Adam Taurus Rewritten
I, like many others, despise the Adam RoosterTeeth gave us. So here is my Rewrite of Adam Taurus. Please tell me what you think?
It's a very dark and very long rewrite but it is an angle I want to explore. WARNING: SEXUAL VIOLENCE
I would write him with him being the child of an affair between a Faunus woman and Jacques Schnee. She was able to keep her Faunus heritage secret for a while until Jacques found out and had her framed for thievery and sent to the mines while she was still pregnant with Adam. When Adam was born, she loved him dearly. However, Jacques' spiteful hatred and wounded pride at being deceived by a Faunus spurred him into ordering the guards to beat her periodically and they started beating Adam as well at around the age of 4. Adam was 8 when he was taught how to work in the mine and as time went on, the work got harder and the assaults crueler. One day, when Adam was 13, he witnessed a guard attempting to sexually assault his mother. In his rage, he charged at the guard but was easily overpowered. The enraged guard had his fellow soldiers Adam watch as the guard had his way with her and when he was finished, caved her face in. As Adam screamed and cried in rage, he then received the most brutal beating in his entire life, harsher than any of the other beatings before. After the terror ended, the guard held Adam down and reminded him that he will always be cattle to the humans and it is only fitting that a young bull is branded. And Adam was branded on his right eye.
A year passed since the incident and as Adam was working his rounds, an explosion went off. Adam could tell this was not a mine collapse and as he went to check it out, his suspicions were confirmed. It was a raid by bandits! Bandits cloaked in black uniforms with raven feathers at the collar and sported white Grimm masks. They fought like shadows, killing guards before they could even think and robbing the dust. Explosions and chaos was all over the place and the continuous ruptures caused fissures within the caves, causing Adam to fall through one. Adam awoke from his injury and looked for a way out and as he venture through, he heard footsteps and hid. A platoon of the bandits rushed passed him led by a woman with long, jet-black hair. Her odachi was stained with blood and she was dragging a guard's limp and bloodied body by his shirt collar. As she threw the corpse down, Adam recognized it as the guard that raped and killed his mother and scarred his left eye. When Adam saw this, he knew the value and privileges of strength and how vengeance could be rewarded to those strong enough to take it. Adam secretly tailed the woman to a camp where he hid behind a rock. However, woman coyly called out to Adam from behind the rock and asked him if he came such a long way to die at her hand. Adam begged to join her and for her to teach him. He stated that he wanted to be strong and never fear the abuse from a human again. The woman stated that normally someone who is not of Branwen blood would killed on the spot for even asking such a thing. But the woman noticed a hatred in his eyes that she felt could be molded into strength. Raven agreed to train him while promising that every time they sparred she would fight him with the full intent on killing him and every time he won would be proof of his strength. Adam understood and introduced himself to the woman. The woman responded with her name. Raven.
The next four years Adam endured spartan training of the highest caliber. He trained with a steel chokuto and practiced Iaijutsu as this was the sword style Raven was proficient in. He would awaken his semblance when Raven pushed him to his limit and left a wound on his left eye, the eye that was branded. As Adam was on his knees, blood dripped from the wound onto his chokuto and the sword glowed crimson. The blade transformed giving it the signature color. Adam managed to block Raven's attacks, he felt power filling him up. He struck with a force that destroyed Raven's dust blade. Raven said his combat, stealth, and survival training was complete, but semblance training was something he needed to do on his own. As Adam left the tribe, he fashioned himself a mask with red markings on it that he constantly kept over his eyes. An 18 year old Adam wandered for a while killing Grimm and training with his semblance and wondered what he needed to do with the strength he acquired. When word reached his ears of a Faunus rights organization called the White Fang, he figured that his strength could be used to make sure no other Faunus suffered as he did ever again.
WRITER'S NOTE: His time in the White Fang plays similarly to the show's canon. His first human kill and Sienna's praise to him. However, I am going with a new angle here.
Adam's confidence in Sienna's leadership and Sienna's trust in Adam's skills led him to become more open with her about the state of the world and the Faunus' place in it. As Adam was allowed to be more emotionally vulnerable with Sienna, love blossomed between the two. Adam felt Sienna understood him in a way that not many could. She encouraged his actions and gave him guidance when needed. Sienna felt Adam was a symbol of strength and an unfortunate victim of human cruelty, she felt immense empathy for him when she heard his past. As time went and Adam was 21, Sienna realized that new recruits are becoming more common. To make sure that any new recruits are combat ready, she had her commanders take in some proteges. Adam was responsible for Blake Belladonna and Ilia Amitola. Ilia and Blake's friendship blossomed and while she was infatuated with Adam and idolized her, he saw her as a gifted student and very much like a little sister. He let her speak what was on her mind and made sure she could only do missions she was emotionally ready for. 2 years later, Adam taught her much and one day, they needed to sneak into Atlas security systems to find info on the schedules of trains carrying dust in order to sabotage it. Adam never liked coming here. The shining facade of the city did nothing to hide the foul darkness within. As Adam was by birth a natural citizen of Atlas, getting in wasn't a problem. He and Blake disguised themselves as tourists, with Adam wearing an eyepatch, and decided to split up and Adam while usually focused on missions he goes on seemed distracted by a revolutionary new novelty machine that seemed to work like an ancestry test. Those interested merely needed to hold their index finger on the scanner and the machine would shows their lineage as well as what their photos. While Adam initially dismissed it as a time-wasting distraction, he felt a longing to see his mother's face again. Adam sadly smiled and walked to the machine and pushed his finger down. True enough, his mother appeared on the left side of the screen with a warm smile, Adam felt a comfort wash over him. However, looking to the right of the screen would only bring horror.
Adam had always wondered about his father. Eventually he came to a conclusion that he was a Faunus like him and worked in the mines and eventually either the guards killed him, a mine shaft collapsed, or just sheer exhaustion would be enough to kill. How better would it have been to have a dead father than the sheer terrifying truth that laid before him. Time seemed to stop and one would wonder just how wide someone could open their eyes just by looking at Adam. It seemed he forgot to breathe due to sheer shock and reasonably so. The revelation seized him by the throat. No breath, not even a whisper came out of him for a good 45 seconds. The pangs in his heart and stomach brought him back to reality as well cause him to regurgitate. Sweat formed on him as if he just jumped into a pool. How could one grapple that not only are they part human, part of the race that despised him and he despised in return, but the one who was the father was none other than Jacques Schnee? If racism towards the Faunus had a public face, it would be Jacques. Adam fell and passed out from the shock.
When he came to, he was put in a hospital bed, the doctor who tended to him said he was out for an hour. Adam, remembering his mission, quickly rushed out of the hospital despite the doctor's attempts to stop him. Adam easily tracked Blake down and when she questioned on where he had been, he simply lied and stated that many guards around made maneuvering the city more difficult than he thought. After the successful mission, Adam lied awake in fear in his bed. The truth only caused his hatred to grow more and more fierce. Adam was smart and could figure out situations rather quickly. He knew Jacques was married and had kids of his own. He also knew that he was married for a long time. Longer than he had been alive. He surmised that whatever he had with his mother was an affair. For whatever reason the affair happened was not Adam's concern. The guards in the dust mine were cruel and abusive to all of the workers their but they seemed to pay special attention to him and his mother. He always wondered why and now he had his answer. Adam's personality took an even darker turn over the course of a few months. He kept giving Blake excuses on what he was doing so as not to drive away such a gifted asset to the cause. When he fought and killed, he no longer had a ferocious expression on his face but instead of sadistic glee. He enjoyed killing humans whenever he could and when the fateful day came to attack a Schnee dust train, Blake knew it had to end here and she left by severing the link between the train cars. Adam was irritated that now a deserter who had knowledge of the White Fang's inner workings was just now running loose. As Adam reported the failure to Sienna Khan, she acknowledged the risk but assured Adam that Blake would run the risk of being outcast as she cold not reveal info about the White Fang without revealing her own past. Adam silently accepted this and Sienna had him stationed in Vale. Operation with Roman Torchwick were going smoothly until a woman with golden eyes and a red dress came along with a proposition.
FLASH-FORWARD TO THE END OF VOLUME 3
Adam and Blake meet again in Beacon Academy's now destroyed cafeteria. As Blake defended a student from Adam, he chuckled that it was amusing to see such fine soldier stoop this low to defend a human and then called his protege a disappointment. Adam easily overpowers Blake and as Yang rushes in to help her. A brief but intense brawl between Yang and Adam commences (Look up Monty's unreleased Yang vs. Adam fight) and it becomes clear that Adam is just playing and he even states he would never take a fight seriously with a worthless human. Yang is infuriated, causing her to rush in to which Adam responds with an iaido strike, severing her right arm. As Adam is about to finish her off, a dark portal opens in front of him and Raven leaps out and swings at him. Adam deftly dodges it and Raven quickly throws both Blake and Yang through the portal. An epic fight breaks out between the two warriors with them both being on equal footing. After some time in the fight, Adam asks where Raven has been all this time and wonders why stopping him was worth the trip to see him again. Raven says that even honorary tribe members are not allowed to kill family. Adam puts two and two together and remarks that he thought Yang looked oddly familiar to him. Adam sheathes his sword and states that Raven is the only human he ever respected and as such, he would not harm her family.
VOL 5 TIMESKIP NOTES: In this version, it is Corsac and Fennec who are planning to lead a coup and overthrow the White Fang. They place the hit on the Belladonnas. Fennec is killed in the same manner but Ilia fights Fennec and sacrifices herself to kill him. When news of this reaches Sienna Khan, who is very much not dead, she notes that while it was fortuitous that the betrayers were dealt with, she is irritated that Ilia is now dead and the Belladonnas might reclaim control over the White Fang and lead it back to passivity. Sienna refuses to let the organization become weak and decides to personally lead a battalion to the Mistral branch of the White Fang along with Adam in order to combine forces. When Blake realizes this, she realizes that the White Fang cannot continue to gain more ground and goes to stop Sienna.
With the help of Kuo Kuana, she manages to counter Sienna's forces at Haven and Team RWBY reunite. As Mercury and the rest of Cinder's gang leave, the Team is forced to help Blake in fighting the White Fang who is engaging the Kuo Kuana in an all-out war. As they fight, Adam is disgusted with the amount of Faunus who are siding with humans, especially when one of those humans is a Schnee. Deeming them blood traitors, he takes his squadron and personally cuts down many of Kuo Kuana citizens. As he fights he targets Weiss, but Blake and Sun engage him in a 2v1 with both Blake and Sun heavily injured. Ghira is incensed at this and fights Sienna head-on. After a lengthy battle, Ghira manages to kill Sienna. Adam screams in pure rage and his semblance evolves. Adam can now generate energy into his sword instead of needing to absorb attacks. He fights ferociously against Weiss but his numbers are wittled down and Weiss, using a Time Dilation technique, manages to break Adam's aura. Adam and the remaining White Fang members retreat, but vows to settle the score especially against Weiss. Stating that although Blake is a deserter and Sun is a traitor to his race, family comes first, leaving Weiss puzzled by that cryptic statement. Ghira takes over the White Fang.
VOLUME 7 and 8 NOTES: Ruby tells Ironwood the truth about Salem from the get-go and as such is not pushed toward militancy. Adam and the remaining White Fang members team up with Tyrian and Watts. After Jacques election, Adam sneaks into Schnee Manor. Jacques is preparing for the dinner in his office alone when he hears the doors open. He doesn't turn around and promptly orders whoever is in his office to leave. But no response comes. Jacques turns around and sees Adam, whom he only knows from the news. Jacques ever the coward, orders him to leave or he will call his guards. However Adam responds:
"I wonder where my room would've been." Adam said.
Jacques retorted "Did you not hear me, faunus?! Get out before I call the guards?!
"Aww, and here I was ready to give my old man a pat on the back for his recent political victory." Adam coyly stated.
Jacques remarked "Are you insane?! I am not your father, boy!!!"
Adam said "I got your blue eyes, my hair color is from my mother. I don't think white hair would fit me though."
Jacques said "Who...are you?'"
Adam replied "I am the product of your sins that have come home to roost. I am Flannery Taurus' son."
Jacques eyes widened with fear. "Please...please don't kill me."
"No. I'm not going to kill you." Adam said. "I will, however, kill your daughter. Just as your actions left me with nothing, I will take everything from you. But not tonight. Enjoy your party, pops."
Adam leaves.
As Salem begins her attack on Atlas, Winter becomes the Winter Maiden (Penny remains dead from Vol 3 in this version) and fights on the front lines. Team RWBY splits up. Weiss and Blake head to Amity Tower to begin broadcasting a Remnant wide warning about Salem. Weiss and Blake are met by Adam alone. Adam states that no messages will made today other than that the proud heiress of the Schnee Dust Company will lie dead at his feet. Weiss whispers to Blake, telling her to go to the communications mainframe and load the message. As Adam attempts to stop her, Weiss uses ice dust on his feet to keep him in place, stating that his fight is with her. Weiss questions him on his remark back at Haven. Adam tells Weiss of his past (which in the show is where we would get our anime backstory) and afterwards, Adam removes his mask stating "No more false faces." Weiss is utterly appalled but states that she still can't let Adam continue his rampage. Weiss and Adam fight as Blake loads the message. As the message plays, the fight comes to a pause. Adam remarks that they may have sent the message but they won't live to see the world united. Adam fights Blake and Weiss in a long catastrophic fight that starts to make the battle arenas biome system go haywire constantly shifting between deserts, tundras, swamps, mountains, and zero gravity. In a move of quick thinking, Blake kicks Adam towards a floating platform in which Weiss uses gravity dust to pull him toward her sword at high speeds. In a split second, Adam intentionally drops his guard. Weiss impales him through the stomach. Adam calmly states that he wonders if this is the fate of the faunus. To be endlessly trampled by the boots of human, Weiss looks him in the eyes and states that the sins of her father have condemned him to his fate, but she is her own huntress and she swears to repair all of the damage caused by her father towards the faunus. Adam screams in disbelief, stating how could anything change the pattern that has gone on for hundreds of years and questions if Weiss really believes that she can do anything about this miserable world that has taken everything from him, while coughing up blood. Weiss states that she only believes in the ability of each individual person to change. She states how she used to have discriminatory attitudes towards Blake but changed her thinking just by talking and being with her.
Adam looks at Blake and states that she has seen the world the same way he did and that nothing changes. Blake states that nothing changes if we act with violence towards each other and how the cycle must be broken in order to move on. Weiss states that she doesn't know anything about Adam's mother, but if she loved him shoe would have wanted him to live well and free of regrets. She states with conviction and tears in her eyes to please trust in her, trust in her desire for a new world. Adam cries and slowly blinks and states that it would be foolish to hand the fate of the faunus to a human, a Schnee at that. But he admits that Blake shared his viewpoints and that Weiss must be awfully good at convincing people, he states with a chuckle. Adam asks if Weiss is ready to die for that dream, to have the world walk hand in hand with each other. Weiss states she is willing to die to protect the world AND to make sure it heals from the states of discrimination. Adam slowly smiles. He weakly says to Weiss "Promise me then...Promise me...you won't...lose your way...as I did. Promise me you will keep that conviction no matter how dark the world becomes. Promise me.......sister." Weiss responds "I promise on the honor of the Schnee family name...brother."
Adam weakly chuckles and softly smiles "Bro...ther, eh? I...won...der...what...our...family...would have...been...like..."
Adam closes his eyes and dies with a smile.
Adam is buried by Weiss and Blake in front of the Schnee Manor, with his sword as a grave marker.
THE END
Yes, I know it is very, very long. But be honest. What do any of you think about it?