#once again thinking of RWBY characters sleeping habits

[help-i-need-a-cool-username]

Thinking about how Mercury probably always sleeps with a direct view of the door and Emerald probably always sleeps with her back against the wall

#hinacu rwby #rwby #emerald sustrai #mercury black #emercury #could be shippy #once again thinking of RWBY characters sleeping habits #i had this whole idea and then i rewatched the show and we actually see everyone sleep in V1-4 at least twice #and i was wrong lol

[itsclydebitches]

Welcome back, everyone!

A quick note before we begin: after the previous recap a couple of lovely friends and anons explained to me some discrepancies in my work, mainly about how Fox's semblance functions and how much info we’ve gotten on that previously. They're worth a read if (like me) you haven't read After the Fall and would like a more accurate picture of this whole project. However, I have to admit that sadly past!me didn’t think through the usefulness of those posts and tag them appropriately... so they’re just somewhere in the mess that is the “rwby” and “mymetas” tags. Still, I wanted to acknowledge their existence, both for your potential use and as another disclaimer along the lines of, “I’m reading what amounts to a sequel and recapping as I go. Prepare for a bumpy ride.” 

We're on chapter five now (of twenty-two! Holy god I’m slow!!) and truth be told I actually enjoyed this opening. We're in Yatsuhashi's head this time around and he's likewise enjoying Vacuo's Meeting Spot, an "artificial oasis" that reminds him of his mother's healing gardens. I wonder what "healing" means in this particular context. A generalized benefit to your body, mind, and spirit in the form of meditation? Or a more literal, magic-based healing with its roots in aura use? In a world with RWBY's possibilities, a healing garden that someone like Ozpin might run—let's take time to settle ourselves and reflect—vs. one that someone like Jaune would create—let me use my semblance to literally heal your wounds—are rather different things. I'd be interested to know which category (or another) Yatsuhashi's mother falls under.

Regardless, it's a satisfyingly quiet scene. Yatsuhashi comments on both the beauty of the oasis as well as how that beauty, in turn, raises the desert in his eyes. Nothing like not having to deal with a hard landscape to make that landscape seem more bearable, alluring even, and this moment managed to capture that feeling rather well. The only downside is that, in a recurring theme, I once again got whiplash upon realizing that Yatsuhashi is not standing alone in the peace of the early morning, like the description had led me to believe. Apparently Velvet is there. As well as the whole freaking student body! Myers* has this strange habit of writing one kind of scene only to suddenly reveal that the scene is actually radically different from what his writing had encouraged you to imagine. Yatsuhashi is going on about healing, natural beauty, and the peace of an early morning. What's peaceful about dozens of students speculating beside him? Have you ever met a school of sleep deprived young adults dealing with a surprise announcement before breakfast? That’s as far from peaceful as humanly possible. 

Mood, kid. 

(*Also yes, we're working to write Myers' name correctly this chapter. If I'm going to drag his work so much the least I can do is not add an additional 'e' to his name lol.)

Along with the entirety of Shade Academy to break the peace, Yatsuhashi tells us about dromedons and mole crabs. The former, according to the wiki, is a "camel-like Grimm that can spit acidic venom" and also sports an armored hump. Fun! The latter, according to Yatsuhashi, is a "horrifying" creature that "slept just below the sand and could cut a person in two with their massive claws." And they're the normal, non-grimm animals! Screw Salem. Humanity needs huntsmen just to keep people safe from the everyday wildlife. Crabs cut people in two, Zwei is capable of being set on fire and launched at a mech... it's a miracle that anyone ever steps outside their home. 

I do write this with full knowledge that Australia exists, but still.

As Yatsuhashi moves away from thoughts of killer crabs, we begin what is easily the strangest bit of repetition this chapter. Yatsuhashi's shoulder is sore from having tried to break down the hideout door and I'm going, "Wait no, you used your sword” and frantically flipping back through my PDF. To Myers' credit, there is a detail that suggests Yatsuhashi uh... rammed the door? I think? Last chapter he "Stepped forward and Fox heard him grunt with exertion." That's the only thing I can think of that would explain his shoulder unexpectedly being sore hours later: if he'd charged it instead of doing something insane like, oh, I don't know, trying the doorknob first. Odd choice of continuity, but okay. What's super weird though is that Myers repeats the detail again:

Yatsuhashi crossed his arms, then grimaced as a fresh pain shot through his shoulder. Come on, Aura, he thought. Do your thing.

I'm sorry, how badly did you hurt your shoulder? Why does a supposedly intelligent student immediately resort to what is apparently somewhat serious self-harm when faced with a closed door? Why is Myers choosing this of all things to tell us about? Is this incredibly random shoulder injury going to hinder Yatsuhashi during the test? Spoilers: I don't think it does considering that I searched for "shoulder" in my PDF and there's just a lot of hands on shoulders coming up, but nothing that, at first glance, seems to make this kind of set up necessary. So I say again: weird.

Meanwhile, weirdness doesn’t even acknowledge the continued inconsistencies with aura. Jaune heals a cut on his cheek instantaneously, but hours later Yatsuhashi needs to gripe at his aura to hop-to already? So either Jaune’s aura is far more powerful than the average person’s (never established outside of Pyrrha’s “You have a lot of it” comment), or Yatsuhashi really hurt his shoulder that badly. Hard enough that with the rest of the night and early morning to heal him, his aura is still working overtime. 

Alrighty then. 

So the whole student body is just kind of hanging out, striking up casual conversations. Velvet asks how Yatsuhashi is doing and he says he's fine, "Thanks to you." Wait... what did Velvet do? I mean yeah, she was there last night and she's here now, but so is the rest of the team. I don't really recall her helping Yatsuhashi in any specific way. As is the norm now, I remain mildly, endlessly confused by this novel.

But we don’t have time to delve into the gratitude attached to events I’m not actually sure happened. There’s more chit chat going on as everyone tries to figure out why they've been summoned so early in the morning. "It's not always about us," Velvet says and I nod along in agreement even though I know, as a reader, that it's absolutely about them. "As I'm often reminding Coco."

Coco fires back with how it "could be about us," noting that it would be pretty coincidental if something else was going on right now, plus Rumpole may have realized they were out last night. (Remember, Yatsuhashi wasn't subtle about trying to break down that door). This is one of those moments where I agree wholeheartedly with Coco's logic, but kind of hate to encourage the 'It's all about us' attitude. Velvet might be smiling, but as previously established this is an ongoing theme within RWBY's characterization that it could really stand to do without.

Yatsuhashi then offers some "unsolicited advice" about how Rumpole could afford to slow down some and "let things come at their own pace," to which I respond, "Huh?" Where in the world did this come from? Previously the whole group—including Yatsuhashi, considering he didn't speak out against it—was concerned that Rumpole wasn't doing enough to track down the Crown. That is, do more, move faster, get it done already. You haven’t gotten it done? Okay, we’ll do it instead. Now he's providing this subtle criticism in response to a meeting, as if that's an inherently odd or bad thing for a headmistress to do. You want the woman to do extra work faster but slow down when it comes to her actual job? 

It reads to me like Myers is trying to put a lot of wise-sounding dialogue into Yatsuhashi's mouth—you know, the Asian character who keeps bringing up things like meditation and mindfulness—but hasn't bothered to think about whether that dialogue makes any sense. Of course, we then immediately backtrack to reveal that his comment was really about Coco not pushing the team too hard, but... that's not what he said? And Coco clearly didn't get the message. And the hidden meaning of the words didn't come across too well if your reader is squinting at what was said until the author has to straight up go, 'This is what Yatsuhashi actually meant.' Maybe just... have him say that? Give us some significant looks towards Coco, at the very least. Something to clue us in here that Yatsuhashi is (weirdly) blaming Rumpole for Coco's flaw.

Then he just ruins the whole scene further by mentally commenting that if all this extra work was hard on them, "what would it do to SSSN?" Ugh, look. I don't even like SSSN very much. I didn't shed a tear when they left the main series and would shrug if they ever came back, so you know the story is ragging on them too much when I'm standing up for the group at the bottom of my Character Adoration list. The duality of 'SSSN is so incompetent I don't even know how they're alive' and 'That, in comparison, makes us the best team ever' got old forty pages ago, yet I have the distinct feeling it won't be letting up any time soon.

Headmaster Theodore finally arrives to break up this thrilling conversation and the students erupt into thunderous applause. "It was what [he] expected. It was what he inspired whenever he appeared." That... is absolutely hilarious. This guy is so much of a showman, so insanely over the top, that he expects people to treat his everyday appearance as a spectacle worthy of praise and they agree. You know who he reminds me of?

The king himself, Alex Louis Armstrong. I'm digging this already. It's absurd and I will forever question RWBY's ability to balance comedy with its darker tones... but I'm counting this one as a win so far. There's got to be something to praise about this book.

Just as important, we get a description of Theodore's positively insane outfit. I immediately googled to see if someone had drawn him and the fandom did not disappoint. I'm not going to include the image here in case the artist, Edisu, doesn't want their work reposted like that, but I highly recommend you check out the link and get a visual.

The only thing left to say about this fashion monstrosity is that he has a "flowing gray-blue cape, the color of a stormy sky." I'll let our favorite textile engineer make my point for me:

Honestly, between Ruby's cape and Weiss' hair someone is going to end up in trouble one of these days.

In this world free of horrific cape tragedies, we've segued into a flashback which is, frankly, kind of boring compared to the others we’ve gotten. It's just the group meeting Theodore, information and characterization that could have easily been distributed to the audience in the present. It's starting to feel like the structure of including a flashback each chapter is hindering Myers somewhat, just because every chapter doesn’t necessarily need one, but that’s far from the biggest issue to tackle. 

We learn that Theodore (really Rumpole) did a bunch of research on all the students involved in the Vytal Festival and they're very pleased that Team CFVY has joined them now, despite the horrific circumstances. We again hear about how judgmental Coco can be, that her judgements are rarely wrong... but if they are wrong she's the last to admit it. So really that's less of a 'This character has good instincts about other people' and more 'This character is just, as said, judgmental and then stubborn about it when she’s wrong.' Theodore, however, seems like a cool dude:

“Ah, she speaks!” Theodore strode toward Velvet. His voice softened. “You didn’t fail, my dear. You fought. You stayed, far longer than anyone would have asked or expected of a student. And now you’re here. Do you want to be here? Will you fight for Shade the way you did for Beacon, Velvet Scarlatina?”

This is great. This is the kind of reassurance I would expect from a headmaster who, thus far, has received a fair amount of praise. Unlike his students, Theodore understands the risks Beacon students took and when it was time for them to make a life-saving retreat. He's inspiring while also being empathetic and honestly? That's the most I've had that 'You're a good person' sense from RWBY in a very long time.

Now watch Theodore turn out to be evil lol.

He cuts the tension of the serious conversation by proclaiming that if any of them doubt whether they should be here, they should take it up with him via a fight. Theodore announces this while striking a pose. I say again:

We then get some more reflection on how Theodore compares to Ozpin: 

Ozpin had believed in you before you did, almost like he knew your true potential, despite what your transcripts or fighting abilities looked like. Theodore believed you had potential, but you had to earn it and prove yourself to him first.

I agree with that and I'm pleased to see that this time the comparison didn't involve criticizing Ozpin in an effort to build Theodore up. It’s likewise a useful description and I think it provides us with at least one interpretation of why the RWBYJNR group has discarded Ozpin so thoroughly. The addition "despite what your transcripts or fighting abilities looked like" implies that Ozpin sees potential in everyone. It doesn't matter how presumably flawed you might be—in physical strength, like Jaune; in morals, like Lionheart— Ozpin will see the good in you and give that good a fighting chance. That's why he's the one tasked with doing something as crazy as uniting the whole world because he's the one person capable of seeing that potential in literally everyone. That much is true. But the flipside of this is that, unlike when in interacting with someone like Theodore, no one expects to have to work for Ozpin's faith, his praise... his trust. With Theodore you have to "earn" the respect he gives you right from the start. With Ozpin it's free! So surely that means such faith extends to every possible situation, right? 

Which is when you run into trouble. When the situation is no longer "I'll give you a chance in my school" but something much more serious like "I'm risking the whole world on your character." Ozpin is an optimist, but he's also cautious as hell (with good reason), so though he sees the potential in everyone he knows he can't let his own hope for humanity blind him to reality. That person might betray you. They might turn on you. They might give up and hurt you in the process... even if you want to believe that people are simply better than that. Wanting doesn’t make it so. 

If someone who had as little interaction with Ozpin as Team CFVY did nevertheless developed such a strong sense of, "Yeah, he believes in everyone!" then it seems likely that Team RWBY, already sporting a special connection with him, thought they were shoe-ins for every possible secret and task they might ask of him. Their time at Beacon was defined largely by both intentional favoritism and coincidences that could arguably be read as such. Ruby gets to go to Beacon two years early. She gets to be team leader. The sisters stay together despite teams supposedly being random. Team RWBY goes on missions not meant for first years. Team RWBY is given a nudge-nudge-wink-wink about The White Fang so that they can do what they’re able to help. Team RWBY was friends with Pyrrha, next in line for the Maiden powers. They got used to Ozpin simultaneously solving all the real problems that showed up and letting them play at being important, all while the rest of the school had to follow normal rules. They’re special. But then Beacon falls, the game is over, and they're blindsided by having to earn trust and privileges in the real world. Playing at huntresses in the safety of your headmaster’s school is over and Ruby in particular never got that there was a massive difference between that and a real war where the fate of the world hangs on your trustworthiness and ability to keep it together. It’s why she announces to the Argus guards that she is a huntress while attacking the people she’s meant to protect. 

Which would be a fantastic arc to give them if the show ever had someone sit the group down and tell them how childish and selfish they're being. Instead, they're still being handed that trust and privilege—you can go into Atlas despite stealing from the military, you get your licenses years early, you get to carry an incalculably valuable relic around—while likewise still getting mad that the adults around them don't give them more. This comparison here, though realistically just a throwaway passage in a novel rather iffily connected to its original series, starts to highlight the excellent situation RT set up... and then didn't do anything with.

But I've gone on about this long enough. There are just two other things I'd like to point out about this flashback. The first is that it may help us get a handle on Ozpin's age (if we're willing to accept these books as canon, despite their other inconsistencies). Earlier we're told that "Headmaster Theodore’s whole style should have been ridiculous for a man likely in his forties, maybe older" and here, in describing their different approaches, we get "Headmaster Ozpin, who had been younger but seemed much older." So that could potentially put Ozpin his his late 30s if he's noticeably younger than Theodore in his 40s. Or, in his 40s if the "maybe older" part is right and Theodore is in his 50s. I can’t imagine that Theodore is in his 60s. Not much to go on, admittedly, but I'll take whatever I can get. The interesting thing is that if Ozpin really is that young and Qrow is now (presumably) in his early 40s, wouldn't that have made them basically the same age during his Beacon days? Perhaps even giving us an Ozpin who was younger than his oldest students? I don't know. It's really less of a definitive piece of information and more messy speculation to add to the pile—which is par the course for RWBY nowadays. 

The second detail I wanted to point out was that despite all their supposed differences, Headmaster Theodore and Professor Rumpole have a very Ozpin-Glynda relationship going on. For all the cosmetic changes it boils down to the same dynamic. Both headmasters are powerful, quirky men who at first glance appear to be rather useless at their jobs, requiring the confident headmistress to swoop in and manage the daily running of a school. Those two do the heavy lifting while their bosses work wonders from behind the scenes (a la The Wizard). When I read Rumpole chastising Theodore for claiming he investigated the students, or when she reminds him that there isn't time to have an impromptu duel with his students, I couldn't help but think about Glynda reluctantly letting Ozpin invite Ruby to Beacon early, or cleaning up the cafeteria while he shrugs off the mess. To be clear, I don't necessarily mean this as a criticism, just an observation. In truth I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it adds to the overall sense that Shade is just Beacon with a slightly different coat of paint. As I've mentioned previously, for all the text's insistence that Shade isn't like the other schools, the story hasn't done a good job of demonstrating that cultural difference in any meaningful way and similarities like this only add to the feeling that this isn't really a unique Kingdom—or at least not one with a firm enough identity to be persuasively unique. Same rule breaking team sneaking out on their own mission. Same secondary team who’s talented, but not as special as the protagonists. Same strange man with his responsible woman running the school. The details differ, obviously, but the structure feels largely the same. 

As mentioned above, once the flashback ends Theodore tries to spar with one of the students but is quickly shut down by Rumpole because, you know, they have a meeting to hold. Apparently there have been complaints lately from the local security about Shade students interfering with official huntsmen business.

“I told you it was about us,” Coco muttered.

Coco, when you hear that people are pissed that you, an unlicensed student, are disrupting the careers of professionals every night the takeaway should not be, 'Aha! I knew it was all about me.'

Yatsuhashi at least provides a more nuanced perspective. "This wasn’t right, though. If they hadn’t interfered, those Huntsmen would have kidnapped an innocent person." He's right. They did help someone, but what they've failed to learn is that an individual good deed does not excuse the unlawful steps they took in getting there. If Team CFVY had just been out on the town and happened to spot some shady characters pulling shit, then put a stop to their kidnapping, that's fine. That's heroic. What is not heroic is them going out with the express purpose of fixing a situation that trained professionals told them they should not be trying to fix—key word being “trying,” given that they all understand Rumpole’s worry that they’ll make things worse. It was enough to send them back home last night... after Yatsuhashi failed to break into the hideout. The problem is not the "I helped someone who needed it" part but rather the "I'm arrogant enough to think that my presence is necessary" bit. 

If having students conducting investigations was wanted or necessary, it would be a part of the curriculum: acknowledged or otherwise. AKA yes, Ruby. It would be very helpful if you'd head on off to Mountain Glenn, under the observation of a seasoned huntsmen, and report back if there's any dubious activity going on over there. Ozpin said, 'Yes please' to the extra (highly controlled) help while these professionals are saying, 'No thanks.' The fact that Team CFVY acts is if they're justified in continuing this investigation—and worse, that the story keeps validating those feelings—undermines their otherwise heroic actions. RWBY really is a series that struggles with giving its protagonists compelling reasons for getting involved in the fight. ‘Because I want to help’ might be a noble motivation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. The Mountain Glenn mission was like a chef allowing a talented, aspiring teen to help them with a dish, all of it done under their tutelage. Team CFVY’s investigation is like the teen sneaking into the kitchen after dark to doctor all the prep for the next day’s cooking under the assumption that they’ll make it even better. Hell, maybe they will! But that’s not the point. Your help was not invited — explicitly denied, actually —and there’s a very good chance you’ll mess something up.

So because this group of eight continually insists that they know best, the whole school is required to stay on campus after nightfall. Huzzah! 

It’s just too bad these consequences hurt others just as much as Team CFVY. The other students are pissed about this. I would be too! Team CFVY remains adamant though that they did the right thing, no guilt here, relying on the reader inaccurately comparing ‘saving lives’ with ‘losing free time off campus’ in order to come out on Team CFVY's side. They still fail to understand that helping people is not the reason they’re being punished. 

Theodore and Rumpole reiterate that they are working on a solution and that no one else should be getting involved. Team CVFY is no more persuaded by this speech than they were the previous ones. The announcement then segues into discussion of the former Haven students which produces... boos from the audience?? My god, what is wrong with this school? I mean I get it, school is brutal—both in real life and fiction—especially when the social dynamics of your school are written much more like a high school than a college, but usually if characters are going to drag new students it's in the semi-privacy of a bathroom or an empty hall. Groaning over the existence of war survivors in front of your headmaster is a level of confident cruelty I didn't expect.

Then again, RWBY is the show that gave us Cardin pulling on Velvet's ears in the middle of the cafeteria, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.

Theodore quickly bypasses the whole 'A decent number of my students hate these other students' issue and instead acknowledges that it is "difficult to adjust to a new school, an entirely new group of classmates, and most of all to life in Vacuo. Yet some of you have been separated from your original training teams.” Which is a nice way of saying that a good number of these teammates are dead. So what's the solution here?

Reinitiation Ceremony!

I'm sarcastic, but in all honesty I don't hate this idea. Far from it. Partly because I have a strong love of competitions in shonen-esque stories. Tests, trials, the obligatory tournament arc... they've always been some of my favorite parts of a series, largely because they allow the author to develop whacky and creative challenges that show off important characterization. See: Killua using a skateboard during the tunnel run before deciding that if Gon can manage running it, he can too; or Izuku using the mines and a piece of scrap to blast himself ahead of Bakugo and Todoroki. The structure of such tests forces characters to demonstrate creativity and critical thinking skills alongside strength, and that in turn reminds us of why they're our heroes. RWBY managed this a little bit with the Vytal Festival, but overall I don’t think the teams did anything particularly impressive to win. Team RWBY worked together, Nora hit people really hard with her hammer, Weiss' injury pissed off Yang enough to tap into more power... it was all stuff we had seen before and very little of it required planning or creativity. The Vytal Festival functioned more to set up the plot developments of Volume 3, which is fine, though for a while I had hoped that we would get a huntsmen license exam to do this sort of work... which obviously didn’t happen. Disappointing, but we’re at least getting something like that here. 

So I love the concept. I even love the general reasoning behind holding the ceremony at all. Anyone who had spent five minutes on this blog knows that I think the groups need to learn to play well with others. Yet I also can't deny that the team dynamics provide stability for these characters, even if they've come to rely on that stability to an unhealthy degree. We've got students whose teams were presented to them not just as a professional tool, but their primary support system. You live with these people, attend all the same classes, spend your free time together, and survive life-threatening situations on a fairly regular basis. It's work, family, and friendship all rolled into one, so if the headmaster suddenly says that you get a new team, that's a whole lot more devastating than just learning that you've got a new project group to deal with. It shouldn't have come to that—a school looking to teach a profession that requires working with a wide variety of individuals should never have told four students to rely one each other and each other alone—but now that we're here you can't just break them apart with no notice. Especially with a traumatic war going on. It's hard to come to a new school, meet new people, learn a new culture... so let me rip away the one piece of familiarity you have left.

Of course, I don't really think that the teams will be broken up irrevocably, if at all. Rather, I simply want to acknowledge that despite my appreciation for these kinds of stories and despite my desire that the teams get some distance... it shouldn't be done like this. Even more-so when it’s abundantly clear—to us if not the instructors—that this little stunt is causing their students to re-live a whole bucket load of trauma. Yatsuhashi thinks about how this feels like an “out of body experience” and “It reminded [him] uncomfortably of the evacuation of Beacon Academy… He felt his breath catch in his throat.” Coco’s order to stick together “[brought] him back to the moment,” re-emphasizing that he was lost in the past for a while there. He’s clearly struggling. 

Now, to be fair, this could all fall under the category of flawed characters. Meaning, anytime something awful happens in fiction we can interpret that as a skill on the part of the author: they wanted to write a scenario where the teachers are screwing up and unintentionally hurting their students. Or they know they’re hurting their students and consider that to be an acceptable sacrifice under the justification of ‘They have to get over Beacon at some point!’ There are lots of ways to paint this as Myers/RT writing complex, human characters who make ambiguous choices—a testament to their ability to write “realistically.” But to be frank I don’t really buy it. Simply because I’ve had a lot of experience now with how RWBY handles subjects like trauma and it’s only rarely been written respectfully and engagingly. I could be proven wrong as the novel continues, but it seems more likely that Myers wrote the instructors coming up with this test, wrote Yatsuhashi panicking over it, and intends to continually imply that these two things are separate plot points. Bringing both together in a narratively useful way would require acknowledging the instructors’ motivations—Why this test? Why now? Do they realize the harm they’re causing? If so, do they think it’s worth it?—and then coming to some sort of resolution, either via some recovery on CFVY’s part due to the instructors’ choices (this test did help us move past Beacon), or the instructors learning something about empathy and trauma via CFVY’s reaction (we never should have done this). I highly doubt we’ll get either.  

Thus, everyone is (justifiably) horrified. The teams are gone and either the shock of that made Team CFVY prioritize feelings of safety over strategy, or they're just not going to demonstrate any of the intelligence I look for in this kind of arc, because they immediately start obsessing over staying together. 

He needed to keep his team close to him. Especially Velvet. If they weren’t separated, they couldn’t be assigned to different teams.

Yatsuhashi, that is not at all what Rumpole told you:

“It’s already begun,” Rumpole said. “Everything you do from this moment forward will factor into your evaluations for new teams.”

Where in the world did you get the idea that you wouldn't be assigned a new team so long as you stuck with your old one? If I were one of the instructors here that choice would make me more likely to separate them. "Everything you do from this moment," Rumpole says, meaning that how they respond to this information is a part of the test. The team that panics and refuses to separate is the team that either can't function without one another, or at the very least believes that they can't. They're not willing to work with others and thus they're precisely the type that needs to learn this skillset. You're the ones they'll want to give new teammates to.

Of course, fate has different ideas about how things should go down. And by "fate" I mean "A completely ridiculous plot device." Team CFVY is separated because... the crowd is large I guess? It’s ridiculous. Four fighters already standing beside one another and who are now hyper-focused on staying together are not going to get swept away by a Shade size crowd who probably also want to stick with their own teammates. There are far better, far more convincing ways to keep them apart. Ozpin shot students one-by-one into the forest! Literally anything other than what we got, really.  

Still, that’s what we wound up with. Yatsuhashi and Coco both try to keep the team together only for the immense power of other people existing putting a stop to their plan. Alrighty then. Before they’re dramatically swept away on different ships, however, we do get two other noteworthy bits of information that I'd like to end on. The first is Rumpole’s announcement that “When you reach your destination, your goal will be to locate a gold figurine and bring it back to the school” to which Fox replies, “Great. Glad this is fair for everyone. Who can see.” And you know what? He's right. Maybe Fox and I will both be proven wrong (I feel like I'm writing that a lot this chapter...) but unless there's some miscommunication here or a surprise in store, a goal of "locat[ing] a gold figurine" is indeed a sight based challenge and, when placed in a test that is deliberately separating Fox from his team, puts him at a severe disadvantage.

The second is simply that the year levels of the students will not be a factor in the creation of new teams. “What year we are? Yatsu thought. This can’t be right. How could a first-year keep up with fourth-years?” to which I respond, "Um... that's the entire show?" The webseries RWBY is about how Team RWBY, starting out as first years, has surpassed everyone around them, to the point where they're now beating the best team in Atlas. Time-wise they're still second years—far as I can figure out, anyway—so if second years can beat elite military operations, a first year can stand toe-to-toe with second, third, and fourth years. More crucial to Yatsuhashi's thought process—because as an in-world character he doesn't necessarily know what Team RWBY has been up to post-Volume 3—he's still seen how well first years did at Beacon. Ruby was let in two years early. Pyrrha is such a phenomenally talented fighter her face is on their cereal boxes. A first year, Yang, went on to compete in the Vytal Tournament final (even if it was rigged. Yatsuhashi doesn't know that), and Team CFVY fought beside a number of first years at the Battle of Beacon. Now, you all know that I think education and experience are damn important. I'm not saying Yatsuhashi is flat-out wrong to question whether there would be any issues attached to slamming, say, a first year, two second years, and a fourth year into one team (especially when you consider practical questions like going to classes), but the general takeaway of "How could they keep up?" seems a tad strange. You know first years can keep up. You watched it happen, both in your former school's curriculum—first years get to go on an upper-level mission—and in real life battle. This knee-jerk response reads as even worse after five chapters of looking down on Team SSSN. Team CFVY really thinks highly of themselves, huh. 

Honestly, it feels like our authors didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the implications of the dialogue/thoughts they’re giving to the characters which is, again, par for the course at this point. Like the questions attached to the test, this feels less like giving Yatsuhashi a flaw (he, as an in-world character, hasn't bothered to think through whether his knee-jerk assumption about first years is supported by his experiences) and more like a flaw of the creators. That sounds like a legitimate concern—in the same way that Yatsuhashi's advice to Rumpole sounds generically wise—but poke at it a bit and you start finding a number of cracks. An author who is well aware of the world they've built and strives to adhere to it might have had Yatsuhashi acknowledge some of the amazing things he's seen first years do and still conclude that there are problems with this decision. That's legit. As it stands, Yatsuhashi just sounds ignorant and (again) overly confident, which I don't trust to be a moment of character insight as opposed to an authorial blip.

Which is about where we end. The team is split on different airships, no one is happy about it, and we're left with this somewhat unsettling image:

Headmaster Theodore was waving and whooping, like it was all some terrific game, while Professor Rumpole watched silently, her hair whipping around in the wind and an unsettling grin on her face.

This gives me some hope that the story will treat the problems attached to this test respectfully. The description of Theodore acting "like it was all some terrific game" is a mark against his character and Rumpole straight up has an "unsettling grin on her face." Is she one of the baddies? Potentially. Will I ever again get adult characters who aren't depicted as inept, traitorous, or just so flawed that they unwittingly cause great damage to their students? Probably not. These two desires remain constantly at war with one another. RWBY introduces issues that the story should tackle, but the only issues it acknowledges are those attached to the adults. So we have everyone doing a range of iffy things, but only the elders are likely to be punished or (better yet) learn something over the course of the tale. The double standard remains so strong across the franchise that at this point I just want to raise a THE ADULTS DID NOTHING WRONG banner and call it a day. Not because they're actually free of mistakes or even, at times, downright cruelty, but because if our protagonists constantly get that free pass I'm not sure why everyone else can't too.

Anyone for a spot of denial? 

But I've now written nearly twice as much as the actual chapter in question. It's time to stop! At this rate I’ll have written the equivalent of five Before the Dawns in my attempt to recap just one. #yikes

Until Chapter Six 💜

#rwby #BTD Recaps #Before the Dawn #mymetas

[periilune]

Answer all 200

damn okay you asked for it:

(this was asked a long time ago and its just being posted now bc its 200 fuckin questions f u kars jk love you)

1. What is your middle name?

Elizabeth

2. Do you have any nicknames?

Liz, Laur, Lau, Squid, Koala, Rhyne, Babe

3. Do you have any allergies?

Not to my knowledge

4. What is the longest your hair has ever been?

Too long,, like I could sit on it

5. Apple or PC?

PC

6. Favorite flavor?

In general probably some kinda cheese but for sweet stuff is cookie dough

7. Have you ever been on a blind date?

Bold of you to assume I’ve even been on a date (no I haven’t)

8. Are you friends with any of your exes?

2 of them actually!

9. What kind of car do you drive?

I can’t even drive,, but I have a Toyota Avalon waiting for me when I can

10. How grammatically correct are you when you text?

It really depends, I’m very correct when texting adults, decent when texting acquaintances, absolute disaster with good friends

11. What foreign country would you most like to visit and why?

Probs the UK or Italy, the UK bc I have several friends there and its very nice, and Italy for good food and good views

12. Creamy or chunky peanut butter?

Creamy all the way

13. Favorite food to pig out on?

Pizza

14. DC or Marvel?

Marvel!

15. Disney or Nickelodeon?

God idk,, probably Nickelodeon

16. Do you have any stickers on your laptop computer?

Yes, one from Kiawah Island (very nice place) and a couple random ones

17. Name/author of the last book you read cover to cover. Do you recommend it?

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, considering that was like my 3rd time reading it yeah I do

18. Do you read any magazines?

Nah

19. Coffee or tea?

Not a fan of either, I guess I’d pick coffee

20. What is your go-to Starbucks drink?

Red Velvet Frappucino

21. How many things can do with your weaker hand?

Oh You Know ;) in all honestly not much, I can catch because I used to play softball

22. Last show you binge watched?

Currently binge watching My Hero Academia!

23. Dogs or cats?

Cats

24. Favorite Disney princess?

Mulan or Moana I think

25. Do you like fast food?

Generally yeah

26. Favorite thing to cook for yourself?

Pasta and some type of garlic or cheesy or toasted bread

27. Favorite song to sing in the shower?

Currently Morning in America by John Bellion

28. Have you ever butt dialed anyone?

I don’t think so

29. iPhone/iPad or Android?

Android

30. Any styles of music you do not like?

Most country tbh, excluding John Denver n Carrie Underwood they’re both great

31. Have you ever kissed anyone of the same gender? If so, did you like it?

Not quite, but pretty close. We were dating so I’d say I liked it

32. Have you ever gotten a ticket while driving?

I can’t drive so no!

33. Favorite emoji?

💖 or 🍒 I think

34. Showers or baths?

Showers for convenience, but the occasional bath is nice to relax

35. Is there anything you regret buying?

Some clothes I have I don’t like, my fake airpods that don’t work

36. Are you fluent in more than one language?

Not yet, but I’m learning Spanish!

37. Any movie(s) you can watch over and over again and enjoy just as much every time?

Black Panther, The Last Unicorn, any of The Lord of the Rings trilogy

38. What is the heaviest you have ever weighed?

Around 155-160 pounds

39. Do you have any tattoos? If so, how many and where?

Not yet

40. Have you ever uttered a spoken hashtag?

Yep.

41. Favorite school subject?

I used to love English but not so much anymore, right now in in Psychology and its really cool tbh

42. Favorite non-chocolate candy?

Fuckin uh,, airheads are pretty good

43. Name one celebrity you dislike.

Johnny Depp is a shitty abuser.

44. If you could have one superpower, which one would you most like to have?

Telekinesis I think

45. From 1-10, rate your singing ability.

7

46. From 1-10, rate your dancing ability.

3

47. From 1-10, rate your cooking ability.

7

48. From 1-10, rate your driving ability.

1

49. Are you religious?

I’m really not sure, I was raised religious but I’m questioning a lot atm

50. Do you drink soda? If so, which one is your favorite?

Yep, I like Cherry Coke

51. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

No, but I’ve been with someone who has

52. Spring or autumn?

Autumn

53. Do you play any sports?

Not now, but I’ve played soccer, softball, and basketball in the past

54. Can you play any musical instruments?

Nope

55. Are you more introverted or extroverted?

Introverted

56. How easily do you cry?

My dude,, so easily

57. Last musical artist you saw live?

My Lord and Savior Avi Kaplan

58. Favorite YouTube channel?

Not 2 be That person but I genuinely like Markiplier tbh

59. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars

60. How long have you known your best friend?

Well 1 of them funnily enough our moms knew each other when he was a baby and I was unborn, but we really met in 6th grade. My other best friend I met  about 3 years ago :)

61. Have you ever voted for a reality show?

I think so

62. Last CD you bought? uhhhhh maybe a pentatonix cd dunno which one 

63. Have you ever ended a romantic relationship?

Nope I’m the one who gets dumped 

64. Have you ever been broken up with? See above (3 times) 

65. Have you ever been in the audience for the taping of a TV show? Nah 

66. How long was your longest relationship? Are you still with that person?

A year and 3 months currently, and yes

67. Have you seen any Broadway plays or musicals?

Nope 

68. Have you ever acted in a play or a musical?

Yes! I’ve been in The Wizard of Oz (twice!), Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical the Musical, and the Little Mermaid 

69. How flexible are you?

Not very 

70. Have you ever sexted? Yes…  

71. Do you own any clothes from garage sales or thrift stores?

Yep 

72. Real or fake Christmas trees?

We’ve had a fake one my whole life, but I’d like to have a real one some day

73. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2-3 

74. How well can you write in cursive?

Not great, but I can get the job done 

75. What is your political affiliation?

Not officially affiliated, but rather left 

76. Do you like any boy bands?

The Backstreet Boys duh

77. Have you ever broken any bones?

Just a couple small ones in my toe 

78. Have you ever gotten any stitches?

Nah 

79. Do you have any piercings in places other than your ears?

Not yet

80. What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear and how old is it? One of my favorite pairs of shorts is pretty old 

81.Do you like wearing hats?

Depends on the hat, I have a handful of baseball caps I like 

82. Have you ever dyed your hair?

At one point I had the tips dyed purple, but now I regularly dye it to make it slightly lighter and redder 

83. From 1-10, how competitive are you?

Like 8 probably, I’m not very athletic but I’m competitive about other things   

84. How long have you been at your current job?

Since November 2017   

85. Have you ever studied abroad?

Nope 

86. Phrase you say the most?

“Oof” 

87. Have you ever quit a job?

Nah 

88. Have you ever gotten fired from a job?

Nah 

89. Have you ever won a trophy? If so, what for?

Yes! For cheerleading competitions, 3rd place in making a video for a club, in a soccer tournament, and probably some others idk 

90. Have you ever been a Boy/Girl Scout?

I was a girl scout but that was a while ago 

91. Last thing that made you laugh?

Uhh last night some dumb meme my boyfriend showed me

92. Do you eat meat?

Yes

93. Are you more of a morning or a night person?

Night person, but I’m also old so it’s hard to stay up late

94. Worst habit?

Chewing fingernails, isolating myself from people when I’m sad

95. Deepest fear?

Uhhh that everyone who says they care about me is actually lying and talking about me behind my back

96. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yeah pretty much

97. If you could take home any animal from the zoo, what animal would you take?

An otter! I love them

98. Do you consider rapping singing?

I wouldn’t say it’s singing bc its different, but it’s certainly an art form and it has every place in the music industry

99. Favorite costume you wore for Halloween? How old were you?

When i was a ninja that was sick, i was probably 12-13

100. Favorite store to shop at?

For clothes? Maybe Plato’s Closet (nice secondhand place) but I also do a lot of online shopping

101. Have you ever given anyone CPR?

No

102. Favorite Pokémon?

Cresselia is dope but also Eevee

103. Do you own any homemade clothing?

Probably

104. Do you drink alcohol at all? If so, what is your drink of choice?

I’ve drunk once, vodka mixed with Hawaiian punch and it was p good

105. Have you ever skinny dipped?

No i’m fat

106. Favorite type of cookie?

Warm chocolate chunk

107. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

Oreo or chocolate chip cookie dough. The best thing i’ve ever had was a red velvet oreo milkshake tho

108. Biggest pet peeve?

When people interrupt or ignore me

109. Are you still friends with anyone from high school?

I mean I just graduated so yes

110. Favorite literary character?

Oohhhh, maybe Sam from LoTR? He was the realest friend ever

111. Are your birth parents still together?

Yeah

112. Do you wear or have your ever worn glasses?

Nope, 20/20 babeyyyy

113. How many of your Facebook friends do you actually hang out with?

Like 6, one of those being my mom lol

114. Have you ever been the victim of a prank?

Not that I can remember

115. Do you belong to a fraternity or a sorority?

No

116. Have you ever taken a nude selfie?

perhaps..

117. Are you adopted?

No

118. Favorite fandom?

Ugh fandoms r gross, maybe the rwby fandom? 

119. Oldest memory?

Trying to strangle myself at pre-school aged 4 lmaoooo

120. Have you ever snorted when you laughed?

A couple times

121. Can you drive stick?

Can’t drive at all!

122. Favorite Disney song?

How Far I’ll Go, or maybe Go The Distance

123. Random boy’s name.

Leo

124. Random girls’ name.

Natalie

125. How often do you eat out at a nice restaurant?

Once a month? Not often, I’ve done it twice in 3 days recently tho bc it was my birthday

126. How many people are in your nuclear family?

3, me and my parents

127. What accent do you consider the most attractive?

Gosh, not to be basic but probably British, although I don’t really know many others

128. What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?

INFP i think? Maybe INFJ

129. What is your astrological sign?

Leo! (capricorn moon and cancer rising)

130. Biggest regret?

Trying to make someone care again who had no intention of doing so

131. What type of shoes do you wear the most?

My checkered vans, I swear I wore them every day of senior year

132. Do you like any soap operas?

No

133. Do you listen to talk radio?

Not often

134. What sports team(s) do you root for?

SF Giants, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Duke, Kentucky

135. Describe your sense of humor.

Ridiculously stupid, inside jokes

136. Have you ever been hit on by someone of the same gender?

Yeah, my ex-girlfriend lmao

137. Favorite video game?

Overwatch

138. Name a moment in your life when you were pleasantly surprised.

When i got a mf perfect score on my ACT

139. Do you believe in serendipity?

I had to look that up but I guess so

140. Have you ever left a movie theater before the movie was done?

I don’t think so, one time the movie malfunctioned and cut off like an hour in and we had to leave

141. Have you ever felt you were born in the wrong period of history?

Nah, everything has always sucked, but now is somewhat less sucky than before bc we have the internet

142. Is sex before marriage wrong?

No

143. Have you ever gotten a song you dislike stuck in your head?

Yes omg, fuckin Girls Like You, fuck you Adam Levine

144. Can you handle spicy food?

Only slightly spicy

145. Have you ever called a non-lover a term such as darling, honey, babe, or dear?

I call my friend Ryker babe all the time, and call most of my friends “love”

146. Do you like MTV?

Nah not really

147. Where on your body are you the most ticklish?

Probably ribs area

148. TV show or movie you quote/reference the most?

The Princess Bride is so quotable, so maybe that idk, I quote memes more than anything

149. Have you ever lived with a roommate you didn’t get along with?

Can I say my parents? I’ve never lived not in my house, but I’m about to go to college and I hope I like my roommate

150. Where do you think is the best place to meet a new lover?

Either school or through mutual friends?

151. Have you ever successfully been on a diet?

I mean I’ve lost weight but it wasn’t a diet, just not eating lol

152. Favorite thing to do outside?

Have a photoshoot, jk I love looking at flowers, also swimming is good

153. Where did you go on your last vacation?

Kiawah Island, for grad week

154. Do you say “y'all” at all?

Yes, I live in the south and started using it ironically but now I can’t stop

155. Have you ever lived on a farm?

No

156. Do you believe in evolution?

There’s scientific evidence for it, so yes

157. What TV channel do you watch the most?

Honestly HGTV those houses are awesome

158. Favorite Beatles song?

Hmmmm, Maybe A Day In The Life or Eleanor Rigby, I Am The Walrus is always good too ngl

159. Have you ever been on TV?

On like the local channels for school awards and such

160. Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland?

I went to Disneyland last summer!

161. Do you like horror movies?

Not really, I’m a pussy

162. Do you like to go fishing?

No

163. Have you ever been hunting?

No

164. Do you take medication for anything?

Yes, for ye olde depression

165. Name one item from your bucket list.

Get a novel published

166. From 1-10, how much do you like children?

3 maybe, they’re kinda annoying

167. Have you ever thought about your wedding?

Yes, but my ideas have changed over time

168. Have you ever been bungee jumping or skydiving?

No, but I’d like to

169. Favorite flower?

Hmmm Sunflowers? or Snapdragons, or the pink magnolias

170. Do you collect anything?

Enamel pins, and rwby blind box figurines (it’s not an addiction I swear)

171. Who was the last person you told a lie to?

My mom probably

172. Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a groomsman?

Nope

173. Have you ever had a fortune cookie fortune come true?

Not that I know of

174. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were a child?

Hmmmm I had this little Narnia figurine set that I loved, also a bunch of littlest pet shop toys

175. How good are you at math?

Pretty good, I took AP Calculus in high school and got an A, doesn’t mean I liked it

176. Have you ever learned anything from a how-to YouTube video?

Not that I can think of right now

177. Have you ever participated in a science fair?

Yes, it was required in 6th grade

178. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender?

Womanhood is difficult and I often wish I did not have to bear it, but I’ve made peace with it

179. Have you ever participated in a public protest?

No, I’m scared

180. Do you have a pool at your house?

No

181. Have you ever hosted a wild party?

No lol, the wildest was probably my birthday party when we all got high and then had a 1 am McDonalds run because munchies

182. Do you like karaoke?

Not really

183. Have you ever written a love letter?

Kind of yes, I’m rather sappy

184. Have you ever ran a marathon?

God no, I’ve done a lot of 5Ks though

185. How often do you get mad at yourself?

So much, I suck

186. Any guilty pleasures?

Probably shitty old Warrior Cats AMVs, those are great when you’re bored and need to remember your roots

187. Fruits or vegetables?

Vegetables solely because potatoes fuckin slap

188. Do you live in a house or an apartment?

In a house, but I’m about to move into a dorm

189. The countryside or the suburbs?

Suburbs, I’ve lived in them my whole life, also listen to Subdivisions by Rush it’s great

190. Worst job you’ve ever had?

I’ve only had 1 job so I guess working at Chick-fil-A

191. Do you hang out with any of your co-workers?

Yes, one of them was my friend from school as well so I hang out with her regularly

192. Were you ever voted homecoming/prom king or queen?

Nope, but my good friends were prom king and queen!

193. Were you voted a “best” or “most likely to” in high school?

No, but I was “Most Likely To Be President - Girl” in elementary school so take that

194. Have you ever gotten detention?

No I’m a good kid

195. Have you ever babysat?

Yes, we watched disney movies and played dress-up

196. Have you ever taken a road trip just for the fun of it?

Nah, but I’d like to

197. How many drinks get you tipsy?

Idk, I was a little funny after 2 vodka spiked punches so

198. Were you a part of any academic clubs in high school or college?

Certainly yes, Technology Student Association, Beta club, Book club

199. Have you ever given a public speech, aside from your schooling?

I did the sermon one Sunday at church, but I’m not a big fan of public speaking

200. How long have you been on tumblr?

5 years in november! (God thats awful)

@officieel i did it bastard

#asks #officieel #if you've ever wanted to know anything about me here it is

[emiyaseraph]

Character Analysis : Qrow Branwen

Here we go, let’s talk about the most popular character in RWBY since Volume 3, our favorite uncle : Qrow Branwen. Sure, he was always cool, but did we understand his motivations or anything else important ? No, I say ! So allow me to analyse Qrow so we can all appretiate him better !

Anyone who thinks Qrow isn't a complete train wreck of a character is lying to themselves. Sure, he's cool and he has this super awesome sword that does this clinky clanky thing and turns into this super awesome scythe that shoots shotgun shells and he's got this radical red cape that's all tattered and he's one of the only characters to wear a cape like wow, what a badass ! He's messed up. Big time. This poor guy's never had it easy. He has a lot of psychological issues that make him one of the most vulnerable characters in the series. It's why I love him so much. Complex characters FTW, am I right ?

Qrow, like Raven, was most likely raised by a bandit tribe, which seems to resides in Mistral. As to wether he was born between a bandit couple or if he was just taken in by the tribe remains unclear.

Now, there's two possibilities as to how Qrow was during his time with the bandits.

1. He was completely one of them : He may have been a lot like Raven, thinking of the bandits as his "family", completely turning a blind eye to what they are really doing.

2. He never agreed with them : He could've never truly felt like he belonged among the bandits, disagreeing with their way of doing things.

Either way, the next big event would change his life forever.

At some point in time, Raven and Qrow decided to attend Beacon Academy, most likely just to become even stronger than they already were, to ensure the bandit tribe's survival. Once again, there's two possibilities as to how events turned out when they decided to go to Beacon.

1. Raven was the one who decided that : Quite simple. Raven was like "lol training sequence" and Qrow was like "lol k" and tagged along. Not much else to say.

2. Qrow was the one who wanted to attend Beacon : This is the more interesting variation. If Qrow was the one who first said he wanted to go to the huntsman academy, then it might've been that he used training as an excuse to get away from the bandit tribe.

So, what happaned during Qrow and Raven's time at Beacon ? There's really only one confirmed story of team STRQ's time at Beacon, and that would be the story of Qrow wearing a skirt. One might think that that story only has comedic value, but let's think about that for a second: Qrow was so oblivious to fashion, that he litterally didn't know what a skirt was, or at the very least what a uniform was supposed to be like. In my opinion, this illustrates perfectly well just how seperated Qrow was from regular society.

The next thing to talk about is obviously... So Qrow became an uncle. But what does that truly mean to him ? For the first time in his life, Qrow had a real "family", other than Raven of course. Taiyang more or less became his brother-in-law and after Raven went back to the tribe (leaving Yang), he would later meet his second niece, whom he technically isn't related to if you think about it.

Ok, but before we get to Qrows relationship with his nieces, let's first go back a little to the part where Raven leaves for the tribe.

Surely, that must've been cause for an argument between the Branwen twins. On one hand, Qrow didn't want to go back to the bandits, and on the other, Raven was willing to leave behind her newborn daughter. Neither could accept what the other was planning on doing. In short, I think Qrow had a falling out with his sister.

This line of thought also lines up well with Tai saying that the team fell apart due to Raven. I actually wondered if Tai and Qrow came to blows over Tai thinking Qrow knew where Raven went, but wouldn't tell him. If Qrow did know, I could see him staying silent out of fear of Tai getting killed by their tribe or Yang getting taken by them if he went looking for Raven given that he didn't want anything to do with the tribe. Summer probably would've tried to smooth things over though.

Now, let's finally get back to Qrow and his nieces. Quite honestly, I think he thinks of them like his own daughters. They are (or at least Yang is) his first blood related family besides Raven. Qrow loves his nieces nontheless, which is quite evident, seeing how he always helps them out, gives them advice or even protects them from the Grimm, as shown during episode 4 of volume 4 and Yang's flashback from volume 2. He obviously cares deeply for them.

Now, his drinking habit most likely originated around the time Summer died. It is still very unclear as to what happened at that time, so I can't say anything about that....did you really think I would say that ? No ! There's a lot of room for speculation. Firstly, Qrow seems to know much more about how the world works than Taiyang for example. And judging by the fact that he seems to know Salem, or at least what kind of being she is, we can guess that he may be the second most knowledgable person after Ozpin himself.

He knows about the Maidens, the Silver-Eyed Warriors, Salem, where Raven is and what the "relic" is. There are probably many more things that we've never even heard about, that he knows about. So, what does all of that have anything to do with Summer's death or Qrow's alcoholism ? Quite simple ! We should ask ourselves:

Why does he know all that in the first place?

It's easy to just say: "Oh, Ozpin told him all this because he trusted him !", and it would probably be correct. But why, of all trustworthy huntsmen and huntresses, was he chosen to join Ozpin's "brotherhood" ?

It's because he was already deeply involved. He found out about the Silver-Eyed Warriors while fighting alongside Summer Rose, his sister was the leader of a presumably powerful bandit tribe, with whom he can trade information with and finally: He found out about Salem most likely when they had directly confronted her, ending with Summer's death.

By the way, I also have a little theory about that : Taiyang might've been absent during that mission Summer died in. Why do I think that ?

For two reasons in particular :

1. The way Yang described the day Summer disappeared : Yang, in volume 2 during her flashback, stated that Summer had 'one day gone on a mission and never came back'. Notice the wording here ? She never said that BOTH her parents had gone on that mission.

2. Qrow and Taiyang’s frictional relationship : During this mission with Summer, I think Qrow came back home alone. Maybe Taiyang blames Qrow for not being able to save/protect Summer, or if Taiyang is aware of the effect of Qrow’s semblance, he grudges him to be one of the causes of her death. I don’t know it’s just a theory, but it’s the wibe I fell from their interactions with each other. In volume 4, when Qrow speaks in his sleep which refers to Tai and one of his wives. It is implied that Qrow blames himself for her death because of his misfortune but that is still up in the air.

Plus, that friction between Taiyang and Qrow arose because Taiyang is still trying to protect the girls from the world, while Qrow feels that they're ready to confront it on their own. Also, during the volume 3 finale, Qrow asked Taiyang for a moment alone with Ruby. During which, he told her about the silver eyes.I think the reason Qrow wanted Taiyang to leave for that part of the conversation was because Qrow was telling Ruby where to go when she leaves, something Taiyang would obviously disapprove of. And, I might simply be reading too much into this, but my theory is that Taiyang might not even know what the silver eyes are yet. That in turn makes me think that Taiyang is still mostly oblivious to the bigger picture.

And finally, what’s make him more a wreck mentally : his Semblance ! After Qrow has been posioned by Tyrian, he once again explains a lot of information to RNJR, showing his knowledge off once again. He also explains that he followed them from a distance because of his semblance, misfortune. This made his character even more interesting, making me want to learn a lot more about his character and made me feel for his character. This also explained why he drinks so much because of how his misfortune may of affected some events in his past.

Before we wrap this up, there's one more trait of Qrow we haven't discussed: His womanizing aspect. Granted, the womanizing is mostly Taiyang's thing, but Qrow shows this trait as well sometimes. So, does that have any significance to his character ?

Maybe. Unless RT just added this for the heck of it, it may be that Qrow's womanizing illustrates a secret wish to start his own family as well. A man of his age thinking about children isn't really such a weird thing either. In fact, I think these two would make a cute pair : I LOVE SNOWBIRD/QROWIN !

Overall, I love the way Qrow has been presented as a character and I cannot wait to see how he develops as a character in Volume 5 and what we learn about him. Thanks for reading !

#qrow branwen #uncle qrow #rwby #rwby characters #qrowin

[fallwritesfiction]

Fandom: RWBY Pairing/Characters: Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long Rating: Mature Prompt: 003. funeral Wordcount: ~2200 Summary: It's the latest funeral in a seemingly-endless stream of them. Their life is dangerous and the next service could be either of theirs, but Weiss won't let more time slip by without trying to make this work with Yang. Notes/Warnings: Off-screen original character death, funeral, hurt/comfort, alternate universe: no attack on Beacon, downer ending, implied major character death

When they're out of sight of the funeral pyre, Weiss molds herself to Yang's side, wrapping her arm around the other woman's waist. Yang throws an arm over her shoulder without breaking stride.

The service hadn't been for anyone they knew personally. Not this time. No, this time it was for one of Taiyang's old classmates. He'd been one of those Hunters who never settled down, the ones who lived or died by the Hunt. Yang would be that way, if not for Weiss, Blake, and Ruby giving her a port in the storm, a reason to come back to civilization and the people in it.

(It's mostly Weiss. Ruby is happy so long as Yang is, Blake is nearly one of those Huntresses herself. Weiss insists on Yang coming out to dinner with her at decent restaurants, on Yang staying with her in Schnee Mansion when she's in Vale, sharing Weiss' hotel room in other places. Yang has never once complained. They don't talk about it, but it's understood: Weiss refuses to lose Yang to the Hunt, and Yang cares for her enough to let herself be kept from it.)

"Too many funerals," Yang says on the walk back to her father's house. She's quiet, as much from exhaustion as emotion. They'd been asleep in a hotel in Vale when Taiyang called, and had come out to Patch immediately. Weiss had gotten just as little sleep as Yang had, but she took better care of herself in general than Yang did.

Weiss doesn't reply out loud. She pushes up the side of Yang's shirt, resting her palm on Yang's bare skin. Yang sighs, a little of the tension leaking out of her. Weiss strokes gentle fingers over Yang's side, and Yang brushes her lips over Weiss' hair.

The door to Taiyang's house creaks open, and they step inside. Yang stops in the living room, with the air of a woman who meant to do something but can't quite remember what it was. Weiss steps in front of her, tilting Yang's chin toward her.

Yang looks terrible. The circles under her eyes shine nearly black, and she keeps stopping herself from swaying due to exhaustion. There's still muscle rippling under her skin, but the curves that used to soften it have nearly disappeared. Weiss wants to steal her away to Vale, force her to rest and eat and take some time to enjoy life. She spends so much time fighting so others can live happy lives, but never wants to stop and take advantage of the fruits of her labor.

"You're going to lie down," Weiss tells her, dropping her hand, "and I am going to make you some food."

A faint smile quirks the corner of Yang's lips. "You, cook?" She doesn't try to argue about lying down, which is good because it wasn't a request. It was an order.

"I am perfectly capable of making a sandwich without burning the kitchen down," Weiss says, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll believe it when I eat it," Yang says. She leans down to brush her lips over Weiss'.

They're rarely affectionate this way, but Weiss thinks Yang would be if Weiss were more welcoming of it. So when Yang moves to straighten up, Weiss curls fingers into the front of her shirt, keeping her in place. Yang makes a soft surprised sound, but doesn't fight Weiss' grip.

Weiss spent the entire service staring at the pyre, remembering how many funerals they've already been to since graduating Beacon. They're barely twenty-three, but between their classmates at Beacon, Ruby's uncanny ability to befriend everyone she meets, and Blake's Menagerie connections, Weiss has lost count of how many times she's seen a body either burned or buried. Or worse, how many times there's been no body to care for. The next time could be Yang. She's played her cards close to the vest for too long already; if she loses Yang without giving her so much as an idea of how much she means to Weiss, it will destroy her.

When they break, Yang's eyes are soft. Weiss can't remember the last time she saw that sort of adoration in Yang. Back at Beacon, probably.

"Go lie down," Weiss says, letting go of Yang's shirt. "I'll bring you a plate."

Despite Yang's playful jibe, it doesn't take Weiss long to put together a simple meal for the two of them. She doesn't know this kitchen well - she's only been here a handful of times, and generally Yang and Taiyang exile everyone else from their space while they cook - but there are only so many places to keep the ingredients for sandwiches, and the milk and potato chips are easy enough to find.

Yang has obediently lain down on her bed, eyes opening when Weiss sits down next to her. She sits up, moving backward to prop herself up against the headboard. Weiss sets the plate bearing their food down on Yang's bedside table, leaning in for another kiss.

The other woman stills against her, and for a moment Weiss thinks she's overdone it. Then Yang's hand comes to rest on the back of her neck, and Weiss relaxes. The touch is hesitant, but the way Yang's mouth opens under hers is more sure.

They kiss, slow and open-mouthed and, yes, a little shy. Weiss isn't used to kissing Yang outside of sex, and even then only rarely, but she doesn't mind this. She enjoys it, if she's being honest with herself.

(And she has to be honest with herself, now. Yang is an amazing fighter, but she's also been adrift since graduation, taking missions wherever she ends up, only keeping in intermittent contact. More often than not she wanders without any backup, and without anyone knowing more than her very general location. All it takes is one Grimm sneaking up on her in the dead of night, and she'll be the next funeral without a body to burn. Weiss doesn't know that Yang will be willing to change her habits, but it's either ask her to try, or let her go. Letting her go has never been an option.)

"You're being really sweet today," Yang whispers, her eyes searching Weiss'. "You know I didn't know that guy, right? He was just one of Dad's old friends."

"I know," Weiss says, reaching for the plate, "now eat."

When they've finished the food, Weiss sets the plate aside and slides into the bed next to Yang. They're both still in their mourning clothes - simple white cloth, the tradition unfamiliar to Weiss but honored out of respect for the deceased - but Weiss lets that go as a problem for the morning. She tugs Yang down to lie on her side facing away from Weiss, and wraps herself around the larger woman as best she can. They don't normally sleep this close, but Weiss wants the reassurance, and Yang doesn't protest.

Weiss falls asleep to the sound of Yang's deep breathing, and dreams of nothing at all.

[*]

The next day finds Weiss up with the dawn. She's not quite rested enough - or perhaps too much so - but her mind is restless, pulling her out of bed and onto the porch. She stares out into the sunrise, thoughts chasing one another with no real resolution in sight.

It isn't long before Yang pads out to sit next to her. She hands Weiss a cup of coffee, and Weiss very nearly skips her prepared speech and asks Yang to marry her right then and there. The coffee is precisely the shade that Weiss would have made for herself, and when she takes a sip, it has sugar exactly the way she likes it. She takes her second sip with a moan of pleasure, and watches Yang blush out of the corner of her eye.

Yang lets her get most of the way through the cup before she shifts closer. Someone else might think nothing of it, but Weiss knows it's an offer. She sets her cup to the side, and draws her legs up to her chest, curling into Yang's shoulder. Yang exhales shakily.

In the end, Weiss' prepared speech fails her anyway. It would help if used on Weiss herself, would illuminate and explain the situation, but Yang is not her. Yang operates on instinct, on snap decisions and intuition. She's honest to a fault, open in ways that make Weiss shy away to think on. If Weiss wants Yang to meet her halfway, there has to be motion on Weiss' end as well.

"I love you," Weiss says simply. "And I want you in my life for the foreseeable future."

Yang jerks. Weiss can feel her body move as her head whips to the side, but she doesn't look up.

"Weiss... are you proposing?" Yang's voice is choked with so many emotions that Weiss doesn't know where to start with untangling them.

Weiss shakes her head. "No. I worry every time we meet that it will be the last time I'll see you. Our life is dangerous, Yang, but it doesn't need to be nearly as much so as you make it." She looks up, steely blue meeting violet. "I won't be a Hunter's wife, always waiting for that letter. I want to.. to formalize what we have, but more than that, I want you to take care with your own life."

"Woah, Weiss," Yang scrubs a hand over her face. "Back up a little. I thought we were just-- I mean we've been... y'know... since Beacon, but I didn't think you..." Yang winces, but finishes, "...cared."

Weiss sits up, spearing Yang with a harsh look. "Yang Xiao Long, I know you don't mean that."

Yang shakes her head. "I know you care, I just didn't know that this... mattered to you." Yang's eyes skitter away from hers. "I mean... this. Us. Whatever we are."

Softening, Weiss gently turns Yang's head so she's meeting Weiss' eyes again. "It does. I apologize for making you think it didn't."

Yang huffs out a laugh. "First you propose, then you apologize? Am I dreaming?"

Weiss searches her eyes for a moment, then leans in. "Does this feel like a dream?"

Their lips meet, and Yang pulls Weiss into her lap. Weiss only meant to kiss her once, chastely, but she finds herself trying to pour her emotions into it, trying to make Yang understand that she values her. That this matters. Yang kisses her back just as intensely, her hands coming up to frame Weiss' face.

"I thought..." Yang's eyes stay closed, and Weiss can see tears shimmering in the corner of them. "I thought I was just gonna be in love with you."

Weiss feels something in her break. "Yang..." She strokes her thumb over Yang's jaw. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured you knew." Yang's eyes open, and seeing pain there makes everything a hundred times worse. "I'm not..." She laughs without a hint of humor. "I'm not subtle, Weiss. I've had like a million people ask me if you're good to me."

"And I haven't been," Weiss' heart drops. "I didn't... I didn't know. I promise you, Yang, I didn't know."

Yang nods, slow. "I believe you."

Weiss studies her face, swallowing hard. "I understand if you don't wish to... pursue this with me. Ignorance is no excuse; I should have been better to you."

Yang's hand slides in under her shirt, stroking her skin. She nods, more acknowledgement than agreement. "I... need to think. That okay?"

When Weiss moves to climb off of her, Yang's arms tighten around her. "Can we stay like this for a bit?"

"Of course," Weiss says, settling.

They stay in place until the sky is finished painting reds and golds over the porch, warm on Weiss' back. Yang's scroll blares through the open window, and she kisses Weiss apologetically, going inside to answer it.

It's a callback about a mission Yang had been chasing down, and she leaves that night. Weiss watches her go with fearful eyes.

She never gets her answer.

#rwby #rwby fic #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #freezerburn #fuck y'all I have no idea why this is so sad

[play-read-write]

Protection

Fandom: RWBY Words: 1290 Characters: Team RWBY Description: When a bad dream and some panic leads Blake to make a mistake, her team decides to have a bit of a talk with her.

It was a bad dream, more of a memory really. Flashes of things that happened, and things that didn’t. The White Fang, trains, stores, fights, and of course, Adam. He was there, standing over her, angry that she had left. Her feet were frozen, unable to move, to run. He reached down and grabbed by the shoulder.

Her eyes flew open at the touch, her sight suddenly filled with red and black. Under her pillow one hand wrapped around the knife she kept there and she lashed out with a cry, catching only air as she was released and they moved back. At the same time she scrambled back until she was pressed against the wall, unable to run.

“Blake?” Came a voice, softer than she expected, more feminine. Looking around and breathing heavily she realized she wasn’t at the White Fang. She was in her bed at Beacon. Around her Yang and Weiss stood there staring at her, and Ruby was on the ground where she’d fell after stumbling back. She looked between them as Yang placed herself between Blake and Ruby.

“Blake.” Yang says firmly, “What was that?”

“I…” Blake says, swallowing. Cold sweat ran down her brown. “I…”

“It’s okay.” Ruby says, standing up. “You’re okay.” She goes to take a step forward but Yang holds out a hand in front of her.

“Just… give her a minute.” Yang says, staying between them.

Blake breathes in, long and slow. She leans forward, resting her forehead against the cool metal of the blade.

“Are you… okay?” Weiss asks.

“I… Yeah.” Blake says and nods. “I’ll be fine. Sorry about that.”

“Good.” Yang says, “Now how about you tell us what that was?”

“Yang.” Ruby says.

“Aren’t you the one who said to give her a minute?” Weiss says.

“Yeah, and we did.” Yang says, “Now I want to know why my little sister almost got stabbed.”

“Yang I’m fine.” Ruby says, “My aura would have protected me anyway.”

“Not the point.” Yang says, “Friend or not if you’re in danger, I’m going to find out why.”

“You’re being rude, Yang.” Weiss says, “And that’s coming from me.”

“No.” Blake says, “It’s fine, she’s right.”

“So.” Yang says, sitting on the bed. “You want to tell us?”

“It was just a bad dream.” Blake says. “Woke up in a panic.”

“So you always sleep with a knife under your pillow?” Weiss asks.

“Yeah.” Blake says, “I do.”

“Cool.” Ruby says, “Yang and Dad made me stop sleeping with a weapon when Crescent Rose almost cut my bed in half.”

“Not quite the same thing.” Blake says with a sad smile.

“So, why do you?” Yang asks, “Got to be a reason.”

“Just, just in case.” Blake says. “Never know when you’re going to need it.”

“You mean you never know when the White Fang will attack.”

“Yeah.” Blake says, looking down at her bed.

“We beat them though.” Weiss says, “We stopped the breach, arrested Torchwick. They’re not a problem anymore.”

“No we didn’t.” Blake says, “Torchwick was bad, but it’s not him I’m worried about.”

“It’s that other guy isn’t it?” Weiss says, “The one you called a monster?”

“Adam.” Blake says.

“He was there, in your dream?”

“Yes. He was mad, that I’d left. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I woke up seeing Ruby so I didn’t realize who it was. I thought he was here. So I just…”

“It’s okay.” Yang says, “I get it. Just defending yourself. Though I’m a bit surprised you could mistake adorable little Ruby for that guy.”

“It wasn’t her, it was… He wore a lot of black and red. When I saw those colors after that dream.”

“You thought he’d come for revenge.” Ruby says.

“Exactly.”

“Alright. I’ll have Weiss or Yang wake you up again if we need to.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll get rid of the knife.” Blake says, “It’s a bad habit anyway.”

“Not that.” Ruby says, “I just don’t want you to be scared. The knife is actually cool. I don’t get to sleep with a weapon.” She glares at Yang.

“Ruby, you almost shot me in your sleep.” Yang says.

“Ugh, I forget to unload it one time and suddenly it’s ‘dangerous’ and has to be kept in a locker.”

“As much as I hate to agree with Ruby,” Weiss says, “If it makes you feel safer then go ahead. We know you won’t hurt us, and even if it stung, one swing wouldn’t get through our aura should an accident happen.”

“Just, next time, tell us if you start having nightmares. It’s what we’re here for.” Yang says, “I know you’re not big on sharing secrets and stuff, but if it can help we’d be happy to.”

“Yep.” Ruby says, “You can even sleep with one of us if you need to. Yang’s great for that. I used to crawl in bed with her when I had bad dreams as a kid.” She says, “Oh! Or we could just have a big pile so we can all help.”

Blake lets out a soft chuckle. “Thanks, but no thanks.” She says.

“I don’t think she’s the cuddly type.” Yang says, “Also don’t offer my bed to people. Even hot ones.”

“As team leader I am ordering you to share cuddle time with any team member that needs it.” Ruby counters.

“Oh woe is me, forced to cuddle with pretty girls. I suffer so much.” Yang says.

“That’s if any of us even take the offer, which isn’t likely.” Weiss says, “You snore enough as it is.” She then looks back to Blake. “But they’re right, we’re here for you. If you’d rather talk, or have a cup of tea or something, that works too.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds more Blakey, it works too.” Ruby says.

Blake smiles. “Thanks you guys.” She says and wipes her eyes as a tear starts to form before it can fall. Looking at the knife in her hand, and then at her team, she came to a pretty easy decision. “Hey Ruby.” She says.

“Huh?” Ruby asks.

“Catch.” She tosses her the knife, Ruby catching it by the handle easily. “You can keep it.”

“What? Really?” Ruby says, “You sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t need it anymore. I’ve got you guys.” She says.

“Awesome!” Ruby says. She dashes over and hugs Blake awkwardly for a moment, much to her surprise, before pulling away. “Check it out.” She pulls up her hood wraps her cloak around herself before tossing it into the air and catching it in a reverse grip. “I’m a ninja in the shadows. Watcha!” She slashes with it twice and throws a poor kick.

“Right.” Yang says with a grin. “Come on, let’s give the real ninja some space.”

“Ohh, space ninjas!” Ruby says, “That’d be awesome.”

“We’re going to breakfast.” Weiss says, “We’ll give you some time to rest. Join us if you feel like it.”

With that the three of them walk out of the room, Ruby twirling and tossing her new knife the whole time as the door closed. Just a moment later it opened back up though. “Hey Blake.” Ruby says.

“Yes?”

She tosses the knife back to her, grip first. “You can borrow it till I get back.” She says with a grin. “See you, and feel better.” She says before vanishing again, the door closing once more.

Blake looks at the knife before setting it aside and letting out a deep sigh. She really did have great friends. Her past may be a part of her that she could never get rid of, but with their help she knew it wouldn’t stop her from moving forward.

#RWBY #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #Weiss Schnee #Ruby Rose #My Fanfic #February Challenge