#THE NAME WOULD PROBABLY BE RELATED TO CINDER’S

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi, what do you think Yang's future arc might be, besides the whole Team STRQ background?

Since as of now, there is something that I still feel that Yang lacks compared to the other three heroines. I mean, all three of them have a much bigger role to play in the story compared to Yang, who is just Ruby's sister and being a child related to Team STRQ. And I know that it's probably because of the Citrinitas and Rubedo dynamic in alchemy. But isn't acquiring gold one of the results desired from the Magnum Opus?

Anyways, I also want to ask if you think that there should be more Chinese elements through Yang's story besides her name. I mean, why name her after a Chinese Dragon (who is the most revered mythical creature in China) if they aren't gonna apply it to her story? If Yang's focus is her main fairytale Goldilocks, then why not just name her that is reminiscent of the hot-cold-just right dynamics present in her story? The three other heroines has other fairytales associated with them and I wish that Yang has that too (instead of being just a part of their tales i.e. Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz).

I guess that I wanted the writers to explore more of Yang's ptsd arc, like maybe have Yang practice shui-mo or water and ink painting as a coping mechanism; to essentially help her control her emotions or anger. Instead of Taiyang seemingly looking at Yang through other people's lenses instead of through his own (which might be even worse, like hello mini Raven lookalike).

Anyways, thank you for entertaining this ask of mine. Hope you have a great day.

Hi!

Thank you for this rwby ask :D

So, tbh I don't feel Yang's arc is lacking compared to the others. I would say so far she and Weiss have my favorite arcs among the protagonists tbh (and they are 3rd overall).

Anyway, to address your different questions...

YANG'S ROLE

I think Yang's arc will focus on Ruby and Blake, other than Raven and Summer:

She needs to overcome her contradictive feelings towards Ruby

She needs Blake's help to reconcile her feelings for Raven and Summer

If Weiss and Blake's subplots are linked to the world, as they used to represent two extremes of an ongoing conflict (the Schnee Family and the White Feng), then Ruby and Yang are tied to the conflict through their mothers. So, Ruby will have to overcome Summer, as Yang will have to aknowledge she is projecting part of her feelings towards Summer on Raven. You say Yang has no other role, than to be Raven's child, but if so, then Ruby's own subplot ties to Summer. I don't think there is much difference between the two sisters. It's just that Ruby is also the titular character to an extent and the main hero. That's why she is set up to save Cinder together with Jaune. Anyway, I am expecting the STRQ's subplot to actually be pivotal in volume 10 (and hopefully 11 :P - let's dream big). So, I am not worried about Yang's screentime. I actually think there is more of her arc left than Blake, who just needs a wrap up. As a result, I am expecting Blake this time to be the one that ties into Yang's arc.

In short, I would like a repetition/inversion of their Beauty and Beast motif. Throughout the Mistral Arc Blake is the beast having to deal with a corrupting Rose:

I wonder if this time Yang will be the one having to face her "roses":

After all, it is clear Yang has still to fully deal with her conditional idea of love:

Jinxy: The bidding starts at- Yang: No! I was the first one to- Jinxy: …knowing… what it is to feel loved.

Which can only be resolved through Blake, Ruby and her two mothers. In particular, the fact Jinxy asks for Yang's "knowledge about what it is to feel loved" in exchange of her arms says a lot:

Firstly, Yang lost her arm to protect Blake, so it is like her arm in exchange of love. Secondly, in that moment Yang is slowly figuring out her romantic feelings for Blake, so in a sense she is still figuring romantic love out. Finally, Jinxy's items are metaphorical representations of what they ask:

The mouse is exchanged in exchange of a hug, as a reference to the fact Little is Ruby's inner child and needs to be protected

Ruby is asked hope in exchange of Penny's sword because Penny gives her hope

Finally, Yang is asked for the knowledge of being loved in exchange of a part of herself because unconsciously she thinks she has to give up parts of herself to be loved. That is what conditional love is. You can be loved only if you are good, not if you are bad. It is clearly something Yang believes unconsciously and that stems from her abandonment issues. In short, in Mistral she thinks Blake leaves because she doesn't care. I am expecting Vacuo to be about Yang thinking she has to be perfect for Blake to stay, in a sense.

I think realizing she does not have to be would tie nicely with her Goldilock's allusion:

Vale is the TOO HOT: The Yellow trailer has Yang meeting up with Ruby (red=hot) and asking for a beverage with no ice:

Yang: Strawberry Sunrise. No ice. Oh, and one of those little umbrellas.

(Let's highlight Strawberry Sunrise alludes to both the Citrinitas and the Rubedo phase (yellow + red), which ties into the two sisters, as Ruby loves strawberries and Yang is associated with sun)

Throughout the arc Yang shows her strength (body) and her refusal to tame her own feelings, which end with her losing an arm surrounded by fire:

Mistral is the TOO COLD: Yang's search for Raven leads her to Weiss (blue=cold) and into a bar where she asks for some water to cool herself down:

Yang: A water. It's hot out.

It ends with Yang and Blake together and safe, while surrounded by water:

Atlas can be seen as Yang having found an inner equilibrium towards the JUST RIGHT. After all, the arc ends with Yang and Blake (purple= just right) at balance, surrounded by both earth and air (opposing elements)

However, Yang's equilibrium is suddenly disturbed by Ruby's spiral and I am expecting this to have some kind of lasting impact on Yang. So, I am expecting Yang to quickly go over the three stages again, so that she can realize she is in fact just right, without having to always be right at everything :''')

As for the major plot, it will mostly depend by how Raven and Summer tie to it tbh. It is possible that whatever Summer's plan is, it gave Salem's the idea to use Cinder as a vessel for the Maiden's powers (hence linking Ruby and Cinder together even more). Still, there are still questions related to Raven's past, which will probably find an answer and tie to the main conflict. In short, I really see Yang involved with Ruby in the main conflict concerning Raven/Summer and Salem, which will be pretty relevant plot-wise.

After that, Ruby will probably have the peak of her arc, where she saves Cinder. This fits, as Ruby has had less development than Yang, as her arc has been saved up for the end, so that it resonates more, as she is the main heroine.

YANG'S CHINESE INFLUENCE

Yours is a great question! I am not sure tbh! I have wondered myself if there is some kind of allusion hidden behind Yang's chinese influence, but I could not find it. Maybe someone else did or will! Or it will become clear later on.

In general, I think martial arts are a strong inspiration for Yang's character, so she might have been given Bruce Lee's name. After all, another inspiration for Yang is dragon ball's super sayan:

And someone suggested she might allude to Yang Guo from the return of the Condor Heroes, but I have not read the novel, so I am not sure this is true.

I also don't think it's a problem she isn't called after her fairy tale. After all, only Weiss is directly called after it (Weiss Schnee as Snowhite literally). Blake's name means both black and white and it alludes to Blake being both Beast (black) and Beauty (White). However, it does so indirectly. The same goes for Ruby, whose name and surname are much more tied with alchemy, then her fairy tail. She is the philosophical stone (a ruby) and she is tied with rubedo, whose main flower is a red rose.

Yang's name alludes to:

Her being linked to Citrinitas and to gold

Her being the sky-woman (a sunny dragon), so the Wise Woman in juxtaposition to Raven's Bad Mother

Her being the yang to Blake's yin

It ties indirectly to her allusion in how it alludes to the too hot (sunny dragon), which Yang definately is

Probably something else I am missing :P

YANG'S ALLUSIONS

Yang has actually many allusions:

Goldilocks

LRRH

Beauty and Beast

She isn't only a part of her loved ones' allusions, but she shares them, which meta-narratively might tie with her Goldilock's inspiration. As a matter of fact Goldilock has no beginning nor end. We do not know from where Goldilock is from and we have no idea where she goes after she escapes. RWBY gives Yang a beginning and an end in other fairy tales:

She starts as Little Red Riding Hood (Summer's daughter, who loses herself in the wood, while looking for her mother and meets a big bad beast with ferocious eyes)

She will end as Beauty and Beast (the Yellow Beauty, who burns gold in Blake's happy ending)

In general, all the protagonists have secondary allusions, which tie into their loved ones, not only Yang:

Weiss's secondary allusion is the Snow Queen, which is really Winter's primary allusion. That is because her bond with Winter ans her family is key in Weiss's arc.

Blake's secondary allusion is the Jungle Book, which ties to Menagerie as a whole.That is because Blake's arc is about her whole community.

Ruby' secondary allusion is the Wizard of Oz, which ties to the main conflict with Salem, but is also Oscar's main allusion. So, Ruby too ties into someone else's inspiration.

As you can see, RWB too are parts of their loved ones' allusion. Still, since they are protagonists these allusions end up being just as important for them, as they are for the other characters. Yang is the same, but in her case her loved ones are Ruby and Blake, two of the main heroines, hence she ends up sharing the spotlight with them. Again, it is not really different from Ruby sharing the spotlight with Oscar in the Oz's allusion (Oscar too is a main character, after all).

All in all, each protagonist has their own set of motifs and chosen imagery, which is similar, but also different. It is interesting to understand why. I mean, to this day I keep seeing people getting annoyed Blake shares her trailers with another character (Adam and Ilia)... whereas Blake sharing the trailer ties with her shadow motif and with her beauty and beast allusion. Hers is an allusion, which needs to be shared. Just like Yang's allusion needs to be completed by other stories.

YANG'S PTSD ARC

I love your headcanon and it would have been a great idea! That said, I don't dislike what we got. I also disagree about Yang and Taiyang's confrontation tbh.

First of all, Yang's recover does not start with her father, but it starts with Ruby. She feels responsible for Ruby and decides to get herself back together, so she can go find her sister and protect her. It ties with Yang's big sis complex, which still needs to be addressed. That said, it is a good example of Ruby being Yang's too hot. After Adam's attack, Yang is left depressed and symbolically her hair is tied (her flames are not burning). Thanks to Ruby, she finds new drive and starts her journey of recovery.

Taiyang's advice is thematic in nature rather than psychologic (like RWBY as a series puts more focus on themes, rather than psychology). It tells her she needs to control her feelings better and it is an invitation to find inner balance. This sets up Yang's objective really, more than anything. Finally, Taiyang actually discussing Raven with Yang is necessary and healing. Up until that point Yang's attempts to discuss her mother were always shut down by her father, which clearly made her suffer. Taiyang's inability to address Raven (together with his shutting down) is what leads Yang to put herself and Ruby in danger in a misguided attempt to locate her mother. Not only that, but it is also what leads Yang to repress herself to an extent. She forces herself to be the good daughter and strong big sister, but deep down she too is a child, who wants to know why her mothers both left her. Taiyang could help her to come to terms with it, but he stubbornly avoids the topic. That is why him finally addressing it with Yang helps her. It is also a sign Tai is aknwoledging her growing up. I also think Tai's line about Raven is actually telling:

Taiyang: Your mother was... a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family. You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see... there's a way around as well. Come on - one more before dinner.

Does this description fit Raven in your opinion, because imo it does only to an extent. The Raven we meet surely does believe in strength, yes, but she also invites Yang to question things and to look at things from a different perspective. Actually, this description not fitting Raven is also brought up by Yang herself:

Yang: You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?

Raven might have learnt knowledge to an extent, but she lacks the wisdom of truly understanding herself. She gives up what she believes in out of fear aka she lacks to take her feelings in check. Not only that, but she needs Yang's perspective to truly see the truth of things and to better understand what strenght and wisdom truly are.

Thank you for the ask, it was fun! Even if I am not sure I gave you the answer you wanted :)

Have a great day as well!

[linh-cindy]

I will forever live with the headcanon that Cinder and Kai have a dog/puppy when they’re married

[bonefall]

For the cat who takes out Juniperclaw, maybe if any of Leafstar's kits are still alive besides Harrybrook (or just him idk how you characterize any of the three), perhaps one of them would go with it? Leafstar might not have liked "an eye for an eye" and she'd probably teach them it's wrong to seek revenge, but I do think one of them can be talked into it, in the name of SkyClan and Leafstar. Make it more personal when Juniperclaw is told who they are in relation to the cat he killed, making it click in his head what is about to happen.

Oooo, great idea, I GOTTA do that... hmmm. Much as I wish I could cash in another chip for Firefern, since I adore her name, it's gotta be Harrybrook.

In-canon, his character is consistently harsh and distrusting and he's got it even worse in BB. It could be like his mother is the only thing actually holding him back. If anyone is going to end up being Waspstar's "Cleaner," it absolutely has to be him.

Harrybrook: We had a good thing, you stupid son of a foxheart! We had Leafstar, we had a camp, we had everything we needed and it all ran like woodwork! You could have shut your mouth, hunted, and caught as much prey as you ever needed. It was perfect! But no! You just had to blow it up! You, and your pride and your ego! You just had to be the man! If you’d known your place, we’d all be fine right now!

A little recap of BB!Harrybrook, since it's been a while since I've mentioned him or any of his fragments;

Harrybrook is the son of Leafstar, Echosong, and Billystorm.

SkyClan does not have the Cleric's Vow.

This is because SkyClan was exiled at the beginning of the Ripple Era; before Larkstripe's Strike which resulted in the unofficial vow being codified.

it is actually a positive in their culture if their Cleric previously raised kittens. Echosong probably did have other litters in her long life.

Echosong is also alive to the current arc; Frecklewing joined with The Kin. Fidgetflake is still around, but he's probably still the "junior" Cleric of sorts.

Important point being that Harrybrook has personal stake in SkyClan's unique customs. His only surviving parent is a Cleric.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is what makes him such an effective killer. He has a knowledge of poisons and anatomy.

All cats know where the carotid artery is, they find it all the time when they put the killing bite in the wrong spot. Habr knows where else a single blow can bleed you out.

As a little kitten, he was named after Harry, who helped to save his mother.

What no one knew at the time was that Harry was being courted by an ancient monster. Sol, the God of Autumn, Change, and Tricks, wanted to play a game.

The rules were simple; Sacrifice three kits.

Sol wanted to see how far Harry, once baring the name Cinders, would go in pursuit of the power it could offer him. Sol HATES a boring vessel.

Harry JUMPED at the chance, offering two of his own kits as the last one got away. He just needed one more.

SkyClan almost tempted him into tucking his ambition away. Here, he was safe and accepted for the first time... but his desire for power won out in the end.

Sol offers immortality, the ability to mould reality like clay, the whole world could be Harry's toy.

(WIP SECTION)

In some way, Sol was able to manipulate Billystorm. I'm still working out how severe this manipulation was.

He likely got to Leafstar too. Possibly intentionally driving a wedge between them-- convincing Billystorm that SkyClan was unsafe and he'd raised the kits more than either his mate or his mate's girlfriend. He had a right to keep them safe, even if that meant taking them from everything they'd ever known.

And to Leafstar, he told her Billystorm was plotting against her. That she needed to be as firm with him as she is with the cantankerous Sharpclaw. If she's not, he might take those kittens back to his humans, and who knows what they'd do?

In any case, a fight between them causes Billystorm to leave. I'm not sure if I'm keeping Leafstar exiling him.

(Note: I don't really like how either character acts in the canon story. Or the framing. Or... anything about it really. It's bad Todd.)

In the past, I'd made it so Billy ended up trying to take the kids to his human, and then the human was the one who decided to get rid of the kits. INSTEAD it works a LOT better if Billystorm went back to his humans, and Harry then used this as a lure to get the kittens out of camp.

"Let's go visit your Ba, kittens. I know where he is. Just follow me."

While living in the town, Billystorm meets up with the child of Harry who got away, and learns that they've all been set up.

Billystorm deserves to go run save his kids and punch a God in the face I think.

DAYLIGHT WARRIOR MORE LIKE LIGHTS OUT WARRIOR! KAPOW!!

(Much as I will miss the gutpunch brutality of Billystorm realizing that his human can't be trusted. I'll just use the idea someplace else.)

(WIP SECTION END)

Stormkit was unable to be saved. There was only Firefern and Harrybrook.

Harry has been terrified of water since then. It represents everything awful that's ever happened to him.

He doesn't even like when it rains. Storms always seem to bring terrible things.

Firefern ended up dying on the journey to the Lake. I'm leaning towards changing it to infection, during the time that Echosong is missing (taking Frecklewing's arc).

Her other mother wasn't there to help her, and she died of something preventable. Something Harry knows she could have healed.

Harrybrook hates his name. I think he was too quiet about it, though, to the point where his family wasn't aware of it.

They probably figured it was overwriting Harry's memory. It's Harrybrook's name now, instead. Harry just feels like it's a reminder of being tricked.

I think at one point he should get an honor title, but I'm still working it out. He might just be keeping Harrybrook as a grim reminder.

If it's him who kills Juniperclaw, I know for a fact he'd take Waspstar's orders very seriously; "Please be discreet and professional." It's only mostly personal, you see. More importantly, this is for SkyClan.

Leafstar wouldn't have approved. But she's not here now.

He'd quietly intercept Juniperclaw as he approaches the camp, standing in his way, looking him up and down without a twinge of emotion on his face. Juniperclaw's hackles are raised immediately. He lived with SkyClan before Heartstar reformed ShadowClan-- everyone knows who Harveybrook is.

"I've- I've come to pay my respects," He says proudly, standing tall and noble. Even after that he did, he has the boldness to hold himself as a brave warrior. What he knows he did, and to who he's talking to. Harrybrook shouldn't fault him for not knowing how arrogant he comes across-- but does anyway.

"Yes, we've been expecting you," He flicks his tail and dips his head respectfully, "Right this way."

The trail doesn't lead to camp.

When Juniperclaw begins to realize that they're taking a strange path, he just waves it away as an odd feeling. It's been a while since he's been here, after all. But the tickle doesn't go away. It gets stronger and stronger, until he recognizes the northern border of what used to be ShadowClan's full range.

And that's when he halts, "Where exactly are you taking me?"

"Not any further if you don't want to," Though Harrybrook's eyes are wide like he's about to pounce on prey and his massive body is buckled low, prowling, sizing up the distance between them, his tone is soft. Like he's gently explaining something to a fellow warrior. "This would be far enough."

The ex-deputy swallows on a dry throat, frozen in place. Harrybrook relaxes his stance. Juniperclaw seems to be very good at taking orders, just like he is. He knows exactly what to do to keep this discreet and professional.

"If you'd like, we can finish the long walk. It's a place my mother used to like. It has flowers, butterflies, it's a lovely haven," He relaxes his stance, meeting Juniperclaw's terrified eyes with a calm, dutiful look.

The panic distills into a resolve. Like something clicked in his mind, and he was coming to one of those unspoken conclusions that these Forest Four cats all seem to have figured out between them. "All right. I... I think I know the haven you're talking about. We can have our fight there. There's no need to make a scene."

Harrybrook's ear flicks, but Juniperclaw doesn't see it as he brushes past him. It seems he misunderstood what this is. He thinks this is an invocation of the Right to Challenge. That this is going to be a fair fight between warriors.

It's the last mistake he ever made. But he doesn't feel a thing. Back turned to his killer, he hears the snap before he learns in StarClan that it was the sound of his own neck.

[howlingday]

Close For Discomfort

A Knightfall Parody

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Jaune: (In bed, Stretches) Morning, babe~.

Cinder: (Yawns) Morning, blue eyes~.

Salem: (Nude) Speaking of blue eyes, I'm making blueberry pancakes! Y'all want any?

Jaune: AGH! Grandma! For Brother's sakes, put on some clothes! Please!

Salem: Clothes ruin my morning flow! You know that! Now, you want blueberry or chocolate chip? (Walking away) Because spoiler alert, the chocolate chips are HELLA PACKED with THC!

Jaune: ...

Cinder: We need to move out.

Jaune: What?!

Cinder: NOW!

Jaune: Wh- I- B- Cindy, we've got free room and board, a literal castle with protection from Grimm attacks and... all the pancakes we could ever want~!

Cinder: Wonderful, but do you have any idea how obnoxious your grandmother has gotten since we started dating? THREE YEARS AGO?

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Cinder: (Doing laundry, Rolls eyes at Salem's "Death To All Faunus" shirt)

Cinder: (Turns over, Sees "And Humans, Too") Oh... That's... better?

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Cinder: And then there was my birthday last month.

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Everyone: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOU~!

Ruby: Happy birthday, Cinder~!

Cinder: Thank you, Re- Er, Ruby.

Salem: Time for presents~! (Hands over gift) Here you go, Cindy~!

Cinder: (Flatly) Oh, good, I wonder what this is- Oh, look, it's a crotchless panties and a nippleless bra. Who would've guessed?

Jaune: Hey, I remember those! I wonder if mine still fit...

Cinder: ...

Ruby: ...

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Cinder: And that's NOTHING compared to the bullshit she pulled last week!

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Cinder: (On Jaune, Drags fingers down chest)

Jaune: (Saucily chuckles, Rubs arm)

Cinder: (Leans down, Stops) Is that a fucking camera?!

Salem: (Distant) STOP BREAKING THE SCENE!

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Jaune: (Holding "Grimm Pictures Presents: Fallen Knights of Passion " CD) In her defense, the production value on this was... incredible~!

Cinder: (Takes CD, Melts it)

Jaune: AW~! I was really good in that one...

Cinder: Yes, you were. Not the point!

Jaune: Mm... I'm not sure how we'd move in the first place. Can't exactly just buy a house as "enemies of humanity".

Cinder: Well, who's to say we have to buy or rent anything? I'm sure we could easily steal a house on the shore.

Jaune: Cinder! You promised!

Cinder: I'm kidding! I'm kidding! ...Mostly.

Jaune: What about Ruby? I'm sure she could vouch for us now that Salem's gone straight.

Cinder: We could... but I don't think she'd be interested in anything I have to say...

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Ruby: Cinder, what the fuck?!

Cinder: (Via scroll) You asked, I delivered.

Ruby: I asked for Sonic merch for my birthday, not for you to kidnap another Sonic character!

Big: I'm Big~!

Ruby: He's Big! ...Wait, is that your name?

Big: Yuh-huh~!

Cinder: Well, I'm glad you're enjoying him~.

Ruby: STOP DROPPING FURRIES ON MY DOORSTEP!

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Jaune: Hm... Well, we could always ask for a trial by combat. I'm already good friends with most huntsmen, so all I'd have to do is ask for the next availability. Not to mention they also pay huge, and we're probably going to win anyways because the only people who could beat either of us that aren't our friends are dead! Oh, I made myself feel bad.

Cinder: And this "next availability" would be when?

Jaune: Let's see, according to the schedule, it is... SIX YEARS?!

Cinder: Fuck that! You need a job!

Jaune: Also gonna be hard since I'm blacklisted as a huntsman and my resume aside from that is just... kid who's related to the woman who tried to wipe out humanity.

Cinder: I don't have a formal education, either. The only thing I learned growing up was the best ways to kill a woman and how to scrub week-old cum off decades-old wood.

Salem: (Pops in) Oh, now that takes me back~...

Cinder: (Hurls fireball) EAT SHIT, YOU OLD HAG!

Salem: (Walks downstairs) Oh, you know I was talking about dick...

Cinder: ...GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

Jaune: Okay, okay! Uh... We could do manual labor! I've been training to fight the Grimm since I was a teenager, so I can still do other work that requires muscle! We could probably build our own house and a whole neighborhood in, like, a week!

Cinder: I... I don't think I could be doing any physical labor.

Jaune: Why not? You pick ME up and toss me into bed real easy when you're feeling frisky. (Come hithers)

Cinder: (Sighs) That's not what I mean.

Jaune: I know, but I mean... I think you'd be great at it! You're smart, you're driven, you're WAY stronger than me without your maiden powers, and you're-

Cinder: PREGNANT~!

Jaune: ...Wha?

Cinder: And, yeah, I know I can still work, but I think it's really awkward to tell your boss, "Hey, I know I just started, but I'm going to need maternity leave really soon!" It just seems like a clusterfu-

Jaune: (Grabs her) You're pregnant?!

Cinder: Yeah... It's why I didn't ask for any chocolate chips.

Jaune: How... How long?

Cinder: Pregnant? About a month, but I only found out a few days ago! I didn't know how to tell you. We have something good already and everything just sort of happened and I have no idea what happens next or even if you want to-

Jaune: Cinder! (Takes her hands) You... You have made me the happiest man in the entire world. No one has ever made me feel this happy before, except you, and you somehow just keep making me happier.

Cinder: (Eyes watering)

Jaune: I... I love you. And I love our baby.

Cinder: (Hugs him) I love you, too~!

Salem: (Leaning against the wall) So, how much longer until your belly gets bigger? It's been a few centuries since my time, so I'm not sure what the standard is now. And I'd like to know before the next video.

Cinder: If our baby is a girl and we're not out of this house by the time she hits puberty, I WILL murder Salem!

Salem: Tch! Good luck! (Slurps pancake)

[bestworstcase]

I just realized something - I forget when exactly, but there's a point (I think v 4/5?) where Cinder is questioning the motive behind some of Salem's moves in the grand game she's playing, one of them being the choice to keep Ruby alive. Which, if Summer is one of Salem's lieutenants and Cinder knows this, it seems pretty obvious why keeping Ruby alive is part of the plan, no? Other people might jump at "That means Summer isn't working for Salem!" but you've 100% sold me on that point, so. What this implies to me, unless I'm missing something, is that Cinder and Summer don't know each other (or Cinder has somehow not connected the two silver-eyed dots with the last name Rose). Curious as to your thoughts on this - if Cinder does know Summer, is she trying to manipulate Salem in that moment? If so, what is she trying to achieve? Does it really just not occur to her that keeping the peace with Summer matters? Or that killing Summer's daughter would upset her? Or if they don't know each other despite both being in Salem's employ, how does that change things? Is it possible Summer's allegiance is for some reason a secret to the rest of Salem's circle as well? ...or am I barking up the wrong misremembered tree?

it’s 5.2 dread in the air ☺️

i do think there’s a really strong possibility that cinder hasn’t connected the dots between "don’t kill ruby" and "ruby is summer’s daughter" because:

in cinder’s mind, ruby is the Girl Who Hurt Me and that gives her tunnel vision (see also, killing the sisters before the madame and not ripping the collar off until after it was all over, or lashing out uncontrollably at winter after winter cut off her arm)

she’s probably not party to whatever private agreements exist between salem and summer with regard to yang and ruby, because that arrangement is a) between them and b) older than cinder’s time in the inner circle.

for someone like cinder, who’s never known anything but abuse, the fact that summer is related to ruby wouldn’t necessarily register to her as a reason summer would care if ruby died; from cinder’s point of view, summer is a woman who left her family behind to work with salem fourteen years ago—more than half of cinder’s lifetime—and has never wavered from that choice. it’s entirely possible summer has known cinder for longer than she knew either of her daughters, and assuming summer is the one who pulled cinder off of beacon tower (which seems likely: she’s the only one with a motive to leave ruby alive), then… summer left her own daughter lying unconscious in the rubble to rescue cinder.

so for cinder it would be very easy to misinterpret the basic facts of the situation as summer just not caring about ruby very much, if at all; after all she left ruby fourteen years ago and chose to save cinder’s life over ruby’s that one time. right?

cinder also firmly believes that salem operates on the same principle as the madame or rhodes—because that’s how the world is, right?—which means that any care or personal consideration salem might have for summer is invisible to her: if summer doesn’t care that much and salem wouldn’t hesitate to kill ruby if it became expedient to do so whether summer liked it or not, why isn’t ruby almost killing cinder, who "holds the key to our victory," enough of a reason for ruby to die?

i think its telling that cinder phrases it in the specific way she does: "i don’t understand! working with bandits? leaving ruby alive?! what’s the point? we’re strong enough to take what we want by force!"—in her mind salem’s refusal to kill ruby is a tactical decision, akin to working with the bandits, that would only make sense from a position of weakness. if salem has the power and numbers to just flatten the kingdom and rip the relics out of those vaults by brute force—and she does!—why won’t she do it? what does it matter if summer complains? she asks how high when salem says jump, just like all the rest of them do, doesn’t she?

which is the fundamental disconnect between cinder and salem; salem prefers to make and keep alliances rather than rely on overwhelming force, but cinder sees this as timidity, as a lack of confidence, and therefore as an admission of weakness. she’s not thinking "why doesn’t salem want to antagonize summer rose?" but rather "why does summer rose have this much power over salem?" and the miscommunication lies in salem just not seeing the world in this extreme zero-sum hierarchical way.

we see this same thinking at play in how cinder treats emerald, mercury, and neo; she is only "nice" to them when she requires their assistance Right Now. salem understands that she needs to give in order to get and that she has to be consistent and keep her promises even when someone is not immediately useful to her in the present moment if she wants to be able to continue to rely on that person in the future; cinder… doesn’t think about maintenance. she thinks in terms of one person having power over another and that the only reason to do someone a favor is to gain more power over them, and after a certain point you have complete control. right?? that’s how it works?

(salem voice) no.

which is what makes v8 so interesting. salem gets scared and resorts to (emotional) brute force to try controlling cinder and cinder immediately demonstrates why that doesn’t work. salem recognizes her own mistake and seeks to rectify it at once because she has always understood this principle; cinder is shocked and then suspicious because she still doesn’t really understand it but also tries it out for herself with neo a couple hours later. it chips away at the invisible wall that prevents these two from communicating effectively.

[onewomancitadel]

The Rhodopis background is really crazy because if it is a nested hidden twist (that I expect they would deny all knowledge of), it was hiding in plain sight the whole time. I also like it because it has plausible deniability (Strabo or Herodotus' Rhodopis?) and because Herodotus portrays her as a real historical figure, who seems to also be one of a fairytale, but also maybe real? It scratches that particular itch of "fairytales are real" thing going on (and Ozlem). To get everybody up to speed, the story follows that Rhodopis was an enslaved girl taken from Thrace to Egypt, where eventually she was freed by Charaxus, brother to Sappho, and was known for her beauty. Herodotus has a bone to pick with the idea that she built pyramids as a queen of Egypt (which seems to somewhat figure later into Strabo's version).

Herodotus also disputes that Aesop was enslaved alongside Rhodopis, which makes the Cinder and Ace-ops connection kind of weird. I always thought those of the "high" end of Atlesian society were equivalent to the "low" inasmuch as they can be (e.g. Cinder-Winter) so that's interesting if probably ultimately spurious.

Rhodopis is considered to be the earliest extant proto-Cinderella fairytale form - Herodotus' account predates Strabo by several centuries - that most of the fandom noticed must've been referenced with Rhodes in Cinder's backstory reveal, which is one thing to do for flavour and linking her to Ruby (Rhodopis means rose-faced or rosy-cheeked - though it is likely an epithet:)

She is called Rhodopis by Herodotus, but it appears clear that Sappho in her poem spoke of her under the name of Doricha. It is therefore very probable that Doricha was her real name, and that she received that of Rhodopis, which signifies the "rosy-cheeked," on account of her beauty.

but Jaune/Cinder shippers noticed a tiny little detail that Rhodopis is freed from slavery by Sappho's brother, Jaune who is brother to Sapphron whose influence is Sappho. There are two quibbles: whether Rhodopis is relevant to any of our analysis, and another is whether there is romantic love involved at all. For the latter point, I'm pretty sure the Wikipedia page used to mention the Rhodopis affair, but doesn't anymore; the above biography for Rhodopis does

While thus employed, Charaxus, the brother of the poetess Sappho, who had come to Naucratis in pursuit of gain as a merchant, fell desperately in love with the fair courtesan, and ransomed her from slavery for a large sum of money.

and so does this other account mention sources related more specifically to Sappho. At any rate:

One of the earliest historical references to Sappho deals with her, Charaxus, and Doricha (Rhodopis), and it portrays Sappho as a satirist. After telling a folkloric tale of Rhodopis erecting a pyramid by plying her trade, Herodotus tells us that she “was ransomed for a vast sum by Charaxus, a Mytilenaean … brother of Sappho the poetess … Charaxus, after ransoming Rhodopis, returned to Mytilene, and Sappho in her poetry [en meleï] thoroughly mocked [polla katekertomēse] him.” [7] LSJ defines katakertomeō as ‘rail violently’. This captures the strength of the word, with its intensifying kata-, but as Page notes, the more exact meaning is ‘mock, taunt, jeer at’. Thus, this verb, with polla added, is very strong: “Sappho mocked him violently.”

[...] Though, unfortunately, the poems in which Sappho mocked Charaxus are not extant, there are some Sapphic poems that reflect the strained relationship and contain elements of blame. In 5V, Sappho prays for her brother’s safe homecoming, and mentions his former sins, which she hopes he will atone for: “may he atone for all the things which he formerly did wrong” (ὄσσα δὲ πρ]όσθ’ ἄμβροτε πάντα λῦσα[ι). She also hopes, in line 9, that he will give her honor, which hints that he has not treated her well. This is not mocking satire, but rather moralizing blame, putting the sins of a brother in public view. Not surprisingly, Sappho seems to have attacked Doricha also. Athenaeus speaks of the courtesan, “whom fair Sappho attacked [diaballei] with her poetry … when she became the lover of Sappho’s brother, Charaxus and caused him to lose much wealth.” [10] In 15V, Sappho prays that Doricha “find you, Cypris, very harsh” (Κύ]πρι κα[ί σ]ε πι[κροτάτ]αν ἐπεύρ[οι), and that she may not boast of having made Charaxus fall in love with her again.

Emphasis mine.

I don't really know what to say, honestly. It's already weird because we're looking at history conflated with folktale and there's not a clear difference between the two; I found a book talking about fairytales in antiquity and the author even goes so far as to try to conflate the Herodotus and Strabo accounts into one story, which I don't think is the right move, but folklorists have a very different methodology from what one might expect to be applicable to antiquity. At the very least for our purposes of R/WBY and the way they have employed "allusion" to great effect, it is done for the purposes of elevating whatever idea they already had in mind, so I only think this is as relevant as you can argue Jaune and Cinder are related in some way and an Ozlem reunion/redemption etc. is even possible.

One of the reasons I found Sappho's condemnation of her brother interesting is because I think the Joan of Arc heresy angle works very well with a conceivable Jaune/Cinder romance, so you have some tonal entanglement of these ideas. I think it has to be something that's problematised in the story in the sense that nobody is expecting it (even metatextually) and it is a great transgression and risk.

The issue I keep coming back to is whether this matters or is indeed relevant. You'd be hard-pressed to deny The Little Prince's connection to Oscar, and I remember the foremost meta I read arguing for Ruby/Oscar was on account of the prince loving a rose. Many such similar arguments persisted for Blake/Yang back in the day, since Yang was introduced as Beauty and Blake as a Beast. Yet I wouldn't just put it down to those allusions, because I think they all have justifications which go beyond that, but they must be inspirational in some fashion. I have often commented on an overreliance of allusion or appeal to authority which I take great umbrage with, and would not like to be guilty myself. But I think like Blake and Yang or Ruby and Oscar, you can see how the Rhodopis connection could easily be remixed; it's not like Jaune is literally going to monetarily pay for Cinder's freedom. There are various interesting ways you could realise it that even make Rhodopis "spoiling" this possibility work. And based on the reception of my analysis, that is, virtually nobody believes me, if this does ever have any chance of happening, they'll be very surprised - even I will be, perhaps most of all.

After the incident yesterday I have had a lot on my mind. People who want a neat clear solution and a guarantee from a greater authority that they are interpreting the story the correct way are deeply insecure. I can't guarantee that they definitively "know" of Rhodopis, I can't guarantee Cinder's redemption will definitively eventuate, I can't guarantee Jaune/Cinder will happen (perhaps you've let out of a sigh of relief), I can't even guarantee we'll see what happens either way. I can only engage with a story in the best and most interesting way I can and leave the question open to you if you agree with me that there's an influence here. Rhodes? Sapphron, and Sapph(r)o(n)'s brother? Thrace and Egypt? (Mercury and Emerald, two symbolic enslavements?) Rosy-cheeked? Fucking Aesop? The mere fact this is potentially the first Cinderella? I don't know.

But if I am willing to entertain her belief, which I always am, then I think you could dispute that it is coincidental insofar as when you begin to integrate these sources into your story, eventually things are going to start crossing over in ways you can't control. Perhaps they just simply wanted LGBTQ+ representation with Sapphron and so chose a famous figure (I think this was part of it undoubtedly; I just also think it was two birds and one stone). Perhaps they did want to evoke a sense of the oldest Cinderella story in Cinder's backstory but didn't realise the full implications. If you have no real sense of what you're evoking or the fact that Sappho crosses over with Rhodopis, people can start making connections you never anticipated. "Cinderella's prince" can be anybody, the same as any other Huntsman or prince (and even Beast to some degree) in our other integrated fairytales; Sappho's brother has a specific identity. Jaune is the only brother of seven noted sisters.

In isolation I think that I could share in this doubt fully if I didn't have context for the rest of the show and the way various allusions are employed or "subverted", and especially if I weren't already given reason to be suspicious about Cinder's redemption or the Jaune/Cinder romance altogether - which itself is a pretty big claim to make, but I foreground it in Ozlem. Like I said with Raven's return, sure, she is notably linked to Summer (and then we were shown that) so revelations about her will naturally involve Raven, and allusion-wise she is Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld and who returns with spring on her heels, yet there were various reasons well beyond that - including redeeming her relationship with Qrow - that her return would make sense returning from abyssal monomyth step.

Whether this proves to be true for Rhodopis remains to be seen.

[lesbianneopolitan]

So we know Neo loves Fairytales, specifically 'The Girl Who Fell Through The World'.

Do you think Cinder liked them as well? Reading them in the Glass Unicorn in the hopes that some day a Rusted Knight would show up and save her as well?

Alright, this is an interesting ask because I've always had the headcanon that Cinder was illiterate for a LONG time until she was found by Salem-

Orphan girl abandoned in a pitiful orphanage of Mistral that didn't even have a name. Not completely related, but now that I'm at it, I'll say that I always thought Cinder gained her name at the orphanage because she was made to sleep near the fireplace, and thus, getting dirty with the ashes made the other kids start calling her 'Cinder', very much like in some of the old original Cinderella fairy tales.

It stuck with her, so her official name became Cinder.

Now, at the orphanage Cinder only had the chance of hearing stories from mouth-to-mouth from the other kids. But they didn't exactly have many means of entertainment. Perhaps she heard of some stories vaguely, because some kids were abandoned later and had the chance to learn about the popular fairy tales of Remnant a bit more. But the major part of the time, it was made up stories by the older kids to entertain the younger ones.

Although, Cinder was rarely seen with them- she was prone to getting bullied for one reason or another, so she had to sneak in to listen to those stories.

People didn't like her.

When she was adopted to be part of the Glass Unicorn, she still didn't have a single book- not that it mattered, because the Madame didn't step up to teach her how to read. At much she knew what the main signs around the hotel were, but she couldn't read books- the Madame probably was the kind of woman to think that if Cinder learnt how to read, it could be dangerous (because sometimes knowledge is power!) so she had to leave Cinder being as ignorant as she could.

As a slave.

I'm sure the step-sisters had plenty of books, but Cinder never had the intention of sneaking and picking one- instead, this time around she liked to listen to the stories that Hunstmen had to tell about their adventures.

I doubt Cinder had the chance of ever really daydreaming of having a knight coming to save her, but more like, she had the fantasy of a Hunter or Huntress come save her like they did with other people, and Rhodes would've been that figure in her life for a time.

After that, things went to hell and her opinion of Huntsmen changed forever.

So, no Rusted Knight, and no fairy tales to dream about.

[ficretus]

Knightfall, another Cinderella story?

Well, this was inevitable to happen eventually. I am running out of Joan of Arc Knightfall theories, so might as well jump over to Cinderella theory. I even did Rhodopis theory before proper Cinderella one. Oh well, either way let's get to it.

CINDER ELLA:

Unless you are extremely daft, it should come as no surprise that Cinder's primary literary influence is Cinderella. If you didn't figure it out from her veryyy subtle name reference, her backstory from Volume 8 should be dead giveaway.

Although her backstory is extremely on the nose Cinderella story, I'll mostly avoid talking about it. Her backstory is basically Cinderella story with tragic ending, but it is also finished story. Cinderella doesn't get to the ball and ends up murdering everyone, the end. After the conclusion of her backstory, Cinder somehow ended up finding Salem and started a new Cinderella story.

Does this make any sense? I'd say yes, story getting repeated with different conclusion is not unheard of in RWBY. Take Ruby for example, her story is endlessly repeating Red Riding Hood story with different characters playing the role of Wolf (Beowulf from her backstory, Cinder, Hound, and probably Summer Rose later on).

Tragic conclusion of one story doesn't mean all others will be tragic as well. As seen with Ruby, she managed to fend off both Cinder and Hound, but was unable to save people "devoured" by them (in Hound's case I mean silver eyed Faunus inside of him, not Oscar). However, I find it very unlikely Ruby will always be unable to save people from Wolf, she will eventually be able to triumph. Nothing concrete, but I'd say failure in first Cinderella story doesn't mean Cinder will forever fail and have her story end up as tragedy.

____________________________________________________________

In this segment I wanted to focus on Cinder's current Cinderella story. While her backstory mostly takes elements from Grimm version of the story, current one is way more Perrault.

Roles of Evil Stepmother and Fairy Godmother are both filled by Salem. Stepmother is someone restraining Cinderella and keeping her under her thumb. Fairy Godmother on the other hand provides Cinderella with tools to fulfill her desires. Salem does both for Cinder: she gave her Grimm arm as a tool to absorb Maiden powers, but at the same time that Grimm arm serves as a leash and a way to punish Cinder. The fact Salem makes Cinder repeat the same mantra Madame did (character which is on the nose Stepmother reference) is another clear reference.

Emerald and Mercury play a role of creatures turned into Cinderella's servants. This is based on both their standings in society (one being street urchin, other being crippled orphan) and the way Cinder recruited them. Fairy Godmother sends Cinderella to find mice, rat and lizards so she can turn them into her servants just like Salem sends Cinder to find Marcus Black but she ends up recruiting Mercury instead. Cinder catches Emerald stealing and ends up recruiting her, just like Cinderella found a rat caught in a mouse trap. Emerald growing disillusioned with Cinder in episode called Midnight is also fitting considering Cinderella's servants turned back into the animals after the clock struck midnight.

____________________________________________________________

Role of stepsisters on the other hand doesn't seem that clear. Looking at Salem's faction, straightforward way would be to read Watts and Tyrian as stepsisters. Both of them heavily dislike Cinder and often mock her during their interactions. And while they are not biologically related to Salem, both of them are loyal minions that always obey her orders and follow her plans. Stark contrast to problem child Cinder who often disregards Salem's interests in favor of her own.

Reason I say it's not that clear is that they are not competition for Cinder's end goal of obtaining Maiden powers. That's why I see Pyrrha, Winter and Weiss as plausible stepsister candidates. While none of them have any connection to Salem, they are all competition in some way. Pyrrha and Winter were selected as Maiden vessels, making them not only clear obstacle to Cinder's goals, but also usurpers to what she perceives as her destiny (different to lets say Raven, who became Maiden before story even began and wasn't selected via Maiden machine).

Winter and Weiss make sense since they are siblings and also exist as a contrast to Cinder's childhood. Former were raised privileged as members of Atlas upper class, while Cinder was raised as a slave. From Cinder's perspective, they represent everything wrong with Atlas and everything she was denied as a child.

Weiss and Pyrrha only make sense in context of Jaune as Prince Charming (more on that later). If Weiss' attraction to Jaune is not just Volume 9 thing and persists further, then that groups Weiss and Pyrrha as characters that have crush on Jaune. This would make them competition to Cinder who consistently "dances" with Prince Jaune.

MANY DANCES OF FALL MAIDEN:

So Cinderella has been equipped with all the tools and followers to reach her goal, but what is her goal? Thing that annoys me when people claim Cinderella's primary motivation is Prince. It is not. In no major version of Cinderella is her primary motivation Prince, she just wants to get to the ball and have fun. Cinderella meeting Prince is consequence of her getting to the ball.

"I wish I could. I wish I could." She was not able to speak the rest, being interrupted by her tears and sobbing.

This godmother of hers, who was a fairy, said to her, "You wish that you could go to the ball; is it not so?"

"Yes," cried Cinderella, with a great sigh.

This is quote from Perrault version, no mentions of Prince anywhere.

Why does this even matter? Well it separates Cinderella's goal, that being getting to the ball and Prince. They are two different things and should be read differently as well. For Cinder her goal is getting all the Maiden powers. Prince is not Maiden powers, he/she is consequence of her quest for power.

_____________________________________________________________

In RWBY, Ozpin compares fighting to dancing during Volume 2.

"If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different"

So whenever Cinder fights someone, it's potentially a reference to Cinderella's dance with Prince at the ball.

Depending on story version, number of dances she has with the Prince varies. In Grimm version it's 3 dances, 2 in Perrault and 1 in Disney version. However, I'll respect older versions more here, especially since Cinder doesn't seem to follow Disney version that much. So in conclusion, she has to have multiple dances with Prince.

Prince is the one to approach Cinderella, not the other way around. He is immediately smitten with her and is obsessed by her in all major versions.

Perrault version:

The king's son led her to the most honorable seat, and afterwards took her out to dance with him. She danced so very gracefully that they all more and more admired her. A fine meal was served up, but the young prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he busied in gazing on her.

Grimm version:

He never let go of her hand, and whenever anyone else came and asked her to dance, he would say, "She is my dance partner."

She danced until evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the prince said, "I will go along and escort you,"

____________________________________________________________

So Prince in RWBY should also be someone that goes after Cinder, develops an obsession with her and fights her multiple times. Prince should also be consequence of her goal, not her primary goal.

It might be very obvious where am I going with this.. it's Jaune. Let's go over all major opponents Cinder fought throughout the story and why I think they work/don't work as Prince.

Ruby: She both works and doesn't. She works as straightforward Prince in first 3 volumes. She in thorn in Cinder's side throughout the early portion of the story, but not her primary goal. Ruby is simply consequence of Cinder's quest for power, just like dance with Prince is consequence of Cinderella coming to the ball. They even fight during Beacon Ball, which is very on the nose reference to Cinderella's dance at the ball (Cinder even has to escape before midnight). Final encounter at the end of Volume 3 once again feels as Cinderella reference, Prince encountering unmasked Cinderella just like Ruby encounters "unmasked" Cinder.

This is where things complicate and where I feel we are getting into third Cinderella story. Cinder's story reaches tragic ending at the end of Volume 3, permanently scarring her and turning her into monster. Why do I say this? Because Cinderella references seemingly reset back to the starting point, as well as Ruby/Cinder rivalry changes. Ruby is no longer consequence of Cinder's goals, she is (or at least her death is) one of her goals. They never "dance" again after this and Cinder makes sure they are never in "dancing" distance of each other. Ruby also develops very impersonal rivalry with Cinder where she looks at her as more of a nuisance she has to deal with than proper rival.

But then again, Ruby is the only character that can fulfill the role of Cinder's savior considering her silver eyes are the only thing that can free Cinder from Salem. It's bit annoying, she is Prince, then she isn't, but if Cinder is ever gonna be redeemed Ruby has to become Prince once again.

Amber: Goal, not consequence. Poor girl didn't even know they were dancing

Ozma's incarnations: They fought single time and that was mostly off screen. Doesn't feel major for me to read them as Prince Charming. Neither side seems to hold any major interest in each either. For Oscar Cinder is just another enemy, for Cinder Oscar is someone she needs to capture for Salem's interests or target to hurt Ruby.

Pyrrha: Cool fight, but not quite Prince Charming. Pyrrha goes after Cinder, but it lacks edge overall. For neither side fight is particularly personal. For Pyrrha Cinder is someone she needs to stop, for Cinder Pyrrha is just another powerful enemy in her way. It will also always remain single fight.

Raven: She is Cinder's goal as a Spring Maiden, not consequence of her actions. Raven has next to no interest in Cinder beyond her being Salem's agent.

Neo: This one actually works surprisingly well with them being partners throughout Atlas portion of the story, but I don't think it's quite there. Neo's revenge quest is consequence of Cinder's action. However, I think it lacks edge from Neo's side. Working with Cinder is simply means to an end for her until she kills Ruby.

Winter and Penny: Initially works since she fights both of them on her path to Fria, but both cease being Prince once they become Maiden.

Weiss: Almost completely impersonal from Weiss' side, poor girl just keeps getting targeted because Cinder wants to hurt someone else's feelings.

Now onto the main course.

JAUNE AS PRINCE CHARMING:

Jaune works for multiple reasons. First, he has an unhealthy obsession with her after she killed Pyrrha. He goes on a quest to find her at Haven academy similar to how Prince attempts to pursue Cinderella after every dance. This works especially well with Grimm version where Prince pursues her all the way to her home. Jaune is content with dying, as long as he can inconvenience Cinder in some way and buy his friends some time.

Prince's possessiveness also works with their Haven encounter. Jaune picks Cinder as his opponent just like Prince approaches Cinderella and picks her as his dance partner. Speaking of dance, due to their skill difference, fight ends up being almost dance like. Jaune cannot seriously challenge Cinder, while Cinder is not taking the fight seriously. Setting being open hall and all opponents being matched mostly 1v1 (Nora and Ren once again being party poopers and ignoring literary references) also add to the ball room allusion.

Needless to say, fighting Jaune is definitely not Cinder's goal. Just like dancing with Prince is consequence of Cinderella coming to the ball, fight with Jaune is consequence of Cinder's quest for power. Just like in Cinderella story, Cinder eventually has to leave, disengaging the fight.

Additionally, they end up fighting once again at the end of Volume 8. Once again, fight with Jaune is consequence of Cinder's quest for power, this time going after Penny. He is the one to engage the fight, realizing she is present after seeing her glass shards through the portal. So she appears at the ball again, he once again goes after her and she once again disengages the fight and leaves.

And unlike Ruby, from Jaune's perspective rivalry with Cinder is extremely personal. Which makes additional encounters between them almost inevitable.

SUBVERSION OR...?:

So how does this particular Cinderella story end? And thing is, I can easily see it going the way of full subversion, as in another tragic Cinderella story. Reason I tend to focus on Joan of Arc theories and references is because I feel that it's convoluted enough for me to think it's straightforward story. What's the point of going out of your way to give Cinder plenty of obscure Joan's King references post Volume 3 if the goal is to subvert them with the most expected conclusion of the story. It's hard to appreciate subversion when you don't even understand what is being subverted. Cinderella is bit different. Story is familiar to pretty much everyone and references are more clear. It's entirely possible they'll go Adam route again.

Either way, let me present two plausible endings I can see them creating. Both are of course based on end of story sequence when Prince finds Cinderella and realizes poor servant girl was the princess he was dancing all along.

One is as I said, "Adam" version. Jaune has final encounter with Cinder (probably alongside someone like Weiss), her likely being completely disgraced at that point. She starts going on unhinged Adam like rants (revealing her true self much like Cinderella shows her true self to Prince) on how she is actually the victim, bla bla bla. Jaune tries to persuade her to stop and she continues fighting him until he eventually kills her. Since Cinder's Cinderella was arch enemy to her Prince, it would make some sense for their final encounter to end up in blood. In my previous theory I stated how I find repeating Adam formula to be boring as shit, but I cannot disregard possibility of this happening as much as I heavily dislike it conceptually.

Other is more straightforward version of Cinderella story. Jaune and Cinder would have another fight, this time Jaune pushing her back significantly. This is reference to the last dance Cinderella and Prince have in the story. In Perrault version she loses track of time and has to run, losing her glass slipper. In Grimm version, while she runs she falls for the Prince's trap and loses one of her golden shoes in tar trap. Whatever version you go with, she loses her shoe to the Prince, in Grimm version due to his ingenuity. In this fight we'd see her metaphorical mask slip more and more (mask which Jaune nicked before, mask which seems to be made out of glass) showing glimpses of her true self. This is conceptually relatively similar to the fight I theorized in one of my Vacuo theories I'll link below.

This would eventually lead to non combat encounter between the two, where her mask completely slips, showing her true self. Their rivalry ending with Jaune sympathizing with her to some degree and offering her help, redeeming her.

_____________________________________________________________

What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment if I missed some Cinderella and Prince references or if you have your own interpretations. That's all for today.

[bubblyernie]

Can we get more Milo and Charlie lore? I just like em a lot.

YES ABSOLUTELY YUH HUH!!!!! this is about to be so long I might break tumblrs post word limit

So I have a few drawings in my queue that relate to lore, but I'll do my best to like cover most things ;w;

Okay as an OVERVIEW, Milo and Charlie were two characters I made as like throwaway designs because I wanted to try the concept of a marble statue earth genasi muse for a charcoal earth genasi artist. Which was this. Also toyed with the idea of heavy heavy heavy bod mods because you know how statues break or have unfinished parts.

Cut to my DM wanting to run a 13 episode miniseries for our campaign as a prequel in a bard-reskinned-strixhaven (so. art school. instead of wizards, its bards) and I was like oh I could play the earth genasi artist I have because the bard school is like all types of art (martial, visual, music, performance, culinary, and written). I ended up going with Milo rather than Charlie because I always imagined the marble one being more brash and jockish, which balanced the party more.

Long story short, redesign after redesign and I made him who he is rn — bod mods everywhere, the BIGGEST doofus, the ultimate bare minimum burn out student doing pot out their dorm window energy. He's such a people person (bard of valor lessgooo) and basically is the most 90s anti-bullying punk ever. Char's his boyfriend, he's there also but as an NPC

OKAY LORE TIME

----

Milo's actually two years younger than Charlie is so lets start with him. He's intersex and also trans — trying to skirt around tumblrs censorship here but — so born with female and male reproductive organs. Presented more femme (kinda tomboyish though) before growing more comfortable with a male identity maybe like right before getting into this bard college. FUN FACT: I originally based his design off two different statues — The Venus De Milo (....Milo Venn Mason) and Sleeping Hermaphroditus. Milo's also, like the Venus De Milo, 6'8" tall.

Charlie's also transgender, T4T lol, but does present more androgynous than Milo does just because he likes the style. Always been kinda quiet and reserved but he's actually really quite blunt, like has a snarkier tone to him than people would expect — and though Milo is more vocal with standing up for himself, Charlie is also just as ready to knock someone's teeth out but he's doesn't like causing a stir hsdfjhkkdfjk

Physiology is one of my favourite topics with dnd. So Milo and Char are both genasi, NOT constructs — I had this debate with the whole marble statue business. So there's other elements in there. Milo's like an abandoned statue, he grows moss and mildew when he's sad, it comes out of the cracks in his head (we'll get to that) and his piercing holes. He's also....all clay on the inside. Throat ends at the neck, no idea whats passed that, magic probably. He bleeds and blushes terracotta. Charlie on the other hand is solid diamond. Charcoal/carbon outside, but if he gets a scratch, it scrapes off the top layer and reveals diamond — that's actually the case with his fingernails. And Eyes. And Teeth. He's hot running too...charcoal and all. Charcoal Cinders... (I also find this fun, and there's a comic in the works of this, that Milo is softer than Char despite being brasher, its just the density and hardness of the rocks. I was interested in the Mohs scale and gemstones as a kid so....marble<diamond) like if Milo punched a cinder block, his hand would shatter, but if Charlie punched it, his condensed ball of brooding would scuff that thing)

This is so silly and kinda gross but that meme of like "......what if stones are soft but harden when we touch them" is what I think these two rocks are like. Because they have to move and function for yknow. logic and game mechanics and stuff. So I think Milo and Charlie feel like semi-hard modelling paste when they're not in "rock" mode. Like firm muscle or dense clay. Milo "Rock Hard" Mason, as my discord name was for a while

Backstory wise there's not much. They had pretty standard childhoods (didn't write that part yet oops). Met up in the bard school, first year Milo did a tat for Charlie (and lob enlargements, which they both have) and Charlie did Milo's tramp stamp. Anyway both were like :3c and thus, dating.

OKAY also trauma because...everyone needs a little bit. So Milo is/used to be a cheerleader — bard of Valor, yknow — and there's this whole...thing. I'm gonna post an excerpt from me raving to my friend about this but "milo's like sooo comfortable with being adequate. like he straight up said right before his exam his roommate was like "youll do great!" and hes all "well im not aiming for great, im aiming for passable!" because like...burnout and also hes surrounded by really snobbish and exemplary bards, its like a top notch school and he doesnt like how all that kinda gets to peoples heads. Plus he's really really heavy yknow, made of rock, so one time in a martial training soemone flung him and hes like OH GOD IVE NEVER BEEN ON TOP OF THE PYRAMID HELP!!, basically like the "yes im at the bottom of the pyramid, but thats because everyone needs someone to support them, and also its an essential part of the formation. I like being supportive even if it means i dont do anything glorious". All that is to say, he was at the bottom of a pyramid, someone on top of him fell, fell on him, his head hid the ground and he was just missing 1/4th of his head. I don't remember if my comic of this posted yet, I don't think it did.

So yes. Basically. Milo's got a massive crack in his head/missing half his face because of a horrible head injury. Charlie probably had like a 3 day long anxiety stomach ache about it. He's fine now. Also the unfinished face is because there's not enough clay to put that back together yet (matter cant come from nothing) — his chest being unfinished is irrelevant. He was just doing top surgery at home, got bored, and didn't finish that half.

I think that's about all I have at the moment for them together!!

---

Trivia fun facts!!

Milo's adopted. He has three moms, they're all tieflings. Charlie's got a bio dad and step dad, one looks pretty much just like him, the other is a satyr

Milo's 6'8" and while Charlie looks short as hell in comparison, he's actually 6'

Milo's tattoo guide — includes my fave Flete Puellae (Latin for "Cry, girls!", taken from Roman graffiti "Weep, you girls. My penis has given you up. Now it penetrates men’s behinds. Goodbye, wondrous femininity!"

Milo's missing an index finger because he tried doing knuckle tattoos

Milo's more 80s British punk, Charlie is more 90s-2000s grunge/scene/Harajuku

Charlie, and Im debating on this, might be part bard part wizard. Scribes if anything.

Charlie smudges everything he touches.

Milo's expertise is in deception because if he wants to blend in, he just strikes a pose, nude, in the school courtyard. He's a nude model for the life drawing courses so it's actually not that absurd for him.

Charlie calls Milo "Mo", short for Mosiac. Milo calls Charlie...Charlie. everyone else has to call him Charcoal.

Even though they transitioned, I think they would use the same names as given — both are fairly neutral in terms of gender. Charlie may have gone by Cindy before (Charcoal CINDers). And again, both are kinda loosely goosey with how they present anyways

Charlie plays the shawm, Milo plays drums. In modern day, Milo used to play guitar (not anymore, oops there goes his finger) and drums. Bards!!

Moss beard (30 years in the future probably)

[angara-mfrp]

Hey otherworlders! We, the mod team, decided to do something fun and silly to conclude our first year in operation. Yes, it hasn't been a full year yet, but it sure has been eventful!

This is meant to be a fun and silly recap. If you and/or your muse haven't made it on here, it probably just means they're well-behaved! Or something. We love them, so please don't feel left out!

Without further ado, here is your ADZ Wrapped!

We've had an eventful year since muses started dropping in on 4/21! There are lots of colorful personalities, that's for sure. The largest Direction was North, with 30 muses! Center was just behind it with 27. The smallest Direction was West, with only 6 muses! Maybe they decided they would rather stay home instead of falling in a lake somewhere.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and many muses are proof of that. We have 38 muses at rank 0, though 27 have hit rank 1! 17 are at rank 2, and 4 have managed to reach rank 3. Rank 4 and 5 are tied, each with 3 muses!

ADZ muses tended toward adulthood, with 73 who were 18 or older, and a mere 11 under 18.

The Paths that people took were well-trodden, with Idealist being the most popular choice. 20 muses chose this Path. The least popular were Dissenter and Tormentor, both with 0. The Advocates thank you for that!

Many muses have been busy as well. The first muse to reach rank 5 was Alear, written by Katie! Divine Dragons are a busy sort, it seems. Of course, not everyone has had such a productive time. Zagreus, written by Birb, died more than anyone else, at a grand total of 7 times! That's not even counting all of the times he got tased by Safety Team for trying to leave the Cache at rank 0.

The quickest death, however, goes to Cinder Fall, written by Hannah! Cinder died twice on her first day in ADZ, the first occurring less than an hour after her arrival. Cinder also has the record for the most time spent in jail, at 7 days!

Love found a way in the fact of adversity, too. Alear and Alcryst, written by Katie and Arcade respectively, fell in love and got (emblem) engaged. Ezra Price and Felix Hugo Fraldarius, written by Addison and Sami respectively, also found love in their time away from the battlefield. Cinder Fall and Nathrae Aoi, written by Hannah and Crea respectively, became more than just partners in crime. Now, they're partners in crime who kiss! And who could forget about the Advocate romance of Ethan Keye and Susie Winters (again written by Sami and Addison respectively), because sometimes the childhood friends to lovers pipeline requires a stop at a cult compound first. Zenos yae Galvus and Valentyne Monnawesfv. written by Solomon and Candle respectively, don't quite know what they are, even if everyone else can see it. And Julian, written by Lizard...we've lost track of what the hell is going on with that guy! And of course, who could forget the dynamic IRL couple of Emberlyn and Angelica, who have written multiple ships and brought the PtN yuri agenda to our little group! We thank you for yuri service...I mean, your service!

Speaking of variety, our member base has a wide range of interests! As of publication, we have muses from a grand total of 40 franchises, and that doesn't include the illustrious and delightful OCs everyone has brought in, nor does it account for different entries in different IPs! At the time of writing, our biggest single fandom was Final Fantasy XIV, with a grand total of 10 muses! Non-fandom OCs are a slightly bigger group, with 14 muses in total.

IC shenanigans were plentiful as well. Rat-related incidents happened, as did street brawls between Death and Heavy Weapons Guy, written by Lizard and Fish respectively. Alear's run-in with a goat named Corn was immortalized in many children's drawings, and a great many muses - Greedling (Crow), Hobie Brown (Kyuu), Paralthax (Birb), Nathrae Aoi (Crea), and Hawks (Kidi) - could often be found chilling on roofs. Ronan Muir (Addison) was arguably the first muse to drive out his neighbors after Makiko Yuuki (Cruz) could no longer handle the awful din of the cymbal monkey in his front yard. Number Five Hargreeves (Kidi) also ran into some trouble due to some minor defacing of public property. He's fine! No need for therapy at all.

And how could we leave out NPCs and other locals? The mysterious old man, AKA the Desecrator, AKA Peepaw, AKA Gerald the weirdo (thanks Erin) always draws attention when he appears, but he made the biggest splash when he killed the hierophant, sneaking into the Cache to do so. Still no word on how he did it, or who "she" is! The Advocates received plenty of love this year too, something that warms our little mod hearts.

Let's not forget the delightful critters of ADZ. We had the recent pleasure of meeting Jerry the trash croc, a delightful and scaly fellow capable of human speech. Other notable animals include Henry the corella, Fuzzysmiles the quokka, Princess Fluffyclaws the koala, Elizabeth the frilled singing lizard, and Mortimer and Bella, Vera's cats. That's not even counting the myriad of pets brought by otherworlders, from cats and dogs to guardian spirits and chocobos! Those in attendance at Seven Nights of Fright will remember the chaos resulting from Fluffyclaws and Henry ending up in the maze!

And that about does it. We've loved getting to know you all throughout the past 8 months, and we hope to continue getting to know you. You are all together silly, creative, brilliant, fun, heartfelt, and bringers of joy.

We have big plans for this coming year, and we can't wait to share them. We hope above all that we've met your expectations, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we've learned how to mod "on the job". Really and truly, thank you, and we look forward to many more adventures in CY1024!

To close out, some silly moments.

And most importantly...

[trialbystory]

SoC Behind the Scenes

Bit of preamble here, TLDR, look below the break for to see my original notes from before I started writing SoC.

At some point in the next 3-5 days I will post the final chapter of Spirt of Competition. This is the second time I've actually finished a multi-part story (arguably third if you count the FFM I did right before SoC, which'll be transplated to Ao3 starting next weekend). Last time was back in 2009, and it sucked so bad that I went back a year later and rewrote the ending. But after I posted the last chapter of that story, I thought it'd be fun to also post a picture of the original, written-by-hand-when-I-should've-been-taking-notes-for-my-Sociology-class, first draft of that final chapter.

I don't really do actual writing with pen&paper anymore, but most of my conceptual-level notes are still done hardcopy, and I thought it'd be fun to do that again. So click to see my original, hand-written notes, made between frames while playing in my dad's bowling league, back in late August/early October of 2022.

As you can see, basically my whole concern at that point was figuring out who was going to play who. I was just following the story from New Challengers beat for beat (at that point, anyway), so that kind of makes sense. But there's some interesting stuff too. Like Sienna was the running at one point to be the big bad. Or that I couldn't remember the name of P2W's token female player in Arcade Spirits. Something I think I've mentioned in comment replies is I kept going back and forth swapping Ruby & Weiss' placement. Because Weiss' family is rich and affluent like Grace's, but Ruby is a maker/engineer (my favorite characterization for her) so it makes sense for her to have made the AI and be an aspiring gameDev. And they both have reasons to have a chip on their shoulder, which would relate to the protagonist's competitive streak. But something I don't think anyone knows about is that while Cinder does line up with Domino's nihilism quite well, the actual reason she's in that spot, and therefore what ultimately made the story Frosen Steel instead of Burning Whiterose (I love FS, but Cinder honestly would've been a better fit for Jynx than Penny was. But I STILL STAND BY SASSY GOTH AESTHETIC PENNY), is that Rhodes felt like an easy answer to 'who do I use for this detective character that's related to Domino in AS?' and if you read SoC you may have noticed that Rhodes is conspicuously absent, because that character tied into what was going on with Mercury, which got cut mostly for pacing and also because at the time it would've been included I very much needed to not be writing the type of content that came up next in his sideplot. Oh, and the Seamonkies swapped back and forth on Ben and Matt not because they fit opposite characters better, but because I am MASSIVE fans of the Very Kind and Very Funny Graham Stark and Jacob Burgess, who voice Ben & Matt, and I thought Sun and Nep needed to swap to better fit their personalities.

So yeah, hope that was interesting for you. Or at least neat. See you for the grand finale later this week!

(Oh, also I really liked doing this, so I'll probably do it for future stories/fics as well. I even included the date at the top of the notes for that "If hell is forever then heaven must be a lie" DWR idea from a few nights ago in anticipation of one day sharing them)-

[thistledown-au-warriors]

Hope this isn’t rude, but I wanted to ask what inspired you to change the naming conventions/tweak them as I find it interesting when people do!

not rude at all!

in a way you could call it a cop-out. i figured it would be best to scrap naming ceremonies altogether if i were to write a warriors fic, so i just nabbed the other naming system that was right there.

although it's not quite the same, as the kits are actually named a while after their birth, so the parents have an idea of their personalities. and i tried to choose names that would indeed match more, or would make the cats stand out more, or had some meaning.

(Whitestorm-> White Flower, named after his pelt and grandma and also the Oleander MAProject;

Cinderpelt-> Blazing Cinder, named after her pelt and personality)

the only naming ceremony the Clans have is more of a formality, to take in outsiders properly or maybe if a cat rly wants to change their name (like Mossy Patch probably did). In DotC the names are a symbol of the Clan cats being different from outsiders, after all.

plus, i think it adds to the theme of kin closeness that warriors tries to bring in, and helps remove most the injury-related names that were very prevalent in arc 1 (some are kept though).

in the end i also felt it helped bring in more interesting ideas to an AU that was initially based on a single different event.

[the-path-to-redemption]

okay if you could swap two characters storylines in the show, who would it be? so like cinder the specialist schnee & winter the orphan turned villain. 👀👀

oooo Winter and Cinder sounds fun.

But personally speaking, it's gotta be the Cinder and Ruby storyswap for me. A friend brought this up and his brain was so huge for it.

Long post ahead.

In this scenario, Cinder is Taiyang's and Qrow's adopted daughter, who the latter found after a secret recon mission to expose unethical practices in Atlas (via the Madame's child slavery). This could be after both of them lost Summer AND Ruby to Salem, and to me it creates such good storylines for these character's relationships.

Taiyang loves his daughters, so Cinder never felt like she was unloved unlike when she was in Atlas. But being very observant, I think she would caught onto his grief about Ruby and due to her insecurities, would secretly feel like the outlier of the family. She loves her dads, but against her better judgement she wondered if fate would've favored her had Ruby not kidnapped.

Being closer in age to Yang, I don't think there would be the whole "Yang had to be responsible for her little sister" thing with them. They would be closer I think, where they understand each other's feelings about their parentage (Raven and Cinder's birth parents), while having a healthy sibling rivalry. I really love the idea of them going shopping together, training together and generally trying to one up each other in fun ways.

Another possibility could be, "how did Yang react to Cinder not being her real sister, and like Raven believed Ruby is still out there?". Did she convinced Cinder to go on a search for Raven and/or Ruby, which causes a little rift between them due to the Grimm attack? Did she sometimes thought about a relationship with Ruby, unknowingly feeding into Cinder's fears of being abandoned? So many possibilities.

What would Qrow be like for Cinder? Maybe he was like Qrow to Ruby, where she felt easier talking to him about her insecurities than to Tai. Again, being very observant, she could possibly understand him better than Ruby or Yang, and why he has to be alone all the time. Cinder probably relate to that feeling, and would have a vendetta against Raven for abandoning her family despite Tai's efforts.

What about her team in Beacon? (What would the the team name anyway lol). Yang and her are complementary to each other, but if we're going like canon by having her team up with Weiss, then wowie. Tensions up the wazoo, because of Cinder's anger against Atlas elites and Weiss' now inferiority complex of facing someone not only the same age and skills at her, but someone possibly better than her. But I do want to see them eventually growing a unique bond in relation to their tyrannical Atlesian parents, something that they understood from each other.

Blake could possibly rely on her as well, because both of them are very observant and their fighting style are similar to each other. Blake could open up about being Faunus, and Cinder, while experienced child slavery herself, lets Blake express her anger and grief about Faunus oppression without talking over her. Not to mention her potential clashing points with Adam, another Atlesian child slave.

Would Cinder be jealous of Pyrrha and then empathetic towards her feelings of being idolized? Would she develop a friendly, almost senpai-kouhai type of relationship with the inexperienced Jaune? Struggle to keep up with Nora's enthusiasm but loves how she can just understand her emotions? See Ren as a reliable friend who she sees a lot of herself in? So many possibilities.

Now, onto Ruby. While she's still quite dorky and awkward, she is uncanny. Like, "she knows more than you're comfortable with yet nothing about this tiny girl should intimidate you unless you're a Grimm uncanny".

I think her relationship with Salem is even more tense than Cinder and Salem. She knows that no matter how maternal Salem is being to her, she must not slip up (the Hound is a major factor in this fear). But Salem is also extremely manipulative and cunning, feeding Ruby lies that eats at her like, "her family never looked for her", "she has so much potentials if she stays", "I love you dearly, Ruby". Shit like that which would fuck with anyone's mind, let alone a 15 y.o.

Though, I don't think her relationship with Emerald and Mercury would be AS antagonistic as theirs with Cinder. Again, she's awkward and younger than them, with no one but Salem as "family", so maybe she would secretly see these two as her older siblings. I don't think she would maliciously manipulate Emerald, but it's more about her own safety over anyone else's. And with Mercury, she would help him with his prosthetics (both of them with their weapons tbh) and share his fears about Salem, as well as concerns about Emerald.

When they leave Salem's faction, forcibly leaving Ruby behind, it would create such good drama and angst between these 3. Ruby feeling abandoned and unloved (even if they're doing this to survive), and Emercury feeling like they've failed their little sister.

With Roman, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity towards her. It's a cruel world, and even if she's threatening him and he hates her for it, he unfortunately sees himself and Neo in her. Little rats surviving in the city, instead of a measly life in a countryside.

What about Adam? Would she slaughter his sector? Would he perhaps sees Blake, his own little sister in her, and try to see something in her other than an enemy? How would she react to his scar if she ever has the chance to see it?

Ruby would be wary of Tyrian I think. He finds her fascinating and full of potential (maybe Salem assigned him to be her combat mentor), but also incredibly envious towards her because Salem values her more. Hazel is fearful of her situation, and if he could get her out like Emerald and Mercury, he'd die for it. He could be like the Taiyang to her life, teaching her about things that keep her from becoming truly malignant. Watts could inspire her with weapon development, but still sees her as a foolish little girl.

And the whole Silver Eyes thing. Oh my god, the potential, the drama, the madness that could come from this. Salem murdered Summer, took her daughter and basically have a weapon on her side. What heinous advantages could she get from this, is up to interpretations (and all of them slaps).

Would Ruby feel guilty about Beacon? Pyrrha? The people she manipulated in order to not be killed by Salem? What would her actual family's reaction be when they found out that she's alive, and what would it be when she betrays them? Yang now has even more motivation to keep moving forward for both of her sisters, so does Tai and Qrow for all of their daughters. Would Cinder be vengeful due to the death of her friends? Or would she join up with Yang to reunite their family from Salem's clutches?

God, I love every possibly of this AU so much, because Cinder and Ruby was written to be foils, but never actually acted like foils. But had their lives been different, I think it would create so much riveting storylines in the right hands. Fan creators, ya'll need to go crazy with this.

[arrtsy-ash]

🦀: How did they handle realizing they were in love? Embarrassed? Nervous? Mad?

🦋: How long did it take them to get out of the awkward early relationship stage? Have they gotten more confident around each other?

❤️‍🔥: Who tends to take the lead with showing affection?

🐱: Do they have pet names for each other, if so what are they? How does their partner feel about their pet name?

for your new selfship ofc, but once again, do include other selfships that are taking over your mind if there are any other😉

AAAAHHH EVE!!! WHEN I SAW THE NOTIFICATION I KNEW! I KNEW IT WAS YOU! I WILL KILL AND DIE FOR YOU. I don’t know if you watched transformers one yet so imma try to simplify everything without spoilers lol

🦀

Cinder, my sona, was the most “embarrassed” out of the two of them, although I would say that the word ‘embarrassed’ is kinda of an overstatement lol. Love is a feeling she never felt before in her entire life, sure, platonic love, but romantic? It’s strange and different for Cinder, so when she realizes that she like-likes Bee, she stumbles a bit but she’s not embarrassed of him, more of herself.

Bee on the other hand, isn’t embarrassed of his feelings at all. He tells her how he feels, not immediately after he gets these feelings since he got them soon after meeting her (he’s been isolated for years, leave my boy alone), but right when he gets the slightest hint that she likes him. He doesn’t even consider the fact that cinder doesn’t like him back, not in an egotistical way, but in a way with how he got so caught up in dreaming about their future together, all the dates he would take her out on, all the compliments he’d give her, how they would cuddle, he was just blissfully unaware.

🦋

If it wasn’t for Cinder, they’d get over the awkward stage in no time. The day after they start dating, Bee starts showing everyone pictures of her saying “see her? See how pretty she is? That’s my girlfriend!” And whenever Cinder did anything cool, maybe fight enemies or just give a speech, he would yell out “THATS MY GIRLFRIEND!!!” But if anything, Bee doing these things make Cinder even more awkward. She appreciates them, she really does, but actions of love, especially praise (my girl never had an ounce of praise in her life, leave her alone😭) makes her REALLY flustered, and when she’s flustered she’s a disaster. Whenever he touches her in any way her circuits heat up and she can feel her wiring twist up like butterfly’s. But exposure therapy always works, and after Bee was affection enough she got somewhat used to it and less awkward.

❤️‍🔥

you probably already assumed this with 🦋 but it’s Bee. His arms are constantly around her, compliments constantly spewing out of his mouth, there isn’t a single second where his loving gaze isn’t on her. But that doesn’t mean Cinder doesn’t show him affection, she’s not embarrassed to, it’s just that her main personality trait is awkward. Her main giving love language is definitely acts of service. She’s always and constantly doing things for him, left and right. As well as cuddling, they’re both touch starved idiots, they are cuddle bugs 100%

🐱

Bee’s nicknames for her are: Sparkles/sparks (sparks are kinda Cinders power? It’s hard to explain) sunshine, baby cakes, captain, baby, princess,

Cinder is flustered by every one of these pet names (except sparks, she just assumes that’s a defining factor for her) but especially by sparkles, princess, and baby. They’re just so loving, and Bee’s calling her all these loving names

Cinders’s pet names for him are: honey/hon, honey pie, bees knees, honey bun, pretty boy, badassatron.

whenever Cinder calls Bee the bee related pet names he giggles and kicks his feet with no shame. Same with pretty boy, although he’s more flustered with that one. Badassatron, he’s only flattered that she uses the nickname he gave himself, since no one else even thought of using it. The first time she called him it, in the voice to, he knew she was a keeper

[13thalcoragent]

My Stepmother and Stepsisters Do Not Pick On Me VIII

~

Cinder: Despite being an orphan, the Glass family has adopted me.

~

The Characters:

Cinder Fall-Glass – Our Heroine who was adopted

Amanda “Ama” Glass – Older Stepsister with Curly Hair

Lenalee “Lee” Glass – Older Stepsister with Straight Hair

Laura Glass – Stepmother and Madame

Rhodes “Rose” Glass – Pet Dog and Bodyguard

Amina Faye – Head Maid for the Glass Unicorn

~

Cinder: I thought I’d sweep the hallways since I woke up so early

Cinder: *walks pass the parlor*

From The Parlor: *noises and voices*

Cinder: Oh, are those voices in the parlor? We have a guest this early in the morning?

Male Voice: Like I said…At that time, didn’t you…take that girl in for your own convenience?

Cinder: That girl…Is he talking about me?

Laura: Even so…changing your mind after everything’s been decided is…

Cinder: *knocks on the door* Mommy? May I come in?

Laura: You may.

Cinder: Excuse…me. *walks in to find a rotund middle-aged man in a business suit*

Cinder: *hesitant* Good Morning…Sir.

Laura: *exhales slightly* Cinder. Allow me to introduce you to Amoncio Glass, my husband…and your stepfather.

Cinder: My stepfather…

Amoncio: Girl…It’s time for you to leave.

Laura: Dear, we haven’t seen each other since you left for your business trip. I am glad to see you doing well…However, why are you trying to overturn what’s already been decided?

Amoncio: At the time…I was overwhelmed with work…I now realize how irresponsible it was to just give you blanket approval on the matter of adopting this girl. For starters, there’s no way a commoner can adapt to the life of such a prominent family. Should anything happen, it’ll tarnish the Glass name.

Cinder: He’s right…If an uneducated person enters their ranks…it’ll surely embarrass the Glass Family…If my existence will prove troublesome for my sisters…surely it’d be best if I left!

Laura: What is your wish, Cinder?

Cinder: I…

Lee: *barges in with Ama* No Way!!

Cinder: Huh?

Lee: You’re probably thinking stuff like, “The Glass Family’ll be embarrassed,” or, “I’ll cause trouble for my sisters,” ain’t cha? You’re hiding your true feelings! It’s written all over your face. I can tell!!

Ama: No tears, now. There’s nothing to be sad about.

Cinder: Umm?

Lee: There’s no need to hold back to the point of crying!

Cinder: What?

Ama: You don’t have to worry about how Cinder is doing in the family, Father. We’re looking after her. Just look at how much her writing has improved.

Amoncio: I…Huh?

Amoncio: *hesitates slightly* I…I want to hear the girl’s opinion!

Ama: *whispers* You’re asking her because you know she can’t refuse if you say she’d cause trouble for us, right? You’re quite the talker for someone who’s not around, aren’t you?

Laura: Amanda, don’t be rude to your father.

Ama: Mother.

Laura: As you can see, Cinder has been diligently adapting herself to the Glass Family day by day. However, it’s true that her feelings on the matter are important. Cinder…What do you wish to do?

Cinder: I…

Cinder: There’s been a lot of things that have confused me since I arrived here…but…that ones who helped me every step of the way…

Cinder: I…want to live in this hotel! I’ll work hard on my studies, so please…

Laura: Incorrect.

Cinder: Huh? Did I get it wrong?

Laura: Cause as much trouble as you want!!!!

Cinder: Mommy?!

Laura: Troubles are inevitable when one interacts with other people…be they related by blood or not! Even so we want to stay by the ones we treasure. Now that the issue has been put to rest, I’m sure your father would still like to see his stepdaughter’s face. Please do try and come home more often, Dear.

Amoncio: But…!

Laura: Or is there some special reason why your need to drag Cinder off with you? For instance…promising one of your “business partners” that Cinder would become an indentured servant?

Lee: Indentured servant?

Ama: Oh…as in. if she promises to work for a set number of years…you can get her wages in advance?

Amoncio: No…that’s…I’ll be taking my leave now as I have business to attend to… *whispers* Girl. Even if Laura and the girls are fine with this…There may be other people who won’t look favorably on you. Come to me if things become too much to bear. I’ll be sure to find a proper place for you, where you’ll be more comfortable. *departs*

Cinder: Stepfather?

TRANSITION

Cinder: Um…Once again, I hope you’ll take care of me from now on.

Lee: Huuuh? Is that really the first thing you should be saying?

Cinder: Should I have apologized for causing them trouble first…or maybe thank them?

Cinder: Um…

Lee: You haven’t said…”Good Morning” yet!!!

Cinder: Huuuuuuh?

Lee: Have you any idea how we felt waking up to your empty bed?!

Cinder Ha…

Ama: Our Sister simply tore through the hotel in search of you.

Cinder: Ha-Wha…

Lee: Look who’s talking, Miss Still-In-Her-PJ’s?!

Cinder: Ha-Wha-Whaaaaa!

Ama: W…Whaaat?! Well, you haven’t even washed your face yet!

Laura: Girls, you’re being far too loud.

Lee: Mama!

Ama: Mother!

Laura: Another normal day is about to start. No need to kick up a fuss.

Lee: Sorry.

Ama: We got too excited...

Cinder: That’s right…I have to be at my best today, too…

Laura: After all, we should prepare for Cinder’s welcome party today! One can never have too many fun events!

Cinder Whoaaaa!

Lee: You’re gonna love it! Miss Faye makes some of the best food around!

Ama: *take Cinder by the shoulders* Come along then, we need to get you ready for your big day.

Cinder: Mother. My new family…is a really warm one.

[lifewiththelulus]

My heart! Cirrus would have the biggest smile on her face and would keep the note.

Cirrus: YES PLEASE! …I mean yeah sure, sounds fun :3

Cirrus telling her the reason she got into musical theater was because she was inspired by Kin when she was younger and how confident she was back then.

"No matter how many times you fell off your skateboard, or how many time you missed a basket you still has a smile on your face. And you always got up and tried again. It made me want to keep trying."

Kindlin would be blushing so much She would be so touched by that and tells Cirrus she's honoured to be the reason she's pursuing her passion "You belong on that stage. I see it everytime we're there. You look so happy when you're up there, and I think you're inspiring. You always march to your own beat…You deserve to be happy. You make me wanna look for the good things in life, and be happy too."

The reason Cirrus used to be so hesitant to do anything was because of her parents. She figured if every time she tried something new she'd just get yelled at or if she wanted to try something she wasn't good at they would just discourage her then she shouldn't bother. When her parents passed away in an accident and she moved in with her grandma (not her real grandma but a family friend) the restraints were finally fully lifted.

Kindlin definitely encouraged her to do whatever she wanted. She'd probably be at Cirrus window in the middle of the night asking if she wanted to go spray paint something under a bridge. Her mom didn't keep a close eye on her so she was constantly just out and about doing what she wanted

Kindlin can relate to losing a parent and is there to comfort Cirrus if she needs it at all. She gives her a big hug and begs her not to hesitate if she needs someone.

Omg Kindlin getting caught staring at Cirrus during rehearsal cus she's too busy daydreaming to pull a rope and lift up a set piece on time XD Someone has to shout her name to snap her out of it and she's startled and majorly embarrassed

lol all the other crew members taking bets on who will confess first.

Kindlin hanging out with Hazel and vapor, And Hazel mentions something about Cirrus, And Ember's mom pops her head in the door and goes "Hey why does it suddenly smell in here what's going on??" Kindlin doesn't understand the question at all and thinks cinder is a crazy grandma XD