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#Having thoughts about this little chaos gremlin and all the ways she shows affection in non traditional ways
erisenyo · 2 years
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Having thoughts about how Toph found people at the Earth Rumble who treated her as an equal and respected her for her skill and listened to her. How she became the Blind Bandit there and the first people to ever take her seriously were The Gecko and Fire Nation Man and the others.
And then she joins the Gaang, people who also treat her as an equal and respect her skill and listen to her, and she starts calling them Twinkle Toes and Snoozles and Sugar Queen and Captain Boomerang.
She's giving them stage names. Because gaining her stage name was the most empowering thing that happened to her up to that point. Because stage names are earned. Because the people who were kindest to her in her life (by treating her how she wanted to be treated) were people who went by things like The Boulder.
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wangxianficrecs · 6 months
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Rewind 2023 - Part I
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WangxianFicRecs - Rewind 2023
Part one of our favourite stories published in 2023. If you also want to give a shout-out to a story, submit an ask and we will share it in an upcoming post featuring Follower Recs and Proud Author Spotlights.
~*~
Call again
by apathyinreverie (@apathyinreverie)
T, 5k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: “Brother?” Lan Zhan picks up the call, voice sleep-rough from being woken so late. There is a pause. “Well,” an unfamiliar voice replies, notably cheerful, though overloud and the slightest bit slurred in a way that identifies the speaker as likely not being entirely sober, perfectly matching the loud music and din of voices in the background. “Not quite, actually.” (Or, Wei Ying meets a drunk LXC at a bar. They promptly devolve into being chaos gremlins together.)
~*~
Fight Me?
by Witch_Nova221 (@witchnova221)
G, 5k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: A tidied up version of this original threadfic Nurse Wei Ying has an interesting encounter with a patient on his night shift who is intent on starting a fight with him.
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💙 Paths untaken
by apathyinreverie (@apathyinreverie)
T, 6k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: The thing is, the Cloud Recesses are big and Caiyi is even bigger. (Or, Lan Zhan chooses differently at Qiongqi Path.)
~*~
Kintsugi
by sortablue (@yinyangbuns)
E, 2k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: Wei Wuxian had thought he was more well-adjusted; or, at least, that the thing that would set him off would be a little more impressive than a broken tea set. How funny that out of all the things that haunted his nightmares, this was the thing that chose to ruin his perfectly good day. (Or, Wei Wuxian’s treatment at Lotus Pier at the hands of Madam Yu has lasting affects that he previously had not thought to consider.)
~*~
💙 Su She Eats his Heart Out
by KizuKatana (@kizukatana)
T, 16k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: The (bitter) third party pov of the epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, as told from the pettiest NPC to ever exist. - - - - - A new student transferred into the university in their second year, and Su She was gleeful to see how much Lan Zhan was irritated by him from the very first day that the student (Wei something) showed up late for class with a ratty hoodie pulled up over his head and proceeded to sleep through lecture. Finally, someone else would be the butt of everyone’s jokes as they watched Wei Ying constantly try and fail to get Lan Zhan’s attention. When midterm grades came out, Su She was expecting the guy to be humiliated. That was… not what happened. Worse still, Lan Zhan was now actually turning his head to look at the guy when he spoke. And... wait, was Lan Zhan… putting his hand on the guy’s ass?! No. Su She does not accept this.
~*~
Into the murk
by MissCellophane (@misscellophane-ao3)
G, 1k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: Wei Wuxian is dead. Lan Wangji wouldn't believe those words until he sees it for himself.
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Sit Properly!
by Nightfeather18
T, 1k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: It started innocently, just a note to tell Wei Wuxian to sit straight, it did not stay that way.
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💙 at first sight of the sun
by sunflowersfield
T, 3k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: “There are days,” he says slowly, choosing his words with care, “when I do not feel like speaking. Or, I simply do not have any words. It is…difficult to explain,” he admits. Wei Ying nods. “I think I understand,” he responds thoughtfully. “But Lan Zhan,” he adds nervously, “you know I was just joking about the daily compliments, right? I don’t really expect you to do that!” Or: Lan Zhan is a researcher at a forest preserve, and Wei Ying has just been hired to work at the front desk.
~*~
The Moon Reflected Upon Two Springs
by Rubberduckieassassin (@rubberduckieassassin)
M, 2k, Wen Ning | Kay's Rec
Summary: In many ways, this part of Wen Ning’s existence has felt like winter. Winter is the most Yin of all the seasons. It is a time of stillness and quiet reflection. Remembering how to ‘live’ again as best he could.
~*~
Happy That Way
by airinshaw
E, 7k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: Lan Zhan has allowed Wei Ying to move in with him when he has nowhere else to go. But it does mean that they'll have to share one bed.
~*~
mirror, mirror
by hauntedotamatone (@hauntotamatone)
G, 1k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: Some people take him at his word, believing that they must have heard wrong about the child Jiang Fengmian had taken in all those years ago. They haven’t exactly heard wrong, but he isn’t lying either. The first time Jiang-shushu had introduced him as the son of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren, he had thought his face would split from the force of his smile. No one had argued with the sect leader, but Wei Wuxian is not a sect leader, and those of Gusu Lan do not seem to take kindly to any sort of correction. At least, if their esteemed teacher and acting sect leader is anything to go by. or; Wei Wuxian attempts to sneak into the Cloud Recesses for a very different reason.
~*~
turn a little faster, the world will follow after
by dottie_dramas (dottie_wan_kenobi) (@dottie-wan-kenobi)
E, 5k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec
Summary: “Lan Zhan here really surprised me. When we first met, I thought ‘now here’s a guy who could probably bite my head off if I annoy him,’ but then he didn’t? You know, all of our friends in Seoul would say I’m the shameless one, but I have no idea what they’re talking about, like, have they met Lan Zhan? Gege, you’re kind of crazy.” “Mn,” says Wangji, sounding very pleased. “It’s okay though, I like crazy. Hey, Xichen-ge—can I call you Xichen-ge?—anyway, do you mind if I add a little something to my tea?” “We do not imbibe alcohol in this house,” Shufu seethes. “It’s not alcohol,” Wei Ying corrects like he expected to hear this at some point. Xichen glances at Wangji, who’s making an expression Xichen has never seen before: unbridled exasperation and fondness. Then Wei Ying pulls out a pack of what Xichen is pretty sure is chili powder. -- Basically a modern AU where lwj and wwx both take a semester abroad while in college. They were originally in different colleges and never met before. They meet in this new college and being the weirdos they truly are, fall in love and get married within one semester.
~*~
(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)
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nny11writes · 2 years
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Who are your favourite spop characters and why?
Oh man, I genuinely love every single character in SPOP lol so ranking lists are always switching around in my head for who I like the most. Most of the top contenders trade places on a whim too.
I think I have to say Catra as my top fave, but really she's just the one I find easiest to write for. She's complex and messy, and my comfort characters tend to be short angry women who are fucking trying okay. She tends to dominate the top of the list because of how many facets there are both to her and the way she perceives things. I just, god, I love this catgirl. There are better people out there who've written love letters to Catra and they're right.
Glimmer is my next favorite who sometimes knocks Catra off her lofty throne. And I gotta be honest, it's always a shock when I realize that. Confession time: when I first was watching and all we had was Season 1 out, Glimmer was the only character I actually hated. Yeah. I liked Swift Wind more than her at that point. And it's because I sold her EXTREMELY short in S1. As the show went on I realized that Glimmer's also a super complex character and not just a perky privileged girl next door trope. She's one of my favorite characters in the whole thing now because she's so fun, intense, and well meaning. She also hits my small angry women who are fucking trying okay comfort needs, but it's absolutely refreshing to have that in someone who is also (mostly) working hard to be a friendly, upbeat type.
Entrapta is someone who is always vying for spots 1 and 2 on this list. There was a brief stint where she was my favorite character in the show, and so she deserves to be on this list of who's my fave and why. As to why, LOOK AT HER! Chaos mad scientist gremlin! *chef kiss* Love her or hate her, this is what peak human performance looks like baby! I think Entrapta would handily kick Glimmer and Catra's asses on this list if she'd had a little more screen time for development and screen time with her being treated more seriously. I know I just cracked a joke here about her chaos status, but I do wish we'd had more with her that was serious. I love the moment in S5 where Entrapta, so fucking quietly, explains that she thought she could use her tech to be a better friend. Like, damn, she has Adora levels of "my worth to others is based on what exchanges I can make for their love and affection" but with less self sacrificing and more robots that can blow you up. Fans have picked up a lot of slack to help showcase Entrapta's nuances and talk through why she reacts the ways she does. (not all SPOP fans mind you, but some) But yeah, I love her desperately.
Shadow Weaver is also on this top contenders section. I'm less interested in breaking her down as a character and finding complexities (and there are plenty to be found), although I do like taking some jaunts into her head. I have several short meta pieces I wrote throughout the series about her, none of which I want to share as they've changed as we learned more about her. Man, I just- I love Shadow Weaver. She is a fantastic villain/antagonist and I think she's possibly the best done one on the show. When Weaver is on screen she has my damned attention, even in the background, in a way no one else does. Prime is a bigger threat and more disturbing, he's a great Big Bad for the series. But if these two were in a room together I wouldn't look at him unless he's center frame lol. Fantastic character!
And because I'm sure someone will want to say shit on that opinion, liking a character doesn't mean I would condone a real life person doing the things she did or acting the way she acted. But she is a cartoon character who is supposed to be awful, and the whole crew did a fantastic job making that happen. And as such I love Shadow Weaver.
After my top contenders it's an amorphous blob of Adora, Angella, Scorpia. Then Bow, Lonnie, and Perfuma.
Then another amorphous blob of literally everyone else.
Again, I genuinely enjoy every character on this show and I really love reading meta on them. I've been really enjoying a lot of Hordak centered things I've seen recently, which have given me a lot to think about for my own assumptions as well as giving him more depth.
Huge shout out to fic writers who have, like, 5 PoV characters and help me fall more in love with characters from this show!
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The Three Dilfs plus the Twink Fathers if they had to joint parent the JJK kids.
Gojo
So just be conscious that I imagine the trio to be baby/toddler ages
Definitely the most jealous out of the four.
He won't say it, but hearing about how Yuji had the time of his life with Nanami and how Nobara adores Touji makes his blood boil
But when Megumi gives him those puppy dog eyes, he can't stay mad
So very jealous but also very whipped
The type of dad who tries to act all cool and hip with the kids but in reality is boomer
No clue how to care for a young child though. Rest in pieces, Babygumi.
Really dependant on Getou for the more dirty parts of parenting.
He refuses to change a diaper for the longest time until he does it once when no one is home bc Yuji was crying up a storm and he gets over it
Doesn't baby proof the house. At all.
I'll say it again
Rest In Pieces, BabyGumi.
Doesn't know where kids like to hang out. He takes them to Starbucks and then the mall, where Nobara proceeds to suck his cash directly from his bank account
Toji taught her well, after all.
Gojou has two ways to discipline them- let them see the consequences of their actions and then obnoxiously help them fix it (primarily when the kids were younger) or dangle them off a cliff while singing songs like a cracked out gremlin.
Gojou doesn't need to punish often, since in this universe I've made up he primarily watched over Yuta and Panda, who are nice little ones.
Still insists on kissing them all on the forehead and tucking them in at night
Getou
It takes a while for him to warm up to child rearing
He's still struggling with his "monkey" mentality, and young children are rife for it.
Though maybe as he's watching a baby Nobara sleep, watching carefully the way parents do as though to make sure she breathes through the night, he snuffs out all curses in the area.
After that night, the taste of curses- like a rag, used to clean up vomit- isn't so unbearable anymore.
Not when he feels such conviction in his soul
So slowly, as he holds Yuji's hands to help him take his first steps, as he tells Megumi what "miscellaneous" means, as he shows Nobara how to make cursed dolls...
Monkeys don't seem so bad anymore
But the zookeepers do
If you catch my drift
Getou doesn't believe in physical punishment, but he is a strict parent when it comes to life-decisions
Not in the way you'd expect though.
I.e., if Megumi was torn between leaving the jujutsu world or going to college, Getou would be there to help him find a third solution
And punishment was never his style. Swallow enough vomit-stained rags, you begin to feel disgusted over such things.
Instead, he guides. A distant hand that points in a direction and tells you where it leads.
Also hopeless with what kids like. He let's Yuji wander around Tokyo and whatever catches his eye, Getou suggests.
Nanami
Seems like a distant father at first
But his face is just like that
Genuine sucker for his kids
They have him wrapped around their tiny little fingers
The best out of the three of them with young children
And minors in general
Because- and sit down, this might shock you- he treats them like normal human beings
Nanami didn't have the best childhood, not to mention that many of his close friends didn't either, so taking care of children is something that's very close to his heart
So he likes to keep the kiddos close to his heart too
It made quite a sight, to see Nobara being lugged around in a baby bjorn, drooling all over his jacket while he exorcized curses.
The only parent out of the three mentioned that uses Vicks Vapor rub
If you know you know
Getou is more of a straight medicine kind of guy, and Gojo's never gotten sick in his life.
Nanami definitely got stuck with daiper duty when both Gojo and Getou refused
But he loves them
Tells the three of them that he's proud of them and loves them every chance he gets
Definitely one to have his heart melt when they fall asleep on him.
It's like the rule of cats. He is now legally obligated to stay completely still until the child awakes
That's his initial reaction, but then he remembers his rationality and picks them up and tucks them into bed.
Has definitely slept kneeling on the floor next to Megumi's bed when the boy grabbed his sleeve while sleeping.
Yuji was also a colicky baby, and Nanami found that putting him in a pot of water on the counter was an easy way to get him to be quiet
Nobara was mischevious. The second she could walk, it was over. Nanami burns 500 calories a day chasing her around.
And all of these memories are lovingly stored in his 6,000 baby albums.
Sukuna
Surprisingly good with babies
Extremely good with young children
And very nice with teenagers when he puts his mind to it.
Back in Sukuna's day, in his little social circle, being bad with kids was taboo.
You either are good with kids and love them to death or fuck you
So naturally, Sukuna took the "good with kids" route
He'll say a bunch of bluster about power and ruthlessness if you ask him
But the truth is that he adores children, and wouldn't have put in the effort to be good with them if he didn't already want to.
BabyGumi is such a tsundere with him
Always pouts and looks on the verge of crying when Sukuna is nearby or talking to him, refusing to respond without a wobble in his voice to Sukuna's questions
But the second Sukuna leaves, it's chaos.
He gets all sad and mopey, holding on to the tiger plushie Sukuna gave him like his life depends on it.
Sukuna has learned to just ignore BabyGumi's pouts and teary eyes and cradle the toddler close
And Megumi has no complaints being held in Sukuna's arms
He feels safe there.
The same can not be said for Yuji.
Sukuna scares him, but poor baby gets too distracted with other things when Sukuna is around to remember.
He'll be seated in Sukuna's lap, happily pulling flowers from the ground and giving them to the cursed spirit
And then when Gojo asks him how his playdate with Sukuna was, he bursts into tears and said it was terrifying
Makes for very awkward encounters, as Gojo saw for himself that Itadori was having fun
Nobara loves him
Genuinely wants to get his tattoos one day
And become a powerful sorceror like he was
He gives the best hugs (four arms!!!) So
Always indulges her when she rambles about her cursed dolls
And spoils her rotten.
Touji
Ah yes
The crusty anarchist (affectionate)
Megumi is also a big tsundere bby with this man.
The only one of his fathers he actually projects affection to is Gojo, and that's because Megumi knows his ass is one big jelly bean
As in mushy on the inside, hard on the outside, and very very jealous.
But Megumi will pout and claim not to like anything Touji does
Which really weighs on the man
He knows he's failed Megumi a bunch of times, and knows he deserves to be rebuffed
But it still hurts
Thankfully, Megumi is a sensitive kiddy, and even if he goes too far and Touji completely retreats within himself, Megumi tries to make it right.
Touji is so very whipped for his son.
The slightest bit of love Megumi shows makes his week.
And he's a very gentle father too
Is a staunch advocate against hitting children
His own shitty childhood paired with having a kid as quiet and reserved as Megumi, even if the kid wants to let loose but wont, stresses him out greatly.
Yuji also concerns him
Because he's very innocent, naive, and kind.
Touji knows he's gonna be trampled on.
So he does his best to sort of introduce more darker topics and harsh realities to Yuji without breaking the poor kid.
All in all, he's a depressed, cynical dad, who's trying to give his kids a better life and more tools to survive than he had.
DEFINATELY not the type of parent to hold the child's better life against them.
Tries to be loving, smothers the three kiddos in smoochies and lovingly made meals.
He doesn't really know what he's doing, but he prioritizes the kiddos safety and happiness first and foremost.
But he's definitely not as wealthy or stable as the others, and he knows it.
Whenever Nobara wants to go wander the mall, Touji struggles to swallow his pride every time.
He has the girl set a date, and between that day and the day they need to go to the mall, Touji works his ass off to save up.
He usually only needs to worry about money to keep himself afloat and leisure money for the kids
Since they usually eat at one of the others houses and stay the night there too
Yuji is the one he finds the easiest to be with when money is tight
Yuji doesn't have a habit of asking things from Touji- leftover instincts from when his Grandfather, also poor, took care of him.
So less stress is on Touji to take Yuji somewhere nice when it's just the two of them
Megumi is similar, but not quite.
Megumi isn't really interested in material things or going out to eat very often
But he adores going to temples and being with the monks.
As Touji used to do.
It's bitter and painful to take Megumi to the temple where he used to worship
But he does it.
His love is sacrifice, humility, and acceptance.
But slowly, slowly, he's accepting help from the other dads.
I hope you liked it! This was just a spur of the moment thing, not a lot of hard thought and intricate story telling was put into this, but I hope you enjoyed anyway. This is a mix of my personal headcanons and canon lore, so feel free to drop your own headcanons in the comments!
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bindi-the-skunk · 3 years
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The son of Frankenstein chapter 15
Henry was about to ask what on earth she could possibly want, well wondering how fast he could get into his wheelchair to go find Robert, or even if he should call Creature to remove her from the house when something glowing green caught his eye as Frankenstein pulled it from her coat.
His eyes widened in horror when he realized what it was in her hand.
No, it couldn't be! How did she ...impossible...
But there it was, in her hand was a mixed-up H-J 7 potion, stirring inside the beaker as if it was alive, eager to break free of its clear prison and jump down its host's throat to start the painful transformation process.
She must have broken into his office...picked the lock to his desk like she did his recovery room...she truly did have no shame...
Just looking at Frankenstein's face, he knew there was no getting out of this, no words he could spin would help, even shoving her down might just make her more eager to see what happened when Hyde came out, thinking he just did not want to share his discovery with anyone else.
Hyde was strangely silent, but there was an undertone of fear that Henry could feel, like this one time he did not want to be out in the world despite his way out being right in front of them both.
The chemist took the potion into his hands, feeling the heat radiate from the glass, the bottle feeling strange in his right hand as his left had been the one broken, Henry wondered momentarily if she had even mixed it properly, but if she had not, the chemicals would have caused a very different look, this was the potion that brought Edward Hyde to the surface.
Taking off the cork, the brunette, soon to become blond, did not gag as the smell that hit his nose, used to the once overwhelming stench after so long of forcing it down his gullet.
The split man tipped the glass to his lips, the disgustingly lukewarm slime slipping past them without much prompting, and drank it, ignoring the loud footsteps behind him and the resounding shout that followed them.
"HENRY, NO!"
Pain, white-hot pain split through as Henry did not bother biting back his screams, who did he have to muffle them for? Robert was right there, he would know now, everything was already lost for him, just get it over with.
Bones cracked and reformed, fingers twitching as if trying to grasp for some salvation from the agony, hair lengthened and lightened, but the damage done to the shared body did not heal...and no doubt more damage had been done from the violent seizures caused by the transformation...
And when the horror was finally over, a shaking and crying Edward Hyde lay on the floor having fallen from the sofa, clutching his hurt wrist to his heaving chest and broken legs spasmed in pain.
Robert stared in shock at what just happened, the man he loved turning into someone he held nothing but disdain towards and was torn between rushing forward to help the other back onto the sofa to recover from the obvious strain and sitting down himself to keep from fainting.
Frankenstein smiled at the new arrival and stepped forward to scoop him up, with Edward trying to recoil from her grip, now feeling like he did before and could feel Henry felt the same, the adrenaline rush that made him chug the potion wearing off as his pain faded because he was no longer in his physical body.
They both felt like a paticuarly fat bird caught in the claws of a playful cat whose hunger was just starting to pick at their belly.
The other man eventually snapped out of it and jogged forward, nudging Frankenstein out of the way with his shoulder making her shout in indignation and put his hands under Edward's legs and upper back in a way that he hoped would cause the least pain for the other and quickly lifted him onto the couch, earning a mild grunt but no crying or screaming, though the blond was still sniffling from his earlier trauma, and Robert tried to let go to confront Frankenstein, but found Hyde clung to him like a scared child with his good hand clutching at the bicep of the other.
"No....no...s-stay" Was all Edward could squeak out, he normally was confused by what he felt for the freckled man, but right now he knew Robert meant safe, Robert meant no pain, remembering how he had at least attempted to defend him from Lucy throwing him out into the streets to be at the Bazaar exhibitors none-existent mercy.
He never would have led the coppers there if he had not been trying to flee a KIDNAPPING!
Edward had no doubt he would have been beaten and bloody if he had not gotten the five-minute head start and had the skills to roof hop, those hallucinations had almost led to him being caught several times, but he managed.
Robert let himself be used as a teddy bear as Edward hid his face in the other man's shoulder, too exhausted and in pain to care about his image, he wanted some affection and Robert was the closest available source that did not do more damage in the attempt.
The Lanyon heir was feeling a swirl of emotions, on one hand, he was happy that most of the less than savory theories of who Hyde was and where he came from had been confirmed at that moment to not be true, on the other this meant he had a SERIOUS talk to have with Henry when he came back out!
Robert was both angry and upset that this had been kept from him for so long, that his lover had gone under his nose the whole time with this secret, yes, they would be having a VERY serious talk! But for now, he would let things cool down a bit, both Henry and Edward needed to recover both physically and mentally from the past few day's events, then Robert would be able to get his answers.
And he had to admit... the little gremlin was sort of cute like this when he was not swearing like a sailor and was in Henry's too big clothes curled into Roberts's chest for comfort, sort of like a kitten, a ratty looking one but still, smiling softly, the curly-haired man gently pulled down the shirt that was starting to ride up on the smaller man making the blond make a contented sound.
"So you are Edward Hyde, I have heard a lot about you.." Frankenstein said, alerting the other two she was still in the room and breaking whatever peace bond the two had started to form.
"Hi, mum..." Edward said sleepily, not bothering to pull his nose out of Robert's shoulder as he stared at Victoria with a look that was between fear and irritation, he wanted to go to sleep, the stuffy man was surprisingly comfy as a bed and Hyde was fully intent on using him as one.
"Well, that clears it up, your different people" Victoria could not help but drone out upon hearing the 'loving' term as she reached out to pat Edwards head, ignoring the almost snarl Robert threw at her "You both were holding out on everyone if I had even a hint Henry was capable of such a thing-"
"You would have what? Not smacked him in the face?" Edward bit, he had been rudely dragged out of his pity corner and thrown into a broken body that shot pain through every nerve with each small twitch, something that was driving Edward insane as he was used to moving as he pleased, not to mention his pride was still wounded from Lucy's own dressing down and following throwing him out onto her stoop...even though she could not have seen the monsters outside, it was still devastating.
So, he was in no mood to play nice despite how he would not be able to physically harm the other "Not caused a loon to break into the society after your creation and led to this whole mess with the coppers being after me!?"
Henry would have pointed out a few flaws in Hyde's argument, but he was having too much fun, another emotion barreling in to replace the fear and self-loathing, he was not in pain from his mind space and could enjoy the thud from Frankenstein digging her own grave from the mirror that hung over a table nearby.
This! This must be how Hyde felt most of the time! It was a sick sort of glee that Henry partially felt bad at feeling at all, but that same part was the dirty mind...LINT that had been beaten back from the past day's chaos and was currently whimpering in a corner to lick its wounds, the lowly thing would not cause its host any trouble.
Neither side was in the mood to be kind, what had kindness with this person done for either of them? Nothing, she would learn EXACTLY what both of them thought!
Frankenstein wanted to see Hyde so badly?
She got him fully loaded! Hurt to boot, and mad as a rattlesnake with a toothache and snapped off tail.
Henry sat back and watched, smiling, savoring the swelling of sadistic joy that built behind his ribs.
Let the show begin!
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keiscait · 3 years
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Hello!! I see that your matchups are open and I was wondering if I could get a Living Room and Bedroom one? Living Room would be more preferable if u can’t do both. I’m not sure if this is enough to cover both…I’m sorry agdhshdhejdbjdj
I’m not sure if u can do this but could u make this anon too? You can associate me by this emoji: 🕺
Here’s the info:
PRONOUNS: she/her
PERSONALITY (Living Room): I am generally very shy and closed off, always making sure I avoid people. I stay away from large crowds because I’m a ball of anxiety (I get anxiety easy) and I get really nervous whenever someone approaches me, especially around guys like I usually won’t look at them in the eyes because I become a blushy mess and lose my words. I am also usually very quiet too and don’t talk a lot. 
However, when I talk to my close friends, I literally become Hinata (no joke). I get so hyped, energetic, cheerful, make my friends laugh, and help them a lot too. I am also very passionate about things. When I am suffering with a problem, I don’t like telling friends because I don’t wanna worry them because I feel bad. I end up telling my best friend (they are literally Kageyama to me LOL). I also apologize a lot if I felt I did something wrong and I am quite odd to my friends. I end up getting into playful banter with my close friends where I tease them with playful jokes. I am quite observant too since I don’t usually talk to people, so I notice things from afar. I can tell if a friend of mine has a slight change in their behavior and I will ask if they are ok to be sure. I am also very honest, straightforward and pretty blunt about things. 
Do not get me upset. It takes a lot for someone to make me upset and actually angry. The most I would get is being annoyed. However, if you managed to get me angry, I lose my temper and yell and my friends have mentioned it’s as if I would snap someone in two. I do curse like crazy so people get surprised since I am usually quiet. Again it is rare, but I’ve been told it’s scary when I get angry. I will eventually be alone to recharge and wouldn’t want anybody to talk to me. 
When it comes to relationships, I don’t have that much experience…I hate PDA so I’m really private. I’m actually afraid to love somebody because I’m afraid I won’t be good at all so if somebody was crushing on me and shows affection, I try to divert that attention to something else because I get shy and get so scared. Again it’s hard to look at someone I like in the eyes because I blush so much. It’s hard to show affection by words so I show it by actions like hugs. I would love to hold their hands, caressing them or squeezing them just to feel the comfort and warmth. I think I might be very tender and gentle but I think as I open up, I might get cheery and energetic but that’s a theory. I do try my best to make them happy even if it takes me a while to get comfortable and I’ll try to shower them with love by physical actions. Maybe I’ll draw for them too to make them happy…
I love art. I love to draw for my friends because I love seeing them get so excited for the finished product. I also love listening to music every day so when I’m alone and away from everyone, I just blast music through my headphones. I love gaming too so you’d find me playing the Switch!
I am a perfectionist, hardworking and always try my best even if I get put down. Sometimes I might overwork when it comes to drawing but that’s because I get so eager to improve every day. I also love to give support to my friends for their dreams and but I am not an optimist or pessimist, I am a realist. 
IN BEDROOM: Pretty much the same when it comes down to relationships. I get extremely flustered and shy about physical affection and worry if I’m not good at all. I might be a bottom aagdhhshdhsjdjd I just don’t see myself having confidence in these kinds of experiences. I would love if somebody was gentle and passionate with me tho…Since I don’t rly interact with people in the public, I think I might be touch starved so any physical affection might drive me crazy (in the good way). As flustered as I get, I am pretty dirty-minded. 
ZODIAC: Aries
THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A PARTNER: quiet, calm, observant, passionate, playful, a tease, cold yet caring, strong, emotional, empathetic, kind, understanding, respectful, and not afraid to speak their mind
HOGWARTS HOUSE: Gryffindor!!
FAV FOOD: I loveeee food. I am always hungry for food. I love spicy food especially. I love pasta/spaghetti, pizza, sushi, and I love chicken burgers
FUTURE PLANS/DREAMS: I just hope to be successful and actually feel happy. I hope I’ll land a good position for art like for animation or games (especially if it’s anime-related!) I’m not sure if I’ll find someone to settle down with but only time will tell. 
MUSIC TASTE: Rock, J-Rock, Future Funk, Lofi, and I adore anime and video game OST LOOKS: I’m smol like 5'3. I have light skin but not pale (it’s like Hinata’s) and I have red/brown hair and brown eyes. I also have little freckles on my cheeks I’m so sorry if it’s so much but maybe it helps ; __ ; Thank u for doing these and make sure to take breaks!!
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Hello and welcome, dear! This is wonderful - thank you for all the details, it gives me a lot to work with! ❤️ I’m so excited to get started with this. Let’s go to the living room! ٩(◕‿◕。)۶
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For you, I’ve invited over…
Kita Shinsuke! (Runner up: Sugawara Koushi)
Our lovely Inarizaki captain may come off as cold and stoic, but he’s really just unbothered my trivial things. He strives for improvement daily, and ensures he goes through the motions before reaching perfection.
- When you two first meet, I don’t think there will be a lot of interaction there - but when there is, it’s definitely more comfortable than it is awkward. Kita has the effect on people that makes them feel safe and secure, like all the pressures of life just disappear for a moment
- This is how your friendship starts. He proves himself more and more approachable by the day. You’re both straightforward and observant people, so you two would probably tag-team when interacting with other people. He’ll make you feel secure in the friendship despite his no-nonsense bluntness, while he appreciates that you aren’t a flashy person
- The fact that you’re a hardworking perfectionist helps him relate to you on a deeper level. He’d be so happy to find someone who understands this part of him
- He will probably make himself more present in your life by doing little things - helping you clean up after class, sending you tips on how to study for a subject you’re having trouble with, offering an ear for you to rant if he notices something’s off
- He does everything slowly and with very close precision, all in the hopes of you becoming more comfortable around him
- the man is near perfect, what more can I say 
- OF COURSE he succeeds. He’s Kita Shinsuke
- Don’t worry, he won’t be thrown off by your more playful side once it comes out. Kita most likely already got hints of your sunshine here and there while he was slowly gaining your trust
- Once he feels like it’s the perfect time, only THEN will he ask you out
- Let out your inner gremlin!!!!! He can 100% handle it, since he’s so used to the chaos of his team by now and he has somehow remained?? completely SANE?? what a man
- AND the difference is, he LIKES YOU!!!1!!!!!!!1!!
- He will adore all your little quirks, and may even participate in your playful banter
- Does not mind that you’re not into PDA. Hell, he might even be relieved–
- He’d notice how you try to divert affection, and will try to talk to you about it. You won’t have to say much, he’ll be able to tell from your body language that it’s because you’re anxious to love somebody, and will never take that against you
- Will work on trying to break through those walls, but wouldn’t ever force it
- Prepare for a beautiful domestic future 🥺🥺🥺 a simple life on a farm in the Japanese countryside with the man of your dreams?? You, an artist, and him, a farmer???? The absolute PUREST domestic dream 😭😭😭
~
You were sat in your worktable, sketching away the morning. A deadline was fast approaching, so you could hardly allow yourself to rest - so the first thing you did today, as with most days, was work. 
The art block hit a few days back. Your nights have recently been filled with drooping eyes paired with a throbbing headache, and they were now slowly eating up your mornings, too. You massaged your neck, sore from hunching over your desk so much - all you could at the moment was stare at the now blank sheet in front of you. You weren’t satisfied with any of the pieces you made, so you always ended up scrapping whatever it is that you were doing.
You were snapped out of your daze at the sound of the cuckoo clock. You noticed that you were gripping the pen a little too hard, causing some redness on your fingertips. A frustrated groan escaped you as your hands rubbed circles into your temples. The morning felt so dull.
The time read 7AM. Two hours on the desk and not a single thing, you thought to yourself. Like clockwork, you heard the door open and close as Kita came back from field work. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing you.
“You’re awake?” His tone was more concerned than surprised. He had witnessed your restlessness these past few days, doing whatever he can to ease your frustration a a little bit. This wasn’t anything new to him, seeing as you were both workaholics, but he couldn’t help but worry about how this deadline was treating you.
You managed a weak smile as you met his eyes. He looked pretty in the morning light - sweat trickling down his neck, some of his hair clinging to his forehead, lips slightly parted to allow better breathing. It was rare for you to see him like this since he usually gets up and finishes work before you get up. The sight comforted you a bit, as if the bleakness dissipated for a little while.
He walked over to the coffee machine to run it. “Still no luck?”
“I’ve been at it since 5AM.” You let out an exasperated sigh. “I woke up when you went out to work. I couldn’t go back to sleep thinking about it.”
He hummed in acknowledgment. The two of you stayed quiet for a while, with only the sounds of the coffee machine and birds chirping. The peacefulness almost sunk in until you were reminded of the stress looming over your head. You let out another sigh.
You were staring down the blank sheet again, sick of the emptiness it posed. With a pen in hand, you tried to mimic the motions of drawing strokes, hoping for a sudden burst of inspiration. Nothing. 
Kita laid a cup of coffee next to you. “You barely slept, y/n. At least eat a bit.” That elicited no response from you - all you could do was lean back in your chair, feet put up onto the seat.
Your boyfriend placed his finger under your chin, making you look up at him standing next to you. “Y/n.” 
He examined your expression - you were so tired; redness peaked from the corners of your eyes, and your lips were almost pale. “You need food in your system, y/n.”
“I don’t have time to eat, Shin, this is–”
“Food is what the brain runs on. Even a child knows that,” he teased as he pulled you on your feet and led you to the kitchen table, “Eat.”
You had no choice but to oblige. You plucked a banana from its bunch, munching away while Shin scrambled some eggs. Before you knew it, a breakfast was spread out in front of you. The brown-eyed boy pressed a kiss at the top of your head as you praised him. “I don’t deserve you,” you said with a smile.
“It’s just breakfast,” he chuckled, “and you do deserve me. You deserve the world.”
The world suddenly felt full of color again, and you were ready to face the dreary white that’s been mocking you the whole week.
~
I hope that was alright with you, dear! Let’s head over to the bedroom ٩(◕‿◕。)۶
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Look who’s here for some alone time!
Semi Eita! (Runner up: Kageyama Tobio)
One of the prettiest setters to date, Semi here has his moments of sincerity despite the scary attitude he puts up. He comes off as a domineering personality, but I feel like in the bedroom, he’d be incredibly tender.
- Don’t believe the mask he puts up. Semi bb is a big softie for his s/o!!!!! CHANGE MY MIND
- In the bedroom, you well-being would be TOP priority - he would constantly ask you if this or that is okay, and make sure your comfortable with whatever the two of you are doing
- Your first time would be SO intimate: if you planned it beforehand, he’d go as far as laying out candles, setting up a fragrance to fill the room, and maybe even laying out roses; if it isn’t planned, he’d hold you close the whole time, and won’t really get rough with how he handles you
- Has enough confidence to take the lead. He’s pretty self-assured, and this will really translate in the bedroom
- Knows where to touch you and is gentle about it, making sure to test things out first before going at it
- When he gets to know your more dirty side, that’s when he brings up stuff he’d like to try out. Try surprising him every now and then by telling him you want to try something new (  ・ิω・ิ)
- Oh, his moans. SO GOOD. They’re soft, but so raw, and it would almost sound melodic. Would also chant your name a lot
- I can’t imagine him being loud in the bedroom, but he’d definitely be into dirty talk - I imagine it’s one of his top kinks - more praising than degrading
- He’s also into choking, unless you’re not comfortable with it, then for sure, he wouldn’t force it on you 
- MAKES THE PRETTIEST O FACES. WHAT I’D GIVE TO SEE IT
- Would lay on top of you (or under, whichever position you were in) for a while before aftercare. He wants some time to hold you while winding down
- Aftercare would be quick but careful - he wants to ensure that he’s got everything covered
- The epitome of Making Love, as opposed to simply “having sex”
~
Sorry for the long wait, darling! I hope you enjoyed all of that, and thank you so much for your patience. Feel free to pay me another visit, or just sit and chat with me anytime :D
Thanks for stopping by! (ノ´ヮ`)ノ*: ・゚
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real-jaune-isms · 4 years
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RWBY Volume 7 Chapter 13 (Finale) Rundown
It’s been a month or two since the finale aired, and honestly I needed that time to organize my thoughts on it and what I think may happen next. And I was busy becoming an art major. That too. Oh, and a little thing called COVID-19.
So our season finale begins with one of the fights we had most been looking forward to, JNR and Oscar vs Neo. Jaune wants to avoid a fight and tells her to surrender since she’s outnumbered, but Neo is too confident in her capabilities and just draws her parasol blade. So Nora and Ren start shooting at her to no effect and rush in for melee combat. Also ineffective at first, she just dodges and blocks and counters. Even Ren’s new grapple line blades do next to nothing, she just does a split to dodge under his flying kick. Oscar runs in to attack with his cane, but she counters and flips him into the air with the lamp getting knocked off his belt and being in the air between them. Both thrust their sticks to try and catch it, but Oscar gets it first and sticks his landing. Neo just starts slashing at him as he backs away, and Jaune steps between them to repel her with his shield’s gravity Dust burst. One thing you notice pretty quickly about the fight is how casually Neo seems to be taking it, taunting her opponents the whole time by making faces and being theatrical with her every move. It’s maddening, but it’s the attitude we came to expect from her after Volumes 2 and 3. Teamwork seems the best move, so Nora launches Ren through the air at the ice cream demon while Oscar holds her legs so she can’t move out of the way. Too bad her Semblance is still pretty OP and Ren just shatters an apparently fake Neo. They check down the corridors for any sign of her but instead see Atlesian soldiers who chase after them on Ironwood’s orders.
Back to the battle of the seasons, Penny flies at Cinder with a high speed punch that sends her back into the hallway but she just catches it and uses her Grimm arm to toss her around a bit. Winter attacks with a flock of tiny Nevermore summons before charging in herself with a sword slash, though both do little to phase the nimble Maiden. She summons two glass swords of her own to fight back, and seems to have the advantage. She even takes the time to lecture Winter on how Atlas’s elite hoard so much power in the hopes of maintaining it forever, and how that just starves the rest of the world. It seems like she really means it once starved her, and she refuses to starve again. Some hints of what may have been her tragic backstory here, which I would be very interested to learn in greater detail even if it absolutely won’t redeem her character from the cruel and insane devil she is. I just want to see how she got to this point, where this lust for power came from. It’s certainly ironic that she’s complaining about other people hoarding power when she’s going around stealing Maiden powers all for herself when those were literally made to be divided among four people. Penny re-enters the fight with her swords on strings, but Cinder’s reflexes are apparently on the level of Ultra Instinct since she’s able to dodge and block all her spinning blades AS WELL as Winter’s attacks once she draws her second sword and joins in again. The two are at least able to avoid getting hit in return, but the whole is just going nowhere fast even if they’re blocking her way back into Fria’s room. So Cinder lashes out and flies at them with all her might, grabbing them both by the neck and rocketing through the other wall of the medical room... to reveal this secret room was not in a subbasement as we may have assumed but the top floor of a skyscraper. Now they’re all in the open air and Winter is the odd one out since... y’know, she can’t fly. She doesn’t make things better for herself by stabbing Cinder’s hand and making her drop the Specialist. With only one person to worry about now, Cinder tosses Penny away and kicks a flaming sword her way. Penny catches it, but didn’t expect it to explode and knock her back some more. The two have a floating standoff with Cinder becoming increasingly frustrated and calling Penny a toy, as if she’s Tom Hanks in 1995. But her attention is brought elsewhere as she’s hit by a blast of ice. In one of the most badass sights this Volume has offered, Winter is flying on the back of a summoned Manticore. The 2v1 fight resumes in this airborne setting, and Cinder has a harder time dodging and countering their speedy strikes while also focusing her powers on staying in flight. But when she and Winter charge at each other, her sword is unfortunately able to cut through the summon and leave Winter in a freefall. As if to add vindictive insult to injury, she also shoots a fireball at the Schnee that takes down her Aura. Satisfied with her work, Cinder flies back to the building while Penny is left with the choice of following her and dutifully protecting the Maiden powers or saving Winter. She makes the right choice, and saves her friend. Winter thinks she should have just been left to die, that she matters less than the mission. But Penny disagrees.
Back with JNRO, they’re still running from the Atlas soldiers. Whatever scuffle Oscar had with Neo before the others came along is now wearing on him and he begins to fall behind. In all the rushing through the labyrinth of hallways, he gets separated from the group. Just as he’s lost hope of rejoining the others and the guards are just around the corner, the farmboi gets pulled into an empty room and kept quiet via a hand over his mouth by... Nora? A very silent and smiling Nora... A Nora who suddenly lunges at him with a lace parasol... okay this is clearly not Nora. This is clearly Neo in a very cruel and deceptive disguise, as made clear by her eyes changing to the usual pink and brown when Oscar fortunately dodges out of the way of her attack and back into the hallway. Worse still, she swiped the Lamp from him in the heat of the moment, and the little devil makes a break for it. Jaune is looking for Oscar, but finds Neora instead, and she just dodges around him and springboards off his shield. Then... things get rough. She runs into Ren next... while looking like Nora. He still shoots at her as she barrels towards him but she just blocks with her parasol as she is want to do. When he meets her halfway and takes a jumping slash at her... she twists the knife in; changing her eyes back from her own determined mismatched pink and brown to Nora’s scared and confused turquoise. In that split second of seeing his beloved’s face staring at him with such fear, Ren hesitates and stops the attack, so she hits him in the face and trips him to the floor before running away some more. Jaune is still on her tail and runs past his dazed and shellshocked teammate. When he rounds the corner Neo had just headed down however, he only finds more Atlas soldiers firing at him. The real Nora comes running from gods know where and the three head back the way they came. Nora checks over her shoulder to see if they’re still being followed, but what’s more interesting is that Ren can be seen crying as he brings up the rear. Obviously he’s quite upset with how easily Neo could get him to hesitate just by posing as Nora and playing on his feelings for her. She probably didn’t realize just how complicated the Renora relationship is, but it worked perfectly in her favor. Ren’s tried to set aside his feelings but they’ve now dramatically affected his capacity to do his job. Like it or not, he HAS to talk about it or else everything is gonna implode. And of course, when we cut to see the armored soldiers chasing our heroes there’s also a more formally uniformed female officer in the back who goes sauntering off in the other direction. That was a very speedy costume change, you little sugar gremlin. Anyway, she got away with the Lamp. That’s no good.
What’s even less good is that we cut back to a temporarily black screen and the harsh wrenching sound of tearing metal. Turns out its the POV of Fria as she blinks back into consciousness and sees the satisfied face of Cinder as she starts a monologue about how the elder woman’s time is up. Fria admits she has been waiting for a good long while, but she can’t remember what or whom for. Cinder confidently informs her it was for this very moment. For her~ But as she goes for the Reverse Flash kill with her Grimm hand, the Winter Maiden shows off one of the reasons she’s survived this long. A good strong grip on Cinder’s wrist stopping her before she can make contact and keeping the Fall Maiden from getting any further. The hungry wolf won’t be gobbling up Granny tonight, deary. Faced with the tired but steadfast face of a woman who has likely lived and fought several times longer than Cinder has been alive, accented by the blue flame of her Maiden magic, the evil woman pulls back. But she’s persistent, and tries a glass dagger instead. That goes even worse, as a pulse of magic sends her flying backwards. With more magic on display than any Maiden we’ve seen before, Fria summons a cyclone of pure cold air and ice around herself and starts floating in the middle of it. Cinder’s Grimm fingers start to freeze (since they don’t have Aura like the rest of her body and thus get no protection from the cold, thank you for setting that concept up in episode 3 Weiss!) so she has to back away further. That becomes a full temporary retreat out of the room when the coldnado sends a pod door at her and the intensity only keeps increasing. Much like Professor Xavier in Logan, Fria is already very old and isn’t in the most stable state of mind anymore, so she loses control of the tempest and it busts a hole in the roof. Penny and Winter land a short distance away and marvel at the majestic chaos. Winter claims this is the power of a fully realized Maiden, which makes me wonder if Raven was able to do something similar or if it takes decades to unlock this kind of mastery. Winter tries to get in closer and reach Fria, but the blizzard winds are enough to destroy the material of her glove and leave her fingers red with chill. Something has to be done, but after the beating she took she’s in no shape to do it. So Penny jumps in instead, much to Winter’s dismay.
Continuing the hopscotch course of dismal vibes, we go back to JNRO as they’re hiding in the training room and Oscar is apologizing for having lost the lamp. Jaune tries to reassure him, but Ren is even more pessimistic. He doesn’t think they were ready to even become Huntsmen and Huntresses which is just so painful to hear. Nora of course disagrees, but Ren has a harsh rebuttal: if they’re ready and capable, then why don’t they have any of the relic they’re supposed to be protecting? Why haven’t they succeeded in their most important mission? Oscar seems even more hurt by this reminder, and Jaune puts on his serious leader voice to tell Ren that’s enough. I would half agree with Ren, and unfortunately its a half that blames him. It’s not that the team wasn’t ready for this, it’s that HE wasn’t EMOTIONALLY ready for this. Like I said before, Neo took advantage of his emotional state to make him hesitate and overwhelm him.  Their moping is interrupted by Pietro and Maria chiming in over their Scrolls. Was there any doubt that a genius like Dr. Polendina would be able to undo Ironwood’s communication shutdown?? We see Yang and Blake for the first time this episode as they shoot at Atlas robots and head for an airship, one which Maria is getting ready to pilot as their getaway vehicle. Nora informs her of their current hiding place, but the soldiers happen to close in at that moment and the three hide behind Jaune’s hard-light extended shield... wait. Three?? OH NO WE LOST THE BABY!!!! It would seem Oscar ran off on his own to try and fix things, and he insists they leave without him.
Back to the impending ice age, Penny is slowly making her way through the blizzard. Her foot gets frozen to the ground, but she hits the boot jets and it busts out again. There in the eye of the storm she finds Fria, and the android approaches carefully before gently touching her ankle to get her attention. The fire in the old lady’s eye dies down and she notices Penny. Penny is a of course a sweet and thoughtful girl and rather than demanding Fria stop the storm she just asks if she’s okay. Fria most certainly does not seem to feel okay, again mentioning that she had a job to do. She clarifies that she was supposed to protect the power of the Winter Maiden until the time came for her to pass them on. Penny notices the machines are broken and buried in a wall of ice, so the more safe transfer method is no longer possible. Fria laments that she may have taken longer to be ready for passing the powers along than she should have, but promises she’s ready now. She knows that means dying, that’s one thing she still remembers quite well. The elderly Maiden quiets the cyclone and floats down to collapse in Penny’s arms. Not gone yet, just weary, and hoping to learn the name of the sweet young lady who’s helping her like this. Penny gives her name, and now Fria asks the million lien question: Since Penny is suddenly showing up now after Fria’s only interactions being with Winter for so long... does that mean Penny is the One? The poor little android doesn’t know what to say to that, and for damn good reason. She knows Winter is supposed to be the one to get the Maiden powers, but she also knows Winter would use those powers to obey Ironwood’s cruel plans for Atlas and Mantle. If she takes the powers, she can make sure that doesn’t happen AND that they don’t fall into Cinder’s hands. But that would also mean betraying her boss and her orders, betraying her friend Winter. So what is she gonna do, what she’s been told to do or what she feels is right? This is the culmination of the struggle she’s been wrestling with the entire volume, nay her character’s entire existence! She is a creation of Atlas, but she is also a girl with a heart and soul of her own. Such a tragic clash of motivations! 
Speaking of motivations clashing, we cut down to Ironwood in the Atlas vault. He hears the hum of the elevator approaching and assumes it’s Winter coming to report Fria’s demise and her own acquisition of the Winter Maiden powers, and thus begins apologizing for making her perform such a morally dubious act. Instead he finds Oscar, posing rather seriously with Ozpin’s his cane and fixing James with his best look of fed up disapproval. With such a formal air about him, James has every reason to suspect Oz is back at the helm and asks which of the two he has the pleasure of addressing. It’s just Oscar though, but Oscar is plenty on his own. James thankfully doesn’t yet know that Oscar has lost the Lamp and thinks he just chose not to bring it down here with him, acknowledging that he isn’t very trustworthy right now. Oscar is a farmer to his very roots and wants to help the trust between our heroes and the Atlas forces regrow. He believes they can all come together again. But James is stuck in a guarded state of mind and thinks Oscar came to fight for his cause. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Oscar admits that he feels scared, and whenever he does he holds the cane and it helps calm him down, likely due to its significance to those who came before him. But he puts the cane away as a sign that he will face his fear without that aid, that he will be brave. James just thinks that’s another dig at him, that Oscar is calling him scared. Oscar reminds him that EVERYONE is scared right now, for good reason, and that fear is not something to be ashamed of, that it just gives us a chance to show the content of our character by how we handle the fear. James just snaps at him, says that it’s easy for Oscar to spout such platitudes when he doesn’t have to make life changing decisions for the sake of a Kingdom. As he starts circling around the poor farmboi and backing him towards a dead end ledge, he insists that no matter what labels they put on him he was RIGHT. He was right about what would happen if he opened his heart and trusted others, that all his worst fears came true because he went against his gut and did what the kids told him he should. Except he is absolutely NOT right. Things were going far more smoothly for him once he started trusting Robyn and told her and the council about the trouble he had to deal with, and despite the obviously concerning setback of Watts shutting down Mantle’s heat they handled that situation with very little trouble. It was only once Cinder popped in to sew doubt and paranoia back into his mind that it all spiraled out of control, and that was entirely his fault. If Cinder hadn’t stepped in, they might have found the Seer in Watts’ bag and killed it immediately instead of it interrupting a tense conversation. Robyn now knowing what the Tower is for would mean construction could resume without shipments getting stolen, and perhaps they could have negotiated a way to divide up the materials so the wall could get fixed too. Just spit balling here, what could have been. But no, it all went belly up and Jimmy is only fanning the flames. Oscar tries to remind him that his current plan of abandoning Mantle will be betraying an entire city of thousands to die alone in the cold, but James is having none of it. It’s an excellent philosophical puzzle to try and work through, but the way he sees it none of that matters compared to preventing Salem’s victory. He thinks he’s the only one who can see the big picture, who is making his moves with the intention of changing the final result no matter the cost.
But that’s what’s so dangerous about that mindset. People he writes off as small minded and soft, like Robyn, the council, and even Oscar (possibly by extension even Ozpin)... they’re the good people who think first and foremost about preventing tragedy and loss in the moment, who refuse to budge on their morals of protecting the innocent and will never trade lives. It’s the same kind of difference seen in Superman vs the Elite. Team RWBY and their friends don’t believe in necessary sacrifices for the greater good, but Ironwood has become singlemindedly focused on stopping Salem, likely out of the guilt and humiliation of being so helpless against her back in Volume 3. This is a chance to reclaim his honor, and he thinks of little else. That’s how I see it anyway. Oscar calls James out, saying this mindset makes him just as dangerous as Salem herself. But I guess that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and he insists Oscar refer to him as General. Only his friends may call him James, and it seems our good good boy has lost that status. Not that he seems to expect Oscar will have much chance to show him that due respect any time soon, because he pulls out his pistol and SHOOTS THE INNOCENT FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BOY OFF A LEDGE TO FALL TO HIS DEATH!!!! Ironwood has officially made the transition from misguided good guy to full on villain.
As if there wasn’t enough tension and bad news, we go back to Penny who is still unsure how to answer Fria’s question. What is the right choice to make, the best choice for everyone’s sake? She has no idea. But she had better decide fast, because Cinder crashes through the ice wall and screeches that the powers belong to none but her. Unfortunately for our vicious villain, her Gum Gum stretchy arm comes with a weakness to blades and gets sliced off by a suddenly appearing Winter. Cinder reacts with the appropriate amount of bloody terror and pain that you would expect of someone conscious for an amputation. Winter surveys the room and realizes Fria isn’t long for this world so time is of the essence, but doesn’t have much longer to ponder that before Cinder enters a bloodlust rage. See, apparently whatever monster makeover Salem gave her in the wake of Volume 3 included the ability to regrow her Grimm limb, though it sounds like the process is terribly painful for her and may not have even been something she was expecting to have happen. Regardless, she wants revenge and starts lashing out by summoning blade after blade to throw at Winter. The Specialist manages to block most of them and they turn to dust on impact, but it’s a brutal onslaught that she has to face without any Aura, and one cuts her left arm enough to draw blood, though since it’s burning glass it also seems to cauterize the wound immediately. Let me take another moment to praise the talents of Jessica Nigri. This scene in particular required her to do a lot of screaming and screeching as Cinder, and that cannot be easy on the throat. So the fact that she pulls off those deep dark emotions so well is worthy of respect and sympathy in equal measure. Okay, back to the action. Fria lies on the floor and closes her eyes, passing away peacefully all things considered. Penny holds her hand in her final moments, and a blue glow passes from elder to younger woman. We go back to Oscar for a moment or two, but I’ll tackle his last couple scenes in bulk in just a minute. Winter is getting tossed around, and her hair has been pulled free of its bun to add to her disheveled look... and our overwhelming thirst for her. Battle battered or not, she’s looking like a real snack with her hair down. Cinder stalks toward her to continue the beating and possibly deal the killing blow, but is distracted by a snowflake flying past her face. Well that’s interesting... And then it becomes many snowflakes, a veritable flurry kicking up. She turns around with some legit fear and concern on her face, and her worries are confirmed. Penny’s eyes glow and flare up with a fierce green fire as she stands resolute as the new Winter Maiden. She seems ready to use her new powers to fight Cinder despite only just getting them, and clearly has some manner of control already if she was able to start generating snow already. And this does settle another matter of fan speculation, if she qualifies as a candidate for the powers. Welp, now we know. According to the guidelines set by Oz’s bestowing of the original powers and how he explains their transfer process back in Volume 3, you just have to be a young woman below a certain age (or else they probably would have given Amber’s power to Glynda) and have a soul to receive the power from the last user’s. I guess Penny’s blue fairy has come and said she is a real girl in all the ways that count. Her soul is unique and separate from her dad’s, even though he used his old man aura to create her. And she does in fact have a soul and is considered a legit person even though she’s got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts. Cinder is of course outraged that this “toy” was bestowed the powers she came all this way to steal, and gets ready to fight her, but is distracted by Weiss entering the upper observation room and yelling her sister’s name in concern and fear. Cinder probably has a confused and annoyed moment of “I thought I killed you back at Haven...” She gets ready to kill the little Schnee brat for piling on further interruptions to her plan, but that too goes out the window when she notices Ruby had accompanied her partner down to find their Atlesian allies, and likewise Ruby notices her. Ruby does not hesitate for a second and without needing any time to get into the right head-space blasts off a wave of Silver Eyed energy to essentially Solar Flare the whole room.
Now we can go back to Oscar and his dramatic descent. The shot from Ironwood took out his Aura, and he seems like he’s resigned himself to death once he hits the bottom of this pit. As he closes his eyes, they glow for a moment and he hears a voice that’s been absent the entire Volume. Ozpin. He only says Oscar’s name, or at least that’s all we hear, but the boi seems to regain his determination and tries to reach his cane again. He holds it with both hands, extends it, then holds down the lever on the side. Guess a single squeeze was all it took to pop out the cane part under normal circumstances... But now the gears inside the hilt start really turning, and glowing, and it becomes a flashlight as well as a cane. Well, that’s all that seems to happen at first. With a spin and a jab, Oscar thrusts the tip of the cane downward just as he reaches the bottom of the pit. There’s a momentary flash of green lightning around him then... fade to black.
And now we come to what seems to be the epilogue/wrap up of the episode and the Volume itself. And it begins how the show began, with a voice over narration. Not from Salem though, it’s our first motivational speech from Ozpin in a year. He talks about how fear is the only feeling in this world that is universal across every living thing, yet for how common it is we constantly underestimate how powerful it can be. We experience the fear of making close connections and growing to care for others, because that can lead to a loss which we also fear. We fear failure a great deal, I know I definitely do. And those fears only get stronger the more people depend on us to help them with the decisions we make. But Ozpin reminds us that fear itself is not something to worry about or even, dare I say it, fear. The real concern is how we act when we are afraid, who we become. Can we be proud of that version of ourselves, forgive them for what they do under duress? Will you understand why they felt the need to do the things they did? Will you even recognize them as the same person you normally strive to be, or will you look in the mirror and see the enemy you should have feared from the very start? We all find the answer to that eventually.
Now on to what actually happens in these last few scenes, the fitting content to go with Ozpin’s speech. Oscar is falling through the sky towards the ground waaaaay down in Mantle. Guess his attack with the can was strong enough to bust a hole in the bottom of Atlas... straight into the Vault chamber... hope nobody else finds that. Back in the icy former hospital room, Ruby falls to her knees from the exhaustion of using her Silver Eyes. She and Weiss notice a freshly burned hole in the ceiling, as Cinder apparently avoided getting damaged by the SEW blast and escaped. Weiss rushes to check on Winter and see how badly she’s hurt, but all her sister has for her is an accusation. She still doesn’t know what Team RWBY did to get a warrant for their arrests, but she knows it was the catalyst for all of this. Meanwhile Ruby looks to see how Penny is doing, and the ginger girl’s eyes lose their fire as she meets her friend’s gaze, only to gain regret and fear as she turns back around to kneel by Fria’s side. The Winter Maiden is dead, long live the Winter Maiden. But Penny can only mourn the loss of a good person’s life, she takes no satisfaction in being the one to carry on her legacy. Winter actually does reassure her a bit, saying that some part of Fria will always live on in Penny now. We cut down to the blood stained tundra as Atlas police arrive to arrest Qrow and Robyn, who is only now regaining consciousness. Qrow puts up no fight, and it looks like neither will Robyn. Cinder is seen flying above Atlas Academy and screams with rage and hatred, even getting a bit of a dragon vibe in it by having fire erupt from her mouth. I was glad she was the one shown when Ozpin talked about fear of failure, because she did indeed fail. We don’t know how, but JNR make it to the airship pad and onto the getaway ship where the Bees and elderly people are waiting. They take off and of course question the meeting lacking the presence of Oscar and the Lamp, and JNR can only look sad in response. From one sad ship to another, we see Qrow and Robyn aboard a prison airship in cuffs, and Qrow is holding Clover’s bloodstained lucky badge. Despite the last interaction the three shared being a fight, Robyn shows sympathy to his mourning and puts a hand on his shoulders. Can’t wait to see if the two of them try to break out of jail next Volume~ As they fly up to the city in the sky backdropped by the eastern sunrise, a large dark cloud approaches from the west accented by flashes of red lightning. Back to Oscar, he clips the cane to his back and closes his eyes for a few seconds to concentrate and steel his composure. Back to the ice room again, Winter says the girls should surrender to Ironwood. Weiss is heartbroken, you can hear it in her voice, but she has to disobey her sister’s wishes, they simply cannot comply with his cruel plans. Winter seemed to expect that answer, and instead urges them to flee, but Weiss doesn’t want to do that either because it would mean leaving Winter behind while she’s so badly injured. Her big sister insists it simply isn’t like that, this is her giving them a head start before she calls for reinforcements to hunt them down. Weiss is disheartened, but reaffirms the lesson Winter had shared with her earlier in the Volume, they booth have to make decisions for the sake of their own futures that might take them down separating paths. The getaway ship arrives and hovers just outside the first hole Cinder had made in the wall, and Yang greets the group. She’s very relieved to see everyone is okay, but soon finds a lot more happened than she expected. Ruby affirms that they need to head out while they still can, and Weiss gives her sister one more glance before departing. Ruby and Penny also share a look, and Penny decides she will be leaving too. Guess she’s decided once and for all she won’t be helping Ironwood. Winter seems concerned by this development, but realizes she has no right to object or stop her after everything the two of them had talked about since the dinner party. On the airship everyone seems very dour and grim, and Penny looks at her own hand as if asking herself if she had the right to make the choices she did when she is just an Atlas robot. But Ruby and Weiss both lean on her shoulders to reassure her and make sure she knows they are happy she came with them and they believe she did the right thing. That seems to calm her down, and Pietro looks happy to see she has such good friends. On an Atlas rooftop, Cinder is quite satisfied to see Neo deliver the Lamp to her, and takes it without a single word or gratitude. Neo doesn’t like that, I guess even Roman would praise her for a job evilly done. She’s probably starting to realize Cinder is just using her to further her own plans. Speaking of unfortunate realizations, Ironwood gets a message from Winter that simply says “It’s gone”. We’re unsure if she means the Lamp or the Winter Maiden powers. Considering what her job was meant to be, it’s likely the latter. Ironwood takes that news poorly and screams with rage. I too screamed with rage, because we next see that Arthur Watts is actually still alive and just in a jail cell, nursing a black eye and smiling ominously at the mysterious black clouds we saw rolling in. 
Oscar seems to have been playing some Halo 3 recently, because he throws up a bubble shield to cushion his badass superhero landing on the ground. Not just any ground though, he seems to be within the crater where Atlas once was before Ozpin lifted it into the sky. The same crater that has apparently become the main Dust mines for the Kingdom. Perhaps next Volume will give us a closer look at just how awful these mines really are. But let’s address what Oscar has actually done here. He had no Aura after getting shot by Ironwood, so that was not his Semblance. That energy bubble he used to shield himself when busting through the bottom of the pit and cushioning his hitting the ground, that had to be Magic. He’s unlocking more of Oz’s old powers, the union of souls is progressing. But he’s still in control, Oscar is still there. He just has more of Ozpin’s memories and abilities now and used them to save himself, as if the old souls are merging into his existing one as opposed to his new soul fading away into the collective. Maybe the process will be different this time around? Regardless, Ozpin’s voice is back in his head and ready to apologize for everything he put him through. But all Oscar wants to hear right now is what their next step will be to save Atlas. As we cut back up to RWBY and friends flying away from the city, we see that it will indeed need saving very very soon. Transmissions are coming in over the radio of multiple incoming hostiles, to a degree that seems impossible to believe. Our view shifts to the dark storm itself, and a shape begins to emerge from the black and red. A GIANT. FLYING. GRIMM. WHALE! With hundreds of Nevermore, Manticores, and Sphinxes flying around it looking as big as flies by comparison. I have personally dubbed this species the Mobius, and this particular specimen has earned the nickname of Monstro. I can’t imagine there ever being more than one of this thing though, so Monstro will be the only one. He has wings, but what seems to keep him in the air is several large chunks of Gravity Dust embedded in his belly and on top of his head. We pan up over his massive glowing forehead to see the Queen herself riding into battle. Salem has come to Atlas, and she’s wearing a badass (and kind of sexy) new dress to celebrate the occasion. There are grey arm bands on the longer sleeves that look like they’re made of bones, complete with jagged spikes, and a new broach to be the centerpiece between exposed shoulders and a noticeably bigger boob window. The unique aesthetic is aided by more red lines down the curves of her figure. The words “step on me” easily come to my mind, but that may just say something about me in particular. Regardless, she smirks at the camera and it is clear she is here to fuck some shit up.
We’ll have to wait 6 months to see how our heroes deal with that though. Cannot wait. Oh, and it must be noted that the new song for the credits “Fear” is very good, and we can see that another song on the soundtrack called “Until the End” was actually written by Casey Lee Williams as opposed to her dad. Good for her!! If only I could remember which song it was...
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face to the wind, eyes to the sun (pt. six)
part one
part two
part three
part four
part five
okay, so i lied a lil bit.
you will have THREE parts today, and an epilogue tomorrow.
i am not good at creating an outline for things, apparently.
also that megasix today. wow. my soul hurts but also feels rejuvenated somehow.
***
one.
Catherine of Aragon doesn’t believe in bargaining.
She never really has.
The idea of desperately offering everything you own in exchange for something else seems foolish, not to mention illogical. The value of what you’re giving away far outpaces what you’re receiving.
Even when Henry had come into their bedroom one night and announced he was going to divorce her for Anne, she hadn’t bargained. She’d argued, of course she had. She’d asked him over and over why he was doing this as they stood in their nightclothes, yelling at one another, but she hadn’t offered him anything so that he might let her stay. Maybe she should have, but she didn’t.
Now, though?
Now, she’s standing downstairs, waiting for the rest of the queens so that they can leave for their last show ever before they all die. Again. And she finds herself wanting to promise anything, anything, so that they can live.
She’s beginning to think it might not be so illogical after all to give everything up for the people you love.
Anna comes down the stairs, her crown a little askew and her eyes clearly red from crying.
“Hey, Cleves,” Aragon says, fiddling with the cap on her waterbottle.
Anna looks startled for a moment before composing herself. “Hey,” she replies nonchalantly.
Out of all the queens, Anna is probably the one who Aragon knows the least. The other queens would probably say the same, actually.
There’s a barrier there. Aragon doesn’t fully know why. Most of them were wary around each other for the first few weeks, but their common experiences brought them together and they soon started to make connections.
Anna has always been funny, been comforting when people needed comfort and given space when they didn’t, been strong and kind and understanding.
But, for the most part, she’s alone. She tends not to talk about things that are hurting her, even when Aragon can tell it’s eating her alive to hide her feelings.
She never asked about any of it because it didn’t seem like the right time. But since now there’s almost no time at all, this seems like her only option.
Aragon weighs the choices and makes her decision.
“Anna?”
“Yeah, babes?”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Anna looks surprised for just a second, but she covers it quickly and shrugs. “Nah,” she answers nonchalantly. “I feel like discussing my death’ll be a bit dark, yeah?”
“Sometimes talking about the dark things can help,” Aragon offers. “I know it helped me.”
That draws the ghost of a smile out of Anna, like the idea of sharing her feelings is almost laughable. “I’ve tried that whole feelings thing before,” she says grimly. “Didn’t work out too well.”
Aragon can infer based on the set of her jaw and the way her eyes unfocus slightly that she’s talking about Henry, and this time she chooses not to ask. She takes Anna’s waterbottle and hands it to her, trying to silently communicate her support.
Anne comes down the stairs in a whirlwind, carrying a completely open backpack with the main pocket flapping open, her arms full of books and bags of food and charging cords for her phone and her barrettes and her flats for after the show.
Aragon’s yelled at Anne for forever to clean up after herself, to be more organized, to not run down the stairs holding a million things at once, but the routine of Anne coming down a few minutes late in a state of chaos is oddly comforting in the slowly mounting dread that’s starting to surround them, and she finds herself relaxing at the sight of Anne’s mess.
The rest of the queens join them soon enough, and Aragon herds them all into the car. She’s driving tonight. She needs to have control over at least one aspect of what’s happening, or else she’s going to lose her mind. She’s powerless against this curse, whatever it is.
It’s eerily silent when they pull onto the road. Anne and Katherine aren’t screaming the lyrics to some new song that comes on the radio, Jane and Anna aren’t running through a checklist of necessities before the show, and Parr doesn’t have her nose in a book.
The air feels stiffer to Aragon somehow, like it takes more effort to get it into her lungs when she breathes in.
When Katherine speaks, it’s a relief, even if what she’s saying isn’t.
“I don’t want to die.”
It’s a statement more than anything else. Aragon can’t see her face in the dark, but she notices the way her voice quavers a little, and she can hear the now-recognizable rustling sound of Katherine fiddling with the skirt on her costume.
“Kit, it’ll be okay,” Cathy replies, but her own voice is far from confident. “This isn’t the end.”
“What if I forget you? What if I forget all of you?”
A shiver of panic runs through Aragon. She hadn’t even thought of that. What will happen when they’re sent back to the moment of their death? Will they still retain the memories of this life?
“That won’t happen, sweetheart,” Jane says, and it’s genuinely admirable how sure she sounds, because Aragon feels terror setting in. What if they do forget each other?
The theatre looks different when they drive up to the back. Normally, they would all breathe a collective sigh of relief, because this place is their safe haven. If they’re fighting, they set their differences aside once they enter the stage door. They can talk about things that matter here, let themselves be honest with each other, be silly and overexcited and real.
Now, it just represents everything they’re going to lose.
“We should go in,” Anna says, but it sounds reluctant, and the rest of them mumble a halfhearted assent.
Aragon knows how easy it would be not to say anything. She knows she could just walk into the greenroom, allow herself and everyone else to fall into a grave silence, and not discuss anything until after the show.
But she doesn’t do that. She puts her keys in her pocket and stands up, because she needs to be the strong one right now..
“We’re going out with a bang, ladies!” She’s shouting a little too loudly for the otherwise quiet street, but she’s far past caring. “This is our last show. I wish it wasn’t, but there’s nothing we can do about it, so we’re just going to have to throw our entire hearts and souls into this one. Forget about tonight. Forget about dying for seventy-five minutes. We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do it right.” She takes a breath. “So let’s go.”
Everybody looks a little taken aback, but Parr has a tiny smile on her face, and Aragon tries to memorize the way her goddaughter looks right now, affection filling her heart.
“All right then, Aragon,” Anne says, shock and a little bit of awe apparent in her expression. “Let’s fuckin’ go.”
With their heads held a little higher, the group of six walks into the theater.
It smells like dusty carpet and hairspray and takeout, each different smell evoking a different memory. Aragon fiddles with the cross necklace she always wears, trying to occupy her mind so she won’t have to think too hard about the reality of this performance.
“Warm-ups in five,” Anna calls out, poking her head out from the greenroom door, and the rest of the queens nod.
They all try to heed Aragon’s ultimatum from earlier, outrunning the fear in every way they can think of. They laugh harder than normal when someone slips up during tongue twisters, and go all out during physical warm-ups, hard enough that Aragon gets a little scared that somebody’s going to pull something.
Before she knows it, they’re standing in their places behind the curtain, and Aragon is so nervous she’s trembling. She’s always a little anxious when a show starts, but this is a new level, her heart pounding in her chest and her legs going numb.
She knows that she, Catherine of Aragon, can’t afford to be nervous. She never could.
When the spotlight flashes over her head, her voice cracks a little as she says ‘divorced’, but that’s the most she allows herself to show the audience of what’s happening inside her head.
For the first time, she wishes her song wasn’t first. She needs more time to prepare, she can’t do this, she can’t, she can’t-
She has to.
The queens start singing her intro line, and she jumps in half a beat early, but adjusts quickly. She concentrates on the words, finding solace in the familiar rhythms, the dance moves coming instinctively with the melody.
She lets her anger and her fear and her devastation bleed into her singing, and when she’s done, she is completely spent, emotionally exhausted from giving everything she has.
Aragon doesn’t really even process when Anne starts talking, so the over-the-top music cue for ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ startles her a bit.
She makes all the right facial expressions during Anne’s song, disgust and malice and frustration, but she can’t keep a smile off of her face as Anne throws her whole heart into singing, a warm affection filling her chest for this crazy gremlin of a girl.
In a million years, she never would have thought she’d forgive her for what she did, for tearing apart her marriage with seemingly no care at all.
From the beginning, Anne had apologized over and over again, but Aragon refused to yield. Forgiving the woman who destroyed her marriage felt like a surrender.
But she did, eventually. She doesn’t know exactly when it happened, only that one day she woke up and she wasn’t immediately incensed with anger at the thought of Anne.
Forgiveness is a funny thing. It doesn’t always happen like you expect it to.
While she’s lost in thought, Jane takes the stage, and the rest of the queens sit on the steps behind her.
Jane’s voice is unsteady, and there’s less of her normal emotional force present than just a broken mother, lost in the past.
Aragon can tell that the song isn’t about Edward tonight, though. Jane is clearly singing this song to Katherine, and when Aragon looks over, Katherine’s tears are glistening on her face, illuminated by the colorful stage lighting.
The song ends, they do their bit before Haus of Holbein, and then they release all of their pent-up crazy energy by jumping around the stage and employing their obnoxious German accents.
Too soon, it’s over, and Anna takes the stage.
Aragon notices that she’s not as devil-may-care and flippant as she normally is when she sings. There’s more of a cautious air to her movements, and her bragging in the song is definitely toned down.
The conversation from earlier flashes through her mind.
I’ve tried that whole feelings thing before, Anna had said. Didn’t work out too well.
To be completely honest, Aragon doesn’t think it’s working out for them now either. They’re all destroyed, each trying their best to appear put together for the audience and barely succeeding.
Aragon feels like she’s watching from an outside perspective throughout the rest of the show. When Kat breaks down completely after her song, crying brokenly as the lights fade, Aragon wonders how long it will be before they’re all in a similar situation, because heaven knows they’ve all come close today already.
Parr steps up after her dialogue to begin her song, and when she starts, it’s like something breaks, and Aragon feels the sudden need for a hug.
It’s odd. The other queens are more touchy-feely, needing contact and comfort to stay grounded and feel safe. But Aragon has never been that type of person. She’ll accept Katherine’s tackle-hugs, of course, and sometimes Cathy just needs someone to hold her and tell her it’ll be all right, so she does that too. But she doesn’t actually seek out hugging and closeness like the others.
Now, though, all she wants is someone to take her into their arms, because it feels like she’s been holding her breath for twenty-four hours and she needs someone to tell her that everything will be okay.
The show ends, and it feels incredibly anticlimactic. It’s the same confetti that they almost slip on, the same cheers from the audience, the same riffs from their ladies in waiting that they always hear.
But, suddenly, violently, everything shifts.
“London, we actually have an announcement for you,” Cathy says, and by the set of her jaw and barely concealed tears, the audience can tell that it isn’t good news.
“We can’t perform anymore,” Anne continues, almost robotically, trying not to cry herself, and Aragon winces at the gasp from the crowd.
“S-something’s, um, a conflict has made itself known and we won’t be able to do the show because of it,” Katherine states, trying to be stoic and failing miserably.
Aragon takes it upon herself to finish the delivery of the news. “The show’s closing. We wish we could explain more, but we can’t. We aren’t allowed. We’re sorry, really we are, but there’s nothing we can do.”
There’s nothing we can do.
There never has been, really.
The audience is silent, stunned by what they’ve just been told. Aragon knows their explanation isn’t enough, but it’s all they can give them without sounding crazy.
She’s ready to go offstage and say goodbye, but then someone starts talking.
“We love you,” Jane tells the audience. “So much. You have supported us every step of the way, and we can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done. You’ve truly been the best group of people any performers could ask to be in front of. And even though we have to say goodbye, we’ll never forget you. That’s a promise, okay? We love you,” she says again. “We love you all.”
The audience starts clapping, and then one by one they stand up, until the queens are looking at a huge crowd of people, with tears streaming down their faces and playbills clutched in their hands.
Aragon doesn’t care how much time is left. She just wants to stay here, forever, with these people, hearing their stories and telling her own.
But they have to leave, and so they do.
Walking out of the theatre for the last time is like leaving Spain all over again. Familiarity, home, family, all of it ripped away from her quicker than she can blink.
It feels a little like her heart is being strangled in her chest, like she can’t quite get enough breath in her lungs. It feels like when she’d had to leave Mary alone at court after Henry had divorced.
Her heart had well and truly broken then, when her smart, beautiful fifteen-year-old girl had looked at her with fear in her eyes after Henry had told her what was going to happen.
Mary had slowly walked over to her, clearly trying not to cry.
“Please don’t leave me, mum,” she’d whispered, and it nearly killed Aragon to see her daughter trying to be brave and not cry.
But she had left.
She didn’t have a choice.
She wrote letter after letter, trying to still be there for Mary even from far away, but eventually the replies stopped, and Aragon died a few years later.
The only silver lining in this whole situation is the fact that she might get to see Mary again when they’re sent back to their old lives.
She gets into the car and starts it, lost in thought about her girl’s bright smile and precocious little statements that made her laugh.
A tap on her shoulder brings her back to earth, and she turns to see Katherine, next to her in the passenger seat.
“We’re home,” she tells her, concern apparent in her voice, but Aragon shrugs it off. Her eyes catch on the electronic clock on the dashboard, and it’s 11:22.
Twenty-four minutes.
Katherine notices what she’s looking at and flinches. “That’s not a lot of time,” she says softly.
Aragon doesn’t say anything, she just stands up and heads inside, taking Katherine’s hand and leading her in. She knows she’ll sit frozen outside otherwise.
Leaving Kat with Jane, she heads to her bedroom, which looks very strange in the darkness all of a sudden.
She sits down on the bed, and then she starts to cry. She doesn’t really know a concrete reason for why she’s crying, actually, only that she can’t stop.
The lights are out, and she’s sitting up against the headboard, wiping away tears, when Anne walks in, holding a pillow to her chest.
“Can I-” she starts, and Aragon nods, pulling her legs to her chest as Anne curls up at the foot of the bed.
She looks cold, so Aragon pulls a spare blanket out from behind her pillow and lays it over her.
Someone taps lightly on the door, and Jane’s silhouette appears in the doorway, carrying a sleeping Katherine.
“She’s exhausted,” Jane mouths.
“Sit here, you can stay with her,” Aragon whispers back, grateful for the decision she’d made to splurge on a large bed when they’d appeared in this new time.
Jane gives her a grateful smile, although it’s hard to make out in the low light, and sits next to Aragon, holding Katherine close.
“Mama,” Katherine whimpers, wakened slightly by the change in position.
“Shhhh, sweet girl, Mama’s right here,” Jane soothes her, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind Kat’s ear.
“Having a cuddle party without me? Not allowed,” Anna states, entering the room, although her voice is clogged with tears. She joins the group on the bed, finding space by Anne, and Aragon nudges her with her foot and gives her a smile.
Last to join is Cathy, who sits square in the middle of the bed, scrunching into a tiny ball, clutching onto Aragon’s leg like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Aragon almost laughs at the typically mature queen acting so childish, but she doesn’t, figuring Cathy has earned the right to be clingy tonight. She adjusts herself, moving to the right so there’s more space, and then pats the vacated area next to her, which Cathy shifts into. She wraps her arms around Aragon, and Aragon accepts the hug easily, pulling her closer.
That anxiety she’s been feeling since the show abates slightly, and she finally gets her hug, her goddaughter nestling closer in the dark.
It’s quiet now, and the time ticks by in the silence faster than any of them want it to.
“I remember that it was a beautiful day when I died,” Jane murmurs, barely audible. “It was sunny, and the fall roses outside my window were blooming, so I could see them from my bed. Maybe I’ll get to see the roses again.”
Aragon stays silent, but she thinks about her own death. It was January, so it was cold, and the sky was grey. She remembers thinking about Mary as she died, hoping that she was playing in the snow somewhere.
Maybe it’ll be easier the second time around.
She looks at the clock.
Two minutes.
“I love you,” Anne says abruptly. “All of you. I don’t feel like I told you that enough. I love all of you so much.”
“I love you guys too,” Anna echoes. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how thankful I am to every single one of you.”
“You taught me how to live again,” Parr whispers.
“You all taught me how to love again,” Jane amends. “You gave me my daughter.”
“You gave me my mum,” Katherine adds quietly. “And all of you saved me. In your own ways, you all saved me.”
Aragon closes her eyes and leans back against the headboard.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without all of you,” she says honestly. “I love you.”
She can’t look at them right now, or she’ll break. She’ll shatter like a piece of glass.
“One minute. There’s one minute,” Anna tells them, panicked.
Aragon hears the queens’ hysteria, but can’t register it above the humming in her own ears.
“This can’t be real. This can’t be real, right?”
“Mum, don’t leave me! Don’t make me go, mama!”
“It’s so dark when you die. It’s so dark, and so cold, and I can’t go back, I won’t go back, please don’t let me go back…”
“I won’t leave you, love. I won’t ever leave you. Just don’t forget about me, all right? I’ll always be with you.”
“It’ll be okay.”
“I love you.”
A flash of light, and a sound like all the air being sucked out of a small space, and the six wives of Henry the Eighth disappear.
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heroquills-a · 5 years
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@s1lentsnip3r @chaosmixed @metallumdash 
words can’t describe how impressed i am by how much you bring your muses to life bwaze. i used to like, not really give a darn heck about metal sonic at all? but after that first thread we had where sonic and proxy got into a fight, i was immediately hooked. you just do such an incredible job at fleshing out characters that i otherwise wouldn’t have really thought much of before and you just have this unique and interesting spin on them that feels fresh. i love the way you play the chao and whisper’s wisps and atia is just a little gremlin but i love them so much, and i’ve literally never seen anyone play chaos before. you just have this way of utilizing that potential that your characters and concepts have and it’s just really awesome to watch. i love it. absolutely a stellar roleplayer. absolutely stellar mun!!
@skyfcx @masterprotector @cosmcther
ties you to a chair. listen here little mister. youre probably one of the OG ppl in this rpc that i’ve lowkey looked up to since first joining. you’ve already heard it plenty of times already but your writing is just ?? stellar ?? from the way you use colorful idioms, expressions, metaphors, to how you capture movement and action in such an engaging way. it’s always a treat to read. the way you portray your muses is just always spot on and i love how seamlessly you capture their mannerisms and speech patterns. your headcanons for tails and knuckles just make me so giddy they just feel so right for their characters, and as far as rosalina goes--- while i know next to nothing about the mario franchise or this character in particular i’m still intrigued enough to peek in on what she’s up to every now and then. over all, you’re a rad roleplayer and a fun person to chat with ooc !! 
@chaosbcrne 
i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. i adore how you write shadow. i’m constantly blown away by how authentic he always feels and how realistic you write him while still remaining accurate and true to his character. like i legit cannot even think of any other place or media i’ve seen besides the games themselves (before sega started botching up his character anyway) where he’s portrayed as accurately as you write him. you manage to balance the serious, aloof, hostile side of him with his playful, competitive, smug side AND the inner naive, almost child like side almost perfectly. and then there’s more, because you add so much depth to him and realistically expand on so many unexplored facets of his character and his roots !! you can just tell this is a character who’s endured so many hardships and is still trying to recover and move on, and despite everything that’s hardened him into the person he is today he still has that innocent curiosity about the world and it makes me so emo every. single. time. you just put so much work into him and it shows, from your icons to your headcanon posts, to even the most minute detail. even when you host events you just go So Hard at it you’re literally out here setting the standard dude. and don’t even get me started on your writing style. i was hooked by the very first thread we did, i felt like i could never hold a candle to it honestly. just. the way you narrate shadow’s feelings and thoughts, how you capture his actions, his movement, his speech patterns, is just so good. and your vocabulary is so colorful and rich. just. hgnfhg its top tier content ALRIGHT you inspire me to push myself and to keep improving all the time and i have to say i couldn’t ask for a better writing partner. i love you so much eph 💕💕💕
@1110-01111011
hello yes trikey i love your omega so much. i’ve never really thought much of the death bot before but seeing all the headcanons and fleshing out you do for him just makes him so much more interesting and fascinating. down to the most intrinsic detail you put in for him it’s just really cool to see and adds so much to him that just !! i love it man. every time i think abt omega now my mind just automatically goes back to your portrayal because he is Just omega. i appreciate all the depth you add to him and his relationships to the rest of his team, it’s so pleasing to see and really helps solidify how strong team dark’s dynamic truly is..... not to mention your art is hecking gorgeous??? like damn dude, goals. anyway,, thank u for the blessed omega content. absolutely 10/10
@coolxnxblue @oforbis @hcrofraid @mastcrplanncr @powderbluestreaks
toxi i immediately fell in love with your sonic the first time we ever interacted. you just capture his sass so well, i just could not stop giggling that first night. he’s still my favorite sonic in this rpc, to be honest. and don’t even get me started on your other muses. it still baffles me how you manage to take on such a huge raster of characters yet manage to flesh them out all so well. every one of them feels so evenly developed and solid and just like bwaze you make me care about characters that i otherwise wouldn’t have before. i feel like i have a huge newfound appreciation for eggman bc of you and unsurprisingly he’s now my fave eggman on here hands down. and it goes without saying your writing is just, phenomenal. you capture dialogue so beautifully, the way you narrate on the feelings your characters are experiencing is engaging, to the point i’m lowkey intimidated by it sometimes LMAO. also your AUs are just rad as hell? and rlly interesting?? and your art style too ????? 10/10 roleplayer, i just think youre neat.
@antibadnik @godcontained
hey you? yes you. i love your muses so much. i especially love how you write amy, to be honest. she’s been my favorite character since forever and like?? you do just such a good job with her? i appreciate that you choose not to erase her intense affection for sonic, because more often than not i see people tone it way down to almost non-existent and it really is just such a big part of her character. i like the way you delve into that mindset of her’s, and expand on it and how it affects her. i also just. love your writing too. you just have this way of conveying feeling in your writing that’s always a punch to the gut you can feel it that hard. your headcanons for elise are really interesting too and definitely nothing i’ve actually seen before, what with how her powers work and how having to go emotionally dormant has effected her after all this time.  also, i love ava. she is baby. it’s so cool getting to see a mute character!! all in all, its just good content man. god i love football.
@team-phantom @heartfelt-silver
pandaaaa i adore you !!! you were like my first friend in this heckin rpc. all of our dash shenanigans always have me wheezing and i just love your boys so much. i can certainly say without a shadow of a doubt that zero is one of my favorite takes on infinite. its hard to believe that he’s the same jackal who almost completely helped eggman take over the world--- he’s just come so far, he seamlessly fits into the rest of the cast. i adore how he works off of his team, and all their own unique little quirks that set them apart from each other. your headcanons and lore for your muse is just so sweet. and god i can’t get enough of your art?? your doodles always are a blessing to see ;-; i always appreciate you youre just such a sweet and kind mun, you’re so welcoming of ppl here and have this way of making ppl feel at home in this community. it absolutely wouldn’t be the same without you. keep it up <3
@lightdash @heartlop @enrichedheart
YOU. yes you. ame you’re so freakin’ cool and sweet. you’re always so nice and welcoming to people in the rpc it’s always a treat getting the chance to talk to you !! you’re another one of those peeps i look up to in this community TBH and youre muses are just portrayed and written so well!! i can just tell you’ve poured many years of thought, consideration, and work into your muses to the point that they’re just so finely tuned. i love the aesthetic you utilize for you blogs, from your icons to just the way you go about formatting your threads? and not to mention, your art style ??? is just so cute ??? ngl i lowkey wanna collab with you one of these days bc i just adore how you draw the sonic cast ;_; thank you for being a part of this rpc !! you’re wonderful !
@projectlightfox
moggg you’re so nice and chill to talk to. i love volt and harmony so much... they fit in really good with sonic world and mesh well with just about any characters i’ve seen them interact with so far--- even if its someone they don’t get along with. i’ve said it before but theyre just a really charming little duo and im always happy to see them on my dashboard. i love the overall aesthetic they got going, two travelers roaming the world from dimension to dimension. harmony is just a little bundle of precious fluffy joy and her interactions with sonic always make me cry. and volt--- he’s such a good dad !! he’s a really neat character and i’m certainly interested in learning more about the both of them. and as i said, you’re a rad person to talk to, i appreciate how welcoming and supportive you are of people. and your art style? absolutely adorable. thank you for being in this rpc ;-;
@dieviskais @solfading 
king!! i’ve never seen anyone write the way you do, choosing to shift the view point onto the reader as if they themselves are the muse. it’s such a unique and interesting way to look into your muse’s mindsets and express how they are feeling and what they’re doing. your take on silver is very fresh compared to the way he’s typically written. i appreciate you don’t take the baby silver uwu route like don’t get me wrong he IS baby but he’s not a baby. you certainly have really neat headcanons surrounding his backstory and how he grew up, it’s nice to see the grim reality of his harsh bleak life being represented. it’s good !! your other muses are intriguing too and i’m eager to learn more about them. i love auburn?? he’s a really cool oc dude his aesthetic and powers are A+. and you know, i may be terrible at expressing it but you’re a delight to talk to!! never feel bad or discouraged for popping into my dms i honestly appreciate the company ;-; thank u for being u
@orbviously / @cubeviously
THESE TWO BOTS. i love them so much. literally every time i see orbot or cubot now in any context i just think back to your portrayal of them hebby, they’re just so dang spot on and good. i love how you go about interacting with people with these two tbh it never fails to make me giggle. i love your art style too it’s just pleasing to look at! you have so many creative AUs for these bots i’m honestly impressed by how much you manage to create with these guys man--- from their human/bot designs to their mobianbot designs theyre just so cool ?? even your other muses are always entertaining to watch regardless of what fandom theyre from youre just so fun to interact with. and just, you’re always a pleasure to talk to ooc, youre always putting a smile on my face! youre awesome hebby 
@fishing-purple-cat
yes hi. sunny your take on big is so blessed. you’ve done so much justice for him. i’ve always really liked big tbh but i just love how much depth you put into his character, his backstory and his mannerisms. i love that you like,, actually give him a personality outside being a slow thinker. i can tell you’ve really developed your writing style with him, it speaks volumes about how much work you really put into writing him and it shows? heck, you even go the extra mile to draw your own icons and hang on i need a second to gush about your art because holy DAMN dude. your anatomy and painting abilities are nothing short of impressive--- especially your nack for painting backgrounds. i srsly gotta commission you at some point when i’m able to, heck. anyway, the rpc certainly wouldn’t be the same without you here
@lnfinitc
dude i love your take on infinite. he’s just about everything he should have been in forces, and even more. i love how malicious and intimidating you write him and your take on his speech patterns is just straight up eye-candy. i love your writing style, its so flavorful and rich--- your headcanons and lore on how infinite works is just astounding. and i like how you incorporate your drawings into your replies or threads too like even if its just icons your style is so heckin pretty ?? gosh dang. i’m definitely looking forward to interacting more in the future bc ur muse is just really fun and you seem like such a rad person !!
@pistolbitten
uhhh hello yes... while we haven’t interacted very much so far i JUST GOTTA SAY, i super enjoy your take on fang. from what i can tell he’s very well-rounded and fleshed out and a really interesting villain. i may or may not’ve been lowkey paying attention to that angel’s thesis thread you were doing w bwaze and aaron and i gotta say. holy damn. fang just done FUCKED UP. im certainly looking forward to him and shade interacting lmao. your writing style is so good too hh... just yeah i don’t have a whole lot to say if only because we haven’t interacted as much as i have with some of the other ppl on here BUT i certainly am looking forward to bc you seem cool. i’m loving what i’m seeing so far. have nack shoot sonic. DO IT.
@mobian-merc @funis-infinite 
duuuudeeee. i’ll be honest i was super intimidated by you at first asdkjsah i don’t even know why i was ??? but like. you’re so hecking nice and fun to talk to ;_; scourge is an actual literal dipshit yet you manage to make him very likable and you have such a fun take on him. i’ve always been a little conflicted on the character tbh because of how popular he is and he seems like the type i’d like but i knew nothing about him and was kinda put off by the over hype sometimes, but honestly? your portrayal won me over. i love him now. he’s so stupid and hE’S GREAT. your infinite also seems so cool too i gotta hecking respond to that starter you made me when i get the chance, im looking forward to infinite & sonic just. talking and sassing eachother probably. i really like your writing style too!!! and your icons are absolutely gorgeous ok. alright, that is all.
@flyinginfreedom
uhhhhhhh hello i love your rouge so much ???? she’s literally so cool... you capture her aesthetic and over all mysterious yet cunning vibe perfectly and it’s just always a pleasure to see her on my dash. i loved her interactions with sonic during eph’s roadtrip event so much. your headcanons just feel so her and spot on, and you still manage to add so much depth and personality to her i just love it so much. i love your blog’s aesthetic down to the icons, and even the way you format your threads. over all just a stellar rouge blog and a really cool & chill mun!!
@rosehammcr @antihedgehog
hi rosie uhm i love your amy so much ok. she’s such a sweet heart, i love how you incorporate her tarot cards ?? it’s literally so cool... and the accuracy on those readings is shocking. she’s just such a sweet heart god i’m getting emo thinking abt her tbh like amy is !! one of my fave characters and !! you write her so well !! and your eggman too, god he’s incredible. i love how sinister yet goofy he can be he’s just a perfect combination of intimidating and silly. your takes on orbot and cubot also bring a smile to my face and i love how you incorporate them into your interactions!! you also just seem like a rlly rad person and i’d love to interact more !! yeah !
@a-wind-of-freedom
yuniiiiiiIII !!  you’re such a sweet heart and your sonic is too. i’ve never seen someone play sonic the way you do before and it’s certainly interesting and unique !! you’ve got so many neat an thought out verses and AUs too, theyre all really intriguing !  our interactions with our sonics are always rlly blessed tbh starlight is just precious. i always appreciate getting to work with you as well for commission stuff, you’ve really been helping me out in that regard. plus you give me something artistic to work on and the chance to push my talents ! ;-; all in all you’re just a really sweet person and have a kind aura about you ! ;;
@champiionic
clears throat. hi yes you’ve been one of my fave sonics since day one. you’re just so creative with your muse its honestly impressive how many things you’ve able to come up with for sonic. from the portrayal you bring to the table down to your muse aesthetic its always just spot on you’ve got the blue speedster’s whole vibe down to a T. and your writing is just ? kisses my fingers. beautiful. your sonic is just so dang authentic, seeing him on my dash is always a pleasant sight. and i know this post is namely about sonic rpc muns & muses but i already love bubbles and blossom. i used to watch powerpuff girls when i was rlly little so its a real nostalgia trip to see them on my dashboard.
@hcpebloom @rcsebloom
bunny !! ur heckin sweet.. i love ur amy so much HSDFHDJ she’s just so soft. and unique too!! your headcanons for her are just so cute and make her stand out in her own way and i just appreciate that yo. and i admittedly don’t know a whole lot about cosmo since i havent really watched that far into sonic x but you’ve certainly got my attention with her. we just gotta interact more man ur muses are so precious !! ;_; 
@fortruechaos 
you !! your shadow is so good dude ! your portrayal of him is just so hecking accurate,, i highly appreciate how noble you write him to be. he’s serious, he’s prickly, but he’s got the world’s best interest at heart and it makes my heart do the fluttery thing. your writing is so good too gosh. no to mention youre just so hecking nice ??? youre just overall a rlly sweet mun & i appreciate your presence here in the rpc
@glittcrngcld @livelifc
hey fretcher ? ily. your muses are just so good from your canon characters to your ocs, i just love them sm?? and your ART? i swoon every time i see your doodles on my dash i’m still not over those doodles of lilly and azure ;-; not to mention your edits are scarily good like shit dude teach me your ways. your takes on your muses are awesome man i love ur sonic he’s such a MEME. and elise !!! she makes me so emo god. thank u for your blessed portrayals of these characters ! @elektrisch-felidae​
YOU. precious is just, precious?? HAH. i love her, she’s so cool tbh. she’s so chill and laid back and seems like the kinda cool cat sonic can totally vibe with. you yourself are also rlly chill and fun to interact with--- even if we haven’t much so far. its no secret i just love sonic ocs so much and precious is just awesome. i love the idea of electricity powers. absolutely need to have sonic hang with her more ;;
@coldheartbeauty 
SPEAKING of cool cats with cool powers, i love raven. her sass is just super entertaining to see on the dashboard tbh. i have to see her and sonic get into a sass off one of these days. her powers are also really cool too ? she reminds me of blaze in a sense, but just completely different in her own right. i also just hella love your art style its so cute, your doodles are always adorable to see!! 
INHALES. ok. im done. if i missed anyone i am so sorry i ran out of steam. thank you all so much for making this rpc such an entertaining, dynamic, and creative place to be !!! 
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