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grandeoatmilklatte · 8 months

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Until You Scream Again 👻 - Garreth x Ghostface MC AU

Super late Weasley Wednesday post and not on a theme because there wasn’t one this week, but this idea was inspired by a convo with @greedyforgarreth where we thought it would be cool to remake my Ghostface Garreth fic, but instead MC is Ghostface and Garreth is the supportive boyfriend who is hella into it. So consider this a part 2 of sorts to my Ghostface Garreth fic, with the roles reversed.

Garreth Weasley x Ghostface F!MC - 3k words || Summary: Garreth believes his girlfriend is cheating on him. He decides to confront her about it, but gets much more than he bargained for.

Warnings: Smut, mentions of viol3nc3 and murd3r. Characters are 18+, college students, and it's an AU, so not in the HL universe. Do not engage if you are under 18!!!

“That lying bitch!” Leander shouted as he downed his beer.

“Relax mate, I still don’t know if she’s actually cheating on me. I hope not, but let’s not call her names until we know for sure.” Garreth said as he drank his own beer, trying to calm his best friend down as they leaned on either side of the kitchen island inside the apartment Garreth shared with his girlfriend, the subject of Leander’s harsh words. Although Garreth was trying his hardest not to jump to conclusions that she was cheating, it was hard to ignore the signs.

Yesterday was the third time this month that she had done it. She claimed she had to rush off to work, that the veterinarian had an after hours call and needed his best vet tech to assist, which was normal enough and had happened before. But these recent “calls” she had been getting always happened much later than normal, and she’d come home well after midnight, after Garreth had already gone to bed. The strangest part, when she did come home, she’d run straight into the shower, before even saying hello to Garreth. Anytime he would try to greet her, she’d refuse him until she had showered. Garreth and his girlfriend had been dating for three years now and he had seen her come home with all types of animal bodily fluids on her scrubs, why was she acting so strange now all of a sudden? Not to mention, anytime Garreth questioned her about how her evening went, her answers were always incredibly vague, a stark contrast to other times that she’d come home with tons of stories to tell about her work day.

“I know you love her, mate, but you have to face the facts.” Leander interrupted Garreth’s thoughts. “You said it yourself, why is she rushing into the shower as soon as she gets home? Probably to wash that other man off of her before climbing into bed with you. Fucking whore.”

“That’s another thing.” Garreth took another swig of his beer as he continued. “She’s different in bed too. She wants me to spank her, pull her hair, call her a whore, all these naughty things. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot as hell, but it’s different.”

“Yeah, that other guy probably does it to her and now she wants you to do it to her too. She’s cheating. You need to catch her in the act. Confront her at the front door, before she has a chance to shower. If it seems like she was with another man, then you have your answer.” Leander advised as he grabbed another beer from the fridge.

Leander was right. He needed to catch her red handed. He was going to wait until the next time she had a late night call, act like he was going to bed, and then wait up for her. He didn’t want to believe the love of his life was cheating. He had already started shopping around for a ring. But the worry was eating him alive. He would remain hopeful it was just a misunderstanding, but he needed to know one way or the other.

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She arrived home from work a little after 6pm, in a chipper mood as usual. Garreth also behaved like normal, not wanting to raise any suspicions. He pulled her into a deep kiss, which she returned with the same enthusiasm, her hands coming up into his hair as she moaned against his lips. “How could she be cheating on me?” He thought to himself, still hopeful that it was a misunderstanding. She pulled away from the kiss after a few moments. “I need to hop in the shower. I’m all sweaty from dealing with the dogs all day. Care to join?” She shot him a seductive smile and he was instantly putty in her hands, letting her lead him to the bathroom.

Within seconds, they were undressed and under the warm shower water. They resumed their prior activity, her kisses becoming more passionate than before. As her lips moved to Garreth’s neck, Garreth’s heart began to ache as Leander’s words echoed in his head. “She couldn’t be. There’s no way.” He kept repeating to himself to drown Leander out of his head. He was so caught up in his conflicting thoughts that he was no longer paying attention to his girlfriend, at least not until he felt hot wet lips wrap around his cock.

Garreth snapped back to reality with a groan as he looked down, her mouth moving up and down his length. One hand involuntarily wrapped in her wet hair as he thrusted into her mouth, his other hand keeping him steady against the shower wall. She looked up at him, her eyes full of love and admiration as she took him to the back of her throat, Garreth moaning in appreciation. She kept eye contact as she worked him, letting out muffled moans herself. Garreth’s thoughts returned as he kept his eyes locked with hers, but this time all he heard was his own voice instead of Leander's, telling himself “She’s not cheating. She loves me.” Over and over again.

Every single thought in his brain was obliterated as he came with a loud moan, shooting his load straight down her throat. She proudly swallowed every drop, giving him one final suck before she released him. He helped her back up to her feet and pulled her into one more kiss before they actually started showering, the thought of her cheating never once popping back into Garreth’s head.

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After they were showered and dressed, they found themselves on the couch trying to find something to watch. As they flipped through tv channels, a news report caught Garreth’s attention.

It was another report on the Ghostface attacks. Three attacks this month, the most recent being yesterday. They all happened at night on campus. Garreth and his girlfriend thankfully lived in off campus housing, but it was still close to home. Whoever this psycho was, they were running around in a mask, the police dubbing them “Ghostface”. This Ghostface also had a habit of calling their victims on a blocked number before attacking them, taunting them and asking them questions with some kind of voice changing device to mask their identity. Garreth was worried about his girlfriend having a run in with this maniac, especially with her late night outings.

Once again, Garreth’s thoughts were interrupted by his girlfriend, who had changed the channel. “Can we watch something else? This guy creeps me out.”

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About a half hour later, the couple were snuggled under a blanket on the couch, Garreth’s arm wrapped around her. He watched the tv intensely, a sudden music sting sending him screaming into her arms.

“Wow babe! You really can’t handle a scary movie, can you?” She teased, stroking his red curly hair.

“Hey! No need to be rude!” He replied as he playfully pushed her to lay on the couch. She giggled as she went down, and he proceeded to climb on top of her, dipping his head down so he could kiss her. The kiss started off gentle, but became more heated as the seconds went on. The movie quickly became forgotten as Garreth’s fingers slipped below the waistband of her panties, her moans drowning out any sound from the tv.

He pulled his wet digits out of her so that he could undress her, pulling down her sweatpants and panties in one motion. He then worked his own pants off and lined himself up with her soaked entrance. His tip had just breached her when her phone rang on the coffee table, which she answered, much to Garreth’s annoyance.

Garreth let out a huff as he got off the couch, rolling his eyes and putting his pants back on, listening as she repeated the same words she did every time: “Yeah, I can come in! Okay. See you soon!”

She could see the frustration in Garreth’s green eyes. So far he has made an effort to not seem suspicious of her, but he was reaching his breaking point, almost on the verge of tears. “Seriously babe?! Can we please just have a night together without you leaving?!”

“Garreth, I’m really sorry!” She seemed genuine as she stood up, still naked from the waist down. She wrapped her arms around his neck, staring lovingly at him. “I promise this will be a quick job. I’ll go, come back, and then, you can do whatever you want to me tonight. Okay?”

It was so hard for him to deny her, especially when she looked at him like that. He sighed and gave his approval. She smiled and pecked him on the lips before running to their bedroom to change.

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Ten minutes later, with her work bag in hand, she bid him farewell.

“I’ll be back soon, okay baby! Keep the doors and windows locked, and keep an eye out for that Ghostface!” She shot him one last smile before heading out.

Garreth looked down at himself, noticing his cock still very hard from their earlier activities. “Guess it’s you and me now, Not-So-Little Gar!” He sighed before dropping his pants once again, situating himself on the couch, cock in hand.

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The shrill ring of his phone woke Garreth up from his nap, having fallen asleep after taking care of himself and cleaning up the mess. He looked around, noting that the apartment was still empty, his girlfriend not having arrived home yet. Garreth looked at his phone, the time reading 11:45pm, and the caller ID reading “blocked”. Reluctantly, he answered with a soft “Hello?”

“Hello, Garreth! Do you like scary movies?” Garreth immediately recognized the voice as the Ghostface voice, the same one that was described in the news broadcast. It was raspy and robotic, like it was coming from a voice changer.

Garreth shot up from the couch. “Uh…who is this? Is this you, Leander?!”

“No. This isn’t Leander. Now answer the question, handsome! What’s your favorite scary movie?”

“Well, I actually don’t really like scary movies. Jurassic Park scared me pretty bad when I was a kid and I’ve been traumatized ever since.”

The voice giggled at Garreth’s reply. “That’s cute. You’re very cute.”

Garreth felt himself blush at Ghostface’s words, but he got a hold of himself, assuring himself that this was just a prank.

“Leander, you’re not funny, mate. Cut the bullshit.”

“THIS ISN’T FUCKING LEANDER!” The voice screamed. “You know, you’re lucky you’re so cute, or I would have gutted you like a fish already. I just love the way your white tee shirt shows off your muscles so nicely. Fuck. I just want to bust through your door and throw myself on you. Ride your perfect cock until you’re screaming for me to stop.”

Garreth's emotions were conflicted, on one hand, he was terrified at the realization that whoever this was must be able to see him, since they knew what he was wearing. On the other hand, Ghostface was naughty, and he could feel arousal taking him over. He approached the living room window. It was locked, but the curtain was open, making it the likely source from where his caller was watching him.

“Fuck. That sounds hot. I’d love for you to ride me, baby! But wait, how do you know what I'm wearing? Are…are you watching me right now?”

“Oh yeah I am, baby! And I can see the outline of your delicious cock poking through those grey sweatpants, just begging for attention. Don’t worry. I’d be happy to give you some.”

Garreth felt his cock twitch at Ghostface’s words, but his brain processed a completely opposite feeling - panic.

“This has been a lovely conversation, Mister Ghostface, but my girlfriend would not be pleased to hear this, so I’m hanging up now. Enjoy your evening.”

“Wait! Don’t you fucking hang up on me! If you hang up I swear I’ll-”

Garreth ended the call, dashing to the windows to shut the curtain, then running to the kitchen to grab a knife. His eyes darted between the front door and his phone, desperately trying to call his girlfriend. But a sound froze him in his tracks - the sound of the front door being opened.

In walked Ghostface, dressed in a black robe and brandishing a knife. Garreth held up the knife in his own hand, waving it around and frantically screaming.

“Garreth!” Ghostface shouted in their signature altered voice. “Garreth stop, it's me!”

Garreth looked over at Ghostface, confused for a moment before Ghostface pulled off their mask, long beautiful hair falling from the mask.

“Babe?!” Garreth almost burst into tears. There she was. His girlfriend. The love of his life, currently holding a knife in one hand and a Ghostface mask in the other.

She dropped the knife as she ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Hi baby!” She planted a soft kiss on his cheek before looking up at him.

“But…but if that was you on the phone, that means…you’re…”

“Ghostface. Yep. That’s me! Well, I’m half of Ghostface. It’s actually me and Imelda! This was mostly her idea. You know she’s a little craaaaazy.” She put a sing-songy emphasis on her last word. “I was just along for the ride. I know we’ve only done this three times, but it’s pretty sexy being so in control with this thing on!”

“So…you’re not cheating on me?” Garreth asked, almost on the brink of tears.

“WHAT?! Baby I love you. Are you insane? I would never cheat on you!”

With that out of the way, Garreth could focus on the variety of other feelings he was experiencing right now. His girlfriend was Ghostface. He knew it was wrong what she was doing, and he knew it was wrong to feel this way, but he found her so incredibly hot like this - sweaty, panting, with a hungry look in her eyes. His arousal began to make itself known again as his hard cock began to press against his sweatpants. All his logic and reasoning began to fade away. He shot her a wicked smile before he spoke, recalling her taunting on the phone.

“What was it you said on the phone? Something about ‘riding me until I begged you to stop’?”

Her jaw dropped, immediately turning into a smile as she threw her arms around him once again, leading him into the bedroom, where she lightly shoved him so he’d land on the bed. Garreth undressed himself fully, but when she went to remove her robe, Garreth stopped her.

“No! Leave it on. I want you to fuck me in it!”

Her heart almost burst out of her chest at his willingness. She reached under her robe to pull her bottoms down, so that she was bare from the waist down under her robe. In one quick motion, she climbed on top of him, lifted up her robe, and took a moment to position herself above him before she sank down on his length, her wetness allowing her to take him fully and deeply.

They both let out pleasured noises at entry, and the room quickly began to fill with more loud noises from both of them as she rode his cock. Garreth noticed movement in the corner of his eye, noticing the Ghostface mask that had been discarded on the bed bouncing around with each rock of her hips. He held it in his hand for a moment, imagining her causing mayhem with it on. He then held it up to her and practically growled at her.

“Put it on.”

She did so, and Garreth let out a sinful groan in appreciation. She felt her walls tighten at the sound, and she picked up her pace as much as she could, eagerly chasing both their releases. Garreth let out a whimper of her name, and this finally sent her over the edge as she came with a whimper of her own, her cries slightly muffled by the mask.

Her movements came to a quick halt as she caught her breath, removing the suffocating mask from her head. Those quick seconds were more than enough time for Garreth to grab her and flip her over, so that he was now on top of her, her legs spread and Garreth in between them.

He wasted no time, effortlessly shoving himself into her. Her screams filled the room as he showed her no mercy, his pace fast and rough. She had been encouraging him to be rougher with her lately, but this was the roughest he had ever been with her, and it had her spiraling in the best way possible.

“You’re so pretty, baby! My pretty little whore. Why don’t you put the mask back on for me again?” He said through gritted teeth.

She was already drenched in sweat brought on by the robe and the intense fucking, but she obeyed. She watched him through the eyes of the mask, his eyes dark as he stared at her.

His thrusts started to become sloppy; the telltale sign that he was reaching his release. He let out one final moan of her name as he came, warm bursts of his cum painting her insides. After taking a second to catch his breath. He rolled over on the bed, and she removed her mask.

They laid in silence for several minutes, basking in the afterglow of each other, Garreth’s arm around her, and her head resting on his chest, listening to his heart beat. Garreth’s mind was reeling. He had no idea how their relationship would change. He still loved her, that would never change. But now he knew what she was capable of. He would never admit it to anyone, but he found his girlfriend’s hobby to be extremely sexy, albeit terrible. He decided he would figure it out in the morning, succumbing to sleep with the love of his life wrapped in his arms.

At least now he finally had his answer. She wasn’t cheating after all.

#garreth weasley smut #garreth weasley x mc #garreth weasley #garreth weasley x you #weasley wednesday

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spectralsleuth · 5 months

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Hey if you could do a crossover with each of your AUs with another AU what would you pick

I want to write crossovers all the tiiiime! I am blessed enough to have made friends in the fandom that I can poke awake in their inboxes and ask what-if’s about; but ACTUALLY writing a crossover is a whole other thing. There’s some AU’s I am HUGE fans of, that I don’t think a crossover would with LSoW, or Portal Panic, or Flipside. (Flipside is my nanowrimo project lmao.)

Obviously I wanted to write an Empathy is Learned crossover with @alicat54cwriting, and we did! And it was super fun and I learned a lot. If I had to pick more fandom creators to crossover with:

@amevello-blue Obviously. GiTS and LSoW would be SO FUN and heartbreaking, and we’ve already talked a lot about it and how it would work, but we’re both busy with projects at the moment. But it’s on my dream to-do list for sure if the stars can align. (Mainly me finishing a couple things to give it full attention, because Ame is an absolute beast when it comes to juggling multiple projects. Everyone go read The Mystic Forest AU.)

@tangledinink and me talk about Gemini/LSoW crossovers all the time because we have a disease lol. Anyone who knows him knows he loves playing with our characters like little dolls. Me giving Yoshi eight kids in crossovers seems to be a running theme and also very funny to me; including Venus and Jenni it would be TEN. Man’s life would turn into a SITCOM. But also Yoshi having daughters would be very funny and sweet to me he is such a helicopter Dad, and being faced with what he truly thinks would be the worst case scenario for all of his children would be uhhhhhh. VERY BAD. (And we love 'very bad' in this house.)

(I don't think Kayson would mind me posting a snippet of our convo because we are so smart and correct all the time.)

I also love @mudlarkspur's Catchyou!AU. I think xir Donnie in my AU would be very fun! She's still a kid in the fic (I love their 'assigned girl by gargoyle' Donnie it's very funny and sweet, but xir more grown designs for Donnie and the plot that's to come is super exciting to me, and I think either would be so fun to play with in an AU. Also, the science in this fic I am obsessed with.

I'm not sure if a CROSSOVER with @thedawningofthehour would necessarily work, but they have a lot of OC's and turtles I would love to kidnap and play with. Their world is so rich and well made I feel like I need to study them like student would, it's crazy.

And needless to say a Discord Ronin Admin AU crossover would be just. Clenches fist. So. Perfect. But @melonpalooza is singlehandedly holding the entire crossover multiverse together through sheer force of will, and if our schedules and inspiration ever aligned it would be a miracle.

OBVIOUSLY me twirling my hair and thinking of crossovers is absolutely just introspection and fantasizing, because everyone's schedules are crazy and a lot of fic authors are already (I PROMISE YOU) juggling multiple fics. So nobody go bothering them about it, because I promise you I am NOT shy about contacting people, and chances are I've already gone into their inbox like a shy cat to give them the dead mouse of my AU and already talked about crossovers.

I also have about four different works i really want to get out before more crossing over, because some things like 'The Hidden City Trial' and 'Red King' are pretty integral to understanding how the world of LSoW is going to work moving forward!

If anyone ever wanted to contact ME for a crossover I'd be perfectly fine with it! I've read a LOT of fics in the fandom so you never know what I might have read, and the worst I can say is 'no'. It's the finding time part that's really hard.

Sorry for the long answer! There's just a lot of AU's and fan creators that I'm a huge fan of. ;-;

#LSoW #asks #tmnt #tmntau #anon ask #rottmnt #fic rec #this fandom is very big and fun

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battleangelaelita · 2 months

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Yet another post-canon Azula plot bunny

This time, with 100% more trans fem energy.

I've actually had this one for a while, and discussed it at length with @jusendork on discord. But due to an unfortunate run-in with malware, and discord support being useless as ever, my account and all the dm convos are lost forever now, so I figured I'd put it up on here so the idea itself does not fall down the memory hole.

So this came as a result of my unfortunate tendency to write right up to the line about trans adjacent characters, but never really go all the way despite being trans fem myself (see every Ranma 1/2 fanfic I have ever written). So this ones for all my sisters out there.

We begin the fic ten years after the ending of ATLA, and we're just going to sidestep the comics. The inciting incident is an attempt on the life of Fire Lord Zuko; the plot fails, but with as of yet no heir, the Fire Lord is in a politically difficult situation.

Wanting to settle this matter discretely, Zuko turns to his old friends to find the whereabouts of his sister, to determine whether she had any part in the plot, and if not, to return her safely to the capital so that there will be a line of succession. Unfortunately for him, he's a bit hard up for people able and willing to help. Ultimately, only Katara, ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe, and Mai are able and willing, no matter how reluctantly.

I've decided to borrow one note from the comics and have Zuko have split with Mai. Whether he is married to someone else for political reasons, I have not decided. The first leg will be told primarily from Katara's point of view as the outsider to the family dynamics. In the search, she's trying to peel back the layers of resentment and secrets. Mai knows more than she let's on.

Azula herself has been living under an assumed name in Ba Sing Se, disappearing into the anonymous mass with the help of a few of the former Dai Li who remained loyal. I've mulled various different trades she may have plied to survive, from organized crime to more reputable trades, but ultimately they are not important. The key is that she's basically been disassociating the past ten years, and the sudden arrival of people from her past dredges up everything she's been trying to forget.

The keystone of all this is that Azula is a trans girl, and it always was a sordid little secret of the royal family. Her father's (selective) affirmation of this was just another part of controlling her. From the moment his 'son' made 'his' first flames when 'his' mother humored 'his' protestations, Ozai saw an opportunity. 'Azulon' the Younger can play at being a girl, but only if she's the best. And she certainly can't go back on filial piety.

The main theme of it will be transmisogyny in all its forms. And I'd hope to do it in such a way that conserves the scenes in the original; events occur as they did in the show proper, but flashbacks are of course in full unreliable narrator. So the changes would be things that recontextualize events, not change them.

This is of course one of those ideas I may not actually get around to, so please don't stop if you're thinking along similar lines or if you got inspiration from this. But I really just had a good hard think about how Azula in fanon gets this sort of degendering; a character commonly perceived as a cis lesbian, and the commonalities lesbians have with trans women in how they're treated for existing outside the bounds of patriarchal norms, treated as violent, predatory, emotionally unstable, and masculinized. So i thought I'd just steer into this skid, and write her as a trans lesbian, because I can. There's few things as subversive as treating a character as having been trans and passing the entire time.

#azula #fanfic idea #atla #transfem

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christianborle · 4 months

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i had a nostalgic dream last night about theatre and friends and things and christian was really on my mind, and it made me remember all the fun times i had during his rotten era and before/after, and all the incredible, kind, funny, inspiring things he used to say to me. he was so patient and sweet with me, always willing to give me the time of day. it never ever ever ever ever ever ever got old. i’ll never be able to thank him enough for everything he’s done for me/everyone

and then i remembered all the sweet messages i would recieve from followers during sleepover saturdays, and you guys (except the trolls) were always so sweet to me and man that was so special, what a rare wonderful thing to have strangers message you telling you about their lives. messages telling me that their crush asked them out or that they came out as trans to their best friend or that one of my posts made them cry and just sharing your lives like that.

i miss that SO much. it was so fun sharing AUs and playing sleepover games. genuinely every inbox notification was instant serotonin. i wish tumblr/the internet was like that again.

idk i know i’m being SUPER sappy and overly emotional rn cuz it’s 2 am and probably 99% of the people who used to chat with me like that are not even active on here anymore so they are never going to see this, but seriously thank you guys for creating a little community with me. it genuinely made me feel less alone knowing there were people out there who wanted to interact with me and everyone we had convos with. real life was often quite lonely. but the fact that there were pocket friends who took time out of their day to message ME? and not just all about me, but all of us chatting together and creating something fun for everyone? unfathomable (affectionate). this was years ago. it’s not the same anymore. but it is what it is.

i hope everyone out there who ever sent me messages is doing well today!! it literally feels like it was a different lifetime. i don’t know how much of me is the same and how much of me is different. but the circumstances around that life sure have changed.

#btw don’t get me wrong that era of my life was ALSO STILL cringe and bad and weirdddd #NOT perfect #MANY problems #but u know. u can let nostalgia wave itself over u sometimes and that’s ok #it’s ok to appreciate those good times and yell your thank yous out into the world even if they will never hear it

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istopaskingmemate · 4 months

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ok shadowpeach timeline nobody asked for

First things first Wukong and Macaque couldn't have grown up together. This is because wukong was born an adult so either Macaque would have to be an adult when wukong was born or wukong would have known Macaque since he was a child either way it would be weird. and no macaque was not also born an adult he had birth just with a mutation. if he was born from wood he would be called the wooden six-eard macaque or something. Therefore they were not both born on FFM and met at some point.

when did they meet: well the brotherhood formed when wukong was between 320 and 500(when he was sealed) years old. In demon years that is between 8 and a half and 13 years old(see this post for calculations) macaque has an adult body in all images we have so according to my research the youngest macaque can be is 16...the best I can do is wukong at 12.5 making him 468.75 years old and macaque at 600. That means that they had been friends for 31 years before their break up. 31 is not much compared to what we thought however it's still a very long time.

Macaque vs the brotherhood: this means that the past shadowpeach scene where it's just them likely took place within the same week as the dinner scene with the brotherhood. Which tells us nothing about who met first. However, based on Azure's flashbacks and intro azure probably "met" wukong before Macaque. in the into wukong seems defensive against wukong and because I believe the intro is more reliable than Azure I gonna go with wukong had to be "convinced " in a convo like this

Wukong: "What are you doing here I told you to get lost!" >:/

Azure: "woo there I-I know. my brothers and I mean you and your people no harm. we were simply inspired by leadership so much so to leave the corruption of heaven and thus we wish you to form a brotherhood with you"

Wukong with sparkles eyes: "Wow really with me? And we'd be brothers? I've never had brothers before!!! :D"(wukong is being naive here not stupid)

Macaque would never allow this so I'm going to go with that the brotherhood was first and Macaque and Wukong were closer because they live on FFM while the brotherhood doesn't. This would also allow for Wukong and Macaque to have only known each other for 31 years because I'm pretty sure the brotherhood was formed for a longer amount of time in jttw.

When did their falling out occur: it happened in 3 phases

Strike 1: the battle in heaven when macaque and the rest of the brotherhood left wukong alone on the battlefield resulting in his capture and attempted execution. This is why wukong is so pissy with Macaque under the montien and promoted the line "cause you allways rush to my rescue". wukong was 500 (13) and macaque 631 (16)

Strike 2: their argument under the montien. wukong is pissy at Macaque and decides that within 15 seconds of his BFF's new attitude (after him being missing for 49 years btw) that he wasn't going to take it and left. Which fair wukong was being a bitch Macaque had the right to leave but it's heavily implied he never came back. He left wukong under a motien without food or water. keep in mind macaque would not have known that wukong physically couldn't die so bro left him to death twice. their ages are harder to place here because by the time they have their argument wukong has clearly been there awhile. He's not struggling or yelling or crying or even looking around to see his surroundings he's just there quietly fuming. Wukong doesn't even ask Macaque to get him out, he's resigned himself. He's been there awhile but not so long that the crazy has started coming in. For humans this would mean less than a week but wukong is not human so who knows. no matter how long wukong has been under the montien macaque has still aged 49 years in his absentce. Therefor wukong 500-ish (13-ish) and macaque 680 (18)

Strike 3: their argument in jttw. I don't think Wukong killed Macaque. I think if he did Wukong would have mentioned something about LDB restricting Macaque but I still think there was a conflict. This means that wukong thought that after their second argument, macaque left him a third time. while Macaque was probably killed soon after this encounter and was manipulated to think that he was killed by Wukong in that encounter or an imagined subsequent encounter. Wukong would have been 1100 (29) while macaque would have been 1280 (34)

Reuinen: we all know this one. When LBD revied Macaque he found mk and abused taught him, Wukong found out and fought him. Their ages are hard to place. The Pokemon cards claim that wukong is 5000+ and Macaque is 4000 but this would only be possible if Macaque was born during wukong's imprisonment or if wukong at 13 was BFFs with a 89-year-old Macaque and the clock stoped when he died. Neither of these options seem likely (also the card state that Red son is 420 meaning he was born 80 years after his father's imprisonment which no) so I'm going to ignore them. Personally, I see wukong as in his early 30s due to demeener but using the calc the youngest he can be is 42 (1600). The pilgrims seems to have done a lot of stuff before they died so I went with 1725 or 46 years and he's just emotionally stunted from his time under the mountain. This means Macaque was born 1905 years ago and would be 50 or you could say the time he was dead didn't count and he would still be 34. it's up to you

let me know your opinions

#the age difference is uncomfortableat times but wukong has an adult body and is probably more emotionally mature then normal 12 year olds #since he runs his own kindom. so IDK if want to ship past shadowpeach that your choice but wukong's age is from jttw but maybe you can argu #macaque finished growing early and he was 15 it doesn't make it much better but #lego monkie kid #sun wukong #six eared macaque #mk #azure #peng #yellow tusk elephant #look

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

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So I’ve recently gotten my friend into RWBY and we’ve been poring over your posts and reblogs about the allusions/alchemical elements, and I absolutely LOVE your work. It’s even inspired some theories to narrative directions for V9 that I hope to maybe share in a reblog once I can order the convo my friend and I had lol.

There’s one question we both currently have about Winter’s allusion that I wanted to get your thoughts on (or the post if you’ve already written it lol). I saw you mentioned in one reblog that you don’t think she’s the Snow Queen herself but rather its about her relationship with Weiss? Others I know have gone with the Snow Queen allusion and given her two Gerda’s (Weiss and Penny). I even wondered myself if she perhaps is meant to be both the SQ and Kai to fit RWBY’s double primary allusion trend.

But I was just curious to know what your thoughts are, or if there’s another allusion altogether Winter may serve. :)

Hi!

Thank you for the nice words and sure, share your post once it is done!

As for Winter, I actually agree that she is the Snow Queen-Kay with Penny and especially Weiss as Gerdas. However, I wanna consider 2 additional things:

1- The Snow Queen is an important allusion for both Schnee sisters and not just Winter

After all, it is similar to Blake's Beauty & Beast. It is an allusion with 2 protagonists (Kay and Gerda), so to be complete it needs 2 people (Winter and Weiss). That is why I said it is about the Schnee Sisters in my reblog of @blue-cheeseinmyoffwhites's great post.

Moreover, a lot of imagery from the fairy tale is used to comment Weiss's arc in Mistral even more so than Winter's own development in Atlas. This will probably change in the future, but what we have so far is enough to foreshadow Weiss's importance for Winter's story. Similarly, Weiss's relationship with her sister is clearly instrumental to her personal development.

Let's also remember both Schneesters are called "Ice Queen" by others:

Qrow: Hey! Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen! Roman: Ladies, Ice Queen…

2- Winter's arc is not over

Our Snow Queen's story has yet to reach a resolution, which will give more depth to her fairy tale and make it climax. This also means that right now we are still lacking key pieces to properly read this allusion.

That said, we have enough to start analyzing how it has been used up until volume 8.

THE SNOW QUEEN: 7 STORIES IN 1

I think the premise of the Snow Queen is rather well known, but here it is for those who haven't read it:

Kay and Gerda live happily in a small town. They are innocent kids, who have tons of fun playing together in a garden full of roses. However, one day 2 fragments of a cursed mirror enter Kay's heart and eyes and make him cynical and cold. Kay is then taken by the Snow Queen, who brings him to her castle in the North. There he is left with the challenge to use ice to write the word "eternity". If he succeeds, he'll be free.

Meanwhile, Gerda starts a journey to find her friend. Throughout it, she meets several characters: a lady who imprisons her into a garden full of vane flowers, 2 crows, a prince and a princess, a little robber-maiden, 2 old women. In the end, she reaches the Snow Queen's castle, meets Kay and frees him by taking out the 2 fragments of the mirror. While they embrace, the pieces of ice dance and form the word "eternity".

This fairy tale is divided into 7 shorter stories:

First Story, Which Describes a looking-glass and the broken fragments.

Second Story: A Little Boy and a Little Girl

Third Story: The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Could Conjure

Fourth Story: The Prince and Princess

Fifth Story: Little Robber-Girl

Sixth Story: The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman

Seventh Story: Of the Palace of the Snow Queen and What Happened There At Last

The first story is a prologue, the second story introduces the protagonists and from the third story onward the focus is Gerda's journey to find Kay, which ends in the seventh and last story with their reunion.

RWBY follows this same structure too, which I am gonna replicate in this meta. To be specific we'll have:

Prologue: The Mirror

Weiss's journey to find Winter

Winter being saved

Let's see how things turn out...

PROLOGUE: THE MIRROR

Mirrors and glass keep popping up in the Schnees' story. That is because this imagery is symbolic of Jacques's abuse towards his family. In particular, Weiss and Winter explore this metaphor through their allusions.

1- In Snowhite, the Evil Queen decides to kill her daughter after the mirror reveals the girl is the most beautiful one around. In other words, the Queen is a narcissist, who can't accept someone is better than her.

Jacques is the same, but his narcissism means he turns his children into reflections of himself. They must appear, behave and think like he wants. This is why Weiss initially struggles to understand who she is. She is forced by Jacques to be like him. She is trapped inside a looking glass, as her songs reveal. In this situation, the only solution is to shatter the mirror:

I'm shattering the mirror that kept me split in pieces That stood between my mind and my heart This is where I'll start

Weiss succeeds and breaks free. She escapes Jacques and starts looking for who she wants to become.

2- In The Snow Queen, an evil goblin makes a mirror, which is able to twist reality, so that only ugly and cruel things are visible, while the beauty of the world disappears. This mirror shatters and its fragments go around the world, enter people minds and hearts and make humanity lose ingenuity and idealism. Kay ends up a victim of this mirror, as 2 fragments enter his eye (mind) and his heart. Once corrupted by the mirror, he becomes an easy target for the Snow Queen, who takes him to her palace and makes him even colder and more isolated.

This premise perfectly fits Winter's story.

Jacques is the Evil Goblin (Jack Frost) that creates the cursed mirror.

Jacques's abuse defines Winter's childhood and deeply influences her personality. Sure, Winter manages to oppose her father's control and leaves. However, years later she still suffers the consequences of her cold upbringing:

Winter: No, no, what I mean is, this place holds a lot of memories for me, specifically. I thought I was in control, but… you heard me. I sounded like a petulant child.

It is clear she has never fully processed her abuse and the result is that she ignores her emotions and is ashamed to show any kind of childishness, as it makes her feel weak and exposed. In other words, Winter escapes the mirror, but one of its fragments stays hidden in her heart and stunts her emotional development. This makes her vulnerable to another controlling dynamic.

Ironwood is the equivalent of the Snow Queen, that makes Winter colder and colder.

After Winter leaves home, she finds a new place of belonging in the Atlas Army, which is a very hierarchical and controlling environment. Soldiers are encouraged to repress their feelings and to act "rationally". The truth, though, is that they are groomed and the same happens to Winter:

Weiss: Doesn't it bother you? He practically groomed your entire military career. Your destiny was chosen for you, without your input.

Ironwood decides Winter's destiny without her consent. He keeps her close and influences her vision of things. In a sense, he puts in her eyes the second shard of glass. A fragment that prevents Winter from seeing the truth. All to turn Winter into the next Snow Queen (the Winter Maiden).

In short, Jacques and Ironwood are the 2 antagonists of Winter's fairy tale. At the same time, they represent the 2 fragments that are poisoning her heart and mind.

Let's now go deeper in how the Schneesters deal with this evil mirror and take a closer look to their intertwined stories.

WEISS'S JOURNEY

Weiss's arc in Mistral is really our girl growing into her own person. This happens through 2 different developments.

In volume 4 Weiss affirms her independence from Jacques

In volume 5 Weiss discovers herself different from Winter

Jacques and Winter are in fact Weiss's mentors and authority figures and her growth lies in refusing both to find her own way:

I’m climbing higher with the past behind me Heights like I never dreamed Finally learned I need to do it my way Now I see what I can be When I trust in me I’m free

This is highlighted by Weiss's 2 shorts.

The White Trailer focuses on her relationship with Jacques and how she feels imprisoned by him.

youtube

Weiss's character short explores her dynamic with Winter, who loves Weiss deeply, but is also cold and strict.

youtube

Obviously Jacques and Winter are not the same, since Jacques is an abuser, while Winter isn't, but both ask Weiss to prove herself (the royal test) and Weiss is initially stuck between the 2. Who will she be? Jacques or Winter? The answer is neither. Weiss is her own self.

She is not her father's reflection, but a brave Knight:

She is not her sister's copy, but a kind Queen:

The Arma Gigas and the Queen Lancer embody 2 sides of Weiss that are born in juxtaposition to respectively Jacques and Winter.

The Arma Gigas is the Grimm Weiss kills in her first act of defiance towards Jacques and the Avatar she summons when she leaves him once and for all. It is the test she must overcome in order to attend Beacon and a stand-in for the Prince that breaks Snowhite's glass coffin (Weiss's room) and frees her. Finally, it is one of Nicholas's armors possessed by a Grimm, which calls back to how Jacques has taken control of the SDC and has corrupted it. For all these reasons, this summon represents Weiss saving herself and her family from Jacques.

What about the Queen Lancer? Its meaning and its link to Winter are found in The Snow Queen and how it's used in Weiss's story.

FROM SNOW QUEEN TO SNOWHITE

Weiss's Volume 5 short is full of Snow Queen symbolism. Weiss and Winter are in a garden full of roses similar to the one Gerda and Kay play in as children. However, Weiss and Winter's flowers are frozen because their childhood has been cold and lonely:

Similarly, the ice imagery, which is dear to Andersen's story, defines the whole situation. Weiss is surrounded by a snow storm, she tries to resist and to melt the ice, but fails and is overcome by ferocious beasts, similar to the Snow Queen's servants. Meanwhile, Path to Isolation reinforces these ideas:

The cold Seems to grow in my soul It's consuming me Confused And I'm losing myself In the storm Smile's faded And I'm spinning and sinking I'm weakening Frozen in solitude Loneliness chills to the bone

This Snow Queen charged short can be read in 2 ways:

It sets up Weiss as Gerda and Winter as Kay

It presents Weiss as Kay and Winter as the Snow Queen

These 2 readings are complementary and equally important.

1 - Weiss is Gerda and Winter is Kay

Weiss and Winter's flashback shows them "playing together" in the garden of roses, while in the present Weiss leaves Atlas to find her sister. In other words, Weiss is Gerda in search for Kay. This is confirmed by her trip in Mistral having many similarities with Gerda's travel.

Let's quickly go through these paralells:

Gerda and Weiss's sacrifices: Both journeys start with our heroine making a sacrifice. Gerda sacrifices her shoes to the river in order to discover where Kay is. Weiss throws the Dust against the Queen Lancer to defeat it. Both offerings are a sign of humility. Gerda travels the world bare-footed, while Weiss gives up her privileged life (The Schnee Dust Company) to face the world as herself.

A garden full of vane flowers: Gerda and Weiss lose some time in a place superficially pretty, but ultimately fake and empty. Gerda stays in a beautiful illusory garden. The place is full of flowers, but roses are missing, so that she can never remember Kay. Weiss is trapped in Atlas, sheltered, but far from her new found family (RWBY) and from the rose, who inspires her (Ruby). Ultimately, both Gerda and Weiss leave and confront the vanity of the flowers/Atlesians.

Gerda: "It is no use asking the flowers; they know only their own songs, and can give me no information.”

Weiss: "You're all just standing around talking about nothing! Worrying about your hair, your money, your stupid problems that don't mean anything!"

Crows, princes and princesses: Gerda meets 2 crows that tell her Kay may be the new husband of a beautiful princess. With the birds' help Gerda enters the palace and meets the Prince and Princess. Weiss meets Raven and Qrow who offer her knowledge on Ozma and Salem, the Prince and Princess par excellence. Moreover, Weiss is able to reach her friends thanks to Raven's semblance aka Raven and Qrow's bond symbolically. The relationship between the couple of crows is precisely why Gerda is able to meet the royals.

The Little Robber Maiden: Gerda is kidnapped by some robbers whose leader has a daughter aka the Little Robber Maiden. Weiss is imprisoned by the Branwen Tribe and meets Raven and her "adoptive daughter" Vernal, who impersonates the Spring Maiden.

Two old women: The last characters Gerda meets are The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman, who lead her to the Snow Palace. Similarly, Weiss's return to Atlas has her encounter Maria and Cordovin. Differently from the characters in the fairy tale, Maria and Cordo are not on good terms, which obstructs Weiss instead than helping her.

In the end, though, Weiss makes it home safely and embraces Winter once again:

2- Weiss is Kay and Winter is the Snow Queen

Let's compare Weiss and Winter's scene in the volume 5 character short with this passage from The Snow Queen:

He composed many complete figures, forming different words, but there was one word he never could manage to form, although he wished it very much. It was the word “Eternity.” The Snow Queen had said to him, “When you can find out this, you shall be your own master, and I will give you the whole world and a new pair of skates.” But he could not accomplish it. And away flew the Snow Queen, leaving little Kay quite alone in the great hall which was so many miles in length.

The inspiration is rather clear. Weiss is a prisoner in the Snow Palace (The Schnee Mansion) and Winter plays the Snow Queen, who tells Kay the condition to be free:

Weiss: I'm sorry. I'll get better. Winter: You'll have to if you ever want to leave.

Winter has managed to escape Jacques by becoming stronger on her own and thinks Weiss should do the same. She should not depend on others, but count only on her own abilities. Her intentions are good and she is right that Weiss needs to grow more independent from their father. However, Weiss's path leads elsewhere and this difference is shown in her trip in Mistral, where she meets the Little Robber Maiden.

In the story, Gerda is caught by bandits and is assigned to the Little Robber Girl or Little Robber Maiden. This character has a duality to her. On the one hand she is initially mean to Gerda, takes her muff and even threatens to kill her. On the other hand she is impressed by Gerda's story, gives Gerda a reinder and helps the girl escape by distracting the Leader of the robbers (her own mother).

RWBY takes this character and divides it in 2:

Vernal is the Little Robber Maiden, who is mean to Weiss. She imprisons her, mocks her and steals her sword. In the climax, she even fights Weiss and breaks her aura, making her vulnerable to Cinder's strike.

Yang is the Little Robber Maiden, who befriends and saves Weiss. She uses her relationship with Raven to free Weiss and they both leave on Bumbleby (the reinder of Andersen's story :P).

Are we sure Vernal and Yang allude to the Little Robber Maiden? Yes :P

First of all, they are both Raven's daughters. Vernal is Raven's adopted daughter in the tribe. Yang is Raven's biological daughter. Secondly, they share a maiden motif throughout volume 5. On the one hand Vernal plays the Spring Maiden for Raven's sake. On the other hand Yang shows Raven what the Spring Maiden should be like and eventually gets the relic of Knowledge. Vernal is the fake Maiden, while Yang is the Maiden at Heart. These details set the 2 girls up as perfect stand ins for the Little Robber Girl.

What does it all have to do with Weiss?

Vernal and Yang represent 2 sides of Weiss's development in volume 5. They are 2 different answers to Weiss's quest to become herself.

1- Vernal embodies Winter's viewpoint:

Winter: I am not always going to be around to save you, Weiss.

Vernal: Your sister isn't in Mistral anymore. No one is coming to rescue you.

Vernal is the one, who reveals Winter is no longer in Mistral. Through her, Weiss realizes she can't keep on depending on her sister, but must come into her own. However, Vernal also mirrors Winter's flawed beliefs. She insists Weiss amounts to nothing, if she can't survive alone.

2-Yang embodies the opposite mentality:

Yang: It's okay. I've always got your back, sis.

Weiss: Yang… You, Ruby, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother or even my own father.

Yang is the one, who appears when Weiss needs a sister the most. She is an older sibling, who is openly protective and caring. So, she is an alternative to Winter. She is there to remind Weiss the world is not so hostile and cruel. It can actually be full of love and kindness. Weiss fails to find Winter (ice), but she finds Yang (fire). She is not alone.

So, Vernal challenges Weiss to grow on her own, while Yang represents Weiss's answer to this challenge.

Everything comes together in volume 5 climax, where Weiss fights Vernal. What is the outcome of their conflict?

On the one hand Weiss loses the fight. Vernal has more experience and dominates her completely. Weiss can't hope to fill the gap between their levels so easily.

On the other hand both Weiss and Vernal get impaled by Cinder. Who is the one who survives? It is not Vernal, who is strongest physically, but has no-one to look out for her. It is Weiss, who has people who love her for who she is.

Vernal chooses to grow stronger and smarter, like Raven is. She chooses a cynical viewpoint. And yet for all her talent and intelligence, she walks straight into a trap and dies. She trusts the almighty Raven with her life, but is let down.

Weiss chooses to grow stronger and smarter, like Yang does. She opens her heart to people and earnestly supports them. She refuses a cold vision of the world and embraces her found family's warmth. The result is that she might not be as powerful as Vernal or Winter. However, when she needs her friends, they are there.

Weiss's survival in volume 5 is a negation of Winter's individualistic mentality and an affirmation of Weiss's newfound viewpoint. It shows independence is not equal to isolation and marks Weiss becoming her own person. A true Queen, hence the Queen Lancer.

This summon is linked to both The Snow Queen and Snowhite:

The Snow Queen: With Jaune (Gerda)'s help, Weiss (Kay) is able to expel the shard of glass freezing her heart. This shard takes the shape of an Evil Queen, which is purified and changed into something beautiful (the Queen Lancer). This avatar then is a metaphor for Weiss freeing herself from the mirror once and for all. Differently from Winter, there is no glass left in Weiss's soul.

Snowhite: Weiss dies and is reborn thanks to Jaune (the Prince). After she wakes up, she is crowned Queen (the Queen Lancer), like in her fairy tale. This means Weiss has finally grown up.

In other words, this is the resolution of the Royal Test, which is the trial Weiss must undergo to become a Queen. Initially, she is caught between 2 scary Queens. Jacques's Evil Queen and Winter's Snow Queen. Still, Weiss is Snowhite, who gets crowned Queen on her own terms.

So, Weiss's journey in Mistral is really the Snow Queen, that climaxes in Snowhite. It describes our girl breaking free from Winter's influence:

Cordovin: Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps. Weiss: (with an unenthusiastic smile) Absolutely…

At the same time, it presents Weiss as a more complex version of Gerda. She is a Gerda, who wants to emulate the Snow Queen, but then discovers the world can be beautiful and generous. And so can she:

Winter: You could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world and honestly, more about yourself.

Only after this realization, she is is ready to help her sister.

SAVING WINTER

Winter is a combination of Kay and the Snow Queen. To be specific, she is Kay, who leaves home not just to stay with the Snow Queen, but to become the Snow Queen:

Winter: I'm choosing my destiny now. I've made it my own. And I take great pride in it. That has nothing to do with Father, or the General… That belongs to me.

Kay thinks the Snow Queen is the most beautiful creature alive and wants to grow smarter to impress her. Winter thinks that the Winter Maiden's powers give her value. Still, Kay's happiness isn't found in the Snow Queen, but in Gerda. Similarly, Winter's worth isn't found in magic, but in her own personhood. How can this misunderstanding be cleared? Easy, Winter needs to expel the 2 shards of the evil mirror, which can also be seen as metaphors for Winter's 2 main conflicts:

The shard in Winter's heart is Jacques's abuse, which has driven Winter away from her family:

Winter: Distancing myself from the Schnee name is the most beneficial thing I've ever done.

Overcoming it means that Winter reconciles with her inner child.

The shard in Winter's mind is Ironwood's control, which has turned Winter into a brainless machine:

Winter: Penny. The general is making hard choices so we don't have to. For the good of all, not just a few.

Overcoming it means that Winter lets her emotions out and starts following her heart instead than her mind.

Luckily, Winter has 2 Gerdas, 2 little sisters ready to help her:

Weiss and Penny outgrow Winter thanks to her own teachings. Then, they take on her 2 major struggles. Basically, they fight Winter's fights in her stead:

Weiss defeats Jacques and takes back Winter's family for her. Throughout volume 7, Winter is shown to be barely able to stay in the same room as Jacques without breaking. Weiss instead faces him multiple times and arrests him. She is the true Queen of the Schnee Family.

Penny becomes the Winter Maiden when Winter isn't ready. She defies Ironwood and saves Atlas and Mantle. She makes the choice Winter should, but can't. Penny follows her heart, while Winter represses hers, so Penny is the true Maiden.

Weiss and Penny's efforts meet Ironwood's resistance and antagonism until Winter can't ignore her repressed emotions anymore:

She finally listens to her heart and makes remarkable progress with both "shards".

On the one hand she reaches out to Weiss (her family) and is able to confront Jacques once and for all:

Winter: No. When we're finished, we'll move both of you to safety.Don't thank me. It was Weiss's decision.

On the other hand she openly defies Ironwood and fights him in the climax:

Winter: No, you have sacrificed everyone else! You closed the borders, you squeezed Mantle until it broke!

She calls her 2 old men out, which is a first step to truly grow into a proper adult. Because of her developement, she is finally able to become the Winter Maiden in the climax of volume 8:

This scene is key to understand how The Snow Queen is used throughout the Atlas Arc and what it means for Winter and Penny's stories.

First of all, Winter and Penny are clearly Kay and Gerda here. They are sister-coded and Penny is even bare-footed, which is a defining trait of Gerda. How do they fit their literary counterparts, though?

Winter and Penny are a Kay and Gerda in competition over the Winter Maiden. Specifically, Winter thinks that to be worthy of the Winter Maiden she must become a Snow Queen, cold and detached from emotions. Penny proves to her that the true Winter Maiden is instead a real girl with a heart and a soul:

Winter: No, Penny. You were always the real Maiden at heart. I was just a machine… just… following orders.

This wording is interesting because we find a similar one in Andersen's story:

“Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.” And Kay and Gerda looked into each other’s eyes. They both sat there, grown up, yet children at heart.

Only children at heart are worthy of heaven, only real girls can truly become Maidens. This is Penny's lesson to Winter. The real Winter Maiden is not an almighty Snow Queen, but a Blue Fairy that sees humanity in others. Like Fria with Penny and Penny with both Fria and Winter.

At the same time, Winter initially believes that the key to her destiny is Fria, an older woman who transfers the powers out of duty. In the end, though, she is gifted magic by Penny, a child who casts pragmatism aside out of love. A true child (maiden) at heart. So, you see, through Penny Winter begins her arc. She starts reconciling with both her emotions and inner child. This is why "the ice turns in the word eternity":

Penny: I won’t be gone, I’ll be part of you.

Penny isn't really gone, but is forever with Winter. A part of her heart. For eternity.

BLUE FAIRY OR SNOW QUEEN?

Winter's Maiden design calls back to both the Snow Queen and Pinocchio's Blue Fairy. On the one hand she appears surrounded by ice. On the other hand the ice can be seen as fairy dust. So, is Winter gonna be a Snow Queen like Fria or a Blue Fairy like Penny? Or will she be her own Maiden, different from both? Time will tell. What's sure is that the first thing Winter does after receiving the powers is to fail, both as a Maiden and as a big sister.

On the one hand she fails to retrieve the Staff. This is important symbolically because only "true" Maidens get the relics. Maidens with flaming eyes who have still to grow don't. For example, Cinder can't find the Crown and Raven leaves the Lamp. Yang and Penny instead both get the relics, which are thematically linked to them. In short, it is a motif and a pattern. Winter failing to take the Staff from Cinder shows she still has a way to go before truly growing into a full fledged Maiden. On the other hand she fails to save Weiss and loses another little sister. The moment she chooses to open her heart and to show her true feelings they work against her, she makes mistakes and lets her loved one down.

Basically, Winter has some other development to do:

Winter: But yes Penny, we must still acknowledge our personal feelings, wrestle with them. It ensures us that we're on the right path. It's what makes us human.

After a life of repression, she is just now starting to struggle with her emotions. The result of this struggle will tell us who Winter really is. As for now, she keeps being tested through her double conflict (her 2 shards).

As a Maiden she has to lead her people to safety in Vacuo. As a Schnee she has to deal with Weiss's loss and to mend her relationship with her family:

This last point is especially interesting. Winter's arc in Atlas mostly transfers her conflict with Jacques on Ironwood. Still, the origin of Winter's problems is not the General, but her shattered childhood. This means that in order to truly grow she needs to reconcile with her family. It is the only way to find catharsis and to soothe her inner child's pain. However, she might not be able to do it alone.

In this context, Weiss's help will probably be key. After all, Penny helps Winter with one shard (Maidenhood), so it is fitting Weiss does the same with the other (the Schnee family). Penny starts Winter's arc, so Weiss should finish it. Moreover, Weiss herself is already ahead of Winter when it comes to fix her family bonds. This is clear if we consider Weiss's development through the relationships with her 2 siblings:

Initially, Weiss shares Whitely coping mechanism. They both obey Jacques and try to fulfill his impossible standards. They play the part of the good reflections and stay hidden in the mirror.

As time goes on, though, Weiss embraces Winter's approach more and more. She grows braver and openly defies Jacques. By doing so she grows distant from Whitley until they fight in volume 4.

However, differently from Winter, Weiss never fully discards her family. She doesn't run from her name or legacy, but tries to make it better. She is a synthesis of the best traits of both her siblings (Winter + Whitley = Weiss). This is why she is able to inspire both to be better.

In other words, Weiss leaves childhood (Whitley) behind to grow more adult (Winter), but then goes back to integrate her unsolved parts (Whitley). Winter needs to do the same and she will with Weiss as a bridge.

GERDA AND KAY'S ADVENTURE: FROM WINTER TO SUMMER

Weiss and Winter's story is set up to end in Vacuo, which fits The Snow Queen's use of seasons. As a matter of fact seasons are rather important in the story and are often mentioned to show the time passing. Kay disappears in winter, Gerda starts her journey in spring, she finds Kay in winter and they go back home in summer.

Can you see what RWBY is doing?

Winter is in Atlas- the Kingdom of Winter

Weiss goes through a self-discovery journey in Mistral - the Kingdom of Spring

Weiss and Winter meet again in Atlas - the Kingdom of Winter

Weiss and Winter will find a metaphorical home and embrace each other in Vacuo - the Kingdom of Summer

Vacuo is then the perfect stage for the Schneesters' final reconciliation, which may allude to the Snow Queen once again. In particular, an ideal ending of Winter's arc should have (imo):

Another reference to the word "eternity"

Winter expelling the shards

The details are clearly up in the air. However, I would not be surprised if all of this is conveyed through a summon. As Weiss's arc shows, unlocking an avatar perfectly conveys the idea of freeing one-self from painful mirror fragments. Moreover, I can't forget this very silly thing from Ice Queendom :'''):

Jokes aside, let's speak a little bit of Semblances...

THE SCHNEESTERS' SEMBLANCE

Glyphs is clearly inspired by the Snow Queen:

The snow-flakes ran along the ground, and the nearer they came to her, the larger they appeared and much more terrible. For they were alive, and were the guards of the Snow Queen, and had the strangest shapes. Some were like great porcupines, others like twisted serpents with their heads stretching out, and some few were like little fat bears with their hair bristled; but all were dazzlingly white, and all were living snow-flakes.

This is the Schnees' summonings in a nutshell: snowflakes that come to be living animals.

There is more, though. The Schneesters' Semblance ties with their allusion in different ways.

Winter is the Snow Queen, who is able to summon multiple "soldiers" at once:

Even now, it is the main difference between Winter and Weiss's technique. Winter likes multiplying her servants, while Weiss prefers playing with their size. Moreover, the Snow Queen is introduced changing snowflakes into "great white chickens" and this is Winter's first summon:

Weiss is instead both Snowhite and Gerda. As Snowhite, her glyphs reference the forest animals she befriends. They become a metaphor of how Weiss progressively tames her inner beasts and integrates with them. As Gerda, there is this:

Then little Gerda repeated the Lord’s Prayer, and the cold was so great that she could see her own breath come out of her mouth like steam as she uttered the words. The steam appeared to increase, as she continued her prayer, till it took the shape of little angels who grew larger the moment they touched the earth. They all wore helmets on their heads, and carried spears and shields. Their number continued to increase more and more; and by the time Gerda had finished her prayers, a whole legion stood round her. They thrust their spears into the terrible snow-flakes, so that they shivered into a hundred pieces, and little Gerda could go forward with courage and safety.

Gerda summons angels, who wear helmets and shields (so Knigts) and have spears:

This is all very cool, but what of it? Winter and Weiss's allusions are used to develop their foiling. On the one hand Winter is the Snow Queen that transforms snowflakes into beasts. Her summons are symbolically cold and made of ice. On the other hand Weiss is Gerda whose breath turns into angels. She changes her inner warmth into an army ready to help her. The hint here is that Winter and Weiss's summons work differently, which is confirmed by Winter's advice to Weiss in volume 3:

Winter: Emotions can grant you strength. But you must never let them overpower you.

Winter never loses control. She dominates her emotions and strives to always be her best version. She is cool, she is perfect, she is an ideal, which means she isn't her real self. Her avatars are the result of repression.

Weiss unlocks her summons when she rushes to save Velvet. She is irrational, she is brash, she is reckless. She doesn't think, but feels and acts. This is why she frees her heart. Her avatars are a result of integration.

In a sense, the sisters are opposite when it comes to fighting styles and personal journeys.

Weiss initially excels at combining her glyphs with Dust, but can’t summon. This is because summons are mirrors of one's interiority. Weiss initially doesn't really know who she is without the family crest, so she can't conjure anything. The moment she grows into herself she succeeds.

Winter is instead great at summoning, but is rarely seen combining her glyphs with Dust. This is because she has cut herself off from the family. Once she accepts her feelings and reaches out to Weiss, she is shown using Dust powered Glyphs much more.

In short, Weiss's arc is about finding her own individuality, while Winter's is about learning to let others in. So, Weiss's style progressively becomes more focused on summons. It would fit if Winter were to use more elemental glyphs in the future.

Not only that, but I would love if Winter started to combine her glyphs with magic to obtain effects similar to Dust. It would show she is starting to depend more on her family. Not Jacques or the SDC, but Penny, who gifted her with the powers:

Winter: This…was a gift.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE SNOW QUEEN?

The fairy tale's message is found in this prayer:

“Roses bloom and cease to be, But we shall the Christ-child see.”

It is a recurring motif throughout the story. It is the prayer Gerda uses to free Kay and it is repeated at the very end. It means people should keep their childhood ingenuity and generosity. This theme clearly fits RWBY's idealistic message. Not only that, but the prayer fits Ruby herself and her role in Weiss's arc.

Ruby is Weiss's inspiration (the "Hunter" that motivates her to be a better Huntress). She is also the one, who brings out Weiss's inner child:

Weiss: Hey, Ruby? I always wanted bunk beds as a kid.

Through her and the rest of her team, Weiss defrosts. She embraces her childishness more and more:

She discovers herself an idealist, ready to make the world a better and warmer place. She is blooming into a white rose of summer, who will soon become Winter's inspiration. In this way, both sisters will grow into beautiful and resilient flowers, survivors of their icy childhood.

These are my main thoughts on how the Snow Queen is used in RWBY. Sorry it is so long and I took so long to answer. On the bright side, I think the timing is perfect given the Holiday Season :''') I hope you enjoy this meta on Santa's 2 beautiful granddaughters!

Happy Holidays, if you celebrate!

#rwby #rwby meta #weiss schnee #winter schnee #penny polendina #yang xiao long #james ironwood #jacques schnee #asksfullofsugar #thecapturedafrique #once upon an allusion #semblance of the soul #my meta #ruby rose #jaune arc

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wiffhuff · 10 months

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My dude is as skinny as a cheese string

Anyways wow!!! 2 for 1 deal today!!! I felt like if I didn't post Doug and Lao relatively together, I'd get struck down by lightning or something ^^

I liked to think Lao has even longer hair than he does canonically cuz he has given up trying to deal with it. I stuck with giving him a sleek type hair cuz it's probably greasy eUGH. That's def why he tied it, cuz imagine being slapped with it lol

Do not ask what happened to his tie, he does not know as well and frankly does not care.

Had him wear his uniform shirt unbuttoned since he's a rebel and that's kinda the trope in anime. As well, he usually is wearing some random shirt and changes it every couple of days.

My fav part is def his non-uniform jacket he always wear. Unfortunate you cannot see the back design, but it does have a Pathfinder logo :)))) I added some elements of his canon fit to make it semi-inspired.

He got piercings!!! But only simple ones :> You can't even see his right ear so no one notices most of the time.

Notes:

-Doug is one of two people who can convince him to go to school. The other is Lin, but Lao only sees her by chance. Students have seen Doug nagging Lao on his phone, or literally dragging him into class.

-He's all edgy not because wife and kid died (Chenshi would not even exist in this AU), but because he's a hormonal teen who feels like he knows everything. So an edgy idiot.

-Elma and Lao are not on good terms with one another. Elma feels upset with him all the time since she feels he can def excell (See little sketch of angry Elma up there for context). But Lao doesn't bother most of the time if as long as he passes his classes.

-Despite him not caring, I still feel like he gets somewhat good grades. He atleast gets enough good test marks to make Elma raise her eyebrows.

-Yuppers Charmaine exists, but she's in a different school (idk if it would be too tropey to have her school and the [Blade Academy/XCX school idk the name] to be rivals). People are kinda surprised that Lao fell for her since she seems aesthetically the opposite of him (Bubbly, charming, sweet). But I'd like to characterise her with a "You can't fool me" vibe to explain how she is able to wrangle Lao. She def does not put up with any bullshit, and Lao is kinda charmed by that.

-I'm still thinking what sport/physical activity he should do outside of school. It would be silly if he did Kyudo (Japanese archery) plus it would def be so cool to draw him with a bow!!! I know Kyudo clubs exist in some schools, but I imagine Lao didn't join since he likes doing it as his OWN activity.

-In that silly trio friend group I mentioned, Lao is the enabler of the stupid shenanigans the guys get into. Or more of the catalyst I'd think. Like he would go try to jump the school gate, Doug tries to stop him, Frye joins in, and somehow they all got stuck up on the roof of the school building

Translation notes:

Left: Lao secretly reading some stuff on his phone with the caption "Checking his phone in class" and Doug behind him saying "Psst. Dude do your test!". A pissed off Elma sketch with a convo going on: "Lao, did you do alright on the test?" then Lao says "Meh I missed a few marks so only a 98" and Elma said "Huh??" as she holds her test with a 96%. Lao listening to Lin talking about the things happening at her school. A nametag on a girl that says "Charmaine" with her saying "Oh hey Lao, you're hanging here again?" then Lao doesn't respond out of nervousness, which prompts her to say "You good?".

Right: SIde view of Lao that points out his "eternal eyebags". An inaccurate arrow shoing how long Lao's hair is with a caption saying "Hair is about to reach his butt". A showcase of "Lao's fit" consisting of: "Opened dress shirt", "Non-uniform shirt (Whatever he finds in his room", "Baggy pants", "Sneakers". Bottom picture depicts the backside of Lao's main jacket.

#xenoblade chronicles x #xcx #xenoblade #xenoblade x #xenoblade chronicles #xenoblade fanart #fanart #lao huang #lao xenoblade #xenoblade au #xenoblade x au #xcx au #XCX HS AU #xcx highschool au #au #6/18 #Lao looks like a he hasnt sleep #prob because he hasnt #man i really wanna draw him in a kyudo uniform GAH

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fablesofkitkat · 2 years

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POV: trading haiku poems with Shoto Todoroki (author trying to hurt you prequel)

warning: tea-centric, angst, depression, haiku-centric

AN: I posted this before, I deleted and posting this again. I shouldn't ever delete this again bcoz one of the convos is inspired by a rly good and happy memory.

tags: @vtte @happilyheavenproductions @bootyholelicker @thefirstimagifabricator @simp-for-bnha-boys @valiixiia @iichiberry @akumicchi @kitsukami4

Being a part of Dekusquad is the best. (Bakusquad begs to differ, though.) Your friends were wonderful and you couldn't help but be sensitive to their moods, you couldn't help but look out for them. These days, Todoroki has been weighing in your mind; you couldn't shake the feeling that there's something going on with him despite his chill personality. Pun intended. Truthfully, you would have never gotten close to Todoroki without the King Room contest; when everyone dropped by to see his room, it was physically painful for you to leave without treading upon the tatami floors. You took a shot asking to have tea with him, offering to perform the ceremony even, despite being the guest. He agreed to it and ever since then, you two would honor the 'way of tea'.

"The taste of raindrops

are clear; things grow beautiful

heaven asks why kneel?"

Your voice echoed sonorously in his room.

"An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond—

Splash! Silence again."

He offers back a haiku.

You frowned at the choice of poem. "Matsuo Bashō?"

"Correct." He leisurely took a sip from his cup.

Your tea ceremonies with him were informal but you couldn't forego the haikus. It felt good that someone shared your appreciation for teas. However, the haiku he offered back nagged at you. Todoroki had always seemed so pessimistic like that time he called himself 'The Hand crusher', Deku and Iida found it funny but for you, it seemed like Todoroki actually blames himself.

-----------

Shotō closed his eyes and sniffed the matcha in his cup; he had the strangest sense of déjà vu, just a little. The cozy scent of tea, the sound of rain and... you. The atmosphere here in his dorm is vastly different from the mansion he calls home. There was a certain quality to it. This ambiance.

"May I speak my mind, Todo-kun?" You ask him, setting down your teacup with a soft tap.

He nodded.

"I am very flattered that you're this relaxed during ochadō (way of tea). I always get the impression that you feel like everyone's out to get you. You're very tense except now." You stated.

"I suppose." Then, he added. "I'm a bit better now."

You smiled at him, not wanting to prod too much to come off as nosy. "I'm always available for tea."

I'm here to listen.

---------

"Stumbling upon someone with whom you can just be with. That’s something very precious to me."

Your head snapped to him in alertness. This was out of the blue. Tea always had a way of making Todoroki talk. You secretly call this side of Todoroki, "Toki." From the word talk. Also it's funny since Toki means 'that time when.' That time when Toki talks. Toki toki talks. Pfft.

You giggled. He tilts his head in confusion.

"Nothing, it's just that if I didn't know any better, I would assume you meant me." You covered your mouth as you laughed. "You're talking about Deku and Gale, aren't you?"

He let out a small hmm. "Frankly, I have been hoping Iida and Gale would get together."

"Oh, yeah?"

"They had that race. Her wind quirk vs his engine quirk."

"I remember, but if we're talking about ships, Deku and Gale are the only ones who go by their nicknames in their daily basis."

His brow furrowed. Is he... pouting? "That doesn't make sense, that's not enough to... as you said 'ship' them."

"Ah, but Deku and Gale are quite cute together." You say, teasing him. This was unexpected. He seemed invested with his own ship.

"So would Iida and Gale." Did he just click his tongue at you?

"Let's have a wager then."

"A wager?"

"Deku and Gale will go out with each other by next year."

With a serious face, he utters. "Iida and Gale will end up marrying each other."

"If I'm right, you owe me gyokuro. Luxury tea is my weakness."

"When I'm right in the future, you owe me a favor."

They took a sip out of their cups simultaneously.

"By the way, you okay?" You ask him because sometimes his anxiety attacks gets the better of him.

He gives you a smile. It caught you off guard. This wasn't the first time you have witnessed his smile. Maybe it's the fact that you're sole recipient of his smile this time.

"Better now."

Did Todoroki just made your heart go doki? Nahhh.

------

He watches your face carefully, trying to memorize every little thing, even attempting to count your eyelashes. You don't notice his attention on you, pressing warm towel on his right side of the face.

"I... hate myself."

You froze. Pun not intented.

"If I didn't exist then maybe-" He started shaking, his breath shortened.

You couldn't help but hug him, climbing onto the hospital bed.

"Maybe my mom didn't have to suffer." His voice cracked. "If only I didn't exist-"

"No, don't talk about yourself like that."

He couldn't stop; he had to get it out; he had to be heard because the loudest voice in their household was his dad. Every one of them cowered in a single corner, whimpering, crying and heart breaking.

"If I didn't exist then my brother Touya wouldn't have felt like he was such a failure. A failed experiment. If only I-"

You hug him tighter, trying to anchor him in this very moment. Don't let him lose himself, Kami. If there are gods out there, please, please, don't let him lose himself, please stop this boy from hurting.

"I hated my father. I hate how he did all of this, he tore our family apart. But I can't hate him for trying to be better."

Tears ran down your cheeks as you pressed your skin harder, if you could take all of this hurt, if you could make everything better for him, if you could just absorb everything he felt right now, you would. You would.

"I just hate myself more than ever. Ihatemyselfihatemyselfihatemyselfihatemyselfihatemyself- why do I even exist?"

You don't have an answer to that. To say anything would just be arrogance. So you held him til morning, rocking his body to sleep.

-----

Your heart was at your throat.

"Shōto." You call his name out calmly, not moving from your spot in case he suddenly jumps.

A frog jumps into the pond--

Please don't jump.

He was standing on the edge of his hospital room's balcony. He looked at you stoically and says your name in greeting.

"I have an answer now. To your question."

He waits.

Why he exists.

"To be a hero. To be your family's hero." You say.

Heaven asks why kneel?

------

One afternoon, when you visited Todoroki, you let him use your lap as a pillow as you carved bunny apples for him. You were talking about relationships as to your wager coming true. Deku and Gale started dating. Most were surprised because most of them knew about Ochako's crush on Deku.

"I feel like relationships aren't something I would consciously get into." He says.

You tilt your head thoughtfully.

"To me, it's more like there would be someone in my life, and we just naturally gravitate towards each other."

You place the bunny apples at the side table and listened quietly.

"Not because we like each other or any intention but because when we are together, things go better for us. Like we'd both be quietly thinking, 'hey, this works!'"

You hummed.

"We'd just fit each other. And sometimes circumstances would separate us and I think that's okay. I don't mean to sound weird or lame, but I feel it's more magical that way."

"What way?" You ask, absentmindedly playing with his hair.

"When love is discovered, not decided upon."

Fudge.

That was beautiful.

You don't think you can find any other thoughts that is more beautiful than that of his.

-------

That discovery happens when Shoto lets you touch his scar as he recounts the incident that caused it. When he was done, he holds the hand that caresses his scar as if that part wasn't something hideous, but instead something beautiful. He kisses the inside of the wrist quickly. Ears burning. Face stoic.

"When love discovered,

and not decided upon—

fleeting kiss on skin."

-Todoroki Shōto, When Love Discovered

#todoroki shoto x reader #shoto x reader #todoroki shoto imagine #todoroki shoto x you #todoroki shoto x y/n #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #shoto angst #shoto fluff

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