#cunning cinders

[adarkrainbow]

Madame d'Aulnoy wrote a LOT of fairytales. 24 in totals (and her fairytales ranged from three times to nine times longer than your usual Grimm tale). So if you want to start somewhere, I can suggest to you the handful of madame d'Aulnoy's tales that were the most famous and renowned - her "best-sellers" so to speak, that were huge successes and fairy classics throughout the 18th and 19th centuries (and even up to the mid 20th century for some).

The Blue Bird (L'oiseau bleu)

The Doe in the Woods (also known as The White Doe, The Hind in the Woods, La biche au bois)

The White Cat (La chatte blanche)

The Beauty with golden hair (La belle aux cheveux d'or, also translated as "The fair one with golden hair")

The Yellow Dwarf (Le Nain Jaune)

Cunning Cinders (Finette Cendron)

This is truly just a tiny fragment of her work, 6 tales over 24, but these six remained great successes and well-known references until the early 20th century (as opposed to some of her fairytales which fell in obscurity as early as the 18th century).

[maskyartist]

same I hate cinder

its not even that i hate her tbh! its more like she's just kinda...bland i guess? in comparison to how she was in the first 3 volumes, she's kinda fallen off the deep end

and i get thats the point, shes drunk off her own power n hubris, but like... idk she's started a turnaround by the end of v8 i'd say. i think Watts' lil speech actually got to her, what with how she manipulated Neo and actually used her brain instead of brute force to get what she wanted by the end (in Atlas not on the bridge she was unhinged as hell there)

idk! i'm just hoping they keep this up with V10 (which desperately needs to be greenlit so keep up the convos on RWBY yall!) cause i'd love to have our sneaky mastermind Cinder back

[yandereunsolved]

What are your thoughts/headcanons for Self Aware Addam and Jacaerys? I think they are so handsome and neat, plus they seem like theyed be less of a threat, you know?

hmm...

Here's some quick thoughts on them.

Yandere self-aware Addam is less of a threat then some of the others we have covered. It also depends if we are working with his book or show counterpart (both is also an option).

Book Addam is much quieter and cunning. He is loyal to you till the very end. He won't undercut show Addam's chances, but he is jealous. Book Addam shows his self-awareness in small ways. He'll manipulate the text to sing his praises of you — and he's willing to kill anyone he isn't a fierce ally with in his word for your support. He is a subtle yandere. You won't see the bloodshed or the aftermath. The stains will still stay on the books pages till they burn to cinder.

Show Addam is more-experienced. He is older and a more viable option. (If we are going by canon book age and not aged up Book Addam then you do not want to be catching a case.) Not to mention you are able to physically see him. Show Addam is a bit more coy. His relationship with his dragon is more estranged than Book Addam's. So Seasmoke is almost more of a yandere than Show Addam is. Seasmoke is willing to show how twisted Show Addam's love for you is. Seasmoke almost doesn't listen to his rider. They know you are real and they are in their own reality. It's just that Show Addam isn't quite sure bow to grapple with these emotions yet — his dragon is more than willing to make up for that.

Yandere self-aware Jacaerys... again it depends on if we are talking book/show/or both. In the case of both — they are willing to work together, surprisingly. They are aware of your existence and their existence. They are territorial and only trust each other to protect you.

A lot more bloody than either Addams.

I have more thoughts on yandere self-aware Jacaerys. I just don't want to spoil too much. 🤫

I'll probably do headcanons for them later. It would be an interesting add on to the premise. ʚɞ

[opalharkness]

My favroite reoccurring theme in RWBY is victory. I think about it constantly. (By the way I'm typing out most of these quotes from memory)

"Take heed there will be no victory in strength" is said by Salem in the opening monologue of the show and it practically begs the audience to ponder the question. If victory will not be achieved through strength then what will bring victory? Every character that has tried to achieve victory through strength fail. Cinder is always defeated when she relys on her strength and not on her cunning. Ironwood failed because he was a very Might is Right type of person.

Ozpin in that same opening monologue says this "Perhaps victory is in the things that we have long forgotten, things that require a smaller more honest soul" which clues the audience to look for victory in things that aren't grand or overly complicated. That even the simpliest of things or people can achieve something special. Something that Salem agrees with in the last episode of volume 3.

This theme is also present in the songs.

"Victory is in a simple soul" - This Will Be The Day

"Strength will not bring victory" - Divide

And my personal favorite one "Victory's in trust and kindness" - This Time.

I'm sure there are other examples of this but these were just the ones I remembered. While yes this theme of Victory not being achieved through strength was the writers way of foreshadowing the fact that Salem can't be killed. Therefore traditional displays of strength are useless against her. However it is also a really good way of exploring how humanity can reach its goals and what that even means.

[asexxxualauthor]

So, my brain did not shut up at all last night, so I’m gonna go ahead and subject you to the horror I created instead of sleeping that is D&D-accurate(-ish) Ruby Rose

First things first—the caveats. What do I mean by accurate(-ish)? Well, in order to truly build Ruby to be the utter nightmare that she is, we need to accept a few…house rules.

Rule 1) All characters start with a bonus Feat. This is a carry-over from D&D2024, and is to help flesh out the character beyond their basic race and background feats.

Rule 2) All RWBY characters start with an Epic Boon. This is a stand-in for Semblances, as reading through them shows they really are just Semblances codified for D&D.

Rule 3) Weapons and Features can be adjusted for rule of cool. If something isn’t supposed to work that way by the rules as written, but it’s cool as hell, it’s now the rule.

Now, with those three little rules out of the way going forward, let’s talk about our lovely little Red Reaper~

First things first—if we’re going to make Ruby, we have to prioritize speed above all else, because speed is the name of the game with her. Because of this, we’re going to be a little cheaty and make her a Tabaxi—or at the very least, give her the Tabaxi’s Feline Agility so she can double her walking speed. Along with that, we’re going to give her the starting Feat of Mobile, so she gets a +10 to that speed, and then the Epic Boon of Speed, which gives her an additional +30.

Which means at Level 1, Ruby has a base Speed of 70ft, 140 with Feline Agility.

We can get faster, though, because that’s just the base stats—let’s talk about Classes now. After doing a bit of analyzing and planning, I came to the following build: Fighter (11), Monk (2), Rogue (2), Warlock (5). The way I argue this is Fighter/Rogue is Ruby’s base class during Beacon, before getting Warlock when she awakens her Silver Eyes, tapping into that Celestial Patron. She picks up some hand-to-hand training in Haven for Monk, some additional levels in Warlock as she learns to harness her Silver Eyes, and then everything else is Fighter.

So, now that I’ve said my piece, what does this do for Ruby? Well, by taking two levels in Monk, she can get Unarmored Movement, which adds another 10 feet to her speed. And with two in Rogue, she gets access to Cunning Action, which means she can take the Dash action as a Bonus Action on each of her turns. That means, with just those four levels, Ruby would have a base Speed of 80ft, Dash of 160ft, Double-Dash of 320ft, and FA Speed of 640ft. And if she could get her hands on some Boots of Speed? 1,280 feet traveled in only six seconds.

That’s 145 miles an hour.

Suffice to say we’ve got the speed-side of Ruby’s design down, so what’s the rest of this for? Well, the other half of her whole shtick—killing Monsters. As a Celestial Warlock, she’d have access to spells like Sacred Flame, Guiding Bolt, Daylight, and Eldritch Blast—Thunder Step, Misty Step, and Spider Climb for mobility—and Hold Person for Cinder in particular. She would also get Invocations, such as Armor of Shadows, letting her cast Mage Armor at will whenever, so a constant 13 + Dex, and Eldritch Smite, to really pump the damage into her attacks.

But with Warlock (5), you can get an extra nasty feature—and for this, we must remember Rule 3.

Because at Level 5 Warlock, and with the Pact of the Blade, you can get Thirsting Blade, which lets you attack twice, instead of once, on your attack action. Now, according to the rules as written, Extra Attack features do not stack on each other—to which I say bullshit. If the rules didn’t want me to break the game, they shouldn’t left the window open to begin with—and besides, it’s technically not Extra Attack, but something else. Ergo, it’s allowed, at least in this hypothetical bullshit Ruby D&D build world.

So, with Thirsting Blade, you get an Extra Attack. With Fighter (11), you get two Extra Attacks. That means a total of four possible attacks on the Attack action—eight if you pump an Action Surge into it. But that’s not all, because we also have Feats! With Great Weapon Master (and with a scythe that huge of course Ruby is a great weapon master), if you crit or kill on an attack, you can use your bonus action for another Extra Attack. And as Champion, that crit potential goes up from 5% to 10% every roll. So that’s a potential of five attacks a turn—nine if you’re very lucky—and with Polearm Master, you’re guaranteed it with the butt-end attack!

All this, from a girl moving faster than a car on the freeway, and able strike and dash off without provoking any opportunity attacks at all.

And so there we have her—Ruby Rose, Level 20 Huntress. I will admit to a bit of stat fibbing on my part, but only so much as bumping up stats—it felt wrong to me for her Intelligence to be lower than a +1 considering how gifted she is, and I put Wis at 13…because that’s what you need for Multiclassing into Monk. Also, while Scythes (Glaives) use Str for attack and damage, I did go ahead and override the features so they used her Dex instead…because, honestly—tell me that doesn’t look Dexy as shit!

…I did keep her Str at 16 as an extra argument for why she’s so Dexy with a heavy weapon if need be.

But that’s Ruby! Any questions?

[bestworstcase]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the moment Cinder gets the memo as to Salem caring about her will be hilarious. Or heart rending. Also it clicking for everyone else in the cast.

And chop another comparison up for Yang and Cinder. Raven is rather bad at being a mother but there's the untested "Only one save" rule/Raven's priorities versus Yang's life. If you're right that Salem will have to choose between the Crown and Cinder and chooses Cinder...

i want to see how far this escalates before salem manages to choke out the words honestly and without any obfuscation because within a matter of months it’s gone from telling cinder to be careful at haven, to exploding all the windows in a furious panic when she found out cinder would have to face off against ozma to get the lamp, to dropping everything to rush to atlas with a zillion grimm, to razing vale to the ground in a bid to force the vacuo coalition to attack her with the sword because having a zillion grimm in atlas did nothing to actually diminish the danger a rival maiden poses to cinder.

the closest she’s gotten to saying how she feels is “you deserve so much more than i’ve given you” and she had to torture cinder first to ensure cinder wouldn’t believe her. and cinder is going to be fighting to wring every mile she can possibly get out of the inch salem gave her. the trajectory is salem getting pushed by cinder being hurt over and over and over until she hits a breaking point and the facade shatters. and i want so much to find out what her limit is.

bc cinder is very cunning and can smell weakness like blood in the water. if she hasn’t already put together that she can squeeze concessions out of salem by endangering herself she’s bound to figure that out sooner rather than later. and what then?

[falleri-salvatore]

If Jaune actually were to go villain, he would be not be an omnicidal maniac; he would be an absurdly overpowered yet well-intentioned tyrant....

He would have the ambitious persistence of Cinder... The inhuman resilience, endurance and sheer overwhelming power of Hazel... The manipulative and vindictive cunning of Salem... The self-destructive selflessness of Ozma... The unyielding and unrelenting determination and conviction (read: stubbornness) of Ironwood...

...and to top all of the above: an undying body as well as an eternal soul that both evolved beyond humanity due to overuse of Aura Amp pretty much making them transcend into becoming superhuman. In other words, he has acquired both of Salem's (cannot die by old age or illness and instantly regenerates any damage inflicted to him and instantly regenerates any spent Aura) and Ozma's (even IF his body is somehow destroyed, his soul will still persist and, unlike Ozma, he can actually choose which vessel to possess as his next body) forms of immortality naturally and by accident instead of as a curse (because it would not be Jaune Arc if he doesn't get double the suffering than the previous Big Good and Big Bad)... He can be beaten, but not by strength, nor underhanded tactics, nor by outsmarting him, and definitely NOT by outlasting or out-stubborning him. He can only be defeated by making him acknowledge that he needs to rest and to finally trust that people under the yoke of his well-intentioned tyranny won't all suddenly die without him.

[howlingday]

Cinder: YOU! HAVE SEX WITH ME, ARC! MAKE ME INTO YOUR NEFARIOUS QUEEN NOW!

Jaune: (Tied up) Um... Can we start as friends first?

Cinder: ...Friends? YOU WANT TO START AS FRIENDS?!

Cinder: ...

Cinder: D-Do you mean it? You'll be my first ever friend~?

Jaune: (Looks at her flaming death sword, Looks at her sinister "too angry to die" aura) Um... Yes?

AND THUS, CINDER FALL WOULD ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE REMEMBERED AS QUEEN CINDER THE STRONG, CUNNING, AND TRUE FRIEND OF JNPR!

Cinder: ALRIGHT, FELLAS! NEXT ROUND IS ON ME!

JNPR: (Cheer) CIN-DER! CIN-DER! CIN-DER! CIN-DER! CIN-DER! CIN-DER! CIN-DER~!

Her tale is told to all the future generations of RWBY, serving as a reminder that even the most evil and sinister of hearts can be made just a bit less cringe... through the power of friendship. And sometimes, everything will work out just fine.

[strqyr]

choice. destiny. worthiness. i'll take her. i will take... what is mine. and take... what is mine.

pyrrha asks cinder if she believes in destiny. cinder says yes. and despite everything that has happened since, she still does. the fall maiden. the maiden of choice.

"so... the destiny i chose for you has arrived." "you chose nothing. this... was a gift."

did cinder choose her own destiny, or was it chosen for her? it was not a gift—not a direct one, at least—, that was something else: "if ruby rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. there's only so much i can do to aid you."

"so i will take... what is mine..." gifts are not taken, they're given.

"you can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy!" "you're not just worthy of such power. but i am." except vernal never was the spring maiden. hm.

"you can't just be strong, you have to be smart!"—you need to be both; "you know, i've heard so many stories about you, raven. they say you're a cunning leader, that you're strong, that you're clever... it's a shame that they're wrong." they weren't so wrong, though. deserving, maybe raven doesn't think that, but... maybe she's worthy of them, still.

the maiden powers... they're a gift. something to be worthy of. two for two. can they be your destiny? or is that a foolish endeavor: it's not destiny, it would be a grave mistake to think so. every choice is ours and ours alone. this hasn't all been mapped by fate, this is the future we create.

no. destiny doesn't play a role here, i think. for cinder, it's a concept centered around getting all the maiden powers, but. cinder answers pyrrha's question after she's fully the fall maiden. a choice she made, to become the maiden of choice. a future she created for herself.

a gift. being worthy. a choice. three for three.

[moltensmusings]

You know, while Salem has had really strong villain moments, she really does continue the rwby issue of villains not feeling as they honestly should. And the issue as always has to do with her inner circle. They tell us Salem has been around since back when magic properly existed in remnant. That she's become horrific and immortal and experiments with humans and Grimm, but truthfully the hound being a more recent abomination just makes it feel like her timeline is much shorter than it should've been.

She should have an inner circle full of people like Cinder and the hound, sure we can still have those that are fully mortal and were offered something they so desperately wanted that they joined her, but she should've had loyalists who were corrupted by Grimm experimentation and made into beasts.

Tyrion 1000% should've been one of these with how much of a fanatic he is towards her, even going so far as to consider the action a "blessing". It could add more tension between him and Cinder when she gets her arm because despite her failure he sees her as being rewarded when obliteration or torment would've been his choice for her failing Salem.

You could start introducing monsters from myths and fairy tales who had been created by Salem. Vampires, demons, sirens, harpies. Various other creatures who wouldn't appear at the start but become far more common as salem's power grows and the group gets closer to her. Creatures that are more cunning than regular Grimm but still inhuman enough to give us horrific visuals and fit in with the Grimm they originated from.

Her threat is world wide, her subordinates should be numerous. Her experimentation should've started centuries ago making it so that now her creations are far more advanced, enough so that they can come to view her as a God in her own right. It could even be that tyrion is a descendant of one of these experiments leading to a stronger reasoning for his unhinged fanaticism and desperation for her to approve of him.

As for the humans/faunus of her circle, that would be a much more recent addition. It could be that for a long time she didn't believe men could be trusted without a little bit of intervention, but her studying of them and their habits let her to believe there was a chance that with the right strings she could predict them far better.

[adarkrainbow]

Here is an illustration of "Cunning Cinders": Finette bringing food to her fairy godmother.

[toastingpencils37]

The fact that Ras was able to easily overpower Nokt in one second to put on the electrical thing bothers me a lot.

Don't get me wrong, the thing itself being able to overpower Nokt makes sense, as he is getting electrocuted in the head. And unless Nokt was in Imperium at some point before being imprisoned, he probably never experience tech like that. Plus that just has to hurt.

It was the act of Ras just pushing him down and putting it on that bothers me, as Nokt is supposed to be extremely powerful.

It could be argued that he was angry and tired, which caused him to not fight as well, but for a strong user of Shatterspin, he'd probably still be a really good fighter in those conditions.

And even if he's only powerful when the gong is hit, he'd still probably be a good fighter, and would have been able to stand his ground against Ras for some time.

Honestly, I think if someone like Cinder was actively fighting him and Ras just slipped the thing on Nokt during the fight and then electrocuted him to take him down, it'd feel a lot more believable to me, as Ras isn't just using strength against a stronger person, but also his cunning.

[iamafanofcartoons]

Reasons to love Cinder Fall from RWBY, by June / Blightmxb on Twitter

1. Her outfits.

She's had MORE wardrobe changes than any other RWBY character. she's a fashion victim and she looks GORGEOUS while doing every evil deed

2. Her story.

She's the survivor of an abusive environment in a world where nothing was given to her, she learned that taking the things she wants is the only way to survive. She's such a tragic villain cause there was never a kind hand that could've lead her on a different path

3. Jessica Nigri's VA skills.

I cannot stress enough how much i LOVE Cinder's voicing. Her velvety voice when she's being mean, her grunts of frustration, how raw she sounds when she FIGHTS. Jessica Nigri does a marvellous job for her volume after volume!

4. She's a girlfailure.

She has been defeated numerous times by a little girl, has been allegedly killed by another maiden, challenged by Jaune (affectionate), kicked by THE Blake Belladonna. The list of failures goes on and i support her ALWAYS coming back

5. Her powers.

She can materialize incandescent cristals, fire, make any given weapon on the spot and BREATHE FIRE. how absolutely COOL is that !!

6. How PETTY she is.

"Do you believe in destiny?" "Yes." // "Someone once asked me if I believed in destiny and I'm happy to say I still do" Cause after coming back from the dead (almost) she es yet again ready to commit atrocities to become even stronger, i respect her tenacity

7. She looks so awesome.

The atrocities look GOOD on her and she is a feast to the eyes when she's on screen

8. She is an overconfident, manipulative, intelligent, ruthless, cunning, villain who knows exactly how to get what she wants AND she's a woman.

Enough of morally corrupted men in media, I want morally corrupted WOMEN who are POWER-HUNGRY & not afraid to take what they want !!

9. If Ruby is the light of RWBY, Cinder is the shadow.

As the show goes on, Ruby & Cinder both face failure, loss, trauma and they both slowly lose parts of themselves. But while Ruby overcomes the struggles and becomes better, Cinder doesn't change her ways and becomes worse

10. Her Cinderella theme

i'm obsessed with how she's based on cinderella but she mirrors that entire tale and instead of becoming kind and forgiving and loving she becomes ruthless, cold hearted, and vengeful

11. She is the heart of the conflict in RWBY.

She’s the only consistent villain that brings conflict to the story. Grimm are background threats, & Salem & the other villains have less impactful scenes but Cinder is ALWAYS at the centre of the main events that further the plot

12. She would give it a shot to bisexuality.

And I think that's very cool of her to love women !!

13. Overall, I think she's a pivotal character in the RWBY universe who stirs things up and gives us such memorable (and painful) moments and I just love a complex and morally dubious villain !!

Disclaimer, cause I know you guys like to take things out of context. Do I condone her actions? No. She's done terrible things and she'll have to pay for them. Do I think she deserves a happy ending? I think she's too far gone for any hope of redemption, so probably no.

I personally don't want her to die, but knowing how RWBY works there's a slim chance she'll survive after what she's done. So. I would like her to hit rock bottom so hard she realizes she's neck deep in the wrong path, but she can still do One Good thing before she's done for(+)+) and that is sacrifice herself for Ruby. Or save her/help her in any capacity when all seems lost and she's too far gone to survive. Her own little redemption to all the terrible things she's done. That isn't enough but it's Something. I want her dark life to end with a light

www.twitter.com/Blightmxb/status/1652622432560111616

[rosemaidenvixen]

Witch Hunter

Chapter 10

<Previous Next>

Ao3

Dusk was nearly over and true night close to falling, a band of gold on the horizon the only source of weak light.

Jim raced down the road, heedless of the near darkness, he ran the risk of tripping and breaking his neck, but didn’t dare slow down.

He’d spent the day hunting in the woods with other men and boys from town, which was why they’d heard the news after everyone else.

Goody Hughes’ baby was born dead, riddled with horrific deformities.

And Barbara had presided over the birth.

His lungs were burning, legs aching, heart threatening to burst out of his chest, but he didn’t slow, not even when he spotted the dim glow of the window of their small house.

He raced up to the house and threw open the door only to stop dead in his tracks.

Barbara froze like a deer in a hunters’ sight, sitting at the table hands still perched in midair where they were twining raven feathers around a slender bone by the light of a dim lantern perched at the edge of the table. More bones, feathers, and twigs sat in piles before her. Along with other things. Stranger things. A wide-eyed skull grinning at him from atop a pile of dried herbs. Blank faced cloth dolls and bizarre trinkets carved from wood. Unitentifiable bits of dried plants and leather. All spread out across the table.

“You’re still selling charms,” Jim said flatly, a statement not an accusation.

That appeared to snap Barbara back to her senses “Shut the door,” she hissed “Constable Mayhew will be making his rounds soon,” 

Jim staggered into the room, legs still trembling from his mad dash, pulling the door closed behind him “You don’t have to do this, if you need more money I– I can pick up more work, go into servitude. Anything so you don’t have to risk yourself by–”

“Even if I was the wealthiest woman in the colonies I would still make charms.”

He snapped his head up to stare at her.

She sighed, set down the materials in her hands, and stood “Jim, I’m a cunning woman, a healer. I have a duty to use my skills to help people when they need it, not simply when it suits me,”

“But– but the town’s on the hunt for a witch! And I've already heard how Goody Hughes birth went–”

Barbara flinched at that.

“So you need to be careful, even a little thing as seeing a cat cross your path could be enough to–”

Barbara’s eyes flicked to the bones on the table almost imperceptibly.

Jim went still, a chill prickling up his spine. 

No, it couldn’t be…

He slowly turned to stare at the bones on the table with new eyes, taking in the shape, the size, the needle sharp teeth on the skull–

“....you didn’t bury Cinder, did you?” the words came out of him barely louder than a whisper, somehow deafening in the small space.

Barbara shut her eyes and let out a heavy sigh “No, I didn’t.”

She stepped towards him “In life Cinder was a faithful guardian, now that his spirit is at rest his bones do the same,”

Jim forced himself to turn away from Cinder’s earthly remains and back towards Barbara “I know you want to help people, but if Hopkins spots your charms on anyone they’ll turn you over in a second–”

“And if I refuse them a protective charm while they fear a malicious conjurer they’ll do just the same,”

Her gaze was steely, grip firm as she clapped a hand on his shoulder “James. I know the risks of the role I’ve taken, and I accept them wholeheartedly. They are my burdens to bear, not yours,”

Throat tight, Jim laid his own fingers over Barbara’s “Can’t you just…stop? Not forever, at least until Hopkins leaves next spring?”

Barbara’s gaze hardened and Jim knew what her answer was before she even opened her mouth.

“No. I knew the risks when I chose this path and come what may I’ve accepted the potential consequences of my choices. If Hopkins or anyone else accuses me and tries me as a witch that is their sin not mine. Now I need your word that you won’t interfere with my work,”

Jim said nothing.

The fingers on his shoulder tightened, digging in to his flesh “Jim…promise me, please,”

He slumped under her grip and let out a sigh “I swear won’t interfere with your work as a cunning woman,”

She smiled, the hand on his shoulder raising up to pat his cheek “Thank you, now since you’ve taken the trouble of racing home, you can check the hives and the chicken coop before we go to bed,”

Jim knew she was dismissing him so she could finish working on her protection charms, but nodded his head and went back outside all the same. Trading wan lantern light and weak warmth for cold darkness, slumping back against the shut door, shutting his eyes and letting out a deep breath. Utterly crushed but not disappointed.

He’d known his mother would never agree to give up her cunning work. He’d hoped against hope, asked, pleaded for honor’s sake, but was completely unsurprised when she refused.

As soon as he’d heard that Goody Hughes’ delivery had gone horribly wrong he knew his mother would be crushed, as she always was when a birth ended poorly. He also knew that when her mind was troubled her crafting was the one thing that could settle it.

Barbara was exceedingly cautious with her craft, weaving her charms and totems in the dead of night away from prying eyes, even her own son’s. The one time he could predict when she would craft when her mind was ill at ease and she turned to her hands to settle it. So he’d raced home as fast as he could, hoping to catch her in the act, and he had. Seeing all her tools and materials spread out across the table.

And behind her the stone pried loose from the hearth, exposing the hollow underneath where her crafting materials were concealed.

But the way she spoke, the proud set of her jaw and the steely determination in her eyes…

A knot sprouted in his throat. Jim and Claire had been planning their escape to Spain for months, he hadn’t told Barbara so she couldn’t accidentally let something slip. He’d planned for it to be a happy surprise, to flee the wild colonies for a place without harsh winters and more fruit than they could ever eat. But when the time came…

When Claire’s father came back, would Barbara even want to leave with him?

Forcing his feet underneath him, Jim swallowed hard, pushed off the door, and began making his way towards the coop. The beginnings of a plan swirling in his mind.

No point in worrying about tomorrow's troubles today. For now he’d focus on dealing with the problems within his control.

Jim had promised his mother he wouldn’t interfere with her cunning work, but he’d made no such oath when it came to her tools.

[didyoutrydynamite]

In Renegate AU, how would a game of "Remnant" go? Like the one from JNRZ durables. Would they gang up on Jaune, or are they so competitive that it is free for all? Does Neo use her semblance to cheat?

Renegades: *Currently into their third hour of Remnant the Game*

Cinder: *Playing as Atlas, currently occupying Vacuan soil, her immense armada's blockading Vale and Mistral as she continued her brutal invasion on Adam's territory.*

Ah, my dear Adam, you continue to fight against the inevitable. You see, your resistance is nothing more than a fleeting illusion, a feeble attempt to defy the natural order of power. You cannot prevail against the might I possess. Surrender now, and I may grant you a merciful end. Embrace the futility of your struggle and bask in the superiority of my dominance. I promise, under my rule this world will see a new age!

Adam: *Playing as Vacuo, has long ago activated his Faction's Special Condition, where despite losing his Capital, he now can continue fighting as long as his Leader is alive and he meets a certain Morale Threshold. He is now waging guerilla warfare on Cinder's invading forces, and has started instigating civil unrest in all other factions to increase Grimm count so no one can overrun his rebel cells.*

Your words may be laced with arrogance, but they cannot smother the flame of our determination. We refuse to be shackled by your oppressive rule, for we believe in the power of unity and the resilience of the Vacuan spirit. We will rise against your tyranny, forging a future where freedom reigns and your reign crumbles. *Stands up, knocking over his chair* So, prepare yourself, you demon, for we are the embodiment of hope, and no matter the odds, WE WILL NEVER YIELD! FREEDOOOOOOM!!!

Neo: *Playing as Mistral, cheating her ass off. With her Semblance, she's been disguising troop placements, switching cards, twisting the borders of territories, and fudging every dice roll. All other players have to constantly tap the board or flick her cards to shatter any possible illusions she conjures. It's to a point where not even Neo know's what's real anymore and has gone mad with power as a Goddess of Mischief and Deceit over their tiny flat world.*

(Behold, mortals, the one who dances in the shadows, the embodiment of chaos and cunning. I, Neo Politan, revel in the twisted tapestry of this world. Through deceit, I unravel the fabric of your feeble existence, leaving naught but confusion and despair in my wake! See how the world crumbles beneath my touch, a testament to my unstoppable might. Every thread of trust unraveled, every heart ensnared by my web of lies. Chaos, my eternal companion, dances with glee as I tear down the foundations of your fragile order. MWHAHAHAHAAH!)

Jaune: *Playing as trusty Vale, a bulwark of honor and courage stands against the war torn world of Remnant. Grimm thrive and grow fat with gluttony on the horrors these lands now face. He faces riots and unrest in his city streets thanks to Adam's revolutionaries, his people face hunger and famine thanks to Cinder's blockades, and now he can't even trust his own eyes thanks to the chaos and confusion of Neo's powers.*

Guys, this is by far the most fun game of Remnant I've ever had, I'm glad we're friends. 😊

[conretewings]

(Found this forgotten nugget buried deep in my drafts and even though RWBY is effectively done for I thought eh what the hell I'll post it anyway)

Saw someone describe Cinder as a complex, cunning, well written character, and another declaring her more successful than Watts and Tyrian and I-

This angsty, dollar-store Zuko knock-off is about as complex and deep as a mud puddle and much less interesting. And if she's so cunning, how is it she's always getting stumped by the idiot Power of Friendship Squad?

#CinderSucks