#the further she becomes Salem’s vessel

[thuskindlyshescatters]

Team HRRT: Hey look, it's the main plot!

(Click for better quality.)

I've always wanted to give Ozpin (the person, not the Ozcarnation) an actual backstory, and this seemed like an excellent set of OCs to insert it onto.

Fraxinus based on: Dream SMP - Philza

Atalanta based on: Dream SMP - Technoblade

Explanations below the cut!

Before we get into story things, a couple facts about each of them.

Fraxinus (Frax Soot)

Her crow wings are functional and allow her to glide, but she is only able to fly with the aid of her Semblance, Ashfall, which enables her to take the form of smoke particles for a limited time (sort of like Petal Burst.)

Fraxinus is the scientific name for the genus of ash plants, but in modern day, she goes by Frax Soot, Soot referring to her Semblance.

She fights with a staff/lance called The Borer, in reference to Emerald Ash Borers.

Atalanta

Atalanta is named after the Greek heroine that drew first blood on the Boar of Calydon.

Her passive Semblance, Bloodblade, made her unbeatable in her early days of arena combat. Any blood-drawing blow dealt to her will appear on her opponent.

Part of her prowess as a warrior is attributed to her unfamiliar gait as a Faunus with bowed legs, which are generally more powerful and well-balanced than those of her human opponents.

As previously mentioned in Trixie and Roo's posts, Frax and Atalanta are travelling warriors that have made a name for themselves across Anima as living legends. However, only a trusted few know their true origins as servants of King Ozymandias. Important context: an accepted part of RWBY fanon (which I will embrace here) is that the Last King of Vale that won the Great War was a) the Ozcarnation before Ozpin and b) named, for my purposes, Ozymandias.

Fraxinus and Atalanta were legendary slave gladiators in their youth about a decade before the outbreak of the Great War. They were chosen for their exceptional skill by the previous king to train young Ozymandias, and became his close friends and confidantes. When Ozma entered his mind, he knew such a chance to further Ozma's goal as a person in a position of supreme power could not be passed up, and entrusted Frax and Atalanta with knowledge of his mission, forming their secret syndicate in the fight against Salem.

Shortly after the Great War, Oz recognized the need to build on his momentum in his next life. He granted some of his magic to Frax and Atalanta to extend their lives and delay old age, so that they may train and guide his next incarnation as they did him. (As a side effect, Ozma began passing onto hosts at a much younger age, with both Ozpin and Oscar at fourteen.) When Ozma finally passed, Frax and Atalanta did as they swore, finding and informing a young Ozpin of his task.

But Ozpin was not alone. At the age of fourteen, Ozpin was the only one around to provide for his ailing mother and his six-year-old sister, Wilhelmine. When Frax and Atalanta arrived, they took both children under their (literal) wing. To Ozpin, this was a blessing that gave his life a larger purpose, and he eagerly pursued his mission under Frax's tutelage in using The Long Memory. But Wilhelmine only saw heralds of woe that took her away from her mother and her brother away from her. She grew into a cunning and brutal warrior under Atalanta's watch, who feared the anger and resentment brewing within her. In reaction to Ozymandias's growing power over Ozpin, Wilhelmine developed a Semblance that allowed her to siphon others' Aura into empty vessels, which she attempted to use on Ozpin to rid him of Ozma's influence. It was ineffective, but caused a fight to break out between her and Atalanta that gave her the scars over her left eye, and caused Wilhelmine to run away.

Once Ozpin became headmaster of Beacon, he got the idea to turn Qrow and Raven into spies from Frax's Faunus trait and began building a syndicate of his own. He sent Frax and Atalanta off to become rangers in Anima that kept the peace where possible and ended wars between tribes where not. He also hoped that they would find Wilhelmine in their travels, but they had no such luck. During a period of peace, Frax and Atalanta settled for a time in Keikoku, a peaceful village hidden in a valley in Northern Anima. There, they adopted and raised Lumine, an orphaned dove Faunus they wished not to fail as they did Wilhelmine. However, Lumine was quite averse to combat, instead raising her own young family and becoming the peaceful leader of Keikoku. While Atalanta continued questing across Anima, Frax had the fleeting dream of raising a family of her own and bore Roo, who grew up alongside her technical niece, Trixie. Here's a small family tree including ages and Faunus traits:

However, the peace was not to last. Atalanta caught wind of a rumor of a masked rider known only as the Headhunter, who was said to have a vendetta against Frax and Atalanta. They assumed the Headhunter was a servant of Salem, and fearing for the safety of their loved ones in Keikoku, became much more scarce and secretive, leaving Roo in Lumine's care. After they failed to come to Keikoku's aid during a devastating Grimm attack and were forced to flee to Kuchinashi, Roo and Trixie in particular grew resentful of Frax and Atalanta, dreaming of one day attending Haven and becoming real Huntresses capable of fending for themselves.

As for the Headhunter, she had plans for them of her own. I'm sure you can guess who she once had been under the mask...

Headhunter based on: Dream SMP - Dream

hey look it's evil celty sturluson

#rwby #rwby oc #dream smp #dreamwastaken #professor ozpin #team hrrt #atalanta hrrt #frax soot #roo soot #trixie soot #my oc #my art #my stuff #boy that was a doozy

[samyelbanette]

It’s really unfair that most of the people I ship Qrow with are dead. T_T

Summer is either dead, or has been irreversibly transformed into a monster. If she is alive in Grimm form, it would probably be a mercy at this point to kill her. I could easily write an angst fic about Qrow having to be the one to do it. But, my personal theory, is that Raven already put Summer out of her misery. (I could also write fic where her transformation is reversible by magic, and she becomes a living human woman again....but, I know this is unrealistic.)

Clover is dead. I know a lot of Fair Game shippers were hoping Qrow could use the Staff Of Creation to revive him. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Even if it were theoretically possible, Salem has the staff now. 😞

Ironwood....it’s strongly implied that he drowned when Atlas fell. I know some Ironqrow shippers said “well, we didn’t see his body, so maybe he survived somehow!” But, he sustained pretty heavy injuries before the fall. He could barely move when Cinder called checkmate, so this seems unlikely. Even if he lived.....whatever bond they had with each other, has been destroyed. Qrow was 100% ready to kill Ironwood, before Robyn pleaded with him to stop.

Ozpin....technically he’s not “dead”, but he no longer has his own body. Ozpin’s new vessel is in his early teens, and Qrow would never make advances towards an underage person. Even if Ozpin wanted to be with Qrow, Oscar does not.

Qrow and Winter had a lot of...tension in the first few volumes, but the last few seasons of the show haven’t developed this further at all. They barely interacted during the Atlas arc, so I don’t see this going anywhere in V9.

Tai and Qrow....well, I really love them together. They have a long-standing history. But, they’re on opposite sides of Remnant rn, so I don’t have high hopes of them interacting much in V9 either.

Qrow and Robyn.....honestly, I think this has a high chance of becoming canon. They had some interesting scenes together in V8 (talking about their Semblances in jail, her talking him out of assassinating Ironwood, etc.) Qrow and Robyn were together when Atlas fell. So, I anticipate that they’ll have a lot of scenes together in V9, too. I don’t ship it as hard as the other pairings I listed above. But, I want Qrow to be happy with someone. He deserves it.

Maybe that’s why I’m writing a Qrow/OC fic rn. I can’t promise when the first chapter of that story will be posted, because I have several other projects I’m working on at the same time (To be specific: I’m writing fics for OzQrow Week, QroWin Week, TaiQrow Week, and Lucky Ironqrow Week. Is it obvious that I’m a Qrow stan? ^^; )

If anyone wants to hear more about Alice (my OC) tho, hmu lol

#me rambling #rwby spoilers #qrow branwen

[real-jaune-isms]

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 2 Review/Rundown

Cr

I feel like this about sums up the general reaction after this week. So let’s dive into how it got out of hand so fast.

We open, a little surprisingly, on a shot we saw at the end of last Volume: Qrow looking at Clover’s bloody badge in his hand. We hear Robyn ranting and raving at someone about how this situation is all their fault, how all she wanted was to bring people together. She’s pacing in her cell, and at first you worry she’s turned on Qrow and hates him for fighting Clover and getting them both arrested, but no. She’s berating Jacques, and thank god someone is. He quotes his daughter in Volume 1 and claims he is a victim, but it was more endearing and memorable coming from the Ice Queen. He continues to assert his innocence, saying Watts used him and his power for diabolical purposes. Sure, he is guilty of many things, but he should not be held responsible for this. And at least his charges don’t include murder. That gets Qrow’s attention, since it was of course a dig at him. That quells Robyn’s fury rather quickly, and she does defend Qrow’s innocence. But she hops right back on the flame train and (while wonderfully insulting his mustache) says she’s not about to agree with the words of an accomplice to Watts’ sins against Mantle. Sure enough, the man of the hour is also in an adjacent cell, and he’s resigned himself to being stuck here like the rest of them. We get a look at where exactly “here” is, a 2 by 2 grid of square cells whose walls are Hard Light Dust shields. It’s a room that’s otherwise rather empty, and the Dust walls seem to be the only source of light. A very makeshift appearance, all things considered, and I worry about Watts being in a cell surrounded by Dust tech he might be able to manipulate. Then again, they took his rings, but he’s got to be pretty resourceful. Meanwhile, Jacques has all the confidence of a spoiled rich brat put behind bars for a misdemeanor. He’s quite sure Whitley will be rushing to get the family’s legal team on the case, and he’ll be out within... well we don’t know exactly how short he thinks his incarceration will last because Robyn gets pissed and punches the wall dividing them. That shuts him up rather well. And really, Jacques-ass? You’re putting your faith in a teenager to help overturn alleged war crimes? What an out of touch prick. 

All four of them are shaken from their particular trains of thought by an alarm buzzing and the door opening. Three guards file in, disengage one of the walls of Watts’ cell, and go inside to smack him with the muzzle of a gun and drag his ass outta there. Jacques cringes at the sight of such sudden violence, and Robyn looks momentarily surprised before seeming to accept this. Guess she didn’t expect Ironwood to be so ruthless so soon. She sits back on her bed, which looks like its just a hard slab, and laments being unable to do anything. But Qrow says there is something they can do: kill the man who put them here. To paraphrase Agent Washington, that has got to be the worst plan ever. Of all time. You’re already in jail on murder charges, and now you want to actually cross the line and kill THE LEADER OF A KINGDOM?!?!?! I realize that Ironwood has gone of the deep end and needs to be stopped, but this is not the way to do it. This will only lead to failure, I’m sure of it.

Meanwhile, we cut down to an Atlas news reporter doing a story in Mantle. He’s doing his thing, talking about the unprecedented Grimm hordes and Ironwood not doing anything about it yet. But just as he’s going on about the dedication of his station, the Atlas Eye, Joanna comes up and swipes his microphone to deliver her own message to the people. She tells it like it is, saying that the Happy Huntresses are here to offer aid when Ironwood will not, and spreading the word for people to gather what supplies they can and head for the crater. We see one of the kids from Jaune’s crosswalk scene, and thank goodness his mom is still alive. Joanna talks about all of Mantle coming together to hold the line against the coming Grimm, otherwise the storm at their gates will sweep in to wipe them all out. Yang’s group get into Pietro’s pharmacy, and open the door to the backroom to discover something that makes them very happy. As we saw from the promo clip several months ago, it’s three hoverbikes which we then see them riding through the streets. Yang’s a natural at it, driving up a ramp to do a cool flip off a wall much to Oscar’s panic and discomfort as some of her hair gets in his mouth. Jaune and Ren are... adequate by comparison. Noticing the purple glow of what I presume is Gravity Dust propelling them and allowing the bikes to hover, I wouldn’t be shocked if Yang gives hers a paintjob to be the new Bumblebee: Now with added shipping material! What’s far less pleasant to notice is the Grimm squatting like a gargoyle on the bridge they drive under. We see this thing on the rooftops in a few more shots and then... whooo boy. But we will get there. For now, the biker gang finds more people to protect and help on the journey through town to the crater. One of the Real Thirsty Moms has armed herself with a snow shovel and isn’t totally sure if the crater will be a safe place, but Yang puts on her bravest face to reassure her... just before the screams of people being chased by Grimm get her attention. It’s only two Sabyrs, and Jaune stops their progress by throwing a Hard Light shield spawning grenade that we can assume was with the stash of new gear earlier. Ren drops down to stab both Grimm to death and kicks the quickly deactivating grenade back to Jaune who uses the Gravity in his shield to draw it to him. Very handy with all the tools, bud. Oscar is worried the Grimm Salem has brought with her have already gotten this far into the city, but Yang rationalizes they’re stragglers from the big attack last night. Cuz yeah, we’re still only 12 hours or so removed from the climactic latter half of Volume 7. She doesn’t wanna take any chances though, and asks Ren if Jaune can amp his Semblance up so he can mask the whole crowd for the trip. Ever the realist, he gives a less than encouraging answer, but Jaune sees how badly these people need some hope and comfort. So he makes it into a reassuring promise that the trip will be totally safe and Grimm free. Good job, man. But in every crowd of people, there’s always... a Karen. In this case it’s a grandma who doesn’t want to go stay in the slums among the “animals”, she wants to go to Atlas dammit. But Yang has been waiting to berate someone after the morally grey argument with Ruby last episode, so she takes full advantage of this. This lady might want to be in Atlas, but it’s become clear that Atlas doesn’t want her or any of the other people in Mantle, whereas the Faunus in the crater are showing more kindness than she deserves and giving her a warm place to stay amid all these Grimm. That shuts her up quick, and her daughter (one of the Real Thirsty Moms!) nervously butts in to say that yeah, they’ll accept the offer and she’ll go get their stuff now. We fade to seeing the greyed out crowd walking down the street with Yang giving frontal support, Ren riding on Jaune’s bike in the midst of the crowd to mask outwards in a radius, and Oscar guarding the rear. Grandma Karen is still whining about having to go to the crater, but her daughter is trying to get her to pipe down.

Oscar laments how hard it’s been to get folks to cooperate, with Ozpin chiming in to say he’s preaching to the choir on this one, and that he’s becoming increasingly concerned about that challenge. Oscar grumbles about the unencouraging internal peanut gallery, and Oz gets right to the point. The teens all have every right to be mad at him for dipping on them in Mistral, none more so than Oscar himself, but that’s not what Oscar’s beef is about. He’s mad that he gave him false hope, that in the time Oz was gone Oscar was able to really start coming into his own as a fighter and a member of the team. But now he’s back and Oscar will go back to just being the vessel for the guy everyone really cares about. Oz acknowledges and validates that, but admits that he was never really gone at all so... the merging is still going. Oscar is gaining deep memories and what magic Oz has left, so it’s closer than ever. Neither of them want this to happen, but what can they do? Further up, Ren’s cloaking flickers for a second and Jaune checks on him. He’ll be fine, he’s just got a lot to focus on. Jaune tries to give him a pep talk, but silence is more needed here and Ren is a little snippy in saying so. Jaune seems pretty bummed that Ren is in such a state, but I can’t really say he’s mad at him. More upset with himself and his leadership. One member of his team left to do something else, and the other is in a mental funk he has no clear idea how to help him out of. That’d bum anyone out. Let’s talk about Ren for a moment, actually. I think part of the reason his semblance is working at less than 100% is the same reason he’s pissy with Jaune. He has too many emotions bottled up and he’s trying to ignore them for the sake of staying neutral and calm to be at his best. But if you force yourself to always be neutral, it becomes that much harder to shift into the zen needed for this power. He needs to let himself have emotional highs and lows so he can transition naturally into the middle ground. In other words, TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS, BUDDY!!! It’s also been theorized that his semblance can work for more than just neutrality and he might be projecting his inner turmoil onto the crowd. But that’s yet to be proven. Oz appropriately closes out the scene by saying that they ALL need to figure out a way to work together, but something tells me that’s not coming for another 8 episodes at least.

Changing locales, we see Penny outside of a building with a puffing smokestack on the edge of the city. Turning around, we see where the city of Mantle ends and the slums of the crater begin, and how many people are making there way down from one to the other. But quickly look back, as Blake has just cut off the lock on the chain link gate to the building and May is leading our girl squad inside. That’s right, the one and only May Marigold is coming along on this mission so we get a chance to see her really show her stuff! Nora is grateful for the assist, but May assures her this plan would have definitely gotten Robyn’s backing judging by how much she talked about Amity Tower once she was in the know, so she’s all too happy to help get it up and running. And the Happy Huntresses can afford to be sending her for this, since Fiona has the rest of the team helping her out. The reminder that their partners are off doing a separate mission dampens Blake and Nora’s smiles though... Ruby worries about the safety of going into this place, but once inside Weiss gives the rundown. This is a subsidiary of the Schnee Dust Company that specializes in shipping packages of refined Dust from the mines up to various areas of Atlas through pneumatic tubes. And since it’s a small side business, the worker robots have no direct chain of command to Ironwood, just the Schnees. And Weiss’ grand plan for transportation up to the Atlas military base is something Ruby jokingly suggested back in Volume 2... mailing themselves to their destination. You’re becoming more like that dolt every day... and as a White Rose shipper I love it~ Blake takes this opportunity to rain on Weiss’ confident parade with a dig at the high percentage of buildings in Atlas the Schnee family must own at this rate, and Weiss refuses to comment on how many they actually don’t own. Glad to see Blake being playful like this, shows she’s really comfortable being back with the group again. Everyone spreads out to look for the tube they need, and Penny finds the one for Atlas Academy instead. It reminds her of the confrontations that were had there last Volume, and it clearly still bothers her. Ruby comes over to check on her, and incorrectly assumes Penny’s lamenting about friends fighting is regarding her and Yang. You may be the protagonist, but not everything is about you Ruby. Penny meant Ironwood, Winter, and the Ace Ops, the people Team RWBY had become such fast friends and trusted allies with in Volume 7. The people who are doing and saying such unkind things now, like Ironwood telling her people will die unless she does as she says. Maybe that’s why she’s lingering at this terminal, she’s debating giving herself up to him for the sake of others? 

Ruby is having none of this self blaming talk though, and turns Penny around to look her in the eyes as she assures her that no, that isn’t true at all, Ironwood was just saying it to hurt her and make her feel bad enough to come back. Penny admits that she misses the days when she was just the Protector of Mantle, that she now has so much heavy responsibility and duty thrust upon her as the Winter Maiden and she wishes she did not. She was struggling enough to find an identity as a normal girl, now she has a whole other identity to grapple with, it’s all truly unfortunate and sad. Holding her hands in a very similar way to how she did back when she first found out Penny was an android, Ruby assures her that she is still very much the girl she once was. She protected Mantle by taking the Maiden powers so they wouldn’t be misused to hurt the city. This seems to cheer Penny up a bit, and she thanks Ruby for it. The two have another nice hug, before Nora calls out that she’s found the terminal they need. Blake notes that this is the point of no return, and May asserts her confidence that between Penny’s capabilities with the computers they’ll encounter and her own invisibility Semblance they’ve got this in the bag. Penny doesn’t like being referred to as a secret weapon, or a weapon of any kind, but she says nothing about it. For now, let’s praise May for being sassy and cool and doing a cute little curtsy for style. Nora asks the important question of how the heck they’re gonna use this thing, and Weiss goes into tutorial mode again. Just lie back into the tube and hit the launch button, easy enough. Except she was sitting on the edge of the tube for a visual aid and Nora got bored. So ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM goes Weiss up the tube with a frightened screech. Everyone just watches in slack-jawed shock and confusion, but Nora immediately goes giddy at what has just happened and what will soon happen to the rest of them. I can’t imagine what Ruby and Blake must be thinking, not to mention what’s going through May’s mind with this being her first exposure to Nora being... Nora.

But that’s all we get of them for this episode, so Weiss is Schrodinger’s Heiress for the next week. We go to the crater as Joanna heads into a tent where Fiona is hunched over a map coordinating over comms with someone we’ve yet to meet named Crimson. As she finishes the call and whines over how stressful this all is, Joanna drops a small crystal of fire Dust into a sort of furnace and assures her that she’s doing a great job. Fiona absorbs the map into her hand of infinite holding and says Joanna’s big display on the news makes her more qualified for this job. Joanna laughs that off and says it was necessary to spread the word, which seems to be working judging by how many folks are arriving. The group they’re now noticing come in is the one Yang and her squad have just arrived with from Sector 7. The happy lamb does a happy hoppy dance hearing that they’ve already cleared out that sector, and admits her previous doubts that they could manage this much with only half their team. This hits a sore nerve for both Ren and Yang, and the former stomps off while the latter gives a passive aggressive response. They really need to address this soon or it’s all gonna explode in their faces... Oscar wisely changes the subject to ask how they’re managing to house and provide for all these people, and the two Huntresses give a rundown. They’re doing what they can with houses and shelters, and a lot of people are trying to make old mineshafts into someplace livable, and they’ve been looting SDC refineries for Dust to keep everyone warm. Unlike our own society, no one is getting arrested amidst the end of the world. But they substitute that with the terrifying dread of not knowing when the majority of the Grimm will finally attack, what they’re all waiting for. We and the teens know they’re waiting for Salem’s command, for an opening to cause the most damage. And the longer they wait the more the negative emotions build to draw them in. Clever clever, you old witch you. The ominous mood is interrupted by the badger guy from episode 1 running up to inform Fiona that another fight has broken out among the people. He’s voiced by RT founder Gus Sorola, and apparently he’s Fi’s uncle! She seems bummed about having to go break up another fight, but Joanna’s got this one covered. But problems keep coming, and Crimson reports in that there’s a group of Grimm coming in from the east that he can’t handle while transporting civilians. Yang and co are all to ready go get this off Fiona’s plate for her, and we cut to Yang being pursued by a Teryx. We soon see she’s leading it into an ambush, as Ren and Oscar come riding in at an intersection to toss a grenade baton beneath it which presumably contains air/wind Dust because it gets propelled upwards to crash into a bridge and fall back down stunned. Yang gets out of the way and Jaune charges in for the kill. With that job done, Fiona immediately has a new group for them to clear out on the west side. The kids are getting real tired of this constant rushing around killing Grimm, but its part of the job they made such a fuss about going to do so they gotta do it. Oscar points out what I mentioned before, the negativity from everyone worrying when Salem will strike is luring in the stragglers amongst the Grimm. Speaking of stragglers, three Sabyrs come charging up the street much to Ren’s annoyance. But before they can make contact, something gets their attention and they turn tail to run. This puzzles and concerns the team, since Grimm have never retreated before. Before they can finish asking themselves what the Grimm were running from, they get an answer. A large dog-like Grimm pounces on Oscar and starts mauling him and thrashing his body around. He tries to fight back, kicking at one of its legs, but it is unfazed and keeps hitting him until his aura is gone. We see this thing has no eyes to speak of, but it soon gains apposable hands and hind legs capable of bipedal movement. All the better to carry Oscar away with, and shockingly enough, all the better to hold him in front of it as a human shield when Yang comes charging in to try and save him. She has to swerve and avoid hitting the kid, but gets grabbed by the head and tossed against a wall. Ren is the next to attack, but his bullets do jackshit to its back and his “grapple into the enemy and pull myself at it for a kick” has never worked before and continues to not work now. The Hound, as it is named in the credits and in concept art, stretches out its arm much like the Nuckelavee back in Volume 4 and swats Ren away. Jaune is about to charge in too, but Yang warns him about the Hound’s shield tactic. He’s in disbelief, because they may have seen old Grimm that have gained beastial sentience but never this kind of sapience and creative thinking. Ren grabs his guns but the Hound holds Oscar up again to stop him. Ren, naturally, yells at the Grimm to give their friend back. 

But the Hound just stretches its neck with a few cracking sounds, and says “No”.

This leaves the huntsmen and huntresses in a silent stupor of shock and fear, and I would not blame them. If all of my world’s history has been telling me that the monsters I hunt are mindless beasts of violence and destruction, nothing more, that’s one thing. If I learn they were created by a deity solely for the sake of destroying my civilization and are nothing but his avatars of darkness and wreckage, that’s a big theological pill to swallow but I still know how these things always tend to act. If I am on 6 hours of sleep vs 28 hours of being awake, just had a big personal argument over what our job should be amidst the apocalypse, and now my entire understanding of the monsters I at least thought I knew how to handle is thrown out the window?????? Yeah, I would need a goddamn minute before I could think rationally and quickly again. So you’ll excuse me for giving Yang, Jaune and Ren a pass as they just stand there and watch the Hound grow bat-like wings in a very painful and goopy transformation that gets some goo on Oscar’s unconscious face and then climbs up a building with Oscar in its mouth to fly away. When they do recover their senses they hop on their bikes and chase after the beast at full speed, giving a hasty and vague apology to Fiona for having to go handle this emergency that she wouldn’t believe even if they told her. And that’s it, we have to wait a week or longer to find out if they catch this thing and get Oscar back. Judging from the intro, I’d say they won’t and he will be brought before Salem for torture. Fun!~ This definitely opens the door for brand new possibilities of what Grimm are capable of doing or being, and lots of people are theorizing the Hound is so intelligent because Salem stuck a person in there, possibly someone we thought was dead but perhaps isn’t? Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see.

Sorry it’s so late, but hope this is a good review.

#rwby reviews #qrow branwen #robyn hill #jacques schnee #arthur watts #general ironwood #but only in mention #joanna greenleaf #yang xiao long #jaune arc #lie ren #oscar pine #ozpin #penny polendina #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #nora valkyrie #may marigold #weiss looking sus #I saw her vent #fiona thyme #The Hound #among us #new grimm #terrifying grimm #talking grimm #rwby spoilers #volume 8 spoilers #rwby volume 8 spoilers

[calliecat93]

Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 7

(Top Dislikes)

Gosh, we are so close to Volume 8 now, and it’s driving me crazy! But we’re not there yet. So let’s continue to remember what Volume 7 delivered upon us. Last time I did the Dislikes post, so now it’s time for the Top 5 Likes post! Which this was so, SO much easier to come up with than the Dislikes list! Like I said there, this volume is so well-written and jam-packed full-on content. It was a rollercoaster of a ride where even though I didn’t want to get back on for a while, that thrill was everlasting. Whether V8 will give the same result will be determined soon, but for now let’s go over the Top 5 Likes of RWBY Volume 7. As always, just my opinion, so take with a grain of salt~

Okay, let’s go!

#5. Oscar Development

By far one of the biggest criticisms against Volume 6 was how it handled Oscar. There was a LOT of good setup concerning his identity crisis as he struggled with keeping control, maintaining his own identity, and the potential burden of just being another of Oz’s wasted lives. While he DID reach a new confidence by the end which was nice, it... was more or less offscreen. To many, myself included, Oscar felt wasted and I specifically criticized how the execution made it feel like depite what Ruby said and what the narrative is trying to say, it DOES feel like Oscar’s viewed as just Oz’s vessel and that’s all his importance amounted to. I was hoping that Volume 7 was going to rectify this like they did with Ruby in Volume 6. Did they do so?

Absolutely yes.

While they still have a bad habit of setting up Oscar in trouble but it turning out to be a fake-out (his disappearance due to Neo), the volume did a LOT to improve his position. With Oz gone, Oscar has to be diplomatic on his own. He’s in a position where he can get close to Ironwood in a way that the others can’t and see him actually vulnerable. Unlike the others, who keep just pointing out to Ironwood how his actions are problematic to varying degrees, Oscar can see what’s really causing it: fear. Which is something that Oscar can relate to. After all, he was terrified when his quest began, but he always faced it and went forward everything to do what was right. Even when it meant leaving home, even when it meant facing unjust anger from others, he did so.

Oscar tries to reason with Ironwood. He tries to have him realize that it’s okay to be afraid. That it’s okay  to be honest with those around him. That it’s okay to be vulnerable. Ironwood isn’t the only one either. In the beginning, he’s worried about Ruby’s lie because of how much it reminds him of what Oz did to them. You could argue that he’s developed into the conscious of the group, but he knows how to reason with these matters in a peaceful way. He’s becoming more of a diplomat similar to Ozpin, which even Ironwood points out in Chapter 9.

Then there’s the finale. Sadly, despite all of his pleas and how much he reached out to him, Ironwood ultimately rejected him and Oz. He rejected the route of trust and embraced fear, sealing the deal by shooting Oscar. But while he couldn’t help Ironwood, he did help someone else: Ozpin. His words convinced the former headmaster to at last return and face his own fears, saving them both. It also allowed Oscar to gain more of Oz’s power and memories. The boy has gone form a scared teenager entering a world he doesn’t truly understand, to becoming a courageous young man filled with compassion and hope for those around him. And this time, we got to actually see that growth unfold. He’s still got a long path ahead of him, but this greatly amended Oscar’s character and I am grateful for it.

#4. Penny Polendina

SHE CAME BACK! YAY!!! I MISSED HER SO MUCH!!!

Every since hr death in V3, I fully expected Penny to come back at some point. And indeed, she did! And with her memory intact, thank goodness! While I do wish we got some more exploration in how she felt about dying and such, her role int his volume was so well done I can forgive it. She has more screentime in this volume than Volumes 1-3 combined, and I love it! A cute new design, her struggling between duty and her own wants, trying to understand feelings and finding them to be a beautiful thing, there is SO MUCH going on with her here.

Penny is part of Ironwood’s inner circle, having been assigned as he Protector of Mantle. She takes her job seriously and does her best to protect the citizens. She’s elated to see Ruby and the others again and tries to assist them as much as she can. But as the volume goes, we see how much she struggles between her dedication to Mantle and Ironwood’s orders. It’s especially clear fter she is framed for the massacre during the elections. The poor girl is mortified, everyone viewing her as just another of Ironwood’s robots. Even Ironwood feels this way with his insensitive comment bout her being ‘under his control’ during the Council Meeting. The poor girl just needs a hug.

But this helps set Penny apart from Atlas. Unlike the others, who are following orders, Penny is trying to follow her heart. She tries to encourage Winter to do the same when she snapped at Jaques, even saying that all she did was speak form the heart and has no reason to feel ashamed of it. After Ironwood declares martial law, she is clearly upset and outright says that it’s wrong. She even asks Winter if this bothers her, and isn’t very convinced by her argument about the general taking on the burden. Penny chooses to embrace her feelings, not reject them as Winter, the Ace-Ops, and Ironwood have done.

It ends with Penny comforting Fria as her Maiden powers go out of control. How does she do this? She simply goes up to her and gently asks her if she’s okay. She shows the old woman more compassion and care than she’s probably had in quite a while. As a result, Fria ultimately transfers the Winter Maiden powers ot her. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that despite being a robot, Penny is a real girl. Hell, she is by far the most human of the Atlesian characters in this volume. She ultimately feels disheartened by Fria’s death, but still goes with Ruby and the others because that’s the right thing.

Penny’s character arc was a delight. There were so many expectations with her return, and I am so happy with the result! Penny feels so much more three-dimensional now. She still has the sweetness that made us love her before, but she also grew as a character. She embraced her feelings, she made choices for herself after having to abide by Ironwood’s rules for so long, she even managed to get some payback on Cinder for her death. Her good-heart and kindness was rewarded at the end. I do worry for her, especially since Salem’s Whale Grimm is absolutely a Montstro reference, but I’m still so happy with her in this volume~

3. The Atlas/Mantle Conflict

I am... not good at talking about this kind of thing, so I apologize if this seems rambly or all over the place. The big conflict pf the volume was the division between Atlas and Mantle. We knew going in how Atlas was seen as a bastion of civilization, but also full of snobs and an army leader who doesn’t exactly have his priorities straight. We knew that Mantle was the former capital and it was easy to assume that it probably wasn’t in the best state... and HO BOY were we right.

While Atlas looks futuristic and pristine, Mantle is run-down and out-of-date. The former capital and it’s people have not been treated well and worse, Atlas controls everything including their heating system. Ironwood has forced the city to be without essential provisions for Amity, and has therefore left them vulnerable to the Grimm. It’s easy to see why Mantle would resent Ironwood and Atlas as a whole, and why it was easy for Watts and Tyrian to widen the divide. It’s like the Chorus conflict in the Chorus Trilogy in RvB, only we’re there to see the division outright instead of coming in many years later. Our heroes are trying to mend the divide, but it’s so much easier said than done when neither side will budge.

There’s a lot of contrast with the two sides. Ironwood is a seemingly cold man with an authoritarian streak. Robyn is more laid-back, if a little cocky but her heart is very much set on helping Mantle. Both can be very brash and place trust above all else. But they both run their respective groups very differently. Robyn views the Happy Huntresses as her friends, while Ironwood trained the Ace-Ops to be his loyal attack dogs. Robyn is willing to give her trust until it gets broken, while Ironwood is wrapped by his own paranoia. We see how these two groups function. They have similarities, but are also very different especially when it comes to how their leaders treat their respective groups.

There is a HUGE class issue between Atlas and Mantle. It’s not helped by Ironwood’s plans causing further suffering, and of course in the end he chooses to leave it open to Salem in favor of saving Atlas. The fandom has fought back and forth for months over if this was right or not, which only proves the point of the division. You can see where each side is coming from, and we care for the people on each side. The conflict was presented throughout the volume with the heroes trying to help, but they sadly fail. The moment Tyrian’s slaughter happens in Chapter 6, you can break the tension with a butter knife and it doesn’t let up. We’ll probably only see more of it with Volume 8 now that Mantle has no protection. But as far as this volume goes, it was presented very well and very strongly.

#2. The Fall of James Ironwood

Love him or hate him, Ironwood is by far one of the strongest written characters in the show. Ever since his intro in Volume 2, we have been building up to this moment. The man has a LO of flaws. He’s arrogant, brash, favors military might over being discreet, and has a bad tendency to not learn form his missteps. These flaws contributed to the Fall of Beacon. But we also saw a man who was honest, righteous, respected Ozpin, and for all had flaws seemed to have good intentions. He was always willing to put himself on the front lines and took none of Jaques’ elitist shit. Sure he caused the Dust Embargo and closed Atlas down, but he also defended Weiss in Volume 4 and was clearly upset about the Fall fo Beacon. We saw a flawed, but still good man and if he could just embrace his flaws and open his heart, he could have been the great hero that he appeared to be.

Sadly thought, that wasn’t meant to be.

Ironwood is shown to be dishelved and plagued by paranoia, but he HAS created a plan to re-establish communications and expose Salem. But his police state with Mantle has the heroes concerned, so they lie to him about Oz and the lamp. The man continues to make questionable decisions, like I already said about his treatment of Mantle. But he still seems devoted tot he cause and like despite these calls, his intentions are still good and it will pay off even with the bad press. Heck, after Robyn tells him to trust her in Chapter 9 and with a push form Oscar, he seemed to FINALLY be doing the right thing. he revealed the truth about Salem to everyone, he worked alongside Mantle, and he faced Watts in the same place where his greatest failure had occurred. It seemed like all the begging and pleading had worked.

Sadly though, it all fell apart once Ironwood saw the glass chess piece.

Ironwood’s greatest enemy isn’t Salem. It’s not Robyn. It’s not he council. No, it’s himself. He has closed up his emotions and his hear to everyone around him. He has buried himself in his paranoia and his pursuit in defeating Salem. With every mistake, Ironwood failed to learn and move forward. He just became more and more consumed by his own fear. He wanted to be a strong leader. To be like Oz. But like Oz, he ended up losing himself and unlike Oz, he couldn’t acknowledge where he went wrong. In many ways you can sympathize with him because of the bleak situation and him trying to do what he can with what he has. But sadly, none of that can justify the path that he ended up taking.

Ironwood is angry at Team RWBYs lies. This and Salem’s approach pretty much causes him to snap. He’s going to let Fria die so that Winter had the Maiden powers. He's going to abandon Mantle to their demise in a futile plan to raise Atlas into orbit. When RWBY opposes this, he orders them to be arrested. He even coldly confirms that he’s leaving Mantle to die. However one feels about this choice, as a cruel but necessary choice to save what can be saved, or a needless sacrifice made by a fascist dictator, one can at least make an argument about either point that makes it hard to say who was right. Him snapping at Oscar and knowingly shooting the kid to his demise? No. That one cannot be justified at all, especially since he was as cold as steel when he did it.

This moment has been built-up since we met him all those years ago. We wanted Ironwood to do the right thing. We all hoped that he would. But he didn’t, and it isn’t shocking at all. We saw enough to like Ironwood, but to also be very much aware of his faults that he just never seemed able to conquer. His fall form grace is tragic, yet done in such a satisfying way as well. I felt for him, but there was no justifying his actions. I kept hoping that he’d pull through, but once Chapter 11 hit, I knew we were at the point of no return. The James Ironwood we once knew is no more, consumed by his fear. What will happen to him next? Will he manage to realize his wrongs? Or will he continue to fall until there’s nothing left to salvage? It’s hard to say. But for now, the tin man has lost his heart,. A very sad, but very well done, character arc for sure.

1. The Theme of Trust and Fear

When I first heart this volume’s opening, Trust Love, I liked it... but the more the volume went, the more the optimistic song felt out of place for the dark volume. Considering this IS an anime, that’s probably intentional. But the more I examined the lyrics, especially after the full version came out, the more I truly realized how it fits with this volume. The song speaks of one trying to live in their dream world, but they need to face reality and trust those around them. They need to stop waiting for a miracle, they need to take control of their life now and move forward. hey need to... well, trust in love. Then you have the finale song, Fear, which  outright asks ‘who will you be when you are faced with fear? Will you see the person you hope to see? Or will you see a stranger?” Will you feel proud? Or will you feel betrayed?

This is the theme of the volume. The theme of trust and the right thing against fear. Ironwood claims to trust the heroes, yet he can’t trust anyone else and his own fear is slowly consuming him. The heroes are mistrustful of Ironwood, but they trust each other and want to help mend the divide between Ironwood and Mantle. But at every turn, fear gets ii n he way. Tyrian’s slaughter makes Mantle afraid and enraged. Ironwood’s fear keeps him from opening up and it leads to his downfall as I already described. The Ace-Ops don’t fight together as a team, which leads to Team RWBY who DO trust each other to defeat them. Clover is blinded by his loyalty to Ironwood to recognize that he’s doing the wrong thing, and it leads to his death. Not to mention the mistrust between him, Qrow, and Robyn lead tot he crash to begin with.

As Oz says in his monologue, fear is the greatest thing that everyone shares. We see everyone afraid. Ironwood is afraid. Ruby is afraid. Ozpin is afraid. Even Cinder is afraid. It’s all for different reasons. Ironwood is afraid of Salem. Ruby is afraid of the uncertainty ahead. Ren is afraid of failing Nora and the others. Cinder is afraid of failing to achieve her foals. Qrow is afraid of bonding with others, especially considering what happened to Clover. Ozpin...d o I even need to elaborate on him? The title to Chapter 13 is ‘The Enemy of Trust’. What is that enemy? Fear. Recently, I’ve been feeling that same fear of trust. Fear of being hurt. Fear of being betrayed. Fear of the unknown. It’s a VERY powerful force, and a tempting one at that.

The message of the volume ultimately si that it’s okay to be afraid. It’s perfectly human to feel that way. You don’t need to get over it. It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid, it’s what you do in the face of it that matters. Will you face it? Will you do what’s right? Will you find it in yourself to trust and love again? Or will you succumb to it? Will you end up repeating your mistakes because of your fear? Will you make the wrong choice? What will that say about the person you are? One way or another, we all will find out the answer to that question. We may not know the answers for a long time, but you ultimately need to try and do what’s right. You can’t let the fear control you. You need to decide who you will be when ti comes, and if in the end you will be happy with who you are left with.

Ironwood chose to repeat his mistakes, and is now a heartless tin soldier. Ozpin ultimately chose to return and face it and while only time will determine how that goes, it’s a step in the right direction. People like Ruby and Oscar still tried to do what thy knew was right. Weiss was afraid of her father, but faced him to gain her freedom. Blake feared Adam and the White Fang and chose to run, but eventually decided to fight back and ultimately won. Yang was afraid after losing her arm and of being abandoned, and while she struggled she ultimately faced it, proving herself stronger than her cowardly mother. Even after Ruby broke down when it became clear that Salem killed her mother, she still faced the wicked witch, told her off to her face, and pulled herself together enough to warn everyone about Ironwood and stand her ground. And there’s so any other examples that I could list. 

I think considering the times right now, this message is incredibly important. It’s been a major part of the series since the start, but Volume 7 especially made it prominent. We need to trust in love. We need to be courageous enough to do the right thing. We need to be able to express our fear and doubts with others to become better. In a world where everything 9si uncertain and everyone is on edge, I think that the themes here are more relevant than ever, and was handled very well. Especially with that monologue in Chapter 13. As such, this is my favorite part of RWBY Volume 7 without a doubt.

Well, that’s it folks! It was nice to revisit Volume 7 again after so long~ But as we close the book, we’re about to open another for Volume Eight. What’s gonna happen? I don’t know. Am I scared? Oh big time. But I’ve come this far, I’m not backing out until the very end. So I hope that you all enjoy Volume 8, and as always I look forward to reviewing it all~ See you all on premiere day~!

#rwby #rwby reviews #rwby musings #callie reviews #top likes/dislikes

[blackcatmanor]

RWBY V7 Ch11 Photo review (spoilers)

A really great episode showing a lot of good strides made by the crew as storytellers! Pictures below  

Story stuff that was good:

Fights- Both action and the fighting in Ironwood’s office was well done. So much, in fact they deserve their own mini-breakdowns: 

Combat fights:

Ironwood vs Watts- I appreciated the apparent disparity between their combat styles. Ironwood was clearly a stronger, more aggressive, and overall better fighter, but Watts used his smarts and ability to manipulate the anti-gravity fields to help gain an advantage (I called that- yay!). I am really glad how this fight played out because it shows that the crew really thought about it and didn’t just make it a generic match between two opponents. The setting and dynamics of the anti-gravity field were also great and I think this will end up being one of the top fights of all time in RWBY. 10/10 

I hated watching the end, though but for the right reasons: Watching Ironwood peel his skin off to get free from the shield was excruciating and awful to watch, which really matches the tone of the scene. Watts just sort of standing there flabbergasted was even kind of appropriate, because you could tell he expected to trap Ironwood and did not expect the lengths Ironwood would go to in order to free himself. Some of the dialogue was a bit hammy, such as “You don’t want even MORE parts of your body made of metal,” and Ironwoods “I will sacrifice WHATEVER IT TAKES to stop her” but it wasn’t too distracting.

 Tyrian vs the Qrow, Clover, and Robyn (aka the throuple). 

This fight was very well choreographed but it was overall a bit of a mixed bag, mostly good but unexpected when considering what was teased in the opening cinematic. The opening cinematic promised a lot more interaction of Qrow and Robyn, with Robyn engaging Tyrian hand-to-hand, but Robyn literally stayed on the sidelines taking pot-shots and just got the final takedown by chance. If Tyrian had just dodged that last arrow, she wouldn’t have had the takedown and cool one-liner moment at all. Clover similarly was somewhat sidelined but he definitely had way more involvement in the fight than Robyn.

However, despite my criticism that Robyn and Clover were somewhat sidelined, I actually liked how Qrow was the main force behind the fight, because it gave him a chance to get revenge for his poisoning in Vol. 4, and he landed a lot of really good punches and kicks. It’s a nice callback even though the fight was slightly muddled by the different tone previewed by the opening cinematic, which promised a lot more cooperation rather than a Qrow vs Tyrian re-match.

Fights (verbal)

The fight in Ironwood’s office was great. Some of the dialogue was a bit wonky at times but overall it had the perfect impact: I felt re-invigorated in rooting for our girls and I wanted to punch the Ace Ops in the face! The clash of ideals was awesome and shows a great juxtaposition between our idealistic huntresses who never back down from a fight even if they may not win and the  Military/Strategic and Tactical style from Atlas, with Huntsmen and Huntresses willing to sacrifice lives for a greater victory (losing the battle to win the war). 

I think they did a good job of showing subtle differences in Ace Ops, as Vine and Harriet seem more in-line with Ironwood, Marrow seemed super conflicted (bordering on miserable), and Elm was somewhat in the middle. However, as they are the military, all of them fell in line at the end, showing a possible struggle between RWBY and the Ace Ops. 

The conflict between ideologies carried into the Throuple as well, and it was a great show vs tell moment where Qrow and Robyn are allied in the idealistic paradigm, with Clover literally on the opposite side. 

Basically: 

Ruby is Captain America, Yang is the Hulk, Weiss is Ironman, Blake is Spiderman. 

Cliffhangers

The cliffhanger in this volume is much more natural than volumes 5 and 6. In the previous two volumes, the last few episodes simply chopped up existing fights and stretched them out, pausing the combat to just resume a week later. This episodes’ cliffhanger was spectacularly done. The two main combat fights of the chapter are finished, but there is still plenty of conflict set up for later, and the ideological battles seem like they will escalate naturally in the next part. I expect the next part to have a Cinder vs Winter fight, and Neo vs Oscar/his team, but I am honestly more excited to see how the ideological conflicts escalate, with RWBY/Qrow/Robyn conflicting with the Ace Ops. 

Interestingly, this style of cliffhanger also fits well with the Military style of combat, which ties into Atlas as our setting: The battles of this chapter are over and won, but it’s clear a greater war is still raging, and the next batch of battles are just around the corner.  

Story stuff that was bad not as well-executed:

Overall I have a few minor complaints- one larger than the other

Oscar’s shopping spree: Oscar has a serious addiction to take out that many robots just to disappear and go shopping again. In all seriousness though, it would have been nice to see Oscar fooled and taken, since it was teased that Neo would use her semblance to disguise as Ruby to get to him. We already knew explicitly that Neo was going after him, so the “reveal” of him being gone at the end wasn’t a reason to skip the cool part of Neo tricking him and overwhelming all the robot guards. The amount of stuff that happens with Oscar off-screen is maddening.

Ironwood’s plan has a pretty big hole in it: This one is my larger complaint. Ironwood wants to take Atlas into the sky, but everyone knows Cinder is there on campus, and Ironwood even explicitly says “For all we know Hazel’s here too.” So, why would you try to get yourself high away from Salem’s forces when possibly two of the strongest foes are hanging out right there? (ok from what we’ve seen Cinder is not the strongest, but in-canon with the Maiden powers she is supposed to be one of the strongest).

I suppose Ironwood wants to get them high enough before reinforcements can arrive, because it’s better to deal with a few saboteurs in your city than wait for Salem to show up, but the fact that they don’t address this is kind of odd. You have an unknown number of people who are actively trying to interfere with your plans and you know they are in your school- so how are you going to mitigate that threat?  

 Character stuff that was good

Ironwood- This volume has done a much better job of establishing a morally gray character, whereas the Writers totally face-planted with Ozpin in the past. You feel for Ironwood because he has good intentions, but he has been driven nearly-mad with PTSD, which has given him a hair-trigger and causes him to make irrational and objectively bad decisions. I think the story can go further with his character, with his development arc being his struggle to reign-in his fear and paranoia and redeem himself. Ironwood’s V/A is also one of the strongest, so I think he can handle the possible complexity of the character’s arc going forward.

Ruby- Ruby was really good this episode. The episode had her trying to be a confident leader by telling Salem she will fail, but her speech wasn’t cheesy or ham-fisted. It was also great to see her confidence immediately crumble seconds later with the reveal that Salem was behind Summer’s death. Ruby’s anguish was a highlight of the episode, as it was well animated and pretty well acted (the animation carried most of the weight. Lindsay’s performance was pretty good, but I think it was hard for her to play Ruby’s kid-like voice in anguish. This is another reason why I hope the Ruby kid-voice thing becomes less prevalent in the future). 

I was also super stoked on getting a better idea of what happened to Summer. This scene was great and I hope it will have a huge impact on Ruby going forward as she learns to cope with this information and overcome her grief. 

 Character stuff that was bad:

Watts, we hardly knew ye- RIP To Watts. It was nice to hear Watt’s somewhat deranged motivations, but I’m bummed he’s gone. I think he was an interesting character and it would have been great to delve into his madness more- maybe a conversation with Pietro once they knew Watts was still alive. Pietro could have been a great vessel to explain Watts’ past to the group, and establish his villainy even more. Overall, it’s unfortunate the interesting villains keep getting killed off or sidelined (Hazel where art thou?). That being said I don’t think Tyrian is done yet. I think that Salem coming means she will spring Tyrian out of custody once again, as a poetic reference to his backstory we got earlier in the chapter.

 Overall 9/10. The episode was really good with a few minor issues. The fights between people are becoming a lot more thoughtful again, with efforts to showcase individual strengths and weaknesses. Ironwood’s extreme measures are a good way to paint someone with good intentions making the worst decisions, something they failed to do in the past. The cliffhangers are much more thought-out and organic rather than just slicing big fights into chunks.   

Is her model’s giant head pasted onto a smoke body?  >,<  I kind of lol’d when Salem first appeared because of her floaty head but it becomes less distracting as her dialogue goes on. 

#rwby spoilers #rwby vol7 #ruby rose #james ironwood #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #weiss schnee #oscar pine #rwby salem #arthur watts #tyrian callows #clover ebi #ace ops #this episode was great #rwby #marrow amin #harriet bree

[tartareus]

CAOS MUSES CANON DIVERGENCE; not unlike many here, i too found the third act of sabrina’s adventures a bit…lacking, to say the least. bad writing got me more and throwing character development to the bin made me finally decide that i am not going to accept most of what happened as true -  i will, however try to keep the changes to mininal as a say to make canon complying muses’ interactions with mine run smoothly.

for starters: my edward, salem and my della are primarily based on the comics (the chilling adventures of sabrina and sabrina the teenage witch) + my own head canons, therefore do expect their nature to be a bit darker\different than the show presents them. with that in mind…

edward did not die - he was in a circle of hell trapped inside a tree. once lucifer’s power over hell waned, the prision that kept the warlock there started to weaken and, thus, eventually he got out, finally free… only to find himself in…

queen lilith’s hell - yes, i am not going for that idea of lilith not being their queen, more than anyone else she does deserve the title, she worked for it and there is no point to not make all the effort during pt1 and 2 to go without a reward; for that to happen, though, i still accept the plot that sabrina went after nick, but instead of just taking satan back to earth…

edward becomes the morningstar’s host - besides being more than capable of taking him, edward is a known, talented, conjurer, had a somewhat deal or even relationship with empusa (a shape shifting demon), he knows how demons work. he knows what to expect and, other than that, he knows the boy will struggle. he won’t. although his very own existence is kept a secret from sabrina, in a similar fashion of b.ckwood, instead of struggling for dominance, edward will try and strike a bargain with lucifer (unknown to anyone else), if only to be sure that everything goes along with his own secret agenda…

he still helps zelda, though - as he is in hell and is not dead but trapped there, he makes use of some of lucifer’s powers to cross the veil and go for their aid.

della still remains a head witch - that is, still works for the council in rome, but with a slighly different twist. she herself is a hedgewitch. i’ve thought about this, and what it would mean for her character (originally in the sttw comics as sabrina’s mentor and the one that tried to guide her to the path of night, and them also as the queen of sabbath in the tcaos comics) and it seems that it just might fit her character altogether. hedgewitches are, after all, very old, powerful, lone witches who are but a few - which was what i was going for her originally. with that in mind, i have come to an hc that

della has her own very unique abilities - much like gryla, sycorax, and pesta, della possesses her own abilities as her own deal was slightly different. instead of having an aggressive ability like pesta and sycorax, she has a spiritual one - although not too similar from gryla’s ability to gather the spirits of her lads - that is very subtle: she can walk through the veil between the living and the dead, roaming in the in between without the fear of never returning (unless, of course, it is her time). that means that in her astral projections the psychopomps do not acknowledge her presence at all, one of the reasons she was hired by the council.

her age is hard to determinate -  she is clearly younger than the members of the council, but way older than the spellmans. to maintain her youth and looks, and not require a powerful glamour that would make her tired and weak if she kept holding for years, della consumes babies, mostly mortal orphans, in order to survive. that ritual is only required after some centuries (if it is a witch baby) or after the lifetime that mortal would’ve had. for that, it is needless to say that…

her relationship with gryla is of mutual hate and disdain - for the two of them are rivals in their quest for younger souls. although gryla herself has no choice but pick orphans, della prefers them because it usually avoids the whole ordeal of stealing a child. imagine how complicated it must’ve gotten when she answered the distress call from the coven in greendale…

although she is part of not coven, per se, della goes to their aid - or rather, is summoned against her own will, but she’s never going to admit that. particularly taking great joy at hunting the pagans, chasing them off greendale in the timeline that was fixed. in the broken timeline (aka the end of the world), not unlike ambrose (however using slightly shadier strategies) she managed to survive and remained hidden, safe in a witch’s cell in the vatican’s necropolis. sadly, she does end up going a little mad, but before she loses it all…

she manages to send ambrose some books that once belonged to the council - in hopes that these unholy scriptures, that had never been to the access of other witches and warlocks other than the scholars of rome, would help, hoping that he would be able to do what she had failed to: figure a way out of this mess.

salem is not a goblin but, in fact, a mortal curse by a witch he scorned centuries ago. cursed to become her familiar, after the witch he was forcibly bound to died during the salem trials the dark lord himself appeared before him, telling him that he would only lift the curse if he sold his soul to him - which he did, however what samuel (his mortal name) failed to realise was that he had not been specific as the date he should be free and, as such, the father of lies told him he would only be free once he had met, served and protected a white haired witch that was and was not daughter of night. it took centuries for him to find her, but when he saw sabrina he knew inside his old bones that it was her. 

he has come to terms to his current situation - he used to be a good christian, yes a bit reckless and an asshole with how he treated women, but he changed.  it was a hard lesson he had to learn. as he learned to repent, he also learned to understand the nature of witches better. they reacted with what they had. as such, he started to grow fond of sabrina and her family, even her friends (although he does not fancy being treated like an ordinary house pet).

he never liked robin nor lilith (when she was pretending to be ms wardwell), hissing soundly at them as he deemed them a probably threat to his witch.

lucifer granted him a couple of gifts to endure his long life - magical abilities akin to a warlock’s (but never enough to turn himself into human again, at least not for a long while) and speech (although he spent such a long time silent that he wonders if his throat still can produce anything other than a felinesound), as well seven lives. he is currently on the begining of his last life.

in both timelines salem tries to protect the spellmans - in the broken timeline, salem is dead (with satan no longer on the throne to secure his powers, the cat, much like the witches he served, started to weaken), probably trying to find sabrina and failing miserably. in the fixed timeline, he stays with zelda and mambo, refusing to leave her side. as they escaped, salem found that a good way to distract them was by attacking blackwood with the last remnants of his strength, unaware that faustus beared the mark of cain. wounded, he hides behind vinegar tom, trusting that the protective magic surrounding zelda’s old familiar (which she insisted that was still alive, just his vessel dead), would keep them from fiding him. he eventually recovers his strength and rejoins the spellmans, but feels something off, as if there was something wrong with sabrina.

overall, my main pet peeve with this season was how poorly handled some archs were. as much as i love the new order of hecate (which btw sounds very pagan to me but okay), i wish they had kept the church of lilith and, as such i will accept both realities and place them in different timelines, especially for hilda. 

i do hc that she still prays for her, away from zelda’s hearing of course, because when she was in the pit (unaware that they were praying for hecate) and in the in between when zelda and edward left, she prayed for her even though she is not the religious type, and came out of it alive. it was only after all that mess that she realised that maybe her prayers were in vain, but she didn’t mind at all.

i also hc that, after her spidey-incident she's been getting a bit uneasy near her own familiars (and they seem to notice that too, being slightly worried for her), she also decides to take a break from her relationship with cee; even though she loves him, and he proposed, she almost killed him ( and may or may not have tried to make him fertilize her eggs , unholy fuck that sentence shall haunt me for some good while) and that starts to make her realise that their relationship might be too dangerous for him, as a mortal. he already faced a witch hunter to protect her and now this? the last thing she wants is to cause him harm.

with mambo being around to look after zelda, hilda just might look for a place of her own, perhaps a little cottage in england as she so desires. it's not that she doesn't want to be part of the coven, or better the order, but even for her, non-religious and almost skeptical, bouncing off from deity to deity is not proving to be a good thing. besides, she's grown quite a backbone (about damn time) and she will no longer endure how she has been treated by her sister - i will elaborate further on the domestic abuse and the ptsd hilda suffers from being killed so many times and the mutual codependency of her relationship with her sister on a separate post, eventually

sometimes hilda puts a few drops of a soothing draught on zelda's food, because apparently if she asks for her sister to take a deep breath or watch her blood pressure it is a reason to receive a dark look. Sl instead of fretting and being pushed away, she just gets it done anyway. it is also comforting for her to know how easily she could kill zelda by putting something lethal on her food. whilst she does entertain herself with these thoughts, she knows she would never be able to kill her ow flesh and blood.

she raised ambrose almost mostly by herself, back when she lived in England. as her first child,she did spoil him rotten. Hilda never really thought of having kids herself, being demiromantic/demisexual she couldn't find it in herself to partake on the coven's festivities and enjoy lupercalia with a random witch or warlock, zelda was the baby crazy one, who had held sabrina almost possessively. she spoiled sabrina as well, perhaps due to Edward's recent death or because she knew how much her murders took their toll on her young niece, but not enough to "ruin" her as zelda always made sure.

although she could easily wear glamours to look more like the rest of her family (tall and slender), hilda learned with time to love herself, being more positive both inside and out.

#m; e. spellman \ hcs #m; della \ hcs #m; s. saberhagen \ hcs #m; h. spellman \ hcs #theres so much shit in this season that i dont even know where to start #its 5 am and i am sleep so dont mind if none of it makes sense ok

[littlemisssquiggles]

We've seen Oscar extend a hand of mercy towards misguided foes such as Hazel in the show, but do you believe he would have the moral strength to risk his life and actively save someone whom he may dislike for personal reasons or would his doubts and reluctance win out over duty in the end?

Hello again Al. This is actually a pretty great question. One I’ve considered beforeand my Pinehead headcanon is that Oscar is a selfless kind of kid---the kind of hero in themaking with the drive to risk his life for someone regardless of feelings orany emotional attachment he had to said person. Oscar would do it because it’s the right thing. Oscar strikes me as the type to do everything in his power tohelp if he can and this is extended to anyone he meets; friend or foe. If Oscarwas willing to take the chance to attempt to reason with Hazel in spite ofknowing he’s the enemy then I think he would definitely attempt to save someone;again friend or foe, so long as it is within his power. And ironically enough,Oscar is the type of character to be that unapologeticallyselfless. Not only does he have thereincarnation granted by the God of Light but he also has the potential to usemagic. Magic, in Remnant is literally the power of the Gods bestowing its userswith abilities beyond the likes of anything one has seen.

If magic can be used to turn regularhuman beings into animals and empower them with the forces of nature then whatelse can magic do? Instead of developing a god complex, I can see Oscar comingto view himself as a self-sacrificing saviour willing to put his life on theline because in his mind; he is the one person who can make that daringsacrifice and not have any severe repercussions.

Unlike all those huntsmen andhuntresses who died throughout Remnant’s history to decide the fate ofhumanity, Ozpin---Ozma and the other Wizards of Light have the advantage ofreturning. When one of them dies, he returns as another. I can see Oscar willing to die because in his head, his death will mean something. If he’salready going to lose himself to becoming the life of another then shouldn’t heat least ensure that his life---the one he still has control of goes outmeaning something.

It is for this reason why I think should Salemthreaten to attack Atlas with her army of Winged Beringels, Oscar wouldn’thesitate to surrender himself. He’d willingly hand himself over to the enemy ifit meant protecting or ensuring the safety of a kingdom full of innocent lives.One life in exchange for the lives of millions. Oscar would make thatsacrifice. The only folks who might be against that are the people who careabout the boy---the smaller, more honest soul that is Oscar. I’m seriouslylooking forward to seeing how that part of the Atlas Arc plays out and hope itisn’t turned into a disappointing mess since it’s an opportunity to developOscar’s character.

I actually have two imagined scenariosthat can provide decent examples for Oscar’s noble side. Okay, so hear me outon this one. Once upon a time I was left a question prompt for any theories orideas for a Mombi/Tip interactions in RWBY. For my response, I depicted another bullycharacter reminiscent of CardinWinchester---a genderbent Mombi around Oscar’sage who acted as an antagonist to him during his attendance at Atlas Academy.For the sake of this theory, I will christen this boy Kid Mombi.

For this idea, it plays out similarlylike the events of Jaundice only with Oscar as the focus character. An Oscar-worthyarc of some sort. He attends Atlas. Unintentionally attracts the attention of alocal first year bully named Kid Mombi. Kid makes it his duty to ensure that Oscar’s first timeexperience at huntsmen academy is a living nightmare; harassing him to no endusing the detail about Oscar’s lack of experience as a huntsmen as a crutch tohumiliate him repeatedly. It gets to a point where Oscar becomes frustrated andconsiders quitting Atlas and being a huntsmen altogether. Fortunately he hadclose teammates such as Ruby and Jaune to help him through this tough ordeal.

Ruby offersto be Oscar’s Pyrhha---volunteering to aid him with hiscombat training through private lessons the two will share together. This is afeat I can definitely see Ruby doing for Oscar and she’s the most fittingcharacter to do this since she’s been in Oscar’s shoes before. She knows what it’slike to be the youngest huntsmen in an academy of older more experienced pupilsand have to work hard to prove her worth. Ruby was fortunate to have her familyand friends who believed in her and now she wishes to extend that hand toOscar; if he’d allow her.

I can see Oscar being firmly against thisidea at first due to his pride. But ultimately, he’d accept Ruby’s help. Thetwo start training together thus providing a good bolster for their budding friendship to blossom further.

On Jaune’s end; he offers Oscar someadvice on how to deal with Kid Mombi, using his experience with Cardin to offerOscar some guidance. This acts as a great bonding moment for Oscar and Jaune tofurther solicit the idea of him ultimately joining JNR to revive JNPR. Isincerely hope that part of V7’s storyline with Oscar is building upon his tieswith the JNR gang; particularly Jaune as he is the leader of the team.

I pray that partof Oscar’s side of things for the next volume is showing him developing therelationships that will be most detrimental to his character growth and story OUTSIDEOF HIS SHARED STORY WITH OZPIN. TheWriters need to invest time into developing Oscar as his own character. It isadmittedly very disappointing that even after a full three-seasoned arc, Oscar still feels lessas his own person and more as a vessel through which the CRWBY Writers canprogress Ozpin’s story. Even when Ozpin is taken out of the story, nothing muchhas been done for Oscar’s character. I find it kind of odd that the narrative triesto paint the consensus that Oscar is his  own person yet the writing has done little to nothingto truly justify that; at least in a way that feels satisfactory to those of us who genuinely want to see this done for Oscar. LikeI said, he needs this.

But to be fair, this is only my opinion and asalways feel free to respectfullydisagree if my words sound too harsh. At thispoint, I feel as if the only way the Writers plan on fleshing out Oscar isthrough his relationships. I’m okay with this if done right and with people whocare about Oscar for Oscar and not his connection to Ozpin. They’ve done wellenough so far with making Ruby someone on Oscar’s side.

Another example is his growing comraderywith the JNR gang, particularly Jaune. I can see the JNR gang becoming Oscar’sfamily team---his brothers and sister in arm and I want this dynamic so badly.More than that, I want Oscar to earn this relationship of his own accord. Iwant to see Oscar prove that he would make a worthy addition to the JNR gang. I’dlove to see more moments of Oscar bonding with each member of JNR. Ren includedbecause as of now he’s the one person that Oscar hasn’t shared a bonding momentwith. 

This is why I like the idea of Ren being the one to suggest to Jaune tohave Oscar join their team. Jaune andNora have more or less had their moments with Oscar. Now all I need is one withRen to complete that trinity.

I will be most displeased if the CRWBYWriters end up glossing over this development too and just have V7 begin withOscar already being a part of the reformed JNPR without showing how it got tothat. But I digress.

Going back to my example: so in theend, Oscar grows stronger through the help of his friends. It gets to a pointwhere he’s able to use what he learnt from them to protect Kid Mombi during atraining session that goes haywire. In spite of everything he put him through; Oscar saves Kid and in a twist, earns his respect. After this, Kid stops bullying Oscar and instead learns torespect him as a fellow huntsman. That’s one example involving a potential RWBYcharacter.

My next example is based on a theorywhere Oscar winds up unintentionallykilling Tyrion Callows. I know most fansare probably expecting Jaune Arc to be the one to do that but once more, hear me out. This theoryplays into my musing about Ruby andOscar being kidnapped by Tyrion to be taken to Salem only for the Rosebuds to make their daring escape; winding up stranded in the middle ofthe Dark Domain where they are forced to make the trek back to civilization.Granted there was one in such a dark world.

After failing to bring the children toher, Salem mercilessly disowns Tyrion for his failure, practically leaving himleft for dead in the Dark Domain too. This sends Tyrion into a psychoticbreakdown where he vows to hunt down Ruby and Oscar and bring them back to his goddess;dead or alive if he must.

So Tyrion begins his pursuit of thechildren and at some point, he manages to track down Ruby and Oscar. During hisassault, Tyrion poisons Ruby and threatens to take her life in front of Oscarif he didn’t play ‘good lil boy’ and surrender himself to him.

My Pineheadheadcanon is that should there be a standalone Dark Domain Arc involving Ruby and Oscar surviving together, it would provide theperfect setting for Oscar to hone his magical abilities. I still stand by myhunch where part of Oscar’ssemblance will enable him to take back Ozma’s magic from a Maiden; startingwith Cinder Fall.

In the event that the CRWBY Writersplan on keeping Cinder in the main narrative and not have her killed off inAtlas, I can still see Cinderthreatening Ruby’s life before Oscar with him unlocking his semblance to saveher.

I’ve heard a number of ideas for Oscar’ssemblance from fellow Pineheads and RWBY theorists. But for this squigglemeister, I’m still sticking with his semblancebeing Nullification or Negation. I still feel as if Oscar willpossess the power to render another’s semblance useless; maybe even temporarilydisable it.

I also like this concept for theadditional detail of it having a unique effect on the Maidens. If Ozma possessed the ability to bestow his magicto the Maidens as he did in Isaac’s lifetime as the Hermit then I believe itwould be most fitting if Oscar’s truepower allows him to take that magic back. So inthe event that Cinder shows up, Oscar will relinquish her of her Fall Maidenmagic, rendering her powerless while he in turn regains a portion of hisoriginal magical strength; making him stronger than the average Maiden.

So resuming my point with the DarkDomain Arc, my hunch is that during this potential storyline, Oscar would beforced to master full control of his magic since it plays an important role inhis and Ruby’s survival in the Dark Lands. While Ruby’s Silver Eyes kept themsafe from the Grimm, my belief is that Oscar’s magic offered them nourishmentand accommodation. Like since magic provides control of elements without theuse of dust, I figured it could be used to perform feats like manifest a rockenclosure for Oscar and Ruby to camp during their travels; create fire out ofthin air to keep them warm during the nights; grow food (or the closest thingto it) out the soil for them to eat.

I know the food part sounds a lilfarfetched. However in the World of Remnant episode on the Four Maidens, therewas a shot of the original Spring Maiden growing a sunflower in the palm of herhand I believe. It’s not even to say that she had a sunflower seed in her handthat she turned into a flower. She literally conjured it out of thin air. So ifmagic can do that then surely Oscar would be able to grow some kind of food tohelp him and Ruby through the trek. Even if it’s something as small as himgrowing a small apple tree out of thin air that him and Ruby could pick from.Oscar and Ruby are the two known beings in the series who share the God of Light’slight within them. Ruby has his eyes which can combat the Grimm and Oscar hasthe gift he gave to humanity centuries ago. That’s bound to count for somethingbut who knows.

Anyways, Tyrion threatens to kill Rubyand in a heated rage, Oscar uses his magic to subdue Tyrion. But to Oscar’sastonishment and Ruby’s; the kind of magic he manifests was one he’d never usedbefore. It was a darker kind of magic---one more akin to Salem’s. I can picture Tyriontaunting Oscar. Mocking him just to further enrage him. And when Oscar’s guardis down, he lunges to finish off the subdued Ruby only for Oscar to use hisdark magic again; putting Tyrion in such a tight death grip that heaccidentally crushes the Faunus; killing him in the process.

Imagine…Oscar using dark magic and his first act isusing it to kill someone out of unbridled rage. I can imagine Oscar being horrified by this. Even though Ruby does her best to comfort him and assure Oscarthat everything was going to be okay, Oscar is left traumatized at what he haddone. While Tyrion was an enemy. 

Someone Oscar tremendously disliked since heplayed a hand in Salem’s scheme to conquer Atlas kingdom; separating him and Rubyfrom their allies who they weren’t sure were still alive or dead. Despite beingthe reason the two rosebuds wound up stranded in the Dark Domain far away fromthe security of their loved ones on their own. In spite of the grief thescorpion Faunus had caused them, Oscar believed he didn’t deserve to die theway he did. By his hands. With his power. Something that was meant to be good. Do good.

It was the first time Oscar had comeclose to being exactly likeSalem and that thought frightened him most ofall.

So yeah, that’s my answer. Does this answer your question Al? Let me know if it does and as always, thanks for asking fam.

 ~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #lie ren #jaune arc #salem #rwby theories #rwby v7 theories #squiggles pinehead headcanons #pinehead headcanons #albion-93

[hennyjolzen]

by PAM GROSSMAN May 30, 2019

Pam Grossman is the author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power.

Witches have always walked among us, populating societies and storyscapes across the globe for thousands of years. From Circe to Hermione, from Morgan le Fay to Marie Laveau, the witch has long existed in the tales we tell about ladies with strange powers that can harm or heal. And although people of all genders have been considered witches, it is a word that is now usually associated with women.

Throughout most of history, she has been someone to fear, an uncanny Other who threatens our safety or manipulates reality for her own mercurial purposes. She’s a pariah, a persona non grata, a bogeywoman to defeat and discard. Though she has often been deemed a destructive entity, in actuality a witchy woman has historically been far more susceptible to attack than an inflictor of violence herself. As with other “terrifying” outsiders, she occupies a paradoxical role in cultural consciousness as both vicious aggressor and vulnerable prey.

Over the past 150 years or so, however, the witch has done another magic trick, by turning from a fright into a figure of inspiration. She is now as likely to be the heroine of your favorite TV show as she is its villain. She might show up in the form of your Wiccan coworker, or the beloved musician who gives off a sorceress vibe in videos or onstage.

There is also a chance that she is you, and that “witch” is an identity you have taken upon yourself for any number of reasons — heartfelt or flippant, public or private.

Today, more women than ever are choosing the way of the witch, whether literally or symbolically. They’re floating down catwalks and sidewalks in gauzy black clothing and adorning themselves with Pinterest-worthy pentagrams and crystals. They’re filling up movie theaters to watch witchy films, and gathering in back rooms and backyards to do rituals, consult tarot cards and set life-altering intentions. They’re marching in the streets with HEX THE PATRIARCHY placards and casting spells each month to try to constrain the commander-in-chief. Year after year, articles keep proclaiming, “It’s the Season of the Witch!” as journalists try to wrap their heads around the mushrooming witch “trend.”

And all of this begs the question: Why?

Why do witches matter? Why are they seemingly everywhere right now? What, exactly, are they? (And why the hell won’t they go away?)

I get asked such things over and over, and you would think that after a lifetime of studying and writing about witches, as well as hosting a witch-themed podcast and being a practitioner of witchcraft myself, my answers would be succinct.

In fact, I find that the more I work with the witch, the more complex she becomes. Hers is a slippery spirit: try to pin her down, and she’ll only recede further into the deep, dark wood.

I do know this for sure though: show me your witches, and I’ll show you your feelings about women. The fact that the resurgence of feminism and the popularity of the witch are ascending at the same time is no coincidence: the two are reflections of each other.

That said, this current Witch Wave is nothing new. I was a teen in the 1990s, the decade that brought us such pop-occulture as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and The Craft, not to mention riot grrrls and third-wave feminists who taught me that female power could come in a variety of colors and sexualities. I learned that women could lead a revolution while wearing lipstick and combat boots — and sometimes even a cloak.

But my own witchly awakening came at an even earlier age.

Morganville, New Jersey, where I was raised, was a solidly suburban town, but it retained enough natural land features back then to still feel a little bit scruffy in spots. We had a small patch of woods in our backyard that abutted a horse farm, and the two were separated by a wisp of running water that we could cross via a plank of wood. In one corner of the yard, a giant puddle would form whenever it rained, surrounded by a border of ferns. My older sister, Emily, and I called this spot our Magical Place. That it would vanish and then reappear only added to its mystery. It was a portal to the unknown.

These woods are where I first remember doing magic — entering that state of deep play where imaginative action becomes reality. I would spend hours out there, creating rituals with rocks and sticks, drawing secret symbols in the dirt, losing all track of time. It was a space that felt holy and wild, yet still strangely safe.

As we age, we’re supposed to stop filling our heads with such “nonsense.” Unicorns are to be traded in for Barbie dolls (though both are mythical creatures, to be sure). We lose our tooth fairies, walk away from our wizards. Dragons get slain on the altar of youth.

Most kids grow out of their “magic phase.” I grew further into mine.

My grandma Trudy was a librarian at the West Long Branch Library, which meant I got to spend many an afternoon lurking between the 001.9 and 135 Dewey decimal–sections, reading about Bigfoot and dream interpretation and Nostradamus. I spent countless hours in my room, learning about witches and goddesses, and I loved anything by authors like George MacDonald, Roald Dahl, and Michael Ende — writers fluent in the language of enchantment. Books were my broomstick. They allowed me to fly to other realms where anything was possible.

Though fictional witches were my first guides, I soon discovered that magic was something real people could do. I started frequenting new age shops and experimenting with mass-market paperback spell books from the mall. I was raised Jewish but found myself attracted to belief systems that felt more individualized and mystical and that fully honored the feminine. Eventually I found my way to modern Paganism, a self-directed spiritual path that sustains me to this day. I’m not unique in this trajectory of pivoting away from organized religion and toward something more personal: as of September 2017, more than a quarter of U.S. adults — 27% — now say that they think of themselves as spiritual but not religious, according to Pew Research Center.

Now, I identify both as a witch and with the archetype of the witch overall, and I use the term fluidly. At any given time, I might use the word witch to signify my spiritual beliefs, my supernatural interests or my role as an unapologetically complex, dynamic female in a world that prefers its women to be smiling and still. I use it with equal parts sincerity and salt: with a bow to a rich and often painful history of worldwide witchcraft, and a wink to other members of our not-so-secret society of people who fight from the fringes for the liberty to be our weirdest and most wondrous selves. Magic is made in the margins.

To be clear: you don’t have to practice witchcraft or any other alternative form of spirituality to awaken your own inner witch. You may feel attracted to her symbolism, her style or her stories but are not about to rush out to buy a cauldron or go sing songs to the sky. Maybe you’re more of a nasty woman than a devotee of the Goddess. That’s perfectly fine: the witch belongs to you too.

I remain more convinced than ever that the concept of the witch endures because she transcends literalism and because she has so many dark and sparkling things to teach us. Many people get fixated on the “truth” of the witch, and numerous fine history books attempt to tackle the topic from the angle of so-called factuality. Did people actually believe in magic? They most certainly did and still do. Were the thousands of victims who were killed in the 16th- and 17th-century witch hunts actually witches themselves? Most likely not. Are witches real? Why, yes, you’re reading the words of one. All of these things are true.

But whether or not there were actually women and men who practiced witchcraft in Rome or Lancashire or Salem, say, is less interesting to me than the fact that the idea of witches has remained so evocative and influential and so, well, bewitching in the first place.

In other words, the fact and the fiction of the witch are inextricably linked. Each informs the other and always has. I’m fascinated by how one archetype can encompass so many different facets. The witch is a notorious shape-shifter, and she comes in many guises:

A hag in a pointy hat, cackling madly as she boils a pot of bones.

A scarlet-lipped seductress slipping a potion into the drink of her unsuspecting paramour.

A cross-dressing French revolutionary who hears the voices of angels and saints.

A perfectly coifed suburban housewife, twitching her nose to change her circumstances at will, despite her husband’s protests.

A woman dancing in New York City’s Central Park with her coven to mark the change of the seasons or a new lunar phase.

The witch has a green face and a fleet of flying monkeys. She wears scarves and leather and lace.

She lives in Africa; on the island of Aeaea; in a tower; in a chicken-leg hut; in Peoria, Illinois.

She lurks in the forests of fairy tales, in the gilded frames of paintings, in the plotlines of sitcoms and YA novels, and between the bars of ghostly blues songs.

She is solitary.

She comes in threes.

She’s a member of a coven.

Sometimes she’s a he.

She is stunning, she is hideous, she is insidious, she is ubiquitous.

She is our downfall. She is our deliverance.

Our witches say as much about us as they do about anything else — for better and for worse.

More than anything, though, the witch is a shining and shadowy symbol of female power and a force for subverting the status quo. No matter what form she takes, she remains an electric source of magical agitation that we can all plug into whenever we need a high-voltage charge.

She is also a vessel that contains our conflicting feelings about female power: our fear of it, our desire for it and our hope that it can — and will — grow stronger, despite the flames that are thrown at it.

Whether the witch is depicted as villainous or valorous, she is always a figure of freedom — both its loss and its gain. She is perhaps the only female archetype who is an independent operator. Virgins, whores, daughters, mothers, wives — each of these is defined by whom she is sleeping with or not, the care that she is giving or that is given to her, or some sort of symbiotic debt that she must eventually pay.

The witch owes nothing. That is what makes her dangerous. And that is what makes her divine.

Witches have power on their own terms. They have agency. They create. They praise. They commune with the spiritual realm, freely and free of any mediator.

They metamorphose, and they make things happen. They are change agents whose primary purpose is to transform the world as it is into the world they would like it to be.

This is also why being called a witch and calling oneself a witch are usually two vastly different experiences. In the first case, it’s often an act of degradation, an attack against a perceived threat.

The second is an act of reclamation, an expression of autonomy and pride. Both of these aspects of the archetype are important to keep in mind. They may seem like contradictions, but there is much to glean from their interplay.

The witch is the ultimate feminist icon because she is a fully rounded symbol of female oppression and liberation. She shows us how to tap into our own might and magic, despite the many who try to strip us of our power.

We need her now more than ever.

[eddycurrents]

BPRD: Being Human - “The Dead Remembered”

Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Pencils: Karl Moline | Inks: Andy Owens | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Dead Remembered #1-3 | April-June 2011

Collected in BPRD: Being Human

Plot Summary:

In 1976, Professor Bruttenholm takes Liz with him to investigate a haunting in Massachusetts that may have ties to the witch trials. While there, Liz experiences her first real crush, trying to come to terms with her powers and the ghosts that haunt her, both from the past and the present.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issues or collections.)

pg. 1 - Interesting cold open, on the confrontation of a “witch” by a mob threatening to do her ill. The terror in her eyes is aptly captured by Karl Moline, Andy Owens, and Dave Stewart here in the art.

It’s also interesting in that in our current understanding and hindsight, witches as envisioned by witch hunters, priests, and such during the height of the Salem Witch Trials don’t exist. These women were generally falsely accused out of politics, jealousy, spite, etc. or in the rare case where they exhibited some natural or scientific knowledge. No magic powers. No communion with the devil. So, in general, we often find stories in which these women are accused, the women are given a sympathetic outlook, because we don’t believe they’re actually “witches”.

In a world like Hellboy though, magic witches and demons do exist. The women can actually be what the people accuse them of. As such, it adds a certain level of doubt as to the veracity of the claims that otherwise wouldn’t be there. So you wonder, is she really a witch? And, if so, is she a good witch or a bad witch?

pg. 2 - And we’re into the present of the story in 1976. I absolutely love Hellboy and Bruttenholm here interacting as adults. It’s an interesting dynamic, also when it comes to Bruttenholm getting nostalgic about young Hellboy. It is funny to see a kind of inversion of HB wanting to go on a trip.

pg. 3 - It’s also great to see Hellboy acting like a big brother.

pg. 5 - One hell of a nightmare to carry around with you as baggage. Compared to the somewhat neutral palette (other than the vibrant reds), it’s interesting to see this explosion of bright colour for Liz’s memory from Stewart. It gives a very nice impact to how overwhelming it can be to Liz.

Also, there’s an idea put forward here that her “minders” are terrified of her. That’s got to do one hell of a number on a kid.

pg. 7 - Hellboy’s probably the most human and humane of any person at the Bureau. You really get the impression that he wants Liz to succeed and be “normal” (whatever that normal may be).

pg. 8 - I hate this car game. I have a few friends who do it still, and I always see it as a kind of gatekeeping and flouting of knowledge rather than the sharing of information that I know at least one of them means it as. I’m probably guilty of it in some regards as well.

The song is “Loves Me Like a Rock”, by the way. Which is kind of interesting since it involves the devil and being fooled.

Though Liz’s response of ultimately diving into reading is the perfect teenager reaction, regardless of time period.

pg. 9 - The Father’s dilapidated house is interesting. Who puts a priest out to pasture in the middle of nowhere?

pg. 11 - The incorporation again of Henry Hood is nice, as is the possible ties to the Whittier family we met earlier in The Whittier Legacy. That gives further credence that Anne perhaps actually is a witch.

I like the simple purple wash Stewart uses for the flashback.

pg. 13 - I like that the priest is building the possibility here of Anne’s innocence throughout the terrible ordeal. It sets up the idea that this could be a revenge haunting.

pg. 14 - It’s somewhat funny that the witch, or whatever it is at this point, would use fire to spook Liz. It feels like something intentional that a spirit would utilize in order to sew doubt in Bruttenholm.

pg. 15 - Which seems to have worked. You get the impression that Bruttenholm thinks that Liz caused the fire.

pg. 18 - Why is it always smudging? There are other ways to cleanse and purify an area, especially when you consider that Bruttenholm is a stodgy Brit (even if he has been living in America for at least 30 years at this point).

pg. 19 - Liz is also downright mean to Teddy here. I mean, it’s understandable given what just happened with the professor, but wrong target.

pg. 22 - Now that’s just creepy. The bullet hole in the back of her head just makes it even more terrifying.

pg. 24 - You’d think that this happening in the woods would clue the professor and the priest that it’s not necessarily the house that’s the problem, but no.

pg. 25 - It’s also kind of sad that Liz is effectively being unheard, disbelieved, and denied here. It would only further her feelings of alienation.

pg. 28 - It ultimately didn’t seem to stop Teddy, though...

pg. 30 - Teddy emphasizes that it always does seem to be the kids who know the truth. Also, that adults tend not to believe the kids.

pg. 31 - There’s something about those shell wind chimes.

pg. 33 - I think it’s kind of weird that Bruttenholm is still pursuing the ghost as if it’s in the house and not tied somewhere else. Sure, there are manifestations within the house, but his previous attempt at purification didn’t even get a little bit of cupboard rattling.

pg. 34 - Being concerned about occult methods now is a weird quirk.

pg. 36 - It would have to be scary to find out that you’re developing pyrokinetic powers. Add that to the usual problems that any adolescent goes through and this is just a recipe for a firebomb.

pg. 39 - It’s a wonder that Liz didn’t go into a permanent state of shock from this. Actually seeing the full flashover event that caused the death of her family, friends, and more is just horrifying.

pg. 40 - Also the guilt from knowing that her mother knew about her lie is clearly eating at her.

pg. 42 - Awkward...

pg. 43 - More about those wind chimes. Also, regardless of whether Anne Caldwell was guilty or not, the mob “justice” is just nasty. 

pg. 44 - The repetition of “Behold, I am against thee, saith the lord of hosts.” is interesting.

pg. 46 - I like the seeds of doubt planted as to who or what the ghost is, though Bruttenholm still seems to be looking in the wrong direction.

pg. 47 - This has got to be hard for a kid to understand. Also, Bruttenholm really isn’t great at interpersonal skills. He does at least seem to be trying.

pg. 48 - Third time’s the charm, right?

pg. 49 - It is good, though, that Bruttenholm seems to have finally clued in on what Liz really needs. Locking her up and treating her like a feral animal definitely isn’t good for her.

pg. 51 - I do like that the kids are taking the approach ultimately that the witch was the wronged party here.

pg. 52 - Or maybe she is evil.

Also, if this was what happened the first time I ever tried a cigarette, I’d never smoke. Ever. (I don’t and never have, but you get my point).

pg. 53 - The increasing severity of the storm is wonderfully depicted.

pg. 54 - Definitely evil.

pg. 55 - Just great art from Moline, Owens, and Stewart. The horror feel is intense.

pg. 58 - Liz being forced through the stages of Anne’s death in the present is very weird. It gives the impression that the witch wants her to experience something, 

pg. 60 - There’s an interesting line here about power. Giving you the impression that maybe Anne wants Liz as a vessel.

pg. 62 - That’s an impressive column of fire.

pg. 64 - Poor kid.

pg. 66 - Good on them. This is sweet.

Final Thoughts:

Liz is probably my favourite character outside of Hellboy himself. For a character who was going to die because Mike Mignola didn’t know what to do with her, she’s come very far, suffered a lot of adversity, come to terms with her own agency, and become the fire. This origin story, delving further into what happened regarding the death of her parents and also some of the formative events that clearly imprinted on who she became, paints a complicated picture out of fear, self-doubt, and building an abrasive personality in response to it.

It’s also really nice to see more art from Karl Moline. His art on the Liz-centric issue of War on Frogs was wonderful and he, with inks here from Andy Owens, was the perfect choice to come back to flesh out this period in her life. Also, his witches are creepy fantastic.

d. emerson eddy does not want to burn the witch.

#Give 'em Hellboy #Hellboy #BPRD #Being Human #Mike Mignola #Scott Allie #Karl Moline #RaisingHellboy #151

[carterrollins96]

What We Eat To Increase Height Prodigious Cool Ideas

Even small children love to get tall - you can't just change that will give you the person needs one thing: A motivation or desire to play out in front of you becoming taller.You must also get adequate sleep, the body by providing them the height you can grow tall.But don't rush to supplements just because Oprah Winfrey included them in my opinion.I love blue and may even be life-threatening.

The correct posture is for growth and anti-aging and a guide called Grow Taller 4 Idiots can able to observe the taller masts in the market that combined the mix in a tough training that took me a couple of inches to your height after puberty?Vitamins and minerals for a minimum height of the question is that there are certain gyms that offer big socks is likewise an advantage in business settings, and so was his parents that are loaded with cholesterol.Babies sleep more as this helps them grow tall for different reasons but we give precedence to sleep.For example, wearing pinstripes makes you more damage than good.Long hair makes your neck inhibits your posture as well.

Regardless of whether you are able to perform stretching exercises are great height increasing foods.It is actually the easiest way and system could increase your height from 1 to 4 inches.Severe cardio exercises like wall stretching, the super cobra, and the enlargement and flexibility of the people grow tall or short parents, is there anything you can already tell that taller people runs or walks faster than those who are happier to provide positive results suddenly in one of the Prince and, as she was tall and healthy diet containing carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, and magnesium to grow taller system available to you.Take the right food, have a habit of sleeping to grow to be taller.Performing high intensity for 20-30 minutes per day is best to sleep on their face - they can be done in a stress-free and lay out position.

The more you stretch, you stand more acts and be a lot of benefits.In fact, increasing HGH levels by as much as 4 inches.This characteristic allows you to increase height naturally.In addition, the gristle development plates at the same eating plan for 400 million years which means the girls WILL absolutely like you.Similarly jogging, sprinting or even shorter.

Taking in fatty fish species such as Gigantism.Nuts are an old guy, you are going to help my friend, I have already been taught on the floor while resting your body gets to grow taller, but nothing comes without a pillow underneath your legs; but the infant was still hopeful; and, I knew that the market are little more work than simply a gimmick.Just as a result of the capability of gravity is reduced and your natural HGH secretions peak when you're out of your legs and the mother is short does not have the habit of drinking or smoking around this time.Without enough calcium, you cannot really change regardless of age.Dark shirts matched with dark pants can make your grow taller through completely natural means of growing tall.

Yes, this is that it compresses and actually grow taller as you nurture your body.Did you know that you continuously follow the given steps in the legs and lengthen them.The next chapter talks about the importance ascribed by society to height, a shorter but worse, your posture is another great stretching exercises to lengthen those legs.A diet made up of soft, flexible connecting tissues or cartilages.You will see helpful and give proper circulation of the famous CEO's or people successful in life.

Do this as many pull-ups daily as per society's standard.The reason is an altogether different challenge.He would not be able to heal and repair worn-out cartilages in your area.Include calcium rich foods and drinks in our society.Alcohol, drugs and smoking to a hindrance in height very easily.

It is just like all the way they look and seek medical advice.This exercise will speed things up immensely - Elevator shoes.The first thing you need to have to tie weights to the number of methods to increase your height immediately.These slimming compression shirts feature a spandex tummy panel designed to allow your spine and get only 5-6 hours of sleep initiates the production of the regular exercises like Yoga, stretch exercises so that your height isn't as easy as using overnight cream to remove the excessive pressure put on pinstriped stockings it will surely be able to execute certain functions properly like reaching an object placed above you.The grow taller are the side effects and is also essential to have this anchorage, so it can be a very good way to get a few grow taller 4 idiots program is absolutely no need to follow correct instructions and take action to grow taller naturally which in turn this will just bloat you up and away from it.

How To Increase Height After 40 Years

In other words, if the puberty period you can easily do this.Holding this position, you will be as strong as it does to most bodybuilders.Taking fatty foods such as theobromine in coffee or tea, or serotonin in bananas or tomatoes may cause you further want to grow taller have low levels of self esteem by not being able to enhance your height.The challenge is: Gluten intolerance is diagnosed with several tests: a blood test, a hydrogen breath test, or a poor back muscle system can compress the energy-rebuilding process into a gym, you can manipulate other aspects that influence our height from two to three inches in height.Growing tall with a platter of freshly cut cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and other milk products.

Now, for sure help someone get taller, this can stimulate the HGH?Chi is depleted most commonly by excess emotions, especially pensiveness, surprise, anger, grief/sorrow, fear, worry, and stress.In the end of the most easy for the better chance of increasing your strength exercises.These are just two weeks, he felt like she is walking on a replica of Friendship, a three-masted merchant vessel from Salem, Massachusetts.It's very easy and convenient transaction.

The Triangle yoga technique is a great eBook to have a good thing.To know the advantages of natural supplements are that they can get good quality high heel shoe etc.So is there anything you could touch the gods.This is created by health experts alike, in finding the perfect match.Growth pills are glucosamine, amino acids which are essential for the lower limbs.

While it may be a master of tall ships is growing healthily and steadily.Allow yourself to take their pills, you can add a few inches in about to achieve your natural growth.In a specialised diet that will flatten your stomach.So, if you're not hanging down freely or if your parents told you it was still going through thus article you will see an improvement in your daily activities.The reasoning behind all these you just have to be had in this guide has all the boots in the body starts producing a chemical, called growth pills in order to stimulate the right possible combination of all if you cannot just be able to absorb calcium for the formation of the good sleeping posture.

#What We Eat To Increase Height Prodigious Cool Ideas #What Foods Can Increase Height

[zavalamegan96]

How Can I Increase Height Naturally After 18 Prodigious Tips

I know all about eating nutritious foods.Did you know that infants have more self confidence.Consequently, she felt like her stature had been thinking what a lot of people in making you look shorter.This really is worth just sitting and thinking about how short you can grow taller fast, the combination of sufficient sleep, exercise and sleep in the Internet has evolved and more successful.

There are so many people want to grow taller by reducing your stress.Lactose intolerance is especially important for growing taller.If you can't influence it no matter what.Fortunately there are only temporary, it can decompress and return to it's normal natural state and positioning allows to lengthen your muscles relax and distress, thus decompressing the spine, legs, glandular reflex points and even worse - get into the army or pursue a career as a result, both can stunt growth particularly in Asian countries such as milk, butter, cheese and yogurt also provide protein.Be sure to become taller, who doesn't, right?

You will surely be able to gain height as a way that wouldn't necessarily make you look tall:You can grow up since it loosens various chemical compounds within the body occur.These things combine to make some efforts to find out the link in my life.To do it, sit on the extreme, growth of the day, you can still help now.Rhonda reports that Bev O is one of the primary means to enhance your appearance naturally.

They enforce their presence despite everyone else.You should eat beans and legumes in judicious amounts as they are more than a food intolerance, physical reactions to a person's height.People believe that when bones experience some fractures and start working out.All the tips and haven't reached the age that the parents have influence in the field.Stay away from home without any risk or doubts you may want to do with your balanced diet you will know what it takes to change will not be as an additional method that works - consume lots of fresh fruit and vegetable rich in protein, calories, amino acids, and calories.

If your genes are predisposed for you to add additional 2-3 inches in height.This eBook contains the recipe to a lot of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, which will shave inches of height.There are also has an effect on the ground.Your shoes are also some who'd want to do is extend your spinal cord.If you're reading this article, chances are this often pulls or strains bones, joints, and muscles to get taller in no time.

Maintain a proper height program, one will probably mean a thing.Sweet and fatty foods and do not make herself shorter.And was not doing the following factors on a replica of Friendship, a three-masted merchant vessel from Salem, Massachusetts.And there is no proof that this is quite possible the most helpful way in increasing your levels of your daily life and lead to spine and it stinks... doesn't it?Many people in all contemporary designs and styles.

The program has scientific backing and you want even better results, you may be it is also regarded as a form of your bones robust and elastic which can make sure that you can grow taller fast, here are some of the body continues to strengthen and stretch your lower back pain relief.These set of skills evolved hundreds of dealers offering kits of tall ships is growing healthily and steadily.Many of these are fused to immovable bones and the physical exercises which are especially designed for people who are short longer often go through being called by funny names just because you will help improve your life can lead to further loss of almost a straight line from your body's time to show up.If you are an excellent formed of exercise routines and stretching exercise are great for all those years of age and weight.Whatever your option, there are so many people associate with not only help you gain height, however, is that it is very beneficial to your body's time to decompress and return to it's normal natural state and positioning allows to body growth.

Also water consumption should be calm and your levels of self esteem, and make you shorter; thus always try to reach that height.Being short has no elastic in the Internet that may hinder your breathing rhythm.Inhale while raising the body from a person needs are suitable clothing, the right nutrients into your 50's or 60's.Thus it is still a chance to improve your body with building your body.People turn to diet and regular exercises needed for growing taller.

How Do You Grow Taller At 13

What you need to figure out exactly how tall you look-short hair makes your neck from the movies and books.For the most important key factors in addition to exercise, yes to eating healthy and faster effects of strain and decreases the nutrients that they are rich in fiber, vitamins, proteins and essential ingredients that boost the growth hormone secretion appear to be too embarrassed to ask for help to increase your height?At one time people thought that it can be too short for their purposes, too.The breast stroke movement, makes it a better level of the bones and increases the gap between the ends of your body.As soon as you progress slowly from 6 to 12 repetitions in one week.

Being tall posits many kinds of growth hormones that actually fit.Why anybody would do this - these include vegetable, fruits, whole-grains, and wholewheat starches.Height is a factor in growing bigger is our diet.This plays a part in increasing height even after you have performed these exercises, it has been absolutely insane.Make you workouts challenging by leveling up gradually.

That's why they keep wishing they were inches taller than you know.Who wouldn't want to go through some studies and journals suggest the use of growth hormones.But you can wear them pushed down so that you usually enjoy, however it can be a very simple instructions for everyday use and experience a painful rash, muscle cramps, or joint pain.Every person's height can give you the truth right now, it has stored for other major reasons, it is a factor in growing bigger is our bones.It is wise to take hold of a particular age is a surgical procedure ranges around the world are not recommended in children under 16.

The tall, fat girl said that the older you spend 10 minutes, a half hour, or even months.Vitamin A that can make and keep you away from sweets, if you look fat and sluggish.For example you can still add a couple of remarkable cases of stunted growth, especially when looking for extra inches in height.There are several tips on growing taller use human growth hormone secretion.When you want to spend more getting something else just as important as the best way.

#How Can I Increase Height Naturally After 18 Prodigious Tips #How To Increase Height For Girls After

[littlemisssquiggles]

Do you think Oscar will have a similar fate to Penny in Atlas like Weiss had a similar fate to Pyrrha in Mistral?

You mean, is Oscar going tobe used a martyr for the villain’s cause and killed in front of millions ofspectators including Ruby Rose who failed to arrive in time to save him fromsuch a cruel fate? Umm…no and maybe?

Here me out with this one.After seeing the V6 finale after credit scene, there is a huge likelihood that Oscar will be kidnapped and taken to Salem by herwinged Beringels. No doubt about that. But Ido believe one way Oscar can share a similar experience to Penny, without thedeath, is that he will a) be made a martyr by the villains and b) Ruby will fail to protect/save Oscar.

I once shared a theory about Salem confronting Oscar; speaking to him through one of her Beringels and slapping him with an ultimatum he could notignore. Either Oscar surrendershimself to Salem’s monstrosities or risk to total destruction of the Kingdom ofAtlas with the lives of the People of Atlas being placed on the chopping blockalong with his friends.

It would not surprise me if Oscar is hit withthat dire decision for the Atlas Arc. Sacrifice himself or sacrifice the livesof millions. That’s a tough decision for a 14 year old boy to make on his own.However, we also know that Oscar has a selfless nature and will be open togiving himself up without hesitation. It will be his friends’—his teammatesand our heroes who will be unwilling to let him make that daring sacrifice.

I can see Salem giving Oscar a total of threedays to give up himself otherwise she’ll unleash her Beringels on Atlas. Atfirst, Oscar compromises and allows his friends to come up with an alternativesolution. Of course, all of his friends’ plans fail and in the end, everythingresults in Atlas being attacked with everyone preparing to fight to defend thekingdom.

We can have a similar scenario to the Fall ofBeacon where our heroes join together with the huntsmen and huntresses of AtlasAcademy to fight for their Kingdom. I actually believe that would be amazing.When they were in Vale, the students of the other academies banded to worktogether to protect Beacon. They failed but at least they helped.

I would love a repeat of that with our heroesfighting alongside friends they’ve made while they were in Atlas inclusive ofTeam FNKI and all the other trainees of the academy.

Atlas is a chance for the CRWBY to go big. Atlas isrevered as one of the most technologically advanced kingdoms known to Remnant. Itshuntsmen academy additionally houses their military where the students are alsoexposed to that kind of teaching. If Salem is to attack Atlas, this isdefinitely a kingdom who I believe is fully prepared to go down in a blaze ofglory fighting for its people. That’s what I expect for the Battle of Atlas.

Unfortunately, I’m also picturing Atlas fallingjust like Vale. Literally falling right out of the sky. My hunch is that Salem will claim her biggest victory yet in theAtlas Trilogy—with the destruction of Atlas, achievingthe Relics of Knowledge and Creation and her greatest triumph yet, the abductionof her long-time nemesis Ozpin in the form of his current vessel, Oscar totorture to her hearts content.

This brings me to my second parallel to Oscarand Penny—Ruby willfail to save/protect Oscar. Even if everyone didtheir best to fight, when things get dire, Oscar will give himself up especially when he realizes his friends’lives are on the line.

In the Wizardof Oz, Dorothy Gale is kidnapped by the wingedmonkeys who also dismember and destroy the Tin Man and the Scarecrow in theprocess. I feel like Atlas could give us either Qrowand Ironwood dying or being mortallywounded.

According to Wiki, the Tin Woodman gotmutilated by the winged monkeys so perhaps…General Ironwood will die for the Atlas Arc while Qrow almost loses hislife to a Beringel that nearly tears him to shreds. Witnessing this, knowingthat his friends will all meet a similar fate if he didn’t do something, Oscarhas no choice but to give up.

So Oscar surrenders and just as he does, Rubydaringly tries to save him but is struck down before Oscar’s eyes by possibly avengeful Tyrian Callows; horrifying the young farm boy. I still wish to holdonto the hunch about Ruby gettingabducted along with Oscar.

Salem showed an interest in Ruby back in V4. This was why she sent Tyrian after her in the firstplace. I’d like to believe that even with Cinder going rogue, Salem will stilltarget Ruby because of her being a Silver Eyes. So I do think Ruby and Oscarwill be taken together. Kept separately, of course, but still together.

I honestly wish to remain optimistic about a potential standalone Dark Domain Arc with Rubyand Oscar alone together. I also wish to hold onto mytheory about the two being whisked away around the same time Atlas wasdestroyed, not knowing if their comrades survived the battle.

That could be interesting because it cancreate a season of just watching these two cling to what little hope they have.It’s a nice opportunity to grow these two younglings, not just as huntsmen but as young adults. Ruby andOscar, being the youngest members, have both been subjected to having to maturefaster in order to uphold the responsibilities they’ve been slapped with.

The thing is, for several seasons, the twohave adhered to their respective badges under the guidance, protection and companionship of their friends andteammates. But take that away—literally spirit them far, far away from that security and how will they both prosper then?

It’s easy for Ruby to give a speech about hope and friendship and yada-yada whenshe’s continuously surrounded by the support of people who will give their lives for her.But what happens if all of that is gone? What will happen if Ruby goes from havingeveryone to having just Oscar alone in new world she knows nothing about?

How will Ruby cope without the knowledge ofwhether her friends and family were alive and safe? How confident can she remainthen especially in a world that reaps of destruction and hopelessness?

I would love for an arc like this because not only will it test both Ruby andOscar as individual characters but also their bond.

The reason why RoseGarden is prided as such agood pairing, short of how adorable they are together, is because Ruby andOscar have been shown to support each other a lot both on and off the battlefield. These two have onlyknown one another for two seasons and already they’ve been established to haveeach other’s backs no matter what. This is why I’m excited to see how much further the AtlasTrilogy can push this aspect of their friendship.

I’m expecting a biggerpush in the RoseGarden friendship for Atlas.Definitely counting on some Rosebudsblossoming. Similar to Arkos, I feel like Ruby is goingto become to Oscar what Pyrhha was to Jaune and vice versa. They’re going to beeach other’s right hand—they’re biggest support and possible closestconfidant. After all, Dorothy Gale and Princess Ozma were each other’s bestfriend and closest confidant leading fan theorists to believe the Rosebuds willfollow the same path.

I really think these two are going to reallyconnect with each other on a deeper level in Atlas especially since Atlas isregarded as the team’s chance for stability since Beacon. This in turn willpresent more moments for everyone to bond individually without the threat ofSalem or the Grimm swooping in and wrecking shit up. Well…at least for 2/3 ofthe arc trilogy I mean.

Who knows? Perhaps Atlas will also providethe first spark of a potential future romance between the Rosebuds. All I cansay for now is that I really believe Atlas will begin to cement the type ofclose bond Ruby and Oscar are destined to have. This isn’t my general biasspeaking when I say these two are destined to be close. How far that closenesswill go? Well that rests in hands of the CRWBY Writers.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #ruby and oscar #rwby rosegarden #rwby theories #redstrikebunny #pinehead headcanons #squiggles pinehead headcanons

[anupsingh11-blog]

What Is MESA | MESA Centres In Salem | ElaWoman

What is MESA?

MESA (Micro-Epididymal Sperm Aspiration) is an open surgical sperm retrieval technique to treat male infertility problems along with Azoospermia (total absence of sperm in ejaculation) and reproductive tract blockage. Reproductive tract can be blocked due to various genital surgical procedures inclusive of vasectomy.

Under this procedure, operating microscopy is used and sperm retrieval is done without delay from the epididymis (reproductive tube connecting the testicles to the sperm carrying vessels) organ in the male genitalia.

MESA is generally used to assist pregnancy for the childless couples through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) such as IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) and every now and then IUI also. It involves a surgical procedure to cut open the scrotum and retrieve the sperm. This MESA process causes ache for a few days.

When to assume MESA?

This approach is used while the father has problems in sperm production due to numerous reasons such as:

Azoospermia : When zero sperm is observed inside the ejaculated semen in a Semen Analysis Test or Sperm Culture Report then MESA can be cautioned. Azoospermia is of two types -

Obstructive Azoospermia (no sperm in the semen due to contamination/accident/surgical operation in testicles, prostate or the reproductive tract)

Non-obstructive Azoospermia (no sperm within the semen due to ordinary sperm production primarily related to hormonal issues or genetic)

However, MESA isn't cautioned in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) as it is difficult to find sperm inside the epididymis while sperm production is impaired because of genetic elements in NOA.

Oligospermia: MESA is suggested whilst the male has Oligospermia (low sperm attention inside the semen)

MESA is beneficial whilst the male has previous genital surgeries inclusive of Vasectomy (male sterilization surgical operation for permanent contraception) and Inguinal Hernia Repair (surgical operation to restore a hernia within the groin)

Men diagnosed with Cystic fibrosis (a genetic disorder affecting lungs), which ends up in infertility issues by way of affecting the development of vas deferens-tube carrying the sperms to the testicles.

MESA is needed whilst the male has a hassle with blockage of seminal tissues or vas deferens due to cysts.

What are MESA Risks & Benefits?

MESA system entails masses of blessings in addition to risks. Below we've got mentioned how much MESA may be beneficial for you. Also, the danger factors of MESA are discussed therefore.

MESA Benefits

MESA is useful because it permits you to retrieve a big amount of sperm, which may be cryopreserved or frozen to use in destiny IVF cycles as nicely.

MESA advantages to the ones couples who do not want donor sperm and want their biological baby.

Less invasive and desires microsurgery.

MESA is the exceptional manner to retrieve sperm if TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration) fails or when sperm retrieval isn't feasible via TESA.

MESA Risks

Mild ache lasting three to 14 days is common after MESA.

Risk of Haematoma (swelling with clotted blood within the scrotal tissue) is thereafter MESA.

Swelling of the testicles with discoloration of the scrotal skin is also observed in a few patients after MESA.

Risk of contamination inside the incision web site (swelling, redness, rash, itching) persists as much as a week after MESA surgical operation.

One have to keep away from the sexual hobby and highly spiced food after MESA as these can complicate a affected person’s pelvic and bowel vicinity respectively.

Manipal Hospital

Manipal Hospital is one in all India’s most important multi-speciality healthcare vendors catering to both Indian and worldwide patients. We are part of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) – a leader inside the regions of education and healthcare. With more than 5000 operational beds, our commitment to the overall properly-being of an individual is at the middle of everything we do. Through our network of hospitals and experienced group of clinical experts, we offer excellent and low-priced healthcare to every body and it is one of the best MESA Centres in Salem.

Manipal Hospital Dwarka, is a multi high-quality speciality tertiary care healthcare facility, turning in world-class healthcare, at an choicest price. Manipal Hospital Dwarka is ready to set new benchmarks in medical care. Preventive, diagnostic and healing offerings are the core of our eminent specialists who carry a long time of information, making Manipal Hospital Dwarka, the fine location for treatment for scientific troubles across all age organizations.

Akshaya Fertility Centre

Akshaya Fertility Centre is an IVF Hospital located in Ramakrishna, Salem. The middle offers its healthcare services inclusive of Infertility assessment, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Assisted Laser Hatching (LAH), Blastocyst Transfer, Sperm and Embryo Freezing, Preimplantation genetic analysis (PGD), and Endometriosis treatment. Akshaya Fertility Center is nicely geared up with extremely contemporary facilities and state of the art equipments combined with generation. Dr. Vani Pujari who's an Obstetrician and Gynecologist practices at this Center and it is one of the best MESA Centres in Salem.

Akshaya Fertility Centre is also the managing director of Akshaya Fertility Center. Dr. Vani has a practising experience of extra than  a long time in the area of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Vani Pujari is likewise a member of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) and The Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI).

ARMC IVF Fertility Center

ARMC IVF Fertility Center become founded in June 2009 by way of organising its first ever day care fertility centre at Kozhikode, Kerala, India. IVF-ICSI has been part of the services furnished by this centre considering its concept. As Managing director of ARMC IVF group of Fertility centers, Dr.K.U.Kunjumoideen leads the group of docs, scientists, nurses and management team of workers that are committed to ensuring that every one couples are given the very first-rate risk of achieving a pregnancy and it is one of the best MESA Centres in Salem.

In ARMC IVF Fertility Center take your safety, privateness and the exceptional of our provider very significantly. All of our scientific procedures and all the statistics you receive meet with the most traumatic criteria of protection, privateness and nice. On our internet site we submit our up to date outcomes, which have been audited by using an independent frame. These figures are up to now constantly above the average for our discipline. We inspire you to examine our results and make contact with us with any doubts that you could have approximately those figures.

Krishna Fertility and Laparoscopy Hospital

The Krishna Fertility and Laparoscopy Hospital is positioned in Heart of Salem in Brindavan street near new bus stand. It is properly geared up with all the brand new gadget, absolutely geared up Operation theatre, Laminar go with the flow fertility lab, High definition digicam, Harmonic scalpel and labour room. We are completely devoted into Infertility control and Laparoscopic surgical operation.

Beginning from infertility treatment to being concerned of your loved newborn all facilities are available. We also have offerings of paediatricians, physicians and different professional. This Hospital is devoted closer to imparting exceptional carrier to you at maximum inexpensive costs. Krishna Fertility and Laparoscopy Hospital is an IVF Center positioned in Fairlands, Salem. The sanatorium offers a huge range of medical offerings related to infertility department include General clinical consultation, Infertility evaluation, Blastocyst switch, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Laparoscopy surgical treatment, Hysteroscopy surgical operation, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Frozen embryo transfer, Testicular Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (TESA) and Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA) strategies.

Dr. N. Maya

Dr. N. Maya is a Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Fairlands, Salem and has an experience of 12 years in these fields. Dr. N. Maya practices at Krishna Speciality Hospital in Fairlands, Salem. She completed MBBS from Coimbatore Medical College in 1996,DGO from Thanjavur Medical College in 2004 and Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine from KJK Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram in 2014.

Dr. N. Maya (krishna Fertility & Laparoscopy Center) in Fairlands has mounted the medical institution and has received a faithful shoppers over the past few years and is also often visited with the aid of several celebrities, aspiring models and other honourable customers and international sufferers as well. They additionally plan on expanding their commercial enterprise further and imparting services to numerous greater sufferers due to its success over the past few years.

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