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heliads · 9 months

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Can you do a Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) x Avenger reader one-shot? The reader is a Hydra experiment turned Avenger who has hawk wings and can fly like a bird. She can hide her wings by folding them like a bird can. She grew up somewhere in the US and doesn’t remember her parents, so the closest thing she has to a family is the Avengers. She meets Peter and starts dating him. Her alias, chosen by Tony, is Hawk, which Peter thinks is a little on the nose.

masterlist

You know, at moments like this, you’re really not sure if you’re dreaming or not. The setting around you seems real enough, but it’s happened so many times before that you’re starting to progress past deja vu and into entirely new territory. You could do this sort of mission in your sleep, and at this point, you kind of think you already have.

The scene is simple. Someone has attacked New York, and someone must save the city. This time, it’s not aliens or HYDRA knocking down your door but a new kind of inhuman with a bone to pick. At this rate, you get them so frequently that it’s like a regularly scheduled TV broadcast. Have you caught up on the latest season of unhappy mutants? Nah, I’m still three weeks backlogged on super powered individuals who hate us all.

A voice crackles into your earpiece, and you have to blink hard to get yourself to focus again. A lab tech company stole the blood samples of someone with powers in an attempt to understand more about what makes inhumans so utterly not human. The victim, your criminal of the week, is using his fire powers to burn down the company’s headquarters to prove that they’ll never be able to control him.

See, you’re supposed to be out here stopping the guy, but you kind of see his point. You were a lab experiment yourself a while back, and the results gave you powers and a chance to join the Avengers. Your time as a HYDRA science experiment was the worst experience of your life– agony and horror galore, to say the least– and if this guy’s standing up for the rights of the inhumans to avoid laboratories with a little too keen an interest in your inner workings, you don’t really want to kill him for his troubles.

That’s not the Avengers way, though. You weren’t hired for your thoughts on the rights of inhumans, especially those who suffered in the name of scientific progress, you’re here to save the city and the world and the universe, usually all three at once.

Hence the reason Captain America is chastising you to get your head in the game. This isn’t a time for sightseeing, it’s your chance to protect the innocents as the fire spreads. Thanks to the human-sized hawk wings that have been yours ever since your lab days, you’re in charge of the aerial defense of the Avengers, a role they need you for right now.

Today, you’re not a girl, you’re the Hawk, and you have a job to do. Tony Stark was responsible for your induction into the Avengers, as well as that very obvious alias. He’s also desperate for backup from the sky, especially right now.

You sigh, bid your morals a temporary adieu, and soar down from your vantage point in the clouds. The inhuman isn’t expecting another attacker from above, especially not one moving as fast as you. You tuck your wings into your sides for additional velocity, and slam into him hard enough to knock him to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity of his distraction, Natasha quickly fires electric charges into his chest, knocking the guy out for a few seconds. From there, it’s easy to get some cuffs on the inhuman and shove him into the reinforced mobile holding cell S.H.I.E.L.D. sent over for precisely that purpose.

Steve nods at you. “Thanks for the help, Y/N.”

You smile wearily. “Any time.”

It’s easier to appreciate the Avengers lifestyle now, basking in the glow of having played a pivotal role in keeping the city safe. It’s a little more difficult hours later, when the sun has already set but you’re still trapped in the Avengers complex for a debrief that just won’t end.

It’s not the Avengers’ fault, you know that. S.H.I.E.L.D. has its protocols, and they get a little antsy if they aren’t followed. Still, you can’t help it when your mind starts wandering. You’ve attended enough meetings on the proper rules to be followed when your life is on the line and they all blur together.

You tune back in when Steve says your name. They’re discussing you now, apparently, and the words being said aren’t all compliments.

Steve sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Y/N, can you please try to focus for five minutes?”

You grimace. “Sorry, sorry. What were we talking about, exactly?”

Natasha arches a brow. “This, to be honest. You’re not as engaged with the fights as you used to be.”

You wince. “Can you blame me? I’ve been at this for years, Nat, ever since you guys broke me out of the HYDRA labs. I never went to S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, I’ve never been a spy. I’m just doing my best out here.”

Bruce raises his hands placatingly. “We know that, kid, and we’re proud of you. We just need to be sure that you’re one hundred percent on top of things whenever you’re out in the field, for your safety as well as ours.”

You nod. “I’ll try to be better. Sorry.”

Tony frees you at last from the shame of everyone’s disapproving stares. “Look, cut the girl a break. She did well out there, and no one got hurt. If something happens, we can discuss this more seriously, but why punish her for an incident that hasn’t happened yet? Y/N, I know it’s getting late. You can go if you want.”

You jump on that chance and thank him, hurrying out of the room just in time to hear Steve chastising Tony for letting you go as the door closes behind you. You’re not sticking around to be called back. You have no interest in hearing a repeat of the same lecture.

In all honesty, they’re not entirely wrong. You do need to get your head in order. It’s just been difficult to focus on anything, really. Everything feels the same, and why care about any job if a similar mission is going to take place the next week, and the next week, and the next? They all end the same way, and they’re always going to.

You poke your head out of a balcony and, spreading your wings to take flight, soar up to the roof. Everything seems simpler up here. Why stress about the city when it’s nothing more than a thousand pinpricks of light?

You coast on the night breeze for a while before coming to a stop on a neighboring skyscraper. It’s nice to finally be alone, or so you think until a voice sounds from behind you.

“Sorry, is this roof taken?”

You glance behind you to see a figure emerging from the shadows. After a heartbeat, you realize you recognize the red mask, the scarlet and blue suit, the black arachnid logo on the center of the stranger’s chest. This is the Spider-Man you’ve been hearing about in the news lately. He’s saving the city, but doing it his own way, not caught up in the politics of being an Avenger.

Truth be told, you admire him for it. It must be nice to save people without the lecture that always follows you. He doesn’t have to be perfect, he just has to get the job done. What a life to lead.

You shake your head, gesturing beside you. “Not for you. What’s up, Spider-Boy?”

He chuckles as he sits down next to you. “Normally, I’d insist on being referred to as a man, but I’ll let it slide just this once. I’m pretty alright, what about you? I saw you were saving the city again earlier today. I would have joined in, but–”

You shake your head, dismissing his apology. “No need. The Avengers tend to swarm all over things, no need to involve yourself in their mess.”

Spider-Man glances your way, and when he speaks again, his voice is curious. “I take it you’re not on the best of terms with them at the moment?”

You sigh. “Just for now. They’re the only family I’ve ever known, so we get along most of the time. We’ve just been in a rough patch at the moment. I don’t really know why.”

Spider-Man lifts a shoulder. “Well, you said they’re like your family, right? The fights don’t surprise me. All families struggle to get along all the time. I’m sure it’ll blow over in a few days.”

You chuckle. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“I should hope so,” Spider-Man informs you, “I’m kind of the world’s leading expert on superpowered family relationships. I got a college degree in, uh, Avenging Therapy.”

This time, your laugh is easy, carefree. “Well, Mr. Inhuman Therapist, I’d love a little more advice. I’m Y/N, by the way.”

He reaches out a hand to shake yours. “I’m Peter. It’s lovely to meet you, Y/N.”

Lovely, as it turns out, is exactly the right word to use. The two of you talk well into the night, and you find yourself more than reluctant to leave him, even as the call to sleep grows stronger. Luckily, you end up crossing paths again soon, and then accidental meetings happen on purpose, more and more often until you know the face under the mask just as well as you know the so-called vigilante plastered across the newspaper pages.

It’s just nice to have Peter around, that’s all. He reminds you that there’s a life worth living outside of every fight. It takes you a while to realize that he’s the only friend you’ve ever wanted as more than just a friend, the one you like, the one you love, but after that– well, it feels impossible that you could have ever known anything else.

You’re on a similar rooftop one night a few months later when you learn that he feels the same way about you. You were a little late to your usual meetup spot thanks to yet another meeting with the Avengers, but instead of complaining, Peter beams at you and says,

“There she is! The angel of New York City has arrived.”

You laugh. It’s easy, around him. “That’s ridiculous. I’m nobody’s angel.”

The thought is absurd. You have been a lab rat, a soldier, and a civilian, all in turn. These are all roles that you have played, but none of them have ever been truly yours. Never, though, has an angel ever been among their ranks.

Still, Peter seems to believe it. His eyes gleam with certainty. “You’re mine.”

You almost choke on your own incredulity. “You’re joking. Me, an angel? There are at least a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. files that would argue the opposite.”

“I’m not joking,” Peter hums. “You can’t deny your angel-hood, Y/N. I’ve already given it to you.”

“I’m giving it back,” you tell him. “Find someone who’s actually a good person.”

“I have,” he asserts. “I just don’t get why you can’t see that. It’s fairly obvious to me.”

You tilt your head to the side. “And why is that?”

“Oh, ‘cause I love you, of course,” Peter says, as easily as if he’s stating a simple, well known fact. Your face must have given away your surprise, because he glances over at you again. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” you manage to stutter out, “It’s just, well, I love you too.”

“I know,” he grins, tilting his head up to the night stars.

After that, it gets better, impossibly. As your boyfriend, Peter is in your life even more than before. Sometimes that involves him stopping by your apartment to bring you flowers. Other times, it means he’s willing to help out with the Avengers so long as they don’t ask questions like who he is and why he’s had an abrupt change of heart about wanting to fight with them.

Usually, you don’t want to call him in. The Avengers can be a hassle, which you’ve learned after years of being one of their number. However, when the fights get to be a little out of hand, a little text to your boyfriend means you’ll have another soldier on your side swinging over in five minutes flat, and that’s more welcome than you can even begin to describe.

Even on days like today, when he stops by to take out some robbers who somehow got their hands on alien tech, you couldn’t be happier to see him. The other Avengers are there, and you probably would have got the job done by yourselves, but it would have taken far more time and cost far more blood. Thankfully, you’ve got Spider-Man on dial, and you can solve problems like superpowered thieves in half the time.

You smile at him as he swings up beside you. He’s still got his mask on, of course, but you can sense his smile even despite the fabric in between you. “Thanks for the helping hand, Spider-Man.”

He laughs. “Any time, Angel. You know that.”

Across the street, the Avengers glance up from the robbers they’d been investigating. Tony frowns. “What was that?”

Peter freezes in place. “What was what?”

Tony quickly points his finger between the two of you. “You just called her something. Angel. What was that about?”

Peter lifts a shoulder in his best imitation of a shrug. “A, uh, new callname? Hawk is too obvious.”

Tony narrows his eyes. “And Angel isn’t?”

Peter raises his hands palm up in a universal gesture of helplessness. “I thought it was more interesting, at least.”

Tony doesn’t seem ready to let him off the hook just yet. “And that’s all it is? Just a codename, not anything else?”

Peter’s voice is as smooth as he can make it. “What else could it be, sir?”

You nod, the picture of innocence. “Yeah, Tony, what else could it possibly be?”

Tony stares at both of you, but he can’t find any evidence of wrongdoing. “It had better be. You wouldn’t believe how fast I can squash a spider if need be.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Peter says weakly, and starts hurrying away the second Tony turns his back.

You follow him, giggling to yourself. “Nice save there, bug boy.”

Peter groans. “If I wake up in the middle of the night to find that he’s launched an Iron Army or something to kill me as punishment for dating his adoptive superhero child, it’s totally your fault.”

You pretend to be outraged. “No, it’s not! You’re the one who called me that in the first place, remember? The blame’s all yours.”

Peter reaches an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him. “Maybe you shouldn’t be as charming, Y/N. Then I wouldn’t have any problems properly addressing you as a coworker.”

You laugh. “My charm is irresistible, Pete. Give up now.”

“I already have,” he assures you. Such a flirt. You’ve never minded it, though, and you don’t intend to start now.

Sometimes, this city feels as if it was designed to stress you out. As an Avenger, you’ll never have an end to the missions, nor the civilians to save. There will always be one more job in which you could risk your life, and the memories of your time spent in Hydra’s labs won’t let you go anytime soon.

For now, though, the shadows under the skyscrapers seem a little less dark than before, and the faces peering out of apartment windows at you aren’t hostile or threatening but friendly. This is your city, the one you save with your boyfriend. How could it ever be anything but good to you?

requested by @thornyrose463, i hope you enjoy!

marvel tag list: @namoreno, @mayfieldss, @rogueanschel, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv, @with-inked-solace, @callsign-scully, @sher-lokid7, @eclliipsed, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @gods-fools-heroes, @w1shes43, @deafsuperhero, @fadedver, @alex-1967s-blog, @crazyhearttragedy

all tags list: @wordsarelife

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certainempatheticturkeymuffin · 4 months

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Funny Genshin Headcanons Based Off of my In-Game Teams!

Super long post, but I had fun with this!

Please note that I don't know all the lore perfectly, so some of these may be out of character. It's also colored a lot by my experiences playing them, especially the adventuring teams ♡

(General Traveling Team) Venti, Kokomi, Bennett, Kazuha

Kokomi has saved everyone at least once and will make everyone stand next to the jellyfish after a fight whether or not they're injured.

She also constantly freezes herself and her teammates, but her healing means they can't really get mad at her. She can certainly get mad at herself though.

Venti and Kazuha have a rivalry and often compare poetry in moments of repose.

Kazuha will use a leaf to play backing music to Venti's lullabies at night. He always falls asleep before the end of the song.

Venti and Kazuha also get into stupid competitions while climbing mountains. Venti frequently runs out of stamina, and Kazuha frequently slides all the way back down after misjudging the angle of the slope.

Bennett is beloved by the group. Venti is the most frequent victim of his bad luck.

Meaning: Venti is frequently set on fire and hit by enemies that really shouldn't have been able to hit him.

Most of the time it was in a genuine effort to protect Bennett.

The rest of the time it is Bennett accidentally burning the grass and causing Venti to suffer.

Venti is the one to most frequently need a Statue of the Seven. Kokomi normally has everyone else covered.

Despite his luck, Bennett is the only one to have never needed a Statue of the Seven... yet.

Kokomi takes hits that she doesn't think the others will survive. There's about a quarter of a chance that she just ends up dying herself.

Kazuha frequently takes risks while gliding. He hasn't died yet.

Kokomi does lecture him for it. It doesn't stop him.

Kazuha is the go-to miner because of his easy plunge attacks. This does not make the process quick.

Despite Kokomi's passive, everyone has drowned at least once.

Kazuha has drowned the most.

When no one wants to fight they have Venti plop himself on a vantage point and snipe at enemies from afar. It's a time-consuming process, but they've done it a few times.

Venti has scored the most critical hits, but Bennett has scored the most kills.

Most of those kills have been Venti. Via Burning.

Lawachurls and vishaps in particular take great joy in ramming Bennett off cliffs, but he's either tanky enough to survive or lucky enough to land in deep water.

If someone else tries to take the hit they always die and have to be brought to a statue.

All in all, they like hanging out with each other and are pretty good friends. Kokomi is unfortunately the responsible one, but Bennett doesn't exactly cause trouble on purpose.

(Freeze Team) Kaeya, Chongyun, Xingqiu, Kazuha

Since Chongyun and Xingqiu are stuck to the hip, Kaeya hangs out more with Kazuha than the other two. They're friendly but not exactly friends.

Kaeya thinks Kazuha is sus but won't say it.

Kazuha thinks Kaeya is sus bc his vibes are off.

Xingqiu thinks Kaeya is sus, but Kazuha's cool because Beidou trusts him.

Chongyun thinks they're both cool but that Kaeya takes too much joy in teasing him.

Kaeya also has... unorthodox methods that no one likes. They're effective... but also likely to give heart attacks and grey hairs.

Xingqiu does most of the talking.

Chongyun occasionally overheats, Kaeya takes great pleasure in throwing cryo at him. No one's quite sure if he's being mocking or genuinely helpful. Either way, it gives them enough time to make him an emergency popsicle.

When they lack the means to make a popsicle, they have actually just straight up run to Dragonspine. Kaeya usually ends up as the one carrying him, even though he's the DPS and really should have his sword hand free.

Kazuha appreciates Chongyun because he doesn't have to mine with plunges.

There isn't really a healer, so if they're injured after a fight and too far from a Statue, they just have Xingqiu use his Rain Swords and very slowly heal each of them up to full health.

It usually isn't that bad because they don't often fight things that can't be frozen. That doesn't mean the enemy won't get in a few hits before they freeze though.

Kaeya and Chongyun working together means ice-bridging is very fast.

That doesn't mean Xingqiu hasn't slipped off a few times.

Xingqiu and Kaeya can both cook. Chongyun trusts neither of them to do so and usually ends up eating whatever fruit Kazuha foraged instead.

Cryo slimes are their mortal enemies.

All in all, they're mostly friendly, but Kaeya causes some friction with Chongyun and Kazuha in particular. (This man woke up a ruin guard to help out in a fight. He can and will use dangerous methods to get the job done.)

(DPS Venti) Venti, Layla, Bennett, Faruzan

Faruzan really likes them, because Bennett and Venti always call her Madam.

Layla sometimes forgets but she gets a pass because she's constantly sleep deprived.

Layla's only job is to provide them (or at least Venti) a shield. They don't make her do anything else because she deserves a nap. She will sometimes set up her Celestial Dreamsphere for them though!

Since Bennett is the only healer, they make occasional trips to a statue of the seven to avoid wasting his burst.

Faruzan actually ran the numbers to see how much stronger she and Bennett were making Venti... and promptly threw them away.

(No one needs to know how powerful that bard actually is.)

Faruzan and Venti will exchange archery tips, alongside general information about the study of language. Since Venti is always listening and participating, Faruzan has decided he's her friend for life.

And also his views on language through a bard's lens are extremely inreresting.

(And sometimes a bit too well-informed)

Bennett understands exactly zero of what anyone is talking about, but is happy enough to act as Layla's pillow (he's warm) or Faruzan's captive audience (she knows he doesn't understand, but by the archons she will find a way to teach him.)

Venti thinks Faruzan is a nice change of pace; Mondstadt doesn't have many die-hard academics like her, and her area of study is definitely something any bard would take even a mild interest in.

Layla likes that they don't try to make her participate. Sometimes Venti even helps her with her studies, and points her in the right direction if she needs it.

(She won't question why the bard is so informed. She heard there was an astrologist in Mondstadt. That's good enough for her.)

Bennett is like a little brother, and he's warm. She sometimes can't help just falling asleep on him.

Though occasionally there's a rude awakening when a tree branch nearly falls on them or a slime decides to attack.

Venti plays them lullabies every night, to ensure peaceful dreams and restful sleep. Those are the best sleeps they've ever had.

All in all, they're very good friends. Venti and Faruzan are besties, and Layla and Bennett are the little siblings they drag around.

(Aggravate) Tighnari, Fischl, Lisa, Baizhu

Tighnari and Lisa have a mutual respect for each other, given that they both told the Akademiya to fuck off.

Baizhu is an honorary member, because even though he was never part of the Akademiya (i think), he's still researching new medicines outside of the Akademiya's influence. And he's extremely good at it.

Baizhu finds Fischl interesting and somewhat annoying, but only in the way that all teenagers are a bit annoying.

Changsheng and Oz are good friends and like snarking each other. Oz is more polite about it than Changsheng, so she's determined to get him to be outright rude to her.

Lisa is a very lazy person and often just sets up her burst and lets everyone else do the work. Changsheng can respect this, Tighnari and Baizhu find this annoying.

Tighnari will pay attention to all of them during fights, but only really ends up giving Fischl tips afterwards since the other two won't really care (Baizhu because he's a healer, and Lisa because she won't put more effort in.)

Fischl appreciates the archery sessions, but Tighnari is now her scariest teacher.

The Guild has noticed a sharp improvement in her fighting skills though. Especially since she's had the honor of helping Reckless Pallad out a few times.

Lisa is protective of Fischl in a hands-off way. Early on, if either Baizhu or Tighnari got too close she called their attention to herself. After a few weeks she decided she could trust them not to hurt her.

Baizhu and Tighnari have a mild sort of rivalry, and both are glad to be learning more about plants from other regions. They've both learned from each other, and both have new plants to look into that might help with certain ailments.

Fischl thinks Baizhu is alright, but not someone she'd seek out for a chat unless she was sick.

Tighnari intimidates her, but he feels trustworthy. And he's always willing to teach her new things.

Lisa gets on Tighnari's nerves, but she thinks he's alright. Definitely the sort of friend that Cyno needs.

Baizhu doesn't care much for Lisa, but she and Changsheng get along, so he thinks she can't be too bad.

All in all, they can work together, but they aren't close.

(Burgeon) Ayato, Thoma, Aether, Kokomi

Thoma and Aether are the sweetest beans that make sure the group runs smoothly

Not that Ayato or Kokomi would cause many problems, as both are pretty levelheaded.

Kokomi is no longer the sole responsible one, as Thoma has joined her as the Mom Friend, and Aether does his best but is also occasionally reckless.

Ayato is the gremlin that can and will hide his troublemaking tendencies only so you have plausible deniability.

With Thoma and Aether, this group never goes hungry.

Ayato appreciates Kokomi's strategic mind and thinks she's a valuable ally, perhaps even a friend.

Kokomi likewise appreciates Ayato's willingness to get his hands dirty and how he always puts his family above others.

Aether thinks Kokomi and Ayato can get a bit intense when playing... literally anything, but he's glad they're getting along.

Thoma notices that Kokomi has a small social battery and makes sure to organize time where he takes Ayato and Paimon off to explore while Aether stays behind to watch camp.

This works because Kokomi knows that Aether knows about her introversion, so she allows herself to take breaks and naps.

Ayato and Kokomi do occasionally get into political arguments, but Thoma and Aether both do their best to smother any fires before they start.

Ayato is the one to most frequently get injured, as setting up his burst takes a few very valuable seconds.

Thoma's shields can only block so much, and adding Aether's crystallize shields doesn't do much.

Thankfully Kokomi is more than willing to assist.

Thoma spends his evenings helping Aether brush up on his sewing while Ayato and Kokomi talk politics and play shogi.

All in all, they're a close-knit group that have a mutual respect and care for each other. Given time, they'll all be very good friends.

(Physical) Freminet, Xingqiu, Beidou, Mika

Beidou does her best to bring Mika and Freminet out of their shells. It only works half the time.

Beidou can respect Freminet's skill in battle though. He's impressive.

Xingqiu makes it his mission to befriend the two most timid people he's ever met, and they REALLY aren't having it.

Ironically, Freminet and Mika become pretty good friends because of Xingqiu's... socializing.

Beidou suddenly has to become the responsible adult, and it's a miracle no one's died doing something reckless yet.

Mika respects Beidou and Freminet's battle prowess and maritime intelligence. He also admires Xingqiu's dedication.

That doesn't mean he wants to socialize with him.

Freminet thinks Beidou is respectable and that Mika is considerate and intelligent. Both have valuable skill sets, and Mika is quiet enough that they can coexist comfortably without socializing.

Freminet dislikes Xingqiu and finds him annoying.

Mika keeps a map everywhere they go. If no one's paying attention, he'll run off to finish drawing the mountain or lake.

This is worse because he's the worst fighter of their group. He can heal, and that's the only thing keeping Beidou from tying a leash to him.

Likewise, Freminet will occasionally just,,,, dip. If he doesn't want to socialize, he can and will dive into the nearest body of water.

Beidou's the only one that can follow him and drag him back out.

But she doesn't have a scuba helmet so there's only so much she can do.

Xingqiu is annoyed that Mika and Freminet are so guarded around him, but he acknowledges that it took him months to befriend Chongyun

He isn't giving up.

He also thinks Beidou is super cool, and those two do most of the talking.

All in all, Beidou has her work cut out for her, especially since Xingqiu doesn't realize he's the reason Freminet keeps diving into the deepest bodies of water he can find lol.

They can work together decently well, due to Beidou's leadership, but she's about to punt all three of them into the sea for being idiots.

(Electro-Charged) Heizou, Beidou, Fischl, Barbara

Rip Barbara. She has patience, but not enough of it for Beidou, Heizou, AND Fischl.

Beidou and Heizou are terrible influences.

Barbara cursed for the first time because of Beidou and nearly gave Rosaria a heart attack.

Fischl finds Heizou to be pretty cool, but finds his intelligent gaze to be a bit unnerving. She's not sure she wants to know what conclusion he's come to about her.

Heizou's still trying to figure out if she's actually a reincarnator, since the Traveler proved the existence of other worlds. He's been asking pointed questions to Oz, who's having none of his shit and being purposely obtuse. Fischl is less opaque, but speaks in riddles that he isn't always certain he's solved perfectly.

Otherwise, he thinks she's pleasantly odd.

Oz is just having fun annoying him.

(He doesn't want to know what conclusion Heizou comes to. Either his life is a lie, or his Prinzessin's world is gone. Neither is ideal.)

Beidou thinks Heizou's a cool drinking buddy. She doesn't care what he thinks about her, or that he thinks he's got her all figured out. She's just herself, no need to stress over what others know.

Heizou respects Beidou. She's a hardworking and extremely intelligent woman that's willing to bend the rules to help people. He'll still arrest her if he has to, but he'll probably argue for a lighter sentence if that ever happens.

If that does ever happen, the chase itself would be payment enough for such a small favor. A woman as intelligent as she wouldn't make an investigation easy.

Barbara likes Heizou well enough, but thinks that perhaps one can be too smart for their own good. As one blessed with the power of Anemo, Barbara is sure Lord Barbatos is watching over him.

Heizou thinks Barbara's a nice girl, if a bit too nice. Her faith in Barbatos is admirable, it almost makes him want to go and pray himself, but he won't. As someone so kind, he decides to look out for her where he can. She'd be too easy to take advantage of.

He's also aware that she has at least two other guardian angels, but adding a third won't hurt. Such busy people can't be everywhere, affer all.

Beidou likes telling Fischl and Barbara stories in their downtime, and attempts to get Barbara to sing sea shanties.

She doesn't shout them at the top of her lungs, she adds melody where a rhythm is enough, but her voice is pretty so Beidou doesn't mind.

Barbara is often inspired by them to write songs, her favorite is of the girl who lost everything and rebuilt herself under Barbatos's watchful eye.

She doesn't know if Fischl's tales are true. It doesn't matter, she's still a child of Mondstadt regardless.

Beidou and Heizou occasionally clash over tactics, they're right and wrong about an equal amount of the time. More frequently, they're both right. It makes fighting alongside them an interesting experience.

Barbara is very careful to heal everyone, especially knowing that all three are under Barbatos's protection. A child of Mondstadt, a child of Anemo, and a sailor who prays for steady winds, she'll treat them equally.

Even if they weren't, she'd treat them, but an extra incentive to be kind never hurt.

None of them are especially reckless, and Heizou and Beidou's leadership wouldn't let them be anyway, so any mission they go on together is completed with efficiency.

All in all, a bit eccentric, but they all like each other and work together well.

Honorable Mentions!

Though not frequent teammates, they team up often enough to deserve a mention. Most of them are Abyss Teams!

(Inazuma Exploration) Venti, Kokomi, Fischl, Kazuha

Kokomi dislikes being on a team with these three (four?) She can't compete with their poetry and frankly doesn't want to. Oz is the only other sane one.

Fischl brings out the worst in Venti and Kazuha. Venti takes her presence as permission to rhyme every line, and Kazuha always decides to start bouncing haiku ideas off of them about half an hour in.

This team often only meets in Inazuma, and they have terrible luck.

Every. Single. One of them has gotten struck by lightning.

Kokomi is working overtime on this team, and yet everyone is usually half-dead regardless because Inazuma is extremely unfriendly.

All of them are socially exhausted when they part ways, but Kokomi is the only one that actually shows it.

Throughout all this, Venti and Kazuha are still at it with their mountain climbing rivalry. Kokomi's had to drag them both to a statue of the seven after they got struck by lightning mid climb.

Kokomi actually finds Fischl mostly pleasant when Venti and Kazuha are off doing their own thing.

(Sumeru Exploration) Venti, Tighnari, Fischl, Kazuha

Usually meet for foraging missions in Sumeru. The lack of a healer is noticeable.

Tighnari has patience, but he usually wants to bash his head in with a rock because they won't. shut. up.

Kazuha is the most tolerable of the three to him.

He leads them into withering zones on purpose sometimes.

Tighnari does let Oz sit on his shoulder or head sometimes, because even he needs the occasional break from Fischl and Venti's combined word-vomit.

(Burning) Tighnari, Bennett, Baizhu, Kazuha

Usually only team up in the abyss, but are a surprisingly good team.

Tighnari is usually the one to trigger self-burning and is thus Baizhu's least favorite patient.

Bennett and Baizhu make for a wonderful team, and Changsheng lets him pat her head.

Tighnari has a mostly good time around this team, since Baizhu and Kazuha combine to form a rather calming pair.

Bennett reminds him of Collei. No one will know if he sneaks extra bandages into the kid's pack when they part ways.

Baizhu and Tighnari frequently get into passive aggressive snark matches. It never gets heated, and Changsheng seems to find it funny.

Baizhu gives them all a top up when they part ways. If they ever need actual medicine he'll drag them back to Liyue and figure out who to bill for the medicine later.

(Melt) Kaeya, Chongyun, Bennett, Kazuha

Again, usually an Abyss team, but surprisingly good at working together.

Half the time Chongyun forgets to switch off his Noblesse pieces, which means him and Bennett are both fighting over the buff and lowering the team's overall DPS.

Kaeya also forgets to switch off his Blizzard Strayer half the time, and thus usually has an abysmal crit rate and worse EM

Kazuha has an easy enough job as the grouper, he just lets his burst off when Bennett's field is active so he swirls pyro

Bennett has the hardest job as both the only healer and the only one with energy issues. No one really dies, but they usually aren't at high health going into the next chamber.

Bennett and Kaeya usually do a coinflip to decide who gets to use the Mistsplitter.

If Beidou isn't on the second side, she'll let Chongyun fight her so he can use the Wolf's Gravestone. Kazuha is always impressed when he actually comes back with it. If he loses, or Beidou's using it, he has to use the Sac Greatsword.

They all get along rather well, with Bennett being the only energetic one. Sometimes Kaeya and Chongyun clash, but Kazuha is always quick to mediate. When all else fails, Bennett getting involved makes them both feel guilty.

When they part ways Kaeya likes spraying Chongyun with Cryo. None of them can tell if it's supposed to be helpful or mocking.

(Bloom) Venti, Xingqiu, Aether, Kokomi

Usually a Floor 11 team, and very good at protecting the monolith.

Venti's normal attacks do impressive damage, and adding Xingqiu to it only makes them more so.

Aether's blooms do incredible damage. He's nearly killed himself and Venti on multiple occasions, but Kokomi is there for a reason.

Aether has ER issues, so he sometimes sacrifices EM to go 2pc Guilded 2pc Emblem if they're stuggling to clear.

They might take a while to clear, but the Monolith has never gone below 95% in their care.

Xingqiu gets along very well with both Venti and Kokomi, and the Traveler is there as their mutual friend.

Aether is more talkative on this team than on others, owed mostly to Venti being sure to include him.

(Jadeplume Terrorshroom Killers) Keqing, Fischl, Beidou, Kazuha

Their only purpose is to kill the Dendro Chicken as quickly as possible. Are they all usually on life support by the end? Yes. But they kill the Dendro Chicken Very Fast.

Thankfully Keqing and Beidou are both capable of counteracting Fischl's influence on Kazuha.

Beidou's starting to think Venti is the bad influence, because she actually thinks Fischl's pretty cool.

Oz thinks Keqing is his favorite person, after his Prinzessin, of course.

Keqing just wants to get the job done so she can get back to being productive. She's usually the one to make off with the lower grade artifacts that the Traveler doesn't care about.

Beidou always drags Kazuha over for a meal and a chat afterwards, so they can catch up on what his travels have been like.

(Sunfire: Burning Edition) Tighnari, Jean, Bennett, Kazuha

The team pulled out when Sunfire is needed for anything.

Jean is usually on Clam, since Kazuha has VV covered.

Are two healers enough to keep Tighnari alive? The answer to that is: sometimes!

Jean thinks Bennett is Mondstadt incarnate, the picture of everything she strives to protect. And also that he's a disaster magnet that she should probably protect regardless.

Bennett thinks Jean is super cool and is honestly fanboying most of the time because she's always in her office! He actually gets to see her!

Tighnari respects Jean's levelheadedness and is impressed that she's quite a bit kinder than him despite being just as strict.

He's also gone from irritated to mildly impressed at how many disasters Bennett manages to find himself in.

Normally he'd chew out an adventurer for being stupid, but with Bennett it is a genuine coincidence.

A fascinating thing to witness, Tighnari's started making notes every time they meet outside the Abyss.

Kazuha finds them all to be pleasant company, but is curious that someone with an anemo vision could be so disciplined.

Other than his mild curiosity, he respects her, and puts in a good word for her with Beidou just in case they decide to trade.

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theanoninyourinbox · 5 months

Text

Longstar AU - A Dark Interlude

Trigger Warning - blood, injury, animal death

The night was dimly lit, the tree branches weaving together into a nigh impenetrable ceiling against the full moon. The Newleaf air was chill against Longstar’s pelt as he slunk through the undergrowth. He squinted in the gloom, the scars on his face pulling as he focused on the bushes ahead of him. Longstar was on a mission of great importance, one that would shape his very future.

He was catching a late-night snack for his nursing mate.

Flamewish had told Longstar of her second pregnancy shortly after the Bloodclan Battle. He had been, and still was, ecstatic about the development. He loved Cloudtail like a son already, and Snowpaw and Mistlepaw like his flesh and blood, but kits of his own…he had taken one look at them and fallen in love. Little red coated Foxkit, and tiny brown coated Swiftkit. He only hoped Swiftspirit would be honored by the name.

It had only been a little over a week, and the usually jovial and lively Flamewish was exhausted, and craving a fresh midnight mouse. Longstar was more than happy to provide, and had left his terrifying beauty in the capable paws of the Nursery and Fireheart. And Cinderpelt, of course. Neither sibling would forgive him if he forgot about “their” apprentice. Shaking the memories from his head, he scented the air for mouse-scent and listened intently. Fireheart had told him though his eyes were fine now, they could – and probably would – deteriorate over time. The dog’s teeth could have done quite a lot more damage, Starclan bless, but if he was going to lose his eyesight at some point, he’d best be prepared ahead of time to still be able to get around. There was no fresh mouse scent, or even bird-scent, but a faint hint of bonesandbloodandteethandpack had his hackles raising.

And then a cat screamed terror and pain into the silence.

Longstar leapt into motion, a streak of silver-brown against the shadowed bushes and tree trunks. The cat wailing was joined by the barking of a dog, and fear cut through Longstar like The Tyrant had cut down Tiger”star” – cold and piercing through his guts. But a cat was in danger, and even if he was too late for them, he had to drive the dog off.

He only hoped it didn’t take a Life.

The sounds of thrashing bushes and feline terror grew close, and Longstar clambered up a tree to get a better vantage point. There was indeed a dog, though far smaller than the ones Tiger”star” had lured to kill Thunderclan. But it was tearing ruthlessly into a gray form, shaking the unknown cat like a leaf in a storm. With little time to plan if he wanted to save the poor cat, Longstar calculated the distance, and leapt. He landed on the small dog’s back with a yowl, causing the dog to drop its victim and whirl about wildly. Digging his claws in, he bit down on the beast’s neck as hard as he could. The dog yelped in pain and scrambled to get away, and Longstar had to jump off to not be dragged away. With a final swipe at its hindquarters to drive it away, Longstar finally turned towards its poor victim.

A gray cat lay in a puddle of blood and debris from the bushes. Their sides heaved raggedly, and their breaths sputtered horribly. Longstar approached, but it was very apparent that this cat was dying far too quickly for him to help. He crouched close to their face, and the cat’s remaining heather-blue eye locked onto him. Longstar’s mind interposed Swiftspirit’s face on the dying cat, and he shuddered in grief.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here fast enough to help you” he gently mewed, “but I promise to be here for you now. Yow won’t be alone.”

The cat looked at him with their teary eye, and tried to speak through gasping breaths. “…d…da…k…” The cat coughed wetly, then continued. “DaaAark…kkkk...t...t…nnnh…” Their eye looked beyond him, and as he processed what they had said, passed into the night with a sigh.

…Dark?...Itn?...Dark kitten? A KITTEN!?!?!

Longstar quickly looked around in a panic, the blood in the air clouding his senses. Oh Starclan was there a kitten in this mess?! Blood spotting his paws as he searched, he saw a gleam like starlight out of the corner of his better eye, and whipped his head around towards where the now lifeless cat had looked. A tiny tuft of bloody white fur protruded out of the bushes, and Longstar rushed to the spot. Within the bush, behind the brave parent cat, was an injured kitten, no more than three moons old. Their – judging by the scent through the blood, a little tomcat – ear was nearly torn off, bloody scratches littered his little body, and his tail hung by a scrap of flesh. His eyes were wide and horrified, and his sides heaved in terror.

Oh sweet Starclan he needed to get this kitten help Right NOW! He reached his head out to grab the kitten, and was rewarded with a hiss and a warning swipe to his nose. “Hey there, are you okay little guy?” Longstar mewed, trying to look friendlier. “I’m not going to hurt you…you must be Dark, right?” The kitten stared, as if not even seeing him. Then his eyes focused at Longstar’s face, and his fur started to flatten. “You’re very brave, little guy, but I need to get you some help. Can I take you with me?” The kitten – Dark – began to tremble, and whispered “…momma?”

Longstar hid his wince as best he could, and quietly mewed “I’m sorry, but she’s hunting in the stars now, and nothing can hurt her anymore.” Dark’s face twisted into tears, and he held back a whine. “Please, Dark, can I take you somewhere safe? My family and my own kits would never forgive me if I left you here.” The kitten heaved a sob, and nodded, stepping forward gingerly. “…my name’s Darkkit…”

Oh.

That is a very Clan name.

“That’s a great name sweetie, just” Longstar paused, looking at the carnage behind him, “just close your eyes for me, okay? You don’t want to see your mother like this.” Darkkit nodded again, with a wince, and wobbled forward. Longstar grabbed him gently by the scruff, and as fast as he could manage without jarring Darkkit’s injuries, headed for home.

Please Starclan, he prayed, let Fireheart and Cinderpelt be awake!

-------

Fireheart and Cinderpelt were indeed awake, waiting at the entrance to camp with cobwebs and poppy seeds and worried faces. Yellowfang’s spirit had woken Fireheart, and apparently was staying with Flamewish – probably to see her great-grandkits. The Healers rushed the injured kitten to the Healer’s Den, and shooed Longstar away as soon as Darkkit fell asleep. They had garnered some new information from the kitten – his sire had been a Windclan cat, who had rejected Darkkit and his mother Smoke, though he couldn’t remember the tom’s name or role. Longstar had sent an early morning patrol to make sure the dog was gone, and another to bury the mother who had fought so hard to save her son.

After thoroughly cleaning himself up, Longstar entered the Leader’s Den; as he thought, a starlit gray molly was curled over the sleeping Flamewish and the kits. Yellowfang glanced up at him with a critical eye, then softened her gaze.

“The kit’ll heal up fine, Longface, stop bringing the mood down in here” she murmured. Longstar sagged in relief – if he could trust anyone to be honest, it would be Yellowfang. After a moment, he shrugged. “I’m just hoping Flamewish doesn’t skin me for not bringing a mouse” he joked.

“Extenuating circumstances, you live this time” came from the Queen, opening one eye and smiling up at Longstar. “Now tell me about our new son!” Yellowfang laughed at the look on Longstar’s face, which woke a mewling Swiftkit and Foxkit. With a glittering smile, Yellowfang departed from the den, leaving Longstar with his loving mate and kits.

-------

Flamewish was right though, Darkkit fit into their family just fine.

#my art #warrior cats #warriors #warrior cats au #hello from the void #longstar au #new longstar au #longstar #longtail #darktail #smoke #flamewish #princess #fireheart #cinderpelt #prose #writing #enjoy

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actrixquadras · 2 months

Text

So Far Away AU Part1

Chapter 0: Prologue

The moon, as a sentinel, stood in the silent expanse of the cosmos, where the stars twinkled like a distant memory. Ever glowing, ever moving, and in its long existence, it had seen everything. The birth of the world that it orbited, the creation of life, the creation of Grimm, the rise of magic, the rise of civilizations, their subsequent fall, the departure of its creators, mortals imitating its creator. It had seen it all.

But throughout its eternal life, it could never understand one thing. Why didn’t the living give up? Its creator before leaving the land below and before scarring its body, along with his brother had killed off the living, and yet the living came back. The living fell victim to her creator’s creations yet they doubled back and thrived. They went to war with each other, and some had their souls forcefully merged with the beasts, yet they held onto their short lives like a natal seeking to cling to its mother.

The moon questioned it a lot. It sought the counsel of the sun, the only other body that held onto this land in this celestial space, and even it didn’t know the answer to the living’s tribulations. The living were stubborn, they were tenacious, and that very quality of their made them a joy to watch, and yet their pain ached the moon the same way the shattered pieces of itself once did.

The situation that was going on below it now was also not helping. From the vantage point it sat, the moon could see the battle that was currently going on. It witnessed the tumult below, the clash of steel, a symphony of war cries echoing through the dark forests her creator once called home. The living and the Grimm collide, their struggles etching upon the canvas of the land. From the experience it had, it was clear what the living was trying to achieve. A way into the castle that loomed over the dark horizon, fenced behind the walls of the creatures of darkness.

It was a battle against the living and the being of old times. A being who was cursed by the moon’s and her fellow celestial body’s creators to live eternally. It was a war against impossible odds. The being who wanted nothing but to die but take the world with her as an act of revenge and resentment.

The amount of explosions, blood, and sweat flowing there was enough to fill a lake. The strewn flesh and buzzing of flies that surrounded them made the lunar entity nauseous. It was pitiful, it was painful. It could have been short if the living just gave up.

The moon’s eyes wander as its gaze catches action all over the battlefield. One unlucky man was facing off against a madman who had his soul merged with a scorpion at the time of his birth. There was a standoff between two maidens, one fond of fire and the other fond of ice. The only difference between them was that the fire-crazed maiden stood all alone while the woman touched by the frost was protected by the knight of rust and two of his close comrades.

But there was one entourage of warriors that caught the lunar entity’s eyes the most.

It was a group of four women and one young man steadily breaking their way through the enemy lines. Their first major advance was pushed by the maiden of frost and the knight of rust before they were halted by the maiden of flames. Their second breakthrough was achieved with the help of the man with automaton legs and two shapeshifting damsels. The moon looked at them with bated breaths as they fought its creator’s creations just to reach the abode of the sad witch.

The heft of those punches, the twirl of those ribbons, the precision and grace of those stabs and dust, and the swing of that scythe all made the metaphorical heart of the shattered celestial shudder. Such grace, such bravery was admirable. But the moon knew better. The moon knew well. It was for naught. No amount of bravery would let them come out of this place alive. No amount of grace would allow them to come out of the place unscathed.

Some of them will perish, dying a hero’s death. Others will be left to pick up the pieces, forever stuck in the cycle of mourning. All the moon could hope was that the ones who would be left behind could make something out of their life, for they still had a long life to live.

The moon lost sight of those warriors as they entered the witch’s keep. It might be a celestial that orbited the land below, but there are certain places where its gaze couldn’t reach. It never knew what goes on behind closed doors.

Its gaze goes all over the battlefield. At first, it fell upon the group of soldiers who were holding a line of defense. The soldiers consisted of groups of different uniforms. From leather to cloth. From the knightly armor to carbon kevlar. From flesh to automaton. From humans to the beast people. All of them came together to defend their right to live.

Few warriors held the lunar entity’s eyes longer. There was this one man who was touched by the spirit of the monkey, if that’s what his tail meant, bouncing around from one Grimm to another, spinning his weapon with such force and athleticism that it would make any person with an eye for such things swoon. One woman simply smiled with her black glasses on as her weapon tore through the beowolves. There was also this one rabbit woman who seemed to change weapons on the fly, but for some reason, her weapons looked transparent. Was it the result of the so-called ‘Dust’? It was pretty, yet the moon understood how vicious it could be. Did her creators intend the so-called dust to be this powerful?

But the moon couldn’t help but sigh. This unity would come to an end once the war was over. That is how it always was. Every single time the living would come together for a common cause, then when they achieved that cause, they would go back to being enemies. It was nothing new to the moon. Like how birds needed to fly. Like how animals had the urge to feed. Like how the sun and moon had the instinct to always orbit the land below, the living always had the instinct to fight. Maybe it helped to give them a purpose to live, maybe it was a thrill… the moon never knew.

The moon’s mind found itself wandering back to the warriors back at the castle. It glanced in its direction, and it could feel the ripple of whatever was going down at the castle. But the walls that surrounded the stand-off between the warriors and the ancient witch protected them from the lunar entity’s peeping eyes and like a fickle being it was, its gaze went back to the battlefield, but this time to the likes of the unlucky man.

The fight between the man cursed with bad luck and the crazed beast-man was uneventful for the moon’s taste. To be specific, it was the way it ended that left a bad taste in the orbiting celestial’s mouth. Those two warriors bounced around the battlefield, decimating everything around them. Any Grimm that got caught between them was reduced to dust and the moon didn’t know whether it was because of the bad luck emitting from the curse man or the sheer intensity between those two warriors. The walking scorpion would steal his aura, and the cursed man would retaliate by swinging his sword-scythe, cutting off the madman’s sting in the process. The crazed man would acrobat his way around the unlucky man.

It was when it happened. The moon doesn't know exactly what happened back there. Was it intentional, or was it purely accidental? During his hijinks, the beast-man lost his footing for a second and he fell on his sting. It was also a sting that was man-made and filled with more potent venom. The crazed man died instantaneously, with a crazed grin on his face and the unlucky man looked at his corpse with an unfazed expression.

Maybe the death of the humanoid scorpion was planned after all.

As the man cursed with bad luck walked towards the castle, the moon found its gaze on what it considered a more interesting fight it could watch at the moment.

The maiden of winter was doing all she could do to keep the maiden of fall near the ground, but she was struggling as the fall maiden was powered by not one but two maiden powers. The knight who was on an ethereal jackalope, courtesy of the dust princess, was doing everything to support the winter maiden along with his comrades. One of the comrades, a woman with a huge hammer, was setting off explosions while another comrade, a man was trying to grapple the said maiden with his hooks.

The moon had always hated the fall maiden. All she did was take from everyone else. There was a time when it sympathized for the woman but now all it felt for that woman was loathe. The lunar entity was one of the two witnesses of when the maiden killed a girl who was originally supposed to be the maiden, the other witness being the warrior with silver eyes. There was a time when the moon thought that the woman was redeemable. But that feeling left the entity when the fall maiden killed a child to gain the summer aspect.

Now, all the moon wanted was to see the maiden of fall have a taste of defeat. The winter maiden and her supporters were already running on fumes. At one point in their fight, the fall maiden had destroyed the jackalope leaving the knight at a disadvantage. Powered by the aspects of two maidens, the fall maiden goes on the offensive, forcing her opponents to take cover behind the rocks.

Suddenly, the knight walks out from his cover. His shield was fully deployed and his sword was in his dominant hand. His helmet revealed nothing other than his blue eyes which were glaring at the fall maiden. The knight takes the stance, his shield close to his chest and his sword ready. The moon was not sure what history was between the knight and the maiden but as soon the said knight took the stance, an evil smile grew on the fall maiden’s face and she shot out a continuous stream of fire on the knight, completely engulfing him.

At first, the moon was concerned. The amount of fire the maiden had used was too much. No normal human could withstand it. But it was in for a shock when the knight tanked the fire and kept walking through the flames, one small step at a time. His eyes were locked on the fire maiden and he boldly waded through the flame as if it were a bog. The fall maiden took his stride as a challenge and kept spewing the flames and as a statement, she brought herself close to the ground, but the knight kept walking towards her, unfazed and the fall maiden didn’t like it at all.

What the fall maiden failed to realize was how the winter maiden and the other two of the knight’s comrades were sneaking closer toward her. The Knight of Rust was just a distraction. The hatred and mockery the fall maiden felt for the knight made her narrow-sighted.

It was quick. The fall maiden didn’t have enough time to realize when two grappling hooks attached themselves to the ground and as she looked in the direction from where the hooks came from, just for her gut to be kicked by the man who was reeled in by those hooks. The maiden was not given enough time to react when the hammer girl swung her hammer into her back with unadulterated rage. The winter maiden swoops in to incase evil maiden’s lower body in ice and the last thing the evil scourge saw was the knight she called weak, swinging his sword in full force, aiming for her neck.

There was no hint of hesitation. His armor was burned in some places and it melted in some places. The red sash he wore around his waist was scorched with heat. He had discarded his shield to use his free hand as an extra force. There was no anger in his eyes. The only thing that was left in them was indifference as he committed himself to that strike.

And just like that, the head was separated from the torso. Smooth like butter. It was quick. It was painless. The moon knew very well that the people who brought that fate on the evil maiden wanted her to suffer, but some victory is better than nothing. The knight stood there as the winter maiden burned the corpse for an extra measure. They were exhausted but they were glad.

But their joy was short-lived as a loud noise caught the moon’s attention. The castle was crumbling. It was falling to pieces. From the exposed section, the moon could make out a few figures. The lady with the scythe was the only one standing facing against the ancient witch. Her teammates were on the ground, battered and bruised and the moon was not sure whether they were breathing or not. The boy who went with them was missing an arm but was still standing, albeit barely and he was using his predecessor’s cane as a support. The lady in red was bruised and bloodied and in her hand was what the moon recognized as the sword of destruction.

The witch loomed over them with a pitiful smile on her face. The lady in red looks at the young man, who just nods at her. A grim expression grew on the red huntress’s face as she closed her eyes and from the tips of her eyelashes, the moon saw a silver light leaking out. The boy stumbles into position right in between the witch and the huntress, his cane charging up some sort of attack.

The moon’s eyes widen as the sword of destruction starts to glow with a silver aura, keeping the witch at bay as the field of aura generated by the cane is sucked in by the sword, and in a blink of an eye, the light explodes, blinding everything in the battlefield.

The explosion was so powerful that every single Grimm that was nearby vanished without a trace. The Grimm which were farther away scurried away in fear, an emotion that was foreign to them. The castle was decimated by the said explosion and the moon knew that the odds of someone surviving that explosion were very low.

There were varying emotions and expressions among the forces as they saw the castle come down into dust. Some looked in awe at the destruction and some stood like a deer caught in headlights. Some were rejoicing and some let out a sigh of relief. But there was one group of people who were making a break towards the castle. The knight was in the lead, his exhaustion all up in smoke as he saw the keep crumbling down, closely followed by the winter maiden and his comrades with the man with unconventional bad luck in the back.

But it was never enough. The moon lamented. No matter how much effort they put in, it would never be enough, for the castle was so far away.

Hey guys, this is my first au for my favorite pairing. Please forgive me if its difficult to follow since English is my second language. I hope you enjoy it.

#weiss schnee x jaune arc #rwby whiteknight #so far away au #jaune arc #weiss schnee #winter schnee #rwby #its my first au

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writersmorgue · 1 year

Text

Day 10 - difficulty breathing

read on ao3

word count: 1221

TWs in tags

note: and at *checks time* half an hour until the 11th this is finally out. ha. i'm pushing it.

╞╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╡

“Cheeks! On your twelve, stay in pursuit.”

“Heard, Dynamight!” Ochako darts to the right, under an overpass where her company can’t track her.

Her target is still several yards ahead, and she relays his position to her team through comms.

“Dynamight is coming in from above, several bogeys on him but they’re slow. He’ll meet you there.” Her UA intern tells her, watching from his vantage point. He’d typically be fighting with her, his object manipulation quirk great for team-ups, but they don’t know what the ringleader’s quirk is, only that he’s deadly. She and Aizawa both agreed it would be best for him to sit this out.

The villain group, some subset of the League, generally has bat-like quirks. Echolocation, wings, the whole nine. The leader, however, they’re not sure about. Normally in cases with serial killings, identifying the perp’s quirk is the simple part, but this guy likes to get rid of the evidence.

Piles of ash and bone have been all they’ve found, which would normally point to a fire quirk, but apparently, the science people say the victims were dead before they were burned. Just another layer on this cake of problems, Ochako thinks they should’ve just lied.

Katsuki says it would be against the law for them to do that but he’s not exactly the poster child for rationality.

Whatever, fire quirk or not this bitch is going down. (Katsuki did agree with that one.)

Speak of the devil, Ochako hears his boots thump in front of her, explosions drowned out by his voice as he yells at civilians to ‘back the fuck up.’

It gets the job done, so Ochako only rolls her eyes with fond exasperation and focuses on staying hidden.

The villain is slowing down, taking advantage of the semi-crowded public street and the extra responsibility it throws on the hero’s shoulders to catch his breath.

She wishes they knew his name, calling him ‘villain’ sounds childish.

“Oi, bitchboy!” Katsuki yells, which will have to do. She can always count on him to not worry about trivial nonsense, like common decency.

The villain, bitchboy as he’s now forever labeled in Ochako’s head, turns around. His white mannequin-looking mask is slightly askew from all the movement, and she’s willing to bet retreating on foot was not the original plan. Oh well, that’s what happens when you try to assassinate political figures.

He looks around wildly, visibly panicking as the civilians retreat to give them space.

Shit, this is when this gets dangerous. She can see him debating on something, coming to a conclusion when Katsuki holds his arm out blindly and incapacitates half of his backup without a second thought.

Guess we’ll find out what that quirk is now.

He removes one of his gloves and holds his hand out in front of him, slowly raising his hand to point at Katsuki.

Ochako hears Katsuki snort, “The fuck is that?”

The villain rolls his shoulders and flicks his mask off with his other thumb. He has a black ski mask under, so they still can’t see much, but his brown eyes are visible now.

“Stop.” He whispers so lowly that it’s probably inaudible to Katsuki, but she can make it out from behind him.

Ochako knew she shouldn’t have waited, but she curses herself silently and takes action now.

She darts out of her hiding place, running as silently as she can to hopefully retain the element of surprise.

She clocks him on the back of the head, a satisfying crack echoes as he lands face-first on the street.

She briefly pats him down for weapons before cuffing him, and in a matter of seconds she’s jogging over to Katsuki.

“Hey, did it do anything?” She asks, sending out a collection request for the villain.

He’s still, unnaturally so. His eyes are a little wide, and his shoulders are stiff. She can tell he’s holding himself back from saying something.

“You good? If you have feedback we can go over it when we get back.” Her eyebrows furrow. He remains silent.

Slowly, he slides his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He presses a few buttons and hands it over to her.

It’s open to his messages with Aizawa, and there’s a newly sent text that reads ‘Quirk. Erase now.”

Aizawa’s pissed face stares up at her as Katsuki’s phone receives a call. She looks up at him and he shakes his head.

“Katsuki what’s wrong?” She asks, worry slowly consuming her.

He closes his eyes, shoulders hitching, and shakes his head again.

She steps closer. He looks fine, physically, a little red in the face but it is pretty hot outside.

The villain told him to stop. Stop what? Is it some sort of mind-control quirk? He hasn’t moved in or spoken since it was activated, maybe he can’t?

Katsuki’s legs buckle beneath him, and he falls to his knees. Ochako follows him, reaching a hand out to rest on his knee pad. A pained look covers his face, and he looks up toward the sky, scrunching his eyes closed.

“Katsuki, please-” She whispers, leaning forward to take his face in her hands.

He’s begun to shake, small tremors running through his body. She can tell he’s trying not to panic.

It hits her like a sack of bricks when his eyes begin to water.

“Shit! Breathe, Katsuki!” She shouts at him, knowing damn well he wants to punch her for saying something so stupid.

She watches as tears begin to streak down his face, his body slowly shutting down. She can imagine his vision going black and his chest burning like hell right about now.

She taps her comm, shouting something she won’t remember later, but making it very clear that they need Aizawa now.”

They tell her it’ll be five minutes.

“Just a few minutes, Katsuki, you’re doing so well.”

He blinks at her, chest convulsing and mouth hanging open. He crumples into her chest, wrapping his arms around her torso.

Fuck, they don’t even know if erasure will fix this.

It has to, there’s no other option.

“So strong, Katsuki, you’re gonna be okay.”

His throat makes several clicking sounds, desperately trying to inhale, and she can feel drool wetting her shoulder.

She holds him close, letting him take the proximity and comfort he’s seeking, even instinctually.

“C’mon, Kat.”

His body goes limp.

She stiffens, rolling him onto the ground. His face is slack, eyes still twitching occasionally but definitely unconscious.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,” She chants, tapping her comm again, “We need help NOW. He’s not going to make it-”

“Eraserhead is two minutes out, Uravity, he’ll be ok. Please remain calm.” Recovery Girl reminds her, cane tapping in the background as she walks.

It’s easier said than done when your best friend’s lips are turning blue.

“Gods please, Katsuki,” She whimpers, digging her face into his neck. His pulse is there, but it’s not getting stronger.

She sniffs, watching the remnants of his tears trail to his hairline. It’s the first time in fourteen years of knowing him that she’s ever seen him cry.

She wipes them away and waits.

And when she hears shouting around the corner and feels Katsuki’s chest heave as he takes his first breath, she finally allows herself to cry.

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harrison-abbott · 10 months

Text

NOCTURNAL WOODS (1992)

When I was a boy I was never able to sleep well. I hated school and when I usually slept for a couple of hours when I got in, meaning I’d be up in the evening doing what I liked to do, which was read and watch films etc. This meant that I wasn’t tired in the late evening like neurotypical people, and I’d stay up into the a.m. hours.

My mother disliked this and I went into this routine naively, because I still needed to go to the toilet and move around the house. And when I woke her up with bangs I’d get a beating. She was quite the monster when deducted sleep. So I learned how to sneak quietly. I learned how to place my feet on the right floorboards, avoiding the others which would wince. It was intense and like a game and I enjoyed it.

I loved the dark and its sense of creation. Daylight made a new world and in the dark there were other possibilities. People are not designed to function in the night and that’s what I liked about it.

To this day I’m usually up at night. I’m not as quick with reading as a man but I still have insomnia or am only to rest in four-hour bouts. It doesn’t bother me much.

But, anyway, Davies gave me a new case. Two people had been murdered in a park in a south side suburb of the city. Shot. I looked over the files and information. They were shot in the early morning; one was a middle-aged man walking his dog, the other an elderly woman taking a stroll … Their bodies were found cold around nine or ten a.m. by other dogwalkers, who called the police.

Thus the victims must have been shot when it was still dark. Or during very low light. And thus I knew that the killer must the same admiration for the night as I did. I told Davies that I’d get right on it. I was intrigued.

I drove down to this suburban area. I met up with the teams who had sealed off the most recent murder scene with the old lady. There was no possibility of her being killed for a reason. It was obvious we were dealing with somebody of a serial psychopathic nature who would be looking to attack again soon. The spot where she was shot was wide open and near a handsome little bridge above the river.

“Morning, sir,” I shook hands with the cop who was in charge.

“Morning, Walter.”

“So have your team searched around the area yet?”

“We cut the woods off to the public yesterday. We did a routine scout around the area yesterday afternoon. It was raining like crazy and we didn’t find anything.”

I looked around. The valley rose up in a steep ascent where the trees were muffled by dense ivy.

“Did you check up the valley, sir?” I asked.

“We went over the woods in a general way, so yes, but we were waiting for today to do a proper search.”

I took this as a no.

“Okay,” I said, “I’m going to head up the valley now and have a mosey.”

The men stayed behind and I teetered up the hill alone. Indeed the strands were slippery with the recent rainfall; my breath puffed out in clumsy clouds. I got maybe fifty metres up and looked down at the bridge with the policemen by it. What I was looking for was some kind of vantage point where I expected the killer to have shot from.

I scanned the ground and went through the branches of the trees. There were many places where he could get an easy shot from this range. But I simply didn’t find any evidence of him being there. So I went back down the valley.

“Find anything, detective?” the cop said to me.

“I didn’t, no. But could you take me to the spot where the other person was shot? The man?”

As we went along the trail I scanned the landscape. These were fairly heavy woods and any whiff of urbanity was a half-mile off. We ducked away from the river where the path led down under another hillside. Rocky and craggy with birches clung to its canvass. The policeman showed me where the man had been shot.

“What happened to his dog?” I said. “The dead man’s dog.”

“His dog? Oh, I actually didn’t think about that. I think somebody found it.”

The rockface arose wildly above me. I noticed it came to an abrupt end at the top – a distance high enough to kill you if you jumped from there. I told the policeman I was going to go searching again and he could come if he wanted but he refrained and said he would stay behind.

I obviously couldn’t climb the rock bit directly so I went into the woods the far side of it and picked my way through the ferns and thickets, using the tree roots to lever myself up. Was quite fun. I reached the top and came up to the area at the top of the cliff.

There were footprints in the mud. Boots, a man’s size, a big man. I avoided them and edged my way towards the clifftop. I could see the policeman at the bottom. Another perfect shooting position. Then I saw something in the grass, and I went closer. It was a flask. As in, a coffee flask, lying there. He’d left it behind. By it the grass was leaden down as if somebody had been sitting there reading.

Good stuff. I knew I would have to wait for this man. He would be returning here again to kill or perhaps he was still here already, spying on me. Maybe I could lure him out and tempt him into a duel. Either way it would have to be done at night. The quickest way to catch him would be through some form of espionage. He would not strike in the day. Only in the nocturnal escapism of the woods.

I told my plan to Davies on the phone. He was uneasy about it. I told him I wanted to do it alone.

“So you reckon there’s a good chance he’s still in the woods?” Davies said.

“I just have a hunch, boss.”

“As in, he’s camping out there? How big is the forest anyway?”

“He very well might be and it’s large enough to hide in.”

“You sure you don’t want to have a team with you?”

“It would work better with one man.”

“Well, if that’s how you want to proceed then so be it.”

I ordered the policemen in the woods to keep the area off-limits to the public. Then they could leave. I drove to the nearest supermarket and got some whisky in. I sat in my car near the woodland and read the newspaper, waiting for it to get dark. There was a pretty sunset and then the night cloaked the area and all fell silent, and I set out into the woods.

The only tactic was to explore; I didn’t quite have a plan save to find further clues he might have left. So I took off the public trail and went into the rough parts. The ivy covered everything like an evergreen plague. And a thick frost multiplied on the leaves in a magical haze. The whiteness of the frost gave off small light which helped me in an arena which was otherwise pitch black.

I saw something ahead of me in the gloom. It slid across the frosty ivy every so faintly. Then there was a rustle in the trees ahead of it. I followed and came to said trees and looked down the other side, onto a hillside where this shape was angling down it. He moved fast and skilful down the slope. That was him, that was the killer. I didn’t expect to find him so fast.

A tingle came over my body. I brought my bottle out and drank as his body reached the bottom of the hill. It was like being in a film, or watching something cryptic in a play. When he vanished into a new group of trees I pursued.

I was bemused at how easy he descended the slope because it was gnarly and lubricious. I fumbled down it slow and awkward, all the whiles losing time on the man below me. And I reached the bottom and looked into an abyss of trees and couldn’t see him. I’d also lost the point where I’d seen him last – was confused. I chose a location and ventured. Then I caught a smell of something.

Woodsmoke.

That pearly homely smell. It came from behind me, which proved I’d gone the wrong way. So I followed the woodsmoke instead and came to a cluster of holly bushes. Through the leaves I saw the miraculous glow of firelight. I peeled closer and peered through the branches.

I saw him perched by a bonfire. He was working at something in front of him: I was too far away to see what it was but it looked like he was knitting. As I watched I drank, feeling smug that he didn’t know I was there. Then he stopped whatever he was doing and he put something into a bag. Then he left the bag there and moved off into the woods again and vanished from view. I came out of the hollies and went up to the bonfire.

The rucksack was small and I looked inside it. There was a bottle of water, some apples, a pencil and a notebook. I looked inside it and there were all kinds of slinky handwriting inside it. The letters were so small I couldn’t read it.

Suddenly I heard a noise ahead of me in the trees and I flinched and tucked the book back in the bag and then ran off. I dove into the bushes as the killer came back to his fire. He came up to the flames and I saw his frame for the first proper time. He was huge. And he’d stopped and was looking at his bag. Because it had changed position. I’d moved it.

Then he brought his rife out and started looking around the trees. I swallowed and then crouched up. The killer took a torch out and clicked it on and the battery beam of it was wondrous in the night. He held the rifle in one hand and torch in another and came towards where I was hiding. Closer and closer and suddenly the dark was undone. The torch overpowered the weeds and bushes.

I stood up and ran and simultaneously the light hit me. He swore. Then he took aim and fired. And a gush of timber spat out of the tree trunk in front of me and I ran on. I dove through more tree trunks. He shot a second time and the bullet whistled into time but didn’t hit me. I pulled my own gun out and ran. There was no way of telling where he was and the other immediate danger was running into one of these trees.

Something snagged my foot and I fell over, cartoonish, landing on my face. Then I saw him lurking between the trees. Hunting. Thirty yards from me and then twenty and I was on the floor watching him. His torch whipped about and then it found me.

His face disappeared behind the torchlight. He brought his rifle up and shot. My body jarred and jolted aside. I felt a tremendous weakness. The torchlight beamed closer and closer. I brought my pistol out and shot at it. I shot at the torch, not the human, and that made it easier. And the torch twirled away.

I heard the man gasp and grunt. The torch was lying in the weeds and I could dimly see the killer squirming on the floor. I’d shot him somewhere in the torso.

My left knee was shot. First time I’d ever been whacked by a bullet. I had a clear aim at him again and it would’ve been easy to shoot a second time. I hesitated.

He grumbled up and got a stance and lumbered away from me. I could have capped him then but I didn’t, I didn’t want to.

The reverb of the gun battle still hung in the woods in failed echoes.

I turned my lighter on and looked at my gunshot wound. It had blown away a chunk of the lower calf. Not good but not lethal if I could get to a hospital in time. Okay, so I needed to get out of the woods. First thing I needed to do was stand up. I scrawled over to a tree trunk and lifted myself up using my right leg for support. And the blood flumed down my left knee in hot currents.

There was a branch above me which might serve as a crutch for the time being. I broke it off. It was tall and sturdy enough and a lucky find. Then I drank. I downed as much as I could for the next journey.

And as I went I got thinking about my mother in the old house again, when I used to sneak around to try and play with her. My mother always seemed old and irritable. She never spoke much and never particularly liked me … Did I sneak around the house because I wanted to prove one of her tantrums? Maybe I enjoyed those explosive bells when I woke her up by mistake … And maybe I got so good at evasion that I had no relationship with her at all.

And now I was here in the woods with a firm possibility of bleeding to death. I wasn’t going to go out without being drunk. Fuck that. So I drank as much as I could and then I came to the river.

I didn’t even know I was that close to the river but suddenly there I was and there was no other option save to jump it. So I jumped. And I landed about a yard off the bank the other side. And I tried to jump with my walking stick but it fell away and the current took it downstream. I came out of the water laughing, and headed out of the dead shrubbery. And I came upon the main trail.

The public trail – I was here! I recognised where I was suddenly, a little bit. If I followed it west I should come upon the scene where the woman was murdered. And I walked along it, an idiot, a failed detective, a failed spy. I reached the taped-off scene of the woman.

I wondered why a good woman like that deserved to die compared to a vagabond like me. Maybe she wasn’t a good woman; maybe she had an insidious past filled with selfish vengeance and greed and was like that until she was shot in the head by some random lunatic in the forest. Who knows. That’s what crime is there for.

The trail continued and I came upon the streetlamps beyond the trees in the far distance and knew I was going to survive. There was further tape on the main entrance to the park and I ducked under it and went along the road and found my car and I got inside and tried not to think about my leg.

I didn’t really feel much in the way of panic. Perhaps I’d been trying to kill myself for such a long time there wasn’t much difference in the current situation …

The bottle was nearly dry. I knew that there was a big hospital on the south side of the city. It was only a ten minute drive away in fact. Handy.

It felt good to be back in urbanity. And the car warmed me up. I stuck the radio on and a national audio brought me back to society – a place where I never belonged. And I finished my bottle on the way to the hospital and met not a single other car in the indigo icy morning.

THE END

#writeblr #creative writing #Detective L Walter #speculative fiction #cops and robbers #noir fiction #crime fiction #prose #short story

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dumb-cdc · 5 months

Text

the Standpoint of being "Chosen"

It is a journey into distortion to understand the positionality of Evangelicals and Zionists, and their ideological siblings in MAGA under Trump and Hindutva under Modi.

This is a positionality not often discussed in Standpoint Theory™️, which posits that all knowledge of the self and the world is informed by social position.

Black feminists like Patricia Hill Collins describe Standpoint™️ as the place where one finds themselves within a 'matrix of oppression'—an individual's standpoint is located at a unique nexus of the intersecting systems of race, gender, and class. When this standpoint is located outside of hegemony, you have a clearer vantage point of the cogs in the greater machine and the contours of these intersecting oppressive systems. From these standpoints, we can better see the violent churn of bureaucracy down to the interpersonal mechanisms of violence.

What happens, then, when the 'matrix of oppression' is replaced with a 'matrix of exceptionalism'? A matrix where entities believe that they sit at the centermost nexus of race, gender, and class systems, a standpoint nestled within hegemony rather than one thrown to a distal area from it. A matrix where the resulting standpoint is one of being "chosen."

Not just exceptional by ordinary standards, but "chosen": singularly "chosen" by God and Nation. Now that is a data validation conundrum.

How does this standpoint of being "chosen" understand equality, equity, or justice? Human rights or humanness itself?

When trying to understand this, I think to a scene from the miniseries Midnight Mass. The series follows a congregation "chosen" by an angel (sorta vampire?) that is now tasked to decide which church members should survive to see the New World Order. A show 100% about epidemiological investigation (ie new incidence of vampires), featuring communicable and zoonotic diseases.

The scene is Annie (neighborhood mom) speaking to Bev ("chosen" church leader, vampire) after much of the town has been sacrificed for the New World Order. Annie to Bev: God doesn't love you more than anyone else. You aren't a hero. And you certainly, certainly aren't a victim. Bev: I wouldn't lecture Annie Flynn. [...] (Gives a bitchy read of Annie's parenting skills because her sacrificed* son killed a child during a DUI.) Annie: And God loves him. Just as much as He loves you, Bev. Why does that upset you so much? Just the idea that God loves everyone just as much as you. (Get her Jade!)

In the 'matrix of exceptionalism,' how does one conceptualize love from God and Nation? God and Nation can certainly love beings that aren't equal to the "chosen." God and Nation can certainly love them less. The love itself does not have to be equal.

Meanwhile, in the 'matrix of oppression':

*see above

All this to say: those of us scattered across the 'matrix of oppression' can look at hegemony and have an outside vantage point of the Master's House™️ per se (coined by Audre Lorde).

I believe that those inside the Master's House are scattered across the 'matrix of exceptionalism.' Nestled within hegemony, they have a proximity to something else.

And perhaps through a keyhole, a crack in the door, a few inches between the window pane and sill, we on the outside see what it is:

The Cuckoo Clock in Hell™️

This is how Kurt Vonnegut describes the innermost mind of the far-right in his 1961 book Mother Night. This mind is a machine so fundamentally broken, random, and pointless, that it functions only enough to simply keep its shoddy machinery operating and whirling.

Ostensibly able to 'make the trains run on time,' but always in a super fucked up way.*

*see above

In Vonnegut's words:

I have never seen a more sublime demonstration of the totalitarian mind, a mind which might be linked unto a system of gears where teeth have been filed off at random. Such snaggle-toothed thought machine, driven by a standard or even by a substandard libido, whirls with the jerky, noisy, gaudy pointlessness of a cuckoo clock in Hell. [...] [The far-right] wasn't completely crazy. The dismaying thing about classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, thought mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth that are immaculately maintained, that are exquisitely machined. Hence the cuckoo clock in Hell - keeping perfect time for eight minutes and twenty-three seconds, jumping ahead fourteen minutes, keeping perfect time for six seconds, jumping ahead two seconds, keeping perfect time for two hours and one second, then jumping ahead a year. The missing teeth, of course, are simple, obvious truths, truths available and comprehensible even to ten-year-olds, in most cases. The willful filing off of gear teeth, the willful doing without certain obvious pieces of information - [...] That was how my father-in-law could contain in one mind an indifference toward slave women and love for a blue vase - That was how Rudolf Hess, Commandant of Auschwitz, could alternate over the loudspeakers of Auschwitz great music and calls for corpse-carriers - That was how Nazi Germany could sense no important difference between civilization and hydrophobia - That is the closest I can come to explaining the legions, the nations of lunatics I've seen in my time.”

^^ a cuckoo clock, not pictured in hell

In respect to Black Lives Matter, Trans Rights, and Palestine, those of us glimpsing inside the Master's House through a keyhole or opening have seen the faces of friends, family, and community members in there.

More often than not, I see white queers speaking Zionist rhetoric while staring directly into the Cuckoo Clock in Hell™️ --

They agree with it. On the same day pro-Palestine protestors shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, and Holland Tunnel using ACT UP's 1995 "bridges and tunnels" protest techniques. On the same day over 400 persons were arrested for this act of defiance. On the same day ACT UP NY announced fully-funding bus tickets for the ACT UP block going to the January 13th March on Washington.

I see white queers agree with the Cuckoo Clock in Hell™️ and listen to its dissonant whirling. To them, I want to ask: Why do you feel so safe inside the Master's House? You will eventually be evicted, displaced, and discarded. Do you actually believe you are "chosen," a credit to your kind?

When I think of Palestine as a Standpoint™️, I think of what the Castro district of San Francisco, CA has come to mean for queers across the nation (and even globally).

^^ photos taken by me, 2023

When you're in the Castro, you know you're in Castro-- Rainbow crosswalks, rainbow banners on lampposts, a historic 'rainbow walk' with plaques dedicated to famous LGBTQ+ figures, and a giant rainbow flag (20ft x 30ft) flying over Harvey Milk Plaza.

The SF AIDS Foundation has a beautiful multi-story wellness center serving the community. The historic Twink Peaks Tavern sits atop Castro St.; its large panoramic windows were uncovered in 1973, making it the first gay bar to stop hiding its patrons from the public.

The graffiti says 'Protect Trans Kids' and 'Dykes Hate Techies.' There is an ease around queer public displays of affection and sexuality. The Castro 'Welcome Center' plays Kim Petras' album Slut Pop over the sound system.

youtube

The historic Castro theatre visually distinguishes the neighborhood's main drag from anywhere else.

Harvey Milk's old photo shop is now an art space called Queer AF.

Dildos are in a fair amount of store windows. And you will probably pass a nudist on your morning coffee run.

^^ photos taken by me, 2023

The Castro's response to Palestine was immediate and visible.

After Israel's retaliation to Hamas' October 7th attack had begun, Palestinian flags went up in storefronts. Sandwich boards said 'Free Gaza' and 'Let Gaza Live.' Messages of solidarity were written on printer paper and taped to windows. Residents hung Palestinian flags out of their apartment windows. We marched to the Civic Center.

^^ photo taken by me, 2023

And so, when I see white queers parroting the Cuckoo Clock in Hell™️, I want to ask: What would it mean for the queers of Castro to become forcibly displaced?

Would it be a stretch of the imagination for windows to be broken, residents to be threatened, stores to be trashed, or pedestrians to be beaten? Would it be a stretch of the imagination for the few franchises among the queer-owned local businesses to pull out of the neighborhood with enough political pressure?

What if you heard that queer residents on the outer blocks of Castro had their homes bricked. They left in fear. The city quickly seized the property. Squatters and developers moved in. The violence may move inwards towards the heart of the neighborhood.

Now more people want these dykes, fags, trannies, groomers, pedophiles, and perverts out of here.

And they found a system for doing so.

^^ graphic design is their passion

So let's just stop here. This is the most benign level of forced displacement. This will not create refugees or a humanitarian crisis. This isn't even on par with raiding gay bars like in the good ol' days.

This isn't police beating up queers in the street or arresting them for now being 'unwanted traffic' in public space. This isn't vigilantes telling "the queers" to get out of their homes and businesses at gunpoint. This isn't throwing all of your belongings out of the window and into the street.

This isn't making flying the LGBT flag illegal.

This isn't tearing down the sign for Harvey Milk Plaza.

This isn't defacing the Castro Theatre.

This isn't even a loss of life.

This isn't even war.

I want to posit this to all the white queers fixated on the Cuckoo Clock in Hell™️. I want to ask why they feel safe from state violence that, given the current anti-LGBTQ+ landscape, is only one move of the needle away.

When you are no longer "chosen," how will you return to and face your community again? And better yet: can you? We protect us, after all.

This article is dedicated to you.

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keldae · 5 months

Text

The markets of Baldur's Gate were never silent – even in the dead of night, there were guards moving through the lanes, or people up to no good, or late-night patrons of the taverns. During the day, it was frequently pandemonium, between hawkers and buskers and mercenaries filling the streets. In the chaos, it was easy for a little half-Elf girl with auburn hair and blue eyes to slip between a couple of human mercenaries without being caught by her long ponytail. One of the mercs didn't even flinch when his coin purse was neatly sliced into, and his money was caught by deft fingers.

But Deviali knew from past experience that it would not do her well to linger. Any second, the mercenary would reach for his coins to pay for the meat pies he was in line to get, and realize that he'd been robbed blind. Best to be far away by then. She made her way around a statue of some god or another, and once in the shadows, looked down at her prize. Seven gold pieces, and a couple of silvers, plus a handful of coppers – this would do well. Maybe this would even earn her an approving nod from her father, who hadn't so much as smiled since Mama had left. Jehn at least would be impressed with this little prize.

“Hey!” bellowed a male voice. The human had realized the crime he'd been a victim of. Time for Devi to sneak away in the crowds. Shoving her stolen coin in a pouch under her tunic, she made her way out into the crowds, keen eyes darting around, looking for another easily-grabbed purse or another valuable item. The little dagger up her sleeve felt reassuring, reminding her that she wasn't a helpless eight-year-old, should any of her targets retaliate.

A scuffle in an alley got her attention. Curiosity and caution warred for a moment in her mind before her insatiable curiosity won out. She trotted into the alley to see a ragged-looking tiefling woman, trying to shelter two tiny children behind her, as another human loomed over them. “You didn't make your protection payments, bitch,” he growled. “Pay up.”

“I can't! I have no money! My children and I haven't eaten today!” The tiefling sniffled. “Please, have mercy –”

“The boss’ mercy is at an end. He wants his money, now!” The enforcer sneered. “Course, I could take you to him myself…”

“He'll kill me! I-I-I'll get the money to you, I just need more time–”

“You've had plenty of time. Maybe selling one of those whelps will settle your debt.” The enforcer reached out and snatched one of the tiefling children by their shirt. “Consider the kid a partial payment on what you owe.”

“No!” wailed the mother, as her child screamed in terror. “Please, not my children! Take me, but leave them alone!”

“No, I think I'll take the kid,” the enforcer chuckled. “What are you gonna do about it?” A second later, he swore as a rotten egg pelted the back of his head. “Who the hells–?!”

From her new vantage point atop an overhanging roof, Devi took aim with another egg, lifted from a rotten basket, and threw again. This one hit the enforcer in the eye; he yelled in disgusted pain, dropping the child to claw at his face.

Fortunately, the tiefling mother recognized a good opportunity when she saw one. Snatching her child's hand, she fled down the alley, both children following her as fast as their little legs would take them. Devi grinned, then threw another egg for good measure, this one landing on the enforcer’s face.

Unfortunately, the enforcer saw her a second before rotten goo splattered across his bearded face. Devi winced when she saw the malice in his eyes. Time to go while she could; she raced off over the rooftops, sandal-clad feet carrying her swiftly over the roof tiles.

Once, she dared to look back, and yelped when she realized the enforcer had climbed the wall to the rooftops and was now chasing her. Quite aware that her little dagger wouldn't do much good against a big, armoured human with clear intentions of murdering her, she fled, her earlier glee replaced with alarm. If she could make it to another area of the city, near the temples, she could try to seek refuge with the priests of some deity. The clerics were normally welcoming of little girls who were fleeing for their lives from hulking, murderous thugs.

She slid down a drain pipe and emerged from the alley into another crowded thoroughfare. A coin purse carelessly hanging on someone's belt made her eye it longingly – but she was still being chased. No time to steal from another oblivious shopper. If she cut through another alley, and made it to the drain connecting it to the city sewers, she could make it to the temples and claim refuge for at least a little bit –

She shrieked as a big hand grabbed her ponytail and dragged her into another alley. “Think that was funny, did you?” snarled the enforcer, reeking of rotten egg and radiating rage. “I'm gonna leave you in pieces all over Baldur's Gate. Worthless little brat that you are!”

Devi slipped her dagger out of her sleeve and swiped at the wrist holding her, and a second later, saw stars as she was backhanded. Her nose already felt hot and swollen, and she could feel blood pouring from it.

“You got balls, girlie, trying that stunt!” The enforcer pulled out a club from where it had been stowed on his back. “When I'm done with you there won't–”

There was a grunt, and the hand gripping Devi's hair suddenly let go. She whipped around to see her attacker fall to his knees, eyes wide and hands pressed to an already-bloody section of his leather jerkin. Another hand grabbed Devi's arm and jerked her away from the thug, and her older brother's voice gave a sharp command. “Run.”

Devi took one look at Jehn, wielding his dagger like he was going to stab the enforcer again, and obediently took off in a run. He would make sure that the enforcer couldn't come after her… but Jehn had some strange ideas about what was appropriate for a little girl to see, and a man dying wasn't on that list. And she knew better than to argue with him.

—

Father had not been pleased with Devi’s spoils today, or with the blood staining her face and her shirt. She sniffed as she scrubbed at the ruined shirt, her nose still hurting from the earlier smack. Her father had gruffly declared it to be not broken before throwing her to the front steps to try and fail to clean her tunic. No point wasting money on new clothes that she would just outgrow, after all.

A body dropped to the step beside Devi; she flinched before seeing Jehn's blue eyes looking at her. “Thanks,” she mumbled, looking back at the stupid shirt.

“Any reason you decided to take on a thug like that?” Jehn asked. “I nearly caught shit from the city guard, and they barely believed I was saving you when I knifed him.”

Devi shrugged. “He was stealing a woman's kid an’ roughing her up. ‘Course I got involved. He just… ran faster ‘n I thought.”

“You and your sense of heroism. I'm shocked the old man ain't beat it out of you yet.” Jehn sighed. “You just gotta try an’ help everyone, don't you?”

“Mama would,” Devi quietly said, looking down at the shirt. “She said ‘s the right thing to do.”

“Your mother who left you behind?” Jehn asked.

Devi scowled up at her half-brother. “I bet she's doin’ good things that Father don't like! Savin’ people an’... an’... stuff.”

“She coulda saved us,” Jehn muttered. “Dev, next time you see a thug from one of the crime lords in Baldur's Gate roughin’ someone up, just… don't get involved, yeah? I ain't always gonna be there to save your ass. And we both know Father won't give a damn.”

Angrily, Devi swiped a hand over her eyes and blood-crusted nose. “I can take care of myself,” she mumbled. “Just got unlucky today.”

“Like you got unlucky last tenday and I had to come spring you from the city guard?”

Devi scowled. “I had that sorted out.”

“Didn't look like it.” Sixteen-year-olds were so annoying, and Jehn was among the worst. “Picking the lock on the Grand Duke's carriage like that and gettin’ in shit for it…” Jehn sighed. “One a’ these days, you're gonna get really unlucky and get killed by the guard, or kidnapped by clerics, or become some wizard's live experiment. If that one wizard you tried stealing from a while back finds you, I bet he'll turn you into a sheep for real.”

“... Wizards can't turn people into sheep,” Devi argued.

“I've seen one do it,” Jehn confirmed, nodding. “Some old geezer caught a pickpocket an’ turned him into a sheep, just like that.”

Devi shifted uncomfortably on the step. “... Bein’ a sheep can't be worse than here,” she finally said.

“Sure it can. Some tiefling can get hungry an’ eat you as a sheep,” Jehn pointed out. “An’ then I won't have my favourite baby sister anymore. What ‘m I gonna do then?”

“Father'll be happy anyway, if some wizard kidnaps me an’ turns me into a sheep,” Devi quietly said. “Or the priests take me, or the city guard, or…”

“Yeah, but Father don't like nobody. An' I'll be upset anyway.” Jehn leaned over and ruffled Devi's tangled hair. “Just… be careful, yeah? I don't want you to get hurt or killed or somethin’.”

Devi shrugged noncommittally. “I'll be careful, but I ain't about to stop shit. Ain't nobody helping anyone else, ‘cept you an’ me.”

“You can't change all of Baldur's Gate, or Faerûn, Devi. Even with how big a heart you got.” Jehn smiled affectionately. “But I love that you wanna try. But promise, no throwin’ eggs at bigger, meaner thugs again, yeah?”

“Fine,” Devi sighed. She looked back over at her brother. “Can ya teach me how t’ use the bigger knives like you? Case I gotta stab someone for real?”

Jehn made a face and muttered something about “gonna go to hell for this”, then nodded. “Sure. Better ‘n you tryin’ ta use that little letter opener you call a knife. I'll give you some pointers tomorrow.” The sound of a door slamming in the house made them both flinch. “Meantime, you stay out here an’ don't go finding trouble. I'll go see what Father's so angry about now.”

Devi already knew that answer – Father's latest heist had run into a complication with his lockpick expert ending up in the city stocks. But she let Jehn go inside, and went back to her futile scrubbing at the ruined shirt. No matter what her half-brother said, she felt the compulsive need to help people. She couldn't have let harm come to that poor woman and her children.

Maybe, if she was good enough, the gods would smile on her and give her a way out of this life in the slums, or at least make it a little easier to bear.

#kel writes #bg3 fic #baulders gate 3 #tav in childhood #OC: Deviali #pickpocketing #tw: violence #tw: assault #mention of a murder

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cleoenfaserum · 6 months

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JO (2013) PARISIAN COP ENGLISH SPOKEN TV SERIES

This is a TV series I came across scrawling around on OK.RU and detained my scrolling because of the actor Jean Reno, who I think made a name for himself as a good actor, which he is. The movie series of the only season of 8 episodes (which I have included) Reno playing the main character is well played out, though, as far as I am concerned, not his best acting, though, he did perform well. The bottom line, I enjoyed the series, however, the script was simple with some intrigue but the highlight was Reno.

Jo (previously known by the working title Le Grand) is an English-language French police procedural television series created by Canadian-American screenwriter René Balcer with French writing team Franck Ollivier and Malina Detcheva.

The series, shot entirely in Paris, is centered on Jo Saint-Clair, a cop played by French star Jean Reno in his first lead TV role. Along with his team, Jo attempts to solve murders taking place around some of the French capital's most famous locations. (Jo (TV series) - Wikipedia)

Let's let the show speak for itself.

The lifeless body of famous organist Johan Van Vliet is found at the foot of the "Portal of the Last Judgement" of Notre-Dame. His eardrums were pierced and his face set towards the statue of the angel who plays the trumpet to sound the waking of the dead. An outstanding musician, Van Vliet was also an egocentric man known to be a womanizer. In making the victim symbolically deaf to the call of the angel, the killer seems to have wanted to prevent the victim from receiving divine mercy.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3513989466807

During a Fashion Week show, a 38-year-old former model is hurled off the Eiffel Tower. Her lover's wife is initially suspected, but Jo then follows a trail back to 22-year-old Jasmine, a showgirl in Quartier Pigalle and the dead supermodel's abandoned illegitimate daughter.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514004736695

Mountaineer Bernard Lang's body is discovered with a broken neck in climbing gear at the foot of the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde. Fascinated by the obelisk and its history, Jo knows that the monument is also a great vantage point of the surrounding area, including the suites at the Hôtel de Crillon. And in one of them, that evening, a well-bred young woman (Miranda Raison) was cheating on her husband.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514071321271

Charlotte, a 35-year-old Mirage pilot, is found dead in front of Les Invalides, wearing a ring stolen a year earlier during the murder of a family in the south of France. Her lover, a mysterious mechanic, is quickly suspected, but while unearthing the details of that forgotten crime, Jo discovers a conspiracy.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514266159799

In a parking lot on Place Vendôme, firefighters uncover the charred body of Philip Roquin, an accountant for one of the square's many jewelry stores. His wife admits that he was kidnapped and that a ransom was requested. The investigation leads Jo Saint-Clair to a prison where a woman called Lisette was incarcerated.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514280184503

Marie-Eve Lambert, a young gallerist, is found lying on the Place des Vosges, killed by a violent blow to the head. Believing at first in a crime of passion, Jo discovers a mysterious message in the victim's hand which leads him to the Archives Nationales, where Marie-Eve was doing research on women in the French Resistance deported to Auschwitz.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514295323319

Leaving the Palais Garnier where he had just dropped off his daughter for her dance class, Raymond Sittler is assaulted on the steps of the Opera. A few seconds later, he starts convulsing, collapses on the porch and dies. Initially suspected, his mistress is also murdered at the Barbès-Rochechouart station, through poison. The investigation leads Jo to the prestigious Sorbonne University and to the door of a troubled student and his ambitious girlfriend.

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514326452919

A young geneticist was stabbed in the Paris Catacombs, a Satanist symbol etched on her back. Jo is convinced that this is a crime of passion. But the case takes an unexpected turn when the team discovers that the victim was conducting experiments with plague bacteria recovered from skeletons of the catacombs. The trail leads to a mysterious woman who could well be a serial killer on the run. She seems to already have chosen her next victims: the family of a prominent politician. The killer turns out to be Nicole Wallace (played by Olivia d'Abo), the one-time nemesis of Det. Robert Goren in the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (also created by René Balcer).

LINK: https://ok.ru/video/3514344016567

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huntershowl · 4 years

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me imagining hellhound screaming in rage: “nice”

#>> OUT.#{ I WANT SOMEONE TO WITNESS HER JUST ABSOLUTELY UNLOAD ON SB }#{ shes so restrained....#the only point at which shes not is when she really unloads on a target }#{ a personal target. job targets are different – those she will almost exclusively snipe from a window or vantage point #but personal targets are the ones that created the rumors. those are the ones she will absolutely rip to shreds }#{ they are almost exclusively abusers and r*pists and anyone else she knows has absolutely no chance of just being a victim of circumstance #it's an incredibly unhealthy habit. getting out her own inner rage by eviscerating people #but she does have a lot of control over who she goes after and will. go out of her way not to hurt or kill non-targets }#{ they do get caught in the crossfire sometimes unfortunately }#{ hmm where was i going with this... cant remember. post tweet }

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thedelusionreaderbitch · 3 years

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Little did you know - Kaz Brekker/platonic! Crows x fem! reader

A/n: I don't know where this came from... It's a mess but its like- whatever I guess

Warnings: GORE, DEATH, TORTURE, questionable sanity, this could be disturbing to some people so don't say I didn't warn you!

I do not own six of crows or shadow and bone or it's characters

Summary: The Crows make a vital mistake when trying to get information not knowing that it would cost them everything...

(Gif not mine)

Her hair flows in the wind the only part of her moving the rest still as a serpent creeping up on its prey. Slowly, she starts to move forward as she spots her victims, some pretty little birdy's, just some unusually remarkable crows. If anything went right today the only thing that would be remarkable about them would be their downfall.

She almost yells out in excitement and joy when they wander right into her trap. They walk into her house - a dead merchant's house and go to loot what's left of it.

From her vantage point in the ceiling, she can see everything, from Nina's hands out ready to Matthias beside her. She sees Jesper's darting eyes and Wylan's uneasiness. Moreover, she can even see Inej Ghafa in the shadows high on alert ready to strike at any moment, just in case.

Then her eyes find Kaz and she almost kills him there and then.

He's in his normal attire and he hadn't changed his atrocious haircut either. Yet he's different still, it's the way he's holding himself. Like he feels accomplished.

And even though he has his neutral 'I'm bored' face on Y/n can see through him. She's always been able too and right now he's happy for an easy run. Not a trace of him is guilty or mourning and it's only been one week.

Now that she thinks about it there's not a trace of mourning in anyone.

Balling her hands into fits she nearly screams in agony, they thought she had died and they didn't even care. If she had any doubts before they're gone with just some simple observation.

Yet Y/n still waits and as soon as the Crows get into the trap completely she starts moving.

They had killed her loving parents who worked at a bakery, they had done nothing, nothing wrong. But now they were still six feet under, and she knew it was not just some casualties. Kaz was too precise for that.

She creeps up behind Inej and knocks her out cold before she can even cry out, Y/n catches her body before it can hit the floor and she carefully lays Inej to the said knowing she'll have to tie her up later.

Next is Jesper and Wylan.

For Jesper, she shoots him with a sleeping dart made out of a massively hard metal to control for fabricators and blinds Wylan before doing the same thing to him as well.

Taking out a bomb from Wylan's bag she sets it off. Running towards Nina and before she can use her heartrender abilities, Y/n headbutts her causing her figure to fall to the floor. Unconscious.

Matthias starts sprinting towards her but she simply grabs his shoulder and hits him on a pressure point on his neck and he's out with the rest of them.

It's funny because he taught her that manoeuvre.

"Kaz!" She yells in a shrill voice beckoning him downstairs, did he really leave his little itty bitty Crows alone? Ah, just like he did to her, what they all did to her.

The Crows and Y/n were on a mission and something went wrong, she was shot and they left her to die. She could have been easily saved but they left her and while they did that she remembers - the thing that she remembers most about that night. Kaz leaned down into her ear and said;

'Thanks for the information little snake.'

They had used her to get information, everything she had with them was fake. Everything with Kaz was fake. Every little touch, every little moment, their entire (established) relationship was fake.

"Come down Kazzy I helped you! Now you help me!" She runs up the stairs knowing that there's only one exit, the window. That was extremely high off the ground he would hopefully try to bargain with her first.

Even if he didn't Y/n had brought some rope because he would definitely break his legs at that height.

But Y/n wasn't a little snake now she was a majestic serpent that wielded the screeches of revenge in her venom.

She runs into the room with the window and there he was there in a chair in the shadows looking smug, but the serpent knew it was all just a facade - fake confidence.

Smiling at him she pulls out a second chair from a broken-down desk and places it right in front of him. 'Bang.' It's a simple sound but it echos throughout the room bouncing off the walls into the depths of madness.

"Oh Kazzy, have you come to help me?" She takes her lip in between her teeth and fake trembles.

"Have you come to save me?" Her voice is tiny and it's nothing like it used to be around him, yet he still flinches. He knows she's putting on an act but it still hurts him. And she wants to hurt him over, and over again.

"Y/n... We needed that information, lots of the Dregs' lives were on the line. There is so much more you wouldn't don't understand."

Laughing into the open she secretly pulls out a syringe from her back pocket readying it in her hand.

Instantly her voice changes from the scarce poor girl's voice to a very dark voice. Vengeance was held there and it was like burning your ears in the pits of hell listening to it. The sins and revenge sounded melodic but the torture that laid underneath was horrific.

"Really Rietveld? Did you think I would forgive so easily?"

Kaz's face morphs into surprise at hearing his real last name, Y/n jumps at the chance and she plunges the syringe deep into his neck.

"See you in hell."

___________________TIME SKIP A COUPLE OF HOURS__

All the Crows are tied up to some chairs in the secret basement of the house. The woman waits for what looks like patiently but really she's boiling with excitement.

This is going to be fun.

Finally, the last Crows wakes up and the Serpent takes out her playthings. Just a couple of knives and guns, but those were just her toys the real weapons are the emotional and mental pain she would cause everyone including herself.

"You know why you are here, don't you?" She walks around the room watching every one of The Crows' snarling faces but perhaps some of them held remorse.

Although Y/n was past their pity now. None of the damage could be undone, what's done is done. An eye for an eye.

"Nina darling, this may hurt a bit." Quicker than Jesper's sharpshooter's eye could catch she stabs Nina in the stomach as she yells out in pain Y/n twists the knife back and forth.

Matthias screams out for his lover and after what feels like an internity the serpent pulls the dagger out knowing that she'll just eventually die from blood loss.

Taking a quick look around the room she notices some of the terrified faces and how everyone is on edge. Good, just how she wants it.

"Mörd demjin," Matthias mutters under his breath and Y/n takes his throat in her hand and holds tight enough to choke him.

"Don't call me by the little nickname you gave Kazzy!" She yells furiously holding onto him tighter and tighter. His face starts to become purple and she can hear the yells and screams of the birdy's in the background.

'No! Let go! Matthias! Matthias! Let him go!'

"Any last words?" She jets out her lip before holding onto him tighter and she sees the fury of the ice in his eyes before there's nothing. His eyes roll back lifeless.

"No Matthias! Matthias!" Nina shrieks trying to desperately get out of her chair.

Rolling her eyes with a huff Y/n pulls out a gun and shoots Nina twice in the head.

"Now you're with your lover." She drawls on the word lover and turns to Inej. She didn't really want to do this but she had to cause him all the pain that she could. Even if Inej tried to stop them.

Swiftly she pulls out the knife Inej gave her and kindly kills her with a hard blow to the heart. She doesn't suffer, she just solely died, it's the only kindness the Serpent can afford to give her.

At this point, Jesper and Wylan are openly sobbing and screaming for their friends and for Y/n to please stop. But she doesn't, with blood all over her clothes she makes her path towards her next fool.

"If you were wondering why you couldn't control the bullets, Jesper." She drawls on in a monotone voice. She can see and hear Wylan screaming and it pains her but she doesn't let it show. She lets the Serpent take over or else this will never get done.

Fully becoming the Serpent Y/n places the barrel of her gun up to his heart and she just shoots, no emotion on her face whatsoever.

"A special venom of mine for Grisha. Had some fun testing it."

Going over to Wylan she quickly slits his throat not wanting the little merchling to suffer more than he already has.

She looks at Kaz blankly, he's shaking and he's beyond trying not to show any emotion. Tears are streaming down his face and he's gasping for air. Trembles roll off his body and the agony on his face pierces her hurt.

"Why?" Rietveld finally manages to rasp out. "WHY!" He screams ultimately reaching his breaking point.

"Because Kaz," She whispers in a sickeningly sweet voice lifting his chin with the tip of her pointer finger.

"Everything comes with a price." She pauses letting it sink in.

"And little did you know the price it would cost you."

And that's the story of Sankta Serpentina and Sankt Dirtyhands.

Words 1634

-thedelusionreaderbitch

Shadow and bone taglist: @kaqua @rika90 @thefandomplace @musical-theatre-obsessed-dumbass @gallysonegoodlung @navs-bhat @sumsebien @dontjudgeabookbythecover

(if you would like to be added leave a comment!)

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ground-riot-jack · 3 years

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Number 1 |k. bakugo| chapter 2

ok so chapter 2 is here!! Please enjoy and feel free to give feedback or just come say hi in my inbox!!

summary: you’re pro hero Angel, you work at an agency your boyfriend, Katsuki Bakugo, created. When you finally hit number one your world seems to crash around you.

"Angel? You have a case,"

You look up from your desk and see your secretary standing there with a case file pointed towards you. You stand from your reports and walk towards her.

"Give me the run down," You say opening the file and looking at it.

"The Hero Commission has been surveilling an underground group of villains, their mission is plain and simple destruction, to cause mass panic. The commission believes it's a much smaller and less organized branch of the league of villains since some members have been seen communicating." She begins as you walk to the conference room where the agency's team goes over cases.

"It says here their preferred method is mass shootings? Why hasn't the police already handled this?"

"Because the leaders' quirk is gunfire, hands made out of guns and as long as he can breathe he can make bullets" Kirishima interrupts, joining you in your walk to the conference room.

"So this is an open and shut case? Stop the bad guys before they get a chance to shoot and take them into a quirk-free facility?" Why do we need the whole team?" You question as you walk into the room.

"Because while the leader is the one doing all the shooting the rest of the group is inciting the panic, taking out police on the scene, killing victims who manage to survive, and making things a lot more complicated" Kiri sighs, taking his seat. You nod in understanding and take a seat beside him.

"Have you talked to him?" Kiri whispers as the rest of the agency's team begins filing in their seats.

"I'm not sure what to say Eji, if he wants to make things better he will apologize, until then, I don't know how we can go on." You sigh, you hadn't gone back home even though it's been 3 days, of course, you still go to work but today will be your first time seeing Bakugo since the fight. He hasn't reached out to you and you know it's because of his ego, but you weren't here to get into a pissing contest with your boyfriend.

"Y/n he is sorry, you know-"

"Alright, everyone here's what we know" Kirishima is interrupted by Bakugo's thundering voice entering the room. His eyes quickly scan and land on yours, but you look away.

While he goes over basic intel, you stare at the pictures of the group in your case file, trying to avoid his glare. You can feel it but trying to combat Katsuki head-on in a large setting like this will cause nothing but trouble.

"Angel, you, me, and red riot will be second. Once our target is in sight, we get him. I want that bastard in custody alive, can you handle that?" You pipe up at the mention of your hero name. You give a quick yes and shut off your feelings. You had a job to do, people to save, you can’t let your relationship drama jeopardize that.

"RED, He's heading towards you, me and ground zero will cut him off on the right!" You speak into your headset as you fly into action with Bakugo.

"Copy"

"I can get him, watch my back."

"Wait, I have a better vantage point, he won't see me coming."

"I said-"

"Now is not the time Katsuki, your explosions are too noisy, he’ll know who's coming and from where if you go.'

"Damn right, gives him time to be scared" He growls

"Just cover me and when I give you the signal, blast him. That's an order Ground Zero." You both hated when you ordered each other around, but you don't have time for Bakugo's pettiness when it's the middle of a battle.

"Whatever angel."

You fly up and head in the direction of the alley where Kiri is waiting, there one entry point but 2 exits so it's important you do this right. You watch as the leader of the group runs into the alleyway, you slip into the right exit and blast him with light. He fires his guns at you as you dodge them. Then he does something unexpected, he runs into a door in the alleyway.

"Ground Zero! He just entered a door that leads down somewhere, I'm going after him.

You hear Kiri say wait in your comms but focus on chasing the villain. You stop in an empty room, you can hear the rumbling of the battle going on above you on the street. You look around cautiously trying to find him.

"Oh angel, for a number one hero, you sure are naive." You hear a disembodied voice. You blast light from your hands like flashlights to look around

"Come out coward, we don't want you dead, but ill do it if I have to." You keep searching the room but can't find anything.

"Oh, feisty, that's not very holy of you angel." You spin around at the voice but find nothing. You hear an explosion back from where you came, you turn around to go find bakugo but as you're running you're snatched from the side.

You begin kicking and moving your wings as much as possible, causing the attacker to drop you. You spin around and find the Gunman with 2 other men, where had they come from. You decide to attack the gunman first and dive into a heavy fistfight. You’re flying around dodging not only his hands but the bullets that fly from them. You hear another explosion and the ceiling begins to crumble, you look for an exit but can't find one, where did you come in from anyway? You fly away from the men firing at you and try to exit from a rusted door but the stairs have been blocked by rubble. You try to radio someone, anyone but the lines have gone dead.

Another explosion goes off and the room begins collapsing, you look up and see light, an exit. You fly quickly but a large price of rubble falls and smashes your wing in between rocks. You pull and pull as the room continues to crumble finally ripping a large piece of your wing off. You scream in agonizing pain but try your best to fly towards the hole that’s getting smaller. As you approach it smaller rocks fly at you, hitting your face and body, some leaving scratches and others staying lodged in your skin.

You manage to exit and find yourself in another alley. Your legs hurt too much to stand so you try to crawl but your arms fail you. You lay on your back and let a tear fall, this isn’t how you end, is it? Bakugo would find you, he always does. Your vision blurs and your head is pounding, you let out a final deep breath before falling unconscious.

Muffled sounds stir you from your sleep. You open your eyes and sigh. Maybe someone’s come to help you, your heart begins to pick up at the prospect of being saved. You attempt to move but still seem to hurt to move more than your toes and fingers. Your tired eyes move back to where you heard the sounds but you can’t see anything other than the hidden alley you’re splayed out in.

“T-That’s her wing!” It’s Katsuki! You’d recognize that voice anywhere. Finally, your love has come for you, you’re already imagining the warm bath you’ll take when you get back to the comfort of your home. You begin to speak, but your voice won’t rise above a raspy whisper.

Then as if the nightmare wasn’t bad enough, another voice speaks.

“You’ve done the right thing Ground Zero, you belong in that number 1 spot, and to get there sometimes you have to do bad things for the sake of the greater good. Angel was a threat that needed to be eliminated, and the commission will not forget your assistance and continuous efforts. Congratulations” You hear the man pat Bakugo and walk away, before another set of footsteps, presumably Katsukis, follow after.

Tears fall from your eyes as you whisper scream in intense agony. It couldn’t be true, he would never do that, would he?

“It’s best you try to speak” A voice whispers beside you. You turn your head too fast and your vision blurs.

“W-who are you?” You whisper, gasping for air in between waves of pain.

“Don’t worry. Just rest, you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

#bnha imagines #bnha x reader #bnha smau #katsuki bakugo imagine #bakugou imagine #bakugou #bakugou x reader #katsuki x y/n #katsuki bakugō #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader

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study-coffee-chicago · 3 years

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Undercover (A Jay and Will Halstead x Halstead Sister! Imagine)

This is super long so hang in there! It’s also my first imagine I’ve posted on Tumblr, so feedback would be amazing! (Also posted on my wattpad)

Mini synopsis: In which something horrible happens to Y/N's best friend, Emma, so Y/N goes undercover to get her justice. She's under and everything's fine...until it's not fine at all.

Huge trigger warning for sexual assault. Please do not read if this makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable! Also, please remember there are people out there to help you if you or someone you love has gone through this. Just google the sexual assault hotline and the number for your country should pop up.

Can you pick up chicken wings? No bluejays game on tonight, tho.

Below that text, your best friend, Emma, had sent you her location, which was turned on to send location indefinitely.

Back when you were both only freshmen in high school, you had come up with code words in case you needed help. This was mostly for unwanted attention from boys. Chicken wing(s) meant that you needed help ASAP. Bluejay(s) was code for Jay or cops.

"Fuck," you muttered as you tried to quickly piece together a plan. You couldn't call Jay or any cop for that matter. But, if she had sent you her location, that meant that she was definitely in trouble. You looked down at the location and could see that the red pin was moving further and further into the heart of the sketchiest part of the south side of Chicago.

Then it occurred to you: the safe in Jay's room under his bed where he told you that he kept a spare gun in case of emergencies. You ran into his room and dove under his bed, quickly pulling out the safe. You groaned as you realized he had forgotten to tell you the pin number to open it.

"Maybe Mom's birthday?" you thought aloud. You punched in the six numbers, causing a green light to turn on, and you yanked the small door of the safe open. "Dumbass," you muttered, thinking about how easy it would be for anyone in your family or anyone who was close to you, Jay, or Will to get their hands on the gun or other things like Jay's backup badge that were hidden there.

You grabbed the gun and your car keys and sprinted out of the house. "Hang on Emma," you said as you jumped in your car and pulled out your phone to see her location. The pin had been at the same location for two minutes now. Your stomach dropped, knowing this couldn't be good.

***

Jay dropped his keys in the ceramic dish on the table and headed into his room to change into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He practically stopped breathing when he saw that the safe had been pulled out from under his bed and was open. He threw himself to the floor and looked in it. "Fuck," he muttered as he saw that the gun was gone.

He sprinted to the front of the house, only to see that your car was gone. "Ruz, I need you to ping Y/N's phone. Now," Jay said into his phone as he ran out of the house and to his truck.

Jay heard the clacking of keys on the other end of the line. "Okay, I sent you her location. What's wrong?"

Jay put his truck in drive and turned on the lights and sirens. "I think she's in trouble. She took my spare gun."

"Okay, Hailey's still here finishing up paperwork. We'll come for backup." Then the line went dead and Jay drove the fastest he ever had in his life.

***

"Are we announcing?" Hailey asked as she finished putting on her vest.

"No," Jay answered as the three began to walk closer and closer to an abandoned warehouse.

Jay tried the knob and to his surprise and everyone else's, it was unlocked. They heard crying as they walked inside and Jay pointed out directions.

Adam walked toward the sound of the crying, while Hailey and Jay worked on clearing areas behind huge shelves.

"Someone's here," Emma whispered to you as you heard a door open. You had given her your coat to wrap around her body. You knew you had to get her to a doctor, but she had told you no cops, which meant no Jay and you had no idea how to get her out safely. You had thought about calling Will, but when you tried to call him, the call only rang once and then stopped. You only had one bar, so the call didn't go through.

With shaking hands, you picked up the gun and pointed it directly at the door. "Put the gun down!" Adam yelled as he looked through the small crack in the door. From his vantage point, all he saw was a gun. He couldn't see that you were the one holding it. "Jay, I need backup over here," he whispered into his radio.

"Copy," he answered and walked down the stairs, gun drawn. "Ready?" Jay asked. Adam nodded and Jay proceeded to kick in the door.

"CPD hands where we can see 'em!" Adam yelled the moment Jay kicked the door. But then he saw who was there and he turned to Jay.

"Y/N," Jay started slowly and calmly, "put the gun down."

Slowly, you lowered the gun and placed it on the floor. Before Jay or Adam even had a chance to get a word in, Emma yelled out, "I said no cops!"

"Emma, I promise you that I didn't call them. Why would I have a gun if I called them, huh?"

That's when Adam and Jay turned to Emma, who was clearly in need of medical attention. Jay nodded to Adam. "This is 50-21 Ida," Adam spoke into his radio, "We have a girl here in need of medical attention. I need you to roll an ambo to my current location. Roll crime scene techs, too. Be advised there are three plain clothes officers on scene."

"Copy that, 50-21 Ida."

"Hey, Emma." Adam slowly moved towards Emma. "I'm Adam. I work with Y/N's brother, Jay. Can you stand up for me?"

She looked down at her body, the coat you had let her borrow barely covering her and you knew that when she stood up, it wouldn't cover all her most vulnerable place. Jay must've got the message too. "Hailey," he said into his radio, "Offender's in the wind. We've got a victim down here. If you see anything to cover her up, bring it here."

"Copy." There was a pause as shuffling could be heard on the radio. "I found a blanket. Coming down now." You heard footsteps on the ground and Adam and Jay immediately raised their guns. "Upton!" Hailey yelled as she opened the door.

The boys lowered their guns and put them back in their holsters. You heard sirens in the distance. "Hi, honey," Hailey said as she walked over to Emma. "I'm Hailey. What's your name?"

"Emma."

"Okay, Emma. We're gonna get you to a hospital. Can you wrap this around you so you can stand up?"

She nodded and stood up and took the blanket.

"Do you wanna go with her?" Jay whispered to you.

"No." You didn't want to see your best friend in a hospital bed knowing that you could have prevented this from happening if you only called Jay. "I'll call her mom, though."

"I'll do that," Hailey offered and Jay forwarded Emma's mom's number to Hailey. Hailey and Emma walked away, leaving you, Adam, and Jay.

"You mind waiting until Voight gets here?" Jay asked.

"Crime scene techs are here so I won't be alone if what you're worried about is me not having backup," Adam answered, humor in his voice.

"Thanks, man. I'm gonna take Y/N to the district to get her statement."

He dropped the magazine out of the gun and laughed. "What's so funny?" you asked.

"It's a good thing you didn't have to shoot anyone because the mag's empty."

"The what's empty?"

"The magazine. It's where the bullets go."

"Oh."

"Jeez, Jay. When you said you kept your work away from Y/N you really weren't kidding."

"Shut up," Jay joked as you followed him out of the warehouse and into his truck. He turned the heat as high as it could go, seeing as you were without a coat in the middle of a Chicago winter.

"Now, I'm not mad, I just want to know what happened," he said as he started to drive.

"How'd you find me?" you asked, knowing that you hadn't broken your promise of not calling the cops.

"I went home and saw the safe was open and the gun was gone, so I had Adam track your phone."

"Oh."

"Can you please tell me what happened?"

"You promise you won't be mad?"

"Unless you were doing something illegal, then I won't be mad. I'm assuming you had a good reason for taking my gun?"

"Emma texted me our code word for if a guy was creeping on her and she said no cops. She also sent me her location. So, I grabbed the gun and I came here."

You took a deep breath as you started to cry. "We can finish this at the district, okay?" Jay suggested.

"Yeah," you agreed.

***

You were sitting on the couch next to Jay, slowly sipping your water as he flipped open his notepad. "Take as much time as you need."

"You're talking to me like a victim, not a witness," you quipped.

"How would you know that?"

"I watch enough crime shows in my free time to know that's how cops talk to the vic."

"Okay, yeah, but you're my baby sister. Do you know how hard it was for me to walk into that room and see you holding a gun? Can you please tell me what happened?"

"Like I said, Emma sent me her location, so I went to the warehouse. When I found her, she was laying on the floor, naked, and I ran over to her. H-He raped her, Jay. I-It's all my f-fault," you stuttered, beginning to cry.

"It is not your fault. Not in a million years is this your fault."

"If I would've called you, this wouldn't have happened!"

Jay wondered why you didn't call him, and he wasn't going to ask. But, if this went to trial and you became a witness, you knew the defense would ask you. So, he knew he had to ask you, too. "Why didn't you call me?"

"She told me that she had to go to the bathroom. The guy let her, but didn't know that she had her phone on her. He said if she tried to run or call the police that he'd shoot her. She said that while he was, while he was you know, doing things to her, that he held a gun to her head. He said that if she screamed, he'd kill her."

Jay ran a hand through his hair as you continued. "I tried to call Will, I really did, but I didn't have good enough reception in the warehouse."

"We got a hit on the offender!" Kim yelled as she rounded the corner into the breakroom.

Jay stood up, but not without looking at you. "Stay here. I don't want you anywhere near this," he said as he walked out and shut the door.

"What do we got?" Jay asked, seeing all of Intelligence gathered in the bullpen.

"We think the guy is James Mason," Voight started. "Did a year in Stateville for rape. Released for good behavior three months ago."

"Good behavior my ass," Adam chirped.

"How do you know it's this guy, Sarge?" Kevin asked.

"He just so happened to walk into a neighboring bar where I know a guy. Guy said he didn't think the two were together, but then they went off somewhere, they came back, he ordered her a drink and she seemed to be comfortable around him."

"He check her ID?" Jay asked.

"I assume so," Voight answered. "Why?"

"Emma's not 21 yet, so she had to have had a fake or he used his ID to buy both drinks." Then a thought occurred to him. "You got the surveillance footage from the bar?"

"Yeah, right over here," Kim answered.

Jay looked at the footage. "Pause it." He watched as Emma walked away from the perp and rounded the corner, following a restroom sign. "That had to be the time Emma texted Y/N her location because she told her that he let her go to the bathroom and he told her that if she tried to get help, he'd shoot her because he had a gun."

"Okay, see if Mason's got a registered firearm," Voight said. "Better yet, pull up his address. Atwater, Burgess, and Ruzek get a search warrant and find it."

"Copy that, Sarge," Kevin said, grabbing his jacket.

Hailey ran up the stairs as Kevin, Kim, and Adam ran down. "Any update on the victim?" Voight asked.

"She's been through trauma, that's for sure," Hailey answered. "Lacerations on her wrists and ankles, bruising on her stomach and thighs, and vaginal tearing."

"Like she was tied up." Jay pieced it together.

"Halstead, your sister ever mention anything about having to untie her?"

"No, Sarge."

"Maybe he undid the ties himself," Hailey suggested.

"Why would he do that? Then she could just call the cops and run away." Voight asked.

"He gets off on it," Hailey answered. "He unties his victims so that they can leave, but they're too traumatized to leave. So, he knows even if he's not there, he's still controlling them."

"Sick son of a bitch," Jay said.

"Voight," he answered as he picked up his phone. "Find anything at the house?" There was a pause as someone on the other end talked. "That's good, we can use that but, we'll just have to find another way to nail him." Then he ended the call.

"What's up, Sarge?" Hailey asked.

"They didn't find anything at Mason's house, but his car was gone. They went through his financials and found out his car just got a new license plate today, which is why it wasn't updated in the database yet. But, they found the paperwork for that new license plate, so we can use that. Burgess also said that they found his calendar with bar names on each day."

"So, he goes to a bar every night and we just need to get him in the act?" Hailey suggested.

"I'll call up a rookie," Voight said as he started to walk towards his office.

"I'll do it!" you volunteered.

"Y/N! I thought I told you to stay in there!" Jay admonished.

"It's not like the walls are soundproof."

"She's got a point, Jay," Hailey agreed with you.

"You're not going in there regardless and that's final!"

"Jay, she's my best friend. I gotta help get this guy. And, if you can't get him on the rape, you can at least get him on distributing alcohol to a minor," you suggested.

Jay looked over at Hank. "Sarge, you can't be considering this!"

"She's got a good point, Jay."

"There's no way Will will agree to this, either."

"Let me call him," you suggested and walked away to talk to your other older brother.

"Hailey, there's no way she's going in there," Jay said to Hailey when they were both seated in the breakroom.

"Jay, you know Hank will put me or Burgess in as ghost in the bar so that things don't get that far. And she'll have a safe word." She paused and reached for his hand. "If it were your best friend, you'd do the same thing she's doing and you know it."

"Will said it's okay," you said as you walked into the breakroom.

"He what?" Jay jumped off the couch.

"He said it's okay on one condition: If he's in the car with you so that if I need medical attention, he can do it without having to wait on the paramedics."

"Then it's a go," Voight said as he heard that.

"It's not a go!" Jay yelled. "Sarge, she's a civilian! You can't be serious about this!"

"Jay, she's no different from a CI. We'll have Upton be her ghost and we'll all be right outside. The minute she says the safe word we'll nail his ass."

***

"Sarge, I'm not okay with this," Jay said as he walked into Voight's office, leaving the door open.

"Jay, we are not having this discussion again! She's okay with it and I'm okay with it. I'm your boss, so you listen to me."

"Do you see what she's wearing? She's asking for it!"

The bullpen went silent the second the words came out of his mouth. "A word," Hailey hissed, roughly grabbing Jay's arm and leading him into the breakroom. This time, he closed the door.

"You're lucky Y/N didn't hear you, Jay! You're a cop, you know it's never the victim's fault!"

Jay raked a hand through his hair. "I know. I messed up," he sighed. "I just, I can't let anything happen to her. She's my baby sister, Hails. I already buried both of my parents. I can't bury her, too."

"Will it make you feel better if you went in and stayed in the bar with me? I can talk to Voight," Hailey suggested.

"Actually yeah, that would make me feel a hell of a lot better."

***

"Hailey, Jay's not gonna like this but I need you to make sure he doesn't come after me until there are obvious signs of a struggle," you said. "Let him hit me a bit; I can handle it. Will's on scene and will fix me up if anything happens. But I have to get justice for Emma because right now, she can barely sleep."

She squeezed your shoulder. "Copy that."

"Vests good?" Voight asked as he entered. Everyone nodded. "Y/N, there's still time to put one on if you want it."

"He'll know something's up if he feels it. I gotta do without it."

"Alright roll--" Voight couldn't finish his sentence because Jay cut him off.

"Just give me five minutes with Y/N, Sarge. Five minutes, that's all."

"Okay, everyone load up." Voight turned to Jay. "Five minutes Halstead, and that's it."

When everyone was gone, Jay turned to you and bent down so that he was eye level with you. "You can still back out now. No one will blame you."

"I can't. I need to do this for Emma and for all the other girls this has probably happened to."

Your brother nodded and reached into his pocket. "Just don't get this mixed up with your regular lipstick, okay?" You started to ask why when he took the cap off to reveal a knife.

"Jay, Voight said no weapons."

"You didn't think I was just going to let you go in unarmed, did you? And relax, Platt gave it to me. So, if Voight figures it out, she's got my back."

"So where's the best place to, you know..." you trailed off, hoping that you wouldn't have to stab Mason, but wanting to know the best place to do it if worst comes to worst.

"I'd say thigh or his, his uh..."

"Penis," you finished.

"I was gonna say man parts, but penis works, too."

You took the lipstick from him and stuffed it in your dress. "Is it noticeable?"

"Never in a million years did I think I'd have to inspect my sister's boobs for a weapon. But, no, it's not noticeable."

"Halsteads!" Voight boomed. "We gotta go now!"

"Okay!" Jay turned back to you. "Safe word?"

"Vodka Cranberry." You and the team decided on that since it would be easy to weasel into a conversation.

"Hey, I love you." He hugged you and you swore you could hear his heart beating despite his vest. You assumed this was the most nervous he'd ever been about an undercover operation.

"I love you, too."

***

"Suspect approaching. You guys copy inside?" you heard Kevin's voice through the wire hidden in your ear.

"Yeah," you answered and you heard Hailey and Jay agree.

Hailey walked up to you, as she was posing as your friend and Jay was posing as the guy that she would flirt with so that Mason could get you alone, even though the thought of that made you sick.

"And remember, if he gets you alcohol, don't drink it," Hailey warned. "This entire investigation could go out the window."

"Not to mention she'd be grounded," you heard Jay come in through your hidden earpiece.

"Jay, if you make comments like this through your wire the entire night, we're gonna have a problem."

"Copy."

You and Hailey pretended to be talking about some people from your neighborhood when you heard Jay talking to you. "I've got eyes on him. He's headed your way."

Hailey shot a glance at Jay, and then reached for your top, pulling it down a bit more to reveal more of your boobs. "Hailey--" Jay started into his wire, but Hailey shot him a glare to make him shut up.

"What are you two ladies doing here all alone?" James Mason asked, coming up and sitting beside you.

"Oh, you know, just chatting," Hailey said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Mind if I join the conversation?" he asked, waving a bartender over.

"Actually, I've got my eye on someone over there," Hailey said as she stood up. "You're just her type," she whispered in his ear as she made her way over to Jay.

"Can I get you a beer? A shot maybe?" Mason asked you.

"No, but I'll take a pop if the offer's still on the table."

"Sure." He ordered a pop for you and a beer for himself. "So, what's your name?" he asked.

"Layla," you answered. "Yours?"

"James."

"Nice to meet you James. You from around here?"

"Chicago born and raised. You?"

"Just here visiting family," you answered.

You had finished your pop by now and James noticed. "Want another one? Maybe a Captain and Coke this time?"

"Just a Coke's fine," you replied.

"Y/N, say you have to go to the bathroom and leave your phone on the table. We gotta get him getting alcohol to you at least," Jay said.

"Actually, I have to go use the ladies room." You got up, not before turning to him. "I'm expecting that Coke when I get back." You sent a wink his way.

Along with the wire and camera you had in your dress, you had also been given a UC phone so that it could record and take a video of things in case you had to leave.

James Mason had a feeling that you were going to be uptight about leaving with him, so he figured he'd solve it his own way. "Hey, she said a captain and Coke," Mason said to the bartender.

"Last I remember she said just a Coke," the bartender replied, doing his due diligence to make sure a girl who said she didn't want alcohol didn't get it.

"She told me she wanted some before she left," he argued.

"I didn't hear that."

"She whispered it," he growled.

Reluctantly, the bartender gave in and make a captain and Coke, switching it out for her previous stand-alone Coke.

"Mason just put alcohol in Y/N's drink," Jay said into his wire. "Y/N, whatever you do, make up an excuse not to drink it, or else our investigation goes down the toilet."

You looked under the stalls in the bathroom, making sure that no one was there before answering. "Got it. I think I'm gonna make the move to leave with him after. He'll think I'm not interested if I keep holding out."

"She's not getting in a car with him!" you heard Will yell. He was currently sitting in the van with Atwater and Burgess, watching this whole scene go down in case he needed to treat any injuries. "That's not the plan!"

"Will," Kevin started, "this is part of the plan. She just didn't tell you because she knew you wouldn't agree to let her do this if she told you."

"But what if she--"

"If you're gonna keep arguing, turn off your mics!" Voight yelled.

"Sorry, Sarge," Kevin apologized.

"When she leaves with this prick, me and Adam will follow them and Jay and Hailey will follow us. And before you can argue with me Jay because I know you will, I can't have you first on scene."

"Copy that," Jay said.

You exited the bathroom and walked back up to Mason. "Hey I was thinking," you started, running your hand up his arm. This made you want to vomit, but you knew you had to do this to help Emma. "maybe we should go back to your place?"

"You don't want to finish your drink?" he asked.

"No, we can get some at your house, can't we?"

"I guess I have a few things, vodka, tequila, beer."

"Alright, let's go." You grabbed his hand and you started walking to his car. You took a deep, shaky breath as you entered the passenger side. You closed the door, hoping this wouldn't cost you your life.

"Damn Halstead," Adam said, "your sister's good."

"Shut up," both Jay and Will said at the same time. If you weren't undercover, you would've laughed at them having the same response even though they weren't together at the moment.

Jay and Hailey entered Jay's truck, then proceeded to velcro their vests on over their clothes. "Jay, Hailey, you following?" Voight asked.

"Copy that," Jay said as he started his truck and began to drive. He knew he should be off this case, but here he was, adam's apple bobbing up and down, trying to stop from breaking down. It's his little sister in that car with a rapist. His little sister who he swore to protect from the moment she was born. His little sister who saw him as more of a father than their actual one. His little sister who used to come to him in the middle of the night for help finding her teddy bear when Will stole it. His little sister who he taught to drive. His little sister, who he was terrified to lose to this monster of a man.

"You okay?" Hailey asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

"No, you're not." Hailey paused, not wanting to pick a fight with him. "I know you're worried about her, Jay. But, we'll protect her. None of us will let anything happen to her. I promise."

"You can't make promises you can't keep, Hailey."

Back in the van, Will was seeing everything. And he wanted to explode. He saw Y/N clench her jaw the moment his hand touched her thigh, but then quickly regain her composure for the sake of the case. He knew she was uncomfortable, and it broke him that he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was his little sister in there. His little sister who he helped with her homework. His little sister who always stole his coffee. His little sister who spam texted him at four in the morning when she knew he had to be up for a long shift during his residency to make sure he wasn't late. His little sister who he had held as she cried when Jay left for his second tour in Afganistan. His little sister, who he couldn't allow anything bad to happen to.

"Where are we going?" Y/N asked, looking around at the rundown industrial part of the city they were entering.

"I make my own beer, so I'm just gonna make a quick pitstop," he answered as they pulled in behind an empty warehouse.

"I'm not so sure--"

In one swift motion, he pulled a gun from his waistband and held it to Y/N's head. The team heard a gasp through their wires.

"What's going on in there, Kevin?" Voight asked.

"He's got a gun to her head, Sarge."

"Screw the safe word, I'm moving in!" Jay yelled, but Hailey grabbed his hand.

"Halstead stand down! She hasn't said the safe word yet, so we are not moving in. Is that clear?" No answer. "I said, is that clear?" Voight repeated.

"Clear," Jay mumbled.

"Scream and I will blow your brains outta your pretty little head," Mason growled, pushing the gun further into your temple. "Now hold out your hands."

You held out your shaking hands and he put zip ties around your wrists. Tight, effectively tying them together.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Move." He pushed you forward and you walked through the black night and into the empty warehouse.

"Please," you pleaded as he pushed you forward still. "Please just let me go and we can pretend none of this happened."

"Too late now. I thought you wanted this." A sick smirk appeared on his face.

In your silent panicky state, you didn't see that there was a pipe on the floor and you tripped over it, scraping up your shin and barely catching yourself with your zip tied hands. You hissed as you hit the ground with a thud. "Didn't see that there, oops," Mason said sarcastically.

In the few seconds on the floor you had left, you reached into your dress and pulled out the lipstick, trying to upcap it while being discreet. Once you got the cap off, you tried to discreetly hide it in your hand, but were roughly pulled up by your hair, causing you to yelp and drop the knife.

"You stupid bitch!" he roared. "You thought you could try and get away from me!"

"No, no, I- I promise. I must've grabbed that by mistake when I grabbed my lipstick."

"Bullshit." Before you could react, you felt his fist connect with the side of your face.

You fell to the ground once more, catching yourself with your tied hands once more. But this time, it was harder, like you wrenched your wrist the wrong way. The pain stopped almost immediately though when you felt his boot-clad foot kick your back, effectively knocking the wind out of you and leaving you gasping for breath.

"I can't listen to this," Jay said, pulling out his wire.

"Jay, what are you--"

"Hailey, just tell me when she says the safe word or when we're told to move in, okay? I can't listen to him beat my sister."

Hailey sighed. "Okay, but you have to put it back in as soon as I tell you to."

"Fine," Jay huffed.

"What's her location?" Voight asked.

"As far as we know, they're still in the main space of the warehouse," Kim answered, looking at the video feed from the camera that was embedded in your dress. "They entered through the front, can you see a side or back entrance?"

"Ruzek and I got a side entrance. Upton and Halstead, I need you to go find a back entrance. And bring the snipers. Atwater and Burgess, you take the front. Stay on video for now. I'll tell you two when to exit the van and move in."

"Wire," Hailey said as she handed Jay's wire back to him. "Voight said to find a back entrace and bring the snipers."

Jay put his wire back in and they exited the truck and grabbed the snipers, in search of a back entrance.

You were roughly pushed down to the ground. He held you there. He reached for your dress and ripped it.

You felt your heart beating in your chest, but couldn't do anything except look into the eyes of your captor. You saw his blond hair wave wildly about as he breathed heavily with adrenaline and watched his lips twitch into a sick smirk. You wanted to kick him, try and fight back. But you couldn't, it was like you were frozen. You parted your lips to scream, but he covered your mouth, effectively shutting you up. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; you were frozen in your current state of shock.

"Sarge, something's wrong," Kevin said. "He pushed her to the gound, and ripped off her dress, but she didn't fight back. At all. She didn't even try to say the safe word before he covered her mouth."

"Frozen," Hank muttered to himself.

"What?" Ruzek asked.

"She's freezing!" he yelled into his radio. "There's fight and flight but there's also freeze, we gotta move in! Now!"

You stared up at James Mason. He kissed your neck roughly and then took his hand off your mouth and fiddled with the zipper of his pants.

"No," you whispered, almost inaudible, as that was as loud as your body would allow your voice to go. It took all your strength to yell, "Vodka--"

"Chicago PD!"

James Mason was ripped away from you, but you were still frozen.

You screamed as someone touched your arm. "Please, no, please," you begged.

"Y/N, Y/N come back," you heard someone say in a soft voice. "It's me, it's Jay, you're safe Short Stack, we're here."

At the mention of your nickname, a switch flipped inside you and you had control over your body again. "Jay?" You looked up.

"It's me."

"Y/N, I'm gonna cut these off you. Hold still, okay?" Burgess said and then cut the zip ties off your wrists.

"Here." Kevin quickly handed you his shirt to cover yourself up with.

"Thank you," you whispered, holding back tears.

"Can you stand up?" Jay asked a minute later.

You slowly nodded, taking his hand to help you stand up.

"We're gonna get you back to the district and let Will have a look at you, okay?"

Jay wrapped a hand protectively around your waist as he, Hailey, and you exited the building.

"Y/N!" Will yelled, running towards you. His loud voice made you flinch, which didn't go unnoticed by Hailey or Jay who shared a look.

He slightly crouched down to your height and enveloped you in one of the tightest hugs he had ever given and that you had ever received. "Ow," you squeaked as his arms wrapped around the very place Mason had kicked you.

"Sorry," he said, quickly letting go. "Pain scale, one to ten?"

"I- I don't know," you answered, the adrenaline haven't worn off yet.

"Let's get back to the district," Hailey said.

You all got into Jay's truck, with Jay and Hailey in the front, Jay driving of course, and you and Will in the back. You snuggled into Will's side, finally starting to realize how cold it was. Will started to move, but you whined. "Please don't leave me," you whispered.

"I'm not leaving you, I'm just giving you my jacket."

You nodded and Will removed his jacket and draped it over your legs. He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you closer.

"I'm sorry," you started to cry, the adrenaline finally starting to wear off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all," Will reassured you.

"If I would've said the safe word earlier--"

"Y/N, you were frozen. There was nothing you could do." Jay said, trying to keep his attention focused on the road. "None of this is your fault."

***

"I have an emergency overnight bag in my locker," Hailey said as soon as you entered Intelligence. "Come with me."

Slowly, you followed her into the locker room, to be met with a few beat cops. "Everybody out! Now!" Hailey commanded.

A few seconds later, it was only you and Hailey sitting in the locker room. "I was so scared," you said to Hailey, feeling a familiar lump begin to rise in your throat. "He almost- If I didn't- Hailey!" you wailed.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay." She paused. "Can I hug you?" she asked, knowing that the only people who touched you since the encounter were your brothers.

You nodded and she gave you a side hug and rubbed your back. When you didn't stop crying, she wrapped you in a hug and swayed back and forth. You ended up swaying along, too. You laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked quietly.

"My mom used to do this to me when I was little. She said it was the only thing that actually calmed me down."

You stayed like that a moment longer. "I think I should change so that Will can check me out."

"I'll keep watch and make sure no one else comes in here."

When Hailey left the locker room, she was met with the Halstead brothers. Jay was crying. She'd never seen him cry before.

"The minute she yelled out Hailey, I just lost it, Will. If I would've just went in earlier, I could've stopped it. I'm supposed to protect her."

"We both are, Jay."

"Well, we both did a shitty job!"

Will reacted faster than he thought he could, catching Jay's hand before it slammed into the wall. "Y/N is right inside there. Don't do that."

Jay took a deep breath and just nodded. "Will?" The three turned when they heard a small voice.

"Hey kid," Will replied. "Let's get you patched up, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Me and Jay are gonna get some coffee," Hailey said. "Come get us if you need anything."

Will gave them a curt nod and then the two of you walked into the locker room. He unzipped his medical bag. After putting on some gloves, he walked over to the sink and got a washcloth wet. "Tell me if it's too hot, okay?"

"Okay."

He began to wipe the dried blood away from the left side of your face and then proceeded to put butterfly bandaids on both your eyebrow and cheekbone. "Follow the light with your eyes, don't turn your head."

You did as he said and followed the flashlight with your eyes. "Can you roll up your sweatpants?" he asked. "Just so I can take a look at your shin. That looked like a pretty nasty fall."

"You were watching?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Since you saw, do you- do you know why I froze?" you asked weakly, looking down at your feet. "I thought I was stronger than that."

"Hey, hey, look at me, Y/N." You looked up at your brother. "You are one of the strongest people I know, okay? I don't know anyone else who would volunteer to do what you just did. You're a hero, Y/N. A true hero."

"Then why did I freeze up?"

"Everybody reacts to anxiety-provoking or traumatizing events differently. Some people just freeze. It's nothing to be ashamed of; it's just how your nervous system was wired."

He put a bandaid on your shin and felt around the area, causing you to wince. "The good news is that nothing's broken. But, you'll probably have some bruising tomorrow." You nodded in response. "We just gotta make sure we ice it. Now, I'm gonna have to lift up your shirt to look at your back," Will warned you.

"Can we get Hailey?"

"Of course."

He stood up and began to walk towards the door, when you stopped him. "I- I don't wanna be alone." You stood up and walked to him.

He wrapped his arm back around you again. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. You're also in a building full of cops, so I think you're in one of the safest places in the city."

You and your brother entered the bullpen, to be faced with all of Intelligence knee-deep in paperwork. "Hailey, can we borrow you for a sec?" Will asked.

"'Course."

"Okay, all I need you to do is lift up the back of Y/N's shirt...well, Kevin's shirt," Will said once the three were back in the locker room.

"I'm gonna lift this up now," Hailey told you. You nodded, letting her know you were ready.

Soon enough, you felt a stethoscope on your back. "Deep breath." You did so and then repeated the action a few times while Will moved the stethoscope around. "Lung sounds are good."

"So, no hospital?" you asked hopefully.

"No hospital, just lots of ice. You can put her shirt down now."

You stifled a yawn, exhaustion finally hitting you after the night you had. "I'll go get Jay and see if Voight'll let him leave. I don't see it being a problem," Hailey said before leaving.

"Hey Sarge, think you could let Jay get out of here?" Hailey asked.

"I gave him the option of leaving as soon as he came back in here."

"Why'd they need you?" Jay butted in.

"I just needed to lift up Y/N's shirt while Will checked out her back. And, no, she doesn't have to go to the hospital. But, she's exhausted."

"Sarge?"

"Go home, Jay."

***

"Y/N, you need to eat something," Jay pleaded.

You had been home for half an hour and all you had done was take a shower. Now you were staring down Jay because eating was the last thing you wanted to do. All you wanted to do was go in your room and sob into your pillow while Will was asleep on the living room couch and Jay was asleep in the room across from yours. You were afraid that if you ate something, you'd just end up throwing it up if you cried too hard...very irrational, but that was your thought process. And, besides, you weren't hungry anyway.

"I'm not hungry," you answered, moving the ice pack around on your shin.

"Listen, I don't care what you eat. Hell, you can eat Oreos for all I care."

"We have Oreos?"

"I hid them on the top shelf so you won't eat all of them because they're your favorite," Jay answered, heading over to the cabinet and grabbing the package. He put them back on the table, pulling them open. You took three and started to eat them.

"I'm gonna go to bed now," you said a few minutes later once you had finished the Oreos.

Will exited the bathroom at that exact moment. "You sure you don't wanna have a sleepover in the living room like we used to when we were little?" Will asked, going into big brother mode once again.

"I'm sure. I just want my own bed. Goodnight."

It had been a few hours and you had finally fallen into a restless sleep. Will was currently asleep on the couch, but Jay wasn't in his room like you expected him to be. He was sitting outside your room, drinking a cup of coffee. It was enough that it would keep him awake, but if he really wanted to sleep, he'd actually be able to. Jay knew how bad nightmares could be. He also knew how to wake someone out of a nightmare without getting himself injured if they tried to punch him, so he figured it would be best if he stayed up, just in case.

He started to hear more tossing and turning coming from your oom. It wasn't the usual sounds of someone trying to get in a comfortable sleeping position...even if they did have multiple injuries to contend with. It was the sound of not having conscious control of movement.

Slowly, as to not wake you yet, Jay opened your door. As he moved closer to you, he could see that your eyes were moving back and forth beneath your eyelids, a telltale sign of REM sleep, aka a dream sleep. Or, in your case, nightmare sleep.

"Y/N," he whispered. "Y/N, wake up." Gently, he touched your shoulder, causing you to jolt awake, your breathing jagged. "Y/N, it's just me. You're at home, it was all a dream," he quickly said.

"Jay?" you asked, darting your eyes around your dark room.

"Yeah." He noticed your breathing still hadn't evened out. "Breathe with me, okay?" Then, he overexaggerated his inhales and exhales, effectively getting your breathing back to normal. "You want the lights on?"

"Please."

Jay turned on your light and the sight he was met with absolutely broke his heart. Your eyes were red and puffy from crying and you had dark circles under your eyes from exhaustion. "I'm so tired. Why can't I just sleep?" you began to cry, this time it wasn't from fear or coming down from adrenaline, it was from pure exhaustion.

Jay sat on the other side of your bed. When you moved to push yourself up, you winced, pain shooting through your right wrist. "What's wrong? Is it your back? Leg?"

"No, it's my wrist," you answered. "I must've hit it harder than I thought when I fell."

"Need me to wake up Will?" you shook your head, no, you could move it. It was just sore and putting weight on it hurt, but you knew it wasn't broken or fractured. It didn't take a medical degree for you to know that. "Okay, I'll go get you some ice and ibuprofen."

Jay left your room and you stood up and grabbed a book from your bookshelf.

He came back into your room, carrying a glass of water, ice, a bottle of pills, and to your surprise, Oreos and a jar of peanut butter. "Figured a late-night snack never hurt anyone," he said, sitting down next to you once again.

"Thought you hated Oreos and peanut butter," you said, unscrewing the lid to the PB jar.

"I do, but you like it...even though it's disgusting."

"You can thank The Parent Trap for that one."

Jay chuckled but then sighed. "Listen, Y/N, if you have nightmares, you can always talk to me about them, okay?"

"Yeah." You shrugged.

"And I'm not just saying this because I'm your brother and it's my job," he continued. "I'm saying this because I know how it is."

"What do you mean?" you asked, furrowing your eyebrows while grabbing another oreo and dipping it in peanut butter.

"Remember when I got home from overseas and I wouldn't let you stay over late?"

"Yeah, always thought that was weird. But why are you bringing this up?"

"Because," he paused, wondering if he should actually tell you. "I'd have nightmares. And, if someone tried to wake me up, sometimes I'd still think I was there and I'd throw a few punches. I didn't want you over at night because I didn't want you to wake me up because I didn't want to hurt you.

"And, I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did tonight. I wanted to move in, but I couldn't--"

"I told Hailey to leave me in."

"You what?"

"I told Hailey to let him get rough with me before moving in. I just wanted you guys to have enough evidence so that Emma didn't have to testify against him."

"Testify? Y/N, what are you talking about?"

"I know how this goes, Jay. Not enough evidence, equals no case. And, we both know how hard rape cases are to prove. It's a he said she said. I- I just, I couldn't let my best friend relive the worst night of her life."

"Y/N, once we get him into interrogation tomorrow, he could take a deal. You don't know it's gonna go to trial."

You grabbed the pills next to you and popped an ibuprofen. "I know, but I knew I had to try and protect Emma...just like you and Will always try and protect me."

"When did you get so grown up?" Jay asked, putting an arm around you.

You shrugged, you wanted to say when your dad died, but you knew Jay didn't have the best relationship with him--neither did you for that matter--so you decided not to go there.

Jay looked down at the book next to you. "Prisoner of Azkaban? Thought you read it already?"

"I've read all of them. I thought, maybe you could read it to me? Like you did when I was little?"

You forgot how old you were when it started. You had to be in bed by eight o'clock on school nights, much to your dismay because as far as you knew, both of your brothers could stay up as late as they wanted. One night, you couldn't sleep and you knew your parents would just put you back to bed, so you peeked into Will's room. He was sitting on his desk, writing in a notebook. Assuming he was doing homework and not wanting to bug him, you hugged your teddy bear to your chest and walked to Jay's room, seeing as his light was still on as well.

Upon hearing his door creak open, Jay looked up from what he was reading. "Now what are you doing up?" Jay asked with a smile. "It's past your bedtime."

"But I'm not tired, Jay Jay," you whined, climbing on his bed to sit next to him. "That's a big book," you said, referring to the chapter book he held in his hands.

"It is. But you'll be able to read them soon, too!"

"I will?" you asked, cuddling your teddy bear, who you had named Teddy, to your chest. You looked up at your big brother with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Yes, you will."

"Will you read to me?"

"But you don't know what the book is about, silly."

"Then what's it about?" you asked curiously.

"It's about a wizard named Harry who has friends, Ron and Hermoine, and they have to fight the bad guys."

"Oooooh," you said excitedly. "Read it to me, Jay Jay."

"But we have to be quiet so we don't wake up Mommy and Daddy. Because then you have to go to your room."

"Okay, shhh," you put a finger to your lips.

"That's right, shhh," he mimicked, reopening his book to the previous page he was on.

You snuggled down into the covers with Teddy and listened to Jay tell you the story of Harry Potter and this guy named Sirius. Within five pages though, you were asleep.

"Course I'll read to you," he answered, taking an Oreo.

"Mine," you joked, swatting his hand away.

"Last I checked, I bought them. And, you didn't even know we had them until earlier."

You huffed. "Fine."

And just like when you were little, you fell asleep within one chapter.

***

"I'm here to see Intelligence," Emma said as she walked up to the desk sergeant in the 21st District the next morning.

"And you are?" Trudy Platt asked, annoyance laced in her voice, after all, it was only 8:30 on a Monday morning.

"Uh, I'm Emma. I'm here to make an ID," she answered timidly.

"Oh, so you're Emma!" Emma gave Platt a confused look, how did she know who she was? "Y/N's here a lot, so I've heard a lot of good things about you. You two are thick as thieves."

"That we are," Emma answered with a small smile.

Platt picked up the phone and dialed Jay's extension. "Halstead, Emma's down here to see you."

"Copy that, be right there," he answered. Then, he turned to Hailey. "Emma's here to make an ID. Mind telling Voight to get a lineup ready?"

"Got it," Hailey answered and then Jay left the bullpen.

"Hey, Emma," he said as he jogged downstairs. Normally he'd go and hug her since she was like another little sister to him and Will because of how long she and you had been best friends, but after everything that had happened, he knew to keep his distance.

"Hey, Jay," she answered.

"Where's your mom?"

"Oh, she got called in. You know how it is for first responders," Emma shrugged. Her mom was a paramedic and was first on scene, so Jay understood how demanding it was.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this alone?" Jay asked, concerned once they were up in the bullpen. "I can always text Y/N so that she can be here with you?"

"No, thanks though."

"Hailey, lineup ready?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, Voight's in there already. I'll come with you."

Jay and Hailey led Emma into the room. "You can see them, but they can't see you," Jay told her. "Just take as long as you need; there's no rush." Emma nodded. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Emma answered nervously.

Voight knocked on the glass and Kevin let the men in the lineup enter. Emma looked at them one by one, her heart beating out of her chest. When her eyes landed on number three, her breath hitched and she turned to Jay. "Number three."

"Are you sure?" He put a hand on Emma's shoulder comfortingly, just like he'd do for Y/N if she were here.

"I'm positive. I'm gonna--"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jay's black t-shirt had vomit dripping down the front. Y/N has nightmares, Emma vomits. That's how it's always been, whenever Emma got overwhelmed or nervous, she'd puke. Same for Y/N, but with nightmares.

"I'm so sorry, Jay," she apologized, feeling tears of embarrassment prick her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," he rushed, not wanting to make her feel even the slightest bit bad. "This isn't even the worst thing I've been covered in. I've got a change of clothes in my locker, so don't worry about it."

"C'mon, Emma," Hailey said. "Let's get you some water."

***

You were brushing your teeth when your phone vibrated on the counter next to you.

I just puked on your brother. Please come down now.

"Oh my God," you laughed after spitting out your toothpaste and then leaving the bathroom.

"Well that's a nice sound," Will said as he sat at the table, sipping his morning coffee. After everything that happened last night, he didn't know if he'd ever hear his little sister laugh again because all he's heard since last night are her worried voice and quiet sobs.

"Emma just puked on Jay!"

Will almost choked on his coffee. "Did someone get a picture?"

"Probably not. Good to leave in 15?" Jay didn't want you driving alone after what happened last night, and since you didn't get a lot of sleep, you didn't blame him for that. So, Will was going to drop you off at the district before his shift at Med started. He tried to get someone to cover it, but it was the middle of flu season, so no one could.

Will nodded and half an hour later you walked into the district. "Hey Trudy," Will said, waving to the desk sergeant. "Buzz us up?"

For once, Trudy didn't give either of you a snide remark, she just unlocked the gate to the bullpen and let you up.

"Sleep at all?" Kim asked as soon as she saw you.

"Not really," you answered truthfully. "Anyone know where Emma is?"

"Last I saw she was in the breakroom with Hailey and your brother." Will looked up. "Your other brother, the one who works here," Kim specified.

"Thanks, Kim."

You entered the breakroom to see Emma sitting at the table on her phone with Jay and Hailey. "Hey, Em," you said as you sat down next to her.

"Hey," she answered.

"I gotta go," Will said.

"Thanks for bringing her. Now go save some lives," Jay said and then hugged his brother.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You didn't drive yourself?"

"Why don't you guys go grab yourselves coffee or something? On me," Jay said and then pulled out his wallet and handed you some money.

You knew what this was. He wanted you and Emma to have a chance to talk alone without the threat of people walking in on your conversation. "Can we take your truck? It's freezing out, Jay," you said.

"You've never driven it before," he pointed out. "And, are you sure you're awake enough to drive?"

"I'll be fine. The coffee shop is just a few blocks away."

He sighed and pulled out his keys. "Fine, but no speeding."

"Copy that, detective," you joked, causing him to roll his eyes. "You want anything? This is more than enough to get us coffee and you and Hailey something, too."

"Yeah, sure. Surprise me. Hailey likes--"

"Just black. I know. Thanks for the money."

Then, you exited the district with Emma behind you. "What was that all about? Why was he so worried about you? I mean, more worried than usual that is," Emma said once both of you were safely inside Jay's truck.

"Are you sleeping?" you asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, it's just hard to get to sleep."

"Well, if you need to talk, call me okay? I barely slept at all last night."

"What? Why?

You sighed, knowing there was no way you could get out of this conversation. And, you knew that Emma deserved the truth and she deserved to hear it from you. But, if you were going to tell this story, you knew that you shouldn't be driving while doing so. "They needed more proof to charge the guy that raped you, Emma. So, I volunteered to go undercover."

"Y/N, you didn't."

"I did. I'm fine though."

"Is that why your makeup is so thick on one side? Did he hit you?"

"I guess I'm telling you the whole story, then." And so, before you even started driving, you told your best friend everything that happened to you.

Meanwhile, back inside, Jay and Hailey were giving James Mason hell on your behalf. "Lawyer," Mason stated calmly.

"The minute you get a lawyer in here, James, all of your help from us goes out the window, so if I were you, I'd start talking," Hailey told him, crossing her arms.

"Lawyer."

"Listen here, Mason," Jay spat. "We have you on video hitting and trying to rape that girl from last night. We have you on video trying to give alcohol to said girl who is a minor. So if I were you, I'd talk. Not that you're going to get a deal, though."

"What part do you not understand? The law or the yer?" He moved to stand up, but Jay roughly shoved him back down.

"Sit your ass back down now."

"This is police misconduct!" he yelled. "I'll sue all of you!"

"Yeah, good luck with that. It's awfully hard to sue from a prison cell. And that's where you're gonna be spending the rest of your life."

Hailey pulled out some pictures. It was Emma in the hospital after she had been raped. "You recognize her?"

"Never seen her before," he said, not even glancing at the picture.

"Look at the damn pictures!" Jay slammed his hands on the table. He wanted to break this prick's neck, but he didn't want to lose his job over this prick either.

Mason looked down at the pictures and he started to smirk. "Don't know her."

"Yeah, that look on your face says otherwise. And, the DNA we got from under her fingernails says that you were the person who did this."

"That's impossible!" He yelled, jumping out of his seat.

"And why is that?" Jay's face was so close to Mason's that Mason could almost feel the spit coming from Jay's mouth as he yelled back at him.

"Because she was tied up!"

"We never mentioned anything about her being tied up, James. And, that sounds like something only the person who did this would know," Hailey said calmly, knowing that they had him. James Mason sat back down.

"You know what they do in prison to people like you?" Jay asked rhetorically. "As soon as word gets out about your charges, one of the big tough guys in there is gonna make you his bitch. They don't like rapists in prison, Mason. They'll get you in the showers, anywhere. They'll use anything they can find, a mop, soap, anything. But, if you cooperate with us, we'll make sure that you don't have to go into general population and that what I just mentioned won't happen. So, what do you say?"

"Fine!" Mason yelled. "I did it! I raped her and I enjoyed it, too! Seeing her struggle just made it even better and seeing the fear in her eyes when I held the gun to her head and told her that if she screamed, she'd die, well that was the best part."

Jay roughly pulled him back up. "C'mon, let's go."

Emma had stopped to go the bathroom but said she'd meet you back up in the bullpen as soon as she was done. You started to walk up the stairs when you heard someone yelling, telling another person to move. It sounded like your brother.

You looked up and it was as if you had forgotten how to move. Right in front of you, stood the man who did all of those horrible things to you last night. You wanted to run away, to spit in his face, anything to get away from him, but you couldn't move. You were shocked you hadn't dropped the drink carrier you were holding, either.

"You bitch!" He yelled.

Before Jay knew it, he swung. He didn't care that there were cameras or that he was a cop. At that moment, you mattered more to him than this job. No one called you a bitch in front of your brother and got away with it.

"Jay!" Voight yelled. "Let go!"

Jay let go of Mason and roughly pushed him over to Voight. Gently, he grabbed your arm. "Y/N, can you come upstairs with me?" he asked quietly.

"What?" you had snapped out of your frozen state but hadn't registered what Jay had said.

"I asked if you can come upstairs with me?"

"Uh, yeah. Here's your coffee by the way," you handed him the caramel mocha you had picked out for him.

"This tastes more like hot chocolate than coffee," he joked.

"I promise it's got caffeine. And, I'll go ask Platt for that footage to be erased. She likes me more than you."

***

It's been a week since everything has happened and you and Emma were slowly coming to terms with the fact that what happened, happened. You still got nightmares and Emma still had trouble sleeping, so she drank coffee like it was water. Jay finally felt comfortable to leave you alone, after changing the pin to the safe, though. He knew what thoughts went through people's heads when they went through a major trauma like you and Emma. And, he didn't want to lose either of you.

Voight walked upstairs to Intelligence and he did not look happy, to say the least. "Halstead. Upton. My office," he ordered.

Both gave the other a confused look but followed their boss.

"What's up, Sarge?" Jay asked as he closed the door.

"What's up? What's up is we don't have a case!" Voight practically yelled but quieted down because he didn't want the rest of the unit to think something was wrong, not yet anyway.

"We just got a case this morning. What are you--"

Voight slammed his hands on his desk. "Not this case, dammit! Your sister's case!"

"We got a confession! What's wrong with it?" Hailey asked, watching as Jay clenched his jaw in frustration.

"He asked for a lawyer and you didn't give him one!"

"That's never stopped us before! And it's damn rich coming from you!" Jay pointed an accusing finger at his boss.

"Jay," Hailey said, placing a hand on his chest and gently pushing him back before he did something he'd later regret. "So, what happened, Sarge?"

"What happened is that we needed that confession."

"We have the DNA from under Emma's fingernails and it's a match to Mason's. And we have a positive ID from the lineup," Hailey said, wondering how the hell they needed that confession to make the case when they had two pieces of evidence against him.

"The problem is that his lawyer's arguing that the DNA under the nails was from consensual sex and the lineup is just because she saw him before! We can still make Y/N's case because we have video and audio evidence of the entire thing, but there's no case against Mason when it comes to her friend."

"So, we bring him back in, this time with his lawyer," Jay suggested.

"No. You're way too close this case, Jay," Voight told his detective.

"So what do we do?" Hailey asked.

"Emma will have to testify."

"Testify?" Jay ran a hand down his face and walked across the room and sat on the couch. "You saw what happened when she made a positive ID, Sarge. She can't go through that again. And, Y/N will have to testify too since she's a material witness. We can't put them through this. We just can't."

"How much would he get if we just press charges for Y/N's case?" Hailey asked.

"With the attempted sexual charge, assault charge, and distribution of alcohol to a minor, he'd be looking at five years. But, he'd probably be out in three."

"Shit," Jay muttered. "I gotta go. I gotta be the one to break the news to the girls." He yanked Voight's office door open and quickly grabbed his coat.

"Hailey, go with him. And don't take no for an answer because I don't trust him enough to just tell them and do nothing."

"Copy you, Sarge."

Hailey left and grabbed her jacket, running down the stairs and out of the 21st, just in time to catch Jay. "I'm coming with you. And it's not up for discussion."

You and Emma were sitting on the living room floor, each working on your respective assignments for school when the door opened, causing both of you to jump. "Jay? Hailey? What are you guys doing here?" you asked, wondering why Jay was home at only nine in the morning and why Hailey was with him.

Jay grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and set it on the table. "What's that for?" you asked.

"Come sit at the table. Me and Hailey have to tell you something. Something really important. The bowl's for Emma."

"What's going on?" Emma asked as she sat down.

"We can't make your case against Mason," Hailey said.

"What do you mean you can't make the case?" you asked.

And then they launched into why they can't make the case. "So let me get this straight," you said after they finished. "We can't make the case because you fucked up?"

"We've done it hundreds of times, Y/N. It just didn't work this time," Jay said quietly.

"But Emma's case isn't just one of those hundreds, Jay! How did you let this happen? She's not gonna testify, and you know this!" you yelled, speaking as if Emma wasn't even there. "I mean look at her!" You motioned to Emma who was hunched over the bowl in front of her, trying to keep her food down.

Emma looked up. "How long would he get for what he did to Y/N?"

"He'd do three years," Hailey answered.

"Three years? That's it? That bastard deserves life!" You knew if it were any other day, Jay would've told you to watch your language. But, it wasn't just any other day.

"I know, I know he does, Y/N," Jay agreed loudly. "We'd get Peter Stone, one of the best attorneys around and he'd prep you and Emma so well that there's no way this case could go under!"

"Wait, Y/N has to testify, too?" Emma asked.

"As a material witness, yes, she would have to testify," Hailey answered.

"No, we're not doing this," Emma said adamantly. "Maybe he'll change in prison, okay? I can't put her through this."

"Emma, I can handle it. But, if you don't want to do this, just tell me. I won't blame you at all."

Emma took a deep, shaky breath. "I can't. I'm sorry." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she jumped up and made a beeline for the bathroom.

"So, Mason does five years, out in three," Jay said, looking at his sister.

"That's it? You're just giving up?" you yelled, standing up and walking over to your brother.

"Y/N, there's nothing else we can do. I'm sorry."

"Oh don't give me that I'm sorry bullshit! You fucked this up, so you're gonna fucking fix it!"

***

"What'd she say?" Voight asked as soon as Hailey and Jay entered the district once more.

"She's not testifying," Hailey answered.

"Sarge, are you sure there's nothing else we can do? You know as well as I do that this monster doesn't deserve to take another breath as a free man."

"Listen, let me make some calls and I'll see what I can do."

Voight picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Tyler, it's Hank Voight."

"Hey Hank, what can I do for you?" Tyler answered into one of the blue phones in the county jail.

"How's your son doing?"

"He doing good. I miss him though. My girl sent me some pictures of him yesterday though."

"That's good. That's really good. Mind if I see those pictures tomorrow during visiting hours?"

"It'd be a welcome visit, Hank."

***

"200k and we have a deal," Tyler said to Hank as they sat at one of the cold, metal tables in the visiting room.

"150," Voight argued, increasing the payout 50k.

Tyler sat there for a moment, thinking it over. "150k would be able to pay for his house or college. And, hey, I'm stuck here for life anyway. You got yourself a deal."

"Money'll be in a trust fund a few months after, just to be safe." The two shook on the deal and Hank left.

***

There was a knock at the door as you, Jay, and Emma were eating dinner. She had come over to your house once more to do homework and Jay picked up some food on his way home from work.

"I got it," Jay stood up and pushed his chair in.

"Sarge? What are you doing here?" Jay asked.

"Are the girls here?"

"Yeah, they both are. Come in. What's going on?"

"Hi, Y/N," Voight greeted you. "Emma, Sargent Hank Voight, we met a week ago."

"Yes, I remember you," Emma replied.

"What's up, Sarge? It's gotta be important if you came over here."

"James Mason was killed in county."

You dropped your fork. "What?" Jay asked, as stunned as both you and Emma. "When?"

"About an hour ago. I figured that you should be the first to know."

"Wow," Emma breathed out.

"I gotta go, though," Voight said.

Jay walked him to the door and followed him out onto the front steps. "Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did?" Jay asked.

"If you're asking me if I killed that man, no Jay, I didn't do that."

"Do you know who did?" Jay asked, not being able to believe that this was just a coincidence.

"Tyler," was all Voight said.

"Tyler? As in the Tyler we put away for a double homicide six months ago?"

"That's the one."

"And you had nothing to do with it? Because if IAD finds out anything against you--"

"Jay, I had nothing to do with it. Tyler must've found out the charges and killed him just like he killed the two men who raped his sister."

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?"

"He's gone, Jay. Those girls can sleep peacefully now. Just let it be and be there for Y/N. None of this will come back to me."

"Why didn't you tell me? I'd gladly put a bullet in that bastard's head!"

"I know you. You do everything with your heart. And that's what makes you a good cop, a good detective, and a great brother to your little sister, Jay. I know you couldn't live with yourself if you did it. Now, go back inside before your food gets cold."

Voight turned and left, leaving Jay wondering how the hell this happened. But he knew one thing: No one would find out about this. Y/N wanted justice for Emma and she got justice, even if it wasn't the right way to go about it.

Later that night, Emma fell asleep within fifteen minutes, the first time in a week and a half that she had fallen asleep that fast. Y/N slept soundly without any nightmares for the first time in a week and a half. And Jay slept in his own bed, instead of slumped against the hallway wall, waiting for the inevitable when he'd have to comfort his sister. He wouldn't admit it, but he was thankful for what Voight did for him. He always said family was everything and he was right. You were Jay's family and Jay was a member of Voight's Intelligence family. Because of this, you were a part of the Intelligence family, too. And, Voight would do anything for family...even if it meant putting 150k in a trust fund for Tyler's son so that you and Emma could both sleep through the night and move on with your lives.

A/N comment and tell me what you think!

Taglist:

@xhaliemax @alievans007

#chicago pd #chicago med #jay halstead #will halstead #imagine #writing #jay halstead imagine #will halstead imagine #chicago pd imagine #chicago med imagine #halstead sister #halstead brother #one shot #undercover #this is long

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slashhinginghasher · 2 years

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Marena vs. meeting other slashers

purely self-indulgent OC content byyyyyeeeeee

Jason Voorhees

Probably the most likely to get along out of all the slashers, tbh. Masha is a capable outdoorsman herself and will set up her own camp on the other the side of the lake. She’s respectful of the landscape and won’t be having premarital sex on Jason’s front yard. Jason probably insists lets her stay in one of the empty cabins during the winter. Masha may join in on the murdering if one of the victims is particularly annoying. Not a single word is ever exchanged between the two of them. The physical embodiment of this GIF:

Michael Myers:

DEATH. One of them is absolutely going to die within a week and the survivor depends entirely on how quickly Marena can get a her hands on a ranged weapon and a high vantage point. Obviously there is no way Marena will win in hand-to-hand combat against the Tank of Haddonfield, but if she finds a gun/crossbow/etc. and a nice sturdy tree branch to wait on she is taking that fucker out, and she is fully willing to absolutely mutilate the body to make sure he doesn’t come back. If she can’t, though, it’s going to be an extended period of chasing and then poor Masha is getting squooshed like a bug. :(

Freddy Krueger:

It’s on sight. Oh, you’re going to hunt her down through her nightmares? Her brain already has that handled, no intervention required. That’s a cute knife glove, hope it can stand up to a fucking bear. Freddy shows up in one of her childhood memories and has to take a pause to process, just standing there like “what in the fuck”. She’s got 20 different kinds of knife and she’s about to use all of them on him. She’s not trapped there with him, he’s trapped there with her.

Leatherface (Thomas/Bubba, same response)

Most likely she has died upon the first Texas sunrise from Too Fucking Hot Disease. If she avoids heatstroke long enough to make it to dinner, she is going to be a disappointingly nonreactive house guest. Hoyt/Drayton prepares a whole dramatic buildup to the Soylent Green Is People reveal and she does not bat an eyelash. This girl will eat anything if it’s seasoned enough. Leatherface is probably a little intimidated by her because of her perpetual dead-inside stare. She won’t be kept around because she’s a bitch and sucks at housework. Good scenario: Leatherface lets her escape in the night. Bad scenario: she meets the saw and someone makes lovely trinkets out of her hair.

Ghostface (Billy and Stu)

Marena has consumed approximately 3 Media in her entire life, so the encounter will go one of two ways:

1. Her complete lack of knowledge Disgusts them. They go in for the kill and get their asses handed to them on several platters because Marena is feral and Billy and Stu grew up in the suburbs.

2. Stu is horrified (”You haven’t seen Psycho? It’s a CLASSIC!”) and decides that Masha needs to be educated posthaste. Through his relentless golden retriever energy, he gets her to watch a bunch of movies and cultivates another horror freak. Billy is pissed because he’s supposed to be the dark and brooding one, damn it, and also she’s hot and won’t let him smash. Marena teaches them how to stab people properly.

Sinclair brothers

Let’s pretend for imagination’s sake that Marena has not been killed but also cannot leave Ambrose for whatever reason.

Lester Sinclair: A fellow weirdo who spends a lot of time playing with dead animals in the woods. Too chatty for her taste, but she respects his work and his bowie knife. They might carve bones together. Marena teaches him how to make traps so he can increase his supply of fresh meat. Lester is enchanted by the fact that she seems unbothered by the roadkill smell.

Vincent Sinclair: Thought it was one emo bitch with good hair in this house but it’s actually two. The second Marena discovers the secret creeper tunnels you are not gonna see her for at least a week because Weeeeeeeee Hiding Spots. She does not hang out in the sculpting room because it’s too hot and is, not creeped out, but disconcerted that Vincent has found a new weirdass thing to do with a dead body that she has not seen before.

Bo Sinclair: LOATHING AT FIRST SIGHT. Oh my god these two would hate each other but in like the horniest way possible. Bo manhandles Marena into The Chair because he is Big and she is Small. Marena grabs the heaviest wrench she can find and nails him directly in the nuts. They have the hottest nastiest hate sex ever and wind up with bloody scratches and bite marks all over themselves afterwards. Eventually they will unwillingly start to bond over being the Unwanted Child and having shitty abusive parents. Basically Midnight Star Lite because the toxicity is there but Bo does not have Jesse’s wealth or resources, only farm fresh homegrown Lousiana bastardry.

Jonesy: Goodest girl. A+ 10/10 would hang out and give belly rubs all day every day.

The Collector/Asa Emory

You’ll see ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

#marena polunochnaya #slasher oc #jason voorhees #michael myers #freddy krueger #billy loomis #stu macher #ghostface #leatherface #bubba sawyer #thomas hewitt #lester sinclair #bo sinclair #vincent sinclair

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Ultimatum”

Welcome back, everyone! We had an unexpected break last week due to the horror going on in Texas. I'm glad we did. Not because of any salty "RWBY is bad right now yay free Saturday" feelings, but because keeping to a schedule for a fictional webseries should never take precedence over peoples' safety. I can't believe I need to type that sentence out, but it's true! Over the last seven days I've seen fans who are not merely disappointed by the mini hiatus (understandable) but outright hostile towards the crew because they... were ensuring everyone survived during an unprecedented emergency? Yeah. Given the highly critical nature of these recaps — including today's! — I want to be clear that my thoughts towards Rooster Teeth's creative choices are distinct from any thoughts about the crew itself, including the most basic forms of compassion like, “I sure hope everyone is okay over there.” In an age where it has become horrifically common to harass creators and even send them death threats over stories, it has likewise become necessary to remind people: Don't do that shit. Never do that shit. If I can teach anyone anything at all, let it be that!

Anyway, dark fandom reminders out of the way, let's dive straight into our delayed episode. It was certainly a doozy. Titled "Ultimatum," we open on a trigger warning for flashing lights. Good on Rooster Teeth for including that, though I do wonder if creators shouldn't be including time stamps as well? Or perhaps a note that you can find those time stamps in the credits, avoiding any (minor) spoilers for everyone else? I'm not photosensitive myself, so I certainly don't mean to speak for that group, but my first thought was, "So how would I watch this episode if I was? Hand on the pause button, hoping I stop fast enough as soon as the lights start?" Hard to do given the surprise nature of the scene. Really, my answer would be, "Wait for the fandom to post warnings of their own, likely including where it happens so I know when to skip" which is perhaps an indication that this information that should be included from the get-go.

But I am glad the warning exists, regardless. The episode itself begins with a shot of Ironwood looking down at the kingdom. He's used his windows as a vantage point since Volume 7, so that's nothing new, but something about this particular shot reminded me of Ozpin, looking down from his tower. I'm sure the response from many would be simply, "Ah yes, the two power hungry dictators watching over their victims," but I think there's a much more nuanced reading here about leaders being expected to fix the literally unfixable and what that responsibility does to an individual. Of course, it's a nuance that is absolutely obliterated by the episode’s end, but the implication existed for a hot second!

Two other soldiers are in the room with Ironwood, reporting that Cinder has helped Watts escape. They try to soften this with news that they still have Jacques in custody, but receive only a, "I don't give a damn about Jacques Schnee." Which, fair. He's pretty useless at this point. It's when Ironwood learns that both Qrow and Robin escaped too that he really gets mad, something his subordinates have been expecting given their scared expressions.

Now, I'm treading lightly here because I realize how this is going to sound given the end of our episode, but I still want to note that outside of that ending... this is a weird take? Just hear me out. Since Volume 7 the show has worked very hard to make Ironwood seem scary and unstable — bad setup for what we end with today — but the problem is that none of it works in context and it certainly doesn't work when compared to other characters' actions. They are literally in the midst of an unwinnable battle and thousands of his people are dying. If the audience wants a human being — who also just lost a limb and was betrayed by half his allies — o remain perfectly poised and polite during that, sorry, but that's not how human beings work. But even beyond this, what’s the message here? Ironwood raises his voice, so does Yang. Ironwood hits his desk, Qrow hits a child. If we're going to examine how Ironwood handles his stress and anger, he often handles it better than many of our heroes. Namely, by continually taking that anger out on inanimate objects. I kept waiting for him to attack his subordinates or attack Winter this episode, especially given where we end up, but it never came. Ironwood always has enough control to break the desk or punch the wall, not the person in front of him. Which, of course, would not be a good thing in the real world. I want to be clear given these sensitive subjects that if someone is breaking things in your presence that's a major problem to address. But this isn't the real world. This is a fantasy world in the middle of a war, populated by other characters who express their anger by punching people, slamming them into walls, or screaming at them until they run away. The story wants us to fear Ironwood long before he makes his objectively horrific choices and it tries to achieve that by showing us characters who are clearly terrified in his presence, by giving us a string of broken objects in his wake. But those details don't land well when we compare them to other instances of stress. In the same volume I have watched Ironwood take a deep breath to calm himself down when things have gone horribly wrong. I've also watched Weiss start a conversation by threatening her defenseless brother. So again, what’s the message here? It can’t be that acting violently towards someone = villainous behavior because, as established since Volume 6, that’s common for the heroes. Why are these subordinates terrified about Ironwood slamming his fist on a table, but Whitley has no problem hugging the woman who threatened him? Obviously there is a HUGE difference between our main group and Ironwood when it comes to other actions (cough-bomb threats-cough), but these day-to-day moments don't match up. The show wants to use violence as a way for us to easily identify the Bad Guy while ignoring all the times when our heroes do the same thing.

All of which isn't meant to be a defense of Ironwood. As we'll see in a bit, there is no defense for what he's done. Rather, it's a way of acknowledging just how badly he's been written. Why does a man who consistently reins in his anger and takes it out on objects suddenly shoot a councilman for literally no reason? Why does a man defined by wanting to save as many people as he can suddenly threaten to bomb his city? Ironwood's characterization is all over the place, in the sense that they keep writing him as the morally gray, sometimes harsh, but ultimately compassionate man he started out as... up until they need a villain. Salem isn't here yet, so Ironwood can shoot Oscar. Salem isn't attacking yet, so Ironwood can shoot the councilman. Salem is currently reforming, so Ironwood can threaten YJR and Mantle. He's the B-plot villain whenever Salem is out of commission, which is a problem for both their characterizations. This filler doesn't make sense for Ironwood and it severely undermines the threat of Salem. You finally introduce the Magical Big Bad and our heroes are facing more of a threat from a guy with a broken army and three loyal allies left? Hmmm.

The tl;dr is that Ironwood's arc is a disaster and, frankly, it's gotten old reading simplified takes of, "It's just a realistic look at what white U.S. men will do in power sweetie :) " RWBY does not have the context capable of conveying that sort of critical take because our world is not besieged by literal monsters and an immortal witch, to say nothing of how real life good guys do not get deus ex machina canes that fix the problem instantaneously. Ironwood is not an example of anti-U.S. imperialism, he's an example of writers who don't know how to write.

Anyway, I'm getting severely off topic. Obviously Ironwood is a major part of this episode, but the problems demonstrated here are two years in the making. This is the culmination of things I've been discussing for months across hundreds of posts... so I should probably stop trying to summarize it all in a few paragraphs lol. Perhaps when RWBY is over — or Ironwood has died — I'll do a single meta on his character, try to pull everything into one, unified argument.

For now though, we have an episode to analyze.

While Ironwood is receiving this news we get flashbacks to Qrow and Robyn. Qrow attacks a soldier in his bird form, which is hilarious. Someone GIF that please. It does raise some interesting questions about this magic though: does Qrow retain his aura and strength in this form (something I thought given his choice to transform during the explosion), or was that soldier just so shocked at being attacked by a crow that he went down easy? We'll never know, because that would require establishing concrete rules for this world. The point is Qrow is going feral in his freedom, throwing punches left and right — did he kill that guard? — while Robyn watches it all from under a rock. They're apparently still somewhere in the facility since all the exits are guarded, but that's not the good thing Ironwood seems to think it is. After all, Qrow is out to murder him. He wants to be there.

We all see where this is going, right? The show is going to ignore Qrow's crazy belief that Ironwood got Clover killed in favor of a "Qrow saved Mantle by murdering Ironwood"/“Qrow got revenge for Mantle by murdering Ironwood” ending. Who cares why Qrow wanted to kill him in the first place now that Ironwood has his finger on the trigger? If RWBY is good at anything, it's writing moments that encourage you to ignore everything that came before it. We'll be seeing more of that in just a bit.

"Damn it!" Ironwood yells, because the show is leaning into its cursing. He orders that the subordinates not return until "you have Qrow Branwen in custody." Here we have another great example of the show conflating what the audience knows with what other characters know. See, we know Qrow has a vendetta against Ironwood. We know their relationship is the important one to the story and that Robyn is incidental. Ironwood doesn't know that. There's no reason for him, as a character, to specify that they only bring Qrow back, but it makes sense for the audience who has the whole, thematic picture. Our understanding of the situation is influencing Ironwood's dialogue, which is... not great.

This entire scene we've had creepy music to hammer home just how evil Ironwood is. Except, as said, he takes a breath to calm down and the music fades. Instead of flying into a rage, hurting someone, or doing anything the music suggests he might, Ironwood calmly calls in for an update — which is when the explosion hits.

It's MASSIVE, seeming to originate from a lightning strike, which is weird, since it's coming from inside the whale, but whatever. The animation is very dramatic and pretty, as we've come to expect of RWBY, but the actual plot is lackluster at best. It's funny though because I thought for a hot second, when Winter and the Ace Ops were caught in the blast, that RWBY had actually done something exciting. I mean, holy shit! There are the deaths we expect from a battle like this. My god, what is everyone going to do when they realize that Oscar's needless attack took out five characters, including Weiss' sister —

No wait, never mind. They're fine.

Let's talk about that "needless" descriptor for a moment though. Do you all remember, two weeks ago, when I went, "Hey, why isn't anyone telling Oscar that that Ace Ops are approaching with a bomb? They're on a time limit! If someone would just mention that Very Important Information then Oscar wouldn't keep standing around to fight Salem." See, at the time I was frustrated because of how the plot was needlessly allowing Oscar to put himself in danger (especially when the whole point of this mission was to rescue him). Now, I'm frustrated because that same plot needlessly wasted the most powerful weapon the group had. There was no reason for Oscar to use literal lifetimes worth of stored energy when the heroes already had a bomb to do the same job! What was the point of that? I guess he took out the other grimm too, but without the whale that still would have been a challenge with a finite end, one Ironwood's army and the remaining huntsmen should have been able to handle. It doesn't feel justified to have Oscar use a weapon kept on the bench for lifetimes when there was another option literally minutes away.

There's so much wrong with this I need another list. So:

Ozpin's cane supposedly stores kinetic energy, which may contradict what we've seen from it before. Regardless, we’ve never heard about this. The all powerful weapon comes out of nowhere

It also begs the question of why Ozpin wouldn't use that power at Beacon and why he wouldn't insist that they try to get their cane back while captured. You had an out this whole time! But we’re going to ignore that because Oscar is a little hesitant?

Which makes YJR's presence even more useless than it originally was, which was already pretty useless. Oscar essentially rescued himself

This kinetic energy miraculously doesn't hurt any people or buildings, just grimm

So what is the point of Silver Eyes? That's been their MO since they were first introduced. Sure, Silver Eyes can be used far more often than Ozpin's cane, but it still feels like a let down to learn that the Big Secret behind this weapon is... the exact same thing Ruby has been doing for years

Like Ruby, Oscar likewise didn't need any practice or training. He just set off this massive attack perfectly and without issue

We have now eliminated the biggest threat to the cast instantaneously — the whale and the other grimm — with no effort from the rest of the heroes. Like the Hound, the stakes are obliterated with no satisfying work on the part of our protagonists

Instead, as said, the actual plan already in place never happened. The bomb just... goes back. Kind of like how Cinder attacked and then just went back to Salem. Penny woke up and then just got knocked out again. We continue to go in circles

This is because no one took two seconds to tell Oscar, "There's a bomb on the way"

Because this threat is gone the show needs a new one, hence Ironwood randomly threatening Mantle with said bomb

The one way we might have justified Oscar blowing up the whale instead of Winter is if he did it to save Hazel, but Hazel is implied to be dead

Maybe he's alive, but if he's not that happened off screen and we're not sure how. It couldn't have been because of the blast itself — everyone else is fine — so what, Salem somehow killed him before she was blasted to bits? While he was holding her?

And there's no body?

Salem was torn apart multiple times during that fight and reformed instantaneously, yet now, conveniently, she's taking her time

None of the characters mention the issues above. None of them admit that there was no reason for Oscar to waste LIFETIMES worth of power when they already had a solution in the works. Fantastic

I need to take a moment to acknowledge that so far this recap feels... bad. Disjointed. Bit all over the place. Which makes a certain amount of sense because that's where my thoughts are at. There's so much going on in this episode — so much wrong with it — that I don't know how to boil it all down into a few, neat claims. This episode is a mess! We're barely a few minutes in and the combined issues of Ironwood's characterization and Oscar's choice have left me reeling. So if you're still reading this, bless your patience, I think we'll both need it for the rest of this journey.

Let's snag a neater plot-point to discuss. Amidst all the chaos Neo literally skips away with the Lamp, clearly thrilled at how her own life is going. Later in the episode she'll text Cinder with the obvious: Salem is going to be pretty pissed when she realizes this is gone. “If you want her name you know what you owe me."

So wait... what is Neo leveraging here? Is she agreeing to give the Lamp back so Cinder doesn't get in trouble with Salem? Give Salem the password she's been looking for? Or give Cinder the password to use the Lamp for herself? What would Cinder even want the Lamp for when she's after the Maiden powers? I'm confused about what Cinder is being blackmailed with. Regardless, she needs the lamp for something and presumably what she "owes" Neo is Ruby. We get a cut to her just to hammer that home.

(Side note: both pictures of Neo are hilarious.)

Before that though, back at the whale, everyone is taking stock of the situation when Marrow cries, "Hey, they were still in there!" I feel like this is another scene meant to make him look like the one good guy in the group — he cares about YJOR while the others can’t be bothered — but as always, that reading doesn't fit well with the situation as a whole. The others have barely had time to realize they're alive. I don't think it's a moral failing that they didn't instinctually worry about four betrayers, one of whom attacked them, while they're still checking that they have all their limbs intact. Besides, why does Marrow assume they're dead? The Ace Ops were caught in the blast as well, yet miraculously came out unharmed. They clearly didn't set their own bomb off, so it's logical to assume that YJOR did something themselves. It feels weird to have a "Marrow mourns them and Winter is the only other character who cares" moment when everyone is recovering from bomb shock and no one even knows if the others are dead. But, of course, the show is out to portray only two of these characters as good people, so ignore the logic and run with the emotion of the scene.

All of which is bolstered by Elm pulling away when Vine puts a hand on her shoulder. Why is she acting cold towards him now? Because they're not friends, remember?

While we get more ridiculous relationship dynamics, Ironwood calls in and congratulates them on the bomb working, but tells them to get back because they have another problem in the works. That would be Qrow and Robyn. Winter decides to tell him about the bomb in person.

We cut to Watts and Cinder watching the remnants of the blast from a rooftop. Cinder has tried calling, but no one answered. Unsurprising, given that Salem doesn't have any other allies left. Cinder says that the plan hasn't changed, she's still going to take the Winter Maiden's power for herself, and Watts can help her by bringing Penny here. He explains that he doesn't have full control over her. Rather, he implemented a virus that is setting her on a single path: open the vault, then self-destruct. Cinder, as one might expect, is furious.

She snags Watts by her grimm arm and threatens to toss him over the side of the building. Thus begins the best part of the episode, hands down. Despite the danger he's in, Watts throws common sense out the window in favor of dragging Cinder in the most satisfying manner possible.

“You think you’re entitled to everything just because you suffered, but suffering isn’t enough. You can’t just be strong, you have to be smart. You can’t just be deserving, you have to be worthy! But all you have ever been is a bloody migraine!”

It's true! You know what else is true? This speech could apply to our heroes as well. Accusations of entitlement and reminders to be smart as opposed to just strong hit hard, considering those are the same flaws our protagonists are struggling with. The difference is that Cinder, miraculously, listens, pulling Watts back to safety and going to cry by herself. That moment is simultaneously more growth than Ruby has gotten and more sympathy than Ironwood has gotten. The woman who murdered Pyrrha is treated more kindly by the narrative than one of our initial heroes and our very first villain has taken more time to reconsider her choices than our title character. You know a show is falling apart when excellent choices are applied to the worst possible character.

So Cinder is crying while Watts looks guilty and we cut back to YJOR's group post-blast. Yang is finally able to answer a call from Blake who is obviously overjoyed to see her. Weiss gives them directions to the mansion and they ask what in the world they'll do with Emerald, currently on her knees, mourning Hazel.

Thus begins the third most frustrating part of this episode. See, on the way back the group continues the conversation about what to do with Emerald, with Yang and Jaune distrusting her vs. Ren and Oscar encouraging cooperation. I can't believe I'm saying this after's Ren's speech and Oscar's entire existence... but I'm team Jaune and Yang here. Look, what Oscar and Ren say — the literal words coming out of their mouth — is nonsense. Ren goes, “We can’t let all of our actions stem from fear," as if Yang and Jaune are being ridiculous for mistrusting Emerald, one of the established villains, after years worth of harm from her. It’s weird that Yang points to her arm as something Emerald is responsible for, rather than being framed or the deaths at Beacon, but the general sentiment of, “She’s done horrible things!” is true. Ren’s perspective is the same simplification that was applied to Ironwood last volume, wherein everyone acted as if he was crazy for fearing an attack on his kingdom... post an attack on another kingdom and pre an attack on his kingdom. Putting generic lines in Ren's mouth about not being afraid makes him sound willfully ignorant, as if choosing to believe that someone is good will magically make them so, to say nothing of thinking it will erase all the harm they've already done.

Oscar at least acknowledges the difficulty here, but then follows this up with, “You don’t have to forgive her… just give her a second chance."

Oscar, honey, that amounts to the same thing in this situation. Allowing Emerald a second chance means working with her, which means trust, which means emotionally reaching a point where these characters can put aside the harm she's done them in an effort to give her that chance in the first place. This actually ties into a post I saw last night, one I've come across before, that claims redemption arcs don't require any suffering on the part of the person who has done wrong. I agree in theory, that prolonged suffering doesn't help anyone, but the problem is that people tend to conflate suffering with consequences and someone who has done this level of harm should face consequences for their actions. The problem with redemption arcs is not that the bad people suffer too much — emotionally and physically beating on them as a form of revenge — but that the people they've harmed are put into situations like this one. If Yang and Jaune let Emerald go like she suggests, they are agreeing that she doesn't have to face any consequences for the damage she's done (which, keep in mind, involves multiple deaths, not including all the lost lives here in Atlas). If they agree to give her a second chance, they are forced to jump straight to some level of forgiveness. We might claim they don't have to forgive Emerald to work with her, but from a practical perspective how are they meant to function, especially during a warzone? Anything she provides them with — information, watching their back in a fight, undertaking missions, etc. — requires trusting her enough to allow those things to happen: working with that info, letting her protect them, allowing her that responsibility. It's all about trust, trust she has yet to earn. In order for a redemption arc to be successful, the power has to be in the hands of the victims. They need to be able to see some justice for what was done to them, be offered some proof that the person in question has truly changed, and have the ability to walk away if they decide no, I don't forgive you, glad to hear you've improved, but please stay out of my life. Jaune and Yang have none of that. There are currently no systems in place for Emerald to face consequences for her choices, she has offered them no proof of her remorse or true motivations, and the other half of the group is pressuring them to give her that second chance without closure or reassurance. None of that makes for a good redemption arc and reducing that to, "So you want to see poor Emerald suffer, huh?" ignores the suffering she has already caused. The group are her victims and they are under no obligation to give her a second chance, particularly under these circumstances, which makes the story's choice to have Ren and Oscar act like Yang and Jaune are being stubborn or inconsiderate a problem. The conversation boils down to, "Give the woman you know to be a liar, manipulator, murder accomplice, and servant of our enemy a second chance based entirely on unfounded faith. If you don't you're letting yourself be ruled by fear."

RWBY's touchy-feely themes really don't sit well within its realistic, morally gray premise. We cannot continually have these characters go through hell one moment and then have others accuse them of being paranoid the next. The fact that all of this is wrapped up in the group trusting Robyn, Emerald, and Hazel over their established allies remains beyond frustrating.

Because yeah, you know how Oscar finishes his speech? “I’ve already gotten a lot of help today from someone I don’t exactly trust right now." Meaning Ozpin.

The story is trying to compare Emerald and Hazel to Ozpin.

"Oh hey, I kept a secret from you after lifetimes of watching that secret lead to betrayal and death. I keep apologizing for my mistakes while ignoring that I had no reason to trust a bunch of kids with such world-shattering information and also that you tore it from me in the most traumatic way possible."

"Oh hey, I willingly joined our world's version of the devil and helped her destroy your school, leading to numerous deaths including your friend and headmaster. It was his death that put Oscar in this position in the first place! I then continued to attack your group, leading to another near death of a friend, and a kidnapping, and the destruction of Amity, until I became scared enough to make a run for it."

Which one of these characters is granted an instant second chance? You'll never guess who!

And I do think the word "instant" is important here because just like Jaune and Yang have the right to have distance and justice from Emerald, they had that right with Ozpin too. The difference is they got it. They had the power in the situation, as evidenced by their use of the Lamp and physically attacking him. Ozpin heard what they needed from him — leave us alone — and did that without complaint. They were given months to come to terms with the secrets he kept. They were offered apologies and acts of service to demonstrate intent: saving them in the airship and continually saving Oscar. I don't believe Ozpin ever needed a redemption arc, but even if we think he did, he had it. After three volumes of material Oscar's perspective is still "I don't exactly trust [him] right now" but Hazel and Emerald have earned at least the same amount of trust in a matter of hours? They're really having my boy look at the guy who has tried desperately to do right by him despite unimaginable circumstances, and the guy who tortured him to get information for Salem, and went, "That first guy. He's the one we need to watch out for."

To make things even worse, Oscar tells the others that Ozpin took on all the torture so he wouldn't have to. So he did that and they still don't trust him? If you had told me back in Volume 6 that two years later the group would still be hostile towards Ozpin, while simultaneously urging one another to trust Emerald, I would have said you were lying. RWBY has its problems, but it's not that bad. Yet here we are. I suppose the one silver lining here is that Ren smiles when he realizes Ozpin is back? So at least one of them isn't prepared to draw their weapon at the mere mention of his name.

Both these moments raise more questions though. How in the world did Ozpin take on that torture when we clearly saw Oscar getting pummeled for a good portion of the kidnapping? Is that a weird merge thing the story hasn't bothered to explain? I wouldn't be surprised, considering Oscar said last episode he didn't want to use magic because it hastened the merge, he uses the biggest explosion of magic we've ever seen, and nothing has changed. Ozpin is still in the back of his head, thanking him for the tinniest shreds of decency they get. Ren, meanwhile, seems to be back to mindreading. How in the world does he know that Ozpin is back? I assume it has something to do with his semblance, but we don't know what. They could have shown us Oscar from Ren's perspective, perhaps with two distinct emotions swilling around to imply that he sees two different people now, not a useless shot of Emerald with purple flower petals, whatever purple means.

Oh, but no, we shouldn't have gotten either of these scenes. Remember that Ren's aura broke a very, very short time ago? Is it back already? Can he use this part of his semblance without it? Considering it was near impossible to see Ironwood's aura breaking in the Watts fight and we were then mistakenly told he used his semblance in the office, I'm going to go with, "The writers forgot."

Oscar explains that the cane had "lifetime after lifetime" of power in it and though there's still some left, "we have to be careful with how we use the rest." He says that Ozpin trusted his judgement and of course he did! Ozpin also didn’t know that there was a bomb on the way. Yet funnily enough, no one else mentions that, whoops, your choice made in ignorance was a waste and that's due entirely to us prioritizing hugs over basic mission information.

Also, all these explanations take place in front of Emerald. Half the group doesn't trust her, but they'll freely discuss their powers and limitations here. Remember how the group once wanted to talk about magical relics in front of the old lady they'd just met? Yeah, they've learned nothing.

Combine all this insanity with the fact that Ozpin's magic saved the day before Ironwood's bomb could do the same... while Ruby sat in a mansion drinking tea. Who's our hero again?

So things are a hot mess, to put it lightly. Their conversation finally ends when they hear voices and round the corner to find all the Atlas citizens huddled in the subway. For once the show actually writes them in a sympathetic manner, emphasizing how terrified and helpless they are. This image doesn't lead the group to any revelations though, certainly not anything that would tie back to Ren's earlier speech in the snow. No, once again the justified criticisms here are ignored as we hear that “However this fight ends, we could really use someone like you, [Emerald.]” That's it then. Discussion over. We knew as soon as it started that blindly trusting her was being presented as the "right" thing to do and now here we are, deciding that conclusively, despite Jaune and Yang's complaints. By the time the group reaches the mansion, Oscar is defending Emerald from Ruby. We're supposed to just accept that she's a part of the group now, only minimal pushback allowed.

Before that though we return to Ironwood getting news that their bomb never went off. He briefly wonders who else could have done that, but puts the currently unanswerable question aside for what he does know. They still have the bomb and it could be "useful." See, this moment — like shooting Oscar and the councilman — is when Ironwood just randomly goes off the deep end. One minute he's talking about what they've lost and cradling his new arm,

the next he's saying that he should have tortured Qrow to get Penny to obey him! Which doesn't even make sense since I'm pretty sure Penny hasn't ever spoken to Qrow. She wouldn't want anyone to suffer, true, but it's not like Ironwood had a close friend like Ruby to use as leverage. Qrow is just Some Guy to her. Regardless, he thinks Yang, Jaune, and Ren are decent replacements, despite Penny also having no relationships with them. This is what happens when your characters only start breaking up their teams eight years into the story, the response to Ironwood wanting to torture Ren to hurt Penny is, “Does Penny know Ren exists?” But, you know, torture is torture, right? Maybe. Probably not. I mean, if they're going to turn Ironwood into a cartoon villain, they could at least keep him smart.

Because all of this is just the height of stupidity. Ironwood wants to torture people Penny barely knows to make her listen (so just grab some civilians? It would do the same job...). Ironwood wants to shoot down empty ships, even though no one, including us, knows where in the world those ships would have gone. Ironwood wants to destroy an entire city to try and save another city. He wants to use a bomb meant for a comparatively small whale and acts like that alone will take out the majority of a kingdom. None of it makes sense! And I know the easy comeback for that is, "Well yeah, Ironwood is crazy and evil" but he's not. I mean he is. Threatening torture and bombings is obviously evil, but he's never been insane, or stupid. As said before, his arc (or lack thereof) is an absolute disaster. The fandom assumes so many things about Ironwood given the opportunity — the whale is a suicide mission. He expects the Ace Ops to die on his order — and the writing hints at so many things that never happen — he's going to hurt his subordinates, attack Winter for disobeying him — and every time what we actually get is a far more compassionate, level-headed character... until he randomly does a 180 and goes, "Let's murder a whole city now!" I never wanted Ironwood to be the bad guy, but they could have at least given me a persuasive decent into this level of horror.

So... yeah. Ironwood has got to die by the end of the volume, yeah? Between Ruby warning the whole world about him and him going into full villain mode, there's no coming back from this.

Neo sends her text to Cinder and the group makes it back to the mansion. Remember Yang's criticisms of Ruby's leadership? The ones she conveniently forgot about when Ren started to agree with her? Yeah, those are entirely gone as the sisters hug it out and, presumably, forgive one another for... daring to admit that things are bad? Look, I'm not going to deny that Ironwood's scene with Winter was creepy as fuck,

but I'm not of the opinion that the heroes are any better when it comes to the theme of obedience. They've attacked one another, screamed at one another, and any dissent from Ruby's leadership results in the questioner being left behind in the snow. We'll accept you again when you fall back in line. I used to adore the relationships in this show, but watching them now is just discomforting. The show might be 100% more obvious with Ironwood, using creepy music, a smile, and that hand on Winter's shoulder, but the concept of, "Sorry I dared to question you before! We won't ever do it again :)" isn't healthy either. The fact that the show keeps erasing theses problems with hugs — Weiss hugs Whitley now, Yang hugs Ruby, someone will probably hug Emerald soon — doesn't make the circumstances any less uncomfortable.

None of this even gets into the Blake and Yang hug. First of all, why is Blake acting like they had a fight and Yang might not want to see her? She's hiding inside rather than rushing to greet them, ears down in a devastated expression until Yang touches her. Combine this with Yang's "Do you think she's mad at me?" and it feels like the writers cut a fight in the final script and then didn't bother to remove the fallout from that. Seriously, where did any of this come from? You can't just have characters act like they've been fighting when they haven’t.

Also, can't forget this.

At this point there's nothing more I can say in regards to RWBY's almost-queer baiting. Is touching foreheads more intimate than the hugs Yang gave the others? Absolutely. Is that an appropriate stand-in for overt representation? Absolutely not. This would have been a perfect time for them to kiss. Take out Blake's nonsensical fear and replace it with them both reuniting after their first separation since Volume 5, working under the knowledge that either one could have been killed, finally admitting their feelings. Hell, they don't actually have to kiss. Not all girlfriends are interested in kissing! But they could use the terminology that makes things unequivocally canon. Another forehead touch when we got that in Volume 6? It's not enough, especially not when our straight couples have all been allowed their rep.

Ren at least wants to know where Nora is. He's presumably told what happened off screen as Oscar tells Ruby that Emerald is their friend now.

Then an emergency call from May interrupts the reunion and the group learns that Ironwood is bombing the Schnee ships. “Those ships… they were going to save people” Weiss whispers. How? Tell me how they were going to save anyone. Where were you going to take these people where they would be safer than where they are now? RWBY continually asserts things without explaining them, meaning there is precisely zero emotional weight here. Again, Ironwood is far past the point of defense, but I'd be a whole lot more critical of this particular action if I had a better sense of why it's bad. He appears to be endangering the people given May's shout to run — falling debris? — but the further implication is that Ironwood has doomed the people of Mantle by denying them these ships. It's that part that makes no sense based on what we've been told.

Which finally comes to the ultimatum of our episode title: Penny opens the vault, or Ironwood bombs Mantle. Great! So glad this plan is wicked smart and works well for his characterization. It's definitely not a nonsensical, unfounded, overblown change that feels like it belongs in a child's cartoon, complete with dramatic spotlight. Nope. Excellent writing choices all around.

Our final line of the episode is, “I hope you live up to the title I gave you," referring to Penny's job as the Protector of Mantle, and you know what? That line could have been very cool if it was delivered by an Ironwood with a persuasive fall and a halfway decent plan in place. I love that we've twisted the concept of a protector and turned the title into a horrifying, rather than honorable responsibility... I just hate everything surrounding those details.

So, usual RWBY fare.

(At least we get to see that Nora is awake!)

Will things get better over the next four episodes? I doubt it. We're still expecting the rest of the Ace Ops + Winter to ditch Ironwood, someone getting the vault open, the fall of Atlas, now the potential destruction of Mantle, and none of that includes Salem who should reform at any moment. Frankly, I'm not looking forward to any of it. The final leg of a season should make its audience excited to see how everything turns out, not dreading it. I've heard from multiple people that this is the volume that finally got them to drop the show and honestly? I'm not surprised.

As a final (happier?) note: we've finally got a bingo! I completely forgot our board last time, which was a terrible oversight, but we can update it now.

Our army of grimm can't kill anyone now that it got KOed by Oscar (that is the third one hit defeat of a major enemy we've seen this volume. Yes, I'm including the Hound considering it was obviously on its last legs after Ruby's eyes.)

I'm likewise including "Ozpin apologizes for everything including his existence" because he's done nothing but apologize since he came back. The emotion is there even if the literal words are not. Oscar reminded everyone of how untrustworthy he is, but kept the group from jumping them again. And Ozpin thanked him for it.

Neo didn't literally backstab Cinder (shame), but the Relic still counts.

So a triple bingo! Is that how bingo works? Idk, I've never played. I feel like I should have thought up some sort of humorous prize, but sadly I've got nothing. If you think of anything, let me know lol

That’s all then, folks. Until next week! 💜

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby ultimatum #rwby recaps #mymetas

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