Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-14138255-20160214165601/@comment-14909251-20160214200303

BenRG wrote: RT is smart not to show Cinder's fate or even hint to it. All we can be sure of is that she was gone when whoever came to recover Ruby arrived at the ruin of the headmaster's office.

What's my personal favourite? I think that Ruby's white light attack basically nullified the evil 'dark aura' that gives Grimm their semblance of life, effectively petrifying the Dragon (I suspect that the Grimm swarming Beacon are being used as charge cells - someone is trying to revive it). However, being hit by purifying energy might have had an odd effect on Cinder. What if it... cleansed her? What if it washed out of her all her evil desires and created something in her that she didn't previously have - a conscience?

My theory at the moment is that there is a very confused Fall Maiden wandering the roads and fields of the continent of Vytal, trying to come to terms with her power and her new-found role whilst trying to somehow stop herself from summoning an obsidian knife and killing herself to stop the nightmares and PTSD flashes about all the terrible things she's done over her relatively young life.

It might be interesting how the characters would react to a forcibly-turned Cinder, someone who has been forced to see the world and her actions from the perspective of someone good and then live with it. You see... what if she always was the destined next Fall Maiden (as suggested by her name)? All was needed... all Destiny needed... was for someone to break the hold of selfish, narcissistic evil over her actions and motives.

Once, all Cinder wanted was to be strong, feared and powerful. Now she's had to realise that this wasn't enough for meaning. How fortunate that she should encounter Team RJRN and find a new role in her life. Now she seeks not forgiveness (for she doesn't believe herself worthy) but meaning.

FWIW, I could see such an evolution of Cinder to an 'Atoner' becoming something like Zuko's role in the later seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I doubt Cinder suddenly turned good, but it does raise an interesting thought. Cinder has some connection to the Grimm through Salem. What if that connection has been influencing her in some way or controlling her? She may have ill intent all the same, but if her connection to Salem was severed, then perhaps this will cause he to question herself a bit. Don't want to see her turn good all of a sudden, but if she just came to doubt her ties to Salem after being cut off from their influence, it would be interesting. Another thought to have here is what if Roman's death was not as random as it seemed? The Grimm converged on Beacon and Cinder seemed to have influence over them. Presumably Salem also has power over them, so perhaps that Grimm didn't just randomly go after Roman.