#mainly from how i was raised/abuse remnants

[doomednarrative]

Every day without fail since I started seriously watching toku back in march I just kinda feel giddy about it at some point tbh

[black-n-white-wings]

I think the worst Jiang Cheng did has actually been "survive"? You know? All the others of his generation have died or wallowed in a cave and then fucked off with no obligation? And here he is, broken and angry and so alone, and yet he did fucking great!! A great uncle (when wwx was a one time wine uncle and lsz calls lwj "hanguang-jun"... So family-coded...), an astonishing sect leader, an unavoidable figure of politics in the Jianghu.

I agree there is some sort of discourse shift trying to say "yeah he sucks but I love him" maybe just because it's really tiresome to have to defend ourselves for a fictional purple martial grape, yk? I'm here to have a good time, and mainly I had a terrible ride in this fandom.

He did not kill the Wen remnants on his own, some of those Wen were cultivators, he never said "kill the child" when he saw lsz.

Killing demonic cultivators is the cultivators' JOB!!! So yeah, kill them, they're crazy evils that literally kill people and raise the dead and desecrate the dead (which is a... No-no in Chinese culture?).

He's rude but lwj is way more rude and yet people praise lwj and curse jc for it. Protagonist plot armour, I guess, but at least jc thinks about something else than wwx. (Ljy is rude, too, I love him. It's just lwj I don't).

And to go back to the main post (thank you for finding word of god) we actually never really saw him fight in the books or the series post-resurrection. When wwx attacks him in the ancestral hall, jc is still affected by minshan's spell, so not a really good baseline. Jgy KNOWS he has to cheat to win, that's how confident he is about LOSING one on one against jc. The antis are always trying to find things in the book like it's the bible and they can't even read. And it's really sad.

It's okay to like the protagonists for the romance. It's okay not to focus on some elements you're not interested into. But if you are doing exactly what mxtx is trying to critic in her book, and do it under tags we are certain to find, then you are not enjoying the book. You're enjoying antagonising people for the heck of it and pretending to be smart about it. Learn to read. Learn to think for yourself and not follow the narrative we have read a million times already. Spice it up!! Invent new theories!! JC is actually three raccoons in purple robes! They're evil your honour!!

That's getting too long again. I can't make it short and sweet I'm sorry 😭 anyway I love Jiang Cheng and he doesn't suck. He is a victim. He was doomed to survive. Love was there and it simply was not enough. He has the *grace* to let his loved ones go when he would rather have all of them with him at all times. Because he loves so much he can't force them to love him back. And he is a survivor of child abuse, torture, I suspect s.a. (but i don't want people to attack me so... Maybe another post if people want to hear my take on that?), a fucking war when he was a child! He was alone, wwx NOT WITH HIM while he was talked over by adults and pushed and manipulated, and then he had to bear the responsibility for the acts of wwx who had abandoned him! To clean after wwx! Sure wwx had good reasons and the heart in the right place, Yada yada yada, but the FACTS remain the same. And still he persisted. He endured. Anger kept him alive, kept his sect safe, kept his nephew safe and thriving. He's angry because what else does he have? What has not been taken from him?

Just saw someone claim that WWX gave JC a core that was 80 years more advanced???? And that he did nothing with it because no one was scared of him???? WTF do they mean ‘80 years more advanced’ I’ve never heard that claim spouted anywhere before. And that no one was scared of him? Aren’t a lot of anti’s main talking points that he cows everyone by being a mean, torturing, serial killer that murders everyone he so much as dislikes? They’re trying to claim he’s mediocre, but they’re way of claiming it is just so illogical and stupid.

Dude wtf I just saw the same one and thought "The hell are they on about?" XD

What part of the "If you're going to insult someone make sure it's not ever this guy" sound like "he's mediocre"? 😂

What part of "he was searching for wwx on the battlefield, while carrying his struggling sect on his shoulders" sounds like "he didn't do anything with it"?

"80 year old advanced golden core" More like 8 year old advanced reading comprehension 😂

[writersmorgue]

Nightmare Material

15+ for graphic descriptions of violence, blood, and gore

can be read as slash or platonic

not proofread

-

“SHUT UP DEKU! OH MY GOD, CAN YOU BE QUIET FOR FIVE FUCKING MINUTES?!”

The common room goes silent.

“Woah, Bakubro, he just asked if you were busy,” Kirishima chuckles nervously.

Katsuki looks over to Deku who, as expected, already has tears welling in his eyes.

“Shitty crybaby, of course I’m busy can’t you fuckin’ see? Go bother someone who cares.”

Deku sniffles like the pathetic little child that he is, and nods, “Ok Kacchan.”

“Fuckin’ annoying ass-” Katsuki mutters, ignoring the glares as he stomps out of the room. Taking the stairs two at a time before slamming the door shut behind him, imagining the flinches of his classmates as he does so.

Fuck that fucking nerd, always looking down at him. Asking him for help on math of all things, when he fuckin’ knows that’s Katsuki’s worst subject. Fuck him.

The little shit shouldn’t even be here, he’s not on Katsuki’s level. Just gonna get himself killed.

After a few minutes of grumbling into his pillow, there’s a knock at Katsuki’s door, followed by a meek, “Blasty?”

He groans dramatically and flops over onto his back, propelling himself up with a few controlled explosions.

“Fuckin’ what-” He swings the door open and comes face to face with the entire idiot squad.

Sero, Kirishima, Mina, and Kaminari all stand in front of him, Sero nervously wringing his hands, Kaminari avoiding eye contact, and Kirishima giving him a look.

Mina steps to the front of them, patting Kirishima’s shoulder as she does so.

“Blasty, you really gotta stop.” She stares him straight in the eyes, not backing down no matter how hard he glares.

“Stop fuckin’ what.”

Kirishima places a hand on Mina’s chest, stalling her step forward into Katsuki’s space. “You know what, Bakugo.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, “Oh please, like the little shit can’t handle some yelling. I’ve seen discount hot topic make his ears bleed-”

“This isn’t about Jirou. This is about you. You need to sort your shit out.” Sero’s frowning, a rare sight.

“Oh?” Katsuki quirks an eyebrow, “Or what?”

There’s a tense silence before Kaminari sniffs. “Or- or we won’t be your friends anymore!!” He stutters, bottom lip wobbling.

The rest of the group nods, one by one giving him a last glance.

Katsuki stands there for a few minutes, mainly thinking, but also fuming

How dare they treat him like that, like trash. He’s not trash, and he’s not the bad guy. He’s just trying to save Deku before it’s too late. Stupid idiot won’t last a day in the hero business, even with his new freak quirk. All it’s good for is hurting the nerd.

“Stupid Deku and his stupid protection squad, fuckin’ blind idiots.” He grumbles, slamming the door and returning to his lair.

He changes his clothes, resigning himself to finishing his weekend at the gym instead of on next week’s homework.

Bakugo stomps through the common room on the way to their practice room, a few of his classmates shoot him glares but he’s ignored for the most part. Something noticeably purposeful since he’s not exactly being quiet. Even Kirishima refuses to acknowledge his presence.

Yeah, that hurts.

He runs for two hours, lifts for one, and finishes with core for thirty minutes before his post-workout cooldown ritual. Thoroughly satiated and tired to the bone, he heads back to his dorm. Ignored this way too, he doesn’t bother saying goodnight to anyone. Not that he would usually. Not that he misses Ashido’s “Night blasty!!” on his way up the stairs.

He doesn’t give a shit.

He scrubs at his body with his last bits of energy and brushes his teeth half dead on his feet. Exhausted, he flops down on his bed and passes out almost immediately.

…

Someone’s screaming.

Katsuki lunges toward Shigaraki, whose hand barely grazes Izuku’s neck.

Izuku? When did he ever call the nerd something other than-

“DEKU!!!” Oh, he was the one screaming. He blasts himself forward and pushes Izuku out of the way, his dusted skin flaking off into the breeze as green hair skids to a stop on the ground below.

“Damn BRAT-” Shigaraki mutters, angrily scrunching his hand in mid-air before turning his attention to Katsuki. “YOU.” He points a cracked, pointed finger at Katsuki.

“Yeah, what are you gonna do about it old man?” He snorts, preparing his arms to blast again, he can feel the resistance from his last jump.

“You saved the little shit,” Shigaraki mutters to himself, nails dragging roughly down his neck, “must have a relationship, must be close to my enemy. Must die-”

Katsuki raises his hand, palms crackling in defiance, but he’s geared to go anyway.

Nothing happens.

“Fuck goddamnit!” His one fucking chance to get a drop on the guy and he’s out of juice? Fucking really?!

He’s so caught up in his fury he doesn’t notice the mad glint in the enemy’s eye. The way he smiles brokenly, bloody tongue barely peeking out.

“Poor little hero.” He mutters.

Katsuki jerks his head up just in time to see five fingers inches away from his face.

Well, this was fun.

“KATSUKI-” There’s pressure on his side and he falls, belatedly realizing he was pushed out of the way.

He looks hits the ground hard, hearing the reverberated snap of his ankle as it breaks.

“FALL HERO!! FALL BEFORE ME! YOUR NEW GO-”

Shigaraki falls to the ground as Todoroki whacks him over the head with a piece of rebar.

HIs normally stoic expression is frantic, he’s got fresh tears streaking down his face, and his forehead is covered in dried blood.

He tears his eyes away from the downed villain as Kirishima comes to cuff him, and screams in anguish at the sight of Izuku- Something Katsuki is still trying to wrap his head around.

A startled, almost pained sound escapes Katsuki as he half limps, half runs towards his best friend.

...best friend?

“IZUKU!”

Izuku has long since crumbled to his knees, clutching what remains of the left side of his face. Still slowly crumbling away. Blood pours down his arm and neck, making it difficult to see, but the sight of his eye frantically widening as Katsuki sits next to him is enough.

He removes his hand and sobs, throwing himself onto Katsuki.

“Eih- hgo-” He chokes, blood soaking Katsuki’s own suit as he rocks them both.

“Shh, it’s okay, Izuku.” He whispers, making eye contact with a sobbing Todoroki, who nods in approval.

“Izuku you’re gonna be fine.” The shock has yet to remove itself from Katsuki’s voice, and his words are filled with cracks and sobs, but he hopes it’s what Izuku needs.

“Aa- aah” Izuku’s broken kacchan followed by a fresh flow of blood down Katuski’s neck.

“I love you, Izuku. It’s gonna be alright.”

Izuku whimpers, clutching onto the blond’s neck for dear life.

And then he goes limp.

Katsuki’s eyes bug out, and he pulls Izuku arm’s length away. The gruesome sight that greets him is one he’ll never forget.

Izuku’s left eye hangs loosely down the side of his mangled cheekbone and jaw. Katsuki can see teeth starting to crumble as the decay works its way through his face. His nose is completely exposed, with no flesh left. No cute freckles. No scrunch when he smiles. And his other eye, possibly the worst part, stares lifelessly at Katsuki. The last remnants of tears make their way down his face.

He looks… terrified.

He died scared in the arms of his abuser. Someone who never even apologized to him. For fucking anything. Some vile part of Katsuki reminds him.

He saved me because I couldn’t do my fucking job.

He thrusts Izuku’s lifeless body into Shouto’s arms, who lets out a heartwrenching sob. Katsuki scrambles back, and can vaguely register the sound of pink cheeks vomiting behind him.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-” becoming increasingly more desperate with each utterance of the word, “FUCK!” Kirishima comes up behind him, picking him off the dust-covered ground and holding him to his chest. “This is all my fault!!!” He wails, “He fucking saved me, I couldn’t- this isn’t right no no NO-”

“Shhhh Katsuki-” Eijirou soothes him through his own tears, always the constant in Katsuki’s life. Well, after Deku.

Deku Deku Deku.

Dead Deku.

Because of you.

Katsuki takes another good look at Deku’s face where Shouto had freaked and discarded him on the ground. The unnatural bend of his arms, the bloody drool escaping his parted- if you can even call that a mouth anymore, his eyes.

And he screams.

He screams and he screams and he screams until someone shakes him so hard he wakes up.

Wait-

“BAKUGO!!! WAKE UP PLEASE-” Shitty hair screams at him, shaking his shoulders desperately as he thrashes in his sheets.

He stills, staring up at Kirishima with a shocked expression.

“Wh-”

“You were having a nightmare,” Kirishima explains, gasping for breath like he just ran a marathon.

Katsuki looks to the doorway where half of the boys in their class stand, expressions varying from worried to shocked.

He looks back at Kirishima, a pitiful whimper escaping his throat, “It- it wasn’t real?”

Katsuki looks to the door, half expecting to see Izuku there.

Missing an ear, you can see his tongue through his cheek.

Katsuki gulps, “Where’s Izuku?” He murmurs into the quiet room.

“Izuku?” Someone in the hallway mutters.

“Uh,” Kirishima catches himself before he can say something dumb, “Izu?- Uh- Midoriya is probably in his room. Didn’t think you’d want him here, but he knows. You kinda woke up the whole dorm.”

Kirishima has barely finished the sentence before he’s jumping out of bed, pajamas be damned, and sprinting toward the stairs. When he gets to Izuku’s floor he makes a hard right, Icyhot shouting something about being nice behind him.

Katsuki can yell at him later.

Running gives him time to think, and the more Katsuki thinks the more he realizes that his nightmare might as well have been a prophecy. Izuku would pull some martyr shit like that, but it was only Katsuki’s fault in the first place that he was put in that situation. He’s the only one to blame. Izuku had done everything right, and Katsuki managed to fuck it up.

Hollow socket, tendons hanging, blood turning his green suit a muddied brown.

Katsuki knocks on the door frantically, scared about what he’ll see when Izuku answers.

There’s some rustling from inside before Izuku peeks out, green curls messy from sleep.

“Wh- I thought Aoyama said you were having a nightmare.” His eyebrows furrow.

“I was,” Katsuki breathes, taking in how whole his rival is. “But it wasn’t real.”

He reaches out hesitantly and brushes an unruly lock of green out of Izuku’s left eye.

“Everything’s where it should be-” He chuckles almost in bewilderment.

He drags his fingers gently down Izuku’s cheek, tracing where the decay had rotted away skin, now whole.

A few of the classmates who followed him gasp in surprise when Katsuki clutches Izuku’s shoulders and buries his face in soft green hair. Completely breaking down as he sobs.

Izuku freezes, terrified of ruining the moment, even though he really wants to ask someone what the fuck is happening.

He gives Kirishima a questioning look as he hesitantly rubs along Katsuki’s back.

The redhead just shrugs.

“I’m sorry Izuku.”

Aaaand the damn breaks.

Izuku sobs as Katsuki clutches him tighter, their friends begin to awkwardly back out of the hallway after witnessing whatever that was.

“Wh- Kacchan?” He pulls away reluctantly, but he needs to see Katsuki’s face.

The blond’s eyes are red and puffy, same as his cheeks, but he’s dead serious.

“I’m so fucking sorry. You don’t deserve any of the shit I put you through, you’re a really good guy.” He heaves in a breath, “And- I know you’ll be a great hero someday.”

“Kacchan… why?”

Katsuki looks away, “I just- thought about some things,” He doesn’t mention that the thinking involved seeing his classmate’s bloodied corpse, “realized how full of myself I am. You really did just want help on that math homework, huh?” He huffs, shaking his head at his past self.

“I did. What else would I have wanted?”

Katsuki sniffs, angrily rubbing at his eyes, “I don’t know, Izuku. I’m a fucking idiot.”

Izuku smiles sadly, “All I’ve ever wanted is to be your friend, Kacchan.

The blond nods, “Yeah, I think I see that now. Can- can we still do that? Be friends?”

Izuku beams, rubbing his own tears away and pulling Katsuki into another tight hug.

“There’s nothing I want more, Katsuki.”

[austarus]

Harrison Wells (Eobard Thawne) x Reader Ballistic Confrontations (1/3)

**A/N: The picture/edit/gif belongs to me!

Yes, I’m alive.

*TW: mentions of suicide, drowning, and cutting. Along with Eobard being a dramatic bitch*

Word Count: 3184

Part 2   Part 3

Felicity deadpanned with Harry beside her on one of the Cortex monitors. She had glanced to all her friends. “The bottom line is that we have to catch these parallel-earth goose-steppers.” Everyone was well aware of her dislike towards Nazi’s. The things they had done on this earth to her ancestors and to people like her. Utterly Disgusting.  

“This might help,” Barry stepped in, holding up a blood-stained arrow.

“Is that a kryptonite arrow?” Kara’s sister, Alex, unfurled her arms as she gently took the lethal arrow away from him.

“Yup,” Barry responded with a sigh, hands at his hips while the others rounded together. He felt exhausted from chasing around Eobard while Kara and Oliver dealt with their doppelgangers. Years later and he still wasn’t fast enough to stop the yellow speedster.

“I know I shouldn't have to ask this question, but I have to ask this question.” Felicity interjected with quick words; worry seeded in her chest. “Oliver didn't shoot Kara, did he?”

“Sort of,” Barry replied, further clarifying with a face. The days just keep getting worse and worse with these parallel-dimension-hoppers. “The other Archer and flying woman are Oliver and Kara of Earth-X.”

“When you said that Earth-X was horrible,” Caitlin glanced back at Harry, who had raised a hand in mock defeat, “you might have undersold it.”

“Wait a minute. How- how could there be another Kara?” Alex was thoroughly confused; she was still new to the concept of parallel earths doppelgangers.

“Well, there are 53 Karas, just like there's 53 Kryptons and 53 Earths.” Harry explained simply.

“And the Thawne from our earth is working with them.” Barry gave a look, clearly annoyed at the fact that Thawne was back. Again. Thawne coming back due to time travel and the Speedforce were already giving him a headache just thinking about it all over again.

Caitlin just gave Barry an incredulous look. “He's an idiot.” Harry plainly stated.

Felicity already was thinking up of ways to track them down. “Ok, if that arrow has not-so-Supergirl's blood on it, we c—"

“We could track it using quantum analysis.” Harry cut her off, but she just nodded at his words.

“We could.”

***___***

“Harry, Cait, Iris,” Barry unfurled his arms and gestured to them with his head for a sidebar. The others were busy with Alex in isolating the city for Kara-X’s radioactive blood signatures. Felicity’s specialty. After all, she was able to track a deranged killer with just his face cream. “Whatever happens, (Y/N) can’t know Thawne’s here.” Both scientists gave odd looks to each other at the speedster’s words.

“Barry she’s going to find out one way or another, she’s part of this team too,” Iris voiced, side-glancing the door as if you’d step in at any moment.

“If he’s working with them, she has the right to know.” Caitlin added. “She should know what to expect.”

“Allen, unless you decide to lock her up in the pipeline until this is all over, she’ll find out.” Harry said. “You can’t possibly hide this from her forever.” The genius scientist hinted at the fact that when Barry had run back in time last year, Thawne had been the one to ‘fix’ things when really, he had altered the timeline. A timeline created to suits him and his plans. Even going as far to tell Barry that this was how the timeline was supposed to be before Thawne had caused the alteration when he had time-traveled back to kill Nora and escalated into what is now Team Flash. Three different timelines had been created, but this one, according to Thawne, is how the original one should have been. Just with a few… absences… Like Eddie and Ronnie. Barry had never mentioned any of this to you or the fact that Thawne had ended up escaping him that night. The scarlet speedster did not want you looking for the man in the yellow suit. But it seems that fate’s not on Barry’s side this time.

“Harry, I can’t have her chasing after him. Not with all this going on,” Barry protested. “One maniacal problem at a time.”

“Whether she does or doesn’t is up to her, Allen. You’re not a god.” Harry pursed his lips before heading to the side lab.

Barry ran his tongue over his lips tightly, frowning deeply at the echoed words. He didn’t need this right now. Those words stung the speedster, mainly with the aftermath of his time remnant – Savitar - claiming god-hood, wanting to alter everything and anything in his way to stay alive. Even to kill the love of his life. Jay Garrick told him that when he ran back to this timeline a year ago. ‘We’re not gods, Barry.’

How did Wells know about that? Maybe he didn’t. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that time-traveling powers shouldn’t be abused like that. Yet… Thawne always gets away with it. He gets away with barely a scratch. I can be one step ahead, but he’ll be 15 steps further.

Caitlin gave her friend a sympathetic look, exchanging one with Iris. Alex and Felicity were still present in the room, but too preocuppied with their blood sample. Barry’s intentions made sense, but it was your decision whether to chase after Thawne or not. It’s your choice on whether you’d even side with him for this battle.

***___***

You had stood right outside the Cortex in the corridor, your feet stopped when you heard Barry announce that “Thawne is working with them”. Your heart got caught in your chest. Eobard was here. He was back. But why in the hell would he ever work with Nazis? Nazis? Seriously Eo??? What the absolute fuck? You knew Eobard never had a tolerance for people like that. People like Eiling or Stagg, who would “poke fun” at those with disabilities, even if he had feigned his inability to walk in the end. People who would intentionally use their status to torture others. It just goes to show how people with that kind of caliber would think. So why this sudden change? Not ‘why now’. No, why at all?? How could he have stooped so low? That idiot. Unacceptable.

But what ached the most was Barry’s words. He doesn’t trust me… Even after all these years. Your heart shook and eyes narrowed as your eyes peered at the light being cast from the Cortex. You took in a breath. Taking a quiet step back, your feet carried you to one of the higher levels of STAR Labs- one of the tower levels. Your quiet place of refuge when this had gotten too much, whether it was because the shadows kept you safe from judgment or not, you didn’t know. If he wants to act like that, then two can play this game, Bartholomew Henry Allen. You looked out onto the city, subconscious scanning every light – every street. Lights winked in and out, the night progressing as the city remained unaware of the new monsters it currently hid. But what am I going to do?

***___***

Iris rubbed her eyes before taking a step closer to her almost-husband. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I can’t have (Y/N) fighting with us. Not now. Not in this battle.” Not when he’s lurking around.

“Why?”

“You know why? Thawne’s out there. Running, scheming.”

“So, you don’t trust her.” It was more of a statement rather than a question.

“Iris, she knew what he did to my mom. Lied to us about it for months back then and still chose Thawne when we locked him up. What makes this time different?”

“Barry, while all those sound like good points, first and foremost she’s our friend.” The speedster just shook his head, Iris huffed, “Look, it’s been -what?- 3? 4 years? Since she’d last been with him? Things have changed. You think after everything we’ve been through; she’ll throw that all away?”

“Yes! Old feelings come back; they always do and she’s going to get her revenge.”

“How do you know that? How do you know that she wants revenge?”

“Thawne will coax it out of her. He’s good at manipulating a person’s feelings.”

“And what would she get in the end?”

Barry didn’t answer her, instead he wrung his hands together.

“Barr, if she had wanted revenge, she would have done so already after the incident. But she didn’t. (Y/N) was depressed after Thawne was erased. Vulnerable. The love of her life was gone, just like that. Don’t you remember? How she wanted to end it all, but we stopped her.” Barry’s eyes flickered to the ground, remember the sight he had seen. Drowning. You were purposefully drowning yourself in your tub. The way your looked back at him- lifeless- when he had gotten you back to your senses. The blood the dripped, your cold skin. The monitor beeping every so often in the Cortex. Iris’ own mind shifted to when she had seen the scars littered on your arms when Caitlin had fully examined you. Your dull hair and gaunt face, nothing like the brilliant fire that rang through you months prior to Eobard’s erasure. “We helped her work through it when we found out. Caitlin and I looked after (Y/N) every second of the day until she was ready to get back on her two feet. And then Zoom happened and he was breaking you. Breaking your bones and your spirit- when you broke your back, she was all-hands-on-deck to step in and help in your place while still dealing with her own issues.”

“I know, it’s just- something just tells me otherwise with Thawne here.”

“Barry-”

“-She’s going to choose him, Iris. Nothing will change that. To her, everything we’ve been through until this point won’t mean anything. Not when Thawne’s at the end of the tunnel waiting for her. She’s going to choose him and help him.”

“But what if she doesn’t? What then, Barr?”

Barry just shrugged. “I-I don’t know, but I can’t take any chances. Not this time.” I can’t hesitate with Thawne here. One misstep and that’ll be all he needs to make his move.

Iris reached out to her fiancé, gently caressing his cheek. She knew that he won’t change his mind, no matter the reasons she could come up with. Barry thought in absolutes when it comes to Thawne. And your past emotional ties with the evil speedster only further drove his current mistrust. “Come on, we have to help the others.”

***___***

You threw the ball against the concrete wall opposite to you, all your strength forced into it. The stress ball ricocheted back to where you sat. You caught it with ease, giving it a firm squeeze as your eyes shut.

“How could you betray us? We were your friends, your family!-”

“You are-”

“We stood by you!”

“I just-”

“-Just what!? He took everything from me!”

You cringed at the voice from years past. Breathe in, breathe out.

“You’re just as guilty as him. No wonder, like calls to like.”

“I-”

“I don’t want your excuses.”

Breathe in, breathe out.

“I hope you rot with him.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Swallowing harshly, you did your breathing exercises to push Barry’s cold voice away. You had stolen the malleable ball from Harry- or rather, he had allowed you to take it from him. It was an unused gift from the others for Harry to deal with his anger issues. Instead of throwing beakers and graduated cylinders off desks, the Earth-2 scientist can simply channel his anger into this stress ball… Which had been a hard pass for him. Rather he preferred his method of anger outbursts, even if he did end up hurting himself in the process. So you put it to use instead; a tool for simple meditation, as well as the redirecting your certain senses. It’s made of rubber polymer so your electrokinesis didn’t harm your new toy in any way.

Your eyes lingered back onto the city, your arm hanging over your bent leg while your other remained outstretched. No good in hiding up here forever, it’ll make things more suspicious. Not like Barry isn’t suspecting anything anyway. But you had needed time to think, to collect your thoughts and assess what actions you would take. You touched the necklace Eobard had made for you in rich gold- a Columba. It’s a constellation signifying the dove in astrology as he always called you his little birdy. But also, because gave him a sense of peace which the dove has generally symbolized fore. A finger ran over the one of the six diamonds that twinkled for the constellation, connected to each by a trail of gold. Eobard. Licking your lips, you got up, you pocketed your ball and brushed any dust particle from your leggings.

Upon entering the Cortex, a group of heroes left: Oliver, Kara, Barry, Sara, and so on. Barry had shoved past you, your eyes meeting briefly as you raised an eyebrow. His expression was guarded, but you said nothing.

“I’m guessing they’re going on a little midnight excursion?” You turned to Felicity and Iris with a thumb pointing in their direction. Mick was nowhere to be found so you can assume he’s already raided the lounge fridge. Caitlin had already prepped the med bay for incoming injuries, which isn’t an uncommon expectation, but wasn’t in the Cortex.

“Ding ding ding, you’re correct,” Felicity piped up, typing away at her computer screen. She was already hacking into cameras around the warehouse as the inside had ones out of commission. “The remaining Legends are to be on standby, should something happen during the warehouse fight. Per Sara’s orders.” At least Felicity isn’t treating you any differently, especially with how close she is to Barry. He probably told her to.

“And we’re going to be…?” You raised an eyebrow, a bit offended no one decided to volunteer you for the fight. You wanted to kick some Nazi ass too. Fry those fuckers. Guess Barry told them all to not trust me. Great, thanks Barr. Bitterness welled up inside but didn’t show it. Felicity and Iris aren’t the ones to be at odds with. Maybe it’s a good thing if Eo’s there. Barry would have his eyes all over your interaction with him.

“Just doing some monitoring and staying on comms. The usual Overwatch stuff,” Felicity smiled up at you then quickly turned to her tech. You could tell that her mind was wondering. About what? You had no clue and decided it’d be best to not involve yourself should things go sour if you did and Barry would find a reason to blame you.

No, this reunion needed to be on the downlow. One away from prying eyes. Your eyes drifted to Iris’ back in a subtle manner before pulling out your phone to check the time.

“Where’s Harry?” You asked, if anything he was one of the people who hadn’t seen you for just your past. Didn’t care for it as Zoom terror and Jesse’s rescue were more pressing matters. And you had seen him for more than a doppelganger to Eobard, even if their tendencies and bristliness seemed similar. Harry was Harry and Eobard was Eobard. Both were their own men, it wasn’t that hard to see and understand. He had done his own share of horrors and dark deeds for Jesse that Harry was dealing with his own darkness, while your demons haunted you. In an odd way, you both understood one another. Begrudgingly at first, though. Plus, you needed to return the stress ball back to him, thinking he’d need it now with Thawne around. If anything, you found it funny how Harry got mad when people would call Thawne a Wells. The Wells doppelganger would spectacularly blow up, which was always a site to see. Though you were hoping the two would never meet. You chewed on the inside of your cheek on how that interaction could possibly go. Would you-

“He’s probably back in his lab,” Iris spoke up from the other side of the Cortex, padding up to you. You nodded at her, mind drifting once more as you strolling to the Cortex exit. Harry could hold his own, but up against Eo, with all his speed… You’d choose-

“Hey,” Iris stopped you, snapping you out of your thoughts and placing a hand on your arm. You blinked. A small smile was woven on her face, one of those comforting smiles that said that you can come to her for anything… But could you?

“Hey,” you returned it, feigning any indication that you had overheard what Barry had said earlier. Schooling your features, you calmed your nerves. I’ve done this before. Pretended not to know. I can do it again. I can’t trust no one, and it seems like no one can trust me. I’ll be the actress again in this drama, spun by Barry this time.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure”

Iris was perceptive, she didn’t miss the slight strain in your voice. The guarded look that the young journalist had become accustomed to receiving when approaching you. There were times where she’d realize you were walking on eggshells with her. Because of Barry. Because of the serrated words he had thrown at you like knives all those times ago. But there were times where all was well with the world, the past forgotten and the strength of your friendship with the team more prominent than ever.  Then again, having Nazi’s return and who are hell bent on ruling this Earth by eradicating its heroes then move on to the next Earth in the multiverse does tend to throw tension into the air. Iris bit her lip. Especially if she doesn’t know about Thawne.

“(Y/N), look there’s… there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“…”

“Iris, is something wrong? Are you ok?”

She noted sincerity on your face. “Thawne’s here.”

You pursed your lips, internally confused. “Iris-”

“And he’s fighting with the Earth-Xers.”

“I… what?!” Your rage was not false. Sure you knew about it earlier, but now it was necessary to unleash it. It’d make your surprise all the more legit.

“I needed you to know,” Iris swallowed.

“How?”

“When Barry, Oliver, and Kara intercepted their heist.”

“…” It was your turn to be silent. You knew, but you had to play a little longer until you could leave.

“I trust you, ok?”

“But” You knew there was a ‘but’. There always is one. Iris blinked, opening her mouth a few times then looking away before meeting your gaze once more.

“But I need to know you’re with us on this.”

Your eyes never left hers, your hand was held in both of hers. Before you could even respond an alarm had gone off. Both your necks snapped to Felicity, who snapped up from her sitting position.

“That was the corridor alarm.” Fear crippled its way in the air. “This is a setup.”

[thatheathen]

“Seize the day. Then set it on fire.”

We are living in that cyberpunk dystopia now, the very type Philip K. Dick warned us that could happen and is slowly creeping its way into our personal lives/minds and that's mainly due to big internet providers and the fascist governments whipped by corporations hijacking all modes of freedom even virtual freedoms. everything is connected in the system the ruling class decided and you are a slave with in that caste system until you die. oh gee fun. 

I feel bad for the devs that are forced to time crunch for this month. CD Projekt RED better compensate their workers for pushing this game out for them greedy selfish CEOs who are attached to this game that will no doubt be a hit and make tons of money, but at what cost? video game developers need to desperately unionize before its too late to even do so as most triple A games are made by wealthy liberal and or centrist elites who pretend to be progressive but actually hate unions, socialism, sharing, comradery, solidarity, grassroots fund raising cuz that’s all anti-capitalist and bad you see.  

There is no ethical consumption under capitalism and that's exactly what cyberpunk is; it's a genre of unchained sci-fi yeah but it's also showing capitalism on steroids, corporations gone rogue and eating up all the earth's resources just to produce enough power and energy to run a whole city now requires a while country of power to push harder and harder to keep that light pollution at the maximum. animals should be going completely extinct in a cyberpunk future, what do humans even eat? 

To my mind cyberpunk should be about breaking away from cultural programming that makes us hate each other, fight and kill, it always boils down to those who have and those who have not social structure. That's a lot like Feudalism and a false sense of safety for all people. Cyber-feudalism is how it's structured underneath the veil. “Seize the day. Then set it fire.” 

Cyberpunk seems like a countercultural idea within the hyper-capitalist world that's still very male dominant. The feminine exist only to tantalize the masses, domestic females to slaves of profits and glamour. The brutal police forces ignoring human rights laws daily. Journalism is remotely impossible. So is the world of cyberpunk really a world of freedom and choices? Cyberpunk can be seen as a connection of like minded folk hungry for freedom and not need to fall into crime to survive. For many that’s the world you’re forced to live in or die in. rights are not natural handed from god, they are taken. cyber-rights seems like a fruitless fight in a hyper-cyber-capitalist reality; big brothers eyes everywhere. mass surveillance that would make PKD’s jaw drop.  cyberpunk-world cops are thugs beyond what we could imagine and could kill you on sight if they chose and nobody will care or not be able to do anything. nobodies memories can be trusted unless you express a certain class. all the punks, rejects, anarchists, anti-corporation, hackers, etc. are all outsiders, terrorist suspects. Every queer person or Muslim or any kind of marginalized group of that era is vulnerable as the system doesn’t favor them nor see a reason to protect them, with fascist-leaning politicians WANTING certain groups of people to literally die out. Those who struggle in any unequal world are going to be feeling the most pain. Lots of pain may mean; drug addiction to numb this awful reality, mod addiction to be less human maybe or change your identity completely. Lots of pain could also mean lots of anger towards the system and the state that’s making life so miserable for the 90% the citizens who have no power. cyberpunk 2077s idea is an “anything-goes” kinda place. here’s a sci-fi GTA/Witcher3 sandbox about a fucked up capitalist future that’s super fun and action packed!! It’s okay it’s not real though. Meanwhile capitalism as it exists today is grinding down the working class including the Dev employees working on Cyberpunk as I type this. long hours for the same pay. was it worth it? will it be worth it? will cyberpunk be the GAME that will end labor abuse in the gaming industry? 

People who are different, people who reject authority and anti-human social constructs, people who are spiritual without an organized religion, people so different and taboo to where the ruling elites see them as a threat, mocking those gross punks/queers/dissidents, but love their style and aesthetic because the rich have no soul and ZERO creativity. stealing is what rich assholes do best. rich people steal everyone’s aesthetic claiming it as their own and you begin to see YOUR aesthetic in the media regardless if it's offensive, it’s just unfettered anarcho-capitalist-land, there's no more restrictions to anything really. like ayn rand vision that would result in Bioshock’s world. that was a steampunk nightmare to an extent. point being the rich can do anything. money is power and it only matters to those who thirst for power. Many people just deal with money and hate at the same time cuz what other choice do people have? Poor people get no choices and all the bad days.

The rich and powerful will indulge in the vices of the poor to get another experience; meanwhile the real poor struggle to survive in this electronic hell world and your only choices are to fight and kill these hyper-corporations that run the planet's economy basically and that sucks. seems prophetic in a way to see what the future would be like if capitalism still stood and there was business as usual. I think a true dystopian cyberpunk world is full of dark skies and contagious air due to the extreme pollution i.e. climate change the previous generations of humans ignored and still ignore because profits and luxury and drugs and opulence and legacies and authoritarian rule is far more important to uphold you see. "human nature" is always condescendingly professed as an argument killer to why capitalism is the only way because hooomons are deep down real mean and violent... which is not true. 

Human infants literally can't live without being held and nurtured in a healthy environment. Humans are wired to love and communicate. humans lived a long time cuz they worked together. Humans lived even longer when they learned to domesticate animals leading to agriculture. only in the last 20,000 years have humans begun to grow their ego and misunderstand its message and purpose. fascists and billionaires take advantage of human minds and fool people into thinking there's no other way to live. it's a fucking lie. human beings are disconnected with nature. wires and cables are not non-nature, those are materials derived from nature. everything is nature, but not everything is natural like human concepts fabricated by civilizations.

“Deleuze and Guattari describe capitalism as a kind of dark potentiality which haunted all previous social systems. Capital, they argue, is the ‘unnamable Thing’, the abomination, which primitive and feudal societies ‘warded off in advance’. When it actually arrives, capitalism brings with it a massive desacralization of culture. It is a system which is no longer governed by any transcendent Law; on the contrary, it dismantles all such codes, only to re-install them on an ad hoc basis.” ― Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?

I want a cyberpunk game where it's a good kind compassionate civilization, a star trek like society, full of infinite exploration into the cosmos and into our minds... I want a cyberpunk world worth protecting, protecting the people from sneaky politicians (demagogues) and authoritarian thugs ready to install the capitalist religion of endless self-destruction and pain. remnants of evil scatter and reform, we must always help people who struggle under capitalisms spell.

[dwellordream]

You're getting a lot of Tom asks tonight so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and send one too. How many of his problems do you think are due to his nature or do you think it was mainly the nuture, or lack thereof, at the orphanage? Like a lot of people I tend to think he be semi ok if his mom hadnt died but does that imply that he was always going to turn evil even as a kid in the orphanage? Pt1/2

ask continued: Do you think he was "doomed" by the circumstances of his birth? Was there an adult who could have set him on the right path? Or was there a moment in his life that could have turned things around where he actively chose the wrong thing? Also just wanted to say thanks for going with the plotline less travelled and making Amy leave him at the end of BW! Their whole relationship dynamic reminds me of that quote: "women, are not rehabilitation centers for badly raised men" I don’t think anyone is ‘doomed’ by the circumstances of their birth. I do largely agree with what @vanhelsinghunts said in a comment on chapter 54 of Grass Crown: “And here's my interpretation of Tom as a Developmental Psychologist -- though of course, Tom is not a real person, etc. etc. I think Tom has basically experienced Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) from a very early age due to his mother's passing away, due to his being raised by decent-enough but certainly not very loving or attention caretakers soon after, and due to his genetic predisposition toward Antisocial Personality Disorder (what used to be called sociopathy) that comes from BOTH sides of his family (both the Riddles and Gaunts sound AWFUL) and from a largely emotionally remote and unloved upbringing. (I don't think that Tom was abused... but no one *really* paid attention to him but to reprimand him for those early critical parts of his life, I bet).” I think Tom is an example of institutionalization. He wasn’t raised in a loving family home; he was raised in an institution. He may not have been physically abused while at Wool’s, but he was never treated as anyone’s son or loved one. He was largely ignored as a small child unless he was ‘acting up’ and he really only got negative reinforcement- he only received attention from his caretakers when he did something wrong or made a fuss. He was never consoled and comforted beyond the bare minimum. There was no one to kiss and hug him or make him laugh and smile. He didn’t get any social interaction beyond the other children. He didn’t have much to stimulate his creativity or compassion. He slept in a crib in a nursery full of other crying babies, then in a small room with very few toys or personal items.  Amy certainly has not had an easy life either, but she did spend those crucial formative years with more one-on-one attention than Tom ever got. She was raised by a single mother for the first five years of her life and while I don’t think that was a happy upbringing, as they lived in crushing poverty and her mother was a sex worker not out of any particular choice but out of having no other options, she did at least get some more positive attention and affection than Tom ever had as a baby and toddler. She may not have had certain triggers or family predilections that Tom had, but she did get a bit more ‘nurturing’ during that time than he ever got.  I think Tom would have largely benefited from being raised in a family setting. Certainly not raised by the Riddles or the Gaunts, but maybe had his mother survived and raised him herself he would have at least gotten some affection and attention from her (not that I think Merope would have necessarily been a wonderful parent, given her upbringing and own issues). I even think being raised in a foster home would have been better for him, but that system didn’t really exist at the time when he was a child.  If Tom had been raised in a more stable and happy environment, would he have gone on to have the same issues? I’m not sure. I think he would have had a lot less insecurities and complexes regarding his place in the world. Overall that might have made him a more confident and secure kid who didn’t feel this need to go looking for a legacy to be part of, and who didn’t have this searing hatred of muggles and ‘ordinary people’. That isn’t to say he’d be this great person- plenty of nasty people come from ostensibly loving and nurturing backgrounds. But I do think it would have had some sort of impact on him.  I don’t think it boils down to one Big Decision he made that really set him on ‘the path to evil’, I think it was a slow accumulation of a lot of things. In Amy’s mind, him opening the Chamber (even though he did not unleash the Basilisk) was sort of one of the first real warning signs, and then for her the last straw was him lying to her about that and his overall possessive and controlling attitudes towards her.  But yes, I agree regarding her leaving, of course. Amy rejects the implication that it is her ‘duty’ to spend the rest of her life either implicitly supporting or attempting to somehow ‘reform’ Tom. She argues that she is an independent person with her own hopes and dreams, not a morality pet, and it’s not her job to serve as his conscience or ‘keep him in check’ forever. It was important to me to show that; I think we need more of that message in fiction. While she may regret the circumstances she left in and she certainly still has some remnants of positive feelings and even love for him, she never regrets her decision to leave him or her choice to raise Mae by herself.

[imaginedanganronpa]

Hello may I please request Drv3's cast as remnants of despair? thank you ^-^

I love Remnant of Despair AUs :) Thank you for the fun Request, I hope you like it!Also, I’m going to shamelessly self-plug here because I also did a DR1 Version of the Remnants of Despair, too! If you like this, check that one out, too!

Again, obvious Warnings for Su*cide Mentions, D*pression/Violence/Murder, etc. and Spoilers for V3!

NDRV3 Cast As The Remnants of Despair!

Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede would be one of the hardestpeople to bring onto the side of Despair and puts up a valiant fight againstJunko’s tactics, but even she can’t stay immune forever. After hours of picking her brain, she finally succumbed to the feeling.

Like Ibuki and Hiyoko, Kaede would hold Despair inducing concerts thatbrainwashed her audience, preaching about how they should all spread Despair. Her songs also encouraged murder and suicide and the music notes would be fine-tuned into high-pitched sounds that diminish your brain into mush and physically hurt to listen to.

Those notes are modified by Miu to infect others with Despair, like an auditory brainwashing technique.

Although Kaede would pretend to be a sweetheart and maintain her innocent personality, she would have great influence over her fans. As a very prominent musician, she would start preaching to her fans to follow Despair and do the unthinkable. Most of her younger followers were turned into minions of the Warriors of Hope, while her older audience succumbed to Despair and committed unimaginable crimes.

Kaede now wears her hair in double ponytails, like Junko, and wears Monokuma hairpins as well.

Saihara Shuichi

Saihara would resist the Despair for as long as possible, but would break when shown falsified videos of Kaede’s death.

In retaliation, his first act as a Remnant would be murdering the uncle he was so close to and complicating his death so that it would never be solved. He would do so in such a disturbingly violent and brutal fashion that it sends chills down the Forensic Investigator’s spines. Complicating other’s deaths is something he continues to do as well.

Saihara’s next course of action was to set the violent criminals he put in prison free and kill the guards who watched over them, laughing maniacally as he did so and spreading Despair to the inmates.

This lead to the criminals rampaging through the city, destroying it in Junko’s name. They would set the courthouse on fire and he would stand on top of the rubble, overlooking the destruction with a satisfied grin.

He would encourage them to vandalize Japan and actively force them to commit crimes like breaking into people’s homes and murder. Saihara directly caused the crime-rates in the city to skyrocket.

He would be much more violent as a Remnant. Where Saihara used to be frailer and weak, he would now be hostile and lash out as he showed little remorse for the justice system.

Maki Harukawa

Maki would be more resilienttowards the Despair and wouldn’t succumb as easily as her classmates, butultimately even she can’t escape its clutches. She would spew threats at Junko as she picked at her brain, and would become a valuable ally on her side.

Maki would use her true talent as the Ultimate Assassin to battle against themembers of the Future Foundation. Her mass amounts of assault weaponry wouldcome in handy as she sits in a tank driven by the other minions of Junko and mows down the Future Foundation’s army with a military-grade assault rifle and machine gun.

But she is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and directly gets involved in the battle. Maki would likely infiltrate the Future Foundation Killing Game if it goes on for too long and assassinate the members participating, giving them no hope of ever finding the Traitor among them.

She would spread Despair to adults by masking as the Ultimate Child Caregiver andmurdering their children in front of them, driving most of the adults to suicide or madness.

Maki’s personality wouldn’t change very much, though. She would still be cold and distant, only a bit more unstable mentally.

Ouma Kokichi

He would be much easier tosway onto their side. Although, he would still be extremely sarcastic in theprocess, Ouma would be more open to Despair since he finds it intriguing. He would be one of the only Ultimates to willingly side with Junko out of boredom.

Ouma would then bring the rest of the members of DICE onto the side of Despair,enslaving them while forcing them to do the unthinkable and kill their families.

DICE already participated in heinous acts, but their crimes would only increase in severity as Remnant Ouma leads them, and anyone who tried to leave his organization or fight against the Despair would get publicly executed to set an example.

They would wreak havoc on the streets of Japan, vandalizing and destroying the city and physically lashing out against both the innocent bystanders and the law enforcement trying to stop them.

Ouma would lead a horde of Monokuma through the streets as their self-proclaimed leader, and command them to participate in countless crimes alongside DICE. He becomes a Supreme Leader over the Drones and Exisals, marching in the front of the pack and telling them what to do.

Himiko Yumeno

Obviously, Himiko wouldbring others onto the side of Despair through hypnosis and her magic. She would hold Despair-inducing Magic Shows where she used both her talent and a video that Junko and Miu created to brainwash her massive audience.

Her Show would be held in the Central Park of the city to reach a large number of people. Many families, including young children, would unknowingly attend, believing it to be a normal Magic Show. Her hypnosis would convince the younger children to join the Warriors of Hope, and the older audience to fall in line behind Junko, jumping on the vandalizing and violence bandwagon.

As a Remnant, Himiko would be much more cruel and cold, although her laziness would disappear. She would also use Tenko and string her along, abusing the poor girl, who actually wouldn’t mind.

Himiko would further herself into Despair, killing the ‘useless’ animals she had raised for her Shows. Her doves, rabbits - animals of that nature would be slaughtered and fed to her larger animals.

And the tigers, pythons, and other dangerous animals used in her acts would be set free after being put under hypnosis to kill anyone in their path.

Rantaro Amami

Rantaro wouldn’t be as easy tobrainwash: he is the Ultimate Survivor after all, and has powered through this once before; but even he can’t hold on forever. Even his determination wouldn’t be strong enough to resist the Despair.

The first thing he would do after becoming a Remnant is sacrifice all twelve ofhis sisters, murdering and mutilating them in violent ways and offering them up as sacrificesto Junko. Rantaro would feel no remorse as he did this, a sick grin forming on his face.

He is a naturally calm and relaxed person, but his personality twists into something much more chilling and disturbing. Rantaro has a way of smooth-talking others, which he could use when trying to lure the others onto the side of Despair. He could easily beckon people onto his side with his natural charm.

Normally, he doesn’t like to use his sexuality or good-looks and is uncomfortable with romance, but he would seduce others only to kill them and watch the life drain from their eyes, similar to Mikan.

And he would use his talent to travel around the world and spread Despair to other cultures, gaining a massive following in the process.

Tenko Chabashira

Tenko would snap very quickly since her will-power isn’t as strong as she would like to admit. After becoming a Remnant, she would starve herself until she was thin and frail, but still wouldn’t lose her physical strength.

She would mainly be used as a tool to fight against the Future Foundation, like Junko’s personal attack dog. Tenko would be used against the Future Foundation but also against innocent civilians who refused to succumb to Despair. Anyone who tried resisting would get ruthlessly slaughtered by the Aikido Master.

She would fall madly in love with Junko and do anything for her, seeing her in a God-like status.

Tenko would also obsess over Himiko more than she already did, though her personality would be much more outwardly perverted. To fuel her own Despair, she would try to strangle the small Magician, ultimately failing.

She makes it her goal to kill any degenerate male who refuses to bow down to Junko; men are the main group that she kills in acts of Despair.

And to further herself even more, she burns down the Neo-Aikido Temple that she trained and grew up in, slaughtering her former Masters in the process. Tenko drives herself crazy as she stands among the rubble of what used to be the Temple she loved so much.

Kiibo

All Junko had to do to turn Kiibointo a Remnant is reprogram him, so his transition was immediate and his personality completely flipped. Afterbecoming Remnants, Miu would also upgrade him to become a full-fledged killingmachine.

Kiibo becomes ruthless, no longer caring about anyone else and feeling little to no emotion. The voices he heard in his head would be reprogrammed, so rather than the public controlling him, he was only controlled by Junko and would be forced to do anything she wanted.

He would use his guns and weapons as an unstoppable force against the Future Foundation. He becomes the main weapon used against them, like a tool, unable to be destroyed. Kiibo’s eyes turn red and he is much more sinister as he flies above their heads and rains bullets upon them, going on a full blown rampage.

In an act of Despair, he also murders Professor Idabashi, since he was unsuccessful the first time he lashed out. Killing the man who created him brought an overwhelming amout of Despair to Kiibo, which is the only thing he can feel anymore.

And he uses his bombs to blow up buildings, as well as dropping grenades and fire-bombs onto the Future Foundation’s Army and Hope’s Peak’s building, completely destroying them.

Miu Iruma

She absolutely falls in love withDespair and starves herself into a husk to satisfy Junko; she very easily joins the side of Despair, almost willingly.

Miu would create inventions to bring people onto the side of Despair, taking great influence and inspiration from Junko.

She becomes the Head of the Robotics Department and would be the one in charge of creating all of the Monokuma and Exisals that rampage through the streets. She’s the one who created all of the Drones that invaded Towa City as well, her machines are programmed to invade the streets and kill as many people as possible. 

Miu would often sit inside the Exisals or have her Drones carry her so she could watch their destruction up close and personal, laughing evilly as they burn the city to the ground and take countless innocent lives.

With her knowledge of technology and the way it messes with the human mind, Miu creates a Despair inducing video similar to the one that brainwashed her; it’s the same one Kaede uses in her performances. She designed it to bring anyone who watches it onto the Remnant’s side.

She would still be a loudmouth, who preaches about Despair from inside her Exisals and screams insults belittling the people of Japan.

Kaito Momota

Before entering his Killing Game, Kaito auditioned with the intentions of killing as many people as possible for fame. After becoming a Remnant, his true psychopathic personality would take over and he would once again be fueled by the desire to earn fame and success.

Kaito would lash out against his fellow Remnants, especially Maki, but when that ultimately fails, he would turn towards slaughtering innocent civilians for seemingly no reason.

He becomes power-hungry and wants to conquer the world. He kills others just for the fun of it all, finding enjoyment out of watching others suffer at his mercy.

Using his talent as the Ultimate Astronaut, Kaito invades the Japanese Space Station and sends nuclear missiles to other countries to take as many lives as possible and start a war between nations. Afterwards, he would blow up the remaining missiles and kill his fellow Astronauts and scientists in the Station.

And Kaito would spread the Disease that he was infected with in the Killing Game, trying to make as many people ill as possible. With one of Miu’s inventions, he would launch the airborne Disease into Japan, which causes a countless number of people to become sick and hopeless.

Angie Yonaga

As a Remnant of Despair, Angiewould abandon Atua since it was the only thing that used to give her Hope and faith in the world, but she doesn’t need that anymore…

She goes on to destroy her former places of worship and delve herself deeper into Despair,laughing as she did so. Angie would go back to her home-island and destroy Atua’s Shrine and Temple, spreading Despair to her people and bringing them onto her side.

Anyone who refused to cooperate would be sacrificed and killed. Angie would recreate her religion to worship not Atua, but Junko, and lead her followers to sinful, Despairing acts. They would all follow her orders and abandon their religion for Despair, with Angie as their spokesperson.

Using her talent as the Ultimate Artist, Angie would also create dark, large, disturbing pieces depicting murder, death, and suicide, among other unsettling concepts and ideas. She would display them in public places where they would be seen often to strike a chord with viewers.

Her unsettling artwork would only further people into depression and emphasize that they had nothing left other than Despair. Angie would also create a large statue of Junko representing her as the nation’s new leader, which also influenced viewers to follow in her footsteps.

Korekiyo Shinguuji

If his sister was still alive, he would kill her and use her as a sacrifice to Junko. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have that option, so he continues with his quest to send ‘friends’ to her in the afterlife. Those friends also become sacrifices to satisfy Junko.

As a Remnant, Korekiyo would be more outwardly perverted and hostile than normal. He would be very easily brainwashed and would fall in love with the feeling of Despair, doing anything in his power to deepen his own mindset.

He would slowly lose his mind and his grip on reality. Korekiyo would become unstable and his moves will be unpredictable, likely becoming a  killer who murders others for the sake of entertainment. He is much less compassionate, but now cold and heartless. The only thing he can think of anymore is Despair.

But he uses his talent to travel to other places and spread Despair to other societies, preaching about how beautiful Despair is. Korekiyo continues leaving a trail of bodies in his path for not only his sister, but also for Junko, and uses his status as an Anthropologist to convince others to join him in Despair. Anyone who didn’t listen would become one of his sister’s friends.

He gains a large following, almost like a cult. He travels from country to country, bringing more people onto his side and becoming a prominent figure in many cultures.

Kirumi Tojo

Being the firecracker that she is, she would try to run away and fight against the brainwashing tactics, but it wouldn’t work.

As the Prime Minister of her country, Kirumi hasgreat power over others and would convince her people to commit suicide andwreak havoc among the streets in the name of Despair.

She would order her people to follow in hers and Junko’s footsteps or be killed, commanding her Army to kill anyone who tries to refuse or escape, which is ironic since that was exactly what she did in the Killing Game.

Kirumi has great influence over others and directs her people to commit suicide to fuel their Despair, and watching her followers drop like flies only dragged her down even more. She holds large public meetings and events where she tries to persuade others to join her, and this works since she is so powerful.

But Kirumi also becomes the Head over the fight against the FutureFoundation. Since she is so persuasive, she becomes a leader alongside Tsumugi, militarily commanding her friends like Maki, Tenko and Gonta, as well as Junko’s average minions, telling them how to fight and creating strategies to defeat the Future Foundation.

She is like the Remnant’s voice of reason, speaking on their behalf as the other Remnants worship her as their parental figure. She loses her own sanity and gains a power-trip, her ego skyrocketing.

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta would be very resilient, not wanting to give into the brainwashing techniques, but he isn’t the strongest man mentally so he easily breaks and succumbs to Despair.

With that said, he completely ditches his gentlemanly persona and becomes an evil, cruel person. Gonta couldn’t care less about anyone else and becomes increasingly violent and hostile; due to his size and strength he becomes a terrifying, unstoppable force.

He would still be quite gullible, so he’s easy to boss around and does anything Junko tells him to do, like a mindless servant. She is the only person he cares for and respects: the only one he is a gentleman towards.

In relation to his talent, Gonta would infest people’s homes with insects in an attempt to force them to love bugs, but these aren’t just any ordinary insects: they are artificial Monokuma-bugs created by Miu.

Their purpose is to infect others with Despair through bug-bites and they are commanded by Gonta, doing what he says and going where he wants them to go. After being bitten by one of his bugs, you will fall into a deep, dark Despair and can be controlled by Junko.

He has an entire Army of these revolting insects that he can use on a whim. They crawl down the streets in a sea of insects, infecting others with Despair and spreading pathogens; they help spread Kaito’s illness.

Gonta also uses his brute strength as a weapon against the members of the Future Foundation, under Junko’s orders. He will be used as a killing machine, directly jumping into the battle and using physical force to combat them.

Tsumugi Shirogane

Tsumugi would become similar toMukuro and serve under Junko, helping brainwash others and pick at their brains. She would also be Junko’s test-subject for new torture methods and hypnosis videos.

Tsumugi was already overcome with Despair before her Killing Game and likely was the one who helped brainwash her classmates, so she’s been a Remnant this entire time. It was her idea to offer her classmates up as sacrifices, manipulating their talents to spread Despair to the rest of the world.

And she loved watching them all fall like dominoes, it only drove her deeper into her own madness. Tsumugi loved watching the chaos her classmates were responsible for, feeling a sense of pride knowing that she helped create this.

She would also use her talent to Cosplay as, or essentially disguise, herself as others to frame them for the Remnant’s crimes. She could disguise herself as certain Future Foundation members and incriminate them by planting fake ‘evidence’ of their involvement with the Remnants, causing many of them to be executed by the Foundation or thrown into prison. In reality, it was just Tsumugi pinning everything on them to prevent them from stopping the true Remnants crimes.

She would be Junko’s punching bag and servant, working endlessly to please her Master. She does anything Junko tells her to do and falls madly in love with the blonde, becoming her new second-in-command.

Ryoma Hoshi

It was very easy to brainwash Ryoma into becoming a Remnant of Despair; he was already depressed enough, so it didn’t take a lot to finally break him.

Remnant Ryoma would still be depressed, but more outwardly hostile and violent towards others. He is much more cruel and corrupted and this feeling of Despair becomes his reason to live.

He doesn’t have a lot of influence over others and his loved ones are already dead, so in order to spread Despair, Ryoma would work towards slaughtering the remaining Mafia members who took his loved one’s lives.

This strikes fear into the Mafia members who managed to escape his wrath, but those who did escape would be turned towards Despair, becoming very valuable allies with ties to a larger Army.

And Ryoma would become their new leader. He becomes a very prominent, deadly figure as he is the new leader of an entire Mafia organization, all of which are ready to aid the Remnants in the fight against the Future Foundation. He commands them to join in the fight, adding another complicated layer to the battle.

Using his talent, Ryoma would persuade and challenge others to unwinnable Tennis matches where they would work so hard that they dropped from exhaustion, pushing others to their absolute limits. Once they were down for the count, he would hypnotize them into joining Despair and add his colleagues to his own Army.

- Mod Rantaro

[sunraise]

rwby verse ⇾ sylvain.

gautier enterprises is a high ranking business set in atlas , making money off of selling weaponry across remnant & also dealing with shady business with salem herself. ( the latter is mainly headed by none other than mr. addanc gautier himself. )

sylvain isn’t that different from his 3hverse ; he goes through the same trauma , still believes the worst of himself , etc , etc. there’s not much difference in his attitude here !

the gautier family are the few survivors left from the gods’ initial destruction, because they used magic to preserve themselves + were in good favor with the gods back then. as such , the gautier bloodline today has the smallest bit of magic in their blood, though it’s very little & can only result in a small flame.

the family relic was gifted to them by an unknown person , but it was salem. she created the relics using the original maiden’s bones & that’s why the lance twitches & has a mind of its own. it’s the same in 3h , just using. different sources. okay moving on we’re moving on

the gautiers have a hereditary semblance like the schnees , & when activated with magic delivers a powerful blow that can knock an enemy down with one hit ─ no matter how much “ hp ” they have, it’s an immediate ko. since the gautier crest “ occasionally raises mt when using combat arts, ” sylvain’s semblance works similarly ─ he can’t control it, sometimes, but with enough effort & focus he can.

his situation is much like weiss’, in that he basically begged to go to beacon. “ why not stay in atlas & study here? ” because he wanted out, & with enough bargaining he did. the rules were that after graduation, he’d come straight home, that he wouldn’t upset the family image, & that he excel above all his peers. which was ─ well , easy enough in atlas, since his last name usually eased over his skirt-chasing.

he’s a second year & joins with the childhood quartet ; i dont know what word you can come up with using d , i , f , & s , but im calling them “ differences ” for now.

he does make good on his promise ; by the time beacon falls , he’s slated to be the valedictorian in the school. however , he is aware of what ozpin is planning ... somewhat, anyways. the man keeps his secrets.

after the fall , he does go back to atlas. because sylvain grew up playing violin , he’d usually accompany weiss for her singing , as the schnees & the gautiers were. well , business friends. because of it , he also learned piano.

it’s also when he learns miklan has went off to work under salem, causing general disorder around atlas & the world. miklan is still abusive, still hates his brother, etc, but this time it’s because sylvain’s semblance came so easily to him & not to miklan. it fueled his bitter resentment for years until he worked under salem & helped cause the fall of beacon.

i haven’t watched v7 lia

[blacksunwillbecanon]

It’s Funny...

Some people in the FNDM think that Blacksun is a boring romance. How? 🧐I’ve explained all of their significant moments here but I’ll address the topics that are significantly impacting the FNDM and that is REPRESENTATION.

Before I begin, let me explain something to you all. I am an African-American women who identifies as a straight demisexual 👩🏾‍💼. This means I prefer to be with men but I need to have a strong emotional connection with a man before I can be in a relationship with him. Also, I was on the very low end of the autism spectrum. When people ask for representation, I am right there with them. However, I don’t want to see representation that is forced, fake or is just there to please the audience. I want representation that is authentic, enriches the story and gives me a really good feeling. And when I talk about representation, I am not just talking about LGBTQ+, I’m talking about People of Color/minorities and people with disabilities. And I honestly believe that Blacksun hits these three major categories in an authentic and excellent way that does not take away from the story of RWBY which is about Ruby,Weiss,Blake and Yang along with their friends and loved ones protecting the World of Remnant from Salem,her compatriots and Grimm. Now I will break down these three forms of representation and explain how Blacksun fits into them.

LGBTQ+

As I’ve mentioned in this post and in many discussions, Blake, Sun or both of them could be bisexual, which is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Some toxic people in this FNDM tend to forget that bisexual people are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They make up the B in the acronym. Bisexual individuals are attracted to people of the same and opposite sex. Sun Wukong (the mythological character Sun is based off) is bisexual. He was attracted to Tripitaka/Tang Sanzang but was a flirt to both men and women. Since Sun is from Vacuo, the most relaxed kingdom in Remnant, don’t you all think that Sun would flirt with men and women? Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he flirted with his team before meeting Blake. He’s an open person. And Blake could be bisexual as well. Her voice actress A/rryn Z/ech is bisexual as well. Although she was in a relationship/partnership with Adam, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a crush on some female white fang members or a section leader who was female. Even if Blake and Sun were NOT in relationships with people the same sex or showed outward attraction, that should not be an excuse to erase their sexual identities.They are young adults, they are still trying to figure themselves out! Also, is it wrong for bisexual people to be in relationships with people of the opposite sex? Let’s take some members of CRWBY for example.  Lindsay is bisexual and she’s happily married to Michael. Barbara is bisexual and she is in a happy relationship with Trevor. El/lie who was in a relationship with a woman is now in a relationship with Miles and A/rryn is in a relationship with a man (I’m sorry but I do not know his name). Just because a person who is bisexual is in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex does not give you the right to say that they are not LGBTQ+. You all should realize that all healthy and wonderful LGBTQ+ relationships can be M/M, F/F and M/F. This includes cisgender, transgender and non-binary.

Minorities

In RWBY there are two intelligent races and the two races are humans and Faunus. Faunus are an oppressed group within the world of Remnant. They are branded, treated less equals and are abused. If I’m going to be honest, the Faunus are supposed to alluded to real life minorities especially Black People. Why? In the past, Africans were brought to the Americas and Europe and were literally slaves. They were beaten, had their rights revoked and struggled to get their freedom. Also the White Fang alludes to the Black Panther party. Tell me, what are Blake and Sun in the show? They are Faunus. They are part of an oppressed group in the World of Remnant. Also consider this thought...Sun is a faunus team leader who attends Haven Academy that is located in Mistral,the second most racist kingdom in Remnant whereas Blake was a member of the extremist White Fang and the daughter of the former White fang leader. They’ve also had different experiences being Faunus. I find it wonderful that two members of an oppressed race come together to learn about each other’s  respective experiences and work together to reform an organization meant to bring about peace and equality.

Also, I know real life ethnicities are not fully considered in the show but if we were to apply them to Sun and Blake, Sun would be Chinese and Blake would be Indian(primarily due to her parents inspirations)-Japanese. I think a lot of us can agree that it would be refreshing to see an well developed couple of color bring positive change to Remnant. If I were to assign team RWBY real-life ethnicities they would be the following:

Ruby: 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 European (British)

Weiss: German

Blake: Indian-Japanese

Yang: 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 European (Norwegian and British)

Also its great that Sun and Blake have beautiful contrasting appearances which helps establish that they are Faunus of different upbringings and experiences but they are coming together to make positive change.

Disabilities

This last form of representation is one that is rarely discussed in the FNDM and that is disabilities. So many of us here believe that Sun has ADHD. This and this post do a really good job explaining why Sun is likely to have it. ADHD can arise not just through genetics but the environment as well. Sun was born and raised in Vacuo, a kingdom that had suffered through depleted resources, violence and Grimm. When we first met Sun, he was running on the boat and throughout Vale. Also, his tail is constantly moving which could be his outlet like how someone would tap their foot or press the button of a pen. Also, the precious Sunny boi was very excited talking to Neptune about Blake and her team. Listen to his tone and the speed of his voice. Did you guys notice how Neptune is conversing with him? He’s patient and understanding with Sun. This could also be applied when he was talking to Blake’s parents. We know that Sun is a smart, wise, fun and capable leader. Although we don’t know anything about his past and experiences (and I know we will learn more once we hit Vacuo), don’t you guys think it is important to have a major supporting character exhibit a disability? This will allow members in the FNDM to relate more to the character and show members with disabilities that they are heroes in their own right. That their disability will not hinder them in saving the world. Blake and Sun being in a relationship can assure people with disabilities that they to can find love with and in someone.

Thank you all for reading this analytical piece. I hope this brought some perspective about the three main forms of representation and how Blacksun can fit into them. This isn’t meant to shut down your personal ships. This post was meant to shut down the toxic part of the FNDM, mainly elitist bees and wasps. If you have any questions or concerns, DM me or send a civil ask. Thanks! 😁

[calliecat93]

Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 4

(Top 5 Dislikes)

This is going out later than I was hoping, but hey better now that never. Anyways, I honestly think that V4 is a pretty underrated Volume. There’s a lot that I really enjoy about it and after the insanity of V3, I’m glad that we got a more lowkey season that let everyone begin to heal. I’m hoping that RvB18 will follow that path tbh, but that’s not important here. There’s a lot to like, so let’s talk about the Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 4!

#5. The Switch to Maya/Improved Animation

For Volumes 1-3, animaiton was primarily done in a program called Poser. This was mainly because it was what Monty liked to use, especially for fight animation. Poer isn’t an animation program, it is a modeling program that Monty was able to work for what he needed, but again it is not a proper animation program. V3 looks amazing, but I think that it was clear that they had reached their limit on how much they could push it. Add that with now having a larger animation staff, and it was time for a change. As such, they shifted to Maya, a common animaiton program in the field, and I am going to say it… it was 100% the right choice.

The animaiton in the Poser Era wasn’t bad, but… there were plenty of times where it felt like expressions and casual movements were very stiff. V4 changed that massively. There is so much more facial expression, but not just that. Take Blake’s cat ears for example. They are SO expressive in every scene that she’s in. Sure it might be because she threw out the bow, but still! I really don’t think that they could have done that in Poser. Animaiton models improved, like Sun’s abs no longer being glued to him for example and his little necklace sometimes daggling about. Environments look more vibrant. Environments have improved. Things like shading look better. And while the fight scenes aren’t Monty-like anymore, they are still really good! Seriously, Qrow vs Tyrian is still awesome~

I know that the shift wasn’t something liked by everyone, though I think that the vast majority have come around since V4. The animaiton has only kept improving after this, and it’s crazy going back to V1 and seeing the difference. But they sold me the second that they released the Ruby Trailer in the lead-up to the volume. Maya has allowed for a lot of improvement and new opportunities, and I believe that RT made the right choice in transitioning over to it. V4 looked so good, especially with how many new locations that it introduced us to, and I freakin’ love it~

#4. Expansion On The World

Volume 4, above all, is a world-building volume. We spent all of our time in the first three volumes primarily in Beacon and the city fo Vale. The only locations that we got a substantial amount of time in otherwise were Mountain Glenn and the Amity Arena for the Vytal Festival. Otherwise, we’ve been stuck in one place despite knowing that there is a much larger world out there. Thankfully though, this volume takes us outside the Kingdom of Vale and finally allowed us to explore the rest of Remnant… well, parts of it. Still, more than the other volumes had.

This was an advantage of using the multiple plotlines.. We got a really good amount of new locations. RNJR was in Anima, which had a lot of Asian-inspired scenery and naming. Yeah, we mostly spend the time on trails and villages, but you can still see the difference between the villages and Vale. Which we got to see what it’s like outside of Vale. Some villages like Higanbana are nice, while others like Shion or Kuroyuri… well… it emphasizes just how bleak the world truly is. Vale was an overall safe place, and even that wasn’t safe. If you don’t live within a kingdom though? Hope that luck is on your side.

We also get to see Menagerie for the first time. Sadly we don’t get to see as much here or in V5, but we do get to see how cramped it is and it overall looks nice. You can see that, as Blake said, they tried to make it a welcoming place for Faunus. We get to see Weiss’ home, which is as empty and cold as you would have imagined it being. It looks grand, but it’s just… empty and quiet with Weiss, more or less, alone aside from Klein. Patch is nice, you can certainly see why Tai would raise his kids there and in contrast to Weiss’ home, it’s small but the peaceful and comforting environment that Yang needed. Salem’s realm is eerie. Oscar’s farm is… a farm. And Mistral? Amazing.

What I’m getting at here is that we learn so much more about the world. Even outside exploring new locations, we learn about the Relics and the God Brothers. We start to get an understanding of the war between Oz and Salem, though of course, we learn the true scale in V6. The volume does a lot to make Remnant feel more like an actual world full of stories, problems, and history. It took us out of the hub that we were used to with Volumes 1-3, and I think that they did so very well. Very much appreciate it~

#3. Yang Plotline

While Yang got the least amount of focus, I… don’t view that as a bad thing. A story can’t be dictated by screentime alone. You have to look at how well they executed what they needed to do in the amount of time that they had. For example, they didn’t do very well with Ruby in V5 with the time that they had, but we’ll save that for the V5 posts. For V4, as I said, Oscar didn’t get the proper development and they didn’t utilize the amount fo time that they had for him well. But Yang though? I thought that they did her very well here.

Yang’s plot is, of course, recovering after losing her arm and getting back into fighting condition so that she can go after Ruby. We see that she has PTSD, having flashbacks and nightmares and her emotional state is… not in the bright place that we’re used to. Chapter 4, the chapter mainly focused on her, shows how concerned she is about taking the first steps of recovery, though we do see her start to laugh and joke around again. With Tai’s encouragement and support, Yang ut son the new arm, trains again and Tai helps her see the disadvantages of her fighting style/Semblance reliance, and opens up to her about Raven. In the end, Yang’s ready to go after her sister. She’s not 100% healed, but she’s got her drive back and is ready to move ahead.

Now again, Yang gets the least amount of focus. She only gets one chapter dedicated to her, and otherwise, her’s appears the least out of the four RWBY girls. But they utilized that time very well. They don’t drag it out or rush through it. They set up Yang’s mental state, show us signs of her PTSD, have Tai give her the proper encouragement, and have her start to get back on her feet. I’m glad that they were just straightforward with it, there was no need to drag it out especially since V5 and 6 show that there are still things that she has to work through. The point for this volume though was to get Yang well enough mentally for her to get back out onto the field, and they did that very well. She was in a positive environment as well, and that probably helped her.

So yeah, when I look back at the Yang plot, I have no issues with it. I think that it was given the amount of attention that it needed. It wasn’t rushed, but it wasn’t dragged out either. Yang didn’t fully recover, but she got well enough to move forward. That was the ultimate goal for everyone’s plotline, and they achieved it here. But I’m gonna leave it at 3 since it is a bit of a bummer that she got limited screentime. But for what it’s worth, they used that time properly and I am happy with the final result.

#2. Weiss Plotline

Out of all the plots, Weiss’ is my favorite and imo, the best one done. This is because this is the conclusion to her three volumes worth of character development. As I said n the V3 Likes post, her plot had her decide to finally cut herself away from her father for good and move ahead with the life that she wanted. Sadly, due to the Fall, Jaques had the perfect excuse to got o Vale and force her to return to Atlas with him. So just as quickly a she was able to embrace her freedom and the choice to never turn back, fate dealt her a bad hand and she was her father’s prisoner once more. Which she literally becomes a prisoner after her outburst at the charity event and gets stripped of her title. It’s just… horrible to watch that scene. Really, any scene with her and Jaques is uncomfortable, especially when he slaps her.

This is when we truly get to see Jaques abuse first hand, and it is as horrible as the previous hints indicated. He’s condescending and passive-aggressive to Weiss. He treats her like she’s a child and an employee more than as a parent. Compare it to Tai or Ghira with Yang and Blake, where they are nothing but caring and supportive to their daughters. Ghira especially welcomed Blake back with open arms despite how she called them cowards in the past and was just glad that she found her way again and was safe. Jaques only cares about Weiss for his image and to use her when it suits his needs, whether Weiss is willing to do it or not. He makes her sing rather than ask her. He refuses to let her out fo his sight during the charity gala. He talks down to her. He tries to gaslight her into everything being her fault and like her outburst was wrong.

Weiss did NOTHING wrong. She, and maybe Ironwood, were the only ones at that charity who gave a damn about Vale. Seeing her in that environment, where people were snobby, argumentative, and only cared about their own petty problems makes you really, really appreciate how much she had grown. She had broken out of that mindset after V1 and when the Trophy Wife claims that Vale deserved what it got, she rightfully calls her and everyone else out on their bullshit and refuses to let Jaques shut her up. Yeah, it ends badly with Weiss losing her title and Whitley rubbing it in. Weiss had no one aside form Klein, who is an actual good person who showed Weiss kindness and care moreso than her own family ever did. When Weiss breaks down, ti just… hurts. But luckily, at her lowest point, Weiss decides that enough is enough. She gets back out Myrtenaster, perfects her Summoning Glyph, and decides to break free once and for all. Klein helps her escape, and she manages to get onto a plane heading for Mistral. Which leads to… more problems, but that’s for the next volume.

Weiss’ plotline was very well done. It gets you to see how far that she’s come since Volume 1. She wanted to break free and become better, and she did. Jaques tries to lock her away again, but he failed. Weiss had gotten a taste of freedom, and she was going to reclaim it. She was going to redeem her family name her way by being a Huntress and no one was going to stop her. As This Life is Mine stated, “I won’t be possessed/burdened by your royal test/I will not surrender, this life is mine.” Yes Weiss, it is indeed.

Weiss was great, but there is one character whose focus I appreciated not just because it was good, but because it saved that character in my eyes.

#1. Ren Becoming a Character

I haven’t talked much about Ren and Nora, and that was because up until now… there wasn’t much to talk about. While I liked them fine enough, in V1-3 they’re just… there. It felt like they existed just because Jaune and Pyrrha had to be part of a four-man team because they’re nothing more than supporting characters there. Nora at least was funny and bubbly so she was at least fun, but Ren? He was just… quiet and the straight-man to Nora’s antics. That was it. He didn’t feel like a character, he just felt like a necessity needed to fill in a spot. My biggest hope with V4 was, now with JNR traveling with RWBYt hey would do something, anything to flesh out Ren and Nora. At least for one of them.

Fortunately, I got my wish.

To be fair, RWBY Chibi had gotten me to warm up to Ren since they got a lot out of him in several of the skits. More than I thought that they could. But I also like Chibi!Neo FAR more than I like Canon!Neo, so that wasn’t saying much. But fortunately, Volume 4 came around! Ren was really great in this volume! He’s still the quiet one, though he gets more here than any other volume. Which is something to note real quick. Neath has done a fantastic job as Ren. I can’t imagine how it had to have felt since he was taking over Monty’s spot. His brother’s spot. But he has done a perfect job since Day One, and I can’t imagine anyone else int he role at this point. He especially shows his range in this volume, and for a guy who had never voice acted until he started doing Ren, he pulls it off perfectly. I love Neath.

Ren is from Anima, but outside Mistral, so he’s of course the most knowledgeable of the area. We get to see more of his tracking and fighting skills, which is as fun to see as it was in Volume 1 which was the last time he got to showcase his fighting style. We get to see him interact with not only Nora, which was really nice especially with Jaune. But most of all, we get to see how Ren’s past affected him. His reaction to the destruction fo Shion perfectly fits due to what happened to Kuroyuri. His refusal to go back there makes sense since… well, no one likes to revisit the source of their trauma. He tells us about Oniyuri, and through him we see just how difficult it is to live outside the Kingdoms. We saw that with what happened to Shion, but Ren is a character that we’ve known for years and we get to see and hear about it through him. Which makes it hit us harder because it affects a character that we’ve known for so long. And when we get to the flashback and see how happy Ren’s life was and how it all went to Hell in just one night? It breaks your heart. We also finally learn his Semblance, which fits him perfectly so that was also appreciated.

But most of all, we get to Kuroyuri, and it’s the first time that we see Ren lose it. He’s always been a very calm, very tranquil person but when the Nucklavee attacks, he is understandably terrified… and then just lose it. We’ve NEVER seen him get angry before, but seeing the monster that ruined his life, killed his family, and destroyed his home? Yeah, that’ll make anyone snap. But thankfully, Nora snaps him out of it and this is when we see just how strong their relationship is. When Ren lost everything, he found Nora who had absolutely no one, and befriended her. They fought together. They survived together. They went through everything together, both good and bad. So fo course Nora could see that Ren was losing it, and she was the only one who could pull him back and stop him before he lost himself I’d still like them to be more clear on if Renora is canon or not cause I still really don’t know. But at least we get to see that their dynamic isn’t just the ‘hyper girl, calm guy’ dynamic. There is a true bond there, and it’s just beautiful.

It ends with Ren suing his father’s knife, the only thing of his family that he still has, to kill the Nuclavee. For his parents. For all the lives stolen. And, of course, for himself. This was him confronting his trauma, and finally putting it to rest and moving forward. That’s the biggest theme of this volume honestly, taking what brought you down, and moving forward. Yang began to stand up again after her trauma. Blake decided to quit running and to rise up against the White Fang once and for all. Weiss broke free of her father despite him trying to pull her back. Ruby saw just how bad the world truly was along with the Fall of Beacon still haunting her, but took ti and strengthened her resolve to be a Huntress and make things better as much as possible. And Ren? He chose to go back to Kurroyuri to save his friends and destroyed the monster that made so many suffer but without giving in to his sorrow. 

The volume just made me love Ren and see him more as a character than I had before. He’s one of my absolute favorites no. I’m hoping that V7 is going to do the same with Nora since at this point, I feel that she’s the most under-developed of the main cast. But we’ll just have to wait and see. Regardless, V4 changed my opinion of Ren completely and his story was done very well. As such, it my favorite thing about RWBY Volume 4.

And another volume done! So… next we get to Volume 5. Ho boy, I haven’t revisited it since it ended and not for the reasons that you think. But we’ll talk more on those posts. For now, thanks for reading everyone~!

[elleleh]

Asher Ignatius Fall (Based upon the Minotaur)

Nickname: ‘Ash’ By everyone, ‘Cow’ By Jet, Huntsmen codename is ‘Demon’

Age: 18

Gender: Male/Cis

Species: Bull Faunus

Siblings:

None (that he knows of)

Parents: Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus (Conceived during a week-long fling)

Orientation: Bisexual

School/Year/Team: Haven Academy (mainly “homeschooled” by his mother and occasionally his father)/ Leader of team ASHH/Disbanded once he graduated

Aura: Red

Semblance: Ignite, a semblance that allows him to adjust the atmosphere to create fire and smoke at will, the flames appearing more red in color due to his semblance. He has no setbacks with his semblance, the powers of the Fall Maiden slightly passing onto him. Being energy from the Fall Maiden, Asher has a hard time controlling his semblance. Too much use causes him to lose control and has even caused him to severely burn himself as a child. Still, he can artfully control fire, fight with it being mixed with hand to hand combat and also his weapons.

Weapon: A bow and arrows that shifts into a Yari spear-sword, named Piercing Flame.

Emblem: Two horns close together that make up an upside down heart. This emblem foils his mother’s, a sign that he still associates with her, but deep down wishes for something more from his life than being “Cinder Fall’s son”.

Personality: Aggressive, Sarcastic, Arrogant, Complex, Brave, Fiery, Narcissistic, Observant, Protective, Caring, Brash, Rebellious

Voice: Ernesto Jason Liebrecht (Hei from Darker than Black)

Trivia:

Growing up, Ash was often neglected. Adam Taurus was only around when he wished to be and Cinder Fall couldn’t show affection and love to her son. Therefor, he never learned it as a boy, turning lonely and angry early on in his life.

Asher loves his mother, though he has complicated emotions toward her, and was mainly raised by her in Vacuo. He absolutely can’t stand his father as the man was abusive and cared only about himself.

As a child, Asher found comfort in causing other people to hurt just like he did. He became a bully and often picked on anyone who was an easy target, such as a certain boy who had dual colored hair and a prosthetic leg.

Jet and Asher are rivals (in his mind), both coming from enemies of Remnants Hero’s, and yet Jet is the more adjusted and accepted of the two. Envious and hateful toward his stable home life and friends, Asher begins to hone in on Jet and become a true pain in the young man’s life.

He and Esmeray dated for a total of three weeks. It was an uncomfortable time for her and ended when Ash decided to get aggressively physical, grabbing her arm hard enough to leave a bruise. She didn’t take that too well and proceeded to punch him through a wall.

After a few weeks of bumping into one another, Xing and Ash accidentally get to know each other. She eventually offers to help Ash become accepted in society. Though taken as a light joke at first, he decides to take her up on her offer as “he has nothing better to do”. Eventually, Xing brings out a positive side in him, the loving, caring, affectionate side, and gives him friends and a home that he’s so desperately craved since he was little.

Asher is afraid of a few things, one being Aliens. He is convinced they exist and lives in terror at the thought of being abducted.

His favorite food is Vegetable Fried Rice.

Ash has taken up plenty of vices in his path to rebellious self destruction, including a love for hard liquor, cheap women and cigarettes. He knows they’re all bad for you, but so is about everything in life. How much worse could his life really get?

Asher has many tattoo’s on his body, two of which are flames that start at his wrists and go up to his elbows. His Emblem is tattoo’d on his back like his mother. There are a few others, at least one on each limb, and his mother’s emblem is hidden somewhere on his body. Those who have seen him nude have claimed it is on his shoulder, but people aren’t sure.

He stands at 6′ 2″, receiving his father’s tall genes.

I plan on giving everyone a fresh, new reference layout like the one Ash has, so look forward to the adjusted designs/outfits soon!