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aspoonofsugar · 11 months

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Ironwood and Penny: Atlas and Amity

Winter: You chose nothing. This...was a gift.

Winter: No, you have sacrificed everyone else!

Winter’s 2 remarks above highlight 2 important themes explored by Ironwood and Penny throughout the Atlas Arc:

Trust - Ironwood wants to control Winter, but Penny trusts her with the Maiden Power

Sacrifice - Ironwood sacrifices others, while Penny sacrifices herself

These ideas are also at the core of 2 settings of volume 7 and 8: Amity and Atlas.

On the one hand Amity means “friendship” and the arena represents the ideal of unity among Kingdoms (the Vytal Festival, the Amity Project). It is then a place symbolic of trust.

On the other hand Atlas takes its name from a Titan in Greek mythology, who holds the sky in place. This alludes to Atlas’s role as the Greatest Kingdom, which should support everyone else with its technology and richness. For this reason the Kingdom frames itself as ready to selflessly make sacrifices. In reality, though, it is supported by others’ sacrifices.

How do these 2 places comment Ironwood and Penny’s arcs? And what do these characters have to say on trust and sacrifice? Let’s discover it, by analyzing their parallel and yet opposite arcs.

CREATOR AND CREATION - 2 SIDES OF TECHNOLOGY

Ironwood and Penny are introduced in the Beacon arc along 2 opposite creations of Atlas Technology.

Ironwood: There are still many situations that will undoubtedly require... a human touch. So, we are proud to introduce... the Atlesian Paladin!

Penny: Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura.

Ironwood wants to substitude soldiers with robots and presents the Atlesian Paladins. Penny is instead the first synthetic person with aura and she wants to be a normal girl.

This juxtaposition foreshadows 2 things:

1) Ironwood is linked to a technology with no humanity, while Penny embodies technology made with humans in mind

2) Ironwood is a creator, while Penny is a creation

Ruby: You're not like those things we saw back there. You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it!

Ruby juxtaposes the Paladins to Penny. They are only puppets, but she is a real girl. This opposition gains more weigh when we remember that:

The Paladins are made by Watts

Penny is made by Pietro

Watts and Pietro are Atlas’s 2 top scientists, but Watts’ creations are cold and logical, while Pietro’s have hearts. And yet, when it comes to choose a project, Ironwood chooses Pietro’s.

Why is that so? There are 2 possible answers.

a) The first one is what Pietro believes:

Ruby: You wanted a protector with a soul. Pietro: I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too. Much to my surprise, the Penny Project was chosen over all the other proposals.

Ironwood used to wish for a protector with a soul, even if he later changes his mind. It is coherent with Ironwood being the Tin Man who loses his heart. His problem is not that he is a bad person. If anything, several characters aknowledge Ironwood’s heart is in the right place:

Glynda: You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable.

Blake: The General's heart seems to be in the right place, but that doesn't mean we should trust him yet.

Still, he sees it as a weakness and refuses to follow it:

What if it’s true as they say That I don’t have a heart That I'm more a machine than a man? What would that change? Would it matter at all? I've made my plan Hearts and minds may not agree Emotions topple strategy

b) The second one is present in subtext:

Ironwood: For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used. We've made... significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it.

Isn’t it interesting that Atlas has been experimenting with aura machines while also developing an android able to generate aura?

The aura machine takes and transfers aura, while Pietro gives his aura to Penny to bring her to life. It sounds as if the 2 technologies might be similar, doesn’t it? What if what really intrigues Ironwood about the Penny Project isn’t giving a soul to a robot, but rather controlling a soul? By studying how Pietro gives his aura to Penny, Atlas can learn more about aura itself, how it works and how to artificially manage it.

In the end, we don’t know why ironwood chooses the Penny Project over others, but this ambiguity fits his inner conflict between the heart and the desire of control.

At the same time, Penny ends up objectified in both cases. She is seen as a protector at best and as a puppet, at worst. This ties with the difference between creator and creation (point 2).

2) Ironwood finances new creations, like the Paladins and the Penny Project. In this sense, he is a creator. Penny instead was built by Pietro, so she is a creation. This dychotomy is articulated in 2 ways:

a) Ironwood is active, while Penny is passive

Ironwood: I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so... passively.

Penny: I want to stay at Beacon. Ruby: Penny, they'll never let you do that. Penny: I know, but I have a plan.

At the beginning of the story Ironwood and Penny are opposite in how Ironwood has much agency, while Penny has none.

Ironwood is basically the ruler of Atlas and everybody in the Kingdom follows his orders. He is so used to have his way with everything that he enters a conflict with Ozpin over exactly this. He claims Ozpin is too passive and uses his influence to take control over the Vytal Tournament.

Penny is a child-soldier whose life has been decided by adults around her. Pietro asks her not to venture too far despite how lonely and curious Penny is. Ironwood controls her schedule to a ridiculous degree to the point she is forbidden to talk with anyone. Even when Penny musters the courage to pursue a personal goal, the narrative kills her off before she can act on her wish.

In the end, Ironwood and Penny’s arcs in Vale are decided by their respective activity and passivity. On the one hand Ironwood is so active he doesn’t trust others’ agency. He wants to control everything and everyone, but this is his downfall, as Cinder and Watts use his own robots against him. On the other hand Penny is so passive her role is reduced to that of a pawn in Cinder’s plan. Her feelings are ignored and dismissed to the point they meta-narratively have no impact on the story.

b) Ironwood is framed as a “second father” to Penny

Ruby: Was your dad that upset? Penny: No, it wasn't my father...

In A Minor Hiccup Penny links Ironwood and Pietro. This is a way to show Ironwood is an authority figure in Penny’s life. He is some kind of metaphorical father to her. Not in the sense their bond is necessarily familiar, like Penny and Pietro’s. Still, Ironwood is the one who finances Penny and is her teacher and mentor. His influence on the girl is as much if not more than Pietro’s. Ironwood is the one who decides Penny is gonna be a Huntress and a Protector. Penny instead loves and trusts him.

In summary, Ironwood starts the story as a controlling father figure, while Penny as a controlled daughter. From this initial point they have opposite progressions.

On the one hand Ironwood loses his 2 daughters (Penny and Winter) and ends up passive:

Ironwood: So, consider this my last order: step aside. Winter: I've never wavered in fighting the enemies of this Kingdom--And I won't start now.

On the other hand Penny emancipates herself from his 2 fathers (Ironwood and Pietro) and grows more active:

Pietro: I want the chance to watch you live your life. Penny: But dad… I am trying to.

They do so by adhering to opposite ideals. Ironwood chooses repression and control. Penny chooses expression and trust. Ironwood acts selfishly and loses himself. Penny acts selflessly and finds herself.

THE BATTLE OF AMITY

Ironwood: It goes without saying that this arena holds a significance to all of us.

Amity is an important place for Ironwood and Penny. On the one hand it is both where Ironwood loses the battle of Beacon and a weapon to use against Salem. On the other hand the arena is where Penny is killed and it gets repaired together with her, after they make it back to Atlas:

Pietro: Died? I guess, in a manner of speaking, she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas.

At Beacon Ironwood loses both Amity and Penny, but in Atlas they are repaired and enhanced, so that they fit the general’s plans even better. Amity Arena becomes Amity Tower, a giant antenna that can unify all nations against Salem. Penny becomes the Protector of Mantle, a super-hero that fights for the poorest and most defenseless people of the Kingdom. The overlapping between Amity and Penny is highlighted also by their technologies being similar:

Watts: Penny’s blades operate on the same principle as Amity in the launch terminal. In order for her to control them all, they need to communicate with one another.

Ironwood and Penny’s stories are intertwined with Amity, but once again Ironwood gets to be active, while Penny is forced into passivity. Ironwood controls the arena and Penny, while Penny is a super-weapon tasked with the burden to be a symbol of trust.

However, things start to change in Amity itself, where both Ironwood and Penny have a pivotal fight with a dangerous villain:

Watts and Cinder are strong foils and personal antagonists to both Ironwood and Penny.

On the one hand Watts is a foil to Ironwood. Both are Atlesians’ elites who believe true strength is found in the mind rather than the heart. They are also very ambitious and wanna best and control others. In particular, they wanna control Penny.

On the other hand Cinder is a foil to Penny. Both are girls (maidens) objectified and used by Atlas, who wanna be free. This search for freedom leads them both into a conflict with the elites (Ironwood). However, the way they go at it is different. Penny refuses the mentality of Atlas, but tries to save its people. Cinder can’t escape the Atlesian framework, but wants to destroy the Kingdom.

So, Watts and Cinder are dark mirrors, who are meant to challenge Ironwood and Penny. Are the General and the Protector of Mantle really different from Salem’s servants? And why?

In particular, the 2 villains test Ironwood and Penny on the theme of trust, especially in the 2 Amity Fights. After all, both confrontations happen because of an exhibition of trust:

Ironwood chooses to trust Robin and to tell Mantle and Atlas the truth. He is open about everything, even the Amity Project, which works as bait for Watts. Penny chooses to trust Ruby and the world with the secret behind Salem. This is why she has to protect Amity Tower at all costs when Cinder arrives.

At the core of both Ironwood and Penny’s plans there is a dangerous bet:

Watts: It wasn't finished... it was bait.

Penny: This does not seem like a very good idea. Pietro: There is a difference between a good idea and our best idea. Sadly, we don’t have time for much else.

Ironwood knows that telling his Kingdom the truth may cause panic. He knows he is putting Amity in danger. Penny knows that Ruby’s message may go ignored and the world might not come for Atlas in time. Similarly, she knows Pietro’s method to have Amity work is dangerous.

They both trust and take a risk:

Weiss: Trust is a risk.

Watts and Cinder appear out of nowhere to weaponize this risk for their own selfish interests:

Watts: Our tin soldier's heart has cost him his mind. We need to keep their attention on Mantle for as long as possible.

Cinder: Salem doesn’t know those children like I do. They wouldn’t just abandon their misguided attempt to save the world.

The main difference is that Watts understimates Ironwood’s feelings, while Cinder takes advantage of Penny’s.

Watts immediately thinks the General has fallen prey of his emotions and has made a misstep. In reality, this is a moment of clarity for Ironwood, where he follows his heart and makes smart choices.

Cinder reads the protagonists’ way of thinking correctly. She understands Ruby and the others would want to try and use Amity to warn the world. She doesn’t ignore their feelings, but makes use of them.

This is why Watts embodies control, while Cinder represents manipulation. Control relies on the repression of feelings. Manipulation is instead the ability to twist emotions, so that a person would act in a certain way. These 2 approaches are present also in the 2 Amity fights.

Watts uses his rings to control the whole Arena and have it attack Ironwood.

Cinder uses Penny’s feelings for Pietro and the world to manipulate her.

Still, by the end both Ironwood and Penny win. They defeat their opponents in what is a crowning moment of awesome for both characters. So, is it everything alright? Have they defeated their nemesis and affirmed they are good? Not really, because heroes are really tested not when they win, but when they lose:

Just after such draining fights, Ironwood and Penny have to immediately deal with another problem. Ironwood is manipulated by Cinder, while Penny is controlled by Watts. They are both victims of the enemies’ schemes. Still, their reaction is different.

Ironwood gives up on trust immediately. This choice is conveyed also through him sacrificing the Amity Project:

Ironwood: We are going to take our plan for Amity Tower and apply it to the city of Atlas.

Penny chooses not to give up on faith. She decides to launch Amity, despite Pietro’s protest:

Pietro: You’re in no condition to do something like this. Even just the temperature out there could-- Penny: It is our only option.

This moment marks who they are going to become. Ironwood freaks out and turns into the antithesis of who he is. Penny is steady and stays loyal to herself. That is because Ironwood and Penny’s value is not measured in them winning a fight, but rather in what they do when they discover their victory solves nothing. Are they ready to push forward with no guarantee they are going to succeed? Ironwood isn’t, while Penny is.

As a result, Ironwood fails to learn the main theme:

Ironwood: You can label me whatever you'd like, but the fact of the matter is I was right! The minute I softened, let my guard down, that's when Salem had her opening.

While Penny comes to embody it:

But our greatest fear will be realized If we fall and lose ourselves to fear We've become what we feared all our lives

The point is not that trusting and following your heart will always lead to victory. In many cases it won’t. Still, if you resign yourself to be cynical, you’ll lose who you are and may end up failing anyway.

This is why from here on out Ironwood and Penny switch when it comes to activity and passivity. Ironwood still has freedom and power, but he ends up tricked and manipulated over and over. Penny isn’t given many options and all of them are bad. Still, she keeps on making her own choices. After his Amity fight Ironwood is left (passive) by Penny. After her Amity fight Penny leaves (active) Pietro.

At the same time, here Ironwood chooses to sacrifice everything, but Atlas:

Ironwood: I will sacrifice... whatever it takes... to stop her. Watts: Oh, I hope you do, James. I hope you do.

Blake: But we're nowhere near finished evacuating everyone! You'd be leaving Mantle to die. Ironwood: Yes… I would.

Differently, Penny chooses to sacrifice herself for everyone and comes to embody what Atlas should be:

Cinder: I don’t serve anyone. And you wouldn’t either, if you weren't built that way. Penny: That is not… I choose to fight for people who care about me.

This is ironic because deep down Ironwood wants to be a hero:

Take my hand I’m here to protect you Nothing will stop me Understand There’s no sacrifice That I won’t make I’ll risk it all To keep you safe Trust me to be strong I’ll be your hero Just hold on

While Penny just really wants to be a girl:

An answered prayer A chance to Share the world To be a girl Who fin'lly felt alive

And yet, Ironwood becomes a villain, while Penny grows into a hero. Why is that so?

ROBOT VS HUMAN

Penny: One day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn.

Ironwood’s plan for Penny is to become the first of a new generation of Huntresses and Huntsmen. A new type of heroes that can be fabricated and controlled. Fighters who are smarter and stronger than humans and that can be accessorized with laser beams and other weapons.

Well, Ironwood is right on Penny being one of the best Huntresses, but he is wrong as to why:

Winter: No, Penny. You were always the real Maiden at heart.

What makes Penny a Huntress is not that she has a cannon or can fly. Rather it is that she has a human conscience, which leads her to make the right choice. Even if it is painful and difficult:

Penny becoming the Winter Maiden is what cuts her life short. At the same time, it is also what saves the people of Mantle. She becomes the real Protector of the City not when she takes down the Goliath, but when she chooses not to leave her people behind. It is this simple decision that makes her a hero. Penny doesn’t need a robotic body for this choice. Nor flying jets. Nor a laser beam. She only needs her human heart. That is the reason why she is a Maiden, a Huntress and a Savior. It is not because she is the special Creation of a genius. It is because she is a simple soul:

A story will be told, and victory is in a simple soul.

This is Ironwood’s mistake. He believes that to defeat Salem and save the world there is a need for special people. The truth is that it is sufficient for many people to make the right choice. Even if it hurts. Even if it is scary. Anybody could have made Penny’s choice not to give up on Mantle. The Ace Ops could have. Winter could have. Ironwood himself could have. And yet, they don’t. Penny instead does. This is why she is a hero, while they aren’t.

In short, Ironwood believes heroism is born by leaving humanity behind. Still, Penny shows that a true hero needs her humanity to succeed. This idea is commented also through Ironwood and Penny’s metallic motif. Both characters are in fact linked to specific metals of alchemy.

Ironwood is associated with iron through his name and to tin through his allusion (the tin man). In alchemy iron is linked to war and is more refined than tin. So, Ironwood’s growth lies in him letting go of his General persona (war) to fully embrace who he is and become gold/silver. And yet, he fails and as a result he regresses into tin. Symbolically, he loses his heart and becomes the Tin Man. A toy soldier for others to move around as they please:

By the end, all Watts has to do for Ironwood to come in the way of the protagonists is to simply open a door. Ironwood acts like a robot, completely under Watts and Cinder’s control.

Penny is associated with copper through both her name and color. On the one hand pennies are made of copper. On the other hand copper is usually green, just like Penny herself. Copper is more refined than both iron and tin, but it still needs to reach the perfection of gold. This happens when Penny grows up and symbolically becomes a “real girl” (a full self-actualized person):

In Pinocchio, the protagonist becomes a “real boy” and he discovers that his 30 copper coins are now 30 golden coins. In RWBY, Penny affirms she is a “real girl” through her final choice (giving Winter the Maiden powers) and becomes gold herself (she literally turns into a golden cloud while she disappears).

So, Ironwood gives up his humanity and loses both himself and his heroic ambitions. Penny instead holds on to her humanity and is celebrated as a hero and a wonderful person. This is why symbolically Ironwood transitions to a robot in the same episode Penny receives a human body:

This progression is shown also through their opposite relationship with Watts and Cinder. On the one hand Ironwood works with Watts, only to be tricked and eventually controlled by him. On the other hand Penny fights Cinder off until the very end and even negates her the Maiden Powers (what Cinder truly wants).

However, even if Ironwood is framed negatively and Penny positively, they both die tragically. Why is that so? What do Ironwood and Penny’s falls have to teach?

THE FALL OF ATLAS

I may fall But not like this – it won't be by your hand

Both Ironwood and Penny fall together with Atlas, and yet their final moments are complete opposite:

Ironwood is alone and makes no decisive choice. He is given one final chance to die heroically by fighting Cinder and Salem, but gives it up. Is that because he realizes all his efforts are useless? Is it because he accepts he is no hero? Or is it because Winter is right and he can only sacrifice others, but not himself? In the end, there is no definitive answer and that is the point. Who is James Ironwood? Nobody. He doesn’t leave back anything and there is no-one with him. Not even the viewers, who are negated his final moments. There is really nothing left to see.

Penny is with 2 friends, who witness her final choice. Jaune accepts her heroic sacrifice and Winter accepts her legacy. They both trust her and she manages to make one final choice which defines who she is. A friend. A real girl. A fully self-actualized person. She is a Creation who becomes a Creator. She is Pinocchio who gives life to the Blue Fairy:

Penny’s final moments are so meaningful and rich that the viewers are given the chance to follow her shortly after death. They see Penny’s goodbye to Winter and the affirmation of love for her friend.

Penny’s choice is an expression of her destiny:

Pyrrha: When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life.

After all, what is Penny’s final goal if not this?

My wish came true The day that you appeared And called me a friend

The thing Penny works towards her entire life is to be a friend. It is to affirm her personhood through her bonds with others and this is exactly what she does in the end. Right or wrong she chooses to be a friend. She goes back to protect RWBY and leaves the Maiden Powers to Winter. Her final decision is tragic, but it is still an affirmation of who Penny is, as a person. This is also why it is the only thing Cinder fails to anticipate:

Cinder: Where did it go?!

Cinder manages to manipulate everyone almost perfectly. She knows how the heroes and villains alike will act and makes use of their wishes and emotions. Penny is no exception and actually the love for her friends is what leads her back into the fight. Still, no matter how skilled Cinder is at manipulation, she can’t take away who Penny is. So, in the end Penny does something unforeseen, which gets in the way of Cinder’s objective. The Winter Maiden powers are kept safe from her and given to Winter.

Winter herself becomes symbolic of Penny’s moral victory over Ironwood. Our Winter Maiden chooses the future of Atlas.

Robyn: What do you think a Kingdom is? The people, or just the chunk of land they live on?

The General embodies an Atlas, who is isolated, cold and controlling. He is obsessed by the land and the resources. This is why he dies with his city. The Protector of Mantle represents an Atlas, who is friendly, warm and trusting. She sees the citizens are what matters. This is why she dies with her people. Eventually Winter chooses Penny and opens up a new path for the Atlesians:

In synthesis, both Ironwood and Penny die, but the way they fall marks them as different. Ironwood dies passive, isolated and pathetic. Penny dies active, surrounded by love and a hero.

In other words, Ironwood falls like Atlas:

An empty shell of his former self. A kingdom with no people. A man with no heart.

Penny instead falls like Amity:

She falls after having brought people together. She falls, but has trust in others and faith in the future. A real Maiden at Heart.

When the protagonists arrive in Atlas, they find a Kingdom which is scared to open up. It is scared of trusting:

Now that Kingdom is gone and not just physically, but also from the hearts of people:

Atlas welcomes the protagonists with an army ready to stop any intruder from other Kingdoms. Vacuo welcomes the protagonists with an army made of all the ships from every Kingdom.

Atlas (Ironwood’s mentality) is gone, but Amity (Penny’s mentality) is floating again in the sky.

#rwby #rwby meta #penny polendina #james ironwood #tw: penny's death #penny & friends #winter schnee #my meta

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z-1-wolfe · 9 months

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*sad kazoo music*

#rwby fanart #frostbyte #weiss schnee #penny polendina #zenta draws #i was playing my frostbyte playlist for sh1ts and giggles #and then i was like hmmm #so i dug through some old drafts to do a color stud #this is not a background study please do not look at anything too carefully…#my trees are rectangles…#newayssss #tw implied death

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cosmokyrin · 1 year

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What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end: O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop To help me after? I will kiss thy lips; Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, To make die with a restorative.

YEAH I’VE OFFICIALLY GONE OFF THE CLIFF

RUBY AND PENNY ARE ROMEO AND JULIET AND YOU’LL HAVE TO FISTFIGHT ME FOR THIS!!!!

here’s my reference like, HOLY CATS OKAY

—

Artwork powered by Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS): Linux Mint MATE 21.1 and Krita 5.1.5

#nuts and dolts #penny polendina #ruby rose #rwby #rwby9 #spoilers #rwby spoilers #kyrin's art #i made an NND Romeo and Juliet art for NND Week 2021 AND HOO BOY DID IT COME BACK TO ME AGAIN #and all this rests on the fact that Penny will come back #and they will fucking turn this classic story in its head!!#also #Ruby and Penny being patterned over a classic story because Ruby is the main main character AAAAAAAAAAAAAA #penny death #human penny #suicide tw

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 1 year

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Thank you so much for the furfrou headcannons I absolutely loved it🥰

May I request headcannons for Arven,penny,Nemoma and Mr Hassel(my new dad) with a reader who actually lost their main partner who was a deathly protective mightyena but was…removed should we say…by their dad who was a fighting type gym leader but hated that his kid had a Pokémon like Mightyena,so he had a incredibly violent fight with his lucario and mighty was unfortunately lost in the end.Reader ran away and found a little rockruff puppy who was abandoned,he later became a dusk form lycanrock who is fiercely protective of reader.

I wonder how Hassel would react to a parent doing something so unforgivable to their child and seeing how close she is to her lycanrock and how terrified of fighting types she is.

How would Arven feel seeing someone who dropped everything to help him because she couldn’t stand seeing the cycle repeat in a way.

What about nemona? Would reader be terrified to let lycanrock battle against her pawmot?

If this is to dark I completely understand!

Oh ouch :(( This is fine to request dw!

......

Arven

He knows a thing or two about having shitty parents.

But absolutely nothing could've prepared him for the truth of why you never spoke to your dad and went through so much trouble to help his Mabosstiff recover:

Because you, too, had a dark type dog Pokémon partner..but tragically lost them after a vicious battle with your dad, a fighting type gym leader who was disappointed in you choosing Mightyena as your ace.

You two had an argument that turned violent as he sent his Lucario against Might, Mega Evolving him to teach you both a "lesson" that ended up wounding them badly.

He didn't think it was fatal, but sadly not even a Pokémon Center could heal their severe injuries.

So you comforted Might in their last moments, burying them that night and grieving, before running away from home--never speaking to your father again after that incident.

At some point, you found a friend in an abandoned Rockruff: a very young one left on a leash outside by their trainer.

You two formed a connection, and years later they remained by your side, having evolved into a Dusk Lycanroc that had the same protectiveness and loyalty as Might once did.

Arven already has tears in his eyes by the time you finish telling him everything, and when you bring out Lycanroc, he has nothing but respect for them.

Both of you wind up making sandwiches and take a break from tracking down the Titan Pokémon.

He's glad he opened up to you, and vice versa.

But boy, he'd love to give your dad hell for what he put you through.

Penny

During Operation: Starfall, you had a pretty bad panic attack when Eri brought out Lucario--an event that Penny unfortunately witnessed.

Your Dusk Lycanroc knew why you were so distressed and, despite the obvious type disadvantage, was fueled with enough rage to cleave through her team and take down the Starmobile.

After that, they helped you calm down and recuperate.

Later, after Penny reveals that she's the Team Star leader, she talks to you in private and admits to seeing that frightening moment.

But she's still unsure why you reacted that way.

Since she was open to you, though, you decided to open up to her about your past with Mightyena and how you lost them after fighting your dad's Lucario.

And you see the shock in her eyes before she shakily mutters "I'm so sorry", realizing she played a part in making you relive that trauma by battling Eri.

But you reassure her it's okay. She didn't know, and you don't hold it against either of them.

You've just been afraid of fighting types for so long, which is why you saved the Caph Squad base for last.

She's a gal of few words, but she's willing to lend you her Eeveelutions for emotional support should you ever need them.

There's a good chance she's always gonna feel somewhat guilty, especially when she catches Lycanroc sneaking glares at Eri and her team.

Nemona

Your battles with her start out normal, with your Dusk Lycanroc taking down most of her team with ease.

But when she sent out her Pawmo for the first time, you become frozen with fear--something that she notices right away and stops the fight.

She asks if you're okay, but you just quietly switch Lycanroc out for another Pokémon and swiftly end the battle before leaving.

It'll be a long while before you admit to Nemona why you looked so terrified that day, so she assumes you had a bad experience with a Pawmo before.

But when you feel comfortable enough to tell her, she feels guilty and promises to change up her team.

Ngl she's probably gonna tear up after learning how awful your dad was to your Mightyena.

She vows to battle the bastard himself and take away his gym badge for good.

But you tell her it's okay. Karma will come for him, and you just wanted to continue healing from your past wounds.

Eventually, you'll be fine battling her Pawmot, though knowing her passion you just...have this nagging fear that she might overdo it and seriously hurt your Lycanroc.

So you avoid using them if she sends that one out.

Hassel

Of all the teachers, he was closest to being the father figure you always wanted, but never got (considering your own was a dirtbag who didn't deserve his gym badge).

So you trusted him a lot, often chatting with him about homework, his elite four job, or how your treasure hunt was going.

But one day, Hassel notices how sad and distant you seemed in class today.

Considering you're always participating, it's unusual seeing you be so quiet.

So he asks you to stop by later, wondering what was weighing so heavily on your mind.

He may or may not have brought you to tears as you explain that today was the anniversary of your Mightyena's death.

After you go into detail of how your Dusk Lycanroc became your next companion, he starts sobbing his eyes out while hugging you.

Never in his life could he imagine a parent doing something so awful to their child's Pokémon.

It shatters him to know that you, too, were being forced to follow in someone else's footsteps, with your dad wanting to raise fighting-type trainers but you wishing to have a dark-type partner...and ultimately being punished for it.

Since then, Hassel has been 100% supportive of you, always saying that he'd proud of you and how well you raised your Lycanroc.

#clanask #pokemon x reader #pokemon scarlet x reader #pokemon violet x reader #pokemon arven #pokemon arven x reader #pokemon nemona #pokemon nemona x reader #pokemon penny #pokemon penny x reader #pokemon hassel #platonic #mightyena #dusk lycanroc #headcanons #tw death

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ieatsmallorphansnamedtom · 1 year

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Headcanon of how well each of the bachelors would do if the farmer suddenly passed away of an illness (+ having left with kid/s a bonus)

(maybe even putting them in order who would handle it best to the worst)

Bachelor/ettes When the Farmer Passes Away (+ Leaving a Child)

Hi! Thank you for the request. I decided not to do them from handling it best to worst, because I couldn't really order it and it felt weird. My writing is a little rusty hehe.

TW: Death, grieving, spiritual crisis, self-blame

Bachelors:

Sam

Definitely the type to try and cover it up with smiles. Like everyone else, he breaks down the moment it happens (I'm not going to elaborate on how it happened for the sake of the viewer). Still, he tries to act all smiley and happy afterwards for the sake of the kid(s). But it never quite reaches his eyes, and everyone can tell he wouldn't recover that easily.

Elliott

Elliott throws himself into his writing like no tomorrow. He barely speaks to anyone except his kid at this point - not even Leah! He's putting all his time and energy into making sure his child can recover from this, not caring if he's ruining himself and actually getting further from it due to that in the process.

Sebastian

I don't know how to word this other than Sebastian's emo levels rise 1050%. He goes full on stereotypical, but he's not being ironic. He's straight up in desperate need of help but he refuses it, and the kid suffers as a result, which just makes him worse. Chances of his kid going to live with someone else are pretty high.

Harvey

Like Elliott, Harvey would throw himself into his work if that were to happen. He'd be completely focused on making sure nobody else has to go through that, no matter what happens to him in the process. He still talks to people, though. He wants to make it seem like he's got his life together so that hopefully it actually works out.

Shane

Oh boy. Oh, oh no. Oh Yoba not Shane. He's suffering. Absolutely gone off the deep end, very little hope (though there's always some hope). Yeah, he's going to spiral after this. The kid goes to live with Marnie or another relative because he just can't handle it. He either sells off the farm or goes to live back with Marnie because he's just destroying himself at this point. Not good.

Alex

Alex is also not doing well. At all. Though he's not at the level of Sebastian or Shane (as in he keeps the kid), that confident personality is gone. I mean, it's a front anyway, but still! He's so sad all the time and really seems to think there is no hope for him. He still puts up a front around his kid, though. But definitely cries himself to sleep.

Bachelorettes:

Penny

I don't even want to write this; Penny doesn't deserve this. She's devastated. Penny cannot handle what's going on and really just starts crying all the time. She can't even look at her kid because it reminds her of you and makes her cry even more. It's terrible to watch.

Leah

Leah's probably doing the best out of all of them. But that's not to say she isn't suffering. She paints to let out her emotions, and signs herself and her kid up for therapy. Her shitty ex Kel also comes back to haunt her, wanting to take advantage of her situation to get her back.

Abigail

Abigail gets a lot angrier. She's always in the mines swinging her sword at monsters and barely comes home. She's not even doing it for fun, just to take her anger out on something. And she's a lot snappier with people, too. She gets into fights with her friends and family and sometimes even her kid. Yeah, it really doesn't make her the best mother she could be otherwise.

Maru

Maru immediately signs herself up for therapy. She does all the things that should help - gardening to relax and remember, mediation, working on her passions - but nothing helps. It's even worse when she sees her kid slowly getting better because of them while she's not. She hides it all though under a thick layer of moderate sadness.

Emily

Emily has a spiritual crisis. She's always believed in soulmates, so why should hers be ripped away so soon. Why would Yoba do that to her? What in the world? Was she not worthy? Did she do something horribly wrong? Why would this happen to her of all people? What about her child? What will happen to them now that this has happened to her?

Haley

Haley has one of two paths she can choose. Path one; she reverts back to her Regina persona and becomes mean again. Or two; she becomes super quiet and actually pretty soft but very, very reserved because she's holding onto what she learned from the farmer - their lesson of kindness. Either way, though, she's super protective of her kid. Like a helicopter parent.

-~-~-

Remember that you can overcome anything! You are loved, and you deserve love. Keep that message in your heart.

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raspberrysmoon · 2 months

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penny lamb, the luckiest girl in town, doesn't like rollercoasters. she certainly doesn't like this one.

(or, what if penny knew, and escaped her fate?)

tw for death + blood (the accident)

"no! come on, penny, it'll be fine!" she flinches at constances words. she loves her choirmates- really, she does! but this is kind of crossing a line.

"sorry, connie. i really just don't want to. i don't feel safe being this close to it, much less getting on!" she tries to make it humorous. it falls flat, as most of her jokes do nowadays. she swallows down another goofy remark.

noel puts a hand on constances shoulder. "we can't make her go. she can always sit and guard our prizes." she shoots him a grateful look. he smiles at her. constance nods.

"you're right. sorry, penny. that was mean of me."

penny(?) shakes her head quickly. "no! its okay. i promise. i get it." she smiles at the girl, who returns it easily. ocean stalks over, somewhere between a grin and a scowl.

"guys! i found this cool fortune telling machine that just told me to ride the cyclone. you guys should come do it! its really cheap." constance perks up, and follows her friend easily. noel grabs mischa by the arm and drags him after the girls.

ricky taps her arm lightly, and passes her his phone, open to a note. 'u shouldnt ride if u dont want to. i can stay with u if u want me to?' penny smiles at him gently.

"no need, ricky. i know you want to ride it." he blinks at her owlishly, then shrugs, smiling. "go do the fortune thing. ocean'll bite your head off if you don't. i'm gonna go find a place to sit and wait."

he nods, and she begins to walk. sure enough, theres an empty bench facing one of the big drops of the cyclone. she settles in with a smile, and begins to watch people ride the coaster.

its a big, wooden thing. taunting her silently through its creaks and clicks. she considers texting ezra about how crazy it is. how similar it is to the one in her nightmares. she notices a flash of orange, then bright purple, and she perks up to watch her friends ride the drop.

the ride snaps. penny can barely contain her scream. she doesn't know what breaks. she never does. she never will. she throws herself over the fence to get to them, and falls to her knees, sobbing, before she can even reach them.

she crawls towards them, shaking like a leaf, and lets herself drop next to constance. she's not breathing anymore. she can only sob louder.

someone snaps their fingers. she spins around, frantically checking her classmates for signs of life.

ricky meets her gaze. his eyes are bright- too bright, for what just happened- and more than just alert. she practically throws herself at him.

he's bleeding. bad. it soaks through her skirt and stockings before she can even register it. she fumbles with the fabric of his uniform, desperately pressing it against the wound in his side.

he won't live. she knows it. she can try anyway. ricky grabs her face gently, and smiles at her.

"savannah, please," she chokes out. she doesnt know where the name came from. recognition flashes in his eyes. "i know. i know. please. you gotta stay awake, okay? you're gonna be okay." ricky just looks at her sadly. his eyes are only half open, now. "no- nonono, ricky come on. you gotta stay awake. you've gotta publish your books, right? i wanna learn about zolar." she's not sure where the words are coming from. she feels like she can't stop. "please. i have to know what the space age bachelor man does next. i can't live on a cliffhanger."

rickys hand drops, and his breath slows. penny can only sob harder, begging him desperately to keep his eyes open. he doesn't. penny knew he wouldn't

she shouldn't have let them get on the cyclone.

#ride the cyclone #rtc #literally wrote this in ten minutes #no i dont know where this came from #cw blood #cw death #tw blood #tw death #ricky potts #penny lamb #ride the cyclone penny #ricky potts ride the cyclone #constance blackwood #hints of transfem ricky hehe #noel gruber #briefly #raspberry writes #can you tell im a little sad tonight #hehe :3

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mischaswife · 3 months

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How the rtc parents reacted hearing their child(ren) died

TW!!!⚠

Noel&jasmine: "O-oh my god..." Was the first thing she said hearing the news that her two children had passed away. She was the first parent to come to the scene. She was mortified as she saw noel and jasmines bodys. All bloody and mutilated.

Mischa: "Oh..." Was what his "parents" said. They never arrived at the scene. They just let it soak in that the child they treated so badly was dead for good. They kinda felt bad too. They watched the news insted of going to the scene. The news also showing their dead bodys.

Constence: They were struck with schock. Their oldest daughter was dead. Her parents were the second people there. Seeing her body made Constences mom have a breakdown. Her dad comferted her.

Ocean: her parents were the last to know. They were shocked, yes but they didnt leave their house and did some stupid hippie ritual in honor of ocean.

Ricky: They were..Very Distraught by the information they recived. Lots of tears. They never went into his bedroom after his passing, They did keep the door open though. So they could always remember their special boy.

Penny: They never found out she died. Ezra did though. He went through a massive depressive episode after her passing. He never told their parents though. He spent alot of time in her room.

(not me almost crying while writeing rickys)

#rtc #ride the cyclone #mischa bachinski #jasmine gruber #noel gruber #ocean o'connell rosenberg #constance blackwood #Ricky potts #penny lamb #legoland #Legoland play #ezra lamb #Rtc parents #Death #trigger warning #Tw #im gonna cry #Why did i write this to be so sad

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longelk · 2 years

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eat your kc's

#of course youre an Adult blank flank 😭🤣🤣#once again suggest opening in tab to view detail i just like to cram everything #leshy #kaycee hobbes #inscryption #my art #fanart #TW:#animal death #blood #squirrel stapler #tossing pennies in that poor tag

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penny-the-pissed-poltergeist · 8 months

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THE PENNY IS DEAD

Penny: "humming to red like roses" It is a very good day to be not dead!

Jaune: "BANG" YOU ARE DEAD

Penny: "drops a book called how 2 die" I AM DEAD

Jaune: hehehehehehehe "sees Ruby approaching" ohhhh shit "flings the glock he used behind himself"

Ruby: "Humming to friend" AH, Penny is DEAD

Penny: yes, I AM DEAD

Ruby: Why is Penny dead? This is like the fourth time...

Jaune: IDK

Penny: I think it was-

Ruby and Jaune: SHHH, you are DEAD

Penny: ok "has a collision error with the ground"

Weiss: hey wankers who's up for a good- what in the Bloody hell just happened?

Jaune and Ruby lazily: Penny is dead

Weiss: Penny is dead?

Ruby: CORRECT!

Weiss: WOO HOO :D

Ruby: so, did you see the murderer?

Weiss and Jaune: No

Ruby: "Slams hand table" I will FIND them, I will CAPTURE them, and NO ONE will EVER die again

"Round of applause from everyone"

Winter: attention, PENNY IS DEAD

Weiss, Ruby and Jaune: We know...

Winter: Who killed her?

Weiss, Ruby and Jaune: We don't know...

Winter: I will fine CLUES 'SNIFFSNIFFSNIFFSNIFFSNIFF" what's that, a weapon, This thing is why Penny is DEAD

Everyone else: PENNY IS DEAD!!!!!

Winter: Yes, SHE DIED

Everyone else: "Shock and horror"

"Winter gets run over by Neo driving an ambulance, Neo then hops out of the ambulance"

"Neo then gives Penny tree tea"

Penny (ascending): HAHAHAHA "fucking explodes"

Neo, signing: in my personal opinion, PENNY IS DEAD

Weiss: doc, what happened?

Neo, signing: in my professional opinion, Penny was KILLED

Weiss: Oh Brothers...

"everyone begins discussing"

Neo, signing: i don't think it's anything to worry about

Weiss: Now what...

Yang: clippity clop motherfuckers

Ruby: Oh come on...

Yang: look at this, Penny is freaking DEAD...... What do you think of that? uh...

Ruby: Yes yes, Yang?

Yang: what?

Ruby: GO HOME

"Blake waves to Yang from BMBLB"

Yang: Ah come ON, "Gets on BMBLB" un freaking believable, seriously you guys all su- "Blake crashes BMBLB"

Ruby: Okay, let's get back to THE POINT!

Penny: i think Penny is dead.

Everyone else: PENNY IS DEAD

"Neo runs to the Bees"

Neo, thinking: YANG I CAN ASCEND YOU! "gets caught in the fire and fucking dies"

Penny: SERIOUSLY WHO KILLED PENNY!

Pyhrra: "drinking maple syrup straight from the bottle" IT WAS ME

Everyone else: HUH

Pyhrra: 'Shoves an entire syrup bottle down her throat" I DID IT LIKE THIS "Pulls out Miló and blows Weiss's brains out"

Everyone else: "Shock and horror"

Pyhrra: "drinks even more syrup" that was a joke lads

Everyone else: "ear splitting laughter"

Pyhrra: "drinks even more even more syrup" it was y- "burp" HIM

Jaune: HUH, how did you know

Pyhrra: "drinks syrup" i didn't "EXTREMELY LOAD BURP" that was a joke too "begins chugging another syrup bottle"

Jaune: HAHAHHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHAHAH

"Pyhrra dies from syruphol poising"

Jaune: THAT'S RIGHT, IT WAS ME

Ruby: You monster!

Penny: BUT WHYYYYYYYYY!!!

Jaune: Cause your dumb Girl, and annoying

Penny: JAUNE STOP

Jaune: so, very, very annoying

Penny: JAUNE YOU ARE SO MEAN, JAUNE

Jaune: GOD FUCKING DAMN IT PENNY FUCK OFF, YOU ARE DEAD

Penny: NO U POW

"Jaune get lazered into oblivion"

Penny: HA HA, YOU ARE DEAD! not big surprise.

Ruby: well that was idiotic, of to go hang myself, WATCH AND LEAR- "hangs self on cape"

Penny: i am alive.... is nice

yes this is stupid

#rwby #penny polendina #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #pyhrra nikos #jaune arc #suicide jokes tw #character death #tf2 #heavy is dead #long post #winter schnee #OOC #Hanging tw #suicide tw #neopolitian (rwby)

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erics-meep-morps · 7 months

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RWBY Volume 8 Ending

I'm still processing Penny's second death, and I already knew it was going to happen (I heard about it awhile ago, way before I decided to watch RWBY). I didn't know exactly when, but I knew it was coming eventually and it was still so painful and soul crushing. I think part of what makes it hurt so much despite knowing it would happen is learning more about Penny and her father. Also I forgot Jaune is the one who sacrifices Penny, so that made it extra sad. 😭 These kids need infinite hugs and therapy sessions.

Since gods exist in the RWBY universe, I assume that means there's an afterlife, and I'd like to think Penny and Pyrrha are best friends. 🥺

#rwby #rwby volume 8 #penny polendina #death tw #death mention

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

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The Third Wolf

Jabberwalker: YES! READY! STARVING! TAKING!

So, this volume is just LRRH masked as Alice in Wonderland, as you can discover by reading this. Still, there is something missing from my previous post. Or at least, I came up with a theory, which imo complements it well.

In short, Ruby's story this volume centers around 3 Wolves:

Neo

She stalks Ruby around, tortures her and manipulates her into killing herself. She waits for her in a cottage (a pink palace) in the woods and hides behind her illusions, which exhibit mismatched eyes (the Wolf's eyes giving him away).

Even when it comes to her main allusion, Neo being a Wolf fits. Trivia is just the Roman name for Hecate and what's Hecate's sacred animal? The Dog:

Neo is associated to the Jabberwalkers (dark and wolf-like creatures) in the Ever After (the Underworld). In short, the Jabberwalkers are her dogs (wolfs) and she herself is a wolf (dog-like creature).

The Curious Cat

Do I need to explain? (I did in the previous meta anyway :P) They meet LRRH in the woods, trick her while she is wandering around with a basket full of flowers (WBY) and lead her around to make sure she gets completely lost.

Finally, when Ruby reaches the cottage in the woods, they surprise her and try to eat her. Only to end up swallowing up an older woman and the owner of the house. Even when it comes to them possessing Neo, the design calls back to the Big Bad Wolf of the story:

Both the eyes and the mouth are different than Neo's usual ones. Just like the Wolf in the fairy tale is described having peculiar eyes and a peculiar mouth. These 2 attributes are even tied to the Cat completely negating who Neo is. After all, Ice Cream girl is defined by:

her mismatched eyes, which her parents forced her to hide

her muteness, which her parents and teachers forced her to compensate with devices

Right now, Neo has lost both. Her mismatched eyes are hidden by the Cat's ones and her mouth speaks.

Ruby's inner Darkness

The Wolf in LRRH is symbolic of the Jungian Shadow aka everything a person represses. The thing with the Shadow is that the most you try to ignore it, the more dangerous and stronger it becomes. Ruby has been living as the embodyment of life, which means she has been neglecting to tend to her own shadows. To her own feelings. To her own pain.

The result is her spiraling and being engulfed by Darkness. Still, this Darkness has not yet a real representation within the story, which brings us to:

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand; Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought.

Interesting, the original poem mentions a fight between the hero and the monster by the Tumtum tree :P

What does the Jabberwalker represent, though? This creature is the only one, who can kill the Afterans. Why? I think because they thematically represent a loss of self:

The Tree is going to transform Afterans according to what they are and to what they want to become. This can lead to progression, like the Paper Pleasers or to regression, like the Red King, who turns into a Prince. Still, what happens if the creature just... can't figure themself out? What does happen if they choose to give up on any new possible identity?

In this case, they would choose to become nobody. They would decide to give in to anonimity, which is the opposite of self-individualization. Anonimity is a trait of Grimms, which are empty and try to fill themselves by praying on human negativity. In short, anonimity can be seen as a declination of Destruction. So, what if when Afterans can't figure themselves out... they end up becoming a Jabberwalker? Or what if the Jabberwalker is a body that collects all the souls who could not properly ascend, neither to regress nor to progress? A body with no proper identity, which can only jabber very basic and instinctive concepts, with no real meaning behind them?

After all, they very clearly allude to zombies, as RWBY even start calling them Walkers. And what are zombies if not people who lost their sense of self? And what do zombies do if not to spread an infection, which in this case is Destruction? Death?

The Tree is the path to self-actualization, so a person symbolically dies when they lose their sense of self completely. When they don't wanna become anything else. Only in this case, they really disappear and become nothing. Only in this case their existance is negated and amounts to nothing.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if this is what awaits Ruby as she is now. She doesn't wanna change. She wants to disappear. It is possible, then, she will risk to be swallowed by the Jabberwalker. It is possible she might become the Jabberwalker herself. A mindless Wolf. Still, obvious foreshadowing is obvious:

The moment Ruby is about to get killed by Neo's Jabberwalker, her whole team comes to her rescue. This is clearly what is going to happen here, as well.

At the same time, I think what should help Ruby conquers this is also something else:

Penny's death has been eating at Ruby throughout the whole volume. It is the news of her loss, which starts Ruby's spiral and her friend keeps appearing everywhere in the Ever After and Ruby's mind. So, obviously she needs to come to terms with this. Ruby needs catharsis and right now I think @hamliet theory is right: only Jaune can give it to Ruby.

Right now, Ruby thinks Penny died by negating herself, by choosing to be nothing out of a death wish. Still, this isn't true. Penny died as herself. It is tragic, but she still managed to affirm her own personhood. She chooses friendship and trust over duty and control. Penny dies, but she doesn't become a "Jabberwalker". She isn't undone into nothing, but on the contrary she "ascends" into gold. Ruby needs to realize this. She needs to realize the kind of person Penny was. And she needs to realize what she herself is doing now is the opposite of how Penny lived and died.

I think such a realization might give Ruby catharsis and inspire her to move on. In general, it would work very well thematically on multiple levels and for multiple characters:

It means Penny symbolically saves Ruby, which would be just a beautiful conclusion to their bond. Ruby is the one who recognizes Penny's personhood first, so it makes sense for Penny to indirectly do the same for Ruby. She inspires her into becoming an idealistic adult.

It means symbolically Ruby's child self saves her. It is that purest and most idealistic part of herself that comes through for Ruby when she needs it.

It gives catharsis to Jaune, as well. It turns out what he was hiding out of pain and shame is the key to save Ruby.

It foreshadows what Jaune will probably have to do in the finale aka conveying to Cinder Pyrrha's teaching about destiny. He can start practicing with Ruby.

It completes the parallel between Jaune/Pyrrha and Ruby/Penny nicely. In volume 5 Jaune's suicidal charge is interrupted when he realizes this is not what Pyrrha did. Here Ruby should realize what she is doing is not what Penny did.

In general, it just works very well with the theme of grief explored this volume. Right now, Ruby has been going through the 5 stages of grief twice, in a neverending spiral:

Episode 1 > negation > Penny's death is hidden and Ruby refuses to talk about it

Episode 2 > bargaining > Ruby needs to bargain for Penny's sword and eventually she bargains the sword to meet the Red King and talks about her feelings for Penny by doing so

Episode 3 > anger > Ruby gets angry at the Red Prince and shouts at him in frustration

Episode 4 > depression > Ruby is undone by Herb's hallucinations

Episode 5 > acceptance > Ruby meets the Blacksmith and is confronted by Penny and Summer's ghosts, but fails to reach true acceptance

So she starts the cycle again

Episode 5 > bargaining > Ruby bargains Summer's emblem to help her friends and mentions "a mother's promise"

Episode 6 > negation > Ruby doesn't even see Summer Rose's reflection in the gallery of mirrors

Episode 7 > anger > Ruby lashes out at others

Episode 8 > depression > Ruby is overwhelmed by her pain and attempts suicide

I think episode 9 and 10 should be acceptance, true acceptance this time. I also think it would be cool if we have a call back to volume 6.

When Ruby uses her silver eyes there, the last 2 people she sees are Penny and then Summer:

Penny leads Ruby to Summer. I think here should be the same one way or the other. Acceptance over Penny should help Ruby face her feelings for Summer. After all, the majority of the narration in the trailer is still missing, which means we should get it in these final 2 episodes. Basically, Summer is coming, one way or the other.

BAD WOLF, GOOD WOLF

Ruby risking to become/to be swallowed by the Jabberwalker would work also for another reason:

Turning Ruby into nothingness, forcing the light out of her to reduce her to a mindless puppet is probably what Salem wants to do. So, Ruby going through this same struggle now will give her the strength to face Salem and her Grimms Experiments when the time comes.

I think this whole volume has a meta-theme to it, which is how stories and fictions help people process trauma and grief. Both in healthy and unhealthy ways. I will write more about it when the season ends. As for now, let's say it is not by chance Ruby is going through her spiral in a fairy tale world, where she conveniently can't die. Imagine if Ruby had drunk poisoned tea on Remnant. She would have died for real. "Luckily" she only sips tree tea, which will be no fatal to her. The metaphorical meaning is clear, right? Ruby is symbolically rereading a fairy tale of he childhood. One her mom used to read ot her. She is rediscovering it from a more mature and darker perspective. She is processing through it all her pain, trauma and grief. Still, she will come out stronger from this. So stronger she will manage to face the challenges of the real world and to survive to them.

So, how is this transformation gonna manifest? Obviously Ruby is gonna come out as herself, once again. Still, if her inner transformation has to be shown, I would like for it to happen through Little:

Mouse Leader: And on this day, we were not the prey, but the hunters!

The Mice Hunters tried to warn us and RWBY since the beginning. Beware of CATS! Still, they also claimed the prey is gonna be the hunter ;)

Now, this can become true in many different ways without Little having to change. Still, I like the idea of Little changing to metaphorically show Ruby's evolution. But if this is gonna happen, then which kind of form should they take?

Little is Ruby's child self, but also an animal-shaped companion. Basically, they represent an inner beast. It is just that at the beginning of the volume Ruby's inner beast is too immature because she is refusing to integrate with her shadow.

So, a more refined version of Little should maintain Little and Ruby's idealism, but also be wiser and show that Ruby has started to integrated with her repressed self. What better form than a Little Wolf, then?

After all:

The Hunter > The Huntress

Little Red Riding Hood > Ruby Rose

The Wolf? > Little

Ruby is unbalanced because she has refused her inner wolf all this time, so what better use can she make of it if not to change it into strength that protects her child self. To use all that repressed energy to refine herself, instead than negating who she is?

And on a light-hearted note... what is better than a wolf to hunt a Curious Cat?

(By the way, this can work well even in the case Neo stays in the Ever After with Juniper and Little. Juniper could be the March Hare to her Mad Hatter and Little might be the Dog to her Hecate) > thanks to @lintuwaterfall for suggesting this

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 9 #ruby rose #little #neopolitan #curious cat #once upon an allusion #jabberwalker #rwby meta #rwby theory #penny polendina #jaune arc #tw: penny's death #tw: suicide #rwby headcanon

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