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fanstuffrantings · 5 months

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In your version in this AU: how would used team CRDL more in this story?

I read the volume one part about jnpr so far: other then that any other interaction between the other teams or focus on the team?

I have thought about it. And hopefully my thoughts are coherent enough.

I think they'd slowly integrate into the jnpr/rwby friend group. My ideal scenario for doing this would include an additional volume within Beacon. In general I'd like an additional Beacon Volume, so any notes I make are made with that in mind. This is also a hefty one so under the cut:

To start Volume 1 Jaune managed to convince JNPR to have lunch with them and I feel like at this point Pyrrha has a soft enough spot for Jaune that she's willing to strong arm Cardin into making his team agree. It's awkward, Ren and Dove are the only two with a pretty good dynamic due to them and Blake having a study group. But any one else on team CRDL who speaks to Ren is met with a cold shoulder and simple answers, Nora hates whoever Ren does because she's ride or die, Pyrrha simply doesn't find them interesting enough to care about, and Jaune is trying desperately to bridge a gap.

Their real bonding comes from finding out that apparently team RWBY got involved with getting a lead on who has been robbing dust shops. This is the moment where both JNPR and CRDL are bitter that some random new guy and a weird girl got in on the chaos but they were left out entirely.

During the dance instead of asking Ren for advice courting Weiss, he's trying to figure out how to ask Pyrrha on a friend date to the dance (unaware of his own feelings and ream CRDL gets group messaged about helping out. Cardin and Russel show up because they have nothing to do. So Ren who can't really stand most of the group, Nora who hates whoever Ren does, and half of team CRDL are stuck in a dorm room together trying to help Jaune. We run into the problem where not a single person in this group knows how to ask out women.

For Cardin's general Beacon arc it's him learning to manage his pride and unwillingness to take criticism. He's team leader and the expectation from him is that they respect him enough to do what he says. Being a team player in general is his weakness so to combat this we get Ruby deciding to start making weekly team leader meetings to check in on how everyone is doing and open a space for advice and help. First few don't go great, Pyrrha (leader in this version) spends a fair amount of time hitting Cardin with a smile that could kill, and Cardin pretends to be unbothered despite being terrified of her. He's the reasons the meetings end when they do because he'll find a reason to storm off in a huff.

The main instigator for his change will be the group outings everyone goes on during volume 2. CRDL isn't exactly a well oiled team at this point and this outing proves that with things going south and Sky gets hurt. Realizing he's been pretty bad at acting as leader Cardin starts trying to listen more and direct his team in a way that they can understand his intentions.

Study groups with Dove, Ren, and Blake lead to one of the only non-rwby centric friendships Blake has before the fall of Beacon. Through these conversations with each other we begin to see how well all of them know their teams and they themselves realize how important their teams are to them even if they are more closed off. Dove also I think has a pretty deep respect and admiration for Pyrrha that he doesn't talk about since he's more militaristic. I do also like the idea of him being very focused on the dust robberies around town, tracking any spikes. He himself won't investigate, it's against the rules, but his data does help team RWBY.

Sky and Yang I think actually don't like each other. At least not at first, Sky's opinion is what his team does is none of his business they just got stuck together. Yang thinks a team's connection is super important. They end up working on the dance with Weiss and a bunch of other students and this work is what ends up altering the dynamics to something more positive. Out of the group him and Russel don't get along at first on account of him enjoying to have flare when he fights, that and him not having as much history in proper Grimm combat as the rest of his team means he's a bit of a coward and has to grow from that. He is not very keen on following orders and his lack of respect for Cardin as his leader is part of how he gets hurt on the outing. A bit of a teachable moment for him to even if he's annoyed having to learn from it.

And Russel I personally view as the youngest of CRDL and the one who is closest to Cardin. During the landing practice he and Cardin get partnered and he's not quick to trust people but bonds with Cardin pretty fast since Cardin proves himself to be capable and very skilled in combat. Something Russel has respect for as survival is his life. Cardin's original disdain for Jaune's weakness was another thing Russel would've approved of leading him to join in tormenting Jaune. That said he's also mostly bark no bite so when he's without Cardin I see him mostly glaring and quiet. JNPR and RWBY both find him pretty chill on his own.

These would be the overarching narratives I'd give them mixed in with interactions with other teams. I'd love to set up matches and characters prior to the tournament fight so once we get in there we're excited for where things go. A few extra fights with CRDL as a team also can show us how they got to the doubles round in the tournament.

Largely I want to make sure by the fall of Beacon we know that Cardin is a leader who cares about his team and knows how to lead them even if he still has room to grow. Team CRDL and every team caring about each other is what matters. During the fall CRDL would be the group helping get civilians to safety and combating Grimm. They wouldn't be cowards but they would get separated.

When all is said and done, like Weiss, Cardin's family comes to collect him. With beacon falling they expect him to focus on being the company heir. And out of everyone, Russel isn't counted for. For six months Cardin has no clue how anyone at Beacon is, not beyond what the news shows. His team potientially scattered to the winds and he has no clue where they are and in that time he doesn't even know if his friend is dead or not. Dove is probably in Atlas if he came home is all Cardin knows.

He and Weiss see each other at the party her father throws and he looks rough. Lost weight. Not sleeping. He's pretty much stopped fighting because he feels like a complete failure. Weiss heads off. He doesn't. We don't see him again until the group makes it back to Atlas.

Dove did return to Atlas. And he as well isn't seen until the group makes it to Atlas, he's followed in his families footsteps and requested to be trained by the military, transferring into the school. He doesn't have a team and it makes things difficult but with the state of the world, Ironwood seems the type to welcome more trained hunters. No one would turn away the best fighter on CRDL. Ren and Blake are the most happy to see him, they were pretty close after all.

He is content following whatever orders are given because he was there when Beacon fell and knows the risk. He wouldn't be aware of Salem, however. He's not part of the inner circle. But his skills had him working towards Ironwoods good graces. His friendship with the teams means he's ultimately one of the first to agree to help them and go against Ironwood's wishes. He'd start assisting people in the lower city when things go south and be on standby with Robyn's group to start the evacuation. During this evacuation is when him and Cardin see each other for the first time, and its not exactly a reunion they can stay in, but there is clear happiness.

Sky would be from around Vacuo so he doesn't reappear until that arc. Without knowledge of what happens I can't say for sure but in his down time I think he's taken to hanging out with team SSSN and CVFY as well as any other Beacon groups who made it there.

And I'd also probably plan for Russel to be there as well, with the grim situation in Vale getting worse Sky offers him the chance to go to Vacuo with him, recuperate from injuries during the battle that very nearly killed him, and find hopefully some safety even for a bit. His former mountain town likely being one of the first things abandoned/wiped away during the new grimm incursion.

My hope for Volume 10 is some focus on SSSN and CFVY so a CRDL proper reunion at this point with team RWBY (and JNR if Nora replaces Weiss in volume 9) would allow for secondary teams to get more proper attention.

There are potientially things I'd alter if I were to properly script things but this is the general plot progression ideas I had rattling around recently.

#rwby rewrite #team crdl #it's a lot i know #molten rambles #I'm still trying to fully figure out their dynamics with the other teams #ask #grooveguylove

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cheryls-blossomed · 3 years

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I read Ruby's statement and honestly I don't like that people are blaming her for her fans' actions, it comes off like they're making her responsible for the behavior of her fans. I don't think actors can do much else other than release these statements. This isn't like Danielle who instigated stuff for years. People are acting like she should just know ppl will go crazy on twitter and attack Javicia when that probably didn't even occur to her.

Nobody said that they should have known ahead of time. But the moment that she got wind of the fact that people were spewing racist vitriol at Javicia, they ought to have put out a strong statement denouncing any hate directed at Javicia. That’s not what happened: she put out a statement hours later, mildly telling people to “try and not to attack” Javicia. At that point she knew that Javicia was being harassed, but they chose not to put out a statement directly telling people to stop attacking Javicia.

Also, Ruby has a history of willfully ignoring racism, which is why people are annoyed with her statement addressing the hate Javicia has been getting today, and they have the right to be. Multiple things can be true at once: Ruby is valid in speaking their truth and about their mistreatment and the mistreatment of crew members on the Batwoman set. She is wrong in how she worded the statement addressing the vitriol spewed at Javicia that resulted. Nobody said that Ruby did the same thing that Danielle did, but the fact of the matter is what she should have said was stop attacking Javicia, which they did not do.

#anonymous #replies

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yandere-society · 3 years

Text

Moonlight

Pairing: Taehyung x Female Reader

Synopsis: Taehyung was a man of many things: handsome, young, rich, the reigning lord of the Kim manor. He was a man adored, a man respected. But beneath the studly exterior, he held a dark, demonic secret that floated towards the surface once every full moon. It was this secret that would unknowingly entangle you in his claws until there was no way out.

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: Yandere themes, Possessive Tae, Werewolves, Kidnapping mention, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, also it’s unedited cause I hate myself

Headline: Beast Of The Night Strikes Again! 2 Dead, Several Injured

Admin: @roses-ruby

The town suffers through another full moon of terror as the one described as the ‘dog beast’ struck again late last night. Lawmen are baffled at the carnage, describing the victims torn limbs and missing hearts as an act- “most definitely inhumane.” Townsfolk have stated that they heard the creature growl and moan for hours on end until it seemingly disappeared near the Kim manor. As for the owner of the manor, Kim Taehyung - an attractive bachelor who inherited his great grandfather’s land - refused to comment and dismissed the claims of such a being as “ludicrous and delusional.” Whatsoever it may be, the fact of the matter is that there is someone or something raging with bloodlust every time the moon shines its brightest and it might just be out for your heart next.

“It is truly incredible how some of the most credible news sources have begun to sound so half-witted these days… ‘attractive bachelor?’ Seems like you’re up for auction in the middle of this tragic incident…”

“It is a small town with unusually large tales…they’ll do anything to sell their trashy story…” He runs his fingers through his long black locks, a small huff of irritation leaving his lips.

“A story that will keep children up past midnight I’m sure…” The older gentleman places today’s paper back on the table and walks up to where the younger stood, matching his distant stare out the window. “The flowers were exceptionally beautiful in this year’s bloom. Such a shame they’ll be dead soon.”

It was a passive observation, one he didn’t have to respond to; however, it was his nature to always hold a firm stance on even the slightest of interactions. He hums in agreement, gazing out towards the colorfully green garden that his study overlooked. But rather than admiring the beauty of the large field, his eyes were instead hooked on a small figure bustling about the grounds in a long black dress.

“Master,” A calm voice interrupted him from his trance, “Shall I adjust your schedule in case you were to head into town today?”

His long-time butler, Seung, bowed quietly in his direction.

“No need.” He replies mindlessly.

“Now, now,” His uncle next him chuckled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening, “It would do you good to show your handsome bust among the public. Your presence as Lord might provide some comfort…”

As if he should be the one comforting weeping mothers and terrified children.

He was about to decline the smiling face of this man who bore him nothing but animosity, but he was interrupted by his uncle’s careless gaze suddenly modifying into something additionally sinister.

“Or is it that you’re too tired for such a simple task? You look as if you have not slept in ages. Are you doing alright, perhaps?”

Other than the shiver that ran down Taehyung’s spine at his foxiness, he was unfazed by the weighty question. Usually, his feigned concern would make him chuckle, if he wasn’t so emotionally exhausted from last night’s events.

“I’m fine.” He turns to Seung without missing a beat, “Uncle is right. Get the carriage ready, I will be heading into town today.”

“Yes, Master.” Seung bows, but before he could quietly leave the room, Taehyung calls for him again. “And get my Uncle’s carriage ready for departure as well. I am sure at his age he would love nothing more than to be resting at home this very moment.”

There was a small confrontational silence between the senior and him after his loaded remark. But it vanished the very next second when his Uncle began to chuckle loudly, as if there was nothing but mirth between the two of them.

“You are right on the mark, young lad. As sharp as ever I see.” He spins around, walking back to the table he once sat at “I shall be out of your hair soon.”

Taehyung watches him as he picks up the paper he had been scrutinizing before he commences his departure from the chamber.

“Are you perhaps interested in the dog beast?”

“Why, not at all,” He responds calmly, turning to the younger with the same somber expression as before, “I just need some entertainment for the road. Surely, you don’t mind?”

He did not. For now, he desired his uncle’s departure the most. It was not as if he could see his own forthcoming demise stained in the ink of that paper.

Autumn’s cool breeze surrounds your body as you tend to the large grounds of the Kim manor, trimming off uneven stems from a massive rose bush.

“___,” A frantic voice suddenly calls your name, capturing your attention as your gaze falls down onto a petite figure dressed in a similar maid’s uniform running towards you, “___! Did you hear?”

“About?”

“Today’s paper!” Seulgi spoke out of breath, like it was the most obvious thing, “Those men…aren’t they the same lads who-”

“SSHHH!” You hiss, blocking her loudmouth with your palm. Her whines against your hand were similar to that of an adolescent as you whirled your head around the garden, making sure no one was near your vicinity. “I told you not to speak a word of that!”

Seulgi successfully tugs you off of her, “I know! But is it not bizarre? That beast attacked those men!”

“There is no beast!” You growled, “Everyone in town was aware that Wan and his men were good-for-nothing hooligans! They probably wandered into the forest late at night, drunk and belligerent, and attracted a bear!”

“Hmm, perhaps…” Seulgi pouts, “But what about the articles? All those farmers who lost their cattle the same exact way… with their hearts missin-”

“I’m sure those are nothing but carnivorous rodents.” You huff in irritation, picking up the sheers to return to your work. The girl besides you threw a tantrum using her feet, and you wonder when exactly it was that you befriended such a child. “Are you even done with your station or will I have to do that for you again after the Housekeeper is done scolding you?”

This manages to scare her off, and you watch her retreating figure in slight humor before turning back to the rosebush. As you snap another set of leaves, you manage to take a glance at the window of the lord’s study, apprehensively watching his back disappear further into his room.

All you’ve wanted from this manor and its lords was a chance to toil quietly – in peace. Your simple servant status does not offend you, rather it provides you security in relations with the world. You were not interested in meddling with anyone’s affair, especially with those who lived in powerful and dangerous realities. So, it does not matter.

What you saw last night, near the clearing behind the manor does not matter. It had nothing to do with you, and you were planning on keeping it that way.

Lord Kim was annoyed.

Really though, when was he not? As the carriage decelerates into the gates of his estate, his exhaustion only multiplies. Faking a straight face and an empty gaze took its toll on him, even if he had been playing theater his whole life. It was hard enough to keep up with this perfect charade as the lord of the manor, but it had just gotten worse with time…and with the incidents.

He was reluctant to head into town, leer over dismembered bodies and chat with the commissioner, but did so anyway thanks to his uncle’s instigation. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice - any sign of weakness would invite his extended family to sink their teeth and claws into him, wringing him dry within a matter of minutes. His father died too early and Taehyung did not bear a successor yet, so whoever would be the first to either exhaust, kill or seduce him would eventually take his place as lord. After being unfortunate enough to witness countless amounts of cruelty from them since age eight, he knew he had to keep his farce strong.

Common folk would think he was protecting his blessed birthright. But in a deep, hidden corner of his mind, the reality loomed that neither this life nor this manor was blessed in the slightest.

“We’re home, my lord.” His thoughts are interrupted as the carriage stops, the door opening to reveal a flawlessly still Seung waiting for him to disembark.

As he exited his carriage, his shoulders drooping and head spinning, his eyes managed to fall on you in the distance. You stood far away, underneath the stone canopy of the servant’s quarters, next to that bumbling friend of yours with your head bowed as the housekeeper shouted herself silly at the both you. It seems that you have once again found trouble thanks to the petite nitwit by your side.

Yet still, even with your gaze downcast, he could sense the poise in your stance. An aura of composure and self-confidence that has never left your being no matter where you stood, or who stood over you. At first, he just happened to relate to you and the notion of keeping together a tough act. But over time, he came to realize that you weren’t acting at all – that you, a mere servant, were as perfectly assured as you seemed.

It made him envious.

“Master?” Seung pulled him back to reality.

He turned away, scuffing his expensive shoes amongst the gravel to head into the direction of his manor. Yet still, after the small sight of you, he couldn’t help but smile to himself for the first time that night.

“Dinner is served.”

A tray was lifted to reveal a large pot of thick, saucy white soup. He had wanted something light ever since the previous night, and the chef had delivered quite nicely. Taehyung sits patiently, waiting to be served as the maidservants walk into the room with the housekeeper. His eyes immediately land on you out if habit, and he wonders if you were to tend to him tonight. But to his surprise, it’s your friend who comes up to the table to oblige him his dinner instead. She takes a ladle and dips it into the soup – just a minute, she forgot to pick up his soup bowl?

Realizing she forgot the bowl; she looks startled for a bit before she hovers a hand underneath the ladle and walks closer to his direction. He has to try really hard not to burst out into a fit of laughter as he witnesses you shake in fear at her antics. Seems like he was not the only one distracted because the very next second your friend trips over her own foot on the way to his bowl and loses her grip on the soup-filled ladle, which flies towards him.

And in an instant, his whole head was wet and runny with his dinner. It was quiet for the first minute – which appeared to have stretched out into hours for the servants – until many different voices began shouting at once.

“Y-young Master! T-Towel- I shall fetch a towel!”

“MY LORD!”

“My lord! I-I-I apologize I-!”

He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. Your face was stiff in horror as you watched the creamy soup drip off his hair. Seung ran back into the room with a towel in his arm as the housekeeper bellowed at your friend.

Before Seung could wipe his hair, Taehyung held his wrist and took the towel into his own hands. Then he stood up, surprising the whole room, even the shrieking housekeeper, shut. He lightly wiped the edges of his bangs for a minute in silence, feeling the wet soup drool into his shirt before he turned towards your friend.

“Well, what a mess…” He stated absentmindedly, watching the girl shrink under his gaze until she became as small as a pebble. She seemed to be trying her utter best not to cry.

“Lord…” A soft, but confident voice interrupted the dead silence of the room. You stepped up next to your friend, your head down as you cleared your throat, “It…It is my fault actually…”

Your friend turns to you in shock. Everyone in the room was now glancing at you; the servants with petrified eyes and Taehyung with amused ones.

“Explain yourself.”

“Th-that…I spoke about the dog beast who was in today’s paper to miss Kang and…and I seem to have frightened her which is why she’s been a bit distracted…b-but it is my fault, so I deserve the punishment.”

“N-no!” You friend suddenly cries in a strained voice and you elbow her to keep shut. She opens and closes her mouth like a fish, before complying to your implication with her eyes squeezed shut tight. The servants all held their breath, waiting for the lord’s next move. They all seem to flinch when he sighs,

“…I see…” Taehyung holds in a chuckle, “You’re right miss ___, this indeed seems to be your fault…”

Seulgi quietly whines in her throat and you wish she could for once read your mind and jam her loud trap.

“…Well then,” Taehyung’s deep voice captures your full attention, “Meet me in my room an hour before midnight. I shall decide on your punishment by then.”

No one said anything further, but they all seemed to be thinking of the exact same thing. Even Seung appeared disturbed. But…it just couldn’t be… The lord has never even taken an interest in women much less bed with one. You, too astonished to remember your place, straightened your posture and stared at him straight in the eye for the very first time. There wasn’t any hint of jest or error, which left you further baffled at the Lord’s request.

No, perhaps it was just you who misunderstood.

“Y-yes Lord.” You manage to spit out.

At your approval the lord smiles, which startles you out of your insolence. You return to your humble position as the Lord begins to walk away from the room.

“Seung, prepare my bath.” Taehyung calls out in glee.

“…Yes, master…”

You sigh, standing in front of the thick wooden door of your Lord’s master chamber.

“Well, there goes the goal of keeping from trouble…” You whisper to yourself in defeat. And thanks to that gigantic fool Seulgi, you were late to your own punishment trial. She would not stop crying and apologizing, even though you told her it was now your problem, so she has nothing to be sorry about.

Still, the main dilemma for you in this moment was not her, but your current circumstances. Why were you called out to the Lord’s chamber an hour before midnight? The sensitive time frame would provide anyone the wrong impression, not just you. If he really were to ask you to…bed with him…what then?

You quickly shake your head no. It was not healthy for you to have such thoughts about your Lord. Since adolescence, you had been a reasonable girl who was guided by logic. There was no rationality in this idea and you’re sure Lord Kim had a good excuse for calling you out so late – an excuse that has nothing to do with...whatever you were just thinking. After pulling yourself together with a deep breath, you knock on the wood three times.

“Come in.” You immediately hear, which allows you to nervously turn the handle and push open the door.

There stood Lord Kim, by the end of the bed, in his sleepwear. His hair was a mess of slight, drooping curls, possibly the aftermath of his bath, and his stare was a lot more lax than normal. You gulped quietly under his gaze, stepping into the room and letting the door shut behind you.

“You’re late, miss ___.” His voice was deep, but soft. It felt as if he was trying to jester you.

“I-I apologize, my Lord. I was held up by the housekeeper…”

It was a lie and you did feel guilty, but it would also be immensely satisfying to witness that old witch being chided.

“My, my, it seems like she is always after you and that friend of yours,” You could hear what sounded like mischief in his tone, “Which reminds me, she came to speak to me.”

“The housekeeper?”

“No, your friend. She told me you lied for her.”

That was the last straw. You were going to kill that idiot.

“I…I…S…” What were you to say now? Should you apologize for your dishonesty?

“I think it’s commendable.” You were interrupted from your thoughts by your Lord’s words. When you meet his eyes, you see him smiling gently in your direction. “You tried to protect your friend. It takes a good heart for that.”

“Thank you, sire…” You weren’t sure how to adequately respond - if he really was complimenting you. Your uncertainty stemmed from your upbringing; rather than a trait to compensate, behaving and caring for your younger siblings was regarded as your duty. It was also why maid work came so easily to you. And Seulgi, with her childish nature yet endearing personality, reminded you of those you tended to back home, so you considered looking after her a mere responsibility.

“I do like that nature of yours.” He proceeds casually, making you blush. “But I still have to punish you for your dishonesty.”

You nod your head, eyes falling to the floor. Even without gaping at him, you were aware of how strong his gaze was. It was only natural to get disciplined as a servant, but for it to come from Lord Kim himself made you fearful.

“Miss ___, sleep with me.”

Your head whirls up to meet his stare, shock painting your face.

“W-”

“Please don’t misunderstand me.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair, “Although you’re quite beautiful, I only desire your lap.”

…

What?

“I-” Your Lord stutters, facing away from you and crossing arms in embarrassment, “I just…these days I have been having some trouble sleeping. Many peers have remarked on my dark circles and laxing attitude. This won’t do! As the Lord of the Kim manor, I have to appear fully rested and in the best condition at all times or else.”

He turns back to your direction,

“W…when I was a young lad…I would sleep on my mother’s lap. It was the most comforting of places to me and sleep was never a cause for concern back then. Which is why…I wanted to seek that same comfort once more…so that I may be able to rest heartedly and prepare myself to face the world of politics tomorrow. I just…I was wondering if I could borrow your lap for a few nights?”

It was quiet after his explanation. Your mind gradually processing all the information in his tale. He appeared to be immensely nervous, as if waiting for you to decline. You had to hide your amusement.

“I am ready for my punishment, my Lord.”

The young Lord smiles, which has your heart racing. Surely, he was a beautiful man.

“Thank you. Please sit on the bed, near my headboard.” He orders bashfully.

You swung another sheet over the clothing line.

Days had passed since your initial ‘punishment,’ and today would mark the first whole month of you lending your lap to your Lord. Your nightly time with the Lord had become an occurrence you cherished. There was so much you managed to learn about the man who rested on you – like how he scrunches his nose when he encounters a nightmare or how he moans only when he is in his deepest of slumbers. He was different than how you originally imagined; his cold exterior was nothing but a farce. In reality, he was so childlike and so innocent.

So different from other men.

Yes, that’s right, he was nothing like Wan. Remembering that scoundrel had you shivering in your legs from disgust. You usually didn’t have the most pleasant encounters with the men in town, but Wan had been a special case. Although you did not wish to think ill of the dead, there was nothing ever good about that man, and frankly you’re not very upset that he’s gone.

You remember the day much too clearly; it was a week before he would meet his demise. The housekeeper had sent you and Seulgi into town on a shopping errand – she wanted you to pick up meat and vegetables for dinner. It wouldn’t be the first time you went into town for a chore, but it would certainly be the most unpleasant.

As you and Seulgi stepped out of the farmer’s store carrying a load of groceries in a paper bag you held with both arms, you spotted Wan and his friends walking towards you from the opposite direction. They were cackling loudly, drunk in the middle of the day and out of their minds. You paid them no attention, ready to head back to the manor but your unwitty friend stared straight at them until Wan eventually made eye contact with her.

“Well, well, well,” He slurred in your direction, catching your gaze, “If it isn’t the whores of Kim manor!”

Because of his brash nature, everyone’s regard fell on the two of you. You tried to look unfazed by his disgusting behavior, taking Seulgi by the hand and leading her around the men. But Wan interjected your path as his friends laughed on.

“We need to get back. Leave us alone.” You stated calmly

“Why, we won’t keep you for long,” He grinned, and you recoiled from the alcohol in his breath, “Besides, they won’t miss you- them rich folk. Isn’t that right, fellas?”

His friends began to shout and woo, enclosing in on you almost completely, and you could feel Seulgi shaking behind you.

“We need…to get back.” You say once again, cursing at yourself when your voice cracks. Wan throws his head back and laughs as hard as he could while the townsfolk just observe the show. Anger begins to well up alongside the fear and you purse your lips, picking up your feet and tugging Seulgi along.

It didn’t matter if you had to bulldoze through him, you were going to get back to Kim manor no matter what. So you step close, ready to collide into him before he suddenly sidesteps. Thinking he was distracted; you weren’t prepared for his swift movement and you certainly weren’t prepared to feel a hard thwack on your backside. A breath of surprise leaves your throat and the feeling in your arms disappear, which lets the paper bag fall out of your grasp, spilling its contents along the street. You stare at the ground, paralyzed by shock as Seulgi meekly cries out your name.

“Wan, you mad lad!” Someone from his group yells, clasping their hand into his in jest while they all express their amusement at your humiliation. The group aggressively howls, making perverse remarks before eventually continuing down the road, fully disregarding your presence. They left, without any consequences. As if they didn’t just horribly disgrace you.

“___...” Seulgi steps up to your side, crying her eyes out in worry. If this was another time you would console her – scold her for being a crybaby – but at the moment you could think of nothing. You had been a maidservant for almost a decade now and even then, you had never been treated so awfully. What’s worse is that they all saw…they all saw and said nothing.

Not wanting to waste a minute further, you fall to your knees and start gathering the vegetables that fell about. Seulgi calls your name again but you focus on your task. You have to stay composed, you have to stay composed – you repeat it to yourself like mantra. But that sensation of emptiness returns, and you freeze. Before you knew it, you were trembling on the floor with tears streaming down your face and everyone still watched on.

“___.” Seulgi wrapped herself around you tightly. For a moment your fortitude was shattered as you cried in her arms on that dirty street.

Wan was most definitely scum, you conclude with a huff as you finish straightening the laundered bedsheet. But still, you halt, dying the way he did…it’s something you wouldn’t wish on anyone. Your mind wanders back to that paper, torn limbs and missing hearts. Could it possibly be related to what you saw that night on the previous full moon? With a frown, you stare up at the sky, watching the whiffs of white clouds swirl through the blue fabric.

“___!” You hear the familiar shouts of your name and turn to see Seulgi running towards you. “___, there you are!”

“What is it this time?” You sigh as she encloses in on you

“___, is it true that you are consummating with the Lord?”

Dropping the sheet out of your hands, you spin towards the loudmouthed idiot, “W-w-w-where did you hear that?”

“The other maidservants were whispering on it,” She replies with an innocent grin, “Is he as good as the rumors say?”

“A-a-a-as the w-what? What rumors- what- consummate- a-are you out of your mind?” You were blushing from head to toe.

Seulgi looks dejected at your response, “So it isn’t true?”

“Of course not!”

“Ohh,” She groans sullenly, “But I guess it would be impossible for a lord to take interest in maidservants like us.”

Your bashfulness vanishes in an instant. She was correct, there is absolutely no reason for you to find yourself special. Lord Kim had made it clear that he has no interest in you, he just requires a lap and is too proud to ask someone close. This was originally a punishment for you and nothing more – you shouldn’t become too attached.

“___?” Seulgi’s voice was low, “Are you alright? You seem down…”

“…I’m fine.” You mutter, composing yourself, “But more importantly…why are you here to ask me about baseless gossip? Are you done with your station? Remember you have to use the right tools- just scrubbing vigorously doesn’t work-”

“Oh my god- yes, yes, yes!” She responds by childishly covering her ears, “I have to use the coil sponge not the foam one, I get it!”

You begin to scold her as she laughs, prancing around the grass without a care. But soon the humor dies down and it was time to return to work. Before she leaves for her station, she makes a passive comment.

“Tonight’s another full moon. In the night of Samhain.” There was something dim about her tone as she gazes up towards the sky. You join her, wondering if she somehow had the same bad premonition as you did.

While you were chatting with your friend, Taehyung was having tea with a man he’d rather throw into a river.

“What brings you here?”

“My, do you sound cold.” His uncle chuckles, taking another sip of his tea, “Am I not allowed to visit my nephew out of fondness?”

“Well, after twenty-so years, consider me surprised.” Taehyung deadpans, which only further humors the elder.

“Perhaps I do have a motive.” He grins for a moment before all signs of amusement vanish from his expression. “I could not help but toil my mind over that paper from before. The townsfolk swore they heard the dog beast growl late into the night before fading behind Kim manor.”

“I thought we agreed the paper was nothing more than gossip fodder.”

“And perhaps that’s all it is.” His uncle’s smile was innocent but held such contempt. “However, as a gentleman who resides in the city, I find myself quite inclined by the mysteries of small towns such as this.”

“What nonsense,” Taehyung scoffs, “Are you saying you wish to investigate this supernatural rubbish the townsfolks gripe about?

“Indeed! The dog beast is nothing but rubbish!” The elder’s laughter was hearty, “But then, there is the question of who killed those men?”

The room was silent, drowning in the animosity the two men felt for one another. Neither one spoke – his Uncle because he had nothing more to say and Taehyung because he felt his throat clogging. He wanted to decline, desperate to splurge words of refusal, but then the fact that he had something to hide becomes too apparent.

“Surely, you won’t mind me staying? Just for one night?”

“Stay as you wish, uncle.”

You were already situated on his bed when your Lord swung the door open.

The sound made you jump, and you immediately rose to your feet to show respect. He began walking towards you in a fast, heavy pace with his feet striking the wood. His face had you unnerved – anger in his frown as well as what you could only describe as dismay in his eyes. Before you could open your mouth to react, you were taken into his arms in a sudden and swift motion.

It left your mind blank.

He squeezed himself onto you, his chest colliding with yours as his scent surrounded your senses. Your arms were hovering his back while your fingers curled into themselves, unsure of your position at the moment. Lord Kim hugged you tight, as if he was afraid.

“M-my Lo-”

“Tonight.” He interjected, muffling into neck as he laid his head on your shoulder, “Do not let me go tonight, whatever you do. Hold onto me as tight as you possibly can, do you hear me? Do not let me wander, I beg you.”

His tone broke your heart. He sounded so frightened – so desperate and you had no clue on how to help him. The Lord has always been the strength of this household. No one had ever witnessed him so distressed, not even at the previous Lord’s funeral. Hesitantly, you placed your fingers against his vertebrate and sat back on the mattress, guiding him gently down with you.

“I won’t let you go, my Lord.” You didn’t know what else to say.

He placed his head on your lap, arms still clinging onto you like a child. His mind seemed to be in the middle of a warzone against himself. The memory of a young man sitting in front of his father’s casket, immobile and silent as a rock, was still so vivid to you. You had only been at Kim Manor for a few months back then, and you remember being disturbed by his attitude – wondering if he had any feelings at all. But after learning about how often his extended family plotted against him, to the point of kidnapping him as an eight-year-old, you began to view that tearless boy with pity.

Watching him tremble in your lap has you reaching out to him. Your digits tread into his soft hair and you slowly move them about to calm his tremors. He seems to respond; his quivers coming to a slight halt at your touch.

You don’t know for how long you rubbed his head, listening to him breath.

You don’t know when you fell asleep.

His whole body was aching as he walked towards the grass, trying to ease the sharp pain in his head.

He had been taught that the best place to alter was out in an open, murky environment. Somewhere you could feel the air on your skin as the patches of hair slit through your pores like needles through fabric. Yet still, somewhere impenetrable through the naked eye. There was an area like so behind Kim manor – a clearing that was connected to a large acre of uninhabited woods. And among those acres laid several swamps and bogs, which formed a thick layer of fog around the grounds of the manor – most prominent on the night of the full moon.

It was the perfect place for him, who had been poisoned with this modification.

With his mind as cloudy as the fog, he thinks back to the first time he witnessed his father alter. He was far too young, a month away from ten, when he was brought out to this clearing and visually counseled on his dreadful future. More than anything he wanted to look away, he did not wish to see his beloved father become this monster, but Seung held his hand tight and told him to hold witness for his very own sake. And he witnessed – witnessed his father thrash about as if he wanted to claw his own brains out and he cried.

He cried along with his father. But there was never any other option for him than to tolerate the dread from his place as heir to Kim manor.

It was always painful, every moment his heart pumped blood into his body, he moaned in agony. While the night raged on, he noticed his panting grew deeper by the second – tone sinking to a gruff growl which rips through his chest. His eyes and sense of smell grew keener, large nails grotesquely rip through his skin and his teeth began to enlarge. The image of the moonlight basking on his skin was the only thing offering him refuge.

If he had a choice, he would have chosen to stay inside with the warm you, stare enchantedly at your resting face like the many instants he’s done before. But his changes weren’t just physical. In this state he was bigger, louder, hairier, teethier – more aggressive. His desire for blood was intense but ever since he met you, so was this raw lust. As a rational man with a sense of morals, this perverse craving ashamed him, yet the beast inside did not care for his customs. It wanted to possess you, every ounce of you, thoroughly. To mate with you in a way that wasn’t meant for humans. Being around you in this condition would break the mental leash he chains this deviant with.

Although every time he alters, he feels it loosening. There was something wrong with him – his father and grandfather were able to restrain the beast from rampaging throughout town. But he, on the other hand, had been consuming the town as his sole hunting grounds for some months now. Which is why the “dog beast,” once a mere legend mentioned every decade, was printed in previous months paper.

It is as if the creature wishes to mock him and the slipping control.

Drenched in sweat and agony, he knew the transformation was almost complete when he suddenly heard a small noise. He immediately spun around and met the petrified eyes of his uncle.

Neither of the men spoke – both gaping at each other with pure, unfiltered fear. The chill of the night establishes its presence in the worst moment possible. Taehyung was afraid for reasons too many, none he could not lucidly list. He recalls what occurred the last time the beast was enraged by someone and he desperately wishes not to hurt anyone ever again in this form.

Opposite from him stood his uncle, wondering just one thought out of an infinite. How does a normal man, one untouched by the knowledge of this being, react in this situation?

A normal man would run. A normal man would cower in fear. A normal man would beg for his life. But he, the rightful heir to the manor, declined to let this young bastard trample him in such a way. It wasn’t that his uncle was a man without fear. And it wasn’t that he held great courage either, but rather, the very oxygen that burned through him was fueled purely by his stubbornness. He has spent the majority of his life trying to crush first his brother and now his nephew, so when this chance has presented itself so deliciously, he refuses to let it slip through his fingers.

“Y…” His voice was hoarse, throat achingly dry, “What are you?”

Taehyung stands there quietly, unresponsive to the question. Although he was the larger one, he felt so scared and so small. No one had ever spoken to him in this form which is why he was unsure of what to do. He had been a fool, he thought if he could sleep in your arms and you held him tight, he would be able to stop himself from altering tonight.

But now he understood, there was nothing that could.

“You killed those men.” His uncle continues, all on his own. As if he’s suddenly reached enlightenment.

“You do not…understand…” Taehyung shakes his head like a child about to be punished. He didn’t mean to kill anyone. He’s never hurt someone in his whole life. That night, on the previous full moon, it all occurred without any of his own authority.

Taehyung was a despicable man. Wan had hurt you, and he saw it. But rather than step in and intervene – rather than protect you from that scum – he instead just stood by and watched it transpire. No matter how many times he thinks back to it, no matter how often he racks his brain for an answer, he still does not understand why he did nothing. Perhaps he was paralyzed from his own traumas and forced himself to retain his composure – however the beast did not care for his pathetic reasons. It taunted him the whole week leading up to the full moon. Hurt him with insults he knew he merited.

“You’re weak.” It growled, “Weak and puny. I shall protect her myself.”

And then, for the very first time, Taehyung took the life of another human being without any cognizance. What’s worse is that he enjoyed it. That thought alone petrifies him.

“No, I do not understand you. And I do not wish to.”

“Please…” Taehyung begged as he held out his deformed hand to plead with the elder. Did this man think Taehyung desired this life? Did he think he desired this hundred year old curse - originating from a place long before his time - that was forced upon him and on any man who dared to reign over Kim manor. Perhaps despicable, but Taehyung was still softhearted. The reason why he tried so hard to keep his title as Lord was so that no one else would further suffer this abomination, even if it concerned his bastard uncle.

And it’s also the reason he made peace with dying alone, without a bride and without children. He was meant to stand alone. That is...until he met you.

“How dare you. How dare you grovel to me, you servant of the devil.” The disgust and venom in his uncle’s tone made him recoil.

“No-” It was only a matter of time before the beast consumed him whole and he was certain, like before, it would not spare any mercy. The adversity is something Taehyung direly yearns not to repeat.

“I shall bring the priest and the commissioner. I shall tell them what you did. You shall be brought to justice for what you did to those men. You shall suffer in hell when they burn you at the stake!”

“Please- uncle- please listen TO ME-” He clasped his claws against his mouth when his voice became utterly inhumane. The beast was crawling out of his throat and his sanity was slipping. No longer was he able to see what was in front of him and once again he began to fade, like he did all those times before.

“Run!”

Taehyung with the last of his conscious tried his hardest to warn the man and take a dash for the woods but it was far too late.

The last thing he heard was his uncle’s shrill scream, and then all silence for him.

You woke up to a thump.

Or at least you were certain that was what you heard as you sit up on the bed. Your vision was groggy, mind still half asleep as you look in the direction of the sound’s origin. For a minute it was soundless, and then there was another thump. You weren’t sure what it was, but you stood up nonetheless, slowly walking towards the door. Still unaware of your surroundings, you stop in front of the wood, distracted by your own dizziness.

In the tranquility of the room, you caught a noise so faint, you thought perhaps you were still in your nightmare from before. It was immensely faint, but you heard it. The rapid breathing behind the door. Unhurdled by emotions such as caution and reasoning for once, you swung the door open in confusion. And as soon as you did, your own awareness came back to you at full force.

A clothless man stood before you, covered from head to toe in blood and gore. Your breath was stuck in your throat, eyes widening into saucers once you saw the length of his fangs. It took you a full minute realize that it was Lord Kim.

“W…what…” You step back in horror. Perhaps you were still dreaming.

The fear had snuck up around your waist and grabbed you by the throat, leaving you without the ability to move. He gazed at you with eyes that were a bright yellow, yet darker than any man’s you have ever looked into. Your orbs travel down his body as you absorb in his abnormal height, his ripping muscles, his long fingernails and…and his hand.

There was a heart. In his hand, he gripped a fleshy and large organ and you knew it was a heart.

Missing hearts.

“Nooo…please.” You quiver, crying without him ever speaking a word. All signs of alarm were raised in your mind and you don’t even remember what it was for that you came here. Only Seulgi’s words about the dog beast reigned in your ear. The world was spinning as your Lord…as he began to walk towards you. Your life started to flash by your eyes, and you closed them shut tight, so you would no longer have to witness this terror.

“Shhh.” You heard a deep growl before you felt cold and abnormally large fingers on your face. A gasp escapes your throat as he caresses your cheek.

The next thing you knew, you were floating. Your eyes flew open and you saw yourself being carried by him. There was no moment for you to react, as you were subsequently placed upright onto the bed. No longer restrained by his arms, you shifted about in a frenzy.

“Ah…uh…”

“You are mine.” He states as if it was a fact.

Then he comes over you – wrapping his enormous, dirtied limbs around you as you squeak. He lays his head in your lap and you feel the tears leave your eyes as he yet again resembles your Lord. What you had thought of as just a hallucination from the fog was actually reality. That night, on the previous full moon, you woke up and strolled the grounds to clear your head of Wan. It was then that you saw the most horrid of things – you saw a giant dog shrink into a small human who resembled the Lord.

And you had told yourself lies. Told yourself it wasn’t true and told yourself to forget. But all logic was failing you now as a creature from hell winds down on your very own body. You muffle your cries and fear – too afraid to awaken the beast.

Taehyung laid peacefully in your arms; his mind detached from every other thing that did not concern you. The heart he held in his hand had stopped beating a long time ago, but he could still feel it slipping through his fingers. He is not sure, even as a beast, as to why he takes the hearts of victims. Perhaps it has something to do with how it’s his heart that hurts more than anything else each time he alters.

Well, it did not matter now, he thinks as his perception starts to drift. Nothing mattered at the moment – not the heart, nor his uncle’s body, not even your reaction. For this moment, more than anything, he just wants to rest.

To sleep, in your lap, under this cold, beautiful moonlight.

________

A/N: Okay so I really hate this I apologize. I had intended for it to be longer but well :) October has officially been 2020′s busiest month for me...but I hope you enjoy this garbage lmk what you thought!

#bts #kim taehyung #yandere bts #yandere taehyung #bts fluff #bts angst #taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #bts x reader #taehyung x reader

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nocteverbascio · 3 years

Note

Sentence starter prompts: “you smell nice” for reigncorp?

Sam is working hard all morning. She came in earlier just so that she could have some peace and quiet to sign off on documents and review budgets until her late afternoon meetings. She knows it’s going to be a long day.

What’s a nice pleasant break is when she hears a knock at her door vaguely through the soft music coming from her laptop.

“Got time for lunch?” Lena asks as she stands in her doorway with a takeout bag and her blazer folded over her arm.

Sam looks up with a smile. “It depends,” she bargains with a smirk on her face. “Are you going to join me?”

Lena steps into the office with a sashay of her hips. “Is that a direct order from the CEO?”

Sam sits back in her seat with a bite of her lips. “Not a chance. It’s completely up to you.”

Lena hums. “Shame,” she laments playfully. “I like taking orders.”

Sam blushes and shakes her head with an incredulous laugh. It’s silly to be embarrassed because she was the one that instigated it. She gets up from her desk and concedes to joining Lena for lunch.

Nothing beats filling sandwiches and conversations with Lena. Sam didn’t know how deprived of human contact until she rambles about how there’s a few dessert places that have opened up that she has yet to try. Her ever enthusiastic girlfriend obviously keeps it in mind and says they’ll go on days when Ruby has remote schooling. Sam thinks Lena is going to ruin Ruby’s studying habits, while Lena insists that she doesn’t need conventional schooling when they can easily send her to community college.

“Lena, she’s only 13.”

“I started university at 13.”

“But you’re a genius.”

“Ruby is just as smart.”

“Now you’re just lying to me to convince me to take her out in the middle of a school day.”

Lena just hums cheekily and kisses her cheek. Sam smiles before throwing her arm around Lena’s shoulder to pull her into a hug. They fall back onto the small couch with Lena in her arms and she feels content. She takes in Lena’s presence, considering she’s been away on a business trip.

With a tilt of her head, she smells Lena’s recognizable body wash and shampoo. Both rich, floral scents that make her feel like she’s on vacation in a remote countryside, sharing a space in a small house with expansive garden. Maybe somewhere in England.

“You smell nice,” Sam hums with a deep inhale. “I miss you.”

Lena picks up her head, kissing Sam’s jaw gently. “I miss you too.”

#reigncorp #established relationship #au #fluff #old prompt #anon

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multimetaverse · 4 years

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Jamie Johnson 5x05 Review

If you were a fan of Andi Mack or Doafp you should check out the pretty great British show Jamie Johnson which just launched a coming out story line for one of its main characters and covers a bunch of other important issues. Let’s dig in!

My reviews will feature spoilers from throughout the series and if you’d like to watch the story from the start there are only 3 eps in the 1st season, 10 in the 2nd and 3rd, and 13 in the 4th and 5th with casting and writing already underway for a 6th season. All the eps are available on the CBBC website if you live in Britain or have a VPN. You can also contact @tkstrand for access to the eps (just don’t tell Scotland Yard). A big thanks to Mike for introducing me and so many others to Jamie Johnson and single-handedly starting the fandom. I highly recommend watching all the eps from the start; Jamie Johnson is a very charming show that tackles a lot of important issues in the guise of being a show about soccer and the show has gotten better each season and the writing shows no signs of stalling or declining. The acting does start off really rough in S1 but has improved markedly and some of the actors are very talented though overall the acting is closer in quality to a show like GMW or No Good Nick than Andi Mack or Doafp. In fairness, a big reason for that is that the show has to spend so much time on soccer games and practices and the kids are actually pretty good players; so good in fact that for S4 the actors actually entered the 2018 Gothia cup in Sweden and did extremely well. Jamie Johnson is in many ways a British Andi Mack but with a British Gary Marsh who is much less of a censoring shithead and a British Terri Minsky and crew who are better and more consistent writers

Tonight was a big night for reformed bully and star soccer player Dillon Simmonds. He’s the closest analogue to TJ Kippen the show has though unlike TJ he’s a main character and has been in the show right from the pilot; in some eps he even gets the 2nd credit after Jamie. 5x05 was in many ways a callback to 4x05 which was the first ep that had subtext for gay Dillon. 4x05 also introduced most of the characters who will play a big role in Dillon’s coming out story line: Ruby Osborne, her biological sister Alba, her foster moms who are a married lesbian couple, Dillon’s younger brother Liam, and Dillon’s father. S4 is really when Dillon Simmonds becomes a hashtag good boy and his arc is focused on him getting out from his Father’s incessant pressure to go pro though there is some delicious gay subtext in eps 4x11-13

The show’s always been good at setting up plot points in advance, like Dillon’s diabetes, Wozza’s ADHD, and Duncan Jones’ shadyness, but those plots were set up and then addressed all in the same season. I don’t think it’s that surprising that the gay story line is the exception. It’s very likely that the writers didn’t intend Dillon to be gay until they set out to write S4 and they likely didn’t have full permission to go ahead with it until S5. It’s also likely that their original plan for exploring Dillon’s sexuality was going to involve Ruby trying to act on her crush on Dillon; 4x13 set that up and then in 5x01 Ruby tells Zoe out of nowhere that she’s over Dillon and only sees him as a brother and wouldn’t you know it, she doesn’t even think Dillon looks at girls in a romantic way!

Thankfully the show is going in a much better direction with the introduction of Elliot. He’s already been fleshed out with a personality and hobbies like astronomy and magic (for his next trick he’s going to make Dillon’s heterosexuality disappear). I was shocked at how flirty the Delliot scenes this ep were, not just because they were gay scenes but also because the show really has not had these kind of scenes before for any of the straight characters either. Even Jamie hasn’t had more than pretty clear hints that he likes Jack and wants to be with her. I don’t know if it’s because the show is targeted towards an audience of young men or if there’s a cultural difference across the pond but there’s consistently been very little romance of any kind throughout the series. If this had been an American series, there’s no way that Jamie wouldn’t have had at least one girl he went on a date with or something, even if it was only a brief thing. It’s refreshing in some ways and it means that the show has to look elsewhere for drama and angst

Dillon is obviously drawn to Elliot and thinks he’s cool but he has quite the reaction when he learns that Elliot is gay. He runs to tell Ruby that she needs to cut it out with Elliot because he’s gay which is clumsy writing because Zoe had just told him that Ruby told her that Elliot is not in fact her new boyfriend but is her new gay foster brother. They obviously needed to show Dillon’s strong reaction to the news but also needed a way to come off as kind of homophobic but my own theory is that Dillon wanted to make sure Ruby didn’t waste her time pursuing a gay guy like Sienna Jones had wasted her time trying to pursue Dillon in S4. As the show hasn’t really focused much on romance I’m not expecting much to come of Delliot especially since they have a built in escape hatch with Elliot only being in care until his mom is out of hospital but I am looking forward to what happens with them this season and what will happen with Dillon in the remaining seasons this show has

I think this was the least that Jamie has been in any ep. One thing I really like about this show is that they’re not afraid to have main characters miss an ep or two unlike American shows that usually have to have mains appear in every ep even if there’s no actual story for them. From the S5 trailer it looks like Jamie will get really into e-gaming while his broken leg heals after he was accidentally run over on his 16th birthday by his deadbeat dad Ian Reacher. I would assume that Jamie eventually gets back into real soccer but it does promise a lot of drama between Jamie and grandpa Mike who has always been Jamie’s staunchest supporter

Duncan ‘’Big Dunk’’ Jones, former pro soccer player turned silver fox and head of Phoenix FC, took a big step forward in redeeming himself for trying to scuttle Jamie’s career with Hawkstone by appointing Jamie’s mom Karen as the new head of wellness which fits with the CBBC announcement that S5 would in part focus on mental health

Alba once again lost her cool during a game. It’s clear that a lot of her anger issues stem from feelings of abandonment as well as the constant uncertainty and rapid changes she’s experienced as a foster child. The show has always been good at showing how what’s going on with the children in their home lives affects them at school and on the pitch, like Jamie acting out because of his dad walking out on the family and Dillon being a bully to try and fit into the role his dad wants him to play. It’s very interesting that they’re now bringing back Liam Simmonds to begin his redemption arc as he was the first to make Alba lose her cool by attacking her foster moms at his father’s instigation way back in 4x05

To the show’s credit, they’ve always been firm in showing how awful bullying and homophobia are and all the soccer teams in the series have shown a zero tolerance policy for it. It’s a different world in many ways from North America, I couldn’t imagine an American show about football or even a Canadian show about Hockey that would plausibly show a zero tolerance policy for bullying and homophobia

Looking Ahead:

Next ep features Liam’s return to Phoenix FC after Alba accepts his apology for his homophobia. His redemption arc will be interesting to watch especially as it;s certain to tie in to Dillon having to face up to his father who is the avatar of toxic masculinity and homophobia. Perhaps it will take Liam defending his brother to make his father see the errors of his ways

Not sure who will take over coaching the U14′s now that Mike has said he’ll be stepping aside

Zoe faces another talented black player who she clearly does not respond well to. Zoe has always been hyper competitive and worried about losing her place to another female player which in part stems from the stress she’s under as her ill mothers primary carer. Good for Zoe for getting through to Howard Royle about Hawkstone lacking a women’s team

5x07 looks like it will be a huge ep for Dillon and Delliot and it seems likely that Dillon will snap after realizing that Ruby and Elliot think he’s homophobic and will come out to Elliot. Should be good

Until next week Jamie Johnsoner’s

#Jamie Johnson #Dillon Simmonds #Delliot #Andi Mack #Doafp #Elliot #Ruby Osborne #Alba Osborne #Mike Johnson #Jamie Johnson Reviews

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anthurak · 4 years

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So here’s the Million-Dollar-Question...

The whole ‘instigating a Megoliath attack’ was clearly part of Watts’ plan...

But does he happen to know about the adorable Silver-Eyed reaper in town?

Who just recently learned how to use her GRIMM-VAPORIZING LAZER EYES?

Because that might be a problem.

(And Yes, of course Tyrian saw Ruby at the rally, but I think it’s pretty clear that they’ve been working on the assumption that Ruby doesn’t actually know how to use her eyes. Which was correct. Until very recently. And also, it’s entirely likely that Watts and Tyrian don’t know about Ruby’s whole Leviathan-petrifying stunt in Argus, because remember: Direct Inter-Kingdom communication (ie: between Anime and Solitas) hasn’t been possible since Beacon fell. Which is going to have some delicious irony if Ruby does blindside them.)

#rwby #rwby spoilers #ruby rose #ruby is awesome

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queen-ofsunflowers · 4 years

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A Peace Sign to the Sky: Chapter Sixteen Preview

Ochako separated shortly after that. As their internships were both in the same direction, Ruby and Midoriya found themselves taking the same train. Ruby curled up in her seat, sitting across from her friend. She couldn’t shake the bad feeling she picked up from their conversation with Iida.

“Hey, Midoriya?” Ruby asked, breaking the quiet between them. The boy hummed in acknowledgement. “Do you think Iida’s going to be okay?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Midoriya replied, not really meeting her eyes. “Besides, we’re all going to be with Pro Heroes. If anything bad happens then… then he should be fine. He has our numbers if he needs to talk to me or you or even Uraraka.” Ruby merely hummed in response. They were both just saying things to try and get rid of this horrible feeling in the pit of their chests. At least, that’s what it felt like to her.

Ruby reached over and dug her phone out of the duffel bag she had brought with her. Unlike a few members of her class, her internship was far enough away that she ended up having to spend the week at her hero’s agency rather than go back and forth between there and home. Midoriya -- judging by the large backpack he was carrying with him -- was in the same boat.

Ruby unlocked her phone and opened up to the test shared between her and Iida. She scrolled through past messages. Most of the were about classwork and training tips that they had shared back and forth. Unlike her text history with Ochako or Midoriya or heck, any of her classmates whose number she had, there wasn’t an inkling of an actual friendship there. They were friends though. Ruby was certain of that. They cared about each other. They were kind towards one another, open and honest… They… They talked--

No… No. They didn’t talk. At all. Well, of course they talked. But they never actually talked. It was only now that Ruby realized she knew so little about Iida’s life outside of a few things. She knew why he wanted to be a hero, she knew about his family’s line of work. And that was it. They never actually talked about anything that wasn’t school work or training with only one exception, and even then telling him about Torchwick had been instigated by her. Not him.

She wanted to change that. Ruby’s fingers hovered over the on-screen keyboard. She wanted to change that so badly. She wanted them to be able to be honest and open with each other. That’s what friends were for. Friends didn’t leave friends alone like this. But… she was unsure exactly what to say to do that. She sighed instead, leaning back in her seat.

“His answer wasn’t exactly uplifting,” she said returning to her conversation with Midoriya and tightening her grip on her phone a bit.

“Yeah…” Midoriya sonded about as downtrodden about the situation as she did. The train slowly came to a stop. Ruby glanced out the window at the station.

“This is my stop.” Ruby stood, glancing over at her friend. “Stay safe, okay?”

Midoriya gave her a short nod. “You too. Good luck.”

“Right back at ya. Break a leg!”

“Th—” It took Midoriya a second to realize what Ruby was exactly saying as she gathered up her things. “Hey!” Ruby left the train with a giggle, her bag slung over her shoulder and her phone in hand. She could hear Midoriya snicker a little himself.

The full chapter will be up on Ao3 on August 29!

#my hero academia #my hero academia au #boku no hero academia #bnha au #rwby #rwby in bnha au #izuku midoriya #ruby rose #writing #preview

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raybyanothername · 4 years

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: RWBY Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Coco Adel/Penny Polendina, Background Weiss Schnee/Ilia Amitola Characters: Coco Adel, Penny Polendina, Weiss Schnee, Ilia Amitola Additional Tags: Quarantine, Alone Together, RWBY Rarepair Mini Event 2020 Summary:

Coco, Weiss, Ilia, and Penny are stuck in their apartment together when Atlas institutes a lockdown for the pandemic. As is the case with many roommates who never planned to spend this much time together arguments, and romance, ensue.

Written for @rwbyrarepairweek Mini Event! To be extra clear here: This is directly inspired by he Covid-19 situation going on right now. There is no subtly in my references in this fic to living in lock down. Please keep that in mind before reading below the cut or clicking the link.

-.-.-

Atlas was of two camps about the virus – keep everything going as normal for the economy OR stop everything immediately and institute martial law. Weiss had heard both of the opinions constantly since the start of the outbreak had hit Mistral - one from her father and the other from her sister. Her personal opinion was that she didn’t give a damn as long as the city picked one! That didn’t work out quite the way she was expecting.

“General Ironwood just shut down the city.” Coco’s statement cut through the noise of all three of her roommates’ evening routines.

Penny’s eyes opened comically wide, “W-what’s that mean?!”

“It means we’re to shelter in place unless we’re an essential worker,” Coco continued reading her scroll. Her eyes were narrowing with every word. “None of us qualify.”

Weiss shrugged and started for her room, “I’ll pack a bag to go stay with my sister then.” She didn’t even reach the door before she heard Ilia snort.

“Nice try, princess,” Ilia drawled, but she held up her scroll. The same notice that Coco was reading was displayed on her screen. In big, block letters at the top were the words Effective Immediately.

“Well…” Penny sighed and then forced her spine straight with a bright smile, “We’ll just have to make the most of it then!”

Coco’s eyes rose from her scroll. She looked first at Ilia and then at Weiss, finally she landed on Penny. She raised a brow, “Twenty credits someone dies within the first week.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Penny chuckled nervously, hands moving up in front of her stomach for her to fidget with her fingers. Coco smiled at the gesture before her eyes slid to her other two roommates. Weiss and Ilia were facing each other, arms crossed and glares in place.

Perhaps a week had been too generous…

-.-.-

There are a lot of factors that go into selecting roommates when you move into an apartment. Coco had not considered forced isolation together when interviewing candidates. She’d picked Weiss for her neatness, Ilia had been Velvet and Blake’s friend, and Penny had come with a recommendation from General Ironwood himself.

“It’s not that hard!” Weiss screamed as she threw an empty toilet paper roll at Ilia’s head. Coco lowered her scroll, but did not move her legs from where they were tucked beneath her on the couch. This was the third argument of the day. Coco’s brow was already twitching.

“Then do it yourself!” Ilia snapped back. Her hands were fisted at her side and Coco watched them twitch at Weiss scoffed. “What? Is the high and mighty Schnee heiress too good to handle a toilet paper roll?”

Coco looked at her scroll and thumbed a quick text. Penny responded in a matter of seconds. Coco closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer to the brothers before clearing her throat. Ilia and Weiss both turned to glare at her. “Penny just parked. Get the disinfectant spray and rags.” She stood from the couch and leveled them both with her own glare, “Or do you two need more time to continue discussing which direction the toilet paper roll goes?”

“Sorry,” Weiss turned on the balls of her feet and marched off to the cabinet of cleaners. Ilia grumbled under her breath, but cleared the dining room table. Coco took a breath and then opened their front door.

Penny was standing on the other side, mask in place and arms loaded with grocery bags. Her head was tilted to one side and Coco could already tell that she was smiling sympathetically. “I haven’t killed them yet,” Coco reassured her as she stepped back to let Penny enter.

The bags were placed on the table swiftly and then Penny went to wash her hands. Coco closed the door. Weiss was methodically cleaning all of the groceries, from bag to wrapper to container. As she finished each item it was placed in a designated clean spot. Ilia would then put them away. This activity required no talking or interacting between the two and, as such, was the only activity that didn’t instigate an argument.

“So!” Penny popped up beside Coco in fresh clothes, sans mask, and smelling faintly of motor oil. “How were things while I was gone?” Coco dropped her head back and to the side. Even without her heels Coco was forced to look down at the ginger. She did so with as blank as expression as she could manage. It was often difficult to keep such a face when looking at Penny. “That bad?”

“Three arguments,” Coco held up three fingers and grimaced, “I swear, I’m going to lock them in a room soon and let them kill each other.”

Penny chuckled, a blush rising on her cheeks, “I don’t think they’d kill each other.” She averted her eyes as Coco straightened beside her.

“What?” The word came out much deeper than Coco wanted. Her voice cracked slightly and her eyes drifted lower over Penny’s now fidgeting form. A hand was rubbing nervously at her elbow and Coco was transfixed by the movement.

“You know…” Penny looked over at their – blessedly silent – roommates and then back at Coco. She attempted to wiggle her brows suggestively, but the resulting facial expression was much closer to shock, “Opposites attract and all that.”

Coco turned to look at Ilia and Weiss. Ilia snatched a package of toilet paper out of the clean zone with excessive force. The tension snapped up Weiss’s body and she set the next item down with a loud bang.

“I’ll take you word for it,” Coco drawled and looked at Penny from the corner of her eye. The other woman shrugged and rocked backwards on her heels. “How were the stores?” The perpetual smile that Penny maintained better than Coco did sarcasm dropped like an anchor. “Nevermind.”

-.-.-

Penny woke up to the sounds of panting and groaning. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she struggled into consciousness. She sat up, brow furrowed and nose scrunched up. And then the pieces fell into place. Penny didn’t spare a glance for the wall she shared with Ilia’s room before she abandoned her bed for the living room.

“What are you doing up?” Coco’s voice startled Penny as she stepped into the common area. A lamp came on and Penny’s eyes quickly adjusted to see the brunette sitting on the couch, one hand rustling her hair. A book sat abandoned on the coffee table.

“Uh…” Penny scratched the back of her head. Her face warmed. “Let’s just say I was right about Weiss and Ilia.” She averted her eyes as Coco froze mid-yawn.

Coco’s lips quirked up and she chuckled lightly, “It was probably too much to ask that they’d do that quietly at least huh?” Coco turned her head to crack her neck and then did the same with her back, twisting about on the couch before falling backwards into pillows.

“Well…” Penny rocked backwards onto her heels, biting her bottom lip as attempted not to stare at Coco’s wiggling form, “…what are you doing out here?”

The brunette shrugged, finally settling back with one arm draped across the back of the sofa and legs curled beneath her. “Sleep schedules are the first casualties of lockdown,” Coco nodded towards the television, “I was thinking of binging this new show Yatsu recommended, care to join?” She patted the couch beside her and winked at Penny, “I promise not to get fresh without your permission.”

Penny shuffled forward to take her seat. Her heart rate shot up as soon as she caught a whiff of the caramel coffee creamer that Coco had been mainlining since her access to lattes had dried up. She settled in beside her roommate, their knees knocking together as Coco pulled up a show on their television.

After three hours Penny couldn’t tell you anything about the show they were watching – she was fairly positive there was time travel though – but she knew the exact cadence of Coco’s heartbeat. A couple began to confess their love for each other on screen and the beat shifted.

“I should have known Yatsu would trick me into watching some soap opera,” Coco whispered into Penny’s ear with a breathy laugh. Penny’s ears felt like they were on fire as she glanced between the couple kissing on screen to Coco’s lithe body draped across the sofa like a quilt. She was leaning back against the armrest now, her feet propped up on the coffee table. The afghan that was usually wadded up somewhere in the living room was spread of her lap. Coco huffed dramatically, “He’s always liked the mushy bits.”

“Mushy bits can be fun,” Penny’s giggle was almost hysterical. She was now overly aware of the fact that she and Coco were alone, together, on the same couch, Coco’s warm skin pressed against Penny’s knee.

Coco snorted, she leaned forward, “Don’t go soft on me now, Polendina.” There was a twinkle to Coco’s dark brown eyes. They swirled a little like melted chocolate and Penny found herself swallowing as she stared into them. “We need to get through this lockdown with our genre preferences intact,” Coco’s lips pulled up into a smile as she spoke and Penny’s eyes fell to the puffy pink mounds now cracked and pale. Coco had run out of lip gloss and chap stick last week.

“We should have a snack!” Penny popped up and off the couch. Coco raised a brow. “Marathons require snacks! That was Ruby and Yang’s number one rule when I lived in Vale.” Penny rushed into the kitchen, rambling about chips and popcorn and soda. Coco leaned back to watch her fret about the common area like a chicken with its head chopped off.

“No sugar for you, Penny,” Coco stood up, stretching her arms above her head and then folded herself in half to touch her toes. She groaned as her lower back cracked loudly.

In the kitchen Penny paused to look back at Coco with concern. Coco waved her off as she entered and began to rummage in the freezer behind the ginger. Penny stuck a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

“Want a kiss?” Coco asked and Penny whipped her head around with a squeak. In her outstretched hand Coco held chocolate kisses. She grinned at Penny’s wide eyes and red cheeks, “I meant the chocolate, but if you’re interested…”

“Thanks!” Penny took the chocolate and looked pointedly back at the microwave. She watched the popcorn bag grow with focus and determination. Her brow furrowed and her shoulders were stiff.

Coco hopped up on the counter beside her, legs kicking out as she popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. She eyed up Penny’s body, the tension and the curves, with a slow and calculating precision, “Hey Penny?” Penny shifted to look at her. Coco leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Penny blinked when Coco quickly retreated, “Oh.” She blinked again. Her entire body turned to face Coco’s and her fingers began to fidget in her pajama shorts. “So…you weren’t kidding about…” Penny’s eyes bounced from Coco’s eyes to the floor, “…about the other sort of kiss.”

“When do I kid?” Coco raised her arms out in an exaggerated shrug and laughed as Penny rolled her eyes. “I’m game if you are, Polendina.” Penny took a step closer to stand directly in front of Coco on the counter. Neither of them noticed when the microwave started to beep.

-.-.-

Ilia emerged from her room groggy. Her hair fell into her face and her eyes remained closed as she shuffled into the kitchen in search of the breakfast Weiss had pushed her out of bed to fetch. The sound of the television pulled her attention into the living room.

“Holy –” A grin spread over Ilia’s face as she rubbed at her eyes, not quite believing the sight before her.

Curled up on the couch, legs intertwined, was Penny and Coco. The sarcastic and snappy insomniac that had long-lived in Coco’s body was cocooned in Penny’s arms, head resting gently on the shorter girl’s shoulder and hair plastered to her face.

“What are you gaping at?” Weiss groaned as she appeared behind Ilia. She rested her chin on Ilia’s shoulder and the started when she finally noticed. “Oh no…”

“Oh yes…” Ilia smirked as she turned to look at Weiss, “Pay up, Schnee, it only took a month.”

-.-.-

I would just like to point out that I started this at 2am today (because procrastination) and just finished at *checks time* 11:57pm. So I wrote over 2000 words of fic today and am feeling SUPER productive. 10/10 Proud of myself and had to brag. Stay safe everybody!

If you liked this story and you’re feeling generous, you can buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/raybyanothername

#ray writes #rwby #rwbyrarepairweek #rare pair mini event #coco x penny #weiss x ilia #rwby shipping #rwby fanfiction #coco adel #penny polendina #weiss schnee #ilia amitola

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fatefulfaerie · 5 years

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A Man With Two Souls

Full chapter here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18619405

“Maybe we could all use some space, ” Blake said, Yang nodding in agreement as team RWBY shared guarded looks.

They started to separate slowly, heads downcast, deep in brooding thoughts they could only hope to make sense of, to ever express out loud.

Yet, a creaking door pulled their focus.

Looking over, they saw Oscar holding the knob of an open door, staring at the outside night in front of him.

“Oscar?” Ruby asked, “Where are you going?”

Without turning around, keeping his eyes set on the lamp post that stood before him, he replied curtly,

“I need some air. ”

“Oscar… ” started Weiss as the door closed, yet Oscar paid no mind.

He stood alone on the steps, the frigid night air cold enough to make him shiver.

Oscar crossed his arms as he made his way down the steps, his mind a jumble with recollection, drawing forth every word with an inevitable dread.

“We’ve got Ozpin with us, ” Nora had said just hours before, “he usually knows what to do. ”

The false hope they had placed in him, all of them. How fragile it must have been to crumble so fast.

Yet, he didn’t want to think about how strong it must have been for them to be so shaken up, so devastated.

He could still almost feel the pain on his cheek from Qrows’ punch, the back of his head slammed against that tree with such force, their betrayed, furtive, and suspicious glances as the snowflakes started to fall again.

Perhaps they would always be engraved into his mind.

And his back, his back that still ached, his back that must have been bruised. Just a few moments ago, Jaune had nearly broken the wall trying to force him against it.

He had considered him a comrade, a friend, all of them.

How could they forget that he was as clueless as they were in all of this?

He had always looked to Ruby as the leader, the instigator, the one he trusted the most. Oscar hated that they all could have trusted him like that.

Him, the farmhand

No, him, the liar, the schemer

The murderer

Looking back at the house, seeming to tower over him with immensity, mocking his insignificance, his insurmountable goal, his inadequacy to uphold it, his inability to make up for their losses.

“Everything we did was for nothing!” he heard Jaune’s voice angrily echo in his mind as his heart started to race.

Perhaps it was the cold, he thought as his breath quickened as well, the puffs forming from his exhales becoming faster, more frequent.

“How much longer can we even trust him?!”

Oscar started to walk, not even paying attention to the direction he was going, knowing he just wanted to get away from all of it.

He walked and he walked, his mind a haze of worry, his eyes only seeing blurs of light, of night life and of smiling faces that were all too foreign to him.

He wanted to get somewhere, anywhere where the voices couldn’t catch him.

All of the voices

Not just the ones he manufactured from memory but the one voice he had come to dread the most.

The voice that had ruined his life and everyone else’s as well.

Ozpins’ voice

Oscar suddenly felt a thud on his shoulder, inducing him to stagger forward. He looked back to see a couple with wide, surprised eyes looking at him.

“S-sorry…” Oscar made out, realizing he had bumped into them. He averted his gaze as he walked quickly away from them.

“Hey boy!” A voice behind him said, “Do you need help?”

Yet, he kept going, ignoring the inquiry, walking faster and faster, wanting to get away from everything, indulging an instinct to flee that he had been suppressing for so long.

As he passed perhaps his third fire hydrant, his breathing started to become constricted. Walking wasn’t helping, his heart now a resounding boom in his chest, his lungs seeming to forget how to breathe at all.

A breath of fresh air was all that he’d asked for.

Then again, he asked for peace and happiness once, long ago.

He didn’t get that either.

In fact, he didn’t ask for what he got instead.

#rwby #rwbyvolume6 #oscar pine #ozpin #team rwby #team jnpr

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alternativeartifactspodcast-blog · 5 years

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1 - Ruby Slippers

This week’s episode explores the unique story behind one of America’s most iconic and beloved objects: Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers.

LISTEN NOW

Resources Used (in order of reference)

Smithsonian History

“The Slippers” Documentary

Smithsonian Magazine

Henry Littlefield’s Piece on Allegory

American History Blog on Recovered Slippers

American History Blog on Conservation

Kickstarter Campaign

Learn More about the Ruby Slippers

Antique Roadshow Podcast

The Populist Movement in America

The Ruby Slippers of Oz

To access the transcript, click read more.

Greetings and welcome to Alternative Artifacts, a museum in your ear, the podcast that explores the strange stories behind the most unique objects in museum’s collections. Ever wonder how a gigantic Naked George Washington ended up in the National Museum of American History? Or why there is an entire museum dedicated to art made from human hair? Now you can listen to the stories of America’s most iconic objects from your favorite exhibit or from the comfort of your own home. My name is Lexi and I will be your tour guide.

[Transition Music]

Our first season will focus on objects in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Founded in 1846 with funds donated by British citizen James Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex and research centers in the world, and serves as an umbrella organization managing 19 museums and a zoo. Access to all Smithsonian Institution museums is completely free to the public. Beyond these publicly accessible venues, the Smithsonian also manages dozens of research centers throughout the United States and internationally, leading scientific research and disseminating knowledge. Some of the object’s stories we explore will expose the complicated, colonial history of the Institution, some will reveal how museum methods effect objects, and others will provide a glimpse into the lives of objects beyond the confines of the museum. Today’s object falls in the last category.

Picture this. You enter the American History museum from the bustling DC street Constitution Avenue, you will need to head upstairs to see our first artifact. This object is so famous it has its own special gift shop, instigated an investigation led by the FBI, and inspired a documentary. It is regarded as an object of cultural significance, despite being linked to no significant religious or political event. In the newest renovation of its exhibit, this object now sits on a pedestal in its own room, surrounded by walls decorated with murals that harken to the object’s origin. Poppy flowers, emerald green, a sweet little dog, a girl in a blue dress…I am talking about the Ruby Slippers. An American icon visited as often as the Star Spangled Banner and regarded by generations of movie lovers as a symbol of the American film industry. But how did these slippers become icons of American history? How did they end up property of the federal government? Why is the FBI involved in the science of their preservation? And what is the weird history behind them so few of their visitors actually know about? Today on Alternative Artifacts we investigate the Ruby Slippers.

[Transition Music]

In L. Frank Baum’s original book “The Wizard of Oz” the slippers that took Dorothy home were silver. Spoiler alert, if you can even spoil something that’s 119 years old. Some historical scholars argue the fact that the slippers were made of silver was meant to serve as a symbol from American politics. In the 1960s a scholar named Henry Littlefield claimed that Baum’s fairytale of a magical land called Oz was actually a satire. Littlefield argues that Baum’s experience on the prairie, which overlapped with the establishment of the Populist movement, or people’s party, in the region, was fodder for the allegory present in The Wizard of Oz. But this detailing this allegory could make an episode all its own, so for today’s episode we will only be focusing on the ruby colored slippers from the MGM film and how they came to be.

So how did the slippers we know and love today end up ruby instead of silver? During the early stages of production for the film “The Wizard of Oz,” MGM studios had a script that mentioned the shoes being silver. However, they decided to change the color to red during a round of script edits. There were several reasons for this change, but the most significant was actually quite simple and direct. If you recall the film, the scenes in Kansas are depicted in dull, black & white. The scenes in Oz are bright and colorful. Think of the yellow brick road and the emerald city. This was a very deliberate choice made by the film studio. While the Wizard of Oz, released on August 25, 1939, was not the first major motion picture to use Technicolor technology, the use of this tech was still very new and many audiences had little exposure to color footage. Making the slippers a vibrant color made them “pop” on screen, drawing viewers attention.

During the production of the film several pairs of the slippers were created, using commercially produced high heels which prop designers dyed red and added sequins to. There are four known surviving pairs of these original prop shoes. Today we will focus on two. First, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History is home to one pair, donated in 1979.

Another museum which possessed a pair of the shoes was the Judy Garland Museum. In 2005, their pair of Ruby Slippers went missing. They disappeared almost without a trace, with the thief leaving behind only a single red sequin. More on this later.

In 2016, the Smithsonian launched a kickstarter campaign to preserve their pair of the Ruby Slippers. Prior to this conservation, the slippers could only remain on display for short periods of time yet remained an iconic object, one visitors inquired about daily. This most recent conservation effort addressed many issues facing the aging footwear. It also included in-depth research into the properties of the materials the shoes were constructed from to better conserve them and similar objects in the future. Then, the team working to restore the slippers received an odd call from an unexpected party inquiring about their research.

[Transition Music - Suspenseful]

In a plot twist straight out of Hollywood, the Ruby Slipper conservators were about to become forensic scientists. The call was from the Federal Bureau of investigation, who had in their possession a pair of Ruby Slippers recovered in a sting operation. Suddenly, the conservation had become an investigation. The FBI asked the conservators to take a look at the slippers they had confiscated and compare them to the pair from the Smithsonian’s collection. The FBI wanted to know if it was possible for their pair of shoes to be an authentic pair of Ruby Slippers, and perhaps the ones stolen 11 years prior from the Judy Garland Museum. Dawn Wallace, the conservator leading the project, compared the moment she learned that she may be helping identify the pair of stolen slippers to the Indiana Jones films. After all, it is not often a museum professional gets the chance to fight crime.

Upon examining the FBI’s pair of slippers, Wallace knew that they were in fact an authentic pair of Dorothy’s iconic shoes. This pair of shoes was in fact so similar to the Smithsonian’s pair, it lead to another question. Why were they so similar? What Wallace noticed while trying to answer this question an even more astonishing discovery. When comparing the slippers side by side, it became clear that they were in fact mismatched pairs. The next question the team wanted to address was obvious: did the swap occur before or after filming? The evidence suggests the pairs were in fact swapped when they were made, and filmed as mismatched pairs, just as they are presented and preserved today. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that the construction patterns are similar between the matching shoes, but the wear patterns are similar between the mismatched shoes, suggesting Judy Garland wore and used them mismatched. In other words, the prop team working on the Wizard of Oz made the two pairs of shoes separately, but at some point swapped one shoe of each pair, leading to mismatched pairs being used on the set of the film.

The Ruby Slippers have developed a life beyond MGM’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” and outlived many other homages to the iconic film, including its depiction in Disney’s Great Movie Ride. They serve not only as an attraction for tourists, but as a monument to two major moments in American History: the introduction of technicolor technology to the American people and the immortalization of a wholly American fairytale. Today the Smithsonian’s pair of Ruby Slippers keep the magic alive. They can be viewed daily in their humidity and temperature controlled display case at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History at 1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washingtion DC.

[Transition Music]

Now here’s the museum tip of the week. Did you know the Smithsonian fossil hall recently reopened after being closed for 5 years? The newly renovated exhibit features 700 fossils and tells the story of 3.7 billion years of earth’s history. The only downside is that the Natural History Museum which houses the collection is also one of the most trafficked museums on the mall. The best time to go to avoid crowds according to a local? Wait until the weather cools down. By the end of October most of the Smithsonians will clear up, but the best time to go for an almost empty museum experience is always the month of January. Happy museum travels.

Want to learn more? Show notes including sources, further reading, links to cool stuff and podcast transcripts for each episode are available through our tumblr, alternativeartifactspodcast.tumblr.com. Alternative Artifacts is hosted through Anchor.fm, a free hosting service for podcasts of all kinds. You can subscribe to us on Anchor.fm directly or through Spotify Podcasts. Interested in sponsoring an episode? Have an awesome idea for an episode? Want to be a guest star? Email us at [email protected]. Theme music was created by NordGroove and downloaded via Fugue. The sound effects were provided by zapsplat.com. Remember, there is no place like home and never stop exploring.

[Outro Music]

#museum #museumlover #podcast #american history #wizard of oz #ruby slippers

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ryoshan-a · 6 years

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ok. listen i know i havent been here in ages and this isn’t an original idea but hear me out:

RWBY as a live action tv series, and our characters as the actors, actresses, and crew.

set in our world modern verse. featuring a small production company, employing and casting crew and actors from all over the world. not convinced yet? here’s why y’all should indulge me:

your muse canonically dead or afk? not anymore!! they produce the show now. or write it. or just hang out on the set when they’re free.

your muse a villain and hard to rp with other folk? not anymore!!! let them be pals with the most unlikely of other people. see how they deal with fndm hating their character. (or loving their char too much)

your char an oc? nOT ANYMORE. theyre canon chars now. maybe they write the show. direct. tell qrow off when he almost posts spoilers on twitter. ANYTHING

whats a crossover? the ocs you rp with are now actors/crew in their own universe’s movie/game/tv show. the chars from other fandoms are actors/crew in their source’s show/movie/game.

your ship a rarepair u jump through hoops to put together? not anymore!! their actors are shacking up.

lbr we’re all suffering the hiatus. who needs canon material for this!! they’re in shooting for the eps that’ll air in october.

seriously, how easy would it be to get,, literally the entire community involved in something like this. TAG ME IF YOU DO!!! i wanna see what folk come up with!!

still not convinced? here’s some ideas i came up with, with the help of @iruzurru and @rosescattered. obv if i mention your muse and you wanna get in on this dont feel like you have to follow these!! these are just meant to inspire™

under the cut, cause lONG:

taiyang and summer club together every year to fund a holiday for the entire cast and crew to celebrate the end of a season. they buy out an entire plane for the journeys and instigate travelling songs

taiyang is a writer for the show who played ruby and yang’s dad more as a cameo, but got given more scenes when the character proved rlly popular

summer is a writer too. noone, not even tai knows she’s gonna be playing summer when she shows up later in the show >:3c

emerald and cinder being best friends who play up icly for the fans. emerald throws down on twitter with anyone who harrasses cinder for playing a baddie

winter wasn’t an actor originally. she writes novels, but she was on set one day waiting for weiss to finish shooting so they could go to lunch.

she was given first dibs on an audition to play weiss’ ic sister and nails it. weiss insists she’s not even acting, she’s just Really Like This

winter writes fanfic of emerald/cinder on ao3 for shits and giggles dont @ me. noone knows its her bc she uses winter’s ic callsign as a username and ppl just assume its a winter fan

this is yang’s first big acting job, but she’s Known in celebrity circles because her mom is the Very Famous Raven Branwen.raven’s a household name

raven subsequently gets cast as her real mom because it just makes sense and would boost the series’ popularity following her guest appearance at the end of volume 2

qrow is very vocal about his character’s storylines and supports charities relating to substance abuse. he frequently finds himself in twitter discourse with fans because he loudly discourages romanticising his character

this gets him accused of hating his character, which he doesn’t. fandom either loves him or hates him

qrow and raven arent siblings but they might as well be because they’re so fking close and roast each other on twitter all the time

neo’s actress is actually a really famous opera singer who’s breaking into acting. this gives rise to the popular fanon that neo actually can talk and has a bitchin’ voice but chooses not to.

emerald’s an orphan. she bounced around kids homes and developed a great talent for lying in the process. hearing a drama teacher describe acting as ‘lying really well’ sealed the deal for her career choice. she’s had bit parts and lives in a shitty apartment until rwby becomes her first big break.

coco was a big actress in france. she came to america seeking to break into hollywood, and found it pretty difficult. she’s emerald’s roommate, and it’s emerald who tells her about the opening for a member of team cfvy and pushes her to audition.

ilia has to wear one of those green screen suits all the time so they can animate her scales. yang gets a selfie with her every time she’s wearing it. takes upon takes have been ruined by blake and sun laughing at her.

it annoys ilia at first. then, she starts to find it funny. then, she gets her own back by purposefully making people laugh. she does the yoshi mlem every time she cracks her whip.

pyrrha’s actress routinely gets bit parts and cameos in future volumes bc the cast and crew love her so much they want her around all the time. she’s like 50% of the reason a comedy mini-series where nothing bad happens exists alongside the main series.

the entire cast and crew rallying around cinder after v3 when the fan backlash comes from pyrrha’s onscreen death. they throw a party after to celebrate pyrrha and cinders great performances. its a greek theme

team rwby, smartasses that they are, all come dressed as achilles with little papier mache arrows stuck in their heels

weiss is a Career Showman. she started off in ballet, then moved to broadway, then onto the bigscreen. she’s had a huge amount of success despite how young she is, and was continually pushed to land greater and greater roles. she suffered a very publicised breakdown because of the stress.

she ‘disappeared’ in the showbiz scene when she went to live with winter in her remote little writing shack in the middle of assfuck nowhere to recharge.

rwby is her first acting job since then. she was hesitant to start back at all, but finds herself extremely supported and refreshed by the small, close-knit production.

blake’s had to work twice as hard for every role she’s ever landed due to being an ethnic minority. her professionalism makes her seem closed off and cold, so she hasn’t made many friends. she has a small, devoted fanbase, though.

summer is one of those fans, and has always wanted to cast blake in something. her character was written with her in mind, and summer was elated when blake accepted the proffered audition and subsequent role in rwby.

ruby is summer and tai’s daughter!! they are not shy at all about saying that her part was written For Her. they don’t apologise for it either fuck u they created this show they cast who they want.

the red trailer only initially existed for ruby to do a screentest of her character. it was so well produced and nailed so hard they made it promotional material and wrote the white, black and yellow ones to go with it.

ruby grew up reading her parents’ stuff and writing her own, too. in school, she wrote, directed and produced an entire play for her classmates, but never thought of acting until her parents suggested she play the lead in this new show they’ve been thinking about.

ruby and yang met on set. they’ve been thick as thieves ever since.

...AND SO ON I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY GUYS

#PHEW I SPENT HOURS ON THIS #seriously though i'd love it if we could revive the comm a little bit mid hiatus #and this seems like such a cool way to do it #as such FEEL FREE TO REBLOG #this isnt like a closed au or anything it's just an idea i'd love to see people play with!!!#PLS..... IM SO INTO THIS..... SUPPORT MY BRAND........

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wellhellotragic · 6 years

Text

If Looks Could Kill 5/27

Summary: Emma Swan is a dedicated FBI agent getting over a bad breakup. When she and her partner, Ruby Lucas, are forced to go undercover as contestants on a reality show, Emma is forced to try and win the affections of Killian Jones, a man she despises.

Killian Jones is a lost boy. Having recently been nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy of Boston,’ he’s been living up to his moniker using women and rum to avoid dealing with his dark past. When he’s forced to take the lead in a reality show, he encounters a gorgeous blonde who turns his world upside down.

Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor

Rated: M for language, violence, and smut.

Catch up here: 1, 2, 3, 4

He felt the blood rushing to his face, among other places, as the embarrassment seeped it. Admittedly though, even the hint of Emma Fowler thinking about him in bed was enough to direct some of the blood flow elsewhere.

Emma had made it fairly clear the evening before though that she wasn’t the overly flirty type by nature, and Ruby had informed him that Emma was only there as a favor. She couldn’t actually be thinking about that, could she? No, this was a game, and in that moment he became determined to win.

As fast as Emma and her friend had erupted into laughter, they sobered up. He looked around and the production crew was still fighting off snickers and smirks. Thoroughly confused now, he looked to Mary Margaret, who nudged her head down the table as a sign of encouragement to keep going.

The next two dishes, while not awful, were lackluster at best. Some of the women had clearly gone all out trying to provide a Michelin Starred meal beyond their abilities, and then he came to the two girls on the end.

Game on.

“So.” he started, “What have we here?”

Ruby replied, “It’s a devil’s food cake!”

While giving Ruby a lust-filled smile he asked, “And may I assume that it tastes as sinful as you look?” He licked him bottom lip for emphasis.

The woman in front of him blushed, and out of the corner of his eyes he could have sworn he saw Emma frown, but when he turned his head towards her, there was nothing but neutrality.

“You tell me.” Her voice was slightly lower.

He took a bite from a slice she had already carved, letting out a small smile.

“The best thing I’ve had in my mouth all day. I can’t wait to see what else you can do in the kitchen.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Perhaps it was a bit more forward than he had been since the show started, but he was finally having some fun with it. Some of the women were attractive after all, even if they weren’t all that intelligent, but that’s what he needed he supposed. None of these women were going to be his wife at the end of this. Regina had already promised him as much, so why was he fighting this? These women were falling over themselves to be with him, and how could he deny them.

Then there was Emma. She was different from the rest in every way that mattered, and it terrified him. There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind telling him what it would be like to wake up in bed next to her each morning, for her green eyes to be the first thing he saw. He could see them sitting at his table eating breakfast together side by side. He could imagine her at the bar with Robin and Will giving them a hard time. No, that line of thought needed to end.

No. This is all it could ever be, this game being played between them. “Emma,” he said with just a slight warning.

She refused to meet his eyes keeping her gaze on the sandwich in front of her. Apparently she had no intention of speaking to him now either. He paused for a moment waiting for any sort of response from her, but nothing came.

Finally as he picked up the sandwich, a plan began to form in his mind. He let out a small purposeful moan. As he did so, he could see the red tinge in her cheeks rapidly darkening. He said nothing else to her.

Stepping back he addressed all of the contestants in the room again.

“Ladies, this as been a real treat, and in some cases,” he turned back to Emma, “a truly eye opening experience. I’ll deliberate for a bit and get back to you soon.”

He turned to follow Mary Margaret out of the room, but he just couldn’t help himself as he took one last look at Emma.

“Oh, and Emma.”

That caught her attention as she finally made eye contact. He licked his bottom lip again, briefly sucking it in and letting it graze his top teeth. “What ever noises I may make in the bedroom, will be nothing compared to the way you’ll scream my name.”

Without waiting for her reaction, he left, knowing he had won this round.

Ruby was mischievous by nature, so Emma hadn’t been the least bit surprised that Ruby had thrown her to the proverbial wolves. She was, however, completely shocked by the voice that came through her ear bud.

“Swan. Lucas. Care to explain?” There was sternness in Graham’s voice that neither of the women had heard before, and all of the humor had been zapped from the room.

Both women stood in complete silence, not daring to say anything else that could get them in trouble. Emma barely even registered that Killian was walking towards her, much less speaking.

“I’d like to see both of you in the van ASAP.”

She took in a deep breath trying to shake off the memories that were sure to haunt her dreams that night. Damn you Neal. It was hearing Killian say her name that finally shook her out of her thoughts.

He was watching her like she was the one he wanted to sample.

“What ever noises I may make in the bedroom, will be nothing compared to the way you’ll scream my name.”

All of the breath left her body.

“Swan, now!” Graham’s words were a growl.

She was still stunned by everything that had happened in the past few minutes. She heard Ruby’s whispered acknowledgement of Graham and turned to find her trying to figure out a way to sneak out. It was easy late at night or early in the morning while everyone was sleeping, but escaping a house full of active women was a bit more difficult.

Ruby grabbed a dollop of frosting and smeared it on Emma’s dress before grabbing a bottle of seltzer water out of the fridge. The two women excused themselves, citing that they needed to get the stain out before it set. Once they were on the third story of the mansion, they were able to duck down a hallway that their team had managed to conceal.

The hallway led to a rarely used staircase and the girls were able to duck out a side door and ran to the van.

The van was slightly cramped with two fully-grown men in it, but with five people it was crowded. Robin gave both women a slightly apologetic look knowing that he and Will had instigated everything.

“Would any of you care to explain to me what was happening in there?”

Ruby started, “We were just getting into character.”

Before she could say anything else Graham cut her off. “I’m sorry but I fail to see any of the other women in that house behaving the way you two were.”

“Well,” Will stated trying to cut the tension, “to be fair, you walked in at the absolute worst moment.”

Graham glared at him for a minute before turning back to Ruby ready to launch into her again.

Sensing this, Emma tried to explain before he could yell.

“We were doing our job. Regina said it herself, she can only get us so far, and we’ll need viewer support to continue. Ruby and I were just making sure that we made an impression. I’m sorry if it seemed inappropriate, but you clearly haven’t seen what the other girls have done.”

As she spoke she could feel the tension melting away.

“I see. And have you discovered anything that actually relates to the case?” Graham asked.

It was Robin who jumped in next. “It’s only been two days. They have to blend in first before they go storming the castle searching through her stuff. From what we can tell, she doesn’t leave her room very often.”

Graham nodded clearly rationalizing everything they had just told him.

“Perhaps I overreacted,” he said while taking a deep breath and turning to Emma. “But I should remind you that we need to maintain some shred of professionalism. We’re trying to build a case against Tamara and all of this could be considered evidence. You really want to sit in front of a jury explaining why your talking about sex noises during work?”

All of them lowered their heads. Of course anything they said might be used.

“I know you have to maintain your covers, but there’s a fine line between light flirting and making an ass of yourself.” His gaze was back on Emma.

Everything from five years ago came flooding back and she had to fight back tears.

Before anyone could say more, a small peppy voice came through the speakers.

“Um, sorry guys but we need Agents Lucas and Swan back in here now.”

Graham leaned over and pressed down on a button next to a microphone. “Of course, Agent White. They’re on their way now.”

The girls slid out of the van before they could be chastised any further and ran back to the house making use of the side door and hidden staircase. Emma made a quick pit stop in their room trying to get the stain out of her dress, but the chocolate frosting just smeared in more.

They made their way back down to the kitchen where the other woman were already congregated. Mary Margaret had them spread out in a single file line around the perimeter of the room.

She went and fetched Killian, who seemed much more relaxed than he had been since they had started the show. He quickly addressed the room.

As he was talking Emma heard Will come back through her ear.

“Buggering hell. Sorry about that ladies. He walked in without warning. He’s gone now though and I think Robin and I took the brunt of his wrath.”

Emma finally relaxed, just as Killian said three names.

“Kelly Andrews.”

As Killian said the last name he saw Emma loosen up. Had she actually been worried that she was getting sent home? He didn’t have long to contemplate it before Mary Margaret was showing him out of the kitchen and into the space set up for interviews.

Just like before he had to answer questions about each of the girls. This time though, the questions varied which Killian appreciated. There were only so many ways he could rephrase ‘she seems lovely.’

Killian talked about the different dishes that he had sampled, explaining what stood out about certain dishes. He and the interviewer had struck up an easy banter this time and he was freer with his words.

He explained that he had sent Sarah Fischer home because her lamb was still cold in the middle, like eating meat flavored ice cream. Ramona Galloway’s shepard’s pie on the other hand was burnt beyond repair. He couldn’t even stab his fork through. He stopped to make a joke about how much he loved his penthouse and didn’t want to come home to find it burned to the ground.

“Speaking of heat,” the interviewer started, “there seemed to be something cooking between you and Emma Fowler.”

Before he could help it, a huge grin had spread across his face. He could play it coy, but that wouldn’t be any fun, especially knowing how much it would bother her when she finally got to watch the episode air.

“Ya, she’s feisty. I feel like she could keep me on my toes, or at least until we made it into the bedroom, if you know what I mean.” He winked into the camera thinking of the moment she would see that part.

After his interviews were done, Mary Margaret reappeared and ushered him back to his guesthouse. She informed him that for the next three evenings, he would be engaged in-group dates. Like that morning, the girls would be divided into three groups, and he would interact with one group each night.

She handed him a list of ten places and told him to pick three of them for his dates. Looking over the list he noted that all of them were on the grounds, including the formal dinning room, stables, pool, and rear gardens. She told him the activity would be based on the location.

He randomly spouted off three of the locations and Mary Margaret wrote them down in her clipboard before leaving him alone again for the night. Something he was actually coming to dread.

He didn’t enjoy being alone with his thoughts for long periods of time. That’s why he usually found himself in the company of a random woman, hanging out with his mates, or drinking himself into oblivion. Now though, being cut off from the outside world, he had nothing to do but think of his past.

He thought of Milah’s last words to him. He thought of the first night he spent alone. He thought of the band he was no longer a part of. He thought of his brother and parents.

His mind wallowed in the pain for hours before finally finding just the slightest bit of peace that allowed him to drift to sleep. His last thought of the night was of Emma, and what it would feel like for her to be laying there next to him.

That night he dreamed of her, every sinful inch of her pressed against his body yelling out his name as she cascaded over the edge.

#If Looks Could Kill #ILCK #wellhellotragic #hellotragic #cs ff

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