#anyways! everyone needs to read sdc!

[makiswirl]

can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest

like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!

[twistedpink]

Hi!! I’ve been reading your stuff for a while now and I absolutely love it so I was so happy when I read requests were open! I think you might’ve written a little about this before but I really would love to see a post of Ruggie with a Pomefiore or even royalty reader. It’s a dynamic I’m a sucker for 🙏

SHUT UP THIS IS ALL I READ???? Same brain activity vro

Sneaking boyfriend!Ruggie in during the SDC training camp >>>

You can’t bear the thought of spending the night without your poor, sweet boyfriend :( Your roommate transferred in the beginning of the year, and you were so anxious to be alone at night.. When you confided in Ruggie, he unofficially moved in! He can’t bring any keepsakes of his own, (Rook is very fond of pop-ins) but it’s much more convenient than sneaking past his roomies. He’s used to waking up early anyways, and it was perfect. Until it wasn’t.

Boyfriend!Ruggie that sneaks into your second floor room to snuggle <33 (you’re not allowed to call him out for clinging) Don’t worry your pretty little head! Your job is just acting clueless when Epel complains about “those darn raccoons”, but you’re starting to get some looks at breakfast from the housewarden..

When the heartslabyul freshmen get paralyzed, you start fearing for Ruggie’s life! What if he gets burned, or poisoned, or boobytrapped?? This Shakespeare shtick needs to end, it’s not like Vil can make an exception if he doesn’t know the guy.. You’d be humiliated making excuses for your partner in crime, so he’s sleeping in the doghouse :( his own bed

He damn near lures you into the woods for some loving in between classes and practice, so you’re sure Rook has some idea of what’s up, but he hasn’t called you out yet,, Jamil let’s you know about some stray fur on your uniform, and it feels like the world is ending when Vil stares you down and the other guys follow suit :/ But, he dissolves the situation with a quick “Everyone has their own ways to relieve stress. Clean up and get back to lunch, potatoes.”

You’d never expected Vil of all people to be complacent in your relationship, but so long as Ruggie’s not strung up on the roof neither of you complain.. Ace is much more spirited in his anti-savanaclaw jokes, and you finally realize they’ve all known. The ENTIRE time. The next morning, you let Ruggie sleep in while you head off for morning practice, and he hugs you extra tight before you leave. One day you’ll introduce him to your little “family”, but for now you’re both content with “sneaking around” <3

[rzyraffek]

I never wrote stuff about jjba but i just watched 20episodes of SDC in row and i really need to write something!! Just sfw dating headcanons with Dio, Polnareff, Kakyoin, Avdol.

They/them, sfw, no spoilers and Request open

Dating headcanons with JoJo characters

Dio Brando from part 1

O my god, this guy whole personality is hating jojo, so prepare for him mumbling about how much he hates him a lot

S/o is his and everyones has to know, especially jojo, omg if Dio menages to make jojo jealous he will be so satisfied!

Totally has his hand on s/o evertime they go outside.

Wont turn s/o into vampire, he likes to have control over them

Probably drinks their blood, at start he probably doesn't know s/o limit so he ends up drinking a bit too much of it. If they pass out, he won't apologise but he try to drink from other people for a while.... but s/o blood is the best!

Dio Brando from part3

Much more manipulative and calm

He knows they can't run away, hah he's sure s/o won't even try to run away anyways

Totally has special room for them and anything that they need. Of course if s/o behave

Prepare for lots of headpats, praise, petplay???idk??, totally loves when s/o sits on his lap, also plays with their hair

Loves when s/o takes care of him, yeah he regenerates, and he has bunch of people who will do whatever he wants them do to. But-oh when they check his wounds or brush his hair when he wakes up, or seem genuinely worried about him.... Dio finds it cute, charming, thats why he loves them

He doesnt plan on harming his darling, he has enough of people around him to punish so he deosnt really need to get it all out on them. Unless s/o tried to escape or was rude

Also sadly he kinda ignores the word 'no' or just simply manipulates them into thinking that he is right

Jean Pierre Polnareff

Does a lot of dumb stuff to impress them!!

Gives s/o haircare advices and recomends good products!

Loves to just sit next to eachother and do skin-care stuff, and just talk about some dramas

Polnareff really enjoys watching corny movies with s/o, then falling asleep in middle of movie so he can wake up cuddled up next to them (or when s/o falls alseep first he will turn into pillow)

Silver Chairot adores you too

He is totally planing on asking them to visit France and his home city with him!

Teaches them few french words

Kakyoin

Gaming till 4am

If s/o is a gamer like him, he will spend hours talking about favorite games, characters ect

If s/o never played any games its okay! He will teach them!

He gets very nervous when they sit next to each other on bed

Incredeably antisocial so probably struggles with expressing his emotions and gets shy

Asks jotaro for advice (not the best person to ask about relationships lol)

Avdol

My guy would spend whole day just reading tarrot cards for them if they ask him to lol

He loves meditating too probably

Will totally play board games with them

Also cooking dates are amazing, when both of you have never baked before or just suck at it

Great at giving advices

[yuufujimaru]

Hiya mate! Thanks for writing this series! I must have read it a whole number of times already that I'm inspired to write my own take on it, with Yuu being an artist/arts kiddo and him having a particularly strong bond with both Heartslaybul and Pomefiore. And a few details from Hogwarts legacy. Heheh.

Anyways, any thoughts on how Yuu and his new batch of Ramshackle students would feel about being dragged into V/SDC 2 in whatever shape or form? Especially since I won't deny feeling slightly disappointed there wasn't a bigger ref to the SDC ramshackle found themselves in in your first fic.

Looking forward to seeing that new chapter being uploaded in the meantime! Cheers!

OMG! So late! Sorry!

Anyways!

OMG, YOUR SO SWEET! THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL WORDS!!!

As for that version of Yuu...

He would be cynical of art for sure, seeing that whole art culture as bullshit and how you should make what you want for your own pleasure and desire. He also doesn't care about gendered roles, he likes to wear makeup and be pretty so he would be down to play a women's role if need be if the other's don't want to because Hermione is Hermione and Luna...well she could, but she needs to be trained in how to act, sing and dance and honey, they don't have that kind of time in order to be in time for VDC.

For what they would do, Yuu would totally take advantage of the fact he has a multicultural background from another world and use it to his advantage. He would either sing a version of Genshin's La Vaguelette, Divine Damsel of Devasation or Signora's Battle Theme. Ramshackle would for sure be the main dorm to represent NRC because Yuu has a plethora of ideas that no one else has and he is the only one that can do them in the limited amount of time they have because ngl, he forgot about VDC!

He would most def use everyone he is able to use to be able to make something so amazing that they have no chance of being beat. And if they are beaten...

He's not afraid to throw hands with people.

At all.

As for me not referencing it in the last story...the new one is a different story *heh* all together.

Anyways, hopes this help! If you have more questions feel free to message me here on tumblr!!

[phantomthiefjeanne]

Hot Meta Take: For all its flaws, you can’t deny that The Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross/Shinshi Doumei Cross is really well-plotted and -paced.

The 1st chapter is WEIRD. You’re immediately thrown into this high school setting that’s so out there it’s practically otherworldly; they make the hierarchies in Hana Yori Dango seem tame and realistic. The main character randomly yells ‘you should fall in love with me!’ to the male lead before these few introductory pages are even over, and though her feelings have been pretty clear thus far, it’s a pretty high emotional jumping point to start a 12 volume romance at. How did we get here, for the little details that we’re given about her and Shizumasa’s history to mean so much to her? The immediate answers that we’re given in these first chapters seem shallow at best and nonsensical at worse amidst all of Haine’s screentone-heavy monologuing over her immediate, fluttery feeeeelings rather than the rationales justifying them.

But then!!!

But then, more complex answers are drawn out, and these answers always come at a strategically impactful time. A point that still stays with me after all this time is Haine later explaining that her out of the blue confession in that first chapter was spurned out of a ‘wager’ she’d made with herself: if she found ‘Shizumasa’ in the hanging gardens after all, as the closest match around to the magical garden he’d written about as a child, it meant that he was still the boy whose writing she fell in love with way back when. Her desperate-seeming confession morphs into the second line of a reciprocal couplet, the answer to the riddle Takanari had inadvertently sent out to the world when he’d mentioned the Garden (as if he was waiting there for this response, like a princess in a tower), so that her boldness no longer comes off as one-sided as it originally did. Obviously, it was never one-sided on actual-Shizumasa’s part, since he did explicitly tell her to come find him after all. But now we have Takanari, being returned feelings that he didn’t realize he’d had in the first place.

(And I can write a whole book on how, while Haine is presented as the Cinderella of the story, we see here that it’s actually Takanari who’s put on a disguise to charm a prince(ss) before the clock strikes midnight. The picture book and the garden are his glass slippers, letting Haine trace her feelings back to him, so that she can see past the evil stepbrother twin, Shizumasa, trying to step into Takanari’s shoes. Through the picture book, and the garden wager, she’s able to find the right one after all; it just took a few extra years of searching after the ball.)

Through elaborations like this one, or the “Can I fall in love with you?” flashback to Shizumasa we get elsewhere too, Haine’s cutesy confession becomes deeper, and less of a throwaway line, strengthening Haine as a character. Before, you really think she’s just silly/impulsive enough to blurt out her feelings like this, which might be true, but this ‘wager’ really is complex and matches the high EQ Haine herself explicitly states she has. It’s also a huge sucker punch to Takanari at just the right time: for him to realize it was truly HIM, the boy who wrote the storybook, Haine was confessing to all along.

“You should fall in love with me,” Haine said in that first chapter, but it’s only as him AND us readers reflect back on this way later in volume 3 that we actually do fall in love with her: her feelings and even her general personality actually run deeper than this line would initially suggest. A lesser series would have revealed its hand too early and bogged this first chapter down by including Haine’s way convoluted reasoning for this wager, or ultimately explained her original train of thought at a less resonant point in the story.

Withholding information and dramatic flashbacks aren’t necessarily rare occurrences in shoujo or the Asian dramas SDC shares so many of its tropes with a lot of the times these devices are used for evil rather than good, but I think it IS a rare treat to see such an affecting and satisfying payoff, like we do here. No line goes to waste over here at SDC; everything is essential, no matter how ridiculous it all is, and unlike, say, Sakura Hime, it actually pays off later.

[accio-victuuri]

I know I already had that monday-cpn post but I missed this. and the more I looked at it, the more I go.. Wait... 👀

for turtles only. if you don’t know what that is or you know but hate cpn then stay away. ⛔️

Let’s go back to this post. shared at 19:00. had that caption that talks about galaxy and then front and center is him with a flower that looks a lot like Web’s daisy + star necklace. So now what? I wanna talk about the photos/poses that were repeated.

specifically the hand. you know how this goes. bxgs are comparing it to yibo’s. We can’t confirm what exact date this press con was done and at the time, GG was on Ninja Mode. I remember someone posting back in 2020 of a car that was allegedly GG’s and that he was leaving from this press con but I can’t remember if it was around Aug. I also reviewed my 2020 timeline and reading that month, there were some shady things/cpn going on between them. GG being close to where SDC was recording. GG in an office that looks suspiciously similar to one Web had a photoshoot in etc. I’m also thinking about the Luoyang press con where the popular cpn is GG went with him. So this is probably not a new thing? The tagging along in each other’s workplace.

Anyway, the hand/finger:

Is it just me or is this person making a finger heart sign? We know they love to shoot finger hearts and guns at each other. not even in character. just the two of them doing it with everyone watching, so the CPN brain is really acting up. Doing their signature finger gun will be too obvious soooo. See for yourself. I love and hate CPNs like this cause it depends on the person who’s looking. None of us can confirm and it’s just your gut feeling that’s telling you something is up. Now I’m all the more convinced his team released these photo set for a reason. Wuji Anniversary indeed. 🤍

EDIT: whoever this person also seems to have the same prominent vein in their arm like Yibo’s. 👀

NOTE: This is all CPN, feel free to not buy it or whatever. No need to feel dumb or out of the loop if this doesn’t make sense. It could be they chose it cause it’s a good and creative shot. Who knows. ✌🏼It’s all fun and just taking little clues, some people are more sensitive to it than others, especially if you know the backstory or timeline.

[harusaki-hugo]

May i request sdc crew having kokomi! S/o from genshin impact? (S/o has same personality,powers and maybe looks as kokomi)

I know you ask for SDC crew but I only manage to write HC only for Jotaro , kakyoin and Polnareff.

First Meeting: You are the Divine Priestess of Sangonomiya temple ,known by your power to heal people as well as you also one of the leader in a secret foundation call as Speedwagon Foundation. Being the war adviser and the head research of Stand Arrow , all of foundation know who you are. Everyone repect you , praise you and even state that the foundation is still standing thanks to you. Of course , being the closed one to the founder himself , Joseph Joestar curious about you. So , when he know his daughter curse , you are the first one he seek for help , begging to lift the DIO curse. With one glance at Holy condaction you give Joseph a bitter smile , stating that the only way to lift the curse are by destroying the curse himself. You then offer him your help , stating that you will join them in the adventure. 

Kujo Jotaro: 

Like always the first one to object this decision . Saying that he not need someone who weak. But you just join them ignoring Jotaro with a smile , yet he can see something else in that smile.

Jotaro is not the one who look only by look and yet when his eyes land on you , his heart skip a beat but only for a second before he back to his cold and empty heart. 

It’s just a look nothing more , no matter how stunning you look or alluring you are...Okay , first at all , how dare you being this wonderful and cute ,you look excatly like mermaid/merman/merperson he dream when he still a kid.

He didn’t show it he become overprotective of you when you almost get hit by some creep in front of convineon store. He just protect you since you weak , okay?

The first time he see your power are after him fighting with Two-blade Polnareff . Without even wavering or worrying , you lead him to victory. He don’t know how but he just unconciously follow you lead, now he realize how worthy is you.

After the fight you stand in front of him holding your hand out , he thought that you are helping him up so he almost slap you hand away when a small fish made by water appear on your palm . He watch the fish with curious eyes , seeing it swiming closer to him before it explode dranching him whole. 

He grit his teeth ready to yell at you when his wound start to heal. Right , a healer . At least that fish is cute tho , like the owner.

Let’s just say when you guys finally get together , with Joseph help of course , Jotaro change a bit , just a bit , he call you by scienetific marine pet name. You see this is the real life beauty and the beast , which another Joseph joke , at least Kakyoin is supportive tho.. 

When he see you able to walk on water , let’s just say he question his sanity but never his love , he still love you even tho he almost mutter the ‘jesus?’ joke in front of you.

N.Kakyoin

Love at first sight. 

Quite worry about letting you join this adventure , since you look so fragile and soft and beautiful/handsome. Already create a plan of protecting you from enemy , one of it by stick close to you.

Totally adore your two tone color hair and your eyes , boldly compliment it earning a small blush on your face which he totally over the moon when he see it.

He always see you reading some kind of book , when he ask you about it you offer him to stay with you so you two can read it together. It feel like date. 

When he first see your power are on N’dol fight , i mean , he not really can see it, he can feel it cause you know his eyes ...anyway , he can hear your soft voice telling him it going to be okay and then he feel it , a warm sensation and calmness wash over him. 

When you ask him to open his eyes , he do it after a second of hesitation , he is shock when he see you hover above him with his head on your lap. A school of fish swim around you two acting as barrier while you heal him.

“..What a beautiful angel.” He mutter before fall unconcious , which is awkward but kinda sweet.

The first one who confessed. 

J.P.Polnareff

Instant flirting when he see you for the first time.

Even if he under DIO bud control he never try to attack you when you alone , since you look so fragile in his eyes , he vow to make sure nothing can hurt you not even DIO.

A real knight in shining armor , when he join the gang , he stay true to himself , protecting you from every Stand attack.

So that why when he under Anubis infulend , he force himself , with a bit of his sanity he will not attack you. Which is impressing you and Jotaro.

When he first experience your power , he melted , like really , he cry saying that an angel come to save him.

[polnareffenjoyer]

Uh unsure how many characters you’re willing to write for but can I have the SDC crew reacting to seeing their crush’s sketchbook filled with drawings and silly comics of them? On the case you do have a limit on how many, then I’m fine with either Polnareff, Kakoyin, Jotaro or Avdol (who can pick whoever if you want to!) Hope you’re having a lovely day!💕💕

This is such a cute idea anon, hope you like it. Also I don't really have a character limit, I wanted to do all of the crusaders but then I got tired and it already took me such a long time to finish it and ahhh. Sorry for all the grammatical errors, English is not my first language and it's already so late when I'm finishing it and it's just bleh. I hope you like it anyways, sending much love to you anon! ♥️

Stardust Crusaders finding their crushes' sketchbook

Jotaro Kujo

He notices that you've been spending most of your free time drawing in that sketchbook of yours. Truth be told, it bothers him a lot. Jotaro has had a big fat crush on you for a while now, and he secretly longs for your company. He can't admit that tho, he has a hard ass bad boy reputation to maintain after all. What would people say if the saw him all flustered for a girl? The fact that you would rather sit by yourself and draw than be around him and the others bugs him. So one day, when you're busy with something else, he takes your beloved sketchbook and decides to see what's in there. He knows he's being creepy, but he couldn't care less. Just trying to get to know you better, without actually talking to you. Exactly.

He's very flustered but would rather die than admit it. Has read through all of it, admiring every single little drawing. After he's done, he'll just put it back where he found it, it the exact same place just so you don't notice someone has been messing with it. You probably have no idea he had seen your sketchbook at first, but you surely notice the blush dusting his cheeks whenever he speaks to you from that day on. Probably avoids you for a little while because he's so flustered.

The rest of the crew also notices something is off, Jotaro is always lost in thoughts and smokes more frequently. He can't keep himself from thinking about those cute drawings of yours, reading through your comics was a true delight. It fills him with glee to know that HE, among all of the crusaders, is the one who's the main character in your stories. It makes him giddy on the inside.

His secret eventually comes to light one night, he accidentally admits to having read through your comics while a late night talk between the whole group. While you were talking, Kakyoin had brought up the topic of your sketchbook. Now it's your turn to be embarassed, blushing crimson while trying to get as much information out of him as possible. How much did he see? Did he read through ALL OF THEM?

The rest of the crusaders are shocked at first, but quickly they start to laugh at the scene. Jotaro is reluctant to give any information, but he eventually tells you that yes, indeed, he's seen EVERYTHING. However, doesn't admit what the content of the sketchbook really is. Despite everything, he would never embarass you like that.

After everyone goes to sleep, you catch Jotaro before he has a chance to fall asleep, lying on his sleeping bag while looking at the night sky. You want to apologize, say anything, just to talk to him, but you're unable to find right words. He just sighs.

"Yare yare daze, there's no need to be embarassed [Y/N], I'm not mad"

Your eyes light up at his words. You want to say something, anything, thank him, but before you get a chance to do so, Jotaro's deep voice cuts you off.

"To be honest, I think your drawings are amazing. I really liked them" you notice his face is slightly tinted red from underneath his cap "But if you wanted me to model for you, you could've just said so"

With that, he rolls over and away from you. Completely baboozled, you roll over as well and try to sleep, or at least pretend to be asleep. Honestly, neither of you had slept much that night.

Kakyoin Noriaki

Kakyoin had a thing for you since you joined the crusaders, and your sketchbook is probably the very first thing he had noticed about you. He's always been interested in art, his parents had signed him up to numerous art courses and whatnot through his life. He's always loved drawing and painting, using it as an escape from his daily problems, and seeing that you two might have something in common makes him incredibly happy, especially since he has feelings for you.

He'll try to approach you about your sketchbook very subtely, afraid that he might scare you away by being too pushy. Of course you get extremely flustered everytime he brings it up, but it doesn't discourage him. Kakyoin respects your boundaries and understands that you might not be ready to show him your drawings yet. Despite that, he's always willing to share his knowledge with you. He'll give you advices about proper shading while you two are waiting in the hotel lobby for the rest of the group to finish up picking rooms. During a long car ride, he'll talk to you about his favourite artists. If you want him to show you how to put certain shading techniques into practice, he'll be more than happy to do so. He'll just pick a random piece of paper and start drawing on it, you might want to lean in closer and maybe put your head on his shoulder to get a better look? He has no objections! Just sayin.

When he eventually gets to see your sketchbook, this man is so honored! He didn't mean to look, at first he though it was just some book lying around and wanted to take a look inside, out off boredom. Once he realizes what he's reading at, his face flushes with crimson. Your sketchbook is filled with sketches of him? This whole time you were actually drawing him, out of all people? He couldn't be more grateful that no one else was around, if someone saw him reading through your comics with this stupid smile on his face and red cheeks, they would've though he went mad.

Kakyoin wastes no time trying to find you. For a moment, he thinks that perhaps he should've waited a bit, just to get you alone and not embarass you infront of the whole crew. He can't think straight though, his mind filled with your cute little drawings, with his face drawn with black pen over and over again. With glee, he notes that you had used the very techniques he had told you about earlier. If you had drawn him so many times, does it mean that you have a crush on him too? It's too good to be true.

"[Y/N]! Can I talk with you for a minute?"

He goes to confront you immediately. Others give him a puzzled look, but he couldn't care less. He grabs your arms and leads you away.

"Don't be mad [Y/N], but I've seen your sketchbook and I have to say, I think your art is beyond amazing!"

You're at loss of words, your face red and you could swear that you've never felt so embarassed in your whole entire life. However, his reaction is making you feel a bit better. He's not mad, nor is he making fun of you. If anything, he seems enamoured.

"Please, [Y/N], we should draw together! Maybe next time we have a chance, I should paint your portrait?"

Despite the awkwardness, the whole situation turns out amazing in the end. How he's sure you must have feelings for him, and it makes him incredibly happy, hoping that one day, after your crusade is done, he'll get a chance to repay you and make that promised portrait.

Muhammad Avdol

With everything that's been happening lately, Avdol gets a little bit distracted from you. Before he would steal glances your way all the time, watching with curiosity as you would draw something in your sketchbook. Recently, he's been too busy fighting enemy stand users and... well, trying not to die. He still cares about you a lot and watches over you during fights, ready to shield you from danger with his own body, if it's what it takes to keep you safe.

It probably happens because of a mishap. While you are deciding on your rooming, you leave your sketchbook lying next to Avdol's things and go to the bathroom. After he's done helping Joseph with translating and getting everything done, he goes back and assumes that it's just one of his books that has fallen out of the bag. Not thinking much of it, he picks it up and leaves with Mrs Joestar to settle in their shared room.

You can imagine the panic and shock that nearly paralyzes you once you notice that your beloved sketchbook is gone, nowhere to be seen, reduced to atoms! You begin to look around frantically, looking under the furniture while sweating profusely. Other quests give you weird looks, but you don't even notice them staring. Polnareff is one of them, he asks if you're okay and tries to calm you down, but to no avail. After he leaves, you try to focus really hard and try to remember - when did you see it last time? It was on that chair for sure when you left. God, you can only pray that it doesn't end up in Avdol's hands somehow...

Meanwhile, Avdol is getting ready for shower and goes through his bag. He notices the book he picked up from the lobby isn't even a book, but a sketchbook! Now he's sure he must've picked it up by mistake, he decides it would be best to put it down and not look through it. It's someone's very personal art after all, it would be very disrespectful to - wait a damn minute, is that HIM?

Long story short, he goes through a good portion of your drawings before Joseph comes out of the shower and gives him a puzzled look, seeing how his eyes are literally shinning with adoration. He puts your sketchbook back into his bag, acting as if nothing happened and continues on with his nightly routine. Later on, when Joseph is already fast asleep, he contemplates about whether or not he should go to your room right now and ask about the sketchbook he had found. He's already suspecting it's yours, whose else would it be? He has seen you drawing often, could it be that you returned his feelings and had spent your time sketching him? Ultimately, he decides to wait until tomorrow to find out.

The very next day, he knocks on your door early in the morning. It startles you awake, running up to your door to look through a peephole, seeing a muscular man on the other side. Sighing heavily, you unlock the door and open it just a little bit.

"Excuse my intrusion, [Y/N], but I have found something that I think belongs to you."

Now that's embarassing. You see your sketchbook in his hand, a wide, knowing smile on his face. He knows it's yours. All it took is one look at your stupid red face to figure it out. God, he can read you like an open book, can't he? While you reach out to take it from him, your fingers touch just slightly.

"Don't worry, I swear I won't tell anyone about this" she winked at you, which almost made you gasp "If anything, I think I should maybe pose for you in private? So you can get a better look? You should think about it..."

Who would've thought this man could be such a flirt sometimes...

Jean Pierre Polnareff

You better watch out, because if this man has a crush on you, you bet he would go above and beyond to find out what's inside that sketchbook. I'm not joking. He forgets what personal space is, he's even worse that Jotaro, because while JoJo would make sure to be sneaky, Polnareff wouldn't even bother. He'll try to catch a sneak peak by looking over your shoulder while you're drawing, constantly asking you questions about art related things, everything always leading to your sketchbook.

He wants to know what's inside. Simple as that. You're like an enigma to him, I feel like all women are mysteries to him and he always works towards finding out what their secrets are. You are especially interesting to him, because of how secretive you are with your art. He's captivated, and while he never had any interest in arts himself, he had always fancied himself as a man with a great sense of beauty. That being said, he's always trying to get your attention while talking about how "France is a wonderful country for artists! You should come and visit after our crusade is over, [Y/N]! I'll show you all the greatest museums and art galleries!"

He's like a puppy, following you around and being just a bit too pushy. If you tell him you feel uncomfortable, he'll back off of course. He's not just some juvenile pervert after all! He's a honourable man who would never touch or bother a woman without her permission, no matter how desperate he seems sometimes.

When he finally sees your sketchbook, it's probably because he did it on purpose and not because of an accident. He wanted to make sure that it was him your were capturing in your drawing, and boy was he happy when he saw what's inside! It's all him, cute little sketches, little comics, it's better that he could've ever imagined! He's literally crying the tears of joy while reading them. Before it was all just wishful thinking, but now it turns out to be true! He's honoured, admiring every single little drawing with hit tears streaming down his face. He must look pathetic right now, if anyone was around they would think the was a mad man. He gets up and runs away with your sketchbook in his hand, trying to find you.

"[Y/N]! Ma cherie! Mon coeur! My love, my life! We need to talk!"

Did i mention that he doesn't shy away from nicknames? Yeah.

It's probably the worst confrontation compared to the rest of them, he's not subtle like Kakyoin and decides to talk with you about your drawings right then and there, in front of everyone. At first they're surprised, looking at Polnareff as is he was crazy, but slowly their shock is replaced with amusement. Joseph doesn't even try to hold back his laughter, while the rest of the crew is trying to keep it cool as not to embarass you any further while the Frenchman is just going on and on with his declarations of undying love. It's a bit dramatic, one of these moments that you will probably laugh about in the future, but you felt like disappearing right then and there.

"Your drawing are magnifique! [Y/N], my love, if you wanted to draw me, you could've just said so! Although I don't think I deserve to be potrayed by you, to be drawn by your skilled hands, ma cherie!"

You snatch the sketchbook from him. After that incident you probably try to avoid him, but he won't give up! He's more determined than ever, knowing that you feel the same way as he does fills him with hope, hope for a future life with you that is! He won't give up until he makes you the happiest woman on earth.

[rainbowsky]

I feel like it would be better if everyone could just concentrate more on the projects GGDD are bringing out ( SDC and OOL for example) and less on political issues that's out of our hands. More of that positive engagement is what we need

If you prefer to look away from politics that is your right, but that's not something you have the right to ask of others. Especially considering that I tag every political post that I make, so there's no excuse for people seeing things they don't want to see (if you want to avoid political posts from my blog you can filter the "your political disengagement is a weapon against you" tag).

You have created a false dichotomy here anyway, because people are focusing on both. People are enjoying and loving GG and DD and their projects, while reflecting on politics surrounding them.

I believe personally that in order to have a truly balanced and healthy perspective on GGDD one must do both. However, not everybody is up for that emotionally or psychologically, and that's totally fine too.

I'm going to go over some points that I made about this topic a while back. This is a slightly revised version of what I've said in the past. I hope after reading this, Anon, you can understand why I don't find the approach you've proposed acceptable.

“BXG should stay away from politics”

While I understand some people get involved in fandom strictly for the enjoyment and escape, I don’t think it’s appropriate for those people to try to dictate how others approach things. As a politically-minded person, the idea of ‘staying away from politics’ - especially the idea of pressuring others to stay away from politics - goes against some of my most deeply held values.

There are also some fairly glaring problems with the idea that BXG should stay out of political discussions.

1] Making it socially unacceptable to care about politics is a means of ensuring people remain uninvested in what happens in the world.

‘Politics’ is a word that is often used to emotionally distance people from things that directly impact them. Labeling social issues as ‘politics’ and then making 'politics’ a dirty word is a psychologically manipulative practice that frames important, life-changing issues as tedious, negative and inappropriate pursuits. People might as well be saying, “Don’t trouble yourself with how the world is run, with how people treat each other, with what you’re allowed to do, say or think, with who is in charge of things or what decisions and actions they impose upon others.”

How convenient for the powers-that-be. How convenient for the status quo. A population that has a distaste for 'politics’ has a distaste for concerning themselves with their own interests. A population that has a distaste for politics will not only avoid thinking about how things are run, they will dissuade - often vociferously - other people from thinking or talking about those things as well.

When you make it socially unacceptable to think about issues that matter, you ensure that the people will never really question what’s happening, or demand change. You will ensure that people do not inform themselves or reflect on and develop their own ideas and values. You will ensure that people who try to stand up for themselves in a broader way will have little support, and will face bullying and stigmatization for their efforts.

2] Disinterest in politics reflects a level of privilege a lot of people don’t have.

When an issue of injustice comes up and someone’s response is, “I don’t want to talk about politics,” or “Let’s try to stay away from politics” in a very real way the message they are communicating to others is, “Whatever is happening to those people, I don’t care. My conversational discomfort in this moment is more important than the injustices those people are dealing with.”

The fact is, our actions and choices are inherently political. They reflect and often reinforce the sociopolitical structures we live within. The purchasing decisions we make, the media we consume, the ideas and policies we legitimize via our behavior - all of these things are political whether we know it or not.

The big difference between thinking of ourselves as political and thinking of ourselves as not political is that apolitical people are able to move through sociopolitical structures completely unconsciously, while others don’t have that luxury. Poor people, racialized people, immigrants, targeted minorities - none of these people have the luxury of ‘not caring about politics’. Their lives often depend on being deeply invested in what happens in the public and private sphere.

If you’re able to ‘not be interested’ in politics then you are a fortunate person indeed.

To people faced with injustice and inequality, politics can often be a question of their very right to exist, let alone thrive, in this world.

3] Editing politics out of discussions about GG and DD is a lot like erasing their queerness. It adapts them into a narrative that, while it may feel good for some fans, isn’t real.

It may make some fans more comfortable to edit out the parts of this fandom that are confusing or unsettling, but fans who prefer their perspective to be balanced and based on reality will just have to accept that this fandom will sometimes force us to reflect on things that aren’t so pleasant.

GG and DD are living under an authoritarian regime. They are frequently called upon to perform and present propagandistic ideas and projects. All of this just goes with the territory. If we refuse to explore and understand the political elements surrounding GG and DD we will be missing important context about them and and their lives.

The politics are relevant to the fandom. They are relevant to what we discuss, how and why. They are an inextricable element of GG and DD’s lives, and that necessarily makes them an inextricable element of any meaningful discussion of them and what they do.

4] If you share their propaganda posts and projects, you ARE being political.

I really feel the need to point out this obvious fact, because there appear to be some people who really don’t get it. GG and DD’s propaganda posts and projects are inherently political.

It is hypocritical and unreasonable to spread that propaganda and then tell people not to discuss it.

Having said all of that, there are simple ways to co-exist even if we disagree.

There are a lot of reasons why people participate in fandoms, and not everyone is in a mental or emotional place where they want to be exposed to political discussions, which can be stressful. Fandom can be a form of escapism, and a way to enjoy something light and fluffy without having too look too closely at the cracks in the facade.

That is a perfectly legitimate position to take on things, and people who don’t want to take part should be free to filter those things out of their feeds. Tagging political or stressful posts is a must.

However, what isn’t legitimate is telling other people that they shouldn’t be thinking about it or discussing it, or claiming that it doesn’t belong in the fandom. Respect needs to work both ways, and space needs to be given for people to pursue fandom in the ways that work best for them. 

BXG are a broad category of people with a broad range of interests, motivations and needs. It is possible for all of this diversity to harmoniously coexist, but that means respecting each other and working together. Tagging posts that we know some fans would rather not see is one excellent way of doing this. And that includes tagging posts that contain propaganda messages or projects, which can be offensive or triggering for people who have grown up under authoritarian regimes.

***

I also want to add a personal note here.

There are a lot of troubling things happening right now. A lot of people are feeling unsettled about it. One of the main ways in which people process and come to terms with difficult experiences is through talking about it and exchanging ideas with other people who care. It would be a huge disservice to a lot of fans who are struggling with what's happening to say, "You're not allowed to think or talk about this. Let's focus on other things."

One of the primary purposes of my blog from day one has always been to try to be supportive, particularly of marginalized people or people who are dealing with adversity. I want my blog to always be a place where people can feel safe to talk about the things that are on their mind.

[skye-huntress]

RWBY Ice Queendom Reaction

I’m not sure what time the episodes dropped but it was somewhere in the early morning in my timezone and I am not a morning person, so I put off watching until after dinner when I was sure I’d have no distractions. Before I go through my reactions and thoughts, I just wanted to say a few things.

First, I will admit, watching with Japanese VAs and English subtitles is not ideal for me. I’ll manage especially since there is no definitive timeline for the English dub’s release.

Second, I’m just going to say it right now as advanced warning, Weiss is my favourite and I adore her. So much so that even at her worst I tend to play devil’s advocate in her defence. Anyway, I’ve naturally been absolutely thrilled that Ice Queendom will be focusing on her and for the most part I am happy with what they’ve done with this version of her from early in the show.

Episode 1 “Red, White, Black, Yellow”

When I first watched the show, I did not see the trailers. Since no one talked me into watching, I had no reason to believe a trailer would show anything not part of the actual show. In saying that, I’m glad that IQ used the first episode to do an introduction for all the girls and provide relevant scenes from the White and Black trailer new viewers could easily miss.

Continuing with that thought, providing further context for Weiss’ fight with the Arma Gigas was also a huge bonus. I only learned that fight was a test from RWBY wiki, and again not everyone would go the extra mile to get that extra context.

Bringing the other Schnee’s into the scene is also good for giving glimpses into what the family dynamics are like so that audience can start to understand her before her early attitude towards Ruby and Blake put them off.

As for Klein, he is worthy of inclusion, but I was disappointed to see he was not as animated as he is in the main show. Not to mention the lack of his switching personalities means that everything that makes the character enjoyable to watch is missing. All that aside, I’m glad they included the scene with him sending Weiss off. Klein sees the best in Weiss, he is probably the first and at this moment perhaps the only person to see into her heart and know what a genuinely great person she will eventually be.

Also, name-dropping Nicholas Schnee was a good call, as something that I don’t think was properly explained in the show was why the Schnee name and SDC meant so much to Weiss as it explains some of the motivations and reason for her goals and viewpoints.

Speaking of including the family early, nice to see Tai and Zwei included as well, after all if you have the budget and time there’s no reason not to. And once again, setting up the early dynamic between Yang and Ruby, in particular. Establishing Ruby’s clinginess to Yang as a problem was a great way to encourage Yang to help Ruby make new friends. Better than having her just run off with her own faceless, nameless “friends” whose existence is never acknowledged again.

Another noteworthy improvement actually concerns Adam of all people. First, is making it perfectly clear that Adam had zero issues taking humans lives, even if they were just lowly workers who have no say on their employer’s policies. Second part, is making it clear right off the bat that Adam let Blake go in the beginning. Sure, we learned that tidbit in the Volume 3 flashbacks, but it’s easy for the information to slip unnoticed or be forgotten when that was not the focus of the scene. Sure, her leaving stung him, but he had other priorities.

Not surprised Cinder isn’t shown, since IQ won’t be following the plot of the main show and she has no connection to the main cast, it’s better to just tease her appearance. New audiences don’t need to know who she is or what she can do but if they are curious to see more they know where to find it.

As for the action scenes, I enjoyed them. I was a little distracted whenever I realised I had subtitles to read, though. And it was a good way to show off what Ruby, Weiss and Blake are capable of.

Now, as for Yang, she doesn’t get a fight scene, and there’s honestly no place for one. The fight in the Yellow trailer might be awesome viewing, but the whole thing was stupid and pointless and honestly just makes Yang look bad if you actually think about it. Plus, Junior does not contribute anything to the show, even in Roman Holiday he merely exists, not doing anything relevant. No point including him in IQ.

I’m going to take a break before I continue, otherwise this will get too long, and it’s already getting late again.

[person8789]

Adventures through Twisted Wonderland Book 5- A Beautiful Tyrant

Part 16/?

Previous, Next

Spoilers!

Click pics for better quality

We start off with Vil feeling discouraged and in turn discouraging everyone else- even if he didn’t mean to lash out.

You know, Vil, you say this, but you continue to push yourself and those around you to achieve perfection in your rehearsals, saying that “losing isn’t an option”, but with this logic the VDC SDC team, yourself included, would be putting in all of this work for nothing. So tell me- if you truly believe that your efforts will be fruitless- why try at all?

*coughs* anyways…

I haven’t mentioned it, but I’ve been bracing myself a little for Ace in this scene since I remembered from going through translations that Ace was acting like an asshole. Tbh it’s not quite as bad as I remember it but he’s still being a dick.

Like seriously he tells Deuce to not get involved with what’s going on with Epel but immediately tosses in his own two cents whenever Deuce does- well, anything, and instead of taking the time to try and understand why Deuce is doing this or why Deuce might be struggling he is immediately judgmental- and then confused when Deuce gets upset with him!

No no no, Ace was being an asshole, and frankly, so was Vil. There was no need- no reason to call you a deadweight. Any criticism that’s not constructive is unnecessary and unjustified.

I hate to admit this but you really are speaking his language with this bird talk.

….green flag for this part. Cautiously.

Wow thanks, Grim! Super helpful lmao

This this this. Ok so I won’t really get into it right now (cough the review) but this is one of the main things about Deuce’s character arc, and one of the main themes of book 5. “Know your strength” or exactly what Kalim is saying here.

Actually the fact that Kalim is the one giving this insight is interesting as well. It proves that he actually can read into people fairly well, and help them.

This is badass behavior, Deuce.

Which I love to see, I remember how proud of him I was the first time I got to this scene and the scenes that follow and I’m still with him 100%

And now…

🎉The iconic beach scene!🎉

Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this. I love this scene very much.

Also he mentions “hair-trigger temper” in this shot made me think of Riddle LMAO

At least he’s similar to his prefect??

Whoa whoa wait a sec- they just skipped over Jamil! Well Deuce wasn’t there when Jamil - Shhhh they skipped over Jamil

And we end this part bracing for country accent Epel lmao

[sssn-neptune-vasilias]

So like, Ironwood’s clearly tumbling down the staircase towards authoritarianism so I just wanted to clarify my points about him because I did agree with a lot of what he was saying during the first couple of seasons up until he decided to completely throw himself off the boat without a life preserver. Also I don’t want y’all calling me an authoritarian (or fascist, Tumblr really doesn’t like to learn the difference between the different kinds of authoritarianisms and just lumps them all under fascism because why take a class when you can just say words?).

1) I think Ironwood was right to bring his airships to Beacon and frankly I think the other headmasters should’ve as well. Obviously no other Kingdom works like Mantle/Atlas- they’re the only one where the Hunter Academy is a direct branch of the kingdom’s military- but SOME protection should’ve been brought from Shade and Haven as well as Beacon. The Vytal tournament was an incredibly important part of Remnant culture, and ANYBODY could’ve seen that as a chance to strike. Any terrorist organization, anybody with a grudge, anybody with an agenda could’ve seen a giant float collessum and decided it’d look better crashing towards the ground. I think Ozpin, Lionheart and Theodore were hugely negligent not requesting SOME kind of military support from their respective kingdoms to watch over the event. Just think about it, that would’ve created FOUR different systems Cinder would’ve needed to hack into instead of one. The other three headmasters didn’t bring security and relied completely on Ironwood to save them when shit hit the fan. Ozpin’s words to Ironwood will always be hilarious to me. “You brought your army to my kingdom James… Use it!” The same army that he swore brought more harm than good? The same army he promised would be ineffective in keeping the peace? Now all of a sudden he’s begging for it? Ozpin of all people should’ve been READY for something like this. He’s closer to Salem than ANYONE he should’ve KNOWN that she would use an opportunity like this to strike. A wounded and defenseless Maiden locked in Beacon tower, a one-woman army infiltrating an SDC tower and leaving no recognizable trace other than a wake of bodies, a breach where “hundreds of people were killed” just weeks before, then Yang’s random and brutal “attack” on a seemingly defenseless student? Ozpin should’ve seen the signs of an imminent attack and acted proactively to ensure the safety of not just Beacon but the world. And instead he was too clueless to even ask for a security detail. He claimed that there was peace in Remnant, and that there was no need to upset people by bringing weapons of war, but peace needs to be defended. The Fall of Beacon was proof of what happens when you wait too long to defend yourself. Bringing in other kingdom’s defenses would’ve also shot one of Cinder’s weird monologue in the foot. She calls Ironwood a “tyrannical dictator” who “occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces” but if Ozpin had REQUESTED those airships? Maybe not even all of them but SOME? And brought his OWN? It would’ve just been business as usual instead of some kind of “invasion” from a previously adversarial nation. Ozpin’s complacency gave Cinder another nail to shut the coffin with. Did Ironwood overstep bringing ALL those ships without a warning? Absolutely, and whoever’s running Vale is out of their mind for not engaging their defenses to deter those ships before they entered Vale airspace in the first place. Should an equal number of ships all flying different flags have been there ANYWAY to stop something like the Breach or the Fall happening? Absolutely.

2) I think Ironwood’s plan is the right move. Let me clarify, the “tell the world about Salem” plan is the right move. “Unite the world against a common enemy” is the right move. “Expose the enemy for who she is and force her to leave the comfort of the shadows and engage in an actual war instead of the silly chess game proxy war you’ve been engaged in all this time.” If you expose Salem and make her a target, she crumbles. Anyone working for her is a top of the most wanted list, and it’s impossible for her to infiltrate and manipulate behind the scenes as she’s been doing. Her only army is Grimm and the kingdoms have been doing decently against them for centuries. I think Ironwood’s got a good idea, and Ozma was just too jaded by his centuries of life to believe that the world would pull together the way it needed to to band against Salem.

That said, I think Ironwood’s entire plan was a necessary evil. “Pull all Atlesian forces and resources out of Remnant and back into Mantle, to ride out the waves of Grimm that would come to tear the kingdom down after they learned about Salem.” It was a well thought out plan! He had STEPS. He KNEW that people would panic and planned AROUND that! For a “tin man” with no heart, he sure as fuck knew how to account for everyone else’s. Argus would suffer for this, sure, but he left them with a giant fucking jaegar, a Pacific Rim style wall around its biggest weak point, and enough air ships and guns to hold off a small scale invasion. Argus was also a unique situation where it was Mistral’s responsibility that Atlas elected to care for. We haven’t heard of any similar cities like this. He wanted to keep his people safe. And I know that’s a slap in the face to all of the people of Mantle who were living in the beginning stages of authoritarian rule for MONTHS, but I think the ends justify the means here. Ironwood’s plan was never to subjugate his people indefinitely, but to keep them safe until the worst had passed. I REALLY think Ironwood’s plan would’ve worked, and CLEARLY Salem does too, otherwise she wouldn’t be sending the biggest Grimm army ever seen and a whale the size of a fucking island to stop him. Telling Remnant about Salem was and still is a good plan, and drawing his troops and resources back to handle the fallout of it was a smart choice.

3) I think Ironwood is right to try abandon Mantle, and frankly I think he should’ve done it sooner. Ironwood is right, if Salem destroys Atlas, she destroys Remnant’s only hope of defeating her. Mistral and Haven were already attacked by the White Fang and Cinder’s crew without so much as a finger raised against them. Have fun reading the books to find out what’s happening in Shade. If Ironwood doesn’t save A) the power of the Winter Maiden B) the staff of creation, C) the lamp of knowledge AND D) as much of Atlas as he can, we’re fucked, and we’ve already lost the fucking lamp. The WORLD is fucked if we don’t stop Salem. And even KNOWING all of this, Ironwood waited until he had definitive proof that the enemy had already invaded Atlas before moving to leave. Tyrian and Watts were one thing, but Salem leaving her chess piece on his desk without him even knowing she was there? I can’t blame him for being scared. I can’t blame him for wanting to leave ASAP. Frankly I can’t blame him for calling RWBYJNRQOP naive. Saving every individual person down in Mantle would doom Atlas as a whole, and by extension the world. I don’t think I would’ve been able to fight against RWBY for wanting to risk saving everyone, but I don’t think I would’ve been able to fight with RWBY for the chance to take the risk either.

Last season was super political, which was a first for RWBY. Yeah, the writing’s ALWAYS been on the walls that Ironwood would take these steps into authoritarianism, and last episode had him breaking out into a full sprint. He straight up shot a member of his opposition! And that guy wasn’t even EXPLICITLY opposition, he was just questioning how Ironwood was handling the situation! I don’t think anyone can honestly say they’re surprised by this, and it’s super important to not just be against authoritarianism, but actively against it. We can’t condone it and must uproot it wherever it even begins to take hold. That said, I will say that, up to a point, Ironwood’s had good ideas on helping to save the world, while RWBY’ve been cutely optimistic but not very pragmatic in their “save every life no matter the cost” approach. And let’s be real, the show is called “RWBY” not “Ironwood” so I’m fully expecting the narrative to play out in a way that validates RWBY and demonizes Ironwood. I’m fully expecting Ironwood to completely fly off the walls as Salem draws nearer. I’m fully expecting to want to kick myself for agreeing with his motivations during season 7. I’m just writing this so that there’s a clear record of my stance not only for my followers (and for people ready to make callout posts, here you go 😉) but for myself too! So I can see if my stance changes and where I was before. So here you go future Tobias. Good luck!

[arr-jim-lad]

Can you go into how you think Dios insane and how his mind works. I have trouble putting my thoughts into words but reading other people's opinions helps and not a lot of people talk about dios insanity even tho i find it very interesting

Sure thing!!! You know I love to talk about DIO lmao(NOTE: This will include spoilers for Stone Ocean later on)

In part 1, human Dio’s goal appears to be proving a point to his dead father as well as himself. He always wants more, to achieve more, to prove he’s capable of more. He does that by pursuing superiority in many fields; he proves academic excellence by finishing law school at the top of his class, he proves he’s a talented sportsman by being one of his school’s star rugby players, and he actively, since the moment he joined the Joestar family, wants to prove that he’s superior to Jonathan and therefore a better heir and a better son.

It’s also important to mention the flaws he sees in himself here; his anger. I went into this before here but to summarize it; Dio has an anger problem and he not only knows it - it’s his most despised thing about himself. 

That’s all simple stuff at the start, as it’s just trying to prove he’s better than others, and that’s easy to understand.

Then he becomes a vampire and a power trip REALLY hits him. Now he doesn’t have to pretend that he’s a gentleman anymore because literally no one can do shit to him. That law he studied? Fuck that, he can break it now all he wants, because it doesn’t apply to him anymore. The law is written for mere humans, and he’s not one of them anymore. He can do whatever he wants and he will do that - as flamboyantly and dramatically as possible. The Joestar fortune he was after in his earlier days? Fuck that too, he’s an immortal vampire with superpowers now, he can just take whatever money he wants.

Now Dio is free to be himself in every sense, and he stops pursuing power in a sneaky, deceitful way, but just. Straight up terrorizing anyone who steps in his path. Now EVERYONE gets to know about his wish for power, not just Jonathan.

And what’s even better - NO ONE is a problem anymore. NO ONE can hurt him. You know what this means for Dio? That he doesn’t have to get angry and frustrated anymore, because no one is able to push him that far.

….Except for Jonathan Joestar, who just won’t leave him alone

Jonathan keeps coming back and it low key pisses Dio off, but on the other hand, he also has major respect for him because of that. In his life of power and bliss, Jonathan manages to be the ONLY thing to disturb him

So Phantom Blood ending happens, Dio is bodyless, and in a mixture of necessity and respect, he takes Jonathan’s body. I notice people often seem to think that he took his body because he wanted it from the get go or something, but that’s not accurate. Initially it was for revenge, because Jonathan was the one who caused him to have to behead himself, and in SDC DIO even clearly says he NEEDED to take that body in order to survive - it was originally revenge and survivalism, but seeing Jonathan’s final actions also added immense respect to that. That body means a lot of different things to DIO.

Anyway now we get to the good part.So Dio is underwater all alone with a corpse for about 100 years. I went into more into this once before but to TL;DR that post; that kind of situation Does Bad Shit To You.

By the time DIO arose from that coffin, the insanity REALLY took hold of him. Because, in that coffin, he got to THINK. He got to do a LOT of thinking. All alone. He got to think about what matters to him.

And once he did all that thinking, he found his goal.It was not riches or power, but lack of anger: Inner peace.

Throughout SDC and Stone Ocean, that’s his ultimate goal.Now, how he goes about to obtain that is… hm.

In Stone Ocean, we are introduced to DIO’s diary, in which he essentially wrote down a highly complex, highly convoluted ritual of obtaining peace of mind, or as he likes to call it like the dramatic bitch that he is: Heaven.

I’ve seen people say that he apparently doesn’t show any philosophical interest in that kinda thing in SDC to which I say, do you even pay attention?

Think about DIO throughout SDC - what do we actually see him do before the final battle? He’s reading, he’s studying, he’s relaxing, he DOESN’T WANT TO BE BOTHERED.

He isn’t even the one sending out his assassins at first - the Tarot enemies are all Enya’s employees, she dragged those homicidal maniacs together. It’s only after all of them are defeated that DIO sends out HIS followers, the Glory Gods.

DIO wants his minions to take care of this because it’s low key stressing him out and he Doesn’t Need This Shit Right Now. He’s SO CLOSE to doing his ritual, Pucci is waiting for himin America, they have PLANS, and now these Joestar bastards are in Egypt?? What the fuck??? Can they like, not??? Is there any respect left for the ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs you hang on the door handles??

Basically, SDC catches DIO at a really bad time because he’s just in the middle of something big and it all just comes in to crash his plans, but there’s a lot about him that can be discerned from the final battle, and that is one of my favourite aspects of him, which is also very closely tied to his idea of Heaven; KNOWLEDGE.

DIO was really REALLY confident at the start of the battle, because he was convinced he had more knowledge about the Joestar group than they did about him, and knowledge was supposed to be his greatest weapon.

You can tell how paranoid and stressed out he becomes once Jotaro breaks that idea of him Knowing More and starts moving in stopped time. One of my favourite scenes in the final battle has got to be the ‘Is Jotaro Really Dead?’ scene, in which DIO acts like a paranoid wild animal, he acts like a cat who has his sights on something, but is not 100% sure if it’s safe to come close.

This paranoia is a HUGE factor of why he wants Heaven, aka Peace of Mind, and he is fully aware that he has this issue.

Another one of my favourite moments happens to revolve around his paranoia, that being the moment in Stone Ocean which shows us that it’s preventing him from fully trusting even those who are the most devoted to him, such as Pucci;

What we’re looking at here is DIO speaking to someone who is essentially the closest thing he EVER had to a friend, someone he admits he feels truly relaxed with, and yet even with this man he’s unable to shake off the paranoia he feels.

DIO really doesn’t know true inner peace, even in a situation that he himself described as being one that’s making him feel at ease.

Now we finally get into some bigger Stone Ocean spoilers regarding the stand of the main enemy of that part, Pucci - the same stand that DIO tried to obtain.

Here’s basically what the ritual-obtained stand, Made in Heaven, does;

It speeds up the time of entire universe to bring it back to a point where it started the spin, with everyone still alive just as they were (except the people who the stand user kills), but this time everyone has a vague idea/knowledge of what will happen next, because everyone essentially witnessed the future.

Now, assuming that DIO’s Made in Heaven would do the same thing as Pucci’s did, here’s what this tells us about DIO:

He is SO PARANOID that the thing that gives him the most anxiety and unrest, the thing he wants to get rid of, is the same that all of us take for granted:Not knowing what will happen next.

DIO wants to obtain peace of mind by getting rid of that ‘problem’ of an unknown future and making EVERYONE know what’s inevitably coming next, but he’d be the only one who would be able to change it. That’s his ideal world.

DIO’s insanity was born from his wish to achieve peace of mind.He wants to get rid of his anger and paranoia, but his idea of the solution to those feelings is absolutely demented and unfathomably convoluted.

Basically… it’s something that only be thought up by a megalomaniac vampire who was left deep underwater for 100 years in a claustrophobic coffin with only the corpse of the only man he ever respected to keep him company.

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY team impact anon. Thank you for answering my asks! I did want to follow up with one quick question. Does RWBY actually represent anyone? Nobody appointed/elected them. Blake is a princess bc she's Ghira's kid and that's it. IW has a commissioned duty. RWBY doesn't seem to have a legal right to make decisions for Solitas...let alone withhold information from IW that could impact the continent's defense. I'm confused why these kids are the protagonists? Has CRBWY done enough to justify that?

Of course! :D

I touched on this briefly many months back and as far as I can tell, no, the show hasn’t done a particularly good job of answering that question: Why are these people our protagonists? What gives them the power to get involved? Usually stories—particularly fantasy stories—provide clear-cut answers so that we can best immerse ourselves in this situation, rather than continually questioning why this group, out of all groups, is the one we get to follow. The two most common explanations are: 

This group has to fight whether they want to or not. Meaning, some outside force is exerting control over them. They’re stuck in the center of this fight whether they like it or not and thus we, in turn, are stuck with them as our protagonists. Think Harry Potter with a prophecy hanging over his head. Luke being born as a Skywalker. Geralt forced into a witcher’s life with a destiny to juggle. These characters are all bound to something larger than themselves and are, to one extent or another, carried along on the current of that. They have to fight. (“Have” — often overcoming the internal conflict of whether they’ll agree to this unwanted responsibility adds to their heroism. They COULD just run for the hills like Ozpin with his cabin, but they won’t). 

RWBY, however, undermines this sort of setup at every turn. Our characters continually reject responsibilities that may have led them to being a part of other fights—Blake leaves the White Fang despite her parentage and life-long involvement in it, Weiss walks about from the SDC despite being born as an heir and wanting to improve the company—and the closest thing we get to fate is with Ruby’s silver eyes. However, that was likewise undermined when Maria came onto the scene. Rather than presenting us with a world where silver eyes are either unique or rare enough that Ruby feels compelled to fight Salem even if she doesn’t otherwise want to, they gave us a character with the same skill, even more talent (if Maria’s moniker as The Grimm Reaper is any indication) who then said no thanks. She left. Bowed out. So what’s stopping Ruby from doing the same? Nothing. She could pull a Maria and be done with this nonsense and the world would continue surviving as it has for over a thousand years (with the exception of Salem’s new involvement, but again, we don’t see Ruby deciding to fight because Salem is now a more active threat). Ruby is not at the center of the world’s safety and there is no other outside force acting on the group to a point where the audience feels that their involvement in the fight is unquestionably necessary. We might have gotten that if the story had spent more time developing Ruby’s silver eyes. We might have gotten that if the story had spent more time establishing that if Ruby were to bow out, she and her friends would still be endlessly hunted by Salem (AKA, if she wants any kind of life, Salem has to be defeated first). We might have gotten that if the silver eyes/other talents were presented as lynchpins, etc. As it is, RWBY keeps providing examples of how heroes can leave, do leave, have every reason to leave, because they’re not the most talented, their powers are not unique, not necessary, there is nothing in the universe saying YOU have to be a part of this fight... so why are they? 

This leaves us with heroes who fight because it’s the right thing to do. Think Frodo saying he’ll take the ring to Mordor. Katniss stepping in to save her sister. Peter Quill yelling that he’s going to try to save the universe because he’s one of the assholes who lives in it. There’s nothing like destiny, a prophecy, or an inborn talent forcing (“forcing”) the hero to step up, they just do it because it’s the right thing to do and/or they realize that no one is able or willing to help. They and others might both assume they’re not be the best for the job (insert theme of underestimating Hobbits here), but they’re doing it anyway. They’re all that’s available. 

Similar to the above, Ruby could fit really well into this setup. She’s just a kid, she’s talented but she’s barely trained, she knows nothing about magic or this intricate war... surely there’s someone better to take her place? But Ruby wants to help people, which means she’s poised to step up if that’s required of her... but RWBY failed to create those circumstances. Ozpin is not an inept or corrupt leader who she must replace — he created a time of peace and kept the relics safe for who knows how long. Ruby does not live in a world where others refuse to step up — she’s surrounded by talented fighters who are already involved in this war. Ruby doesn’t even live in a world where she fights alongside these more talented and informed fighters — by the end of each volume she’s replaced them as the “real” hero. When someone asks, “Why is the screw up group of convicts trying to save the world in Guardians of the Galaxy?” the answer is, “Because no one else is doing it. The world has to take what it gets.” With RWBY it’s, “Why is the group of second year students, traumatized from a recent battle, going off to find a Maiden they definitely can’t beat?” and the answer is, “Because... they want to? There are other older, more powerful, more informed people dealing with this situation already but Ruby’s group is going off regardless.” “Why is RWBYJNR at the center of this fight now? Have they proven themselves some way? Is there no one else?” “Well no, not exactly. They just showed up at Ozpin’s safehouse expecting to be involved, they definitely provided much needed support at the Haven battle, but then they created circumstances where they were at the center of things regardless of whether others approved of that: stealing Ozpin’s secrets, driving him off, lying to Ironwood, etc.” Then, because the story hasn’t successfully laid out why they have to fight or why others would want them to fight (they often don’t), we get the plot turning in on itself to explain their continued involvement. Like refusing to grapple with their recent behavior. Or having them suddenly able to beat the Ace Ops. 

RWBY’s underlying reasoning for why this group is at the center of this plot is “Because they’re the protagonists” which is a circular explanation. You should craft protagonists that have a reason to be involved, not ignore the lack of a reason for the generic protagonists you’ve got. And don’t get me wrong, RWBY has lots and lots of nods towards various reasons, but they’re never well developed. Things like Ruby’s eyes, her “I want to help people,” the others’ devotion to her, the villains’ interest in them... they’re all the beginnings of compelling explanations, but RWBY never does much of anything with it, largely because we haven’t gotten enough of a look into the group’s personal motivations. Why is Ruby so compelled to throw herself into a war? Because of her mom? That’s never said. Why is Jaune? Because Cinder killed Pyrrha? Then why isn’t he trying to hunt her down? Why is Yang? Because she’s Ruby’s sister? Give us better motivation for Ruby then. And so on and so forth. This is particularly important post the lore episode because the group learned about Salem’s immortality and came to the unanimous conclusion that this war was impossible to win. So why are you still in it?? Volume 6 and 7 should have been an exploration of why they’re fighting, what they’re fighting for, and what they can bring to the table. Instead they happily ignore all of it until Salem and her subordinates get right in their face, then Ruby took control of the situation despite the story failing to establish why she wants to, let alone why she should. 

When we have characters like Ironwood and the Ace Ops trying to stop her and the takeaway is supposed to be “Omg how could they stand against Ruby they’re evil!” ... I just find myself agreeing. Ruby is a teenager. Ruby has one year of formal training. Ruby has thus far rejected or screwed over everyone she’s allied herself with (outside of the group who has agreed to follow her). Ruby has a very useful skill, but does incredibly little to learn about it or train it. Regarding the question, “Should Ruby be the hero we follow?” we’re shown a number of things that give a resounding “No.” She’s the protagonist because her name is in the title, not RWBY has convincingly written a world where her help is necessary or, at this point, even desired. She runs off to nearly get kidnapped, orchestrates an attack on the Argus military that results in a Leviathan grimm showing up, emotionally cripples the world’s oldest defender, undermines and betrays his replacement, and is now risking two relics/a Maiden by hanging around to fight Salem head on. At this point it doesn’t matter how pure her intentions are, Ruby’s actions have been inconvenient at best and downright damaging at worst. Though they clearly don’t intend it, RT is closer to writing antagonists then protagonists. Outside of their pure “We want to help people” outlook, we’ve got this group shouldering their way into this war and, more often than not, making things a whole lot worse. If the story had done a better job of explaining their involvement, such mistakes would be quiet sympathetic, but as it is their insistence on getting involved reads more as arrogance rather than resignation/drive: I have to help. There’s no one else. I’m needed. 

[kingbennyboyyy]

benny's RWBY rewrite: the main 4

heya, i told y'all i'd be back on this pretty fast. truth be told, this is a rough transcription of my notes app from like 4am last night, because my brain wouldn't let me sleep until i wrote all of this down somewhere. just ADHD things, i guess.

anyway, let's get into the girls!

ruby rose:

- the youngest of the main 4, ruby is characterized by her naive nature contrasted with her combat prowess. i think that part of the allure the "red" trailer had was a new demographic being exposed to the idea of a little girl in a frilly skirt absolutely bodying a bunch of hell monsters. this contrast is one of the most striking elements of her character, at least in my opinion. i want to lean into this and have ruby be filled with conflict. she's described time and time again as a masterful wielder of an extremely dangerous weapon, and i think contrasting this solo power with an inability to make strategic and high-stakes decisions could be interesting. especially when forced into a leadership position, i'd love to see ruby grow into a child with a deadly weapon, to a leader with a deadly weapon.

- ruby's friendly and outgoing nature is one of her most defining traits, along with her optimism. she sees the good in everyone she comes across, and does her best to make sure that everyone is happy. nothing against her, but ruby isn't the most wise (using the D&D definition of the term). however, i think that she should be somewhat comparable to deku. she built her own weapon and taught herself how to use it, so i don't think it would be out of character for her to do something similar to velvet, taking notes of the interaction between people's semblances, weapons, and fighting styles. this plays into her strategic evolution- the more training she has in understanding how people fight, the better she can direct her allies and teammates.

- (for this section, i'm assigning names to the combo of ideas i describe) real roses rot: ruby is an idealist at heart. she wants to be a huntress because she wants to fight monsters and help people, and the simplicity of this desire speaks to her naivety as a character. she knows what she wants to be, but not yet what she has to be. as the series goes on, ruby should realize that life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, saving people and fighting monsters. sometimes, sacrifices have to be made, and sometimes the monsters look like friends. she has to learn that real roses rot eventually.

- silver eyes: i think that ruby's eyes have a lot of potential as a symbol. ignoring for the moment the fact that ruby's silver eyes literally mark her as a grim-killing machine, her eyes are a crucial part of her character. what she sees in people, the good that she's able to find in others, defines her. her inability to see the sacrifices that need to be made, and the evil in the people around her, should be something she overcomes.

weiss schnee:

- the resident ice queen, what struck me most about weiss at the beginning of the series was her awareness. ironically enough, the only other member of her team as aware of her place as she is is blake. she is extremely cognizant of the expectations placed upon her by her father, and by the SDC as a whole. thus, she is a perfectionist, but judges herself the most harshly. this perfection is evident in everything about her- her fighting style is precise, ballet-inspired, and clean. similarly to her struggle with her familial expectations, she struggles with the family semblance. i think that this struggle has the potential to symbolize a lot for weiss. exiting the bubble of high-class atlesian life presents a lot of struggles for weiss, some of which i'll get into later.

- weiss comes off as cold, and sometimes can be just plain mean, but this comes from a constant awareness of the fact that she is being watched. where her older sister, winter, is the paragon of atlas' military might, she is expected to be a similar paragon for the hunting capabilities of the schnees. for her, a favorable image cannot be cultivated without perfection and control. control is paramount in weiss' character: she often uses the same techniques that her father used on her to attempt to control others, but she should learn that it is impossible to control people through fear for long (perhaps by learning not to fear her own father). when not in control, she struggles to take direction for two distinct reasons: because she doesn't agree with the directions or director, or she doesn't believe she can perform to her director's standards.

- stained snow: something that bothered me about weiss' character was how quickly the racist history of her history was forgotten by the people around her. while potentially very uncomfortable, i think it's important to show how weiss' upbringing and surroundings have clouded her judgement. while canonically a member of her family was killed by the white fang, i think it would be much more compelling for her family to have pinned the murder on a faunus to save face. in reality, the murder was a power grab for her family. she has to realize the role the oppression and violence against people has in the maintenance of her privilege. in having to interact with the people wronged by the oppression that was supported her lifestyle, she will be confronted with a question: does she even want to represent the schnee family, or does she want to try to change the course of her family history?

- golden voice: in her promo (as far as i recall), we hear singing in front of guests at a party we can assume her family has thrown. i think that her voice has a lot of symbolic potential: despite presumably having been forced to bend to the whims of her father, weiss is not afraid to speak her mind. i think that her struggles with her semblance should be overcome through the use of her voice. this serves a dual purpose- for one, it shows that she can use her powerful voice to affect positive change instead of negative. secondly, it shows that she doesn't need to abide by her family's standards in order to succeed.

blake belladonna:

- mysterious and aloof, blake is the member of the team with the most things to hide. the estranged ex of the leader of a violent sect of the white fang (not the whole thing, good christ), a faunus-in-hiding, and closeted trashy romance connoisseur, blake is somewhat defined by her secrets. despite her young age, her life has been marred by conflict, and rather than face these challenges head-on, she would much rather turn tail and run. she's been forced to give up pieces of herself to help others, and in spite of her proclivity to flee and her outward apathetic appearance, she is a deeply sensitive character, and cares deeply for the suffering of others.

- read by others as aloof and disinterested, this impression couldn't be further from the truth. blake is considerate, insightful, and kind, but builds up a wall around herself as a result of being burned and used too many times. it's exhausting to care as much as blake does, and it's easier to pretend that she just doesn't. this facade can't last forever, though. i don't think blake should lash out in anger or violence. i think she should try to run, and if she can't, she should crumble rather than explode.

- the burden of fixing things: as a means of protecting herself, blake has taken to masking her emotions and avoiding conflict at all costs. she ran away from adam and his sect of the white fang, runs away from her identity as a faunus, and hides behind a wall to protect herself. afraid to be consumed by emotion and emulate the monsters she fights against, she has to learn that apathy is more dangerous than emotion. she has to choose whether she wants to risk being hurt to help people, or risk being useless to keep herself out of harm's way.

- shadowed footprints: blake's fighting style is one of my favorites just because of how dynamic it is. however, i think that leaning into her use of kicks would allow for a powerful piece of symbolism. she literally leaves shadows behind as a part of her semblance, and she runs away from her problems a lot. but she has the potentially to do a lot of good when she decides to stand her ground. letting people in will make this task less frightening, but not any easier. in addition, i think this evolution should be accented with mixing her shadows with dust: launching frozen statues of herself at people as projectiles, running at people with flaming clones, things like that.

yang xiao long:

- ruby's older sister and the resident tank of the group, i kind of see yang like a much more concentrated version of ruby. as the older sister of a family marked by the absence of parents, she's gone through a lot. she had to step up when raven left and when summer died, and when tai was grieving. yang is kind of like katara, but instead of embracing the stricter part of maternal responsibility, she'd much rather pretend everything's fine to protect her sister from the sadness she was subjected to. yang surrounds herself with people because she's petrified of being abandoned again. she likes when people are close, and doesn't want them to leave.

- i'd call yang a herbo. not a bimbo, because she doesn't ooze traditional femininity, but a herbo because of her hard-headed and combative nature. she is hot-tempered and brash, prone to not thinking things through all the way, and being motivated by emotion rather than logic. her semblance is literally her being empowered by her anger. despite her caring nature, she tends to not think through what being ruled by emotion does to the people around her. she's more concerned with end results than the steps taken to reach them. she can push herself and others too far, and not know what she did wrong.

- controlled burn: as previously stated, yang is ruled by emotions- she fights when she's angry, cries when she's sad, and radiates joy when she's happy. however, she is often so blinded by her overwhelming emotions that she fails to consider the consequences of her actions. yang should have trouble controlling her semblance, specifically when it activates, and should burn hot and fast. combat-wise, she should ironically have the least stamina of all of her teammates, opting to take people down as quickly as possible to combat this. however, as she learns to be more considerate and thoughtful, she should be able to control her semblance. she gains the ability to burn slower, storing energy until the perfect moment to strike.

- open palms: yang punches people a lot. a lot. i think it'd be fun if she leaned into giving people slugs in the shoulder as a sign of affection. she uses her hands in combat to keep enemies away from the people she cares about. she should also use these hands to keep the people close to her nearby. grabbing people's clothing to stop them from leaving, shaking hands with friends, maybe even kissing the hand of her love interest. yang should use the same hands she clenches into fiery fists to embrace the friends and family she has.

hopefully this didn't run too long! i had a lot to say, and i hoped to articulate it in a way that made sense. if you've come this far, thank you, and feel free to send me any questions you have! i'll be covering team JNPR at some point soon, and talking about how i think the team can function as an interesting foil to team RWBY. until then, thank you again!

[iwillwalk500miles]

i told you once, i’ll tell you again (you really are my very best friend)

read on ao3

“You got your father arrested.” Ruby began.

The sound of her voice drifts into Weiss’ ears, lazily layering her in the soothing tones of her friend. There is something about the way the words flow through Ruby’s mouth that make her pause. You got your father arrested. She says, Why didn’t you tell me? She does not.

“Yes.” Weiss agreed, “I did.” Not without the help of her mother, not without the support of her sister. (Not without the desire to lift her brother from the slums he’d began to call paradise.)

Now that she thought about it, why hadn’t she told Ruby? The question made her frown for a moment—and she momentarily allowed her thoughts to overcome her. Perhaps she had forgotten? As unlikely as it was, it could be possible, after all they hadn’t had a chance to really talk to each other in ages—oh.  

They’ve been too busy for each other.

Weiss’ ears buzz, and her mouth fills with cotton—had she truly been worried enough not to bother and tell Ruby anything about her family? It’s like a slap upside the head.

Weiss had never had a best friend before. It was something that just was, something that she never thought of before Ruby Rose and tripped into her life and proclaimed them such. It was such a strange thing, someone so desperately wanting to be near her, to be friends with her without expecting much of anything in return. Weiss didn’t know what to do with any of it, didn’t know what to do with the affection so easily thrust upon her.

But she had learned, hadn’t she? She’d learned after countless trial and error, had learned how to have friends—how to have a best friend. She’d used that constant desire to grasp at any amount of information afforded to her, and she had understood that Ruby wanted to be friends, had known that Ruby would be there for her as long as she possibly could.

But Weiss had forgotten the lessons she’d learned.

She’d allowed herself to be consumed by the endless drain of hope that was her family’s manor—had allowed a black hole of suffering and sadness and complacency to take hold of her and claw its way inside of her. Had she been distant with everyone? She wondered, or had the extent of her rebuilt walls held Ruby out alone?

...she didn’t know.

(And she despised not knowing.)

Weiss is brought back to the present by the sight of Ruby shifting, uncomfortable or angry or disappointed Weiss couldn’t be sure of. All she knew was that the sight struck her deep, that the way Ruby curled in on herself—the way her eyes shone with something, was intimately familiar in a way that Weiss thoroughly despised.  

Why did the sight of Ruby this way affect her so? Why couldn’t she just spit out the words that she had been thinking? Why couldn’t she just tell Ruby that she had missed her, tell Ruby that she had longed for her presence in her life—had done something grand and turned to tell her about it only to find her side empty.

Something must be horribly wrong. Weiss thought distantly. If I had not noticed the gaping wound that was the lack of Ruby next to me.  

“I’m… happy for you.” Ruby mumbled, and the words are truthful despite the pitiful way the sound, despite the way her voice cracks.

“Thank you.” Weiss nodded her head in acknowledgement, not quite knowing what else to say. Would it be callous of her to leave? Would it be wrong of her not to ask? Would she be more or less like her parents if she was to ignore the problem right in front of her? What could she even do, to make things between them better? What could she even do, if she didn’t even know what was wrong?

“You… uh.” Ruby tripped over her words, and it’s such a contrast to the person Weiss had been seeing lately, such a contrast to the leader that the brewing war had forced Ruby to become. (And she doesn’t know if seeing a glimpse into the past, into the person her partner is or was or is trying to hide, is comforting to her or not.)

She noticed distantly, that Ruby’s features were tinged with red. Her nose, the underside of her eyes, and the soft flush that spreads across her cheekbones and to her ears. There was something… open, about the way she looked at that moment—as though Ruby’s expression had been carved from marble, every subtle crease and furrow in her face expertly crafted to portray an absolute vision. It… It was almost as though there was a notion of restrained sadness in her stone cheeks, a stricken sense of longing and fear and something else that reflected in the silvery mirrors of her eyes.

“I’ve…” Weiss’ voice is soft, and she can’t help but look away when Ruby’s eyes sharpen and narrow towards her. “I think I’ve missed you.” Because she doesn’t really know if she has, doesn’t know because if she hadn’t noticed that Ruby wasn’t nearby, if she hadn’t noticed the lack of warmth to her side—could she really say with certainty that she had missed her? (Disregard the fact that all she’d known was pain while in Atlas, disregard the fact that her eyes had unconsciously searched for Ruby in every room she’d walked into, disregard her sadness and spite and jealousy.)

The laugh that comes out of Ruby’s mouth is full, full of something. (Of pain, of anger, of happiness, of longing, of something that Weiss just doesn’t fucking know—) And the look in her eyes is brittle, wounded.

“You think?” Ruby’s repetition is not meant to be mocking, but it brutally slaughters Weiss’ resolve anyway. “Well then, I think I’ve missed you too.”

She’s glad. (But also she isn’t, because Ruby says those words like they’re more important than Weiss understands them to be, and Weiss just doesn’t know what to do or what they mean or how she’s supposed to reveal to Ruby that she cares for her dearly.)

“...Alright.” Weiss mumbled, because she can’t think of anything else to say. Had she always been this dimwitted? This oblivious to the people around her? Or had Atlas done something to her, again? There was no way for her to tell, no way for her to understand.

(And she hated that.)

“So your brother.” Ruby tried to speak, tried to salvage the conversation—to get their relationship flowing like it was meant to. “How is—”

And Weiss shuts her eyes up tightly, fighting back the tears. Because she can’t think of Whitley right now, can’t think of him or his new found hatred for her, can’t think of the brother she loves dearly who despises her and Ruby who she could barely talk to at the same time.

“Weiss-?” Ruby’s voice is soft, closer than before. “Hey, hey—I’m here, don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.” She protested, because she hadn’t cried since she was twelve, hadn’t cried since the day Winter had left her behind. “I’m not.”

(But her eyes are burning, and Ruby’s thumb is gently wiping at the area under her left eye, brushing her scar and cupping her face.)

“Hey.” Ruby whispered, words slipping from her lips and caressing her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

“I hate Atlas.” Weiss choked out. “I hate it here so much, I—” Her throat seized.

It was Atlas that held her hated father, that held her betrayed brother, her depressed mother, her distant sister—it was Atlas that imprisoned her for so long, Atlas that she escaped from only to be shoved back into a gilded cage with her wings seared from her body. It was Atlas where things had begun to change between her and Ruby, Atlas.

It was Atlas.

Atlas. Atlas. Atlas.

And they say that Atlas held up the sky.

And they say that the slippery clouds crushed her shoulders and she struggled to hold them, and they say that she was isolated, and they say that there will never be any need for one such as her.

And they say that in Atlas she held up the sky.

Well it must have just crashed all around her. Must have pinned her down and held her, must have trapped her alone again.

Ruby’s voice was soft in her ears. “I’m here.” She whispered. “I won’t leave you, I swear.”

And the only thing that Weiss can think of is—

(“He’ll be here, Weiss.” “I promise, sweetheart.” “I’m busy, darling.” “The SDC is a gift.” “How dare you.” “What do you mean you never loved me—” “She’d always known, deep down.” “When I was ten—” “Winter, wait!” “Whitley…?” “Your grandfather loved you.”)

—why would she even try and promise such a thing?    

“I’m alright.” She whispered, pulling away. “I’m alright, Ruby—don’t worry.”

“Weiss you’re crying.”

“Well so are you.” Weiss reaches up, gripping Ruby’s cheeks and wiping away the tears. “I hardly see how I’m any special, so—”

“You told me once you that the last time you cried you were like, eleven or something.” Ruby protested, tears still streaming from silvery eyes. “You told me—”

“I told you a lot of things.” Weiss began her lie through gritted teeth. “How do you know that they’re all true?”

Ruby reared back, as though slapped, and Weiss wondered if that was the worst thing she could have possibly said. “You didn’t lie to me.” Ruby shook her head, spiked hair falling away from her face. “You’d never—”

“You don’t know—”

“Yes I do!” The words rip through Ruby’s throat like the claws of a monster. “I know, Weiss, I do!”

Her claim is full of something, full of an unfamiliar passion that is enough to stop Weiss’ fervent denial in its tracks. She doesn’t know why that phrase, the ‘I know’ is sufficient enough to make her go silent, to stop her from starting an argument in her self destructive desperation.

Why?

(Because Weiss doesn’t know, but Ruby does—because she says she does, and Ruby simply does not lie to Weiss about the important things, not like Weiss does to Ruby sometimes.)

“I’m sorry.” The words are gasped out, “I’m sorry—” She draws Ruby closer, draws her closer and closer and closer. “I’m—”

“I know.” Ruby said, wrapping her arms tightly around Weiss’ middle, leaning into the hands that cradle her face—the hands that wipe away her tears. “I know.”

“I missed you.” Weiss’ admission is a whimper, a press of her face into the crook of Ruby’s neck as she lets go of her cheeks to wrap around her so they were brought tighter together. “I missed you so much and I didn’t know what to do so I didn’t do anything.”    

“It’s okay.” Ruby whispered into her hair, pressing her lips to the crown of her head. “It’s okay.”

They slowly sink to the floor, still wrapped around each other, still desperate to hold each other and whisper words full of something into each other’s arms.

Words full of something that Weiss doesn’t know.

(Words full of something she doesn’t mind not understanding, for now.)