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itsclydebitches · 4 years ago

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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Witch”

Happy Saturday, everyone! Well, it's perhaps happier provided you didn't watch today’s episode lol. Getting through these 18 minutes felt like watching an extended version of a CinemaSins vid. I heard a little 'ding!' every time something nonsensical, contradictory, or just downright stupid happened. My mind became a pinball machine.

Which, in the interest of being fair as opposed to just snarky, only matters if you're looking for something resembling emotional depth in this show. RWBY, for all its faults, is enjoyable as a mindless spectacle. It's when you expect — or simply hope — for anything more that this very fragile house of cards comes tumbling down.

If it’s not clear already, today’s recap contains copious amounts of salt. Fair warning.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive in. Episode nine is titled "Witch," which is fitting since many members of our group go toe-to-toe against Salem herself. The narrative issues inherent in having your heroes fighting their final boss years before the series is meant to end might have been avoided if it weren't for Oscar's ridiculous, sacrificial attack... but we'll get to that.

We open with a sweeping shot of the Atlas battle, as hundreds of dead soldiers segue into endless grimm. Hold onto that image for a bit. At the end of this carnage is, of course, the mouth of the whale. We cut to Jaune, Ren, and Yang already safely inside.

"Well," says Yang, "that was harrowing."

I'm on the fence about this choice. On the one hand, yes, it's good that RWBY knows it can skip over extraneous scenes. We have NINE characters to keep track of and develop, fourteen if you count Ozpin, Maria, Winter, Ironwood, and now Whitley. Plus villains. There simply isn't time to show every insignificant moment... but was this insignificant? Obviously finding Oscar and escaping Salem's clutches is the true hurdle of this mission, but that doesn't mean getting through an entire army of grimm is in any way a cake walk. I'd be more willing to ignore this time skip if it weren't likewise presented as such a challenge for Winter's team. They have to "clear a path" to the whale, but our trio got there unscathed and unnoticed? The obvious implication here is that Ren just masked them the whole way — supported by his aura breaking later in the episode — but it still feels like we missed an important chunk of this task.

I'm nit-picking though. As said, I’m straddling the fence on this one and, given that, I'm inclined to settle on a, "Good job, RWBY. You're keeping the writing tight," if only because I don't have much else to praise about this episode. Throw the poor, struggling show a bone lol.

Now that they're inside, they realize they haven't the slightest idea how they'll find Oscar. “Like finding a needle in a giant…whale… why did we think this was a good idea?!” Because you and your friends are idiots who no longer bother to think about a situation before throwing yourself straight into it? This isn't me being mean to Yang, she literally says as much later on. Our heroes no longer get by on intellect, strategy, and skill, but rather plot armor and a staggering number of coincidences. For example, Ren.

Yang: Wow, it sure is lucky for us that on our way to this incredibly dangerous mission Ren inexplicably developed a new part of his semblance. Now he can not only mask peoples' emotions, see the true emotions that someone is feeling, pull thoughts out of their head about what they believe about a situation, but can also track someone across long distances through their emotions alone. Even that doesn't actually help us find Oscar, we just got lucky again when, in this maze of a whale, he ran right into us!

Me: So what were you going to do if this meta-world stopped giving you the most contrived solutions in Remnant history?

Yang: Die gloriously, I guess.

What Yang actually says is, "Okay. That's new!" and they enter the literal belly of the beast wielding a shield of convenience.

Jaune is also being awkward again because remember, RWBY doesn't know when to incorporate humor and when to treat a situation seriously. He reminds Ren not to "drain [himself]," he'll help him, and it's clear the scene is hinting at their earlier fight. There's a lot to unpack there, but I want to save it for the second conversation.

For now, we cut to Oscar, curled up in his cell, repeating stories to comfort himself. Yeah that's fine. I could use a broken heart right before Valentine's Day.

“She brushed off her bumps and bruises, for nothing hurt worse than the loneliness in her chest." It's a line from The Girl Who Fell Through the World, which Ozpin recognizes given that he's "lived through" a fair number of fairy tales. He immediately asks how Oscar is holding up — because he's a caring person! — and Oscar admits that he never understood why the girl of the tale was sad upon reaching home again. Now he does: she wasn't the same person anymore. I don't think the fact that Oscar has had both a metaphorical fall — leaving his farm to 'fall' into this war — and a literal one — falling through Atlas to unlock his magic — is lost on anyone. This is a nice allusion to our themes. Yang's speech to Salem later on? That’s something else entirely.

Storytelling done, Ozpin says he thinks "this plan to divide might have run its course” and it's time to try and find a way to leave. I'm sorry, I love my farm boy, but what plan? He didn't do anything. At least nothing that could remotely be termed an intellectual plot. Oscar convinced Ozpin to try and turn Hazel by telling him the world would end under Salem's rule and the only reason that worked is because the story decided to chuck out Hazel's entire character. You know, the one that hates Ozpin above all others, wants the world remade into a non-Academy horror show, can't understand that people make their own choices, is terrified of Salem, and has no reason to trust a prisoner he's currently torturing. Oscar's "plan" hinged on his writers erasing a great deal of work to build a new story that fits said “plan.” He didn't even get Emerald involved, she just — again, conveniently — eavesdropped outside their door at just the right moment.

To be clear, I'm not against a story being written to work in the hero's favor. Of course things are going to be convenient in a happy-ending tale. Someone manages to hold out just as long as they need to, a sword is lying just within reach, you, yes, happen to run into the one person you're desperate to find. This kind of stuff is reassuring, telling its audiences that sometimes things do work out for the best. It's enjoyable... but only provided the hero's entire success doesn't hinge on fate being shockingly kind to them. That's what RWBY has become. A world where Salem doesn't attack Mantle, Amity Tower is suddenly finished, the group can charge into any deadly situation they want to and bank on destiny twisting around itself to ensure they come out of it safely. A hero finding a convenient weapon nearby to defeat their enemy with is only reassuring after we've seen them implement a brilliant attack, struggle, nearly win, but then suddenly be faced with failure, necessitating that little push from coincidence. They earned it. The hero doesn't get to run in blindly and find a Defeat Bad Guy plot point gift wrapped for them at the first sign of trouble. They just die.

RWBY used to be a better written show because that's precisely Pyrrha's story. She charged a Maiden unprepared, without a single plan or hope for success, and she died. That's what happens in a dangerous, internally consistent world, but RWBY has since lost the second half of that formula.

I'm harping on this because this entire episode is built on that foundation of coincidence, something that shouldn't be happening at all, but especially not when you're pitting the heroes against Salem herself.

So yeah, it just gets worse from here.

Back to Oscar. Without the cane magic is the only weapon they have at their disposal, but he's reluctant to use it because every time he does, they merge more quickly.

They... do?

Okay, there are three major problems with this announcement:

I'm pretty sure we've only seen Oscar use magic once: creating that barrier to survive the fall through Atlas. That was the point of his near death experience, to unlock something that had previously been unavailable to him. Yet if he's only used it once, why is he so sure that it hurries the merge along? What's this "every time" business? This confusion could have easily been avoided if the show had just let Oscar use his magic this volume, tackling some other questions and gaps in the process. Let him use it to fight off the grimm in Mantle, giving him the opportunity to admit to at least Jaune, Ren, and Yang that Ozpin is back. He could have used some magic against the Hound with Ozpin's encouragement, answering the question of why he was entirely silent while the two of them got their ass beat. Give us a moment where Oscar uses his magic against Hazel, nearly escaping in the process, but is captured again at the last moment. Basically, his line makes it sound like magic has been this ongoing resource with an established downside when... it hasn’t.

Coinciding with all of the above, how is it that Oscar can suddenly use magic at will? Yeah, yeah, he unlocked it during the fall, but really? You open up the magic gates and from then on out it's as natural as breathing? This is the same issue with Ruby's silver eyes. The story gives these characters incredible powers, but never has them talking about how they work, let alone training them. They just exist, perfect in execution, as soon as the plot needs them. (See: the final shot of this episode.) At least Weiss had to practice her summoning for multiple volumes.

Finally, the question of how Oscar instinctively knows how to use magic could easily be answered with, "Well, he's kind of Ozpin now," but that would require the story to actually explain what the merge is. "We merge faster," Oscar says, but what does that mean? The Ozpin and Oscar we see in this scene are fundamentally indistinguishable from the Ozpin and Oscar who existed at his aunt's house, four whole years ago. They're still separate people, with one controlling the body and the other existing as a consciousness he can talk to. Nothing has changed. The show keeps insisting that Oscar is going through this deep and painful arc of losing himself to Ozpin... despite the fact that he has yet to lose a single bit of Oscar-ness. Has he changed? Well of course, but anyone going through these experiences is going to change. Remove the "merge" aspect and Oscar's confidence or power up is likewise indistinguishable from any of the other characters' developments. Nora is becoming more of an individual this volume. Ren is becoming more powerful in his semblance. Neither have an Ozpin to force that change, it just happens on its own. So what separates Oscar from every other character going through a formative experience? When is “I’m not the same person anymore” due to unnatural magic vs. just growing up?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy our boy is getting more screen time — and that the cast is actually being kind to him now — but overall his arc is objectively terrible. He bought some clothes, told Ironwood he was as bad as Salem, told Hazel how to access the Relic, and then asked him not to be a villain anymore. Somehow these things are presented as significant moments of growth while the real questions surrounding his merge go unanswered.

“Honestly, I think you’re doing just fine on your own," Ozpin tells him, but he's not. God knows our boy is trying, but this is a moment where Ozpin's self-hatred (and the story's insistence that the younger generation is intrinsically better than the older) is blinding him to the situation. Oscar has made terrible decisions lately, in as much as he's been able to decide anything at all, and now he's rejecting escaping captivity because he's terrified of a concept he doesn't even understand yet. None of that is fine. Reassurance is one thing, but painting this situation as Oscar making better choices than he would with Ozpin's input is insane. He literally just decided to keep them in Salem's clutches indefinitely because something something magic is scary, I guess. Oscar doesn't need a, 'You're better than me' speech, he needs a reality check so they don't both die. Remember back in Volume 5 when Oscar, a brave but idiotic 14 year old, insisted on fighting someone entirely out of his league and Ozpin was like,

then saved him from getting his head crushed in like a cantaloupe? We need more of that. Our teenage heroes need guidance, but because RWBY keeps insisting that every adult they encounter is corrupt or incompetent, that hasn't happened in three volumes. They're just aloud to decide things like, “Let's tell our captor the Relic's password because UwU ~trust~” and then the story bends over backwards to make that work. Instead we could, you know, let characters learn that they can be wrong.

The snow scene was the beginning, but RWBY really went off the rails the day it let Qrow warn the group against stealing from and attacking an allied city, only for them to call him an idiot for doubting them. Now, Ozpin doesn't even get to warn Oscar about stupid decisions, he just agrees with them, reassuring and passive. Never mind the complication of whether Ozpin is even emotionally capable of providing guidance after they labeled him the worst thing to ever happen to them.

Why does RWBY keep ruining my faves 😔

Anyway, we’ve got to stay on track. Oscar has decided to just lie there but, luckily for him, Hazel's redemption — I use that term so loosely — has begun. He drags Oscar out of his cell before we cut to Winter.

She's leading a portion of Ironwood's army, trying to get things ready for when the bomb arrives. Neon and Flynt are a part of her team, sharing scared glances and trying to remain optimistic. It's a legitimately hard-hitting moment, striking that balance between horror and hope. Funny though, I wonder that RWBYJNOR would think of their friends fighting for evil Ironwood...

Marrow, continuing the tradition of insisting that our heroes be both adults and kids simultaneously, looks sadly at the soldiers heading into battle and goes, "But... they're just kids." I would like to remind everyone reading that Ruby is younger than them. Anyone who thinks that these teenagers shouldn't be fighting grimm — the thing they have been training to do as their professional career, during an unprecedented attack on their home — should not simultaneously be looking to the girl who is two years younger as his savior. (Something that, while not overt yet, is very much where Marrow is heading as he continually doubts the Ace Ops and looks to RWBY's group as his new, moral leaders.) I'm glad that, for once, this perspective is firmly called out. Elm arrives to tell him point blank that he needs to figure out his personal ethics later. It doesn't matter because there's an army of grimm out there and monsters aren't going to spare anyone, adult or child. Quit philosophizing and kill some already.

Back to Hazel where we get the doorway shot from our trailer. He's taken Oscar to the Relic, because of course he has. Do I really need to list how convenient this is too? Apparently, "the moment we move that thing, this place goes on high alert," but there’s no alarm for when Oscar is taken from his cell, they enter the Relic's room, or when they use it. What does a movement alert matter if someone can just waltz in and waste the last question themselves? Put some of those endless grimm in the room to guard it, Salem!

Just assume that I am, at any given point in this episode, letting out the longest sigh my lungs are physically capable of.

Emerald shows up, demonstrating both the convenience of everyone arriving when they need to, and the very real danger that Salem herself could come in and discover what they're up to. Hazel has Oscar summon Jinn, only to immediately say that “Actually, I think all my questions are answered now.”

I'm sorry, how does this answer any of Hazel's questions? His driving question was not, "Is the Relic actually a magical object capable of doing magical things?" but rather "Are you telling me the truth about Salem's plans to summon the Gods and destroy all of Remnant in her quest to finally die, thereby changing who I'm going to support in this war?" Seeing a naked, blue djinn does not answer that question.

Hazel's "redemption" is non-existent. He — we — learned about Salem's death wish despite how that contradicts previous lore, then he trusted Ozpin despite that contradicting his entire character, now he joins the heroes because, literally, he sees Jinn floating there. It’s bad enough that Hazel goes from clear villain to sacrificial hero in a matter of in-world hours, but we don’t even get a reason for why that change occurred.

Oh, there's also this:

So Jinn doesn't come out of her lamp unless someone intends to ask a question, but does it for Ruby because she's special, yet still reiterates that this won't happen again. Then Oscar summons her without intending to ask a question, she comes out anyway, confirms that none of them seek knowledge from her, and happily pops back inside her lamp because eh, it’s whatever.

If RWBY had any courage the three of them would be cursed now for toying with a powerful, magical object. Remember the days when Jinn was a little terrifying because it felt like she was warping her answers and we had no idea what she might do to someone who used her carelessly? When she felt like a djinn? Good times.

Or better times, at least.

So Good Guy Hazel and Good Gal Emerald promise to get Oscar out. Never mind all the horror they caused, the people they killed, and that for Hazel, at least, this defection is coming out of nowhere.

Anyone remember that Emerald orchestrated Penny's death? No? Just me?

As they leave it turns out Neo was camouflaged against the wall, because she was also precisely where she needed to be. Does everyone just periodically pop into the Relic room to see what’s going on? At least this time it's not working in the heroes' favor. Remember when I said it's beyond idiotic for Oscar to just hand out the Relic information to known enemies currently holding him captive and torturing him?

Yeeeeaah.

So Neo's got the Lamp. Funny how all of this could have been avoided if Ruby had just put it in the vault like she came to Atlas to do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We return to our trio where Jaune and Ren need to rest because their aura is giving out. Good! These guys fought a battle, fought Neo, fought more grimm, fought the Hound, traipsed through the tundra, presumably fought through more grimm to get to the whale, and have been using both their semblances to look for Oscar. It's about time their reserves started to falter.

Jaune decides to scout ahead a bit, leaving Yang and Ren to talk about nothing of importance. I mean that seriously. Remember a few days ago when I spoke about how, if the snow conversation does come back up, Ren's points would be entirely ignored for a nonsensical “I’m glad we’re friends” speech? Remember how I also spoke about how every emotional beat now is entirely generic and you could replace any character with another and not a single thing would change? Yeah. This is both those arguments in one. Nothing is said about the points Ren made. His problems with how the group has been acting lately and the very real, very deadly consequences it has had are flat out ignored. We went from

"But these aren't the kinds of decisions we should be making because we have no idea what we're doing!"

"Forward, no matter what!"

in a matter of hours, with precisely zero insight into how Ren went from one perspective to the exact opposite. Kind of like Hazel. Because see, RWBY doesn't write arcs, it just writes one thing until it decides to switch it up for something else, with the opposite idea presented as a “resolution” or a “twist.” Our creators writes scenes they know the fandom is begging for without considering how to get a character to that place, let alone how to get them out of it. That's all Ren's speech was, the equivalent of moral fan service. Here's a glimpse of actual character depth and a morally gray situation... now forget it ever happened because we're back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Instead of working through the laundry list of issues Ren raised, Ren instead accepts Jaune's aura help — something they've been doing since Argus — and tells Yang it's okay to be scared. These moments are meaningless and, as said, could have been between anyone in our cast. Ren could have told Nora she doesn't have to use jokes to cover up that she's scared. Jaune could have reminded Ruby that she can depend on him. Yang could have tried to keep Blake and Weiss' hopes up. This scenes ignores the individuality of the characters, like the fact that they just fought over very different world views, to instead favor any dime-a-dozen moment of support. The number of times this volume has rejected the conflict and resolution the group needs for bland, generic reassurances staggering.

Also, apparently Jaune isn't scared at all? I don't think that's as good a thing as Ren seems to think...

Then Jaune immediately rounds the corner, terrified lol.

One of the seer grimm is on its way and he tells Ren to mask them. Apparently he had been masking them before — one of the reasons he's so tired now, trying to do two things at once — but it's only here that they go black and white again. Ren manages to keep it up for a little while, but his aura breaks before the seer passes and they're spotted.

Hark! A consequence!

That was well done. It makes sense and it adds to the stakes. We've seen the insane amount of fighting the group has done since Volume 7, we just established that they're at their breaking point, and then Ren's aura fails him right when he needs it the most. Add this to the miniscule pile of things that were well done this episode.

Salem runs into Emerald and Hazel, the former of which is acting very suspicious when asked if he's made any headway with Oscar. The seer's alarm interrupts them though and... okay. Was I the only one who cackled during this moment? Between Salem's voice acting and the fact that she just yeets herself down the hallway, it came across as really funny to me.

Either way, it is a bad situation. Our trio is trying to figure out what to do, to which Yang responds, "Do what we do best… charge blindly into danger!!”

Ren's aura is broken. Jaune barely has any left and it’s unlikely he could heal right now even if Ren had any aura to amplify. If Ren takes a single hit anywhere important he is dead.

Me, on my knees, surrounded by the ashes of the Hound, the last bit of serious storytelling we had: "For the love of God, the kingdom is on fire and simultaneously dying of cold. There's a grimm army decimating hundreds outside. Half their group is missing and they're wandering lost inside a devil whale, about to have the most powerful being Remnant has ever known personally try to kill them — can we please have their attitudes reflect that?"

The answer, in case you were wondering, is no.

Back to the bomb. Whatever scientists were given this task have completed it and Marrow watches as it's flown out towards the whale. "Come on, Juan" he whispers and I'm all, "Juan?" Apparently it's a callback to last volume when Marrow couldn't remember Jaune's actual name, but it took me hopping onto the RWBY wiki to remember that.

As death via explosion inches closer, the trio runs into Hazel and Emerald. Turns out though that Hazel is really Oscar, disguised through Emerald's semblance. Nice trick! Jaune immediately drops both weapons to hug Oscar and, while that's nice and all, it's also the stupidest thing he could possible do in enemy territory. Also, Oscar has been beaten up by the Hound, tortured with magic, and likewise beaten bloody by Hazel. I was hoping for a tender hug like the one Nora gave him, not a giant squeeze for more comedy purposes. It just feels like RWBY has no idea how to manage the tone of this volume, let alone the torture of a child...

There's the obligatory, "Why should we trust you?" from Yang regarding Emerald joining the team, to which Ren responds, "Because she's scared, just like us."

That doesn't prove anything. Literally everyone is scared right now. There is a war going on. I really cannot emphasize enough how RWBY throws out Deep™ sounding lines that are, upon inspection, absolutely nonsensical. Nora reminding Penny that there are different parts to her personhood, Hazel saying that all his questions have been answered, Ren announcing that Emerald is scared... it's all worthless chatter that has no bearing on their problems: How do I keep from being hacked? How do I know you're telling the truth? How do we know you're trustworthy after you spent years trying to kill us? But of course, because it's RWBY, Ren's announcement is treated as some sort of secret truth that everyone accepts. Emerald joins up.

As they head for an exit we return to Marrow who, frankly, is getting on my last nerve. I know the fandom loves him because he's clearly leaning towards Team RWBY, but does anyone actually listen to what he says? He starts yelling at Winter for sending in the bomb because the trio might still be alive in there, despite:

Seeing for himself the hundreds of soldiers that have fallen trying to keep Atlas safe

Knowing and hearing again from Winter that the only way to stop this carnage is to take out the whale. Given more time, the whole city falls

Sadly announcing to the world that children shouldn't have to fight in a battle, rather than just joining the fray and helping to keep those kids safe

How does Marrow think those kids are going to be able to stop fighting? How does he think he'll get a city to return to? It's no wonder that he's drawn to Ruby because both characters stand around twiddling their thumbs, mourning that things are bad, and blaming others for imperfect solutions rather than doing something to make the situation better. Marrow's disgust at Winter over the bomb is precisely the same as Ruby's disgust at Ironwood over Mantle: how dare you not have a plan that results in both victory for us and zero sacrifices? They want perfection which, yes, is an admirable trait, but their problem is they refuse to do anything until that perfection appears. They’re paralyzed, a trait that’s particularly dangerous when your story insists that perfection will never appear: it’s not a fairy tale. So they just continue to get mad at others for the fact that they live in an unfair world. You want that perfect solution? Think it up yourself. Otherwise, stand aside and let those coming up with something do what they can to make things better.

Marrow goes so far as to drag Weiss into things, trying to guilt Winter with the knowledge that she'll have to relate the death of her sister's friends back to her. Winter, because she's a badass who isn't in denial over the situation, tells him that yes, she will shoulder that responsibility. To Marrow's credit he backs off then, but man. RWBY has legitimate moral questions here — when is holding out for a few worth risking the many? — but they go about exploring it in the most frustrating way possible. I personally have no respect for the guy who wants to announce that Children In War Is Bad instead of, you know, using the power he currently has to protect those kids already neck deep in a battle.

Because John Mulaney remains relevant:

"There shouldn't be a horse in the hospital :( "

"We're WELL PAST THAT."

Marrow is the one going, "There shouldn't be kids in a war :( We shouldn't have to kill a few to save the whole kingdom :( " and everyone around him is like, "No shit, dude! But this is the hand we were dealt! You going to help us, or what?"

Literally all of these characters could have been so much more than what they currently are.

Except Winter. She's doing great.

Now for the final scene. Our group nearly manages to escape the whale, but is incapacitated by some sort of screechy power that Salem employs.

She contorts her body, stretching out her arms to snag Emerald, and the others have a brief, but intense skirmish. Jaune manages to block a blast of magic aimed at Ren with his shield — nice — and Yang dots Salem's face with a bunch of bombs before blowing her sky-high — double nice. Oscar shoots out some magic of his own because, yeah, I guess he can just do that now? It really feels like it came out of nowhere after eight episodes of being the punching bag.

Of course, Salem immediately reforms. She traps the group with grimm arms that come out of the whale, interrogating Ozpin about why he bothers to keep coming back. There's a very sad answer there of, "I don't," referring to his lack of choice in reincarnating to fight her.

Yang interrupts their little tet-a-tet to throw the question back in Salem's face, calling her out on her choices. A great idea but, as always, execution: "because something bad happened to you once upon a time? No one gets a fairy tale ending."

I’m sorry, but that dialogue had me cringing. Like I said before, way too on the nose. There's keeping with the fairy tale theme, and then there's shoving the viewer's face in it. More of Oscar's musings on how he relates to the protagonists of fairy tales, blurring the lines between storytelling and reality, which in turn encourages the viewer to consider how they see themselves in the RWBY cast. Less... whatever this is.

Yang goes on to talk about how many people Salem has taken from her, which upon reflection makes a certain amount of sense if you toss in all the people who are here, but changed somehow due to Salem's influence, as well as acquaintances who died as a result of her meddling: Raven is scared off, Tai suffers as a result, Pyrrha dies, Penny dies, Yang loses her arm and her school. I think the dialogue could have been revised to reflect that better though because what Yang implies is that Salem has killed countless of her loved ones, yet what she says is, "Summer Rose. My mom." Honestly, for the few seconds this exchange was happening my thoughts weren't even on Summer. Yang calls Salem out for killing loved ones and my brain went, "Pyrrha??"

That's how little they've done with Yang and Summer. I know in the past I've argued that RWBY has a "better late than never" situation going on, that I would praise them for making the right writing choices even if they arrive years too late... but now that we're here, I find that it's a hard problem to overlook. Summer is Yang's mom? When's the last time we heard that? Volume 2? Whenever the conversation with Blake was. Since then Yang has called Raven "Mom," focused on that emotional connection (or lack thereof), was excluded from the conversation with Qrow, comforted Ruby after she was blindsided by Salem's taunt, and otherwise hasn't mentioned Summer at all. There is no foundation for this accusation except a few lines about getting cookies as a child and the fact that we're tossing references in now makes me worried that we'll indeed get a grimm!Summer reveal. Better remind the audience that she exists before the twist arrives! Honestly, as much as a part of me wants to praise RWBY for trying to get things back on track, moments like this just ring hollow now. They waited years and now it’s too late. It doesn't help that this is the episode where we shrug off Ren's speech. What will Yang's cutting admission amount to based on this trend? Probably nothing. Summer will become Yang’s mom again in another six seasons.

Salem, obviously, doesn't care. The real Hazel arrives and she orders him to take Oscar back to his cell. Instead, he gives him his cane with a whispered, "No more Gretchens, boy."

Behold, another meaningless line. Hazel hates Ozpin for "forcing" Gretchen on a mission and "getting" her killed. The whole point of his villainy is that he doesn't understand the concept of choice and that bad things can happen to good people with no one able to prevent it. Not every loss has a responsible party attached (outside of, you know, Salem/the grimm). So what is he even demanding here? No more huntsmen schools? That's what you wanted Salem for. No more "forcing" people to fight for you? Ozpin never did that in the first place. Or is it just a strange promise that no one else will die here? RWBY seems to be under the impression that they can just name drop dead family members — Summer, Gretchen — and that's that. Emotional depth created, never mind a lack of buildup or clarity.

Then Hazel punches Salem across the room and she releases every single hero from their bonds. See the theme of this episode: convenience. Hazel shoves a whole bunch of dust crystals into his shoulders and yells that he's doing what Gretchen would have wanted, clearly sacrificing himself so that the others can escape. The battle between him and Salem is pretty decent. I enjoyed the dust vs. magic creativity and the sheer damage Salem can take before reforming. This fight really showcases how not human she is.

It does, however, bring into question Hazel's reveal about her needing an hour to heal at the longest. I mentioned how unlikely it would be that our heroes would get the chance to "kill" her multiple times, yet here we are, just a few episodes later. They got that opportunity and... does it matter? Salem's reforming doesn't appear to slow down at all, despite her head getting obliterated at least three times, so at what point does she need longer than a few seconds to heal? If this was meant to be a potential weakness the group would eventually exploit, we needed to see it here, both for that setup and to keep it consistent with Hazel's story.

Regardless, they fight and at first it looks like a pretty straight-forward sacrifice on Hazel's part, giving the group their chance to escape. Except... Oscar.

"She'll just come after us," he tells Jaune, turning away from him to fight.

I need a list for this:

Of course she's going to come after you. This is not some shocking revelation. At no point has anyone thought that escaping the whale is the answer to all their problems, it just creates one less problem to deal with. Namely, the problem of "Our ally is captured, being tortured, and may give up important intel to the enemy. Oh, also he's about to be blown up with a bomb." Salem coming after them doesn’t matter. What matters is making her plans as difficult as possible as you work to come up with more solutions of your own. This is just a smaller version of the Ironwood conflict: “Well, Salem will just follow Atlas into the sky so it’s useless to attempt escape, or to buy ourselves time.” It’s really not. I know I’ve used this ridiculous comparison before, but if you’re ever chased by a horror movie serial killer hell-bent on your destruction and your reaction to this problem is, “Why run? He’ll just chase us. The only possible choice is to fight him with a 99% chance of our death,” then I beg you to re-evaluate things.

What was the point of coming to rescue Oscar if he was just going to stay behind? The whale is about to be blown up by a bomb and the trio risked their lives ten times over to get to him. If I were them I would be pissed. We went through all that to get you out and now you’re refusing to leave when we have a chance? Thanks for that.

Same with Hazel. Not that I care about the guy, but if I was sacrificing myself for others to escape I'd be pretty annoyed at them randomly deciding not to do that.

What does Oscar even think he's going to do? Kill the immortal witch? The entire point of our series is that they can’t do that (yet).

However, if he is able to do something significant via Ozpin's magic, why didn't Ozpin do that generations ago? Somehow I don't think a younger Ozma closer to the height of his power was in a worse position to attack Salem than a tortured, aura-less kid who unlocked his magic yesterday. The more RWBY reveals about Salem, the more I go, “Okay, but why didn’t his happen [insert any number of years] ago?”

Did Jaune actually leave? I assume he's just grabbing an airship or something before coming back to drag Oscar away, but seriously where did he go?

There's no way I can approach this scene without throwing up my hands and going, "What? WHY?" Which is a real shame because we finally get to see a bit of what the cane does and it’s... precisely what Ozpin's magic has always done? I mean, we saw that green shield five years ago and now there's a giant white beam. Okay.

If the beam just hits Salem with Generic Magic Power then there was never anything secret about the cane, it’s just, you know, Ozpin’s weapon. If the cane does something significant to hurt her we're left with the question of why it took literal generations to use it. Nothing is making sense to me and the only way I can think to salvage this scene is if Jaune runs back in, snags Oscar like a sack of potatoes, and runs out yelling about how he's clearly suffering from a concussion because what are you trying to accomplish here?

It doesn't help that this moment feels... final. Hazel has managed to hold Salem in place. Oscar has unlocked his cane and lands some mega hit right before Hazel passes out and looses his hold. Not only does this feel like a scene that should be at the end of the volume (we've still got five episodes), but also the end of the series. RWBY is building Salem into an unbeatable enemy by giving her more and more powers, and simultaneously eliminating the stakes by having our currently weakest character (in terms of exhaustion/injuries/aura/training) landing a shot like that. Why would you nerf Salem's threat level like that in the middle of a volume? Especially with a tool our group has had available from the start? If the cane does damage, maybe lead with that in the, “Here’s why we should stay and fight” office conversation.

I assume that Oscar's hit will obliterate Salem to the point where both he and Hazel have time to escape, or he obliterates both of them (“Do it”) and that's somehow presented as a better choice than just running while Salem is captured, or the bomb will interrupt things somehow... but it's just so shoddily done. At the very least, if they were going to have Oscar refuse to let someone fight alone, have it be an actual friend he's staying to assist. Having Oscar refuse his own rescue to help Hazel has more than one problem attached to it. We can say what we want about RWBY's themes of forgiveness, but this guy was torturing him just a few hours ago while serving Remnant's version of the devil. Just let him sacrifice himself and move on.

And that's where we end. Oscar powering up, the cane getting all magic-y, and him shooting a crazy big blast that engulfs both Salem and Hazel. I can't believe how not excited I am about my farm boy doing something badass, but here we are.

Overall I think this episode was way worse than last week's. We absolutely had problems in "Dark," particularly when it came to the Hound and the group's blind devotion to Ruby, but at least those moments were cushioned by an otherwise decent episode. "Witch" felt like I was watching something closer to a parody of RWBY, one deliberately poking fun at the fandom's desires: erase all conflict for awkward silly times, your favorite villains are instantly good now, the heroes go toe-to-toe with the main antagonist because why not, throw a bunch of magic in there for good measure, and wrap it all up in some over the top "this isn't a fairy tale" lines. I can see the pieces of a much better episode here — Emerald sneaking Oscar out with her semblance, Neo snagging the relic, Flint and Neon, Hazel attacking Salem — but it simply didn't come together.

I know I said this last time, but I have no idea what we're going to do for another five episodes. Salem slowly reforming from bomb damage as the group tries to keep Penny from opening the vault? The grimm attack halted with the whale gone so Qrow can go after Ironwood? The longer this volume runs, the more I think it was a mistake for them to introduce Salem as a fightable antagonist now. RWBY doesn't know what to do with her besides have her inevitably fall in the final season, so until then she's left being stupid (Relic), passive (Mantle), or, likely, written out of the story temporarily so the heroes can turn their attention towards smaller conflicts and weaker foes. They literally can’t beat Salem yet, but they can’t focus on other problems when she’s around without coming across as negligent, so if you have to find ways to erase her to make room for that... what was the point of bringing her here in the first place? We could have established that Salem is bound to her realm and had her send the Hound and whale to attack Atlas. There, all the fun parts of the volume without her complicated presence.

Well, the next five weeks will certainly be interesting, at the very least...

Until next time 💜

[Ko-Fi]

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby witch #mymetas #rwby recaps

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imagine-loki · 4 years ago

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Atlas: Space, Saturn

TITLE: Atlas: Space

CHAPTER NO./ONE-SHOT: 8/12

AUTHOR: fanfictrashdump

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine narrating episodes of Loki’s life with the Avengers based on the songs from Sleeping At Last’s “Atlas: Space” album.

RATING: T-M

NOTES/WARNINGS: Welcome to my Sleeping At Last’s Atlas: Space challenge, aka Another writing project I do not have time for, but my brain insisted on doing.

This series will be less like a multichapter fic and more of a one-shot compendium, but that they all interconnect in one way or another. It will revolve around Loki and Becca’s relationship (Taking Turns, Glow, Helmet Heists–don’t worry, more Loki-Charlie stuff will be along) and I will use those one-shots as reference to the timeline. Each chapter will be one song, used as inspiration for the story.

Chapter 8: Saturn

Summary: Loki chooses a terrible time to develop a conscience, thinking he’ll have time to sort himself out and win her back. He doesn’t. (Post Taking Turns.)

Warnings include: Language, character death, and just… so much angst.

The mild autumnal breeze did little to soothe Loki’s fevered thoughts. He had put this moment off for so long that he nearly convinced himself that it was unnecessary, or that he could be selfish just a little longer. With every battle they saw together, with every bruise and bloody lip that they shared, mostly at the other’s expense, he knew he couldn’t hold off any longer. Loki sensed trouble brewing in the Universe, trouble that was coming for him. And he thought–no, he knew–that she would put herself in the middle for him without a moment’s hesitation.

He needed to stop this cursed experiment in feelings.

“I have to tell you something.” Loki’s voice was low and hesitant. Becca straightened up, fidgeting and shifting her weight from leg to leg as she watched him almost statuesque against the oak tree.

“I do, too,” she whispered, ducking her head down to hide her burning cheeks. He nodded her ahead and she took a deep breath, her warm brown eyes glancing up at him through long lashes. She looked so sweet and innocent and his heart panged. “I love you, Loki.”

He should’ve definitely gone first.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Becca.” His words strained to even leave his mouth. All of this felt wrong and raw and he didn’t want to live with the image of her now disappointed face lingering in his mind for as long as she lived. “I’m going with Thor, off to explore. Mother’s… mother is dead and I have a responsibility to help him–”

Her brow furrowed into a deep frown. “A responsibility? You’re kidding me. Thor has actively avoided speaking to you for weeks over this mess with Jane! The only thing you owe Thor is a well-aimed kick for the way he treats you, sometimes.”

“You don’t understand–”

“You’re damn right, I don’t!”

There were tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over. He was expecting her to take it hard, but he could never have imagined it would make her this visibly upset. It almost made him want to reconsider his plans. Almost.

“I tell you that I love you, after months of us tiptoeing around each other and basically living together and you tell me–”

Loki’s face hardened. “I don’t expect a mortal to comprehend these issues.” He knew it was a low blow, but it was necessary. “Thor and I will be around each other for centuries more. It’s easy to forgive a slight with that kind of time.”

“Is it possible for you not to sabotage yourself for once in your fucking life?” Her teeth were clenched, but that did not detract from the jab her words delivered. She was so good at reading him, and from the way he tensed and his breath hitched, she knew it, too.

“I don’t love you.” His words came out slow and even, despite the bitter taste they left behind.

Stark had once told him that just letting her go would not keep her safe. He said to embrace the pain and make sure he would never feel that same terror he did when she was shot, again. Stark hadn’t considered the vast reputation a thousand years of being God of Mischief would build, or the enemies it brought with it. Even then, Loki was worried about his brother’s enemies rather than his own, at the moment. She didn’t need to know about the dark elves, or chaos in the realms–it would only make her volunteer for service.

“I don’t love you,” he repeated, barely a breath, whether to convince her or himself, he was unsure.

“Sure.” Becca laughed mirthlessly, nodding her head. “Pretend whatever you want. I’m not going to beg. Fuck off, Loki. See you when I see you.” Her shoulder brushed his as she walked back towards her apartment, arms wrapped around herself.

He stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets to keep from reaching out for her. “You won’t.”

You taught me the courage of stars before you left How might carries on endlessly even after death With shortness of breath you explained the infinite How rare and beautiful it is to even exist

Becca stood at the rooftop of the Avengers complex, staring at the stars above. In upstate New York, it was easier to see the stars. A corner of her lips tugged upwards as she stared at the burning balls of gas, millions of miles away, recalling each one’s name and story. Loki always had a way of explaining the stars and making their history become permanently engrained in her mind. It was one of the few memories she had with him that didn’t sting like all hell; one of the few moments when she didn’t mind thinking about him.

She had seen him since that day in the park, flashes of him in the complex, but never very long and never alone. Becca had to give it to him–he was stubbornly true to his word. Becca couldn’t conjure a single image of him that wasn’t a blur from the last few years. Thor, sweet as he was, tried not to bring him up, except once to say he had died but that had turned out to be a ruse. She still, stupidly–or sentimentally, whichever was most accurate–, provided both brothers with gear.

I couldn’t help but ask For you to say it all again I tried to write it down But I could never find a pen I’d give everything to hear You say it one more time That the universe was made Just to be seen by my eyes

“Lady Becca.” She sighed, letting her shoulders slump forward. To this day, she had not really forgiven Thor for his part in his brother’s hare-brained plot. He can convince Loki of so damn much, but he could not take five minutes to tell him to reassess what he had done; what he had said. Loki would–and had–risked everything for Thor and his love, but apparently the dedication was one-sided. “Becca.”

“What is it, Thor? Oh–what happened to your eye?” She had turned around, pulling the hoodie, that may or may not have belonged to Loki, tighter around her form. Thor looked worse for wear and there was some emotion in his face that she couldn’t quite place.

“I must speak with you. It’s about Loki.”

Becca scoffed, rolling her eyes. “What is it now? Did he break his AI? Another heat stroke? What?”

“He’s dead.” The words echoed in her head far longer than they should have.

She tried in vain to scramble for her control. “How many times does that make? Two? Three? Loki doesn’t just die, Thor.”

Thor was silent for a very long moment. She expected him to nod and chuckle, tell her she was right and that they should all wait for the frost giant to pop back up. Instead she got a lip quiver and tears streaming down his one good eye. “He loved you so much. He was going to come back for you. I am truly sorry.”

A stone the size of a boulder dropped in her stomach, at once. Her chest was constricting in sheer horror. “No. Thor, you’re wrong. He can't… You’re lying!”

“I’m so sorry.” The floor shook as Thor dropped Stormbreaker and rushed to tighten his arms around Becca.

With shortness of breath, I’ll explain the infinite How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist

There were so many questions left inside of her head. As much as she wanted to ask Thor the who, what, when, where, and why, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when he was sobbing so hard and so loudly that she could almost hear his heart cracking beneath his armor. Thor had never been the best brother to Loki, and she knew that, but there was a genuine affection that he had for his little brother that was twisting at his insides. Whatever promises he had made to support Loki or to make amends for his actions were now gone and those regrets hurt more than his death.

Becca reached the point that she had cried so hard and so desperately that she had to go to the MedBay to pick up a rescue inhaler. She had not needed one in over two decades, but this was the night it was going to get a hell of a lot of use. She sat on the floor of what used to be Loki’s room, staring at the stars out of his window, retelling herself the stories of each of the constellations. The tales of how each orb had been hung in the sky; of the warriors of old that went to Valhalla and populated the night sky; the endless patch of dark that was the Universe and how infinitesimal the probability of their existence was in the grand scheme of things. She tried not to think of his soothing voice, calculating odds of how likely it was that a girl from Midgard would meet a god from Asgard and how they’d won the lottery. How he had won the lottery every second he had her.

Most of all, she tried not to hate the fact that he had left her and turned her back into a statistic, never to feel irrationally lucky ever again. The Universe embraced this new reality.

#Loki #Angst #Others #Submitted fic #submission #chapter 8 #atlas space #saturn #Fanfictrashdump

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thewildmonkey · 5 years ago

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A feeling of excitement and nervousness swept over Blake’s body. She had agreed to an experiment. In this experiment, Blake would find the love of her life without seeing them. She would talk to them but never actually meet them face-to-face until they’re engaged.

Blake was very skeptical of this new analysis, but her luck with dating had been rather sorrow-filled. Blake finally just decided to do it and see where it would take her. After all, she might just find the love of her life.

When Blake arrived at her house for the next ten days, she started to settle in. It was this huge building that could easily home dozens of people. It was beautiful. Equipped with the latest appliances, it made the undersized mansion feel extremely modern. Some of the comfiest couches the world has to offer were in the common area, so simple, yet so desperately, asking to be sat in. Blake was not the only person to be living in this wondrous place; around nineteen other people were joining her. She was alone, but not for much longer.

There was other group was kept in a house similar to the one Blake’s group was in. The other group’s house was directly across from Blake’s, with these medium-sized rooms in the middle. When the groups went on their blind dates, they went inside of these rooms.

After everyone on both sides had finished settling in, it was time to start their dates. As the group Blake was in was being told on what was to happen, Blake’s pulse started to rise. Before she knew it, the people around her started to move to a set of doors, and Blake felt herself move toward them too.

Blake’s feet moved with the crowd. She found herself in a hallway shortly after walking. There were numerous other sets of doors within this hallway, all leading to the ‘blind date’ rooms. Blake picked one and stood in front of it. Her heart racing. She had no idea why though. Blake didn’t even believe in this, yet she was getting so incredibly anxious about it. Blake reached out her hand and made contact with the cold, metal doorknob and opened the door.

Blake walked into a semi-dark room with a sizeable couch in the middle, covered with blankets. Precisely in front of the couch was a thin piece of wall that was a rich, royale blue. It almost looked like ice. Near the couch was a little stand that held food and drinks.

“Hello?” A deep voice called out from the blue stretch of the wall. Blake slightly jumped at the unfamiliar sound.

“Gods. This is so weird.” Blake responded to the mysterious voice. She heard a hum of agreement from the other side. Blake eyed the couch and decided to sit. As soon as her body touched the navy blue cushions she fell victim to its heavenly comfort.

“So, what’s your name?” The voice asked from the other side. Blake was so comfortable she almost didn’t recognize that someone was asking her a question.

“Oh, Blake. You?” Blake hated icebreakers. It was always awkward, and Blake just wished that she already knew the person.

“Cardin Winchester.” He said smugly. Blake rolled her eyes. She could hear the smirk in his voice. Of course, he was a Winchester. Obviously wanting to brag about it too. The Winchesters were amongst the richest families in the world. And where money is power follows.

Blake already wanting to leave, decided to suck it up and finish the stupid date. “What do you do for a living, Cardin?” Even though Blake knew the answer, she was dying in the silence.

“Oh, I work as a Huntsman. I’m the best in Atlas. The mayor just awarded me the Medal of Strength and Bravery for saving a group of kids from Grimm. Single-handedly.” Cardin let out a quiet chuckle. Blake’s faunus ears twitched at the sound. She hated people like Cardin. Two-faced millionaires that only care about their outward complexion. Blake gagged at the thought of ever being with someone like that.

Blake managed to last the rest of the date with Cardin and moved to the next one. Blake’s second date went much better than her first. She was paired with this enthusiastic, overeager ball of energy named Nora. Blake didn’t mind Nora, but Blake didn’t make a connection with her. This charismatic playboy, Neptune, was Blake’s third date. It went well but she didn’t like him. She only had one more date to go. Blake was exhausted and her entire body ached, she was also drained from talking to so many people, but she was going to power through it.

Blake arrived at her final door. She opened it and walked in. As soon as her eyes made contact with the couch, she flopped on it with a loud OOF. Blake kinda just laid there, face down on the cushions, her legs dangling off of the back. It was comfortable even though she was slightly suffocating.

“Umm, you good?” A kind voice from the other side of the wall asked. Blake could hear the concern in her voice, which Blake thought was unusual.

Blake repositioned herself so that her entire body was on top of the couch. Laying on her stomach, Blake moved her head so that she could talk. “Oh yeah. I’m great. Everything is great. Especially when you hate meeting new people and all you’ve done today is meet new people. It’s wonderful.” The voice let out a small snicker.

“It sounds like you’ve had the time of your life.” Blake’s lips quirked up in a brief smile, before returning into a frown. “Ok, well, since you’ve had such a shitty day, I’ll do all the talking for this date,” Blake’s smile returned. “Does that sound good to you?” Blake gave a small hum of agreement. “Alright.” The person on the other side cleared her voice and started their date.

“Hello, my name is Yang Xiao Long. What’s yours?” Blake could hear Yang move around a tiny bit, almost as if Yang was getting ready for the next part.

“My name?” Yang responded to herself in the most high-pitched, shrilly voice possible. Blake let out a huff and groaned. “I’m too mysterious and tired to tell you such things!” Now it was just getting out of hand. Blake tiredly propped herself up with her arm. An itty-bitty smile started to creep its way onto Blake’s face. She liked this one.

“Oh well, that’s too bad,” Yang replied in her normal voice. “I really want to know,” Blake swore she heard Yang grin. Some of Blake’s energy was coming back to her. She sat upright on the couch and cocooned herself in a blanket.

Blake’s small smile turned into a smirk when she decided she was going to have some fun. “You want to know my name?” A gasp escaped Yang.

“She lives!” Blake giggled. She burrowed herself into the blanket even more. “Thought I lost you for a moment.” Yang’s voice began to become soft toward the end of the sentence.

“I am never lost,” Blake paused, “most of the time.” Yang mimicked the giggle Blake voiced earlier. This was fun. Blake genuinely enjoyed this.

“I don’t believe I caught your name.” The sound of a smile prevalent in Yang’s voice. Blake wished she could see Yang. The only one of her dates making Blake wish that.

“That’s because I didn’t give it to you.” Blake purred. Her smile was slowly getting brighter each time Yang spoke.

“Oof!” Yang exclaimed. “Wow, that hurts. I’m already at a loss for not seeing you, but now I don’t even get to know your name! That’s just a low blow.” Blake caught herself laughing at Yang’s words.

“What can I say, I like to keep my suitors interested.” Blake gave a small shrug with the statement, something that she did subconsciously.

“Well then, consider me happily interested, just as long as I’m kept as a suitor in your eyes.” Butterflies danced in Blake’s abdomen. How was Yang so inexplicably smooth?

“I don’t think I can uphold that,” A whimper sounded from Yang. “Because you might become something much more than a suitor soon.” Blake’s cheeks were on fire.

“Now that,” Yang started, “that is something I can get behind.” Before they knew it, their time together had passed. Blake had gotten up and was at the door.

“Will I talk to you again tomorrow?” Blake asked calmly. A smirk arising on her face.

“I don’t know, mysterious lady. I’ll have to see if I’m still interested.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Blake paused dramatically, “you will be.” And with that Blake left the room. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Blake wanted to hear Yang’s voice again, she needed to. Blake began to walk towards the end of the hallway. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

#rwby7 #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #bumblby #the bees #BZZZ BZZZZ #rwby au #love is blind au #writing #rwby #blake x yang #blake belladonna x yang xiao long #THE BEEES

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razieltwelve · 5 years ago

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Dive (Final Rose)

Penny dreamed, but her dreams were not of open fields or starlit skies. Instead, she dove into the InfoNet, her mind wandering endlessly through the seemingly limitless sea of information that awaited her. Whether it was blogs, news sites, or even video and image sharing sites, she saw it all. There was the good and the bad, things that would have shaken anyone’s faith in civilisation and things that would have restored it as well.

It was all there, waiting for her, just like it was every time she closed her eyes. Few people realised just how deep her connection to the InfoNet ran. Professor Dia and her father had been the architects of the InfoNet, and even now they maintained access to backdoors that no one else would ever find.

They had made Penny a nexus, one of the key points of the InfoNet, as well as a chief administrator whose access was topped only by theirs and a select few. It was not an exaggeration to say that she could, on a whim, seize control of almost any device connected to the InfoNet with as little effort as it took for her to make a fist.

It was a terrifying ability, but her father knew her well. She would never abuse it. In fact, the most common thing she used it for was telling Ruby what was in her dorm room’s fridge, so the other girl would know if she needed to buy anything while they were out. Oh, and sometimes, she used it to send Ruby or her other friends funny pictures on their scrolls.

As dawn approached, Penny emerged from her dive into the InfoNet. A human or Faunus would have been mentally exhausted by exposure to so much information, but she felt rejuvenated. Her own systems were exquisitely precise, and the feedback she received from them could at times seem overwhelming. Losing herself in a video about a cat knocking over cups or a dog chasing after its own tail was the perfect way to unwind and relax.

Rising, she ran through her usual cleanup and maintenance subroutines, watching for any possible signs of system degradation or error build up. All of her scans came back clear, and she smiled as her optics came online. Robo-Kitty was still snoozing away on the corner of her bed, and she briefly tapped into his prosthetic leg to see if he was well. As she had expected, her pet cat was in excellent health.

A quick patch into the systems that controlled her fish tank revealed a similar story for her pet goldfish. They were doing fine too. She got up and headed toward the shower. She did not sweat as a human or Faunus did, but regular cleaning was still essential since she did go outside regularly, and combat against Grimm inevitably led to a bit of muck and grime building up.

After her shower, she headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her pets. Robo-Kitty was his usual friendly self as he slunk onto the kitchen counter and waited eagerly for his morning meal. Once he had his food, she made a quick stop at the fish tank to feed her goldfish too. There were systems in place to allow for automated feeding, but she liked to do it herself when she could.

Satisfied that all was in order, she spent the next hour reviewing any files or messages that had come in during the night while playing with Robo-Kitty. He was a cheerful cat, and nothing pleased him more than to curl up on her lap and pick fights with her hands while the television played in the background.

Of course, it was eventually time to leave. Classes were due to begin shortly, and she did not wish to be late. Based on past experience, leaving her room at this time would also maximise her chances of running into Ruby and the others.

Sure enough, Ruby and the others were on their way to class, and Penny fell into step beside them. A drone hovered overhead, and she took a moment to open a connection to it since Diana wouldn’t have one hanging around unless she wanted to talk.

“Good morning, friends!” Penny said.

“Good morning, Penny,” Ruby replied as the others returned her greeting in their own ways. “Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Penny smiled. Splitting her consciousness, she allowed some of her processors to focus on the data that Diana was sending. Apparently, there had been a breach of Atlas’s perimeter defences. Based on present estimates, the number of Grimm was still fairly manageable, but Diana wanted her to know in case it got out of hand. “Did you?”

Ruby made a face. “Not really. I think the thermostat in our room broke or something, but it was way too hot.” She fanned herself. “Even with all the windows open and everything.”

“You should have called me,” Penny said. “I am more than qualified to fix a thermostat.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s not trouble.” Penny smiled. “Or you could have asked Diana to send a drone over. Many of her drones can perform routine maintenance without outside supervision. It is quite ingenious.”

“And kind of terrifying,” Yang said, grinning. “Since I bet she’s also got automated kill routines too.”

Penny wanted to deny it, but Yang was right. Buried in Diana’s combat-capable drones were routines specifically designed to optimise their lethality if necessary. “Not on the repair drones,” she said at last since that much, at least, was true. Her brows furrowed. “But were you able to identify the problem?”

“No.” Ruby took a bite out of a cookie she’d brought along. “But we reported it, so it should be fixed by the time we get back. Beacon is pretty good about stuff like that.” She grinned. “You looking forward to mix and match today?”

Mix and match was a training program that Professor Farron ran. It involved mixing the teams up, so students could get experience working with people outside of their teams. “I am looking forward to it. It is always nice to work with new people.”

“I just hope you don’t get Cardin,” Yang muttered. “Although hopefully he’s learned his lesson. I swear Blake was about two seconds from killing him last week.”

“He is… unpleasant,” Penny murmured. “But I think he will do better this time. If nothing else, he resents failure, so he may try to get along better with people to avoid it.”

“Here’s hoping,” Yang replied. “Anyone you’re hoping to get?”

Penny paused. “I would, of course, enjoy working with any of my friends.” And wasn’t it great that she had so many now? “But I would not mind working with some of the new students either. We have had several join us this year, and they are unfamiliar to me. I do have files on them, but it isn’t the same.”

“Oh?” Weiss raised one eyebrow. “Do you have a file on Rin Tohsaka?”

Penny nodded. “Expert in close combat with particular skill in utilising Dust to augment her abilities. Her Semblance allows her to massively increase her abilities temporarily. It can also be concentrated in certain parts of her body, increase the size of the boost even further.” Her brows furrowed. “Enhancement is more than sufficient to reduce solid concrete to powder in a single strike, and there is video footage of her crushing heavily armoured Grimm with seemingly little effort.”

“Heh.” Yang snickered. “You’d better keep her away from you next week then, Weiss. Otherwise, you’re going to look like a piñata.” She grinned. “What do you have on Averia?”

Penny delved into her files again. “Averia is apparently a killer robot.” She gave the pink-haired girl an apologetic file. “It seems your file is deemed classified even to me. However, I do believe your sister added that, so it wouldn’t be completely empty.” She looked at her. “Based on the scans I have run, you are completely organic.”

“Thanks,” Averia drawled. “That’s good to know.”

“You’re welcome.” Penny smiled. “But I was hoping to work with Asami Sato this week. Her Semblance is fascinating, and I am curious to see how it interacts with me. If she enhance machinery, it is entirely possible that she might be able to enhance me as well.”

“That would be awesome,” Ruby said. “Imagine how big your death lasers would be!”

“They are properly referred to as heavy assault lasers although I do admit that they tend to be lethal when deployed.” Penny giggled. “And it would be nice to speak to Asami more as well. She is often in the professor’s lab, but we have rarely spoken. Diana says that she is nice, however.”

“She’s pretty cool,” Ruby said. “I actually asked her for some tips about streamlining the transformation mechanism on Crescent Rose, and she had some good ideas. I’m not sure if I’ll follow through with them, but it never hurts to ask another expert.”

“That is good,” Penny said. She looked ahead. “But I think we should increase our speed. We our currently running ten seconds late, and I do not think Professor Farron will be pleased if we are late.”

X X X

Author’s Notes

Just another normal morning for Penny. Incidentally, Robo-Kitty is a friendly guy, and it’s not unusual for him to find his way out of her room and hang around the campus before heading back after class is done. Thanks to his robotic prosthetic leg, Penny can keep an eye on him no matter where he is, and she can authorise him to open automated doors and other security measures so he can enter and exit buildings like a regular student. He often finds his way to Professor Goodwitch’s office since she is quite fond of cats and often spoils him. Penny is fully aware of this but has wisely kept silent about it.

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon.

Definitely check out my Amazon stuff if you enjoy my sense of humour.

#final rose #fanfiction #penny polendina #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #averia yun-farron #robo-kitty

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littlemisssquiggles · 6 years ago

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RWBY Musings #73: Happily Ever After. A Squiggle Meister’s Views on the fates of Cinder Fall and Neopolitan for the Future of RWBY

yellow-eyed-green-crocodile asked “Do you think Cinder would be the equivalent of General Jinjur? Not only does it rhyme, but they are also somewhat similar, in a way. Jinjur used both violence and charm to gain what she wanted, just like Cinder uses both force and temptation. Also, Jinjur had a catchphrase, which was "there's not an ugly face in my entire Army", which would parallel Cinder's disfigured body. One interesting thing to note is that Jinjur's army got defeated by mice and she was too cowardly to face them.

I wonder if this could hint at a possible backstory for Cinder. Maybe she used to live in a village when she was little, and that village got overrun by a plague caused by mice. Since she was one of the very few that didn't contact the disease, she wad tasked with taking care of the patients, but the plague was so bad that they had to resort to killing all of them. Among the pacients, there were also Cinder's parents.

Cinder dreaded the villagers who killed her parents and felt like a weakling for not only not being able to stop them, but also for not being able to enact revenge. Unless maybe this is how she discovered her Semblace. Because of these events, Cinder wanted more power, enough to snuff out that of others. The power never felt enough, so she eventually met Salem, who groomed her into becoming what she is now. And the rest is history. I'm sorry that the ask got so long, but what do you think? ”

Squiggles Answers:

@yellow-eyed-green-crocodile Hey there Yellow. Sorry this answer took so long. I decided to answer your question as a new musing because while thinking up my response, I did my own research on General Jinjur and in doing so you made me come to a very interesting realization that I think you might like.

Cinder and Mombi

I think you are definitely onto something with Cinder possibly inheriting some traits from General Jinjur. I like this concept because it would provide Cinder with a connection to Oscar considering that General Jinjur made her first appearance in the Marvellous Land of Oz sequel story where Princess Ozma was also first featured.

I can definitely see the charm part and I can also see Cinder building herself an army and using it to overthrow or antagonize General Ironwood. Isn’t that what Jinjur did? According to Wikipedia, she was the self-appointed general leading the Army of Revolt---an all-woman force seeking to end the reign of the Scarecrow and take over the Emerald City.

Perhaps…we might get something similar to this for the Atlas Arc. What if…Cinder follows in Salem’s footsteps back in Ancient Remnant where Salem manipulated mankind into forming an army which she then led to take down the Gods but failed.

Oh! Perhaps this will be Cinder’s role in the Crimes of the SDC storyline of the Atlas Arc. Imagine if…Cinder ends up gathering and leading a revolt formed of all the oppressed and abused Faunus under the SDC in an attempt to overthrow the Atlas Council including General Ironwood. Either that or perhaps Jinjur will be an original character inspired by her fairy-tale counterpart from Oz that Cinder ends up manipulating into doing her bidding.

One thing I’ve been curious about is how the CRWBY Writers are going to handle the Crimes of the SDC and the oppression of the Faunus in Atlas without Adam Taurus. If you’d allow me to deviate here for a second, I’d like to voice this point. I’m not one of the Adam fans who were heavily disappointed or should I say, firmly disgusted by this death in V6.

On the contrary, I actually found Adam’s death to be fitting. Adam went out exactly like how I pictured he would---defeated by Yang and Blake working together to take him down while paying homage to the Beauty and the Beast.

In the Beauty and the Beast, the Beast was stabbed in the back by the villainous Gaston before Gaston fell to his death below Beast’s Castle. I thought that was a nice detail that RWBY had Adam more or less go out in a similar fashion considering that he was a fusion of the Beast and Gaston.

My one gripe with Adam’s death is Yang and Blake killing him in cold blood while suffering no further emotional/psychological repercussions from the experience---something that I’ve voiced before. It’s not the fact that the two killed Adam that’s disappointing. It’s the fact that here we have an example of two hero character slaying a villain and it’s treated as nothing beyond a victory for the Bumblebee relationship by both the series and its shipping community. Don’t get me wrong, conquering Adam was a triumph but it was one that came with a price.

I understand that people wish to take the positive away from this moment where Yang and Blake together overcame the man that caused them both so much strife for the past few seasons. That’s fine. However, it’s hard for me to focus on just the positive aspect of what transpired when it’s not as black or white as people believe it to be.

This victory is stained. At the end of the day, Blake and Yang killed another person. Let that sink in. They took another character’s life. Nevermind that it was done in self-defence. A kill is still a kill. Not to take the joy away from the folks who love Bumblebee as a romantic pairing and took this triumph as the signal fire for their beloved ship becoming canon, but this squiggle meister, on the other hand, didn’t see that. I didn’t see two girls professing their love for one another. I saw two friends who claimed to have failed each other in the past rise up and take down the personification of their turmoil but at a price. The price being that now Yang and Blake share Adam’s blood on their hands. They both killed him and…afterwards, the series acted like it didn’t matter. I’d like to believe that Adam was a first time for kill for both Yang and Blake.

That kind of thing could be detrimental to someone especially if it’s their first in a lifetime of being the hero and using your skills to save lives; not end them. But Yang and Blake appeared fine after the fight and what was worse was that their comrades accepted their nonchalance with their own. I understand that they were all mostly relieved to see their friends safe following what went down with Adam but nonetheless, Blake and Yang killing Adam could’ve been something the heroes could’ve discussed with how far they are all willing to go to protect themselves and defeat the forces of evil as huntsmen. No one questioned the morality of what transpired. Didn’t even give it a second thought. It just happened and the story moved on.

Again, not an Adam fan but I still found that bit bothersome in a way because it highlights that the heroes could simply kill off villains and feel nothing. When the villains killed off heroes, we got to see the aftermath of how it affected their psyche. Following Pyrhha’s death, we got to see how it affected the rest of her teammates and the same can be said for Ruby with how she’s still being plagued by flashbacks of the moments she failed to save both Pyrhha and Penny.

But when we have our first villain being slain by a hero, it’s handled with as much expressive feedback as when the heroes take out the Grimm. I know we got Blake completely breaking down after stabbing Adam with Yang comforting her to the best of her ability. I thought this would have jumpstarted something else that Blake now had to overcome giving Yang something to help Blake work through.

When Blake ran away after Adam took down Yang, Sun was there to help her through her turmoil. Imagine if…Blake hadn’t meant to legit kill Adam and only did it as a last resort as a means of protecting Yang. Imagine if…the fight hadn’t ended with Adam being overpowered by Yang but was the complete opposite where Adam blindsides Yang and subdues her after she thought she’d won; similar to how Gaston double crossed the Beast in the animated film. Imagine if…Adam had once again placed Yang in a vulnerable position like before, despite her training forcing Blake no choice but to do what she failed to do before for Yang in V3.

Imagine if…Blake was left completely traumatized by dropping to Adam’s level, using violence to take the life of another---his life in the sheer attempt of desperation to protect the friend she promised she would protect. Imagine if…Adam’s death at Blake’s hand left her just as emotionally scarred as the aftermath of their encounter after V3.

Imagine if…Adam’s death had left Blake with another chapter of guilt and pain that this time Yang would be present to help her work through. And from that interaction, their bond could’ve blossomed, rekindling the closeness they shared from previous seasons, which could’ve ultimately led to Blake genuinely falling in love with Yang from this interaction. It is for this reason why I haven’t bought into the notion of Bumblebee being officially canon.

Even though I’m a BlackSun shipper, I neither hold any animosity towards the Bumblebee pair and its shippers nor would I get butt-hurt if the CRWBY Writers chose to steer Yang and Blake’s relationship in that direction. My issue is not the pairing itself but the execution and handling of it (and at times the attitude of its shippers).

My personal justification for thinking Bumblebee isn’t canon (yet) is because regardless of how many Yang and Blake moments the CRWBY attempted to spoon into V6, I didn’t see it as romantic at all. There actually weren’t that much Bee scenes when you think about it to be honest. At least not in the sense where it felt they were trying to set them up as lovers apart from the glaringly obvious ones like for example, Yang grabbing Blake’s hand and running off with her alone during the terrifying moment with the Apathy back on Brunswick Farm, while leaving Ruby alone to pick up Uncle Qrow with Weiss.

As appetizing as those small moments might’ve been for the Bees, it doesn’t excuse the fact that Yang and Blake have only just reunited with each other after going two full seasons of zero interaction. If anything, I would consider the development of Bumblebee from friends to lovers after V6 incredibly forced if true since personally, I think their relationship could benefit from at least one or two more seasons of focus and growth before making the leap into romantic status.

They could’ve spent V6 re-establishing the comradery between Team RWBY before delving back into the issues that caused the rifts between them before while going hard to build up the Bees’ recovery post Adam. At the moment, in all honesty, I don’t know what to make of Bumblebee. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Writers do wish to make them officially canon as a couple and that’s perfectly fine. I just don’t think they’re there as yet. But…y’know, that’s just me. Please don’t bite my head off if you’re a Bee shipper that happens to be reading this post.

Anywhozzits, that’s not really what I’m here to discuss. Let’s get back on track. My main issue with Adam’s death is that I think the CRWBY missed a real golden opportunity to use him for the Atlas Arc. Adam Taurus would’ve been the ideal antagonist to lead the audience into the Crimes of the SDC storyline that’s coming up.

His scar reveal clearly highlighted that he had an unknown history with the SDC. We’ve known about the White Fang’s war with the SDC since Weiss’ brief mention of it back in V1. As a matter a fact, I believe her words were that the White Fang has been in war with the Schnee Family for generations and this war actually featured bloodshed. We discovered this information yet we never received any more info to suggest anything further. Now fast forward five seasons later and we got a sense of why the White Fang targeted the SDC.

Adam’s scar hints at the possibility of Faunus abuse at the hands of the SDC. This is a sign that the SDC don’t just treat their Faunus labour as employees but as property. Who’s to say that Adam was the first Faunus to be branded? Of course Adam must’ve been scarred this way as punishment for an action we’ll never know more about but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his scar is a brand. This must be a common thing or at least that’s the theory.

That being said, the Writers could’ve used Adam as a third accomplice to Neo and Cinder going toward Atlas. We know that the Faunus in Mistral had fallen out of Adam’s reign after learning of his actions at Haven Academy. But what of the Faunus in Atlas? With the CCT still not functioning, there’s no way the Faunus of Atlas could’ve gotten wind of the news of Mistral. So even if Adam found himself without an army in Mistral, he could have easily built himself a new one in Atlas especially given his clear connection to the SDC.

Adam could’ve lead a Faunus revolution in Atlas and use that as the cover fire to instigate Neo and Cinder’s act of revenge against Ruby and the other heroes. Adam could’ve been the General Jinjur in this sense, appointing himself as leader to the new regime that led the Faunus of Atlas to rise up against the SDC and their oppressors. And it would have fit in with his story since as we learned in V6, Adam has an untold past with the SDC. If the Writers desired to keep Adam in the story, they could’ve had this be his final curtain call. They could’ve still had him die in battle against the Bees but they could’ve used the Crimes of the SDC subplot as the much better build up to his inevitable climax.

After V5, the CRWBY Writers could’ve had Adam decide to go full rogue---going on a personal vendetta to enact revenge on all who wronged him in the past. Not just Blake. Not just Yang but everyone starting with the people who cast the first stone to send him spiralling into becoming the bloodthirsty revolutionist he was striving to be.

They could’ve had Adam return to the place where his trauma all began. He could’ve returned to Atlas to start his revolution over there, using the wayward Faunus employed under the SDC to enact his revenge on the people who wronged him.

And along the way, Adam could’ve met up with Neo and Cinder and the three could’ve formed the Trinity of Vengeance whose actions would pave the first chapter of the Atlas Trilogy. Adam Taurus may not have been one of my favourite RWBY characters but I’d be lying if I said his fans weren’t wrong about him being a missed opportunity.

As I’ll repeat, Atlas would’ve been the perfect setting to end Adam’s story. It would’ve been the right place. Adam magically showing up in Argus after going episodes without knowing anything of what he had been up to since his first appearance in the first episode of V6 was admittedly not the right place to have his final showdown with Blake and Yang. Not only could it have provided a chance for the audience to uncover more about Adam’s past but the Writers could’ve killed two birds with one stone by tying Adam’s story to Weiss’ story through the SDC. Adam revealing his scar would’ve tied him to Weiss.

Imagine if…Weiss had been present to see Adam’s scar. That could have set off some things. Or…imagine if… Blake never saw Adam’s face in the entirety of their relationship so when the reveal happened, she is genuinely shocked to learn that it was the Schnee Dust Company---the company that one of her dearest friends is connected to that was partially responsible for the creation of Adam Taurus.

There are ways the Writers could’ve kept using Adam in the plot particularly for Atlas but…they didn’t. Not going to lie, Adam was the epitome of a missed opportunity.

But… it’s not to say that his potential involvement for the Atlas Arc couldn’t be handed over to another character. Since the Adam fans claimed that Ilia took Adam’s characterization following V3, I guess you can see this as a sign that another current or new character could gain the remains of his potential role for Atlas Arc, right?

With Adam gone, this could provide Cinder the chance to take his place with the Crimes of the SDC subplot. It wouldn’t have the same impact as it would’ve had with Adam however it can still work. Cinder has proven herself to be a master manipulator. She’s no different than Salem back in her younger years. I guess this could explain why she was more or less made to be Salem’s faithful apprentice.

Salem must’ve seen much of her old self in the young girl and wished to nurture it. Jinn did comment once that the hearts of man are easily swayed. This is inclusive of the Faunus as well. So maybe Cinder will be like Jinjur in this sense where she forges her army or… at least, she’d play a key catalyst to the potential Faunus Revolution for the Atlas Arc.

But get this, I actually think Cinder has way more in common with the Oz character of Mombi as opposed to Jinjur. It was said that in the Marvellous Land of Oz story, Jinjur summoned the witch Mombi to aid her in keeping her kingdom in check after she gained control. Perhaps this can play into Cinder’s story for Atlas in V7.

What if…RWBY’s incarnate of Jinjur would be an oppressed Atlesian Faunus employed under the SDC who gets manipulated by Cinder. It was also stated that Jinjur secretly feared Mombi. Perhaps this is how Cinder will get Jinjur or the Faunus of Atlas to listen to her. By flexing her Maiden magic which would force them to view her as some kind of sovereign that can aid them to their freedom or worst a witch who can smite them if they cross her.

Similar to how Jinjur called upon Mombi in Oz, what if…Cinder helps Jinjur start and maintain her Faunus Revolution in exchange for aiding her in luring out the target she most desires: Ruby Rose. Jinjur the Faunus will have great reason for working with Cinder since Cinder’s target is Ruby. Ruby is friends with Weiss Schnee and who is Weiss Schnee connected to?

Imagine if…Jinjur agrees to work with Cinder on the grounds of the two using each other to get what they want. Jinjur wants Weiss Schnee to use her as collateral to bribe the SDC into fulfilling the Faunus Revolution’s demands (not to mention that it would provide Jacques Schnee with an interesting opportunity to show his true colours with who he cares about the most---his company or the safety of his own child). And Cinder of course wants Ruby. If Cinder helps Jinjur get Weiss then chances are this will lead to Ruby showing up to rescue her friend.

This could paint a great way for Cinder Fall to have an involvement in the Crimes of the SDC plotline which would lead her to her eventual reunion with the heroes and confrontation with Ruby. That could be an intriguing storyline.

As you can see, in this case, Cinder would be the Mombi in the story. While she may share some traits with Jinjur, I see more Mombi. I feel like Cinder is more an antagonistic hybrid of Cinderella and Mombi. But unlike Cinderella, who had a happy ending at the end of her story, I highly doubt Cinder will for hers.

Obviously, Cinder is going to be killed off soon. I’m calling it now…Cinder Fall will be defeated for the Atlas Arc and following her demise, her maiden magic will return to Oscar since he is Ozma’s current incarnate and from there, Oscar’s own magical abilities will finally be awakened. That is my theory.

I’m definitely banking on the idea of Cinder being the Mombi to Oscar’s Princess Ozma based solely on her obsession with gaining more power. Mombi was obsessed with magic as well. So Cinder previously trying to steal Raven’s Spring Maiden magic only fuels my hunch that she might try to pilfer the little remainder of Ozma’s magic from Oscar as soon as she learns that the powers originally came from his predecessor; granted that she doesn’t know this already.

Perhaps this moment might even lead into my new Pinehead headcanon for Oscar’s semblance---the ability to take back Ozma’s magic from the Maidens. Picture…Cinder with Oscar pinned underneath her with her Grimm hand piercing into his body in a similar manner to how she killed Vernal. She tries to absorb Ozma’s magic from Oscar while simultaneously forcing him to watch Neo attempt to finish off killing an unconscious and very defenceless Ruby.

I’m with every Rosegardening Pinehead who believes that Oscar will awaken his semblance to save Ruby. And what better way to do that by making Oscar wipe the smug overconfident smile off Cinder’s face when he unlocks his semblance and starts absorbing magic back from her.

Now that could be an awesome semblance reveal. But as always, these are just my theories. So yeah, in this sense, Cinder is definitely more Mombi than Jinjur. However do you know who I think might surprisingly share better equivalence to Jinjur: Neopolitan.

Neo and Jinjur

And here is the real meat of my musing. My theory is that Neo will be the Jinjur to Cinder’s Mombi based purely on her potential to be redeemed. I don’t see Neo being killed off. If the Writers decide to kill Neo after bringing her back a whole two seasons later out of the blue in V6, that would be quite frankly a foolish move that they wrote themselves into. I don’t even see it being a case where Neo gets defeated and ends up being locked away in jail for her crimes, either.

If anything, my theory for Neo is that she is going to have a fairy-tale endgame. Her very own happily ever after. And part of that is due to my assumption that Neo will have some essence of General Jinjur added to her character inspiration.

Here’s something interesting: I think both Cinder and Neo will be the two sides of the same coin, in the sense that Neo will be the version of Cinder Fall who gets the good ending. In the Marvellous Land of Oz series, Jinjur was described as ‘not evil, just misguided’ and I think the same description applies to Neo. I don’t think Neo is entirely a bad person at heart. She’s just fallen into this archetype based on the people who she has followed in her life. If what us RWBY theorists have speculated about Neo being the little girl who survived the Fall of Brunswick Farms turns out to be true then Neo came from a reasonably good and happy upbringing that sadly turned tragic.

Following that experience, she and Roman, as the two possible lone survivors, turned to life a crime as a means of survival. But despite their nefarious background, Neo and Roman still maintained their love and comradery from when they were kids. Roman seemed to care a lot for Neo and Neo in turn cared a lot for Roman. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neo was, at some point, in love with Roman. Whether or not he felt the same way, we’ll never know.

But Neo has always been good. Destined for good things because naturally she had a good heart. I’d like to think that at some point in their past, before he became the big crime boss that we knew him to be, Roman possibly approached Neo with the intention of convincing her to cut her ties with him. Imagine if…Roman personally didn’t want Neo to be pulled into the immoral lifestyle along with him because he didn’t wish to tarnish the one good thing he still had in his life, y’know what I mean.

However Neo stubbornly stayed at Roman’s side since she in turn possessed a strong desire to stay by his side. She wanted to be there for him. That was the extent of their bond. I’m looking forward to listening to the full version of Neo’s theme from V6. I feel like there could be more potential clues to shed light on her relationship and past with Roman that the series never will get the chance to delve into. Not unless we get a unforeseen Neopolitan Character Short for V7.

I’d imagine that Roman and Neo were the ultimate ride or die pair. But picture there being a underline twist where deep down, in his heart of hearts, Roman always wanted Neo out of the crime lifestyle. He appreciated her loyalty and didn’t argue when she became his accomplice but deep down, it’s not what he wanted for her. It’s not what he thought she deserved not like he ever admitted that to her face. Or at least that’s how I’m starting to look at it now.

So here pegs the question. If Neo is to be redeemed, how can the Writers redeem her character? Well here’s this squiggle meister’s take one that. I think part of her redemption arc might involve an unexpected romance that causes her to become very conflicted and to rethink her choice of lifestyle.

Yes. I’m not pulling your leg. My idea for a redemption arc of Neopolitan is a love story. Allow me to justify why.

One Neopolitan headcanon that I wanted to toy with is the idea of Neo unintentionally finding love in Atlas; meeting the person who would ultimately cause her to drop her criminal ways and turn a new leaf. I never shared this theory before so this musing post provides the chance to do so.

The hunch I had was Neo falling in love with someone---her own Prince Charming whose allure and confidence reminded her a lot of what infatuated her about Roman and it is this person who would force to Neo to become very torn between her loyalty to Cinder and their revenge plan against Ruby Rose and her chance at a possible new life with this new love interest.

This is where I think Neo will share commonality with General Jinjur. At the end of her story, despite her previous escapades Jinjur ultimately settled down and lived a contented happy life with her husband. Here’s what I’m thinking. While this may be a very big stretch, what if…and this is a huge ‘if’…Neo’s Prince Charming will be none other than Henry Marigold.

Yeah that’s right, him again. Bear with me on this one alright. I don’t know how it could be done but…I have this idea of Neo using her shaft-shifting abilities to impersonate Weiss stuck in my head for the longest time.

In terms of following the plot, there is no real reason I can think of for Neo to mimic Weiss. Unless it’s in the form of her using it to infiltrate Schnee Manor to commence the Faunus Revolution against the SDC or something like that.

But beyond that I don’t see the possibility of Neo shapeshifting into Weiss becoming something canonically possible. But in spite of this, me being me, I’m still going to toy around with this concept because like many hunches I tend to hold on to, I kind of like it a lot. I like the idea of Neo using Weiss’ form especially if it leads into her charming Henry.

For Neo to be paired off with Henry as her intended prince, it would surprisingly fit and I’ll tell you why. Neopolitan is a play on Neapolitan which is a type of ice-cream. Ice cream is a dairy product. Coincidentally, Marigold is a real life brand of dairy products. In the Marvellous Land of Oz, General Jinjur’s future husband was a dairy farmer. You see where I’m going with this, right?

And since Henry was introduced as part of Weiss’ story from V4, I still think he’s going to be brought back for her arc in Atlas. For whatever reason, what if…Neo bumps into Henry on coincidence and falls for him. However since Henry showed an interest in Weiss, for whatever reason, Neo uses Weiss’ likeness to charm Henry.

I can’t help but sort of like this theory because I’m seeing both a bit of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella III in this. In The Little Mermaid, after she gave up her voice to Ursula the Sea Witch to become human, Ariel was tasked with making her love interest---Prince Eric fall in love with in a few days otherwise she’d turn back into a mermaid.

Ariel had to woo Eric without the use of her voice which was what Eric remembered most about her after she saved him from drowning. I found this titbit kind of cool. Weiss, as we know, has a tremendous singing voice and the first time she and Henry met was right after her concert hosted by the SDC back in V4.

Back in V4, Henry Marigold showed an interest in Weiss. Perhaps Neo will impersonate Weiss on a scheme for Cinder but ends up meeting Henry Marigold who recognizes Weiss. From there, Neo secretly starts using Weiss’ form whenever she’s with Henry. Neo falls for Henry and Henry himself falls deeply for Neo but doesn’t know that it's really Neo and not Weiss.

And in the end, Neo is afraid to tell Henry the truth. That she isn’t the person he thought she was and she believes Henry to be in love with Weiss. But in actuality Henry fell in love with Neo for her. I just really love the idea of Henry and Neo going through a similar scenario from Cinderella III.

I know not a lot of Disney fans tend to enjoy the sequels to their classic films but in the case of Cinderella, I actually really enjoyed both Cinderella II and III. I loved Cinderella II because it completely changed my perception of the evil stepsister, Anastasia.

Her love story with the baker was my favourite side story from Cinderella II. I just wished that Disney had given the same opportunity for development with Drizella, the other stepsister. My one gripe with Cinderella III is how they missed a chance to develop Drizella too. I know III takes place right after the original Cinderella but before Cinderella II in terms of storyline. Nevertheless, I feel like they shouldn’t have made Anastasia the focus sister again---they could have done it for Drizella to have both former evil stepsisters be redeemed. But I guess since Anastasia was made likeable by Cinderella II, they decided to roll with her for the third movie again.

Anyways, in Cinderella III, there is a part where Cinderella is supposed to marry the Prince but the Evil Stepmother, still determined to get Anastasia to marry the Prince instead uses the magic of the wand to turn Anastasia into Cinderella.

In the end, it takes Ana stepping up for herself and Cinderella to foil her mother’s plan. I enjoyed Cinderella III because I liked the take away lesson of what the King taught Anastasia about love because there is a moment where the King has a heartfelt chat with Ana and tells her about the day he fell in love with the Prince’s mother---the Queen. I know it was a small scene in a sequel that probably shouldn’t have existed but dagnabbit, the hopeless romantic in me just couldn’t help but gush at the whole idea of the Prince knowing he loved Cinderella from just holding her hand. Even when Ana was temporarily turned into Cinderella, the Prince instantly recognized that she wasn’t his Cinderella because of how she made him feel.

Something as simple as a touch of a hand is used as an expression of love and I dig that.

Strangely enough, I can see something like that being done for RWBY in the form of Neo impersonating Weiss and Henry falling in love with Neo as Weiss. But when he meets the real Weiss, he becomes conflicted, not because she doesn’t reciprocate his feeling as Neo did under her guise but purely because she doesn’t feel like the woman he fell in love with. Real Weiss doesn’t make Henry feel the same way Neo did when she was using her face. So in the end, Henry doesn’t care what Neo looks like. It’s how she made him feel that matters. He fell in love with her for her. Her loves her for her and she did it without needing a voice.

Every bit of joy Henry experienced with Neo was done through touch and gestures. Not through words making it genuine and pure. That sounds like an interesting dynamic. I feel like that’s an essence from the Cinderella story that could be translated into RWBY, if that is the Writers’ intention.

It's funny. When we first met Henry, he was portrayed like all the other guys who pursued Weiss. Appearing to only be interested in her at face value. But I think this was mostly a misunderstanding on Weiss’ part since I didn’t think Henry wasn’t that big of a jerk despite Weiss’ reaction to his remarks about Vale and her charity painting.

While I don’t think Henry is necessarily a bad guy, I feel like he will make a return for Atlas. Whether or not, he will somehow play a part in Neo's story, seems extremely unlikely right now. Nonetheless, I’m going to roll with it; canon or not. Thus I shall christen this tiny sail boat of mine as Milky Way---the unofficial pairing of Neopolitan and Henry Marigold.

I know romantic subplots is pretty much tertiary in RWBY to the point that some FNDM fans even complain when the show takes its time to drop romantic hints of their favoured pairs. My one gripe with the romance in RWBY is that I wouldn’t mind if the CRWBY Writers were more assertive with it. I don’t necessarily need a full episode of characters dating or snogging. However I am hoping for the series to handle its love stories in the same manner as A:TLA did. Avatar found an exceptional way to balance its romantic subplots with the rest of the story to the point where it felt natural.

I’m not a viewer who believes that romance should be omitted from a story just because its key genre is action/adventure and/or fantasy. Relationships are a part of life and when a story takes its time to develop the bonds between its characters, romance is a natural expectation. It doesn’t need to be the focal point of a story especially if you’re looking at a single standalone piece of media like a film.

However in the case of a series that is ongoing and has an overarching plot where its cast of characters are likely to grow and progress to fit the narrative outlined by the writers then…romance between characters should neither be omitted nor do I think it can be avoided nor …should be if that makes a lick of sense. Because romance is a type of relationship. Relationships can be either romantic, platonic, family-orientated and so forth and as I’ll say again, relationships are a part of life so it happens.

That being said, this is why I genuinely don’t understand when people complain when RWBY takes a chance to develop the relationships between its characters, particularly if its romantic. These kids are teenagers of mixed genders, ages and sexual orientations.

Naturally I would expect a romance to blossom among some of them. I actually think RWBY could benefit from taking some time off from all the action to focus on the bonds between its characters from time to time. But as always, this is just my opinion.

Neo and Oscar

Another interesting thing about Jinjur’s character is her connection to Princess Ozma, next to Mombi. After Emerald City was liberated, Jinjur was captured but on promise of good behaviour, she was sent home to her mother like all the girls in her army.

General Jinjur swore her loyalty to Princess Ozma and became an ally, promising her that she would behave herself.

Now some Pineheads have asked me before about the possibility of Neo and Oscar becoming friends and I think having Neo share inspiration from General Jinjur would be a nice way to tie her to Oscar.

Neo could be Oscar’s General Jinjur. From what I read on the Marvellous Land of Oz, Jinjur’s interactions with Ozma seemed rather friendly for the most part, even when she was still Tip, her male persona.

Perhaps…Neo will unintentionally befriend Oscar but neither will know each other’s true identities until their final confrontation. A part of me strongly believes that Oscar will definitely be most present during Ruby’s rematch against Neo. If Ruby is going to fight Neo again then surely Oscar should fight Cinder again. I mean, Cinder is the one who murdered Ozpin so imagine the two clashing on those terms.

After all, as I said in this answer post right here, Oscar has the remaining 10% of Ozma’s magic and if Cinder is the megalomaniac that she’s been painted as then picture her challenging Oscar to a duel in an attempt to try to steal the rest of Ozma’s magic from him.

Imagine…Cinder and Neo kidnapping Oscar to get to Ruby. Or…imagine if this leads into Ruby and Oscar possibly tag teaming against Cinder and Neo. That could be a cool way to satisfy us Rosegardeners hungry for our Rosebuds fighting side by side on the battlefield.

Even though Cinder and Neo agreed to allow Neo deal the final blow to Ruby, my hunch is that when Neo overpowers Ruby and goes to kill her, Oscar will stand bravely in front of Ruby to protect her. Picture Neo raising her weapon to Ruby and Oscar cradling Ruby’s unconscious body pleading with Neo to not kill her.

Imagine if…it’s Oscar’s desire to protect Ruby that results in Neo turning on Cinder. Because Oscar sees Ruby as someone very important to him. Someone he cares about deeply and wishes to protect, this sentiment could remind Neo of Roman. The good version of him anyways.

What if… as children, Roman used to protect Neo and seeing Oscar protecting Ruby reminds Neo of that. And so, Neo decides to spare Ruby and turn her weapon on Cinder instead. An alliance between Neo and Oscar is another alternative way to her possible redemption especially if it ties into my hunch of Neo drawing inspiration from Jinjur.

Another trait of General Jinjur that reminds me of Neo is that Jinjur was a native Munchkin girl. Munchkins are a race of short people in Oz and right now, Neo is physically one of the shortest characters in RWBY so far. She’s even shorter than Oscar I believe. If you put her next to Jinjur, I think it could fit.

So in conclusion…

I hope this answers your question Yellow. I know I went off topic on certain parts, again (as usual) but for the most part, I hope there was a sprinkle of an appropriate response to your curious inquiry among all my jibber jab. Let me know your thoughts on my thoughts if you can. To reiterate and summarize, I do see an equivalence to Jinjur in Cinder. But I see it more in Neo.

In terms of Oz characters, Cinder’s motivations screams more Mombi to me more than Jinjur. This is why I think Neo is a good candidate to take influence from her character. At the moment, Neo is a blank slate. She is the one RWBY character in the current main cast for Atlas who doesn’t have a fairy-tale counterpart to draw inspiration from.

From what I know about her, she was originally meant to only be a female counterpart of Roman Torchwick. That’s what I was told that one time I made a comparison to Neo being like Tinkerbelle in reference to her bond with Roman who I saw as being the Peter Pan in her story.

I still would like to stick with my idea of Neo being inspired by Tinkerbelle. Her illusion semblance is the closest thing to pixie dust I’ve ever seen and when she transformed the Mistralian airship into the guise of an Atlesian airship, it reminded me of how Captain Hook used pixie dust to make his ship fly.

Beyond that, Neo has no true fairy-tale equivalent which is why I’m fancying the idea of Jinjur being hers instead of Cinder’s. I’m also starting to love the idea of Neo and Cinder sharing influence from Cinderella only with Neo gaining what Cinder will never have---a happy ending.

We know Cinder desires power and revenge against Ruby; but what does Neo want? I know right now she shares Cinder’s hatred for Ruby Rose and aspiration to kill her. But beyond that, what else does Neo want for herself? After she kills Ruby, what’s she going to do next? Based on her theme, Roman apparently was her life. She lived for him.

After he died, she returned to Mistral to do who knows what with herself but didn’t miss an opportunity to get her revenge on Cinder, believing her to be the reason Roman fell. Cinder, of course convinced her that Ruby is to blame and now that has become Neo’s drive. But once that deed is done, what’s next? What is going to be Neo’s story? What’s she going to do after avenging Roman?

I ask these questions because this is something I want a character in the series to ask Neo herself. If Neo dedicated her entire life to Roman then she needs to create a new one for herself now that he’s gone. A better life.

This is why I’m loving the idea of her gaining Jinjur’s happy ending and settling down with a man who will love her unconditionally and vice versa. This is why I’m loving the idea of Neo meeting Henry Marigold with him becoming her prince. The man she will marry and settle down to start a new life with in Atlas. I’m fully on-board for this Milky Way ship especially if it goes in accordance to everything I just shared in this theory.

It’d be nice if Neo gets her happily ever after. Especially since Cinder surely ain’t gonna get that luxury. She’s too far-gone. But Neo still has a chance. A chance for change and redemption. A chance to learn to behave herself.

Plus I like the idea of Neo promising Oscar to ‘behave herself’ in a similar fashion to Jinjur’s promise to Princess Ozma. I don’t know what the CRWBY Writers’ future plans for Neo will be. But for the most part, I hope it’s satisfying especially to her hardcore fans who were pining for her return.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#yellow-eyed-green-crocodile #squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #cinder fall #neopolitan #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby atlas arc #rwby musings #rwby rosegarden #ruby and oscar #oscar and neo #cinder and oscar

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 5 years ago

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CSUAVS prt 9 start

Shiro didn't wait the asked vargas, calling him back within doboshes of Keith sending the message. Filling the screen on the cockpit, Shiro looked as if he'd been sleeping. His white hair sticking up in every conceivable direction, with drool crust to the left side of his lips "Keith? What's up?" "I didn't mean to wake you" Blinking away his tears, Shiro moved from where he'd been in bed with Curtis. The man's sleeping form visible in the background as Keith's vision cleared. It felt incredibly wrong to be betraying Lance, yet the image of the blade slicing through Lance's skin so easily refused to leave his mind. He felt sick to the very depths of his boots for walking away. For not tackling Lance down tearing that damned blade away from him. He knew Lance hurt himself. He knew it. He could have done something about it. He could have done something about it back before this. Back before Lance broke down further. Sniffling, more tears leaked from his shimmering purple eyes "No. It's fine. What's going on? Did something happen? You've been crying" "It's... do you remember what it was like to die?" Shiro wrinkled his brow, then winced as a bright light came down from above with the whirl of a fan faintly coming through. Great. Now Shiro was hiding in the bathroom, while Keith was fighting to bring his tears and emotions back under his control. He hadn't meant to disturb him. God. He was an adult. He'd seen so much. He should know how to help Lance "Keith... are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?" Shaking his head, Keith scrubbed at his eyes with right hand "No. No... Just a shaky day" "Wanna tell me about it?" "I... can't..." Shiro sighed softly "I'm fine, kiddo. I don't remember much from dying. I was dead before I knew what had happened, then onto the astral plain" Keith had had nightmares of fighting Kuron and losing. Of Shiro never coming back. Or them never knowing Kuron wasn't Shiro. They'd spent far too many nights reassuring each other over the experience "What was that like?" "Keith, I've told you all of this before..." "I know. I... Lance had..." "Lance had" what? It slipped out his mouth, and now there was no going back "Did Lance have a nightmare?" A waking nightmare that was called a hallucination of Allura "Yeah. Something like that..." "Is that why you're upset? Was it to do with Allura?" "I don't know how to help him. I keep stuffing it all up" Drawing his knees up, Keith felt more like a moody teen than half way through his 20's. The action far too comforting and familiar "I'm sure you're not. How is he? Have you two been talking? Have you told him how you feel?" "I... Shiro... it's... I don't think I can" "Keith, he's your best friend" "Then why did I fail him?! You haven't seen it Shiro. He's... different" "Of course he's different, people grow and change. We grow closer together and we drift apart. It's a fact of life, Keith" Shaking his head, Shiro wasn't giving him the magic answers he needed "That's not it" "Then what is?" "I... he... God. Shiro. It's a mess" "Keith, if you need me to fly out to where you are..." "No. No. That would make it worse. I got him into trouble with his boss, so we're not on Erathus. We went on a mission together today..." Shiro perked up, like Keith wasn't depressed "How did that go?" "Not great. No one died, but only because the Galra had been there first. They wouldn't talk to us. Hey, Shiro. Did you know people intentionally go after remaining sentries for their parts and their guns?" Shiro hummed for a moment "I've heard of it" "I hadn't really thought of it. There are so many planets out here. How many slipped through our fingers and were destroyed while Voltron was missing. It was three years" "Keith, you can't think like that" "Can't I? Lance does. He had a member of his team killed" "Shit. When was that?" "I don't know. I don't know if I can help him. I don't even know if he wants me to help him" "He wouldn't have asked you to be there with him if he didn't" "He's doing me a favour" "You're still there. Sometimes that's all it takes" "I think all I've done is make things worse" "You're his best friend. You're also the only one he's opened up to. None of us know what he's doing, and now you say he has a team?" "Yeah. He's a bounty hunter. Can you believe it?" The frown on Shiro's lips was severe "I thought Veronica said he was working in security?" "He works with the police on Erathus, or he did until I messed things up with one of Pidge's programs" "I'm sure it's not all that bad..." "People have tried to kill him. How do I fix any of this for him?" "It's not your job to fix things" "But I want to help him!" "Then tell him how you feel... Oh hey, Lance" Jumping up, Keith rose to stand in a kind of half-stand half-blot kind of pose. His heart hammering over Lance interrupting the conversation. He'd slightly forgotten Lance was paranoid over their communications being intercepted "Hey, Shiro. How are you?" "Good. Good. How are you? Keith was just telling me the two of you were hanging out" Lance nodded, his arms wrapping around his waist in a selfhug as he cautiously moved closer to the screen. His face was covered in a green face mask, that clashed with the jacket and jeans he was wearing "Yeah. You know how it is. Heard you and Curtis finally got together. Congratulations" "Thanks. It hasn't been easy, but Adam would want us to be happy" "You deserve to be. I didn't mean to interrupt..." Lance couldn't meet Shiro's eyes, talking to the corner of the screen rather than to Shiro's face. Sinking down in his chair, Keith was mentally worrying how much Lance had heard before walking in "You're not interrupting. We missed you when Keith came to visit. You definitely need to come with him next time. Hunk's been talking about you both non-stop" Thank god for Shiro. He made everything sound so natural "Yeah, man. That sounds good. We're a little busy at the moment, but I've missed his cooking" "Did Keith share the supplies Hunk sent him off with?" "Yep. Erathus tries, but they just can't get those spice ratios right like Hunk can" "We could call Pidge back and make a day of it..." "Uh. Yeah. I don't know what my schedule is like, but that sounds good. I might leave you too it..." "It's a date" Keith blushed at date, shooting a glare at his adopted brother "Sure. Sure. See ya, Shiro. Keith, I'm going to take a nap. We're still a few vargas out, right?" "Yeah. Want me to wake you when we arrive?" "Sounds good. Bye Shiro" Lance gave Shiro a wave before disappearing back out the cockpit. Shiro giving it a few long moments before sighing "That was awkward" "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that. I thought he was going to start yelling when he came in. I'm not supposed to be on the comms" "Why not?" "Bounty Hunter security and stuff. Already had to call back to the ship as it was, so maybe it's alright?" "The ship?" "Oh, Lance has his own ship. You should see him, it's like he knows exactly who he is and what's he doing when he stands at the helm" "He deserves it. He always did his best to keep the team together, even after you left and Kuron was there. Coran said it was quite a rough time for him" "Coran said?" "Lance became quiet and withdrawn. Initially Lance wanted to hand the Red lion over when we returned to Earth. I'm glad he's found something he likes doing. I'm not so happy that it's bounty hunting on his own. Anything could happen to him" "I think it already has..." "What do you mean by that? Did someone hurt him? Keith, if someone's hurt him, I'll bring the full force of the Atlas down there..." There was the space dad that everyone knew and loved. He'd known Shiro would react like this. He knew how much Shiro cared for Lance. He was tired of going around in circles in his mind. Shiro hadn't give him the magical cure for Lance, and Lance already knew they were talking about him. "It's his nightmares. He... Shiro, I swear to god I will never talk to you again if you breath a word of this to anyone" "Keith..." "Swear it. I won't tell you until you do" "Keith, we're not kids" "Shiro, I need you to promise. Lance has made me a promise to explain things, but he won't if I break his trust" Shiro gave a grim nod "How bad is it?" "I think he's been tortured. I think something happened on Erathus and that he was tortured" "Tortured?" "He doesn't want to be touched. This is Lance. Since when does Lance not like hugs? His room is as far away from everyone else's as it can get... and his nightmares. He wakes up screaming. He looks like he's barely sleeping or eating. Today, a sentry landed a lucky blow and knocked me down. He lost it. He threw himself in recklessly, then had Kosmo teleported us out before blowing up the top floor of the building. The slightest thing sets him off... I'm scared for him, Shiro. Something really bad happened to him..." "Has he told you himself?" "No. I mean, I didn't think he looked like himself when I saw him. What he's doing out here isn't safe. But he's really helping people..." "Keith, if he's been tortured, then we should let Veronica..." "No! Weren't you listening to me? He doesn't want anyone to know. I don't know what to do. I don't know if he's worse or better because I'm here. I can't stand to think of what he's gone through alone, and I won't leave him again... but... I don't want him to hate me" "Keith. It's not your job to..." "I know I can't take the pain away. What I want to know is how I can help him when he's having a panic attack or he's scared. What I know isn't working, and it seems like they're getting worse" "Then you need to talk to him. Help identify his triggers and help him see you're not going anywhere" "He's scared I'll hate him" "If he didn't care for you, he wouldn't be scared. Do you think he's a danger to himself?" Keith bit down the bitter laughter that welled in his chest "Maybe? I don't know" "If he is, then you really should talk about whatever's wrong. If he doesn't open up to you, see if you can get him talking to his family? Veronica can take leave" Bringing more people into this was only going to make Lance shut down more. His crush always automatically jumped to thinking himself a burden. Bringing his family in was only going to make his anxieties worse "No. I better go. I still need to take a shower and change" "Alright then. Call me if anything changes. No matter what the time is. I'll try and get some information out of Hunk about how Lance was when we were gone, and how he was on Earth. Lance's family adores him" "Don't make too much fuss. Lance isn't going to like any of this" "Keith, I know how to be discrete" "Right. Do I need to bring up that time you and Adam were in the tea-" "Nope. It's fine. Goodnight, Keith!" "'night, Shiro" Keith wasn't sure if he felt better for having talk to Shiro. He'd betrayed Lance, and still wasn't sure that Shiro had given him advice worth using. Rising out his chair, he clicked his fingers for Kosmo to follow him. His left hand moving to rest of his wolf's head as they made their way through his ship and to his quarters. Keith's own anxieties were starting to flare. The voices in his mind dreaming up all kinds of horrible ways things could go if Lance was still awake. He could leave things until they reached the Telula, but he knew he'd be a mess if he did. He needed to know what Lance had heard, and to make sure Lance wasn't crying his eyes out secretly while Keith left him to suffer alone. Opening the door to his room, he found Lance sitting up on his bed, his communicator laying in front of him as he read some document that it was projecting. Smiling slightly, Lance closed the document "We can't be there yet" "We've barely left the planet, so no. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok back here" "It's fine. What did Shiro want?" There it was. Lance was jumping right into the conversation. It took less than a tick for the white lie to begin rolling off his tongue "Oh, he had a nightmare. He wanted to make sure I was actually alright" Lance visibly relaxed at the idea of Shiro reaching out to him, rather him running crying to Shiro "Nightmares suck. Is that why you were crying?" Lance had noticed he'd been crying? A small part of his pride felt wounded for having been caught "Old memories. We all suffer with the memories of what we went through fighting as Voltron. Shiro still gets, though I think they've gotten better as he has Curtis now. He's been able to open up about it all" Nudging the subject, Lance sidestepped it effortlessly "They're good together. That's good..." "Yeah. I'm happy for him. Adam would be too. They always got on really well, but when Shiro wanted to go to Pluto, Adam had a hard time. He was sure by the time Shiro came back, his disease would have progressed so far that Shiro would barely be the man he loved. He'd have stayed with him to the very end. Curtis said he regretted the way it ended. Adam let his jealousy over Shiro choosing to spend the last few quality months in space instead of with him, get the better of him in the moment. Curtis really helped. He talked him through everything that happened with Adam. And of course, that whole family loves him" "It must be nice to be loved like that... to have some one who has faith in you until the very end" "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." He didn't mean to make Lance think of Allura leaving. He just wanted Lance to know that it was ok to reach out to him "You did nothing wrong, Mullet. What else did he have to say? I heard you yelling" "Oh. He wanted to know what we were up to and how you were. I... ugh said I wish I could stay and help you..." Lance snorted. Moving his comms, he started making a show of settling down for his nap "I believe Shiro said to "tell me how you feel". What does that have to do with sticking around?" So Lance had been listening... had he heard more than that? "There's the Blades and that to think of. But I'm tired of relief missions. You're out here making a difference, and I was thinking it time for a change..." Waving a hand at him, Lance climbed under the thin blankets "In the scheme of things we're barely making a difference. Space is too big to help everyone, and not everyone wants help" "Lance..." "It's still Leandro. We still need to be careful, especially with comm signals. You never know who's listening" No one was quiznakking listening. He'd called Shiro on his Blade's comm. The signal was encrypted. "Leandro. I'm serious" "So am I. Remember what I told Bob? You're the future. You can do more things by being on Daibazaal than you can out here" "But we could pool our resources. We could take on more missions..." "Keith, there are planets that actually hates Voltron. Did you know that? People blame us for disappearing. People died when we went to Earth, and during those seven months. We fought so hard, yet they hate us. I like working without a face. Without people knowing I used to be a Paladin. Most people see Voltron and Earth as this holy beacon of hope, but then there are those on tiny little planets who curse our names. They'd never take aid from the Red Paladin, but they will from a rebel faction. They will from Leandro. Can you stop being a Blade? You can't, can you? You need to keep moving, that's just the kind of person you are. I'm not going to ask you to stay and hold my hand. I don't need it held. I don't want it held. I like what I do, and I'm going to keep doing it. I also like napping, and I'm going to do that now" "Leandro... what if I want to stay?" "Then you have rocks in your head. No one would stay if they knew anything. Go clean your knives or something. Maybe take a nap? You didn't show me the other quarters so you'll have to suffer losing your bed" Keith balled his fists "I've missed you. I've missed this. Us. Being a team" "We made a great team. But I don't know if we can ever work together like that on a permanent basis again" Why not? It'd been fun creeping through the giant black building, elbowing each other and whispering as they did "I..." "You don't have to say anything. It's how things are now. Wake me when get to the Telula" "No. You don't get to say all of that without listening to me" Lance raised an eyebrow at him "What you did today was reckless. You could have been hurt. We could have been hurt. Then you act like it's all ok because we survived. It's not ok Lance. I don't know what's going on with you, and you keep coming close then pushing me out. I know I messed up as your friend. But you messed up too. Do you know how much it hurt that you didn't tell me you were out here? I was the only one thinking you were finally free and happy back on Earth with your family! You were my best friend. The one person I could trust to have my back. Now you're hurting yourself. You're lying. You have nightmares and won't let me help you. Why can't you just let me in? If it was me, you'd be saying the exact same thing, so stop looking at me like I've grown an extra head!" Well. That happened. Lance glared coldly at him "What do you know? What do you know about what happened? You don't know anything because you left!" "What? Voltron? I left to find my mother" "And I was happy for you, but..." "Are you seriously holding onto that? I thought we were ok?" "Gargh! You're not getting it. You don't know..." "I don't know anything, because you won't tell me anything! I care about you! I want to know what's going on! I want to help you" "You can't, Meteor. So just drop it. I told you I would explain after we visit the prison" "Meteor. My name is Keith. And you're Lance. I know... I know you were tortured" Lance gaped at him, before shaking his head as he echoed Keith's earlier move by drawing his knees to his chest. Resting his head on his knees, Lance sighed softly "I wasn't tortured" "Lance" "I wasn't tortured!" "Then..." "A lot of stuff happened ok. Between you, me and Allura. I can't tell you, but... whatever you have in mind, isn't what happened" "Then tell me" "I can't. Not yet" "Why not?" "Because I can't... why do you have to be so goddamn smart? Why did you even have to come find me to begin with? Things weren't great, but I... I didn't feel like a child with a babysitter" "I'm not trying to babysit you" "Really? You suddenly want to stay. You want to work here. You think we can do things better with you and your team around. Our ways aren't perfect, but we get the job done" "That's not it at all... I've missed you" "You might have missed me, but I was finally free. Free of Earth. Free of my family. Free of you and Shiro always being better than I am. Free of being the stupid, useless, unwanted Paladin who was only ever a place holder for you. I was free of all of that. And now you're back, and I don't know what to do. You've been trying so hard not to blurt out everything you just did, and now we're like this. I was... ok" "You were never useless" "You weren't there" "Then tell me!" "I had no one when you left! Kuron wasn't exactly the nicest of people you know. I wasn't what he wanted. Every single thing I did was never ever good enough for him. I spent months thinking that Shiro hated me. I spent months being pushed away by all of them! Even Coran was over me. I was so excited you were coming back, then you came back with your awesome space mom, and Kosmo. I worked my arse off trying to reach your level, only for you to be in a whole other league, and for me to be once again in your shadow. I was only promoted because left the Garrison. I was only promoted in Voltron because Shiro was missing. Red should have been yours. And when I tried to point this out, you tell me to leave the maths to Pidge. I never felt enough when we were in Voltron. I simply got better at hiding it. So forgive me if I want something for myself for a change. If I like my job. If I like my team. But between you all treating me differently because Allura was dead, Earth no longer being the place I held dear, and everyone at home giving me shit because they couldn't believe a fuck up like me actually did any of the things the others did, I needed out. And I found out that even without the Galra forces, the universe is a pretty shit fucking place to exist in. I really thought it would be different with you. That you wouldn't push. You wouldn't force my hand. That maybe you could see past all my failures and be my friend. But you can't, can you?" "I am your friend. You're my best friend. You're everything, Lance. Why can't you see that? Why can't you see how much you mean to me? Why do you think it hurt so badly to know you didn't tell me you were out here? I..." "Then where were you? Would you have come to Erathus just to visit me for me? Or would you all have kept talking about me behind my back?" "I would have..." Stray tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn't want to hear any of this. That tiny thread of trust had snapped so loudly that it'd taken his breath away. Lance... Lance could never love him the way he loved the Cuban. Not when he was still grieving over the loss of his childhood being stolen away. Not when he couldn't see how amazing of a person he was. All of these fears, he'd thought them gone. Lance had been good. He thought he was alright. Now he found he'd been stupidly blind to Lance's pain all along. He loved the stupid bastard with all his heart, but Lance... he hated him "You would have had a mission. Then another mission. Then another. That's how it works. It's how it works for everyone. None of us have time. We never had time when we were on the castle. We were simply stuck there. I missed my family so much. I used to day dream of returning to find Earth how we left it. I'd day dream we'd all sit around having drinks on Varadero beach. My family would have cooked up a massive feast. All my aunts and uncles, and cousins, and my nieces and nephews would be there. All of this would be left out here. We'd joke and talk about our time up here, and we'd all be happy. I was so stupid. I really believed it. I believed we were doing the right thing, but since Red left, I don't know anymore" "I didn't... Lance..." "It's fine, Keith. You didn't know. No one knew. No one bothered to know. I was never a great Paladin, but I felt good doing this. You should probably go. Before I make things even worse" "I don't want to... I... you're my best friend" "Things change Keith. I've changed. You need to move on. Now, I'll help you with Guile, but after that, I don't think we should keep in contact. You're asking something from me that I can't give anymore"

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marshmallowprotection · 6 years ago

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Ray deserves more love. I just? Wanna hug him? And make him feel loved?? Is that too much to ask??? Ray needs to be happy and not think he’s useless all the time if Rika doesn’t fuck off I’m gonna lose my shit

You about summed that one up.

I feel awful when Ray feels bad about himself, or when he says horrible things about himself. I have an internal dialogue with myself that can be like that too, so I know what it feels like to be that insecure about his own needs. He is the manifestation of what was left of the Saeran of the past balled up into one person who could only feel sorrow.

Everything I see that I’m like, “I need to protect somebody get this boy some ice cream oh my GoD!”

Here’s some messy personal views

First lemme say I don’t condone sending hate to people that like Rika in any way because I know this is something that always happens when you drag her name out into the open and talk about her character in any capacity. People are free to like characters and enjoy them without getting flack for it. I find her character interesting to read into, and write into at times, but I don’t really care for her in huge capacity given all she’s done and the lack of empathy she has for everyone. I feel like I gotta say this any time I touch the discourse that surrounds her because I really don’t wanna see people going after each other but okay, now that I said that!

I get really tired of the nonsense that Rika does.

Look, she’s done a lot of bad things, and she needs to get the due process and punishment for those actions she’s committed. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that is ever going to happen given the fact she’s sent away to Alaska post Secret Ends.

The fact that she gets to go free post V route (although she’s ostracized and pushed away from her former by miles it really isn’t legal punishment; I don’t like that when you basically say the most valid feelings about Rika and about not wanting to forgive her, rather, judging her because all of that awful shit she’s done, you’re not given this ‘happier’ end. Although I do like the sentiment that you can forgive someone and move on from that, that just doesn’t work for people. News flash, you don’t have to forgive abusers for what they’ve done. I really throw back my feelings about ATLA where Aang feels like Katara should try to forgive the firebender that took her mom away from her, Zuko clearly disagrees with that ideology because you know he won’t ever forgive his abuser, but in that journey, she realizes that she doesn’t have to forgive this guy to move on with her life! She never does, and she continues on living just fine).

In the end, it’s up to the RFA members, V, Saeran, all of them, it’s up to them what they decide to feel about Rika.

And when I think about Saeran’s route… I hate the fact that V wound up going back to Rika. I fear for what might happen in his after end, not only to my fears for Saeyoung’s fate, but just for the way that Rika might be handled. I really hope that we can get him the hell out of that toxic relationship. It does no good for him and it does no good for Rika. She needs to get her own help for her mental health along with punishment. V needs to learn how to love himself again, and have people in his life that love him for the right reason.

Their relationship is never going to be healthy.

Rika really needed help for her mental health but she kept spiraling down that rabbit hole. She started to push back against what she needed, and it all just cracked the moment that she blacked out and killed the Choi brother’s Mother. That was the moment that she really couldn’t turn around in her own opinion, and as she said herself, it was where her demons had grown so strong that she couldn’t ignore them any longer.

When you look at what she did to Saeran you can’t help but have your stomach twist and think okay, this is awful. But when you think about these crimes that she’s done that’s not the end of the atrocities you guys. She’s done a lot more and a lot of it hasn’t even been mentioned all that much. You have to infer and read between the lines a lot of the time.

Mint Eye was already a developing complex by the time she deceived Saeran and made him come to Mint Eye. There’s a bit in Ray Route where we’re treated to a flashback where he’s being tortured in the past, and if you need to see more of that descent in madness for Saeran, you can check his diary from the Mint Eye believer package. But aside from that, this place has already been building up with people that Rika has cultivated from the first two RFA parties.

She’s been building this place up already, and there are people working for her already at that point. Countless believers and people she’s gotten on her side thanks to her speaking abilities. The ideology of this place is pretty much already set in stone. So you know she’s been doing this fairly often by this point, torturing people to the brink of madness and instilling the idea into them that they need the elixir, and her words to survive in the world. God knows how many people were roped in before she got Saeran.

I don’t think that’s ever clarified.

She’s been torturing people for months. It isn’t just Saeran. And I think when anyone turns against her, she has no qualms about getting rid of them as she’s said it herself. Depending on how dark you want to read into this, that means that there are people getting killed or locked away until they basically waste away to nothing or they start to listen to her again only to pray that she doesn’t actually kill them.

It can get pretty dark. I try not to think about that because I tend to think of the worst possible scenarios. It makes me angrier for Saeran and everyone else who has ever had to deal with Rika after she decided that she needed to “protect people” by hurting people in the process. Her idea is that if you have been hurt enough you can become stronger. She took that idea and manifested it in Saeran like he was toy, like he an experiment. She twisted him up so bad that he’s going to be recovering for a long time.

Don’t even get me started on all the stuff that’s happened with V, or the toss-in character that they added in the Rika DLC to push all the blame onto. No, Rika is still complicit in these actions.

She’s still guilty.

Cool motive, still torture and murder and wrong!

It’s Cheritz’s game so they can handle the story how they want to do it, and because they do so much for us, I’m always grateful to them and how hard they work for everyone. They didn’t have to do Another Story, and they don’t have to give us the DLCs. Please don’t send them hate, you guys, I’ve seen that going on and I don’t like that. Don’t send hate to people in general, I hope that’s clear to y’all.

#anon #ask #mod kait #ray mystic messenger #ray route #saeran choi #spoilers #spoilers for everything #secret end spoilers #another route spoilers #rika dlc spoilers #discourse #i'm not gonna clog the rika tag with hate or anything so here we go #mystic messenger #mysme #jihyun kim

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atypicalkataangist · 6 years ago

Text

Bestowing Honour

Type: Oneshot [Angst]

Summary: One year after Aang’s death, his family returns to the place of his funeral to bestow honour on the late Avatar.

Word count: 2241

Author’s note: Hey guys. Today’s oneshot is actually something special for me. I used it as a vent for many emotions that were boiling up inside of me for the last while. I began writing this Oneshot about two weeks ago; It was the first anniversary of my Dad’s untimely death, who had died of pancreatic cancer last year. We visited my Dad’s grave and so many emotions were bottling up inside of me that I had to release them somewhere, and since something similar happened to the Avatar’s family, I couldn’t pass up the chance to weave my own thoughts, memories and words together with those of the characters in the story.

By the way, AtLA was pretty much the first thing i could really enjoy after everything that happened last year, and I’m very thankful for all the beautiful moments it could give me despite everything else.

So please enjoy this, and even if you don’t I understand, all I wanted to do is to write down my most intimate emotions, and I’m glad I did. This is enough sad stuff for the next while though, I’m looking forward to write about something fluffy finally again! But as you might have noticed by now, updates take a while.

Don’t forget to think positive, whatever may happen, guys; because remember what a wise man once said:

“When we hit our lowest point, we’re open to the greatest change.”

~ Dedicated to my Dad ~

The wind blew strongly at the southern cliff of yue bay. The sun hid behind a thick layer of clouds, the sky was coloured in a deep grey most of the time, only interrupted by brief seconds when the sun was given the opportunity to shine through the almost inpenetrable wall. After a short moment of sunshine however, it would go back into hiding, never to be seen again.

Neither of them had been looking forward to this day, but they all knew that it had to be done. One year ago, on this exact date, the Avatar had died. Avatar Aang, the last airbender, the bringer of piece, had met his demise after a long period of serious sickness. Even though the whole world seemed to be disconsolate about the great man's demise, his family of course was hit hardest. The last year had been an incredibly difficult time for the Avatar's wife and three adult kids; whereas the world seemed to overheap the late hero with honors like planning to build a gigantic statue of him in yue bay, or establishing an "Avatar-Aang-Memorial-Day", his family could only think about the person behind the Avatar, behind the politician, the bringer of peace.

The Avatar's burial had been a huge event, with hundreds of famous people from all around the world giving speeches, sometimes more personal and heartwarming like the one held by the Avatar's trusted friend and ally, Fire Lord Zuko, or sometimes more political and impersonal like the speech held by a nobleman from the earth kingdom, of whom Katara wasn't sure if he had actually been in the same room together with Aang just once while he was alive. According to his beliefs as an Air Nomad, his remains were cremated and his ashes handed over to the winds of yue bay, on the far end of a cliff not far from his lifelong home on air temple island. It had been a terrifying day for Katara. Even though hundreds, if not thousands of people expressed their more or less honest condolences to her, offering their help whenever she would need it, her inner instincts were just telling her to run. Run as far away as her legs would carry her. It had all been too much, way too much, and without the support of her children, she would have probably left, not bearing to witness the act of hundreds of people crying in remorse over someone they barely knew.

She had known him, better than all of them . She had loved him every day of her life. She had cared for him when he wasn't well, and she was by his side, she didn't leave him in his final days, holding his hand, watching the final bit of life leaving his frail body until his suffering came to an end. She had cried until there were no more tears to shed. She had loved him more than she had loved anything else, perhaps except for her children. She had spent her whole life at his side, going through ups and downs, highlights and crises together. They had saved the world together. They had rebuilt a culture. They raised three children together. They had been married for well over forty-five years. And they had endured ravage, destruction, wars, Appa's death, Iroh's death, rebellion, and so much more.

And all of that should've come to an end now? Because the universe decided that the world needed a new Avatar? A fresh start? With him, almost everything she cared about was taken from her, a part of her dying together with him. A part of her wished to die as well, to be reunited with him in the spirit world, to spend eternity at his side. But another part reminded her of her children, her first grandchild that was on the way, the fate of her husband's air nomad culture that lived on through the air acolytes and her son Tenzin. She secretly knew that her time had not come yet.

After his death, she didn't dare to return to their old home on air temple island. They had spent their whole lives together in that house, and there was nothing that didn't remind her of him. She needed to get out of there and never return. Many begged her to join them, like Zuko, who was more than willing to help one of his dearest and oldest friends with an apartment in the royal palace, or the ancient earth king who had always appreciated and cared for the Avatar and his family.

Nonetheless everybody knew where she was going. The day after his funeral, she took the first ship towards the south pole, her home, the only place where she had lived for longer than a few months without him by her side. Her birthplace. The place of her family, her culture, her ancestors. Her daughter Kya joined her, putting her life on pause, postponing the wedding with her fiancee. She couldn't let her mother alone in a time like that, so she cared for her for the next hard months. The late Avatar's wife barely spoke, sunken in dreams and memories, yet she appreciated her daughter's company. Her sons came to visit every now and then, at least relieved to know that she would be in good hands with Kya, but their lives kept them busy most of the time, Bumi being a general in the united forces and Tenzin being the head of a culture that had yet to be reborn. Of course Katara didn't hold a grudge against her sons. Whenever they asked if they should stay, she reminded them to get back to their duties, not to worry about their old mother.

The only positive thing, the only glimmer of hope and the only thing that finally caused her to leave the south pole once in the next year, was the birth of Tenzin's first child, Aang's and her first grandchild, a little girl named Jinora, who quickly turned out to be an airbender. It was the first time she felt something like hope again since the death of the Avatar. Yet again she felt incredibly remorseful that her husband was not there with her and his son to share this beautiful moment together, the birth of their first grandchild, the second air bender in the world.

The next months she spent at the south pole, at least returning to her usual behaviour prior to the traumatic experience. She didn't stop to teach her daughter expert water bending techniques, also training some younger waterbenders from the southern, as well as the northern water tribe. She began to slowly return to life again, regaining a purpose. Kya even caught her mother laughing from time to time, and that sound she hadn't heard for way too long was like music in her ears.

Nonetheless no day went by without Katara thinking about the love of her life. At night she often went for long walks, looking up to the sky, searching for symbols or signs as a piece of evidence for his presence, but there was nothing. Sometimes she even went out to ice fields where she had found him in the iceberg. On the day that changed her life. Where she held him in her arms for the first time. Where they exchanged their first words. Where they went penguin sledding together. She couldn't think back at this moment without tears immediately shooting up to her eyes. How much she missed him... It felt unbearable.

And now, one year after the worst day of her life, she had to return, only to be confronted again with the terrible place near the coast, where she had to scatter his ashes. At least no one else was present now, except for her children and her brother. She wanted to keep it in the family. It would be hard enough as it was.

The skies didn't seem to approve of their endeavor. Maybe it was Aang, desperately trying to let them know that he was still there; or maybe the spirits were raging again. In the end, it didn't matter anyway. It was right after noon when all of them had finally made their way to the small edge of the cliff , where nothing but a small memorial stone and a bronze plaque which simply said "Avatar Aang - 12 BG - 153 AG" gave an indication of a memorial for a great man.

They stood there in silence; Katara in the center, opposite to the memorial stone, framed by her brother and her daughter, with Bumi at Sokka's and Tenzin at Kya's other side. The wind didn't allow them to have the peace they deserved, howling and messing up their clothes and hair. By now Katara could even feel tiny raindrops against her skin. Without even realizing it, she bend the whole rain around them away, leaving them dry.

She watched her husband's memorial with hurt, painful eyes. She was the first and only one to talk. "Aang...", she barely uttered with a shaky voice, while her whole body began to tremble from grief, "we...we've been doing okay so far... but we miss you" She began to cry heartbreakingly,"...so ...so much..." Her family, her brother, her children instantly offered their support, barely capable to hold back their tears as well. She wasn't ready to be helped right now. Nobody could comfort her. Powerless, she dropped on her knees, the wind joining in to her howling, breezing through her greyish hair. She wasn't even strong enough to bend the rainwater away anymore. Her brother dropped right next to her, very gently holding her back while his tear-dimmed eyes tried to meet his sister's, gently drawing her into an intimate hug. Her crying became louder against her trusted brother's shoulder, turning into nerve-splitting howling as all the good and bad memories came back into her mind. "I... I can't do this...", she cried, repeating it over and over again.

Kya felt dizzy from the pain she felt and she could see within her mother. She felt helpless. Not even she could heal her mother's pain. Guilt, anger and pain rose up inside of her, causing her to tremble. A wave of tears broke out of her despite her efforts to hold it in. She was about to lose equilibrium, about to hit the ground, when her little brother noticed her dizziness and held her firm, pressing his grief-stricken sister against his shoulder, sniffing away tears of his own.

The only one standing alone was Bumi. Even though they didn't always come along greatly, he had loved his father very much, and he was in mourning for him after his death. He didn't want his family to notice, but now, after a whole year had passed, with so much happening in his own life, he had felt simply nothing when he came back to the place of his funeral. He knew that his father was sitting there somewhere, watching him and hopefully be proud of his son. But when his mother started to cry again, like on the same day a year back, heartshattering and nervewrecking, he couldn't help but feel somewhat angry. Maybe it was his soldier-like attitude that he had to learn while being in the forces; whatever you do, don't show weakness. Or perhaps he was angry at her, because she became so dependent on her husband being there for her, that now that he was gone, her whole life began to crumble and fall apart.

Though perhaps he was angry at himself for all those missed opportunities, perhaps for taking so much for granted in the past; for forgetting so many beautiful memories to make coping with the pain easier. For putting his own life about his mother's, leaving her and his sister alone, only to fulfill his own dreams, to live his own life.

Finally, a tear slipped out of his eye, the only thing indicating the turmoil inside of him. He stood there in silence as he tried to bring his thoughts in order, watching the memorial as he somehow tried to share his thoughts with his Dad, telling him about his deepest feelings.

He snapped out of his trance after feeling a hand touching his shoulder. It was his uncle who looked at him with weary eyes, trying to figure out if his favourite little nephew was alright inside. Not coming to a clear conclusion, he still decided to hug him.

Bumi closed his eyes. His hero's touch felt good, it reminded him of how his Dad showed his appreciation whenever he heard of his sons accomplishments in making the world a safer place. He missed moments like these. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his mother was back at her senses now, sitting in the wet grass. She looked almost childlike, despite being an older woman by now. The way she was sitting there, wiping away the last few tears with her wirstbone, not daring to raise her eyes to meet what was in front of her. Kya and Tenzin were sitting on her left; he decided to take place on her right, putting his arm around her back, gently rubbing her back in small, circular patterns. She leaned into his touch, and when he heard her calmly breathing again, he knew that one day they would be alright.

#avatar #atla #kataang #family #death #grief

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sol1056 · 6 years ago

Note

When does a criticism become a valid one? There was a time where I spoke and explained why S7 and Shiro's overall treatment in the series hasn't been well received but apparently the criticisms weren't valid enough and people are just overreacting. It's fine if people like Shiro in Atlas but I still don't understand how the common criticisms for S7 aren't valid or worth thinking about when there's evidence is in the EP's writing and interviews.

At first I thought you were asking about the moral judgment between valid and invalid. After some thought, I think I know what you’re really asking: when do people grant a credibility to a critique?

Well, truth is: sometimes never.

In some ways, we’re (un)lucky enough to be fans of a series with a staff that talks an awful lot. Like easily ten times what I’ve ever seen before. And that’s before we add in random commentary from directors, storyboarders, VAs, writers, even interns. I’m kinda surprised we never heard from the guy who stocks the kitchen, too.

That’s a lot of fodder for fandom debate, and it doesn’t help when the EPs contradict everyone else and the story itself. Maybe they think controversy makes buzz, or they’re susceptible to interviewer manipulation, or maybe it’s stress and jet lag. Who knows.

All I know is it feels sometimes like people are standing in the aisles shouting at me while I’m trying to watch a movie. I’m not entirely without sympathy for the impulse to shout at the audience. It takes a lot of self-discipline to shut up and let a story speak for itself.

I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it: the story only exists with you in the picture. The creators bring the body; you’re the half that gives it life — and your praise or critique is also a story: you’re walking readers through your experience. Readers mix that with their own perspective, which means your reaction, by definition, now exists outside you, as much as the story exists outside its own creators.

Unfortunately, all that shouting from VLD staff has now become part of our experience of the story. And while it can be entertaining in a slightly twisted way to tug apart those often conflicting or ambiguous messages, sometimes you gotta step back and remember what’s driving the noise.

It’s each person also trying to express their experience of the story. From the showrunners down to the kid in receiving, their reactions will be as myriad as fandom’s own; they’re also people with their own varied experiences. Where it becomes a problem is anyone else insisting that this other version should somehow override yours.

And no: it doesn’t, and it never will, and it never can.

I’m not saying there isn’t an objective story: we have the transcripts, we can make gifs, we can screenshot. But we lose that objectivity as soon as we try to put a finger on what it means, because we keep forgetting that what it means should come with an addendum: for us.

So you gotta do what’s clearly given the EPs so much trouble: you accept that another’s interpretation, in the end, is their own. You gotta back off and let them have it; if they disagree, that doesn’t make your version invalid. It just means they bring different experiences to the table. You aren’t responsible for that, and it neither reduces you nor boosts you if they agree, disagree, or stick sporks in a little doll made in your image.

By the same token, your reaction — your critique or praise, your experience of the story — is also valid, full stop. New experiences down the road may change your reaction, and that’s fine, too. Sometimes it’s from experiencing another’s reactions; sometimes it’s everyday life itself teaching you a new perspective.

But, see, there’s a beautiful thing hiding in all this chaos, and it’s the real reason we get noisy about our reactions. It’s a desire to bridge the distance. It’s to hear someone say, yes, it’s exactly like that. Because that means somewhere in their experiences, they align with us just enough to have seen the story much like we did. The story reveals our common ground.

Sometimes, bridging the distance means hearing someone say, I hadn’t seen it that way but now I understand why you do. This is where critique and praise teach empathy. In hearing/reading another’s reaction, you are literally walking through the story in their shoes, seeing it through their eyes. The story reveals our common humanity.

Not everyone wants to go there. Not everyone can. For them, your critique or praise will fall short, because they can’t or won’t or just aren’t ready to hear what you’re saying. There’s a good chance they never will be, but maybe you’re not ready to hear their experience, either. It’s a difference of opinion based on a difference of experience.

There are too many factors to list for why some percentage of the fandom (or the staff itself) can’t or won’t hear your critique. Their refusal to listen does not invalidate your reactions, but it does --- to me, at least --- underscore that your reaction is all the more valuable.

In retail, we say that for every happy customer, there’s five more who are silent. For every unhappy customer, there’s fifty more. It’s so much easier to say nice/good things; it’s much harder to say, “what you did there, that hurt/made my life harder/was bad.” That’s why we pay so much more attention to the unhappy customers, because they’re the ones stepping up to let us know what we need to fix or do better. That wasn’t easy, and we should recognize that.

If you’re pointing out problems and it seems like you’re surrounded by people who insist it’s all in your head, it’s just you, you’re overreacting, that tells me two things. One, chances are better than even that some of them privately agree with you, but lack the energy, time, or confidence to speak up. And two, that you gotta look around and find your tribe. Because those insisting it’s all fine and you have no right to your reaction? They ain’t it.

Maybe someday they’ll be ready to hear what you have to say, and walk the story’s miles in your shoes to understand how it made you feel. But they aren’t there yet, and until they are, there’s no point in shouting them down.

Fandom has no governing body to grant your response credibility; even if it did, most of us would just ignore it, anyway. Our reactions --- whether praise or critique --- are valid, because they’re ours. No one, and nothing, can take that away from us.

Tell your story, build that bridge, and find your tribe. You’re not as alone as you feel right now.

#vld #voltron #fandom #critical thinking #sol thinks about stuff

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gwenore · 7 years ago

Text

Changeling Troubles. Chapter 6.

Chapter 11: Jim and Strickler have a talk and Strickler offers an alliance.

Synopsis: Barbara knows her friend and crush from college Walter Strickler is a changeling, trouble comes when she figures out he is not the only changeling she has met in her life. Jim is trying to balance his teenage life and being the trollhunter when he experiences certain… changes, which makes his life a whole lot more troublesome.

The drive up towards the outlook point was silent though Jim was glaring at his teacher, their eyes meeting a couple of times in the mirror.

Jim’s teeth gritted his teeth together. He was so pissed, a rage he had never really felt before. Never before had he been betrayed like this. Strickler was a man he trusted! Someone he felt he could talk to when he could talk to no one else would listen. It had been strange when he thought was dating his mom… but to find out that he was two faced. Literally! And that he had used his mother like that! Turned her against him and she did not even know!

His hands were clutching the amulet. He wanted to kill this man! Never before had he actually wanted to kill someone. It made him feel sick to his stomach, but he was so filled with rage.

After all… that was always the trouble with betrayal… it never comes from your enemies.

Strickler slowly pulled into the outlook point and put the car in park. He did not even look back as he stepped out before he wandered over, his green eyes gliding over the town of Arcadia. Despite hearing the trollhunter exit the vehicle he did not even look back, not even as he felt the crackle of magic and could see the shimmer of blue light in the corner of his eyes.

“Give me one good reason not to separate your head for your shoulders!” the teenager snarled, for once leaving the helmet off as he stared directly at his teacher. Strickler still did not even turn to look at him.

“Oh… I would not do that… not unless you want to decapitate your mother as well,” the changeling spoke softly.

“What…?” those words ran down the boy’s spine like icy water as he watched the changeling finally turned around.

“Well… young Atlas. When you get to my age… which… I assure you I am older than I look…”

“Hard to believe that is possible,” Jim’s interrupted causing Strickler to raise his brow slightly.

“Well… your mother does not seem to mind,” he then bit back, before he could blink he had the sword of Daylight against his throat.

“Keep speaking like that and I am going to turn you into a PEZ-dispenser,” Jim snarled. Strickler raised his brow slightly.

“Inventive… I got to admit that. But your threats does not work on me. I know what you are capable off, I know what you are not capable off,” he spoke softly.

“You believe I am not able to kill you simply because you are my teacher and my mother’s friend?!” Jim demanded.

“Well… I assumed as much. But… that was not what I was banking on. I know you will not wish to hurt your mother. As I was trying to say… when you reach my age you travel a bit… pick up certain… items…” he grinned, even with the sword which had claimed the lives after so many trolls.

“Where are you going with this?” Jim’s voice held a clear warning.

“Oh well. I found an interesting… enchantment. It binds the fate of two people together. I told your mother that this is meant to help us against the troll hunter. To know if the other is in distress,” he told her.

“Another one of your lies!” Jim snarled.

“No… just another version of the truth. As it is true. If the trollhunter… or anyone else… harms me… that damage will also happen to your mother. My fate is bound to hers as she is bound to mine,” Strickler said, speaking slowly as to make every word sink in Jim’s face.

“What…?” the word fell out of the trollhunter’s mouth.

“Well… to put it in simple terms… everything you do to me… happens to her,” the changeling grinned. The trollhunter’s face fell.

“You… you did that to her?! Why?!” he growled towards her.

“Among other things… not getting my head chopped of by the sword of Daylight is a rather big reason,” Strickler stepped back, rubbing his throat where the blade had been placed. Jim gritted his teeth.

“What is your plan?” he growled softly.

“Well… a reason for us to be out here… I am suggesting an… alliance. I am sure you have figured out Bular is building the Killahead bridge, to bring Gunmar to the surface world. And I am also sure that you know that changelings work for him,” he continued speaking as he moved towards the outlook point.

“And you aren’t?” Jim huffed.

“Of course I am. It is foolish not to. We unlike your troll friends cannot hide from Bular… and some of us got into service a long time ago. Some gleefully await his return,” Strickler made a hand movement.

“So why are we having this conversation?” Jim said.

“I know that if Gunmar were to escape the Darklands, he will slaughter humans… I have seen what he is capable off and who do you think can stand up to him and his army. You? No… the ones that could left this world long ago and I promise you that was for the better. However, this is not a history lesson. I know that the moment he gets bored… or doesn’t need us anymore changelings will be slaughtered too. Changelings have lead themselves to believe that if we serve him faithfully, we will gain respect,” Strickler stopped as he let out a chuckle. “Can you imagine something so foolish? That those that calls us impure will ever accept us? No… that is an infantile dream.”

Jim swallowed as he looked towards his teacher.

“So what do you suggest?” Jim said as he glared over at him.

“We wait… figure out a way to strike and end Bular. If he dies… then I doubt anyone will be able to bring Gunmar to the surface,” Strickler continued.

“Oh, kill Bular… nothing more, oh why did I not think of that!” Jim hit his head with a laugh before he glared at Strickler.

“I did not say it would be easy young Atlas. If it was do you not think I would be able to do it myself?” Strickler grumbled at the teen’s antics.

“Why are you not going to turn me into Bular the moment I decide to trust you?” Jim asked.

“Never trust a changeling, young Atlas. Do not trust anyone. Trust is a very expensive thing, and it is something that we cannot afford. I know you do not believe, yet the truth is that you are one of us… if only partially, and that is a lesson you have to learn. Those you consider your friends will turn on you when they learn the truth,” Strickler’s green eyes turned towards the city again.

“They won’t,” Jim’s voice was firm.

“Are you certain?”

Strickler’s voice made the teenager stare up at him as their eyes met.

“It does not matter. Even if you tell the truth, which I do not believe, this is just some plot on your part! To trick me, or make me doubt, I don’t know! Anyways, it is not like I chose to have a changeling father if that was indeed what he was. If I am half changeling it was nothing I could control!” Jim insisted. Strickler simply let out a chuckle as he looked down.

“No changeling chose to be a changeling, Jim,” He then said. Jim swallowed. He remembered what Blinky had told him about how the changelings came to be. Troll children… stolen from their parents by Gunmar and then twisted by dark magic so they could take their human form through a familiar.

He looked at Strickler again and there was no words spoken between them for a long while as both of them looked over the town.

Strickler then turned and walked towards his car.

“Strickler…” Jim began.

“Do not worry young Atlas… I won’t tell anyone about your… family relation,” he turned towards him again.

Jim huffed himself up, clutching his hands.

“I am not a half changeling!” he gritted his teeth.

“If you insist…” Strickler shrugged as he sat himself in. “See you at school young Atlas.”

This was his parting words as he drove away. It was only once the car was out of sight that Jim remembered that it was Strickler who had driven him up there and he did not have his bike. It was also a very long way back to his house.

Jim stood there absolutely fuming. He had his phone… with Strickler’s number, but there was no way that he was going to call to ask about a ride back. His pride would not allow it.

“Asshole!” he grumbled as he crossed his arms walking down the path, swearing that he could hear his teacher’s mocking laugh in the distance.

It was nearing midnight when the teenager finally got back to his house. Slowly he snuck himself inside and went to his room, closing the door.

Jim felt as if he got no sleep that night, simply laying on his bed even watching how the light in the window started to flow in, signaling a new day. Jim sat himself up, running his hand through his hair, rubbing his hair.

Slowly he reached out and grabbed the phone, calling his best friend. It took a couple of rings before he heard that the call was picked up.

“… ello… uh… what time is it…? Ugh… Jimbo… it is six AM… on a Sunday… isn’t that… illegal… is anyone even awake at six AM on a Sunday?” Jim heard Toby mutter in the phone.

“I am sorry… just… couldn’t sleep,” Jim said in a low tone. Over the phone he hear his friend sit up listening closely.

“Did something happen?” Toby’s voice was far more serious than it usual was.

“Found out some things last night. You were right. Strickler is a changeling,” he then told him.

“WHAT?! I knew it! What happened? Did you kill our history teacher?” Toby spoke quickly.

“I wanted to. But he has a spell on my mom… I cannot hurt him without hurting her. He could have lied but… the way he said it…”

“Shit… what are you going to do? Are you going to tell Dr. L?”

Jim ran his hand through his black hair and he sighed softly.

“She knows. Apparently she knew Strickler was a changeling before anyone else. He… accidently exposed his troll form to her in college apparently,” Jim explained. Toby remained silent for quite some time.

“That must have been rather awkward… wait… so she chose to date him even knowing that he is a changeling?”

“They are not dating!” Jim insisted.

“Alright, alright! Why did she invite a guy over she knew she was a changeling?” Toby wondered.

“She likes him and he… he has told her stories… not just lies… just he had not told her it right! He has convinced her that the Trollhunter is a murderer out to kill trolls and changelings, which… how can I convince her that he is evil changeling when she believes every word he tells her? Believing he is a good friend who the trollhunter is out to kill this friend?” Jim clenched his hand.

“Uh… yes… that is difficult…” Toby had to agree.

“I just… need to think. Not to mention, Strickler offered a sort of… alliance? I think… I am still not sure what he meant,” Jim fell back on his bed.

“Well he is a changeling, so it is not like we can trust him,” Toby said firmly.

“I know… Toby…” Jim paused slightly.

“Yes?”

Jim remained silent for a long while.

“Strickler seems to think I am…” Jim could hardly bring himself to say it.

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything,” Toby’s tone was serious in a way that Jim wasn’t used to hearing it.

“Nothing… he just said some things and… I guess he got to me,” Jim found he couldn’t say it. Not out loud. Not yet.

Toby remained silent for a bit longer.

“Hey, how about I come over, you make us breakfast, then we go out, find a place that sells birdseeds and pour it all over Strickler’s car so when he is about to drive it, it is covered in bird shit!”

Jim let out a loud laugh at this. His friend really knew how to make him feel better.

“Brilliant Tobes! See you soon.”

“Later Jimbo!”

#changeling troubles #stricklake fic #walter strickler #jim lake jr #changeling!Jim #toby domzalski #best friend ever

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elvisosgood1 · 4 years ago

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itsclydebitches · 6 years ago

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Diving Deep

Hello, @badluckcharm-exe! It’s finally done! Sorry this took forever and a day. Inspiration decided to take a vacation for a while... Regardless, I hope you enjoy this. I’ll be sure to get it up on AO3 tomorrow 💚

Prompt was for a Mermaid AU.

“Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream! Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream. Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream—”

“Holy shit, kid, you’re twelve. Don’t you know any other songs?”

Oscar blinked, finally drawing his gaze away from the aquarium. The hallway they stood in had water on both sides as well as above, a dome that never failed to leave Qrow’s stomach queasy because good god what happened if that glass ever broke? Oscar had no such reservations. He pressed right against the barrier—things with teeth passing him by—until the water rippled off his skin and there was a green tint to his eyes.

“I’m fourteen,” he said, head cocked strangely against the glass.

“That’s worse.”

Oscar shrugged. “I like it. The song I mean. Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. If you meet the kelpie’s eyes then don’t forget to scream.”

…What the actual fuck?

It wasn’t the first time the kid had said something totally off the wall. Qrow leaned on his mop, watching Oscar tap the glass until, coincidentally, a bright orange fish swam up to where he stood. Qrow had worked at Atlas Labs nearly a year now and knew that, no matter what Ozpin claimed, they were only surrounded by a bunch of dumb animals. You couldn’t train a fish to come when called, no more than he’d been able to train Oscar to be marginally less annoying. Honestly, what the ever loving hell was a kelpie?

“Hey.” Qrow tapped his boot until Oscar finally looked his way. The fish immediately swam off. “If you’re just gonna stand there how about you help me wipe down the glass?” That way Qrow didn’t need to go near all that nonsense. “All boys your age should have chores. Builds character. Or something.”

For reasons unknown to him Oscar’s eyes strayed to the bucket full of water next to Qrow’s feet. He split into a grin.

“Nope! Tell Dad I said hi!”

And Oscar scurried off, boots squeaking on the tiled floor as he disappeared around a corner. He’d left smudges on the glass and a scuff where he’d stood. Great.

Another bug-eyed fish bumped against the glass parallel to Qrow’s head. He scowled.

“What the hell are you looking at?”

***

Atlas Labs. Renowned world-wide for their cutting advancements in marine biology. Not exactly the sort of research that got Qrow all hot and bothered, but what could he say? People were weird. Apparently while most looked to the skies for answers to Earth’s problems, the real scientists were turning to the many mysteries of the seas. Our origins, future, even a chance at immortality—all of it was hidden somewhere beneath the waves. At least, that’s what Ozpin claimed.

Not that Ozpin was any less weird than his son.

“Your brat says ‘hi.’”

Lithe and tall enough to hit his head on the occasional hanging lamp, Ozpin Pine presumably had his picture printed next to the dictionary definition of ‘eccentric.’ Qrow had never seen him in anything other than a wrinkled green suit (not the same one every day… surely?) and a lab coat stained with all sorts of things that he never needed identified, thanks. A mop of white hair looked perpetually windblown despite the fact that the man rarely stepped outside and Oz wore these teeny tiny glasses that couldn’t possibly help a flea see, let alone a grown-ass man. He wore rings on his fingers, a long line of earrings, and had hidden tattoos that Qrow sometimes caught peeking out from beneath the cuff of his shirt. It hurt to look at him. In the same way it hurt to look at an ongoing car wreck while being blinded by the sun. Ozpin was, simply put, an oddball.

And Qrow would have laid down his life for him.

Heh. Not to be dramatic or anything, but there weren’t many world-renowned scientists in this place who’d design to speak kindly to their janitor. Or speak to him at all. His first day Ozpin had slipped a sweet from his pocket into Qrow’s hand, made some horrendous joke, introduced Oscar as “My much beloved offspring” (what?), and capped it all off with the warmest smile Qrow had ever had the privilege of soaking up. Those scraps of kindness would have bred devotion on their own, but Ozpin genuinely seemed to like him, as ridiculous as that seemed. Qrow had thought this job was going to be the worst of the many he’d grabbed in the last three years. Instead it was…

Interesting. Yeah. It was something alright.

Ozpin had no inkling of Qrow’s inner judgement. He was too busy comically looking around the floor, or roughly around the height where a pint-sized teen might stand.

“My brat?” he asked, smiling so wide the florescent lights glinted off his back teeth. He took another candy from his pocket and munched it, seemingly thoughtful. Qrow had heard the other scientists bitching about Ozpin bringing food into the labs, claiming that it would attract animals. Like they weren’t already surrounded by animals. Duh.

Qrow eyed the tank in the far corner of Ozpin’s office. Like every other room in Atlas it was a space with aquarium tendencies, though this tank wasn’t listed on any of the public tours. The fish in there were clearly some special experiment of Oz’s, with bright neon strips on top and transparent bodies below. Qrow caught a glimpse of fish skeleton and swallowed back a gag.

“Yes, your brat. He kept bugging me while I cleaned the entryway. Don’t you have a leash for him or something?” Qrow started emptying the trash bins while Oz watched, gaze so focused it seemed to sizzle a hole in the back of his uniform. He did a lot of that. Watching. Qrow had also heard the other nerds complaining about Ozpin’s overly observant nature, saying he wasn’t just intense, but downright creepy.

Weren’t science types supposed to be curious about everything though? If Ozpin wanted to examine the slope of Qrow’s ass, then by all means.

He bent a little farther while picking up the next can, just in case that really was what Oz was interested in. Gray slacks and beige boots weren’t exactly the height of style, but Qrow was confident in his ability to work even the saddest of outfits. Besides, it wasn’t like Ozpin had room to judge. Today he had a stack of jelly bracelets on his left wrist and an octopus pin on the collar of his coat. The man was a hodge-podge of strange adornments, wearing each and every one like they were actually fashionable.

Months he’d been at this job and Qrow was still trying to figure out if the man was just that dense or just that indifferent. Besides, none of this even touched on Ozpin’s tendency to—

“I’m afraid not. I tried a leash of kelp once and Oscar slipped right out of it. He always was such a nimble little fry.”

—say weird shit.

Like father, like son. Apparently.

Qrow paused in the act of dumping five billion used tissues into his cart. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was 10:00 at night and he didn’t have the energy to tackle whatever the hell a kelp leash was. Instead Qrow raised a single finger, letting it flop. “Nimble fry? Should I serve Oscar up with ketchup tomorrow?”

Which resulted in Ozpin throwing his head back and laughing—literally, like something out of a cartoon. His desk was a mess of papers covered in rainbow highlighting and the bookcase next to that was organized by color rather than genre. Or heaven forbid, last name. Between those and the fish (and his iffy fashion sense) Ozpin was surrounded by color in the otherwise sterile room. It was like this wherever he went. Ozpin blended in with the vibrant life of the tanks around them; always looking like he was more at home with the water just out of reach. Qrow supposed that was a good thing for a man who’d devoted his life to marine biology. It did make one wonder about stupid, sappy things though. Like fate maybe. What kind of man was born with eyes the color of sand and a smile that lit you up like a glimpse of the horizon?

Sometimes Qrow wondered if he’d hear waves if he listened for Oz’s heartbeat. Would he taste salt on his lips?

Right now Qrow had neither. All he could smell was trash.

“A fry is a juvenile fish,” Ozpin said, still wiping tears from his eyes. “Ah, but you’re a fry too, aren’t you, Qrow? So very young. I wouldn’t expect you to know such things.”

Ozpin came up and actually gave his cheek a pat, like some doting grandmother humoring her young charge. Qrow got a close look at his unlined face and could see how soft his hair was, with none of the wiry texture that usually accompanied gray strands. For a man who loved teasing him about his age (not nearly as young as people tended to assume), Ozpin didn’t look a day over thirty himself. It was just one more of his oddities. Qrow had stopped bothering to count them long ago.

Instead he leaned into Ozpin’s touch when his hand decided to rest on his cheek a moment, like some rare bird designing to visit. Ozpin’s fingers were cool as their pads lightly took in the texture of Qrow’s skin. He thought he saw Ozpin’s pupils dilating, blowing black against brown, though that may have just been a trick of the light.

“Is anyone gonna let me do some actual work around here?” he finally groused. A moment longer and Qrow might not have let Ozpin go.

“You should be very proud,” he said, voice carrying a touch of awe that didn’t sit right with the rest of the scene. Ozpin was looking at a bio waste bag. “You have such a wonderful job.”

Qrow stared. Then he looked down to make sure that yes, he was still a janitor and yes, those were drops of day-old coffee on his shoes. A smear of something vile-smelling on his sleeve. Everything else was disinfectant.

“I do?”

“Of course! Why, it’s a service. You keep things neat and sterile. You help make sure my family has a lovely home to keep coming back to.” Ozpin rested his hand on the tank and all the fish congregated around his reflection. Must think it was time for food or something. Qrow was used to the term ‘family’ getting thrown out when Ozpin was speaking and slimy, big-eyed fish were involved. That hardly fazed him nowadays.

The idea that someone found janitorial work impressive? That was something out of left field. Qrow could feel the blush now staining his cheeks.

“Guess I’m not the worst at it,” he muttered, taking up his bag again because damn, he couldn’t look Ozpin in the eye when he got like this. He was expecting another non-sequitor into the new book he was reading, or maybe the fact that Oscar had started collecting forks again (don’t ask). Instead Qrow felt a touch at the crook of his arm, as gentle as when Ozpin had touched his cheek. He stepped closer.

“You truly are marvelous,” Ozpin whispered.

“…Do you hear the stuff that comes out of your mouth?”

“Oh yes. Sometimes I’m the only one who hears. Except Oscar, of course…and you. You’ve always heard me, haven’t you, Qrow? Tell me, do you enjoy the music?”

Must just mean music. In general, like. Qrow suspected that Ozpin was foreign, slipping articles in where none where needed because there certainly wasn’t any music playing now.

…Right?

He wasn’t holding the trash bag anymore. It was thrown haphazardly across his cart, now replaced with Ozpin’s cool, surprisingly smooth hand. Qrow stared down at the appendage, reeling, wondering when that had happened and why. How many times was the man going to touch him tonight—freely—when he’d kept some sort of distance all these months before?

“You do hear,” Ozpin murmured, seemingly to himself. “And Oscar is so very fond of you…why, we both are.” His contemplative look suddenly split like ripe fruit, revealing a blinding smile beneath. “Come, Qrow. Let me show you.”

“Show me what?”

Don’t ask too many questions. You’ll spoil the fun. Ozpin had said that to him once when Qrow had feigned an interest in all his nasty fish, figuring that maybe he’d have some sort of chance if there was a shared interest between them, even a faked one. Instead his words had been rebuffed, Ozpin seeming to stare through him to the lie beneath, finding it all very humorous. Qrow wasn’t surprised that his questions weren’t answered now.

Instead Ozpin led him down the long corridors of Atlas labs, their steps echoing and their breathing overly loud. The aquarium around them shifted with dark blues and greens. The fish seemed to follow, waiting.

It occurred to Qrow then that they were the only ones here. He was the late-night janitor. Ozpin was the workaholic who never seemed to sleep. The only thing that broke the isolation was Oscar’s voice drifting faintly down the hall as he sang that insistent song. Row, row, row, your boat. Where to though? They were the only ones here and suddenly that seemed as much a possibility as a threat.

Don’t forget to scream.

Qrow opened his mouth, but all that came out was a soft, devoted sigh. He stepped into the water.

…water?

“There you are,” Ozpin said. It came out as a coo. “Quite lovely, isn’t it?”

He’d taken him to one of the wading pools. Into the wading pool, where the wildlife swam free, providing the scientists with a place to get up close and personal with their research. A tiny part of Qrow’s mind expressed surprise that Ozpin had stepped in with him—he and Oscar had always had such a strange aversion to touching water, despite their love of it. Filled boots. Wet pants sticking to his ankles, now his thighs. A slightly larger part of him was sending off panicked signals, claiming that he never ever wanted to be this close to a bunch of fish. There were little guppy things scurrying about. Rays with long tails. What might have been a small shark. Everything circled around them as they moved forward, a whirlpool of all the things Qrow had wanted to avoid since taking this position.

Except for Ozpin. Qrow waded deeper, moving towards him and him alone.

“You heard, Qrow. Do you see too?”

Dumbly, Qrow stared down at their still clasped hands. There were membranes between Ozpin’s fingers now and when he smiled his teeth had grown sharper. He’d grown more.

There was a ledge where the pool connected to the tank, a space between the two worlds just large enough for the kinder animals to slip through. Or perhaps two men. One man and… Ozpin; who pulled Qrow under with a forceful, determined tug.

He’d always thought it would be boring under the water. All dark and silent. Far from it though. When Qrow first jerked in panic Ozpin was there, his tattoos, his scales bright within the pool’s gloom, casting little prisms between them. His tail pulled Qrow close while his pupils narrowed into slits. There were tender, clawed hands bowing his shoulders.

There was a moment of suspension then, poised somewhere between bobbing and swimming. Qrow caught Ozpin’s gaze and gave himself up to drowning in those eyes.

Well done, they seemed to say. A mouth filled with teeth and fierce possession leaned in for what might have been a kiss.

Qrow had always taken his chances. He met Ozpin halfway and what do you know.

He tasted salt.

#rwby #ozqrow #rwbyfic #mermaids #badluckcharm-exe

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