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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Creation”

Happy Saturday, everyone! Oh man, oh man, oh man. I think I'll need to steer clear of the general RWBY tags this week, simply because I know the sort of responses I'll see to this episode. From smug celebration at Ironwood's downfall, to bad takes about what makes us human, this episode is a petri dish of sensitive material handled insensitively.

Let’s unpack it, shall we?

We open on an action that feels like a summery of the last three volumes: a grimm attacks an airship from the front, no doubt killing its pilot, while the other grimm conveniently ignore our heroes, no masking in sight. The group looks a little sad at the destruction around them, but ultimately ignore it because they have bigger, heroic things to do. I could write a whole, additional essay on how the huntsmen code — to protect the people — has been warped and abandoned by our protagonists in their effort to do what they think is right. It's a tale that might have been compelling if only RT knew they were writing it.

We get a shot of Atlas drones unloading the bomb before one is taken out, presumably by Qrow and Robyn. Segueing to Ironwood and the Ace Ops, they're waiting for Penny to arrive, the former carrying a massive gun presumably capable of capturing her. Despite the horror we saw on their faces last episode at the realization that Ironwood would kill Marrow for speaking up, it seems that now the Ace Ops are entirely in agreement with these measures. A week ago the implication was that they fell back in line out of fear, but now Harriet talks passionately about "putting down" the group if they were stupid enough to accompany Penny. "The General gave his terms." Vine sighs at this, but doesn't actively disagree. He's just "retracing the steps that led us here."

So, congratulations on introducing four new characters, not bothering to develop any of them, killing one off while ignoring Qrow's hand in that, and having the other three become all, "Yeah! Mass murder is a perfect solution!" off screen. Marrow is the only one with something resembling development and, as covered in these recaps, that's been pretty badly executed too.

Ironwood sends them to deal with Robyn and Qrow after Winter reappears to "assist" him. That gets quotation marks because most viewers at this point have realized that she's who our two birbs spotted in the elevator. Winter isn't on Ironwood's side anymore, she's just skillfully clearing the field for the final attack. Indeed, we get a moment where she hesitantly brings up the bomb and Ironwood responds that he hopes she's not going to try and talk him out of it. No. Winter doesn't think that's possible. This was her final attempt at peace.

One of the reasons why I think I'll stick to my own blog for a while is because the fandom has a tendency to paint broad personality traits as evil when applied to some characters, yet simultaneously heroic when applied to others, when really it's about how that those traits are used. What I mean is, I've seen a lot of Ironwood critical posts that emphasize how stubborn he is. He thinks he's right and he won't back down. He wont listen to others. He's going through with this plan and if anyone tries to stop him? That's their mistake. Totally evil, right? Except, this is the exact same behavior Ruby displays, particularly in Volumes 6 and 7. She was stubborn about stealing from Argus and continuing the fight to the point where it endangered her and her teammates, to say nothing of the rest of the city. She refused to listen to Qrow, or Ironwood, or the Ace Ops, loudly announcing that she was right about, well, everything. If they didn't agree with her, the options were to leave the group entirely, or fight her. The actual difference here is that the writers have taken Ironwood to an extreme, one that's incredibly easy to understand as bad because it is bad: bombing Mantle has no defense. Ruby pulls the exact same nonsense, it's just not to that same extreme and her actions are followed by scenes that are meant to make us forgive her: a sad look because she didn't mean to get a city attacked by a leviathan grimm, a cry on the staircase because she didn't mean to risk the lives of an entire kingdom... even though she did. Ironwood is the bad guy because he's been written to take specific, OOC actions like shooting unarmed kids. He's not the bad guy because when other characters go, "Don't do this" his response is, "I have to." Because that's been Ruby's motto ever since she "had" to use the Lamp to rip Ozpin’s life story away. RWBY introduced those extreme actions of shooting the youngest in the group (for no reason) and threatening to bomb a city (for no reason) or shooting a councilman (for no reason) because when you remove those you've got a man who looks exactly like our hero. Ironwood's arc has been peppered with these confusing, unpersuasive actions because if you just keep the story as him stubbornly keeping to a plan he thinks will save the world, you're left with the reminder that all Ruby has done lately is stubbornly keep to plans she thinks will save the world. This moment with Winter just highlights how ill thought out Ironwood's descent has been because he does everything Ruby does... with a few, tacked on, “and randomly shoots people!” moments to ensure we understand that he’s definitely evil. No comparison to our heroes here, folks!

Ironwood is a bad guy now. That’s certain, but he was made that way so the story never had to grapple with the question of what that means for Ruby if we really start condemning things like lying, secrets, stubbornness, or endangering others for the greater good. Well then damn, if we strip away the hypocrisy then she might not be a good person after all. Or the people she’s simplistically labeled as bad might not be the devils Ruby claims they are.

But that’s a level of nuance RWBY would rather pretend doesn’t exist.

All of which is highlighted by Ironwood’s reaction to "Penny." He sighs and sags over the gun, immediately putting it aside. With his hand on her shoulder, Ironwood tells her she's "done the right thing." Precisely the same way Ruby would lower Crescent Rose and give someone a smile when they decided to fall in line with her.

Which, of course, is the moment when Emerald reveals herself, dispelling the Penny illusion and revealing Team JNPR The Second behind her. She gives a quip about it feeling "weird" to do the right thing before disappearing.

From there the action picks up fast. I really enjoyed this battle simply from a choreography and energy standpoint. It gets the blood pumping, Ironwood's hand-to-hand is spectacular — especially that moment against Ren — and the group actually displays teamwork for the first time in what feels like forever, all of them needed to land a hit on Ironwood. As always, out of the context of the rest of the show it feels and looks great. My primary issue is that we get this fantastic fight against Ironwood. Not Salem, not Cinder, not Watts (like last volume when Ironwood was still a hero), not even Emerald as a means of transitioning from murderous villain to the group's best bud. No, what's arguably the best action sequence in the volume thus far goes to beating up the guy they betrayed from the start. There's no catharsis for me here, only frustration as we watch Ironwood stand in shock as Winter powers up Nora — who's fine now, I guess — and she slams her hammer into his face.

It never should have come to this and when a good character is done so dirty, their downfall doesn't evoke the emotions the writers are looking for. Watching Ironwood fall doesn't generate feelings of victory, or even tragedy at a course of events others were powerless to stop. It's just frustration at watching years worth of bad writing, sprinkled with fantastic ideas that never go anywhere.

Oscar gets a few hits in, Ironwood snatches his cane, and just as he's about to throw a punch, Winter arrives with the most dramatic sword slash I've ever seen.

Ironwood's aura breaks and he falls, unconscious. We cut to an image of a droid's head separated from its body, one of Robyn's arrows through its skull. That doesn't have meaning or anything.

I suppose I should be grateful they didn't rip Ironwood's arm away during the fight, or outright kill him, though I'm still expecting him to die before the end of the volume.

Hmm. Wouldn't that be something? If after Salem's arrival, freezing cold, a Hound attack, grimm soup, a giant whale, a massive army, and a hack ending in self-destruction, the one character who actually dies is Ironwood.

It's looking more and more likely.

Honestly, beyond all the obvious, what's so frustrating about this fight is that characters are only now using their impressive abilities to their fullest. Emerald creates an entire fantasy of what's happening and then straight up disappears, but she only does a half-assed version of that when fighting against Penny. (And really, she put more effort into helping the heroes she just joined over Cinder, the woman she's been obsessed with since the start?) Marrow refuses to use "Stay" against a group they wanted to peacefully arrest because that's just too horrible an act, I guess, but he'll do it on his own teammates the second Qrow and Robyn don’t want to fight.

This is what I mean when I say the rules of the world bend to assist the protagonists in absurd ways. It's not nearly as egregious as Amity suddenly being up and running, but the fact that characters become substantially more powerful while fighting for the protagonists than they do against them is still a significant problem.

So Ironwood is down and out. As much as I hated watching that and didn't necessarily want more, am I the only one who felt like it was... a bit lackluster? I mean, the action was great, yes, but relatively short. There was no dialogue, such as another delve into the moral questions that led to this fight in the first place. There certainly wasn’t any hesitance against fighting a former ally. (Again, we’re meant to believe that the Ace Ops won because they just couldn’t bear to fight the group seriously, but every former ally here is capable of wailing on Ironwood without a single pause or pained look?) Ironwood just skillfully blocks for a while, is blindsided by Winter's betrayal, and then falls unconscious. Given that we learn he and Jacques will be evacuated after the rest of the kingdom, it's possible he'll escape somehow and we'll get a fight 2.0, but if not that feels like a rather tame end to the guy forced into the antagonist seat. Plus, what was the point of having Qrow frothing at the mouth to kill him this whole volume? I never wanted that to happen, I'm glad it hasn't, but I'm nevertheless left to ask why we bothered with that eleven episode side plot if we were going to erase it with one sentence from Robyn about Qrow being better than this. If that's all it took, let them work through Qrow's irrational anger while sitting around in a cell.

Winter tells the group to move onto "phase two" which is when we're treated to a flashback. We return to the ending of the last episode, with Ruby realizing that opening the vault is an option. Jaune, all smiles, goes, "We never considered using what's inside!"

This is what I mean about no consequences! This is what I mean about it all being a meaningless circle that ends with undeserved praise for the group! We started this horror show with Ironwood going, "We don't have a plan to protect the people, so I'm going to take what people we do have to safety" and the group going, "We don't have a plan either, but we're going to stop you implementing your plan because it's not perfect, risking a kingdom's worth of lives in the process." Now, the group has used two plans, one of which two characters knew about at the start and another they could have devised with the information they had. Oscar and Ozpin's, "We have an all powerful magical blast in our cane" and the group's "What if we used the Staff for something other than raising Atlas?" are both things that could have come up in the office debate. These were both always on the table! Instead, Ruby grew furious over the mere thought of cutting their losses, betrayed Ironwood again, attacked his people, denounced him to the world, and then two days later goes, "Oh wait! We could do something now that we could have easily done before if we hadn't made a needless enemy!"

Everyone realizes how much worse they made things, right? Turning against Ironwood, bringing everyone left in Mantle directly under Atlas, sitting around while an army was devoured, drawing it out until Penny was hacked... all of it would have been avoided if the group had thought and discussed things for a few minutes, not jumping straight to violently resisting what Ironwood came up with first. "We never considered..." Ruby says. Yeah, you didn't, except that's not something to smile about. The group made the situation a thousand times worse with their reaction when they could have just magically evacuated the kingdom from the start. “Maybe we could use it to save Penny and get everyone in Atlas and Mantle back to safety." Nothing has changed! They had this ability the whole time! Nothing about the last twelve episodes led them here, they just randomly thought of it after RT had padded the volume with needless drama. Considering that they're heading to Vacuo now, we could have just made this the finale of Volume 7 instead: big fight with Ironwood, revelation, get everyone evacuated while Salem attacks, leave her behind, then Volume 8 begins in Vacuo with the group knowing Salem is out there looking for them. This entire volume has been pointless. What did they accomplish?

Oscar got kidnapped and beat up, Nora was scarred, Ruby and Yang realized horrible things about Summer, and the whole world is panicking about a witch. Good things are... Ren and Ruby unlocked some semblance stuff? Weiss loves her brother again after he proved himself useful to her? Great work, team.

So this one moment makes everything they've done up to this point useless and, of course, once thought up the plan goes off without a hitch. Note that the summary of this episode says, "It's risky, dangerous, and nearly impossible — but it's the only plan they've got." Nearly impossible? That's a whole lot of talk for a plan that was implemented perfectly.

There is, admittedly, one snag, but one that is likewise made meaningless just seconds later. We'll get to that.

We see Winter call Weiss who also smiles at hearing from her sister. Obviously interactions like the group's with Emerald are the bigger concern, but it's still an issue that no one reacts as they should to people reappearing in their lives. Rather, RWBY continually confuses audience knowledge with character knowledge. We know Winter is on their side now, but Weiss hasn't a clue. Last she saw, she and Winter were agreeing to head down different paths. She has no reason to think her sister isn't loyal to Ironwood, so why isn't the group treating this call with suspicion? What if it's Ironwood trying to mess with them through a presumably safe party? I swear to god, with any consistency in the story this group would be dead ten times over because their decisions are so stupid. Oscar decides to believe in the guy currently beating him to a pulp, the group decides to trust a villain over a flawed ally, and now they see Ironwood’s second calling and are like, “Great, big sister Winter is checking in!” There’s a difference between a hopeful story filled with second chances and characters whose reliance on the narrative bending to assist them makes them come across as insanely naive.

None of which even touches on characters forgetting that other characters are presumably dead. Ironwood shot Oscar off the edge of Atlas, but doesn't react to learning he was kidnapped, or when he shows up to the fight. Thanks to Marrow's comment, Winter thinks YJOR have perished in the whale, but also has no reaction to them appearing to help with this plan. Absolutely nothing is followed up on.

We then get a flashback within the flashback (fun) of Winter — shock — not arresting Marrow. It's precisely as I assumed, with Marrow angrily asking why she hit him and Winter responding with, “Because you were about to get killed if I didn’t do something!” As I said last recap, I feel like I should let the marginalized groups lead this discussion, but I do want to add that no matter how well intentioned — or strategic, as I mentioned last time — the imagery itself is still harmful. No matter the context, we were still left with white woman Winter putting her knee on black man Marrow's back to arrest him, and it’s an image that everyone in the U.S. should be familiar with the horror of. Far more of a problem than the (presumed) ignorance of this scene is, I think, the choice to make Winter entirely unrepentant. I think some of this discomfort could have been alleviated if RT had written Winter as apologetic, contrite that it came to that and asking Marrow to understand that she only did it as a means of assisting him. Asking his forgiveness. Instead, we get this

So what, the only emotion we have room for is gratitude that Winter beat him up? Yikes.

As a lighter side note, I find the animation here unintentionally hilarious. Winter's assistive device makes her shoulders look too high, making this gesture more, "Woman exaggeratedly pouts about not getting ice cream for dinner" and less, "Woman sternly closes off during a disagreement about saving lives and betraying their general." Gotta find our humor where we can, right?

What's intentional, but far less funny, is the needless animation to show us that, yes, Marrow is peering at Winter calling Weiss. Oh, the shenanigans.

The elevator opens where Qrow and Robyn spot them. "Speaking of help," Winter says, as if she has any reason to believe Qrow didn't kill Clover. He and Robyn lower their weapons a bit, as if they have any reason to believe Winter and Marrow aren't still loyal to Ironwood. Would it really be so hard to have Winter immediately throw up her hands in the face of their almost-attack, blurting that she's not their enemy and needs their help, please listen? Again, RWBY can't remember which characters know what, let alone what their motivations and reactions should be.

We then enter the third part of the flashback where everyone piles into the Schnee dining room and discusses doing the things they could have done from the start. I'm metaphorically banging my head against that table. In RWBY's favor though, we also get a long shot of Jaune continuing to boost Penny’s aura.

Though it's only one of many issues, just the other day I asked, "Hey, why has Jaune always needed to hold onto the person he's assisting, but now suddenly he can touch Penny once and the boost remains?" It still doesn't explain why he was letting go before/why him needing to boost her continuously didn't put a hard time limit on their plan — not that Mantle's hour limit meant a thing — but at least they're showing more of that here.

Oscar notes that Atlas has enough gravity dust that it won't fall immediately when they use the Relic, but they will have to move fast to ensure no one is underneath. Yeah, like all the civilians you put there. He also cautions that the Staff isn't a "magic wand" that they can just wave to make all their problems go away... even though that's precisely what they're going to do. Ozpin gets some lines that aren't apologies or followed by attacks — hallelujah! — about how the Staff's spirit is a "character" and requires that you be able to precisely explain anything you want him to make. Blueprints, examples, a firm knowledge of how this will be accomplished — all of it is required to actually get what you're after. That's a cool limitation. It's just too bad we didn't know about it episodes ago, forcing our heroes to find ways to meet those requirements. Instead, they already have everything ready to go the moment they learn about it: Penny has her own schematics and Whitley apparently has knowledge of the entire kingdom after sending some ships out. Normally I'd go, "Really?" but I'm still just struck by how much good he's done compared to everyone else in this room. Your show is seriously broken when the side character the writers didn't even want the audience to like until a few episodes ago is more active, mature, and sensible than the heroes.

From there we see the group implementing the plan. They fly up through the hole Oscar left, straight to the vault. Penny opens it without any trouble and Ruby uses her speed to grab the Relic and stop time, halting her self-termination. I do like that combination of skill and their knowledge of how this magic works. That felt like a smart move. What's interesting though is that the Relic appears to stop time in the entire kingdom. We see people in Mantle and Atlas slowing to a halt too. I assume no one remembers that happening after time restarts, otherwise people would be freaked out by suddenly being frozen in place.

Wouldn't that have been cool though? The group often takes a while to use the Relics, either deciding what they need, or watching Jinn's information, so what if you had a population that blinks and suddenly, from their perspective, half an hour has passed? How long might Ozpin have sat on his knees after Jinn told him he wasn't able to defeat Salem? How long was that space frozen? We could have had a world built around rumors and fairy tales. Not the random stories Ozpin brings up to make a point and that we never hear about again, but tiny details that foreshadow these revelations. A Beacon where the kids tell each other spooky stories of people suddenly losing time, once a whole day. The wives, sisters, daughters, and nieces who disappear, or wake up one day with horrifying, unnatural powers. We see magic influence the world around it, but we've seen very little of the world reacting to that influence. The one time I can think of is Blake reading a book about "a man with two souls," the fiction clearly inspired by knowledge of Ozpin. And indeed, it felt great to recognize that as a significant detail and then be proven right years later as the lore was revealed. We could have gotten so much more of that if RWBY was better planned out.

I'm getting off track though. As time stops we see a series of images: Ironwood being led to a cell with Jacques, Penny succumbing to her hack, Team JNPR The Second preparing to contact the kingdom about what's going on. Then everyone is distracted by the giant, blue, buff Ambrosius who comes out of the Staff.

...there's a lot of innuendo in that last statement lol. At least RWBY is committed to the crazy design they chose? I was never particularly comfortable with the image of characters gaping up at a giant, naked woman in chains, so it's nice to balance that a bit with an equally giant, naked dude in chains.

From here things get confusing. In all honesty, I'm not sure if this is another moment where RWBY is trying to pass off a retcon as the group being brilliant, or if I, as an individual, simply didn't follow the logic. I won't bother to rehash the slow, meandering way that Ruby reveals their plan — that certainly didn't help with the clarity. Not in an episode where we didn’t even know these rules ahead of time — but it boils down to this:

The moment they have Ambrosius create something new Atlas will start to fall. Two of his creations can't exist at the same time.

He needs clear instructions about what he's making in order to create it.

The group has brought him Penny's schematics so that he understands how she's built.

They want, specifically, "a new version of her... using her exact robot parts."

They can't just create an exact duplicate of Penny because that would carry the virus with it.

They can't create an exact duplicate without the virus because that Penny would cease to exist as soon as they used Ambrosius to make an evacuation plan instead.

So they essentially want Ambrosius to create a new Penny by removing all the robot parts from the Penny that currently exists, carrying the virus with them, and leaving only the human parts of Penny behind: her aura/soul. Then, the purely robot version is destroyed when Ambrosius creates something new.

Except... this new Penny, this human Penny, still needed a human body. That's what Ambrosius created and that's the snag I don't understand. They want a version of Penny that's just her aura, just her soul, but that soul still needs something to be housed in. Ambrosius himself notes that. At first I thought the group would just have some wisp-like version of Penny they'd have to find a new body for — perhaps leading to a new one for Ozpin too — but she's just... given a human body when he takes the technology away, something she absolutely didn't have before. That is Ambrosius' creation. That is what should have disappeared along with the removed parts of Penny, leaving only her soul — what Ambrosius didn't touch — behind. Instead, the plot oh so conveniently has Penny get a new body for free and it's untouched as they move onto the next task.

Ruby drops a casual line about Ambrosius not being able to kill, or destroy, or something, which I think is meant to be the justification here. The rule (which, again, we JUST learned) about not killing anyone supersedes the rule of two creations not allowed to exist, allowing Penny to stick around. But even if that’s true, it’s a load of bull. What, does the magic think no one in an entire city might die if the floating mechanism is removed and it plummets to the ground? Ambrosius didn’t say, “Sorry, can’t stop floating Atlas because thousands of people are still here and they’ll die if I create something new,” but we’re supposed to believe the group skated by on, “Sorry, can’t destroy the last creation like everything else because there’s a single person still using that body and she’ll die if I create something new”?

Seriously, did I miss something? Or is this another, "Amity is ready because the group needs it" situation? The rule of creations ceasing to exist is bent because the group needs to have their friend around. Ambrosius is certainly enthusiastically complimentary, saying how "smart" the group is and that they've "done their homework," but I'm not so sure. It feels like a moment where the show is (once again) insistent that the group is far more talented and brilliant than their actions actually imply. It's only the rules of the world twisting and turning that allows for their success. To say nothing of how the episode dropped all these rules on the viewer in a ten minute info dump, ensuring we didn’t have any time to think about them before the deed was done.

It doesn't add up for me and honestly, even putting that aside? I hate this. I absolutely despise it. Look, if it turns out this really does make sense then props to the group for coming up with that plan. Our snag aside, the rest is a legitimately well thought out wish. I don't have a problem with the execution so much as the message. I've been saying since Volume 7 that RWBY has done Penny a disservice in terms of her "real girl" narrative. Whereas before we had a firm message that you don't need "squishy guts" to be human, to be real, Volume 8 continued to carry us further and further into the idea that it is necessary. That Penny's body is entirely inhuman, something to hate, but at least her soul is human and good. That's what the virus arc taught us: your terrible, technological body might be betraying you, but hold onto the parts of you that are really human. I hated that too, but I never thought RWBY would go this far. They made Penny fully human and went, “THIS is the version that always should have existed.”

And this isn't just me reading into the implications. It's right there in the text. Blake says that they're looking for “Penny, the girl who’s always been there underneath." Meaning, underneath the metal. The girl exists trapped in the robot body. Yang holds up her arm and says that the metal is only "extra," it's not really who you are.

That gets into two perspectives on disability that RWBY just doesn't have the nuance for: what's an integral and celebratory part of one person's existence can be seen as something separate and discomforting to another. Though there are many people with disabilities who would happily cure themselves with a magic Staff if given the chance, there are just as many who say no, this is a part of my identity. I don't want to change, I just want the world to accommodate my existence. However, RWBY takes a hard stance here, saying that any metal in your body is intrinsically bad. We didn’t use to have this take, but now the show has embraced it. Blake says the real Penny is trapped in there. Yang's words implies that she'd get rid of this "extra" bit of her if possible. Mercury with his metal legs is the enemy. Ironwood with half his metal body is the enemy. Whereas once difference was truly accepted, now it's shunned and fixed whenever possible. Those who can't be fixed, like Yang, must simply deal with the lot they've been dealt, reassuring themselves that the metal isn't really them. But Penny? Penny they can fix.

So they do and the very first thing Penny does is hug Ruby, exclaiming, “Do hugs always make you feel this warm inside? Wow. More!” and proceeds to hug all the others.

What's the underlying message there? Penny didn't understand hugs before this moment. She never experienced the "warmth" of them while an android, despite the fact that here warmth is entirely metaphorical and has nothing to do with a literally cold body. RWBY really went and said that the "real girl” android was never actually real at all — not as real as she could be — because it's only when she's given "squishy guts" that she understands the true happiness of a hug.

Wow.

I mean seriously, wow.

Never-mind that, you know, we've seen that happiness and warmth since she was first introduced.

RWBY is really rewriting all the core themes introduced in Volumes 1-3 and it sucks. The show is absolutely the worse for it.

To say nothing of all the other disservices to Penny's character here. There's all this buildup about whether she'll still be the same Penny once the wish is complete, but of course she is. We wouldn't want to have Penny struggle when she becomes something other than what she's always been, would we? After all, it took Yang an entire volume to work through the shock of a metal arm, but taking away a metal body for a human one is in no way traumatic. Having a normal, human body is intrinsically a good thing! Of course Penny accepts it with nothing but smiles. Becoming human is celebratory, but becoming more machine is a horror.

She gets to watch her body self-destruct, glitching out and collapsing in front of her. But again, nothing to unpack there that can't be covered with a hand over her mouth.

There's no discussion of whether Penny still has the Maiden powers, or whether a wish like that would mess with the transfer in any way. How did the group know this action wouldn't register as a clear-cut death, forcing the power out of her and into someone new? Obviously they couldn’t know, but no one even thought to bring it up?

And the entire time they're formulating their evacuation plan, there's no talk of whether these portals will appear before everyone currently alive in the kingdom. I mean, if they do then Ironwood and Jacques can just waltz through and escape into Vacuo. If they don’t, then Maria and Pietro don't necessarily have a way out. We still don't know if they're stuck floating in Amity, or if Amity crashed, or if they made their way back to Mantle or Atlas. More importantly, the characters don't know. I have no problem with RWBY keeping that a surprise until the finale, but I absolutely take issue with Pietro's daughter walking through a portal, seemingly not to care whether her father is going to make it out too.

It's been the same with Qrow and his nieces' relationships. The show is good at insisting that these families love each other because they hug and smile while on screen together, but when shit is actually going down, none of them care about pesky things like disappearances, arrests, or “The last time I saw you, you were with an old woman on a damaged station after a villain attack, potentially stranded in deadly cold if life support failed.”

So yeah, this entire arc with Penny has been a disaster. From throwing away her framing subplot, to giving her a virus that did absolutely nothing, to giving her the Maiden powers which she's also done nothing with, to erasing her android status for a “She's really human now” message, Penny has been done dirty by the show these last two volumes. Not nearly to the extent Ironwood has, but still. At this point I wish they'd just kept her dead dead. Why do I want her back when that resurrection produces no reaction, her conflicts lead nowhere, and one of the core things that made Penny Penny has now been magically erased?

I've been saying for weeks that killing Penny off and keeping Penny around each had serious downsides attached, yet I never expected RWBY to do BOTH.

Also, I'm warding off any, "But Pinocchio was made into a real boy too" defenses. RWBY is not Pinocchio. Penny is not Pinocchio. I thought the allusion was going to be the Pinocchio inspired girl heading into the whale, not the show forcing the exact plotline — down to a blue, magical creature — onto a character whose entire journey has been about accepting herself as an android. Congratulations, RT. You just obliterated years of work.

Again, if you'd like an example of how to do this far better:

As Penny's character falls apart, Atlas shakes, alerting Jaune and the other that a new wish has been granted. Jaune pecks at the screen and realizes "That did, uh, something…?” but doesn’t realize that there's a giant, red "LIVE" up in the corner.

Jaune tries to warn the entire kingdom about their plan, but what he actually says is

“Atlas is falling, but — !”

And then the communications cut out.

Watts, perhaps?

Our heroes are really good at saying things that make large populaces panic, huh? This is the one (1) snag in their "impossible" plan, but as said above, it doesn't amount to anything. We get a shot of Nora, horrified at the thought of kingdom-wide communications being down, but literally seconds later Team RWBY has made portals appear that everyone can walk through. So... why do we care about communications? More importantly, why does the show try to make us care? So much time is spent getting the viewer invested in problems that never come to mean anything.

Including the problem of Salem herself.

Because the group successfully creates that evacuation plan. This is it. Everyone is leaving while Salem still reforms.

Yang asks if they can use the vaults themselves as a single point for everyone to go to and Ambrosius agrees. So everyone is going to pile into the Vacuo vault that can only be opened by an unknown Maiden? They're going to put an entire kingdom's worth of people, including their enemies, into the vault where the Relic of Destruction is? Yeah, that's great. Prior to this — like if this had been the plan at the end of Volume 7 — I would have 100% agreed that these risks are better than death by Salem/grimm/cold. Now though, Oscar as axed Salem for an unknown length of time, the cold is having no impact on the civilians outside, and the grimm only attack background military personnel that supposedly no one cares about. They couldn't have spent another few minutes (especially with time stopped!) to figure out a means of getting to Vacuo that doesn't involve revealing and providing access to the location of a super secret vault? To say nothing of what they're going to do if Salem wakes up and snags one of those portals for herself. Two kingdoms for the price of one!

But that's what they're going with. Weiss gives Ambrosius a schematic of the kingdom, I guess, and he makes branching pathways appear with numerous portals for everyone to step through. They'll enter through one and, when they exit another, will be in Vacuo. Easy peasy, right? Especially since Ambrosius doesn't seem to have any limitations about how often his power is used. Is it three creations every 100 years like Jinn? We're not told, at least not to my recollection. However, I was expecting there to be a waiting period, that they'd fix Penny, go to evacuate the kingdom, and learn that sorry, I can't make another creation just yet. It feels like the sort of shit move these beings would pull — "Don't cry to me when it's not what you wanted" — it would have been another commentary on the group's insistence on putting friends over the people's safety (like demanding the Ace Ops not bomb the whale because of Oscar), and crucially, would have kept the action in Atlas. Isn't that what this volume is? The battle for and potential destruction of the Kingdom of Atlas? We have two episodes left and, unless something unexpected happens, we're moving that action to Vacuo. Why?

Meanwhile, Penny's corpse is just chilling in the background 😬

While all this is going on, Winter reassures Jacques that he and Ironwood will be evacuated too, though she makes it clear saving him was Weiss' idea. It checks out, considering Weiss is the one who turned her father's arrest into a joke last volume. Winter still takes his abuse seriously.

The group prepares to leave with a celebratory, "We did it!" from Weiss. I'm still banging my head against that dining room table. Before they can pass through the portal though, Ambrosius leaves them with one, dire warning: "Do not fall."

In any other story a line like that is a neon sign announcing to the audience that someone will absolutely fall, and maybe they will, but RWBY has dodged consequences so often I wouldn't be surprised if this was merely another way to string us along. Remember all the hype surrounding Salem? The cold combined with her army and magic? How she was going to decimate Atlas and leave our group broken in a Fall 2.0?

I mean, we still have two episodes left. Forty minutes of content. Salem might still decimate them, especially since something has to happen in the finale. But god, it's a problem that we've come this far without a payoff. Salem randomly decided not to attack anyone, was stopped by a weapon added in solely for this purpose, and now the whole kingdom is being evacuated with a plan the group could have used at the start. This volume really is meaningless.

“We go to vacuo and hope we’ve thought of everything” they say as the camera zooms in on Cinder's smiling face. For the second week in a row.

Bingo time!

Winter betrayed Ironwood, the group used the Staff of Creation, and I'm axing Maria on behalf of Pietro. You can't have the guy's daughter become human — after he was killing himself to give her his aura?? — and magically walk to Vacuo, not knowing if he's even survived since she last saw him, and expect me to think he hasn't been forgotten. Same with Maria. Has the group mentioned her since Amity cut out, notably for reasons they couldn’t explain? Of course not. Did they care to find out what happened? Of course not. I have no doubt they'll both re-appear in the next two episodes, Pietro crying over how perfect his girl is now and Maria congratulating the group on their actions, but we're still marking it.

This is the ugliest thing I’ve ever created, I hope you all are enjoying it :D

Another week, another couple feet added to the hole we’re digging. I know I keep saying I have no idea what's going to happen next... but I have no idea what's going to happen next. A Vacuo ending was not in the cards, not outside of them miraculously showing up in ships. Maybe they have been on their way to Atlas (somehow...) and will arrive precisely when everyone has left! Anything is possible at this point.

See you next Saturday, everyone. Hold on until then lol. 💜

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #mymetas #rwby recaps #rwby creation

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whentheynameyoujoy · 3 years

Text

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

youtube

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

#atla #atla movie #zutara #anti bryke #dev patel #the last airbender #anti-kataang

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imherongraystairstrash · 3 years

Note

could you do the prompt "you look awful" with alastair and lucie? (platonically ofc)

Writing fanfiction instead of doing my homework checkkk ✌️

Characters: Lucie and Alastair (Platonic) Prompt: “You Look Awful”

Lucie didn’t remember the last time she had cried. Maybe it was because she submerged herself into her pride and joy, “The Beautiful Cordelia”, whenever she was sad. And she could do whatever she wanted when she wrote. Nothing was out of reach. She could make the villains lose and the hero win every, single time. She took comfort in knowing she could do the opposite, should she wish to. In her stories, nothing happened without her consent.

But in real life? The rash reality was that she couldn’t fix anything with a swish of her quill. She couldn’t erase somebody’s death and she most certainly couldn’t bring anyone back to life. Lucie wiped away tears with the back of her hand.

Whatever was the point in having the power of resurrection, the power to command the dead, when she couldn’t bring back to life a measly spider, let alone the life she truly longed for?

Perhaps it was for the better, Lucie thought. If she had the power to bring people back to life, what would stop her from bringing back lives lost tragically? Barbara, Oliver, all of their lives mattered as well…

Or maybe it was what she deserved. For having the audacity to dream that for once in her life, she would be the hero. She wouldn’t be James’ little sister. The second Herondale child. The one without inherited powers.

She shouldn’t be jealous of James; his life was beyond difficult. But Lucie still felt that the only people who marked her significance were her family. And even then, she didn’t feel important. She felt like a side character to a main character’s story. Only interesting enough when they are in the shadow of the character that really matters.

She couldn’t escape her problems this time. Not through writing, at least. Her frustration was a harsh wave pulling her mind farther and farther away so that she couldn’t muster up the ability to write but a sentence. Tears started flowing vigorously. What was she without writing? How could The Angel be so cruel as to take that away too?

“You look awful,” she heard someone say.

Lucie looked up at Alastair, who was staring at her, but not unkindly. He sat down next to Lucie on the floor.

Lucie quickly turned away, ferociously wiping a tear away. “It’s nothing. You don’t have to stay here, Alastair. You probably have better things to do.”

“My sister’s soon-to-be parabatai is on the floor of a hallway, all alone, crying over something that is clearly not nothing; I’m not leaving.”

Lucie turned back to look at him in confused wonder. She’d never thought Alastair would care whether she was sad or not. Of course, she knew he was protective over Cordelia, but never did it cross her mind that Alastair would care enough about her to stay and see what was troubling her.

“Are you alright, Lucie?”

James would have demanded who had made her sad and then proceed to hunt that person down with his band of Merry Thieves, leaving Lucie alone in the process. Could that be why Lucie didn’t cry much? Because it was never about her and always about who made her sad?

“Lucie?”

Lucie shook her head as a means of clearing it. “Yes, it’s okay.”

“You don’t have to talk about it, but it’s alright to be sad.”

Lucie didn’t really know what to say. That was also something she’d never been told. Why is it that being sad was wrong? Every now and then, was it alright to feel sad?

“My mother taught me that phrase.” Alastair said, looking at the wall in front of them. “I sometimes have difficulties accepting the fact that sadness isn’t always negative and that there is not always a reason behind it. Sadness is the same as happiness, except that it has the potential to drown you if you feel too much of it.”

“I like the sound of that. Even though it’s a bit morbid. It—it is like a good kind of morbid.”

“A good kind of morbid.” Alastair said, half to himself, with a smile. “We should coin that.”

“Oh, yes. I am sure we can make a club and get many people to join.” Lucie said.

Alastair continued smiling. Lucie didn’t see Alastair smiling much, but she thought it was nice to look at. It was clearly not practiced; his smile was crooked and strange, suggesting that the facial expression is rare enough for him that it’s a bit awkward, but there was something about the smile of someone who doesn’t smile much that makes it charming.

Alastair Carstairs was interesting. Lucie had always thought so. He felt much older and was always so mature. Not like Charles was; Charles acted the way he did perhaps to spite them, or because they were his practice subjects for when he was to be Consul. Alastair was mature because it almost seemed like he was forced to. Alastair didn’t seem to enjoy being mature, it was like it was an unwanted gift that was thrust upon him and he was forced to keep it.

Lucie shook her head once more. She was tired of secrets and though Grace wasn’t as horrible as Lucie thought she was, she didn’t keep good company. Lucie felt useless; she wanted to help with something.

“Alastair, do you want me to talk to Thomas?” Lucie asked.

“What?” Alastair said, paling.

“I’ve been friends with Thomas for longer than anyone, save Christopher; he’ll listen to me. I’ve been thinking, and it seems a bit foolish to be angry at you. Yes, you did something horrible, but you were young. I know Uncle Gideon and Aunt Sophie as well, and they’re not ones to hold a grudge over something like that, especially if you apologize.”

Alastair just stared ahead before he said, “don’t worry about me right now, Lucie. This is about whether you are alright or not.”

Lucie looked at him sadly. “I am alright. And I would rather talk about you. Alastair, you’re like one of my tragic book characters.”

“What?”

“It’s better if you don’t ask questions.”

Alastair shrugged.

“The point is,” Lucie continued. “You seem like you’re afraid to be happy.”

Alastair made a noise in the back of his throat.

Though James always liked to tease her for not knowing when to keep quiet, Lucie didn’t elaborate. For once, Lucie let the words speak for themselves. She looked at Alastair as he slightly furrowed his eyebrows, lost in thought.

“I’m doing this for Thomas as well.” She whispered after a while.

“Thomas hates me.”

“He doesn’t.” Lucie said firmly. “He desperately wants to hate you, but he can’t. He knows he’s being dramatic.”

Alastair scoffed.

“It’s true. I’ve known Thomas my entire life, and I understand him enough to know that if you apologize—and I mean truly apologize— and he sees you regret it, there’s not a single reason as to why he wouldn’t forgive you. He may be stubborn, but when it comes to this, I think he’ll understand.”

There was a solemn quiet in the hall. For someone passing by, it would seem as though the boy and girl were mourning or were just told terrible news. In reality, however, it was the quiet of gears turning, of minds contemplating, wondering.

“They seem so kind.” Alastair said quietly.

“Who?”

“Gideon and Sophie. I’ve never witnessed two people who don’t have a single ounce of… bitterness towards anybody.”

Lucie nodded. “They’ll like you.”

“I very much think you’re lying.”

“No, I’m speaking with all the seriousness in the world. They believe in the power of change; all of the Lightwoods do, because they themselves are proof of changing for the good.”

Alastair looked at his shoes. “It’s a bit ironic. I come to help you, and instead you help me.”

Lucie smiled to herself. “Oh, but you did help me.” Because Lucie didn’t feel completely useless. Nor did she feel like a failure. She was helping Thomas and Alastair and she could think of nothing better to make her feel better.

Tagging: @livvyheronstairs @hitheresomeoneusingthus @celias @tsccreatorsnet @atla-lok143 @aceofjesper @autumnangel20 @julemmaes @rinadragomir @cupcakesandkittens @youngreckless

If you want to be tagged in future fics, please let me know!

#alastair carstairs #lucie herondale #tsc #tlh #tlh fanfiction #tlh platonic fanfic #um idk what else to tag this as #I suck at this part #Alastair and Lucie #Carstairs #herondale #yeah that's the best I can do #sorry #oh wait #tsc fanfic #okay now I'm done

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sokkascroptop · 4 years

Text

traitor (sokka x f!reader) pt 17

part 1 | part 16 | part 18

A/N: Best girl friends Katara & Y/N 😌How?? do people write chapters that are less than 4k. I’ve been cursed. Also, it’s canon now. They fist bump in the atla universe.

Their second kiss was everything that the first wasn't. Where that one had been quick and desperate; one that felt like it held all the words Sokka didn’t know how to say, the second was soft and full of happiness that they didn’t have to say anything at all. It was almost enough to make Y/N forget the dull ache in her side and the pounding of her head. But it wasn’t long before they were interrupted.

“I’ll check in here–woah.” Aang stood just outside the tent with his jaw on the floor. “Sorry!” He squeaked, a pink blush lighting up his cheeks. He ran off and Sokka and Y/N were alone again. They shared a look of horror and scrambled apart.

“Do you think he saw?” Sokka grimaced.

Y/N widened her eyes. “‘Do you think he saw?’” she mimicked in his deeper voice then promptly shoved her face in her hands. Oh gods, Y/N didn’t know that this level of embarrassment existed.

She only had a second to think of an excuse for what they had been doing, because as soon as Aang had disappeared, Katara replaced him.

She paid no attention to Y/N who was furiously blushing and smacked Sokka’s shoulder. “Sokka, she’s hurt! What are you doing?!”

“Ow, hey! Katara!” Sokka rubbed the place she had hit him. “Aang, why did you tell her!”

Aang peeked his head in the tent. “I didn’t say anything!”

“He didn’t have to!” Katara chastised. Her eyes softened as she looked at Y/N. “How do you feel?”

“Much better, thanks to you.” Y/N wrapped her arms around the girl in a tight hug.

Katara held her shoulders. “Come on. Now that you’re awake we need to get moving.”

Y/N’s stomach flipped anxiously. “Why?”

“While we were out, we spotted more Fire Nation soldiers coming into the village.” Katara must have felt Y/N tense under her hands and gave her a squeeze. “It’s okay, but we don’t want them to find us. Come on.” She helped pull Y/N to her feet, glaring at Sokka when he reached out to help. He shrank away from them both and started to collect the blankets.

Y/N allowed herself to be led out of the tent with Katara’s arm around her waist. Y/N was grateful for it, she didn’t realize she’d be so dizzy standing up. “You know, it’s really okay, Katara. I kissed him,” She murmured.

Katara let out a great sigh and gave Y/N a smile. “I knew you liked each other but I’m allowed to question your sanity because Sokka’s my brother.”

Y/N laughed but immediately clutched her side and doubled over as a stabbing pain shot through her body. “Ugh, don’t make me laugh.” She collapsed next to Toph on the ground and leaned her back against Appa’s side, out of breath from the short walk from the tent.

“Are you going to help them clean up camp?” Y/N asked the younger girl.

Toph picked at her fingernails. “Nah, I’m keeping you company.” She paused and then turned to look at Y/N–well, as close as she could, she was looking over Y/N’s left shoulder. “You scared everyone last night.”

Y/N looked to the other three; Katara was rolling up sleeping bags, Aang was covering the smoldering fire with dirt, Sokka was wrestling with his tent and losing. Toph’s voice had been low enough that no one but she had heard.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Y/N didn’t know if she could possibly feel worse about everything.

Toph shrugged and gave her a light punch on the leg. “Don’t do it again, yeah?”

---

Once everything was packed and Appa took off, Y/N leaned against Sokka in their usual spot at the back of the saddle as a silent apology for what had happened after their interrupted kiss. Sokka draped his arm over her shoulders and at sight of that, Katara sent her a wry smile.

Y/N leaned close to Sokka’s ear. “Did you tell them what I did?”

Sokka didn’t need her to elaborate. He sucked in a sharp breath before he answered. “I just said we got ambushed. No details.”

Y/N stared off into the distance at the fluffy clouds. “Don’t tell them.” She slid down further and let her head fall heavy on his arm. She was exhausted, but she was afraid to close her eyes, afraid for what would haunt her behind her eyelids. Eventually, she succumbed to sleep, and was blessed with a dreamless, weightless nap.

However, not all her sleep was so uninterrupted. It was two days before she had her first nightmare.

The logical part of her brain knew this was a dream, but it didn’t make it any less terrifying. She was stuck in a loop, forced to relive killing Kaito over and over. If that wasn’t bad enough. It wasn’t always Kaito, it was Aang and Sokka and Katara and Toph. Sometimes it was Zuko and Azula, even Mai and Ty Lee. Everyone Y/N cared about, everyone she loved and yet here she was, letting her sword slice cleanly through their throats like it was nothing. Eventually, Kaito’s face stopped showing up, and so did his voice. It was replaced with pleas from her friends, “Please Y/N, don’t kill me!” “Y/N, I promise I’ll never leave you again, please don’t do this.” “Y/N, you know this is right!”

Each of their voices echoed in her ears until they bled together and she couldn’t decipher who was begging for what. Y/N had had enough, she wanted out of this nightmare–

Y/N woke with a start. Her face was stiff with dried tears. Luckily for her, she didn’t wake up screaming. It was pitch black out out and she could hear Appa snoring to her left. She rolled onto her side and looked at who was closest to her. It was Sokka. She focused on his drooling face until her heart rate slowed down and she was able to drift back to sleep.

---

Y/N wanted to sleep, but Sokka wanted to train, so that’s what they did. Though she wasn’t much of a training partner while she was half-awake and lying in the grass at his feet.

“You know, you’re supposed to be critiquing me,” Sokka said, finishing a move with his sword. “Not just admiring the view.”

Y/N shaded her eyes from the sun. “I’m not admiring the view.” That might have been a lie, but she was never going to tell Sokka that. “I was just waiting until you were done to tell you what you were doing wrong.” Y/N squinted up as Sokka approached her.

“What did I do wrong then?” Sokka’s eyes were crinkled in a smile. Y/N was silent. “That’s what I thought.” he said proudly.

“Come on, help me up”–She held out her hands and allowed Sokka to pull her to her feet–“I’m done watching you show off while I have to sit on the sidelines.”

“Does it still hurt?” he asked, swinging the hand he still held between them. It was an honest question, but there was a hint of worry behind it.

It had been two days and Katara’s water healing was doing more for her than any Fire Nation healer could ever do. Y/N poked at the pink scar on her stomach “Only when I move fast which is why Katara won’t let me spar,” she said begrudgingly. It was partially true. Katara had told her she needed to take a break from sparring, but Y/N was grateful for the break. As much as she loved it, and sometimes needed it, she couldn’t imagine picking up a sword, her sword, that killed two people and using it against Sokka. Even if it was a sparring match. It felt wrong.

As they crested a hill they noticed Aang standing on the side of a large mud pit where Toph and Katara were wrestling. The two of them joined him and watched as Toph kicked mud in Katara’s face.

“What are they fighting about?” Sokka asked Aang.

“I don’t even know.” Aang shook his head. “Hey guys! I thought we were supposed to be training me?”

Both girls quickly stopped their fight when they realized they’d garnered an audience. “Very well, pupil. I believe we’ve had enough training for today.” Katara spoke in a sharp voice that sounded like she was a Fire Nation teacher or noblewoman and Y/N bit back a snicker.

Katara pulled herself out of the mud pit and stomped back to camp while Toph bent the mud off herself and waded back to the other three. “While Katara cleans up, let’s go have some fun!!”

“Yes!” Y/N shouted along with the two boys. Finally! Something that she was actually going to be allowed to do. For the past two days she had sulked around camp doing nothing except help Katara with chores. Not to mention all the down time meant her mind was racing. She needed a break to get away from flashbacks of that night that plagued her every waking moment.

“Y/N, you should stay back and let me heal you some more before dinner.” Katara waved her over.

Y/N immediately deflated. “No. Come on Katara. I’m so bored. I want to go have fun with the others!” She pouted. She felt like a little girl who was begging her mother for candy. But the look on Katara’s face said she wasn’t budging.

Y/N turned to the other three. She squeezed Sokka’s hand. “Have fun guys.”

---

Katara hovered her hands over Y/N side. The water was soothing and made Y/N sleepy. It was probably best she stayed behind, or at least Y/N kept telling herself that.

“How am I doing, Master Healer Katara?” Y/N murmured.

Katara chuckled and removed her hands. “I’m not a Master Healer.”

Y/N sat up and stretched her back. “I think Aang and I would both beg to differ. If I was in the Fire Nation, I’d probably still be on bedrest like, dying from infection or something. Not able to walk around and do things.”

“I guess I just always wanted something different. I didn’t want to be just a healer.” Katara began to putter around camp, pulling out bowls and rice, preparing to make dinner.

“Well, you’re really good at it. Not that you're not good at combat waterbending, because you’re amazing at that too.”

Katara pursed her lips. “I trained in the Northern Water Tribe with Aang. There they don’t let women learn fighting styles.”

“That’s awful!” Y/N was so surprised to hear that there were still places around their world that didn’t lend the same opportunities to men and women. “But you obviously know them so how did you learn?”

“I had to challenge the Master to a duel for him to take me seriously. I know healing, but it isn’t enough for me.” Katara looked at Y/N in the eyes with a determined furrow of her brows. “I never want to have to beg for someone to take me seriously ever again.”

“No one should have to do that.” Y/N knew what Katara was feeling, she just wished she could apply the same logic to her own life when it came up. Katara was an accomplished waterbender, there was not a doubt about that, and some might say that Y/N was an accomplished swordswoman, but she could never take that seriously. She always needed to be better–no–the best. Of course none of that mattered to her now. She was her best and look at what that had done.

“Are you...okay?” Katara had stopped what she was doing and looked at Y/N earnestly.

“What do you mean?” Y/N twirled a piece of her hair around her finger.

“You’ve been acting differently. You’re quieter around everyone. And you’re always tired.” Katara pointed out as Y/N yawned.

“I’m fine. It’s all probably because I got hurt. My body’s recouping or something.” Y/N didn’t know whether Katara believed her, but she stopped asking questions.

---

“Oh spirits, Katara is going to be so mad that we’re doing this.”

Sokka slung an arm around Y/N’s shoulders. “We are not thinking about Katara’s wrath right now. We are thinking about fun.”

Y/N slipped an arm around his waist and watched as Toph handed over their bag of coins–all the money they had–to the scam artists in the street. “What is the point of this game anyways?”

Aang answered her. “You throw those sticks with the symbols on them. You win if both sticks have the same symbols face up.”

Y/N bit her lip as she watched Toph take the sticks from one of the sneering men and toss them onto the stones underfoot. Both she and Sokka leaned forward, waiting with bated breath. Just as it seemed that one of the squared off sticks was going to flip, it stopped. Three painted red circles were face up on both sticks.

“Yes!” Y/N jumped in the air. The rush was instantaneous. Her heart was beating fast and she was lightheaded. No wonder the others didn’t want to stop doing this! This was the first thing in days that actually felt good, and Y/N wanted as much of that as she could get her hands on.

Toph snatched their bag of money back from the stunned men and Aang grabbed the bag of money they had bet against her and the four of them ran off down the streets.

“What are we going to buy first?!” Aang asked.

“I think I have an idea.” Y/N smiled mischievously.

---

The four of them were lounging in the center of town, around the giant statue of Firelord Ozai spitting fire. It was so grotesque that Y/N laughed when she first saw it. She also might have mused low enough for only Sokka to hear about what the Firelord might have been compensating for with such a large, scary statue.

“I don’t care what any of you think, the Fire Nation has the best chocolate anywhere,” Y/N sighed happily. She was laying on the stout wall surrounding the statue. None of them knew if it was disrespectful, but no one had come to chase them away either. Y/N hoped that it was.

Aang was laying on the wall too, in the opposite direction as Y/N with his head just brushing hers. He held his fist above her face and she bumped it with her own. “Agreed,” he said.

“I finished mine.” Sokka tilted his head back from where he was on the ground and laid it on Y/N’s arm. “Can I have some of yours?”

Y/N broke the tiniest piece she could manage and placed it in Sokka’s hand. “You should have savored it instead of eating it all in one bite.”

“I can’t–” Sokka popped the piece Y/N gave him in his mouth. “–no self-control.”

“If you guys are done flirting. I want to get back to scamming,” Toph droned from the ground next to Sokka. Y/N didn’t have to turn and look to know the face she was making.

Y/N grinned. “That’s not flirting, Toph. This is–” Y/N grabbed Sokka’s chin and laid a loud kiss on his cheek. “Mwah!”

Y/N would have been satisfied just hearing Aang and Toph make fake retching sounds behind her back, but she was even more pleased when she saw Sokka’s reddened cheeks. She poked one lightly before saying, “Let’s go scam some people!”

---

This was the second fight in as many days between Katara and Toph that Aang, Sokka and Y/N had to witness. The three of them shared a look as the girls argued in the middle of camp as if no one was around.

“I’ll stop when I want to stop!” Toph stomped away and made a rock tent around her, shutting herself from the rest of them.

“Welllll,” Sokka snatched a bag of coins from next to Y/N’s leg and held a hand out to her. “Speaking of money, we’re off to spend some. Come on, Y/N.”

Katara stepped in front of her. “Y/N, you shouldn’t keep going into town.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow and looked down at the younger girl. “Why? Considering what happened in the last one? Or is this just another one of your new rules?”

Y/N was half-joking but something about how Katara was acting rubbed her the wrong way. She didn’t like how Katara was blaming everything on Toph and she didn’t like that she was trying to tell them what to do. Then again, everything put Y/N on edge lately, so she didn’t know what was real or imagined anger. She knew that Katara was just trying to be protective of her, whether she meant that she was still healing or that she meant that she was in danger from being attacked again, Y/N didn’t like either one. The only joy that Y/N had had in the past few days was going to town with the others and stealing from the scammers. Otherwise, her mind was flooded with images of blood and dead friends. Y/N hadn’t even touched her sword since, not knowing if the blood had stained the steel red. Sokka promised her he washed it off, but it felt cursed now.

A hurt look crossed Katara’s face and she stepped out of the way. Normally they agreed with nearly everything. Y/N felt bad but that feeling left as soon as it came. Y/N needed this. She didn’t need Katara protecting her.

---

“This is the dumbest purchase you could have made, Sokka.”

“But also the coolest, right?!” The beady eyes of Sokka’s new messenger hawk bore into her, asking her to give another answer other than yes.

“I guess. I like mine better.” Y/N drew the new dagger at her side and checked her reflection in it. It was a ceremonial knife; heavy and would be hard to wield, but Y/N couldn’t help that shiny–and sharp–objects caught her eye like she was a magpie. It also made her feel better, having a weapon other than her sword. Something that was clean and untainted, something that was still beautiful.

“Now Hawky–”

“I beg of you, pick a new name.”

Sokka frowned at her, then turned back to his hawk. “Hawky, we already have a lemur at camp, so I don’t want to see any fighting.”

The hawk screeched in Sokka’s face.

Y/N dragged one finger down one of the hawk’s red wings. “Okay, he’s kind of cool. Do you think he’s saying, ‘Yes, I promise not to fight’ or ‘I’m waiting until you go to sleep to rip your eyes out’?”

“Oh, this is really not good.”

“Yeah, I know. I tried to tell you not to buy–”

“No,” Sokka grabbed Y/N’s elbow before she could walk too far away. “This.”

On the wall was a wanted poster for one, ‘The Runaway’ with a very accurate, yet crude drawing of Toph on it. “They’re not going to let us come to town alone if we keep finding wanted posters of all of us.” Y/N ripped the poster down and rolled it up.

---

“What is this?” Katara dropped a piece of paper in Y/N’s lap. It was Toph’s wanted poster. The same poster that should be in the bottom of Y/N’s bag, hidden, never to see the light of day again. Toph had asked Sokka and Y/N to keep it between the three of them and Y/N had kindly hidden the poster to do just that. They’d be leaving soon anyways, so what was the big deal?

“Why were you going through my things, Katara?” Y/N asked calmly, but underneath, her blood was boiling. Why did Katara think she had the right to go searching through her things when she felt something amiss?

“I–” Katara knew she didn’t have any defense for going through her bags. “Why would you hide this from me? You of all people know that this is not okay!”

“Me of all people? What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N had stood up now. She towered over Katara but that didn’t mean she was backing down. The girl was a spitfire.

“I thought you would be on my side!” Katara shouted.

Y/N scoffed. “Why? Because I’m used to following orders?”

“That’s not what I–”

“Just accept it, Katara! You’ve started to treat us like we’re all children. I don’t need your help, I don’t need your protection. I don’t want it! You’re not Sokka’s mom, you’re not Toph’s mom, you’re not Aang’s mom and you’re definitely not my mom. So stop asking me if I’m okay and stop telling me what I need!” Y/N grabbed her sword, hellbent on getting out of camp as fast as she could.

“Where are you going?” Katara asked.

“I’m going to train, Master Healer Katara! If you’ll let me!” Words that she once meant as a compliment, lashed out venomously. That sweet conversation where it felt like they were spilling intimate secrets was a million miles away. And for the first time since they had met, Y/N hoped that she had hurt her friend. Maybe then Katara could understand what Y/N was feeling in her chest every time she breathed.

---

Y/N sat on one of the many cliffs around their campsite with her feet dangling over the edge. It reminded her of the cliffs around her home on Ember Island. When she was younger her brothers had taken her out there and let her jump with them as long as she kept it a secret. Y/N wondered absently if she’d ever feel that rush again, the rush of jumping into the water from a cliff or the rush of keeping a secret like that. Now that she was older, secrets were just heavy burdens one was forced to carry.

Y/N touched her sheath next to her. She didn’t even know why she brought it. She didn’t want to look at it, let alone draw it and wield it. But it still was a comfort to have it near, just as it had been her whole life.

“Hey.”

Y/N didn’t turn to acknowledge Katara. Despite this, she sat down next to Y/N. They both stared at the water hundreds of feet below them. Y/N was starting to feel the guilt for yelling at Katara creeping up.

“I made up with Toph.” She paused. “I also talked to Sokka–” Y/N flinched but Katara continued like she didn’t notice. “–I don’t expect you to tell me everything. But I know when something is bothering you. You’re on edge, you barely sleep. Something happened in that forest and I don’t mean you getting hurt. Something else, something they did or said. Or something you did.”

Y/N violently shook her head. She felt like she was going to be sick. “I can’t–”

“You don’t have to.” Katara wrapped her in a hug that Y/N didn’t think she deserved. “Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” Y/N returned the hug. She had changed her mind. Sometimes it was nice to have someone to look out for you when you were used to looking out for yourself for so long. It didn’t mean she was going to tell Katara, or any one else, for that matter, but having the option was nice too.

---

A/N: I tried to stay with the storyline completely but it made the chapter like, super fucking long so I veered off and we got this hot mess.

Taglist: @myexgirlfriendisthemoon @reclusive-chicken-nugget @astroninaaa @aangsupremacy @beifongsss @crownofcryptids @welovediaaxx @littlefluu @lozzybowe @thebluelcdy @ohjustlookalive @sugarmoongey @fanficdepot @teenbiology @13-09-01 @riespage @davnwillcome @naanlianid @creation-magician @lunariasilver @vintagerose1014516 @bcifcng @rockinearthbending-marauders @francesciak @thia-aep @aphrcditeee @milk-n-cheese @solarsuki @sendnuwudes @humbleseame @my--shitty--art @lovingcupcake51002 @loganrwebb @celia-not-cecilia @treestarrrrrrrr @p--e--a--c--h--e--s @velveteencurls @izzieserra @oddment-nitwit-blubber-tweak @salsasadd @nataliahaslosthershit @awkwardnesshabitat @lanie103 @emogril @im-the-galactic-starfish @charlotteisabella @alienmotel @smarshere @crxsshatcht @starxtt @sugamonster22 @natsbelova @mellisophilia @calumsfringe @whatsuphoesandbros @samsmultifandomblogs @ask-kfc-siblings @i-love-superhero @justasukisimp @grouchiest-hufflepuff @zukostan221 @feverish-dove @catchingrhythm @zuko-and-sokkas-simp @euphoricmads @ivetoldamillionlies @fanficsformyperusal @mikxyu @someonekeepstakingmyusernames @earthtokace @bison-whistle @justamessandahalf

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rwbyvein · 3 years

Text

War of the Roses: Perturbation: Part II/II

"Lead by..." Ozpin voiced, and paused for dramatic effect, "Jaune Arc."

"Huh?" Jaune asked, "Lead by?"

* * *

Weiss looked at the podium as Professor Ozpin had called their names. Fate, it seems, could be fickle. Her heart flickered, and she was unsure if it was anticipation or longing. She breathed in deep as she approached the stage.

* * *

On one hand, the debonair chevalier who had courted her had collapsed under the weight of his own hubris, and the expectations now placed upon his shoulders. On the other, she curiously had no such expectations. She had been looked over, completely, utterly, undeniably. In favour of the young harlequinn whom seemed to have trouble counting to twenty in the presence of her overzealous boots. What had she gotten herself into? Surely, had she attended Atlas, she would have been made leader of her small team, though the thought of being both in Atlas, and a specialist brought a shudder to very core. Her eyes refocused as she found a red cloak being placed her.

"You looked cold." Ruby stated.

"I looked what?" Weiss asked, "Do you have any idea what the temperature difference is between here and Atlas?"

"Is it cold?" Ruby asked, and Weiss' eyes grew wide.

"Yes." she uttered, "Atlas is colder than Vale."

"She's saying she's fine, sis." Yang said to Ruby, and Ruby pulled off the cloak off of Weiss' shoulder. She let out a weak scoff, and then paused as the weight was lifted, literally. Exactly how heavy was her cloak?

* * *

Weiss heard the murmurs that sounded as Ruby and Jaune spoke outside their dorms, followed by Ruby loudly stating, "Nope!" in the most cheerful voice possible, followed quickly by another, "Nope." Weiss clutched her chest as she felt a momentary pertubation. She had to remind herself it was good to see her friends so enjoying themselves. Weiss looked up from her desk as that thought bore deep into her core.

* * *

His skill was improving with alarming alacrity, at least now that his involvement with Team CRDL has come to an end. His style seemed to be developing elements from his alarcitous partner. The reasons did not even require speculation. It was alarming and charming at the same time. Her chevalier was going from scorn to squire, and...

she paused as the concept of HER chevalier bore deep into her core. She paused with bated breath as she realized her compatrioate was engendering herself to him without compare. She clutched her chest as if she fear her heart would cease to beat if she were not pondering over it, so.

* * *

There, he stood, before her, having just lied to approach himself to her heart. A guitar in his hand, insincere look upon his face, and seemed to lack the very basic concepts required to partake in music. "No." she dismissiviely stated as she closed the door.

"And that's why we call you Ice Queen." Yang stated as Weiss made her way over to the window. She breathed in deep and did her best to not shudder, so embarassed by her own so-recent failure. Before she knew what was happening she found small arms about her small waist, and the effervescent warmth of her most-dear compatriot. She did not know how to react except to withhold her breath as if doing so also withheld her very being. She could do neither for very long, and oh-so-quickly she had to breathe out and lean back into the embrace. She did not have the words to describe how wonderful this was.

"Get a room, you two." Yang quiped.

Weiss huffed, and slipped out of Ruby's grasp to turn to look at her, "Need we remind you that we have a room."

"Yeah?" Yang asked, "But I'm in the room. Want me to go trade places with Jaune?" Weiss let out a terrifying scoff in reply. "Either way, I've got some energy I've got to work off. I'm going to go work out."

As Yang slipped out of the door Ruby slipped back around Weiss.

"One day." They heared Yang said from beyond the door. "You'll melt her Ice Queen heart."

This caused Weiss to let out an effervescent huff, and Ruby kissed her on the cheek. Weiss breathed in deep and reached back to gently craddle her face. "You will tell no one that we have done this."

"Does that mean you want me to let go?" Ruby asked, and Weiss said nothing, though the momentary lack of breath spoke volumes. "We both know you don't mean what you say."

Tears started to form in Weiss' eyes as she let out a whimper. "Then why do I say them?"

"Because you are afraid." Ruby said to her.

"Afraid of what?" Weiss asked.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked, and Weiss scoffed between whimpers, "Me?" Weiss sniffled a rebuff. "Then that leaves?.."

"I know very well what that leaves." Weiss sniffled, tears still falling down her face. "Just do not dare to let me go."

* * *

Ruby and Weiss cuddled into the corner as Weiss' tears finally seemed to ebb, the sniffling turning to blubbering until she finally seemed to recover. Ruby kissed her on the cheek again. Weiss' eyes flew open at the revelation at what had happened. She quickly leapt to her feet, and did her best to adjust her clothing. A look of fear appeared in her face.

Ruby quickly jumped up to her feet, "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Your reaction is more alarming." Weiss stated.

"Oh, pfft. Like I've never seen Yang cry over a boy before."

"I sincerely doubt it was because of her own reprehensible, self-destructive actions."

"Have you met Yang?" Ruby asked, "That's kind of her thing."

* * *

Weiss sat in front of the mirror as Ruby cleaned her face.

* * *

Weiss sat in front of the mirror as Ruby fixed her makeup.

* * *

Ruby put down the makeup and gave Weiss a quick kiss on the cheek.

Weiss reached up for the place she had been kissed and stared at herself for a moment. She then turned towards Ruby. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked, and Ruby Petal Burst away up onto her bed. Weiss stood up, fixed herself in the mirror, and slowly walked over to Ruby's bed. "It was not made out of judgement. It was made out of..." she voiced, and trailed off. Ruby's eye appeared over the side of her bed, gleaming from underneath her hood.

"Of?" Ruby asked.

"A feeling I scarcely feel I have felt before."

"What's gotten into you?" Ruby asked, her face appearing from under her hood, and Weiss clutched her heart.

"A feeling forgotten that I cannot say."

"If you can't, then what makes you think I can?" Ruby asked.

"If neither of us can say, perhaps we should simply act without saying?"

* * *

Ruby and Weiss lay nude, entwinned under the blanket in Ruby's bed.

"I feel I can finally speak." Weiss stated.

"Do we have to?" Ruby whined.

"I'm afraid we do." Weiss replied, "About our good squire, and his dramatic, traumatic exploits."

"Uh?.." Ruby asked, and Weiss kissed her on the cheek.

"Jaune." Weiss simply stated. Ruby's faced turned as red as her name, and tried to look the other way if her body was not so entwinned with Weiss. "We can no longer flee from how we are feeling."

"I'm pretty good at - uh? - fleeing?" Ruby asked.

"Did you truly mean it when you said I looked like an angel?" Weiss asked.

"Well, duh, pfft." Ruby replied.

"Duh?" Weiss glibly asked. "My status as an angel is that apparent?"

"You do take really good care of yourself, and your skin is so... Weissy, and you are so beautiful. I'm nothing like..."

"Your skin is just as Weissy as mine." Weiss replied, "And you are just as beautuful."

"I am?" Ruby asked.

"You just lack confidence, something our good chevalier has developed in spades."

"Then how do we do it?" Ruby asked.

"As if I would have the foggiest idea of how to get this to work.

The two jumped as the door opened to their room. Yang walked in with Blake right behind her. "Wait?" Yang asked, as she audibly sniffed the air.

"And our lives so shortly come to an end." Weiss sarcastically said.

"I'll leave you girls..." Yang said as she turned to walk way.

"Halt." Weiss stated, causing Yang to pause in her tracks. "Now that our shame has been made so public, we need your advice"

Yang turned around, "You mean like, technique?"

"I mean with..." Weiss said, pausing to let out a great shock of breath followed by a great inhale, "Jaune."

Yang stood perfectly still as the thoughts bounced around in her head. "Do you want, like the fastest?"

"I suppose." Weiss stated.

"Give me a minute." Yang said, and turned back to the door. Blake quickly filed out. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and both Ruby and Weiss paused their breathing.

"You don't suppose?.." Weiss voiced.

"Jaune?!" Ruby called out.

"Can I come in?!" he shouted through the door.

"Simply close the door behind you!" Weiss shouted.

Jaune stepped in and turned to close the door before looking back over the room. "Hello?" he asked, and Weiss extended her arm from Ruby's bed.

#rwby #war of the roses #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee

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rudysrings · 4 years

Text

Someday Soon

A/N: So the blog I started for my atla writing isn’t showing up in the tags. big sad. i’ll just put them on my main i guess. guess i write for atla now oop. I’ll write for pretty much anybody bc I do be a simp for atla and lok. Also the title sucks bc this is something i just wrote when it was simping for zuko hours, and i just felt like posting.

Warnings: er angst and fluff and allusions to sex i guess? it’s pretty PG ngl...

this gif is super overused but don’t lie you love it : D ;)

Okie here we go!

You found yourself seeking out the banished prince, despite the Gaang’s instant rejection of him. It had been too long since you had seen him, spoken with him, touched him.

You surprisingly felt no anger anymore, only sorrow for what you had lost. You knew nothing would ease that pain other than the presence of the boy himself.

You were grateful to Toph for understanding, for showing you the way and leaving you to speak alone.

He was asleep when you found him. You were surprisingly unprepared for that outcome.

Unsure about waking him, you simply sat a few feet away in the cave, drawing your legs close to your chest as you shivered in the cold of the night. You must have been there for no more than a few moments when you felt Zuko pull you towards him. “Hey,” he greeted, pulling you into his warm embrace. You could tell that he had done so because he had seen you freezing half to death.

It was so easy, the two of you alone in that little cave, for you to pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist, that the harsh history between you was simply a bad dream.

You’d never felt so weak as you did then, not even when you were imprisoned, beaten down and your very identity ripped away. Because even then, you had known good from evil. But now, you were at war with yourself, unable to draw the line with his amber eyes melting away every ounce of your defiance.

Zuko held you close, but didn’t make any sudden moves, both out of awareness of your fragile disposition and out of pure respect for you. The last thing he wanted was to make you feel obligated to do something you would regret. Not that you would ever be so easily manipulated by anyone, but as selfish as it was, he secretly hoped that he made you as vulnerable as you made him.

You released a breath, not meeting his eyes as you straddled him timidly, the blush clear on your cheeks and neck. You were too absorbed in yourself to notice the same flush present on him.

“I wish I could just wake up from this nightmare,” you whispered. “This nightmare where you’re the bad guy, and you’ve hurt me in every way you can, and we can never be the same again.”

Zuko didn’t know why you were sharing this with him, opening yourself up after all this time, but he sure wasn’t complaining; he greedily licked up any piece of yourself you gifted him with.

“You’d think it would be easy to hate you, but Zuko,” you finally looked up at him, taken slightly aback by the emotion in his eyes. This was hurting him as much as it was you. “I just can’t seem to let you go.”

Zuko let a tear fall, blinking quickly as he spoke, “I-I don’t want you to let me go. Please. Everyone else except you and Uncle have already given up on me...just when I’m finally figuring out my destiny. And after what I’ve done to Uncle, he must hate me. I don’t--I need--as selfish as it is, I need your forgiveness. I can never take back what I did to you. I regret it every day. I understand if-if you can’t--”

The sight of your prince carrying all this guilt, feeling so alone and pleading with you for your forgiveness touched something within you that you thought you had managed to bury deep within yourself. Surging forward, you quieted that voice you adored so much with a kiss, drawing an mmph! from Zuko.

But he didn’t miss a beat, instantly winding around you on instinct, his mouth sliding over yours in just the right way, his hot tongue reminding you just how much you loved doing this.

You pulled away abruptly, afraid you’d forget what you were going to say if you let yourself get lost in him.

He looked up at you in question, his lips red and beautifully swollen from your kisses. “I forgive you, Zuko.” You felt a piece shift into place in your own heart as you said those words, a weight relieving itself from your chest.

You felt Zuko’s entire body sag with relief, his eyes twinkling with emotion, his lips parted in disbelief. “Spirits, I’m falling all in you...all over again,” Zuko said, his hot breath tickling your face.

His words encouraged your next move. You wound your arms around his neck, sliding forward on his lap to where you were chest to chest.

It seemed that even the moon didn’t want to encroach on your intimate moment, the moonlight somehow fading away, the infamous bright gold of Zuko’s eyes the only thing you could see clearly in the darkness of the cave.

You leaned back into him, your mouths colliding again. Your hands began to wander, slipping beneath his robe, seeking out the familiar contours you loved so dearly.

As your fingers began untying the knot that held his robes together, Zuko tensed, feeling the moment change as your focus shifted.

Zuko pulled away, dropping his lips to your ear to whisper, “Hey, hey, hey, slow down, y/n.”

You immediately stopped, your hands drawing back into yourself. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Zuko. I wanted--and I thought you wanted--”

Zuko chuckled, shaking his head. He brought your forehead to his, his eye glittering with mischief as he reassured you. “Trust me, angel, with you, I always want to.”

You blushed, unable to help the joy that filled your smile at his flattery. “But then, why…?” You trailed off.

“Why am I torturing myself?” Zuko asked, his expression full of mirth.

You nodded, smiling at his sudden lightheartedness. You had a feeling it might have something to do with getting your forgiveness. It had truly lightened his soul.

“Because even though I really, really, really want to, and you need to trust me on that, if we’re ever going to get on the right path again, I doubt this is the right way to start off?” He asked, as if looking for your input, too.

Your shoulders dropped in realization. You smiled inwardly at his forethought; he must really care. Tears pricked your eyes. “You’re completely right, Zuko.”

You began to feel the weight of the emotional day you had had, pushing you down into Zuko’s chest as you felt the hot tears stream down your face, and you tried to stifle the noises escaping your mouth.

Zuko didn’t need to ask. He simply knew. You had always been good at reading each other, and Zuko knew you were bound to break sooner or later. While he admired your strength to no end, what really made Zuko fall in love with you was your ability to be vulnerable with him with such ease.

That didn’t mean he enjoyed seeing you cry.

He held you tightly, his hands trembling as he tried his best to comfort you, his face buried in your sweet-smelling hair and his own tears slipping out of his tightly shut eyes. He wished he could just say the words. He loved you. He loved you like in all the magical stories his mother would read to him when he was small, like his Uncle had loved his late wife, like the moon loved the tide--he loved you. The words tore at his chest from the inside, but he kept them caged inside.

As the sun rose on the two of you, and your sobs turned into sniffles, Zuko pressed one more kiss to your quivering lips, somehow saying everything you needed to hear. He loved you. He wouldn’t say it just yet, but you knew. He had always loved you. The two of you always found each other in spite of the odds, and you had found each other once again. This time, Zuko was determined to keep you together; it was time he put you first. As he lay his head against the stone wall of the cave, holding you to his steady heartbeat, Zuko felt hopeful. “We’ll be okay, angel.” Someday soon.

#plese don't cancel me i know this was hella unedited and a sucky piece to start with but it was in the moment #zuko #zuko imagine #zuko imagines #zuko x reader #zuko x reader imagines #zuko x y/n #atla imagine #atla imagines #atla #zuko self-insert

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hello-yue-here · 3 years

Note

About your atla ship songs, I have a couple of questions (sorry if my phrasing comes out wrong, english isn't my first language and I worry it might across as accidentally defensive): how did you end up with the choices for zukka, jetko and yuekka (note: I haven't seen the great comet, so feel free to obsess over it, I'm intrigued now and the hype is appreciated!)? Sidenote: I think the mailee choice is HILARIOUS and the tokka one just make me sad, I didn't expect to be attacked like this😭

kdjfha;s i love you im gonna obsess SO HARD over great comet now. you may regret this

this is gonna be so long so the rest is under the cut whoops

yuekka: no one else from great comet

where do i even begin. WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN

okay so background information on this show: it's based off of a 76 oages excerpt from war and peace and its centered around a woman named natasha (and this guy pierre but he's irrelevant to this song so we wont worry about him) and natasha's bethrothed is off fighting in the war right now. she hasn't seen him in a while but she is in love with him.

every single lyrics of this song SCREAMS yuekka to me. the innocence and purity of their love. the love at first sight. and even the melancholy ending just- i go apeshit for this song. i love this song so much. and denee benton's voice??? kljsdhflwksugf please listen to this song if you haven't already. listen to the whole show. your life will be changed forever.

onto the lyrics (i stg this is ab to be the whole song whoops)

"the moon"

THOSE ARE THE FIRST WORDS ON THE SONG. natasha and andre (her bethrothed) met underneath the moonlight. Sokka and Yue first spoke to eachother at night and always met each other for their most intimate moments under the moonlight. also yue is LITERALLY the moon so like: right of the bat with those two words it's yuekka.

"and i saw your eyes / and i saw your smile / and the world opened wide"

sokka fell in love with yue the moment he saw her in the canal. she literally enchanted this motherfucker. everything about her made his heart go crazy. and 'the world opened wide' to me is from yue's perspective. Yue had never left the north pole and sokka had seen a good chuck of the world at the point. He took her on appa, he told her about his adventures. he saw the world yue wished to see and you know damn well that Sokka would have done anything to give it to her.

"oh the moon /oh the snow in the moonlight / and your childlike eyes and your distant smile / ill never be this happy again / you and i and no one else"

natasha sings fondly about the moon and the snow, seeing as it was where she fell in love with andre. yue and sokka LITERALLY fell in love in the same place: in the snowy nothern water tribe under the light of the moon. childlike eyes: THEYRE CHILDREN!!! distant smile: this is where it gets a little sad. theyre both children with way too many duties during a world that has known nothing but war for the past century. they want to be happy but yeah, theyre smiles are distant and far away because happiness seems out of reach for them most of the time. i'll never be this happy again: the moments yue and sokka shared together were probably the happiest either of them ever were. they were able to ignore the war and the world in the moments they shared together. and with no one else. no one else would be able to give each other this sense of peace and happiness and love.

"joy and life inside our souls / and no body knows just you and me / it's our secret"

Yue and Sokka had to sneak out in secret at night to go and see each other. Yue and Sokka couldn't be together for real because Yue was already engaged, but they were literally in love so she decided to see him anyways in secret. kasdjfhklasjd im losing my mind over them at this point.

"this winer sky / how can anyone sleep / there was never such a night before / i feel like putting my arms around my knees / and squeezing tight as possible / and flying away"

these are my FAVORITE lines in the entire song. yue and sokka had never felt this strongly about anyone before and that's why they are so drawn to each other. they had never experienced love before and they wanted to hold onto it for as long as they could even though they knew they couldnt. Sokka takes yue up on appa and she is wistful and wishes she could live like he does every day: ie flying away. oh my god these two deserved so much better. so much fucking better.

now for the saddes part. the saddest fucking part.

"maybe he'll come today / maybe he came already / and he's sitting in the drawing room / and i simply forgot"

natasha misses andre so intensely at this point. when i first listened to this show and heard this song i was like "wait a min... is andre like... dead?" and im sure i wasnt the only person who assumed that this was why natasha felt so sad by the end of such a beautiful song. (spoiler alert andre is fine)

but this line really exemplifies how sad natasha is, and hints at the fact that andre may never come back. it implies that their relationship is doomed (at least in my opinion) and that's all yuekka. Sokka misses yue intensely when shes gone. Yue accepted her fate almost immediately but sokka was in denial. he thought there had to be another way. but in the end it wasn't meant to be. and sokka will go on, loving yue, wishing for her back, even though it's not possible.

fuck im gonna cry.

zukka: all i've ever known- hadestown

"i was alone so long / i didn't even know that i was lonely / out in the cold so long / i didnt even know that i was cold"

sokka is from the swt so theres where the cold comes in. also in the gaang (initially) it was just him katara and aang. and katara and aang were much closer to each other than sokka was with aang and the two of them were benders so sokka was kind of an outsider with the two of them. He also represses a lot of his emotions and feels the need to do everything himself so i do see a lot of loneliness in sokka. and the fact that so many people in his life have left him (his mom, yue, his dad, suki briefly, etc...) he is known to keep people at an arms length. i see a lot of loneliness in sokka.

zuko's loneliness is a lot more obvious: he has literally been cast out and abandoned by everyone except iroh. and even then he still feels the need to be alone (remember zuko alone? thought so) these boys look after themselves and push others away and revel in their loneliness in order to keep themselves from getting hurt. at least in my opinion on canon and also some fanon because id be a liar if i said fanon didnt influence how i view ALL my ships (not just zukka)

"all ive ever known is how to hold my own / but now I wanna hold you too"

COME ONE MANNNN, they just wanna hold each other. theyre both very big protectors as well and kljhflkasdhg they wanna protect eachother like kljdhfl im gonna lose it rn.

"You take me in your arms / And suddenly there's sunlight all around me / Everything bright and warm / And shining like it never did before / And for a moment I forget / Just how dark and cold it gets"

SUNLIGHT SYMBOLISM. zuko is literally powered by the sun. i don't think i even NEED to elaborate on this one anymore lol. They find comfort in each other away from all of their trauma. when they're together nothing else matters and i personally love that for them. they both deserve love.

"I knew you before we met / And I don't even know you yet / All I know is your someone I have always known"

these two are extremely similar in canon. many parallels. older brothers overshadowed by their prodigy little sisters. longing to make their fathers proud (granted one dad is good and one is fuckin evil), both are pretty bad with emotions. both are seen protecting others before themselves (sokka protecting suki during the serpant's pass, sokka protecting toph on like multiple occassions, zuko protecting katara in the final agni kai), the list goes on. they know who the other is because they see themselves in the other person. they already know each other because they are each other (in a way, not entirely, but the similarities are strong in my opinion)

"I'm gonna hold you forever / The wind will never change on us / Long as we stay with each other / Then it will always be like this"

i just think this line is so cute and sweet (ignoring all the symbolism and foreshadowing that comes with the last line in the musical itself. im gonna pretend this is nothing but happy) and i think these boys deserve happiness so yeah. this song is zukka to me lol.

jetko: thrill of first love- falsettoes

if you've never listened to this song go an do it now. you will know INSTANTLY that it is jetko because of the dynamics alone. marvin and whizzer are pure jetko and i take no crticisms.

marvin and whizzer are both extremely stubborn, and they don't always get along, and they fight a lot, and they get mad at each other a lot, and they are both passionate as hell, and they will bring this passion into everything. they love each other that is without a doubt, but they arent perfect and they are once again stubborn and determined as fuck.

sound familiar? it's literally jetko.

the lyrics aren't what remind me of jetko, but the dynamic itself. the lyrics are too on the nose for a gay couple in 1970's america so that rlly cant apply to jetko all that much. but the way these two characters bounce off of each other and get annoyed with each other and argue with eachother reminds me of jetko. because let's be honest: these two are the most stubborn characters in the whole show. they will fight for what they believe and it will take literally everything to change their minds.

i love jetko but i think they would have petty arguments all the time and get aggravated by one another so easily. and this is even seen in canon: they work so fucking well together but they did not even HESITATE to fight one another after neither of them would give in and let the fight about whether jet was right or wrong about zuko being a firebender. like i cannot say it enough they are stubborn as fuck.

but underneath all that stubborn pettiness and bickering: marvin and whizzer still love each other. and jet and zuko would still love each other. because even though they are stubborn when it comes to arguments, they are even more stubborn and determined when it comes to each other. these two passionate motherfuckers are in love.

(now when i chose this song i decided to ignore the fact that this song literally spells out the fact that marvin and whizzer's relatinoship is doomed because they literally say passion dies. thats the difference between jetko and whizzer and marvin because i dont think passion dies. i chose this song strictly for the bickering lmao)

and i know you didnt ask about tokka but,,,,

i rlly wanna talk about the tokka one

so im going to

tokka: on my own- les mis

look. i KNOW this song is about unrequited love and i love tokka as a couple but,,, the unrequited love in this song just SCREAMS unrequited tokka to me so thats what i went with.

eponine is a girl who has neglectful parents who lives life by her own rules: toph. eponine is shown to be tough and confident and spunky to others but behind all of that she has emotions, she feels love, she hides her vulnerability so much: toph. she is in love with a guy she cant be with because he loves someone else: TOPH

eponine is toph to a t and toph is eponine to a t. this is not up for debate lmao

"without him i feel his arms around me"

toph is always seen grabbing onto someone (and its almost ALWAYS sokka) when she's somewhere where she can't use her feet to see. FEEL and ARMS cmon. look at it.

"and i know / i know that he is blind"

COME ON. IMAGINE TOPH SINGING THIS LINE. this line is already powerful enough in les mis but having toph, a blind character, sing it just makes the symbolism even deeper. toph sees the potential relationship they could have together. toph sees that sokka is oblivious to this. toph is not blind to the truth or the potention, but sokka is blind to her feelings. im about to lose my mind over this line.

"I love him / But every day I'm learning / All my life / I've only been pretending / Without me / His world will go on turning / A world that's full of happiness / That I have never known"

i need to sit down for a moment. toph grew up in a household where her parents did not understand her. she has learned to hide her true emotions and vulnerabilities from everyone. and its the fact that toph knows that she and sokka will never be together and the fact that she still loves him in spite of that is what makes this even more heartbreaking.

"but only on my own"

TOPH AND EPONINE SWEETIES I LOVE YOU

thank you for indulging my theatre kid nonsense. you are very sweet and kind and lovely and awesome and i hope you have a lovely day bestie :) <3

ask me why i think these songs go with these ships

#asks #liv is a theatre nerd #liv is an atla nerd #yuekka #zukka #jetko #tokka #ask me about my ship songs

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blazedbakugou · 4 years

Text

philophobia || suki

philophobia

an irrational or disproportionate fear of falling in love.

In which Suki realizes that perhaps she’s finally found something more intimidating than fighting on the battlefield— confessing her love for you.

a/n: uh hi this is my first time writing in a long time and my first time writing for atla so I hope this doesn’t suck. This fic is meant to take place after the war, but they’ve also got modern technology so I thought I’d clear that up to avoid any future confusion. Feedback is always welcome!

this is for @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k event, I hope you like it babe :) if you don’t then please just lie to me for the sake of my fragile ego

word count: 3.1k

prompt: “I think I’m falling in love with you, and it scares me.”

- - -

In every romantic movie that Suki had ever seen, every romance novel she’d ever read, and every love story she’d ever heard— she always found a common theme. It was the mutual pining followed by the infamous “oh” moment that never failed to fill her heart with warmth. It was always satisfying to see two idiots hopelessly in love finally end up together. Her favorite trope was two best friends secretly in love; perhaps because she saw herself in the trope— even if she refused to admit it.

She wondered to herself what movies you had picked out for the night as she approached your front door. Every Thursday night for the past two years, Suki came over to hang out with you, whether it be to watch movies, cook dinner, or just catch up on whatever had happened during the week. Soon enough, Thursday nights had quickly become Suki’s favorite day of the week.

With a paper bag full of all your favorite snacks in one arm, she reached into her pocket for her phone so she could let you know that she was outside. Before she could even get the chance to unlock her phone, you’d already swung the door open.

“You should learn how to knock, you know.” You leaned against the doorframe with a teasing smile.

For some inexplicable reason, Suki’s heart always managed to skip a beat when she saw you smile— she’d never dare to let you know that though.

Suki shifted on her feet awkwardly, momentarily at a loss for words before recomposing herself, “please, who even knocks these days? Now are you going to let me in or am I just supposed to let this ice cream melt?”

“Ice cream?! Did you get my favorite kind? Oh, please tell me you did.” You all but dragged her into your apartment before shutting the door and pressing her against it.

Suki held her breath as you tried to examine the contents of the paper bag before you realized what you were doing and stepped back with a sheepish grin. You followed her into the kitchen where she gently set down the bag on the counter. Your excited squeals filled the room when you pulled out the tub of cookie dough ice cream— the holy grail. You wrapped your arms around Suki so tight that she was worried you’d be able to feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“You got it! Oh, I love you so much I could just kiss you.” You exclaimed, causing Suki’s cheeks to heat up and turn a slight shade of red.

“I-uh, yeah. I told you I would, didn't I?” Suki hesitantly wrapped her arms around you as well, but only for a brief moment before pulling away.

She watched you grab two spoons out of the utensil drawer before bumping it closed with her hip and walking into the living room. Suki followed, observing the way you let yourself fall onto the sofa before gently sitting down beside you with a small smile. You scooted closer until your thigh touched hers, sending a spark through her body that felt significantly stronger today for some reason.

“What’s on the watchlist today?” Suki asked, secretly hoping it wasn’t another horror movie because the last time she watched one with you she’d gotten nightmares for a week straight.

You took a second to finish the ice cream in your mouth before replying, “another rom-com because I know how much you love those.”

Suki playfully rolled her eyes before softly flicking your thigh, “whatever loser, let’s just get this over with.”

- - -

“Oh, come on! It’s always the best friend who ends up with the protagonist. Why not switch it up a little every now and then?” You huffed as the two best friends shared a passionate kiss in the rain.

“...what’s wrong with two best friends being in love?” Suki muttered under her breath.

You lifted your head from her shoulder to look at her with a curious expression, “I mean, all I’m saying is that it’s a bit unrealistic don’t you think?”

Ouch. That one certainly stung. Suki kept her gaze downward, afraid that if you looked into her eyes then maybe you’d find out the truth. She quietly retracted her hand from yours, honestly, she hadn’t even realized when you’d grabbed it in the first place.

“That doesn’t mean it’s impossible though.” Suki countered, coming off as a bit defensive in your opinion.

“You think it could really happen?” You whispered, looking at her with an expression she couldn’t read. Was that… hope? No, no it couldn’t be.

“I-I don’t know, I’m gonna go to the restroom real quick. Go ahead and pick another movie in the meantime.” Suki got up and quickly excused herself to the bathroom.

She shut the door behind her before letting out a breath that didn’t even know she was holding in. Suki stared at herself in the mirror for a moment as she let out a sigh. Why did she react like that? Why was she being so fucking weird? God, you probably thought she was a total weirdo. It’s not like she had never hung out with you before, so why was she acting like this?

You were her best friend, she was supposed to feel at ease around you. So why was it that you made it impossible for her to ignore this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever you got a tad too close? Why did you always have to make her stumble over her words with one look into those breathtaking eyes of yours? Suki felt like her head was spinning with all these thoughts bombarding her at once. She slipped down to the floor, leaning against the door and she dialed Ty Lee’s number. She could really use some advice.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ty Lee…” Suki sighed.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to chat for a bit.”

“Right now? I thought you’d be too busy making out with your girlfriend.”

Suki choked on air as she rushed to deny her friend’s assumption, “She’s not my girlfriend!”

“Alright! Fine, whatever you say, buddy. What’s bugging you though? You don’t sound like your usual self.”

“I don’t know… things are weird.”

“Gonna have to be a bit more specific than that if you want the advice you’re looking for.”

“It’s her. Ever since I got here, I’ve been feeling all funny and it’s been driving me insane all night.” Suki confessed.

“Did you have an argument or something?”

“Not really? I don’t know, I don’t think I’d call it that. But we did kind of have this brief little discussion about best friends being in love...”

“Oh, my god you finally told her?!” Ty Lee practically shouted, loud enough that Suki winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear for a second.

“Told her what? I didn’t tell her anything.”

“That you’re head over heels in love with her, silly.”

“I never said I was! Don’t be ridiculous, that’s not even true. What would even make you think that?” Suki’s flurry of questions came out in a rush, faster than she could process them.

“Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re still in denial. Suki, sweetie, you’ve been whipped for that girl since the day you met.”

As much as Suki hated to admit it, she knew her friend was right. She was absolutely whipped for you and had been for quite some time now. Though she never brought herself to acting on those feelings in fear of ruining a perfectly fine friendship. So instead, she buried those feelings deep down inside her and settled for the safer, although not a nearly as satisfying option, and kept things “strictly platonic”.

It wasn’t like she’d never tried to confess her feelings for you. It just so happened that every time she planned on doing so, something always came up. She figured it was a sign that maybe she should keep quiet and save herself the embarrassment. Except the only problem with that was that every time she saw you, those feelings only continued to grow. They got stronger until they reached the point where it became nearly impossible to ignore them. Which is precisely why Suki currently found herself at a crossroads where she could continue to play it safe and deny all feelings for you— or she could take a leap of faith and finally listen to what her heart had been screaming at her for the past two years.

Fuck all that. Keeping quiet all that time felt like torture in the worst form, and honestly, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up with this façade.

“...is it that obvious?” Suki mumbled quietly.

“Oh, one hundred percent. I don’t understand why you have such a hard time accepting it since she clearly feels the same way.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, my friend. She definitely doesn’t have any feelings for me whatsoever.”

“What makes you so sure about that?”

“Well, for starters, earlier when we were watching a movie. It brought up the topic of two best friends being in love and she was complaining about how it’s so unrealistic. So I argued that it wasn’t totally impossible and then she asked me if I thought that it could really happen.” Suki explained.

“Uh-huh… and what did you answer?”

“I panicked and rushed to the restroom and called you.”

“Suki!”

“I mean we’re gay for each other but I always saw it in a friendly way. You don’t think she-”

Ty Lee interrupted, “Yes! Yes, she does!”

“You say that you’re absolutely sure of it.” Suki frowned.

“You do realize how dumb you sound right now, right?”

“I know! I’m an idiot, you don’t have to remind me. I swear this girl makes me get all messed up inside and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Love is never easy, but it’s always worth it.”

“God, she makes me want to gather all the stars in the sky just to see her smile.”

“Yeah, being in love does that to ya.”

Suki grumbled, “I’m not in love with her!”

“But you love her, don’t you?”

Did Suki love you? She wasn’t quite sure. She knew she loved your smile and the way it was slightly crooked. She knew she loved the way you were soft to the very core but were never afraid to speak your mind. She knew she loved how in a world filled with darkness and gloom, you remained a beaming ball of light and positivity.

She knew all these things and despite knowing them, she still couldn’t bring herself to speak them out loud. So for now they’d stay hidden in the depths of her heart, tucked away with the rest of the things she wished she could tell you. Suki loved you, god she loved you with every fiber of her being, and she was starting to grow tired of pretending otherwise.

Suki felt a pang in her chest as she replied, “more than she’ll ever know…”

“There you go, you already know you’ve got feelings for the girl so I think it’s time you act on them. You’ve tortured yourself enough already.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

“Hurry along now! Don’t take too long in there! She’ll probably think you’ve got the runs or something.”

“I mean, with how nervous I’m feeling— that doesn’t sound too unlikely.”

“Suki! Get your shit together—no pun intended— and go out there and get your girl!”

“Ugh, if this blows up in my face then I hope you know that I will be moving to another nation and changing my identity.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Just be sure to invite me to your wedding.”

Suki ended the call and stood up, looking at herself in the mirror once again. She played with her hair in an attempt to tame it, growing frustrated at the small baby hairs that refused to stay put before huffing and giving up. Her clammy hand grasped the silver door handle and pushed down, opening the door and revealing you standing there with a shocked expression.

“You love me?” You breathed out, utterly shocked.

Fuck.

- - -

After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, Suki sighed and motioned for you to follow her into the living room. She tried to desperately ignore the sound of blood rushing in her ears and took her spot on the sofa just a few inches away from you in fear of you somehow hearing her racing heart. Suki knew you were waiting for a response, she knew that you deserved an explanation but every time she tried to speak the words wouldn’t come out.

It frustrated her that you had so much power over her. This wasn’t the first time Suki had confessed feelings for a girl, so why was this time so difficult? She’s fought off several enemies—none of which ever stood a chance, to begin with… so why couldn’t she admit her feelings for you? Her mouth felt dry and her hands were trembling, if you didn’t know any better, you would’ve assumed the poor girl was going to pass out— though to be fair, Suki did feel like she was going to pass out.

“Why were you waiting outside the bathroom?” Suki interrogated, going back to her defensive ways.

“I- well, I was worried that I had upset you earlier and you were taking a while so I wanted to check on you to see if you were okay.” You answered with a frown.

“I’m fine. I just, I guess there’s no way out of this except through an explanation,” Suki sighed, “look, I didn’t want for you to find out this way and if I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure if I ever wanted you to find out.”

“But why not? How long have you been hiding this from me? Why didn’t you ever say anything?” You asked question after question, and it was making Suki’s head spin.

Suki held a hand out, silently pleading you to slow down, “I don’t know… it’s complicated. I guess I didn’t say anything because I was scared. I’m still scared.”

“What are you scared of?” You frowned, slightly hurt by the fact that being romantically interested in you was something Suki was afraid of.

“I think I’m falling in love with you, and it scares me. Actually, no. I don’t think— I am in love with you. I’m so fucking in love with you and it kills me to have to hide it from you. It’s been two years and this feeling inside of me hasn’t gone away and I’m not sure if I ever want it to. You make me feel like I’m invincible, but you also make me feel so, so vulnerable and it’s terrifying but then you smile at me and suddenly it all seems worth it. You make me feel a way I’ve never felt before and I really want to hold onto that feeling for as long as I can. I love you and I’m sorry but I just couldn’t hide it anymore.” Suki confessed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulder.

And then there was silence.

The relief Suki had originally felt quickly turned into a sour feeling which began to consume her. Every passing second that you remained quiet felt unbearable, Suki just wished she could take back everything she said and go back to how things were before this whole mess began. You stared at her with a blank expression, giving her the impression that you didn’t feel the same way. Regret filled her mind as she began to mentally curse herself for ever saying anything in the first place. She was a fool for thinking even for a second that you would feel the same way. Now she’d ruined the friendship, exactly what she’d been fearing the most.

You sat there in shock as you tried to process all the information that had just been given to you. It felt like you were frozen in time, unable to comprehend the fact that the girl who you’d secretly harbored feelings for was the very same girl that had just confessed her love for you. This couldn’t be real, this sort of thing only happened in the movies. For a split second, the thought that maybe this was Suki’s idea of a sick joke had crossed your mind, and while you hoped that wasn’t the case— you knew that if it was true then you wouldn’t ever get another chance to do what you’d been dying to do for years.

So you kissed her.

Suki took a second to respond but once she did, the kiss felt magical. It was better than anything you could’ve ever dreamed of. Your heart felt like it was ready to explode from how fast it was beating, but that was just Suki’s effect on you. The kiss was far too short for your liking but it had been Suki who had pulled away first, with swollen lips and shaky breaths.

“Please, please just tell me if you feel the same way.” She whispered, already preparing for the worst.

You smiled softly, “I love you too, Suki, so fucking much.”

Suki looked at you for a brief moment, looking for any signs of dishonesty or confusion, pleased when she saw that you were being genuine with her. Throwing all caution to the wind, Suki took a leap of faith and leaned in for another kiss. She tackled you down against the sofa, her body pressing against yours as she poured all her feelings into the kiss. No more holding back. The kiss wasn’t gentle like the first one had been, no, this one was passionate and rough. Your teeth clashed against hers every so often but neither of you seemed to mind, you even found yourself tangling your fingers in her dark hair. Small little gasps escaped your lips before being swallowed into the kiss without ever reaching the surface. Your legs had wrapped themselves around Suki’s waist in an attempt to bring her body closer to yours— you craved her touch just as badly as she craved your warmth.

Suki groaned against your lips as she felt a fire forming in the pit of her stomach, reluctantly pulling away but not before tugging your bottom lip between her teeth. She wished she could’ve continued, god she wanted you badly, but ultimately decided against it— for now at least. She pressed her forehead against yours as she struggled to catch her breath, her eyes locked on your swollen lips and she would’ve been tempted to go back in for another kiss if it weren’t for the fact that it might then lead to other activities.

“Fuck,” Suki chuckled softly, “I fucking love you.”

“I fucking love you too.” You smiled back before pulling her in for another much more heated kiss.

#suki imagine #suki fluff #suki x reader #atla #atla fluff #nina’s 1k event #my writings #atla imagine #alexa play I wanna be your girlfriend by girl in red #gotta kiss the homies #all that gay shit

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razieltwelve · 3 years

Text

The Best Present (RWBY AU Snippet)

Death sat in her temple and brooded. It wasn’t often that she brooded. She was normally more cheerful, and it was a good thing too. A depressed and broody Death usually meant a dead everything else. That said, she felt she was entitled to a bit of gloom and doom this time of year. In her lap, Zwei made a comforting sound and nudged her with his head.

“Hmm... I wish my temple was this grand and magnificent.”

Death turned her attention to the large man in red and white clothing who had strode through the doors of her temple. “Santa...”

Santa gave her a fond smile and gestured vaguely at the rest of the temple. “It’s a little bit dour don’t you think?”

Death chuckled. “Well... I am Death.” Her temple’s interior decor usually favoured red more than black, but this time of year was an exception. None of her clergy were old enough to remember when she’d first made the change, but they knew better than to question one of her few direct edicts. “Is this a business call?”

The jolly spirit of Christmas shook his head. “Not really, just a visit to an old friend.”

Old was an appropriate term. Of all the beings associated with civilisation, Santa was one of the oldest. He had existed ever since the first gift had been given while Death had existed since before the concept of time itself. To say that they were old friends was something of an understatement. After all, they were two of the most powerful cookie-loving entities in existence, and Death had been mistaken for him one more than one occasion due to her ability to seemingly go wherever she wanted and know whether or not people had been good or bad.

“I thought you’d be busy, you know, since it is Christmas Eve and all.”

Santa pulled two glasses of milk out of thin air along with two plates of cookies. He handed one glass to Death along with one of the plates of cookies. “We both know that I can be everywhere at once if I have to, maybe not all the time, but on this night, at least.”

Death dipped one of the cookies into the milk and took a bite. As expected of Santa, it tasted perfect. “So...?”

“It occurs to me,” Santa said. “That you’ve been a very good girl for a very, very, very long time, but you’ve never gotten a gift from me.”

Death chuckled. “You’re only supposed to give gifts to mortals.”

“True, but I am also supposed to bring Christmas cheer to all, so you can see my conundrum. You, one of my oldest and best friends, get sad every Christmas, which really won’t do.” Santa dipped one of his own cookies. “So I thought to myself, why not get Death a gift? True, I’m not as powerful as you are, but I’m not bound by the same restrictions either since my power isn’t truly mine in the way yours is yours.”

Death nodded. “The gifts you give people are determined by how good they’ve been. It’s such a part of your legend that it’s become a restriction of sorts.”

“A bothersome one at times,” Santa admitted. “But not in this case. And, as I’ve said, you’ve been a very good girl for aeons and aeons, so you’re due for something special.” Santa’s eyes crinkled. “Now, I can't make any promises, but you’ve built up a lot of credit, so to speak. Would you like to cash it in?”

Death raised one eyebrow. “Cash it in?”

“There’s not a lot I can give you with only one year’s worth of being good, but if you count all of the Christmases in the past where you’ve been good and never gotten anything... well, I might be able to get you something you’ve always wanted although I can’t make any promises.” Santa’s smile was warm and kind. “So... want to give it a try?”

“I suppose I could.” Death chuckled. “It’s not like I’ve got any other use for the ‘credit’ I’ve built up.”

“Even so, I need to hear you say it.” Santa grinned. “Restrictions and rules and all that.”

Death shrugged. “All right. Very well. I, Death, formally announce that I wish to use all of my accumulated Christmas credit to get the best gift ever. Will that do?”

“It just might.” Santa gave Death the rest of his cookies. He’d only eaten one. “I know that this time of year might make you sad, but on Boxing Day, take a walk around. You’ll be surprised by the happiness you find.”

X X X

Death walked around disguised as a mortal. Zwei was with her, disguised as a mortal dog. The pair of them were walking through one of the busier entertainment districts. It was Boxing Day, so there were actually quite a few people out and about. Most of them were families eager to watch a movie or have a Boxing Day lunch with their extended family at a restaurant.

Her lips twitched. She wondered what Weiss would think about movies and modern restaurants and all the rest of it. The queen had been quite amazed when Death had told her about some of the things the future would bring, and she’d never been entirely sure if Death had been joking or serious. Ah. It had been so fun to tease Weiss.

Idly, she wondered what Santa would give her. After all, she was Death. There was very little she couldn’t simply get herself if she was so inclined. Of course, the one thing she wanted was one of the very few things she couldn’t get. For reasons that were now obvious to her, she was forbidden from interfering with the great Cycle that governed the death and rebirth of mortal souls. In a way it was a good thing. Otherwise, there was no end to the tampering she’d do to ensure Weiss came back to her.

Death sighed. She’d promised Weiss that she would wait for her. What was a thousand years to a god like her? What was ten thousand? But she hadn’t counted on how much she’d changed. Those years with Weiss... she’d stopped marking time the way gods did and started thinking about it in more mortal terms. And to a mortal a century was a long, long time, to say nothing of how long millennia felt.

Still, there was something nice about being out here. The families bustling back and forth, the people eager to enjoy a Boxing Day sale or two... it all had an atmosphere that was difficult for the fest of the year to match and -

Someone ran into her. It spoke volumes about how lost Death was in her thoughts that she hadn’t move out of the way. It wasn’t like anyone could hurt her, but she would normally have avoided a collision simply to avoid the hassle that often came when mortals bumped into one another. And the last thing she needed was for people to realise that a god walked amongst them. She got enough veneration at her temple. She didn’t need anymore here.

But all of those thoughts ceased to matter the moment she laid eyes on the person who’d bumped into her.

It was a young woman, one wearing an Atlas University sweater to help with the winter chill. And Death would have known her and her soul anywhere.

Weiss.

“I am so sorry!” Weiss cried as she reached into her pockets for a handkerchief. “I got coffee all over you!”

Death belatedly noticed that Weiss had indeed spilled coffee all over her. Wait... coffee was normally hot enough to hurt mortals. “Um... ouch.”

Weiss blinked and stopped dabbing at the coffee on Death’s coat. “Um... ouch?” She winced as the very obvious stain on Death’s coat refused to lighten despite her efforts. “I think I’ve ruined your coat.”

“It’s fine.” Death was smiling like an idiot, but she didn’t care. Weiss was here. She was here. Unbidden, Santa’s words came back to her. He wasn’t bound by the same rules as she was, and his power, although fleeting, could be truly incredible given the right circumstances... like when giving a gift to someone with aeons of good behaviour saved up.

Weiss bit her lip. “It looks like an expensive coat though.” She looked about furtively, and Death fought the urge to kiss the frown off her face. Death didn’t give a crap about the coat. It was something she’d created with her power as part of her disguise. “Look... I feel bad about ruining your coat, and I do have some gift vouchers for the coffee shop over there.” She pointed. “Can I make it up to you?”

Coffee with Weiss? Death grinned. “I suppose you could.” At her feet, Zwei gave a happy bark. “Oh, and this is my dog.”

“He’s adorable!” Weiss bent down, and Zwei licked her hand. “Wow. It’s like he already knows me.”

“You’d be surprised.” Death’s grin widened. “So... tell me about yourself.”

X X X

Zwei watched as his mistress and Weiss talked over coffee. It had been a long time since he’d seen Death smile so much. He had suspected that this would be Santa’s gift. It was the only thing his mistress wanted that she could not get for herself despite her awesome powers... which was why he’d sought out Santa not long after his meeting with Death.

Even if Santa could somehow arrange a meeting between Death and Weiss, that still left them with a problem. At some point, Weiss would die again. If Death had to wait so long to see her again, well, it might be even worse this time than the last time.

But maybe there was a way to fix that...

And Zwei wasn’t called the best dog in Creation for nothing.

“So... you want to trade in all of your Christmas credit as well?” Santa had asked him.

Zwei had nodded. He would gladly trade in all his Christmases if it meant getting Weiss back more easily from now on. If Santa really could affect the Cycle, then maybe he could guarantee a more regular rebirth schedule for Weiss as well. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d be getting nothing out of it. It was Weiss. He loved having her around, and he was sure to get plenty of naps in her lap, belly rubs, and treats to compensate him for his trouble.

“You really are a good boy, aren’t you?” Santa nodded. “Very well. I’ll do what I can. With all the credit you’ve saved up, it should be enough.” He scratched Zwei behind the ears. “And maybe pay a visit to the North Pole soon. It’s been ages since you and Rudolph got to hang out.”

X X X

Author’s Notes

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

#rwby #fanfiction #ruby rose #weiss schnee #white rose #zwei

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winterhawkremix · 4 years

Text

The time has come!

The collection has been opened up and all of the fics we have received are now available to be read... except no one knows who wrote what!

Here’s the full list of all the remixes that were created for this year’s Winterhawk Remix in alphabetical order. There are 18 fics in total, so that should keep you all going for a while, and maybe you’ll rediscover some old favourites when you see what has been remixed!

Note that, while we’ve included ratings, to conserve space, we have not included tags, so make sure you check them out when you click through! Fic responsibly, folks.

And now, without further ado...

Go forth and read!

[Remix of] Is That The Fangs I Get? (Rating: Teen) A remix of @downwarddnaspiral’s Is That the Fangs I Get? “He does know, right?” “Know what?” “That I’m a vampire.” “Oh! Yeah. He’d have to, right?” Behind Bars (On The Other Side Remix) (Rating: Explicit) A remix of @captn-sara-holmes’s Behind Bars If Clint had known that hooking up with his cellmate would lead to escaping prison, making it all the way to Wakanda without being recaptured, and convincing King T'Challa and Captain America to let him stay once he got there, then he'd...well, he'd probably still have kissed the guy. Bucky was smoking hot, after all. Clint just really hopes he doesn't get mad when he finds out that Clint's been telling everyone he's Bucky boyfriend. Bottom of the Sea (just don’t go without me remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @verdantmoth’s bottom of the sea It was on his way out that he saw it. It looked pretty innocuous, like a bedroll or someone's discarded coat, but he knew it as soon as he saw it. His mom's had looked the same way, too long unworn and faded around the edges, but still silky smooth and beautiful in the right light. Clint limped over and grabbed the skin, draping it over his arms as best he could, trying not to touch it too much with his hands and the crusted-in blood under his fingernails. By Faith Alone (Rating: Teen) A remix of @badacts’ sola fide Bucky's daemon knows full well what he wants, but it's going to take a while for his head to get onboard with his heart.

Fractured, a Splintered Remix (Rating: Explicit) A remix of @flawedamythyst’s Splintered Clint touches something mystical at Dr. Strange's place and next thing Bucky knows, there are four extra Clints running around. He takes it upon himself to gather them up and help them come to some important realizations about the world. You know. Sexually. I dreamed I held you in my arms (Rating: Teen) A remix of @fadedsepia’s Like Sunshine He’s just about managed to focus on the mission, mentally reviewing the details of the target, when Clint strolls out of the bathroom, long and lean and — “You’re wearing that?” James finds himself saying. Clint stops short as he loops the purple aid around his ear and presses the earmold in, sky-blue eyes wide and startled. “Yeah? Why — is there something wrong with it?” James can’t help himself, his eyes wandering the slow course from head to toe. The dress shirt is mustard-yellow, linen so fine that it’s practically transparent. The collar is unbuttoned almost midway, showing the sharp jut of Clint’s collarbone and a slice of freckled chest below. The residual steam from the shower is already making the fabric cling to Clint’s incredible musculature. It’s fucking obscene. i hope i'll see you when it's light (the remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @nightwideopen’s i hope i’ll see you when it’s light After the fifth time they sleep together, Clint knows he’s in too deep. I Still Choose You (The Public Domain Remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @1000-directions’ i don’t have a choice (but i still choose you) Clint really didn't intend to do anything more than make a joke, but when his stupid 'soulmate' comment gets posted on social media, he ends up in a fake relationship with the one person he wishes really were his soulmate. Just Being Neighbourly (The Remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @mariana-oconnor’s Just Being Neighbourly Bucky can’t remember the last time he worked this hard to get somebody’s attention. He lowered the beaters into the mixing bowl with the speed setting turned up a little too fast, making his batter fling up in tiny flecks. “Jesus, again? What are you baking for now?” “Shut up, Stevie, and hand me the vanilla, damn it.” Make You Feel At Ease (Rating: General) A remix of @tintedglasses’ tell you truth, but never goodbye Just because it was Memorial Day and things in the past had definitely not been as kind to Bucky as they should have been didn’t mean that Steve needed to worry. But he also knew that man deserved a whole lot more good than that world had decided to give him. Novel Recognition (Rating: Teen) A remix of @lissadiane’s Blame It On Bad Luck Bucky tries to ignore the sudden change, the words that push to the surface of his skin some time between getting off work and getting Steve’s rail-thin ass up the stairs without falling or bruising any more of his best friend’s ribs, but… Why the fuck would it show up now? Bucky Barnes finally has a soulmate; someone he knows, but has yet to meet. Organic Chemistry (the remix of Improper Fractions) (Rating: Explicit) A remix of @cloud--atlas’s Improper Fractions Natasha's got a hot new roomate, and Clint's got a staring problem. The guy's a science teacher for fucks' sake. But if Clint doesn't get to suck his dick, he might actually die. Personal Security (Let's Go Steal Ourselves a Remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @kangofu-cb’s Personal Security Whatever his intentions, right now Clint’s a thief and a liar, and Bucky has worked hard to leave this kind of life behind him. It wouldn’t be fair to make a move right now. Push and Pull (Rating: Mature) A remix of @flowerparrish’s hey there, demons Bucky really wasn't expecting to see his one night stand at work the next day. right here, empty for days [a Written On My Heart remix] (Rating: Not Rated) A remix of @supervillainny’s Written on My Heart Soulmarks are funky lil' things. He can’t feel the lines on his skin, doesn’t know they’re there until he spots them. (Sometimes he thinks that’s a bit of a fluke on fate's part. What happens if ya miss ‘em? Or ya can’t see ‘em? Maybe fate knows though, which ones are meant to be seen.) safe and sound (finally safe remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @loonyloopylisa’s Finally Safe “I’m so sorry,” Clint says and it feels inadequate, but he doesn’t know what else to say. He thought he had a rough time waking up in that HYDRA cell, but at least he woke up somewhere else. He can’t imagine what it would be like to wake up in the same place he went to sleep, knowing that there’s no one else out there for him. “It wasn’t rare,” Bucky says, ducking his head slightly. “It was the thirties and healthcare wasn’t great and so it wasn’t rare for people’s soulmates to die before either of them reached twenty-one.” Bucky swallows hard again, his voice the quietest it’s been when he says, “But I guess I just never thought that it could happen to me.” susurrus (the one touch to know remix) (Rating: Teen) A remix of @drgrlfriend’s A Murmur in the Trees Sam Wilson has a nice place. It’s also conveniently located across the street from a small park with several old, heavily-in-leaf trees with an excellent vantage of his windows. Clint, settled high in the canopy in the vee between two sturdy branches, watches a weary, limping Cap arrive fresh from the hospital through binoculars. It’s embarrassing that this is what his life has come to. take a snapshot (dirty laundry remix) (Rating: Explicit) A remix of @thescarletwitch’s Take a Snapshot (If It Makes You Feel More At Home) You know this is basically soft porn, right?” Clint murmurs with a sly grin, cupping his own dick through his pants before shaking his head and laughing. Clint, like Clint Barton. Like the Avenger. Fuckin’ Hawkeye, for fuck’s sake. The not-so-secret love of Bucky’s very gay life. “Nothing soft about it,” Bucky mutters to himself. Clint and Bucky get dirty at the laundromat.

Author reveals will take place on 30th June. Until then, have fun reading and enjoy the mystery!

#Winterhawk #Winterhawk remix #Winterhawk fic #Winterhawk remix masterpost #Masterpost

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stitch1830 · 3 years

Note

Angst #4 "Why are you lying to me?"

Why sleep when you can write about Taang? Thanks @su-univeralai for the inspiration lmao

......

Taang - Angst - #4 - “Why are you lying to me?”

They were just sitting at the table, eating. But Toph was… jittery? She kept moving the contents in the bowl around in circles, but she barely touched her meal. That was odd, too; she loved food!

She wasn’t normally nervous, and if Toph Beifong was nervous about something, that was never a good thing. Aang noticed she was acting weird around him recently, so he was determined to get to the bottom of it before dinner ended.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

“I asked what’s wrong. You’re brooding,” he pointed out.

Toph let out a huff. “No I’m not!”

“You’re pouting over your soup. Come on, Toph. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Twinkletoes, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Aang frowned. He knew Toph better than anyone. She was lying. He pointed his silverware at her face. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!” she exclaimed. Aang saw that he was getting on her nerves, but he needed her to talk. He told her everything! She should feel comfortable to do the same, even if it required a bit of pushing on his end. “Toph,” he replied in a quieter, open tone. “Why are you lying to me?”

“Why are you lying to me?!” she threw back at him, her sass in full bloom.

Aang groaned. “Toph! I know you’re lying to me. You’re being all quiet and fidgety, and you’re never fidgety.”

“Twinkletoes, nothing is wrong, I’m not brooding or whatever the fuck you called it. Don’t read into me being quiet.”

“That’s the thing!” he argued. She whined and banged her head on the table as he continued, “You’re never this quiet! You always have something to say, and I’m just trying to be there for you!”

Toph lifted up her head and Aang was surprised to find her blushing. “I swear, Aang. This isn’t a big deal, please let it go.”

He let out a little gasp. If she was blushing, maybe she was keeping a secret from him. Out of all the betrayals he could’ve thought of, Toph was potentially keeping secrets? He loved secrets! “Are you keeping secrets from me??”

“Spirits, Aang—”

“—C’mon! I tell you all my secrets! You have to tell me right now!”

Toph slammed her hands on the table and stood up. She looked a little mad, frustrated mostly. Still, Aang cowered a bit as she yelled, “FINE! I’m pregnant, you airhead! Congrats, Pops. Now, go get me some pickles or apples or any other decent meal because I am not eating the rest of this Spirits forsaken soup.”

She let out another indignant huff for good measure and stomped over to their bedroom, leaving Aang frozen in his seat at the table. His mouth hung open as he tried to form words, but nothing came out except for squeaks that resembled Toph’s name. After a few moments, his brain regained full function.

Spirits above, they were having a baby! Oh, Aang had to go jump and fly around and hug Toph because he was just so excited!

And he had to make up for his little frozen moment back in the kitchen.

So before he went to get her dinner request, he flew after her to excitedly bother her some more, much to the earthbender’s chagrin.

......

Too many prompts to choose from, but here they are (This one came from the sentence starter prompt):

Sentence Starter Prompt

Emotional Prompts

Prompt List

Send a prompt and a ship! (ATLA)

#taang #atla #toph #aang #toph and aang #quote writing prompt #part 3 #my asks #thanks for the ask comfy!#lol I enjoy turning the angst prompts into humorous ones #can't be done often #but when it can...#its gr9 #send me asks #the goal is to actually write all weekend #Tumblr breaks help lol

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imherongraystairstrash · 3 years

Note

I don’t think this is along the line of your usual fics, at least I’ve only seen you post one thing in the TDA series, but would you be willing to write Kit and Kieran bonding after Kieran finds out that they’re related? Because I just feel like Kieran would be happy to have a family member that he actually likes, and isn’t a horrible person.

Yes! Kieran would be so happy to have a family member that doesn’t treat him horribly! I also want to apologize for posting this monster of a fic. I just had too much fun writing this! Kit’s POV is something I didn’t know I needed to write until now. ALSO, it broke my heart to write some of this so... You’re welcome.

Characters: Kit & Kieran bonding times (platonicccc I don’t want anyone thinking this is anything other than platonic because, ew)

Notes: This is a couple of days before Kit goes to live with Jem and Tessa :)

...

Kit had been staring out into the distance for so long, time seems to have lost it’s essence. He kept telling himself to stop standing there and go back inside. Perhaps he should do some packing, since Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray were going to come in a couple of days and take him to Devon. But all Kit had done this evening was this; looking out at LA and wondering how his life had changed so drastically in the span of a couple of months.

He had the balcony door open and turned to find Kieran standing there.

“Is it alright if I stay here?”

Kit simply nodded at him and then turned back to the view. It was a really nice view. Nothing like the one he had in his old house.

Kieran rested his forearms on the railing and looked out at the city, just as Kit was doing.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Kieran asked.

“Nope, go ahead.”

“When you look out at this view,” Kieran said, “do you see what you would consider to be ‘home’?”

Kit shrugged. “I’ve never seen LA from here before, so it doesn’t really look like home. Except for that street over there; I used to pass it when I was going to school in the morning.”

Kieran squinted, trying to identify the street. He didn’t know why, but Kit sort of liked that he was actually putting in the effort to find the street he was talking about. Most people would shrug it off or nod and smile a fake smile, just so that they could end the small talk. It sort of felt like Kieran actually cared about what Kit said.

“Is it the one that goes along that building with red lights?”

“Uhh,” Kit looked at the expanse of red lights, none of which were near the street he had been talking about. “Not really. It’s the one that has that stop sign at the end of it.”

“I’m afraid I do not have knowledge of what a ‘stop sign’ is or what it may look like.”

Kit’s eyes widened and he bit back the urge to say “wow”. How old was this guy? How secluded was Faerie? He didn’t ask those questions though, because they seemed rude.

“It’s okay, Kieran. I won’t be offended if you don’t want to keep looking for it. I mean, it’s pretty small.”

“No, I want to find this path you had taken to your school in the past. It feels important.”

“Oh okay. Umm,” Kit looked at the street. “Oh, do you see that green car over there?”

“Hm. Oh yes! I do see it!”

“Okay, to the right of that road, is the street I was talking about.”

“Is there a woman and a man professing their love to one another, for all to see, on the lighter road, beside that bigger, darker road?”

Kit blinked. And then he understood. “Oh, you mean that couple making out on the sidewalk? Yeah, that’s the one.”

Kieran smiled, clearly proud he’d found the street. Kit smiled too, because it had been a little fun. Then his mind drifted and he thought about how Kieran was supposedly related to him. That was really weird. He also looked nothing like Kieran; but maybe that was because they weren’t that related.

“Hey, Kieran?”

“Yes?”

“How are we related again? Are we like cousins or something?”

“I think your great-great grandmother was my half sister?”

“Oh.” Kit said. “Well, I still don’t know what to call you. Are you like my great-great-great uncle, then?”

Kieran looked pensive. “Perhaps?”

“Cool.”

“I was thinking it was a bit hot, actually.”

Kit felt his jaw drop. What the hell?

“What?”

Kieran looked at him surprised. “You said you were cold, but I think it’s rather warm outside. Hot, even.”

Kit released a breath in relief. “Oh, oh okay. Thank God.”

“For what?”

“Oh, nothing.”

They looked out at the landscape in front of them. Kit was going to just let the silence hang, when he suddenly felt bad for his Triple-G Uncle (yes, he thought, that’s what I should call him).

“Oh, Kieran?”

“Yes?”

“When someone says ‘cool’ they usually mean, like…‘nice’.”

Kieran looked at him and tilted his head to the side. “I don’t believe I follow…”

“It’s like… uh… you see, i—it’s hard to explain. Let me think.” Kit furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out how to explain. “Well, it’s like saying ‘awesome’ or ‘great’, you know?”

Kieran pressed his lips together. “Oh. That makes a little bit of sense.”

“Oh, really? Cool! I thought what I just said just confused you even more.”

“No, no. I think I understand now, especially after you used it in a sentence.”

“Huh. And you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

Kieran eyed him. “Even if I wanted to, I cannot lie. I’m Fae.”

“Oh, yeah.” Kit bit his lip. “I forget that sometimes.”

Kieran snorted. “I don’t.”

Kit pressed his lips together. He wanted to know more about his ancestors, and now was as good a time to ask. And when would he get a better opportunity to learn? Here was Kieran, who was raised in the Unseelie Court. Just ask, Kit, he thought. Just ask the stupid question already, before you leave and won’t ever be able to know. Just do it.

Kit almost laughed because that reminded him of a vine he had first seen in second period math. Then, he shuddered because ugh, second period math. That class was torture unlike any he had ever endured.

Anyways, what had he been thinking about? Oh yes; he had to ask Kieran his question.

“Christopher?”

Darn it. Just when he was going to ask his question. “Yeah?”

“I do not recall ever having a family member that has never tried to kill me or was cruel, save my brother, Adaon.”

“Oh,” Kit said, eyes wide as he shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “That’s um—that sucks, Kieran. I—I’m sorry?”

“Why do you apologize?”

Kit frowned, “I don’t know. That’s the sort of thing people say.”

Kieran hummed. “You mortals apologize too much.”

Kit didn’t have anything to say, other than ‘sorry’ which would be kinda dumb, considering what Kieran just said. So, he opted for silence.

“As I was saying,” Kieran continued. “I do not think I have had a good relationship with family members for a long time, so I hope you can forgive me if I do not keep good company; I don’t interact well with others because of my upbringing.”

“Oh.” Kit bit his lip, absentmindedly. What does this mean?

As if reading his mind, Kieran added quickly. “I just thought that perhaps we could try to be each other's family?”

“Nobody’s ever wanted me to be their family member before.” Kit mumbled.

“I can say the same for myself.” Kieran said. “I thought maybe we could talk and introduce ourselves better. I know family isn’t just blood but—”

“I’d like that.” Kit interrupted, without meaning to. “Get to know each other, I mean.”

Kieran looked surprised. “You would?”

“Yeah. I mean, you seem pretty dope—I mean, interesting.”

Kieran smiled. “You, too, seem ‘dope’”

Kit laughed at that. Maybe it would be fun to teach Kieran modern slang.

“Okay, first things first though, nobody really calls me Christopher, unless I royally messed up. You can call me Kit, instead.”

And so they talked to one another. Nothing too deep. It was the type of conversation that has no real subject to it, and because of that, it was enjoyable. Kit got to ask his question about Faerie and Kieran asked him questions about the mundane world. Kit even showed him the Katy Perry left shark meme. Kieran’s face when Kit told him that there were people inside those costumes could have also been a meme.

Kit did not know where life would take him. He supposed that living with Jem and Tessa couldn’t be too bad. Who knew? Maybe they won’t ignore him as his dad had. Then again, isn’t that what parents normally do with their children? Just pretend like they don’t exist, except for times when it’s convenient for them?

It didn’t really matter, not right now. At least Kieran felt Kit was worth his time, and maybe, just maybe, he could have the relative he never had.

Yes, that would be nice.

...

Tagging some lovely people: @celias @tsccreatorsnet @atla-lok143 @hitheresomeoneusingthus @rinadragomir @youngreckless @aceofjesper @autumnangel20 @julemmaes @cupcakesandkittens @no-scones-allowed @fictionally-fantastic @stxr-thxif @forjordelia @itsdaughterofthemoon

If you want to be tagged in future fics, notify me! If you asked to be tagged and I didn’t tag you in this post, please remind me (my brain cells are gone at this point)

#kit herondale #kieran kingson #tsc #tda fanfiction #tsc fanfiction #kit and kieran #the dark artifies #idk what else to tag this asss

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wu-sisyphus-gang · 3 years

Text

Motion Sickness Chapter 68

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It was one of those old crush dreams. And I could tell it was a dream. It had Weiss in it and she was wearing her old Beacon era outfit so I knew it was fake. That it wasn't real. It put the dream in that odd category of semi-lucid.

I was dealing with the Boarbatusk in Ports's old classroom. I was using my old sword. I felt small as I fought it.

"Save that kid!" Weiss shouted down at me. It was disorientating like she was shouting through molasses. "Jaune, save him."

I turned away from where she was alone in the seats calling to me. There was this kid down in the pit with me. I couldn't make out his face. It was that kind of dream. Colors blurred and I slew the professor's Boarbatusk.

Instead of dissolving into ash it turned into a matted mess of worms and centipedes. They overran the kid who called out something as a centipede slid over his wrists and locked tight.

I took a step forward but my legs got wrapped up by one of the Grimm worms. It wrapped over my flesh and the slime it left behind stung me.

A centipede wrapped around both my wrists and locked tight. It looked at me. It made a smug, Grimm face at me.

I tried to scream as the bugs ran over my body.

I woke up trying to scream but it only came out as a meek groan. I couldn't move and my wrists and legs still burned where the bugs had touched me.

I was awake enough to know what I was going through. Sleep paralysis, they called it. I drooled on myself a little and couldn't shut my mouth as I lay in the cot they'd stuck me in.

I waited and eventually I was able to move again. I sat up. An orderly came by in the hospital. They had to check on us every thirty minutes just in case one of us tried to commit suicide. That was the kind of ward I was stuck in. It seriously sucked.

I stood up, tired of being watched from the doorway when the nurses came by. They hadn't taken my armor or my huntsman clothes. That told me that they wanted me comfortable. Just so long as I wasn't dangerous.

I was still dangerous. I had my gods damn semblance. Nothing could take that from me.

I striped the clothes off and hung it all next to the sink as I stepped into the in suite shower and washed myself down. I felt fucking disgusting and my dream had left me shaking. My wrists and legs burned still.

Sleep didn't even hit the same anymore.

I couldn't trust it. I couldn't trust in my mind while I rested. I wasn't allowed to rest. It fucking sucked. Plus they took my weed from me and I hadn't had the chance to talk to a doctor who could prescribe something real for me.

All I had was reality. Cold and sober even in the hot shower. At least Neo could bust me out anytime I wanted, basically. They'd taken my scroll too so I couldn't call her but she'd be around. I might just take her up on it, too.

They had me locked in this place. This hospital had us under watch from the doorways at all times even through the night so my rest wouldn't have been restful even if I didn't have the nightmares.

I scrubbed at my eyes hard and thought about the people I was doing this for. Ruby. Weiss. Yang. Blake. My old friends. I had to give this a try otherwise I was a coward. Otherwise I wanted to be sick.

I picked at the inside of my ear as I stood in the shower. I could feel things crawling around beneath my skin. The shower water pounded against the ground and with it came the whispering sound of Mother's voice.

“Come to me… lend me your strength…”

I shuddered.

“I have a favor to ask you, child. Run. Run away.”

I wanted to slam my head into the shower tile wall. I hosed myself off with the little soaps they'd provided me and tried to relax as best as I could. It wasn't working so great. I wanted to hurt myself. I wanted to smoke. I wanted to die. I wanted to see my friends.

My feelings were all bottled and mixed up into a hue of utter nothingness.

It was still fairly late and I was sure I wouldn't get any more sleep tonight. Nothing good would happen to my thoughts if I did. That was when she got me. While I was sleeping I was vulnerable to her.

I was so fucking unsafe and had been for a long time. A month or more. Ever since that day I'd murdered my own friends nothing had gone my way. The things I'd learned about myself only dragged me down.

I hated it. I hated being alive. For the thousandth time I cursed Merlot who'd doomed me to this existence without a care in the world. My creator… I would make him pay. He would suffer for bringing me into this world and dooming me to be tortured so. I could feel her fingers on the surface of my mind.

They were surgical and touched me so gently but they were there, digging deep into my thoughts like tentacles. It would feel so good to give in to them. It could be everything I ever wanted.

"Mr. Arc? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I called out to the nurse outside of the bathroom. "I'm the same as I've always been," I whispered in a quieter tone.

I could get through this. I was a hunter damnit. That meant something to me.

Does it?

The voice questioning me was my own. And it had a good point. All my dreams about being a hunter were fake. It was as fake as my name. It was given to me by an alien goddess.

She was working her way into me. She was breaking me down. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it up. It felt like water against a rock. Eventually it would erode. Except the rock was my mind. It was my psyche pit against hers.

"Can I get you anything Mr. Arc?"

"Something to help me relax and sleep?" I asked back.

"Just a moment." The male nurse walked away. He came back and placed a pill on a counter. "It's Clonazepam, just let it dissolve under your tongue. It should help with anxiety and sleep."

"Thanks," I breathed.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I savored the rough feel of the towel against my skin. The cloth was low quality and boy it felt good. I took the pill and let it dissolve under my tongue. It was incredibly sweet to the taste. I swallowed.

I immediately felt a little more relaxed but it was a bit more relaxed about being mind raped. There was only so much the drugs could do, surely. I was in it for real and I was in deep.

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"So tell me about what brings you in here Mr. Arc." My counselor was a woman. Middling height with brown hair and green eyes. She looked trustworthy. A strong jaw and high cheek bones made her classically good looking, too. She was maybe fifty, maybe a bit older. She didn’t have the good looks of a hunter, though.

Dr. Caulbaugh was her name. And after a short introduction I was supposed to share with her my deepest darkest secrets. It was necessary for this thing to work.

"The general didn't tell you anything?" I asked. We were locked alone in a room. If I so chose I could rip her in half. Probably not a good sign that I was thinking like that. But I was.

"No, he didn't. It's up to you what you share with me. But the more honest you can be the better we can make things for you." She smiled at me and picked a pen at the corner of her mouth. An actual pen as opposed to a data pad.

"And you work with hunters?" I asked.

"Primarily. My background is in trauma victims. The overlap, I think, would surprise you."

“Not really.” As far as trauma went hunters had to be up there. Between killing people and watching their friends die day in and day out there was a lot of trauma to be had. I maybe knew a thing or two about that. I nodded and flushed out my half cape in the chair. I swept it behind me."That's why you lot let me keep my armor and clothes."

"Hunters are more comfortable in their wear. And armor isn't exactly a threat." She smiled again, trying to disarm me. That's the real reason she let me keep my cloak, armor, and clothes. That's the real reason I wasn't in a gown.

I kept nodding anyway.

"Please, tell me about yourself, Mr. Arc."

"My father was a test tube and my 'mother,'" I gave the word quotation marks. "Was an incubator. I was created in a laboratory by a scientist named Merlot from the genetic material of a woman named Salem. My other mother."

"You're serious?" Her jaw dropped a little. It shouldn't have been outside the range of possibility. Especially in a technophilic place like Atlas.

I nodded again.

"Okay." She started writing.

"I'm biologically twenty but I'm chronological three or four."

"Oh my gods." She swore a little. She seemed a little shocked. I had been too, though. So there was that.

"Yeah. I joined Beacon academy when I was 'seventeen.' I was there when the academy went down. My partner was killed in the action. Her name was Pyrrha."

"Okay." She murmured scrawling at her clipboard.

"I killed for the first time maybe nine months after that. I just ripped this bandit in half."

"How many people have you killed?"

"I've lost count. Maybe a hundred. Maybe more," I confessed. "A lot of people."

"Okay. Alright." She kept writing frantically. "You're very young to have such a high body count."

"You've met other four year olds with a higher body count than me?" I laughed.

"N-no." She mumbled. She picked the pen at the corner of her mouth. A nervous habit, maybe.

"Sorry. Bad joke."

"No, please go on."

"I was there when Haven was attacked. A month ago or so. Not sure if you heard about it."

"I hadn't…"

"I'm sure some details are classified. But while I was there my Mother, Salem took control over my mind. She made me kill two of my friends."

"You mean, like with a semblance?"

"Kinda," I shrugged. "I bet details about my Mother are classified above top secret. I'm sure I can't share much with you."

"That's alright."

"And ever since then I've had tactile, visual, and auditory hallucinations. I hear her voice. I see shadows. I feel bugs crawling around in my face and in my eyes."

"I see. I see. Then what happened after Haven?"

"I found my 'father's' laboratory. That's where I learned the truth about me. I had fake memories, you see. Then I came here."

"From Mistral?"

"I snuck into the country. Report me."

"I'm not going to report you."

"I was so worried you would," I said facetiously. "So what do you think, doc? Do I have PTSD?"

"Almost certainly," she was still writing very quickly. "Mr. Arc you have quite the tale to tell."

"Do I make your list of top ten weirdest patients or what?"

"You just might." She laughed. "Have you ever tried to take your own life?"

"Just after I killed my friends at Haven I tried to kill myself."

"What happened?"

"Couldn't focus. My aura wouldn't let me." I squeezed a fist as I recalled the memory. I inhaled deeply and tried to relax like I was about to try it again now.

"I see. I want to run through some mood scales with you. Is that alright?"

"Sure." I shrugged. I had no idea what those were.

"Now I want you to tell me if you've experienced these things over the past month. If you've experienced it all of the days, most of the days, half of the days, a few of the days, or none of the days."

"Shoot."

"Feeling down, depressed or hopeless?" She asked.

"All of the days."

"Feeling like a failure, like you've let yourself down?" She went on.

"All of the days. My father classified me as a failure of an experiment, even."

"Feeling like you'd be better off dead or having thoughts of hurting yourself?" She was unrelenting.

"All of the days."

"Poor appetite or the reverse, over eating?"

"A few of the days."

"Poor sleep or the opposite, getting too much sleep?"

"All of the days."

"Which one?"

"I have nightmares from Mother. I can't sleep. I'm even afraid of sleeping. She gets me while I sleep."

She wrote notes on her clipboard. "How have you been sleeping since you arrived?"

"Poorly."

"Okay, I'll prescribe you something for that. Next scale. Moving too slow, to the point someone would have noticed or the opposite, being more fidgety than usual?"

"None of the days."

"Fear or worrying about a great many subjects?"

"All of the days."

"Well Mr. Arc…"

"What? Never had a mind controlled patient before?"

"I can't say that I have. It seems to me you don't believe I'll be able to treat you."

"That's because I'm not actually crazy. I have someone else in my head."

"I don't think you're crazy Mr. Arc. That's not what PTSD is. I'm going to get you started on some of our atypical antipsychotics. They'll help stabilize your mood and you should notice the effects immediately."

"Which one?"

"It's called Asenapine. Have you heard of it?" She asked.

"No." I shook my head. I hadn't heard of any of the medications. I was no expert. My brain was in this woman's hands. I had to just trust her.

"Well it should help stabilize you. I want to run a genetics test on you to see which medications you'll respond best to in the meantime."

"I'm willing to bet my genetics are classified."

"Because of your origin?"

"Yeah. Because of my creation."

"Well I'll see about getting through on those. In the meantime I'm keeping you on Clonazepam and Asenapine."

"And you think that'll help?"

"Well it's not an exact science but we should be able to find a medication combination that works for you," she returned.

"We'll see, doc. I'm told you're who I should talk to about being released. About getting my weapon back, too."

"You hunters are all about getting your weapons. You're not ready to leave here, Mr. Arc. I'm putting you in for a three day hold."

"Three days?"

"Three days minimum. It's my professional opinion that you need serious help. You don't need a weapon in your hands right now."

"I could be doing real serious good. I could be saving lives."

"You could also be taking them."

"That's the job. That's what hunters are for. Let alone what I am for. I was made to kill people. I think. I’m not sure."

"You mentioned your friends. What were their names?"

"Ren and Nora." She looked over her board at me, looking deadly serious.

"Unless you want there to be more like that you'll remain calm and go through the therapies I recommend."

"Very well."

"You still seem doubtful. That sort of obstinacy is counter productive to your treatment. A large part of it is your belief."

"I'm being mind controlled. There's no cure for that. And the things I am? Where I came from? That shit's permanent."

"This mind control event is where your psychosis started? It's why you resorted to marijuana?"

"Maybe. There might have been psychosis before.."

"Then let us help you Mr. Arc. This isn't forever. You'll be back out in the field. It's my firm belief that your stay here is temporary. Have faith in the treatments. I think we can make some serious progress with your psychosis."

"I agreed to this in the first place."

"Then have faith. You're not doomed, Mr. Arc."

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-WG

#rwby #ff7 #ffvii #motion sickness #white rose #whiterose #white knight #whiteknight #lancaster #war of the roses #jaune arc #ruby rose x jaune arc x weiss schnee #cloud strife #cloud!jaune arc #sephiroth!jaune arc

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bonesofapoet · 4 years

Text

Blood of the Holy

[matt murdock x you]

author’s note: hey hi hello, if some of you recognize this format + writing style but not the blog, i used to share my work on my main @ladyofstardvst and caved on making a writing blog. yall dont need to sift through my non-writing shit just to find my work. i’ve never written for this nerd before but here we are with a study of a sort! be kind! i take requests now! tw for blood, implied violence, swearing

word count: 1894

ao3: here

Most people couldn’t stand the neon in the dark.

It was garishly bright, it was harsh, it was annoying at best. The sign would blink and linger behind your eyelids, stain the shadows in the dark like sunspots, make an impression that washed out the relaxing calm, the blanket of the night.

It keeps most people awake, Matt Murdock explained on that very first night. It doesn’t bother me, obviously. Take the bed. It’s not as noticeable in the bedroom.

But it didn’t bother you either. The contrast caught your eye on the second night; the colors would paint the monochromatic neutral tones of the apartment, how they would mix and melt into the chipped brick walls, the trim, the beams of the ceiling. How if you were in the right place – the right cushion on the couch, far enough back into the kitchen – it looked like a painting come alive right before your eyes. Something that would go on to live in a local indie gallery, something inspired by vaporwave, or whatever they were calling neon nostalgia these days.

Still. Silent. Chiaroscuro. Art in the wild.

It was like clockwork, the blinking. The colors coming and going at the first peek of evening shadow, only to blink right off at the first knock of the sun’s rays on the horizon.

After the third, fourth, tenth, twentieth nights it had become a comfort of sorts, namely for the days Matt Murdock wasn’t there to press you into the wall and kiss you senseless, or weave each other stories under the moonlight with a nest of blankets and concrete beneath you. When he wasn’t there to ghost his fingertips over your skin as you drifted off to sleep, so painfully content that you always wondered if this beautiful man with a devastating secret would be the end of you.

You never knew, but he often asked himself the same thing.

Then there were days that damned neon was the only constant about Matt Murdock, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil.

Moments of lovesick peace would only last so long.

Your skin would crawl on the nights sleep wouldn’t come. Mug of tea, coffee, something stronger cradled in your hands while your mind wandered, your feet wandered, your eyes drifted around this space of his, this little hideaway of yours. You would always hear him before you saw him, adrenaline spiked and oh so weary. Some nights he was covered in so much blood you didn’t know where it ended and his own crimson suit began.

“You’re still awake,” he would say, scowl tugging his mouth down, always sounding surprised. As if it was unusual, for you to be restless on the nights he donned devil horns to go hunting.

And you’re still alive, would be your reply.

He would stay close until dawn. You would gravitate toward him just the same, moths to flame, flowers to the sun. Conversations were hazy and hushed in the early morning-late night blur. They walked that fine fragile line between this is not okay, Matt, and you know you can’t shove me away as easily as everyone else, you stubborn ass.

Unspoken vs spoken. Horror vs love.

Clockwork, nonetheless.

Until one day, the clock shattered.

Matt Murdock doesn’t come home.

Then it’s days. Weeks slipped into months. Months slipped into a blend of minutes, moments, denial casually catching hold within as you found yourself still in his apartment – your little hideaway - watching the steady blink blink blink of the neon sign through the dirty, frosted window panes of the kitchen. Then the living room, then the kitchen counter. Cold tea, day old bitter coffee, something stronger untouched and unloved in the mug that hung loosely in your hands.

Those feelings of heartache and unease and an angry I fucking told you so lingered at the back of your mind, the tip of your tongue. The last time you saw him had been reenacted so many times, it began to feel like a dream. A nightmare. The flesh made into ghosts. Phantom lips brushed yours in such a gentle, such an urgent way that your pulse began to spike at the memory. The loss. The longing.

You thought about how you had gotten here, of all places, here – this apartment, this man’s life, both of you entwined with secrets and lies that could end both of you forever-

Everything was safer in the dark. What Matt Murdock hadn’t known – well. That wasn’t how he had met his end, after all.

It was almost too much to think about, on some occasions.

Until one day, when the clock began to tick once more.

You heard him before you saw him, the familiar cadence of his footsteps descended from above. The quiet slide of the roof access door snicked open and closed in the unholy hours of the night, the unholy hours of the morning.

The silence was new, however, and your eyes drifted up to see a shadow at the top of the staircase, frozen and tense and so very familiar.

“You’re still awake,” he said, and the tears were suddenly there; the ones that could never come, the ones that never seemed to leave. They were present, and the noise that left your throat wasn’t coherent, wasn’t normal, but a strangled laugh escaped your lips anyway.

“You’re still alive,” you replied. If not for the routine, your answer wouldn’t have been so intelligible. “You’re alive.” came the raspy whisper.

His silhouette nodded, began to limp down the stairs into the apartment proper. Began to finish his long journey back to you, back to everything, really. The mug in your hands was no more – placed safely, if not hastily – on the table, and you met him halfway.

“Yeah,” he said, voice quiet and so very hesitant as he clawed off the scarf covering his eyes. “I’m alive.”

There’s the hint of a smile that catches in the neon blink, one that you dreamt of sometimes, on the long nights. Shared breaths, lovesick grins, stray tears being gently brushed away followed in a fog, in a rush, in slow motion that threatened to dismantle so many things about his time away.

And then -

“Where the fuck have you been?”

He’s holding your waist, fingertips splayed, grip firm if only to convince himself that finally – finally, he’s here, you’re here, you're together. Your own hands slid to his shoulders, but you stepped back to keep him a few inches away.

Your gaze was hot and strong and analytical – Matt could feel your eyes as they saw bruised skin, torn clothes, battered, bloody knuckles. He’s been in worse shape, both you and he knew that, but he also knew he was no drawing, no painting, nothing close to a work of art worthy of a museum either. There were bloody, violent masterpieces under guard at the Louvre more worthy than he.

Had he asked you, you would have disagreed.

He can’t see the sorrow drowning the color of your eyes or the way softness carved a home on your expression, carefully melting away the tension, the anger, the fear. He can’t see you, but he does and even after all this time he still knew how to read the air around your mood shifts and the lilt of your voice. Still knew that after all he’s put you through – he felt a weight lift off his shoulders, Atlas freed at last.

He may have lost touch with many things, many people, but not once had he ever lost you.

“I’m sorry,” he began, emotion becoming thicker in his voice with every breath, every word that tumbled past his lips. It had always unsettled him, how you could unearth what he tried to hide, tried to bury.

Moths to flame, flowers to the sun.

He condensed the happenings since the building collapse after his stint with the Defenders, his words spilling out quick and quiet, rushed and worried.

But if he hadn’t finished what he started, what was he doing here? What was he doing with you? Why now?

“Let me – let me get this straight. Were you going to let us think you died, until – when? You got your shit together? Killed Fisk?” his fingers tightened where they held you, unseeing eyes wandered anywhere and everywhere except right in front of him, right on you. You knew that look. Your voice softened. “Or were you just going to disappear? Like this meant nothing – like this means nothing? And as grateful as I am that you are – why are you here, Matt?”

He shook his head, ignored the cracks that broke open his heart like dropped glass. Your name spilled from his lips like a holy hymn that golden haloed angels could never hope to sing. No one could recreate the most divine sound in all of creation. Matt Murdock would always swear you were a goddess incarnate, no matter how sinfully blasphemous it was. “You mean everything.” he pulled you into him, moved so his face was close to yours.

“It’s not that simple,” he said after, and you deflated in an instant. The amount of times a variation of this conversation had been voiced between you – you would never know. It was like a renegade wildfire: possible to lessen, impossible to tame.

It was as quick as the changing of the seasons, how he took on the urgency you’ve only witnessed a handful of times - when he allowed you in the presence of Daredevil himself. You remembered what he asked of you lifetimes ago, between hushed words and bloody gauze, hands slick with red and a needle poised between your fingertips. How if danger ever came to your door, you would listen and you would trust, and you would let him do whatever it took to keep you safe.

To keep you both safe, you tried to correct. He would nod, and you would ignore that he never agreed to such a thing.

“We need to go,” was all he said, but you knew. You remembered.

The strongest jolt of fear slammed into you, bleeding a black and white, us and them mentality. It threatened to smother the blinking neon, the bright washes of blue and white felt muted, felt so very distant when you realized that someone was coming here, someone figured it out, figured it all out.

Oh.

That wasn’t the answer you hoped for.

Us vs them.

“So it’s finally happening.”

Matt’s hands fell away from you, one slid to twine your hands together and squeezed. He was solid, he was grounding. You looked into his eyes. “You know I won’t let anything happen to you,” he took his free hand, lifted it to brush your cheek with tattered knuckles, bruises blossomed like night blooming flowers. He left a trail of soft burning flames when he traced a path down to your jaw where he stopped and cupped your face ever so gently. “That’s the one promise I knew I’d never break.”

Fear melted away when you closed the distance to kiss him, felt that heavy soul twine with yours; all was suddenly right with the world for the first time in a long time, even if the anguish of this city was about to come crashing down on your shoulders all over again. It tore at your heart, this kiss, because it was so very reminiscent of the first time he ever kissed you. Bright eyes, flushed faces, the thrill of something new ignited all around you. The future painted with vivid neon instead of muted pastels. It felt bittersweet, and you knew down in the marrow of your bones that this could very well be the last thing you would ever share with Matt Murdock, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil.

“I know,” you whispered against his lips. “I trust you.”

Once those words were in the open, there was no going back.

Your secret could wait.

#matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x you #matt murdock imagine #daredevil imagine #matt murdock oneshot #daredevil oneshot #matt murdock #daredevil #charlie cox #kas writes #marvel imagine #marvel one shot

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