angryfacewritings

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Rwby Volume 8 + @screenshotsofdespair part 2

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Dangerous

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Blind and arrogant because of desire, power or fear.

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im sick but sk posting is important. sk fusion how we feeling ladies gents and theys

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Something about how Rhodes introduces himself to Cinder by throwing down his weapons to show her he means no harm and then years later the moment that finally truly sends her down the path to becoming a monster is when she looks to him for protection and instead he draws his weapons on her.

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Y'know what would be awesome?

The Afterans joining Team Remnant in the final battle against Salem, led by Neo.

Also, Salem getting dropkicked by a giant mouse off the back of Juniper lives rent-free in my head.

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Nora: So, you're Adam, right? Blake's ex?

Adam: *Looks at her* You could say that.

Nora: *Examines his face*

Adam: ...What?

Nora: *Giggles* Your face is scary. *Gets on her tippy toes and reached up with a finger towards his nose* Boop!

Adam: *Scrunches his face back in confusion*

Ren: *Face palms*

Jaune: *Gasp!* Nora! You can't just do that to people you just met! *Looks worryingly at Adam, well acquainted with his temper*

Adam: *Glares at Nora for a second, before letting out a huff* ...Very well. *Reaches out and pokes Nora's nose.* ...boop.

Nora/Ren/Jaune: *All gasp dramatically*

Adam: ...What?

Nora: You... You booped me!?

Adam: *Nods* Yes. I booped you. And you have succeeded in annoying me. *Raises an eyebrow.* What now?

Nora: *Smiles mischeviously*

Jaune: Oh you've done it now.

Ren: I am so sorry.

Adam: *Looks at them questioningly. Before he can ask anything Nora yanks him down and starts dragging him behind her*

Nora: *Happily skips* Come on new best friend! Let's go get pancakes to celebrate!

Adam: *Reaches out to Jaune* Uh...Help?

Ren: *Places a hand on Jaune's shoulder* There's nothing we can do now...

Jaune: *A single tear falls down his face* Be strong, Adam.

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Emerald Sustrai my beloved

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When Evil is NOT a Choice...

So I find myself pretty much unable to actually hate Cinder for who she is and what she has done. That is not to say I condone what she has done or think she has been in the right. Rather, when I think about why Cinder is the person she is.

Cinder is evil, yes. But not by choice.

Think back for a moment at the life we see Cinder live in the episode ‘Midnight’: From growing up in a brutal orphanage in Anima that was almost certainly part of a human trafficking operation, to being sold into slavery at an Atlisian hotel wherein she was constantly abused and exploited by the cruel owners for years. And through that time, Cinder had only one friend. A singular ray of hope that maybe, she might be free of her never-ending suffering in the form of the huntsman Rhodes. Until the one night when Cinder actually defended herself against her oppressors, the one time she actually fought back. Then Rhodes, Cinder’s only friend, turned against her. Leaving Cinder, once again, with no one.

And now, Cinder works under Salem. A woman who clearly sees Cinder as nothing more than a tool.

Throughout what seems to be her entire life, Cinder has been shown nothing but the absolute worst of humanity. Nothing but cruelty, pain, suffering, exploitation and evil. The ONLY time Cinder seems to have been shown genuine kindness and positive support was in the form of Rhodes, who then ripped that kindness away the moment Cinder did something he didn’t agree with.

Consider this: The closest thing Cinder has to a positive, supportive figure in her entire life is SALEM. And that has clearly only been because Salem is a masterful manipulator who has been expertly leveraging a ‘carrot and stick’ to ensure Cinder’s total loyalty. Just watch the end of ‘Midnight’ to see just how skillful a manipulator Salem is.

With all that in mind, can we really hate or even blame Cinder for turning out the way she did? Here we have a girl who seems to have NEVER been shown genuine love, kindness, compassion or even simple positivity in her entire life. And instead was shown nothing but cruelty, hate, pain and suffering. Is it any wonder then, that Cinder internalized all that cruelty and hate? What other choice did she have? Can we really blame someone for being cruel and hateful when they’ve literally known nothing else?

In short, Cinder is evil only because ‘Evil’ is all that she has ever known.

And now in the show currently, Cinder still doesn’t have a choice. Cinder might THINK she’s acting on her own will, but in truth she’s just an oblivious puppet dancing obediently on Salem’s strings. Not only that, but this volume gave us a VERY good idea as to the fate that is awaiting Cinder should she keep dancing to Salem’s tune.

Compare Cinder’s situation to someone like Adam. Like Cinder, Adam suffered horribly at the hands of cruel oppressors. But Adam got out. He escaped his oppressors in Atlas and made it to Menagerie. He had a chance, many chances actually, to let go of all that cruelty and hate. Instead, Adam chose to internalize the hatred and cruelty he suffered under to become the man we see in the show.

But Cinder? She hasn’t even gotten that chance yet. She’s STILL trapped, just as much as she once was by the Madam in that hotel. The only difference now is that the mistress controlling her has a far more deft and subtle hand, even if the grip holding Cinder is no less inescapable.

There is a great irony in the fact that the Maiden associated with the Relic of Choice is a girl who has never actually HAD a ‘choice’ in who she is. She’s never had a chance to be compassionate or kind because those are things she’s never known. And now Salem has expertly molded this writhing mass of trauma and self-internalized cruelty into a perfectly obedient and dependent tool.

For all that Cinder has done, I find myself unable to actually hate her for it or who she is. Because while other villains like Ironwood, Adam, Watts, Lionheart and Jacques at least had a chance to do good and made the CHOICE to do evil instead of good, it seems that Cinder has never gotten to make that choice.

It’s probably the biggest reason why I’m confident that Cinder is ultimately going to find some measure of redemption. Or at least won’t simply be killed off by Salem or our heroines. In a show so focused on optimism and defying cynical tropes like RWBY is, WHY would they make such a big deal out of its main recurring rival/antagonist being a villain who literally has never had a chance to be anything other than a villain, and then have her character meet the incredibly cynical end of ‘Eh, you just can’t help some people’ and simply kill her off?

Yeah, that is NOT the kind of show RWBY is.

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the salem hat incident (full movie)

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glenn close

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New Companion

Yang:*doing pushups*

Ruby:*on top of her*

Blake:Twenty more.

Yang:You’re gonna kill me…

Weiss:*eye closed*

Yang:What’s she doing?

Ruby:She said she was training but hasn’t moved.

Blake:Meditation is a form of training, but there’s probably more to it.

Weiss….*opens eyes* Let’s do this.

She points at the ground a couple feet ahead of her and creates a bright glyph outlined with a pattern of thorns and leaves along the rim. Slowly, the glyph starts to spin in place until all marks become a blur of white.

Weiss:Come on…

Yang:Is she trying to summon something?

Ruby:I think so. I bet it’s a manticore!

Blake:I think that glyph is a little small for that. Maybe an Apathy?

Yang:Please no. I can’t imagine a worse thing to-

A hand rises from the glyph and slams itself onto the dirt. Sharp nails drag themselves closer before another hand rises to do the same. They push down on their surroundings for leverage until the world is greeted with a distorted yell of a Jabberwock clawing its way into existence.

Weiss:Phew

Yang:Give me Apathy. Anything but this.

Ruby:You can do that!?

Weiss:I hope you all realize you’re pretty loud.

Blake:I hope you realize you just made a hell spawn

Weiss:So are grimm, and the both of these technically come from the same origin. Thought I’d try my luck.

Yang:Can you kill the dragon on Beacon?

Weiss:In my dreams maybe.

Jabberwock: *sits politely*

Blake:This feels wrong. Cool, but very wrong. Be sure to use it when nobody expects it.

Weiss:Oh absolutely. Now then, I gotta find Jaune. Last thing he needs his a jumpscare.

Yang:Imagine if you could summon the cat?

WR:No way in hell.

Ruby:Glad we knew where the line was. I never need to see that cat eyed freak again.

Blake:I wouldn’t say that so loud in Vacou if I were you.

Weiss:I’ll say it for her.

Blake:….The Ever After was not kind to you both.

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You are a devout Paladin trying to prevent the resurrection of a dark goddess. Ultimately you fail. When the goddess awakens, she claims that she doesn’t know who she is or what has happened. After a few days you’re struggling to determine if she actually has amnesia or if she is just lying.

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Adam:*wearing Ruby’s cloak*

Yang:Why? Just why?

Adam:I made the mistake of telling your sister I was in a bad mood. She put this on me and said “now you’re in a super bad mood.”

Yang:*slowly closes eyes*…..

Adam:It’s that funny to you?

Yang:Shut up. I’m trying to choose peace today.

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RWBY vs. Monster Hunter: Huntsmen, Hunters, Grimm and Monsters

Please beware of potential spoilers for Monster Hunter Wilds and RWBY Volume 8 in particular

While Monsters are part of nature like every other animal, Grimm are seen as a mindless threat to Remnant, contrast between regulation (coming from the Guild) and eradication (coming from the academies and Ozma/Ozpin specifically). The Guild maintains balance kept up by hunters, guildmarms, handlers, knights tasked to kill rogues and take care of illegal activity, several authority figures, while the four academies have the end goal of "saving" Remnant set by one person, Ozma, which is reinforced by teachers, students and graduates. Do keep in mind both the Guild and the concept of Huntsmen are fairly new to both worlds in their timelines and yet one is meant to last and coexists while the other is meant to succeed and end. The academies educate, the Guild is a workplace.

Quotes of respective mindsets:

Monster Hunter Wilds:

"Nature is– Life is a lot more resilient than we humans know." - Player Character

RWBY Vol1:

"That's why we're here. To make it better." - Ruby

In RWBY we've only seen people suffering consequences when they hurt/killed other people, nothing the like when a Grimm is unjustly killed. Monster Hunter Wilds puts extra emphasis that you as the player and Olivia each have a handler do the paperwork and authorize to kill only if it's unavoidable. However, there is no unjust killing of Grimm. Even without a formal license, there are no legal troubles. But kill an Aptonoth without the Guild allowing it, oh boy!

This entire ramble came to me after seeing the cutscene in Wilds where Nata, Player, Alma and Gemma honor Arkveld one last time after Player kills it. It's a quiet moment of respect but it's so meaningful in the long run. While in RWBY... (and please don't come at me if I'm wrong here) killing Grimm tends to be met with happy cheers. Until for one very notable time: the Hound. Until the mindless threat turned out to be evolving, speaking and suddenly there was a person inside all along.

Of course Ruby and Yang have a very different reason to be traumatized by the reveal than any other character in the show. We know there's likely more silver eyed people turned into Grimm roaming around Remnant, that leaves me to question– will Grimm be regulated? Because there's a chance there could be a human inside? When is a Grimm a "valid" being? These guys have been around even before Salem became who she is now, she didn't create them, the god of darkness did, she evolved them. In Wilds' storyline it's revealed Arkveld was created by the natives of Wyveria and acted as a destructive threat to its environment like Grimm do, it was still treated with respect and dignity, which is the reason why I focused on it here.

This entire thing is so interesting to me. It scratches my brain in very neat ways. The differences and similarities. I'm getting sappy but I put these franchises into WK for those reasons man.

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The traces of complicity are burnt out by the flames.

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1p: Dynasty warriors x RWBY

2-3p:sketch.