Complete Belladonna Lillies by DezoPenguin - T - RWBY

Jarik · Mar 12, 2017

Title: Belladonna Lillies
Author: DezoPenguin
Rating: T
Status: Complete
Genre: Adventure, Suspense
Fandom: RWBY
Pairings: Weiss/Blake
Chapters: 71
Words: 292,448
Updated: March 11, 2017
Published: February 2, 2014
Summary: In a gaslamp-fantasy Victorian era shaped by the discovery of Dust, two women's lives take on a collision course. Blake Belladonna, searching for her future, and Weiss Schnee, learning the meaning of her past, may find that each other holds the key to finding what truth exists within their web of duty, honor, and pride.
Link: FF.net

So this finished last night and wrapped up nicely, so thought it'd be a good time to recommend it here.

Here is the review I made in the RWBY thread a few chapters ago:

Jarik said:

So preface this RWBY fanfiction recommendation by saying this story is barely a RWBY fanfic. It's a complete AU set in a Victorian era world changed by the advent of Dust technology (naturally led by the Schnee Dust Company) with very few links to canon.

Weiss and Blake are the main characters, with their backgrounds reasonably similar conceptually to canon (minus Beacon) - Weiss being the heiress to the SDC and Blake being a criminal working for the White Fang (except here, the Faunus are the result of a shady human/dust experimentation).

Most of the other RWBY characters - including Ruby and Yang - do not exist. There's a few cameos from characters who appear briefly, like General Ironwood, Adam Taurus, CRDL, etc, but not really in any major role.

Despite the pairing, this story is a straight up thriller/adventure. Blake, fueled by desperation to save herself and her comrades, breaks into the Weiss compound to try to steal information. Weiss, having just recently turned 21, wants to make her first mark on the company by bringing a mysterious thief to justice and identifying who they work for. We follow the two as Blake tries to follow the leads to information on the research done on them, while Weiss follows Blake, slowly starting to realize she has uncovered some really disturbing stuff her company has been involved in.

Both characters are likeable and have their own interesting journeys through the plot. The interaction/relationship between the two makes for a nice and natural progression from bitter enemies, to rivals with a mutual respect, to comrades, to friends.

Where the story falls over a bit is the last transition from friends to lovers. The problem with having two very intelligent, introspective characters is it sort of kills any big emotional climaxes and makes the whole thing feel very dry. It's not a huge detriment to the story as it is a very small component.

However, the issue with the lack of emotional climaxing is not really limited to the romance. My main gripe with this story is the whole story follows a sort of constant level of tension - there's no big scenes or sections that you can really point to as being climatic. So while I enjoyed reading it, a week later I had already lost all my hype for the story.

Overall though, I do think it has been a decent read and have been enjoying the updates coming out on it. It is a refreshing read for the RWBY fandom (even if it is so AU it barely qualifies).
Click to expand...

4.5/5 - overall a well structured, quality story that reads like a novel and very enjoyable while reading. It does lack a bit of that extra emotional climax/epicness that makes it a bit forgettable after you finish, which is why this is not a 5/5.

Nerox · Mar 13, 2017

Link here since you forgot it.

Jarik · Mar 13, 2017

Whoops.

Thanks - added to OP.

Dark Syaoran · Apr 16, 2017

Anyone else read this and willing to review?

Hi there, Guest

Complete Belladonna Lillies by DezoPenguin - T - RWBY

Jarik Chief Warlock

Nerox High Inquisitor

Jarik Chief Warlock

Dark Syaoran No. 4 Admin

Hi there, Guest

Complete Belladonna Lillies by DezoPenguin - T - RWBY

Jarik Chief Warlock

Nerox High Inquisitor

Jarik Chief Warlock

Dark Syaoran No. 4 Admin

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