User blog:Bluethunder25/Cinder Redemption Arc

When we were first introduced to Cinder back in Volume 1, she had an air of mystery to her, but what did know was that she was powerful and formidable. Then in Volume 2, when she revealed herself, she showed to be cold, calculating, and cunning. Following that in Volume 3, she showed a ruthless side to her when she enacted 'Phase 2' of her plan which included killing Penny, the fall maiden, Amber, and of course, more infamously, Pyrrha. Overall, in three volumes, Cinder showed to be a crafty, cold, ruthless, and seemingly heartless individual with no hope of redemption. That is until volume 4 came along.

Now I know that most of you who are reading this are probably balling your fists up, maybe squeezing the life out of a Cinder chibi doll and thinking that there's no way in all of Beacon that Cinder can be redeemed. To which I hold up a hand and say, OBJECTION!!!! I believe Cinder will have a redemption arc down the road and I have a number of reasons why.

Let me get an insignificant reason out of the way first by saying that I'm the kind of guy that believes that anyone can be redeemed, regardless of what or how many despicable acts they've committed, whether it be in movies, TV shows, or real life. I just like the idea of a person atoning for they're sins, whatever they may be, especially if said person wants to redeem themselves.

Now with that out of the way, let's start from chapter 1 of Volume 4 onward, shall we?

Now in the first chapter, one significant thing we see is Mercury and Emerald looking down upon the Grimm. The looks on their faces show them with looks of fear on their faces. I'm including Mercury and Emerald as part of this, BTW.

After that, they are called by Cinder who we see has been pretty f****d up since the end of Volume 3; her left eye is missing, she only has the use of her right arm, and to make matters worse, she can even speak without Emerald's help. Needless to say, Cin's not doing so good.

Then Dr. Watts (or as I like to call him, Mr. Douchestache) refers to Cinder's friends as her 'posse' which pisses off Mercury with Emerald having to hold him back while Cinder has a worried look on her face. This shows her showing concern for Mercury and not wanting him to get into trouble. Not only that, but the rest of her teammates throw shade at her for being bested by Ruby. Add in the fact that Cinder can do little to defend herself, it kinda makes her sympathetic. Just seeing her so helpless and weak and being talked down by her commerades makes you feel a little sorry for her.

Later on in the volume, we see Cinder having her 'treatment' with Salem. We see her struggling with powers of the fall maiden. It would seem that Cinder wasn't fully prepared for the power she took from Amber and it's taking its toll on her. In previous volumes, Cinder had this cold confident demeanor to her, always feeling like she had the situation under control, but here and in later chapters, we see her in a more fragile state, resembling somewhat of a helpless child. It sort of makes sense in a way, considering her name is a play off of Cinderella. So in this situation, you could say Cinder, of course, is Cinderella, and Salem is the wicked Stepmother.

Also, Mercury and Emerald continue to show signs of terror at their surrounding, such as when the eye monster floated past them. They are beginning to show signs of regret or even doubts, possibly thinking if this was the right choice for them to make.

And let's not forget the question as to whether or not Cinder really did kill Ozpin. A body wasn't found and no one knows for sure if he's dead or not. Also, as far as Pyrrah goes, whether or not she makes a return is up in the air, if you go by the voices that Ruby heard in her head.

Last, but not least, the look of horror that Cinder had on her face when Tyrion was mauling the grimm. She looked scared. She looked HUMAN. It shows that she herself is having doubts.

Not only that, but prior to this volume, there were other subtle hints at a possible redemption.

If you look at Cinder's appearance in the Volume 2 intro, she's looking up at the sky in a sort of 'is this my purpose?" kind of way. It just gives off a feeling of her asking deep questions about herself.

Also, when Pyrrha asked her if she believed in destiny, she answered yes and if you look closely, she had tears in her eyes. Add this with her pose in the volume 2 intro, it makes you wonder if this was Cinder's choice, or if it is a predetermined destiny that Salem has laid out for her and she has some regrets. We don't know much about Cinder or her motivations, so maybe Volume 5 could shed some light on that. Which brings me to my next topic. How would Cinder's redemption arc go?

As it stands, Cinder is improving on her training and is looking forward to facing Ruby. With being said, here's what I think will happen.

First of all, the Cinder/Ruby is inevitable, will happen. so in volume 5, Cinder and Ruby have their fight. The battle is close, but then cinder shows signs of weakening, forcing her to retreat. Salem condemns Cinder for failing, maybe physically abuses her a bit before walking off. Mercury and Emerald come to her aid and take her to bed.

While in bed, Cinder reflects on her childhood, being an orphan left alone to fend for herself after the death of her parents, relying on her wits to get by. After a while, she was found by Salem who promises her power if she joins her.

Despite her being hurt, Cinder still wants ruby, but Emerald tells her she can't until she fully heals with Mercury nodding in agreement. During this, we get more flashbacks showing the relationship between Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald; showing more to their relationship than just that of officer and subordinates.

Later on, Cinder is chastised more by Tyrion and then we see more flashbacks showing Cinder and her gang tumultuous relationship with Salem's gang.

After this, Cinder resolves to go after Ruby again, even starting to talk in full sentences again. Emerald and Mercury are against this, but Cinder insists on it, even willing to go so far as to go behind Salem's back.

She does so and fights Ruby again, but this time, she seems to have the upper hand and is about to kill her when suddenly, Salem appears, showing herself to Ruby and the others for the first time ever. Salem condemns Cinder again, physically abusing her in front of Emerald, Mercury and Ruby and the others. Emerald starts to have enough and tries to intervene, but Mercury stops her, knowing she's no match for Salem. Cinder starts to shows signs of resistance, making glaring faces at Salem, before Salem takes her back.

Once back, Salem chastises Cinder more and Cinder, Mercury and Emerald get angrier at Salem's treatment of her.

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury talk, considering if they made the right choice joining Salem's group.

Later on, Emerald overhears Salem talking with Tyrion, telling him to find another who may be suited for the fall maiden powers and once he does, he will be ordered to kill Cinder. Emerald tells Cinder this and Cinder resolves to go rogue.

However, as Cinder and her friends are escaping, they are confronted by Tyrion. He attempts to kill Cinder, but Mercury and Emerald stop him and escape.

Later on, Cinder and the gang are confronted by a new female villain who is recruited by Salem to take Cinder's fall maiden powers. This adversary proves to be far more evil than Cinder ever was as she is shown killing innocent civilians on sight for no reason, obsesses with gaining Cinder's power, no matter what the cost. Cinder, Mercury and Emerald try to fight back, but the new enemy is too strong, eventually, Team RNJR discovers the fight and Mercury and Emerald reluctantly tell RNJR about the new enemy and that they need to stop her from getting the fall maiden powers. RNJR is hesitant at first, but realize that it's better to work with the devil you know than the devil you don't know. RNJR and Cinder's group team up and manage to ward off the new enemy, causing her to retreat.

Later on, Emerald tells RNJR about what happened and even though they hate to admit, they realize they have to keep Cinder safe. Neither Ruby and especially Juane are particularly excited about; Cinder isn't doing backflips either, but it's the only way to keep the new villain from getting the powers.

The group goes back to Haven with Cinder in tow. While there, there's some banter between the two groups, arguing about their life choices and such, yadda, yadda. They start to find some equal ground with each other, some similarities, though Juana still isn't having any of it. Cinder continues her training. The new enemy comes back, Cinder defeats her. Later on, Pyrrha returns, she forgives Cinder and Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald decide to go off on their own.

And that's pretty much it. I believe would be a good way to set up a redemption arc for Cinder. With what we've seen in Volume 4 and what we could possibly see in Volume 5, there is a good possibility for it to happen.