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#my exams are slapping me left and right so its a bit difficult but hopefully in the next week
lady-charinette · 3 years
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Hello! I hope you have a lovely day/night/afternoon! Can I just ask: WHEN WILL THE SMUT BE UPDATED? YOUR SMUT WAS SO GOOD HOLY CRAP! Loved it! 10/10 queen!
Hi anon! (Waves)
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Uh...what smut? Which one? I haven't written a lot but it's been so long that I don't know for which one I planned a continuation T_T
Oh, if you're talking about the ask with the Lukanette teaser, it's ah...soon-ish? I'm halfway done, so I hope to publish soon! ^_^
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shelby-love · 4 years
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JAY HALSTEAD
“She’s my girlfriend.”
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Requested: yes
Prompts: none
Warnings: love triangle
Authors note: /
The morning in the ED starts early for you doctors. At almost 6 in the morning you're standing in the doctor's lounge all bundled up, trying hard to take off your warm clothes that protected you from the cold Chicago weather.
"Good morning Y/N," You recognize the cheery voice. Your favorite ginger on the world. Will Halstead. Apart from him being your favorite ginger he's also the big brother of a man who you've been seeing lately.
Will actually introduced you to his younger brother Jay, a few months ago when the two of you had a difficult case. It didn't end positively and that's why both of you decided to drink away your pain at Molly's. Bring Jay the alcohol expert to the mix and you had a night full of drunken memories.
Your relationship with Jay skyrocketed since then. At first it wasn't anything serious but as of right now - both of you developed some kind of feelings for each other. Stronger feelings.
"Hey, Will. How are you so energetic?" You smile tiredly at him and hang your coat on the clothes rack. You can barely keep your eyes open which makes you yawn like a bear as you try to put your left arm into your white doctors coat. It's like the hole of the sleeve is purposely avoiding you and you almost decide to go coat-less for the day.
You hear Will chuckle before he says, "Here let me help you," You give him a grateful look and let him help you put your coat on, he grabs your stethoscope before you can reach it and helps you put it around your neck without your hair curling around it. "I take it that you didn't get your dose of coffee for the day?"
"Mhmm," You glance at the mirror in your locker before you slap Will's broad shoulders with your hands. He was innocently sitting and looking through the files on the computer when you did that. "I need to wake myself up." You start jumping around and doing some exercises you saw Jay do every morning in hopes of clearing your head for the day.
Will laughs before standing up to look at you. He towers over you and you can't help but think about what he's going to do.
Then he starts tickling you.
"Oh my God Will stop!! Stop immediately," You screech through laughter as he tackles your sides. He doesn't give up until he has you lying on the couch, then he extends his hands for you and you take them. "Thanks Will. I think I'm awake now."
***
"Doctor Y/LN and doctor Halstead! Stab victim on its way you're going to trauma 2!" Maggie's clear voice makes you run towards the ED entrance where two paramedics roll in with a heavily bleeding man.
"53-year-old male, he's in cardiac arrest, stabbed to the left side of his neck. The patient was apneic with a faint pulse at the scene but arrested on route to here." One of the paramedics briefly explains the situation to you and Will before you nod and get the man into trauma 2. You don't miss the fact that Jay is standing not too far away from the man as you roll him into place. He sends you a small smile that makes your heart beat faster before he gives his brother necessary information about the man.
Medics had the man intubated, and two large-bore IVs were initiated with crystalloids infusing. He is still pulseless in on the bed. A focused assessment with sonography for trauma exam, you and Will gave orders to test is negative. After series of resuscitative efforts in the trauma bay, with both yours and Will's efforts you unfortunately pronounce the man dead.
"Why would someone do that to him?" You stand beside Jay in the hallway, arms crossed over your chest and back leaning against the reception. Your patient was a man with a big loving family, a good job and a good life. You wondered how someone could do that to a man like him?
"He was a part of something illegal," Jay explains. The three of you look at the man in the hospital bed and his grieving family around him. "He was our main clue to finding who's behind the corporation. Now he's dead and I'll have to question his family. I doubt they even know he was doing what he was."
You shake your head sadly before turning to look at Jay and put your hand on his muscular arm, "Be safe okay?" You worry about him every day when he goes to work. You hope every day that he doesn't get hurt so you don't see him in the hospital bed like the one in trauma 2.
"Of course I will, Y/N." He gave you a smile. It meant a lot of words - that smile. It's loving, thankful, reassuring, adoring...everything. You find yourself dazed by his beautiful smile.
"We better get going then. We have a coffee to drink don't we?" Will announces suddenly. He throws his arm over your shoulders and pulls you to your feet. Your eyes shoot open, "I couldn't get you one this morning so let's get one now. Hopefully I won't have to tickle you again so you stay awake?"
You look at the situation at hand. Jay is sending Will angry looks, his eyebrows are narrowed as he takes in Will's arm that's wrapped around you pulling you close to his body. You don't know what to say or do. What Will just said might have sounded wrong.
You realize at that moment that Will Halstead, your colleague and the brother of a person you've just started seeing likes you. Not knowing what you do you make up an excuse while looking at your wrist watch Jay got you. "Listen guys Nat said she's gonna facetime Owen right now so I'm going to join her. I'll be back in a bit though!"
With you all the way in the doctor's lounge and out of hearing range Jay snaps at Will, "What the hell man?!"
"What? Is there something bothering you?" Will asks, not knowing you and Jay are actually together.
"Would you stop trying to get in her pants?" Jay exclaimed, "I can see what you're trying to accomplish and I'll tell you right now. Stop."
"You want me to stop?! Where on earth does it say that I can't go and have a coffee with my colleague?"
But Jay knew better, Will looks at you the same way he does. Jay knows Will likes you. "A coffee date? What are you trying to accomplish Will? You tickle her awake, take her out on coffees, wrap your arms around her. You like her."
The silence that starts after that is broken by Will, "Yes. I do like her Jay. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Yeah I do." Jay crosses his muscular arms, "Y/N is my girlfriend, Will."
You both know it's not official, but what else could've he said to Will? Will likes you, he just admitted that and Jay knows he'd be dammed before he let him get near you romantically. You're his.
"I'm going to check on, my girlfriend. I'll be right back." Is the last thing Jay says before he makes his way to the doctor's lounge where you're sitting on the couch, drumming your fingers against the table to calm down your nerves. Please don't kill him Jay.
"There's no facetime with Owen, is it?" You rise your head and see Jay leaning against the door frame, casually. Like he didn't just find out his own brother likes you too. You put you hands in your lap and smile nervously.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I just...I didn't know he felt that way."
"I mean... I don't blame him," Jay shrugs smiling. "My girlfriend is irresistible."
GIRLFRIEND??! "Girlfriend?"
He walks over to you, "I think it's time for us to make it official."
Your heart is thumping in your chest you get a feeling it's going to fly out of your chest without your hands on that spot - preventing it from doing so.
"Doctor Y/LN. Y/N Y/LN, would you be my girlfriend?"
"But what about Will?" With your hands in his, he hauls you in his arms.
"Fuck Will. This is about you and me," You let out a giggle at his remark. "So, what do you say?"
"Yes detective Halstead. I'll be your girlfriend."
Jay Halstead flashes you a big smile before he cups your face and brings his lips down to yours. You savour the moment as much as you can before you get called out to work.
"Y/N GET YOUR PRETTY BUTT OUT OF THERE I HAVE A PATIENT FOR YOU!"
"We'll continue this at my place. Boyfriend."
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rwbyconversations · 5 years
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Why has Adam proved controversial after Volume 6?
Fandom is a culture that is constantly changing. It’s a culture effectively built around self-sustaining itself through fanart, music videos, fanfiction and discussion theories about the content the fandom is built around to tide them over until the next big release. Taking the RWBY fandom for example, it’s a fandom that’s really only alive for less than two fifths of the average year, from October to January when the volume itself airs. The rest of the year, RWBY’s fandom has to keep itself afloat through self-generation of ideas and the sharing of the aforementioned means of content to tide people over until October comes back around and the season starts anew. Headcanons and fan theories become commonplace and can become exponentially more popular than ever intended thanks to the gap in seasons giving it time to form and gain weight as a theory before canon can prove it wrong. 
What that long period of downtime means is that you can see previously loathed characters come back from the brink and gain a lot of fandom support and approval in the turn of a season. Or alternatively, popular characters can take a swan-dive in popularity, being reduced to joke status that they never recover from. People who swore up and down that “this character is trash and I don’t care what they do with them” suddenly next hiatus are on the other side of the trenches. One season can do a lot for a character in either direction is what I’m saying. 
Because that’s what’s happened the past two years to Adam Taurus. 
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Adam after Volume 5 was a turbulent wreck of a character. Humiliated at the end of the season and forced to run with his tail between his legs, while his character lost much of the appeal that it had garnered over the prior four volumes, making him resemble a whiny child LARPing as a doomsday villain. It was a pathetic display for his character, one so infuriating it inspired me to begin writing analysis essays after a heated Discord discussion, and that essay struck a note with many of the people who read it and agreed with the contents therein, especially in regards to how much Haven damaged Adam’s threat factor. People simply weren’t scared of him appearing like they were prior to his smack from Blake, several comments even derisively writing off Blake and Yang’s rematch against Adam in advance because “they made him job before, they’ll do it again.”
 And yet interestingly, within the span of a year, the tides partially turned. With Volume 6 Adam wasn’t widely derided as a joke anymore, but in spite of that, the discussion around him was just as heated as it was last year. Adam was still the core topic of the argument but now the battle lines had been redrawn thanks to his death in the climax of Volume 6. Now it’s become commonplace for RWBY’s discussion communities to deride many of the dime-a-dozen posts about Adam and his “wasted potential” that have been arriving nearly daily like reinforcements to batten at a wall. But why? What changed in just one year that changed the entire argument around Adam? Why are his fans and critics embroiled in a new war to enter the hiatus?  
That’s what I’m trying to set out and accomplish in this essay. I am going to hopefully explain the primary reasons for why Adam is a controversial character following Volume 6, in particular why his fans are dissatisfied with the way his characterization was taken over the course of the show. Keep in m ind that parts of this essay touch on Adam’s abuse so if that’s a thing you’d rather not see, avoid going further. 
1) Headcanons were proven wrong
No one likes being wrong. Just look at students who get fail grades in exams, they’re usually despondent. It’s never something you lose as you grow up, in fact, Being wrong just sucks, to put it bluntly. 
Remember how I mentioned at the beginning that because of the content droughts fandoms experience, headcanons and theories can grow far further than anyone intended? Adam is an example of that happening for three years. 
Adam’s first appearance was in the Black Trailer, released on March 22nd, 2013. He wouldn’t make a significant appearance in the show until Heroes and Monsters, the penultimate episode to Volume 3, released on February 6th of 2016. His only significant appearances between those two dates was a cameo in the Volume 2 finale and V3C7, Beginning of the End, released on January 2nd. 
Adam’s initial appearance left much of his personality vague, barring that he was Blake’s superior, a stoic swordmaster and that he was fighting to liberate the Faunus from humanity with the full intent of taking a pound of flesh from humanity for what they’d done to the Faunus- to quote From Shadows: 
From Shadows, we’ll descend upon the world, take back what you stole, from shadows, we’ll reclaim our destiny, set our future free.
As such, the mental image of Adam that the fandom was given had nearly three years in real life to set in stone, that he was Blake’s former mentor who had fallen into extremism and terror attacks. Some even suspected going off Oobleck and Blake’s interactions in Volume 2 that Adam would receive a redemption from his wicked ways to show as an example of how Blake would redeem the White Fang from its own muck-filled past, or that Adam would need to die in an alternate variant of that story to show how far down the dark path he’d gone. Tauradonna was even a fairly high-profile ship in the early days of the show, being on roughly the same level as Blake/Weiss.
The headcanons were only given further room to grow thanks to adaptations of the Black trailer and early RWBY not taking the time to more properly setup Adam’s true character, in particular the Shirow Miwa adaptation. Miwa’s version of the scene, or at least the localized version, was released across two chapters in April and May of 2016, with the full book getting a physical print in the West in August 2017. Adam in the Miwa adaptation is far more talkative than his canon counterpart and even makes several dry quips throughout the fight:
When they first see the AK-130 guards (”Looks like we’re doing this the hard way” in the trailer): “Looks like all the seats are taken Blake.”
When asked who they are (Adam doesn’t have a line here): “We’re thieves.”
Upon seeing the Spider Droid for the first time: “Tch! He’s one serious baggage clerk.” 
Adam’s dialogue is also softened from his original dialogue to boot: 
“Buy me some time!” “But-” “Do it!” instead now is “Blake, buy me some time.“ “But that’s-” “I just need a second.” Blake also gets to make a quip that “You know... You’re fairly high-maintenance.” 
When Blake’s barrage ends, she says “I did all I could,” and Adam thanks her with “It was more than enough, get back.” All Adam says in the animated version of the scene is “Move!” 
The manga makes a significant addition to the aftermath of the battle, where Blake chides Adam for the ambush being sloppy. Adam initially just smiles as “that’s what you’re here for,” before Blake quickly rebukes him, cutting the train car as she says that the White Fang “not lower itself to bloodshed.” The last we see of Adam in the manga is him standing on the train carriage, pondering to himself “You think this is wrong Blake?” 
A similar change is And “Perfect. Move up to the next car, I’ll set the charges,” is now “There’s at least 5,000 cases. All right, let’s kill the engine.” “What about the crew?” Adam is silent and when Blake presses him for information, the Spider Droid attacks 
Prior to the train attack there is a scene added by the Manga where Blake says that the Dust will be redistributed to Faunus in need. She asks Adam to confirm this and he looks back over his shoulder, lips parsed, and says “Of course.” However the next page has a black box of him saying “Don’t overthink it Blake.”  
The point of this extended summary of the Black Trailer in Miwa’s adaptation is to show that even in adaptations of the trailer, RWBY didn’t do much to dissuade people from forming the headcanon that Adam was simply a fallen revolutionary. In fact the manga smooths out Adam’s rougher edges, making his dialogue less harsh and more sarcastic. Remember as well that these were initially released soon after Volume 3 wrapped and before the commentary confirmation of abuse, meaning that these gave Adam fans one last bit of material to bolster their ideas of what Adam was. 
Obviously, all of these ideas and theories went out the window with Volume 3 Chapter 11 and the subsequent reveal by Miles and Kerry in Volume 3′s commentary track that Adam was in fact an abuser. A lot of his fans didn’t take to this reveal well, which I’ll return to in a future section of this essay, since in part it shot down all of their theories about Adam and made him an irredeemable monster. Adam’s potential redemption was destroyed the moment he slapped Blake. 
It is telling that most of Adam’s more passionate fans are from the early generations of the RWBY fandom who were around since the early trailers, since there’s a sharp divide between those fans and the more common Adam fan reaction of “I like him in spite of the abuse or explicitly only work with AU stories where he isn’t as bad.” Again, no one really likes being wrong, especially when it means accepting you were wrong for nearly three years.
2) The abuser twist
Something that I’ve never liked about Adam’s turn as an abuser was how looking back at Volumes 1 and 2 for evidence of the twist in advance, it’s difficult to find anything concrete. I had this discussion on a server lately where looking at all of Volumes 1 and 2 along with 3′s first half, there was really only one agreed upon sign of abuse prior to V3 in Volume 2- Blake’s flinch when Yang goes to hug her in Burning the Candle. But the problem with that is that even this can be taken into a different context, as one of my friends pointed out. As she reminded the chat, Yang had already shoved Blake several times by that point in the conversation and Blake may have flinched instinctively when she saw Yang’s arms raise again. 
Of course given the context of Adam’s abuse, Blake flinching may in fact have been foreshadowing, or it may have just been her instinctively preparing for another shove. We just don’t know, and that vagueness around Blake’s past and the abuse twist is partly why a lot of fans argue that the abuse twist was never planned in the early stages of the show and was an idea introduced during production. This is not a concept new to RWBY- Monty came up with the Maidens one day while working on Volume 3 after all- but it does mean that for sudden character turns like Adam’s abuse, the question will be raised of “was this always planned or was it just something you added as the story flowed along?” 
Much of the cited evidence that Adam was planned to be an abuser from the early show is in a similarly murky place. Blake speaks of Adam in Volume 2 as a mentor (”I had a partner... more of a mentor actually”), Monty himself called Blake the “apprentice” in an interview after the Black trailer, and much of her subdued behavior compared to her more affectionate self seen in Volumes 5 and 6 can be simply explained as Blake keeping a low profile to avoid Faunus discrimination and the attention of the White Fang. 
Even in Volume 3 Chapter 7- Adam’s last scene before Chapter 11 and the confirmation of his abuse- things are kept vague. Adam even sharply rebukes his Lieutenant when he offers to hunt Blake down following the Black Trailer, saying “Forget it.” Adam’s plan is to go to Mistral without a care for Blake, which goes against his obsessive behavior seen later in this very season. 
Much of the evidence given for Adam’s abuse- him gaslighting Blake in the Adam short, Blake talking about him in Volumes 5 and 6 to Sun and Yang, his dialogue during the Volume 6 battle- is all retroactive evidence, which does not solve the initial problem of the initial seasons poorly setting up Adam’s turn. Much of the evidence for and against the twist is shady at best, and reaching at worst due to how vague the wording is around Adam. Blake only ever speaks of him as a partner or mentor, never belying a romantic connection outside of the volume 2 premiere with the drawing of him in her notebook. Certainly with the benefit of hindsight some may find evidence in Volumes 1 through 3, primarily that Blake is simply an unreliable narrator, but I still feel like the lack of clean foreshadowing to such a large part of Adam’s character it weakens the twist, and some of Adam’s fans remain bitter that his character underwent a drastic 180 out of relatively nowhere.
3) Simple preference
Being blunt, a lot of Adam’s fans just prefer the Adam shown in the early seasons to the one the show closed out on. This idea is often mocked by some that his fans just wanted to see a Vergil knockoff, but for some of Adam’s fans it just came down to wanting to see cool fights. After all, RWBY was built on the initial idea of well-designed characters having well-choreographed fights. The show advertised itself initially as “From the maker of Dead Fantasy and Haloid,” which to surmise, weren’t shows that lured people in for their narrative quality. Monty’s loyalist fans who followed from his freelance work and from Red Vs Blue followed for cool fights, and Adam’s fighting style and design made him an instant fan favorite. It has only been from Volume 3 onwards that the show has advertised itself more as a drama than an animation showcase, and as such some of Adam’s fans don’t care less for his character turn other than that it makes him whiny and edgy and they’d like to see him swing his sword a bit more.
While the idea of preferring Adam as a revolutionary over his Yandere self seen from V3 is also a mocked concept as it tends to be used by people less well-versed in expressing critique of Adam’s character and makes for a popular strawman tactic, a morally gray villain may have worked well for RWBY. Especially as Adam and Cinder both show in different ways that the series should stay away from villains with no redeeming qualities. 
Though I suppose at least unlike Cinder, Adam actually has a backstory, so I should count my blessings. 
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To surmise, for some of Adam’s fans it was a purely physical love affair
4) Adam’s death and its connection to Bumblebee
Blake and Yang’s final confrontation with Adam in Volume 6 marks a significant step in their relationship, which means if you like Bumblebee then the emotional climax of the volume hits home for you. If you shipped literally anything else then at least the choreography was good, but if you didn’t ship Bumblebee and never liked the Adam abuser turn... hoo boy. 
Being blunt, a fair few Bumblebee shippers don’t mind the abuser twist since in the long run, it helped their ship and gave Blake and Yang plenty of angst to work through both alone and as a pair. I’ve said before that Blake’s recovery arc made for some good content in Volumes 4 and 5 barring the Sun slaps, and Yang’s PTSD arc, while bare-bones in Volume 4, was some of the more consistently good material that year when shown. And as such, Adam being made a one-note psycho who wanted to kill Blake suited them well, as it gave a clear villain for Blake and Yang to overcome while developing past their respective traumas. The problem of course being, Adam’s fans not appreciating this turn and definitely not appreciating the names they were called when they expressed this dissatisfaction.
This led to a litany of hot takes- “Adam’s fans only cared for the show and the character as an outlet for a male power fantasy,” “Adam’s fans were entirely made of sexists who just hated women,” “Adam stans are abuse apologists.” (Like 40% of the Adam fans I know are actual abuse victims so fuck yourself on the front of trying to use their trauma as a low blow) And to be fair, Adam’s fans responded with their own disappointing share of bad takes involving the dreaded words “wasted potential,” alongside murder and nerfing, but I go over those later. 
(also you know genuine homophobics but trying to avoid braindead reasoning here for my own sake)
Getting back on topic, I quite obviously detest this lumping in of all criticisms. For one it means that simply shipping something that isn’t Bumblebee and disliking the fight can get one labelled with accusations of homophobia. A disgusting tactic on its own, to say nothing of how some people use it just to deflect criticism. Liked Adam? Then you’re an abuse apologist now. It’s interesting to compare the response to Adam last year and this year, where suddenly the fandom went from dismissing Adam after Haven to suddenly being very insistent that his death was well done and that only bigots opposed it; a naturally insulting statement to any members of the LGBT community or racial minorities who took umbrage with the handling of the Faunus.
And speaking of, my largest gripe with Adam’s turn personally is how it overshadows his previous commitment to the Faunus. Even though Adam’s short shows him fighting for the Faunus, to the point where Lionized and From Shadows are both expressly about how the Faunus are subject to inhumane treatments, it all gets tossed aside for the sake of Adam’s obsession with Blake and I’ve always found the almost-retcon of “Adam only truly cared for his own equality” a bit.. hard to get a read on? Since the original reason for his fall was because of his rabid devotion to his cause/getting vengeance on humans. Adam in-setting had been prepped as a Malcolm X style analogue before most of these traits were pushed over to Sienna. I feel like there is a lot that could be said about how RWBY handles its racism narrative, especially when it pertains to Adam given his own placement in the narrative, but that such a thinkpiece would likely be hit with accusations of homophobia or abuse apologism likely curtails that idea in anyone’s head. Some voices in the fandom have even come forward and expressed their dissatisfaction at how the arc depicting racism got curtailed for a romance. Adam rather sadly could have been part of a cornerstone on a narrative about the natural consequences of violent extremism, but instead the writers went with a far shallower option in my opinion.  
Also being blunt the whole “Adam was just a secondary character for Blake and Yang’s arcs” feels a bit like revisionism of weak writing. 
5) Damaged goods
Adam lost a lot of fans thanks to Volume 5. You can argue about this all you want but the facts don’t change that the volume was overall one that shot his character in the leg. Alongside having him go completely bananas out of nowhere with the “THE BELLADONNA NAME HAS BROUGHT ME NOTHING BUT GRIEF” scene, Adam’s humiliating head smack from Blake that knocked him out for an entire episode and his Naruto run escape from the Battle. Put bluntly, people didn’t give a shit, especially after CRWBY’s own attitude was to mock Adam, further undermining any threat factor Adam was meant to have.
It’s quite obvious in hindsight that Adam’s short was made quickly, and was almost certainly damage control made to counter the backlash from the Battle of Haven episodes. Sienna’s inclusion has eve been admitted by Miles on RWBY Rewind to be done as pure fanservice for the fans who wanted more from her design, and it shows with how Sienna dominates the back half of the short. But the short’s nature as damage control, while ultimately well received, still marked it as a fix job for Haven. Even last year fans wondered what was the point of trying to hype Adam back up as a threatening villain given he would almost certainly lose any future battles he fought in. 
Ultimately, a lot of people just didn’t care about Adam. The damage had been done by Haven, and even a lot of his own fans wrote off him being allowed to be even half as competent as his Volume 3 self again. With even his own fans having written off his chances of being a fearsome combatant again and the crew openly reviling Adam, not to mention his own voice actor despising him, a mood of “why should we care if the crew don’t?” began to settle in for Adam’s fans. Some even looked forward to his death since it would mean at least in death, Adam was free of being written as a psycho Yandere. For some of Adam’s fans, his writing had been so schizophrenic that death seemed like the only way forward instead of dragging it out.     
6) “Wasted potential”
This is a point I don’t entirely agree with myself, but as this is an essay about why Adam has been controversial after Volume 6 I only feel it fair to include it, even if solely for the purposes of rebuttal. Wasted potential has become a set of dirty words to portions of the fandom thanks to the many, many, many arguments about Adam post-season. 
A rather large complaint is that Adam “jobbed” for Blake and Yang, despite neither of them really having gained much experience onscreen since Beacon. I disagree with this notion since it does take some details out of consideration for this angle- B&Y were both tired from earlier fighting in the day, Blake was shocked to see Adam out of nowhere and that’s why he overwhelmed her, Adam still actually defeats Blake at Argus and it largely comes down to Yang to win the fight, and V5 had actually set up her changing her fighting style to better combat Adam’s own style. 
One idea of potential for Adam that I will admit to liking is the idea of Adam as an ideological villain to Blake. Adam and Blake could have both represented the differing sides of the Faunus debate and how to achieve results, perhaps even going for a scenario where neither side was truly correct or wrong. Such a plot would have even had the benefit of tying the Faunus narrative into the wider stakes of the show while also humanizing it on a base level through their struggle. But at this point, this is becoming me wishing the show was something else. I’m sure a great fanfic could bloom from this idea in the future and I hope I get to see it one day. 
There’s also the entire idea that Blake and Yang “murdered” (it was self-defense) Adam since apparently this is a big deal. I dunno fam, you just ignoring all those White Fang goons RWBY killed in V2 by leaving them in the tunnels? The ones they smacked around during V3? All those people Yang probably killed in the Yellow trailer? Now seems like a bit of an odd time to draw a line in the sand about the RWBY girls killing someone. 
7) Conclusion
To conclude, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding Adam, and a lot that will surround his character for years. I feel like arguments around him will still be going by the end of the hiatus, if not for years to come. Adam has attracted a fandom from varying walks of life, but one thing I’ve noticed with some regularity is how many of of them themselves have histories with abuse. What unites a lot of them in their reasons for liking the character is the tragedy of how Adam is a person who has been persecuted then gained the power to bite back, but in his blind rage winds up lashing out at someone he is supposed to love. With permission, they let me share their accounts so I could put them here:
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Be it purely visual/choreography appreciation, falling for fan theories and headcanons, his allusions to the Beast, the mystery of his mask and later branding, his potential as an ideological rival for Blake or for personal reasons, Adam gained a fan following from all walks of life over the past six years, who may not have learned everything they wanted to about him but who wanted to learn more regardless. Even if they only liked him just to watch him fight, Adam has a small if passionate fanbase, and I hope I’ve explained some of their grievances with the show as a whole now, particularly following Volume 6. Adam might have been a scumbag, but ironically his fandom has actually been quite pleasant to talk to, so I hope I’ve presented their more accurate or personal issues in a fair light. 
Thank you for reading. Please consider sharing the post around if you enjoyed it or think someone you know would. 
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miss-emrys · 6 years
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The Sea Is Calling
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Read on AO3
“Back again? Second time this morning, Sid.”
Sidney blushes and Geno wishes he could see past the wetsuit zipped up tight on Sidney’s neck, to follow that enticing flush further down.
“It never hurts to be cautious,” Sidney replies after a moment. He bites his lip before adding, “She’s a bit restless today.” Then he’s already walking back in the direction he came from like he knows Geno will follow.
Geno does.
Even though he’s been working at the Coastal Marine Rescue Center for almost ten months, Geno’s still one of the newest veterinary hires. He also can count on both hands the number of personal details he knows about the elusive Sidney Crosby, despite having grown quite close to the rest of their tight-knit staff. That personal information is hard-won. Sidney resides in a league of his own, keeping to himself for the most part; he seems to prefer it that way. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem altogether bothered when Geno’s curiosity gets the better of him and he shamelessly peppers Sidney with questions from time to time. It’s a delicate game of give and take, learning tidbits of information about him. Geno makes sure to offer up details of his own life so it’s less of an interrogation and more like an actual conversation. He always feels a special kind of accomplishment when he learns something new about Sidney.
They don’t speak much as they walk through the facility, comfortable in each other’s presence, and Geno has to force himself to focus on something other than the view of Sidney right in front of him. That damn wetsuit is the bane of his existence; it never gets any easier to see him walk around in skin-tight neoprene without any idea of the effect it has on the rest of them. Geno might even think Sidney is entirely oblivious to the world around him if it weren’t for the glances Geno catches aimed his way every so often when Sidney thinks he’s not looking.
As they enter the large enclosure, Geno’s eyes shift from the broad line of Sidney’s shoulders to their patient in the water. Weighing only a couple of tons, the humpback whale calf that had been rescued less than a week before is still severely malnourished. Geno estimates she’s about four or five months old, which means she should weigh significantly more than she does and likely still be nursing for awhile yet. He can still remember how disturbing it felt when the emergency call came through, when they found her beached and alone on the shore with a dangerously low body mass, so far from any of the local pods. They had truly arrived in the nick of time; it’s a wonder she’s still alive considering her condition.
Geno and Sidney crouch down at the edge of the expansive tank in unison, watching as she rises up to the surface in the slow, gentle way they’ve become familiar with over the past few days. She’s moving a bit more steadily today than she has been, attempting to break the surface of the water more and more as is her nature.
“You know humpbacks playful, Sid,” Geno remarks after watching her swim around for a couple minutes, breaking the surface a few more times. “Lacerta just try breaching little bit.”
Geno knows better than to name a wild animal, especially one whose stay is only temporary. But that didn’t stop him from referring to the young calf as Lacerta the first time he examined her in the water, due to the distinct constellation-like pattern on the underside of her fluke. Sidney has yet to comment on it, but based on the tiny smile that quirks up on his lips each time Geno says her name, he figures he’s not being judged for doing so.
“You think?” Sidney asks. Lacerta resurfaces again further away, blowing out a spray of condensation and slapping the water with her tail. “She’s been so lethargic since she arrived. It’s strange for her to be attempting a breach.”
Geno doesn’t mention that it isn’t strange behavior for a humpback though. Sidney knows that, just as Geno knows Sidney has a tendency to fret over the marine life that makes its way into their care. It’s part of what makes him so amazing at his job. He never misses a thing when it comes to the animals they work with, often putting in extra hours without pay to see that they’re taken care of. It can be a thankless job to rehabilitate animals when the ultimate goal is to successfully see them return to the wild. But Geno has seen firsthand the positive impact Sidney’s precision and attentiveness has on the wildlife they work with, so he doesn’t mind indulging in Sidney’s idiosyncrasies.
“Think maybe we increase feedings,” Geno says instead, changing the subject. “She not reject meals yet, is moving around more. Could use extra calories.”
Sidney nods, dropping his hand to run the tips of his fingers through the water. “The additional fat would do her good. I spoke with Shaw last night and he said her nutrient levels are starting to rise a little.”
“See?” Geno smiles and nudges Sidney’s shoulder with his own. “Nutritionist happy. Vet also happy,” Geno replies, pointing to himself. “Not need to worry. Lacerta grow big and strong, do pretty lobtails for Sid.”
Sidney turns his face away, but not before Geno catches the grin spreading across his face. Geno slaps his thighs lightly and stands once more, ignoring the catch in his breath at the sight of Sidney’s smile. He stretches out the ache in his right knee as Sidney stands up, too, turning to face him.
“You get milk for Lacerta, find me later after more feedings. I’m check on sea turtles now before Letang bore them to death.”
Sidney snorts helplessly, covering his mouth with his hand to stem the unexpected giggles. “He can’t bore them, Geno. They don’t even understand what he’s saying.”
“Nobody understand what he say. French always so messy,” Geno jokes, rolling his eyes.
Lacerta swims closer just then, spraying the two of them with her blowhole and prompting a sigh from Geno when his dress shirt and right side of his trousers cling wetly to his skin. It’s not the first time this has happened, considering he works in a facility that is literally filled with water at every turn. That doesn’t make it any less inconvenient though. Especially since Geno used his last spare shirt the other day after assisting with an unexpectedly messy emergency surgery that left him in need of a change. He hasn’t remembered to bring in a spare set of clothes since then, so hopefully there are some clean scrubs in the supply closet.
“Look, Sid,” Geno whines pitifully. “You distract and now my shirt soaked.”
Sidney stands unfazed by the spray of water on his wetsuit, although the dripping hair forming dark curls across his forehead is sending butterflies dancing around in Geno’s stomach. It’s entirely unfair how beautiful Sidney looks in a generally unflattering piece of clothing, especially when Geno’s own wetsuit makes him look like a gangly giraffe wrapped in rubber. He looks away before he can get caught staring and begins unbuttoning his shirt, the cool water making the fabric feel tacky and uncomfortable against his skin. A crash makes him jump, startled by the loud noise. When he glances up, Sidney is bent over a bucket of cleaning supplies which are now scattered across the ground, that charming blush spreading across his cheeks once more.
“So clumsy, Sid,” Geno chides gently. He pauses in his undress to go help, but Sidney quickly bounces up just as Geno walks over, already backing away towards the storage rooms.
“I’ll just—I’ll see you later, G,” Sidney stumbles over his words before making a fast retreat.
If Geno watches him walk away for a few moments longer than necessary, well...he’s only human.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It’s been almost three weeks since Lacerta was rescued, and she’s an entirely different whale from when they first found her. Her weight is up, she flits about the large enclosure with increased amounts of energy, and her overall playfulness and demeanor is encouraging to see.
“I can never decide if I love or hate this part,” Sidney remarks, walking up to stand beside Geno as he preps his diving gear. Sidney’s actually wearing regular work attire today: khaki cargo shorts, a navy blue polo with the rescue center’s logo embroidered on the chest, and his ever-present yellow crocs. It’s rare to see him out of the water for a day, but Geno knows it’s Sidney’s way of avoiding the goodbyes.
Geno hums in agreement, soaking in these last few moments. It’s always bittersweet releasing an animal back into the wild. They spend so much time together, working so closely with them with the intent to rehabilitate them for this very purpose, but that can make it all the more difficult to let go when the time comes. The animals that reach their facilities tend to arrive with severe injuries or needs, so even with the care they receive here there’s still a decent chance they won’t survive long after being set free. That is the true hard part.
“Lacerta need to integrate back with a pod before too late, Sid,” Geno eventually replies.
“I know,” Sidney sighs. “I wish we could’ve found her mother, though. She’s so young.”
They’d attempted to locate any local cows who may have given birth this season or lost their calf, but the efforts had been fruitless. Most of the employees believe Lacerta’s mother was likely the victim of an orca attack. Geno knows Sidney is worried Lacerta won’t survive without her mother. She is still quite young to be out on her own, but they are reaching the point when it will do more harm than good to keep her here. Whales aren’t meant for captivity; even these past few weeks are pushing the limits of her care.
“She strong and fast,” Geno says rather than voicing his thoughts. “Will travel to feeding ground with pods and make new family.”
A technician calls out to Geno before Sidney can reply, so Geno grabs his diving gear and finishes strapping on the equipment. He needs to tag Lacerta and run some final exams on her before she can be officially released, but Geno knows she’s ready. They’ve been counting down the days for most of this week.
“Tell her goodbye for me,” Sidney requests, like he does every time.
Geno makes a silly face behind his diving mask just to see Sidney smile once more, then pats him comfortingly on the shoulder and heads down the ramp that hangs over the water.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“What’s this, Geno?” Sidney walks into Geno’s office unannounced three days later, holding his hand out in front of him.
Geno doesn’t bother to look up from the report he’s typing. He’s used to Sidney letting himself in by now. “What?”
“This,” Sidney replies, thrusting his hand out further. Resting on his palm is the silver keychain Geno had purchased on a whim yesterday. He could only take so much of Sidney’s moping about Lacerta’s release before attempting to do something about it.
“What it look like? Is whale charm for keys. You always lose.”
Sidney huffs. “Look, I appreciate the thought, but you can’t just—”
“Lacerta not forget you, Sid,” Geno cuts him off. “She smart, you kind. Is special bond.”
“That’s not even—”
“Sid,” Geno interrupts again, putting his work aside. This is clearly going to take his full attention. “You allowed to feel things. Okay to be sad. We not think you weak or silly. You amazing, best at your job, always try hardest to help. That makes goodbye hard.”
“I...you think I’m amazing?”
Of course that’s all he got out of that explanation. Smiling, Geno rises and walks over to Sidney, standing a little closer than he would normally dare. “Most amazing. All animals love. Care so much all the time. Nobody else like you, Sid.”
Sidney looks away, Geno’s steady gaze tracking the rise and fall of his chest as he takes a fortifying breath. “There are many people who could do my job, Geno.”
“Not just a job to you,” Geno disagrees, gently guiding Sidney’s chin up so their eyes meet. “You best.”
“I don’t think—”
“Why always argue?” Geno chuckles. “I know best. Just accept.”
“You just want me to admit you’re right about something,” Sidney replies with a petulant huff, still arguing, the tiny beginnings of a smile starting to appear on his face.
“Yes, reveal master plan.” Geno rolls his eyes, taking another step closer. “Can’t just say thank you, Sid?”
Sidney blinks as though just realizing how rude he’s been. The thought doesn’t quite seem to compute with his polite, Canadian brain. “Of course. Thank you, Geno. It’s lovely.”
“Will use it?” Geno presses.
“I—” Sidney’s breath catches as Geno moves closer still.
“Find it in store,” Geno continues softly. “Think of Lacerta, remind me of you, work so hard with her. So beautiful swimming around in water.”
“She really was,” Sidney agrees.
Geno shakes his head. “Not talking about her, Sid.”
Their eyes meet again, a question in Sidney’s dark eyes that he doesn’t seem willing to voice. They are standing close enough now that Geno can feel Sidney’s warm exhales against his neck where his collar lies open, the sensation sending goosebumps across his skin. Geno bends down slowly, so as not to startle Sidney, their noses just brushing.
“So beautiful, Sid,” he whispers, helpless to resist the pull of Sidney that draws him ever nearer.
He remains there, waiting, the sound of their breaths the only noise in his quiet office. They’ve been dancing around each other for weeks, months even, Sidney always moving close and then away like a sunbeam dancing upon the open water. Geno doesn’t want to scare him off, would wait months more for Sidney, but the ache in his chest feels nearly unbearable right now in the tense silence.
“Geno,” Sidney finally says, so many unspoken words layered into his voice as he reaches up, one hand settling on the side of Geno’s neck, pulling him down the few inches necessary for their lips to meet.
Geno sighs into the kiss, the tense set of his shoulders melting away as he gathers Sidney closer, arms around his waist. Sidney tastes like the salt water he so often works in, his lips soft and warm against Geno’s. Time feels like it’s moving in slow motion as they kiss and Geno is content to linger there, savoring the feeling. Their lips gently separate what feels like hours later, yet altogether too soon, exhales mingling between them as neither of them move any farther apart than necessary. Geno strokes his hands gently up Sidney’s back, urging away the nervousness he can already feel gathering there. He delights in the flush that returns to Sidney’s cheeks and knowing he’s the cause of it.
Sidney hides his face in Geno’s neck, but Geno can feel the curve of Sidney’s lips and an answering smile blooms on his own face. He commits this moment to memory, somehow knowing that Sidney’s going to make him work for another one like it. If there’s anything Sidney’s always been entirely genuine and open about, it’s his dedication to his job. That’s part of what drew Geno to him in the first place. As good as this feels, Geno can almost guarantee Sidney won’t want to jeopardize their assignments by letting Geno distract him with kisses and touches at work.
Geno looks forward to testing this theory in the very near future.
Thank you for letting us participate in this, @sidgenophotochallenge!
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