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buzzybeesinlove · 3 years

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“ you’re bleeding— how long have you been hiding this?! ” Bumbleby where Blake hides a unsurvivable wound for prompts!

since two people asked for this prompt, hope it’s okay i just combine them like this! i know the anon asked for blake to say it to yang but i just thought it’s be easier to combine these two asks. so sorry for taking like several days to get around to this one, i really wasn’t sure how i wanted to write this prompt but i think i like the idea now.

thank you so much for the prompt, but “unsurvivable”? you’re gonna make me cry writing this huh

i hope you both enjoy though thanks again <3 under the cut!

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH , BLOOD AND INJURY (and yes, i did cry writing this thanks so much wtf)

It was chaos.

Atlas was falling apart - literally, and they had barely no time to react to it. Grimm burrowed into the ground and Salem’s monstrous Whale Grimm parked itself right on Atlas’ doorstep, more and more Grimm pouring out and flooding the city.

Yang’s group had tagged along with the Ace-Ops, albeit reluctantly, to return to Atlas to help deal with the invasion. Once they arrived, it didn’t take long to reunite with her team at Schnee Manor, after dialing Ruby to confirm where they were.

There were a lot of hugs, a lot of relieved smiles and happy tears, especially from Blake and Yang as they held each other, whispering into each other’s ears about being worried and hoping they were okay.

But the serenity didn’t last long - Salem continued to advance and the team had no other choice but to defend, and now, Yang found herself inside a fucking Whale Grimm on the edge of Atlas and her team going head to head with Salem’s minions.

Blake and Yang, amongst the chaos, somehow got broken off from the rest of their team. That left them to deal with Tyrian and Mercury, and Salem nowhere to be found inside this monstrosity as they battled, dealing blows back and forth as best they could.

Tyrian cackled maniacally as he advanced on Blake, and although Yang had to dodge a roundhouse kick from Mercury, she did so and shot to Blake’s side, allowing her to grab Gambol Shroud and spin around, using Bumblebee to whack Tyrian in the face.

He stumbled back a little, but continued to laugh in that dark, evil way of his.

“I got this!” Blake called to her, and Yang wanted to protest, wanted to back her up in this - Tyrian was unpredictable, unhinged and there was no telling what he would do to her. But Yang had her own battle to deal with, and Mercury reminded of that with a swift kick to her side, causing her to grunt with pain and whirl around to face him, blocking a few more hits.

“Remember how we fought at Beacon?” Mercury said darkly, smirk on his lips when Yang’s eyes flashed with anger in response. “How you attacked poor old me, unprovoked-”

Yang growled and shot forward with her gauntlet, reeling back and swiftly landing a punch into Mercury’s side, leaving him stumbling back and wheezing a little as a result. He recovered quickly and began spinning and kicking, but Yang was smarter - stronger this time, and she blocked and dodged every hit. She grabbed onto one of his legs and flipped him over onto the ground, right on his back and stepped over him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.

“I remember you framing me.” Yang growled in his face, and he simply smirked at her, but she put an end to that by knocking him in the face with her forehead, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

A cry from behind alerted her to Blake, and she whipped around, seeing Tyrian’s tail wrapped around one of Blake’s arms, Gambol Shroud clattering to the ground. Yang’s heart sank and she shot forward, catching Tyrian off guard with a swift punch to the side of his face.

He cried out in pain and stumbled over, his tail unwrapping from Blake and allowing her to hold onto Gambol properly again. He was soon up again, and the partners stood next to each other, readying their weapons.

She saw Blake stagger a little in the corner of her eye, but before she could ask if she was okay, Tyrian giggled and sprinted towards them with his weapons drawn, maniacal gleam in his eye.

He threw his little blades at them simultaneously, but Blake and Yang blocked them easily. He flipped over them and caught them in an instant, his tail wrapping around Yang’s arm in the process and causing her to stumble.

“Yang!” Blake shouted, and Yang grunted, struggling against the tail’s grip. Tyrian laughed again and sent her flying away, her back hitting the wall of the inside of the Whale. She fell down and let out a painful sound as she hit the ground, breath being knocked out of her briefly.

“Oh, itsy, bitsy, bees. Hehehehe.” Tyrian giggled as he blocked Blake’s hit to his side, her blade just missing his skin. “So weak, so helpless.”

He threw a kick to Blake’s face, but she used a copy of herself to dodge out of the way and round behind him, raising her blade to stab his back. Yang got herself up as she saw Tyrian block the hit with his tail, and once Blake was staggered, he wrapped around Gambol and shoved it back into her.

“Blake!” Her name was wrenched out of Yang’s throat, rough and desperate as she saw her partner be thrown away, just as she was. She scrambled to her feet just as Tyrian stood over Blake, his tail outstretched, about to plunge it into her body.

Yang yelled and shot over to him, ramming into his back and sending them both flying, barely hearing the cries of pain over the thrumming of her heart in her ears as Tyrian flopped onto his back, grunts of pain escaping him.

Yang shook herself out of it and desperately got back up, Tyrian still on his back, and began wailing punches on him, some boosted by Ember Celica and others just her raw energy. He became so bloody and bruised that she didn’t recognise him, and despite his efforts to raise his tail or fight back, Yang activated her semblance and punched down on his mechanical tail, burying it inside the fleshy ground of the Whale, trapping him for the time being.

Yang’s chest heaved for several seconds before she calmed down, her semblance deactivating. She immediately looked over to her partner, but found that she was already up and about, looking a bit broken and dishevelled, but relatively okay.

Yang rushed to her and enveloped her in a hug, closing her eyes tightly and cupping the back of her head. Blake chuckled weakly into her ear, but Yang felt tears prick her eyes.

“Thank Gods you’re okay.” Yang breathed out shakily, and Blake hummed, her one arm circling around her back in an attempt at a hug.

“It’s okay.” Blake replied, which Yang thought was a weird response, but shrugged it off and pulled away from her, letting out a soft smile.

“We need to find the others.” Yang said, and Blake simply nodded, and with a little help from Yang due to her staggering a little still, they limped through the several winding corridors of the Whale, searching for their team.

It took them several twists and turns, with Blake growing heavy against Yang’s side every ten steps, but Yang brushed it off as tiredness and sore muscles from their fight with Tyrian. She eventually heard sounds of fighting not far off from them, and quickly sped up, Blake whimpering in pain as she did so.

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, we’ll be with them soon.” Yang tried to reassure her, and Blake winced, but ultimately tried to smile at her and nod her head.

They came across an open door that lead into a larger room, mostly devoid of anything minus the rest of the gang finishing up their fights, and Yang was even relieved to see Oscar was there, too, helping Ruby fight Cinder with his cane.

As Blake and Yang stumbled into the open room, Yang attempted to pull away from her to get into the fight, but the minute she did, Blake collapsed into her side, startling her and making her whip her head over to look at her. Blake’s amber eyes were dimmed, looking dull and grey instead of vibrant and although Yang could hear the sounds of the fight retreating, her team clearly overtaking their enemies, all Yang cared about was Blake sinking to the ground next to her. Yang knelt down at her side, eyes and movements frantic.

“Blake?” Yang spoke with a shaky, scared voice at the sight of her partner. Blake coughed slightly and looked up at her from the ground, shaky smile on her bloody lips.

“’m sorry.” Blake wheezed, and Yang whimpered at the broken sound, gathering Blake up in her arms. She quickly glanced around the room to assess the situation, and was relieved to find that her teammates and friends were okay, their enemies laid out on the ground in heaps, defeated for now.

Ruby and Weiss looked over at her cradling Blake and their eyes widened, rushing over, followed by Ren, Jaune, Nora and Oscar as well.

“Blake?” Weiss said in a strained voice, falling to her knees on the other side of her. Ruby followed suit and knelt beside Weiss, Blake’s eyes half-lidded as she looked up at everyone.

“Blake, wha-” Yang started, but she quickly clamped her mouth shut when she realised.

A bloody, red patch was seeping through Blake’s pristine white coat and Yang’s heart ached, it fell to pieces as she ripped open the coat, a gasp escaping her lips at the sight of a gaping hole through her leather suit, just near her heart and mountains of blood seeping out.

“Blake... Blake, you're bleeding. How long have you been hiding this?!” A lump formed in Yang’s throat as she flicked her eyes up to Blake’s, her amber orbs almost closed. Blake’s throat bobbed and she weakly reached out to Yang’s hand, and Yang enveloped hers in her own, squeezing tightly.

"Fight with-with Tyrian..." Blake said around coughs, and Yang held onto her hand like a lifeline, squeezing desperately.

"Blake." Yang said, heart constricting painfully in her chest. "Why didn't you say anything?!" Her voice was firm, but desperate and tears formed in her eyes at the weak smile her partner offered her, and an equally weak shrug.

"Too late." Blake replied weakly, and Yang shook her head immediately. She shot her eyes up to her other teammates, and both Ruby and Weiss' eyes were welled up with tears, their hands locked together with Blake's other hand at her side. Yang sucked back her sobs and looked to Jaune next, eyes wild.

"Jaune. Come on, your semblance..." Yang trailed off when Blake squeezed her hand again - much weaker than the last, and she ignored the crestfallen look on Jaune's face at the situation before looking back to Blake, her eyes looking straight up into hers with major difficulty.

"His tail- it... it-it got me before-before you knocked him away." Blake struggled to get it out, her breaths becoming more staggered and painful, and Yang felt tears stream down her cheeks, shaking her head at what her partner was saying.

"No, no, no, I- I got there in time, I shoved him away." Yang's tears were flowing freely now, a few of the droplets slipping from her face and onto Blake's, whose tears also travelled down her cheeks, mixing in with hers.

"... Hit... Hit me as you shoved him." Blake's voice was gradually getting softer, and Yang wiped furiously at her eyes before leaning over Blake, gathering her up in her arms and laying her in her lap, heartbeat and eyes wild and full of despair.

"It's okay, it's okay." Yang chanted, her hand shaky as she tucked stray hairs behind Blake's ear and looked down at her. She glanced at everyone else, their faces broken and tears easily flowing down everyone's faces. She looked to Jaune, and he looked back at her with a look that suggested she wasn't going to be happy with what he said next.

"I-I don't know... I don't..." Jaune stumbled over his words and Yang tightened her grip on Blake's frail body, eyes flashing red and hair igniting just slightly.

"Jaune." Yang growled through her teeth, and he knelt quickly, hands shaking as he held them over Blake's body, clenching his teary eyes shut and channelling his aura as best he could.

"Yang."

Blake's voice was a quiet rasp, now, and Yang shook her head as she looked down at her. Blake smiles shakily up at her and weakly reached up, her fingers briefly brushing her cheek before falling back down, the movement too much for her. Yang sniffled and glanced back to Jaune, who was trying his best, but Blake's aura wasn't being amplified, nothing was happening and her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Why isn't it working? It worked for Weiss!" Yang yelled in dismay, and she shot her eyes to Weiss, who snapped her eyes up to her in return, with Ruby wrapping an arm around her partner to comfort her. She saw Jaune open his eyes and look to her, so she glanced his way, his expression downtrodden.

"He must- must have had... Something on his tail, maybe it's rejecting me." Jaune replied, and Yang's ears started ringing, her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

It wasn't happening. It wasn't, no, Blake would be fine, they'll pick her up, get her to a proper healer, she'd-

"Yang."

It was Ruby this time, and she whipped her head to her sister across Blake's body. Her silver eyes were cracked and marred with red from her overflow of tears, and she and Weiss reached over to her, laying a hand each on her arms. They looked at her like this was the end and trying to keep it together for her, her partner and best friend and... and...

And something else that she never got to explore, dying in her fucking arms and she felt her stomach flipping and turning and sizzling anger beneath the surface and fatigue and weakness seeping into her bones.

Blake's breaths were few and far between, now, and everyone around her was expecting what was happening next. Blake rasped in her arms, the blood continuing to drench through her clothes and onto Yang's hands, her own clothes, the floor. It was everywhere and filling her vision and she couldn't take it, couldn't deal with the downright terrible ache in her heart when she flitted her eyes back to Blake's, which were fighting to stay open as she looked up at her.

Blake cracked her bloody lips open.

"Please kiss me." Blake wheezed, and Yang was momentarily startled at the request, but the desperation in Blake's weak voice and the remaining light in her eyes caused her to act, no thought or hesitation about it when she leaned forward and sealed their lips together.

It was weak - it was metallic in taste and not the passionate, beautiful, desperate kiss she always imagined with her. There was barely any pressure from Blake's end, but she was still there, she was there and their lips slotted together softly as if they had finally found their home and Yang sobbed into her mouth, Blake swallowing up a few of them despite the addition of the salt of Yang's tears. Despite the circumstances, her body still warmed from head to toe at the feeling of Blake's lips finally on hers after all this time, and stars danced behind her eyes when Blake managed to weakly lick on her bottom lip, but pulled away shortly after, her body practically limp in Yang's arms.

Yang's body shook as she stared down at her, the tiniest smile at the corner of Blake's lips.

"I couldn't..." Blake trailed off to cough. "Couldn't go... Without finally kiss- kissing you." Blake's eyes fluttered shut, and Yang made a noise of protest, reaching up to cup both of her cheeks.

"Blake." Yang called to her desperately, and for just another moment longer, Blake's eyes opened a crack. Yang pressed their foreheads together and looked directly into her eyes.

"I love you." Yang breathed out, and Blake's breath hitched just slightly but Yang couldn't tell if it was in response to her confession, or if the act was becoming even more difficult for her in these last moments.

Blake's throat bobbed as she swallowed and she flicked her eyes over to everyone else in the room, reaching out a hand weakly to Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar. Everybody knelt down next to her, Ruby and Weiss laying their foreheads against the side of Blake's head, while Yang remained pressed against her forehead. Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar laid their hands on her arm, and Blake shuddered out a few breaths, looking around at them all before returning her eyes to Yang.

"I love you too." Blake said. "So much."

Yang held her against her, the rest of their friends pressing close to them both as Blake's breathing began to dissipate, began to sound barely there and just as she drew her final breath, she said:

"I'll-I'll miss... You dorks... So much." She wheezed out, her eyes sliding shut for the last time. "I love... You all..."

And she slumped in Yang's arms.

Yang screamed. She wailed, and pressed her close to her, but nothing changed. Blake remained the same, and even as the rest of the gang gathered around her and comforted each other, that fact remained.

She was gone.

And Yang was left alone, again, and her heart seized in her chest as she sobbed.

"You said you wouldn't break your promise." Yang finally said, soft and broken against Blake's forehead, and whether the others heard her or not, she didn't care. She didn't care if her sobs alerted other enemies, she didn't care about the faces on everyone else. She didn't care.

She sat. And she sobbed.

All the while her heart shattered into pieces.

#rwby #rwby8 #bumbleby #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #ask #answered #transversal-callum #my fics #otp: we're protecting each other #major character death #blood and injury

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raayllum · 4 years

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we walk away and this never happened :: a meta

I’ve talked before about Callum’s reaction to his and Rayla’s first kiss in 3x04, (which I would really recommend reading first because it will work quite nicely in tandem with this one) but I think now is time to talk about Rayla’s thoughts and feelings in that episode (and 3x05 by extension). Thank you to @transversal-callum for sending this request in!

As soon as 3x04 starts, we the audience (and Callum) know precisely how Rayla is feeling. She’s despondent, quiet, and lost in unhappy thoughts. Callum can pick up on this too, whether Rayla is being subtle or not—and attempts to bridge that gap—whether Rayla is willing to admit it or not.

C: So, um, yesterday must’ve been a hard day for you. R: Not really. [...] C: I’m just saying, you’ve been through a lot lately. It would be understandable if you had some… R: Leave me alone! C: Big, big feelings. R: If you don’t stop pestering me about this right now, I’m going to give you a big feeling on the side of your head.

As I’ve said before, the issue with the above (or below) conversations isn’t that Rayla doesn’t want to talk about her pain. Everyone is entitled to private space and time to work out their emotions before choosing to disclose them to others. The issue is that Rayla, in the way she shuts both Callum and her own feelings down, tries to deny that the pain doesn’t even exist.

R: What? C: Nothing. I was just wondering what you’re thinking about. R: I’m fine, Callum. Like I already told you.

Even if they both know that it does, just from Rayla’s lingering gaze and grip on her goodbye pendant from Ethari alone, let alone from her saddened, snarky, sometimes silent state. He’s seen this sort of behaviour — Rayla being verbally and even a bit physically callous with him — before in 1x06 (meta here) and knows that it’s just her walls being up at an all time high. That it’s not actually personal, even if Rayla lets herself be far more prickly towards him than she would perhaps with Ezran. But, of course, Rayla was a war raging inside her head, and at one point or another, the wall—the dam—has to break. And when it does, Callum is ready for it.

Rayla is full of nothing but grief and self loathing and shame, defensive anger, and also fear that she’s wrong for feeling this way, that Callum’s opinion of her will change if he sees the state she’s in.

R: Please leave me alone. I don’t want you to see me like this. C: I don’t care if you’re crying. I’m here with you. R: I’m a mess. C: No, you’re not. It’s okay.

At every turn, he is reassuring, comforting, and more than anything, persistent. He is not going to let Rayla beat herself up and he is not going to let her state worsen, even when she reaches the point of total defeat: “I’m not gonna enough and I never will be.”

And that’s when Callum delivers this speech.

Just listen to me. You’re too good to feel this bad about yourself. I know that, and you should know that. You have true courage and a big heart. I’ve seen you get knocked down so many times before and every single time, you get up again. That’s real strength. And… and you’re ten times funnier than any human I know. See? See, you know you’re amazing. You’re smart, and fast, and beautiful. Rayla, you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.

He physically and verbally walks her away from the water, from the shore, and from her shame and self loathing. This speech, his presence, more than anything, manages to get through to her. And how amazingly perfect this speech is at addressing all of the insecurities Rayla was displaying and more is a post for another day (hopefully sometime soon) so we’re just going to focus on how Callum pulls Rayla out of her self loathing.

He stops her negative self spiral, tugs her closer to him, makes her laugh and wipe away her tears, takes down her hood, and makes her smile. He does, in effect, cheer her up, among all the compliments, acknowledgment and admiration of her flaws, personality, and character. He’s also standing this close to her.

So Rayla kisses him because she thinks his speech is, rather understandably, a confession of romantic love. But even when Callum leaves her awkward and somewhat broken hearted as he fumbles over his feelings, he proves that something infinitely more valuable was driving force behind his words and has always been the driving force behind their relationship: friendship.

C: That’s not what I was expecting. R: You were saying all of those things, so I-I thought… C: No, I mean, I wasn’t saying those things so you would…

First, he makes it clear that the kiss, or even Rayla’s romantic affections in general, were not something he was expecting, ie. he just wanted to be there for her, just for the sake of being there for her, because he’s her friend. Not because he likes her and not in hopes of her falling for him. Secondly, Callum reiterates that he wasn’t saying any of those things because he wanted her to kiss him, or even because he likes her. Sure, he likes her because of all those things (and more!) but that’s not why he thinks them, and again, that’s not why he was saying them. His admiration and support of Rayla and his romantic feels for her operate on a loop, without condition, not on a connecting chart.

And then, for Rayla’s part...

She is extremely happy after her kiss with Callum. The boy she has feelings for likes her back! She’s not nervous in kissing him nor is she in the aftermath. She’s content and in love. What started out as one of the worst days in her life has become one where she’s gotten something she’s wanted for a while already.

But we all know how this ends. Rayla’s happiness turns to horrified embarrassment, thinking she’s completely misread the situation (and while she didn’t misread Callum’s feelings, she kind of did) and she desperately starts trying to save face. In some ways, far more aggressively than necessary. But more than trying to preserve her pride or dignity, what Rayla is actually trying to save is their friendship.

R: We will never speak of this again. Do you understand? C: Of course. Of course, yeah. Of course I do. R: No, I mean never. I will bind myself to killing you if you even mention— C: Why would I? Pfft. No. R: We walk away, and this never happened. C: Perfect.

They’re both just trying to keep the situation from being worse, even if it is awkward, embarrassing, and painful as hell. Then, of course, they go and see that Zym is gone — and instead of falling apart under the stress, instead of blaming one another, instead of letting their feelings get in the way — they push it aside and put each other, and their friendship (and the mission) first, like always.

Grabbing each other out of panic and reassurance? Saving each other’s lives? Helping each other up? Rayla putting aside any awkwardness for Callum’s comfort and for him to have an easier time of things? Callum trusting Rayla despite it, in his words being, “this is crazy” and her catching him? That one last little comforting sweet smile?

Even with the awkwardness of teenage feelings, misunderstandings, and seemingly rejection between them, it fazes them maybe twice before they get over it (or through it) and just go on, supporting each other and working well as a team and as friends, the way they always have. Whether their romantic feelings are returned doesn’t matter to each other. It’d be nice, sure, but each are just as devoted to their friendship. Even when they’re awkward (Callum) or upset (Rayla) with each other, they never hang one another out to dry. Not once.

And that’s why moments like this don’t go away, even once they get together. Goofing around, a goodbye hug, freedom and support in making decisions and processing life changing events and revelations.

Callum would have gone off the cliff for her anyway, because that’s what friends do. And that’s what they are, first and foremost. Always.

#rayllum #analysis series #transversal-callum #tdp meta #s3 #3x04 #3x05 #analysis #platonic rayllum #sort of?? just barely #requests #not sure if this is what you wanted but!! hope u like it anyway <3

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meg-noel-art · 4 years

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What do you think of Catradora shippers who are abuse survivors? Be honest.

I don’t think I’ve ever been anything BUT honest lol

Uhm, I’m not going to tell anyone to not ship something if they like it or can take something from it that I can’t? Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but up until this point, I feel like I’ve been pretty vocal about why I dislike Catradora? Why it’s personally gross to me? But I haven’t told anyone who ships it to not.

If you ship Catradora and find empowering themes of surviving abuse in it somehow then, good for you. That’s how media/art works.

As someone who has dealt with a plethora of her own toxic relationships, I see too much of my own past awful experiences in the ship to support it. But that’s my experience, so I’m allowed to say what I feel/glean from the ship as much as anyone who sees the opposite is.

So... :/ Not sure what you wanted from this ask? But that’s my honest answer.

#asks #transversal-callum

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meteorcrab · 4 years

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Cyberverse OP had to have returned to Main Megs right???? No way Megs was just... left to rust...

I sure hope so! He can’t let megs die now that he’s got confirmation that the bucket head is so gay for him he couldn’t kill him jsdkfhjks

#transversal-callum #cyberverse spoilers #megop

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cosmalumi · 4 years

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My friend and I are making an AU of Queen Moon. Is that ok?

Sure, that’s fine! I’d love to see what you guys come up!

#transversal-callum #lumi text posts

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thegayfromrulid · 4 years

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I think thats from a offical poll where they asked twitter what ship they would draw and kirisuna was about to win but last minute 3,000 votes came in for yujikiri(most likely bots people made since 3,000 at once??) I could be confusing it for that tho XD

Oh, no, the Eugeo and Kirito image abec drew is my phone background at the moment haha oop. This image was released today as the cover of Unital Ring III (Volume 24).

#ask #ask me anything #sao unital ring #sword art online unital ring #sao light novel spoilers #sao ln 24 #but fr that contest results was wild too #people were SO mad #transversal-callum

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kattimariias · 4 years

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EVERYONE IN SONIC IS BABY NOW

BABY CENTRAL

#transversal-callum

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wolfstaarbaby · 4 years

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remus: why are you yelling at me??

sirius: YOU SAID YOU HATE SMALL TALK SO I’M MAKING IT BIG

remus:

sirius:

remus: merlin i love you

#inspo: transversal-callum #harry potter #marauders #marauders era #the marauders #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #sirius x remus #remus x sirius #incorrect quotes

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prideponies · 4 years

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Princess Celestia from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is pansexual!

(Requested by @transversal-callum !)

#transversal-callum.#Princess Celestia #pansexual #My Little Pony #MLP #My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #lgbt headcanons #queer headcanons #mlp headcanons

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a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit · 3 years

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Book Review: The Atlas Six (The Atlas #1) by Olivie Blake

SUMMARY

“I am not good,” Dalton told her, rasping it into her mouth. “No one here is good. Knowledge is carnage. You can’t have it without sacrifice.” Now, THIS is how you do adult fantasy! It's dark academia meets magical excellence meets scientific mind twisters meets character-driven competitiveness and teamwork. Thank you so much to my ACOTAR anon here on Tumblr for getting me to stop pushing it off on my tbr, where it'd likely sit for years, and convincing me to just read it already. This book featured a layered and elaborate magic system with six distinct alternating perspectives: two physicists, one naturalist, a telepath, an empath, and a sees-through-everything illusionist of sorts. I usually don't care for books with so many POV's but it works here. They're all so different in voice, personality, and motivation, you can't help but be drawn in. Every one of the characters had their own gray psychologies, their own strengths and flaws, and whenever I thought I knew what decision or discovery or emotion they'd arrive at next, they'd surprise me. Callum, the empath, is probably the one I disliked and distrusted most, but I'd argue he's framed that way on purpose. He's that devil standing on your shoulder whispering sweet, philosophical misleading nothings in your ear. He will manipulate everything and everyone without blinking. He wouldn't even consider it a problem let alone deceitful. He doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything...except Tristan. (Why? You've got me! Call him his soft spot, I don't know.) Libby is the hero-aimed purehearted underdog who is constantly battling her feelings of inadequacy. The poor thing. Somebody give her a hug, please! Tristan is the one who thinks things through and feels everything deeply, so I rooted for them the hardest. Her powers are physical whereas his are more mental. More abstract. Untouchable, so to speak. I think that combination makes for an intriguing contrast. A yin and yang, perhaps? Possibly! They have a bit of a heady unspoken dynamic that blossoms from his initial dislike. I still don't know what they are or what they will be to each other in the future but there's an electric zing! under the surface. In short, I'm intrigued to see where it all leads. Parisa is intimidating as hell. But in a bodacious, unapologetic way you can't help but applaud then shrink back from in fear. Her looks are a weapon. She may look like Aphrodite - soft, curvaceous, eye-stopping - but she will suck the sense, the thoughts, right out of people like a siren and use them to further her own agenda. It always seems like she's winning, but is she? Is she really? That's the question. Reina is an untapped powerhouse, a lockbox in tune with nature, who seems content to observe. To learn all she can. There's a threatening undercurrent to her overall silence, though, like she could be prone to detonating (lethally) under the right circumstances. I'd argue her powers are among the most mysterious of them all because she rarely rises to the bait of showing or talking about them. She makes sure as hell to catalogue everyone else's, though. A student to the core--she studies, she scrutinizes, she's careful about forging alliances. Readers learn so much about the other characters through her eyes. And Nico...Nico is arrogant and brazen and lippy, at least where his binary star, Libby, is concerned. I swear, his favorite pastime is to rile her. I still don't know what binds those two together, or how/why they're connected in physical magic, but there's something indefinable charged between them. Is it simply magic? Is it more? Again, I don't know! He also can transverse dimensions - dreams realms - where one of his roommates (possible love interest?) dwells for his own safety - which makes for a cool fantasy/science fusion. I'm looking forward to that being explored more in the sequel.

"Six students, only five available slots" is the main (yet vague) plot point of the story as well as the main mystery surrounding the induction into the Alexandrian Society itself. That seems basic on the surface, I know, perhaps a bit bland for a fantasy, but I can assure you it isn't. Somehow the vagueness of precisely what the characters are competing against each other to join, and the question of how that "extra" candidate will be eliminated, is what keeps the whole story aloft, giving it depth and density--especially since all the characters have to compete yet work together to become full members, anyway. It all makes for such riveting convolution! Just one character twist after another! I have no idea what time or dimension this story will land in next, but wherever it is, I can promise you I'll be one of the first ones there.

4/5 stars

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#ashlee bree's book reviews #the atlas six #olivie blake #fantasy #adult fantasy #lgbtq #lgbtq representation #recs: ashlee approved!#read july 2021 #bookblr #book reviews

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whumping-every-day · 4 years

Text

ANON ASKED: Now I kinda wanna see the first time the new harness gets implemented. Ash's fear, Callum's resignation that it has to be done. Perhaps some struggling and hyperventilation once its on or as the straps are being buckled. Good, juicy stuff.

I’m sorry Anon, the format is being fucky for me with asks right now. I had to copy and paste your question and make a new post. I wrote this instead of going to bed; I hope that you enjoy!

A follow up to This

Content Warnings! Allusions to noncon, degrading language, dehumanization, noncon bondage (muzzle, collar, harness), obedience and trust, the blurriest possible line between whumping and caretaking, hunting dog whumpee.

“What’s the matter?” The jeering tone is at odds with the quivering, wet eyes in front of him. “Did you finally find something your bitch won’t tolerate?”

Callum inhales slowly, and Ash blinks, sends tears spilling down his cheeks. “What did I fucking tell you people?” Callum turns just enough to glare, not relinquishing his grip on the vampire’s quivering shoulder. He gives a little squeeze; the gentleness he can manage. A wordless it will be okay.

Callum has been very clear these last few missions that he has no intentions of sharing. And he’s been very clear that he doesn’t need their commentary.

“Fucking freaks.” It’s the same few men as usual, the ones that like to linger, the ones that like to watch Ash a little too closely. It takes more now, each time, to make them back off.

“You’d better thank your fucking stars that this freak is on our side.” Callum intentionally ignores the way they’d included him in their insults.

Ash is only halfway into the new leather harness, and already he’s panting in unconscious terror. It’s a restrictive device; the larger straps go around his torso and over his shoulders, and there are buckles in the back where his arms can be buckled tightly against one another.

He hasn’t tried to escape, and Callum knows by now that he won’t. But the vampire is hyperventilating, even though he doesn’t need to breathe, and he’s already muzzled, so he begs with its eyes. The collar is laced up firmly around his neck, wide enough to almost function as a brace.

Before they’d left, Ash had said the wider grip was comforting.

“I know, bud,” Callum whispers to him. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. This has to happen.” He steps into the vampire’s space, holds an arm out, and Ash folds into him. The vampire’s skinny shoulders fit readily against Callum’s breadth, and the hunter can feel him trembling.

From behind them, someone wolf-whistles. Callum’s grip on the vampire tightens, and Ash whimpers, nosing his muzzled cheek into Callum’s chest.

“I know you’re frightened.” Callum holds him for a moment, lifts a hand to rest on Ash’s mess of curls. “I need you to be good. Just for a little while longer.” Callum feels the way Ash pauses, and then, an echoing heartbeat later, the resignation in the way he slumps.

His arms are already in the leather straps, trapped behind his back, but the buckles are still undone, slack. Callum lifts a hand to the straps, and Ash’s breath hitches.

“You can do this,” Callum murmurs. Then, softer, “I won’t let anything hurt you.” Anything or anyone.

Ash shudders against him, but the vampire pulls in a deep breath, and lets it out in a gusty whine. He’s still trembling, but when Callum carefully grips his elbow and gently pulls it higher behind his back, into place, he’s pliant. Tears soak through Callum’s shirt as he does the buckles up, one at a time, cinching the creature’s arms together and up, till there’s no give left and he can’t move his arms without moving his whole torso.

For a split second, as the last buckle tightens, Ash cries out and bucks. Callum catches him, finishes tightening the last strap.

When he’s finished, Ash’s fingertips touch his elbows. It’s a new kind of helplessness, to not be able to move his hands, and to be blindfolded on a lead at the same time.

But the others had had complaints, after the first mission. Docility, they said, was worth nothing if not enforced.

So Callum clips the leash back onto the ring on the front of the harness and straightens.

As he always does when he’s terrified, Ash’s attention it fixed on Callum. He whimpers and sways when Callum releases him, takes a stumbling half-step after him. Callum gently guides him closer using the lead. The pressure is evenly distributed by the harness, and absently Ash thinks that it will be nice to be leashed this way, if one of the others tries to yank on it again.

He obeys the pressure, then folds to his knees at Callum’s feet, the lead swinging loose between them. He leans shamelessly against the hunter’s thigh, and one of those familiar, calloused hands settles at his nape, just above his collar.

To anyone else, it’s submission and a possessive display. To Ash, it just feels safe.

Callum cups his jaw, tolerates his whimpering until the very last second, until it’s time to go. Then the blindfold is fitted back over his eyes, and Ash is plunged back into perfect darkness.

He stumbles, at first, following at Callum’s heel. It’s harder to transverse the terrain without his arms, and the vampire is flooded with dread because now it’s slowing them down, even though Callum had been lenient and chosen leather bindings, and it should be able to fucking walk-

"You’re doing fine, little one.” It’s quiet, just for them. “Just follow the lead.” There’s a faint change in pressure on the harness, and Ash adjust to it. Callum’s got the leash wound short, and Ash is grateful. Every inch of freedom is an inch of room for him to make a mistake.

In the end, the hunt goes as well as it could have; they corner the beast they’ve been chasing, and Ash spends four minutes on his knees, tethered loosely to a tree with his blindfold off, trembling while Callum and the others do battle with a wild boar three times the size of Callum’s horse.

When it’s done, Ash is so relieved that he spends the entire evening clinging to Callum’s ankle while the men sit around the fire. He’s blindfolded for the duration, curled on the ground at Callum’s feet, but he doesn’t mind.

He still hears the things they say about him. He doesn’t want to see the looks.

But Callum keeps him close all throughout, always a hand on his hair or shoulder or leash, always holding onto him somehow. Some of the others make comments, and Callum rebuffs them, only responding to questions about hunting and occasionally his research.

It’s a strange sort of peace, Ash thinks as they drift off to sleep, once again hidden under tents as the sun rises. He’s muzzled like a hunting dog and hooded like a falcon, and like both of those animals, all he has to do is as he’s told. He gets to be helpful this way, gets to have a real, tangible use.

He even gets used to the leather harness and not having the use of his arms, after a while.

It is good to have a purpose. And, Ash thinks, much more guiltily, it is nice to sleep so close to someone else. There is only one tent, and Ash gets to sleep curled up at the base of the hunter’s bedroll, with a blanket of his own. The muzzle is the only thing that stays on, and even that is loosened for the night.

When Callum gently nudges him awake the next morning, the creature wakes in a flinch. But then it remembers and immediately turns soft and apologetic. Callum just hushes him softly, spends a few minutes stroking his hair and telling him how good he’s been.

By the time they part ways with the others, Ash is almost as comfortable without his sight as with it. He responds to the slightest change in Callum’s directions like a fine-tuned weapon might, and yet still folds under the smallest direction like paper.

When Callum finally gets him home, he spends over an hour slowly, gently taking his gear off and rubbing at any soreness that might have developed in his arms.

This time when Callum tells him what a good boy he was, how well he did, how proud Callum is, he means it.

#whump #obedience #trust #fear #dehumanization #collar #muzzle #blindfold

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