#because we have Ruby- that of the Winter universe as we called it- and in a very elaborate dream that bled into headspace

[nexus-nebulae]

im naming a new phenomenon we've noticed in our system. Body Blindness. if the fronter in question is too similar to the body (or they lack an appearance to the point they're not visible in headspace) nobody in-sys can tell who they are when they're in front. including themselves

[matt0044]

I never liked the “cast bloat” argument or that Team RWBY don’t feel like protagonists.

Now in fairness to the first one, RWBY isn’t the only fantasy series with loads of characters that seem snuggly packed in. Many writing teams or authors want to show off facets of their world via characters born of various fantastical cultures. Y’know? Show and not tell what their world is.

But shows like RWBY can’t all be Shonen Manga designed to go on for as long as possible or at least as long as editorial wants. Especially in the age of eight episode seasons. That said, even if it���s a glimpse, I always appreciate when the world of Remnant does not stop nor end at four girls still figuring themselves out.

With Hunter X Hunter, Gon may be the face of the series with Killua as his number two but you also have Kurapika take center stage in their individual arcs like Yorknew or Leoreo sharing one with Killua in the Election arc. And even then, we will have other perspectives in any given arc.

The Chimera Ants may be the antagonists in a very fan favorite arc but they’re borderline protagonists of their own stories. Hell, Gon doesn’t even face off with the big bad but rather one he has a personal score to settle with. Instead a bunch of old mentor type characters take out the Chimera King.

RWBY clearly learned from Shonen Anime that the world doesn’t have to stop or end at the main character. After Dragon Ball, titles inspired by it afforded other characters to have their own time in the limelight rather than be purely foils for the main character.

Raven vs Cinder is relevant to them because they are important characters even if none of the titular characters are there to witness it. Furthermore, Cinder as a Maiden is connected to Ruby, Winter to Weiss, Yang to Raven, I bet the Summer Maiden will be close to Blake.

Basically, this choice keeps the world from shrinking and feel big, lived in.

And it’s hardly unique in this regard as Trixie The Golden Witch explains in her video: Is There Meaning In "Subverting" Shounen Tropes?

To argue against Team RWBY supposedly not feeling like protagonists, sometimes titular characters can feel too much like protagonists. I have been rereading Harry Potter to sort out my feelings regarding Rowling crowning herself TERF Queen. To keep it relevant, I have found the Harry only perspective both effective and limiting.

It’s effective at making the dramatic parts hit us hard as if we were in Harry’s shoes buuuuut it can feel limiting when there’s a whole school of magic with students of all sorts to get to know. It feels like there were potential side stories that could flesh out Hogwarts.

A similar criticism is often lobbed at Steven Universe. Effective but often limiting.

So… I prefer a cast bloat to there being no other characters for Team RWBY to bounce off of whether the budget calls for it or not. They call them character foils for a reason.

Circling back to RWBY, some characters are there for as long as they need to so they make the most of things to make an impression. If not, discourse would become how flat they are.

The Ace-Ops inform us of how huntsmen as basically super cops in Atlas, building up to Ironwood’s downfall. The Afterans inform us of the eccentricities of the Ever After.

Hell, who says we’ll never see them again be it in the main show or supplementary content? This provides such fertile grounds for fan content alone or future spin offs.

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 13 - A Diamond for Ruby (Part 2)

The text on the advert is, yet again, the Lorem Ipsum placeholder.

The numbers are not a part of any other in-universe script as far as I know, so they are very likely just random scribbles.

(Guy who is normal voice) Perhaps this episode's story takes place after Kerubim's gobbal-watcher gig, which will be revealed but not shown in episode 35, The Gobbal Set.

Adding these to the list of random shit Kerubim did that we just don't see in the cartoon:

Literally everything to do with Atcham.

Kerubim working with Arachnees some more.

Winning Amakna's great treasure hunting tournament three times over.

Seeking out the precious relics of Sufokia.

To be added.

I don't know if this bit is even funny or how long it will grow. And I am afraid.

The Crackler mountain is around Amakna, geographically speaking.

Perhaps she is sending people to a far away place, despite this whole episode taking place in a snowy area.

Or it's just winter, and this is some random city in that region.

He is so wonderful.

On the topic of the stone, I wanted to wait a little, before translating anything that's written on it.

I won't include its other appearances, because as I made sure, the writings on it are consistent across the episode. Despite them not making any sense.

You're welcome.

(I did spot some stray "L"s on its other appearances, when some side of it was almost entirely unseen save for a single letter, so I think they used those as filler. But I don't think it's interesting to include that.)

Class expectations canonically have ruined the mental health of one person. And god willing, there will be more characters who are just shit at what their class is supposed to do. Amen.

I think Ruby here, Patafiks (a guy from a future episode), and Atcham should smoke weed together.

Nightmare blunt rotation. Thousands would be injured.

Flash frames of Kerubim being sent to space by the Crackler.

Joking. He's back, and he called her Ruby-zzare, as a yet another defiant, cunty act.

he almost left Joris without fingers.

This cartoon is so genuine, kind, and loveable.

I really love the relationships between the main trio. Joris and Kerubim have a lot going on, sure, I can write a novel about it. But Simone and Joris have a wonderful bond, and what is going on with Kerubim and Simone is very interesting too.

They're genuinely good friends, and he's a good boss who cares about her too, but besides that I always felt that Kerubim has a bit of a... soft spot for her? A bit of a crush, which is pretty much canonized in one of the future episodes?

Obviously it's not voluntary, and not something he would act on. It's just that Kerubim likes women who are like Lou, and Simone is, in some regards, a lot like Lou, — he can't change how he feels, and at times it makes him just a bit flustered.

I think it's a pretty realistic and cute portrayal of that sort of one-sided involuntary crush, lmao. I like portrayals of these feelings that AREN'T in any way reciprocated, elaborated on, or angsty. It's just how life is, y'know?

Anyway,

Joris deserves this. <3

[denimbex1986]

'David Tennant took to the Donmar Warehouse's stage as Macbeth alongside Cush Jumbo on Friday.

The actor, 52, showcased his skills as he put on a moving performance for a revival of Shakespeare's most extraordinary psychological drama.

The adaptation is directed by Donmar Associate director Max Webster, also known for Life Of Pi and Henry V.

The Doctor Who icon was joined on stage by Cush, 38, as Lady Macbeth.

According to the description the gory play portrays a 'spellbinding story of love and murder, the renewing power of nature, and of the internal struggles of a damaged man as he tries to control his destiny'.

The Good Wife actress is a heavyweight theatre star as she previously played in Hamlet at the Young Vic a few years back - after what she was described by the former New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley as radiating 'that unquantifiable force of hunger, drive, talent usually called star power'.

In a glooming and dramatic animation, David and Cush stunned the crowd with a sensational performance - as the show is set to continue for the whole winter season.

The production will use binaural technology to create 'an intense and unnerving 3D sound world', according to TimeOut.

Chatting to The Guardian, the David said of his latest work: 'I thought I knew this play very well and that it was, unlike any other Shakespeare I can remember rehearsing, straightforward.

'But each time I come to a scene, it goes in a direction I wasn't expecting. It has such muscle to it, it powers along. Plot-wise, it's more front-footed than any Shakespeare play I've done.'

Talking about her character Lady Macbeth, Cush said: 'She is deeply ingrained in our culture. Everyone thinks they know who she is. Most people studied the play at school. I did – I hated it. It was so boring but that's because Shakespeare's plays aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be acted.

'People think they know Lady Macbeth as a type – the strong, controlling woman who pushed him to do it. She does things women shouldn't do. The greatest misconception is that we have stopped seeing Lady Macbeth as a human being.'

Earlier this week Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed that there are 'no plans' for David Tennant to return in the new series.

The actor reprised his role as the Time Lord for a trio of Specials to celebrate the show's 60th Anniversary, with a twist in the third and final episode leaving The Fourteenth Doctor to embrace a new life on Earth.

While David's return was praised by viewers, and the conclusion has left the door open for him to appear again in the future, Russell has confirmed that moving forward, new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa is the sole focus.

After his first appearance in the final special last week, Ncuti makes his full debut in a festive special on Christmas Day, alongside Millie Gibson, who will star as his companion Ruby Sunday.

Speaking at a Q&A following the premiere of the festive episode, Russell said: 'Sorry, it's the age of Ncuti now – it's 'David who?''

'No plans, genuinely, yet, because it's a busy TARDIS - these two [Ncuti and Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday] are gonna just sail across the universe and capture your heart, so it's time to look at these two.'

Elsewhere, Russell also revealed that when the new series hits screens in 2024, there will be an appearance from 60s music icons The Beatles.

He said: '[The Christmas special is] completely different to the next episode, isn't it? And then the one after that, that's the Beatles... that's nuts!'

Viewers will get to see Ncuti make his full debut as The Doctor in the festive special which sees him cross paths with Ruby, before the pair encounter 'mythical and mysterious goblins.'

Ncuti made his first appearance as The Doctor in the third and final 60th Anniversary Special, The Giggle.

His arrival came when 'creepy' returning villain The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris, shot David's Doctor through the chest, forcing him to regenerate.

The Toymaker had turned human beings on Earth mad, before challenging the Doctor to a deadly game - which put the planet at stake - forcing the Time Lord to accept to try and save Earth.

Shooting the Doctor, The Toymaker said: 'I played one game with the First Doctor, I played the second with this Doctor, so your rules declare that I must play the third game with the next Doctor!'

His companions Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and the returning Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) ran over to support him as he regenerated, with fans expecting that to be the end for David's character.

Melanie reassured him: 'You're going to be someone else, it doesn't matter who, because every single one of you is fantastic!'

While David tearfully said: 'It's time, here we go again! Alonzee,' as he expected to be replaced, but a huge twist saw his character remain alongside his new incarnation.

As he remained after the regeneration, he asked Donna and Melanie: 'Could you, pull? It feels different this time,' and as they yanked on his arms, Ncuti shot out of him and the two Time Lords stood alongside each other in a massive twist.

Making his hotly-anticipated debut, Ncuti's Doctor shouted: 'No way!' as he laid eyes on David, moving away from tradition which normally sees one Doctor replace another upon regeneration.

David said: 'You're me,' while Ncuti replied: 'No, I'm me. I think I'm really, really me! Oh-ho-ho I am completely me!'

When asked what had happened, Ncuti's Doctor said: 'Bi-generation, I have bi-generated. There's no such thing, bi-generation is supposed to be a myth, but-!'

The pair of Doctors then used their talents to face off with The Toymaker together and incredibly managed to beat him at his own game, sending the villain out of existence forever.

David's Doctor said: 'Best of three, and my prize, Toymaker, is to banish you from existence, for ever!'

'No, you can't. But I - not fair, please,' the Toymaker said, before giving the ominous warning: 'My legions are coming.'

After banishing The Toymaker from the world, both David and Ncuti's versions of the character stayed on screen, and went back to the TARDIS with Donna.

David asked Ncuti: 'How's this going to work, you and me?' as the huge twist saw two Doctors remain after a regeneration for the first time ever.

Ncuti told him: 'You're thin as a pin love, you're running on fumes,' before urging him to slow down and 'stop' rather than running and travelling in the TARDIS.

Ncuti then paid tribute to a whole host of former companions, including the late Elisabeth Sladen, who portrayed Sarah Jane Smith and sadly died in 2011.

'Sarah Jane has gone, can you believe that for a second?' Ncuti said as they sweetly paid tribute to the iconic actress.

David Tennant takes on Macbeth: Doctor Who stars transforms into the Scottish King alongside Cush Jumbo By CAROLINA PIRAS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 17:24, 15 December 2023 | UPDATED: 17:40, 15 December 2023

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View comments e-mail Top +99Home 10

View comments David Tennant took to the Donmar Warehouse's stage as Macbeth alongside Cush Jumbo on Friday.

The actor, 52, showcased his skills as he put on a moving performance for a revival of Shakespeare's most extraordinary psychological drama.

The adaptation is directed by Donmar Associate director Max Webster, also known for Life Of Pi and Henry V.

The Doctor Who icon was joined on stage by Cush, 38, as Lady Macbeth.

According to the description the gory play portrays a 'spellbinding story of love and murder, the renewing power of nature, and of the internal struggles of a damaged man as he tries to control his destiny'.

David Tennant took to the Donmar Warehouse's stage as Macbeth alongside Cush Jumbo on Friday +10 View gallery David Tennant took to the Donmar Warehouse's stage as Macbeth alongside Cush Jumbo on Friday

The actor, 52, showcased his acting skills as he put on a moving performance for a revival of Shakespeare's most extraordinary psychological drama +10 View gallery The actor, 52, showcased his acting skills as he put on a moving performance for a revival of Shakespeare's most extraordinary psychological drama

TRENDING

David Tennant dons a striking shirt at Macbeth press night after party 2.5k viewing now

This production of Macbeth has oodles of atmosphere - PATRICK MARMION 4.5k viewing now

Nigella Lawson reveals the one household chore she has NEVER done 71.5k viewing now The Good Wife actress is a heavyweight theatre star as she previously played in Hamlet at the Young Vic a few years back - after what she was described by the former New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley as radiating 'that unquantifiable force of hunger, drive, talent usually called star power'.

In a glooming and dramatic animation, David and Cush stunned the crowd with a sensational performance - as the show is set to continue for the whole winter season.

The production will use binaural technology to create 'an intense and unnerving 3D sound world', according to TimeOut.

Chatting to The Guardian, the David said of his latest work: 'I thought I knew this play very well and that it was, unlike any other Shakespeare I can remember rehearsing, straightforward.

'But each time I come to a scene, it goes in a direction I wasn't expecting. It has such muscle to it, it powers along. Plot-wise, it's more front-footed than any Shakespeare play I've done.'

Talking about her character Lady Macbeth, Cush said: 'She is deeply ingrained in our culture. Everyone thinks they know who she is. Most people studied the play at school. I did – I hated it. It was so boring but that's because Shakespeare's plays aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be acted.

'People think they know Lady Macbeth as a type – the strong, controlling woman who pushed him to do it. She does things women shouldn't do. The greatest misconception is that we have stopped seeing Lady Macbeth as a human being.'

Earlier this week Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed that there are 'no plans' for David Tennant to return in the new series.

The actor reprised his role as the Time Lord for a trio of Specials to celebrate the show's 60th Anniversary, with a twist in the third and final episode leaving The Fourteenth Doctor to embrace a new life on Earth.

While David's return was praised by viewers, and the conclusion has left the door open for him to appear again in the future, Russell has confirmed that moving forward, new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa is the sole focus.

After his first appearance in the final special last week, Ncuti makes his full debut in a festive special on Christmas Day, alongside Millie Gibson, who will star as his companion Ruby Sunday.

Speaking at a Q&A following the premiere of the festive episode, Russell said: 'Sorry, it's the age of Ncuti now – it's 'David who?''

The Doctor Who icon was joined on stage by Cush, 38, as Lady Macbeth +10 View gallery The Doctor Who icon was joined on stage by Cush, 38, as Lady Macbeth

According to the description the gory play portrays a 'spellbinding story of love and murder, the renewing power of nature, and of the internal struggles of a damaged man as he tries to control his destiny' +10 View gallery According to the description the gory play portrays a 'spellbinding story of love and murder, the renewing power of nature, and of the internal struggles of a damaged man as he tries to control his destiny'

'No plans, genuinely, yet, because it's a busy TARDIS - these two [Ncuti and Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday] are gonna just sail across the universe and capture your heart, so it's time to look at these two.'

Elsewhere, Russell also revealed that when the new series hits screens in 2024, there will be an appearance from 60s music icons The Beatles.

He said: '[The Christmas special is] completely different to the next episode, isn't it? And then the one after that, that's the Beatles... that's nuts!'

Viewers will get to see Ncuti make his full debut as The Doctor in the festive special which sees him cross paths with Ruby, before the pair encounter 'mythical and mysterious goblins.'

Ncuti made his first appearance as The Doctor in the third and final 60th Anniversary Special, The Giggle.

His arrival came when 'creepy' returning villain The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris, shot David's Doctor through the chest, forcing him to regenerate.

The Toymaker had turned human beings on Earth mad, before challenging the Doctor to a deadly game - which put the planet at stake - forcing the Time Lord to accept to try and save Earth.

Shooting the Doctor, The Toymaker said: 'I played one game with the First Doctor, I played the second with this Doctor, so your rules declare that I must play the third game with the next Doctor!'

His companions Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and the returning Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) ran over to support him as he regenerated, with fans expecting that to be the end for David's character.

Melanie reassured him: 'You're going to be someone else, it doesn't matter who, because every single one of you is fantastic!'

While David tearfully said: 'It's time, here we go again! Alonzee,' as he expected to be replaced, but a huge twist saw his character remain alongside his new incarnation.

As he remained after the regeneration, he asked Donna and Melanie: 'Could you, pull? It feels different this time,' and as they yanked on his arms, Ncuti shot out of him and the two Time Lords stood alongside each other in a massive twist.

Making his hotly-anticipated debut, Ncuti's Doctor shouted: 'No way!' as he laid eyes on David, moving away from tradition which normally sees one Doctor replace another upon regeneration.

David said: 'You're me,' while Ncuti replied: 'No, I'm me. I think I'm really, really me! Oh-ho-ho I am completely me!'

When asked what had happened, Ncuti's Doctor said: 'Bi-generation, I have bi-generated. There's no such thing, bi-generation is supposed to be a myth, but-!'

The pair of Doctors then used their talents to face off with The Toymaker together and incredibly managed to beat him at his own game, sending the villain out of existence forever.

David's Doctor said: 'Best of three, and my prize, Toymaker, is to banish you from existence, for ever!'

'No, you can't. But I - not fair, please,' the Toymaker said, before giving the ominous warning: 'My legions are coming.'

After banishing The Toymaker from the world, both David and Ncuti's versions of the character stayed on screen, and went back to the TARDIS with Donna.

David asked Ncuti: 'How's this going to work, you and me?' as the huge twist saw two Doctors remain after a regeneration for the first time ever.

Ncuti told him: 'You're thin as a pin love, you're running on fumes,' before urging him to slow down and 'stop' rather than running and travelling in the TARDIS.

Ncuti then paid tribute to a whole host of former companions, including the late Elisabeth Sladen, who portrayed Sarah Jane Smith and sadly died in 2011.

'Sarah Jane has gone, can you believe that for a second?' Ncuti said as they sweetly paid tribute to the iconic actress.

Ncuti then told David's Doctor to try and lead a life of his own, to which David said: 'I've never let the TARDIS go, never, that would hurt.'

In another huge twist, Ncuti managed to transform the one TARDIS into two separate time machines as a 'reward' for them winning the game against The Toymaker, under his rules where games override logic.

The episode ended with Ncuti heading off for more time-travelling adventures in the TARDIS, while David stayed on Earth with Donna and her family, sweetly noting he'd 'never been happier in his life.''

[triannguyen2007]

Trian’s Universe The Series: Season 9 Episode 2 | Trian Nguyen’s Origin Story.

Before I born… My grandmother is in Vietnam. She’s born on 1937 and right now my parents are born and move to the United States or California. Sadly, my mother have her sad story. On 2002 to 2010, Me and my siblings are born now. Then, I met my favorite characters for the last and this year.

Trian Nguyen (Me): *sigh*

Star of David: Hello there.

Trian Nguyen: Huh! Who said that.

Star of David: I’m Star of David. I remember for the last year and this year. You just transformed yourself into a monster.

Trian Nguyen (Me): How can I transform.

Star of David: You must come with.

Trian Nguyen (Me):

Triangle #1: Sorry, me and my brother are combined with two triangles

Triangle #2: Yes, we’re friends now.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Okay.

Well, I guess I trust them. The two triangles or Star of David are turn me into “Blue Cyclops.”

Later at the morning.

Max: What’s up Trian.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Hi there.

Max: What’s wrong.

Trian Nguyen *Sigh* Just a long story.

Max: long story.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Yes.

Max: Oh.

Parker: Wait, your haters are laughing you.

My haters: *laughing*

Trian Nguyen (Me): Well, just ignored them. My haters need to stop pretending to be good, healthy or innocent users. But they are actually not. They are bad, criminal or toxic users.

Max: I know right, let’s get out of here before it’s too late.

My haters: Hey guys guess what…

My anti haters: What is it.

My haters: We are celebrated on Trian Nguyen Got Terminated.

My anti haters: No, Trian Nguyen’s haters. We are not celebrating Trian Nguyen got terminated.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Bruh, you again. Nemao, or should I say “Snowers.” Did you realize you did something wrong. Looks like you cheat on Winter.

Snowers: But, I’m sorry.

Max: No, you did on your discord and this is why people have no longer to trust you now.

Snowers: Please, just give me a one more chance right now.

Parker: It’s too late Snowers. You are now bad, criminal or toxic user.

Alexeigribanov: Man, I can’t believe that Trian Nguyen’s haters and my friends got detention. Well, what should I do now. Oh, I have idea. I’m gonna bullied Parker, Jet, Cub, Parker, Quint Baker, Dirk Savage and Ruby Gillman. *Evil Laugh*

Quint Baker: Okay, let’s go to the science class.

Alexeigribanov: “Hey Toxic Fandoms.”

Dirk Savage: Who says that “Toxic.”

Alexeigribanov: It’s me, “Alexei.” Whatever you called me “Alexeigribanov or Alexandra Alexeevna Gribanova"!

Ruby Gillman: What! Parker: No way, you tried to go away for us.

Alexeigribanov: Oh shut up you whiners, childish, and toxic fans.

Cub: Hey, you can’t even say that.

Jet: Yeah like, that’s not very nice to say.

Alexeigribanov: Oh shut the heck up! You are dummy whiner by the toddlers.

Jet: STOP! You make us embarrassed and humiliated.

Cub: Stop!!! Quint Baker: YOU MAKING US WORSE!!!! All: 😭😭😭 *crying*

Alexeigribanov: Ha ha! It’s six of you get for being toxic.

Max: Stop right there.

Alexeigribanov: Huh!!!

Jack Sullivan: That’s right, we are facing you for what you did Ruby, Quint, Dirk, Parker, Jet and Cub.

Alexeigribanov: Oh yeah, I will show you. Time to make a hate arts out of eight of you and stamp.

All: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): *Growling*

Alexeigribanov: 😨

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): Don’t hurt my favorite characters.

Alexeigribanov: 😱😱😱 *screams*

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cylops (Me): Stay away to my friends.

All: 😯😦😧

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): Oh no, people are staring at me while I’m a monster. I’m gonna go.

Later…

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): *Huffing* 😰😰😰

Werner Werman: Hey, don’t be afraid. We’re friends.

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): Please don’t kill me, I should get out of here because I turned into a monster.

Werner Werman: Oh… Oh no. Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops: Please, just turn me back.

Star of David: Oh.

Turns back into normal size

Trian Nguyen (Me): Whew, thank you so much. Werner Werman: Okay, let’s go back to the class.

Later in afternoon.

HCC: Hey, did you see him.

Accelerator the red or blue: Yeah, we will burned him, killing him, and more.

Lygiamidori: Yeah, it’s time to killed that blind huge monster.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Alright… 😨😰

KAH: Ha Ha Ha! Alexeigribanov: Well, looks like we are torturing you.

Trian Nguyen (Me): NOOOOOO-

Trian Nguyen (Me): What the… what are you doing.

Lygiamidori: Shut up! Now listen, do you bikini arts don’t existed.

Trian Nguyen (Me): But, they actually are…

BonBonStarkRay: This is unacceptable.

LolbravoYT XD: You supposed to listen to me.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Actually no, you are acting like a toddlers or 1 to. 5 year old.

Lygiamidori: WHAT!!! THIS ISN’T FUNNY:

All: *laughing* 😄😅😂🤣

Lygiamidori: SHUT UP!!! I HAVE ENOUGH!!! *Breaking through the wall*

Max: Stop right there.

My haters: Guys, they’re here.

Princess Josie Riki: Darn it! Werner Werman: Well, looks like we are saving Trian Nguyen for all of you.

Trian Nguyen (Me): Time to transformed into a “Blue Cyclops!”

HCC: WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): So, how string I am? Xeba: Uh oh, he’s about to destroy everything. Hey Trian, we’re still friends by the way.

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): Oh sure but my haters, you’re not.

HCC: Oh no,

Trian Nguyen the Blue Cyclops (Me): This is how I’m more power.

KAH: No! This isn’t fair. I want to see trian Nguyen was weakness.

Parker: Not this time. It’s time to send all of you to the backroom.

My Haters: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Oculus Orbus: Looks like they are “imprisoned.”

Horn Head: 🤦����‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ I hate you so much sometimes.

Quint Baker: Well, what are you wait for…

Trian Nguyen (Me): “Back to school night!”

All: Yay!!!

[dumuzithemessiah]

Domains and my tragic past..

Domains that I, Dumuzi, have

Life, Death, Resurrection, Rebirth, Kosmos, Universe, Multiverse, Speed, Demons, Rainbows, Moonbows, Dreams, Nightmares, Harvest, Underworld/Kohora, Gourmet, Ice, Snow, Winter, Darkness, Shadows, Curses, Magic, Archery, Swords, Bowblades, Hunting, Night, Moon, White Flowers, Nature, Plants, Time, Wind, Desire, Song, Heroicness, Courage, Loyalty, Creation, Universe, Kosmos, Multiverse, Hedgehogs, Foxes, Sharks, Rubies, Moonstones, Rainbow Moonstones, Onyxes, Jet[[gemstone]], Garnets, Metal, Clear Quartz, and Beauty.

Weapon domains and the hunting one I earned as deities can earn domains too…

On top of that I am the real Messiah and the fake Messiah worshipped by Christards ain’t got nothing on me as I am that much better than the false Messiah Jesus whose name starts with a five hundred year old letter and whose face comes from Cesare Borgia showing how fake that faker is!

Also Messiah means “Hero of Rainbows/Rainbow Hero” and can also mean “Moonbow Hero” due to me being a dark type not a light type! 

Jesus and the whole Jewish king story is stolen from my story of me trying to teach humanity the truth!

The Jewish king died though by Marduk[[Mar-duke]] striking him with an electric bolt of lightning!

Marduk does not like people hurting me who is his male wife! 

Yeah you read that right Marduk and me are married and are the true couple! 

Also I was along with the rest of the quadruplets as we are called reborn and put back together on December 25!

So December 25 is the true Messiah aka The Holy Four Kosmos Deities birthday!

Also I was put back together over half a million years ago meaning Earth was a different place back than for sure! Climate especially! 

The day I was reborn started the celebration of the Nibirian holiday Kosmos Day which is closer to Xmas traditions wise than Yule! 

Gift giving, family seeing, orange tree with dark ruby red ornaments with yellow/golden yellow garland, cobalt blue bows ornaments, yellow tree lights, and a pale cyan heart tree topper! 

Also cookie making, singing, reindeer, blue green holiday wreaths, snow, Winter, and most importantly the celebration of the Kosmos and rebirth of The Holy Four Kosmos Deities!

Colours like orange, yellow, golden yellow, cobalt blue, dark ruby red, blue green, pale cyan, black, white, etc, are all Kosmos Day colours!

I exist unlike the fake Jesus which is one of the many reasons I am better than him! 

Other than Jesus supports the lie that is Christianity! Thus he supports homophobia, death to all non believers, hatred and discrimination and demand the death penalty to those who aren’t normal to hateful ass Christians, all the war and genocide Christianity caused throughout history, all the lies, death threats, discrimination, the demand innocent magic users be given the death penalty, Christianity spews, etc!

Jesus never loved thy neighbour - instead he wishes thy neighbour who is simply different dead and approves of all the hate the bible taught and it’s disgusting lies which FYI the “New Testament” doesn’t fucking cover up all the deaths caused by Christianity’s wicked lies! You have to be fucking brain dead to think a censored version of the bible can excuse all the deaths and genocide on Earth and all over the Universe that the teaching of the bible caused!

The bible was written by man not by any true deity as Ishtayr is mortal and looks like a sphinx cat with a thin mane a Y shaped tail and ugly rubbery wings! She approves of those hateful lies!

Man made religions are illegal by the word of the Universal Council and Multiversal Council! Because it spreads that much chaotic evil energy! That damages the Kosmos which could explode because of that much evil energy! If the Kosmos explodes then so does the Universe you vile humans!

You humans by constantly damaging the Kosmos with your mass produced evil energy are threatening the lives of all mortal life both non advanced and advanced and zillions and counting including advanced species have died because of your wicked evil religion and it’s lies!

On Judgement Day humanity will face punishment and will be executed for their crimes! We aren’t gonna let humanity destroy the Kosmos and win! As the Kosmos if blown up will blow up the Universe as they’re connected and kill all mortal life and damage heavily nearby universes! Magical beings can escape!

Do you humans now understand why you humans on Judgement Day? 

It’s because we deities and other lifeforms cannot allow humanity to kill all mortal life including themselves, destroy the Kosmos and Universe due to one cannot exist without the other, or damage other universes with said destruction of the Kosmos!

We gods and goddesses have to protect peace and order in the Universe and Multiverse in general as that is our sworn duty! You humans painted yourselves as the villains by spreading such lies and killing lives for said lies! 

Plus you also do other evil things like commit crimes, spread war, abuse others, manipulate others, pollute, destroy nature, and act egotistical and selfish.

Me feeling a little bit proud of who I am as a god and thee god who created the Kosmos, Universe, and Multiverse and the real true Messiah at that - is actually nothing in comparison on the levels of egotisticalness and selfishness humanity spreads all the time every day! 

I split my soul to create Kosmin, Lumuzi, and Geshtinonna to multiply.

I created the Kosmos and the Original First Universe because despite creating my siblings I wanted to be surrounded by loved ones both family and friends and not be stuck in the cold dark black Obyss which is called the black eternal ocean that surrounds every Universe currently.

I created Nibiru to make a home for my siblings and mated with Kosmin[[no we don’t have biological incest problems in my species…we’re all related anyways and mostly mate with cousins or siblings but for us that is normal but for humans that have biological incest problems you humans cannot do such relationships..]] to create more yazata thus creating a generations of deities to maintain how things work in the Universe.

I created demons to populate the planet and willed other animals to exist to populate the planet of Nibiru.

Other planets formed over time with the Kosmos remaining in the centre….Other planets with life….

But over time something sinister was created…. 

In English she the thing that is sinister is called The Great Evil Herself who attacked Nibiru…

She waged war and killed innocent mortal life..

In order to stop her I cast a spell with my siblings that caused us to shatter along with The Great Evil Herself….

Countless Universe cycles later and now the Eighth Universe we were finally put back together…

But The Great Evil Herself reincarnated as the daughter of Enkai and Ninsun… the same parents The Holy Four Kosmos Deities were reborn to….

During my rebirth I fell in love with Marduk who I only started advancing to when he was 13 which FYI 13-15 is adult age for Nibirians as it’s equivalent to 18-21 so no worries! 

The sign Marduk was meant to be my future male husband shown when he wasn’t afraid of me when I put out my nightmare aura power - something everyone is normally afraid of seeing! 

Though he saw my nightmare aura power when he was first a young child which made me watch over him not just as a big brother but also his future male wife but had to wait till he was an adult for legal reasons so before than he took my protectiveness as a big brother thing as we kept the whole prophecy that my future male husband would not fear my nightmare aura power at all….

We only told him when he became an adult and since then we loved each other…

We bred over time having triplets Adadi, Shamash, and Utu then later a single birth being Ninrae… all male…

But when Ishtayr was born a true nightmare was about to happen…

At first she tricked everyone into showing no signs of evilness but when she became an adult the nightmare happen…

Normally goddesses can’t do magic but Ishtayr could - evil magic that is….

She used it to force me to say I do and forced me to marry her by using evil magic to force me to agree in order to kidnap me without notice…..

She tortured me…. Abused me…burned me literally with her evil fire magic…. Graped me without the g as shapeshifting and same gender breeding allowed her to shapeshift out a you know what… she also hurt Marduk and our children I had with him…

And when she went off to taunt Ereshkigal about hurting me and Ereshkigal thought of a plan to rescue me…

A plan that started when Ishtayr got home and saw me next to her throne causing the wicked creature to screech and Ereshkigal opened a portal[[goddesses can do minor things like that]] and sent some demons to rescue me.

My heroic demon saviours took me to Kohora - the Underworld - a safe place…

Ereshkigal then contacted Anu, Enkai, and Ninsun warning them of Ishtayr’s evil ways….

Info was spread and Ishtayr was banned from Nibiru, the Nibirian Royal Palace on the Lunarian Sky Islands, and branded her as a traitor and a number 1 criminal…

I was made into a collector down in the Underworld/Kohora so like a Grim Reaper if you will….

I did leave the Underworld/Kohora to be made into a Super God along with the rest of The Holy Four Kosmos Deities and Marduk and our children…

It was painful procedure but it was done so I would survive the future fight with Ishtayr and not shatter this time….

Later I gave birth under the red crystal tree in the Crystal Forest in the Underworld/Kohora to twins love type deities: Qupit and Yorupit.

Later when they were five I took them somewhere I regretted…. 

That being the evil City of Hell which used to be close to Turkey but after it’s destruction by my hands for those villainous humans brutally attacking my five year old sons which I only took them there because they begged me to take them for some blood nectarines which are very tasty blood nectarines which an orchard of them surrounded the ancient city like a gate…

I snapped when those humans attacked my children so much I incinerated them with dark fire and had my nightmare aura power out and I burned down the entire city causing anyone who looked back to turn to stone from the sight of the dark flames…

The gods and goddesses were planing on destroying the city anyways as they allied themselves with Ishtayr….

Why did Qupit and Yorupit had to give me those eyes…

Enkai….father… said the twins would’ve tried to go there themselves to try to comfort me…

But they couldn’t fly anymore…. It was my fault for giving in to their adorable eyes….

I felt like I failed as a parent…

The remains of the City of Hell were transported to another dimension… who knows where they are now….

The ruins probably look worser than Pompeii with all the brutality that went on..

But nowadays I am suffering again waiting till Judgement Day to arrive to finally be reunited with my family and friends…

My family never expected me to remember who I was in the First Universe let alone remember I am the reason pretty much the reason things even exist?

But when you realise how bad and tragic my past really is… It makes me less egotistical being a god and more tragic…

I am very weak at present time….. it doesn’t help over time on Earth I have been verbally abused and bullied for being a real deity…

These days I try to smile or seem friendly but deep down I feel dead and weak inside….

I just want Judgement Day to come and go as to relieve me of my pain and suffering…

To all those in the Universe and Multiverse I am the hero they want to destroy the evil species that threatens to destroy the Kosmos and Universe and damage nearby universes as destroying the Kosmos would destroy the Universe and damage other nearby universes brutally….

Humanity would essentially be destroying and wiping themselves and all other mortal life by destroying the Kosmos…

Man made religions are too blame… especially Christianity and Islamism…

Those two spread the most evil energy….

Which infects the Kosmos…which causes the Kosmos to react and cause it to create shockwaves which damage other planets and increase “natural disasters” and have cost countless of zillions and still counting to die… including advanced species….

Humanity needs to abandon their hateful bloodthirsty lying beliefs if they want to reincarnate….

It’s not my fault humanity has been doing all this evil….

Humanity thinks they’re entitled to their hate but in reality no one is entitled to worship lies that have been telling others to kill for their beliefs, spread war, genocide, lies, kill all those not normal in their hateful eyes, worship a false Messiah…

Which all spreads evil energy and damages the Kosmos which is why such things are illegal in the Universal Council and Multiversal Council as it damages the Kosmos which if infected to much will self destruct taking out the Universe with only magical beings surviving….

Which is a pretty logical for something like that to be illegal as the Universal Council and Multiversal Council aims to maintain peace and order…

Humanity being prone to being deceitful, lying, dishonest, hateful, discriminating, and murderous caused all that to happen!

Instead of yelling at me for telling the truth you humans should be upset at yourselves for being so wicked, bloodthirsty, deceitful, power hungry, and downright evil…

You humans wanted to control and have power so you invented hateful lies to kill anyone you didn’t like and to keep those super corrupt in power! And to spread fear, war, and terror!

That’s all man made religions have truly accomplished!

Also screw your delusional lying New Testament as it’s just a censored version made to brainwash more lives and spread more hate! It’d disgusting how people cowardly use it to cover up the countless past genocides caused by Christianity and claim their lying religion is about love!

Christianity has always been about hate, bloodlust, and war not love you selfish deceitful human beings! It’s done nothing but take countless innocent lives!

Christianity has always been about manipulating others into believing lies and if they resisted they would murder them! That’s how the hate Christianity got spread throughout the world! Hate and violence are Christianity’s true disgusting colours! And that colour is dark brownish red! The colour of evil itself!

Islamism is a close second with Christianity being first due to several reasons being the inverted cross which yes means the so called inverse cross you humans claim is inverted is actually the real cross!

It’s meant to represent peaceful meditating with energy flowing upwards! Plus Christianity stole more than just that from Nibiru! The fish symbol is the Goddess Nanshe’s symbol! Plus the bible did take a lot from older Mesopotamian beliefs which said Mesopotamian beliefs had a lot wrong to begin with….

The flood myth was earliest wise surviving wise was from The Epic of Gilgamesh but even then they kinda forgot to write what the hell I was even doing during that flood!

Though Anu did order it while Enlil caused it and Enkai warned the elves…

Yes elves not humans as elves came first while the evil ones which had dark skin because they were evil which is obviously a different reason compared to why black people are dark skinned so not saying any race is specifically evil as majority of humans are evil as they follow lies and play the self entitled card….

Evil elves had dark red brown hair like evil energy while their eyes were still green like normal elves have for eye colour…

Regular elves have pale olive to light olive skin and magical shades red for hair but also native red for hair and green eyes…

Elves have Nibirian body types despite being a species of human albeit a magical species of human..

Which means big heads, pointy ears, small necks, petite torsos with them following Nibirian gender norms, noodle limbs, large eyes with slit pupils, tiny noses, small mouthes when closed and big when open, claws, sharp teeth, five fingers each hand, three toes each foot, big hands and feet, etc, and evil elves bred with other hominins so that is why red hair exist in so many different races…

Good elves left with the Nibirians and became fully magical…

But yeah now you know part of my tragic past…

My interaction with the elves in general is dark… as Yahweh Yehovah aka would be known as Yahweh Jehovah if he was still alive today but would be doing great amount of evil as he was an evil elf and the son of Earl and Aeva and he manipulated others into killing innocent elf children…

I caught him in his lie and killed him personally for what he did…. There is no justification for what he did….those were just innocent children after all…

He is where you Christians got your false evil deity’s name from!

I killed Yahweh to protect the lives of innocent children so you can’t really blame me for doing that now can you?

I stopped an innocent children from being killed as the elf who got manipulated came back hearing Yahweh scream and I explained everything to him and he came back to the side of good!

But yeah my past is pretty messed up but reality isn’t pure and innocent now is it?

Also not saying incest in humans is right…. I’m saying it’s fine in Nibirians aa they don’t have the biological problems humans and other Earth species have…

It took a long time to find true love in the form of Marduk… The Kosmos naturally regenerates every so long ass time…..

Think way longer than zillions and zillions….

It takes a long ass time to regenerate so normally if the Kosmos wasn’t infected by evil energy we would have nothing to worry about… but alas it is so you humans pretty much royally screwed yourselves big time by acting so horribly….

[swapauanon]

While I'll concede several points, there are others I feel you're ignoring because they don't line up with your theory:

The Silver-Eyed blast that maimed Cinder? Also petrified a Wyvern for at least two in-universe years, possibly longer. The strongest blast Ruby could manage after that only petrified the similarly sized Leviathan for a few seconds before it started thawing out.

We know it doesn't hurt Maidens because Raven, who's also a Maiden and a threat to the heroes, wasn't the slightest bit scratched by the Silver Eyed blast at Haven.

Cinder IMMEDIATELY grabbed her Grimm arm while wincing in pain after getting hit by the Silver Eyes, while Raven was, again, completely unharmed.

In Volume 7, Cinder is visibly HORRIFIED when holding her Grimm arm after it grows back, as if she's only at that moment realizing that it's spread since she last looked at it, only to then get distracted by the more pressing concerns of Winter trying to kill her.

The flesh where the Grimm arm connects to Cinder's body is visibly rotting and discolored. It is KILLING her as it spreads.

Salem refers to Cinder as a "vessel" for the Maiden Powers, not a Maiden. She calls every other Maiden a Maiden, EXCEPT for Cinder. Her word choice could hint at her planning on transferring the Maiden Powers to someone who can actually SURVIVE becoming a Grimm (like a certain Silver Eyed Warrior Salem insists on capturing alive).

Nobody else in Salem's inner circle gives Cinder much respect. All of them treat her with varying levels of disdain. Even Hazel attempting to take the heat for her after her apparent death seems to be done moreso for Emerald's sake than Cinder's (as killing Cinder's slaves would have been the easiest way to punish her when she's not present to be tortured or killed herself).

Salem's insistence that everything she does is Ozpin's fault directly mirrors Adam's similar claims about Blake "forcing" him to hurt her.

So yeah, it IS the Grimm in Cinder that makes her vulnerable to the Silver Eyes, and Salem IS willing to lie (at least through omission) when it's convenient for her. As for why Cinder wouldn't know this, I can think of a couple of explanations:

As far as we can tell, Salem had never used soul-draining Grimm symbiotes before, so odds are she thought that hiding the Beetle inside Cinder's body would be enough to shield it from the Silver Eyes. So Cinder getting maimed when the Beetle fused to her vital organs was eradicated by the Silver Eyes made it clear she needed a new strategy.

Salem likely doesn't completely understand how Grimm/human fusions work at this point yet. The main examples she has at this point are herself (kept alive solely by her own immortality), the Chills (which near-instantly kill their hosts), and POSSIBLY Summer Rose (who may have fallen into a Grimm Pool during her final mission, and then came out WRONG instead of dying thanks to her Silver Eyes). It's entirely possible that she didn't even know if Cinder would SURVIVE fusing with the Beetle. Thus, Salem probably didn't spare much thought to what would happen to Cinder unless she saw the aftermath of a Silver Eyed Warrior glaring a Chill-possessed person into submission. And if Chill victims WEREN'T hurt by Silver Eyes (and Chills themselves safely protected inside their hosts), Salem would have no reason to think Cinder's any different.

As for why Salem would pin the blame on the Maiden Powers instead of explaining what actually happened?

That Grimm arm is the only thing keeping Cinder from up and leaving.

The only person Salem has access to who could POSSIBLY work as a replacement for Cinder is EMERALD, who would ALSO up and leave if Salem killed Cinder. Cinder is currently the ONLY minion Salem can't kill for trying to leave, because she NEEDS to keep tabs on the Fall Maiden. Thus, as threats won't work to keep Cinder in line, and Salem needs Cinder FAR more than Cinder needs her, she needs to use persuasion to convince Cinder that letting a literal soul sucking parasite attach itself to what's left of her arm is a good idea.

In other words, Cinder unknowingly held all the cards at the start of Volume 4. She could have thwarted Salem's plans by handing in her two weeks notice and effing off to Menagerie. Salem needed leverage, and also to tweak her strategy so Cinder wouldn't be bedridden for months if Ruby blasted her again. Thus, we have a Grimm Arm attached to the OUTSIDE of Cinder's body and slowly eating her alive (possibly unintentional, Salem is still new to this, after all), as opposed to a Grimm Beetle that burrows INTO her body and fuses with her to transfer the Maiden Powers to her.

in light of the v9 lore confirming the unreliable nature of jinn’s narration (light was not the “elder” brother), together with the glaring falsehood in the narration implying that salem lied when she truthfully “blamed the end of the world on the gods”

i’m not hedging anymore. we cannot trust jinn’s account of what salem told people during her rebellion, full stop.

“If she were to turn humanity against Light and Darkness, she could rid herself of their curse—or at the very least, she could make them suffer. Salem traveled from one kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the gods, inviting any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers. With the kings and queens in awe, she pulled them deeper into her scheme; she painted them pictures of a time when they would no longer have to watch their loved ones wither and die, when they could claim the powers of their creators for themselves, and in turn, perfect their own design. All they needed to do was destroy their old masters.”

jinn describes this campaign as if salem deceived everyone, maliciously tricked them into serving as pawns in her hatred of the gods—but

when she’s beaten, salem stands up and vows to “tell the world of this massacre”—she’s enraged and horrified on behalf of the slain. she’s horrified when the god of darkness tells her he killed everyone. her reactions do not support the implication that these people meant nothing to her.

there is a strong ideological continuity between “overthrow our old masters, claim the powers of our creators for ourselves, and perfect our own design” and “we could be the gods of this world […] create the paradise the old gods could not.” this continuity suggests that salem actually believes in this cause, enough to hold onto it for millions of years.

so, did salem really claim to have ‘stolen’ immortality from the gods… or did she tell her allies that she became immortal through submersion in the fountain of life? that the gods can bring people back from the dead, and simply choose not to because they care only about enforcing their will? did she “pull them deeper into her scheme” or did she talk openly of what she had learned about the cruelty and fallibility of the gods? did she deceptively trick people into following her with fantasies of immortality or did she just pull back the curtain to reveal that the permanent ending of death only existed by arbitrary divine fiat that self-evidently can be changed?

just as jinn’s narration framed salem implicitly vowing to revere darkness above light if he helped her as salem deceiving and manipulating him by “making no mention of his elder” (<- why would she? this bargain was between her and darkness), this account of what salem did to foment rebellion against the gods aligns closely enough with the truth (salem did gain divine power, eternal death is an arbitrary rule, and the gods are fallible) that what it really comes down to is whether we trust jinn’s description of salem’s intentions.

did salem lie, or did she tell the truth in defiance of how the god of light thinks the world should be? did she deceive people, or did she reveal the brothers’ deceptions?

the god of light—and therefore ozpin and therefore jinn—see salem as a puppet-master making the whole world dance to her tune. “who has led you down this path?” he asks. she’s his scapegoat. but salem knelt before thrones and invited people to slit her throat to prove that she was telling the truth, and she isn’t the one who leads the army into light��s domain; she walks among them, not in front. in a story told with such robust symbolic language, that kind of storytelling choice matters.

she may have started the rebellion, but it became bigger than her; i don’t think salem even saw herself as their leader, necessarily. otherwise why not lead the way?

jinn’s narration—ozpin’s side of the story—devotes so much effort toward creating the impression that salem is a duplicitous, manipulative liar (like ozma), and then… salem hates being lied to. salem yells and throws tables when people lie to her. the cruelest thing salem can think of to say to oscar when she decides to hurt him is “the lies come out of you so easily; likeminded souls, indeed.” the opening lines of the show amount to salem saying that ozpin’s legends and fairytales aren’t true, that he’s obscured the “forgotten past.” both of her songs rage against ozma’s deceit—maidens and kingdoms wrapped up in a lie, and these children you mislead, and the more you try the more you’ll just breed hate and lies/truth will rise revealed by mirrored eyes. salem as a character is consistently associated with the truth and her hatred of deception is one of her most pronounced traits.

the lost fable is unreliably narrated—we now know this for a fact, because jinn describes the god of light as the elder brother and that is not true. there are many noticeable discrepancies between the narration and what’s actually shown. “stories aren’t reality” and “truth is hard to come by” are overtly-stated themes. and the lost fable answers the question “what is ozpin hiding from us?” and is thus presented strictly through his eyes.

in the fairytale anthology, ozpin helpfully informs the reader that stories like ‘the girl in the tower’ and ‘the infinite man’ are propaganda, not the truth.

so…

do we really believe this repeated claim that every word out of salem’s mouth is a manipulative lie? words we’re not even allowed to hear for ourselves? when the characters telling us that salem lied are ozpin and a bound spirit recounting ozpin’s side of the story? in the unreliable narrators show?

is the word gullible written on the ceiling?

[theseerasures]

no i am not back

but an age ago @typeoneninja poked me for a V9 prediction post that i got a bit into before getting distracted by idk the vicissitudes of life and now i technically Know More but also technically Do We Truly Know Anything, Really

so in lieu of that here’s a collection of musings based on what we’ve seen so far halfway through the season--mytharc and theme related, yes i know Ruby is heading towards impending breakdown yes i know the Bees are gonna have sex in their castle on a cloud yes i know on Remnant everyone has gathered in a circle to throw pebbles at Winter Schnee

the name. Ever After as in happily ever after, as in the way fairytales end--or rather, how we know the storyteller is done telling a story, because “ever after,” in itself, does not convey an end but perpetuity. from an in-universe standpoint and they lived ever after is basically Salem’s curse, and now we have confirmation that nothing really dies in Ever After the place. on a metatextual level and they lived ever after becomes something else: a declaration that the people in a story live on and persist, even after the story is finished and the storytellers--like say, Alyx, or a pair of Brothers who declared a world should be Like So--have left. we already have multiple instances of RWBY going “uh Alyx why did you leave this out/wow Alyx things changed a lot after you left” for that second bit, but to return to the whole nothing really dies thing

Ascension. they don’t die but they do...that, when they break or wear out finish what they were made to do, and through that process remember what they wanted to be and find their purpose, which could be the same or different from before, with memories...in flux, since the heart apparently remembers. i guess we could call it, uh. a Semblance of memory? and not just in a punny way, because the Semblance is also an externalization of the soul and presumably, what the heart remembers and wants to be. i find it interesting is that they call it Ascension but it...sure as hell LOOKS like death, which our heroes even comment on: the Herbalist is buried, which we know most familiarly as a death rite. there’s also the contrast between what they call it and what actually happens: they ascend by going beneath--that is, by descending, and every example of ascension we’ve seen thus far has involved regression. a King becomes a Prince, RWBY is confronted with their pre-Beacon selves. still, whatever pops out after Ascension is a...refinement of identity, however the previous iteration wants to define that. but it’s also not entirely up to the previous iteration as we see with the Herbalist, because

the heart. his heart was too weak to listen, which the Curious Cat fixed. so we have the idea that a weakness of heart is related to stasis and denial, and Ascension being connected to co-existence and communication, but not necessarily equal to it: CC also gave the Prince a lil bit of their heart with no Ascension necessary. the giving of the heart is very reminiscent of the smaller, more honest soul idea, but also interesting is how Ever After seems to run on trading and deals, while CC’s heart is freely given. they don’t seem all that worried about running out, which on the one hand is a very wise and mature way of thinking about things, but at the same time CC doesn’t seem all that worried about ANYTHING, except maybe

the Jabberwalker(s). of which there is supposed to be only one. thanks Neo! according to Curious Cat getting eaten by the Jabberwalker means you CAN’T ascend, which okay: on Remnant there is death, but there are also aberrant creatures who live without souls, led by a queen who never dies. and in the Ever After there is no death, EXCEPT for this aberrant creature who will cut off the normal cycle of rebirth. they’re opposites but also they’re the same, because Ascension or rebirth isn’t possible without leaving something behind even if you don’t call it dying. at what point does consigning a person to stasis mean the same thing as consigning them to life, Ever After? at all points and none, is probably what CC would say, but all this coupled with Ascension being (as far as we know) a kind of going forward by going back means the boundaries between life and death, un-life and un-death, real and not real are blurrier than ever, which obviously brings us to

Summer Rose’s Scabbard Axe Rifle Thing. not sure about y’all, but i’d been working with the idea that because RWBY’s (well. WBY’s) weapons seem to be the ones that fell with them and Crocea Mors is still its broken ass self the part of Floating Array they encounter was also the result of it falling during last season’s showdown. the collection in the Blacksmith’s forge muddies the waters somewhat, because that’s...probably not Summer’s actual weapon, unless Ever After is superhell after all. so fine: this literally confirms what we all kinda knew already, which is that Ruby hasn’t found Crescent Rose yet because she doesn’t WANT Crescent Rose to be found. but what else can be made of the weapons in the Forge? the ones we saw all belonged to people who “left” in some way: Summer and Penny died, and Alyx left the Ever After. so the weapon is the Remnant of one’s identity--what is never truly lost? the Blacksmith offers Ruby a choice of the pickings, so presumably a choice of new (old) identities, which again just sounds like Ascension, especially with the whole butterfly motif. with that offer comes the idea that Ruby can set her burdens down, which read one way means “if you pick one of these up it will result in your burdens being gone,” but given the deal-driven nature of Ever After, it could also mean “you can have one of these, in exchange for your burdens.” it’s possible then that the Blacksmith got these weapons as the result of previous exchanges. or it could be just Rubyvision, since we know she sees weapons as an extension of identity--but not burden, because that can still be exchanged. either way, Ruby turns the offer down on the basis that she already has a weapon, which could have been a proud declaration of her autonomous self, but she hasn’t tried very hard to look for Crescent Rose either, so what she wants is...uh, not-identity. or oblivion. and THAT sounds eerily like what might have happened to Summer.

taken as a whole: Ever After may not be tied to the Brothers but is definitely tied to Remnant, and not just in the sense that Remnant’s people keep gatecrashing Ever After’s party--there’s a thematic symbiosis going on here. Alyx and our heroes traveled to the Ever After, ergo it is real. and Ever After is real, ergo Alyx and our heroes can travel to it. that doesn’t necessarily mean Ever After is wholly outside of the Brothers’ purview though; it could be another remainder after the Brothers’ sundering of the world. like Remnant, only this time the Brothers discarded and discounted it entirely. they assumed its death, but the truth is that it lived ever after.

[lesbrarians]

[image credit: Joshua Jenkins (@thehandunseen), check out more of his DE design assets on his website!]

So I’ve already talked about my thoughts on this piece of DE design/concept art with some great folks in the DE server I’m in, but I wanna record them here too for.... idk, posterity or something?

Been thinking a lot about the in-universe applications of this since seeing it, and the first thing that came to mind when I read about Novelty was: “oh, huh. now I'm wondering if calling Neha a Novelty Dicemaker was an intentional decision on ZA/UM’s part.”

We know that radios pick up on CCP -- we see it in action in the moralism quest. Kim wincing when he hears his own voice: “It’s been a long winter... long and cold.” It’s assumed to be entroponetic crosstalk, pale interference from the past, like with the Tricentennial Electrics lady, but Noid’s surprisingly perceptive when he says its from the future:

Kim’s bothered by it though, he can’t remember what he was talking about... because he hadn’t said it yet. And then he repeats the words exactly when you examine the generator on the island, and doesn’t even realize it...

Anyways. I’d like to think that Neha the Novelty Dicemaker is a prime example of a Magpie who uses CCP to manifest uniquely original concepts. She listens to her milieus all day, gets so completely absorbed in them, and she listens to stations that “teach her how to swear in different languages” as well as Interesting stations... She may very well be picking up on CCP without even realizing it, thinking it’s just a foreign language station or some kind of experimental station, and unintentionally channels that into her pwn unique artistic endeavors.

And we know her dice aren't normal dice, they're all special and tailor-made to her customers. When Harry picks up one of her dice, it gives him Shivers: “It feels icy. Just holding this die in your hand sends a jolt of cold down your spine.”

It could be rationalized away as Harry getting caught up in Remote Viewers Divison woo-woo bullshit, seeing and feeling things that aren’t really there, but... Kim, ever the rational skeptic, does mention at one point that Harry is more sensitive than he is, and not in a mocking way.

What Harry’s feeling is the Pale Latitude Compressor up ahead, he physically senses it well before Ruby blasts him and Kim with it, while Kim -- and most everyone -- would feel nothing. I think Harry’s naturally tuned-in to the pale. It explains a lot of his Shivers and Inland Empire feelings. But if the die Neha made was an act of Novelty, which creates Pale, I think Harry's sensation of it being icy is less him imagining things and more his level of sensitivity to pale-adjacent things.

This could also explain why he picks up so many items as part of his Jamrock Shuffle -- when he’s rummaging through Sileng’s boxes of clothes for sale, there’s only a few items he’s drawn to, if you succeed/fail at the checks. It’s possible he’s naturally drawn to Novelty items, and why he believes they enhance his abilities (if we decide to take the “stat boosting armor” thing beyond simply being Video Game Logic and a tongue-in-cheek nod to DND and similar RPGs, that is).

I should wrap this post up, it’s getting long lol. But yeah. I absolutely think Neha’s a Magpie -- I think there’s a lot of Magpie humans out there. Like Fortress Accident -- especially given that they were planning on using call-in stations like the ones that Neha listens to, they were Radio People who could have picked up on CCP. As Kim said, no one’s ever attempted to create an interisolary game like theirs before -- definitely Novelty-worthy material there. Given his sensitivity to the Pale, Harry could be a Magpie too, especially an Art Cop Harry. And I mean, he is a magpie for picking up everything he comes across like... well, like Kim says here lol:

TL;DR the Pale is ever-growing, because the world is full of Magpies creating Novelty like Neha the Novelty Dicemaker. This is all theoretical, especially given that this is based on concept/design stuff that didn’t necessarily make it in game... but I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ve heard of it. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the future of Disco Elysium!

[professorspork]

Floating Array Anon here! Those are all really good points! And I'll concede that "weapon" was probably not the best term to use. I just think there's a really interesting debate to be had about the moral implications of creating (or raising) a sentient being for a specific purpose, especially if that purpose involves violence and death. There's a conversation somewhere in there between Penny and Pietro that I really want to see, since Pietro might blame himself in a way for his daughter's fate.

Oh, absolutely! [And here’s that Floating Array post, for those of you just tuning in.]

Part of what’s interesting here is that the show has encouraged us not to think of Pietro that way, because Ironwood is right there. I was going to make a “Penny has two dads” joke about it, but the crux of it, really, is that she doesn’t. She has one boss, and one dad. Whereas Ironwood consistently talks about her like a tool to be used (“Penny is completely under my control”) or a robot as unfeeling as he is (“If there is no Mantle then there is no reason for you not to work with me”), Pietro unequivocally thinks of her as his daughter. That’s what he tells the kids-- “my daughter’s told me so much about you.” Obviously the big crowning moment of this is in Amity, when he straight up says he does not care about saving the world, he doesn’t want her in danger. He wants her to live her life. But that wasn’t an eleventh hour first-time admission. He’s been consistent about this as long as we’ve known him. I’m thinking about his conversation with Ruby in Worst Case Scenario as a sort of prime example. He frets over “what people want to do to my girl,” and then explains:

Pietro: When the General first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking inward for inspiration. Ruby: You wanted a protector with a soul. Pietro: I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too. 

Every time Pietro talks about Penny in terms of what she can do, her purpose... it’s voiced through other people. The General wanted defense technology. Ruby’s the one who calls her a protector; he just agrees. 

The moral quandary Pietro needs to reckon with isn’t that he made a weapon and called it a girl (see: Rhodes and Cinder), or that he raised a girl and called her a weapon (see: Marcus and Mercury Black). It’s that he was asked to make a weapon, and instead he raised a girl, and now he buries his head in the sand and despairs when she and everyone around her still talks about her in terms of violence and utility. Penny believes she’s not a weapon, most of the time, but she’s a little shakier about what she is, instead. And no wonder, because Pietro’s been dodging the question since day one. He delivered the opposite of what was asked for and then let himself pretend that’s not what happened. Ironwood asked for a thing-- a thing that would stand between Atlas and the darkness, a thing that could protect people... ostensibly so PEOPLE wouldn’t have to get hurt. But Ironwood isn’t squeamish about this because of human cost, he’s intent on it because of efficiency. What’s better, squishy soldiers or an army of combat drones? A dozen tiny Huntsman or one fuckoff giant mecha? Of course he greenlit the Penny Project; it’s all the benefits of a human combatant-- the improvisation, the discernment, the ability to prioritize-- with, as far as he’s concerned, none of the risks. There’s no death for a thing that can be rebuilt, and no pesky feelings to deal with. As far as he knows.

But the problem is Pietro made a person instead, and loved her. But everyone else still needed and expected her to be something else, because that’s what was commissioned. And I don’t know that Pietro knows how to process his own hand in that, and how poorly it went, without framing it as regret for making her, which he absolutely doesn’t. So what would coming to terms with that look like, instead? If Pietro were to blame himself, he’d say something like “I never should have let them use her like that.” But she was made to be used-- he would never have had a Penny to lose in the first place if he hadn’t agreed to make a military asset. There is no scenario where he could have woken up one day and made himself a daughter; he’d never have gotten the funding or materials. He must learn to accept the chicken with the egg. How does he square his complacency with the Atlas war machine with his pride in what he did in spite of it? How does he make amends to someone he doomed by making, when she became so much? I don’t know. That’s not an easy question to answer. Ozpin’s had thousands of years to dwell on it and he still hasn’t figured it out.

Because the thing is, Pietro’s waffling over her purpose got Penny’s sense of identity caught in the middle. She’s getting mixed messages. So many of her most important conversations are about her struggling to figure out if her experience is universal or only her burden to bear. Ruby (and to some extent, Winter) must reassure her over and over: no, that’s normal, everyone feels like that, your emotions are relatable and also valid. She feels so much guilt-- for not being optimal, or for not following orders. She wasn’t able to single-handedly keep the Grimm out of Mantle and therefore ensure everything else could go as planned; she wasn’t able to save Fria; she stole Winter’s destiny from her. If she were what they made her to be, surely she wouldn’t have failed, right? It’s why it’s heartbreaking when she pulls Ruby aside in Refuge:

“I was the protector of Mantle, but now, I am much more than that... and I wish I was not.”

But the thing is, if they bring her back-- and this is one of the many reasons I believe they have to-- she won’t be.

Finally.

This has been the goal all along. Ruby outwitted Ambrosius because she was desperate to get Penny out from under the burden of her terrible purpose-- to do what she’s ordered to, to be at the beck and call of those who outrank her, or die trying. And then Penny went and sacrificed herself anyway, which: of course she did. Because she was taught it was all she was good for, if you want to be mean about it, or-- or because she thought it was the right thing to do, if you’re forgiving. It’s the same thing any of her friends would do, if they were in her shoes. I’m giving you a head start. That’s what love looks like; it’s the choice heroes make. Isn’t it?

But to get at the root of the problem, we have to rewind back further. Penny was reactivated the first time not because Pietro wanted her to be (though surely he did), but because she had a job to do. The contract wasn’t finished; Ironwood wasn’t going to give up on his fancy new toy just because it fell apart. But now? There’s no more Mantle to protect. Atlas has fallen. And beyond that-- her friends don’t need her to be the Maiden, either. That’s a mutable title, and one that has passed her by; they still have one, even with her gone.

So this next time around... she’ll have the chance to process why she made the decisions she did, and to move past it, because she’ll know how much she’s worth to them. Not the Penny Project, not the Winter Maiden, but Penny Polendina.

Which is to say: they don’t need her, they just want her. 

They want her. 

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2021 | Day 25: College AU

Kisses And Video Chats | @vampamber

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1,098 Main Tags/Warnings: Cas comes from an overly religious family, long distance relationship, Christmas break Summary: Castiel feels pretty down, since his boyfriend Dean went home for winter break, while he was stuck in the dorms, waiting for the inevitably horrible Christmas with his homophobic family so that it'll be that much closer until Dean gets back. But thankfully, Dean was just a video chat away, and if anything can cheer Castiel up, it's Dean.

College days | @blueraven06

Rating: General Word Count: 1,167 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - College/University Summary: It's Castiel's first day of college and he is already late.

early bird gets the shaving foam revelation | @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2,282 Main Tags/Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Identity Crisis, Supportive Boyfriend Dean Winchester Summary: Cas clings harder, and his words end up muttered — and reasonably muffled, into Dean’s shirt. “I hate that guy.” Dean raises his eyebrows, belatedly realizing Cas can’t see them from being wrapped around him. “Huh?” “The guy I’m supposed to be.” Cas goes on, gritting his teeth. “Dean, I hate him. He makes my life miserable. And I — I’m just so tired.” And at that, Cas decides the point’s been made, and stops talking entirely, leaving Dean with little more to do than hold on. Well, and think.

Musical Chairs | @vampamber

Rating: General Word Count: 2,309 Main Tags/Warnings: ABO, alpha Dean, omega Cas, scenting, first meetings Summary: Dean didn't even want to take this freaking art history class in the first place, but once he gets there he's glad he did, because somebody smells really amazing. Too bad that somebody is also practically impossible to find. Pointless fluff because reasons.

Free Hugs | @imbiowaresbitch

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 2,611 Main Tags/Warnings: Castiel/Dean Winchester , Meet-Cute, Alternate Universe - College/University, Embarrassment, Roommates, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Frottage Summary: Castiel is moving into his dorm for his first year when his older brother Gabriel trips him into the arms of a half-naked hunk holding a sign reading FREE HUGS. Then Cas meets his roommate...

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody | @vampamber

Rating: Mature Word Count: 3,540 Main Tags/Warnings: underaged drinking, top Dean, bottom Cas, drunk Cas, overly serious Cas, Seven Minutes In Heaven, frat boy Dean, frat party Summary: Castiel was only going to the frat party because his annoyingly extroverted friend Balthazar had promised to not force him into socializing for two entire weeks in exchange. He had no idea what to expect when he was shoved into a closet with an incredibly attractive stranger named Dean to play something called "Seven Minutes In Heaven". And apparently Dean had no idea what to expect afterwards.

I Bet You Don't | @verobatto

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 7,636 Main Tags/Warnings: Genius AU, rivals to lovers, University AU, not actually unrequited love, top!Castiel/bottom!Dean Summary: Dean is a psychology and anthropology student and Castiel a biochemistry and Biophysics student. Both of them cold as an iceberg. Dean creates a club named THE NO-LOVE CLUB and makes a research including a bet to study human behavior and courtship. The bet is: THREE DATES WITH HIM TRYING NOT TO FALL IN LOVE. Of course he's the winner so far. And we have a lot of broken hearts. Until he breaks Anna Novak's heart, Castiel's little sister. Imagine two geniuses, one trying to defend his theory and the other trying to break it. Who will win the bet this time?

Christmas Morning on Halloween Night | @Shorty559

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 10,886 Main Tags/Warnings: Homophobic language, breathplay, anal play, rough sex, Dom Castiel, bottom Dean Summary: Sam and Dean are college students where Sam befriends new student Castiel. Wanting to set his brother Dean up on dates never goes good, but Cas looks like he might be a nice fit. The Winchester brothers are throwing costume parties that lead into Halloween where everything changes for Cas and Dean.

The Shots We Don't Take | @a-mandala-rose

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 56,534 Main Tags/Warnings: Hockey Player Dean, Nerd Castiel, Sex/Strangers to Lovers, Homophobic Behavior (Not Cas or Dean), Briefly Described Violence, Injury/Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Switching, Happy Ending Summary: Still nursing the tatters of a broken heart and trying desperately to stave off the terror of his impending graduation, college senior Cas Novak decides it’s time to blow off a little steam. Not just any hook-up will do, however. The last thing Cas needs right now is a distraction. On the lookout for someone he can enjoy a steamy night of passion with before leaving them behind entirely, Cas thinks he’s found exactly what he needs in cocky university hockey star and well-known playboy Dean Winchester. Dean is gorgeous, doesn’t date, and is the singular most infuriating person Cas has ever met. He’s the perfect one night stand...that is, until Dean decides he wants an instant replay of what was supposed to be a one-time event. Will Cas’ offer of friends, sans benefits, convince the arrogant love ’em and leave ’em hockey defenseman to find an easier score? Or will Dean wear down Cas’ defenses and lure the sexy nerd in the dorky trenchcoat back to his bed?

Crashing (A.K.A. The Magic of Peppermint) | @lotsofquestionslimitedanswers

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 91,411 Main Tags/Warnings: mutual pining, angst with a happy ending, slow burn, implied/referenced self-harm, implied/referenced homophobia, death of an abusive parent, implied/referenced child abuse Summary: It’s the middle of Dean’s junior year of college and Dean had never paid much attention to fellow English-major Castiel Novak until they crash into each other at the Barnes and Noble on campus. The second Castiel’s coffee spills all over Dean, Dean can’t get the dorky English nerd out of his head. Chaos ensues.

Playing It Safe | @darknessbound3

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 160,544 Main Tags/Warnings: Top!Cas/Bottom Dean, BDSM Undertones, Roommates, College AU, First Meet, Gay Dean Winchester, Gay Castiel Summary: Fresh out of high school, Dean Winchester accepts a full ride to play football clear across the country. He barely glances at the name of the town, let alone anything else - he just needs to get the hell out of Hayward and move on with his life. He moves in with identical twins just off campus, and while one thinks he'll be the reason Dean sits the bench all year... the other apparently wants to drag Dean out of the closet ass-first. New town, new friends, new rules. Would it really be so bad if he left the old Dean behind?

The Closest Thing We Have to Magic | @ellen-of-oz

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 221,231 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe-College, Alternate Universe-Modern with Magic, College Professor Castiel, Graduate Student Dean, Slow burn, Enemies to friends to lovers, top Castiel/bottom Dean, top Dean/bottom Castiel, Minor Ruby/Sam, brief past Meg/Castiel Summary: Dean Winchester is a graduate student at Stanford University’s School of the Occult. A naturally-talented mage but a lazy professor and student, he figures he’ll coast through his final year the way he always has: with charisma, charm, and a natural aptitude for magic. All that changes when his thesis advisor, Dr. Castiel Novak, turns out to be the strictest and most challenging educator on-campus. Unfortunately for Dean, the uptight professor is nearly his age and infuriatingly gorgeous. But Castiel is keeping a secret, a powerful talent that’s more a curse than a blessing when he’s targeted by seditious parts of magical society. Can Dean and Cas put aside their animosity—and undeniable chemistry—long enough to instill real change in the magical community? Or will sinister plots and hidden agendas keep them apart?

[booksrbetterthanpeople]

Artist Family 1991 movie?

All is more sullen than usual for the Artists. It’s the third anniversary of Rose’s disappearance

Juleka: *Solemnly staring at Rose’s empty room* Think of it That. For years we’ve attempted to contact Rose in the Great Beyond. And for years… Nothing.

Ever since Rose’s disappearance, Juleka has been looking through her spell books for other ways to contact her, but just can seem to find anything

For Marinette, she tries to cope the only way she knows how… Through torture.

Alix: *Tied up: Screaming through her binds*

Marinette: *Aiming an arrow at Alix* Don’t be a baby. I know what I’m doing.

Marc is more unhappy than usual… And it gets Nathaniel in the mood.

Nathaniel: *Watching Marc sleep* Look at him. I would die for him. I would kill for him… Either way, what bliss. *Marc wakes up* Unhappy, darling?

Marc: Oh, yes. Yes, completely. Nathan... The sun. Me atraviesa como un puñal.

Nathaniel: Oh, monochrome. That's Spanish.

Marc: Si.

Nathaniel: *Grabs a bucket of black paint and splatters it all over the window*

Marc: Mi amor... Last night, you were unhinged. You were like some desperate howling demon. You frightened me… Do it again.

Also, their neighbor, a well-respected judge, hates them because Marinette can’t keep her flaming arrows on the Artists’ property. Why does this matter? You’ll soon see.

Nathaniel: *Playing chess with Juleka while Marc snips the buds off of roses* It’s a milestone, Marc. It’ll be our third séance. All those years, gnawed by guilt, undone by woe, burning with uncertainty.

Marc: Nathaniel, don’t torture yourself… That’s my job around here. But, imagine if Rose did return. Half alive, barley human, a rotting shell.

Juleka: *Sighs* That’d be a sight.

Unbeknownst to everyone (Except Félix), Juleka has a crush on Rose.

Later, the Artists’ lawyer, Cecil and his wife Bridgette arrive to ask for a loan. (Wow. Asking for a loan from teenagers? Yeesh.) Why? Because they owe a loan shark.

Bridgette: Why did I marry you?

Cecil: Because I said yes!

While Cecil tries to work out a deal with Nathaniel, Bridgette collects expensive looking items for a charity auction from Juleka, Marc, and Félix

Marc: *As Félix pulls body bags out of a closet* Uncle Niknak's winter wardrobe. Uncle Niknak's summer wardrobe… Uncle Niknak.

Nathaniel: ‘The Rose Artist Off-Shore Retirement Fund’?… A tribute to thee. Some called her inhumanly evil.

Cecil: No!

Nathaniel: Only her parents before she fled her home.

And they make a deal… But…

Nathaniel: It’s going to have to wait, you know the rules better than that. Old business is old business and new business is new business. And this is new business and we do not discuss new business until… The next quarter.

After an unsuccessful attempt at stabbing Nathaniel with one of the many swords in the house, Cecil gives up until Nathaniel mentions going to get money for the monthly expenses from the vault

Meanwhile, Marc shows Bridgette a golden finger trap from the court of Emperor Wu

Bridgette: *Trying to not pocket it and run off* Oh, Marc, this is too extravagant, even for the auction.

Juleka: Let’s keep it.

Marc: Juleka, it’s for charity. *Bridgette gets her fingers trapped* Widows and orphans. We need more of them… Bridgette, about the séance tonight, why don’t you come? It's Nathaniel I'm terribly worried about. He won't eat, he can't sleep, he keeps coughing up blood.

Bridgette: He coughs up blood?

Marc: Well, not like he used to...

Cecil returns to his office with a suitcase full of doubloons from the Artists’ account, no knowledge of how to get the vault open, and in his office is Ms. Craven, a loan shark and her familiar-looking daughter, Willow

After some intimidation from Willow, Cecil gets an idea of how to repay Ms. Craven the money he owes her when he sees how similar she looks to Rose

There’s thunder and lightning on the night of the séance. Perfect weather

Marc: Marinette, Alix, put down that antenna, and come inside.

With their plan in place, Cecil and Bridgette arrive

Bridgette: *Shows Marinette the finger trap still on her fingers* Could you help me? *Marinette removes it with ease*

Marinette: Push, do not pull.

Marc: *With everyone seated around the table for the séance* Harken all souls. Every year on this date, we offer a clarion call to Rose Artist… Alix, drop the cleaver.

Marinette: *Sees Alix aiming the cleaver at her* Stop it.

Marc: From generation to generation, our beacon to the beyond. All close eyes and join hands.

After a practical joke on Bridgette involving That, the séance continues.

Marinette: Let us ransom you from the power of the grave. Tonight, oh Death, let us be your plague.

Juleka: Rose Artist, ceoli couris, ferimani bo… She’s near. *Félix plays a dramatic sting on his organ* Rose! Gather your strength! And knock three times! *One knock… Two… Three*

Nathaniel: She’s at the door!

That quickly goes to unlock the front door. And there, much to the Artists’ disbelief and joy is Rose… Or so they think. And there with her is Ms. Craven, posing as a psychiatrist named Dr. Schloss

Ms. Craven makes up some story about how “Rose” was found in Miami, tangled up in a tuna net. There were psychological tests, and a bunch of crap.

Nathaniel: And now she’s back.

Rose: At least for a week. I’ve got things to do back at the Bermuda Triangle.

Marc: *Sighs* Oh, the Bermuda Triangle./ Nathaniel: The Devil’s Island./ Marc: The Black Hole of Calcutta

Nathaniel: Pardon me for a moment. *Kisses up and down Marc’s arm* Our fifth date.

Marinette: No one escapes the Bermuda Triangle. Not even for a vacation. Everyone knows that.

Any attempts Willow tries at getting a good night’s sleep, it doesn’t work because The floors are constantly creaking, Marinette and Alix keep staring at her from down the hall, and That keep sneaking up on her which causes her to scream.

Nathaniel: … My dear friend. I’ve got goosebumps./ Marc: I know./ Nathaniel: Screams in the night. It can only mean one thing./ Marc: She’s home.

The next morning, Marinette and Alix suspect something is up with “Rose”. Meanwhile, Nathaniel takes “Rose” to the vault

Alix: *As Marinette warms up the electric chair* Do you think that’s really Rose?

Marinette: Nathaniel and Juleka seem to think so. But I think Marc isn’t sure. Now let’s a play a game. Sit in the chair.

Alix: What game?

Marinette: ‘Want to meet God?’

And Nathaniel does take Rose down to the vault, via gondola in the catacombs of the Artist home, only this vault leads to a secret room… That also leads to the money vault when a certain vial of poison is lifted

During that time, while they’re down there, Nathaniel reveals to “Rose” that his jealousy over her catching the attention of conjoined twins Ali and Eli drove her off

~Meanwhile~ Alix: So, if that’s not Rose, then who is she?

Marinette: An imposter. Now give the chair a few more seconds to warm up./ Alix: Why?/ Marinette: So it Can kill you./ Alix: I knew that.

~Later at the charity auction ~

Auctioneer: *Presenting the finger trap on Bridgette’s fingers again* This piece is encrusted with rubies and 15 emerald chips. It was donated by Marc and Nathaniel Artist. Remember, over half our proceeds will benefit the elderly and the mentally disabled. The bidding starts at $5000.

Nathaniel: Five, hah! Not good enough. $25,000!

Auctioneer: I have twenty.

Nathaniel: Twenty-five! *To Marc* Meyn Ziskeyt?

Auctioneer: Twenty five.

Marc: Thirty. *To Nathaniel* My howling demon.

Nathaniel: *voice cracks* Thirty-five!

Marc: Fifty!

Auctioneer: I have $50,000.

Marc: Your turn, my ecstasy.

Auctioneer: Fifty thousand going once, fifty thousand going twice. Sold to Marc Artists for fifty thousand dollars. *looks disgusted as Marc and Nathaniel obscenely make out*

They bought it back as a gift for “Rose”, but… She doesn’t know how to take it off! The Artists are now starting believe that she really is an imposter

Marc attempts to break “Rose” and get her to confess by taking her to the Artists’ cemetery where he reminds her of the credo

Marc: "Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc." "We gladly feast on those who would subdue us." Not just pretty words… Rose. As an Artist, you understand completely.

“Rose”: … As an Artist, I do.

Seeing that everyone’s onto her, Willow calls Ms. Craven and has her pose as the psychiatrist to try and make the Artists none the wiser

Marc: Nathaniel, Juleka, why don’t you speak to Rose? She’s right outside the door.

Juleka: We would… If that were the real Rose.

Nathaniel: She’s an imposter! A charlatan! A sham! A counterfeit!

While wandering around the home, Rose sees Marinette and Alix sword fighting and practicing lines for something.

Ms. Craven successfully convinces the Artists that their reason for suspecting “Rose” is an imposter is due to displacement, and meanwhile, Rose helps Marinette and Alix out with their sword fighting scene for a play they’re in at school. A play she’s not allowed to attend but goes to anyway

Just a few minutes before the play, Mme. Bustier, asks Marc a question about Marinette.

Mme. Bustier: Now, the students did projects on their heroes. Alya Cesaire chose Lois Lane.

Marc: Have you spoken to her parents?

Mme. Bustier: And Marinette did her project on someone named Calpurnia Dupain.

Marc: Oh, her great aunt on her father’s side. She was burned as a witch in 1706. They say she danced naked in town square and enslaved a minister. *Unaware of Mme. Bustier’s horror.* Don’t worry, we told her university first.

And after so many horrible performances, comes the best one yet… Where Marinette and Alix splatter fake blood all over the audience.

Nino: … I suggested a evening in the park, but no. You wanted to see the performances.

Alya: *Spits out fake blood* Shut up.

Furious that her plans to get into the vault have failed since “Rose” decided to go to the play, Ms. Craven insists that “Rose” must leave again… But not before the Artists mark the occasion with a going away party where the entire Artist clan is invited.

Marc: *To Marinette who is dancing with Luka* Marinette, would you go check on Rose upstairs, please?

Marinette leaves (Not before kissing Luka) and overhears Willow and Ms. Craven going over their plan to break into the vault. She quickly runs to go get help.

Meanwhile, Cecil figures out a way to get rid of the Artists for good. And here’s where the judge comes in- He gets a restraining order agasint them so they can’t set foot on their property

After the party, the Artist family tries to find Marinette when they realize that she’s gone missing. But when they return with her, they find that they can’t get inside their own home. And when they attempt to appeal to the judge, he sends them away out of spite.

The Artists are now living in a motel. Nathaniel is in a state of depression knowing they’ve been betrayed, and Marc is just trying to keep Juleka, Marinette, and Alix from going crazy… Er.

Also, he gets a job as a kindergarten teacher’s assistant. Let’s see how that turns out.

Marc: And so the witch lured Hansel and Gretel into the candy house by promising them more sweets. And she told them to look in the oven. But, before she herself could push the children inside, Hansel pushed her, that poor defenseless elderly witch into the oven instead and burned her to a crisp as she writhed in agony… Now children. How do you think that feels? *The children cry* … Exactly.

That gets a job as a courier, and Marinette, Juleka, and Alix sell poison macarons.

Not able to stand the sight of his family in such a state, Marc returns to the Artists home to confront “Rose” only to be captured by Ms. Craven and Cecil. And unknown to Marc, That followed him.

Craven, Cecil, and Willow torture Marc so he can tell them how to access the vault means of torture, but he’s a total masochist and is loving every second of it

That returns to the motel and- through Morse code- tells the Artists that Marc’s been captured

Nathaniel: Mar... Marc... Marc? Marc is what? Slow down, That! It's terrible when you stutter!

*That starts tapping in Morse Code with a pen*

Nathaniel: Marc... in... danger... stop. Send... help... at once... STOP! *He runs out. That collapses*

Nathaniel arrives just before they can try and kill Marc, and engages in a sword fight with Cecil, which he gains the upper hand on, then loses when Ms. Craven has Marc at gun point. She forces him to show Willow the vault or she shoots Marc if they’re not back in an hour

Before Nathaniel can pull out the book that activates the secret door on the shelf, Willow pulls out a different book- A spellbook that projects It’s contents into reality and creates a storm. A bolt of lightning strikes Willow and launches Cecil and Craven out the window and into graves dug by Marinette, Alix, and Juleka

Alix: Are they dead?

Marinette: Does it matter?

Months later on Halloween, it’s revealed that Willow has been Rose all this time, and the story about the tuna net and the Bermuda Triangle were true. She just suffered from amnesia

Bridgette: *To Marinette* Dear, where’s your costume.

Marinette: This is my costume. I’m a homicidal maniac; they look just like everyone else.

While the others play a good game of ‘Wake The Dead’ Marc and Nathaniel stay behind because Marc has something to tell him.

Nathaniel: Monochrome, what is it?

Marc: I finally received a letter from my mothers, and… *Shows him an ultrasound photo* They said if it’s anything like me, they want us to have it.

Sequel

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms part 2

Part 1 <-

Yang:Okay Weiss, your turn.

Weiss:What!? Why me?

Blake:Because you’ve been bouncing in your seat all through Yang’s story. You clearly want to gush about your kids.

Weiss:Pffft, What!? Nooooo, a little. Hehehe I can’t believe I’m that obvious. *smiles*

Ruby:Aww look at you, I never believe Weiss Schnee could look as warm as campfire.

Yang:And wearing mom jeans!? Little jealous that you still look completely gorgeous. Why does mom energy make you prettier?

Weiss:What can I say? I’m great. As far as my universe goes, I argue that I’m the strongest mom!

Blake:Such a bold claim.

Weiss:I carried twins! *points to self* this body handled two buns in the oven!

Ruby:Couldn’t be me. *shutters* I’d sooner loose an eye. Speaking of eyes, your scar has a friend. Got this whole upside down cross basically.

Weiss:Oh that? That’s uhhhh- how would I even explain this?

Yang:And your hair! It’s short!

Ruby:Yeah you’re just a surprise all over.

Blake:Guys, let her start from the beginning!

Ruby and Yang:Oh right. *covers mouths*

Weiss:(Yep, they’re the same sisters anywhere.) Thank you Blake. Now then...a good starting place? Well I suppose I could lay the ground work of Jaune and I getting better acquainted. It was about two weeks into reaching Atlas. Winter learned I got impaled and berated me not giving any kind of thanks. Since I had waited so long to do so, words wouldn’t do for her standards and she made me take him to a proper dinner. I think it was that night we actually talked openly to each other. A piece of me was annoyed at first because I thought he’d get the wrong idea again. But...he didn’t. He was just happy to spend time with me. That’s when I realized he had changed a bit *red* and apparently I changed too. Sigh, because that annoyed feeling was actually me forming a crush.

Blake:Looks like you changed more than he did. I think we can all agree that we’re pretty rough to deal with at Beacon in the beginning?

Yang:Hell yeah!

Ruby:Preach! Hehe, but it meant you grew the most too.

Weiss:Hey! You’re all assuming that I was terrible! Who knows, I could a Saint compared to your Weiss. Maybe I was a sweetheart at Beacon.

RBY:.....

Yang:Were you?

Weiss:*red* I’ll never tell.

Blake:(That’s just a no...) Two weeks into Atlas huh? I bet feelings raged whenever the whole place was under attack huh?

Weiss:W...What attack? Barely anything happened in Atlas.

Blake:Excuse me?

Ruby:Pfft what? You’re joking right? There wasn’t any threat of things falling out the sky or war threats?

Weiss:No? We showed up, put the relic in vault, and took time fortifying things while planning with Ironwood. The most exciting thing was a grimm wave and two of Salem’s goons showing up at a ball, but we handled that.

Ruby:....I...that’s...oh my head.

Blake:So what you’re saying is time in Atlas was a piece of cake?

Weiss:Well I had to deal with my father and and a lot of other family drama so I wouldn’t say it was cake. It was actually very stressful.

Yang:Well I think we found the massive shift between worlds. Atlas was different. I would say I dealt with anything like falling kingdoms. Atlas for me was one long Mission Impossible sequence. Espionage, jail break, fake deaths, but please continue with your love story.

Weiss:You sound a little envious. Anyways there isn’t too much of anything to tell in that part. Dates, fighting together, sibling healing, I was disowned publicly, Penny was being amazing-

Blake:You were disowned?

Ruby:(Penny is...alive? Huh, well, imagine that?) .....

Yang:*whispers* You okay Rubes?

Ruby:Yeah, processing. Hey Weiss? Not to control the narrative or anything, but how is your Ruby exactly? I get the feeling she’s quite different from me somehow if things like the adventure in Atlas are different.

Weiss rubbed her chin. She could tell the Ruby in front of her was pretty perplexed by the differences so far. In fact, Weiss could tell mentioning Penny made them all flinch a little. It was safe to assume they all hadn’t heard that name in a very long time. It made her feel a little bad. Did she somehow get a more ideal world?

Weiss:I think I might be able to answer that if you could humor me by getting a little further into my world’s reality? I don’t know how but I do get a since the two of you might have a key difference.

Ruby:I’m all ears.

Weiss: Blake, I’ll circle back to being disowned a little later. It’s one of the biggest reasons I am who I am now. Let’s see now, ah, the plan. After Atlas was infiltrated it was hard to save face to the rest of Remnant. That was until the world learned about Salem. It was a secret that was doing more harm than good at this point. On that day, our journey really began for us. Team RWBY wasn’t just four girls and their friends. It was one of four four girls commanding troops, organizing meetings, rallying others. We were the face of a revolution: along with JNPR of course.

Ruby:The world just...believed in Salem?

Weiss:There were plenty skeptics, but it’s harder not to believe it. Pen- our winter maiden, showed off magic. Then the others on our side followed the example. We had two relics to show off from the start, and a variety of ways to explain questions throughout history that nobody could answer before. We gave humanity’s suffering a face. People were more than eager to cling to it. From that point it was hard for Salem to make a move that wouldn’t give further validity to our story.

Ruby:An army huh, lead by us?

Weiss:Yep, mainly you when it came to the battlefield. You were anxious at first and definitely made moves that you regretted. But...after some time and experience, you stood tall in front of dozens to give a speech the night of the final battle. I still get chills. There wasn’t an eye that wasn’t on you. A person who didn’t want to march into battle with you. I don’t think I ever seen you more sure of where you were meant to be.

Ruby:Is that so? Hmm, I think...I think I get it now. Your Ruby must’ve stumbled quite a bit, but had people by her consistently. It was other’s strength that enabled her to get stronger. How old was she when the war was over?

Weiss:It ended on her twenty first birthday.

Ruby:Makes sense. An army isn’t made in a day. Plans and caution for everyone involved. A united force like that sounds like a thing Oz dreamed of.

Weiss:Actually, it was. My world beat Salem by gaining the relics. The gods witnessed the effort the world put in and stripped her of immortality. It was actually thanks to you that Salem went peacefully. Instead of damning her to a cruel fate, the gods let her pass on to her kids per your request. After that, gods and magic came back. Both are still mysterious. The gods are hard to find and there’s only one person born with magic so far.

Yang:Magic is a thing there!? That’s so unfair! Just imagine me with more fire!?

Weiss:Like you need it!? You’re already like a generator. Life after Salem wasn’t any calmer really. Terrifying grimm lurked where their could, an entire new way of life had been dropped on society, and even the world itself seemed to react. Weather has been more intense as of late. There was a lot things to keep people busy. Ruby being her usual self, started hunting. Blake used the momentum of faunus and humans working together to further her equality agenda, and Yang helped both of you out.

Yang:Look at me! I’m a great girlfriend and sister!

Blake:*mumbles* There at least.

Weiss:Yeah. Oscar and Penny decided to embarrass more of normal lifestyle, mostly. Penny went back to being protector of Mantle, but had way more free time to be a normal girl. Both of them had gotten really close over the years and eventually married.

Ruby:*wide eyed* Awwww, good for them! I always had a feeling those two would hit it off.

Weiss:They weren’t the only ones. You may have been busy, but you always made time for Whitley. The two of you were dating since our original trip to Atlas. There wasn’t a problem that either of you didn’t come to me for. You know hard it is to navigate other people’s relationships when you’re lost in your own? The blind was leading the blind. Worked out though. You were probably the prettiest bride out of all of us. Then again, you went ours and literally took notes.

Ruby:Hehe, that sounds exactly like something I’d do. You haven’t talked much about the charmed life after the war for you.

Weiss felt her face heat up. She placed her head on the table as if she gave up on something.

Yang:Yeah! Give us the scoop!

Weiss:Charmed isn’t what I’d call my life exactly. I was disowned, completely cut off. Even though I made my own mark in history, it’s not like people were gonna roll out red carpets. The world had to rebuild, and I needed a roof over my head. Thus began the modest life of Weiss Schnee, owner of a two bedroom Argus apartment. Fancy clothes a food were no more. Just clearance sales and two for one. Honestly, I didn’t hate. But that’s mainly because I wasn’t living alone.

Blake:Jaune?

Weiss:Living back home was just as unappealing for him as it was for me. That and the fact that I couldn’t cook for shit was concerning, to say the least. Moving in and splitting rent just made sense. We weren’t dating yet technically, but.....it didn’t take long for the relationship between us to...expand.

Yang:I cannot believe a Weiss Schnee finally caved to tall blonde and scraggly. I should be jealous, but I’m strangely proud of Jaune’s achievement. It’s like the first time I lost to him. I was upset, but man did he work for that win.

Weiss:Took about a month before all of you had learned just what the living situation was like and man did you three let the teasing begin? *smiles* it was fun though. If I had to wrong about something then I’m glad it was about me not thinking a person is reliable. Especially since they’ve bailed me out of trouble many times. Normal life had its pitfalls. We were constantly working to pay rent. Sometimes one of us had to work harder. Getting sick was disastrous, of long term assignments. What’s the relationship I have with Whitley in the other worlds?

Ruby:Casual. The two of are always throwing ideas back and forth to help the company.

Blake:The two of you are fine. I’m not too sure how much you actually hang out, but you both are pretty snarky whenever you’re together.

Yang:Thick as thieves. That man was always shifting money and finding sneaky ways to let us know when important things popped up.

Weiss:Good, that’s really good. *exhales* I can’t count the times he sent money without father knowing. I’m glad we reconnected. Without his and everyone’s help, I don’t think I would’ve managed. Especially when mom died...

Ruby:Oh. I...I’m sorry to hear that.

Weiss:It’s bound to happen when you drink the way she did. But yeah, didn’t handle it any easier. Between that and stressing over money, I really got overwhelmed often. I was very glad I didn’t live alone. Even if I didn’t want to talk about things, Jaune was always there to listen. I think it was around that time I realized just how in love I actually was with him. He makes me happy. That idiot must’ve known how much of a weakness I had for him. It was only a few months later that he proposed.

The simple memory of Jaune asking her under a street light on a cold yet peaceful night, made Weiss’s face a healthy shade of red. A gentle smile was all she could make thinking about it. A smile that left everyone stunned. They had never seen Weiss look so warm. So genuinely filled with love, happiness. To think she was once called Ice Queen? This one really did look like an Angel. Weiss quit daydreaming and got a little embarrassed.

Weiss:Uh, sorry! I guess I little mushy there. I’ve been told I’ve gotten pretty sappy through the years.

Blake:I think that’s beautiful.

Yang:Seriously. I’m...speechless really.

Ruby:A hardworking Weiss that struggled making ends meet. I gotta say that you look good doing it.

Weiss:Yeah well, that time has passed. My father got sick and in an attempt to “clear his conscious” or whatever he was feeling, he put me back in the family. I only saw him once when he was on his deathbed. Truthfully, I don’t visit my parent’s grave. I wanna say old emotions don’t get stirred up, but there’s certain feelings towards people that just can’t die I guess.

Yang:That’s fair. Who knows, maybe you just need a decade or two?

Weiss:Hehe, perhaps. However, before I got my fortune back, I was granted an either better one. Two in fact. That sly knight of mine managed to overachieve like he always does and give us a boy and girl.

Blake:I got a sneaking suspicion that you weren’t upset?

Weiss:Not for one second! I love my babies. My darling little Nick and Summer Schnee. One named after our grandfather, and Jaune and I are both really thankful for all that Ruby has done for us, so our daughter got named Summer. It meant a lot. My Ruby...she can’t have kids, or I should say getting and staying pregnant is extremely difficult.

Ruby:...*sniffling* These aren’t tears by the way. Just dust.

Weiss:My Ruby cried.

Ruby:Oh I bet! That’s some powerful stuff. Probably ugly cried too. Someone please say something? *misty eyed* Fuck, man that was a lot. *puts hood up* give me a sec, please keep going. *holding Yang’s hand*

Yang:Weiss, weren’t you a little scared about your living situation?

Weiss:It was a weird thing. We talked about having a family before hand. Money was always a concern, as well space; but I also knew that I did want to have a family of my own one day. So when the day came that the nurse told me I was pregnant, I should’ve been more worried. I wasn’t. All I felt was joy. Maybe it was because I had faith we could handle anything. We did have you all to help. Yang, you might as well be a superwoman honestly. You have been so amazing throughout my life.

Yang:Aye! I really love this other me.

Blake:What about me?

Weiss:You remain the most sensible person in my life and I thank you for it. Everyone else is crazy.

Blake:Yeah that’s pretty on brand. *smiles*

Ruby:Picture please?

Weiss gladly pulled out her scroll and showed off her children. It was quick to see both of them had gotten their father’s dorkiness. They stood in front of the camera playfully winking and were pretending to take a bite out the gold medals they had around their necks. It was crazy how much Summer looked like her mother, but clearly had Jaune’s eyes. Her brother on the other hand had the Schnee eyes and messy Arc hair. The two looked like barrels of fun. Then there was the man himself, Jaune Arc. He looked from the one in Yang’s photo. His hair resembled his days traveling to Haven and he was clean shaven, but he was noticeably healthier. It wasn’t even a physical thing much, though he did look good. He just seemed more vibrant.

Yang:Mine is cuter.

Weiss:Yours looks like your dad with the scruff.

Yang:Can you not?

Blake:How old?

Weiss:Sixteen. Little devils want sports car. I’m not dealing with that. Nick is really good at figure skating and is the oldest, so he’s the heir. Summer decided to be a little like her mother and pursue singing. Doesn’t have my voice though, but her range is better than me. I’m jealous. Both of them are always pretty decent in a fight if I do say so myself. Sigh, they grow up so fast. They still have a lot of growing to do though. Teenagers...

RBY:Preach...

Ruby:Everything okay though? Nothing too tough going on?

Weiss:Can I lie and say yes?

Yang:Hey I unpacked my baggage. Unload yours.

Weiss let out a large sigh. She looked at her kids lovingly, but had a smile that seemed...somber. All of her energy was brought down a bit and it showed.

Yang:Umm if it’s too much-

Weiss:It’s fine. It might be a little therapeutic to talk about it. Personally, I don’t I’m doing all I really can do. When they were very young, we all took a trip to go skating at a frozen lake. While I was there I found this strange ice dust that I’ve never seen before. Nick and Summer had gotten into a fight and by accident, Nick set off the dust. The shrapnel from it hit everyone, but Summer had it the worse. I’m talking it was lodged in her in multiple places. Not to mention the blast sent her flying into the water. I was hit so hard that I nearly blacked out. Thankfully, Jaune was the furthest and dove into the water while I managed to get Nick. He avoided a lot of it due to distance and was winded more than anything.

Ruby:Christ...

Blake:How young?

Weiss:Five. We rushed so fast to the hospital as soon as we could. The dust in Summer was freezing her until Nick activated her semblance and most of the shards got used up. Still, Summer ended up hospitalized for almost a year. Surgeries, comas, seizures; it was difficult to put it lightly. That picture doesn’t show it but she has puncture scars across her body, and a slight scar under her jawline she covers with makeup. That dust, though highly dangerous, it also healed her eventually. Summer had virtually no chance of survival. Not even counting the organ damage, that water should’ve put her into shock. But...she made a full recovery, on paper.

Yang:On paper?

Weiss:Several years later, Summer came in contact with the dust again and she...changed. Her eyes looked like mine, her light blonde hair went white, and she went mad. Her scars glowed with the dust that was still in her system and Summer started attacking everyone. I saw my twelve year old just use ice that was cold enough to burn. My extra scar is from me trying to restrain her. In the end it took my gigas pinning her down before she came to her senses. Summer had no memory of it. She said all remembered was feeling cold and hearing her own laughter. It wasn’t long after that it kept happening. Any time she got cold, this other...thing would come out. It eventually called itself Shiva.

Blake:Shiva? So...it’s a multiple personality?

Weiss:We don’t know. There’s so many inconsistencies. We got her checked up by the best and every test was normal. Her brain looks normal. But any time Shiva comes out, her blood turns blue and all she wants to do is hurt us. Shiva and Summer are even aware of each other now. There’s almost no day where Summer doesn’t hear Shiva in her head, wrestling for control. Between that, people at school who hate her, the scars, everything; Summer has become pretty reserved. She barely wants to go to school and she’s depressed most days. Nowadays she doesn’t open up about it outside of therapy. I...I can connect with her. Not in the way that matters.

Yang:I...shit, I don’t know what to say to that.

Weiss:That’s okay, few do. We’ve gotten good at preventing situations that get Summer cold but it’s through trial and error on something we know nothing about. Even with how far we’ve gotten, there’s a looming fear in everyone’s heart. Make no mistake though, that doesn’t stop any family from loving her with everything, but the mental strain of it all is more than anyone should deal with. Nick is kind soul. He blames himself for this and is constantly doing all he can to be there for everyone and put on this brave face, but he suffers inside. For a time, he went to therapy. Your sister almost killing you is a visceral experience. Getting him to sleep and take a break is like telling a fish not to swim. He is pretty open about this though, which helps a lot. It’s just...how do convince somehow they’re good enough when they think they’re not?

Ruby and Blake:You can’t....

Weiss:Exactly. It’s so...*tearing up* How am I failing at helping my kids worse than my own mother?

Yang:And that’s where I draw the line. *stands up* Now I can’t begin to fathom dealing with a a situation like this, and what I’m about to say is gonna be a little hypocritical but I really don’t care. Weiss, the last thing you are is a bad mother. I could tell immediately from the way you are that there hasn’t been a single as a parent that you haven’t made a choice without your kids in mind. I get feeling like there’s a gap that disconnects you from there; but the fact you keep your arms stretched out to bridge it makes you mother of the year in my eyes! Don’t believe for a second you’re a bad mother. Your the gold standard!

The room filled with silence for a moment. Weiss felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears that she eventually had to wipe away. She tried letting out a small laugh, but with it came more tears that ran down her face. Weiss couldn’t tell if it was from Yang’s words, or the stress. All she knew was that right now, she felt very thankful for being here.

Weiss:Damn it Yang, making me cry is something you’ve always been good at. Maybe that’s why I look up to you so much?

Yang:*red* Y-You what?

Weiss:My Yang, I downplayed just how much I adore her. Her daughter, Veronica, she’s got her fair share problems that stresses Yang out, but I never see her stop trying to connect with her. Even when she’s sad it’s like it’s only for a second, then you’re trying twice as hard. It’s amazing. If I’m being honest, and this is embarrassing, but I kinda picked up a mother from you. You’ve always been a bit motherly.

Ruby:She’s right.

Blake:Mom energy since day one.

Yang:Really? *rubs head* I was just being myself. Never really thought about it. Now then, wipe those tears! It’s upsetting that you look pretty why you cry. Meanwhile I look like a hot mess, and not in the fun way.

Weiss:*wiping face* Oh please, I don’t wanna hear that from someone who’s never needed make up. Those genes of your went to Veronica. Kids a genuine beauty. She’s just angry all the time.

Yang:Yeah that sounds appropriate... Weird to think I have a daughter that’s not Yujin. Wish I could see her.

Blake:Me too. Though I think I’d be overwhelmed seeing all my different kids. I’d probably want them all.

Ruby:My hands are full with ones I have and I wouldn’t say I’m juggling them well, so I don’t need other kids from universes. I’d be so stressed.

Weiss:Especially if they’re violent.

Ruby:Yeah, that would bad....

Weiss:Phew, I do feel a bit better. Even though I said all those things, my family still had good times. It’s not tense and we joke around like everyone else. As a family, we’re happy. We just have shit we gotta sort through.

Blake:Rich or poor, life has certain things that hit everyone. Is Jaune doing well.

Weiss:Yeah, he gets through to Summer pretty well, and he’s typically calm when it comes to giving guidance. He had his fears, but that’s why I’m here. We confide in each other.

Blake:May you and everyone else find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ruby:Hey Weiss. Does....actually, never mind. Forget it.

Yang:We both know that’s not happening. Spit it out.

Ruby:I was just about Shiva. I’ve encountered weird things in my world, but this is unique. I was wondering if you have any positive experience with her.

Weiss:Not a single one. Here since of enjoyment in the displeasure of my children is a thing we disagree on. Though....her eyes, they do throw me off. For some reason, they don’t match her joy.

Blake:Maybe that part is still Summer. Eyes are the window to the soul and all that jazz.

Weiss:Maybe? I hope the kids are okay right now. I wonder what they’re up to?

xxxxx

Summer:WHAT’S UP VALE!!!!!!!!

A massive crowd screams “what’s up Summer”in excitement. Flashing lights and chanting fans’s voices make the sold out venue shake with their passion. Summer can only bask in it. There’s no better feeling than when she’s on stage. She looks to herself excitedly. This one was extra special. Nick comes out on stage with a base around him and a second microphone.

Nick:WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!!

The crowd chants louder. Summer responds by starting a rift on her guitar. She faces Nick with a smug look. Yes, having him on stage is always a joy, but that didn’t mean Summer wanted him hindering or stealing the show.

Summer:Well look who’s here!? Atlas’s favorite son! Think you’re ready to play with the kids up here. This isn’t your normal stage.

Nick smiled. He responded by playing the bass and letting the audience speak for him. Summer was chessing fool. Slowly she bopped up and down, urging him to do the same. It wasn’t long before they in sync. Drums, piano, and other background musicians began building up the tune as planned. The twins whipped around to face the crowd.

🎶Get down! We won't let you go!

This time, can you bring us down?

Back up! fly far through the sky

BLACK ROVER!

Let's go! All together now

And at last this world can't slow us down

For now, let's dye it all in black

BLACK ROVER!🎶

The two stood back to back...

🎶As more join and stand beside me,

The void doesn't feel so empty!!!!!

I know there is much more in store

Let's open that door -!🎶

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw Summer doing the same thing. This was gonna be one for the books. Jaune watched from backstage with one of the stagehands.

Stagehand:Should we tell them to save their energy? This charity event is six hours.

Jaune:Nah, let them have fun.

[beckettj]

I’ll Miss This One This Year (5/5) - Christmas Magic

Summary: Last Christmas, Emma Swan swept Killian Jones off his feet. Since then, nothing has gone right for them. A year on from their first meeting, can a bit of Christmas magic finally give them a shot at the happy beginning they’ve been searching for? A CaptainSwan AU inspired by the song Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses.

Also on: AO3    FFN

Previous Chapters:  Winter   Spring   Summer    Autumn

Chapter 5: Christmas Magic In which there are misunderstandings regarding Killian’s brother and Emma goes to the shop for cranberries, ultimately leaving with that date with Killian… amongst other things.

“What a strange coincidence,” Mary Margaret mused. She took a sip of her drink as she turned to Ruby. “Didn’t it come out in the end that Liam’s party was cancelled because he ended up in hospital?”

“Yes, he was on crutches for weeks in the end,” Ruby confirmed with a nod. “He broke something. It sounded bad, from what he said when he finally made an appearance again at work. Apparently, the bone was sticking out of his leg!”

Mary Margaret pulled a face, her own head most likely conjuring up the same image as Emma’s from Ruby’s words.

“That is a little weird,” Emma admitted in response to that new information.

She had gotten her update from Killian in the end. After initial concerns of a broken neck or spine, his brother had somehow walked away – or rather was wheeled away – with a broken leg. It had sounded horrible. Killian had gone into great, unnecessary detail about the bone sticking out through the skin and had even offered to send her a picture which Emma had immediately, and hastily, turned down. Especially given she had been sat eating her lunch at the time he offered to send it.

“Killian’s brother did practically the same thing,” Emma told them both.

“Emma…” Mary Margaret drew out slowly, cocking her head to one side and proceeding to fall deep into thought.

“What?” Emma prompted as Mary Margaret’s thoughts left her hanging.

“Killian said his brother lives in Maine, right?” Mary Margaret checked.

“Yeah,” Emma answered. “So?”

“Well surely that is too much of a coincidence. Are you sure Liam isn’t his brother?” Mary Margaret asked her.

Emma laughed, “No! No way! His brother’s named Robin. He was at the ski resort with Killian when I first met them.”

“Who cares about his brother?” Ruby interrupted the theorizing. “You can’t stop there. You’ve got us on the edge of our seats! What else has happened between you and Killian?

Ruby was prompting her to continue, eager for more details.

Emma didn’t have them.

“That’s it,” Emma shrugged, popping Ruby’s bubble. “We’ve text and called a bit since but nothing’s come together. It’s December now. December’s crazy hectic. Everyone’s busy in December.”

“You mean to say that you established that his brother lives in the same state as you and you didn’t find time for a first date whilst he was visiting him?” Ruby questioned.

“They both work on the cruise ships together,” Emma explained. “Robin’s a magician. He’s part of the entertainment team. I doubt they spend much time in Maine. Like I’ve said countless times, the opportunity never arose.”

“So you first met him almost a year ago and you still haven’t had a first date?” Mary Margaret summed up the basis of the entire tale in one sentence.

Emma had warned them both that there wasn’t much to tell. It wasn’t her fault they hadn’t taken her word for it.

“I’ve given up!” Emma declared, setting down her empty mug and slouching back into the booth.

“You can’t give up! He’s perfect for you,” Ruby protested. “And it’s obvious from the way that you’ve been talking about him that you like him. Like really like him.”

“It’s not perfect if we can’t even get to the dating stage, is it?” Emma countered. “I’m not wasting another year chasing a guy for the universe to continually throw obstacles in our way. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that long-distance relationships are not the way forward for me.”

“In that case, maybe you should try asking August on a date?” Mary Margaret suggested.

It was a proposal that came much to the obvious horror of Ruby who turned to stared at Mary Margaret like she had just stabbed her in the back. It was clear to see that Ruby was fully invested in Emma and Killian whilst Mary Margaret just wanted to see her with someone.

“He likes you, you know?” Mary Margaret continued to coax her towards August.

“We’re just friends,” Emma insisted but the mention of his name reminded her that she still had to pick Henry’s present up from him. A glance at the clock sent her into a minor panic. It was gone five already! She had no idea where all that time had gone. “And I’m really late to meet him.”

She gathered her belongings in a hurry, throwing on her coat and her hat. A glance outside at the Christmas light lit-up street greeted her with the unexpected sight of snow falling from the sky. She didn’t know how long ago it had started, too caught up in her storytelling to notice, but the snow-covered floor was a telltale sign that it had been going for a while.

“Ooh, snow!” Ruby exclaimed upon spotting the scene outside.

Her comment drew Mary Margaret’s attention to the wintery scene developing outside the warmth of Granny’s.

“Oh, Emma! Since you’re going to August’s, could you get some cranberries for tomorrow from the store on your way past?” Mary Margaret asked. “It would save me walking the long way home in this and I’d really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Emma agreed.

Mary Margaret tried to give her some money for the cranberries before she left but Emma waved it away, refusing to take it, and telling her to stop being silly. After all, she had bought all the other food she was so kindly sharing with Emma tomorrow. Emma was just grateful to be able to contribute something. She would feel terrible were she to turn up empty-handed.

Emma left Ruby and Mary Margaret behind in Granny’s, practically running to get to August’s. She didn’t actually need Henry’s present until the evening after Christmas since he was with Neal until then. August, however, was going out of town for the holidays. Whilst Emma knew he was too nice to leave before she got there, she felt terrible about holding him up.

August, of course, was all smiles when she got there about an hour late and dismissed all her apologies. The hand-carved Chewbacca was impressive and just perfect for Henry, and Emma managed to slip a little bit more than they had initially agreed into her payment. It didn’t make up for her being so late but it made her feel slightly better.

She set off around town, the snow making it feel extra Christmassy as she delivered her last-minute Christmas cards. They were another thing she was late with. She had been so busy with work that Christmas had totally snuck up on her. Regardless, as far as she was concerned, a Christmas card on Christmas Eve was still in time for Christmas. She argued they weren’t late.

By the time she had delivered the cars and returned home, she was exhausted. She didn’t feel like cooking so she grabbed a ready meal from the freezer and tossed it in the microwave. It was ready within minutes and steaming hot, perfect for warming her up after all the time she had spent out in the snow. She settled down in the couch, flicking through Christmassy options until she settled on a good Christmas movie.

Die Hard was a Christmas movie. And the best one at that. She didn’t care what anyone else thought.

Two hours passed by easily as the movie played out. Let it Snow erupted from her sound system as the credits began to roll by.

Emma sat bolt up-right, her eyes going wide in realisation.

She had forgotten the cranberries!

She couldn’t turn up without the cranberries!

She knew Mary Margaret would be lovely about it if she did, but Emma was not going to allow herself to do so.

All the stores in Storybrooke were shut for the next two days and, with the amount of snow that had fallen, driving out of town for a store in the morning looked like it would be one hell of a task. As cosy as she was in her nice, warm apartment, she had no choice but to venture back out into the snow.

She had to be fast about it as well. The store would be shut in just under thirty minutes and then she would be screwed.

She pulled her boots, coat and hat back on, grabbed her door key and her wallet, and set out again. Luckily, it wasn’t a horrendously long walk to the store. Each step she took, her entire boat would almost completely disappear into the white blanket which covered the ground. The snow was still coming down and it had picked up since she had last been out in it. It was thick and heavy, almost blinding as she tried to navigate the streets, to the point where she was glad she knew them like the back of her hand.

By the time she made it to the store, her face felt completely numb after being repeatedly attacked by wind and snow. She had never been so glad to hear that little ding of the doorbell as the store door swung open. The inside of the store was toasty and warm, overcoming her in an instant, which was lovely but also made her dread having to step back out into the Baltic weather conditions awaiting her.

Emma pulled off her gloves, shoving the freezing cold things into her pocket. Like the street, she knew the layout of the store like the back of her hand. She knew exactly where she was going to find the fruit aisle. She drifted around the store, heading straight for the back right. Once there, she was met by the sight of shelves of different fruits, an entire rainbow of colors in front of her.

It took her a while to find where the cranberries should have been, not only because she never usually bought them but because they were none left. The cranberry section of the shelf was empty! Her run of bad luck was clearly never-ending.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Emma muttered to herself as she stared at the shelf in dismay.

She refused to be beaten by a packet of damn cranberries.

“Who even likes cranberries?” she exclaimed in frustration.

Everyone in Storybrooke, apparently.

She double-checked the shelf just to be completely sure that they were sold out. Her eyes fell on the strawberries to the left of the vacant space, noticing that one of the packets looked out of place. She reached for it to inspect further and almost erupted out into a loud cheer.

Cranberries!

Someone must have knocked them into the strawberries.

She clutched the packet extra tight in her two hands, just to be safe. The store had been empty when she stepped in, except for the employee behind the check-out desk, but she was taking no chances. It was ridiculous, but then so had been her year.

This particular mission, at least, was a success!

Perhaps her luck was finally changing.

She was ready for home. Ready for her bed. Ready for Christmas in the morning. Now that she had some plans for the day with Mary Margaret, David and Leo, she was actually starting to feel excited about it.

It was an excitement she didn’t share towards going back out in that snow to get home.

Emma turned away from the shelf in the direction which would lead her to the check-out desk. She walked straight into another person, bashing her head against theirs and dropping the cranberries in her surprise.

She groaned as her head pounded, rubbing her head with her eyes closed.

A laugh came from the other person. A guy, from the sound of his laugh. At least someone found it amusing. She had just found it painful.

“Bloody hell, Swan, we have to stop meeting like this!”

Wait. Was that…? No! It couldn’t be.

“Of course, it would be you!”

It was definitely his voice. It was, in hindsight, his laugh.

She dropped her hand from her head and opened her eyes.

It was him.

Killian stood in front of her, his hair covered in snow just as it had been the moment they first met. He had the same big smile on his face as their first encounter, the one which met his eyes and made them sparkle.

No way.

It wasn’t happening.

It couldn’t be.

How hard had she hit her head?

She was hallucinating.

That was it. It had to be.

In all the small towns across the whole of America, there was no way Killian happened to be in hers on Christmas Eve.

“Emma. Are you okay?” Killian asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her expectantly, slightly put off, she imagined, from her reaction to his presence.

“I’m fine,” Emma laughed at the bizarre situation. Of all the places to bump into him, the small-town store just a short walk from her apartment was right down the bottom of the list. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, I gathered so much,” Killian admitted with a grin, “else you wouldn’t have walked right into me.”

“I mean in Storybrooke,” Emma clarified. “What are you doing in Storybrooke?”

“I’m here for Christmas. I’m staying with my brother,” Killian explained then quickly added, like it was the first time it had crossed his mind, “What are you doing here?”

“I live here,” Emma told him.

“Last time I checked, this wasn’t Portland,” Killian retorted.

“No one’s ever heard of Storybrooke!” Emma defended herself.

“I have!” Killian responded indignantly.

“Clearly!” Emma shot back at him. “I just didn’t know that at the time, did I?”

“Swan, you do realise this means that all those times I was visiting my brother this year, we were in the same bloody town,” Killian pointed out to her.

“Wait, are you telling me that your brother lives here? In Storybrooke?” Emma searched for clarification.

“Aye, that’s what I’ve been saying all along, love,” Killian responded, a picture of amusement. “What are the chances?”

“Robin lives in Storybrooke?” Emma questioned.

Storybrooke wasn’t a massive town and Emma was pretty certain she knew all the people in it. No Robin sprang to mind.

“Robin?” Killian repeated, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, your brother,” Emma replied with a nod.

Killian laughed. “Robin’s a good mate but he’s certainly not my brother.”

Emma frowned, utterly confused.

“Then who…” she trailed off, Mary Margaret’s earlier theory springing to the forefront of her brain and prompting all the pieces to fall together. “Liam’s your brother.”

“Aye, you know him?” Killian asked.

“I know of him, and I’ve passed him in the street a few times,” Emma explained.

Something caught Killian’s eyes, for he suddenly looked past her towards the floor. Emma followed his movements as he took a few steps past her and picked whatever had distracted him up. As he straightened again and turned back to her, Emma saw that he held her packet of cranberries in his hand.

She hadn’t even realised she’d dropped them.

Killian was looking at her weirdly, “These are yours, right?”

“They are,” Emma confirmed, holding her hand out to take them back. He let out a light scoff at the confirmation, only adding to her confusion as to why he was making a big deal out of buying cranberries. “What are you? The cranberry police?”

“Is that all you came here for?” Killian ignored her question, continuing with his own, as he handed them back to her.

“Yes. I forgot them earlier,” Emma told him.

He started laughing again. Emma stared at him, failing to see the joke.

“Do you have something against cranberries?” she asked him.

“No. It’s just… I forgot them earlier too. I’m only here because my brother keeps insisting we need them for tomorrow,” Killian explained his amusement.

“There’s no way. You’re messing with me,” Emma refused to believe that.

There were far too many coincidences going on. It was all too weird.

Their luck wasn’t that good. All year, they’d been missing each other, or accidents had happened causing them to cancel their plans. Suddenly, they had to believe that luck had led to them bumping into each other? That luck was responsible for them both forgetting cranberries and both turning up at almost the exact same time to get them?

It was unbelievable. It was insanely lucky. It just didn’t happen to them.

“I swear to you, love, cranberries are my sole reason for coming,” Killian insisted through his laughter.

“In that case, we have a minor problem,” Emma informed him, moving the cranberries towards her own chest once more.

Killian frowned, “What problem could we possibly have now?”

“These are the last of the cranberries,” Emma admitted.

“Now you’re the one who’s messing with me.” Killian didn’t believe her.

Emma grabbed his arm and took a step back, prompting him to take a step forward. She pointed to the empty section of the shelf, positioned right in front of him, accompanied by a label which read ‘cranberries’.

“I’m afraid you were too slow,” Emma told him.

“Well, Liam’s not going to be happy about that,” Killian remarked. It was the first time Emma had heard him refer to his brother by name. If only he had done that sooner! “The man is obsessed with cranberries.”

“Tell him to take it up with Mary Margaret,” Emma shrugged. “He’ll know who she is.”

She wasn’t relinquishing her claim of the cranberries any time soon. Mary Margaret had entrusted her with one job and she was going to complete it.

“Or, alternatively, I could wrestle them from you,” Killian suggested with a smirk. “You’ve yet to pay for them. Technically, they are not yours.”

Emma laughed at the mere thought, “You would do no such thing!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” Killian told her warningly.

He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them. His eyes were fixated on hers, staring right at her, drawing her in.

“You’ve been nothing but a gentleman this whole time I’ve known you,” Emma pointed out to him, calling his bluff.

She stood her ground. She remained in place, holding the packet in her hands.

“I could have a hidden side,” Killian countered.

She felt the warmth of his hand brush against her left hand, a stark contrast to the cold of the glove-covered prosthetic which brushed against her right. She continued to lock onto his unmoving eyes, searching for any clue as to what he was up to, whilst the plastic of the packet remained firmly between her fingers.

“Like a dark side?” Emma retorted.

“Like a magician side,” he corrected.

Killian took a step back and broke the eye contact between them as he looked down, a smug smile on his face. There in his hands was the packet of cranberries.

Emma’s jaw dropped. There was no way. He was holding her packet of cranberries but she had it in her hand, she could still feel her fingers touching the plastic. Her head dropped down, looking to see what she was holding. She was met by the sight of a packet of brussels sprouts.

Where those had come from, she had absolutely no idea.

Regardless, she launched them at him, the packet hitting him square in his smug chest.

“How did you do that?” Emma asked, genuinely impressed.

“Christmas magic.” His response was vague. “There’s a lot of that going around today,” he commented. That smug smile was still present on his face and he shot at her, “Maybe you should tell Mary Margaret to take it up with Liam.”

She could tell, from his eyes and his tone, that he was joking. And she knew him. She’d learned a lot about him over the year, even if they’d only spent a couple of minutes together in person. He had lifted her mood when she was struggling with Henry’s pneumonia, he had encouraged her to have fun when he was having an horrendous day, and his first reaction was she had gone flying into him on that ski slope wasn’t to shout or get angry, but to show concern for her.

No, he wasn’t actually planning on stealing those cranberries from her. He would give them back at some point, no doubt after some more teasing and smug smirks.

Emma could get them back herself, however.

“You’re not the only magician around here,” she told him matter-of-factly.

“Oh yeah?” Killian responded, a hint of mockery in his tone.

He was challenging her, teasing her, daring her to try something.

She’d show him.

Emma stalked right up to him, placed her hand on his neck and pressed her lips against his. His face was just as cold as hers was but the small, surprised breath he released against her lips was filled with warmth. A similar warmth filled her chest as he overcame his initial surprise and started kissing her back.

As suspected, the unexpected advance from her loosened his grip on the packet of cranberries and Emma didn’t hesitate in taking them from him.

It was only intended to be a short, small kiss as she reclaimed her cranberries but suddenly his hand was on her neck and she was pushed back against the shelves. A year’s worth of longing poured out of them both at once. He was just as good a kisser as she had imagined him to be and her heart was pounding, threatening to burst out of her chest.

When she broke away, she did so reluctantly and only because she needed to catch her breath. She’d never resented breathing so much in her life.

Killian took a step back, his eyes falling on the cranberries in her hand. A knowing smile crossed his lips.

“Fair play,” he told her in a reluctance acceptance of defeat. “Though, if I do recall correctly, love, you still owe me that date.”

--

The snow had calmed by the time Emma and Killian got to the docks. It was still falling, but it did so gently as Killian led the way up the gangplank onto an impressive brig which towered over many of the other boats in the harbor.

Its deck was covered in beautiful untouched snow, glistening and sparkling against the few strands of streetlight which reached so far. Killian retrieved a blanket, from the bag filled with items he had bought at the store, and set to work placing it down on the snowy ground, the steady breeze working against him.

Emma smiled as she watched him battle with the blanket. She had never gotten the chance to see him on the cruise ships he captained and, whilst the boat they stood on was a very different kind of boat in comparison, he looked right at home.

“Is this your boat?” Emma broke the silence they had fallen into.

It was an abrupt thought which had hit her out of nowhere. He had never before mentioned to her that he owned a boat and yet she suddenly found herself standing on one with him. She thought, given all his talk of his work and the ocean, he would have mentioned having his own boat.

He froze, halfway through laying out the blanket. He turned to her, a small smirk on his face, “Are you off duty, Deputy Swan?”

She laughed, “There’s no such thing.”

“In which case,” Killian stood up, releasing his hold of the blanket, allowing it to get blown in the breeze, destroying what little progress he had made, “I shall resort to your method of distraction.”

He was across to her in an instant and, before she knew what was happening, they were kissing again. Her concerns regarding ownership of the boat disappeared as she was swept up by the passion of the kiss, Killian becoming the sole focus of her thoughts.

There was a flaw in Killian’s plan. One which Emma picked up on only after his lips left hers; the distraction lasted only as long as the kiss. Her concerns flooded back the second she was able to collect her thoughts.

“I can’t squat on some stranger’s boat, Killian!” Emma protested as the man returned to fixing the blanket. “I work in law enforcement. This wouldn’t look good.”

“We’re not squatting, we’re momentarily borrowing for a picnic,” Killian reasoned, taking her hand once more and guiding her to sit on the laid-out blanket. “So relax, Swan, and have a drink.”

He pulled out a bottle of rum from the bag of newly acquired items, taking a swig for himself before handing it out for her to take. She looked at it dubiously.

“There’s no one around, Swan,” Killian pointed out to her, gesturing at the empty docks around them. There wasn’t a soul in sight. “And if someone did come, feel free to jump in and swim for it! I’d cover for you.”

“Oh, what the hell! It’s Christmas,” Emma agreed, promptly snatching the bottle from his hand and taking a long swig.

“That’s the spirit, love!” Killian grinned at her.

He made a move to take the bottle back from her but she pulled it away from his reach before proceeding to take another long swig.

“I need the alcohol to warm me up!” Emma told him, all the while trying to stop herself from shivering. It was freezing! “As lovely as it is to finally be spending time with you, it’s not really the right weather conditions for an outdoor date.”

“In case you haven’t realised, I was limited on options,” Killian reminded her. “It’s the night before Christmas. Everything’s either fully booked or shut!”

He was successful in taking the bottle from her on his second attempt, taking a swig himself before setting it down in the snow.

“Come here,” Killian encouraged after lying down on the blanket.

He lay flat on his back, his left arm under his head to lift it a little, his right arm out to his side gesturing for her to follow suit.

“What are you planning? Stargazing?” Emma questioned.

“I was actually suggesting that we huddled together for warmth since you insisted on complaining about being cold,” Killian explained, beckoning her once more, “but nothing’s stopping us from doing both at the same time.”

Emma had to concede it was clever on his part, both as a method of getting warm but also of subtly encouraging more intimacy. She placed her packet of cranberries down in the snow beside his bottle of rum, the red of the berries standing out against the white of the snow. She lay down beside him, resting her head on his chest, and felt his arm wrap around her side. She had to admit that she was taken aback by the speed at which he had agreed with her stargazing comment, which had been far from serious on her part. Killian Jones didn’t really strike her as a stargazing person but he had shown an immediate interest in it.

She craned her head to look at him, “Are you into stargazing?”

Killian chuckled lightly, “You sound surprised.”

“It just doesn’t seem like it would be your kind of thing,” Emma shrugged in response. “You’re all adventure sports and boats. Stargazing doesn’t seem to fit.”

“On the contrary, there was once a time when navigating via the stars was the most reliable way to sail the oceans,” Killian told her.

Emma really should have realised it would come down to sailing.

“Not anymore though, surely,” Emma replied.

She knew next to nothing about boats, but she doubted that Killian was ever expected to steer a cruise ship to their destination relying solely on the stars to navigate.

“No, not for a long time,” Killian confirmed. “It doesn’t hurt to have an insurance plan to fall on, mind. You never know what could happen out there.”

“So if the GPS navigating system went down in the middle of the night, you’d know how to use the stars to stay on course?” Emma asked as she turned her attention to the sky.

Amongst the gray snow clouds, the stars seemed to shine brighter in the winter sky. To her, they all looked the same, perhaps varying slightly in size and potentially a little in brightness. The difference seemed minute, barely aiding with identification. She never could understand all the talk about constellations. To her, finding a constellation in the night sky was like completing a dot-to-dot with no numbers to guide her and with a load of dummy dots thrown in for good measure.

“To stay roughly on course, aye,” Killian replied. He lifted her right arm up, running his hand down to her hand and gently stretching out her index finger, pointing it up towards the stars. She could feel his warm breath against her cold ear as he murmured in it, “You see that one? That’s the North Star.”

“Oh, that’s the brightest one!” Emma exclaimed confidently. She was sure she’d heard that before.

Killian sucked air in through his teeth.

“Rookie mistake, Swan,” he laughed. He proceeded to guide her finger across the night sky, picking out one of the brighter stars amongst the bunch. “This is Sirius. That one is the brightest. It’s in an entirely different constellation to the North Star.”

“Well then, what’s all the fuss about the North Star?” Emma asked because she had definitely heard a lot about that one before.

“The North Star is one of the most reliable stars for navigation,” Killian explained, guiding her hand back to where said star twinkled in the sky. “The stars in the northern hemisphere appear to rotate around the north pole. The North Star is located almost directly above that pole making its position remain all-but fixed. If you find the North Star, you find true north. You can always count on it to be there.

As he finished explaining, Emma’s attention was grasped by the sight of a shooting star, drawing her eyes away from the North Star as she tracked its movement across the night sky.

“I found a shooting star,” Emma proclaimed, pointing it out herself. She could, at least, name that correctly. “Do I get anything for that.”

“Make a wish, love, quick!” Killian encouraged her.

In her panic, the very first thing that popped into Emma’s head rushed out of her mouth, “I wish we could pause this moment right here.”

Crap.

Way too soppy.

Where the hell had that come?

“Really?” Killian sounded surprised.

“I only mean it took us a year to get here,” Emma reminded him. “You’re only here until after Christmas and then you’ll be back on a cruise ship. For all we know, it could be Christmas again before date number two.”

Unlike the North Star, Killian could not be counted on to be found in the same place every night.

“Aha! That’s when you know it’s going well. Date number two secured before the end of the first one!” Killian remarked.

Emma couldn’t even see him but she could just tell he had that smug smirk on his face.

She punched him in the leg, playfully hard.

“I’m being serious here!” Emma told him, though the light chuckle she failed to hold back at his comment didn’t help her case. She craned her head once more to look at him. “I want to make this work, but can it work? Are we just wasting our time?”

“I’ll make it work, Emma,” Killian assured her, adding a light kiss to the side of her temple for good measure. “For now, don’t stress. Enjoy the moment. Take in the view.”

Emma tried her best to follow his advice, pushing her concerns to the back of her mind. She knew they were only there because she was so desperate for it to work and so anxious that it would all fall apart on her. Things had a habit of doing that to her when she wanted it badly.

She did her best to focus on the stars, to enjoy the moment whilst they had it, and tried to find the North Star again which seemed virtually impossible without Killian pointing it out to her. There were so many stars, the sky was littered with them, but she knew it was only a miniscule of what space had to offer.

“Would you ever go up there? If space travel became more readily accessible?” Emma asked him but didn’t give him a chance to respond before answering for him, “Actually, knowing you, you’d be the one piloting the rocket ships! Navigating the stars from space!”

“Who needs space, love?” Killian replied as he returned to wrapping his arm around her once more. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”

Emma was glad they were both staring up at the stars. The last thing she needed him to see were the massive grin on her and the small blush on her cheeks.

“Really?” Emma feigned surprise, doing her upmost to cover her actual surprise. “Because I’d totally drop everything here for a Martian.”

The next thing Emma knew, a ball of snow hit her square in the neck. Killian had spotted the only piece of exposed skin and heartlessly targeted it. She shuddered as the cold melting snow ran under her shirt and coat.

“Oh, game on!” Emma exclaimed with a laugh.

She jumped up from the blanket, scooping up a massive handful of snow as she went and launched it at Killian. By complete and utter luck, or misfortune on his behalf, the flurry of snow hit him straight in the face. Emma considered it instant karma for his sneaky attack on her. At least he was expecting snow to be coming at him!

A competitive snowball fight broke out from there, both Emma and Killian taking it entirely seriously and pulling no punches with their aim and the force at which the balls were thrown. Killian, in a frustratingly clever move, claimed himself the high ground, positioning himself at the wheel of the ship. Emma was forced to resort to taking up hiding places on deck and gathering ammunition from behind them prior to launching her full-on attacks to budge him from the high ground.

Killian never budged.

Emma was crouched behind a large crate containing completely unknown items when she heard heavy footsteps on the gangplank.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A voice, which Emma didn’t immediately recognize, called out.

Emma immediately froze in place behind the crate. She couldn’t see the newcomer; there was no way that he had seen her. He had, however, most definitely spotted Killian, for he had to be shouting at someone and she knew, from the ease at which she’d pelted snowballs at Killian, there was no hiding spot for him up there.

Emma poked her head round from her cover to spot the dockmaster on his way up the steps to the helm of the ship, therein joining Killian on the high ground. Killian looked in no way panicked, leaning casually on the wheel, a friendly smile plastered over his face, as he watched the other man approach him.

“Hey, mate,” Killian greeted the man, maintaining a friendly nonchalant demeanour. “I can assure you, this is all easily explainable.”

Killian subtly caught Emma’s eye and, in a hast movement, flicked his eyes towards the gangplank. He was telling her to go and whilst she didn’t want to abandon him, or let their first date end in such an abrupt way, she knew the uproar she could risk generating among the townspeople if she stayed. At the very least, Graham certainly wouldn’t be impressed.

With the dockmaster’s attention fixed entirely on Killian, Emma made a hasty move to the gangplank and vacated the docks as quickly as she could. On the trek back to her apartment she couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty. Killian may have even suggested it earlier in the night, and gestured for her to go, but it still didn’t quite feel right leaving him.

By the time she got home and checked her phone, she found a text from him, reassuring her immediately.

All sorted! There’s nothing I can’t talk my way out of!

Merry Christmas, Emma!

Your friendly, neighborhood Stargazer.

 --

It wasn’t until Emma got to Mary Margaret’s the following morning that she realized she was turning up empty-handed. She had forgotten the cranberries. In her hast to get off the boat the previous night, she’d left them on the deck.

Rookie mistake, she thought, leaving evidence at the scene of the crime.

She had no doubt, however, that Killian had picked them up upon leaving the ship. After all that, Liam had gotten his cranberries in the end! Perhaps luck was more on Killian’s side than her own.

Mary Margaret, as expected, didn’t care at all. She waved off all of Emma’s apologies with a huge smile on her face, telling her to stop with all the nonsense and thrusting a glass of wine into her hand. It wasn’t even noon but it was Christmas so Emma drank it.

Leo excitedly thrusted all of his new toys into her face, particularly proud of the huge dinosaur – an Argentinosaurus, he told her – he had received to add to his ridiculously large collection of dinosaurs. Graham seemed genuinely interested in the young boy’s showcase, after overcoming his initial surprise at Leo’s expertise, which was both amusing yet slightly endearing at the same time. Mary Margaret had actively taken it upon herself to let Emma know that she had no plans to set her up with Graham, and also took that opportunity to encourage her that she should, perhaps, try and stick it out with Killian.

“I know it hasn’t worked so far,” Mary Margaret had said. “But you never know, it may suddenly just click.”

Emma had hummed in response, not giving anything away, and guided the conversation onto Leo. The best and quickest way to distract Mary Margaret was to talk about her son. Emma knew that it had probably been the time that she should have updated Mary Margaret on the latest going-ons regarding Killian nut she hadn’t felt like it. Emma wasn’t entirely sure she had even had the time to process the events of the previous night herself and, when combined with the excitement of Christmas, she decided to leave it a day or two.

They were in the middle of a game of Pictionary, Nolans against non-Nolans (the numerical advantage of the Nolans doing everything but work in their favor), when they heard a knock on the door.

David, who was in the middle of drawing what looked like a cat but wasn’t a cat because that had been guessed five times already, turned to Mary Margaret, a clear frown on his brow. “Were you expecting anyone else?”

Mary Margaret shook her head in response, looking as lost as David as she got up off the couch. She ventured over to the door, pulling it open and greeting their visitor. The open door blocked Emma’s view, stopping her from being nosy as to the caller’s identity.

“You must be Mary Margaret?”

Oh man!

Emma recognized that voice instantly. The accent was unmistakably Killian.

If Mary Margaret looked confused before, she was even more so when the stranger she met at the door knew her name.

“Err, yes, that’s me,” she confirmed.

“Then I believe these are yours,” Killian responded and, from her position on the couch, Emma sat Mary Margaret hesitantly receive a packet of cranberries. “Emma left them with me last night.”

Emma’s eyes went wide, knowing exactly the assumptions that Mary Margaret was going to make from what she knew was a purposely vague statement from Killian. She couldn’t see him but she could just imagine him raising his eyebrows suggestively. Mary Margaret’s head shot in Emma’s direction, her own eyes wide and complete with a look which screamed you failed to mention this and you will be giving me all the details.

Emma, meanwhile, was in complete shock that, instead of giving the cranberries to Liam, Killian had decided to show up unannounced right in the middle of Christmas Day!

Didn’t he have his family to celebrate with?

Cranberries weren’t that important.

“Thank you, err…” Mary Margaret trailed off, uncertain of his name.

“Killian,” he filled in for her. “Killian Jones.”

Emma didn’t think Mary Margaret’s eyes could possibly go any wider than they had the previous time. They did.

“It is great to meet you, Killian,” Mary Margaret grinned at him, turning into the Cheshire Cat “Would you like to come in?”

No.

Emma could not imagine spending Christmas Day in the same room as Mary Margaret and Killian after the assumptions she had no doubt made from his earlier choice of words.

Surely not.

Killian did have a brother to get back to, after all.

“Actually, I can’t stay,” Killian told her, “but I was wondering if it were possible to borrow Emma for a few minutes.”

“Of course!” Mary Margaret agreed. “I’ll go fetch her for you.”

With that, Mary Margaret pushed the door shut on him, tossed the cranberries dismissively onto the kitchen counter, and went rushing over to Emma, pulling her up from the couch.

“Last night?” Mary Margaret exclaimed. “You didn’t tell me about last night!”

“Nothing happened!” Emma insisted, to which she received an incredulous look from her friend. “Well, we went on a date and we kissed. Twice. It was all very spontaneous.”

“Whatever it was, he’s back for more,” Mary Margaret pointed out to her, practically ushering her towards the door.

“Sure, invite me ‘round for Christmas dinner then shove me out the door the first chance you get,” Emma retorted teasingly.

“Oh hush! You’re not going to pass up on Killian. I’ve heard the way you talk about him,” Mary Margaret reminded her. “Now, I expect all the details for both today and yesterday when I see you later. Dinner will be ready in two hours. Have fun!”

With that, the door was pulled open and Emma was bundled out of it, very nearly stumbling straight into Killian’s arms. She caught herself, however, managing to prevent looking like a drunken fool before noon on Christmas Day. Her eyes fell on Killian who stood before her wearing all black, complete with a black overcoat. He had a small, she’d almost say apprehensive, smile on his face.

She eyed him suspiciously, “What are you up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? He shot back at her with a smirk. Any slight apprehension she may have spotted was gone, making her question if she had seen it.

“Yes I would, because I hate surprises,” Emma responded to him immediately. “What are you doing here? It’s Christmas Day.”

“Exactly,” Killian said with a nod, “and I have your Christmas present.”

Emma stared at him. Sometimes she really couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Christmas present? She didn’t realise they were doing Christmas presents. Were they doing Christmas presents? She hoped he was messing with her for she had nothing for him.

“I… oh, let me guess,” Emma folded her arms and rolled her eyes, catching on to him. It was clear there was no gift in his hands. “You’re my Christmas present?”

Killian laughed. “If only I’d thought of that. That would have been much cheaper!”

“Wait, you actually got me something?” Emma realised, instantly feeling terrible. “Since when were we doing that? I’ll be completely honest; I haven’t got you anything.

“Don’t worry, love, your presence alone is more than enough for me,” Killian assured her. “This was very much a last-minute thing but I hope you’ll love it all the same.”

He offered her his arm which Emma took and, like the previous night, she allowed him to lead her through the streets of Storybrooke. This time, she picked up sooner that they were heading towards the docks, just as she was picking up that the docks seemed to be Killian’s favorite location in Storybrooke.

She recalled his words from Florida: the ocean became my home. Has been ever since.

The docks weren’t quite the ocean, but it was the closest thing Storybrooke had.

She wondered how many times she could have bumped into him had she visited the docks more frequently in the past. Maybe they’d actually be a few dates in by now.

Killian stopped only once they stood at the foot of the gangplank of the same boat as the previous night. He let go of her arm, gesturing grandly towards the boat.

Emma crossed her arms, not following, “What are we doing here?”

“We’re getting on the boat again,” Killian answered like it was obvious.

“No way. I’m not doing that again,” Emma protested, shaking her head.

There were more people walking around the docks in the daylight. Emma assumed most of them were families on their traditional Christmas Day walk.

“Look at all the witnesses,” Emma gestured around them.

“Witnesses to what?” Killian challenged her, apparently opting to play dumb, as he stepped onto the gangplank and ventured up it.

“Killian!” Emma exclaimed, hurrying up the gangplank after him. She could hardly shout out the answer to his question with all the people around and he knew that, successfully luring her onto the deck. “We’re trespassing!”

Killian cocked his head to one side, shooting her a smile. “How can we be trespassing when it’s my property?”

Emma blinked. “What?”

“Welcome to the Jolly Roger,” he grinned at her.

“The Jolly Roger…”

“I couldn’t name it anything but,” Killian shrugged, “unless I dared to face the wrath of Roland.”

He was saying words but they weren’t really sinking in. Emma was still lost over ‘my property’.

“What?” she repeated.

“This very ship,” he stated, placing his hand affectionately onto one of the beams, “is where we finally had our first date, a year in the making. It’s where we shared our second kiss. It’s where you opened up about your concerns about how we could work.”

Emma was just so grateful for the reminder of the vulnerability she had showed him that night. She blamed the rum.

“I always wanted my own ship,” Killian told her. “And you were right, last night. This won’t work if it’s anything like the last year. I’ll still have to work my job, I’ll still be on the cruise ships but in between work, I’ll be right here, fixing up the ship stationed just a short walk from you.”

Emma stared at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. Most people in her life had run in the opposite direction. He was running straight at her. In a rare occurrence, she felt utterly speechless.

“You’re… you’re moving in… here?” Emma stumbled over her words.

“The ocean’s been the closest thing I’ve had to a home for a long time now,” Killian replied. “Storybrooke seems to be the right place to put a change to that. With Liam moving here, and you being here, it feels like it was meant to be.”

“Killian, are you sure about this?” Emma asked. “I mean… it’s fast.”

“It’s about time we started moving fast, wouldn’t you say, love?” Killian responded. “I told you yesterday that I would make it work. This is me, doing just that, because I have travelled all over the world, Emma, and I’ve never met anyone like you. You swept me off my feet the very moment we met and, as I told you that same day, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Emma was speechless before. All words had left the vicinity of her head after that. All she knew was that she felt the same. She hadn’t travelled anywhere near as much as him, but she had never met anyone like him.

And she wanted him.

“Does this ship have a captain’s quarter?” Emma questioned suggestively.

Killian smiled, “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

[bestworstcase]

I really like your RWBY analysis posts. Especially the (really long) Penny one. Additional thoughts: The argument that Penny is literally a part of Winter and that she can be separated from her again (and share the maiden power or sth.) sounds, to me, like Winter doesn't actually deserve the maiden-powers 2.0, so she should rip out a part of herself and give them back ;). Also, Penny dying is deeply unfair, and how Ruby comes to terms with that (or not) would also be a nice foil to Salem again.

One more because word limits: I also really like your Winter analysis. Comparisons of Winter to Jadis felt kind of dehumanizing to read, to me. I really like you pointing out that she is Kai, because it feels like it acknowledges a kind of innocence that Winter had and still can have. And that the way to approach her is not hard rules, violence or some moral better telling her to stop, but compassion and affirming humanity. Idk if this makes sense. Thank you for your hard (analysis) work.

thanks!

with the penny 3.0 theorizing i've found there's often this underlying and perhaps subconscious mindset that penny is somehow special, that she is for some reason an exception to the patterns rwby has established vis a vis character death. and i can see where that mindset comes from—penny by dint of being a robot did manage to cheat the death-is-permanent rule twice—but. like, the reason penny has unique death mechanics is because she's a robot, but i think in penny 3.0 circles this has been kind of overgeneralized to penny being special on, like, a cosmic scale? which is how we get to the presumption that rwby+jnor and ruby in particular will respond to her loss in a fundamentally different way than they responded to pyrrha's and penny's deaths in v3, or the sometimes-implied and sometimes-stated-out-loud stance that penny just matters more than winter.

(what really kills me about the penny-in-winter's-head idea is that the prevailing thought seems to be "penny pulled some sort of magical trickery with jaune's help and tethered her soul to winter's so she's going to be in winter's head now a la ozpin and oscar" and--folks. in what universe does that sound like something penny would do to anyone, let alone to winter, her closest friend?! and if it's accidental, if it's just some weird side effect of penny dying in the void or jaune's semblance reacting to his horror and doing something fucky to penny's soul or whatever, then in what universe would penny not be absolutely horrified and devastated to find herself in this situation? rwby has been beating us over the head with "having two souls trapped in one body is miserable and traumatic for everyone involved and also fundamentally wrong" since volume fucking three, and y'all want penny to suffer that with her best friend?!)

and wrt winter i'm. honestly fascinated by the line of thinking that has her needing to be taught morality, because... the problem was never that winter didn't realize ironwood was doing bad things! "no, you have sacrificed everyone else—you closed the borders, you squeezed mantle until it broke!"—when winter calls ironwood out, she starts with things he did all the way back in volume four! she traces his failings all the way back to that first misstep after the fall of beacon because she understands that isolating atlas from the other remaining kingdoms was wrong and laid the groundwork for everything bad that came after.

the problem was that winter had been so abused and ground down by authoritarian conditioning that she completely lost her trust in her own ability to make decisions. she believed that her life and feelings and thoughts did not matter--believed that so thoroughly that she was confused and upset when penny chose to save her life instead of continuing to fight cinder!--so she fought her own conscience tooth and nail for the sake of being a good soldier. like, volume seven has this recurring thread of penny acting as the voice of winter's conscience--challenging her on her loyalty to ironwood--but that largely takes the form of penny validating the instinctive emotional reactions winter beats herself up for having. penny and winter are morally on the same page throughout all of volume seven; the difference between them is winter is mired in self-loathing so deep that she tears herself apart for it. ghskgh

so ultimately what she needed and what she will continue to need is not moral teaching but, like you said, compassion and affirmation of her humanity, reassurance that trusting her own conscience is okay. that her feelings matter, that her moral instincts are good, that she's allowed to act on what she feels is right instead of doing what her abusive father/father figure tells her to do.

aaand as for salem if ruby losing penny gets paralleled to salem losing ozma, which seems at least plausible at this point, i'm really hoping that that point of comparison will lead to somebody anybody on team oz finally getting it through their heads that salem's problem isn't "didn't get a fairytale ending," it's "gods have been torturing her personally for thousands if not millions of years" like i understand why the characters have the perception of salem that they do but the sheer absurdity of it is KILLING ME she has exponentially bigger problems than not being able to cope with ozma dying mgjkjhgsdnb

[theseerasures]

Anything that surprised you in terms of character, either in the development since then or what was revealed to already be there, in regards to Winter or Penny since they came back in volume 7?

aw geez. like, all of it? but to pick one thing that is about both of them, and all of it in a way:

making Winter and Penny friends was a genius move from a writerly perspective. that was already the case in season 7, just from the standpoint of the bizarre yet heartwarming odd couple thing the two had going on: who is the machine and who is the girl, hot and cold, yin and--okay that one gets confusing so i’m just gonna skip it. the contrast--that Penny and Winter alternately bring out and justify the people they are, to each other--was the point then, and theoretically you could have told that story by letting us watch them become friends onscreen, but you can write that off as a time-saving measure, since they’re both technically just supporting cast.

but with this season we see why it was so important that Penny and Winter were already friends even before our heroes showed up in Atlas. we’ve always had a pretty good idea that Penny had an internal life on equal narrative footing with our heroes: apart from RWBY we knew about her father even before we met him, and season 7 works hard overall to reaffirm that--even though she spends most of her time hanging with them--Penny can’t really be reduced to “Ruby/RWBY’s friend” anymore. the same can’t be said for Winter, who in season 3 was introduced and only stayed long enough to be reinforced as “Weiss’ sister,” and “Ironwood’s protege”--in other words, as relational to more central characters. Winter was posed as a figure in the lives of other people; she was seen, but we did not get her perspective.

in order to get from where Winter was then to where Winter is now (one of the most powerful people on the planet, lovingly centered in shot and hating every second of it) that needed to change, but there were problems. the obvious direction to take with Winter’s 2.0 patch (now with human emotion!) is Weiss, but in-universe this was complicated by Winter’s weird pseudo-parental role in Weiss’ life meaning that Weiss would not really think of Winter as HAVING an internal life, in a similar way to how kids assume their teachers just kind of vanish into the ether when school’s out, and out-of-universe all more Weiss-Winter interactions would do is underscore Winter’s role as just “Weiss’ sister, only...i unno, she’s nicer now.” and they couldn’t just have her zip around like Penny getting to know everyone and getting known in turn, because...*gestures wearily at all of Winter.* that she’s only known relationally is not just a Doylist issue; Winter is written to have no internal life because Winter tries as hard as possible to avoid any interiority.

her personal feelings, lest we forget, don’t matter. but her relationships do, as it turns out, and what Penny specifically demonstrates with Winter that Weiss can’t is that Winter is capable of forging relationships independent of Weiss. that was less obvious when they were all playing for the same team and everybody was everybody’s friend, but throughout season 8 it’s implied that they think of each other even when apart: Winter spends three-quarters of the invasion Troubled for reasons relating to Penny, and Penny explicitly brings up Winter without anyone else being around to do it, to the point where she actually corrects Ruby and clarifies that she’s thinking about Winter (and the General. the difference is important). they are each other’s friends, and the fact that they ended up loving the same people outside of their own friendship doesn’t take away from that.

Penny is living proof that Winter can make friends without anyone needing to supervise her, and the audience is included in this. correct me if i’m wrong, but i’m actually drawing a blank on other “adult” (in scare quotes, because Winter actually isn’t of the older generation and the textual recognition of that is kind of the whole point) characters who are implied to have a private life that isn’t immediately linked to the Greater Plot Conspiracy? like, the closest i can think of is Qrow’s Sadness Errands in Mistral, where he’s implied to have old Huntsman buds who are dead now, and...Raven’s whole bandit queen schtick, which by virtue of being anti-Greater Plot Conspiracy just ends up right back to being about it. Winter and Penny’s friendship eventually had ENORMOUS plot significance, but it didn’t start out that way--it started because they just wanted to be friends, and they were allowed to just be that for quite a while, because they created this little private space right in the heart of Atlas, away from anybody’s surveillance. and they ended up saving each other (over and over again) because of it.

what Penny and Winter’s untold friendship ultimately shows, then, is what Whitley shows by calling Klein when no one expected him to, is what the Happy Huntresses show by just. existing, what the Atlas arc writ large is about: that people change and grow, even when our heroes aren’t around to see them do it. that there are a million stories our Big Players aren’t concerned with, or only come in at the tail end of, but that doesn’t make them any less vital to saving the world.