#raisefated

not to get emotional, but reading small ren like this is like watching someone kick a puppy.

ask blake a question, and i’ll draw it out.(   always accepting.   )

@raisefated​   :   " let me train you. " from feng.

he was numb.   little dragon had been like that for days, weeks on end with only tiny intervals of sleep to break apart the crushing nothingness, and even then his dreams were plagued with nightmares.   sobbing. crackling spark. cinders.   the nuckelavee’s haunting hoofs and the acrid scent of it’s withering breath followed him every waking step and through the realm of dreams. he couldn’t be rid of it and it was eating him up from the inside out. nowhere was safe, no one could comfort them.   blood. panic. midnight.   ren was tired all the time and constantly without will to live if not scared to death by the haunting sounds of his parent’s screaming. when would he ever find respite from the things that hurt him   ?   when would his mind relent so that ren might finally give into his torrent of emotions   ?   fire. smoke. ungodly screeching.   maybe he would never outrun this despair. what was the point in living if he were too afraid to feel   ?

‘   i can’t fight.   ’

he sat against cavern wall, knees up to chest. ren hadn’t moved from that position all day, wouldn’t eat so long as no one told him to. his uncle’s words were but a distant hazy mumble in the mind, and yet he still looked up to address him, magenta hue glassy and vacant. it took far too long for him to process the words, the posts meant for fighters clicking into place behind him. what was it he’d said   ?   ren was no fighter. he’d been told that themselves from a young age   :   too kind, too pretty, too docile to be a huntsman, better instead to marry off the black sheep into a different family. ren had been taught to be beautiful, they hadn’t been taught to survive. the only thing keeping him from the precipice of a reckless decision was his semblance, leaving young dragon too sluggish and numb to throw themselves to grimm with grief. no ... instead the grimm seemed to pass him, like he didn’t leave a trace. perhaps ren was filled with too much melancholy for them to care.

‘   grandfather said   ...   i could never be a huntsman.   ’

traits from li.

protectiveness is the first thing that springs to mind when i think of the first trait ren inherited from li. it doesn’t become clear until later, but ren also inherited li’s over protectiveness. a lot of the elements of ren considered more on their “ outer shell ” are more traits which were clear in li’s demeanour, such as their respectful / gentlemanly nature. that wasn’t ground into them through ettiquette lessons alone, a lot of the way ren acts is because of how much they idolised their father, even though li spent a majority of his time away from his family. from li, ren also retains their “ respect your elders ” mindset ( which even in my own experience is prevalent in a lot of asian households, so that wouldn’t exactly be uncommon in a lot of mistrali cultures. ) this is kind of out of left field though, considering the clan in which li comes from and how he was denounced from it. ren also retained parts of li’s guarded and suspicious nature, if we’re focusing on some negatives. considering the way li was raised, it doesn’t surprise me that ren grew up questioning every available thing he could. it was a good thing that both parents were so patient with them, when they did decide to talk i imagine that an needed to answer a lot of questions, considering their inquisitive mind. the last trait would probably be ren’s willingness to do what they see as right.

traits from an.

canonically ? ren inherited an’s sass. considering where an came from, the spoiled baby of an incredibly wealthy family, the darling, the charmer, the one who needed to worry the least about her own ambitions and responsibilities because she had her older siblings to help her as well as the doting praise of the lie patriarch and matriarch, an could have turned out a lot more horrid than she actually did. ren was born out of wedlock, and from true love, which did earn them the scorn of the rest of their lie heirs, who didn’t believe ren was worthy of a shot at the inheritance. the way that ren grew up around other lie heirs did stunt a lot of their emotional and personal growth, but as soon as li and an eloped to kuroyuri, some other traits started to become more and more clear. some budding traits which had been apparent during their education was an ever present curiosity, and thirst for knowledge. this never changed, as ren retains and still seeks out more and more facts, asking questions and seeking more answers whenever they can. another thing that they learned from their outgoing and excessively popular mother was a wit unlike any other. an was charming, mischievous, playful, and sarcastic, all while retaining a sweet and lovely nature. she was a lie after all, and even though she didn’t keep her family’s brutally callous ambition and willingness to trample and use everyone in their way, she did have a very subtle way of getting what she wanted, something that ren retained. the last thing that ren mirrored in an is her dedication, and her capacity for love. this was the reason she eventually settled on the name “ ren, ” because of its multiple meanings, most notably of the lotus, as well as the confucian value “ love of humanity. ”

traits from both.

honour your ancestors is a huge one that ren learned from both of them, especially considering the kind of household they grew up in. it’s important considering two of my canon divergences ; that ren took up his father’s clan name as their given name, and their mother’s clan name as their surname. ren was named that because it was meant to honour the fallen tribe of ren, of which li was the last surviving member. the other was because of ren’s dragon faunus heritage, there is an extensive and long history to be proud of dating back to long long ago during the first tales of creation. because there are few who can teach ren the history of their people now, they’ve taken it upon themselves to learn and seek out other dragon faunus. difficult considering their scarcity.

ren is opportunistic. this was a trait apparent in both of their parents, albeit in different ways. each of them were born into drastically different lifestyles. li, taken from a warrior clan and raised among an assassin guild, and an, as the youngest daughter of an ancient and wealthy family. the kind of mindset li needed to adapt to survive often meant learning as much as he could to find his way in the deep mistrali forests for days on end, as well as knowing enough to navigate as well as create opportunities to find his way in the mistrali black market / underground. whereas, an was raised in the socialite classes. she often needed to elbow and charm her way through competition for whatever ambitious ploy other girls her age would fight for. in a family which continually fought for recognition and success, that could have been anything, from grades, to performances, etc. both are ambitious. and both are incredibly smart, this was passed onto ren and became incredibly handy when left to fend for themselves.

“ understand what is truly important to you. ” ( do not become someone you aren’t. ) it’s not exactly a trait, but a lesson learned from both li and an. the two of them eloped. the both of them gave up everything : their reputation, their homes, their wealth, and eventually, their lives, to be together and protect that which was precious to them. an was not allowed to marry li, a lady of high class adopting the affections of a rogue huntsman with a shady past and no lien to his name. having ren out of wedlock was already too scandalous, and if she hadn’t been the most loved out of all lie children, she might have been disowned. ren. ren was almost disowned. for this reason, when ren was finally out of the toxic lie household and living peaceful, humble lives in wait of oniyuri’s completion, both parents taught ren the importance of prioritising that which meant the most to them. if they tried to please even those who did not care for them, they would not find true happiness.

compassion, is a trait that ren inherited from both parents. there have been a lot of reasons in their life to completely abandon that part of their personality, including but not limited to ; the way ren was raised prior to the year spent in kuroyuri ( around a toxic and manipulative household ), the many negative encounters surviving afterwards which eventually brought to light their guarded and paranoid persona, the deep seated trauma of having a semblance which stunted their emotional growth, as well as their exposure to situations that test their faith over and over and over again. despite this, ren remains steadfast to their growing perception of what is their own definition of right and wrong, and while doesn’t offer themselves wholly to everyone but a select few, opts to remain kind and does whatever is in their power to help someone else in need. because despite their cynical views of the world, ren really does live up to their name “ love of humanity. ”

the last main trait that ren inherited from their parents is their incredibly high intelligence. an, afforded all of the advantages and privileges a private education would allow her, was more academically gifted than her husband. li, having been raised mostly on the land and in a community with less than refutable reputations got into haven academy on skillset alone ( something that ren would eventually mirror in their combat tests to beacon academy. ) li’s intelligence lie more in a navigation of the outside world “street smarts” which was something that they didn’t have a lot of time to teach ren before kuroyuri, but ren did retain everything that their father taught them, even if the information didn’t make a lot of sense at the time. ren’s attributes and habits learned from their parents do help to bolster their own intelligence, including a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning from an, philosophical interest from both parents, a healthy questioning of those in authority from li, self discipline and diligence from li, a sense of visual and tactile learning encouraged by both parents, on top of a love of literature as the result of days spent in the lie library.

traits ren wished they had more of.

ren wishes they had more natural composure. their own is aided by the bleed of their semblance, without it they have very little in ways of hiding what they’re actually feeling. it’s something that’s learnt overtime, but it’s just interesting to note that ren’s usual stoic nature is not how they actually are. in fact, i have theories that their semblance was the result of li’s last acts alive, triggered by watching their father continue to protect them despite being in intense physical and emotional pain. li always had a kind of certainty and authority that ren wishes to emulate. he could walk into a room and immediately command a crowd. he just had a very self - assured confidence that ren envied and wishes to one day have. another trait from their father they wish to have more of is li’s determination, as well as his bravery. ren has always considered their father one of the bravest men alive, but at the same time, their bravery led to martyrdom, a concept that ren actively despises, so this would be the least likely thing for them to emulate.

from ren’s mother, wish wishes that they had more of her wit. it was not only an’s beauty that attracted the attention of multiple suitors, but her wit, and fun loving, friendly, charming nature as well. if ren got any sense of their trouble making skills from their parents, it was definitely her. an was always the one encouraging ren’s mischief, while it fell on li to scold them. ren doesn’t wish to be that open and friendly with people, having gone through what they had, but they do wish to emulate her wit, her effortless charm, the way that she just made people around her more comfortable. something that drew people towards an was her benevolence and kind nature, and although ren has adopted this compassion from both parents, they don’t believe it to be sincere. that’s mostly their mental illnesses at work though. from an, ren also wished to have more of her creative brilliance. as the town doctor, she was not only swept up in medical matters in kuroyuri, but personal as well, and she would always willingly go above and beyond to support the people she called her neighbours. this often meant thinking outside the box to solve things. ren thought both of their parents were intelligent, but an exuded a kind of radiating genius ren was sure she could have done more with, had she not decided to remain a small town general practitioner.

i   —

no   ...

hmm   ...

deo: ... he’s also a trained killer.

@raisefated   ›   🥃 + does ren ever think about who they could have been with a different semblance?   ›   send me a 🥃 + a question for my muse to answer. if they refuse, they have to take a shot.   (   accepting.   )

‘   the strongest emotions are anger, fear, and happiness. they come first, developed in the first twelve months of life. many have a baseline for their emotions, ruled by one of these cardinal feelings.   ’   the way ren spoke was with a rehearsed cadence, monotone flat and resigned to the facts they’d absorbed rather than the lessons meant to be taught by parents, by guardians who were long dead and gone. ren had always been alone, that was how they learned to survive.   ‘   most of these emotions feel like a lull in the back of my head, only felt in full when nearest to death. true happiness smothered by frustration and hopelessness. would having a semblance that doesn’t erase my emotions make that better or worse ?   ’

answers:   three. shots:   two.

@raisefated​   ›   he drew close, gentle giant reaching forth and drawing familiar circle upon the back of fox's hand. he knew he didn't need to anymore, not now that fox had familiarised his aura to the point where he could distinguish sage from others, but he found comfort in the action, of letting fox know he was near. " ' the prince's thunderstorm.' " he offered, as means of explanation, placing the book into fox's hands.   ›   unscripted.

of course he would know the welcoming presence of his childhood friend, no matter the circumstance. there weren’t many in fox’s life that tended to stay in his life. so many companions had been lost at this point that some part of him had gotten used to the loss, to allowing people close enough to matter. it hurt the same each and every time, but the means to process the trauma became faster, almost unhealthy perhaps. at this point, he had no idea what he’d do if he ever found out sage hadn’t made it back from the fall. cry for the first time in months maybe, that’s how much he meant to him, the feeling of being vulnerable so foreign to fox that he’d have to relearn how to grieve all over again. to hear word that sage was fine and had returned from mistral was a relief, setting free a hidden anxiety he hadn’t even known was there.

containing his excitement when sssn had appeared after their last huge mission was incredibly difficult, vulpes grinning from ear to ear until they could finally get a moment alone. to his surprise though, sage was the one who approached first, touch upon his hand welcome and familiar, to the point where he almost wanted to cry, so touched upon the gentle movement. fox hadn’t needed sage to do that since he’d unlocked his aura, but could recognise the gentle way calloused fingers traced his skin. sage’s gentle voice cut through the myriad of smart mouthed comments fox’s sentimentality was crushing out of respect, needing to quell the nervous energy. this was dumb. he hadn’t had a crush on sage in years, why was it so hard to talk to him now ? it had only been a few months.

‘   y — ... are you serious   ?   ’   he remembered the offhanded comment sage had made months ago, promising to get fox this for his birthday   (   or as close to it as he could guess. seasonal changes were hard to predict when you lived in the vacuoan wastes.   )   a wide grin splits vulpine features as fox barrelled into him for a hug, feeling him absorb the brunt of the impact like it was nothing. always so steadfast, and strong, at least until he was surrounded and broadcasted to millions of people. amity was probably the only time he’d heard of sage faltering.   ‘   you bastard, i thought you were joking. you’re late by the way, by a few weeks. now i can finally hear the end of this story without your nervous ass forgetting the ending.   ’   he pulled back a moment to flip the book open, could not believe he’d lugged this all the way to mistral for fox. the book was new, cared for, braille clear and easy for fox to read. he wasn’t a materialistic person but this was in damn fine condition.

‘   thank you, sage. i’m real glad you’re here.   ’