#immortal!ozma

[brainrotisseriechicken]

..

extra:

(it was a spring morning)

(he was a frail boy with no friends)

(he ran into you from across the wall)

(you said hello to him, and asked him to play along)

(at that very moment, he received his lifelong—)

extra 2: oscar boogaloo

yeahhhh....iykyk

#ozpin #professor ozpin #it never gets less embarassing tagging this #rwby #ugh #wait hm #ozma #salem #not tagging ozlem because its kinda giving ottokallen and ergh #oscar pine #sighs anyways #both of them have the same role functionally #they parallel eachother via #hold on im getting ahead of myself #he really does remins me of otto #theyre like prometheus #but with the gift of flight instead of fire #(haha flight as a heavy-handed metaphor for civilization) #they both give said gift through something of the previous civilization #im playing fast and loose w otto but he gave the gift of flight through ingenuity #thus wooden planes #ozpin gave the gift of flight (quite literally) through his magic #thus #gestures vaguely #i have so much more to say but alas ... #horrible corvid anatomy cw #while ozma is kinda su coded tbh...immortal brown dudes dealing with their megalomaniac white-haired situationship core #if you know what im referencing im so so sorry #EVERY NIGHT BRINGS A DREAM BUT THE DAYYYY RELENTLESSLY KEEPS ME AWAKEEEE #honestly idk where the quote is from kevin said it so it must be true

[bafflement]

Sometimes RWBY annoys me

Ozpin was a tragedy. The terrifyingly young headmaster of arguably the most famous of the Huntsman academies, shoved into the place he was in solely because of Ozma.

People conflate them, but they're not actually the same person. Ozpin hates himself, even after death... but there's no real evidence that Ozma does.

He's horrified that he's taking over Oscar because that was never meant to happen, he hoped to be the last just as much as previous Ozcarnations did... maybe even more, considering where he was and the protectiveness he feels for his students. Oscar, given a few years, could so easily be a Beacon student, after all.

He ran, he locked himself away and yet that still wasn't enough to stop the merge. OZPIN did not ask Jinn the question shown and we don't even know just when he was given the particular information that that even happened. Should he have shared it? Yes, maybe. But then again, he'd only known team RWBY and what's left of team JNPR for about a year when they all jumped him for not telling them and we do have canon proof that when he trusts people [Lionheart and Ironwood] they can and do betray that trust for their own reasons.

What's worst? He's fighting a war he no more signed up for than Oscar did, yet everybody seems very set on blaming him, as the last Ozcarnation, for the sins of them all.

Ozpin might be the voice, but that's merely because he was the last. EVERY incarnation of Ozma is a tragedy, it's one of the shittiest reincarnation methods in fiction. 'You'll never be alone', no, but the process gives the new host exactly no choice in the matter.

Basically... Oscar is a victim, but so was Oz. And it's quite likely he might not even have been in double digits when it happened.

#ozpin #ozpin protection squad #ozpin is not ozma #blame ozma #stop blaming ozpin #actually no blame the brothers #immortality sucks #especially this sort #never alone my ass #parasite #ozma not oz #weight of the world #when the chosen one has no choice #this poor man #it isn't his fault #but everybody blames him #anyway #god of darkness #god of light #rwby #the brothers suck

[strqyr]

"She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until Humanity crumbles at her feet."

oh. she knows (and is being incredibly pessimistic about salem's chances at defeating the gods LMAO).

#salem told raven about ozma's mission and a goal #and how the gods will never see humanity “”redeemed“” #as long as salem lives— #“guess who's immortal btw :)))”— #so if oz uses the relics to summon the gods #goodbye humanity! #salem's been through it before she knows what it's like #but salem has her own plan against the gods aaaaand #this is the point raven nopes out #all she hears is “the gods will wipe out humanity no matter what” #(have a little hope)

[bridgyrose]

More of the Immortal Hero AU? Does Salem still have her canon followers? Does she have others who have joined her?

(Never thought I'd get anyone wanting more of this one)

Salem took a deep breath and walked into the council room, throwing the doors open as she kept her eyes on the council of Mantle. Her eyes practically glowed with determination with each step she took, her pale skin reflecting the light that shone down on her. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.” 

“Not like you gave us a choice,” an older gentleman sneered at Salem. “What exactly is this proposal that you’re giving us?” 

“Stand down and work with the other kingdoms,” Salem said flatly. “I’ve been keeping the grimm under control, your kingdom has been able to prosper since you’ve started using dust in everything you use, you have more than enough land to work with… you dont need to start a meaningless war.” 

“Its not meaningless!” another one of the council members cried out. “The grimm may be under control for now, but that doesnt mean they’ll stay that way. We need to start controlling the emotions of the populace. Art needs to be monitored, decrease the amount of free time people have, and most importantly, we need to keep the faunus contained.” 

An older woman on the council nodded. “They’ve been causing enough disturbances, its time they know their place.” 

Salem took a deep breath as she felt her blood boil from listening to the council members argue. Purple flames started to dance across her fingertips as her blade ignited while sheathed at her hip. “I am the hero of humanity, a defender of the kingdoms. A god that lives among you to keep you all safe and all you can think about doing is fighting against those that you should be keeping close. Humanity should be united-” 

“Faunus arent part of humanity,” the older gentleman spoke up again. “Now, get out of our sight. We’re expecting the envoy from Mistral any moment now and you’re driving our patience thin.” 

Salem nodded, holding her words back as she quietly spoke. “Then I hope this isnt a mistake on your part.” 

“Begone with you, hero.” 

Salem gave a small bow, a smile crossing her lips as she reached for the hilt of her sword. She whispered a name under her breath, watching as the world around her started to slow down. As she stood up, her smile disappeared as she looked over the council members. “If they dont think of faunus as part of humanity, then I’ll show them just where they’re wrong.” 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ozma sighed as he looked over the reports of grimm re-emerging around villages in Anima, Mistral asking for more assistance, and refugees to house from Mantle. The kingdoms had started to blame each other, Mistral was starting to make it’s move on Vacuo, Mantle had started to double their efforts and obtaining as much dust as they could to reclaim their kingdom, even the citizens of Vale were starting to grow restless as fights broke out between them and the refugees. 

“We have to find the source of the grimm and destroy it!”  a council member yelled out. 

Ozma put the reports down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Even if we knew what was bringing the grimm back, I’m not sure we could stop it.” 

“We could ask Salem to help us,” another council member suggested. “She’s helped humanity in the past.” 

The first council member scoffed. “Salem is a myth. And even if she did exist, why would she help now?” 

Ozma looked over the papers once more, tacking down the villages that had been attacked on a map he had spread out across his table. As he placed the last tack in the map, he pulled away and looked everything over. “I’ll call Salem to our kingdom. I think I know what’s going on.” 

The council members looked over at Ozma before one spoke up. “And how do you plan to do that?” 

“Leave that to me.”

#rwby #ozma #salem #rwby salem #rwby ozma #drabbles #the immortal hero au #the immortal hero

[masquerade-of-time]

SO IM IN A ROLEPLAY SERVER AND DREW MY LAD AND MY FRIENDS OC

THEY ARE HUSBANDS, YOUR HONOR

IMMORTAL HUSBANDS

The one I colored in in orange is Daedalus ( @hextech-but-brown 's oc) and the one in blue is Atlas, my oc

#anyways stupid oc art #ozma draws things that arnt a rwby au? #so shocking #anyways silly immortal husbands

[bobauthorman]

A Day in Salem's Life on ancient Remnant

(A mob of villagers have gathered just outside of Salem's cottage)

Townsman 1: All right, let's get 'er! (Almost charges, but is stopped)

Townsman 2: Whoa, hold on! Do you know what that thing can do to you?

Townsman 3: Yeah. She'll grind your bones for her bread.

(An amused chuckling alerts the mob that Salem is standing behind them)

Salem: Actually, that would be a giant. (The mob gasps and start backing away. She advances) Now, witches, they're much worse. They'll make a soup from your freshly-peeled skin.

Townsman: No!

Salem: They'll shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your eyes! (thoughtfully) Actually, it's quite good on toast.

(One townsman bravely waves his torch at Salem)

Townsman 4: Back! Back, beast! Back! I warn ya!

(Salem sticks her fingers in her mouth, then douses the flame with a pinch)

Townsman 4: (Sheepish) ...Right.

(Salem shrieks furiously and the townsfolk scream in fear...and keep screaming long after Salem has stopped. Their voices soon die down awkwardly)

Salem: (Whispering) Now is the part where you run away.

(Villagers bolt)

Salem: And stay out!

#RWBY #Incorrect Quotes #Source: Shrek #Salem #angry mob #torches and pitchforks #animation #No seriously #Dreamworks #Rooster Teeth #Greenlight Volume 10 #Monty Oum #CRWBY #This was after the Two Brothers #But before Ozma was made into an immortal spirit

[wishingeel]

I've been thinking about Ozma's special brand of reincarnation recently. Who here has read "The Egg" by Andy Weir? It basically proposes that all humans are reincarnations of the same soul, and that the soul develops by gaining experiences before it is born as a god. I know Ozma's situation is a little different of course, but it's kind of similar. Like, I was thinking of what it means to be "reincarnated into the body of a like-minded soul." Wouldn't anyone be able to fit that qualification if they are similar enough?

So, what are the chances that Ozma has always reincarnated as, like, a straight, cis man? (We already know his reincarnations come from different backgrounds, races, ethnicity, etc.) There may be more variety than we know of, because only a small handful of reincarnations were shown. (Kind of makes me wonder if he ever reincarnated at a faunus??)

Anyway, I kind of like the idea that Ozma's hosts have been very similar, but also probably different in certain ways that contribute to his understanding of the world. His different lives provide him with vastly different experiences, and he matures/changes in a similar way as the soul in "The Egg."

Meanwhile, Salem seems to have been relatively the same the whole time. Which makes sense because she's basically living the same life with the same experiences.

It also kind of reminds me of how, when Zuko challenged Ozai, it was his experiences around the world and seeing different people's lives that changed him for the better. I wonder: if Salem had the same kind of immortality as Ozma, would she have learned the lesson the gods intended for her to learn, instead of stewing in her anger and seeking vengeance?

#in general i LOVE thinking about different types of immortality #and i love that oz and salem have these two different kinds because it really highlights stuff like this #rwby #rwby meta #ozma #salem #sam says

[justrandom9]

Salem: Look at how they crawl around

Upon the ground

Like little ants.

Ozma: Yes, but how they fascinate

Confusing fate

With what is merely chance

-

Salem: Isn’t it a laugh?

Ozma 2.0: Isn’t it a shame?

-

Salem: Thinking there is someone in heaven to blame(they left idiots)

Poor oz: Yes, but even while blaming fate for the lives that they lead

They hope for the lives that they need

-

Salem: Living every day ‘til the day they die

Never getting answers.

Drunk oz: Yet still asking why

Going through the motions as if there will be a reward

Salem: While we stay eternally bored!

-

Both: They’re only human

They don’t see

Who they are is who they’ll always be

Only human, after all!

-

Salem: So they push and they shove

Inventor oz: With this thing they call love

Both: Til they fall!

-

Salem: Isn’t it a farce?

Hermit oz: Isn’t it a waste?

-

Salem: Struggling to face what can never be faced!

Inquisitor oz: Yes, but maybe death can release something more than we share

Salem: I really don’t know and don’t care!

Both: They’re only human

Standing still

Doomed to live pushing boulders uphill

Only human, after all!

-

Salem: So they give and they take

Infinite man oz: Hoping someone will help break their fall

-

Salem: They will pray, curse, live, die

Never knowing their truth is another man’s lie

King of vale oz: Eat, sleep, love, hate

Like a leaf blowing in the wind

Salem: Watch them all vacillate!

Both: They’re only human

They can’t see

Salem: All the years they could give you and me!!

Both: Only human, after all

-

Ozpin: So they give and we take!!

Salem: Til their silly hearts break!!

-

Ozcar: Looking down from above

I’m intrigued by their love

Salem: So let’s call!

Hmmm, let’s call!

#rwby #Salem #oscar pine #ozpin #king of vale oz #infinite man oz #inquisitor oz #inventor oz #hermit oz #drunk oz #poor oz #ozma 2.0 #ozma #death note musical #only human #immortal talking about mortal life #taking so much #give so little #time is on their side #shit post #headcanon #incorrect quotes

[benevolentslut]

if salem had listened to famous last words i think she would've stopped being a villain actually

#rwby #'i am not afraid to keep on living / i am not afraid to walk this world alone' #if she'd heard those words and managed to internalize them that would've fixed her #like legitimately. each of those things was exactly what she feared the most #she didn't want to live without ozma and so she blamed the gods #they made her immortal to prevent her reuniting with him because she had demanded special treatment and tricked them against each other #and then she spent centuries trying to find a way to die. #if my chemical romance had existed in remnant around the time this was happening she would've been fixed

[wixhing0nastar]

With the confirmation that created beings in the RWBY cosmos can evolve well past their intended roles and purpose, I'm thinking back to how the God of Darkness took magic away from Humanity 1.0 and how the God of Light said that Humanity would be made whole again upon the brothers return but like... Humanity 2.0 already has magic, it just doesn't work like magic did when the brothers were still on Remnant.

In any other fantasy media, Semblances and Aura would automatically be dinged as magic, but because Ozma and Salem grew up in a world with "real" magic, Remnant's magic isn't recognized for what it is in universe.

And what really fascinates me about Humanity 2.0's magic is how it's connected directly to the soul of the person wielding it. A person's Semblance is influenced by their personality, and they need Aura, the physical manifestation of their soul, in order to activate it. And speaking of Aura, in order to use it defensively, you have to literally bare your soul outwards as a means of protection.

And as they grow as a person, do does their Semblance. Their magic is Soul Magic, so the stronger their soul the stronger they become and like... it's getting to the point where Team RWBY's magic is on par with Salem's. Like...

And we know that despite how powerful Oz and Salem are, Humanity 2.0 is perfectly capable of defeating them. If it wasn't for them being immortal/able to reincarnate (something that wasn't the norm for Humanity 1.0) they'd at best be strong adversaries for Humanity 2.0.

#RWBY #RWBY Analysis #Thanks Queue Them

[falleri-salvatore]

If Jaune actually were to go villain, he would be not be an omnicidal maniac; he would be an absurdly overpowered yet well-intentioned tyrant....

He would have the ambitious persistence of Cinder... The inhuman resilience, endurance and sheer overwhelming power of Hazel... The manipulative and vindictive cunning of Salem... The self-destructive selflessness of Ozma... The unyielding and unrelenting determination and conviction (read: stubbornness) of Ironwood...

...and to top all of the above: an undying body as well as an eternal soul that both evolved beyond humanity due to overuse of Aura Amp pretty much making them transcend into becoming superhuman. In other words, he has acquired both of Salem's (cannot die by old age or illness and instantly regenerates any damage inflicted to him and instantly regenerates any spent Aura) and Ozma's (even IF his body is somehow destroyed, his soul will still persist and, unlike Ozma, he can actually choose which vessel to possess as his next body) forms of immortality naturally and by accident instead of as a curse (because it would not be Jaune Arc if he doesn't get double the suffering than the previous Big Good and Big Bad)... He can be beaten, but not by strength, nor underhanded tactics, nor by outsmarting him, and definitely NOT by outlasting or out-stubborning him. He can only be defeated by making him acknowledge that he needs to rest and to finally trust that people under the yoke of his well-intentioned tyranny won't all suddenly die without him.

#rwby #jaune arc #rwby shitpost #rwby headcanon #rwby theorycrafting #if jaune were a villain he would be a benevolent demon king not an unhinged murderer

[bestworstcase]

@cryptidblues tumblr Ate this ask for some reason so copying text from the email notif

See I’ve always thought that the mechanism through which cinder stole the maiden powers (bug) from Amber made her a Grimm hybrid. And THATS why Ruby’s silver eyes worked on her at the top of beacon tower; regardless of the presence of the wvyern. Because underneath her skin she was Grimm (and still fully human). “Your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness”/“You said the light only reacts to Grimm but…it reacted to Cinder”/“perhaps there was something that you just weren’t seeing?” Leading from that the implicit threat of “Oz can’t defeat [Salem]”/“but maybe someone else can?” to Salem is not that Salem could be eradicated by silver eyes (go poof like other Grimm) but rather be put back in The Tower by silver eyes. By being turned to stone. Still immortal but frozen. Trapped. Her Freedom completely sundered. “You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?”/“Your light comes from his brother”/“The god of light…his eyes”. There’s an assumption that Salem is invulnerable, no personal skin in the game, “she’ll come back”, nothing effects her, nothing sticks; but her running this risk of being petrified by silver eyes gives depth and high stakes to any interaction she has with Ruby face to face (and her possible complex relationship to a hypothetical favorite silver eyed lieutenant). ᓚᘏᗢ

the reason i Don’t believe the grimm beetle made cinder vulnerable to the glare atop beacon tower is that ruby hits her with a second full-blown glare in atlas towards the end of v7 and—even though cinder by that point has a whole grimm arm—cinder flies away from that one unscathed. either:

a) the implication salem makes in v5 that cinder can learn to resist the glare is true,

b) there is an additional, unknown but more important factor besides “grimm” involved here, or

c) both.

i think the answer is probably both, although more b than a. (maria sees the flash coming from the god of light’s eyes and concludes this power came from him; but she couldn’t see that ruby’s eyes were silver until she saw their light go off, and she missed those two silver-eyed children of ozma’s. “maybe there’s something you’re not seeing” is true of her, too)

(the silver light evokes the pure white of the void between realms, where the dead travel from life to death and the souls of the living and the dead can meet in between. ozma passes through this liminal space every time he dies and reincarnates, and his children with a mortal woman have silver eyes. after ruby witnesses pyrrha’s death and her light erupts, the hand cinder used to kill pyrrha is destroyed and ruby spends months hearing echoes of pyrrha’s final words—which she wasn’t there to see—haunting her dreams. there are butterflies, classic symbols of reincarnation and in certain cultures historically identified as psychopomps, all over the scene where maria discusses her theory. maria is also philosophically wrong in her conception of creation/life as “enemies” of destruction; destruction feedslife and exists in balance with creation, and the glare itself is definitionally destructive. silver eyes have something to do with death.)

the kids at least, per nora and “maybe someone else can [destroy salem]?” do seem to be thinking in terms of ruby’s eyes being the silver bullet that can stop salem if not destroy her outright, and ruby has the wyvern example to look to to be thinking about trapping salem in stone forever. but then the leviathan is there to raise the possibility that petrification is not necessarily forever, and salem herself seems unconcerned when ruby’s eyes start to flash in ironwood’s office. plus again the implication salem makes that the glare can be resisted: if that is something she taught cinder to do, it’s something salem must be able to do too.

i do think the glare is probably capable of hurting her somehow—i have my own specific headcanons as to how for Fic Purposes but in terms of textual speculation, what happens if you take a grimm woman who can’t die and blast her with the grimm-killing light from the threshold between life and death? it sounds painful, if nothing else.

but if the leviathan could break free after being petrified, and salem is both immortal and human and thus able to, like cinder in v7, resist the glare in some way, i think being turned to stone or encased in stone is not likely to slow her down for very long. although i can’t imagine she would enjoy the experience.

the other factor to consider is that—well, quite a lot of the fandom assumes the point of silver eyes is to “purify” the grimm out of people, for example saving cinder from her grimm arm, and on the basis of maria’s theory that is an easy extrapolation to make; which is to say, after the experience in the ever after, i wouldn’t be surprised if the idea of “purge the grimm out of salem to make her herself again?” was broached on the heroes side. the reality though is that being grimm is not what’s wrong with salem and becoming grimm is something she chose, or at least accepted as a possible consequence of what she attempted to do when she jumped into the pool of grimm, and using silver eyes to try to Force Her to go backwards is probably not a good idea and not something that will work. she is change incarnate—that’s what destruction means.

so there is a thematic challenge here that might be explored; seen through the lens of maria’s theory, silver eyes are anti-change (preservation) and therefore anti-theme (destruction is part of life, not the enemy of life) so her theory is incomplete and the most obvious way to fill in the gaps and arrive at the whole truth is to test the glare against salem herself, because she is change. 

and because rwby is so thematically driven i’d anticipate this happening concurrently with salem turning in a new direction, which intersects in very interesting ways with what is being set up vis-a-vis needing cinder to open the vaults vs wanting cinder to be alive, safe, and free. (i think the momentum there is toward salem being forced to choose between getting the crown and protecting cinder, and she’ll sacrifice the crown for cinder’s sake; the… possibility of silver eyes being involved in that scenario is obvious.)

#silver eyes my windmill. #there’s also details like jaune—no one else #just jaune—flinching when ruby’s eyes go at haven #you know. the kid with the death wish. very interesting

[bafflement]

Immortality? It was never worth it.

All this time, it's pouring through the sand beneath my feet

Every life, I fight aganst that which I can't defeat

Every soul a burden, getting heavier each time

Will this version too be lost to the voices in our mind?

And am I me, this composition creature I've become

Can't ask for help, it's gone too far and I've become too numb

This destiny I never asked for, but I never can escape

The cycle starts again, must I face again this fate?

He is so young, but every version feels that way to me

Merely a child, shaking, as he asks to be set free

He's not a hero, not a warrior, at least he isn't yet

Just a boy left drowning in my ocean of regret.

My allies see him, maybe, but I cannot trust

They'll let him choose his ending, as each of us must

And maybe, somehow soon at least he'll rest

Of all my incarnations, he feels better, is it best?

To let him have control of that which rests within his reach

And learning from his own mistakes so maybe he can teach

Them to to the next, if next there is, if he is not the last

Oh child, I'm so sorry, this should still have been my task

I swore to end the cycle, I swore to stop the tide

That my breath and choices would leave all of them alive

But power though they offered it, could never heal this world alone

I regret, oh I regret it now... I should have kept the throne.

#professor ozpin #ozma #Last king of vale #regrets #poetry #almost a song #young ozpin #ozdad #but it's the king of vale #to Oz #immortality sucks #someone save him #screw salem #rwby fanfiction #or fan poetry #anyway

[thannwriting]

Jaune and Ruby Moment

Jaune walked in the moonlight. 

The only sound was the sound of his footsteps crunching on the leaves. His hands were in his pockets. 

He walked slowly, lost in his thoughts. 

Back when he had joined Beacon... the only goal was to become a huntsman. 

Just to honor the line of huntsmen that had come before him. His father, his grandfather, who fought in the Great War for Vale, his father before him, and his father before him. 

To become a hero, destined to help those in need. That was who he had wanted to be, back when he had foolishly joined Beacon without even aura. 

And now...

They were waging war against the Queen of the Grimm. 

Oh, and she was immortal too. With nigh-instantaneous regeneration... 

The fate of the world rested on their shoulders. 

And, with that reminder, Jaune’s shoulders felt like they were holding up the very definition of responsibility. 

It was insane, stupid, crazy! He definitely wasn’t cut out for this. 

It was incomprehensible. 

They couldn’t do this. He would have backed out of this entire thing long ago...

But...

They had the best allies on their side. 

Perseus Jackson, or Apollyon. His team leader, and his good friend. The most powerful demigod of his age, who held too many titles to count, and had already saved the world twice over. This was nothing new for him. 

Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao-Long were members of the famous Team STRQ, and experienced, powerful huntsmen in their own right.  

Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl of Mistral, his partner, who was also a quarter maiden. 

Oscar Pine, formerly Professor Ozpin, or Ozma. A reincarnating wizard, who had been holding Salem off for thousands of years. 

It seemed like he couldn’t be relied upon, though. After what had happened... Ozpin, or Ozma, just didn’t appear anymore. 

Jaune, just like everyone else, wanted to punch his face out. Qrow and Tai had both wanted to cave his skull in. 

What had happened in that story fractured what little trust they had left in Ozpin. 

Lying to them, keeping things secret, and even causing the entire situation in the first place. It was... 

He clenched his fist. It was unacceptable. 

Only the presence of Percy had helped them change things up and allowed information between them to flow more freely. Teamwork. 

Even so, their two groups weren’t shabby at all. They had all come a long way since Beacon. 

But they could lose. They weren’t infallible. 

Despite everything, they were just first-year huntsmen trainees. What if something happened to one of them?

If assassins came in the middle of the night, or if one of them went down in battle... what would become of them?

He was still the stupid, foolish boy who had cheated his way into Beacon and faked his transcripts. He was the weakest of their group. 

And so, if the day came that something would happen to one of them... 

Jaune hated to admit that he would be too weak to do anything about it.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the snapping of a twig. 

He whirled around, hand on Crocea Mors, drawing it. There was a flash of steel, and it was in his hands in an instant. 

“Who’s there?”

A certain black and red-haired girl stepped out from behind a tree. 

“Ruby?”  

“H-Hey, Jaune,” she waved at him, embarrassed. 

He sighed, sheathing his sword. 

“Ruby? Why are you here?”

“I heard you get up from your sleeping bag,” she admitted, “You couldn’t sleep?”

Jaune thinned his lips, “No. You couldn’t either?”

“O-Oh... yeah...”

“Hey, Ruby.”

“Y-Yeah, Jaune?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure!” she chirped. 

“How do you feel right now?”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked uncertainly.  

“How do you feel about...” Jaune ran a hand through his hair, “I dunno, everything. How are you taking it?”

“I... I’m not super sure...” she admitted.

There was a silence that ran through the clearing. Neither of them really knew what to say. 

And then, Ruby was the one to fill the silence. 

“I-I always wanted to be a hero, a huntsman,” she started, “Kinda like you, in a way. I wanted to be one of the great heroes in the fairytales, and to help the people...”

“I never thought it would have turned out like this, though,” she continued, “With everything that’s going on... it’s almost too much.”

Jaune’s shoulders slumped, and he let out an exhale through his nose, “Yeah.”

“Is that why you’re here? Because you couldn’t sleep?”

Ruby came closer to him, looking into his eyes. Jaune drew back, and she pushed forward. 

“A-Are you scared?”

Jaune drew in a sharp breath. 

“Y-Yeah.”

His back hit the trunk of a tree. 

“Why are you scared?” she peered at him, with those wide, beautiful, silver eyes of hers. 

“I-I’m afraid. I’m afraid that something might happen to one of us. Maybe someone comes and attacks us in the middle of the night. Maybe one of us goes down to the Grimm...”

“And I’ll be too weak to do anything about it. I’m the deadweight of this group.”

“I’m not Percy. Despite all the training, I’m not even near anywhere you guys are. I’m still...” 

He laughed mirthlessly, gesturing to himself, “At the end of the day, I’m still me. I don’t have that much skill or strength. I’m not like Percy, who has that much strength and power and skill.”

“I’m not like Pyrrha, who is a quarter maiden and can fight her way through anyone. I’m not like Yang, who can punch through whatever’s in front of her, or Nora, who can smash through anything she wants to. I’m not like Weiss, who can use dust to do almost magic, or Blake, who can clone around quickly. I’m not like you, who can speed around, or even Ren, who can provide us with support and shield us from the Grimm.”

“And, even if I had that much strength, I don’t think it would matter. Even Percy couldn’t save everyone. At the end of the day, I’m just...”

He closed his eyes. He let out a breath, shuddering. 

A warmth was clasped around his hands. Jaune opened his eyes, looking down. 

Her small hands, somehow warm, clasped around one of his hands. Silver eyes met his blue ones. 

“You’re you, Jaune. Don’t be so mad at yourself. None of us are all powerful,” she said softly, “And like you said if even Percy couldn’t do anything about it, why should you worry? And that’s what matters.”

“You’ve come a long way. We all have. We have to be ready,” she insisted, pressing into him.

“And how are we supposed to be ready for an immortal Queen of the Grimm, with insane magical powers and equally insane instant regeneration?”

Jaune knew he was playing the devil’s advocate here, but part of him didn’t care. He didn’t care. 

“I-I...”

“How are we going to do it? Isn’t this just the world’s most advanced suicide mission ever? What’s even the point? We might as well all die anyway,” he laughed mirthlessly, “That way we can die together!”

“J-Jaune... I-I don’t know...”

He realized that he had advanced towards her, and her back was against a tree now. She had her hands out, trying to placate him. 

A silence permeated throughout the clearing. He took heavy, deep breaths. He took a step backward, and then another step. 

He had been screaming at her. He had been yelling at her, like some child throwing a tantrum. 

What kind of person was he? 

Fuck, he was horrible. He had just blown up in Ruby’s face, all for nothing. 

He exhaled. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you. You didn’t deserve any of it.”

Jaune slumped, slowly lowering himself and sitting on the ground. His back leaned against the trunk of a tree. 

After a split second, he heard Ruby come to sit beside him. 

“Yeah, I kinda get it, honestly,” she chuckled slightly, “Sometimes I also want to yell and scream too. It’s like, super super insane that we’re doing this. We’re just teenagers.”

“And how do you deal with it?” Jaune asked. 

“Everyone has different ways of dealing with it. Yang likes to put her anger into workouts. Weiss and Blake would become cold and distant... I would probably, I dunno, funnel my anger into training too, and burst into rose petals, y’know? I don’t really have time to sulk.”

“That... actually makes a lotta sense...”

Ruby sighed, “Yeah. We just need to endure this,” she shuffled closer to Jaune, their shoulders touching. 

“We can do this! Believe in yourself, Jaune, believe in your team- Believe in us!”

The corners of his lips seemed to lift up ever so slightly at her words. 

He cracked a smile, “Y-Yeah. Just believe.”

“Sometimes, you just have to believe.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, and he thought he could feel her smile. He smiled, too. 

He didn’t want to see that smile ever fade away. More than anything. 

He vowed silently to never let it happen. 

Arc’s honor. 

—From Chapter 36 of my PJO x RWBY fanfic, Never Change. Feel free to check the fanfic out!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14077305/1/Never-Change

Never Change - Chapter 1 - Wattpad

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #lancaster #fanfic

[bridgyrose]

Is it wrong that I want to see an AU where Salem is a hero? Maybe she's still ruthless, but her spat with Ozma made her reflect on her mistakes and try to do right moving forward?

Centuries had passed since Salem had last seen Ozma, and while her goals hadnt changed, something inside of her had. No longer did she seek to rule humanity as a god, instead, guiding and protecting humanity from the brutal cycle the gods had introduced. It had been a long journey to scour out the relics and to claim them before Ozma, but now that they were in her possession, she had the means to do what the gods would never when they had stayed on Remnant. 

Salem smirked as she walked through the Vale castle walls as the King of Vale had finally called to her. Rumors of war had finally started to break out through the kingdoms and she knew Ozma couldnt help but call upon the immortal champion of humanity. As she reached the throne room, she made a quick bow, her smirk growing as she eyed the king. “You called for me?” 

The king let out a heavy sigh, waiting for the heavy, chamber doors to close before speaking. “You know I dont like asking for your help.” 

“And yet, here you are, asking for the champion of humanity to aid you in yet another attempt to stop a war.” Salem slowly stood up and walked closer to the king. “Its been a very long time, Ozma.” 

“I’m not asking for you to stop a war, I’m asking for you to hand over the relics. You know exactly why this war is going to start-” 

“And you know why I’m the one to stop it!” Salem said angrily. “I know exactly why Mantle really wants this war to start, and if you think handing over the relics to you in order to stop it is the only way, then you’re wrong. I can talk some sense into the Mantle leaders-” 

“You have to stop acting like a god to these people.” Ozma slowly stood up and made his way to Salem. “Once the people are united, we can bring the gods back to Remnant and they’ll live among us again.”

“The gods abandoned us! Abandoned me!” Salem clenched her fist with a deep breath to calm herself. “But then… you came back to me and showed me I was wrong. Ruling over this humanity as gods wasnt going to work, and after you told me about the relics, I made it my mission to become the champion that humanity needs. Grimm are no longer a problem, the grimm pools wiped out. Humanity is prospering, more villages are being created without the threat of grimm. I can lead them to peace.” 

“Humanity needs to learn peace on their own.” Ozma sighed and put a gentle hand on Salem’s shoulder. “I know you mean well, but you’re not stopping anything, only postponing. If this war doesnt happen now, then it’ll happen again later. Humans and faunus need to learn to get along and forcing them isnt going to work.” 

“Then I’ll show you I can stop this war.” Salem pushed Ozma’s hand away and started to walk out of the castle, her hand reaching for the crown along her waist. “And I’ll use the relics to make sure no one has to die.” 

#rwby salem #ozma #salem #rwby ozma #drabbles #The immortal hero #the immortal hero au

[green-like-pine-trees]

So, why Does Ozpin Reincarnate Like That?

Ozpin says that he will always reincarnate with a like-minded soul, but that’s not what the god of light says! He tells Ozma,

“Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone.”

Never alone ≠ Like-minded!

Think about the difference between Salem’s immortality and Ozpin’s. Salem’s is marred by loneliness and isolation; forever stuck in her ways and remains the same.

Ozpin’s is explicitly the opposite. He tries out Salem’s method (completely hijacking the first guy RIP). That fails. So, instead he learns to work with the souls he gets paired to. He makes new connections, gains different experiences. He is changed.

However, Ozpin had firmly sunken into the trap that Ruby is teetering on. They both believe it is their sole duty to save the world. Be the hero. Seeking stability, they withdraw into old habits and suffer for it.

But!! Ozpin has Oscar!! When Ozpin left, Oscar was around to pick up the slack. He reconsiders his role on the team, takes risks, reaches out, and gets stuff done! He learns from Ozpin’s mistakes!

Ruby needs to realize that as much as she thinks people are relying on her, she needs to rely on them. Neither her or Oscar really asked for any of this, true. But it’s important that they learn to address challenges, change, and keep moving forward.

#coping is such a valuable skill #rwby #ozpin #Oscar pine #Ruby rose #rwby volume 9 #rwby spoilers #rwby v9 #salem #gear talk #rwby analysis