RWBY Listens to The Soundtrack

Vol. 5, Ignite (+Illia)

     "'Ignite is, well, you can probably guess from the title, it's about Yang Xiao Long. Again.'" The note pointed out. "'And while it played in a flashback, it's definitely more applicable for then Modern Volume 5 Yang. She had a lot to say this time. You'll see what I mean, but as a preview, despite what certain idiots will tell you, you can't just go back to exactly who you used to be after something like that. Anyways, enjoy!'"

Everyone looked at the screen "Didn't we...just say that?" Jaune pointed out.

"And it probably knew cause it saw other Usses... Us-esses? Us-i? Whatever! This isn't new." Nora reminded.

"Right." Ruby felt embarrassed . "Anyways, Yang are you...?"

"Yeah." Yang confirmed, though her arm just started shaking again. "Let's see what I got to say."

[Song Start]

[*Small Opening*]

"So, this gonna be another ego trip, or what?" Nora immediately asked.

"Nora!" Weiss chastised.

"I mean, it could be." Yang admitted. She & Nora have an Understanding.

"Given that the note specified the the time periods I don't think it'll be THAT much like I Burn." Pyrrha theorized. And then...

[Hello there, my enemy
Welcome to my punching spree]

"...Well, I suppose it's KIND OF like it." Pyrrha granted.

"Haha, awesome." Yang noted. Very much needed.

"Interesting way to open it up." Ren noted.

"Maybe...no, this is just the first verse." Weiss shook off.

[This is where I lay waste
And you'll go home bleeding]

"It has a nice...flow, so far." Blake offered.

"We'd really just be repeating ourselves from I Burn, huh?" Jaune realized.

"Well, for now." Yang reminded them. "Give her a minute."

[Didn't have to be this way
Should have stayed out of the fray]

"Well I think it's pretty neat." Ruby stated. Yang seemed to be enjoying it. "It's, um..."

"Forceful, against what had happened." Ozpin offered. "Fitting, I suppose."

[Now you're heading for a beating]

"Alright, so, when's the new stuff happening?" Nora asked..

"We just got started, MS. Valkyrie." Glynda chastised.

"Nah, fair question." Yang defended. "I mean, it CAN'T be the same, not after..."

[*Small Interlude*]

'Oooooh, fancy. What's this called?" Nora asked.

"I...don't know if it's called the same on Earth, so..." Weiss sort of explained.

"C'mon, that's a cop out." Yang complained

"When did you two start tag-teaming...?" Jaune muttered.

[Didn't mother warn you?
Now she's gonna mourn you]

"I mean yeah, it's...really your own fault." Yang boasted...though more subdued.

"I mean, Earth aside, there aren't many people who know about any of us, save Pyrrha & the professors." Ren pointed out

"Hey, I was gloating, no fair." Yang smirked.

[Being damaged's how
You'll end this day]

"Yeah there's a lot of...beats here, right?" Ruby asked her partner.

"Yes, which..." Weiss then realized something. "Oh no..."

"What?" Yang asked, genuinely confused. Blake chuckled.

[You're a big mess
'Cause I'm relentless]

"Fucking feel me about it." Nora complained. SHE was supposed to be the powerhouse, dammit.

"I am." Yang pedantically pointed out. Though not with as much of a grin as you'd expect.

"Yang, are you..." Pyrrha noticed.

[I gotta tell you
I'm on fire today]

"Yeah it's just...I think I know what's coming." Yang admitted, thinking back to the intro. "I'm fine, it's just...that's not gonna be fun." She looked at Ozpin & Glynda at that last part.

"I...yes, that was a mistake." Ozpin admitted. Wouldn't be the only one.

[Crash and burn (Crash and burn!)
Some lessons are just hard to learn]

"Oh hey Jeff, how ya been?" Nora asked.

"Wasn't he in the intro as well?" Ren asked. "I....think?"

"C'mon, that was 30 whole minutes ago, you can't expect us to remember all that." Yang joked.

"Some lessons you'd think would be easier..." Glynda muttered.

[Scathing eyes (Scathing eyes)
That see things from only one side]

"THERE'S the different stuff." Nora was satisfied.

"So...what does it mean?" Ruby asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"There are a...number of things I could see." Blake analyzed with caution.

"I mean, it probably has something to do with..." Yang held up her shaking arm.

[Yet every misshapen spark
Suffers the judgment and pain]

"...I mean, yeah, the arm thing." Yang pointed out. "I guess that kinda fits that."

"Don't call yourself that!" Ruby ordered. "That's...no!"

"There are people who would anyways." Yang pointed out.

"Some people are jerks." Nora agreed.

"And they're WRONG, so ignore them!" Ruby ordered.

"Always." Blake agreed. "And if we just wait..."

"...Which one of them's the older sister, again?" Jaune whispered to himself.

[But just as light conquers dark
There's a beauty that's greater]

"A rebuttal." Weiss pointed out. "And while I'm not certain how this verse is going to end, it seems pretty clear."

"Yeah, I just...guess I'm still getting used to this." Yang held up her arm again.

"Why IS it doing that?" Ruby asked.

"Idunno, I think it's just...nerves." Yang said, though uncertain. "Don't know why, but..."

"This IS a completly unprecedented situation, at least in our universe." Ren reminded.

"Oh yeah, some other us's do this stuff." Nora remembered. "What are THEY like?"

[Than pure symmetry can
Contaaaaaaaaaaaain]

"Certain people WOULD indeed judge based on those bases, but I think you-or Casey, or Jeff-have the right of it, Ms. Xiao Long. Imperfections, not the harmful kind but the...normal kind, there's nothing to be ashamed of there." Ozpin said, still ashamed of his own imperfections.

"Heh, didn't know I had it in me." Yang admitted.

"Don't doubt yourself." Blake told her. "You're not some...blonde stereotype."

"And it would be really stupid to think otherwise!" Ruby shouted. Stupid neighbors...

"I...know it's not really equivalent, but..." Weiss pointed to her scar. "I'm not entirely "symmetrical" either."

"Guess none of us are." Yang granted. That was...nice, actually. Her arm calmed down a touch.

[So Let's Start.
The. Gaaaaaame!]

"Alright, as long as it's not something boring." Nora told the screen.

"Didn't you get bored when we went to that paintball alley?" Jaune pointed out:

"Well, it's not the same as hunting a Grimm, which we've been doing for...a while." Ren justice.

"Certainly just as...frenetic at times..." Pyrrha remembered. That was weird afternoon.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about Ms. Xiao Long right now?" Glynda pointed out, like Ozpin feell I ing a little guilty over the Raven thing.

"Eh, let them have their fun." Yang waved off.

[Fool, you shouldn't stare
Into these eyes of fire]

"Yeah seriously, I'm pretty sure when they're red they're technically a health hazard." Ruby half-joked.

"Only sometimes." Yang defended. "Really, the hair's the issue..."

[You're goin' to
Regret this little fiiiiight]

"I...suppose this would be good banter for the Vytal Festival, if nothing else." Pyrrha suggested, remembering the previous one.

"Oh, yeah, I should probably write this down." Yang was perking up a bit.

[You don't wanna mess with me
I'm something higher]

"Well yes. As Nora would say, you're a "main character," so by default..." Ren pointed out.

"Stilll not used to you joking." Yang admitted. "Still, good job."

[Anguish you'll know
For your miserable plight]

"So, is this supposed to be about anyone specifically?" Jaune asked. "Probsbly not, but..."

"Gotta cover our bases, don't worry Vomit Boy." Yang smirked. Though, judging from the intro, & who exactly got her original self in that state...

[Soon you'll bemoan
Your mistake of a life]

"HahahahARSH!" Nora laughed. "Can I borrow that?"

"Eh, sure, why not." Yang generously granted.

[You'll watch yourself suffer
You'll watch me Ignite]

"Aaaaaaand the title drop!" Yang said unnecessarily.

"We noticed." Blake was honestly glad, though. It meant she was able to focus on the more positive aspects, at least for now, and-

[(Yang!)]

Yang burst out laughing.

"That was...unexpected." Ozpin admitted, to which Yang started laughing even more.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up..." Ruby pouted.

[*Interlude the Second*]

"Hm. Seems...early for another interlude." Blake noted.

"Oh hey, that's what I call them." Ruby added. "Is that what they're actually called?"

"I...wouldn't know." Pyrrha said.

"It's fitting in any event." Ren declared.

[Usually I devastate
This time, might annihilate]

"Is there even a practical difference between the two?" Weiss asked.

"Well, the first one makes me think of green construction vehicles for some reason." Ruby said.

At Weiss's Look, she elaborated. "I don't know why, it just does!"

[Any minute now
You're gonna rue our meeting]

"I'd give it...six to ten minutes." Blake stated. "That's usually the longest they last."

"Oh, you've been...counting." Yang started to blush. Blake may have smirked if she wasn't doing the same.

[Messing with my family
Means that soon you're history]

"Well, that's a given." Yang stated the obvious.

"And it includes you, Weiss & Blake! And JNPR also." Ruby declared. "And, uh, I guess..." she looked the professors.

"I'm not sure I'd qualify Qrow like that, no." Glynda deadpanned.

"Thank you for the consideration, however." Ozpin stated. ...Huh.

[The moments of your life are fleeting]

"Seriously, this is REALLY good stuff, imma have to borrow it." Nora declared.

"I think we should try to be a little more original." Ren suggested.

"Yeah, well, we don't exactly have anything good right now, so..." Jaune defended.

"Are you...certain you don't mind this?" Pyrrha asked Yang, who merely waved her still somewhat shaking arm. It was funny.

[*Interlude The Three*]

"That is...definitely longer between lyrics, yes." Glynda noted.

"Well, for proper emphasis-" Oz was YET AGAIN cut off. Okay, what is THAT?

[Looking pretty tattered
Your blood is really splattered]

"Mmmm. Maybe a bit too dark." Blake critiqued.

"This coming from Blake "I Can Make My Literal Shadows Move" Belladonna." Nora wryly noted as Yang started blushing again.

[Won't be long
Until I end this game]

"It's...not really a game, though." Pyrrha. "I...realize that I'm taking it far more literally than I should, but..."

"Nah, if it doesn't work it doesn't work." Yang looked at her arm. For a second, she saw it covered with yellow.

[You're looking toothless
I'm feeling ruthless]

"Well I mean they'll BE toothless anyways." Yang distracted herself.

"Yang. We've been over this. No explaining the joke." Ruby chastised.

"It IS a good rhyme." Weiss had to admit.

[Watch me burn as
You go down in flames]

"Can you...actually light someone on fire, I was never clear on that." Jaune admitted.

"You seem to be asking a...lot of questions during all this." Ren noted of his leader.

"To answer, not yet, but these things are supposed to evolve, yeah?" Yang left that hanging.

[Ache and yearn (Ache and yearn)
Can't wait for the pages to turn]

"I thought we were a show, not a book." Nora jokingly complained.

"Well, if we're calling them "Volumes", then I guess..." Blake jokingly answered. "In all seriousness, it's old metaphors, "turning the page on your life", & such."

"No I think I like the first one better." Ruby admitted. Admittedly her enthusiasm had...diminished, but there were still plenty of good songs & either way they NEEDED to hear this stuff.

And that was still the case when...

[Play both sides (Play both sides)
When truth you cannot recognize]

"...Uh, what does THAT mean?" Nora asked. "Like, why are YOU saying that?"

"I..." Yang honestly didn't know. There was new philosophical stuff she was definitely going to consider, but this...?

"But-no, she's not the kind to..." Honestly Ruby didn't know how to finish that.

Ozpin looked deep in thought. If there was an answer they could glean at this time, he'd probably have to trace back to the intro for it and...oh.

"Raven." Ozpin said. "I think it's referring to Raven, in a sense."

"How do you know?" Weiss asked, but Yang just chuckled.

"Well, of COURSE she was gonna come up." Yang somewhat bitterly noted. "I mean, I finally MET her in the intro. ...before the end, when we were all still..."

"Yes and as I said, she doesn't exactly have a high opinion of me." Ozpin continued. "If you met her before meeting up with the others, then I imagine you'd hear her perspective first."

"You are taking that remarkably well." Blake noted.

"Well, judging from how you & Ms. Xiao Long yourselves have reacted over the course of this experience..." Ozpin noted

"Hey, don't try to pull that!" Nora demanded. "If you weren't so damn hide-y, then-"

"I'm AWARE, Ms. Valkyrie." Ozpin actually wasn't sure if he was. "I was merely pointing out a commonality of behavior, not passing judgement." You really don't have the right to anyways.

"Yeah, it...makes sense." Yang admitted. "If I found her first & she...idunno, I guess I'd still want to know WHY, & if she..."

"...screw you, Raven..." Ruby muttered. They were just having FUN with this, &...

"...I mean, kinda have to deal with it at some point, right? Especially now that she's...actually here. In the show." Yang reminded her.

"So will all of us." Blake added.

"So let's get to it." Weiss suggested. And with that...

[And any remarkable heart
Has gone through
The hardship and shame]

"Normally I'd say that's a bit of a generalization, but..." Pyrrha trailed off.

"We all have issues, it can be about all of us!" Nora shouted.

"To...some extent, yes." Weiss agreed. THAT much was evident.

"Didn't have to put it like that, though..." Jaune muttered.

"Yes, I...suppose you all have to one degree, but it's what you do with it that matters." Ozpin lectured.

[That's born of standing apart
From the easily processed
The uniform army of "saaaaaaaame"]

"Despite what...some people may want to promote, no one's really "uniform", not really." Blake stated. "Everyone's just the slightest bit different, despite the best efforts of many."

"That was the argument the Cube gave so that we wouldn't collapse in existential crises." Ren agreed.

"...it works if you LET it work." Weiss noted. She almost did, without even realizing.

"But perhaps that's what's "remarkable", then." Glynda theorized. "Because there are many who do." Hazel, Lionheart...if she was feeling particularly uncharitable, the majority of James's army...

"Yeah it's...easy to be terrible, huh?" Yang noted. "A lot harder to try to be better. Unless you're Ruby."

"I mean...it wasn't always easy for me either." Ruby reminded her. "But...yeah. Don't really get that." Nothing else to say, so...

[And that's
Just. So. Laaaaaaaaaame!]

"Hm. And that was almost eloquent for a second." Weiss teased.

"Eh, idunno, I think it still works." Yang lightly defended.

"It's very "you", yes." Blake agreed. "Not the exact same..."

"...but still you!" Ruby cheered. That's how it always was, right?

[*May The Fourth Be With This Interlude*]

"Okay, that's been FOUR of these." Nora noted after a moment. "Kind of a lot."

"This one would seem to be the longest." Ren added after another moment.

"It...may just be that we're focusing more on the breaks here." Pyrrha theorized.

"I mean, there's a LOT of them..." Jaune defended.

"Which doesn't necessarily contradict Pyrrha's point." Blake countered. "I don't know how much of it is the song & how much are the pauses we take."

"...We're overthinking this." Weiss decided.

"I mean, maybe the Program knows?" Ruby looked at her Scroll.

"Save it for later, Rubles, we got a song to finish." Yang requested.

"Aaaaand we've spend this entire interlude arguing about interludes..." Glynda noted.

"Well, best to save that for the-" Ozpin was interrupted yet again.

[I dominate and desecrate
Leave you in a foul state]

"Oh hey, Lamar!" Nora shouted out. "Nice to see you after the Sun one. ...Man, you have RANGE."

"He seems to favor these segments, though." Ren noted. "Perhaps that's his preferred genre."

[Put you in the trash with
That nonsense you perpetuate]

"Well, that would certainly be nice, but it never STAYS there." Weiss muttered.

"It always comes back. And we always have to deal with it." Blake agreed.

[Why you get me riled up?
Don't you know I'm wild, bruh?]

"I...may have noticed, yes." Pyrrha stated with a hint of a grin.

"Kinda hard to miss, yeah." Jaune added.

[Bet you'll understand when
I'm pissin' on your ashes huh]

Now THAT was a bit much, wasn't it?

[Told you I'm tortuous
When you feel the force of this]

"Is that even...is that even grammar?" Ruby asked,

"Not exactly, but it helps the flow." Weiss granted.

[Blast you'll crash like
A cardiac explosion, bitch]

"How would that even work?" Yang wondered. "DEFINIYLY gonna try it on Adam."

"Get in line..." Blake muttered.

[Bloody body, broken nose
Screw it, it's a bloodbath]

"Yeah okay that's...kind of overboard." Ruby offered.

"Yeah, but I'm just imagining people who REALLY deserve it getting beaten up like that." Yang admitted. Aaaand there goes Jacques at the hands of a steel chair!

[Try to get away but
There's no escaping Alcatraz]

"What's an Alcatraz?" Nora asked.

"Most likely an Earth thing." Ozpin reasoned.

[Look what you made me do
Told you I would slaughter you]

"Hm. Not fond of the "what you made me do" part." Blake had to admit.

"Yeah, kinda...eeeehh." Yang granted.

[Fools you lose
Blood cold, ice water dude]

"Somewhat contradictory when it comes to your actual power set." Glynda noted.

"Eh, I'm sure there's some kind of old philosophy stuff that makes it make sense." Ruby offered.

[Reach into my bag o' tricks
Hit you with the baddest licks]

"And with this, I make Salem...disappear!" Yang dramatically stated.

"Heh. If only..." Ozpin muttered.

[Ever, you'll never
Contend; I win]

"That's a...unique arrangement of the lyrics here." Weiss noted.

"It was the Cube! Or Jeff! Or Lamar! Or all of them!" Ruby defended.

[Bringin' out the beast in me
Challengin' my decency]

"Y'know, maybe some people don't DESERVE decency if they're not gonna give it back." Yang was still thinking of abusive monsters.

"No, but many more DO." Blake offered. "We just need to differentiate."

[Now I gotta ask, "do you
Really want a piece of me?"]

"Good question." Yang shrugged.

"Oh we'll see..." Nora joking threatened.

[Hope you ready for the pain
Suffer when I hit your brain]

"I DO hope you know hold back with enemies who have no Aura, for example." Glynda said.

"Well, that IS why they're all here." Ozpin defended.

[Erase your essence from Earth
No need to explain]

"But we're not ON Earth!" Nora pointed out.

"Eh, close enough." Yang decided.

[Fool, you shouldn't stare
Into these eyes of fire]

Aaaaaand yup, the reprise. Now THIS was just fun, and so the sing-a-long commenced.

[You're goin' to
Regret this little fight]

It certainly was a little egotistical, but there was another element to it, all could see.

[You don't wanna mess with me
I'm something higher]

Events like that will ALWAYS change you, permanently, but you decide HOW.

[Anguish you'll know
For your miserable plight]

Some only knew misery, they let it overtake them & used it as an excuse. That's most of Salem's minions. That's Raven.

[Soon you'll bemoan
Your MISTAKE of a life]

But others choose differently. Choice may indeed be the most important of the Gifts. Also, that emphasize on "mistake", wow.

[Watch yourself suffer
You'll watch me Ignite!]

"SO, what did we think?" Nora quickly shouted out.

"...you win this time..." Ruby muttered.

"It was nice." Pyrrha stated simply.

"It was...pretty catchy." Jaune admitted.

"Not entirely what I was expecting, but...I really should have." Weiss admitted.

"It's the same, but different." Blake summed up. "With added experience but still staying true to who you are. And that's not really a good OR a bad thing, it just...depends on what you do with it."

"Thought provoking." Glynda admitted.

"Hm." Ozpin wondered, how MUCH of his first life was still there.

"Yeah it was pretty fun. Mostly." Yang concluded. "I'm defiantly gonna..." her arm was shaking even more now, "...yeah, I think OG Me's doing okay."

"Alright, so up next we haaaaaaaaave..." Ruby looked at Nora as she said this. "...Smile. Huh. That sounds...wait, what's this thing?"

 A pop-up had appeared next to the play button. "'Proper prior permission pending'" it said...

~~~Menagerie, The Next Day~~~

She looked at her Scroll. This was...certainly a day. Being teleported over to Menagerie with the High Leader was not how she expected the day to start, nor was the two of them and...Blake's...parents being offered this little "side-opportunity."

The Communicube had proven itself by bringing them here, and they all knew that, limited as it was, the information was invaluable. But much of it was personal. Which is how this started. The Cube was upfront about the fact that its "primary focus" was on Beacon. With, among others, Blake.

Unlike them, the Beacon Group were listening to "The Full Catalogue", hearing & seeing things of global consequence...and also of personal one. And yesterday, apparently, one of those was about her. And-in some kind of time travel loop that she couldn't even begin to understand-it was asking her NOW if she was alright with them listening to it.

Normally, that would be an easy no-she wasn't going to let WEISS SCHNEE of all people along with a whole bunch of other humans to hear something so personal. But it had made an argument...and it had shown them snippets. It promised to help them understand The Schnee, each other, the rot within the White Fang, & most importantly, Blake.

She needed to understand WHY Blake left, why she was okay where she was...and as S.I.D. (what kind of name was that?) had shown, they they were going to have to deal with each other eventually. That brief flash of Lightning Lash (heh) in the future that WOULD have been aimed at Blake was proof enough of that. But that wasn't what convinced her.

In the end, what got her to truly consider it was the fact that Blake & The Schnee had agreed-though not yet at the timeframe this note would be sent to, however THAT worked-to let THEM listen to whatever it was the program had for them, to let herself, Sienna, Ghira & Kali, hear and see that. There was a level of trust there, not only from Blake, but from Weiss Schnee as well. The note was clear: Both were aware of whom they gave permission to.

And so...maybe she could reciprocate that trust. Maybe it would help her understand, along with the songs." And it was ASKING her. The option to say no was right there. But if she said yes, then...that might actually work. And so, somewhat impulsively, Ilia Amitola quickly pressed yes. Part of her regretted that almost instantly...but it was done. Letting out a deep breath, Ilia looked back at the Belladonna's Home.

Well, here they went...eventually.

~~~~~~
AN:
So many "&s" used incorrectly...

The OA wanted to do a Side Story with Illia and those on Menagerie, but well... Banned, so.
I won't be writing that, btw.
I imagine it's a story how, Using "Communicube Metaknowledge", S.I.D. explains how The Writers of RWBY don't know how Racism works, or something.

I don't know what the word "Lampshaded" is, but I'm fairly sure The OA is using it wrong.

Regardless, Batch 1 of Volume 5 is done. see ya'll on Thursday for Batch 2.






Fuck, I gotta write Volume 6....