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toooldforfandom-liveblogs · 3 years

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RWBY V8E02 - Refuge

Who needs "refuge" besides our protagonists? Well, besides the entirety of Mantle. I have no idea, so let's do this!

Watching the OP again I just realized what these lights remind me of:

Welp.

Looks like the friendly scene from the opening is not happening any time soon.

ooh, now it makes sense.

It also probably reflects Qrow's state of mind with the camera framing him during that line. Blaming himself and all that.

I wonder. Having Jacques in jail is a perfect excuse for Whitley to transfer the SDC to himself if he wanted.

Other characters wiping Jacques's smirk still is very satisfying.

Well, I didn't expect this scene from the OP to happen so quickly. I guess Ironwood is making recovering Penny a priority. Nothing like working with a former enemy (who made him lose an arm) to keep making it clear he's willing to do anything and everything to defend Atlas, "no matter the cost"

note: there's no exciting music

Would that be Ironwood or Tyrian? Probably the latter, unless he sees Ironwood ordering their arrest as the ultimate cause for Clover's death. Which is a bit of a jump but it's not like it doesn't make sense, especially from the point of view of someone grieving.

Okay, she's awesome.

Not so subtle reminder of their motto(?) with the graffiti behind her.

The previous episode (and the previous scenes of this one) were so serious that Yang's face looks reaaally weird in context.

And so short too. Which I guess is good, but it just makes it feel more out of place.

"Refer to owners manual for diagnostic information"

Can't wait for the bike to explode because no one found the manual.

That's ominous. The grimm hunting for Oscar?

I'm glad someone volunteered to stay as bait.

You know this is fiction because she didn't continue arguing.

This really feels like the set up for something bad to happen. Which is probably unavoidable with Salem being up there.

I really, really hope this pan up to show Atlas doesn't mean they'll end up working together with Ironwood.

big fan of weiss's face

Doesn't help that she left her only "friend" behind.

I think I spent most of last season saying that Penny was trapped in Atlas by her responsibilities. Her being the Winter Maiden means she'll never be free. Which kinda makes me want to try and think of ways for her to escape.

If she dies (again * shakes fist at RT's general direction *), would her powers go away before Pietro revives her soul? I guess it depends on the exact way Pietro's semblance works. Did he give part of his soul to Penny's memory core (so now it's a different soul inhabiting the same body, with the same memories) or did he kickstart Penny's surviving soul in her core? Would the powers look for a successor during that state of limbo?

Interesting expression there for Penny, even if I don't what it's supposed to mean. Maybe she doesn't really believe Ruby yet? With Ironwood being her "boss" all her life, it's probably rather hard for her to go "yeah, he's wrong"

Simply amazing

very capable sheep

but still cute

oof, not very tactful though

Yeah, bad approach there

It feels like the animators/writers really took to heart the complaint of Fiona's semblance not being very clear last season.

And here's the fight scene we didn't get last episode. Is Oscar going to get kidnapped while everyone is distracted?

That was way faster than I expected.

...what scares Grimm?

I like this, good source of tension, because really, what makes Grimm turn the other way? Maybe the Grimm hunting for Oscar?

lol at me saying this Grimm needed a distraction. Couldn't care less about anything

1) that was really fast

2) why does it look like his body is made of play-doh

They learned their lesson with the Nuckelavee: adding some bone cracking sounds really amps up the creepiness

And it's smart too!

It reminds me of the more advanced nomus from My Hero Academia. Grimm are already scary, add some smarts or even sentience and they jump to horrifying. And it's a good way to add some difficulty to beating them. The show just showed us how fast they can beat the normal Grimm after all.

"my baby"

Wow. I really didn't expect Oscar to get kidnapped right away. I guess the season taking place in a couple of days makes it a necessity to move things faster than usual.

I didn't quite pick it up while watching this episode, but thinking about it, the heart of it seems to be Penny's chat with Ruby. Sure, Oscar getting picked up like a fry by a hungry seagull is more exciting but we know where's that's going. Penny though? I'm not so sure.

Was it only me or did it feel like Ruby was talking past Penny?

Penny has never been able to choose what to do. First she was told to participate in the tournament, then after getting revived she was told to protect Mantle and then she had to take the Winter Maiden's powers. Which, sure, she could have chosen to say no but in that situation there was no other acceptable alternative for her. She did choose to leave with Ruby but that doesn't erase the weight of everything else in her back. So now she's finally learned enough about herself and her feelings to realize she doesn't like the roles and responsibilities she has been thrust into. But Ruby completely misunderstood what she was talking about and just reinforced that being The Protector of Mantle is her job.

There's a painful look to the side before Penny thanks Ruby. A look that screams to me "you don't get it." Which, oof. Let the poor girl be happy before she gets hacked, please.

Something interesting is Qrow's new quest for revenge. That usually never works for anyone in fiction, always ending in never-ending cycles, suffering and being consumed by hate, the dark side and all that bad juju. Hopefully Qrow can reign it in and kill Tyrian just enough feel satisfied. Because, really, who can say that Tyrian doesn't deserve to be very dead and buried? Qrow already stopped drinking, let him have a little murder instead.

Unless he meant Ironwood. Which, sure. It could happen. And it has a ton more possibilities for drama since they were "friends" before, but I don't know. While with Tyrian feels more cut and closed, with Ironwood it feels like the show would go for Qrow being stopped or realizing revenge is wrong or something like that.

The last thing I wanted to talk about is Yang's team and storyline. They are having many more problems than Ruby's, their interactions having a lot more friction between them.

They are not really "saving" people, they are preparing for a last stand. We know Salem, we know it's hopeless unless something or someone comes to saves them. I mean, where do you go story wise when your goal is to get everyone inside a crater?

And the show knows it too, making their scenes the most serious of the episode. The few moments of humor are some quips and Yang enjoying her motorbike, and even those feel slightly out of place, probably on purpose, compared to the humor in Ruby's scenes. They are tired, frustrated with their friends, and they have to know they are just delaying the inevitable. Oscar getting kidnapped almost felt like a respite.

I think the episode struggled a bit with all the parallel storylines to the point it didn't feel cohesive but I guess those are the struggles of being an extremely serialized show.

Very happy to see the Happy Huntresses having more of a role this season.

I'm going to stop myself from reading too much into how Ozpin's comment about how they everyone needed to work together seemed to imply they need to work with Ironwood. I think that ship already sailed and to do it now would feel very "we have to compromise, hear all sides" which ugh.

I'm really curious about where this is going, especially Penny's arc, so that's all for now. Until next time!

#rwby #rwby liveblog #rwby v8 #rwby v8e02

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creamypalazzo · 4 years

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as to cater to my lack of sleep I ended up becoming very hyper aware of a song that got stuck in my head, and it’s called god is fair, sexy, nasty by Mac Miller, and it’s a song in my jotakak playlist that elicits incredibly h0rny + romantic energy that I wanna believe is also up to par with jotaro and kakyoin’s relationship in my o p i n i o n because I am in love with them and they are in love and babies and in spite of the very hypersexual lyrics here I also wanna be inclusive to the romantic expressions here and there that also perfectly match up to mu headcanons of their relationship lmao,, also do note that I like bottom jotaro and this is also mostly in Kakyoin’s perspective so it’s also what made the song contribute so well and I Am Like This Because God Made It So and it’s ok.

actually what I wanna talk about before the lyrics is the segment of jazz that plays before it delves into mac’s usual r&b/hip hop instrumental, it’s supposed to set the mood smoothly and because of that, all I think about is the thought of jotaro and his love for jazz that is also never really regarded by a lot of fans. It’s an unusual trait considering the Everything that jotaro is but I love to see it as a way that Kakyoin doesn’t Ignore that part of him and knows how he fully is- Jotaro isn’t completely cold and edgy and bitter, he still has a brighter side to him, and his love for him is what makes him so seen.

funny enough, there wasn’t much background to the song aside from the chorus itself from kendrick lamar, though that does save me enough time and I’ve only done the better reading to understand the first chorus, which is this:

apparently for a time, Kendrick suffered immense survivor’s guilt and trauma that happened when he was younger, amidst all his success he still suffered a lot of issues that his partner had continually supported him through the rougher times- all the violence he suffered from has cultivated all into the “bullet” where his partner is represented as a rose, and their love has been the reason he’d been able to get through his issues. It’s also continued to the rest of the chorus, being together and folding into each other’s desires is also a parallel to Kakyoin and Jotaro’s relationship, where the hardest come down they’d know each other so well, so intimately, to be able to find each other in ways that they’d only ever know.

tbh probably one of my favorite things about Jotaro’s relationships is that they’d always always always emphasize his beauty- he isn’t all his beauty, but the fact his personality is practically worn on his face is what makes it. To me, Jotaro is forced to be fully aware of his features from the attention he’s gotten, but with his intimidating demeanor it also gets pointed out too because, 1) fear is an aphrodisiac, 2) it makes him so much more powerful that way, to be beautiful and feared is probably a feeling that he doesn’t get to understand would be so good, honestly, but to think that Kakyoin would take the sight of him in, would make him feel like he’s been looking at a god. Ironically, a god that would definitely make him commit sins and defilings of desires he didn’t even think he’d have on Jotaro, but here they are. Kakyoin would be mesmerized, especially with being an artist, he could paint him, paint on him, his body and his face is a work of art that subjects him into a place of some kind of worship because it definitely deserves it, but Kakyoin’s got desires that even makes the devil shiver.

This is probably one of the verses that struck me the most, and I say one of because there’s actually more to it. There isn’t any background as to, say, if this song was about anybody in particular, the only song in the album that was actually mentioned to be about someone entirely was Cinderella (and that shit got wild real fast lmao). But to know that this was probably about someone who was cold, who definitely had issues too? God. Jotaro is cold, when it comes to his feelings he honestly will probably not keep up with them. It makes him turn away from people who he should have been vulnerable around, who he’s allowed to be weak around, but he wants to hide it and shows it constantly, sex or not he’s probably always into the rougher things as to compensate. I like to think Kakyoin is there to test it- aside from the actual connotation, relationships always test people to how they become better than they used to be, it’s not just a test for each other but it is a test for themselves, in the name of love and the loves of their life, it’s a matter of asking, what do you want to do? Is it for them, or yourself? And in this case, ‘take my time, hit that slow’ shows off the contrast to what Jotaro normally ventures off to. Jotaro would have to adjust for that and also be made to understand what Kakyoin would feel, think, in the pace that he, for once, would want them in. Jotaro can finally learn, in and out of sex how he should consider the most out of Kakyoin- I know events of SDC would say that he does consider a lot because of Holly, but he doesn’t exactly have easier times reading his friends or family and most of the time does stay in a self-indulgent bubble where he doesn’t really know how to treat people’s feelings other than the ways he knows how. Kakyoin is a test to it, and Jotaro follows because he has the need to understand it, to know him.

You’re the only thing for me in this fucked up world is also a really painful statement, to me at least. It hits hard with the fact that Mac and Ariana later broke up because of their relationship turning toxic, I know he didn’t make this song for her but to know this statement was written out of his heart is what makes the genuity. Kakyoin, as we know has mostly been alone his whole life. He never really got to be vulnerable around other kids and his only friend was his stand that way, only being able to cope with his excess time with the fact that Hierophant could help him play video games better and that was probably just how he spent it. Alone, definitely unused to company that felt like he knew him. Enter Jotaro, new to stands, just as socially inept, same liking to sumo, gorgeous as hell and checking every box that Tenmei Kakyoin didn’t even know he had. He saved him from a lifetime of pain and suffering, saw a part of him that also made him understand that they weren’t alone. They’re the only two kids in a world of war and other dangerous things, the fact that they both don’t know how to interact with each other like normal people do is both hilarious and endearing, but it’s made better by the fact that it makes them understand and like each other. It’s almost like a matter of fate that way, because honestly, how long would have Kakyoin gone if he hadn’t met the Crusaders? He fell into Dio’s hands so quick because Dio could understand him, see right through him with his desperations and loneliness, but later fell for Jotaro because it’s all genuine, and a person that Kakyoin has learned to love because they didn’t know how to get to each other until they had to learn how.

And do you believe in love? Is another part of them. I never thought that Jotaro nor Kakyoin would honestly think of it, they had other shit to think about and it was definitely not girls, Kakyoin probably had a thing for h3ntai (I had a running joke somewhere that he was ripped because he kept jerking off lmao) but I doubt he ever indulged in the romantic areas, he never cared about it in particular until Jotaro came around to make him realize, oh, this was a crush. I always headcanoned that Jotaro was gay: he wasn’t exactly growing up in the best time to think about it, nor did he really like girls, his next best big brain moment was to probably ignore the feeling and just believed that girls were a whole no. Well, yes, the annoying stalkers mostly were at fault, but it made him not like the appeal of them, where he didn’t understand how boys would look at girls and drool over their thighs, where girls would fight about whose chests were smaller, because girls were just so boring and annoying to look at. It’s boys on the other hand that always had his attention. Many of the guys in his school probably would have been excited/terrified that the cool, smart Jotaro Kujo would approach them, and probably take him in as his friend or probably pick a fight, but in reality, he just didn’t know how to approach someone attractive, let alone someone of the same gender when his relationship with his father continually strained. So then he thought over it, a lot. Holding hands with a boy, kissing a boy. Hooking his arm around one, holding onto him no matter what. For a time he thought he just couldn’t be in love, it was just that he didn’t like the idea of it being with a girl, that was all.

Hold on tight when demons come / It’ll be alright, no need to run / Stay with me tonight, we’ll see the sun / And when we wake up we’ll still be drunk Ah yes, this verse analysis is going to be very long as I Analyse this until I pass out from sleep deprivation. These two lines are a combination of what I’ve said in both the previous paragraph and fourth one, reiterating my statements again, but I think this is the dawning of their trust with each other when they finally get to like each other. They both need someone they can trust and understand, but it’s Jotaro who has to be the one to not run away from it while Kakyoin is the one who holds on tightly because he’s never had this at all before. Someone like him has definitely developed attachment issues that way, and he’s not letting Jotaro get away from something that he knows they both need. Hence the cuddliness in the last three: Never felt this free before / I need you more than keys and doors / I need you sleepin’ next to me

You know by this point in their journey you wonder how deprived of touch everybody is, but especially with Kakyoin and Jotaro being together now this seems to end up as a way to deal with touch starvation with each other. I doubt both would be used to any of the contact, but it’s Kakyoin who’s trying to be more enthusiastic with it while Jotaro is also trying to adjust himself even though he doesn’t quite have any idea of what to do. But they try, try a lot, and Kakyoin finds that he enjoys holding Jotaro and Jotaro’s learned to love feeling and being held, being loved by this boy, no less. It makes them miss each other more every time they stay apart, the fact that Kakyoin got his ass handed to him back in the desert is also what makes it difficult, every time Jotaro visits him in the hospital Kakyoin would probably take his hand and hold it close to his face before kissing it, always so impatient and probably a bit horny and inappropriate than he needs to be and most of all lonely— and jotaro in turn would direct him to his lips where they’d always kiss softly, slowly turning desperate, both just progressively careless in the predicament with Kakyoin only being able to navigate Jotaro’s neck and jaw with kisses, Jotaro trying so much as to not lift the hospital gown and instead holding his scalp while he presses kisses all over his face, and sure it’s only been probably a week or so but they missed each other so god damn much, Kakyoin missing cupping Jotaro’s cheek and taking in the absolute sight of how beautiful he always is, but while he’s recovering he’s just glad he could still be able to touch him.

(You shy,) you don’t reveal too much / (No lies,) don’t hide your self at all / (Where’s your—) I just can’t help but fall / (It’s true,) and I’ve tried everything / My sexy, nasty thing / is actually the set of lines that hits the most here tbh. They carry the same sentiments that I’ve said in my fourth paragraph and supposedly should have been my previous one if it weren’t for the fact that that shit got deleted and all but I guess my WiFi just wouldn’t work yknow,,, anyway by this point I don’t believe that this is because of any clothing related reveal situation whatsoever, I like associating this with the idea that Jotaro’s so used to shutting his feelings out that it’s so difficult to express them, but anytime he sees Kakyoin he’s just so . unused to feeling free and allowed to be able to see him in this light while Kakyoin is made to be so aware of it. It makes Jotaro feel naked, even if they have their clothes on, he may not be that expressive but Kakyoin’s found himself starting to recognize the building looks that Jotaro’s giving him, hooded eyes or widened ones where he looks so curious and stunned. If Jotaro would be made too aware of it his pride makes him swallow and look away, but a lot of the time Kakyoin, even so overwhelmed and flustered, would encourage him not to be ashamed of it, to be vulnerable to him because he loves the feeling that the way he looks at him is actually being returned. They love each other, even if they were young they knew it was love. It was so perfectly destined that God had to be the one to cut it short.

There’s a line from a JotaKak doujinshi in particular that somehow manages to hurt me to read every time called Let’s Meet at The Usual place; it’s a doujinshi presenting memories of Kakyoin and Jotaro’s relationship where they realize they like each other (yes there is a lot of sex but yeah), and the very last line is Kakyoin’s final message when looking back to them:

I don’t like being lonely, so please talk to me from time to time. There’s a story that I don’t know, so let’s meet at the usual place.

Now, I bring this up, while also crying, because at a point, Kakyoin’s childhood problems have definitely affected him badly growing up. It’s considered that he has a lot of obvious signs of clinical depression, which is a topic that can be discussed here, but I wonder how frequent he could go into these episodes? Did he ever take meds? I know I’ve had a fair share to this kinda shit but god damn, it’s mentioned in the link above that it probably ranges in a severity, and it makes sense! How many episodes has he gone through it alone? How long did he have to believe that he was alone, considering he decided outright he could never be friends with someone who can’t see his stand? It’s emphasized a lot that if it weren’t for the stands, Jotaro and Kakyoin wouldn’t have been friends at all. I just think: With the presence of the Crusaders, he definitely developed a peace of mind.

Why do I say this? It’s mostly taking into consideration with the way Mac handles his feelings: he gets really emotional when he’s high- in this case, even if Kakyoin hadn’t been using his meds, how emotional can he get in episodes or developing episodes in particular? How far do these go, and how much does it trouble Jotaro that he doesn’t even know what to do? I wanna believe that for the most part, he’d feel better, definitely a lot better, even in his episodes he could look at Jotaro and realize that he’s waited far too long for somebody who could understand him, who could see him, taking him to a place where he feels warmer, happier, and he would hold Jotaro close to him and realize he has more than just thanking him for literally saving his life. Jotaro would be everything to him.

Honestly, I don’t think Jotaro has carried similar feelings of loneliness, but he had a feeling of want to this. He knows his desires, he knows what he likes, who he loves, most importantly, but he realized that without Kakyoin’s presence it’s suddenly so boring and sad without him. In a way he feels scared, even though he knows Kakyoin is strong enough to handle himself, his worry manifests in a way that he knows that it’s how his mother could worry but it just can’t be helped.

Will you come home with me? Hits HARDEST, especially, I know a lot of this is sexual undertones but as I’ve repeatedly stated, god damn does the change in context make it hurt, like there’s definitely been a lot of talk and a lot of promises that were made for when they come back home, Jotaro would have wanted to bring him home to Holly where she’d be safe and sound, and he knew for a fact that seeing her again, with the idea that she’d be overjoyed with them being together has given him something so pleasant.

But Jotaro could never have that. He never got to say goodbye, or save him in time. For the longest time, Jotaro has realized that there was nobody that was going to make him this happy.

And, really. Nobody could do it like Kakyoin, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be happy again.

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dedicatedseeker · 5 years

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Monochrome Week 2019 Day Four: Parallels

@monochromeweek

A/N: I think this was the hardest prompt of the week, and it’s most likely not what you expect.

Ozpin shifted uncomfortably before taking his seat at the table. When he had accepted the offer to be brought back and stop his former lover from terrorizing the people of Remnant, a game of chess was the last thing he expected. Salem glanced at him with disinterested eyes, but he could see the tension spread throughout her body.

The wizard was silently grateful for the rules set prior to starting the match, which disqualified anyone who used physical violence in any way. What he wasn’t grateful for was how the fate of the world seemed to be dependent on the outcome of this game. Perhaps he should’ve asked more questions before taking the deal, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Squaring his shoulders, he glanced at the board. Fortunately, there wasn’t a limit on how long the trial had to last. Time seemed to pass differently outside of the realm between worlds anyway. They were told that the world would keep going on as they played, but that only made Ozpin worry.

While he wanted to be finished with the bout as soon as possible, he also didn’t want to rush through it. From his understanding, any pieces gained and lost throughout the game would have an effect on Remnant and its denizens. He knew that sacrifices had to be made, but he hoped that he would be forgiven or at least understood if the world’s occupants knew the details of what was truly at stake.

A while later, they were given a break. Ozpin took the chance to take a look at the state of the world and was surprised that Faunus suddenly existed. Before he could appreciate this new development, he noticed that they seemed to be warring with the humans around them. Taking a closer look, he could see that the White Fang and the SDC were quite influential in influencing society in positive and negative ways.

He frowned and pondered how best to intervene or at least offer advice to the fighting factions before he realized that the break was over. If he couldn’t do anything now, he would try his best to play better.

When it came time for the second break, Ozpin frowned slightly at the smaller amount of pieces he had remaining in the game. Salem had indeed proved to be a formidable adversary, oftentimes utilizing tactics he hadn’t even considered and even using his own strategies against him.

Worrying about how Remnant was faring, he chanced a glance and sucked in a harsh breath. The world was more violent than ever, and it didn’t seem to be getting better. His hope deflated slightly, and he was about to turn away when he noticed a particular team that wasn’t there previously. He zeroed in on two certain members and couldn’t believe his eyes.

Last time he looked at Remnant, the White Fang and SDC seemed to be at odds, but here were two people associated with both groups who were able to put aside their differences and work together. Ozpin glanced back at the board and was filled with a renewed sense of hope. If two seemingly opposing people could find common ground and collaborate, then he certainly could win this match.

After what felt like an eternity, Ozpin settled back in his seat, basking in his victory. It was a close call, but he was satisfied that the people of Remnant were safe now and that he could finally rest. Before he could close his eyes, he was surprised to find a parting gift: two queens.

He smiled. Remnant would be in good hands after all.

A/N: If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I was honestly stumped with this prompt, but I hope it was still an enjoyable read.

#monosweek19 #monochromeweek19 #monochrome #monochromeweek #checkmating #rwby monochrome #monochrome rwby #this was written while i was half asleep #tomorrow's gonna be tricky too i think

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