Finito di leggere il quarto e ultimo volume della saga dell'attraversaspecchi e mi sento come se avessi perso un gruppo di amici che mi mancheranno da morire, perché non potrò mai dimenticare il coraggio di Ofelia, la determinazione di Thorn, la schiettezza di Archibald..
Questo libro è stato un vortice di emozioni e in certe pagine di pianti irrefrenabili (chi l'ha letto sa benissimo a cosa alludo) giuro ad una certa mi sono messa a piangere e ho dovuto smettere di leggere, di pensare, e anche adesso parlarne non è facile anche se non tutto è perduto davvero. Dopo i primi due libri relativamente calmi ( preferito in assoluto resta Gli scomparsi di Chiardiluna è più forte di me) Babel e Echi sono un vortice di avvenimenti e scoperte non sempre piacevoli ma che danno struttura e spessore a una storia che se era partita come un moderno matrimonio combinato si rivela essere molto di più, e tra alti e bassi diversi punti di vista e scene oniriche in questo libro si chiariscono tutti i quesiti lasciati indietro dagli altri tre. È un libro che non ti permette di lasciarlo andare finché non l'hai finito, ma è successo anche con gli altri, divorati in meno di una settimana questo sono riuscita a portarlo avanti per due giorni e mezzo ma poi è stato impossibile smettere e così eccomi quá alle 02:28 di notte a scrivere e a rendermi conto che non ci sarà più un'altra avventura con Ofelia, che non rivedrò mai più lei e Thorn, ne Archibald, Berenilde, Roseline, Octavio, la piccola Vittoria, ne la famiglia caotica di Ofelia. Mi mancherà tutto perché questa saga è stata capace di farmi innamorare nuovamente dei libri, dopo un periodo in cui non trovavo più niente che catturasse completamente la mia attenzione.
Quando ho preso il primo libro l'ho fatto perché attratta dalla copertina e dalla descrizione della protagonista e poi mi sono fatta conquistare completamente dalla storia e dai suoi personaggi. Ofelia è colei che cambia di più e che ci mette il doppio del tempo a vedere come stanno realmente le cose, le ci vorranno due libri(accidenti a te Ofelia cara!) per capire davvero le intenzioni di quello strano fidanzato e altrettanti anni per dirgli ciò che non gli ha mai detto prima di allora, e a mano a mano cambia anche Thorn che da severo Intendente ligio al dovere e basta cambia mostrando un lato di sé che probabilmente non aveva mai mostrato a nessuno, lui ci metterà molto meno tempo di lei e alla fine non la vedrà più solo come un mezzo per raggiungere un fine ma come qualcosa di più. E fortunatamente il ragazzo ha pazienza da vendere sennò ciaone proprio.
Loro mi hanno conquistato completamente, ho riso, pianto e malgrado tutto sono felice per il loro finale, certo non è il classico lieto fine ma loro non sono mai stati convenzionali ❤️.
È stato un viaggio bellissimo, e mi mancheranno davvero tanto tutti,
The Vale Police Department is abuzz with officers and police cars—clearly doubling the personnel on duty as a result of the latest incident with the White Fang. It’s also Free Cookie Day at the station.
Lina, the fox Faunus front desk officer, gives everyone a cookie and directs them to the general discussion room, where Officer Liam is waiting for them.
Raphtalia: (takes all the cookies)
Eissen: Share. Don’t take everything—it’s rude.
Marche: Yes, and too many sweets will rot your teeth.
Raphtalia: (returns some cookies)
Eissen (pats her on the arm): Good girl.
Marche and Eissen: Parents of the Year
(Image from Darker than Black)
In the general discussion room, MERA is met by Laura B. Oxley, lead investigator for the White Fang case. Officer Liam is apparently interrogating one of the suspects.
Laura asks for details. Adrian projects the recordings from DURAN while Marche sums up the events of the previous day, emphasizing Raguso’s involvement.
The coast guard didn’t find Torchwick in the bullhead wreckage, though Laura says it’s par for the course when it comes to Torchwick. She’s more interested in the unorthodox alliance between the White Fang and Torchwick, a human.
Laura takes Torchwick’s hat from Marche to examine for evidence.
Eissen and Adrian express support for a brutal and comprehensive takedown of the White Fang and their criminal allies, though Eissen frowns upon Adrian’s suggestion of torture, arguing that fear only invites more Grimm.
Marche disagrees with both of them, citing the validity of some of the White Fang’s grievances.
In light of the intel on Raguso, Laura also expresses concern about the Faunus students at Beacon.
At this point, Team RSBD rolls into the station with their newly bought bakery van, The Rolling Pin. It’s a bright pink beast of a van, topped with a giant donut sign that can be seen from miles away. Stein wrenches the vehicle to a screeching halt and parks it at an awkward angle.
Random cop: Don’t arrest them! They might be selling donuts!
Rani: Maaaan Scooby, you drive so sloooow. Haven’t you heard the saying, “Gotta go fast”?
Bianca: So Vacuo gives licenses to people who park like this…
Stein: Not on these roads, you speed devil. Plus I’ve been out of practice, and this thing is small compared to the things I used to drive.
Rani notices the officers crowding around to take a peek at the van, as well as the one trying to give Stein a ticket for his driving.
Rani: Do we have any donuts for these fine gentlemen of the VPD?
Bianca: We’re good kids, remember? (retrieves tray of fresh donuts from the back and flashes an innocent smile) Of course we do.
RSBD makes their way to the discussion room, handing out donuts to police officers as they pass. Rani takes the opportunity to advertise their new bakery van business, too.
Laura: Every batch gets crazier. Ozpin, I don’t know how you do it.
Laura asks Stein for an account of his involvement in the rally. Stein informs her of the false pretenses under which he was invited to speak at the rally, again identifying Raguso of the Blind Mice café.
Laura is troubled at the confirmation of White Fang infiltrating Beacon.
Liam emerges from the interrogation room and briefs Laura on what he gleaned from the suspect.
The operative has revealed that Torchwick is working for someone else, and the Fang will be moving operations somewhere underground soon.
Liam informs everyone that he’s put in a good word for them with Headmaster Ozpin, and that no damages or cases will be filed against them for the shenanigans at the docks.
He also expresses interest in taking them on once mission season starts for the first years.
Bianca brings up the strange demeanor of the rioters, and Stein informs the officers of the weird flute music he heard at the rally. They take note of it.
Adrian patches in a call with Delta Team and asks the officers to coordinate with them for the investigation.
The teams head back to Beacon. Raphtalia, yearning for a more convenient body, heads to the CCTS Tower to contact her “Father,” the head of Atlas’ Polendina Initiative.
He takes her call personally, delighted that one of his daughters has contacted him.
Raphtalia informs him of her request, citing her desire to interact with her new friends face to face.
Dr. Polendina happily mentions that he’s been developing just the thing, alongside Raphtalia’s sister, Penny.
The new project: Projection Power Armor, sparked by Aura and using a fusion of Dust and nanites to create a sturdy, practical armored shell.
Raphtalia excitedly asks about the armor’s specifics and offers to shoulder the cost of her current armor to make it up to her Father.
Dr. Polendina attempts to brush off the offer, but eventually relents to letting Raphtalia at least cover the delivery expenses for the new armor.
Raphtalia (smiling and tearful): I… I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity. To think I would be this blessed… I thought I was going to die when… So really, Father, thank you.
Dr. Polendina: Dear Raphtalia, you’ve gone so far! Don’t worry too much. Just promise me you’ll learn and have fun with your new friends as payback. And if you decide to visit, I’ll introduce you to your sister. Now get to it, little Raphtalia!
(Art by Guweiz)
As Raphtalia exits the CCTS Tower, she encounters a young woman playing a flighty little tune on her flute. The stranger introduces herself as a transferee and asks for help locating the Beacon dormitories.
Raphtalia kindly accompanies her back to the dorms. The stranger introduces herself as Nozomi, from Mistral.
To introduce herself, Raphtalia phases out of her armor and points out various decals on her armor that indicate her name and affiliations.
Upon reaching the dorms, Nozomi thanks Raphtalia and the two part ways. Raphtalia celebrates a successful interaction without her armor and returns to MERA’s room, anticipating the delivery from her Father.
After dropping off Duklja and the rest of REDD, Rani and Stein return to their own room.
Rani quickly hops into the shower to avoid another confrontation with Bianca. It only partly works, as they resume their disagreement by half-yelling at each other through the bathroom door.
Bianca (upon entering the room): How was the ramen? (raises her voice so Rani can hear from the bathroom) No more sudden murder attempts?
Rani (pouting): Hey! I wasn’t the one actively running over people with a Dust car.
Bianca: There were two of us in the car, so. The point on backup stands.
Rani: And my point of rushing in because Robot-boy and RoboDoggo absolutely got rekt also stands!
Their exchange is less heated than it had been at the docks, though, and they quickly stray to other topics when Stein talks about their dinner out.
Stein mentions meeting Neptune and Sun, and it turns out Bianca knows Neptune from Sanctum. His attempts at suaveness then did not leave her with fond memories.
“Nope-tune,” an old nickname from Sanctum, is quickly joined by “CasaNOva” as Rani warns her partner away from him.
Tired from their admittedly whirlwind day, Stein heads off to the showers. He stops short, though, when Rani—no doubt inspired by Eissen and Bianca’s stunt—proposes buying a car.
Stein (flabbergasted): Who’s driving? Do you have a license? Are you pulling off THAT stunt?
Bianca (holding out her Scroll to record a clip for her mom): Can you say that again, and clearer?
Rani: Sure, Biancs. LET’S GO BUY A CAR!
In light of the team’s apparent love for baking, Rani proposes turning the vehicle into a legitimate food van selling baked goods. Bianca proposes calling it The Rolling Pin.
MERA also makes its way back to the dorms—sans Adrian, who took a quick trip to the Commercial District to buy materials for an armored trenchcoat.
Eissen goes to take a nice, long shower. She wanders out of the bathroom, not bothering to cover herself up as she mutters about Ironwood’s absence at the docks and proceeds to check if her calls and messages even got through. They have; apparently Ironwood has simply been ignoring them. She gets dressed, sends a report to her father, and heads to bed.
Marche and Raphtalia start to turn in, but before he dozes off, Marche remembers:
Marche: Hey, brush your teeth before you go to bed!
Raphtalia: (throws pillow at the door separating the boys’ and girls’ quarters, stomps angrily off to brush her teeth)
Marche Morrison: Dad of the Year
Adrian returns and starts working on his new protective gear.
Adrian: I don’t want to feel bullets ever again.
Adrian’s personal Scroll, issued and encrypted by the Consortium, starts ringing. He makes his way out to the dorm balcony and takes the call.
Alexander Stahl, head of the Consortium and Adrian’s father, is on the line. He berates Adrian for what he sees as an absolute failure at the docks.
Alexander: Disappointing—the mutinous Faunus crew on that ship. Disappointing—that damage and losses brought by the White Fang. Disappointing—that you had to phone in back-up. Disappointing—that it looks like quality training wasn’t enough to give you some backbone…
He suggests that Beacon’s training might not be up to par, but Adrian defends the school and asks about the inadequate security on the Stahl freighters.
Alexander blames the Faunus crew and scoffs at Beacon Academy. However, he admits the benefits of having a Stahl there to investigate the matter directly, and instructs Adrian to coordinate with Delta Team.
Adrian’s success, he adds, will convince him of the merits of letting his son stay in Beacon.
Once the call ends, Adrian goes to repair DURAN. He works well into the late morning, when he receives another call from his Scroll—this time from Nala Blackwood, codenamed April, head of Delta Team.
Adrian goes to welcome Delta Team and the Mekh Volk Mk 2 LEO. The team has been with Adrian for much of his life, and he greets them as family.
Aside from Nala, the other members are: Suou, codename Gemini, one of the youngest VANGUARD team members; and Hazama, codename Fedora, a Snake Faunus.
Adrian briefs the team on the recent scuffles with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. He then charges them to investigate those involved in the docks incident, as well as to coordinate with Officer Liam of the VCPD.
He also asks the team to be discreet, to Nala’s disappointment.
The rest of team MERA gets ready for the day. It’s the weekend, so there’s nothing much to do but head to the VCPD for their debrief with Officer Liam.
Adrian rides on DURAN as usual, while Eissen summons up her motorcycle and sidecar for herself, Marche, and Raphtalia.
Coco Adel, out for a stroll on the school grounds, greets them as she passes by.
Marche takes the seat behind Eissen, which leads to:
Adrian: When’s the wedding, you two?
Marche and Eissen (in unison): Shut up, Stahl.
Adrian goes on about the Galleon System ship he’ll gift them if they pick him as their best man.
(Original concept art by Kristina Nguyen of Rooster Teeth)
Most of teams RSBD, MERA, and REDD head to dinner together following the explosive tussle at the docks. Adrian suggests the local ramen shop, A Simple Wok, upon seeing good reviews in the Beacon student forums.
Epiros, Duklja, and Dalmatea of REDD are still smarting from Raguso’s sudden betrayal. Stein commiserates with them.
Adrian tries to cheer everyone up by casting the whole incident as just another test in their quest to become Hunters and Huntresses, but he eventually admits that it’s been “a really shitty day.” Marche tries to bolster his spirits.
Epiros asks Rani about the challenges of being a team leader, but the discussion soon strays to Epiros’ resemblance to the hero of the hit movie, 300: FutureSpartans VS ZombiePersians.
Marche, Adrian, and Eissen discuss the pros and cons of Atlesian intervention in the docks incident and the White Fang problem in general. Marche disagrees with Atlas operating in Vale territory, but Adrian and Eissen cite the shortcomings of Vale’s defenses and their right to defend Atlesian assets.
Madeleine, Dalmatea’s doll, befriends Raphtalia.
Upon arrival at A Simple Wok, everyone places their orders. Marche buys a round of milk for everyone. Two customers — a blond, monkey-tailed Faunus and a boy with blue hair and goggles — scoot over to make room.
Rani bestows nicknames upon Epiros (“Leo”), Dalmatea (“Dallie”) and Madeline (“Maddie”), and Duklja (“(S)Lavly”). She bonds with the latter over Counterattack: Worldwide Warfare and guns. Marche interrupts to scoff, in his best Gruff Dad tone, at how such games trivialize the horrors of war.
Marche, as usual, puts milk in his food and takes care to pass on Raphtalia’s orders for her. Adrian treats Team MERA to dinner.
Eissen, bored of the small talk, checks the news on her Scroll. The VNN reports of the dock incident are all over the web.
Upon recognizing the new arrivals as the kids from the news, the old man running the store is overjoyed at hosting the local heroes, and the blond and blue-haired boys chat them up.
Eissen preens a bit, pleased at the widespread impact of her actions.
Adrian introduces himself to the two boys, Sun and Neptune, students from Haven who are in Vale for the Vytal Festival Tournament.
Sun mentions that he’s also dealt with the White Fang before; this piques Eissen’s interest, and she asks him for more details. It turns out Sun helped Blake stop an attempted Dust supply robbery in the shipment areas near the Commercial District just the night before.
Adrian takes Sun’s and Neptune’s numbers, ostensibly for better coordination in the future.
Rani’s discomfited by all the talk of the White Fang, though she brushes Marche off when he asks her what’s wrong.
The other students bond over lighter subjects.
Stein and Neptune’s conversation gets…flirty, though the effect is ruined somewhat by the spring onion stuck in Neptune’s teeth. Stein feels an unexpected attraction the guy.
Raphtalia shows Madeline the inside of her armor, where the doll sees Raphtalia’s true form: a small, ragged girl piloting what seems to be a highly advanced piece of tech.
Madeline eventually reveals that she’s simply an aspect of Dalmatea’s personality.
Duklja has been sneaking swigs of liquor from a flash that she apparently carries with her everywhere. Rani helps Epiros carry his drunk teammate back to Beacon.
Meanwhile, in Beacon, Bianca has skipped the team dinner on account of the sunset and her annoyance at her teammate’s actions. Drake arrives at the dorms a short time later.
Drake is troubled by issues with his Semblance.
Bianca offers her partner a whole batch of the brownies she’s been anger-baking since the sunset tremors passed. Drake starts wolfing them down.
Using the distribution of brownies for the other teams as an excuse, Bianca heads out, asking her partner not to mention to the others that she’s roaming about. Preoccupied with his own issues, Drake shrugs and agrees.
Still enraged by Raguso’s manipulation of her team, Bianca intends to break into REDD’s room to search for any insight as to Raguso’s plans and whereabouts.
One problem: she doesn’t know where REDD’s rooms are.
She stops by JNPR’s room to drop off a box of brownies and ask about REDD’s room as well.
Nora and Ren are in, and Nora scarfs up most of the brownies before giving Bianca directions to REDD’s room. It appears a lot of people confuse JNPR for REDD on account of Pyrrha’s and Epiros’ similar-looking armor.
(Art by BunnyVoid for @project-jpde)
Thanks to Nora’s directions, Bianca finds REDD’s room. She teleports in and starts poking around.
At Raguso’s bedside table, she finds a shopping list for the Blind Mice that mentions a contact in Gobline Market. The drawers yield Raguso’s journal and lots of arts and crafts supplies.
Further examination of Dalmatea’s side of the room reveals a group photo of REDD that indicates a close relationship between her and Raguso. The ornate, oriental doll house by her bed is a stark contrast to Madeline’s European look; it seems the item was crafted by Raguso. Inscribed on a section of the doll house is an address: 515-B Goldie Lane, House of Brick Apartments.
(Image from Michelle’s Miniatures)
A student in the neighboring room hears Bianca poking about and starts to complain through the wall. She successfully convinces him that she’s a ghost out on a haunt.
Bianca’s scroll rings: it’s her mom, outraged by the news she’s just seen on the VNN. Beacon’s apparently cavalier attitude towards student safety leaves Dr. Strohmann aghast, but she flat-out shuts down Bianca’s attempts to turn that into a reason to return to Haven instead. She opts to have a serious talk with Headmaster Ozpin.
Bianca tries to do more snooping, but the casual disregard for safety and quality materials displayed in Epiros’ and Duklja’s spear and ammunition storage, respectively, bothers her too much.
Annoyed, she moves to go back to her team’s room and notices that the REDD team’s door has been unlocked this whole time.
Drake, having just finished off his share of the brownies, invites Bianca to join him for meditation on the roof.
He mentions that meditation and his constant stream of music help him keep his Semblance in check.
With a couple of quick demonstrations—including a casual walk onto the side of the dorm building—he reveals that his Semblance is always active, and he needs to focus on it constantly to control its effects.
They sit on the rooftop ledge, sharing Drake’s earphones, and meditate. It brings an unexpected calm that Bianca hasn’t had in months, and she begins to re-evaluate the merits of staying in Beacon on account of her newfound friends.
[The newscast enters split-screen as Lisa Lavender patches in Cyril Ian’s live report. He’s standing on a balcony overlooking the site of the protest, mouth pressed into a grim line.]
“Thanks, Lisa. We’re coming to you live from the Vale City docks, where an unauthorized Faunus protest has descended into violence. City police are on-site and working to contain the riot, aided by a group of as-yet unidentified teenagers. Authorities have also confirmed that these newly arrived bullheads are controlled by the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick and members of known terrorist group, the White Fang—”
[The roar of a car engine interrupts Cyril’s spiel. He whips around, jaw falling open as a hulking vintage car mows down Torchwick and a pack of White Fang operatives. Torchwick staggers to his feet, white cloak flapping in the wind. His voice echoes faintly from down below: “Crazy kids! Crazy kids everywhere!”]
“Good lord!”
[Cyril gestures excitedly at his cameraman.]
“Are you getting that? Who is driving that monstrosity?”
[The frame shudders a little as the cameraman readjusts his focus. Viewers with their volume turned up hear a faint, “Mr. Jameson will love the shots from that new field gear, Parker.”
The broadcast resumes with a crisp fix on the car, the camera steadily tracking the vehicle’s progress. At the wheel, a dark-haired girl smirks and throws the car into a screeching drift. As the vehicle pivots, the camera catches footage of the passenger side, where a blonde girl appears to be inspecting the dashboard. Cyril presses a hand to his earpiece and nods.]
“Ladies and gentlemen, our team has just identified the people currently on your screen as Eissen Ritter and Bianca Strohmann, both students from Beacon Academy.”
[A frown crosses Cyril’s face as more information from the studio appears to come in through his earpiece. After a moment’s hesitation, he continues.]
“Ms. Ritter hails from Atlas and is set to inherit the northern regions’ Duchy of Iron, one of the oldest holdings in that kingdom. Ms. Strohmann, meanwhile, comes from Mistral and is the daughter of lauded surgeon and longtime Mistral Council member Dr. Abigail Strohmann.”
[Cyril lets out a strained chuckle.]
“Quite a distinguished pair of intervenors we’ve got here, wouldn’t you say, Lisa?”
[The camera cuts back to the studio, where Lisa Lavender looks on, unperturbed.]
“Indeed, Cyril. Aside from them and the previously identified Mr. Eisengard, eyewitnesses also report the presence of fellow Beacon Academy students Ms. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and Mr. Adrian Stahl, heir to the Stahl-Morgenrot Consortium. Incidentally, both corporations have stakes in the same Dust shipments presently targeted by the White Fang. Our team is still working to identify the remaining teens.”
[Cyril Ian’s stream replaces the studio feed as Lisa finishes speaking. Through the smoke and chaos, a group of White Fang members fires on the vintage car as it wheels into another pass. The camera zooms out to cover more of the area. In the distance, police are rounding up rioters. One of the bullheads looms overhead, caught in the center of the frame.
A boy with silvery-white hair runs out from a nearby freighter, followed by what appears to be a large, mechanical dog. They slide to a halt and loose a barrage of Dust on the bullhead—the boy with a rifle, the dog with the cannons mounted on its back. Explosions rack the bullhead, but it quickly stabilizes. A crate of Dust swings precariously from chains bolted to the ship’s belly.]
“All right, Lisa. The riot seems to be subsiding, but the White Fang’s attempts to abscond with massive amounts of Dust continu—HOLY WHILLICKING SHIBBLETS, ARE THOSE KIDS INSANE?!”
[The camera swings wildly before settling once more on the vintage car careening across the docks. The frame tightens on the two girls seated inside, clearly visible through the windshield. Eissen smirks and cranks the gearshift, slamming the car into high gear.
An almighty roar rips from the engine. With a flick of Eissen’s hand, a shining blue ramp materializes in front of the car, angling sharply up towards the hovering bullhead. Bianca gives Eissen a resolute nod. The cameraman lets out an audible gasp. Like a rocket, the car hurtles up and over the ramp, shooting straight for the airship.
Immediately, Bianca kicks the passenger door open and hangs out the side, Ahlspiess drawn. She stabs viciously at the chain holding up the Dust crate as the car pulls close. Chainlinks give way, and the blow sends her sprawling back into the front seats--just in time.
The car crashes into the bullhead, the ship’s metal hull rupturing with an ear-shattering shriek. Fire blooms from the bullhead’s side as if in slow motion, and the car emerges on the other end of the wreckage, gloriously, miraculously intact.
Cyril Ian clutches at the top of his head, slack-jawed, as the car sails by their crew’s balcony and lands to a shuddering stop on the ground. The camera lurches to shoot hurriedly over the balcony’s edge, just as the driver-side door swings open.
One, and then two elegant heels step out, and Eissen rises from her seat, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she surveys the bullhead’s slow, fiery tumble from the air. In the awed silence, the crew’s mics catch her voice as she speaks.]
“Hmph. That was adequate.”
[A gloved hand reaches up from the seats. The mics register a different, wry voice.]
“Just this once, Duchess?”
[Eissen raises an eyebrow and smirks, slapping Bianca’s hand in a resounding high five.]
“Fair enough.”
[The camera cuts back to Cyril, slumped against the balcony railing, his head in his hands. He presses a finger to his earpiece.]
“Studio says these kids are first years, Peter. First years.”
With all that was going on in the finale it makes me glad I was avoiding the rest of the episodes this volume. I avoided all the devastation from this feels trip. Who knows? Maybe they will do a whole resurrection and bring Penny and Pyrrha back. It’s not unheard of in these types of stories.
