#it's a condemnation of the Brothers Grimm

[milfwizards]

every time you refer to sanitized Disney fairy tales without acknowledging your point of comparison is the grimdarkified Brothers Grimm versions an angel loses its wings

Cinderella's stepsisters not having their feet mutilated in the Disney version isn't Disney lying to you that's Not In The Perrault Version Either

[thecapturedafrique]

Another amazing meta analysis! I agree with all your points here, but I do wanna examine the larger narrative for a moment and bring up what I think is the flaw of the Huntsmen system that I initially didn’t believe the show was going to challenge until now: the Lone Hero.

Since the beginning of RWBY, we are told that the risk Huntsmen take is a requirement of the job. Weiss is the one who affirms this by stating what is essentially their code in Mountain Glenn: it’s their job is to protect the people, and more crucially, whatever they want will have to come second.

WBY struggles with this initially because they have their own personal desires for becoming a Huntress that are not rooted in duty, but we see them grow overtime to not only accept but embrace their responsibility, which is especially highlighted when they’re juxtaposed with others who have failed, like Lionheart or the Ace-Ops.

And then we have folks like Ruby and Pyrrha, who didn’t need to learn to embrace this concept because they already had: duty and service were their entire reasonings for becoming a Huntress in the first place. For Pyrrha, that duty meant sacrificing her life, and the narrative has continually framed this as a good choice.

Her team JNR reaffirms this in Argo by stating the other facet of this concept: if their duty is to protect the people, then they must continue working towards that goal no matter what the circumstances end up being. Serving their duty means they have to try. And as Atlas’s theme tells us, this brings with it risk.

Pyrrha was the embodiment of the Huntress Ideal; she knew her duty (and notably was good at it), risked her life trying to serve it, and died. And she parallels quite neatly the one other character who has been consistently spoken about in similar terms, Summer Rose. But there’s another key detail that they both have in common: in their final battle, they faced their opponent alone.

In Pyrrha’s case, we already know the reasoning behind her choice: she believed she was the only one who could try, which has been framed as an absolute truth. Of course she was the only one; Jaune was her partner, but “he ain’t got nothing on Pyrrha,” right? She outclassed him immensely in terms of skill, and they were facing an enemy who had just defeated their own prodigious Headmaster. If she’d known this would be a suicide mission for her, then what possible chance did Jaune have? And if her duty is to protect those who can’t protect themselves…then doesn’t Jaune fall into that same box?

From this logic, it makes perfect sense how Jaune developed the self-sacrificial mindset he displays in the fight at Haven. He’s the weakest fighter of the group who still hasn’t unlocked his semblance; of course if he wants to join them in battle, his role is to be canon fodder so that the others can have a better chance at winning the day. After all, it’s better than being left behind altogether, right?

Fortunately, Jaune does manage to unlock his semblance, which provides him a healthier option to fulfill the role of support. Rather than use his weakness to be the others’ shield, his strength can literally become theirs. But also very importantly, Nora and Ren reject this sacrificial mindset in Argus by stating that they care for him as a person as he is a part of their team.

Jaune had believed himself to be acting in Pyrrha’s stead by fighting an unwinnable battle to buy the others more time (which is a microcosm of the bigger battle Oz has faced against Salem). Yet his position is countered by the reminder that he is not a lone individual. Ren goes through a similar issue when he distances himself later on in Atlas, which reinforces the narrative that a team is meant to rely on one another.

And finally, we can see a flaw in Pyrrha’s—and in turn Summer’s—choice:

They were wrong, not in trying to do their duty, but in deciding not to rely on their team based on the belief that they had to face the enemy alone.

In the Ever After, Ruby has been struggling with this concept because unlike Pyrrha and Summer, she has survived the Heroic Sacrifice and lived to see that the results can still include loss. So, having internalized the Huntress Ideal at a very young age, her duty to keep trying and sacrificing despite these losses has become a burden. And how could it not be when Ruby also still believes that she cannot rely on her team and has to face Salem alone?

This is where the idealism needs to be broken down and reforged. Ruby must recognize how her mother’s failure was not that she tried and then died, but that she didn’t bring her partner/team with her. She needs to be reminded that despite being the leader and the only SEW, she is not meant to face Salem by herself, and this reminder will certainly come from her own teammates.

But where did this Lone Hero narrative come from? The Huntsman Academies were all designed to be team-focused. However, we know Oz (and Ironwood) also looked out for exceptionalism. Only the best and the brightest could be brought into the fold and learn of the Shadow War against Salem, and secrets are inherently isolating (as we see from Pyrrha being selected to be the next Fall Maiden).

A power imbalance develops between peers who know and those who don’t, and this is how the Huntsmen code of, “It’s our job to protect the people,” quickly descends into, “We’re the only ones who can protect the people.” And when you have prodigies like Summer and Pyrrha and Ruby (and Ozpin before them), it’s easy to see how the “we” becomes “I” while their peers are placed into the group of people to be protected rather than allies to be relied upon. Which isn’t even to mention the additional pressure leaders are placed under to never ever underperform.

This is why I believe the exceptionalism that Huntsmen are encouraged to strive for, where their duty to others is expected to come before any of their own needs, does need to be dismantled so that it can be replaced with a more communal approach. After all, the Gods won’t be coming to judge the talented few on either side, they’re coming to judge humanity as a whole.

The first step was giving the rest of the world the knowledge of the war against Salem, and I believe the next will be offering them the tools so that they can then make the choice to fight. Because just as Menagerie illustrated for the Faunus and the White Fang, this is a battle that everyone will need to take action in, not just the Huntsmen.

Because in the end, together is the only way that they’ll win.

Hey Spoon, as someone with highly detailed, well-thought-out metas about RWBY, I would like to ask for your thoughts about two recent trends I have seen about Volume 9. Specifically, about Ruby and her breakdown.

First, there seems to be discussion about Ruby being a huntress as a bad thing? That the hunter system is toxic because it put Ruby in this situation in the first place, with a burden and stress on her shoulders? I don't agree, especially when WBY all triumphantly stated they were Huntress' to their past selves.

Second of all, people seem to have it out for the pep talks that Ruby has been given over the series? That the support and encouragement that Ruby has received over the series has done nothing but make her want to hide her trauma and bottle up her emotions, because people gave her pep talks, instead of directly saying 'Yeah its fine to feel bad'? Like, some of the comments they make is intriguing. Such as Ozpin's statement to Ruby - and from her to Jaune - about how a leader must always be their best self and put their teammates first basically, leading to them eventually breaking down as they are...

But its a bit unfair to say that every attempt to support and encourage Ruby over the show up until this point was worthless and meaningless, isn't it?

Note: I wrote half of this answer before episode 8. I honestly think this still all applies, so I have not changed it. Still, consider I am not discussing that much what happens there. That will have its own meta.

Hi!

Personally, I agree with your thoughts. I understand these takes and tbh I think several people are expressing them in different ways, framings and degrees.

That said, in this answer I am gonna consider them in their most extreme and simplistic form :)

Before I address them, though, here comes a short introduction on character arcs. Skip it if you already know these ideas.

CHARACTER ARCS AND THEME

There are different ways to discuss characters and their arcs. Here I am looking at them specifically from a narrative lens by using theme to classify and analyze them.

Many of these ideas come from @septembercfawkes great posts. Here they are if you wanna read more on the topic:

In short, there are 2 types of character arcs:

The character makes a 180 degree change when it comes to the theme > change arc

The character doesn't change idea about the theme > steadfast arc

If the theme the character believes in by the end of the story is the narrative truth, then the arc is positive, while if it isn't then it's negative.

Some examples:

Ilia starts the story by believing violence is the only way for Faunus to gain freedom, but ends her personal arc by learning this isn't true. "Hate is not the answer". > This is the theme the story supports hence Ilia went through a positive change arc.

Adam starts the story by believing the violence done to him justifies his own violence on others. Blake keeps telling him this is wrong and gives him the chance to change. He refuses and keeps believing the false thematic statement. This is why he is defeated by Blake and Yang, who know trauma and violence do not define who you are (the true thematic statement). > Adam is a steadfast negative character.

Ironwood starts the Atlas Arc by wanting to trust (true thematic statement), but he ends it by giving in to control (false thematic statement). Similarly, he has a good heart and believes in humans, but by the end he refuses his own humanity. > He goes through a negative change arc

Pyrrha starts the story by believing destiny is one's final goal. She thinks hers is to become a hero. She ends her personal arc by dying a hero and choosing her own destiny. > The thematic statement she believes in is the one the story supports hence Pyrrha is a positive steadfast character.

This is the short version >

If you believe something false in the beginning, you have a positive arc only if you change.

If you believe something true in the beginning, you have a positive arc if you hold on to that truth.

This means the narrative is gonna challenge the change characters and steadfast characters in opposite ways:

If you need to change, the story is gonna test you to see if you can change and will punish you, if you don't

If you need to be steadfast, the story is gonna test you to see if you can keep believing into something even when everything goes wrong

Now, guess which kind of character Ruby is?

RUBY IS A STEADFAST CHARACTER

Ruby believes the true thematic statement since the beginning:

"The world can be dark, but there is beauty in it and people should fight to protect it and make it better"

I don't think there is any doubt about this being true in the show. After all, the other MCs grow positively by starting to embrace this viewpoint.

What about Ruby, then?

She is steadfast, so for her the challenge is to keep believing in it even when everything goes wrong. Like at Beacon. Like in Atlas.

But wait! Ruby's viewpoint is flawed and she is breaking because of her unhealthy coping mechanism!

Yes, but this doesn't mean she isn't steadfast. Steadfast characters actually do grow a lot. Sometimes even moreso than change arc characters.

Do you remember Simba from the Liong King? Well, he is a steadfast character.

The Lion King's main theme is the Circle of Life > everyone has a role to play in this cycle

Simba believes this in the beginning and can't wait to be king!

Simba believes Mufasa is dead because of him, so he runs away and gives up the theme. He starts living with Timon and Pumba, 2 outcasts and he even eats insects (aka goes against nature) > he stops believing in the Circle of Life

Nala, Rafiki and Mufasa's ghost remind Simba of his role, so Simba starts believing in the true theme again

Simba defeats Scar and becomes King taking his place in the Circle of Life

As you can see, Simba grows a lot, but he is still steadfast because he knows the true theme since the beginning. It is just that he loses sight of it and needs to re-learn it.

This isn't all, though. What Simba does is more than just remember the theme. By the end he acquires a stronger understanding of it. This is because of 2 reasons:

He adheres to it despite all the obstacles, which makes the theme stronger and deeper.

He has a change arc when it comes to a secondary theme > responsibility.

Simba is initially irresponsible, but by the end he becomes responsible. This secondary theme feeds the main one > Simba's role in the Circle of Life is to be King, but this doesn't mean he will be able to do whatever he wants. Quite the opposite, being King means you have responsibilities. Simba learns this and so he gets to understand the Circle and his role in it better.

Well, something similar is going to happen with our Little Red Riding Hood.

BEING A HUNTRESS

Ruby used to be the embodyment of a Huntress:

Yang: I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return.

Still, she has right now forgotten what being a Huntress means:

Ruby: Fight… monsters, I guess? I’m sorry, I don’t understand why this matters.

Being a Huntress means to help others, but Ruby answers Herb confusely and mentions "killing monsters" instead. Now, it is not that Ruby doesn't know what being a true Huntress means, but rather it is she has forgotten it.

Why is that so?

It is because the Shadows have slowly been eating at her to the point she can't ignore them anymore. All the stress, the horrors and the grief Ruby has been repressing have engulfed her. She literally can't see anything else anymore. She is so focused on Salem, on how monstruous and scary she is, she can't really see the witch is just a person. Not only that, she is forgetting that the point isn't to destroy Salem, but rather to protect lives:

Blake: Huntresses are heroes. We protect those who can’t protect themselves.

If she stays in the shadows she is gonna turn like Ozpin, like Ironwood and like Salem herself (symbolically). Still, how can she come out?

I think that when it comes to Ruby, she has to learn a secondary theme:

Maria: Interesting… Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?

SILVER EYES - IDEALISM AND EMPATHY

Ruby's main attribute is her Silver Eyes, which are metaphors for themes and inner attributes. So far, I think the Silver Eyes mean 2 things:

Idealism > Ever heard of Wide Eyed Idealists? Yep, those are the Silver Eyed Warriors in a nutshell. The way the eyes work is literally that they reflect the light of the world (like the Moon mirrors the Sun). The SEW can use them only if they believe life is beautiful and worth protecting. This is why the way things are now Ruby is gonna have a hard time using them again.

Empathy > Ever heard of looking at the world through shades of gray? Maybe shades of silver is more accurate here :P But yeah, the Silver Eyes are probably gonna reveal new power and strength once the theme of empathy is gonna be explored more. After all, what does it mean to see the light in the darkness, if not to look at the most monstruous people and realize they are well... people? Isn't it like seeing the person (light) behind the monster (darkness)?

Let's highlight idealism and empathy are 2 secondary themes linked to Atlas (Creation > the Shallow Sea) and Vacuo (Destruction > the Judgement of the Faunus).

Atlas explores trust, which is a declination of faith (Trust Love)

Vacuo is set up to explore empathy - Shade references the shadow, Coco needs to take off her shades to see others properly and Vacuan students throws shades at the Beacon/Haven newcomers

What does it mean for Ruby?

Ruby has been using her eyes by relying on her child-like optimism and hopeful self. Still, this mechanism can't keep on working forever. It is too psychological vexing and simplistic. I honestly think the way forward for her is to develop a new found idealism, which is more rooted into a more mature empathy.

You don't need to ignore the shadows to see the light. Rather, the light found in shadows is brighter than ever.

This is the secondary theme Ruby needs to learn in order to gain a deeper understanding on the main one she already knows, but has forgotten. This is where she needs to go if she wants to re-affirm the main theme.

OTHERS HELPING RUBY

Well, I think the topic is already addressed this last episode:

Weiss: Maybe she didn't feel like she could... Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like "We believe in you!" "We can count on you!" I know we mean well, but..."

I don't think what Weiss says in the episode means all the encouragement they have offered Ruby was wrong to begin with tbh. It is just that the right words for a specific situation might be wrong for another.

Ruby has been helped and loved by her teammates. Weiss's encouragement helped her becoming a good leader. Yang's love supported her. Blake and Jaune's admiration and loyalty helped her push through in difficult times. It is just that the Ruby right now doesn't need it anymore.

Her own coping mechanism is not functional anymore, which means she needs to develop another one and others need to realize it.

Which leads us to some generic thoughts on coping mechanisms...

COPING MECHANISMS

Coping mechanisms are neither good nor bad really. They are simply mechanisms we come up with in order to survive and push through. They can be functional or dysfunctional. Even better... they can be functional for a while and then they can start not fitting anymore.

RWBY as a story makes full use of this to the point characters' main flaws turn out to be their major strengths and vice versa. This is pretty well conveyed through semblances:

Weiss's semblance initially represents her dependance on her family name. As she grows, though, it becomes symbolic of her own individuality:

And right now, she has discovered a new found strength in her family (team RWBY plus her siblings). The idea that Weiss's strength comes from her bonds with others was never wrong, but initially it is applied in a dysfunctional way. As she grows, she gains a deeper understanding of this part of herself and she gets to shine.

2 Blake's semblance represents her tendency to tun away. Still, as she grows, she realizes that it also represents her ability not to break despite the abuse and the violence:

Not only that, but even her own coping mechanism to run away from an abuser is re-framed. She did the right thing by running away from Adam... it is just she should not let this tendency of hers to control her life completely. Sometimes running is fine, while other times it is better to stand your ground and fight.

3 Yang's semblance represents her tendency to use her losses, her wounds and defeats to grow stronger. It also represents her recklessness and her self-sacrificial tendencies. This is why its use is toned down, as she grows. In exchange, she gains a better understanding of what growing up despite one's losses means:

Yang: No. My losses, my failures. Those more than anything are what have shaped me into who I am, showed me how I need to grow.

It is also probable we will see this new-found wisdom reflected into her semblance eventually:

Ruby is the same... it is just we see her strengths rather than her flaws initially:

She is fast, so fast she even skips grades. She is smart and a quick-thinker.

She is flexible and resourceful and pushes through obstacles.

She is a leader able to carry everyone else...

And yet, she is also running away from her feelings...

And she is also spreading herself too thin for others...

Until she can't anymore...

Ruby, like everybody, is a mix of positive and negative traits. Not only that, but her most positive traits are her flaws and her weakness is her strengths.

She needs to do what the others have done with her help. She needs to gain a deeper understanding of herself and of who she wants to become. Only in this way she can re-affirm herself with a deeper awareness, so not to break down again.

[novankenn]

Restoring the Balance

The Brother of Light regarded his sibling the Brother of Dark. They stood upon the shattered remains of Remnant's moon. A testament to their once childish, and petulant natures. Between them a lone figure lay suspended in the void. He was young but they could easily see the scarring pains etched upon his soul.

"We've let these mistakes continue for too long."

"I agree, but how do we fix something we so thoroughly ruined?" Dark replied. "There is only two who believe in us anymore, and they both lack faith."

"No brother," Light countered, "They knew us. That is different from belief. But your question is still valid."

"How do we fix this?"

"I do not know. But he could be a key to rebalancing the scales of this world."

"Is that why we tore him from the void? To turn him into a tool?"

"In a way, yes, but less of a tool and more of a weapon. A force in his own right, capable to unmaking the two that plague this world."

"This is skating a a razors edge. We by our own proclamation would not return until it was time for judgement. Until we were summoned."

"I know what our spoke words were, and are." Light countered, "But tell me from here who would we judge? Should we as we have so oft in our youth condemn all for the sins of the few?"

"So instead we create another monster? An abomination potentially capable to rending the very word asunder?"

"To remove them, he will need access to our power."

"Agreed, but how do we reign in that power? Keep it controlled? Contained?"

"Through veneration."

"Ah, so to access our gifts will need to... pray to one or both of us?"

"Yes to unlock the true potential of his powers. It is the only way I can see to limit his potential influence. To keep him from going rogue, I believe the term is."

"So how far do we send him back? How much should he remember, if anything all?"

"To his birth, and nothing specific. Just shadows of notions and thoughts."

"Agreed." Dark confirmed. "Shall we begin?"

/==/ Age 10 /==/

Ansel was in complete chaos. Bandits had launched an attack upon the small hamlet. Even though their forces had been repelled, the anger, fear and sorrow of the short battle drew the real danger. A Grimm horde fell upon the wounded, battered, and exhausted defenders. Death fell upon them.

A young boy, just on the cusp of his teens, screamed and wailed while holding his mother's bloody hand. His sisters huddled around him, many of their hands holding down on the gunshot wound she had taken during the defense against the bandits. They had no idea where their father was, though his screams of rage drifted along the breeze.

"Jaune, mom's going to be okay." Saphron, the third eldest whispered, trying to calm her only brother. The youngest of the family of ten. "She's breathing, she's not gone."

Jaune heard his sister's voice. He registered her words, but still his mind roiled like a storm tossed sea. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He wasn't the youngest. It was wrong. Ansel was never attacked. Mom did not die from some random bandit shot. It was all wrong, it was all hurting him, yet there was something else, buried with in the chaos. A heartbeat? The click of clock work gears?

"Pray..."

"We will provide the means..."

Jaune's cracking mind, latched on to those words, and suddenly everything calmed. He released his mother's hand, and slowly stood.

"Jaune?" Saphron asked in confusion. A confusion that deepened at the sight of his glowing blue eyes. "Jaune, are you okay?"

"I want... to stop... to hurt... them..."

"Jaune!" his mass of sisters yelled as the young boy bolted. HIs small hands grabbing a rifle a long as he was tall, from the ground. The screams grew even louder when Jaune suddenly hopped into the air and floated into the sky.

"To stop... to hurt..."

Shouldering the war aged relic, he sighted his shot. His mind just a maelstrom of information, and plans. His azure eyes turned golden. His snot and tear stained lips, twisting into a cruel smile. The gears in his mind clicked forward, and the weapon in his hands began to glow. Through the iron sights of the rifle he aimed at rolling mass of death throwing itself against the walls, and squeezed the trigger.

A single report of a weapon would never have been noticed amidst the chaos, but the result of that single shot could not be ignored. The single round bust from the muzzle and after only a few dozen feet it split. One becoming two. Two becoming four. Four turning to eight. Upward the number of projectiles grew as they spread out, seeking targets like missiles.

The impact explosions into the massed Grimm shook Ansel's walls. Causing some defenders to even fall from their perches. It was utter decimation of the ageless foe. The weapon fell to the ground below, as Jaune's head started to loll.

"Tired..." he mumbled before the glow vanished, and his original eye color returned. Then he fell.

(A/N - finished the series a couple days ago. Interesting idea, that I want to try with RWBY. So sort of a time travel theme. See what I can do with this... at some point.)

[bestworstcase]

brief preliminary list of things i am going to be unhinged about for the indefinite future:

MYSTERY KINDRED LINK. WHO. WHO?!

"and when it turns out to be just another run-of-the-mill patrol..." HBHKSDFHG god. the fact that mysterious important top secret missions regularly turned out to be non-issues... salem was IGNORING HIM LMAO

implied time-skip but i think not a very long one; we have amity plonked onto a carrier ship and what's left of the atlesian air fleet, plus a handful of ships from other kingdoms, but no grimm. salem isn't here yet. tyrian and mercury probably are. loose estimate, probably a couple weeks? qrow et al being in solitas still at the end of v8 makes the quick turnaround logistically plausible

salem routed the fleet lmfao

"one brother [light] believed they had disrupted the balance, while the other [dark] refused to condemn their creations for their mistakes" hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

in the ever after's terms, dark's purpose is destruction for the sake of new life—i was dead to rights on him being a god of cyclical change—and the conflict with his brother began with dark defending the lives of their creations. light decided that they [the brothers] made a mistake and wanted to "fix" that mistake by getting rid of it, dark said no.

dark is unambiguously the good guy here.

the annihilation of humanity was essentially dark recanting his original stance and accepting his brother's position that their creations are "mistakes" that must be eradicated

except he didn't (or couldn't) eradicate salem, humanity rose again, and light is still on the "eradicate the mistake" train with dark nowhere to be found. either 1. dark completed his ascension by coming to understand his brother's perspective and became something new [the relics?], or 2. dark regretted this after the fact and directly had a hand in bringing humanity back, or 3. if he left salem alive on purpose the whole thing was a gambit to repeat the ever after's solution to their conflict, leaving remnant behind because remnant could not bear their experiments any longer.

dark + humanity vs light endgame real

unless dark ascended and light did not, in which case the ultimatum is probably coming from a place of grief—light doing the very thing he condemned salem for.

the immediate narrative rebuke for turning their backs on the cat:

in juxtaposition with ruby's overt sympathy and concern for neo, and the blacksmith's sympathy for both neo and the cat, and the implication that the cat can now ascend [note the hawker's statue too—neo's jabbers couldn't permadeath people]... juicy

raven and summer stayed in touch. raven was summer's confidante; she doesn't just know what happened to summer, she knew well in advance what summer had planned and was herself integral to that plan. and in the ten+ years since this night she hasn't said a word about it to anyone.

raven trusted her

raven was probably closer to summer than to her own brother

whatever raven learned, whatever horrors she brought back, she told summer. and summer believed her. and they kept it to themselves, and made this plan.

"if i do this right, there's nothing to worry about. trust me." you sound just like your mother (derogatory). oh raven absolutely got a team salem recruitment pitch from summer after this.

and she's keeping that secret too

this is how they're looping raven back into the story btw

ruby knows that raven knows but she doesn't know exactly what raven knows so she's going to need to find raven to ask

raven: summer is a better mom than i could ever be

also raven: [continually dragged kicking and screaming back into the story by inescapable motherhood]

"you're really leaving them?" "you're one to talk" oh that's JUICY

even taking into account raven's heels, summer is fucking tiny

[dicknouget]

Sorcières de la Nuit

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A FANFIC I'M PLANNING. IT IS NOT A PART OF THE THREE SENTINELS.

Coming from the shower, Pyrrha was met with an empty room. Not surprising, given it was about dinner time and she was the last one to use the shower to get cleaned up. Turning on her scroll’s screen, she saw a message from Jaune letting her know that they went to the dining hall to get a table and some food. She replied with a thumbs up emoji, before setting her scroll down and dressing herself.

She reflected about the 28 hours that she and her team, as well as Blanche and Noir, had spent at Mountain Glenn, defending that tunnel for only the brothers know how long. The stress and exhaustion had worn off, much like the injuries, but she, and she could only assume the others, were still coping with the shock of the scale of their defence.

By all accounts they SHOULD have perished.

Shaking her head free of that she pocketed her scroll, before turning to the door, when she felt something call out to her. The silent voice was whispering her name, enticing her to turn around and look again at the room. Scanning each bed, Pyrrha eventually found the source of the voice on Jaune’s bed.

It was his journal.

Pyrrha was not one to snoop and interfere with someone’s privacy, let alone Jaune’s. A journal was an extension of one's mind and heart, and to read it without permission was a violation of trust in Pyrrha’s eyes. However, there was something about his journal that called out to her, encouraging her to open it.

Caving into the unrelenting scream of her leader's notebook, she opened the cover and flipped through it, only to see… poetry. It wasn’t award winning but she could understand what each one was based off of, and in a way felt like she was reliving certain parts of their time at Beacon. One titled Camouflage detailed initiation. The Royal Guard was about his squire work with the Valean Knights Order. Race to the Sea was about RWBY’s escapade at the docks.

Flipping to the most recent entries she saw two poems. The first was labelled ‘The Defence of Mountain Glenn’ and detailed the events of JNPR and BLND’s stand against the Grimm and bandits. The four bar refrain of the poem pounded into Pyrrha and reminded her of the emotion, the determination, the VALOUR that filled the group during their defence.

Stand and follow command, our blood for the homeland

Heed the Mountain Glen’s call, and brace for the storm

The vanguard will never give in, there is no surrender

Force them into retreat, and into defeat

Those four lines filled her with the same resolve that she felt when she heard the four words leave Jaune’s mouth.

‘Not One Step Back’

It was a phrase that she had heard before, in a history class while at Sanctum. It was commanded by the second premier of the United Vacun Council Republics, who had learned that Atlas was 50 km from the capital, Shade. She remembered her professor telling that story and commenting that the leader knew that the world would condemn him for that order, but the nation and the people would remain free in the end.

Pyrrha shivered thinking about it, before moving over to the second poem titled Sorcières de la nuit. It was only twelve lines long but perfectly described the explosive damage done by Jaune’s sisters.

From the depths of hell in silence

Cast their spells, explosive violence

Valean night time, stealth perfected

Flawless vision, undetected

Undetected, unexpected

Shells of glory

Tell their story

Demolition, deviation

Undetected, stealth perfected

Beneath the starlight of the heavens

Unlikely heroes underground

As they rise up from the rubble

The wind will whisper when the Night Witches come

[irunevenus]

Witches: The Origin of the Myth, the Fear of Children, and Delayed Aging

The myth of witches is one of the oldest and most chilling narratives in human history, filled with fear, mystery, and accusations of witchcraft. Over the centuries, witches have been associated with malevolent acts, such as feeding on children to rejuvenate or delay aging. The figure of the witch, particularly one who preys on children, has become a symbol of terror in many cultures, and the connection between these figures and eternal youth is one of the most intriguing aspects of their legends. In this article, we will explore the origin of these myths, how the fear of witches took root in society, and whether there is any historical evidence to support the existence or real impact of such practices.

The Origin of the Witch Myth

The image of the witch as an old, malevolent female figure, associated with sorcery and dark magic, has deep roots in history and mythology. The myth of witches can be traced back to antiquity, with stories of women who possessed supernatural powers and used them to manipulate life and death. Many of these figures were associated with witchcraft, nature, and pagan rituals.

Witches in Antiquity

In the ancient world, many cultures had figures similar to modern witches. In Greek mythology, Circe and Medea are examples of powerful women who used potions and spells. Circe, an immortal sorceress, transformed men into animals, while Medea, in one of the darkest legends, killed her own children in pursuit of revenge. Although these stories were mythological, they helped shape the view of powerful women as dangerous figures.

The Medieval Era and Christianity

The concept of the witch as a threat intensified during the Middle Ages, especially with the rise of Christianity. The Catholic Church began to condemn pagan practices and ancient superstitions, which often included nature worship, magic, and witchcraft. Christianity associated these practices with the devil, leading to the demonization of the witch as a servant of Satan.

The medieval witch became the embodiment of evil, depicted as a woman who made pacts with the devil to gain powers. The belief was that witches performed satanic rituals involving human sacrifices and the use of children's blood to achieve youth and supernatural abilities. One of the most common accusations was that witches kidnapped or fed on children, either to conduct rejuvenation rituals or to prepare magical potions that granted them long life or power over the living.

Witches and the Consumption of Children

The myth of witches feeding on children dates back to several cultures. In medieval Europe, the figure of the witch who captures children to sacrifice or consume their blood was widely spread. This idea is linked to fears of motherhood, fertility, and the fragility of childhood, at a time when infant mortality rates were extremely high.

Hansel and Gretel: The Cannibal Witch

One of the best-known examples is the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century. In the story, an old witch lives in a house made of sweets and lures children to devour them. Although it is a fairy tale, the story echoes older fears about lonely and powerful women who used children for nefarious purposes. Child cannibalism was seen as one of the most terrible acts attributed to witches.

Child Sacrifice and Rejuvenation

The association between witches and the use of children's blood for rejuvenation is an ancient version of a myth that appears in different cultures. In the 15th century, the book "Malleus Maleficarum" (The Hammer of Witches), written by inquisitors Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, was one of the most influential texts perpetuating the fear of witches. This book claimed that witches performed rituals where they consumed children to acquire powers and avoid aging.

In the early modern period, women accused of witchcraft were often described as old women seeking to delay aging and death through bloody rituals. While there is no evidence that these practices actually occurred, the accusations were enough to condemn many women to death.

Historical Evidence: Did Witches Really Exist?

The witch hunts were a real phenomenon that swept across Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, mostly women. These witch hunts were fueled by hysteria, religious fear, and social prejudice. The evidence that witches existed, however, is unclear.

The Witch Hunts

During witch trials, many of the accused women were imprisoned based on confessions obtained through torture, casting doubt on the veracity of these allegations. In many cases, the women accused of witchcraft were widows, midwives, healers, or simply marginalized by society. The connection between witches and child sacrifice was one of the gravest and most emotional accusations, used to justify the execution of the accused.

Archaeology and Modern Studies

Archaeological studies indicate that primitive religious practices may have involved human sacrifices, but there is no evidence that these practices were linked to witches as we know them today. In fact, much of the witch myth is a social and religious construct to justify control over certain groups, especially women.

The Fear: Where Did It Come From?

The fear of witches, and particularly of the witch who consumes children, can be seen as a response to social insecurity and the ambiguous roles of women in society. The figure of the witch represented the woman outside patriarchal control, a figure of power and autonomy that defied social norms.

In societies where infant mortality was high and aging was seen as a cruel and inevitable process, the myth of the witch who feeds on children offered a supernatural explanation for these tragedies. It was easier to blame a lonely woman and accuse her of witchcraft than to understand the complex natural causes of disease and child death.

Eternal Youth and the Blood of Children

The idea of using children's blood to prolong youth has parallels with other myths, such as that of vampires, who feed on human blood to maintain their immortality. Witches, however, are figures deeply rooted in the fear of old age and the pursuit of power. In medieval Europe, elderly women were viewed with suspicion, and the association between old age and witchcraft reinforced the belief that these women would try any means to delay the inevitable.

Conclusion

The myth of witches who feed on children and seek eternal youth is a mix of fear, superstition, and social control. Although stories of cannibal witches are largely fanciful, they reflect deep anxieties about aging, motherhood, and the role of women in society. Witch hunts and accusations of witchcraft were used to justify oppression, especially against women, and perpetuated one of the most disturbing and enduring legends in human history.

The witch myth has survived through the centuries, feeding both fear and fascination with the unknown. And although evidence that these practices ever occurred is nonexistent, the stories remain as reminders of how fear and ignorance can shape our perception of reality.

[mixedbagofships]

Yay! The bridegroom and his buddies were condemned to death! Justice is served! The Grimm brothers actually wrote awesome endings.

[etruatcaelum]

Her eyes close; she sighs, a small, percussive release of pure frustration before she folds her hands together and gives him a decidedly icy smile. "I do not," she says, carving each syllable with emphatic care, "crave death. I have no wish to die. I am not suicidal. I want—I have always wanted—to live."

Salem takes a deep breath. Infinite life taught her how to wait, but the effort of correcting mistaken assumptions demands a different kind of patience, of which she has precious little.

"Perhaps I have not been clear enough," she whispers, strained. "Humans—these humans—do not stand condemned because people are cruel to each other. It is because of me."

What confounds her most is the acceptance. Salem remembers only the vaguest contours of her youth, in smudgy and uncertain lines of feelings too violent to hold them caged in her chest, but she will never forget how the Brothers shattered her faith; the cauterizing agony of finding them unworthy of her devotion.

She cannot fathom the cowardice it takes to look such breathtaking evil in the face and choose to kneel before it.

"My defiance," she says softly. "That is the great sin written into the soul of every grimm, faunus, and human in this world. I brought Remnant to life from the ashes they left behind. His redemption is not a game mankind can win, but I do not intend to play it." Salem offers him another wintry smile. "Nor should you."

Qrow can't help but think that one of those things is not like the others. Creation, destruction, knowledge, and choice? What power was that? The power to change a decision one made in the past perhaps? Or perhaps the power to change someone elses choice? Either way, he didn't like the way it was one of the four.

"If thats the case, why are you trying to get the relics? Surely you know that we will fail if tested right now... the way this world is, the way Faunus are still treated so terribly, the white fang, they would destroy us."

He couldn't see it going any other way, the world was not united, it wasn't even close to united. Qrow knows this.

"If you love it more than he claims to, why risk it being destroyed? Do you crave death so much that you would destroy the existence of everyone else alive?

[fairy-tale-writer]

Rained In

Malleus Draconia x Fem! MC! Reader

Prompt: MC and Grim get caught in a storm and have to find shelter in Diasomnia…

Note: If you see Grim spelled as "Grimm" please send a reply on the fic and let me know! I'm used to spelling it as the Grimm brothers or Billy & Mandy Grimm so it's second nature to add the extra "m" in.

Cheers!

A harsh storm was hovering over the Night Raven College. Intense, downpouring rain and tornado-level winds made it impossible for any brave soul to dare venture outside or risk being attacked by mother nature.

Both you and Grim were of the poor unfortunate souls that got caught in the storm on your way back to the Ramshackle Dorm. It really didn't help much that your dorm was farthest away from the main school than the other dorms.

You had no choice but to run inside the Diasomnia dorm or risk getting struck by lightning. You whined as you looked down at your clothes and hair that was soaking wet.

Poor Grim's blue flames were meer smoke.

"This sucks!" He shook and you shrieked as he sent water droplets flying.

"I'm already wet!" You snapped.

Grim paid no heed and tried to spark his ear fires again but they only continued to sizzle.

"What are we going to do now?" He grumbled crossing his arms.

"Now, we need to talk to Malleus about staying the night," You sighed.

"Malleus?!" Grim yelped.

You ignored his evident fear and headed into the main lodge. Your shoes squished under your toes and you so desperately just wanted to peel your uniform off.

When you arrived in the lounge area you were surprised to see many of the dorm students had blankets and sleeping bags laying on the ground.

"What's going on here?" You said out loud.

Lila popped over with a small pout, "A portion of the dorm has flooded so we decided to have a slumber party. Thankfully Malleus decided to allow a few of his friends to hang out in his room."

"Oh, that sucks."

"So what are you here for darling? Did the storm blow you in?"

"Unfortunately," You nodded slowly.

He reached out and gently touched your hair frowning at how it was dripping. In fact, as you looked down you felt horrible for leaving puddles trailing behind you and Grimm.

"Come to Malleus's room, I'm sure he'll let you get cleaned up!" Lila grinned.

You followed him through the halls and noticed in one of the condemned halls there were many buckets and plastic totes collecting leaks of water.

"I can only imagine my dorm..." You mumbled sadly.

You were just renovating your dorm too but it still had cracks and holes. Would you even have a dorm to return to?

At last, Lila arrived at a door and gave you a charming smile before knocking. The door swung open revealing Malleus.

"Greetings!" Lila blurted, "I found this drowned rat-"

"Hey!" Grim barked.

"—and this poor young lady wandering in the Diasomnia halls in desperate need of shelter."

Malleus hummed and turned to you scanning your absolutely drenched, shivering figure.

"Can I please stay here? And maybe use your shower?" You made your best attempt at puppy dog eyes and it seemed to work.

With a smirk, Malleus nodded and allowed you to step in. Lilia made himself right at home hopping onto the dorm leader's bed.

"Lord Malleus can she please spend the night here? I would love a cuddle buddy," The smaller man snickered well you rolled your eyes at his flirt.

"Cuddle with Grim." You spat.

"Aye!" Said cat spat.

"The bathroom is over there. Use it as you need well I set up a sleeping arrangement for you."

"Thank you so much Malleus." You sighed, "I hate being a bother."

"No need (Name), I can't find a reason to throw you back out into the rain."

With that, you hurried to the bathroom and quickly peeled off your damp clothing. Not even your bra was safe from the cold dampness of rain.

Hopefully, they would dry properly in the morning. Once you were naked you slipped into the stall and started the hot water.

God did it feel good to have a nice warm shower. Your poor fingers and toes were bright red with frostbite. Once you were plenty warm you slid out of the shower and dried yourself off.

That was when you quickly realized...you didn't have a spare change of clothes.

Fuck.

You would have to ask Malleus for some but that would be embarrassing. Especially considering you were...EHHH! You should've thought of it ahead of time but you were impatient with the promise of a hot shower.

You swallowed and wrapped a towel around you tucking the end into your cleavage.

You cracked the door open the slightest and peeked your head out.

"Umm...Malleus...I apologize but I...I don't have any spare clothing and um..." If your skin wasn't flushed from cold it was flushed from embarrassment now.

You avoided eye contact as Lilia held a smirk behind his hand.

"Of course." Malleus coughed and hurried to his dresser pulling out a shirt and lounge pants.

"Here. This should be adequate." He held it out and you thanked him, cracking the door open just a little more to get the clothing.

"Thanks!" You slithered your arm back in and slapped the door shut.

You could hear Lilia's laughter behind the door and you groaned at how awkward that interaction was. Thankfully your underwear was the sole surviving clothing and slipped them on before you slid on his shirt.

It smelled just like him which was rather...nice. It was also more of a dress than a shirt on you which was super comfy. When you tried to slide on his lounge pants they were far too big and they kept slumping to the ground.

You finally settled for just wearing his shirt as a nightgown. You hung up your clothing onto the shower rack to let them dry and stepped out. To your horror Sebek and Silver had also joined in the "bedroom sleepover" and you were not exactly in covering clothing.

"(Name) is here?" Silver questioned.

"Did the pants not fit?" Malleus asked, ignoring the boy's comment.

You silently nodded not trusting your voice with how much embarrassment you were feeling. You stood there awkwardly before joining Grimm on his bed carefully pushing your hands down over the shirt to keep from flashing.

Underneath the quiet atmosphere, the rain pelted and lashed at the roof well thunder rumbled and growled causing the ground to tremble.

"This storm is horrible..." Grim grumbled.

It was evident he didn't like storms by how he was practically hiding under the fae's covers.

"It's alright. It's like background noise." You shrugged.

"So what do magical boys do during a sleepover?" You questioned.

"Play games, drink tea, watch a movie, talk." Lilia shrugged.

"Hm. What movies?"...

Sure enough, Malleus had quite a collection of movies—many in the horror genre. However, you settled on a comedy and soon your mood eased.

You were laying on your stomach on his bed with Malleus sitting beside you. The others were in the sleeping bags on the floor. Snacks were scattered around the room but you were the sole protector of the popcorn bowl. Sometime during the middle of the 3rd movie, you started feeling your eyelids get heavy.

It was early morning and thankfully it was the weekend so you didn't have to worry about school tomorrow. When Malleus dared to glance over you were on your side passed out cold cuddling his body pillow.

Your arms clutched it tight well your legs draped around it. Grim was laying on your side snoring softly. Malleus smiled and allowed you to rest as the others finally submitted to sleep...

[ariel-seagull-wings]

FICTIONAL CHARACTER ASK: THE PRINCESS FROM THE SIX SWANS/THE WILD SWANS

Tagged by no one.

@princesssarisa @softlytowardthesun @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @amalthea9 @parxsisburning

Favorite Thing About Them: She is clearly the point of view character and the proactive part in saving the day, trough the vow of sewing the nettle shirts in complete silence to break the curse that turned her brothers into swans. And as she does this, she still enjoys romance and marriage. This shows one doesn't need to choose between romance and relationships with other friends and family, you can enjoy both. And her marriage is an event that happens in the middle of the narrative, but is not necessarily the ending of it, there are still trouble for the princess to solve.

Least Favorite Thing About Them: Neither the Grimm and Andersen version mention a forbidding of the written word. Only of the spoken one. So the fact that she doesn't try to use this alternative feels a bit arbitrary, specially in the Andersen version because since it mentions she reads a hymn-book, the story is clearly set in a time when european nobility already was literate, compared to early Middle Ages when literacy was reserved mainly to the clergy.

Also i agree with @princesssarisa that the fact she ends the story still married to the king who sentenced her to burn at the stake in Andersen's version is still troubling. At least in the Grimms’ version, her apparent crime justifies the sentence more: she’s framed for killing and eating her own three children, with all the evidence pointing straight at her. In Andersen’s version, she’s condemned just for behaving strangely and for picking nettles from a ghoul-filled graveyard, without having apparently harmed anyone.

Three Things I Have In Common With Them:

*I love my family

*Like in the Andersen version, as a lonely child, I had to resource to my imagination for playthings

*I have sometimes felt forced to be kept silent

Three Things I Don't Have In Common With Them:

*I am not royalty

*I don't do textile work

*I’ll never be so beautiful that roses will say I’m more beautiful than they are, or so pious that a hymn-book would say I’m more pious than itself.

Favorite Line:

This line she says to her husband

"Dearest husband, now I may speak and reveal to you that I am innocent, and falsely accused."

From the Grimms version

This line she says to her siblings

"Heaven grant that I may dream how to save you"

From the Andersen version

brOTP: Her enchanted swan siblings

OTP: Her husband the Young King, as long as he apologizes profusely for her near-execution.

nOTP: The Archbishop from the Andersen version.

Random Headcanon: The youngest sibling who kept a swan wing was the one to continue living with her, her husband and their children, while the eldest sibling returned to their home kingdom to assume the throne and the other middle siblings went to travel to live their own adventures. She is very protective of that young sibling because she considers him fragile, but he lets clear that he still can be strong and independent with just one arm.

Unpopular Opinion:  I think both the Grimm's Six Swans and Andersen's Wild Swans are intriguing yet flawed stories and I think the best version would combine aspects of both.

Song I Associate With Them:

The japanese opening song from the anime Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, wich adapted the tale into one episode

Favorite Picture of Them:

This illustration from the collection Fiabe Sonore for Andersen's Wild Swans, wich was my introduction to the tale

These illustrations by Paul Hey for the Grimm's Six Swans

This still from Toei Animation's 1977 anime film adaptation, wich combines the Grimm's Six Swans with Andersen's Wild Swans

This still from the Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics anime adaptation of The Six Swans

[zafirosreverie]

Which fairytale would them be (KH’s characters)

for @roseclear hope you like it!

Agatha Harkness:

The red queen

When you read the classic tales as a child, you always imagined yourself with the prince or the hero, and as you grew up and those stories were gradually being forgotten, you never believed that you would end up rediscovering magic, or falling in love with the evil witch.

But that was your life now, and you didn't regret it in the least.

Among all the forgotten stories in your mind, there was one that made its way to be present again in your memory. The one with the red queen.

A woman of strong character, who in her own way was guiding Alice home, helping the girl to grow and learn more about herself. And all for what? So that the inconsiderate girl would end up shaking her strongly, breaking her crown, condemning her to exile and causing her to be mistakenly remembered as a villain.

She reminded you of Agatha.

Yes, your girlfriend, unlike the red queen, did have ulterior motives regarding Wanda's powers, but that didn't change the fact that, in her own twisted way, she had helped the redhead understand her powers a bit more and her own history.

It also didn't seem fair to you that, after having tortured an entire town (unintentionally, of course, but still), the woman simply cursed Agatha and got out of there. Just like Alice, after wreaking havoc all over the chessboard, she simply walked away, leaving behind a broken queen.

But there was something that the red queen did not have and Agatha did: you. And you swore that no matter how many times you had to tour wonderland, you would recover her crown.

Olivia Octavius:

The princess and the frog

Listen, you weren't naive enough to believe Liv would listen to a children's story before bed. You weren't even sure she liked them. But at least she was kind enough not to make a comment every time she found you reading your copy of Brothers Grimm tales.

You loved those stories, they had been part of your life for as long as you could remember. You could remember almost every word in the stories, but that didn't stop you from rereading them from time to time.

You wouldn't tell Liv, but your relationship with her had a name on your mind. The Princess and the Frog...or The Princess and the Octopus? It worked for you.

It was an almost accidental irony that your girlfriend's favorite color (and her signature as a villain) was green, but it only added one more point to your fantasy. In your mind, the relationship between the two love stories was obvious.

You had been at a horrible point in your life, heartbroken and almost broken. Liv had shown up to offer you help (well, more like she had blackmailed you into working at Alchemax. They needed new staff if they wanted to rebuild the labs). At first, you had agreed, intending to leave as soon as you achieved some financial stability, but Liv had made clear her intention to have you by her side.

Yes, you had fought a lot, but at some point, you found common ground, and what was your surprise? It turned out that the octopus was a beautiful queen with whom you had fallen deeply in love.

Ursula Gernsback:

Little mermaid

Telling stories to Ursula was one of your favorite activities. The robot woman had trouble understanding your world, but those stories were a nice escape for the two of you.

Her favorite was The Little Mermaid.

You tried not to laugh, but the similarities were pretty obvious. Fortunately, it was she who admitted that that was precisely why it was her favorite.

She, like Ariel, was fascinated by a world to which she knew she didn’t belong. She'd done whatever it took to get to know that strange world, even face Hugo, she gave up a lot of things, including her security (thank goodness you were able to hack her server and make her independent from Tomorrowland before they could permanently disable her) and all for a human, with which she fell madly in love.

Unlike the original story where the prince falls in love with another woman and the little mermaid dies in foam, you knew that you could never love anyone the way you loved Sulie. She was your everything, and you were deeply grateful for sharing two worlds with her.

When you saw the Disney adaptation, you couldn't help but record your girlfriend's reaction to seeing that the villain shared a name with her. She was adorable and soon became her favorite character.

"I'm going to steal your voice" she told you

"oh come on" you smiled at her "You already stole my heart! What more do you want from me, woman?!"

"Everything"

Carla Dunkler:

The dragon princess

It was Jackson's favorite story. Since you moved into Carla's house, the sweet boy had become quite attached to you. Carla usually didn't have the time or patience for stories, so that task, childish as it might sound, was done by you.

It wasn't unusual for you and Jackson to search for new books at least once a month, usually immediately after finishing one. Neither of you really paid attention to the synopsis, letting yourself be carried away by the dragon on the cover. What a surprise you got when, as you turned the pages, you could imagine the princess's face perfectly well.

A princess cursed to be a fearsome beast, a dragon. Locked up in an old castle, condemned to a life of loneliness and sadness. Every so often, some brave knight tried to go rescue the maiden guarded by a dragon, not knowing that the beast he was fighting was the princess herself.

It was not difficult for you to imagine Carla.

A strong and independent woman, a single mother, who from time to time had suitors who in the long run only sought her out for a fun time, leaving her alone again once they got bored of her. You knew your girlfriend could be intimidating, but hardly anyone dared stay long enough to get to know her well.

Many knights weren't enough to break the spell.

You wouldn't tell your girlfriend, but you liked to think about her as you reread the story with Jackson almost every night.

In the story, time passed for the princess and she was condemned to live like a fire-breathing beast for the rest of her days. But, as you felt your girlfriend slide up behind you in the bed and hug you, you promised this princess would have a different ending. A happy one.

Eve Fletcher:

The tin soldier

Maybe it's not the story that many think of when they think of you and Eve. And that's perfectly fine because it makes your little tale more special, shared only between you two.

Eve loved everything about you and the wonderful contrast you brought into her life. It seemed that you were perfect opposites, but with subtle and beautiful similarities, complementing each other. While Eve worked in a nursing home, you were a kindergarten teacher, she was older, you were younger, she had been through so much, you were just beginning to live.

One of her favorite things was that you seemed to find a story in everything around you. So Eve knew it was a matter of time before you named your love story, she just didn't expect it to be the tin soldier.

"But it's perfect!" you had said to her "think about it, Eve! The soldier went through as many adversities as you, but that only made him return to his real house, with the dancer!"

Eve didn't comment on the fact that you had recently injured your leg, and therefore were on crutches.

"Standing on one foot, but so strong and confident" she thought

"Besides," you continued, "doesn't it seem romantic to you that they preferred to die together?"

"Are you saying that you would jump into the fire for me?" the brunette smiled

"I'd burn the world for you, Eve Mackie"

Jennifer Barkley:

Beauty and the beast

When you jokingly suggested that the two of you were like The Beauty and the Beast, Jen was...let's just say a little offended, not to say tremendously upset. It took you a while to get her to listen to you to explain your point of view.

It was no secret to anyone that you and Jen...didn’t start with the right foot. You had been designated as her assistant and she had no say in it, so she always made sure to make it clear that if it were up to her you would not be there (which later, when you two were already married, she would deny).

Your father was ill at the time, and none of your siblings seemed to want to help, so you would have taken any job. Besides, it wasn't like it was a bad job, quite the contrary. It was a huge opportunity to meet and work with extremely important people, and the pay was far (quite far) from bad. A grumpy boss wouldn't make you quit.

So, essentially you had met Jen because of your desire to help your father, you had endured her first fits with the idea of ​​helping him and somewhere along the way, you had fallen in love, which had impressed the older woman's colleagues, since she had never wanted anything really serious with anyone before. Yup, a story you knew pretty well.

Your wife simply rolled her eyes at the explanation, muttering something about how she had been the beauty anyway and you the beast, but you could see the deep blush on her cheeks. The truth was that you had really changed her for the better, surprising her with your simplicity and humility.

And if on your anniversary she gave you a necklace with a rose...well, it was a coincidence, okay?

Delta Simmons:

Little red riding hood

Delta always laughed when you called her Little Red Riding Hood, especially in front of the kids. You were quite respectful to them, that's why you never told them the real reason behind her nickname, choosing to say that it was because she liked to walk in nature.

But you two knew better. It was a shared secret and a silent agreement never to mention in front of them the very close presence of the wolf.

If she was honest, the first time you referred to Arnold as the wolf, Delta had felt guilty for laughing. After all, he was still the father of her children, no matter what he did to her. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the analogy you made, so she decided to allow the little joke between you.

You told her that, as Little Red Riding Hood, she had trusted the wolf, completely ignoring the red flags. Delta knew you were right, there was always something about Arnold that anticipated the kind of man he truly was. She had been fooled and ended up right where the big bad wolf wanted her, helpless and small and broken. 

Fortunately, as her woodcutter, you had come to her rescue, to remove what was left of her from within the wolf. You had given her the strength to get up again and you had made sure that the wolf didn’t bother her again.

Yes, he was still hovering, too close, lurking at the edge of the forest (and Delta really made an effort not to laugh when Arnold came to pick up the kids), but she knew he was just a sad dog now. Little Red Riding Hood had defeated the wolf and now, she couldn't wait to write another fairy tale with you.

Milly Campbell:

Rapunzel 

Locked in a tower, guarded by an evil sorceress. No doors or stairs. A prince enters through a window and shows her something beyond those cold walls. You knew that story.

Milly had laughed a bit when you mentioned that she reminded you of Rapunzel, especially because of the huge difference between the length of the hair, but when you explained your reasoning, she couldn't help but blush.

Shep was the sorceress (er...sorcerer), her own house was the tower in which she was slowly withering away. Since April's death, Milly hadn't really had any close friends, so she didn't count on the escape she once had with the blonde. The older woman didn't need you to continue to know the rest of the story.

You had arrived when she needed you most, your presence had opened a window of hope for her. You were her prince, er...princess. And like the maiden in the story, Milly had been scared when you did it because she had never known the tenderness and love you possessed and the idea of ​​loving another woman terrified her. But you never gave up.

Unsurprisingly, Shep eventually found out about the friendship (neither of you had dared to put a real name to your feelings for the other) that you had and he threatened you, forbidding you to see his wife again. He condemned Milly to live through tears and pain.

You two spent a long time not knowing about each other, but missing each other more and more each day. It took a few years for Milly to gather enough courage to leave Shep and worry about being truly happy with you.

About the same time it took for the prince to find Rapunzel again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

KH’s tags: @mochiadria @academiagaymess @annie-mit-ie @natalia-helena-alianova-romanov

[carryonthroughtheages]

Hello everyone!

Another year of Carry On Through The Ages is over and done! We have emotions and exhaustion, but we're so happy that this year had the hype and excitement that it did.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all of the AMAZING creators who spent the last several months working away at their historical content!

Thank you also to the hard-working mods: @bazzybelle, @giishu, @palimpsessed, and @xivz . This fest would not have been as successful as it has been without you!

We encourage everyone to look under the page break for all the fics and art. They're all fantastic!

Here is the link to the AO3 Collection: Carry On Through The Ages 2021!

Thank you all, and until next year! 🧡🧡🧡

MONDAY:

1) sun on the sea (T) - @trenchcoat-moth : AO3 // Tumblr

Tensions run high in England, and Malcolm decides it's for the best he sends Baz to live with Fiona, where he'll be safer.

That is, until Baz's ship is attacked.

2) The Words I Long To Say (M) - @bazzybelle : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow was dead.

Baz Pitch was sure of it. Simon had gone away seven years ago to fight a war in the jungle and he hadn't come home.

So, when Simon shows up in Baz's club, investigating a string of brutal murders, all Baz wants to do is hold him close and never let him go.

But these aren't the same boys from 1960 and Baz has a lot of processing to do before he's ready to believe in Simon again.

3) we are slaves to gods, whatever gods are (M) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 // Tumblr

I don’t fully understand what plagues him, but I know it’s bad, and I know it goes deeper than guilt. He didn’t want to kill his father, not really, but we were instructed to do so by Apollo. Cleanse the house of its sins, dispose of a murderer to set things right. It was only right that I join him; he was avenging my mother as much as his. Clearly, Apollo didn’t seem to consider that such an act would make Simon a murderer in his father’s place. It seems I got off fine, but as far as Simon is concerned, the vengeful spirits that once spun and danced on the roof of the palace now hunt him down, determined not to stop until he rids the world of himself.

4) World War II Era Art - @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr

TUESDAY:

1) the art of loving you (E) - @one-more-offbeat-anthem : AO3 // Tumblr

1955. London. Young love.

Forbidden love.

A year ago, starving artist Simon Snow met Baz Pitch, son of a wealthy art patron, at a party, and their days (and nights) together have been a wonderful secret.

But Simon is tired of being a secret and knows it's time for things to end.

(Baz has other ideas.)

2) Reliquary of an Arsonist (T) - @tea-brigade : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow grew up a ward of Watford Abbey, but when his magic manifested in an explosive accident as a child, he became the Abbey’s anchorite—never to leave Watford’s walls, for his own protection. That is, until Abbot David sends him on an important errand…

Basilton Pitch paints portraits for his patron, Lord Grimm. But he’s never forgotten the magic he learned from his mother—nor the men who condemned her to death as a heretic. When Simon arrives and offers Baz a commission from Watford Abbey, he sees his chance to avenge his mother once and for all...and he’s willing to burn down everything in his path to that end.

But it was no coincidence that pulled these two unlikely souls together. Something more sinister is underway at Watford Abbey, and only Simon and Baz can uncover the truth before everything goes up in flames.

3) Westward Son (E) - @aristocratic-otter : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon and Baz have found each other again, but there's nowhere in Brooklyn or Virginia where they can safely be together. So now, they venture the hazards and struggles of the Oregon trail, to perhaps find a little homestead in Oregon of their own.

4) A Way Out (T) - @lying-on-the-sofa : AO3

I frown at him..“You don’t know me.”

He offers his hand. “Simon.”

Simon. I feel the name around in my mind and assign it to his face. Simon. I don’t shake his hand. They’ve still got my arms pinned. “Basilton.”

Simon nods at me. “Now we know each other. Let him go.” Very casually, he takes his other hand from behind his back. A sword, flashing. He leans on it and smiles invitingly. “Let him go.”

This time, they listen.

--

Simon Snow has been trained for years to become a tribute—one of the fighters Athens sends every ninth year into the Minotaur’s labyrinth. He wants to know the way out, if only for Penny’s sake. Luckily for him, Prince Basilton of Crete also wants a way out—off the island, where no one will know he’s the half-brother of the Minotaur.

Unluckily for both of them, they don’t exactly form the most agreeable pair.

WEDNESDAY

1) long is the road the leads me home (G) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 (Version 1) (Version 2) // Tumblr

Baz has a rather unremarkable life, and he's fine with that. Running his late mother's beloved inn with his temperamental aunt, estranged from his father and step-siblings, he's successfully convinced himself that he's better off without attachments.

Then Simon barrels into his life, guns blazing and rapier drawn, and Baz is swept up in dramatic plot he never bargained for.

Worse still, he finds he quite likes the thrill.

2) New Romantics (T) - @ninemagicks : AO3 // Tumblr

Basilton Pitch, twenty-two years old and a famed poet of the Romantic era, has fled to the countryside. In Mummers House, the fabled haunt of literary greats, he sulks himself into oblivion and awaits a sad, disappointing end to his brief years of brilliance. The cause of his downfall? None other than Simon Snow, the so-called “bad boy of English poetry”, breaker of rules and eternal thorn in his side. Baz hopes that Mummers House might mean an escape from London, from Snow and his increasingly virulent popularity... but the rain that comes has other ideas.

3) thnétos (T) - @snowybank : AO3 // Tumblr

thnétos: subject to death, mortal

a retelling of Apollo and Hyacinthus

4) A Medieval AU art piece - @thewriterxj : Tumblr

THURSDAY

1) From Eden (E) - @orange-peony : AO3 // Tumblr

I wonder if his skin is warm or cold to the touch. I tell myself it’s simple curiosity, that I’m an artist and capturing things on paper or canvas is my way to make sense of the world. That drawing him feels so natural, so I should just follow my instincts. Ebb used to say it all the time. Follow your heart. It knows where you’re supposed to go.

I wish I could. I wish I had enough money and freedom to just draw what I want. To paint him in his unattainable beauty. To draw him the way I want to. Naked and vulnerable, raw. Without frills and expensive suits.

Just Baz on paper, my fingers tracing his delicate and beautiful lines with simple charcoal.

2) Slings and Eros (M) - @palimpsessed : AO3 // Tumblr

Young god of love Simonides is tasked by his father, the god of war, to bring about the ruin of a mortal prince to punish his blasphemy. However, once Simonides sees his intended victim, he begins to have misgivings. Prince Tyrannus might have offended the gods with his very existence, but all Simonides can see is how beautiful and lonely he is.

Or, a very loose interpretation of the Eros and Psyche myth.

3) I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (M) - @knitbelove : AO3 // Tumblr

September 1940: Going back to Watford feels different this year, and not just because England is at the brink of war with Germany and Italy. Penelope seems unsettled by everything, and Agatha is distant, and Baz is … simply not here.

What if Carry On but during the Blitz?? Yeah.

4) A Fool's Oath (M) - @thewriterxj : AO3 // Tumblr

A simple soldier is invited to join the ranks of the royal guard. He and his appointed mage arrive at the royal city to find themselves at the mercy of an unmerciful court. As he struggles to find his place in this foreign environment, he also finds himself entranced by music that only he seems to hear that floats out about the city. He makes an oath to wed whoever makes such beautiful music.

Too bad that person is the crown prince.

FRIDAY

1) Stranger Tides (T) - @tea-brigade & @xivz : AO3 // Tumblr

“If some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep, even so I will endure…” Captain Simon Snow of the Chosen One is many things—cunning, handsome, ruthless. Greedy. It’s no surprise that Snow finds a way to piss off the God of the Sea, he always manages to get himself into some type of trouble. This time, however, he’s not the only one who will suffer the consequences. Poseidon promises to not stop his pursuit until Snow and all of his men are dead.

Enter Basilton Pitch—rich, beautiful, mysterious. Suspicious. He offers the crew of the Chosen One a hefty sum to take him back to Europe from the Caribbean. And who is Captain Snow to refuse so much coin? After all, Greek gods aren’t real.

Right?

2) The wayward heir [comic] (M) - @letraspal : AO3 // Tumblr

Like a folk song, our love will be passed on. Simon Snow wants to be an artist. He used to live in Fiesole where he worked in the wool shop of his good friend Ebeneza Petty. He has now chosen to return to his native Florence in order to participate in an art contest hosted by the Pitch family, the most important bankers in all the three continents and Simon’s last chance for an art patronage. No matter how much he hates them.

But being back in Florence also brings back the memories Simon wanted to leave behind : his days as an orphan, the mystery about his mother, and once more being under the inquisitive eyes of his godfather, the new archbishop Davy. The archbishop is very same man who would never forgive him for dropping out the priesthood and ruining his secret plans against the Pitches.

The last thing Simon needed was an unbearably handsome jerk getting him into trouble on his very first day in Florence. How can focus when this man is the most annoying person he has ever met and yet his major source of inspiration.

3) Prohibition Blues (T) - @heyyyandrea : AO3

Simon Snow is a baker and aspiring playwright in Prohibition Era New York City. When he meets a handsome man at Shepherd's speakeasy who is interested in his work, he can't help but think it feels too good to be true.

4) Earth Below & Sky Above (M) - @phoxphyre : AO3 // Tumblr

In the depth of the palace of King Minos of Crete lurks a creature known as the Minotaur.

Baz, prince of Athens and chosen of the god Poseidon, has heard the stories. And now he’s volunteered to come to Crete as one of the annual tributes—to dance with the king’s bulls and fulfill his destiny. He just wants to survive the bulls, protect his people, and go home.

But what if the Minotaur isn’t a monster—but just a boy? And what if instead of slaying him, Baz fell in love with him?

A Carry On retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, set in Bronze Age Crete.

5) A 1980s AU Art piece by @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr // Instagram (Slightly NSFW)

[schnees-and-schnugs]

V9 Vacuo arc: Winter and Whitley reconcile (Winter apologises) and both hug,, I would forgive a lot of things the show did

Your optimism and hope is commendable anon but I genuinely think the writers would rather just have the rest of the schnee family ""hilariously""" abuse Whitley rather than have any of them acknowledge how they failed their youngest family member. I'm just glad that they're not that tone deaf to have willow girlboss him too.

I mean this is the same writers who *heavily* implied that Jacques repeatedly threatened his children with various punishments as a way to control them but thought it was so fucking funny to have Weiss do the same thing to whitley. Because, yes, when your little brother hates you because in his eyes you abandoned him to your shitty father, the obvious solution is to do the exact same thing your shitty father would have done.

The worst thing is that I was willing to come up with 100 ways to justify it (and I have) but the writers straight up explained their reasoning as "yeah Whitley is a shitty spoiled brat and deserves it lol isn't is so funny??" and that completely destroyed whatever hope I have for the schnees in v9. Why should I expect anything? They dangled the hope of an actually nuanced subplot between Weiss and whitley in v7 and then just completely ran runshot over it in v8.

What did "don't forget about your brother" even mean? Because I can tell you what I thought it meant. I thought I meant that willow knew whitley had nobody else around for him. She knew she had just given Weiss incriminating evidence that would land Jacques straight into jail and whitley would be completely physically and emotionally abandoned by everyone in his life. She was asking Weiss to be there for him emotionally, and not to forget him like everyone else had.

What impact did that amazing line have in v8? Nothing. Weiss learns nothing. She references the line after not letting Whitley get mauled by a Grimm. That's it. All the raw depth of that scene completely fucking dashed into the dirt. You can say, well she hugged Whitley right? Only after he did something for her. What would have Weiss done if Whitney hadn't? The implication here is that she would have just abandoned him again, because she sure as hell didn't seem to want him around at all up until that point. "You left him here alone with us?" What did Weiss even take from that? Nothing, apparently. Because she didn't act like she learned a single lesson from that scene. She never talked about it with Whitley, they never spoke about their hurt with each other. One hug cured literally years of narcissistic abuse.

It's all just really funny, in a angering way. We have weiss threatening a minor with a dangerous weapon and willow criminally neglecting that same minor and neither of those universally condemned crimes is at all acknowledged or apologized for in-show. And it's never going to be. Whitley just forgives both of them. The writers used the idea that whitley may be an abuse victim too as just a crutch for the protagonists when they need Whitley to do all their fucking work for them in the future.

They never had any intention of actually approaching it in a meaningful, sensitive, or nuanced way- their thought process was just "well if we acknowledge Whitley is being abused too then he will be sympathetic enough for us to redeem in v8 and then he can prove himself by giving the heroes some of what they need to save the day!" Of courses disregarding literally everything that has to do with whitley's healing process because plot. I know this because the writers themselves all but say Whitley should just get over it in the commentary.

So I really wouldn't be surprised if winter and whitley's reconciliation turns out to be a complete joke. I wouldn't be surprised if it was gross and genuinely insulting. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow made this 20-something grown ass woman a victim of her mean little 14 year old brother because he's refusing to be her emotional support replacement little sibling. Winter apologizing? Willow hasn't even apologized to whitley.

I would be surprised if it was actually good, though. But it won't make me forgive anything, and given their track record (with not just Whitley) I don't really think it will be.

[bestworstcase]

So I know you've posited before that you don't think Salem or Cinder (or Summer, for that matter) are going to be 'purified' by Ruby's Silver Eyes or anything like that, unlike what seems to be the common theory or prediction around the FNDM. I'm curious as to what you feel then is going to be the narrative payoff for Ruby's Silver Eyes? Like what would she ultimately use them for if not for Grimm purification?

well, anon, let me ask you this:

where in the text does it say that silver eyes are for purifying things that have been corrupted or tainted or otherwise made impure? 😐

it doesn’t. that’s fanon. it’s an assumption that because the light destroys the grimm, and grimm evil light good, it must therefore also be able to cleanse the grimm out of people who are bad because being grimm makes them bad. which is a pretty uncomfortable reading when you stop to think for five seconds about how grimmness is actually handled thematically.

salem is hated and feared for being grimm long before she does anything bad. raven observes that cinder can’t protect her grimm arm with aura and that is her reason for calling cinder a monster. anti-faunus bigotry is informed by a long history of faunus being scapegoats blamed for grimm attacks, as per ‘the judgment of faunus.’ see the pattern?

salem is a person. she hasn’t been “corrupted.” the divine pools gave her… infinite creation and infinite destruction in equal measure, and she has free will. that’s the literal definition of what a human being IS in this world. for all intents and purposes she’s a faunus with grimm traits.

she doesn’t need to be “purified.” she needs to be treated like a person, because that is what she is.

so, what ARE silver eyes for?

their textually-stated purpose is to preserve life, because life is precious and must be protected, and they’re empowered by love—both loving someone and the feeling of being loved. they also have a hitherto unremarked upon but very obvious connection to death, e.g. ruby hearing pyrrha’s last words in her dreams months after the fact.

all of remnant has a divine writ of execution hanging over its head. if the brothers return and find humanity unchanged from what they are now and have always been, they will be found “irredeemable” and the whole world will be wiped from existence.

the god of light is not reasonable and the whole point of this ultimatum is to punish salem for recreating humanity by recombining the brothers’ power in the pool of grimm not groveling for forgiveness like she was supposed to. he will not adjudicate fairly. his judgment is a foregone conclusion; he’s going to condemn everybody to death.

what do you think ruby’s magical eyes that only work if you believe life is precious and must be protected are FOR, if not stopping the divine judgment against humankind? the light isn’t a weapon—it spreads out around ruby as a dome. it’s a shield.

[onewomancitadel]

You know how some fans think that Jaune is a descendant of Salem because of similarities between their inherited emblems? We agree that that isn't a very solid theory, but I do think interrogating the seemingly deliberate parallel is worthwhile, and I just had the thought: Maybe the reason for it is to symbolically connect Jaune and Salem as foils on the fulcrum of Cinder's alignment, where Salem is the corrupting malefactor and Jaune is the helping hand. Idk how much this idea makes sense but I think maybe there is something to it.

Here is a post where we have discussed it before. (For others' perusal).

No, I definitely agree and it's a worthwhile parallel to consider, the only reason I wouldn't (on my own and I'm glad you sent this ask) is because I subscribe to the idea now the more I've thought about it is that Cinder/Jaune is the most 1:1 Salem/Ozma couple, whereas I do think Ruby/Oscar, for instance, is sort of 50/50.

Maybe the reason for it is to symbolically connect Jaune and Salem as foils on the fulcrum of Cinder's alignment where Salem is the corrupting malefactor and Jaune is the helping hand.

I like this a lot and I know exactly what you mean, they are alignment foils and that's a good point. I hate to go really literal, but I also sort of think that what Salem has done to Cinder is outwardly projected self-destruction - I mean I've made a post or two about how Cinder represents weaponised grief in Salem's hand - and so in a way there are some knotted elements when it comes to the alignment chart, because Cinder's state is also sort of self-condemnation.

If anything I sort of think the idea going on here is that, 'Yes Salem and Oz are better together', but they're better together in the sense that they are a) symbolically and holistically unified (which they were not in the reunion post-Grimm pool and the God of Light pitting Ozma against Salem) b) totally honest with each other c) challenging the very fabric that pitted them against each other. I'm still not one hundred percent on how hard they intend to go against the brothers, I have one crackpot theory I won't go into, but yeah. I mean, on the third point, there is that idea with Jaune and Cinder that like, there is a thing greater than them pitting them against each other, but it's possible to stop.

So, with that sort of established, in a way the alignment works in the sense of 'Salem's isolation' versus 'Salem not being alone', which is also that ongoing and perpetual theme in the show lol.

I do think Jaune fits Ozma in this sort of alignment scale. I do really like it though. I like it a lot. Also I have to ask did you start thinking of it because of these screenshots from that 'What if I were hired by RT' post?

Cuz even if you didn't, I think that you're very correct Jaune and Salem would by virtue be foiling each other in some way. Though with that being said, I think he's foiling every structure that let Cinder down, which to me is powerful on a lot of thematic fronts:

1. Huntsman academies and Salem/Ozma let Pyrrha down (ironic balm/resolution with Cinder)

2. Salem/Ozma lol, and the brother gods, particularly on that front of going against what they've been told they have to do (fight each other)

3. Jaune's Semblance/his actual self is his own self-evolved Aura answer to Ruby's matrilineal silver eyes, and I think it's very harmonious that Ruby and Jaune would come together to help Cinder (and again, I think thematically links his and Ruby's powers)

4. One ancient, immortal, all-seeing, all-powerful witch with ancient enmity against the world, her ex-husband, and the shit gods vs. one beautiful boy

who will win

Thank you for this ask, I think you made a great point and I think if I am incorrect (which I am willing to be) about Jaune/Cinder Salem/Ozma, you are still very correct about the foiling alignments.

And to insert a really important point at the end of the post: Salem and Jaune are actually foiled in every way, as I sort of said in that other post, that his, whatever offer he would make to her would be completely unconditional, let's fix everything, let me help you free yourself type of stuff, not Salem 'giving' Cinder everything and offering her to be a vessel. It's not even the same sort of evil offer, or enslaving her, or anything. It's there if she wants to take it.

It's sort like, Cinder thinks she's nothing, but because of Salem and Madame (her suffering, what little she's been given, her enslavement) she's everything. She's not anything without that, and she can't even see what the Fall Maiden power is for herself.

So you have to get her to a point where she doesn't need to rely on her suffering, but she should also embrace joy and feeling, and then also like, how do you make her see what she already is, what she can't see, you need somebody who's capable of seeing her as she is, and then she needs emotional nourishment to reflect on that. Then she's in a position to make a decision like, say, take Jaune's hand, that's unconditional and not contingent on her self-worth or lack thereof.

[princesssarisa]

Fictional Character Ask: Princess Elisa, from Brothers Grimm's Six Swans/Andersen's Wild Swans?

Favorite thing about them: Her sheer perseverance and inner strength as she weaves the magic shirts out of stinging nettles and never speaks even when faced with death by fire.

Least favorite thing about them: That she ends the story still married to the king who sentenced her to burn at the stake. Even though he was reluctant, the fact that he was persuaded to believe she was a witch and condemn her is still troubling. At least in the Grimms’ version, her apparent crime justifies the sentence more: she’s framed for killing and eating her own three children, with all the evidence pointing straight at her. In Andersen’s version, she’s condemned just for behaving strangely and for picking nettles from a ghoul-filled graveyard, without having apparently harmed anyone.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I love my family.

*I like swans.

*I’m good at keeping promises if I think failing to do so would hurt someone.

Three things I don’t have in common with them:

*I have trouble knowing when to stop talking.

*I have low tolerance for physical pain.

*I’ll never be so beautiful that roses will say I’m more beautiful than they are, or so pious that a hymn-book would say I’m more pious than itself.

Favorite line: From the 1940s Let’s Pretend radio version, when the Voice of the Wind tells her the ordeal she’ll have to go through to free her brothers:

“Try me, Voice of the Wind! I shall not fail!”

brOTP: Her brothers.

OTP: Her husband, as long as he apologizes profusely for her near-execution.

nOTP: Any of her brothers.

Random headcanon: When she and her brothers were growing up, her brothers were fairly prone to mischief and fighting with each other, and she felt the need to be the family conscience and peacemaker, so she never let herself misbehave at all. This ties into Andersen’s conceit that the success of evil spells or lack thereof depends on the virtue of the victims. Elisa he describes as too good and innocent for her stepmother’s magic to have any effect on her, so when the stepmother sends magic toads to hop on her and turn her evil and ugly, the toads turn to flowers. Likewise, when the stepmother tries to turn the brothers into ugly birds, their goodness makes them turn into beautiful swans instead. But the fact that the brothers are transformed at all implies that they’re not quite as saintly as their sister.

Unpopular opinion: This is about the story as a whole. Even though Andersen’s version is more famous and richer with literary detail, I prefer the Grimms’ version. For one thing, the father-king is forced to marry the wicked stepmother against his will and tries his best to protect his children from her. Even though he fails, he’s still a much better father than Andersen’s king, who marries the stepmother by choice and then turns against his own sons when he believes her lies about them and lets her send his daughter to live with peasants too. Later, when we reach the part where the heroine’s own husband condemns her to death, at least in the Grimms’ version she’s apparently guilty of a crime that deserves capital punishment, not just of vaguely acting like a witch. Although I give Andersen credit for the creative and daring choice to have an Archbishop be the villain who urges the king to execute her, instead of the Grimms’ stock figure of a jealous mother-in-law.

Song I associate with them: None at the moment.

Favorite picture of them: