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it-happened-one-fic · 1 month

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Hi, there! :D

I saw the new event once a book and I thought it was interesting, If it's not too much trouble I would like to request:

Fandom: TWST (Silver x Fem reader) Story: Charming Fairytale the Book: A book that has been lovingly re-covered in now sun-faded fabric. <3

If my order does not convince you, you can discard it without problems, but if not, take your time and without pressure. Thank you. The new event made me excited, you are one of my favorite twst writers and I am happy to finally place an order here

Oh my goodness! I’m so touched that you like my writings and I’m thrilled to write a fic for you. In all honesty, the book selection actually serves as the character selection, but since I didn't clearly indicate that int he even, I've written two fics for you. One for Silver and one for the book you chose. The one for Silver is below (which was written and edited while I listened to “Entendez-Vous” by Cécile Corbel, but I’ll make sure to link the other one to you as well! I hope you enjoy your tale(s)!

600 Followers event!

Happily Ever After - Silver

Type: Female reader/ fluff/ romance implied/ charming fairytale/ isekai

Word count: 2465

I had to give it to the enchanted book I'd been sucked into; I had been given a very simple role. Find the lost prince and return him to his home so he could save the land from the rule of an evil witch.

It was a pretty basic fairytale plot, and I could only hope that finishing the story would result in me going back to Twisted Wonderland. If it didn’t, I really didn’t know what I could do other than place all of my hopes in Silver.

After all, he had been in the room with me when I’d opened the enchanted book that had, quite literally, pulled me into its story.

I scrambled up onto a rock, glancing around in search of some place that looked even vaguely like where I thought a lost prince might hide or be hidden.

To be honest, I fully suspected that he’d been locked away more so than he had been lost, since that seemed far more in line with what I’d expect from a fairytale about a supposedly lost prince.

But then, this particular fairytale had already surprised me in that there was a dude in distress with a lady savior rather than the usual damsel with a male hero. But then, I quite possibly wasn’t actually the hero of this story like I’d been thinking I was.

But no matter exactly what my role was, I was the one attempting to find the lost royal that the country was counting on to save the day.

I felt my eyebrows lift as I spied a shadowy castle that wasn’t terribly far from where I currently stood and did look almost exactly like what I’d expect from a place where a royal in distress would be kept.

I nodded slightly to myself before setting off, my pace fairly leisurely as I made my way towards the dark castle that looked like it had seen better days.

I almost smiled as I noticed the bats fluttering around the towers that stretched up towards the sky. A nice, almost gothic touch to the overall villainous aesthetic of the castle.

What made the place even better from my point of view was that the massive gate was open, and I had no difficulty getting in. In fact, I quite literally just walked into the place.

I did have to admit, though, that the fact that I’d gotten in so easily did beg the question of why this lost prince hadn’t simply escaped or come home on his own?

There was, of course, the possibility that I’d wholly misunderstood this situation and that I was dealing with a runaway prince rather than a hostage situation.

A runaway prince who was plot-ordained to save the country would make for an interesting tale, though it certainly wouldn’t be that of your typical fairytale.

More of a subversion than anything.

I frowned slightly as I walked around the seemingly abandoned castle that looked like it was steadily crumpling into nothing.

It was the sort of place Malleus would like, but that hardly helped my current dilemma.

Because if this prince was a runaway, he would probably be hiding from me. But if he were instead a hostage, like I’d initially suspected, then the first place I’d look would be in the dungeons or the tallest tower.

I glanced up at the towers, grimacing slightly at the thought of going into the mass of rocks that looked like they were about to collapse the very second a wind blew through.

I paused in my survey of the castle, though, feeling my eyebrows arch as I caught sight of a door that looked far heftier than any of the others. And it wasn’t just that either; that section of the castle also seemed far sturdier than the rest.

I rolled my shoulders and braced my hands on the dark wood before pushing, only for nothing to happen, causing me to frown at the weight of the door.

I inhaled deeply, though, and leaned fully into my shove as I dug in with my heels. I breathed through my motions as I slowly started walking forward, pushing the door open slowly but surely before I stumbled to a stop and looked up into the room beyond.

It was mostly dim, with only a bit of sunlight filtering in through the damaged roof above and spotlighting a single area on the dais. But otherwise, it looked wholly uninhabited, and no one was obviously hiding in it either.

I hesitated, though, frowning as I listened closely to a distant sound that slowly became clearer until I could identify it. Footsteps.

I glanced around, my eyes searching for the person, until a figure became visible as it approached the dais.

I felt my eyes widen as he stepped into the light that made his pale hair shine in perfect opposition to the darkness that was all around.

And he looked like a perfect prince. A dark uniform with silver epaulets and a sword hanging at his side. It was almost like I was looking at a picture out of a storybook, and I blinked up at him, hardly believing my eyes as my words failed me.

At odds with my speechlessness, he spoke in an almost tired tone, “Y/n… I wondered where you were.”

I blinked, almost like I was snapping out of a spell at the sound of his soft voice, and my voice returned to me, “You’re the lost prince??”

I openly gaped up at him, but I couldn’t help but be shocked that all of this time I’d been looking for him. Somehow, it seemed oddly fitting. I had gotten the strange sensation that I’d been searching for him my entire life before, but I’d always shaken it off and refused to ask him if he’d ever had that same sensation.

Despite my surprise, Silver was just like he always was. Utterly stoic and seemingly unbothered as he nodded at me.

I could only assume he’d gotten used to his role in this book just I like had, but I still found myself walking towards him with surprise still rolling through me, “You got sucked into the book too?”

It was another rather obvious question, but if he was bothered, he certainly didn’t show it. Instead, he just nodded before calmly walking down the stairs and meeting me in the middle of the room.

“Have you been in this place the whole time?” I found myself scanning him for injuries or anything else of the sort, but he seemed wholly unharmed.

“Yes, this castle seems to be cursed to keep from leaving,” He explained calmly, turning and walking over to the still open door only to be stopped short of exiting by a wall that shimmered into place.

I had been right. He wasn’t a runaway prince at all. He was being held hostage, no doubt by the witch that was currently ruling the country.

I felt myself frown as he stepped backwards, causing the wall to disappear once more as he turned to look back at me.

On the bright side, I now knew why it had been so easy for me to get into this place. But on the down side, I had no idea how to get him off here if this castle was specifically enchanted to keep him in.

And to make matters worse, if I couldn’t get him out, then we were stuck just in here, but in this story, and since he was in here, no one back in Twisted Wonderland would know where we were.

But then, I also didn’t know if finishing this story would get us out. For all I knew, we might be trapped in an endless rotation of the same story over and over again.

I glanced over at Silver before walking over to join him by the open door, “Do you know if finishing the story will get us out of this book?”

I watched him closely and prayed he knew the answer, only to sigh as he shook his head, a slight frown of his own appearing on his face, “No. I’d heard of enchanted books from Father, but he never mentioned how one got out of such a book.”

I watched him silently for a moment before inhaling and turning my gaze back to the door, “Well, working with the idea that finishing the story will get us out. We have to get you out of this castle first.”

I paused, glancing back his way before I continued, “Do you know anything about the curse on this place that’s keeping you inside?”

Again, I was desperately hoping he did because, despite all of the information I had received the very moment I’d woken up in this tale, none of it had anything about cursed castles.

A smile briefly flickered across Silver’s face as he nodded, shifting slightly to better face me, “Yes, ‘Only through the help of another who truly cares can the lost prince escape his home of old.’”

He spoke like he was reciting something, though I didn’t know. Perhaps a prophecy his character came pre-downloaded with or something.

I felt myself frown as I echoed his words, “‘His home of old’?? Was this the old royal castle or something?”

Silver shook his head, the motion disturbing his hair so that it was laying more like it usually did rather than the way it had been carefully placed beforehand.

I let out a hum, abandoning my questions about this story’s plot in favor of focusing on the rest of what Silver had said.

Only through the help of another who truly cares.

It sounded suspiciously like an explanation for how to break a curse since most fairytales usually include some sort of way to save cursed individuals.

Though, admittedly, that usually involved a kiss. A thought that had me avoiding looking at Silver and instead staring out the open door.

After a brief moment, I glanced back over his way once more. At the very least, I did care about Silver. I had for quite some time now, even if I often did my best to avoid thinking about it in favor of not messing up the friendship we currently had.

But, since I cared, that meant that I should be able to get him out of this castle.

I smiled at him slightly and held out my hand, watching as he glanced down at my palm before he reached over and carefully took my hand in his and looked my way expectantly.

I held up our conjoined hands between us, “Trust me?”

A smile flickered across his face at my light teasing before he nodded, and I grinned, “Alright then….”

I trailed off as I lowered our hands and tightened my grip on his hand as I turned to face the door once more. I inhaled, bracing myself before taking a step forward with Silver at my side, following my motions perfectly and even matching my stride as he stepped forward with me.

And at first, there was a strange sensation of being engulfed. Almost like something was pressing in on us from all sides.

And then, as quickly as breathing, it was over, and we were outside. But we weren’t just outside the room. We were also outside the entire castle, and I found myself glancing behind us in surprise.

“I can’t believe it worked…” My words were barely muttered, but were wholly honest. I really had expected it to be harder to actually get him out of the castle.

I turned to look at Silver, only to feel myself go still as my gaze collided with his, and I saw the way he was smiling at me. With gentle fondness. Just like he had ever since I’d gotten to know him.

And though I’d already thought it, I couldn’t help but wonder at how he really was the perfect choice for a fairytale prince. Almost unfairly so.

“W- Well, I guess now all that’s left is to get you back home,” I managed a smile despite the way my voice wavered.

Something flickered in his gaze that bordered on amusement. Almost like he knew exactly what effect he had on me, but he didn’t say anything about it. Allowing me a small bit of dignity even as he squeezed my hand lightly, causing my eyes to widen as he spoke, “And to get both of us back to Twisted Wonderland.”

I blinked slightly before feeling a genuine smile stretch across my face and I nodded, “Yeah.”

I gazed at him for a brief moment longer, letting myself relax now that I wasn’t alone in this storybook and had him by my side. But then something shifted.

He noticed it at the same time I did, his gaze sharpening before he whirled. Putting me behind him as he reached over and grasped his sword.

I stepped closer to him, glancing around warily, “What's going on?”

He shook his head, his voice solemn and lacking all of the warmth it had just previously held when it had just been the two of us standing together, “I don’t know. Something’s wrong.”

His words were the only warning I was given before the world bled away into white, slowly absorbing everything else into it. The last thing I saw was Silver whirling to look back at me with a determined expression before even he disappeared from sight, and all of the whiteness that threatened to blind me turned black.

I twitched slightly, and then my eyes flew open as I inhaled sharply.

The first thing I really registered was Sebek’s voice bellowing “HUMAN!!” as Lilia leaned over me with an amused smile.

I blinked up at the fae in alarm as he titled his head, his eyes glittering with amusement, “Looks like you both made it home just fine.”

I almost frowned in confusion as my brain fought to slowly catch up to reality before I realized that we were in the school library. I shifted before freezing as I realized something was wrapped around my waist that shifted with me.

I slowly twisted, my eyes widening as I made eye contact with Silver, who smiled at me slightly in an almost apologetic fashion as I realized what, or rather, who, I was sitting on.

“Do you know how this story ends, Malleus? It is a Briar Valley classic, after all,” Lilia’s tone was beyond amused as he spoke from behind me.

I heard Malleus hum in response as I sat, frozen in mortified embarrassment, in Silver’s lap. And somehow, Malleus’s response just made it all the worse, “Of course, how could I not? ‘And so they lived happily ever after.’”

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sunflowersandsapphires · 10 months

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Come Smell the Roses

Wake Up: Chapter 5

Series Masterlist Next Chapter

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader

summary: In an attempt to stop the advances of an unwanted suitor, Matt Murdock accidentally condemns you to being his fake girlfriend.

warnings: This one is a bit more intense. Canon typical violence, attempted mugging, misogynistic language, suggested sexual assault themes (no graphic descriptions of non-con but its slightly implied), swearing, reader is very much a damsel in distress

a/n: We finally meet the Devil! I had a hard time writing Matt in Devil!mode so please give me any feedback you have. As always, likes, reblogs, comments, and requests are incredibly appreciated!

w/c: 2.8k

Matt swiped a club across the temple of the man in front of him, impatient and less than forgiving of the man’s ambition to hook teenagers on drugs. Taking back to the roofs of the kitchen, he crouched and listened—waiting for another cry for help. Soon enough, the scream of a child echoed through the streets and Matt took off.

First a drug dealer, then an abusive father, then a scummy property manager, then a trigger happy mugger. The line of abhorrent men kept growing, not helping Matt’s anger in the slightest.

Punch after punch, his rage would not lessen. The emotions in his chest were crashing over him, drowning him, and no amount of devil-ing would pull him up. Taking these monsters off the streets couldn’t save everyone, it couldn’t save you. He gave his hair a tug, the desire to be comforted and the need to hit something until he bled clashing in his mind. How easy it would be to just rip off the suit and ask you to come over. To lie in your arms for hours, letting you stroke his hair and help him block out the rest of the world.

While he was still wracked with guilt at the idea of taking advantage of your kindness, he needed you. It was so selfish, but he was hooked on the way you made him feel. Throughout all his years, and relations with many many women, he’d never experienced something like this. A dependency on your bubbling laugh and the way you could lift an immense weight off of his chest with a single gesture, like you’d been trained to do just that.

The sound of your smile bleeding into your voice when you were excited. The fact that he could practically feel a pinch on his skin when your brow furrowed in concern at his self-deprecation. The way your constant observations of his behavior made you feel like a mind reader at times. You always knew what he needed, and you gave it no matter the cost.

Matt cursed himself internally for dragging you into his bullshit. But he was in too deep. He craved you so intensely that no other option held a candle to you. Pulling out his phone, he clenched his jaw. His fingers strained to type in your number, his ears fervently awaiting your voice, but he couldn’t do it. With a roar of frustration, he shut his phone, guilt decidedly outweighing his desire to be touched, loved.

Growling, he set off in the direction of the bar you and your friends were drinking at. If his damned emotions wouldn’t give him peace, the least he could allow himself was a sliver of comfort.

Reaching the club, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he found your heartbeat. Breathing in, he listened as you laughed at a joke one of your friends was telling. Taking a moment to let you wash over his senses. Hearing you squeal as your favorite song came on. Smiling while you and your friends started drunkenly singing, or yelling, along. After hours of pure irritation, letting his lips quirk up felt wonderful. Sitting down on the roof across from the building sheltering you, Matt leaned against the cool bricks and closed his eyes.

Breathing slowly, his state became almost meditative. Counting each pump of your heart, his heart swelling with every giggle that escaped you. He didn’t deserve you, this much he knew, but damn if he wasn’t tempted to let your voice become the soundtrack of his life.

While it felt like mere minutes, he was shaken from his haze when he heard you bidding your friends goodnight.

Taking a minute to embrace each of them, you gave your friends a final wave before exiting the club to wait for your Uber. Thinking back, it might not have been the best idea to stand alone on a curb behind a popular bar as a young woman while waiting for your ride home. Men couldn’t be trusted.

A large, stumbling figure approached you. He could’ve been handsome, if his gaze wasn’t utterly predatory. You shifted uncomfortably, turning your attention away from the man as he undressed you with his eyes.

“Hey there, baby. Spare a dollar?” His tongue darted out to wet his chapped lips as he took a few clumsy steps in your direction.

Your footing faltered as you scrambled away from him. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me. My boyfriend’s just around the corner, actually, I should really be meeting him.” Eyes darting around, you realized with horror that you were completely alone with this man.

“He ain’t such a great boyfriend if he left you unattended, is he, princess?” Your stomach clenched, the disgusting pet name reminding you of another vile creature from your past.

“He didn’t leave me alone. I think I’ll be going to find him now.” You backed away from the guy as hastily as you could, but he grabbed your arm. “Hey!” You shrieked, struggling against his painful grasp.

“Don’t worry, princess. I’m sure your boyfriend won’t mind if you give me that expensive purse of yours. I probably need it more than you do, don’t ya think” He sneered at you, shoving you into an alley. Landing on your tailbone rather harshly, you cried out and began crawling away from him.

“Please! Just leave me alone! I don’t have any money, I swear!” Tears were welling in your eyes as you cursed yourself for forgetting your pepper spray.

Desperately looking around for any sort of weapon, you grabbed a shard of glass from a nearby broken bottle and sliced at the man’s legs as he ambled towards you. As the piece made contact, the man howled with rage, grabbing your arm and twisting it behind your back until you dropped the makeshift weapon. The man shoved you against the alley wall, your head making a sickening conk as it collided with brick. He gripped your neck and snarled.

“You little bitch. You’ll pay for that.” He spit at you as you clawed at his hands, desperate for air.

You pleaded with any available cosmic forces, begging them to not let this happen. The edges of your vision darkened before a voice sounded at the end of the alley.

“Let her go. Now.” The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen growled at the man holding you, stalking towards him murderously. The man scoffed, barely glancing his way before doing a double take. His hands fell away from your throat and you dropped to the ground, gasping.

“Shit, man, I don’t want any trouble. Just trying to make a living.”

“Funny, I don’t remember society deciding that assaulting women was an acceptable form of employment. Step the fuck away from her or, so help me, you’ll feel nothing but agony for the rest of your miserable fucking life.” The man in black gripped a metal club in one hand, pressing towards your attacker as you clumsily scrabbled away from the pair.

“It won’t happen again, man. I swear!” The perpetrator implored.

“Lie.” Daredevil snapped, lunging for the man and throwing him against the wall. You covered your eyes, your head was pounding and nausea grew in your gut. The sounds of a struggle rang in your ears before you heard the loud thump of a body hitting the ground.

You peeked through your fingers, seeing your attacker lying on the pavement. “Is he dead?”

“Unconscious.” The Devil approached you cautiously, hands clenched as if holding back from trying to help you. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

A sob broke through your lips, cracking Matt’s heart clean in half. “Yah, he…um…he—“

“Hey, it’s alright. You don’t need to relive it. Where are you hurt?” He crouched in front of you, far enough to not make you uncomfortable. (Little did you know just how much he ached to hold you, to apologize for taking so long to intervene.)

“Hit my head, a—a bit. And m-my back.” You stammered, panting with residual fear.

“Shit. Ok. Do you have someone who can take you to the hospital?”

“No! I’m ok. No hospital necessary! I’ll be alright.” You started to clamber to your feet, keening sideways before your savior caught you. Strangely, the way he held you felt familiar. Despite not knowing him, you didn’t feel the urge to pull away—in fact, you leaned into his embrace slightly, appreciating the support as your vision swam.

“Head wounds aren’t something to mess around with. I can call an ambulance if you’d like. You should really—“

“Please don’t!” You wailed, grasping the fabric of his suit and looking at him with wild eyes. “The paramedics, they’ll want to know what happened and I—I can’t…” you broke off into sobs, falling against his chest as your legs gave out.

“Ok, hey, you’re ok. If you won’t go to a hospital, I have a friend who can look you over. I’ll give you her number, but you have to promise to call her, ok?” You nodded, regretting it immediately as your head pounded. “Alright. Let’s get you a cab home. She can meet you there.”

You halted as he helped you out of the alley, looking at him with intense gratitude. “Thank you. You saved my life.”

“Anytime, sweetness.” He squeezed your arm before allowing you to step into the cab. “Promise me you’ll give her a call.”

“Promise. Thank you.”

With a curt nod, he gracefully scaled the side of the building and disappeared.

The cab ride was immediately torturous. Your nausea was steadily building and your head pounded with the worst ache you’d ever felt. Feeling tears well up in your eyes once again, you arduously pulled out your phone, calling the one person who would make you feel safe again.

It took two rings for Matt to answer. “Hey, angel. Everything ok?”

The overwhelming concern laced in his voice broke your resolve. “No, I’m not ok, Matty and I—I need you, please.” You choked out through tears.

“Oh love, what happened? Are you at your place?” Matt sounded breathless, like he was on a run or something.

You sniffled miserably. “Not there yet. Will be soon. Someone hurt me, Matty. He—he tried to—“ Your ragged breaths cut off your explanation.

“It’s alright, angel. Just breathe. I’m on my way. Did you want me to stay on the phone with you?”

“Please don’t hang up.” You bawled.

“I won’t, love. I’m here. Right here, ok? Take a deep breath for me, sweetness. I’ll be with you soon.”

At fucking last, he reached his apartment, he ripped off his suit, throwing on civilian clothes before throwing a few things in a bag and sprinting for your place.

Getting you settled safely in your apartment was an endeavor. You’d somehow made it inside but went to the wrong floor. When he found you on the floor above your own, you were confused and in pain. He’d comforted you a bit, having to bring you away from the brink of a panic attack when you realized you couldn’t remember where your keys were. After you had calmed down marginally, he had scooped you up and carried you inside.

While the pair of you waited for Claire, Matt’s shame consumed him as he heard you writhe and moan on the couch in agony. Your memories of the night had faded, though your anxiety would not fade. Your brain knew something had happened to you, but your injury made the thoughts of the attack murky. Matt’s jaw clenched as a fresh spiral of blame hit him—you were hurt because he wasn’t there. He has failed you.

“Ma-Matty..?” You whined through gritted teeth. Matt, who hadn’t even realized he’d been impatiently pacing, was at your side in an instant.

“I’m right here, pretty girl. What do you need?”

“Jus’ you. Please. Don’ feel good. ” Your shaking hand limply grabbed at his shirt. He cradled your head and lovingly placed you across his lap. You curled into him, with a mumble. “‘M cold, ‘nd tired. Can we sleep yet?”

“Not yet, sweetness. Claire is coming to talk with you, then you can sleep, ok?”

Your breath rattled around a stifled sob, but you trusted him. “M’kay.”

“You’re being so strong for me, angel. My good, strong girl. I’m so sorry it hurts.” He stroked a hand over your back, drawing soft patterns in your skin. You relaxed ever so much under his touch, melting into him bit by bit.

After what felt like hours, Claire arrived. Despite your exhaustion and trauma-laced evening, you were your sweet self as Claire examined you. A little out of it and not as talkative, but polite and obedient. Claire quickly decided you were her preferred patient. Giving your shoulder a squeeze and wishing you well, the nurse tugged Matt into your kitchen to give him instructions for your care.

“I know this won’t be a shock to either of you, but she’s got a moderate concussion. She’s clearly in a great deal of pain so I’ll leave some meds here for that as well as for the nausea. Cold cloths on her forehead might help until the meds kick in. If she loses more of her memory or starts exhibiting mood swings that are abnormal, call me. You know as well as I do that stress will make the injury worse. She’s clearly shaken up so if you think she needs more help, call me.”

“I will, Claire. Thank you. I’m sorry to have to call you.”

Claire gave the lawyer a hug, stepping back and glancing at your form sadly. “She’s sweet. And good for you. Take care of her, but don’t forget about yourself, yah?”

Matt gave a dry chuckle. “I’ll try my best. Thank you for helping her. She means a lot to me.”

“I can tell.” Claire looked at Matt with a small smile on her face. With a squeeze of his arm, she headed out.

Filling a glass with water, he returned to you, shaking out the appropriate pills and taking note of the time. Beside him, your breaths deepened as you nodded off. Stroking your cheek lightly, Matt whispered, “Meds first, sweet girl. Then you can sleep.”

Your brow pinched as you tried to understand what he meant, but you took your pills without hesitation. Kneading at your face, you tried to get the ache to dissipate somewhat but had no success.

“Careful, sweetness.” Matt pried your hands away from your face, fingers trailing lightly over your forehead which made you whimper and lean into his touch. “C’mon. Let’s go get some sleep.”

Nodding as stiffly as you could, you wrapped your arms around his neck as he hoisted you from the couch. Once securely tucked into bed, Matt turned to retrieve your water and pills, but your hand shot out to grab his wrist. “Where ‘re you goin’?” Your voice cracked with worry.

“I’m just going to move some things around. I’ll be right back.” Matt promised, petting your hair cautiously.

“Leavin’?” The smell of salt wafted towards him as your throat closed around a new wave of tears.

“Not leaving, sweetness. I’m still right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Need you, Matty. Don’ want anything else. Please.” Gripping his wrist tightly, you tugged him towards the bed. Regret welled in his own throat. If you knew what he was, that he hadn’t saved you, you wouldn’t want him. This much he knew.

Matt shook his head to clear the dark thoughts. You needed him right now, self-hatred could wait. “Ok, sweet girl. I’m coming.” As gracefully as he could with you still latched onto him, he slid under the covers next to you. Nestling into his chest with a content sigh, your breaths deepened. If it wasn’t for his amplified senses, he might not have heard your dazed whisper.

“Love you, Matty.”

“I love you too, angel.” He murmured after you were asleep, pressing a kiss to your head and securing his arms protectively around you. “And I’m sorry.”

Waking up to a pounding headache, you sighed. Matt was still knotted around you, taking the edge off of the horrid night you'd had. As you turned over to relieve pressure in your head, a sound ran through your mind.

“Anytime, sweetness.”

God, you loved when he used that name. In sleep, Matt pulled you closer to him, his face ruffling through your hair. A smile graced your lips as his protective embrace sparked a sense of deja vu. Where had you experienced…

Oh my god. Oh my god. Your frazzled mind finally began to piece together the strange familiarity you’d felt when the Devil had rescued you. Your eyes widened and you gasped almost inaudibly. Matt groaned softly, nestling in closer to you. Your throat clenched with emotion.

Matt was Daredevil. And he’d saved your life.

I hope you enjoyed! I am writing the final chapter of this fic as we speak (there are 8 total so you still have some content coming, don't worry.) If anyone has ideas for one-shots or future fics in this verse, please send them to me! I'd love suggestions.

Taglist: @maladaptivedaydreamingbum @scoliobean @harperdoodle @mattkinsella @leikelle @sweetbee0108 @dark-night-sky-99 @fallen-angels2213 @will-delete-this-later-probably @cheshirecat484 @thornbushrose @vernon-dursley

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agrioxoiros · 6 months

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Since I'm in something of a bitchy mood today, I'm gonna elaborate on my personal least favorite fat character archetype, which i like to call The Pillow.

The Pillow is a suporting character who mainly exists to lend emotional support to the main cast. They are generally nice in an uncomplicated, dumb kind of way. They have little interiority or agency. If they affect the plot, it will be by being an idiot or a damsel in distress or both. The Pillow may be the subject of fat jokes from the protagonists, or insults from the antagonists. In the latter case, this will serve to paint said antagonists as assholes, and may have a temporary effect on The Pillow's self esteem. In the former case, there will be no negative effect, and the Pillow may laugh along. Examples of this character type are Molly Weasley and Hagrid from the wizard boy books, Hunk from Combining Robots, the gynecomastia guy from Fight Club, and honestly most other sympathetic fatties in fiction.

The Pillow is a popular feature of body-positive queer romance. It is present in mainstream media, such as Our Flag Means Death and Good Omens, as well as indie projects like Long Exposure and This Is Not Fiction*. Here, the Pillow is ostensibly a main character, but still lacks in narrative agency. The actual plot is largely about the thin protagonist gaining over the object of their affection. Further, said affection needs to be explained as a result of the thin character's backstory. Generally, this involves a childhood friend scenario where the skinny character is an outcast, and the fat character is the only one to reach out to them. This is followed by separation and pining on the thin character's part. In that way, the fat character is rewarded for having been nice by being pursued and rescued by someone considered out of their league. The Pillow's emotional journey, if it exists, is typically about building self-esteem through their connection to their partner.

*not every point is present in every one of these works, this is a general trend type of thing. also i endorse no hate to the indie comics mentioned

Ways to subvert The Pillow:

-give the character some interiority. Goals beyond "be nice to my friends", struggles other than low self-esteem.

-have them actively contribute to the plot. have them save the day in a way that matters.

-let them be a bit of a bitch. something of a freak maybe. they don't have to make up for the sin of being fat by being as innofensive as possible- make them interesting!

-consider fatlhobia a bit more deeply if you're gonna include it. you don't have to put in a fat liberation essay but have a think about what your story is saying about it.

-let them be hot.

An example of this is Janek from the webcomic Finding Home. While the story hits on some of the points on that list (his thin love interest is more centered in the narrative, and he is saved by him in the story's climax) and the character hits on a couple other Standard Issue Fat tropes, he actually feels like a rounded character. He has goals of his own, relevant skills, the capacity to be a bitch when pushed, and an active sex life. This dude canonically fucks. And that's why I own all four volumes in print.

#fat representation #fatphobia

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

Text

Weiss and Jaune = Knight + Queen

Mirror Help me Who am I?

Weiss and Jaune are strong foils (mirrors), who can be analyzed through a specific motif.

They are both Knights (masculine):

And Queens (feminine):

This is made clear also through their respective allusions:

1 -Weiss alludes to Snowhite and plays all the different characters of the story with a specific focus on the Princess and the Prince, which is highlighted since the White Trailer:

Weiss and her inner Prince (Animus), who is corrupted and possessed by her Father

Here, Weiss fights a giant armor, which symbolizes the power her father (the patriarchy) has above her. She is fighting both for her freedom and to get back a possessed part of herself (the Arma Gigas is literally a haunted armor). If she wants to escape Jacques, she has to be her own Prince. In other words, to be crowned queen, she needs to become a knight first.

2 -Jaune alludes to Jeanne d'Arc who was both a maid and a knight. Jaune's story is about him growing into both. He needs to accept his inner maiden to become a proper knight. This is made clear in the Jaunedice's arc (this mini arc really works as Jaune's trailer). There he grows not when he gives in to toxic masculinity, but when he stands up to it:

Jaune performing his first miracle and later on being guided by his Goddess (Anima), who is none other than Pyrrha

Jaune makes progress when he nurtures his most feminine side and shows vulnerability by apologizing and asking for Pyrrha's help. A real man has no fear to show he is also feminine.

In short, both Weiss and Jaune's stories deal with the integration of their feminine and masculine parts, so that they can be full-fledged individuals.

ANIMUS AND ANIMA

Integrating the feminine with the masculine is a psychological process, which is described by Carl Jung with the archetypes of animus and anima:

The animus is the masculine part of a woman

The anima is the feminine part of a man

Each person has naturally both, but society promotes specific gender values and drives people to repress traits culturally associated with the opposite gender. So, to fully be complete a person should integrate the negated parts.

This is the case for both Weiss and Jaune, who are initially trapped in fixed gender roles:

Weiss is the rich spoilt princess. She is forced to adhere to the social role Jacques has chosen for her. She is the Schnee Heiress, which means she should always be classy, perfect and elegant:

Weiss: I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet...

Jaune is instead the loser boy, who wants to be a knight. He doesn't really fit his gender nor social role. He is a male, but is weak, geeky and odd. He has a legacy of warriors to honor, but can't fight. So, he feels he isn't enough:

Jaune: I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!

Basically they are both trapped in opposite ways. Weiss fits her legacy and stereotype so well people forget there is more to her. Jaune instead doesn't measure up to his ancestors nor to the classical male type, so everybody assumes he is bound to fail. This happens because Weiss and Jaune are victims in different ways of toxic masculinity:

As a girl, Weiss has to obey her father, to suppress her emotions and to be nothing, but beautiful. Think about how Jacques even weaponizes typical feminine traits Weiss has, like her talent at singing.

As a boy, Jaune has to conform to physical prowess and bravado. He has to be big, ripped and cool or else he is no-one. The idea he is not like the other boys is at the root of Jaune's insecurities.

At the same time, Weiss and Jaune are also incredibly immature and project outside the same gender roles they are trying to escape inside. Moreover, they do so specifically with each other:

Weiss: (mockingly) My hero.

This scene summarizes their whole early dynamic. On the one hand Weiss sees Jaune as the loser he is scared to be. She only sees his superficial bravado and misses who he is behind the mask. On the other hand Jaune is attracted to Weiss because he sees her as the perfect princess to his knight. So, he is drawn to the mask.

Even the reason Jaune initially falls for Weiss ties into this:

Weiss: Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!

Weiss here is mocking both Jaune and Ruby, two people she has misjudged and shows no respect for. She is being cold, superficial and rude. Still, Jaune falls for it and believes Weiss's words. He does because they describe Jaune as he wants to be perceived. So, he runs after Weiss and ignores Pyrrha.

In short, initially Weiss and Jaune can't see neither themselves nor others clearly. Luckily, this starts to change at Beacon.

ICE QUEEN AND VOMIT BOY

Sun: Ruby, Yang, Blake… Ice Queen.

Ruby: Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind.

Weiss and Jaune are given nicknames the moment they arrive at Beacon. This happens because they are both childish and self-centered, so they are called out by others. Specifically, their nicknames are light-hearted ways to criticize their perceived self-importance and the archetypes they are trying to emulate. Weiss is called an ice queen because she is acting as daddy's little princess. Jaune is instead jockingly named vomit boy because he tries too hard to look cool. They are still far away from who they want to become and their friends pick up on this. Luckily, giving them funny names is not all RWBY and JNPR do for Weiss and Jaune. Rather they help the two kids grow. In particular, Ice Queen and Vomit Boy develop in two different and complementary ways:

In volume 1 they learn to see who they are slightly better

In volume 2 they become able to see others with more clarity

Seeing One-Self

At the beginning of their stories Weiss and Jaune are running away from who they are:

I'm the loneliest of all.

Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. How depressing is that?

Both have big families, but feel lonely and misunderstood. So, they hope they can have a fresh start at Beacon, but immediately meet unforeseen circumstances:

By this point Weiss and Jaune are pursuing a superficial dream of heroes and monsters. They figure their most perfected selves beside the "right" patner.

On the one hand Weiss wants Pyrrha to be the "knight" to her "princess":

Weiss: This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable!

She wants someone strong (body) that complements her intelligence (mind). She thinks that in this way she can't fail.

On the other hand Jaune wants Weiss to be the "princess" to his "knight":

Jaune: Don't worry! No need to be embarrassed! So, been hearing rumors about teams! I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?

He wants someone who is beautiful and looks frail, so he can protect her. He thinks in this way he can appear strong.

Both are wrong obviously. This is why they end up with respectively Ruby and Pyrrha as partners.

Weiss needs to realize what complements mind is not body, but heart. This is why she is paired with Ruby, who lacks physical strength, but has more than enough heart to guide Weiss. Throughout the initiation, Weiss herself has to act as a Knight by saving Ruby from the Nevermore. And later on, she needs to follow Ruby's plan (so Ruby's mind) to take down the Grimm and pass the trial.

Jaune needs to realize a real knight is not physically strong, but is wise (mind) and brave (heart). This is why he ends up with Pyrrha, who is both and challenges him in two different ways. She doesn't fit feminine stereotypes and sees Jaune's value not in his superficial traits, but rather in his willingness to help. Throughout the initiation, Jaune shows this by staying behind to lead others into kiling the Grimm.

So, Ruby and Pyrrha are the ones, who can help Weiss and Jaune grow the most. However, the 2 kids struggle to accept it and enter into a conflict with their respective partners in The Bagde and The Burden and Jaunedice. These 2 mini-arcs are interesting because they do not really add anything to the main plot. Rather, they are episodes which focus on Weiss and Jaune respectively. Once again our wannabe queen and wannabe knight act as perfect foils to each other.

On the one hand Weiss is powerful enough to kill Grimms on her own, but wants to be the Queen giving orders. On the other hand Jaune has gained the title of leader, but wants to be the competent Knight slaining monsters.

In short, they want what the other has and miss what they already are. Why is that so? Because deep down they dislike themselves and can't see they have the seeds for greatness within. They don't need to look outside, but should nurture the inside.

Luckily, they are helped by 2 mentor figures:

Port: So instead of fretting about what you don't have, savor what you do. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be.

Ruby: Because it's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you.

Port invites Weiss to grow as a person and Ruby reminds Jaune of his duties as a leader. So, Weiss and Jaune step up for the sake of their partners:

Weiss: Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have!

Jaune: Don't ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again. Got it?

Weiss encourages Ruby to be a good leader and promises her she will be the best teammate ever. She even aknowledges she has always loved bunked beds and makes a small step in integrating with her inner child. Something necessary if she wants to blossom into an adult.

Jaune fights Cardin for Pyrrha's sake and decides to dedicate himself to his role of leader. At the same time, he accepts Pyrrha's help, so he shows vulnerability. In other words, he starts integrating with his feminine side. Something needed to become more mature.

So, by the end of their first semester at Beacon both Weiss and Jaune have come to understand themselves and their roles a little bit better. Still, they have yet a long way to go when it comes to the way they aknowledge others.

What better chance than a dance to work on it?

Seeing Others

When it comes to the dance, Weiss and Jaune find themselves in the same situation of the initiation ceremony. They are locked into "triangles":

Jaune wants to go to the dance with Weiss, who wants to go with Neptune

Pyrrha wants to go to the dance with Jaune, who wants to go with Weiss

They pursue the wrong partner and ignore another person's feelings. In this way they do to another what they lament it is done to them:

Weiss: All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name.

Jaune: It's Weiss… I'm completely head over heels for her, and she won't even give me a chance. She's cold, but she's also incredible. She's smart, and graceful, and talented-- I mean have you heard her sing? I just wish she take me seriously, y'know?

On the one hand Weiss wants to be seen for who she is, not her name. And yet, she refuses to look earnestly at Jaune and doesn't even recognize his feelings as genuine (recognizing someone's feelings doesn't mean to reciprocate them by the way). On the other hand Jaune wants to be taken seriously, but the moment Pyrrha tries to open up to him, he reduces her feelings to a joke:

Jaune: Oh please, if you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress.

At the same time, both approach love superficially. Jaune has started to really like Weiss as a person, but he is still far from truly seeing the girl in all her complexity. Weiss is instead failing to recognize Jaune's good qualities and is attracted to Neptune's try hard persona:

Neptune: Haven. And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel.

The narrative makes it very clear Neptune is just a shallower, but better looking version of Jaune. He is a geek (like Jaune), but calls himself an intellectual. He flirts with every girl that breathes, waaaay more than Jaune does initially. And yet, he looks cooler, so Weiss is attracted by him.

This "double triangle" is solved positively in 2 different ways:

Weiss and Jaune start to display respectively more masculine and feminine traits

Weiss and Jaune learn to see others a little bit better

Weiss plays the part of the knight and invites Neptune to the dance:

Weiss: I know this is a little unorthodox, but… I wanted to ask you something. Would you… like to accompany me to the dance tomorrow?

Jaune plays the part of the maiden and wears a dress to accept Pyrrha's late invite:

Pyrrha: I had no idea you were a dancer. Jaune: Yeah, well, these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters.

On a deeper level, Jaune confronts both Pyrrha (the ideal self he must aim to be) and Neptune (the past self he has outgrown).

Pyrrha: I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. Everyone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people. That's what I like about you. When we met, you didn't even know my name. You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime. I guess, you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with. Someone who just saw me for me.

He realizes he has hurt Pyrrha's feelings and has failed to see her the whole time. At the same time, he calls Neptune out on how he has treated Weiss's feelings:

Jaune: Do you even care about the girls you're hitting on? How they feel about you?

And finally, thanks to his ideal self (Pyrrha), he is able to give his past self (Neptune) a good advice:

Jaune: Then just go talk to her. No pickup lines, no suave moves, just be yourself. I've heard that's the way to go.

In this way, Jaune shows he has grown more mature and crowns his evening by wearing a beautiful dress and proving he is a great dancer (differently from Neptune).

Weiss grows too. She accepts Neptune's apology and thanks to him, she is able to finally see Jaune for who he is:

Weiss: You said you were embarrassed at first. What made you come talk to me? Neptune: You're looking at him. You got some good friends looking out for ya.

She might not reciprocate Jaune's feelings, but Jaune is still her friend and cares about her as a person, not as a trophy. This moment marks an improvement of Weiss's overall dynamic with Jaune and she starts to see him as a close one, even praising him occasionally:

Weiss: Well, he's certainly improved.

This is a top off for Weiss's growth as a less judgemental person. This process starts with Blake and her prejudice against Faunus and goes on with Jaune and her misjudgement of him.

All in all, Weiss and Jaune's months at Beacon are key for the kids' early development:

Weiss grows through Ruby and Blake

Jaune grows through Pyrrha and his team

They keep walking parallel paths and slowly start to aknowledge each other more. Weiss starts to see Jaune not as a loser, but as a person who is trying hard. Jaune start to see Weiss not as a damsel, but as a talented individual with wishes of her own. Similarly, their relationship with their inner selves improves, as well.

By the time of the Vytal Festival, both Weiss and Jaune are making small steps toward who they want to become.

The Vytal Festival: Unsure Knight and Clueless Maiden

Weiss and Jaune's tournament fights display their better qualities. On the one hand Weiss sacrifices herself for Yang. On the other hand Jaune is able to lead his team well. They are both more selfless with a better understanding of their roles in their teams.

This growth is marked by important moments outside the arena.

Weiss meets Winter, who inspires her to branch out a little. This is the catalyst for Weiss's transformation into a knight:

Jaune notices Pyrrha is off and tries to step into an adviser position. Basically, he tries to do what Pyrrha has done for him. He tries to guide her by symbolically playing a more supportive role. Moreover, he tries to help Pyrrha making sense of maidenhood:

Jaune: I guess… I'm just trying to say that… you've always been there for me… even when I didn't deserve it. And I can tell there's something on your mind, so… I don't know. How can I help?

Obviously, they are both still immature. Weiss is dependent on her father and can barely summon a tiny sword. Jaune is ignorant and isn't able to give Pyrrha the right advice. Still, they both try, even if they meet an unforeseen crisis. The Fall of Beacon.

Weiss manages to step in to protect Velvet. She acts as a real Knight in Shining Armor:

Jaune does his best to stand beside Pyrrha, even in her darkest moment:

Jaune: She's right. Whoever was on that microphone… they're the ones that did this. And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else.

Despite this, they both fail in the end. Weiss can't save Beacon and loses her new found home and family. Jaune can't save Pyrrha and loses the girl he loves. So, after so much development and growth Weiss and Jaune wake up to discover it still isn't enough. So, the finale pushes them back in the roles they have tried to escape so desperately.

Weiss is brought back under her father's thumb. Jaune is shoved into a locker, forced to fly away like a loser. Weiss is once again daddy's little princess, while Jaune is once again a wannabe knight, who couldn't save the girl.

SNOWHITE AND JEANNE

Ren: Well that embarrassment - that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid - that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. You're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. None of us are.

The Mistral arc marks a metaphorical growth spurt for both Weiss and Jaune. This development manifests in the volume 5 climax, where their stories intersect:

This scene is a culmination of their respective developments and ties with both their allusions:

Snowhite dies, but is resurrected by the Prince

Jeanne D'Arc performs a mircacle and brings back a person from the death

So, it is clearly very important symbolically, but what does it mean for Weiss and Jaune's characters, specifically?

1- Weiss and Jaune overcome two fake Maidens

Vernal and Cinder are the two fake Maidens of the Mistral arc, as the opening of volume 5 suggests:

Vernal is set up as the Spring Maiden and Cinder is set up as Raven's biggest foe. And yet, neither of them lives up to expectations. On the one hand Vernal is just a red herring, while Cinder isn't Raven's true opponent, but Yang is.

At the same time, Vernal and Cinder are Weiss and Jaune's opponents during the Battle of Haven. Interestingly, they both challenge the kids about their true identities. Who are they really?

Vernal: Let's see what the Schnee name really means.

Cinder: Who are you again?

Vernal mocks Weiss by stating she is nothing outside her name and Cinder sneers at Jaune by telling him he is a nobody. These are Weiss and Jaune's biggest fears. Weiss is scared her only value is her Schnee name, whereas Jaune is terrified of being a loser. In short, both Vernal and Cinder attack Weiss and Jaune's egos and leave them shattered:

Vernal physically breaks Weiss's aura, while Cinder psychologically destroys Jaune by targeting Weiss, just like she did with Pyrrha. Vernal and Cinder's objective is really to reduce Weiss and Jaune to nobodies. And yet, they fail. That is because the self is not found in physical strength or power, but rather comes from inside:

Yang: You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong.

In this battle Vernal and Cinder really symbolize Weiss and Jaune's illusory sense of selves. Their ugly personas. This is why they are both fake. Fake maidens masked with strength and confidence. And yet, they are deep down made of lies.

Vernal derides Weiss because of her dependency on the Schnee Family. And yet, Vernal herself has dedicated her whole existence to the Branwen Tribe and even changed her name for Raven's sake. In other words, she has reduced herself to her Spring Maiden persona. She is the one, who is nothing more than a name. And a false one, to boot.

Cinder laughts at Jaune's wannabe hero performance, but a lucky strike by her opponent is enough to derail her. An inexperienced fighter like Jaune grazing her breaks Cinder's whole facade and shows the ugly psychological wounds she hides behind a mask.

This is why Vernal and Cinder defeat Weiss and Jaune, but ultimately fail and actually destroy each other. Vernal dies by Cinder's hand, despite how strong and smart she is. Cinder is unmasked by Raven and falls because of Vernal's final desperate attack, which ensures Cinder's defeat.

Weiss and Jaune instead are reborn thanks to each other. Weiss is physically saved by Jaune, whereas Jaune starts to psychologically heal through helping Weiss. Weiss unlocks a new summon, while Jaune discovers his semblance. In the end, Weiss and Jaune don't need to play by Vernal and Cinder's rules.

Weiss's strength doesn't lie in her individual skill, but in the relationships she has built with others. She doesn't have to survive on her own because she is full of loved ones ready to help her shine. And she can help them too.

Jaune is heroic not because he is a lonely warrior slaying villains, but because he is a good friend always ready to help. His value lies in his wish to protect others. Moreover, he can rely on them when he needs.

Weiss and Jaune's real selves are in their hearts, which are growing stronger. That is why they lose the physical fight, but win the spiritual one. They ultimately succeed, as Weiss's Queen Lancer is key to saving Haven and Jaune's Aura Amp is fundamental in saving Weiss. Weiss protects a Kingdom, while Jaune protects a girl.

2- Weiss and Jaune integrate with their animus/anima

Weiss and Jaune embrace their true selves by reconciling their masculine and feminine parts. Once again this process is conveyed through their allusions.

Our Snowhite dies and is reborn twice. The first time, Jacques (the Evil Queen) kills her psychologically by taking away her Heiress title and imprisoning her in her room (the glass coffin). Weiss is able to escape by developing her masculine side (the Knight).

She successfully draws energy from her animus (her inner Prince) and uses this new found resourcefulness to escape. She leaves behind her passiveness (feminine) and grows more active (masculine). This is why her summon symbolically breaks the window and immediately after Weiss makes the choice to leave.

The second time, Cinder (another Evil Queen) kills her physically, but Jaune (the Prince) saves her. As a result, Weiss wakes up and is crowned Queen.

Becoming Queen in fairy tales means you have reached self-actualization. So, Weiss has become her true self, which is a combination of feminine (queen) and masculine (lancer). The Queen Lancer then symbolizes Weiss reconciling with her anima (feminine part) by making it freer, more genuine and stronger through her animus (masculine part).

Our Jeanne performs a miracle and has a vision. He brings Weiss back from the death in Haven. By doing so he physically plays the part of the Knight in Shining Armor. Still, he succeeds by integrating his animus with his anima. As a matter of fact he lets go of fighting and killing (masculine) and takes up healing (feminine):

Later on, he needs spiritual guidance and finds it in his anima (Pyrrha). So, he has a symbolic "vision" of her in front of her statue:

Obviously, the woman is probably Pyrrha's mother, but it doesn't matter. The whole scene is framed up as aetherial and ambiguous because thematically Pyrrha's soul points Jaune toward the right path. So, Jaune is guided by his feminine side.

Weiss and Jaune's journey in Mistral leads them to face their fears and let go of their personas. By doing so, they succeed at integrating their animus and anima. The end result is that they grow up.

Weiss blooms into a Queen:

Weiss's royal dress is blue (melted ice) and has snowhite-like puff sleeves.

Jaune becomes a Knight:

Jaune's outfit keeps his red details and adds more gold to it.

Upon their arrival in Atlas, they are not Ice Queen and Vomit Boy anymore, but genuine articles.

QUEEN AND KNIGHT

Right now I’m just a bit surprised Cuz I feel just fine And I might just touch the sky

The sun is shining in the sky The birds are smiling so am i I’m kicking ass in every way Think this change is here to stay It’s feeling like a brand new day

In Atlas, our Queen and Knight live their best lives.

Weiss arrests her father and reconnects with her estranged family. She becomes the Queen of the Schnee family. Jaune instead supports everyone, meets the admiration of civilians and is in generally successful. He becomes a perfect Knight in Shining Armor.

Even when the situation gets dire they both maintain a mature attitude. They are not touched by the Divide and their major conflict lies rather with a family member (sibling):

Winter: You're not leaving me. I'm giving you a head start.

Ren: You cheated your way into Beacon!

Winter and Ren oppose Weiss and Jaune out of repression and frustration. And yet, Weiss and Jaune's reaction is of empathy and understandment:

Weiss: Don’t worry, they’re sisters. Sometimes sisters just have very different ideas about what’s right.

Jaune: We’re all under a lot of stress right now. I used to push people away too.

They never doubt their loved ones and when Winter and Ren come around there is no need for apologies. Weiss and Jaune simply welcome them back with warmth.

In short, our Queen and Knight are among the characters who have grown the most, so they often come up with solutions. For example, Jaune offers a way to overcome the Divide from a practical point of view:

Jaune: Okay. Okay… Then let’s go for both. Get Amity up and running and evacuate Mantle.

Weiss is instead the one to state the theme outloud before the climax:

Weiss: Trust is a risk

This development is precisely why they both get to shine in the final battle.

On the one hand Weiss holds it together while her team is in disarray after Yang's fall. Ruby is traumatized and caught up in a fight with Neo, while Blake temporally loses it. Weiss keeps on facing Cinder alone and does her best to protect Penny and the relic.

On the other hand Jaune keeps a level-head and manages to evacuate the civilians only to join the fray at the very end. He reads the situation correctly and kills Penny when there is no other choice.

Weiss and Jaune have grown into who they want to be in the beginning. This is why they are the last fighters standing. And yet, despite all their training and maturation, they still fail. They face an Evil Queen (Cinder) and are defeated when they are at their strongest. Weiss is a true Queen fighting for her home and Jaune is a true Knight fighting for the people. And yet, they are crushed and fall. Just like at Beacon.

Once again, Weiss fails to protect a Kingdom:

Once again, Jaune fails to protect a Maiden:

At the same time, they believe the other can somehow succeed, even if they don't:

Weiss: Maybe… Jaune and Winter were able to get them out, despite… everything… despite us…

Jaune: I don’t know where the others are, but… Weiss will give us time!

Weiss hopes Jaune and Winter (aka her ideal) save the relics. Jaune hopes Weiss can buy him and Penny time, like Pyrrha (aka his ideal).

In short, Weiss and Jaune grow into their ideal selves, but still lose. Not only that, but they keep on projecting their ideals on others. And yet, these others also fail. So, what to do? The only choice is to let go of unreachable perfect paragons.

FALLEN QUEEN AND RUSTED KNIGHT

Weiss: I am a citizen of a fallen Kingdom and an heir to nothing. I will not be defined by my name because I will be the one to define it. I am Weiss Schnee, and I am a Huntress!

NeoCat: You were never the brave knight either! Just more fairytale nonsense!

Weiss and Jaune's journey in the Ever After is about letting go of their Queen and Knight idealized self-images. In this way they can truly accept who they are. This is difficult at first because they are full of self-hate and regret:

Weiss: But it wasn't enough! We hatched a crazy plan that put a whole kingdom at risk, and we don't even know if we saved the Relics...

Jaune: I’m trying so hard to save them… I stopped them from becoming what they needed to be. I was being selfish because I… I wanted the rush of rescuing someone and I got that here.

Still, they both work through it in 2 ways.

They face their traumas again:

Weiss: I am so tired of leaving places in ashes…

Jaune: On that bridge… I was the only one that could do it! I was the ONLY ONE! And I… And now I have to live with that forever… In here or back home…

They change their dynamic with Ruby, who they put on a pedestal.

Specifically, Ruby becomes a paragon for both Weiss and Jaune during the Mistral arc. There, Weiss learns to be emotionally vulnerable with her partner. Jaune instead grows to admire Ruby's optimism and hopeful self.

So, after the fall of Atlas, both Weiss and Jaune go back to Ruby. Weiss lets out all her troubles, while Jaune dives after Crescent Rose and proudly gives it back.

However, Ruby is in no condition to play Weiss and Jaune's hero. This shows and it unnerves them, who grow progressively more irritated with Little Red:

Weiss: Hurry! People are counting on us!

Jaune: I know you may not care about protecting this village, but you could at least help your friends when they’re in danger.

Until Ruby herself snaps at the both of them. Interestingly, it is Weiss's demand that Ruby consoles Jaune, which sets her off. Moreover, throughout her monologue, Ruby calls Weiss out on her dependency on her:

Ruby: What about me? “No time”, right? “Gotta get home!” “Gotta help Jaune!” Gotta find someone who isn’t just going to screw everything up!

And she lashes out against Jaune's hero complex:

Ruby: I’m sorry, is this a bad time? Are we supposed to be mourning Jaune’s make-believe friends?!

She pintpoints both their flaws and then runs away. It is Ruby's outburst, though, which wakes up Weiss and Jaune.

Weiss finally realizes Ruby's pain and empathizes with her. Her words clearly have an impact on Jaune too:

Weiss: Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like “We believe in you”, “We can count on you”. I know we mean well, but…

They both let go of their idealization of Ruby, which in turns helps them with their own struggles:

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

In front of a genial ruby, Weiss and Jaune manage to move forward through each other.

Jaune is spiritually guided and shown empathy by Weiss. Weiss instead starts healing psychologically by helping Jaune. In a sense, this is a parallel and an inversion of their shared moment in volume 5. There Jaune finds himself strong enough to cure Weiss. Here Weiss finds herself wise enough to teach Jaune. Both are in a self-hate spiral, but then realize they are better than they think by saving the other. At the same time, this moment also calls back Jaune's "vision" in Lost. There Jaune is shown the way by a Pyrrha stand-in. Here Weiss steps into the role of spiritual adviser.

After spending the whole volume looking for someone to guide her, Weiss discovers she can be the guide. After spending the whole volume wanting to be the hero, Jaune realizes he is the one that needed help the whole time.

They both learn the main theme of the volume:

Jaune: Maybe that Cat was right… Maybe I just needed to accept it. It’s not a place you go.

They reach acceptance of who they are. Both their good traits and their negative traits. They accept they did their best, but also that they lost. And once they do, they become able to better accept others, as well:

Jaune: I think I get it. This is how we got here, or… why the Tree brought us here. Acceptance.

Weiss: We've done everything we can. Now it's up to Ruby. Whatever happens next… we have to welcome that.

Not only do they let go of their idealized self-images, but of Ruby's too. This is why they are ready to welcome her, no matter what. Strengths and limits, alike.

Thanks to their inner development, they both get to make another step into self-actualization. This growth is shown symbolically in the finale . Weiss is finally able to summon a full Nevermore, which combines all her previous glyphs (so it is symbolic of the self). Jaune accepts Alyx's hand and goes back to his real self through her (he goes from iron to mercury). These are glimpses of who Weiss and Jaune are going to finally become.

SOPHIA AND HERMES

Curious Cat: Looking at you, wise huntress.

Alyx: Maybe it’s time for a change, to be the kind of man you always wanted to be.

So, who are Weiss and Jaune going to be at the end of their journey? It is still too soon to say, but I would not be surprised if they were to become Sophia and Hermes to each other.

Who are Hermes and Sophia? They are the embodyments of a perfected animus and a perfected anima. In short, by the end of their psychological development, a woman should integrate with Hermes and a man should integrate with Sophia. Personally I think (wish) Weiss is stepping in the role of Sophia for Jaune, while Jaune is stepping in the role of Hermes for Weiss. Volume 9 might have given symbolic hints of this.

Weiss is directly associated with wisdom, which is what Sophia means.

Jaune goes from iron to mercury through Alyx and Mercury is just another way to call Hermes. Moreover, one of the symbols of Hermes in alchemy is a stag and well... Juniper resembles one.

Now, this final integration can be romantic (my preference) or platonic/individualistic (if they chicken out). What is sure is that it's going to happen, one way or another. It is just the cherry on top on a animus/anima story.

Snowhite and the Animus

Snowhite is the story of a child growing up. The first step in self-actualization is to stop identifying with the Mother, so the mirror image changes. This transformation generates an inner conflict. On the one hand there is the side who wants to grow up (Snowhite), on the other hand there is the side who doesn't wanna change (the Evil Queen). It is only by conquering the Evil Queen (the shadow), that Snowhite can truly become herself.

And how does she do it? She succeeds through an integration with her animus (masculine side):

The King is absent and doesn't help Snowhite

The Hunter appears and helps Snowhite

The Dwarves give Snowhite a home

The Prince saves Snowhite

As you can see, Snowhite's story is full of male characters and each new one is more helpful than the one before. This is because all these characters are representations of Snowhite's interiority and of her strenghtening animus. It is initially possessed, but then it progressively blooms until it saves the protagonist.

Now, this is just Weiss's story in a nutshell:

Willow is absent and Weiss's animus is possessed (The Arma Gigas she fights in the White Trailer)

Winter helps her and inspires Weiss to pursue her career as a Huntress (After her visit Weiss summons a part of her Knight)

Team RWBY welcomes Weiss and become her adoptive home and family (Weiss becomes herself through them)

Only the Prince is missing and it will probably be Jaune (he already is in volume 5). Wait, aren't all these characters women? Yes, they are because Weiss's fairy tale is all genderbent except her. So, why should Weiss's Prince be Jaune? Because in his case, he is the genderbent one :P

Jaune can be Weiss's Prince (again platonically or romantically) only if he fully blooms into Jeanne first. He can't be a real Knight, if he doesn't become a Maiden.

The Four Stages of Anima

Jaune's journey through the anima is well conveyed through 4 stages, which stand for archetypical female figures. Each one represents a different level of maturity:

Eve is the mother - The boy has no romantic attachment and sees the woman as a source of protection and nourishment

Helen is the seductress - The boy feels romantic attraction and sees the woman as a talented individual, but pays no attention to her spiritual or inner life

Mary is the virgin - The boy fells mature love and sees the woman as a paragon of virtue, but pays no attention to her negative traits

Sophia is wisdom - The boy is ready for a relationship with a woman as an equal partner and sees the feminine as a source of wisdom with no need to objectify the woman anymore

This scale describes Jaune's relationship with the feminine perfectly:

Eve is Pyrrha - she nurtures and protects him as a mentor and Jaune feels initially no attraction to her

Weiss is Helen - she is Jaune's first crush and he grows enough to see her as a talented person, but can't understand her inner world

Mary is Pyrrha - she becomes Jaune's guide and the embodyment of heroism and virtue

Only Sophia is missing and I think she will be Weiss. In general, though, these phases describe Jaune's general approach to women and how it changes. He arrives at Beacon looking for a girlfriend because that is what a man should do, which in itself is a very childish behavior. Then he grows to see the girls around him as powerful individuals, but he can't go behind the surface. This is true for Weiss, but also for Pyrrha, whose struggles he ignores. After her death, Pyrrha becomes an ideal, but she isn't the only one. For example, Jaune believes Weiss and Ruby can save Pyrrha from Cinder and later on he keeps idealizing them. In volume 9, he learns to let go of his idealization and to see others as their own people. He is stepping into Sophia (wisdom).

MIRROR MIRROR

I looked in the mirror And I gotta say It’s been a long long time Since I felt this way

Weiss and Jaune go through perfect mirror journeys, which are about recognizing others to see their own selves and vice versa. This is why Weiss's mirror mirror motif works so well for them.

They don't know who they are (mirror tell me who am I?)

They realize they dislike their current selves (mirror tell me who is the loneliest of all? I am the loneliest of all)

They work to change (mirror I'll tell you something, I might change it all)

They overcome their narcisism rooted in self-loathing (I'm shattering the mirror that keps me split in pieces)

Now that they can see who they are better, the next step is to probably see others more clearly. This is the secondary theme of the volume, after all: empathy.

Ruby breaks Summer's pedestal and as a result she can see herself better. In turn, this makes her able to look at others in a new light:

Weiss and Jaune do the same. They break Ruby's pedestal and show empathy and forgiveness for themselves and her. Still, this is framed as just the beginning. The theme of empathy is probably gonna be explored in later volumes. This is true for both Ruby's arc and Weiss and Jaune's stories.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the next mirror mirror song is a conversation not with the mirror, but with another person? A person that is a mirror, but not because stuck inside it like Weiss in the beginning. A person, who is a mirror because every person can be a mirror of another if looked at with empathy. And this is what beating the mirror really means. Not to look at ourselves through it, but to look at ourselves through others. And to accept them. And to accept us.

#rwby #white knight #weiss schnee #jaune arc #rwby meta #my meta #rwby theory #sorry for this post's lenght but i love their foiling very very much and wanted to explore it fully

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galacticwarpedlense · 6 months

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Something I might turn into a fic later is that idea that before we got here, I think Elliott thought he had a type and that type was the typical pretty princess/damsel in distress type. Yknow, the one you would commonly see in books and fiction. Maybe it was what he was surrounded by so he took on the majority rule type thinking. And then the farmer comes in and gives him an absolute panic (and a possible gay panic depending on the gender of the farmer). Like they are quite the opposite of a princess having the profession often given to the nobody character, they’re dirty, defiant of destiny and so grounded in reality. Elliott wouldn’t think that he was into that. But as they bonded and he got to see a real personality, his real type, he just slowly comes to terms with the reality of being in love.

Maybe those stories with the empty princess or no agency love interest start to become obvious and boring to him since it no longer seems like what he wants in a person. Now the farmer is what he wants in a person.

#sdv #stardew #stardew valley #sdv elliott #stardew elliott #stardew valley elliott #sdv farmer #stardew farmer #stardew valley farmer #sdv headcanons #stardew headcanons #stardew valley headcanons

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witchthewriter · 2 months

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𝑳𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒌

ISFP

Gryffindor

Neutral Good

Aquarius Sun, Gemini Moon, Cancer Rising

𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚

Born into the House of Stark, she was the third child and only daughter of Lord Rickard Stark, head of House Stark and daughter to Lyarra Stark. Lyanna had three brothers, Brandon, Eddard, and Benjen. Her father arranged a betrothal between her and Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands.

Their father Rickard and brother Brandon, lost their heads to the Mad King Aerys. This changed the dynamic of House Stark quite considerably, with Eddard now the heir.

In a way, Lyanna represents what House Stark is.

𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

As an ISFP, they are known to desire freedom and the freedom to pursue their own course in life, set their own schedule, and live according to their personal values. These types crave freedom for themselves and want others to enjoy freedom as well. They are typically sensitive, kind, and gentle and crave a life that is meaningful and personally rewarding. They balance this with a realistic, practical, and factual outlook on life.

Her personal character can be attributed to what her father and brother, Eddard. Her brother once said, "she has a touch of wildness to her." Which was described as "the wolf blood" by her father, Rickard Stark.

What really stood out about Lyanna's personality is her uncommon kindness to those of a lower birth. This is shown prominently by her friendly treatment of Wylis, a mere stableboy in contrast to her being a great lady from a powerful family.

Lyanna is noted to have been a skilled rider who loved to ride. According to Harwin of Winterfell, Lyanna rode "like a northman", while Barbrey Dustin describes her as a centaur, and Roose Bolton states that Lyanna was "half a horse herself".

Another big part of her character is that Lyanna had been fond of flowers. She loved the scent of Winter Roses.

𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒏𝒅

Another woman forced unto death for birthing a child. The cruel nature of women's bodies. They give life but they can take it as well. No in her family knew where she was, until Ned came and listened to he promise. He kept it.

𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒏

Even though it has been revealed that Jon is Lyanna and Rhaegar's son, I see her spirit living through Arya. They even look the same - but it's mostly their personalities. Arya seems to be Lyanna reincarnated.

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔/𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔:

Lyanna's character was changed from a multidimensional woman to a 2D cartoon by the men around her. Especially Robert Baratheon, with his unrequited love. From a wolf-woman, to a damsel in distress; Lyanna was done dirty.

If she had lived, she would definitely have evaded Robert, even though he would invite her to King's Landing nonstop. To the point where she would go into hiding? And then once he died, she come out of hiding.

(I think Rhaegar would have died no matter what.)

She would definitely have a lot of enemies; especially those from House Martell. However, she isn't one to avoid confrontation.

Therefore, she would have apologised and shown her true self, so there was no more animosity.

Without a doubt, she would love Arya with all her heart. Seeing her as her own daughter. Doting upon her, teaching her whatever she could. Sansa of course would be very bitter.

Yet, Lyanna isn't the type of person to leave anyone out, or make them feel alientated. So of course she would invite Sansa along, or suffer the more 'lady duties' like sewing.

information: here, here, here, here,

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ghostradiodylan · 2 months

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Do you have any headcanons for how the hacketteers would deal with being sick? Maybe how often they get sick, what type of illnesses they are prone to, etc….

Way behind on Quarry asks but I am home sick with some kind of crud right now so what better time to answer this one?!

Emma - Emma is a people person and always on the go, so she's exposed to a lot of germs. I feel like she'd be the one to get into juicing and making smoothies for immune health and the 'sexy' supplements like Moon Juice or whatever Gwyneth Paltrow is selling (but nobody’s sure if she really buys into them or if she’s just trying to get a sponsorship). Emma has a system for any kind of normal illness that doesn't completely knock her on her ass and that is to take a very hot bath with peppermint and eucalyptus bath salts and drink a hot toddy while she's in there. (Just the one, she doesn't want to drown!)

Jacob - This guy gets the dreaded Man Cold and is the sickest person who has ever lived. He doesn't get sick often because he's fairly health conscious, but he's absolutely pathetic and mopey about it when he does. He wants to be babied because his perfect male specimen of a body and extensive supplement regimen have betrayed him. He hates going to the doctor and puts it off until someone makes him go. Kaitlyn brings him soup and yells at him (affectionately) to stop being pathetic. He drinks a ton of Gatorade when he's sick (always Cool Blue flavor).

Kaitlyn - Look, Kaitlyn's Asian and her family was wearing masks during cold and flu season long before it was cool. She doesn't totally buy into the traditional Chinese medicine stuff but she does believe in the healing power of food that's spicy as fuck, especially if she's having sinus issues. She's also a fan of long, hot baths or showers, chicken soup with a ton of garlic, drinking a bunch of tea with lemon and ginger, the sauna at the gym, exercising even if she doesn't feel like it, hot yoga, and acupuncture. If that doesn't knock it out, she's not too stubborn to go to the doctor, people like that (who have insurance but don’t use it) drive her crazy (Jacob!).

Abi - If something is going around, Abi just knows she's going to get it. She’s a worrier and a bit of a catastrophizer when she does get sick. She's a hand sanitizer addict, she's got those cute sparkly holders from Bath & Body Works (but she uses the Halloween ones all year). She's good about letting herself take time to rest and get her strength back after an illness though. She likes to catch up on trash TV while she's recuperating. She also gets allergy shots because her environmental allergies are insane. She uses a neti pot or saline spray often to ward off sinus infections.

Ryan - Our stoic boy is stoic. Ryan takes all the necessary precautions to not get sick, he's kind of an obsessive hand-washer for sensory reasons anyway, but when he does, he follows doctors' recommendations to the letter and rarely complains. He will typically muddle through like normal if he's not got something contagious, but if he has to take time off work or school, he doesn't really talk about it or look to be cared for, just holes up in his room alone trying to not spread it around--he is very conscientious. Ryan gets the occasional migraine and that's one thing he can't really muddle through. He has to be in a quiet, dark room to recover, with an ice pack on his head, a caffeinated beverage, and a guided meditation podcast.

Dylan - People love to make our boy a damsel in distress because he's a cute gay string bean that bad things happen to, but Dylan is pretty tough in the game (like, unrealistically tough at times). I tend to consider his amputee arc as main canon, so given the assumption that he doesn't die of sepsis after surviving werewolves, he's got to have a pretty robust immune system and probably doesn't get sick that often. He does have that whole under-react/overreact thing going on though (the air freshener lol), so I imagine that when he does get sick, he either just carries on until he physically can't anymore (he'd wear a mask and get vaccinated and all that good stuff, he's a scientist after all, but he’s bad about making sure he gets rest) OR he starts Googling his symptoms and getting paranoid, convinced he has some rare incurable disease (he doesn't). He also doesn't really like to slow down and let people take care of him but when they really insist, he not-so-secretly loves the attention, from his mom, his boyfriend, his roommate/bestie, whoever.

Nick - Nick turns into a slimy wet sex pest whenever he gets sick. No, I’m kidding. I think it’d be funny/ironic/unfortunate if chef Nick had kind of a sensitive digestive system. He will eat anything, especially if Jacob is eating it. But, alas, Jacob has an iron stomach and our poor Nicholas does not. So he gets a lot of tummy troubles from doing things like eating 20 year old snacks or trying to go head to head with Jacob and Kaitlyn in a spicy ramen challenge. Nick gets sick a regular amount with stuff like head colds and is just kind of middle of the road as far as how he handles it. He does however have a habit of making up untrue facts about Australia that he tells his coworkers and campers when no one has the internet available to fact check him and one of them is that a steaming mug of hot pickle juice is a favorite folk remedy for colds there.

Max - he doesn’t get sick often but he is highly accident-prone. Like, so accident-prone that his family has started calling them ‘Maxidents’ when he has a major mishap. He routinely falls off ladders, gets attacked by migratory waterfowl, trips while trying to carry more groceries than he should into the apartment, etc. Max is luckily a very good patient because he has a lot of practice. He also has a lot of ice packs in the freezer at all times.

Laura - she gets onto Max about being careful, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, etc, but Laura is a do as I say, not as I do kinda gal. She does try to be healthy and active but she’s really busy (busier than ever post-canon because she thinks she can outrun trauma if she never slows down long enough to think about it). When Laura gets sick she gets Leslie Knope sick.

Max has to put her in bed and take care of her because she will not admit she needs it until she is practically on death’s door.

#the quarry #hacketteer headcanons #sick bunny brainrot #hello beautiful anon #thanks for the ask!#belated ask answers #emma mountebank #kaitlyn ka #jacob custos #ryan erzahler #dylan lenivy #max brinly #nick furcillo #abigail blyg #laura kearney

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atom-writings · 3 months

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France with a reader who's like Yor Forger? Pretty, motherly, bad at cooking, rose themed. And because it's France, whenever he gets flirty he gets a really hard hit from her out of flusteredness or embarrassment. That he ends up getting flunged to the wall because of her strenght.

hetalia france with a yor forger like! s/o

0.4k words ~ gender neutral headcanons

tw: none!

a/n: i have never watched spy x family and will never do so but im glad u guys are having fun

You’re almost his exact type! Except the… motherly aspect.

He doesn’t value traditional attractiveness, although he has to admit that he loves having an S/O that matches his elegant aesthetics. He would’ve shown you off either way, but now he’s bringing you everywhere!

Although it can be a little annoying when Francis is in a lazy mood, he’s usually ecstatic to cook for the two of you! His cuisine is among his greatest points of pride, so he’s always happy to make dinner. Especially if it means his kitchen remains... not burnt.

Francis was going to buy you roses anyway (he’s a classy romantic like that,) but he might go even bigger when he sees how well they match you. Expect lots of roses in the mail, rose-themed jewellery and accessories, as well as anything else he can find.

He definitely appreciates your… aggression? Not sure how to put that, but basically, he loves that you’ll knock the wind out of him.

When it comes to romance, he wants passion! He wants a whirlwind of emotions, a relationship like a rocket, no matter the danger that comes with it! He sees it like a game, and the more rough you get playing, the more invested he is.

So… don’t expect him to stop flirting anytime soon.

Although he doesn’t typically like “motherly” types usually, he could surely grow to love it. He does love being taken care of and babied… even if it doesn’t seem that attractive to him. As long as you can switch between the caring and dangerous personas well, he’d probably start to enjoy your affection.

Your strength is probably the first thing that attracted him. He just adores the idea that you can pick him up, it makes him feel like such a damsel in distress. And… that’s a good thing to him…? He wouldn’t want to exercise with you, but he’d be totally up for doing a yoga class while you build up those muscles.

(Plus, then he can watch you.)

He’d think you’re just such a work of art! Expect to go on lots of shopping sprees as he obsesses over finding the perfect looks for you, as well as plenty of lazy days spent talking about nothing.

As long as you don’t kill anyone, this would be a great, healthy relationship.

(Although if you did, he might find it hot and forgive you. MIGHT)

#heta tag #hetalia imagines #hetalia x reader #francis tag #aph france x reader #hws france x reader

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theaawalker · 7 months

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Character tropes are a writer's bread and butter, for better or worse. Because of this, it can be easy for your characters to be mistaken, copied, and boxed in with others. Especially in this industry, it's important to stand out. What’s the difference between a flat character and a well-rounded character? How do writers bring a character to life on the page? When it comes to character development, these are central questions—especially when it comes to using character tropes...

[ ~ a world that's waiting up for me ~ ]

What Are Character Tropes?

The word “trope” refers to a common motif or pattern in a work of art. In the context of fiction, character tropes refer to common attributes or even entire stock characters. The word trope comes from the Greek word 'tropos' meaning “to turn.” Originally it referred to rhetorical devices that a writer uses to develop an argument. Character tropes can be useful in fiction, but when overused, they can detract from a story.

Common Character Tropes

Every genre of storytelling has its own stable of common character types, and as a storyteller it’s worth being aware of them. Here are nine of the most common:

1. The chosen one:

The chosen one is a common fantasy trope. Their identity typically revolves around a task that’s been set aside for them, which they typically pursue without much hesitation or complication. Like Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter, the chosen one is often, conveniently, an orphan.

2. The damsel in distress:

One of the most common and pernicious types of female character tropes, the damsel in distress, whatever form she takes, is a passive figure who exists mostly as an object for the hero to save. Even versions of the character who turn out to be a little more plucky than expected (think Princess Fiona from Shrek or Princess Leia from Star Wars) have become their own subset of this creaky old trope.

3. The femme fatale:

A mysterious and seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to seduce and entrap her enemies, the femme fatale is a popular character trope in hardboiled mysteries. In many ways, the femme fatale is an updated version of supernatural witches or sorceresses. It’s no spoiler to say that she nearly always leads men to destruction. Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, and Eartha Kitt are the queens of this trope. <3

4. The girl next door:

The small-town girl with a heart of gold is, in many ways the opposite of the femme fatale. A common film and TV trope, the girl next door is innocent, kind, and wholesome. In other words, she’s the embodiment of domestic femininity and typically a candidate for the male protagonist’s love interest. Take Mary Jane Watson for instance.

5. The mad scientist:

Going back to Dr. Frankenstein (or any number of sorcerer antecedents), the mad scientist is usually a villain, driven by an eccentric, antisocial personality and unrestrained hubris or a desire to play god. The mad scientist’s benign counterpart is the nerdy “absent-minded professor” who’s so engrossed by their work that they struggle to relate to “normal people.”

6. The trusty sidekick:

Like the damsel in distress, the trusty sidekick typically has no life outside their relationship to the main character and their quest. Whether the sidekick is a loyal companion, like Samwise in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a faithful butler, or a chatty best friend—as in any number of romance novels—their main quality is that they have no story of their own.

7. The wise old man:

Sometimes an actual wizard, sometimes just an old guy who’s seen his share, the wise old man is a long-enduring stock figure who usually imparts some special wisdom to the protagonist. Dumbledore, Master Oogway, Gandalf, and Master Miyagi.

8. The dumb muscle:

Based on the idea that it’s impossible to be smart and fit at the same time, the dumb muscle is an exceedingly common minor character, especially in action and adventure stories. As a bad guy the dumb muscle is easily outsmarted or otherwise bested by the main character. X-Men's Juggernaut is a prime example.

9. The antihero:

Antiheroes are typically cynical loners with major personality flaws, often darkly appealing bad boys. Like normal heroes, the antihero still drives the story, but often to a more amoral place. Tony Soprano, Red Arrow, Emma Frost, and the grittier versions of Batman are all prime examples of modern antiheroes. These days, antiheroes are almost as common as idealized heroes.

5 Tips for Avoiding Character Tropes

Character tropes aren’t good or bad in and of themselves. In some types of fiction, especially epics, satires, and more plot-driven forms of fiction, the use of stock characters can be expected and even desirable. The problem is when writers lean so heavily on these tropes that they’re no longer telling an original story. This is the point where archetypal characters can bleed into stereotypes. In order to avoid (or at least complicate) character tropes, you’ll need to develop a richer sense of your characters. Here are a few tips:

1. Figure out what your characters really want.

One reason writers lean on stereotypes is because they don’t know their characters well enough. Instead of playing to type, spend some time figuring out what really motivates your characters. Are they driven by a need to belong? By a thirst for knowledge? By a desire to be recognized? These super-objectives may lead your characters to buck their outward roles in interesting ways.

2. Look for opportunities to subvert tropes.

If you find yourself drawn to certain tropes, look for ways to undermine them. While this sort of self-conscious style may not be right for every story, it can be especially compelling in the context of genres that traditionally rely on tropes: think fantasy novels, horror movies, love stories, westerns, and other popular genres.

3. Get to know your characters outside the story.

A common writing exercise is to develop backstories for your major characters. Imagine them in real life. Ask yourself questions about your characters, like: What was this person like in high school? What objects are on their nightstand? How do they get along with their families? While seemingly inconsequential, these questions can help you get a sense of the individuality of your characters, rather than just thinking of them as adhering to a common type.

4. Allow your characters’ personalities to change.

Again, there are types of stories where characters may remain static, but in general, it’s important for readers to feel like your character changes (or at least has the potential to change) over the course of the story. Remember, the change need not always be positive, but there should be some sense that the experience they’ve had has marked them in some way.

5. Avoid clichéd situations.

Sometimes the issue isn’t with the characters you’ve developed but the scenario in which you’ve placed them. If you’ve created a pair of star-crossed lovers who are meant to fall for one another at first sight, it’ll be hard not to make the situation feel hackneyed—no matter how well-drawn your lovers are. If you’re only thinking in terms of common plot tropes, it may be hard to get your characters out of them. If you’re working in a science fiction or fantasy setting, this is where worldbuilding might help you find more interesting angles to explore.

Want to Learn More About Writing?

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skaald-of-the-hearth-fires · 3 months

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@nyoka-gorefell

I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about Logan! Yeehaw!

I mained human so I kinda liked Logan. I've always been biased toward him. I didn't necessarily think he'd made the right decision, but I supported his right to make it. Like he said in the Dream-vision of him: you would have made the same choice, any of you, if the one you loved was in danger!

Basically, it was a bad spot all around. Lose-lose situation. He made the most of it. That was my view.

I'm planning a rewrite of Edge of Destiny (someday lol) to make it better + clearer what was going on with Logan + etc.

And I found something: the narrative in the book does not condemn or exalt either decision. Either decision would have been bad, no way around it.

One problem: that's not how books work.

The way the climactic decision-point works is that you make a personal sacrifice for the good, moral quality being extolled by the narrative. If the thing you sacrificed was, itself, considered good by the narrative, there would come a surprise twist that would mean the thing wasn't actually sacrificed, as a "reward" for making the selfless decision to uphold good and moral purity or whatever.

The problem with Logan's story is that neither option was presented as the 'moral, good' option. As Logan was leaving, Eir said "you have to do what is right," but beyond this, no indication is given to Logan which option is morally superior. You can? sorta? infer that of course the main conflict with the dragon is the preferred one. Rytlock and Eir's dialogue after Logan leaves also clarifies this.

But Logan himself was never presented with a clear moral dichotomy; he was merely given the trolley problem, which is bad however you slice it.

I bet Logan would have haters even if he'd stayed; Kryta would have fallen into disarray. The Ministry would have taken power. We'd have Caudecus in charge. Human/charr relations would heat up. We'd have the return of the White Mantle like snap, or else all-out anarchy. Humanity would be toast. Logan would get all the blame from the playerbase.

So in my rewrite of Edge of Destiny, I'm fixing the problem. I'm going to assign a clear moral status to each option, and make it clear where Logan stood on that moral issue when deciding. How did I pick which option was favored?

Easy. I look at the rest of ArenaNet's storytelling. Their centuries of lore and worldbuilding. The lessons of the other story arcs. Anet's message is consistently unity. Stand together. Stand strong. The races stand unified. The Orders stand unified. With unity, many impossible things [slaying an Elder Dragon] may be achieved.

So the preferred option, the morally good option according to the storytellers, was that Logan stay. Stand with his allies. Represent human/charr unity. Defeat an Elder Dragon.

And, somehow, Queen Jennah would survive, because love and protecting people is not morally bad. If Logan sacrificed the queen for the sake of the moral truth of the narrative, proving his selflessness and commitment to the ideal of the narrative, then the queen would survive to "reward" him for his virtuousness.

It doesn't seem in-character for Anet to write Jennah as a typical damsel-in-distress, hero-gets-the-girl type of story, BUT: he didn't. Logan DIDN'T choose the morally-good option.

Typical Corruption arc: hero begins with the ideal of the story (unity is good), then over time, some negative trait overtakes him. Greed, selfishness, over-protectiveness, whatever - and leads him to destroy everything he holds dear (Destiny's Edge; his broship with Rytlock; Snaff dying; Glint, hero of humanity, dying; Kralkatorrik surviving).

I think if the book had actually written Logan like this (with the base game of GW2 being his redemption arc), he would have a lot less hate. I think a lot of the hate comes from the fact that the Edge of Destiny narrative DIDN'T outright condemn Logan's actions. And even the base game is a bit vague.

Logan didn't get his comeuppance for his bad choices (beyond the queen ditching him a few years down the line, I suppose). That's where the hate comes from.

Because nuanced, flawed characters exist, and those are the best kind. I really like Logan's character. He's one of the most human characters in the game. I like that for him.

(Also, perhaps, some of the hate stems from the assumption that Logan was simping the whole time. I'd be fed up with him too, actually, if that were true. But the queen for sure returned his feelings. Logan was acting within the bounds of an established relationship.)

This has been

Character Study: Logan Thackeray (part II)

thank you for reading!

#logan thackeray #rytlock brimstone #destiny's edge #edge of destiny #queen jennah #logan/jennah #jennah/logan #kryta #minister caudecus beetlestone #white mantle #ebonhawke #gw2 #gw2 human

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maidenvault · 1 year

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It drives me kind of crazy that people will still talk about how awesome a character Leia is with the caveat that she's relegated to the role of the damsel in distress in ANH when like...

She's being held captive because she's an insurgent of great value to the opposition who knows important information and the possibility of capture is a risk she knowingly takes all the time to fight injustice. Just like Poe and many other characters who end up prisoners of the Empire throughout the franchise. There's a huge difference between that and a woman being captured because she's the daughter or love interest of the hero or because an evil creep wants to make her his wife or whatever.

The "damsel in distress" is typically treated like an object and prize in the story, but Leia isn't the MacGuffin in ANH, the Death Star plans are. For most of the runtime Luke isn't motivated by a calling to go rescue a princess, but to finish her mission by getting the plans in the right hands. He doesn't even know where Leia is until he and the others end up on the Death Star and happen to get a chance to break her out.

In this story that's obviously playing with archetypes of fairy tales and such, Leia clearly does represent the princess-in-the-tower type of character, but the movie somewhat subverts the concept and has such a sense of humor about it because her personality is so at odds with that archetype. The moment Luke and Han actually show up to rescue her, they find her to be really unimpressed and abrasive, and in minutes she's grabbing Luke's blaster and taking matters into her own hands.

#leia organa #star wars #luke skywalker #meta #my meta

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

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Been enjoying your analyses and meta commentary, very insightful as someone who isn't knowledgeable of all the lore potential. I was curious about the idea of Jaune being a "damsel in distress" because I totally get his allusion to Joan of Arc and how he's (thankfully) not a typical male hero type, but I'm wondering what exactly that part about being a damsel might mean for him moving forward.

Hi!

As promised, here I come after the ending of the volume :D

So, the truth is that this volume didn't change many things when it comes to Jaune's arc, but it strenghtens some ideas I have had for a while.

Before starting, I am linking 3 metas:

A meta on Jaune's arc in general up until volume 9

A meta on Jaune's allusion and what I think it means symbolically for the narrative

A meta written by @hamliet on how Jaune and Weiss fit the anima/animus archetype, which is important for both their arcs regardless to shipping

MAIDENS, KNIGHTS AND METALS

In general, Jaune's arc is defined by the dychotomy Knight/Maiden (the same one Wiess has > Knight/Queen). This dychotomy has its root in Jaune's allusion aka Jeanne D'Arc.

She was both:

The Maid of Orleans

A Knigth leading her people

Moreover, the crux of Jeanne is that she was able to be a valent Knight because of her inner strength, rather than her physical one. She was a Knight because she was a Maid.

Well, Jaune should become the same. He can never be the man he wants to be if he doesn't accept he is a maiden, as well. What's more, it is precisely his inner maiden that can lead him to become a hero. In other words, he should integrate his feminine parts in order to become fully whole. He needs to integrate with his anima, which is represented by Pyrrha:

What is the anima exactly?

In short, it is an archetype defined by Carl Jung as the feminine part of a man. It is that mix of traits culturally associated with the feminine that several men repress and need to develop. In stories, the anima is usually integrated through a relationship with another person. Basically, it is the idea behind opposites attract: a person projects traits he feels he lacks on another person and acquires them in order to grow closer to that person.

As you can see, this is Jaune and Pyrrha in a nutshell > Jaune wants to become like Pyrrha, so he grows closer to her and integrates what he lacks through her. Basically his arc is to grow more and more like Pyrrha by facing similar challenges.

This process of refinement is conveyed through a metal motif. To be specific, Jaune's story is commented perfectly by the 7 metals of alchemy.

What are the 7 metals of alchemy?

The 7 metals of alchemy are lead, tin, iron, copper, mercury, silver and gold. They are 7 substances wich were thought to have special properties and that alchemists linked to planets. Lead was considered the least pure, while gold was considered the most perfect. The goal of alchemy was to turn the lead into gold.

In short, the 7 metals can be put in a scale that goes from the least refined to the most refined. RWBY uses this scale to comment on characters' arcs. Jaune is the main example of this. His story is the journey of an immature boy, who goes from lead to gold.

JAUNEDICE

Cardin: Let's see how much of a man you really are…

Cardin alludes to the Cardinal of Winchester, who was in charge of Jeanne's trial and condemned her to death. The point of the trial was to establish if Jeanne was really a saint or just a fraud. This idea is taken and applied to Jaune and Cardin's relationship in 2 different ways:

Cardin discovers Jaune cheated in order to enter Beacon, so he is indeed an "impostor". Cardin takes advantage of this and threathens Jaune to have him expelled. He can really have him "executed" metaphorically, since he can force Jaune to leave the school.

Cardin judges Jaune because he doesn't fit the typical male stereotype. He is weak and clumsy and looks like a loser. He is not "a real man" in Cardin's eyes. Just like Jeanne was not a "real maid" or a "real saint", according to the Cardinal of Winchester.

These 2 ideas bring up 2 key-themes in Jaune's arc. On the one hand his journey is one of growing to like himself for who he is. On the other hand this process of self-affirmation and maturation can only happen if Jaune gives up his internalized toxic masculinity. Again, in order to stop being a fraud and to become a true hero, he needs to accept he is a maiden at heart. He is Jaune, but he is also Jaunedice and this is not an insult.

Here is where his path diverges from Jeanne, though. Jeanne drew her strength from her virginity, while Jaune's growth lies in romantic love. Specifically, it lies in him struggling with it and in him meeting many many women, who inspire him to be better.

LEAD MAIDEN

Jaune: I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!

This line encapsulates Jaune's early immaturity. He wants to be a hero, but has no idea of what a hero is and doesn't realize a full fledged individual would not hesitate to ask for help, in order to grow. Luckily for him, Pyrrha is kind, patient and takes her time to care for Jaune. Thanks to her, Jaune is able to let go of his macho-persona a little bit at the end of the Jaunedice mini-arc.

Jaune acts heroically not when he tries to comform to the toxic masculinity gang around him, but when he stands up to them for Pyrrha's sake.

This is why his adventure with Cardin ends with a minor miracle:

(Jaune's proto-semblance activating)

And with Jaune's hand being guided by a "superior force":

(Pyrrha's semblance)

And after this, Jaune finally accepts Pyrrha's help and starts to grow:

Jaune: Wait! I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but… would you still be willing to help me… to help me become a better fighter?

Jaune's growth can be read through the 2 motifs mentioned above.

He plays the Princess to Pyrrha's Hero:

He is the lead to her gold:

He is raw material, who Pyrrha decides to guide and to refine. Thanks to her, Jaune is able to grow both in body (he becomes a better fighter) and in spirit (he becomes a better person). By the end of the Vale arc, Jaune has grown more mature and tries to step in the role of advisor:

Jaune: I guess… I'm just trying to say that… you've always been there for me… even when I didn't deserve it. And I can tell there's something on your mind, so… I don't know. How can I help?

Still, he is not enough wise, so he fails. This leads to Jaune ending the arc not as a hero, but as a rescued party:

This scene is meaningful for several reasons. It is a call-back to Jaunedice where Cardin closes Jaune in a locker and sends him flying. Despite all his growth, Jaune ends the Beacon arc where he started. Inside a locker, sent away by someone, who is choosing in his stead. At the same time, he is still the damsel in distress. He is not Pyrrha's equal and can't help her. The choice of the metal locker is interesting because it resembles an iron maiden:

So, literally Jaune is still an immature maiden symbolically... not a knight. It is just that he is not even iron by this point. He is still lead, while Pyrrha is gold. So, Pyrrha moves on to self-actualization and completes her arc. Jaune is instead left behind.

TIN KNIGHT

Blacksmith: That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?

Jaune starts Mistral by integrating Pyrrha's metal within his weapon. In the same occasion, he also changes his armor because he has grown bigger:

Jaune: Guess I was going to grow out of it eventually. Ren: A sign of progress. Jaune: Progress.

This marks a shift in his character, both when it comes to the male/female dychotomy and to the scale of metals.

On the one hand he starts growing more "masculine". He is now a stronger fighter and has a more powerful weapon:

He is clearly pursuing his end-goal to be a hero, like Pyrrha was.

On the other hand Pyrrha's metal helps him evolving into tin. It means he is making progress in the definition of his own self-identity, but he is still frail. This association links him to another female character, who just like Jaune is growing more self-assured through summoning her own personal Tin-Man:

Obviously I am talking about Weiss, who in Mistral shares Pyrrha's role as important woman for Jaune's arc TM.

In Mistral, Jaune goes through 2 moments of refinement, linked respectively to Weiss and Pyrrha.

He saves Weiss by activating his semblance.

This awakening marks him growing both in body and spirit. He discovers a new super-power that makes him a more valuable asset, but does so through growing up emotionally. Once again, he is trying to be a hero by clinging to his macho-persona. "I am going on a noble quest for revenge! And I am dying for others! Look how heroic I am!". His actions only mess everything up for his group and put Weiss in danger, though. So, he changes approach and discovers what really matters is not for him to fight the enemy, but rather that he is there for others. He becomes more of a Knight by embracing a feminine trait (healing).

At the same time, you can really see this moment as a parallel to Jaunedice. There Jaune adheres to toxic masculinity embodied by Cardin. Here Jaune gives in to toxic masculinity to fight Cinder. There he breaks free to protect Pyrrha. Here he comes to his senses for Weiss's sake. There he activates a proto-version of his semblance to heal himself. Here he awakens the whole thing to save Weiss. Both times, the moment he integrates his most feminine traits, he is able to perform a miracle. After all, reviving someone is THE miracle par excellance and to make it even more obvious it happens at Haven. Obvious religious symbolism is obvious.

He meets a mysterious Red Haired Woman, who guides him

This meeting is highly important symbolically because obviously the Red Haired Woman is a stand-in for Pyrrha. It doesn't really matter if she is Pyrrha's spirit, Pyrrha's mother or Jaune's own vision. What matters is that once again Pyrrha is stepping into the role of anima to guide Jaune in a moment of pain and self-doubt. She shows him the way:

Red-Haired Woman: She understood that she had a responsibility… to try. I don't think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there really wasn't a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be.

She conveys to him Pyrrha will always be a part of Jaune himself and will live through him. This is why it is important Jaune keeps on living and keeps on trying. If he does, he will be keeping Pyrrha alive, as well.

This moment too parallels Jaunedice. There Pyrrha uses her semblance to move Jaune's hand. Here, Pyrrha's memory and ideal inspire Jaune to move forward. Both times, it is as if a "superior force" (God/Goddess) assists Jaune.

So, both scenes reference Jaunedice and Jeanne d'Arc. At the same time, they are 2 moments, where Jaune makes progress both into grieving Pyrrha and into becoming more like her.

At Haven, Jaune tries to imitate Pyrrha by going after Cinder to sacrifice himself, like she did. Still, he misses the contexts are different. It is only when he saves Weiss that he acts as Pyrrha would have:

Jaune: Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it (aura). I still believe her.

(Again, notice the religious symbolism > I still believe her > I have faith > it is Jaune's faith in Pyrrha who gives him strength, like Jeanne's faith in God made her powerful)

And in this way, he starts properly grieving. He could not save Pyrrha, but he can save Weiss and protect his friends.

At Argus, Jaune chooses to do what Pyrrha did at Beacon. Like her, he knows he might die, but decides to push forward because he wants to be a Huntsman, like Pyrrha was a Huntress.

Nora: Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore, but we can fight like she is. Jaune: And in a way… she will be.

He can keep Pyrrha's legacy alive, so that Pyrrha will never truly be gone.

Through these 2 important improvements, Jaune evolves once again. He solidifies his sense of self and steps into Atlas as a real Knight this time. And this is what he is throughout the whole arc:

IRON KNIGHT CAN'T SAVE COPPER GIRL

Ren: Jaune on the other hand… There's no fear at all. I can see it, he believes we're going to get this done.

This is Atlas Jaune in a nutshell. He is a proper Knight in Shining Armor. He has no fear, his faith keeps burning bright even when everyone else loses it and his mental strength is unparalleled. Throughout the whole arc Jaune acts very maturely. He is there for others and can keep a level-head. In other words, he is already very similar to how Pyrrha was.

He is

A Knight

Iron

The passage from tin to iron marks his sense of self growing stronger. It is also fitting because Atlas is the Kingdom of a certain general.

Ironwood embodies the metal iron (which then degenerates into the tin of the Tin-Man), so of course he is a foil to Jaune. Whereas Ironwood loses faith in others and is undone, Jaune keeps on believing and blossoms into a hero.

And yet, both iron-men have to deal with a girl made of copper, who challenges them:

Penny represents the metal copper. She is green and her name and allusion both reference the metal. Pennies are made of copper and, at the end of the novel, Pinocchio's 30 pennies are transformed into 30 golden coins. Just like our real girl's arc finishes with her becoming gold <3

Copper is more perfected than iron, so both Ironwood and Jaune should aspire to be like Penny. They should grow through her. However, both have problems to do so. Ironwood straighout fails, whereas Jaune chooses to trust Penny at the cost of a strong personal sacrifice:

By choosing to kill her, Jaune sacrifices his new found sense of self, which was built on the idea he is the one who saves. He is the one who heals. He is the self born by wanting to emulate Pyrrha. And yet, he wasn't enough. Just like Pyrrha wasn't.

I am bringing Pyrrha up because Jaune's 2 big set-backs in volume 8 are Pyrrha's 2 failures in volume 3.

Both Pyrrha and Jaune are forced to kill Penny

Both Pyrrha and Jaune stay behind to fight Cinder and "die" as a result

So Jaune is growing more like Pyrrha not only when it comes to her positive traits, but also when it comes to her struggles and traumas. He is integrating everything of her. Both the positive parts and the painful ones.

Differently from Pyrrha, Jaune doesn't really die, but his fall counts as a metaphorical death, especially because Jaune ends up spending a whole life in grief and stagnation. His Knight in Shining Armor self fails, but he can't really let go of it. He is stuck in iron and this is why he becomes the Rusted Knight:

RUSTED KNIGHT IS SAVED BY MERCURY GIRL

Jaune: Afterans are all either too clever, too stupid, or too crazy to trust!

Jaune's final choice in Atlas is to trust Penny, while Jaune's mindset in the Ever After is to distrust everyone. He distrusts the Cat, the Paper Pleasers, the Tree and Alyx (he assumes she lied about everything and killed Lewis). At the same time, he keeps on believing in Ruby, to the point he idealizes her and dives after her weapon with no hesitation:

Jaune: Hey, there's… something I've been holding onto for you. It was the first thing I saw. (opens the chest) When I was falling. Ruby's eyes widen, seeing the folded form of Crescent Rose inside the chest. Jaune: Years later, when I finally found it…

This is an interesting contradiction. Up until Atlas, Jaune's faith is shown as something positive, but in the Ever After that same faith becomes a shakle that prevents him from evolving. Moreover, that same faith in ideals (Ruby, the ideal of being a Hero) is not supported by trust in people. Doesn't this remind you of anyone?

Yep, in the Ever After Jaune exhibits traits similar to Ironwood because he is stuck in iron. He can't evolve, so what was once something positive becomes a limitation. Just like with the general.

This process is well conveyed through Jaune "eating" the clockwork orange/stopwatch fruit:

The fruit has Jaune:

Go back in time > regression

Stuck in the Ever After to "kill time" > stagnation

The Rusted Knight is a result of this. Not only has Jaune failed to change, but he has unconsciounsly regressed to a framework, which relies on toxic masculinity:

Jaune: Once I started helping them, it didn’t take long for me to figure out I was in her story. I… was the Rusted Knight. But things weren’t always the same as the book. Like Alyx… she wasn’t just a little petulant or inconsiderate. She was selfish… cruel. Like this whole word was simply make-believe and the rules didn’t apply to her.

This whole speech makes it pretty clear. Jaune is the hero, while Alyx is the damsel in distress. Except Alyx doesn't conform to the role and tries to kill Jaune. So, Jaune finds someone else, who can fit the role better. And here we arrive to the Paper Pleasers. They are the perfect damsels because they are kind, but also frail. Except there is one small problem. They don't really want to be saved:

Purple Paper Pleaser: I do not wish to be rude, but our work has been completed for quite some time. Because of us, the land is beautiful, but we have realized that like ourselves, it is also very delicate. We would like to make something that is pleasing, but also resilient. Because of this, we are ready to leave ourselves and merge with the Tree, so that it might return us as something new. But… our hero is displeased by this course of action.

The one between Jaune and the Paper Pleasers is a positive relationship of mutual fondness turned into a limiting one for both parties. On the one hand Jaune is unable to leave the Paper Pleasers out of fear they would hurt themselves. On the other hand Jaune's presence won't let the Paper Pleasers evolve. It is a palliative relationship that helps Jaune cope, but doesn't let him move on.

So, our Rusted Knight may look like a hero, but is really a person trapped in his own pain. This is really no surprising and deep down it is all a reaction to Penny's death:

Jaune: I’m sorry, I… I know I’m not okay. I- I’m not right, but… Who am I supposed to be…? I’ve been alone… for SO… LONG! Here… On that bridge… I was the only one that could do it! I was the ONLY ONE!

Which in turn is nothing, but a repetition of Jaune's original trauma:

Pyrrha's death is the crux of Jaune's arc. So far he has managed to find resolve and motivation in it. Still, this unsolved pain is now clearly eating him alive. This leads to 2 consequences:

In the Ever After Jaune's weapon is broken and he never uses his semblance. This could very well be he has no reason to, but it is still interesting. Jaune's weapon and semblance are attributes he metaphorically receives from Pyrrha. He uses her metal and believes/imitates her with his semblance. The lack of both in the Ever After is then a symbol of how he has lost not only himself, but also his Goddess. Maybe this is why this time Pyrrha can't really guide Jaune. He is in too much pain and has reached a point, where even his paragon (Pyrrha) can't help him. What to do?

Jaune gets the chance to mend his wounds in a fairy-tale world, where he can re-examine his traumas and find a positive solution to them. This is the point of the Ever After. It is a fantastic simplified world, where you go to heal. Like people find comfort in fiction. Jaune in particular plays a self-insert. He is the Rusted Knight, the great hero of the story. Alyx is his heroine. Thanks to her he can overcome his current block.

And yet, this doesn't really seem the case initially. Alyx betrays Jaune and poisons him, which worsens his mental state, paranoia and hero complex. Still, it is actually important Jaune fails to be a hero. Accepting failure is kind of the point:

Weiss's speech is what moves Jaune to change and it happens in a scene full of symbolism.

Witnessing a miracle

This time Jaune doesn't perform a miracle, but gets to be a witness to one:

His friends come back as more refined versions of themselves. This wonderful event finally opens Jaune's eyes:

Jaune: In trying so hard to save them… I stopped them from becoming what they needed to be. I was being selfish because I… I wanted the rush of rescuing someone and I got that here.

He lets go of his Knight persona and can finally accept who he is as a person:

Jaune: Maybe that Cat was right… Maybe I just needed to accept it. It’s not a place you go.

This happening thanks to Weiss is important because it is an inversion of Mistral. There he starts to heal by saving her physically. This results into Weiss becoming a Queen (Queen Lancer). Here she starts to heal by guiding him spiritually. This results into Jaune's first step into leaving his Knight persona behind. Alyx helps him with the second.

Guided by a superior force

This time the Goddess guiding Jaune is none other than Alyx, the protagonist of the fairy tale they are all in:

This moment, as per usual, ties with Jaune's allusion, as he gets to see a vision that inspires him and helps him out. The difference is that instead than Pyrrha, he sees Alyx. This happens because Jaune's arc as the Rusted Knight is a condensed version of his story as Jaune Arc. When it comes to his role in RWBY, Pyrrha is his Goddess. When it comes to his role as the Rusted Knight, Alyx is. The Girl Who Fell Through the World is really Jaune's chance to solve some internal issues, so he can go back outside and face bigger challenges.

Here, Alyx symbolizes many things:

She is a person he could not save

She is a person who hurt Jaune

She is Jaune's own child self > she symbolizes all Jaune's childish fantasies to be a hero

For Jaune to take her hand then it means he is accepting who he really is, so that he can change:

Alyx: Maybe it’s time for a change, to be the kind of man you always wanted to be.

At the same time, it means Jaune forgiving and finding in himself the ability to trust again:

Our Jeanne has a new-found inner faith.

After this moment, Jaune shows progress:

He is able to finally save a person (Neo)

He lets go of Juniper, the Rusted Knight partner. This means he is ready to leave his childhood fantasies to someone else (well, in this case Somewhat else :P)

He is finally ready to move on and this is what happens.

Alyx's knife fixes Jaune and our Alice in Wonderland gives Jeanne d'Arc a second chance at living.

Symbolically this means 2 things:

1 - Jaune has finally left iron and become mercury. The color of Alyx's apparition and knife isn't enough bright to be either gold nor silver (the 2 perfect metals), but it is a lighter tone of gray, which fits the metal mercury. Mercury is also supposed to bring wisdom, which is what Jaune's white streak in his hair suggests.

What this means for Jaune's arc in Vacuo is hard to tell. As for now, I think it is obvious he is gonna interact with/foil Mercury:

2 - Alyx saving Jaune starts Jaune's final stage of development. A stage where he becomes a proper maiden. Not the whiny little Jaunedice he is in the beginning, but a wise Jaunedice able to guide and inspire others. Why is that so?

Well, to begin with Alyx saving Jaune is an inversion of gender roles:

Jaune is supposed to be the tragic hero who drinks the poison in Alyx's stead. Still, what really happens is that Alyx dies tragically, but her last redemptive wish saves Jaune. Jaune starts the volume as the Rusted Knight, but ends it as a Mercurial Maiden saved by Alyx, the real protagonist of her own story.

Alyx is such a wonderful character specifically because of this. She introduces Jaune and the others to a world which is gray. She herself is gray. She is the poison and the medicine (again mercury). She is a maiden, but doesn't fit her role for 2 opposite reasons:

She is not a good person TM

She is not saved, but saves

Her presence in the Ever After helps Jaune make some progress when it comes to Pyrrha and Penny's deaths. Still, she also prepares him for the final Maiden he will have to help:

GOLDEN MAIDEN

Pyrrha: Do you believe in destiny?

Pyrrha's question sets up Jaune and Cinder's foiling and intertwines their arcs. They both are looking for their destinies, after all. For a final goal worth dedicating their lives to. There is a differnce though.

Jaune gets the chance to hear Pyrrha's explanation about what destiny is, while Cinder kills Pyrrha before she can speak.

In short, Jaune knows what destiny is:

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

However, Cinder doesn't. If she wants to self-actualize she needs to learn Pyrrha's lesson and so far Jaune is the only one left to teach her. This would also make much sense for Jaune's arc itself. I mean, isn't Jaune purpose to integrate with Pyrrha and fulfill her legacy? Well, teaching Cinder about Choice is what Pyrrha has left behind for someone else to do. For someone else to succeed where she failed.

This role is also a role only a Maiden at Heart can fulfill. I mean, this is literally what the text says. So far, each maiden with flaming eyes has had a maiden at heart explaining the theme to her. Raven is taught by Yang and Winter by Penny. Obviously Pyrrha was supposed to teach Cinder, but got no chance. So, for Jaune to succeed he has to symbolically become a Golden Maiden.

Golden > like Pyrrha was

Maiden > like his allusion suggests he deep down is

This resolution also ties with Jaune's foiling with both Ruby and Weiss.

Ruby and Jaune's parallel arcs are clearly about growing together in different ways, so that they can successfully help Cinder. Once they do Cinder will probably save the world. Like Alyx saved Jaune.

It is just Ruby is set up to be Cinder's Prince. She is the one who "dances" with Cinderella at the dance in volume 2, after all. And she is the one equipped with silver slippers able to save Cinderella. Jaune is instead set up to be Cinder's maiden at heart. Or if you prefer Cinder's fairy, who makes sure she can go to her final dance. (RWBY loves playing with gender roles).

So, in order to succeed Jaune really has to follow into Weiss's footsteps and integrate both his masculine and feminine traits. This is what our Snowhite does. She starts as a spoilt little princess:

She grows into a brave Knight:

And she finally becomes a Generous Queen:

A Queen Lancer to be exact > someone who combines being a queen with being a knight. Someone who has integrated with her anima.

Well, Jaune's arc is the same. He starts as a whiny Jaunedice/a loser knight. He grows into a proper Knight in Shining Armor. He is gonna become a Wise Maiden. A Golden Maiden, who is also a Knight.

JAUNE AS PYRRHA'S GENIAL GEM

Blake: This is them, isn’t it? They’re back. Weiss: It’s just like they said. They came back from the Tree, better. Yang: No flood or fire will ever hurt them again.

The point of the Genial Gems' evolution is that they have the same heart as before, but are right now less frail, which means they won't die as easily anymore.

I think this foreshadows Jaune's arc in relation to Pyrrha:

Jaune: She should be standing here… Red-Haired Woman: She is.

The Mysterious Woman tells Jaune Pyrrha is standing there not because she is Pyrrha, but because Jaune himself is Pyrrha. He represents Pyrrha's legacy and he is bound to become even greater than she was. He will succeed and survive, where Pyrrha failed and died.

In short, he is gonna become a more perfected version of Pyrrha. He is gonna become Pyrrha's Genial Gem. In order to succeed though, it is probable he has to let go of Pyrrha. Just like the Paper Pleasers needed to let go of Jaune. They could not keep relying on him if they wanted to become what they were meant to be. Jaune needs to do the same. Still, this doesn't mean Pyrrha loses her importance. Not at all. The Paper Pleasers new-found selves are probably inspired by Jaune. He taught them the perils of being made of paper. So, they come out with a brand new form. Jaune has had an influence on the Paper Pleasers, just like Ruby has had on Little:

Blacksmith: The five of you have had a greater impact than you know. Just like Alyx and Lewis did before you. Just like others will after you. One small kindness in one small moment would be such a marvelous transformation.

The same goes for Jaune himself and Pyrrha. He needs to let Pyrrha go, so that he can find herself again. He needs to stop relying on her memory, so that he can become his own self. This is why I think that Jaune leaving Juniper behind is also symbolic of him making a little bit of progress when it comes to grieving Pyrrha.

Jaune: Will you look after Juniper? She means the world to me.

Juniper is after all a "she" and has the name of Jaune's old team. The one with Pyrrha in it. Not only that, but she is Jaune's partner throughout his life as the Rusted Knight. Throughout his whole first life. He is right now starting a second one, so he is letting go of his past.

Still, this doesn't mean forgetting Pyrrha. If anything, it is a necessary step to integrate with her more, to eventually become like her and fulfill Pyrrha's destiny. To be a hero. A destiny Pyrrha fulfilled, but that got cut short. Yes, because Pyrrha's destiny was "heroism", but Jaune's destiny is Pyrrha herself. She is his final goal:

Every life is filled with passing moments Like the seasons change, they come and go But this is infinite Nothing, even death Could separate our souls 'Cause you're my final goal

#rwby #rwby meta #rwby volume 9 #jaune arc #once upon an allusion #pyrrha nikos #weiss schnee #alyx #cinder fall #snowqueenofmyheart #asksfullofsugar #my meta

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henrysglock · 1 year

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I thought the ''buff Will'' was supposed to be a joke thing from S3.

It feels like people just wanna make Will seem ''manly'' so it wont come off as ''homophobic'', so they just ignore the sides Will has and make his ''feminine'' attributions non-existent and give those ''feminine'' sides to Mike's character. Bro you do not kill the stereotypes when you do that. You are creating your own stereotypes based on false assumptions and readings.

Nah, the sentiment came back for s4 because Noah filled out a little in comparison to s3 :/

And you’re so right anon, it’s like they need to have one character be the “man” or the “woman” in the relationship so they take the feminine parts of the more traditionally masc presenting character and give them and give them to the less gender conforming male character. It also feels like they view feminine traits as being undesirable/insulting to characters…which…yikes!

Will has traditionally feminine traits! A lot of them! He’s the sensitive artist, he cries more easily, he openly panics, he shows when he’s afraid, his instinct is freeze/flight rather than fight, he hangs behind Mike when he’s uncertain, and all that is important to who he is! He is not some tough muscly BAMF James Bond type guy, and he never will be. THAT’S OKAY!! He can use a gun, but he chooses to run and hide first. He fights when running/hiding seem futile. Mike saves him multiple times over, and Will takes that to heart. It’s not that Will can’t fight, it’s that typically he ends up in the damsel position. Most importantly: he’s not upset about that.

Mike has traditionally masculine traits! Many of them! He’s the logical strategist, he’s a bit hotheaded/impulsive, he jumps into fights instead of fleeing, we see him cry twice in the entire show and both times were under extreme mental duress, he puts himself in front of Will every chance he gets, and all that is important to who he is! He has emotional intelligence and he’s not physically strong, but that doesn’t make him a weepy damsel in distress type. He is quite literally Will’s hero/knight in shining armor!! He takes pride in that fact!!

AND ALL OF THESE ARE NORMAL, NONE OF THEM ARE BAD, AND NONE OF THEM CORRELATE TO BODY TYPE OR GENDER PRESENTATION!

It’s a disservice to both characters to remove these parts of them to pigeonhole them into man/woman stereotypes based on body type.

Not only that, but I want us to question why we’re doing this.

Why is it so bad for Will to have feminine traits?

Why do we need to get rid of them for him to be strong?

Why would it be some kind of insult for a character to have feminine traits?

Why do we need to erase Will’s sensitivity and femininity so badly?

Why is it so hard to acknowledge that even in a more traditionally masc body, someone can still embody femininity?

Why do these feminine traits have to be embodied by someone thin and long-haired?

Why can’t that thin, long-haired boy be embody more traditionally masculine traits than the visually gender conforming boy?

Why is it a homophobic insult to have Will embody the femininity written into his character?

Fandom, and society as a whole, needs to get more comfortable with visually gender conforming people embodying traits that are traditionally assigned to the opposite gender.

We also need to get more comfortable with a) cisbinary people being visually gender non-conforming without being labeled trans, and b) gnc cisbinary people embodying traits that are traditionally assigned to their visually gender conforming counterparts.

Boys with short hair in jeans and a polo-tee can be sensitive damsels in distress. Boys with long hair wearing rings and necklaces and (stay with me here) skirts can be knights in shining armor.

Begging people to get with this program, because the current one smacks of homophobia and misogyny.

#asks #fandom rants #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #stranger things #homophobia #misogyny

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tirfpikachu · 2 months

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a very interesting point i just saw: WAYYYY more transfems and trans activists are fighting for transfems to access afab spaces than the reverse. transmasc people are NOT safe in male prisons, male changing rooms, etc unless they have had perfect bottom surgery (which imo isn't even close to existing) and top surgery without any visible scars, pass 100% perfectly at all times with never being outed, and are totally stealth. which is extremely hard to do, if not impossible, especially in spaces with nudity and higher risk of violence. transmasc people being biologically female, afab, means they are not safe in spaces with cis men. why? beyond their socialized upbringing they are on average stronger than the average transmasc person, and have penises to stick in people and feel genital pleasure thru them. that's not to say that cis men who lost their dicks or cis men that are physically weaker than an afab person don't exist, but it's on average. if they know that there's someone afab in the room in a compromising situation? someone with a bio pussy, or who used to? that's dangerous as hell

with transfems who perfectly passes cis men, who are in majority straight, will be into them until they learn that they're amab. then comes the classic comedy scenes of guys learning their date was transfem all along, running away to gag and throw up, feeling violated and upset and seeing the person as a pervert. that's not the sexualization that cis women and transmascs get. we don't get to escape the sexualization that male society imposes on us. we are the body type that is typically able to be impregnated, typically weaker physically, taught by society and media from an early age that they're the damsel in distress and can't get too strong or too brash or they'll never find a man, and be a miserable unlovable hag. people from that agab/sex are at a significant disadvantage. and there's no big reveal that can get us out of it. and actually, transmascs being outed as trans puts them at a unique form of danger that transfems do not experience. bc heterosexual men (in the sex-based sense) who aren't into biological males, aka the majority of cishet men -- they ofc can be tricked by a transfem passing as stealth, but it's very conditional -- are only into afab people, and fetishize bio pussies to a disgusting amount. if cis men in jail, typically more violent environments, find out there's an afab person in there? if cis men in changing rooms or sports in general, environments typically more macho, find out there's a half-naked afab person in there? that's a recipe for a tragedy. this is why so many transmasc ppl only go in women's rooms or gender neutral rooms!! it's not just cis women!

like this is why not just cis women but also some transmasc folks, who are getting louder, have concerns about having transfems (especially pre-op, aka the majority of them statistically) in spaces with half-naked afab ppl, and in settings like prison and domestic shelters with traumatized afab folks. and there's a reason they're coming to radfems abt it and not y'all

#lay text #radfems #radblr #tirf

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lydiaisgeeky · 1 year

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Meant to Be

Jason X Reader Fan Fiction

3. Robin (w.c. 1650)

After the nightmare of that night, things began to calm down a bit. School was school but I didn't mind being more involved. Having Dick and Jason by my side all day I had more and more eyes on me. It was nice having friends- it had been so long since I felt seen and wanted. Life began to settle into a new normal. I'd hang with Dick and Jason after school and we'd do homework - I would typically head home before dark because of the neighborhood I lived in and Jason would insist on taking me himself. But of all the things to come of that day my absolute favorite was the fact that Robin came and visited me every night. I swear that sometimes its a different Robin but nevertheless I always had a visitor.

I hadn't been able to get all of my homework done this afternoon so I was working on it when I heard a tap on my window. Beaming I spin around to see Robin sitting on my windowsill. I open the window and he climbs in the room. "You know you probably shouldn't be letting strangers into your room" He greets me. I shrug and close the window not bothering to lock it since Robin may have to leave at any moment. "If you are a stranger at this point then almost everyone I know would be a stranger" I giggled and went back to my desk and he sat on my bed. "So" I begin "Is patrol slow?" He smiles the smile that could melt me in an instant. "You know damn well it isn't - but it isn't bad tonight mostly watching only a few interactions so far" I laughed. He was always good at making me laugh. "Hey I don't know if you'd be able to help me but I can't seem to get this problem done" He glanced at it and rolled his eyes "I suppose it is my duty to help a damsel in distress" He proceeded to walk me through the problem. As I finally understood it it I looked up seeing his face only inches away from mine. My eyes dart to his lips and back up to his eyes - he began to lean in.

I heard the front door slam open and immediately moved to lock my door. As far as I was aware my parents were already home. I look around trying to think of a decent hiding spot and forgetting that Robin was there let alone the moment we just had until he grabbed my shoulders "Hey hey whats wrong?" I barely whisper "Everyone was already home" he then proceeded to nod and scan the room his eyes landing on the window. "Do you trust me?" I half nodded and that seemed to be enough for him and he pulled me to the window. There was a small ledge on the outside of the building that he led me down over to a tree. He sat me up in the tree and told me to wait and he went back inside. My eyes were glued on him until he disappeared from my vision. I then tried to think of any signs of danger. Any sort of warning - my parents hadn't told me anything. Other than the incident the other night nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. My mind was racing - I knew I was never truly safe but something was just off about this.

Maybe this is why Robin coming by everyday was the highlight of my day because Robin knew how to keep me safe. Time passed slowly - I felt like I was in the tree forever but it was maybe 5 minutes. I must have been lost in thought because I didn't see Robin come back when suddenly he was right beside me "Do you have anywhere else you could possibly stay maybe for a couple days or something?" I laughed nervously "Well that's reassuring - I don't know I only have 2 friends and I'm not sure their guardian would want to temporarily house me. Wait why would I need to not be here for a bit" Robin toyed with something in his hands- a note of some sort. "I'm sorry I think I need to get Batman in on this one." Puzzled I stared at him while he typed something on his communicator. "Do me a favor and just ask your 2 friends - worst case scenario they say no and we figure something else out". I pull out my phone to call Jason or Dick but I figured texting might be the best in this case. I got a text back immediately saying I could come over for a few days and if everything was alright. I showed the text to Robin and he nodded.

"Can you tell me what's so wrong?" "Any reason why the Joker left a note saying the next time he visits you won't be left alive?" My heart sunk "THE JOKER?!" This was happening again. This is why I don't get close to people. As soon as I am I am whisked away to some random unknown location. My parents warned - don't get close to people you'll just hurt them. But he wants me dead. That is a first usually just tortured enough to be leverage never dead. "Yes. Do your parents work for him or do something that would offend him? Why does he want you? Are you adopted? What could he possibly want?" "Well" I pause thinking this could go one of two ways. I am not really in a situation to lie though "this isn't the first time we've got a message like that. He's been sending messages in regards to me since I was a toddler. Never threatening to kill me though. Kidnapping and torture at best." Puzzled he looked at me "You're parents don't have money."I nodded knowing this wasn't great to admit "Well these people are my parents but not biologically - from my understanding my mom is biologically my mom but my dad is" I pause Robins eyes are straight on me "well he is Lex Luther." I start to ramble worried that he will just disappear knowing my DNA "But I really have only met the man twice- after the kidnappings. He helps my parents when they are in a bind but other than that I have no communication with him."Robin nodded "Lex isn't just a rich guy- " "He's a villain" I finished. "Trust me if Joker wants me dead it isn't because of my parents I see every day it's because of Lex. I just thought they had gotten over whatever happened its been 3 years since the last note"Robin shoved the notes into my hands "Well there's been 7 in the last month so for some reason your 'parents' aren't letting you know"

Batman arrived before too long. Everything was explained to him and then Robin was instructed to take me to Wayne manor. "I'm sorry if you think less of me now..." I say as we begun to walk. "Hardly - we don't pick the people who bring us into the world but why on earth wouldn't Lex raise you" I shrugged "I am better off for it though. I hate when we need his money. It always feels like a catch. If we had money we wouldn't be in Gotham. The rent is cheap but then again I am a target so I don't really know the best case scenario" He nodded and stayed slient. The journey was a long one but as we were walking up to the door Robin handed me a small device- it looked a bit like a necklace. "Put this on- Wear it always - when your in danger press the button" I nodded and moved to put it on me making sure it was secure I turned back to ask him a question and our lips were not 2 inches apart. Before I knew it Robin had leaned it closing the gap kissing me. "I promise" he whispered "so long as I am here I will protect you" I smiled. In a night that should have been laced with venom and should have ended with me in the dirt Robin managed to spin it creating the most beautiful night. Robin pulled back "I am so dumb you need your things. I will get them to you but you should probably get inside" He leaned over me and pressed the doorbell and Dick opened the door and as the door opened Robin disappeared. Dick helped me get settled in the guest room. Apparently Bruce and Jason had gone out for some 'bonding' experience whatever that meant. I didn't have to answer any questions from Dick he just did everything he could to get me to smile. He stole ice cream from the freezer and set us up watching Disney Cartoons. I must have fell asleep because when I drifted awake Jason was carrying me up the staircase. "Oh - hi - I am so sorry I can walk" for the first time I saw Jason's real smile and I melted "Don't worry - its not a hassle go back to sleep" of course I couldn't but he carried me back to the guest room and laid me on the bed - tucking me in setting a rather large bag on the chair. Just as I was drifting back into sleep I saw him slip a note onto the bedside table he then turned to leave the room but stopped himself and gave me a kiss on my forehead "Goodnight sweetheart" and with that he disappeared leaving me alone with my thoughts and ever so confused that not only Robin liked me but so did Jason and I liked them both so much it hurt.

#batboys x reader #jason x reader #jason todd x reader #jason x yn #red hood #red hood x reader #robin x reader #nightwing #batman #batfamily #slowly but surely

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