#plans were it was going to be sad

[kyraxyrespace]

A Story That’ll Never Be Finished (early-Vol 9 fanfic)

Back in May of 2021 I just felt myself shrivel at this reminder I began to speculate what Vol 9 would be about based only on the brief after-credits scene we had at the end of Vol 8. I started on it, but never had the time to finish it despite the lengthy hiatus we as a FNDM went through. Now with Vol 9 out and finished, I don’t have any plans on continuing the story. However, I wanted to share the brief start of what was thought of but never to come.

Please enjoy.

The repetitive, gentle sound of waves lapping against the shoreline lulled Jaune out of his unconscious state. His mind worked slowly, and only dimly registered the feeling of soft sand beneath his person. Then, as he got to his knees and gave his surroundings a look around, his mind snapped into place like a rubber band. He glanced around more frantically, his hand reaching down to his waist, feeling a degree of relief that his Crocea Mors still occupied his body. It did not alleviate the consternation he felt while taking in the unfamiliar environment.

He pulled himself up to his full height, his right hand touching his weapon. Narrowed blue eyes roamed the horizon, taking in the lush, tropical island. He kept quiet, listening for any sound that would give away another soul in the area, and was equal parts relieved and torn that he heard nothing at all. The water continued to lap behind him, and the wind rustled the leaves, but there was no sound - human, faunus, or animal - to be heard. The enormous tree situated up on the hilltop caught Jaune’s attention; considering its size, it wasn’t that hard to miss.

Although he was apprehensive of where this new land was, he did at least know one thing: he got here by falling from the walkway. And if he was here after falling into the void, then there was reason to believe that Team RWBY was here, too. He needed to link back up with them and find a way off the island; there were loved ones waiting for them in Vacuo. The notion that his friends were alive - not lost to the void like he had thought - spurred him into action.

He didn’t have any clue which way to go, so he picked to go to the right. He took two steps forward in his intended direction but stopped as his ears picked up on a noise coming from behind him. He placed his hand on the hilt of his broken sword, listening to the noise to differentiate if it was friend or foe. It was too faint to actually understand, but it was high pitched enough that he didn’t think it was a Grimm. He spun around on his heel, his eyes narrowing as he tried to pinpoint the cause of the sound. There was something coming his way, and he was able to determine it was in the shape of a person. He blinked, and his heart skipped a beat as he was able to pick out the person’s distinctive white hair and knew instantly who it was.

“Jaune!” Weiss shouted, her voice easier to recognize the closer she came to him.

“Weiss,” Jaune breathed. Then, louder, “Weiss!”

He jogged toward her, closing the gap so she wouldn’t have to run so far. When he determined he was halfway toward her (he was taller, his legs longer, so he traversed the distance in a shorter amount of time), he came to a stop, expecting Weiss to do the same. He was shocked when she didn’t slow down at all; she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jaune released a breath of surprise, and his left foot readjusted itself to keep him from tumbling backward. His arms, on instinct, wrapped around Weiss to keep her steady.

His surprise over her jumping onto him turned to relief that he could hold her. When Winter had returned to the pathway empty handed, Jaune’s heart had dropped. He hadn’t seen what had happened to Ruby, Blake, and Yang, but he had guessed. Knowing that he had been steps away from getting Weiss somewhere safe, just to lose her, turned his insides cold. He couldn’t mourn her loss immediately; the void had been compromised, and he and Winter had to get to Vacuo. Even the logical knowledge that the team had to have survived if he had didn’t provide the amount of relief he felt holding her in his arms. He had to will away the tears threatening to form in his eyes.

Jaune, believing they’d held each other long enough, began to withdraw his arms, expecting Weiss to do the same. It was probably the first time since Beacon’s initiation that they held each other; it was certainly the first one Weiss initiated. To his surprise, she moved reluctantly. She tightened her hold briefly, before unlinking her arms, moving them down until they rested on the boy’s elbows.

“What happened? How did you get here?” she asked, her voice raised in concern.

“The pathway collapsed,” Jaune answered. “I made a jump for the portal, but missed it.”

“And my sister?” Weiss asked, her face twisting up at the memory of the last time she’d seen Winter.

“She made it through to Vacuo,” Jaune replied.

Weiss’ shoulders dipped as she released a breath, exhaling the tension she’d probably been feeling since she arrived on the island.

“Have you come across anything?” Jaune questioned, giving their area a look around.

Although he had only spotted Weiss, he was hoping it was because he had only put focus on her, and that her teammates were actually somewhere close by. His heart plummeted a bit when he saw Weiss shake her head, her braided hair flowing back and forth with the motion. She removed her hands from his elbows, relocating them to sit comfortably on her hips.

“You’re the first person I’ve come across,” she answered. “You’re the only thing I’ve come across.”

“That’s unfortunately true for me, too,” Jaune admitted, sighing a bit at the end.

“...Do you think the others are here?” Weiss asked, looking for his opinion.

“They have to be,” he answered immediately, scanning the horizon over the empty water. “We’re the only island.”

“That we can see,” Weiss pointed out.

Jaune frowned at the truthful statement. They were only on one side of the island, so for all they knew, there were other patches of land on the opposite side. They needed to get to the other side of the island which would take time walking. Jaune blinked and looked back at Weiss, who raised an eyebrow up in questioning when she saw him staring at her.

“Weiss, can you summon a Queen Lancer?” Jaune questioned.

Weiss’ eyebrows raised upward in confusion, wondering what had spurred him to ask such a question. It was telling how far the two had come that Jaune could read the question on her face without her even having to verbalize it.

“If we can get an aerial view of the island, we could spot our friends easier.”

Weiss’ eyes widened in comprehension as she followed along. She gave a sharp nod at his earlier question and took a step back from him. She pulled out her Myrtenaster and produced a summoning glyph in the open space to the left of them. Weiss approached her Summoned Grimm, stroking the hornet’s face affectionately. The Queen Lancer was becoming a fast favorite of hers, only second to her Arma Gigas. She moved to its side, Jaune following. She hopped up first, taking her place at the front of the insect. Jaune hopped up behind her, sticking his hands in the gap between its protective plates. Seeing that her passenger was secured on the Summoned Grimm, Weiss willed her Queen Lancer to launch them into the air. The flying-insect took air, flying above the tree lines, facing the enormous tree. The two looked down on the tropical island below them, checking for any sign of movement, any familiar shape of their friends.

Jaune was looking off to his right, blue eyes scanning the sandy beaches. His eyes focused on a lump laying just inches from the lapping waves. His heart beat in excitement.

“Weiss.”

Weiss looked over her shoulder at Jaune, and then to her right. She spotted the lump as well. She directed her Queen Lancer in its direction. The hornet sped as it made its descent, and the closer it got to the lump, the easier it was to see its features. The lump was a person. Weiss’ eyes widened as she identified the person. Jaune didn’t wait for the Queen Lancer to land. Without warning, he hopped off the creature.

“Jaune!”

The boy rolled, got back on his feet, and rushed to Penny’s fallen body. He dropped to his knees beside her, blue eyes staring in anguish at her pale body. His hand hovered over the three holes created from the claws of Cinder’s Grimm arm.

[cecoeur]

So it really only took 2 races for them to decide that the guy they HAD to drop daniel for with 6 races left in the season wasn't good enough, huh? They denied daniel a proper send off befitting of the career he's had, ruined their long-term relationship with one of the sports most marketable people, and lost title sponsors for their junior/sister/whateverthefuck team all for 2 races for a guy they'd already passed over twice (now thrice :) allegedly). remarkable.

[otaku553]

2 am thoughts about roommates

[aroaceleovaldez]

full on feel like pjo tv s2 is not gonna hold up so they need to drag as much attention to the series as they can by using nico as a sock puppet w tsats2

im fully expecting the show to go the way of the movies. it doesnt help Sea of Monsters is almost unanimously the least favorite book of the first series. People frequently forget it even exists or what happens in it, especially more casual fans.

Heck, just look at how little fanfare the second season has gotten so far as compared to the build up to s1. I wouldn't be surprised if s2 totally flops. It would be a little funny.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

one of my fave traits about erik is how sassy he is so i dont understand how im always surprised to find during rewatches of the xmen movies that he is So Sassy at like. any given moment

[softerhaze]

idk if it was the venus retrograde or what, but july 2023 was quite literally the worst month i've ever experienced in my life like.....every single day? awful? worse than the last? it's more likely than u think

[odysseys-blood]

i wonder how much longer the devils' lifespan is compared to a human. because the kings have been around for AGES when you take into account the fact that they were all full fledged adults with their countries well established by the time solomon first made contact with them. but also what's been messing me up about the longevity of their lives is the fact that the mc meets children! (from satan's bath card preview)

and from this conversation with sitri and ppyong devils are no longer being born because lilith, mother of all devils, has disappeared along with god and solomon. (ch3)

of course we know solomon is dead but the other two's existences are kinda up in the air at the moment. and with the fact that they all disappeared a long time ago its been. a few millenia which means any devil children have been babies and children for. a VERY long time from a humn perspective. and in that time many generations have sprung up between solomon's death and the mc being born. but also time passes differently in hell (likely slower from the fact that mc wasn't aware that the anniversary of their parents' death approached and passed (in ch4), as well as the fact that sitri says solomon spent a century in hell when solomon only made it to his 50s on earth (unles pretty busy has changed this for the story but i dont think they have)

with how all the devil's act you really would think that solomon disappeared just yesterday to them! thousands of years have passed on earth but theyre still heartbroken like they last spoke to him just last week! how short is the life span of a human to them. is it just like a blink and you're gone. are they aware of how limited their time with the mc is. because even with hell being so technologically avanced there's death every day. there is no cure for death. you will die and they still haven't even coped well with the death of a man that lived so long ago.

[charlotterenaissance]

baffling decision for season 2, episode 18 to end with lewis making a legit effort for charlotte, making a picnic of things she likes and hugging her and seeming really happy with her

only for episode 19 to trample all over that with him blowing her off after she mentions that she misses him and hasn't seen him for a while, then apparently forgetting he even has a girlfriend altogether and softly flirting with his ex while the narrative agrees that this is correct because, unlike charlotte, cleo always smiles when she first sees lewis. you know. unlike charlotte. who goes out of her way to try and make lewis happy and smiles literally every time she sees him. there's not even an episode between these!

[watery-melon-baller]

what if me and the mutuals all watched the FNAF movie around 1-2am UTC together during Halloween (´·ω·`)

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Funny how people defended Eden against 'bullying' during Eurovision, because Eden clearly can dish it as evident by her appearing in the Israel skit based on Eurovision 2024 where Israel mocks Marina, Bambie, Joost and Nemo, happily taking part in the mockery herself, but guess the poor 20 year old baby can't take it when thrown back at her during Eurovision where it's alleged she and the Israel team/press went after and harassed other performers and the teams/press from their countries.

[skunkes]

the sky is blanketed in Cloud

[kurooscopy]

a little birdie died in my hands this morning :((

[mad-hunts]

roleplay idea: barton's trying to say this BS that he's 'good at processing grief' when your muse was a witness to the absolute rage-filled and deranged rampage that barton went on after julien was killed by the joker in which he brutally hurt all but one of his henchmen (he killed the last one because he told him he was 'crazy' and that he 'better kill him, or he was going to tell his boss that barton had been there' and he literally just snapped, went 'you know what, i think i will kill you AND also let the joker know i killed you so he knows to never come near my family again' then killed him. like HUHHH?) at the time with your muse being like this

[trans-estinien]

i am never. ever. opening instagram again.

[skeletalheartattack]

Im soooooo hungry i neeed.... gaming trivia. tO live 😺

i mostly just have TF2 trivia, as its history has always been something ive always been fascinated with, so i hope these suffice:

The Pyro's Beta Head: While 8 of the 9 classes had their heads redone throughout development (to better show off Valve's new facial flex system), only the Pyro was left untouched, leaving them as the only class to still have their beta head.

Reference Posing Medics: In "Trailer 2", there are two Medics who are in their reference pose, during the first-person sequence of the Scout running through RED's base. While their role isn't clear, one likely theory is that they were meant to be camera positions for shots that were ultimately removed, in favour of the Scouts perspective, and Valve just forgot to remove or hide them. The second Medic even turns to look at the Scout as he runs by, maybe further proving their original purpose.

The Teaser Corkboard: While we don't have a clear idea as to what Valve had been planning with the "Teaser Corkboard", one likely theory is that it was created for the proposed update that would've included both Asteroid and Cactus Canyon, due to the few mentions of "Future", the blueprint of the rocket engine from Half Life 2 Episode 2, and Poopy Joe. Also worth noting, the two posters that were added with the corkboard share similar styles Asteroid and Cactus Canyon.

The Balls of Steel Taunt: Originally, The Love & War update was meant to include a lot more taunts than what ultimately shipped. One of the few to get scrapped is a taunt called "Balls of Steel", where the initiator would dare other players to kick them in the groin. While we don't have footage of this taunt, we do have voiceline files that reference the taunt's intention, as well as the name. The few files that remain were reused for other contexts, such as the Soldiers Conga taunt, where his "Ooh!" and "Ahh!" lines were originally his pain sounds for the taunt.

[atopvisenyashill]

What would happen if Joffrey executed both Ned and Sansa?

I mean…a small riot happens? but maybe not? things definitely get more tense between the north and the iron throne that’s for damn sure. There’s not a reason to execute Sansa - she cooperated, she tried to help Cersei, and she’s eleven, and Ned specifically confessed to keep Sansa safe. If Joffrey says “all traitors and traitor’s blood must die” and then has eleven year old Sansa’s head lopped off in front of a crowd, i do imagine this is gonna ruffle some feathers.

There’s a few flashpoints here - the actual execution, Robb’s reaction to it, and Tywin’s reaction to Robb. Take the execution first.

there’s not a lot Ned can do in this situation but if Joffrey is stupid enough to say he’s going to kill them both, Ned is not going to willingly walk to his death. He’s gonna start screaming that Joffrey is a bastard born of incest, or he’s going to insist that Sansa is innocent and he never told anyone of his treason, but either way he’s gonna get the crowd riled up and start acting up to get Joffrey to change his mind, and let us remember how recent it was that a stark father pleaded for the life of his child and a stark child pleaded for the life of their father In This Very King’s Landing. If this becomes A Whole Big(ger) Scene, that’s bad. If Joffrey kills Ned and THEN says “actually bring Sansa up here too”  - and doesn’t Sansa pass out at some point after Ned is killed?? - what does he do here? Has her woken up so he can kill her? has her executed while she’s passed out or heaving and sobbing and saying she never betrayed him and she loves him? I don’t think Joffrey has enough reason to execute her, and if Ned, Sansa, or both are yelling and pleading as they’re held down and executed, it’s gonna give a lot of people flashbacks. He can do it, of course, but I do think there will be some hesitancy, maybe some arguing, and probably some loudly expressed opinions. and meanwhile Arya is watching all of this happen with Yoren. What is KL going to even look like after this? by the time Tyrion gets there, what’s happened without Sansa there? Dontos is dead. Littlefinger has to go back to fixating on Catelyn. Joffrey has started sexually abusing random maids and ladies because he has had no Sansa outlet for his temper. They can’t hold onto staff because Joffrey put Sansa’s head on a spike and won’t take it down and it’s freaking people out. Cersei and Joffrey keep having knock out fights in public over what to do about Jaime. Joffrey is devolving much faster here, and Jaime’s life hangs in the balance. 

Then there’s Robb’s reaction to whatever the hell happens in this scenario. He has just captured Jaime, and remember Cersei was nervous about Joffrey killing Ned bc Robb might kill Jaime in reprisal. If Joffrey executes Sansa? I think without Sansa as a hostage, Robb gets more reckless on the whole. I don’t think he’ll do anything stupid - nor would the lords at Riverrun agree to anything they thought was stupid - but Rickard Karstark and Edmure Tully as well as several other lords, are pushing for Jaime to be killed. He’s not fighting to save anyone at the capital anymore; this has strictly become a rebellion. I’m sure the Lannisters would try to lie about having Arya but Robb has Jaime, he has Riverrun, he has the North, he has everything to lose, and the Lannisters have no bargaining chip. Even if you assume battles and tactics stay completely the same, would Catelyn release Jaime in this scenario, if she knows Sansa is dead, and they have zero proof Arya is alive and zero explanation for her disappearance? I think it’s more likely she’s either continuing to work as an envoy, praying she’ll get word of Arya from someone if only she keeps asking and searching, or somehow in contact with Tyrion, trying to get more information on what may have happened. It’s possible she still gets herself in trouble, but is she going to just randomly set Jaime free? No, not without proof Arya is alive. Robb could choose to use Jaime in his terms - acknowledge me as King in the North and of the Trident, get your people out of the Riverlands, agree to these borders, and I’ll give you Jaime back - or give into the anger of the people around him and send Cleos Frey back to KL with Jaime’s head and a note that says fuck you and your family. Even if Stannis and Renly are still acting dumb (likely), and Catelyn comes back with Brienne and a wild story, does Robb just send her back out as an envoy to someone else? I mean potential shadow baby assassins notwithstanding, Jaime’s presence at Riverrun (or death to lord over everyone) is useful for Robb here. 

(I keep dancing around Arya because - is Yoren unable to stop her from straight up storming the execution, if Sansa gets brought out? In the commotion of whatever scene is happening, does Arya get lost? Get caught? Get hurt? Are there more guards out looking for her because she’s the only chance Cersei has of trading for Jaime now? Can she even get out of KL? Is Yoren more desperate to hand her off quickly now that he’s seen Sansa get executed? Lots of factors here!) 

Then there’s Tywin’s reaction to Robb. Jaime may or may not have been executed but he’s certainly in a much more perilous situation. Even with Roose helping to sabotage shit (would Roose decide this is the time to enter his villain era or would he figure joffrey is too much of a risk, and bide his time a bit more??), even if Robb still sends Theon with the exact same deal, at the exact same time, and that happens the exact same way, Tywin has to take into account that Jaime is a hostage in Riverrun when he gets to king’s landing to scheme the red wedding up, OR he gets to King’s Landing ready to scheme the wedding up and devices something 100x more brutal because Robb killed Jaime. Lannister dynamics are WILDLY different here with Jaime not coming back with Brienne, too!! 

Uh anyways the point is I think most everything in Westeros is affected by this.

My opinion is that KL becomes much more stressful to live in, because Joffrey has to crack down on the population, because they didn’t appreciate him killing Sansa, and also Cersei is hysterically angry with him, Tyrion has a much harder time getting control of the city back, the Tyrells are much more nervous about negotiations with Littlefinger in Bitterbridge, and Catelyn does not set Jaime free, which puts both the Iron Throne and the North/Riverlands in a weird ass position.