#oobleck.

barty is actually a muse, but sometimes is referred to as the god of history

he presides mainly over mortal history and art and records everything mankind has ever done

he is madly in love with humanity and makes it known at every chance he can. even the fact that they have the capacity to go to war is incredible and amazing to him

he takes two forms exclusively: either that of a human man (like we’ve seen in the show) or a hummingbird

he’s often symbolized by said hummingbird, parchment and quill, a scroll tied with green ribbon, or a golden wax seal

because of his domain, he and ozpin are depicted together constantly. they’re referred to by humans as “the scholar and the scribe.” however, where ozpin would usually be depicted as the scholar on his own, their roles are reversed when they’re together, as barty relays the historical tales from humanity to ozpin

the two of them are also symbolized by the image of an owl shielding a hummingbird with its wings

barty’s immortality is actually conditional, though he has no real fear that the condition in which he would die will come any time soon. so long as written accounts of art and history exist on earth, so will he. his own accounts do nothing to keep him alive, so wars that focus on destroying art or literature hurt him horrifically

          “leave me here for a little bit longer.”

          “absolutely not!”

     bartholomew is by ozpin’s side in seconds, snatching up his cane with one hand and yanking him to his feet with the other. “you’ve locked yourself away in here for so long, you missed a faculty meeting! you hardly ever do that without reason!” and off they go, the doctor pulling ozpin behind him as he uses the cane almost like it’s a baton to lead a band with. “SO! you’re going to come straight to the apartment and you’re going to spend the night playing terrible board games and drinking whatever awful thing peter has decided to waste his money on with the rest of the teachers you so dearly adore!”

           “just let me cry a little bit longer.”

     she makes him sad.

     all of this makes him sad.

     grimm howl in the distance, and the skies haven’t been clear in weeks. she leans against his side, tears streaming down her face, only barely hidden by golden curls pulled free of their usual bun. peter left a while earlier, insisting on a gloomy day like this that the three of them needed hot chocolate, and he’d cursed bartholomew in a way he knows means he’s a few well-placed words from crying himself.

reverse + 😍 – a first kiss 

     he’s dumbfounded to say the very least. not that he’s upset, not by a mile, but after how badly their last encounter beyond the halls had gone, bartholomew was certain he’d put a very quick end to this. not on purpose, never on purpose, but he’d been so worried.

           “ barty. ”  headmaster's smile is soft though voice is painstakingly careful and slow.  “ it was unfortunate that classes cut our conversation short. perhaps you would like to continue it over dinner? ”

     it’s the nickname that catches his attention as he scribbles homework on the chalkboard behind his messy desk. very few people, even on the staff, ever call him anything less than ‘doctor,’ and he’s happy to see it’s ozpin in his doorway. they’d spent the better part of their lunch break in the teacher’s lounge, chatting away about the world.

     well. it had mostly been bartholomew who was doing the chatting, though he appreciated ozpin’s willing ear.

[msg]: thanks for bringing me home and putting me in my bed. the pillow fort you built around me is also appreciated.

     bartholomew takes great pride in the nights where he’s tasked with feeding the both of them. oftentimes, peter’s meals are repetitive--but delicious, he always notes--or take out from his new favorite restaurant. but he enjoys every second spent in peter’s kitchen, humming along to the radio as his neighbor recounts endless tales from his youth.