Ideas/Drunken Rants Book

Sneak Peek at the AO3 TBatG1

Hello, everyone! Minty here.

I've talked about rewriting the original TBatG on another site to improve the writing and be more detailed with how the story goes, as well as undergo a few minor changes.

Largely, the plot will remain the same, only with better writing, and more dire consequences for the things that will happen, as well as improve dialogue. I have decided to do it on Archive Of Our Own (AO3), and that will be where the story is going to be uploaded.

The title has undergone a change, too. It will be called "When the Spider Lilies Bloom", referencing the red spider lily flower, which is an omen of death.

Because my focus is mostly on TBatG3 here on Wattpad, I haven't written much for When the Spider Lilies Bloom. However, I also wanted to give a sneak peek to you guys, so I can get some feedback on it.

Here it is!

...

The park was quiet, aside from the distant sound of occasional traffic. The sun hung in the center of the sky, shining brightly and illuminating the green grass and the tall trees.

This is Patch, an island to the west of the Kingdom of Vale. Home to active and retired Hunters alike, it is a peaceful place dotted with small towns and villages, and surrounded by thick forests and mountains. It was a beautiful day, for sure.

The man looked to his wife and smiled softly, his tanned lips spreading apart to show his white teeth. This man is named Taiyang Xiao-Long, often called 'Tai' for short. A muscular, retired Huntsman with blonde hair and stubble growing on his chin. His blue eyes accompanied his hair, standing out like twin lakes. Soon, he would be the father of two. His wife, Summer Rose, held a young infant in her lap. Her belly was beginning to grow round with their second child, whom they decided to name Ruby. Summer was a woman with short dark hair that faded into red at the tips. Like her husband, she was a Huntress, retired after she had her first child. Her silver eyes almost seemed to glow in the sunlight, and her pale skin was much like a patch of snow.

The baby she held now was named Yin Marigold Rose. With a head of blonde hair and blue eyes, he resembled his father, yet had his mother's nose and forehead. Summer was putting flowers into his hair, her lips curled into a gentle smile. Tai chuckled lightly.

"Having fun?" He asked quietly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping child. Summer giggled, nodding her head. "I am... It's a beautiful day outside..."

"Sorry we're late," a gruff, gravelly voice interrupted. Tai and and Summer looked up to see their friends approaching. Qrow Branwen had been the one to speak; an old friend from their training days. His black hair stuck out in the otherwise green park, his chin dotted with small black hairs. His red eyes betrayed his drunkenness - it was normal for Qrow to be drunk. In his arms was a toddler who looked around curiously, her name was Yang Xiao-Long. With blonde hair she had received from her father, Tai, and violet eyes, she was a curious child. Her mother, however, was not Summer. That would be the woman next to Qrow, Tai's ex-wife Raven Branwen.

Raven looked tired. Her red eyes were locked in that seemingly permanent glare, her long black hair falling to the middle of her back, messy as ever. A former bandit, she had given up the only life she had known for the sake of her children. Despite having been divorced, she and Tai had managed to remain on good terms in order to provide Yang a happy life. Not just Yang, but also the baby that was staring up at her.

That baby is named Vao Dusty Branwen. Another child of Tai, Vao had longer black hair, pale skin, and two scarlet eyes. He was nearly the spitting image of his mother, aside from a few minor differences. Despite being born male, he looked more like a little girl instead. His face held no masculine features - a pointed, girly chin, and a lack of prominent eyebrows.

"Don't worry about being late," Tai chuckled. "You alright? You look like you haven't slept at all."

"I didn't," Raven growled. She gave Vao a little shake. "This fucker keeps screaming at night."

"Really?" Summer giggled mischievously. "Yin doesn't make a sound. He sleeps the whole night."

Raven shifted Vao to one arm so she could flip Summer the bird before taking a seat on the bench next to her friend. Qrow set Yang down, letting her crawl in the grass before slumping down next to his sister, lazily throwing his left arm over the bench before taking a sip from his flask. 

Tai, Summer, Qrow, and Raven. Together they made Team STRQ, former students of Beacon Academy, a school whose goal was to train Hunters. However, Qrow was the only one who was still active, due to having no children of his own. Raven heaved a sigh, looking down at the infant in her arms. "... I have a feeling this one will be trouble," she muttered. Tai cocked an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?"

"He looks like his mom. Sis is a big jer- ow!" Qrow let out a yelp when Raven punched him in the shoulder. Hard. Vao raised his small fist and punched Qrow too, immediately looking up at his mother for approval. Raven smirked. "Yeah, that's right. Get his ass."

"Ass?" Yang echoed. Qrow died in an instant, choking on his drink. Tai was quick to follow, doubling over with laughter. Raven stopped smiling.

"Don't say that word."

"Ass."

Qrow wiped the spit and alcohol from his lips with his sleeves, coughing between laughter. "Her first words!" He cried. Raven glared at him, and the two began to bicker.

As Yin's eyes fluttered open, his eyes immediately locked onto Vao. Vao, noticing his stare, turned his head to look back at him. Slowly their arms extended, reaching for the other.

In time, they would need each other more than anything. They could never have fathomed the horrors they would witness, the unimaginable pain they would endure throughout the entirety of their lives. They had no idea just how important they were to each other.

Behind the bench, the red spider lilies began to unfurl, slowly blooming on that Autumn day. An omen of what was to come.

...

Do tell me what you guys think so far! I want to make this story perfect. You guys deserve my best and my all.

I love you guys! Thank you for being with me for four years!