#silver eyed warrior death symbolism | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aspoonofsugar · 2 months

Text

Ruby and the Splendor Solis

Here comes a quick alchemy meta! Alchemy is an ancient practice, whose goal is to create the philosopher stone. This stone gives immortality, transmutes lead into gold and creates new life (homunculus). From a philosophical point of view, alchemy's aim is to nurture the spirit and to make it perfect.

As @hamliet has explained in several metas, RWBY is an alchemical story, which metaphorically illustrates the procedure to create the stone (RWBY/Ruby).

Today's post will explore Ruby and Maria's interaction in volume 6 episode 8 (Dead End):

As a matter of fact the scene references the 6th plate of the Splendor Solis.

WHAT IS THE SPLENDOR SOLIS?

The Splendor Solis is an alchemical text, which describes how to make the philosophical stone through 22 illustrated plates:

4 introductory plates present the protagonists of the alchemical journey

7 parables illustrate the alchemical death and rebirth

7 flask plates explore the alchemical process from a practical point of view

4 final plates describe the alchemical process from a spiritual point of view

How does Ruby and Maria's scene reference plate 6?

PLATE 6 AND VOLUME 6

Let's begin with describing what plate 6 is like:

This plate has three philosophers under a tree with golden fruits. The tree is a metaphor for the alchemical process as whole. It is the philosophical tree and if you climb it you reach the golden fruit (perfection/the philosopher stone).

The three people embody the phases of alchemy:

The young man climbing the ladder is nigredo (black)

The man who wears white outside and red inside is albedo (white)

The man who wears red outside and white inside is rubedo (red)

Citrinitas (the yellow stage) is instead symbolized by the yellow flowers and by the golden bough the men are pursuing. The scene as a whole represents a transformation, which is why the birds that fly in the sky have some green shades. Green is, thus, the color of transformation.

How does all of this rely to Ruby and Maria?

First of all, the two silver eyed warriors speak under a tree:

With golden fruits:

Secondly, this scene frames Maria as the teacher and Ruby as the student. Maria is initiating Ruby to very important knowledge, so that our young alchemist can continue her journey.

Ruby: I don't know… I don't know anything… What do I tell Jaune and his team when we don't even have a plan? Qrow's out drinking, Ozpin hasn't come back and even if he did, I don't know if I could trust him. And there's always Jinn, but… we only have one more question we can ask her. I feel like I'm letting everyone down… Maria: If you're tired of not knowing anything, how about we discuss those eyes of yours?

MARIA, THE TEACHER

Maria embodies the archetype of the old wise woman. She is a mature version of Ruby (an older silver-eyed warrior), who comes in our protagonist's life to offer guidance. She is the more expert alchemist:

Maria grabs the golden fruit. Symbolically, this shows that she is far ahead of Ruby in the alchemical quest.

This is made clear by her:

semblance

weapon

Preflexes lets Maria sense everything better than others. Metaphorically, it means she has a better understanding of reality than others. This ties with her having wisdom.

Life and Death is made by two kamas that can be combined in a staff:

They can be separated (solvet) and united (coagula). Solvet and coagula is the mantra of alchemy, as this process aims to create the philosophical stone by separating and uniting the elements. Over and over. Until perfection is obtained. Metaphorically, it means a soul is refined through creation and destruction. Life and Death.

RUBY, THE STUDENT

Ruby is young and ignorant. She doesn't know what to do and she doesn't know about her eyes. She is the alchemist apprentice, who is going through a transformation:

Differently from the Splendor Solis plate, there are no birds in the scene. However, the scenery is full of butterflies, which are another symbol of change. Of death and rebirth:

As far as the nature of Ruby's transformation is concerned, the setting gives us some hints, as Maria and Ruby are speaking in a garden full of white snow. That is because RWBY is approaching albedo (the white phase). In particular, volume 6 climax marks Ruby's passage from nigredo to albedo. This process if metaphorically foreshadowed in Ruby and Maria's conversation thanks to a specific visual cue:

Let's look at Maria's plate:

The grapes are purple/black = nigredo, the black phase

The plate is white = albedo, the white phase

The lemons/oranges are yellow = citrinitas, the yellow phase

The strawberries are red = rubedo, the red phase

The kiwis are green = transformation (plus prima materia, aka the beginning)

In short, the plate and fruits are a metaphor for the alchemical process as a whole. What's interesting is that a little butterfly flies on them:

It pauses for a little while on top of the grapes (nigredo) until Maria gently takes it and has it fly forward (towards albedo). The meaning is clear. Maria acts a mentor, who helps Ruby leave the black phase and enter the white one. She gives Ruby the knowledge she needs to face her "trial of fire":

Maria: The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. Meaning the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire.

TRIALS BY FIRE

Ruby faces her trial by fire in the climax of volume 6, as she fights the Leviathan:

There she uses Maria's teaching and the relic of Knowledge to defeat her foe through her internal light. This moment is when Ruby and the group leave Mistral and the Black Phase once and for all. They are ready to face Atlas and the White Phase.

Still, this isn't the only trial by fire our Little Red Riding Hood has to go through. She struggles through a second one in volume 9, as she and the group leave the White Stage (Atlas) through the Yellow Stage (the Ever After), so that they can enter the Red Phase (Vacuo). Once again this passage is shown through the Splendor Solis.

There is a giant tree:

A wise woman:

Butterflies:

Once again, Ruby is given guided by an older and wiser woman under a tree. This time she has to make a choice to go through a transformation. A process of death and rebirth:

In volume 6 Ruby learns about her internal light, whereas in volume 9 she discovers her inner shadows. In volume 6 she is given knowledge, while in volume 9 she is offered a choice. At the same time, in volume 6 the Splendor Solis reference is focused on a single meaningful scene, while in volume 9 it is more pervasive and present throughout the entirety of the season. In volume 6 the Splendor Solis comments Ruby's journey (the microchosm). In volume 9 this alchemical texts conveys RWBY's adventure (the macrochosm).

However, this isn't the only difference between the two transformative trials.

IDEAL AND REAL

Volume 6 has Ruby become an ideal:

Volume 9 has Ruby grow into herself:

Similarly, in volume 6 she latches on an idealistic idea of Summer (the Huntress), whereas in volume 9 she accepts Summer as a person (the Mother):

This passage from ideal to real isn't something unique to our heroine's arc, but it ties to everyone's story. Here come two examples.

Jaune's arc

In volume 6 Jaune is inspired by Pyrhha to push forward no matter what:

He wants to become more like Pyrrha, his ideal self.

In volume 9 Jaune is taught by Weiss to stop and accept a loss:

He realizes he is good as he is, despite his flaws.

Chemical weddings

In volume 6, Bumbleby goes through their second chemical wedding, where they kill Adam. The focus of Yang and Blake's relationship is that both girls have to become "worthy" of the other:

And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh can't you see, you could be with me) With every smile you told me, "I love you" (I am your dream, I love you)

They push each other to grow and to become their ideal selves. Yang has to overcome her anger and abandonement issues to stay with Blake. Blake has to stop running away to be by Yang's side. Their fight with Adam tests their progress on their respective flaws.

In volume 9, White Knight has their second chemical wedding, where Jaune dies and is reborn thanks to Weiss. Their bond is about letting go of childish fantasies (the charming prince and the beautiful princess) and to accept the other for who they are:

Weiss: I think you’re asking too much of yourself. We’ve been telling ourselves that failing means we’re no good. But I can guarantee even the best Huntsmen in history… they’ve all lost. But they were still incredibly brave… and good.

They let go of paragons and come to love their real selves with both strengths and flaws. Their conversation in front of the Genial Gems conveys exactly this.

Interestingly, Bumbleby and White Knight foil each other in another way, when it comes to alchemical symbolism.

Bumbleby focuses on death and separation. They represent the "solvet" part of the process.

White Knight is linked to rebirth and union. They explore the "coagula" part of the process.

To be clear, the solvet and coagula parts are present in both relationships. Yang and Blake go through destruction to come back stronger and more beautiful than ever. Similarly, Weiss and Jaune have to face death, so they can be reborn.

Still, the focus of BB's weddings is on death/destruction:

Adam cuts Yang's arm and impales Blake

Adam dies

Whereas WK's weddings climax in resurrection/creation:

Weiss is reborn

Jaune and Ruby are reborn

This is because the two relationships are complementary and illustrate different sides of the alchemical process. However, there is a third ship meant to embody both parts.

RUBY AND OSCAR = SOLVET AND COAGULA

Ruby and Oscar's wedding is kicked off by their first meeting, when Qrow (a bird) brings Oscar to Ruby and unites the Solar King and the Lunar Queen:

Ruby and Oscar's wedding references the imagery above.

It is a union of opposites. The scenery of their first scene together has Ruby marked as fire and air, whereas Oscar is associated with earth and water. Moreover, both the moon and sun are present.

In general, Ruby is moon, silver, red and air, while Oscar is sun, gold, green and earth. They complement each other and are perfectly balanced. So, they don't need a specific focus on neither death nor rebirth because theis arcs are gonna explore both the solvet and the coagula. They are the whole.

This complementarity shows also in Oscar paralleling Ruby during the trials of fire.

While Ruby is talking with Maria and going through an internal transformation, Oscar goes through an external transformation (he changes clothes). Ruby connects with Summer (coagula), while Oscar is free from Ozpin (solvet). Both their transformations are tested in volume 6 climax, where Ruby grows into a leader (macrochosm), whereas Oscar grows into himself (microchosm).

While Ruby struggles with herself in the Ever After, Oscar struggles with Ozpin in Vacuo. Ruby separates her perception of the self from Summer (solvet), whereas Oscar is merging with Ozpin (coagula). Ruby is in a fantastical world symbolic of the inside (microchosm). Oscar is in the real world, which is going through big changes (macrochosm).

Right now, Ruby and Oscar are bound to meet again through Raven (another bird), which might kick off their second alchemical wedding. Not only that, but Raven herself might play the part of the Nevermore, as she wears a Nevermore mask and her name alludes to The Raven, Poe's famous poem and the inspiration for the Nevermore Grimm. If so, this meeting might be Rosegarden nevermore wedding, which for RWBY ships is about overcoming grief and death through love. Another declination of solvet and coagula.

#rwby #ruby rose #oscar pine #rosegarden #white knight #bumbleby #whiteknight #rwby meta #rwby alchemy #my meta

65 notes · View notes

ficretus · 1 month

Text

RWBY contains surprising amount of Norse allusions in the story (and funny part is that almost none of them center around Nora, who's primary allusion is Norse god). Everything from Oz being Odin, Beacon being Valhalla, Branwen siblings being Huginn and Muninn, Pyrrha being Baldr, Tree in Ever After being Yggdrasil, and so on.

However, I want to focus on Salem as Loki allusion and her Grimm hybrids.

While relations wise Salem doesn't make much sense as Loki (since Odin's wife was Frigg), Loki does share ancient past with Odin that latter is embarrassed to admit. This of course parallels back to Salem being Ozma's "little" secret he keeps from his allies.

Outside of that, both Loki and Salem seek to overturn order of Gods and cause a Doomsday. Loki also nicely parallels Salem's title of Queen of Grimm by being father (or mother in Sleipnir's case) of monsters that would end up causing Ragnarok. Those children being Fenrir, Jormungandr and Hel.

Hel and Fenrir were already featured in the show, being Cinder and Hound respectively. Cinder has visual similarities with Hel: Mask and Grimm arm (as well as her asymmetrical clothing style) parallel to Hel's half flesh, half blue skinned appearance. Both are also self proclaimed rulers that were cast down at very young age (Cinder symbolically, Hel literally). Hound, just like Fenrir is massive wolf that devoured Odin/Oscar. Their deaths are also relatively similar: Hound was crushed under statue while Fenrir had its jaw crushed by Vidar's heavy boot before being stabbed.

Unlike Salem's other creations, Hound and Cinder are hybrids, which gives them elevated position. If we go by that logic, then third harbinger of Ragnarok, Jormungandr, should also be a hybrid and major threat narratively. Jormungandr appears as either massive serpent or worm depending on the version of story. This, combined with current Vacuo setting makes me believe that we might see Jormungandr in the show as massive Grimm sand worm. While Jormungandr was aquatic being, there is no appropriate setting for that in the show and it would come way too close to Leviathan from Volume 6. So why not bust out a sand worm, after all, desert is sea of sand.

At its core it will likely be another silver eyed warrior, although I don't think this will be Summer. Since potential Grimm Summer would be an allusion to Red Riding Hood's devoured grandma, If they ever make a Norse allusion for Grimm Summer it's more likely she is gonna be a Garmr, ultimate hound of Norse mythology and guardian of Hel's gate (this could be a parallel to implication that Summer was the one guarding conquered Beacon). It's the only opponent at Ragnarok that doesn't seem to be referenced in any way. Garmr's opponent at Ragnarok was Tyr (who parallels with Yang) so it makes sense narratively as well.

#rwby #rwby volume 10 #rwby theory #rwby vacuo

27 notes · View notes

bestworstcase · 27 days

Note

...you have instilled A Thought in me, do we even know that Tock was sent by Salem? Afaik there's never been any in-text evidence beyond the assumption that Salem wanted to wipe out SEWs, and I'm not aware of any word-of-god that she was an agent of Salem? Like, our only two "data points" on Salem hunting SEWs is Tock, who we only know was working for someone, and the hound-man, who we know literally nothing about.

I'm about as convinced as can be that Salem has, in fact, spent most of her time just chilling in exile, but I struggle to fully square that with hunting SEWs - what if even that is just another thing Ozma blames on her out of paranoia?

we do, per her amity arena card:

Tock was a proud faunus. She was a predator, a born hunter. It wasn't enough to merely have the green scales, she was a CROC. That meant she needed a nasty bite. It was a tad uncomfortable at times, sure, and took a lot more flossing than she liked, but the looks on her victims' faces when suddenly facing her sharpened metal teeth was worth it. every. time. Master Salem did always warn her, though, to finish her prey before her invulnerability wore off. After all, her aura shattering after those heart pounding sixty seconds was a dangerous price to pay. Still, she could never give up playing with her food, as that was the privilege of a predator, and nothing made Tock feel more alive …than dancing with Death.

and in all fairness to ozma: he’s not the one who proposed that salem has been hunting down silver-eyed warriors. maria’s father* believed that… well, “how could such powerful bloodlines be so rare, unless something was actively seeking to destroy them?” and ruby hears that and goes “salem.”

(*who cannot have been ozma, because maria was among the first generation of huntsmen and her father an old soldier who would’ve been a contemporary of the king of vale)

two obvious flaws in that reasoning:

sometimes a trait is just rare. silver eyes seem to originate from ozma when he has children with partners other than salem, and we know of… two. out of all the lives of his that we’ve glimpsed (four in the lost fable, three in the infinite man, the hermit-wizard, the king of vale, ozpin) only one had children. say it’s been four thousand years and ozma reincarnates, on average, once per century: that’s forty lives. if we’re shown a rough approximation of how often this man has reproduced, he’s only had children in four of them. across four thousand years. no shit they’re rare!

silver eyes are a genetically heritable trait that marks people born with them as destined to “lead the life of a warrior,” to live and die fighting grimm. “unless something was actively seeking to destroy them” YOU MEAN LIKE THE MONSTERS? THE MONSTERS THAT SILVER-EYED WARRIORS ARE LEGENDARY FOR HUNTING? again, no shit it’s a rare trait! warriors, famously, are a lot more likely than most to die young.

add in that oz seems happy to recruit silver-eyed warriors and must know there’s a kernel of truth in the stories, but really doesn’t seem to know much of anything useful—man didn’t so much as mention ruby’s eyes once in v5, he was more concerned with getting her proficient in hand-to-hand combat—and it what it really looks like is that the myths appeal to him as symbols. silver warriors are pure, incorruptible, destined heroes… smaller, more honest souls… et cetera.

it’s the actual silver-eyed warriors going “i can do WHAT NOW with my eyes!? how can this power be so rare, so obscure?”

anyway. our data points are:

maria, a legendary silver-eyed huntress whom salem definitively sent tock to assassinate something like 40-50 years ago

hound guy (??????????)

hazel saying of silver-eyed warriors “we’ve dealt with their kind before,” which might be in reference to hound guy.

summer rose, who joined salem.

not a data point strictly speaking, but worth taking into account: silver eyes are said over and over again to be very rare, so salem logically can’t be offing them by the score, nor keeping dozens locked up in a laboratory somewhere. there just aren’t enough of them!

also not strictly a data point: two empty seats at salem’s table, one of them accounted for by summer rose. if summer is working for salem of her own volition, then salem isn’t averse to working alongside silver-eyes; ergo, her problem with them must be with what most of them do, which is kill grimm.

salem is grimm. the grimm have been her only real companions for thousands of years. it is also fairly obvious at this point that grimm are not mindless soulless killing machines, because they keep behaving like emotional beings with a high degree of social organization and far more individuality than they’re given credit for. salem—

—cares about them. it tracks that she’d assassinate silver-eyed warriors who gained the kind of prominence maria did. i think it’s probably worth noting that the one absolute certainty it-is-what-it-looks-like data point in regard to salem killing silver-eyed warriors is… a legendary huntress who had nothing to do with ozpin or his conspiracy but went around calling herself the grimm reaper.

ignoring ozma’s imaginary shadow war whilst living in exile doesn’t necessarily mean salem wasn’t doing anything bad at all; just that whatever she got up to didn’t have anything to do with him.

that she targeted maria rather than anyone affiliated with oz in and of itself is an implication that she wasn’t paying much attention to him at the time; conversely, there hasn’t been so much as a hint that salem ever sent anyone to assassinate summer, ozpin’s token silver-eyed warrior, in the years before summer found her. and then hound guy is just a pile of question marks punctuated by an empty chair and me squinting at the lovecraft story very hard; if nothing else, the sixth empty seat at her table and the implied timeline of cinder being the impetus for that experiment gives me pause.

#their rarity and the fact that most silver-eyes #obviously don’t reach grimm reaper levels of notoriety #leads me to suspect that salem specifically has made a habit of murdering silver-eyed warriors who are #famous enough for her to hear about them from her like. 2-3 contacts in the world at any given time #unless grimm are sapient and call her for help in which case offing silver-eyes isn’t much different from what huntsmen do

22 notes · View notes

strqyr · 6 months

Text

did you kill her too? -> i've stared death in the face over and over again [<- maiden powers activate here], and every time i've spat in that face and survived, because i'm strong enough to do what others won't!

yes, yang's question is about the raven tai told her about, but 1. silver eyes + death symbolism ( surrender your pride, let death be your guide + can you guide my way out of this place? / your memory ever-lasting at war with my foolish pride ), 2. slightly interested in the maiden powers activating over the "over and over again", like she has needed to use them multiple times to survive, and not over "strong enough to do what others won't", and 3. the longer she goes, the more distressed raven becomes; whatever she did that others won't was actually something she really, really didn't want to do either.

did you kill her too? raven killed the spring maiden; did she kill the old raven too?... but is that how raven took it? i.e. if summer and raven fought, does raven think she killed summer?

raven pushes cinder off the ledge, freezes her and lets her fall. yang comes out of the vault thinking cinder's dead but she isn't, a fact yang only learns about later with cinder leaving a clear calling card saying that she was there: she's alive? and she's here?!

and the thing is, ruby never asks about what summer's ultimate fate was, how she died, just about if summer's final mission was another oz secret; and qrow tells her no, that was a summer secret, but leaves raven out of the list of people who are out-of-the-loop about what summer's mission was about.

it's not about summer's fate, it's about what her mission entailed.

raven—presumably, any secrets summer might be keeping from her notwithstanding—knows what the mission was about, but there's no reason to think she knows what happened to summer for certain; and if raven never had a bond with summer and their fight ended up in a way that raven would think summer's dead, did you kill her too? when the old raven would have fought for whatever she believed in, be it her team or her tribe, could have a different meaning for her.

also, it could add another layer to why raven has never talked about it to anyone; like summer switching sides and working for salem now would already be a hard sell, admitting to what she thinks is killing summer would be asking everyone to hate her skdgdfhhfg

also also, if raven thinks she killed summer and ruby thinks something happened when summer met salem that led salem to experiment with silver-eyed warriors instead of just killing them then that doesn't add up, right? the person inside the hound was still alive...ish; if summer was killed by raven ( like she thinks ), that wouldn't work. so that discrepancy between what raven thinks and what ruby thinks would add more to the mystery of what happened to summer rose that eventually leads to the reveal that she's alive and well and ya know. like cinder, who was thought dead too, she made her way back to salem, of her own free will.

#rwby

39 notes · View notes

obraveyouth · 3 months

Text

❝ △ ╼ ⟨ @dullweapons ⟩

the night is silent only the sounds of a crackling fire broke the still of dusk for as much of hyrule link had already brought back to the world of light, so much of it remained still under the veil of twilight. he knew he should hate it but he couldn't, at least not anymore. his thoughts like the form of the blue eyed beast fate had long since destined him to take the form of ( wild, viscous, and untamed ) his mind a funeral ( death had embraced him so tight, every chill was a memory - a reminder of a past, his present, and a shadow clad future ).

to most that now met him link's face was akin blank canvas, with much unpainted and unwritten. the more he journeyed for the kingdom of hyrule, the more he felt it better to keep silent and this silence was not from a lack of words, no. the hero chosen by the gods more like had far too many words, too many things that might be improper for a hero to say. thus, he locked them up behind grunts, small nods, smiles, frowns, and sounds of agreement. until this was over he'd only show half of his truth. who wants to believe in a hero that was terrified? that wanted to spit in the very face of the goddesses he was obeying? just whom did link believe himself to be? even now, he doesn't think himself a hero. he just wanted to save his childhood best friend and the other children from ordon. he didn't wish for this. so what if his hand had the mark of the royal family, of the triforce--so what? the sages had told him that they saw it as a divine prank that ganondorf was blessed with the power of the gods, perhaps this was another? on top of another and another. a divine prank indeed.

still he was growing to love the mixture of these two worlds, engulfed in the glimmers of dawn and dusk courageous blue eyes gazed into the fire. midna had been right, perpetual twilight wasn't such a bad thing after all and maybe he should go see zelda again, he could still see how her eyes had held so much sorrow when he was originally locked to the form of a wolf. and hey, maybe she could offer some clairvoyance into that silver haired man that the hero shade had told him about the other day after he'd past onto him the helm splitter. all he knew was too look for someone who, like him, very existence was tied to hyrule itself.

link briefly took the master sword ( another symbol, like the mark on his hand that should prove to him, no divine prank. he was chosen by destiny ): climbing onto epona and making his way towards hyrule castle town, specifically telma's bar. that women link knew had her own secrets as did he and he'd never ask nor would he ever tell. nonetheless, the passageway was just another habit for him, another memory tied to duty and not too long after found himself outside zelda's door ( the scene playing in his mind like deja vu except he was on two legs / covered in clothing and skin not fur and fangs ).

❛ princess, ❜ in his defense he was from a rural farming village southish from all the glitz and glimmer of castle town, being a heroic child of destiny didn't exactly come with royal etiquette 101. ❛ sorry ta drop in like dis n’ i know before ya said the twilight was making your clairvoyance— ❜ the word so foreign, so strange on his lips. internally, the blond was glad slaying monsters did not involve talking or hyrule might really be shit outta luck.

❛ midna couldn't help eitha... ❜ he trails off, making his way more inside the princess' bedchambers. truly, he was happiest when midna did all the discussing for him. ❛ there's this man with silver hair, missing an eye. the golden wolf skeleton man told me about him after i saw him in a dream--he said he was also tied to hyrule like us so do you know somethin'? ❜

truthfully, link also just wanted one less battle scarred warrior in his dreams and midna to get off her back about asking her, a person not even from his realm. but when link finally looks at the figure before him, it is not the princess of hyrule at all but the appearance of the person he was just describing--what the fuck? his sword is unsheathed before his mind even registers anything else. fighting he could do, this he knew.

#dullweapons #△ — in character › ❝ actions can speak louder than words ❞#△ — ingame verse › ❝ salvation rest in a fabled blade and courageous spirit ❞

3 notes · View notes

mozzlan · 3 years

Text

Late Night Thought: Summer Maiden Maria Calavera.

I know the rules for passing on maiden powers apparently exclude older women, but... what if they didn’t?

#rwby #maria calavera #rwby theory #or well more like late night thoughts xD #like she has so much death symbolism around her #(which probably has something to do with her being a silver eyed warrior)#(but still)

7 notes · View notes

anthurak · 1 year

Text

Soooo... funny story.

Given how Silver Eyed Warriors seem to always have strong symbolic association with Death, I was thinking about how what we now know about Summer could play into that trend. Particularly her weapon, which we now know is named 'Sundered Rose'.

Now as I've discussed in previous posts theorizing that Summer was at least partially a Sniper much like Ruby, the rifle portion of SR definitely has symbolic association with Death. Just look at how many famous snipers throughout history have been given monikers that include 'Death' in some way.

That just leaves the Axe portion of Sundered Rose. So what possible association would an axe have with Death?

Well, I can think of one way...

I suppose it shouldn't be TOO surprising that the mother of our Little Red Reaper would have an Executioner vibe.

#rwby #rwby theory #Summer Rose #Sundered Rose #rwby analysis #silver eyed warriors #death symbolism #summer the headswoman #i mean she has a HOOD and everything!

202 notes · View notes

aspoonofsugar · 1 year

Text

A Cat Following Butterflies

So, this may be nothing, but the CC seems linked to butterflies. They love catching them and the episode they are introduced has this visual, as well, which is rather interesting/mysterious:

Why are we shown this blue butterfly? Not only that, but then the butterfly follows the characters inside and supposedly watches the whole game play out.... and who does arrive at the very climax?

The CC, whose eyes appear first. And they are blue eyes like the butterfly. This would not be the firs time butterflies are linked to eyes either:

Volume 6 strongly links Silver Eyes with butterflies, which are very symbolically rich. A simple soul can lead to change, just like the wings of a butterfly can (butterfly effect). Moreover, butterflies are metaphors for change, transformation, life and death. Silver Eyed warriors seem linked to this concepts. Their eyes kill monsters, but can only be used to protect people. Similarly, both Ruby and Maria have grimm reapers imagery, but are also characters strongly attached to life. I mean, Maria's own weapon is called Life and Death.

So, what does it all have to do with CC? So far nothing, but it is still an interesting detail. Could the CC also be the blue butterfly? Maybe or maybe they simply followed it inside. What is sure is that they are linked to this symbolism, just like Ruby is.

Not only that, but the CC is actually shown hunting butterflies and biting/eating them and when they succeed new butterflies and new life are born:

Finally, these strange butterflies have hearts on their wings and the CC gives a little bit of their heart to others:

CC: Please, let me help and take a little bit of my heart. It'll feel much better.

Ruby takes the light of the world and mirrors it so that it can shine for others. She gives away her inner light. Her hope.

CC takes the heart-shaped winged butterflies and gives away their heart. They share their empathy with others, in order to help.

I don't know where this is going, but Ruby's arc is linked to her eyes. It is through them she is going through the 4 gifts journey:

Volume 3 climax > Ruby unwillingly activates her eyes with no knowledge

Volume 6 climax > Ruby uses her eyes willingly and celebrates Creation

She must now delve into destruction, which may take a while in my opinion. Destruction is clearly linked to death and grief, so this volume is probably a bridge for her to enter this stage.

At the same time, Ruby's eyes are a clearly metaphorical power. It is as if in order to use them effectively Ruby has to learn a theme. Volume 6 has her learn/embody the theme of hope. Ruby must use her positive feelings in order to use her eyes. She comes to embody hope, faith and trust. All ideas that get explored in the Atlas Arc. Still, right now she can't hold on to hope anymore. So, what can she do? How can she use her eyes if she has no faith left? If she has no positive feelings to fuel her? Well, Ruby clearly did not watch Inside Out:

When you can't be joyful all the time, you should just embrace sadness because this emotion can lead to a very important result > empathy.

Isn't it exactly what the CC is doing? They are showing empathy and it is possible this is a key theme, which will get explored in Vacuo.

In short, the Silver Eyes might be symbolic of 2 key themes:

Hope > Wide Eyed Idealist

Empathy > Seeing the other

The God of the Animals asked humans to have faith and leap into the sea. But this is a child-story and another more mature version claims the God of the Animals forces humans and animals to step into each other's shoes. Faunus are born from trust and empathy. Both are important ideas. Both are themes of RWBY. So, Ruby will learn both.

#rwby #rwby volume 9 #rwby spoilers #ruby rose #rwby meta #curious cat

69 notes · View notes

bikerjongho · 3 years

Text

the library of wonder | ateez ot8

genre: historical fiction, horror, adventure, fantasy

characters: warrior!ateez ot8

description: Religious radicals in the Joseon Dynasty, the self-proclaimed Anti-Rhythm Riders cult does everything in their power to destroy anything and anyone that violates their sacred Code of Conduct.

word count: 5.8k

warnings: violence, murder, maiming, ableism, graphic description of a dead body, radical religion, blood

author’s note: what happens when you combine the library of alexandria with ateez? this fic. this is the third addition to the ateez music video series whose masterlist (which lists the rest of them) is here. Also to note that this is part 1 of a series that I will continue later. The subsequent parts will be connected to different music videos.

taglist: @itsapapisongo @mangomingki @irehlevant @blueprint-han @doievoir @bvlnoriyas

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Weapons were a way to show the power of a king. Mounted and gleaming, the spears of King Yoongi of the Joseon Dynasty stood on either side of his elegant and golden throne like guards at the ready. On the walls that surrounded the throne from the left and right were an impressive display of bows and an array of fine arrows to accompany them. On the floor, King Yoongi's head lolled, blood pouring out of its severed end as Hongjoong sheathed the King's sword that was on his wall only moments before.

Beside the King's head and body on the floor, his recently deceased personal guard lay with him. This was thanks to Hongjoong's two best short-distance fighters, Mingi and Seonghwa. The two of them eyed the royally red blood that gushed out of the King's severed neck as they sheathed their swords. The three of them wore nothing more than simple blue hanboks and had their long hair tied up in a topknot at the top of their head, traditional for common men of this age. But with the corpse of the most important man in the Dynasty at their feet and the smell of civil unrest in the air, the plain clothing and ordinary hair was far from an appropriate look for these men in this moment.

The King's sword was now sheathed at Hongjoong's side, but he was not yet finished with the king. Bending down to the severed head, Hongjoong ripped out all of the intricate pins and ties that the King's servants had put in his hair that morning. The King's luscious black hair spilled out at his feet, mixing with his blood and turning it burgundy. Hair was a symbol of status and power. Now that the King was dead, Hongjoong assumed he no longer needed his power. He extracted a dagger from a pocket of his hanbok and began cutting at where the King's scalp ended.

The hair obliged with the blade. Soon, the King's heap of hair rested in Hongjoong's hands, and he promptly tied it to keep the strands together. "Proof," Hongjoong whispered and shoved the hair into his hanbok. "Proof that the wretched King Yoongi is dead."

"May he rot in many Hells," Seonghwa murmured and bowed his head. Mingi followed suit, and then Hongjoong last. There was a method to their madness. They, along with a few other men, were leaders of an ancient group called the Anti-Rhythm Riders. They did no harm as long as no one provoked them. Their laws, while more modest and tight than most groups, religions, or cults, were mostly fair. But the Anti-Rhythm Riders were a bloodthirsty and arrogant group of people that took pride in their faith and murdered anyone that refused to also follow.

"You must understand," Hongjoong had said calmly to a screaming woman only weeks earlier. Despite his attempts to convert her, she wouldn't budge, leaving Hongjoong with only one choice. His eyes had darkened to a lifeless grey as he had stuck his hand into her abdomen and twisted her gut. "This is a death far more merciful than if The Chariot returned while you were still alive and not following Him," he had said, digging his nails into her body while she screamed. "Feel blessed that I have chosen to kill you and spare you of his wrath that is worse than this by tenfold."

The dead King at Hongjoong's feet was one of many who had been adamantly against the Anti-Rhythm Riders. But besides their penchant for murdering those that were not like them, their strict code of honor shaped them into contributing and positive members of society. Their code of laws requested that each member of the group brought forth the best version of themselves at all times. This included dressing appropriately and being able-bodied, so all Riders were in peak health and dressed like they respected themselves. But on the same side of the coin, it was imperative to closely follow the code of honor as a Rider, lest they be murdered in the same way a non-believer would. The Riders, no matter how devoted they were to their cause, could not step out of line.

Top physical health included never becoming blind, deaf, mute, or immobile, except in the cases of old age or a sickness, but even then, those members were socially separated from the rest of the Riders. Old believers and ill people dressed from head to toe in black clothing in order to not bring attention to themselves and their misfortune of owning a frail and weak body.

But King Yoongi had not perished because of his non-belief. Despite his non-belief, most Riders saw merit in a hierarchal leader. They had, with their teeth grit, kept him alive. What had caused his downfall was not a snap decision by a lone Rider. It was caused by The Library of Wonder.

"A man that has lost his way chooses to walk the path to eternal hell," Mingi quoted a founder as he kicked Yoongi's body as he walked by towards the exit of the throne room. Hongjoong gripped the hair in his pockets, then followed Mingi. Seonghwa followed last, shutting the doors to the throne room with a smile on his face.

When they walked outside, they were met with thunderous cries and applause. The rest of Hongjoong's elite and higher-up group stood waiting in the front of it all. Yunho, man with a spear and a smile that was a bit too comforting and cozy; Yeosang, a solemn man with a sword strapped to his side that was anything but that; San, producing an ugly and terrifying grin on his face as Hongjoong removed the King's ponytail from his pockets; Jongho, with his sharp eyes and sharper reflexes, infamous bow and arrows strapped to his chest and back, and Wooyoung, who thrusted his permanently bandaged and bloodied fists into the air and let out a cry of victory that seared across the mass of Riders and raised the temperature of their spirits.

"The King is dead, Riders," Hongjoong bellowed above the roaring crowd. "And now, we ride to the Library of Wonder." He was met with shouts of disapproval for the Library, and Hongjoong's lip curled upward. There was a section for arts and music in The Rider's code. It was allowed, but certain teachings of it, such as allowing it to manipulate emotions, was forbidden.

"There is a disease in the heart of man," The Riders heard all too frequently in their sermons and speeches. "The disease is human emotion."

The Library of Wonder promoted this diseased music. For years they had tried to defund the Library, encourage the King to focus his spending elsewhere, to change the Library so it did not promote these blasphemous ideas, and none had been successful.

"We can't have a King that has allowed such a violation of our code for this long," Hongjoong had said only a month before the assassination, neck deep in plans for the kill. His face had darkened against the flickering fire that was nearby, casting inhuman shadows across his features. The Anti-Rhythm Riders were not a majority in the Joseon Dynasty, and their following was hardly recognized as a religion at all, let alone the Dynasty's main religion - but they were a potent and loud minority.

And over the course of a year, Hongjoong had been collecting and persuading commoners with his silver tongue to join The Riders for the purpose of having an army. An army that would not only be large, but also be relentless and unstoppable. And as Hongjoong stood in front of these thousands of people fueled with anger for The Library, he believed his work to collect them all had been a success. San took over with controlling the crowd, his loud voice carrying over all of the chatter and yelling. He dictated to certain groups in the crowd to certain tasks, such as loading wood onto the backs of their traveling cows or oiling up weapons and lighters. Fire, Hongjoong had decided, would be the ideal move to destroy the library. It would burn all of the texts that he and so many others hated with no hope of replicating them.

Amidst the screams, Yunho saddled up next to Hongjoong. One of Hongjoong's most efficient and silent warriors in the team, he was an asset that had carried them far. He couldn't stop smiling. Hongjoong knew that this day was huge for him - huge for all of them. Killing the King had been a goal point of their plan. Now all that was left was to destroy The Library of Wonder.

"Do you have any hangwa?" He asked, and Hongjoong was mildly bemused at how casual he was. He had just seen him slice the arm off of a palace soldier only fifteen minutes prior.

"I do," Hongjoong answered anyway, shuffling around in his bag before pulling out a packet of hangwa, assorted Korean cookies. He pushed it towards him, and Yunho happily dug in. "Time to rally the troops," he said, starting up a conversation.

"Well, it's easy to do that when persuasion rolls off of the tongue like leaves blow in the wind," Yunho said, mouth full of cookie. Yunho was referring to The Riders' way of persuasion and how it borderlined with magical coercing. In many ways, it was magical. Hongjoong theorized it had to do with how devoted and powerful many of The Riders were. It was The Chariot's doing that allowed his followers the ability of masterful persuasion.

It was also the reason why they had amassed so many people for their invasion so quickly. Many of them had knocked on doors and preached in the streets. As long as someone could hear them, people joined their cause.

The Riders left immediately after their supplies and weapons were loaded into traveling bags and onto the backs of animals. Hours after they had left on their journey to the Library, Jongho was ready to rally the troops for a special tradition. Having just climbed onto a travelling horse, he was raised above the crowd. His long and dark hair flickered around his face as he assessed the mass of walking Riders. The time must have felt correct to him, for he then raised his arms over the crowd, a move he had done many times.

This move caught the attention of many Riders, but his projecting and powerful voice was what roped in the rest. Jongho sang a mid-range note that silenced what little noise was left from the crowd. The Riders stopped what they were doing in order to match his note. Hongjoong and Yunho followed suit out of habit. The earth rumbled with the thousands of voices of the Riders.

There was an air to the main vocalist now that all of the attention was on him. Something lurked in the darker hues of his eyes, something that looked like power, and it showed itself through how he now moved and sang. His voice, still louder than the crowd's, rose up a note. The dissonance of the pitches only lasted for a moment before the crowd went down a note, creating a harmony. Jongho closed the fingers on his left hand into a fist and the women of the Riders adjusted their note. A minor harmony emerged from the chord.

None of the voices were completely perfect, except for maybe Jongho's. But all voices bowed at the command of Jongho's hands that were, in a way, conducting an old vocal ritual created by and for their religion. The choir was used to grab the attention of all Riders, but it was used equally as a morale booster. Hongjoong glanced at Yeosang, his sword gleaming with menace at his side, and raised his eyebrows.

Yeosang caught his eyes and sifted through the crowd to him. "Why is Jongho doing the Chariot Chant?" He hissed under the singing as the swordsman came close to him. He had seen Jongho and Yeosang together only a quarter of an hour prior. And while the choir was mainly for enjoyment, it was sometimes used as a distraction from something that the higher-up Riders didn't want the rest of their group to know about. Hongjoong feared something had come up despite his meticulous planning, and he assumed that Yeosang knew about the problem if there was one. "We didn't plan one. What is he diverting?"

Yeosang, in charge of the artillery, looked at Jongho on the horse. "Some of our artillery is failing," he said, his eyes the color of stone. "Some of our men and women notified me of a few issues our cannons are having. I inspected them myself and have found that they are correct. I assume this was the throne's last stand against us." His frown deepened. "I theorize our original plan for the Library can't be used now."

A smile appeared on Hongjoong's lips, mirroring Yeosang's disapproving frown. The original plan was to partially blow up the library before burning it, suggested by Yeosang, but Hongjoong had been against it. He wanted the library to be aflame as soon and for as long as possible, but he had been outnumbered by most of his group. Hongjoong's method would endanger more Rider's lives at the expense of his selfish love for fire. Unprecedented death of Riders was certainly a reason for Jongho to begin a distracting chant. He wouldn't have started it if he had thought Hongjoong's plan would go to fruition.

"So we go with my plan," Hongjoong smirked at the artillery leader. Yeosang pursed his lips and, for a moment, said nothing.

"I will think about our other options," Yeosang murmured. "Ones that will, perhaps, be less taxing on us. Don't think for a second that Jongho's calling to action means your plan will now be enacted," he said with a hint of irritation. He said no more, sweeping himself back into the crowds towards the animals helping carry the artillery, leaving Hongjoong with his thoughts and a smile still plastered to his face.

Hongjoong was the unofficial leader of the Riders, but he still wanted to deal with decisions diplomatically. So, after an hour of caroling with Jongho, Hongjoong rounded up the seven of them to talk about their plan of attack on the library.

They formed a line as they walked and saddled beside the cattle and horses that carried the artillery. Seonghwa and Wooyoung gravitated towards Hongjoong in the line. The two of them had been the members to agree with Hongjoong's less rational plan of setting fire to the library immediately upon arrival, but they had ultimately been overruled by the other five that had agreed to Yeosang's safer plan.

"So, fire immediately?" Wooyoung asked everyone once Hongjoong explained to them their situation, but his eyes were locked onto Hongjoong. Yeosang raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Not quite," Hongjoong said evenly, turning his attention to Yeosang, who now had his arms crossed. "Let's see what our artillery man has to say."

"If the First Army successfully purged the library of people," Yeosang said, referring to a subset of the Riders that had left for the library a day earlier, "then we should have a clean and easy shot to do whatever we want to the library. Word won't spread that we invaded it until it's already a pile of rubble." Some of them bowed their heads in appreciation for that statement.

"That being said," Yeosang continued, "we have about half the amount of cannons I'd like to have. We still have swords, but that won't do much against the hard material of the building." He grabbed the hilt of his sword at his side instinctively. "We still have torches and the building is flammable."

"And bow and arrows," Yunho cut in, lifting up Jongho's bow from his back. Jongho glared at him.

"Arrows that can carry flame," Yeosang sighed, and Seonghwa's lip curled up. "I truly have exhausted my thoughts and exhausted them some more. Many weapons from home could have been used for a different attack, but we're too far to turn back now." They were all experienced enough fighters to realize where Yeosang was going.

"Fire," Hongjoong smiled, and Yeosang looked weary.

"Fire," he sighed in agreement.

Wooyoung and Seonghwa exploded into hisses of victory. Wooyoung punched his fist into the air. "Hell yes," he said, shaking his bandaged wrist in front of him.

"Should we tell them?" Yeosang asked, gesturing to the entire herd of Riders that were traveling with them as a few of the members dispersed from the group. Yeosang meant the increased danger that came with their sudden change of plans. Hongjoong adjusted the bag on his back and grinned.

"They know what they're getting into," Hongjoong smiled. "But even if they don't, they'll do it anyway. They love The Chariot too much to refuse to do something." Hongjoong flicked a cocky smile at Yeosang, who could only sigh and nod. While it was not his favorite plan, it was a plan that still accomplished the destruction of the library, which was a goal all of them wanted to achieve regardless of the means.

And while Riders didn't like injuring other Riders, self-preservation overtook any feelings they had for their lower Rider acquaintances. If Yeosang could remain without burn scars and seared lungs while someone else did, then it was simply a means to an end. The library was destined to go down by the careful hands of the Riders, one way or another.

It took another day for the riders to reach The Library of Wonder, and when they did, it was a wonder to behold. Sculpted with stone and wood, it was an incredible feat of architecture in the Joseon Dynasty. Great stone columns supported the front of the building, and a stone statue of a beautiful woman with long hair and a scroll in her hands greeted library goers at the entrance.

Wooyoung yanked out a club from the pockets of his blue hanbok and swung at the lady without warning. He took off part of her chest and her entire left arm and was met with roars of approval and laughter. "At the ready!" Hongjoong yelled over the laughing crowds, and Riders began fishing their weapons out of their pockets. These weapons were mostly bows and arrows, but like Wooyoung, a few clubs were seen. Jongho was among those with bow and arrows, slinging his trusty bow from around his shoulder to the front of his body.

But bow and arrows weren't the correct term for the weapon Jongho and many of the other Riders had. His bow and arrows were of a narrower Korean variety called the singijeon. The singijeon worked much like traditional bow and arrows, but gunpowder was held in the arrows.

He now had his bow cocked and ready and his hands clutched a wooden arrow with a ball of gunpowder nestled close to the tip of the arrow. Jongho pulled back with his left hand and released the arrow. The Riders watched as it soared through the heat of the sun and made contact with the middle of the entry wall of the Library. As soon as the arrow hit the wall, the gunpowder activated and blew a hole in it.

Many more singijeon became useful and created more holes in the Library and smoke in the air. It was almost too easy to destroy the Library. It crumbled more and more with each hit like it was destiny for the great building to fall. Soon enough, the wall was completely gone and the Riders rejoiced in their work.

Mingi appeared at the front of the crowd, a tall presence marked even more visible by the torch of fire he held in his hands. Behind him, Yeosang carried a similar torch and was passing the fire to other torches held by other Riders, who were then passing the fire to others around them like believers in a church service would. There was no fire in Yeosang's eyes despite the lit torch in his hands.

"Riders," Mingi shouted and stepped over the rubbled wall that the Riders had just destroyed. He tilted his head down and grinned while surveying the crowd. Then, he elegantly walked over to the first shelf of the Library and let his torch make contact with the last book on the shelf. It took the fire with no issues, becoming an incendiary in moments. The book was quick to share the flames with the paper around it, and soon the entire shelf glowed with fire. Mingi was quick to exit the library as Riders poured into the Library with their torches and began setting the books aflame.

Yeosang, though his eyes were grim with the disapproval of how the Riders were proceeding, was smiling. While their method wasn't the safest or most practical, the Library that had been up for so long was finally being destroyed. The eight Riders watched a safe distance away as their lesser brethren raced into the Library like packs of overexcited hyenas. Many of them likely didn't know what they were fighting for, but they were moths drawn to flame, entranced by the beauty and cruelty of destruction.

Wooyoung smiled while the fire casted red and orange light on his face. "The Library is not exactly a slow-burn, is it?" He said softly as the fire ravenously ate through the texts.

"It's not," Yunho agreed with him. "Especially with the leftover gunpowder from all of the singijeon. Gunpowder revels with fire."

The eight of them watched the Library eat itself in the flames from a safe distance away. It was comical how some Riders passionately drove into the collapsing Library with a torch in their hands and emerged with burns and much less enthusiasm. Sometimes they didn't reappear at all. That feeling caused a bit of discomfort to some of them, but Hongjoong reveled in their discomfort. It just showed how dedicated they were to The Chariot, and Hongjoong was proud of them for their dedication.

It took a half an hour for the great stone Library of Wonder to turn into a charred and wasteful hunk of rock. The papery books had succumbed too easily to the flames and all that was left on the inside of the Library were ashes and the remnant memories of books lost forever. The fire was less of a roar and more whispery and trapped now, only burning the book it was on and not passing its flame to other books.

San was now on top of a horse and rallying the troops to receive medical attention if they needed any and congratulated them on their efforts. "The Chariot is proud of us, Riders," he said, beaming. Some Riders returned a smile, others were too hurt to acknowledge San. "As our great laws say, the disease in the heart of man is human emotion. These books would have spread that harmful message had we not burned them down. For that, He is eternally grateful for your efforts."

San hopped off of the horse and joined the other seven Riders in preparing for the return trip. Behind them, the last of the flames were dying out. Riders still in the Library were stumbling out of the burned rubble. There were likely bodies of Riders that were dead inside of the Library and others that were alive but had succumbed themselves to imperfections of their physical features. And while they had given a valiant effort in destroying the Library, that was a violation of The Rider's code. They would have to cover up if they wished to remain a Rider.

But something else lurked in the rubble as well. All Riders wore blue, but a man in red was now present behind a collapsing and charred bookshelf. His ethnicity, like the Riders, was Korean, but his skin and eyes held heavy years and knowledge of many more cultures and lands that the Riders could only dream of touching. His long black hair was knotted at the back of his head, and beneath his bulging arm muscles was a lengthy silver sword with a red hilt.

But perhaps his most distinguishing feature was the long scar that travelled from his left eyebrow, through his eye, down his cheek, ending right at the tip of his lip. The scar made the left side of his lips permanently downturned. Such a scar directly violated The Rider's code, but this man was above that religion and the laws that it held. This man was Ares, the god of war. And Ares, who thrived in bloodshed and carried the spirit of warfare wherever he walked, was not impressed with the warfare that had gone on at this library.

Yunho noticed him first. He was surveying the Library's remains when he saw the man's hulking figure amidst the ashes like a phoenix. "Hongjoong," he whispered and nudged him. He nodded his head towards the Library.

Hongjoong, who was overseeing a group of Riders, looked over at the Library. Ares locked eyes with him and Hongjoong's blood ran cold. He had no idea who this man was, but he was someone that could send shivers down Hongjoong's spine. There weren't many people that could do that.

Hongjoong took a step forward to address this man, but Ares was already ahead of him.

"So-called Riders," Ares boomed across the land, his voice easily the loudest in the vicinity yet there was no visible effort on his face to make himself heard over everyone. His thigh muscles rippled as he stepped over what was left of the wall. His face was flooded with unfiltered rage.

The rest of the Riders, who had been focused on returning home, froze in their efforts. All eyes were on the giant and muscular man seething in front of them.

Seonghwa grabbed the knife at his side and glanced at Hongjoong for permission. In any other circumstance, Hongjoong would have let him have it. Instead, he softly shook his head, and held his hand in front of Jongho when he realized he was drawing his bow. There was something about this man that Hongjoong did not want to provoke, but the steam coming from his head was proof that he had already been provoked enough. Hongjoong gulped and tried to calm his racing heart.

"I'm Ares, the God of War," the muscled man thundered, and no one was brave enough to disagree with him. He certainly looked the part. Now that he was closer, Hongjoong could see the long scar across his face and wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"You-" Ares began, but he was cut off as a singijeon arrow flew through the air directly towards his face. Hongjoong turned and saw that it was from a young and male Rider, gripping his bow so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Ares didn't flinch at this unexpected attack. With a practiced and weathered hand, he caught the arrow between his fingers. The Riders were stunned. His hand twitched and the arrow snapped in half. "Cute," he muttered, letting it crumble to the ground in his hands. He turned towards the teenage Rider who had shot the arrow and gave him a smile.

Hongjoong began to step forward. He wasn't sure what he was to do for the boy, he wanted to help - but Ares was too quick. With a flick of his hand not unlike the motion he had done with the arrow, the teenage boy jerked inhumanly backward with a loud crack. With his spine completely in two, he toppled over himself backwards onto the ground. His face was lifelessly frozen in shock, and the clear God of War smiled with satisfaction at the work he had done.

A few muffled sobs prevented silence. "Let me speak," Ares said carefully to the crowd, his eyes traveling over them all like he was sizing them up. This time, no one argued.

"Riders," Ares began. "You've burned down The Library of Wonder and all of the wonders it contained. Do you even understand the weight of that action?"

Ares looked directly at Hongjoong and he felt obliged to speak. "The books hold untrue and unsafe messages," Hongjoong spoke to Ares, his knees quivering underneath his pants. He didn't remember his voice sounding so small. "We had to rid them of this world. They have no place here except as smoke and ash. It is The Chariot's wish and creed."

"And your Chariot is nothing more than a weak and ailing minor god," Ares said cooly back to him. It took everything in Hongjoong's power to not curse him out for insulting his god - but he didn't want to end up like the young Rider.

"I know him," Ares continued. "He laughs at the lengths you do for him. He himself knows he is pathetic, but he enjoys seeing humans like you quiver and worship him. And I normally don't bat an eye to his or your shenanigans, I have better things to worry about, other worlds that are far more entertaining than this one," Ares said.

His eyes darkened. "But burning down my wife's Library broke her. So, in turn, you have to deal with me."

Hongjoong realized in horror what he meant. He idly thought of Wooyoung's gleeful act of smashing the statue of the goddess at the front of the Library. He wanted to throw up. Wooyoung looked like he wanted to throw up.

"So I've made it my personal game to make your lives a living hell," Ares said with a smile. "Because no one hurts my wife." He shifted his attention, not just towards Hongjoong, but to the other seven of his teammates crowded around him. They all froze. Hongjoong felt Mingi tense beside him.

"You Riders are simply too vocal for my taste," Ares glared. "The Chariot gives you the power of persuasion because it amuses him, so you all go around recruiting mindless humans to follow your so-called religion. But it is not funny in the slightest." His eyes swiveled to Jongho and his smile widened. "Doesn't this one sing?"

Hongjoong heard Jongho intake a terrified breath. He heard a sudden movement, and then Jongho had taken off running in the opposite direction as Ares. But Jongho was an ant and Ares was a stone. Hongjoong blinked and Ares was in front of the singer.

Jongho was strong, but he was nothing compared to a god. He began screaming as Ares picked him up by the throat, crying out to the Chariot, to his mother, to Hongjoong, to anyone that was listening, but he received no answer. Tears ran down his face and he kicked to be set free. Only his scream, which vastly contrasted his usual mesmerizing singing voice, cut through the air, and then he was abruptly silenced by Ares.

Ares dropped Jongho to the ground at his feet, and the boy continued his sobs in a crumpled mess. But his sobs lacked the voice, no matter how anguished it would have been right now, that the Riders had grown to love.

"He has no more use for his vocal cords," Ares smiled, and Hongjoong's heart dropped to his feet. Jongho had loved his voice. Everyone had loved his voice. Ares looked at the rest of them, and he realized with horror that he was not close to being done with them. "A shame, isn't it?" Ares laughed and stepped over Jongho's shaking body. "Your law says you are to never become mute, lest you want to remain a Rider. Seems like a bit of an issue, does it not?"

Hongjoong tried to move his legs, but he found himself frozen in place. He wasn't sure if it was his own body trying to protect him from harm or Ares immobilizing him, but he could only stare in sickening awe as one by one, Ares stole the voices of every Rider present. For some, he waved his hand and an entire group of people were silenced. Others, like those in Hongjoong's close team, had a solo maiming in front of everyone. No one was spared from Ares' destruction, especially not Hongjoong.

When he was finished, the sea of Riders were silent.

"Now I won't be interrupted," Ares said cheerfully, worlds happier than he was when he first arrived at the library. The hulking man had taken it upon himself to move Jongho's limp and shaking form back to the other seven of them.

"You eight are especially troublesome," Ares whispered, because there was no voice that could be above him. "For that, you have a special place in my personal hell. And now, I will take you to your own personal hell."

Ares raised his hand, and the library in the horizon vanished from view. For a moment, Hongjoong could see nothing, and then a beige wall of a house clouded his vision.

Hongjoong opened his mouth to cry out, but the attempt was fruitless.

"Your own personal hell," Ares said softly, suddenly beside him. The god placed a hand on Hongjoong's shoulder, a soft gesture that a father might do to a son. "You and your seven other friends are in, what I call, a timeout mansion. It is a place that you cannot leave or escape from, so I advise you to not even attempt that. You will sit and you will gaze at the fine art and architecture that this mansion has to offer," Ares said, his words puncturing. "You will be in aching emotional pain because all of this art is, as you call it, a disease to your human heart." Ares rubbed his back while Hongjoong held back tears. "And you will grow to love it."

The god stood up from beside Hongjoong. "That is your answer to escaping. An answer that you must vocalize and preach if you are to ever leave here." Ares smiled at him, and the scar that touched his eye, cheek, and lip curled up with it. And then he was gone, and Hongjoong's hope left with him.

For a few moments, Hongjoong stared at the floor. Then, shaking, he raised his right hand.

There is a disease in the heart of man, Hongjoong thought and touched his chest over his heart. His heart was racing like he had never felt before.

The disease is in me.

28 notes · View notes

bestworstcase · 2 months

Note

Hi, do you think that Raven was involved with Adam in a small way? Considering their very similar appearances and of course the gun sword. Many people often think that Raven inspired Adam with his mask somehow but I just think that it's a parallel with Yang and Blake. Curious about your take on this though

i think his superficial resemblance to raven (grimm mask/grimm colors, red blade) are a misdirection. withered rose, red/black semblance called moonslice, wilt and blush. he’s a lunar eclipse and foreshadowing something to do with summer rose.

i don’t think he has any real history with either raven or summer, though—the connection is thematic/symbolic in nature. my guess based on the importance of his hidden eyes and the brand on his eye, in conjunction with the lunar eclipse/wilted rose thing and how that intuitively relates to summer’s moonlight/burning rose, is that he’s foreshadowing summer’s past.

ruby grew up having no idea that anything was unusual about her eyes. tai and qrow kept that information from her until she discovered the power herself—and then qrow led his explanation with “you’re special the way your mom was special.”

i don’t think silver eyes were some big mystery for summer; i think before she met salem she had probably been a silver-eyed warrior for literally her entire life, and the choice to keep ruby in the dark was her decision that qrow and tai honored after her presumed death specifically because she did not want ruby to grow up the way she did. there’s this thematic confluence between adam and cinder and summer rose and i think the common denominator is childhood enslavement—whether literal (cinder, maybe adam) or in the form of indentured servitude (maybe adam) or being raised from birth as a weapon (summer). see also summer’s thematic connections to penny.

20 notes · View notes

strqyr · 2 years

Text

now that fairy tales is over, i planned on doing a full rundown on how each story might foreshadow future events. and it was going well, going over each story separately to get a general idea...

then, i started going deeper into symbolisms and got as far as the grimm child, specifically symbolism surrounding poppies, and now this is all i can think about:

poppies have been used to symbolize sleep, peace and death. in greek and roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead, but a second interpretation is that the bright scarlet color of poppies signifies a promise of resurrection after death. artificial poppies are also worn to commemorate those who died in war.

in the grimm child, ozpin says that all good stories share one thing in common: they are not what you expect. it also shares a message with the warrior in the woods (hint: silver eyes): do not enter the woods.

this... this is about summer, isn't it? the show has set expectations of what summer was like, all largely positive (they are not what you expect) and with the hound reveal, we know salem has been experimenting with silver eyed warriors when before, she was hunting them down to kill them (summer as the implied turning point); the major point of the grimm child being the chill – a grimm – taking over people.

ozpin: we all have a certain natural inclination. we expect that evil should be easy to recognize rather than accepting it can lurk behind any face. and yet, we are often the slowest to see the darkness within ourselves.

(it may not look like the same eye is hidden... but if i'm not completely wrong, poppy's would be a mirror image, so the left eye is hidden for both.)

#rwby #rwby fairy tales #rwby spoilers #summer rose

208 notes · View notes

ikeromantic · 3 years

Photo

Not an End

A Mitsuhide Akechi story - this scene takes place at about the midpoint of Ch. 10. Approx. 1700 words.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Loyalty

The battle was brutal. In the uncertain light of flickering torches and flaming arrows, colors bled to grey. It was impossible to tell who struggled against whom. Men shouted, screamed, and died. Blood mixed with ash and others pushed forward to continue the struggle. Mitsuhide did his best to keep his little one from the thick of it, but there was no clear path.

He fought when they had to, his sword arm stronger than it had any right to be. His heart beat with ferocity. Not to win, but to protect. Mitsuhide did not note the faces of the men that fell to his blade, but part of him mourned the innocence his beloved lost with each death she witnessed.

Then out of the smoke, like a spirit, a shape took form. Beauty and grace out of place in the landscape of savage violence. Yoshimoto.

Mitsuhide knew the leader of the Imagawa was here and yet . . . he’d hoped to avoid him. Yoshimoto’s quest for an honorable end was not a part of his plan, nor any concern if his. He respected the man’s desire to end his struggle even if he didn’t understand the feelings that motivated the young warlord.

Yoshimoto didn’t even seem to notice Mitsuhide. His eyes found the chatelaine and fixed on her with an unexpected passion. “I was hoping I would meet you again in more pleasant circumstances.”

“Me too.” She stepped out from behind Mitsuhide, smiling.

He felt a surge of irrational anger. A desire to lash out. He contained it, left it simmering behind his own smile. “The tides of battle have turned against you. I suggest you and your vassals stand down, Imagawa.”

Yoshimoto’s lips turned up in a ghost of a grin as he finally focused on Mitsuhide. “I am truly impressed by this plan of yours, Silver Kitsunde. You have truly earned the sobriquet.” The flower of the Imagawa drew his sword anew, steel ringing clear of its sheath. “I thank you for the advice, but sadly . . . I cannot withdraw. That choice has never been mine.” His lips firmed into a thin line, his jaw hard. “Everything has led to this moment. The moment it all ends.”

Mitsuhide wan’t sure he could win against Yoshimoto. Not in his current state. And yet, fate had set his path here. Loss was not an option for him, any more than retreat for his opponent. He readied his blade.

Yoshimoto struck.

This was nothing like the fight with Masamune. The one-eyed tiger was ferocious, single-minded, and bloodthirsty. With Yoshimoto, the battle was art. Each move, choreographed. Perfect. This was the strength of the Imagawa. Deadly beauty.

It took all of Mitsuhide’s skill to keep up. Predicting his opponent by understanding the steps of this dance. The rapid strikes shook his bones and sent tremors through his tired muscles. Yet he could sense in Yoshimoto the beginnings of an end. His eyes begged Mitsuhide to finish this fight. To give him a good death.

Mitsuhide readied himself. There was no need to ask why. The Imagawa clan would never yield so long as Yoshimoto lived. The young warlord was a symbol. An excuse to fight on no matter the odds. If he fell . . . they would give up, finally. Mitsuhide knew Yoshimoto’s next move. It would be simple to change his defense to an offense. To slide his blade between Imagawa’s ribs. Straight through his heart.

“No! You can’t” The chatelaine threw herself between the combatants. “Yoshimoto! Run! Live!” She turned to face Yoshimoto. “Go and live for yourself. Think of your family!”

She didn’t understand. Mitsuhide felt a pang of sadness for his little one. She was so vulnerable. So naive. His blade stopped misdwin and he lowered it to his side.

“My . . . family?” Yoshimoto sounded as puzzled as Mitsuhide felt.

She held a hand out to him, as if to touch his cheek. “Sasuke and Yukimura are still looking for you. Everyone in Echigo is waiting for you to come home.”

Mitsuhide felt a surge of jealousy. His precious little one, speaking so passionately to another man - even if only to convince him to live - stirred a poison in the kitsune warlord’s veins.

“Yoshimoto . . . your life is precious. Too precious to throw away for bloodlines and clan responsibilities. It’s your one and only life.” The chatelaine put her hand atop Yoshimoto’s, her pale fingers brushing his ash and bloodstained grip.

“I -”

Mitsuhide grabbed his little mouse by the arm, pulling her back, out of harms’ way. And out of Yoshimoto’s reach. “Are you shielding an enemy, little one?”

“He’s not an enemy,” she protested.

Both a true and untrue statement, Mitsuhide thought. He wanted to explain to her why the Imagawa warlord must die. But the look in her eyes . . . full of belief in him. Trust that Mitsuhide would never harm someone she called a friend. Though he knew - absolutely knew - that killing Yoshimoto was the wisest path, he found that he could not do so.

Mitsuhide met Yoshimoto’s gaze over the top of the chatelaine’s head. An understanding passed between them. Neither wanted to be the man that made her cry. “You will go, Yoshimoto Imagawa. Take your vassals and leave.”

Yoshimoto nodded. “I will withdraw.” He gave an elegant bow which the chatelaine caught as she turned her head to face him.

As Yoshimoto sheathed his blade, the Imagawa vassals shouted in a mix of anger and disappointment. “If you will not fight,” they cried, “then we will die for the honor of the Imagawa tonight.”

It seemed, Mitsuhide thought, that his mercy was misplaced. Regardless of what he would prefer, he did not think he could avoid slaughtering the fractious warriors of the fallen Imagawa. There would be tears from his little one later, he thought. But he could live with that as long as she was alive to cry them.

But before anyone could begin to fight again, Yoshimoto’s voice rang out. It lacked his usual soft cadence. Now it cracked with fierce anger. A heat that Mitsuhide had not thought the Imagawa warlord possessed. “There is no honor in death! Choosing to die here is a betrayal of all the ideals you claim to stand for.” In a quieter voice he added. “As I have only just realized.”

He leaned forward, far too close for Mitsuhide’s comfort, and spoke to the chatelaine. “I want to thank you. And . . . I hope we get the chance to meet again.” Yoshimoto lifted a lock of the chatelaine’s hair and pressed it to his lips in farewell.

“And I do not.” Mitsuhide pulled his little one behind him, away from the passionate eyes of this Imagawa upstart. He was beginning to regret not killing Yoshimoto.

Yoshimoto smiled. “Be well.” Then he led his vassals out of the fight, rallying them around him with an aura of command that he had not shown before. They were soon lost in the chaos and darkness.

Mitsuhide scanned what he could of the battlefield. Most of the shogun’s forces were routed. Crushed between Masamune’s warriors and Hideyoshi’s defenses. He found a good position and waited for the fight to end.

It was Hideyoshi that came to them. His face was splattered with blood and filth. His eyes were bright with victory. “It’s over. We won.”

Masamune’s troops were tying up survivors and putting out fire. The monks of Honno-ji were attending to the wounded and gathering the dead. It was, Mitsuhide thought, a better win than most. Even if his quarry survived. That only meant the hunt was not done. He had yet more to do.

Mitsuhide took a step toward Hideyoshi, intent on wrapping up this goodbye before Hideyoshi turned his mother-hen instincts full on. But his legs didn’t seem willing to move forward and his arms felt heavy as lead. He stood there feeling dumb and slow as Masamune approached alongside Nobunaga.

“Mitsu . . .” His little mouse clung to his arm, almost as if she knew the thoughts that raced through his mind.

“You’ve done well. All of you.” Nobunaga smiled as he approached.

“Thank you my lord,” the three of them said in unison.

Mitsuhide watched Masamune warily. It was entirely possible the one-eyed tiger still meant to fight him. “You took longer than I expected to catch up to me.”

“That’s all you’ve got to say?” Masamune rested a hand on his hilt. A threat, though not an immediate one. “Pfft. I was late because Ieyasu and Mitsunari couldn’t stop squabbling over who would accompany me. I told ‘em they could keep each other company in Azuchi.” His one eye narrowed with anger. “You’re lucky I didn’t hand your ass to my troops after our little . . . chat . . . in the rain.”

“I am grateful,” Mitsuhide began. He had a witty comment to make. He was sure of it. But whatever it had been was gone. “I - I am grateful to you. To Nobunaga. And, and to Hideyoshi.” He put an arm around his little one’s shoulders. “And to you.” He couldn’t help the way he leaned toward her, supporting himself.

Hideyoshi poked a finger in his chest. “You can keep your ‘thank you’ until you and I are done, Mitsuhide!”

There were words Mitsuhide wanted to say. They tumbled, disorganized through his tired mind. He tried to marshal them to order. He was the kitsune warlord - and this was not the time to fall. Not. Yet.

Hideyoshi took his silence as offense and grabbed the front of his clothes, jerking him violently forward.

Mitsuhide felt his beloved’s warmth retreat from him and heard her make a worried sound.

“I hope you’re ready. I’ve got hundreds of questions and you are going to answer ever single one!” Hideyoshi shook him.

“Can’t it wait . . . until . . . tomorrow?” Mitsuhide heard his voice as if it came from a long way off. He was in a tunnel. In a hole in the ground. Hideyoshi’s face floated in the light above him.

“What? And give you the chance to escape?” He shook Mitsuhide again. “You’re not getting out of this.”

Mtisuhide felt his lips turn up in a smile. “It’s not that. I - I’m just . . . rather . . . tired.” And then Hideyoshi’s face was gone. There was only the darkness, silent and heavy. He didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore.

Next: Peace

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen mitsuhide #ikemen mitsuhide #ikesen yoshimoto #otome guys #otome #fanfiction #fanfic

89 notes · View notes