#the book actually had blake's 7 stuff in it! i was shocked! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

razorblade180 · 4 years

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interdimensional Dads 4

Jaune:Who’s Next?

Jaune:Pick a number from one to a thousand.

Jaune:Since you married Yang it’s either 69

Jaune:Or 420, but because it you I’m gonna with 7

Jaune:Purple gets to go.

Jaune:....Oh did you- oh I see. That’s stupid. I like how he got the answer but it’s stupid.

Jaune:Hate to break it to you all but I can already tell that I’m probably the least interesting here. My Remnant doesn’t have anything crazy going on.

Jaune: Lucky you. We just wanna relax.

Jaune:Hehe, anyways I started dating Blake when we were at Beacon. Well I guess technically we didn’t date but we went on a lot of dates because we liked similar things. Music, tea, some books.

Jaune:Filth!

Jaune:*red* It’s been called that, yes. It’s something nice to bond over.

Jaune:Bond over, or bind over?

Jaune:I’m surprised you didn’t say bondage over.

Jaune:So scandalous. How grown of you.

Jaune:What would your dear parents think? Oh the shock!

Jaune:Why am I the one getting picked on!? You guys would literally find a similar interest in it!

Jaune:We know, it’s just funny seeing you red. Please continue.

Jaune:I can’t imagine the trip around the world was dramatically different. Reuniting with Blake was super comforting. We finally started officially dating after she scared me half to death at Argus. After beating Salem I decided to go with her back home after visiting my folks. Her parents were stunned to see yet another blonde-

Jaune:Sun or Yang?

Jaune:Both...you see, they new Sun for obvious reasons. Yang was a little more....how to put it?

Jaune:....She was in love with her too, wasn’t she?

A strange feeling of guilt and sadness filled the air.

Jaune:Yang and Blake were always pretty close, more so than with me in certain aspects. They were partners so of course it would be like amd with all the stuff that happened between them since Beacon, Yang falling in love with her was so easy to see. It wasn’t like it was one sided either, but those aspects, the knitty gritty hardships they shared? Sometimes sharing all that history makes it hard to have a normal relationship. So Yang took it pretty rough when we officially got together.

Jaune:That must’ve been a rough pill to swallow.

Jaune:It definitely was awkward at first l and a little bit of animosity. But eventually overtime it got better, until it didn’t... Blake and I had a kid. Our quiet little Lucas. Yang never out right said anything but having him and seeing us, me have a life with Blake brought sadness along with whatever happiness she did have for us. So she barely visits; she’s still kind when does though but it’s hard not to see that she would rather be somewhere else.

Jaune:Damn that’s....that’s rough. I couldn’t imagine my life without Yang. She’s practically my best friend at this point; always there to pick me up.

Jaune:Yeah she’s been a real life saver for me too.

Jaune:She’s my wife so it goes without saying that a world where she doesn’t want to be around me or Blake for that matter is pretty crazy. Do you at least have Ruby, Weiss, Ren and Nora?

Jaune:Yeah they’re around doing their own thing and we take turns visiting. Ruby tried to act like a bridge between us and Yang and it works for the most part. It’s rough but not as rough as it sounds. But any who, I guess I should talk about Lucas now.

Jaune:Before that, I couldn’t help but notice that you sound a little more...proper than the rest of us.

Jaune:*red* I’m always running into some important faunus that meets with Blake about equal rights stuff. It’s very weird being the only human around sometimes so I try extra hard not to say anything dumb. Don’t you have to meet with wealthy people a bunch?

Jaune:Yeah. They no better than to give me a hard time, or Weiss will kill them. They are very aware of the name ice queen.

Jaune:Ah.....Weiss. *smiles*

Jaune:So joe is your kid? I bet he’s as driven as his mother!

Jaune:*puts head on table* That boy has zero motivation! If you don’t bother him then he’ll lay around all day and sleep like a....well like a cat!

Jaune:Yikes...

Jaune:To be fair, I understand why. His semblance shows him various glimpses of the future that he’s never been able to complete control. Sometimes it activates without warning so it’s not uncommon for him to know something coming up. Poor guy can’t even finish a book sometimes without seeing his future self reading the ending.

Jaune:No wonder he has not motivation. The spice of life is being spoiled for him!

Jaune:Lucas is such a bright kid, a little bit awkward at times but he’s kind too. It’s a real bummer to see him in this constant slump. It’s not small things that get spot either. There are times he’s seen accidents happen and could do nothing to stop it, or the vision was so vague he didn’t know what was going on until it was too late. The world becomes pretty anxiety inducing if all you see is potential accidents.

Jaune:Potential?

Jaune:Yeah, it’s possible to avoid his visions. They aren’t set in stone by any means. He’s seen me beat him up in sparring and then didn’t show up. He’s walked out into the ocean before out of nowhere and speared a barracuda that he says “would’ve been bothersome later.” A family went swimming later on in that area. Still wish he went outside just to smell the roses though.

Jaune:Sounds frustrating, I feel for him. I don’t think my mind could function.

Jaune: I don’t think his is if he’s becoming a shut in. Maybe therapy or something? What does Blake think about all of this?

Jaune:Blake can convince him more than I can to move around more consistently. She’s always checking in out of nowhere and making sure both of us are doing well. This girl video chatted one time just to see if anything done anything fun, then forced us to find something fun to do if we haven’t. She knows if we’re left alone then we start stewing in our own thoughts way too much.

Jaune:That’s actually really sweet.

Jaune:I know! I can’t believe that’s my wife! We call her to make sure she takes a break from work or else she’ll work through lunch. We are basically tripping and picking each other up, it’s such a weird mess hehehe. That’s family though. It gets a little tense but nothing we can’t handle. Especially Lucas, I got a feeling his slump is about to turn into a rollercoaster.

Jaune:What makes you say that?

Jaune:Well....

xxxx

On a sunny day in menagerie a beautiful young girl looks up at the sky with complete serenity and wonder. It’s so blue, so simple, yet so fulfilling.

“You ever look at the sky and just wish you could touch it?” Her gaze drops to in front of her to see a very unamused Lucas.

“No, no I don’t.”

“That’s too bad. Are you more of a deep blue see guy or...”

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to know my bodyguard.”

“Still not your bodyguard.” He groaned. “Can you focus on not moving. I have three shots at this.”

“I bet you’ll get it right first try, no pressure.”

Lucas’s eye twitched as the girl gave him a big smile in her frayed harness, fifty feet from the ground. The boy angled his feet on the unsecured steel beam just enough to distribute his weight evenly.

“You and I have very different viewpoints on tense situations...” He slowly leaned forward with his hands stretched out. “Grab my hands at the same time.”

“Is it bad I wanna know what happens if I don’t?”

Her question was meant with stressful silence and anxious looks that only made her smile. “Just kidding, I can’t grab your hands at the same time when they’re trembling. Lighten up a little.”

“You do know this is your life right now?”

“Yeah I know. Hey, you single?”

That came out of nowhere. He folded his ears, flustered and confused. “What does that have to do with-”

The girl suddenly grabbed his hands. “Boom, you stopped trembling. That’s what I call team-” the harness snapped. The feeling of complete weightlessness took her for a moment before gravity came to pull her down. It was in that second Lucas yanked her close, her body in his arms.

He slowly slid backwards onto sturdy ground and then felt a strong breeze that was more than enough to sever the beam from the rest. The girl gasped.

“The workers!”

“Don’t worry.” He looked over the edge to see all of them far away and the beam falling right into their massive pile of dirt he told them to put down. Lucas let out a long sigh before looking at the girl.

She raised her eyebrow. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

He groaned again. Go for a walk they said. It would do you some good they said. Now I’m dealing with this.

“I’m single.”

“Cool, I’m not.” She giggled.

“.....” He slowly nodded. “I should drop you.”

“But you won’t.”

“Sadly....”

Part 3

#rwby #the void #jaune arc #rwby au #rwby knightshade #rwby dragonslayer #rwby lancaster #rwby whiteknight #lucas belladonna

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kob131 · 4 years

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https://rwdestuffs.tumblr.com/post/625278536172879872/done-dirty-shipping

Maybe it’s because I’m still not over how the writers just up and offed Clover and are trying to use the ship he had with Qrow for marketing purposes, but still.- If they hadn’t done that, maybe there wouldn’t be as much backlash for what they did?

*looks behind Dudeblade to see all the Arkos shippers still trying to burn RT to the ground for sinking their ship.*

I highly doubt that.

They promoted Qrover (And that’s the name I’ll be using to avoid getting into the proper ship tags) for the sake of merchandise. They do the same with Blang (The name I’ll be using for the Blake x Yang ship to avoid getting into their tags as well), it simply seems as if these ships are just there to keep an audience invested in the show for the hope that their ship will become canon before the final episode of the series.

Ah huh-

Let’s check RT’s merch store shall we?

https://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/rwby

This is the store showcasing RWBY merch by the ‘Featured’ selection. Notice something...unusual?

Yeah, the front page of their ‘featured’ section (which would tell you how they market the show) has three pieces of possible shipping merch...and it’s Renora and White Rose. NOT Bumbleby OR Fair Game. And I do mean ‘possible’ because one could debate that since Ren and Nora are always paired together and considering White Rose is so ignored by the fandom equally ‘shippy’ moments are widely ignored- it’s not inherently romantic.

In fact, none of the three given pages have Bumbleby merch. The closest is the Yang Vs. Adam hoodie...which excludes BLAKE. SO it’s closer to Yang X Adam merch.

But maybe that’s not enough for you. Let’s switch to the ‘Best Selling’ selection. Of that we have...one shippy piece of merch. The same Renora piece from before. Odd, considering if they’re using shipping to sell the show: Why isn’t the merch, the open support of the show, flooded with shipping merch? Why is both the stuff they are pushing people to buy AND the stuff people are buying NOT showing up?

Seems rather counter intuitive ...unless they AREN’T doing that.

This post was made about a month after the finale. If miles pulls the same thing that LoK did with the LGBT+ characters in his show, not only is that hypocritical (As he would be doing the exact same thing that LoK did), but it would also be significantly worse.

Actually he fundamentally can’t. Because Miles wrote in at least three LGBT characters already into the show. So he’s being better by your standards.

Not only was LoK screwed by the network numerous times in regards to their budget, but they were also forced to not make the relationship between Korra and Asami as overt as they would have liked.

And so was RWBY screwed with budget AND resources by Gray. Andd yet no word from you on that...

And again- Already showed at least three characters being lesbians, if not five since Scarlet and Nolan are gay in Before The Dawn, a book written under Miles and Kerry’s supervision.

What network is keeping the writers from doing the same thing with stuff like Blang, Qrover, or whatever the ship name is for Terra and Saphron? Why do they only get hand holding, soft looks™, and confirmation outside of the canon show?

Bumbleby- Canonical status unconfirmed.

Fair Game- Never intended to be a ship. It was just a reference to the waitress back in Volume 4 along with the usual shipping exaggeration.

Terra X Saphron- They literally have a fucking child together.

Other shows like She-Ra, Steven Universe, and Black Lightning managed to have LGBT+ Representation in their shows despite the networks trying to reign them in. So a show that has no such restrictions can’t do it because…?

They have. You’re choosing to ignore it.

To say nothing of the quality of these since Steven Universe is the only respected one and is rather unique in comparison.

Nora and Pyrrha can forcibly kiss Ren and Jaune respectively, but Same-Sex couples have to settle for elementary-school crush stuff?

Terra and Saphron have a fucking kid. And two of your examples are bullshit.

Meanwhile, how are those ships fairing again? ... One is permenantly sunk and wasn’t even confirmed considering Jaune’s feelings for Pyrrha are not confirmed to be romantic and the other is having massive issues that could sink any romantic connections?

And how do people like you react to any kind of strife regarding same sex stuff? ... Called Illa a psycho lesbian despite being significantly more stable, regretful and safer than her straight counterpart Adam?

Yeah, why don’t YOU tell me why a fanbase known for being abusive towards the creators and hounded them for YEARS about this shit isn’t being fed?

Also, this is a dick move. $16.00 for a sunk ship? Not only that, it’s a sunk mlm ship. A kind of representation that hasn’t gotten any real representation outside of Scarlet? And even then, that was confirmed in a different book.

More like a set of pins that can be used for cosplay.

TBH, mlm shippers have every right to be upset about this.

Straight shippers have had the biggest ship sunk and permanently in limbo (Arkos) and the second one is going through a massive rough patch (Renora) while the third and fourth are regularly decried as pedophilia (Lancaster and Rose Garden) if not outright abuse (Tauradonna).

The others get confirmed ships but not the ones they wanted. Boo fucking hoo.

Whether the writers intended to or not, Qrover was coded, and they queerbaited.

Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment[6] in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation.[7] They do so to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them,[8] while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers.[6][9]

They literally CANNOT do that by definition. There are same sex relationships AND characters to connect to. If you try promoting this vague and broad definition of queerbaiting-

Well, what’s to stop the Snowbird shippers from claiming they were straight baited with Winter and Qrow or Blake and Sun?

Do you REALLY want to cross that threshold?

P.S. ‘Coding’ effectively means ‘I see stereotypes’ so you’re kind of being a douchebag here.

Let’s also remember that Pyrrha’s entire existence literally revolved around Jaune and she was meant to die to further his development. Jaune x Pyrrha was literally made to develop Jaune and pretty much only Jaune, with the other characters’ reaction to her death being an afterthought.

*cough* Ruby has gotten more development from Pyrrha’s death than Jaune *cough*

Then there was also that one Blang bag that cost like… $60.00. The writers are using these popular ships for merchandising usage and to try and reel in fans who are wlw or mlm with these ships.

Which is why they...don’t...show...up on...the...merch store...

Fun Fact: Dudeblade never shows the so called 60 dollar bag despite CLEARLY being able to screen shot images. So we’re expected to take his word for it despite not being honest in this very video.

They didn’t even have enough self-awareness to feel bad about it.

So how exactly are we supposed to trust them when they don’t realize what they did to the community?

He says as he ignores aspects of LGBT rep in RWBY, outright called a lesbian a psycho for daring to be an antagonist despite a much more unstable person to compare to and ignores the LGBT rep in other RT shows, including Camp Camp which has two heroic gay married men in the show.

Whether you ship Qrover or not, this was a massively dick move to pull. And these idiots have a lot of things to make up for it. If they choose to do it at all.

You know, that dick move you forced onto them.

And yet you doing worse (’Hey when is Miles gonna die so he can be replaced?’) deserves no making up?

Where were the guys who said that revealing that Pilot Boi was gay before offing him was a bad idea? Why did the writers not realize that this sort of stuff was going to come off as queerbaiting?

Probably because Eddy did it himself and didn’t know about this.

But really… Way to go RT. Your dumbass decision has now turned off members of the LGBT Community and caused some of them to cancel their subscriptions.

Hope that shock value was worth it.

Just like with Pyrrha, something you yourself even said before.

I fail to see how this is RT’s fault outside ‘you dared to exercise free will!’ considering that your logic would dictate changing the show the minute an LGBT ship becomes popular.

Even as you’ve spoken out against this kind of thing with Death Battle (accusations of sexism).

Way to go with the hypocrisy Dudeblade.

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rwbyremnants · 5 years

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WARNING: this chapter is NSFW for a very graphic demonstration.

Happy upcoming Thanksgiving to my American friends! Going to try to get out some more chaps after the holidays, maybe even finish editing some of our other fics and get those up. We have a lot of backlog haha. Enjoy!

=Chapter 7

Yang actually did show up for the study session after dinner, shocking both Weiss and Pyrrha thoroughly. Even more surprising was her outfit.

“You look… ridiculous!”

Frowning, Yang looked down at the poodle skirt and canary yellow cardigan. “What? It’s what most girls wear, right?”

“Yes, but you’ve never worn anything like that in your life, have you?” Weiss cackled, falling back on the bed. “Look at you! I’ve never seen you look this uncomfortable before!”

“Shut up!”

“Now, now, Weiss,” Pyrrha put in as she unpacked their books, though she was also smiling. “Don’t tease, it isn’t kind. She looks nice.”

“After all that teasing Yang put me through? I think it’s only fair!”

Rolling her eyes, Yang sat on the edge of the bed, watching Weiss’s legs windmilling in the air. “Goofball. You said I should look ‘less like a brute’, and I tried. And it worked, didn't it? Your parents let me right in.”

“Alright, alright,” she finally laughed, sitting back up. “For the record, you do actually look very sweet! Who knew you could be a girl if you tried?”

“I knew, you jerk!” Yang protested, folding her arms over her chest. “Wow, I think I’m being insulted here!”

“You’re very pretty,” Pyrrha put in, hoping to smooth over the bickering, even if it was playful. “A-and in your normal clothes, you’re quite… handsome? Is that alright for me to say?”

That caught Yang off guard enough that she smiled. “Really? I mean, I guess if you don’t mean it as an insult, it isn’t one.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t! Please don’t think that!” But now Weiss and Yang were laughing, so she ducked her head. “W-we should probably study…”

“Yeah, okay. Just don't be too mean; I got a head like a cinder block.”

After that, they got down to business for a good solid pair of hours. Yang wasn't the terrible pupil she claimed to be; though it took a little more work than it would with the average student, she got the basics of their history lesson quite easily. The dates were harder for her to recall but they did come to the surface of her mind eventually.

Algebra, however, didn't sink in no matter how long they took on it. Both Weiss and Yang started to get increasingly frustrated until Pyrrha called for a break.

“Just give it time,” Weiss encouraged her, petting up and down her bicep as the Dragon glared down at her books. “Believe it or not, you did make some progress tonight.”

“Just feel dumber.”

“You’re not dumb at all!” She leaned up to kiss her cheek, and Yang sighed in defeat. “This is a good start. We’ll make your mom proud yet.”

“Oh, that’s never gonna happen,” she laughed harshly. “Can’t be proud of a kid you never wanted.” When nobody responded, she glanced around to see Weiss and Pyrrha looking completely crestfallen and cracked a lopsided smile. “Hey, it’s nothing, guys. Old news. Let’s, uh… let’s get back to the books.”

Reluctantly, Weiss agreed, as did Pyrrha. They pressed on for another hour or so with their other subjects, then decided to call it a night before Weiss’s father came up to insist.

“Good work tonight,” Weiss told them outside her front door, all smiles. “And hey, don’t be so blue about that equation; it’s no picnic. You have catching up to do from before. Don’t worry about current stuff, just focus on studying from where we showed you.”

Glancing down at the book under her arm, Yang let out another weary sigh. But she was smiling slightly. “Guys… I gotta say, I almost left when you laughed at me, ‘cause that was kinda what I expected the whole time. Just laughing at how stupid I am.” While Pyrrha was wincing, she went on, “But you really surprised me by being… y’know… nice. Not just the regular kind, but about me being so behind.”

“Patient?” Weiss guessed, and she nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it doesn’t make any sense being mad at you for something you didn’t know how to do. That won’t get you to learn it any faster.”

Pyrrha chimed in, “Exactly. You’re going to be holding your own in our classes in no time! You’ll see!”

Laughing with good humour now, Yang linked arms with her, which startled the other taller girl. “C’mon, Stilts. Let’s pretend to go back to your house and get my jacket. Seriously, you two… you’re the bee’s knees.”

“W-well, I… I like to help however I can,” Pyrrha said with a bright smile, in spite of the glow in her cheeks.

Weiss waved to the both of them as they walked away. “Bye, girls! See you tomorrow!” She would have considered blowing a kiss to Yang but that would only invite trouble. Instead, she turned to head inside.

“You seem chipper,” her father grumbled from his armchair.

“Do I?”

“Who was that new friend of yours? I don’t recall seeing her around.”

Weiss had actually practiced this in her head many times. “A friend from school. She’s been having a little trouble in arithmetic, so Pyrrha and I offered to give her a few pointers. I think we did some real good today.” There; no way he could see any problem with her clear goodwill.

Except he did. “That isn’t your job to do, sweetheart. Most of those young ladies in your class will turn out to be housewives or secretaries, and nothing more. But you…”

“I have a bright future ahead of me at Schnee Communications,” she droned, able to say the line in her sleep as often as it was drilled into her.

“Yes, and you might want to show a little gratitude. In a man’s world, you’re one of the few women who have a ghost of a chance at success.”

“Of course, Father. I’ll continue to do my best; my grades are spotless, are they not?”

He pursed his lips; she could even tell from the side of his face barely visible. “You had a B-plus last semester. Ironically, in home ec. But yes, otherwise spotless.”

The jab almost made her laugh. Almost. But she wanted to be done with the conversation. “Will Mother or Whitley be joining us for the rest of the evening? Or shall I retire to my room? I thought I might bathe and turn in early tonight.”

“Very well. But don’t forget what I said; look after your own interests before you worry about those of others. No one else is going to do it for you.”

Privately disagreeing, she merely said “Yes, Father” before slipping upstairs.

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

Weiss did as she promised. However, what she didn’t tell her father was that after a mere hour’s nap, she dressed again and slipped out her window as silently as she could, climbing down the trellis and tiptoeing across the yard in her socked feet until she got around the corner. Then she slipped on her new black ballet flats and ran down the block to their appointed meeting spot.

“What took you so long?” Yang hissed as she hopped up behind her, sliding her arms around the muscled waist. “Ah! Ooh, one of ‘em still stings!”

“Sorry!” she whispered. “For both. I heard a noise a little while ago, had to make sure Mother didn’t get up to drink herself back into her eternal wine-nap.”

Nodding her understanding, she let the bike roll away a little before she truly took off, hoping not to alert the entire neighbourhood. Weiss felt lucky that Yang wasn’t the type to tweak the muffler so it was as noisy as possible.

As they dismounted near Shopkeeper’s, Yang slid her arm around Weiss’s back and closed her eyes. “Mmm, you smell good.”

“I bathed,” she snorted. “You ought to try it sometime.”

“Nah. I think you like my natural musk.”

“That’s disgusting,” Weiss giggled as they walked inside. “But… I guess I must, since I’m still here.”

The place was a little busier that night. Women were dancing with women to the tunes on the jukebox, and one couple was simply making out in the corner of the dance floor rather than dancing at all. At their usual table, Velvet was sitting in Coco’s lap as comfortably as if she were the chair itself while the entirety of Yang’s cadre chatted and laughed. At peace with the world.

“Hey, guys,” Yang sighed as they took two empty chairs. “Sorry we can’t stay long.”

“I wonder why,” Emerald said lewdly, and a few of the others hooted and hollered.

“Now, now, it’s not polite for a woman to kiss and tell,” Weiss said primly. However, in a marked departure from all previous discussions, she wasn’t denying anything anymore.

“Geez Louise,” Blake breathed, pointing at the two of them with the neck of her beer bottle. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

All Weiss said was “Maybe”, but she might as well have said “Yes” for the reaction she got. Most of them at least clapped, if not cheered; even Cinder was nodding her vague respect.

“Welcome!” Velvet said, actually reaching out to shake her hand. Weiss laughed.

“Thanks! I don’t know, I’m still really… yeah, this is crazy! But what can I say? I’d take Yang’s pin anytime.”

“Fraternity pin?” Blake asked with a snicker. “I don’t think they let women into those.”

Emerald slapped the table with mirth. “We all know she’s gonna steal six frat pins if it means getting into her precious Princess’s skirt!”

“Hey!” Yang said, though she was laughing along with them. “Maybe don’t talk about my new girl that way, alright? She’s a high-class lady.”

“Not if she’s with you,” Cinder needled, and the others cackled and poked her shoulders, eventually making her giggle some more. Weiss tried to be offended but couldn’t seem to bring herself to do anything other than smile. They were more or less good-natured jabs, after all.

After a minute or two, Vernal came by to ask about drinks. Yang ordered them two club sodas in champagne glasses, so they could at least pretend they were celebrating in a way Weiss deserved. By the time she brought them around, Weiss was cuddled close to Yang, resting her head on her collarbone.

“We were ready to cream you,” Coco admitted as she pet up and down Velvet’s stomach through her blouse, the smaller girl sighing and completely limp as a ragdoll.

“I understand,” she replied. “But I really couldn’t know how angry she would get!”

Waving a hand of dismissal, Cinder said, “You should have been smart enough to figure it out, genius. What’s the point in having someone tutor the Dragon if she’s not even bright enough to pick up on that much?”

“Enough,” Blake hissed at her. “At least she’s trying to help her with her report card; keep Raven off her back.”

“A battle that cannot be won,” Yang snorted, now leaning her face against the crown of Weiss’s head and making the both of them hum very silently so that only they could tell – feeling it rather than hearing it thanks to their close contact.

“I don’t think so. I tried to get you to study with me before, but I guess I just wasn’t sexy enough.”

Yang blinked a little. “What is that supposed to mean, Belladonna? You’ve got a classy chassis. And you know I think so.”

“Oh… I was kidding,” Blake hurriedly told her, smile a little pained. “Sorry if that didn’t sound that way. But yeah, I am serious about the offer. If those two are busy, pull up a book.”

“Noted. Thanks, I mean it.”

The night wore on. Eventually, Coco and Velvet excused themselves to the restroom, and Emerald, Blake, and Cinder all kept up their alternate teasing and flirting. At one point, Blake came back from getting another beer and sat on Weiss’s lap “by mistake”, which no one believed for a second. It was all in good fun, and against all of her expectations, the spoiled rich girl found herself more at home with a gang of hoodlums than she ever had in her own house.

Emerald and Cinder went into the bathroom once Velvet and Coco returned, the former wearing a few red marks low on her neck. Weiss gaped at this development, but Blake explained patiently.

“She’ll have a scarf on tomorrow in school. Maybe two days in a row, if it doesn’t go away.”

“That’s so scandalous!” she protested, earning her a laugh from the others and a slight blush from Velvet. “Wow… you really do love Coco. Isn’t there anything we can do to keep you from moving back?”

Her smile faded as she stared down at the table. “No. Mum and Dad want to g-go back, and…”

“Come on. Why can’t they stay here, really? I doubt it’s because of you.”

“Well…” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “I did ask again and got some better answers. My Dad’s been having a time of it finding work after the mill laid him off last Spring. Can’t be helped, he’s really done everything he can. And worrying about me running with the ‘wrong crowd’ only makes it worse, so I think he’s ready to leave the States and be well shut of Americans.”

Weiss filed that away for later contemplation. Maybe it wouldn’t be anything she could help with after all, but she wouldn’t know until she tried.

Meanwhile, she just noticed Blake and Coco whispering back and forth. When they were through, Coco turned to ask, “So Weiss… apparently, you and Yang still haven’t progressed past the ‘making out’ stage?”

“Thanks, Belladonna,” Yang grunted with narrowed eyes. “Apparently I literally have to say ‘this is a secret’ or you’ll blab to everybody in Vale.”

Blake shrugged. “You do. I mean, you never said it was a secret…”

“Never mind that,” Coco interrupted. “I think the princess needs some tutoring of her own.”

While Blake and Velvet were giggling, Yang groaned and rolled her eyes. “You guys are terrible.”

“What?” Weiss asked softly, fingertips raising to alight on her lips. “Am… have I been doing it wrong?”

“No, no! That’s not what they’re talking about. And believe me…” Instead of finishing, Yang just bit her lip and looked away. It was hard to tell in the darkened room, but Weiss could be reasonably sure she was blushing as badly as Weiss was most days of late.

“She’s over the moon for you,” Blake finished for her while Coco was whispering in Velvet’s ear. The other girl looked a little flustered by the words, but still nodded. “Don’t worry about that.”

Pleased far beyond a level she had any right to be, Weiss said, “Oh. Then what is it we’re talking about?”

Coco rubbed her hands together as if she were about to come into a large sum of money. “You and Yang are eventually going to want to try something… beyond a kiss and a cuddle. And you look like the kind of prude who covered her ears during health class when they started talking about our bodies.”

“Psh,” Weiss scoffed, even though the statement was a hundred percent accurate.

“So we’re going to give you a quick lesson.” As she spoke, Velvet stood up from Coco’s lap, and the other two stood on either side of her. “Pay close attention, and maybe you’ll learn something.”

The girl was so trim that it didn’t take much effort from the well-toned Dragons on either side of her to lift her up and seat her on the table itself. Weiss and Yang hastily moved aside the glasses and bottles so they wouldn’t be knocked to the floor; Weiss had noticed that even though the dive was technically abandoned, they took very good care of their refuge. Nobody ever threw a bottle or knocked food into the floor on purpose.

Then she was staring down at a pair of panties and forgot about the cleanliness of gangsters.

“Wh-wha…? What are you doing?”

“Guys, I think this is a little premature,” Yang was telling them, even though she wasn’t fighting all that hard to convince them.

“I think it’s right on schedule,” Blake laughed. “We just want her to be prepared.”

One of Coco’s gloved hands trailed down Velvet’s stomach and helped to hitch her skirt up even further. For her part, the Aussie was smiling vaguely, a little shy but mostly excited. Weiss had the distinct feeling this wasn’t the first time they had done this with her, even though she still wasn’t quite sure what they were doing.

“So… you aren’t required to participate, Schnee. Just watch. But we want you to get a good look.”

“Are you going to…” Her heart shot up into her throat. “Blake! You wouldn’t!”

“Why me?” Blake laughed. “Coco and Velvet are here, too!”

“Well… I don’t know, I thought you were less… crude!”

They all laughed, even Velvet. But it wasn’t a cruel laugh, and Weiss only felt a tiny bit mortified that she had bothered speaking out at all. Were they really going to do what she thought they were? It seemed cruel in a way. At the very least, it was improper and indecent! They were in a public setting! Sure, there was no one there except for Dragons and those who loved them, such as herself and Velvet - and she knew they certainly weren’t shy. But how could Coco possibly be alright with exposing her girlfriend to not one, but three other people?

Even as she was having that thought, she heard another voice from nearby ask, “Blake, d-do you want anything from the kitchen? I know she’s your mother - don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. But I thought I could… save you a…”

When glancing up, she saw poor Ilia looking about as thunderstruck as she felt, eyes completely round as she gazed down at the mostly-exposed pelvis on the table. She was frozen as if a statue.

“No, thank you,” Blake sighed. But she wouldn’t be getting rid of her that easily.

“Good timing, Amitola,” Coco said with a little smirk. “You and the princess can be our students for today. Two for the price of one.”

Blake’s head snapped around to glare at Coco, who only grinned more widely. After a brief staring contest, she rolled her eyes in defeat. “Fine. Can’t hurt anything.”

“O-oh, I…” The girl almost seemed to change colours completely, from a light tan to a deep red. “What? Student? I don’t- what are you asking me to do?”

“Go stand over by Weiss and watch. That’s it. You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable doing.”

And Ilia did it. Suddenly, Weiss found herself standing next to the smaller girl, intensely aware of how close she was. Ilia seemed to notice in the same moment, glancing up with a nervous smile. “U-um, hi.”

“Weiss. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands, and Yang laughed. “Hey! Just because you girls are being disgusting doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still be polite!”

“I didn’t say a word,” Yang snorted.

“Alright,” Coco said to get their attention. “I’m going to begin your lesson if you two are through being all high society over there. I’m studying to be a doctor, you know.”

Ilia and Weiss turned to lean down just a little. They both seemed to be of equal mind that they didn’t want to get too close, but also felt strange standing fully upright. Gloved fingers twitched the fabric aside-

Weiss closed her eyes. This was too strange for her. What were they doing?! Showing off someone else’s body for fun? It went against everything she had ever been told growing up, and even though she had been questioning a lot of that lately, this was too far, too suddenly. So indecent!

“Weiss,” Yang whispered. “You can tell us to stop, you know.”

“Ohhhh,” Ilia was saying on her other side. But Coco didn’t seem to be concerned with Ilia’s reactions.

“Schnee, if you’re not gonna look, there’s no point in doing this. Poor Velvet got up on this table just for you, and this is the thanks she gets?”

Grunting in annoyance, she turned to look down… and her breath caught.

Velvet Scarlatina had a lovely example of the female anatomy. She hadn’t known what she expected to see, or how she expected to feel about seeing it - this couldn’t actually be happening to her! A half-naked woman was on display for all to see, should they get curious enough to wander over to their table! Did this really happen so frequently in Shopkeeper’s that nobody cared?! Still, the delicate little pink petals were as beautiful as many flowers she had seen in nature, glistening with dew as if seen in the first light of morning. A sparse patch of brown hair above the area reminded her of dandelion fluff somehow. The temptation to lean in and inhale deeply rose within her, but she suppressed that; it definitely wouldn’t smell like an actual flower.

“Better,” Coco said, voice more seductive, and the spell was broken. When she glanced around at the others, she saw Yang was looking out of passive interest, but Blake was watching Yang instead. That was interesting. Ilia, of course, was staring at the pink folds in wonder as she herself had been doing a moment ago.

“Well?” Velvet asked with a slightly bemused smile.

“W-well, it’s a vagina,” Weiss said dismissively. “And a nice one, of course! But n-nothing I haven’t seen in an anatomy textbook.”

“I haven’t,” Ilia admitted, clearly even shyer. “I’ve never even looked at my own in the mirror.”

“Really?” Weiss asked, slightly surprised. When they glanced at each other, they both felt a little self-conscious; only now did they realise how close they were and what they were doing. “O-oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. This is, um… not what I thought I would be doing tonight.”

“You’re telling me!” They both chuckled before turning back to look.

“Glad I have your attention,” Coco deadpanned. “Now this… is the labia majora.” One fingertip traced along the peach-hued skin around the folds themselves. Velvet shivered but that was the extent of her reaction; as Weiss suspected, she was used to this sort of treatment. “The mons pubis.” Up to the thatch of brown hairs, through them, and then all the way down below her opening completely. “The perineum.”

That one did make Velvet shiver. “Coco, I t-told you not to tease me down that far in f-front of other people…”

“I wasn’t going further,” she promised her, giving her a brief kiss on the forehead to reassure her. Weiss was completely certain she meant going down past said perineum to her anus, but that was silly. No one would bother touching anyone else there. “Now, I’ll need a volunteer.”

“Hey, you said we didn’t have to do anything!” Weiss reminded her.

“Not directly. I need someone to hold her open very slightly. You can both use one hand apiece.” Coco’s hands pressed into the skin on either side of Velvet’s opening, pulling just a little to demonstrate. “Yang, do you want the honours instead?”

“That’s alright,” she chuckled, hand gently resting against Weiss’s back. “Let the new blood have the fun.”

So Ilia and Weiss each used a hand to tug to one side. It was a strange experience, touching another woman so close to such an intimate area. Warmer than she expected somehow. Velvet sighed in distant pleasure from feeling two foreign hands on her body. Ilia gulped, glanced up at Blake as if for approval, then pointed her eyes back down when she was pointedly ignored.

“Now this… is the labia minora.” Coco’s finger caressed over the petals, and Velvet could no longer suppress a soft moan. “And contrary to popular belief, this is the vagina. Not the whole thing; just this opening here and what’s inside. The outside part is called the vulva.”

“Ohhh,” Ilia breathed. Weiss had known that much, even if she had only seen black-and-white diagrams before. “So… okay.”

Leaning over, Weiss muttered in her ear, “Can you believe we’re doing this?”

“No! But I don’t want to miss anything!”

“Ready to move on?” Coco asked, even though she was currently stroking up and down Velvet’s soft lips, prompting more little noises from her. “Alright, we’re almost done. One last thing, and this is very important.”

Two of her fingers reached down and began to gently hitch up a small fold of skin at the top. It revealed something Weiss technically knew existed but had forgotten about completely.

“OooOOOooh,” Yang cooed theatrically, as if it were the unveiling of a Christmas tree or similar.

“This is the clit,” Coco said, ignoring her.

“Clit… you mean the clitoris?” Weiss leaned a little closer. “It’s so small; I thought it was larger than that.”

Shrugging as one finger moved down to touch the clit, Coco said, “All shapes and sizes. Mine’s a little larger, but not by much.”

“Looks like mine,” Blake affirmed for them, almost as if to reassure Velvet that hers was normal. The exposed specimen did glance up at her with a slight smile, even as she was writhing slightly from the stimulation.

“Mine’s way bigger,” Yang snickered. “Everybody jokes it’s because I’m such a dick. But… yeah, everybody’s different. Not really better or worse.”

Ilia was leaning ever closer. After a few seconds, she seemed to realise, and moved to one side. “S-sorry, you probably can’t see.”

“No, I can see,” she assured her, also leaning closer as they watched the finger begin to circle around the clit. “What’s this you’re doing now?”

“Getting her off.” A brief silence. “You know… making her come?” Nothing. “Orgasm?”

“Oh.” Her cheeks coloured a bit more. “Ohhhh. Should we… leave you to it?”

“No, this is part of the lesson.” As Velvet’s hips began to squirm, she went on, “If you can do this with your tongue or finger, you’re definitely going to get your girlfriend off. Well… some girls actually get off from internal stimulation more than this, but the clit is almost always the magic button. Don’t forget about it.”

Ilia licked her lips, as if she could barely restrain herself from acting on her urges. Weiss felt no such compulsion to participate. It was definitely thrilling, and she could feel that tingle return that she had managed to suppress. But she was fine with leaving this up to Velvet’s Dragon.

“You look like you want to move to hands-on,” Coco said to Ilia.

“Huh? N-no, I didn’t… well, I’m curious, but it’s not Velvet that I…” Her eyes flicked up to Blake again, but she turned them back downward right afterward. She really was trying not to be as obvious as she was. And failing.

“I definitely don’t care,” Blake told her without any hesitation. “Of course, if Weiss wanted first crack at it…”

“Stop teasing,” Weiss sighed. “You know I’m not going to try this on Velvet.” At the last two words, Blake and Coco grinned and elbowed each other. “Or at all! Do you have to take everything I say the worst way possible?!”

“Best way, you mean,” Yang purred into her ear, and she melted completely. She was the only one who could cut through her prudishness and sense of decorum like a hot knife through butter.

Meanwhile, Ilia was touching Velvet with her other hand now. Not very much, just testing how things felt under her fingertips. Coco was still working at her clit, but she was also making a lot more of an effort to lean down and kiss Velvet’s face. Reassuring her girlfriend that she hadn’t forgotten their relationship just because they were engaged in a “group activity”.

It didn’t take much more coaxing before Ilia started going down on her. Coco and Blake gave pointers, since they could see what she was doing from their perspective, and she adapted as best she could. Weiss had to turn away several times to regain her composure; this was definitely not a normal school night.

“NNhh!” Velvet finally began to moan some minutes later. “Ilia?”

“Yes?” she asked, out of breath.

“Fingers… in?”

“Alright,” Coco encouraged her when she saw Ilia’s deer-in-the-headlights look. “So you want to insert two fingers, and you want to do it perpendicular to her thigh. Not straight down or straight up, but straight in. Want me to show you first?”

When Ilia nodded, Coco leaned far over her girlfriend and demonstrated with her index and middle fingers, sliding them into the wetness. The squelching sound made Weiss cover her eyes again for a moment, and the urge to flee the room entirely was quite strong. But the moaning and the quiet “Ohhhh” from her fellow pupil did make her look again.

“This is so wrong,” she breathed as she watched the gloved fingers sliding in and out of Velvet’s body.

“A little,” Yang admitted in a soft voice, still stroking Weiss’s back. She had noticed the hand slid down to her rear end once or twice, but had made no comment and gave no reaction. “But she’s doing it right, so at least she’s gonna make a great doctor.”

Ilia had been alternately gazing in longing, and nodding as she committed this or that aspect to her memory. Then she said, “Can I try?”

“Sure.”

Hands were traded. Velvet moaned much louder when she felt Ilia inside of her - probably because it was someone new rather than the technique being any better or worse than Coco’s. This went on for another minute of writhing and panting. Taking the initiative on her own, Ilia lowered her mouth to the clit and went back to work, doing her best to bring her more pleasure. And within a few more seconds…

“AH!” Velvet cried. “I’m… it’s g-going to…”

“Keep it up, Amitola,” Coco encouraged her as she pet along her love’s hair. “Don’t quit on us now!”

Weiss watched as everything continued. When Velvet’s back arched and she cried out in sheer pleasure, Ilia started and glanced up at them. “It’s- something’s happening! It’s grabbing my fingers!”

Laughing a little, Coco encouraged her, “Don’t stop. Just finish her off first and then I’ll explain.” She got back to work. Not long after, Velvet flopped down in a puddle of sweat, and Coco nodded. “Alright. So that was her orgasm. For some women, the inside of the vagina kind of clamps down during the finish; most of us, really. It’s totally normal, and a great sign that you were succeeding.”

“I was?” Flushed with her success and her efforts, she glanced over at Blake, who merely shrugged. Her cheeks were a tiny bit pink, but she was doing a good job of playing it cool. “Wow… I m-mean, this is good, right?”

“Very good, if you want to date women. Probably not of much use if you don’t, though you could try training a man to do it for you. Not that they’re much good at that…”

Nodding her agreement, Blake looked back up at Weiss. “So, any thoughts?”

“What thoughts am I supposed to be having? I just watched a stranger do unspeakable things to one of my friends’ girlfriends on a restaurant table!”

“Yes, but did you learn anything that could be of use?” Her head nodded toward Yang, who was shaking her head and laughing.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. But I’ll at least inform you that I’m a very good student.”

While Blake and Coco were laughing, and even Velvet was snickering slightly, Ilia withdrew her fingers and caused her laughter to turn into a quiet sigh. Then she pulled her underwear back into place over her and patted the sensitive organ through the fabric.

“Thank you,” she made sure to tell Velvet.

“Of course. I’m… I’m glad you liked it. Always kind of self-conscious when someone new is messing about down there.”

“Don’t worry, I… I liked poking down there with you,” she told her earnestly. They were definitely sharing a brief moment between them, and Coco, her actual girlfriend, didn’t mind. It was crazy.

“Your body is lovely,” Weiss made sure to tell her with a polite smile. “And… well, I can’t pretend I wasn’t at least a little stimulated from watching, even if I’m not sure any of this was necessary. I already knew where all those things were from class!”

“I didn’t,” Ilia reminded them.

“Most students don’t,” Coco told her with a friendly pat on the shoulder as Blake helped Velvet down. “Pretty normal, to be honest.”

Just then, as Ilia was looking relieved and very distantly pleased with her own efforts, Emerald and Cinder returned from the bathroom, their hair dishevelled. “What did we miss?” Emerald asked.

Everyone else burst into laughter. Even Ilia, despite being the one least welcome at that table. Maybe that could begin to change at last.

#princess and the dragons #freezerburn fanfic #rwby fanfiction #1950s au #rwbyremnants #nsfw-Text

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keena-kapu · 6 years

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Pairing: Blake/Weiss (Monochrome) Words: 7′740 AU: @dashingicecream‘s RWBY!Rock AU Content Warnings: NSFW AO3 link (Recommended for mobile users!) Summary: Tensions are high. The night before had Blake questioning how she truly felt about her and Weiss's arrangement and left her craving more, but just as she tries to confess, Weiss accidentally dashes that possibility away. But perhaps Weiss is in fact just as interested as Blake is. Ko-fi | Commissions

The journey to Beacon was a long one. The hours seemed to span on forever, and asides from talking to one another or using personal entertainment, there wasn’t really much to do. For Yang and Ruby, that wasn’t a problem. They had plenty to talk about or games to play. But for Weiss and Blake, between each other that was impossible.

The fact remained, no matter what they’d agreed in terms of their arrangement, they were hurt. But the problem now was how to get out of it. Weiss felt she couldn't say anything, not without it easily being rebutted with the ‘no commitment’ argument; but Blake also felt like she shouldn't say anything again, knowing bringing it up once more would hurt Weiss. While they had good intentions for the other person, remaining silent just let emotions stew on for longer and longer.

It wasn't just them that could sense it. Ruby and Yang could also feel the tension between them throughout the journey. And of course they would, it was strange for the two going from best friends to barely speaking a word to one another in the course of an evening. Such things got both sisters worrying if there would even be a show at all.

Finally, they’d arrived. The bus pulled into the concert hall’s parking lot, stopping itself as close to the main doors as it could next to the stage crew trucks and vans. From there the hotel was within walking distance, but it kept the van out of sight from prying eyes.

“Phew, can't wait to stretch my legs.” Yang arched her back, holding her arms and legs both out and yawned whilst stretching her back, before getting herself up and making her way out the bus. “Better give’em a hand with the bags too.”

Shutting off the game from her scroll, Ruby nodded. “Good idea! Last time Qrow looked a little pissy at us cause we forgot.”

“Yeah, but it was funny though,” Yang admitted. She then looked at the end of the bus toward its last two passengers.

Weiss was sat at the small table, looking at something on her scroll and occasionally flicking her finger to look through, and Blake was right at the rear of the bus, reading a book in bed. The furthest away from each other anyone had seen them throughout the tour. They never said a word to each other, or even prepared to leave just yet.

This couldn't go on forever. The first to break the silence was Weiss, who lowered her scroll with a sigh.

“Actually, could you guys go ahead? I need to speak to Blake. Privately.”

From behind, Blake’s ears had just started to perk up. She’d heard Weiss’s request, looking up toward her and then to the sisters for their answer. Thankfully Ruby gave a small nod.

“Sure, just remember your cases. Um… Are you two still ok to room together?”

Weiss looked back toward Blake for a moment. Neither responded directly to it, so Weiss answered honestly. “Once we talk things out I believe so.”

“Alright, good then! So we'll… see you guys later I guess?”

And with that, Ruby followed Yang to the doors, hopping out and closing the doors behind them, leaving the two girls alone with one another. Weiss placed her scroll back into her pocket and away, walking into the bed area to be with Blake as she started putting her book away as well.

Both were once again quiet. How could they even begin this? In Weiss’s head, she knew she needed to apologise for upsetting Blake with her feelings, and somehow try to express that all she wanted was to make her happy, regardless of the emotions she felt for her. But Blake’s head was thinking of something else.

It wasn't exactly good the night after she’d slept with her ex to admit that she wanted to make their relationship more serious, but that had been the stepping stone to make her realise that. She also wanted to make Weiss happy and wanted to be happy with her. It was time to move on and had been for a long long while. She just needed to say the words.

Both of them took a deep breath, and then...

“I kinda want us to start dating-” “I’m sorry for how I reacted-”

“Huh?” “What?”

Both had blurted out in unison, unable to hear what the other said. Weiss cleared her throat, looking to one side. “I’m sorry, I interrupted. You go first.”

“No, no, you go first, really.” Blake insisted, shuffling to sit on the edge of the bed. “Please, what was it?”

“Okay…” Taking another deep breath in, Weiss sighed slowly to try and calm herself down, before looking up again and making eye contact. She wanted to be completely open with her words.

“I’m sorry for how I reacted last night.,” Weiss took her seat on the bed opposite, holding her hands together. “We’d said we didn’t want anything messy and it was all just for fun. I don’t know why I got so upset about it.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking to one side. “I guess… Since you’re the first person I’ve ever really slept with, I just got ahead of myself with it. I just assumed that I’d be the only one you’d want to do that with.”

Blake looked shocked. Did that mean she returned her feelings? This was her chance! “Weiss, I-”

“No, please, let me keep going,” This time Weiss insisted. “I’ve started, I need to finish.”

While Blake wanted to confess there and then, she stopped herself. She nodded to her, encouraging her to keep going.

“Anyway, it wasn’t fair of me to make that assumption. I was selfish, and as it stands… I like what we’re doing right now.” Looking back again, Weiss chuckled to herself, thinking about their recent moments together. “This is probably everything I could ever wish for in a first time. No messy endings or mixed feelings, just two people exploring and having fun. Hell, it's every bit of the rockstar lifestyle I thought I’d never fit into when I first left home.”

Smiling fondly, she shrugged her shoulders lightly. “I guess I went off on a tangent, but the point I made stands. I want to keep having that freedom with you, and I still want you to feel as free as you want too. So from here on, I’ll keep my awkwardness to myself. Deal?”

How could Blake respond to that now? That pretty much answered the request she was about to make, and any commitment was a downright no. To ask again now after hearing her pour her heart out would be truly disrespectful. But just as Weiss agreed to, Blake decided to keep her own feelings to herself. It's what Weiss wanted. And what they’d agreed. No mess, just sex. She forced a smile, nodding. “Deal.”

“Alright. Excellent.” Weiss grinned in response. “Anyway, what were you going to say?”

“U-uh…”

Shit, why didn’t I just go first?! At least that way Blake wouldn’t be stood around awkwardly umming and ahhing about what to say instead of asking Weiss out. Scratching her head, she laughed nervously, looking toward the ground.

“I… was just gonna apologise as well. I know we said it's no commitment but the least I could have done was kept you in the loop. Especially since it was your hotel room as well.”

Weiss seemed oddly surprised at the response. She raised an eyebrow at first, as though she were about to question it. But in the end, she said nothing. She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, that’s fine. I had anything embarrassing packed away, if that’s what you mean, so her seeing any of my stuff was not an issue. Speaking of which...”

Sliding forward, Weiss got to her feet again. But instead of making her way off the bus like Blake had expected, she was instead looking under her bed, pulling out her case from beneath the bed. She opened it up, starting to look through. “I bought something a few nights ago I’ve wanted us to try.”

“Oh?” Blake’s curiosity piqued. Once again, Blake was pushing her feelings to the back of her mind to deal with later. “This isn’t gonna be liked the flavoured condoms, right?”

“We agreed never to speak of that again,” Weiss said in a hushed tone, “but at least we now know you’re allergic to honey. Ah-hah!” Moving aside one of her shirts, she’d found the item she was searching for. A cardboard box. Opening it up rather hastily she first tossed out some of the packaging that came with it, and then brought it into view, revealing a sight that made Blake’s eyes widen.

“... You bought a strap-on.”

“I did indeed,” Weiss confirmed, holding it up for Blake to see. The ice blue toy, probably just over six inches in length made Blake continue to stare with wonder. Even compared to the very real cock she saw yesterday, seeing this new one in Weiss’s hands had a way of already getting her excited. A fact Weiss giggled when she picked up on it. “You look like you’re about to drool.”

“Huh?” Realising her mouth had been hanging open, Blake shook her head to focus again. It never stopped the huge blush forming on her face when she realised what it meant Weiss had been thinking about. “S-Sorry. I just… didn’t think this would be your thing.”

“To be honest, I don’t know if it is yet…” Weiss chuckled, clearly noticing the blush on Blake’s face and her eyes occasionally glancing at it. She could read her like a book. She looked over with her eyes half closed, smirking lightly. “Looks like it's yours, though.”

Blake swallowed. It certainly did appeal to her to imagine what they’d do, imagine that Weiss was the one in Ilia’s position last night, taking her for a change. Seemed like Weiss knew all too well what got her going these days. Or perhaps… “Did you guess that just because both my partners before had dicks?”

Seemed Weiss was caught in the act, given how red that question made her cheeks. “Well… Alright, that fact may have slightly influenced the purchase.” Though she placed it to one side, instead tilting her head to Blake. “Does that really matter? You still looked eager to try it the moment I pulled it out.”

“No, I guess it doesn’t matter.” Blake really was eager to try it, staring at it on the bed next to Weiss. The bus was empty, but Ruby and Yang had gone ahead to check into the hotel, and probably would remain there to use the facilities and settle. Chances were the drivers would be taking their well-earned breaks too. They had a lot of spare time.

“... Don’t suppose you want to try it now?”

Weiss froze solid, looking at Blake wide-eyed, sparing only a few blinks every so often. “Wow… You really are eager, huh?” Though taking the length into her hand again once more, she took a look at the ‘strap’ part specifically. It looked simple enough, like a pair of underwear with the toy sticking out of the front. There was nothing to adjust or alter in any way. And yet still, Weiss questioned. “ Can we try it now? Do we need anything special to set up?”

Blake couldn’t help but laugh to herself. “It’s sex, not a science experiment.” She found herself crossing her legs, trying her best to hide the growing length from the view of Weiss. She really was eager just as expected. “Well, we shouldn't even need a condom so it's just lube-up and go, really.”

Weiss blinked again, staying very still. “... Lube?”

“Mmhmm.” Blake hummed to confirm, nodding her head. But Weiss still didn’t move. Blake raised an eyebrow. “... You did buy some of that too, right?”

Again more silence for a moment, until she looked to Blake instead. “... In my defense, the video I watched didn’t show that part.”

“Weiss!”

“Well, I’m sorry! I thought it would be informative, okay?!” She was completely red with embarrassment, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to hide it and looking toward the ground. "The girls I watched just did it and they seemed to enjoy it without any.”

Blake raised an eyebrow again. “Were they both cis girls, by any chance?”

“... That makes a difference?”

Blake sighed deeply, trying to stop herself laughing again at the whole scenario. That was another feature about Weiss. Even if she didn’t mean to, she made her laugh. And no doubt they’d both look back on this and end up laughing.

“First off, never take lessons from porn, it's nothing like real life. And second, yes it does. The back end doesn’t work the same way as the front does.”

“Well forgive me for being a distracted enough to not consider that!” Bringing her hand to her forehead, Weiss shook her head in disbelief. If she didn’t laugh about it she’d cry, but being able to laugh about their mishaps was what made everything so meaningful. Taking the toy again, she began to shift off the bed to pack it away again…

“Hang on,” Blake was quick to stop her. “I think I might have picked up the bottle Ilia left. Should still have some in it.”

Weiss said nothing. She sat back on the bed again, keeping the toy in her lap just until she’d confirmed. While it wasn't a problem to go out and get some for later in the evening, Weiss felt the sooner they tried this toy out, the easier everything could be after. Talking, figuring things out, anything. But they needed that moment of intimacy first to truly move past the events of last night and prove that terms were still good.

“Yes!” Blake couldn't help but whisper to herself with glee, pulling the half-empty bottle of lube from her bag. “More than enough for now.”

In another moment of confidence, Weiss looked up from the toy again, only to smirk in her direction. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Her hands lead to the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head and waiting politely for Blake to do the same. “Let’s get using it.”

Blake didn't have to be told twice. It seemed her and Weiss were in the same frame of mind, where the sooner they had an intimate moment the better. Both hurriedly undressed, throwing their clothes into a pile together. The bus’s beds didn't exactly offer the most spacious area for this sort of thing, but they would make do.

Blake, now naked, sat on the edge of the bed, watching in anticipation as Weiss pulled their new toy into place. And once it was in position, she was speechless. But the redness in her cheeks now that she could see it on, see the length there and ready, that spoke more than any words could.

“ Now you’re drooling,” Weiss commented.

“If you could see what I could, you wouldn't blame me.” She hesitated. For a moment she debated to herself, before taking the risk; “There’s something about seeing you with a hard on that’s just… wow.”

Weiss raised a brow. She began to run her hand along the length as though it were a real one and she was keeping it erect. “Well, glad I look pleasing to you. I was worried it wasn't going to be my look.”

Honestly, you could do any look. That was all Blake wanted to say. But she wasn't quite brave enough to do so. Instead, she stayed silent, tilting her head and wearing the blush with pride. Might as well make it look attractive and lure Weiss in. She crossed her legs again innocently. “It definitely is, if it helps to hear it.”

Weiss scoffed, trying not to be distracted from the job at hand. She collected the bottle, looking at its label for short moments and the contents within, while her spare hand continued to stroke the toy, clearly to put on a show for her. “Hmm… according to this, I need to put it on the toy and your-” She had to clear her throat. Blake really wasn't the only one getting flustered by thinking about this.

Blake spared her the trouble of finishing the sentence. “You can use a condom over your fingers for that part. Saves you clean up.”

“Right, y-yes.” She took Blake’s advice, quickly grabbing her handbag and searching through for a condom and immediately tearing it out of its packaging. This is certainly not how she expected their morning to be going a few minutes ago. “Just… be sure to talk me through this. I don’t want to do it wrong and hurt you somehow.”

But as Blake watched Weiss coat her now covered fingers in the lubricant, she couldn’t be surer of her response. “You won’t,” Already she pushed herself back onto the bed, laying back onto the covers and spreading her legs ready. “I know you won’t. I trust you.”

It brought a warm smile to her face. Amazing how Blake could make her feel so confident in her moments of weakness just with the right words and phrases, no matter what it was. Getting back to the task at hand, she stepped forward and pressed the fingers between Blake’s cheeks.

To which she suddenly flinched at in response.

“What? What is it?” Weiss pulled her hand away instantly. “What did I do wrong?”

“No, nothing!” Blake tried to laugh it off. A familiar problem she’d had the night before had returned. “It’s just a little cold, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Weiss nervously laughed with her. She placed the spare hand on Blake’s thigh, gently rubbing it to soothe her somehow. “Do you want me to keep going anyway?”

“Please.” This time, Blake made sure to grasp at the blankets below, bracing herself ready. “I’ll try not to this time.”

“You don't have to. I’ll just have to remember how you twitch in the future.”

And once again, Weiss eased her fingers forward to Blake’s opening. And once again was met with a series of twitches and shudders. But this time, she persevered. She pushed the lubricant against the opening, circling and prodding to prepare Blake for what was to come. And judging from the way she gripped the sheets and bit her lip, it was met with positive response.

“Oh my god why does this look so good?” Weiss asked herself, unable to stop herself looking away from what was happening. When she felt things loosen up enough, she pushed her fingers inside.

And was met with a muffled moan from Blake.

When she looked up towards her face instead, it was a picture of pure bliss. Red cheeks, eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed while she bit her lip to contain her sounds. It looked like she was having the time of her life already, something truly hypnotic to watch.

“Oh my god… why does she look so good?” She couldn't draw herself away from looking. It truly was wonderful to watch Blake come loose under her fingers. How far could that go? She decided to experiment a little more to find out. On the next thrust inward with her fingers, she decided to curl them to watch the reaction.

“Hoh!”

Immediately Blake grasped the sheets even tighter. And it only continued when Weiss teased more. She continued to move her fingers in and out, curling each time and sending pulses of pleasure through Blake’s body.

“I could do this all day…” It was accidental that Weiss said that out loud, but she meant every word. Somehow seeing Blake so pleasured by the simple movements of her fingers brought her far more satisfaction than receiving pleasure herself.

She really couldn't keep it up all day though. With the next thrust forward, Blake had to reach between her legs and grasp Weiss’s wrist to stop her. Absolutely breathless, she’d only just managed to rasp out. “D-don't. I’m… I’m gonna finish early if you keep it up.”

It was tempting to keep going anyway and finish Blake this way, a call back to their first sober encounter this way. But seeing as she was already dressed for the occasion, she did as Blake asked, drawing her fingers back from their full depth to allow her to recover. “Alright. Are you ready for the full thing now?”

“Yes.” She released her grip from Weiss’s wrist. “Just cover the toy with lube too.”

Weiss nodded, finally withdrawing her fingers and removing the condom from them.

Now the real fun was going to begin. Blake watched Weiss eagerly as she grabbed the bottle of lubricant again, giving the toy a fair amount and rubbing it over. But there was another important question. Position. As easy as it would be to repeat the position from last night with Ilia, she didn't want that. She wanted something a little more interesting. Not just for herself, but for Weiss to experience as well.

After realising her feelings last night, all she wanted was to be as close to Weiss as possible, in any way she could. There was certainly a position she could think of that would allow that.

“... You mind if we try something?”

Weiss looked up from what she was doing, having just finished coating the member. “I can't see how I can say no. What are you thinking?”

“Sit on the edge of the bed.”

Although skeptical, Weiss obeyed. She sat on the bed next to her as Blake asked, positioning the toy upright and ready. The confusion didn't last long when she finally realised what Blake was up to, however. She sat up and climbed up onto Weiss’s lap, straddling herself across mere inches from the coated length. To support herself, she held her hands on Weiss’s shoulders, looking down with a rather nervous smile.

“Is this alright?”

“Oh my…” Something about this position brought a lot of heat to Weiss’s face. And down below as well. Sure, Blake was usually the party on top, but this was in a very different way. She’d be riding her, she’d be the more submissive party. Something about that just got Weiss’s heart racing like nothing she’d felt before. Supporting Blake’s waist, she looked up to her with a flustered expression of her own. “More than alright.”

There weren't many more words to be said. Blake stared into Weiss’s eyes for a long while, almost finding herself getting lost within them. Were they really that pretty before? She really hadn't looked. But now that she was seeing Weiss in a whole new light, she could truly compare them to sapphires. Rare, precious, and beautiful. But that was Weiss all over.

Rather than getting started straight away, she brought a hand back so she could lift Weiss’s chin up, and bring her lips to meet hers in a tender kiss.

A kiss which Weiss insisted on continuing. One of her hands came to support Blake’s shoulders instead, holding her as she rolled her lips around hers, occasionally capturing the lower lip between her teeth. This was so different to any of their kisses before. It was slower, for starters, but something else felt different. It was intimate and loving, the kind of kissing that lovers did.

Were they both mutually feeling that? Blake knew in her heart how she felt but was still clueless as to how Weiss was. And yet, she wasn't backing away yet. In fact, she was the one that wanted the kiss to keep going, that rubbed between her shoulders to encourage her to stay. Maybe… just maybe-

“Hmgh!”

A thrust upward from Weiss cut that thought off completely. Within their kiss, Blake had entirely forgotten where she had been sitting, and what was so close to her opening before. Now the head was pushed in, and she found herself falling away from the kiss to moan out in surprise.

When Blake looked to Weiss’s expression, all that was looking back at her was a smirk.

“Y-you did that on purpose.” She just managed to rasp out.

“Maybe?” Weiss tilted her head and looked up innocently. “Are you upset about that?”

The question was another distraction. Blake felt Weiss’s hands pulling her downward, pushing more of the member inside her and sending yet more shudders up her spine. Oh god, she most definitely was not upset. When the member entered by another three inches Blake moaned out again, her arms returning around Weiss again as she nuzzled her head against her neck.

“I take that as a ‘no’.” Weiss grinned, nuzzling back against Blake in return as she continued her movements. Now they’d settled into a comfortable position, Weiss was able to focus on making this the best experience possible for her. Each time she pushed Blake down, she thrust up, meeting her rear and burying the member in as deep as possible. It started at a slow pace, enough for her to figure out how to do it correctly. So far there were no complaints.

In fact, Blake was joining in, and began to speed up the pace. She felt her matching the movements as her grip tightened, heard the moans in her ear each time she thrust forward. Suddenly she found herself wondering why they hadn't done this weeks ago. Feeling the way her lover was pushing forward with her and showing her need was an experience she couldn't explain. But it was addictive, and brought her far more satisfaction than she could have imagined.

It was certainly creating a burning heat for herself. Even if there was no physical pleasure to be gained, listening to the pleasure Blake was receiving was more than enough for now.

That was displayed again with another gasp. Blake’s grip tightened around Weiss’s body as she shuddered. She could feel her muscles tensing as her finish came closer, shown when her member throbbed between them. “Fuck…!” She bit her lip, desperately trying not to call too loudly.

All Weiss could do was smirk. This really was a callback. She continued to thrust, leaning forward to whisper in her ears the very words that had her screaming that first time.

“Stop holding back. It turns me on when you moan.”

It was Blake’s undoing. She let out a final desperate moan louder than Weiss had ever heard before, shuddering hard in her arms as she felt her finish arrive at last. Her legs tightened around Weiss, forcing the member as far in her as it could possibly get, muscles tensing to try and keep her there so she could take as much of that feeling as she possibly could. It felt so good she’d barely even noticed her member had finished up between them.

Weiss did though. Once she allowed Blake the time to recover she pulled herself back, looking down at the speckles Blake had made on her stomach.

“Wow, that was rude. You made a mess all over me.”

Still breathless, Blake could barely focus her vision when she looked between them to see what she meant, let alone think of a real response. She could barely even speak out between breaths to apologise.

But Weiss only giggled in response to it. She was simply enjoying the show too much. Seeing Blake in such a pleased and exhausted state offered a huge amount of satisfaction. That only grew when she thought of the reason for that. Her. She was the one that pushed Blake to this peak and over the edge. Not so bad for her first time with this toy.

She moved her grip to Blake’s cheeks, using it as leverage to lift her up and off the length, resting her back down on her lap again after. Neither were too interested in moving just yet, enjoying each other’s embrace for a while longer as Blake recovered.

She’d had her finish, now it was time for Weiss to get hers. She pressed her lips up against Weiss’s neck over and over, peppering up and down with small kisses up and down the skin.

A quiet giggle followed as she leaned into the kisses, holding Blake close to her as a hugged her chest instead. The kisses didn’t stop though. They got harder, mixing with the occasional bite. It wasn’t tickling any longer, now it was starting to build Weiss’s own heat up, just as intended. It wasn’t long until she was pushing Weiss back on the bed, pinning her there and continuing her kisses down from her neck to her collarbone.

Then her cleavage, then her breast, then the top of her stomach… Blake was sure to avoid the spot she’d ‘made a mess’ on. The longer that reminder stayed there, the longer Weiss could enjoy it alongside what was about to happen. She had to climb off her lap to continue the kisses, first unbuckling the strapon to remove it from her then kneeling at the foot of the bed to instead begin kissing Weiss’s upper thighs again and again… until…

There was a hum of delight when Blake hit the spot. Her lips met Weiss’s delicate sex, treating her to a variety of kisses and laps with her tongue. Pleasing Weiss in this way was somewhat of a rarity for Blake to try, she usually preferred to stick with fingers or ‘the typical way’, but it was something she wanted to improve. First, she treated the soft nub at the top to a flick of her tongue, focusing her attention there to circle it back and forth.

That small hum very quickly evolved into something more. Blake’s feline ears perked up to listen as Weiss moaned out into the air. She brought her hands up to her thighs to keep her in place, supporting her throughout as she continued the movements with her tongue, but also to feel every twitch and shudder. She craved Weiss’s response just as much as Weiss had craved her own.

‘This is where I mix it up, right?’ It seemed like the right thing to do. In all honesty, whenever she’d asked Weiss for the best advice on how to please her, there wasn’t much that she’d offered in critique. It was hard to give any when she hadn’t had anyone else to compare it against. In fact, it was her best friend she had to ask for tips from.

“Clit’s a good spot, yeah, but like… Well, you wouldn’t just lick the head of a dick to give a blowjob, would’ya?” She thought back to Yang’s advice. It might have been embarrassing at the time to listen to, but now she was thanking her lucky stars she did. “Vag’ is the same. You wanna mix it up. Treat the lips as well, tease the entrance, all that stuff. Least, that’s what I always like… Basically, if she starts pulling your hair or pushing your head against her for more, you’re doing a good job.”

Tilting her head to the right, Blake experimented with that advice. She instead lapped at the inner lips, both to the right, then to the left.

“Ooooohhh…” It was met with a mixture of a moan and an exhale. Definitely a good sign, even more proven when Weiss gripped the sheets below and allowed her eyes to fall shut. It only continued as Blake did, and Weiss found herself shaking every so often, quivering with the dull pleasure as it swam over her. “H-have you r-read a new boo- Oooh!- B-book or something? Because t-THIS!- this is so new…!”

Blake didn't want to break away to respond. Instead, she offered a small growl in the midst of her work, hoping her warm breath might also help with the building pleasure. Next, she lowered her head a little more. This time when she lapped, she was sure to do so right at Weiss’s entrance.

“WHOA! Shit!”

Hands reached into Blake’s hair in an instant. The response was electric! With each lap around Weiss’s entrance, a moan followed, the grip on her hair seeming to tighten as she tried to keep Blake right where she needed her. More and more shudders came the more she continued, it became very clear that Weiss was coming undone.

That much was obvious when Weiss tried to pull her closer, voice dripping with need. “F-fuck! Blake I’m-... I’m gonna-!”

No more needed to be said. Blake knew to finish the job by returning to the clit above, focusing the last of her attention there as she circled it with her tongue over and over, opening her eyes and looking up toward Weiss so she could soak in her response to the full.

Weiss was done for. She shuddered in Blake’s grasp, moaning her name loudly as the last of the pleasure seared through her veins and washed over her in wave after wave. Waves that Blake managed to maintain for a few seconds longer with each flick and circle of her tongue, being sure her lover would receive as much joy as she could possibly deliver.

It took nearly a full minute for Weiss to come down from her high. She gasped for breath, panting loudly and laying on the bed. It was heavy breathing mixed with a very weak laughter when she tried to look down, unable to even open her eyes. “That was… wow. Holy shit…”

“It was okay?” A stupid question perhaps, but Blake was eager to know.

“Okay?!” Weiss laughed again, this time using all her remaining strength to sit upright, having to hold her arms behind her for support. “Blake, that was probably the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had. Where on earth did you learn to do that so good all of a sudden?”

Red dusted Blake’s cheeks once more as she looked off elsewhere, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. “You know me and Yang talk about anything, right? Well, I just happened to ask and she gave me some tips.”

“ Yang told you how to do that?!” It looked like she was embarrassed at first. But as quick as it appeared, it faded. “You know what? If her lessons make you that good , I don't even care if she knows you’ll be using them on me. I’m not complaining about that performance at all.”

“Didn't think you would.” Blake giggled quietly. But speaking of the other band members, it only just occurred to Blake how far behind they really were. Their ‘moment of madness’ must have delayed them by a good half hour at the very least. “We’d better get showered up and go, I’ll bet they’re waiting for us.”

“Of course, yes. But first, Blake?”

The soft voice stopped Blake in her tracks just as she was about to fetch her clothes again. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for forgiving me. I’m really glad we’re still doing this.”

Such a simple phrase had completely caught Blake off guard. In her head, Weiss hadn't absolutely any reason to be sorry in the first place, but in her heart, she wished for so much more than this. And she was so very close to telling her that fact too… If only she’d spoken first, maybe she wouldn't be stuck in this limbo of her own feelings.

But it didn't matter. She smiled back in return to Weiss and nodded. “You didn't have anything to be sorry for, but I’m glad we’re together too.”

A subtle word choice perhaps, but it seemed Weiss didn't focus on it while she concentrated on cleaning up her stomach. Blake did, however. And now a different focus was on her mind.

‘Maybe I should be asking Yang for more advice other than just sex stuff…’

Hours later, everything had been back to normal. The two had reassured the others that they were back on good terms then got straight to unpacking for their week’s stay. The first performance was tomorrow, but tonight, everyone had their own plans to unwind before the big night.

While he was in town, Blake took the opportunity to go out with her friend Sun to a local bar upon hearing it was ‘Faunus night’, so Weiss had made plans to keep herself occupied with Ruby. It had been too long since she last hung out with her best friend, and room service with a side of pizza was just what the doctor ordered. Might as well have a chilled out evening and a friendly chat and save the drinking for tomorrow after their show.

“I’m surprised you weren’t out with Yang tonight,” Weiss mentioned, taking another slice of pizza from the box. “Or that she’s not come back here.”

“She said she was seeing someone tonight?” Ruby took a sip from her can of soda, still scrolling through the TV to try and find something decent to serve as background noise. “And then said ‘don’t wait up for me’ in her special voice. I’m guessing that’s sister code for ‘I’m getting laid but I don’t want to tell you out loud ‘I’m getting laid’ ’.”

Weiss couldn’t help but scoff at that while chewing on her pizza, nodding her agreement before she could answer. “ That voice. Yes, Winter is also a user of ‘the voice’ when she tries to discuss her evening plans, and she too used ‘the voice’ to describe tonight.”

Ruby paused a moment. “Hey, wasn’t your sister in town this week for one of the shows?”

“Indeed she is, we’re meeting tomorrow morning for coffee. No sooner than that. I think she’s eager to ‘relax’ now that she’s back for a while. Hence the voice.”

“Maybe they’ll meet up and go date hunting together.” Ruby smiled, leaning back against the wall and taking another sip of soda. “Oh, hey! Did you and Blake figure out that thing you needed to?”

“Yes, we did,” Weiss responded to Ruby now she’d finished the last of her pizza, crudely licking her fingertips to clean them. A rather bad habit she picked up from her friend. “It was easily figured out. Just a small disagreement we had the night prior with the… sleeping arrangements. I don’t understand how we let it drag out for so long.”

Ruby tilted her head. Sleeping arrangements… that’s what the kids were calling it these days, huh? Rather than drag this out for longer or even use it to tease, Ruby cleared her throat. “Y’know that Yang already told me that you two are kind of a thing, right?”

To which Weiss sighed in response. A mixture of both annoyance and relief, but she brought her hand to her face. “Please tell me it’s only you two that know? Because it’s really not enough to make a big deal out of.”

“Just me and her,” Ruby confirmed, offering her a reassuring smile. “But you do both make a cute couple! I’ll admit I did squeal a little bit when Yang told me.”

“Yeah… Right.” Weiss didn’t seem as thrilled at that as expected. In fact, she looked off into the distance instead, bringing her hands back and holding them in each other. “We’re not a couple. Not really. We’re just… Experimenting, or whatever you’d want to call it.”

“Oooh…” The cogs seemed to have turned for Ruby as she nodded, also avoiding eye contact as she looked towards the TV instead, but not truly watching. “You’re just ’doing stuff’ . That’s cool too! As long as you’re both okay with it and safe and… whatever.”

“Of course we’re both okay with it. We’d never arrange it if we weren't… although…” Weiss had been about to begin, though hesitated. Eventually, she shook her head. “Nevermind, it’s dumb. You won't want to know.”

“No no, I do!” Ruby took her focus back on Weiss again and looked over, moving the last pizza boxes to the bedside table instead so she could shuffle closer to her. “C’mon, it’s been ages since we last talked like this. You can say anything to me if it’s bothering you so really, go ahead.”

Weiss continued to stare at her hands for a long moment. She really hadn't confided in Ruby in a very long time, since she and Blake started to do things with one another in fact. It would feel good to have an ally that knew the circumstances, and even better for that ally to be Ruby once again. She shuffled on the bed, facing toward Ruby instead. “Okay. This arrangement we have? We’d agreed to have it open-ended. No commitments, no ‘girlfriend’ label, nothing like that. I thought I’d be okay with that until… well…” She sighed, looking down again. “Until she actually did sleep with someone else.”

“Oh? OH! Oooohh….” Mere seconds it took for Ruby to figure it out, to which she then winced. “So that was the issue with sleeping arrangements…”

“Well done.” Weiss shook her head as she smiled to herself. At least Ruby could make her laugh in a topic where she really didn’t think she could. But the smile soon faded again, giving way to a much more vulnerable expression. “So now I feel really stupid for how I reacted. This whole ‘no commitments’ thing was my idea in the first place so I had no right to be so hurt by it! But… But it did hurt, a lot. It… It still hurts now.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “If it hurts so much, then why are you keeping it going?”

That was a very good question. Weiss shrugged her shoulders, taking a long while to think about that answer. Thinking about it alone was enough to make her eyes begin to water. There must be a reason she wanted to keep it going, and in her gut, she knew it went hand in hand with the reason she was hurt in the first place. It was about time she admitted it to herself as well as to Ruby.

“Because it would hurt more to not have her at all.”

To that Ruby shuffled closer. She placed a hand on her shoulder to rub in the hope it would comfort her a little. Anyone could see the past twenty-four hours had clearly taken their toll on the poor girl and thrown everything she knew so far into question. Ruby didn’t have any answer to give in response, but she wasn’t about to turn her away.

But once the silence was dragging on for too long, she spoke up. “Do you want input? Or is this more ‘I’m letting this out’ right now?”

“It’s definitely the latter.” Weiss sniffed, rubbing her eyes to catch a tear before it fell. “But what advice do you have to offer?”

“Well, firstly… It sounds like you want to be more than an arrangement. ” Ruby was pointing out the obvious, but a good place to start. Sometimes having someone else say it aloud helped. “Do you think she does too? Like, are there any hints?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

But the instant she spoke it aloud, she paused. “Wait… There might be?”

Weiss’s cheeks were turning red as she remembered. “I mean… During uh… ‘making up’ today she did initiate a kiss that was kind of…” She tilted her head, thinking back to that moment back in the van, to that intimate kiss they’d both shared right before Weiss used the toy properly. The one that Blake herself started. “Okay, I’m sorry if this is dumb or TMI or whatever, but it didn’t feel like an ‘I want to screw you’ kiss. It felt like a nice… romantic kiss.”

“So… what did you do? Other than kissing back, I mean.”

Weiss’s blush intensified further. “Well, I got excited and I jumped and it pushed the toy into-”

“OKAY THIS IS THE TMI PART NOW!” Ruby called out quickly as she reached to cover her ears instead.

“You asked!” Still flustered, Weiss shrugged her shoulders. “I panicked! I had to play it off smooth as if I meant to do that, else it would have been really awkward!”

“Alright alright, okay, we’re going slightly off topic.” Ruby only just uncovered her ears again, trying to hide her own forming blush before it got any worse. Once clearing her throat, she looked back to Weiss again. “I think, even though you might be a little scared to… You should tell her. Because holding this back, letting yourself get hurt by something she doesn’t even know hurts you? That’s just not fair on you. And it might lead to a fight, then… Then you really could lose her.”

Weiss held her head in her hands once more. “God, you’re right. You’re completely right.” It pulled at her heart to admit that, and to even think of what could happen.If she confessed and Blake didn’t feel the same way too, what would happen to their arrangement? Could it even go on longer or would it get messy?

Even bigger than that, what would it do to the band if there was a huge fallout? This was their final show, on their biggest tour ever. There was no way she could allow this mess to ruin that for everyone now, not when they were so close! But that meant swallowing her feelings for a little longer, and possibly being hurt for longer.

But for her friends, for her new life, for Blake , she’d do it.

“I’ll wait till after the last show.” She looked downward again, sighing quietly to herself. “It’s only a couple of days, then if anything does go wrong… At least the shows will be done.”

That was that. While Ruby wasn’t a fan of her friend putting it off even longer, she understood. In a few days, all the questions would come to an end, and the answers for the future would become clear for everyone. The band and their careers, Blake and Weiss with their relationship; all of it could possibly hang in the balance. It was just a matter of waiting, waiting for the perfect moment to finally confess her feelings and reach the closure that they both deserved.

As long as nothing worse happened first.

#Kapu fic #NWDE #Part four!#the calm before the storm...#sorta #FEAT BEST BUDDY RUBBLES #and Yang 'here's advice' Xiao Long

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vestedbeauty · 3 years

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Go Outside and Play! (Yes, YOU)

New Post has been published on https://vestedbeauty.com/go-outside-and-play-yes-you/

Go Outside and Play! (Yes, YOU)

How many times did we hear it as kids? “Go outside and play!” (possibly followed by, “and don’t come home until the streetlights are on!”)

As a kid growing up in the seventies, getting to go outside and play - especially during the summer - was a huge part of life. We lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids. Many of the moms stayed home or were just easing they way back into the workforce. It was a different time.

Looking back, it’s no surprise that the moms wanted us out, out, out! In prior generations, parents didn’t really play with their kids. Kids played with kids.

It may not have been perfectly safe. (OK, it was definitely not perfectly safe.) We did a lot of stuff that seems dangerous now:

Playing unsupervised in other kids’ homes

Tromping through the woods until we got lost

Skating on the little pond at the end of the street… even if the ice wasn’t thick enough

Riding our bikes (helmets? ha!) all over creation, usually without even telling anyone where we were going

We got sunburnt, ate junk food whenever the opportunity presented, and drank Kool-Aid made with a whole cup of sugar. I literally dreamt of bubble gum, packs of watermelon Bubbalicious and grape Bubble Yum so real I could taste it.

"Dangerous" But Fun

And at the end of a long, hot summer day, we slept like babies.

I don’t know how we learned so many games to play. There was no internet, of course, and I can’t imagine finding a book full of games at the library. Still, we played all the usual games (hide and seek, kill the guy with the ball, and kickball). But somehow we also found out about Red Rover, TV tag, freeze tag, SPUD, and four square. And we made a bunch up, too, like bicycle shop (turn it upside-down, crank the pedal as fast as you can, pretend to fix stuff using blades of grass and sticks).

It’s like there was some invisible network between children, where vital information traveled without the assistance of media or adults. There was always some kid who knew stuff. That’s the one who gave everyone else the scoop on current events, like when “Mikey” ate pop-rocks and drank a Coke at the same time and died.

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Friendships started because of proximity. Not everyone got along. There was the girl who cried way too much, the boy with the hair-trigger temper who was always fighting, the kids whose parents wouldn’t let them play with anyone in the neighborhood. Of course, there were the kids who were too little, who were dying to be invited to play.

And there were the “big kids” who never seemed to come outside. Well, unless they were hanging out on the porch or by their pool (so jealous!) with their high schooler friends. We held those big kids in reverence. It seemed impossible to even imagine the same girl I saw kissing her boyfriend (ON THE LIPS!) ever sitting in the grass, trying to find the perfect blade to use for a whistle.

Playing Outside Isn't Just for Kids

And then, one day, we were the big kids. Outside wasn’t for playing - it was for transportation or chores, if anything.

Actually, it didn’t happen all at once. We had a few years’ span in our ages. But somewhere around the seventh-grade mark, our friend groups shifted from the neighborhood to the classroom. I remember discovering that I could have school friends come over to hang out. We might walk home from school together, but we’d spend our time indoors - or maybe walk to the 7-Eleven store up the road to buy a Diet Coke. Then back to the house to listen to records, make prank calls, watch General Hospital, and gossip. We got part-time jobs working indoors, at least all mine were.

Then it was off to college. I went to Rutgers University, which is spread across five campuses (there are satellite campuses, but I never saw them). That meant lots of bus rides and tons of walking. At the time, I didn’t mind walking miles and miles each day - unless I was running late for class. It was just part of life.

The yellow, orange, and red leaves on the trees in the fall semester were a stunning welcome to the first semester. I remember feeling especially alive and connected to… something… as I’d kick my way through piles of fallen leaves. The winters felt harsh, though. Duck boots were great for navigating ice, and they probably did wonders for thigh muscles because they were so heavy. But snow in New Jersey is really only nice for a few hours before it gets dirty and slushy. Not that fun to be outside then.

In graduate school, I only remember being outside to walk to class - or walk to work if I didn’t have a ride. At some point, I took up early morning walks to clear my head. It was South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and there may be no more beautiful spot than New England - especially in autumn.

Yes - that's NJ! The Delaware Water Gap is gorgeous, especially in autumn.

Adulting Is Better with Outside Time

After my ex graduated, we moved to Jackson, New Jersey, and I took a job at an accounting firm about an hour away (unless traffic was really bad). With two hours of commuting and eight hours in the office, plus weekends taken up by my role in his job (another post, another time), outside time became a memory.

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Well, unless you count sleeping outdoors in our backyard on blankets because without air conditioning, our house was unbearable! (I always wondered if the neighbors knew - they had air!)

But I remember one day feeling like this entirely indoors existence felt like a rip-off. I bought some plants, seeds, and seedling trees, and started a tiny garden. I set an alarm to get up thirty minutes earlier and spent the extra time kneeling in the grass, hands in the dirt.

The results shocked me. It felt like I had a life again. My mind wandered - even frolicked! - as I played in the soil. Something therapeutic happened as I pulled weeds. That outdoors time was mine alone.

Out with the Kids - But It’s Not Quite the Same

Soon, we started a family. I went part-time with my job, which meant two ten hour days in the office each week, plus several hours at home. On the days I was home, I loved nothing more than bundling my first baby up and going for a long walk in the neighborhood. We had an incident with some dogs that might have ended that practice (I love dogs, but this was scary). But I just switched routes. Then, a few months later, there was a truly horrific crime in our neighborhood. Never again would I feel safe letting my son (and my daughter who was born just a couple years later) play outside without my eyes on them.

I’d made some girlfriends who also had kids at the same time (there was a pregnancy pact - maybe a post for another day!). We loved taking the kids to parks, petting zoos, and a nearby lake. They’d play, we’d talk. These were some of my favorite days.

But the world had changed. We moved a bunch, and there never seemed to be many kids in the neighborhood - certainly not playing outside. There were playdates, but they weren’t spontaneous. Kids never seemed to come calling, ringing the doorbell and asking if my kids could come out and play. I saw them becoming indoor-dwellers, and while it felt sad, it also seemed like the logical course.

Along the way, we’d moved to Florida. It’s hot. It’s humid. Most people seem to stay indoors unless they’re at the beach or poolside. I learned to take early morning walks with my dog. If we didn’t get home by about 6:30, it felt like walking in a steam bath.

Freelancers Don’t Go Outside and Play

We needed money. I needed something creative to do - especially while the kids were at school. So, I started a freelance writing business. It took off quickly. Soon, I was working every minute the kids were at school. Then, the workload expanded and I worked when they got home, too. Then weekends. “Outside” was nothing more than the few feet between the front door and minivan door. “Playing” felt like frivolity. Working “all the time” was both a burden and a point of pride for me. I’d set my prices too low, and was too timid to raise them. For several years, I was the primary breadwinner. I felt so tightly-wound that I could barely remember feeling lighthearted, playful, or relaxed.

Let’s just fast-forward about a decade. Kids are grown. (I am astonished to learn my love, respect, and enjoyment of them has somehow gotten 100x deeper with time - didn’t think it was possible.) I’m in a new marriage, living in a little town outside Huntsville, Alabama. The freelance writing business is now an agency, and while I help steer it, I have a team who takes care of my clients. I also work full-time as the editorial director at Capitalism.com - a “job” I love with people I adore.

Life gets busy. But having reached 53, I have gathered at least this piece of wisdom, which I practice daily: Go outside and play.

Playing no longer looks like choosing teams, running around, and flopping onto the grass.

It looks more like sliding into my funky little rubber boots tending my flock of backyard hens. It’s moving piles of mulch and preparing garden beds. It might be mowing. Or it could be an after-lunch walk with my hubby and the dogs. Sometimes, it’s just sitting outside on the porch, admiring the sunrise and sunset. When I miss a day, something is off. My best ideas come from time spent outdoors. I call it puttering. It’s good for the soul.

Go play outside. See what happens. I'd love to hear what you like to do outside, what joys you've discovered out there, and how often you make outside play part of your day.

Also...

I’ve been reading this book by Trevor Blake, called Three Simple Steps. (Trevor built and sold multiple businesses for hundreds of millions - starting in midlife! He also only works a few hours a day, and is a huge proponent of spending time outdoors.) It’s one of the best things I’ve read in a long while.

#Go Outside and Play

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josieclarington · 7 years

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Lunch || Josephine and Hunter

Date: 7/30/17

Notes: Hunter has some unexpected news to share with Josephine.

@mrhunterclarington

Josephine placed the plates on the table and called Hunter through for lunch. "How have you been? I'm sorry I didn't contact you since the auction house but I haven't really been up to doing much of anything. If Father calls you can tell him I'll submit for you a few times this week to make it up...if you want me to that is."

Hunter walked up to the table and sat down, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. "I've been alright. Had those punishments which weren't as great. I thought it would help me but I don't they helped at all." He said with a sigh. "I'm sorry too. I should make sure to message you more often." Hunter said. He was happy for any distraction as he tried to think of how he was going to say what he wanted to say. "Sure, if you want to. You know you don't have to though, right?"

Josephine frowned hearing he had had further punishments. "I'm sorry, I should have checked on you. You might as well just consent to them though, the headteachers don't hear about the ones you consent to and I don't think getting on their radar in a regular basis is a good idea." She shrugged at his apology with a small smile, "It's fine, I just wanted time to myself so I spent a lot of time out in the grounds. God I miss having my own room." She took a sip of her drink as she smiled brighter, "I'll at least get your laundry done and then I won't feel I'm lying if I get a text."

Hunter shook his head and gave Josie a small smile. "It's fine, honestly. I did it to myself." He said. "I know that. I consented to one of them. The other one I was just too annoyed to do it. It was stupid." He admitted. He remembered Father saying he could submit if he had to but still it didn't feel quite right. "That's understandable. You can always stay over at mine if you want to, too." He offered. "Well, that's very kind of you. You did already make me lunch though, which... looks amazing." He said honestly, pulling his plate a little closer to himself and grabbing his utensils.

Josephine pushed her hair back from her face with a nod, "Thanks, I'll probably take you up on that soon. It's just been a strange few weeks and even being inside didn't feel right." Being around people in general just hadn't felt right but she didn't want to worry him by saying much more. She smiled brightly at the compliment, "Thank you, I hope you enjoy it." They both began to eat and generally too focussed on the meal to talk much. Josephine finished off her drink and stood up lifting their plates, "Do you want me to clean up before we talk or shall I do it after?"

Hunter smiled and nodded. He wanted to spend more time with his sisters and Hunter definitely wanted to make more time free for them. "I know, it's been strange." Hunter agreed. "It's so good." Hunter mumbled, his mouth still half full. Food was one of his favorite things to enjoy in life and Josie always knew how to make something awesome. He hummed at her question and shrugged. "I suppose you can do that later."

Josephine nodded and took the plates through to the sink before she came back to find Hunter. Sitting down she took a deep breath, "So what did you want to talk about?"

Hunter had the idea to talk to his sisters about his feelings but now he was here, it was the most terrifying thing. He hadn't really said anyhting out loud before or really hinted at it. Not even in his mind had he admitted to it. "I've just like, had it rough with these rumors and stuff going around about me. Have you heard any of them?"

Josephine shrugged, "To be honest I've kind of switched off from everything recently. There's only so many times you can hear people calling you the worst submissive in the place so I haven't paid too much attention. Are these to do with you having to submit because I thought Father said you could?"

Hunter sighed at Josie's answer, hoping she knew what he was talking about so he didn't have to say anything. "You're an amazing submissive." He made sure to add. He shook his head and leaned his head against his hand. "No. It's just people talking about my sexuality. I'm afraid that Father will hear of it and I'm not sure what I'd do then, you know?"

Josephine scrunched up her nose when she heard what he was really talking about. "Oh, well I think they talk about everyone's sexuality here. Some people have got nothing better to do." The idea of their father hearing such rumours however wasn't a pleasant one. "I don't know what to tell you Hunt, I mean we're going to have to do presentations with males and females regardless of how we feel so from that point of view it's sort of no different to him saying you can submit for the sake of your grade. We've got to get practice in too and I know I've done a few scenes with girls and one of them turned sexual but that's all it is, a scene. I mean I wouldn't call Father up and brag about it down the phone or anything but it's part of why we are here." She hadn't mentioned the fact she had scened with girls to either Hunter or Blake because she didn't want them to get upset with her but now it seemed important that he knew.

Hunter furrowed his eyesbrows and listened to her. "But that's like, fine with me. I'm very open with the fact that I do scenes with guys. I really enjoy doing non-sexual scenes. The majority of the scenes I do are non-sexual." He told her. Hearing that Josie had sex with a girl for a scene shocked him a little but also not at all. It did make him feel a little more confident. Hunter licked his lips, not really sure how to go into more detail. "Like, most scenes are non-sexual but sometimes they do make me want more. Like, only sometimes."

Josephine could feel herself getting nervous of what he might say, both of her revelation and his own thoughts. "We need to practise scenes and part of that involves sexual scenes so if you want more then I don't see a problem. I mean it's not like you're going to claim a guy anymore than I will enter a claim with a girl." She gave him a small shrug, "It's practise Hunter, it's all just practise and even Father has to accept that. It's not that different to sitting in the library reading a book about it."

Hunter frowned, not understanding Josie's point. "But why would you do a scene with someone of a gender you're not attracted to at all? I would find that incredibly awkward and I would not have any need for it." He said, sighing. "Anyways, I feel like what I wanted to say is like... we've gone away from my point a little bit." He said as he sat back in his chair.

Josephine shrugged, "Because sex feels good and .....look I know you are a Dominant but for me....this is between us okay, I like having someone control me and control my body. I won't scene with just anyone but sometimes I just need to submit to someone." She doubted he would understand but it was the only way she could explain it. "Alright, sorry. What did you want to say?"

Hunter really didn't understand what Josie was saying. Had he not liked both genders, he would've hated sex with the other. "I wouldn't be able to get it up with the person of the gender I didn't feel attracted too." Hunter said with one eyebrow raised. He sighed then and looked at Josie. "Well, basically my point is that it does happen to me. With some males. I enjoy... them. And I am so sorry for it because I know I'm not allowed..."

Josephine could tell she wasn't getting her point across but it really didn't matter, this was about Hunter. "So you like sexual scenes with some males?" she asked to clarify his point. "And you're worried Father will find out and jump to conclusions?" She bit down on her lip as she thought. "I don't know what was said between Blake and Father but the point I got was she was clear she wanted to be only with a woman. As long as you're not actually considering claiming a man then enjoying some scenes with them isn't an issue, I don't think. You just couldn't get serious with one of them."

Hunter listened to Josie and bit down on his bottom lip. Of course that wasn't at all what the situation was like. His situation would get him in a lot of trouble. "No, it's more than that, Jose. I would like either a girl or a boy claim. Father would be furious. I can't choose who I like though and currently my favorite is a guy." He explained. "I'm... like, bi."

Josephine looked at him with wide eyes. Of course she had been stupid to try and think it would be as easy as do a few scenes and move on. She tried to give him a reassuring smile but it was clearly forced and she didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry Hunter, it makes no difference to me who you like, really it doesn't but I'm begging you not to tell Father anything. I mean you're nowhere near a claim and is it really worth losing everything over some passing crush?" She curled up in her seat, her hands trembling as the thought of their father hearing about Hunter filled her with dread and she didn't even want to think about what would happen.

Hunter bit down on his bottom lip and listened to Josie. She voiced exactly what he was scared for. "I'm not telling him anything. I'm good at pretending." Hunter said. The next words hurt a little more, though. "I... guess not." He mumbled. A passing crush... was it really a passing crush? "It's... Josie, it's okay. I'm not telling, okay? I won't leave you alone with him."

Josephine let out the breath she was holding as he confirmed he wouldn't tell their father. She smiled weakly as he promised not to leave her alone with the major. "Okay, thank you Hunt. I won't....you know I won't say anything to Father either." There was still plenty of time for them both to work out what they wanted and once they reached claim stage then what their father thought hopefully wouldn't feel so important. "Do I get to know who your crush is?" she asked with a tiny smirk.

Hunter nodded at his sister's words. It was strange. Hunter had told Josie now and it felt more real. With Augustine it felt less real, as it was someone he hadn't known for long. Josie, however, had been by his side for his whole life. Telling her made it feel so real and it was terrifying. "I don't think so, sweetheart." Hunter said with a nervous chuckle. He wasn't ready to act like everything was normal. There would always be a thought in his head saying it wasn't normal.

Josephine sat back with a sigh as Hunter declined to tell her who he was talking about. "Okay, your choice," she said quietly. "But you know if you ever change your mind then I'm ready to listen." She wasn't exactly calm about the whole thing, after all they both new very well what would happen if their father got any hint that he was thinking this way. "So what are you going to do? Keep going and see what happens," she asked.

Hunter shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "I just know I'm going to fuck it up at one point. And why would anyone want to be with a closeted guy?" He asked seriously. He leaned his head against his head and closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't know. I would be okay with being out around here... I'm just scared it'll get back to Father."

Josephine didn't know how to respond to that. She agreed with him, why would anyone want to be with someone who didn't want to be open about being with them but articulating that didn't seem beneficial. "As much as I would like to say Father will never find out neither of us can guarantee that." Tucking some hair behind her ear she looked at him, "Can you give it some time Hunter please? Spend time with your mystery guy, see how the two of you work together but don't shout about it. Is it really worth enraging Father over something which may fizzle out quickly?"

Hunter wasn't sure what he had expected but he didn't know Josie was going to seem so against him being with a guy. Of course when it was about Father, he should've expected it. "I've already kind of done that though. Like I'm at the point where I'd just want to flaunt him and be possessive. It's not blown over yet." He said with a sigh. "I just don't know what to do. I want to take it public."

Josephine looked at Hunter with wide eyes. "What is it you want me to say Hunt? I mean you don't need my permission to do anything." She stood up with a sad smile, "You need to do what you think is best ...for you." Josephine headed towards the kitchen and got herself a glass of water while really wishing it was something much stronger.

Hunter nodded and just planted his face on the table. "I just want it to be something that blows over and I don't want it to be real but it is and I don't know how to handle it at all." He mumbled sadly. "What you're saying is just making me wonder because I had just gotten more courage to just do what I want."

Josephine turned back, standing with her arms crossed in front of her body. She hated that she made him doubt himself again but at the same time it wasn't that long ago they were both standing in the same room bearing the marks of their father's temper for basically the same thing. "I can't give you an answer Hunter. We both know Father, we've seen what he has done to Blake." She went over and knelt in front of him to catch his eye, "I love you Hunt and that won't change and in ten years time when we are all out of here and in claims and earning our own money maybe we won't care so much what he thinks but right now...I just don't want you to throw so much away unless you can be 100% certain it will last beyond a few months."

Hunter looked at his sister and tried to listen closely. She knew she was right but he wasn't sure if he could do it. "I will try. I will see what I can manage. I just don't want to get like honestly depressed because of it. I'm strong but I don't know how strong." Hunter told her honestly. "But I will try not to jump the gun, I promise."

Josephine gave him a small smile, "That's all I'm asking for." She reached out to hug him, savoring the moment after the emotions of their talk. Josephine felt horrible not being more supportive but she had been through so much in the last few weeks that she couldn't bear the thought of more trouble.

#ftf:hunter #hunter #tw:abuse #tw:homophobia #lunch #chatzy:lunch

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bookcasedoors · 7 years

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Top 7 Books that I read in 2016 (sort of)

I say sort of because some books I’m counting as one whole because they all go together, so here they are in no particular order:

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

This was probably the most intriguing of fantasies I read this year, the premise is very different to most fantasy stories. It’s about a land where the queen always gives birth to triplet girls and when these girls are old enough one of them becomes queen. They each develop a certain power and are raised separately, and the way they choose the queen is that the sisters have to kill each other until one remains and she is crowned queen. It’s a very different concept and I thought I’d give it a read. At the beginning it’s quite slow working out how things work in this world and learning the names and culture of these people, but then when the story really gets going it’s very different from any other story I’ve read. It’s quite dark and some of the turns the story took was really interesting, one in particular blew my mind. I’m more interested in where the story is going rather than the characters, but the characters are actually very complex too I just don’t feel a connection to them. They’re all very fascinating but not very likeable, which could be the point, either way I’m still going to continue with the story and I’m very curious to see what happens next.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Six of crows was probably my favourite book of the year, these books are about six people attempting an impossible heist, and that was all I needed. I love bank heist movies so this was right up my alley. It was intense, emotional, heart and gut wrenching all at the same time. Every single character was fantastic with their back stories woven so artfully throughout both books, you cannot help but love them all. I did try to pick a favourite but honestly they are all so amazing, but the reason for that is because they are all so wonderfully written, every one of them is flawed and perfect simultaneously. The story is also impeccable it takes twists that you don’t expect and you end up somewhere you never thought it would go. It was an adventure to read and I wish there was more, I’d love to see more from these character but also I think it ended very nicely. I would strongly recommend this duology with all my heart.

Illuminae and Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

When I first saw Illuminae I thought it looked beautiful, but looking stunning is usually corresponded with having a weak story. The illuminae files is a sci-fi space adventure told by reports, messaging programmes and some glorious typography. So when I first saw it I though it looked cool but I shouldn’t really expect much from the story but I was so very wrong. The story is so detailed, which I was shocked about, it’s amazing that they can convey all these emotions without writing it in the traditional way. It’s the first time I’ve been genuinely terrified reading a book, it’s so tense and because of the way it’s told it increases the pressure as you’re withheld from some of the information that would be available had it been told in the traditional way. Both the book so far have been amazing but I have a slight preference for Illuminae, however Gemina has some gorgeous illustrations. It’s really opened me up to the sci-fi genre, which I didn’t really like up until these books. It’s a truly amazing idea that is told in a fascinating way.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Second book in the ACOTAR series (this series really needs a catchy name) I wasn’t that much of a fan of ACOTAR like it was okay and nice but I felt like I didn’t really connect, little did I know Sarah J Maas was saving the amazing characters for the second book. The basic premise of the first book is a beauty and the beast retelling but with fairies, and that’s pretty much what is was. It’s was good but it went where I thought It would go and although the writing and story was good it didn’t really blow me away so I put off the sequel for quite a while, but I am so glad I did actually read it. It was PHENOMENALLY better than the first one but the second book wouldn’t have been as good without the first one being like it was. The characters are amazing, the story is amazing, I have no idea where it’s currently going and that is amazing. It’s like the first book set out the ma of the world and the second filled it to the brim with a twisty turning story and some fantastic characters. I love the night court with all my heart, some truly great characters. I cannot wait for the third one.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Nice little contemporary about friendship and finding yourself and all that good stuff a contemporary should have. it was just so nice and relaxing to read, it had its moments of drama and emotion but I’m a massive fantasy fan so usually real life stories kind of bore me or they stress me out because I think of real life scenarios that could actually happen. This was just nice and sweet, it felt refreshing and the characters were great. Nice little story of part of a characters life instead of life and death situations. I read it during the summer so it felt like a hot lazy day kind of book, all about the development of the characters and growing to love them.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Great story about basically a group of friends doing the weird stuff everyone does but somehow there’s even more weird stuff involved. Things like psychics are real and magic and 1000 year old welsh kings. It’s as strange as it sounds and there’s really no way to summarize it. Just five strange people dealing with life, coming together and hijinks ensues.

This series just gets weirder and weirder as you read it, like half of the time I don’t even understand it but it’s written so beautifully I don’t even care. There’s no way to put this book into a genre, like is it fantasy? Urban fantasy? Magical realism? I don’t even know. I listened to them on audiobook back to back over the summer and it was the perfect time to read it. You really grow to love the characters and their journey, same as with six of crows I could not pick a favourite I love them all. Was I horrendously confused as to what was happening? Yes. Was I also intensely absorbed and ready to enjoy the ride? Hell yeah I was. I also hear there’s going to be a Ronan Lynch trilogy and I am SUPER excited about it.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Another cute little story, about a girl who is allergic to pretty much everything, and then one day she meets the boy next door. Seems pretty mundane however it is not what I thought it would be. Going into it I felt like I’d heard this story before and it was a little cliché, however I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. It’s definitely not what it seems. I’m all about books that change my opinion by the end and this definitely did, and it was still a cute contemporary story overall and I’m looking forward to reading her latest book.

#books of 2016 #finally trying to review stuff #go new years resolutions

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actutrends · 4 years

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What to get your favorite NBA player for Christmas

NBA players are just like us — hoping and dreaming for the perfect gifts this holiday season. Here’s what your favorites are pining for.

Klay Thompson

A life-size, topiary chess set where each individual piece is also on wheels so that Thompson may shuffle them around on his own, or with a friend.

Nikola Jokić

Permission from the Denver Parks Department arborist department to go and chop a branch off a stately oak tree on Christmas Eve to burn as the badnjak in the Serbian holiday tradition. Why does he need permission if he’s such a bad boy, you’re probably wondering. Because bad boys care about conservation.

Kevin Durant

A night’s stay at the Plaza Hotel’s Eloise Suite.

LeBron James

Seriously? It has to be spelled out for you? He drops hints about it every single week on the exact same day. The trademark license for Taco Tuesday, signed and sealed by the USPTO, preferably on a heavyweight eggshell paper and inscribed in gold, how you get it to him his your prerogative but he would prefer it had delivered by Kia Silverbrook, the greatest inventor of the modern era with 3,847 patents filed and counting.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Either a little mailer to go out to the wider population of Milwaukee with the phonetic spelling of his last name or for the Bucks organization to fund a series of robocalls out where his last name is repeated slowly, again and again, like a friendly incantation so people learn to say it already. He’s been playing there for over six years now it’s the least they could do.

Joel Embiid

A slide whistle. Don’t you think he seems like the kind of person who’d get right into that? Blocks somebody into oblivion — slide whistle. Dashes the hopes of a team — slide whistle. Watches Ben Simmons clank another jumper — slide whistle.

Kyle Lowry

A back support brace for when he needs to place the entire Raptors roster atop his.

Kawhi Leonard

The same thing he wishes for every year, a reasonable sense of accomplishment.

The Lopez brothers

Though of wildly different tastes, the Lopezes share everything, making them simultaneously easy to knock off your list but challenging to shop for. Brook wants glass blowing lessons, Robin will smash each and every molten creation. Robin wouldn’t mind a trip to Scotland, Brook is deathly afraid of the Loch Ness Monster. What to do, what to do? The answer is, and always will be, matching monster trucks.

Russell Westbrook

It has been a dream of Westbrook’s to walk down the tunnel in a full spacesuit, pantomiming that he’s left earth’s orbit and is free from its diminutive restrictions of gravity. Now being so close to Houston’s Space Centre, it seems this simple holiday wish may finally come true.

Ja Morant

A team of trained and certified firefighters to stand guard under the opposing basket with one of those nets for saving people who have to leap out of tall buildings so that his precious, spring-loaded legs may be spared from harm.

P.J. Tucker

A homemade, pancake of the month calendar.

Jonas Valanciunas

For Domantas Sabonis to realize he’ll never be able to out-tan the self-bronzed god himself and to stop hitting the beds so hard. It’s one thing to pass a deep tan in December in Memphis, entirely another to pretend it’s natural in early winter Indianapolis. Respect yourself.

Kelly Oubre Jr.

An array of masks he can wear to escape the scourge of being too beautiful all the time. He was thinking something silicone and realistic, but in a pinch would settle for Scream and Ronald Reagan.

Serge Ibaka

For once, someone to ask how hungry he is. That or a hat with a brim finally as big as his own ambitions.

Kevin Love

Have you noticed at all that Love seems to have his mind in another place on the court? And I don’t just mean “anywhere but Cleveland”. Truth is, after getting a taste of that life this summer, Love wants to be a cowboy. The wide-open spaces, the little doggies getting along, the mainly bean diet, the hats, the belt buckles, the fringe — Love loved it all. Still, best to ease into a total lifestyle change so for now, a cupboard full of beans will do.

Donovan Mitchell

Considering his public-facing penchant for them, Mitchell is actually terrified of spiders! He would like a day trip to Utah’s Hogle Zoo to visit with the arachnid keeper and get this phobia under control.

Kyrie Irving

While first avoidant of NYC’s iconic bagels due to their spherical, globe-like resemblance, he would now like to try one.

Jimmy Butler

A show where he goes to a new retirement villa in southern Florida every week and whips folks trying to enjoy their golden years in peace into shape. It’s called Going For Golden, Mark Wahlberg is the producer, and Wahlburgers are what’s on the menu, exclusively.

Damian Lillard

A cool motorcycle.

James Harden

He may be sponsored by BODYARMOR but this Christmas, Harden wouldn’t mind a drip of the real stuff. Like chainmail, Roman lorica hamata, or a full set of plate armor, or samurai scale armor, he isn’t picky but it has to be completely historically accurate so best to get a scholar involved and a gift receipt.

Evan Fournier

Where to find a decent bowl of beef bourguignon in central Florida.

Buddy Hield

Just once in his life for someone to be faster than him. Humility is a gift.

Paul George

Audiobooks. He listens to them when he warms up. The longer and more arduous the better. Think, every volume of the encyclopedia or the My Struggle series by Karl Ove Knausgaard, pretty interchangeable.

Steph Curry

A big, novelty-sized card signed by every player in the league thanking him for bringing about an entirely new era of gameplay. The holidays are a time to be gracious, after all.

Anthony Davis

A gorgeous, 7-foot tall vase.

Kent Bazemore

He would like a custom decal for his kitchen window, which looks out on Mount Hood, of a tiny little flag that looks like it was planted atop the mountain’s summit and says “Mount Bazemore”. He climbs it every day in his mind. Also, funny right?

Malcolm Brogdon

A six-point set of buck antlers mounted on a handsome, polished walnut board to hang on his wall.

Alex Caruso

A time machine so he can go back to 1947 and the inaugural season of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, of which he was a crucial part.

Terry Rozier

A new nickname. “Scary Terry” worked in Boston, where success and fear go hand in hand, but now that he is in Charlotte he wouldn’t mind something a little more relaxed. Extraordinary Terry? Fiduciary Terry? Interdisciplinary Terry? You could maybe hire a poet or a copywriter, you could probably find one employed as the other in this economy.

Kemba Walker

The NBA has been spoofing these a bit already leading up to the holidays, which is where he got the idea, but a Rise of Skywalker poster where the Sky is removed and it’s Walker’s face, but on every character except Chewbacca.

Devin Booker

The only thing a permanently petulant, and permanently 16-year-old boy who has everything would or could want, the skin of the Suns Gorilla as a coat.

Andre Drummond

For Blake Griffin to no longer include him in his workshopping exercises. Drummond doesn’t have the stomach for roasts, comedic or large slabs of meat cooked over many hours. He doesn’t think the human body was meant to digest either.

Andrew Wiggins

An apology from Jimmy Butler. (Sorry Andrew, this is going to have the same result a kid wishing for a dog in a house full of people who are deeply allergic will).

Zion Williamson

In an attempt to keep Williamson’s holiday spirits up, his teammate Derrick Favors made him a little coupon book of “Derrick’s Favors” that Williamson can cash in whenever he likes. Some of Favors’ Favors include: “Smoothie King smoothie in Favor’s Favorite Flavor”, actually, the whole book is just Smoothie King coupons Favors cut out of local flyers. Most of them are expired.

Jayson Tatum

For Bill Simmons to stop sending him edible arrangements. He can’t get through that much cantaloupe in a week, week after week, no one can.

Steven Adams

Ever since Chris Paul gifted his teammates with custom-tailored suits, Adams has been finding the fits of his other clothes — the free ones he’s been given over the years — to be less than flattering. He would love for someone to custom tailor all of it. Custom-tailored t-shirt cannon t-shirts, custom-tailored flip flops, custom-tailored track pants, custom-tailored Rumble the Bison discarded jerseys because they wear the same size.

Seth Curry

World’s best brother award.

Jakob Poeltl

For “someone” (Patty Mills) to dress up like his beloved Krampus and chase him around until he’s screaming like his parents used to do back home in Austria.

Zach LaVine

He wouldn’t mind entering another Dunk Contest. It would be his third and he thinks that has a better ring to it. It’s not like he’s that busy with his day job. He just wants to be asked.

Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanović

Custom friendship necklaces that combine to make a basketball-shaped pendant, one side says, BE FRI And the other says, ST ENDS

Trae Young

Vince Carter keeps looking at him like he wants to transfuse his blood, so maybe a subtle screen of some kind he can put up around himself in the locker room.

Vince Carter

A transfusion of Trae Young’s blood.

Miles Plumlee

New shocks for his unicycle.

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