Should You Write Fan Fiction?

Hey, everyone.

So, for this week, I'm going to be taking a look at fan fiction and trying to figure out whether or not you should write it. So, let's talk about writing.

For starters, let me tell you that I hate fan fiction. My biggest problems with it is that it is often written poorly, whether it be because of the punctuation, grammar, usage, or the story is just terrible, and because most fan fic writers out there write as if everything they've ever learned about writing came from reading erotica. Things are phrased weirdly, there's always a sexual tension, and there's a strange focus on the characters body parts.

Mostly though, I hate it because it's about ego--people are just writing a story with characters they like with a storyline that they want to see. And in doing so, their own impressions of the characters and their world is all they take into account, and you're likely to find non-canonical bull sh*t everywhere. I once read a Final Fantasy VII fanfic where the guy made Vincent Valentine a douchebag who drank beer and sat in his chairs backwards.

That's not who Vincent is.
He's a real cool guy.

But, I have to admit: I have dabbled in fanfic writing myself. I once tried writing a FFVII fanfic, and my first attempt at writing a novel was full of "homages," actually more like "rip-offs," to other works i.e. the game Drakengard, Van Helsing, or The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I was impressed with the fact I had written forty chapters or more, totaling over 400 pages before I stopped, but I knew I was ripping sh*t off. Hell, two other attempts I made at novels were other rip-offs. However, despite my past, I am vehemently against the practice of writing fan fiction. Why? What harm could it do me? Well, let's look at the list.

1. Non-canonical bullsh*t.

Alright, I admit that this has less to do with the actual writing of fanfics and more to do with the fact that I hate fan ships and people ruining my favorite characters on sh*tty as f*ck storylines. But honestly, if you like a character, why would you change said character to match your ideals and dreams? Probably because your an egotist, like I said before. If you have genuine care for a character, you would adhere to the established rules of the story's universe and not make your favorite character more bad ass than they were in the game, movie, or book, and you wouldn't make them fall in love with your waifu or husbando from that same medium. It's seriously BS.

2. Wasting an original story.

Fanfic writers use the characters they want and insert them into a story they want to see play out. I don't fault them so much for this because like all fans, I too am hungry for content and want more from my favorite shows, movies, and video games. But, if you're going to go through the trouble of making an original story, why wouldn't you also therefore make original characters, and then make yourself an original story story?

This one I fear has less to do with ego and more to do with laziness. Creating characters and a universe can be challenging, but writing a good story that doesn't break the rules of the universe and doesn't throw away the limits you've imposed on your characters is where the real challenge comes in. With a fanfic, writers don't really worry about this. They already have fully developed characters, their universe, and they have "sample work" in the form of the original media. Ergo, it's easier for them to write a story of their own when most of the hard work has been done for them. And, if they do happen to break the rules or throw away the limits, meh, it's their fic; they can do with it what they want.

So, all this complaining then begs the question: is there anything good about fan fiction?

I honestly can't say. I have read some fan fiction, and not all of it is terrible--just most of it. But for those pieces of good fan fiction, I have to ask, why write good fan fiction when you can change the names and basically invent an original story? It always comes back to that for me. If you're going to go through the trouble of writing a story, write an original story!

But anyway, like I said, not all fan fiction is bad. In fact, my sister has written a number of Resident Evil short stories. She even got some feedback from a fan who said that reading those fics always made her feel better on crappy days. The reader even printed them out and put them in a binder. Now, that's a pretty strong compliment. And, some people would argue that my RWBY fan project RWBY: The Novelization is fan fiction. The devout fanfic'ers on the site don't, but some of those losers actually took the time to tell me a show can only be "anime" if it comes from Japan. It's like, really, dude? You're going to be that much of a stickler. I understand disliking American attempts at anime because they almost always suck, but to be like, "It's not anime unless it came from Japan," I have to wonder about you.

Anyway, I do know that there are people out there who cherish my RWBY:TN. One of the reasons why I started re-editing and rereleasing it was because I had taken a break from writing it, which I needed, and I said I wouldn't be working on it for a while in favor of some of my original work. One of my readers actually commented saying she was disappointed because she liked The Novelization so much. I had no idea, and that's what got me working on it again. So, what are the redeeming qualities on fan fiction?

Well, for one, they help bring together the fandom and even brighten up a fan's day to read a well put together piece. Another boon is that so long as the fanfic writer doesn't violate the characters' character or the universe's laws, it can be a dandy little practice for people who want to try writing but are either scared to come up with an original story or don't have the time to put into creating an original story. It's also possible that by writing fanfics, some writers will evolve into writing full stories.

So, I guess there are some good things about fan fiction, but generally, I still hate it. Again, it keeps coming back to the idea of writing an original story. So much time and effort is spent writing a fanfic, just write an original story instead. I just can't get around that point.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Next week, I'm not sure what I'll cover. It'll either be on why I chose to self-publish my novels over traditional, or why it bothers me that it bothers other people that main characters have "plot armor." We'll see which one burns my ass more when I come back to writing a Let's Talk About Writing. So, until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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Spiritual Warfare: Is Divination Evil?

Hey, everyone.

So, whilst I was thinking of topics to write about on the subject of ghosts and whatnot, I realized I didn't know a lot about ghosts. When it comes to the paranormal, I'm more of a cryptozoologist. But then I remembered, there is one other topic I'm well-versed in when it comes to the paranormal: spiritual warfare.

Well, I'm not well-versed, but I'm certainly no layman. From my Catholic background, I eat this stuff up. Hell, my first serious novel, Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens, is about demon slayers, and the concepts of the world and enemies are based on Catholic doctrine and Catholic demonology. Back when I was a youth minister, I actually led a few "seminars" in which I lectured on the book An Exorcist Tells His Story by Fr. Gabriele Amorth. And since then, I've garnered quite a few resources on exorcisms, demonic activity, and spiritual warfare.

So, that brings us back to the blog post for today. Originally, I was going to try to tackle the theory of what ghosts actually are, but my sister knows a hell of a lot more on that subject than I do. So instead, I decided to look at a subject that gets a lot of attention and buzz, but one that many mainstream religions don't seem to look at in depth, and that is...

That's right; is divination evil? Now, I said this is a topic that many mainstream religions don't seem to look at, but it is one that many of them have taken a stance on. So, the question is, is their stance justified? Is their attitude banning the use of divination a fair cop? Let's take a look at divination and see if we can't puzzle something out.

The Mainstream Perspective

So, to begin with, I want to look at the mainstream perspective of divination, and with my Catholic background, this should be a cinch.

So, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2115 says this:

God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

Now, paragraph 2115 seems a little on the fence about divination. On the one hand, God can reveal what He may to whom He pleases, but the Catechism is urging every mother's son what calls himself a good Christian to place himself under the Providence of God. Providence, when capitalized, means divine guidance or care. So, 2115 is a bit vague, but paragraph 2116 lays down the law:

All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

So, that seems quite clear on the subject as whole. But, there are a few problems:

1. Most psychics who use divination don't work in a capacity to control time, history, or other people. In fact, many psychics, including card, palm, and rune readers, use their gifts to help others find their way out of troubled situations and inform them which path of life is best suited for them at the current moment.

2. Many diviners will tell you that while they can predict the future, they don't necessarily. They use their talents or methods to "read" the current energy of the universe so as to see the issue from an outside perspective so they can then advise their clients or themselves on the best course of action. In fact, something palm readers will tell you is that your future is "in your hands, not on them."

3. As for the mention of clairvoyance and mediums, the Catholic Church has documented and recorded several moments of psychic phenomenon that they saw as God given. For instance, Ed and Lorraine Warren were the only two laymen ever allowed to conduct exorcisms because of their talents. St. Padre Pio is documented to have been psychic, and could even levitate and bilocate. And, both me and my sister have our own psychic abilities: my sister is a bit of a medium and I possess clairsentience.

So, although the Catechism was written as the be all, end all book on Catholic beliefs, there seem to be a few things it leaves out. Hell, I could go on with even more exceptions where people of the faith have had psychic or intuitive experiences. And, the objections from psychics and diviners go on as well. Speaking of which...

The Diviner's Perspective

Now, this seems obvious at first glance. Of course diviners of all sorts are going to say that divination isn't evil. But, there was an article I found, and it bugs the hell out of me that I can't find it now, that was doing some myth busting on Tarot. One of the myths was whether or not Tarot was evil. I didn't read the analysis that went with it, but the TL;DR notes said something along the lines of "sort of" or "can be."

Now, before you all fly off the handle, let me explain how and why I think the person writing the blog came to that answer. But first, a story. This story is about a girl who got a Ouija board, better known as a witch board, for Christmas. During her interactions with it, it said it was going to kill her uncle. The girl's mother, fearing what could happen, took holy water and blessed the board. From then on, the board never answered any question directly and only said things like "time will tell." And the uncle didn't die.

But, there is another story where a boy and his aunt were messing around with a witch board, and what followed their dabblings was a nightmare for both of them as the boy became horribly possessed by a demonic entity and required a fierce exorcism to cleanse him.

Now, that first story I told about the witch board, that girl was my sister, the girl's mother was my mother, and the uncle was my uncle, and it is all 100% true. As for the second story, that's 100% true too, and is the real-life story for the inspiration behind the movie The Exorcist. So, what can we learn from these two stories? Firstly, not everything that comes out of a witch board will come to pass, but if you're not careful when using one, sh*t can hit the fan. So, where does that leave us on the topic of divination?

Well, the way I look at it is this: there are supernal powers out there: positive, negative, and neither, and they want to be found. So, they will do what is necessary to be found. Hell, I once asked a very devoted Catholic woman that if I got a quarter, had it blessed by a priest, and then flipped it before a major decision, would God use it to communicate with me. Her response was that God would talk to me through a fortune cookie if He thought I'd listen to it.

The point here though is that Tarot, runes, scrying, witch boards, etc. create an opening to us from external sources. Obviously, this is problematic as we have no way of controlling what comes to us, although many psychics and readers will say things like "imagine yourself surrounded with light" or "that only the very best advice comes out of the reading." This is their way of making sure evil doesn't interfere with their readings, but honestly, as a person raised Catholic and as person who is well versed on the trickery of the Devil and who knows the efficacy of invoking God's name as a means of dealing with evil, why bother with all this light and "very best" garbage? Just go straight to the source. You may say, "Oh, well, I don't believe in God like you do," or "I'm not Catholic." That's not an excuse. You're messing with forces with which you are a plaything. Take it from me, having God the Father watching your back works, and it works a damn sight better than all that new age crap. But that begs the question can divination be used under God and still work?

Well, that's a difficult question to answer. I've been doing my research, and there's a lot of stuff written about this. One such thing comes from the book of Deuteronomy, 18: 10-11:

Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead.

Basically, this says everything that Catechism 2116 said. But, by mentioning the Catechism 2116, I'm sure you all remember me bringing up paragraph 2115 which said "God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints." So, what makes these "prophets" special that they can receive visions of the future but others can't?

Well, the biblical definition of "prophet" is different from what we think. According to an article on Judaism 101, a prophet is a "person chosen by G-d to speak to people on G-d's behalf and convey a message or teaching. Prophets were role models of holiness, scholarship and closeness to G-d. They set the standards for the entire community." And in regards to the act of prophecy, the webpage says further "prophecy is not a gift that is arbitrarily conferred upon people; rather, it is the culmination of a person's spiritual and ethical development. When a person reaches a sufficient level of spiritual and ethical achievement, the Shechinah (Divine Spirit) comes to rest upon him or her. Likewise, the gift of prophecy leaves the person if that person lapses from his or her spiritual and ethical perfection."

But, that isn't to say that divination is totally banned. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the proper method for people to inquire about the future was to use the prophets, use dreams since "God would often reveal Himself to His chosen ones in a dream," and could consult the Urim and Thummim, a type of "lot oracle." If you Google them, they look like flat discs and were probably used a bit like dice. So, if God allowed for these sorts of practices, does that mean they're okay?

I'm not too sure. Honestly, I'm not going to give my blessing one way or the other. I have dabbled in runes and Tarot, but I use them as a means to communicate with God since He tends to be a quiet talker. I mean, Matthew 6: 25-34 tells us not to worry about anything and that God will provide all that we need. "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." But, there are times when sometimes we do need a bit of extra or immediate guidance. In those cases, I believe in asking God to send you sign, but make sure you establish what the sign is and what it means so that God can communicate effectively with you. (Remember my question about the quarter?) In that case, some methods of divination such as runes and Tarot might be permissible, but use your own judgment and always proceed with caution.

Next week, I think I'll continue with the spiritual warfare theme and I'll be giving some tips on how one can recognize demonic activity. A lot of people are quite ignorant of how evil works and what it looks like. So, that should be quite useful.

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY: The Novelization: Jaundice

RWBY: The Novelization is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.

Teams JNPR and RWBY had a class together with the eccentric and caffeine-addicted Professor Oobleck. At least half-a-dozen coffee mugs littered his desk and he held another in his hand, sipping from it occasionally. He zipped around the room going over the basic history of the Faunus while some students, like Jaune, quietly napped, seemingly unnoticed.

“Yes, yes. Prior to the Faunus Rights Movement, better known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population on the island of Menagerie. Now! While this may seem like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day.

“Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?”

Weiss raised her hand. “The Battle at Fort Castle.”

“Precisely! And! Who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagoon’s forces?”

There was a pause. Just long enough for Cardin to flick a paper football at the back of Jaune’s head and wake him with a start, catching Oobleck’s eye.

“Mr. Arc!” said Oobleck. “Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! Now, what is the answer?”

Jaune hemmed and hawed. While looking across the room past Oobleck at Pyrrha to get a hint, he babbled, “Uh, the answer… the advantage… the Faunus had over that guy’s stuff was…”

Pyrrha made vague gestures with her fingers to her eyes, mouthing, “Night vision.” But Jaune didn’t get it. She tried cupping her hands and holding them up to her eyes.

Jaune’s head snapped back, and he proudly proclaimed, “Binoculars!”

The class laughed, Oobleck sipped his coffee, and Pyrrha facepalmed.

“Very funny, Mr. Arc.” Oobleck looked up and noticed Cardin was laughing hardest of all. “Mr. Winchester. Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject.”

Cardin leaned back and put his feet up on the desk. “Well, I know that it’s a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier.”

Pyrrha replied, “You’re not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?”

“What? You got a problem?”

“No. I have the answer. It’s night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark.”

Blake added, “General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched and the general was captured.” She turned to Cardin. “Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn’t have been remembered as such a failure.”

Many in the class went “Ooh!” and Cardin shook his fist.

“Mr. Winchester,” warned Oobleck. “That’ll do. In fact, both you and Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings.”

Jaune groaned.

“Now! Moving on!”

After class, Pyrrha told Ren and Nora to go on ahead as she would wait for Jaune. They did so, and Pyrrha leaned against the wall just outside of the classroom. She could hear Oobleck perfectly.

“You two have been struggling in my class since day one. Now, I don’t know if it’s a lack of interest, or just your stubborn natures, but whatever it is, it stops now. You’ve worked hard to gain entrance to this school, gentlemen, and we only accept the best of the best. So, I expect you to act like it.

“History is important, gentlemen. If you can’t learn from it, you’re destined to repeat it. Your assignment is pages fifty-one to ninety-one, and I want an essay on my desk by next class. Now, run along.”

Jaune and Cardin left, but as soon as they were in the hallway, Cardin shoved Jaune to the ground before walking away.

Pyrrha helped Jaune to his feet. “You know, I really will break his legs.”

“Thanks for the offer…”

As Jaune dusted himself off, Pyrrha suddenly looked excited. “I have an idea! Here, come with me,” she said, dragging him away.

Pyrrha took Jaune to a section of cleared rooftop of Beacon’s dormitory. It was originally used by couples as a not-so-secret make-out spot, but Glynda had cracked down hard on the amorous offenders. As a result, the rooftop was now abandoned.

Pyrrha and Jaune walked to the edge of the roof where they could see Beacon framed against the night sky. Orbs of green light shone from the CCT tower. Pyrrha thought it was a lovely sight. She smiled and looked softly at Jaune. He however had a different take.

“Pyrrha, I know I’m going through a hard time right now, but I’m not that depressed,” he said, looking at the ground several stories below. “I can always be a farmer or something.”

Pyrrha freaked. “N-no!” She pushed Jaune away from the edge. “That’s not why I brought you up here. Jaune, I know you’re having a difficult time in class, and that you’re still not the strongest of fighters, so I want to help you.” She gave him her sweetest smile.

“What?”

“We can train up here after class where no one can bother us.”

“You… think I need help?”

Seeing Jaune’s crushed spirit, Pyrrha quickly said, “N-no. No. That’s not what I meant.”

“But you just said that.”

“Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn’t make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon. That speaks volumes of your potential.”

Jaune turned away. “You’re wrong.” He sighed. “I don’t belong here.”

“That’s a terrible thing to say. Of course, you do.”

“No, I don’t!”

Pyrrha recoiled.

He sighed again. “I wasn’t really accepted into Beacon.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I didn’t go to combat school, I didn’t pass any tests, I didn’t earn my spot at this academy. I lied. I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied.”

Pyrrha was shocked. How could Jaune perpetrate such a deception? “But why?”

“Because this is what I’ve always wanted to be. My father, my grandfather, and his father before him, they were all warriors. They were all heroes. I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough.”

“Then… let me help you,” pleaded Pyrrha.

“I don’t want help! I don’t want to be the damsel-in-distress! I want to be the hero! I’m tired of being the lovable idiot stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives. Don’t you get it?! If I can’t do this on my own, then what good am I?”

Pyrrha stepped toward Jaune, but he stepped back.

“Just… leave me alone.”

“If that’s what you think is best,” she said sadly.

Pyrrha walked away and tried her best not to cry. It was bad enough Jaune had lied to everyone, to his team, and to her, but to flat out reject her aide and show how immature he truly was… he was not the man she thought he was. He was not the man she hoped he could be.

Jaune stayed on the roof and paced for a little while pitying himself. Then he heard someone laughing. He turned around and up popped Cardin, scaling the building.

“Oh, Jaune. I couldn’t help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel.”

“Please, Cardin! Please! Please, don’t tell anyone.”

“Jaune. Come on. I’d never rat out a friend like that.”

“A ‘friend?’”

Cardin put his arm around Jaune and pulled him into a less-than-friendly headlock. “Of course. We’re friends now, Jauney boy. And the way I see it, as long as you’re there for me when I need you, we’ll be friends for a long time.” Cardin released Jaune; he was gasping for air. “That being said, I really don’t have the time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?” Cardin ruffled Jaune’s hair.

Jaune didn’t answer.

“That’s what I thought. Don’t worry, Jaune. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Cardin disappeared back over the roof’s edge while Jaune tried to figure out what sort of deal with the devil he had just made.
 

It had been a few days since Cardin had shanghaied Jaune into his service. Jaune had not shared the status of his new captivity with his team.

One night, he had just made it back to his dorm after running a few errands for Cardin when suddenly he heard Nora talking through the door. “How come Jaune gets home so late?”

“He has become rather scarce since he’s been fraternizing with Cardin,” Ren replied.

“That’s weird. Doesn’t he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest.”

“I’m sure our leader knows exactly what he’s doing,” Pyrrha bit. She was worried about Jaune, but still upset with him. And Jaune suddenly being friends with Cardin exacerbated everything. Had he really gone to the dark side to become stronger?

Jaune had heard Pyrrha. He knew that she knew that he didn’t know what he was doing anymore. He had allowed himself to become enslaved to his ambitions and lost her respect in turn. How many times had he considered telling Glynda himself so he could stop being Cardin’s slave? But he never had the courage to pull through.

A cheery voice startled him. “Hey, Jaune!”

He jumped and turned. It was Ruby in her pajamas.

“Long time, no see. Did you lock yourself out again?”

“Oh! Uh, nope. Got it,” he said, holding up his scroll.

“So, where have you been lately?”

“I, uh…” Jaune paused. He desperately wanted to tell someone. And before he knew it, he had already blurted, “I messed up. I did something I shouldn’t have, and now Cardin’s got me on a leash, and Pyrrha won’t even talk to me, and… I’m starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea.” He shrunk to the floor. “I’m a failure.”

There was a brief pause before Ruby said, “Nope.”

“Nope?”

“Nope. You’re a leader now, Jaune. You’re not allowed to be a failure.”

“But… what if I’m a failure at being a leader?”

Ruby thought for a second. “Nope.”

Jaune laughed humorlessly. “You know, you’re not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff.”

“Nope. Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid.”

Jaune sighed.

“And you might have even been a failure the first day we met.”

Jaune groaned.

“But you can’t be one now. You know why? Because it’s not just about you anymore. You’ve got a team now, Jaune. We both do. And if we fail, 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. Well, good night.” Ruby disappeared into her dorm.

Jaune stood. He didn’t know where Ruby had gotten such an insight into being a team leader, especially when she herself had had problems with her own teammates not that long ago. But he had a strong feeling she was right. He would have to put his team first. Unfortunately, his scroll ringing made him forget about Ruby’s sagacious advice. He answered it.

“Hey! It’s your buddy, Cardin. I know you’re probably busy with that dust project I gave you, but I’m gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of rapier wasps.”

Jaune started. Rapier wasps? What would it take to get his hands on those?

“Make sure they’ve got some really big stingers. It’s important, so don’t screw this up.”

Jaune closed his scroll and sighed. This mess was getting worse by the minute.
 

The next day, the first year students found themselves in a forest of perpetually falling leaves in shades of yellow, red, and orange. Glynda led them through the forest, explaining, “Yes, students. The Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I’m here to make sure none of you die while doing so.” She turned around abruptly.

Everyone stopped except for Jaune who had been lugging equipment and jars enough for six people. He couldn’t see over his load and bumped into Cardin who growled at him.

Glynda continued, “Each of you is to gather one jar’s worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stay by your teammates. We’ll rendezvous back here at four o’clock. Have fun.”

Cardin smiled darkly at Jaune. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go.”

Jaune looked at Pyrrha forlornly. She had the same look. Jaune wanted to join her, but he followed after Cardin.

Some time passed, and while the members of Team CRDL lounged about, Jaune came stumbling into the clearing with all six jars filled. He put them on the ground and collapsed. In a funny voice he said, “I think I’m allergic to this stuff.”

“Great, great, great,” said Cardin, not listening. “So Jaune, I bet you’re asking yourself ‘why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there’s only five of us?’”

“That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today.” But several others had been much more important and disparaging.

“Well, come with me, and you’ll find out.”

Jaune groaned.

They managed to sneak up to a fallen log overlooking a scene with both Teams RWBY and JNPR as they went about collecting sap.

Jaune looked at Cardin. He seemed to radiate a black fury. “Cardin. What’s going on?”

“Payback,” he growled.

Jaune looked where Cardin was looking. “Pyrrha?”

“That’s the girl! Red-haired know-it-all. Thinks she’s so smart.” Cardin pulled out a box that seemed to be buzzing angrily. “Alright, boys. Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of rapier wasps, and now, we’re gonna put’em to work.

“Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. And I’m thinking it’s time we teach her a thing or two.” Team CRDL stood with Cardin pulling Jaune to his feet. He shoved one of the jars of sap in his stomach. “And you’re gonna do it.”

“Do… what?” Jaune dreaded the answer.

“Hit her with the sap, of course. Either that, or I’ll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you’ll be on the first airship out of Beacon.”

Jaune looked at the jar in his hands. He looked up at Cardin. His hopes and dreams completely depended on staying at Beacon. If he couldn’t stay, he’d never become a warrior—he’d never become a hero like his father and grandfather.

Jaune cocked his arm back, but as he looked at Pyrrha, he felt his ambition waver. It was bad enough he had lied to Pyrrha and rejected her offer to help him. But now he was going to betray her in so dastardly a way, Jaune knew it meant no going back. Were his dreams worth losing his teammates, friends, and Pyrrha?

 “Do it, Jaune,” commanded Cardin.

Jaune felt something turn over in his mind. He lowered his arm. “No.”

Cardin leaned in. “What did you say?”

Jaune’s rebellion spurred his ire. Justly upset with himself and angry at Cardin, his passion released itself. “I said, no!” Jaune threw the sap at Cardin and it shattered on his breastplate, covering him in sap.

“Oh, you’ve done it now,” said Cardin, looming forward.

Two members of CRDL grabbed Jaune by the shoulders and pulled him in. Laughing nervously was his only defense.

“You know that wasn’t very smart, Jauney boy,” said Cardin, slugging Jaune. “I’m going to make sure that they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny pieces.”

Jaune’s face began to bear a significant bruise. “I don’t care what you do to me, but you are not messing with my team.”

“What? You think talk like that makes you tough?” Cardin picked Jaune up by the collar and lifted him off the ground. “You think you’re a big, strong man now?”

Jaune smiled. It struck him that maybe this was how someone becomes a hero. And the fact that he had done it for Pyrrha made him feel all the more virtuous, but he didn’t know why.

Cardin thought Jaune was mocking him. He raised a fist and threw it into Jaune’s face. But just as his fist connected, there was a blinding flash of light. Cardin dropped Jaune, screamed, and cradled his hand.

Jaune looked at his own hands and saw a faint white aura surrounding them. But after it faded, Cardin knew that the moment had passed.

“Let’s see how much of a man you really—”

But then, there was a savage growl.

The boys turned and saw a great, black beast lumber out of the forest with massive white claws, bones, and spines protruding from its body. Its eyes were like fire and it seemed to be wearing its skull outside of its head.

The beast took a minute to sniff the air and seemed to take a quick interest in Cardin.

As his team abandoned him, one of them couldn’t help remarking, “That’s a big Ursa!”

Cardin drew his mace and readied himself for combat. But the Ursa was too strong and fast, knocking Cardin to the ground.

Jaune looked back into the forest and didn’t think Cardin’s team would return. His hand trembled as he reached for his sword.

Not that far removed, Teams RWBY and JNPR were still collecting their sap when they heard the Ursa roar. Ruby asked the painfully obvious. “Did you guys hear that?”

Suddenly, Team CRDL ran past them.

“Ursa! Ursa!” one of them warned. He ran right into Yang and bounced off. She was pretty sturdy for a chick and didn’t even flinch. It was also a pity because he thought running right into Yang’s front would have been awesome.

“What?!” said Yang. She grabbed him by the shirt. “Where?”

“Back there! It’s got Cardin.”

Pyrrha dropped her jar of sap. “Jaune!”

“Yang!” said Ruby. “You and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch.”

“You two go with them,” said Pyrrha, indicating Ren and Nora. “There could be more.”

Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss drew their weapons and ran deeper into the forest. They arrived just in time to see Cardin struggling to get away from the Ursa as it loomed over him. Its gaping mouth was as big as his head.

The Ursa attacked again but was stopped by Jaune, shielding Cardin. He buckled under the Ursa’s strength, and Weiss replied by flourishing Myrtenaster.

“Wait,” said Pyrrha. Seeing Jaune fighting and defending the bully, not out of fear, but virtue, made her think he had finally come around. And in fact, winning this battle may go a long way to boosting his confidence.

Jaune managed to push the Ursa’s claw away and made a wrathful slash to its torso. The Ursa roared and struck again, but Jaune rolled out of the way. It swung again, and again Jaune dodged.

Jaune worked up his courage and charged. The Ursa however swung and got him, this time knocking him to the ground. Jaune bounced, but he rolled right back up on his feet. He charged again, but again, the Ursa knocked him away.

Jaune stood, feeling much worse for wear. He checked his scroll and saw that his aura was in the red. He could have adopted a more defensive strategy, but from stories told to him by his father and grandfather, he knew that the more aggressive combatant would always win. He had no choice but to keep fighting.

The Ursa charged and Jaune ran to meet it. He brought his sword back just as the Ursa raised its claw.

Pyrrha, her battle senses being so finely tuned, could see the outcome of this final crossover—Jaune would have his head taken clean off. But then Pyrrha noticed where Jaune’s shield was. Instead of protecting himself while he swung, his shield was way off to the side where it would do him no good. But a minor adjustment just might put things in his favor.

Pyrrha lifted her hand and there was a strange magnetic buzz. Jaune’s shield came up and the Ursa’s claw scratched against it and slid off. Jaune almost went down to one knee from the impact of the blow, but adrenaline pushed him on forcing him to lift his sword and in one swift slash, he decapitated the Ursa.

Ruby looked at Pyrrha as her hand dropped. “Uh? What?”

“How did you…?” Weiss began.

“Well,” began Pyrrha, “Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs… my Semblance is polarity.”

“Whoa,” said Ruby. “You can control poles.”

“No, you dunce!” chided Weiss. “It means she has control over magnetism.”

“Magnets are cool, too,” Ruby replied. Then after a second, “How do they work? Seriously?”

Pyrrha turned.

“Where are you going?” asked Weiss.

“Yeah!” agreed Ruby. “We have to tell someone what happened.”

“We… could,” said Pyrrha. “Or perhaps, we could just keep it our little secret.” She looked at Jaune as he sheathed his sword. A big smile crept across her face.

Jaune helped Cardin to his feet.

“Holy crap, Jaune!”

“Don’t mess with my team—my friends!—ever again. Got it?!”

Cardin didn’t say anything and looked sorry.

Jaune didn’t say anything else. He just walked away.

That night, Jaune was on the abandoned rooftop overlooking Beacon. In the past few hours, he’d thought about many things including coming clean to Glynda and dropping out of Beacon. His thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the clip-clop of a set of heels. He instantly recognized the cadence of the step.

“No Cardin tonight?” asked Pyrrha, somewhat surprised but still trying to suppress her glee. “I thought you two were best buds.”

“Pyrrha. I’m sorry. I was a jerk. You were only trying to help, and I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head.”

“It’s okay, Jaune.” She had already forgiven him. “Your team really misses their leader, you know. You should come down,” she said, walking away. “Ren made pancakes. No syrup though, you can thank Nora for that.”

“Wait!”

Pyrrha stopped.

“I know I don’t deserve it after all that happened, but… would you still be willing to help me? To become a better fighter? Otherwise, I may have to drop out.”

Pyrrha turned her back on him. She closed her eyes and an impish smile came to her face. This was exactly the sort of opportunity she needed. In fact, her first offer hadn’t been completely selfless, either.

She walked up to Jaune and put her hands on his chest. She paused for a second, smiling, before pushing him down.

“Hey!”

“Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground.”

“…Oh.”

Pyrrha helped Jaune up, but held onto his hand just a little longer than necessary. “Let’s try that again.”

Keep writing, my friends.

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RWBY Speculation: The Importance of Silver Eyes

This blog is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.

Hey, everyone.

So, I know for this week I said I would be going back to RWBY Theory, but screw it, this is more of a speculative blog. Plus, people can't rub it in my face as hard if I get something wrong. Anyway, for this week's topic, I'll be covering...

That's correct--the importance of silver eyes. This is one of the most overlooked and least understood aspects of RWBY. In fact, when I think about it, I get a little annoyed because of how quickly it's glossed over at the end of Volume 3. Anyway, let's take a look at Ruby's silver eyes and see if we can't piece together anything important.

Why Silver Eyes?

Why does Ruby have silver eyes? From a canon perspective, it's because Summer did. But from a writing perspective, what purpose do they serve? And what's the big deal about eyes in RWBY, because remember, both Amber's and Cinder's eyes burn when using the power of the Maiden. And why are Ruby's eyes silver?

The Symbolism of Eyes:

To understand eyes better, I dug into their symbolism. Most of us are probably aware of the saying "eyes are the window to the soul." And what with aura and Semblance being based off the soul, it'd make sense for this connection to be in RWBY. One website I found listed several other interesting qualities associated with eyes including intelligence, light, vigilance, moral conscience, and truth, all of which are noble qualities I would expect a huntsman to uphold. Eyes can also represent judgment, authority, clairvoyance, and omniscience. And of course, the site mentions eyes being the gateway to the soul. But, that's not enough to go on alone. None of us can really look Ruby, Cinder, and Amber in the eyes and see into their souls. But, something that the website did mention is that eye color carries with it its own unique meanings too, which brings us to the next component.

The Meaning of the Color Silver:

We're all familiar with the usual color meanings: red is passion, blue is calmness, green is earth, yellow is happiness, black is death. But what about silver? What does it mean? Well, according to this site silver can mean illumination, reflection, feminine power, dignity, responsibility, insight, and wisdom. Illumination and reflection actually remind me of the virtues truth, light, and moral conscience that are associated with eyes. Never mind the fact that silver can also be related to insight. Perhaps all those Madman's Knowledge items in Bloodborne should've been silver.

Perhaps Micolash should've been praying to these to grant
him eyes.

But, there's another quality there that I'm sure you picked up on: feminine power. Colors are a big deal in RWBY, and while the usual four came to Monty in a dream, it's possible that he knew or found out that silver was feminine, hence why he gave Ruby silver eyes. Some may say that's looking into it too much, but he also gave Summer silver eyes. Could just be genetics, but it could be more. It could be that all silver eyed warriors are women. That'd be interesting.

But, I think there's another, more obvious connection to the color silver in RWBY. Perhaps you remember Qrow telling Ruby the legend of how people born with silver eyes were destined to live the lives of warriors, that the Grimm feared them, and that a look alone could kill a Grimm? While humanity's greatest enemy is the Grimm, it seems like only those with silver eyes are the enemies of the Grimm. Why?

Well, what's the stereotypical Grimm? By that, I mean, what's the most common Grimm we see? Beowolves, right? Which are... wolves. And I'm asking questions about silver. Do you see where I'm going with this? Sure, the Beowolves aren't werewolves, but they are evil. And evil things are supposed to have an aversion to silver. Hell, it can be used against vampires, too. So, could it be that the silver eyed warriors have silver eyes due to some concept of good versus evil? It's possible. But, what does that mean for the show?

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Silver Eyes in RWBY:

Do you remember Salem's opening narration in the first episode? This opening narration gave us quite a bit of information, but there is a part of it that is overlooked. When she's talking about how the Grimm attacked early man, she says, "it seemed like darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds."

Now, some may think that Salem was talking about Dust since that's what that line leads up to. But, let me draw your attention to Ozpin's rebuttal in that episode, and then Salem's response to Ozpin at the end of Volume 3.

Ozpin: But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul. [camera pans down to Ruby]

Salem: "A smaller, more honest soul." It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope. Breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power to snuff it out. [...] So you send your guardians, your huntsmen and huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise.

Hopefully you can see the parallel I'm trying to draw between the "smaller, more honest soul" and the "simple spark" that can ignite hope, change, and strength. And hopefully, you get the fact that I'm trying to say that the smaller, more honest soul that brought about the salvation of humanity is from the silver eyed warriors thus meaning simpler souls have silver eyes, or that people with silver eyes have simpler souls. And this theory does work when we consider what we know about Ruby. I mean, she is kind of simple. She says she wants to become a huntress because she wants to help people. That's all she wants; no more, no less. It's very direct and honest. It's not slightly backhanded like Yang who's in it for the thrills, and it's not complicated like Weiss and Blake who are fighting for honor and justice. Ruby is doing righteousness for the sake righteousness. In fact, we could even use words like innocent and pure to describe Ruby, but not so much with the other three.

"Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"I'm hoping we all will."

Now, while this seems nice and tidy, I'm still lacking proof for my claim. The biggest problem is that we don't know anything of substance about Summer, the only other character in the series with silver eyes. But, given her similar appearance to Ruby, we could assume they have similar personalities or at the least, similar thought processes. One thing that bothers me about the Xiao Long-Rose family is why Tai thought it would be a good idea to get into a relationship with Raven, and then how easily and quickly Summer filled her place because remember, Yang has no memory of Raven being her mother. So, I wonder quite a bit about Tai's mindset and Summer's. I mean, they were partners. Was there an actual romance between them and Raven was a fling or the other woman? Or, was Summer Tai's consolation prize; was she the girl who had been pining for Tai ever since the beginning and managed to luck out when Raven went AWOL because Tai was on the rebound?

She's got a hood, a cloak, bobbed hair with
the same coloration. And a combat skirt!

But, if we accept the fact that Summer has a simple soul, she doesn't get caught up in complex reasons, she just does what's best for the situation, because her becoming Yang's mother was what was best in that situation, then it's easier to understand why Summer married Tai. Summer is a warrior of justice and virtue like her daughter.

But! There's still a problem. I still haven't answered the question why is having silver eyes important. Well, if Ozpin is doubling down on the fact that victory lies within a smaller, more honest soul, and silver eyed warriors have simpler, more honest souls, then Ruby is going to be the hero of our story. Not like that's a surprise. She's the main character after all.

But, this doesn't answer everything. For instance, why did Qrow side step Ruby's question at the end of Vol. 3? Why didn't he tell her how he knew what Ozpin said to her? And how come Qrow doesn't know more about the silver eyes? If it was so important to Ozpin, why didn't he tell Qrow? I mean, Qrow's teammate/sister-in-law and niece both have silver eyes. How come they don't know more? This also begs the question was it Summer Hazel was referring to when he said they've "dealt with their kind before?" Or, did he mean other silver eyed warriors? How many of them are there? And if there are plenty, where do they come from? Perhaps they're the ones Salem spoke of in the introduction when she said that humanity is the remnant of a "forgotten past."

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This also brings into question the origin of Dust. Monty said Dust is like materia from FFVII in how there are different kinds. But maybe he hid the fact that that similarities go deeper than that. Maybe Dust is the actual dust of an ancient, long dead civilization. I mean, Pyrrha did turn to dust and thus kindly scatter when she died. Maybe Dust is the remnant of silver eyed warriors who mastered their auras in amazing ways.

But, I'm rambling now. There are still unanswered questions such as the eye connection. It could just be because the eye is the gateway to the soul and the power of the Maiden and the power of silver eyes comes from the soul, but we can't make that claim until we understand the weaknesses of the Maiden's powers and what actually causes the power of the silver eyes to awaken and what they do when they're used. As far as we know, they're good for petrifying a dragon, blinding people, sprouting angel wings from one's eyeballs, and putting out some bitch's eye. And there are painful side effects to using the power. Hopefully, some of these questions will be answered in Volume 5. Honestly, I care more about the mystery of the silver eyes, Dust, Jaune's bloodline, and why the moon's f*cked up more than I do about Remnant's creation story or artifacts.

Speaking of Vol. 5, it premieres next week Saturday. But, only for First Members. Hopefully RT will let others watch it for free on Sunday because f*ck First Membership. But, my point is, for next week's post, I'll be doing a "what I think will happen in Vol. 5" post. Also, if you're on RT's mailing list, you'll know about the exclusive event in which you can see the first chapter Vol. 5 next week Thursday. Here's the advert.

Go to Fathom Events to learn more.

Until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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The INTJ Mystique

Hey, everyone.

So, like I said last week, this week I'll be focusing on...

Doubtlessly, some of you are quite curious as to what I mean by the "INTJ Mystique." Basically, this post is all about why INTJ's are so damn cool. Sure, we could break down the letters and talk about introversion and intuition, but that doesn't really explain what an INTJ is. It doesn't give an idea of how the letters I, N, T, and J come together and affect each other. So, let me tell you all about INTJ's.

An INTJ is one of the most difficult things to understand. It is a mass of complexes and sometimes paradoxes. They're cold on the outside, but are driven by the hottest of fires on the inside. They live for logic, but possess a strong intuition capable of knowing something without actually knowing anything about it. We hate irrationality and bad grammar, but we also hate feeling like we're being boxed in or that we're bound by rules that don't need to exist.

We abhor the simple, mundane world seeking instead occult knowledge, looking for something  someone may have missed. We even take already well-known knowledge and subject it to our scrutiny just to make sure it is solid. And then, rather than throwing that knowledge away, we store it in our minds and find another use for it, or we uncover how it connects to something else.

INTJ's are outsiders. We're outsiders to the systems that other people live in; systems for how they live, act, work, love or believe. We can see them at work and how they work. We can predict how they affect people and how to use the system to affect people. People don't understand why we don't, can't, or won't live within their systems, but that is precisely why we are needed by society because only we know how to alter the systems or even control the people within them.

INTJ's are unlimited in their abilities. Some will accuse us of being socially awkward and being clueless in love, but this isn't true. Social and romantic interactions can be studied and predicted. And if it can be studied, INTJ's can master it. There are no limits to what we can learn and how to utilize our knowledge. Plus, it would be a great waste of our intuition, the otherworldly quality that grants us a priori knowledge, if we didn't try to master friendships, relationships, and religion. This is what our intuition was designed for. If we can master the ethereal, then we can master the physical.

By being unlimited, we allow ourselves the room to pursue perfection and to always be better than we were. It's why we have immutable principles and ethics, it's why we're so loyal as friends, and it's why we make the best spouses. INTJ's are determined, powerful prodigies. The universe is one big puzzle for us to solve and we will solve it, or die trying. But even that type of death is more rewarding than a life lived chasing the Joneses. "A story is only as epic as you allow it to be." The same is true for INTJ's; we are epic because we allow ourselves to be. We are a whole gaggle of Neo's from The Matrix allowing ourselves to live beyond the rules of what normal humans think is possible.

This is the INTJ Mystique. We are the greatest personality type in MBTI. You won't hear us roar, and you may pass us out on the street and not realize it, but in a subtle, metaphysical way, we will affect you in the greatest way possible.

Well, there's definitely more I can say about the INTJ Mystique, but I will end it there. In fact, I think I will turn this into a book and go into more detail about why we're so damn awesome. For next week, I'm not sure what I will do yet. Maybe I'll expound on how INTJ's can be the greatest friends, lovers, and actors. Or, I'll go into five more ways I buck the INTJ stereotype. But, until next week...

Keep writing, my friends.

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A Writer's Manifesto: What Is It and Why the Hell Do You Need One?

Hey, everyone.

So, if you're an Indie author, likely you know how some big name writers out there are trying to help us out with our own writing success. One such writer is Jeff Goins. This past week, he emailed all his subscribers and gave out free copies of his book 12 Steps to Make a Living Writing which details all the things writers need to do in order to be successful. Now, most of the tips aren't anything too secret or special: start a blog, get a mailing list, get more followers, etc. But one of his tips left me a bit puzzled and that was...

Now, this left me confused as hell, as is obvious by the two questions underneath, because I thought I knew what a manifesto is and I didn't understand what the hell it had to do with writing. According to him, a manifesto is "a summary of [our] worldview. It's a short, shareable document that quickly lets [our] readers know what [we] are and are not about."

That sounds simple enough, but you'll notice that Goins defines the word "manifesto" around another word: "worldview." Now, I thought I knew what a worldview was, too. But, according to Goins, a worldview is "the guiding statement that undergirds everything you write and why you write it." And again, I'm really f*cking confused. I've never thought about what I write and why I write it in some great cosmic sense. I write what I do because I want to. That's as far as it goes really. Now, there may be reasons besides that, such as the reason why I'm writing a novelization of RWBY, to expand my audience, or why I'm writing a beginner's guide to traditional archery, to introduce people to archery in a friendly manner and to expand my audience, but all things I write start foremost with the reason of because I want to.

 

Unfortunately, telling people that I write because I want to isn't very romantic. To some extent, I do feel a calling to be a writer, and not everything I want to write is random, some of it has a definite point such as another WIP that I'm calling "Struggles on and Meditations with the Catholic Faith." That's all about breaking down the harder to swallow beliefs of Catholicism and explaining why Catholics have them. So, the purpose is to enlighten others. But, I'm also writing that because I want to write it. Like I said earlier, I may have other reasons for why I write something, but generally I write because I want to write.

 

Now, some may ask, how does this cover the what I want to write. How do I choose to write what I do. Well, I write what I write because again, I want to--I'm interested in it. I'm interested in poetry, philosophy, romance, thriller, horror, gothic, fantasy, science fiction, plays, screenplays, and all the rest. There's no great metaphysical reason behind why I write. I write because there's nothing in this world I would rather do.

 

So, unfortunately, that's my manifesto: I write because I want to. Truth be told, phrasing it as "I write because there's nothing in this world I would rather do" is much more romantic, but it's the same thing. In fact, I may actually use that as my manifesto instead. But, the point is, I write because I want to, hence why I call myself Bryan C. Laesch, the Writer. I write for the sake of writing.

 

And to get rich.

 

Next week, I'm going to cover fan fiction and whether or not it's good to dabble in it or not. And, in case you didn't notice, the two ads on this post are of my two newly published novels: Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens and Heroes of Majestia: The Company of Flight. Click on'em. Buy'em. Do it!

Keep writing, my friends.

 

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