - inviting the viewer to criticize

Has had multiple lawsuits due to the ‘borrowing’ of work.

Prompts others to think about the ownership of art and question what is art

Has created a series of works appropriating peoples instagram posts - repurposing them by changing the caption then hanging them on a gallery wall - controversial due to  - captions provoking thoughts around current issues

Distorts the idea of owning something

When working for time-life he used advertising images then cropped them down to create his own images - ‘it was used to create a fiction, but it had come from a truth’ - creates a different meaning for advertising photography

Known for rephotographing  Marlboro cigarette advertisements then re-titled them.

links:

https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/9602/the-new-exhibition-examining-appropriation-in-art

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/18/instagram-artist-richard-prince-selfies

https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/46679/1/richard-prince-causes-controversy-instagram-appropriation-art-artwork-theft

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/20/arts/design/richard-prince-instagram-copyright-lawsuit.html

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/prince-richard/

#contextualstudies

[megamanxfanfics]

S.V - Ep. 13: The Battle of Two Fates

------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. OUTER SPACE – Eurasia Space Colony - NIGHT

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: Moments ago - the Eurasia Incident.

Just outside of the Earth’s orbit, Zero’s Shuttle rams into the Eurasia Colony. A violent explosion erupts from the point of impact.

           BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

-Zoom into the explosion-

Zero ejects from the broken shuttle.  His chair burns up as he is quickly overtaken by the explosion.  Inside the flames of their Shuttle Operation, he huddles into himself and tightly closes his eyes until he passes out.

SIGNAS: (o.s, filtered) Zero, can you read me?

The Space Colony, itself combusts just outside of Planet Earth’s hemisphere.  

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Zero!  Do you read me?

Large chunks of debris fall everywhere.  

X: (o.s, filtered) Zerooo! Are you all right?  Zerooo!

His body drifts amidst the flow of the explosion, aimlessly around the impact-point of the Fallen Colony.

DOUGLAS: (o.s, filtered) Get away! Hurry, Zero!

-pan to-

------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. ANTARCTICA – Fallen Colony – NIGHT

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As night falls, somewhere in Antarctica, a small fiery mass smashes into the ground, followed by a giant chunk of debris.  A crater forms around Zero as he lay barren amidst the debris.  A mysterious aura of dark energy protects him as the rest of the World seemingly crumbles around him.

-blur out-

??: (v.o, echoing) …Get up…  …Wake up now… …Did you forget… what you should do?  …Destroy it now… …You can do it! …You’re the best of all my works…  Wake up…

-blur in-

Caption: 1 hour later…

Zero slightly stirs as his new protective aura lifts him off of the ground. He is positioned upright from this newfound power, floating just above a narrow mountain within the crater.  With closed eyes, Zero senses that he is being watched.  Someone is trying to contact him.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Status Report.

A concerned voice is heard from his com-link.  

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Zero!  Do you copy!?  Over!

She continues to stir in his earpiece.

He begins to recognize her voice. There was a mission.  The space shuttle was completely destroyed, but the Space Colony is also no longer a threat.  He and it’s remnants have crash-landed onto Earth, which means that mankind is safe.  Zero makes a bitter face as he realizes something has changed.  Since waking up, he no longer cares about any of that any more.

ALIA: (continuing, o.s. filtered) Status Report!  Zero!   I repeat, do you copy!!?

Alia frantically repeats in Zero’s earpiece.

He calmly places a finger onto his earpiece and activates it while looking dead ahead, knowing that they are watching his every move. His dark waves of energy swirl around him as he glares ahead.  Washes of red, orange, pink and black surround his aura as he levitates. This was a power that Zero had never quite felt before.  He has come close in the past, but this time it was different. His mind felt something it had never felt before.  Clarity.

X: (o.s, filtered) Zero…

At the sound of this voice, Zero opens his eyes.  He recognizes it well.

ZERO: You’re… You’re X… I will /destroy you…

He grins and /clenches a tight fist.

[INSERT TITLE CARD - The Battle of Two Fates]

-Flash-

------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. ANTARCTICA – Fallen Colony - NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: Now

X teleports into Antarctica with a fixed grimace on his face. His premonition was proving to be all too real.  Zero was directly affected by the virus.  In the freezing cold winds, it is not just the climate that makes X’s circuits shake.  He walks towards his old friend with uneasiness in his heart.

X: (muttering, worried) Alright. If this is the way it has to be, then so be it!

With eyes gazing upon X, Zero smiles, feeling completely awakened.  He had always had a hazy memory since becoming a Maverick Hunter, but now it all made sense.  He never should have been a Hunter in the first place.  The rumors of The Red Maverick were true, and it felt great to be back.  

Their Destiny clear to only Zero, X breaks into a sprint and rushes over to him in hopes that his friend is still in there, somewhere.

Zero, floats idly by as he carefully watches his foe.  As far as he is concerned, the Old Man who haunted his dreams for all these years was warning him about someone.  That old man was his Creator and the robot that he was created to destroy… was X.

X: Zero!

X runs up to him with anticipation and trepidation.  

X: Wh-what happened to you!?

As Zero floats ominously in mid-air, X looks at him close up, with a deep sense of apprehension. As X gets within three feet of Zero, the aura pushes him away.  He falls to the ground confused and worried.  

X: D-did Sigma do this…??

ZERO: …

X gets back up.

X: This mission was too dangerous! I... I should’ve gone instead!  I’m so sorry... I promise, we’re gonna figure this ou-

ZERO: (growling) SHUT UP!!!

Zero growls at X in a very different voice.  In all of the time X has known Zero, he had never heard him yell quite like this.

X: (bewildered) Z-Zero...??

ZERO: YOOOU!!  You X… are the enemy…

X: Why...!?  …Why are you.. saying that??

ZERO: It’s all clear to me now… the dreams, the visions, that feeling in the pit of my stomach every time you talk about World Peace…

X looks at Zero, horrified for a moment and shakes his head twice in disbelief.

X: I know we have different opinions about our place in the World, but that’s no reason to call me your enemy.

ZERO: No X.  This isn’t about our differences.  This is the plain and clear truth.  I was designed by my creator… to KILL YOU!!!

Zero jumps down and twists his body into a whirlwind dropkick.  X blocks the attack with his arm, but it knocks him back, further across the icy plain.

X: (angered) Aaah!  What is your PROBLEM!?  How do you suddenly KNOW this!!?

He grows upset as the physical pain sets in. He favors his arm.

ZERO: After the crash, my body suddenly surged with energy.  As if it was a power lying dormant inside me…  Something struck at my inner-psyche so deeply, that finally it all makes sense, X!  ALL of it!!

X: I don’t understand.  Why now!?

ZERO: Let’s face it.  We both know that I’ve been holding back, all this time… The rumors of the Red Maverick are true.  That is who I really am.  It’s what I was always meant to be...  

He points a thumb back to himself with evil pride while giving X a dead stare.

ZERO: I was the one who corrupted Sigma.  I CREATED THE SIGMA VIRUS!!!

X: (whispering) No…

He is stunned at the words.  

X: Ever since the 1stMaverick War, I’ve always thought about two things...  How to get rid of Sigma for good… and what I would do to whatever was responsible for creating that monster.  

ZERO: (taunting) It was meee, X. I am your real enemy.  I always have been, all along...

X closed his eyes tightly and shakes his head.  Then, he takes a deep breath.

X: I never wanted to believe it was you, but FINE! I’ve been in Denial for too long!!  Zero…  If this is what you truly are, then I have no choice but to stop you.

X cricks his neck as two snaps can be heard.

ZERO: There we go.  Don’t hold anything back.  THIS is our Destiny, X!!  

X: (smirking) I’m gonna beat some sense into you, just like last time.  

Zero glares at him with disdain.

ZERO: Last time was different... On Laguz Island, my mind had reverted to it’s savage state and I wasn’t fully aware of who I was yet.  This time, I know what I must do.

X: (glaring, spiteful) Hah!  That’s funny. It’s as if you don’t have a free will of your own, anymore…  You’re starting to sound a lot like you did back when you were under Serges’ control.  

Zero shakes his head angrily.

ZERO: Don’t bring him into this.

X: (insistant, defiant) You were so convinced that we were the enemy last time, too.  But then something happened.  What was it?  Oh, that’s right. I Killed Serges…

ZERO: (enraged) Damn it, I said DON’T GO THEEEERE!!!!!

He loses control of his dark aura for a moment, as high winds surround X, pushing him back.

X boldly walks towards Zero and points at him.

X: I’M NOT IN DENIAL ANYMORE, ZERO.  I know Serges created you!!  I don’t CARE ANYMORE.  THAT’S NOT WHO YOU ARE!!!!

The winds increase as Zero begins to lose sight of his newfound power.

ZERO: No!!  It’s what I tried to tell you years ago.  That’s exactly who I was supposed to be all this time, and all of these years I was just living a Lie, with you!

X gives Zero wide-eyes as he struggles to keep his feet on the ground.

X: …If that’s really the case… Then, I liked that Lie.  And I know you did too…  So don’t pretend our whole Friendship meant NOTHING TO YOU!!!!!!

ZERO: (frustrated, reacting) AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His power aura swells to a boiling point and surrounds the area in explosions.

X: (defensive, aggravated, reacting) HAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The two run after each other and clash raging fists of energy. The blue aura from X’s hand collides with Zero’s dark red hand. After an electrifying struggle, both of their powers cancel each other out.  The two shake off the pain in their hands and look at each other in resentment.

X: Damn it all, Zero! If this is really our Destiny, then I just have one question for you.

Zero looks down at him with a silent grimace; his explosive aura fading somewhat.  X gives him a sincere face.

X: Why me?

ZERO: Because you are the last creation of Dr. Light. And my creator… was his arch nemesis. My newly improved memory banks tell me so. His name was Dr… Wily.  

X: (annoyed) So what..??

ZERO: I was created by him to counter your existence in this world.  This is the way it was always meant to be.  I am your opposite, your negative…  The yang to your yin.

X narrows his eyes and shakes his head, still disturbed and wound up.

X: (defiant) Do you really believe that?  After ALL We’ve been through!!  After all the Good we’ve done???  Don’t give me some Crap that this is just a Grudge based on the idea that our Father’s hated each other.

ZERO: Isn’t it clear, X?? None of that matters… but if I don’t do this…  then I’ll never have fulfilled the prophecy!  

X: (irritated) WHAT!?

ZERO: The Legend of the Mega Man must die. That is my destiny!!

X: NO!!! Don’t buy into the Sigma Virus.  WE control our destinies Zero.  No one else! Christ… YOU’RE the one who taught me that!!!!!

Zero shakes his head, amused and closes his eyes.

ZERO: That’s not Sigma’s Virus you’re reading, X…  It’s mine. Pure and unfiltered…  I am absolutely in control.  Once I do this, the nightmares go away.  Then I can be at peace.

X is hurt to his core.  Hecloses his eyes tightly and holds in a sob, feeling a great pressure from within.  Tears escape from his eyes as he finally acknowledges a sad, hard truth.

X: Well if that’s the case.. then you really did leave me with no other choice…  After this is all over, I’ll know that I’ve served my purpose too…  

He sniffles and looks up at Zero with a determined glare in his eyes.

X: I’ve been put on this World to end the Mavericks.  And now I know that the one who caused this whole mess was YOUUUU!  THE WHOLE TIIIIME!!!!

X wipes away his tears and offers a stone-cold face of death.

ZERO: (smirking, dark) That’s the spirit. It’s time to accept our Fate. One way or another… This ends, tonight!

X shakes his head, still in disbelief for what he is about to do.

X: (v.o, thinking) You were my best friend Zero.  But now, that friend is gone from me…

He stands up taller and puffs his chest out, mustering the strength to call upon his Falcon Armor.  Then, he points at him.

X: (brave, determined) I am going to make you pay for all the pain you’ve caused this world.  If you really did make Sigma become the monster that he is now, then my primary target is YOU!!!

X charges up.  

X: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

ZERO: That’s it X. Show me what you can really do…

Zero raises his fists and powers up, himself.

ZERO: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!

From X’s com-link, he hears Alia’s voice.

ALIA: (o.s., filtered) Don’t do this, X! In his new state, we don’t know what he’s capable of!!

X places his hand in his ear-piece and crushes it.  

X: Shut up Alia… /YYYAH!

X /shoots a thin blue charge shot that strikes Zero hard.

-cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Underground Shelter - DAY

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALIA: AAAAgh, I lost communication with X!!

SIGNAS: He’s in a troubled state…  There’s nothing we can do for them, now…

The Commander looks over to Alia from his new post.

ALIA: I know.  I’m worried, sir.  There’s got to be something…

SIGNAS: Leave him be.  Whatever X is up against, this is his fight.  The best we can do is hope for him, and hope for the sake of all humankind.

She looks down at her tablet and gasps.  Displayed on her small screen is a map of X’s Armor specs.

ALIA: (v.o, thinking) I think I can do better than that.  I just have to download these data files to X’s new armor and he’ll become stronger than ever.

-      cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. ANTARCTICA – Fallen Colony - NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------------

ZERO: Urgh!

Zero is knocked down to the ground from X’s charge shot.

ZERO: I had a force-field up.  How did you-

X: I’LL DO ANYTHING IT TAKES TO DEFEAT YOU!!!

ZERO: You persistent little.. /Grrr!!

X runs up to him and /grapples with the stranger.

The two grunt.  Zero knees X in the chest, flips him over on to his back and takes out his Z-Saber.

From the ground, X sees Zero’s saber coming right for him.  

X: Whoa!

He flies away to evade the cut.  From mid-air, X charges up and aims for Zero’s foot. He takes the shot.

ZERO: Ah!

The X-buster badly stings Zero’s calf.

X propels himself directly into Zero with a tackle that forces him down to the ground. The invincibility field scrapes at Zero’s armor, while X punches Zero in the face.  Wind blows wildly at both of them.  Tears form in X’s face as he makes Zero bleed from the nose and temple.

Once the invincibility field dissipates, Zero clenches his right fist and counters with a strong hook to X’s cheek.

X: Augh!  

X is knocked off of him and turns to his side, favoring his swelling cheek.  

Zero gets up and takes a breath.  

ZERO: Not bad, X.  You really do pack quite a punch…  But it’s not good enough…

X slowly rises to his feet, spits out some blood and gets into a ready position.

X: Come on, you Maverick scum! I’ll show you what I’ve really got!!

ZERO: Oh, I’m no Maverick…  Just, awakened…

X: No MORE!!

X shoots rapid fire at Zero, unleashing a hellacious flurry of yellow bullets on him.

Zero takes out his Z-Saber and parries every attack as he draws closer and closer to X.

X walks backwards as Zero advances. From five feet away, Zero dashes towards him and twists around with a slash that catches X in the chest.

X: AAAH!!!

X is hurt badly.  The blade tears away at his newer armor to the point where some of his inner-circuitry is exposed, but he can still fight.  He charges a piercing shot and lays one into Zero at close range. The shot catches Zero’s chest and chars some of his face.  

ZERO: (grunting) HOOA!

The two collide again in a grapple.  X looks at his newfound foe in the face. He can’t believe what he is about to say.  

X: I hate you!!

ZERO: (maniacal) That’s it, X.  Let it all out.  Tell me how you /REALLY FEEL!!  

Zero /shoves him to the ground and stands over him.

ZERO: Heheh.. After all the times I’ve carried your back X, how do you think I feel?

Without warning, he blasts X with a charge shot at point blank range.

X: AAAAAGH/kk…

Zero kneels down and /grabs X by the neck.  He begins to choke him, as hard as he can with two hands.

X: (choking, struggling) Ungkkk……

ZERO: You always told me you wished I would find all the answers I was looking for.  Well, here it is, Man!  I hope you’re not disappointed…  

X struggles to breathe to the point where Zero cringes.

He violently smashes his head against the ice, and gets back up.

ZERO: (sadistic) HEHEHEHAHAHAHAAAHHH!!!!!

X: Unghh…  Of course I am.. your primary target.. is me!

As X catches his breath, he can feel the damage done from Zero’s last attack. Circuits peer from his collarbone as blood drips from the back of his head.  A headache swells from his crown as X realizes he is in bad shape.

He sits up and lets out a sigh as his under-armor turns pure white.  When Zero nears him, he lets out a huge gust of wind from a rising uppercut.

ZERO: Whaaaaaoooooooo!

Zero is viciously thrust into the air.

X gasps for breath and pulls out a sub-tank from his compartment belt.  

X: (v.o, thinking) Only half a tank left…  Gotta make the best of it…

X sighs as he connects the tank to his chest and regains ¼ of his life energy.  

X: (griping) That’s.. a little better…  

Zero slowly descends from the sky.  

ZERO: So that’s how you wanna play it, huh?

His dark aura allows him to float in the sky upon his descent. With the new gift of flight, Zero can zone in on X’s location and attack him from above.  

ZERO: Time for a dose of your own Medicine!!

Zero flies down, around X and rams into his back with an F-Splasher force field.  

X: OGH!!

He falls to the ground and quickly dashes to jump into the sky, but Zero still gains on him.  He pulls out his Z-Saber in a downward stabbing motion.  

ZERO: How about this!!?

The element of fire covers Zero’s saber as he stabs X in the back, bringing him to the ground with water-damaged circuits.

X:

(suffering)

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

X is fried and shocked from the inside, which almost puts him in stasis.

Just then, Zero puts a hole through the back of X’s chest plate.

X: (reacting, upset) Agh! That’s it!!  

In desperation, X uses the Falcon Armor’s giga attack against Zero.  Streams of piercing charge shots emit everywhere, horizontally from above and below, within a 5 mile radius.

ZERO: OOOOOAAAAAWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

Zero is struck by the piercing attacks and falls to the ground, looking hurt.  

Feeling completely drained, X knows he cannot do this again, but maybe he won’t need to. The chest plate from his Falcon Armor had become so damaged that it was starting to come apart.  

X: (v.o, thinking) My base plate is showing. I have to be careful…

Zero coughs up some blood.  

ZERO: (impressed, dark) Wow X..  Good one…  but now, I am going… to destroy you…

Zero slowly advances towards X, who is cautious, unsure of how to read him.

ZERO:

Hya!

Zero uses the Wind Shredder dash, he learned from Spiral Pegasus to attack him a powerful slashing, after-image.

X: Aaauuuww.

X bends down, hurt, holding onto his dripping stomach.

This is followed up by smashing Messenko Giga attack, which forms an arc of dark energy directly near X.  The dispersed bolts of energy chip away at X’s exposed armor, causing him to fall further back.

X: (suffering) GaaaaaAAAArrrrgggghhh!!!!

The abrasions across X’s broken armor are ever-apparent.  Sparks fly as blood splatters across Zero’s crimson armor.

Zero just offers a wicked smileas he focuses on X’s gauntlets this time. Within the strikes of a three-hit-combo and a crescent enhanced slash, both of X’s arm guards are destroyed, leaving X, practically back in his naturally armored state.

X: (scared, frightened) Aaaa-aaaah! Noooooo!!!!

He desperately turns away and engages his flight-boots, but without the rest of his armor, he is unable to balance his ascent.  In a moment, he falls flat on his face.

ZERO: Hahahahaha, you Fool!  Did you really think you could defeat me??

X’s eyes widen as he feels helpless.

Zero runs and stabs downward with a Quake Blazer once again. The fiery blade comes down on X’s back-armor. The resulting explosion burns off X’s Falcon helmet.  

X: OGH! AAaaaahhhhh!!!!

X frantically pats himself down, as his base helmet is completely exposed.  

Zero gives X an electric uppercut with his Z-saber from there.

X: -ZzzzYAAaaaaahhhh!!!!!

The trail from Zero’s attack all, but fries X’s internal circuits.

ZERO: Do you feel it, yet?  Your death, is inevitable.

X: (v.o, thinking, panting) I’ve got to do something…  Almost all of my power sources are depleted.  There’s no other recourse.  I’m gonna have to… use old weapons.

X shifts into red and orange, and shoots a Ground Fire blast from his buster, in desperation.  

Zero’s aura glows in hues of dark red and black as he is not affected by the flames at all.  

ZERO: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Is that really the best you can do X?

With a stubborn grimace, X simply transforms into his Force Armor.  

X dashes away from him, while panting. Donning red and white, he switches to Rising Fire and takes a few shots.  The fireballs move Zero from side to side, but they do not faze him.  X switches to Ground Hunter and shoots three stingray drones at him, all of which completely crumple upon impact.

X: Daamn…  TRI-THUNDER!!!!  

Suddenly a huge electric blast emits from his buster, which splits the attack into three strikes toward Zero. The newer weapon knocks him down to the floor, but he gets right back on his feet.

Zero dashes toward X and slices a hole right through X’s blue body armor.

X: AAAAHhuhuhaaaahuhuhuhaaaaahuhuhuaaaaahuhuh.

ZERO: (muttering) It’s over, X…

X writhes in pain, shock and amazement.  His eyes completely widen as he is in a complete state of shock.  His body becomes paralyzed as he goes into stasis.  As he falls to the ground, his head tilts and the red gem on his forehead dims to black.

-Fade to White-

A ghostly, blue figure appears in the form of Dr. Light.

DR. LIGHT: (v.o) X.  With all four data parts, you can call upon the power of the Gaea Armor. Fight for the future.  Save our world, X.  No matter what the cost…  I know you can do it.  Fight him.  Fight for your life! In order to save Zero from himself you must finish him.  Go, my son…  Put an end to all of this chaos.  Destroy the source and preserve the sanctity of humanity!

-Fade to-

------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Underground Shelter - DAY

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALIA: Got it!

Alia punches enter on her tablet and gives Douglas a high-five.

-cut to-

------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXT. ANTARCTICA – Fallen Colony -  NIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly X’s gem glows red and his whole body glows with a slightly gray hue.  His helmet quickly forms a protective dark gray casing along the normal contour of his head. His chest piece is coated with a gray and white fortified plating that bulks up his upper torso. His buster resembles more of a cannon than ever before with a dark gray under-plating at the gauntlet and a matching set of dark blue gloves. His boots are equally plated with fortified gray and white metal. If the purpose of the Falcon Armor was to keep X lightweight for flight, it seems that the purpose of the Gaea Armor was to keep X grounded and hefty.

X opens his eyes feeling alive and reborn. He gasps for air and sits up, unable to believe what just happened.  Admiring his new armor, he places a hand on his heart and feels it rapidly beating. Then, he notices that his new helmet has a brand new com-link in it.  He decides to use it, wisely.

X: Alia, this is X. Come in.

ALIA: (o.s., gasping, filtered) X!  You’re okay!!  ..H-how are you…??

X: …Right now I’m just glad I’m alive… but this isn’t good…  Zero is the enemy.

ALIA: (o.s., filtered) I know.  I don’t understand it, but… it seems like the scraps of the Sigma Virus have combined with the Virus Data inside the Colony… and that has affected Zero.

X: Huh?

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) I’ll explain everything later.  Come home!  You need to rest.

X: I can’t leave now! I have to finish Zero.  It’s our destiny.  Everything ends… with Zero…

Suddenly X feels very tired as the adrenaline of their battle wears off and the exhaustion sets in.  He lays back down and closes his eyes, hurt.

X: Aughh…

ALIA: (gasping) Oh, X…

X turns his head and watches Zero make his way toward the Fallen Colony.

-pan to-

Zero walks towards the crash-site with a bitter grimace and an empty feeling inside his soul.

ZERO: …It’s time to finish the mission.

He jumps inside a crater, where a sizable chunk of the Colony has crash-landed.

-pan to-

X can barely lift his arm to reach out to Zero, who has disappeared into the mysterious, Virus-ridden Crater.

X: (v.o, thinking) Ah man… I gotta get in there…

He lets out a sigh and cringes as he punches in the coordinates to HQ on his new gauntlet.

X: (resentful, reluctant) This isn’t over, Zero…

X teleports away.

-We zoom in to the empty space he once occupied.-

Freezeframe. Grainy effect.

SIGNAS: (v.o, narrating) X has faced his greatest fear today.  At long last, their destinies have collided, but both have somehow managed to come out of it, alive. This time…  Is Alia, right?  Has Zero just been infected with a new strain of the Maverick Virus?  Or is Zero finally being true to himself and acting upon his convictions?  For now, one thing remains certain.  This Battle of Two Fates has only begun.

#MMX Fanfics #Season V #Ep. 13 #The Battle of Two Fates #X #Zero #X vs. Zero #Awakened Zero #Fate #Destiny

[cyallowitz]

#gallery-0-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Art by Kayla Matt

Art by Kayla Matt

One is the exiled Goddess of Chaos who has been hiding under the protection of the Baron for centuries upon centuries.  The other is the young ruler of Shayd who is determined to improve her people’s lives.  Yola used to do horrible things to the chaos elves because she didn’t know any better.  Trinity has sworn to make anyone who hurts her people pay dearly.  So, how did these two become best friends?

It’s actually simpler than one would expect.  Most of the other villains treated Yola like a joke and the previous chaos elf rulers were terrified of her.  Trinity is the only one to have taken her seriously and this defiance ended up turning into a respectful friendship.  She still gets frustrated with the Chaos Goddess who is fairly impulsive and doesn’t always understand how mortals work.  On the plus side, she is able to put the pieces back and fix the damage if she moves quickly.  You could say that Trinity acts like Yola’s mom at some points, which is fine.  The bond is there and they’re more human because of it.

The hardest thing about this is having an immortal be friends with a mortal.  Trinity isn’t easy to get along with at times due to living a life where people die every day.  This is why chaos elves aren’t the friendliest unless they’ve been away from Shayd for a while.  It’s still nothing compared to the issues that come from Yola.  Mortals are fleeting blips in her existence, so she has spent all of her years seeing them as either nothing or brief moments of entertainment.  She’s messed with them without consequence for so long that she almost forgets that they’re living things.  Yola’s friendship with Trinity is what changed her mindset.  By the time you meet her, she still does some random stuff to mortals, but she asks about certain necessities first like do they need all of their brain to survive and can the heart be moved into the stomach.  Her taking a moment to ask before acting is Trinity’s influence.

This isn’t to say she hasn’t had an impact on Trinity too.  Imagine what it’s like seeing your people tortured and killed every day.  You don’t make any friends because you never know if they’ll be around for very long.  As I said before, this is the life of a chaos elf.  Now, say you make friends with a powerful being that can twist reality.  This person agrees to protect your people if need be and is more your ally than anyone else’s.  That can change your perspective a bit and make you open to relationships.  Yola gives Trinity hope that she can have some kind of normal life and that she’s not alone in protecting the chaos elves.  This connection comes into play many times later in the series when Trinity finds herself up against the wall and turning to the other side.

This relationship will be tested in Path of the Traitors.  To put it simply, Yola is given a chance to reclaim her title and old life at time where she feels lost.  The only problem is that she needs to have more power and that comes from absorbing the aura from someone she has cast plenty of spells on.  In short, Yola needs to devour Trinity in order to return to Ambervale, home of the gods and goddesses.  Being an immortal, she’s never had to consider the consequences of her actions and caring for a mortal makes things even more difficult.  What will she do?  Only three things are for sure:

Yola rarely does what one would expect.

Trinity never goes without a fight.

Their friendship will be severely tested.

Yola & Trinity: Best Friends in Chaos One is the exiled Goddess of Chaos who has been hiding under the protection of the Baron for centuries upon centuries.  

#chaos elves #Chaos Goddess #epic fantasy #fantasy #friends #friendship #high fantasy #Legends of Windemere #Queen Trinity #sword & sorcery #villains #WIndemere #Yola Biggs