#ALSO the finding so many clovers thing is cool because just last week I also found one 6 leaf clover and a few 5 leaves and a | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blackswallowtailbutterfly · 2 years

Text

Garden news:

Two orders of plants came in this week! Also got contacted for the other pickup order but they let me know they’d prefer to wait a couple weeks since one of the plants was still pretty small. Not only do I not have any personal experience with that species but they’re literally the only place that carries it so I told them I trust their judgment and I can wait. So I will!

My large toothwort seems to be very happy in my window well and I like that I now have a plant to look at from my basement. Can’t wait to add a fern.

Speaking of which, that order will be coming this weekend or in this coming week.

My wood lilies are coming up! I thought they had died last summer. And I’ve ordered four more...lol Oh well. Judging by my Michigan lilies’ babies I think they must act as a kind of ephemeral when they’re young. Because while the mature Michigan lilies will last in some form pretty much until fall, the babies they made died in the spring last year. I thought I had done something wrong but they came up again this year and are a little bigger this time around. So I guess it’s the same with the wood lilies.

One of the nurseries I ordered from contacted me about a replacement since they didn’t have one of the plants I wanted (it died), which was already a replacement for something else, but that’s okay because I already have that plant and only ordered it again because I didn’t know if it had survived its first winter in my garden (it did!). So I’m getting a species I don’t have that they hadn’t yet marked as available on their website. :) Also they said they’d put me on a waiting list for two other species they carry that I really want and can’t find anywhere else so I’ll be notified as soon as they get them! If they get them this year, which they hopefully will. My common tall sunflowers tried to pull their trick of blending in with the pearly everlasting again, but no! It also sent a shoot up between the sidewalk stones. Because of course it did. I’ve also now realized the difference between the common tall sunflower shoots and the stiff sunflower shoots, so I pulled a bunch of the common tall sunflower shoots because they are bullying the stiff sunflower. You stay on your side! So far the Canada goldenrod I relocated is oddly well-behaved, but I’m sure that won’t be for long.

Something, likely a caterpillar, is eating my purple giant hyssop, but I can’t find the damn thing. It’s probably happening at night. Maybe I’ll go out there with a flashlight this evening. A squirrel dug up one of my squirrel corn bulbs but it’s okay, the plant is cool with it, because sometimes the bulbs have “pups” and the squirrels’ digging loosens and scatters them which allows the plant to spread. And the squirrels don’t actually eat them, so it’s fine.

I think I’ve lost my bigleaf lupine. I hope I’m wrong about that because I got that species entirely by accident when it was supposed to be a sundial lupine (which I now have the real thing). I hope I’m wrong because although it is a native species, most native plant nurseries won’t carry it because it can be got at regular garden centres but the problem there is that they’re nearly always cultivars, and some of those cultivars have turned the plant super aggressive, so it acts like an invasive species even though it isn’t. The one I got by accident was a mixup wherein they were supposed to get sundial lupine and sold it as such, but then the plants grew with too many leaflets and it was obviously not that species. So they let everyone know when they realized and gave out a coupon, but I was overjoyed when they said what it was instead, and this bigleaf lupine was a very well-behaved plant. Anyway, reason I worry is that my sundial lupine in full leaf right now and I don’t remember when the bigleaf lupine emerged in the spring last year but there’s not even a hint of it yet. I dearly hope I’m wrong and it’s just taking its time.

My hopniss, wild yam, bush clovers, and dwarf milkweed aren’t showing any signs of life yet but I don’t know when they’re supposed to so maybe they’re fine. The butterflyweed hasn’t yet either but I don’t expect it to until like July. My buffalo berry is just starting to show signs of life. Thought I’d lost it, but appears not!

Weeds: I finally got to plant a native thistle but that hasn’t stopped the non-native ones from being a nuisance. There’s one in particular that spreads by rhizome. It’s not prickly but it is prolific. I’ve allowed one to stay until it flowers just so I can identify the bloody thing. I’m still pulling up garlic mustard and dog-strangling vine from time to time but I’ve got a good handle on them now. I remember a couple years ago it seemed impossible that I would be able to keep on top of them, but I hardly ever see the dog-strangling vine on the back hill anymore and it’s eventually going to get to the point where they’ll only end up in my garden from the wind blowing the seeds in now and then. Dandelions are dandelions. They don’t hurt anything, there’s just a lot of them. I’ll pull them up from the beds, but not the lawn.

Flowers! My Virginia strawberry is flowering (white) and maybe it’ll make fruit this year. My woodland strawberry is too (white) and will probably make fruit this year since it did last year. My common elderberry has buds (will be white) and will hopefully make more than one fruit this year, the multiple smallflower forget-me-nots (blue) around the yard are in flower, and both Jack-in-the-pulpit plants still have their flowers (striped purple and green). My spicebush is in flower (yellow), all my violets are flowering (purple and white), my tall bluebells have opened their flowers (blue), and my Virginia bluebells are still budding (will be intense blue). My perennial flax is in flower (blue violet) and so is my fragrant sumac (green), my chickweed (white), and my rock cress (white). My thrift seapinks are putting up buds (will be vivid magenta), and my field pussytoes were already in flower (white) when I got it. One of my streamside fleabanes is about to open its bud (likely pink). Both my columbines are blooming (one red and yellow and the other blue and yellow), and my alexanders (yellow) too. My wild geranium has gotten quite sizeable this year and has many flowers (pink). My woodland phlox is going to bloom this year (will be white or blue). My barren strawberry certainly is (yellow). My blueberry that I moved last year has lots of flowers (pale green). My bog rosemary is flowering too (pink) and my tall meadow rue has its flower spike up (will be white I think). My Canada garlic and wild chives are starting to put buds up too (pink). Plenty more to come!

#gardening #native plants #native plant garden #North American native plants #native plants of Ontario #Carolinian zone #edible native plants

6 notes · View notes

fallingstarnovel · 3 years

Text

Chapter One

Evan Golightly didn't consider himself an unlucky kind of guy. It wasn't like he was wandering around winning the lottery, but he also wasn't getting hit by chunks of blue ice from the sky from a passing airplane.

This week was just like every other week he had experienced so far. As he walked to his lecture across the university campus, he saw the same people he usually did and went to the same places as always. He didn't step on any cracks in the pavement, and he didn't walk under any ladders. He didn't find any four leaf clovers either, and he didn't have a lucky rabbit's paw on his key chain. He had a coffee cup in his hand – medium sized, not big and not small.

He was a little late, because he had stopped to pet a black cat that lay on the pavement in front of him, but that was okay. The lecturer was very forgiving, and most people were a few minutes late anyway due to a clash in timetabling.

Evan couldn't remember if seeing a black cat was good luck or bad luck. As the kitty purred and rubbed itself up against his fingers, he couldn't help but smile and talk to it quietly.

"Oh, you like that? You like the scritches? You're so handsome, such a handsome boy..."

Someone behind him coughed disapprovingly. A little embarrassed at getting caught, Evan straightened up and kept walking, forgetting all about whether black cats were lucky or not.

As he approached the building where his lecture was held, Evan started climbing the concrete steps up to the entrance.

If luck could be charted on a bell curve, with some people being extremely lucky, and some being extremely unlucky, then Evan considered himself to be slap bang in the middle. If he entered the lottery, he might win one of the smallest prizes, but not very often. If he got onto a crowded bus, there would be a seat available, but not a very good one. If he chose answers at random on a test, he would get a 50% grade at the end.

There was a meow from down by his feet. The black cat was following him. It had big green eyes which were staring at him as it meowed again.

"I'm sorry, I would love to play with you, but I'm late," Evan said. He knew the cat didn't understand, but he still felt like being polite.

The cat meowed very loudly and then started walking in between Evan's feet as he climbed the stairs. He started to worry that he was going to trip, slowing down and trying to shoo it away with his foot. It meowed again, but ran away, standing at a distance and staring at him.

Evan had always been weak for cute things. He bit his lip. "Ahh, I'm sorry! Wait until my lecture finishes, I'll come back and give you scritches then!"

He was almost at the top of the stairs now. Evan turned away from the cat – only to see a small black shadow out the corner of his eye down by his sneakers. He felt something brush against his leg, and then he tripped over something, and before he knew what was happening, he was falling backwards down the stairs.

Evan let out a sharp cry, his arms windmilling around him as he went into freefall.

Not the stairs... not the stairs! This was why he hated stairs! He always knew they would kill him one day!

Before he could fall any further and roll down the stairs and smash like a boiled egg, he felt someone grab his arm and hold him still. His bag hit the ground and his coffee cup went flying, bouncing down the steps and spilling coffee everywhere, but Evan...

Evan was being held up at the top of the stairs by a strong, sure grip.

He looked around in surprise. Holding his arm was a smiling youth with curly blond hair, tumbling in cherubic whorls around his ears. The youth looked just as shocked, his eyes big and wide as he stared at Evan. As he stopped Evan from falling.

There was a moment of silence. The youth pulled Evan forward onto the flat ground at the top of the steps, and let go.

"You..." Evan said in a rush. "You saved me! Thank you so much, I thought I was a goner..."

The youth hesitantly smiled back, his eyes flickering down the stairs. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just tripped on a–" Evan said, gesturing to the cat.

The cat was no longer there. It had disappeared.

"... Huh. Guess I tripped on nothing. Um, thanks. Oh, man, my coffee..."

The youth picked up Evan's bag and handed it over to him. His eyes were wide, like he was recovering from a sudden shock. "Sorry. I'll buy you a new one."

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault," Evan said with a laugh. "I owe you for saving me. I should buy you a coffee!"

The youth looked at Evan. He couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were light grey, bright and cold, crinkling at the corners in a warm smile. "There's no need to thank me. You don't owe me a thing."

Evan had heard those two sentences before many times in his life. He had heard it from friends who had done him a favour, and from customer service workers who helped him get a discount for his broken laptop, and from the nice woman in the corner shop who sent his mom flowers when she heard his grandfather had died.

They had always been said with varying levels of sincerity. A lot of people said "no need to thank me", but secretly wanted to be thanked very much. If you didn't thank them, they wouldn't help you in the future. People were weird like that.

But when this guy said it, for some reason Evan understood that it was the absolute truth. Like it wouldn't matter if Evan thanked him or not – he would still help him.

Feeling a little flustered, Evan scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I have a lecture now, so I better... uh, you're sure you don't want a coffee afterwards?"

The youth seemed to think about it for just a second too long, before shaking his head. His smile was apologetic. "It's fine. Enjoy your lecture." He started walking away.

"Ah, uh, you too," Evan said in a panic, before quietly smacking his own face. He had no idea if the guy even had a lecture. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

The youth came to a stop. He slowly turned around, an angelic, apologetic smile on his face. "Actually, I'm a little lost. Could you tell me where room M42 is?"

"That's – that's where I'm going now! That's where my lecture is!" Evan gave him a wide grin. "Astro 228, right?"

The youth nodded. "Right."

"Just follow me, then. Huh... I didn't know we shared a class, sorry I didn't recognise you!"

"That's okay," the youth said quietly from behind him as they entered the lecture building together. "I tend to stay quiet."

Watery winter sun did its best to shine through the floor length windows of the lecture building. It shone off the back of Evan’s pale neck, the black hair that fell in every direction. It reflected off the otherboy’s grey eyes, making them seem more luminous, more pallid, as they watched Evan with keen, unwavering interest.

Evan walked slightly ahead to lead the way. "Well, I definitely won't forget you now. You saved my life! What's your name?"

The youth was quiet. Evan waited for an answer for an uncomfortably long time, before wondering if he had spoken too quietly. He was about to repeat the question when a soft voice from behind him said "Ruth."

Ruth? Wasn't Ruth a girl's name? Was this guy actually a girl? "Oh, Ruth? Ahh, that's a cool name."

"You don't think it's weird? That a guy has a girl's name?"

Oh, thank god, he didn't have to try and subtly ask awkward questions about pronouns. Maybe the guy was used to this kind of thing and anticipated the awkwardness. "No, I don't think so. As long as you like it, then that's all that matters. I'm Evan by the way."

The youth hummed. "I know."

Now Evan felt guilty. He didn't even remember seeing this guy around, but he remembered Evan's name. Ah, this was too bad. He would definitely make an effort to remember him now. "Well, here it is. Just in time–"

"Actually, you go ahead," Ruth said suddenly. "I need to use the bathroom."

Evan turned around and blinked at him. "Oh. Sure. I'll see you in a bit, then."

The youth nodded. He hesitated, before speaking again.

“It was nice to talk to you.”

He gave Evan one last beatific smile, before walking away and disappearing around the corner. Evan quietly let himself into the lecture and scurried to the back, mouthing "sorry" at the lecturer, who ignored him.

He made sure to keep the seat next to him free for Ruth even as other students trickled in.

The lecturer coughed several times to get the attention of the class.

"So, last week I opened the lecture with the following quote: God does not play dice with the universe. This is oft quoted and attributed to Einstein himself in a letter to a friend criticizing what he saw as the unacceptable flaw in quantum mechanics, that is, the possibility of unpredictable random events on a molecular level. In many ways, he was right. We have been learning how to chart the movement of objects in a vacuum – predicting the orbits of distant planets and stars around the insatiable black holes that are, themselves, in a perpetual state of movement. I know that most of you have grasped the basics of this particular module very quickly. Predictability is a magnetic lure – one gets lulled into the false sense of security knowing that we can work out the trajectory of some far flung meteor to a high degree of accuracy. As if space can be imagined as some unfathomably large clock, each cog in place, every heavenly body caught in an eternal, rational, predictable waltz to the swing of a baton that, if only we have the numbers, might one day understand the rhythms of. If you turn your attention to the notes we made on how you can work out the speed of rotation of a planet..."

Evan tried very hard to concentrate and make notes. There was always a buffer at the start of the class where this particular lecturer went on a long tangent about random things he thought were interesting, and he usually zoned out through them, but once the actual maths was brought in, there was no possibility of daydreaming and letting it slip by. If you missed anything, you ended up being more confused down the line when the more complicated stuff got brought in.

The poor girl next to him was doomed. She fell asleep almost immediately, and Evan lit a candle in his mind for her. RIP your grades, you snoozy bitch. At the same time, he was envious. Why couldn’t he take a nap instead of doing work?

He tried to concentrate, but all through the lecture, Evan couldn't help but keep looking at the doorway, wondering when Ruth was going to appear. How long did it take to use the bathroom? Did the poor guy have a stomach upset?

By the time the lecture was over, Evan had accepted that Ruth wasn't going to appear. He lit a candle in his heart for the guy's bowel system. Clearly, he had been having some kind of toilet trouble and decided to skip the lecture.

What a shame. He seemed so... interesting.

After the lecture was over, Evan slowly clambered out of his seat. The lecturer had set a bunch of exercises to do at home, and the library was calling for a study session. Time to shuffle into Tesco to get a £3 meal deal and sit down for several hours to pound his brain into submission!

"Hey, Evan," someone called out as they left the lecture. "Evan, wait up!"

There was a girl chasing after Evan. She had warm brown skin and an infectious smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh, sorry Aliya," he said, slowing down so she could catch up. "Did you enjoy the lecture?"

Aliya pouted. "No, are you insane? Enjoy it? Why did I do an astrophysics course again? There's so much maths. I genuinely think I would drop out if I didn't think my mum would kill me."

Evan nodded in agreement. "Sometimes I think about switching to an art degree instead. I won't do it. But I just think about it sometimes."

"Wait, wait, I wanted to ask you something," Aliya said, slapping his arm lightly. "House party. I've been invited, but I don't want to go alone. It's a bunch of people I don't know very well, and..."

Evan rolled his eyes. "If you don't know them, why are you going?"

"Because I don't know how to say no!" Aliya moaned. "It's a pretty casual thing, don't worry. You know I don't drink, so I'll probably be dipping early. Please? Please please please? Please just come for a little while, just to keep me company..."

Evan wasn't a prude. He liked a good party. The thing was that he liked a good party with people he knew. "And I don't know anyone there?"

"Probably not, they're all from netball club. But hey – you'll know me!"

"I don't know you. Who are you. Why are you following me."

"Evaaaaan. Please! I'll do anything."

There was a long silence as they exited the lecture building together. Evan watched the students stream out of the building on their way to other classes, or the library, or their rooms to go back to sleep.

He wasn't exactly great at making friends. Aliya was the only person on his course that he talked to regularly. It was why he was pretty excited to get to know Ruth, except he disappeared, so that was a bust. He tried a few clubs and societies, but none of them had really clicked so far.

He hadn't been to a party in ages. He was wasting the best years of his youth in university, and he wasn't even going to parties. What was the point? He was living like a grandpa and he was only twenty one!

He wasn't an old man yet! He didn't have a pension! He still liked electronic music!

Maybe this was the chance Evan needed to make new friends. How hard could it be?

"Sure, why not."

Aliya cheered. "Yay! Thank you, big guy. I owe you one. Oh, wow, watch your feet, it looks like someone spilled their coffee down the stairs... haha, poor them..."

Contents | Next Chapter

#chapter

58 notes · View notes

breelandwalker · 4 years

Note

Do you know spells for justice or protection for other people? Like the protesters?

I know a few, but it’s difficult to pick one exactly. Here’s everything I could find in my personal spellbook that I thought might be applicable.

Ninja Dust

Intent: To enable a person to make a quick unseen exit or go unnoticed; formulated to work in crowded places.

Ingredients:

1 pt White Oak

1 pt Bloodroot

1 pt Black Salt

1 pt Red Poppy

1 pt Mustard

1/2 pt Rosemary

1/2 pt Sage

1/2 pt Clove

1/2 pt Willow Bark

Optional:

Pinch of Galangal Root

Pinch of Heather Blossom

Pinch of Devil's Shoestring

Pinch of Black Cohosh

This powder was prepared for a friend of mine the night before she attended a large-scale protest march. It's meant to help you stay safe in a crowded situations and affect a quick exit when and if you have to.

Sprinkle a pinch or two on your shoes before you go out, or carry a small vial or packet with you. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to leave quickly, toss down the powder and step on it as you leave.

Of course, this should always go along with whatever practical safety measures are deemed prudent for your situation. If you find yourself in a position where you are in immediate physical danger, forget the powder, just get to safety however you can. Be careful out there!

Liza Hempstock’s Invisibility Charm

Inspired by The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman.

Use this charm when you want to pass unseen and unremarked in a crowd or need to escape a situation without being noticed.

Put a pinch of poppy seeds in your shoe or carry a packet of them in your pocket. When you need to make a quick exit, turn three times, spit over your left shoulder, and whisper:

Be hole, be dust, be dream, be wind Be night, be dark, be wish, be mind, Now slip, now slide, now move unseen, Above, beneath, betwixt, between

Gather yourself together, find your exit, and GO.

No Fear Here

To help dispel fear, ward off danger, and promote bravery. This blend is meant for a home ornament witchball, but it can also be put into a sachet or a bottle charm if mobile magic is needed.

Agrimony

Yarrow

Black Pepper

Thyme

Jasmine

Black Tea Leaves

Walking Ward Protection Oil

For personal warding spells of all kinds

Sweet Basil

Witch Hazel

Fennel Sprigs

Mix the herbs in equal parts and soak 1 tbsp of the blend in 1-2 cups of bland oil for about a week to make the infusion. Strain and bottle the oil. If desired, add a couple of drops of Basil or Rosemary essential oil.

Short Notice Travel Protection Charm

If you're called to make an unexpected trip and don't have time to prepare a full-sized bottle charm, making a braid or knot-string out of white yarn or string. As you tie it, say seven times over:

By water and fire, by sky and by stone, This charm will see me brought safely back home.

Tie the string around your wrist or ankle for the duration of the trip. You can remove it when you return home or let it fall off on its' own.

"Bibbity Bobbity Back Off" Banishing Spell

This spell grew out of a quip that I made in response to some hate mail that came my way. Some weeks of experimenting with word-activated protection magics later, this is what I came up with.

Intent: To repel or banish harmful things that attempt to accost you.

Materials:

Piece of Personal Jewelry

Small Jar with Flat Lid

Tealight Candle

Herbs: Angelica Root, Peppermint, Marjoram, Willow Bark

Make a potpourri blend out of the herbs and place it in the jar. For extra potency, spit in the jar. Place the piece of jewelry in the jar, close the lid, and shake gently. Set the jar somewhere level and safe, set the tealight on top of the lid, and burn it for a few minutes.

Focus on the flame of the tealight and chant, as many times as you feel you need to:

I cannot be snared, I cannot be caught However you try, no harm is wrought

When you've finished, blow out the candle. Wait for the candle cup and the lid to cool before opening the jar. Retrieve the jewelry and wear it when you need a little extra protection.

Should you need to activate the protection, simply breathe on your fingers, touch the charmed object, and whisper, "Invictus." (Latin, pron. in-VIK-toos; “invincible.”) The charm will last until you remove the piece and breathe on it again. You'll need to return it to the jar of herbs to recharge within 24 hours of use, or you'll have to cast the charm all over again. For best results, I recommend changing the herbs in the jar between charges.

This is a short-term heavy-duty banishing spell. It can't ensure physical safety, but it can help keep you safe from emotional and mental attack, and may provide an opportunity for escape if one is needed. It may also diffuse aggressive outside energy long enough for you to make a prudently-timed getaway if a confrontation seems imminent.

"Not On My Watch" Vinegar

Intent: An all-purpose preventative potion for use in protective and binding spells.

Ingredients:

Jar with Tight-fitting Lid

2 cups Vinegar

Coffee Filter

Funnel

Bottle for Storage

Knife and Cutting Board

Fresh Ginger or Horseradish Root

Peppermint Essential Oil

Herbs: Bay Leaves, Coriander, Lemon Peel, Cedar Tips, Pine Needles, Witch Hazel, Clover Leaves

This is a heavy-duty protective vinegar that I created in a fit of rage. If the ingredient list seems excessive, it's because I was angry enough about the situation to basically throw the book at it. I've used it a few times since then and it's been very effective.

To make this potion, you'll need a jar with a tight-fitting lid. A large brand-new mason jar is best for this. For some other spells and potions, you can use recycled food jars, but for this one, you want a fresh jar with no chance of leftover food particles.

First, clean your piece of ginger or horseradish root. For best results, you'll want a fresh root, not dried pieces, as you want the juice and oils to blend with the vinegar. Cut several slices from the root and place them in the mason jar. Wash and dry the knife before continuing.

Note: Fresh horseradish root has a very strong peppery-sour smell, and can produce fumes like onions do. The fumes may cause your nose to run and may irritate your eyes. (It's a great way to clear the sinuses though.) If you are sensitive to such things, you may want to wear a surgical mask and goggles, or just use ginger root instead.

To help your herbs fit more easily into the jar, you may want to carefully dice them into smaller, more manageable pieces. You can work with fresh or dried herbs for this potion, whichever works best with your available supplies. If you want additional aromatic qualities in your potion, I recommend using fresh Lemon Peel, Cedar Tips, and Pine Needles if possible. It adds a nice fresh, clean scent, a little bit like a certain name-brand floor cleaner, but less chemical. Using fresh versions of these ingredients will also help to cut the vinegar smell to a certain degree. But again, if you only have dried herbs, that will work just as well.

Dried or fresh, you'll need approximately 2 ½ ounces of chopped herbs altogether. That's about five tablespoons or 71 grams of herbs. Mix them together and add them to the jar. If you've used fresh herbs, you'll need to dry or discard any leftovers. If you used only dried herbs, put any extra mix into a container for future use. Waste not, want not.

Add two cups of vinegar to the jar. I used white vinegar, but cider vinegar or wine vinegar will do as well. Use whatever you have available. White vinegar may be less expensive, if you need to purchase a fresh bottle. Add 2-3 drops of Peppermint essential oil, close the lid tightly, and give the jar a good shake.

Leave the vinegar jar in a warm, dry place to steep for three full days. Strain the resulting liquid into a clean bottle using a funnel and coffee filter, and discard the herbs. The mason jar can be used again after it has been thoroughly cleaned and dried.

Use the potion in home protection magics, particularly if you need to repel unsavory persons, "accidents" which are not at all accidental, or harmful magics. It can also be an additive in spells meant to make the home a sanctuary for those who need it. Add a small amount to your washwater when you clean hard floors or your doorstep for additional protection. Splash a little on your front door or at your property line to discourage trespassers.

(I’m sure this could be put to use for keeping yourself safe during protests, keeping cops away from your home, blessing marchers and venues, and so forth.)

I’ll try and search up my post with magical measures for justice as well.

Hope this helps!

#halethebop #witchcraft #witchcraft activism #protection magic #Bree answers your inquiries

637 notes · View notes

jemmahazelnut · 3 years

Text

Motorcycle flight - Chapter two

Summary: Laxus is a biker, and as soon as he discovers that in the city there’s a motorcycle track for enthusiasts where races are organized every month, he decides to go. As soon as he arrives, he will fall in love with that wonderful place, and will meet the handsome green-haired owner. [Freed/Laxus]

Link: AO3

Here you can find Chapter One.

Chapter two, I bet on you

Laxus was a bit irritated this time. If the first time he lost to Freed he could justify himself by talking about the difference in their bikes, now he couldn't really do it, because Freed had been honest. He had raced with a bike similar to his, and had won anyway. The smirk on the boy's face didn't go away even for a moment and kept reminding him of defeat. And since Laxus had promised to offer him dinner, he would have to put up with it all evening. Well, the upside was that he was going to spend some time with Freed. If he left out the arrogant side of him, it was really fun to be with him.

“Will you go on like this all evening?” asked the blond.

“Yes,” Bickslow replied for Freed placing the two plates with sandwiches on the table. “And he’ll be terribly annoying, but luckily I’ve something to show you that will make him less arrogant,” he said taking the phone from his pocket. Freed arched an eyebrow probably not knowing what to expect, and when Bickslow turned the phone towards him, Laxus laughed out loud. Freed grabbed the phone and looked at the video, snorted lightly and shook his head in resignation.

“Really, really funny,” he said in a flat, slightly annoyed voice.

“He was trying to be cool and made an ass of himself,” Bickslow laughed. It was a video in which Freed was still young and was doing a motocross ride, too bad that as soon as he left, he had rolled over backwards after less than ten meters, while the other riders had all left without problems.

“Yeah, the best biker in history,” Laxus laughed. “Please pass me the video, you should put it on YouTube or something,” he added. Freed gave him a dirty look.

“Bickslow, if you pass him the video I'll fire you, and I'm not kidding,” he said seriously. Bickslow laughed.

“Well, good dinner to you both,” he said and walked away leaving them alone. Laxus was still smiling and occasionally a few chuckles escaped him thinking about the video. It was all the more hilarious because at first Freed was gloating arrogantly and immediately afterwards, he was the one who was left behind at all. Laxus took a bite of the sandwich enjoying the soft meat and then found himself smiling again.

“Please tell me you won't go on like this all evening,” Freed said in exasperation.

“Sorry, but it was really funny,” Laxus replied, unable to hold back his smile.

“In my defense I can say that it was the first time I did motocross, and that I was still young”.

“Yeah, justified,” Laxus instigated him with a grin. Freed rolled his eyes.

“You're unbearable,” he murmured.

“You were up to two minutes ago too,” Laxus pointed out. Freed smiled slightly.

“Okay, I'll stop being so unbearable but you don't name that video again,” he gave up at that point.

“The video in which you fall off the motorbike?” Laxus asked clearly amused. Freed narrowed his eyes and the blond raised his hands in peace. “I'm done,” he promised. “Although now I’d really like to do a motocross race with you”.

“I would win,” Freed said without hesitation.

“As you did in that video?” Laxus asked still on the verge of laughter.

“No, as I did half an hour ago,” Freed promptly replied. “And haven't we made a pact?” he then added arching an eyebrow.

“Okay, I'm not mentioning it anymore,” Laxus conceded and the two boys began to eat quietly in silence. The blond found himself thinking about the last week spent in that bar, especially how strange it was to be sitting there at the table with the owner of that place. Despite what it might seem, Freed was by no means one of those rich people who flaunted wealth in front of everyone. Still, he was clearly proud of the camp, and when Laxus had said it was a nice place, he had noticed Freed's face break into a smile. It was normal, even Laxus in his place would have been.

Another thing that made him think was how natural it was to be there, maybe it was the atmosphere of the people who frequented that place, or maybe it was because of the passion that united them, but it was easy to talk to almost anyone. And for Laxus, who had always had a hard time socializing, it was new. He had found himself talking to Gajeel about motorcycles and had discovered that the boy was a mechanic like him, Cana never missed an opportunity to bet on anything and Laxus had discovered that that girl was competing too. Well, at least when she wasn't drinking, which was rare. And he had also competed with Mirajane. Even though she looked like a saint, she was a strong biker, it had been a good challenge.

And, of course, there was Freed. Well, Freed was quiet compared to the bar patrons, and Laxus found that he never attended the contests he ran. Freed had explained to him that he had already done it the first few years, but that it really didn't make sense, because he always won and then it ended up making the customers nervous. Better to let them have fun and get more revenue. The blond still struggled to believe that no one had ever beaten him yet, but he had tried to ask someone else too and it actually seemed to be so. At least on that track. For motocross races it was quite another matter. Another smile appeared on his face but he tried not to make it obvious so as not to make the owner even more nervous.

“How did the idea of opening such a place come about?” Laxus asked, a little out of curiosity and a little to break the silence that had been created between them.

“From my parents,” Freed replied.

“Are they also passionate about motorcycles?” Laxus asked. Freed shook his head and smiled bitterly.

“No, not at all,” he said. “Well, my parents are quite rich. You know when you told me the other day that the rich all have stench under their noses?” he asked. Laxus nodded, he had told Bickslow, he didn't think Freed was listening to him, but luckily the boy just laughed and agreed. “Well, my parents are definitely in that category,” he explained. Laxus frowned still not understanding.

“Since the last year of high school I started skipping school and riding motorcycles, and since I had decided I didn't want to study at university, my parents got mad. They clearly told me that I was either starting to work or I had to continue studying,” he said. Well, that was understandable, Laxus thought. Any parent would have done it.

“So, I left home and started working as a bartender, in all this I forgot to tell you that I was constantly arguing with my parents. Not for my studies, but for the people I hung out with. Anyway, my dad got even more pissed when he found out, he said he wouldn't let word get out that the great manager Justine's sonwas just a bartender. For him I had to become someone important, follow his example and open a business, so I satisfied him,” he said shrugging, and then a smirk appeared on his face. “I think he regretted it a lot, he hadn't imagined that among all the activities, I would open a motorcycle club” he concluded, amused.

“So, you did it just to piss off your folks?” Laxus asked a little surprised.

“Well, they gave me the initial idea. I'd say it's the only good thing they've done for me,” Freed said with a shrug. “But I really liked the bikes, I think I could only open something I really liked,” he explained.

“Wow,” Laxus said not knowing what else to say. “Well, I'm sorry about yours…” Freed made a casual gesture with his hand.

“No problem. Anyway, how did your passion for motorcycles come about?” he asked him. Laxus realized that he probably didn't want to talk about it and didn't insist. His face broke into a sincere smile.

“My grandpa,” he said. “Ever since I was little, he always took me on motorbike tours, we used to go around the valleys around Oak Town,” he said.

“You were born there, right?” Freed asked and Laxus nodded.

“Yes, it’s a very small village but the landscapes are breathtaking. I think it’s the most beautiful place to ride a motorcycle. There, Oshibana and Clover. You've never been?” he asked.

“I once took a trip around Clover,” Freed said, frowning to remember where he had been. “It was many years ago, I don't remember exactly where I was, but I know there was a beautiful lake where we stopped,” he explained.

“Yeah, there’s a beautiful lake there,” Laxus said. “Actually, everything’s beautiful there, and as much fun as racing motorcycles is, it’s much more enjoyable to drive around the curves of the mountain,” he admitted.

“I agree,” Freed smiled. “By the way, you probably already know this, but next month there’s a motorcycle rally in Hargeon. It’s not in the mountains, but maybe you will like to come. We will almost all be there”.

“Yes, Cana told me,” Laxus said. And surely, he would go.

***A month later***

Laxus had arranged with Bickslow, Evergreen and Elfman to reach Hargeon. The four had met at the Raijinshuu, and from there they had all left together reaching the city by the sea. Actually, Laxus had thought Freed would be there too, but the boy stood them up. The blond would have lied if he had said that he hadn't been upset a bit, in the last month he had found himself better and better with the boy. He often met him when he went to the track and they always stopped to chat for a while and... ok, Freed was a nice guy, he had to admit it.

He found the man attractive, both physically and in his way of doing things. That didn't really matter, though, as Laxus didn't know him that well. Besides, he didn't even know if he could like boys, if he was engaged, or if he might be interested in him. He probably wasn't, so better not think about it directly. Despite that, he would have fun with him.

“Didn't Freed come?” he asked Bickslow as they took their places at a small table where Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Cana and Mirajane were already seated.

“No, he said he had a couple of problems with his father,” he replied. Laxus frowned slightly and sat down next to Lucy, and across from Bickslow. He understood that Freed didn't have a great relationship with his parents, but they never talked about it after the night they had dinner together. He was almost tempted to ask for more but he didn't want to be too obvious, nor meddlesome. Despite that, he decided to try it anyway.

“What's wrong with his father?” he asked.

“Basically, he's an asshole, he wants to shut him down,” Bickslow explained. “I honestly don't understand what a bother it gives him,” he added with a shrug.

“It's just reputation,” Lucy explained as she took a couple of fries and stuffed them in her mouth. Then she turned to Laxus. “A couple of years ago, shortly after Freed opened the track, he gave an interview and said he was kicked out of his house because he was gay. This had some repercussions on his father's company, so now he wants Freed to start working for him, so that no one will believe it anymore. The point is that few now remember that article. It's been years, he should just let it go,” she said.

Laxus found himself for a moment still with his beer half raised, surprised by that tale. He closed his mouth and put the glass down without drinking, thinking about what he had discovered. He now understood why Freed didn’t have a good relationship with his parents, and now he also knew that there was indeed hope with the boy. He decided to leave out that last thought.

“So, he wants him to close the track just for this reason?” he asked.

“Yes, his father wants to have a good image,” Lucy said.

“You met him,” Bickslow recalled.

“Yeah, quite like my father,” she just commented. Laxus frowned, sure he was missing something. Lucy noticed this because she explained to him that she was the daughter of Justine's partner, and that she too had left home since she finished high school. At first, she had lived with Freed, then the two had taken two different paths, she had found a job in a publishing house, while he had decided to open the motorcycle track. They had been friends for years.

Laxus listened to the stories that Lucy told him, and after a while the chatter took a quieter and more fun turn. Gajeel, Elfman and Natsu arm wrestling each other, Cana and Bickslow carried on the conversation by telling lots of funny anecdotes, while Mirajane tried to stop her girlfriend from drinking too much. Laxus soon found himself having fun, forgetting Freed's stories and enjoying the nice afternoon. The boys had just finished eating when Bickslow announced that Freed and Loke were on their way.

“Now we’ve to go,” Cana commented.

“Well, we're staying here until tonight, there's a band playing” said Lucy leaning on Natsu.

“We go home instead, we’ve a commitment tomorrow,” Mirajane said. After that the two girls got up and said goodbye as they walked away. Laxus stayed there until he saw the two boys walking towards them. At that moment he remembered what Lucy had told him earlier about the boy's sexuality, and he found himself for a moment unsure how to behave. At least until Freed and Loke were in front of them. At that point he thought that very little changed, he would enjoy the man's company as he had done up to that moment.

“Here you are finally!” Bickslow exclaimed. Loke sat down while Freed remained standing.

“I saw that there’s an exhibition of vintage motorcycles over there, is anyone interested?” he asked them. But the boys shook their heads and finally Laxus decided to join. Freed smiled gratefully and the blonde just shrugged, as they walked towards the place where the exhibition was located.

“How was lunch?” Freed asked.

“Not like the one at Raijinshuu, but it wasn't bad,” Laxus replied. “I had to order two sandwiches because they were too small.” Freed smiled slightly and nodded, continuing among the people in silence until they reached the exhibit. As soon as they arrived, Laxus’ eyes sparkled: those bikes were beautiful, they had a sleek design and were in really good condition.

“My grandfather had a bike like that,” he said pointing to one and approaching it for a better look.

“Don't tell me he sold it,” Freed commented.

“Unfortunately, yes, it was stupid. It was beautiful,” Laxus said with some nostalgia. It was the first bike he had ridden on when he was a child, the one he had sworn to buy when he grew up at the age of five. Thinking about it only brought good memories to his mind.

He continued following Freed and observing others, occasionally making a few comments. Compared to usual, however, Freed's responses were much shorter. Laxus noticed it after a few minutes they were there, and glanced at the boy, wondering if he was okay. He watched as Freed pulled out his phone and answered a message with a frown. Obviously, he wasn't in a very good mood, and obviously Laxus knew it after what Bickslow had told him. But he didn't know whether to tell him something or not, since he didn't think he had all this confidence with him.

Eventually he decided to remain silent, simply trying to pull him into some conversation. All his attempts, however, went up in smoke, even though Freed was clearly kind, he could see a mile away that something was bothering him and at that point it was impossible for Laxus to remain silent.

“Everything good?” he asked. Freed frowned slightly.

“Yes,” he replied immediately.

“I mean, really,” Laxus said. “You're a little distracted, and Bickslow told me you had a couple of problems with the track,” he insisted. Freed avoided his gaze and the blonde feared he was being too intrusive. But before he could apologize and withdraw his words, Freed spoke up.

“Actually, there’s some problem. Nothing serious but… well, I'm still worried,” he admitted.

“I'm sorry, something that threatens to make you close the track?” he dared to ask Laxus.

“Yeah,” Freed murmured and then shook his head. “No, I mean, it's all good, just... I don't know, really,” he snorted. Laxus watched him for a moment in silence not knowing what to say.

“If everything is up to standard, I don't think you need to worry.” Freed smiled slightly at that phrase.

“It's the same thing Ever and Bickslow tell me.”

“Because we’re right. I mean, I don't know you very well but you seem like a very fussy type, you've probably made sure everything’s okay”. Freed just nodded. “Anyway, if you want to let off steam, Bickslow and Ever will sure be happy to help you.” Freed raised a slightly frowning eyebrow.

“Are you dumping everything on them?” he asked a little surprised and Laxus found himself holding back a laugh at his expression.

“Well, obviously if you want to let off steam with me that's fine, but I'm better at distracting people than comforting them, and apparently my attempts at distracting you haven't worked until now,” he said. Freed was silent for a moment, probably thinking back to what Laxus had tried to do, then smiled.

“Maybe with a beer I'd be better distracted,” he said.

“Don't think I'm offering it to you, rich man” Laxus replied walking towards the stall. “Actually, since I'm helping you, you could offer it to me.” Freed laughed slightly.

“You really are a freeloader, I never would’ve said that,” he commented.

“Eh, having a rich friend has some advantages,” Laxus smiled, pleased that he was finally able to get Freed out of his thought bubble. The rest of the afternoon was much more enjoyable for both of them, and if Laxus found himself flirting with Freed, it was just to distract him. Not because Lucy had told him he was gay, that had absolutely nothing to do with it.

***

Freed hadn't seen Laxus for a couple of days at the bar, and he was starting to feel a little bitter. Since the blond had started going to Raijinshuu, Freed had also started going to the bar more often to see him. The chat with the boy had become much longer and always managed to improve his day. He liked Laxus. To be honest, Laxus attracted him quite a lot. He was the ideal man for Freed. He was easygoing, always had a joke ready, had that hint of arrogance that amused Freed, and he was terribly handsome.

He still didn't understand what Laxus thought of him, and if he could ever return his crush. He didn't even have a clue if he might like guys, probably not, but Freed was hoping for that anyway. After all, it had seemed to him from time to time that the blond flirted with him. But maybe it was all in his head. It probably he was. That didn't stop him from getting on well with Laxus and wanting to spend more time with him.

“Didn't Laxus come to the bar?” he asked Bickslow, who luckily seemed more focused on serving a customer at the moment to see his real interest.

“No, to be honest, I haven't seen him for a while,” said the boy. Freed nodded a little irritably. He had hoped he knew more. If only he had had his number Freed would’ve written to him, but he had never thought of asking him. He was an idiot. He had a crush on Laxus and couldn't even come forward and ask him for his number. He tapped his fingers nervously on the counter, undecided whether or not to ask the next question. His gaze fell on the poster that indicated the participants in the race of the month and he saw the name of Laxus.

“Strange, he has to do the race and he doesn't even go for a lap around the track,” he commented.

“He doesn't compete anymore,” said a voice behind him. Freed turned in surprise to see Cana. “A beer Bickslow, the biggest you have,” she ordered and then turned back to the poster. “Poor Lucy, I'm a little sorry for her, she had focused on Laxus”.

“Why doesn’t he do the race?” Freed asked, frowning.

“He has had an accident and his bike is unusable,” the girl replied calmly.

“What?” Freed asked worriedly and Bickslow also turned to her with a distressed expression.

“Nothing serious!” Cana hastened to say “Really, or I wouldn't have told you in this way” she said trying to calm them down. “A drunk actually overturned his motorbike while he was standing still. Laxus didn't get hurt, but the motorbike... well, he's pretty pissed off,” she explained.

“Oh” was the only thing Freed managed to say. He was relieved that the boy was okay, but to be honest he understood the blond's anger. “Well, the insurance will pay the damages,” he reasoned.

“Yes, but in the meantime, he can't use his bike,” Cana commented and then shrugged, taking her beer and starting to drink. Freed looked at the girl. Of all the people there, she was surely the one who knew Laxus best. She probably had his number, and Freed wanted to hear the boy too. Maybe he could distract him from the story. Okay, it was a pathetic excuse to hear the blonde but, man, he missed him.

Pathetic, he thought irritably as he thought of a better excuse to talk to the boy. Besides, what would he say to Laxus once he called him? He snorted slightly lost in his own thoughts, until an idea came to his mind. A much calmer idea, so he wouldn't need Laxus's number to talk to him. He would pass by the place where he worked, hoping to cross paths with him.

***

Of all the people he expected that day, Laxus hadn't thought of finding himself in front of Freed. The boy got off his motorbike and smiled slightly as he took off his helmet.

“Hey”.

“Hey, any problems?” the blond asked, wondering if he was just there to talk to him or if he had some problem with his motorbike.

“Yes, I was taking a ride when I realized that it’s leaking some oil. Since I was close to here, I passed here, to check before the engine is damaged,” he explained. Right, well, it's not like Freed could've been there just for him.

“You did the right thing. I see if it’s something minor or if it’s more serious,” Laxus said, taking the bike and dragging it into the workshop, almost with sparkling eyes to have such a vehicle in hand. Every time he saw it, he felt crazy envy. And in that moment even more. He darkened his face for a moment to rethink his bike, but he quickly dismissed the thought, just hoping that the insurance would pay him quickly so that he could repair it.

Freed nodded absently and looked around.

“Is the workshop yours?” he asked.

“No” Laxus replied “But today the boss isn’t there” he explained as he began to take a look at the vehicle. When he did, however, he was baffled for a moment. For a couple of seconds he remained motionless, then turned to Freed, who was looking around.

“The fuel cap isn’t closed properly,” he said at that point, at the same time surprised that Freed hadn't noticed and amused him. To tell the truth, he was a bit shocked. The green-haired boy blushed slightly.

“Oh really?” he asked naively and Laxus raised an eyebrow. Freed's cheeks warmed even more and the blonde couldn't help but smile amused, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at him. Freed wasn't that stupid.

“So, are you really that incompetent or is the reason you are here another one?” he asked him. Freed snorted slightly and turned his gaze to the side. Laxus chuckled, feeling a little hope in his stomach. Maybe Freed really had passed by just to see him. It would have been nice, and very, very funny too.

“I know you had a motorcycle accident,” Freed said at that point. Laxus frowned slightly.

“It wasn't an accident. A fucking drunk hit me. I was still,” he pointed out in an irritated tone, losing all fun.

“Yes, Cana told me,” Freed said turning back to him. “I'm sorry about your bike, but the insurance will pay for everything, right?”.

“Yes, who knows when, though,” the blond commented. Freed smiled slightly.

“Well, I'm here to make you a proposal,” Freed said. “You know, Lucy bet 40,000 jewels on you.”

“Holy shit,” Laxus commented in surprise. “Well, I'm sorry for that little blonde, but she's really unlucky,” he added, knowing full well she didn't win one.

“Yes, but if you participate you could make it win. If I gave you the bike, would you participate?” he asked. Laxus frowned, surprised by this proposal.

“Are you serious?” he asked “Would you lend me the bike, just to let your friend win the bet? You aren’t even sure that I will win, you would first give her the money”.

“She's too proud to accept,” Freed said. “Anyway, yes, why shouldn't I? I know how you drive, I've seen you several times,” he added with a shrug.

“Would you lend me such a motorcycle?” Laxus asked, still shocked, pointing to the nice little gem he had just closed the fuel cap tightly. Freed nodded. “Fuck you, you're crazy” he said, not knowing what else to say.

“Would you accept or not?” Freed asked.

“What if I lose?” he asked at that point. Freed smiled in amusement.

“So, you know you could lose. I thought you were more arrogant, you’ll have one of the most powerful bikes and…”.

“Shut up,” Laxus growled irritably.

“So do you accept or not?” Freed asked again. Laxus fixed his gaze on Freed's bike and a sudden excitement pervaded him. He could’ve ridden a motorcycle like that! What the fuck did he care why Freed would let him do it? A grin broke out on his face.

“Okay,” he agreed, already feeling high at the idea of riding such a bike.

“Well, and since you're so sure you'll win, I'll bet on you too. Don't make me lose money,” Freed said as he took his bike back.

“As if you miss them” Laxus couldn't help but reply and Freed laughed slightly.

“Tomorrow you can choose the bike to use in the race,” Freed told him as he left the workshop. Laxus nodded and followed him, but then frowned.

“Wait, what do you mean by choosing?” he asked.

“You'll find out tomorrow,” Freed replied, before putting on his helmet and saying goodbye.

***

Laxus stared in rapture at the garage in front of him. When Freed told him he could choose between different bikes, he didn't expect to find himself in a large garage with a dozen or so bikes inside. How the fuck rich was Freed? Other than shitting money, he really didn't know what poverty or normal life was. He stared at those beautiful bikes in surprise and excitement, not knowing which one to choose.

He must have really had a surprised expression on his face because Freed chuckled and approached a black motorcycle leaning on it.

“Except this one, you can choose whatever you want,” he told. Laxus cast a curious glance at the bike he was leaning on, realizing that it was probably his personal gem that he was most fond of. He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable to tell the truth, he didn't even understand why Freed should have given him a motorcycle of his own. Sure, he wanted Lucy to win, but why let him pick one? Was he trying to show off? Because if he was doing it, he worked damn well.

“Take your time,” Freed said.

“Are you like... a motorcycle collector?” Laxus asked as he stepped forward and ran his hand over a fiery red vehicle. He really was spoiled for choice.

“More or less,” Freed smiled. “Even though Evergreen says I’ve an exaggerated fixation. Bickslow often tells me too” the boy commented, looking around.

“They're not entirely wrong,” Laxus murmured. That place was like his heaven. He rode a bit between the different bikes. They weren't all sporty, there was a beautiful classic one, and Laxus gazed at it for a while and then moved on. He wanted to try them all. Eventually he made up his mind to pick one and Freed then tossed him the keys. Laxus caught them on the fly.

“Wait until tomorrow before using it, I’ve to reactivate the insurance,” Freed said as he walked out of the garage. Laxus followed him without saying a word, already feeling a thrill of adrenaline running through it. The very idea of being able to ride something like this excited him beyond measure. “Well, I thought you were happier riding a bike like that,” Freed commented. Laxus looked up at him.

“You’re really weird,” he told him openly. Freed shrugged.

“Just because I lend you a motorcycle? It would be so much stranger if I gave it to you,” he replied calmly.

“That would be crazy,” Laxus commented.

“Anyway, if you're free tomorrow we can come back here together so you can try it out,” Freed said. Laxus nodded again a little dazed.

“You really trust me,” he muttered.

“I've seen you ride before,” Freed replied. “Unless you lied to me about the accident and you were the one to ride another bike,” he added. Laxus regained some confidence and turned to Freed, remembering how the boy had shown up in the workshop with a stupid excuse.

“I'm not like you,” he retorted. “Uh, next time, if you want to stop by, come up with a better excuse. You could puncture the tire and call me,” he said with a smirk. Freed's cheeks reddened and Laxus laughed in amusement.

“Shut up,” he muttered.

“You know I'll make you remember it forever?” sneered the blond.

“You know I can let you walk home?” was the annoyed reply and Laxus smiled and decided to shut up. He didn't really want to walk all over town to get home, or take a bus. The two boys got on the bike with which they had arrived there. Freed in the front and Laxus in the back. The blond put his hands on Freed's hips, enjoying the contact, for the first time thinking that perhaps that accident had not brought only negative sides with it. He smiled as Freed left and took him home. Eh, maybe the boy wasn't so indifferent to him.

Notes: Maybe it was better to divide it into two chapters, it turned out to be longer than I thought. Well, I think the next chapter will be roughly the same length, but I also think it will be more interesting than this one.

#fraxus #freed justine #laxus dreyar #freed x laxus #fanfiction

10 notes · View notes

sanoiro · 4 years

Text

Lucifer 5x09 - Family Dinner -Spoilers & Speculation

Written by Joe Henderson

Directed by Nathan Hope

Nathan Hope has directed

1x02 - Lucifer, Stay. Good Devil 1x13 - Take Me Back to Hell 2x01 - Everything's Coming Up Lucifer 2x07 - Trip to Stabby Town 2x10 - Quid Pro Ho 3x05 - Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards 3x19 - Orange Is the New Maze 5x07 - Our Mojo He will also direct Episode 2 or 3 of S6

Behind The Scenes Video

youtube

Ignore the fact that I accidentally watermarked it with the number 519...

The Case & Deckerstar

Now we can start with the case of the week.

The murder happens at Golf n Stuff which is rather popular due to the scenes that were shot there for The Karate Kid. Rafferty was actually giddy over that.

So we have a murder. After over 70 episodes we know that the case of the week is somehow connected to the main plot and that it leads to a resolving of Lucifer’s issues or at least a small or big breakthrough.

The victim in this case was burned to death or at least he was… charred. A bit like how Mum ‘enlightened’ Jared in 2x17 but worse.

(In order to make sure most bts are included I have put them in the same file in their original resolution and you need to open the image and zoom. You can do it from your PC, MAC or mobile)

The mini golf has several fun statues like knights and pirates but what was not supposed to be there was the figure at the hole where nearby the victim was found. To be more You might have guessed it has many teeth by the photo and the answer is, it’s a reddish dragon head.

Back in December I came across the props building it and I thought it was cool but I wasn’t aware it was for Lucifer as the account is not affiliated with our crew or production. So imagine my surprise when a friend told me about what she had seen on the lot and going through the archived bts I found the victim photo as well.

You may have noticed it but in two particular episodes more dragons made their appearance. First it was at the second showrunner’s office in 503. There we see a dragon impelled by a sword, it seemed really out of place but I then correlated it with Baphament’s blade which is a representation of Azrael’s blade.

Later on I saw something else. In 508 Pete’s apartment had shelves dedicated to dragon figures as well as some knights. All along I was wondering can I even meta about that? What can it symbolise if it means anything at all? For some reason all I could think was the movie ‘Dragonheart’.

But let’s assume they have laid some hints, so far we have seen that they go very basic on bible and comic material so it’s funny how dragon-like Lucifer was presented in Series 3 of the black label of DC/ vertigo. But there are also more tidbits.

Now in 1x12 you all remember the Angel who was defeating a very Lucifer-looking Satan?

That was a prop. But it is derived by the work of Guido Reni ‘Michael and Satan’ (1636) Who was in turn influenced by Raphael’s painting ‘St. Michael Vanquishing Satan’ (1518) and if we go to Raphael’s early works... St. Michael (1504-1505)

Anyways!

The investigation of this ‘week’s’ case has its usual suspect chase which leads us to an arcade where we can spot some members of the crew doing rounds with the go-carts on that location. What I do know is that we are looking for someone young as far as guest posts go but other than that not much is known. The case seems to be progressing slowly but at some point the murderer appears to want to skip town so the leads bring us to L.A.’s train Union Station.

We also have scenes at the precinct during the case as we have seen from Aimee’s bts but not much is known there.

Now the suspect might be played by the elusive guest of this episode John Clover whose appearance was posted on Reddit and had sparked the first speculations over the title of the episode.

We should now wonder whether the theme of this episode’s case which takes us to gaming areas has anything to do with how Lucifer views his Father’s appearance in the mid-season finale and whether it will provide him with a resolution to not act in a rush way. The same after all happened with Mum.

Do not forget that Lucifer in Season 2 and especially at the beginning with Mum and when he thought Earl Johnson was his Father, Lucifer’s plans changed as his vengeance turned to a slow paced questioning over why their relationship deteriorated.

For an Angel who was ‘forced’ - not yet clarified so let’s not take that for granted- to punish the guilty Lucifer seems to be more merciful, understanding and open to explanations in the long run especially with the people who wronged him. Amenadiel, Michael, Uriel, Azrael, Mum, and Earl ‘God’ Johnson.

As Amenadiel said in the Pilot Lucifer away from Hell showed restrain and mercy… Perhaps it is true that we cannot escape from what we truly are. In any case that’s meta talk!

Back to the Union Station.

In the train station we have a bts where we can see Chloe and Lucifer chasing the suspect and from the photos and videos outside of it we can safely say they are successful on apprehending the murderer.

Now a funny incident was that during the shooting the area was closed to the actual travelers but somehow a Japanese tourist ended up sitting where the background actors were. No idea if it was her Pizza or it was given by the craft service but the girl was obviously bewildered on what was happening. It’s the little absurdities of life I guess…

It seems though as a lighthearted episode at first...

Do not be mistaken, the writers, cast and showrunners have revealed that in S5P2 we enter the emotional and equally dark (In P1 I missed the darkness aside from Pete of course) part of this season. It means that by the end of 5x09 as we roll on the last minutes of this episode, Lucifer is heavily conflicted and a resolution is needed, one that seems to be somewhat provided.

Since P1 I thought it would be weird to have Deckerstar break up for effect, in order to break us, especially since S5 was supposed to be the last season and S6 is effectively from what they imply (again cast and showrunners) an epilogue. So do not expect Deckerstar to break up but on the contrary as we saw Lucifer and Chloe in 507 they pull each other back up.

It is why I’m wondering what will be unraveled after the arrest of 5x09’s murderer.

The end of the episode takes us at night to L.A.’s Grand Park. The Grand Park is across the City Hall by the way, and for the Christmas season it was decorated with a Christmas tree made out of light bulbs.

In the bts the prominent colour of that tree is deep lilac. That’s where our next Deckerstar moment will unravel. We should also be ready for the Lucifer Universe to acknowledge yet another holiday of the human world, Christmas!

A tiny break here but you should remember that on each side of the elevator we have two bronze plates depicting the transfer of Christ after he was taken down dead from the Cross. So in the most discrete of ways Lucifer’s Universe has acknowledged Christ and perhaps it was because before the Sumerian text set Amenadiel as the favourite son, in Season 1 and for the majority of S2 we knew Lucifer as the favourite one.

On the cross Christ (no I didn’t write Lucifer at first :P) according to the scripts in a moment of lapsed faith “Father, Father why do you abandon me?”. In a way we might meta that for 516 but also for what Lucifer has experienced so far and has so eloquently expressed in 3x11 and in 1x09.

But back to the Deckerstar moment…

It takes place on the ‘balcony’ above the fountain as the purple Christmas tree is behind them. The setting happens at night and provides the place for our characters to talk, to open up and perhaps even express certain fears but also be urged to take advantage of the current circumstances.

From my perspective is the scene of a couple that talks a difficult matter but at the end of that talk they know each has the other’s back so they can step forward, take that chance and their partner will always be there to catch them if they fall. It is also how we will experience Lucifer finally opening up without Linda probing him. But whatever comes forward also gives space to truths and a realisation which will break our Devil as we have seen from the bts of the next episodes.

We might even have an understanding why ‘I love you’s’ are difficult for Lucifer and for Chloe to also realise that. We might even get Lucifer to say it. Here is to hoping…

On a final note. Maze in this episode seems to have gone MIA but many times we do not see the bts of every scene so all we have is Lesley-Ann’s bts from her trailer during that time. Also do not forget how things ended in 508. Maze did betray Lucifer and with God on Earth...

The Dinner

This episode is expected to open back to the precinct. The reason is because it is a mid-season finale which means that the in between scenes are not implied but also because of some spoilers we had back in December.

As you remember the actress who played officer Cacuzza had posted on Twitter that she and Lauren were in a ‘very small’ room which had just been painted. That room we can safely say is the ‘evidence room’ and that Cacuzza managed finally to find a way to close the surveillance in order to take a nap.

Now do remember that back in S4 Cacuzza was also the officer who let Lucifer ‘sample’ the drug busts… I’m not sure if that will come back somehow but we do know that Cacuzza will appear later this season, whether alive or not is yet to be seen.

What we do know is from the clues that were given by the actress.

1) She will be in the same room as Chloe meaning we will revisit the evidence room once Dad arrives and perhaps it will be a comic moment? Perhaps a random human will figure things out? But what was interesting is that according to the bts photo we see the actress and Lauren in their own clothes while Dennis is in his ‘Dad/God’ clothes.

2) Both Chloe and Officer Cacuzza were supposed to act distressed and shaken. If we take the ‘I love you’ element from that scene for Chloe let’s remember that the evidence is suddenly a bit of a mess. A glass has broken, the sound and effect will be heard once the time has started running again and they are two cops in a room with no idea of what is happening outside. So perhaps the shaken and distressed effect comes before they open the door (or walk out) and are sure there is no imminent threat.

3) In my opinion in this episode Cacuzza has some lines no matter how brief they might be.

Now the question here is how to proceed.

We obviously have a Family Dinner from which only two bts exist.

If we assume that the Family Dinner is arranged after the brothers have hid their wings and then Dad has met Linda then the dinner is set up by a very flabbergasted Linda.

youtube

I do expect Linda to bow by the way and for this dinner to bring some elements from 1x10 Pops. For this speculation I’ll include the video of the scene from that episode and I’ll try to tie them up with 5x09.

All the episodes in P2 are meant to do a full circle and the writers have based most of their storytelling on the events of S1 and S2.

So first the spoilers of what we know from 5x09 and then the ties we may find with 1x10 and some more past episodes.

The 11 minutes are quite long but is it really all things concerning?

Henderson tweeted that there will be 5 actors but as we know know Ellis plays two characters which is why the dinner scene may have taken three days to shoot so we should count six people at the Dinner Table.

The location will be (most probably) at Linda’s house as we have seen from a bts that her main table is full of different varieties of fruits and food in an attempt to recreate an Olympian affluent meal. For Linda is only normal to be out of her element and try to impress God. So far she has been almost killed by his ex, has a child that can be snatched away to the Silver City if she is not deemed worthy perhaps or even because of Charlie’s half genetic code.

Remember there was a stand in actor for Michael

The problem Linda also faces is that she has supported Lucifer. Yes, he is her friend but how will God react to that? Having a human siding with His rebellious son? Linda as it has been written knows how far pissed off celestials can go and I’m sure she remembers Lucifer’s agony and fear over his Father where Chloe was concerned. So she tries, really tries to present a wonderful setting for the grandfather of her child.

So we do have Linda in the mix. Obviously God, Amenadiel, Lucifer and Michael. That makes us five characters and four actors. Little Charlie also makes an appearance as far as I’m aware as the twin babies were on set and that also contributes on why the scene took so long to be shot. However the babies do not count as the sixth character. Chloe though does.

In short we have:

Linda

God/Dad

Amenadiel

Lucifer

Michael

Chloe

and

Charlie

Another thing we should take into account for this scene is Rafferty’s posted script page of the midseason finale.

While Amenadiel and Lucifer appear shocked and in awe, Michael seems rather pleased. I mean he literally ‘Grins with excitement’.

Amenadiel in 5x03 said that the only one who was talking to the throne meanwhile Henderson as far as I remember in one of the post P1 interviews, revealed that God and Michael have a relationship that Lucifer wishes he had with Him. D.B on one of the virtual cons (or ET interview. I have issues with keeping track of them now) have said that the scene at the family dinner would be gut wrenching and absolutely fall down hilarious’.

So in this dinner we will get to know our characters more and as Ildy and Henderson have said Lucifer will go back being a 14 year old at the Thanksgiving table. That perhaps is the reason why the script episodes 510 and 511were reversed. The last time that had happened was in S1 in order for Lucifer’s vulnerability to not come too soon in the season. In the case of these two episodes I believe it has to do with Lucifer’s emotional state but also the constant collisions he will have with his father in the Family Dinner but also during the Musical episode.

Another aspect to consider is that if 5x09 reminds us a lot of 1x10 -Pops right now and 5x10 the Musical episode is directly influenced by 2x16 - God Johnson.

The next section will now be dedicated to a quick recap of 1x10 - Pops and the possible connection to Michael and his story.

Michael in 5x09 teases Chloe as she is kept captive that there is a bigger plan and ‘Spoiler Alert’ it will be EPIC. That can be left alone as a promise to see more of that plan in S5P2 but before we go forward we should also go back in 2x04 - Weaponiser.

Do you see the parallel? How far Uriel’s view of the ‘Patterns’ could go was always a meta I couldn’t crack. Sure Michael hinted as per one Anon hinted on Tumblr that Michael might have been the one to urge Uriel on Earth to kill Mum and hopefully Lucifer as well. It is also perhaps why we were reminded of Azrael’s Blade in 5x03 - Diablo with Baphament’s blade, the only blade that could kill the Devil. Perhaps that was Michael’s plan back then but it didn’t work out.

But is Michael the big villain? According to the showrunners no. There are more things happening but Michael has a reasoning, has a story, one that explains his deformity and is the hero of his own story as all the other season ‘villains’ so far were. Mum, Amenadiel, Malcolm, Kinley, even Cain.

What the Interviews say about Michael:

Beginning with the parallel between the dinner we had in 1x10’s dinner and plot, and in what may have in episode 5x09 I would like to remind you-

- at this point I have censored some spoilers, not speculations, spoilers for episodes of P2 that will not be added in the S&S -

I’ll return to this topic and explore it thoroughly as the S&S are written but for now remember that 1x10 might tell us more than what we think right now and it might take us as a point of reference even up to 5x16.

Between 1x10 and 5x09 we can also wonder what are God’s intentions, can we attribute them all to Michael’s manipulation or it goes beyond that because the showrunners have promised us an emotional P2. I do believe issues are addressed and Lucifer will have to come face to face with some hard truths without that meaning that Dad was always right.

In the Pilot - wait.. Pilot? Yes, 5x09 is an episode that slowly builds us to the very end. There are spoilers and references that need to be addressed from past and future episodes before and after 5x09.

We need to address that in the Pilot, Lucifer told Delilah the very truth he uttered to Linda where he was concerned in S4 (4x08). God has nothing to do with your mess. Like Delilah, Lucifer was putting the blame to others, circumstances and even questioned God. He was wasting his eternal life and his talent, which he eventually found in crime solving.

youtube

On cue we get to the scene with Chloe asking God what she is doing to a bar with Lucifer. And what follows is Chloe telling Lucifer how she saw things differently from everyone and she paid for it. That story for me at least rings a bell.

youtube

We still do not know why Lucifer was cast out, the actual reason. No matter the sexescapeding with Eve or the rebellion what was the core of all that acting out as Linda called it in season 2? Whatever it was if we go back to 3x11 we will see that Chloe in the Pilot is basically Lucifer in 3x11.

They feel alone, misjudged and while Chloe tries to move on and later in S1 finds what actually happened, in Lucifer’s case he gives up on waiting for forgiveness from his Father until Michael comes, and tells him that even his Fall was a manipulation.

In Pops Lucifer asked something very interesting what did the sous chef wanted? And the answer was to surpass Pops. I do wonder if that’s what Lucifer wanted in a way and of course Michael on Lucifer’s expense. Two ‘children’ fighting for attention but only one was groomed to take over.

Speaking of taking over at the end of the episode of 1x10 we learn that Pops despite what Junior had done still had his son in his mind for taking over the restaurant. Pops believed in his son but allowed him space to grow eventually when everything failed.

If you remember Zadkiel’s spoiler we see that in 5x15 for some reason Lucifer wants to re-join the Host. That aside from a reconciliation shows that like Junior, Lucifer for his own reasons - we do not know what has happened but we will go back to that in the S&S of 5x15 - wants what divine power has to offer.

What happens next is again interesting -censored-. I just want you to see how we do not deal with standalones but everything progresses towards a point, a familiar yet innovative point for the series.

In episode 2x01, Lucifer asks mockingly an offended Chloe who did she thought he took after, his Dad? That happened because Lucifer believed to have taken more after his mother but as we know genetics is a funny thing, Celestial genetics even more so.

God’s absence from Lucifer’s life shaped him. He did drove Lucifer to become something he wasn’t but after 4.5 seasons can we claim that Lucifer and God are nothing alike?

Maze I believe was spot on on the similarities God and Lucifer held.

Lucifer believes in justice, in truth and is able to love. He has been more of an Angel than any non fallen Angel has ever been so far.

Amenadiel tricked a dead human to kill Lucifer thus condemning him again in Hell however as we know from Charlotte’s case a redemption was not impossible.

Uriel wanted to kill his mother and wouldn’t hesitate to kill Chloe in the process. Azrael is basically a liar and manipulator, Remiel would gleefully cut open a human for their half-celestial baby while Michael is really-really messed up.

So what has happened?

Like with Junior, Lucifer was pushed by his Father to become the man he is today. And Lucifer likes what he is, who he is because he sees the change and is even afraid of not being real when that change is questioned or exposed to him.

youtube

The same happened with Amenadiel, once he decided to embrace humanity and brotherhood. He changed for the better and became more ‘angelic’.

So yes, Junior’s story does apply to Lucifer on many levels. But Junior didn’t have that dinner with his Father, Lucifer will as they will do two more of his siblings. Some will be hurt, some will feel betrayed and some may walk out.

Which brings us to a very big question.

Was Mum truthful when she said to Lucifer, his Dad wanted to destroy him? If the answer is yes, how will both deal with that? Because Lucifer may have not totally believed Mum.

If that answer comes to play we should consider it as the common question children come forward to when they learn they were not planned or their parents had opted at first to have an abortion. The fact that they didn’t get on with the abortion or had willingly made a child does affect their feelings towards that child now? Do they regret it? Do they want what that child has become?

These are all tough questions and sometimes the answers are not easy either. Mainly because humans like celestials with human emotions as it seems, are secure and balanced only with the totality of a circumstance. Everything or nothing, the rest in between are not welcome and it’s bound to hurt.

Finally, on this 1x10 weird reminisce. Can we say that Lucifer will be allowed in the end to create something that represents him? I think he may but more about that in 5x16 S&S.

Probably the story will not end with redemption but with Lucifer finally becoming his own person one that resembles a lot of Dad and Dad may accept or even encourage that path. That does not mean he will start anew though

Which brings us back to the adversary of 1x10 - Pops. The sous chef believed that Junior was not worthy of his father’s tolerance and reward so she made sure to destroy his reputation and went as far as trying to kill him. That sounds a lot like Michael.

Michael’s speech towards Maze about what was happening in the Silver City in 5x02 did echo the sous chef words:

So we should wonder if Michael will succeed to a point to ruin Lucifer’s chances and leave Lucifer live with the consequences in the end as our hero learns to move on from whatever injustice happened or the writers will provide a catharsis.

And a final question here… Is Amenadiel really the favourite son? I somehow doubt that, perhaps I’ll be proved wrong as in many interviews Henderson has gone back to Amenadiel’s arc as he learns he is the ‘favourite’ and so far he has not said anything to contradict the belief 2x17 brought to us with so many translated Sumerian words.

But as we said teh Dinner will not be cathartic on the contrary so does that mean that Lucifer eventually walks away? Probably.

At the photos that were posted near Christmas we have two bts one crystal clear and the other more hazy which shows Lucifer at the Penthouse and Dad being there in his white cardigan. I do suspect that meeting at the penthouse happens after the dinner but it does not resolve things between Father and son. it is also possible that it’s why we need the very emotional scene from the musical to be moved forward and 511 script to become 5x10 aired episode.

Perhaps the comment on it’s not just Lucifer who hits the keys was referring to Dad and not Maze in 5x01.

Although we cannot be sure on what will happen in the penthouse and whether Scarlet was meant to join that scene or simply was on set for the day (highly probable) for another scene, we do know that in this episode we had a LUX night. A most perhaps unconventional one.

By this point you know that the writers are ready to address everything or at least make parallels and so somehow we have one with 1x09 - A Priest Walks Into A Bar. This time however it is seems like God Walks Into His Son’s Bar.

If the camera is clear enough we can see God (?) talking to a white person. I would have loved it if it was Dan but I cannot tell for sure.

Whether that visit happens before or after the family dinner I believe it may happen before as the clothes Dennis wore at the lot around that time were different from the white we saw him appear with in the end of 5x08. Of course that does not say much as we will see Dad in the same/similar white clothes in at least three different episodes in Part 2.

Therefore in the conclusion of this S&S we should speculate that the Dinner is placed at the middle of the episode and a resolution is reached for Deckerstar in the end of the episode but Lucifer’s turmoil did fit better through the musical episode hence the change.

#lucifer season 5 #lucifer season 5 part 2 #lucifer S5p2 #Lucifer - Family Dinner #Family Dinner #Lucifer spoilers #lucifer speculation #lucifer S&S

51 notes · View notes

real-jaune-isms · 3 years

Text

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 2 Review/Rundown

I feel like this about sums up the general reaction after this week. So let’s dive into how it got out of hand so fast.

We open, a little surprisingly, on a shot we saw at the end of last Volume: Qrow looking at Clover’s bloody badge in his hand. We hear Robyn ranting and raving at someone about how this situation is all their fault, how all she wanted was to bring people together. She’s pacing in her cell, and at first you worry she’s turned on Qrow and hates him for fighting Clover and getting them both arrested, but no. She’s berating Jacques, and thank god someone is. He quotes his daughter in Volume 1 and claims he is a victim, but it was more endearing and memorable coming from the Ice Queen. He continues to assert his innocence, saying Watts used him and his power for diabolical purposes. Sure, he is guilty of many things, but he should not be held responsible for this. And at least his charges don’t include murder. That gets Qrow’s attention, since it was of course a dig at him. That quells Robyn’s fury rather quickly, and she does defend Qrow’s innocence. But she hops right back on the flame train and (while wonderfully insulting his mustache) says she’s not about to agree with the words of an accomplice to Watts’ sins against Mantle. Sure enough, the man of the hour is also in an adjacent cell, and he’s resigned himself to being stuck here like the rest of them. We get a look at where exactly “here” is, a 2 by 2 grid of square cells whose walls are Hard Light Dust shields. It’s a room that’s otherwise rather empty, and the Dust walls seem to be the only source of light. A very makeshift appearance, all things considered, and I worry about Watts being in a cell surrounded by Dust tech he might be able to manipulate. Then again, they took his rings, but he’s got to be pretty resourceful. Meanwhile, Jacques has all the confidence of a spoiled rich brat put behind bars for a misdemeanor. He’s quite sure Whitley will be rushing to get the family’s legal team on the case, and he’ll be out within... well we don’t know exactly how short he thinks his incarceration will last because Robyn gets pissed and punches the wall dividing them. That shuts him up rather well. And really, Jacques-ass? You’re putting your faith in a teenager to help overturn alleged war crimes? What an out of touch prick.

All four of them are shaken from their particular trains of thought by an alarm buzzing and the door opening. Three guards file in, disengage one of the walls of Watts’ cell, and go inside to smack him with the muzzle of a gun and drag his ass outta there. Jacques cringes at the sight of such sudden violence, and Robyn looks momentarily surprised before seeming to accept this. Guess she didn’t expect Ironwood to be so ruthless so soon. She sits back on her bed, which looks like its just a hard slab, and laments being unable to do anything. But Qrow says there is something they can do: kill the man who put them here. To paraphrase Agent Washington, that has got to be the worst plan ever. Of all time. You’re already in jail on murder charges, and now you want to actually cross the line and kill THE LEADER OF A KINGDOM?!?!?! I realize that Ironwood has gone of the deep end and needs to be stopped, but this is not the way to do it. This will only lead to failure, I’m sure of it.

Meanwhile, we cut down to an Atlas news reporter doing a story in Mantle. He’s doing his thing, talking about the unprecedented Grimm hordes and Ironwood not doing anything about it yet. But just as he’s going on about the dedication of his station, the Atlas Eye, Joanna comes up and swipes his microphone to deliver her own message to the people. She tells it like it is, saying that the Happy Huntresses are here to offer aid when Ironwood will not, and spreading the word for people to gather what supplies they can and head for the crater. We see one of the kids from Jaune’s crosswalk scene, and thank goodness his mom is still alive. Joanna talks about all of Mantle coming together to hold the line against the coming Grimm, otherwise the storm at their gates will sweep in to wipe them all out. Yang’s group get into Pietro’s pharmacy, and open the door to the backroom to discover something that makes them very happy. As we saw from the promo clip several months ago, it’s three hoverbikes which we then see them riding through the streets. Yang’s a natural at it, driving up a ramp to do a cool flip off a wall much to Oscar’s panic and discomfort as some of her hair gets in his mouth. Jaune and Ren are... adequate by comparison. Noticing the purple glow of what I presume is Gravity Dust propelling them and allowing the bikes to hover, I wouldn’t be shocked if Yang gives hers a paintjob to be the new Bumblebee: Now with added shipping material! What’s far less pleasant to notice is the Grimm squatting like a gargoyle on the bridge they drive under. We see this thing on the rooftops in a few more shots and then... whooo boy. But we will get there. For now, the biker gang finds more people to protect and help on the journey through town to the crater. One of the Real Thirsty Moms has armed herself with a snow shovel and isn’t totally sure if the crater will be a safe place, but Yang puts on her bravest face to reassure her... just before the screams of people being chased by Grimm get her attention. It’s only two Sabyrs, and Jaune stops their progress by throwing a Hard Light shield spawning grenade that we can assume was with the stash of new gear earlier. Ren drops down to stab both Grimm to death and kicks the quickly deactivating grenade back to Jaune who uses the Gravity in his shield to draw it to him. Very handy with all the tools, bud. Oscar is worried the Grimm Salem has brought with her have already gotten this far into the city, but Yang rationalizes they’re stragglers from the big attack last night. Cuz yeah, we’re still only 12 hours or so removed from the climactic latter half of Volume 7. She doesn’t wanna take any chances though, and asks Ren if Jaune can amp his Semblance up so he can mask the whole crowd for the trip. Ever the realist, he gives a less than encouraging answer, but Jaune sees how badly these people need some hope and comfort. So he makes it into a reassuring promise that the trip will be totally safe and Grimm free. Good job, man. But in every crowd of people, there’s always... a Karen. In this case it’s a grandma who doesn’t want to go stay in the slums among the “animals”, she wants to go to Atlas dammit. But Yang has been waiting to berate someone after the morally grey argument with Ruby last episode, so she takes full advantage of this. This lady might want to be in Atlas, but it’s become clear that Atlas doesn’t want her or any of the other people in Mantle, whereas the Faunus in the crater are showing more kindness than she deserves and giving her a warm place to stay amid all these Grimm. That shuts her up quick, and her daughter (one of the Real Thirsty Moms!) nervously butts in to say that yeah, they’ll accept the offer and she’ll go get their stuff now. We fade to seeing the greyed out crowd walking down the street with Yang giving frontal support, Ren riding on Jaune’s bike in the midst of the crowd to mask outwards in a radius, and Oscar guarding the rear. Grandma Karen is still whining about having to go to the crater, but her daughter is trying to get her to pipe down.

Oscar laments how hard it’s been to get folks to cooperate, with Ozpin chiming in to say he’s preaching to the choir on this one, and that he’s becoming increasingly concerned about that challenge. Oscar grumbles about the unencouraging internal peanut gallery, and Oz gets right to the point. The teens all have every right to be mad at him for dipping on them in Mistral, none more so than Oscar himself, but that’s not what Oscar’s beef is about. He’s mad that he gave him false hope, that in the time Oz was gone Oscar was able to really start coming into his own as a fighter and a member of the team. But now he’s back and Oscar will go back to just being the vessel for the guy everyone really cares about. Oz acknowledges and validates that, but admits that he was never really gone at all so... the merging is still going. Oscar is gaining deep memories and what magic Oz has left, so it’s closer than ever. Neither of them want this to happen, but what can they do? Further up, Ren’s cloaking flickers for a second and Jaune checks on him. He’ll be fine, he’s just got a lot to focus on. Jaune tries to give him a pep talk, but silence is more needed here and Ren is a little snippy in saying so. Jaune seems pretty bummed that Ren is in such a state, but I can’t really say he’s mad at him. More upset with himself and his leadership. One member of his team left to do something else, and the other is in a mental funk he has no clear idea how to help him out of. That’d bum anyone out. Let’s talk about Ren for a moment, actually. I think part of the reason his semblance is working at less than 100% is the same reason he’s pissy with Jaune. He has too many emotions bottled up and he’s trying to ignore them for the sake of staying neutral and calm to be at his best. But if you force yourself to always be neutral, it becomes that much harder to shift into the zen needed for this power. He needs to let himself have emotional highs and lows so he can transition naturally into the middle ground. In other words, TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS, BUDDY!!! It’s also been theorized that his semblance can work for more than just neutrality and he might be projecting his inner turmoil onto the crowd. But that’s yet to be proven. Oz appropriately closes out the scene by saying that they ALL need to figure out a way to work together, but something tells me that’s not coming for another 8 episodes at least.

Changing locales, we see Penny outside of a building with a puffing smokestack on the edge of the city. Turning around, we see where the city of Mantle ends and the slums of the crater begin, and how many people are making there way down from one to the other. But quickly look back, as Blake has just cut off the lock on the chain link gate to the building and May is leading our girl squad inside. That’s right, the one and only May Marigold is coming along on this mission so we get a chance to see her really show her stuff! Nora is grateful for the assist, but May assures her this plan would have definitely gotten Robyn’s backing judging by how much she talked about Amity Tower once she was in the know, so she’s all too happy to help get it up and running. And the Happy Huntresses can afford to be sending her for this, since Fiona has the rest of the team helping her out. The reminder that their partners are off doing a separate mission dampens Blake and Nora’s smiles though... Ruby worries about the safety of going into this place, but once inside Weiss gives the rundown. This is a subsidiary of the Schnee Dust Company that specializes in shipping packages of refined Dust from the mines up to various areas of Atlas through pneumatic tubes. And since it’s a small side business, the worker robots have no direct chain of command to Ironwood, just the Schnees. And Weiss’ grand plan for transportation up to the Atlas military base is something Ruby jokingly suggested back in Volume 2... mailing themselves to their destination. You’re becoming more like that dolt every day... and as a White Rose shipper I love it~ Blake takes this opportunity to rain on Weiss’ confident parade with a dig at the high percentage of buildings in Atlas the Schnee family must own at this rate, and Weiss refuses to comment on how many they actually don’t own. Glad to see Blake being playful like this, shows she’s really comfortable being back with the group again. Everyone spreads out to look for the tube they need, and Penny finds the one for Atlas Academy instead. It reminds her of the confrontations that were had there last Volume, and it clearly still bothers her. Ruby comes over to check on her, and incorrectly assumes Penny’s lamenting about friends fighting is regarding her and Yang. You may be the protagonist, but not everything is about you Ruby. Penny meant Ironwood, Winter, and the Ace Ops, the people Team RWBY had become such fast friends and trusted allies with in Volume 7. The people who are doing and saying such unkind things now, like Ironwood telling her people will die unless she does as she says. Maybe that’s why she’s lingering at this terminal, she’s debating giving herself up to him for the sake of others?

Ruby is having none of this self blaming talk though, and turns Penny around to look her in the eyes as she assures her that no, that isn’t true at all, Ironwood was just saying it to hurt her and make her feel bad enough to come back. Penny admits that she misses the days when she was just the Protector of Mantle, that she now has so much heavy responsibility and duty thrust upon her as the Winter Maiden and she wishes she did not. She was struggling enough to find an identity as a normal girl, now she has a whole other identity to grapple with, it’s all truly unfortunate and sad. Holding her hands in a very similar way to how she did back when she first found out Penny was an android, Ruby assures her that she is still very much the girl she once was. She protected Mantle by taking the Maiden powers so they wouldn’t be misused to hurt the city. This seems to cheer Penny up a bit, and she thanks Ruby for it. The two have another nice hug, before Nora calls out that she’s found the terminal they need. Blake notes that this is the point of no return, and May asserts her confidence that between Penny’s capabilities with the computers they’ll encounter and her own invisibility Semblance they’ve got this in the bag. Penny doesn’t like being referred to as a secret weapon, or a weapon of any kind, but she says nothing about it. For now, let’s praise May for being sassy and cool and doing a cute little curtsy for style. Nora asks the important question of how the heck they’re gonna use this thing, and Weiss goes into tutorial mode again. Just lie back into the tube and hit the launch button, easy enough. Except she was sitting on the edge of the tube for a visual aid and Nora got bored. So ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM goes Weiss up the tube with a frightened screech. Everyone just watches in slack-jawed shock and confusion, but Nora immediately goes giddy at what has just happened and what will soon happen to the rest of them. I can’t imagine what Ruby and Blake must be thinking, not to mention what’s going through May’s mind with this being her first exposure to Nora being... Nora.

But that’s all we get of them for this episode, so Weiss is Schrodinger’s Heiress for the next week. We go to the crater as Joanna heads into a tent where Fiona is hunched over a map coordinating over comms with someone we’ve yet to meet named Crimson. As she finishes the call and whines over how stressful this all is, Joanna drops a small crystal of fire Dust into a sort of furnace and assures her that she’s doing a great job. Fiona absorbs the map into her hand of infinite holding and says Joanna’s big display on the news makes her more qualified for this job. Joanna laughs that off and says it was necessary to spread the word, which seems to be working judging by how many folks are arriving. The group they’re now noticing come in is the one Yang and her squad have just arrived with from Sector 7. The happy lamb does a happy hoppy dance hearing that they’ve already cleared out that sector, and admits her previous doubts that they could manage this much with only half their team. This hits a sore nerve for both Ren and Yang, and the former stomps off while the latter gives a passive aggressive response. They really need to address this soon or it’s all gonna explode in their faces... Oscar wisely changes the subject to ask how they’re managing to house and provide for all these people, and the two Huntresses give a rundown. They’re doing what they can with houses and shelters, and a lot of people are trying to make old mineshafts into someplace livable, and they’ve been looting SDC refineries for Dust to keep everyone warm. Unlike our own society, no one is getting arrested amidst the end of the world. But they substitute that with the terrifying dread of not knowing when the majority of the Grimm will finally attack, what they’re all waiting for. We and the teens know they’re waiting for Salem’s command, for an opening to cause the most damage. And the longer they wait the more the negative emotions build to draw them in. Clever clever, you old witch you. The ominous mood is interrupted by the badger guy from episode 1 running up to inform Fiona that another fight has broken out among the people. He’s voiced by RT founder Gus Sorola, and apparently he’s Fi’s uncle! She seems bummed about having to go break up another fight, but Joanna’s got this one covered. But problems keep coming, and Crimson reports in that there’s a group of Grimm coming in from the east that he can’t handle while transporting civilians. Yang and co are all to ready go get this off Fiona’s plate for her, and we cut to Yang being pursued by a Teryx. We soon see she’s leading it into an ambush, as Ren and Oscar come riding in at an intersection to toss a grenade baton beneath it which presumably contains air/wind Dust because it gets propelled upwards to crash into a bridge and fall back down stunned. Yang gets out of the way and Jaune charges in for the kill. With that job done, Fiona immediately has a new group for them to clear out on the west side. The kids are getting real tired of this constant rushing around killing Grimm, but its part of the job they made such a fuss about going to do so they gotta do it. Oscar points out what I mentioned before, the negativity from everyone worrying when Salem will strike is luring in the stragglers amongst the Grimm. Speaking of stragglers, three Sabyrs come charging up the street much to Ren’s annoyance. But before they can make contact, something gets their attention and they turn tail to run. This puzzles and concerns the team, since Grimm have never retreated before. Before they can finish asking themselves what the Grimm were running from, they get an answer. A large dog-like Grimm pounces on Oscar and starts mauling him and thrashing his body around. He tries to fight back, kicking at one of its legs, but it is unfazed and keeps hitting him until his aura is gone. We see this thing has no eyes to speak of, but it soon gains apposable hands and hind legs capable of bipedal movement. All the better to carry Oscar away with, and shockingly enough, all the better to hold him in front of it as a human shield when Yang comes charging in to try and save him. She has to swerve and avoid hitting the kid, but gets grabbed by the head and tossed against a wall. Ren is the next to attack, but his bullets do jackshit to its back and his “grapple into the enemy and pull myself at it for a kick” has never worked before and continues to not work now. The Hound, as it is named in the credits and in concept art, stretches out its arm much like the Nuckelavee back in Volume 4 and swats Ren away. Jaune is about to charge in too, but Yang warns him about the Hound’s shield tactic. He’s in disbelief, because they may have seen old Grimm that have gained beastial sentience but never this kind of sapience and creative thinking. Ren grabs his guns but the Hound holds Oscar up again to stop him. Ren, naturally, yells at the Grimm to give their friend back.

But the Hound just stretches its neck with a few cracking sounds, and says “No”.

This leaves the huntsmen and huntresses in a silent stupor of shock and fear, and I would not blame them. If all of my world’s history has been telling me that the monsters I hunt are mindless beasts of violence and destruction, nothing more, that’s one thing. If I learn they were created by a deity solely for the sake of destroying my civilization and are nothing but his avatars of darkness and wreckage, that’s a big theological pill to swallow but I still know how these things always tend to act. If I am on 6 hours of sleep vs 28 hours of being awake, just had a big personal argument over what our job should be amidst the apocalypse, and now my entire understanding of the monsters I at least thought I knew how to handle is thrown out the window?????? Yeah, I would need a goddamn minute before I could think rationally and quickly again. So you’ll excuse me for giving Yang, Jaune and Ren a pass as they just stand there and watch the Hound grow bat-like wings in a very painful and goopy transformation that gets some goo on Oscar’s unconscious face and then climbs up a building with Oscar in its mouth to fly away. When they do recover their senses they hop on their bikes and chase after the beast at full speed, giving a hasty and vague apology to Fiona for having to go handle this emergency that she wouldn’t believe even if they told her. And that’s it, we have to wait a week or longer to find out if they catch this thing and get Oscar back. Judging from the intro, I’d say they won’t and he will be brought before Salem for torture. Fun!~ This definitely opens the door for brand new possibilities of what Grimm are capable of doing or being, and lots of people are theorizing the Hound is so intelligent because Salem stuck a person in there, possibly someone we thought was dead but perhaps isn’t? Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see.

Sorry it’s so late, but hope this is a good review.

27 notes · View notes

muriellive · 3 years

Text

If you, my dear reader, are Russian-speaking, then it will probably be easier for you to read this creation on the site "mangalib" or listen to this video:

youtube

A forgotten village on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Clover - Ankvar, the inhabitants of this village were completely killed during the invasion attempt of the warring kingdom of Diamond. Among its ruins, slowly moving his feet, a tall man of about twenty, wrapped in all black, was waddling about. On his head was a large-brimmed hat with a silvery pattern on the tips, and his face was covered with a torn dark blue mask.

Elbe (and that is what he was called) was looking for a certain magical beast, which, according to rumors, has been raging in the eastern lands of the kingdom for quite some time. Who and why asked him about it is not known, but the man was never interested in the reasons and motives of his customers. "There is money, and okay" - so he thought. Yes, exactly, Elbe was a hunter ... a bounty hunter.

The order this time was very strange: "I have not ordered animals yet ..." - he thought.

But, let's forget about this hunter for a minute and go a little further south ...

Faber is a city on the outskirts, standing at the intersection of trade routes. A young (in fact, not very much, 32 years old is too much) knight magician, straightening a grayish cape with a deer patch, happily blurted out:

- Eh, it was a wonderful day today! - Novakhrono, again running away from his duties, walked around the evening town.

- Look, this is Mr. Julius! Captain of the Gray Deer! - joyful children's voices were heard behind the knight. Responding to their exclamations, the blond turned around, putting on a wide smile on his face, which, it would seem, could banish all sadness and sadness with its one appearance.

- Yeah, kids! Also strive to become knight magicians?

To his rather unintelligent question, the children happily chorus answered "Yeah!"

- Knight mages are cool! - shouted the red-haired boy.

- Cool, huh? - Julius said thoughtfully.

- Yes exactly! When I become a knight-magician, I will be able to fight and attack dangerous opponents with my magic. - the boy rejoiced.

“W-well, this is…” Novachrono tried to explain that the duties of the Knights-Mages are completely different from a simple battle.

“How stupid…” came a high, childish voice, in which, however, there was a certain alarm. The future king of magicians stretched out his neck a little to make out the owner of light brown, tattered hair. Before his eyes appeared a tiny little inch, wrapped in a long scarf and looking towards the children with sad, frightened eyes.

- What ?! - the red-haired boy looked at the girl with an inflated and angry expression on his face. - Nobody asked you, ragamuffin!

- Well, well, don't. - Julius tried to settle the situation. However, here no one even listened to him: everyone sharply turned their gazes to the trembling little girl.

Unfortunately, this attitude was not unusual for her. Yes, it is understandable - the Clovers did not like foreigners, but for a four-year-old child it was very difficult to withstand such pressure.

- I w-wanted ... - the baby began quietly. - …to tell…

- What? - asked Novachrono.

- Knights-magicians, after all, first of all, assistants and only then warriors, right?

It seems to be a simple phrase, but what effect it had on Julius! At that moment, he thought: "really, the mouth of a baby speaks the truth!"

- Shut up, stranger, they didn't give you your word! - the redhead got angry, offended that he was interrupted. To which he immediately received a slap in the face from his mother, and then a reprimand. The woman, quietly apologizing for the bad behavior of her unlucky son, hastened to disperse the kids to their homes.

The captain of the "Gray Deer" shook his head and was about to leave, when he suddenly felt that his clothes were being pulled. He turned around and saw the thumb again. Now, when she stood a little closer, one could make out her, to put it mildly, "unkempt" clothes, disheveled hair and a filthy nose.

- What do you need?

The girl creased the hem of her cloak a little, and then wiggled her hand, indicating that Julius should bend down. Novachrono looked at the baby in bewilderment, but did not object. She began to whisper, barely audible:

- Could you see me off?

The captain of the Gray Deer was even more surprised!

- To carry out? What for?

- Oh, you do not be angry, knight-magician. - answered for the girl standing next to the old woman. - A girl and her brother came here to us, but he is all at work: where he rushes - do not understand! This animal has also been running around here ever since they arrived here ... - the elderly woman crossed herself at last and bowed and left.

"Animal?" - thought to himself the future King of Magicians. "They haven't reported this to the main headquarters ... I suppose we ought to stay here a little longer."

With these thoughts, Novakhrono took the girl by the arm and led her home ...

...

Well, have you already forgotten about him? And he had already managed to get to the village of Faber! Elbe walked a little loosely along the streets, between the wooden-stone buildings only 2-3 floors high. He could not find any signs of an attack: he could not find any scratches, no destruction or breakdowns, which means, most likely, the animal does not come to the village itself. “Perhaps he is whipping up the inhabitants on the outskirts,” Elbe flashed through his head.

- But you have a big village. - the hunter heard someone approaching him!

Without thinking twice, he ducked around the corner and listened. On the road to the outskirts of the village, there were two: a child and an adult man. Elbe recognized the captain of the Gray Deer at once, but he did not care about the girl at all. But this is only for now ...

“What is the strongest among the captains of the orders of the Knight Mages doing here? The task? Really, he also hunts the beast? " - the thug was nervous.

- Well, where is your brother? - asked the magician in a gray cape. - What is his profession?

- A? I dont know…

After these words, Julius became wary. Looks like he was a little worried about the girl.

- How long has he left?

- Hmm ... - she thoughtful ... - About two months already gone.

Novachrono's eyes widened in surprise: he looked at the baby with fear in his heart, realizing that there could be thousands more like her in their kingdom! And she walked with a light gait, full of hopes for the return of her brother ...

Having brought Natsuhi, and that was the name of the girl, to her house, which was half ruined, the man did not leave the village, as he had previously planned, but, on the contrary, decided to stay at a local hotel for a short while. Still, it's not a joke: who knows how many more people may suffer ...

Novachrono woke up not so early: at about nine in the morning, and then, not because he wanted to, but from a sudden noise outside. Without thinking twice, he dressed and with a quick and swift step went to the exit, where an unmeasurable number of fans had already gathered to gawk. Pushing aside the passers-by, Julius hurried into the depths of what was happening, where in the middle of the gazing lay a twenty-year-old boy, dressed in black clothes and with a mask on his face. Elb was badly wounded in the chest. Around him, in a barely noticeable whirlwind, swirled dark roc, particles similar to small birds that make up all the magic in this world. But what's strange is that usually they have only one color - white, the captain of the knights-magicians has never seen any other colors before in his life! Of course, the people around him didn't share the same excitement as he did, because they had too little mana to see these particles.

"Black ... from where?" Julius asked. - "It just can't be!"

“E...ars” Elba's whisper was barely audible, but Novachrono could still make out his words. - That girl ... - after hearing the "Gray Deer" fell into a stupor. The young man passed out and vryatli can wake up soon, but one thing was clear ...!

“N-Natsuhi…” The knight-magician decided to visit the girl in view of recent events. - Why did you and your brother leave your home country?

- A? I don’t know… ”She handed the man a saucer of cookies. He accepted and put it on the table, continuing to listen. - Aniki simply said that it became dangerous there, but why, I still did not understand ... - the baby puffed out her cheeks, lowered her eyes to the floor and raised her hand to her chin, thinking.

- Well, I'll go ... - the girl smiled, taking the rocker standing in the corner, and headed for the door.

- Wait a minute! Julius stopped her. - I will go with you. H-help, otherwise it's hard.

- Yes, not so ... - the fair-haired woman was a little surprised.

- No, no, you're a girl, and girls can't carry heavy things!

"You can't leave her alone ..."

...

- Here! See, I can do it myself! - The girl deftly lifted a bucket of water from the well, "hugging" it with her little hands ...

- Yeah ... - Julius clapped his hands. He tried not to show it, but it was clear that the captain was nervous when the little girl laughs so merrily and carefree, not suspecting anything ...

“Do I need to report this? Or is it better to deal with it quietly? " - the magician reflected. Deciding to write a report, Julius first called his confidant, Marcus, to keep order in the village and paid special attention to protecting Natsuhi. He suspected that it was for her that the mysterious beast was hunting.

...

Elb had been in the hospital for about two weeks. I did not even think to regain consciousness! While he was passed out, images kept popping up in his head: as if a tape had been inserted, but there were clearly gaps in it. But he clearly remembered that very night - the battle was clearly not an easy one ... Ears, more like a cat's, gray eyes and a distorted semi-human silhouette. The hunter has never met such a monster ...

Soryy for such an abrupt narration)

Night. Quiet and calm, starry. However, Novakhrono was in no hurry to surrender to the sweet embrace of Morpheus. He was sitting at a table in a huge luxurious hall, crowned with columns of the Doric order and pondering over the latest events, which had managed to stir up his imagination so well: on the one hand, he was interested to look at a new, hitherto unseen type of magic, on the other, “why exactly Natsuhi? "

This question still haunted him. "What's so special about her?"

Then a white flat image suddenly appeared over his head, which, in bright streams of light, scattered from the middle to the edges, disappearing. It was the magic of Marcus, although he himself, for some reason, was not visible. Usually his communication magic will display an accurate image of himself in a second, but this time it was different, which made Julius tense up! The window slightly trembled and blinked, and then disappeared altogether, after a barely intelligible sound of words came from there. The blond immediately stood up in amazement and, commanding the black-haired boy to get ready and call for reinforcements, instantly went to Cob (Cob Portaport is a spatial magician shown in chapter 113 of the manga and in episode 73 of the anime. He seemed to help Finral with training), so that he could transfer him to the village.

Meanwhile, in the settlement itself, something crazy was happening everywhere: Elb, standing on the main street and holding a barrel of oil in his hands, spilling its contents and setting it on fire! The people around fell into a panic and, shouting and begging for help, ran madly to the outskirts of the village.

- Ha ha! Right! Run, save your pitiful lives!

The fire was arranged by him in order to drive the residents out of this village before the beast, which was already raging in full force in the center, killed everyone. But now a dark silhouette has already burst into the local church! The long, long hair that hid his face hung in strands dirty and slightly scorched from fire. Bright gray eyes darting from side to side and curved limbs with claws. All wounds that would not have inflicted on him instantly healed!

"And how to fight such a monster ?!"

Elb threw the keg at the monster and threw a lighted match. The oil flared up sharply and the fire covered the entire body of the evil spirits, from which it began to wriggle in agony with piercing screams. But even the flame was not able to defeat the monster! It burned, but did not die! The body of this chkdisha completely recovered, even no burns remained.

"This is clearly not a regeneration," Elbe wondered.

Distraught with rage, the monster attacked the hunter, causing both of them to fly a rather long distance. Elb, before landing instantly, purely on reflexes, pulled a small dagger from the sleeve of his uniform and tried to get rid of the attacker by striking a blow. Surprisingly, it worked: when it fell, the monster recoiled from the young man back. Grasping the wound inflicted in the neck, it screamed pitifully!

"Here it is!" - thought the hunter, - "Weak point".

He was already preparing to strike a second blow, crushing! How suddenly I felt that all sounds suddenly disappeared! The flame that had recently destroyed the village went out ... there was a deathly silence. The beast writhed and groaned in pain. Elb just for a second looked away from her to look around, but, concentrating on his goal, he attacked and then the monster suddenly disappeared, and instead of him ...

...

The hunter tried to hit him again with his metal magic, but a steel shield appeared in the stranger's hand in a strange way. Or rather, not quite a shield, rather just a mass of steel. The stranger passed his right hand through the air, quickly sketching some symbols. Suddenly the ground cracked and water burst out from under it in violent streams. It's just that a huge amount of water filled the whole area. Then it felt like the skin was colitis. A bright flash of lightning rippled across the water surface and instantly struck Elb ...

After what time a detachment of "Gray Deer" arrived at the scene of recent events, but neither the monster, nor the fire, nor that strange stranger in the silly mask was gone. And only the wounded bounty hunter lay, unable to get up, in the middle of the empty street, remembering the words: "Save me, brother" ...

#BC #black clover #magi #magi labyrinth of magic #magi kingdom of magic #julius novachrono #natsuhi #marx francois #Youtube

6 notes · View notes

bisluthq · 3 years

Note

Roomate anon, hi babe! ❤️ First of all I just wanted to say that I am so so happy that you managed to work out your thoughts and admit to yourself that you're gay, that's so good for you! Some of us take years and years to even start accepting that part of ourselves. Also, you don't have to go and tell your family and friends right away hun, you have all the right to decide who gets to know this part about yourself because you feel safe and comfortable with them knowing.

You're so brave and admirable and from what you've shared with us, I can tell that you genuinely are a sweet, kind, and compassionate person who cares about others and tries her best at everything. Those are such lovely qualities to have ❤️ PLS tell us what happened when you talked to roomie! Your story is so beautiful and it's safe to say that we're all rooting for you, sending you love, and wishing you the best😍❤️

Now, in reference to Tay's gay sounding songs, I 100% agree with you on Dress and Delicate. Without the backstory of Swiftwyn, those two songs are very sapphic and really capture the feeling of a sprouting wlw relationship. Nat has a very good lyric by lyric interpretation of Dress somewhere in the blog if you wanna check it out, I feel the same as her in regards to that song.

To me personally (and I think many here will agree), Treacherous sounds very gay too bc of all the "I'll do anything you say if you say it with your hands" and "forever going with the flow, but you're friction". Imo Begin Again is somehow gay as well, bc of all the comparing a past "he" that didn't understand you or treat you the way you would like, and currently being with a "you" (female imo) that thinks you're funny and endearing, can relate to you, and treats you the way you wanna be treated.

Wonderland is... pretty gay idk. Like the rs it talks about goes into trouble bc "whispers turned to talking and talking turned to screams" as in people started to find out about them and being judgy. Not to mention "too in love to think straight" which speaks for itself haha.

I hear wlw in It's Nice To Have A Friend. It sounds to me like two high school friends who are actually more than friends but don't yet know it and, like you a few weeks ago (it's okay we've all been there ❤️) , think "aw it's so nice to be straight girls and be best friends and be able to just kiss and sleep together, isn't it so nice that bffs can do that".

Seven. Holy shit that song called me out so loudly lmao. Seven is about two different themes imo: 1) the beauty of being a little kid and not having to worry about anything and just playing and running all day. As a kid we're very free spirited and imaginative and, in my case, happy to play in the trees and the mud and just be wild 2) being seven years old and looking at one of your girl classmates in school and loving/memorizing very specific physical features of theirs like their hair (like a pattern), their freckles, their dimples etc and also thinking "we should run away together and live a cool life like superheroes or dancers or animal rescuers (me haha)". At that age we don't really know it or understand it, but those are early romantic feeling towards another girl. I could go on and on about this song tbh.

I agree with you in that August has a wlw vibe to it. Idk if it's the nostalgia, the cottagecore of it all, or the lamentation of a love that could not last for whatever reason but the energy is there. "Wanting was enough, for me it was enough to live for the hope of it all" and all of that you know.

Ivy is imo a fraction of a wlw story set during winter in like the 1700s or 1800s. The narrator is a widow whose husband died recently and she's having a romantic thing with one of her female friends, but the friend's engaged to be married to a man (as in her hand has been promised to him because that's how things worked during those times, marriages were often arranged by families), so the whole thing is a secret affair, which is why she says "your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand": her friends touch sets her insides on fire bc of how much she's attracted to her, but the touch is "tarnished" bc the whole thing is forbidden, yet it's "so grand" because it's meaningful and their love is very real.

"And the old widow goes to the stone everyday, but I stay here grieving for the living" = a widow would usually go to visit their husband's grave and lament his passing, but the narrator doesn't do this because she doesn't (and probably never did coz you know she's gay) feel any deep love towards her husband, she doesn't really miss him, and instead she prefers to focus on the love and infatuation she has for her female friend, and she grieves that they can't actually be together in a normal way bc of society at that time.

But they really are deeply in love with each other and it breaks the narrator that they can't spend their lives together as a couple : "goddamn my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand". Yet they continue to love each other, spend time together, and be magnificently cursed while sitting down to talk for hours while drinking the narrator's dead husband's wine, because she doesn't really care that it used to belong to her husband; it has no significant value to her in that sense so she prefers to drink it with her lover.

"Clover blooms in the fields, spring breaks loose the time is near, what would he do if he found us out" : the bridge explains that winter has passed, spring is coming, and the wedding date for her lover and her bethroved husband is getting nearer (aka they're running out of time to be together). They discuss the possibility of attempting to keep their secret rs even after the marriage, but they fear of what would happen if the husband found out: "he's gonna burn this house to the ground", the house being their romance.

Still, the narrator insists that her lover will always be in her mind and in her otherwise cold ("my house of stone") heart ("your ivy grows and now I'm covered in you"). She claims that she will forever remember and hold on to the "moments that they stole, on begged and borrowed time", which suggests that they don't end up together, not even in secret. Sorry I got carried away but my mates I could write a whole ass novel about this song, I already have the narrator and her lover well developped in my brain and I have some pretty solid ideas for side characters lol.

Cowboy like me has sapphic aspects to it. "Takes one to know one" makes me think of how a lot of gay people have very on point gaydars and can sorta tell when someone pings haha. Idk Tay really loves Joe in a gay way and I love them for it haha.

And lastly what even is Dorothea lmao like is there even a non-gay explanation for that song? It's a fictional setting and fictional characters but Tay hun you really know how to capture the feeling of having been in love with a girl and now seeing her from far away huh. I mean it could be accidental but still👀 the song sounds gay to me idk.

Those are just off the top of my head and my personal opinion. At the end of the day, we can relate queer experiences to all sorts of songs and all lyrical interpretations are valid. That's what art is all about 😊.

💯

#roommate anon <3

4 notes · View notes

theonceoverthinker · 4 years

Text

Friday the Flirteenth (1/?)

Summary: Qrow likes to avoid others on Friday the Thirteenth. He claims he’s doing it for everyone else’s sake, and that they’re better off if he spends the day alone in his room. Clover’s not having any of his self-loathing bullshit -- not today, and not ever, if he has anything to say about it.

AO3

A/N: You ever come up with an AMAZING pun and then find a way to write a fic around that? Well, that’s happened here! I’ve wanted to release this for SO long, and finally, I can...at least release part 1! Yeah, illnesses have made this a hard fic to finish, but fortunately, I have enough here to release a respectable first chapter to what will hopefully be a respectable MC! I hope you enjoy it! Tagging @fair-game-week!

BIG thanks to my beta, @skybird13. Sky, you’re the best, and I hope you understand that. Coordinating with you with my works makes me feel so confident in them. I want you to know more than anything how much I value your help and support, not just in this fic, but in everything, and I hope we’re friends for a long time to come!!!!

()()()()()()()()

Chapter One: Fourteen Hours, and A Whole Lot of Peanuts

Qrow Branwen liked peanuts.

They were cheap, could be found just about anywhere in Remnant, had a pleasantly salty taste, and served as the perfect snack on days where he had no intention of stepping so much as a toe outside of his room.

So, in anticipation for Friday the Thirteenth, Qrow bought a LOT of peanuts.

When one had a semblance like his, a day dedicated to the very concept of bad luck was one that couldn’t be dismissed without some burden on their conscience. In fact, Friday the Thirteenth more than most any other day put extra responsibilities upon Qrow’s shoulders -- a responsibility to not cause any more trouble than necessary, a responsibility to stay away from anyone who he might accidentally harm, and a responsibility to keep the other two responsibilities secret from all who might try to intervene on his behalf.

And, just as he usually did, Qrow accepted those responsibilities and kept himself at a distance from all.

Fourteen hours. He just had to stay in his room alone for fourteen hours.

He’d lasted a lot longer on his own many times before.

It wasn’t that big of a problem, at least not in previous years. Thanks to a lifetime’s worth of practice, Qrow knew the most secluded spots in all of Remnant to hide in on occasions like this, and the fastest routes to get to them from pretty much anywhere. And with no one but enemies on his trail, there was little risk that the day provided to anyone, or at least, anyone who didn’t deserve it.

But things weren’t so simple this year.

This year, he had his nieces and a gaggle of kids as traveling companions.

This year, he resided in an Atlesian military base, one that restricted access to any type of real seclusion further than the privacy of his own room.

This year, he despised the man he had formerly dedicated his life to.

This year, things were complicated, and his semblance always loved running amok when things were complicated.

But, as he reminded himself, some of those complications ended up turning into triumphs.

Sure, it was the first year without the hope Ozpin provided. But it was also the first year where Qrow had a different kind of hope to keep him going. It was a kind of hope that made itself tangible through his nieces’ determination, his own efforts to fight off the allure of alcohol, and as of late, an encouraging smile and a flirty wink from a kind man with a semblance that seemingly counteracted his own…

Clover…

Clover...

Well, in a life of complications, Clover stood out as one of the biggest he’d ever faced. His very presence complicated everything in Qrow’s headspace all over again.

Still, that wasn’t a bad thing.

At least, Qrow was pretty sure it wasn’t.

Clover...Clover was really something else…

If someone were to ask Qrow to describe Clover after their disastrous first meeting, he’d have more than a couple of choice words for them -- cocky, pedantic, narcissistic. But things changed once they started working together, and as he learned more about Clover, while all of those descriptors were still true, the words themselves took on an entirely new shape for Qrow. What was cockiness just days before was now self assuredness, what was pedantic was revealed to really be caution on behalf of those he worked with and for, and what was narcissistic was actually a confidence that he created for himself, a confidence based in real pride in who he was and how that pride amounted to far more than just his semblance.

Additionally, a new word came to mind, too -- warm. It was a genuine warmth that flowed through each and every one of Clover’s words, and accompanying that warmth was a trust in those fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of them. It was hard not to return that trust in kind with some of his own, and for the first time in a while, Qrow felt no need to resist doing just that.

It surprised Qrow sometimes just how much he had already divulged to Clover. Part of the reason for that came out of a desire to put his best foot forward for their assigned partnership. Part of it was a warning in the interest of Clover’s safety. But some things couldn’t be explained away so easily, and could only be attributed to a real sense of trust.

Frankly, it was nice having something like that again with someone.

And it wasn’t even just Clover’s personality that painted the portrait that was Clover Ebi. Looking at Clover was like looking at a cloudless sky on a spring day. He was bright, bold -- brilliant, even. His smile was caked in charm -- true charm -- and his brow was shaped with a resolve to keep promises Qrow knew he probably could, promises he likely made to himself, Ironwood, and his country.

Maybe there was even a promise to Qrow somewhere in that mix.

No -- there was no maybe. He was sure there was.

But there was a coolness in Clover’s being too, both in his demeanor and his personality. There was an untold story in his eyes, one uncared for by his teammates, and only allowed to exist through fleeting expressions here and there during moments where he let his guard fall down. And that same jaw that held his charm like a jug held water held tension there too, as if there was an entire book’s worth of things he wanted to say, but for whatever reason didn’t. It was enough to make anyone who saw those things pretty curious about what hidden depths might be underneath that veil of job-dictated professionalism.

Qrow spent far more time thinking about all that he had left to uncover about Clover than he would ever admit.

After all, there was a lot to ask about what went on in that man’s mind, especially when it led him to befriend him, of all people.

But that wink Clover gave him on their first mission together made Qrow wonder if befriending him was all Clover wanted to do.

And regardless of how he felt in return, Qrow had to wonder whether or not he should try to stop him before Clover jumped further down the rabbit hole that was his life.

Qrow was bad news.

Then again, just about everything having to do with Clover was good news, and perhaps the exact thing that rabbit hole of his could use in its life was a lucky rabbit’s foot to help fill it up.

Wow...that was sappy.

Even on his worst days, Clover seemed able to bring out a little bit of sappiness in him. Go figure.

But, whatever fate had in store for him and Clover could wait to be further unearthed until tomorrow. Hell, he might even have time to muse on what that might be today, because for the next fourteen hours, it would be just himself, his room, and an overabundance of peanuts fighting against the slowly whiling hours of time.

Jeez...greater good or not, even Qrow could admit just how sad that was...

Maybe his abandonment of his morning coffee would at least grant him a nap and make the day go by faster…

He’d certainly prefer it that way.

Before he could even attempt to take advantage of his coffee’s absence, two knocks hit his door.

Perhaps it was foolish to think no one would bother him today -- after all, in Atlas, there was always something going on -- but he had a day off of Huntsmen duties while most everyone else he knew didn’t. He’d hoped against hope that meant that he’d be left in peace for the day.

Apparently, it didn’t.

Just his luck…

“Hello?” Qrow called out, reluctantly standing up.

“Qrow?”

Immediately, he recognized the voice, the voice that had burned itself into his memory within a matter of weeks and now had a summer cottage nestled somewhere between his brain and heart.

And there he was, letting that sappiness invade his thoughts again…

Of course the one person responsible for inspiring it was the one visiting him on the absolute worst day to do so.

Qrow approached and opened the door.

Just as he suspected, it was Clover who stood on the other side, as chipper as ever. After willing himself to hold back a grimace at the unexpectedness of his or anyone’s visit, Qrow noticed two cups of coffee in his hands.

“You missed your morning cup,” Clover stated, offering one of the ones in his hand to Qrow. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Despite himself and everything the day represented for him, Qrow let down his guard ever so slightly at the awkward way Clover explained himself. He wasn’t thrilled about someone showing up on his doorstep, but that’s not to say it wasn’t nice to see a friendly face at all, especially in the face of the rest of his sure-to-be lonely day.

“Thanks,” he said, accepting the cup with a light smile he allowed to surface.

“So,” Clover said, elongating the vowel for a few seconds as he expectantly stared at Qrow.

“So?” Qrow repeated, matching Clover’s delivery and adding in a bit of confusion.

“IS everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Qrow said, shrugging.

Clover quirked his brow. He didn’t look convinced, and unwilling to give Qrow so much as the chance to rectify that.

“It’s not, though, is it?”

Qrow fought the urge to bit his cheek, but paid the cost of that with a tremor in his voice.

“W-what do you mean?”

“You not coming down for coffee is strange on its own,” Clover elaborated, “but you haven’t even left your room and it’s nearly ten. Usually, even on your lazy days, you’re out and about by half past eight, at the latest.”

“So I slept in a bit,” Qrow defended, shrugging in what he hoped would be a casual enough manner. “What’s the big deal?”

“It wouldn’t be a big deal at all if it wasn’t Friday the Thirteenth.”

Qrow blinked, flustered even more so than when Clover had started pressing him. Clover merely looked at him expectantly.

How did he-?

Sure, Clover had a calendar, but why would he-?

Damnit, Clover...

“It’s a day for bad luck,” Qrow explained, his mood dark out of instinct more than malice. “Given my semblance --”

“It’s a day for superstitions,” Clover insisted.

“You seem to like yours just fine.” Qrow made a circle with his finger that encompassed the various lucky charms on Clover’s outfit.

Clover smiled as if he saw the rebuttal coming from a mile away.

“These are just here to make the uniform pop,” he said, laughter bubbling underneath him, as if Qrow had just walked into a trap. “And judging by how you clearly seemed to take notice of them, it looks like they’ve done their jobs quite nicely.”

Just as he finished speaking, Clover winked right at Qrow, something that was very quickly becoming a habit of his when they were around each other. Fria must’ve imbued that wink with some of her magic or something because it always felt just a bit overpowering.

Qrow made a noise that would’ve sounded more at home in his bird form than the form that actually delivered it.

“Okay, but even still,” Qrow said, quickly pushing to make Clover forget about that sound, “you know what kind of things are out there in this world. Magic exists, fairy tale maidens and Grimm are running amok -- who's to say something like Friday the Thirteenth isn’t real, too? What reason do I have to trust that my semblance won’t go haywire on a day devoted to it?”

“If you stay in your room,” Clover countered, just as quickly as Qrow had with him, “you’re making things worse for yourself. Come on,” he said, his tone brightening alongside a fresh, new smile. “We can go get an early lunch. There’s a fantastic sushi restaurant just on the outskirts of the academy that you’ll love. Their rolls put the ‘ah’ in ‘tuna.’”

Now it was Qrow’s turn to quirk his brow. “And if I leave my room, I’ll risk making things worse for everyone else. I’m not leaving. Maybe we can go to that restaurant tomorrow.”

Qrow expected Clover to keep pushing back with yet another comment, but instead, he just took a patient, deep breath.

He then shrugged.

“And I was so excited to take you there, too,” Clover lamented. “But, oh well. Have it your way, then.”

Without giving Qrow so much as a second to respond, Clover gently pushed him to the side, walked inside his room, and sat down on one of the chairs across from his bed. Qrow was stuck somewhere between being utterly stunned by the action, and not at all. After all, this was pretty standard Clover Ebi behavior in that it was utterly unpredictable.

That’s not to say it was necessarily welcome -- or that Qrow would admit it even if it was.

And this morning, he was feeling particularly stubborn in his quest for solitude.

“That wasn’t an invitation to join me,” Qrow snipped.

Clover simply lounged back into the plush chair, easing his knees as his legs spread forward. “Well, if you won’t come out with me, then I’ll simply have to come in with you.” He then pulled something out of his pocket, something that instantly brought another grimace to Qrow’s face, all the while smiling.

“Up for some cards?”

Qrow groaned.

He knew it when he woke up, and he was even more sure of it now: This was gonna be a long, long fourteen hours.

#fair game #fairgameweek2020 #qrow branwen #clover ebi #rwby

133 notes · View notes

thecrimsondeck · 4 years

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: RWBY Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi Characters: Qrow Branwen, Clover Ebi, Weiss Schnee Additional Tags: fairgameweek2020 Summary:

Professor Qrow Branwen had a crow imprint on him many years ago. Things didn't change much after that, until he met Professor Clover Ebi who had a kingfisher imprint on him. Some months later after the pair meet and become close, Callie, the crow, brings Qrow a feather.

------

In this world, birds would imprint on humans and assist them in finding their soulmates, in turn they would often find their own mates in the process. The humans would get markings of a feather their bird has which is how they learn when the bird imprints. How they understood when they found the soulmate of their human was unknown but it worked. The birds find their human’s soulmate in many different ways but sometimes they take longer then others.

Qrow Branwen was one of these cases. A crow had imprinted on him, the crow spent most of her time comforting him and being with him so he wasn’t alone that she hadn’t gotten much chance to be out and about. He had been through a lot in his life and the crow was a welcome addition to his life. He was a teacher and it was nice to have company to grade papers with.

Clover Ebi was another one of these cases. He had a kingfisher and the kingfisher had a bit of separation anxiety so she never got the chance to leave her human’s side. She herself only found her human because she got caught in some fishing net but luckily Clover found her and nursed her back to health. Recently he was hired as a teacher at the local academy of his new town he moved to. He’d met some cool teachers already and one he really liked but he was still adjusting to his move.

There was a loud croak from the closed window of the messy office. Professor Qrow Branwen jolted a bit at the sudden croak as realization came across his face. He forgot to open the window for his crow. In moments he was on his feet and opening the window. A large crow hopped in, she was much larger then normal with beady red eyes and a feather crest. In her beak there was a feather, it was small and a unique shade of blue. “Callie, what’s this?” Qrow asks as he takes the feather, it was quite small. The crow squawks and jumps, flapping her wings with excitement. “Wait, is this… Callie, did you find them?” She nods as she calms herself. It was odd for a bird to find a person with a different species of bird. “Are you sure?” She croaks, seeming offended. He took a moment to think, he thought he’d seen this feather before. It was someone on staff but he couldn’t place his finger on who.

“Morning, Qrow, I brought coffee,” a cheerful voice greets as they walked past the open door to their office. It was Clover Ebi, a semi new professor here but one Qrow had gotten quite close to in recent months. His thoughts were derailed by the sound of his voice and he spun on his heel, heading for the doorway. He stops as Clover pops out of his office holding a coffee cup from the place the pair often got their coffee from.

“Thank you,” he says with a small nod as he brings it to his lips. He needed this, he didn’t get much sleep last night, especially with Callie gone all night. Zephyr, Clover’s kingfisher, popped her head out of Clover’s chest pocket which brought a small smile to Qrow’s lips. “She’s gotten much less shy around me, huh?”

“She really has,” Clover muses as his eyes stay trained on Qrow, he was hopelessly in love with him but terrified to admit it. He ripped himself from his thoughts as Zephyr fully removed herself from the pocket and flew into the room. “She actually found my soulmate today. She brought me a black feather.”

“That’s funny, Callie did the same. It’s going to take some time to figure out which bird the feather belongs to but I guess I’m excited,” he says with a dry chuckle. Clover has been a main support in Qrow’s life lately and he had to admit there were feelings there. It was kind of painful to hear about the feather but then again he was a step closer to finding his own soulmate. Before he could ask more about the feather there was the sound of someone clearing their throat, it was Weiss Schnee.

“Professor Ebi, may I speak with you?” She asks. The professor nods and he flashes Qrow a smile before the two disappear into the office. He sighs and slumps against the doorframe as he looks into his office and finds Zephyr sitting on Callie’s back. He chuckles lightly as he leans forward a bit before pushing off the door frame and walking back to his chair. The little kingfisher stayed with him most of that day but when she left to go to her human’s office or classroom, Callie went with her. It was odd but Qrow thought nothing of it till his walk home.

Qrow walked with his hands in his pockets, Callie was soaring above him with just the wind carrying her, occasionally she’d flap her wings to keep her on course but otherwise just relaxed and enjoyed being in the air. He felt at peace as the sun set in the distance. He glanced up at his bird and smiled as she looked back down at him. He wondered what it felt like, to be above it all, what was it like to fly? He let his thoughts travel down that road until he realized that he was messing with the small blue feather. He pulled it out of his pocket and studied it a bit. He’s seen this feather before, or at least the color before. He was nearly home by now but he slowed his pace so he could continue to think. Realization hit, a kingfisher. He stopped in his tracks and Callie began to circle, a small questioning croak coming from her.

“Callie, is this Zephyr’s?” He asks looking up at his corvid. She lets out a loud caw as she circles and Qrow’s eyes widen. Of course, of course it was the person right in front of him, but what if Clover didn’t like him like that? What if he was disgusted to know Qrow was his soulmate? What if it wasn’t actually Zephyr’s? Just what if? Talons dug into his right shoulder and he was broken free of those thoughts as Callie stood on his shoulder and tapped her beak to his forehead. He dug through his mind for the address, he had spent the night a few times during finals week since Clover lives closer to campus while Qrow does not as well as a few other times when there were late nights spent at the school and Clover didn’t like the idea of Qrow walking so far when it was dark, or when they graded papers together. His crow took flight and Qrow ran after her.

It felt like hours before Qrow found himself in front of the apartment door. It was a dark green, it was a nice color that matched with the white walls of the hall and fitting for the man who lived in this apartment. Nerves overtook him as Callie sat on his shoulder impatiently. She kept him grounded, she also kept him from running since she had a habit of nipping his ear or hair when he did something he shouldn’t. He apparently took too long because the crow leaned forward and tapped on the door with her large beak.

The dark green door swings open and the familiar figure of Clover Ebi becomes visible, his normal friendly smile on his face. He was in grey sweatpants and a green tank top, his hair seemingly fresh from the shower yet perfectly styled, other then a few out of place strands here and there. “Qrow? Come on in,” he says moving out of the way and opening the door fully. Qrow gives a nervous smile as he walks in. Callie takes flight, loud croaks escaping her but she pauses to listen. A sharp call responds and she takes off down the hall. “Those two have really gotten close.” Qrow nods as he fidgets with the blue feather. “Something on your mind?”

“Y-yeah, you could say that,” Qrow says, it was an understatement to say he was nervous. He avoided eye contact as much as he could despite how he normally loved to stare into the other professor’s eyes.

“Then let’s chat, come sit down,” Clover says, placing a hand on the others lower back and guiding him more into the familiar apartment and to the couch. The pair sit down, their knees touching as Clover sits facing Qrow with his left elbow resting on the back with his cheek against his fist. Qrow was sitting in the corner, tilted slightly towards Clover, with his hands still fidgeting with the feather as he stared at it. “This is a safe place, Qrow, you can share as much as you want but I really am worried about you right now.” His free hand was resting on the knee pressed with Qrow’s, he was tempted to rest it on the other’s knee but he didn’t want to push it with the physical contact.

“T-this,” he pauses to clear his throat, “is the feather Callie brought me this morning. I thought you might find it familiar.” He holds it out to the other who takes it carefully. He spins it slowly in front of his eyes and studies it.

“This is for sure a kingfisher feather,” he says, failing to hide the excitement and curiosity in his voice. The corners of Qrow’s mouth twitched upwards but he still had doubts.

“Is it Zephyr’s?” He manages to ask. Clover shrugs and whistles. The small bird flew into the room and was on her human’s thigh in seconds while the massive corvid landed carefully on her human’s head, which got a laugh from Clover. Qrow couldn’t hide the smile that blossomed when he heard the beautiful noise that was the other professor’s laugh.

“Hey, is this yours?” He asks holding the feather in front of the small kingfisher who seemed more interested in Callie. She looks at it, tilting her head before hopping forward and taking it. Clover stared at her in silence as Callie dropped down onto his other thigh and the two nuzzled beaks. He lifts his turquoise eyes to the beautiful crimson of the other’s. They both were speechless for a moment at the clear answer they were given. ”Hey, I guess I can ask you out on that date now.”

“You wanted to ask me out on a date?” Qrow asks, he could feel the heat rising to his face as he held eye contact.

“Y-yeah, nothing too fancy, just a simple before work coffee date at our coffee place,” he replies rubbing the back of his neck, his own face was quite flushed. “So will you join me tomorrow morning for coffee?”

“Of course,” Qrow replies smiling. He had met his soulmate and it turned out to be the man he hoped it would be. It seemed Qrow Branwen’s luck was finally changing.

#fair game #fairgameweek2020 #clover ebi #qrow branwen #luckbirds

57 notes · View notes

mando-vibes · 4 years

Text

Shiver

Series: To Him, with Love (Part 2)

(Part 1) (Part 3)

Pairing: Javier Peña x female reader

Summary: After Pablo Escobar is gone Javier finally returns home.

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Angst, slow burn, there will be smut

A/N: Thank you all for all the kind things on the first part. It made my week. I do hope you like this part as well, tell me your thoughts! The song that goes with this part as they dance I highly recommend listening to while reading called “Crimson and Clover” and as said before I ALSO TAKE REQUEST FOR JAVI AND MANDO SO FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES!

Ah, now I don’t hardly know her

But I think I could love her

12 years prior

It had only been a matter of two hours since you had seen your brother, Damon, but to your mother who was now pacing the dining room screaming at you, well it seemed like days. This was how the cycle was for you being the eldest and much more mature sibling. You remember the night two years ago when Damon had driven your father’s 61’ Ferrari right into the town’s local bank high out of his mind.

“(Y/N) I expect many things out of you. You know that. And one is to take care of family no matter what.” She had said that night.

Now things were full circle and it was you who received the punishment once again for Damon’s whereabouts. Your mother finally shifted from the dining room and into the pantry using the phone to call whomever she thought could help. A knock on the door startled you from your roaming thoughts, making you turn towards the door and open it. Just outside was your friend Coraline. Her blonde hair laid curly and pinned up and she had a small sparkly dress that reached her mid thigh.

“Hey babe, I just found out about this party and I guess it’s at some macho guys place. Wanna check it out? We never go out.” Coraline insisted. But before you could answer for yourself your mother had entered the door frame behind you.

“She’d love to, come in dear while (Y/N) gets ready. Your brother might be there.” She said, a smile laid sickly on her fake expression. You sighed, motioning for Coraline to come in.

You weren’t the type of person to go to parties at all. In fact out of all your 18 years you had not been to any type of party. Your family on the other hand, have been so famous from your mother’s career in modeling, it made it hard to avoid parties. Socializing wasn’t your strongsuit and you weren’t even of age to drink. You decided to just make it your mission to find Damon and leave. It’s what your mother wanted anyway.

Hurryingly you found a skirt and long sleeve shirt to wear. Coraline told you it would be the closest thing to a somewhat college girl party goer you would look like. You fixed your hair, pinning it up like Coraline’s and decided on minimal makeup. It was no time to impress anyone, just time to fit in with the crowd.

“I think it is time for you two to go. Find Damon (Y/N) or I will not be happy.” Your Mother mumbled the last part under her breath and handed you her keys.

You sighed, taking them into your hand and holding them tight, “I will make you happy. I promise.”

***

The drive to the party was not that long but the information you gathered from Coraline was that it was for mostly college graduates celebrating their success. It wasn’t surprising information but it made you even more anxious given how young you both were. You noted to keep an eye on Coraline so that she would not get taken advantage of by any of these guys.

Once you entered the small tavern you immediately found Damon. He was on top of the pool table raising a glass of unknown alcohol and yelling, “One for the DEA! I love drugs too!” over and over again. You gathered the courage to push through the crowds of men and pull at your brother’s pant leg.

“Damon! Damon! Come on!” You yelled but the music was too loud.

Before you could make much more of a fool of yourself a pair of big hands covered yours and pulled them off of Damon’s jean sleeves. This gesture made you angry and you turned around to see the stranger who detested your moves. Your eyes sprung to life once you saw the man who was now looking at you.

He appeared to be in his mid twenties maybe. Dark hair and even darker eyes. The man had a thin mustache and stubble that spread across his jawline. He was beautiful, wearing a simple red and white checkered button up and dark jeans making it appear that he was older. You could drink him all day if you were allowed to. You didn’t have much experience with men or dating life in general since your waking hours were more focused on your mother and Damon’s antics.

“This is Damon (Y/L/N). You can’t go at him like that. I got him.” He said softly.

In a trance like state you nod and watch as the man helps Damon to his wobbly feet without any hesitation. He is laughing with Damon but you cannot make out what they were saying. With that, you watch as the stranger takes Damon upstairs and comes back down and throughout that whole time his gaze never really left you. He could have stared at the other pretty girls through the crowd who’d be more than willing to go home with him but he didn’t.

“I own the Tavern. He’s in my spare room hopefully sleeping it off. Looks like you could use a drink. What do you like?” He tentatively asked, furrowing an eyebrow.

Snapping out of your trance state, you blush and look down, away from his dangerous gaze. “I don’t know what I like.” You stated but instead of being disappointed the man simply goes towards the bar and asks for two whiskeys on the rocks.

When he came back he had the glasses, handing you one and begins talking.

“My name is Javier. I’m the new DEA agent your brother was so proudly shouting about. I don’t like drugs as you’ve been convinced.”

You smiled, twirling the ice in your glass out of nervousness. This man was toxic and you hadn’t even touched him.

“My name is (Y/N). I am that idiot’s sister and I came here tonight in search of him.”

Javier chuckled, tapping his glass to yours and then chugging it. You suppose you should do the same. The night stayed like that, Javier buying you drinks and him tapping his glass to it. You both talked about his new job and how stupid your brother could be. It was a game between you and him that made you feel special for the first time in your 18 years. Someone was actually interested in you. You wasn’t sure what it exactly meant but you felt so warm after the third one that you thought maybe it was love juice because all you wanted to do was climb on Javier’s strong thighs and tell him that you were his.

“Let’s dance.” Javier stated and you complied moving your hips to the beat everlessly.

He took the lead, coming closer but yet having a mutual respect to stay within the limits your body showed. Out of all the girls he could’ve had grinding on him you didn’t understand why he was okay with the lack of contact you instilled.

“Maybe we should dance with other people.” You say matter-of-factly.

“Do you want to?” Javier asks, voice soaked in what you could only determine to be hurt.

You smiled, wanting the assurance that this is what exactly he wanted. “No, I like your button ups better than the other gentlemen here.”

Javier chuckled, taking one hand and brushing it on the curve of your jaw. God you wanted him to touch you. It felt almost like extinct when you settled into his warm palm.

“And out of all the girls here- I picked the prettiest on accident. So I do have that going for me. But you do dance for shit.”

You blushed and rolled your eyes. Just as his other hand traveled to your waist a slower song began playing. You gather the strength to put your hands on his shoulders and caress them just as his hand had to your face. It all felt like a lul of a dream. It all felt good and you’d never danced so close to someone like this. Both your bodies had found their way to each other and his buttons tickled your navel.

Javi was in for it and he knew that. He wanted to kiss you, your breaths were already sharing the same air it seemed. But seeing as the way you were dressed you weren’t looking for that kind of entertainment tonight. Hell, he supposed that you weren’t looking for a dance but yet here you both were looking at each other as if you both were the last people to ever exist.

He knew he needed to make a move before you slipped from his fingertips but all he could manage was caressing your facial features, dipping a hand at the nape of your neck. Your noses were practically touching and Javi never thought touching someone could feel this intimate but here they both were laying it out just like the romance movies made it feel. It made him scared and excited all at once.

Never had he met such a dominant girl like yourself. The way you walked in a bar full of mostly men and demanded for your brother turned him on to where he had to fix himself before everyone could see it to. This little girl, all hell bent on wanting what she thought was hers. Javi was a dead man at the sights of it.

Before he knew it, the slow song had ended and you were falling from his fingertips just as he thought you would. Damon came crashing down the stairs, yelling at a couple girls who swooned at him. Where was the hardass? The Javier Peña who was known for getting what he wanted. Javier hoped for you to return to him when things wouldn’t be so timely. But he was a man, a DEA agent at that. And he only had just met you so why did he shiver just looking into this little girl’s eyes?

“Looks like it’s time for me to hit it. Thanks for a dance Javi.” You said.

He nodded, mind racing and heart yearning. Javier knew that he was fucking in for it the moment he grabbed your hands to warn you, but he was good at not showing feelings and keeping his cool.

“Goodbye Cinderella, maybe again?” He enquired.

You laughed at his joke, brushing through the crowd towards Damon. He had already downed a third of a beer and was about to take a shot with Coraline.

“Yeah,” You snorted, what would be the odds?

“Maybe.”

And at that Javier found another girl to occupy his racing thoughts and you pushed your brother and Coraline out the door.

Tags: @takemepedropascal @stevieharrrr @spookyold-saintjm @onebatch–twobatch @mrsparknuts @randomness501

#javier pena #javier x reader #javier peña #javier peña x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #narcos #narcos x read #fan fiction #javier pena x reader

62 notes · View notes

katcadecascade · 4 years

Text

New Qrow fic WIP

It’s a bit of a character study but mostly RWBY/JNOR/more doing shenanigans.

The only problem, I can’t think of a name for this fic.

Anyway here, Chapter One/Round One: Throwing Down the Gauntlet

Blake will admit, she’s a sucker for romance.

How could she not be?

In a world where morbid emotions attract monsters, where injustice breeds from hatred of culture and birth traits, something as simple and layered as love is beautiful and strong and can power people through their darkest moments but also bring them to their knees.

She should say she just learned this all from her books but honestly in the last year or so, Blake has certainly lived through some crazy shit.

But let’s not get into that right now.

Sure her tale begins with her people’s suffering, her parent’s pacifism, a poor boy’s spite, and her own frightful shadows. She could go write to great lengths on how the journey gained her treasured friends, bonds forged through fire, and how it lead them to the coldest place of the north.

That’s where this game begins.

Yes a game indeed or maybe a war by the sharpness in the Valkyrie’s eyes or the telltale song notes of glyphs charging up.

It began with a series of events that piqued the interest of the eight (and later on more) charges under the wings of Qrow Branwen.

The first thing they noticed took place on their very first night in Atlas, where one General James Ironwood hugged the scythe master. The two thought they were alone but the nieces back tracked to get their uncle.

While they made the wise decision to leave the men alone, the girls immediately blurted their findings to the rest of their friends.

Their reactions were of surprise and cooing but it only trigger their radars to look out for more of these moments. None of them could recall ever seeing Qrow be so vulnerable with anyone else. Granted they didn’t spend the most time with him but even Yang and Ruby were caught off guard.

This was their uncle so ultimately this was under Yang’s and Ruby’s discretion or wonderment.

That didn’t stop the rest of them from being curious to see what else will happen between Qrow and Ironwood.

Small and subtle were the ways of the General, lingering eyes or the quietly inviting the huntsman into his office. Ruby’s sniper skills were used for observations like these. Her skills in stealth could’ve been better to muffle her cooing.

Things were going steady, slowly seeing the man underneath the steel. Maybe then the kids could decide to trust him with the truth from the Lamp. Not that Qrow’s compromised in anyway, but seeing this spark between them certainly helps the kids trust the general a little bit more.

James Ironwood appeared to be able to offer up his heart to Qrow.

So imagine their surprise when Clover Ebi entered the game.

There’s that word again: game.

It’s a little immature to describe it as so but Blake couldn’t think of any other word.

Blake and the others keep noticing certain events focused on Qrow, usually engaged by one man or the other.

Small side glances, a brushing of hands, coffee treats and many more that can be listed as intimate or thoughtful or purposeful. Although, Clover’s flirting are rather forward. Most importantly, Qrow’s happiness is the growing outcome.

And pray tell what game is this? Where two men woo a common thread that is slowly becoming enamored by these actions?

A courting game.

Hands slam down on the kitchen table. “Everyone, place your bets!”

“We are so not betting on this!” Weiss crossed her arms, perfectly poised and unmoved.

“Come on,” Nora whined, “There’s nothing else to do here.”

“Aside from doing our jobs and brainstorming how to save the world?”

“All I’m saying is that we need a break from all the seriousness and focus on Team Dad.”

On the couches, only Blake noticed the resident nieces share a glance. They don’t argue against their uncle’s title, instead they quirk their lips in a knowing look.

(Blake later understands their silent exchanges when a game changer occurs)

“Nora’s right,” Jaune agreed, “and I usually never want to say that.”

“Hey!”

“You’re the one who broke the coffee machine by trying to fix it,” Oscar pointed out. Behind him said device has a despairing groan.

Ruby follows up, “And then got the rest of us blaming each other for it.”

“Enough, enough,” the redhead shouted, “We’re getting off track!”

“We are not conspiring on Qrow’s love life!” Weiss proclaimed.

“She’s right,” Ren said with the composure of a sage, highlighted as he sipped his tea, “There’s no need to.”

Yang raised an eyebrow, both curious and surprised, “What do you mean?”

Everyone waited for their resident ninja to finish another long drink, for dramatic effect Blake must note.

Then simply enough, he answers, “Qrow would fall for the General.”

That was clearly not the answer Nora wanted.

She’s a sputtering mess while next to her, Weiss holds her head high.

“Thank you, someone else sees my point,” the ex-heiress nods.

Sharpness in Jaune’s voice catches her off guard, “Your point? You think Ironwood’s gonna get with Qrow?”

“Is it not obvious?”

Nora butts in, a strange tension in her shoulders, “Sure yeah but look at Clover!”

Her team leader listed off, “They’re mission partners but also hanging around each off in their downtime.”

“Yes,” Nora nods enthusiastically, “Just like Jaune with Marrow.”

“H-hey wait-“

“You haven’t seen Qrow with James alone though.”

Again, everyone is quiet as they stare down their resident cute wizard boy.

Oscar squirms a little under the attention, backtracking, “Oh, um, I only mean um I would see them right before James tutors me? And Qrow would sometimes be there too and,” he sighs heavily, “honestly it’s like my aunt’s romance novels.”

Blake immediately guesses the classic tropes of longing, quiet vulnerability, trust and intimacy. She doesn’t voice her thoughts. No need since Weiss happily regales her own findings.

“Winter says that she’s never seen Ironwood so relaxed before. Sure she’s a little teed that it was Qrow’s doing but the results are still good.”

“But what about Qrow’s ‘results’ when he’s with Clover,” Nora argued.

Ruby does her little head shake, musing over her thoughts, “He is a lot calmer or relaxed.”

Nora cackles at the fuming Weiss, affronted at her girlfriend not on her side.

That’s rectified as Ruby taps her chin, scholarly and not noticing Weiss’ heat, “Although he is a lot more teasing around Ironwood.”

“See!” Weiss grins as if this is victory. Her current rival is unbothered.

“He’s the same with Clover,” Nora counters and honestly Weiss can’t possibly argue with that.

Too many times have the kids witness Qrow becoming a bumbling, blushing mess when Clover compliments him. There’s so much bi/gay tension there to even think of denying.

“Qrow must be taking his time then,” Blake voiced. “With both Ironwood and Clover, maybe he’s a bit overwhelmed.”

Next to her, Yang sighs, “Knowing him, he might not realize what’s going on unless someone tells him.”

“Or he’s aware of all of this happening and dismisses it as something that can’t actually happen to him,” Jaune painfully accurately describes as what is probably going on.

This type of denial of happiness, this consuming pit of numbness and pain, people who loved and lost and felt guilty for even loving and losing need to be told they’re deserving of love.

Maybe Jaune’s speaking for himself or maybe Blake’s interpreting for her own experiences.

But one shared glance with the knight confirms her thoughts. Qrow must have talked to him too about this type of grief.

The blame and the guilt and the responsibility of losing someone, be it person of goodness or of spite, it’s a heavy feeling that Blake, Jaune, Qrow and possible the others too have carry.

So while the huntsman tries to assure the two kids of their grievances, there hasn’t been an opportune time to ask how he’s coping. As the young adults under his care, they all worry about him, especially his nieces. At first he was the mysteriously cool uncle as proclaimed by Ruby and later on the secretive and paranoid uncle explained by Yang but in their shared time together, each kid gotten to know the crow by their own definitions.

It’s like that little thing Blake does, associate a word with a person.

She told Sun about her girls, Earnest, Defiance, and Strength.

Then there’s team JNPR, Tenacity for Jaune, Zestful for Nora, Ascendancy for Pyrrha and Acuity for Ren. It took some time but eventually Oscar became Perseverance.

As for Qrow, well, she jokingly thought Mother Hen but now she’s satisfied to call him Memory.

It’s mostly because of all the Muninn parallels but there is just so much history behind Qrow Branwen. Carried in the creak in his bones, dips in his scars, the grey of his feathery hair, the surprise in his laughs, like he’s relearning how it is to walk with ghosts and angels.

So yeah, Blake sometimes worries about him and then she and Weiss worry about Ruby and Yang getting worried too.

But maybe there’s no need to.

From the soft gazes he sets on James and Clover, maybe they’re the ones making sure their Team Dad/Uncle is doing okay.

Now if only Qrow’s love life can move to the next stage.

Their conversation during breakfast was more than enough as food for thought, analyzing everything they know of Qrow Branwen and how he interacts with two men in particular.

Early mission meetings are obviously designated Clover Flirting Time as they get to their seats.

“I wouldn’t mind having another match with you,” Clover said casually as if it didn’t take weeks of near begging for a one on one fight.

“Really? You enjoy falling on your ass that much, lucky charm?”

“Sure do,” Clover slides close, letting his hip press against Qrow’s. “But I like seeing you down on the mats just as much.”

That flirt was meant to be whispered, low and teasing and it definitely sends a blush down Qrow’s neck. It’s a real shame that Blake has an extra set of ears to hear this.

Then from the sight of Marrow almost choking on his coffee, he probably heard it too.

The dog faunus and the cat faunus exchange silent misery.

“Ooh, another match?” Nora, being her glorious self, pops right at Qrow’s side and the two men nearly jump. “Hah, that’s a bit boring by now.”

Clover raises a brow, slightly wary and challenged, “Boring?”

Nora nods her head as Ren-like as possible, “Yep, I mean, training doesn’t have to be combat does it?”

Qrow blinks at her, and so does her teammates because hey, this is Nora complaining about combat training. “Nora, you got something else in mind?”

This encouragement, openness and trust, Blake wouldn’t have noticed it before but Qrow has been putting a lot more faith in them since Argus. It’s really nice to have an adult take them seriously. Then again this is Qrow. He encouraged Yang and Jaune to start a prank war.

Their resident lightning in a bottle had a million volt grin, “Parkour and freerunning! We all saw the Ops jumping around in the mines and that time Qrow and Winter destroyed the campus.”

“Miss Valkyrie,” hissed the ice queen, “I advise you to refrain from telling that anecdote.”

“What, feeling sore since you lost?” Qrow grinned.

“I did not lose, Qrow,” she glared, “it was clearly a stalemate.”

“Wow, now I’m really curious,” Clover said.

“I’ll tell you all about it then,” Qrow winked, “like how I clearly would’ve won.”

Next to Nora, Jaune added in, “There was a recording of it going around campus, like from the moment Qrow bushed back his bangs to the end where the General stopped the fight.”

To Blake, it’s a little odd to see Jaune gush about this since majority of them choose to ignore the usually mushiness of Clover Flirting Time. But then she notice the way Jaune subtly elbowed his teammate.

“Brush your bangs?” Clover’s focus on that little detail had him reach over to do said action, “Huh, you don’t look that intimidating like this.”

Like this, as they all observe, is Qrow blushing madly at the close contact and gentle action, the way Clover’s fingers glided through his dark hair like water.

Oblivious to the two men, everyone else in the room saw Jaune and Nora fist bump each other. They don’t even hide their smugness. No they toss it over at Weiss and Ren.

Ren is slightly alarmed.

Their resident ice princess on the other hand is silently fuming.

Like Blake mentioned before, this is a game.

It may be petty, invasive, and a tad immoral.

And yet it has begun.

So yeah, I need fic title suggestions and ideas

pls

#rwby fic #blake belladonna #qrow branwen #fair game #ironqrow #my fic

22 notes · View notes

morgandria · 3 years

Text

Moon Musings

I am on day #!^* of One Of -Those- Migraines (thanks, March), so while I’m sitting here trying not to be miserable, you’re getting some moon stuff. I have a pile of random thoughts that are trying to coalesce themselves into a coherent lunar-focused project in the future, so the moon has been on my mind. In many ways, I miss the moon. I live on a street corner in town where two separate lights shine directly on my yard, and since they installed new LED lights there's no such thing as darkness at night. Even my backyard, which would be in the shadow of the house normally, is lit since the LEDs spill farther and brighter now, and my neighbours keep their back porch light on all the time. We won't even talk about the fact that out of the last 16 months, I think we had full cloud cover for about 14 of them. That's the reality.

So this is more of the woo side. This is UPG, 100%. I often don’t use traditional names for the different Full Moons - some of them don’t resonate, so I do what works for me. Secondly, my personal lunar lore behind the names I do use is all mashed up with a whole lot of synesthesia, and some personal experiences. So...if any of this works for you or entertains you, cool. If not? No worries. Do your thing, and I’ll do mine. I also live in Ontario, and always have, so my experiences and practices are absolutely rooted here. Weather patterns and seasons won't work the same elsewhere, so you need to work with what you've got.

January: Wolf Moon

I do use a traditional name for this moon, but only because I used to go howling with the wolves in the back 40 when I was a teenager. I used to be able to take long white walks in the fields when they were all lit up, and were fortunate to have some lupine neighbours. I love the sharpness of the night sky, and finding moments of silence and stillness. More practically these days I bundle up at home away from the ice and the cold and enjoy a good cup of tea when I can. The vibration of this moon's energy always seems to bring me insomnia, though. The colours I associate with January’s moon are white, silver, red, and a deep amethyst. Other things, more randomly: birch trees, the sound of cracking ice, the hissing of river reeds in the wind.

February: Storm Moon

There’s a tempestuous feel to February’s moon for me. It’s usually the month we get intensely cold. January is often a icy, thaw/freeze mess, but February always feels like the time when Winter decides it’s time to really throw its’ weight around with some serious storms. The feel of this moon’s energy is sinuous for me, sliding around and into everything, but also fierce. There’s something profoundly cleansing about letting a sharp winter wind pierce through to your bones and strip away all the gunk cluttering up your energy. My colours for this moon are grey and deep blues, like Prussian blue or steel blue. Other things: labradorite, blue tiger’s eye, and the smell of wintergreen,

March: Crow Moon

This is the moon when my crows come back to my neighbourhood. They usually move out around the start of December, and I start to see and hear them again around the start of March. Nothing about March in Ontario is spring-like: it’s either a solid mass of ice coating everything, or faded grey-brown and thick with mud. Ugh. I actually used to camp on March break as a teenager, but inevitably it ended up with a dozen frozen teenagers in a friend's kitchen having an impromptu Sunday breakfast while I woke up and wondered where everyone'd gone. (Stir-crazy kids in the sticks with nothing to do for a week do silly things.) Nowadays, I’d rather look up at the skies than down at the earth during this moon, and I choose to focus on my corvid friends because they make me happy. Crow Moon is somehow all aquas and peacock blues in colour, and mare’s tails in impossible blue skies, and the world smells once again of fresh, clean Earth, when the ice lets it through.

April: Seed Moon

Maybe the moon where (people who are better gardeners than me) start to get their seeds in the ground. I live in a snow belt, so I don't trust myself to plant anything until May. It's still not super warm, or even remotely dry, but there starts to be hints of things like warmer sun and breezes around the edges. Later in the month you get those days where pollen and snow can fly at the same time. There's no leaves yet, but you can see the buds getting fatter. I think of it as a "restful" time during the year, before summer gets really busy with family and friends. If we're having a good Spring I might get a day or two where I can actually get outside and tidy the yard some. I associate Seed Moon with the colours of soft buttery yellow and pale peridot green, which starts to invade around the rust-brown-green background. It's a citrine month, and also one where those little blue flowers come up in people's lawns.

May: Hare Moon

We don't have hares here. I wish we did - I used to see snowshoe hares in the country when I was wee - but I have rabbits, at least. And yet, this is not "Rabbit Moon". A hare is a different beast from a rabbit entirely. They have a fierce wildness that our Eastern Cottontails do not. And for me, the moon of May, the month of Beltane and the nuptials of the Lord and Lady, have a fierce, wild joy as the world finally explodes with warmth and light and leaves and flowers. I don't ever really trust winter is gone until mid-May. Hare Moon is emerald and violet and velvet, the shadow of leaves and sweet intoxicating aromas. There's something tactile about it - you want to run your hands through it, let it brush past you and run its' fingers through your hair.

June: Mead Moon

I sometimes also call this the Honey Moon. It is the sweetest time of the summer for me, before it's mind-meltingly hot. You get those gorgeous days that are still draped in gentle grey veils of rain on the growing, swaying green fields, and the flowers are growing tall and tangled - honeysuckle, clover, alfalfa and St. John's Wort. There are bees -everywhere-, and the very first of the summer fruits are coming ripe and I spend eight months of the year absolutely dying for the four when we get local, seasonal fruit. It's an idyll, before I'm completely sunbaked and dried out in the heat. Mead Moon is all sky blue and honey gold, saffron and ultramarine. It's warm sand and cold lakes, the smell of hay drying in the fields, and long drives down country roads to escape the concrete of town.

July: Satyr Moon

This month's moon is probably the time when folks in these parts get up to the most outdoor activity. I associate it most with a kind of revelry and hedonism - hence the 'satyr'. We get people taking their vacations, heading to the cottage, the campsite, and having their reunions and parties. Concerts, fairs, festivals...we have a lot to cram into a short time. The lilies in my yard finally have bloomed their brilliant orange, by the start of the month, and July is one long stretch of pure jewel-like greens, under bleached blue skies. This is the other month, like April, where everything feels like it's just poised, waiting to explode with the brisk business of harvest. For me, this moon is natural life in its' prime, and despite my dislike of intense heat and humidity I try to remind myself to enjoy it where and how I can. Satyr Moon is an endless mosaic of greens, a heady musky smell of wood and water, cedar and leaf, shadows and firelight dancing, and distant music everywhere.

August: Barley Moon

This moon is the first harvest moon, here, when the wheat is finally harvested and all that dust in the air makes it ripe and golden and warm. Haying season will sometimes give the moon a bit of a gold tint earlier on, but not those deep amber rises I adore in August. I am an August Virgo, and I adore the Barley Moon - I mean, I quite literally worship wheat. All the first fruits of harvest are peaking, there's SO much goodness in the fields, and yet I can feel summer slowing down, and gradually waning to a bronze-green glowing that I absolutely adore. The nature of daylight changes, subtly, and I try to catch onto every sunset and fix it into my brain, to save it for those white winter days when we haven't seen even the notion of sun for weeks. When we slide from the scorch of the dog days into long, gloaming evenings and cooler nights and the hints of colour on the leaves at the end of the month - heaven. Barley Moon is wheaten and speckled browns, endless golds, blackberry and peach, the smell of dry grass and fresh corn. It's countless toasted tomato sandwiches, far too much zucchini, and penetrating spears of bronze light through the trees as the sun slides away to let the fat amber moon rise up.

September: Harvest Moon

There's no stopping harvest. This moon is when -everything- comes down, and you have no choice but to get your ass moving. You try to get as much of it off the vine while it's best. I get very hobbity when Harvest comes, and I want to be living a simple life. I start to miss home, and rural life, and my family, a lot. It feels different than my youth, and it's...wrong now, somehow. These days it's more like Second July - it rarely cools off below 20°C., it's often stupidly humid, and can be much, much warmer. Our changing climate makes it feel like a month of dragging what I dislike most about Summer out, and it just feels unnatural. Add into that everyone still running around trying to pretend like Summer isn't ending, and I do not like it much for that reason. September always ends up cluttered and rushed, just too much going on in our lives for various reasons. I wish I appreciated it more, but I don't. But there are moments: the deepening indigo of September twilights, the movement of the birds (both those ready to move on and those snatching up all the food they can before the cold comes), the exuberance of goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace and asters. Harvest Moon is indigo and wine-red, the sweetness of a frost-touched grape, the musk of a yeast-laden apple's skin, and the first cries of the migrating geese.

October: Hunter's Moon

Hunter's Moon has two sides. From the start of October, until Thanksgiving, is gorgeous, brilliant leaves and bright crisp skies. It's deep blue waters reflecting streaks of smoke and high cloud. Any time after that, it can snow. It certainly will get wet and windy, at the very least. And then everything is grey, torrents of wine-dark leaves all with that sugar-sweet rot as they lie where they fall intertwined with the smell of the cold and everyone's woodstoves firing up. I cannot tell you how much this season refills my spirit. It's always been a hunter's moon for me. Various hunting seasons start (turkey, duck, deer, then into moose later in the fall), and I have many fond memories of delicious game meat meals with family well into the spring. It was a vital part of life, and always done with respect and thanks. Hunter's Moon is grey on grey, the edges of smokey obsidian and crimson-carnelian-red. It is antler and bone and slow-burning hardwood, the hissing of the corn stalks drying in the darkening fields.

November: Snow Moon

You'll see Snow Moons all over the winter calender, depending on where you live. For me, winter starts at Samhain, and it is inevitable that we have snow here very close to that date (whether before or after). It was true living on the Rideau, and it's still true over here in the Central Ontario snowbelts off Georgian Bay. November's is another two-sided moon: there's the gold, and the grey, The gold is of a clear day's sun through the last of the golden maple leaves clinging to the branches is clarion, of wetland reeds and cow corn still standing in the now-frosty fields. The grey comes softer than October, creeping softly across lawns and windows and the brown leaves curling on the ground, and as drifting veils of snow blowing in to cover the land in its' first lingering solid coats of white. I love the world's withdrawal into silence - I too, withdraw into myself and listen to inner voices. Snow Moon is white and silver (but also pearl grey and ash and brown) and the nights are long, powdery indigo, mounted by silent owl wings, iolite eyes set in silver frames.

December: Oak Moon

This last moon is curious for me, in that I do not know precisely why I continue to use this name. I like it - it has many associations for me in my Craft - but I guess I haven't thought much about it. Many oak trees do keep some or all of their rich tannin-brown leathery leaves through winter, though, and I do enjoy their song (along with the remnants of the leaves on our ash trees) in the wind... but that's not it. Neither is the whole Oak King/Holly King construct, which I don't really engage with. I have a strong connection with a particular energy, that of an aged, Green Man sage-type spirit that comes with this moon, so perhaps that's part of it as well. I suspect it will always be a bit of a Mystery, which I'm ok with. December's night skies seem curiously leeched of their blue hues, as the nights grow longer, a velvety black glittering blanket. Oak Moon comes dressed in the deep, rich colours of the Earth element - glossy evergreens, rich brown, deepest black, and is redolent of pine and cedar, and the flash of cardinals and blue jays at the bird feeder.

I don't know if any of that is useful, entertaining, or even intelligible. I hope at the very least, it prompts you to think about how you interact with the moons of the year, and the seasons, and how you perceive the world around you.

#lunar calendar #full moons #UPG #witchcraft #musings #personal #seasons #Ontario #i miss living in the country

1 note · View note

alabamagirlinagreatbigworld · 4 years

Text

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure, measure a year?

I hate how far back I have to scroll in my phone to find pictures of us. Two years of memories without you in them. It is still incomprehensible that I am living life without you in it. I hate that as time goes on, even Facebook erases our memories. And, it’s even worse because you aren’t here to make new ones. If they all disappear from pictures, will they eventually start to disappear from my own mind? Even worse than a life without you in it, is a life where our memories are faded or even forgotten.

Two years. Twenty-four months. One hundred & four weeks. Seven Hundred & Thirty days. Seventeen thousand five hundred & twenty hours. One million fifty-one thousand & two hundred minutes. Sixty-three million seventy-two thousand seconds. Each one feeling like forever.

I can still feel the shock & denial I felt when my mom called me at work to tell me you were gone. It took at least an hour to sink in. At least an hour for me to realize you were gone. An hour for me to start this journey of grief that is never-ending. I remember not knowing what to do. Like anything I could do would change it. I drove home from work. My mind somewhere else. My phone ringing. My text message notifications beeping. Surely one of them would be you. This was definitely a mistake. And then it wasn’t.

I came home to a busted water heater. My kitchen floor flooded. Water still spewing out onto the floor. I looked up. I laughed. It was like your final joke. One more prank. Anything to make me smile. A laugh even better. I turned and walked away. Ignored the reality of everything going on at that moment.

I had so many questions. So many unfinished conversations. So many things I wanted to say. So many hugs left to be given. Memories to be made. As I rode to your mom’s house from Atlanta, I couldn’t grasp what was happening. What would happen. I don’t think I have ever been to your parent’s house when you weren’t there. Drew met me in the driveway with a big hug and an I love you. You’d be so proud of him. I hugged and cried my way through everyone and knew exactly where I needed to be. I slipped away down the hallway and into your old room. Your old bed still there. I laid down, still crying, random memories flooding my mind. Your beta fish that used to sit on that wicker shelf. The see-through phone that I thought was so cool & wanted to badly. Sitting in your closet listening to song from the Karate Kid like we had any idea what love was. Emptying our oh so important purses to trade items with each other. Waking up scared because I had slept with gum in my mouth and was afraid your mom would be mad. You telling me you weren’t going to sleep. You were just resting your eyes. Sounds of laughter. Your mom telling us to be quiet because your dad was sleeping. Our times spent bunkered down in the hallway because there was severe weather. Your dad at the other end of the hall, watching the weather on tv. Trying to keep us quiet so he could hear. Standing there as if he would stop the tornado to keep us safe. I even remembered your first cuss word after your go-cart wouldn’t start. I was shocked. I though the world would end when you said it. You just laughed. I remember riding the go-cart, being chased by the rain, and watching it spread across the field, finally catching up to us. Gilbert Court. Oh the laughs at Gilbert Court. Our tiny one-bedroom apartment covered in sunflowers. It was the best thing ever. Two a.m. trips to Wal-Mart because we could. Silly outgoing messages on our answering machine. Ridge Road. Driving on campus to the one class we had together, laughing as you tried to parallel park. Laughing harder as we had to change places so I could parallel park for you. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The memories came from further back and extended through that final week of your life. Your last message being so trivial. A picture of paperwork, lying on the floor of your office. A little note that said, I’m still at work. And that was it. That was the last memory I would ever have of you.

I know you would hope I would have recovered by now. That the loss wouldn’t be as tough as it is for me. I know you would shrug off the fact that you were that much a part of my life. That I depended on you so much more than you depended on me. You were my best friend. My soulmate of sorts. My rock. My place of understanding. Of calm. You were my nurse. My protector. You stood up for me when I didn’t have the energy to stand up for myself. You were always there. And then you weren’t.

Every morning feels like Groundhog Day. Shortly after waking up, I realize, once again, you’re gone. Maybe it’s because I look up and see your picture on the wall. Maybe it’s because I pick up my phone to call or message you. Maybe it’s because I need to talk to you. I need your advice. Your support. Your unconditional love. And on really bad day, it’s because I’ve woken up with tears already streaming down my face from the reality hitting in a dream.

There are days I think I won’t make it. Days I think it’s time to give up. Days that feel so overwhelming, I see no way I’ll make it until the next. Most of the days are like this. But every now and then something beautiful happens. A clover appears in my car out of nowhere. A sunflower in the most random of places. An old card you sent me out of place and found at the right time. Always a funny message to make me laugh. A picture taken for scenery on your birthday with an angel-shaped cloud as clear as a crystal.

I know you watch over me. I have no doubts. But you are the lucky one, my dear. You are dancing in the streets of heaven with loved ones gone before you. Still watching your loved ones left behind. You’re still cheering for me. I feel it. Sometimes I think I hear it. Sometimes I do something outside of my character just because I know it’s what you would advise. I think about the things I was struggling with when you left. The parts of them I still struggle with now. I envision you in heaven, banging your head, because you know what God has planned for me. And you hate to see me sad. I think about the struggles you faced. Your desire to be better each day. Your attachment to the article of the girl who wrote about living, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer way too soon. She was your goal. You were going to go back to school. Be a Nurse Practitioner. A better mom. A better wife. Better to yourself. You wanted to get in the best shape of your life. Not because anyone thought you should or pressured you to. Because you wanted to be the best version of yourself for you. And my heart breaks all over again that you didn’t have time to fulfill all your heart’s desires.

Then I think about my life now. How far into abyss I’ve slipped. How disappointed you’d be in me. I’m sure you sit up there yelling at me to get up. Get out of bed. Get out of the house. Do something. Anything. Live. And I try. I want to live for me and for you. But grief is crippling. Loneliness is dark. Such a huge part of who I am is gone. It feels like I can’t move because I’m not whole. Like I awoke and suddenly had no legs to stand on my own. Because you were gone. And you were a part of me for as much of my life as I can remember. Until you weren’t.

I remember your memorial service. Parking lot overcrowded. Lines around the building. I sat in a chair thinking I’d write what I was going to say about you the next day. But instead, I sat there staring. All the people around me who loved you. Yet I was alone. I was in awe of how many lives you touched. I remember telling someone, in my entire life, I can name people who haven’t or don’t like me. But in my entire life, I can’t name one person who didn’t like Nicole. I like to think you were my angel. My rock. My support. My soft place to land. I’m territorial when it comes to our friendship. But the truth is undeniable. You were that person to everyone you met. You made lives brighter. You made problems lighter. When I think about it, I can’t imagine how heavy it must have been for you. Not only carrying your problems but carrying the weight of others so they wouldn’t have to do it alone. But you never made me feel like an inconvenience. You never hinted that you couldn’t bear the weight of anything else. When you talked to me, I was all there was. And I am certain every other person you encountered felt the same.

Coming up with the words to say about you might have been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Only to be overshadowed by having to stand in front of packed chapel and say them out loud, knowing you were lying there just in front of me. I wrote for hours. Write. Erase. Start over. Repeat. Each time I would read what I had written, I would realize, this is all about me. How I feel. My experience. And that did not do justice to your life. You were so much more than a part of me. You were a part of everyone who met you. And you deserved to be remembered as you were. Not as I felt. I pulled through with a combination of laughs and tears and even a cuss word, just for you. I go back and read those words now and then. I still laugh. I still cry. I still wonder if I even came close to putting you on the pedestal you earned. And I cry some more. Who will tell my story? Will anyone show up? Am I even half the person you were? Am I even that person to one person? Have I had a positive impact on anyone? How do I do better? And, how do I do it now that I am not whole?

I can’t believe it’s been two years. I can’t believe every year will add another and the clock will never stop counting the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years. I can’t believe this is who I am in now. Who I’m forced to be. After years of swimming, bicycles, sleepovers, secrets, notes in the hallways, inside jokes, family vacations, a lifetime of firsts, our friendship has also experienced all its lasts. I don’t know how to accept it. How to move forward. How to feel whole again. Because throughout my entire life you were there. Until you weren’t.

#grief #dealing with grief #griefshare #griefisreal #griefsucks #bestfriend #Grief Sad Advice GriefSucks IMissMyBestFriend #guardian angel #love you more #miss you #two years #lost

7 notes · View notes

littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

Note

So, Squiggles :) What do you think of the newest episode?

Hey Mizu. I’m not sure if you’re asking me for an overall review of theepisode or one that’s more in depth which potentially goes into more spoiler territory. Just to be safe, I’m going to do it both ways. I’ll give my generalspoiler-free thoughts on the episode before I go into the specifics of somethings I liked and didn’t like about the episode. But undercut for obvious spoilers.Cool?

Overall, chapter 3 was another solid episode. Similar to how V6 started off, CRWBY Writers really aren’t giving any room for downtime with these episodes as we’re immediately chucked into the meat of the episode— the mission with the Aces. I figured we would have at least gotten to seeing our heroes settling into Atlas and adjusting to their new surroundings before the big mission but…NOPE! Mission time! So I’ll at least give you that bit about the episode since it was highlighted in the synopsis for this episode.

Overall, I enjoyed CH3. It was cool and it showed everyone in action. However there were some specific things that stood out to me that I wanted to give my opinion undercut.

[Spoilers Ahead! Nuff Said!]

Rosebuds:

First off, the brief conversation between Ruby and Oscar. With theway how the episode chucked us straight into the mission, ya girl was worriedthat Oscar wasn’t even going to be in this episode since his absence from themission has been highlighted since as early as the V7 Trailer. But thankfully,the little barn prince shared one scene with Ruby.

Turns out we were all right about Oscar confronting Ruby about her stunt in Ironwood’s office. It was a little shorter than I expected but… then again, it wasn’t the key focus of the episode so I gave it a pass.Still it is noteworthy that Ruby entrusted the Relic of Knowledge back to Oscar. This is interesting to me since it brings to light a point of concern I made in my very last theory post from this week. With Oscar now having the Relic back in his possession, I wonder if history will repeat itself with the roles reversed.

Could this moment from the episode be a possible foreshadow to Oscar using the Relic to out Ruby in a similar fashion to how she used the Relic on Oz last season?

Could Oscar simply just threaten Ruby with the Relic leading to the two having a big fight or…could Oscar potentially end up using Jinn to show Ironwood the truth behind Ruby’s back?

All of these are possibilities now to add to the table of events brought to you by this small exchange. It’s quite fascinating really. I don’t want Oscar to come tothis point. But for now, it’s definitely a probability with the Relic in his hands.

———————————————————————————————————–

Aces:

The Ace Ops were all very, very cool in this episode. I loved their comradery with each other. I especially wanted to point out Vine and Elm’s dynamic. While I’m still unsure if they’re a legit couple, I did like how the chapter paired them off to work with JNR while Bunny Bites—Harriet and Marrow—worked with RWBY.

Clover was also placed to work with Qrow and might I say this—I’m strangely fighting the urge to ship Qrow and Clover now.

There is a moment in this episode where Qrow explains his semblance to Clover only for Clover to confirm what us RWBY theorists predicted. His semblance is good fortune which is excellent.

Clover complements Qrow in a good way. Not to mention that look Qrow gives Clover after he told him his semblance while the camera literally lingers on him for a couple of frames made me wonder.

I couldn’t help but feel as it this moment sparked Qrow potentially being infatuated with Clover or…it could just simply be a respectable man-crush. Y’know a bromance. Nothing really gay about. Not that there’s anything wrong with Qrow being gay (technically bisexual). For all we know, Qrow just loves Clover…in the very heterosexual way. If you caught the reference then y’know what I’m talking about.

Anyways as I was saying about Elm and Vine, this episode definitely highlighted their strong teamwork. These two complement each other so well and the way they bounce off of one another really shines in their pair dynamic. Love it and love these two. This is, however, the least I can say for our favourite little Flower Power pair. This unfortunately which brings to light one of the things I didn’t like so much about the episode.

———————————————————————————————————————

Wilted Flower Power:

Ren’s sudden change in attitude with Nora—what the f***? I mean he isn’tbeing cold or rude to her. He just feels oddly closed off from her this episodewhich leaves me, as the viewer, asking the obvious question: Where is this coming from?

Sure we caught a glimpse of it in the first episode when Ren suddenly took off in battle while Nora sulked in the background. And while I was correct in this development in their rapport returning in a later episode; regardless, where isRen’s sudden mood change with Nora coming from?

It’s not to say that it’s been built up since V6? I mean I got the feeling that the Writers might introduce some tension between Ren and Nora given that we’re supposed to be learning more about her. But this still doesn’t give any rationale to this behaviour. If the Writers plan to have Ren and Nora break up temporarily due to Ren acting differently with Nora only to have them learn a lesson through observing Elm and Vine and come back stronger than ever as both a couple and a team partnership then…. that’s fine. Ijust wished they had done a better job at introducing this ‘issue’ inthe Flower Power teamwork if you know what I mean. Cause it feels very out of the blue; at least in my opinion.

I just didn’t enjoy seeing Nora being her usual self with Ren only for him to reply in a way that feels so uncharacteristic for him. Yes, Ren has shown exasperation at times with Nora but it’s never been to a level where he comes off annoyed with her. In spite of Nora’s big animated personality, that might tire some people, Ren has always been very patient with Nora often finding her behaviour amusing which was a big reason why I fell in love with shipping Renora.

In spite of their different personalities, the two have always complimented each other and worked well together. Having Ren be like this with her…I’m sorry. If this is how the Writers are going to do things with Renora then I’m already disliking the execution of it. It’s not terrible. Just seems a little forced to me.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Dem Bees:

Another thing that occurred for this episode that I sadly did not care for was the moment between Yang and Blake in this episode where Yang complimented Blake’s new hairstyle.

Some context for the scene: Blake notices Yang staring at her from afar. Yang reacts awkwardly and says, “Sorry. Not used to the new hair yet.”

Blake then asks, while blushing, “Is it bad?” only for Yang to respond many times “No” while fumbling over her words.

This moment. Y’see this moment right here, folks. Do you know what this immediately reminded me of?

It’s like the Legend of Korra Book 4, after Korra reunited with Mako and Asami. In that series, Asami and Korra shared a moment where Asami noticed that Korra had cut her hair and our Avatar blushed at this acknowledgement.

It is literally the same energy. While admittedly an adorable exchange, as I said, I didn’t care for it. As a matter of fact, this moment confirmed my biggest concern for the development of the Bumblebee pair going forward. I was hoping the Writers would’ve taken the time to show these two’s friendship growing a bit more before introducing the potential of romance. Some fans complained about the blatant pandering in favour of actually showing Yang and Blake bettering their friendship last season and it seems like the Writers are adamant on continuing this trend.

Who would’ve expected the CRWBY Writers to take a page from Bryke—the two creative minds who practically created the first most shoehorned LGBT couple I’ve ever seen in an animated series while having the chops to puppet it around as ‘good representation’. While Bryke was praised for what they did with Korrasami since Korrasami was said to be the first LGBT couple in an animated series targeted at children, I didn’t buy into it and didn’t think Bryke deserved their praise at all since Korrasami, in my opinion, was weakly written from the start.

As you can probably tell, this squiggle meister didn’t buy into the Korrasami romance. Not because it was LBGT (as I’ve said before—I have no issue with that at all) but purely because the showrunners didn’t develop the relationship between these two lead girls in a way that felt natural.

Rather than watching a beautiful friendship that grew into a sweet romance over the course of the series runtime, culminating in the birth of a great couple by the show’s finale, instead I watched two characters who were barely friends for two full seasons since they were involved in a ridiculous love triangle only to suddenly become quick besties in the third season. Fast forward 5 years for the show’s final season and now these two girls are in love with each other with their love not being apparent until the final shot of the very last episode. Good shit, right?

Korrasami felt so forced to me in the end which was made even more apparent by the finale. It seems like Bumblebee will be heading in the same direction as Korrasami.

I’m probably digging my own grave here by even talking about the Bees since it’s practically blasphemy now given all the discourse still surrounding this pair and I can only imagine how it is now after today’s episode. But still wanted to give my views on that moment given what it reminded me of.

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

Marrow’s Semblance:

Getting back on track with things I liked from this episode—Marrow’s semblance man. As I said on Twitter, I really loved the take on Marrow’s unique skill. It’s perfect. He’s a wolf Faunus with a semblance that causes others to listen to his every command. A trained dog treating his opponents to be subservient to him. That is freaking neat as hell. Forget all the other Ace Ops, Marrow’s semblance is the most interesting to me.

What I’m curious about is what the extent of Marrow’s powers are? Does it only work on the Creatures of Grimm since they’re technically mindless monsters acting mostly on instinct or…can it work on people too?

Can Marrow use his semblance to get make another person obey his command? That’s what I want to know. I’m guessing that there is a limit to Marrow’s powers since, we see him using his semblance on the Sentinels earlier in the episode who were probably young Grimm given how easily the group took them down.

However I’m surprised Marrow didn’t use his power on the Geist Grimm. Clover did mention that the Geist they were targeting was an older Grimm. So I figured Marrow’s power wouldn’t work on it even if he tried.

Either way, this episode just made Marrow ten times cooler to me now. The Good Boy continues to impress and he’s definitely the one that stood out to me the most from the Aces.

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

No Run Forrest, Run:

Whelp, if you saw the episode, y’know what this point means. Forrest, the dreadlocked Robyn supporter we met last episode died by the end of this episode. He was killed off by Tyrian so…RIP Forrest.

I feel so sorry for MurderofBirds since in his last Livestream Discussion on YouTube, he said he was hoping to see more of Forrest.

But in spite of his short time in the story, Forrest’s murder did help me to realize something about Tyrian’s tactics. Since last episode, it was shown by the end that Tyrian has been killing certain people in Mantle. However I couldn’t quite put my finger on a possible pattern in Tyrian’s targets. Now I think I have an idea. I think Tyrian might be targeting Robyn Hill supporters specifically.

On orders from Watts, I think the Scorpion Fauns might be singling out those folks from Mantle who were known to be heavily involved in rallying support for Robyn as another means of turning votes away fromher.

After all, if the supporters of Robyn are suddenly being found murdered thenit could force the People of Mantle from rallying behind Robyn and tank her chances of winning against Jacques.

Now this is just a theory for now. Either way, it’s very, very interesting how the audience receives more and more pieces to the plot with Watts and Tyrian as the episodes go back and it’s only been three chapters.

Very interesting indeed and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next episode drops.

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

And yeah, those my thoughts on the episode. I hope I answered you well enough Mizu. Thank you for your question.

And as an added point, I pray that my honest thoughts on the Bumblebee scene from this episode didn’t upset or worst offend anyone. My opinion is NOT meant to insult the RWBY ship or anyone who likes it. It’s just my opinion.

If you love the Bees and you were absolutely over the moon with that little scene from this episode, then that’s perfectly fine, fam. Just don’t mind me with where I stand on this pairing and how the show continues to portray the development of their ‘potential romance’.

And please refrain from leaving any disrespectful comments in my post just for sharing my opinion. As I’ll say again, I mean no disrespect and will not tolerate any thrown at me. With that said, that’s all folks!

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#mizuike #squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #rwby volume 7 spoilers #rwby renora #rwby marrow amin #rwby volume 7

15 notes · View notes