#aspoonofsugar

[hamliet]

Have you seen Kpop Demon Hunters?

Yes, and I really enjoyed it. It was a solid, well-executed exploration of the Jungian shadow as shame. Shame could be things we should feel guilty about, like in Jinu's case where it's a very real flaw. It could also be things we shouldn't feel ashamed of, like heritage, mental illness, or even queerness.

The irony is that humanity itself can become something people feel ashamed of--not being an idol or a god, but being a person, but being a person means accepting self-love and hope. Humanity is ultimately what Huntr/x ostensibly fight to save and protect, but it's also the thing they (and Kpop idols in general) struggle to be accepted as. Humanity has great parts and it has shameful parts, and it tells us the great parts are sometimes to be shamed. But it's still worth being, living, and protecting.

I highly recommend @aspoonofsugar's posts about it, as they sum up many of my own thoughts.

If they make a series or more movies--and they really should, given how well the movie and soundtrack have performed as well as there being plenty left to explore--Jinu has to come back. Please. His romance with Rumi was very well done.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi, just wanted to ask some RWBY (white fang) related question. I'd totally understand if you won't answer since it's been so long.

I feel a bit uncomfortable with how the show and some people in the fndm treat the White Fang and the faunus in general. While the 'appropriate' term for the White Fang are terrorists, they are also in a sense activists. It's a bit confusing for me (for years) the reason why rwby is saying that the White Fang are in the wrong for choosing violence to fight for their freedom against their oppressors, that choosing trust and love is the correct path. It's a different lesson that is ingrained in so many countries who are colonized. They fought their enemies, their oppressors, and was lauded as a hero. But rwby doesn't treat it that way. And I know it's supposed to be a fairytale-like story but they should have given a much more delicate touch to their writing of racism and oppression.

When I was watching RWBY, I was confused at first why the personal problems of Weiss Schnee, a girl who is abused by her father but also contributed to the oppression of the Faunus, is treated as the same level as the systematic oppression of the Faunuses. I just realized recently it's because Weiss Schnee's progression is white-person coded. Not that it's bad, but in a sense that it focuses more on the individual rather than a tight-nit dynamic that is prevalent within a lot of non-white cultures. (I am no way treating this as the truth, just my observations and feelings as a south asian person.) There's nothing wrong with the individualism that the west is known for but it's different than the familial dynamics common here in asia.

I guess that's why I am very upset with the handling of the White Fang and the Faunuses. Especially when some people in the fndm say that 'the White Fang are the outlier, there are faunus protestors who do it peacefully'. And it's enraging to me. Is the White Fang's anger not justified? Why are their violent actions vilified while the peaceful ones are relegated as the ideal protestors? Forgive my language but it reeks of how white people used to infantilize their colonies by promoting the ideal Chinese Man, Indian Man, Filipino Man, etc. By saying that these type of actions are humane, a sign of intelligence, unlike their savagery and barbarism (meaning showing violence and anger towards the colonizers). I used to think like that too, I was young though and still influenced by colonial mentality.

I guess what I want to ask is if there are any ways to properly handle the White Fang's, Blake's, and the Faunus' storyline? I'm sorry for ranting, I got a bit passionate there.

Hi!

No problem, I still love RWBY a lot and I always love answering asks on it :D That said, I do not have much to say on the topic except that I understand and I think your feelings are 100% valid. I actually think it is a common criticism to that particular plotline tbh.

Personally, I do not have a personal problem with it, but I do understand the criticism and I think a lot of poc (and probably many non poc too) agree with you :)

As for how to handle the plot differently... my humble opinion is that there is no way to handle this specific plotline, so that it offends no-one. It is triggering in nature and I think that to handle it with the care it needs, we would have needed a whole story dedicated to it, which RWBY can't be. I also think they could have played it safer initially and condemned Weiss's racism more. They do so in The Ice Quendom's anime, for example.

That said, I am personally happy they did not play it safer. This is an unpopular opinion, but I think a flawed and problematic story can be more interesting than a perfect one, when done in good faith. The framing they used in the beginning especially would not be acceptable today, but I think that maybe accidentally they ended up giving us a pretty realistic portrayal of the characters. Not perfect caricatures with unproblematic or schematic reactions, but real people:

-Blake is 100% in the right about the systemic exploitation and calling out Weiss's racism. However, she herself is a traumatized teenager that even more so than trying to solve a systemic issue needs to overcome the personal abuse Adam subjected her to. So, the moment her new friends discover she used to be part of a group they consider as criminal and violent she runs away instead than explaining herself. She isn't in the wrong because she was part of the White Feng, but because she disappears without facing her team. In short, she gives in to her flaw. Blake can't make a convincing case for the Faunus until she heals herself and understands how she wants to fight. It is only after she finds in herself the strength to fight and defeat Adam that she can focus on a better way to change people's opinion on Faunus.

-Weiss is 100% in the wrong about her discrimination of the Faunus, but she can't see it. Not only that, but when confronted about it she makes a systemic issue all about herself. In short, she is Blake's opposite. Blake thinks she needs to fix society by herself, to the point she should sacrifice her personal feelings for it. Weiss instead makes society all about her personal experience and her personal feelings. She is acting as a mouthpiece of her father and needs to snap out of it. However, it is a process that does not happen overnight and she takes time to overcome abuse and racism. She does thanks to being exposed to a more diverse environment and by the time of volume 8 she is fully conscious of the pain she and her family caused to the Faunus. She apologizes to Blake and knows her personal situation was no excuse for her racism.

-Ruby and Yang are instead neutral, which I think it is something people criticize. To me, however, it works to convey how ignorant they are on the matter. Both sisters are not prejudiced against Faunus, but they also do not seem to be that much involved into the problem. They do not have close loved ones that are Faunus before meeting Blake and Velvet. They are not part of the minority and even if they do not resent it, they are still passive in the matter.

In short, the dynamic portrayed is that of a group of friends who is mostly composed by people who are the majority. Blake, a member of the minority, finds herself struggling because she is unsure how to convey her feelings and her point of view. That is why it is so important for her to have Sun to relate to. And even then, Sun's experience as a Faunus is very different from hers, but he still helps her sort out her feelings. They can relate to each other in a way Blake can't with team RWBY because their cultures are simply different. In the end, however, Blake goes back to her team, who accepts her and we are shown the team grows progressively more sensitive to the Faunus's problems. In short, theirs is a mini story of integration, which might have been depicted this way by accident, but it still rings plausible to me.

As for the bigger systemic issue, the thing with RWBY is that the Faunus's discrimination is not supposed to be solved only through the Faunus's struggle, but rather by the world dynamic changing and by the people coming together. Specifically, Blake can't fix the Faunus's problem alone, but she needs Weiss's help.

I have discussed their parallel arcs in these metas:

This is definately not a narrative everyone would relate to or appreciate. I think this is fair, but it is definately the one, which works the best for RWBY's themes and Blake's character imo. Blake is a character that starts out thinking she has to handle everything on her own, so that her loved ones won't get hurt. Still, this goes against the point of her fairy tale: Beauty AND Beast. Two characters, two opposites, two sides coming together and integrating. Blake needs others to complete her story. Both on a personal level (Yang) and on a societal level (Weiss). Just like Blake doesn't have to face Adam alone, she doesn't need to change society on her own. Blake and Weiss aka her two beauties are there to help her. And this I think is a beautiful theme for a character, who started the story overwhelmed by the weight of the world.

In short, I think your dislike of the plotline is 100% valid and understandable. I also think this is the kind of story RWBY is and initially the topic was approached a little clumsily. In the end, it is up to you to decide if you can still like the overall story despite this plotline or if this plotline is too much of a dealbreaker for you :)

Thank you for passing by and I am sorry if this answer was not of much help!

[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

[snowqueenofmyheart]

I revisited this brilliant Jaune analysis here and something occurred to me...

In the last part of the post linked above, there is a nod to Pyrrha's legacy through Jaune:

It would give additional meaning to Pyrrha's story by making her instrumental in saving the world, not because of her prowess as a fighter, but through her relationship with Jaune. In the end, her major contribution would be thanks to that young love which was cut short by her premature death and that nobody of the People in ChargeTM considered as important.

And thanks to this post, I have now realized that v9 may have given us a small clue that this could well be the intended course for Jaune's arc and Pyrrha's legacy.

Think of it this way: RWBY has emphasized ever since the very beginning of the show that "there will be no victory in strength." Time and time again, we see how raw strength, while useful in some fights, is not enough to secure lasting victory nor is it enough to save the world from the division stoked partly by Salem and partly by humanity's natural inclination toward fear and distrust. The heroes of the story do not prevail because they are the strongest in a fight, even if some like Yang are indeed quite strong. They prevail because they choose love and trust over and over and over.

Just as the Blacksmith said, true balance cannot be forced or calculated, but it comes about through love and the patience to see things through to the end. I've mentioned it before as a beautiful lesson that gets to the heart of everything in RWBY, and it once again might prove crucial regarding Jaune Arc and his role in the story.

Now what does this have to do with Pyrrha? Well, Pyrrha Nikos was the best and strongest fighter in her class, a famous athlete with a heart of gold. Everybody expected greatness from her, and as she lamented famously, those expectations left her isolated on her pedestal and unable to have true friendships. Hence why Jaune mattered so much to her. But more to the point, Pyrrha chose to believe in Jaune's ability as a fighter and a leader even when no one else did. Her friends didn't have much faith in Jaune's abilities, and the People In Charge didn't take much stock in him either. Yet as @aspoonofsugar points out in their analyses, it is because of Pyrrha's faith in Jaune's potential that he becomes an actual fighter, a good leader, and is slowly reaching self-realization as a hero even if it's not the sort of hero he wanted to be.

How poetic then that Pyrrha's lasting legacy is that she chose to love and nurture someone who seemed hopelessly out of his league, took the time to coach him and inspire him, and despite having her life cut short continues to inspire him to be a better man and keep moving forward.

Personal shipping biases aside, I think this is truly beautiful and a fitting tribute to Pyrrha Nikos. It's so easy to get lost in the potential of what could have happened if the "Invincible Girl" had lived, had she made it to Mistral and to Atlas, what could have been if the strongest fighter of her generation could have faced the villains that her friends did. And yet, in a subtle but remarkable way, her short arc fits the theme of the show: trust in love and have faith that good things will grow. All because she took a chance on Jaune, we might get a hero that may prove crucial in saving the world after all - by resolving what happened on that fateful night atop Beacon Tower and being the maiden at heart that Pyrrha tried to be.

[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

[heartberrydog]

Hi agaiiiiin!

Fell on this:

https://www.tumblr.com/aspoonofsugar/733286482482167808?source=share

And I desperately need to hear your thoughts on this meta Chuuya's character, PLEASE!

(if you want, of course, no pressure)

Finally got around to reading this!! 🙇‍♀️

I’ve been waiting for a time where I could enjoy this properly, and that turned out to be today, so 😋

I honestly REALLY love this analysis. And I agree with everything, honestly. It’s very well crafted and also very correct. I specifically adore all the irl and literary references!!! As much as I can understand Chuuya’s character in the actual text, I don’t have enough knowledge on the irl works/relationships that dictate his character, so the way this post explained those was absolutely wonderful <3

Definitely recommend reading this to anyone who sees this post!!! 🙏💗💕 Thank you so much for sharing! ( ੭ ˘ ³˘)੭‎°｡⋆♡‧₊˚

[bobmarleygetupstandup-blog]

Taking notes because this is amazing! And will definitely check out @aspoonofsugar

And thanks so much for sharing this! Your analysis and observations are a gold mine of information!

I just saw this post from a year ago recently (regarding RWBY allusions) & I'm currently bowing to the every little nook and cranny in these detailed explanations for their allusions. A lot of these I picked up on just by the sheer fact that I read most of the Brothers Grimm stories as well as The Wizard of Oz novel by L. Frank Baum but the other details and the parallels you provided are just so spot on. Any chance for a power point or flow chart of this? The info needs to spread like wildfire

Hey, thanks for reading!! A lot of people ask me about how I’m able to dissect the show so intricately. It’s actually a collection of factors. I’ve been wanting to talk about this in detail for some time now.

I love fairy tales, grew up on Disney, had a bunch of fairy tale books, etc. Once I found out RWBY was based on fairy tales I did research on their references. I learned about tales I wasn’t familiar with, like Joan of Arc. I also learned more about tales I was already familiar with. Prior to watching RWBY, I did not know there was more than one Wizard of Oz book. Turns out the Wizard of Oz SERIES is the fundamental reference story for the show.

I’m probably not supposed to be saying this but I grew up around stoner anime geeks & they introduced me to RWBY during one of our smoke sessions. Since then it has become one of my favorite shows to watch, sober or high, but when I’m high that’s when the magic really happens. I start thinking really hard about the plot & characters & try to make things connect.

One episode completely altered my mindset when watching the show, Beginning of the End. This chapter featured probably the most perfect merging of fairy tales the show has ever done: the Pyrrha death scene. Prior to Volume 3 I was already familiar with Achilles & Cinderella, but after learning about their allusions, I did more research in their characters. I learned that Cinderella got her name because of cinder ashes that blow on her face from sleeping in front of the fireplace. This inspired Cinder’s fire theme. I also learned that Achilles was made divine by having his mortal body burned away. Then the episode airs. Cinder shoots a glass arrow at Pyrrha’s ankle, representing both Achilles heel and Cinderella’s glass slipper. Then Cinder turns Pyrrha to ash, representing Achilles’ cremation and Cinderella’s ashes.

Watching this scene & immediately understanding what it was referencing, witnessing the seamless merging of stories in one of the most unique death scenes I’ve ever seen on TV, it felt weirdly euphoric. Since that point I’ve been hyperfixated on character allusions. I’ve hunted down stories to explain every single thing that happen in RWBY: what they do, how they fight, what they look like, who they interact with, where their stories go. I’ve found characters that weren’t as obvious on who they were based on, like Ilia, Vernal, etc. I also go into deeper explanation for characters who only seem like surface level references, like how there is much more to Yang being Goldilocks other than her gold hair and her beef with grizzly bears. One of my favorite uses of this method is the Brothers Grimm being the Gods of Remnant, as they are the real life authors of many of the fairy tales that RWBY is based on.

RWBY is about fairy tales gone dark, but technically it’s accurate. Most fairy tales had much darker themes in their original versions. These tales get washed out and replaced with more child-friendly elements. This perfectly reflects RWBY’s storytelling as well. It starts off as a happy-go-lucky show with an overall light tone and moderate stakes. Then Volume 3 & beyond has evolved the show into mature grounds. Death is to be expected every Volume now. I watch RWBY as a Shakespearean tragedy play about war featuring fairy tale characters: the game.

I actually have a Google document that lays out every character base/sub allusion. I don’t know much about project organization other than these blogs, so it isn’t really put together well. Because of this ask I might tidy it up & post it on here or something. You can check my #rwbyallusion / #rwbymeta to see more character specific analysis posts.

I also feel the need to shoutout @aspoonofsugar possibly the only other mutual blogger that understands the show as much as I do. They go into MUCH more details about the literary themes surrounding the characters & honestly just so interesting to read. If you like my blogs you’ll surely like theirs. There are some other bloggers on here that are really good at dissecting elements of the show like this as well.

I’m currently working on some more analysis leaning more into the show’s themes, so be on the lookout for those. Thanks again for enjoying my posts.

[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 <3

[hamliet]

Do you ever find it difficult to be a fan of a show or movie or any form of media that’s considered flawed, I love both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, while both shows have their quirks there’s so much nuanced to them and it can be pretty frustrating seeing thumbnails on YouTube videos spreading so much misinformation and negativity, the same goes for the Last Jedi and The Acolyte.

Yeah haha. I'm going to echo what my friend @aspoonofsugar said here. It's good to have a friend to salt with whenever you see bad takes, and also writing my own metas helps me process my thoughts, to work out why I disagree with a take.

Believe it or not, also, there are plenty of people who make valid critiques and/or who don't even like stuff I love for valid reasons! We can come to different conclusions, and also have different tastes. But admittedly, a lot of the stuff you're talking about for the Hellaverse, TLJ, The Acolyte, and RWBY? It's... not that. It's "you should feel bad for liking this," and intellectual dishonesty paired with a bunch of microaggressions and a disdain for academia that, like the Emperor with new clothes, pretends said disdain is actually brilliant analysis.

Also, there are definitely patterns between which media gets punted by dudebros on YouTube. Namely, the stories appear to almost always be female centric and often have a queer component as well. That's not a coincidence. Sadly for the world, people think punching each other harder but with math (10% increase! 100%!) is more compelling storytelling than characters reflecting on who they love and what makes them who they are.

Frankly though, punching can work as a character development tool but I do think that a lot of the criticism isn't in good faith and refuses to examine stories that follow less traditional tried-and-true mass appeal structures with the same level of critique and evaluate them at the same level of value. They start from the assumption that it's beneath, and work to dismantle it from there. And truly no story is perfect, so there's always going to be something to grab hold of.

But the main thing is that there's no good faith in that approach. There's nothing wrong with disliking something and trying to pick it apart to discern why. Again, a lot of my critical metas start from that perspective. The problem is that if you go into it knowing you won't like it, you already have a conclusion, and thereby you're not examining it to discern why. You're examining it to justify your own self and taste, not even bothering to consider what the narrative is trying to accomplish and why it fails or succeeds from other perspectives.

It's funny, I've also started examining why I didn't like some aspects of a story and in the end rethought my perspective and realized it did work for the narrative, even if it wasn't my taste. But if there is nothing wrong with the narrative, or if you start splitting hairs to get to a problem and ignore the same glaring problem in something you like, then you might have to examine why your taste tells you that queer media is always shallow or why female characters irritate you, and no one wants to face that about themselves. Especially not people who genuinely believe and want to be allies. I don't think a lot of these people are badly intentioned. I just think they aren't willing to self-examine in a lot of ways. Like, I have a grudge against that YouTuber who made the dastardly RWBY video, for example, for this reason.

At the same time, not all people are well-intentioned either. Like that #yikes RWBY snark subreddit that likes to repost my metas and take them apart when they have never published a literary analysis paper in their life and think TikTok is close reading. Yes, I'm being snarky and kinda petty here. There are valid critiques of my metas. Very valid. But not on that subreddit, which exists to bully and boast about anti-intellectualism. And those kinds of outrage bad faith rants generate clicks.

[misstrashchan]

thanks for tagging me @asm5129!

last song:

Nagada Sang Dhol from the Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela movie

last book:

in the middle of reading This is How you Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. this is the fourth time I've gotten invested in a story about pining long distance sapphics in incredibly bizzare circumstances, but I'm really enjoying the prose and increasingly creative ways they send letters to one another throughout time and space as they become more intimate and interwined. first prize goes to the letter seal innards

last movie:

Bottoms 2023

last game:

Darkside Detectives, a game my dear friend @hoepunkausta sent me as a gift. it's a good old spooky time that's also incredibly funny.

last tv show:

I just finished watching the Willow tv series yesterday. really big fan of how they play with the chosen one trope, and I especially loved the the Elora/Kit foiling and their exploration of faith and vulnerability. and yes, I did indeed watch it after watching Bottoms and realising I have a big ole crush on Ruby Cruz and knew she played a snarky lesbian knight princess (Kit) in Willow. heard a lot of conflicting things about if the show is cancelled or just on hiatus, but the creator seems positive about wanting to continue the story somewhere down the line, and I really hope they do *shakes fist at disney plus*

sweet/spicy/savoury:

I'm a big foodie so like. all of them. spicy food is really tasty even though I have a low tolerance, so I've been trying to get better at handling spice. I'm a baker so obviously I love sweet stuff, but also I like to balance it out with just as many delicious savoury foods!

relationship:

I'm ace and been with my partner for nearly three years now!

favorite colour:

it honestly depends on the context. favorite colours to wear? mostly pastels. favorite colour to paint on the walls? sunshine yellow. etc.

last internet search:

plants that can grow in the desert! I was thinking for the thousandth time about RWBY and what might come up in the Vacuo arc. With how there's so many people living there now and it being heavily emphasized how much they're lacking in resources as a kingdom, but it once being a thriving oasis, I was curious about what edible plants can be grown in a desert biome, since trying to grow their own food and help the land recover seems to be one of the most basic steps forward to improve things for people and kingdom alike. Turns out a lot of food can be grown in the desert with the right knowledge and care! cucumbers, peppers, prickly pears, passion fruit, tomatoes, corn, beans, melons, among many others! it was a pretty interesting rabbit hole to go down (in RWBY I still think a little elemental help from the maidens and maybe a farm hand might still be of use though for helping food to grow)

Tagging:

@kaen-ace-of-diamonds

@chikorra

@pathos-logical

@bluecheeseinmyoffwhites

@aspoonofsugar

@hamliet

@abysskeeper

@gatheringkeepsakes

@mlhelena

@blueeyedamethyst

@hoepunkausta

TAG GAME - 10 People I'd Like to Know Better

thank you for tagging me @zorua-adorable !

Last Song: anna sun by WALK THE MOON

Last Book: junji ito's lovesickness collection

Last Movie: descendants 3 lmao

Last Game: fire emblem: path of radiance

Last TV Show: alice in borderland

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: sweet 100%. i have such a sweet tooth it's a bit of a problem

Relationship: single and not planning on changing that any time soon

Favorite Color: purple 💜

Last Internet Search: fahrenheit to celsius

no pressure tags: @ambeer6 @biblicallyaccurate-candylady @in-a-bucket @nerdofmanymediumsandfandoms @rencatuive @tophats-tea @biggestlen @bleuflowerfields @hqwthornes @asexual-shelly

[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!

[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.

[chatterkat]

@aspoonofsugar Yes I think you are right! He is questioning if he has been falling since Pyrrha died, which he kinda has in a way. The nightmares he had, I remember in volume 4 when he got up in the middle of the night to do Pyrrha’s training probably because he had nightmares. I wonder what the line about patience is about though. Did he learn it from the paper pleasers?

No more sudden movements please

So tired from sleepless and haunted by you

Fallen forever, was I always just a man out of time?

So this is what life is

No trouble now

Just quiet

Never knew what patience was until it’s face stared me down

Couldn’t bear to witness my own fate

My convictions the weight of it, all the failures of me, and who I couldn’t be

Through the hands of time

I was was slipping, always slipping away

All I felt I could do was wait

So this is what life is

No trouble now

Just quiet

All this is a miracle

what more can you ask for?

I really like this one. So this a Jaune song clearly. Jaune haunted by the his failures as the hero he wanted to be. Especially killing Penny and how hard he held onto the paper pleasers without moving forward for the longest time.

[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. 

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[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).