#aspoonofsugar

[miki-13]

#rwby#rwby spoilers#rwby volume 9#ruby rose#jaune arc#neopolitan#rusted knight#jabberwalker#blacksmith#rwby meta#my meta

Life, Death And Rust

The Parfait Predicament is that the Parfait is the least important thing that happens this episode :P

Here are some thoughts on what we got this week.

THE CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH

When we break or wear out or simply finish what we were made to do we are called back (...) I know, I know. Wehre you come from, things die, but we are not like you at all. We ascend. Herb will have his purpose again.

The CC's speech and Ever After's creatures not dying, but "ascending" ties into 2 themes dear to RWBY and Ruby:

Grief

Creation and Destruction

Both ideas come together in The Cycle of Life and Death, which is illustrated (or at least hinted at) in the character of the mysterious Blacksmith:

The Blacksmith's role seems to be collecting lost weapons and to use their metal to forge something new. When it comes to this, she is similar to Jinxy:

Jinxy takes things that are lost, changes their shapes and gives people the chance to get them back, if they are willing to pay the price. It is possible that what is left unsold is then given to the Blacksmith, who gives new life to it.

Two details have interested me of the Blacksmith's introduction:

She is made of gold and her workplace is all gold

She is forging a butterfly

Both are important symbols in the series.

Gold is the perfect metal and the objective of alchemy. The characters are going through the scale of metals and getting more and more refined, so that they can become gold. Pyrrha is gold to begin with and is the first one to become a true Huntress and to end her arc. Penny dies surrounded by a golden cloud because she goes from copper (her metal) to gold and reaches perfection. (This also ties with Pinocchio's fairy tale btw). In short, gold is important and the Blacksmith being covered in it frames her as an alchemist. Someone who starts reactions and transforms things.

Butterflies are symbols of transformation, of death and rebirth. So, it is important the Blacksmith is forging this specific animal. It may hint to how she is some kind of God in the Ever After. Or at least, that her role is God-Like. People who lose themselves in the Ever After come to her in the form of weapons and metals. She reworks them and gives them new life. The Butterfly might even be a reference to Herb, who "ascended" and is now being "fixed up".

So, what does all of it has to do with Ruby?

RUBY RIDING HOOD

(I have yet to write a full analysis of Ruby's allusion, I only have snippets of it for now. However, the imagery this episode was rather strong)

Ruby's meeting with the Blacksmith develops 2 ideas already present in the previous episode:

Her Journey Through Grief

Her Loss of Identity

So far, each episode has explored a specific stage of grief. Let's review:

Episode 1 > Denial

Episode 2 > Bargaining

Episode 3 > Anger

Episode 4 > Depression

Last week I identified episode 4 as Acceptance, but now I think it was depression (both Ruby and Herb are depressed). What is true is that it ends with the concept of Acceptance, which is fully developed this episode. The CC's speech and the appearance of the Blacksmith hint to this idea. Ruby, however, is still far away from fully reaching this stage.

Still, she is slowly getting closer to fully facing her ghosts, even if it is difficult to say if this is a good or bad thing right now:

The Blacksmith's weapons give Ruby 3 different mirror images:

Penny

Alyx

Summer

Why is that so? @lintuwaterfall shared a theory where they could represent Id, Ego and Superego (these are their words):

Penny - Id - Desire - She has deep feelings about her friend

Alyx - Ego - Reality - Doing what one can to survive in the world

Summer - Super-Ego - The ideal set out by a Parent

I quite like this idea and whatever the case, it is clear Penny, Alyx and Summer represent 3 parts of Ruby. In particular, they could once again allude to past, present and future (just like Neo's allusion while Ruby is falling may):

Penny is a lot like Ruby's past idealistic self. They became friends precisely because they were so similar. This is also why when Penny came back it is as if Ruby could find her childhood and innocent self once again.

Alyx went through a journey very similar to Ruby to the point they are often paralleled and juxtaposed. Alyx is described as a girl running from herself and she probably lost herself eventually.

Summer is set up to be Ruby's future. She is who Ruby has always wanted to be. An ideal she has been chasing after. She is the self Ruby has always wanted to become. Until recently, at least.

In short, the Blacksmith's scene is just Ruby going through the exact same pattern she did last episode with Herb. There she meets her past self, who asks her who she wants to become and suggests she may meet the same fate as Summer. Here, those unsolved and repressed feelings manifest themselves in a more subtle ways through the weapons.

This may also be why Ruby goes from Penny's beautiful sword:

To Alyx's humble and small knife:

From an ideal:

Ruby: Not just a powerful warrior, the most powerful to ever lived. She was touched by magic, and she gave her life for thousands. She took a message of hope to the stars, and she saw the world through better eyes. Take us to the royal birthday, and allow us to present this most precious gift.

To reality, which is much less beautiful and impressive:

The Blacksmith: What are you? Are you lost?

Ruby starts as beautiful as Penny's sword, a precious gem (rubies and jades), but has right now turned into a smaller knife. The question is... who will she become? Which weapon will she choose to wield?

Blacksmith: If you change your mind, you may choose anyone of these you like.

As for now, she seems to be willing to let go of her past self to a degree that is almost dangerous and destructive:

Ruby: Here, I'll give you this! It carries a mother's promise!

A moment after seeing a glimpse of Summer in herself, she immediately bargains away a reminder of her. Just like she gives up Penny's sword after getting it in order to meet the Red Prince. Ruby has just gone through the stages of grief when it comes to Penny. However, Penny's death has now forced her to go even deeper and to face Summer's. She is probably going through the stages once again, so that she can deal with Summer. Only then she will be able to accept both her friend (her inner child) and her mother (her future ideal self)'s deaths. And change.

RUSTED JAUNE

It is too soon to say for sure, but so far Jaune seems a foil to Ruby when it comes to dealing with grief and identity.

It is implied Ruby wishes to forget:

Ruby: When Herbs come back... will he remember anything?

And she is willing to let go of herself completely. To self-destroy:

Young Ruby: You can do whatever you want! Be whoever you want! You don't even have to be Ruby Rose.

The first glimpse we get of Jaune instead suggests he wants to remember:

He calls his new friend Juniper

He chooses to live in an acre called "garden" and full of flowers (Nora) and leaves (Pyrrha)

The leaves have a rainbow pattern, which calls back to both his teamd and name

His house is a giant lotus (Ren)

He wears a red bow to remember Pyrrha:

He seems to have been in the Ever After for years, but he has apparently failed to change. He is still wearing his old armor or at least a similar one and his weapon is still broken:

In short, if Ruby's reaction to grief is to refuse it, to forget it and to self-destroy, Jaune's reaction seems to be not to let go when he should. Both characters clearly have to change and evolve, but Ruby only sees the relief of self-destruction, while Jaune only sees the importance of moving forward. Interesting considering they reacted in opposite ways when it comes to Pyrrha and Beacon. In general, the 2 of them seem to also have exchanged places since the beginning of the series. There Ruby was an already experienced Huntress in theory and very effective in combat. Jaune was instead unsure of his role and was often the load. In this week's episode instead we see how Ruby seems helpless when it comes to fighting, while Jaune rushes to the battlefield and basically takes Ruby's role as the 4th of her team. (This is a superficial note btw... I think the point is simply Ruby doesn't know where to fit right now, which reflects on her fighting style and willingness to fight - see the chess fight).

Basically, Ruby and Jaune explore 2 opposite and extreme reactions to grief. It is probable them both will be forced to revisit them. Ruby might have to accept her own pain, while Jaune might be asked to let go of an already consumed persona.

Obviously, Jaune's appearance might be misleading and he might have already been remade into something new. In this case, his own attachment to the past and knight persona might be an illusion to hide how broken his own identity is (the shattered sword).

Whatever the case, it is probable Jaune will be forced to change and to be remade into his true self. So, that he can finally evolve.

JAUNE AND NEO - RUSTED KNIGHT VS JABBERWALKER

We have reached the midway of the season. So, all the main characters and ingredients for the story have gathered. This means that both Jaune in the form of the Rusted Knight and Neo in the form of her illusory Jabberwalker have joined the fray and interacted with RWBY.

This gives us space for a meta commentary (this partly repeats last week's post):

Ruby is the protagonist - she even more so than the others has 2 animals guides there to help her out. Still, she is thinking of refusing her role and wants to lose herself and to be remade.

Neo is the antagonist - she multiplies the Jabber Walker aka the only antagonistic forse in the Ever After > the only thing able to kill. Symbolically, she is spreading her grief in a world which knows no death. However, she might seem to want more than just a role and is using her semblance to add new characters and potentially change the story (only 1 Jabberwalker was supposed to exist).

Jaune is the side character- he has completely fused with the story to the point the protagonists know his character even before they meet him. It is as if Jaune is running from his role of main character in RWBY to be content with an easier role in another story.

At the same time:

Ruby processes grief through wishing to destroy herself (she internilizes)

Neo processes grief through wishing to destroy others and the world (she externalizes)

Jaune processes grief through refusing destruction altogether, so he doesn't let go of his mementos and protects others even in this strange world.

We'll see where we go from there. That said, it is interesting the Rusted Knight is introduced fighting the Jabberwalker because these 2 characters are juxtaposed in the opening:

And there is clearly something going on with the Jabberwalker... are they a person trapped in the Ever After? What is their deal?

The wonderful Chatterbox's song seems to suggest there might be a problem with communication:

I don't think the Jabberwalker is evil. Rather I think they have a problem, but since they are scary, dangerous and impossible to understand people have made them be the villain. Which leads us to the final thematic highlight of this week.

CREATION AND DESTRUCTION

Weiss: It's impossible. Things have to die someday, right? CC: Goodness no! Although, I suppose there is a creature...No, no. That's not the sort of thing you talk about while in polite company.

The CC may insist there is no death in the Ever After, but there actually is in the form of the Jabberwalker. Whatever form this death takes is left to be seen. (When is it that stories die? I would say when they are forgotten or their meaning is lost... so maybe the jabberwalker not being able to articulate things might be the reason behind it?). What is sure is that the Jabberwalker is a creature of Destruction, while the Ever After is the world of Creation. And yet, Destruction and Creation can't be divided:

Weiss: I am so tired of leaving places in ashes.

So, very poignantly the Ever After is compared to Atlas. Both are Kingdoms of Creation where the inhabitants live happily and think they are untouchable. And yet, Destruction arrives and changes things.

I don't think this is the only similarity between Atlas and the Ever After, though. First of all, the 2 places appear as incredibly rich and wonderful, but both ignore their shadows:

Atlas ignores Mantle and the Ever After ignores whatever place the Jabberwalker comes from. Not only that, but both places are in the end run through control and manipulation and roles.

Each character has a role and is dismissed the moment they are not able to fulfill it anymore? Doesn't it remind you of something? Like a very utilitarian and strict military state?

Maybe this is why the CC's power seems at the same time extremely kind and extremely dangerous. Atlas explores trust, but shows how it can degenerate in control. The Ever After might introduce the theme of empathy and how it can be used for manipulation:

CC: I gave him something new to do for the moment...

MISCELLANIA- A CAT AND A MOUSE

Blacksmith: Are you her guide, little one?

Little being recognized by the Blacksmith as Ruby's guide makes me wonder... is it possible Alyx too had a guide? And if yes, could that guy have been the CC? Did they fail their role as guide and this is why they are so interested in RWBY and Ruby especially? To the point they are ready to challenge the Red Prince, to have Herb ascend, to sacrifice a Poor Bird and to risk their own life, just to protect Ruby?

It seems a little bit too much investment for character introduced as minding their own business and acting on a whim.

If so, then this take on Alice In Wonderland is a retelling where Alice fails to get home and The Cat wants to make sure the story doesn't repeat itself? And yet, the CC is not Ruby's guide. Little is. Interesting the juxtaposition between a naive little mouse (heart) and an experienced tricky cat (mind).

Finally, this week's song rocked! I am enjoying the new songs, I must say! Also, this volume's soundtrack so far seems to be about Ever After Characters. Both the Red Prince and the Jabberwalker have now their own song. Interested to see if this continues or if our titular RWBY characters will get new songs as well.

[hamliet]

Wait what, how did Attack on Titain's narrative get accused of being interlocked with fascism?

I'm sorry I'm new to this since when did AoT ever visualize direct support of such a thing? I'm so so confused, it's a story COMBATTInG that exact thing??

I think a couple things, two of which I find sympathetic but still incorrect, and the rest of which--the main reasons--I find exasperating.

Main reason: people can't read well and don't understand framing. This is a very real phenomenon among younger generations (Z and below). If a story is about something, it's automatically seen as endorsing it. Just look at social media and the anti movement, or at problems plaguing YA literature and harassment towards authors.

In this kind of environment, where portrayal=endorsement, the concept of a tragic protagonist is especially anathema to people--if a protagonist does something, surely it's endorsed! Except, Shakespeare would like a word. Historically, this isn't the case in literature, and it's not the case in AoT either.

Now, to be fair, something coming out in a monthly fashion may mean that parts seem ambiguous at the time since we don't have teh full picture. However, I don't think AoT was ever ambiguous and never made me feel like it would endorse Eren, so while I can understand occasional confusion, I can't understand ever thinking it was even close to endorsing it especially after Mikasa's "that's already... unforgivable" line in 101.

The parts I am sympathetic to are these:

Isayama, in like 2013, posted an image of a Japanese military figure in WWII or something. I forget the details. This man is taught as a hero to Japanese students. To the rest of the world, he's uh, a war criminal. Isayama I believe deleted this? and at any rate never did it again. Still, I'm not going to defend this. I empathize with people who still live under the effects of brutal Japanese imperialist occupation, for which Japan still hasn't taken responsibility. Yet as someone who grew up in America in a cult where I had to unlearn basically everything, I'm also sympathetic to a man who was in his young-mid 20s who grew up with a perspective that was very different and appeared to learn from it. It's like a lot of Americans grow up hearing great things about Winston Churchill and George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, only to then realize in your 20s the Bad Things they did, like slavery and assault and more. Also, these things were not as widely available (via the internet) to people growing up at Isayama's age (he's just a little older than I am) as they are now. So I see this as a man learning. Yes, there's privilege there, but that's not something he can help, and it's a project to do the work unpacking it--which to all accounts he appears to actually be doing. It's nonsensical to assume that someone who ever speaks positively of a historical figure is actually endorsing their worldview. If the story did endorse it, that'd be different--but it doesn't.

The armbands. I have talked about it before and won't get into it, but I won't ever defend that use of the armband (it's incredibly insensitive) while also thinking that its use is not remotely an endorsement (framing-wise, it isn't) and also thinking that someone raised in Japan, again, doesn't learn nearly as much about the Holocaust as someone in the west does.

Even with those things, being angry about them or offended is one thing, and thinking the story endorses fascism as a result of it is another. I can defend why I called BNHA a fascist-esque story in the end tying it into the themes and messaging. I've yet to see someone do this with SnK because it's blatantly anti fascist--though, it is a story told within the foibles and limits of coming from one man's background.

Also, to quote @aspoonofsugar, I think the most blatant evidence it's anti-fascist is looking at who hated the ending. Answer: fascists. Young, alienated men angry that their hero, who was written to represent them, turned out not to be the hero of the story and as a tragic, hurting child throwing a tantrum. Raise your hand if you recognize any of our real-world fascists in that.

Edit: An Anon gave the details for the picture of the Japanese imperialist: From Tv Tropes; Dot Pixis's character stirred an outrage among the Korean fanbase, especially when Isayama admitted that he was based off of Akiyama Yoshifuru, a historical general of the Imperial Japanese Army who has a complicated and controversial history in Korea. This resulted in a heated debate over the general's war record, angry messages and even death threats towards Isayama, as well as an overall decline of interest in the series in Korea due to what they saw as Isayama glorifying the man.

Thanks to Anon for the details; I'd forgotten. My opinion on it remains the same.

[pilot-boi]

That shipping analysis post has got me like 👀

I know right

Props to @aspoonofsugar and @misstrashchan cause it was REALLY good, an excellent read

[your-mums-nuts]

Emerald and Mercury make me so soft cause like, Mercury sees himself as a machine, he has metal legs and no semblance, which adds a layer of nuance to his character because semblances are often referred to as a manifestation of one’s soul. It’s established kind of that he sees himself as a vessel for violence and he reacts to his evil coworkers with soldier-like tolerance. Except for emerald. Mercury teases her, questions her,checks on her (subtly, let’s remember this is Mercury we’re talking about) he lets her talk to him, he fights her on cinder. With Emerald, he reacts like you would with someone you care about. It’s very special too because he’s known her just as long as he’s known Cinder, but he doesn’t care for Cinder at all. It’s Emerald and only Emerald that he has this soft spot for.

This is so important to because Emerald is a very emotional character, her arc depending entirely on Cinder for the first few seasons shows how much care she will put into a relationship no matter what. It’s clear that she craves love and affection even though it isn’t reciprocated, at all, but Emerald still tries and tries until she can’t keep the illusion anymore. ( @aspoonofsugar has a great analysis on this everyone should check out). Mercury cares about her more than anything and he doesn’t get a thing out of it (so does Emerald and I’ll get into that a seperate time) That is something neither have truly realised yet but both need to. For Mercury it would be a way for him to recognise he’s not some unfeeling thing and actually cares very deeply for another person (Emerald). And for Emerald to have someone who loves her with nothing being expected in return, without it being a trick or a bribe, would be so good for her own self worth.

[pastel-junkyard]

A Tentative Analysis of Nina Fortner and her Greater Meaning, featuring Wolfgang Grimmer.

Before I begin I would like to credit tumblr user @aspoonofsugar for their insights into the twins and Nina's character progression. Their posts form the foundation of my understanding.

The twins:

https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/646197554080628736/what-are-your-thoughts-about-johan-and-nina

Nina's arc:

https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/184734050997/hello-could-you-share-your-thoughts-about-chapter

Thank you also to @good-wine-and-cheese for making sure what I'm about to say makes sense to someone other than me, apologies it took so long to post!

For a while now, I've been trying to parse out a coherent explanation as to what I think Nina represents in the narrative, what her symbolic purpose as an individual character is. The following is my attempt.

I interpret Nina as representing the ideal trauma survivor - more specifically, how the conflicting and restricting expectations for survivors do little for them and are really for the benefit of outsiders.

Victim/Survivor Archetypes.

From my personal observation, survivors of trauma are given several, often contradictory messages on how they should process their experiences. I have summarised them as categories below.

Asymptomatic, convenient and productive. They may not even consider what happened as traumatic, but rather "normal". In the event that their trauma is sufficiently valid in societal eyes, they are "resilient" and cheery, not discussing their troubles as they either follow the above philosophy or have conveniently gotten over it. Trauma done by the system does not exist unless one person/entity can be pointed to as the bad apple.

Passive, quiet things to be nurtured and advocated for. They display enough sadness and fear to elicit sympathy, but not enough to become burdensome. Under no circumstances should they struggle with complex and unpalatable emotions such as paranoia or rage. They forgive the perpetrator not out of their own decision, but to revert to state 1.

Justice-seekers against a singularly monstrous and irredeemable person. They will use legal means but are justified in going above the law to exact punitive justice. At no point are they to question the wider structures that allowed the events to occur or shaped the toxic worldview of the perpetrator. It ends with them and once it's done they go back to being productive for the system -- either an ordinary citizen or a prisoner in the event that they broke the law in a way that can't be brushed away.

The Unideal. Survivors that are entirely unpalatable in terms of symptoms and/or have inflicted suffering as a result of their trauma.  Those who point to the systems that caused this at the same time as they point to the perpetrator. These people are carted off to institutions or die.

1 is the most ideal, with each descending point being an acquiescence - if you must be traumatised, this is how; if you must pursue justice, this is how.

When it comes to the idea of forgiveness, I have picked up on similar contradictions.

To me, it is often weaponised as a tool to make survivors manageable and not make a fuss about those who have enabled the events to take place. The exception to this rule is if the perpetrator is someone deemed convenient to condemn -- an enemy nation, a perpetrator who fits societal ideas of what a perpetrator of trauma is.

The reason I mention this as well as victim archetypes is because forgiveness is a key feature of Nina's development and a key theme in Monster as a whole.

Now to Nina (and a bit of Grimmer).

In her evolving reactions to the circumstances, Nina unconsciously moves from one societal ideal to another and chafes under the confines of each one.

She appears to begin the story in archetype 1, with no memory of her trauma and a fully functional life as an undergraduate student and pizza deliverer.

However, as noted by her counselor Dr Gietel in Chapter 8/Episode 5, her cheery demeanour has an artificiality to it. Before the e-mail from Johan, she doesn't give herself too much time to think alone, an unconscious effort to protect herself. After the costume party picture and mysterious e-mail makes a tear in her ordinary life, it's telling that she minimises other people's involvement in her problems. (As much as Clara and Beate pushed the admirer meet-up against her wishes, they do show genuine concern. Same with Peter. These people could help, but Nina doesn't think to let them in.)

Throughout the rest of the series she is unmoored from the perfection of this first archetype, drifting between 2 and 3 as she gathers information and occasionally gets overwhelmed by her uprooted trauma.

True to her implied belief in a black and white worldview, she puts herself morally in number 3 but is frightened at the emotional side of this archetype - the rage flashes, the flashbacks, the depth of impact the trauma has had on her.

Nina's fear of herself is a direct result of the lack of space in conventional victim/survivor narratives for people that struggle with violent tendencies - they are more often than not seen as dangerous and an example of abused people inevitably becoming abusers.

It also leaves little room for people who have for whatever reason done harm - they can't really be a victim if they've done bad things, even unintentionally, because the status of victim is associated with moral uprightness and purity.

Her guilt and near suicide in Episode 67 comes from the fact that she believes she inflicted (her) trauma onto Johan, thereby not being morally pure in the way archetype 2 demands of her. Her flashes of rage peppered throughout the story solidifies the idea in her head that the same destruction is woven into the both of them by some ineffable fundamental.

This gives her an interesting parallel to Grimmer, who, despite his kindness and humanitarian goals, would be put into the 4th archetype of the unideal survivor.

His DID would already put him at a disadvantage due to its stigma, made only more intense by Steiner's combat ability and lack of restraint for those he considers a threat (the sheer desperation and danger required to make deadly force a default for someone is conveniently ignored).

Grimmer's readiness to dig deep in order to seek accountability makes him begin with Nina's end philosophy - he is after more than personal revenge, he wants revelation, he wants institutional protection for children and justice for survivors.

As good-wine-and-cheese pointed out, both Nina and Grimmer also try in vain to protect a perpetrator in order for them to testify.

https://www.tumblr.com/good-wine-and-cheese/186572524185/in-a-fairly-low-key-way-nina-and-grimmer-have-this

Dr Tenma is able to save her by truly listening and reminding her of her worth even after hearing the whole story. In fact, had she not run away to once again solve things herself, he likely would have emphasised this care after coming back from Mannheim in Episode 8. (They both think they're the exceptions to needing care in a way because of their guilt and self-shouldered burden.)

Once this is done and she gets her final memories back, she is able to see every person involved as who they are and no longer limits herself or others into the archetypes. She forgives the unideal parts of herself in the process of forgiving the "unideal" Johan, and implies a dedication to continue having this holistic and restorative view of the world in her epilogue.

In Summary.

Nina Fortner is a complex character with parallels with both Tenma and Johan that are thoroughly explored. As an individual character, I believe she may be designed to explore the multiple archetypes put upon survivors of trauma, as well as how they serve no benefit for the survivor themselves.

This may give her an additional mirror in Grimmer, a survivor that is morally upright yet fits into the most stigmatized archetype of all. Together, the two of them explore the same topic from different sides in a way that informs other characters.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

thoughts on these posts https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/742246863661613056/hi-do-you-think-alastor-and-lucifer-are-foils?source=share

and this one https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/745508921093095424/could-you-analyse-insane-the-alastor-song-by?source=share

so and so

[waywardtravelerfart]

YYYYYAAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!!

I would also super love it if we had enough understandings of magical systems to figure out how to break it down scientifically. Just a Complete Application of Heterodyne’s Law:

@hamliet @aspoonofsugar

Elements of real science I'd love to see in more fictional magic systems

Categories are defined by people, not by nature, and way looser around the edges than everyone thinks. "We like to divide spell-casting into rituals, runic magic, instantaneous spells, and curses or blessings, but the 'curse or blessing' category has more to do with how long a spell LASTS than how it's SET, and the line between ritual and inscribed runes gets really blurry in places..."

Models of 'how this works' that get taught to little kids which are fully debunked later as 'over-simplified and actually totally inaccurate, but a good way to learn, this is better', only to be replaced two years of study after that because, 'actually that was also a lie for the sake of learning, learn this one instead'. "Yes, we teach kids that planes stack in layers and sometimes holes form between them, and I know last year we covered the Humperdink Theory Of Planar Interweaving where those so-called holes are areas of enmeshment with the fibers of multiple planes at once, but today we're finally going to talk about the Planar Mosaic Model."

Frenzies of curiosity each time something unexpected happens, as wizards try to figure out, if this is a divergence from the pattern they THOUGHT they knew, then what is the bigger pattern? IE, "We've seen the Power of Friendship be insufficient to slaying this balrog for years! Why were these particular adventurers finally able to do it now?"

Basically, magic not as an objective force of the universe, but a hodgepodge thing humans made up to try and talk about and interface with the truth of the actual universe.

"Yes, we've been studying the lore and secrets of the universe for a thousand years. Things still just happen sometimes! That's why it's magic!"

[hamliet]

Hey I’ve been thinking about Jungian archetypes. If Adam is Blake’s shadow how do you feel about Blake killing him? Her story doesn’t linger on the trauma of his death for her and there is positive development that comes of it for her relationship with Yang. Not that she should feel bad about it, but shouldn’t killing her Shadow have negative repercussions or at least more introspection?

Hey!

So, I think there are a few aspects at play here, but the short version is that saying Adam is Blake's shadow is too simplistic to be entirely accurate. Blake's shadow semblance has multiple layers. For just a few of them:

She is herself a shadow of society (the faunus). The dark side of humanity is how they treat the faunus as not human, and the point is that they must integrate with people. Blake helps this happen through her role in the story.

Adam is only part of Blake's shadow. The White Fang as a whole is more accurately called Blake's shadow, but the White Fang is divided into different people. Ilia is another major component of her shadow.

To quote @aspoonofsugar's excellent meta here:

The shadow, also known as the inner beast, is everything a person refuses about themselves and pushes into the subconscious. It can be flaws, but also hidden potential and energy. Either way, it must be accepted and integrated back into the self because if repressed it will grow more violent and dangerous.

Blake does do this with the White Fang as a whole, and on a personal level, with Ilia. Ilia represents the parts of Blake she doesn't initially embrace, including her own queerness, her violence, her desire for revenge, and her resentment of having to hide who she truly is. But Blake reconciles with Ilia, and it's only through this reconciliation that Blake's own family is saved--because Blake's parents love their daughter, both her dark and light sides.

Blake's name itself means "black," which is why her shadow is the White Fang. But, Blake also means also "light." She is both shadow and light, and Ilia's surname Amitola means rainbow, a refraction of that light.

Adam, on the other hand... well. Blake did try to reconcile with him. She doesn't hunt him down, determined to deny that part of herself. In fact she begs him to leave her alone and to turn away from his determination to kill her so many times. She's not trying to kill him until he essentially forces her hand, and then she falls to the ground and sobs over what's happened.

It's a rejection of Adam's abuse and control, yes, but at the same time it's an acceptance that Blake can be violent, that sometimes fighting is even necessary if an enemy gives you no choice. It's an acceptance that she cannot change everything, she can't even save every person she loves. But, that doesn't mean to stop trying, or that any of that time was wasted.

To quote another meta by @aspoonofsugar about Shadow, her semblance:

After all, isn’t it what her ability is about? To leave behind parts of herself, so that she can survive despite it all. Sure, sacrificing fragments of who you are is damaging if you are conditioned to always do it. However, it is also a mechanism that helps you stay whole despite being shattered.

Yes, Blake lost a part of herself in Adam, and I think the story acknowledges this. But she wasn't aiming to destroy or deny her dark side, and has reconciled with it in other ways.

[greenteaandtattoos]

RWBY + JNR + Oscar for the character Bingo :D Either all together or divided into different posts!

Team RWBY (sorry if it's messy)

My favorites are clearly visible and I feel like I'm doing Weiss and Blake dirty, but I can say that I love all of their character arcs. I just find Ruby and Yang's current and potential character arcs so much more compelling, especially with their foundation.

JNR

I didn't really like Nora before her Atlas arc, but now I LOVE her. And Jaune's arc is iconic and I love it and who he has become, but otherwise don't think about him very often. And now I really am doing Ren dirty, but I just don't think about this man very often.

Oscar (do you really need to ask?)

Oscar Pine is one of the greatest additions to this show and I don't care what anyone else says. His character arc and potential arcs and his development in regards to who he is and what the merge will be are just *chef's kiss*

[hunterxhell]

Your series of asks about people watching HxH with their families are the best thing ever and are very good for the mood. Thank you and a thanks to your anons (or others contributing off-anon) as well! Have a good week!

IT’S SO SWEET!!!!!!! it makes me so happy!!!!!! thank you for the kind message

[misstrashchan]

No no I love this actually, because Ruby and Neo do desperately need to be honest with each and communicate their feelings to the other (not in a romantic sense but more in a literal bridging the Gap and coming to understand each other sense). Neo is mute and struggles to find her own voice, and Ruby has trouble opening up about her own emotions and trauma. So both struggle with communication in some way, and there is a lack of understanding. Ruby doesn't understand *why* Neo has it out for her, she has no idea what Neo wants.

Ruby: Whatever you wanted… I hope it was worth it. (08x14)

She doesn't know Neo is angry and grieving for Roman, someone she cared for a great deal, and blames Ruby for his death. Neo does not know the true circumstances of Roman's death like Ruby (he was killed by a Grimm admist the chaos while fighting Ruby).

The fact it's brought up that Neo identifies with Alyx as a character strongly in the book Roman Holiday, makes it possible she is acting out the role of Alyx here in the opening, but is also turning into Ruby, fitting as a Looking Glass for Ruby's internal world as pointed out by @aspoonofsugar in this post here. Ruby and the others have been trying to follow Alyx's story, but they don't really understand who she was as a person, and everyone has conflicting opinions of her. Neo is treating the Ever After like a make believe world free of consequence, like how Jaune described Alyx, and is petty and cruel. But, she is also lonely and feels lost, both because she is in a strange world but also because of the loss of someone dear to her, lashing out in her grief.

It is possible that in being honest with each other and coming to better understand Neo, Ruby will also be able to better understand Alyx in all her contradictions and acknowledging her as a person too, neither hero or monster, neither good or bad or black or white, but simply human, and empathize with both. And in perhaps relating to Neo's grief by opening up about her own, will be able to reach her and bridge the distance, and come to better understand herself as a result, and to be kinder to herself too.

Okay so… it turns out the opening actually put Ruby on the same ‘bridge of admitting feelings to your partner’ that Blake and Yang wound up on.

Opposite Alyx…

…and HERSELF.

Who also might be Neo in disguise.

…I’m thinking this might get a bit… awkward…

[tumblingxelian]

RWBY Is: Deeper Than you Think (Yang Xiao Long Edition)

Hello again! Today we welcome my new editor, the amazing @bardock1991 We are also discussing Yang Xiao Long and how much more there is to her character than first meets the eye. 

Reference Material: https://www.tumblr.com/hadesisqueer/6... https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/... https://sir-adamus.tumblr.com/post/70... 

 If you are looking to hire an editor check out, DxBardock's Twitter & Tumblr: https://twitter.com/DxBardock?t=ilF03... https://www.tumblr.com/bardock1991 

 My Patreon and Ko-Fi can be found here, every little bit helps! https://www.patreon.com/ShakeTailStudios https://ko-fi.com/shakytailstudos

[maripr]

I think it's very good that both Penny and Oscar:

are associated with green and orange but also gold

share souls with an older parental figure who can take control of their body, changing their eye colors in the process, and both of them don't like this very much

have hereditary powers bestowed on them

have identity and self-discovery as a central theme in their narrative

have trust and faith as the core of their Atlas arc narratives

are both treated by puppets by the bad guys, to the bad guys' detriment

Bonus:

they're both in a polyamorous relationship with Ruby Rose uwu

(i was always Very Emotional over their parallels, but then i saw @aspoonofsugar pointing out that Penny's aura color when she gets a human body is GOLD and I haven't been the same since).

[misstrashchan]

Thanks for the tag!

This was taken from my rwby9 playlist on YouTube, that carried me through the hiatus and hypes me up for the new volume and kind of steamrolled into being my favorite playlist atm:

1) Here Before by Vashti Bunyan

2) Ask Me Anything by S.J Tucker

3) Litany of the Martyrs (from the Adamandi Musical) by Elliot Lee

4) Daemones by Kai Engel

5) Rises the Moon by Liana Flores

6) The Main Character by Will Wood

7) The Musical Nightmare by Gustavo Santaolalla

8) Inside by Casey Lee Williams

9) Layers on Layers by Skip K.D

10) My Time by Bo En

Tagging: @everyurlithinkofistoolong @hoepunkausta @maripr @eddy-be-creating @gatheringkeepsakes @aspoonofsugar @nana-glass-chillhop-radio-hour

you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people — no skipping!

Taken from my ULTIMATE PLAYLIST playlist on Spotify

Tagged by @grassbreads , thanks for the tag!

1. Sycamore Trees by Jimmy Scott

2. Good World #2 by The Robot Ate Me

3. Alone Again Or by The Damned (I know the original version by Love is *also* on this playlist)

4.Come On Up To The House by Tom Waits

5. Adolescence by Brown Bird

6. Dream Within A Dream by Propoganda

7. Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go by Jason Molina

8. Any Way The Wind Blows by Anaïs Mitchell

9. Owl Song by Cosmo Sheldrake

10. Chimeras by Tim Hecker

This was fun! I’ll tag @miscellaneous-entertainment @amotleycrew @drdissociation @gendermeh @misstrashchan @leefi no pressure to do it of course, and anyone else who’d like to do it I didn’t think to tag do feel free to consider yourself tagged by me in spirit and go for it, it’s a fun thing to do.

[aspoonofsugar]

Do agree if Johan and Nina from Monster are called "Doom Toxic Siblings"?

Also, what do you think are Johan and Nina's greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic?

Sorry I copied the format from your previous ask, @aspoonofsugar , actually I want to ask your opinion on Tenma and Nina's dynamics, too...But I'm afraid if my ask became too long.... Thanks if you want to answer...

Hello anon!

No problem, I have already talked about:

Nina and Johan

Nina, Tenma and Johan

In general, Nina and Johan have the same weakness declined in opposite ways: they both have a very frail sense of self. Still, Nina protects hers by forgetting all the things that threathen it. Johan instead attaches himself to Nina to the point he makes her repressed memories his. Nina doesn't accept her darkes side. Johan makes being Nina's darkest side all that he is. As for their major strength, they are both highly empathetic. Nina plays it straight. Johan instead twists his empathy and uses it to manipulate people.

As for Nina and Tenma's relationship, they go through parallel arcs that lead them to discover and accept their darkest sides, in the form of Johan. They wanna Johan death, but stop the other from killing him. That is because they deep down know killing Johan means killing a part themselves. And they wanna the other to survive, as a whole. Johan finds hope in Nina and Nina finds hope in Tenma. As a result, they end up saving each other's souls.

Tenma stops Nina from killing herself

Nina asks Tenma to save Johan, so that he can keep on being a doctor

When they are about to lose themselves, the other is there to help.

Thank you for the ask!

[hamliet]

I have a question you said in a review the eyes in the characters of oshi no ko when I read about it design wise I am intersted in the eyes of Akane, Kana and Mem-cho mean something about there role and character in the story I was wondering if you can elabortate on it.

Okay, so! To start with this topic, though, we actually have to talk about Ai first and foremost.

Hoshino Ai breaks down into several meanings. For one thing, it breaks into “hoshi no eye,” which literally means “starry eye” in Japanese. Ai’s eyes notably have stars in them, and Aqua and Ruby have one starry eye each.

Of course, this breaks into several meanings itself. "Starry eyed" is an English idiom for an idealistic, childlike view of the world. If we break the "star eye" idea down further, "star" references Ai being a "star," an idiom for a famous person.

"Hoshino" also contains a homonym for the Japanese verb "hoshi" (欲しい), which means "to want." This also indicates a huge part of Ai's character. The kanji used to write Hoshino means "star" and "indigo"--indigo is the color that you get when you combine aqua and ruby, by the way.

Plus, Ai is written in katakana (アイ), not kanji as would be typical for a name. Katakana is the Japanese script for loan words, which reinforces the literal translation of “eye.” But, it's also a homonym for the Japanese word for love (愛), which is pronounced like "eye." In turn, the story explores love as a major theme--for example, Ai’s final thoughts are about her finally understanding love.

So, from Ai, we see that eyes and particularly starry eyes matter.

In the OP, we see a progression of five eyes--Aqua, Ruby, Kana, Akane, and Mem-Cho.

Hikaru, Aqua, and Ruby

Aqua and Ruby share one starry eye that goes black when they are in a bad mental state (Hikaru's eyes are also starry eyes that have turned black, again reinforcing that he never had a childhood).

The implication of both Ruby and Aqua having one starry eye each and switching between looking more like their mother's eyes and their father's eyes is to emphasize their internal conflict. They both bear the legacy of their parents, and have their own legacies in their past lives and a blank slate, a chance for a new start (the unstarred eye). What they do with this life and which legacy they want to focus on (Ai's love and life, or Hikaru's focus on trauma and repeating a cycle of violence) is their choice.

If we take the saying "the eyes are the window to the sopul," then we also see that as much as Ruby and Aqua are Sarina and Gorou, they are also Ruby and Aqua, children of Ai and Hikaru. That's why I actually am not so sure about the common fan presumption that Crow Girl saying the children had no souls meant they were supposed to be stillborn. They aren't Sarina and Gorou any more so than they are Ruby and Aqua.

Now let's finally move onto your characters.

Kana

Kana’s eyes resemble galaxies.

What this means isn't entirely clear, but instead of a single star, she has hundreds in her eyes. This presumably indicates her potential as a human being, and her way of reminding both Aqua and Ruby (in her better moments, anyways) that they are part of a huge world and a huge cosmos, and don't have to focus on just one aspect of life--namely, revenge on Hikaru for Aqua and revenge for the doctor for Ruby. Other people around them also contain their own light.

Akane and Mem-Cho

Akane’s look like an evening sky.

Mem-Cho’s resemble daytime, complete with light reflections forming clouds as shown below:

Again, I'm not entirely sure what this means per se, but I would guess it emphasizes, thematically, the reality of life. People live, and they die. Day comes, and then night.

Death (something repeatedly associated with Akane--no I don't think she's going to die) is a part of life. I would guess Akane will help Aqua and Ruby accept this part of themselves somehow, as written by @aspoonofsugar here.

Mem-Cho, on the other hand, shines brightly, illuminating their need to grow in some ways and offering wise advice. She's not as complex a character at the moment, but her role so far seems congruent with this idea.