RWBY: Silver Eyes
Volume 1: Arc 2: Lessons
Chapter X: This Will Be the Day – The Journal
CAUTION: potential trigger warning, we follow the perspective of a depressed person, so watch out if that stuff bothers you.
"Power is not will, it is the phenomenon of physically making things happen."
-Madara Uchiha
Log #1:
Well, this is going to be weird, I can tell already. I read once that it… helps sort things out if time is spent sitting down and writing about what has happened recently and how I feel. Honestly the only thing I see this doing is reminding me of all the thoughts that plague me daily.
Anyway, the plan is to write in this journal every week or whenever something important happens. I suppose the events of today are a start. I mean, I guess today was important, even if it didn't feel like it. It never does.
Today was initiation day for those attending Beacon academy. It was essentially a small ceremony and a speech from the headmaster. Everyone seemed excited about the whole thing – something that I didn't experience personally. It was as if I was in a bubble of glass, separated from the joy that the other students seemed to be experiencing. I say 'seem' a lot, but that's because I wouldn't know if that's how they really felt, how would I know if I had never really experienced it? Ignorance isn't bliss.
Nothing much of importance happened earlier today, though the trip on the airship to Beacon was irritating. Everyone was talking to each other and socializing, obviously I was excluded from this. I was just that weird girl in the white cloak hiding in the corner after all. If anything, if any of them tried to talk to me anyway I would be suspicious. Who would want to talk to me? Actually want to know about me? They would just want to find a way through my guard. If there is one thing I haven't been able to deny about myself is that I am… 'strong'. I was admitted to Signal Academy on a scholarship that gave me a free ride, despite never having any prior training. Beacon practically demanded that I be allowed to attend a year earlier. I saw how some of those teens were looking at me and whispering. They fear me. They should. I'm just a freak, a monster…
The thing that really irritated me is how they would all look through the windows, looking at the scene outside and having these expressions of awe and wonder. I didn't get it. I looked out the window, attempting to see what they saw, but only saw rocks and cliffs and water. What is it that they saw that gave them a moment of awe that these eyes of mine can't see? That I so desperately want to understand…
I still don't understand it, yet it happened just thirty minutes ago. But I should give a little backstory. Throughout the day I had come to notice a recurring trio, but they were actually a duo interacting with another person. One of them was a blond haired boy with blue eyes, his personality was very… excited I believe the word is; also loud. The other two were a black haired and red eyed boy and girl – the stood close to another and seemed quite comfortable and close with each other. The girl was also exuberant and was beautiful, which wasn't much of a surprise since all the girls here and everywhere were prettier than I could ever be – not that I particularly tried, because what would the point be anyway?
Anyway, the dark haired male was more laid back, calm, and confident. Oh how I wished I could have confidence like he did. I'm not sure what caused it, but somewhere in their first conversation the blond one challenged the other male to a fight, so loudly that everyone could hear his announcement. It actually hurt my ears a little bit, but it was okay, my health doesn't matter anyway – I was fine, enough anyway.
I wasn't sure how the rest of that conversation went, because they black haired duo used their indoor voices, but it seemed like their replies annoyed the blond one. I'm also unsure as to the why, but they continued to have run-ins within my vicinity throughout the day. They were actually right next to me during the initiation ceremony, but I don't think they noticed me even then – which is okay, I didn't expect them to anyway.
However, it was sometime after we all had settled into the ballroom for the night that they were arguing amongst themselves near my location. I had wished that they would just go away and had their argument somewhere else, their energy taunting me with a feeling of light and sun that I hadn't felt been able to feel for a long time. It was then that they finally took notice of me.
Even the blond one, who even I had determined by this point to be somewhat of a dunce, had noticed that I had been near all their previous discussions. He pleaded for me to agree that hand to hand combat was more 'awesome' and 'manly' to fight Grimm with than a scythe which essentially allowed the user to distance them from their combatant. He had then tacked on that his name was Taiyang Xio Long, I was perplexed that he felt the need to apologize for being rude and not having said his name earlier. The black haired male spoke up before I had the chance to say anything and argued that it was much smarter and efficient to be able to easily cut Grimm into pieces and simultaneously prevent them from doing any damage to you; he paused after giving his argument and told me his name was Qrow Brawnwen. Was that a wink? No, that can't be right. Nope.
Taiyang proceeded to continue arguing with Qrow, but I didn't notice much of that at that point as the black-haired beauty was suddenly in my face. She had already revealed to others that she did not care much about personal space and was overly cheerful and playful, all of which I found to be suspicious with a small side of irritation when she approached me of all people. What did this girl want?
She right away announced that her name was Raven Brawnwen, mentioning that made her Qrow's brother by default. It was immediately after her introduction that she asked for my name.
That, which had admittedly shocked me for a moment. Did she actually care? Was she genuinely curious about… me? But the surprise passed, no, she just wanted to be polite… at least when it came to words.
My pause was apparently enough for Raven to begin some interpretation, interrupting me before I could respond, stating that I must be shy. She mumbled something that I almost thought was along the lines of 'cute' but I doubt it. She then declared that she would help me 'break out of my shell' but that could wait. She then explained that it would be appreciated if I could help get the two boys to stop their arguing. Apparently Raven's own input was ignored by Taiyang as being biased.
Raven's expression hinted that I if I refused to help that she was going to persuade me to, so I decided to give in, even though I didn't feel comfortable about it.
I had stepped closer to the two boys and they had paused when I approached. I had reached behind my cloak to reveal my weapons: a long and durable chain link that had spikes protruding from them on the far end of the link which had a blade similar to that on the end of a spear. I also had two trench knives, the blades about half the length of my forearm, they also transformed into pistols. Kongō Fūsa, or Adamantine Sealing Chains, and Yin-Yang were their names respectively.
I declared that it was wise to be able to attack the enemy at any range whether it is long or up close. Apparently that was enough for the two of them to stop arguing, and Raven thanked me for being a good friend and helping them stop fighting. She also then saw the look I gave her when she used the word 'friend', because why would anyone ever consider me as such? All I did was show them my weapons anyway, surely I didn't do much.
Either way, she smiled and said "Yeah, I'm thinking of keeping you around, Qrow here always manages to piss off everyone around him and while it is funny it often gets us in trouble. Maybe with you around he'll stop being such a dick sometimes, especially if blondy is going to be around the school for four years."
She then dragged Qrow away to rest for initiation tomorrow, saying goodbye and goodnight to Taiyang as she left – she was looking at me when she said this, but it was probably meant for Taiyang.
With those two gone, Taiyang had decided that he too wanted to talk to me for some reason. He was mostly complaining to himself about how 'cool' Qrow made himself out to be and how much of an 'asshole' Taiyang though he was. He had admitted to me, that he could see the benefits of long-range fighting, but that it didn't appeal to him. He… thanked me, and called me smart for having pointed out the benefits of multiple ranges of combat.
I denied this, saying that I only showed my weapons, and that didn't make me smart. He paused as if considering this and then declared, "Well, if you aren't smart, then you are a genius, because with a few words you got that a… jerk to admit that I was right – if partially – and that I was wrong about ranged combat. I'm not smart, and have been told so my whole life, but my father told me that 'Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.'(1) I don't think of myself a genius, but I am sure good at punching things, so I believe it."
Again, I was shocked. The quote was cheesy, but he was complimenting me – believing in me despite having just met me? No, he's just that nice; he doesn't look like he could hurt a fly despite his calloused fists. His aura was truly like the sun, full of energy and life and heat… but it slipped away, I thought I felt it in that moment but it fled before I could perceive it. I was trapped in the glass and the haze and the shadows. It was a lie. A trick. He didn't mean it. Not about me. His laugh wasn't jovial, it was mocking; it had to be.
It had to be.
…Oh, I guess I should give my name before stopping for the night. My name is Summer Rose… not that anyone really cares.
Author's Notes:
(1) A quote that Einstein either said or was derived from an allegory or something. The Internet twists things.
Lo and behold the first excerpt from the elusive journal I have mentioned several times now. These little passages are going to be around this length and will dot around randomly or maybe not so randomly.
This journal serves a few purposes: give some more background and character to some amazing characters we have barely seen AKA team STRQ obviously, attempt to explain some things since canon has left us in the dark up to this point, and have the past effect the present. Thoughts on all this? Give a review about it - I'll reply to the best of my ability.
Chronologically, I would say that this event takes place about 28-29 years ago. For reference, I am saying that Summer gave birth to Ruby when she was 30 and she is entering Beacon now at 16 – you can do the math if you so need to.
Little!Raven is like Volume 1-3 Yang! It's a shame that some things will change.
Technically Madara Uchiha is only a character, but that's okay.
In case you don't get it, the Chapter title eludes to the song, and means more that the good days will be coming soon.
Can you see some things I allude to about Summer's abilities at this point, maybe about her eyes? Try and guess. It ties into her, well, depression. And you might think, 'Why have her depressed?' and I say there are reasons that will be explained, and as you can tell from the one image the show gives us of team STRQ that this depression isn't there always; I'd say see looked happy and content with her teammates at that time, don't you think?
Summer doesn't mention her parents at all. How odd.
What do you all think about the idea I had for Summer's weapons? A lot of art of her like to give her a scythe, because of Ruby, but I very much doubt that both Summer and Qrow used a scythe. The Adamantine Chains were inspired from Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto and a drawing of her by dishwasher1910 on deviantart; her Yin-Yang weapons came up when I thought of Asuma Sarutobi's knifes from Naruto combined with the gun-ness of Blake's Gambol Shroud – so imagine that.
A final question I leave you, the reader, Raven in canon is said to have a worldview that Qrow doesn't agree with, among other things that –from what I can tell - paint her as being 'dark', but not 'evil'. Clearly I believe that early Raven isn't like that, but what do you think the specifics of Raven's philosophy become and what caused it – at least when you perceive it when only looking at what is canon right now?
Wow that was a long and convoluted question, hope you understand what I meant by it.
Anyway, see you next time with us following mostly Jaune and otherwise the rest of team JNPR in the present!
