Mercury Black

Mercury Black is a minor antagonist in the webseries RWBY. This blog’s portrayal of him will follow canon for the most part, with some divergences here and there in accordance with my own headcanons. There is little we know about Mercury’s full story, so I’ve taken lots of liberties with his backstory and history. I have extensive headcanons on his relationships with/opinions on the rest of the cast, but I won’t push them onto other writers unless they’re cool with it. Enjoy!

Alternate universes include Modern, Arcane, Skyrim, Pokemon, and BG3/DnD/general fantasy, with probably more to come!

More in-depth info below.

Also btw don't feel like you have to read this whole thing, Mercury pretty much has the longest page out of all of my (canon) characters. No pressure. I'm extremely abnormal about This Fucking Guy. I love u.

Physical

Mercury stands at a proud 6’2”, with a slim but muscular build. Scars litter his fair skin, the most prominent being a large scar across his chest and heart with a pattern reminiscent of lightning from when his father stole his semblance, leaving the large aura burn. Other notable scars include the ones on his shoulder blades, now covered with hawk wing tattoos. Mercury’s silver (not grey, damn you!) hair is partially slicked back, with the rest falling messily into his face. The back of his hair naturally sticks up. His hair is also naturally jet black, but stressors made his hair start greying early, so he bleaches the rest of it to match. If you ask him, though, he’ll just say his hair is silver. (But those roots don’t lie, boy!)

He is half-Mistrali on his mother’s side, and resembles his mother far more than he does his father. He’s a very pretty boy, with intense almond-shaped grey eyes. His face isn’t typically very expressive, and his neutral expression (when in a good mood) is more like a lopsided smirk. When he’s in a bad mood, though, his neutral expression turns to a scowl.

Mercury has multiple ear piercings, small gauges, an eyebrow piercing, a lip piercing, and various tattoos.

He has prosthetic legs, starting at just above the knee. They make faint servo sounds when he walks.

Mercury typically dresses comfortably, favoring cargo pants and hooded jackets, accessorizing with his custom flight tag and fingerless gloves. Underneath his outer layers, he often wears compression clothing to aid with grounding his dissociation.

Personality

Carefree on the surface, to the average person Mercury seems like your run-of-the-mill guy. He has a strong sense of humor, and while not an extrovert by any means, he doesn’t have trouble talking to most people.

Mercury is able to size someone up at a glance, and uses conversations as a way to gauge whomever he is speaking to. He’s able to pick up on subtle body language and other nonverbal cues, and generally figures out what makes people tick pretty quickly.

Mercury is easily bored and will often seek means of entertainment and excitement, oftentimes at the expense of others. Put simply, he can be kind of an asshole. On purpose. He doesn’t care. Usually.

Conversely, Mercury doesn’t take well to being the victim of insults or other sleights against him. He will almost always respond in kind, sometimes even resorting to violence if he feels particularly disrespected.

Typically, Mercury isn’t afraid to speak his mind if he has something to say. However, in the presence of certain types of authority, he generally keeps his mouth shut for once in his life. This is largely due to his past with Marcus, where backtalk was often met with severe physical punishment.

Mercury had a miserable upbringing, and leftover jaded feelings still seep through to the surface despite his best efforts to seem aloof and uncaring. He has an intense inferiority complex and is always seeking out ways to make himself better, to prove himself, to show that he has finally become strong enough to not only his allies and employer, but also to himself. He is a very private person and does not know how to talk about his feelings. He never learned and at this point isn’t interested. Mercury’s PTSD gives him an extreme aversion to being touched, especially on his upper back and shoulders.

Mercury is incredibly book-smart, it was important to Marcus to have a highly educated son. While he may put on a show of being an idiot, Mercury is very familiar with geography, architecture, biology, history, and math. However, he has dyslexia, so he tends to struggle actually reading about things, but he’s generally a quick learner.

Despite his bitterness, he does still have a capacity to care for others, even though he doesn’t show it often. It’s also not easy to become someone Mercury trusts enough to care about at all -- Emerald is really the only one who ever got past his walls. As such, he’s a little softer around her, and quick to jump to her defense if he feels she’s being disrespected.

Skills & Abilities

In-depth description of skills & abilities goes here.

Semblance

Before it was stolen away by his father, Mercury’s semblance granted him the ability to phase through solid objects. He managed to hide it from Marcus for a decent amount of time, though eventually he was found out. He never bothered to give it a name.

Weaponry

Mercury fights using a kick-based style, relying heavily on his legs. His weapon, Talaria, is perfectly suited for him in more ways than one. The name specifically refers to the boots he wears over his prosthetics, but the two are best used in tandem. He can fire a variety of projectiles through Talaria, such as bullets, dust, et cetera. The metallic prosthetic legs are grafted to his skin and anchored directly to his bones. He designed the boots himself when he was a boy, and has steadily been improving them ever since. The prosthetics were a “gift” from Marcus after amputating his son’s legs.

Other Strengths

Apart from his physical strength, Mercury is also adept at reading his opponent's abilities. He can size someone up at a glance, and determine either the best way to deal with them, or if he'd be better off avoiding a fight.

Non-Combat Skills

Fluent in Mistrali and sign language. Knows a little north Atlesian. Talented liar. Can cook moderately well. Apt at reading emotions and body language. Well-versed in math, history, biology, and architecture.

Weaknesses

Mercury angers easily, and sometimes allows it to cloud his head. He has little patience and a short temper, and despite his ability to know his limits, will often push past them to make a point or to prove himself wrong.

History

Background

Mercury had a heavily abusive upbringing under the care of his father, Marcus Black, renowned assassin. They lived alone in the mountains, where Marcus trained Mercury to be an assassin like him, until ultimately Mercury ended his father’s life with his own hands. He joined up with Cinder Fall, and worked with her for a time to take down Beacon and Haven, until he eventually left and began working for Salem directly.

History

The Black family is a long line of assassins - men referred to in the shadows simply as “Mr. Black”. Mercury was, of course, expected to carry on this legacy from a young age, and was raised from birth to do so. His father most often worked out of Mistral, so acquiring the language was a must. His mother, Maribelle, raised him with the language. Around 4 months before his fifth birthday, his little sister Mercedes was born. Maribelle’s faunus trait and silver eyes did not pass down to her.

To put it simply, Mercury and Mercedes did not have a happy childhood. The only thing either of them really had was each other. It didn’t take long for the family to realize Mercedes was very hard of hearing - Mercury and Maribelle took it upon themselves to learn sign language for her. Marcus did not.

Maribelle “disappeared” when they were both very young. Mercury can’t recall exactly when, but he can’t have been older than seven, because Mercedes was still a toddler at the time. Now without a mother, Mercury took it upon himself to take care of Mercedes and protect her to the absolute best of his abilities. He’d do her hair, and try to provide at least a little comfort in the hellish environment they were being raised in.

In truth, Marcus packed up the house one day while she was out on a Huntress job, and left with both children in tow. Maribelle returned to a completely empty home, and had no idea where her children were for several years.

About half a decade later, when Mercury was around thirteen or fourteen, Marcus started bringing him along on his own jobs to give him some hands-on experience, leaving Mercedes frequently alone in the small cottage the family shared. There was one evening when Marcus was out on a job alone, and he finished up quicker than anyone anticipated. Mercury swears up and down that he saw his mother that evening, but Marcus would always chalk it up to him hallucinating from painkillers, having been on a heavy dose of morphine after the forced amputation of both of his legs. In the weeks that followed, once Mercury had finally recovered, Marcus resumed bringing him on jobs. After a particularly long stint, they returned to an empty house -- Mercedes was missing, with her only trace being a note left behind in Marcus’s bedroom saying “I’m coming back for my son, too”. Mercury was unaware of the note, and Marcus quickly relocated the two of them yet again to live in the mountains, far away from proper society. For the next few years, it was just Mercury and his father.

Eventually, Mercury couldn’t take it anymore - putting up with his father’s treatment had taken far too much of a toll on him. By now, he’d had his legs amputated and replaced with shoddy prosthetics (that Mercury would later replace after joining Cinder), half of his family stolen or missing or whatever the hell happened to them, and he knew he wasn’t going to survive this environment much longer. In the dead of night, he smashed every bottle he could find and started a fire, fully intending to trap both himself and his father inside.

His father awoke, and the two had a long, violent battle that ended with Marcus’ death. It was then that Mercury was approached by Cinder Fall and Emerald Sustrai, and his story follows canon from there, with little deviance.

Current

Currently, as of Volume 8/9 RWBY’s canon, Mercury is working in Vacuo under Salem alongside Tyrian, and recently freed the twins Jax and Gillian from prison. That’s really all the information we have at this point. I thought I’d have more to say here but I really don’t. Alas.

Future

Mercury’s future is uncertain. He clearly isn’t happy nor comfortable with his current position, but what other choice does he have? Will he continue to suffer in silence under Salem’s command, or will he be shown the light that he’s gotta get out of there?

Relationships

Hello Headcanon Hell. I’ll try to keep this towards Mercury’s personal opinions rather than any sort of actual analysis so I don’t seem too pushy with my portrayal. :woozy:

Marcus Black

Mercury’s father and abuser. Growing up, Mercury was trained to inherit Marcus’s particular skill set as an assassin. Despite his deep-seated hatred for his father, Mercury does ultimately hold some modicum of respect for him, as he was able to accomplish much during his life and was very good at his job. To this day, Mercury parrots both his father’s words and actions, fighting in a way extremely reminiscent of Marcus’s style. Marcus was a heavy alcoholic, and Mercury looked down on him for the habit -- though picked up smoking from him. Marcus stole Mercury’s semblance and never gave it back.

Maribelle Black

Mercury’s now-estranged mother. As a child, Maribelle did her best to protect her children from Marcus, but there was only so much she could do. Mercury doesn’t resent her for it, never has. He doesn’t know if she’s alive and doesn’t care to know.

Mercedes Black

Mercury’s little sister by about 4 years. In their youth, he was fiercely protective of her following Maribelle’s disappearance. He cared for her greatly, learning sign language so he could communicate with her better. He doesn’t know if she’s alive and doesn’t care to know.

Emerald Sustrai

Mercury’s ex-combat-partner and, really, only friend. I have to stop myself before I type too much. Here’s 2.5k words of fuck all I wrote about them once. Put simply, I fully believe Mercury Black is in love with Emerald Sustrai. He cares for her so deeply that it scares him. He’s been in her position, regarding how Cinder treats her, and wants nothing more for her to escape that cycle like he did. Unfortunately the both of them are pretty evenly matched when it comes to being stubborn, but he hasn’t given up. As of V8/9, he still doesn’t know that she defected from Cinder, but if/when he finds out he’s going to be so so so so fucking proud of her. They work well together, both in combat and out.

Cinder Fall

Possibly the most complicated relationship Mercury has is with Cinder. At first, she seemed a saving grace, swooping in to recruit him not minutes after he’d killed his father and burned his house down. She was a good enough boss for the beginning, but Mercury eventually figured out there was a lot more going on than just dust-stealing and Amber-killing. For one, he never really appreciated the way Cinder treated Emerald and himself, but at the same time, he figured he’d been through much worse so who cares. Following the falls of Beacon and Haven, Mercury’s respect for Cinder dwindled down to practically nothing, and fully planned to quit working for her once he learned she was still alive after her fight with Raven. He intended on bringing Emerald with him, but couldn’t break through to her that Cinder didn’t care about either of them. He did eventually break the news to Cinder that he would now be working directly for Salem, and he’s glad to be free of her influence. (Not that he knows Salem is about to be an even worse influence, but, well, he’ll learn soon…)

Neopolitan

Despite working together as a team during their time posing as students at Beacon, Mercury didn’t spend much time around Neopolitan. His ability to speak and understand sign language aided in the few conversations they did have. He respects her ability in combat and her viciousness despite her stature, and wouldn’t be opposed to getting to know her better.

Roman Torchwick

Mercury finds this guy kind of pompous and annoying, not much else. Older man in authority? Pass.

Salem

Mercury is drop-dead terrified of Salem, and that’s why he finds her the perfect boss. The fear of authority is an all-too-familiar feeling, and one that Mercury finds an odd sort of comfort in. He respects her power, but doesn’t really care much about her plans as a whole. He’s allied under her to save his own skin from her destruction.

Tyrian Callows

Mercury does not like this guy one bit. And honestly? It’s because Tyrian is too clever and perceptive. He was able to size Mercury up at a glance, and Mercury does not like being known like that. No sir!

Hazel Rainart

Mercury hates this guy’s fucking guts. He sees right through his ‘Protector’ act. He always gave Mercury bad vibes, but after witnessing him beat the shit out of Oscar for the crime of being born, Mercury pretty much decided this guy is the worst. Reminds him way too much of Marcus, even if Mercury is projecting slightly.

Arthur Watts

Mercury finds him to be annoying and stuck way too far up his own ass. But if he knew about his little roast of Cinder he’d immediately change his mind and be like, this guy fucking rules, actually.

Pyrrha Nikos

While Mercury had only brief interactions with students while he was posing as one, he did take a particular interest in Pyrrha Nikos, especially after seeing her semblance first-hand during sparring. There were times he’d go out of his way to cross her path, to bother her or just hang out with her. Because she’s strong and she’s pretty. Mercury may or may not have developed a small crush on her during that time, but no serious feelings were there. Haha, unless? Nahh. But... unless???

Yang Xiao Long

Prior to facing off against her in the finals of Vytal, Mercury also took an interest in Yang. Because she was hot, and, as he’d later find out, funny. Pretty much the only reason(s). Haha, unless? UNLESS????

Verse List

RWBY

Main verse, assumed as default unless otherwise stated. In-verse AUs are faunus!Mercury and silver/grimm eyes!Mercury. For more info for this verse you can just scroll up ‘ere ^

Canon Deviation 1: Silver/Grimm Eyes: In this AU, Mercury inherited the silver-eyes trait from his mother. He only ever successfully used them twice: the first time during a fight with Marcus, and the second time completely by accident at Evernight. Salem didn’t appreciate that little display very much, and quickly had his eyes removed. As he “recovered”, he was supplemented with Grimm liquid, and eventually new Grimm eyes formed in his sockets. He sees the world now in dulled colors, but not completely grey, and can see in the dark. The new eyes also allow him to see aura and read emotions. He also has the ability typical of Grimm to feed off of particularly negative emotions.

Canon Deviation 2: Faunus: In this AU, Mercury inherited the faunus trait from his mother. He once sported a proud pair of hawk wings on his back, but in his early teens, they were amputated by Marcus after being broken beyond healing. Whether he intended for it to be permanent or later replaced with prosthetics like his legs, Mercury never knew. He still possesses the heightened senses typical of a faunus.

Modern AU

AKA coffeeshop, college, mall, band, what-have-you AU. In this verse, Mercury is a college drop-out that works in Hot Topic at the local mall. He's also the frontman of his own band, A Good Mourning.
He graduated high school, but only barely. During his sophomore year of high school, he got into a car accident with his father that ended up killing him and left Mercury needing prosthetics. That’s what he tells people, anyway. Few know what actually happened, even among his close friends.
During high school, Mercury had a constant on-again off-again situationship with Yang Xiao Long. They ended up breaking up for good soon after graduation, but it’s been a few years since then, and they’re on friendly terms now.
Mercury had limited contact with his mother and sister over the past decade, and as a result has a strained relationship with them. But they’re all trying.
Alongside working at Hot Topic, Mercury is also part of a local rock band, A Good Mourning. He is the founding member, and eventually recruited three of his friends/coworkers to play with him. They play at least monthly at local venues and have a small but respectable local following. His bandmates are Blake Belladonna, Adam Taurus, and Xaos Nightheart. (Blake & Adam's writers don't use Tumblr.) Mercury plays bass and provides main vocals. Adam and Xaos both play guitar and provide backing vocals. Blake is their drummer and secondary vocalist (though Merc is trying his hardest to give her more lines).
Mercury Vox Playlist | Blake Vox Playlist

Arcane AU

Also League of Legends, but I don’t really go here, I just know Arcane. So...
Mercury’s family is from Zaun, with the name “Mr. Black” being the title of a famous assassin, passed down through generations. After killing his abusive father, Mercury took on the mantle of Mr. Black, and currently takes jobs in both Zaun and Piltover. Mostly in Zaun. He’s had dealings with Silco’s group in the past, but not many. Their relationship is tenuous at best.
Mercury retains his prosthetics in every AU, but I’m mentioning it anyway.
This is the AU where Mercury has the most disposable income, thanks to big payouts from Piltover clientele. He has two separate wardrobes, one for traversing Zaun, and one for visiting Piltover. His line of work lets him be frivolous with his money - something he takes advantage of often.
Maribelle and Mercedes live in Piltover, Mercury doesn’t know they’re still alive, Marcus fed him lies about their deaths.

Pokemon AU

You know Pokemon, like my friend Pikachu.
Mercury is a Team Rocket Grunt, partnered with Emerald Sustrai. The two work together well, and both feel they’re due for a promotion soon, maybe, hopefully, probably!
Marcus was an admin of Team Flare, but Mercury fled to Kanto after a violent battle with his father (I haven’t quite figured this part out yet). Maribelle and Mercedes are somewhere (I also haven’t figured this out yet). Prosthetics are retained in this AU and are more specialized for athletics than combat.
Mercury’s main team consists of Skarmory, Gallade, Lucario, Corvinight, Scrafty, and Metagross. He has a secondary team of Toxtricity, Kommo-o, Sawk, Drapion, Marowak, Chesnaught. And he has Togedemaru and Houndoom as pets. Team info. (Sorry it’s a Twitter link, I’ll write it up properly eventually…)

Skyrim AU

I’d like to say this is compatible with other TES games/timelines, but I’ve only played Skyrim…
Mercury is an assassin in the employ of The Dark Brotherhood. His father was an independent assassin that the Brotherhood was contracted to kill, but Mercury ultimately got to him first, leading to his recruitment.
Mercury is half-Imperial (dad’s side) and half-Breton (mom’s side). He just looks like an Imperial though. He lives in the Dawnstar sanctuary in Skyrim.
He typically fights via hand-to-hand combat, though assassinations are carried out via dagger or crossbow. His prosthetics are custom-made from dwemer metal, with many convenient compartments for weapon-storing.

Baldur's Gate, Dungeons and Dragons, General Fantasy AU

You know, the works. If a specific fantasy verse isn’t detailed above, refer to this one.
Mercury is a monk/rogue of some kind (I’m working on the build) and under the employ of the Zhentarim, based in the great city of Baldur’s Gate.
Check back later when I decide whether or not to put a tadpole in his brain or decide to just make him Just Some Guy.

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