#god (miss blake): i have made an Empath

[joseopher]

I love how Callum actually has magic empath powers and this meme is still him

[rwby-grimm-guardians]

RWBY Grimm Guardians Arc 3: Separated Union Ch 13

Finale Part I: Side RWBY

Welcome back to Separated Union! We’ve arrived at the end of Separated Union. Here, Team RWBY and associates reunite and discuss what to do next. This takes place a couple days after Side Red III.

As usual, please give constructive criticism and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing.

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(12: 48 PM)

It was a little after noon when the virtual meeting was finally set up. Though this was NOT what anybody had imagined. “What the hell did you get into!?” Weiss shouted as Willow attempted to calm her down. Yang grinned, “Aw, she cares about your well-being.” Ruby made a similar grin, before putting her hands up in defense, “In my defense, I had no control of the situation.” “None of us did.” Summer said. “By the way, yes. I did tell her about me.”

Blake, Weiss, and Willow took note of the change of Summer’s eyes. However, they decided not to comment on them for now. That could wait until they saw each other in-person.

Weiss and Blake sighed, with the latter saying, “Thank gods, because hiding that was hard as hell.” “Ditto.” Her significant other replied, groaning. “Anyway, who’s all with you besides the moms? Ember’s washing up right now.” The faunus teenager nodded, “Gambol’s getting dressed at the moment.” “We got Uncle Qrow with us, as well as three other guests.” Ruby said. “Oscar Pine and his mom are here. His mom is my doctor and will be here soon.” The three teenagers and Willow nodded.

“The young leader then cleared her throat awkwardly, “We also got another...guest.” With that, Summer motioned her hand and Evergreen appeared in the picture. “The fuck!?” Yang shouted. “How are you…!?” “Language, Yang.” The former STRQ leader said, before sighing. “He made himself a Weapon Spirit, basically.” “You’re a crazy little shit.” Willow said, queuing the former headmaster to nod. “Yes, I know. And I’m sorry for not telling any of you.” He said.

“Why are you in a hospital?” Blake asked suddenly, her voice filled with worry as she noticed her leader’s gown. Weiss’s face also had a worried expression as her eyes widened at the sight of her partner.

Both Yang and Ruby paled. They completely forgot to tell their partners about the young leader’s condition. Judging by Willow’s sighs, the two could assume that Summer had told her...and given by the former STRQ leader’s unamused expression, she was NOT surprised that her daughters forgot in the slightest. Blake assumed that Gambol probably knew as well from Ember. “Right…” Yang started with a regretful sigh. “We....really should’ve explained what happened to Ruby to you two…”

Clearing her throat, the young leader said, “You know that Vampier chick that harmed Pyrrha? Well, she attacked us when we were trying to go to an inn.” Nodding slowly, the heiress asked, “And the kid you mentioned?” “Met him when we first arrived in Mistral.” Ruby explained. “He’s like a little brother.” “I see…” Weiss nodded. “You said that Pyrrha came back, right?” Smiling, the young leader nodded, “Yeah. She came back a couple nights ago and is still in the process of catching up with her team.”

Ruby then lifted her hospital gown to show her abdomen, revealing the bandages for the stitches, “The bullets passed right through, so all I needed was stitches, thankfully.” “Thank gods…” Weiss sighed. Blake nodded in agreement, a sigh of relief emerging from her lips. “Probably not appropriate, but nice abs…” She said, before blushing as Yang and Ruby laughed. “Thank you~.” The young leader grinned. “Weiss agrees.” Willow said, smirking as the group laughed at the heiress’s embarrassed pleas.

It was around that time that Ember and Gambol showed up, with the former saying, “Hey, kid-... Damn, you really did get fucked up…” Ruby nodded, sighing. “How are the wounds holding up, hun?” Gambol asked. The youngest of the group gave a small smile, “Sore, but it’s getting there.” “They’ll be sore for a while.” Blake said. “Just try not to force yourself to your abdominal muscles.” Her leader nodded, “So no carrying stuff or bending down, huh.” “Not alone, at least.” Willow added.

The group then heard the door to the hospital room open, before Anna appeared on the screen. “This is Anna Pine.” Summer smiled. “By the way, Willow. This is who I was talking about regarding my acquaintance.” “This is Weiss, Willow, Gambol, Blake, Ember, and Yang.” Ruby chuckled. Nodding, the doctor gave the group a warm wave, before checking Ruby’s stitches.

“Good to know that the names match the faces.” She smiled. “I do believe the former heiress has a private question, correct?” Willow blushed, before clearing her throat, “Yes.” The doctor nodded, checking Ruby’s heartbeat and breathing as she said, “Gotcha. I’ll call you after your virtual meeting is finished.” The former heiress nodded, “Thank you, Dr. Pine.” “So, have you and your mom made a decision?” Ruby asked.

Weiss sighed. She KNEW this was going to come up sooner or later. “Yes.” Willow said. “Right now...we’ve decided to wait until Jacques has left.” Summer raised an eyebrow, “You’re planning on leaving?” The heiress nodded, “Klein and Mom are getting things prepared. This place...isn’t safe anymore.” The silence following that sentence was deafening...and frightening. Not because anyone had an issue with The Schnees’ decision though.

Rather, it was because of the truth surrounding the events at their manor… Though, given what Willow said about Jacques before, Summer wasn’t too surprised.  “You may want to leave sooner than planned.” Blake said. “If it’s getting that bad, then you might get out of there as soon as you can.” Gambol nodded, “Agreed. You might want to set a destination now, since we’re all here.” “You could meet up with us in Mistral.” Ruby suggested. “Or head to Vale and stay with Dad, Yang, and Ember for now.”

“I was going to suggest coming to see us.” Blake said. “But...I’m not sure if you’ll be welcomed... Some people here are not pleased with your father’s decisions.” Weiss groaned, “Don’t remind me…” She then looked to the side and nodded, “Winter’s here.” Winter appeared on the screen, her hair down as she smirked, “I see you kids are doing well...more or less.” “To some extent, yeah.” Ruby said. “This is my sister: Yang, Blake, Ember, and Gambol. This is my doctor, Anna Pine from Mistral International Clinic.”

Anna looked at Winter with a recognizing nod, only to meet Summer’s stern glance. “Be kind and say hi.” The former STRQ leader said. “I get you hate the Atlesian Military, but be nice to at least SOMEONE from there.” The eldest Schnee sibling winced, “Your mom is kind of scary at times.” “Only when the time calls for it.” Ruby smiled. “Though scary is not the accurate term, I think.” After a few moments, Anna ultimately gave in to Summer’s gaze, before turning to Winter and waving, “Hello, Ms. Schnee.”

“Dr. Pine.” The elder Schnee sister nodded politely. “I...don’t blame you for despising the Atlesian Military.” She didn’t budge from Anna’s stare as she said, “Actually, I empathize with you.” The group shivered as the tension between the two women began rising. “Could we PLEASE focus on what to do when we all regroup in Mistral?” Willow asked, noticing the tension and attempting to prevent an argument from starting. Winter and Anna looked at the former heiress, before sighing and looking down.

“Sorry, Mom…” Winter said. The doctor replied to Willow, “I apologize for my behavior, Mrs. Schnee.” Willow noticed Summer mouthing “Thank you” at her, before nodding with a smile, “Good. Now then, any suggestions?” Gambol sat back, saying, “Well, since Ruby, Summer, and their group are in Mistral and we’re already in Kuo Kuana, you might as well meet up here. This‘ll also give you the opportunity to get to know our parents.”

The former STRQ leader smiled, “How are they doing anyway?” Blake nodded, “Good. They’ll be happy to know that you remember them.” Summer chuckled, “I’m sure your mother will. That woman was like a sister.” “As were you to her.” The faunus teenager said. “She misses your baking.” The tallest woman nodded with a chuckle, “I’m sure she does. I’ll try to bake some cookies for you all when we meet up. And we can try her cooking again as well.” The two faunus nodded, both smiling.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to leave soon.” Gambol said, looking at the time. “I was….really hoping our parents would be able to finally meet some of you… One of you for the second time.” Summer smiled, “We’ll see them when we get to your place.” Willow nodded, “Seconded. Plus, we should leave soon too. Before Jacques finds out.” The group nodded, as Ruby said, “You take care of yourselves now. Alright?” Blake chuckled, “We will. Recover well, okay? Both of you.”

“We will.” Yang smiled. “Let us know if things need to be changed.” She then looked at the Schnees, “Especially you three.” Weiss nodded with a tired smile, “We will. Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but still.” Ember chuckled, “We know. Stay safe.” The former heiress nodded, “We’ll try. You kids do the same.” “Tell your parents Willow and I said hi, Blake.” Summer smiled. The faunus teenager smiled and nodded, “I will. And I’ll let them know that you’re looking forward to seeing them again.”

After Blake, Gambol, Weiss, Winter, and Willow said their goodbyes, the virtual chat room remained open as Ruby asked, “So, you wanted to talk privately, sis?” Her half-sister nodded, sighing. “So…. I’m...thinking about searching for my mother soon…” Yang said. There was silence for a good few moments, before Summer asked, “Have you spoken with your father?” Ember shook her head, “She’s been trying. Tai won’t talk about it though. Yang’s been worried about invading his privacy.”

“Not surprising… I can’t really blame him either.” Qrow sighed. The former STRQ leader combed Ruby’s hair, saying, “I’m proud that you’re taking his feelings into consideration.” “However, I do think you should bring it up with him again.” She explained. “He’s going to have to tell you about her from his point of view sooner or later.” The tanned woman nodded in agreement, “He will. Even though he doesn’t want to.” The younger blonde grunted, “I guess…”

Yang curled up her legs up to her chest, “I just feel like if I do ask him, then he’s going to have an emotional shutdown…” She then turned to her bedroom door as she heard footsteps walking away. She paled, “I think he heard us… And he was doing well too.” Summer groaned as she put her face in her hands, “Fuck…” Qrow sighed as he rubbed his eyes. This was the worst case scenario; having Taiyang find out about what Yang’s plans were...and what she was going to ask him.

“Well, what time is it there?” The former bandit asked. Ember looked at a clock, saying, “It’s getting late, so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Qrow nodded, “Well, you might as well rip off the bandage as soon as possible.” “Otherwise, he’ll not want to talk to you.” He explained. “Tai’s surprisingly stubborn sometimes. You know that.” The tanned woman hummed, “Of course, I know. I was with him for several years, Qrow.” “I also know that his stubbornness, thankfully, has limits.” She explained.

“He’ll talk.” Ember smiled. “And I hope it’ll be mostly civil.”

“We also need to chat about you.” Yang said to her stepmom, Ruby nodding in agreement. The taller woman sighed, “Had a feeling Tai told you about my issues. Yes, I do remember them.” “Sorry, but we were trying to help you...and still are. In case you need it.” Her youngest daughter explained. The blonde teenager nodded, giving a reassuring smile, “All we want is for you to be happy.” “I know. I know.” The sisters’ mom said, before giving a smile. “Trust me though. I’m fine.”

After a few moments of silence, Qrow nodded, “Alright then. But just remember that if you aren’t….” “I know.” Summer nodded. “You all will be there for me.” The former bandit REALLY wished that his former leader wasn’t so stubborn as well. However, unlike Taiyang, Summer WAS more willing to talk about her personal problems...as long as it was a one-on-one or two-on-one conversation. She was less likely to have an emotional breakdown in those scenarios as well.

“You two take care of your dad now. Please.” The former STRQ leader said. The blondes nodded, with Yang giving a small smile, “We will...I hope.” After the siblings, Ember, Summer ,and Qrow said their farewells, the taller woman sighed. “So, does anyone want something to drink.” She asked. “No, Qrow. You’re not getting alcohol.” The younger Branwen twin sighed, “Fine, I’ll have coffee.” “Same.” Ruby nodded in agreement.

Nodding, the taller woman walked out of the room. As she did, Ruby asked, “What was that about?” “Much like Tai, Summer doesn’t do well with speaking about her issues.” Qrow explained. “Though, unlike your dad, she’s willing to talk about it with, at most, two other people.” The young leader nodded, thinking, ‘Ah… So it’s a problem with her being able to explain to multiple people at once. That makes sense.’ “So...one of us should talk to her later…?” She asked.

Her uncle nodded, “That would be wise.” ‘Well, looks like she and I will have another late night talk, huh.‘ Ruby thought. She really hoped THAT would be a civil conversation.

Then again, after knowing what her mother’s behavior would be like from her father, who knew what that would be like at this point?

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And that’s it for Separated Uni-!

Hmm?

Hold on a minute, my connection is-...

[CONNECTION OFFLINE]

….

….

….

[CONNECTION ONLINE]

Salem: Did you honestly think that this is the end? You still have yet to hear what I’m up to, insects.

[ashyybees-art]

I think one thing a lot of RWBY’s viewers miss is that there isn’t any purely good or purely evil characters. (Blake even makes this point in V1 of “there’s no such thing as pure evil)

Even the good guys do some things that are wrong or don’t make the best choice.

Even the bad guys have understandable things that made them the way they are (but not justifying their actions!). Even are our main villain Salem, even though she has a desire for destruction, there is a tragic reason for why that happened.

(Yes this includes even Adam with the insights of backstory for him, he had a horrendous past that lead him to become who he did and wouldn’t break away from that; DOES NOT EXCUSE HIS ACTIONS at the same time.)

A lot of arguments stem from thinking there has to be someone who is purely good and right, when there really isn’t. Like everyone in real life, people aren’t perfect all the time. Even the seemingly best people will make a mistake, etc. There isn’t a character in RWBY that’s just purely good or evil; Ruby embodies purity but she still messes up and struggles, Salem embodies destruction, but things in her past lead her there that can be seen sympathetically. (As seeing the Gods weren’t exactly empathic towards her nor really helping her to let go and learn).

Tl;DR: RWBY doesn’t have pure good and evil characters, they more operate on everyone being in the middle grey area, heroes will make wrong choices, villains have understandable (but not justifiable always) reasons for why they are where they are.

[stormfloret]

Post-Cinder: a summary

Ren is sent to keep Cinder occupied while the rest of team RWBYJNQO work on an elaborate plan to catch her and capture or kill her. He is simply meant to keep her distracted long enough for them to come get him and catch her unawares, but their conversation quickly gets out of hand. Cinder starts using Pyrrha against him, before threatening to “go after the other redhead” obviously referring to Nora. Ren struggles with the idea of Cinder going after Nora and his anger grows, until with one phrase he snaps and starts a physical altercation. He knew he wouldn’t win against her, so he had tried to avoid this happening, but alas. Instead of killing him, she decides to maim him in reminiscence of her own wounds, the ones she earned from Ruby, to “get revenge and show them her ability.”

Hours after Cinder leaves him there, having been stabbed in the left eye and having had his left arm cut off below the shoulder, his team finally finds him in the facility. Angst ensues. Qrow picks Ren up and they leave.

He wakes up to Nora sitting beside him. They talk for a while, but he soon falls asleep again and once everyone has fallen asleep for the night, Nora sneaks out in pursuit of Cinder. She meets Cinder much sooner than anticipated, running into her in the forest a few miles from their house. Nora, furious, starts a fight with Cinder. She gets a number of hits in, shoots her repeatedly, but ultimately Cinder’s fire and blades overpower her. She gets one blade to the lower leg, flames cauterizing the wound, and gets kicked to the ground. Cinder pins her to the forest floor with a dagger dropped into each wrist. By this time, Nora’s jacket was ripped and had left a piece behind. When Nora finally passed out from blood loss, Cinder picked her up and took her back to the facility where they found Ren.

When Ren wakes up in a cold sweat, he notices that Nora is gone, and searches the house up and down, finding nothing. In a panic, he wakes Qrow up and asks him to help find Nora. Qrow tells him to stay behind, as Qrow intended to fly around in bird form to find Nora faster. Ren did as asked, much to his chagrin.

When Qrow returns, he has blood on his shoes and the hem of his pants, and he holds out the strip of fabric from Nora’s jacket and gives Ren a heartbroken look. Ren panics at first, but then realizes that there’s a chance she may still be alive is there was no sign of her body. He went about waking up the rest of the house and explaining what was going on, and they all set out in hopes of finding her. Ren suggested they start with where he fought Cinder before.

Meanwhile, Nora was waking up alone in a bare room on the floor. She was bandaged up, and she didn’t know where she was. When Cinder walked in, however, things clicked. She tried to stay brave and spit back at Cinder, but Cinder told her that Ren had come to rescue her, and Cinder had “finished the job” and killed him before he could get to her. Cinder pressed her nails into Nora’s wounds, which she had unbandaged herself to check on while Cinder was gone, and Cinder threatened her repeatedly. She continued this act until Nora broke and believed it, and she simply cried and begged for her own death.

When RWBYJRQO got to the facility, they teamed up and split off to cover more ground and look for Nora and Cinder. Ruby and Weiss went one way, Yang, Blake, and Oscar went another, and finally Qrow and Jaune followed alongside Ren in his search. Ren heard the very distant cries that Nora gave off throughout the halls. He took off running, Qrow and Jaune in confused pursuit, until they reached the room the sounds were coming from. They threw the door open just in time to see Cinder with a blade against Nora’s throat. Ren shook through his stunned reaction and shot Cinder multiple times in the back, and she fell to the floor, where Qrow quickly pinned her down.

Ren rushed over to Nora, and Nora was delirious enough to believe he wasn’t actually there and it was another one of Cinder’s tricks to hurt her. She cried and yelled until Ren gently used his semblance to calm her and show her he was real, he was truly there. She collapsed into his arms. During this time, Jaune had run off to find and gather the others of their group.

While Ren was handling Nora, Qrow asked what he wanted done with Cinder. Ren’s response was, “make her feel it.” Qrow, unwilling to torture, cut off Cinder’s Grimm arm and then simply stabbed her once through the back. Cinder did eventually die.

The team was rightfully worried when they all returned, and Ren asked Qrow to carry Nora so they could bring her home. They made their way back, and cleaned and patched Nora up once more.

When Nora woke up, the positions were reversed, and Ren was laying with her in bed. Ren was asleep, but woke up when he heard Nora crying. He asked her to talk to him, and she profusely apologized about having left him that night. She was a mess, and he grew upset as well, and it turned into an argument about why she did what she did. She implied he wasn’t able to fend for himself, so she wanted to do it for him. The argument ended with Nora telling Ren that Cinder had told her he was dead, and that Nora had eventually begged Cinder to kill her so she didn’t have to live without Ren. This new knowledge broke his heart. They gently consoled each other and went back to sleep.

When Ren woke up, Nora was still asleep and he left to use the bathroom. He met Yang in the hallway, and she asked him to train with her that morning. He hesitantly agreed, and they had a very in depth conversation while they sparred. By the time Nora awoke, Ren was still sparring, and she began panicking at the thought that he was gone once more. She called about the house for him, getting no response. She then noticed him outside through a window, and her fear turned into pride as she watched the two of her friends train together. She was happy to see him doing something good for himself.

Ren and Yang came back inside and Ren called up to Nora for breakfast, which he was planning to prepare himself. She agreed and came downstairs, and things were going very well while the three of them talked in the kitchen. When Ren knocked over a mug, however, both he and Nora had sudden flashbacks and panic-induced reactions to the crash. Yang tried to calm Ren down and began picking up the pieces of ceramic, and Ren rushed to Nora’s side to help calm her down as well. They both went to the living room and sat down on the couch, after Yang offered to finish breakfast for them.

They talked for some time, and sat together, and Yang brought out egg sandwiches for them to eat. Once Nora ate hers, she had a bad reaction and got sick. She closed herself in the bathroom and sat down on the floor with her head in her hands. Oscar heard the ruckus and came downstairs, wondering what was going on. Ren got up and got Nora a glass of water and brought it to her in the bathroom, and Oscar grew more concerned at the sight of Nora. Ren closed the door again, leaving her to her privacy.

Ren explains dto Oscar what was going on, and what had happened to Nora the night she went missing. Oscar empathized with them, and when Nora came out of the bathroom, she insisted she was going to be okay. Both Ren and Nora left and went back to bed for a while. During this time, Yang and Oscar talked and then she challenged him to a video game match on their scrolls.

That night, Nora wakes up in the middle of the night from a brutal nightmare, and leaves Ren laying asleep in bed to go sit outside on the front steps. There, she falls asleep.

Ren wakes up and tries to keep himself from worrying because Nora is gone once again, and his anxiety increases as he searches the house, to no avail. He glances outside the front window and sees her asleep on the steps, and he goes outside and wakes her up to check on her. She apologizes for leaving him again, and tells him she had a nightmare. When he asks what it was about, she very hesitantly told him it was about him being dead, and Cinder winning. This upset Ren and he grew quiet, still believing that Nora got hurt because of him and his actions.

Ren gets up silently and goes inside, and Nora follows him. She’s crying and worried, he’s wordless, until things get heated. They begin to yell about whose ‘fault’ it is, and Nora end sheer argument with the words, “Gods, I can’t even look at you!”

This sentence breaks Ren’s heart, and his response is simply, “I’m starting to believe you.” He goes to his room and shuts himself inside. Nora follows and presses her hand to his door, begging him to let her in and repeatedly apologizing for her words. He simply, and emotionlessly, says, “Go away, Nora.” She does just that, and returns to her bedroom, where she screams and her cries echo through the house. Ren then punches his vanity mirror, enough to shake the walls, and sits on the floor surrounded by glass. There, he falls asleep. Nora simultaneously falls asleep crying to herself in bed.

A week passes before they talk to each other again. Within this week, Ren had been rigorously training with Yang and spending most of his time either out of the house, or in his bedroom. Nora, on the other hand, was cooped up in her room the entire time, only coming out for food during the night while everyone was asleep. She had trashed her bedroom in her anguish.

Eventually, Yang gets fed up and catches Ren with his one arm behind his back. She tells him that the only way he’s getting out of that position is to go into the house and talk to Nora. He hesitated but agrees, and goes upstairs and knocks on Nora’s door.

Her only response was to say, “Leave me alone.” Ren, however, kept his courage and stepped inside her room nonetheless. He tells her that Yang had sent him, and begins to backtrack. When she realizes it was him, she immediately feels guilty and begins apologizing to him. He stops her and and says, “Nora, please look at me.” She looks at him for the first time since their last conversation, and he pleads with her. He finishes his sentence with, “... if you’ll take me as I am.” Her simplistic response was the phrase, “Of course.”

Ren offers to make Nora lunch because she looks like she hasn’t eaten in days, and she graciously accepts. They go downstairs holding hands, where Yang greets them with an, “It’s about time.”

Ren and Nora spend some quality time in the kitchen cooking together, and they eat oregano alfredo noodles. Nora is able to keep her food down this time, and they talk happily. After cleaning up, they talk about training together again, and Ren takes an open opportunity to tickle Nora relentlessly. Her giggling was loud and uproarious, and Ren loved it.

They go to bed early that night, sleeping in the same bed for the first time in a week, and they find that they’re both happy and comfortable.

Ren wakes Nora up with the sunrise, and offers once again to make her breakfast. She agrees wholeheartedly and they go to the kitchen, where Ren makes red velvet banana pancakes for the two of them to share. During this time, Nora asks Ren if he’d seen Jaune at all recently. Ren’s shameful answer was a “no.” They mutually decide to go visit Jaune after they finish their breakfast, leaving some food for Jaune, should he want it.

After cleaning up, Ren and Nora go upstairs hand in hand to find Jaune, who is hidden away in his bedroom. The two of them carefully knock and enter Jaune’s room, where he sit facing away from them. They talk briefly before Jaune raises his voice at Nora, blaming her for leaving Ren when he needed her most. This greatly upset Ren, and he brought up Pyrrha as an example of why Jaune was being hypocritical. Jaune sees his mistake and begins to apologize. Nora comes to the rescue and calms both men down, hugging Jaune and letting him know they still love him and need him. Ren joins in, and the three of them share a bit of bonding time together as a team.

Ren speaks up after a moment and reveals that there are pancakes waiting for Jaune downstairs if he wanted them, and that he was entirely welcome to join them in their morning training exercises. Jaune happily accepts the offer, and tells them he’ll meet them when he’s ready.

@dustwield & @shortykatezey

[dianah1234-blog]

Are You Odd As Well?

Do you ever wish that you could fit in? In a world where there are virtually no open spaces for wild cards, do you ever find yourself dreaming of the slot where you belong?

 Man, I know I do. In fact, I’m probably the weirdest person you’ve ever met. If there was ever a place for me that made sense to belong, it would probably be an insane asylum. And no, that’s not a joke.

Hi, my name is Johanna Blake and I can feel your emotions.

Yeah, imagine that as your answer when your professors made you do those terrible ice breakers…damn that lecture hall.

Think of it this way, I read your facial expressions, body language, the sound in your voice, the tempo of your breath, even down to the slightest change in your scent…and BOOM! My body recreates the emotions you’re feeling and basically I turn into you for a moment. Crazy, right?

You see, everyone has their ‘personal stain’ as I like to call it, or essentially the mark that follows you throughout the entirety of your existence.

Now, it’s not always necessarily a bad thing, more so the thing that makes you, you. But unfortunately, the majority of the time, people’s stains are determined by a tragic life event or trauma that they experienced during the major development years. This ‘stain’ so-to-speak, is like the embellishment that you wear for the rest of your life.

Maybe that’s a bad example. Okay, think of it more or less like the name tag sticker that you wear at your first day on the job, except instead of your name, it reads something like ‘Self-conscious’, or ‘hardened heart’.

Now, those are very vague answers, but for the sake and sanity of your brain as well as personal space, we’ll leave it at that, because to be honest my friend, I basically know everything about you, and essentially did the moment I met you.

 Now imagine this, you’re first day of class and you walk in. You’ve meditated, prayed and hoped that the empathic abilities would shut off. You do your best to prepare yourself for the anxiety attack that is sure to come, as every student in the room is surely nervous to some degree.

Then you get this weird, confused, shaky yet confident feeling. As one student in the room is blazed out of his mind and really hasn’t a sentiment of a clue what’s truly going on except that the bubbly, blonde prof is “tripping him out, bro”. 

So instead of learning, you’re trying to manage emotions, getting lost in your own brain trying to shut them out. Often times, your grades slip because you’re not actually learning, rather managing, and other times… you overstep in situations where you shouldn’t, verbalizing people’s innermost-issues that really, you have no business knowing.

And then of-course comes the guilt, as you start to realize that you are getting to know your classmates very personally, which doesn’t exactly make you feel like the best person in the world.

And the worst part of all? After the initial worries of the first day subside, you start to feel everyone’s strongest emotion…and their personal stains rise to the surface.

For instance, in Lecture hall 2059 of building C, the room I’m in currently, Sarah Lockhardt is hardly containing her, well, ‘interest’ in Scott Wilson. As you might not notice, her mouth is slightly twitching from the smile she’s trying to contain, her toes are wildly drumming against the souls of her shoes, she’s gripping her pencil just a little too hard…so many indications and so many freaking emotions.

Now, the part you probably don’t feel is her fuzzy brain, the way the lights seem to dim and brighten again as the chemicals release from her body all too intensely. Or the way her legs feel like they’ve been injected with icy-hot, and her mouth becomes inherently dry.

Sarah is experiencing what most of us know commonly as a crush. Scott Wilson on the other hand, although not completely oblivious to her excitement, is completely calm and confident…a relief for me.

As my body starts to calm down after Sarah’s roller-coaster of emotions, I start to focus in on Scott’s.

Less nervous and more ‘big man on the town’, Scott chews on his pen as he tries his best to focus on our Prof, his mind elsewhere. And as he does this, his brain involuntarily stresses for a split second, knowing that each moment he tunes out, he’s missing crucial information.

This one, as not expected, hits me hard but swiftly, as my face begins to sweat for a single moment. Although this is not my favorite emotion, it’s one I’m used to as many people nowadays have trouble focusing.

I shake my own head and try to tune him out as he returns to his serenity.

Man, do I wish it was that easy for me.

I turn my head back towards our Prof and try to focus in on her again. Sometimes, it helps a little bit if I close my eyes, but even still, my ears work perfectly well, and I can hear the slight waiver in her voice beyond the bubble. She’s nervous even in her confidence.

I do my best to ignore her very prominent stain and open my eyes, moving my focus to the paper in front of me.

 Please circle the correct answer.

Between 30 and 36 AD, the Romans crucified Jesus Christ. T or F?

 I try my best to focus on the question, but I can’t because someone in the room was just hit with a wave of dread.

Immediately, my head shoots up to look around and see who it is. Then I spot her, Julia Mendel, the sweet red head who tutored me in Psych 1250 last year.

She’s staring down at something in her bag and looking at her hand which is covered in a slimy substance. From where I’m sitting, I can’t see what it is, but trust me when I tell you, it’s bad.

Julia was never one for disgusting issues and was probably the cleanest person I’d ever met. I’m assuming she found something rotten in her bag…which was now covering her hand and filling the lecture hall with a distinct, sour stench.

A glaze forms over her eyes and her breath begins to quicken. A thin band of sweat forms across her forehead and heat fills her brain. And as she searches for a solution to this problem, her stomach begins to churn, turning ripples into waves. And then it hits me.

She’s going to throw up.

And it happens all too soon, because in the next moment, there’s purple, halfway digested yogurt on the floor. More waves of shock hit me as the students around her jump up and out of their seats in disgust.

Her immediate panic and embarrassment become my own, and instantaneously I must evacuate the room, as this lecture hall is about to turn into a tornado that I won’t be able to escape.

Catapulting out of my seat, I leave my bag behind and bolt for the bathroom.

As all the lasting emotions run through my body, the lights of the bathroom dim and fade, only to brighten to their maximum intensity. It feels as if I’m walking through a thick fog, the sticky heat from the pipes in the stall making my brain feel tingly, and my body feel prickly.

Thank God I’m the only one in here or I might pass out, but I must hurry as I’m sure Julia will be here soon as well.

I walk towards the sinks and turn on the faucet, running my hands and specifically my wrists under the cold water.

Closing my eyes, I count to ten, focusing all my energy on releasing all thoughts and feelings into the stream of water and honing in on the numbers.

I imagine each one in my brain as I count. The color, the texture, the shape, and as weird as it sounds, what they might smell and taste like…and soon enough, I’m back to normal again.

I open my eyes and look at myself in the now, foggy mirror.

Residual sweat seems to dot itself upon my forehead and chin, like raindrops on a windshield.

It is now, and only now that I can focus on my own emotions.

I am calm, and for the most part, collected. I have a slight nervousness about returning to the room, but for the most part, I know it’s in my head and no one really cares where I went or why I left.

My green eyes stare back at me from the mirror, and I’m not phased by the red crisscrosses that run around the whites. If this were an uncommon occurrence, I might be concerned, but the stress in and of itself of feeling everyone around you causes such reactions, and therefore is to be expected.

Focusing with all my ability and closing my eyes once more, I try to create a sense of strength in myself.

“I am strong. I am not anyone but myself. I do not need to know anyone but myself. I am strong. You are strong, Johanna.”

As I open my eyes, I see the strength return, and the once dull moss has turned to a vibrant emerald.

I take one last deep breath, and walk out the door, just as Julia opens the door to come in. Once again, it is time to immerse myself in the Ocean that is emotion.

Now tell me once more, do you still feel weird?

[asheternal]

I just realized something, if the relics coming together summon back the gods to judge the world doesn’t that makes Ozpin even more of an asshole for not telling everyone that detail considering the current Faunus/human relationship is nowhere near in harmony? I could kinda understand not telling everyone before Beacons fall but now that everyone’s aware of Salem I feel as if RWBY, JNR and Qrow should’ve been notified.

If I know anything from Wicked/ Wizard of Oz, it’s not to trust the wizard at all.

I think it’s 100% justified to be wary of him, as his own selfishness kinda led to the whole situation via lying/omitting his duty simply to be with the woman he loved- who he was warned about. A woman who acted on her own selfishness, but not out of ill intent.

 This whole philosophy of life and death is greatly influenced by eastern spiritualism I believe, given the symbolism and weight given to balance. It’s hard to empathize with if you’re from predominantly western culture/religious backgrounds, as it’s seen as taboo to be at peace with death as a concept. Though there are exceptions to everything. I believe this quote from Jacob’s Ladder (if you’re interested in a western take on these concepts and don’t mind good ol’ 90s horror, watch it. It’s worth it I promise!) summarizes the concept the gods of RWBY try to convey:

“Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So the way he sees it, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.“

 THOUGH to Oz’s defense, he returned to her AFTER she did her experiments and could have easily.. lied about it. Both of them work on some degree of selfishness and have a dysfunctional (I mean, clearly) relationship if they can’t yknow, communicate major details as shown in Salem snapping when he finally let it slip.

 A lot of people see it as “hets destroy the world” but I think on a non-meme level (it’s a meme, a joke.. at least I hope so, if not I’ll try to give some insight into psychology as best as I can) it’s a story about how two people miscomunicating can ruin not only their lives but others linked to them (kids, social groups, family, etc.) and how one can stop that.

 Just.. don’t lie or omit things about yourself that have a key aspect to who you are/what you’ve been through. It’s hard to do that, especially as a possible abuse victim/person who is hurt, but over time ease into it.

 This theme can be seen in two major couples of RWBY- Taiyang and Raven and Blake and Yang, though I’d argue our good bee duo has learned to mutually overcome that through their own journeys. Raven also sort of in her own way had to face that last volume when confronting Yang, hence why she’s lurking around Tai. I think she’s not there to garner sympathy or heal their bond, but to apologize for everything. If she had communicated with Tai, I’m mildly sure he’d understand her need to leave him and Yang, but also possibly arrange for her to visit once in a while. Though their story is still missing details, so I can’t be sure.

All in all, there’s no real good/bad to the story of RWBY on a myth level. Both sides KIND OF FUCKED UP A LOT and did shitty things, though the key with Ozpin is he kind of brands himself the “good guy” who does what’s right. He repeats his same errors time and time again by not being honest with his companions, I think what symbolizes that this cycle is THE cycle he and Salem make amends is that he was forced to stop lying in one way or another.

 We cannot destroy Salem, but we can possibly get light and dark their closure, even if only slightly. RWBY already has it’s true evil in it’s other bad guys who will be the kill/capture or fail situations, Salem cannot and will not be that situation.

[wiildflowers]

☪

☪  five times our muses almost hold hands, and the one time they do.

i. it’d been a setup. one she should have seen coming the second taylor had started mentioning meeting george and his friend. because she must’ve known – they’d spent far too many slumber parties talking about guys for taylor not to know exactly what she fell for. a kind face, somewhat reserved and entirely heartfelt in whatever he set his mind to, someone who appreciated the simplicities of life without having to be entertained 24/7. just as alice had known right off the bat that george brought the same reckless inhibition and passion that won taylor over despite the rocky start of their relationship. so while she ought to have been focused on her friend’s newest beau and the protectiveness that she always felt towards taylor’s heart – she instead found herself transfixed on his friend. it would have been unfair if he had simply shown up as he was – hair slightly curly and the most charming smile on his features, but he’d gone ahead and brought flowers too. surely prompted by george through taylor and her knowledge of how to win over her heart – but there’d been obvious care taken into the arrangement. not the simplistic bouquets that one could pick up at the nearest supermarket, but chosen with care. words threatened to fail her – cheeks burning with embarrassment as a stuttered greeting fell from her lips and her hand shook his lightly. god, she hoped that he couldn’t feel the nerves rushing through her – or the fact that she held on just a moment longer than one ought to. it shouldn’t be instinctive to want to hold someone’s hand, but the feeling didn’t escape her for the rest of the night.

ii. friendly outings had become a regularity – half dates, given that taylor and george could barely keep their hands off each other enough to entertain blake and her. it might’ve become too much and were it not for the company, alice knew she would have cut them to a minimum. but they never fell into awkward silences – her finding blake’s stories about acting and novels endlessly fascinating, and him seeming to take her rambles about herbs and gardening with equal interest. something that never ceased to amaze her when it seemed to render even the most avid lovers of nature at a bit of a standstill after a while. but there was never a lack of sincerity – or at least one she could perceive, and she found herself anticipating each get-together, all the while blushing furiously whenever she asked taylor when the next one of would be. her feelings hopelessly betrayed and taylor teased her mercilessly even while she insisted that it was just nice to have him as a friend. and it truly was, for alice was ertain that his interest didn’t delve deeper than that, even though taylor told her countless times that she was missing hints left and right, but there was something nice in the anticipation and in simply getting to know a person. although with each brush of a hand, or when he draped his jacket over her shoulders at the slightest inkling that she might be cold, or when he brought her a new poem to read – alice couldn’t help wanting to reach out and intertwine their fingers. even the slightest intimacy so substantial in grounding what she felt. but she never did, too afraid of misreading his friendship and losing it entirely. 

iii. winter had come with a crash – the soul of the season that once lifted taylor’s spirits so much sucked out of it by everything that had transpired between her and george. it’d felt catastrophic, the hollowness in her friend’s eyes weighing alice down with a guilt she couldn’t atone for. none of it was her fault – although perhaps feeding the girl’s belief that things would work out had been unwise – but alice had always held onto hope just as easily as taylor did. that was lost now, along with the baby and newfound relationship and taylor had retreated back to nashville, not that alice could blame her. if the little flower shop she’d started didn’t need her help as much as it did, she’d have left right along with her friend – nothing much still keeping her in the city of angels. but it was lonely, the grandeur that had accompanied the shift to being here no longer omnipresent and she longed for small-town life – or at least the sight of a friendly face when the people she held dear were miles away. noah stopped by occasionally when tour would permit him – but it was hardly enough to stifle the homesickness in her veins. the tinkling of windchimes announced a new customer, a sound she’d specifically chosen because of it’s welcoming tone and a smile brimmed on her lips at the thought of being able to at least piece together an arrangement for someone’s loved one. brightening their life when she couldn’t her own. however, the face that greeted her wasn’t one she suspected to ever see in her shop, her eyes widening as blake’s familiar features stepped in past blooming orchids and daffodils. she’d been sure that their friendship would die just as quickly as it had bloomed, like the flowers she sometimes treasured the most – beautiful, but only gracing people with their beauty for short glimpses at a time. but here he was, and her heart seemed to leap in her throat when he shot her a smile and suddenly things seemed slightly more okay than they had a moment ago although when she looked closely he seemed to bear the same sorrow that had overtaken her. it made her want to reach out her arms – take his hands in hers and offer some reassurance that things would work out, but instead, she simply gave a small wave, voice piping out to tell him how good it was to see him. 

iv. she’d come as moral support, a friend to lean on in case taylor needed it – and she supposed that blake had come for much the same reason for george. things were still fragile between the two, the stain left by the prospect of a miscarriage painful and difficult, even though alice had always known they’d work through it regardless of how things unfolded. there was no questioning the look that came upon taylors’ face whenever george’s name was mentioned – like someone had hung the stars into the night sky and set them ablaze just for her. it was everything they’d talked of late at night, wondering when their soulmates would find their way into their lives. even if reality had come to disturb the fairytale, she believed that love would always persevere. even here, the sterilized hospital room as far from magic as one could get, alice could feel it enveloping the room. reaching out from where george held taylor’s hand ever too tightly – their sole focus on each other and the little monitor that revealed the little person growing in taylor’s stomach. truthfully, she felt a little out of place – her gaze meeting blake’s and seeing the same sheepish wonder etched on his, but as godparents and best friends – she knew she’d treasure this moment and being included in it for a lifetime. the faint da dum that sounded made tears well up in her eyes, a clearer sign than any that the baby growing in taylor’s stomach was alive and well. the mix of pride and joy that flooded through her was overwhelming – and part of her felt like an intruder into the most private of moments, so she focused on blake, finding his gaze lingering on hers and the barrage of emotions seemed to reach an all-time high. fingers reached out, barely brushing his – but it was enough. the smallest form of contact and shared experience cemented in her memory as something she’d never forget.  

v. the venue wasn’t as enormous as the stadiums taylor filled – but alice was charmed by it. plush red velvet covering the chairs, the ceiling a wonder of its own with hand-painted murals, and a gold trim covering the edges of the stage. vintage – in a way that highlighted the wonder of going to the theater and being transported into a different world and it seemed to epitomize so much that blake was about. charming and thoughtful – a true gentleman in a world that was truly lacking in them. a brief hug and a chipper ‘break a leg!’ was all she allowed herself, even when what she really wanted to do was clasp his hands in hers and tell him that he’d charm every single person in the room (much like he always charmed her). but taylor was looking at her with a knowing expression while george watched on in bemusement and alice wasn’t quite ready to admit that her crush had blazed into a full-fledged infatuation. so she kept it simply as that and hoped he knew that her faith in him was eternal and everlasting. his ability to capture human emotions and empathize with them unparalleled, and alice knew blake would reach heights unknown if he chose to. 

vi. green bloomed around them, and try to deny it as she might, the flutters in her stomach couldn’t be stopped. swirling and dancing as if coming to life the second blake had come into view. never before had she felt this way about someone, sure that the emotions taylor talked about were ones she’d never experience for herself – but there he was, setting her heart aflame and causing butterflies to careen about her stomach as if there was a garden growing inside it. and finally, finally – after months of pinning and wondering, it was a date. although truthfully, it didn’t come with the sick feeling in her stomach that so often accompanied her meeting someone for the first time, or the blind dates people had tried to set her on. instead, the nerves were solely based on her excitement, and a knowledge that however it went – it’d be alright. this time, she didn’t bother second-guessing herself as she’d done countless times before, instead reaching out and letting their fingers intertwine as she leaned against him and he talked about his upcoming performances. pure contentment filling every inch of her being and the thought that she’d found her one settling deep in her core.