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nexyra · 3 years

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I got an ask for Qrow Branwen so here it comes !

My fav ship(s) for the character

I think my favorite ships for Qrow are Cloqwork and Fair Game ! Cloqwork lacked screentime in terms of canon content of course, but I love the potential here. I also have a things for shipping the sad men together xD There are a lot of REALLY great Cloqwork fanfics out there and I love seeing people write about these two <3 It's in the details but I think there's something interesting here. With Qrow who is convinced to be a curse, who came from such a harsh background... And with Ozpin who is so convinced of humanity's inherent goodness and that anyone deserves a chance. At the same time they're both very complicated people who I think would interact in cool ways. Ozpin is wise but does have a mischievous streak that I think also helped in making them both get along. Qrow is much more perceptive than he appears and that's also good for dealing with someone as secretive as Ozpin.

Fair Game also had a very good start ! The relationship was admittedly a bit tilted toward Qrow's recovery in the show, but they were nice to see together. Clover was perceptive & caring as well as patient. All great qualities for a relationship with Qrow, who has a hard time breaking down his walls and a shot mental health. At the same time, Atlas is very professional, straight-to-the-point and I think Qrow is a real breath of fresh hair in that environment. He brings a different viewpoint to the table, he's very loyal & caring and it's clear that his sass amused Clover greatly. We didn't get to learn enough about him, but Clover's VA hinted that Clover's trust was a fragile thing and he wasn't a fan of showing vulnerability. Qrow, who gives everything he has in all his relationships, would have been a great balm for that uncertainty. So yeah !

My least favorite ship(s) for the character

There are, of course, any & all ships between Qrow & the kids or Qrow & Salem's team. But outside of these obvious "nope", I'll have to go with Jailbirds. This is COMPLETELY personal but I have a really hard time liking Robyn's character as of V7 end/V8 so I'm barely interested in her dynamic with Qrow. I did appreciate her talking down Qrow from revenge because he was only doing it for his own sake but... That's about it. I find her way too abrasive (hidden behind her shiny Robinhood looks). And whereas Clover (imo) was pretty good at getting Qrow to face his issus head-on & building him up, I feel like Robyn relies more on humour & deflection... Which is an art Qrow is already acquainted with, and not the best coping mechanism for him. Aaaand I just feel like she put Clover down several time in order to lift Qrow up. That, plus the queerbaiting controversy, plus her having indirectly participated to Clover's death... The ship makes me a bit uncomfortable.

My fav & least fav platonic relationship(s) for the character

My fav platonic relationship for Qrow is his bond with Ruby ! I really hope they bring it back because these two were GREAT together. Ruby's admiration was adorable. Qrow's nonchalent but clearly protective streak. They care about each other A LOT and I really loved them together. I hope they can have more moments together like back in V3-V4 or V6.

I'm not sure what my least liked platonic relationship would be. Saying Robyn again feels like beating on a dead horse but I don't really have a problem with any other ones. They're all, if not kind & good for him, at least interesting (like Raven)

My favorite thing about the character

The combination of his sassy/cynic personnality and how loyal & caring of a person he actually he is. Qrow is rough around the edges, leans easily into banter but he cares so damn much. He fit so easily next to Ruby's peppy enthusiasm in Vol 1-3, and then he was just an incredible badass and yet so damn vulnerable human in Vol 4-6. I liked that about him. How all the pieces fit together

My biggest criticism for the character

Well I have 2 things to say about that. First : V7C12 With Friends like these. What the fuck was this episode qkfazkfhkgh Qrow's brain was nerfed SO DAMN HARD, I was genuinely pissed while watching the episode. This was just a string of dumb decisions from everyone except Tyrian. But I digress -

In a more general sense, I'd say... putting Qrow in the sidelines. Him falling further into depression was a sound decision. It was interesting and fitting of his character imo. But I feel like they tied "Ruby having enough of his alcooholism" and "Ruby growing away from adults" in a way that kind of.... just put Qrow to the side and doesn't allow him to do much. In V6 finale, Qrow expresses understandable concerns about their plan to steal an airship, but instead of dealing with that Ruby's frustration with his cynicism is aired out and... the timing kind of makes the whole thing weird becaus Qrow isn't allowed to disagree with their plan ("we'll do it with you or without you") and then has to trust Ruby and let her go which AGAIN is a great moment in itself. But all that put together just like... rid Qrow of his function as a parental figure because Ruby is the leader now and he's just... kind of following along.

When was their writing at the peak according to me (ex : best season)

Okay for this one Q, I'll have to go with Vol 4 and Vol 6 for very different reasons. V4 was great because we really got to get to know Qrow. His complicated relationship with Raven. How BADASS his encounter with Tyrian was I freaking loved it. What his semblance and how it shaped his life. And it also let him be vulnerable through the poison & seeing Ruby repay his care was very nice.

Vol 6 for fleshing out, taking his issues & drinking more seriously. Showing more hopelesness and cynicism, and that he had a real drinking problem and he wasn't just a fun drunk. Plus the loss of faith in Oz showed how much Qrow needs stability and secure certainties to orbit around despite his nonchalant personnality. But I like it a bit less because it was the starting point of putting him on the side kind of.

A song I think fits them & why

Ship in a Bottle (Steffan Argus) ➸ A song about being alone in your fight, in the sense that your life is like a sail on the ocean and you are the only captain, the only one who can choose what to do with it. At the same time, there are several mentions of a "captain" as if the singer/Qrow adresses someone else. It's reminiscent of his relation with Ozpin or Clover : speaking of a deal, of being honest and sharing what's on your mind. Qrow thinks too much, he's scared and he sinks more & more as he delves into his cynicism (V6). Qrow cries, things get worse, the mention of the glass echoes his struggle with alcooholism. And the Scarewrow loses his brain, "lose touch with all the things that made [him] feel sane."

+ Problem child (Simple Plan) The Star song (Amanda Palmer) Would anyone care (Citizen Soldier) Wasted (8 Graves)

A headcanon to make up about them

Qrow didn't have the most normal childhood and because of that he had to learn a lot for Ruby & Yang. Notably, Qrow had absolutely 0 notion of what was an appropriate presents for young girls. As a result, he tended to simply bring back from his travels whatever shiny thing might have caught his attention. Could be a weird flower. Could be a pretty knife. Or even junk that his corvid brain latched upon.

Tai designed a look(Tm) that Qrow learned to recognize as "No, not appropriate." After a while, Yang learned to mimick it (but rather at random, she didn't really recognze what was appropriate and what wasn't). Ruby always liked his presents though.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I CLEARLY would rewrite V7C12 so that Qrow & Clover keep their brains kzjhfkqhzk There were ways to reach the same conclusion without like... having a Qrow-Tyran team-up which was REALLY weird

I see 2 main possibilities to stick close to canon content - After the crash, Tyrian gets free but he keeps playing dead for a bit. Since there is no 3rd menace, Clover and Qrow's argument devolve into a fight as seen in canon. At one point, Clover manages to briefly disarm Qrow. They discuss for a bit, you can even put the exact same dialog as in the ep. Then Tyrian takes action, moving out of the shadows to kill Clover with Qrow's discarded weapon. Braincells saved. OR - Instead of having Qrow & Tyrian outright team up, Tyrian just... keeps instillating doubts in their mind. Qrow & Clover are temporarily allies in taking Tyrian down but because of this, they don't TRUST each other which cause missteps and make them less effective. At one point, Qrow tries to attack Tyrian who is behind Clover. But because neither Qrow nor Clover really have faith in the other at that moment (and because Tyrian is poisonning their mind), Clover automatically steps back or aside. He doesn't entirely trust Qrow. Because of this small hesitation, Qrow's attack fails. Tyrian manages to disarm him. Tyrian uses Qrow's weapon to kill Clover. There could even be some message here about the lack of Trust & letting Salem divide friends... something of that caliber in any case 🤔 It can even parallel V3 where Qrow did the same thing with Ironwood & Ironwood refused to stand aside even if he thought Qrow meant to attack him... Could lead somewhere ! Like, in V3 Qrow had faith that Ironwood wasn't to blame. Only Ironwood feared that Qrow blamed him, but Qrow knew & trusted that Ironwood wasn't to blame. In other words, Salem didn't divide them. Here, Qrow & Clover let Tyrian get into their head. And as a result Clover dies. "Together we stand, Divided we fall"

My guess for their MBTI/Enneagram

I'm still mulling on it right now but I think he might be some kind of ISTP 416. He has some weird 7ish behaviour but his need to orbit around someone/a goal, his relationship with Oz, how close he stuck to Tai & Summer sounds closer to 6 fix. He wants people to go home to. Certainty and security. His independance definitely is there but seems emphasized moreso out of necessity.

One aspect that I think would be nice to delve deeper into ? (optional)

I'm not sure mhmmm maybe his relationship with Summer ? It would be both cute & interesting. As well as finally giving us insight into who Summer was

#rwby #qrow branwen #rwde #rwby thoughts #send asks #cloqwork #fair game #v7ch12 #with friends like these #v7 spoilers #character song #enneagram #mbti #rwby rewrite

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1062

survey by chrissylee22dc

Achievements: I guess I’m being asked to list some of mine...some of the ones I’m proudest of, at least, are graduating university with honors, landing a job (liking it is a big bonus), and taking up leadership positions.

Age: I am 22, but never felt quite like it.

Are you planning something right now? Kind of. I’m eyeing a long road trip to Tanay with just myself and go to one of their coffee shops, but idk when I’ll be able to do that. My wallet and bank account are still beat from Christmas lol (and until now I’m still buying gifts for friends), so it might have to wait until sometime next month.

Arizona or Alaska: I think Arizona weather is already quite like ours here, so I might enjoy Alaska a bit (if not a lot) more. There’s generally a lot more factors I find interesting with Alaska, like their food.

Birthdate: April 21st.

Build: I’m quite thin and underweight, but I actually recently made plans to start working out - both to make an effort to be healthy with myself, and also to feel good post-breakup. I’m hoping to see some changes in my body and build in the coming months.

Babies, do you have any? None of those, not sure if that’s still the plan for me.

Blonde or Brunette: Brunette.

Childhood sweetheart: Erm, does Gab count? We technically weren’t kids anymore when we first got together. I wasn’t attracted to anyone as a kid and was more concerned with growing my Pokemon pogs collection.

Current mood: I’m hungry and can go for savory breakfast foods right now, like shakshuka or huevos rancheros. Also a little anxious because I really don’t want to think about work, but tasks continue to pile up for a certain client.

Children, are there more in your future? There aren’t even any to begin with.

Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi just because it reminds me of Punk and my chaotic wrestling fangirl years.

Dad's name: Edgardo, but no one calls him by that full name. He has two nicknames; one of which he hates and only family and friends use, and the other is the name he has permanently introduced himself as in his workplace.

Dating anyone: Not anymore.

Do you plan on having lots of money? Don’t most people?

Dogs or cats: Dogs.

Elementary School: I’m not sharing that.

Eye color: Dark brown/black.

Ever going to China? Probably not right now considering the present situation. I’d love to go to the rural cities and have a peek into their country life.

Early or Late: EARLY. Lateness is a big pet peeve, unless the excuse is super reasonable like Manila traffic or a car accident.

First Crush: The first person I felt remotely attractive to was Andi, from 6th grade. Then she moved to New Zealand and the crush quickly faded out.

Fears: For concrete things, I hate cockroaches and fair rides. For bigger concepts, I fear getting left behind, failing, and not getting approval, and the idea of never being satisfied or happy with who I am, what I’ve done, or where I’ve gone.

Future goals: Have a place of my own, be able to sustain myself, and keep myself alive.

Funny or Serious: I think everyone has to have both sides. I wouldn’t want to hang out long with people who can’t be sat down to just shoot the shit with conversations that go a little deeper. At the same time, I’d be quickly bored with someone who talks about existential or philosophical topics 24/7 and takes everything seriously.

Grandparent's names: On my dad’s side, Dolores and Federico; on my mom’s side, Agnes and Jun. My maternal grandpa is the third in multiple generations of Abelardos in the family, but his nickname is simply ‘Jun,’ because Philippines.

GPA: We don’t measure our grades with that, but we do have a GWA; I’m just not sure how that can be converted to GPA. Mine was in the 1.47 range, which was good enough for cum laude honors. I barely missed out on a magna cum laude honor (which required a 1.45 GWA), so that’s something I’ve always been pressed about and I know I could have clinched it if the pandemic didn’t cancel my final semester, which would’ve given me the chance to pull up my grades.

Going anywhere this weekend? I don’t think so. I want to spend the remaining 5 days of my break completely unproductively.

Giver or Taker: Giver. I like pleasing people.

High School: I attended one school from kindergarten to high school.

Hair color: Black.

Hate anyone for life? I don’t think so. I dislike some people, but I can’t tell if I’ll feel that way for the rest of my life.

Hairspray or Gel: When I’m going somewhere or attending something fancy, I use hair gel to hold my hair down.

In 8th grade, who was your best friend? Eighth grade is freshman year of high school, right? In that case, my best friend was Gabie.

Is ignorance bliss? Sometimes it is. I like no longer being updated about Gabie’s life. Back when I still tried to push my way in, I was miserable. I stopped doing so over the holidays and I just stopped reaching out, stopped trying to communicate, everything. I’ve been a lot happier that way.

Is there anything you wanna share? That’s kinda the goal with every survey I take.

Ice Cream or Cake: Right now, maybe ice cream. I’m very picky about cake, and I don’t like the spongy ones aka most cakes I know.

Jumped rope for fun: That’s exactly what I use jump ropes for. I don’t think I ever used it for fitness or working out except for maybe PE.

Junk around you right now? I mean, not really. I have my embroidery stuff in a pile beside me, but I don’t consider them junk.

Joining anything anytime soon? Not planning on it. I briefly considered joining a gym as a new thing to do for 2021, but in the end I figured working out at home would be enough. Angela recommended the latter as well, so that’s how I abandoned my gym plans quickly haha.

January or July: I guess July? January always feels just a teeny bit stranger than other months, considering it’s the beginning of a new year.

Killed anyone: ...This serious?

Keeping a secret? I keep different secrets from different people.

Kicking someone off your top friends today? I don’t think that’s a thing anymore. Hasn’t been for a while.

Kiwi or Apple: Apple, just because I’ve never had the chance to taste kiwi.

Lost anyone close to you: I’ve lived 22 years, of course I have. I’d be very surprised if someone has lived that long but has never experienced losing people, whether from a fallout, from death, etc. Just this year alone I lost a great-aunt on my maternal grandpa’s side, and a ton of relatives from my maternal grandma’s side.

Last kiss, when and who: Gabie, three months ago.

List 3 people that you'll love forever: I can only think of Angela. And of course, Gab.

Lover or Fighter: Fighter, I suppose. I can be relentless. Right now with my breakup has been the only time I allowed myself to take a step back and not forcibly take things under my control for once.

Middle School: We don’t follow the concept of middle school here. The levels in middle school fall under elementary school as well.

Marital Status: Single.

Mom's name: Abigail.

Music or TV: TV.

Northernmost state you've been to: Batanes, which is as northernmost as northernmost gets in the Philippines.

Nickname: A lot of family members call me Byn, but for the most part Robyn has always been my main nickname.

Name your future boy and girl: I have yet to make up my mind about this.

Naughty or Nice: Nice. I never particularly feel ~naughty, and since the breakup I especially haven’t felt the need to be sexual.

Opened a piece of mail that wasn't yours? Sometimes I’ll open the electricity or water bill addressed to my parents out of curiosity just to find out how much we consumed in the last month. But nothing more than that.

Occupation: I’m an associate at a PR agency.

Owe anyone money: Nope.

Outgoing or Shy: Shy at first but I can get outgoing once I’ve warmed up to a person/situation.

Place you most want to be? Right now? I’d love to be at a coffee shop or bar at a higher altitude, with a view of the city. I used to go to a lot of these before the pandemic hit, but now I’m thinking of doing it again.

Purposely destroyed someone’s life? No.

Planning a major trip? Not really. Most tourist spots require swab tests and I am not having anything go up my nose.

Pink or Black? Love both, but I like pink ever so slightly more.

Quit a class: I’ve never dropped a class. I’ve wanted to, but there was so much paperwork to fill out to do so and I also didn’t want to be behind on my overall schedule.

Quickly...the first word to come to mind: Whistle, because the pink/black question reminded me of Blackpink.

Quitting your job soon? No lol I’m barely two months in.

Quiet or Loud: I can be both, but these days I’ve been quieter.

Riding in an airplane: I have no idea what this is asking.

Ride, tell me about yours: ^ Same.

Running for any political office in the future? No plans to.

Rain or Snow: I guess rain, since it’s the only one I’ve experienced.

Siblings names and ages: Nina is 20, my brother is 17.

Shoe size: I fit anywhere between a size 6 to 7.

Shave daily? It used to be daily, but I haven’t had the need to since the quarantine began.

Shower or Bath: Shower.

Turning 21 was (will be): It’s been a year since then.

Texas, ever been? No but I have relatives who live there, so it’s one of my choice states to visit and stay at if I ever plan to go to the US.

Think you'll live to be 100? I doubt it. I don’t have any relatives who lived until that age.

Tame or Wild: Idk, tame I guess?? I don’t know what this is asking.

Unique quality about you: I feel like this is a question best answered by other people who see and interact with me more than I do myself.

Underwear on? Yeah.

Under your bed lies: Large containers with all the magazines I collected from childhood that I can’t bring myself to throw out.

Under or Over: Idk, you have to be more specific.

Virgin? No.

Vacation time left? I have five days left, including today :( I plan to be the most unproductive or bum-y I’ve ever been, because I have no clue when I’ll have a break this long again.

Voting in the next Presidential election? Of course.

Volleyball or Swimming: I like swimming more, but I like watching volleyball.

Went white water rafting? I don’t think so, but I would give it a shot.

Wearing right now: A hoodie that’s around two sizes bigger for me.

Write a sentence about you: About anything? I’m a little upset with myself for having been a bit lousy with survey-taking during the holiday break. I planned on taking a lot to catch up on the ones I’ve missed out on, but so far I mostly take just one a day lol.

West Coast or East Coast: East.

X-Rays in the past month: 0.

X-Mas plans: Had a get-together with my mom’s side of the family on the 24th; we hosted our own Christmas party on the 25th; and we visited my dad’s side of the family on the 26th.

X, does it mark the spot? Idk.

X-Tina or Britney? Britney.

You lost "it" when? I mean, I’ve had more than one moment where I freaked out...

Your favorite song: I’m really in love with Saw You In A Dream by The Japanese House. My favorite songs come and go, but this one has been a constant.

Your favorite place on Earth: Sagada.

Yes or No: Idk. I’m not enjoying these vague ass questions.

Zodiac Sign: Taurus.

Zodiac Sign: Idk, I’m still a Taurus.

Zippos are neat, agree? I don’t have an opinion.

Zoo or Circus: Neither.

#survey #surveys

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calliecat93 · 3 years

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Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 7

(Top Dislikes)

Gosh, we are so close to Volume 8 now, and it’s driving me crazy! But we’re not there yet. So let’s continue to remember what Volume 7 delivered upon us. Last time I did the Dislikes post, so now it’s time for the Top 5 Likes post! Which this was so, SO much easier to come up with than the Dislikes list! Like I said there, this volume is so well-written and jam-packed full-on content. It was a rollercoaster of a ride where even though I didn’t want to get back on for a while, that thrill was everlasting. Whether V8 will give the same result will be determined soon, but for now let’s go over the Top 5 Likes of RWBY Volume 7. As always, just my opinion, so take with a grain of salt~

Okay, let’s go!

#5. Oscar Development

By far one of the biggest criticisms against Volume 6 was how it handled Oscar. There was a LOT of good setup concerning his identity crisis as he struggled with keeping control, maintaining his own identity, and the potential burden of just being another of Oz’s wasted lives. While he DID reach a new confidence by the end which was nice, it... was more or less offscreen. To many, myself included, Oscar felt wasted and I specifically criticized how the execution made it feel like depite what Ruby said and what the narrative is trying to say, it DOES feel like Oscar’s viewed as just Oz’s vessel and that’s all his importance amounted to. I was hoping that Volume 7 was going to rectify this like they did with Ruby in Volume 6. Did they do so?

Absolutely yes.

While they still have a bad habit of setting up Oscar in trouble but it turning out to be a fake-out (his disappearance due to Neo), the volume did a LOT to improve his position. With Oz gone, Oscar has to be diplomatic on his own. He’s in a position where he can get close to Ironwood in a way that the others can’t and see him actually vulnerable. Unlike the others, who keep just pointing out to Ironwood how his actions are problematic to varying degrees, Oscar can see what’s really causing it: fear. Which is something that Oscar can relate to. After all, he was terrified when his quest began, but he always faced it and went forward everything to do what was right. Even when it meant leaving home, even when it meant facing unjust anger from others, he did so.

Oscar tries to reason with Ironwood. He tries to have him realize that it’s okay to be afraid. That it’s okay to be honest with those around him. That it’s okay to be vulnerable. Ironwood isn’t the only one either. In the beginning, he’s worried about Ruby’s lie because of how much it reminds him of what Oz did to them. You could argue that he’s developed into the conscious of the group, but he knows how to reason with these matters in a peaceful way. He’s becoming more of a diplomat similar to Ozpin, which even Ironwood points out in Chapter 9.

Then there’s the finale. Sadly, despite all of his pleas and how much he reached out to him, Ironwood ultimately rejected him and Oz. He rejected the route of trust and embraced fear, sealing the deal by shooting Oscar. But while he couldn’t help Ironwood, he did help someone else: Ozpin. His words convinced the former headmaster to at last return and face his own fears, saving them both. It also allowed Oscar to gain more of Oz’s power and memories. The boy has gone form a scared teenager entering a world he doesn’t truly understand, to becoming a courageous young man filled with compassion and hope for those around him. And this time, we got to actually see that growth unfold. He’s still got a long path ahead of him, but this greatly amended Oscar’s character and I am grateful for it.

#4. Penny Polendina

SHE CAME BACK! YAY!!! I MISSED HER SO MUCH!!!

Every since hr death in V3, I fully expected Penny to come back at some point. And indeed, she did! And with her memory intact, thank goodness! While I do wish we got some more exploration in how she felt about dying and such, her role int his volume was so well done I can forgive it. She has more screentime in this volume than Volumes 1-3 combined, and I love it! A cute new design, her struggling between duty and her own wants, trying to understand feelings and finding them to be a beautiful thing, there is SO MUCH going on with her here.

Penny is part of Ironwood’s inner circle, having been assigned as he Protector of Mantle. She takes her job seriously and does her best to protect the citizens. She’s elated to see Ruby and the others again and tries to assist them as much as she can. But as the volume goes, we see how much she struggles between her dedication to Mantle and Ironwood’s orders. It’s especially clear fter she is framed for the massacre during the elections. The poor girl is mortified, everyone viewing her as just another of Ironwood’s robots. Even Ironwood feels this way with his insensitive comment bout her being ‘under his control’ during the Council Meeting. The poor girl just needs a hug.

But this helps set Penny apart from Atlas. Unlike the others, who are following orders, Penny is trying to follow her heart. She tries to encourage Winter to do the same when she snapped at Jaques, even saying that all she did was speak form the heart and has no reason to feel ashamed of it. After Ironwood declares martial law, she is clearly upset and outright says that it’s wrong. She even asks Winter if this bothers her, and isn’t very convinced by her argument about the general taking on the burden. Penny chooses to embrace her feelings, not reject them as Winter, the Ace-Ops, and Ironwood have done.

It ends with Penny comforting Fria as her Maiden powers go out of control. How does she do this? She simply goes up to her and gently asks her if she’s okay. She shows the old woman more compassion and care than she’s probably had in quite a while. As a result, Fria ultimately transfers the Winter Maiden powers ot her. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that despite being a robot, Penny is a real girl. Hell, she is by far the most human of the Atlesian characters in this volume. She ultimately feels disheartened by Fria’s death, but still goes with Ruby and the others because that’s the right thing.

Penny’s character arc was a delight. There were so many expectations with her return, and I am so happy with the result! Penny feels so much more three-dimensional now. She still has the sweetness that made us love her before, but she also grew as a character. She embraced her feelings, she made choices for herself after having to abide by Ironwood’s rules for so long, she even managed to get some payback on Cinder for her death. Her good-heart and kindness was rewarded at the end. I do worry for her, especially since Salem’s Whale Grimm is absolutely a Montstro reference, but I’m still so happy with her in this volume~

3. The Atlas/Mantle Conflict

I am... not good at talking about this kind of thing, so I apologize if this seems rambly or all over the place. The big conflict pf the volume was the division between Atlas and Mantle. We knew going in how Atlas was seen as a bastion of civilization, but also full of snobs and an army leader who doesn’t exactly have his priorities straight. We knew that Mantle was the former capital and it was easy to assume that it probably wasn’t in the best state... and HO BOY were we right.

While Atlas looks futuristic and pristine, Mantle is run-down and out-of-date. The former capital and it’s people have not been treated well and worse, Atlas controls everything including their heating system. Ironwood has forced the city to be without essential provisions for Amity, and has therefore left them vulnerable to the Grimm. It’s easy to see why Mantle would resent Ironwood and Atlas as a whole, and why it was easy for Watts and Tyrian to widen the divide. It’s like the Chorus conflict in the Chorus Trilogy in RvB, only we’re there to see the division outright instead of coming in many years later. Our heroes are trying to mend the divide, but it’s so much easier said than done when neither side will budge.

There’s a lot of contrast with the two sides. Ironwood is a seemingly cold man with an authoritarian streak. Robyn is more laid-back, if a little cocky but her heart is very much set on helping Mantle. Both can be very brash and place trust above all else. But they both run their respective groups very differently. Robyn views the Happy Huntresses as her friends, while Ironwood trained the Ace-Ops to be his loyal attack dogs. Robyn is willing to give her trust until it gets broken, while Ironwood is wrapped by his own paranoia. We see how these two groups function. They have similarities, but are also very different especially when it comes to how their leaders treat their respective groups.

There is a HUGE class issue between Atlas and Mantle. It’s not helped by Ironwood’s plans causing further suffering, and of course in the end he chooses to leave it open to Salem in favor of saving Atlas. The fandom has fought back and forth for months over if this was right or not, which only proves the point of the division. You can see where each side is coming from, and we care for the people on each side. The conflict was presented throughout the volume with the heroes trying to help, but they sadly fail. The moment Tyrian’s slaughter happens in Chapter 6, you can break the tension with a butter knife and it doesn’t let up. We’ll probably only see more of it with Volume 8 now that Mantle has no protection. But as far as this volume goes, it was presented very well and very strongly.

#2. The Fall of James Ironwood

Love him or hate him, Ironwood is by far one of the strongest written characters in the show. Ever since his intro in Volume 2, we have been building up to this moment. The man has a LO of flaws. He’s arrogant, brash, favors military might over being discreet, and has a bad tendency to not learn form his missteps. These flaws contributed to the Fall of Beacon. But we also saw a man who was honest, righteous, respected Ozpin, and for all had flaws seemed to have good intentions. He was always willing to put himself on the front lines and took none of Jaques’ elitist shit. Sure he caused the Dust Embargo and closed Atlas down, but he also defended Weiss in Volume 4 and was clearly upset about the Fall fo Beacon. We saw a flawed, but still good man and if he could just embrace his flaws and open his heart, he could have been the great hero that he appeared to be.

Sadly thought, that wasn’t meant to be.

Ironwood is shown to be dishelved and plagued by paranoia, but he HAS created a plan to re-establish communications and expose Salem. But his police state with Mantle has the heroes concerned, so they lie to him about Oz and the lamp. The man continues to make questionable decisions, like I already said about his treatment of Mantle. But he still seems devoted tot he cause and like despite these calls, his intentions are still good and it will pay off even with the bad press. Heck, after Robyn tells him to trust her in Chapter 9 and with a push form Oscar, he seemed to FINALLY be doing the right thing. he revealed the truth about Salem to everyone, he worked alongside Mantle, and he faced Watts in the same place where his greatest failure had occurred. It seemed like all the begging and pleading had worked.

Sadly though, it all fell apart once Ironwood saw the glass chess piece.

Ironwood’s greatest enemy isn’t Salem. It’s not Robyn. It’s not he council. No, it’s himself. He has closed up his emotions and his hear to everyone around him. He has buried himself in his paranoia and his pursuit in defeating Salem. With every mistake, Ironwood failed to learn and move forward. He just became more and more consumed by his own fear. He wanted to be a strong leader. To be like Oz. But like Oz, he ended up losing himself and unlike Oz, he couldn’t acknowledge where he went wrong. In many ways you can sympathize with him because of the bleak situation and him trying to do what he can with what he has. But sadly, none of that can justify the path that he ended up taking.

Ironwood is angry at Team RWBYs lies. This and Salem’s approach pretty much causes him to snap. He’s going to let Fria die so that Winter had the Maiden powers. He's going to abandon Mantle to their demise in a futile plan to raise Atlas into orbit. When RWBY opposes this, he orders them to be arrested. He even coldly confirms that he’s leaving Mantle to die. However one feels about this choice, as a cruel but necessary choice to save what can be saved, or a needless sacrifice made by a fascist dictator, one can at least make an argument about either point that makes it hard to say who was right. Him snapping at Oscar and knowingly shooting the kid to his demise? No. That one cannot be justified at all, especially since he was as cold as steel when he did it.

This moment has been built-up since we met him all those years ago. We wanted Ironwood to do the right thing. We all hoped that he would. But he didn’t, and it isn’t shocking at all. We saw enough to like Ironwood, but to also be very much aware of his faults that he just never seemed able to conquer. His fall form grace is tragic, yet done in such a satisfying way as well. I felt for him, but there was no justifying his actions. I kept hoping that he’d pull through, but once Chapter 11 hit, I knew we were at the point of no return. The James Ironwood we once knew is no more, consumed by his fear. What will happen to him next? Will he manage to realize his wrongs? Or will he continue to fall until there’s nothing left to salvage? It’s hard to say. But for now, the tin man has lost his heart,. A very sad, but very well done, character arc for sure.

1. The Theme of Trust and Fear

When I first heart this volume’s opening, Trust Love, I liked it... but the more the volume went, the more the optimistic song felt out of place for the dark volume. Considering this IS an anime, that’s probably intentional. But the more I examined the lyrics, especially after the full version came out, the more I truly realized how it fits with this volume. The song speaks of one trying to live in their dream world, but they need to face reality and trust those around them. They need to stop waiting for a miracle, they need to take control of their life now and move forward. hey need to... well, trust in love. Then you have the finale song, Fear, which outright asks ‘who will you be when you are faced with fear? Will you see the person you hope to see? Or will you see a stranger?” Will you feel proud? Or will you feel betrayed?

This is the theme of the volume. The theme of trust and the right thing against fear. Ironwood claims to trust the heroes, yet he can’t trust anyone else and his own fear is slowly consuming him. The heroes are mistrustful of Ironwood, but they trust each other and want to help mend the divide between Ironwood and Mantle. But at every turn, fear gets ii n he way. Tyrian’s slaughter makes Mantle afraid and enraged. Ironwood’s fear keeps him from opening up and it leads to his downfall as I already described. The Ace-Ops don’t fight together as a team, which leads to Team RWBY who DO trust each other to defeat them. Clover is blinded by his loyalty to Ironwood to recognize that he’s doing the wrong thing, and it leads to his death. Not to mention the mistrust between him, Qrow, and Robyn lead tot he crash to begin with.

As Oz says in his monologue, fear is the greatest thing that everyone shares. We see everyone afraid. Ironwood is afraid. Ruby is afraid. Ozpin is afraid. Even Cinder is afraid. It’s all for different reasons. Ironwood is afraid of Salem. Ruby is afraid of the uncertainty ahead. Ren is afraid of failing Nora and the others. Cinder is afraid of failing to achieve her foals. Qrow is afraid of bonding with others, especially considering what happened to Clover. Ozpin...d o I even need to elaborate on him? The title to Chapter 13 is ‘The Enemy of Trust’. What is that enemy? Fear. Recently, I’ve been feeling that same fear of trust. Fear of being hurt. Fear of being betrayed. Fear of the unknown. It’s a VERY powerful force, and a tempting one at that.

The message of the volume ultimately si that it’s okay to be afraid. It’s perfectly human to feel that way. You don’t need to get over it. It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid, it’s what you do in the face of it that matters. Will you face it? Will you do what’s right? Will you find it in yourself to trust and love again? Or will you succumb to it? Will you end up repeating your mistakes because of your fear? Will you make the wrong choice? What will that say about the person you are? One way or another, we all will find out the answer to that question. We may not know the answers for a long time, but you ultimately need to try and do what’s right. You can’t let the fear control you. You need to decide who you will be when ti comes, and if in the end you will be happy with who you are left with.

Ironwood chose to repeat his mistakes, and is now a heartless tin soldier. Ozpin ultimately chose to return and face it and while only time will determine how that goes, it’s a step in the right direction. People like Ruby and Oscar still tried to do what thy knew was right. Weiss was afraid of her father, but faced him to gain her freedom. Blake feared Adam and the White Fang and chose to run, but eventually decided to fight back and ultimately won. Yang was afraid after losing her arm and of being abandoned, and while she struggled she ultimately faced it, proving herself stronger than her cowardly mother. Even after Ruby broke down when it became clear that Salem killed her mother, she still faced the wicked witch, told her off to her face, and pulled herself together enough to warn everyone about Ironwood and stand her ground. And there’s so any other examples that I could list.

I think considering the times right now, this message is incredibly important. It’s been a major part of the series since the start, but Volume 7 especially made it prominent. We need to trust in love. We need to be courageous enough to do the right thing. We need to be able to express our fear and doubts with others to become better. In a world where everything 9si uncertain and everyone is on edge, I think that the themes here are more relevant than ever, and was handled very well. Especially with that monologue in Chapter 13. As such, this is my favorite part of RWBY Volume 7 without a doubt.

Well, that’s it folks! It was nice to revisit Volume 7 again after so long~ But as we close the book, we’re about to open another for Volume Eight. What’s gonna happen? I don’t know. Am I scared? Oh big time. But I’ve come this far, I’m not backing out until the very end. So I hope that you all enjoy Volume 8, and as always I look forward to reviewing it all~ See you all on premiere day~!

#rwby #rwby reviews #rwby musings #callie reviews #top likes/dislikes

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spartanguard · 4 years

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(love will see us through these) Dark Days [CSRT; 6/7]

Summary: A century ago, the United Realms of Pomem had been a land of peace, prosperity, and magic. Until war tore the land apart, leaving behind cruel leaders and even crueler laws regarding the use of magic. And each year, the youth of each realm are subjected to a fight to the death, both for entertainment and to weed out anyone capable of wielding magic. In the 99th Magic Games, past victors Emma Nolan and Killian Jones find themselves serving as mentors, while Alice Gothel and Robyn West end up representing their realm. Everyone has secrets; everyone has something to lose. Who will win? Who will die? Just don’t forget: all magic comes with a price.

A/N: We survived the games! and there’s only one chapter left after this—ahh! Thanks as always to @captainswanbigbang for hosting this event and the best beta ever @optomisticgirl. Chapter title comes from “Kingdom Come” by The Civil Wars.

Important note: So, this is the chapter where things happen (in the past) with Killian and Eloise. While it's completely consensual, it's still not the greatest of situations (they're both victims, in this scenario). So if you don't want to read that, then I advise you to skip over the flashback at the end.

part 6: Don't you fret my dear; it'll all be over soon / I'll be waiting here for you

Alice felt like she was going to be sick. But at the same time, she didn’t feel much—like all her senses were muted somehow; like she was covered in a see-through blanket. Absentmindedly, she scratched, yet again, at the new bracelet on her arm.

“Stop it,” her mother scolded, swatting her hand away. “You’ll get used to it,” she added, a bit softer.

Alice glanced over at her mum, who was now toying with her own cuff. From the outside, it was beautiful: made of beads woven together in shades of orange that matched Eloise’s hair and, at least at the moment, matched the floral pattern that covered her flowy gown. When Alice was little, she would stare at it in awe, thinking it was merely a beautiful accessory. Now, she knew better.

And god, she understood her mother that much more. Alice’s was equally gorgeous—a sea of blues that mimicked the color of her (and her papa’s) eyes, and nearly blended into the stunning turquoise ball gown she was wearing. She now knew that those beads were made of silicon, and the wires and metal holding it together were all part of the circuitry used to block the release of magic. But it felt like her body was rejecting it, and rightly so; it was literally suppressing a part of her that had been there her whole life. So while her mother’s attention was diverted, she snuck another scratch in.

She nearly jumped when a hand closed over hers. “Easy there,” Robyn whispered, giving her a soft smile. “I’ve got ya.” She squeezed her hand over Alice’s, and even though it didn’t do much to relieve the itch that felt like it was burrowing into her soul, it was soothing nonetheless.

“Thanks,” she said, returning the tiny grin. Even though the games had ended a few days ago, it felt like they’d barely spent any time together. They’d curled together on the hovercraft, but the trip from the Arena back to Olympus was depressingly short, and they’d been split apart almost immediately and taken to recover separately.

She’d no sooner been hurried into a hospital room than a crude cuff had been slapped on her wrist, immediately stifling her magic. Cruelly, her mother had been the one to fit her with the current, permanent model a day later, while she was still hooked up to all sorts of IV drips that were supposed to heal all her injuries and make up for malnourishment.

Eloise hadn’t said a word when she put it on her, and didn’t linger to talk with her about it. No words were really needed, but Alice couldn’t shake the feeling that her mother had put a pillow over her face at the same time.

(Her papa visited too, later that night when no one else was around; he’d held her as she cried into his shoulder, just like when she was a little girl and her first rabbit died. But this was so much worse than a pet, and she’d been the one to do the killing here and...god, she still couldn’t think about it much.)

That feeling of muted senses hadn’t yet abated, or even thinned, so she’d taken to studying things even harder, focusing on every detail; right now, she was staring at Robyn’s dress, noting the bit of tulle poking out from under the bold red taffeta at the hem, the tiny red gemstones that dotted the full skirt, and the almost fire-like pattern they made over the strapless bodice. Alice’s dress was made in the same pattern, but the colors were a complete contrast. She had to give the dressmakers credit for that bit of coordination. She didn’t know how many times she’d traced over the seams and stones of hers, just trying to make sure she could still feel; amazingly, she hadn’t messed anything up yet.

“Are you girls ready?” Eloise asked, standing by the door of the small room they stood in. They could hear a bit of the hubbub coming from the other side—from the Victor’s Gala. (Because it wasn’t enough that they had been interviewed again on live television after winning; no, they had to be paraded around for the sponsors and other past victors, too. At least the interviews hadn’t had an audience this time.)

Alice wasn’t sure she was ready to talk again, having only barely made it through the interview without stumbling over her sentences. Robyn, blessedly, picked up on that. “Yeah, we are,” she answered for both of them.

“Then go ahead. You’re on.”

Eloise opened the door just in time for them to hear Sidney Glass announce their names from the room beyond. Once again, the large room on the first floor of Tribute Castle had been transformed, now into a glittering ballroom.

Robyn squeezed her hand and led them out, which was good, because she probably would have ran the other direction without her there. Hopefully no one noticed her delayed reaction, but she quickly plastered on her show grin and waved as Sidney guided them to the dance floor.

It was an antiquated tradition that the Victor opened the gala with a first dance, usually with the Gamemaker, but since there were two winners, the mortification was theirs to share alone.

“Let the dance begin!” he announced, and an orchestra started to play somewhere. For a moment, she and Robyn just stared at each other, giggling. But the rhythm was familiar, thankfully, so she guided Robyn’s free hand to her shoulder, placed hers on Robyn’s waist, and whispered “Follow me.”

There were only a couple missteps as they glided around the floor; Robyn was a quick study, and the more they moved, the more the nervous butterflies became a different kind of flutter in her stomach.

Robyn must have picked up on it, because she slid her hand from Alice’s shoulder to her waist and wrapped it around her back, tugging her closer. “Doing okay?” she whispered in her ear.”

“Yeah,” she murmured back. “It’s just awkward, is all—everyone watching us.”

“I know; it feels like a wedding,” she said, giggling a bit.

Alice didn’t entirely hate that idea, if she was being honest, and blushed a bit at the idea; her mum would scold her for being too young or something but she was still Killian Jones’s daughter, too; she’d inherited his entire sappy side.

Robyn was blushing a bit, too; it matched the red jewels that dotted her skin. “Just how did you learn to dance like this?” she asked, seeming to want to change the subject.

“My papa taught me,” she replied. Countless hours they had spent dancing in her bedroom at his house; sometimes it was silly, sometimes serious, and it was one of her fondest memories from growing up.

“Think he’ll teach me?”

“Oh, definitely!” Hopefully, she’d be able to properly introduce them to each other at some point here—not just the hurried thing that had happened in their quarters…gosh, was that really only two weeks ago? It felt like a lifetime had passed in between.

Blessedly, the music came to an end and the audience applauded. They both sighed in relief, but then—were they supposed to bow or something? They glanced around for a bit, smiling awkwardly, until Eloise ushered them off the floor.

“God, that was embarrassing,” Robyn blurted once they were off to the side. Alice was thinking the same, but knew better than to complain like that around her mum.

Eloise, though, didn’t shoot daggers as expected; weirdly, she smirked. “Be glad it wasn’t the Gamemaker. I had to dance with one who was close to retirement and could barely stand upright anymore. He may have worn a diaper.”

Both girls cringed.

“Anyways, now that that’s over, I want to introduce you to some people. Come on.”

‘Some people’ apparently meant half the past victors present. Not all of them were mentors; some just came for the party, and likely didn’t remember much of the introduction. Nearly all were recognizable, though, given that she’d grown up seeing their faces on the television. Some were especially so, like Regina Mills from Phrygia—famous for literally tearing out the hearts of her opponents (and who now wore a purple beaded cuff, the style of which was becoming more and more familiar)—and Emma Nolan from Misthaven, who had probably given Alice the idea of using the trees to her advantage; that was part of how she’d won.

But it didn’t escape Alice’s notice how Emma’s eyes kept flicking to her cuff, with some odd mix of pity and concern; she didn’t want either of those, thanks, but it did make her wonder if those two things were fated to follow her forever now.

When they finally made the rounds toward the Victors from Atlantica, Alice felt like she could almost relax; her papa was looking exceedingly dapper in an all-black suit with a flattering cut, shirt open like he liked, in stark contrast to Aunt Ariel’s frilly pink gown. But his rigid posture as they approached sent a clear message: they couldn’t act familiar here; not yet. So she drew herself up a little bit more as Eloise made the proper, if entirely unnecessary, introductions.

They exchanged the same pleasantries everyone else had, albeit slightly strained; it was taking every nerve in Alice’s body not to drag them both into giant hugs and shove Robyn at them. That’d have to wait.

“I wonder,” her papa started after conversation had lulled, “You appear to be a fantastic dancer, Miss Gothel. Might I seek your hand for a turn about the floor?” He extended his hand to complete the offer.

She glanced at her mother for approval; she had no idea how this might look, if it was normal or not. It probably wasn’t, but nothing about her and Robyn was anyway, so when Eloise nodded her assent, she probably grabbed Killian’s hand a bit too roughly. He just chuckled, though, and led her to the floor.

As desperate as she was to get wrapped up in her father’s embrace, he kept a polite distance, even if the steps were ones they’d done a thousand times. “I owe you a better dance when we’re home,” he murmured. “Without so many eyes on us.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” she answered. But now that she’d won—now that the danger of Olympus making her a target was over—she’d been wondering… “What if...what if we did tell people? Like, everyone?”

Her papa gave her a sad smile. “I wish we could, Starfish—so much. But if it came out that there’d been an inter-realm dalliance like this...I don’t know what it would do. And your mother has already dealt with her fair share of trouble.” He didn’t say ‘over you,’ but it wasn’t needed; Alice knew that much of her mum’s family died right around the time she was born and no one suspected it was a coincidence.

“I just hate this,” she complained. “I thought winning made life less complicated.”

He chuckled a bit, in the way that she’d figured out meant he was amused by her innocence; normally, she enjoyed making him laugh, but it rang hollow right now. “Darling, my greatest wish for you was that you never had to face this. But know that I’ll always be there for you—that hasn’t changed.”

She sighed. “I know. I love you, papa.”

He gave a half-smile that somehow always meant more than a full one with him. “I love you too, Starfish.”

The song ended much too soon and it would probably draw the wrong kind of attention if they lingered, so he gentlemanly escorted her back to where her mother and Robyn had continued to talk with Ariel—who surreptitiously gave Alice a thumbs up of approval that made her smirk.

“Have you guys seen the buffet yet?” she asked, then acted shocked when they hadn’t. Really, she just knew that Alice was always hungry and likely assumed she was starved right now—and she was right. “Seriously, Eloise; feed these girls!” she gushed, winking; Alice was going to have to thank her for the reprieve later.

They said their goodbyes—lingering a bit in her polite handshake with Papa—and finally got to enjoy the delicacies of Olympus.

Her papa was right: life was going to be more complicated from here on out. But between him, Robyn, her mother, and the other people around her, Alice knew she’d acclimate eventually.

Also—she discovered the best marmalade she’d ever had on the buffet. That might make it all worth it.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Killian didn’t have the energy to deal with this tonight. The Gala was usually his favorite part of the Games—if he had to have one—but when all he wanted to do was be with his daughter, far from here, having her here but being required to keep his distance was agony.

Maybe if Milah was still here, it wouldn’t be so bad, but she wasn’t, was she?

At least the bar was, so after the Sherwood group departed, he excused himself from Ariel’s side to get a drink.

While he was ordering, Jefferson arrived next to him. “That was quite a show at the end, there, Hatter,” Killian said. “Pulled right on my heartstrings.”

“Well, you know, anything for a great story,” the gamemaker replied. “I don’t know if everyone is pleased with the outcome, but it will definitely be remembered.”

“Who doesn’t love a happy ending? I certainly did.”

“Well, of course you would.”

Killian and Jefferson exchanged a long look at his comment. Did he know? Despite the comment, his expression was unreadable; it was probably best if Killian didn’t linger on it, then.

“Now comes the hard part: topping yourself next year,” he plowed on with a plastered-on smile. “Care to share your secrets?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Jefferson laughed, albeit nervously. “But let me remind you that it is a Quarter Quell, and it will be the most memorable yet.”

Killian swallowed, thinking of the last Quell and who was in it, before smirking back. “Can’t wait.” Jefferson smiled in reply, but it almost seemed pained; it certainly wasn’t genuine, which was unusual to see in someone from Olympus—the games were typically a source of sadistic joy. “What, not looking forward to it? You’ve got the most coveted job in all the realms.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I just don’t know how much longer I can do it.” Astonishing; Killian never considered a gamemaker might have a conscience. Jefferson continued, “With any luck, I won’t have to.”

“Retiring already?” He was hardly older than Killian—much too young to call it quits, especially considering his, ah, wizened predecessor.

“Something like that. I won’t go down without a fight, though.”

The gamemaker then excused himself, leaving Killian slightly confused; something was going on. But he didn’t feel like thinking about it tonight, so instead he started on his drink and began searching for some company again.

He found Ariel in the crowd, talking with Emma and Graham on the other side of the room and felt his expression darken, brows furrowing. Emma’s betrayal still stung, though the intensity had dulled, especially in comparison to other blows he’d been dealt.

She hadn’t been wrong—he probably would have done something similar, had he been allied with any other team. But he felt too much of a connection with her—and, frankly, respected Graham too much—to have done so this year.

He was just angry and shocked at the initial betrayal, but now that Alice was (relatively) safe and sound, he was a bit calmer about the whole thing. It was still a shit scenario, but not as terrible as he’d originally made it out to be.

And Emma’s friendship—or whatever it was they had—was not something he wanted to lose. Perhaps it was best they found a way to bury the hatchet, even if that was a terrible idiom to use.

He shotgunned the rest of his drink, leaving the glass on a random table and letting the liquid confidence give strength to his cocky front.

“Not trying to steal my partner, I hope?” Killian said as he strolled up, grinning at Graham, before turning his attention to Emma. “Though I’d be open to a trade if you are,” he added, winking.

Emma rolled her eyes and gripped Graham’s arm tighter. If she was trying to avoid him, she’d have to try harder.

“They were just telling me about their son, Henry,” Ariel said with a sweet smile. “He sounds so sweet. Do you have any pictures of him?”

“Yes!” Emma said, reaching for her clutch, and pulling from it a photo of a boy with brown eyes and a mess of dark hair. Killian could see Emma in the boy’s features, but none of Graham. As if he needed any more confirmation there.

“He’s so handsome!” Ariel gushed. “How old is he?”

“Um, eleven,” Emma replied, somewhat nervously, the smile running away from her face. Eleven. The boy could be reaped next year. Killian said a silent prayer, hoping that wasn’t the plan for next year that Jefferson was talking about. But wouldn’t that be a story: the grandson and son of victors finding himself in the games? No wonder Emma had kept her distance from Olympus.

Sensing a need to lighten the mood, Killian addressed Graham. “You didn’t answer my question: would you like to trade partners? It only has to be for the evening.” Emma just averted her eyes.

“Sure, why not?” Graham answered, not giving Emma a chance to say otherwise. “Shall we?” He offered Ariel his arm and they went off to talk to Archie, an older victor from Arendelle.

Killian faced Emma. Despite his usual swagger, he found himself somewhat nervous. Not quite knowing what else to do, and not wanting to get into what was likely to be a heated conversation out in the open, he asked, “Care to dance?”

“Dance? Really?” She finally made eye contact with him, an amused look of disbelief spread across her features. “Didn’t you already do that tonight?”

“There’s no such thing as dancing too much,” he tossed back; he wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that she’d noticed his waltz with Alice.

Emma snickered. “Okay, but I need another drink first.”

“I won’t argue that. Lead the way.”

At the bar, they ordered two shots of rum. “To the end of the games,” he offered as a toast.

“If only that were true,” Emma replied with a sad smile as she clinked her glass with his and downed the shot. “I sometimes feel as though I haven’t stopped playing.”

That seemed to be the theme of the night. “They certainly have a way of following us, don’t they?”

He watched Emma’s face change as her thoughts drifted elsewhere, and his own would have done the same had he not been momentarily mesmerized by her beauty. Something about the light in the ballroom, paired with that familiar look in her eyes (not to mention the figure she cut in her red cocktail dress) caught him completely off guard. Goodness, it was like he was a teenage boy again.

He took a breath (apparently, he’d forgotten to) and reached out with his hand for Emma’s, squeezing gently in case she tried to pull back (she did), and smiled. “Come on, you promised me a dance.”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Killian gently dragged Emma to the floor, if it was possible to be gently dragged. A few couples were out there—older victors who were mainly in town because it was something to do, bored with the monotony of life in their respective Victor’s Villages. Emma could hardly blame them; the only reason she hadn’t been bored stiff by now was that she was too preoccupied with Henry, as her parents were earlier with her.

Few victors had children, though. Why would you want to risk your child going through that torture? Henry was turning twelve in a few months; the next several years would be torture at Reaping time, and his genealogy wasn’t as lucky as Olympus would think.

Looking at Killian, she was stunned he’d made it through without losing his sanity completely. At least he had a happy ending, even if few people knew it.

Part of her wanted to ask him about—well, about all of it: how Alice came into being, how they managed to hide it while clearly having a relationship (if they’d even really had one; it was hard to tell based on their stilted interactions now), how he hadn’t lost his mind during every prior reaping—but now wasn’t the time.

It was probably a good time to apologize, though. Even if, knowing him, it would be a prime opportunity to knock down all her defenses, as he tended to do. However, the rum had calmed her flight instinct, so for now, she was just going to dance.

Out on the floor, Killian placed his left arm around Emma’s waist—she could feel the cool of his hook at the small of her back—and lifted her right hand in his. He began to move in time to the music being played by a small ensemble at one end of the floor. “So you actually know how to do...whatever this is?” Emma asked incredulously.

“It’s called a waltz,” he replied confidently. “There’s only one rule,” he said, leaning in with an almost whisper, “pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but those stupid butterflies deep down took flight again. Really? She hadn’t felt like that since she was a kid.

“Follow along, love, and you’ll be fine.”

It took some time, and she did stumble once (Killian caught her in his sure arms, responding cheekily “It’s about bloody time,” which made her groan) but she soon found herself keeping pace with Killian.

Falling into a steady pattern, Killian began making small talk. “You know, most men take your silence as off-putting,” he said, then leaned in. “But I love a challenge.” She had to laugh, both at how sure of himself he was, and at what he was trying to do.

“I think you know by now that doesn’t work on me.”

“Couldn’t hurt to try.”

Either he’d had enough rum that he didn’t care, or he’d already moved past the events of the past week. So it was probably time for her to do the same. “Killian, I’m sorry for how things ended. It wasn’t—”

“It’s done,” he cut her off. “No sense dwelling on it.”

“I know, but I still wanted to apologize, and thank you for all your help.” She hoped her smile sold it (to both him and her).

“It was my pleasure, lass. This was definitely one of the more memorable games in my career, thanks in part to you.”

She arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “I think I had less to do with it than you’re giving me credit for.”

He swallowed. “Aye, that’s fair,” he confirmed, and she didn’t miss his glance across the ballroom toward Alice. “But you definitely added some excitement, in multiple ways.”

Were it not for the rum in her veins, she probably would have had some sort of nervous reaction that would have burst a few lightbulbs; she still couldn’t believe she’d lost it around him—twice—and here of all places. Out of habit, she took a few deep breaths, but there was incredibly nothing to calm. To her surprise, though, Killian ran the brace of his hook up and down her back a couple times in a comforting gesture.

“Don’t worry, love—if I can trust you, you can trust me.” The gentle look in his eyes told her that was true; hell, she already knew it, but in general, it was so much easier to not believe it. (Because then it didn’t hurt as much when it proved to be a lie.)

Killian, though...she wondered if she might be okay.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” And then he spun her out, startling her into giggles, before pulling her back in. He laughed as she gripped his biceps to regain her balance. “I can see I’m finally winning you over, Nolan,” he said with a smirk.

“You wish,” she teased back, but gods—he wasn’t far. She really hoped that no one noticed how close they were, with her supposed husband still in the room. The Olympus gossip rags could be vicious, even if they were barely seen outside the realm.

He seemed to realize the same thing and sobered a bit, but she could still see the playful twinkle in those baby blues. “It’s a shame you’re taken,” he mused, albeit sarcastically. “We’d make such a gorgeous couple.”

“Do I need to remind you that the tricks you used on the rich old ladies don’t work on me? I know your game now.”

“Perhaps that’s true, but I do have a reputation to uphold.” His cocky demeanor slipped a bit there—as if he didn’t even believe himself, or didn’t care to.

“Was that what Eloise was?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he answered, almost whispering. “That was...a lone encounter.”

“It only takes once,” she replied, knowingly. “So you didn’t love her?”

“Not her.”

They were still dancing, though the complicated steps had eased to a shuffle. She glanced up and looked long and hard at his face, and the furrowed expression it was wearing—a familiar look of pain on his face she’d seen in the mirror far too many times. “What was her name?”

He hesitated a moment, glancing down, before softly replying, “Milah.” Emma vaguely remembered her; a beautiful victor from Atlantica, who had died suddenly a while ago—not long after Killian’s win, if memory served right. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“And you?” he asked.

Should have known Killian would be reading her, too. “Neal,” Emma said, the name foreign on her lips. As much as he occupied her thoughts, she hadn’t said his name aloud in years. “He died in the games.”

“Is he Henry’s father?”

Emma considered a non-answer, but frankly, they were past that at this point. “Yeah,” she murmured.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

Mercifully, the music ended after a few moments, and Emma broke apart from Killian, as if the weight of their conversation was driving a wedge between them. “I-I should go back to Graham.” She stared at his chest, still afraid to look up; at least she could blame it on his always-exposed chest hair.

“Allow me to escort you,” Killian said, offering his left arm and a smile that did little to hide how he was equally affected. Emma took a deep breath, took his arm, and smiled, putting back up the emotional walls she could so easily hide behind. Even though Graham was her best friend, she’d barely let him get through them; so how had Killian broken through so quickly, and so repeatedly?

Ariel and Graham were still chatting with Archie when Emma and Killian found them. “Greetings, Arch!” Killian nearly shouted as they approached, reaching out to shake Archie’s hand.

The man from Arendelle gingerly took it and lightly shook. “Hello, Killian, Emma,” nodding at each in turn. It was hard to imagine this timid man ever winning the games, but he had somehow pulled it off—being from Arendelle, he would have been exposed to any number of technologies that proved useful in Neverland. He did his best to pass on his knowledge to the tributes he mentored, but had only had limited success; mainly with Belle French, who won a handful of years ago and was likely even more technologically savvy than Archie. She had somehow managed to electrocute a number of tributes during her games, due to some handy wire and a well-timed thunderstorm.

They'd never actually talked—there hadn’t been occasion to—but Emma had always admired Belle from afar. In addition to being highly intelligent, she also seemed incredibly sweet. “Where is Belle? I had hoped to see her tonight,” Emma asked.

“Oh, she c-couldn’t make it,” Archie answered, nervous even for him. “President Gold invited her to join him tonight, to watch the Victors’ interview.”

Emma was still on Killian’s arm, and felt his whole body go rigid at the mention of the president. His face must have darkened, too, because Ariel asked, “Killian? Are you alright?” He seemed lost in thought for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it.

“Of course, love; I’m fine. Just worn down from the week. But I promised this fine lady that I would escort her back to her beau.”

Emma knew she should unwrap herself from Killian’s arm, but given what had just passed between them, she was more than a little concerned. He was nearly as agitated as he’d been during the Games.

“Actually,” she said, faking a yawn, “I think I might turn in, but you can stay down here if you want,” she told Graham. He was clearly enjoying the company—and she couldn’t shake the desire to soothe Killian, or at least get him out of the public eye.

“You sure?” Graham asked—but she could read his second meaning: was she sure about trying to help Killian?

“Yeah,” she said confidently, then turned to the man on her arm. “Weren’t you heading back, too?”

He blinked at her dramatically, but then figured out what she was suggesting. “Aye; I still need to pack, I’m afraid. I promise to see your lady back safely,” he assured Graham.

“You better,” Graham threw back, smiling encouragingly. She knew what that look meant—it was the kind he always gave her when he wanted her to try something new. But she was going to ignore that.

They bid Archie farewell, who promptly and absentmindedly wandered off. Ariel pulled Emma into an embrace that Emma didn’t hesitate to return—regardless of whatever was going on between her and Killian, Emma had definitely found a new friend in Ariel. “Take care, Emma! I’ll miss you!” the other woman squealed.

“I’ll miss you, too!” She wasn’t used to such outpouring of emotion, but there didn’t seem to be any other option when it came to Ariel; it was a stark contrast to the polite but friendly handshake exchanged between Killian and Graham.

She told Graham she’d see him later, trying to be a bit less casual than she usually was, and led the way as she and Killian left the room. He relaxed immediately in the hallway, but she’d learned her lesson when it came to discussing major revelations there, and continued to guide him to the elevator.

It was already there, so they didn’t have to wait to step on board. As soon as the door closed, she turned to face him, noting the brooding grimace on his face. “What happened?”

He clenched his jaw. “Now, or then?”

“Either.”

“Milah...also spent a lot of time with Gold,” he slowly explained. “She was his favorite.”

“Oh,” she breathed. The president was not known for playing well with others...or for sharing his toys. “Is that how she…?”

“Yeah.”

It was Emma's turn to say “I’m sorry.”

Killian nodded, all the while staring at the floor. “I’d hate to see another woman face that fate.”

“I get it.”

The elevator dinged, indicating they’d arrived on her floor. Wordlessly, they exited, and found their way to the Misthaven quarter’s entrance.

“Thank you for getting me out of there,” Killian said.

“You can only put on a brave face for so long,” Emma shrugged. She’d definitely been in that position. “And you’ve had to do that enough lately.”

He scoffed. “Yeah.”

A slightly awkward silence settled over them then. “Well, I should—” she started, gesturing at the door.

“Yes, yeah, you should—early train,” Killian stammered back, finally looking her in the eyes. He offered his right hand to her, continuing, “I...I enjoyed working with you this week. Until next year?”

She glanced at his hand, but it seemed so informal. And there was just enough rum still left in her veins, and just enough of her emotional energy had been spent tonight that she didn’t have any more left to spend thinking about things like propriety or denial.

She stepped forward, into his space, and grabbed the lapels on his jacket. Then she pressed herself forward and found his lips with hers.

He stilled for a moment, but then his hand found its way to her waist and he leaned into it, firm and insistent but gentle and soft. He tilted his head to deepen it, and for a few brief, shared moments, they were the only people in Pomem. Maybe it was just because it had been so long, but she couldn’t remember being kissed like this—reverently and carefully.

The kiss broke apart naturally, but they stayed close, foreheads touching. “That was…” he breathed, his voice wrecked.

“A one-time thing,” she answered, regrettably knowing that it would have to be.

He nodded against her, then stepped back and took a deep breath, seeming to regain his composure. “Until next year, then. Safe travels, Emma.”

“You too, Killian,” she said with a soft smile that he thankfully returned.

As much as she wanted to watch him walk away, she instead slipped inside their quarters, swiftly shutting the door behind her. But she leaned back against it, breathing heavily.

Had she really just done that? Had she just actually kissed Killian Jones? A man she’d see, at best, once a year?

Yeah, he understood her more than anyone she’d ever known, and yeah, he was charming and smart and strong. And he’d somehow gotten under her skin and slipped behind all her walls.

Well, like she said—one-time thing. She was just getting him out of her system. She’d have the year ahead to cool off, and then they could continue on as friends. Right?

Right.

She sighed, scrubbed a hand down her face, and glanced around at the too-empty suite.

God, she hated the games.

It was definitely time to go home.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Seventeen years ago

The pain medications in Olympus were something else. Killian felt mostly clear-headed and in control, with just the slightest unnatural euphoria. But he’d made it through the post-Games interview just fine, he thought, so perhaps they weren’t overly strong.

Until he found himself vomiting in a broom closet outside the Victory celebration. His mental state was back on the ground—but the pain at the end of his arm had returned full-force, fire burning in a hand that wasn’t there. (And, irrationally, he was worried about staining the expensive suit he wore.)

“The drugs wore off?” a female voice asked from outside the threshold.

“Aye,” he panted. “Can you get my mentor?”

He heard the woman’s footsteps as she walked away, then a pair returned. “Milah; thank y—ouu,” he started to say as he emerged from the closet, but it wasn’t Milah walking towards him. It was Eloise Gothel, who’d won the Games a couple years ago. Like most Victors-turned-mentors, she was dressed in the style of Olympus, her red hair in a complicated updo and a flowing green gown that somehow managed to hug all her curves. He averted his gaze, though, when he realized his eyes were wandering.

“Here,” she said, holding out her hand to reveal two small, white pills. “They’re not as strong, but better than nothing.”

“Thanks,” he answered, and she tipped them into his palm. He quickly popped them, and washed them down with the glass of water she’d also brought. The effect was nearly immediate as the throbbing dulled and he could breathe again. And then took a few more sips to wash the taste of vomit from his mouth. Just one room over were all kinds of delicacies, and here he was, unable to stomach any of it. How cruel.

“I suppose I should head back in,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward in the presence of a Victor (well, another one—he still had to remind himself that he was one now, too). Especially one like Eloise, who had won in such a cutthroat manner—literally by cutting throats, after immobilizing people with her magic and making use of the poisonous plants in the arena. The thick bracelet on her wrist was likely the only thing holding her powers back now. (It was all a stark contrast to the beautiful visage in front of him; he was having a hard time tamping down his attraction.) “Were you sent out here to find me?”

“I was,” she stated matter-of-factly; the expression on her face was hard to read—possibly intrigued, or possibly annoyed. (Or both.) “But not to return you to the party. Would you like to come with me?”

“Where?”

“Someplace special.” There was genuine amusement in her blue eyes, but he wasn’t sure how sincere her half smile was. Still, he had no reason to turn her down.

“Sure,” he shrugged.

“Follow me.”

She led him down the hallway and around a couple corners to what looked like an office of some sort; he wondered if it belonged to the Gamemaker. Eloise pressed her finger against the keypad and the door slid open. He didn’t know why he hesitated to follow her in, though, until she turned around and beckoned.

Inside was nothing like he’d expected. Much of the Tribute Castle was clean and cold, sharp lines and sterile surfaces. But this room was the exact opposite: dark, warm colors covered everything, and all the furniture was the plushest he’d ever seen. An especially comfortable-looking bed was off to one side and the soft lighting made the space feel even more welcoming.

“What is this?” he asked on a breath.

“Somewhere to relax,” she replied, falling against a cushion so stuffed he couldn’t tell if it was actually a sofa or merely a giant pillow. “Join me, won’t you?”

It certainly looked enticing—as did the company—so he complied, letting himself collapse next to her. The cushion somehow managed to both support and embrace his body, although he winced a bit at the way his blunted wrist hit it; he was still getting used to that.

“Are you alright?” she asked, concerned.

“Aye, I’m fine,” he lied, wanting to impress the slightly older woman. The strap on her dress had slipped a bit, revealing the curve of her bosom. He may have just survived a battle to the death, but he was still technically a young, hormonal man.

“Perhaps you’d like a distraction?” she breathed, shifting closer.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Good.” And then she surged forward, claiming his lips with hers.

A blushing virgin, Killian was not, but that was certainly one of the more enjoyable nights in his memory. He learned a thing or two about how to pleasure both a woman and himself.

They were laying in the afterglow, sharing slightly awkward smiles and giggles. For the first time since his name had been plucked, he’d finally been able to forget where he was and what was going on around him; if he was reading the slightly starry expression on Eloise’s face correctly, she felt the same.

It was at that perfect moment of bliss, of course, that he was jarred by the sound of a cough coming from the shadows.

He jolted away from Eloise in shock; she seemed equally surprised, but less confused.

“Oh, don’t stop on my part,” the person called out, and it was easy to tell who the voice belonged to.

“Welcome, Mister Jones,” President Gold said, rising to his feet. “And let me extend my congratulations again.”

“Th-thank you, sir,” Killian answered, but he was utterly confused (both mentally and physically).

“I see you’re getting along well with Miss Gothel.”

“Yeah…” he said, but when he looked to Eloise for guidance, he could no longer read her expression.

“You know, you’re quite the handsome young man,” Gold continued, hobbling forward with his cane. “I’m sure you’ve attracted many admirers over the last few weeks.”

What on earth was the President getting at? And why the bloody hell was he here? Had he...had he watched?

“An attractive young man like you...people would pay a high price to fall into your good graces.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t follow,” Killian finally had to say, trying to sit up while also keep his modesty somewhat intact, tugging the covers over his lap.

“Eloise, you didn’t tell him?”

“Not yet, sir; I figured it would be best coming from you.” There was just enough defiance in her tone that Killian could tell whatever was going on wasn’t entirely by choice.

“I suppose you’re right,” the President sighed. “Well, Mister Jones, you see, I have many friends who I like to repay for their loyalty and support. And I have access to the rarest, most desired commodity around.”

“What, Victors?”

“Exactly. Particularly the ones, such as yourself and Miss Gothel, who are exceedingly appealing to the eye. And, well, I like to give the very best.”

Killian blinked, stunned. The President couldn’t be insinuating what he thought he was—could he?

“A night with a Victor covers a lot of ground, both politically and financially. You’re a smart lad; that shouldn’t come as a surprise, should it?”

It didn’t, but that didn’t mean he was any less repulsed. “So you whore out Victors to your benefactors?”

“See, I knew you’d figure it out.”

Eloise, for her part, was looking both sheepish and a bit frightened during their exchange. God, what had she been put through?

“I won’t do it,” Killian said defiantly.

Gold just cackled in reply—a terrifying sound that sent shivers up his spine.

“You have to,” Eloise murmured. “If you don’t, he’ll—he’ll hurt the people you love.” If Killian’s memory served correct, Eloise had a mother and sisters back home; was that how Gold got power over her?

“Then I’m afraid the President’s information is incorrect; I don’t have anyone,” Killian spat out.

“Oh, I have plenty of other ways of making you hurt. It would be a shame if Atlantica’s grain supplies stopped coming in, wouldn’t it? Or if an infestation of dreamshade found its way to, say, Mr. Nemo’s yard?”

That stopped Killian cold; any lingering heat from the previous activities dissipated in an instant. “No,” he breathed. “You wouldn’t.”

“I think you’ll find, Mister Jones, that there’s very little I’m not willing to do.” Gold followed with a sneering, reptilian grin.

This couldn’t be happening. Victory was supposed to be freedom—freedom from the looming threat of the games and all the shadows they’d cast on his life. Not this...slavery.

But he’d been in enough fights in his life, even before the Arena, to know when he was outmatched. Gold’s sneer and Eloise’s resigned expression told him enough.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Gold snorted. “Glad you came around; not like you had much choice. Although,” he started, tapped his fingers on his cane in thought. “That does remind me. I’ve considered expanding this venture to the sponsorship side of things, if you were interested.”

No, he wasn’t, but Killian couldn’t help but be curious. “What would that mean?”

“Sponsorship during the games also brings in quite a bit of revenue. But I’ve always wondered just how much more it could take if there were certain other...perks attached. Would you like to help me test my theory?”

Killian swallowed. “Would I be able to choose the sponsors?”

“To some extent, yes. The ones who can afford it.”

It was the best opportunity Killian was going to have in this. He would be little more than a prostitute, but if he could have any level of choice, he’d be an idiot not to take it. “Alright,” he said, an unconfident agreement.

“It seems we have a deal, then,” Gold replied, almost squealing, then offered Killian his hand, which was gingerly taken. “I’ll give you the full details at the next games. Eloise,” he continued, sharply, “you have another appointment in a half hour. Don’t be late.”

Without another word, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the shadows once more, letting the most awkward of silences fall onto the two left.

Killian didn’t know how long they sat there, not moving. At some point, he shivered; whether it was from the sweat cooling on his body or in reaction to the exchange with Gold was up for debate. But that seemed to jolt Eloise, who finally started to move again; Killian slowly joined her.

They faced away from each other as they moved about the room, gathering and putting on their clothes from the random places they’d landed. It was almost easy to act like the other person wasn’t there—until it came time for a Killian to button his shirt.

“Fuck,” he muttered, attempting to do it with his remaining hand—and not having much luck.

“I’ve got it,” Eloise said quietly, and finished pulling up the side zipper on her dress before coming over.

He watched her fingers carefully do up the closures, afraid to make eye contact. He didn’t know what he’d find in her gaze—apology? Remorse? Or worse: nothing? Did it matter? She was a victim in all this, too.

But she spoke up before he could ask. “I’m sorry for luring you here under false pretenses.” That was putting it lightly; he knew she was only doing what she’d been commanded, though. Still, he didn’t respond. “But I just want you to know that you’re the first person I’ve actually wanted to sleep with.”

With that, she did up the last button on his shirt, placed a quick kiss on his cheek, and turned to leave.

He waited for the click of the door closing before he moved again, hoping the brief moment of time would be enough to get his racing thoughts in order. That had been the most confusing, exhilarating, horrifying encounter of his...well, he couldn’t say life, or even week, but definitely that day—and hopefully the last such moment in his life.

He felt used, but by Gold, not Eloise. And he would probably have to get accustomed to that feeling.

He took one more deep breath before putting on his jacket, only wincing slightly when it brushed his bare stump, and left the room; something told him it would be occupied again soon. Hopefully, he looked presentable; all he wanted to do was go back to the plush bed in Atlantica’s quarters, but he knew he’d be expected back in the gala. They’d probably wondered where he’d gone.

The sad, knowing smile on Milah’s face when he snuck back into the room told him, though: she knew exactly where he’d been, and why.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

thanks, as always!!! tagging: @kat2609 @thesschesthair @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @amortentia-on-the-rocks @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @wingedlioness @word-bug @distant-rose @wellhellotragic @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines @pirateherokillian @its-imperator-furiosa @killianmesmalls @sherlockianwhovian @ineffablecolors @laschatzi @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @killian-whump @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes

#cs ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #csrt 2020 #the magic games #(love will see us through these) dark days #my ff

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cilldaracailin · 4 years

Text

Friends Will Be Friends

And we are back! Well I am back with more Robyn and Taron for all of you who have been so wonderfully patient and understanding. I hope you all enjoy the next part and just so you have the words: Grá (Graw) and Croí (Creee) are used in this part and I was good and remembered to add in the phonic pronunciation for you all this time!

xxxx

P.S I always feel this part needs a serious “Awww Taron...” ;)

“When you start giving, instead of getting, you make a difference. You can always give a warm smile, a sincere hello, a positive vibe… your attention, your time, your love, and kindness to those around you.”

Robyn had each member of the Egerton children mixing cake batter a particular colour, watching on closely smiling. It had been fun baking with Rosie and Mari and the kitchen was filled with laughter and giggles as Robyn helped the girls to weigh out all the ingredients and mix them together with the hand mixer. Now that they had all the batter ready, they were mixing all the colours of the rainbow in individual bowls, so everyone was responsible for a colour to mix.

“How do we make it a swirl?” Asked Mari as she took a bowl from Robyn and started to mix the batter blue.

“We are just going to pour it in and use a fork to swirl all the colours together.”

“Taron this is going to be the best birthday cake.” Said Rosie as she coloured the last batter pink while Taron mixed the purple one.

“I think it is Rosie.”

Robyn moved to stand beside Taron. “I really think we should have started a flour fight.” He whispered to her.

“Your mother would have killed me.” She laughed. “And I don’t think the mess would have been as contained.”

“I also would have won.” Taron stuck his finger in the cake batter he was mixing and taking a look to his sisters who were completely distracted and concentrating on mixing their colour, swiped Robyn’s nose with the batter chuckling when she pushed him away from her. “I am back to full strength now.” He said coming back from his little push and standing closer to her, laughing as she wiped her nose and licked the cake from her finger.

“You wouldn’t have won and I didn’t win either. I slipped and fell.” She dipped her own finger into the cake bowl and got his arm before he moved away. “You should not start anything Taron.” She chuckled as he licked the purple batter from his arm. “Not the time or place.”

“So, it was the older children I needed to be concerned about.” Tina walked into the kitchen when she heard giggling that sounded a bit too mischievous and frowned when she saw that it was Taron and Robyn who were up to no good and not her youngest. “Robyn?”

“He started it.” She pouted pointing at Taron. “He smudged me with cake.”

“Taron!” Scolded his mother. “Don’t put cake on people.”

Robyn started to laugh out loud, everyone looking at her. “Oh, I am sorry but Tina you sound so like me at times. I have said something so similar to Taron.”

It was such a wonderful light mood and soon the cakes were in the two tins and baking in the oven, all the rainbow colours swirled together in a twisted pattern.

“Now girls, we just have to wait for the cakes to cook and cool and then we can decorate.”

“How long?” Asked Mari.

“It could take about two hours. We need the cakes to be completely cooled or the frosting is going to fall off and Taron will have no cake.” Robyn saw the disappointed looks on their faces and knew two hours to little girls was a lifetime but she had something she knew would cheer them up and make their beautiful faces smile the same way that Taron’s lit up when he was excited or happy. “I think there is something we can do to make the time go quicker.”

“Elsa plaits?” Questioned Rosie, her eyes opening wide.

“Well yeah we can definitely do Elsa plaits but along with that I have something else for you. Tina would it be ok if we went to the front room? I have something for the girls.”

“Robyn…” Taron turned to look at her, that look of warning about presents on his face.

“You’re going to enjoy this Taron.”

“Will you excuse us for two minutes please?” Taron gently took Robyn’s hand and led her from the kitchen into the dining room and right into the corner. “We said no presents and I meant that for my family too and don’t make that face at me.”

“We said no presents for each other. We never mentioned your family.”

“Robyn seriously?”

“Here we go again with the seriously shit. You know me and this is what I do. I never gave you a present.”

“Yes you did!”

“It was for your birthday. Taron, you are just going to have used to it alright? This was me before I met you. I give presents to my friends and family and I have something for yours and your sisters.”

“But you are already doing so much for them with this plan for the evening.”

“No, we are doing that together for your sisters as a surprise now get that beautiful scowl from your face. I only want to see you smiling today.”

“You really don’t need to be so generous. Just having you here is enough for me and my family.”

“And you didn’t need to buy me a dress and invite me to Elton’s and get me flowers and be the most wonderful friend to me. It’s what friends do.”

“Robyn…”

“Taron, I don’t have brothers or sisters. I don’t have a family like yours. It is just me so let me live vicariously through yours and don’t throw the old ‘oh Robyn you saved my life. You have already done so much for me’ at me. It’s not going to work because we are past that stage and you are going to love these presents.” Groaning Taron stood still as she wrapped her arms around him. “I know you hate me but I absolutely love you and your family and it’s only something small.”

“I don’t hate you. I never could.” Robyn enjoyed the closeness of the hug and the warmth from Taron as he lifted his arms finally around her. It was hard to get a proper hug in around his family, knowing they were being given looks from Tina already especially after the messing with the cake batter. “You have been so wonderful with my family. Thank you and I am sorry. It never occurred to me that this is something you have never had.”

“It is ok Taron. You don’t have to apologise to me. I love the interaction with your sisters.”

“I am gaining major big brother brownie points.”

“You are welcome!”

“Ok in exchange for giving out more presents, I need to know what you and my mam spoke about. You know, that girl talk.”

Robyn laughed against his chest. “First rule of girl talk, don’t talk about girl talk.” She moved away from him but kept her hands around his back. “So, presents?”

He tried not to smile but she pulled a face at him and his beautiful dimpled smile appeared on his face. “Presents.”

She took his hand and they walked back to the kitchen. “So Tina, is it ok if we take over your sitting room and turn it into hairdressers central?”

Tina nodded and looked to her son as he lingered back a little while Robyn went ahead with two very excited girls but he gave her a big smile and pulled her close for a hug as they followed the others.

Robyn asked the girls to sit on the couch and turned to Taron as he walked in with his mam, his arms around her. “My case?” She asked.

“Oh it’s at the front door.”

Taron went to move but Robyn stopped him. “It is ok. I’ve got it. You sit with your family.” She quickly walked out of the door that lead to the hallway and front door.

“Have I told you that I like her.” Asked Tina as she sat on the couch with her children.

Taron didn’t answer her but watched as Robyn wheeled her suitcase into the room. “What have you got in there?” He asked her.

“Stuff.” She answered as she put the suitcase down and knelt in front of it. She unzipped the case and folded it out and opened the left side and took out an A4 sized wrapped gift. “This is for you Tina.” She handed the gold paper to Taron’s mam who took it gingerly from her.

“Robyn you really don’t have to…”

“Yeah I know. Don’t have to give you anything, I have done so much already but I have and I am and it is something so very very small.”

With a smile so like her sons, Tina took the present. “Well thank you.” She opened the wrapping and turned the framed picture over to see a cross made of some sort of plant with a prayer underneath.

“It’s called a St. Brigid’s Cross. Brigid was a saint who was from Co. Kildare, where I am from and she used rushes to weave these crosses and they are displayed in a home or house and they are said to keep fire, evil and hunger from the house they are displayed in. This one has been blessed too. I thought it would just be a nice little symbol for your house.”

“Robyn it’s perfect. I really love this. What a thoughtful gift and even more so if it is from where you are from. I know the exact place I will put it too.”

“I am glad you like it. Just something small.”

“Thank you.”

Robyn turned to look at the girls who were sitting so patiently on the couch beside Taron and as she went back to pulling out her bag of hair bobbins and clips, a packet of hair chalk and a large round hand mirror, she knew they were watching her every move. She stole a glance their way and then moved to unzip the other side of her case. “Now I know you two are desperate to meet cwtch but he doesn’t like flying.”

“Or have a passport.” Said Mari.

“Or have a passport. That is right but…” Robyn pulled out one large wrapped gift, followed by another, both covered in rainbow glitter paper from the right side of her case.

“Is that glitter?” Asked Taron, grinning. “Thought you didn’t like glitter.”

“It’s glitter that doesn’t spread or stick to things.” Robyn turned her attention back to the girls who were nearly ready to jump off their seats to get to her. “Anyway, I have something for you both.” She handed one over to the girls. “And I know you will look after them.”

“What is it?” Asked Rosie.

“Oh like brother like sister. Why don’t you open them and see what it is?”

Mari and Rosie didn’t need to be told twice and rainbow wrapping paper flew in all directions and the girls ripped into their presents, excited gasps coming from them once their gift was revealed to them.

“It’s cwtch!” Shouted Mari. “A pink cwtch.”

“I have a purple one!” Said Rosie equally excited. “Purple cwtch.”

“But you see the thing is, they are not actually cwtch because cwtch is at home in my house but these are cwtch’s sisters. Mari your dinosaur is called grá and Rosie yours is called croí. Grá is the Irish word for love and croí is the Irish word for heart. Cwtch knew how much you wanted to meet him but as we know, he likes my couch so grá and croí came to live you two instead.”

Taron was up from his seat once he saw the pink and purple stuffed glittery dinosaurs and sat on the edge of the chair beside Rosie looking at the plushes who were the exact same as the one Robyn owned except a different colour. He looked to Robyn with disbelief and back to his sisters who looked like they had just been given everything they had ever wanted.

“Now cwtch told me that you need to look after grá and croí really well and give them lots of cuddles and hopefully someday cwtch will be able come and visit you all.”

Robyn suddenly found herself in a tight cuddle as Rosie and Mari almost knocked her over with a hug, the two dinosaurs left on the couch. Rosie was so tight against her front, Mari had to hug her from her behind.

“Thank you so much Robyn!” Rosie said into her neck. “I love croí so much. I promise to look after her.”

“Me too! I will give grá so many cuddles. Thank you Robyn.”

It was hard to hug the girls but Robyn managed to get Mari moved around to her front so she could properly give them a hug back. “You girls are so very welcome.”

“Thanks for kissing Taron Robyn.” Said Mari very seriously into the other side of her neck. “And coming to visit us and making rainbow waffles and helping us to cook Taron’s cake. You are the best!”

Closing her eyes, Robyn was suddenly overcome with emotions and felt tears in her eyes and gave the girls a squishy hug back. She knew they would love the dinosaurs and had searched high and low to get ones that matched cwtch, even going as far as ringing the amusement arcade in Galway where she had won cwtch to try and source two dinosaurs for Taron’s sisters and the manager had come through for her with a contact number. Once she had explained to the company why she needed the plushes, offering to pay, the company sent two her way for free and she was thrilled that they were the exact same except in colour and her hard work of researching for them had paid off. She felt another pair of arms around her at her back and knew in an instant it was Taron who was hugging her tight against him, his arms around his sisters too.

Taron had sat still in shock at what Robyn had done for his sisters, still finding it unbelievable that she had managed to find the dinosaurs. Cwtch was a little joke between them, even if he did actually love the plush and referencing him had become part of their day to day conversation and he felt almost overwhelmed that she did something so special for his sisters, giving them Irish names to counter the Welsh name he had given Robyn’s dinosaur. Once he heard Mari thank Robyn for kissing him, he knew had to get stuck into the cuddle on the floor and wrapped himself into the hug too his head going to Robyn’s shoulder.

Robyn felt his arms join hers on the girls back and she moved her hands to cover his and it was one of the best hugs she had and it up there with some she had with Taron by himself. It lasted at least a minute, Robyn right in the middle of an Egerton squishy hug before the girls let her go, but Taron stayed where he was wrapped his arms around her shoulders, once the girls moved straight back to the couch and their presents.

“I am sorry for my shitty attitude about the presents Robyn.” He whispered into her ear. “You are so thoughtful. I didn’t even know cwtch had family.”

“Yeah he has two sisters. I keep cwtch and look after him and Mari and Rosie get to have the sisters.”

“Yeah alright I get the comparison,” He said as he let her go and she was able to turn around to face him. “I am cwtch.”

She grinned at him and then looked to the girls who were hugging their presents close to them and showing their mam. “It means I get to keep cwtch.” She whispered to him. “I was worried he was going to leave me for your family.”

“Thank you so much for what you did for them. It was just a wonderful present Robyn. How did you even get to matching dinosaurs?” Robyn tapped her nose. “Yeah alright, I thought I would give it a try.” He pulled her in for another hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too you tosspot.”

“What are you two whispering?” Asked Rosie and she stood beside them with her dinosaur in her hands.

“I was asking Taron if he wanted an Elsa plait.”

Rosie laughed. “Taron doesn’t have enough hair for Elsa plaits.”

“What is this Robyn?” Asked Mari holding up the hair chalk that was in her suitcase

“Well I wanted to ask Tina first, but it is colour for your hair, that washes completely out.” She looked to their mother. “If it would be alright with you, when I did their hair, we could out some colour in. If not, I brought some other fun things like flowers and snowflakes.”

“It is fine Robyn. The girls have used something like that before.”

Robyn smiled. “Thank you. Right girls, you ready for some hairstyling?”

More excited cheers filled the air. Taron looked to Robyn whose eyes were shinning. “You are getting so much more enjoyment out of this than they are.”

“I love making them smile, just how I like to make you smile and if some hair chalk and plaits does that, I am happy to help out.” Robyn pulled some two Disney themed make-up bags from her case and handed one to Mari and one to Rosie and then stood up. “Let me move this, I don’t need it any more and let’s get started.”

“Robyn can we do your hair?” Asked Rosie.

“Well of course!” She replied and looked to Taron with a smirk, enjoying how he mouthed head massages to her. “I need some pink hair.” She wheeled the case out and back into the hallway and walked back into the room. “And maybe some flowers.”

“Like Rapunzel.” Agreed Rosie.

“So, shall we get started?”

“Why don’t you girls get set up here and I am going to steal Taron to help me put this picture up. Thank you again for this Robyn” Tina gave Robyn a hug. “You are too good to my children Robyn. Thank you for making everyone one of them smile.” She smiled as she ended the hug and looked to Taron. “Maybe I will ask Robyn to help me with putting this up.”

“Yeah I can do that mam.” Replied Taron rolling his eyes. “Robyn give me two minutes. I will be back for my Elsa plait.”

“Taron, would you please take the cakes from the oven? I am sure they are done by now. You know how to check them.”

“Yeah of course I will.”

“Thanks. Ok girls. Let’s get set up.”

Taron followed his mam out of the sitting room, in through the dining room and to the right into their kitchen and went straight to the oven to check on his own birthday cake. He carefully lifted the tins from the oven using an oven glove and placed them on the hob and getting a knife, pushed it into the cake before bringing it back out and checking the metal to see if there was any wet cake mixture left on it. Happy the knife was clear, Taron took the other cake out, closed the oven door and shut it off. He made quick work of taking the cakes from the tins and placed them on the cooling rake Robyn had left out for the cakes. Once the baking paper was pulled from the cakes and put in the bin, he finally looked at his mam who was standing with a bemused look on her face as she leant against the sink watching every move he made.

“What?” He asked.

“Who are you and what have you done with my son?” Tina asked Taron as he stood beside her and washed the baking tins.

“Your son is right here.”

“Yeah I know.”

“Ahh mam please don’t. We are not doing this again. I knew this was going to happen when Robyn came to visit.”

“It just makes everything a little bit more real Taron.”

Taron dried his hands on the tea towel and gave his mam a hug. “I am fine Mam. I am back working and sleeping and feeling amazing and Robyn is here because you invited her, not me.”

“She is such a wonderful person Taron. She never stops giving, does she?”

Taron sighed against her as his mam rubbed his back in loving circles. “No matter how much I tell her not too. Now let’s get this picture up.”

Tina showed Taron where she wanted the glass frame hung up in the dining room and once it was straight and exactly as Tina wanted it, they made some tea and moved to sit at the table in the dining room where they could see Robyn, Rosie and Mari sitting down on the floor in the sitting room.

Taron sipped his tea but his eyes were focused on Robyn as she sat on the floor with Mari in-between her legs as she worked a complicated looking hairstyle into his sisters hair, while Rosie stood behind her with a brush and one of the hair chalks, brushing and colouring Robyn’s long blonde hair, the three chatting with each other.

Tina saw how his son was completely distracted with the scene in her sitting room and as she looked at her family, she felt nothing but love in her home. She gentled nudged Taron’s hand with hers. “We had a little chat.”

“I figured.” Taron drew his eyes from the laughter and looked to his mam.

“You need to stop giving her such a hard time about the media and before you say anything to me, just hear me out. You two are so alike in your protectiveness of each other and it is what is making you clash. While you don’t want Robyn to read anything that the media prints so her feelings are not hurt, she is the opposite, reading every comment possible to see what people are saying so she can prove them wrong and almost get one up on everyone who has something bad to say by staying positive and ignoring them all.” Taron sighed. “I know she frustrates you something shocking but you are just as infuriating to her.” Tina enjoyed the look her son gave her. “I love that Robyn cares so much about you and that you have this positive force in your life because you need someone who takes what the media says, chews it up and spits it out. I understand why it makes you so angry Taron. We are your family and she is too and it is not nice when someone who knows nothing about you writes such trash but look at it this way. Isn’t it wonderful that Robyn is able to ignore it all and not let it get to her?”

“But it has too mam. Some of the things they have said about her. She is such a beautiful person and they don’t know shit about us.”

“Watch your language Taron.” Scolded Tina.

“Sorry but it hurts me because Robyn is just… well she is Robyn.”

Tina smiled. “Ok you want to know what I think?”

“Always.”

“From our girl talk, Robyn told me you helped her to realise that it is very important to share your worries and troubles and not keep your emotions in.”

“I worry that she could still be doing that Mam, especially now.”

“Ok well let me ask you. Do you trust her?”

“Mam…”

“Do you trust her?”

“With my life.” He answered firmly.

“Then trust that she knows you are there for if she needs to talk to you about the media. Correct me if I am wrong Taron, but Robyn is an incredibly proud, independent and strong woman.”

“Never met one like her.” Agreed Taron as he stared down at his hands.

“Then keep trusting her and it is ok to be frustrated by her. She is a woman Taron and it is her prerogative to be as infuriating as hell for you where she will make you want to pull your hair out at times.” Tina enjoyed the small laugh from her son. “You know you love a woman when she makes you feel like that. Let your mother give you some advice. Talk to her. Communication is key. I know you two are good at talking to each other but you need to keep doing that when the conversations get a bit more difficult and heated, especially then. Maybe take a few minutes before she goes home to talk with her Taron. Your situation is so different and you both need to come to an understanding about how you both perceive the media. Maybe it will be a case of agreeing to disagree Taron. I am not too sure how easy it will be to change her mind.”

“I don’t want to change her mind. I adore how bloody stubborn she is but my God sometimes she just… ugh.” Tina reached for her son’s hands. He closed his eyes and tried to compose his words in his head before he said them out loud. “I owe her everything and I know I shouldn’t be mad at her for being so easy going about it all but I just want to defend her with everything I have but I don’t need to because she is too busy defending me and then we just get so mad at each other but that is something else she is so much better at then me.”

Tina laughed. “Like I said, a woman’s prerogative Taron.”

Taron looked to his mam with sad, weary eyes. “Mam I am in trouble.”

“I know.” Tina gave her son a little smile. As soon as he saw Taron and Robyn interact with each other in person, she knew her son was utterly in love with the woman who had saved his life.

“You know?”

“I am your mother, I know. I told you this outside this morning. You are in serious trouble.”

“Jesus Mam what am I going to do?” Taron let of his mams hands and ran his own hands through his hair and looked to Robyn and his sisters, before turning to his mam for some help

“You are going to do nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Tina turned to her son and took his hands again, “I knew it the moment you came home to me but I didn’t want to say anything to you until you realised it for yourself but you are going to do nothing.”

“Mam…”

“You told me that you love her.”

“I do. Very much.”

“Ok and you also told me that you and Robyn agreed that you are friends.”

“We are.” He said with a little hesitation.

“I hear a but coming.”

“But I don’t want to risk our friendship, we don’t want to risk our friendship. I would rather have her in my life, then not have her.”

“And that is why you will do nothing.” Repeated Tina. “I want nothing but the best for you Taron and I want you to have everything you can and right now, Robyn as your best friend is what is right for you and I know you understand that without me having to tell you. I have seen how she moves around you, how she gives you these little sneaky glances when you are not looking, how you hug each other and she definitely loves you, without a doubt but I won’t see either of you hurt.” Tina placed a hand on her sons’ cheek to bring his attention to her as he kept his eyes to the table. “She is wonderful for you. I see you smile and laugh and giggle Taron and that’s because of Robyn. She is a part of your life and I am so glad she will always be there for you and even more so if she gives you a tongue lashing every now again and goes to your events with you.” Tina placed her other hand on Taron’s face. “Love is a funny thing Taron. I don’t doubt that you love her, and even love love her but don’t mess this beautiful relationship up. Give her time. I have a feeling she might just come round to your way of thinking but as much as you need her, she needs you too. As a mother, I want Robyn in your life. She is a fierce woman who will protect my son with everything she has and I need to know that you have someone who will do that for you. Robyn will always do that for you.”

It was hug with his mam that he desperately needed and was so glad that she held him right against her, rubbing his back once again. Deep down the buzzing spark was causing him a spiral of emotions and seeing how easy Robyn fitted into his family and how much she treated them with the same love and compassion that she showed him, was playing havoc with every emotion he had and it was refreshing and a relief that his mam could read him better than Robyn and he valued her advice more than anything.

“You are going to be ok Taron but please talk to Robyn about how you are both going to deal with the media. I know she is going to be a permanent fixture in your life and I know she will also be by your side again in the public eye, so you need to figure how you can agree on how to approach the situation.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise. Thank you.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Taron, Robyn is ready to do your plait now.” Mari wandered into the dining room with her dinosaur in her hands. “Mam do you like my hair?”

Letting her son go and giving him a smile and a kiss on his forehead, she turned to look at her daughter, her hair plaited in a beautiful braid that started above her left ear and moved right across her head and round by her right ear before it was twisted around and was pinned like a snails shell, obvious pink and purple colours streaked through her hair. There were also some snowflakes neatly positioned in the plait too.

“Wow Mari. That is beautiful.”

“What do you think Taron?”

“Well come over here and let me see princess.” When she was closer to him, Taron pulled his sister to his lap and looked at her hair, his eyes going to his mam’s before he gently touched Mari’s hair. “Mari, did Robyn really do this?”

“Yes silly. Of course she did. What do you think?”

“Well it is a perfect hairstyle for a perfect princess and I think I need to go and get my own hair done now after seeing yours.” Taron took his mam’s hand and gave it squeeze and mouthed thank you to her before he lifted his sister off his lap and holding her hand, walked into the sitting room where Robyn was working another plaited design into Rosie’s hair.

“I didn’t realise you were so good at this Robyn. Mari’s hair is amazing and Rosie’s too.”

“Well thank you Taron.” Smiled Robyn as she quickly plaited the second half of Rosie’s braid. “I told you I was good at plaits.”

He watched as Mari stood behind Robyn and started to brush her hair. “Have my sisters been colouring your hair?”

“Of course.”

“It’s very mermaidy.” He commented as he sat crossed legged beside Mari and picked up a hairbrush and helped to brush Robyn’s hair.

“It is what the girls said I needed but I actually did used to have a pink streak.”

“A pink streak? A real one?”

“Of course a real one. Just a about two inches wide hidden at the back under all my hair.” She felt Taron lift her hair. “It is not there anymore Taron and would you have seen it if it was. I don’t spend a stupid amount of money to get my hair done to put the pink back in.”

“Can I use this chalk to do it?”

“Sure of course.”

As Robyn carefully pinned Rosie’s hair up and added some snowflakes into the plait, Taron gathered some of her hair at the back of her head and ran the hair chalk through it a number of times, turning the hair pink. “Hair chalk is fun.” He said smiling.

“And it washes out.” Robyn added one more snowflake to Rosie’s hair. “Now chicken, you are all done.”

“You can’t call Rosie a chicken!” Laughed Mari as she ran the blue chalk through Robyn’s hair. “Taron calls you that. You are his chicken.”

Both Robyn and Taron laughed. “You are so right Mari. Well Rosie, your hair is all done.”

“Thank you so much Robyn.”

“Let me show you in the mirror.” Robyn held up the large round mirror so Rosie could see her hair in the reflection.

“Robyn! It is so perfect! I love it. Just like Elsa.”

“Yes it is.”

“Can I go and show my mam?”

“Sure go go! She will want to see it.”

Robyn smiled as Rosie got to her feet and taking her dinosaur with her, ran into the dining room to look for her mother to show off her hair.

“Now rocketman, it’s your turn.” Robyn carefully turned around to look at him and she frowned a little when she noticed the sparkle that had been in his eyes since that morning had faded. “You ok?”

“I am good Robyn.” He smiled when she titled her head at him and using the brush in his hands he brushed her hair away from her face. “Just feeling a little tired. The excitement of the morning has worn off a little and the jet lag is kicking in.”

“Hmmm. You sure?”

“Yeah chicken I am sure.” He leaned in a little and kissed her cheek. “So, what colour can I have?” He asked moving from behind her and to sit in front of her.

“You can have whatever colour you want but you are going to have to lay down for me. You are too tall for me to get to your hair. Pass me a cushion.”

Doing as Robyn asked, Taron reached over and pulled a cushion from the couch and gave it to her. She placed in on the floor in between her legs and Taron automatically laid his head down on it, his body stretched out along the mat, his legs crossed at his ankles, his hands resting on his stomach.

Rosie skipped back in grinning. “Mam loves my hair. Taron why are you on the floor?”

“Robyn is going to do my hair. I need an Elsa plait like yours.”

“Your brother is too tall for me so he has to lay down so I can do his hair.”

“You are going to do his hair?”

“Well of course. He needs to have some colour too.”

Rosie moved to stand beside her sister at Robyn’s back. “I don’t think Taron should have a plait. Just some colour.”

“I think you are right Rosie. So, I am will fix Taron’s hair and you girls can keep doing mine.”

Dipping her fingers right to the nape of Taron’s neck, she slowly began to make lazy circles in his hair at the bottom of his head, relieved that his whole body relaxed into her hands. While she enjoyed the girls brushing and colouring her hair, she concentrated on gently working her way through Taron’s hair moving from his neck, over the crown of his head and up towards his forehead, kneading his scalp carefully as she went. She watched as the movement of his chest relaxed as his breathing deepened a little and it made her smile that she could so quickly help him to unwind from whatever had peaked his anxiety a little.

“I think I have finally found the actual reason why my son is keeping you around Robyn.” Tina has walked into the sitting room to thank Robyn for doing such a beautiful job with her daughters’ hair and had to stop when she saw her son laying on the floor with Robyn’s hands in his hair, Taron’s eyes closed looking completely at ease with himself.

Robyn looked up and grinned but Taron kept his eyes closed, his own smile on his lips. She held up the blue hair colour and showed Tina. “He is getting some Elsa hair.”

“Hmm sure he is.” Tina sat down on the couch. “Thank you for doing the girls hair. It is beautiful.”

“You are more then welcome. I like doing it.” Said Robyn as she coloured the tips of Taron’s hair blue.

“It looks so professional Robyn. You could definitely look into doing something with it.”

“Thanks Tina. A lot of people have said that to me.”

“You must be able to do some of those hair styles yourself.”

“Not really. I can definitely do two French braids and the hairband braid that Mari has but I can’t get my hands around my head to make the cute swirl thing. I just normally dry mine straight.”

“Well it is all colourful now.” Tina cringed as she watched her girls colour Robyn’s hair.

Robyn saw the face Tina pulled. “It is ok. I don’t mind. I am getting mermaid hair.” She said as she coloured some more of Taron’s who still lay quietly on his back. “Taron, I think your Elsa hair is done.” She was very conscious of her audience watching her and had to remember they weren’t in the privacy of Taron’s home and on his couch, so decided that even though she would happily have given Taron another ten minutes of his favourite type of massage, which would have probably put him straight to sleep, it was time to end his hairdressing session.

“Are you sure it doesn’t need some more?” He asked opening one eye, knowing that if his hair was done, his head massage was finished too.

“Yeah I am sure.” She said. “Sometimes less is more and we have a cake to finish.” She felt the girls stop dragging the chalk through her hair.

“The cake!” Exclaimed Rosie. “Do you think they would be cooled by now?”

“Well it’s been nearly an hour so they could be. Shall we go and check?”

“Yes please!”

Robyn gave Taron’s shoulder’s a gentle rub and he sat up. “So where is that mirror?” He asked and took it as it was handed to her and he looked at his reflection to see that Robyn had only coloured the tips of his hair. He smiled. “Yeah ok I like this.”

She smiled as she pulled her own hair over her shoulder and grinned when she saw all the colours in it. “Well girls, I definitely love my hair. What a fantastic job you have done.”

With excitement building again, they all walked back into the kitchen to check the cakes to see if they were ready to be covered in frosting and when Robyn gave them a nod, Rosie and Mari squealed with excitement.

“Right girls, let’s start with the surprise and then we can cover the cake in chocolate frosting.”

Tina stood at the sink and a smile never left her face as she watched all of her children interact with Robyn as she helped them finish off Taron’s birthday cake, Robyn having complete control over the whole baking activity while making it light and fun, not missing how her son kept his eyes locked on her the whole time and as much as she tried to hold the smile in, she found herself grinning as she was starting to see why Taron was almost intoxicated by Robyn but it seemed Robyn had put a spell on her whole family and was nothing but a wonderful guest who made everyone laugh and giggle together.

(Wow I forgot how big this photo is but this is ‘Cwtch’ for a reference for what the other dinosaurs looks like just they are pink and purple.....)

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Family #Love #Realisation of Love #Head Massage #Sisters #Presents #Thoughtfulness #Dinosaurs #Robyn and Taron #Hair Chalk

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shotsbyshae · 5 years

Text

Eyes Closed (Part 3)

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Words: 2.7k

Pairing: Steve x Witch!Reader, Bucky x Witch!Reader

Summary: Steve’s just trying to keep a promise he made to his best friend.

Song: Eyes Closed by Halsey

Would've gave it all for you, cared for you.

6 Years Ago

Ally was innocent in all of this; Hydra had wanted you, but you weren’t home when they broke into the apartment the two of you had shared, so they took her instead – collateral. They’d heard the rumors from your previous handlers of the power lurking just below the surface, a power you had refused to unleash.

By the time you and the four-member team (Stark, Wilson, Barnes, and Romanoff) had found the Hydra base it was too late. You had walked in to find Ally tied to a chair in the center of the room, trails of blood down the front of her blouse from the gaping wound across her neck. All the life drained from her young, beautiful face. Bucky had tried to keep you from seeing her, but it was too late, he could see the change in your demeanor – the rage in your eyes. No one else on the team was sure why the building began to shake ever so slightly as you ran outside, but Tony had his theories as he watched the dark-haired soldier follow after you. That was the day your life changed, something broke inside you seeing Ally’s lifeless body, but looking back that was also the day you gained something else.

“Don’t,” you warn from the edge of the tree line, watching as the man moves cautiously towards you. You’d tried to run as far from the building – as far away from the team – as possible. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Barnes doesn’t stop his advance, “I guess that’s a chance we’re going to have to take.”

“Please,” your veins are burning white hot and every muscle in your body is electrified. Your voice is weak and frantic. “I can’t control it – not when it’s like this – it’s too much.”

He slowly takes your hands in his, one at a time, the cool metal from the prosthetic arm is a welcomed relief to your burning skin. “Well I’m not leaving you out here alone, this is what they want, to push you over the edge.”

Angry, hot tears well up at the thought of Ally and you close your eyes tightly.

“Don’t be who they want you to become,” his words are surprisingly soft as his hands gently squeeze yours. “You’re more than that – just breathe.”

You do as he instructs, the fire still raging just beneath the surface. It takes a moment for the anger to subside and grief to take its place, chilling you to the bone as tears begin to fall silently. The heartache diminishes the uncontrollable feeling you had. The two coincide – grief and anger – only one unleashes that power within you. You drop your head as you let the sadness consume you, sobbing at the thought of your friend and her innocence. Bucky pulls you closer to him, releasing your hands as he envelopes you in his arms.

After that day it became a ritual, much like Natasha with Bruce, anytime you were too close to the edge, Bucky was the one sent in to bring you back down. He was never afraid of you and supported your powers because they were a part of you, no matter how much you hated them.

5 Years Ago

“Barnes,” Stark’s voice comes across the earpiece frantically. “You got eyes on her? I have a feeling that’s not an earthquake.”

The soldier is already on his way up the stairs to you, knowing that dealing with Hydra is always a little more intense for you than any other missions. Intense scenarios don’t mix well with your power, although he’s trying to help you work on controlling that too.

“Hey,” he says calmly entering the room, taking note of the three Hydra agents lying on the floor around you. “You good?” He can see the look in your eyes as you glance up at him, sweat beading up on your forehead, and it’s a look he’s grown fond of. It’s not pride or enjoyment he gets from it, but rather an honor – a privilege – to be the one person you turn to.

“I need – a minute,” you say breathlessly. You can hear the rattle, clings, and clangs of everything in the room as the whole building trembles underneath you. “This was a lot.”

Barnes lays his weapon down on the desk as he moves closer to you, “Come here.” He reaches for you and you turn to him, pressing your forehead against the front of his suit as your hands cling to his arms.

“Talk to me,” you say, closing your eyes tightly. The sound of glass cracking and wood splintering is only making matters worse. “I need to take my mind off it.”

Bucky glances around, knowing he needs to do something quickly before the whole building collapses around you and he begins, his voice a bit off-key, “Somebody said you had a new friend, does she love you better than I can?” He tries to get the rhythm right as he continues, “There’s a big black sky over my town, I know where you’re at, I bet she’s around.”

You tilt your head back to look at him in utter disbelief, “Are you singing Robyn?”

“Yea I know it’s stupid,” he smirks at you, noticing that the building is beginning to settle as you continue to look at him in complete awe. “I just gotta see it for myself.”

“I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her,” you slowly being to sing along with him. “Oohh.” The pain is subsiding as your body temperature slowly returns to normal. “I’m right over here, why can’t you see me? Oohh.” A smirk crosses your lips as you shove his shoulder playfully, “You have been listening to my playlist, jerk.”

“Least it wasn’t Jonas Brothers,” Stark’s voice comes across both their coms.

“Can we make this mandatory for every mission?” Sam’s voice states through their earpieces. “Maybe next time a little Beyoncé.”

“Or next time I’ll just let her bring the building down,” Barnes winks at you, his blue eyes contrasting brightly against the dirt and grime on his face.

Present Day

The next morning you’re leaning against counter in the kitchen, sipping carefully from a cup of coffee, trying to not think about having slept with Steve last night. Sex you could handle. It was physical – a release – something complete strangers do. Maybe you’re overthinking things, but actually sleeping together, your body curled into his was more intimate.

The pop of the toaster jerks you out for your thoughts as Steve eases his way into the kitchen, “Morning.”

“Hey,” you respond, pointing across to the with freshly toasted bread sitting peacefully between the two slots of the toaster. “I made breakfast.”

“I’m impressed,” he smirks.

“You should be,” you remark as he moves to make him a cup of coffee.

“Once you finish, call Tony about last night and then get ready,” Steve instructs with a half-smile. “I have an idea for today.”

You cock an eyebrow at him curiously as you take another sip of your coffee.

***

“What are we doing here?” You question Steve as the two of you make your way along the river walkway toward a carousel. It’s been years since you’ve been here, it used to be one of your favorite places back when the world was right. However, now the carousel looks deserted – desolate – nowhere near the brightly lit, colorful attraction it once was.

“You used to love this place,” Rogers states knowingly and you furrow your brow in confusion. You watch as Steve makes his way around the outside of the merry-go-round searching for something. After a moment, the lights and music suddenly come to life and you take a step back in surprise as Steve walks back around with his arms held out in triumph.

“Hop on,” he orders with a smile and you do as he says, watching as he fiddles with the controls at the small operator’s booth. You pick a beautifully painted white horse with red and gold details, then pull yourself up to straddle the fiberglass creature as the carousel begins to spin slowly, creaking and popping as it comes back to life. As it makes a complete turn, you realize Steve’s no longer at the operator’s booth and you begin to look around for him. “Hey.” His words startle you, he’s so close you can feel the warmth of his body near your thigh as your horse slowly rises and falls in rhythm with the other horses.

“How did you know about this place?” You wrap your hands around the steel pole in front of you, before leaning your temple against it.

“How do you think?”

You roll your eyes, “Was there anything about me he didn’t tell you?”

“Probably not.”

“Okay, so why bring me here?”

The look in his eyes sincere, “When’s the last time you took a moment to breathe?”

You stare at him without answering, knowing you’ve kept yourself busy in one form or another so much since that day that breathing hasn’t been an option.

“How long has it been out of control?” Steve questions, gripping the pole of the horse beside you.

“I’ve felt it,” you begin quietly, “coming for a couple months. Knowing it’s been two years since that day.”

“Was it like this a year ago?”

You give a shake of your head, not wanting to tell him that a year ago you were still crying yourself to sleep every night. Grief had a much stronger hold on you then, you had only tried to hide it with anger.

“Well, I’m sure Tony can figure something out,” he comments reassuringly. “Until then – let’s try breathing.”

You give him a small smile and turn to watch the world spin by ever so slowly, remembering the last time you were here, watching the scene play out before you as if from a movie. You toss your head back laughing as Bucky leans his face into your shoulder, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. Your arm is stretching away from the two of you with your cell phone clutched awkwardly in your hand as you try to get both of you in frame for a photo. The black horse you’re sitting on slowly rises then falls, bringing you back face to face with the man, allowing you to snap the photo. Barnes tears a piece of cotton candy from the bag in his hand as you inspect the photo and he offers it to you. Without looking away from the device you open your mouth and he slides the sugary concoction past your lips just like he’s done hundreds of times before. You show him the photo with a warm smile which he reciprocates. Being with him was easy and to anyone watching, they would have assumed the two of you were more than friends, because just friends don’t look at each other that way.

A hand on your shoulder brings you back to the present and you realize the carousel has stopped spinning. You look over to find what’s becoming a familiar look of concern on Steve’s face, “You good?”

“Yea,” you respond, moving to slide off the white horse. The man beside you keeps a steady hand on you until you manage to get both feet on the wooden floor. You glance up at him, seeing the flash in his eye like before he kissed you last time. Your heart stops for a moment in anticipation, but he takes a step back and you sigh with slight disappointment. “Will this fieldtrip of yours involve food?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets with a smirk, “It can.”

***

You open the door to Steve’s apartment for him, because you have one plastic grocery bag full of items on your wrist, where as he has two bags dangling from one arm, a six pack of beer gripped in one hand, and a large pizza box held steady in the other. He’s laughing as he enters the apartment and you’re defending your excessive grocery run.

“You’ve never experienced a movie night then,” you say defiantly. “Popcorn is merely an appetizer. You need some form of chocolate, gummy worms, both sweet and sour, cotton candy –”

“Gummy worms?” Steve interrupts your list as he places the beer in the fridge. “Like gummy bears?”

“Seriously?” You stare at him blankly for a moment, before you move to find the box of sour worms. Tearing into it like a small child, you pull out a bright pink and blue gummy candy shaped like its namesake and shove it toward his mouth. “Try it.” He opens his mouth cautiously, allowing you to slip the candy inside, your finger and thumb brushing against his bottom lip as you pull your hand back.

You’re unsure if he did that on purpose, but you can see a playful glint in his eye as he chews the candy. “Not bad huh?”

“Not bad,” he comments, removing some other contents from one of the bags. “I still prefer popcorn.”

Halfway through whatever action thriller is playing on the TV, you lean forward from the sofa to the assortment of snacks spread out on the coffee table. You grab the last handful of gummy worms and lean back against the cushions, your legs are crossed underneath you and one of the plain throw pillows, which obviously came standard with the sofa, is lying in your lap. Steve stretches towards you on the sofa, closing the distance, “Can I?” He’s looking at the candy in your palm and you close your hand quickly, tucking it against your chest.

“Oh no, you have popcorn – remember?”

“Is that how it is?”

“Yep.”

His brows knit together as he frowns – almost pouting – watching you pull an orange and green worm from your palm. You bite the worm in half for dramatic effect and offer him the green piece. He takes it from you, this time with his teeth, and you smirk proudly. “Told you my movie nights are better. I’m pretty awesome, didn’t he tell you that?”

The blue-eyed man in front of you leans back as he chews the candy slowly, a look of slight confusion crossing his features. “No, I figured that out on my own.” You watch him, the playful glint from earlier is replaced with a look of sad remorse. “The moment he told me you were who he’d been spending time with. You brought back a part of him I’d almost forgotten about, that kid who would spend every last dollar we had trying to win a stuffed bear for a girl at the fair.” He glances over at you achingly, and suddenly all his apologies make sense. It’s never really been an apology to you, but to the man he feels like he’s betraying. “You were the best thing to happen to him.”

You swallow the lump that forms in your throat as Steve stands up abruptly and walks into the kitchen. Your heart aches for something you never had the chance to have with Bucky and you quickly stand to follow behind the blue-eyed man, finding him leaning over his sink, his head hanging between his shoulders. He glances in your direction as you lean against the counter, “I’m –”

“If you say sorry Rogers, I swear, I’ll fling another stool at your head,” you place one hand on your hip. “Don’t make do that, because you have really nice stools.” He smiles tiredly as he drops his head again. “You said,” you begin quietly, gaining his attention, “he told you to watch out for me. Why do you think that is?” He holds your gaze as you move closer, gently placing your hand on top of his. “Maybe he didn’t want either of us to be alone. I feel closest to him when I’m with you, maybe because you’re the only other person who knew him better than I did.” Steve glances down as you continue. “I feel something around you that I haven’t felt since him. I don’t know what this is,” the words are hesitant as you squeeze slightly on his hand which is gripping the edge of countertop. “We can ignore it if you want to – pretend it doesn’t exist – but I think we’ve both lost when it comes to playing that game before.” Steve flicks his eyes over to you. “I’ve accepted the fact that he’s not coming back Steve – when will you?” The words hang in the air heavily as you pull your hand away before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

Part 4

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anneapocalypse · 4 years

Text

RWBY 7.01 - 7.02

There is so much to talk about here. Spoilers!

(Please note that I’m not currently a FIRST member, so please don’t spoil me, thanks!)

We’re in Altas now! I love the aesthetic of Mantle, and I like that they didn’t go for the kind of full-on steel-and-glass futuristic aesthetic you might expect for all of Atlas. Instead, it’s more of a Victorian-futuristic look, with brick buildings and cobblestones and narrow streets.

Qrow’s new voice actor is killing it. Jason Liebrecht delivers a performance that is virtually indistinguishable from old Qrow if you aren’t listening closely for it. akisawana pointed out to me that he’s emoting more, which I think tracks for his character growth, but his voice and inflection is spot-on Qrow.

Themes of distrust build immediately, with Qrow uncertain if they should take to Ironwood. Weiss is concerned about the increased military presence in Mantle. We see the face of Winter Schnee on a screen, apparently the public face of Atlas military, and perhaps despite Weiss’s confidence we wonder if our heroes can trust her.

There is a fair amount of talky exposition in these first two episodes and some of it is rather on the nose, as the story quickly tries to get us up to speed with the situation and the general atmosphere in Mantle. People don’t love the surveillance state—we see some children throw a rock at one of the camera bots. But people love Atlas, and they’re proud of their city, even if difficult times.

And we meet Giapetto—I meant Pietro! Something of a convenient character, as he’s both high up in Atlas security and living and working down among the common people; he knows Ironwood, and Maria Calavera, and of course, his daughter has told him all about Team RWBY.

And as many of us probably suspected as soon as we laid eyes on this man, our sweet Penny has returned! I loved it through and through. “I thought you were dead” is one of those tropes in fiction that just always gets me, so Ruby’s face when she realized her friend was a live, and Penny’s face when she saw Ruby and recognized her… I needed a minute. It was just a truly delightful moment, made even more so by Penny’s exuberant tackle-hug.

I’m curious how it is that flightless Grimm are getting into Atlas, since I would think part of the appeal of a floating city in the first place is to keep them out. It wouldn’t stop flying Grimm, of course, but these monsters weren’t flying. EDIT: They weren’t in the floating city, they were down in Mantle, that’s my bad. Anyway, it was a fun battle to watch, as Oscar has learned a few things, and Blake backing up Yang and giving her that little nod was very sweet.

I am still banking on Oscar becoming the official new leader of Team JNR, making them Team ORNJ. Oscar’s outfits even have orange in them, and for nothing directly to do with his name. It’s a sign, I tell you!

Sadly, Qrow’s optimism must never go unpunished! and our heroes are promptly taken captive by the Aesop’s—er, I mean, the Ace Ops. ;) This feels more for drama than anything else, and it’s kind of reminiscent of Wash, Donut, Sarge, and Lopez being taken captive by the Feds in season 12 of Red vs. Blue. But there’s a valid reason: the did steal a ship.

I love how Weiss says, “Ironwood’s Ace Operatives” like they’re a big deal, but as soon as someone else acts impressed by them, she’s like, “They’re not that big a deal.” Oh Weiss! Some things about her never change, and the way she throws shade is one of those things.

I also think it’s pretty obvious that Weiss is still influenced by her upbringing, both as an Atlesian and as a Schnee. “Tyranny” honestly isn’t that much of an reach from what Ironwood’s doing. It’s easy to sympathize with him, because he’s just so goshdarn likable and he make a sadface and we do kind of know his heart’s in the right place—but he’s misguided as hell and even the people close enough to give him the benefit of the doubt can see it. Ironwood puts his faith in technology, and when his tech failed him he only doubled down, trying to make it stronger. And now that we know who the leak is from Atlas security, we can pretty much assume it’s only going to backfire on him harder next time.

“Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses” sounds very intriguing, and I’m always excited to meet new female leader characters! I’m also thrilled to hear we have an old Winter Maiden, and I can’t wait to meet her. Really appreciating the introduction of cool old ladies in recent volumes.

I love Blake’s expression of trust in Ruby’s leadership, which seems representative of everyone present. Ruby really is the reason they’re all here—it was her journey to Haven with team JNR that brought them all to where they are. She is not just the leader of Team RWBY but the leader of this whole expedition, especially with Ozpin having lost the trust of so many of them, and now absent entirely. They all trust her.

Ruby, by contrast, is not sure if she can trust Ironwood. I really like this. I like Ruby learning to be cagey and not bestow her trust and optimism on everyone she meets. This feels more like character growth than frankly anything we’ve seen before, and I will take it!

Ironwood has brought Penny and Winter into the inner circle. That alone I don’t really question; they’re both loyal and responsible. What I do question is his decision to tell the Ace Ops, given that… well, I know they’re supposed to be the best, and they did capture our heroes, but it’s also been kind of hard to take them seriously thus far and I question that their discretion and judgment is up to the level required.

But Ironwood doesn’t just want to tell them. He wants to tell everyone. And this is where we’re reminded, not just of the constant threat of Grimm, but that they’re drawn by negative emotions. This is a world where fear brings literal monsters, and in a world like that… the rules are just different. It’s easier to understand Ironwood’s protective instincts, I think, in that context. Managing the emotions of the public is a question of national security. It doesn’t make him right, but… it’s important context.

And here we come back to Ironwood’s reliance on technology and military might. He believes the Atlas military can keep the Grimm at bay and keep people safe. I think he’s vastly underestimating how little anyone outside of Atlas trusts the Atlesian military anymore. They won’t feel safe under his protection, especially in Vale—they might even actively resist his aid. And the more afraid and angry they are, the more Grimm will come.

There is something comical about the fact that Ironwood’s grand plan is… to rebuild Amity Arena. Oh, with a comm tower. That latter part makes perfect sense! Why it needs to be attached to a colosseum, less so. Style points, I guess? Morale booster? Sure.

It’s also comical how much our heroes buried the lede on Oscar being the new Ozpin. And here, we get confirmation that Oz is still gone. Not present, not communicating with Oscar. I thought maybe they’d come to an understand, but… nope. He’s just gone. Which feels ominous, but also makes me wonder: what if Ozpin really is gone from Oscar? What if he’s in someone else? We’ve kind of assumed that couldn’t happen, but we don’t really know for sure. It’s a far out theory, and I don’t really think it’s true, but wouldn’t it be wild if he was now in Ruby—if Ozpin’s presence were at the heart of her reticence, her keeping Ozpin’s full story from Ironwood.

Of course, it’s probably better character development for Ruby if she just did that on her own.

But that leads me to another point, which is that it just kinda seems foreshadowed at this point that Ozpin will probably, somehow, be removed Oscar. Everyone’s been thinking of the aura transfer machine from volume 3, and at this point I’d say it’s likely that’s what the machine was always for in the first place: Ozpin, who after so many lives might be tired of having to inhabit the bodies of unwilling hosts. Ironwood, with Pietro’s help, was probably trying to find a way to free Oz from the cycle of death and rebirth, by transferring him permanently into a synthetic body. It seemed like a possible solution when Amber was attacked. But the machine had to have been in development before then.

When Ruby tells Ironwood that according to Ozpin, all the lamp’s questions were used up, Ironwood says “Right… right” in such a way that makes me think he either knows, or suspects, that this isn’t true. Probably suspects. He walks to the window and says thoughtfully, “Oz told us that too, a long time ago.”

So Ironwood no longer fully trusts Ozpin. And Ruby can’t fully trust Ironwood. Even Qrow is uncertain. I think Leo’s betrayal was a real blow to him.

But the moment that I think truly cements Ironwood’s character is that despite all that, he returns the relic to Ruby for safekeeping. It is a gesture of good faith that I think is pretty unlikely to be anything but genuine. I cannot imagine him parting with that relic if he truly only wanted power for himself.

The Ironwood and Qrow hug was beautiful. Whether friendship or romance, there is definitely some kind of deep connection between the two of them. Enough that Ironwood needed to tell Qrow, personally, that it was good to see him, and underscore his sincerity. And Qrow, when James hugs him… he smiles. He looks affectionate. It’s honestly really sweet.

Our heroes are about to get weapon upgrades! I do think it’s interesting the way Winter says this: “While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise.” And if they are no longer assisting the military…? Yeah, I do highly suspect our heroes will fall afoul of Atlas military again at some point.

This feels a strong opening to the new volume, and it’s laying out these themes of trust and distrust quite heavily, which I think will be very interesting to watch play out among all the characters involved. Most of all I’m looking forward to more of a character arc (read: any character arc) for Ruby, but there is a lot going on here in this new Atlas-centric part of the story. I’m excited to see more.

#rwby7 #rwby spoilers

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greeneyedgirl357 · 5 years

Text

100 Truths

Once again I have been tagged by my pal @basementmermaid so here goes nothing:

1. Real name: Robyn

2. Nicknames: I have a lot lol my mom calls me Robsy or Robsykins, and she used to call me Squirt and Robynski. Squirt is my favorite tbh.

3. Zodiac sign: Scorpio

4. Male or Female: female

5. Nursery: if you mean my room it was lit I had a mobile with dinosaurs on it but I did also go to nursery school and that was lit too we had snax

6. Primary: yeah! I dug it all right.

7. Secondary: would have been cool if I'd had more friends but it was otherwise pretty okay.

8. Hair color: brown

9. Long or short: mid-length?

10. Loud or quiet: quiet

11. Sweatpants or jeans: jeans

12. Phone or camera: camera

13. Health freak: not as much as I'd like to be haha

14. Drink or smoke: I don't smoke but I'm a sucker for wine coolers and a self-proclaimed beer snob.

15. Do you have a crush on someone: nope.

16. Political affiliation: registered unaffiliated. I try to be open-minded, whatever that means.

17. Piercings: two holes in my ears

18. Tattoos: none yet

Have you ever been in:

19. Airplane: I have actually

20. Car accident: thankfully no

21. Fist fight: no hehe

Firsts:

22. First piercing: my first ear piercing; I want to say I was about 9 or 10.

23. First best friend: my pal Mackenzie from pre-school. She used to get me in trouble all the time but eh we had a lot of fun together. We kind of lost touch after kindergarten and I don't really know her super well anymore.

24. First instrument played: piano I think

25. First award: A Honor Roll in the first grade probably.

26. First crush: I want to say pre-k? I was friends with two boys I really liked a lot but I wasn't really very forward and I kind of only saw them as friends.

27. First language: English

28. First big vacation: I flew to Arizona for a family wedding when I was a wee one, perhaps six months old?

Lasts:

29. Last person you talked to: my mom

30. Last person you texted: my mom and my sister (I was talking with both simultaneously)

31. Last person you watched: I watched some dude in a gas station parking lot go inside the store, get a Pepsi, and then leave

32. Last movie you watched: it was either Glory or National Treasure unless you count the video recording of a church musical I was in

33. Last song you listened to: "You Never Give Me Your Money" by The Beatles

34. Last thing you bought: glittery cat stickers

35. Last person you hugged: I think it was my sister

Favorites:

36. Drinks: Chick-fil-a lemonade, sweet tea, gas station slushies, root beer, and strawberry soda

37. Clothing: skinny jeans, my black converses or vans, or a button-down and my sperrys.

40. Book: oof that's hard to say but one big one is probably The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It's one of the most formative for me anyway.

41. Color: all sorts of blues, peach, purple, certain greens

42. Flower: peonies, hydrangeas, roses, carnations, gladiolas, daisies

43. Music: certain classic rock, 80s new wave, 60s jams, current alternative/indie, classical, lo-fi beats to study to, vaporwave

44. Movie: A Hard Day's Night, That Thing You Do!, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back To The Future...lots of 80s movies and some way back classics too

45. Subjects: history, English, science

In the last year:

46. Kissed in the rain: nope

47. Celebrated Halloween: yep! Pulled a last minute costume out of my ass and went to a bonfire.

48. Had your heart broken: nope

49. Went over the minutes on your cell phone: nope and I have unlimited data too

50. Someone questioned your sexual orientation: not that I know of

52. Used a weapon: I used a knife on a roast last weekend does that count?

53. Breathed fire: no

54. Had an abortion: nope

55. Done something you've regretted: yep

56. Broke a promise: I don't think so, I don't make a lot of promises.

57. Kept a secret: yes

58. Pretended to be happy: yes

59. Met someone who changed your life: no

60. Pretended to be sick: no

61. Left the country: no

62. Tried something you normally wouldn't like and liked it: no

63. Cried over the silliest thing: yes

64. Ran a mile: I jogged a mile on a treadmill

65. Went to the beach: yes

66. Stayed single: yes

Currently:

67. Eating: nothing

68. Drinking: strawberry Berlinerweisse (told you I'm a beer snob) mixed with strawberry lemonade

69. Getting ready to: either play the Sims or watch Gilmore Girls

70. Listening to: the album Talking Is Hard by Walk The Moon

71. Plans for today/tomorrow: game a bit, make dinner for my mom.

72. Waiting for: someone to express interest/attraction in me lol

Your future

73. Want kids: absolutely, at least 2-3.

74. Want to get married: yes

75. Careers in mind: librarian/writer/comedian

What's better on a guy or girl

76. Eyes or lips: eyes. I'm a sucker for nice eyes, and they're always the first thing I notice.

77. Shorter or taller: taller is nice but shorter is okay too.

77. Romantic or spontaneous: romantic

78. Nice stomach or nice arms: both

79. Sensitive or loud: sensitive

80. Hookup or relationship: relationship

81. Troublemaker or hesitant: neither

Have you ever

82. Lost glasses/contacts: not as of yet but I'm getting my eyes checked next week so that could change

83. Ran away from home: yes, twice that I can remember. I was probably 7 or 8? I got to the end of my street and then turned around. It was probably because I only packed pants in my bag. I remember only packing pants for some reason.

84. Held a weapon, for self-defense: not for self-defense but I threw a small boulder at my sister once.

85. Killed somebody: only in The Sims

86. Broken somebody's heart: not that I know of

87. Been arrested: no. I did get pulled over once though.

Do you believe in

88. Yourself: sometimes

89. Miracles: no not really. I'm a bit of a skeptic and I have to see physical proof of something to believe it.

90. Love at first sight: yes and no. The hopeless romantic in me really wants to say yes but I don't think you can really know if you love someone without having spent a lot of time getting to know them. I believe you can be attracted to someone at first sight but whether it's love really just depends. Who knows if that's true for everyone but that's my opinion.

91. Heaven: yes

92. Santa Claus: no but I like the idea of him and I'll still leave out cookies even though I know it's just my grandpa eating them

93. Easter Bunny: no but I like the idea of him too

94. Magic: yes

95. Is there one person you want to be with right now: yeah

96. Are you seriously happy with where you are, in life: yes, for the most part. It fluctuates, and to be honest I thought I'd be a little further along in life than I am right now, but I'm perfectly content to be where I am at the present.

97. Are you happy with the person you're with: I am single but my cats are pretty cool and I'm happy hanging with them.

100. Post as 100 truths and tag 5 people: I nominate @foryoublue46 @alloftimeandspace10 @thesearentthedroids94 @opidiod and whoever else wants to go for it hehehe

#100 truths #a word from #me #robyn rambles #robyn reveals #edited because I'm a dummy

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thesinglesjukebox · 5 years

Video

youtube

BECK FT. ROBYN & THE LONELY ISLAND - SUPER COOL

[4.31]

Now presenting a lineup probably thought up previously by some fanfic writer, probably one of us, in 2009...

Julian Axelrod: Finally, a song 10-year-old Julian, 15-year-old Julian and 23-year-old Julian can agree on. [7]

David Moore: Ha, pegged this as the Lego Movie sequel immediately! I would say "I must have kids," heh heh, but no, it's just me -- c'mon, my son is terrified of all screen media, my parenting is on point. (Wait, Beck is on this?) [5]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The best thing Beck has done in a while -- and I actually like late period Beck. [8]

Alfred Soto: Confusing pastiche and parody with a L.A. nihilist's glee, Midnite Vultures had several tracks that borrowed Peter Gabriel's "Steam," added thicker booties, and painted a Morris Day face on them. If "Super Cool" is parody, the target's a mystery; if pastiche, well, Robyn and Beck can't light novena candles to their cooler younger selves. Or can they? [5]

Ian Mathers: Beck has fallen off so hard that even with these collaborators I was bracing myself, but luckily enough his vocal performance here seems to at least remember that Midnite Vultures was a thing; meanwhile Robyn doesn't have much to do but does it well, and the Lonely Island make me wish someone would give them a budget (again; if you haven't seen Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, you are in for a treat). [7]

Jessica Doyle: If you find The Lonely Island funny on repeat (and I do), most of the pleasure comes from them taking a pop-musical idea, immersing themselves in said idea, throwing in some mental trash, and serving up something gleefully askew. That's what I thought, at first, was going on here: The Lonely Island bringing in Beck and Robyn to help them channel Oracular Spectacular-era MGMT, for some reason, and since to this day I will sing "You've got sixty percent less fat than potato chips" at the drop of a hat, I was all for it. Especially once we got to "Like a stray dog on the freeway, we'll fly." (The husky we adopted two weeks ago has so far wiggled out of her collar, bolted for the front door and the garage door, destroyed the back screen door, and managed to escape a locked, chained gate at the local dog park; my flinching at that line is not a problem but a salute.) But then the song degenerates into two --two! -- verses about reading the end credits, and those verses are not funny, completely unconnected to the preceding setup and nauseatingly bland. This is exactly the kind of schlock The Lonely Island used to refrain from delivering. [2]

Thomas Inskeep: Well, by sticking the Lonely Island on here with a pair of "rap" interludes about film credits, whoever put this song together ruined it nicely. Beck sounds like he's having fun, and Robyn sounds like -- well, a backup singer getting her big break (she deserves better) -- but without editing out Samberg et al., this is fairly unlistenable. [4]

Edward Okulicz: Doing verses about credits is super dumb (but then again, I thought the verse/chorus disparity of "Jack Sparrow" was stupid and not funny at all) and meta in a bad way. But that's the only thing I don't like and both of those bits are over quickly if you want to tune out and dream of Andy Samberg's ridiculous yet beautiful face, which I don't always. Beck's verse is like he mashed up "Mixed Bizness" and "Nicotine & Gravy," which are two of his most fun songs, and the chorus sounds terrific on the radio -- I heard it in a shopping mall on the weekend and it really made me want to buy things. Not necessarily Lego, but not not Lego! [8]

Iris Xie: Andy Samberg doing an E-40 impression and Beck repeatedly singing "everything is super cool" makes me panic from the suggestion that my genuine joy of childhood can be seamlessly reproduced with no errors. Except this is all glitches. Cheery, forced conformity that rips open itself in a twisted form would be cool if it were more self-aware. This is late crisis capitalism -- get me out of here! [0]

Jonathan Bradley: Seeing "Everything is Awesome!!!" in the context of The Lego Movie didn't make it a better song, but it did make it a more awesome one -- the film translated a lot of that infectious idiotic glee. I don't know if, in context, "Super Cool" actually becomes super cool; out of, it's awfully thin. Beck has the ability to be silly, which makes it all the more unusual how stiff his funk is here. Robyn is at her worst when she is silly -- that's how "Konichiwa Bitches" happened -- so it's for the best that she sticks to hook duty. (The Lonely Island is meta. You know how it goes.) [3]

Katherine St Asaph: Beck does his best Kaytranada, Robyn is dissolved in the beat like she's Cassie, and then The Lonely Island show up, in case you were into it, to remind us it's all a joke. [5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I'm not a fan of musicians who can neatly and primarily be labeled "comedy." Their existence and exultation highlight an odd, prevailing notion that art (particularly music) must be serious in order to be taken seriously, and that comedy is something else. There's also the fact that everything is funnier when you aren't going into it expecting to laugh. All this said, The Lonely Island's feature here is abysmal even for their low standards. Haha yea they're pointing out the not-so-exciting act of watching the end credits! Hilarious. At least "Everything is Awesome" featured a "XD so random!" element that didn't feel so tethered to when it played in the movie. As with many songs for soundtracks, children, or soundtracks for children's films, "Super Cool" finds every artist's personality here sanded down to the point of non-existence. And for what purpose, exactly? Accessibility? A digestible message? Hooks that need to be watered-down in order to sound peppy? Kids deserve better animated films than The Lego Movie franchise, and they certainly deserve better music than "Super Cool." [0]

Alex Clifton: I am honestly too old for this shit. [2]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#Beck #Robyn #The Lonely Island #The Lego Movie 2 #pop #music #music review #writing

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reelgalsofglasgow-blog · 5 years

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The Golden Gals: The Reel Gals Academy Awards

The time has come. The envelopes have been sealed (with the right cards in each - we hope). We’ve been sewn into our best outfits. In lieu of an exuberant opening musical number featuring the ubiquitous James Corden, please enjoy a short clip of the best Oscars moment ever:

youtube

Honestly, if this year’s ceremony doesn’t open with just those fourteen seconds on a loop for a solid seven minutes, we’ll be sorely disappointed.

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We know that all you’ll be thinking about now is that clip and basking in how gloriously weird it is… so maybe take a few minutes, watch that clip another eight or so times just to be sure; grab yourself a cuppa and settle in - because it’s time to announce our own Reel Gals Academy Award winners! The ‘Osc-hers’, if you will.

Ask any professional in TV - and they’ll tell you that the best entertainment always starts not with an idea or any spark of passion… but with a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets are the equivalent of Amino Acid for British TV programmes. Boring, but true. So we put together a spreadsheet listing each category and, depending on how many nominees, numbered them 1-5 (or 1-8 in Best Picture’s case) where 5 = favourite nominee. Then the magic spreadsheet worked out the average for us because damn, we’re not NASA.

With all our votes cast (unfortunately four of the categories had to drop as we just couldn’t get viewing copies in time - sorry Documentaries, Short Docs, Live Action Shorts and Foreign Language films!) our WhatsApp group chock full of planning for hectic last-minute trips to the cinema, trailer breakdowns, Spotify playlists, Adam Driver spam [Sorrrrry ~ Jen] and late night Netflix binges - we’re ready to present our own personal winners of each category - JUST in time for the ceremony itself.

Will we be as off-the-mark as the Academy not putting Emily Blunt up for a Lead Actress nomination for her stellar work in A Quiet Place? Or will it turn out that we are actually a collective of omniscient New Age Mystics, ordained by the gods of Hollywood themselves - imparting our sage wisdom and knowledge of the Future? Who can tell? Not us. (Or can we??)

So, get Red Carpet ready and join us for our 2019 Oscars picks and their close-fought runners-up, as voted for by us!

LEAD ACTOR

1. Christian Bale - Not gonna lie, it’s difficult to completely lavish Bale with praise considering that a major part of the prep in his transformation into the illusive Dick Cheney was “eating a LOT of pies”. If I was paid on the premise of my pie eating abilities, I’m pretty sure I would be up for an award too, just sayin’. Anyway, he does a pretty good damn job of depicting someone that no one really knows a great deal about in the first place, especially viewers outside the UK (I had to google him twice). His flair for delivering an all consuming, intense and seminal performance is as apparent as ever despite the layers of latex and make up to contend with. Particularly during the heart attack scene in which I found myself worryingly questioning how much red meat and cream I’d had in the last month. It worth saying that his performance owes a great deal to the aforementioned hair and makeup team, whose work is nothing short of astonishing. It’s literally the only Christian Bale film in which I’ve never been attracted to Christian Bale, for real. Considering that his last Oscar win was in 2011 for The Fighter, another dramatic, transformative role then he might be in with a chance. The voters have shown time and time again that they award convincing portrayals of famous figures so I reckon It’s a toss up between Malek and Bale this year, although with utmost respect to Malek, I hope it’s the latter. [~Marie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Viggo Mortensen

3. Rami Malek

LEAD ACTRESS

1. Olivia Colman - So, I always hear “Olivia Colman can do no wrong” and I have to admit that The Favourite is absolutely no exception. I first stumbled across her while heavily invested in Peep Show during my late teens, but it was really in Broadchurch that I fell in love with her as an actor (and while watching her acceptance speech for her recent BAFTA win, I fell in love with her as a person). I know that us Reel Gals were definitely a little divided regarding The Favourite as an overall film, but I don’t think any of us will have any major qualms if she picks up the Oscar this weekend. Her performance and portrayal of Queen Anne more than deserve it, and I stumbled around looking for the perfect phrase to express this embodiment, and her ability to make us empathize with this rather “brutish” historical figure. In the end what sums it up is Colman’s lack of fear to exhibit ‘grotesque charm’ balanced with her open vulnerability in the role of Queen Anne that (along with the other female-lead performances) kept the film afloat for me. [~ Kayleigh]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Yalitza Aparicio

3. Lady Gaga

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Mahershala Ali - Ali, to me is one of those faces (handsome faces) that, when you see, you can't quite put your finger on and when you IMDb search him you find yourself saying “Oh yeah, that's what he's in”, and to me that includes the fact that I forget about his Academy Award winning performance in Moonlight. After Green Book I don't think I'll be forgetting him again and us Gals believe he should be receiving his second Oscar tonight to join his BAFTA and Golden Globe for the performance. His portrayal of Classical and Jazz pianist Dr Don Shirley is the perfect accompaniment and antithesis to the uncouth Tony Lip portrayed by Viggo Mortensen. I don't know enough about Dr Don Shirley to say that Mahershala embodies him, but I don't think that matters as much as the feeling watching his performance gives the viewer. You can feel his frustration with Tony during their road trip, you can feel his loneliness in the hotels at night, you can feel his passion for music and playing the piano, you can feel his anger at how he is treated by the ignorant white southerners purely based on the colour of his skin and you can feel his love in the tear inducing final scene. Any performance that can make me empathise with the emotions of an American male, mid-30s, black, upper-class, talented performer trying to overcome racism and ignorance in the American Deep South in the 60s (and if you hadn't guessed I fit none of those categories), is a powerful performance indeed. Good luck Mahershala! [~Robyn]

JOINT RUNNERS UP:

2. Richard E Grant / Adam Driver

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Regina King - This may well have been the easiest category for me to vote on. (Even though I actually felt that this year showcased a whole lot of strongly-delivered performances, by so many talented women.) Regina King - wow - what a badass lady right there. I thought that the acting from all parties in If Beale Street Could Talk was so incredibly sincere, but especially that of King's. Together with the colour palette, soundtrack and cinematography, I was honestly so moved by the whole film (and am *entirely gutted* that it's been overshadowed by its competitors). I have only one complaint about IBSCT and that is that Regina King should have got more screen time. Everything I've seen King in I've loved and I have to admit that I was just happy to see this nomination, let alone think that her performance in IBSCT was flawless and even although she has some tough competition, that she fully deserves to win the Oscar. If Beale Street Could Talk represents love, passion, strength and power, whilst addressing themes such as race and equality - everything this film stands for, Regina King embodies in herself as a person and channels in her character, Sharon Rivers. It was refreshing to watch King and just believe her, believe in her character and believe in her as woman and a mother. You will forever be one of my heroes Regina, thank-you for sharing your talent. [~Katie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Rachel Weisz

3. Emma Stone

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Spike Lee - I’m almost pained to admit that my first experience of a Spike Lee film only came about during my 3rd year of studying film at uni (for shame). The module was ‘The Importance of Soundtrack’ and in particular, the inclusion of pop, hip-hop & R&B music to accentuate social commentary and help establish mood, setting and underlying tension that any director worth their salt can’t express through dialogue alone. I remember leaving the tiny Gilmore cinema on a Tuesday afternoon having watched Do the Right Thing and feeling unusually energised, awake and slightly angry - but in a good way. Cut to roughly 7 years later, I’m leaving Cineworld, on my 29th birthday, no less, after a screening of BlacKkKlansman, still vibrating with anger and frustration 5 minutes after the film ended. It’s the most powerful last 10 minutes of a film, but it’s not Spike Lee’s best. Nor do I think it’s the best film of the year (although I’m possibly in the minority of my Reel Gals peers in saying that). However, in light of a barrage of recent injustices in the US - social and political - it cannot be considered anything less than a vital and timely film which (despite its shortcomings) deserves all the Oscar attention it gets. Lee is a complete master in his unique ability to inject comedy and style into a hard-hitting subject matter such as blind, racial hatred. Since next year will mark the 30th year since Lee’s first infamous Oscar snub, I feel like it’s only right that the academy should Do the Right Thing (heh, you see what I did there..?) and honour him for managing to stay angry (or #woke, if you prefer) and keeping us angry - in a good way. [~Marie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Alfonso Cuarón

3. Yorgos Lanthimos

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - If you were to pause this film on any frame, you could print it and hang it on your wall. Every single frame is a work of art. The Best Animated Feature category was extremely strong this year with the usual gorgeous Pixar and Disney outings that ordinarily would have snatched the title as they have done in previous years. Such is the power and unique brilliance of this film to take on the two Animation behemoths at their best and come out on top. Boasting twice the normal number of animators (177!!) to bring to life Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s vision for Miles Morales’ colourful and diverse world, it utilises a glorious twist of new and old forms of animation as well as ideas from print - halftones, hatching and overprinting as well as inserting comic cells and onomatopoeic graphics (“THWIP!” and “BAGEL!” are particular favourites). Not only have we mixtures of frame-rates for characters within the same frame (Whaaaaat?!) to denote Miles’ initial clumsiness versus the other Spider-People’s practised grace; but we’re treated to mixtures of graphic styles with Manga, Noir and classic American cartoon for each of the Multi-Verse Spiders - which shouldn’t work, but does here so, SO well. It’s easy to understand how 10 seconds of final cut content took an entire year for 177 people to create. Lovely little touches like characters stepping into Noir’s space being affected by his immediate ‘windy’ environment and the hand-drawn overlays and inserted comic style frames make this the most exciting, innovative and beautiful-looking animated film not only of 2018 but we believe also of the last decade. It is a true cinematic experience and one that not only deserves the Oscar, but also deserves recognition for changing the landscape of what’s possible for film animation. Also, not going to lie - a lot of us came out of the film inexplicably attracted to Peter B Parker and wish he was real. We would buy that man as many bagels as he wants, for sure. [~Jen]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Isle of Dogs

3. Ralph Breaks the Internet

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

1. Bao - Pixar shorts. They are great. One of the Reel gooduns is, Bao. It’s kinda silly, it’s a bit weird, but ultimately it does what Pixar does best. It taps into very touching, emotional aspects of the human condition. Bao is a 2018 computer-animated short film written and directed by Domee Shi and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was released with Incredibles 2 on June 15, 2018. It’s the shortest film of the shorts-lineup. Focusing on a middle aged mother is a wonderful perspective to choose. The film is about an ageing Chinese-Canadian mother, suffering from empty nest syndrome. She receives a rather unusual second chance at motherhood when she makes a baozi dumpling that comes to life as a boy. The film takes you by surprise at several points, after being lulled into a place of “OK, maybe this human baozi is something I can get on board with”, but it ends on a beautiful note. So, as Danny Devito once put it: “I like it, I love it, I want more of it”. [~ Caroline]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Late Afternoon

3. One Small Step

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. BlacKkKlansman - Last year Get Out won the award for best original screenplay for its haunting, hilarious, terrifying, and almost ridiculously scary tale. Some thought this tale of fiction was too simple in its over-the-topness, but the message it wanted to pass was far from it. This year, the equally unbelievable and extremely important story of racism and bigotry comes in an adapted script form based on the true reports of police officer and KKK infiltrator Ron Stallworth. Released as a memoir in 2014 by Stallworth, screenwriters David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel were shocked to find out that no studios even bothered buying the rights to this unbelievable tale and independently adapted the work. It’s not just a brilliant story cause of what happened. It’s not just an amazing comedy cause of the clever dialogue. Its ingenuity, lies on how contemporary this ‘period’ piece reads. From dialogue that feel as if you’re reading the latest Trump supporter’s tweets, to the unbelievable and unapologetic beliefs some have and march for even today. And in case quotes from the Grand Duke of the KKK like ‘I just want to make America great’ didn’t give the film a terrifying enough case of the ‘history is repeating itself’, the brilliant end scene sure does. Thank you for your public service, one day *hopefully* we’ll learn from past mistakes. [~ Lia]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

3. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Green Book - Well, I can genuinely say that Green Book is one of the most beautifully written and delivered films I have been blessed with watching at the cinema in a long time. Based on a true story, it invites the audience to join a world class African-American pianist and his Italian-American driver from the Bronx, on a concert tour of the Deep South in the 60′s - a difficult storyline, fraught with potential pitfalls, executed in a gentle and respectful way. Named after a legitimate travel guide that listed businesses that would accept African-American custom, Green Book confronts infuriating themes such as racism, segregation, class and sexuality – all of which are still issues today. The story encapsulates the growth of an unlikely partnership between the musician Dr Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) – quick note to talk about how outstanding, heart-warming and believable their performances were – as with time, the begin to respect, understand and care for each other. [Obviously there are questions about why Green Book would frame a story about racism in the Deep South around a white man’s experience - and have the man of colour take a back seat. Literally. My takeaway from the film was mostly that people aren’t defined by their class as much as they aren’t by their colour - just because Dr Shirley is black does not mean he ought to fall into tired old stereotypes - just because Tony is poor (by comparison) and working class, doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy the ‘perceived spoils of the upper classes’ - classical music or any of the rest of it. Dr Shirley expands Tony’s experience and understanding with regards race - while Tony expands Dr Shirley’s in class. In a post-Brexit and Trump world, where working class people are feeling increasingly marginalised and are partaking in scapegoating of people of colour as a result, perhaps Green Book (however problematic it may still be) presents a message that might get through to those people in today’s political climate? But of course, all of this is my opinion as a lower middle-class white lassie from the UK. ~Jen]

As such, Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie and Nick Vallelonga (notably Tony Lip’s son) presents us with a rather Hollywood (in other words: soft) version of this story, resulting in a mixed response for this film (not from us down at Reel Gals HQ, we loved it), however, he tries to carefully balance out the hard-hitting, dark scenarios that our duo face on the road with the cleverly written dialogue and characterisation running into some really special, incredibly warm moments of character-driven humour.

All in all, I would say Green Book is a cinematically stunning piece of work as well as a story of growth and respect; a feel good film that deserves the Oscar (I'm going to give Roma a quick S/O, as I do believe that it it too would be a worthy winner). I can also say that Farrelly really surprised me after some of the (in my opinion) trash that he’s previously had his name on (Dumb and Dumber, I’m looking at you). You will leave the film feeling warm, with faith in cinema and the inability to stop thinking about how much you want to fold up an entire pizza and eat it like a sandwich – I know I did. [~ Katie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Roma

3. Vice

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Roma - Rumour has it that the revolution will not be televised, and up until recently, the category for Cinematography was almost relegated to the ad-breaks. Why John Bailey, why? Thankfully, after a public ballyhoo, we will be able to see the award presented via live stream (as well as Editing, Live-Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling). So why is Cinematography so vital to us?

Let’s go back forty-eight years for a moment. Director, Norman Jewison once talked about how he created the warm, earthy haze of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) with the director of photography, Oswald Morris. They lined a lens with a pair of brown nylons seen on a woman on set (hello, 1970’s Hollywood!). Though Jewison shrugged this story off as a lucky spur-of-the-moment decision, it was made and carried out to stunning effect. Watch it and see. Almost half-a century later, and cinematography has continued to thrive in ingenuity and style.

The Reel Gals have come together to appreciate Alfonso Cuarón’s, cinematographic mastery in Roma. Originally, Emmanuel Lubezki was set to take on this task, but there was an availability clash. Cuarón took over as well as writing the screenplay and directing the film. Lubezki remained an influence to Cuarón who said in an interview with Variety that Lubezki’s voice was in the back of his mind as he worked.

Roma is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City. Cuarón said of his stylistic choices:

“I would say it’s the ghost of the present that is visiting the past, without getting involved, just observing, not trying to make a judgment or commentary.”

With this in mind, I can see why he shot it in black and white. Actually, he shot it in colour with the Alexa 65, then paired it back to black-and-white, like a photo-realistic painter. The effect of this is that the film is crisp, and each scene seems almost 3D. When you take the colour away, other senses become heightened. The sounds in Roma, for example, are so much more present. The less you see, the more you fill in with your mind. Strangely, things seem more vivid in black and white.

I recommend this article as it gives much more information about the visual decisions which were made. All I can say at this point is that as viewers, we intuitively respond to what has been crafted for us, and this craft should be celebrated. Alfonso Cuarón has given us an incredible film which (like Fidder) will be talked about by new generations of Reel Gals in another fifty years. [~ Caroline]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Never Look Away

3. A Star is Born / The Favourite

BEST FILM EDITING

1.Vice - Of all of the films shortlisted for the Oscars, one has stood out as being one with as many ideas laid out in the edit as it was in the writing and shooting of the piece. Hank Corwin makes use of syncopation like the greatest of musicians - very frequently going places creatively you would never expect… cuts to black; use of archive; the visuals quite often were at odds with the sound, but in the best possible ways. It is frantic, meta, fourth-wall busting, juxtaposition-filled mania with a persistent overarching feeling of extreme unease and increasing dread - perfectly fitting for Cheney’s journey into Power.[~ Jen]

RUNNERS UP:

2. BlacKkKlansman

3. Bohemian Rhapsody

BEST SOUND MIXING

1. Bohemian Rhapsody - So quickly, for those of you (like myself before casting my votes) who didn't know the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, Sound Editing is the creation and use of sound effects, Sound Mixing is the overall use of soundtrack including music, dialogue, sound effects, the whole shebang really. Overall, although I thoroughly enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, I'm not sure I agree with the amount of award attention this movie is getting. Maybe being a big Queen fan the movie left me feeling like it was mostly a celebration of them as a band and lacked any profound revelation. However what can be truly marvelled at in this movie is the recreation of Freddie Mercury's performances; credit where it's due, Rami Malek did a great job of becoming him on screen; but the reproduction of that incredible voice and Queen’s Greatest Hits is what really makes the film what I would call “The Queen Experience”. After seeing the movie and rediscovering an old love by listening to the soundtrack on repeat I noticed that it included live tracks and demos, and doing a bit of digging I discovered that for the concert scenes they used the real live sound from the concerts being recreated, in fact these sequences were chosen around the choice of recording (although don't quote me on that, my sources are from the internet, could be fake news). Also, to make the Freddie Mercury voice perfect some of the recordings were mixed with Canadian Christian Rock artist Marc Martel whose voice is so similar you can barely tell the difference. All of this attention to detail along with the cinematic surround sound effects means that for millennials like us, unfortunately too young to have seen Freddie perform live ourselves, can feel like we were actually at Live Aid (sorry Adam Lambert, you don't quite cut it). That sounds award worthy to me. [~Robyn]

RUNNERS UP:

2. A Star is Born

3. First Man

BEST SOUND EDITING

1. First Man - As I mentioned above, for those of you who don't know, the Sound Editing category celebrates the creation and use of Sound Effects. There are certain members of the Reel Gals that would disagree with me on my analysis of First Man - I found it boring and too long and to be 90% Ryan Gosling not really acting and mostly just being mopey (and this is coming from someone who loves Ry-Go as much as the next girl). However I can appreciate that creating the illusion of space travel relies heavily on sound effects, on this I cannot fault the film. Any scene that features people in the cockpit of a space rocket or bouncing about the face of the moon (spoiler - Neil Armstrong is the “first man” to take one small step for man and one… blah blah blah you know the rest), is beautifully soundtracked with what I imagine since I have never been to the moon, realistic sound effects. [Like Pavlov’s Dog - if I ever hear that intense rattling from this version of the cockpit of Apollo 11 again, I will take a serious whitey. ~Jen] There are no dodgy Wilhelm Screams during the upsetting cockpit fire scene or Star Trek-like door “wooshes” here. Now maybe if these types of sounds had been included I would have been more entertained, but the sound effects were so realistic and in the moon landing scene almost beautiful. So well done to the sound team for keeping me too firmly in reality with this film. [~Robyn]

RUNNERS UP:

2. A Quiet Place

3. Bohemian Rhapsody

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. Mary Poppins Returns - I thought it was impossible to make a new Mary Poppins film and that attempting to remake a classic was just Hollywood proving it had run out of ideas but in the case of Mary Poppins Returns’ production designer John Myhre strikes a fine balance of appealing to the old eyes who watched the original and the fresh new ones experiencing this story for the first time. If you’re the one wearing the nostalgia glasses then each and every set in this film will make you feel like the kid you were all those years ago - from the cobbled streets of the reimagined 1930s London to the whimsical wonder that is the upside down house. This is where Myhre’s talent shines as he pays homage to the old while never quite replicating it. The house of 17 Cherry Tree Lane still looks and feels as if it has been lifted from Emile Kuri’s original designs but feels reimagined, the fingerprints of Michael Banks life as an adult are prevalent in every room - especially in the attic. Taking a trip up there feels like throwing yourself back in time filled with a clutter of old easter eggs that would thrill any fan of the first film - you don’t have to look far to spot the blocks used by Julie Andrews in ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ or the sash worn by Jane’s mum and of course the most notable throwback of all - the kite. In the end, this is a real house for a real man, in real depression who has lived a very real life but then cue Mary Poppins. The drab, brown and grey colour palette across the set bursts into colour as her mere presence turns this gritty reality into a magical fantasy. The mix of fantasy and reality blends seamlessly together so much so that even the expertly recreated scenes like Big Ben’s tower have a flare of magic to them.

I hadn’t realised until the credits started to roll that somewhere along the way I had taken my nostalgia glasses off and started to view this film as its own entity. Through beautifully crafted sets that meld seamlessly into the classic stylings of the animations, meticulous in detail, it captures the spirit of its predecessor but has an identity very much of its own. So, now I am prepared to eat my earlier retort and believe in the words of Mary Poppins herself - “everything is possible, even the impossible.” [~Isla]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Black Panther

3. The Favourite

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. Shallow - A Star is Born - I have to admit, I’m rather gutted that All The Stars missed out on our number one spot (thanks Gals) but Shallow undoubtedly is a bit of a banger. “Is there somethin’ else you’re searching for” - Shallow poetically (when I say poetically, I mean pretty darn obviously) offers the audience an insight to both Ali and Jackson’s character growth throughout the film: Ali, looking to get more out of her life than it was offering her and Jackson, his deterioration in light of his dying career (is that a spoiler? Surely not!). Don’t get me wrong, I loved A Star is Born and genuinely think Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper *pauses for Bradley Cooper’s voice* have an undeniable connection, the way they perform together - both in this song and the film as a whole - left me with chills (an opinion shared by fewer than half of the Reel Gals) [I may have hated the film, but that won’t stop me beltin’ this mother out at the karaoke ~ Jen] - Shallow will live on and I am sure will be leaving with Academy award, however in my opinion, it’s not particularly inspiring or lyrically imaginative. Still love you, Gaga. [~ Katie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. All The Stars - Black Panther

3. The Place Where Lost Things Go - Mary Poppins Returns

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. BlacKkKlansman by Terence Blanchard - BlacKkKlansman marks the 19th project and 30th year of a Spike Lee/Terence Blanchard partnership and wowzers! Blanchard has composed a score that beautifully enhances the exquisite direction of Lee, capturing a sound that really drives the audience’s emotion throughout the film. Although I found it almost impossible to choose between all the nominations for Best Score, Blanchard has stolen top spot at the Reel Gals’ Academy Awards and to be honest, rightfully so! Terence Blanchard uses “his passion and desire to serve the story” when it comes to anything he composes, which is just one of the reasons he is fully deserved of the Oscar when it comes to the BlacKkKlansman score. He pulls in influences of Hendrix with the electric guitar (which in my opinion really captures Ron Stallworth’s character as a whole) and couples it with the power of brass, a combination that successfully delivers both chilling and comedic moments – alluding to what the audience should be feeling, rather than being on the nose. Terence Blanchard had the responsibility of composing for an unbelievable and haunting TRUE story and respectfully does so, joining Spike Lee in telling the a story of hate from the 70s and leaving the audience with the hard-hitting truths that we still deal with similar hate, even now. [~ Katie]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Mary Poppins Returns by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

3. Black Panther by Ludwig Goransson

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR

1. Vice - Makeup and hair are such a crucial part of building the characters we see on screen - they help the actors embody the person they’re playing (literally!). The outcry when the Academy dared to suggest that they might bump this and other critical categories (Cinematography and Editing to name a couple for gawd’s sake - HOW DO YOU MAKE A FILM WITHOUT THOSE??!) to being hidden in the ad breaks was so vehement - and rightly so. I don’t know how many times I walked past the poster and ad screens for Vice and had next to no recognition at all for any of the main cast. When I eventually read the names under the pictures, I remember very loudly going “WHAT?! WHAAAAAAT?! all the way down the escalator in our local Cineworld (my partner can attest to his embarrassment at my outburst)… Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Amy Adams… and then we have Christian “So Method” Bale.

Some people might argue that his transformation was mostly down to, as Marie suggests in our Lead Actor category, his increased pie intake and his unmatched ability to give himself over completely to the character. But without the design and hard work every day of Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney, he would have just been “Thicc, Evil Christian Bale” - not an almost-indistinguishable-from-the-real-thing embodiment of political monster Dick Cheney.

There is an absolutely excellent article I found in which Cannom talks website Vox through his design and daily process and it’s frankly incredible. < find it here > More incredible still, once he had a cast of Bale’s head (whom he says was wary of the process of SFX makeup and prosthetics as he hadn’t done it before) he only had two weeks to design and build the various ages of Cheney onto Bale’s very differently-shaped head. The quality of the skin (given a sweaty shine by an application of KY Jelly as a final step to the process, hilariously) is impeccable; the build of the silicone to completely change the shape of Bale’s face is grotesquely gorgeous. Across the board this is one of the most impressive examples of practical makeup and hair SFX I’ve ever seen - and in an age of CGId top lips to remove stubborn moustaches and digital de-ageing processes getting more and more advanced, this film proves the practical way is as strong and vital as ever and fully deserving of taking centre stage - on air - at the Oscars. [~Jen]

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. Black Panther - I couldn’t possibly pretend to be an expert on costume design or on the numerous African Tribal influences that have given these costumes their heart and soul. But, I can say that while watching Black Panther I was utterly blown away with the attention to detail, combined with the bold bursts of colour and creativity. I also can’t explain my sheer relief and empowerment of watching fierce female characters kick ass without the carbon copy, over sexualized outfit with matching heels. Now I don’t want my first blog post to cause too much of a divide, but I’m definitely referring to my eye roll during Wonder Woman right after I spotted those raised golden beauties... and just for the record, I actually loved Wonder Woman (and I love heels) but it was just so refreshing, and practical, without losing any of the superhero escapism we all long for. The head costume designer Ruth E. Carter absolutely fulfilled all my ‘tribal-warrior-female-fantasy’ dreams (is that a category from RuPaul’s Drag Race?) and I left the cinema envious of her talent. Some of the costumes were literally pieces of wearable art and will no doubt be celebrated as such. [~ Kayleigh]

JOINT RUNNERS UP:

2. The Favourite / Mary Poppins Returns

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Ready Player One - This was one of the most difficult categories to vote for. All five films brought amazing innovations in the art of cinema and definitely deserve to be recognised for them and you know what, Reel Gals will! First Man combined a mixture of diverse sources for its aesthetic; visual effects, special effects, and even archival footage of the NASA launch. Solo gave us the perfect visual effect adaptation of the legend that Star Wars fans everywhere know as the 12 parsecs run. Christopher Robin created a photoreality mixed with shot on location footage so good, that its parody Trainspotting mashup video attests to its VFX perfection. Avengers: Infinity War had two different effects teams (TWO!) building the most realistic performance from Brolin’s onset one and could possibly land Marvel with their first ever effects Oscar. However, Ready Player One, created an entire virtual world that immersed characters and viewers alike by combining effects with animation. Remember The Overlook Hotel part from The Shining in the film? The blood? The scary twins and old lady turned into a zombie? That’s right, hand them that award now and then in true Mean Girls fashion, break it up and share with the rest. You’re all VFX queens. [~Lia]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Avengers: Infinity War

3. First Man

Which leaves us with just one more award to lay out… it’s the big’un. Can you guess what it might be, from our voting habits above?

BEST PICTURE

1. BlacKkKlansman - Winning our Best Picture vote - based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman is a spectacularly timely look at institutional and societal racism and bigotry - holding a mirror up squarely in the face of modern audiences. Set against the backdrop of the Ku Klux Klan’s ‘organised hate’ in 1970’s Colorado, it is equal parts horrifying and hilarious; poignant and relevant. The performances are compelling and perfectly balanced - most notably, the relationship between buddy cops John David Washington’s ‘Ron Stallworth’ and Adam Driver’s ‘Flip Zimmerman’ is nuanced and brimming with mutual respect, both for one another in character and as actors. The two have spectacular comic timing - but they both also boast the finely-honed acting chops to carry the Singularity-strength gravity of the themes presented by Ron Stallworth’s incredible true story. The beautifully-composed shots and off-kilter score compliment Spike Lee’s characteristically brave and politically-biting choices as director, exemplified particularly in the closing scene of his latest Joint, which (after a moment of levity and possibly the biggest laugh of the film) is affecting, desperately sad and deeply terrifying - and will stay with you for a long time. [~ Jen]

RUNNERS UP:

2. Green Book

3. Roma

And that’s that. The audience’s sugar levels are low… The ‘get off the stage’ music has started playing… and the awards organisers are threatening to cut to an ad break. But before they can send the heavies onto the stage to forcibly remove us - it’s NOT OVER YET - *grabs microphone* here are some nominations we would have added:

BEST PICTURE: First Man [Genuinely thought this was a shoe-in! ~Jen]

BEST SONG: Sunflower by Post Malone & Swae Lee for Spider-Verse [Honestly, the entire score for Spider-Verse was spectacular and I'm gutted it didn't get a nomination either, although it was tough enough as it is for best original score, as all nominations are stunning - BUT BEST SONG, where is this nomination? And WHY, GOD WHHHY is ‘I'll Fight’ on there? It genuinely made me want to pull out my eyeballs ~ Katie] [Couldn’t agree more. Ruth Bader Ginsberg deserves more than this old-fashioned early 2000s-style credit-roller ballad. You’re better than this, J-Hud. ~ Jen]

LEAD ACTRESS: Emily Blunt for A Quiet Place

LEAD ACTRESS: Viola Davis for Widows

LEAD ACTOR: John David Washington for BlacKkKlansman [This omission I think has slightly tarnished Driver’s well-deserved nomination for Best Supporting; with a lot of people asking why the ‘white guy is the only one to receive an acting nom from a film about a black man’s struggles with the KKK’. I would suggest that Driver’s character Flip, as DJW’s character Ron states: “Also has skin in the game”, being Jewish - it’s hardly him doing a ‘Scarlet Johansson’, given the point of the story is that he’s Ron’s proxy and crucial to his takedown of the chapter. But then it *is* difficult to argue that the intentions of the Academy were (whether subconsciously or not) entirely well-intentioned on the matter of not including Washington in the nominations. ~ Jen]

LEAD ACTOR: Steve Carell for Beautiful Boy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Steve Carell (again - what a year he’s had!) for Vice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Timotheé Chalamet for Beautiful Boy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Danai Gurira for Black Panther

VISUAL EFFECTS: Welcome to Marwen [This!! ~ Kayleigh]

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Whitney [I would also say the editing of this was fantastic, if it's good enough for the Edinburgh Film Festival then it’s good enough for an Oscar consideration ~Robyn]

And despite the outwardly more-diverse-than-usual (which still isn’t saying much) nominee list this year thanks to an extremely influential #OscarsSoWhite campaign and hopefully the beginnings of a turning of the tide for Hollywood (we hope - it's about bloody time something improved) - it seems the Academy aren’t quite there with equality and representation yet...

BEST DIRECTOR: A woman. Any women, for goodness’ sake. It’s 2019! A nod to Glasgow-born Lynne Ramsay for You Were Never Really Here, Marielle Heller for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Debra Granik for Leave No Trace. Just in case the Academy didn’t think they had enough choice! [~Marie]

At time of writing, the other main awards events for the year have been and gone - and the differences in nominations and winners laid out by the Oscars, BAFTAs, Globes and Critics’ Choice nominees lists vs the reality of women’s film work in 2018 are still quite stark - specifically in contrast with events like the Independent Spirit Awards - (admittedly films like Green Book and blockbusters etc wouldn’t qualify) - who lavished their awards last night on films like If Beale Street Could Talk; You Were Never Really Here, Leave No Trace and Sorry to Bother You - notably with many of the winners crying out for more female representation in the nominations for Directing and other categories in film in general.

2018 was the strongest year for representation of women in film yet - with places like the BFI Film Festival presenting more female-led films than ever before in its history and how vociferous the support is getting for equal opportunity and recognition - importantly not only from women - in calling out these omissions-by-gender, here’s hoping the Academy will catch on. Eventually.

But until that time… thanks for joining us for our little pre-Oscars ceremony and our first proper blog! Cheers for reading, sharing and any hits of the like button are greatly appreciated… Thank you to the Academy… we’d also like to thank our parents, everyone who believed in us, Adele Dazeem, dogs (all of them) for being excellent...

*Rugby-tackled by security guards and dragged off-stage*

Xx ~ The Reel Gals

(Find us on instagram: reel_gals_of_glasgow | twitter: ReelGalsGlasgow)

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1125

survey by nadine07

[..Introductions..]

First Name: Robyn.

Middle Name: I don’t think I’ve shared it on here and I doubt I will.

Last Name: Not providing it either but it starts with a C.

Birthdate: April 21st.

[..First Things First..]

What was the first thing you did after you got up? I rushed to the rooftop so that I could see the sunrise. I also got in the random mood to do a time-lapse of it, but the sun took forrrrrrrr-freaking-ever to come up entirely. I was holding up my phone for like 15 minutes and nothing was happening, so I quit halfway through lol.

What was the name of your first pet? Goldie, because it was a goldfish.

Who was your first big crush? Gabie, I would say.

Where was the first place you drove after you got your license? Chelsea’s 18th birthday dinner was scheduled right after I happened to get my license, and the event took place in a small, quaint little restaurant in Marikina.

There’s a bit of a funny story here, too – Aaron needed a ride to get there and so I offered to drive him. I picked him up and we were having small talk in the car, and he asked me how long I’ve been driving. I told him that moment was my literal first time driving out and that I just got my license the day before, and he is my first-ever passenger (at that point I’ve never even tried driving solo yet). The horror and immediate distrust on his face was something I will never forget HAHAHA. We got to the place unharmed, but it’s still one of my favorite stories to tell.

Who was your very first friend? It was a kind girl named Kaye back in kindergarten. We were always next to each other in our class lists, so it was inevitable for us to befriend one another. She transferred schools in first grade and I have not seen nor heard from her since.

What was the first thing you ate today? I had another bag of salted egg chips. I’m extremely hooked, lmao.

What was your first job? I work as an associate at a PR agency.

[..Colors..]

Name something red in the room you are in: We have an unopened bottle of wine here on the dining table and there’s still a red ribbon wrapped around it.

Is orange one of your school's team colors? No, neither of my schools had orange as one of its colors.

How many yellow shirts do you own? I can think of 5 tops hanging out in my wardrobe at the moment. Two of them are class shirts from high school; the others were tops I bought when I started getting into mustard yellow.

Name someone you know who drives a green car: I believe Angel, a classmate from high school who also studies in UP, also drives a Mitsubishi Mirage, albeit a lime green one.

Is it a blue sky outside right now? Yes for the most part, but the sun is setting soon so the sky is bound to change into many pretty colors as it usually does at this time of the day.

What is the first thing that pops into your head when I say 'purple'? Barney the dinosaur, and ube.

Are the walls in the room you're in white? Yes, all our walls indoors are white.

Does black make you think of depressing things? Not always, but if used specifically in that context, it definitely helps boosts the mood.

Jewelry: gold or silver? Silverrr, always.

[..Phone Stuff..]

Who is your provider? Nothing you would be familiar with, but I use Globe.

How long have you had your current phone? It’ll be three years this year. It would be nice to upgrade, but I’m also still happy with my current phone so it doesn’t really matter to me.

What did your last text say? The last one that came through that didn’t come from my mobile services provider was from someone in the media. It was his birthday last Friday and I messaged him if he’d like to receive a gift from us, on behalf of one of our clients; he just replied with his confirmation and details.

If you woke up naked next to the last person to call, would it be awkward? Yep and I’d feel like throwing up almost immediately.

Was your last missed call male or female? It was from my mom.

Who is your 10th phone contact? It’s from Jum, who I realize is still listed as Ate Jum on my phone. That’s cute hahaha; I must have gotten her number when we weren’t super close yet. Anyway, she’s been super MIA for like the last two years...basically, ever since she graduated. I believe she has also since moved back to Bicol, so it’s become virtually impossible to see her again. Bums me out and I look forward to the day we somehow end up in the same room once again.

How did you meet them? I met her in my very first journalism major class. I had mixed feelings towards her at first since I found her to be super loud in class, and I initially thought she would only be a one-time classmate and nothing more; but I got to know her more and we even ended up as orgmates, and it turns out she is literally the most hilarious person I know.

Are you related to your 17th phone contact? I have absolutely no clue who it is. I no longer remember what led to it, but Gabie and I swapped the SIM cards in our phones at one point, and for some reason it made me have access to her contacts; the 17th contact on my phone is someone from her list. And since I never hang out in my Contacts app, I’ve never gotten around to deleting those extra numbers I received.

How long have you known your 1st phone contact? Around 6th or 7th grade. I can’t remember the exact grade level she transferred to my school as a new student.

When was the last time you saw them? It’s been at least a year. I remember seeing her on campus very briefly when I was on my way to a certain building for class, while she was walking out of it.

Who is your 4th phone contact? LMAO, again, it’s from her contact list. Said person is one of her older cousins, I believe.

Have you ever kissed that person? No, and that is very weird and uncomfortable to think about.

When was the last time someone drunk dialed/texted/left a voicemail? Andi drunk messaged me a few months ago. November, I think.

[..Friends..]

Who is your #1? No Myspace but I’d say my top best friend is Angela.

How long have you known them? It will be 16 years this year.

Have you ever kissed? Oh my gosh, hell no. It would be like kissing a sister haha. She’s super affectionate and will sometimes kiss my shoulder or cheek, though.

Are you dating this person? No, never did and never desired to.

Do you have nicknames for each other? Not really exclusive to each other, but I call her Anj (and only a few people call her so) and she will occasionally call me Reben or Rolayn, both from past inside jokes.

What is your #2's full name? I am not sharing that, but I refer to them as Andi (you may remember them as Andrew from the past times I’ve mentioned them).

Do they live within 20 minutes of you? If there is zero traffic, I can probably make it to their place within that timeframe, yeah. But realistically, no they don’t.

How did you meet? We initially met in an anti-Marcos protest/rally – I approached they first because they had a wrestling shirt on, heheh – and that’s when I learned we were from the same college. But they rubbed me off the wrong way from our first meeting as they were too extroverted for my liking, and I spent a good chunk of time ignoring him whenever we crossed paths, lmfao. Eventually we were put in the same class at some point, and they even joined my org, and an intensely close friendship started from there.

Could you live with this person? Sure. I think they would never be a boring roommate.

Who is your #3? I’m gonna go with Kate for this one.

Where are they right now? I have no idea. We don’t really catch up with each other’s lives on a regular basis; we have a very chill, low-maintenance friendship.

When is this person's birthday? January 1st.

Has this person ever seen you naked? I don’t think so.

What is your #4's full name? I don’t think I have a 4th-tier best friend haha, but I’m gonna pick Tina.

When did you last see them? Last year, on the last normal day I was able to be on campus. She was set to present one of her projects at a journalism conference that was taking place in campus that day, but I was able to hang out with her for a short time before the event.

Have they ever dated one of your other friends? No. I knew she had a crush on someone from the college, though.

Do you know their favorite movie? I’m not sure about her favorite movie but I do know she loves Adam Sandler. I was never able to figure out if her interest was ironic or genuine but yeah, she enjoys a good number of his works.

[..Randomosity..]

What time is it? 6:20 PM.

Are you supposed to be doing something other than this? I wouldn’t say so. I do have deliverables for work but since it’s the weekend, I’m not thinking about them nor do I have the desire to touch those tasks until Monday.

Do you live on your own or with your parents? I live with my family. Considering my monthly income, it’d be close to impossible to sustain myself in my own place this early in my adult life.

Are you more of a cat or a dog person? Dog, for sure.

Are you allergic to anything? I don’t believe so.

Does your shirt have anything written on it? Yeah, it says “UP Fighting Maroons” styled in a varsity font since that’s the term for our sports team.

Have you ever tie-dyed something? I have, but only back in like Grade 6 when we had to do it for a home ec class. I remember wanting to buy a tie-dye set recently so I could revisit the activity, but I never got around to it.

Who can you always count on to cheer you up? Angela for the most part; but I also don’t want to be too reliant on my friends in this way. Sometimes I simply allow myself to be sad or upset, and sometimes I count on myself to cheer up.

How many places have you been today? I have been nowhere but at home today lol. I’ll be going to BGC tomorrow to have lunch with my godfather and my cousins, though.

Are you a forgiving person? No.

When was the last time you felt let down? Last night when I read the news that the government will be making All Souls’ Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve working days this year. I already know I’ll be half-assing my way through those days lmao because whyyyyyyy the fuck would you make people work on family-centric holidays such as those

What is the title of the nearest book to you? There are no books here at the rooftop.

Are you wearing anything that belongs to someone else? Nope.

Can you whistle? Only through my lips. I can’t do the kind of whistle where you put your fingers in your mouth as well.

Do you look more like your mother or your father? My mom.

Are you still in high school? I’m well past that chapter.

Are you the oldest, middle, youngest, or an only child? I’m the eldest.

Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep? No, because I don’t.

How many people have you kissed this year? None.

Is there anyone of the opposite sex you trust fully? Hmm, no one comes to mind.

Are you a night owl or an early bird? More of a night owl.

If you could have an exotic pet, what would it be? No thanks. I’ve never had the desire to have one.

Would you rather go to Brazil for the weekend or Finland for a month? I’d have to go with Finland. I feel like the cultural differences would be a lot more marked, plus the vacation is longer so that is an instant win for me.

[..And Finally..]

Where did you go the last time you drove somewhere? I was driving to the local coffee shop to spend some time with myself, and do a liiiiiiiittle bit of work as well.

Where did you last go out to eat at? Ramen Nagi. I was initially hesitant to show up there and ask for a table for one on a Sunday evening...but it turned out to feel incredibly empowering and freeing. It was definitely awkward at first, but it got a lot easier once I realized literally no one gives a fuck. Or if they did, they didn’t do anything about it and let me mind my own business. That evening was a crucial step in reclaiming my happiness, so I’m glad I made the choice to suck it up and enter the restaurant.

When was the last time you let someone borrow something from you? Last week, when Angela needed our abaca mat as an aesthetic for her grad shoot.

Was your last breakup a bad one? Yes.

What was the last song you listened to? Just checked my Spotify and the current song I have on pause is Descansos by Hayley Williams.

What was the last movie you watched? Midsommar.

Did your last kiss happen in a public place? Not technically, but it did take place outside of my house so we were outdoors for some neighbors to see.

How did you meet the last person to leave you a comment? It was Andi, and I already explained how we met earlier in this survey.

#survey #surveys

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hucklerenti1978-blog · 5 years

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My face is sensitive to heavy occlusives, silicone, most oils, alcohol, most plant extracts, astringents, fatty alcohol and a whole host of other ingredients in varying degree. I love that Rosette has a really short ingredient list so I can avoid all my trigger ingredients. It doesn sink in very fast but I use it only at night as a sleep pack to seal in the rest of my routine. Not all power plants rely on falling water. Many take advantage of steam, which acts like a fluid and can therefore transfer energy to a turbine and, ultimately, to a generator. The most popular way to make steam is to heat water by burning coal. Formaldehyde not used in makeup. Formalin is used in makeup, as well as all handsoaps, shampoo, etc. As a preservative. Also, this may be petty but as someone with anxiety I can imagine thinking you be able to get pregnant with no problems (and, as Kristen says, "feeling blissfully free of all worries about the future"). I 30 and not quite ready to try to conceive but I worried about being infertile for YEARS and I convinced I going to have issues when I start trying. Not everyone anxiety presents this way, obviously, but I love to not think I going to have the worst outcome of every health problem ever. Summer's the best time to apply, as they usually hire a bunch of new people and aren't too picky. New hires aren't nearly as numerous during the rest of the year. Also if you know anyone that works there, ask them to let the hiring supervisor know you're interested in working there. We found him in the tupperware cupboard cause he loved to play with the tupperware. He was fine, we were relieved, the world moved on. Neither of us resorted to belittling or verbally abusing the other cause we were worried. It. I not being snarky or anything. I don GET IT. My only nitpick about the whole episode, was with eugeos eye exploding after her received the incoming violation break warning. Was the violation in his eye? And would it just come back with his new eye that was regenerated for him? Or a i being kinda stupid with this and obviously its programmed into his coded bio structure. Probably a silly and answered question in the novels, but id love to know!. You HAVE to listen to the Genesis albums Nursery Crime, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Foxtrot. Also a lot of Between The Buried in Me. Their latest stuff reminds me a lot of Dream Theater, Colors by 고양출장안마 BTBAM and Coma Ecleptic are very good. She said that kody always seemed very happy with all his wives and didnt come off the same way he does on the show. She hates the show because she said it portrays them all in a bad light and makes it seem like kody favors robyn over the others when in reality its not like that. Although she also had said she thinks Robyn was the sweetest of the 4 wives, and that she was always very sweet anytime they interacted and that the other 3 were kinda stand offish and rude at times.. And some people like the more 'under the radar' songs. For example I really like Denmark this year. It's no masterpiece, nor is it amazingly original, but it's a sweet song I very much enjoy listening to, 58 points submitted 2 days ago. I was a beauty consultant; I was able to help people with 고양출장안마 their skincare and beauty needs, sell to them and perform mini makeovers. It's a specific beauty store. So this means that only the beauty stores with beauty consultants pushing the promotions and sales will receive sample bags/items, special coupons, and have event promotions.

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angstymarshmallow · 6 years

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Sub Zero - Drake x MC (Part 3 of Frozen)

[A little note: I had to keep the momentum while it’s still there. So here’s part three of my little mini-series. I’m not going to lie, I got a little bit emotional while writing and I hope this reaches you too. To the people that have been reading so far - thank you so much for going on this little emotional rollercoaster with me!]

[Summary: When Robyn (MC) wakes up, Drake rushes to her side only to have his unwavering support and love for her tested.]

[Word Count: 3584 words]

Part 1: Frozen Part 2: Thawed

For a moment, Drake couldn’t remember how to breathe. His chest hurt, it seized in shock. There wasn’t enough air travelling to his lungs. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath; staring off blankly into space until Maxwell waved his hands anxiously in front of him.

He blinked.

Kathy was still talking, but he had trouble hearing the depth of her words. Her voice faded, receded into background noise until it was almost inaudible, lost over the sudden sounds of horns blaring and piercing his skull. He flinched. He was once again caught in the middle of memories, flashbacks that repeated themselves from the night where everything changed.

Unbidden images came rushing back.

Robyn’s eyes widening in terror. His own fear freezing him dead in his tracks, unable to look away yet unable to take any action. And then the abrupt jerk that cracked the windshield as her slender frame lurched forward, crashing into the disjointed shards of glass.

He couldn’t breathe.

The phone slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Everything felt too much, too fast.

Then he felt arms around him – strong and reassuring, they embraced him wholeheartedly, as if he were a child instead of a grown man. They were warm and comforting. They took him to a safe place. A place where his mind no longer had the chance to spiral, and he could finally breathe again.

Keeping his eyes closed, he drew comfort and quiet strength from the familiar touch.

When Drake opened his eyes again, he was mildly surprised to see Maxwell and Liam were the ones standing close, hugging him. They were the ones stopping him from having a complete meltdown. Stiffening, he cleared his throat awkwardly until they released him. He ignored the flush he felt creeping up his cheeks. “Right, ah well – I have to go.”

“Who was it?” Maxwell asked, blinking at him.

“….Was it the hospital?” Hana inquired timidly, she placed a comforting hand on his arm.

He swallowed thickly, nodding. He supposed it didn’t make any sense to hide it from them. Although, already feeling the mood in the air shift; he was more than anxious to leave. “Yeah, it’s about Robyn.” He inhaled sharply. “She’s awake.”

The room went completely silent.

Then it exploded all at once.

“That’s fantastic news!”

“Oh my god – we get to see Robyn?!”

“Do you need company, can we come with you?”

Despite feeling overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and concern, Drake laughed. It felt good to laugh. “Woah, okay one at a time.” He held up his hands.

“Sorry,” They all mumbled unanimously.

“It’s just, it’s Robyn we’re talking about here. The glue that has always kept us together,” Hana’s lower lip quivered. “I guess it’s just hitting me how long she’s been gone. I buried myself so deeply in my designs, that I wouldn’t have to think about how much I missed her. I wouldn’t have time to cry if I didn’t think about it.” Her eyes were glossy, tinged with unshed tears that Drake knew he couldn’t handle if they fell. “But she’s my best friend,” her voice cracked, “and god I missed her so much.”

“Hey,” Drake’s arms came around her and she leaned comfortingly against him. “None of that. No tears allowed,” he instructed thinly, but his voice strained to keep even. “We’re going to see her remember?”

“Right, right.” She nodded, pulling away to dab at the corner of her eyes. “I’m supposed to be the one comforting you – and yet here you are comforting me.” She laughed with no real mirth.

Liam stepped closer and squeezed both their shoulders. “Hey, we comfort each other.”

“Yeah,” Maxwell clapped Drake on the back. “Because that’s what friends do, especially when one of us is really sad.” He gave them a reassuring smile that made Drake feel more at ease. “We should probably leave now huh, if we want to get there soon.”

“If you want us to come with you of course,” Liam continued swiftly. His smile was gentle but his dark eyes were cautious.

Drake marvelled at how easily his friend could read him. Despite barely being around recently; Liam still managed to know him better than most. “Well none of us are exactly sober right now,” he snorted. “But I think I’d like the company.”

“Wonderful,” Liam’s smile was no longer hesitant. It was real and his expression brightened immensely. “I’ll have someone bring the car around take us there, I think we can all speak for Drake to say that he’s waited long enough.” He checked his watch.

Drake nodded, not quite meeting anyone’s eyes. “You have no idea.”

The moment they set foot inside, Drake hurried towards the receptionist desk. Much to his disappointment Kathy hadn’t been there; but he’d left a memo for her – one that he scanned quickly and didn’t bother to read completely before racing towards Robyn’s room.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the receptionist to come back?” Liam called behind him. The rest of them had hesitated in following down the hall before scurrying after him.

“No time like the present.” He replied brusquely, “besides if this was your wife – wouldn’t you want to see her as soon as she woke up?”

Drake took his silence as an answer, a formal agreement that not waiting on her to return was the right decision.

When they reached the end of the hall to Robyn’s room he halted. He took a deep a breath but couldn’t bring himself to turn the knob of the door. What was wrong with him? Why were his hands shaking? Why couldn’t he get a grip and open the door?

Why did he feel so afraid?

Six months wasn’t a long time. It had felt long for him – but how did it feel for her; being frozen without knowing the next moment she wouldn’t be? Or did she feel that at all? The six months that swept by them? Had he suffered alone in her silence?

“Drake…” Liam’s voice was gentle behind him, reassuring. “We’re right here with you. You can do this. She’s waiting for you.”

She’s waiting for you.

He stole another breath, trying to brace himself before touching the knob. Gripping it tightly, he finally pulled it open.

The first thing he noticed was that she was, indeed awake. It hadn’t been a dream. Everything in front of him was real.

She painted a somber picture.

Her back was turned from him, her curls as messy as the day they’d brought her in and she angled herself in the direction of the window. It didn’t seem as if she heard him come in. Something kept her attention elsewhere.

“…Tinsley?” His voice came out raw, and unabashed with uncertainty.

Before she turned to meet his expression, he was already moving – racing towards her without pause, without a moment to spare. His arms came around her quickly, enveloping her the way he had dreamed for months and he buried his face in between her shoulders; inhaling her familiar scent. He missed her smell. He missed the way she felt inside his arms. He missed touching her. He just missed her. “Fuck.” He breathed, “I missed you so much.” The words tumbled out of him, splitting him undone as tears he had never allowed himself to shed – came forward now. They slipped past his cheeks, wetting her skin. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you, I love you –”

He was lost inside his own emotions that they threatened to engulf him, and his knees buckled under its weight. He had to cling to her to stay upright; but he was overwhelmed. Too overwhelmed that he hadn’t realized at first what was wrong.

Then he felt it. Felt the sudden tension in the room.

He felt her stiffen inside his embrace.

Her lack of warmth when he realized her arms had remained loosely by her sides.

Her lack of response to his touch that made his head swim in confusion.

Trying to compose himself, he slowly slid away – enough that he finally caught the look in her eyes.

His stomach dropped.

There wasn’t a hint of familiarity in them. No hint of love. No hint that she had spent the last six months missing him as much and as desperately as he missed her.

Oh no.

She was staring through him.

He couldn’t speak. Whatever words he had wanted to say disappeared the moment she placed more distance between them.

The rest of his friends had shuffled inside behind him. He could feel their eyes but thankfully they hadn’t spoken either. He waited in front of, shifting on his feet – longing to touch her; but the way she kept herself stiff prevented him from doing so.

It hurt. It hurt a whole lot to see her look at him as if he was a stranger instead of the man that had dedicated an entire decade making her happy. An entire decade filled of moments that meant more than in-betweens. They had meant everything to him, and he knew they should mean everything to her too. Yet there was no hint of recognition that came from those dark eyes he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever.

Somehow, he found his voice. Somehow, he managed to sound calm while on the inside, he knew he was anything but calm. He was grasping at straws for her to talk to him. “Tinsley…what’s wrong?”

He watched those pretty lips of hers turn dip into a slight frown. “I’m sorry…” She spoke slowly; and it jolted him – hearing the sound of her voice, almost tempted him to erase the distance between them again. She warded him off by placing her hands out as though reading his thoughts. “I’m afraid I don’t know you – with the same certainty that you seem to know me.”

He blinked. Blinked a second time before his mouth slid open.

Robyn shifted uncomfortably on her feet. And her glaze slowly drifted to the rest of people behind her.

He was sure they were just as speechless as he felt right now.

“I don’t know any of you,” her brow furrowed as they slid back to him, slowly stepping further and further away until her back was pressed against the glass. “And it’s a little…overwhelming having people you haven’t seen before staring at you the way you all are.” She hesitated, “right now.”

His heart shattered.

“There you are!” A voice behind Drake made him reluctantly look away.

Kathy had her hands on her hips, with a small scowl flitting across her face as the doctor – Dr. Samson came trailing in behind her. They both took one look at the amount of people inside the room before they begun gesturing towards the exit.

“You shouldn’t all be in here,” Kathy spoke up first – displacing the sudden tension in the air once again. “Sorry my king,” she gave Liam a small cursty, “but it’s against our policy.” She turned to Drake, “and I was looking for you Mr. Walker to meet with the doctor before coming in here.” She gave Robyn an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry sweetie, you must feeling all sorts of overwhelmed right now with so many people being in here.”

Robyn blinked at her; her shoulders relaxing finally since the moment they had all stepped inside. “….You don’t know the half of it.”

“Well, if you’ll excuse me –” Kathy jerked her chin at the rest of Drake’s friends.

Maxwell looked as if he was ready to protest, but Hana elbowed him and Liam inclined his head respectfully at the receptionist and the doctor. “My apologies…we were quite overeager to have our friend back. I see now that it was our mistake.”

“It’s no trouble,” Kathy’s face flushed at his look of endearment, “it’s just with our policy.”

“Right, no problem.” Liam smiled at her before shifting his gaze to Drake who hadn’t spoken a word this entire exchange. “We’ll be outside.” His eyes met Robyn’s briefly before skirting back towards the exit.

When the door closed behind them, it was only Drake left in the room with the doctor and Robyn who wouldn’t meet his gaze as he glanced at her. Look at me, something inside of him had insisted. Just look at me, and tell me this is all some cruel joke.

She didn’t.

“Mr. Walker.”

“You really don’t remember me?” He was staring right at her but she hadn’t made a fraction of a response. “Drake burnt marshmallow Walker?”

“Mr. Walker.”

His temper rose as soon as she bristled. “The man that you called an arrogant ass once, the man you swore you’d never give up on –”

Her body seemed to shake at his words, and she was leaning away from him even as he took a step forward in her direction. “Stop.” She whispered.

“Mr. Walker.”

His voice kept raising with every word. “- The man that confessed under the same stars that he loved you and wanted you as desperately as you wanted him?!”

Her eyes slammed shut. Her hands reached up to cover her ears and her back hunched over from him. “Please, just stop.” Her tone was nearly begging and instead of filling with remorse – her plea drifted him close enough to edge that he glared sharply at her.

“Bullshit –”

“That’s enough, Mr. Walker!”

Drake flinched at the doctor’s tone. His heart had been racing so fast that he hadn’t realize the man was close enough to grab his arm. Unwillingly, he shifted his gaze back to him “What?” He responded tersely.

The older man’s eyes had a hard edge and held a warning inside them as he tapped on his clipboard. “I know this is hard on you, but if you keep this up I’ll have to call security to remove you.”

Drake bristled. For a moment, several thoughts and smart retorts filled his head at once. Yet, once his eyes flickered back to hers and he noticed how much she was shaking, guilt tempered his own anger for a moment. “Of course.” He forced the words out, “I’m sorry.” He mumbled softly, and her eyes met his briefly in response.

His throat tightened by the flash of fear he saw until slowly she nodded in response.

The doctor cleared his throat, compelling Drake’s attention back to him. “May we have a word in private?”

“But –” his gaze shifted to his wife once more.

“She’ll still be here, safe and sound while we’re outside.” Dr. Samson murmured gently, “nothing has ever happened to her outside our care before.” He nodded encouragingly, “and nothing will happen while we’re having a bit of a chat. Okay?”

Drake hesitated a moment longer before he followed him out.

The entire time, he felt anger boiling – simmering inside of him. He hadn’t known where it came from, he just knew he had never felt something as strongly as had moments ago. Although, the moment he stepped outside – it refused to be quelled.

The whole time had been suffering without her, the whole time he dreamed about this moment – she had been asleep. She hadn’t been through what he had been through. And for a split second, he resented her for it.

She didn’t remember him.

“Mr. Walker,” His thoughts broke their downward spiral as he glanced at the doctor. “What the fuck?” The words slipped out before he could stop them, “what the fuck is going on?” He hissed out a sharp breath as he dragged his fingers through his hair.

“Calm down sir –”

“I am calm!” The words had nearly exploded him. When he noticed a few uneasy stares from the staff, he lowered his tone. “You try to stay calm after just hearing that your wife doesn’t recognize you.” His voice broke. “You try to listen to her telling you she doesn’t know who you are – then talk to me about staying fucking calm.” He was having trouble regulating his breathing. The twinges of pain in chest made him stumble and the doctor seemed to recognize his telling signs of anxiety before he ushered him towards a seat.

Instructing him to sit down, Dr. Samson paused for a moment before sitting down beside him. “No words can express how sorry I am,” he begun, his tone cautious and yet still clinical, “but this is the reality of your circumstances right now.” His slow and steady tone broke through some of Drake’s frustration. “But you have to think about she feels – waking up to a bunch of people she could only think of as strangers. You saw that look in her eyes – she was absolutely terrified.”

Not trusting himself to speak, Drake closed his eyes for a moment. Slowly, he nodded. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He blew out an agitated sigh before opening them again. “It’s just…I’ve been waiting for six whole months doc.” A tic worked in his jaw.

“…while some people have been waiting for a lot longer.” The doctor reasoned, “while some give up hope for their loved ones to wake up from a coma.” Before Drake could protest, he quickly continued. “Look, I’m not trying to say this to deter you or to make you feel guilty – but your wife has been through a lot of physical trauma and when we induced a coma, it was to protect her from any brain injury.” At his nod, the doctor sighed. “While we told you she could wake-up, we never wanted you to cling to that hope desperately. Especially when it came with certain probabilities – like the memory loss. We’ve tried to fill in the blanks where we could, your marriage – her daughter, but it will take some time.”

Drake nodded. He remembered having that conversation – but not entirely. He was still numb back then, and half his words had fell on dear ears at the time. Even several conversations later, he hadn’t wanted to believe it. He wanted his Robyn to always be whole. “Yes.”

“This is only temporary, and you have to be patient with her. She’s going to be disorientated, afraid – you should never push her too hard otherwise it could be catastrophic for her psyche.”

Drake nodded, wordlessly listening while his heart remained heavy.

“Just don’t give up on her. You’re her rock and she could use that now more than ever.”

As they rose off their feet, Drake found a question burning so deeply inside his head that he had no other option than to ask. “Dr. Samson,” he hesitated. “How long are we talking?”

The man’s eyes went cautiously blank as though he was trying to measure his answer carefully. “I don’t know. It affects everyone differently. It could take months, a year. Maybe she won’t recover them at all.”

With every word he spoke, Drake felt his hope dwindling deeper and deeper down to the bottom of his stomach. He thought he had hit rock bottom before – but this, this was definitely the bottom. Instead of being the reprieve he was counting on, it felt like he was still trapped inside a nightmare of his own making.

Dragging his fingers through his hair, he nodded. “Right. Of course.”

The doctor paused his hand by the door, “remember what I said? Measure your response and reactions carefully. You’ll lose patience with her, undoubtedly this won’t be easy. Yet I know the two of you can make it work.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve rarely seen someone love someone else as much as you love her.” He whispered softly, his expression mirroring the sympathy that held in his eyes, the conviction that this wasn’t the end that some part of Drake had ultimately feared. “And despite rarely seeing change – you came in week after week and sat by her bed; telling her about your day – your daughter’s day, and reminding her you love her.”

A lump lodged inside his throat and all he could do was nod in return.

When the door slid open again, Robyn was sitting again; perched by the window with her back turned away from him. For a slight second – she seemed like the old Robyn he had always found his way back to; the woman that held more strength than he had ever known into existence from anyone else – apart from his best friend. He watched her and thought to himself that he could find a way to reach her. To find a way for her to remember their life together.

“Robyn…?” He called out softly.

When her eyes connected with his – felt that sharp spark again, and he knew from the slight way her eyes widened that she felt it too.

“Hmmm?”

He wasn’t going to give up on her, because he knew she would never have given up on him. “The doctor has to run a few more tests, and if everything looks good,” he remained a safe distance away and despite the urge he had to embrace her again; he knew doing so wasn’t going to help her confusion. “We’ll be able to go home.”

“Home?” Her eyes didn’t brighten with any flicker of acknowledgement. But they remained on him, as she drew a shaky breath.

His conviction wavered until he watched those lips of hers smile weakly in return. They didn’t reach her eyes, but for now it was enough. It was enough for him. “I think –I think I’d like to go home.”

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oqonholidaysweek-blog · 6 years

Text

Prompts

You can find the list of prompts below. Feel free to select any prompt and create OutlawQueen art (fic, manip, video) inspired by it. You can of course combine several prompts in one creation.

You can submit any creation you want whether it is a new one or an old one. About the fics, it can be included in any of your existing verses. However, note that any ancient work will not be counted as an entry to win a button.

OQ on Holidays Week will take place from August 20th to 26th, so please, don’t post anything before.

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to tweet or DM me at this account @OQonHolidays if you have any questions.

Here’s the list of prompts:

1. Regina Roland and Robin, who can’t stand very loud or very crowded spaces, in Times Square.

2. Regina & Robin vacation in England, they visit the ‘real’ Sherwood Forest and town of Nottingham, see the statue of Robin Hood and touristy Robin Hood themed gift shops. Robin isn’t a fan of his likeness being used to make money.

3. Entire Hood-Mills family (Robin, Regina, Henry, Roland and Robyn) goes to Disney World during ‘villains month’.

4. Robin takes Regina camping somewhere out in the wilderness where she doesn’t have her magic. Regina discovers she is NOT an outdoorsy kind of woman...

5. Regina takes Robin to Hyperion Heights for the first time, to the bar and her former apartment, and people still think of her as the wild tattooed bartender Roni. She’s embarrassed of her cursed persona, but Robin wants to get to know ‘Roni’.

6. Evil Queen takes Wish Robin out into the real world for the first time and decides to take him to New York City.

7. Robin and Regina go to Vietnam.

8. On a family vacation, OQ family finds an abandoned puppy on a beach. Roland and Henry try to convince their parents to keep it and take it back home.

9. Robin, Regina, Emma, Mary Margaret, Killian (any other character can be included) are all good friends. Robin and Regina's friends realize they're in love but don't act on their feelings. So, they decide to push them a little. They all plan a holiday trip: book air tickets, hotel accomodation, activities. But at the last minute their friends don't show up and Robin and Regina are forced to spend a week with each other on vacation (maybe sharing a room) and ...well, maybe it's exactly what they need!

10. Robin and Regina go to a fan convention for Henry’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ book outside of Storybrooke to support him and it’s just uncanny how well they ‘cosplay’ as Robin Hood and Regina Mills…

11. Robin and Regina take Robyn to a heavy metal concert out in California. Turns out Robyn wasn’t interested in the music so much as she was interested in the girl from Storybrooke who just so happens to be into this band...

12. DarkOQ are on holiday in the EF with Roland and get attacked by monsters.

13. OQ are in holiday with their children and Roland gets lost

14. Robin and Regina are both skilled contract killers working for different firms meeting for the first time in bogota Columbia during a pretended or real holidays. Of course, they have no idea that the other one is a contract killer, and even less that they have the same target (based on the movie Mr & Mrs. Smith)

15. A weekend camping trip with the boys [dealer's choice on good or bad trip]

16. Regina takes Robin on his first plane ride

17. Honeymooning in Hawaii

18. A romantic cruise that veers into the Bermuda Triangle

19. Hiking in the Redwoods [with or without the boys]

20. Henry or Roland get food poisoning on vacation and need TLC

21. A day at the beach ends with Regina getting sun poisoning

22. Henry and Roland go to summer camp, leaving Regina & Robin on a staycation at home

23. First family roadtrip

24. Robyn's first day at the beach with Robin, Regina, & the boys [Zelena optional]

25. Robyn gets her first period on vacation with the family

26. Regina teaches Roland how to swim

27. Regina and Henry are in holidays on a cruise, the same cruise as Robin and Roland. Robin, Regina’s ex-boyfriend from college. The first time they face each other, things aren’t that simple and a lot of grudge is still present. But as the two kids become friends, their parents are forced to spend time together, and talk about their past...

28. “Best vacation ever!"

29. “Why did I agree to this trip?"

30. "Look! I even laminated our itinerary AND synced it to everyone's phones!"

31. “Your mum is stunning when she lets herself enjoy nature."

32. Family day at the beach

33. OQ spends a few days at the beach, without the kids, and things get steamy on the sands... Or above a rock ;)

34. Regina breaks her leg during her holidays with her parents and sister, and is forced to stay behind while they are out visiting. One day she decides to get out to get some fresh air and ends up running into a certain British boy with deep dimples and ocean blue eyes.

35. Regina isn't in the mood for a holiday, but her friends drags her with them and in the end she ends up being grateful that she went. Because she meets the love of her life.

36. Regina takes a well deserved holiday in Mykonos. Her plan? Party, have fun, maybe meet a guy or two for a one-night stands, and forget her awful boss and pressuring job. But when her eyes fall upon the bartender of her hotel, a handsome British man with blue eyes and a sexy accent, her plans to stick to one-night stands completely fall apart.

37. At Henry’s request, Regina and Robin organize a family trip (Roland comes too) to Maya’s ruins. But as they visit a temple, they unleash a powerful magic that threatens everyone’s lives.

38. Regina is on a holiday trip with her friend Tink in Spain. At her friends’ request, Regina let’s a fortune teller read the lines of her hand. Regina, a confirmed bachelor, doesn’t believe her when the woman predicts that she’ll meet her soulmate during this trip : a man with a lion tattoo. That is, until she meets a handsome man with intriguing blue eyes, adorable dimples, and a certain tattoo...

39. “What are you doing in my hotel room?”

40. Romantic holidays in Paris

41. Robin and Regina take their whole family on holidays. Henry meets a girl he has a huge crush on, and Robin has to help Regina deal with her mama bear feelings and let her son enjoy this summer love.

42. A week at the beach. Roland almost drowns.

43. Wish Robin convinces (after several attempts) the Evil Queen to spend a week in the Forest. Whether it ends up being phenomenal or a complete failure is up to you.

44. Regina, Leopold and Snow take a vacation to one of the other realms of the Enchanted Forest and they meet a certain thief on the road during their journey.

45. Regina discovers that she’s pregnant a week before a long planned holidays, and she’s extremely nauseous. “I’m ruining everyone’s holidays.” “No, you’re not.”

46. Regina and Robin go back to Camelot to take a few days off for themselves and they end up waking up an evil everyone had forgotten about.

47. OQ take their children and Robyn (who’s about 15 yo) on a trip to San Francisco. “Regina, I really like this girl we met on the pier.”

48. Robin and Regina have marital issues. Their therapist suggests they take some holidays, just the two of them, to work on their relationship without having to worry about the kids. Will it work in helping them remember how much they still love each other?

49. “I always dreamt to visit Venise.”

50. During the Missing Year, Regina isn’t doing well, she misses her son and feels like she doesn’t belong. A certain thief offers her to take her away for a few days, to help change her mind.

51. Regina and Robin are best friends who decide to go on a trip to Las Vegas together. As they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

52. Leopold takes Regina to his hunting lodge in the mountains, she gets lost and almost dies in a blizzard, Robin finds her, brings her back to his cabin to nurse her back to health.

53. Regina and Robin take a few days off for their first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. Regina has a little more to be greatful for than she expected

54. Robin and Regina are friends. Regina went through a tough break up after a long relationship with Daniel. Daniel was an ass, lied, cheated, whatever. Robin has been secretly in love with Regina, but has waited patiently for her to get over Daniel, and it seems she succeeds.They plan this vacation as friends (it can be with other friends) and in the trip they bump into Daniel. This makes Regina doubtful again, Robin is jealous, maybe Daniel tries to win Regina again, and due to the circumstances Robin has to tell Regina how he feels about her.

55. Modern AU: Regina dedicates most of her time to her job and her best friend convinces her to finally take a break. Her friend books a trip for her with a travel agency. Regina reluctantly goes to the trip and is in a bad mood, always thinking about her job and what she has to do when she goes back, until she meets the tour leader, Robin.

56. Regina and Robin in Greece (preferably not at the most popular and crazy crowded places)

57. Regina and Robin go castle-seeing in England

58. For father's day (or mother's day, you choose), they plan a surprise holiday, so they can celebrate it somewhere else.

59. Robin and Regina on their honeymoon; a week in a haute top floor Paris suite where Robin is completely out of his element but he endures it for his new bride

60. Families were accidentally booked for the same cabin, beach house, airbnb and decide to share the space so neither have to cancel the vacation

61. Visiting Robin’s family in England

62. Visiting Regina’s family in Puerto Rico

63. Regina getting racially profiled at the airport, Robin defends her (either established relationship or first meeting)

64. Roland and/or Henry get lost at airport or at destination

65. Home alone holidays AU

66. Jolly Roger

67. Ship wreck (AU or Jolly Roger)

68. Plane crash

69. Honeymoon

70. Cruise

71. Traveling to meet their new baby/child/children (adoption AU)

72. Mile high club

73. Every year the children point to a spot on a map / globe and that is where they go now $%*^@#* picked Utah / Iran ??? and is so excited but no one else wants to go.

74. Time machine.

75. Robin and Regina’s families would spend every summer at their vacation homes so they have been friends since they were kids and casually dated as they were teens. Now, they are both graduated and returning to the same vacation homes, hoping the other shows up

76. Welcome to jurassic world

77. Lost AU

78. African safari

79. A year after Daniel died, Regina is trying to take Henry on his annual camping trip but they get really lost and she’s pretending they aren’t. Finally, they come across Robin, who is camping with Roland and ..... :)

80. A booking mishap occurs and Robin and Regina each lose their reservation, but the hotel has 1 room left with a single queen-sized bed. Do these strangers share or do they let this ruin their vacation?

81. Lifeguard has to save drowning victim. [Dealer's choice on who is in which role and whether beach or pool]

82. Roland and Henry meet on the beach and make friends, then "force" their parents to make a joint vacation of it

83. Trying the exotic local cuisine, but who likes it and who's grossed out by it?

84. Rained out camping or tropical trip

85. Fights over folding vs. rolling the maps

86. Who gets carsick the easiest? [Adults or kids]

87. Who declares war on anyone singing "99 Bottles"?

88. Robin goes to Vegas for his bachelor party and Regina works as a higher end stripper

89. Robin’s deployed in the military and home on his two week leave so he and the family go somewhere before he had to go back

90. Regina Mills is an executive editor in chief of a book publishing company and a total bitch. After learning she is about to be deported to Canada, she forces her assistant, Robin Locksley to marry her. Regina doesn’t have any family left and the couple travels to Robins hometown, to meet his family. Regina & Robin learn a lot about each other on the trip and start to get closer. (Based on the movie The Proposal)

91. The kids are asleep in the backseat, so road head? Why not?

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