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supersaiyanjedi14 · 1 year

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RWBY COMBAT ANALYSIS: CLOVER EBI

It's a good thing they had someone to look up to and get them through it. Not everyone is so lucky.[…] What good is saving the world without another generation waiting in the wings? Hopefully they'll leave Remnant better than we left it for them.”

PHYSICAL

While his exact age has never been stated, Clover Ebi was a contemporary of the likes of Qrow Branwen and Robyn Hill, so he was likely in his late 30s to earth 40s at the time of his death two years after the Fall of Beacon. A human male, Clover was an esteemed graduate of Atlas Huntsman Academy, enlisting in the military’s Special Operatives division and eventually taking leadership of the elite Ace Operatives unit. Easily one of the most capable soldiers produced by the program, he quickly caught the attention of commander-in-chief James Ironwood, and the unit was brought into the fold of the eternal war with Salem. As a power player in Ironwood’s inner circle, Clover came to report directly to the general and spearheaded the field operations for the Amity Communications Tower project, setting the stage for an eventual offensive on the witch. Sadly, Clover’s duties also required him to enforce Ironwood’s increasingly tight rule on the kingdom, generating a decidedly unpopular view of his team among the citizens of Mantle. While he held pronounced status and autonomy in the Atlas military on paper, Clover and his unit, in practice, gradually amounted to little more or less than, as the Mantle activist Forest so eloquently put it, “Ironwood’s Personal Attack Dogs”. The Ace-Ops were status symbols first and foremost; a team of charismatic and badass Huntsmen designed to impress potential recruits, and living weapons authorized to silence any and all dissidents. While by no means a fanatical sycophant like Caroline Cordovin, Clover’s total loyalty to Ironwood did ultimately make him a mere extension of the general’s will. His personal pride and morals had no bearing on his decisions. All that mattered were Ironwood’s orders, even as they became more draconic by the day.

An exceptional though otherwise typical human specimen, Clover stood at 6’3”, his brown hair, teal eyes, and handsome features serving him well as the face of the Ace-Ops, while his athletic muscular build highlighted his ability to shoulder the physical demands of his profession. A solid general-purpose operator, Clover built up and maintained an exceptional blend of athletic attributes, configuring power, speed and reflex to best suit the situation in question. His dexterity and reflexes were arguably his most developed traits, masterfully wielding his weapon’s functions to ensnare and subvert opponents both in close quarters and at range. He has latched a Geist’s mask with his grappling line, entangled Tyrian Callows in a full-body tether, caught speeding objects out of the air with casual ease, and fenced evenly with both Callows and Qrow Branwen at the same time, no small feat given both men’s skill. His ability to fight evenly with the pair, both also known for their exceptional speed, served as a testament to Ebi’s own polished agility, expressed through his use of upright acrobatics to cover ground on the battlefield and balanced footwork and nimble evasions when dueling. Even when denied adequate room to maneuver, Clover was able to keep pace with the contorting Tyrian and defend himself from both Qrow and Robyn Hill while confined into an airship, while still remaining quite mobile when fighting on open ground. While not an offensive heavyweight, Clover’s physical strength was nothing to scoff at. He has manhandled a hulking Petra Gigas after hooking its mask before proceeding to rip the Geist from its body, and during his final battle, threw Qrow several yards and slamming him into the ground after catching him with his hook. While these feats could be chalked up more to Clover riding momentum than his own might, they do speak well to the kind of power the Ace-Op’s muscles can generate.

While Clover’s lucky Semblance meant that he could typically breeze by obstacles without being tagged, he always responded well to the hits he did take. During his confrontations with Tyrian Callows, Clover soaked up multiple physical strikes and continued to fight without any real strain, maintaining his composure even in the face of the Faunus’s sadomasochistic intensity. When the airship crashed in the tundra, Clover bailed ship to avoid injury, but still endured the landing and engaged Qrow immediately afterwards despite having spent the better part of the night in the field. In his final battle, Clover had to be brought down through attrition, the combined blows he took from Qrow and Tyrian ultimately wearing him down to the point where Qrow broke his Aura with a well-placed punch. Though clearly worn out, Clover still regained his feet quickly, and while he had no chance of surviving Tyrian’s fatal backstab, he was able to hold a brief conversation and died relatively calm. This indicates that the Ace-Op, while still as vulnerable as any mortal man, still possessed a powerful ability to deal with physical pain. However, the circumstances of his death also highlighted Clover’s limitations. His stamina was not unlimited, and if placed under enough pressure, he will eventually fold. He won’t burn out immediately, but neither is he truly capable of weathering the storm. Furthermore, while his military discipline allowed him to keep his cool in the heat of battle, his cocky attitude and total obedience to Ironwood has led to lapses in judgement that can put him between a rock and a hard place if he’s not careful. Clover’s tragic death had just as much to do with him biting off more than he could chew as it did his inability to see the big picture beyond what James Ironwood told him to do.

As a high-ranking member of the Atlas Armed Forces, Clover was garbed in the uniform of his army, though his, like the other Ace-Ops, was a heavily tailored variant that highlighted his status. His personal uniform consisted of a gray tank top over which he wore a sleeveless double-breasted white jacket with red and blue lapels, epaulets, and coattails. The rest of the outfit consisted of white trousers, calf-high steel-toed boots, and fingerless gloves. He further accessorized with a collection of personal ornaments, most notably his trademark four leaf clover pin inherited by Qrow Branwen upon his death. While unarmored, Clover’s clothes were still practical and unrestrictive in the field, maintaining military reliability despite the decorative aesthetic.

RANKING: Tier 2, Peak Human Fitness

While not an overwhelming juggernaut of athletic performance, Clover Ebi still serves as a strong representation of the human Huntsman physical apex. He is an experienced field operative who has taken great pains to stay on top of his training and exercise, boasting a balanced application of strength, agility and dexterity that affords him an impressive level of performance in all areas. While he can’t be expected to dominate any adversary on the back of any specific physical attribute, he is not lacking in any areas either, while his physical hardiness and disciplined confidence allows him to work through hits and persevere under fire. Clover’s final fate proves that he does have a limit to how much pressure he can take, but given the force he was up against, pushing him to that upper limit is no easy feat.

MARTIAL

Clover Ebi’s weapon of choice was a high-grade collapsible hooked fishing rod known as the Kingfisher. The main iron shaft of the rod was of variable length, though Clover typically kept the weapon at approximately three to four feet, providing a moderate reach advantage when on open ground. The sharpened hook on the tip was connected to a cable housed in the shaft and feed by a beveled reel that doubled as the hilt guard. The reel itself had a powerful propulsion system that allowed the weapon to be utilized as a grappling hook, this method being one of Clover’s favorite methods of traversing his surroundings. The simple black handgrip was fitted with a spike on the pommel and featured a manual adjuster that allowed the user to adjust the shaft’s length with the flick of a switch. Aside from Kingfisher, one of Clover’s lucky charms was an iron horseshoe, perfectly willing to use it as a makeshift knuckle duster and thrown projectile, and he was also known to regularly carry at least one gravity Dust bola for use as handcuffs or as an additional snare in combat.

As a student of Atlas Huntsman Academy and a member of the Special Operatives unit, Clover Ebi received a rich pedigree of combat training, preparing for both military operations and fighting the creatures of Grimm. Distinguishing himself as an experienced field operative, Clover rose through the ranks to eventually become the commander of the elite Ace-Operatives, priding himself on his success on the back of his own merit rather than privilege. That being said, the post-Fall of Beacon world changed Clover’s duties considerably, his team being dispatched to clear the construction sites for the Amity Tower project while also being constantly sent into Mantle to enforce Ironwood’s civil mandates. While these measures made the Ace-Ops increasingly unpopular with the Mantle populace, Clover himself having a tense relationship with local political leader Robyn Hill, this regular field experience still helped keep Clover’s skills polished on top of his regular training and exercise, setting himself apart as one of the most skilled Huntsmen of his day. Regarding Clover’s personal means of battle, his technique was very defense-oriented, employing tight one-handed blocking sequences and deflection parries to intercept both melee strikes and projectiles, while adopting a two-handed grip to use the elongated shaft as more of a polearm or quarterstaff. For offense, he favored sweeping slashes and body shots delivered via flourishing spins, either to get around the opponent’s defenses or to confuse them with the twirls. With the hook, Clover made avid use of blade manipulation techniques, often catching his opponent’s weapon and forcing it out of line, opening them up for a counterattack. However, easily Clover’s most unorthodox technique was his use of his weapon as a combat lasso, grappling hook, and flail, frequently entrapping his targets in the cable to non-lethally disable them or swinging the hook from the cable to strike his targets at range. Taking full advantage of the variable length of Kingfisher’s pole, Ebi often shortened it to accommodate tighter environments or to draw in the target after snaring them and lengthened it to improve his reach advantage. This defensive fighting style was reinforced by his dynamic physical component and alternative equipment, enhancing his parries with nimble evasions and improving his tethers by manually threading his hook around his opponent’s limbs, while staggering his targets by throwing his horseshoe or tripping them up with his bola. As far as alternative combat skills went, Clover Ebi was a highly skilled hand-to-hand fighter, freely incorporating punches and kicks into his style, and his military training virtually guaranteed training in the use of firearms, at minimum on how to engage enemy gunmen.

Clover Ebi’s tactics and conduct reflected his personal background as well as the realities of his service. As the leader of a special operations unit, Clover was all about the coordination of small groups of operatives to achieve larger strategic objectives, assessing the situation and directing his followers to exploit it. As the Ace-Ops were pieced together from operatives with complimentary skills and powers, Clover was almost always in his comfort zone, as he and his teammates could always take advantage of their individual strengths while covering for each other’s weaknesses, working together as a well-oiled, cohesive combat machine. When facing the Petra Gigas in SDC Mine #2, Clover dispatched Vine Zeki and Elm Ederne to restrain the legs while Marrow Amin disabled its arms and Harriet Bree and himself covered their flanks by catching the loosed Dust crystals. They followed this up with a hit-and-run badgering sequence while Clover himself leapt in, snagged the Geist’s mask with his hook, and forcibly pulled it out of the stones, giving Bree a chance to kill it. A similar collaboration was seen when confronting Tyrian Callows during the Battle of Mantle, this time playing defensive interference to subvert and ensnare the Faunus while Qrow Branwen attacked him directly and Robyn Hill chipped away at a distance. These encounters perfectly show Ebi in his element, coordinating multiple Huntsmen to cleanly and efficiently disable a threat with minimal collateral damage. As far as his own tactics went, Clover was just as subversive but also more freeform. With his Semblance enabling him to avoid missteps and find the most advantageous hit spots, he often went with the flow and adjusted as he went along, tailoring his approach to suit the situation. He would open defensively to gauge the threat and work to undermine it, whether by trapping their weapon and leaving them open to a punch to the face or by taking advantage of their overcommitment to tangle them in his line. He was at his best when exploiting the element of surprise, catching both Qrow and Robyn off guard by trapping their weapons. While his methods had a steep risk-reward, as tangling somebody in a fishing line is nowhere near an easy feat, Clover was able to make these radical techniques workable thanks to his Semblance; he was supernaturally lucky enough that his moves were successful, and he avoided the stumbling blocks along the way. He was a weaponized freerunner who achieved victory on the back of clever subversion and a mastery of the most unorthodox methods.

However, for all of Clover’s skill, his style and tactics still held major logistical problems. Despite the versatile nature of the Kingfisher, none of its functions were reliably lethal, meaning that, while appropriate for law enforcement duties, he had very little in the means of decisively ending the conflict. Instead of winning by overcoming his opponent, Clover won by manipulating and trapping them, meaning that his success was reliant on perfect technique. While his unconventional techniques were effective in his hands, this was chiefly due to his Semblance making even the most ridiculous method workable rather than being a developed and practical combat skill. Despite tethering Tyrian Callows several ties in Mantle, Callows was able to break free thanks to his own vicious movement, and he folded primarily due to offensive pressure from Qrow and Robyn’s opportunistic shots. Clover was able to compensate for this lack of lethality through his teammates, tools he lacked access to when operating alone. Furthermore, Clover’s loyalty to Ironwood came before all else, following his orders to the letter even if they conflicted with his own morals or even on-the-ground facts, leading to disastrous lapses in judgement. This came to a head during his final battle with Qrow and Tyrian in the tundra. When Ironwood ordered Ruby Rose and her allies’ arrests and declared martial law in Mantle, Clover immediately moved to arrest Qrow despite the latter and Robyn’s protests, the situation escalating into a full fight that allowed Tyrian to kill their pilot and crash the airship. Clover escaped and acknowledged Robyn’s injuries, but rather than offer truce for her sake, Clover insisted on Qrow’s surrender with a transparent appeal to their friendship. Not fooled, Qrow drew his weapon and the two fought evenly until Tyrian interfered. Despite his awareness of Tyrian’s danger and Qrow’s good intentions, Clover attempted to battle both of them rather than collaborate, directly interfering with Qrow’s attempts to attack Tyrian in order to subdue him. This proved to be Clover’s undoing, as Tyrian was able to manipulate his opponents to continue bashing each other rather than focus on him. To his credit, Clover was able to acquit himself extremely well, briefly overcoming Qrow and managing to defend against Tyrian’s savage onslaught before trapping him in his line. However, Clover’s lack of offensive power meant that he could not reliably defeat his opponents, and mounting pressure from two fronts was ultimately too much for him to handle. Qrow eventually broke his Aura with a heavy punch, giving Tyrian a chance to impale him with a surprise backstab, using Qrow’s own weapon to frame him for his former friend’s death.

RANKING: Tier 2, Advanced Mastery

With the various options of his weapon and his underhanded tactics, Clover Ebi has a very diverse and versatile skill set that has been honed through well over a decade of training and battlefield experience. His subversive and defensive fighting style allows him to undermine and undercut his adversaries with radical tricks and maneuvers that most aren’t prepared to engage, and his developed skill allows him to stand equal to many of the greatest martial artists in his setting. At the same time, while a competent and charismatic battlefield leader skilled at managing and directing his assets, Clover’s tactics in single combat are far less effective due to his reliance on his chosen techniques rather than practical ones. His weapon and style trade lethality for options, resulting in a thinly spread skill set, while his stubborn persistence has led to him making bad calls, sometimes fatal ones. Clover is cautious enough not to overextend, but he doesn’t always look at the big picture, leading him to bite off more than he can chew.

SPECIAL

Clover Ebi possessed the ability to passively affect probability, manipulating the world around him to act to his advantage in whatever endeavor he was participating in. As this power allowed him to come ahead in just about everything, even in the most unlikely situations, Clover came to identify his Semblance simply as Good Fortune. Upon their first meeting, the parallels between this ability and Qrow Branwen’s Misfortune were obvious and apparent, as both powers were constantly active, interfering with the lives of their bearers. However, where Qrow’s Semblance affected his surroundings and people in his vicinity, Clover’s Semblance only affected himself and his personal actions. While the circumstances by which Clover discovered his abilities are unconfirmed, he obviously unlocked them early on, aiding in his meteoric rise in prominence among the Atlas elite forces. This ability manifested in various subtle ways, usually as a utility safeguard and tactical aide. Lucky observations enabled him to locate entrances into blocked off locations and advantageous terrain positions, while conveniently improving his footing and balance to avoid falls and injuries. Clover’s abilities even allowed him success in mundane activities such as card games, indicating a powerful degree of influence even outside the rigors of combat. Clover was talented at supporting his Semblance’s influence with his own charisma and strategic observations, granting good fortune to larger objectives by turning them into HIS objectives. This was part of the reason why he was such an effective team leader, as he was able to keep his subordinates unified in the field while enabling them to perform their jobs successfully. On their own, the Ace-Ops could be prone to interference, yet when Clover was in the picture, they were a virtually unassailable unit. This trait was not limited to his direct subordinates either; Clover was a good leader for everyone. When confronting Tyrian Callows in Mantle, Clover, Qrow and Robyn had never fought alongside each other before, Qrow in particular barely being Hill’s acquaintance, yet the three of them were able to function extremely well together to meticulously bring the Faunus assassin to his knees.

Given how heavily Atlas Academy emphasized their students to develop the combative applications of their Semblances, it should come as no surprise that Clover took full advantage of his supernatural good luck in combat. His ability to narrowly avoid hits and obstacles was the crux of his defensive component in battle, calmly responding to any attack made against him by getting to the right place in just the right amount of time. Grazing strikes were basically a non-issue for him simply because he was lucky enough for them to miss him by inches, which in turn made traps and subtler probing attacks effectively useless. This fed directly into his landing strategies, calmly jumping from extreme heights and managing to catch the landing every time, this talent saving him from a Teryx that latched itself onto his airship and enabling his escape from the crashing Manta in the tundra. It even reinforced his in-combat evasions and martial defense, seen when he casually deflected Robyn Hill’s bolt at near point-blank range and latter avoided Tyrian Callows’ Aura Disruption strikes by the skin of his teeth. Clover’s most pronounced use of his Semblance in battle was his use of it to enable his unorthodox fighting style. As visually cool and clever as Clover’s technique is, the fact remains that it is very lacking in terms of substance. It’s a very showy and impractical method that would require perfect technique every single time to be workable. Luckily for Clover, his Semblance meant that he could perform perfect technique almost every single time. Where a normal person would be hard-pressed to snag an evasive opponent like Tyrian in a full body tether or catch a hole in Qrow’s sword at just the right point to rip it from his grasp, Clover was able to perform these moves on command and extremely frequently. Clover’s Semblance was, in essence, the ultimate cheat code. Regardless of the risk of the situation he was in or how improbable or crazy the fighting maneuver he was trying to pull off was, he was able to make it work by effectively hacking reality to shift things in his favor.

The problem with this sort of power was that there are certain situations one cannot simply leave up to fate to decide. As previously mentioned, the main difference between Misfortune and Good Fortune was that Qrow’s Semblance affected the world around him, interfering with what other people were trying to do, while Clover’s Semblance only affected him and his own objectives. While both developed a good deal of skill with their powers, Qrow was skilled at catching on to what his Semblance was causing, adjusting his tactics to take advantage of what his opponent was going to trip over. By contrast, Clover’s Semblance covered for what should have been a risky move or a misstep to the point where he never truly struggled. Good Fortune merely handed Clover one victory after another, to the point where he became reliant on his powers in combat. This motivated Clover to develop the most hair-brained and head-scratching tactics in battle simply because he had never failed at making them work. As a result, Clover was never exposed to his own limits and had no way of gauging situations where no amount of luck could help him. Despite executing his usual high performance in his final battle, subverting Qrow and evading Tyrian, his greatest pitfalls happened when he was simply being overwhelmed directly, forced to give ground against his opponents and being worn down by their combined pressure. Unlike Qrow, whose self-imposed isolation allowed him to develop his own talents in response to his limitations, Clover was constantly working with a team that Ironwood specifically built to cover each other’s’ bases as pieces of a puzzle. That’s not to say that Clover was weak individually, but the circumstances of his career blinded to his own shortcomings. Not only was he denied a chance to figure out what they were in the first place, but his blind loyalty ensured that he never felt the need to question Ironwood’s decision and find out what they were. When he was isolated from his allies and tried to fight Qrow and Tyrian on his own, Clover lacked any of their strengths that could potentially shift things in his favor, and his luck eventually wore out.

RANKING: Tier 3, Specialized Combat

Clover Ebi’s Semblance was the centerpiece of his combative viability, allowing him to avoid the subtle mistakes by the skin of his teeth while also bringing consistency to what should have been risky maneuvers in combat. His success at expanding his objectives made him invaluable as a military unit commander while also turning him into a devastating martial combatant, twisting probability to make his desired outcome a reality regardless of how unlikely it seemed. However, Clover’s Semblance was extremely singular and inwardly focused, lacking any ability to actively influence the flow of the engagement, while his seeming inability to falter had a major negative effect on his battlefield conduct. Clover’s Good Fortune allowed him to breeze by just about any obstacle, but this lack of failure also meant that major holes in his approach were never addressed because he was so overpowered that they almost never came up. Still, having literal luck on your side is not small thing, and anyone who challenges Clover is going to need every Ace they can fit.

OVERALL RANKING: TIER 2, MASTER HUNTSMAN

Clover Ebi is ranked primarily on account of his martial skills, his performances in other areas adding layers to his versatile and high-performance fighting method. For all his shortcomings, Clover’s position as the leader of Atlas’s best Huntsmen was well-earned, perfectly embodying everything James Ironwood expected out of his premier fighting unit. An incredibly well-rounded athlete who could handle hard combat smoothly and calmly, Clover’s attributes made him perfectly optimized for the various combat situations he was guaranteed to find himself in, situations his fighting style was perfectly designed to engage. He made use of an unconventional weapon that enabled a martial technique based around subversion, deception, and tricky maneuvers designed to subdue his opponent in ways they couldn’t possibly expect based on how unusual they were. All of this was enabled by a Semblance that was quite simply a hack, twisting situations in ways that allowed his attempted techniques to work the way he wanted, even if they seemed like they were too tricky to be consistently reliable. However, Clover’s weaknesses cannot be ignored, as everything just described was only consistent when Clover was operating as a unit where he could call upon the strengths of others. When deprived of this support, Clover’s fighting style was all the more flashy and ridiculous while also lacking in ways to decisively end the battle, while his Semblance could not protect him from the power of direct assaults. Clover’s attributes, rather than being based around practical techniques honed by experience, were based around making cute tricks into weapons by just being lucky enough for them to work in live combat. And because Clover never truly deviated from this pattern, this saddles him with a circumstantial ranking of Tier 3 if confronted with someone he simply can’t subvert quickly.

Clover Ebi may be one of the best warriors of his day, legitimately comparable to Qrow Branwen in terms of developed skill, but his overspecialization with his Semblance has reduced him to a one-trick-pony. Where his contemporaries had the benefit of being forced into situations where their weaknesses were exploited, motivating them to learn from experience and tweak things accordingly, Clover never did this, not because he was too arrogant to learn, but because he wasn’t allowed to. Ironwood placed Clover in charge of the Ace-Ops in recognition of his skill, but the nature of the team meant that they were constantly covering for each other while having no real expectation of having top operate independently. As a result, despite being the best Atlas had to offer, the Ace-Ops viability in single combat is shockingly limited, their leader especially. The greatest irony about Clover was that his Semblance allowed him to practically coast by any pitfall and win no matter what, yet he was ultimately reliant on the support of his allies to fill in the gaps in his skill set and function as a Huntsman. Simply put, his potential, both as a fighter and as a man, were stifled by James Ironwood who only wanted one thing out of him. This isn’t to say that Clover was a victim or a mindless drone, as his loyalty to Atlas, James, and his mission were genuine convictions and he was complicit in this overspecialization. Much like his commander, Clover Ebi started off with good intentions. Sadly, this loyalty was taken advantage of by one unworthy of it, and Clover Ebi ultimately lived and died as just another weapon pointed at the enemy so someone else could claim a victory.

*originally posted on RoosterTeeth Community page on 05-21-22*

* images taken from RWBY Wiki and @rwbyweap*

RWBY Combat Analysis

#rwby #rwby combat analysis #clover ebi #rwby clover #atlas military #ace ops #peak human fitness #advanced mastery #specialized combat

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marcmarcmomarc · 25 days

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The current voices of my fan-made Spanish dub of RWBY

Miriam Aceves - Trifa (Emily Fajardo)

Kevin Adrián - Vale Councilman (Gray G. Haddock)

Yadira Aedo

Montserrat Aguilar

Víctor Hugo Aguilar - Jabberwalker (Richard Norman) & Blue Four (Travis Willingham)

Luis René Aguirre

Rossy Aguirre - Red Haired Woman (Jen Brown)

Leonardo Agustín

Santos Alberto

Héctor Alcaraz

María Álcazar - Mistral Woman (Lauren Aptekar)

Raúl Aldana - Drunk Mann (Joel Mann) & Floyd the Geist Grimm (Kerry Shawcross)

Diana Alonso

Gerardo Alonso

Karina Altamirano - Atlas Businesswoman (Amber Lee Conners)

Mariangny Álvarez

Lourdes Ambriz

Raúl Anaya - Clover Ebi (Christopher Wehkamp) & Cardin Winchester (Adam Ellis)

Jessica Ángeles - Dew Gayl (Paige Campbell) & Ruda Tilleroot (Judy Alice Lee)

Denisse Aragón - Shovel Mom (Jenn K. Tidwell) & Purple Paper Pleaser (Yssa Badiola)

José Arenas - Toy Soldiers (Billy B. Burson III)

Luna Arjona

Raymundo Armijo

Lourdes Arruti - Miltia & Melanie Malachite (Maggie Tominey)

Mario Arvizu - Professor Ozpin (Shannon McCormick)

Yamil Atala - Russel Thrush (Shane Newville/Bryce Papenbrook)

Laura Ayala

Jorge Badillo - Professor Theodore (Keith Silverstein)

Ángel Balam - Curious Cat (Robbie Daymond)

Liliana Barba - Coco Adel (Ashley Burns)

Oliver Díaz Barba

Alicia Barragán - Deery (Maggie Tominey) & Roane Ashwood (Laura Stahl)

Iván Bastidas - Blue Paper Pleaser (Connor Pickens)

Alfredo Gabriel Basurto - Anima Mayor (Mike McFarland)

Ricardo Bautista - Pretend God Ozma (Shannon McCormick)

Ramón Bazet - Toy Soldiers (Kdin Jenzen) & White Pawn 04 (Michael Malconian)

Tania Becerra

Carlos Becerril

Diego Becerril - Toy Soldiers (Cody Hawkins)

César Beltrán

Mauricio Bennetts

Alberto Bernal - Scarlet David (Gavin Free)

Emmanuel Bernal - Corsac Albain (Derek Mears)

Tatul Bernodat - Menagerie Guard 01 (Gio Coutinho)

Julia Bilous - Alyx (Shara Kirby)

Sergio Bonilla

Óscar Bonfiglio

Alan Bravo - Kuroyuri Blacksmith (Connor Pickens)

Hernán Bravo - Fenix Atar (Richard Norman)

Simone Brook - Tock (Ruth Urquhart)

Ricardo Brust - Saber Rodentia (William Ball)

David Bueno - V1 White Fang Goon (Chris Martin) & White Pawn 02 (Billy B. Burson III)

Nicolás Calderón

Cristina Camargo

Pepe Campa

Manuel Campuzano - Mistral Pilot (Stan Lewis)

Raúl Carballeda

Gaby Cárdenas - Rowena Sunnybrook (Lani Minella) & Red Paper Pleaser/Genial Gem (Paula Decanini)

Juan Alfonso Carralero

Luis Carreño - Yellow Paper Pleaser (Dalton Allen)

Marcel Carré

Regina Carrillo - young Nora Valkyrie (Kristen McGuire)

Roberto Carrillo - Toy Guard (Brandan Blaber)

Ernesto Casillas

Paulina García Casillas - Matte Skye (Derrick Ziegler)

Sonia Casillas - Vale Reporter 02 (Amber Lee Connors) & CCT Voice (Jackie Izawa)

Arturo Castañeda - Perry (Kyle Taylor)

Carla Castañeda - Velvet Scarlatina (Caiti Ward)

Mario Castañeda - The Hound (Jason Liebrecht)

Beto Castillo - Bartholomew Oobleck (Joel Heyman/Cam Clarke)

Arturo Cataño - Atlas Husband (Chris Kokkinos)

Rubén Cerda - Ambrosius (Valentine Stokes)

Enrique Cervantes - White Pawn 03 (Brendan Blaber)

Lileana Chacón - Sienna Khan (Monica Rial)

Agustina Cirulnik - Neopolitan (Casey Lee Williams)

Ariel Cister

Francisco Colmenero - Peter Port (Ryan Haywood/Anthony Sardinha)

Jesse Conde - Klein Sieben & Seven Butlers (J. Michael Tatum)

Armando Coria

Ivanna Corona - Small Girl (Emily Fajardo)

Bruno Coronel - Yuma (Nick Landis)

Andrea Coto - Menagerie Guard 03 (Jenn K. Tidwell)

Andrés Gutiérrez Coto

Sergio Gutiérrez Coto - Roman Torchwick (Gray G. Haddock/Billy Kametz/Christopher Wehkamp)

Elsa Covián - young Maria Calavera (Melissa Sternenberg)

Víctor Covarrubias - Just Rite Bartender (Zane Rutledge)

Irwin Daayán - Green Paper Pleaser (Dustin Matthews)

Gustavo Dardés

Ximena de Anda - Amber (Laura Bailey) & Trophy Wife (Felicia Angelle)

Edgar de Marte

Denisse de la Fuente

Óscar de la Rosa

Alejandría de los Santos

Carlos del Campo - Crow Bar Bartender (Markus Horstmeyer)

Daniel del Roble - Councilman Sleet (Chad James)

Salvador Delgado

Alejandra Delint

Esteban Desco - Shay D. Mann (Clifford Chapin)

Juan Pablo Diaz - Crimson (César Altagracia)

Manuel Díaz

Emiliano Dionisi

Idzi Dutkiewicz - Li Ren (Kaiji Tang) & Rhodes (Christian Young)

Erica Edwards - Robyn Hill (Cristina Vee)

Juan Antonio Edwards

Paula Arias Esquivel

Berenice Esquivel

Héctor Estrada - Angry Atlas Businessman (Nick Landis)

Germán Fabregat - Qrow Branwen (Vic Mignogna/Jason Liebrecht)

Karla Falcón - Harriet Bree (Anairis Quiñones) & Nebula Violette (Grace Bono)

Constanza Faraggi

Dafnis Fernández - James Ironwood (Jason Rose)

César Filio - Herbalist (Christopher Guerrero)

David Filio

Iván Filio

Mario Filio

Rona Fletcher - Madame (Linda Leonard)

Kerygma Flores - An Ren (Dawn M. Bennett) & Oscar’s Aunt (Marissa Lenti)

Óscar Flores - Jaune Arc/Rusted Knight, Dream Actor Jaune Arc, Negative Jaune, & Jaune’s Weapons (Miles Luna)

Eduardo Fonseca - Hei “Junior” Xiong (Jack Pattillo) & Vale Reporter 01 (Tyler Coe)

Enzo Fortuny - Neptune Vasilias (Kerry Shawcross)

Camila Díaz Fraga - Ciel Soleil (Yssa Badiola)

Dan Frausto

Alina Galindo

Dafne Gallardo

Diana Galván

Graciela Gámez - Councilwoman Camilla (Anairis Quiñones)

Blas García

Constanza García

Gerardo García

Ivette García - Joanna Greenleaf (Marissa Lenti)

Leonardo García

María García

René García

Saidé García

César Garduza

Óscar Garibay - Yatsuhashi Daichi (Joe MacDonald)

Fidel Garriga Jr.

Eduardo Garza - Fennec Albain (Mike McFarland)

Claudia Garzón - Higanbana Waitress (Kim Newman)

Fernanda Gastélum

Melissa “Meli G” Gedeón - Neon Katt (Meg Turney)

Eduardo Giaccardi - Vine Zeki (Todd Womack)

Leslie Gil - Olive Harper (Skye Lafontaine)

Magda Giner - Caroline Cordovin (Mela Lee)

Abril Gómez

Cecilia Gómez - Bianca Prisma (Alexis Tipton) & White Pawn 01 (Jamie Battle)

Gabriela Gómez

Héctor Emmanuel Gómez - Drinking Buddy (Dustin Matthews)

Óscar Gómez - Hanlon Fifestone (Major Attaway) & Toy Soldiers (Michael Malconian)

Sara Gómez

Dalí González

Desireé González

Geezuz González - Fox Alistair (Max Mittelman)

Nycolle González

Alfonso Grau - Amoncio Glass (Lucas Schuneman)

Alejandro Graue

Maythe Guedes - Teapot Lady (Kdin Jenzen)

María Inés Guerra

Armando Guerrero

Dulce Guerrero - Cinder Fall (Jessica Nigri)

Emilio Guerrero - Ghira Belladonna (Kent Williams)

Eduardo Gutiérrez

Melissa Gutiérrez

Roberto Gutiérrez - White Fang Lieutenant (Gray G. Haddock/Christopher Wehkamp)

Gabriela Guzmán - Elm Ederne (Dawn M. Bennett)

Jesús Guzmán

Maru Guzmán - Glynda Goodwitch (Kathleen Zuelch/Tiana Camacho)

Patricia Hannidez

Carlos Hernández

Cristina Hernández - Penny Polendina (Taylor McNee)

Jesús Hernández

Lucy Hernández

Alondra Hidalgo - Blake Belladonna (Arryn Zech), Lisa Lavender (Jen Brown), & Negative Blake (Arryn Zech)

Olga Hnidey

Danann Huicochea - Jinn (Colleen Clinkenbeard)

Irina Índigo

Betzabé Jara - Mouse Leader (Jamie Battle)

Dante Jara

Irene Jiménez - Female Mistral Pilot (Reina Scully)

Renzo Jiménez

Edurne Keel - Ivy Thickety (AmaLee)

Kike

Eder La Barrera

Daniel Lacy - Detective 01 (Burnie Burns)

Patricio Lago - Detective 02 (Joel Heyman)

Erika Langarica

Jorge Lapuente

Lupita Leal - Fiona Thyme (Michele Everheart)

Miguel Ángel Leal - Terminal Guard (Connor Pickens)

Ixchel León

Constanza Lechuga

Agustín Lezama

Sebastián Llapur - Dr. Merlot (Dave Fennoy)

Jaime López

Olivia Luna

José Antonio Macías

Nancy MacKenzie

Wendy Malvárez

Rebeca Manríquez - Kali Belladonna (Tara Platt)

Fernando Manzano

Ximena Manzano

Talía Marcela

Isabel Martiñón - Fria (Luci Christian)

Edson Matus - Nadir Shiko (Aleks Le)

Paco Mauri

Sergio Maya

Alejandro Mayén

Carla Medina - Terra Cotta-Arc (Jamie Smith)

Luis Gerardo Méndez

Ricardo Méndez

Itzel Mendoza

Jared Mendoza

Mireya Mendoza - Yang Xiao Long (Barbara Dunkelman)

Monserrat Mendoza - Ilia Amitola (Cherami Leigh)

Pamela Mendoza

Ricardo Mendoza “El Coyote” - Toy Soldiers (Nick Cramer) & Xiong Goons (William Lopez)

Rommy Mendoza - Mistral Police Captain (Jamie Smith)

Arturo Mercado - Jacques Schnee & Dream Actor Jacques Schnee (Jason Douglas)

Arturo Mercado Jr. - Taiyang Xiao Long (Burnie Burns)

Mario Díaz Mercado

Pascual Meza - Red Prince (Michael Malconian)

Gabriela Michel

José Luis Miranda - Penny’s Driver (Alan Abdine)

Verónica Montes

Moisés Iván Mora - Whitley Schnee & Dream Actor Whitley Schnee (Howard Wang)

Zoe Mora - young Lie Ren (Apphia Yu)

María Fernanda Morales

Sergio Morel

Susana Moreno

Jahel Morga

Ángel Mujica - Ramen Shop Owner (Nick Landis)

Salvador Nájar

Alexa Navarro

Luis Navarro

Sol Nieto

Víctor Noriega

Gloria Obregón - Mata’s Mother (Victoria Holden)

Vanessa Olea

Javier Olguín

Adriana Olmedo

Jorge Ornelas

Alejandro Orozco - Adam Taurus (Garrett Hunter) & Dudley (Christopher Guerrero)

José Luis Orozco - God of Light (Chase McCaskill) & Atlas Businessman (Scott Frerichs)

Luis Fernando Orozco - Mata (Scott Frerichs)

Alexis Ortega - Sun Wukong (Michael Jones)

Héctor Ortiz

Jessica Ortiz

Mariana Ortiz

Verania Ortiz

Dan Osorio - Dee (Alex Mai)

Marcela Páez - Xanthe Rumpole (Anne Yatco)

Moisés Palacios - Forest (Eric Baudour)

Patricia Palestino

Julio César Palomera

Rebeca Patiño - Vernal (Amber Lee Conners)

Fabiola Paulin

Braian Pavón

Mónica Pavón

Romina Marroquín Payró - Weiss Schnee & Negative Weiss (Kara Eberle/Casey Lee Williams)

Cecilia Pérez

Manuel Pérez

Mauricio Pérez

Walterio Pesqueira

Estefanía Piedra

José Luis Piedra

Ale Pilar - Summer Rose (Morgan Lauré)

Gabriel Pingarrón - Fiona’s Uncle (Gus Sorola)

Layda Álvarez Ponce

Alan Prieto

Mark Pokora - Dr. Arthur Watts (Christopher Sabat)

Vicha Punk

Elena Ramírez

Gisella Ramírez

Leyla Rangel - Lil’ Miss Malachite (Luci Christian)

Óscar Rangel

Armando Réndiz

Gerardo Reyero - Dr. Pietro Polendina (Dave Fennoy)

David Reyes

Salvador Reyes - God of Darkness (Bruce DuBose)

José Luis Rivera

Fernanda Robles - Raven Branwen (Anna Hullum)

Jocelyn Robles

Mariana Robles

Demián Velazco Rochwerger

Valentina Rodríguez

Jorge Roig Jr.

María Roiz

Annie Rojas - Step-Sisters (AmaLee)

Mayra Rojas

Octavio Rojas - Hazel Rainart (William Orendorff) & Tukson (Adam Ellis)

Polo Rojas

Tommy Rojas

Marisol Romero

Alfredo Ruiz

Miguel Ángel Ruiz - Tyrian Callows (Jessie James Grelle/Robbie Daymond)

Pedro Ruiz

Víctor Ruiz

Álvaro Salarich

María Santander

Diana Santos - Disgruntled Grandmother (Christine Stuckart)

Roberto Salguero - Ozma (Aaron Dismuke)

Erick Salinas - Mercury Black (J.J. Castillo/Yuri Lowenthal)

Analiz Sánchez - Nora Valkyrie & Dream Actor Nora Valkyrie (Samantha Ireland)

Carlos Sánchez

Georgina Sánchez

Laura Sánchez

Carlos Segundo - Mike the Beowolf (William Ball)

Erick Selim - Hawker (César Altagracia)

Gaby Servín

Carlos Siller

Esteban Silva

Xavier Sol

Raúl Solo - Nubuck Guards (Kyle Phillips)

Humberto Solórzano - Leonardo Lionheart (Daman Mills)

Braulio Sosa

Natalia Sosa

Rosalba Sotelo

Alfonso Soto

César Soto

Valentina Souza - Ruby Rose (Lindsay Jones)

Christian Strempler

Luis Leonardo Suárez - Oscar Pine (Aaron Dismuke)

Noriko Takaya

Fernanda Tapia

Eduardo Tejedo - Shopkeep (Patrick Rodriguez)

Ricardo Tejedo - Marrow Amin (Mick Lauer)

Irasema Terrazas - Salem (Jen Taylor)

Juan Carlos Tinoco

Regina Tiscareño

José Antonio Toledano

José Ángel Torres - Flynt Coal (Flynt Flossy)

Laura Torres

Ruth Toscano - May Marigold (Kdin Jenzen/Sena Bryer)

Emilio Treviño - Henry Marigold (Alejandro Saab)

Verónica López Treviño

Erik Trujillo

Rubén “Trujo” Trujillo - Bram Thornmane (Yong Yea)

Víctor Trujillo - Captain (Bruce Carey)

Erika Ugalde - Saphron Cotta-Arc (Lindsay Sheppard)

Emiliano Ugarte

Gaby Ugarte

Víctor Ugarte - Cyril Ian (Patrick Rodriguez)

Xóchitl Ugarte - Winter Schnee & Dream Actor Winter Schnee (Elizabeth Maxwell)

Azul Valadez

Andrea Valeria

Karen Vallejo

Francisco Vargas

Héctor Lee Vargas

Tenyo Vargas

Genaro Vásquez

Gerardo Vásquez

Carlo Vázquez - Marty the Beowolf (Joe Nicolosi) & Xiong Goon 02 (Isaiah Torres)

Carola Vázquez

Jerry Velázquez

Noé Velázquez - Sailor 02 (Daniel Fabelo)

Alan Fernando Velázquez - Lie Ren & Dream Actor Lie Ren (Monty Oum/Neath Oum)

Abraham Vega - Sage Ayana (Josh Ornelas) & Brawnz Ni (Blaine Gibson)

Berenice Vega - Pyrrha Nikos & Dream Actor Pyrrha Nikos (Jen Brown)

Jaime Vega

Alicia Vélez - Emerald Sustrai (Katie Newville)

Humberto Vélez

Maggie Vera

Yolanda Vidal - Willow Schnee & Dream Actor Willow Schnee (Caitlin Glass)

Pepe Vilchis - Nolan Porfirio (Aaron Marquis)

Ángela Villanueva - Maria Calavera (Maria Calavera)

Angélica Villa - Little/Somewhat (Luci Christian)

Alejandro Villeli

Gabriela Willer

Alma Wilheleme

Marc Winslow - Sailor 01 (Isaiah Torres)

Héctor Lama Yazbek

Sergio Zaldívar

Startalents

Luis Antonio Sala Águila

Adolfo Aguilar

Damián Alcázar

Anahí Allué

Sofía Álvarez

Mike Amigorena

Elena Poniatowska Amor

Analy

Ángelica Aragón

Aranza

Alfonso Arau

Roy Ochoa Avilés

J Balvin

Antonio Banderas

Darío Barassi

Bazooka Joe

Mario Bautista

Kuno Becker

Belinda

Gael García Bernal

Demián Bichir

Regina Blandón - Medium Boy (Amber Lee Connors)

Gonzalo Bonadeo

César Bono

María Cecilia Botero

Andrés Bustamante

Jaime Camil

Martín Campilongo

Itatí Cantoral - Atlas Huntress (Zoe Terhune/Kate Daigler)

Roxana Castellanos

Mauricio Castillo

Mauro Castillo

Irán Castillo

Angie Cepeda

Francisco Céspedes

Omar Chaparro

Chayanne

Cassandra Ciangherotti

Luistio Comunica - Tall Boy (Scott Frerichs)

Joaquín Cosio

César Costa - Vale Reporter 03 (Jason Douglas)

Dama G

Jay de la Cueva

Cristián de la Fuente

Ana de la Reguera

Erika de la Vega

Leonardo de Lozanne

Kate del Castillo - Ever After Townsperson (Jamie Battle)

Eugenio Derbez

Vadhir Derbez

Juanse Diaz

Karla Díaz

Gustavo Dudamel

Consuelo Duval

Camilo Echeverri

Sandra Echeverría

Erick Elías

Elohim

Sofía Espinosa

Gloria Estefan

Nando Estevané - Dying Huntsman (Alejandro Saab)

Faisy

René Franco

Alejandro Fernández

Juan Frese

Lorenzo Gael

Carolina Gaitán

Rocío Garcel

Isabel Garcés

Antonio Garci

Carlos Girón

Luis Ángel Gómez

Eleazar Gómez

Roger González

Gonzok

Ashley Grace

Maribel Guardia

Juan S. Guarnizo

Salma Hayek

Martín Hernández

Alfonso Herrera

Mónica Huarte

Vanessa Huppenkothen

Benny Ibarra

Javier Ibarreche

Violeta Isfel

Verónica Jaspeado

María José

Kalimba

Carolina Kopelioff

Axel Kuschevatzky

Lali

Ana Layevska - Short Boy (Marissa Lenti)

Andrea Legarreta

Rubén León

Claudia Lizaldi

Rick Loera

Andrés López

Alex Lora

Daniela Luján

Laura Luz

Maluma

Gian Marco

Criss Martell

Mick Marcy

Ricardo Margaleff

Angélica María

Ricky Martin

Sebastián Martínez

Ofelia Medina

Luis Gerardo Méndez

Gaby Meza

Mimí

Ariel Miramontes

Diana Monster

Alex Montiel

Galilea Montijo

Silvia Navarro

Andrés Navy

Hanna Nicole

Gerardo “Rojstar” Nuño

Jesús Ochoa - Anima Blacksmith (Christopher Guerrero)

Cristóbal Orellana

Regina Orozco

Lidwika Paleta

Danna Paola

Mane de la Parra

Mariel Percossi

Maite Perroni

Darío T. Pie

Bruno Pinasco

Pisano

Carlos Ponce

Favio Posca

Pipe Punk

Adal Ramones

Humberto Ramos

Marco Antonio Regil

Greeicy Rendón

Luisito Rey

Alejandro Riaño

Melissa Robles

Ami Rodriguez

Génesis Rodriguez

Michelle Rodríguez

Memo Rojas Jr.

Yordi Rosado

Cecilia Roth

Erik Rubín

Paco Rueda

Diego Sanardi

Ivete Sangalo

Loretta Santini

Carmen Sarahí - Ever After Blacksmith (Kimlinh Tran)

Leonardo Sbaraglia

Jessica Segura

Sergio Sendel

Ana Serradilla

Hugo Serrano

Edith Serrano

Diego Schoening

Shakira

Daniela Sierra

Ana María Simon

Pedro Sola

Marco Antonio Solís

Cecilia Suárez

María Eugenia “China” Suárez

Aleks Syntek

Alan Tacher

Tatiana

Thalía

Marco Tolama

Paula “Paulettee” Torres

Sugey Torres

Cecilia Toussaint

Trino

Adrián Uribe

Luiz Valdez

Angélica Vale

Rodolfo Neri Vela

Ana Karen Velásquez

Édgar Vivar

Olga Lucía Vives

Yaneth Waldman

Wereverwero

Xavi

Yahir

Claudio Yarto

Susana Zabaleta

Luz María Zetina

Sergio Zurita

Livier Zúñiga

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bobauthorman · 2 months

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#Incorrect Quotes #RWBY #Greenlight Volume 10 #Source: Earthworm Jim #James Ironwood #Winter Schnee #Marrow Amin #Vine Zeki #Harriet Bree #elm ederne #Ace-Ops #Atlas #Volume 8 #Ultimatum #Assault and Battery

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teganstable · 5 months

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Something that I’ve noticed during my yearly rewatch of RWBY definitely has to be the difference between Winter’s eyebrows vs the rest of the Schnee family. Before we knew Jacques had black hair when he was younger it always used to confuse me why hers wasn’t white like Weiss’s, and I came up with a headcanon that she dyed them just to make sense of the difference. Now, however, her black eyebrows make sense compared to her siblings. In addition to that, she and Whitley both have more traits of his than Weiss which would be an interesting point to do something with if CRWBY spent time caring about the Schnee family dynamics and what drives them but I highly doubt they'll do anything with that

#weiss schnee #winter schnee #whitley schnee #jacques schnee #team rwby #rwby #crwby #willow schnee #atlas #general ironwood #ace ops #nicholas schnee

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fanstuffrantings · 6 months

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Do you have any plans for the Ace Ops?

Short answer: Eventually I want to.

Longer ramble:

Currently, they're not at the top of my list, but I loved them a lot, so they'll get art in time. Volume 7 easily has my favorite character designs, and all of them were so distinct.

I have a list of characters I want to get to and there's also part of me that wants to sketch out some rewrite ideas but what I draw is dependent upon what I get really excited about/have the energy for.

#rwby #ask #anon #ive said before the atlas arc is one of my favorites #i know it has faults #but the ace ops and their story hurts man #plus im always a fan of beefy women #and clovers scenes with qrow agonize me #ive been kicking around an arkos comic i have yet to push past the rough sketch stage

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aftermathing · 2 years

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I have snapped and become unhinged in my final battle with the heroes and you can tell because my usually well-brushed hair has become wild and unkempt

#Op #Just a few examples I can think of:#Ace Attorney #Daryan Crescend #Atla #Azula #Voltron #Lotor

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deadduvznap · 1 year

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THE FUCKING ACE NSFW FIGURE ???? HELLO ????

#why are we just glossing over this #im #DAMN #FUCK #its literally canon hes a bottom now #atlas speaks #ace op smut #yesyes #ace smut #portagas ace smut

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atlasthecactus · 4 days

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asl brosssss

#this is also on my luffy doodles post #but #here they are #i love siblings so much your honor #monkey d. luffy #luffy one piece #portgas d ace #ace one piece #sabo #sabo one piece #one piece #op #op fanart #digital art #atlas doodles

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howlingday · 1 month

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Ruby: I wish Weiss would stop yelling at me.

Yang: Maybe I can help by pulling up some dirt on her? Remember when I got Jaune on Remnant's Most Wanted?

Harriet: There he is, in the classroom.

Marrow: Try to take him alive.

Jaune: (Door explodes, Ace-Ops storm in) OH NO, NOT AGAIN! (Running)

--------------------------------------------------

Yang: Oh, poo, you're no fun. Well, maybe I should go see what Vomit Boy has been up to.

Jaune: (Standing outside the Atlas Vault) I keep telling you, I didn't do anything!

Ironwood: (Holding a gun to him) I don't care.

Jaune: ...

Jaune: (Gulps, Jumps over) AAAAAAAAAAAH! Ouch! My elbow!

#rwby #the simpsons #yang xiao long #ruby rose #jaune arc #james ironwood #harriet bree #marrow amin

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rachetmath · 6 months

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Jaune the Strategist

Jaune: Um… General Ironwood? I have a question.

Ironwood: What is it Mr. Arc?

Jaune: Why not release the video footage of Tyrian killing a bunch of people?

Clover: Are you crazy? If we release such a video it cause panic in Mantle.

Jaune: I hear you. But... isn’t the Atlas military already being framed for countless murders?

Ironwood: Yes.

Jaune: And no one in Mantle is willing to follow protocol because they don’t trust us right?

Ironwood: Well... yes.

Jaune: Okay. So why not use this to our advantage?

Ruby: Explain.

Jaune: I mean come on. Seriously? We have proof. We have video display. And if this has been happening for a while then we have dead bodies that can hold our case.

Ironwood: Mr. Arc, I’m going to need you to further elaboration.

Jaune: What’s there to- Look, Tyrian has been killing people for a while, right?

Qrow: Yeah.

Jaune: We have video proof that he committed the massacre at Robin’s party. We could just report this and clear Penny’s name.

Ironwood: That is true.

Jaune: Plus with the few bodies Tyrian left behind, which I’m hoping your Atlas soldiers investigated completely. Like the time and location of death. As well as how they died. Basically if Tyrian left multiple victims, can’t we compare them to the other corpses from the party.

Ironwood: Huh.

Jaune: Not only that but Tyrian has a poisonous tail. Didn’t some of them have a hint poison consumed or at least small pick to their bodies.

Ironwood: Oh. That is something to consider.

Clover: Okay, but still doesn’t change the fact if we tell the people a killer is on the loose it will cause panic.

Jaune: True. But it could also make people listen. Think about it, they’re already being invaded by grimm everyday. And now they have killer amongest them. Wouldn’t that force them to reconsider they’re options?

Clover: … My… My Oum he could right.

Marrow: Okay but what about Robyn?

Jaune: Mantle’s Champion? Happy Huntresses? Are you serious? Do you honestly think she would not make a killer her top priority?

Marrow: Huh.

Jaune: I’m just saying, why are we keeping this under raps and quickly turning to Martial law?

Ironwood: Wow… anything else Mr.Arc

Jaune: Why frame Penny?

Ruby: She’s the Protector of Mantle.

Jaune: She also a robot. With a human soul. Who recorded everything! Who so far never got hacked? So why her specifically? If anything I would have got Penny out the way and framed one of the Ace-ops. Specifically Marrow. Hell why not frame Robyn herself?

Marrow: Whoa why me?

Jaune: You know why.

Blake: But tell us why.

Ironwood: Damn he’s right. That absolutely makes sense considering he’s a Faunus and recent member of the Ace ops.

Jaune: Exactly.

Blake: Are you two serious?!

Jaune: Blake think about how much conflict that would cause. A faunus in the Atlas military. An Ace operative killed and injured a bunch of innocent people. Humans and faunuses mind you. Not only would that cause division amongest the people of Mantle but the school and the soldiers.

Ironwood: He’s right. We have faunases who attend this school and are apart our units.

Jaune: It’ll be chaos. Racism and Hatred in the air. And with that much negativity the grimm attacks would be sky rocketing to the masses. Screw trying to get Amity Arena up we might as well have focused our time on containment. Hell that would been a better reason to initiate Martial law. Something I think Robyn would agree to. Considering Fiona is a faunus and her teammate.

Ironwood: So basically framing Penny was-

Jaune: A stupid idea? ABSO-FREAKEN-LUTLY!! Who ever made this plan had to be dumb as bricks.

Watts: *sneezes*

Jaune: I’m mean now I might as well ask this question. Has anyone ever disagreed with Penny’s creation?

Ironwood: I mean-… ... actually... yes we had a few people who disagreed.

Jaune: Also if you have a file for Tyrian, then what about Cinder, Emerald, Mercury or Hazel?

Ironwood: Why yes we---- Hold up. You all saw Hazel?

Jaune: Yeah.

Ironwood: And you survived?

Nora: Yes. Though with our tails between our legs. How do you know him?

Ironwood: How do you think I lost half of my body?

Jaune: Damn. And I thought Ren and Qrow had it worse. How powerful is he?

Ironwood: He crippled Ozpin.

Oscar: (And he said he stood a chance. He could’ve killed us both.)

Jaune: (We’ll most definitely need to jump him.) An-anyways, back on topic. So, who out all the other people were against the Penny project? Simply put who hates Pietro the most?

Ironwood: Well… there was Professor Watts.

Jaune: Professor Watts?

Ironwood: He was an inventor as well. He was even to soul creator of the Atlas robots you’re associated with. However he died in accident.

Jaune: How long ago?

Ironwood: Months ago?

Jaune: Okay now that’s weird.

Weiss: So what Jaune? He died.

Winter: Yes but I understand why Mr.Arc is suspicious. In Cinder’s file, after committing four first degree murders she disappeared.

Jaune: Then she suddenly appears back at Beacon with a way to hack the military.

Clover: Tyrian was captured but then escaped and he disappeared as well.

Qrow: Then he came out nowhere and tried to capture Ruby.

Ironwood: Hazel disappeared once too.

Oscar: And then I saw him on my way to Mistral.

Jaune: Is any of this making sense?

Ironwood: Yes. Clover I need you to follow up on some the victims of the previous crimes. And Winter I need you look into Watt’s case. Lets make sure he’s dead. If not we need evidence.

Winter: Yes sir.

Ironwood: Well, Mr. Arc it seem I underestimated your intelligence. I will not call in Martial law.

Jaune: No-no. Keep it in mind.

Nora: SAY WHAT?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE TRYING TO AVOID IT!!

Jaune: I am. But Robyn could still cause trouble for us down the road. We need to be ready when she could take things too far.

Nora: But-

Ironwood: It’s only if she continues to be an obstacle.

Nora: *silent*

Ironwood: Alright. Everyone back to work. Keep an eye out for Tyrian. And if you learn anything you report to me immediately.

Ace-ops: Yes sir.

Ren: Yes sir.

*JNPR Dorm Room*

Nora: Jaune, I can’t believe you sided with Ironwood.

Ren: Nora, it is a constitutions plan. It’s not going to happen.

Nora: I’m just saying the people of Mantle are already having a hard time.

Ren: I understand but-

Nora: But what? That getting Amity Arena up is more important than helping the people.

Ren: What about the world? What about all of Remnant?

Nora: How can help the world if we can’t help a country?!

Ren: We can’t always focus on the small things Nora. We need to consider the bigger picture.

Nora: So after all we’ve been through before you want to throw that away?

Ren That not what I’m saying. I-

Jaune: ENOUGH!!

Jaune: Please. Stop arguing.

Ren: Jaune, look I want to say-

Jaune: Stop. Sit. Both of you.

Nara and Ren: *sit separately from each other*

Jaune: Look, Nora, I understand. I know Mantle going through hard times. Due to the trading routes and transportation being limited, people are starting to struggle to get in and out of city. Stores and companies are closed so people are having trouble finding work. And without work, they can’t make money. And without money they can’t pay rent nor provide for their families. Basically majority of those people might as well not have homes soon.

Nora: Then you know why Martial law can’t happen. It will make things worse.

Jaune: Yes. That is why I would rather keep it as a last resort. However, with Mantle’s lack of funding and resources, I almost can’t blame Robyn for what’s she’s doing. However, two wrongs don’t make a right.

Nora: Hmm.

Ren: Well said Jaune.

Jaune: And you. Don’t think I’m openly siding with Ironwood. I only did that because I need everyone on the same page.

Ren: Jaune.

Jaune: At Beacon, Amber, Ozpin and Pyrrha died. Then the world got divide. Mistral, we almost died.

Nora: We survived.

Jaune: Through the skin of our teeth Nora! We got lucky! And Hazel, Emerald and Mercury stilled escaped!

Nora: *hates when he’s right*

Jaune: Now Tyrian is here. And even if my theory on Watts is correct, we still don’t know what they’re up to. Not to mention, we’re keeping secrets too. Especially, about Salem., who may have sent them here to retrieve the lamp. And worse, kill Oscar.

Nora and Ren: … … …

Jaune: Look… … Basically what I’m saying we need to be careful. We are no longer students. We are hunters. Every move we make could jeopardize what we are trying to accomplish. Even the people we trust could be a problem if we’re not careful.

Nora: So you don’t trust Ruby?

Jaune: Yeah. But keeping these secrets could get us in trouble, or most likely, have a gun to our heads. And Ironwood has plenty of them compared to us.

Ren: So what should we do?

Jaune: We do what we started this journey for. We search for answers.

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee #lie ren #nora valkyrie #penny polendina #tyrian callows #james ironwood #winter schnee #clover ebi #rwby marrow #jnpr #hazel rainart #rwby watts #oscar pines #qrow branwen #blake belladonna #robyn hill

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bestworstcase · 29 days

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the only purpose of the shock collar was to subjugate, enforce cinder’s status as an object the madame owned. she neither chose it nor wanted it—and in the end, it was just a necklace. cinder breaks it with ease, with one hand. anyone might have set her free at any time with, literally, no more effort than it would take to lift a finger.

(do not try the bullshit nonsense about cinder’s enslavement being legal with me. slavery was abolished after the great war, and when the madame is displeased she brings cinder into the kitchen to torture her behind closed doors. adopting an impoverished orphan from a foreign country and using a collar made to look like a pretty necklace is how she gets away with it, enabled by the complete indifference of her wealthy patrons to the plight of the "adopted child."

the thematic point of rhodes is that he enforces the law only when it’s convenient for him to do so: he knows cinder is being abused, but he’s a regular patron of the hotel and he chooses not to say or do anything to intervene until he recognizes cinder as a threat to the madame. “hurting them won’t make your life any easier.”

we see this pattern reoccur again and again in atlas, that those who hold political or economic power flout the law without consequence or contort it to work for them while those beneath are subjected to strict, unforgiving enforcement. everything robyn does before the election is legal and above-board but the ace-ops openly treat her like a criminal and hound her about obeying the law, while ironwood misappropriates construction materials earmarked for mantle. this is the idea that rhodes embodies.)

so the greatest injustice of the collar is that it had no real power, by itself, over cinder. she could take it off whenever she wanted, except that she was not allowed to; no one willing to help her, no safe haven where she could find refuge after, and when she becomes desperate enough to resort to violence to free herself she is immediately prevented from doing so by a huntsmen—exemplars of moral virtue as they are intended to be—who tells her that in order to be good she must endure seven more years before she is allowed to leave without her guardian’s permission.

as an instrument of control, the collar can exist only through the willingness of the hotel’s patrons to participate in the fiction that cinder, having been lifted out of poverty by the madame’s generosity (look, she even gave the girl a lovely necklace!), is now earning her keep, learning the value of hard work. pay the scars no mind. rhodes intervenes to keep protect the madame, and his fondness for cinder is circumscribed by that motive.

the first time he leaves after he begins to train her, rhodes says goodbye by placing his hand on top of her head; cinder flinches—

—and the scene cuts right to the collar:

in the same mode, the madame electrocutes cinder in a panic as cinder strangles her, and rhodes’ final act is to place his hand on cinder’s head, scaring her—

—after which she cuts him down and stands upright to remove her collar:

the collar and the gentle (unwanted) hand are one and the same, two faces of a single instrument. carrot, stick. neither figures cinder as a human being. rhodes is only gentle until she disobeys him, whereupon the covert violence of their first meeting is reified: he enters her only ‘safe’ place to catch her in an unlawful act; his first action is to pass judgment; his second, to draw his weapons.

now, that’s not yours, is it?—huntsmen are called to embody a heroic ideal, to protect others who cannot protect themselves. rhodes places his own weapons into cinder’s hands and declares that he will train her as a huntress on the condition that she agrees not to protect herself; he releases himself from his duty to protect her by moving her into the category of people who do not need to be protected, and thereby makes her both guardian and grimm: as a child who will become a huntress it falls to her to protect her family from the monster of herself.

thus she’s forced to become an active participant in her own abuse; before she can break free of the collar, she has to bite the hand that held it in place.

now to the grimm. during the montage of cinder’s training-and-abuse, there is a particular sequence that goes like this: rhodes and cinder spar with wasters late one night, he disengages and gives her an approving nod; we cut to cinder kneeling before the madame in the empty lobby, dusting a glass statuette of a sabyr for inspection. her work is found inadequate, and the madame finds quiet satisfaction in reminding cinder of the power she has over cinder:

then the madame walks away, and although cinder strives to maintain the performance of being unaffected—indifferent—she can’t:

in contrast to the scenes preceding cinder’s bargain with rhodes—wherein the larger-than-life glass statues looming over the lobby alternate between prominently visible or just protruding into frame and cinder’s face is an open book of angry resentment—this is the only instance of a grimm figurine being clearly visible and in focus during the montage, and also the one time cinder’s mask slips to reveal her anger.

similarly, in the time-skip at the end of the montage, the glass sphinx sitting on the coffee table in the mid-left is removed to signal the passage of time, with no other changes made to the decor:

but guess who’s back as soon as the situation reaches critical mass?

glass wolf. glass dragon. glass shoes.

the point is, throughout the flashback midnight leverages these glass-grimm to symbolize cinder’s true self, her anger which protects her and which the gentle hand demands she extinguish. the fantastical gilded opulence of the glass unicorn depends on cinder staying quietly in her cage. no, it isn’t fair—the gentle hand admits this—but it is her moral imperative to serve others. in this distorted unreality the defenseless and the indefensible become commingled. a huntress, as salem would have it, is a defender who lives and dies to protect a lifestyle. or she is, as ozpin defines it, one who guards the peace by killing monsters.

cinder’s instinctive understanding that this is not fair—that she is not nothing—that she has been wronged—is the monster she must slay to become the hero of this story, the story of the glass unicorn and madame and rhodes and all of atlas. and in the end she can’t.

rwby has never been precious about depicting blood, but there is no blood in this scene: not not on the floor, not on the bodies, not on her weapons, not a single drop upon her white shirt. her hands are clean. in shadow, the monster snaps the chain around her throat and turns to looks up at the moon—and its light reveals what is true. her tears, her scars. a child who deserved better than she was given. a child who did nothing wrong.

ahem.

Keeping [grimm] in captivity has proved to be an understandably difficult task, as the creatures tend to either die, or kill those who imprisoned them in the first place.

hm! anyway. the narrative function of this flashback is to provide context and contrast with the scenes that follow.

to review:

the collar’s power is enforced by communal indifference and complicity.

the madame, though unaware of him, depends on rhodes to keep cinder under her control; rhodes intervenes to protect the madame from cinder.

the gentle hand is an equal to the collar, a mechanism of control by which cinder is made to participate in her own abuse, and when she disobeys, it turns to iron and inflicts violent punishment. even when he is gentle, cinder flinches under his touch.

by training cinder to fight but forbidding her to defend herself, rhodes casts her into the role of both guardian and grimm: she is expected to protect the madame by slaying her anger and turning the other cheek.

the glass grimm figurines symbolize cinder’s anger, which protects her. when she defends herself, cinder metaphorically becomes grimm: the monster of the glass unicorn is destined to be hated and hunted for the rest of her life, and the monster of the glass unicorn is a blameless child who refused to let herself be hurt. grimm, in this story, are good.

also note

the similar framing here.

now!—from the moment cinder wakes up, it is abundantly clear that she expects to be met with brutal punishment for her failure. “you—you brought me back here… we failed.” she’s horror-stricken at finding herself in this place and that hardens into terror as the reality sinks in that she is within salem’s reach.

later, on the bridge, she affects calm until salem pauses in front of her; her eyes snap open. she shrinks into herself at the sound of salem’s voice but hangs on every word. when salem mentions the winter maiden, cinder grits her teeth and braces herself.

cinder associates salem with the madame: that is why without you, i am nothing falls out of her mouth so easily when salem tears her down in 8.1 and again when salem threatens her in 8.4—those are the words to make the pain stop, to appease, to demonstrate that she is contrite and repentant and grateful. she believes that this is what salem wants to hear when cinder has displeased her. and she is, at the top of the bridge scene, waiting for the torture to begin so that she can choke it out again and survive this humiliating ordeal.

except that is not what salem wants to hear.

by now salem knows beyond any doubt that “without you, i am nothing” is what cinder believes she wants to hear, and it is obvious to anyone with eyes that cinder expects to be tortured. whether salem knows cinder’s history or not—i don’t think she does, not in any great detail—she knows people well enough to put two and two together. salem knows, then, that cinder expects to be tortured into groveling self-denigration.

she doesn’t want cinder to expect that from her. there’s no other reason for salem to be so thorough in dismantling the expectation.

if she wanted to make cinder afraid, the more effective way is to decline to torture her at all: cinder is so certain that salem will hurt her that withholding punishment entirely will only convince her that salem intends to wait until the moment she lets her guard down, or some other form of deferred retribution all the worse for being delayed.

whereas the most efficient way to puncture cinder’s terror of being tortured is—somewhat perversely—to actually torture her a little bit. because cinder does not BELIEVE there is any possible outcome in which salem spares her, if salem wants to introduce the possibility of mercy she first needs to enter cinder’s reality, where mercy doesn’t exist, by proving she can and will inflict pain to answer both defiance (“you chose to disobey my specific instructions”) and failure (“just to fail again…”)

a brief burst of pain to express displeasure instead of holding cinder under torture until she breaks isn’t really merciful, but it’s the lower bound of what cinder will be able to trust and it eases her into the idea that salem is lenient.

then, “and i’ve realized it’s all my fault. you’ve fought your whole life unwaveringly for what you want, and here i am holding you back, instead of lifting you up; you deserve so much more than i’ve given you.”

aside from being a straightforward subversion of cinder’s clear expectation—cinder thinks she will be abused without mercy until she breaks, salem stops and absolves cinder by reframing cinder’s disobedience as a natural consequence of her own failures—salem has a few specific things in mind here.

the most obvious is the reversal of what she said to cinder in 4.11: “i thought you were the girl who wanted power. did you lie to me? then stop holding back.” and she’s also pointedly walking back things she said yesterday, in 8.1 and 8.4: “all you need concern yourself with is your ability to act when i tell you to” and the “she thinks; she wants…” bit are here flipped into implicit praise for cinder’s tenacity in pursuing what she wants and implicit apology for standing in her way.

but the most interesting angle to consider is that this is salem’s response to “without you, i am nothing.” salem does not verbally respond either of the times cinder says that to her in 8.1 and 8.4; the first time, she dismisses everyone with a gesture, and the second time she just walks away. both reactions are in line with what cinder expects—after all, the point is to remind cinder that she is nothing.

however, cinder has—from what we’ve seen—never spoken to salem this way before, and given she seems genuinely taken aback when salem shuts her down in 8.1 i do think it’s likelier than not that salem has never demeaned her like this before, and that together with having been in atlas for months is what surfaces the trauma association with the madame and thence the appeasing behavior.

so consider how this looks to salem.

the last time she spoke to cinder, she said “you’re free to speak your mind,” and cinder whipped around from the window without hesitation, outraged: “i don’t understand! working with bandits? leaving ruby alive? what’s the point? we’re strong enough to take what we want by force!”—not even a ma’am in there. cinder addressed her like she saw herself and salem as equals, notwithstanding that salem had final say, and salem clearly didn’t have a problem with that.

several months pass. salem is displeased about the loss at haven but trusts that cinder will make an effort to recover the lamp; she is also worried enough for cinder to toss her plans and divert nearly everything to atlas, not that she’s willing to admit that’s why.

cinder walks onto the bridge and the first words out of her mouth are “my queen.” a few minutes in salem curtly informs her that no she will not go rampaging after the winter maiden and cinder’s answer is a demure, “of course; without you, i am nothing.” and then a few hours later they quarrel about it and cinder repeats those exact words in exactly the same tone again.

unless salem knows cinder’s history in far more granular detail than i believe cinder would be willing to divulge, that’s… a really strange shift in behavior with no clear reason; yes, she had to make up the loss at haven (and she did), and yes, salem was unusually mean to her, but neither of those things add up to this plainly well-practiced self-abasement from the girl who only a few months ago did not appear to have a humble bone in her body. once might have been sarcasm; but twice within a few hours?

whereafter cinder ran off to attack the winter maiden and almost died again and salem had six hours to pick all of this apart in her head while cinder lay unconscious.

why didn’t she respond to cinder saying “without you, i am nothing,” if that is not what she wants from cinder? well,

“you disobeyed my specific instructions, just to fail again, and i’ve realized it’s all my fault.” both times cinder said that, it was in response to the specific instructions that cinder disobeyed when she went after penny: you will act when i tell you to, and you will remain here. six hours, salem had to think about this. “you’ve fought your whole life unwaveringly for what you want, and here i am holding you back, instead of lifting you up; you deserve so much more than i’ve given you.”

salem does not think of cinder as nothing. even when she is deliberately being mean, she makes a point to say that she values cinder (“just because you’re more valuable to me than a pawn–”). cinder holds the key to her victory and cinder is also important to her in ways she cannot bring herself to admit except that she keeps bending her plans further and further for cinder’s sake. the first time cinder says “without you, i am nothing” to her, she seems bemused (brows up) and then wry. the second time, she doesn’t react at all.

then because she left it there, cinder nearly dies and is unconscious for hours. and once she wakes up salem hits her with:

this is my fault

what you want matters

i should be lifting you up

you deserve better

i will help you

IN A CLASSIC SALEM MOVE she does not actually say what she means, which is “you are not nothing,” but she finds an impressive number of ways to say it without saying it in just a handful of lines. and:

she doesn’t touch cinder, but instead she offers, gives cinder a choice to take her hand or not, and this matters because no other character has ever given cinder that.

in 2.1 cinder touches roman’s face to assert her power over him; she does the same to pyrrha in 3.12 right before killing her; she slaps emerald in 3.7.

in 5.9, cinder reacts to watts grabbing her wrist like this—

—and then sets his hand on fire. in 8.1, emerald starts to run over to embrace her, cinder snaps her head around and snarls “quiet.,” stopping her in her tracks. and after she wakes up in midnight, when emerald rushes into the room and grabs her, cinder tenses and verbally lashes out before jerking her hand away.

cinder really does not like to be touched and that all traces back to:

rhodes patting her head. which is what he’s reaching down for when cinder kills him, because this time she senses him moving to touch her and can’t take it.

cinder bristles and retaliates whenever anyone touches her, and outside of grappling during fights the only times cinder ever touches other people is to hurt them or to remind them of her power to hurt them, because that is what touch means to her; it’s something those with power do to those beneath them, and something the weak must endure.

for salem to offer her hand to help cinder up is strange and unsettling; it breaks the rules. and cinder is very hesitant to take it—her fingers shake—but she does, and it isn’t a trick, salem pulls her to her feet without hurting her.

whereupon cinder’s whole demeanor transforms from terrified incredulity to calculation. she doesn’t understand what just happened, but she knows touch is an instrument of coercion and a way to inflict pain. if salem were like the madame, she would not have done any of that; if salem didn’t touch her with the intent to harm her, then there are only two possibilities:

one, that salem’s resemblance to the madame is superficial and she is actually much more like rhodes; or two, that salem is the weak one and cinder holds some unknown degree of power over her.

the instant this thought enters cinder’s head, it becomes urgently important to figure out which it is, hence the murdering of colleagues and stepsisters and lying to salem’s face that cinder gets up to immediately afterward. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS POST IS ABOUT THIS IS A POST ABOUT THE GRIMM ARM. AND THEMES.

wheeze. okay

in the glass unicorn, cinder has two parental figures—the madame and rhodes—who act in synchronicity to keep her in her place. shock collar, pat on the head. stick, carrot. she is tortured and made to refract this violence inwards, against herself, by turning the other cheek. within this narrative, the symbolic purpose of the grimm is to protect cinder and cinder herself is symbolically identified as grimm; just as black glass is her signature in in the present, the white glass of the hotel’s grimm figurines reflects cinder’s starkly white-and-grey uniform.

glass, cinder. glass grimm, glass shoes.

unicorns, classically, are said to be ferociously wild and dangerous beasts tamable only by the touch of a maiden. those who hunt unicorns, then, should solicit a maiden’s assistance. she goes out into the woods alone; the unicorn finds her and docilely, fearlessly lays its head upon her lap and goes to sleep; and thus the hunters take it. this manner of hunting unicorns is called entrapment, and among medieval and renaissance depictions of unicorns it is by far the most common motif.

in the world of remnant, if unicorns are real then they are undoubtedly a kind of grimm.

gestures at cinder, the fall maiden, who can tame the grimm. who feels for them. maiden. unicorn. maiden. unicorn.

the story of the glass unicorn is a story about a maiden-monster whom a huntsman instructs to tame herself lest she be hunted forever; an entrapment of the self; in the end she hears the baying of hunting dogs in the distance and awakens to the truth that she too will be killed, in spirit if not in body, if she obeys the huntsman. the unicorn is not to blame, and the maiden is right to protect it, and the unicorn is, has always been, grimm.

bearing all of this in mind,

is the grimm arm another collar?

i don’t think it…is, actually, in any sense except that cinder forms an association between the madame and salem in 8.1—the collar and the arm are diametric opposites, mirror-images of each other:

where the collar was fragile and easily removed, the grimm arm is part of cinder’s body. where the collar derived all its power from pretense (it’s only a pretty necklace!), the grimm arm is impossible to mistake for something other than what it is. where the collar’s sole purpose was to inflict pain and remind cinder of her place, the foremost purpose of the arm is to replace cinder’s missing limb. where the collar was forced upon her and she hated it, cinder trained hard to master her new arm and has grown more comfortable with it in every new volume.

paired with the way grimm function symbolically within the glass unicorn narrative, as representations of cinder’s justified anger and desire to protect herself… well. maiden, unicorn. lol

is it then an iteration of the gentle hand? that’s a more interesting question, because salem’s abuse of cinder is really quite a lot more like rhodes than the madame, but then there’s also… the reversal. rhodes’ affection for cinder is restricted by his interest in protecting the madame, and when cinder disobeys him he attacks her presumably with the intent to arrest her for murder. whereas salem has repeatedly and increasingly rearranged her plans for cinder’s benefit, and when cinder disobeys her, she reconsiders her treatment of cinder and offers an apology.

and obviously—

—we have the way rhodes touches cinder’s head, which at best makes her tense up in discomfort and at worst scares her so much she kills him to make him stop, mirrored in the same episode by salem offering her hand and cinder choosing to take it.

salem is not by any stretch of the imagination good to cinder, but midnight places her in juxtaposition with the madame and rhodes in order to clarify the difference between salem and the parent-figures of cinder’s childhood. it’s salem who tells cinder that she isn’t nothing, that she deserves better, that she was right to become defiant when salem was cruel to her. it’s salem who gives cinder a choice to let salem touch her or not.

everyone who gets where the wind is blowing with cinder understands, because it is obvious, that her turnaround is going to be incited by someone showing her mercy, which will shatter her view of the world and open a door for her to change. but… that “someone” is salem. it is literally already happening.

the first crack is salem telling her you deserve so much more than i’ve given you, as she pulls cinder to her feet.

and cinder doesn’t know how to parse that, she has no frame of reference except the madame and rhodes and she’s superimposed them both onto salem; the discrepancies, the pieces that don’t fit, are small right now. they will get larger, and the cracks will keep widening until the looking glass breaks.

which is why the grimm arm is related to the collar in the specific way that it is, with cinder flashing back to her childhood and the pain salem inflicts ending when cinder shifts emotionally from helpless fear to defiance and salem then explicitly affirming the rightness of cinder’s anger. the moral of the glass unicorn narrative according to rhodes is that what cinder did is unforgivable, and she will never escape it; the moral according to salem is that cinder did the right thing, and deserves better. the symbolic function of the grimm figurines in the glass unicorn narrative is to represent cinder’s self-protective anger. salem, grimm, uses cinder’s grimm arm to make a point that cinder should get angry when salem mistreats her, and then rewards her for being defiant.

is that a really fucked up way for salem to make that point YES OBVIOUSLY but no one else is even trying. lol

little steps.

(whispers into a cup) the grimm arm is also a metaphor for learning to be vulnerable and trust others not to harm you

cinder feels its pain. when it’s severed, it hurts, but also grows back. it’s both powerful (superbly strong, inhuman flexibility) and vulnerable (aura can’t protect it). salem can use it to hurt her; it connects them both together, so salem knows she’s alive and cinder knows when she’s back. it refused to bond with cinder until she let go of her fear and welcomed it.

the shattering trauma that made her what she is now was rhodes telling her that defending herself made her an irredeemable monster. the grimm figurines in her childhood story symbolize cinder’s desire to defend herself. the grimm arm is part of her body that connects her to salem in a way that salem can abuse to hurt her, but salem is also the first character to look cinder in the eye and tell her that she is right to defend herself. both cinder and salem are in the early stages of developing villain -> hero arcs.

your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness, salem says. remember that it comes with a cost. take care to protect yourself; there is only so much i can do to aid you. cinder wants to be strong, but she is terrified of weakness, and it is the terror of weakness that drives her, that must be faced, that must be resolved before she can find peace. her story isn’t about “learning to be satisfied with the power she already has” it’s about learning to be okay with being vulnerable. with having weaknesses.

like an arm she can’t shield with aura, that grows back when it’s severed, which she feared and then hid in discomfort and now accepts as a part of herself. just because salem can hurt her doesn’t mean that salem is incapable of choosing not to. salem could also, like, smash cinder into a gory pancake with a snap of her fingers.

it’s a story. about trust.

#blah blah blah ''but her shoulder—''#cinder doesn’t care.#v8 is HER volume and not one #single solitary HINT that cinder is #even a little bit concerned about #this thing putting up roots?#none of you would survive sirin hárohȧm lmfao

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