#and learning the Huntsman backstory from him in the story above

[ibrithir-was-here]

The Goblin King's Huntsman

Ok so, I have been unable to draw or write for a few weeks now, so here's an old thing for the sake of feeling like I'm sharing something :/

Ages ago, I had a dream where Sarah went back to the Labyrinth with an older Toby, and got chased around by a masked figure sent by the Goblin King to capture her and take her prisoner. But eventually, as one does in dreams, the sense came that this persuer was just as much a prisoner of the Labyrinth, and when I woke up I started trying to craft a story for how he ended up as the Goblin King's Huntsman (I think I actually ended up headcanoning he was also the guy with the Muppet Blind Pew type mask at the Goblin Ball who keeps showing up watching Sarah and Jareth)

Long ago, when the mountains we know were no more than mole hills, and our mole hills were taller than the tallest mountains, a king’s daughter lay abed, wasting away from Melancholy. Her one true love had gone away to war, and had never returned. Now it looked as if she would soon follow him. 

Her father, the king, was distraught with grief and worry. He called all his wizards and wise women to help the princess, but none could discover a spell to cure her. They tried all manner of  weird and worrisome things, slime and snails, puppy dog tails, thunder and lightening. But nothing they tried worked. The princess grew paler and paler and weaker and weaker each day.

Finally, her father could bear it no longer, and in his grief, made a rash bargain. Now, this kingdom bordered that of the Labyrinth, ruled by the fearsome Goblin King, who would grant you  a wish if you said the right words, but never without a price. It was to him that the king turned. If the Goblin King would help his daughter, he promised to give him anything his heart desired. And the Goblin King agreed.

"But you must keep your word”, He warned, or terrible things would befall the king’s house.

 That very night, the Goblin King flew to the castle, entering the chamber of the princess in a beam of moonlight, as she lay motionless upon her bed. Taking her by her cold hand, he asked her what would be the first thing she would do if her heart was light once more. Thinking that she dreamt, the Princess replied that if the cause of her sorrow were taken away, she would dance away the night until the sun filled the sky.

With that, the Goblin King lifted her right out of the bed, declaring that they would do just that. And in the blink of an eye the Princess found herself in a beautiful ballroom, dressed in a gown made of tears and moonlight. There, amid a throng of strange and wondrous people, she danced away the night in the arms of the Goblin King. This went on every night for a month, and each day the Princess’s eyes grew brighter, and her cheeks more rosy, and she began to smile more and more.

The court was delighted, and none more so than the king, who had quite forgotten he still had yet to pay the Goblin King’s Price.  The day soon came, however, that the Goblin King presented the glowing Princess to the court, as fresh and lively as she had been before her One True Love was forced to leave her.

“Your daughter is well once more, neighbor.” said the Goblin King, “And now I would name my price, and I ask for the Princess Seraphine's hand in marriage.”

A cry of shock rang through the court, and none were more stunned by this request than the Princess herself. For though she was grateful to the Goblin King, and now considered him a dear friend, she did not love him,and could not think of anything she had said or done to make him think otherwise.

 “Sir, I will always be your friend, but I cannot marry you. My heart still belongs to Prince Meander, and ever shall until the day I too shall die, and be with him again.”

“ But the Prince is gone, my lady,  never to return. And besides, your father promised when he sought my services to grant whatever request I should ask of him. In my kingdom, you will never die, and as my wife, you  have to ask, and I will turn the universe upside down for your sake.”

Again, the princess repeated her assurance of gratitude and friendship, but stated that no matter what her father had promised, she had made no such bargain, and was not bound to uphold it. She did not love him, and would not marry him. At this second refusal, the Goblin King grew angry, and might have done something in his anger that he would have regretted, but at that moment, the doors to the palace burst open, and a stooped and haggard man stumbled into the hall.

His hair had grown long, and a patch covered one eye. His clothes were tattered and torn, and his armor had long since rusted. But the Princess knew him at once, and rushed to his side before he could fall. It was her One True Love, come back to her against all odds. 

They fell into each other arms, and kissed as only those who have walked beneath the shadow of death and come back into the sunlight can. And their kiss was so pure, and so true, that though they did not know it, the Goblin King’s claim upon the King and the Princess was utterly broken, for this kiss had healed her far more than any of his magics had.  For a long moment after, the Prince and Princess simply held each other, overcome with joy upon being united. Then the Prince’s eye fell upon the Goblin King.

“Ah! You dare show your face here villain?! You whose fell creatures aided the ranks of our enemies, and you whose dark fogs of forgetting spread out across the fields, ensnaring those trying to return home after? Many a dark and dangerous road I’ve traveled to find my love again.  I know not what mischief you do here, but it ends now!” And he drew a rust cankered sword upon the Goblin King.

The Goblin King did not move, or speak, he simply stood, staring at the lovers. The half-blind prince, with one arm around the Princess, who was holding the shivering, shaking man up as best she could. Her eyes had grown wide as she heard the Prince’s tale, and now they were dark and cold as they looked upon the Goblin King. Finally, with a sweep of his cloak, he bowed to the couple, sneering.

“It seems your ladyship need not wait till Death’s embrace to reunite with your lover. As you’ve made your feelings quite clear, I shall respect your wish, and pursue my suit no further. However, remember this--” 

And in a flash quicker than a strike of lightning, he was by the Princess’s side, whispering into her ear, with all the spite and malice he possessed:

 “The Price is still not paid…”

And then, he was gone.

The kingdom did not see nor hear anything of their worrisome neighbor for many a year, and by and by the unease left by the Goblin King’s threat was lifted. The reunited Prince and Princess were soon married, and in time, the Princess, now the Queen, gave birth to a healthy son, who grew into a fine young boy. He loved nothing more than to wander the fields and forests that lined his kingdom, making friends with all he met, noble or peasant, animal or fae. He was a kind and gentle boy, loved by all who knew him, so that he was never without a friendly eye watching over him, which eased his parent’s worries.

And then one day, when he was seven years old, he wandered farther than was his want, as though drawn by some strange and silent music. Past the orchards and fields, past the forests and falls, up the airy mountain, down the  rushing glen, into a strange waste land of bracken and gorse, until suddenly, he came upon a gate, bound to a stone wall that seemed to stretch endlessly out across the horizon. 

There was something odd and foreboding about the place, but the young prince was not afraid, for he had never before had need to fear. All the world was his friend. And so without hesitation, he pushed upon the heavy gate. It swung open easily, and the prince skipped inside as it shut silently behind him.

And from that day, his grieving parents never saw the young prince again.

[strykingback]

G5 Iguazu vs Cinder. One Casts The Die While the other doesnt...

So. I just recently finished up Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, amazing game by the way~! Well there was one villain that just came to mind when one of the characters from AC6 stood out to me the most and how I realized that he was more like another CERTAIN character from RWBY but written a lot better.

Now before we begin!

Warning! There will be Spoilers for Armored Core 6's True Ending Path! If you have not played AC6 or watched a playthrough of it PLEASE LEAVE THIS POST NOW.

1. Backstory

So we might as well get the bullshit out the way for Cinder's past. Basically she was a random orphan that was picked up by some random ass hotel and was abused by the proprietress and her two daughters that look like they got rejected from the Shining. However, Cinder would find comfort in a Huntsman who would train her and even show care for her like an actual father figure. To which Cinder would put in an application to one of the academies in Remnant.

But the two Shining rejects basically end up finding out....somehow and burns her application which pisses Cinder off as she kills both of them and the proprietress of the hotel.... and thats it? I mean we dont see how she is later on adopted by Salem.... we dont see anything else... I mean. For fucks sake... this is why RT needs to put more effort in this shit. Like I get it you have to do fairytale allusions but if you're doing a twisted version of it atleast make it more twisted than going the generic "Cinderella" route.

Now onto G5 Iguazu. Oh and fun fact. Iguazu's name actually comes from the Iguazu River in Brazil and Argentina! Anyways, Iguazu was once a backstreet gambler always betting big and trying to go for anything that would go his way. However, he would usually bet big and lose, which he consistently did until his misfortune landed him in debt which he had to undergo generation 4 surgery making him part of the C4 Augmented human series. Which he would pilot an AC making him part of Balam Industries, Redguns which is commanded by G1 Michigan.

However, Iguazu being a prideful little shit, would try to fight Michigan but would lose.... like LOSE BADLY. Which ended up permanently disfiguring him. However he would find camraderie in the Redguns through Volta as both sported beetles on their AC's (Armored Cores) and would even have quarrels sometimes..... But the two seemingly made a pact with eachother to punch the crap out of Michigan and leave the Redguns to go where the wind will take them.

Now with Cinder and Iguazu it is kind of understandable where both came from. Both had shitty upbringings but, one of them was trying to bet big in order to win (Which will play A HUGE part later on in Armored Core 6's story) and Cinder just had the worst luck ever and could not find her freedom leaving one shitty family to enter in another.

Now while not much is known about Iguazu's upbringing but by the means of a backstreet gambler, I can only assume that he lived in a place that was in poverty (judging by how the Armored Core franchise is mostly but dystopian) and the only way he could escape it was by gambling.

For Cinder it was to escape her abuse only to be once again sent to another place to face abuse... but with merits.... thus do we enter their motivations.

2. Motivation *Cue the Vergil Voice!*

Cinders motivation is pretty simple, she want power. Thats it. Power to stand above those who stood above her. Even made worse with how she is 0-2 in getting Maiden powers just like a Cleveland Browns 0-16 record back in 2018(?) Even how though she "tries" her motivation is just waaaay too simplistic man. Like I get it. You want power so you can be all powerful just like what Salem said yadda yadda-fuckin' yadda.

Instead, Cinder keeps getting bodied and tricked up and even she got owned by Watts for her stupidity and willingness to NOT LEARN and use strategy! Like seriously how you just gonna be a villain that I feared in Volume one and become the most cheapskate wannabe Vegeta that I know!

Now for Iguazu, his is kind of simple but it is VERY well done. Both 621-Raven (Basically you) and him are both Generation Four Augmented Humans. You would think he would be a bit excited or interested in 621, but no. He's not simply calling him some freelancer that would get blown away immediately.

Instead, this would earn Michigans ire and even as 621 exceeds Michigans praise and honor. Which would make Iguazu pissed off that some independant merc got more praise than Iguazu the same person who fought Michigan and lost. Which would become a recurring theme later on in New Game++

However.... we dont see him until the Ice Worm mission because when we climb the wall during the mission briefing we find out thatG4 Volta died. And his final words were all but depressing.

Volta wanted Iguazu to change and listen to Michigan and its true. Michigan does care about his soldiers and despite his Drill Sergeant attitude towards the Redguns, he really does care about them. I can only imagine the sorrow and the anguish, Iguazu felt knowing his only friend in the Redguns had died....in combat and when he even teased 621 about being the first to climb the Wall in the mission Operation Wallclimber.

Only for him to lose a dear friend and partner in crime, I can only imagine him getting pissed off and now having a motivation to try and beat Raven (NOT RWBY's RAVEN!). Yet, him being a little shit as always he would end up stating how he wont participate in the Ice Worm mission only to be nominated. and if you hit the shot with stun cannon on the Coral Weapon...

Iguazu is left in shock and awe...but this does not last forever as he is taken down FIRST and adding salt to the wound he would made fun of by V.II Snail and Michigan, while Raven would take down the Ice Worm

Raven, an augmented human from the same Generation as Iguazu was, hit something harder than what he can hit. This only added fuel to the fire (Ha get it....since the title is Fires of Rubicon..... ahaha. Screw you Im funny....) as when you are exploring the depths of Watchpoint Alpha you get a final encounter with him...and beat the crap out of him but. He makes some interesting points.

That he is just being laughed at for his failures and how he wonders why Raven is more special than he is. But behind his jealousy and vitriol is someone who wants to shine as bright as Raven as they are just carrying out orders.

However his inferiority complex and pride would lead to his final defeat. To which it is solidified in the mission Intercept The Redguns that he would desert the Redguns and is possibly killed offscreen by Arquebus.... which would continue in the New game+ route until hitting the Alea Iacta Est Route... is where we see some differences in Iguazu and the payout for these two characters.

3. Payout *KACHING!*

Cinders Payout was definitely her getting the powers of the Fall Maiden, via Volume 3. Now you would expect her to become the biggest threat in Volume 4....nope. It was bit of her learning how to train with those powers. Which is understandable you have a new power that you need train and get more familiar with now that you have it at its maximum output. In Volume 5.....ahh.. you know what time it is. DJ! Play the music please!

Cinder ends up getting her shit rocked!!! Not once by Raven, but even is made into a STRAIGHT BITCH by the Winter Maiden who was about to pass away and then into Ruby following up with a Silver Eyes blast and then in Volume 8 she gets ROCKED AGAIN by Penny!!!

Like this is just embarassing and only for Watts to tell it straight to her face like: "Bitch you AINT SHIT!" holy fuck some RWBY stans expect me to feel bad for her. I DONT. cause once again Volume 1 I expected her to be queen badass here. Only to be made Queen of gettin' packed up! GOT PACKED UP SO DAMN MUCH THAT THE ONLY WAY SHE WAS ABLE TO "Win" was to have Neo do all the heavy lifting for her and when she finally was needing to throw her die.... and yes she did "win" but to me she took her chance to gamble and it failed. I do agree with many people and I wish Salem killed or possibly tortured Cinder right there and then for her wasting the last question on petty vengeance rather than taking a strategic standpoint.....

Yet she rolled the die and "won" but in reality lost.

Now... with Iguazu it takes a dark dark turn. By the time you are exploring Watchpoint Alpha, you come across the boss room where you are supposed to fight Iguazu only to find it littered with destroyed MT's and one of which holds an archive log....

And it is revealed that IGUAZU WENT AS FAR AS TO HIRE AN ASSASSIN AFTER YOU BACKSTABBED HIM AT THE DAM , BODIED HIM DURING A SECRET DATA BREACH, FLAUNTED AGAINST THE ICE WORM IN STYLE BY THE WAY.

only for this man to literally call you at saying that I should have went easier on the poor lad , which you didnt. You basically gained fame as an independent mercenary after climbing the wall in turn was a jab at Iguazu's pride which was only becoming more and more fragile by the second. Especially with the insults being shot at him by his commander and other Redguns.. something was about TO SNAP.

And when we finally beat him during an alternate mission of Reach the Coral Convergence.... and reach the final boss of the Alea Iacta Est ending......

Iguazu Casts The Die....and decides to make one LAST gamble.

Iguazu.. in a desperate and insane need to restore his pride. Sacrifices his humanity to Allmind and becomes one with the very machine..... and actually puts up an INCREDIBLE fight. Even so during the second phase....

Iguazu goes balls to walls crazy! Even in some cut lines that those C-Weapons are also being piloted by him because of his hatred and how salty he is that the Coral (the sentient fuel) resonates with him! (due to how Armored Cores own orbits also need to be piloted by the AC pilot as well!)

Yet even with all that power, he still cannot kill Raven because he gets outclassed by them and even better is how his AC in the second phase has "wings" when he is flying meaning that he is also flying on "Borrowed Wings" unlike Raven who had to prove himself to the predecessor to claim that name.

And even to the point where ALLMIND calls Iguazu a mistake and Irregular.... which sets him off EVEN MORE, and when he is finally defeated...

He simply admits he always envied Raven... a freelancer who had all the skills and weapons necessary to outclass him and in the Japanese dub.

Iguazu begrudgingly ADMIRED Raven. Going to show that he actually did have a soft spot for Raven even if he didnt want to admit it. Because Raven was brave enough to face off against all odds and come out of it either unscathed or on the verge of defeat. Even how Iguazu during the final bits of health you have states that "This is where that grit of yours comes in"

Which Iguazu admits defeat and passes away peacefully while ALLMIND states one last time about their plan for Coral Release..... that finally Iguazu is at peace...

Thats why I think Iguazu was a better villain than Cinder. Even with many AC6 fans being surprised with Iguazu being the FINAL BOSS of the true ending rather than ALLMIND. His pride, his backstory, and his motivation all outclasses Cinders....

Because whenever we think of Cinder we think about her drive to be powerful and to stand above all else. While for Iguazu it is a need to prove on why he is strong and going as far as to hire an assassin, fight Raven four whole times, and still be outclassed only to admit defeat and attempt one final attack only for it to blow up in his face....

Gun Five Iguazu is a definition of a Tragic Villain done right... and there is enough evidence supporting this as well.

Now I know that I may have made some mistakes in this and if I did please let me know and the two videos I linked above this does a much better job explaining this than I did. Anywho... get in that AC pilot... and I'll show you how to pilot it and cross the Rubicon.

[shadows-twilight]

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 6

My various thoughts and opinions on Chapter 6 of RWBY Volume 8, “Midnight”

SPOILERS BELOW:

Oh wow, getting straight into the backstory, I see, I can dig it.

The rythmetic cycle of Cinder’s scrubbing, Cinder getting beat up, and the Madame’s heels is quite the effective opening. Tells us right from the start the good time we will not be having.

Yes, yes, you made the Rooster on the wind vane the same as the Rooster Teeth logo. Don’t worry, we noticed.

So Cinder did indeed grow up in Atlas. I must say, that is one fancy hotel. Clearly the kind of place that only the richest and scummiest attend.

I wonder what the societal implications are that the decorations of this lobby are almost exclusively Grimm. I almost want to say that it’s a sign of just how removed from real-world problem the patrons are here, that these beasts of nightmares and despair are nothing but novelties to them, that they see them as interesting rather than fearing them, but later we see a huntsman here, so I’m not so sure.

God, how mistreated was Cinder before she even came here? That “Food?” line just broke my heart.

NEW SONG!!!

Damn, why do they have to give all of these one-off backstory characters such wonderful designs? This Rhodes guy looks awesome!

So the thing that triggered Cinder’s semblance was intense anger. That tracks.

Jesus Christ, the Madame has a literal shock collar on her? I’d ask how this kind of thing was legal, but then this is the same kingdom where Jacques was able to operate his slave-like business practices with impunity, so I guess I’m not too surprised.

Wait, the “without you” mantra was forced upon her BEFORE Salem? That just got even darker.

Metal skin, huh? Rhodes’s rocking that Ultimate Shield, me likey

Ok, I think I see what Rhodes was trying to do with Cinder here. I can’t say I agree with it, he definitely should have just said “Hey kid, I’m just gonna take that inhumane piece of garbage off your neck and get you the hell out of here, okay?” but think I understand his thought process. As we established earlier, this arrangement between the Madame and Cinder is legal. It isn’t right, and it’s the farthest thing from kind, but it is legal. Cinder is just a ten year old girl, and the Madame is her legal guardian. That means if she were to run, she’d be a runaway, and if Rhodes were to take her, he’d be a kidnapper. They’d have to spend the rest of their lives on the run, even moreso if Cinder had hurt them. Alternatively, she could grin and bear it until she was old enough to get out legally, allowing her to be truly free. The problem is that she would have to grin and bear it for SEVEN YEARS, during her frikkin’ FORMATIVE YEARS! What’s more, while he was there to give her companionship and hope for the future, he got to come and go at his leisure, and probably be gone for extended periods of time (I’m assuming he still performed his Huntsman duties during this time) while she was stuck in the same traumatic, abusive environment 24/7. I understand where his mindspace was, but he did not think this through.

I’m mildly disappointed that the weapon he gifted her wasn’t Midnight. It would have made her destroying it in Volume 3 take on a much greater meaning. Also slightly disappointed that Cinder is indeed her real name. I guess she simply chose the Fall part.

Yeah, I’m not going to spare much sympathy for those bitches. I mean, one could argue that this was straight up self defense (at least with the Madame), and while I know the stock lessons from these shows is “no one deserves death” and “revenge blackens the soul” and yada yada yada, defending abusers isn’t exactly a hill I’m gonna fight on.

That being said, carrying on from my word vomit above, I understand Rhodes’s reaction as well, even if I don’t agree with it. While we can make the argument for abuse and self defense, an yada yada, we also know that in the eyes of the law, this was a cold-blooded murder, and Rhodes clearly seems to be the kind of huntsman that sees it as his duty to uphold the law. Even if he didn’t, and he let her go now or helped her run, they’d be once again in the situation he was trying to avoid, on the run. Personally, I say worth it, and if he had managed to get her to Vale, Ozpin probably would have been understanding enough to help her out, but that’s my opinion.

Oh shit, it’s an Ok Goodnight song. ... OH SHIT IT’S AN OK GOODNIGHT SONG! THAT IS AWESOME!!! Nice choice of song, too, the lyrics work very well for this scenario and Cinder’s story.

I find it incredibly sad that Rhodes immediately stopped fighting the moment Cinder’s aura broke, and even after she stabs him, all he does is give her the same headpat gesture he did earlier. For all his aforementioned faults, he really did care.

I will echo a statement I made towards Adam when we learned about his scar. I sympathize for the girl who went through all of that abuse, she didn’t deserve it. I spare none for the woman she grew into.

And we’re back in the present where we see that modern Cinder is still a sore loser and Emerald is still an overly dependent yes-woman. I feel for her sometimes.

Anyone who watched Infinity Train, is Mercury’s behavior reminding anyone else of Simon? I’m getting some serious Simon vibes from that smugness.

Oscar’s more of a clever little boy than many might have given him credit for. He’s here getting the ass whoopin’ of his life, and he’s strategizing ways to turn them against each other. Far more than just a farmhand, now.

Oh boy, Hypocrite Hazel strikes again! “You let him suffer!” Quite the riot coming from the guy dishing out the suffering.

Ooh, is that...doubt...I saw in Hazel’s eyes? All this time I figured he was so tunnel visioned by his quest for vengeance that he simply didn’t care who he served, but it turns out he’s just following the same logic Roman and Lionheart did. We can’t stop her, so we may as well help her. I wonder if Hazel’s mind might be changed if he knew what the relics really did. Sadly, Salem knew what was up and said NOPE to that train of thought. For now.

I almost want to say it was a little too on the nose for them to flashback to Cinder getting shock collared as Salem hurt her through the Grimm arm, but for some reason it really worked here.

Dear god, can you get even more manipulative than what Salem’s doing right here? Talking about giving Cinder what she wants when it’s convenient for her RIGHT AFTER TORTURING HER!? Cinder really did trade out one abusive step-mother for another, didn’t she?

I’m sorry, Elm, did you just refer to Penny as broken junk? I’mma be honest, the list of Ace-Ops I’m hoping to see survive this is really starting to dwindle. At least Winter’s not having any of it.

Wow, Harriet. You just got informed that there is a massive river of Grimm heading straight for your kingdom, and your first move is to start the blame game. How were we ever fans of these assholes?

The river is now a geyser. What a fun day.

Wow, those defenses didn’t hold for shit, did they? Good thing there’s all those ships are there for extra defense. I’m sure they’ll be helping out any second now. Any...second...

I don’t know if the middle of farmland is the most courteous place to park your world destroying god whale, but at least it’s out of the way.

God, if this is the note they’re leaving us on for the penultimate episode before the hiatus, what the hell are they leaving us with next week? For once, I’m almost glad for the week-long wait in between episodes. We need time breathe at some point!

[hamliet]

Girls Don’t Want Boys, Girls Want Monsters: Netflix’s The Witcher Review

Finally, the show we deserve. 

Men get all their superhero power fantasies of kicking villain ass. Finally there’s  a story that has that and includes women’s emotional power fantasies about falling in love with monsters who change. It doesn’t treat either as ridiculous or limited by gender, either, since Geralt falls for a monster too and women get to kick ass as well.��

Essentially, it’s a story about defeating monsters: often through integration with the shadow, sometimes involving love and connection, sometimes violence, but the violence is never glorified. It’s good. 

NB: I’m in the middle of reading the books (in the middle of Blood of Elves so far). I haven’t played the game since video games aren’t really a medium I enjoy. So I’ll make some comparisons since the show covered the two books I’ve read thus far, but please don’t put spoilers for the books below!

Let’s talk my favorite aspect of every story: characters. 

Renfri. 

Her story was somewhat sanitized from the books (it’s a lot more brutal what happened to Renfri) but well adapted. Both versions--the book and show--depict sincere empathy for our deconstructed Snow White. I loved her dialogue with Geralt, in which Geralt praises her for escaping the huntsman her stepmother hired to kill her, and she laughs and says that she didn’t. He let her go, but not before raping and robbing her. The story never directly answers if the prophecy was true or not; Geralt doesn’t believe it, but a lot of things Geralt doubts turn out to be true. Renfri was supposedly attacking animals as a child; however, the person reporting that is highly unlikely to be unbiased (Stregobor) so is this even true? Did Renfri become a killer because she was horribly abused and left with no other option? (That’s the option that I think seems most likely.) 

We can’t know. The Witcher isn’t interested in giving its audience palatable answers. It’s interested in provoking questions. The show gives more answers than do the books, again likely due to the medium, but it still lets these questions linger. 

Renfri’s story is not the first one in the books, but it is the first one the show adapts, and that’s a good decision imo. Her story embodies The Witcher’s themes and questions:

By acting the monster, we make monsters out of others. 

To defeat monsters, you must be a monster. 

What, then, can heal, especially in a world so broken?

Ciri.

Our deconstructed Rapunzel (yes, there are a lot of fairy tale references). As far as her story goes in its adaptation, the addition of Dara was well done. Sadly, no, Dara is not in the books, but his addition gave Ciri an arc beyond merely running in this story. 

That said, Ciri in the books is much younger than she is in the show. Which is okay, because Ciri is somewhat emblematic of the future: there’s a lot unknown about her powers, she needs to be protected from everyone trying to grab her and use her powers for themselves. She is Geralt’s destiny, and she is the future of the world of The Witcher. 

NB: I can’t discuss Ciri without shouting out to the casting director for casting Pavetta: how did they find an actress who looks so much like Ciri’s actress? It’s almost eerie. 

The episode where Geralt finds out about the Law of Surprise and his reaction to Pavetta’s pregnancy is perhaps the only story that I felt was better in the show than in the books (again, this isn’t inherently a quality thing but a medium preference). It added some much-needed hilarity (Geralt’s perfectly-timed “destiny can go f--” *Pavetta vomits* and all he can say is, “fuck”) and gave Geralt an arc. 

Geralt.

Mm. 

I liked how they handled his character and his struggles with what it means to be a Witcher and/or human. His struggles to understand himself are relatable, and fairly well set-up for future exploration. He’s a foil of Ciri, Yennefer, Jaskier, and Cahir so far, and I’m particularly intrigued by the monster theme and the foiling that is already set up thus with all of the above except Jaskier (who is no monster). Geralt was skeptical about saving the striga for her father, but managed to succeed, and I wonder if he will somehow be able to save himself from his own inner fears/monster by being a father. (Basically, I am curious as to how being Ciri’s de factor dad is going to challenge him.)

Jaskier.

Or, Dandelion, as he’s known in the books. The bard adds some much needed levity to the tale, and as @aspoonofsugar​ says, he’s pretty much Donkey from Shrek. But he is used fairly well within the story: he shows Geralt even before Ciri and Yennefer enter his life that he has a purpose beyond being a killing machine. In that sense he’s the foil of Renfri (Renfri accomplishes the same, but through violence) in that Geralt saves him and he clearly thinks highly of the Witcher. Jaskier is in some ways humanity in all its paradoxes and foibles, annoying and stupid, kind and clever, funny and truthful, deceptive and respectful. 

Cahir.

I’m a sucker for ravens as part of an aesthetic, as well as pretty, tormented bad boys. Yes, I know he’s a character I’m sure will arouse much handwringing and puritanical policing a la his other archetype brothers (Loki, Kylo Ren, Snape, etc). I don’t care. I do think the show made him much darker when compared to the books, but I still expect his arc to go in the same direction as the books. He’s a complicated, conflicted, complex character, and I’m not sorry for feeling empathy for him. 

But I am curious about his foiling with Geralt. Both are characters seeking Ciri to fulfill... something, and monstrous in a way (Cahir more for what he does, but there’s a humanity to him as well).

Yennefer.

Finally, my favorite, my baby murder daughter. 

Yennefer’s character was fascinating. I appreciated that she’s allowed to want deeply, her own wants, instead of attaching her wants to be whatever the male character desires. She wants to have children. She wants love. She wants to be beautiful. Her desires are traditionally feminine, and the show doesn’t put this down. And she also kicks ass and takes names, she fails, she’s allowed to be angry, to be mean often, to want to learn and to want to be the best. 

The show doesn’t punish Yennefer for her ambition. Neither do the books. She experiences consequences, both positive and negative, for her every choice. The show reveals her backstory right away, whereas the books don’t, but again that’s a medium thing. I think both do excellently in setting up Yennefer for our empathy. It doesn’t apologize for her or her wants or actions; it lets her arc and the story itself do the talking. 

Yennefer’s not here to be your cautionary tale or your role model. She’s just there to be her and to live. 

That is, to an extent, perhaps the best kind of role model. 

That doesn’t mean the show did everything in Yennefer’s story justice. I wasn’t thrilled with the adaptation of her first meeting with Geralt--the orgy in the background isn’t in the books and is a very bizarre decision given context. While, I loved Tissaia’s character and her foiling with Yennefer: they are too alike to ever get along, I really didn’t understand the point of Tissaia turning the other girls into slugs in episode 2. It was unsettling and not in the books. It was a heavy-handed metaphor not explained until episode 7 (about treating people as expendable slugs) that didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about how the world and Dark!Hogwarts worked. If anything it made the school seem foolishly cackling-mustache evil instead of the true current of darkness within it: manipulation and utilitarianism. As part of effort to control things, that control itself can lead to chaos. 

I think the rest of the series set this precise dilemma of a precarious balance between self-control and manipulation/utilitarianism quite well, though (it goes hand-in-hand with the theme of a “lesser evil” to quote Renfri’s story). I’m excited to see this explored more. 

Other comments:

When comparing the show to the books as I’ve read so far, I think the show made some smart changes for adapting to a visual medium. For example, Foltest and Adda’s story was adapted as a mystery: what is the monster? Who is the father? Who is the curser? Can the monster be saved? Whereas the book doesn’t do that: you know immediately that the monster is a striga, Foltest is the father, and he wants the striga saved. The answer to who cursed Adda is never clear in the written story either, whereas the show declares it was Ostrit (the book leaves it very much up in the air as to whether it was Ostrit or Adda’s mother). However, the way this particular episode weaves Adda’s story of rebirth with Yennefer’s rebirth was beautifully done. (Foltest is a good dad. We need more good dads in stories; of course, if we had more good dads, we’d have far less stories.) (I’m jesting.) 

The dialogue is at times... well it’s not like it’s The Rise of Skywalker levels of “who wrote this???” but it’s not always stellar. Actually, I’d say the quality tends to swing wildly about between clever (episode 4) and just confusing (episode 5). But in general, I think the dialogue issue is representative of the show’s largest issue: it struggles to know when to trust its audience. When should it give details? When should it trust them? When is it spoonfeeding, and when is it just confusing? It tries to walk a fine line and stumbles a bit. It succeeds, however, with the characters as I mentioned earlier with Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri. 

My advice for the show going forward (not that they should definitely listen to me) is to forget Game of Thrones. It’s pretty obvious that this show is a passion project made by people who love The Witcher. I really hope they lean into that aspect instead of into the GoT-replacement aspect (because there are definitely aspects of that, particularly in the mood/aesthetic, tone, and gratuitous nudity--which is not exploitative or disturbing, but it also wasn’t necessary, isn’t in the books, and so felt like pandering). 

However, the sheer love for the material still really shines  through. They made me care for the characters, they interested me in the world, and they have me hooked for season 2. The showrunners’ excitement for the story and adoration of its characters is contagious, and I hope the show lets this excitement spread. 

[littlemisssquiggles]

So I have been thinking on the idea that if they do show it Oscar and Whitley could form a sort of friendship given that both sort of have a big thing coming for them (Whitley in running the Dust company and Oscar's chosen one deal) What do you think? Also I feel it'd be cool is Whitley's sembalence was like good stratigic planning he is able to see two moves ahead like in chess and plan for it.

Hello again Crystal. Y’know once upon a time, I would’ve been open to Whitley and Oscar becoming steady friends and having an almost love-hate type of friendship mirroring Ruby and Weiss. I came to appreciate Rich Farmers as a FRIEND-ship which is ironic since before that I wanted Whitley and Oscar to be rivals for Ruby’s affections XD

Oscar and Whitley are my boys and seeing them finally meet and interact would’ve been an interesting sight. But now that I’ve seen nearly half of V7, I’m unsure of whether or not Whit and Oscar will ever get a chance to meet given how the PLOT has been shaping up.

If we’re lucky, Oscar would be attending the election Watch Party up in Atlas with JNR_RWBY and would just so happen to bump into Whit who just so happened to be attending the Watch Party too on behalf of his father just to promote his campaign at the school or something—I dunno. Just a crumb of interaction would’ve sufficed. 

However, as I said, I’m not sure if these two will ever meet at all. At least notfor V7. I’m still waiting to see what either of their roles will be like for this volume.

I have a sinking suspicion that Whitley will be the one to reveal to Weiss about how their mother has been really doing since she departed. Who knows? Perhaps…he might even allow her back into their home to see her while Jacques is away on business (or rendezvousing with Watts). 

I say this since I don’t think Klein is around anymore. I’m starting to wonder if he was unceremoniously let go after it was discovered that he helped Weiss escape. It was odd not seeing him at Schnee Manor, even when Watts came to visit Jacques. Then again the PLOT hasn’t visited the Manor much for this season outside of the end of CH4. I wonder if we will get more on that as we move into the political subplot for the season.

Since Jacques sparked quite an uproar in Mantle, I’m intrigued at how that’s going to be played out next episode. I’d like to imagine that part of the reason our young heroes were ultimately granted a night off was due to them needing one after working possibly double time to deal with all the ruckus bringing forththe Grimm that was caused by the People of Mantle revolting against the General and Atlas after what Jacques caused.

It wouldn’t surprise me if more Grimm start invading the city due to all the risingnegativity at the city in the clouds, thanks to the Ice King himself.

The start of V7 and the narrative that follows afterwards surrounding Jacques, General Ironwood and even Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses should be more than fascinating to watch play out. I can’t wait. 

But going back to Whit, I really feel like Whitley’s role for this season will be delegated to outing Jacques on his underhanded cooperation with Watts.

I feel as we’re going to get Whitley snooping around on his father and Watts.

Oh! Do you know what would actually be pretty darn cool?

What if…Whitley allows Weiss back into Schnee Manor when she shows up to visit their mother who, as we remember, was told to not be doing so well since Weiss’ departure. While checking in on her mom, Whitley invites Weiss to show her something and it’s basically a scenario where Whitley reveals to Weiss another secret passageway within Schnee Manor that leads into a hidden area overlooking Jacques’ office where Whitley and Weiss could spy in on their father.

Let’s say…Whit wants to tell Weiss about what his father had been doing to win the elections. However since he’s also aware that his sister might not believe him, he decides a better way to prove himself is by showing her the truth. So basically Weiss and Whitley end up spying in on Jacques just when Arthur Watts pays him another visit. Maybe Tyrian Callows tags along with Watts this time?

Now here’s the thing with this. Weiss doesn’t know who Tyrian is. The only person on Team RWBY aware of Tyrian is Ruby. So as an alternative to this theory of mine, let’s say:

Weiss returns home to see her mother. Ruby tags along with for morale support. Unfortunately the security at Schnee Manor deny Weiss access even if it was to see her mother, thanks to Jacques giving them strict orders to. Fortunately for Weiss, she reunites with good ole Klein who helps her and Ruby sneak into the manor to see Mama Schnee. 

In her mother’s room, Weiss discovers her mother passed out drunk but sleeping more or less soundly. As it turns out her fears were proven right as her mother looks ill and let’s say her room is a mess, littered with empty wine bottles and glasses as a sign of several alcoholic episodes. This upsets Weiss dearly at seeing her mother in such a state. Luckily her best friend Ruby is there to comfort her.

Weiss then goes to wake her mother up to show that she is still there for her. Unfortunately Weiss’ time with her mother is cut short as Klein comes in to warn the girls that they needed to now leave since Jacques had returned home and security was coming down the hallway.

Weiss and Ruby leave just as Mama Schnee opened her eyes to an emptydark room, missing seeing her beloved daughter again by a millisecond.

Similar to how Klein assisted Weiss with the passageway that led straight out of the manor, he attempts to use the same one from V4 to provide Weiss and Ruby a means of escape. However they are forced to make a detour since the room with the passageway is used or something. Klein is then forced to leave the girls on their own when he’s called away by Jacques.

Long story short, Weiss and Ruby Scooby-Doo their way around Schnee Manor, avoiding as much encounters with security and staff as they could. Eventually their hide and seek results in them stumbling upon another hidden passageway that takes them to the secret hiding spot I described before overseeing Jacques’ office.

From here, Ruby and Weiss listen in on Jacques once again scheming with Watts. Tyrian happens to be there as well and Ruby immediately recognizes him; informing Weiss that the Scorpion Faunus was bad news since he was the one who poisoned Qrow and attacked her and JNR back in Mistral. Thus meaning that Weiss’ father was getting himself roped in with people who work for Salem!

While Weiss and Ruby are processing this revelation, let’s say…that they are caught by Whitley who knew about the passageway since he used it to spy in on Jacques. Whitley has an opportunity to rat Weiss and Ruby out to the in-house security or worse Jacques and his associates. But rather than do that, Whitley does the last thing Weiss expected him to do for her—help her.

With Whit’s help, Ruby and Weiss are able to make their way back toKlein and eventually out of Schnee Manor undetected.

One of my Whit-ty headcanons for Whitley is that he will redeem himself, at least in the eyes of Weiss by helping her in some shape or form. 

My rationale for this is because I strongly believe that Whitley will be the Huntsman (ironically) in Weiss’ Snow White story. 

In the original fairy-tale, the Huntsman was sent to kill Snow White by the Wicked Queen but instead the Huntsman took pity on her and allowed her to go free into the forest where she eventually met the Seven Dwarves.

The assumption here in that Whitley is meant to be exactly like Jacques and thus act as an antagonist to Weiss in some way, right? However I still wish to hold out on the concept of Whitley proving himself to be trusted in the eyes of Weiss, finally opening the door for the potential of these two sharing an actual good relationship.

While all the sisterly moments between Weiss and Winter for this season have been nice, it still bothers me how nonchalant Weiss and Winter are with continuing to wholeheartedly support each other while still leaving their little brother in the dark in the hands of their father; the thought of extending that olivebranch to him still crossing neither of their minds even now. Like…really?

Who knows. Maybe if we do get a moment of Whitley helping Weiss, it may spark the thought of her reaching out to Whit. Perhaps…we can finally have some backstory for these two for once. Again, all the stuff between Weiss and Winter is cool and all that jazz. However this squiggle meister is more intrigued to learn what Weiss’ story with her brother is all about, y’know what I mean?

As for Whitley’s semblance, I’m more inclined with the theory that Whitley possesses the same hereditary Glyph semblance that all Schnees possess since he is a Schnee. 

Regardless of how much the PLOT wishes to have me believe that Whit is exactly like his father, I wish to stand by the thought that he is more like his sisters than he realizes. 

Whitley is a Schnee so if he’s to have a semblance, I want it to be Glyphs. I want to see Whit have his own summon and long ago, I pegged Whit’s choice of summon would be a Geist Grimm he accidentally killed after it attacked him and Klein at the Manor.

Then Whit ends up being haunted by said Geist since he couldn’t control it. Whitley awakening his semblance and needing help to control his powers could be a potential way for him to bond with his sisters. 

Imagine Weiss and Winter coming together to help their brother understand what he’s going through with his gift. Imagine Whit becoming conflicted by this since his powers give him a connection to his sisters and an actual good relationship with them (which I still believe is what Whitley wants above anything else) however at the same time, he is torn by his loyalty to their father.

This could’ve been a great subplot to flesh out Whit as a character.Buuuuuuuuuuuut….this is only just me and my headcanons. Whitley’s true purpose in the PLOT; I shall leave that to the CRWBY Writers to reveal. In the meantime. I’ll just have my own ideas.

I do like your idea for Whit’s semblance though, Crystal. Basically your idea is for Whit t have a foresight type of semblance; similar to how Maria’s Reflex semblance operates in a sense, right? 

Either way, I can dig that. However, like I said, my top choice for Whit’s semblance is dem Glyphs. I want my boy to be the Schnee that he is, dagnabbit!  But we shall see how that goes as the volume unfolds.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[pompeiibonzai]

The Impact of Clover

I’ll probably get flack for this, but honestly I don’t care.  This is something that has been eating at me for roughly two weeks now and if I don’t get something written down and out into the ether, I might lose it.

(Cut due to longish rant and possible spoilers)

I had no emotional response to Clover’s death.  It didn’t affect me.

I mean, I get why it was a big deal for Qrow and I felt bad for him. In fact, I’ll even go so far as to say that Jason Leibricht really sold the emotional impact the moment had on our favorite birb uncle.  As the season progressed, I wasn’t entirely sold on Jason for this role.  To me, it felt as though he was holding back or playing it safe and as a result had fallen into the Generic Older Male Voice (also known as Dad Voice) that I’ve heard a thousand times before.  But this moment, that guttural yell of “I’ll kill you!” after Tyrian skewered Clover with Harbinger, followed by the quiet oath to bring Ironwood down really brought out the emotion of the scene. It all underlined how Qrow, who was just starting to crawl out of his rock bottom, has had his footing outed from under him again and is prepared to cross a line he may not come back from.  Kudos to Jason for bringing that kind of emotion to the role.

But I’m not here to talk about Jason’s performance.  I’m not really even here to talk about Qrow.  I’m here to talk about Clover as a character and why his death (rather than Qrow’s response to it) didn’t hit me as it seems to have hit so many others.

The main reason is that I don’t feel as though we were given anything about Clover to make us care about him as a character.  At the end of the Volume 7, all I took away from Clover as a character was:

1.      Elite Soldier (Huntsman?)

2.      Follows Orders (loyal to Ironwood)

3.      “Good”

And I’ll admit, I wasn’t even sold on that last point until literally the end of the volume. Why?  Because we were told nothing about him and it felt as though it was done on purpose, like something was purposefully being kept from us as an audience. I think that’s why so many people (myself included) didn’t trust Clover. 

This brings me to the concept of character motivations.  Motivations (why a character does or says the things they do or say) are paramount to a character.  Those three traits I listed above are a good base for a character, but they aren’t in of themselves motivations.  How did Clover become a member of the Ace Ops, much less their leader.  Why is he so loyal to Ironwood that he would risk arresting his ally and supposed “friend” (while in the middle of transporting a known serial killer), just to follow his orders?  What is his interest in Qrow?  Does he remind Clover of someone he was once close to?  Does he not like seeing people so down on themselves?  Does he feel some kind of connection to him because of their semblances or because they share the unique position of knowing the Truth?

These are all questions that could have easily been answered in any of the interactions between Clover had with Ironwood, his team or Qrow.  I’m not saying we need an in-depth backstory or anything close, but a couple of lines here and there that give the audience a little insight into his character.

An example of some established character motivations and is the insight we were given for Ironwood.  I don’t agree with the decisions he’s making by the end of the volume (in fact, I think they’re absolutely terrible decisions), but I at least understand why he’s making them.  We are shown repeatedly the motivations that are currently driving Ironwood.  As one of the few people who know the truth about Salem, he feels an immense responsibility to keep Atlas safe.  However, because of the growing tensions between Atlas and Mantle, he feels increasingly overwhelmed and isolated.  Penny’s father observes that Ironwood is tired and we see that ourselves within the first few minutes of the first episode.  Ironwood also feels a sense of responsibility for what happened to Vale.  He says that it was his machines that were used against them and that he isn’t going to ever let that happen again.  In a way, even with Penny and Winter at his side and the Ace Ops backing him up, Ironwood has taken his kingdom’s survival onto his own shoulders and his shoulders alone.

I could go on dissecting Ironwood’s character and his motivations, but that’s a different paper for a different time.  The point I’m trying to make here is that by establishing Ironwood’s motivations and giving an insight into his character, the audience is given a reason to care about him and the decisions he makes, regardless if we think them to be good or bad.  We don’t get that with Clover.

Because we don’t know anything about Clover’s motivations, the fact that he tries to arrest Qrow while in the middle of transporting Tyrian, not only makes him look foolish, but far from the elite soldier he’s made out to be.  You would think that an elite soldier would come to the reasonable conclusion that getting the very dangerous serial killer in his custody to a secure location would be the bigger priority than arresting a possibly rogue huntsman.  I remember staring at my screen dumbfounded when Clover got up to attempt to arrest Qrow. I even said out loud: “You idiot! Get the killer behind bars first! What are you doing?!”  If we had been told (or better yet shown) that Clover has the same sort of blind loyalty to Ironwood that Qrow had to Ozpin, this would have made more sense.  Don’t get me wrong, it still would have been stupid, but at least we would have understood why his priorities were skewed the way they were.

Similarly, we don’t know Clover’s reasoning for befriending Qrow in the first place, therefore his attempts to arrest him and the resulting fight don’t carry the weight I think it should have or was meant to have.  And here I’m going to say something that is probably going to be very unpopular: I never bought the friendship (or budding ship, if you’re into shipping) the plot was trying to set up between them.  To me it felt incredibly one-sided.  Clover said a couple of nice things to Qrow for Reasons and suddenly the two of them are besties?  Potential lovers?  That’s not how that works!  I don’t know, maybe coming off of Volume 6 Qrow was so starved for positive attention from someone that literally anyone could have said something nice to him and he’d immediately be eating out of the palm of their hand.  This “friendship” reminded me so much of Caboose’s one-sided friendship with Church in RvB.  However, where Caboose and Church is played for laughs (mostly), Qrow and Clover is played perfectly straight and I couldn’t help but cringe every time the two of them interacted on screen.  As I mentioned earlier, if it had not been for Jason bringing his A-game in that final fight between them, the whole thing would have fallen so flat for me.

Again, it didn’t have to be this way.  Clover could have easily said “hey, man, I’ve been where you are now…” or “you remind me of a someone I knew…” or “my semblance has isolated me too…” or something that would have explained why he decided Qrow needed to hear what he had to say.  We could have learned about Clover as a character.  Hell, if we had learned more about him we could have drawn parallels between him and Qrow, their semblances of good and bad luck and their relationships with and to their respective superiors.  Through learning about Clover, we could have seen their bond form and grow.  Then when the two of them found themselves facing off against each other, weapons drawn, prepared to fight each for their own reasons it would have had a more significant impact.  Clover’s death then could have been gut-wrenching, not just for Qrow, but for us.  It could have meant so much more.  Clover could have been so much more than simply a tool used to further someone else’s story arc.

[irageneveart]

Day 5: Theater

@juminzenweek​ reinterpreted prompt for day 5. I know this is out of no where and like wtf it’s almost 1 year what are you doing, but I’m planing like 5 stories for the slashers I love and because of my writing anxiety I can’t post/write them. therefore I’m trying to snap out of that and I’ll try to write some stuff too! <3

any constructive criticism is welcomed! hope you’ll enjoy~

Teaser | 1 / 1.1 | 2 / 2.2 | 3 / 3.3 | 4 / 4.4 | 5 / 5.5 | 6 / 6.6 | 7. 7.7

blame this fluff thing on Ed Sheeran and his Nancy Mulligan song

Pairing: Jumin Han x Zen Genre: lots of fluff Word count: 2,116 Warning: none

Watching the fire dancing in his lover’s eyes, he couldn’t believe this magic fairy tale was really theirs.

Earlier that day, the grey eyed man never expected what was going to happen.

The working days were never a pleasure. Hours were passing by at the speed of a snail while he was trying his best to keep the perfect etiquette for those he tries to persuade. It was never easy, but this was the life of a CEO. Jumin Han never complained before because he never knew other way. But all of this had to change. Since his relationship with the albino actor got better and better up to the point they agreed their feelings and moved in together, his whole life changed. Some might say it became more chaotic, and Jumin would agree. But, with a satisfied grin on his face he would add “And I feel alive”.

This was one of those days when he couldn’t wait to get home faster, to get that doze of attention, affection and lifelines that, without admitting, he craves through all the days. It was real, it was his. Hyun was that kind of a person who wouldn’t stop if he wants to touch, would switch from random kisses to shoulder smacks, or would shy away from sudden words of love from the raven haired man, his fair skin matching his burning eyes. You never know what the actor might do next, and Jumin was just ready to experiment everything.

Once he finished working, Jumin greeted Jaehee and all the other young assistants and left for home, ready to wrap up this week and enjoy the beginning of the weekend. The car drive felt longer than usual, even the elevator was taking longer than usual. But he was finally home. “Hyun, I’m home” he opened the door already taking off his tie. He wasn’t expecting the silence in the living room, a little nod forming in his chest. He didn’t expect to find the actor packing some bags when he searched for his beauty into their wardrobe either. “Sweetheart” he says and his voice dropped with relieve, wrapping arms around Zen’s waist and placing a kiss on his nape, startling the younger one. “Jumin!” Zen looked over shoulder and greeted him with a smile. “You are home, I didn’t even hear the door. Welcome home, my love” the man turned around in Jumin’s arms to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I missed you” he says against the other’s mouth, smiling into the kiss that followed. “I missed you too.” Jumin pecks softly again after the kiss and then looked over Hyun’s shoulder. “I see you have been busy, are we moving?” he asked nuzzling a smile in Zen’s cheek, not ready to move his arms away from around Hyun’s waist. The actor chuckled and softly rubbed his nose against Jumin’s cheekbone. “Oh yes, we are” the answer surprised Jumin, widening his eyes with curiosity. Proud of the reaction he got, Zen continued. “Just for the weekend though, but I want to show you something. Don’t try to guess, it’s a surprise!” he grinned and Jumin sighed defeated, but smiling. Placing a kiss on Hyun’s cheek, his jaw and then on his neck, the CEO rested his mouth against Hyun’s shoulder, inhaling his scent. “I cannot wait to see where you are taking me, sweetheart.” Zen’s cheeks flushed from all the attention, pecking on Jumin’s cheek and temple, embracing him tighter, enjoying the warm moments they always have when meeting after a long day, while getting even more excited for his plan.

More kisses were to follow while they finished packing together. Nothing much, clothes and all the necessities for a weekend. They agreed on taking their scrips and office work too, but Zen made sure Jumin promised he won’t spend more time than needed on them. “With my favorite distraction around, how could I?” Jumin’s  mouth curled a bit seeing the actor’s cheeks blush from his words. The CEO learned that when Hyun is not answering it means he melted a little, his voice not being able to speak. Hyun shows he enjoys something by acting all flustered, but also by acting offended too… Well, the CEO was still learning.

“What are you thinking of, hmm?” the albino interrupted his the trail of thoughts by resting his chin on Jumin’s shoulder. The other answered by placing a kiss on Zen’s nose. “You.” “M-me?” his face brightened. “Don’t be silly! I am right here! Come - come now, stop acting weird. Help me finish those bags” he cleared his throat and turned around leaving Jumin chuckling. Yes, exactly like that.

At first, Zen wanted to take his motorbike, but on Jumin’s suggestions they took one of the C&R personal cars. Hyun is a great driver when he is not on a adrenaline rush. “Put on your seat belt, Hyun” Jumin suggested. The other’s reply came in “Why? You’re not the one who’s driving” Zen teased before leaning in for a peck, chuckling. Jumin huffed, but still leaned into that silly and smiley kiss of his lover.

The car drive lasted for one hour, Zen singing almost every song on the radio while Jumin once again beholden his partner’s talent. As they got on off road, Jumin’s curiosity grew again. “Now that we are here, would you like to tell me where are we going?” Zen’s mouth corners rose in a smile. “I love when you’re curious, baby. Well we’re almost there so I suppose some backstory won’t do bad.” Jumin kept his eyes on Hyun while the other was looking on the road. “As you know I had this habit of…let’s say taking breaks.” “Running away. Yes, I know.” Jumin added smiling a bit, making the other to eye him. “However you want to call it. So, once, I went further in the woods - don’t ask me why I went this deep, I just did, and somehow I found this nice cabin.” he couldn’t see Jumin’s grey eyes but he knew the CEO was staring at him with interest. Zen continued. “I think it was one of a huntsman or something, but it was empty and each time I come back here it’s the same as I left it. So no one is living in there anymore. The place is so nice, tomorrow when is light outside I’m going to take you somewhere we can enjoy all of this view. But I thought it would be nice for the weekend to stay here? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier but I thought it would be better to be a surprise so…” he started to have second thoughts when Jumin, focused on the story, forgot to answer. And he realized that by Hyun’s tone.

After a while being together he learned when Zen needed to be reassured vocally, and he is always ready to give it properly.

“Forgive my silence, sweetheart. I think your idea is wonderful. I was thinking that you were quite reckless to come this far by your own. It could be dangerous. I also did not sleep in a cabin before, although I know some deluxe cabins into the mountains if you ever would like one. This is all new for me, but I trust my angel will take good care of me this weekend” he said and could see Zen not only calming down, but also smiling melted by his words.

After just few more minutes they arrived at the promised place. It was dark outside, but Jumin could see why Hyun chose this location. A wooden cabin surrounded by trees, the silence of the forest and only the light of the moon above. Zen told him there was a lake nearby too, but they will visit it tomorrow. They went inside to unpack, Jumin inspecting the cabin. With only one room, a fireplace, one bed and a table, it was small but enough for two people to enjoy their staying. “It is all made of wood. This is quite exquisite, sweetheart” Jumin stated making Hyun laugh. “Do you think so? I think it’s good and just what we need sometimes, far away from the city.” Jumin came to sit down at the edge of the bed after Zen put new sheets on. “How many of your ex’s did you bring here before, Mr. Ryu?” the director smirked through the question. Zen returned the smirk and leaned closer to his face “You are the first to see this place together with me, Mr. Han.” Jumin’s reply came too fast “So is that making me your first?” Zen’s cheeks lit up narrowing his eyes, making Jumin laugh. “I am sorry, sweetheart. I was only teasing” he kissed the other’s forehead and Zen couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh in return. “You jerk. Take something on you, it’s cold outside” he sneaked a fast kiss on the other’s lips and left while putting on a jacket. “Am I sleeping outside tonight?” Jumin asked jokingly while searching for a jacket for himself between the clothes they packed.

Following the actor outside, Jumin saw him picking up sticks. Seeing his lover, Hyun explained with an excited grin that he was going to make a campfire. “I understand. I know what that is, ” Jumin stated “I saw how it is being made in some television shows.” Hearing that, Zen made sure to make the biggest campfire Jumin could imagine, its sparks reaching up to the cold night sky. The hum of the fire was relaxing and for a little while, they sat quiet close to each other. Jumin found the sight of Hyun in front of the fire fascinating, often comparing him to a divine entity. He finally broke the silence, almost whispering not to scare the beauty away. “It is like the fire dances into your very own eyes.” and he knew the bright color in Zen’s cheeks wasn’t from the fire this time. But Hyun didn’t back off this time. “What if I will be the one dancing?” the albino stood up and looked smiling to the other. “A private show only for me?” Jumin raised an eyebrow in question, curious to see what the actor has for him.

What followed was unreal for the two grey eyes.

Zen started humming a song, following with rhythmed steps. Soon enough, he was singing and dancing around the campfire. It had the folklore song beat, the one the wanderers start singing when they found a new village to settle down for just few days. The story was about two people finding love in an unexpected way; a love that lasted forever from the moment they knew it was real. It was kind of like their story, but what was amazing for the director was the atmosphere - while the dancer’s voice was echoing through the forest, a crowd of people started gathering all around them, singing and clapping with the dancing beauty. Old men enjoying their drinks and shouting, women clapping and tapping with their feet, kids dancing around Zen who was moving and clapping through the song along with the fire. He was so happy, so alive, so tempting to join. It was so beautiful, like reading a great book for the second time. You knew what was going to happen, you knew what it was about, but you can’t help the tickling feel in your chest and the drunk happiness in your mind. He saw Zen dancing before, but not like this.

This was magic.

As in reading minds, Zen gave his hand to invite the other to dance. He refused at first, but locking arms with the white haired man he awkwardly danced with all the claps and cheering from the crowd. And he was oh so grinning and laughing, eyes glued on the other. If he could he’d stop the time right in that moment.

The song inevitably ended and together with it the crowd disappeared, leaving behind just two bright cheeked men, chests wavering for air. But Jumin could still feel it, inside his beating heart and his buzzing head. It was like a dream— no, it was real and he made sure of it smacking a kiss on Zen’s smiley lips and feeling his frozen nose. Heavy breathing, Hyun was looking straight to the other’s grey eyes, just as happy as Jumin. “Hyun, that was…that was amazing. I do not know what to say.” he was still in shock, he was in love, he was everything right there. And so was Zen. Grinning out of breath he softly answered “Then don’t, baby. Just kiss me”

Watching the fire dancing in his lover’s eyes, he couldn’t believe this fairy tale was really theirs.

But they kissed again caressed by the campfire’s warm touch, and they knew it was their magic reality.

[littlemisssquiggles]

RWBY Musings #51:  Oscar-Worthy. A Squiggle Meister’s Views on Oscar’s Transformation from Farm Boy to Huntsman.

Remember the time back in RWBY V1 when we got a two part episode that focused primarily on Jaune Arc and his character development? Remember Jaundice Part 1 & 2?

Imagine…something much similar for Oscar Pine but instead of a simple two-parter, the rest of Oscar’s story is written as a full narrative expanded over an entire season; marking the final chapter in his hero’s journey with Ozpin.

Disclaimer: This is another long one boys and girls. Fear not, it’s NOT 20+ pages long or anything to that length, if that’s what you’re thinking. Besides, if you’re a fellow Pinehead like me, I think this post will either make you really happy or hit you directly in the feels depending on where I take your imagination. One of those things.

I had originally planned on making a musing post describing my ideas for what I would consider a perfect, Oscar-worthy character arc. However with all the commotion surrounding our veteran farm boy stirred up by the official V6 volume poster art and trailer, I can already tell that the CRWBY Writers are setting up us fans; particularly the Pineheads like myself, for a very Oscar-worthy season. And naturally, I am super excited for that.

Considering that Oscar is technically the new underdog amongst the hero team, even if V6 doesn’t focus on Oscar (and essentially Ozpin) entirely this season, I still hope that we get at least more than one episode with Oscar being the character fully driving the story forward.

And what would be cool is if one of those episodes was titled “Oscar worthy” as it focuses on Oscar’s feelings regarding his place within the group and how he feels about himself in general given everything he’s been through since V4.

Part of the reason why I’ve been hoping that Ozpin isn’t present much for V6 is not just so that Oscar can hold the spotlight for a change (though you all know I wouldn’t be against that at all) but mostly so that we can get more insight into Oscar’s mind and how he thinks without Ozpin.

I can already interpret from the trailer that there is going to be a bit of a toggle war between Oscar and Ozpin this rounds, especially coming out of the events of V5. And toss in the prospect of Salem becoming another unwelcomed voice inside the precious freckled pinecone’s head, words cannot begin to describe my excitement over how all of this is going to go down for Oscar.

You guys know how much this squiggle meister has been advocating for more progress with Oscar’s story since V5. I’m gonna be real with you guys. I honestly don’t mind what the CRWBY Writers decide to do for V6 so long as they do Oscar’s character justice. I am not ashamed to admit that Oscar’s storyline for V6 is what I’m looking forward to the most this season. Above Team RWBY kicking ass as a unit again, above the inevitable confrontation between Adam, Blake and Yang, above everything else this season plans on offering me, I’m more excited to just see Oscar and to see how they flesh out his character more this volume.

That being said, if V6 is finally going to give me that Oscar-worthy season I’ve been craving, they gotta do this right. This squiggle meister is going to need V6 to do a few things for me regarding Oscar. They’re not much but they do highlight a couple of things that were, let’s say, neglected from his progress in V5. So for what it’s worth, I’m hoping they get touched on. Not necessarily in the same manner I describe it but in some shape or form.

So without further ado, here are some of my ideas for things I’d like to see in an Oscar-worthy season:

All Aboard!

I want Oscar to talk to his aunt.

Since us Pineheads clearly won’t be getting the opportunity to actually meet Auntie Pine this season in the flesh, I’m still hoping that V6 at least mentions some more information regarding Oscar and his previous home life.

I understand I should probably just give up knowing more about Oscar’s backstory with his Aunt and family, seeing as there was no indication of us learning anything about her or Oscar’s past from the trailer. Nevertheless, I’m a stubborn little squiggle meister.

I am still hoping for something small---even if it’s just a brief scene of Oscar talking to his aunt over the phone or something. Can I at least get a short scene at the start of V6 where Oscar gets to say goodbye to his aunt again on screen? The boy is literally leaving for another kingdom in another continent on the other side of Remnant. They won’t be in Mistral anymore. Leaving home for the city was one thing but another kingdom! You cannot tell me that Oscar wouldn’t want to at least mention this news to his aunt on screen. Come on!

I will take a phone call. A hand-written letter. A small mention of Oscar informing his aunt of everything and having to hear how she feels about it. I am so desperate for this small child to have some form of better onscreen closure with his family that I will even take a mention. Give me something at least to that extent CRWBY Writers!

 Perhaps… this scene of Ruby speeding through the train station using her semblance is what RWBY Youtuber EruptionFang said in his breakdown video on the V6 trailer.

According to him, the reason we’re seeing Ruby zipping through the train station is light-hearted since it’s probably her being late for the train and her semblance was the quickest means to make it in time. Yeah, that makes sense. But I’ll do one better.

Here’s what I think. Let’s say… Ruby noticed that Oscar wasn’t with everybody because he went off on his own to the nearest telephone booth or Mistralian telecommunication thingamabobble to make a small phone call to his Auntie Pine back home. However, by that time, it had been more than a few minutes since he’d left and while everyone else was present, Oscar was nowhere to be seen and the train that was supposed to take them to Argus was starting to let on passengers.

While the rest of the heroes boarded the train, Ruby volunteered to go find Oscar and utilizes her semblance to easily manoeuvre through the place. So this shot here is probably her doing that.

When Ruby finally finds our titular freckled farm boy, he’s standing near a Mistralian telecommunication thingamabobble with his back turned; presumably on the phone with someone. Upon closer inspection, Ruby realizes that Oscar was still talking to his aunt.

Okay, now the idea I have here is that there is a bit of unresolved tension between Oscar and Auntie Pine. Since we never actually got to see Oscar say goodbye to his aunt, I’m going to assume that his sudden departure from home wasn’t taken too well with his family.

I’m imagining that Oscar just wanted to give his aunt a quick call.  Maybe we can even have a little insert meta joke of him saying he wanted to call to give his aunt a better goodbye than he did last time.

Let’s say Oscar had just wanted to call and let Auntie Pine know how things had gone with him in Mistral and inform her about Argus and Atlas. It was after a month but…still at least he called so she wouldn’t have to worry about him. As Ruby approached Oscar, she could hear a bit of the conversation between him and Aunt Pine. In my imagination, I picture it going something like this:

Oscar: I know you’re still kinda mad about me leaving before but---

 Auntie Pine (voice over): Mad doesn’t begin to describe how I feel right now young man! And what you’re telling me now about going to Argus with a bunch of strangers you’ve been staying with in Mistral for over a month, that doesn’t make me feel less worried. Who even are these people? Why are you even hanging out with huntsmen of all people? You never even wanted to be a huntsman.

Oscar: Well maybe I want to be one now. Besides, the huntsmen I’m with…they’re good people Aunt [insert Oscar’s aunt’s official name here] so like I said, you don’t have to worry, okay?

Auntie Pine (voice over): I’m long past worried. Sweetie I’m scared…about everything. About you. What you’re doing? Oscar, this isn’t like you. Suddenly leaving home without saying anything. Going off to Mistral. Staying with huntsmen. Going to Atlas! The Oscar Pine I know would never do something like this. It’s like… it’s like you’re a completely different person and I’m scared the next time I see you, I might not even recognize my own nephew. I…will see you again, right? Oscar?

Before Oscar could answer his aunt, that’s when he notices Ruby standing awkwardly not too far from the booth. The Silver Eyed girl offered the farm boy a little friendly wave. Sighing, Oscar returned to his aunt on the phone.

Oscar: Look Auntie, my friend’s here so I gotta go. I’ll call you again as soon as we make it to Argus, okay? I…I love you.

But before Auntie Pine could even say it back, Oscar hangs up the phone. The young boy heaved an exasperated sigh as Ruby approached him cautiously, noticing his mood.

Ruby: (awkwardly) …Hey…everything ok with your aunt? I hope she’s alright with you coming with us to Atlas. Sorry I didn’t mean to easedrop, I just wanted to know if you’re okay for Atlas since it’s a…uh… really, really long trip and we’d be leaving Mistral and you’d be really, really, REALLY far from home…far from your family.

Oscar: (defensively) Yeah…so?

Ruby: So……I guess I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay…with everything.

Oscar: Does it really matter what I think?

Ruby: (confused) Of… course it does? Why wouldn’t it? Your feelings in this matter too. You…do know that, right?

Oscar: …Yeah well…it didn’t matter at Haven.

I sincerely would love a dialogue exchange like this for Oscar between Ruby and his aunt. I want a scene like this so that it can encompass two important facts I want to see indicated at the start of Oscar’s story for V6.

One: Oscar finally having a bit of closure with his family side of things since V4 by actually contacting his aunt, giving his a final goodbye, hearing how she feels about it even if it’s only a voice-over again and doing it all on screen for the audience to see this time. It’s not the best way but I’ll take that over nothing at all. There can even be a parallel during the finale where Oscar contacts his aunt again from Argus as promised. Will expand on that later in the post.

Two, it can also highlight Oscar’s feelings over what happened at Haven. Fans have speculated Oscar harbouring some negativity towards Ozpin following the stunt he pulled during the Hazel fight and I agree. I’d imagine that our farm boy would be kinda testy after waking up after Haven and what can add to his frustration is Oscar not even being able to tell off Ozpin because the ole wizard is still quote, unquote, ‘resting’ from Haven.

So I can imagine Oscar being more than a little cranky at the start of V6.

I really like the idea of Ruby going off to find Oscar at the train station. It’d be good as a nice little set up for Oscar’s character for the season. Not to mention that it can also possibly lead into a moment where Oscar gets to experience what it’s like to travel via Ruby’s speed semblance as the two speed off to catch the Argus train.

I think that could be hilarious especially if the two make it on the train in time, with Ruby being normal and Oscar all dizzy and seeing rose petals everywhere from the wild ride. I think that would be really funny if done.

On the Train to Argus

I dunno if the Mistralian trains in Remnant are like moving hotels on train tracks. I, being from a Caribbean country, have never ridden by train in real life before so I don’t know what it’s like to be on one.

But for the Argus Express in RWBY, I’d imagine that it’s be pretty expansive with different compartments---one containing a kind of mess hall or eating area where passengers can wine and dine while other compartments offer sleeping accommodations.

I have this concept for a scene where Ruby checks in on Oscar to see how he’s doing. Since he regained consciousness after the Haven Battle, Ruby has noticed that the farm boy has been mighty quiet; more so than he was when they first met. His change in mood was made even wearier when he told everyone that Oz still hadn’t revived since his brawl with Haven.

So Ruby, being Ruby decides to do something to cheer the farm boy up. I’m just picturing this cute scene where Ruby shows up at Oscar’s room or wherever he’s seated at on the train with a huge plate of food---mainly breakfast desserts. Basically she raided an entire food trolley and brought it all for Oscar. Picture another dialogue exchange like this:

Oscar: (eyeing the tower of food in Ruby’s hands) …What’s…all this?

Ruby: Oh, I noticed you haven’t been yourself since Haven so I thought you might like a little snack. When I’m not myself, I eat my favourite food. That always cheers me up. But I didn’t know what you like. I didn’t know if you’d want pancakes or waffles or French toast or crepes so…I brought you a little bit of everything. Just in case.

Oscar: …It…kind of looks like you robbed an entire breakfast trolley.

Ruby: Funny how you should mention that cause… I kinda did. Bon appetite!

Oscar: (chuckling lightly) Umm…thanks.

Y’know what I think? I feel like Oscar in V6 is going to have a similar experience to Harry Potter in The Order of Phoenix. 

The fifth book is where Harry’s mental link with the resurrected Voldemort is established and Harry spends part of the plot dealing with involuntarily seeing into Voldemort’s mind while learning to defend his own mind against being probed by Voldemort in return. I also recall Harry being quite the angsty teenager during the fifth book, prone to moments of moodiness and lashing out at almost everyone; even his friends.

Somehow I can picture Oscar being the exact same way. Let’s say… Ruby tries to comfort Oscar with food and the two share a small scene where they eat together. During their conversation, Ruby asks Oscar if he was alright only for Oscar to have a sudden outburst of anger expressing his frustration over everything that’s happened within the aftermath of the Haven Battle.

Let’s say it goes something like this:

Oscar: (pointing to the food) You didn’t have to do this, y’know.

Ruby: I know but like I said, you haven’t been yourself lately so I wanted to cheer you up.  

Oscar: (solemnly) Myself. And what exactly is myself?

Ruby: I… dunno.  But why don’t you tell me about it over a nice hot plate of pancakes?

Ruby pushes a plate of fresh chocolate chip pancakes over to Oscar. She had even taken the liberty of topping it with some blueberries and whipped cream in the shape of a smiley face. 

I feel like that would be a very Ruby thing to do especially if she’s trying to lift Oscar’s spirits. Plus I just want a scene involving food where Oscar is actually included since his presence was missing from the one in V5. I’m still salty about that by the way. 

.I want to see Ruby sort of Dr. Phil Oscar. Like imagine, Oscar explaining his feelings to Ruby who listens on intently, the only sound from her being the squirt of a bottle of syrup she was using to dress her pancakes. 

Ruby watches on as Oscar starts off nice and calm, talking about how good things were back for him back on his home farm with his Auntie, telling her a bit about his past.  While he wasn’t sure if being a farmhand for his aunt in Mistral was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life, at least for the time being, Oscar was content where he was.But all things changed the day when the annoying old wizard entered his mind. 

At the mention of Ozpin, that’s when Ruby noticed Oscar’s temperament pull a complete 180 as he suddenly jammed his fork into his stack of pancakes. Before he had started off slowly cutting through the pancake stack with a knife. Now he was practically attacking the breakfast dish vehemently as he recounted his first experience with Ozpin’s intrusion in his mind---informing Ruby of the untold weeks spent with Oz barraging him with details on things that didn’t make sense to him, practically pestering him to leave his home for Mistral and all that jazz. Y’know all the stuff we never got to see from Oscar’s side of the story in V4. Remember how some fans were disappointed that we never got to see the events that finally convinced Oscar to leave home? Well, basically imagine this idea as a sort of humorous way for Oscar to recount his story to Ruby since; now that I think about it. Oscar never got to tell his side of the story after meeting the gang in Mistral because Qrow interrupted him to reintroduce Ozpin. 

So having Oscar tell his story while destroying a perfectly good stack of pancakes in his moodiness could be both fitting and funny. Not an inch of the breakfast pastry was spared in the massacre as Oscar stabbed at the pancakes with such unbridled pent up rage that it made Ruby pause in mid bite of her own plate as she just gawked at Oscar.

Basically Oscar expressed his fury over everything---leaving home, going to Mistral, training in Mistral, being scared shitless up until the very point of the Haven Battle, fighting Lionheart, wanting to prove himself against Hazel, Ozpin forcibly taking over (which was a real pleasant surprise to him since the old wizard never informed Oscar that he could do that), watching helplessly from captivity within his own mind as Ozpin fought without him, watching helplessly as Ozpin got hurt---got them hurt. The last thing Oscar remembered was Ozpin’s strained voice leaving a message for him to tell Qrow about the Relic.

And all of this culminates in Oscar finally exploding---grunting his frustration over Ozpin just leaving him alone after everything was done---leaving him with his burdens, leaving him with this anger and what was worse for Oscar was that the farm boy didn’t even have the old wizard to vent at.

Because Oz was still resting, Oscar had no outlet for his emotions. The source of all his frustrations wasn’t present to spout more nonsensical gibberish to him. No longer was there a sentient voice in his head to calm him down. No one to reassure him with the answers that could dispel his frustration.  

For the first time in over a month, Oscar finally had a clear mind and rather than feeling at ease…he felt angry. Hurt even. Why couldn’t Oz just trust him? Oz wanted him to trust in everything he told him about becoming his successor yet the old wizard couldn’t even trust him to fight on his own! Such a crock!

In all his rage, Oscar slammed his hands on the table so hard he sent his plate barrelling off the dining table, its remaining contents shattering on the train floor. The sudden sound of breaking glass was enough to silence everyone in the mess hall. Ruby felt herself sink in her seat as all eyes fell to her and an infuriated Oscar, his breathing aggravated; not even catering about the mess he’d made. He was even too livid to care about the unwanted attention he’d garnered for him and Ruby.

He did calm down eventually, now sitting before Ruby with his face buried in his hands.

Again, the entire time Ruby had been quiet. Unable to find the right words to say. She had seen Oscar have an outburst before but never one such as this. It was clear that whatever was plaguing Oscar’s emotions presently was so dire that not even twelves stacks of pancakes would be enough to help.

Ruby was even starting to wonder how much she could help. Despite her doubts, Ruby being Ruby still decided to try again to comfort Oscar as she reached over the table to offer the boy a soothing touch.

But as her fingers touched his arm, Oscar immediately brushed it away as he suddenly got to his feet. He told Ruby that he wasn’t hungry anymore as he abandoned her to head off on his own again for some air.

As mentioned, we’ve seen Oscar blow up before whenever the weight of his pent up emotions got the better of him. So another outburst regarding Ozpin and Haven wouldn’t surprise me. 

But if V6 is going to focus on Oscar and Ozpin then I want to get those Oscar moments from the start. I’m not even kidding. After pushing him to the background so much last season, I need the new season to give that focus to Oscar from the start. No episode must go without my precious god-son getting some screen time and development.

I welcome angsty Oscar during the start of V6 because I think it’s a nice way to play into his emotions and how he felt after Haven because as a lot of fans have speculated, Oscar shouldn’t be 100% okay with what Ozpin did. If anything, I’d imagine him being more than a little testy.

I’d be more disappointed if V6 starts with Oscar acting like he’s all fine and dandy with everything; as if his experience from Haven didn’t affect him emotionally in the slightest. We got that kind of rubbish for V5. I don’t need it in V6. NO!

Here’s what I think. If we do get a scene where Ruby comes to talk to Oscar and he explodes and goes off on his own, I think a scene like that could lead into this shot here where Oscar seemed to have been standing by a window as the Sphinx Grimm start attacking the train.

Perhaps…Oscar was off on his own blowing off some steam when he suddenly noticed the Grimm attack the train. A transition like that could make sense and it would be nice. 

From the first episode, I just want the season to highlight how the events of the Haven Battle have affected Oscar and his emotions especially pertaining to his presence in the group and his relationship with Ozpin. That’s pretty much the gist of what I want to see the most from the first episode. I don’t want to put too many expectations on just the first episode in case I get my hopes up.

…However I do hope we get something to that liking; at least.

Dark in my Imagination

This is going to sound rather sadistic of me to say but what if… for V6, since we will be focusing on Oscar, there is a future scene where Oscar becomes so overwhelmed by everything that's happening to him that he suffers a meltdown. During his meltdown, Oscar becomes so mentally distraught that for a brief moment he even contemplates ending his own life. Now before my fellow Pineheads come at me with your torches for daring to even mention such a thing happening to the precious pinecone, here me out first.

At both the 2018 RWBY RTX and NYCC Panels respectively, it was mentioned that new themes never explored before in RWBY will come to fruition in this season’s narrative. While I’m unsure if the CRWBY Writers are ballsy enough to add themes and other story elements linking to topics on mental health, depression and suicide---nonetheless it’s something that has crossed my mind regarding Oscar.

In one of my RWBY Quotes, I made mention of V6 possibly testing and pushing Oscar both emotionally and psychologically. I already anticipated Oscar having feelings of insecurity over his place on the heroes since outside of his link with Ozpin; he really has no place in this fight against Salem.

Besides being Oz’s successor and being forced to take on his mantle, there is honestly nothing else driving Oscar forward with this except Ozpin.

Sure we had him valiantly behaving like this fight matters to him during the Haven Battle, however…if you take Ozpin away as the voice of conscience driving Oscar to accept his newfound responsibilities and role in the war for humanity, what else is left to motivate Oscar? I was hoping that the next season would cover things like that.

For the most part, I got V6 giving focus to Oscar in his shared story with Ozpin. Awesome sauce. What I didn’t expect, however, is the likeliness of Oscar sharing a link with Salem through Ozpin. That one took me off guard and now that it’s been laid on the table, it’s basically opened up a metaphorical Pandora’s Box of darker potentials for our boy to suffer though this rounds. 

I’m repeating this from an answer post to a question left by @miraculouscorazone​. I’ve had this small headcanon scene in my mind where Oscar has been having trouble sleeping during the journey to Argus due to persistent nightmares of Salem attacking him in his dreams. The farm boy confides this in Ruby, his only friend and the closest thing to someone he can trust in the group since the remaining members of RWBY pretty much didn’t trust Ozpin too well. And by extension, they didn’t trust Oscar either.

So Ruby being Ruby decides to be helpful to Oscar. One night when he feared Salem might attack him again, Ruby agrees to sleepover in his room. At this point in the journey it was just RWBY and Oscar to brave the elements and guard the Relic. The group of five were currently housed in an abandoned house to wade out the worst of an oncoming blizzard that had been following them for the past few days. It’s the first time the group had settled into a place for more than one day so for the time being everyone did the best to make themselves comfortable and remain positive in light of a dismal situation.

While the girls shared one room together, Oscar, as the sole male among them was left to himself. Alone to his mind; void of Ozpin’s guidance and protection as he was constantly tormented by the looming presence of Salem and her insatiable desire to make him steal the Relic for her. The experience had left Oscar practically a severe insomniac with his condition growing worse the more times his paranoia over Salem got to him. It was even starting to affect his reality outside of the dream world. It was not a pretty time for the farm boy. Just picture Oscar’s condition looking worse than Blake’s in RWBY V2 C6. 

This is exactly why Ruby decided to spend the night by Oscar’s side, as her way of helping ease his anxiety. Even if it was just for one night, Ruby spent it remaining very close to Oscar. Originally she just stayed nearby on the couch in Oscar’s room while he slept in his bed. But when the boy woke up screaming again; sweaty, terrified and practically shaking from another nightmare; that’s when Ruby decided that the best way to help Oscar would be to get closer.

So Ruby, being the sympathetic mastermind that she was, hops in bed with Oscar; cradling his exhausted head against her bosom as the two cuddled. It was her next attempt at making him feel secure while providing emotional support.

At first Oscar was very embarrassed by the sudden closeness, having never slept in the same bed with a girl who wasn’t his mother since he was a child.

Still, he was very grateful for Ruby’s kindness and her warmth beside him was more than a welcomed company he appreciated in the moment.  So our two titular smaller, more honest souls settle in for some rest.

It was the start of what Oscar had prayed would be a better night. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Oscar suffers a second horrific nightmare. This time in his dream, he is haunted by a crazed, monstrous Salem who subdues Oscar, pinning him arms down. In his nightmare, Oscar is so traumatized that his own fear rendered him immobilized and exposed to Salem’s torture.

Nightmare Salem then proceeded to wrap her hands around Oscar’s throat and squeeze the life out of him.

As Dream Oscar succumbed to his hypoxia, Oscar is suddenly stirred awake by a pair of arms pulling him roughly off the bed. Though in his dreams, he was the one being strangled; in reality…Oscar had been strangling Ruby the entire time. 

On Ruby’s end, the Silver-Eyed Girl recounted sleeping soundly hugging Oscar before she suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her by the throat. When she realized that the culprit was in fact Oscar, she was too stunned to fight back so all she could do was cry out in pain from strangulation.

Ruby’s screams of restraint alerted her sister Yang and her teammates who immediately came barging into Oscar’s room. The sight they saw was horrifying.

From their perspective, they met Oscar straddling Ruby with his hands clasped firmly around the girl’s neck squeezing tightly as she gasped hoarsely and clawed at his arms under his weight.

As Blake managed to pull Oscar off of Ruby, Weiss and Yang immediately ran to Ruby who had retreated to the floor, coughing and clutching her aching throat, face stained with tears as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

Oscar is…of course mortified by what he had done. He had thought…it was Salem. He thought Salem had attacked him. He didn’t realize. He didn’t mean…Oscar tried to explain himself; tried to apologize.

But the damage had already been done. The instant Oscar made the slightest advance towards Ruby, an infuriated Yang Xiao Long immediately turned on him. Her blood red eyes were ablaze with absolute fury as the huntress snapped at Oscar to not step a foot near her sister.

Weiss seconded this as she herself cradled Ruby in her arms protectively, glaring warningly at Oscar.

Oscar then turned his eyes on Blake. Unlike her teammates, Blake was the only who didn’t appear angry. As a matter of fact, she looked more horrified at Oscar above anything else. Eventually the Faunus’ initial shock dissolved into impassiveness as Blake looked sternly at Oscar. Doing her best to tranquilize the situation, Blake removed Oscar from the room.

Ruby could do nothing more than watch Blake calmly escorted a contrite Oscar, belching one tearful apology to Ruby after another outside. Ruby tried her best to speak up for Oscar---to say something that could help ease him.

But her efforts were made fruitless by her throbbing throat which now appeared bruised and swollen. Weiss and Yang immediately silenced the young girl as they tended to her trauma.

As for Blake. The Faunus girl had managed to pull Oscar as far as Team RWBY’s room. Not that the former farmhand had given her much resistance. He had gone discomfortingly silent since they left his room. Still Blake paid this no heed as she pushed Oscar inside. She warned Oscar to not make the situation worse for himself, implying that if he really cared about Ruby then he would just stay put where he was.

With that, the Faunus left the room to re-join her team at Ruby’s side, closing the door in on a distressed Oscar. The minute Blake left him, Oscar’s knees gave way and he slumped to the floor. The boy did nothing further than just stare blankly at the door, his memories replaying the events of the night in horrific slow-motion as his mind spiralled downward into a dim depression at what he had done---at what she had made him do to one person he cared about.

That’s one scene that played out in my head.

Six Feet From the Edge

 I also have another scene in my head where Oscar succumbs to his negative emotions and runs away.

This takes place during the aftermath of my last scene where Oscar overhears the girls (mainly Weiss and Yang) discussing plans to possibly leave him behind as they continued towards Argus.

It is early morning with sunrise drawing near when RWBY are still huddled together inside Oscar’s room.

Though Yang and Weiss had done a decent first aid on Ruby who sat with her neck covered in bandages; it didn’t help to make light of the situation. The gist is this. Things weren’t looking good for Oscar. While Ruby remained adamant on advocating for the farm boy, her teammates were now more convinced that they just couldn’t trust him.

Given the stunt he pulled. Given everything they discovered about him in respect to Ozpin and Salem---at this point, everyone was on the same page that they couldn’t take Oscar to Atlas with them. They weren’t even sure if he could be trusted the rest of the way to Argus.

He was too much of a liability and the verdict was to leave him behind. Though Ruby did her best to defend on Oscar’s behalf, in the end, she was outvoted by her own team. Oscar was to be left behind.

While the other girls went downstairs to start on breakfast (since no one was tired to sleep given the night before), Ruby was left alone to heal. The Silver Eyed girl sees this as a golden chance to sneak off and check in on Oscar.

Since the event, Yang had practically forbidden her from speaking to the farm boy. So for the most part, Oscar had been left unsupervised for several hours while the others took care of her. This worried Ruby because in all the hysteria, no one catered to check in on Oscar. He was all alone and this left Ruby very concerned for his mental state especially after what happened.

Of course, Ruby finds Oscar gone. She immediately alerts the other girls of this development. At once Yang checks to make sure if the Relic had been taken. Fortunately the Relic was still safe and sound near Ruby’s bed I like the idea of Oscar having an opportunity to steal the Relic but choosing not to.

Like what if…Salem had attempted to take advantage of Oscar’s stress to torment him into stealing the Relic again? Just like last time, Oscar fights against the influence and after overhearing WBY’s decision to leave him behind, he escapes outside.

With the Relic safe, Ruby suggests that the group find Oscar immediately. But to Ruby’s dismay, her teammates didn’t look so keen on wanting to help her find the missing farm boy. Disgusted and ashamed at her friends’ lack of concern for Oscar, Ruby leaves on her own. Before anyone could stop her, Ruby grabs her trademark hood and uses her semblance to zip out the door and into the morning snow to find Oscar.

In my head, Ruby was able to track Oscar thanks to his footprints left in the snow. Long story short, her search brings her to the edge of a frozen lake where Oscar is just sitting; hunched over with his back turned, near its edge…a little too close to the edge for Ruby’s comfort. As Ruby approached the boy slowly, she could hear soft whimpers escape his lips. Oscar had been crying.

I just want Ruby Rose to say four magical words that I believe Oscar really needs to hear from her. And no, it isn’t “I love you, Oscar”. Too early. It’s “I’m here for YOU.”

If Oscar is due for some kind of an emotional breakdown for V6, then I believe what the farm boy would need to hear the most is that someone is on his side.

If I had to guess, part of Oscar’s story this season is going to be him coping with the burdens of being judged and held responsible for all of Ozpin’s past crimes.

Because of this, I’d imagine that Oscar would feel very alone. Like nobody cares about his feelings in all of this or his well-being because everyone just looks to him as Ozpin; not even recognizing that he is his own person completely innocent in the matter. He’ll probably endure a bit of that prejudice from characters like Weiss and Yang; more specifically Yang.

Don’t get me wrong; I like Yang very much as a character. However, as of the events of V5 with the seeds of doubt implanted in her by her mother, I’m now left to believe that she is the one to oppose Ozpin/Oscar the most. 

I think what will be one of Oscar’s biggest fears this season is everyone turning their backs on him and abandoning him. This is why I believe Ozpin wouldn’t be around much. I still think that Ozpin’s resting phase is just as serious as the V5 finale foreshadowed it to be.

I stand by my hunch that Ozpin’s presence may not be as vocal as he was last season. I don’t think he’ll be there to guide Oscar; and without Ozpin to act as a shield against Salem, this leaves Oscar exposed and completely vulnerable to whatever eerie hold the wicked witch had on Oz. 

Through her supposed link with Ozpin, I think Salem will seek to prey on Oscar’s fears and anxieties, making them manifest in haunting nightmares that plague the young man’s psyche. Couple that together with the enormous pressure of Oscar carrying all of Ozpin’s responsibilities and baggage. Combine it with the animosity and distrust he could sense from certain members on the hero team along with his own life being endangered by foes blaming him for the things Ozpin did. Now add a dash of the fact that Oscar is still very premature the whole huntsmen routine.

I doubt the group will have much time for training practice on the voyage to Argus. So this will leave Oscar probably feeling even more like an encumbrance to everyone because he can’t fight. Oh and let’s not forget the small detail from the V6 trailer that Oscar also apparently lost or is at the very least separated from the Oz-cane.

Many fans have pointed out that Oscar didn’t have the trademark weapon. This is strange since everyone else had their weapons. Unless this is some kind of animation error then Oscar will be powerless of the season.

I actually find this sort of peculiar since, they made Oscar inherit the Oz-cane officially in V5 only to lose it in the next volume. What? I think some of Qrow’s misfortune might’ve rubbed off on Oscar because that is unlucky as hell.

So on a long voyage, Oscar is stuck defenceless with no means of fighting on his own in the company of a group of huntsmen where the ratio of people who trust Ozpin and/or believe in his skills are almost zero (with the exception of one). Not to mention that there is some weirdness happening to him caused by a combination of either his link with Ozpin, the Relic of Knowledge or to the farm boy’s dismay, Salem.

All of that is a one fine Molotov cocktail for Oscar to lose his shit and have a meltdown. I’m honestly curious to know if the CRWBY Writers would ever include a moment in RWBY where a character attempts suicide. I mean, we’ve had character be murdered more than once on screen in the show. Would showing a main character having suicidal thoughts due to mental instability be something they would add to the story too?

Since my focal character is Oscar, let’s look at him.

Imagine…Oscar becoming so overcome by his fears at the hands of Salem messing with his mind along with everyone’s mistrust that at some point, he just…decides to end it all.

Picture Oscar being brought to such distraught that for moment…even if it’s just a split second, he contemplates death as a noteworthy means of escape.

Even with RWBY’s more mature themes, I doubt the CRWBY would ever go that far. But since this is a musing, this squiggle meister is free to play around with the concept.

Fellow Pineheads, I apologize for the following angst. Let’s resume the scene I was describing earlier, shall we?

So Ruby finds the runaway Oscar near an icy frozen lake.

Ruby tries to approach the unsuspecting Oscar cautiously. However she accidentally steps on a twig left in the snow; causing the distressed Oscar to turn in the direction of the encroaching intruder. At the sight of Ruby, Oscar jumped to his feet and before Ruby could stop him, the boy dashes onto the ice with Ruby being forced to give chase.

Oscar only managed to make it as far as the middle of the lake before Ruby used her semblance to zip ahead of him blocking his path. Oscar collapsed to the ice.

Ruby offers Oscar her hand to help him up only to wince as he slaps away, instead choose to crawl across the ice as far from Ruby as possible.

Again, Ruby makes an attempt to reach out to Oscar, still determined to help him. However, the instance Ruby’s movements shifted, as if on queue, the ice cracked beneath her feet. Nervously, Ruby cautiously tiptoed away from the damage. She urged Oscar to once more to take her hand, assuring him that she would transport them both to safety with her semblance.

However, for a second time, Oscar refuses Ruby’s hand. He treated away from her, begging her to not come near him. This of course, causes the ice surrounding Oscar to collapse too. If he persisted being as reckless as he was, he was guaranteed to fall to a freezing death.

Ruby was determined not to let that happened. She herself tried not to make much movement, being careful not to spread the damage to her side as she took cautious steps towards Oscar. With her attention going back and forth between Oscar and the deadly ice, Ruby practically begs Oscar to take her hand.

Unfortunately for Ruby, Oscar was far gone at that point. He was so upset that it was painful to watch the state that her friend had succumbed to. Still Ruby kept trying to edge closer to Oscar but the more she tried to help him, the more he retreated away from her.

It was as if he was scared to have her near him. Frightened of what he could do to her if the other evil lurking within him were to suddenly take over again. Oscar didn’t want to hurt her again. He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

At some point, Yang, Blake and Weiss eventually catch up to Ruby. As the three girls came close enough to help, Ruby turned and told them not to come any closer. She didn’t want anything else triggering Oscar as Ruby was certain that her teammates were the last people Oscar wanted help from.

Unfortunately her assumptions proved correct. When Weiss offered to assist Ruby across the ice with her semblance so that she could get to him more effectively but this erupts in Oscar snapping at her.

In a fit of rage and frustration, Oscar reminds Weiss of the way she and the others treated him--- that every ounce of doubt and loathing they’ve expressed towards him and Ozpin over their voyage was warranted. They had every right not to trust Ozpin. They had no right to trust him or even care about him. Everyone wants him to be more like Ozpin and admittedly, Oscar tried.

He gave it his all to be a good successor to Oz but he failed. He tried to brave like Ozpin but he failed. He tried to be powerful like Ozpin but he failed. He tried to be wise like Ozpin but he failed. 

Funnily enough, the only achievement that Oscar was able to mimic from Oz was his failure. Just like Oz, the farm boy unintentionally managed to tear everyone apart, put them all in danger and paint himself to be a snake. So perhaps in a state of irony, Oscar was just like Ozpin after all

So then maybe… if Oscar is just like Ozpin…then perhaps he deserved to be exactly where Ozpin was…

This is the scene I’ve envisioned. A little overdramatic but can anyone else see this happening for Oscar?

Think about it. Having Ozpin in his head and living with the pressures of his past sins is one thing for Oscar. But being tortured and manipulated by Salem from within as well. Being forced to hurt the one person who actually trusted you because of Salem. That’s a lot for one to take especially one so young and fragile like Oscar.

I doubt we’ll get something like this for V6 could you imagine if we did?

As a shameless as I am to admit, I wouldn’t mind if a scene like this does become canon. Why? Because if Oscar does go off the deep end then I believe something like that could inspire Ruby to give one of the most profound and powerful speeches yet.

Picture this, if you will. Imagine…Oscar’s suicidal thoughts push him further and further away; his chances of rescue diminishing as the ice underneath him continues to crumble along with his sanity.

As this happens, Weiss, Yang and Blake are rendered practically incapable of assisting. Even if they wanted to, this would only endanger the emotionally unstable Oscar even further.

This now left Ruby as their only hope.

As for Ruby. The entire time Oscar is talking, the Silver-Eyed huntress has been trying desperately to say something. Because she was still healing from the trauma to her neck, she was finding it difficult to speak much.

But the moment the prospect of suicide actually slipped from Oscar’s lip…that’s when Ruby finally snapped  

Mustering every ounce of resolve she had in her, Ruby dug deep and finally found her voice as she screamed Oscar’s name across the ice in a cry that cut the through the tense moment like a death scythe.

All eyes fell to Ruby, including Oscar’s. At the sound of her voice…for the first time since she’d found him, Oscar finally locked eyes with Ruby, his glossy hazel eyes twinkling with the last inkling of sanity he had left in his tired body.

Spark

Picture…Ruby giving a classic Ruby Rose speech. Picture her telling Oscar that he’s nothing like Ozpin. He’s like her. Every emotion or thought that he’s feeling or has felt, she’s been through it.

He’s a young huntsman who feels like he doesn’t know what he’s doing half the time yet everyone around him trusts him to be the one with the plan because they’re the leader. Ruby has felt that.

People expect him to be like someone who is deceased because they share the same power even though they don’t know anything about said hidden power they’re supposed to master and know how to control. Ruby has feels that all the time being the successor to her mother as the next Silver Eyed Warrior.

Picture…Ruby explaining that the reason she cares so much about Oscar is because she sees so much of herself in him. They are one and the same which is why she wouldn’t let him go through what he’s going through alone. Ruby was blessed enough to have the support of her loved ones to push her through the dark times; which is why she wants to do the same for Oscar. She understands that he must feel the most alone in all of this which is she why wants to be there for him. 

Be everything she can for him. A friend---Best friend even. A trusted confidant. A shoulder to cry on. A partner to train with. A warm body to snuggle next to on those nights he can’t sleep or just someone to talk to in general. She’ll be anything he needs because she wants to be there for him.

Ruby is there for Oscar. Even when his world descends into darkness, she will always be there, standing with her arms outstretched ready to welcome him back into the light. Basically, Ruby will be to Oscar, what Sun was to Blake back during the events of V4. At least that’s what I’m hoping for in their budding friendship.

I want something like this from the new season because I’d like to see Ruby talk to Oscar and reveal that she too has been in the exact same position as him once upon a time.

We’ve all heard that Ruby has always wanted to be a huntress from Yang. But what if…unbeknownst to Yang, there was a time when Ruby actually contemplated not becoming a huntress anymore. She wanted to quit her childhood dream completely when she felt she couldn’t cut it at combat school.

Remember back in V1 when Ruby first met Ozpin, she told him and Glynda that she was, quote, ‘complete garbage’ at being a huntress until Qrow took her under his wing and trained her into the master scythe-wielder she is today.

 What if… during her training days at Signal Academy, Ruby was having a hard time---so much so that she even desired to drop out. Neither her father nor her sister knew of this because at the time she was too ashamed to admit it to anyone, even herself at times. It didn’t take too long for her Uncle Qrow to notice Ruby’s apprehension on her huntress training especially when it began correlating with her frequent absenteeism from school.

Didn’t Qrow once say he used to be a teacher at Signal Academy before resigning? Correct me if I’m wrong. All I can recall is Qrow mentioning that he quit teaching. Not sure if it was at Signal.

But if it was, I’m wondering now if the teaching position Tai Yang currently fills used to belong to Qrow before he decided to work for Ozpin fulltime. Anyways, after Ruby spilled the beans on her struggles at school to her uncle, that’s when Qrow agreed to help her with her training under the condition that she returned to school and finished what she started. It’s a promise Ruby kept and the rest, as we know it, is history. 

I would love for a moment like this to happen or at least something of the liking so that it could lead into heartfelt moments---moments where the remaining members of RWBY can finally understand the unfairness they put Oscar through due to their doubts in Ozpin. Who knows? Perhaps it can even encourage Weiss, Yang and Blake to each reach out and connect to Oscar in their own unique way.

I think that could be quite nice and great for Oscar’s own characterization. Up until this point, Oscar has only been associated with the heroes due to his ties as Ozpin’s successor. Now this season is his chance to develop his own bonds with everyone and really find his own place amongst the team that completely deviates from Ozpin.

Ruby wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t have people to believe in her; not just in honing her abilities but also helping her believe in herself. When she needed it the most, she received a helping hand which is exactly what she can offer to Oscar.  

She will become the light of his life. The spark in his darkness to keep him going. If I had to think of one song that perfectly encompasses how I fell Oscar will soon come to feel about Ruby, it’s definitely the song: Falling in Love by Falling Up.

I strongly believe Oscar is going to fall in love with Ruby and love will most likely become his main driving force in this fight against Salem. Sure he has his responsibilities as an Ozpin. But it most consists of things that Ozpin wants to fight for. But Oscar, what does Oscar want to fight for? Who does Oscar want to fight for? Who does Oscar want to protect above anything else that he will be willing to put his life on the line for such a cause?

Love is one of the aforementioned themes highlighted in Salem’s monologue during the V6 trailer. Can fans expect love to be a prominent element in Oscar’s development for the new season? Who knows?

To conclude my scene imagination, eventually Ruby talks Oscar out of his attempted suicide and the two share an embrace with Oscar pouring his eyes out and asking Ruby why she cared so much about him.

To my fellow Potter heads in the FNDM community, remember how in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, when Jacob Kowalski asked Newt Scamander why he kept him in his company throughout their adventure, Newt’s honest response was: “…Because I like you. Because you’re my friend.”

I want Ruby to say something like that to Oscar. I just want Oscar to ask Ruby why she even cares about him and her honest to God answer is just simply: because she likes Oscar and because he has become one of the people she values above herself and will give her all to protect. Oscar is her friend.

This response actually makes Oscar crack a smile, the first smile he’s had in a long while. Ruby and Oscar then return to their house together.

That night, for a second time, Ruby stays by Oscar’s side again. She doesn’t cuddle with him this time, respecting the boy’s wishes to not have her sleep so close to him again since he was still feeling the guilt of what happened last time. Ruby does offer Oscar her hand though.

She also keeps repeating the phrase ‘you and me’ to Oscar. No matter what happens, it’s Ruby and Oscar against the world even if the others say otherwise. This then prompts Oscar to ask Ruby what they were together to which Ruby replies that they are just two smaller more honest souls forced with a lot of responsibility. That being said, she assures Oscar that in spite of this, everything should be ok since they have each other.

With that, the two rest. The next morning, Ruby awakens to discover Oscar snuggling next to her. Apparently her hand wasn’t enough to suffice and he has subconsciously nudged himself closer to her during the night. Now the farm boy slept almost face to face to Ruby, her hand hugged against his freckled cheek as if clinging to it as his last lifeline and source of comfort from a tiresome suffering. But for the most part, to Ruby’s relief, it was the first night Oscar had slept soundly through without a single nightmare.

The notion I had here was for Oscar’s nightmares with Salem to be symbolic of his anxiety. Perhaps what us fans saw in the V6 trailer was only a ruse and there is no psychic link with Salem. Perhaps Salem’s manifestation inside Oscar’s head is just his fears taking her shape inside his mind because she is his qualms and negative emotions personified.

But after Ruby reassured him that she was going to stand by him no matter what, he no longer felt such trepidation. Now that Oscar knew he had someone, the young man felt secure. Befriended and loved. At peace within himself at long last.

That’s the idea.  

Rebirthing

Transformation is a theme that represents everything about Oscar. Oscar is currently fourteen-years old. In most media I’ve indulged in, fourteen years is often the set age in a coming of age story. Not only is Oscar a young boy (the first young boy character in a lead role in RWBY, mind you) on the cusp of manhood. But he is also on the cusp of becoming an Ozpin. Strangely enough, one can even tie the symbolism of Oscar merging with Ozpin to him growing from a boy into a man. A child becoming an adult.

It’s why I liked the concept of frogs being the perfect favoured animal to represent Oscar. According to @nykamito, frogs symbolize transformation.

That being said, I think V6 could be Oscar’s coming of age story or at least, the final chapter in the story that began for him since the fourth season. RWBY Theorist @greekgeekgoddess made a point about the V6 trailer alluding to Oscar’s inevitable fusion with Ozpin. I actually thought the merging of the two souls process wasn’t going to occur until a later volume after the dynamic between Oscar and Ozpin was more established.

However, if GGG’s theory is proven correct and the CRWBY Writers do plan on tackling the merging in V6 then I honestly wouldn’t mind this at all.

As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it’s kind of fitting. If there was one thing I’ve been anticipating for the sixth season is that its plot provides a proper conclusion to Oscar’s story. I did say once that Oscar’s story started in Mistral so therefore, before the gang depart for Atlas, his part of Mistral storyline should wrap up while it’s still in that kingdom, if that makes sense.

Though not confirmed by the CRWBY, I’m assuming that Argus is a town in the Northern side of Anima which is nearest to the continent of Solitas. So my guess is that the gang will be heading to Argus in order to rendezvous with a transport that can take them all the way to Atlas via airship. That makes more sense in my head than the group just taking a train all the way to Atlas when continental transportation via train hasn’t been recognized in the World of Remnant. 

So for V6, the group are still in Mistral making V6 the aforementioned final chapter in the Mistral Arc and the opening prologue to the Atlas Arc.

I figured the last chapter in Oscar’s story in Mistral would’ve more involved him getting one last chance to be with his family and give a proper send off to his lifestyle back home on the farm as our veteran farm boy finally comes to accept his role as both a huntsman and an Ozpin.

I just never pegged his transformation to come this soon. But y’know what, if it does happen that way it’s not an issue for me. Since part of Oscar’s fate is to eventually merge with Ozpin and the two become one complete being then…why prolong that for several seasons?

At least this way, if Oscar is reborn as the Wizard in V6, there won’t be this impending tension in the air for his inevitable fate from the fandom. If Oscar goes through the change this volume and comes out as a new version of himself, imbued with Ozpin’s past memories, wisdom and power but is still very much the Oscar Pine we all know and love at heart, then I’ll be fine with this.

The compelling part would be watching the transformation process take place, and witnessing first-hand what that involves for an incarnation of Ozpin. Somehow I’m foreseeing part of Oscar’s struggle this season being him growing through all these changes in his body, more psychologically than physically and without Oz being present to shed light on what’s happening to him, this only serves to make the young man more confused and traumatized. Not to mention that I can also foresee Oscar heavily resisting this change.

After all, I wouldn’t be surprised if Oscar would be resistant on merging with Ozpin, not only out of the mistrust the old wizard has garnered from other characters but additionally Oscar himself. You cannot tell me that Oscar will be totally cool with Oz after what he did at Haven. I doubt that.

For me, I anticipate Oscar’s involvement in the plot revolving mostly around his internal struggles with Ozpin; learning the truth about his true nature---learning about his past, understanding his connection to Salem and then coming to terms with all that. I do believe the final outcome will portray Oscar coming out of this ordeal as a much stronger and more well-rounded character than he was for the past two seasons.

V6 is the chance for the CRWBY Writers to truly flesh out Oscar’s character, filling in all those missing details about him that the Pineheads want to see while giving us a character journey that truly transforms him for the better. Not sure how they’ll accomplish all that in the span of only fourteen episodes while juggling other character plots but we’ll see what goes down when the season starts.

If the merging occurs this season, then one thing that I’m taking from it is that, this could spell the last time Ozpinheads fans get to hear Shannon McCormick voice Ozpin outside of RWBY Chibi. When Oz finally merges with Oscar, his presence will officially cease to exist and it will be Oscar left to carry on his legacy and finish his story for good by accomplishing what he and the other Ozpins were unable to achieve.

When the transformation is complete, the mantle of Ozpin will be passed onto Oscar. If this happens then I hope we

get a passing of the torch type of scene where Oscar meets the previous Ozpin in his mind. Who knows? Maybe Oscar will get to meet all the past Ozpins including the Original.

The CRWBY Writers did acknowledge that all the past Ozpins had names so perhaps we can learn them this volume.

If I had to imagine a scene such as this, then I can picture it being similar to Legend of Korra when Korra met Aang for the first time and got to see all the past Avatars before her. 

Picture Oscar surrounded by all the past incarnations of Ozpin, all looking to him with proud smiles. One by one each of the past Ozpins speak to Oscar but as one spoke, they changed into the next Ozpin in the cycle like a domino effect where each incarnate got to say a part of a message left to Oscar. Eventually it came down the line to the most recent and recognized version of Ozpin---the Headmaster of Beacon.

He was the last to speak to Oscar before he changed into the Original Ozpin. Placing his hands on Oscar’s shoulders, Ozpin the First greets the boy with a smile. He tells Oscar of how proud he and the others were of his growth and maturation throughout his development for V6. And now, because of this, the old wizard knows that he can alas join with him as the boy is now ready.

Oscar is ready to become the Wizard and with that…he and Ozpin fuse and become one.

Remember the point I made earlier about wanting a scene where Oscar calls his aunt in the finale episode? If we do get Oscar calling his aunt in the first episode before the departure to Argus then there will need to be a parallel of it in the finale episode if possible or at least before the heroes head for Atlas officially.

This hasn’t been done yet for a volume but I’d love for a voiceover monologue done by Oscar for a season finale. Thus far, we’ve had mostly Salem and Ruby. If Oscar and Ozpin are the key characters in V6 then they gotta do a voice over monologue with Oscar and Ozpin. They just gotta.

Visualize it with me. A finale scene where Oscar calls home to his family from Argus. He leaves them a long heartfelt message describing his journey with the huntsmen for V6; all the struggles he’s faced and how the whole event has changed him as a person.

Oscar then concludes the message by calling back to what his aunt told him about her worrying that he might be a completely different person with Oscar revealing that he has changed but he assures his aunt that the person he is now is definitely someone that she can be proud of or something along those lines.

The way I’m imagining this scene is that we just hear Oscar talking but we never see him until after the call. The scene then ends with Ruby coming to find Oscar again, announcing that the airship had arrived to take everyone safely to Atlas. We then get Ruby asking Oscar if he’s all set to go.

With a smile, Oscar replies with a confidant, “Yeah, I’m ready” as the camera pans out to reveal him fully clad in his new official huntsman attire to finally replace his farm boy threads.

If V6 is going to focus on Oscar’s story and him coming into his newfound role and self as an Ozpin then what fitting way to end the season for us Pineheads than to have the reveal of Oscar’s huntsman outfit. Please CRWBY! I really, really, REALLY want this to happen now. I want my boi looking fresh and fine for the Atlas Arc.

I honestly think that V6 could end with the reveal of Oscar in his new threads and new attitude as he is finally the Wizard---the culmination of both Oscar and Ozpin.

This is the change that Ozpin was alluding to last season. 

The change being Oscar. Oscar will become the new Ozpin but not in a way that suggests that Ozpin completely takes over Oscar. On the contrary, I believe the two will be more in sync than they have ever been before. He’s still very much Oscar but there’s also Ozpin within him as well.

The old Ozpin we once knew will be gone now but he will live on inside of Oscar. The two are one after all. Complete and at long last, the Wizard is finally here.

 To conclude…

Alrighty, so I’m definitely jumping the gun on a lot of stuff here. I could be completely wrong about all of this but y’know what, who cares? These are Oscar-centric theories that this squiggle meister really, REALLY wanted to share before V6 premieres this weekend. If any of these somehow manage to be canon for the new season, then more power to the CRWBY.

On a different note, @parrot-with-a-mohawk, I know I promised for my response to your musing to be my fiftieth theory post. However with all the hype surrounding Oscar after the V6 trailer drop, I needed to channel all my Pinehead thoughts into one final post about the precious as gold freckled farm boy before the new season. At least now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I can now resume focus on yours which will be up next.

In the meantime, as always, I hope everyone enjoys this post; specially my fellow Pineheads. I’d love to hear what you guys think about some of the ideas mentioned in my post. Please let me know your thoughts about my thoughts if you can and as always, see you fellow FNDM fam in my next RWBY Musing.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

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