#maiden menagerie

[zeydaan-isabella]

Jazmin Castle Refsheet

Commission for Jordicg01 for their Maiden Menagerie OC, Jazmin Castle.

#zeydaan #oc #reference #refsheet #maid #dragon #maiden #menagerie #maiden menagerie #fairy #dress #cute #worker #magical girl #magical

[todds-rwby-liveblog]

NORA SUPER SAIYAN TIME LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO

#👑 #Weiss may be the Ice Queen but Nora really is Queen of the Castle #just two queens hanging out #yo tbh #all of Ruby's group are princesses kinda in some way #Penny is the protector of Mantle and a Maiden and basically the General's disgraced right hand #Ruby is a SEW and Summer Rose's daughter (the Narrative Haunter Supreme) #Weiss. Need I explain #and Nora just deserves a crown I think 👑 #and Blake was the heiress to the White Fang and her parents are still Chiefs of Menagerie she's a princess alright #can't remember atm if WF has an inheritance system but point being her dad was leader pre-Beacon #ooh and May is also like a disgraced Lady pretty much being from Atlas elite in origin #riin rewatches v8

[chaoticevilspacewitch]

RWBY Fanfic Recommendation List

Fics that have really struck me, vaguely organized by ship and/or topic.

Bumbleby (Blake x Yang)

first off, basically anything by pugoata. She's the goddess-empress of the Bees. I'm gonna give particular props to Banshee, as it was the first longer fic and AU that I read, and it really opened up my mind to what fanfic could be.

You're a Mountain, Full of Glory - a ski/snowboard with amazing characterization and a closing scene that will live rent-free in my head forever, in a good way.

They Can't Steal the Love You're Born to Find - childhood soulmates repeatedly torn apart and reconnecting, with courtroom drama. One of the most angst-ridden Bee fics I've ever read.

Fucking In Love - pornstar AU that gets right to the sex and slow burns the romance. Hot as hell while also full of tenderness and pining.

Midnight Menagerie - exotic dancer, kinda-cyberpunk dystopia AU. Edges you forever with the sex, earns all the angst tags, and we are majorly trusting @kaelidascope when she promises an amazing happy ending.

Bite Me Like You Love Me - one of the hottest Bee smutfics I've ever read.

You and Me - Blake discovers she's pregnant the day Yang goes MIA on a mission and struggles through being a single mother teaching their child about her amazing other mom. Short, happy ending, amazingly sweet.

WhiteRose (Ruby x Weiss)

The Foxtrot - Ruby and Weiss repair their broken lives after the war. It's one of the most popular RWBY fics of all time for a reason.

Can You See My Strings?/Deja Vu - premium mentally ill Weiss escapes from child abuse angst, with a happy ending if you read the sequel.

But Your Voice Used to Be Mine - Weiss escapes abuse to join RBY's punk band whose smash hit she inspired.

Just One Cigarette - Ruby and Weiss have a little meetup roleplay and it's really good.

Faunus Weiss (generally major themes of struggling with internal and external racism)

Craving the Sky - Weiss has painfully concealed her faunus heritage while she tries to earn her father's love. The support of her team, and the love of Blake and Yang (BeesSchnees) help her soar on her own.

Black Swan Theory - faunus Weiss struggles to recover from child abuse and navigate a deeply racist society while building a relationship with Pyrrha (Schneekos).

Clipped Wings - secret faunus Weiss, dealing with racism and abuse from Jacques, this time slow burning towards Pollination.

Villainesses

Melting Glace - Cinder and Neo find love, and no redemption, in the trauma of failing to destroy Beacon. Will make you cheer for them to win by the end.

Rise from the Ashes - Cinder has a Vader moment and saves Ruby from Salem, and Ruby's pure heart helps her heal, and their adversarial relationship turn to affection. Peak RWBY enemies-to-lovers.

Odds & Ends

The Bermuda Triangle - great modern AU BeesSchnees that gets filthy hot at the end.

Midnight Rose - Summer rescues and adopts Cinder out of Atlas. Their relationship, and Cinder coming to love the Xiao Long-Rose family, is beautifully depicted. Still very much ongoing (no ships as of yet).

Fallen Maiden - Jaune dies protecting Pyrrha at Beacon, and the Fall Maiden power remains split. Will Pyrrha's bloody crusade of vengeance consume her? Or, 'Pyrrha goes full Magneto and fucks Cinder up'.

What's In A Name? - Winter and May grow up together, struggling to cope with their feelings for each other against the background of the Atlas aristocracy.

Linked In Life and Love - I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this one. I really, really love the first act, where Team RWBY sees Blake suffering terribly through a surprise heat cycle and decides that they will all "help" her with it. It's sweet and tender and feels legit for them. I'm not a huge fan of where all the series has gone since, but I would invite anyone to judge that for themselves.

(As I see this getting a decent amount of traffic, I'll just point out that, if it's convinced you [correctly] of my impeccable taste in fanfic, you might want to check out my own RWBY writings)

#rwby #rwby fanfic #rwby shipping #ao3 #rwby recommendations #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #bumbleby #whiterose #save rwby #save crwby #greenlight volume 10

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hi!

My best friend's short story collection just came out!! (It's here on Goodreads).

Ancient British myths reimagined According to stories, we share our world with a menagerie of mysterious creatures. What happens when those creatures appear in the modern world? Do fairies still like traditional offerings of herbs and spices? Do unicorns still live in forests? Do sea serpents still yearn to eat innocent maidens? This collection of stories brings myths from across the UK to a modern world with offices, cities and fast food restaurants. The consequences are often comedic, sometimes horrific and always surprising.

I haven't written my proper goodreads review for it yet (it's on the agenda) but as a huge queer fairytale fan I loved it!

The style is just delightfully cosy and funny compared to anything I could ever come up with. I also really like that at the end she talks about all of the original versions of the myths, so if you're interested in local folklore from the UK it's also great for that.

Give it a go if you fancy reading about Jack Frost falling in love with the Green Man, goblins running amok in the office printer, ghost dogs and more!

You can talk to her on Twitter or whatever it's called @ficcaholic.

#short story collection #short stories #fairytales #fairy tales #myths and legends #books #bookblr #reading #new books #book rec #book recommendation #anthology #unicorns #fairies #goblins #the loch ness monster

[see-arcane]

He’s Lenore tricked into eloping with the Grim Reaper. He’s Bluebeard’s latest wife set to join the (un)dead menagerie. He’s Shahrazad entertaining for her life. He’s R.M. Renfield locked up with only his thoughts and notes for refuge. He’s Dracula climbing the walls and drawing blood. He’s alive. He’s dead. He’s liminal. He’s the Maiden and he’s Death. 

Jonathan Harker is everything and I love all of him.

#he has the range #jonathan harker #dracula #re: dracula #dracula daily

[temporary-tats]

Hey I'll take you up on that offer of a list of your favourite Bees fics 👀👀👀

Always looking for more. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface though. And if they're half as good as the Midnight Bees fic then yes please!

Oh Anon do I have a list for you.

A Note Before We Begin: Most of these Bumbleby fics are lengthy, multi-chapter pieces, often coming in at 70k+ words. The majority of these recommendations are not light reads because I am a sucker for emotional journeys full of ups, downs, and angst. If you're looking for more lighthearted recommendations, then I am unfortunately too much of an emotional masochist for you! (But, considering you've come here as a fan of MM, I have a feeling you'll enjoy these)

I'll also be updating this post with new fics occasionally, and to update my Top 5! So if you ever need something new to read, come back and check out this recs list :]

~ 💛💜 Now, let's begin 💜💛 ~

My Top 5 Favorite Bumbleby Fics (as of April 2024)

Paring down this list is Incredibly (TM) difficult, but these are 5 fics that brutally obliterated me, emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.

when I dream of dying I never feel so loved by lescousinsdangeroux - Mature; 73k Words; Alternate Universe - Edge of Tomorrow/RWBY Fusion (Sci-Fi, Time Loop, Grimm, Semblances); TW: Repeated (Temporary) Major and Minor Character Death and Mild Gore

I Know You by Monochrome_Gray - Mature; 238k Words; Alternate Universe - Witches; Semblances as Magic; Clairvoyance; Poly Raven, Summer, and Taiyang; Slow Burn; TW: Minor Character Death, Depression, and Minor Dysphoria (NB Yang)

hear her in the wind by lescousinsdangeroux - Mature; 109k Words; Alternate Universe - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/RWBY Fusion (Remnant = Hyrule, Maidens = Champions, Adam = Ganon; Yang = Link and Blake = Zelda; Grimm) TW: PTSD

Gunslinger by pugoata - Mature; 218k Words; Alternate Universe - Western; No Semblances; Sheriff Yang; Politics; TW: Intense Faunus Racism (it's 90% of the plot), Public Execution, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Abuse

you're a mountain, full of glory by lescousinsdangeroux - Explicit; 111k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern/Snowboarder and Skier; No Semblances; No Faunus; Friends with Benefits; Found Family; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse

The Hall of Fame

These are fics that, at one point, touched the Top 5 list. They may have been nudged out by another work, but they're still top tier.

They Can't Steal the Love You're Born to Find by timeespaceandpixiedust - Mature; 101k Words; Alternate Universe - Courtroom, Childhood, College/University; Non-linear Timeline; Adam on Trial; Very Emotional Conversations; Healing; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Brief Depictions of Violence, PTSD, Depression;

Compass by pugoata - Mature; 74k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern, Roadtrip, Soulmates; No Semblances; Hitchhiker Blake; Tense Tai and Yang Relationship; Healing; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse;

Shelter by pugoata - Mature; 73k Words; Alternate Universe - Farm; No Semblances; Runaway Blake; Farmer Yang; GOATS; Healing; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Brief Depictions of Violence, PTSD;

Brighter by y8ay8a - Explicit; 212k Words; Alternate Canon; Events from Volume 2/3 - Beginning of Volume 7; Very Emotional Conversations; Blake and Yang in the Before and Healing Through the After; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Depression, PTSD;

let you see my wilder side (if i can see your bones) by explosivesky - Explicit; 107k Words; Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Rockstar and Movie Star; Actress Yang; Rockstar Blake; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Brief Depictions of Violence;

take it from your grave by explosivesky - Mature; 48k Words; Alternate Universe - Gothic Horror; Monsters; Curses; Forbidden Romance; Forbidden Found Family; TW: Brief Depictions of Violence, Depression, PTSD;

Other Amazing Works

Didn't quite reach the Top 5, but these fics were still phenomenal.

Midnight Menagerie by Kaelidascope - ONGOING; Explicit; Currently 289k Words; Alternate Universe - Future Dystopia, Sex-Industry, Crime Syndicates; No Semblances; No Faunus; Bartender Yang; Dancer Blake; Street Racing; Gritty Fic, but with Lots of Fluff; Slowburn; Gunning For the Top 5 Once Finished;

NOTE: This fic tackles VERY emotionally intense and gritty topics. While done (in my opinion) very masterfully and with great care, please proceed with caution. TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, R@pe/Non-Con, Human Trafficking, Past Abuse/Assault of a Minor, Death, PTSD, Emotional Manipulation, Physical Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts;

Praeludium and Allegro by yangsbandana - Mature; 68k Words; Alternate Universe - Orchestra, Conservatory; Viola/Violin Blake; Cello Yang; Healing; TW: Depictions of Abuse, PTSD;

Best Laid Plans by Sawrin - Teen and Up; 10k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern; Dog POV; Fluffy;

Expecting by Sawrin - General Audiences; 8k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern; Best Laid Plans Part 2; Dog POV; Baby on the Way;

From the Heart by Softlight - Mature; 77k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern, Bakery; No Semblances; Baker Yang; Bookstore Owner Blake; Healing; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Brief Depictions of Violence, Depression, Grief

what if it's all just a black abyss (and lips that kiss you) by lescousinsdangeroux - Teen and Up; 30k Words; Alternate Universe - Star Wars; Force Bond; Found Family; Smuggler and Pilot Yang; Runaway Sith Apprentice Blake; TW: Brief Depictions of Violence;

it's not living (if it's not with you) by explosivesky - Mature; 10k Words; Alternate Universe - Pop Punk/Rock Band; No Semblances; No Faunus; No Angst Just Fluff;

Crash Landing by kienava - Mature; 43k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern, College/University, Text Messages; No Semblances; No Faunus; Crack but with Serious Moments; Slow Burn; TW: Implied/Referenced Drug Use;

roads that lead you home by lescousinsdangeroux - Teen and Up; 15k Words; Alternate Canon/Future RWBY; Weiss POV; Bumbleby Included but Not the Full Focus; Found Family; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse;

you've got me seeing stars by explosivesky - Mature; 25k Words; Alternate Canon; Beacon Never Falls; Happy and In Love Bees; Pining; Partial Sun POV;

shake us together like a snow globe by explosivesky - Mature; 34k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern, College/University, Fake Dating; No Semblances; Home for the Holidays; Mutual Pining; More Emotional than Angsty; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse;

Mixed Melodies by EmpressOfEdge - Mature; 25k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern, Rock Band; No Semblances; Drummer Yang; Bassist Blake;

Waiting (on You) by Mikotyzini - Teen and Up; 133k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern; No Semblances; No Faunus; Ultimate Slow Burn; Yang is Oblivious;

You and Me, and One Hot Summer by EmpressOfEdge - Mature; 98k Words; Alternate Universe - Modern; No Semblances; Summer Romance; Ultimate Wingman Sun; TW: Implied/Referenced Abuse;

#bumbleby fic recommendations #fic rec #bumbleby #a03 #rwby #rwby fanfiction #a03 link #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #alternate universe #alternate canon #temp tats top 5 bumbleby fics #emotional destruction imminent

[razorblade180]

Dragonslayer Week Day8: Pregnancy

[Lasting Embers Au]

After a daunting journey and calm boat ride home, Yang walked down the familiar dirt roads of Patch with a duffel bag hanging off her body. Her feet hurt a little but not as much as her head from mentally constructing the conversation she’d be having in a couple minutes.

When she finally made it home, a feeling of relief hit to see that Jaune wasn’t in the living room. It was still kinda early after all. Yang carefully tipped toed a few steps inside before the loving husband came sliding down the stair rail, landing in front of her to give a warm hug.

Jaune:Welcome back! You’re home early!

Yang:H-Hey! Since when are you an early bird? *kisses him* I thought you’d be sleeping?

Jaune:I went on a run with your parents.

Yang:(Damn, I forgot they like him!)

Jaune was quick to notice his ray of sunshine was looking a little dim. Not by much, but noticeable.

Jaune:You okay? Don’t tell me the reunion went terribly?

Yang:No- well….it started good, but then got fairly bad, but then it got good again!

Jaune:…So are you Blake on better terms?

Yang:*nods* Somehow we ended in a net positive.

Jaune:Soooo why do you look a little exhausted? Like this isn’t the “party hard” exhausted. It’s “well that just happened.”

Yang:….*teary eyed*

Jaune:!? *cuffs face* Hey hey hey, what’s wrong?

Yang:I wish it was “party hard” that trip! Can you promise me you won’t be upset?

Jaune:O..Okay? I’m all ears.

The blonde bruiser began to recount her unexpected adventure as the two of them sat on the couch.

Jaune:So instead of a simple visit to Menagerie, you and Blake went on an adventure across two different deserts to find kidnapped faunus? Can’t say that’s exactly out of the ordinary.

Yang:Yeah but it daunting. I may or may not have almost…got caught in a fiery explosion that destroyed a house.

Jaune:Who’s house exploded!?

Yang:Hehe, so that’s the kicker. This entire thing started with the Winter Maiden looking for….Adam. Who was one of the abducted.

Jaune:Ah…oh…so when you said things got fairly bad-

Yang:Old wounds and sore spots opened between Blake and I. I’m a little ashamed to say part of me didn’t want to deal with this at all but I wasn’t about to leave Blake alone in that situation.

Jaune:No one would’ve expected you to. It’s you. I get why you said it was daunting. Why didn’t you call for help?

Yang:We were on a time crunch. Things were happening so fast and…I saw some stuff i rather not talk about. We got a lot of people out but not all of them.

Jaune:Adam?

Yang:Man is too stubborn to die. For Blake and Jacquelyn’s sake, that’s a good thing. As for me…I’ll never be upset I saved a life. I just can’t believe I saved his. Imagine saving Cinder’s life.

Jaune:See, this is how I know you’re a better person than me; because I wouldn’t have done that. To be fair though, none of friends would want me to. No wonder the trip ended early, but why’d you tell me to not get upset?

Yang:….It was really dangerous throughout. I was reckless; and I even got caught up in dangerous situations when my guard was up. I should’ve asked for your input.

Jaune:I mean a call would’ve been nice but it kinda sounds no different from any of our other insane missions. You’re Yang Xiao Long, The Blazing Huntress. Strong, capable, clever, caring, and-

Yang:Pregnant. I’m…pregnant.

Her hands began fiddling with themselves as her eyes got watery, their gaze fixated on Jaune’s growing shock.

Yang:Blake didn’t know at first but after she learned I pushed to stay. I know that was so…so stupid. Even if I didn’t know what exactly I was getting into I should’ve said no, but I felt stuck between worlds! I never got hurt but….*crying* I don’t know. The more I think about it the more I realize how much I could’ve ruined us. How badly I could end up hurting you-

His arms wrapped around faster than she could blink. Yang felt her body press against his, receiving a gentle warmth that secure and yet so fragile. His fingers stroked her hair while the warmth of his tears fell on the crook of her neck.

Jaune:We’re gonna be family.

No malice or resentment. Not a drop of anxiety in the words that didn’t ponder what could’ve been. Just the sound of happy disbelief that spoke in what was going to be. It was as if a haze disappeared from Yang’s eyes that turned her tears of guilt into comfort. Jaune pulled himself away just enough for her to see the same shimmering gleam in his eyes as they begged her to speak. Yang began nodding her head again as her breath hitched through a growing smile of relief. It felt like the news finally felt real.

Yang:Yeah; we’re gonna have a baby.

#rwby #jaune arc #yang xiao long #dragonslayerweek #rwby dragonslayer #rwby shackles #she took no more missions the entire term

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

So, three main absences in the epilogue I've noted besides Glynda.

Where is Tai? Last seen on Patch seeing his daughter on TV, Vale has been taken over by Salem, Raven (last seen with him) is in Vacuo. Conspicuously not seen in the epilogue, even at his daughters' funeral. My current theory is that Raven's "leaving teammates" trauma got the better of her and she pulled him out before Vale fell, but he's since left, either to help Glynda or to go searching for them. Would also explain why she and Qrow are on decent terms now, she actually came through for Tai the way Qrow wished she did for Summer.

Where is Ghira? He and Ilia started gearing up to go before Ruby's broadcast even ended, but he doesn't seem to be in Vacuo. My guess is that they just didn't have the time to show it, or else the Menagerie militia is gonna be the cavalry later in the volume when they finally arrive.

Where is the Summer Maiden? Winter is working her ass off fighting for Shade which is constantly being besieged by monsters, Salem has taken over Vale so it is abundantly clear that Vacuo is her next target. The Summer Maiden should be helping Winter out at the very least. Tyrian is prioritizing the Crown over the Maiden, despite the fact that she's the last one standing between Salem and endgame. This is where I ignore the most obvious theory that they're obviously keeping her safe on account of "protecting what might be the last Relic" in favor of my own pet theory: they don't know where she is. The Chekhov's Gun of "sometimes the power goes to someone random" has finally fired and they've all decided not to search for her this time to avoid giving her a lead.

#rwby theories #rwby spoilers #rwby vol 9 epilogue spoilers

[bobauthorman]

One of the less-talked about themes of RWBY is that being a grade-A manipulator does not automatically a brilliant strategist. In various series', the one who can string people along is also a master tactician, able to translate their manipulative ways into making 'flawless' plans that always work out. RWBY, however, doesn't always do that.

Ozpin, whose MO and school system revolves making his students dependent on him, continually makes poor decisions that ruin his cause. To wit;

Forces Pyrrha (She did NOT have a choice, FYI) to become the Fall Maiden, but not only does the emotional burden lead to the Fall of Beacon, they end up leading Cinder to the Maiden chamber herself. Walks his students into an obvious trap at Haven. Brings a Grimm-attracting Relic on a public train that endangers the passenger.

Adam Taurus, who got Blake to abandon her friends and take over the White Fang, ends up shooting himself in the foot by ordering an assassination on Blake's parents, giving the people of Menagerie to fight against his attack on Haven.

Of course, that's not the say all the manipulators are screw-ups. Salem has been successfully stringing people along for centuries and got several followers to help her by playing on their...whatevers (CRWBY has stated that Salem uses different strings for her minions).

Cinder is a mixed bag is that while she's not a bad planner, she has made several poor calls that have backfired on her.

#rwby #Greenlight Volume 10 #Save RWBY #Support CRWBY #Manipulation #strategy #RWBY Analysis #Ozpin #Adam Taurus #Blake Belladonna #Salem #Cinder Fall

[bestworstcase]

It’d be funny if in the anthology, they end up leaving a hint about Salem and Cinder that ends up pointing towards your theories being true (or closer to true), and then just tantalize people for years with those tidbits.

The rage (from them) and vindication (from you) would be glorious.

i am so sure there will be zero major narrative reveals in the anthology but “salem and cinder go to beacon” barely qualifies as a spoiler at this point—salem is clearly Not There in vacuo at the end of v9 or in the epilogue or in rwby x jl pt 2 and obviously she’s not going to just slink home and do nothing—so i’m not ruling out the possibility of crumbs with them like, en route to beacon. although it would be fucking hysterical if they just. put summer rose in there. brvzbsgjcbk

expect it to be mainly set in and around vacuo because that’s where the narrative momentum is—there’s the aftershocks of the crown’s insurgency, the refugee crisis, retrofitting amity into a battleship(!), help arriving from around the world, NORSE grieving, pietro grieving, memorials being built in vacuo, a lot to cover. but i also hope to get some glimpses of what’s been going on in menagerie and mistral, and how things are going for glinda in vale.

…and i mean. i do keep winning. they wrote v9 for ME. so. lmao.

out of all of my sundry theories to end up fully properly confirmed, i’d bet on gill being the summer maiden. because if she’s to be a major player in v10, they’ll need to introduce her to people who haven’t read the CFVY novels, and an anthology like this is an ideal way to do that. and all it takes is one glimpse of her with flaming eyes.

[twoiafart]

DRAGONSTONE Artwork by Allen Douglas

The First Men and then the Andals both settled the rocky isles of Blackwater Bay, making themselves lords and living by piracy and fishing. The largest of these islands, dominated by the volcanic Dragonmont, would come to be known as Dragonstone.

Two hundred years before the Doom, the Freehold of Valyria sent an expedition to seize Dragonstone and make it the westernmost outpost of its vast empire. The citadel that they raised there to guard their new possession was shaped by Valyrian magic into an imposing structure impossible to create by any other means—with towers shaped like dragons, doorways that gaped like the mouths of dragons, and hundreds of gargoyles adorning the wall, forming a menagerie of fanciful beasts that bristled from the stone.

Twelve years prior to the Doom, Aenar Targaryen moved his kin, treasures, and dragons to Dragonstone after his maiden daughter, Daenys the Dreamer, foretold the destruction of Valyria. The Targaryens thus became the only dragonlords to survive both the Doom and the war-torn years called the Century of Blood that followed. Over that century, the Targaryens looked more to the east than to the west, however, busy with the various machinations and wars between the Free Cities in the aftermath of the Doom.

#asoiaf art #dragonstone #allen douglas

[zeydaan-isabella]

Zeydaan and Isabella's Fledgeling Flight

Commission for GreyHawk89 with story by them too of Zeydaan's early ventures into flight- including the design of what the Hawkmoths uniform would've looked like when the team was fully registered.

Up and up and up into the Wild Blue Yonder Zeydaan ascending on their magic broomstick. I'mflyingI'mflyingI'mflyingI'mflying! Around them, their draconic café coworkers flew, encouraging them. Well, mostly encouraging. "Hey Zee, what's up with that superhero get-up you're wearing? I read comic books too, but assure you you don't need to wear tights to fly!" Blue the Perhaps Excessively Scottish Dragon shouted over the sound of wind ripping their ears. "It's my uniform for this new group me and my other friends have put together, the Hawkmoths," they tried to explain. "That still sounds super-hero-y to me," Blue tried to shrug, but with her wings coming out of her shoulder blades, that proved difficult. It mostly just caused her to wobble erratically. Amrin, whose flying was purely magical and wingless, was capable of remaining close to Zey throughout their journey into the sky, just like she'd been the emotionally closest and most supportive of Zeydaan the sad confused werewolf slowly transitioning into the identity of Isabella the fellow dragongirl. "Ignore her dear. She's not completely wrong; you DO look a bit 'super-hero-y' as she put, but I think you look dashing," "HAHAHAHAHAH LOSERS EAT MY CONTRAILS!" Blaze the valstrax shrieked as she zoomed past, dangerously close, rays of purple energy expelled from her wings propelling her through the air as breakneck speeds. Within seconds she was already a glowing dot far above the rest of them. "Looks like Blaze is blasting off again," Blue grumbled, try to hide her obvious jealously. Amrin sighed. "Let her cut loose. From her perspective, she lives in a world of snails. After least she no longer tries to cook things faster by turning the oven heat up several hundred extra degrees." Blaze's bright spot wavered, then gradually lowered itself back down to the level of everyone else. "This is Captain Blaze speaking. We've reached a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. A small tasteless snack will be served shortly." She looked at the others, but only Zeydaan chuckled. She stuck her tongue out. Blue wobbled/shrugged again. "I know that that's a commercial airplane joke from watching movies, but when you've got your own wings, they're pretty redundant. Also, they still need new seats to accommodate non-humans. Why would YOU, Miss Gotta-Go-Fast!, even ever fly in a plane yourself?" "I just wanted to know what it was like for non-dragons, how much it would probably suck. And it did. So, it made me appreciate myself even more." Blaze lazily did a few allerion rolls. Zey's broom wobbled as one roll ended up with Blaze uncomfortably close yet again. "Whoa, careful please!" Zee begged as they tried to get back full control. "Ugh!" Blue suddenly yelled, swooping in as close as she dared. "Why are you on a broom, Zey? Fly! Fly, like the rest of us!" "I, um, can't!" Zey admitted unhappily. "My wings aren't strong enough. I can only glide." "Not strong enough yet," Amrin suggested. "Only glide so far. I don't have wings at all. Yours are magical as well, extensions of your will and power, not your body. If not today, then certainly possibly someday, you will fly properly." "If ye can glide, why not ditch the broom and glide then? We're high enough up for a good long glide." Blue suggested. "Mmmmmaybe," Zey said in a very 'HELL NO' kind of way, clutching the broomstick's shaft even more ferociously, legs wrapped hard around the straw brush. "I can see your wings, all folded up under your cloak!" Blue said. "C'mon, take your cloak off and spread'em!" she cajoled. Amrin glided in between them. "If Zee is not ready yet, they're not ready yet," she said firmly. Blaze and Blue rolled their eyes a little but backed off. The group hung around like that for a some time, two miles in the skies above the city of Mailor, passing through layers of moist white clouds from as they did so. Then, Blaze started to get stir-crazy again. She dropped down a bit, then blasted back up, powerfully. Too close. Zeydaan had re-relaxed their grip, and Blaze's burning purple wake shook them free entirely. Werewolfdragon and broom both dropped, down and away from each other. They couldn't hear their own screaming over the sound of wind in their ears, but the pain in their throat told them how loud their terror was. An odd sort of instinct kicked in, and muscles that were more mental than physical 'flexed' all along their upper back. There was a powerful, painful, jolt and they found their plummet, if not entirely arrested, slowed down considerably. Zee flailed with five of their limbs, while the other four remained rigid, fully extended and catching the wind. Wait, what? Craning their neck Zey saw a quartet of moth-like wings of pure pink solid magic energy extending out from them. "I'mflyingI'mflyingI'mflyingI'mREALLYflying! Well, I'm gliding, but naw screw that, I'mflyingI'mflyingI'mflying!" The terror that had so totally consumed Zeydaan mere seconds ago was replaced with delight. They screamed again, but quite differently. "WHEEEEEEEEEE!" Blue was suddenly right next to them, no doubt having folded up her own wings and dived. "OH SHIT ARE YOU OKAY!?" "I'M FLYING! WHEEE!" Blue blinked. Several times in fact. then she grinned. "Well, gliding, but naw, screw that! You're flying! Here, turn your body a little, like this, follow me, and we'll spiral back down, nice and slow!" Blaze and Amrin blurred into existence next to Zey. "I'M SO SORRY ARE YOU OKAY!?" it was hard to see Blaze eyes' under her aviator goggles, but IzZey thought they appeared panicked. "Oh, you're fine, you're fine!" Amrin practically moaned in relief when she saw Zeydaan. Then she turned towards Blaze. "PREPARE TO SPEND THE NEXT WEEK SCRUBBING THE TOILETS CLEAN WITH A FUCKING TOOTHBRUSH FOR THAT LITTLE STUNT!" she screamed in the nastiest voice Zeydaan had ever heard her speak with. Blaze cringed. The wolf-dragon barely even noticed the drama. "WHEEEEEEE!" Wings spread, Zeydaan Jem had fledged!

#isabella #isabella jem #draconic #zeydaan #flying #dragons #dragon #valstrax #flight #broom #story #fledgeling #fun #maiden menagerie #maiden #blue #amrin #blaze #superhero #witch #wolf #werewolf #fey #hybrid #zeydaan jem

[amizuki]

it amuses me how RWBY Beyond was advertised as "see what was happening in Remnant during V9, while RWBYJ were in Ever After", and yet the 2nd episode out of 4 of the series is about what Jaune was doing after V9. yeah, he talks about stuff that happened during V9 (or, technically, before, since it's about events from when he was with Alyx and Lewis), but the whole thing still takes place post V9, with him telling all those stuff to Oscar.

and then there's the 1st episode, which, while indeed taking place during V9, is just comedy filler, that supposedly continues with detectives joke from RWBY Chibi (I never watched RWBY Chibi, I only heard from other people that that show also had Sun and Neptune act like detectives) with no actual relevant info about what was happening with Vacuo, or the Atlas and Mantle refugees, or how people and the ruler of Vacuo were handling a whole ass nation of people just suddenly dropping onto their doorstep, or anything like that. the only sort of plot relevant info was showing that Summer Maiden is in Vacuo, but then again, her identity was still hidden from us and Kerry quickly jumped off from that plot point as soon as it was introduced with his """hilarious""" "nuh-uh, no more new characters lmao XD" line.

this 2nd episode isn't really that bad, it's kinda alright, certainly better than the 1st one, but, again, when I read that the series will be about what people of Remnant, who aren't RWBYJ, were doing during V9, I kinda thought it'll be about Atlas and Mantle citizens trying to get used to their sudden new life in Vacuo, or Oscar/Ozpin talking to Theo and all 3 maidens to figure out what to do next, or, hell, maybe even focus on Tai's feelings on everything that happened, with him thinking if he did the right thing by letting Ruby and Yang leave, since now he doesn't even know if his daughters, his last remaining family, are even alive, assuming he knows about the fates of Vale, Atlas and Mistral. (yeah, Tai's still at his house I think, but the description did say that it's about "what was happening in Remnant", not just Vacuo. yeah, Vacuo is a more important location right now, with everything except Menagerie and Mistral literally getting nuked just so the writers wouldn't have to go back to those places, but then change the description to "see what was happening in Vacuo during V9" if your only gonna focus on that location).

but no – the 1st episode is basically useless (and also very unfunny, but that's just my opinion) and the 2nd one, while okay on its own, takes place after V9 and doesn't focus on other people of Remnant, focusing on Jaune instead.

if the next episode is gonna be about bumbleby going on a date in Vacuo and telling everyone about how they got together in Ever After I'm gonna eat my own chair

and if the last episode will be the only one with any actual plot relevance, useful into or big reveal I'm gonna eat another

#rwde #rwby critical #♤mizu.txt #txt #this is a copy of my comment from reddit #thought I'd post it here too #you could say that the cut V9 epilogue already “focused” on what people of Vacuo Atlas and Mantle were doing during V9 #but then you get the question #“why the fuck did the writers even made and advertised RWBY Beyond to be about what those people were doing during V9”??? #could've just made the show about team RWBY figuring things out aftee coming back #since those 4 have always been getting shafted aside in favor of every other character #just make each of the 4 episodes focus on each of the girls talking to friends and family they haven't seen for a while #while also figuring out what to do now and retrospecting on the events of V9 and maybe V8 #and also cram Jaune in there somewhere since the writers like him so much #would be nice for the show called RWBY to focus on team RWBY for more than 2 volumes

[hamliet]

Hi! What do you think of Ren and Nora? I like them, but to me they don't really seem to fit in the main story... differently from all the other main characters :(

So, I don't think you're wrong about this, and I think others have noticed too. However, I was recently thinking on it, and I honestly believe this might be precisely the point of Ren and Nora's arcs: that they don't fit.

In comparison to the others, they definitely don't. Yang and Ruby are children of Team STRQ. Yang is the bio daughter of the Spring Maiden, too. Their mother was turned into a Grimm by Salem, and their uncle is Qrow, someone who's been in Oz's secret circle. Weiss is a Schnee, the daughter of powerful people in Atlas, and Blake's the daughter of the leaders of Menagerie.

Jaune doesn't have that linkage, but he is directly tied to Pyrrha and Penny's deaths, and he comes from a legacy of Huntsman and Huntresses. Oscar is literally chosen and called by Oz, who inhabits him.

Ren and Nora more clearly mirror Emerald and Mercury's situations, which also makes them a mirror of Cinder to a degree. All five of these characters are orphans, but because Cinder directly works for Salem, Emerald and Mercury are therefore tied to the main plot in ways Ren and Nora aren't.

I've seen speculation that this "orphan" idea might well tie into Nora's backstory, which is still somewhat mysterious in that we know she lost her mother and ended up in Ren's village, but we don't know what happened prior to this. Given the horror of Cinder's backstory, I've seen a lot of people wondering if Nora faced something similar, and frankly this could be the case. There's no direct evidence for it, but it would make sense and help set up empathy for Cinder.

I've also seen speculation that given the clear foreshadowing for focus on finding out "who just Nora is" in Vacuo, that Nora will end up the Summer Maiden. I'm less into this idea, but it's not impossible.

The reason I'm less into Summer Maiden!Nora, though, is because I actually think that Ren and Nora have no place in the story... but they choose to have one.

I think this could tie very interestingly into the theme of "choice" and the relic thereof in Beacon. It'd be far more interesting to me than Nora finding her identity in a Maiden. (The potential backstory doesn't actually impact this, so I don't mind whether that's true or not.)

No, Ren and Nora aren't connected to the main plot in the same way as the others. They don't have a legacy to uphold. But, they choose to become a part of a story greater than themselves anyways, because it was their teammate Cinder killed. It was their friend she made their other friend kill. It is their friends who are threatened and their loved ones whose lives are at risk.

They may not be directly tied to all the plots like the others are, but don't ordinary people have a place, too? They might just be kids with dreams who decide to take on the world for no other reason than that they are there and they care. If that is emphasized appropriately in Nora's coming arc, I think It could be really powerful. There's a particular type of quiet beauty in people choosing to make themselves a legacy out of choice and belief that people deserve to live.

In the words of Samwise Gamgee, there's some good in this world, Mx Anon, and that's worth fighting for.

#ask hamliet #rwby #rwby meta #renora #lie ren #nora valkyrie

[dextixer]

The Animatic of the unreleased V9 ending doubles down on ZERO consequences

So... Two months ago (Jeez, how the time goes) i created a thread on the ending of V9. In it i very much stated that the ending of V9 continues the trend of being not really about hope, but being about wish fulfillment, considering that any negative consequence or logical problem that would arise post V8, just seems to be gone.

Well, quite recently, during this years RTX, we were shown the unreleased V9 ending/epilogue animatic that was never produced for many reasons that are unkown to us, but most likely relate to budget etc.

And what we saw of it, was the continuation to double down on some decisions, while showing that the cast itself is being confused about what they are creating in the first place.

The double down

Remember discussing how Amity looks like an airship and wondering if an airship is in front of it? Well, wonder no more. We have an explicit confirmation that Amity was converted into a warship. Let it sink it. Vacuo, an anarchic state with depleted resources and basically no organized government or anything of the sort, retrofited Amity into a warship, while Atlas, a superpower had problems with making it into a Satelite.

Script from Eddy Rivas, one of the writers

There is nothing more "fuck you" to the logic of the world that is set up than this. This is "The emperor had a desolate planet build hundreds of star destroyers" level of nonsense. How does Vacuo do this in any way shape or form? Who cares? HOPE! ITS ALL HOPE! And somehow hope has manifested in the ability of Vacuo to retrofit airships the size of the Amity Colliseum...

Then we get told that "Its bad, in facts its probably never been worse" only to get a Disneyesque shot of everyone getting along, sharing food, Qrow catching someone falling down etc. But Qrow said its bad right!? So its bad right!? Well, remembering V4 and how we were told that actually Menagerie is a bad place to live, only to see an island paradise for 2 volumes, this sadly seems like yet ANOTHER example of "Lets say that things are bad" and then show the completely opposite. Because remember, after V8 ended, many people, especially critics called out that sending the Refugees to Vacuo is a shit decision, and yet here we are, and everything is SHOWN as perfect, despite that it should not be.

Come to Jesus

The Animatic before the end then shows a literal SHRINE to Ruby. I still recall people telling me that im wrong about V9. How Ruby was just told "She is good enough" not thats shes perfect, etc. That "everyone makes mistakes". And here we are. Despite the shitty decisions in V6-V8, Ruby now has a literal shrine. Because if any of us had any doubts about who the designated hero of the show is and how perfect she is, this should serve as a reminder.

Ruby is perfect. The narrative says shes perfect. So she is perfect. Now worship her. Ugh...

I have always called out the fact that Ruby seems to be able to do literally anything, and the narrative will bend itself over to make her right. But for it to be rubbed into my face like this? With a literal shrine? Man... What am i even supposed to say?

Im genuinely convinced that we could be shown RWBY stabbing a child and then for it to be revealed that the child was actually Grimm in disguise.

The Confusion

I think my favourite part of all of this was the fact that we were shown, once again, that RT has absolutely no idea what any of them are doing. Not as solo people, but as a team. As a team, these people are supposed to communicate with each other, and yet time and time again we hear about miscommunication issues or other such nonsense. One would imagine that they would have, i dont know, a project lead to organize/lead everyone, but thats probably asking too much from the "indie" company that is RT.

Anyways, the animatic contains a scene of Winter using her maiden powers to etch out "Dont come back" on some kind of memorial. At first, theories were awash, to who was this said? Until a rumour came out that it was a memorial to Ironwood.

Now, this was just a rumour, but not an unexpected one. We already know that the writers of RWBY seem to believe that the characters they create are real and are very much not shy in doing everything in their power to destroy/ruin them, with Adam being such a perfect example especially with the writers hating him so fucking much that the implied slave branding he got they instead said that he got as basically an "accident" in a fight due to him being an "asshole". Which is... Very "nice" writers...

So this? This would not be unexpected.

However then...

(Arryn Troche (Ex-Animator of RWBY))

We got clarification that the memorial was to team RWBY? Which quite frankly, confused things even further. I have no idea what the writers were thinking about this exactly? Nobody, and i mean NOBODY would see "Dont come back" message and think it as a "positive" one, it would be taken as a message of negativity. The messaging here is horrible.

For people more interested in a break-down of this specific choice, i would reccomend "Itsclydebitches" Tumblr account and their post on this subject.

My opinion

The animatic is just shite. Like, im gonna be honest with you all. It doubles down on the same illogical BS, pretending to be hope while its actually just wish fulfillment. With all of the problems that V6-V8 would have caused just gone... Going so far as to ignore their own lore of Vacuo.

And the whole Winter memorial thing just further shows that there is little thought put into writing any of these things, logical thought i mean.

#rwby #rwde #rwby volume 9 #rwby volume 9 epilogue #rwby vacuo

[see-arcane]

So you're telling me it was actually Jonathan who got really weirdly harassed by Dracula Wolf, but Coppola did it by replacing him with Lucy...

Francisification strikes again 😔

Really though, sometimes the annoyance really does circle back to pure comedy by dint of how much Francis/So Many Aggressively Straight+ Dude Directors had to harvest from Jonathan and Dracula's canon interactions and hastily cram their damsel of choice into Jonathan's place. Look at all the Dracula-based romance*** tropes that writer-directors have ripped off from him, and you see it's basically just them trying to cram Jonathan in a dress and change his name.

Rescued from some nefarious outside threat (Countess Dolingen and her vampire gang)? Jonathan.

Spirited away into a benighted castle and lavished with luxuries and constant one-on-one smothering attention (and, again, THE LONGEST/ONLY LASTING CONVERSATIONS WITH DRACULA THROUGH THE WHOLE. BOOK.)? Jonathan.

Carried to bed and undressed after a faint/induced drowse after a near miss with other vampires out to give him nonconsensual murder hickeys? Jonathan.

Imprisoned against his will while the villain and co-villainesses plan to conscript him into their voluptuously undead menagerie forever, my pretty, mwa ha ha? J o n a t h a n.

Had the big Empowerment+ surge at the climax and got to put an end to the abusive, manipulating, predator-coded antagonist toying with him and those he cares about? JONATHAN.

Start to finish, no excuses, no alternate readings, no hiding under the But He's a Guuuyyy, It Doesn't Cooouuunt shield, Jonathan Harker was THE Gothic Horror Damsel of Dracula. Not Mina. Not Lucy. Not [FAIR MAIDEN/SPUNKY FINAL GIRL INSERT OC].

Jonathan.

Harker.

Period.

--Bramothy Stokerton himself

#you can make all the denial movies you want BUT WE KNOW THE TRUTH YOU COWARDS #jonathan harker #lucy westenra #dracula #dracula daily #francis ford coppola