Much Ado About RWBY

Turns out that there's this ancient society of wizards who perfected the means of telepathically linking up two individuals. While early uses included stuff like espionage and such, early on there was an incident where a wizard accidentally synced the wrong targets up. It just so happened that instead of syncing the crown prince to the intended informant, the mistaken target was a young lady who was a shrewd political match, and both their parents had been looking to arrange the matter (but were struggling with the reluctance of the relevant parties).

With sudden telepathic bonding on the table, the couple took it as a sign from the gods that they were meant to be, and got together of their own accord.

The wizards realized the potential for matchmaking as a means of manipulating the political landscape, and abandoned their prior attempts at subterfuge (a limit of the telepathic bond is that it's two-way, so the target also gains your secrets, which meant a lot of them had to be assassinated after the fact.)

So the wizards converted their lair into an ostensible temple of the Goddess of Love, where people could come to pray to find their soulmates. Wizards were also sent out to arrange matches that would advance the interests of their cult, as well as some random ones just to help cover their tracks. As the influence of the Goddess of Love grew, new branches of the temples sprang up. The cultists were soon divided into two categories: wizards who still knew the truth and pretended to be priests, and actual priests who weren't in on it and genuinely believed they were helping soulmates find one another.

The culture around it goes something like this:

Not everyone has a soulmate, and not all soulmates are destined to be together in every lifetime. But if they are, the Goddess will bless you with the ability to hear one another's inner voice, if it is your fate and/or if you pray hard enough. Some soulmates know each other from their first meeting, but others take time to recognize the bond and open their hearts to the possibility of connection. If you're wondering why it took like eighteen separate meetings with someone before the bond manifested, do some introspection and consider why you might have closed your heart off or whatever. Like it's definitely a you problem, and it's rude to blame the Temple of Love, which is only trying to help people and has no other agendas whatsoever.

Also consider donating more money to the temple next time. Higher donations mean more priests can petition the Goddess on your behalf, and she's a busy lady, sometimes it takes a lot of petitions to get her attention. 👌

How would this factor into a plot?

My thinking is that a pair get setup as soulmates, and they are just absolutely both adamantly convinced that they are not. Like not in an enemies-to-lovers sense or anything, they just get the psychic bond thing and it's like, no. I don't know what's up but the Goddess of Love has definitely made a mistake. So they set out to gain an audience with her, but along the way they uncover the truth about the cult and its manipulation of generations of political marriages and business alliances.

It could be a metaphor for amatonormativity. Like some of the priests argue that even if it's a con, it's one that's been running for so long it's already steeped into the culture. How could the main characters bring themselves to expose it? To tell people who think they've found their soulmates that it's not really the case? Think of all those bonds they'd be threatening!

But then like, wait a minute. That's bullshit. This whole format for relationships has so many problems, and it's all working in service of manipulating and controlling people anyway! Why should they let the cult go on hooking up individuals that suit it? Shouldn't people know that it's possible to CHOOSE to make a telepathic bond with someone they actually want to? Shouldn't they be able to decide to manage their own relationships as they see fit, without some misleading pressure of fate or gods? And what about the ones left feeling excluded and unlovable because they don't "have" a soulmate? It's not like people are going to stop loving one another or finding themselves if they aren't being led around to do it this specific way!

So they upend the whole thing, and upset a lot of people, and then have to deal with the fact that they're still telepathically bonded until one of them dies.

Ugh.

whiterose age swap

Sleep is for the weak. I have lost my mind. I have work tomorrow. Wish me luck on 3 odd hours of sleep.

...

Also, happy Whiterose in Bloom Week 2026. This is my entry for the AU Day(s) 1 and 2.

...

*flops dead*

With a quick flick of her wrist she unfurled the paper in her hands she’d taken notes on. 

Juvenile most likely

Livestock main targets - is hungry, and only eating. No hoarding observed. 

Scar over left eye - fight with another dragon? Humans? Look into spells that cause such damage to dragon hide. Guardsmen claim vision doesn’t seem to be impacted. 

Announces itself, although whether that’s because it wants others to know so they can worship it, avoid it, or is challenging is unknown. 

Appeared less than six moons ago. Noises indicate it might be in nearby forest, or a cave as several in the area are large enough for a juvenile dragon. 

Appears mostly docile but is being pushed hard to be removed by the mayor? Why? Atlas connection? 

Despite age is incredibly intelligent, or appears to be.  Approach with alternative plans if possible.

Ruby let the quill rest in the ink pot for a moment as she added the last line. She frowned as she read over the small list she had ready. 

It was both highly telling, and not nearly telling enough. 

The woman from the alley, councilwoman Hill if she recalled, had seemed to think it could be resolved without violence, or wanted it to be so, and the mayor merely wanted it done quickly. 

Not to the point of absurdity, but he’d certainly expect progress, or results in a fortnight, and had paid handsomely to have a courier find, and track her down to deliver the request.