#look at Red’s daughter cinder I love her

[p3ach-bun]

Spicynoodles- is anyone surprised? Threw a wukong in there to make up for it lmao

[bestworstcase]

summer theoretically has known cinder for longer than she knew her daughters. this haunts me. like it’s the evil step sisters yk, ruby maims cinder and she’s expected to turn the other cheek, because…that’s summer’s daughter, never mind that summer chose to leave her kids behind. what kind of relationship does cinder have with summer rose. “you should have never been born.” how does it feel knowing that ruby’s life is worth more than hers to summer?

and.

for all the fandom talks about how cinder imitates salem's style, she does not actually dress very much like salem—there's a perceptible influence yes, but the palette is different (bright red or very dark warm brown + gold trim), the fit is different (looser!), and she keeps getting more asymmetrical. but guess what!

cinder's wardrobe is the middle of a venn diagram between salem and summer rose. (look at outfit concept B and tell me it isn't a mashup of cinder's beacon/atlas fits.)

also hi this is a khopesh ->

it's the love child of a sword and a battle axe.

(that is not a metaphor this is a type of sword which evolved from crescent-shaped battle axes like the epsilon.)

she pulls this thing over and over during the fight with raven—and that's... kind of the only time that happens. (her standards are midnight/the scimitar, and something i think is meant to be a kopis). but lol. when she has to fight summer's old teammate, she goes for the closest thing you can get to an axe while still being a sword.

so like. it's not like she somehow doesn't know summer. mimicry of others she perceives as powerful is an extremely pronounced trait of hers and there's enough little details similar between cinder's fits and summer's final design that fit into the gap between cinder and salem to feel On Purpose even without taking into account how much concept B just straight up looks like cinder-in-ruby's-palette.

(and as cinder would see it, summer does have some degree of power over salem—it's on her behalf that salem goes out of her way to avoid killing ruby and yang—so obv cinder is taking notes.)

but it's fucking wild in the context of cinder's very very personal hatred of ruby like. and you should have never been born.

the nest parasitism of it all.

[littlemeltymarshmallow]

My jumbled up thoughts on season 2 part 2 of dragons rising...

AAAAAAHHH!!!

First off, Source Dragon Of Motion, super cool. Cool design, cool voice.

Aw, Wyldfyre trying to step up and take Kai's place as the red ninja... I can really tell she's grieving and that she wants to make him proud.

Did Shade die??? Since the new master of shadow looks like shade, I'd assume that's his daughter or something. Dragons rising really killing off all the old elemental masters. I really wish other elemental masters made cameos in this season.

Hey um ninjago writers if you're reading this can you please let Cole and Geo kiss. Thank you.

JORDANA'S POSSESSED I FRICKING CALLED IT!

I don't know if I like the Zeatrix reveal or not. Feels kinda lazy I guess. And her motivation for disliking the ninja just doesn't sit right with me.

God, Roby's annoying.

I ACTUALLY CRIED Why can't Jaya EVER just be safe and happy?! Damn you, ninjago writers!! Damn you!!! "And I will always hate you", Somebody smack some sense into this twink!

Seriously, what does Cinder get out of taunting Wyldfyre. Like, I know why he does it, but sometimes it's just like... This grown man, thinks he cool for picking on a teenager. Pfft.

Take a tablespoon of feelings of inadequacy, two cups of loneliness from missing two of the people you love the most, milk, and an ounce of frustration from lack of progress. Blend it all together and what do you get? An Arin suffering smoothie!

I see Ras continues to spend his time manipulating and abusing teenagers.

Omg Arin found out Sora lied and- and it's just like that one fic I wrote- it became canon- and- *faints dramatically*

I honestly expected the confrontation to be more sorrowful, like Arin would be feeling so broken down, on the verge of tears from feeling like he can't do anything, rather than angry. I also thought the scene would be a little longer, but this works too.

Omg Neuro and Camille cameos!

Poor Lloyd and his panic attacks... That episode was actually stressing me out >_<! C'mon, Lloyd!! You can do it!!

Wyldfyre being right about Bleckt being the bad guy is so funny to me for no reason.

Ras getting betrayed by Nokt and Rox was DESERVED. Bro acting shocked he's getting enslaved by the same person he enslaved, who is a much more powerful being than him. Smh.

I changed my mind, Roby's cool.

Roby and Wyldfyre's relationship is cute, weird, cringe and wholesome all at the same time. I went from hating it at the start, to loving it in the end. These dumb little kids share a single braincell and are perfect for each other.

KAI'S BACK KAI'S BACK KAI'S BACK!!!

Really wish we got some more Kai and Bonzle screentime at the end. I was ROBBED of an overprotective Kai seeing Wyldfyre get a boyfriend.

The fact that I KNEW Arin was gonna become evil or leave the ninja at some point but I didn't WANT it to happen. Please. Please bring the baby back home.

Omg Nokt and Rox hate furries.

Every time I see them making shrines for those they've lost I get sad WHY DO THE NINJAGO WRITERS DO THIS TO MY HEART?!

Ooooh, cool sword.

Also, what happened to Fritz and Spitz?? It looks like Geo went back to the land of lost things, so... did he just leave the kids home alone???

Good season all around, cliffhanger endings stress me out but I know they have a reason for it. 9.5/10 season. I'll definitely watch it again in October!

[spahhzy]

How much to do what!?

-

Roman: Jaune, Neo, I both need you to cease your gross display of affection because I have a client who has a job for us, and this job pays well!

Jaune and Neo both blushed but rolled their eyes, ceasing their activities, and walked up to Roman.

Roman: *ahem* I see you two are leaving more than just kind words on each other.

Roman points to the hickeys on both Jaune and Neo's necks.

Roman: Gross, disgusting, both of you. I still love you both, though.

Neo gives him the finger.

Jaune: Alright, Roman, who is it and how much.

Roman: Right, well, let me pull up the contract.

He pulls out his scroll and opens up the contract, and goes wide-eyed after reading it.

Roman: Fi-fiv-five billion lien!?

Neo: WHAT!?

Neo and Jaune walk over and look at the scroll to make sure it is correct and it was.

A five billion dollar contract.

Neo and Jaune looked at each other before Neo decided to go pull out some bowls and ice cream for a celebration.

Jaune: *whistles* so who do we gotta kill or what do we gotta steal?

Roman looks over the scroll.

Roman: You guys aren't going to believe this, but it doesn't involve killing or stealing...well, YOU, jaune will be stealing something alright.

Jaune: Why me in particular?

Roman: Cause the contract request for you to...oh...OH...oh boy.

Jaune: What?

Roman: I don't think we should do this contract.

Jaune: What? Why the cold feet.

Roman: This job is impossible.

Jaune: Now you're being silly, come on...

Roman: Alright its you're funeral...Neo isn't going to like this.

Roman: *ahem* The client has requested that 'Jaune Arc is to take my daughter to the annual Beacon Dance that is due in two weeks time, he shall dress to the nines and be the upmost gentlemen to her'

Jaune: ...

Roman: ...

A clattering of a bowl hitting the ground caused both of them to look back at Neo, one eye twitching causing both men to gulp.

Jaune: I have to go on a date? Who is this lady and who is this daughter.

???: I would be the lady.

Came a disembodied voice from every direction, causing the trio to look around trying to find the source.

Jaune: And you would be?

???: Just a concerned doting mother, please, I assure you I'm not here to be hostile.

Roman: Ah yes, sure, whatever you say spooky voice.

???Ah, the esteemed Roman Torchwick and I take it the pink and brown haired one is Neo, greeting too you all my name is Salem, and well I'm going to cut to the chase...

Suddenly, a black pit began manifesting out of the ground as out of it stepped a woman a pale as a pearl, wearing a robe, hair tied into place and blood red eyes that made Jaune's skin crawl.

The feeling only got more intense as the women, Salem, floated right up to Jaune, getting close to his face.

Salem: You, my mischievous knight, are to take my dear sweet Cinder to the Beacon Dance and give her the time of her life.

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 3A, MATCH 3 OUT OF 4!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Giselle Lai:

Girlie has 3 different possible princes and one is the princess! Need I say more? I will anyway! She gets the Cinder nickname from her first love interest because she snuck out of home through the chimney to try and meet up with the princess. She falls into the lap of her second love interest the next day when eavesdropping on him from a tree, and then the princess steals her away for the afternoon. The princess literally says she won't get married if it means she'll never see Giselle again and they almost kiss. Girl is such a powerful Cinderella, she has 3 bad bitches to choose from!

This webtoon turns this fairytale entirely on its head. Giselle is actually a noblewoman - well, girl. She has a mother who cares about their reputation as Giselle's father is dead. Her two older sisters are trying to find husbands but seem to be nice, in a sisterly kind of way. But the reason she's a Cinderella candidate is because her mum forbids her to go to the circus. And, when Giselle tries to sneak out as the three of them are leaving for a ball, her mum locks her into her room. So, determined as she is, Giselle manages to climb out of the chimney and out into the city. She's covered in soot and forgets to take money, so she's unable to get in through the front of the tent. Instead, she has to sneak in and meets Ashe. He/They is part of the act and Giselle gets caught up in it. Since he doesn't know her name, Ashe begins calling her Cinder-girl. Also, Giselle was meant to meet the princess to go to the circus, but meets her later in the park, where it's very obvious that the princess is in love with Giselle. And who Giselle might be attracted to, as well! AND, there's also Lord Elliot, who's not actually Lord Elliot, but a guy posing as a dead guy, who may or may not want to marry Giselle when she comes of age or marry one of her sisters. Also, also! The butler looks away when Giselle sneaks in and out, enabling her to be able to "go to the ball", as it were. There's a lot going on and the comic is a lot of fun. And the art is amazing! I really recommend it.

Queen Cinderella Charming:

She's kind, she's funny, she learns to use a sword, and she's related to Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Red Riding Hood. She helps the protagonists any chance she gets and even hosts their mother and step-father's wedding. She never gives up and  never lets her fear stop her. Absolute queen (literally)

While she isn't hugely relevant in the story itself, she is always down to help out the protagonists where she can. When they need one of her slippers, she sneaks it into their bag without them noticing. She calls them family. She loves her daughter too, and is a badass mom.

When the main characters need her glass slipper for a spell, she snuggled it into their bag, and she has a daughter named Hope

I think she’s a minor character in the first book, but she’d really nice and stuff!

Because I LOVE HER!! also she has a daughter called Hope who got kidnapped by rumplestiltskin at one point but that is besides the point. She is a strong independent woman and we love those she was NOT about to sit around doing nothing and i love her for that

Vote Land of Stories Cinderella because she's the best!!!

hi uhm you are all legally obligated to vote for the land of stories cinderalla btw . please

Everyone vote for Queen Cinderella Charming!!! She deserves this!!!!!

CINDERELLA FROK TLOS. DO IT FOR ME

[shadowqueenjude]

The Lady of Autumn prays to the Mother and gets a lot more than she bargained for.

“My lady, pardon my insolence, but are you sure this is a good idea?” Seraphina’s handmaiden asked, anxiously playing with her hair. Seraphina sighed, turning to the lady who had loyally served her for the past several centuries. “It is probably not, Tay. But, my heart yearns for a baby girl. Perhaps, if I am devoted enough, the Mother will grant my wish.”

“You intend to carry again?” Tay gasped. “But you almost died giving birth to little Lu-“

“If this sacrifice works, I won’t need to,” Seraphina said confidently. “Trust me.” She straightened her dress, patting her bun to ensure it was perfect.

“How do you think the Lord will react?” Tay asked tentatively. “His lord already knows and has given me permission to perform it in his absence, as you very well know, Tay.”

He might be a monster, but Beron did still love her. It was what made it so hard to stay away, aside from her children. Even when she had a mate elsewhere.

“As you say, Lady,” Tay said. She placed a coat over her shoulders. “Do wear this, won’t you? It is a tad bit chilly today.” Seraphina smiled. “I won’t be needing that. After all…” She let her flame course through her body, let her brown eyes shine as bronze as her dress. “I have the flames to keep me warm.”

The Lady of Autumn floated down the steps to the outside of the palace, every bit the perfect graceful consort to the High Lord of Autumn. No one knew what was happening today, merely that a great yagna was being performed by nobility, and fire sacrifices were always a religious spectacle.

Seraphina gently lowered herself to the position beside the priestesses. They chanted prayers, and at certain intervals, they’d instruct some rare treasure to be lowered into the fire.

Seraphina watched as her favorite ballroom dress was burned to cinders, as her gold jewelry entered the fire as well, praying the Goddess would finally grant her wish. The fire turned blue, then orange, then purple, then yellow.

“Lady, I need you to repeat after me,” the brunette priestess on her left said. Brunettes were not as common in Autumn as they were elsewhere; most here were blonde, or they got the red hair if they were lucky.

“Vakratunda mahakaya, Kotisurya, Samaprabha. Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada.”

The priestesses waited. Please please please, Seraphina begged. I’ll do anything.

“I’m sorry, Lady, it appears that-“

Just then, the fire turned blood red and narrowed into a rapid jet blasting rapidly into the sky. The crowd oohed and aahed at the display as moments later, the fire settled into its calm yellow-orange state.

And there was a shape there. Seraphina watched, transfixed, as a fully-grown woman stepped out of the flames.

She was stunning; her coloration was the farthest thing from Autumn. Her hair and eyes were midnight black, her chocolate skin glowing in the light of the Autumn sun. She wore a red and gold saree, the peacock embroidery dotting the dress from top to bottom marking it as one fit for royalty. She was draped in gold jewelry, a ruby man tika gracing her forehead. But perhaps the most shocking thing was what lay in her hand.

A long, fine sword with a ruby-encrusted hilt.

A noble lady indeed, but a noble lady can still kill.

The crowd was murmuring as they stared at the upstart, who smiled as she made a corona of fire around her head. Gifted, then.

Then, a loud voice from the heavens boomed, “THIS WOMAN SHALL KILL BERON VANSERRA AND RESTORE THE RIGHTEOUS LINE OF RULERS TO AUTUMN!”

The crowd now went completely silent. The woman who had just been born out of the fire looked unperturbed by this declaration; on the contrary, she gave Seraphina a little smirk.

Hah! A Vanserra, indeed!

And now Seraphina must fear for her life.

She had to get her daughter out of Autumn before he heard the news and had her killed.

[caliburn-the-sword]

more cress thoughts and reactions (if i wasn't lazy i would start numbering these)

WHAT is with this lunar guard and WHY would he randomly choose to help these guys. since he's a Named Character (but i already forgot) i'm demanding a pov chapter immediately. probably won't get one until we trust him tho rip

NO WAY SCARLET CAN'T DIE OMG - oh thank goodness she's been taken hostage. that's better because it means she has a chance

what is it with cinder and her tendency to pick up strays?? first thorne now the blondie

cinder got that medical rizz (got blondie to take his shirt to staunch blood)

wait how does blondie know that cinder is the lost princess?? did i miss something??? maybe it was something cress mentioned

"Thorne thought maybe it was best for her to practice (cutting bonds) on herself anyway" DAMN BRO COLD

i wonder if the programming making the sat invisible still applies now that it's crashed. if not we're about to have a big problem on our hands

"somehow she’d never worked the sensation of prickly facial hair into her fantasies. She would amend that after this." MISS GIRL WHAT???? that said i find the diction of 'amend that' there's just something so detached about it lmao

OMG THORNE LOST HIS VISION YES THIS IS MAKING ME NUTS

no i agree cress WHY would you give a newly blind man a knife

her hair is getting cut off <3 "It felt as though twenty pounds had been cut from her head" probably because it HAS girly. haircuts are literally magical. feel sad?? get a haircut

"It's not your fault" damn thorne i really appreciate how conscious he is of cinder's and now cress' self blaming problem even though he doesn't act like he's all compassionate. softie

grossed out by thorne kissing a 16 year old even if it was just her hand (someone play sixteen by ayesha erotica)

omg i thought the kids were talking about PRIZE MONEY for a BOUNTY and that we were about to see someone properly threatening appear, not just gummy worms fkshfsdkh. LOVE erland for indulging the children. he seems like a fun uncle type figure to have. i wonder how much those kids make him grieve for his daughter. OMG CINDER MENTION IT I NEED ERLAND'S REACTION

omg cress' descriptions of earth make me feel like i've been taking it for granted <3 i love her to death and i wish her all the happiness in the world

i LOVE thorne's no nonsense attitude, especially when it conflicts with cress' fantasies. yeah!! shake her!! wilderness survival king

tf??? i've never heard of a green sunset????? i'm assuming that this is a rural thing or i'm just gonna pin it down to random radioactive scifi reasons

thorne you know what OTHER than constellations would rule out australia?? THE SAND WOULD BE FUCKING RED. i would know because i did a 6 week cross country road trip across the desert from east to west and back again. i get that he's blind but surely cress would have noticed and thought to mention it (catch me looking for the southern cross constellation whenever i go to the northern hemisphere since it's the only one i can consistently recognise)

whenever cinder gets glamoured she always snaps out of it immediately. even kai, the few times it's happened to him. it's honestly VERY disturbing to read it from scarlet's perspective where she's completely unable to (also now i'm finding kai sus. does he have the implant against his knowledge?? he got out of it with pain but wolf literally got SHOT and stayed glamoured)

LANDED IN AFRICA OMG THEY'RE GONNA REUNITE WITH CINDER. I BET ERLAND HAS ALREADY HEARD NEWS ABOUT THE DROPPED SAT

cress' backstory is intriguing, ESPECIALLY because idk how she's alive. does experimenting really make her THAT worth keeping before her hacking skills came to light?? why does sybil want to keep shells alive in the first place?? she seems very down with eugenics

holding onto neurodivergent coded cress and defending her with my life. of course some traits overlap with her trauma and being isolated for so long

only just remembered this but i guess now my theory of cress not being fully lunar doesn't hold up now that i know her parents. but with what she's saying about her backstory, makes sense why she doesn't identify with lunars that much

maybe it was thorne that i decided was bi??? just by seeing this line about blackmailing a hot pilot if he were in her position??? now that i think about it he had a similar line about kai or something. anyway with thorne saying he would have blackmailed someone i reckon he's just putting on a facade so no one sees him as a softie. but it's still funny to just make characters queer. it's a coping mechanism

OMG NOW THAT THE SATELLITE HAS CRASHED THE LUNARS ARE EXPOSED. I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THAT. but the spyware should ALSO be down unless specific feeds went directly to the palace

this read has been such a treat for me!! i mentioned this on a reblog of one of my first cress post, but for those of you who haven't seen it when i was like. 5. my library had this picture book of the biblically accurate grimms brothers rapunzel. BEAUTIFUL illustrations. i was a silly goofy little kid obsessed with morbidity and i LOVED the gory illustrations of the prince's eyes getting stabbed out by thorns and him wandering around the forest all bloody and blind. i tried to find it online but couldn't!! the closest thing to it was rapunzel by sarah gibb which isn't gloriously violent anyway. i want to see if i can hunt it down irl and let you guys know which one it is but i used to frequent three different local libraries + the school library of my primary school was basically my own playground so i can't remember where i used to read it ;-; but yeah all this is to say i'm obsessed with cress as a retelling of rapunzel by far as someone who has a long history and grew up with it <3

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees

[rwac96]

Wonderful StepMom

---*On the Island of Patch*---

Ruby: *walks down the path* Yang, don't look like that.

Yang: *mocking tone* "Yang, don't look like that." *turns to Ruby* Rubes, don't patronize me.

Ruby: C'mon, it's rare for Dad to get a date that didn't go wrong.

Yang: *turns away, focused on the path* Hmph.

Ruby: Yang, I know I miss Mom, and she meant the world to me, same as you.

Yang: *creases her brows* I know, but...Ugh! I still can't get over the fact that she may become our stepmom.

Ruby: But from the way Dad talks about her, she makes him happy. Plus, she sounds certainly better than iBurn...who turned out to be Cinder.

Yang: You got a point there. *exhales* Let's get this over with.

---*Xiao Long Residence*---

Taiyang: Ruby, Yang! *spreads his arms out*

Ruby: *Petal Burst towards her father* Dad! *hugs him*

Yang: *sprints towards him* Dad! *hugs him as well*

Taiyang: *wraps his arms around them* Ah, there's my girls! Gods, it's good to see ya both.

Ruby: So... *she & Yang step back* Where's the lovely lady you've talked so much about.

Yang: Yeah. *places her hands on her hips* Where is she?

Taiyang: She's in the house. *turns to the front door* Diana! Ruby and Yang are here!

*footsteps can be heard, out steps a woman in what appears to be armor similar to Pyrrha's, but red, blue & gold*

Diana: You must be Taiyang's daughters! He's told me so much about you.

Ruby: *eyes widened* Whoa...

Yang: *blinks* Um, I mean, I get Dad has a type, but this' pretty jaw dropping.

[a-strange-inkling]

Trimmings (P1)

(Hellcheer Short set in the Old Haunts Universe)

A/N: A little humor to break up all my angst-heavy writing lol

A Metalhead’s hair is sacred, but fire is fire.

Chicago, Illinois 1988

“I blame you entirely.” Eddie seethes, shuffling lower in his seat, the God awful smell of burnt follicles still oppressing his nostrils. He’s spent the better part of the car ride scowling in silence, trying to think of a way to undo this, some solution, some trick.

“No, nuh-uh, nope, absolutely not,” Gareth chimes from the driver’s seat loudly. “I’m not taking the fall for this one… How the hell is it my fault?”

“You gave Jimmy the go ahead!”

“Bullshit! I’ve been second in command for twelve fucking years, I said it would be awesome, but you had the final say.”

“Because you made it sound like he knew his shit!”

“Oh, please, you nearly creamed your pants when you heard the word pyrotechnics.” he snaps. “You were just as onboard as the rest of us.”

“Yeah well …” he scoffs. “You recruited Jimmy in the first place.”

“Because we needed a new lead singer and some eye candy for the girls… not because he‘s a smart guy, Eddie.”

He groans miserably, palming his eyes. It really doesn’t matter whose fault it is—not his—because it doesn’t change anything.

The damage is done.

“…Want me to call Chrissy?” Gareth asks after a couple of minutes of awkward silence.

“Yeah, yeah,” he barks sarcastically in a manic, high pitch voice as he snaps back up. “That’s a great idea, Gareth, let’s call my anxiety ridden wife while she’s at class and tell her that I caught on fire at rehearsal with our four month old daughter in the vicinity!”

“Hey, hey, I’m just trying to help, nobody got hurt…”

Eddie gawks at him.

“Like legitimately hurt, dude… You don’t have any bad burns or anything. It could have been way worse.”

“Man, I’ve been growing this out since I was fifteen.”

“It’s not…” Gareth brakes at a red light, frowning as he takes him in. “…that bad.”

Olivia fusses a little in her car seat. Eddie glances back, pulling half his body through the console to check on her. “I know, bug, I know, your Uncle Gareth is a liar.” he says, reaching to rub her tiny tummy till she calms back down, shooting his drummer a death glare all the while.

Gareth rolls his eyes. “Just calm down, I told you, Amber’s got this, she’s the best.”

“Yeah, yeah everyone’s the best, so long as they’re screwing you.” he hisses as they pull into the salon.

“No man, I mean it, she’s a legit miracle worker, she does my hair and Ned’s too…”

“Oh, well now I’m convinced.” Eddie sings with mock enthusiasm as he slams his door shut, opening the back door to get Olivia out. She’s wide awake now, staring up at him with her big brown eyes. “Hey there princess, come here.”

She makes little coo sounds, kicking her legs excitedly at the sight of him and, goddamn it, he falls in love with her all over again. “I know, I know, it’s been so crazy today, but you’re being so good, such a good girl.” he gushes. “Just a little longer and then we can go home, okay?”

He pulls her out, gently cradling her against him, careful not to get any cinders on her. Gareth slips on the front pack, readjusting it to his size. “Have to hang with Uncle Gareth for a little bit, okay?” he tells her, kissing her soft, peach fuzz cheeks a few times before strapping her to Gareth’s chest. He gives him an up and down stare. “Now, this may be hard for you, but please don’t set my baby on fire.”

Gareth rolls his eyes. “I’ll do my best.” he replies snidely, noticing some side looks from a few women passing by as they exit the building. “…We look like an alternative gay couple with our love child.”

“Yeah right,” Eddie finishes clipping Olivia in, slinging the baby bag over his shoulder. “There’s no way our love child could be this cute with half of your genetics.”

Gareth gasps. “I’m adorable, what the fuck?”

“Hey,” Eddie turns back around and scuffs him. “She’s awake now, watch the language.”

They step inside and make their way to the front desk where a platinum blonde is stereotypically reading a Cosmo magazine and chewing loudly on Hubba Bubba bubble gum. She glances up. “Hello—AHK! Holy—” she exclaims, just short of cursing as she straightens in her seat. “…smokes.”

She winces. That wasn’t really the right thing to say either.

Eddie comically scrunches his whole face right back at her. Smooth.

“Hey, Bev.” Gareth greets. “As you can see we kind of have a bit of an emergency on our hands; is Amber in?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah Gare… let me just go get her, hold on...” she replies, visibly cringing, teeth clenched as she backs away into the next room. “You can uh… take a seat.”

They plop down in the small waiting area, the smell of hairspray and perm lotion making Eddie somewhat nauseous with the mixed scent of his burnt hair.

“You better be right about this.” he mutters to Gareth, giving Olivia her binky to suck on preemptively, knowing she’s not going to like it when he leaves the room. She’s a perfect little angel, but she’ll get fussy and usually cry if he and Chrissy aren’t around. It seems she’s inherited their shared separation anxiety.

“Look, dude, she’ll fix it the best she can, but you’ve got to accept here and now that it’s going to be… shorter.” the drummer replies, giving Oilvia a habitual kiss on the head, bouncing a little in his seat to amuse her. “I mean a lot—some—some—of it is already… you know… gone.” he gestures up to the one section that’s singed all the way up to his earlobe on the left side. A few more crispy strands fall like snowflakes to the floor at the movement. Eddie shoots him the stink eye.

“Gare Bear!! I didn’t know you were coming to see me today!” A pretty brunette with an impressively large perm steps through a beaded curtain wearing a mini skirt and a red cropped tank top. “My rockstar!”

“Hey Ambie Bambi, how are you, baby?” he hops up to his feet as she bounds up and kisses him, poor little Olivia sandwiched between their lovers’ embrace.

Eddie feels his eyes almost roll right out of his head.

The four month old makes a small whine in protest, her round eyes meeting Eddie from under them as if in a silent plea for help, sucking more frantically on her pacifier.

“Alright, break it up, you’re squishing my child.” he stands, clapping his hands at them as if to shoo a flock of birds.

Amber pulls away with a pop, looking down and folding her hands beneath her chin. “Oh, what a little sweetie pie, what’s your name, cutie?”

“This is Olivia.” Gareth tells her proudly as if he produced her himself, lifting his chest a little to grant her better access. “Her friends call her Livvy.”

“Awww she is scrumptious! Goochie goochie goo!” she tickles Olivia’s chin, and the poor baby looks confused and horrified, the situation having somehow gotten worse. “You look so cute with a baby, Gare Bear!”

“You think?”

“Mmhmm.” she hums, tickling his chin next.

“Yeah, well you know me, babe.” he giggles a little at her ministrations. “I’ve always been great with kids.”

Eddie deadpans, fairly sure Gareth has never even held a baby before Olivia. He coughs obnoxiously loud into his fist, making the couple finally turn to acknowledge him.

“Ambie, this is my bandmate, Eddie, he um… needs a little help, as you can see.”

“Yikes! Bev wasn’t kidding,” she reaches out to lift up a corner of his hair, assessing the damage. “Have a little trouble with the stove top, honey?”

“Flame projector, actually.” Eddie corrects, glowering.

“Jesus! You rocker boys, never a dull moment!” she exclaims with a laugh. “Let’s get you in a chair, I think you’re still smoking a little.”

Olivia immediately starts to fuss, her binky falling to the floor, as he follows after Amber. Eddie stops and turns back.

“Aw, Livvy, it's okay.” Gareth comforts. “He’s not going far.”

“You two can come too, if you don’t mind it being a little cramped,” Amber tells them.

“That’d be great, she might start crying if she doesn’t know where I am.” Eddie replies.

“Aw, how cute, a little daddy’s girl!” Amber places a hand over her heart as she pulls back the beaded curtain for them. “She’s your clone, by the way.”

“That’s what my wife says.” he replies as he sits down in the chair in front of the large mirror, grimacing at his reflection. It’s so bad.

“Okay, honey, I think the best course of action is to trim off the burnt edges, then we’ll wash it down and see where you want to go from there.” she tells him, wrapping a gown around his neck, clipping the back.

“Okay…” he tries not to cry, sniffing loudly. He’s a grown ass man. “Can you please keep it as long as you possibly can?”

“Absolutely.” she replies, but he notices her exchange a long glance with Gareth as she picks up her scissors.

[deathsmallcaps]

Maybe it’s just because there’s only so many ways to draw a type of thing, but I have seven thoughts about Elemental (2023) after watching it again lol.

1. It showcases a lovely balanced relationship between artists. Ember, of course, has an eye and hand for glass making, and Wade sees the potential and ability she has; how her light shines through to the world and him, figuratively and literally. Meanwhile, Wade’s way with words is more subtle, but really reaches in deep and converts visual art into emotion; it takes a good writer and speaker to convey feeling into accessible ideas. And Ember recognizes his talent, and lets it touch her.

They bring light into each other’s lives; without each other, they were fine and functioning and almost happy, but when they have the other, that’s just the icing on the cake.

2. The art style looks worse without motion. Both characters are constantly unconsciously moving in every shot; Ember flickers and Wade drips. Plus, the way light works with them and around them doesn’t translate well to a still image (especially with Ember; it’s hard to draw without outline, and I think it helped with visibility and stability on the screen, but in stills it looks awkward.).

A lot of fan art I’m seeing seems to struggle with this outline/still problem, again more with Ember than with Wade, but a lot of artists have added their own spin and style and made it work. I think the problem is directly related to how it’s difficult to capture water, fire and light ‘sources’ like the moon via photo. So if the art style for that particular aspect is turning you off, and you’ve only seen stills, I’d suggest you watch a bit of video or a good gif set (there’s already quite a few) before deciding whether it’s worth watching or not.

3. Speaking of art, this movie really reminded me of Studio Ghibli movies. Maybe there’s only so many ways to draw something, or maybe it’s just the Howl’s Moving Castle (both book and film) and Ponyo fan in me, but Ember for sure took a lot of visual inspiration from Calcifer, it’s the red outline and such, and Wade the waves from Ponyo. It was fun to see! Also tbh I saw some Dr. Seuss CGI movie shapes in their bodies.

4. Ember and Burnie breaking the cycle. When Burnie left Fire Land for Element City, he was following his dreams (and he even started enough of a trend that his whole neighborhood because a new fire town). But his Sad disagreed with him. As a last attempt at connection, Burnie bowed a Bok Sa (sp?), a very deep bow, to his father, to show respect and love. His Dad did not return the gesture, spurning his son and his dreams, and turned away.

When Ember leaves for the glassblowing internship, she performed a Bok Sa for her Dad (and it’s so intimate guys. Like it’s almost embarrassing to look at because it’s raw and passionate and I really admire the creators for Not restraining it). Burnie sees a chance to show his daughter that he loves her, and that he respects her dreams (despite his and Cinder’s sacrifice of emigration from Fire Land, which is a big theme in this movie), and so he holds back the hurt his father laid upon him, so many years ago. He does a Bok S- back. It’s wonderful. I’m not sure he would’ve done that at the beginning of the movie, but his love for his daughter won out in the end.

(I just wish that the mother-daughter relationship received a little more canon consideration as well, but I appreciate the movie for the relations it did focus on.)

5. The city fucks up in a big way, and of course it’s up to the people affected to solve it, at least in the short term. Despite water being a huge hazard and supposedly already gotten rid of in fire town, there’s still a water train that passes regularly and always displaces enough water to kill a fire person. And in terms of the dam, there’s so much bureaucracy that Gale (the city safety officer?) found it easier to (nearly) shut down a business than to get a health hazard (the broken dam) fixed.

And when Ember covers up the hole, she leaves it! Her tempered glass doesn’t get support, and it eventually cracks and floods Fire Town, nearly killing lots of residents and leading to Wade’s evaporation.

6. Feel free to add on but I’m surprised that no globe has really talked about the disability angle yet. I i afraid I don’t have enough experience being physically disabled to talk about it in a nuanced enough way but oh well. It’s there. The way the fire people needed different transportation (also there was a fire person in a wheelchair. How things that are safe for others could kill them (Cinder nearly died while carrying ember because a guy dripped on her, which is a thing that others would find mildly inconvenient). How Wade’s nephew casually mentioned that Ember could die if she stepped off her mobility aid (the floatie) and proceeded to mess with it. And of course the shame, embarrassment and fear of being excluded & discriminated against.

7. More Men Should Cry!!! It literally saved Wade’s life lmao.

[princess-ibri]

Have you ever thought of doing backstories for Disney Parents like you've done for Disney Villians and Fairy Godmothers?

Yes! I probably wouldnt do every single Disney parent but there's some that definitely tickle my fancy to dip into. And actually I've kinda already touched on some of them a bit in the process of other Backstory stuff I've done.

I'd like to go in and do fuller ones later but here's what I got for now:

A little bit for Snow's White's mother here:

Cinderella’s mother a bit here:

Aurora's father/little bit her mother:

King Triton has some here:

Not really a backstory but a redesign for my DisneyVerse version of Ariel's mother:

Belle's Mother:

And The Beast's parents show up in my Rumplestiltskin story:

A little bit just on his mother included here:

But yeah would love to do more indepth stuff on the Parents later!

[madangel19]

Calling Swiss when Delia misses him (I bet she misses him the Moment she can't see him anymore haha)

Awww, this is a cute one!

Word Count: 700

Warning: Some spiciness in the end, but nothing too explicit

Swiss had just sat down in bed when his phone began to vibrate. It was a video call from Delia. Perfect. He was really missing her even though it had been a day of just flying over to America and getting settled in the first city.

“Hey, baby. How you doing?” He crowed once he saw her pretty face.

“Horrible. I miss you, love,” she whined. She was laying in bed, looking absolutely comfy and adorable in her cute black nightgown. 

“I miss you too, princess. Are you gonna call me every night this tour?” Swiss asked. Hopefully he could answer each call. He was going to be tired, but he still needed to talk to her.

“I sure will! You gotta tell me everything about each ritual,” Delia chimed, hugging a pillow close to her chest. 

“I will, baby. And you need to give me updates about the church and the kits. How are they doing? Are they in bed already?” He asked.

“They should be in bed. I’ll have to check-”

“Hi daddy!” Cinder’s voice exclaimed from somewhere off screen. There was a gasp from Delia before she burst into a fit of giggles as Cinder grabbed the phone from her.

“Hi my baby! Did you sneak into Delia’s room?” Swiss asked, smiling when he saw his daughter’s giddy face. She mostly looked like Dewdrop, but she had his signature smile.

“I did. I used the shadows like you showed me. I gave Miss Delia a real big spook!” Cinder chimed. 

“Don’t scare her too much. That’s my job,” Swiss laughed, feeling all the more proud of his kit. He had been helping her practice moving about in the shadows and she was quickly mastering it. 

“But you’re not here, daddy! When are you coming back?” Cinder asked.

“I’ll be back before you know it, babygirl. Don’t you worry. Delia will be calling me each night and you and your siblings can join us,” Swiss crowed, feeling a pain in his heart when he saw the sadness in his kit’s eyes. 

“We’ll be okay, honey. You should go to bed before curfew starts,” Delia said, petting the top of Cinder’s head. The kit purred happily, her eyes closed and her smile beaming as she leaned into her touch. 

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow night then! Night daddy!” Cinder exclaimed before disappearing into a shadowy blob.

“She’s getting so much better,” Delia cooed, looking offscreen with a pleasant smile.

“Fuck, I really miss all of you. I can’t wait to be back,” Swiss murmured, wishing he could just reach in and bring her over.

“You talking to Delia?” Rain asked, stepping out of the bathroom after having taken a shower.

“I am. We are missing each other hard. This is gonna be a rough tour, man,” Swiss groaned, showing his phone to Rain

“Hi Rain. Make sure Swiss stays safe over there and have fun on stage!” Delia chimed.

“Oh, we will. This tour is gonna be amazing. I can feel it in my bones,” Rain crowed as he went to get dressed. 

“So, what are you up to after this, baby?” Swiss asked. He had a feeling he already knew what she was going to say, but he wanted to hear it. 

“Well…I’ll probably be thinking about you some more,” Delia replied, her cheeks growing red as she reached for something offscreen. 

“Oh? You will? Anything else you’re gonna do?” He purred.

“You’re doing this already?” Rain asked, shaking his head with a chuckle as he sat on the other side of the bed.

“Mmm, maybe,” Swiss crowed, never taking his eyes off of Delia who pulled out a familiar black vibrator with a playful giggle.

“You wanna watch me?” She asked.

“You know I do, princess,” Swiss said, already feeling his pants get tight.

“Can I watch?” Rain asked, inching closer to get a look at his phone. 

“Mmm, I don’t know. What do you think, Delia? Can Rain watch you fuck yourself?” Swiss asked, glancing over at Rain and noticing that he was looking right at his tight pants with a hungry look in his eyes. 

“He can,” Delia said, turning the toy on.

[dexterouslycharming]

Helpless Hearts

Word Count - 1,449 words

Date Posted - 01/13/2024

This is an OC fic, Canon characters are included, but it will primarily be about my ocs, read at your own discretion

Chapter One - Conflict

Augustine Ella, the eldest daughter of Cinder And Kit Ella and the older sister of Ashlyn Ella had always dreamed of following in her mother's footsteps and becoming the next Cinderella. To be swept off her feet by a handsome prince and live her happily ever was a destiny she was lucky to be born into, a destiny only a select few had the joy of having. With a dreamy sigh, the girl flopped onto her bed, staring up at her ceiling, a notebook clutched to her chest. Life couldn't get any better for her, at least it didn't seem that way. She had the fairy best friends a princess could ask for in Oleander Beauty and Emmaline White, the son of Sleeping Beauty and the daughter of Snow White respectively, and was even lucky enough to have her very own prince charming in that of her loving boyfriend, Dexter Charming. She also had the best and most supportive younger sister and a loving duo of parents. She seemed to be leaving the dream life, and if that was the case, Augustine hoped to never wake up. 

A knock at her door pulled the princess from her thoughts, and she brightened up even more as Dexter poked his head in. “Dexter!” She cheered, sitting up and tossing the notebook aside. The girl made her way to the door, fully opening it and giggling as Dexter swept her up in a hug and spun her around. “What're you doing here? I thought you were spending the day dragon training with Daring?” She asked as he kissed her on the cheek. 

The prince gave a small shrug, setting her down and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “He's with Oleander and Sylvester doing sword training. . . I didn't really want to be there.” Dexter admitted a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“They're sword training? And didn't invite me?” Augustine huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Usually when Daring, Oleander and Sylvester did sword practice, she was invited, well she and a few other people including Daring's younger sister and Dexter's twin, Darling Charming. The two girls were proficient with swords, Augustine having learned from a very young age how to handle herself with a blade. Her father, Kit, made sure to teach her as soon as she was old enough to safely hold a sword in her hands. 

Dexter laughed, shaking his head at his girlfriend's upset attitude. “I don't think they really planned on starting up sword practice, it just kinda happened, Auggie. Do you want me to take you down there so you can join?”

She shook her head, taking his hand and dragging him to her bed where they both sat down. “No, I'd much rather be here with you.” She purred, laying her head on his chest and cuddling up next to him. The girl was absolutely smitten with Dexter, his awkward, clumsy nature seemingly being very enchanting. She prayed he was her prince charming, the one she was destined to be with for her happily ever after. It just had to be true, a love like this had to be meant to be, didn't it? There was no way she and Dexter were this in love and it wasn't what the StoryBook of Legends had in store for them. “Dex, do you ever wonder what the rest of our lives are going to be like?” She asked wistfully, looking up at him with love sparkling in her green eyes. 

Dexter gave her a small, loving smile, “I don't really have to wonder, I know it'll be perfect because I'm with you.” He said, his face turning a dark red after he spoke. A nervous laugh escaped his lips and he looked away from the girl cuddled up next to him. “I guess that's a little too cheesy. . .” 

“No it's not. I think the same thing.” Augustine reassured, gently turning his head towards her again. She gave him a soft smile, before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Dexter immediately melted as Augustine kissed him, quickly wrapping his arms around her and kissing the princess back. All his worries seemed to melt away, and it was clear to Augustine that he had calmed down a little as she pulled away. “All better?” She asked, her face still mere inches away from his. 

Dexter nodded, his face still flushed a dark red. He gently went back in for another kiss, something Augustine quickly leaned into. The moment seemed to last forever between them, that is until Dexter’s Mirror Phone began to ring. He pulled away, letting out a sigh. Fishing his phone from his pocket, Dexter quickly answered it with an apologetic look at his girlfriend. 

“Yes - yes Daring. . . I'm with Auggie? No, we're still on campus” He said, Daring being inaudible on the other end, “yeah I can be there soon. . . I know, I won't skip out on it I promise.” He went silent for a few moments as Daring seemingly spoke for a good length of time on the other end. Augustine ran her hands through her hair, trying to strain her ears to hear whatever Daring was saying but it was to no avail. “Ok, bye.” Dexter finished, hanging up the phone with a heavy sigh. “I've gotta go help with the dragons now apparently. I'm sorry, Auggie.”

Augustine gave a sad smile and sat up all the way, “It's ok, I knew you'd have to leave at some point.” She said with a sigh, walking her boyfriend to the door. The two said a quick goodbye, with Dexter giving Augustine one last kiss before disappearing down the hallway. Augustine went and sat back on her bed, picking up the discarded notebook and opening it up. Inside were many discarded, half finished stories written by her. She had been working on them right before Dexter had gotten there. The girl picked up a pen off her nightstand and moved to begin writing again, but the door swung open once more, revealing the raven black hair of Emmaline, who looked fairy, fairy mad. 

Augustine blinked, closing her notebook, “Emma, are you ok?” She asked, only to have Emmaline's angry glare focused on her. Augustine swallowed hard, almost immediately figuring out what was wrong. 

“Why was he here, again?” Emmaline asked, anger burning in her voice. She was referring go Dexter, whom she had run into in the hallway, or at least Augustine assumed she had. 

“Because he's my boyfriend. He's allowed to be here.” Augustine huffed back. 

“. . . He can't be your boyfriend Augustine, you're betrothed.” 

“Emmaline you know Oleander and I haven't been betrothed for months now! What's your issue?” 

Emmaline quickly grabbed Augustine's arm, her eyes flashing for a brief moment with anger. “He's your destined prince, you have to be with him! You know Dexter isn't going to fulfill your destiny!” She hissed, her nails digging into Augustine’s arm. 

Augustine's eyes darkened, and she pulled her arm away, causing a bit of her skin to tear and begin to bleed. "He's not the prince in my story, Emmaline! You, of all people, should know that!" Augustine growled back, stepping away from her friend, "You're the one who wants to run away with someone who you know for sure isn't your prince charming. . .maybe you should think about that yourself before coming after me when you don't even know the truth." Augustine finished speaking, her voice coming out a mere hiss at her last words. 

Emmaline balked, eyes wide and tears forming in them. Augustine had delivered a low blow, knowing Emmaline didn't have a story. . . Her younger sister Apple somehow ended up obtaining the destiny to be the next Snow White, something that made Emmaline irrationally angry, something Augustine knew would hurt her. She didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. . .at least for a few seconds. “But Oleander still loves you!” Emmaline blurted out, knowing it was almost one hundred percent a lie. Everyone at Ever After knew Oleander Beauty was sorely in love with C.A Cupid. 

“Now you're just making up fairy bad lies.” Augustine said, pulling herself up from her bed and beginning to tend to her bleeding arm. “I'm going to leave. I can't stand to look at you.” She said angrily, “A good friend would support me and my relationship, I guess you’re not a fairy good friend, Emmaline.” And with that, Augustine walked out of the room, headed to find a certain cricket who just might be able to give her some decent advice. 

[kitkatopinions]

Nitpick Number Twenty Seven for Nitpick November:

I love that RWBY has a new opening theme song and sequence every season, but a lot of what they choose to put in their opening sequences often bugs the life out of me. This is a long one, so I'm gonna put it under a read more.

Volume One opening title sequence:

You see references to the Red, White, Black, and Yellow trailers. Cool, I guess. Then you see a bunch of Grimm, and Roman Torchwick with the goons he got from Junior, which makes sense considering that those were the early enemies. But then you see this.

I'm not mad about 'Cinder in the shadows' because Cinder had at least one real appearance in volume one. But that's... Emerald and Mercury, in the back? As completely in shadow blank people and Emerald looks like she had completely different hair back then? The only appearance they had in volume one was as cardboard cutouts floating behind Cinder for three seconds right at the end. Why are they even sort of in the opening theme song? Especially considering that Sun and Penny don't make any appearance in the opening sequence for volume one despite being in multiple episodes.

Also, for such a dynamic show with a lot of fight choreography as one of the main appeals (in these early seasons that is,) this opening sequence is a lot of 'people standing around looking serious' and not a lot of movement.

Volume Two opening sequence:

This one is much more fast paced with some nice visuals (the clock gears and then Oz is just everything,) and it also happens to have my favorite of all the theme songs. But just-

Tell me why they felt the need to put Junior and those two twins Little Miss Malachite's daughters in this shot at all? Junior barely does anything, he isn't an 'enemy' in season two so much as he's kind of an informant Yang goes to, which I don't like. And the twins only exist for two seconds so Neptune can flirt with them! Why are they in the theme song when again Sun and Penny don't exist in it at all?

They have Pyrrha fighting Team CRDL, which... Okay? I guess they made that part of the opening sequence because the only other important thing anyone in Team JNPR did that season was dance to Shine, but I find it weird. And then they show Team RWBY fighting various people and instead of featuring Yang fighting Neo and Weiss fighting that one guy with the chainsaw, they have Yang fighting Mercury which she won't do until volume three, and Weiss fighting Emerald, which she won't do except maybe technically kind of when they both exist in the same place in volume five even though Weiss mostly fights Vernal. With Yang and Merc I can at least dismiss it as weird forshadowing, but why is Weiss fighting Emerald? Ruby at least encounters and wants to fight Cinder in volume two despite not knowing it's her, and Blake fights Torchwick, so that's fine. But the Weiss vs Emerald thing is really what gets me. Why?

Volume Three opening sequence!

We flash through a few different teams, and who do we see? Team RWBY and Team JNPR, all very important people, aaaand Team SSSN for some reason, and then Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. Why the flip do we see Team SSSN? I'm gonna acknowledge that for the first time they showed Sun in an opening sequence (still no Penny though :( bummer) but like... They couldn't have done something that didn't include barely-characters Sage and Scarlet? Tbh it would've made more sense to show Team CVFY and then just include Sun and Neptune later. This is especially true because Sage and Scarlet are at the center instead of Sun and Neptune being at the center. (The 'Mirrors will shatter' part is always cool though.)

We see Ruby fighting Cinder (why not Roman?) Yang fighting Mercury, Blake fighting Adam, and... Again, Weiss fighting Emerald. Hmm. They have Winter with Weiss, and Qrow with Ruby and Yang, and then the two having a staredown before the old Team STRQ picture goes by, which is fine or whatever I guess, but I think I would've preferred something else, like seeing Qrow with the inner circle. Also, no Roman at all (which is really weird, since he was currently one of the main villains,) no Neo, and still no Penny. And despite her larger role in volume three, Pyrrha's screentime in the opening sequence was barely more than the screentime for Sage and Scarlet. Riddle me that.

Volume Four opening sequence:

We're reverting back to mostly having a bunch of people shown standing around and making facial expressions. To be fair, this was a volume where there wasn't a lot of big stuff going on, which I do not hate (if it was done better.) It's weird that they showed Blake fighting Adam when she was really fighting Ilia, though, but I'm willing to dismiss that as them wanting to get across how she's haunted by him or something. But I just personally find that opening sequence really boring. Idk what else to say about it. I like the song though.

Volume Five opening sequence:

Same as before except somehow even more boring. Why are these openings mostly just people standing there? Also when you see Raven she has this soft grin on her face and I'm like... Yeah, sorry, she was a smug jerk the whole time, why is she smiling in her opening credits moment? Weird.

Volume Six opening sequence:

Believe it or not, I like the sound of this song (especially the start of it,) but I'm not sure it was the right song for an opening sequence (and some of the lines are just blah annoying.) Also, more people standing around right at the start with JNOR and Qrow. And then there's this?

They're like, playing tag or something while Blake and Yang are sitting together all moodily? It's just like... I'm not sure. It's weird. Am I the only one that feels like if Ruby was playing tag on the train with anyone, it should be Yang who is shown to still have goofy antics with Ruby in this season, or Nora, who is very silly and rambunctious as a rule? Weiss didn't go through as obvious of a character change in this season as Blake did, but I think people stopped writing for Weiss and started writing for 'Ruby's best friend,' and it shows in little moments like this.

Also with Cinder's moments, they tried to be like "Who is this under the hoooood? We don't knoooow!" And then at the same time tried to be like "Ooooh, is Torchwick baaack? Look at his haaaat!" And it's like, just show us Cinder and Neo. Especially because neither of these things was set up as suspenseful in the show. There was no shadowy figure that people speculated on for episodes, it was just Cinder in clothes we watched her murder a person for. Gonna be honest, it was somehow better than the fourth volume opening sequence, but still.

Volume Seven Sequence opening:

I've already talked about hating the Trust Love song, but yeah, it's really not my favorite. It might be my least favorite. Also! Having them turn from their volumes 1-3 looks, into their volumes 4-6 looks, and into their volume 7-8 looks... Really just showcased how bad some of them looked. Also it's funny that they show Ironwood while they say 'your life's a masterpiece.' Like?? Weird placement for the character you hate. Also also, this?

Always makes me laugh. It's so... Disney channel spy cartoon. Like, it feels straight out of some kind of Kim Possible movie. Why did they choose this? And again, a lot of characters just stand there and make facial expressions. I can't tell you how annoying I find that.

Also, again with weird framing around Ironwood, when a Mantle citizen throws something at the image of James and it flickers into Jacques... Almost like they were signifying how Jacques was trying to make James a scapegoat despite the fact that he was the one hurting Mantle... Huh.

Also, they act like Weiss's main color is blue and Blake's main color is purple. It's so annoying that they can't even stick to one rule in this dang show, like 'the main four have a main color they're represented by.'

Last complaint for this theme song sequence, but why is Qrow so far from the group in the last shot?

If this season had featured Qrow kind of isolating himself from the rest of the group, then this would make sense to me. Instead, they had Team RWBY and co supposedly cool with him now that he started letting them do what they want without protest, had him and Ruby have a heart to heart about Summer, had him hug Ironwood, and launched him into a rapid friendship-possible partnership that consumed most of his screen time this season. So I don't get this choice of framing him as apart from the others.

Volume Eight opening sequence:

So! I'll start out by saying that just like with the volume six song, it's not that I hate this one, it's just that I'm not sure it was a good choice for an opening theme. Also, it's kind of just bad that they put the line 'we said goodbye to all the things we loved' right over shots of the RWBY girls now compared to who they were back in volumes 1-3. Aaaand I wish they'd stop being like 'look, look, do you guys remember back then? We're still just like that!' It's giving ''Steven Moffat keeps bringing in things from the Russel T Davies era to Doctor Who seasons five through seven and misusing them." It's giving "Disney keeps referencing Frozen long after the movie came out." It's giving "They brought in the kid of Will and Elizabeth to Pirates of the Caribbean 5 to try to trick people into thinking it's good."

ALSO: When they're doing that sequence, I get real annoyed at the way they animated Yang.

Some of them are kind of off considering the way the characters behave in volume 8, but Yang's is just bad. Ruby has this cute daring smirk, Weiss is making this serious concentrating face, Blake looks angry and intense, and then Yang - who spends most of her time in volume eight being angry and picking fights with people or being sad as she thinks temporarily leaving on a mission once is going to make Blake think worse of her... Has this like, floaty happy little soft smile and is the only one of the four not portrayed in an action shot? If Isabella from Phineas and Ferb was a RWBY character, this is the kind of pose and face she'd make while staring lovestruck at Phineas. Why is this what they went with?

Again, there's weird framing with James, as they play the line 'gave up our lives' while showing him, like they were acknowledging the sacrifices he made while they speed-run a badly done villain arc. Also 'hope has no place here' while they show Salem set playing chess with the black pieces that all turn into Grimm against James who has all his white pieces dissolve into dust, like they were... Saying he's the only person actually trying to stop her... while the others all left to do other things... In the same season they turn him into an evil bastard. The rest of it is just kind of boring

So yeah, those are my criticisms of the choices for the main sequences of RWBY volumes 1-8. I still consider all of these Nitpicks, because I've enjoyed plenty of shows without liking every choice they make for their opening sequences, but yeah.

[onewomancitadel]

is it just a coincidence that the madame and her two daughters who tormented cinder have blonde hair and blue eyes like jaune does

Character design is very deliberate. It's communicating a lot visually, making you draw subconscious connections. I initially predicted Blake/Yang on the basis that their eyes (the window to the soul)/Aura are matching, which in a setting where your soul ~has a special colour and everyone's named after a colour~ seems like a big deal. It's not lost on me that this is true for other pairings such as Ruby/Oscar (silver/gold, but also her red Aura/his green Aura) and Ren/Nora (pink/blue). I'm not sure if this holds true for Emerald/Mercury (red/grey) but they do have the matchy-matchy of black and white, so maybe it's not a hard-and-fast rule. Anyway, point being I'm looking for matchy-matchy.

Blake looks like Raven.

I'm not saying anything Oedipal is going on here, but I am saying that inherited conflicts are redeemed through the romances, and if Yang has problems with her mother, her love interest (who also runs away) kind of looking like her (and then later lopping off her hair so she doesn't) probably isn't an accident.

I'm aware that you have sent three different sets of anonymous asks to me disputing that Blake/Yang was never intended to be canon and 'reeks of direction change' (and similarly you dispute Ren/Nora), but there's no way I can answer this question without drawing reference from indisputable canon romances, irrespective of my personal feelings about them. If you can't accept the patterning of the given canon romances, there is absolutely no foundation to discuss Jaune/Cinder, and frankly I'd question why you think the ship has any basis in canon anyway if you don't have basic trust in the storytelling. But I'm still willing to answer this question because I think it's interesting and with drawing on the other canonical romances and Ozlem I think there is intentional patterning going on here.

It's no accident that Jaune doesn't just have the blond hair/blue eyes combo like Madame and the sisters but also like Salem's original human form, which your average literalist would erroneously take to mean he's related to her, but in my books I think it's more symbolically related to the fact that if this is the given conflict for Cinder (being tormented), drawing visual allegory to someone who's not going to give up on her and is not going to hurt her and is central to her redemption is pretty clever.

Personally I feel it goes back to that the cure is also sort of the poison, it's the thematic idea of the wound that can be healed only by the weapon that dealt it.

On the other hand, between Cinder and Ruby alone they basically have the same haircut and are going on the same emotional journey. So they're sort of the 'same' person symbolically (which Jungian-wise make sense, as Cinder is her Shadow). But they're also too alike in that in any given position in the story, neither one is really interested in knowing who the other truly is (because they refuse to interrogate themselves/understand themselves/accept pain/joy). So the question is how you make those two meet in the middle, and Cinder can't really do that until she confronts the reality of her own situation, and the same is true of Ruby (which is why this development with her across this volume is so calculated). Cue Jaune.

Anyway, my point is that if the character design is intentional, that Jaune is effectively a bright, pretty version does say some things to me. Some very specific things. This is why I can't really parse where Jaune/Weiss or any other Jaune pairing figures in, because it basically breaks a majority of the storytelling, but further to that kind of makes some of the character design nonsensical lol. It makes it feel a lot less intentional anyway. Cinder's orange eye is perfectly complementary to his blue; this is an early point you can find I made a few years ago on my blog and I have some old tags which discuss the subject further, but it's pretty straightforward. If we're going by their little paint-by-numbers romantic nonsense through the RYB and RGB models, right now we've got yellow/purple (Blake/Yang), red/green (silver/gold, Ruby/Oscar), pink/green (Ren/Nora), and you'll have to forgive me but I'm wondering where the blue/orange figures in because that's the third of the RYB model. It's probably likely that I'm missing a few here off the top of my head (and I'm still somewhat uncertain about Emerald/Mercury, but they parallel Ren/Nora too much to be ignored - and there's every possibility something develops with them more clearly romantically in the future, e.g. the slow incorporation of blue with him in opposite to Emerald's red, black/white thing going on with his Aura and her clothes...) but I think it's worth making note that Jaune/Cinder is the ship which fulfills blue/orange.

So that's why I think the character design is worth paying attention to. I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. But I think it's very intentional, especially as to how it relates to the already given narrative set-up. To my eyes, it augments it. It's not necessarily argumentation on its own - irrespective of character design these ideas can be communicated, especially the Reverse Ozlem elements (with simple, pure cinematic paralleling it's done) - but it is definitely something that makes me suspicious and feel less like I'm making shit up. That being said, I rarely introduce this as my first point with the ship.

The refutation is the null hypothesis, which is that it means nothing. Which is not all that fun to think about, and I can't really control it from happening. I'd rather try to reason now, because I think expecting better is not a regrettable practice; having actual substantial trust in a story is not embarrassing. That's the risk inherent to speculating about Jaune/Cinder, one supposes.

So it is a bit of a strange one, because I think it's sort of offputting to some to consider, but I think thematically it does make sense (the pain of being truly alive, the poison is the cure). At a minimum it makes you think about Jaune in the context of people who've really hurt Cinder, and then makes you wonder why he would have anything to do with that.

Thanks for your ask.

[bridgyrose]

Au where Penny is in service to Salem but falls in love with Weiss

Penny let out an audible sigh as she scanned the city of Vale as she walked through it’s streets, making a mental note of every weakness she found. From the underground tunnels, to the lack of any defenses inside the walls, it seemed to be an easier target than first anticipated. All it would take is an opening in the underground tunnels to allow grimm to swarm into the city, an easy job since those same tunnels connected to Mountain Glenn. All it’d take is luring the grimm in, openi the tunnels into the city, and if everything is timed right, Vale and Beacon academy would be swarming with enough grimm to allow Cinder to complete her own mission. 

She quickly relayed the information to Cinder’s scroll and the plan she had come up with for the easiest and quickest way to overrun the city with grimm. Her eyes flickered between from green to red and back to green as a call came in from her father. “Yes, father?” 

“You’ve spent too long in Vale,” Watts said through the intercom in her ear. “You were supposed to be out of there five minutes ago.” 

“I am trying to be thorough just like you asked.” Penny’s eyes moved to a group of huntresses in training as they walked along the streets, arguing. Her eyes stayed trained on the girl with white hair, her eyes pulled up all the information she had on Weiss Schnee. “Besides, I think you would like to know Weiss Schnee is here attending Beacon.” 

There was a long pause as Watts took in the information before he spoke again. “Get close to Jacques’ daughter. We can use that to our advantage.” 

Penny let out a sigh as the call ended and watched the group as they continued down the streets. Before she knew it, she had started to follow them, slowly listening into their conversation as she walked closer and closer. She ran through scenario after scenario of how to get close to Weiss, no longer paying attention to where she was going and running straight into her. Without warning, she found herself on her back and looking straight up at the sky as the girls started to get around her. 

“Should… we ask if she’s okay?” Blake asked. 

“She needs to learn how to pay attention!” Weiss sat up and frowned at Penny. “Didnt anyone ever tell you to pay attention to where you were going?” 

“I am sorry.” Penny smiled and picked herself up and looked the girls over. “I was a bit lost in thought.” 

“That’s alright,” Ruby said with a smile. “I’m Ruby, the blonde is my sister, Yang, the girl with the bow is Blake, and the grump is Weiss.” 

Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’m not a grump.” 

“Whatever you say, Icequeen.” Yang started to walk off. “Sorry we cant stick around, we’re running a little late.” 

Penny paused as she watched Blake and Weiss walk off, her heart sinking when she realized she missed her chance to talk to Weiss. “Oh… will… I get to see you four again?” 

“I’m sure we’ll see each other around if you’re here for the tournament,” Weiss said as she waved Penny off. “Come on Ruby! We’re going to be late!” 

Penny sighed as she watched Ruby rush off, realizing she was alone once again. Her eyes stayed glued to Weiss as she swore she felt something in her as she watched, a small smile crossing her lips as she started to follow once more at a distance. She had to find a way to get close to her, no matter what it took.