#Especially with this different spin of Yang being more interested in what Blake was writing and wanting to read it

[almea]

[hamliet]

I remember in one of your alchemical rwby meta posts you mention that if Ruby were to have a romantic partner they'd likely be a Philosopher's Child like her, bringing up Oscar as the most likely option to match her. But I also remember you mentioning that Penny is also a Philosopher's Child? Would she also be a match with Ruby? Or is there some key difference between the dynamics?

I'm sorry if this question seems bothersome, I know you mention not being invested in any of the ships outside Renora, but as someone who likes Rosegarden and Nuts and Dolts, I've been pretty torn between both at the moment, and was just curious as to what your thoughts were.

Yes, Penny is a philosophical stone. But before I get into shipping, can I muse about how there are lots of interesting parallels between the three of them! (Nuts, Dolts, and Gardens?) 

Penny’s struggle is kind of a prototype for what we know is lying ahead for both Ruby and Oscar by the end of the series: we know Salem wants to turn Ruby into a Grimm-sort of creature, and we know Ozpin is supposed to eventually consume Oscar, much like Penny is now struggling for control of herself against the virus Watts infected her with. So... I’m interested to see how this identity theme spins out (obviously, I don’t think Ruby will become a Grimm or that Oscar will be permanently Ozpin at the end). 

Now onto the rough seas. pls don’t send me hate i don’t want to argue

I... 

... personally don’t think Nuts and Dolts works on an alchemical and narrative level. While it’s a cute ship and I see why it has many fans, I don’t think it will happen. 

Alchemically, what I said previously is:

[Ruby’s] romantic partner should be someone who is also both sun and moon, who is white where she is red, gold where she is silver, earth where she is air (she flies), mind where she is heart. Ideally they would also be a philosophical child. 

Penny isn’t really marked as sun or moon, but she is both gold and silver--but she’s also red and air (she flies), like Ruby. She is also heart, not mind, as Ruby literally tells Penny “you have a heart” (which is actually a really cool twist on the robot character trope!). However, these aren’t huge issues. 

What really makes me think it won’t happen in a romantic sense (it’s clearly a BroTP) is the  specific textual coding and patterns they’ve used for other canon ships haven’t shown up for Ruby/Penny. I’m not saying they have everything planned out meticulously, but there’s nothing currently that sticks out to me as romance. I know Ruby’s voice actor likes the ship, but looking at the actual text... I don’t see it. I could be wrong, of course, so keep that in mind, and all the power to shippers. 

In anything, the writers seem to be making some script choices that seem definitively platonic. For example, in the most recent episode, Ruby told Penny she was special because she was “our friend.” That’s pretty specific wording. You rarely have an intended romantic endgame say so definitively that they are a “friend” and if you do, you single it out (ie “my friend,”) to show that they are special and significant in a unique way. To have Ruby include Penny in a group seemed to make it pretty definitely platonic.

In contrast, let’s talk Sun, Blake, and Yang. Even if I do not think they handled Blake/Sun well, I also think they were writing themselves into a corner because the writing explicitly coded both Sun/Blake and Blake/Yang with romance. I’m not saying Black Sun should’ve happened, don’t misunderstand me! unless they’re heading for poly Blackbumbleby endgame, which, bring it RWBY What I mean when I say they didn’t handle it well is that “nvm platonic” to Blake/Sun after the explicitly romantic coding (Blake’s parents assuming Sun was a boyfriend, getting caught alone together, etc.) isn’t great writing. However, the writers were also teasing Bumbleby at the same time: Yang persuaded Blake to attend a dance, literally lost limbs for her, and confronted Blake’s abusive ex. So it is not as if they swung into a ship that had no romantic build up, because Bumbleby did have some. 

My point is that if Nuts and Dolts was intended to be canon or considered a possibility, they should be teasing it with explicit romantic coding, and they’re not. 

Rosegarden is more likely at this point, if for no other reason than that they are teasing Oscar as having a crush on Ruby, and while we don’t know if she feels anything at the moment, it’s fiction, not real life wherein someone may well not return your feelings. In best writing everything matters, so the most common ending to the subplot of a character having a crush, especially in a fairy tale which RWBY is, is that it’s eventually reciprocated. (Of course *looks back at Sun and Blake* really who knows?) 

Beyond the text, while Nuts and Dolts is comforting, I am personally kinda ‘eh’ to it because I don’t think it’s the most narratively interesting option in terms of characters or themes (but others are welcome to disagree; my word isn’t law and this is partially taste!) Penny’s whole thing is that she accepts Ruby as she is, which is beautiful but--in fiction, especially in a war story--a better foundation for friendship than romance. Imo (but also the case in terms of our three canon ships (including Arkos) the best romances also challenge both characters to become a better version of themselves via making decisions other characters disagree with (Pyrrha leaving Jaune; Blake leaving RWY, etc). I just don’t see this between Penny and Ruby. But again, to each their own, and I could well be wrong. 

[theseerasures]

YOu have a lot of interesting thoughts abt Winter what dyou think will happen with her this season?? Iknow you already said she won't die but. other stuff?? What do you think of the idea that she defects to salem

y’know, anon: i was actually gonna write something to this tune unprompted before the hiatus ended? i didn’t, because when it’s inevitably revealed that i was wrong about Everything and the village children throw their eggs and laugh i didn’t want to give them any more receipts, but now that someone has asked i might as well

quick disclaimer before i start! these are subjective speculations about a character who has thus far been--particularly in 8.1--sparsely and ambivalently characterized, on purpose. i am spinning from the same subtext as anyone else, and if i am reading it differently, then all that means that i am reading it differently. Mr. Teeth is not sending me secret data. i am not the Steve Kornacki of RWBY Defections, as hilarious as it is to imagine someone like that existing.

okay? okay. below are some ideas and theories about where Winter could be going this season

The Defection (no not that one yet)

yeah, i’m still an “AceOps defect as a team” truther. this one actually has the least to do with Winter, and most to do with story economy. and the story of the AceOps is this: under Clover they were “the perfect team”--efficient, powerful, professional, and the perfect emblem of Atlesian values. law and order above all else. the mission matters more than the team. don’t get attached.

Clover’s absence from the team begins in late season 7, which means all that shiny varnish is stripped from Atlas at the same time it’s stripped from the AceOps. it turns out that the law isn’t always right, it turns out it’s super easy to turn “the needs of the many” into “the needs of the few who have many,” and it turns out once you go even a single inch past their facade the “best Huntsmen in Atlas” are conflicted, directionless, and squabble like children. they have a better showing against Penny this season, but their continued dynamic shows that fault lines--particularly between Marrow and Harriet--are reaching crisis. The AceOps model is unsustainable, in the same way that all of Atlas is ultimately unsustainable.

then Ironwood puts Winter in charge, and at first i did think: well, this is probably just to accelerate the inevitable fallout. they are, by their own testimony, emotional strangers to each other, and now some of them disagree on ideological grounds to the point where they can barely stand to be in the same room; slapping an abrasive volatile live wire on top of all that is pouring gasoline on Rome while Rome burns.

but the revelation of Renvision was that they’ve been lying--about HAVING feelings, but also about their feelings with and about each other. moreover: Winter’s own emotions mirror theirs. they’re speaking, in whatever horrifically repressed way, a similar language.

i’m not going to discount the possibility that this kind of ice-water-in-the-face moment might not be enough for some of them; one thing i’ve always respected about RWBY is its unwillingness to flinch away from the idea that sometimes it IS too late for people. but when it comes down to the AceOps, i think the operating question isn’t “will they pick JOYR over setting off the bomb,” because they’re not ready to make that kind of decision together as a team yet. no, the operating question is: if it comes down to one of them, or setting off the bomb, what will they choose?

Clover would set off the bomb, without hesitation or remorse. the mission and protocol HAVE to come first, and in this case there’s a compelling argument that it’s the right call. the team under Clover would have followed suit. the team without Clover would have likely done the same.

the team under Winter...

well, the thing about Winter is that she’s NOT Clover. not a perfect soldier, but--let’s stick with “not a perfect soldier.” she cannot lead in the same way Clover did, with that infuriating mixture of self-assurance and personal charisma, but i don’t think she thinks of herself as any less in command, which means that for the time being, the AceOps are her team. i can’t be certain what Winter would choose in this situation--whether her personal feelings can win out against years of consequentialist thinking--but i do feel fairly confident in saying that she’d be more willing to sacrifice HERSELF in order to choose both.

and in this crucial moment where the AceOps are forced to re-evaluate how they feel about each other, and the team, that might count for something.

so tl;dr #1: the AceOps find a team identity separate from the Atlesian structure. whether they defect to the RIGHT people, or survive defection, and whether Winter counts narratively as one of the AceOps by that point, i’m less sure about, but a cursory stab in the dark would be: yes, not all of them, and no.

The Return

how much do the writers care about the Winter-Ironwood dynamic? probably less than i do, but i also care more than any human should be permitted to under the law, especially since people have moved onto speculating about all the hot NEW abusers she could have in her life. whatever--it is something that needs closure, and i think the writers know that. my preference is still that they confront each other in person, at Atlas Academy (Qrow having fucked off via either healthy decision making or force). if this does happen, i don’t think there’s any chance that both of them will make it out alive; Winter would ONLY confront Ironwood if she’s forced to--either by him or other forces--and both of them are too rigid with themselves and with each other to offer any kind of give, or forgiveness.

that’s what i’d prefer, but it no longer seems the most likely option; Winter clearly has no plans to make it back, and the queue for “people who want to slug it out with DILF Jimmy” just keeps getting longer. it’s possible that they’ll end on the same personal-impersonal teeter-totter which they’ve always resided, where they’re just voices in each other’s earpieces, and she’s giving him a report, and he is issuing her orders.

there’s a way to make that meaningful, though: Winter HAS just disobeyed an explicit order--the first she’s done when she fully had the capacity to carry it out. her own treasons are piling up, and it’s a secret that he should know, for plot and character reasons. the obvious choice among the AceOps to tattle is Harriet, but i also think there’s a nonzero chance that, if asked, Winter herself will tell him. for all her flaws, i do think Winter is capable of owning up to her decisions (it’d make a nice parallel with Yang telling Ironwood about what she and Blake did during Gravity, but that’s neither here nor there), but even more importantly...i think she’d tell him because she wants to be reassured. that she did the right thing, but also that they’re still on the same page, and that he’s still the same person he always was, with her.

he won’t reassure her, of course. especially after he finds out that she disobeyed him for Ozpin. she’ll have no one left.

tl;dr #2: Winter and Ironwood have to reach some kind of End by the finale. whether it’s with a bang or a whimper i’m again less certain of, but if it DOES end with a bang one of them will die, and it’s going to be Ironwood.

Winter Alone

i, like many others, assumed going into the season that Winter’s core dilemma would be something like “her family or her family,” meaning: her sisters or her (adoptive) father. but i think as far as the show’s concerned that conflict was resolved when she let them go in The Enemy of Trust, and it’s not worth re-litigating. since the season started she’s just missed Weiss and/or Penny TWICE by narrative contrivance--during the Amity heist, and the abortive recovery mission--and she’s been sent away from Ironwood. it’s increasingly looking to me like Winter and Weiss will not talk to each other at ALL this season (do they have Scroll reception in the whale? i guess they must if Watts talked to Tyrian), or at most will only catch a tantalizing glimpse of each other before being whisked away again. all of this points to the issue not being “whose side will Winter choose,” but “what kind of person IS Winter, when she doesn’t have anyone else’s ideology to fall back upon?”

which is very exciting to me! the What You Are in the Dark trope is an obvious staple, but i’m especially a sucker for it when it happens to characters like Winter, who lucked out in the sense that their more selfish motivations (protecting herself from Dad) have never quite conflicted with doing Good (protecting other people). the cognitive dissonance for that with Winter has already been played up to the max, so for it to come to a crisis for her, at a point when EVERYONE WHOSE OPINION SHE CARES ABOUT HAS ALREADY FUCKED OFF, is just great drama. it’s made all the better by the fact that RWBY specifically has a lot of villains whose backstories involve them being put in a similar situation, and choosing wrong: Adam chose spite. Raven chose cowardice. getting to see someone make that choice in the story proper, then, adds to and complicates what RWBY has to say the conditions of possibility for heroism and villainy.

furthermore, and this might be where my biases become delusions: that Winter is being maneuvered to make these decisions for herself, BY herself, points to the possibility that she might be graduating from a mostly region-locked character (Ilia, the Belladonnas, Beacon staff and students) to full-on supporting cast (TRQ, Maria, the villains). if Weiss and/or Penny reach out to Winter in a climactic confrontation this season, then the story isn’t NOT about Winter, but it would place more emphasis on Weiss and/or Penny, as main cast members, and their ability to save a person they love. but if their relationships are given more space and time for breathe (or fester!)--if Winter gets to change away from Weiss in the way that Weiss changed and grew away from Winter in Mistral, for example--then it points to a greater parity in terms of their mutual importance in the story.

tl;dr #3: Schneester Bowl might have to wait at least another season, because Winter’s too busy trying out independent thinking. now, whether Winter will make the RIGHT choice, or the story will LET her make that call after she’s decided...

2Defect2Salem

i actually touched on this before, so tl;dr #4.1: i do not find the ways that people talk about HOW Salem gets Winter to defect to be very convincing. the idea that Salem could easily manipulate Winter because they have similar backstories makes me...tilt my head, but i think that’s more due to my personal belief that people who are similar in those ways actually tend to be each other’s blind spots (i also think this about Blake and Winter, FWIW). more to the point: my personal reading of Winter locates a streak buried deep within that is unyieldingly CATEGORICAL. despite being embedded within Atlesian rationality, despite her mentor being James Ironwood, there is something in Winter that instinctively judges an immediate instance to be right or wrong, and she’s never been able to suppress that all the way.

and with that in mind, i genuinely don’t think Winter is enough of a long-term, big picture thinker to give herself over to despair for Atlas as a whole. oh, we see her parrot “for the good of all, not just a few” just fine, but if she was already having trouble internalizing that when it was coming from IRONWOOD, a man she loves and trusts, then why would Salem--a person she is predisposed to distrust--be better at convincing her that the ends justify the means? why would she believe that submission is preferable to extinction from someone that EVERYONE SHE KNOWS considers an enemy? it’s hard for me to conceive of a Winter who, perched at the lip of the despair event horizon, will a) think enough of herself to make a decision for everyone and b) accept that the decision is imperfect and compromise, when she could just do what soldiers do, what she’s been asked to do, and die for an impossible cause.

(also not to belabor the point, but: ...how is she supposed to deliver Atlas to Salem? are we assuming that the Atlas Military works via Klingon Promotion, or that Ironwood gave her all his passwords?)

this is not to say that i think Winter will completely no-sell Salem (though that would be VERY funny). assuming that she and Salem do end up in the same room (which is still up in the air), i can easily picture a scenario where Salem manipulates Winter into making a bad decision (though honestly, Winter’s been doing just fine with that all on her own), but the distance between “a bad decision” and “a decision that she knows will help the Big Bad” is still quite far. i can similarly picture a scenario where Salem gradually sways Winter--not a single Anakin-style dramatic reversal, but an Atris-style descent-by-inches, through a million little non-choices--but that’s the thing: manipulation takes TIME, no matter how good at it you are, and we’re running up against the fact that the season ends in 6 episodes, and Winter is only one of about a trillion dangling threads.

tl;dr #4.2: the only way i can see Winter defecting to Salem THIS SEASON, then, is if it’s not her choice at all. for me, this makes the most thematic sense--that she’s been playing keep-away so long with her own agency, and Salem ends up resolving the issue by taking it away from her completely. that she wants so much to be sure she’s making the right choice, or to not have to make the call, and Salem gives her exactly what she wants. she’ll never have to think for herself again. we know Salem is capable of something like that, because we’ve just seen the Hound. Winter won’t be another Hound, if only because churning out the same horror will only yield diminishing returns, but she might be...something else.

regardless, tl;dr #4.3: if “Winter defecting to Salem” shakes down in any way--either as originally posited or as i just described--it would be an FANTASTIC story and character engine. i’ve already talked about the potential conflict this could create within Team RWBY, but like...imagine Weiss talking to ANYONE about her sister. imagine Weiss talking to Emerald, who would have just joined the heroes, whose decision to cut herself off from Cinder would feel like a portent. imagine Winter with the villains! not just Salem, but Cinder! imagine the subtextual parallels between the two becoming TEXT. imagine the two of them having to work together! imagine how Cinder would feel to lose Emerald and get Winter. imagine how Mercury would feel! can you imagine Winter and Mercury bonding over their daddy issues?? because i can’t! but i wanna. my love for Winter isn’t contingent on her making the right choices, but on her getting the right material. this would not only be the right material, but A LOT OF IT, and if the writers do choose to go in this direction, i trust them enough to be excited about where it might go.

[tonotbelionized]

Volume 7, Episode 4: Pomps & Circumstances

Well, that was... an episode. I honestly had difficulty writing this review and needed a few days to think things through properly, especially with the ending and some important characters coming back. So, let’s just get into it!

The biggest thing that jumped out to me was the Monochrome food. I loved it, Monochrome is one of my biggest OTPS, and the small details during that scene with Jacques and Weiss, as well as the rest of her team’s reactions, they were just so good. Ruby seemed confused and upset, Yang was yangry, but Blake looked furious. She knows what it’s like to be in Weiss’ shoes, and the hand holding just shows that she’s there for Weiss, as well as the rest of the team.

Adding onto Ruby’s small expression changes with Weiss’ counter to Jacques. She’s sad when Weiss says they’re not friends, likely because not only is this coming off the revelation that Harriet doesn’t see her team as friends, but reminds her of her and Weiss’ less than great start in Beacon. Weiss wasn’t there to make friends, and she and Ruby clearly didn’t get along, so hearing her say that after everything they went through scared Ruby.

But that’s not what Weiss meant. Ruby isn’t her friend, because she’s her family. With that last bit, Ruby’s expression completely changes to happiness because Weiss is acknowledging that, yes, Ruby is not only a teammate, a partner, and a friend, but she’s Weiss’ family.

They’re all Weiss’ family now, and for someone who actually has the biggest family of the girls and yet felt the loneliest, that seemed like the best thing for Weiss at that moment. Jacques may be her father, but he’s not family. 

It definitely makes up for the ballsup with Weiss’ “White Guilt” complex in the last episode that I really hated, and I’m just glad for more interactions between the girls that aren’t partners.

On top of that, the way Team RWBY is played off of the Ace Ops following Harriet’s confession is interesting. While I’ll note something that I didn’t quite like later on, I did enjoy that how Ruby views her team and how Harriet views her team sets the two kingdoms apart nicely. Ozpin believed in working together, that your partner was someone you would have to trust and work with, along with your team, for the four years they were at Beacon, and even after they graduate.

He encouraged the girls to be children, to have fun and not worry about the war that was going on in the shadows, and it’s clear that above all else, he wanted the teams to be ones that work together not only professionally, but emotionally as well. It fits into not only his personality, but his whole goal. He wants everyone to be united and that starts with the students under his care.

James is more practical and professional. He treats Ozpin and Glynda like close friends, and he’s nice enough to Ruby and the other students, but he makes no mistake in letting them know that he’s the general and that he’s not their friend. He pushes for the Academy to funnel into the military, and isn’t against Atlas’ push for unity and conformity regardless of what the individual might want.

It’s reflected in their teachings. While Ozpin wants his students to remain kids and not worry, Ironwood already pushed for his students to be ready for war, regardless of whether they’re still children or not. He told Penny in the earlier volumes that they were no longer at a time of peace, and that she had to be ready, and he was the most clinical and professional when telling Pyrrha their plan to take Amber’s remaining maiden powers. He isn’t as callous as Qrow, but he doesn’t try to soften the blow or show disapproval to the plan like Glynda and Ozpin.

So while Team RWBY have come to see their team as family that’s gotten stronger because of all the hardships they’ve been through, the Ace Ops just see it as part of the job. They’re a team, they are supposed to protect and fight alongside each other, but that doesn’t mean they’re family. Yet it’s interesting that the rookie of the group, Marrow, doesn’t seem to share that sentiment. It could be that he hasn’t been in the mindset for very long or his personality just doesn’t work with that ideal, but we’ll have to wait and see if anything comes of it.

The only downside I have to it is that it would’ve driven it home better if the Ace Ops didn’t act so chummy with each other. I never would’ve thought Harriet didn’t consider her team friends from her interactions with Marrow last episode, with teasing him over the fact that they have to “babysit” him. Or how close Vine and Elm seem to be. It just would’ve helped if they stayed professional with each other to counteract how close and personal with each other Team RWBYJNR are.

Moving onto the scene at Amity Arena, it was... there. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t like it. I’m just... meh.

I did like that the group were interacting with each other outside of not only their partners, but their teams. It was nice to see Yang joking around with Penny, or that Weiss was chatting with Ren before Nora came in. It makes them actually feel like friends that want to talk to each other, rather than having to be in the same scene because they’re the protagonists. However, I got annoyed because no one mentioned OSCAR. He’s once again been shafted from the group.

No one even asks where he is, no one even thinks about saving him some cake, or sad that he couldn’t join. It just makes it seem once again that the group just don’t care about him, and after all the bullshit they put him through last Volume, I’m beyond annoyed anymore. Please CRWBY, stop shafting my son.

I like that once again, Ruby is isolated herself from the group, just like she did in the Brunswick farm and after the fiasco with Jaune and Oscar in the last volume.

She seems to shoulder all her negative feelings by herself, but this time, rather than her just happening across Maria or Qrow busying himself with a drink, Qrow extends help out to her. Ruby is finally able to talk about what’s bothering her and Qrow isn’t thinking about his own problems without a care for anyone else like last volume. I was so happy when we finally got Summer lore after like seven volumes of hardly anything about her, and we see under the surface about how Ruby truly feels about her deceased mother.

It’s not much, but I’m glad it’s there. It was interesting that she kept secrets from her team and even Ozpin, and that the mission she died on wasn’t one that Ozpin sent her on, so the annoying ass theory that he’s somehow responsible is taken out back and put down like Old Yeller. Though I do wish it was Taiyang and Ruby talking about her, just because there’s barely any interactions between them despite Ruby also being his daughter, but it was only a mild thing for me. Overall, a very cute scene.

That being said, the topic about it... wasn’t. It was trash.

I’m tired of the whole “Ruby lying is totally different to Ozpin lying!” because it’s really not, and Qrow trying to spin it that Ozpin was keeping the truth from everyone while Ruby is letting people in is... bullshit?

WHO has Ruby let in? She couldn’t control whether her team, Qrow and Maria knew the truth because they were there when Jinn told her. She told Team JNR not because of any practical reason, but purely emotional reasons. She told them not because “Oh they’ve proven they can be trusted so they can know now.”, but “They’re my friends and I have to tell them.”

She hasn’t told anyone else. She hasn’t told Penny, the Ace Ops, Winter, even Ironwood. When should she tell them? What do they have to do to prove to Ruby that they can be trusted? What about Penny sharing the very classified information about her being a robot to Ruby, or Ironwood telling them about his plans that only a hand selected few know? Is that not enough for Ruby to think “Okay, they trust me with this, so I should trust them.”

And Ozpin trusted the Pod Squad with way more than anyone else. They knew about Salem, the war, Maidens, Magic, the Gods, everything that Ozpin himself knew except that Salem can’t be killed. And what would be the point of saying? Tell them that, freak everyone out, and just have them more likely to leave because there’s no point, even though they can still do some good by protecting the people from the Grimm that definitely won’t leave even if they could kill Salem? Or keep it from them and have them continue fighting because otherwise what else could you do? Roll over and let everyone die? 

And the worst thing is? Ruby lying wasn’t a bad thing. It was interesting, I wanted to see how she’d cope with knowing that maybe Ozpin had a reason to lie, that being betrayed over and over and over again for centuries has a way of fucking up someone’s ability to trust, and that now she’s in the leadership role without Ozpin to fall back on like in her Beacon days. It’s a complex issue, and if this scene is just Qrow saying this and now feeling like the show itself is pushing it, then I would be fine.

It’s how a character sees a problem. Just because Qrow believes that Ruby’s different from Ozpin doesn’t mean it’s actually right, but Ruby isn’t being challenged on that. Oscar isn’t there to give that counter argument, and the rest of the team is so hypocritical that it would just annoy me if they did. Blake’s kept secrets, Yang’s kept secrets, Qrow’s kept some pretty big secrets, and now with the latest episode, Weiss has a secret to keep as well.

That doesn’t mean they’re horrible people, and Ozpin keeping his doesn’t make him an asshole like the team, and by extension some of the FNDM, likes to think.

I hope Team RWBY and Ozpin can reconcile, and not just have one or the other be the only one in the wrong. The way the show is going, however, I’m worries that only Ozpin will be shown as in the wrong and have to apologise.

Moving on to the final scene, I’m so happy that Whitley came home. I missed my son.

But more seriously, I’m glad they actually showed that, yes, Whitley is being abused just like Weiss is, and without Weiss there for him to keep his walls up, we’re finally able to see him as the vulnerable teenager who scared and alone. His voice actor did great in portraying the nervousness and fear that Whitley was clearly feeling, and we know it’s not because of Watts because Whitley just sorta glares at him when he finally appears.

It’s Jacques that Whitley’s scared of. Even as the “Golden Child”, Whitley isn’t exempt from the same abuse that Winter and Weiss went through. Here’s to hoping they don’t throw yet another male abuse victim under the bus by making Whitley evil or something.

And on the topic of Watts, he’s just becoming more and more of my favourite villain. Hazel and Tyrian still outrank him, but these past two episodes have done more to endear him to me than the past three years he’s been in the show. Only downside is that “have your cake and eat it too?” line felt kinda cheesy and didn’t really bring home how intimidating Watts as a villain could truly be.

Given that Jacques knows him enough to call him by his first name, I’m curious to see what’s more for our Lorax Hacker Man.

So that’s it. Definitely the best episode of the volume so far given that I couldn’t find any BIG problems with it like the last episodes, and even though it was definitely slower, there was still tension in it without there being any fighting. Eddie did a great job with this episode and I’m looking forward to more of his works.

Episode Rating: 8.5 / 10

[texanredrose]

Celebrity Matchmaker (Part 1)

Okay, so, first off: just in case anyone’s in the television business or interested in that field or... basically anything of the sort, let me say this now. The framework of this story is centered around a reality television show, and it would be an absolutely terrible idea to make this a real thing. And amoral. And it would make you an asshole. I’m an asshole for coming up with it. Don’t be that asshole who tries to make this a real thing. Seriously. Don’t. I will pull a Liam Neeson in a fucking heartbeat.

Next, this is a bit... different than what I normally write. Romantic relationships are tagged a bit differently than usual and you’ll soon see why; there are a few segments where it’s Weiss in one-on-one situations with other characters, so they’re tagged according to pairing. However, the overall focus of the fic is Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Yang, so that’s also tagged. It more makes sense the further into the story you go.

Finally, the story is complete (thank God) and will post every day, same time, until done. Nine parts in all.

@moonwatcher13, hope you enjoy this ridiculousness, and thank you for the suggestion to begin with.

Part 1 (here) / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8

Weiss took a deep breath, trying to convince herself it was a calming gesture despite the myriad of thoughts rattling around in her brain. In just a few moments, they would be live, on air for the season finale of Celebrity Matchmaker, and while it meant she was one step closer to being free... it also meant she was one step closer to being married. She still couldn't believe her father had backed her into this corner but it would all be over soon. The moment the cameras stopped rolling, she would be a free woman... assuming, of course, her fiance didn't have some secret pact with the man.

Which, honestly, she doubted, to the point the thought was actually quite amusing. Of the three finalists vying for her affections, none seemed the type to put up with her father's overbearing, manipulative antics for long, and at least two would be more likely to bodily remove him from the premises than tolerate his behavior. Perhaps all three, which was a comforting thought.

Suddenly, the show's host beside her straightened, bringing Weiss' attention to the man standing behind the camera doing a silent countdown until they were live, the audience in the stands behind him falling quiet as everything came down to the next hour- counting commercial breaks, of course- where her fate would be decided.

As if that wasn’t nerve wracking enough, making such a difficult choice, she had to do so in front of an on-location audience and all of Remnant watching in real time.

Wonderful.

"Welcome, Remnant, to the live finale of Celebrity Matchmaker!" The woman beside her gave a charismatic smile towards the camera and audience, waiting for the applause and hollering to die down before continuing. "I'm your host for this season, Coco Adel, and, as I'm sure we're all aware, the Romantic Lead from Season Two!" For a moment, the woman's professionalism slipped, smile stretching wider as pure joy shone through. "I'm happy to announce that Velvet is doing just fine, she's happy to hear I'll be coming home soon, and, with any luck, this season's Romantic Lead will find just as much happiness in less than an hour’s time. Everyone, put your hands together for Miss- soon to be Missus- Weiss Schnee!"

Reacting to her cue, she flashed a dazzling smile towards the audience. At the onset of the season- some sixteen weeks ago- the running theory was that, as an award nominated actress with more wins under her belt than some twice her age, her smiles were largely faked for the sake of the audience. Frankly, it wasn't entirely untrue; she wasn't a fan of being forced into the situation and the first few weeks suffering a battery of meeting twenty different suitors was nearly a nightmare for someone who preferred the solitude of her study whenever she wasn't filming. However, that changed, especially in recent weeks.

"So, tell us, Weiss- are you excited?" Coco turned those sharp brown eyes her way, naturally turning her body slightly so the shot felt organic. Although a fashion designed by trade, the woman had an innate understanding of aesthetic that transferred surprisingly well to the small screen. In part, it’s what made her such a compelling lead for the previous season of the show and Weiss had to admit an admiration for the woman’s professionalism. "It's finally the big night."

"Excited is one way of putting it, but I'm also nervous," she replied, and it was such a well scripted response that most probably wouldn't be able to tell she was being entirely sincere. The only people who’d stand a chance at deducing such weren’t on set... yet. "I mean, I've spent sixteen weeks here in the manor, getting to know everyone. It's certainly been an experience."

That was putting things lightly. Aside from scheduled 'downtime' for candid footage, every week held some sort of challenge, some new obstacle for her aspiring candidates to overcome and improve their chances of making it to the next week. They ranged from personal trivia to physical challenges, all to impress either her or the audience watching at home. At first, the constant parading exhausted her, but as the contestants' numbers fell, she began to enjoy some of the interactions. When they dwindled further, it turned into a majority... which didn't exactly bode well for her.

"That's right, sixteen weeks narrowing it down from twenty people all vying for your affections, and now we have three finalists left." Coco turned back towards the camera, the audience beyond cheering at the progress made. "We'll introduce them in a second, but first! Please welcome back to the Celebrity Matchmaker Manor the seventeen who didn't make the cut."

As the eliminated contestants paraded themselves by the audience and the cameras, taking their seats a little ways off, Weiss allowed her mind to drift. It seemed ridiculous that she'd spent four months inside the spacious manor behind them, living alongside these women, but truth was stranger than fiction, it seemed. They ranged across the board, from television stars, sports athletes, artists, and even a few online celebrities, and it certainly helped broaden her horizons on a few fronts. However, she learned most from and about the three finalists preparing for their big introductions, and it took a conscious effort not to start fussing over her dress.

It looked nice enough, for a modern spin on the wedding dress. Less overtly formal but still holding a few lingering touches- the whole design courtesy of the fashion designer hosting this season, of course. Pure white, with lace and pearls, but slimming and lacking a veil; the whole premise of the show was for her to marry whoever she- and Remnant- chose out of the twenty contestants, of course, so it stood to reason the finale should be shot with her wearing something resembling a wedding dress. But, it certainly did nothing to soothe her nerves, hidden beneath a pleasant smile only by years of conditioning.

If someone had told her at the beginning that she would be anxious over the outcome of tonight, she'd have laughed in their face and spent the next twenty minutes belittling everything from their intelligence to their cuticles. Because, honestly, how could anyone expect to find a suitable, long term partner in a mere sixteen weeks? Weiss had grown up in the cold Schnee mansion, well adjusted to how any 'marriage' was likely to end up, but that didn't mean she wanted to subject herself to that misery. Given personal experience, she'd either drink herself into an early grave or become a self-obsessed control freak. She'd dated- briefly- but only because it served her image and there was an unspoken understanding between her and whoever that neither expected anything further from it than a way to remain relevant during the breaks between projects. She wasn't looking for anything 'serious' and she would tolerate nothing more than the show they put on for the paparazzi.

But... time had a funny way of weaving loneliness through her heart. She was only twenty-five, yet having started her career at the tender age of eight, and it started to take its toll on her in a strange way. Being isolated from her father while doing this stupid show, getting that extra degree of separation she so desperately needed... it granted her perspective, and it didn't hurt that she'd met some truly remarkable individuals while here. Weiss had worked especially hard- and proven herself exceptionally clever- by undermining her father's initial pitch of pitting her against nineteen others for the affections of one man and instead billing herself as the Romantic Lead for the season, inviting twenty women to try and catch her fancy. It checked all the boxes the producers wanted: a twist right out of the gate, seeing as most of the public thought she was heterosexual, and she had a history of being demanding and exacting to work with nevermind woo, and add to all that her generally superb showwomanship when it came to public spectacles? An obvious slam dunk.

Had everything worked out as she'd envisioned, walking away from that first planning meeting nearly a year ago, this finale would be the culmination of sixteen boring weeks, where she would pick some poor, unsuspecting fool, and, having engineered a way for Remnant to immediately veto her decision, prevented the hassle of a marriage and subsequent divorce. The other option was to simply ignore their existence until they did the work for her. Or for the rest of their lives- really, she didn't put much stock in the show's premise or love at all, and thus foresaw no possibly complications.

And the Maidens had seen fit to make a fool of her for her arrogance.

"Now Weiss!" Her attention snapped back to the moment as Coco turned towards her. "It's time to bring out your three finalists. Are you ready?"

No, not at all, not in a million years. "Absolutely."

"Excellent! Then let's bring out the first of our lovely finalists." The host turned, motioning towards the far side of the invisible stage. "Everyone, let's give a big hand for Blake Belladonna, author of several highly acclaimed series from Menagerie!"

Weiss turned her gaze- the cameras were going to be on her no matter what, cutting to and away for whatever reaction shots she offered, and it was nearly impossible to keep her smile from growing wider as she watched the Faunus step out into the spotlight, raven locks flowing behind her as she gave the crowd a subdued little wave. She wore a flattering black tuxedo, tailored to fit her slender frame, with subtle hints of purple to bring out her amber eyes and a black bow tie with a white center knot. It didn't surprise Weiss in the least that the Faunus would dress for the part so closely, looking exactly like someone who belonged on an alter would, though perhaps with a bit more flair than necessary.

On the screens above them- for the benefit of the live audience- and playing on the screens all over Remnant, they showed a montage of the time spent getting to know Blake over the past sixteen weeks. It didn't matter what was shown to the audiences, though, because the moment that pushed itself to the forefront of her mind was one that happened when there weren't any cameras rolling, just the two of them sharing a few minutes with only the stars as an audience.

And some horses.

The cool night air rustled the leaves overhead, the big oak tree the only thing to obscure the stars above. It promised to be excellent weather tomorrow, perfect filming conditions for their hours spent on horseback, the beasts calmly grazing in the field beside the manor. They'd been there since shooting began as part of the manor's aesthetic, because horses were somehow entwined with romantic gestures in a way that Weiss had never truly understood but accepted all the same. Thankfully, she could ride, unlike some of the contestants vying for her affections, so she could skip the rudimentary lessons that had filled the previous days. That had left her open for filming other scenes, talking head portions where she delved into her thoughts and opinions on those who remained.

Perhaps she'd underestimated just how exhausting the whole exercise would be. She'd always had strong feelings and opinions, the majority of which were set in stone and refusing to be swayed, and this held true in regards to relationships of all types. Either she found value or benefit in maintaining contact or she didn't; some were begrudgingly kept due to her line of work and others forgotten at the first possible convenience. She didn't need sixteen weeks- or even the eight that had passed- to reject the vast majority of the contestants, but the framework of the show relied on her eliminating them slowly, one-by-one or two-by-two depending, and explaining her reasoning for doing so well enough that Remnant didn't feel the need to 'correct' her every week.

"Lien for your thoughts?"

Weiss blinked, turning her head to notice the person striding through the ankle high grass to reach the wooden fence she leaned against, the night air teasing her long raven locks. "Good evening, Blake. What brings you out here?"

"Well, I sometimes like getting a breath of fresh air, believe it or not." The Faunus' expression faltered slightly, the cat ears atop her head twitching nervously. "But tonight, I wanted to... check on you. During dinner, it seemed like your thoughts were elsewhere."

"That's kind of you," she said, as a means of buying herself time. For the first few weeks, she honestly though the contemplative author would remove herself from the competition; Blake preferred books and quiet, which made living in the manor, surrounded by generally loud and boisterous others, quite the trial. She had a bit of a stubborn streak though and, after their first real interaction- where they learned about each other's careers and argued about some inane dispute for a solid thirty minutes before coming to a compromise- the two hit it off rather well. Weiss didn't think it was enough to motivate the Faunus to persevere through the weeks, yet here they stood, side-by-side halfway through the show’s run. "I'm fine, though."

Blake hummed, leaning against the fence and looking across the field. "I find that hard to believe."

"Do I truly strike you as being upset right now?" She couldn't help the slight sarcasm infecting her tone, the corner of her lip tugging into a small smirk. "If I recall correctly, your depictions of the same tend to veer more towards the... dramatic side."

"So you did read Of Maidens and Maidens." The Faunus turned her head slightly, trying to hide the blush staining her cheeks. Despite being one of the most popular romance novelists in Remnant, Blake could still be so shy when discussing her work. At first, Weiss thought it a show for the interviews and book tours, a persona she adopted to make her more risque work a little easier to talk about in polite conversation, but no. Somehow, despite her fame, the Faunus remained a tad anxious about her work, discussing it and accepting praise for it only haltingly. It was actually rather cute.

Naturally, it seemed best to exploit that curious little detail to derail the conversation as best she could. "It's an excellent book. Honestly, I'm a little mad at myself for not reading it sooner." She shifted, lightly bumping their shoulders together. "You're a very talented author, Blake."

"Th- thank you." A surprised chuckle escaped the Faunus' lips, clearly caught off guard by the compliment. It was one of the things she liked about Blake; although projecting an air of mystery at the onset of their acquaintanceship, really, the author was just easily flustered, far more prone to wearing her heart on her sleeve than perhaps she'd like, constantly covering up her emotions when she could. She didn't have a very good poker face though and, when properly incensed, she could be more passionate than anyone else Weiss had met. Honestly, she found the Faunus charming in that sense; for all her layers and facets, Blake Belladonna was nothing less than genuine in her words and actions. "But, you know, there's a difference between fiction and reality. I might be good at one but the other..."

The movie star remained silent, hoping to avoid the conversation. It seemed the most reasonable course of action to take. Her negative view of the show- and her romantic prospects in general- had conditioned her to expect a single outcome from the whole endeavor, and she'd thought it was just that simple. Reality proved her wrong, however, because against her own judgment, she found herself buying into the ridiculous premise, this concept that romance could be cultivated between people shortly after meeting, that having the eyes of the world on them somehow didn't cheapen or falsify the whole ordeal. Slowly, she was beginning to fall into... an infatuation with a few of the contestants, and Blake could count herself among that small number. The fact Weiss was actually buying into the whole thing got driven home hard just a few hours before, when they were filming a one-on-one segment together.

"Weiss, please." She glanced to the side, noting how far the Faunus' ears had fallen, those amber eyes practically glowing with contrition. "Let me explain."

"You don't have to make excuses for me." The movie star sighed, keeping her gaze trained on one of the horses- a big, beautiful bay gelding with a dark mane, grazing idly nearby. Were it not for a pure white mare standing off a little ways, she'd think the producers would be daft enough to try having her sit him, hoping the size and color would enhance her within each shot. For someone with less experience, it would be a recipe for disaster, but they would be thankfully avoiding that headache altogether. "You're free to do, or not do, whatever you wish. You said yourself that this is more about the publicity and 'research' than anything else."

It stung, bringing up that conversation from their first week on set. They'd managed to earn a reprieve from the camera crews and Blake had confided that she honestly saw the show as a good excuse to get back into dating after back-to-back book tours rather than to get married. Plus, even a romance writer needed new material, and gathering such a varied group of people together with the specific intent of televising romantic overtures- it certainly provided a wide variety of inspiration, to say the least. At the time, Weiss appreciated her candor, and figured she could at least count the Faunus among those she could keep around to save her from some of the... overzealous contestants.

Yet, she'd grown rather fond of the author despite that stated disinterest in the show's actual goal. How her ears enhanced every expression, how easily she blushed, how relentless she could be when impassioned- the list grew every day of little things that Blake did that made her want to smile or laugh, and it culminated that afternoon when they were filming that segment together. The Faunus said something and they'd both laughed, completely at ease despite the camera crew surrounding them. Then she'd turned, suddenly becoming caught in dazzling amber eyes, the look on Blake's face causing her heart to stutter. They'd both leaned in to kiss, acting on instinct- to the show's credit, nothing was rehearsed, no second takes outside of the personal asides- and she thought... well, differently than the Faunus, it seemed, who snapped back before they'd actually made contact.

Weiss did her best to recover, faking a sneeze and thanking Blake for drawing back when she did before wrapping up that segment as quickly as possible. She would offer some sort of excuse tomorrow morning during the talking head portion, deflecting any speculation that the author might not be as committed to the show to preserve the suspension of disbelief as best she could. Viewers wanted to see her wooed by interested parties, after all, and she wouldn't cause problems for the Faunus if she could help it.

"That was weeks ago. Am I not allowed to change my mind?" Blake shifted beside her, voice steady despite the thread of unease in it. "Just because I didn't come here with the express intention of falling in love with you doesn't mean I've... well..." The falter caught the movie star off guard, turning her head to look at the Faunus, whose ears were laying back and practically melting into her raven mane while a brilliant flush lit up her cheeks. "You took me by surprise in a lot of ways, Weiss. The longer I'm here, the more I find myself going back through everything I've written, every passing thought I've jot down for inspiration."

"I... thought you coming here was for inspiration." A stall tactic to buy herself time; perhaps it was a little unfair, seeing how hard her companion struggled to find the right words, but she couldn't help it. She'd fallen for getting her hopes up once today and Weiss Schnee didn't do third takes.

"Inspiration for future books, yes. But I need a different sort of inspiration now," she replied, turning those amber eyes upon her as she somehow mustered up her courage. "Like I said, there's a difference between fiction and reality. In fiction, I could buy myself time, pick the right moment, ensure every aspect is just perfect to set the scene, but real life doesn't give me that. I have to think in real time and, what happened today, that was the result of me realizing it wasn't the right time." Blake moved, turning to face her fully, and she stood up a little straighter in response, no longer leaning on the fence. "I want to kiss you, but I didn't want to do it in front of the cameras."

"In the eyes of Remnant, it doesn't count if they don't see it,"she said softly, maintaining her composure as best she could while ignoring the rapid beating of her heart.

"It's not for Remnant." Blake stepped closer, tilting her head to indicate she could very well bend down and kiss her then and there, but she waited for some sign. "That's exactly why I didn't want our first kiss to be on camera. If I'm... if I'm at least in the running- if I have a chance, I want to kiss you." She lifted a hand, reaching forward to lightly cup Weiss' cheek. "I want to kiss you for you, so that you know how I feel. All the others, I don't care who sees those, but I thought our first kiss should be between us. Just us."

Weiss tilted her chin up, silently begging for the Faunus to follow through with her words while reaching forward herself. In one hand, she took Blake's unoccupied one, bringing it to rest on her hip and following her arm up so she could clutch the author's shoulder. She placed her other hand on Blake's hip, allowing the hand on her cheek to guide her closer, eyes falling half lidded as the space between them lessened. "You aren't going to get a better opportunity than this."

"Then I won't squander it."

Her eyes closed, relishing the small amount of surprise when lips pressed against hers, insistent but gentle. She thought that might be all- an innocent kiss, out beneath the stars- but soon the author began kneading their lips together, showing the barest hints of a hidden passion that Weiss found herself matching without a second thought, lifting up on her toes ever so slightly to negate the Faunus' height advantage somewhat. Their hands moved, seeking firmer holds as the embrace wore on, until they broke away, both a little breathless. When she opened her eyes, she saw Blake, a little smile on her lips and a brilliant flush reaching nearly to her human ears, the feline ones standing tall and proud as her eyes shone. In that moment, she fell even more in love with Blake Belladonna than before.

"For the record," she said, trying and failing to hide the smile brought out by the earnest happiness she could see looking back at her. "I think that was better than the book."

They both laughed, exchanging a few more kisses beside the pasture before heading inside, hand-in-hand until they reached the manor.