#[hello rwby nation how are we FEELING !!!!!!!!]
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[i am the reflection of who prevailed]
#[hello rwby nation how are we FEELING !!!!!!!!]#my art#.digital#.fanart#rwby#rwby fanart#ruby rose#ruby rwby#summer rose#summer rwby
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Theory: Speculating about Volume 10 through Joan of Arc references. Part 3: Crocea no more(s)
This will be my final and shortest installment of Volume 10 Joan of Arc theories. This time it will be focused around Crocea Mors and Jaune's potential new weapon. Usual disclaimer:
Speculations will be done mostly through Joan of Arc references, meaning they will be very Jaune-centric. Speculations will also imply that every major event in Joan of Arc's story will have RWBY equivalent, which is very optimistic assumption. But hey, I'll shoot at the wall and see what sticks.
You can check previous two parts in links below:
As we all know, Jaune had his sword broken by Cinder at the end of Volume 8. This matches well with Joan of Arc having her sword broken after failure at siege of Paris.
Side note, there are various accounts when and how Joan lost her sword, however, based on timeline placement and witnesses present it appears they went for "after the siege of Paris" story.
Just so we are clear, Crocea Mors does fit Joan's Sword of Saint Catherin. Both are treasured heirlooms, Joan's sword belonging to Frankish national hero Charles Martel. Breakage of both swords is a source of doubt in their respective wielder's abilities. Public starts doubting Joan as promised hero after sword breaks (and she loses at Paris) while Crocea Mors breaking symbolizes Jaune himself breaking after he had to kill Penny. If you wanna tinfoil it, I speculated Saint Catherine's voice in Joan story is represented by Penny in Jaune's, making their swords inverted versions of each other. Joan's blade was blessed by Saint Catherine, Jaune's sword was cursed by Penny's death.
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What to do with broken sword? Straight forward answer would be to copy Blake's story and reforge it, especially since lot of people in this community think Cinder will be utilized like Adam as story continues.
Looking at Joan of Arc story, I don't think that's gonna be the case. Joan's sword was unable to be fixed after it was broken. This can be translated in variety of ways. I doubt there will be 1:1 translation and for some reason local craftsmen will be unable to fix Crocea Mors. One explanation I see is that Ever After crew will arrive just before Salem's attacks begin, meaning there won't be enough time for Jaune to get his sword fixed. Another is purely psychological, Jaune won't have it fixed since he doesn't feel he deserves to wield it anymore after he killed Penny with it. Broken knight being stuck with broken blade.
Personally, I think Jaune abandoning Crocea Mors is logical step in his character growth. Instead of living in the shadow of his famous family, he needs to forge his own path forward. Getting new weapon instead of family heirloom makes sense in that regard.
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Now, I don't think this will turn into one of those Jaune power fantasy fanfictions in which he gets the gun and starts 360 no scoping every antagonist in the series. What kind of weapon he'd use is less clear looking at Joan of Arc references, but I'll throw in some speculations.
First is, forging a brand new weapon. Interesting part of Jaune as Joan of Arc is that he doesn't seem to use banner in battle. Banner was preferred item Joan brought to battle, using it way more often than her sword. It is possible banner is already represented with Jaune's shield or Semblance, but I'll go towards more straight forward representation. I could see banner being represented through some kind of bardiche like weapon. Jaune becoming polearm user would also be nod to Pyrrha, for better or worse. Although it would be weird for Jaune to completely swap weapon style more than half way through the series.
Second option is that Jaune will use some hand out blade throughout the next volume, while the matter of his permanent weapon will be resolved later on. This would fit with Joan of Arc grabbing random enemy sword and using it for the remainder of her battles.
Looking at my previous theory, there is another interesting option. In that theory, based on references to Joan's battle of Lagny, I considered it possible they'll fight Tyrian over Relic of Destruction. If that's the case, then random hand out blade Jaune gets will possibly be Relic itself. Nothing concrete here, but it's quite interesting Jaune ends up having his sword broken just before he reaches the region in which sword is the Relic. However, if this happens, I'd only expect it to be short term. I speculated before that Jaune will be captured by Cinder in theoretical Volume 11. When Joan of Arc was captured her sword was missing and she refused to admit where she hid it (her captors even referred to her sword as magical). So Jaune would at most wield it from after the Tyrian fight to before he encounters Cinder, either hiding it or entrusting it to someone else.
Last option will deal with the prospect of Jaune shaping his Aura into weapons. This sounds like something his Semblance could theoretically do. It would also allow him to utilize his massive Aura supply for something other than healing or boost. Additionally, it would continue his foiling with Cinder, making them both not have permanent weapon. This one has straight up nothing to do with Joan of Arc, but sounds fun.
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This is it for this theory as well as my Volume 10 speculations through Joan of Arc references. Although Volume 10 status is complete uncertainty, it was still fun to throw some theories about it. As usual, feel free to comment if you think I missed something or you have your own interpretations.
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benny’s RWBY rewrite: the relics & maidens, part 1
hello again! it’s been a little bit, but i’m back as a reward for getting a long-ass essay done! this will be the first of probably several plot-related changes i’ll be making to the story, starting with something with a lot of potential: the relics and the maidens. i’ll be going into my personal rewrite of the story of the maidens, and then their powers, and how they interact with the relics and vaults.
this will be the first part: the origins of the maidens, story-wise. the second part will be the mechanics of the maidens and relics, and how they interact with the story at large.
if you’re still interested, there’ll be more under the cut!
so, the first thing i’m going to do is alter the mythos surrounding the maidens. i like the idea of a bunch of girls visiting a hermit, but i’d like to expand upon it. firstly, i’d like for the hermit to have a bit more character. i’ve opted to name him kurloz, as he’s a bit different than most of the other ozma reincarnations we’ve seen, and i wanted his name to reflect that.
the hermit is a hermit for a reason: he’s come into his own, realizing that he isn’t really himself, but i also think that he keeps himself sequestered away because he really doesn’t know what to do. this is where the maidens come in.
the gods of light and darkness outlined four virtues that define humanity: knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice. i want to add to these virtues that they can be used for evil as easily as they can for good. the four maidens, along with being manifestations of seasons, should also embody these virtues strongly, both in their original iterations, and in the people who hold the maiden powers. these virtues connect the maidens and the relics: the relic of creation will only grow into its full potential in the hands of the spring maiden- the embodiment of creation. i did also swap the relic/maiden lineup, but i’ll go into that as well.
so, the story goes as follows:
long ago, a hermit lived deep in the forest, in a cabin away from all of civilization. his home had the strange ability to attract those who he wanted to speak to, and deter those he didn’t. the winding woods around his home were mazes to those with impure intentions.
during the winter, the hermit was visited by a young woman. by her opulent dress of blue and white silks and lace, she was a noble, the heiress to a faraway throne. she greeted the hermit politely, and he knew after a bit of talking that she was wise beyond her few years. they spoke for a while about science and art, the advancements the hermit had missed in his decades of hiding. the hermit, satisfied with what he’d learned of the maiden, asked her a question: in a world gone mad, what would she do to fix it?
the maiden replied, “share your knowledge with the people of the world. you cannot vanquish an enemy you do not know exists.” the hermit, who had been paralyzed by fear because of his knowledge, was surprised. the maiden continued, “knowledge eliminates fear. it shows you that all there is to fear is the unknown. the only choices that matter are life or death. all else are reached with knowledge.”
the hermit sat with this insight for a time. as the maiden stood, he asked that she visit again in the middle of the next year, when the sun was at its highest. she politely agreed, and with a bow, she left the hermit with his thoughts.
as winter changed to spring, and the flowers began to blossom, the hermit was visited by another young woman. by the dirt covering her overalls, and the strength in her body, she was a humble farmer. she carried a bushel of fresh fruits, and ran toward the hermit, offering him a few of what she’d harvested. in the blooming grove, they spoke of the beginnings of spring, what would grow and blossom, and what would be done with all that emerged. the hermit, amused with the maiden’s enthusiasm, asked her a question: in a world gone mad, what would she do to fix it?
the maiden thought as she chewed a tart she’d made. smiling, she replied, “the world is mad, sure, but look at all the good in it! we must take the seeds of goodness, plant and nurture them, and wait for better to grow.” the hermit, who had seen new worlds war with one another, was surprised. the maiden continued, “everyone has to work together to create a better world. i can’t tell you alone what better looks like, just as you can’t tell me that either.”
the hermit sat with this insight for a time. as the maiden gathered up her baskets and bags, the hermit asked that she visit again in the middle of the next year, when she sun was at its highest. after leaving the hermit with a bag of seeds, she agreed, and bounded back into the woods, leaving the hermit with his thoughts.
as spring turned to summer, and the heat took the forest, the hermit was visited by yet another young woman. bandits had somehow found their way to his home, but a huntress, identifiable by her masterful combat prowess, managed to defeat them. rather than dispatch them, she scolded them for attacking a defenseless old man, and shooed them away. the maiden, armed with masterfully-crafted weapons, was patched up by the hermit as she spoke about everything she had done, the people she’d saved and killed. the hermit, stricken by the maiden’s perseverance, asked her a question: in a world gone mad, what would she do to fix it?
as she rolled her stiff shoulder, the maiden replied: “make up your mind! you claim to care so deeply for the strifes of the world, and yet you sit and do nothing but think! you let the world burn while you ruminate.” the hermit, offended by the gall of this maiden, was speechless. the maiden continued, “get off of your ass, leave this little shack, and do something.”
the hermit sat with this insight for a long time. as the maiden gathered up her weapons and tightened her bandages, the hermit asked that she visit again in the middle of the next year, when the sun was at its highest. she grumbled out an agreement, and after thrusting a simple firearm into the hermit’s hands, she left in a huff.
and as the leaves crinkled and turned yellow and brown, and the cool breeze of autumn took the woods, a final young woman visited the hermit. she was silent, almost shy as she simply sat on the hermit’s porch, with an unreadable expression on her face. the hermit emerged, offered her tea and company as she sorted through what she felt. in an attempt to break the silence, the hermit asked her a question: in a world gone mad, what would she do to fix it?
the maiden bit the inside of her cheek. after a moment of silence, she replied: “this world is broken beyond repair. if it seeks endlessly to destroy us, maybe we should destroy it first.” the hermit, having sequestered himself for fear of doing just that, was appalled. seeing the hermit’s fear, the maiden continued, “we’ve ruined this world. we war and kill constantly. maybe if we burn everything down, something better will grow in the fertile soil.”
the hermit sat with this insight for a long time. as the maiden stood, she confessed that someone she loved was taken from her. the hermit offered his condolences, and asked that she visit him again in the middle of the next year, when the sun was at its highest. she only gave a nod before she vanished back into the woods.
the middle of the next year came quickly enough. the hermit, excited about the return of the maidens, had set out food and drink on his porch. the maidens from winter, spring, summer, and fall arrived in sequence, bringing their own gifts for the hermit. the winter maiden brought a collection of all the hermit had missed in his hermitage. the spring maiden brought cakes and tarts, all made from the produce she’d grown. the summer maiden brought a set of weapons, a sword and bow, for the hermit to use as he wished. the fall maiden brought tinder for the hermit’s fireplace, for the coming autumn and winter.
at the end of their feast, the hermit revealed himself to be a powerful sorcerer of old, who had been waiting for someone to prove themselves worthy of his power. the sorcerer granted the winter maiden power over ice and cold, and the power to use her intellect to keep her enemies at bay. he granted the spring maiden power over plant, flower, and vine, and the power to create flora to aid in her companion’s fights. she granted the summer maiden power over wind, and storm, and the ability to choose who to blow close, and who to sweep away. he granted the fall maiden power over fire, and the ability to destroy the enemies of the new world she wanted.
the magic of the maidens, over time, was shaped by the strength of their wills. the virtues they embodied gave their magic a type of sentience, that would seek out those who exemplified their virtues. in time, the maidens learned of the relics from another oz, and used their combined powers to create vaults that only they could open. the winter maiden's lamp of knowledge was kept in the first’s home nation: mistral. the spring maiden’s staff of creation was kept in the second’s home nation: mantle. the summer maiden’s crown of choice was kept in the third’s home nation: vale. the fall maiden’s sword of destruction was kept in the fourth’s home nation: vacuo. the academies built above these vaults were informed by the maidens, and the governments kept close tabs on where their respective maidens were. the goal was to keep the maidens and relics separate, until a significant threat called for them to be gathered. after all, the maidens were the only people alive with the power to present the relics to the gods, to summon them to judge the state of the world.
with that, i hope you enjoyed my retelling of the maiden myth! i’ll be going into how this influences the story in the second part of this mini-series.
if you have any feedback, feel free to send me an ask!
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Hello! Long time no see! I read your Cinder the Red Queen theory, and it's really cool! Cinder is one of my favorite characters (even if I don't watch RWBY anymore) and it would be really awesome to see Cinder play a really big role, besides "revenge on Ruby". Although, I am personally more of a Cinder Redemption Arc fan. So, hypothetically, if Cinder were to get one such redemption arc, how do you think it would play out?
Hiya Yellow! Yeah it has been a while. Sorry I took so long to get back to you. Slowly working through my backlog of posts inside my inbox. Anyways, how have you been fam? And in the literal immortal words of one Oscar Pine, wait…WHAT! When did you stop watching RWBY? ! D8
What happened? If you don’t mind me asking, how come you’re not watching anymore? Is it because you just fell out of love with the series as a whole after being disappointed with its current direction or did all the discourse surrounding the show (and by extension RT as well) drive you to stop?
Sad to hear you’re no longer in the FNDM man. But on a different note, allow me to say thank you! Knowing that you’re a Cinder fan, I’m happy to hear that you liked my Red Queen headcanon for her. Much appreciated.
And yes, I do remember you being an advocate for Cinder’s redemption as well. In response to writing a Cinder redemption arc, I’m gonna be frank.
Given the way the canon has portrayed Cinder’s character, both in previous seasons and currently, redemption is still the last thing I can envision for your favourite Fall Maiden m’dude. I’ve never seen Cinder getting redeemed as a possibility since to me, the show hasn’t shown enough evidence of her being empathetic to anyone else other than herself to make me believe there’s a chance for her to change for the greater good.
The only way I can picture Cinder going is either she is given the Adam Taurus treatment---unceremoniously killed off despite the series keeping her relevant to the story for so long or…Cinder survives long enough to rise up and see herself becoming the all-powerful entity she desires to be---ultimately walking out of Salem’s shadow to overthrow her and replace her as the Red Queen and succeeding within a short time what Salem has failed to do for centuries---thrusting Remnant into utter anarchy in the form of a second Great War sparked by one of the kingdoms (possibly Mistral) declaring war against the remaining three kingdoms hoping to conquer them all after learning that the great Atlas Kingdom has fallen along with the former Mantle.
One kingdom to rule them all and this was all done through Cinder puppeteering her pawns in the Mistral Council through her newly awakened abilities after finally succumbing to the Geist Grimm and becoming something more than human--- a Grimm with a soul and a conscience. A Grimm-human hybrid or Grimmoire as I’d like to say.
Instead of being redeemed, I more favour the idea Cinder becoming a bigger threat to Remnant than Salem who I peg would be defeated, purified of her darkness (courtesy of Ruby’s silver eyes) and stripped of any magic that she had, courtesy of Cinder betraying her.
Cinder’s whole “…Without you, I am nothing” statement from the trailer is just giving me huge red flags for her to eventually realize that she can probably do better than Salem without her holding her back. The student does eventually become the master, right? So why not expect Cinder to replace Salem as the main big antagonist of RWBY with her reign being the true threat of Remnant in a time of war?
I really, really like the idea of the main conflict of RWBY not being the war with Salem but the rise of Cinder Fall and the second Great War of Remnant. I think such a plotline would be cool especially looking back on the fact that Oz had told General Ironwood that he prayed that his students---the children whose futures and development were entrusted to him---would never have to face the pains and strife of war like his predecessor: King Phadrig of Vale, once did long ago.
It would actually be very compelling to watch our heroes attempting to survive a dire time when the world was divided with two of its founding kingdoms in shambles while one tried to conquer them all (Mistral) and another daring to defend them all (Vacuo). The first Great War lasted ten years. Imagine if…it were the same for the second with time fast-forwarding to another period ten years later when all of our young heroes were now grown adults. No longer naïve children enamoured by the huntsmen lifestyle but seasoned warriors doing what they could to help the people in a dark world where war raged, humanity pleaded for their salivation and the Grimm feasted.
That could’ve been nice. But…I’m getting ahead of myself here. I’m not sure if anything like that will actually happen in the show. Still it’s good to share the idea around.
Going back to Cinder, like I said---right now I can’t see a redemption arc for Cinder.
As I said, the core reason why I’ve never been for Cinder being a redeemable character is due to the fact that up until this point, the series has done very little to establish her having any positive qualities. Cinder has sadly been selfish through and through making it very clear multiple occasions that she’s only out for herself. For me to have pictured Cinder to be a redeemable character, the series would’ve need to introduce a sort of “buffer character”---for lack of a better term. Basically when I say a buffer character, I mean in terms of a character who could’ve acted as a sort of foil to Cinder---seeing through her power-hungry nature and faults and thus revealing to the audience a much more relatable, sympathetic and emotionally vulnerable side to her through her relationship with said buffer.
The best example of this type of dynamic for me in an animated media is the relationship between Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh from Avatar the Last Airbender. In that series, Iroh was Zuko’s buffer character---the one person who saw through Zuko’s acts of aggression and appealed to the side of him that was just a insecure young man lacking any real support in his life and wanting nothing more than to do his best to appease an abusive father just so that he can feel a sense of belonging in the world.
It was through his bond with his uncle that I, as a viewer, was able to believe in Zuko’s redemption arc since it was only with Iroh did we see a more open side to Zuko---the side that reminded us that outside of his status as Prince of the Fire Nation leading the charge to capture the Avatar---outside of that, Zuko was only a boy in need of guidance. Guidance that Iroh attempted to provide him on multiple occasions.
Going back to Cinder, this is what I would have needed to make her redeemable. Give her a character who is the only one to see her more vulnerable side. Using what we know about the series, I’d say Emerald Sustrai could’ve easily been Cinder’s buffer. In the show, RWBY already established Cinder as a sort of motherly/sister figure based on Emerald’s perception of her.
Through Emerald, the show could’ve used her close ties with Cinder to show a side to her that we often don’t see. A side that actually cares for Emerald or at least better fools Emerald (and by extension us as the audience) into thinking that she cares. Ironically enough, the show could’ve had Cinder mirror Salem in this regard.
The reason why I’m more of an advocate for Salem’s redemption over Cinder is because UNLIKE Cinder, the show has given me moments of Salem being genuinely kind and caring to others. We saw this with the way she loved Ozma and would’ve done anything to get him back before her self-interest and hatred toward the Brother Gods consumed her.
We saw this in the Lost Fable and to some degree, even though she is another pawn to her, I’d like to think that the way Salem treats Cinder is akin to a mother. My issue with Salem isn’t that she is incapable of caring about others, it’s that no matter what, she will never put them before herself. It will always be her first and others second. At least that’s what I interpreted and it for this reason while her curse will remain.
However at least the show has shown examples of Salem showing compassion towards other. This is something I have yet to see from Cinder Fall. To me, Cinder is lacking that side of her.
Salem is selfish but as strange as this for me to say, I don’t think she’s entirely heartless. It’s kind of complicated when it comes to Salem but this just adds onto why I find her character fascinating. This is what makes the difference for me between her and Cinder and separates the two.
Salem is selfish but is capable of empathy and a surprising amount of mercy in unexpected moments (like in the way she treats Cinder for example. Salem could’ve easily offed Cinder for her failures like how she ended Lionheart but instead she left her be. And judging from the V8 trailer, even as Cinder came grovelling back to her, Salem still seemed to mostly react to Cinder’s return with an air of a strict parent who isn’t angry at their child but more disappointed. And oddly enough she did the same thing with Tyrian back in V4)
Cinder, on the other hand, shares in Salem’s self-centred nature but lacks any kind of compassion. Cinder is heartless.
Sorry Yellow, picturing a redemption arc for Cinder Fall is tough for me, even hypothetically speaking. I mean, if the show had done something with Cinder akin to Zuko---having her gain the power and status she’s always wanted only to have it result in her losing the only good relationship she had in Emerald thus leading to her falling from grace again after realizing her mistakes---then I could see it.
Or…perhaps the show could’ve pulled an Azula type of redemption for Cinder. Have her gain the power she desired at the cost of her own humanity and she loses herself in the process, becoming a monster and realizing her mistakes too late. And in the end, despite everything she’s been through and in spite of all that she put her through, the only person to appear before Cinder in her time of death after falling from her mistakes is Emerald.
I like the irony of Emerald cradling a dying Cinder Fall, choosing even then not to hate her and remain with her until her last dying breathe as her way of finally paying her back for saving her from her former life of poverty; giving her a new sense purpose in life outside of being a street rat.
That could’ve worked, at least me. But again, this is only if the show had further developed Emerald and Cinder’s bond. I genuinely wished the show had explored more of Cinder’s ties to Emerald. This is why I wanted Emerald to be Cinder’s accomplice for Atlas instead of Neopolitan. We could’ve watched Emerald’s character grow further through her separating herself from Salem’s legion and devoting herself entirely to Cinder. We could’ve watched Cinder even entice Emerald with the prospect of her ruling beside Cinder in the new world she would’ve aided her to build for Salem.
At the end of the day, as Emerald implied back in V5, she doesn’t care that much for Salem. The only person of interest to Emerald Sustrai is Cinder so this makes me curious to see what their reunion would be like for V8. I highly doubt Salem just ups and left Emerald, Mercury and Hazel back in the Dark Domain. Unless they were sent off to Vacuo to retrieve the Sword of Destruction, they’re bound to be there with Salem inside of Grimm Monstro so I’m looking forward to seeing the look on Emerald’s face when she realizes to her dismay that in her absence, she had been replaced with Neo.
It would be interesting watching how Emerald deals with this development in addition to seeing where her story goes from here now that her beloved Cinder Fall is back with her but not really with HER, y’know what I’m saying? Perhaps this could lead to Emerald going out of her way to get back onto Cinder’s good side mirroring Cinder attempting to return to Salem’s.
“…Without you, I am NOTHING!” “…I don’t care about Salem but I owe Cinder for EVERYTHING!”
It’ll be a game of watching apprentices regain the faith of their masters as Emerald is Cinder’s apprentice while Cinder is Salem’s. This should be a fun development to observe for next season
…Sorry if I haven’t exactly answered your question Yellow. Truth be told, I don’t have much ideas for how Cinder could be redeemed. However I do stand by my points about Emerald being used to show a different side to Cinder. It’s a shame this wasn’t done much in the canon. But who knows? Maybe something might be done to change that for V8.
~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)
#squiggles anwers: rwby#cinder fall#emerald sustrai#rwby salem#rwby theories#rwby volume 8 theories#yellow-eyed-green-crocodile#squiggles answers
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RWBY Recaps: The Greatest Kingdom
Hello, glorious RWBY fandom! It’s that time of the year again. No, not the holidays. Rather, it’s the roughly twelve weeks where my Saturdays are lost to the void of churning out 4,000+ words of typo-laden analysis for our favorite web-series. Does that sound like a good time? If so, stick around and keep reading.
Now, those of you who joined us last year will recall that I took issue with numerous aspects of Volume Six. Many of you are capable of summarizing these aspects in great detail considering that the conversation never stopped on my blog between January 26th and, well, today. But for those of you who don’t otherwise suffer my metas or who might be joining us for the first time, here’s a very short guide to the stuff we’ve been chatting about the last few months:
Holy shit they really went all in on dragging Ozpin, huh?
Is the group part of a collective consciousness now? What happened to diverse thinking?
Should un-licensed teenagers steal military property and start grimm-drawing battles with national allies? No or double no?
We hate adults? Is that really a thing?
When will Oscar’s on-screen development come back from the war?
There are numerous, numerous other connected topics, from Rooster Teeth’s handling of physical assault all the way to theories regarding the relic’s potential influence and Jinn’s motives, but that’s the basic gist. Oh, and we now have a subset of the fandom who got big mad over fans headcanoning trans!Nora based on her new color scheme. ... So that’s where we’re starting this volume off.
Just so we’re all on the same page:
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Anyhoo, with that bare-bones context out of the way, let’s dive in.
We begin, as usual, with a shot of the shattered moon. Except this is the first volume where we know precisely what happened to it and all it may mean for humanity. It lends a certain amount of gravitas to our start. Now, rather than the more generic, “Ah. Right. That motif. Still a mystery, huh?” shots of the moon function as a quick reminder of the group’s new stakes. 99% of the time the focus is on Salem and our heroes’ attempts to keep this genocidal dictator from destroying and/or enslaving the entire world, but “The Lost Fable” set up that the true, end-game antagonists have always been the gods. Even if Salem is destroyed, they still exist as a continued threat to humanity. If they wish to use the gods to help them in their quest against Salem, they likewise risk their judgment. Having introduced them, that’s a tricky problem the show is going to have to solve before its end.
For now though we pan down to the Atlas military, numerous ships and lots of chatter over the radio setting up precisely how massive, organized, and deadly this army is. I would like to remind everyone that this is what the group deliberately decided to piss off by not merely stealing an airship, but unnecessarily attacking the head special operative of the Argus base. The fact that the military has grown more “aggressive” in Weiss’ absence has no bearing on her original knowledge that stealing/attacking this group would be a horrendous idea. She knew it. Qrow knew it. Everyone ignored that in favor of Jaune’s idiotic plan. I bring this up not to rub more salt in a long open wound, but to re-establish how the group is, thus far, unable to think ahead and accurately weigh the consequences of their actions. More on that later.
Their ship, Manta 5-1, is welcomed home and instructed to land so that a security team can debrief them. Whoops. Jaune, again in his infinite wisdom, reminds everyone that they achieved their goal of getting to Atlas. So now they just need to find some answers, yeah? Not quite. Weiss immediately points out that landing with a stolen ship means that security won’t let them anywhere near Ironwood… which, again, is something that holds true regardless of whether the military got more aggressive and their leader more dictator-y. This is not new information. Oddly enough, a group of teenagers with only one licensed huntsmen among them (considering that Maria is presumably still keeping a low profile) flying a stolen airship doesn’t exactly breed the sort of confidence that lets anyone---paranoid or not---approach a leader. These were all issues from the start that the group didn’t bother to consider in their haste to finish this mission.
“They might even take me back to my father,” Weiss says. Another concern that they’re only realizing now, yet one that the fandom latched onto immediately. Though mostly in the wrong way. It’s because Jacques is a threat that they should have found a more covert way into Atlas, or waited to hear from Ironwood, or just send Weiss herself with Cordovin’s blessing… Yes, much of the fandom got quite defensive at that suggestion, claiming that sending Weiss “alone” (she never would have been alone. Bird uncle. Fits into a suitcase grandma) was tantamount to handing her to Jacques wrapped up in a bow. Except, as is made perfectly clear here, it’s their illegal activity that endangers them. Which is more likely to get you sent off to daddy? Acting like a child by stealing military property and then getting caught? Or entering Atlas as a huntress with a special operative’s blessing, carrying instructions that you are to meet with Ironwood as soon as possible? To say the team dropped the ball on this one is an understatement.
Those, however, are all past options now far out of reach. Weiss decides then that she’ll simply call Winter and I absolutely adore Kara’s voice acting here. She managed to imbue so much into a single name, conveying Weiss’ realization, hope, and love for her sister in just two quick syllables. I feel like I got more insight into Weiss through that moment alone then the entirety of Volume Six. Only problem? Blake notices another feed where a recording of Winter emphasizes that anyone found breaking Atlas law will face punishment---something our group will be quite familiar with by the end of the episode---and Qrow decides that they probably shouldn’t go charging into Winter and Ironwood’s hands until they know more about the situation.
Which is the smartest decision we’ve seen in a while, considering that Ironwood’s own feed leaves little to the imagination. He continues to sport that beard, giving him more of a disheveled appearance compared to Volumes 1-3. His voice is as authoritative as ever and he literally towers high above all the people he’s supposedly protecting, keeping his distance from both the city and the airships that ‘govern’ it. A few moments earlier we got to see the startling contrast between the military life and the civilians’. Warm reds and browns give (in this case a literal) down-to-Earth feel and the neon signs are easy markers of a low-class neighborhood. You know the stereotyped kind: cheap food and cheaper entertainment. Compared to the whites and blues of the Atlas clouds, paralleling their elite (and thereby expensive) technology, the city below feels like a slum in comparison, reinforced by the dirty, drunk, and at times violent background characters that populate it.
As Maria says later, “A home in the clouds is as bright as it gets,” to which Nora responds, “Unless you’re the one having to look up at it,” something she’d be very familiar with as a child stealing bread in the otherwise plentiful looking Kuroyuri. There are contrasts in coloring, dialogue, as well as framing here. Compare Ironwood’s sky-high observation to Pietro’s existence as a black man, in a wheelchair, doing volunteer work in what’s established as a dump. He’s as “low” as he can possibly be and acknowledges that he prefers to actually be among the people, not standing literally or figuratively above them. Just in case the audience misses these cues, we get some rather ominous music on top of all that and fearful looks between Ruby and Yang.
Ironwood’s recording says that some people may view these as “uncertain times,” likewise contrasting Glynda’s recording in the very first episode, announcing that they live in an “extraordinary time of peace.” Whether there’s uncertainty or not, Ironwood promises that Atlas will remain “safe and strong,” even if the other Kingdoms have begun to falter. The speech has a very ‘Us vs. Them’ quality about it.
“He looks tired,” Ruby comments and I just need to chuck another fandom into the mix real quick because:
Under these circumstances, “tired” doesn’t just require the John Mulaney advice of, “Get some rest, tall child!” It’s a clear dig at the leader’s capabilities and even their mental faculties. “James… what have you been doing?” Qrow asks, thereby re-framing “tired” as the nice euphemism for “gone off the deep end.” It remains to be seen though precisely how much of Ironwood’s paranoia is literal paranoia in the sense that it’s illogical and undeserved, and how much of these changes are highly undesirable, but potentially justifiable decisions. After all, we as the audience know precisely how dangerous Salem and her crew are. We know why Beacon fell. We’re privy to the stakes in a way that the average, angry Atlas citizen is not. All Ironwood can do in the face of such odds is try to prepare for every eventuality… it just looks like he’s reached a point where those preparations have started infringing on basic human rights. It’s a very sad setup. A classic case of the wrong things done for the right reasons.
There’s a check-in from the radio tower, whoever’s in charge wondering why Manta 1-5 hasn’t gone towards their landing pad yet. Maria comments that the lady should take a hint and starts finding a different place to land. Which in hindsight is kind of funny because they obviously did take a hint… and then sent out a special team to deal with the implications of that hint.
As the group starts exploring we get a lovely shot demonstrating how much they stand out in this new environment.
Though there’s some color in the neon signs, the otherwise overwhelming brown/beige/black/red makes elements like Nora’s pink skirt and Weiss’ white hair stick out like sore thumbs. As we’ll see in a minute, there are obviously in-world difficulties with them passing as average citizens, but it’s also a signal to the audience that, for now at least, they’re really out of their depth. This is the “greatest kingdom” referenced in our title.
Maria is leading them to a friend of hers when a bot takes an interest in these obvious outsiders. It approaches Yang at the back of the group, takes an unexpected picture, and she responds by kicking it into the street where it sparks with damage before getting hit by a truck.
(Flashback to Ruby and Penny, anyone?)
Now, I’m honestly on the fence about this moment. You could make the case that they’re all traumatized fighters and responding to that flash was a logical, instinctual response. You can even argue that, just hours after taking her first faunus life, Yang is more than a little on edge—even though the premier doesn’t reference this incredibly significant event at all, outside of Blake’s quick realization that her blade is still broken. Both are valid and easily supported readings. However, I’m still hyper aware that this is Yang. The character who, for two volumes now, has been characterized very strongly by her, “attack first, ask questions later” attitude. Out of all the characters we could have seen instinctively attacking something that hadn’t actually done her any harm, choosing Yang holds the most weight. The story also lightly acknowledges that this was an extreme response, what with the group staring at her and Yang’s sheepish expression.
Whether it’s specifically in the context of trauma over the fight with Adam, or more broadly acknowledging Yang’s tendency to both assume and act on the worst in people, I hope this volume helps her manage these instincts. One talk with Tai about not punching through problems isn’t going to cut it. Especially when her forceful attitude has caused much of the internal conflict recently.
It’s after this that the group is accosted by a drunk man, functioning largely as exposition to explain what’s been going on in Atlas and why the people are so scared and angry about it. Pissed enough to get literally pissed, of the inebriated variety. Here then, we return to the “this group of teenagers is really bad at thinking ahead” issue that I mentioned earlier. Ruby is all ready to start a fight---referencing her newfound willingness to escalate situations that don’t necessitate escalation---and it’s Blake who holds her back, reminding Ruby that they can’t afford to cause a scene. Which is fantastic. Except they end up causing a scene anyway when the drunk calls Blake a “stupid faunus” and Weiss uses a glyph to chuck him into the trash.
Is seeing a racist asshole get his just desserts extremely satisfying? Absolutely and from a representation perspective I’m thrilled to see Rooster Teeth taking a hard stance in their story. From an in-world perspective though, that was an incredibly bad decision. We’ve been establishing since minute one of this premier that the group needs to be cautious. Blake herself, the victim here, just told Ruby not to endanger the whole group by defending her honor… and then Weiss swoops in to do it anyway. There are two priorities here, to your friends and to your mission, and the issue is that Team RWBY has a tendency to consistently prioritize the former, something that wouldn’t be an issue if this was still a low-key story about a group of students and not would-be, formal huntresses trying to save the world. The choice to attack rather than walking away---paralleling last volume’s final battle---speaks to their inability to think ahead and weigh their priorities. “It was worth it,” Weiss says, but is it? Now that you’ve caused the scene that you couldn’t afford? Now that this guy recognized your glyphs and you’ve blown your cover? I realize I’ll probably get heat for this, but there’s a difference between calling out micro-aggressions in everyday life and calling them out when you’re fugitives trying to keep an invaluable relic safe. It would have said more about the group’s maturity if Blake had succeeded in avoiding a scene and they expressed anger/sympathy among themselves that she had to put up with that shit. Throwing guys into dumpsters is satisfying as hell, but it’s not the action of a level-headed adult conducting a job.
Provided that the story actually acknowledges how young they are and that it’s expected they make such mistakes, we’re golden. As it is though, these issues are usually brushed aside. Later Maria says that Pietro “likes to keep a low profile. Something I’m coming to realize you know nothing about,” but it’s said in a joking, fond manner. This isn’t treated as an actual flaw and is therefore not set up as something for the team to work on. And that, right there, is the heart of the conflict between RWBYJNR and Ozpin. He’s a fine scalpel. They’re a sledgehammer. RWBY continually introduces threats that require a delicate touch---whether it’s the possibility of spies in your midst that force you to carefully monitor who has what information, or needing to move through a city without drawing attention to yourself---these battles require a certain level of strategy and without fail our heroes are characterized as people who can only solve their problems through direct, immediate violence. You don’t walk away from a fight. Ever. Be it Cordovin or a racist drunk. The more I see of their behavior, no matter the good intentions behind it, the more it makes sense to me that Ozpin lied and kept his secrets. Our heroes simply don’t have the patient, level-headed, forward-thinking personalities required to fight this kind of delicate war. Their talent lies in the hack-’em slash-’em situations.
Anyway, I’m getting off topic. The group runs from the guards that show up after the drunk guy incident and they manage to make it to Pietro’s place. After some fun dialogue about whether he remembers Maria and the state of his shop, we get a potential explanation for Maria’s strange behavior on the train. Everyone remember this?
Obviously the camera focusing on Maria helps us, the audience, realize that she’s a character who will eventually become important to the story, but it’s also a bit coincidental that she’s hanging out near Team RWBY’s room. Especially when she inexplicably ends up on the back half of the train when everyone else was evacuated. It was clear at the time that she’d deliberately stayed back, but to what purpose no one was sure. Here, Maria gives a general answer about how she thought this group might have needed her guidance while fighting all those manticores… which is still an odd explanation to my mind. Because up until her confession leaving the farmhouse, Maria wants to keep that low-profile. She’s done with being the Grimm Reaper, so why get involved now? Especially when, with hired huntsmen to protect the train and a large group of teens with their own weapons, she probably would have assumed they were all in good hands? Even if it was just a fighter’s natural instinct to help, what would that guidance have looked like? Pretending to be a normal, formal huntress lending a hand where she can? Admitting she’s the Grimm Reaper? Is she still able to fight? There’s still the highly coincidental nature that Maria, the greatest huntress of a generation, just happened to be traveling the same route as and randomly became interested in the group involved with Salem, gods, and the relics.
To be clear, I’m not really arguing that there’s some big conspiracy surrounding Maria. Coincidences are common in all fiction because if things happened based on real-life probability, it would all be pretty boring. Rather, I’m simply pointing out that between losing her eyes as a young adult and coincidentally getting involved with Team RWBY now, we pretty much have no idea what Maria has been up to for most of her life. If the story wanted to establish some sort of betrayal/trickery/what-have-you, there’s room for it.
That would make me super sad though. I quite like Maria.
We learn more about Ironwood’s increasing paranoia, a hint that not everyone on the council is happy with his changes---that mysterious woman we keep seeing on the posters, perhaps?---and the acknowledgement that whoever helped bring down Atlas’ tech at Beacon has to be “Either a genius, or one of our own.” Probably both. Enter Watts, seen typing at a computer in our opening.
With all this info bearing down on them, a few characters like Jaune and Oscar start asking whether they can just leave and yes, please tackle that, because it’s a very important question. Right now the show has stalled the, “Will the group continue the fight against Salem and what’s their reasoning for doing so when they all think it’s pointless?” question by throwing up another roadblock with the relic. They got it to Atlas, but they’re not sure they can hand it off to Ironwood yet, which just leaves them twiddling their thumbs. That portion of the quest isn’t technically complete yet, putting off an answer as to whether and why they’ll go onto the next portion. We need to tackle the group’s new motivations though. Soon. I sincerely hope that when Ironwood announces he has a way of defeating Salem, we finally get the group challenging their own assertions that such attempts are fundamentally useless. We had a whole volume of, “Oh no. Oh god. Salem is immortal and all our work is for naught.” We need at least a little attention paid to the development of a new perspective to counteract that.
Before things can get too bleak though, Pietro recognizes Weiss as a Schnee. Yang, in a lovely moment of support, desperately tries to re-direct the conversation back to the council. Pietro then recognizes her arm, puts it all together to get Team RWBY, and drops the loaded comment, “My daughter has told me so much about you.”
Many fans saw it coming. Even more hoped for it. Honestly? I think that’s great. Too many shows nowadays rely on “twists” that don’t actually make sense, or even undermine the original setup. Those are frustrating beyond belief and feel like the authors are selling out good story for cheap, undesired shock value. The fandom saw Penny’s resurrection coming a mile away? Great! That just means Rooster Teeth did a good job of setting up that possibility and then following through on it.
I’ll talk more about Penny’s introduction in a moment, but first I just want to throw out that I legitimately enjoyed the fight scene. Good action and creative teamwork at times. I particularly liked Weiss and Ren working together to take down four grimm in as many seconds. Oscar likewise takes a grimm out with a very impressive strike… more impressive than I was expecting from him, honestly. Right now I suppose I’m just inclined to shrug that off with, “He and Ozpin are slowly merging, so he picks up stuff way faster than everyone else,” most notably Jaune. Also, I’ll be blunt. I wouldn’t touch canon-based rosegarden with a ten-foot pole. You know, because of all the issues like a massive age difference, two minor characters involved, questions of consent, the fact that Ruby was Ozpin’s student---pesky ethical concerns like that. AUs though? I think the ship is adorable. Provided that Oscar is fully his own person and there’s consent on both sides appropriate for whatever ages they currently are in your fic or fanart? Very nice. So, it’s for those fans that I point out an entirely coincidental parallel: Ruby saves Oscar from a grimm with a bullet in nearly the exact same manner that Blake saves Yang from a grimm with a bullet. Make of that what you will.
Back to Penny though. Overall, am I thrilled that she’s back? Absolutely. I actually spoke about this recently while answering an ask, expressing how much I’d enjoy this very scenario: having her consciousness saved and thus allowing for her resurrection. Do I think her new look is adorable? Yes, yes I do. “And yet,” you say, “It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ somewhere in there, Clyde.” Yeah. Sadly there is. Because although I’m happy to have Penny, I wasn’t particularly taken with how they re-introduced her.
Simply put, there was far too much humor for what should have been a touching, emotional scene. With the exception of one moment where Ruby tries to voice the word “killed,” everyone treats Penny’s resurrection as a surprising, but not terribly notable event. Yang, Weiss, and Blake express a sort of long-suffering fondness as they comment on how wholesome this is. Pietro laughs at any shock over her “death” and shrugs about how yeah, it technically was. Whatever. Qrow takes the time to nonchalantly say that things are going better than he expected. Ruby is holding it all together with barely a blink. Penny herself is nothing but exuberance and funny dialogue. Maria cracks a joke about how she has no idea who this child is. Jaune goes, “Well, that was unexpected” as if Penny had showed up in Atlas when they all thought she was in Vacuo. That sort of surprise. The whole thing is treated flippantly with, “Never a dull moment.” Summarized, all this really isn’t the appropriate reaction to realizing a friend is no longer dead.
Yes, Ruby was the closest to Penny by far---we can’t expect everyone to get misty-eyed---but does everyone remember what her death was like? It was the turning point of the entire series, not just for the audience, but the characters as well. Penny was the first casualty of the Fall of Beacon and her death was appropriately gut wrenching. It was then shown across every TV turned to the Vytal Festival, the moment where the whole world watched their golden girl, Pyrrha, unintentionally murder a newcomer who turned out to be a robot. Moments later grimm start attacking and the safest place on Remnant is destroyed. Penny’s death heralded all that. The one time we see Ruby tackling the trauma of it all is when she speaks with Oscar and, notably, crumbles a bit when she instinctively uses Penny’s catch phrase.
What I had hoped for was the group grappling with the sudden, completely unexpected shock of getting one of two losses back; working through the knowledge that their lives have been defined by two friends’ death and now one of those has been retroactively erased. Perhaps we’ll see that in future episodes, but right now it feels like a disservice to the impact Penny’s death had on the characters and the story to treat this as such a comic, light-hearted moment. Let Penny tackle-hug Ruby and then let Ruby give her a much more sincere embrace. Let her cry. Have Yang put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, giving her a look that expresses how she understands what this means to her. Have Jaune looking away, devastated that Ruby miraculously got her friend back, but such an event is impossible for Pyrrha. Let him or Oscar or Ren or anyone seriously acknowledge that, holy shit, this is a joyous occasion we never expected to experience. We’ve spent months dealing with trauma and pessimism, now here’s Penny, reminding us that there’s still so much good in the world. Have someone acknowledge that sometimes the impossible happens (cough-defeatingSalem-cough). You can allow the moment to function as the momentous occasion it is and then lighten the mood by having Maria announce that she has no idea what’s going on.
This isn’t the first time Rooster Teeth has implemented comedy when they were better off sticking with drama. See: the choice to animate punching Ozpin last volume in an absurd, cartoon style. So yeah. Happy to have Penny back, but that first moment felt underwhelming, to say the least.
We then have an admittedly very cool shot—
— (semblance? Just awesome drama?) right before the group is taken out in seconds by Atlas’ elite. They’re… I don’t know how to spell their name yet. Is it something like Ace-Ops for elite special operations? Or Aesop like Aesop’s fables? Potentially both? Idk. The fandom will figure that out in the next day or so, if they haven’t already. What’s important though is that this group charges our team with stealing an airship, illegally entering the city with it, and starting an unauthorized fight in the streets. If I could just take one second to…
Ahem. I’m good. Seriously though, if I’m at all optimistic for Volume Seven it’s because the story is finally acknowledging that the group made some pretty massive mistakes last volume. Not that it looks like there will be much punishment attached to that. Between them meeting with Ironwood in the trailer and the Blah-Blah-Ops’ clear status as heroes this volume (they’re in the opening a bunch and seem to be working with RWBYJNR), I’m not yet convinced that this arrest will lead to anything other than getting precisely what they want: seeing Ironwood. To be clear, it’s not like I want the group languishing in jail for twelve episodes. That would be one hell of a boring volume. But rather, I’m interested in whether the story will continue to imply that Atlas is in the right for arresting them, or whether Episode Two will quickly turn that on its head and forcefully announce, as they did in Volume Six, that these actions are an egregious insult because we’re the protagonists. How dare you not let us do whatever we want?
Because the group was in the wrong here. It can be easy to miss considering that the rules they’re refusing to obey are tied up in a dictator-like society---aren’t we the heroes for ignoring and circumventing evil Ironwood’s laws?---but what they actually choose to do has far more of an impact on innocent civilians than it does on The Man. Like endangering all of Argus with your needless battle. Or, to a much smaller extent here, jumping into a fight when you’re not authorized to do that. Now, I actually don’t blame RWBYJNR for that one. They are huntsmen and it’s their job to protect the people. Going out to defeat grimm is 100% their thing. Rather, I’m talking about stuff like their commentary on Atlas’ defenses. When the fight starts we get, “I guess the city’s defenses aren’t doing much” and “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” It’s more of that, “Us huntsmen are the only true defenders of the world. Your attempts with robots would be funny if it weren’t so dangerous” attitude. It’s a certain level of arrogance. As we see just a minute later though, Ironwood’s setup works. Because the civilians all know to get indoors. Because he has Penny. The robots hold off the grimm until she arrives, defeating the rest with a speed and an ease that frankly doesn’t compare to what we saw the group accomplishing. She does from above what it took nine of them to manage, often (as we saw with Oscar and Yang) with great danger to them in the process. When they’re bound and accused of unauthorized fighting, it’s clear that they were, in fact, shouldering their way into a situation where they weren’t needed---and potentially causing trouble in the process. Rules exist for a reason. Are they always perfect? Far from it, but in the characterization folding over from Volume Six, the group has forgotten that most of the time rules are there for others’ safety. They have been thought out. This particular situation is easily defendable (of course they’re going to go fight grimm) and there were no consequences to the group jumping in when they weren’t allowed (like property damage or injured civilians), but this moment does function as a good representation of the overall problem. Just because there weren’t consequences for saying, “Screw your laws” this time doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future. Or that there hasn’t been in the past.
It likewise stands out to me that Qrow consistently tires to use his “I’m a licensed huntsmen” as a justification. He flashes it at the two goons on the train to get them to back off. He tires to use it to get past Cordovin. He now tells his captors that he has every right to fight and protect the people because of this card he carries. Qrow is well aware of how important the status of a huntsmen is in this world… yet he’s running around with eight fighters who don’t have that legal backing. I don’t think the show would ever go for my suggestion of another school arc so they could finish their training, but at the very least we should provide some sort of loop-hole for these characters. Have Ironwood provide special licenses based on their heroics at the Fall of Beacon and their work since. Because right now we have a world that’s continually emphasizing being a huntsmen as a job, something you earn the right to call yourself, yet 95% of our group doesn’t have that right in the eyes of their society. We know they’ve done great, secret work to protect the people. But the people only know that these are a bunch of teens with one year of formal training. So you really can’t blame any officials for going, “Sorry. We’re not in the habit of letting random people with weapons cross our borders. Or fight in our streets.” It’s like if a bunch of 14-18yos arrived at a crime scene with guns and demanded that they be let in on a case. No, we never graduated from an academy, but you should adhere to our demands anyway. The good intentions are there, but you need to iron out the formalities first.
Really, RWBY should just fix the whole license thing with a throw-away plot point if they’re not going to tackle it seriously, just so this isn’t an ethical issue anymore. I’d rather smooth it over soon since the story doesn’t seem interested in tackling whether a group with one year of formal training should be allowed that status. So just give it to them and let’s move on. They might still run into issues with Atlas, but at least the rest of the world won’t be expected to trust them purely on faith. Not everyone belongs to a small town terrorized by a geist, with four random teens as your only option for safety.
Which finally, as the doors close on our group with heavy heads, brings us to the opening. Some things to pay attention to:
1. We get a glimpse of that mysterious woman shown in numerous posters across the city.
(I’m likewise interested in the very long shot we got on this “show your teeth” graffiti.)
2. Watts and Tyrian are presented as primary antagonists. Interesting that Neo and Cinder aren’t there (not that I caught anyway), especially since we know they were heading to Atlas last volume as well. It makes me think that they’ll be the true threat at the end of the volume. Keeping things quiet, even in the intro, so we have no chance of guessing their plan.
3. The main conflict seems to be between Weiss and Winter, as opposed to Weiss and Jacques as many originally assumed. Those expressions don’t bode well.
4. We still see an image of Ironwood briefly flickering to Jacques though as an angry citizen throws a rock at it. Implying Jacques is secretly pulling the strings? James has simply become too much like him? We’ll have to see.
5. We get a shot of Oscar and Ironwood… training? Fighting? I’m inclined to say fighting based on his and Ozpin’s past difficulties, but that’s also up in the air.
6. The image of our staff…
…and 7. an absolutely massive cast this volume. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m concerned with RWBY’s insistence on continually introducing so many new characters, particularly characters who are important enough to warrant decent development. There simply isn’t time for them all.
(Although, is Maria in that shot? Wonder if she’ll leave the group now that she’s done her duty of helping Ruby out with her eyes.)
Which brings us to the end of the premier! Finally, I’d like to end with a personal note. As is quite obvious, I’m still watching and recapping RWBY, but I feel like I should be upfront about my overall lack of investment in the series right now. Chock it up to getting burned last volume, fading interest in a long-running show, just growing up and changing… I don’t claim to know precisely why I’m no longer jazzed about a new volume like I once was. But, if I perhaps appear overly critical of what I generally thought was a good—and honestly better than expected—premier? That’s probably why. The details just don’t cut it for me anymore. All caps, screaming excitement over Penny’s return or Qrow’s new outfit just doesn’t resonate much, which leaves me with a more critical perspective on the show overall. So if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around because, baring unforeseen circumstances, there will be more metas over the next three or so months. More invested in a flailing celebration of RWBY as a whole? You’re better off hitting up another blog.
Basically, you know that shot in Pietro’s?
Note the “Days since our last nonsense” sign combined with the defeated expressions. That’s what RWBY feels like to me these days. A lot of nonsense and limited enjoyment. Ah well. Maybe Volume Seven will prove me wrong and I’ll be re-invigorated by the end of the season!
Until then, ❤️️
Minor Things of Note
Maria refers to the group as “kids” in the airship and Penny as a “child.” Acknowledging last year’s debate, I stand by the argument that just because many (but not all) of the group have reached the age of maturity in our world doesn’t mean they’re on par with the adults they were so recently rejecting. There’s a reason why the very old Maria naturally uses “kid” and “child” and it doesn’t come off as weird.
I really like the design of Pietro’s chair. Giving him something that walks on four legs is both different and a nice nod to nature among all the tech. Also, kudos to the Pinocchio reference on his bookshelf in the form of a whale.
Nora remains as adorable as ever. I particularly liked her energy in Pietro’s and her high-key annoyance at Ren getting a jump on the fight. I’m interested in what we’ll be learning about her this volume.
Not sure I’m a fan of Rooster Teeth using these squeaky toy noises whenever the group is comically surprised by something. Comedy is great, we need it in this story, but sound effects like that are remnants (ha) of a tone we haven’t really seen since Volume 1. I think the show can still get away with exaggerated facial expressions---Nora in her excitement, Ruby laughing at Jaune’s Pumpkin Pete’s sweatshirt---but this feels a bit out of place now.
“Maybe Atlas isn’t as safe as we thought” and yet, astoundingly, no one is inclined to ask Ozpin to weigh in on this. Even now that they know he’s listening. I think I’ll start a tally. See how many episodes it takes to actually acknowledge, let alone act on, the primary conflict of Volume 6.
Image Credit
Personal screenshots from RWBY
Transflag: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transgender_Pride_flag.svg
Doctor Who GIF: https://tenor.com/view/doctor-who-tired-harriet-jones-gif-5627138
How I Met Your Mother GIF: https://giphy.com/gifs/celebrate-2o5Ypf4fP6ahq
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Text
I am the doctor
Grisly Reminder
Apologize
Roads untraveled
The lightning Strike
RWBY music
RWBY entire song
Some Nights
t+pazolite: look more of them up (T Pazolite - To Luv Me I For U is a good one)
why do i even
bye bye bye
THIS MAN IS PERFECT
believing oneself to be perfect is often a sign of a delusional mind
ho hey- the lumineers
One- Metallica
dream on
Breathe Me
You Are the Moon
Lamb <–
idek what is this called BUT IT’S GOOD AISHA LIKES IT
Tetris music n stuff
BBC Sherlock Theme
Happy Together
How Do You Do
Pazi Sta Radis
Rainbow Factory
RWBY PIANO SHEET MUSIC TOO
Special Death
Bulletproof
I Will Follow You Into The Dark (this seems to be the only video with HD)
I don’t know what song this is but wow good amv good song
this amv has great music
Breath of Life (who’s side am i on?)
SO MUCH HOMESTUCK MUSICCC
Zedd
Machine
Oedipus
WHOLE lotta good music (starcraft TEN HOURS)
Globus- Wyatt Earth
Two Steps From Hell- El Dorado
AudioMachine- Back in Da Loop
The Crystaline Effect- Poetry
The Birthday Massacre- Sideways
M4S0N1C
Sigur Ros- Hoppipolla
Greensleeves
160 BMP
Tempus Vernum- Enya
O Come, O Come, Emanuel- Enya
Mindless Self Indulgence- If
Stranger I Remain Remix
Be Calm- Fun
Feed Me- Gravel
Execute- Excision
Hans Zimmer- Fire
Don’t You Dare Forget the Sun
Kingdom in the Clouds
Kindzadza- Cella Fella
Dreaming- Drrtiny
A Poem
Musunde Hiraite Rasetsu to Mukuro (aishaneko’s version)
Give me Love- Ed Sheeran
Today My Life Begins- Bruno Mars
Get Well- Icon For Hire
Knife Party- Haunted House Album
Ready To Die- Andrew WK
Fukuwa- Circus Monster
ALIENS AREN’T SUPPOSED TO INSPIRE YOU YOU IDIOT
Unreasonable Behaviour- Off (Alias Conrad Coldwood)
Flickers and Whispers
Go the Distance- Hercules
Car Radio- Twenty One Pistols
Winter (Full Score from ‘the Maker’)- Paul Halley
The Streetlight Manifesto
Love is War- Hatsune Miku
THIS GIRL CAN DANCE WHOA- Song: “Werqin’ Girl” by Shangela and “Bobblehead” by Christina Aguilera
The New Kings- Popeska ft. Luciana
I Believe- The Book of Morman
Dead Fingers Talk (Battle Theme)
Atlantis- Popeska ft. Anna Yvette
One By One- Cake Bake Betty
O Fortuna
Overwerk- Daybreak
Hello (demo)- Evanescence
Funeral March- Chopin
Johnny Hollow- Rasputin
Love the Way You Lie- Skylar Grey
The Spider and the Lamps- Forgive Durden (Razia’s Shadow)
Child Protective Services Theme
The Sharpest Lives - My Chemical Romance
Carol of the Bells- Pentatonix
Croation Rhapsody- Makism Mrvica
Seven Nation Army- The Glitch Mob
When I Grow Up- Mayday Parade
Bad Romance- Artist vs Poet
Mind Heist- Zack Hemsey
Assassins Creed Theme- Taylor Davis and Lara
Silence Louder Than Thunder
Tears of an Angel by ryandan
Golden - Fall Out Boy
Music People - IAMX
President - IAMX
Untrust Us - Capital Children’s Choir
Feel Good - Revolvr
Friction - Mantis
Cops and Robbers - The Hoosiers
Pokerface - Blowsight
Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
Let’s Kill Tonight - Panic! At The Disco
Runaway - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Flight - Man Of Steel OST
The First Question - Doctor Who (wooOWOWOW)
Arials - System of a Down (PIANO COVER)
We Are - Ana Johnsson
Skeletons on Parade - Ludo
Bandit for Life - Blowsight
Atlas - Coldplay
Built For Blame - Get Scared
Keep Myself Alive - Get Scared
The Strangest Danger - Get Scared
Deliver Us - Prince of Egypt (cover by sweetpoffin and redyychuu)
Just One Yesterday - Fall Out Boy
Protectors of Earth - Two Steps From Hell
Sprawling Idiot Effigy
All The Rowboats - Regina Spektor
Blake Robinson’s got some good songs idk
Cloak and Dagger - Varien
The Scarlet Dawn - Varien
Counting Bodies Like Sheep - A Perfect Circle
Schindler’s List
Seven Devils - Florence and the Machine
This Christmas - Set It Off
Sleepyhead (acoustic) - Passion Pit
I Knew You Were Trouble - Stephen Rezza
Kill The Target (pretty n creepy song eyy)
This is our Legacy - Zack Hemsey
Welcome To Hell - Belzebass
Fly - Ludovico Einaudi
Louder Than Words - Les Friction WOW
Pomp and Circumstance - Shoose
Hallelujah - Justin Robinett and Michael Henry
thpthptph
The Pit - Silversun Pickups
Bad Girls (monolith remix) - MIA
I Know I’m a Wolf - Young Heretics
La Boite a Musique - Rhian Sheehan
Laura Palmer - Bastille
Amarante - Little Heart (Jessica Williamson Mix)
Devil’s Flesh and Bone - Eliza Rickman
Heart Anthem (cryptex remix) - Kraddy
Forgive the Children We Once Were - Delta Ray (if this version goes down there is literally NOTHING ELSE TO CHOOSE FROM)
FtCWOW 8tracks mix
The Munsta - SCNDL
Home - Gabrielle Aplin
Warrior - Foxes
I’m Only Joking - Kongos
Give Us a Little Love - Fallulah
Other People’s Heartache - Bastille
Corpse Roads - Keaton Henson
I feel Better - Hot Chip
Can’t Pretend - Tom Odell
Beyonce - Crazy In Love
Couldn’t Stop Caring - The Spiritual Machines
One Woman Army - Porcelain Black
Jetpack Blues - Fall out Boy
Go - Santigold and Karen O
Love Runs Out - OneRepublic
Killer Instinct Soundtrack
No Friends - San Cisco
Wolf - First Aid Kit
Exeter - The Great Park
Oh Shit - Audio Redux (???)
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ENMY Chapter 71 - Black and White
Chapter Synopsis: With the battle for Atlas concluded, the Kingdom is ushered into a different era of rule. Meanwhile, the greater game resumes in the fight against Salem.
Series Synopsis: Team RWBY is disbanded, and Yang must find herself new allies. For her, that might very well be yesterday’s enemies. Joining up with the likes of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, the four will comprise Team Enemy(ENMY).
Links to read the series: Ao3 or FF.net
Or hit the jump below
.
Black and White
.
I can’t change who I love.
I can’t ask you to return my feelings.
But if you did feel the same way,
…
Would it hurt you so much to show it?
.
.
“…”
At the top of a Tower, in the night that cast shadows never-ending, Weiss stared at the back of a fluttering caped figure. Their visage stood stoic against the breeze and the ever-dark horizon. She couldn’t have known, she couldn’t have even imagined back then. Only now, did it seem so obvious.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Weiss’s voice barely a whisper.
“…It’s meeee, who?”
“You’re her. The voice that helped me after Hades gave me the poisoned apple. The one who protected me, while I slept. And then, you helped me again when Ruby came to wake me up. That was you.”
The mysterious figure showed no signs of turning around. Her white hood hid her expression and features.
“Oh. Yeah, that was me,” the voice answered.
Weiss paused for a moment.
“…You’re Ruby’s mother.”
“Ahaha~ What gave it away?”
“Why can’t anyone find you? Why hide yourself?”
“That’s a little bit of an ask. Besides, even if I told you, you wouldn’t remember anyway~”
The sudden realization took Weiss by surprise.
“…! That’s right! After I woke up, why couldn’t I remember you?!”
“That is kind of how dreams work…”
“But! Ruby misses you! She wants to meet you! And… Yang. She feels the same way, I’m sure.”
“Oh. Yes, well,” Summer’s shoulders shifted uncomfortably. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Weiss could only continue to stare at Summer’s blurring figure. Something told her if she came too close, the woman would disappear into nothing but petals in the wind.
What a beautiful voice, Weiss thought.
It rung like the moon in a starless sky. It filled the void, and then dissipated as quickly as it came. A fleeting nature that didn’t seem real…
“Is there no way of letting us know where you are?” Weiss asked.
“Ah. You don’t need to worry about that. People will remember where I went off to soon enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oops. Looks like we’re out of time! Tell my daughters I miss them too! Not that you’ll remember anyway!”
“WAIT! HEY!”
…
…
“WEEEIIIISSSSS!!!”
“What do you want, Ruby?! I was in the middle of a very important discussion with your—!” Weiss jolted awake violently in a hospital bed. “…Where are we?”
“Told you I could wake her up,” Ruby puffed her chest out. “Now, free my prisoners!”
“Fine!” Mercury conceded and pushed the units he captured from his side of the board game to Ruby’s.
“You too, Coco! I did it without a kiss this time!”
“It was worth a shot,” the girl with sunglasses muttered, as she returned her captured pieces as well. “Welcome back to the world of the living, princess.”
“………Someone care to explain to me what exactly is going on?!”
As Weiss looked about the hospital room, there were rows of beds set up on opposite sides. While a couple of patients seemed to crowd around Ruby’s to play a board game, the others were filled with more than familiar faces.
“Oh, hey. Morning, Weiss,” Jaune waved with a bandaged arm.
“Um, good morning~” Pyrrha joined, while in the middle of feeding Jaune a sliced apple.
“What?”
“Oh, yeah. Pyrrha’s alive,” Ruby added as an afterthought.
“What?!”
“Hello, again~”
“I said, PYRRHA’S ALIVE!” Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs. “Oh, wait. You were just surprised, not that you didn’t hear me. Yeah. Cinder and Yang brought her back to life.”
“WHAT?!”
“I said…”
“She heard you!” Emerald shouted from the other bed, immediately regretting her decision. “No more yelling. It’s making my head ring.”
“Should I ask the nurse for more morphine?” Mercury offered.
“She won’t let me have anymore.”
“I can say it’s for me and just hook you up.”
“God, yes, do it. What’s it gonna cost me?”
“Your fruit jello.”
“Done. Get her ass in here.”
“So, glad all of you are so energetic after yesterday’s dramatic affairs,” a sultry voice permeated the room, and drew everyone’s focus.
“Cinder!” Emerald brightened as the young woman stopped at the foot of her bed.
“No more morphine.”
“Boo!”
Cinder continued to walk between the patients before stopping at Weiss. A single, amber eye focused on her fellow Maiden. The one previously lost in battle was replaced with a rather dignified-looking eyepatch.
“You and I have some very important matters to discuss, Weiss Schnee,” she clasped her hands behind her in an authoritative manner.
“…I suppose so,” Weiss worded warily. “You haven’t killed us yet. There must be a reason. Do you want to use me as some sort of political pawn?”
“Actually—”
“I refuse.”
Tensions rose immediately as silence filled the thick air.
Cinder gave Weiss the pregnant pause to allow the patient some time to reflect on her next words carefully. Besides, suddenly waking in a hospital bed, surrounded by allies and enemies alike, along with a resurrected Pyrrha—Cinder understood it would be enough to make anyone a little…unbalanced.
“I will choose to overlook that for now,” the Fall Maiden waved off. “First, let me say I would never dream of making a pawn of you. You’re far too powerful and individualistic for me to control, and you would prove a better asset if you acted independently. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. At this point in time, I need you to reactivate the Aegis System.”
“…What?”
“The giant force field covering the city, providing safe sanctuary to the citizens of Atlas. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“Rrgh!”
Cinder’s snide aside, Weiss asserted the powers of the Winter Maiden, and found to her surprise she still had access to the Tower’s defense capabilities.
“After gaining full control of the Tower, I granted you the same administrative authority you once held, below my own, of course,” the woman answered Weiss’s question for her. Cinder then, tapped on her electronic ear piece and spoke into it. “How is their response, General?”
The radio cracked.
“Alliance forces are retreating. Your bluff seems to have worked.”
“And now, to make the lie—truth. That will be all, Trafalgar. I will see you and Ironwood in a few hours.”
Cinder tapped the comms off and peered deeply into Weiss’s soul, while pulling up a nearby chair. If the devil themselves sat down at the table to make a deal, Weiss surely thought it would start like this.
“Despite any personal feelings you may harbor towards me, I only hold you in the highest respects. You were truly a worthy opponent. And it is my hope, you will make for an even keener ally.”
“…”
“Upon being named Queen of Atlas,” Cinder emphasized with a gratuitous smile, “I publicly expressed my opinion of your importance to this nation. And in the backstage, rumors of a dual matriarchy have been circulated. I only await your response.”
Weiss could not keep the surprise on her face from showing. Cinder had just suggested they co-ruled Atlas together. Paranoia took reins over her thoughts. She had to figure there was some sort of scheme to it.
Just as Weiss was about to argue or search for the hidden agenda, the leader of the Kingdom leaned forward.
“Surely, you’ve realized, Weiss Schnee, this is no time to reignite a civil power struggle between us. Although, I could clearly have you erased should you refuse, finding a suitable replacement, much less controlling the Winter Maiden’s Inheritance, would prove more trouble than its worth,” Cinder’s smile was so sharp, it could cut glass. “No. Together, you and I can lead Atlas into a more promising future. You’re smart, formidable, and resolved. I have no doubt you would have made an excellent regent for this Kingdom, had I not intervened. But united,” she knotted her hands together. “We could be the unstoppable force and the immovable object.”
Cinder gestured to herself. “Queen”. Then, to Weiss. “And, Queen.”
The Fall Maiden saw the gears turning in the other’s head.
“Take your time to digest this information. Think on it, consult your confidants. I will await your answer with bated expectation.”
“…” Weiss closed her eyes solemnly. “As if I have an actual choice in the matter.”
“Hm. I understand the doubts you hold, but in time, you will see I am true to my word. Because deep down, in your heart of practical hearts you know the same truth I do.” Her tone went even. “You and I are essential to the Kingdom of Atlas—completely ingrained and irreplaceable.”
“…”
“Besides,” she added with a wave. “Having you as a puppet would be such a waste. No, I need to put you to work as soon as possible. The Great War resumes, my fellow Queen. I expect you to report for duty in two days and no later.”
“I…” Weiss gripped her bedsheets tightly. “…will think on it.”
Without waiting for further response, Cinder tossed Weiss a snow-white signet ring she had already prepared. It matched Cinder’s own char black one on her index finger. The ring bore the Schnee family crest embedded with the Fall family’s insignia. Its significance was not lost on Weiss.
The Queen then, strode out of the hospital ward, already making another call on her ear piece. Once she was gone, the Winter Maiden gazed down at the piece of jewelry. Her mind trying to absorb the symbol and the weight carried within it.
“Unbelievable…” she muttered dishearteningly. “Must she always act like she knows everything?”
““Pretty much.”” Emerald and Mercury said together.
“At least we’re not dead,” Coco commented.
“Unbelievable,” Weiss continued to mutter, burying her head in her knees. “This is disgraceful.”
“Yeah. You should be grateful,” Mercury said.
“No, Merc. She said disgraceful. With a ‘dissss’,” Ruby corrected.
“Oh. You can make out the difference in that?”
“Weiss does this all the time when she gets embarrassed or really emotional.”
“Ruby! Why are you acting so friendly with them?! Team ENMY corrupted this Kingdom, started a battle between the Alliance and Atlas, and placed a complete sociopath in control of this nation!”
“Hey!” Emerald took offense. “This Kingdom was already corrupted before we got here, so we didn’t have anything to do with that! Boom!”
“Boom!” Mercury echoed.
“This Kingdom is doomed,” Weiss palmed her face. After a few more agonizing sighs and groans, she leaned back into the recline of her bed. “I suppose I have Yang Xiao Long to thank for all of this…”
“Yeah! You do!”
“No, Merc,” Ruby corrected him again. “She was being sarcastic.”
“Really? I swear, I cannot get a beat on this girl.”
“Nah,” Emerald joined. “It’s just that everything she says sounds so whiny and complainy, you just can’t tell.”
“Oh, makes sense. Knew it couldn’t have been me.”
“And by the way, snow angel. You should be thanking Yang—for like—everything.”
Weiss glared, but stopped at Ruby tugging at her sleeve.
“You were asleep when they told us. Yang… she made sure the least amount of damage as possible was done.”
“What?”
“You idiots were going to fight a war with the Alliance anyway,” Emerald elaborated. “Because we triggered the battle prematurely, everyone’s plans were messed up, so both sides entered the battle looking for an excuse to leave it from the get-go. It’s why all the soldiers wanted to retreat so quickly. Duh!”
“…”
“She also made a deal with Cinder,” Ruby resumed. “Apparently, there were a bunch of conditions. One of them, was that Cinder would offer to rule Atlas with you.”
“Yeah!” Emerald glared. “Yang was the one, who convinced Cinder you were too useful to kill. That she stood a better chance of defeating Salem with the current Winter Maiden alive. Cause of that, killing any of your little friends is also off the table. You’re welcome!”
“…Unbelievable.”
“I’m starting to think that word doesn’t mean what she thinks it means,” Mercury commented.
The door to the patient room opened again to a nurse-cosplaying Neo arriving with a bowl of ice cream.
“Nurse! I need more morphine!” Emerald raised her hand. “These assholes are giving me a migraine!”
Neo only shoved more spoonfuls of ice cream into her mouth with a blank look.
“Damn it, Neo! Get me Yang or something!”
“Heyo?”
Yang followed Neo right after, and an awkward pause hung in the air for a second or two.
“Yang, go steal me some morphine.”
“Is that what the doctor prescribed?” Yang asked with a smirk.
“FUCK what the doctor prescribed! I’m your team leader, and I order you to steal me some pain pills!”
“Okay, okay. Take it easy, Em,” the blonde girl snickered. “I knew you’d want some anyway, so…” With a flick of her wrist, she materialized a bottle of pills and tossed it to Emerald. “Now, only take two every—she just downed the whole bottle. Kay, maybe some private sleepy time would be best. Neo?”
The petite girl nodded and began to wheel Emerald to a private room. Once they were gone, Mercury threw one of the game pieces at Yang to get her attention.
“Hey, so is the pharmacy closed, or do you have any more hospital presents?”
“Those were placebos, Merc. You didn’t really think I was gonna give her a full bottle of painkillers, did you?”
“I can dream.”
“The dream’s dead, buddy. Just gonna have to make due with classic R&R—or until Jaune gets his mojo back.”
“Hey, miracle touch! How close are you till your Semblance is back online?” Mercury yelled over to the other bed.
“Not soon,” Jaune replied flatly.
Mercury motioned for Yang to lean close for a whisper. “You think he’s still mad I ate his cereal that one time?”
“Ohhhhh yeah. Totes.”
After a small laugh, Yang turned to face Weiss.
“Weiss.”
“Yang.”
The Winter Maiden took one more glance about the room.
“…Where’s Blake? I also don’t see Qrow, Raven, or Adam here.”
“Qrow’s being held nearby.” Yang shrugged. “He’s fine, Ruby,” she added after seeing worry in her little sister.
“As for Blake…”
.
X X X X X
.
(Yesterday, shortly after Pyrrha’s revival)
“As much as I’d hate to break this tearful reunion,” Cinder rolled her eye at the sight of Jaune weeping openly into Pyrrha’s arms. “I believe we should start cleaning up this mess.”
Yang took a cursory glance at the heavily injured bodies of her former teammates.
“Yeah. Also, I’m worried about Em and Merc.”
“As am I.”
“…”
“…? What?”
“Nothing. Just didn’t expect you to come out and say something like that.”
“Hmph. Enough of that,” Cinder dismissed. “Raven’s condition is also a point of concern.”
“Neo did her job. Their fight ended the cleanest.”
“Yes, but I doubt the replication of Ruby Rose’s Magic can imprison her for long. We would do well to confirm her capture as soon as—”
The two Maidens jumped back at the sudden cascade of black miasma flooding the chamber.
“Blake?!” Yang shouted into the fog. “This fight’s over! It won’t be hard to put you down again, so let’s give it a rest! Look, Pyrrha’s alive! We should just…”
“NoO!!!” Blake’s distorted voice grew with the encroaching haze. “It’S A TrIcK!!! pYRHhA’S DEaD!!”
“Blake! Stop this, now! Your Semblance is getting too close to them!!!”
“IT’s a LIE!!!!”
A giant, shadow cat leapt at Pyrrha, and was about to bite down on her, when Jaune raise his shield. Blake’s teeth engulfed his arm, sinking the corruptive substance into his skin. The young man buckled in pain, but then glowed with an argent hue that flickered like a dying light bulb.
“Damn it!”
Yang catapulted forward, only for her punch to whiff through the smoke. The cat Faunus reappeared at a distance, her Semblance still billowing around her. Her expression twisted in anguish as she braced the sides of her head.
“It CaN’T be…!! PyrHHa iS DeAD!”
“Blake! Get a grip—”
Cinder laid a hand on Yang’s shoulder.
“It’s meaningless trying to get through to her,” the Fall Maiden stopped her comrade, and stepped forward. “You’re there, aren’t you? I knew the moment I saw your pet project materialize your Grimoire. So, Blake Belladonna is to be your next vessel?”
Blake stopped rocking back and forth. She stepped out of the fog to reveal tattoos painted across her body. Dark cracks webbed her skin and the whites in her eyes were inked jet black.
“Is that surprise I detect in your voice, dearest Cinder?” Blake spoke in a tone that was not her own. “Surely, you must have known this would happen, or did the infallible Cinder Fall make such a simple oversight?”
“Salem…” Cinder scowled. “I’m only too happy that you didn’t choose Raven, as I had initially predicted.”
“You do have a bad habit of overlooking simple clues, after deciding on an obvious outcome.”
“SALEM!!!” Yang’s voice boomed with a roaring fire.
The sudden plume of fire made the chamber shake with a violent tremor.
“Ah, yes, the Maiden of Spring. Are you absolutely sure you wish to act on this impulse? Your friends seem to be in awful vulnerable proximity.” Blake looked to Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune still injured on the floor. “They ARE still in fact your friends, I presume? No matter how much you hide it or shun it—or earn their deepest ire, it does not bode well do deny it. This latest development just proves that. You cannot change who you love. Isn’t that correct, Cinder?”
The two Maidens went silent, thinking on their next move. As if to make sure they didn’t find such an alternative, Blake materialized the black tome they saw in their previous battle. From its flipping pages, an unfamiliar emblem projected from it.
“Allow me to retreat with Adam and Raven, or there will be irreversible consequences.”
“No deal,” Yang answered.
“I must concur,” Cinder added.
“There is no shame in acquiescing as small a defeat as this, following such a grand victory,” Salem spoke amiably. “With my possession of Blake Belladonna, it would not take much to render this chamber inoperable. Not only that, but killing your friends would be such a simple feat. It would require the sacrifice of this vessel, but… I do what I must,” Salem revealed a sorrowful expression. “Meet my demands, Cinder. I will not ask again.”
“…You may take Adam only.”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Oh, dear. Contrary to what you think, Raven is my willing accomplice. Even should you keep her, you would not be able to hold her. You know this better than anyone.”
Salem’s words cut deeper than Cinder could have imagined. She bit so hard into her bottom lip that it bled freely. She wanted with everything to destroy the one standing in front of her, even it was just a possession.
“This changes nothing.”
A calm voice reverberated at her side.
“This changes nothing, Cinder,” Yang repeated. “We’ll find her again. And next time, we’ll be ready—it just won’t be today…”
“…” The Fall Maiden blinked slowly and sighed. “You are correct, Yang. We did not prepare for this thoroughly. One of her best cards has been revealed. There is a bigger game to be won.”
“Yeah…”
The two Maidens eased their fighting stances.
“Leave,” Cinder snarled. “Begone from my sight, Witch.”
Blake gave off a lighthearted chuckle.
“Do not be discouraged, young Cinder. I’ve just been playing this game longer than you have. Well, until we meet again. I bid you farewell, Maiden of Fall and Maiden of Spring.”
With a bow, Blake disappeared in a shock of smoke.
Upon reviving everyone from their sleep, Yang and Cinder would find Raven and Adam gone.
A bitter taste of chagrin left in the back of their thoughts.
.
X X X X X
.
“…That’s all I came here to say,” Yang stood from her chair, after explaining the events that transpired after the battle.
“Yang,” Weiss called out to her. Her brow knitted with conflicting thoughts. “I’m sorry I dishonored our duel.”
“I think we’re way past apologies by now.”
“But that is all I am sorry for.”
“…”
“You caused all of this. I understand why you did it. I don’t blame you, but I will hold you accountable. This situation, the things you’ve set into motion, and the damages you’ve caused—they’re also responsibilities of the victor. You may have done it for good reasons, but I can only wonder if a day doesn’t come where you won’t regret winning. I was prepared for all the consequences and its burdens. Are you?”
They stood in a tense silence for a moment, before Yang chuckled.
“Heh! You’re putting way too much care into playing the good loser, Weiss. All I did was act on a bunch of selfish whims. There’s nothing to regret for me.”
“…”
Just as Yang was making her way through the door, she stopped. Her expression etched in stone.
“Accept Cinder’s deal, Weiss. We don’t have time to waste fighting you. I’d rather put my fist through Salem’s face then yours. Blake needs my help, and so do both my moms. If you do anything to stop me again, I swear, I’ll end you the next time. That’s a promise.”
As Yang moved into the hallway, she took a stuttering breath to settle her nerves.
“Are you alright?” a concerned voice asked.
“Yeah. I’m good. How was Qrow?”
“He’s agreed to speak with you.”
“About time. Hey, before you go in there, you should probably take it a little easy on her.”
“Did you?”
“No, but we’re not friends anymore. All love lost between us.”
“…”
“See ya around.” Yang passed.
“…Yes. Around,” the other responded promptly before entering the patient room.
The woman strode to Weiss’s bed with a perfect, military gait.
“Weiss.”
In the wake of the visitor’s curt greeting, Weiss froze absolutely still. Her already pale complexion lost any color it had. The sight alone made her heart stop beating.
“I see your recovery is proceeding well,” the woman resumed. “Do you require anything? Water, medicine, I thought of bringing a get-well gift, but all I could think of was this.”
She produced Myrtenaster from her back and laid it across Weiss’s lap.
“Uh-buh-wuh!”
“…?” the woman tilted her head. “Have your injuries impaired your vocals?”
“WINTER?!” Weiss screamed.
There, standing before the Weiss, was her sister, Winter Schnee.
“Yes. I’ve recovered from being bedridden,” Winter’s harsh expression softened into a smile. “I understand I’ve been asleep for quite some time. You must have been worried, even if you shouldn’t have.”
“BUT—! HOW?!”
“How do you think?”
Weiss blinked repeatedly with tears in her eyes. Her emotions had taken repeated heavy blows in the last hour alone. It was enough to offset anyone’s reactions.
“Yang,” she muttered. “She…?”
“Yes. She played a significant part in my recovery. On that note,” Winter moved to her sister’s bedside with an *ahem*.
A direct chop delivered with the firm edge of her hand knocked the younger sibling on the head.
“OW!”
“You boob! What’s this I hear about you severing relations with your comrade, attempting to kill her, all for the sake of avenging my injuries?”
“BUT! But—She tried to kill you!”
“It was war, Weiss. She and I stepped onto the battlefield knowing our lives could be forfeit at any given moment, or that we would have to take it. Do not bring your personal feelings into an outcome that is empty of any singular person’s fault. If it was not Yang, it could have easily been any other. Such is the nature of war.”
“But…!” Weiss refused to listen. “I can’t forgive her. I just… can’t. Even if she did wake you from your coma. She tried to kill you knowing exactly what it meant.”
“Hm, this is true—” Winter nodded. “But also, untrue.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am saying Yang Xiao Long was in control of her actions, but as I’m familiar with, the Reaper’s Semblance does tend to skew one’s perceptions and behaviors.”
“Winter, what are you talking about?” Weiss asked slowly.
“And as I observed, I believe that was the first instance Yang utilized its true nature. A rampant bloodthirst, followed by a knee-jerk response to releasing such aggression of newfound power. It is simply the way events unfolded, I suppose.”
“Wait, I don’t understand!”
“I’ve bore witness to something similar in the past. Tragedy tends to haunt the Branwen line. Not to say Yang Xiao Long should be absolved of any guilt. We must all bear the full weight of our actions…” Winter flashed a deep sorrow at a thought. “But there is a pain there, a suffering that we will never understand. They are born thinking they are cursed—”
Winter rubbed her arm uncertainly.
“And sometimes, due to those around them—”
“They may actually start to believe it.”
.
X X X X X
.
“We’re cursed, aren’t we?”
“What? You just getting that now?” Qrow replied.
In a surprisingly luxurious cell made to confine preferentially treated prisoners, Yang and Qrow spoke at length. Rather than a cell, it resembled a reserve suite at a five-star hotel. Accommodations included a lavish bed and furniture, a shelf full of books to read from, and even a television set. There was also a rather large window, though, extremely reinforced and unopenable.
But the only thing Qrow cared for was—
“Kid, tell me you at least brought something to drink with you.”
“I did,” Yang replied shortly.
“So?”
“So, you need to listen to something that I have to say—sober.”
“Goddamn it, Yang,” Qrow grasped at his disheveled hair. “Do you know what withdrawal does to a person? You think I’m in a real state of mind to listen to anything?!”
“Maybe not… Or maybe I just wanted you to be a bit tender for it.”
“Taking sadist lessons from your new friend, I see.”
“This is actually the watered-down version of what I had in mind. You can thank Cinder for that.”
“…”
Yang could feel Qrow’s Reaper Semblance reliving a thousand scenarios, where she could die. There was no way to block it out, no way to lose himself elsewhere. And she thought, this was probably the most vulnerable she’s ever seen him.
“You’ve been lying to Ruby her whole life.”
“…”
“Doesn’t matter that she knew the truth. You pretended to be her Uncle and her teacher and took every chance to run off when you thought you were getting too close. I don’t even remember how many times, when things were going so nice for you guys, you suddenly had some ‘Huntsman’ business to take care of. But Ruby never blamed you. She did everything to grow into a daughter you could be proud of, while you were busy putting up your damn walls.”
“What I did was to protect her!”
“Just like how mom lied to you and all of us?”
Qrow was seething with rage. His usual control over his emotions was absent with his forced sobriety.
“I don’t care if it’s a low blow,” Yang crossed her arms. “Can you actually say your lies were for the better after learning Summer’s been alive this whole time? You need to set things straight with Ruby. She deserves it… And, I guess you do too, a little.”
“Ruby doesn’t need another father in her life. She has Tai.”
“People can have two dads, Qrow! Stop trying to look for a way out of this.”
“I guess thanks to you, I don’t.”
“…I’ve said what I wanted to say. If you want to keep playing the stubborn old man, then that’s that.”
“…” Qrow turned a stern stare towards her niece. “So, you’ve stopped me from synchronizing with Oz. Again.”
“Yeah,” Yang frowned. “After seeing what happened with Blake, I can’t help but think I made the right call.”
“You don’t understand. We need Oz.”
“No, it’s you, who doesn’t understand. Neither of you.”
Something in Yang’s demeanor pierced Qrow’s physical form. She spoke to her Uncle, but also to the one taking residency in his body.
“I don’t know what you’ve seen, and I don’t pretend like I do. But you’ve lost all faith in people.”
“…”
The red gleam in Yang’s irises burned with anger.
“I’ve seen what this secret war between two immortals is doing. You’ll never beat Salem, and it’s no longer up to you. It’s the responsibility of the people who live in the here and now to decide what happens to their world.”
Yang grabbed Qrow by the collar.
“You guys have played your game for the last time. We are gonna be the ones to end this.” Yang shoved a small flask into Qrow’s chest. “Ruby’s going to come around eventually. You better milk that flask for all its worth, ‘cause you won’t be getting any more.”
She let go and breathed a long exhale to cool her anger.
“I am close friends with the Queen after all. Comes with a few perks. One of them being, the ability to force a stubborn old man to talk to his daughter, at least once.”
“What do you plan to do next?”
Yang narrowed her brow. The verdant green of another shone within her Uncle’s soul.
“…I think you already know.”
As Yang was about to leave, she caught a silver flask thrown at her. When she turned around, Qrow was massaging the bags under his eyelids, looking for a book to keep him occupied. She had second thoughts about keeping alcohol away from him, but then banished the thought.
Yang left the facility, while gritting her teeth. Her hands dug into her pockets, while she made her moody, brisk walk across the courtyard. She wanted to find Neo as soon as possible. Her partner always set her at ease, or at least made the tough times more bearable.
...
“…I don’t know if I’m in the mood for this right now. And, shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I need to know.”
Yang thought about refusing, before motioning to a nearby bench. The two then, sat down under the chill, Atlesian blue sky. They could see the slight rippling of the Aegis System’s shield above. The sun shined through, like some beacon demanding truth in its plainest.
Yang hated it with something vitriol today.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jaune asked after a time. “Why didn’t you tell us you were trying to revive Pyrrha?”
“…”
“The things I said.”
“You meant them. They were the truth, and nothing changes that. It’s fine. No hard feelings.”
“Yang… Tell me why.”
“You’re a big boy, Jaune. Plus, I’m sure you spent a lot of time thinking about the reason already. Unless Pyrrha distracted you that much.”
Jaune stared at her, but Yang only continued to look towards the sky, trying to get lost in the passing clouds. He drew a deep breath.
“You wanted to take the decision out of our hands,” he finally said.
“…”
“You knew, if you told us the truth, we would’ve had to fight Weiss. We would’ve had to help Cinder take over this Kingdom. A lot of people would have to…”
His voice trailed off at the sight of rising smoke. They came from the crashed airships on the outskirts. It was only a day since the battle between Atlas and the Alliance took place. Wounds were still fresh from the war’s visit to this nation. The sight still burned vividly into the memory of its citizens.
“You wanted to spare us the guilt.”
Yang remained silent, which all but confirmed Jaune’s suspicions.
“Yang, I don’t know how I can—I don’t know what I can do.”
“Why would you do anything?”
“…?”
“You’re super off, by the way. I didn’t tell you guys, ‘cause you wouldn’t have been any help. And there’s no way you would’ve fought Weiss, even for Pyrrha’s sake. You probably wouldn’t have believed Cinder in the first place.”
“Yang…” Jaune could only respond, in the face of the obvious lie. “I wish there was some way—"
“You really want to owe me one, Jaune?” Yang asked with a sting in her tone. “Don’t ever ask me about this ever again. Just be happy Pyrrha’s alive. Now, if we’re done, I got things to do.” She stood from the bench and began walking off.
As Jaune was about to go after her, the sound of breaking glass stopped him in his steps. Neo appeared from behind and held the point of her parasol underneath his chin.
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Weiss. I don’t regret anything,” Yang said without turning around.
Neo let Jaune go before following after her partner.
…I just feel everything.
.
X X X X X
.
“…Are you sure we should be allocating so much of our resources in the shorter term, Ma’am? I understand the intent, but with this plan, Atlas runs the risk of experiencing a depression some ten years down the line.”
“To assure Atlas exists at the end of this year, drastic measures must be taken,” Cinder answered.
The Queen looked down the length of the table and saw no more opposition. She scanned the papers in front of her and swore she saw the letters jumble into a mess.
“That will be all for today, ladies and gentlemen. Any other matters will have to be tabled until tomorrow’s discussions.”
One of the members of the Board was about to object, when Trafalgar intervened.
“Her Majesty has only recently ascended to her position as sovereign of this nation. Before that, she took part in the defense of our home against the Alliance. I think it would do well not to tax her so heavily, so soon.”
“I am well-acclimated to working under less than ideal conditions, General,” Cinder responded.
“We know that very well, Ma’am. What I said was not meant to undermine you. It was to emphasize that you are still human, and the fact that you are this Kingdom’s leader, means it lives and dies with you. That said, it is my professional opinion that you take care of yourself, and that we, as your cabinet, make sure you do so.”
“…”
A smart one, this Trafalgar. He will prove extremely useful.
“Meeting adjourned,” Cinder called the conference to an end.
When the members of the cabinet filtered out of the room, with Trafalgar the last to leave, Cinder turned down the lights. She stared at the walled windows pensively, not to the outside, but at her own transparent reflection. Her greatest battle took place only yesterday, but there was only so little time to rest. As Raven taught her, the next battle was always waiting.
“Should you really be out and about so early from the hospital?” Cinder heard Trafalgar’s voice outside.
“I’m in fine health, General. I can’t rest easily, not when our Kingdom stands at such a crucial juncture,” a familiar voice replied.
“Hmmm. Though I may not be in a position to say this myself, it would do well for you two to take the time you need to recover and avoid overwork. Much rests on both your shoulders.”
“And what exactly would that imply?”
“Nothing, Miss Schnee. Only my hopes that the rumors of a second queen would be true.”
“That will be all, General.”
With the end of their conversation, Weiss entered the conference room.
“He’s a clever one, that Trafalgar,” Cinder commented.
“My teacher is well-versed in adapting to new situations and acting accordingly.”
“Do you think we should give him more responsibility, then?”
“’We’?”
“Yes, of course. Let us continue this charade of you possibly planning to refuse my offer.”
Weiss didn’t rise to Cinder’s bait but joined her in facing the window. The patient, who recently snuck out of the hospital, still had bandages showing just barely outside her dress. Compared to their talk only a few hours ago, the Winter Maiden was much more composed and steady.
It seems the student demonstrates the same adaptability as her teacher, Cinder thought.
“I wish to know your reasons before going any further,” Weiss told her. “You clearly could force me into a subordinate role, but instead offered me a position of equal power. I understand you made a deal with Yang, but does it really compel you such extents?”
“Would it ease you to be given a less integral role?” Cinder asked teasingly. Taking Weiss’s silence as her answer, Cinder continued. “No, I thought not. To answer your question, only as an equal would you be able to draw out the fullest measure of my potential. The same can be said vice versa, of course.”
“Your potential?”
“Indeed. Let me make one thing clear. While Yang may have suggested keeping you in a position of power under my rule—it was my own decision to make you Queen.” Cinder materialized a poor obsidian dagger and began sharpening it.
“…And why in the world would you ever think that would be a good idea?”
“Because I came to realize something after meeting Yang.” Cinder heated the dagger to more refinement. “Opposition hones one’s self, not only from her enemies, but also her allies. My growth would be nowhere near as extensive without the consulting perspectives of my confidants, especially in their disagreements.”
Cinder handed Weiss the glass blade, still glowing hot.
“I have no need of subordinates who simply bend to my will. I require equals with abilities and principles different from my own, to provide balance and completeness in vision. Ying and Yang. Black and White.”
Weiss took the hot knife and chilled it to a complete form. She peered into her own reflection in the weapon for a while.
“…I have a few conditions before accepting my position,” Weiss said.
“I figured as much. Name them.”
“I understand you’ve taken control of my family’s company during my absence. I want it returned. I also want you to relinquish your stranglehold on this Kingdom’s economy.”
“Easily done. You may keep your company. I’ve never possessed much of a business acumen, nor has money ever interested me. Such a false sense of wealth and power.” Cinder examined her nails in thought. “You may oversee the economy going forward, but I expect you to support me as director of all affairs military. The S.D.C. will no longer own the Atlesian Fleet in the shadows.”
“…Fine.”
“We have other matters to sort, but they can wait for another time. I take it you’ve accepted my offer?”
“Yes. I accept the terms,” Weiss spoke evenly.
“Very well, then. I look forward to working with you, White Queen.” Cinder extended her hand.
There was only a brief delay before Weiss shook it. The Winter Maiden turned the glass dagger in her other hand and handed it to the other.
The Black Queen turned the weapon in a similar manner.
“Hm. Well-balanced.”
X X X X X
.
Seeing Yang and Neo wrapped in each other’s arms, sleeping soundly in the living room of the Mantle Mansion—Cinder decided to leave the two to their own.
As she wandered the vast estate, she entertained the idea of visiting Emerald and Mercury, but quickly dismissed it. They needed their rest and, although she reached a new level of transparency with them, exposing her loneliness was out of the question.
Deciding that sleep was the best option, she entered a private sector of the house. It was a place that held special meaning. A room Raven once stayed in…
…
“Now, this is a pleasant surprise,” Cinder grinned.
“You really shouldn’t wander around by yourself without any guards.”
“I remember you saying something similar in the past.”
She walked over and sat on the bed, close to Raven. Her old mentor gave a weary sigh.
“Your guard is down.”
“I wasn’t aware it needed to be ready. Or are we playing that kind of game?”
“You always had a bad habit of playing with fire.”
“And you always liked playing with pretty, little sharp things. A taste your daughter seems to have acquired.”
Raven scoffed at that.
“Will you be staying the night or...”
“Business, Cinder.”
“Before pleasure?”
Raven took Cinder’s chin and locked her in her eyes.
“Take off your dress.”
“No foreplay?”
Raven turned her around and forcefully untied the dress from behind. There, she saw a large scorch mark with the remnants of what was once a tattoo.
“You burned it…” Raven said half-impressed and half in disbelief.
“I had an idea of what it was. It appeared after I took the Fall Maiden’s Inheritance. Care to enlighten me?”
“It was Salem’s mark. Proof you’ve used her Magic.” Raven turned her around in anger. “You were lucky. You didn’t know, but you would’ve been made Salem’s vessel if you didn’t make that guess. It was still stupid to rely on her in the first place.”
“If you were around, maybe it wouldn’t have come to that,” Cinder said with a slight hurt in her voice.
“How many times do I have to repeat myself before it sinks into your thick head? I did what was best for both of us. You will always live a better life without me!”
“And how many times have I told you that I want a life with you?!”
The two were about to exchange another string of angry words, when they realized they should be quieter.
“You never came to see me,” Cinder said softly.
“I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“You didn’t come for me, when I was trapped in the Never Realm.”
“…”
“You didn’t come for me, after I was revived by your daughter.”
“…”
“You didn’t try to find me, when I returned to Atlas.”
“…”
“Only at my most powerful, when I need you least, do you show yourself.”
“……That’s right.”
Cinder’s Aura materialized into falling ash. Her anger and sorrow surged.
“Why, Raven? Why didn’t you come for me?!”
“I have no excuse.”
“You love me! SO, WHY?!”
“I don’t.”
“You’re lying!”
“You don’t know anything! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A CHILD! I took advantage of you and made you dependent! I reciprocated something I shouldn’t have, and that was a mistake!”
“You can’t hide from what you truly feel.”
“There’s only one person I ever loved. And it wasn’t you.”
Seeing the pain cross Cinder’s expression caused Raven to get up and fall into the nearest chair. The older woman felt an unbearable guilt by the time the words left her lips. Emotions always ran high when Cinder was concerned—as well as a persistent headache. She said so many things she never meant. This girl Raven met as a child and raised into a young woman. On her personal long list of reasons to hate herself, this was one of the more prominent.
…
“…I tried to find you,” Raven admitted.
“I know.”
“I tried to kill the previous Spring Maiden myself.”
“I know.”
The older woman stared at her wide-eyed.
“You knew I tried to save you?!”
“I knew,” the Fall Maiden spoke with a bitterness. “I wanted to torture you a little. How does it feel to be on the other end?”
Raven scratched her head in frustration. When she was ready to yell more, Cinder pushed herself onto her lap.
“I can see it. You wish I loved another. You think you aren’t worth loving, because you’re cursed.”
“…”
“What a foolish sentiment.” Cinder weaved her hands through Raven’s hair, and then held her face in her palms. “Even if such a thing were true, I can’t change who I love…”
She planted a teary kiss on the other’s lips.
“I can’t ask you to return my feelings. But if you did feel the same way……Would it hurt you so much to show it?” Cinder pleaded.
“…It would.”
Raven picked her up, and then pressed Cinder into the bed.
“It would.”
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hey do u still have ur rly old autoplay playlist saved somewhere because that's top tier music and i used to listen to that while playing games
I apparently have one script in my post-it notes on my laptop and im pretty sure it was?? the last updated version
honestly i might re-update it and repost it on my blog (but not have autoplay on ofc) but
yeah uhhhh
forgive me im dumb and idk how to rlly post it as an actual link so ill put the script under a readmore and you can post import it on the the scmplayer.co site
data-config="{'skin':'skins/scmRed/skin.css','volume':11,'autoplay':true,'shuffle':true,'repeat':1,'placement':'top','showplaylist':false,'playlist':[{'title':'Jenny (instrumental) - Studio Killers','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRRV2BHTLCw'},{'title':'Sp00ky Scary Style','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqlHdPlHK_s'},{'title':'The Fresh Prince of Tetris','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVjlx6uClq0'},{'title':'It%27s Not Unusual - Tom Jones','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca2BCwAnBQ'},{'title':'%u3082%u3046Tetris%u3057%u304B%u306A%u3044%u3058%u3083%u306A%u3044','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbzoJ98LeiA'},{'title':'Eurobeat Brony Discord (LivingTombstone Remix)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPfMb50dsOk'},{'title':'Matryoshka - Miku Hatsune & GUMI','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JGaQ3g8WU4'},{'title':'Matryoshka - Teto & Ritsu and Zebra & Hashiyan mix','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqwODVt78KA'},{'title':'Ib ~ Puppet (Remix) - Neku','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enKopGlI3-0'},{'title':'Ib ~ Dining Room (Remix) - Neku','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL5-n8sckJk'},{'title':'Barbershop Quartet - God Only Knows - Bioshock Infinite','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1i8QTOV20Y'},{'title':'Witch%27s House - Spool of Thread','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1UgIdug1w'},{'title':'Ib - The Little Doll%27s Dream','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAcObE4F7w8'},{'title':'I%27m Just Your Problem (Full Band)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V94Tq6iTwXY'},{'title':'OFF - Pepper Steak (extended)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6GD9uZq5kQ'},{'title':'Sonic Adventure 2 Battle - City Escape','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLKVkH8dtWs'},{'title':'HSM - Bop to the Top','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmMhAMnrJDA'},{'title':'We Are Angels (Anarchy) - PSG','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUsye9G3JBw'},{'title':'Jenny (Cosmicolor 8bit) - Studio Killers','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1p1w0nFgjc'},{'title':'Mad Father Ending Remix - Neku','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yginy2DW1ew'},{'title':'HSM2 - I Don%27t Dance','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLpMVTBq0M0'},{'title':'HSM2 - Bet On It','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEmbL308FAs'},{'title':'SDR2 - Punishment (Feat. Arcade Rabbit)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPOS1jZRzMw'},{'title':'Lazy Town - Mine Song','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cC1VwD-syQ'},{'title':'Miss Monomi%27s Practice Lesson','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUxRPfzUAqg'},{'title':'Cooking By The Book - Lazy Town feat. Lil%27 Jon','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5tVbVu9Mkg'},{'title':'Guren No Slamiyia ','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Kua48nMdE'},{'title':'Snoop Dogg - Drop it Like it%27s Hot (Kirby Remix)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3FZe5aWUAQ'},{'title':'Live and Slam','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6jbMdWaeXY'},{'title':'Crystalmethequins - Homestuck vol. 9','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8rWfPPrKJ0'},{'title':'Make Her Pay','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SJbq5j3ANM'},{'title':'Prawn Shop [Homestuck Parody]','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvstvbCT_wM'},{'title':'What%27s New Pussycat - Tom Jones','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga3I5DTIA-E'},{'title':'Kill la Kill - Ragyo Kiryuin Theme [Blumenkranz]','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRivqBxbHRs'},{'title':'Free Real Estate','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmMGKu6_eks'},{'title':'No Reason Boner - NSP','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOYQtbz_pPg'},{'title':'The Almighty Loaf','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSAJCRffjbs'},{'title':'Hello Hello - SeeU','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOoUvtSXspY'},{'title':'Stablefree - Discord Swing Jazz Cover (ft. Replacer)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeXCCk1Mahc'},{'title':'RWBY Theme: From Shadows ','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCQ_wTVlNQs'},{'title':'This Will Be The Day - RWBY OP song Full','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHvA8nld8kk'},{'title':'Time To Say Goodbye - RWBY Volume 2 Theme ','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdWCLT7kccY'},{'title':'Gal O Slamin ','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO4XPHGwdW0'},{'title':'Mystery Skulls - Ghost','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKtgCFSeXs'},{'title':'RWBY Theme: I Burn','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooyRIEN6pys'},{'title':'Biggie Smalls vs. Thomas The Tank Engine - Machine Gun Tank','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ94C84gOTI'},{'title':'Thomas the Tank Engine Remix - Drop it like it%27s hot (full version)','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQgvv6ngO8'},{'title':'Bioshock OST - Welcome to Rapture','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEFIZh_Zscc'},{'title':'Bioshock OST - Cohen%27s Masterpiece','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlu2z2gkhhI'},{'title':'Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5MWCnKeH2s'},{'title':'Gorillaz - Dare','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yrr7D0eVwQ'},{'title':'Gorillaz-Feel Good Inc.','url':'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJwbbQynhWs'},{'title':'Fallen Angel feat. 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