Well as anyone who follows me will notice, "RWBY Reads Professor Arc" is gone. This is due to FF admins, and after further thought, I am choosing not to re-start that and instead will switch to this which is a more traditional: "Let's just show them random things"
Unlike most other stories like this on FF, we will not focus only on Jaune. My goal is to give each audience member a chance to be the center of attention. That being said I may on occasion ask for help in picking something out to highlight certain audience members. Also, I might instead choose a source material and ask who would best fit the scene I bring up. In that case please feel free to let me know who fits the roles best.
Now onto story details:
1) RWBY and JNPR will be the only constant audience members. Others will come and go for varying amounts of time.
2) I will not switch up who is portrayed in what roles between viewings. For example, this first chapter is going to be Yakuza-themed, any characters shown in this chapter will be the same characters in any subsequent visits to the Yakuza series.
3)I will not do any reactions to other Fanfictions, not even my own. Everything I will post will either be from different platforms or my own imagination. Nothing that has previously been posted on this website will be shown.
4) Audience members will only react in manners I imagine they would. I'm not going to blindly make characters love or hate the various showings. This also means that if there is something that I think they all hate they will make that clear, as was the case with the Death March reading which is also dropped. Granted, considering how I'm choosing what to react to this time, I doubt there will be anything as universally disliked by the audience as that time.
5) Timeline: For the audience members, this story takes place after the Dock Incident and before The Breach.
With all that boring information dealt with we can now begin.
First viewing
Inspiration: "Yakuza 6: The Song of Life"
Slowly a large being with a fox-like head blinked as consciousness returned after what felt like an eternal sleep. "Hm..." it hummed thoughtfully as it considered the state of the room it was in. "This won't do at all," it murmured before clapping its hands together once. Faster than the eye could blink the room, previously in a state of disrepair, mended itself and shifted itself from a reading room into a theatre. "Better," the Bipedal fox muttered as it stretched its arms over its head. "Now to re-invite our guests and extend invites to a few new ones too."
With a snap of its fingers, numerous pieces of paper formed around it before the words "You are formally invited to observe the many worlds of the multiverse. If you accept sign your name on the dotted line and proceed through the door that shall form to your right." appeared in an elegant script on each one. With a thought, they all vanished to their recipients.
"Now, we wait," the fox thought idly as it created a chair near the back of the theatre for itself.
Fortunately for the being, the wait was not long as soon several doors appeared along the back wall of the theatre. "Welcome dear visi~ OOF" as they stood to greet their guests grandly the fox was interrupted by a red missile sticking its stomach.
"You're okay!" said missile exclaimed. Pulling away revealed the missile to be one Ruby Rose who was beaming as she smiled up at the fox. "We were all so worried when the room disappeared!" she chirped as her friends walked up to them far more sedately.
"Yeah Fox, what happened?" Yang asked curiously as she pulled Ruby back towards their own group when she noticed a few unfamiliar faces.
Fox huffed at being denied their grand speech "The room was suspended by the FUN police."
"Excuse me what?" a new voice asked sounding incredulous. "What is even going on here?" looking over Fox hummed as he eyed all the new arrivals who were busying themselves by looking around the room. Stepping forward one Cinder Fall raised an eyebrow as she waited for answers.
"Yes, I would very much like to hear your answer." a regal voice opined. Cinder gasped softly before backing up and bowing her head in greetings. At the same time Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow, and James frowned as the General and Qrow reached for their weapons.
"Hm..." Fox began as they scratched their chin. "I should've thought this through more," they muttered softly as they stepped between the two antagonistic parties. "Before I explain, how about everyone finds a seat? Does that suit you, your Majesty Queen Salem?"
Salem hummed as she noted everyone else in the room. "That is fair," she decided before gracefully grabbing a seat within the theatre dead center. She subtly sent a smug look at her former lover "Oh my, am I causing you trouble Ozma?" she asked coyly as her own number of present followers was far dwarfed by his own.
Ozpin stiffened as the vision of her former appearance overlapped her current form for a brief moment. "As usual you can't resist causing me grief." he sighed taking his own seat in the back left most seat.
As everyone began filling in the seats Fox noted them down for reference:
Kali, Ghira, James, Glynda, Ozpin,
Roman, Neo, Penny, Winter, Qrow,
Emerald, Cinder, Salem, Jaune, Pyrrha,
Velvet, Sun, Ren, Nora, Weiss,
Adam, Coco, Yang, Ruby, Blake
"Hm... Somehow I know there's going to be problems because of this." Fox sighed as everyone started to really take notice of who was present in the room with them. "To cut off any potentially ... violent ... outbursts, please keep in mind that I shall not tolerate violence of any kind within this room. Not against me, not against this screen behind me, nor each other... is that clear?" they asked looking pointedly at Adam who was staring intently at both Weiss and Blake. Upon seeing the bull nod his head as he focused on the host, Fox continued. "Now, I'm sure you all have questions and I'll do my best to answer the more common ones right now. First, you are all here because I invited you here to watch various videos depicting the many worlds within the multiverse." they took a breath as RWBY and JNPR nodded their heads having heard the explanation before. "Now, who here has read a fiction book, played a game with a narrative, or watched a fictional show of any sort?" Seeing everyone raise their hands Fox nodded with a pleased expression. "The multiverse concept is that those are all worlds that exist. That somewhere out there either within this plane of existence or otherwise those stories are real, happening exactly as depicted"
"Like a prophecy?" Salam surmised as she pondered on this information.
"More like a Journal." Fox corrected. "Think about it like this, if you can imagine it, it has happened."
"So the possibilities are endless," Emerald questioned as she glanced at her leader.
"Correct."
"So why are we here?" James asked folding his arms. "Is there some point to this?"
Fox shrugged their shoulders. "I thought it would be fun," was the only answer given. "If you do not wish to spend some time here you are free to leave whenever you wish... Naturally to prevent either side of your little conflict to gain an edge while members of the opposition are in here; I've created time loops all-around wherever you entered this room from. Any progress you make while even one person is in here will be undone by the next day."
"Why?" James shouted having been considering that course of action.
"It is not my place to provide aid to either side. I am not a native of Remnant, I should not have any say in its fate." Fox explained with little care. "Now are there any other questions?"
"Yes!" Kali called out as she smiled "Why is my kitten sitting so far away from me!" she wailed as Blake shrank in her seat while Yang stared at her with a raised brow.
"That is a matter best discussed with her on your own time." Fox coughed into their hands refusing to step into that discussion. "Any others?"
"Are we the only ones getting in on this?" Roman asked as he lit up a cigar.
"For now, Perhaps others will enter when some leave." Fox shrugged their shoulders. "I, for one, do not intend to increase nor decrease the number of seats available."
"I think that's enough exposition, what are we watching first?" Glynda mused aloud as she made herself comfortable. "And is there food?" she questioned recalling the various otherworld snacks she had last time she had the opportunity to visit the room.
Fox chuckled as they snapped their fingers. next to each chair a small screen appeared with food and drink listings. "I aim to please." they mused before gesturing to the screen. "We'll start with a short one. I call it [Ghira's Letter]."
"Who's Ghira?" Coco asked curiously only for the said man to cough audibly into his fist. "Oh, you're big." the fashionista muttered seeing the man who was even bigger than Yatsuhashi.
"He's also mine." Kali declared pointedly as she interlaced her fingers with her husband. Ghira blushed a little as he shot his wife an amused look. "So this first world is about my Ghira?" she asked curiously as she smiled happily.
"Correct," Fox nodded their head "To be exact, this is near the end of his story. Perhaps someday we'll take a look at some of his many adventures." As the guests got comfortable and the lights dimmed Fox spoke up one last time. "I do ask everyone here to remember that these are all different worlds, they don't have to follow your own logic and rules."
"Right, can't forget that," Jaune muttered "Don't want grudge or the like to form for something we have no control over right?" he asked recalling their first visit to the room.
"Correct."
Those who were visiting the room for the first time all made noises of understanding as the screen lit up and the viewing began.
The screen opened to show Ghira dressed in a white suit with a red undershirt, the first two buttons undone. He was frowning as he focused on the letter he was writing while Blake sat behind him in a hospital bed watching Sun playing with a baby. Kali gasped. "Grandbabies?" she whispered before shaking her husband's arm while noiselessly pointing at the screen in barely contained glee.
Blake seeing her mother's reaction could only groan and cover her face while Yang elbowed her side playfully. "Anything you want to share with us?" she asked teasingly as Weiss and Ruby stared at her expectantly.
Blake scowled "Nothing is going on between us." she pointed out heatedly.
At the same time Sun hid his face in his hands as Velvet smiled encouragingly "Congratulations Sun," she whispered. "Keep working on it!"
"I have a long list of regrets." Ghira began his expression never wavering as he continued to write. I have no business saying it, but, I considered myself your father. The things I should have told you over the years have piled up like a mountain."
"I sound... so regretful," Ghira muttered as he considered the words this other version of him was saying. "Like failure upon failure is weighing on my soul."
"I wonder who he's talking to though." Nora hummed as she ate some popcorn.
"I failed you, though. So much has been left unsaid." He took a breath before continuing his monologue. "In the past few weeks, I've seen so many different kinds of relationships. Different types of parents." the screen transitioned to an older man who was staring sternly forward. "I saw a parent bound by customs."
"Hey, I've seen that guy before, when I still lived in Vacuo," Sun muttered recalling an old newspaper article about organized crime in Vacuo.
"Another who never loved his son... and only realized after it was too late."
"Jacques Schnee!" Adam hissed the name as if it were a curse
"I see even in another world Father is only in it for himself," Weiss muttered feeling vindication about her decision to leave for Beacon.
"Children who, above all, wanted to prove themselves. Show their parents they were capable. Prove that they deserved their love." Ghira recalled both the young Schnee heir and the young man whose death started this all. "So much grief came of it, the rift between parent and child. I saw it first hand." A memory of the fire that consumed what was once known as Little Mistral in the heart of Kuo Kuana city. "Did these families have no faith in their bonds?" he wondered to himself as he considered his next words. "That wasn't it." he decided as he remembered Sun confronting his father in the teahouse. "They had absolute faith in those bonds." he decided as he recalled Yuma putting himself between Ghira and his father when the older man had pulled a gun on them. "Even in this harsh reality, they tried to affirm their bonds. Labored, agonized over them." A memory of Perry grieving alongside Yuma when their adoptive father passed away after laying his sins bare. Ghira paused as he recalled everything he learned about the situation that led to their current situation. "But... that wasn't the answer. They simply didn't spend enough time together as a family. And it ruined them." Salem and Ozpin shared a look before quickly looking away from each other as the Schnee sisters looked down in thought as they considered their little brother whom they had left alone with their father. Blake glanced at her parents who were staring at her sadly. Shamefaced she looked away. "If you ask me... Nothing is more vital than time. To that end, I think we made the same mistakes they did."
"This... is actually kind of hard to watch," Ghira mumbled as he pulled Kali into his side.
"It's okay dear, I'm here for you," she whispered nuzzling his side. "We still have time to make things right with Blake."
"You're right..." Ghira agreed. "But she's not the only one I could've handled better." he looked at the back of Adam's head who hadn't so much as shifted as the viewing continued.
"I never expected to become the White Fang's fourth chairman." Ghira mused as he remembered storming past a young executive of the family. "Then I tapped you to become the sixth. Adam." The scene cuts away from Ghira's face as Adam, in a limousine, came into view with a frown on his face. He was wearing a dark suit as he mulled over the words Ghira had left him with. Across from him sat Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart, his two most trusted officers and legends in their own rights.
"Callows!" James hissed recognizing the serial killer. Silently Glynda laid an arm on his shoulder "Calm yourself, James, it's a different world getting worked up over it here does little more than increasing your blood pressure." James took deep calming breaths as he tried to take her words to heart.
"Right... thank you, Glynda," he muttered softly once he was able to think straight again.
All the while Adam wasn't sure how to feel as he sank into his chair. "Ghira... as my father?" he whispered to himself unsure what to think.
"I considered you my son, but I never thought to actually stand by your side." Tyrian looked serious as he read the letter.
"I've never seen Tyrian so serious before." Cinder mused aloud "Not even when carrying out your others my queen."
"It is a refreshing change of pace," Salem admitted. "His loyalty is appreciated, but fanaticism can be quite tiring to deal with after the first few minutes."
"It was easy to say I had faith in your judgment. To say that I entrusted everything to Adam Taurus." He paused slightly before continuing to write. "But that wasn't enough. Instead of cherishing our time together, I threw it all away. Rejected our bond. Instead of facing my past, I ran and ran from you as well. Thinking about the parents I've met... I don't even have the words." There was a sniffle somewhere in the theatre as Ghira began his closing statements. "I don't have the right to call myself a father to either you or the White Fang. So, by the time you read this letter, I may already be gone. But please, don't try to avenge me as a son would his father." As the screen focused on Adam's face everyone noticed his struggle to maintain a stoic appearance as his lower lip quivered and his eyes twitched with unshed tears. "My life isn't worth that much. That is my final request to you. Adam."
Slowly the camera pulled away to show the massive complex that belonged to the White Fang in Kuo Kuana. As Adam, flanked on either side by Tyrian and Hazel approached, the lower-level subordinates all hunched over with their hands on their knees and their heads bowed. "My father has made a request of me." he began as Tyrian and Hazel waited patiently for him to find his words. "I will honor his wishes." Tyrian turned his attention onto him completely as Hazel merely narrowed his eyes. "We will not march on Atlas. Instead, I will approach the Alliance with a pact, one that sees us as equals."
Tyrian huffed in amusement. "Ghira-chan, always thinkin' ten steps ahead." In the theatre, Ghira shivered "I do not want to be called that ever." he offered his opinion.
Adam paid his subordinate no mind as he continued. "This letter revealed something to me, just how great a man my father was." his decision made Adam walked towards the central complex with his head held high.
Behind him, Hazel chuckled "Guess ya did alright after all. Ghira."
With that, the viewing ended and the lights came up. "So, what did you think?" Fox questioned as everyone began stretching to keep their bodies from tightening up.
"It was interesting," Ghira admitted as he scratched at his beard. "Though I do believe having more context would be nice."
"Yeah, it felt like that was supposed to be super gut-wrenching and beautiful, but we're missing more than half of the story," Coco added in before shrugging. "Still good though despite not really understanding the back story."
"It hit close to home..." Ozpin admitted as he rubbed the back of his head before taking a sip of his coffee. "Very close."
"Before we move on are there any questions?" Fox asked looking around.
"Where were the Grimm?" Salem asked curiously.
"They do not exist in that world." Salem hummed and tilted her head but did not inquire any further.
"How did that Tyrian end up so differently from ours?" Cinder asked wondering if perhaps they could turn their own into something more like the one on screen. Fox hummed as they considered how to answer that.
"Yours found comfort through killing and eventually found religion in the form of Salem." Fox began as the kids all shivered. "The one we just watched however found a family in the form of the Yakuza an organized criminal element originating out of Mistral and spread to Menagerie. There what could've been 'for the Goddess' became 'for my family' also, while it wasn't shown on screen this time. That one is also fairly unhinged."
"I got a question!" Ruby declared as she waved her hand in the air. Once she had everyone's attention she asked "How are we deciding what to watch next?" As one everyone turned towards Fox for an answer.
"That's easy, Ghira who would you like us to focus on next?" Fox asked turning towards the big man who had been about to take a bite of food that had just arrived for him. Freezing with his mouth open he quickly ate what was in his hand and wiped his mouth.
"Ahem..." he coughed once as everyone stared at him expectantly. "How about one with Blake in it?" he requested meekly.
"Alright, that's fine. Blake since it's going to be about you are there any requests you'd like to make for it to be about?"
Blake hummed as she folded her arms. "Just make it something funny, I think we could all use a good laugh right now."
"Alright, I can do that." Fox hummed as he perused the available collection. "This one fits, Dual Trait Faunuses"
"What's it about?" Blake asked as Fox went about setting up the viewing. "In this world, there are two types of Faunus. The standard one trait Faunus and the rarer two-trait Faunus." The Faunus in the room looked interested as they imagined what they'd look like if they had two traits.
"Is there anything special about a two-trait Faunus?" Adam questioned, trying to understand how this could be made into a comedy.
"Well, two major points of interest." Fox admitted, "The first is that two-trait Faunus are, on average beautiful people."
"How beautiful are we talking about here?" Yang asked with a raised brow.
"Here's a picture of the last place contestant of a Two-trait only beauty pageant." Fox brought up a picture on the screen.
"Oh, my," Kali muttered as she covered her mouth with her hands. "She's gorgeous. This is the last place contestant in a beauty pageant?"
"Correct, admittedly it was a close race at all levels."
"And the second part?" Velvet asked warily. "You said there were two points of interest about them right?"
Fox nodded "In this world, every single Faunus stereotype originates from the actions of two-trait Faunus."
"You mean they're walking stereotypes." Weiss sighed as she rubbed her forehead.
"Yes, to put it bluntly."
"Oh boy..." Winter hissed as the humans in the room looked away from their Faunus friends.
(BREAK)
And that's that!
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'll do my best to answer.
Honestly, I was torn between having more dialogue in the opening portion of this or not. That being said I personally skip the first chapter of other React stories because they're almost always just get them all in and explain, so I figured just cut the intro short and get on it with it was best.
Personally, I will probably have some of these characters leave sooner rather than later and just try to cut it down to what I had in my first few tries at this style of story. Well, in any case, I'll just wait and see how I want to handle that.