#relate to them better! like weiss being winter!

[bestworstcase]

people who talk about "cast bloat" in v7/8 are so funny to me bc v4 and especially v5 really suffer from having so few minor and supporting characters—like. literally the only new faces are 1. nameless bit characters, and 2. arc antagonists (the albains, ilia, lionheart, raven, and vernal).

and i think that is the reason those two volumes feel so… empty. they're not actually that slow-paced and there is in fact a LOT of narrative meat on the bones, but v4-5 feel slower and feel like there's less going on in them. (and that is not exactly an uncommon opinion: "nothing happens in v4-5" and "v4-5 are slower paced and that's good actually" are both sentiments that i see a lot.)

but… like, v4 comes out swinging with salem putting her plan into motion, and while juggling between blake / weiss / rnjr / yang on their separate journeys does slow down the progression of character arcs in terms of watching time, narratively things do happen at a fair clip and the story does a good job of weaving these disparate threads together thematically. similarly, v5 murks up the timeline by being non-chronological but none of the characters are ever just sitting around and there is quite a bit of momentum. it just doesn't feel that way—

—because these narrative events feel isolated. menagerie is crowded with nameless extras, only one of whom gets a shred of actual characterization; the only side characters who get anything at all are the antagonists involved in blake's arc. similarly, rnjr meet a few bit players during their journey across anima and then… literally just lionheart, once they reach mistral. vernal is the only bandit with an identity beyond "bandit."

the atlas portions of v4 are comparatively memorable because we DO meet new characters of varying importance: jacques, klein, and whitley get a decent amount of fleshing out in relation to weiss and ironwood, with ironwood's headbutting with jacques giving an indirect glimpse into atlas politics; then there's smaller characters like henry marigold, the business people who talk about the faunus and economic inequality with jacques, the socialite who scoffs about the fall of beacon because how is this our problem.

the same can be said for the other arcs too. the blacksmith and the mayor at the beginning of v4 breathe life into that village; the friendly captain makes the ship feel more alive. nameless extras don't do much for a narrative—they just visually fill out a scene—but bit characters with a bit of personality bring the world to life.

so during the beacon arc, there's a steady widening of the supporting cast (team cfvy + sun and neptune + penny and ironwood in v2, winter and qrow and various tournament competitors in v3). and then in v6, we get dee and dudley, maria and jinn, the cotta-arcs and cordovin and the encounter with pyrrha's (probably) mother. and in v7-8 there's the ace-ops and the happy huntresses and pietro along with bit characters like the councilmen and racist grandma and fiona's uncle. and v9 is chock full of memorable side characters. there is a significant and consistent presence of side and bit characters.

compare that to v4-5, which have long sections of narrative where The Only Characters are… the core cast and the arc antagonists. it makes the world feel smaller and that makes the narrative events feel insulated and unimportant.

a bare-bones cast of only characters who are strictly necessary for the plot will not make v10 feel "tighter" or "better focused," it'll just make vacuo feel lifeless. lol. (and this is not even getting into how rwby uses side characters to develop its core cast; like the point of robyn being so prominent in v7-8 is not to develop robyn herself, it's to incite development with ruby, penny, blake, yang, ironwood, and qrow. she's a catalyst. this is true also of the ace-ops and may.)

#anyway fingers crossed for some more civilian characters in v10

[iamafanofcartoons]

lnombredelarosa's take on what the main cast thinks of one another

Some of this are pure headcanon, others are supported by interaction but lnombredelarosa feels all of them make sense.

Ruby

Yang

Usually looks for encouragemnt on her but sometimes afraid of dissapointing her

Her words on vol 8 about how things hadn't gone the way they had hoped for from following her still stung Ruby throughout volume 9

Jaune

Her confidant whose presence always lightens her up; more willing to open up to him without fear of his doubting her

His awkwardness did innitially made her cringe, though

Kinda reminds her of her dad and Yang but more on her maturity level

His change in the everafter has made it difficult to connect with him like she usually does

Oscar

Sees herself on him; noting his growth makes her feel like she herself is growing

A part of her was glad he wasn't in the Everafter to see her at her lowest

After the ascension she now feels she can empathize better with Oscar's merger

Weiss

Sometimes difficult to talk with, which in turn makes it more fun to try to talk to her (specially when annoying her)

Unlike everyone else, Ruby sometimes forgets Weiss is older

Recented her for adjusting to the trauma in vol 9 better than she herself did, including her taking a liking of the changed Jaune, feeling Weiss should feel just as miserable about it all as she was feeling

Ren

His presence makes her feel calm as she appreciates his mature outlook at things

Seeing him get emotional in volume 4 disturbed her

Wished he had been there to say something wise to in volume 9

Nora

Always fun to hang out with and fight beside but doesn't feel she can trust her with subtler things

Wished she had been there to lighten up the situation in the Everafter

Blake

Respects her worldly wisdom; takes her advices to heart

In volume 9 she recented her previous encouragement as exemplified by her telling her to "shut up" feeling undeserving of that trust she put in her

Qrow

She's always looked up to him and still does but no longer has an idealized view of him

Second father and mentor

Penny

Identifies with her wanting to form a connection to others, like she herself innitially struggled to do

Often listens to Penny's doubts and tell her she can relate to what she feels but tends to avoid communicating her own doubts feeling it will scare her

When the Paper pleasers died her anger at Jaune over his losing "made believe friends" was her anger at herself over feeling broken from losing her

Weiss

Yang

Has an easier time showing weakness to her than to anyone else

Likes her with Blake because seeing her in a good mood makes her feel more at ease

Projects her sister on her

Jaune

She has come to associate being with him with feeling safe on a personal and physical level

The way he has helped her and shown his character in several key moments has caused this association

His rusted knight self reminded her of her grandfather who caused her a simmilar reaction

She subconsciously remembers his protecting the lil' Weisses in the Icequeendom

Oscar

Often doesn't know how to approach him but when she does tends to be indulgent of him

Projects her brother (or at least how he was on warmer times) on him, which along with other things made her more curious about reaching to Whitely

Headcanon: allowed him to pick the movie when she went with him and Jaune

Ruby

Feels she should set an example for her but often forgets to as she ends up acting more like her

Innitially projected current Whitley (the one who always got everything) on her but has come to project herself instead and feels she should be her Winter

A part of her figured her trying to remain in control in the Everafter would set a good example for Ruby to do the same much like she feels Winter would've done for her

Blake

Looks up to her the most; feels she sets a standard of decency to follow

Wishes she'd had a parent like her

Her adjusting to her being a faunus so fast was to a degree lip service to get rid of a source of conflict but with time it became completely sincere, specially after seeing how affected she was by the White Fang attack

Nora

More Ruby than Ruby herself, which makes her feel even more responsible for her recklesness

Ren

Sense of empathy; the way he tries to maintain his serenity reminds her of the image of strenght she tends to prefer projecting

Blake

Yang

Feels she can rely on her; her strenght of character makes her feel safe while inspiring her to be stronger herself and her gentleness makes her feel her feelings are validated

Freudianly reminds her of her dad but with her mom's easygoing attitude

Jaune

Finds him easy to approach though at times finds his lack of tact annoying

His edgy lookin Rusty Knight self reminded her of Adam back in his better moments

Ruby

Has the most trust in her which is why she tends to be the most supportive of her decisions

This makes sense because she is the most used to following chains of command

In the Everafter, she rationalized if Ruby needed help she would've said as much sooner

Ren

Enjoys his company and how he gives her a break from her more fast paced teammates

Still she occasionally find him dull by comparison

Nora

Admires her determination; doesn't mind her recklessness as much as others

When talking to her about how she felt without Ren, she was thinking of her own relationships with Adam and Yang

Weiss

Taught her that eveyrone has their own story; tries to understand her outlook as a basis on how to understand humans

Figure that is she can change her outlook, then anyone can

"Perhaps she was right about us" she thought as Beacon fell and Yang was crippled

Oscar

Less condescending than most of the others; tends to treat him as an equal

She too started seeing action at an earlier and untried age than the others so she understands his position

Yang

Ruby

Conflicted between seeing her as a leader and seeing her as her little sister; often overdoes one or the other

Came to develop more respect for her leadership after seeing how difficult managing a team was in vol 8

In volume 9 she was putting off helping her deal with her loss because she herself didn't feel confident enough to be of use to her

Jaune

Finds him amusing; often enjoys his antics where others would be cringed at them

Seeing him take lead as her and Ren argued allowed her to gain more respect for him

Liked him for Ruby but wasn't pushy about it

Blake

Her presence calms and guides her; without her around she feels more doubtful

Her closeness with her in volume 9 was a way to cope for her own feelings of failure

Weiss

Feels like she can be blunt with her both because she can take it and because she takes herself too seriously

Much like her dad is with her

Nora

Friendly rivalry; enjoys trying to one up her

Her pulling the arm off when armwrestling was because she was afraid of losing

Ren

Appreciates his common sense and usually gets along with him pretty well but finds him hard to approach when in his moods

His words in volume 8 still stung throughout volume 9 wondering her own capacity to make good decisions

Oscar

Often acts like an encouraging big sister, usually pushing him to be more proactive

Was projecting her former image of Ruby on him when he was kidnapped

Suspects he likes Ruby; doesn't hold it against him but for obvious reasons he wouldn't be her first choice

Oscar

Yang

Often feels like following her lead but gets embarassed when he can't keep up with her

Ruby

Idolizes her; her strenght inspires him to try to be strong on his own

His becoming more and more like Ozpin has in turn made him feel he has to put up a distance between them, being afraid of manipulating her like he feels Ozpin would

Nora

Uncomfortable by her displays of love but down the line he appreciates them

Reminds him of his aunt whom she feels guilty of leaving

Blake

Likes that she doesn't baby him; feels he can act more naturally with her

Jaune

The easy going and fun big brother he never had

Feels he can relax when he is with him

"He must've been a really cool guy back at Beacon" cue everyone else trying not to laugh

Feels slightly jealous of his being seen as an equal by Ruby but doesn't recent him for it

Ren

Appreciates how he tends to be more sensitive to his being scared

Weiss

He feels she tend tends to ignore him and doesn't know how to act around her but is usually glad when she is more willing to talk to him

Ships her with Jaune

Ren

Ruby

Tries to be sensitive with her, being the most aware of Ruby's mental condition

Was the most accomodating of her when she joined JNR, realizing she was PTSDing

His "Ruby is barely more than a kid" points that a part of him suspects her mental health was a time bomb

Yang

Finds her charismatic but is also somewhat envious of her self confidence

His feeling redundant due to knowing she is both physically stronger and a more skilled fighter doesn't help

Normally they get along wonderfully, as his being around Nora has made him appreciate her silly sense of humor

Jaune

Relies on him as a confidant whom he doesn't actively confide in, because Jaune is just that good at reading him

Innitially wanted to keep an emotional distance and found him somewhat annoying but over time grew to think of him as a friend as he kept pointing out stuff he prefered keeping bottled up

After a while of knowing him thought his having cheated into Beacon was fairly obvious but figured that until he proved detrimental to the team it was none of his business

Oscar

When he sees him afraid he sees himself and Nora

Thats why his being kidnapped affected him so much

Empathizes with his desire to grow stronger

Pyrrha

She tended to actively reach out to him always asking him how he was doing when he remained stoic

Pure Headcanon I know

Nora

Sense of responsability; he feels that he must be there for her which is why at times he distances himself from her

Occasionally feels he is not good enough for her due to her being physically stronger

Admires how she is upfront about confronting problems just like his father told him

Part of the reason he occasionally pushes her away is because he reasons (in a very Mistralian way) this is a more efficient way to keep themselves safe

Weiss

Innitially held (unvoiced) reservations of her for her attitude and social status but she has consistently surprised him in that regard (Pure headcanon)

He found himself feeling happy that she went after them in volume 5

Figured Jaune was setting himself for dissapointment with her; he will be the most surprised about her current thing for him

Blake

Likes the fact that he can have a more mature conversation with her

Occasionally finds himself thinking her rather dull compared to his teammates

Qrow

"Thats how a real Huntsman should be like"...then he started getting drunk

Nora

Ruby

Innitially felt threatened by having to include her in her team's dynamics but has come to appreciate her as a perky little sister

Yang

Friendly rivals; enjoys having someone to measure strenghts with

Seeing her without an arm affected her

Oscar

Has strong maternal feelings that she sometimes overdoes

Feels responsible for him due to her own mother having abandoned her

Jaune

She enjoys teasing him knowing that he'll get embarassed where Ren won't

However, she actually respects his leadership the most being the first one to follow his orders

Ren

Protecting and following him gives her a sense of purpose

Enjoys having a more mature partner to guide her through more complicated stuff

Understands he has to keep his space but sometimes wishes he'll tell her how he feels

Freudianly proyects her mom on him, having found him soon after she left her

Blake

Thinks of her as a confidant for the more complicated stuff she herself keeps bottled in

Usually she is more lighthearted about it

This is partly due to being simmilar but more open than Ren

Comming from a poor background herself, empathizes with her social views

Pyhrra

Often enjoyed getting a reaction out of her

Jaune

Pyrrha

Saw her as a role model he can only aspire to be like

Reminds him of Saph (as implied by his dream in the Ice Queendom)

Yang

Likes hanging out with her due to her encouraging personality and doesn't feel like lowering the cringe around her

Reminds him of his red sister (the maternal one)

Ruby

Feels he has a like minded soul on her; he feels the fact that she can trust him despite the the insecurities he hold is a reason to trust his own leadership

His dissapointment at her in vol 9 is a reflection of his own feeling of failure

Reminds him of his indigo sisters (the fun ones he follows around)

Ren

He can read through his moods better than most which has contributed to his bond with him

He is to Ren what Ren is to most of the crew

Reminds him of his light blue sister (the smart one)

Nora

Her presence and teasing always keeps him upbeat

Reminds him of his green sister (the tomboyish one)

Oscar

Feels like he owes it to himself to be there for Oscar like Pyhrra and his sisters were there for him

Reminds him of Adrian

Blake

Often embarassed by her poiting out things he misses (headcanon) but in a funny way

Reminds him of his purple sister (the practical one)

Weiss

Her acceptance of him as he matured has allowed him to better appreciate his own maturity

Unlike any of his sisters, their relationship wasn't unconditional and that has pushed him to mature

Qrow

Never quite forgave him for putting Pyrrha in the line of fire with the Maiden business

Note:

For the most part they've all come to dissociate Oscar from Ozpin

Weiss tries to project an image of strenght and control but occasionally lowers it with key people

Blake has some people pleaser habits from her days with Adam

Ren holds some traditionalist mistralian beliefs in regards to relationships as exemplified by his tendency to hold back his emotions

He is however more progressively minded in most fronts (such as the treatment of Faunus and foreigners), as the people in the mistralian settlements near Vale are more prone to be

www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/16hea9k/my_take_on_what_the_main_cast_thinks_of_one/

#rwby #yang xiao long #ruby rose #rwby ruby #rwby ruby rose #rwby yang #blake belladonna #weiss schnee #rwby blake #rwby weiss #nora valkyrie #lie ren #pyrrha nikos #rwby pyrrha #rwby ren #rwby nora #rwby headcanon #rwby discussion #rwby community #qrow #qrow branwen #oscar pine #rwby oscar #penny polendina

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

It seriously irks me that people don't grasp that James Ironwood is disabled. Even then, they're SO ableist.

I fully understand what it's like to have your emotions shut off so you can do what you feel is right or what you MUST do in a certain situation. So much that you can't control when it happens or what you do during it. Seeing him CRY when his most trusted companion (he TRUSTED her with the knowledge he knew and rewarded her by making her the next candidate of the Winter Maiden) was betraying him because of his paranoia due to his PTSD? That was REAL to me. It was RAW.

Seeing toxic stans shit on the disabled asian man (who's conventionally white passing to non-asians) with PTSD is so triggering. It saddens me how he was handled. And how he became my instant favorite alongside Oz. Two of the opposing forces of team RWBY who are villains or "misguided" at best.

He's more lovable than the MCs. In what was only a singular volume.

While the MCs are SUPER arrogant and SO intolerable that fanfictions fixing the series make them better says leagues about how RWBY fell harder than Atlas.

Sorry for ranting, but my goodness. I hate how underappreciated James Ironwood is, how he's hated by most everyone and how the girls took credit for HIS plan and then condemned everyone they claimed to wish to protect to die, displaced from their home and in a kingdom that most definitely hates them and what they stand for.

He deserved so much better.

I'm having a flashback to that post saying James isn't disabled because he can walk. I just that post still breaks me I am not gonna lie.

But oh gosh I understand what you mean anon. While in my management job it was hell. I would have to push down my emotions and shut them off to get through the day because people where horrible but I couldn’t get emotional about it. Of course after being called too emotional and I tried to better control my emotions I was then accused of not caring :/.

The whole Winter and James thing is a it’s a thing and I hate it all lolZ. I hate how James is the only one to seem to care about the fight. I hate that Winter blames him for everything even stuff that’s not realistic to blame him for. I hate how it seems like Winter doesn’t give two shits about anyone. The tear itself can feel a little silly for lack of better words cuz it’s that dramatic single tear thing but like it at least shows James cares about Winter and hates what is happening unlike Winter who just takes the easy way out and decides to fight him rather then try and reach him and try and have the difficult conversation. As we see in the earlier scene where Emerald tricks him she has just given up on him without even trying and does t care that he’s suffering from PTSD and breaking from the pressure. The characters and the narrative hate him and shit all over him despite being the ones to break him in the first place.

Yea for me he became my favorite in volume 7 when we really saw what he was dealing with and the pressure he was under. I watched volume 7 during Covid after I left a really brutal management job and seeing James’s struggles reminded me so much of my own so I definitely connected with him. He’s so much more interesting because he’s allowed to make mistakes and have struggles and fail and it’s just more relatable then the mains who just….aren’t.

The mains are forced to be perfect and be seen as perfect in every action and it makes them so hard to relate to. I saw one twitter post that claimed Weiss was gaslighting herself in episode 2 when she said they screwed up. It’s kind of insane to me how fans just refuse to accept that sometimes the mains make mistakes and screw up but that doesn’t make them evil like James being flawed doesn’t make him evil.

Don’t apologize for ranting that’s what the inbox is here for! Volume 8 was a trainwreck and I hate how it ruined basically all of the characters to try and force a plot line to happen that just did not work at all and realistically would get more people killed then James’s plan would have.

James by far got screwed over the most but I think all of the characters deserve better then the bullshit we got.

#rwde #james ironwood #ironwood protection squad #pro james ironwood #pro ironwood #general ironwood #general dadmiral #dadmiral ironwood

[the-path-to-redemption]

okay if you could swap two characters storylines in the show, who would it be? so like cinder the specialist schnee & winter the orphan turned villain. 👀👀

oooo Winter and Cinder sounds fun.

But personally speaking, it's gotta be the Cinder and Ruby storyswap for me. A friend brought this up and his brain was so huge for it.

Long post ahead.

In this scenario, Cinder is Taiyang's and Qrow's adopted daughter, who the latter found after a secret recon mission to expose unethical practices in Atlas (via the Madame's child slavery). This could be after both of them lost Summer AND Ruby to Salem, and to me it creates such good storylines for these character's relationships.

Taiyang loves his daughters, so Cinder never felt like she was unloved unlike when she was in Atlas. But being very observant, I think she would caught onto his grief about Ruby and due to her insecurities, would secretly feel like the outlier of the family. She loves her dads, but against her better judgement she wondered if fate would've favored her had Ruby not kidnapped.

Being closer in age to Yang, I don't think there would be the whole "Yang had to be responsible for her little sister" thing with them. They would be closer I think, where they understand each other's feelings about their parentage (Raven and Cinder's birth parents), while having a healthy sibling rivalry. I really love the idea of them going shopping together, training together and generally trying to one up each other in fun ways.

Another possibility could be, "how did Yang react to Cinder not being her real sister, and like Raven believed Ruby is still out there?". Did she convinced Cinder to go on a search for Raven and/or Ruby, which causes a little rift between them due to the Grimm attack? Did she sometimes thought about a relationship with Ruby, unknowingly feeding into Cinder's fears of being abandoned? So many possibilities.

What would Qrow be like for Cinder? Maybe he was like Qrow to Ruby, where she felt easier talking to him about her insecurities than to Tai. Again, being very observant, she could possibly understand him better than Ruby or Yang, and why he has to be alone all the time. Cinder probably relate to that feeling, and would have a vendetta against Raven for abandoning her family despite Tai's efforts.

What about her team in Beacon? (What would the the team name anyway lol). Yang and her are complementary to each other, but if we're going like canon by having her team up with Weiss, then wowie. Tensions up the wazoo, because of Cinder's anger against Atlas elites and Weiss' now inferiority complex of facing someone not only the same age and skills at her, but someone possibly better than her. But I do want to see them eventually growing a unique bond in relation to their tyrannical Atlesian parents, something that they understood from each other.

Blake could possibly rely on her as well, because both of them are very observant and their fighting style are similar to each other. Blake could open up about being Faunus, and Cinder, while experienced child slavery herself, lets Blake express her anger and grief about Faunus oppression without talking over her. Not to mention her potential clashing points with Adam, another Atlesian child slave.

Would Cinder be jealous of Pyrrha and then empathetic towards her feelings of being idolized? Would she develop a friendly, almost senpai-kouhai type of relationship with the inexperienced Jaune? Struggle to keep up with Nora's enthusiasm but loves how she can just understand her emotions? See Ren as a reliable friend who she sees a lot of herself in? So many possibilities.

Now, onto Ruby. While she's still quite dorky and awkward, she is uncanny. Like, "she knows more than you're comfortable with yet nothing about this tiny girl should intimidate you unless you're a Grimm uncanny".

I think her relationship with Salem is even more tense than Cinder and Salem. She knows that no matter how maternal Salem is being to her, she must not slip up (the Hound is a major factor in this fear). But Salem is also extremely manipulative and cunning, feeding Ruby lies that eats at her like, "her family never looked for her", "she has so much potentials if she stays", "I love you dearly, Ruby". Shit like that which would fuck with anyone's mind, let alone a 15 y.o.

Though, I don't think her relationship with Emerald and Mercury would be AS antagonistic as theirs with Cinder. Again, she's awkward and younger than them, with no one but Salem as "family", so maybe she would secretly see these two as her older siblings. I don't think she would maliciously manipulate Emerald, but it's more about her own safety over anyone else's. And with Mercury, she would help him with his prosthetics (both of them with their weapons tbh) and share his fears about Salem, as well as concerns about Emerald.

When they leave Salem's faction, forcibly leaving Ruby behind, it would create such good drama and angst between these 3. Ruby feeling abandoned and unloved (even if they're doing this to survive), and Emercury feeling like they've failed their little sister.

With Roman, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity towards her. It's a cruel world, and even if she's threatening him and he hates her for it, he unfortunately sees himself and Neo in her. Little rats surviving in the city, instead of a measly life in a countryside.

What about Adam? Would she slaughter his sector? Would he perhaps sees Blake, his own little sister in her, and try to see something in her other than an enemy? How would she react to his scar if she ever has the chance to see it?

Ruby would be wary of Tyrian I think. He finds her fascinating and full of potential (maybe Salem assigned him to be her combat mentor), but also incredibly envious towards her because Salem values her more. Hazel is fearful of her situation, and if he could get her out like Emerald and Mercury, he'd die for it. He could be like the Taiyang to her life, teaching her about things that keep her from becoming truly malignant. Watts could inspire her with weapon development, but still sees her as a foolish little girl.

And the whole Silver Eyes thing. Oh my god, the potential, the drama, the madness that could come from this. Salem murdered Summer, took her daughter and basically have a weapon on her side. What heinous advantages could she get from this, is up to interpretations (and all of them slaps).

Would Ruby feel guilty about Beacon? Pyrrha? The people she manipulated in order to not be killed by Salem? What would her actual family's reaction be when they found out that she's alive, and what would it be when she betrays them? Yang now has even more motivation to keep moving forward for both of her sisters, so does Tai and Qrow for all of their daughters. Would Cinder be vengeful due to the death of her friends? Or would she join up with Yang to reunite their family from Salem's clutches?

God, I love every possibly of this AU so much, because Cinder and Ruby was written to be foils, but never actually acted like foils. But had their lives been different, I think it would create so much riveting storylines in the right hands. Fan creators, ya'll need to go crazy with this.

#answered #ask meme answered #long post #dragynkeep #rwby #ruby rose #cinder fall #yang xiao long #taiyang xiao long #qrow branwen #rwby salem #AU: storyswap #thanks for the ask!

[bafflement]

Deaged Oz AU - Atlas Hospital Scene Part III

Oz swam back to consciousness slowly, still lying in the comfortable bed he had been in when what he was certain had to have been a dream happened. The room still smelled like all hospitals, but his fingers were clutched around the hilt of his cane, which he knew he hadn't had when he arrived here. Did that mean this was real, then? That they forgave him? Surely not... he'd lied to them. Lied to himself, tried to make the best of an impossible situation and an impossible war. Salem could not be beaten. She could not be defeated, the others hadn't signed up for this. They were just going to get themselves killed. 'Neither did you' a small voice seemed to echo in his head, but he shook it. He was what he needed to be, it was his fault after all. Everything was, hadn't those in the Vale told him that enough times?

How much of what he remembered had been a dream and how much of it reality? Surely he could not truly be the kidnapped Schnee child? They would have found out by now, right? Someone, somewhere, would have checked? The thought of being related to Jaques Schnee in any way, shape or form was deeply disquieting to him. He wasn't used to hating anyone but Salem, but that man certainly made it to the same exclusive little list.

There was a sound as several people filed in. Oscar, James... Winter, Weiss. Qrow! Qrow was here. He'd actually come back, he didn't hate him. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Qrow hated him, ran away again, perhaps? Not that that had worked last time, but there were more places to get lost in Atlas, it would be far easier to hide. He swallowed, bracing himself to be yelled at.

"Oh, Oz..." Qrow sounded sad, noticing how tense he'd become. "You're safe, I promise, okay?"

"Qrow? I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Yeah, pocket sized, so am I. Never should have reacted like that, but the circumstances... it won't happen again. I've said that already, but I'm not sure how much of that you remember. They had you on a lot of the good stuff and I know how much that messes you up."

Oz's head did feel far clearer as he turned to gaze at the others. James and Winter seemed to be staring at each other as though having a silent conversation. James sighed, seeming to have lost the argument.

"We need to talk. Whether you should be or not, your body is currently that of an eleven year old boy and as such you are highly vulnerable."

Oz opened his mouth, about to protest, but James just raised an eyebrow at him.

"None of us want Jaques Schnee to find out that you used to be Winter Schnee, since his marriage to your sister would technically mean that you would fall under his control. None of us are going to allow that. Therefore, you have something of a choice."

"A... choice?" Oz really didn't like the sound of this.

"As to guardian. Myself, or Winter. She has the added benefit of a blood relationship but I could probably protect you better. I assume you don't particularly wish to be seperated from Oscar? He claims you as a brother, after all."

"I don't need a guardian, James. I'm not actually a child."

"Yes, Oz. You are. More, you are incredibly vulnerable at the moment. If Salem or one of her people find out about you, as an unaccompanied eleven year old you would make a prime target. You have, after all, been kidnapped before."

There was a flash of hurt in Oz's eyes and James looked like he regretted the phrasing of his words, but he kept on anyway, voice stern. "I will also be taking temporary custody of Oscar. He has no real Huntsman training and you are far too young to be expected to have any real proficency."

Oz blushed at that, glaring up at James. Winter interrupted.

"It's not that you're not fully capable, uncle. But whether you like it or not, you are currently a child. While you are here, it would be far better for all involved were you to have at least nominal protection."

"Think of it this way. While you are under my care, so is Oscar. Wouldn't you prefer to have him protected?"

"You're starting to sound like you wouldn't protect the pipsqueak if it wasn't for Oz, Jimmy." Qrow's voice carried a warning. "That's not a good look."

"Of course I'd protect Oscar. But like it or not, he's far less important in all this than Ozpin is."

"Oscar. Matters." Oz bit out, his glare icy now.

James sighed. "I never stated that he didn't. I'm not actually that good at this, Oz. I have never been in this situation before. Can you at least agree that keeping you out of Jaques Schnee's hands is by far the best option here?"

"I think if I was forced to be in close contact with him, something regrettable might happen. Probably to him. Okay. What exactly do we need to do? And have you asked Oscar's aunt, yet? She is his guardian, after all."

"Both of ours, technically." Oscar sounded amused. "Or did you forget that... Tip?"

Oz winced. "My question stands."

"Yes, I talked to her. She agrees that you two need the extra protection while you're here. Besides, I have access to a great deal of training scenarios both of you could use. We might even be able to source a better weapon for young Oscar."

Oscar's eyes lit up and Oz sighed. He was likely going to regret this, wasn't he?

Qrow looked briefly regretful. "Sorry I didn't volunteer, pocket sized, but..."

"But it would be highly inappropriate, considering certain other considerations. It is fine, Qrow. That you're here is enough."

Winter stared at the two of them, a look of mild horror on her face as the Lien finally dropped. Weiss looked like she really needed some form of brain bleach at the imagery, though thankfully it seemed to entirely go over Oscar's head.

James filled out the paperwork then and there. He was the temporary guardian of Oscar and Tip Pine less than five minutes later.

Although part of James, too, worried that he may end up regretting this...

#james ironwood in dad mode #he protecc #friendship #brotherhood #winter schnee #james ironwood #ozpin #oscar pine #qrow branwen #guardianship #temporary adoption? #oz is not amused #since he doesn't need protecting #or thinks he doesn't #he smol #tiny cute boy ozpin #cloqwork

[banancrumbs]

OK LETS TRY THIS ONE AGAIN!! TWO YEARS LATER! RWBY X ALPHONSE MUCHA!!!

Ruby as Spring!!!

If you want to check the previous ones, here is Yang, Blake, and Weiss!!! !

#my art #rwby #rwby ruby rose #ruby rose rwby #rwby fanart #rwby art #do yall remember two years ago when i first posted this one? 😳 and like didnt finish? #im super sorry but worry not!! this time im actually posting it! 😤😤😤 #also i KNOW it doesn’t match their birthdays but like i thought about this before we had the dates ALSO based on elements i could + #relate to them better! like weiss being winter! #anyways!!!

[anthurak]

The Purpose of Team RWBY, the Maidens, and Why the Two will Never Overlap

So ever since we were first introduced to the Maidens back in Volume 3, there’s been a lingering question running through the fandom: Will one of Team RWBY ever get Maiden Powers? During Volume 7, Weiss was considered one of the most likely candidates to become the new Winter Maiden. And ever since Volume 5, people have been pointing out many supposed ‘hints’ and foreshadowing to Raven eventually making some big heroic sacrifice and passing the power of the Spring Maiden to Yang.

And it makes sense, doesn’t it? We’ve got this big, powerful legendary power of… er, power that gets passed down from one chosen one to another. In standard fantasy story terms, it seems inevitable that such a power would eventually find its way into the hands of at least one of our protagonists, right? Heck, we have four main heroines, and four legendary powers. So really, it’s only logical that all of Team RWBY will become the four Maidens by the end of the story, right?

Well here’s the thing: When has RWBY EVER done things in a ‘standard fantasy story’ way?

Not only do I not think that all of Team RWBY will wind up getting the Maiden Powers, I believe that NONE of Team RWBY will become a Maiden at all.

There are some reasons for this related to specific characters (Raven making a heroic sacrifice or even simply ‘transferring’ the power would fly in the face of her entire ‘stop running away from your responsibility/daughters’ arc), but in the broader sense; Given what the Maiden Powers represent in the wider, meta-narrative context of RWBY, and what Team RWBY represents as characters and protagonists, I believe the two are effectively ‘narratively incompatible’. Because of what the Maiden Powers are and represent, they are unfit to be wielded by our heroines, and Team RWBY’s nature as protagonists makes them ill-suited to possess those powers.

To begin with the Maiden Powers, I think we have to understand what these powers represent in the greater ‘meta-narrative’ context of RWBY. I believe that the Maiden Powers are another part of RWBY’s broad subversion and/or deconstruction of classic protagonist archetypes. Jaune is a subversion of the standard ‘Fantasy/Shounen Hero’ protagonist and Oscar is a deconstruction of the standard ‘Chosen One’ protagonist and even Penny is something of a subversion/deconstruction of a ‘Magical Girl’-type protagonist, not to mention her clear nods to basically the first anime/manga hero ever; Astro Boy.

And the Maiden Powers? Well, think about how powers like these are typically portrayed in fantasy stories: They’re always these grand, legendary powers that are passed down from one generation to the next in a great heroic lineage going back decades, centuries or even millennia. They’re always central and vital to the narrative, the ultimate macguffin. And it always belongs to the hero. And if there are more than one of these powers, then you better believe that the hero’s got the biggest, baddest, most super-special-awesome one of them all. There’s Deku’s ‘One for All’ in My Hero Academia, Naruto’s Nine-Tailed Fox in Naruto, and of course, the titular ‘Avatar’ itself from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In short, these powers are always a Big Deal, probably the BIGGEST DEAL in the whole story.

So, let’s take a look at the Maiden Powers in this context, shall we? They were first given to four kind young girls by Oz, an ancient, powerful wizard. It seems that Oz gave them these powers so that these Maidens and their successors could serve as guardians to the world and protect the innocent. So basically the Avatar, except there’s four instead of one. So far so good…

Except when we look at what being a Maiden has become in the modern day, and it’s clear that Oz’s plan, just like all his others, has completely fallen apart.

The Maidens aren’t legendary guardians and heroines to humanity. They can’t be that because something happened that generally doesn’t in these kinds of stories, yet is kind of obvious: People started trying to game the system. Various factions and individuals clearly started seeing how useful this kind of power would be and vied to acquire it themselves. Being a Maiden and acting openly effectively put a giant target on your back for anyone else who might want that power.

And then Oz went and tied the Maiden Powers to the Relic Vaults. Sure, he might have thought it was a good idea at the time, but really all he did was make being a Maiden more dangerous than ever. Because now one of the people gunning for the Maidens is Salem herself.

All this means that the Maidens can’t operate in the open. The power they wield is simply far too dangerous, both to themselves and all of Remnant itself. Instead they must be hidden away from the world and their very existence covered up as a simple fairy tale.

By the time RWBY’s story proper begins, the Maiden Powers are little more than simple macguffins. Magical WMDs that everyone is fighting to control, hero and villain alike.

Heck just go back to Volume 3 and we see that both Oz’s faction AND Salem’s faction were clearly researching ways to forcibly transfer the Maiden Powers to a different host regardless of how the current Maiden might feel about it. There really isn’t a whole lot of difference functionally between Ironwood’s Aura-transfer device and Cinder’s magic-sucking Grimm-implants.

In stories with these sorts of powers, they’re sometimes referred to as a ‘curse’ by some resident jaded, melodramatic cynical character, only to be refuted by the protagonist. But in RWBY, nobody ever refers to the Maiden Powers as a ‘curse’, because it’s clear to everyone that’s exactly what they are. In RWBY, the Powers of a Maiden truly are a horrible burden and bring suffering onto those who bear them. Consider this: The only person who every actually wants to be a Maiden is Cinder. As far as literally everyone else is concerned, being a Maiden is at best a great and terrible burden that should only be taken for the Greater Good and at worst a sacrifice and death sentence.

In most stories, powers like those of the Maidens generally represent some ‘Greater Good’ bestowed by the powers-the-be. But the Maiden Powers are no such thing. The ‘Greater Good’ that Oz chose for the Maidens was to bind them, shackle them into a role by making them the guardians of the relics and painting a giant target on their backs.

Is it any wonder that the only time we’ve seen someone becoming a Maiden treated as an unambiguously heroic, triumphant moment is when Penny passes the power to Winter? After the Staff of Creation has been removed from the Vault and thus the responsibility thrust onto the Maidens by Oz to be ‘gatekeepers’ to the Vaults no longer applies.

In short, what is a Maiden with no Vault or Relic to guard?

She is Free.

In much the same way that characters like Jaune and Oscar have been introduced as seemingly filling these classic ‘Hero Protagonist’ roles, only to discover that those roles are a sham and must each figure out their own role to play in this story, I think so too must the Maidens. These powers are introduced as very ‘Main Character’ powers that even if our heroines didn’t start with them, they’d get them sooner or later, or even be revealed to have secretly had them all along. But the more we’ve learned about these powers, the more we’ve learned that the things that make them ‘Main Character Powers’ are a shackle and a burden on the women that hold them.

Just as Jaune or Oscar isn’t the Main Character of this story, the Maiden Powers are not ‘Main Character Powers’. They’re just… powers. And now the women that wield them must figure out what role they should play just as Jaune and Oscar have had too.

In most stories, it is the protagonist who is at first unfit to wield this kind of great power and must work to become worthy of it. In RWBY, I think it’s the other way around: It’s the Maiden Powers which are unfit to be wielded by Team RWBY.

For one thing, I don’t think Team RWBY needs Maiden Powers.

Ever since this show started, I’ve always felt that there was something unique about Team RWBY as protagonists. Some qualities that really set them apart from most fantasy heroes and heroines.

A while back, I did a few posts on how Jaune is so special as a character because he’s not actually special. That he’s an everyman who turns out to actually be an everyman and not some secret chosen one or long-lost heir or some other ‘diamond in the rough’ trope. Which in turn makes his heroism all the more remarkable.

Well, I think Team RWBY are kind of the inverse of all that. They’re not special or exceptional because they got protagonist or chosen one cheat codes. Or because they were destined or preordained by fate to be special. They’re special because they just are special. They are incredible, exceptional people who would have gone on to do great things regardless of how connected they might have been to the plot.

It seems like all fantasy heroes start off in one of two distinct flavors: Either they start as some feckless nobody ‘relatable’ everyman who has to learn literally everything from the ground up. Or they’re some wunderkind prodigy who’s just naturally really good at stuff and already basically knows everything. Or they’re some inexplicable combination of the two who we’re told is some total nobody everyman yet somehow is just naturally gifted in a whole bunch of fantasy stuff he didn’t even know existed until last week. See; Most isekai protagonists.

But Team RWBY doesn’t really fit those molds.

Just look at Ruby at the start of the series; It’s clear that she’s a prodigy, but it’s also clear she worked her butt off to get the skills that she has. It’s clear she’s a kid and still has plenty to learn but it’s also clear she knows quite a bit already.

Something that’s always stuck out to me about Ruby’s first meeting with Ozpin and her acceptance into Beacon is just how mundane it feels compared to so many cases of ‘hero gets accepted into prestigious academy of adventure’, especially when you think of the context. Ruby’s not some out-of-nowhere nobody who never would have gotten into Beacon otherwise. It’s pretty clear she would have gotten into Beacon in two years when she graduated from Signal. Ozpin’s not picking out some seemingly random nobody to attend his academy. Instead it seems like he found a very promising young student and simply bumped her forward a couple of years.

Now of course, these sorts of characters are in no way rare in fantasy stories. In fact we often meet characters who enter the story already well-trained and experienced. It’s just that these characters are never the protagonists.

Consider this: Our introduction to Ruby Rose at the start of the show isn’t like how we’re introduced to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope. It’s much more akin to how we’re introduced to Obi-wan in The Phantom Menace. We aren’t introduced to some young feckless farmboy dreaming of adventure. We are introduced to a still young, but trained prodigy of a fighter who’s clearly well on her path to adventure already.

And this trend continues across the rest of Team RWBY. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all enter the story as fully-formed characters who all answered the ‘Call to Adventure’ long before we the audience meet them, particularly when we look at their introductory character trailers. We’re effectively meeting them all in media res, with each girl already well into her personal journey.

Not to mention that each member of Team RWBY has a hard link to the main plot that you don’t typically see in a lot of protagonists. When you look at their respective backgrounds, it’s pretty clear that Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were always going to be major players in the war against Salem even before they became Team RWBY. Weiss is the daughter and heiress to the most powerful Dust Company in the world, plus one of the major powers in Atlas, plus her father was clearly always on Salem’s shortlist of viable patsies. Blake is not just a freedom fighters, she’s the daughter of one of the most influential Faunus leaders and founder of the White Fang, plus by the start of the series her ex-partner has been made into one of Salem’s patsies just like Weiss’s father will be down the line. Yang is the daughter of two elite hunters who were both part of Ozpin’s go-to strike team against Salem’s forces, plus her mother is the Spring Maiden. And then of course, the exact same is true of Ruby, minus her mom being a Maiden*, plus the fact that she has Silver Eyes, meaning that she was always going to be part of the fight against Salem.

To me, Team RWBY’s backgrounds don’t exactly feel like what you might expect from a typical fantasy protagonist. What they do feel like is the backstories of especially well-written and interesting side characters. They’re not tied to the plot by something so overtly dramatic as ‘fate’ or ‘random happenstance’, but rather through more mundane and straightforward means tied into their families and backgrounds. They aren’t ‘Chosen Ones’ OR ‘Random Every(wo)men’. They’re just people who happen to be tied into to all this.

I think if characters like Jaune and Oscar are ‘protagonists who were made into side characters’, then Team RWBY is effectively a team of side characters who ended up being the PROTAGONISTS.

This is especially apparent when we go back to the Beacon Arc. If we consider Jaune to be a ‘protagonist archetype made into a side character’, then I think we can easily extrapolate a hypothetical ‘standard (read: BORING)’ version of RWBY where Jaune is the main character: We have Jaune as a typical/generic/boring protagonist, Pyrrha as the partner/love-interest, Ren as the brooding emo loner and Nora as the plucky comic relief. And Team RWBY would be that group of really cool and interesting side characters who would instantly become fan-favorites.

But thankfully, this isn’t some standard fantasy show. This is RWBY. Where generic milquetoast fantasy protagonists get shuffled off to a side character position where they can grow into far more interesting characters, and the team of super cool and interesting side characters get to be the ACTUAL protagonists. Everybody wins!

I think it’s no coincidence that the show’s actual team of cool, interesting, fan-favorite side-characters, Team CFVY, wind up being actually rather similar to Team RWBY in their spinoff books.

So on the one hand, we have a set of Main Character powers that have to stop being treated like Main Character powers, and on the other hand we have a group of Main Characters that do not fit into the standard Main Character mold.

Simply put, I think the Maiden Powers are flat out incompatible with Team RWBY as characters. The Maiden Powers’ point as a subversion of protagonist archetypes works best if they are NEVER wielded by the actual protagonists. And Team RWBY’s nature as side-character archetypes elevated to the role of protagonists becomes all the more poignant if they never actually receive a traditional ‘Main character power’.

Heck, even from a simply functional ‘Main Character needs Main Character Power to beat the big bad evil guy’, I don’t think Team RWBY will even end up needing Maiden Powers. After all, Ruby already has a bit of power from the Gods via her Silver Eyes. And at this point I am pretty sure that Weiss’s glyph semblance originates from the God of Darkness just like how Ruby’s silver eyes originates from the God of Light, seeing as how she can summon his creations. If this trend continues, for example I think there is a very good chance that Yang inherited Raven’s animal-shifting magic, and the girls are able to develop these powers further, then Team RWBY may very well already have powers that could equal or even surpass the Maidens.

However, that doesn’t mean the Maiden Powers are in any way inconsequential. Even if Team RWBY will never wield those powers themselves, I think Team RWBY are still closely tied to the powers narratively, and to those who wield them.

Obviously both the Spring and Winter Maidens, Raven and Winter, are close relatives to members of Team RWBY. But more than that, each of the current Maidens are actually tied very closely into personal arcs of one of Team RWBY:

Raven isn’t just Yang’s mother, she also serves as a dramatic and ideological foil to Yang, with their conflict being a key feature in Yang’s arc.

In addition to being Weiss’s sister, Winter likewise serves as a dramatic foil to Weiss. While the two never really come into direct conflict like Yang and Raven did in Volume 5, Winter still serves to contrast Weiss in a similar manner.

And then of course we have the Fall Maiden herself, Cinder. Who serves as the nemesis and absolute ideological opposite to Ruby.

Right now, each of the three Maidens we know about happen to play a key role as a narrative foil to a member of Team RWBY. And as an aside, this trend makes me very confident that the powers of the Summer Maiden will wind up falling into the hands of Ilia, who’s served as a narrative foil to Blake in very much the same way as the others.

And the way that each of the Maidens arcs play out or are likely to play out in relation to Team RWBY reveal another common thread:

Winter’s whole arc leading up to her becoming a Maiden largely revolved around her connection to Weiss. Basically, she stops acting like a loyal soldier and more like the huntress that her sister has become. It would be all too fitting if, going into the Vacuo arc, we see that Winter now looks to Weiss as an example to emulate, in much the same way that Weiss once looked up to her.

Even though we haven’t seen Raven since Volume 5, the note that she left on can give us a pretty good idea as to where her character will be going: The end of Volume 5 basically boiled down to a conflict of ideology and conviction between Yang and Raven. A conflict that Yang decisively WON. At the end of the day, Raven fled into the night, whether out of cowardice or shame at what she’d become. However Raven ends up finding redemption, I imagine a big part of that will be following her daughter’s example.

And at this point, it’s pretty clear that Cinder represents an absolute ideological antithesis to Ruby. A girl who has gone effectively her entire life seeing nothing but the absolute WORST of humanity, and has based her entire identity and worldview around it. A girl who embodies cynicism and negativity just as much as Ruby embodies optimism and positivity. And I think we can pretty easily guess that the conflict between these two WILL end with Ruby ultimately proving Cinder’s worldview wrong.

In effect, each of the Maidens’ respective arcs are leading to them realizing that each member of Team RWBY have the right idea and must follow their lead. We’ve already seen this trend already with Jaune and Oscar looking to Ruby as an example to follow.

Ultimately, Team RWBY are not meant to become Maidens. They are meant to set an example for the Maidens to follow.

#rwby #rwby theory #rwby analysis #long post #Team RWBY #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #rwby maidens #Winter Schnee #Raven Branwen #Cinder Fall #ozma #Team RWBY will not become Maidens #*Raven was totally her DAD XDDD

[professorspork]

Remembering your masterclass of a mini-fic made me think of Ruby finding the tip of Crocea Mors after, operating on the blissful misunderstanding that Cinder stole her friend's soul in two and broke it in two killing Penny and. God her whole friendship with Jaune was built on oversharing about weapons and making his feel like more than just a hand-me-down, and now that memory is, in bloody pieces.

(Well if you’re going to bandy about compliments like masterclass I’m gonna just lose my mind completely and continue it, even if that means only barely addressing the thing you actually brought up. Sorry about that. And it’s possible that neither of us knows what “blissful” means.)--

It takes the better part of an hour to coax Ruby away from Penny’s body.

(Or at least, Blake thinks it does. It’s a little hard know for sure, because time is weird here. Like when you get lost in a good book and suddenly look up and realize you’re sitting in the dark because the sun went down without you noticing, only somehow in reverse-- the shock coming not from the passage of time, but from the nagging sense that it refuses to. There’s a stillness here that makes her teeth ache; makes the hair on her upper arms prickle like she’s being watched.)

She doesn’t know what to say. There’s nothing she can say, nothing that can make it better, and she knows that, but. She’s never felt quite so unequal to a task in her life. She’s not Ruby, with her usually-boundless optimism and hope; she’s not Weiss, all aggressive support and unexpected insight; she’s not--

She’s not---

(She’s not thinking about Yang, she’s not, because if she lets herself the thought will consume her, and it won’t leave room for anything else. She can’t fall apart. Ruby needs her, and Yang would want her to take care of Ruby. So that’s what Blake’s going to do.)

But everything she can think of to say feels hollow and cruel. What can they do? Bury her, in this place time’s forsaken? Promise to come back for her, as though escape is possible? The last time Ruby was this miserable, at Schnee Manor with Yang-- 

--(don’t think about Yang)--

-- well. Blake hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but her ears are sensitive. And thinking back on it now, it’s nothing anyone said that snapped Ruby out of her spiral. It was breaking glass and Jaune’s boots on the stairs; it was the thought that--  

That Penny needed her.

“Ruby, we have to keep going,” she says softly. Rubbing at the nape of Ruby’s neck the way her mom used to, when Blake was young and couldn’t sleep after a nightmare. 

As though there’s any waking up from this.

“I can’t.”

“I know it’s hard, but we have to, we--”

“I can’t. I-- I c-can’t find any more bodies, Blake. I can’t.”

(Blake knows what it feels like, to be impaled. This is worse.)

“We w--” (She swallows back her won’t. She doesn’t want to lie.) “I’m alive. You’re alive. If anyone else fell after us, they might be-- I mean at the very least, Yang’s probably--”

“I know,” Ruby interrupts-- not testy, exactly, just simple and clear. “No offense, but if I thought Yang were dead, I wouldn’t-- I mean, I couldn’t--”

Blake can relate to that feeling, too. She squeezes Ruby’s shoulder, hoping it comes across as reassuring instead of like the needy grasp for her own reassurance it really is. “Then let’s go find her.”

“But I...” Ruby looks mournfully back down at Penny’s body; at the way her own is now covered in Penny’s blood, from clinging to her so tight.

The question’s out of Blake’s mouth before she can really consider what it is she’s offering:

“Do you want me to carry her? Take her with us?”

(She would do it, if Ruby asked her to. Gladly. She’s done it before; she’s stronger than she looks.)

The question seems to take Ruby aback; knocks a little bit of life back into her vacant gaze. “No, I-- no. Thank you. We should... let her rest. She never got to--” Tears gather again at the corners of her eyes, but she holds them off, this time. “-- I always told her she never understood the glory of naps. I bet she was looking forward to that.”

It’s a horrifying thought, really, but it’s the best they have. So they pick themselves up, and off they go-- Ruby casting forlorn glances over her shoulder every few steps, but always, always moving forward.

They travel along the tree line, so they’ve got eyes on the beach and the forest at once. Occasionally they call names-- arbitrary, hopeless, unsure of who might be down here with them-- but mostly they sniffle, and keep to themselves.

It’s Ruby who spots the glint of metal first. “Crocea Mors!” she gasps, running, which-- seriously? Blake can see the sword, but taken out of context like this she has no idea how Ruby could tell what she was looking at from so far off. Only maybe it’s not so surprising; the only person with better recall for weapons than Ruby that Blake’s ever met is Velvet. Then: “Oh, no--”

It’s Crocea Mors, alright. 

Half of it. Covered in blood.

“Do you think--?”

They both saw the stab wound in Penny’s stomach; both saw the lack of burns accompanying it. If Cinder did this, if she broke Jaune’s sword in two and used it to cut Penny down, then Jaune-- Jaune’s probably--

(But no, she can’t think like that. She’s only carrying half a weapon herself right now, and she’s still standing. It doesn’t have to mean anything.)

(Only now she’s dwelling on it, thinking about the thin line of gold that knit Gambol Shroud back together once before. Thinking about the gold on his shield. And it’s unbearable.)

“It was the last he had of--”

“It was his great-great-grandfather’s,” Ruby says, pointedly enough that Blake realizes if she’d managed to say Pyrrha’s name aloud, the girl before her would have shattered like the sword in her hand. “We’ve lost-- so many people, and all we can do is get used to it, carve them up and carry the pieces like it’s normal, and--”

A voice cuts through the quiet, interrupting them:

“Weiss? Ruby? Anyone?!”

Jaune’s alive Weiss fell that’s Jaune that was Jaune--

They take off running into the woods.

They find Jaune in a clearing, Crescent Rose mounted safely on his back, bracing his mouth between cupped hands as he hollers. “Blake? Yang? Hello?”

When he gets a good look at Ruby when they emerge from the trees-- at the crimson painting her front, at the severed steel held in her hands-- he goes silent.

Then he falls to his knees, and sobs:

“She asked me to, she asked me to, I’m so sorry-- but Winter’s-- it worked, it’s what she wanted, please, I’m so sorry, she told me--”

The words don’t make any sense... 

... until suddenly they do.

Blake thought that surely, after everything, she knew all of the ways that devastation could paint Ruby Rose’s features. The pain and sorrow and grief and rage and impotent, helpless shock.

She was wrong.

#rwby #rwby spoilers #blake belladonna #ruby rose #penny polendina #jaune arc #blake and ruby #fic what i wrote #ruby and penny #natsu-tigre

[oddlyhale]

I feel like a lot of people online don't really understand how bad mothers can be to their daughters.

Frankly, they'd like to think it's normally the father who's a piece of shit. When it comes to RWBY, it follows that stereotype to a T.

What really disturbs me is how the fndm itself takes no issues with bad mothers like Raven and Willow, excusing them for being absent parents to girls that needed them.

Say what you will, but being an absent parent to leave your daughter in the hands of an abusive father or leaving them feeling empty throughout their childhood is emotionally abusive. They don't have an out because they wanted to do their own thing to cope - their child needs them, but the mothers decided to be selfish.

Raven selfishly left Yang, leaving the burden to Summer to raise the girls with Tai. Yang should rightfully consider Summer her real mother, not Raven. It doesn't matter if Summer and Yang are not entirely blood-related, because blood doesn't matter. If Summer were a total stranger that took up the responsibility to raise Yang as her own daughter, it'd still mean she's a better mother than Raven.

Raven still teamed up with the people that Yang's team is actively against. She still made it about herself when it came to Yang confronting her, and she's left to still feel sorry for herself as Yang leaves with the relic.

Willow - while we really don't know the extent of her own problems when it comes to Jacques - doesn't excuse the fact that she still left Winter, Weiss and Whitley in the hands of a bad father. Winter left because she couldn't stand their home life. Weiss was still in the clutches of her father's abuse, and Whitley was being shaped into being a second Jacques.

If there was anything Willow could do instead of drowning herself in alcohol and feeling sorry for herself, it's to actually do something for her kids than pretend they don't exist. I still don't find her resolve in V8 a good way to move her from that angle. It didn't solve the problems that still exist within the family. You could replace Willow with Klein and the scene would still be the same.

I just find it bad that it feels like all these internal problems keep getting brushed aside. It's not easy to solve the problems mothers have caused, sure, but it's better to do something than sit around and do nothing.

#rwde #anti raven branwen #anti willow schnee #bad mothers exist

[onewomancitadel]

Ok this is another 'I thought about this in bed and I don't want to forget it' post.

I was considering Ren, Nora, Emerald, and Mercury, and their respective mirrored characteristics which (most of) the fandom recognises. Anyway, I was mildly delighted that the Shadow patterning applies to JNR here as it does to team R/WBY. (Refresher: Ruby and Cinder, Weiss and Winter, Blake and Ilia, Yang and Raven, Oscar and Jaune, and, well, now Nora and Emerald, and Ren and Mercury).

But what particularly interested me - and something which I was mildly confused over at first - is that there are parallels between Nora and Mercury and Ren and Emerald. Namely with Nora and Mercury is the mother/father abandonment and also these respective Emerald/Mercury and Ren/Nora scenes I've written about before:

and then I also noticed that Emerald and Ren both have that repression deal going on, and afaik Emerald is an orphan and her exact background is unclear, which is more similar to Ren than Nora. Also, I think if Emerald/Mercury will be a thing, as I expressed in that post before, Emerald is the one denying or now realising how she feels. Also also, the whole green thing going on. Also also also, Emerald is the reserved one compared to Mercury, which does reflect the Ren/Nora dynamic.

Anyway, I realised that the Shadows in some way reflect characteristics of endgame love interests (or rather, most significant relationships?), which really shouldn't be a surprise since in other media I've encountered the Shadow and the anima or animus can actually just be conflated altogether.

I think that is doing work in the sense of setting up the romances and the obstacles to be overcome in order to realise the romance.

Yang has to deal with her abandoment by her mother, and by virtue of that comes to understand and heal with Blake better. Blake has to see that redemption is still possible even when it seems too late (Ilia) and she can actually help and protect someone as opposed to hurt them. Weiss can reform her family name and she can mend her family even after all of the hurt, even with her father (she shows mercy). So on and so forth.

So that Raven is a maverick/naughty like Blake (wearing a Grimm mask no less) etc., that Ilia is fiery and passionate and also deeply wounded, etc. does seem to suggest some relationship between the Shadows and animus/anima.

This goes for Cinder and Jaune, and Ruby and Oscar, which also articulates the relationship between those four a bit - since Cinder reflects Oscar (Ruby's future love interest) and Jaune reflects Ruby (Oscar's future love interest). To elaborate further, Cinder and Oscar are respective vessels for Salem and Ozma, and are both orphaned, also work on the inside of their opposite sides, allied with Emerald, so on and so forth. Jaune and Ruby might be less clear but they are respective leaders of their teams and I'm getting bored writing this post now so I'll expand on this later.

And then like you know Jaune/Cinder totally makes sense.

The one I'm still puzzling out is Winter, since she doesn't seem to line up with any of Weiss' love interests and potentially indicates there won't be one for Weiss (something I increasingly consider as a viability). In giving lip service to a ship I see presumed as being canon, this pattern obviously doesn't hold for Jaune/Weiss - I can't see anything relating Winter to Jaune. So, you can probably make the argument that if something everybody takes for granted such as Jaune/Weiss or Jaune/Ruby doesn't fit this patterning, then it's worth throwing out, I can appreciate that.

On the other hand, I don't think those ships have canon viability, and to be quite frank I'm less interested in being right and more interested in seeing how the story is being told and what language is being used to communicate that.

#the 'I pretend to understand Jung' series #me talking shit about jaune/weiss #me talking shit about jaune/ruby #Lol!!! #it should just be expected really

[schnees-and-schnugs]

Joking aside I am very scared for Willows and Whitleys wellbeing in Vacuo. The people there are NOT going to be so accepting of the rich, white, sheltered family that put them in missery coming to live in their city

Weiss come back your family is getting hatecrimed on the streets of vacuo

In all seriousness though, it would be a difficult situation to wrap our heads around... Atlas, particularly the SDC, has stripped vacuo of their natural resources, so the expectation that the people of vacuo would give up what little they already have to help is far fetched. Especially to help the atleasians who already have or had their wealth built on the backs of atlas imperialism in vacuo (eg: schnees).

To make matters more complicated, Jacques Schnee is dead. So the man who we can point to as Evil Capitalist Mustache Man who certainly isn't the sole cause of vacuo's woes, but it's a huge part of it is no longer around. What's left is his family that he abused to bear the brunt of the consequences of his actions as it concerns the attitude vacuoans will have towards them. While it's true that the schnees did benefit from the exploitation of vacuo, they are not guilty of Jacques' crimes. But could we expect vacuoans to understand that or to even care? I don't really think so. They've suffered legitimate pain also.

It seems to me to be a macrocosm of weiss and blake's conflict in the earlier volumes ("I'm a victim!"). I guess at some point vacuoans will learn the power of Trust Love (tm) through the power of friendship or whatever. How that's going to happen, idk. Maybe the SDC will be used to better relations, but like we don't even know if the SDC is still around after atlas fell. It's honestly even debatable if the vacuo schnees are even up to the task given that weiss is ""dead"" and they'll be grieving, willow going through withdrawals (if she doesn't pull a qrow and go immediately cold turkey with no symptoms), winter having already shrugged off the family name and adjusting to being the winter maiden, and literally whitley being 15 years old and has just been out of an abusive situation literally for 2-3 days.

Mess

#tdlr: imperialism solved through power of frienship and hopepunk #whitley schnee #winter schnee #willow schnee

[texanredrose]

Showing Off

Inspired by prompts submitted to @unsteadyshade on tumblr (here), that I reblogged earlier, or AO3 (here). Also, yes, I'm very much American but I decided to use the non-American lingo in regards to soccer here. Don't look at me expecting logic, my friends, I just do what the winds of whimsy tell me.

---

Blake pulled the hotel door shut behind her, following after her teammate and best friend who was further down the hall and carrying their tote bags. While she didn’t hold the same superstitious beliefs, Yang swore up and down they’d lose unless they brought along their ‘lucky’ practice ball; after going back to retrieve it, the woman seemed satisfied and started walking towards the elevator while Blake caught up. “This is ridiculous, you know that right?”

“Hey, don’t sass me; we’ve never lost a road game when we’ve had the ball,” Yang said, already wearing her keeper jersey, the material stretched a bit thin over her muscled frame. It had seen better days but, much like the ball, the woman refused to replace it, especially during their run up to the championship. “A little extra luck can’t hurt anyone. Except the other team, I guess.”

“It can make us late, though,” she said, one of her ears flicking back as one of the doors they passed opened and closed- had to be other patrons of the hotel, seeing as the rest of their team was already downstairs by the bus. “Which would mean we forfeit.”

“We’re not running that late,” Yang replied, throwing a grin her way. Then, lilac eyes were drawn behind them and lingered a moment before her lips pulled into a very specific smirk. Blake knew that smirk- it was the ‘oh, I’ve got an idea, you might not like it but you’re gonna do it’ expression, because aside from being one of the best keepers in the region, Yang Xiao Long was also ridiculously persuasive. Dangerously so, in fact. “Hey. Toss me the ball.”

“Your hands are full.”

“Wasn’t going to use my hands.”

Blake narrowed her eyes, vividly remembering the last time someone tried doing agility drills down a hotel hallway, and picked up on the subtle look behind them. After a few more steps, she turned to say something about the game to Yang as an excuse to glance behind them. And then, it all made sense.

A bit further down the hallway were two women, both of whom were dressed in sharp business attire, and the moment Blake returned her attention to Yang, she pointed at herself and mouthed the word ‘tall’ with a wink.

“C’mon, toss me the ball,” Yang said, coming to a stop.

Blake glanced at her watch and, although a touch reluctant, decided they had enough time for a little demonstration. Tossing the ball towards Yang, she stepped back to lean against the wall while the woman started juggling while still carrying both totes. With her best friend as a distraction, Blake could take a longer look at the women Yang was trying to impress, and realized a few things, chiefly: they weren’t just any business women following behind them.

They were the Schnee sisters.

Atlesian elites, borderline nobility, some of the richest and most powerful people in the world; the Schnee sisters were in the news for one reason or another practically every day. Blake was more familiar with the attitude and mentality of the younger sister, Weiss Schnee, because it was her actions that Blake, as a faunus, found most… interesting. All the way up until she assumed control of her family’s company, the woman didn’t seem much at odds with the stuffy, bigoted, narrow minded people found in her social circle. After, though, she not only did an unapologetic one-eighty in the other direction, she became so aggressively progressive that it created a wide schism in the highest echelons of Atlesian society. More than once, she’d deployed the surprisingly well equipped private SDC security forces to protect protestors from Atlesian police and military personnel, and paid an exorbitant amount of money to keep those protestors out of jail, either by paying off bonds or hiring attorneys. In a relatively short amount of time, she’d become a juggernaut for social changes, and the careful monopoly her scheming father had built became the ultimate tool for exacting those changes.

Blake could admire the woman’s sense of justice as well as her commitment to it.

The elder, though, she only knew by name. Winter Schnee stood on her sister’s side when it came to social issues and did something tangentially related to the SDC but, beyond that, the details were a blur. She’d never heard Yang mention either sister in anything more than a passing comment while they pursued the news together waiting for flights, certainly nothing she could recall that would explain why the woman wanted Winter’s attention specifically. However, it also wasn’t out of the ordinary for Yang to show off a bit for pretty ladies when presented the opportunity.

By the time Blake had made a decision herself, Yang had run through every trick she knew and had popped the ball up to balance on her chest. She motioned for the woman to pass the ball, which earned her a raised brow at first before lilac eyes twinkled and she popped her shoulders back to set the ball in motion.

Blake caught it before it hit the ground with her foot, stalling the ball’s momentum entirely for a moment before she began juggling herself. For her, it was less a skill she’d developed for showing off as one of honing control of her body and the ball, but she knew a few tricks, moving slightly away from the wall so she could juggle the ball in a circle around her while still facing Yang. It meant juggling with her heel behind her back briefly but she managed it without losing control and that prompted a low murmur from their audience. Impressively, she couldn’t make out the words, which made her think the speaker specifically didn’t want her to hear.

After transitioning between using her feet and knees, the faunus popped the ball up high enough for her head to get under it, her feline ears laying flat against her skull to prove she wasn’t using them to help her balance the ball in place, which earned a brief chuckle from Yang. Then, she began bouncing it atop her head while moving her head just so to get the ball rotating before allowing it to roll off her head so she could catch it with her foot.

With a glance to confirm Yang was prepared, Blake passed her the ball, and the two of them traded it for a while, trying to catch the other off guard to make the eventual save and pass even more impressive. It was a show of control and dexterity and, had they planned it, would’ve had a better end to the display. Unfortunately, a short pass from Yang resulted in both of them trying to save it, which sent the ball bouncing harmlessly down the hall until it came to a stop at Winter’s feet.

Then again, given the glint in Yang’s eye, perhaps that was her intention. “Oh, sorry about that. We’re just… warming up.”

With a jerk of her head, the faunus realized her friend was requesting some back-up. “Yes, we, uh… are on our way to a game. The semi-finals, actually.”

“We can probably get ya seats, if you want.” A nonchalant shrug. “You should come watch us play.”

The sisters exchanged a look then. The elder, questioning, and the younger… Blake couldn’t put a word to that look. It was equal parts goading and secretive, and perhaps something else dancing in blue eyes. She would need a lot more time to decipher that look.

And she found herself wanting it.

Then, without a word, Winter put her foot on top of the ball and rolled it back, popped it up, and… began juggling with just as much precision as they’d displayed. Except, unlike them- bedecked in jerseys, loose shorts, and tennis shoes- she was doing it in a form fitting pants suit and dress shoes, hampering her mobility somewhat though it hardly impacted her performance, executing all the tricks Yang had done. Then, she passed it to her sister, who, in high heels and a skirt, proceeded to do the same, keeping many of the tricks low so her skirt wouldn’t ride up. Which, of course, meant she had less room to manipulate the ball, had to move faster to get into position to execute each trick, and when she did a version of Blake’s around the world one, the faunus felt her mouth pop open in astonishment.

Once satisfied, Weiss passed the ball back to her sister, who caught it one handed.

“We appreciate the invitation. However...” Winter tossed the ball, hard enough that it hit Yang’s chest before the keeper thought to catch it. “We unfortunately have a prior engagement that requires our attention.”

The sisters began walking past the gobsmacked footballers and Blake didn’t miss the look Weiss directed her way as she spoke. “After you’ve won your game, perhaps you’ll join us in the hotel’s hot tub?”

Blake didn’t notice how close they were to their floor’s elevator until Winter reached over and pushed the button to call a car. “Unless, of course, you have your own post victory traditions that take precedence.”

Yang just shook her head while Blake managed to find her voice. “No. We don’t. Have traditions, I mean.”

“Excellent,” Weiss said, stepping into the car the moment the doors twanged open and hitting a button inside, smiling in a way that… well… Blake would call it seductive in another setting and found herself hard pressed not to call it that now. “We’ll see you there. Don’t be late.”

When the doors closed, both Blake and Yang were left standing in the hallway, both just… recovering from how mentally unprepared they were for their tricks to be used against them to great effect. After another moment, Yang turned to look at her, holding up the ball.

“Lucky. Ball.”

Blake resolved to not argue that point and instead focus on winning the game, ushering her teammate towards the stairs rather than waiting for the next car.

---

Weiss leaned back against the wall of the elevator. While they’d chosen to book this particular hotel for their business trip specifically because their favorite football team would be staying there, and they’d opted to not use the penthouse suite because they wanted a chance to catch glimpses of the team while going to and from meetings, neither expected to meet their personal favorite players in the hallway like that. Weiss had followed Blake’s career since college and, while responsibilities had prevented her from attending as many games as she would’ve liked, she always recorded them and watched them later. Up until the encounter in the hallway, that was how she and Winter had planned to spend their evening.

Now, though…

“Would it be inappropriate for me to bring her jersey to the hot tub in the hopes she’ll sign it?”

Winter made a considering noise. “Bring the jersey, leave a suitable pen in the room.”

“How would that accomplish her signing it?”

“Invite her back to the room.” Her elder sister smiled, and a twinkle in her eyes spoke to the crude humor of a former soldier. “I’ll be… elsewhere tonight.”

“Spare me the details,” she replied as they reached the ground floor. “... but thank you for the idea.”

As a general rule, Weiss was never overly fond of business meetings, but she found herself looking forward to the end of this one more than usual, if only to see where the night led.

---

Blake pushed out a nervous breath as she and Yang made their way towards the hotel’s pool area. The game itself ended in a shootout and while Blake had made the final goal that secured them a berth to the finals, she couldn’t relax quite yet. Post game celebrations usually involved Blake joining the rest of the team for a glass of champagne or a toast of some sort before the others prepared for a night on the town to celebrate the win. Most of the time, Yang went with them, leaving the faunus plenty of time to wind down with a book of her choice and a peacefully quiet hotel room. Even on the odd occurrence when Yang didn’t join the others, the blonde still found other ways of occupying herself that preserved Blake’s quiet.

So, rushing back to the hotel room to change into their swimwear before the hotel shut down their pool was a major break from their normal routine, and knowing they’d be going to meet two very beautiful and apparently incredibly talented women… well, she was just a touch nervous.

Unfortunately, her best friend didn’t share that anxiety.

“One piece or bikini?”

“What?”

“Which do you think they’re wearing?” The blonde shrugged, the tips of her hair brushing the back of her neck. Normally, Yang wore her hair down or in a thick braid for games, but seeing as she didn’t have the energy to deal with drying her hair again after the quick post game shower they’d rushed through. “I’m hoping Winter’s wearing a bikini or a two piece. She’s gotta have some abs, right?”

“You have an eight pack; what does it matter to you if she has abs?”

“It’s about the commitment.” With a smirk, she gestured towards her own abs, prominently on display thanks to her yellow bikini top. Along with a darkening bruise around her left eye, there were bruises along her ribs from a few sliding tackles that had almost sidelined the keeper entirely, but Yang was a bit tougher than their opponents expected. “It takes work to get these and keep ‘em.”

“And what’s the point of wearing a bikini top if you’re just going to wear swim trunks for bottoms?” She arched a brow, more comfortable poking holes in her best friend’s thought process than confronting reality as they neared their destination. While she, too, opted for bikini style swimwear, Blake had chosen a black top with matching bottoms and a light purple sarong around her hips. She might claim to be somewhat modest in comparison, but she was showing a bit more skin- which, rationally, she could justify because they were getting in a hot tub, not attending a gala, showing a bit of skin should be expected-

Blake shook her head, trying to calm her anxiety again.

“Gotta make her work for the goods,” Yang replied, either oblivious to or pointedly ignoring her nerves. Then again, perhaps she had a few of her own that she was hiding, considering the way she reached up to fiddle with her hair. “Besides, my bottoms always ride up. Trunks are more comfortable. Not all of us have an ass that won’t quit.”

“Not judging, I just think it’s… silly. To focus on what they’ll be wearing.”

“What else is there to think about?”

“How hard we’re going to flirt.” She pointed out, tilting her head thoughtfully. “What to say, how to say it… what result we’re hoping for.”

“Don’t overthink it, Blakey.” A laugh. “Let’s just have some fun.”

They came to a set of glass double doors that granted entry to the pool area of the hotel… at which point they realized the pool officially closed half an hour ago. Yang cursed under her breath as Blake’s shoulders slumped. They’d missed their chance, it seemed.

“Oh, Miss Belladonna? Miss Xiao Long?”

“That’s us,” Yang replied as a hotel employee approached them, already grabbing a key card attached to his lanyard and holding it up to a sensor beside the doors.

“Here. Both Miss Schnees are waiting for you.”

The footballers exchanged a look, surprised by the special treatment. True, they were quasi celebrities themselves, but this hotel handled all teams from the league, which meant they weren’t any more famous than the average patron. Then again, the Schnee sisters had quite a bit more clout than they did and could probably swing something like being given unfettered access to the pool area.

With a shrug and a smirk, Yang opened one door and they entered, spotting the sisters sitting in chairs beside the hot tub. Both were reading magazines, with fresh drinks on a table between them, and were… well… Blake found she couldn’t immediately discern their taste in swimwear because both sisters were wearing football jerseys. And not just any jerseys.

“I see you took us up on our offer,” Weiss said, getting to her feet and motioning towards the hot tub before reaching for the hem of the jersey to pull it off. At a glance, Blake could tell it was the special limited edition run from a few years ago, and her number no less. And while she would be sorely tempted to assume the woman had found one last minute, the careful way Weiss placed the jersey on the chair- not dropped or thrown carelessly- made her think otherwise. Only then did she notice the woman had opted for a light blue one piece with a single strap, leaving her upper back mostly exposed. “Splendid.”

“Congratulations on your win.” Winter also set aside her magazine and stood up, revealing she was wearing Yang’s limited edition jersey, and she took the same amount of care in removing it and setting it aside. Much to her friend’s delight, the elder of the sisters did wear a bikini of a darker blue and also sported some abs, though they lacked the definition of Yang’s. “A hard fought victory like that certainly deserves a celebration.”

As the sisters entered the hot tub, Blake looked over to Yang, who seemed equal parts excited and… intimidated- and that second one was hard. But what intimidated her ultimately evolved into a challenge and Yang never backed down from a challenge. For her part, the faunus just found herself wondering if, perhaps, they had a different idea of who needed to impress who than the sisters did.

Removing her sarong, Blake tossed it onto the chair Weiss had used and went to the hot tub, noting how the sisters had chosen to sit across from each other. She hesitated in entering, if only because she didn’t want to be too forward. Yang, of course, took the seating as a goading taunt of sorts, and settled herself in the tub hardly an arm’s length away from Winter. Probably closer than would be considered polite but neither seemed uncomfortable or surprised by the decision, so Blake opted to test the waters herself, sitting approximately the same distance away from Weiss but also across from Yang.

Almost instantly, she let out a sigh of relief; while focusing on getting to the hot tub, she’d done her best to ignore the lingering aches and pains from the game. Now, though, she could feel herself relaxing as the warmth began sinking into her muscles. Usually, she just focused on stretches before bed and had a tub of balm if that failed.

“Should probably do this more often,” Yang said, obviously relaxing herself. “Forgot how good hot tubs feel after a rough game.”

“Speaking of that, did you get checked out?” Winter gestured towards her eye. “You took a few nasty hits. I’m surprised seventeen didn’t get thrown out of the game.”

“The Vipers always play hard.” The blonde tried to shrug off the concern. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“You took a few shots, too.” Weiss pointed out. “How’s your knee?”

“I’ve taken worse falls.” She gave a wry smile. “But I’m beginning to suspect you know that.”

“I’ll admit I’ve been a fan of yours since your college days.” The woman shrugged one shoulder, feigning nonchalance- and Blake only suspected it was a show because blue eyes didn’t meet hers as she spoke. “I hardly think that is remarkable. You’re one of the best strikers the league has ever seen.”

“Did you ever consider playing?” At the curious look she received, Blake inclined her head. “It took me years to develop those tricks, and you did them better. That speaks to a remarkable amount of skill.”

“Well, I’ll admit I entertained the idea a time or two. Ultimately, I chose my path, and it didn’t leave enough room to become a superstar footballer.” She shook her head. “I don’t regret it but, I suppose, part of the reason I practice those little tricks to keep the dream alive.”

Her ears perked up, catching something between the lines. “Part of the reason? What’s the other part?”

“Why, to catch your eye, of course.”

“My eye?” She couldn’t help the surprised chuckle that bubbled up from her chest. “You’re Weiss Schnee; you don’t really need to try to catch anyone’s attention.”

The woman’s expression faltered then. “Yes, well… unfortunately, the sort of attention I garner on my own is markedly less… impressive, by some standards.”

“I’d think those people have poor standards, then,” she said, opting to tip her hand as well. “You’ve managed to galvanize social changes that have taken some kingdoms entire decades in a matter of years. Comparatively, bouncing a ball’s hardly anything. Don’t you think?”

At that Weiss laughed, a bright, high, unrestrained sound that Blake rather liked hearing. “If I thought that, I wouldn’t be trying so hard to impress you, now would I? And you shouldn’t discount your own efforts outside the pitch.”

The faunus felt her lips quirk up in amusement. They’d been watching each other from afar all this time; the only thing she didn’t account for was the magnetic attraction that being in the woman’s presence seemed to engender. And, as she made an excuse of stretching to cover her moving slightly closer to Weiss, it seemed she wasn’t the only one feeling it. The woman, mysteriously, decided to move and dip her shoulders beneath the water’s surface long enough to bring out a lovely light pink blush to her skin, and when she sat back against the tub’s wall, she was a bit closer to Blake.

Surreptitiously, she snuck a glance towards Yang, if only to gauge how much teasing she would be in for on the flight back home the following day. She quickly realized her best friend wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to teasing; somehow, Winter had coaxed Yang into her lap and was apparently giving the footballer a message. For her part, Yang seemed to be in a luxurious sort of heaven, eyes half lidded and with a silly sort of smile on her lips.

“Forgive my sister,” Weiss said, a sardonic smile on her lips. “I’m impressed she’s shown this much restraint.”

“I can hear you,” the woman replied, blue eyes flashing towards her younger sister. “But that can be remedied. Yang?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think this would work better if you were lying down.”

Lilac eyes widened as the woman tilted her head, glancing over towards Blake. With a small nod, the faunus made the silent agreement to avoid their hotel room for a few hours. Frankly, Yang had slept in a few lobbies over the years, when she’d returned too drunk to be quiet and not wanting to risk waking the faunus. She could spend a night elsewhere to return the favor.

“Yeah… I think you’re right.”

As the two got out of the hot tub and retrieved towels, Blake returned her attention to the woman beside her. “You don’t have to try, you know.”

“Pardon?”

“Impressing me. You don’t have to try.” Blake tilted her head, leaning back to brace her arms against the rim of the hot tub. “I think that’s the part I don’t like about being with the league. The mandatory press conferences and the rules- sometimes, I just want to get straight on the bus after a game and go back to reading my book, not sit and play twenty questions for an hour. It’s like… wearing an ill fitting mask.”

“You handle them remarkably well.” Weiss smirked. “But I suppose I say that because I speak my mind a bit too bluntly during press conferences. I admire your restraint.”

“I admire your candor,” she replied, very carefully laying one arm along the tub’s rim behind the woman. “I really liked the interview you did with the Atlas Economist. It looked like you were going to give that guy an aneurysm.”

“That would’ve been impossible.” A light chuckle as she moved closer, lowering her voice ever so slightly to coax Blake into leaning closer. “He would need a brain first.”

They both laughed, using their amusement to hide their shifting movements until Weiss was pressed into her side ever so slightly. They continued talking and laughing quietly until sitting in the hot tub started becoming uncomfortable. However, the faunus did her best to ignore it simply because she didn’t want to part ways quite yet. Weiss was… a lot of things- emphatic, sharp tongued, witty- but above all good company that Blake wasn’t keen on losing quite yet. However, she couldn’t ignore that the heat of the tub was taking a toll on them both.

“Your skin’s turning red,” she said, running a thumb over the ball of Weiss’ shoulder. “We should probably get out.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

They both stood and exited the hot tub, grabbing towels to start drying themselves off. While doing that, she wracked her brain for some excuse to continue their conversation but found herself coming up woefully empty. Every suggestion she could come up with either sounded ridiculous or… risque. It wasn’t like she could simply invite the woman back to her hotel room for some tea.

“Thank you for the invite, by the way,” she said, trying to buy herself some time. “A good soak after a tough game feels… fantastic. I don’t often indulge.”

Blue eyes lit up as the woman wrapped a towel around her hips. “I’m more than glad you accepted. However, if you wish to… pay me back… I’ve been meaning to ask for your autograph.”

Blake raised a brow. The request seemed… deceptively innocent, especially with the way Weiss was looking at her. “I can do that. You want me to sign your jersey?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble.” The barest moment of silence, and then she tilted her head. “Unfortunately, the only pen I have is in my room.”

Blake took a step closer, pleased to see she actually stood a few inches taller than the woman when she wasn’t wearing heels, and lowered her voice. “Well… I suppose we’ll have to go to your room, then.” A pause. “And, maybe, we’ll think of something else I can sign along the way.”

Weiss smiled and donned the jersey, setting her hand in the crook of the faunus’ elbow. “Perhaps. Do you have any ideas?”

“I do.” As they started walking, she chuckled. “But I wouldn’t want to use a pen to sign something so… delicate.”

The woman hummed, pointedly looking at her mouth. “I believe I know of something else you can use.”

While outwardly Blake merely smiled a bit wider, internally she asked herself a question: just how far was she willing to go?

Before they reached the elevator, she’d decided that if she wasn’t officially dating Weiss Schnee by the time she boarded the plane tomorrow, she’d be disappointed in herself.

---

Weiss stretched luxuriously in her bed as the morning rays streamed in through the window. She was sore in places she’d forgotten existed- but the pleasant type of sore, the kind that eventually turned into an itch for more, and it took conscious effort not to reach for her scroll just then. It would probably do her well to show some restraint.

That mentality lasted all of thirty seconds before her scroll was in hand and she was admiring her new background picture, taken just before Blake put on her swimwear from the night before and left to return to her room. Nothing terribly suggestive or revealing, of course, just the faunus resting her chin on Weiss shoulder. An ordinary selfie. With her new girlfriend.

She couldn’t help the smile curling her lips.

The door opened and she looked over her shoulder, watching her sister strut into the room wearing her bikini with her usual air of complete and total confidence. Her jersey was held in one hand. Probably because she wanted to… show off. “You walked down the hallway like that?”

“Of course,” Winter replied, not even batting an eye at the words ‘Property of Yang Xiao Long’ written in marker across her chest and abdomen. “I’m pleased with the outcome.”

Then, a smirk.

“Please, don’t elaborate.”

“I won’t but I do hope you were as successful as I was.”

She glanced at her scroll as a message came through from Blake, a smile coming to her lips. “Indeed I was.”

Who knew giving in to her impulse to show off would have such wonderful results.

#Monochrome #Elderburn

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

Penny being trans + autistic coded made me resonate with her as I am nonbinary and autistic myself. Her being a robot felt like me when I have to hide my neurodivergent traits. Her getting confirmation that she wasn't just a robot/machine but a real girl felt so validating. I don't have to look like everyone else to still be considered "real".

Ironwood's semblance being literal hyperfixiation, something I've dealt with since I have ADHD + autism would have made me feel better about myself. This is a man who, despite everything: his PTSD, being an amputee, still was a kind-hearted man. This is something rarely seen in media. I was happy.

Then they fucked up both Penny and Ironwood in ways that struck me. Penny is hacked into and forced to comply with basically forced suicide- she was to open the vault, then self-destruct.

Ironwood, oh dear god. They couldn't wait to fuck him over. He was so HAPPY to see team RWBYJNROQ. He told them everything about his plan, trusting them with literal GOVERNMENT secrets, giving them a place to stay, FREE weapon upgrades (Atlas is known for its advanced technology), hell even gave them their HUNTRESS LICENSES THREE-ISH YEARS EARLY (which Ruby later uses as a credibility source in her broadcast, which was eerily similar to Cinder's in Volume 3, when she says IRONWOOD CANNOT BE TRUSTED.)

Not to mention that she conveniently forgot she was calling for help from OTHER KINGDOMS. OF COURSE they wouldn't arrive soon enough. And no one had reason to trust her. She's a nobody. She was at the Vytal Festival and her team made it all the way to the singles? Cool. Ruby wasn't the final fighter, hell after the 4 vs 4 match she didn't compete further.

Blake would have obviously been a bad choice: she's a faunus and if anyone knows about the White Fang, they might recognize her.

Yang is more known than Ruby, but the world saw her kick an unarmed teen in the finals round. She doesn't have too good a reputation.

Weiss? She's well known as the Heiress, but also her singing. Having her give the speech is a mixed bag: on one hand, she's a recognizable face. On the other, that's a problem. Her father, the CEO of the SDC, is known for his cruelty. Blake said it herself way back in Volume 1: questionable business practices and partners.

So... How about no broadcast at all? What did her broadcast accomplish?

Nothing. Help didn't arrive and likely caused more panic. Plus, people still had a negative view of Atlas, as the last thing the world saw was Atlesian soldiers turning against civilians.

The last broadcast was before Beacon fell. So likely another hacker giving a message would be met with fear.

And what attracts Grimm? Negativity.

Ruby's broadcast could have been a DEATH SENTENCE to so many. But no, this is treated as the... Right course of action?

Ruby and co. hates Ironwood's plan, yet it's clear they don't have one. RWB spends a lot of time moping around the manor drinking tea. Team YOJR (Yang, Oscar, Jaune and Ren) actually DO SOMETHING. Oscar gets kidnapped and they chase after him. Ren rightfully points out that NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE DOING THIS. But that goes against the Hivemind™, so he must apologize and agree to whatever the fuck Ruby decides to do.

Which is NOTHING! RWBY didn't even take down the hound: WILLOW and WHITLEY did. A drunk woman and an unarmed teen defeated it.

Oscar is the one who blows up the whale (with his time bomb? huh??)

Ruby whines that it's all too much, cries on a staircase while her sister (remember that Ruby and Yang are related????) comforts her. The scene has no emotional depth because the two barely interact anymore.

OH GOD AND WHEN YANG TAKES A HIT FROM NEO THAT WAS MEANT FOR RUBY IT TAKES HER OUT COMPLETELY. AURA? GONE. HELL, SHE'S EVEN UNCONSCIOUS. I swear it's like the animation budget could only afford to have ONE character react, and it's Blake "sad kitty face" Belladonna. Not Ruby, who is her sister. WHO HAS A SPEED SEMBLANCE. But no, they just watch her fall, not knowing if she's alive.

Ruby has more of a reaction to CRESCENT ROSE, HER FUCKING WEAPON falling.

Which is retconned so hard in the Vol 9 trailer, where she tells Neo "I hope it was worth it" before falling into the void. Huh??

Anyways I'm rambling again but I am so angry!

-🎼

Never, ever, EVER apologize for rambling. I LOVE hearing peoples thoughts and sometimes it's a really nice feeling to let out your frustrations and anger towards something that has caused you harm and it really REALLY sounds like this caused you a lot of harm and so I do not blame you one bit for being hurt and angry. I should apologize for this taking so long. This was a lot and I needed to sort my thoughts and even so I probably missed some points so I also apologize for that.

Penny and Ironwoods biggest mistake was trusting and being kind to RWBY. They lied and betrayed James and treated him like garbage even though he showed them nothing but kindness and did whatever he could to help them and listened to them. Penny was told what to do and think far more so then James ever supposedly did. Ruby decided to give her a new body, decided she didn't like how James was treating her and that she thought James was a bad person, and decided that Penny was better off with them. Penny stopped being able to make her own decisions once she started hanging out with RWBY and co.

Really though what did they all think was going to happen when they sent out a message that matched beat to bear a lot of what Cinder said before Atlas fell? Did she think about the panic that would cause? Did she forget she was worried about Ironwood telling everyone back in Volume 7 because of the panic it would cause everyone??? Did that just conveniently slip her mind?

I honestly think Weiss would have been the best choice to give the broadcast of them all but I don't think they should have sent out the broadcast in the first place. It should realistically only cause panic and death but the narrative is gonna yadda yadda right past all of that.

Oh god yea RWBY and co complain and whine and scream that Ironwoods plan is bad whilst offering up no alternatives then just taking his plan and acting like it was theirs the whole time. They even did this in Volume 7 when in episode 2 they where worried about James telling Atlas about Salem and then turning around and acting all happy and shocked when James told everyone near the end of the season as if they wanted him to the whole time and not the other way around.

Man RWBY really did jack shit all volume huh? As you said all the major things side characters did: Fight James TWICE: Winter, Emerald, and JNRO.

Try and rescue Oscar: JRY

Blow up the Whale: Oscar

"Redeem" Hazel and Emerald: Again Oscar

Defeat the hound: Whitley and Willow

Launch the tower: Penny

Help defend Mantel against the swarm of Grimm: FNKI and the soldiers that all died trying to buy Ruby time while she cries in a mansion.

Like what does this girl do to help any of the people SHE trapped???

Oh god Ren, poor Ren, he's finally seeing the light but he can't stray from the Hivemind so he needs to get back in, we can't question the pure and perfect Ruby her plans are always right even if it causes Salem to get two relics and destroys the only kingdom with an army or the technology to restore global communications in the process.

Yea you're right like CRWBY can make excuses all day for why Ruby didn't react to Yang falling and MAYBE I can buy her not using her Semblance because she's in shock but not crying or reacting at ALL to her supposed death?? Why does her weapon get a more emotional response then her SISTER? Why is only BLAKE allowed to be sad about Yang supposedly dying? Why does fucking WINTER have more of a reaction to her sister dying?

Why are all the people we are supposed to be rooting for so fucking unlikeable???

#RWDE #Pro Ironwood #James Ironwood #RWBY Bashing #Pro James Ironwood #ironwood Protection Squad #penny polendina #Sorry for MY rambling #and more rambling to come most likely

[kob131]

Have you read Ironside by GodHand96? Do you have the patience to write a review?

I have read nine chapters of Ironside.

...And that was about four more chapters than I should have given.

It's basically a retelling of Volume 7 so far that, as the author puts it, is supposed to make Ironwood out to be smarter and Winter more proactive.

... In reality, it's one long dick slurping. I'd say it's Ironwood's dick that's getting the fellatio but-

"It's just... so good to see them all again!" Ironwood said, the smile crossing his face was uncontrollable. "I was so glad to see Qrow, I actually hugged him!" he beamed there, "I couldn't see myself doing that before, and Penny looked like she was having the time of her life with her friends back! The ace-ops also apologised to Ruby's group with them working together, our forces will be next to unstoppable! Also with you Schnee, ready to fulfil your role as the Winter Maiden, we finally have a chance of beating Salem! and we have Oz back!"

Does THIS sound like Ironwood?

No, it doesn't. He sounds pure. Innocent, blameless. Without fault.

That is not who James Ironwood is. James Ironwood is a flawed man, a man who wants to do good but finds compromise to be a burden and, unable to overcome his flaws, falls into villainy as a tragic but honest depiction of how good people become bad.

Tl;Dr- HE IS NOT BEACON-RUBY ROSE.

Then again, maybe James is still around. There is this character that talks of trust while using underhanded methods to expose people, someone who talks of taking a hit for their reputation for sake of doing what is right. Granted, it comes across less as someone living their life by a 'greater good' philosophy and more like them getting slurped too because there's no awareness to this even as they joke about manipulating others while professing 'Tell the truth' but hey it's at least better than Not-Ironwood-

It's Winter. The author transplanted a WORSE version of James into her and ignores anything that isn't positive to Steelstone.

And of course, the heroes are all portrayed as being whiny, entitled, annoying brats who have no grounds in correcting Lord Steelstone on such trivial things like 'public relations' or 'serving the people you preach to protect' or 'the fucking theme of the show'. The only ones who don't get this treatment are Oscar (mouthpiece for the author), Qrow (rip off of his Volume 7 and 8 character so no credit), Weiss and Ren. ... BTW, did I forget to mention that these characters are treated as siding with Ironwood and the more staunchly anti-Ironwood characters (Yang because fuck you the author didn't watch Volume 7, Blake, Nora and Robyn) are all portrayed as far worse with no real reasoning beyond 'fuck you, I don't like them.'

It's all just so self in-fucking-dulgent. You could not find better examples of Ron The Death Eater outside parody. The original show had the characters split because of their personal experiences creating slightly different variations of the same ideology, crating natural conflict as they naturally repeat the same mistakes their predecessors did. The clash between Team RWBY and Ironwood was one of differing, uncompromising beliefs rooted in the themes of the show.

The difference here is caused by the author emptying everyone out and turning them into meat puppets.

And no I don't care that they've 'admitted' to these issues or say they'll justify them later- This SHOULD HAVE NEVER happened. This stuff is inexcusable. And the refusal to fix these mistakes by justifying them as 'well, at least I'm not gonna kill the characters I hate' is childish. Right up to the fact that the writers DIDN'T HATE IRONWOOD.

This is the delusion that RWBY stans have of Ironwood fans: deifying Ironwood while demonizing team RWBY with no nuance, just blind obedience or else. Just now, it's real.

[violetren]

My first theory for volume 9 while the second half of volume 8 is fresh in my mind!

Volume 9 is gonna be the therapy season, but in the most traumatic you'll need different therapy afterwards kind of way. Instead of paying a therapist they're all just be bargaining with the universe like "yo I've had this trauma for a while, and I'm feeling pretty done with it. Here you take it back and uhhh I'll take a new guilt complex. Maybe a fear of falling? IDK, fuck me up bro."

The foreshadow-y Alice in Wonderland-esque fairy tale Oscar told to himself/Oz while in captivity is my guide post here.

Aaaand this is gonna get long so! 10 ideas of shit that's gonna go down next volume beneath the readmore, each one about 1-2 paragraphs each.

In the fairy tale the girl runs away from her problems into a new land, but because she never learned from her problems they just followed after her. Yeah? So first--second? First discounting the volume therapy theme theory.

FIRST BIG THEORY: The girl from the fairy tale was real, and she used the Spear of Creation. And like Weiss and the crew, she was fucking smart about her wording. She offered up materials that'd last even after someone else inevitably used the staff. IDK what materials she woulda used. Maybe there's a story about a missing continent we just haven't heard of yet? Maybe the Brother of Light's pool, since Salem seens to have claimed the Brother of Darkness's one but no sign of BoL's these days. Maybe there is a reason the land beyond Menagerie is so uninhabitable beyond desert + grimm? idk. Point is, it's a thing that happened, and since Ambrosius can't destroy/directly kill she's still in her wonderland. For themes sake I'm gonna call her Alice from here on out.

So Alice made a pocket dimension to flee from her problems from.

SECOND BIG THEORY: Her problems were relic related. She needed to hide em, and hide herself from Salem. Tbh I'm not sure how into this one I am. Maybe she had other shit going and some version of Oz was like "hey you don't want to be here, I have some property that I don't want to be here, lets make this happen!" THE POINT IS, the little pocket realities the relics are in, are aalllllll places in her pocket reality. When the team said "hey Ambrosius just make the middle ground into one of these type places" that's what he did, cause that's how he do. What better way to make sure it works like those places than to be kinda connected to em?

THIRD BIG THEORY: Ambrosius was buds with Alice once upon a time, but knew staying in her pocket world ultimately drove her crazy. He knew his middle ground worked like the pocket dimensions because it touched em or something, so he gave a vague ass warning not to fall, because he knew where they'd fall to.

Back to the fairy tale. It's implied Alice was never able to leave/give up her wonderland because she never learned from her mistakes.

FOURTH BIG THEORY VERSION 1: RWBY + Jaune can't figure their way back to reality until they adress a major personal issue and break out of whatever cycle it's got them in. This one I feel is shaky because they all have such different issues and are in very different places with each of them, trying to do one big arc on em would be too much of a mess. Plus it doesn't account for saving any of the many civilians that may have survived the fall.

FOURTH BIG THEORY VERSION 2: nobody can leave until Alice either leaves, dies, OR is convinced to let them go. As we're following good kind people this means we watch the kids try to give someone else therapy that THEY need. RWBY+J work through their shit through variations & combinations of witnessing mirrors of their struggles in Alice/other wonderland inhabitants, and just having time and space to slow down and breathe whether they want it or not.

FIFTH BIG THEORY: Alice is the "antagonist" of the underworld because she is the obstacle to overcome.

What about Neo you may be asking. Well I want her to let go of the revenge schtick, or at least redirect it back onto Cinder thus calling a truce with Ruby. However it's more than likely she's gonna be on team keep Alice as an obstacle at least as long as it takes to kill Ruby, and so Neo will be the "real" Antagonist™ within wonderland.

SIXTH BIG THEORY: Neo because of her unwavering determination to enact revenge is gonna die this volume. She'll be the comparison against which RWBY+J will be measured. As they grow and get closer to leaving she'll become more wrapped up with whatever strange classic wonderland logic this pocket universe has. Potentially depending on how things go with helping Alice, Neo may just end up trading spots with her, and end up trapped while everyone else goes back. But dead or trapped, I have a sad feeling this could be our last volume with Neo. My only hope of her surviving at this point is that she like Emerald switches sides, and in doing so joins Winter as a Cinder foil. While Neo grows and lets go of revenge and thus survives, Cinder stays dedicated to her own desires for revenge and other self serving instincts ringing her own death toll for either the end of the volume, or maybe somewhere in vol.10.

SEVENTH BIG THEORY: Ruby is gonna be grieving and maybe even getting full on angry about being expected to fix everything just because she's the optimistic one. She shouldn't have to deal with this brand and advanced level of childhood stealing just because she wanted to do what was right and won(lost) a genetic lottery for magic powers type anger. Jaune is going to have SO MUCH GUILT to work through, mostly the survivors kind. The bees will be experiencing couples therapy, they've both been pretty solid about individual growth leading up to this, Underworld will be them learning what it means to them to be partners now that they are so different to who they were. Weiss is different. Weiss is at first gonna feel like she's there just because it was a way to really shove all the other Schnee's into their therapy arcs and gave RBY+J neutral presence to rely on. Weiss is gonna go in the most stable of the bunch. But then, slow boil style, she'll start to realise how fucked up basically her whole life has been, especially upon realising that her "good years" with her new family have been spent getting sucked into being the last line of defense against the apocalypse, but will be too busy helping the others, so at the end of the volume when everyone else is actually doing pretty good and refreshed for the fight against Salem she'll only just be beginning her breakdown.

EIGHTH BIG THEORY: All this therapy shit is gonna be mirrored back on Remnant by the others grieving the percieved loss of the hearts of the team. Both sides of these story are gonna deal with some heavy shit, but the Remnant side is gonna be the depressed side, at least as long as it takes for Oz to tell them maybe the other's aren't dead leading to desperate attempts to get the staff OR the make desperate attempts to get the relics back anyways and inadvertently find out from Ambrosius what is up. But anyways. Winter is gonna be dealing with survivors guilt and the loss of both her little sisters (friends are great but Penny was little sister zoned and it's a hill I am prepared to die on. good sisterly relationships are friendships too). Nora is gonna be doing her self discovery thing. Ren is gonna be building on his end of vol.8 developments. Oscar will continue his grappling with the merge stuff. Qrow and Willow might get forced into AA. Whitely is gonna learn his own definition of being a Schnee instead of what his dad taught him.

NINTH BIG THEORY (OR FOURTH VERSION 3): The other way they get out is QORN obtain and use the staff to bring them home, potentially by trading enemy lives for them.

BONUS CONSPIRACY THEORY: QORN if presented with needing to trade for their loved ones & lost civilians have a lightbulb moment and decide hey why not trap Salem in a pocket universe since that is a thing Ambrosius can make? Like, if this bitch hasn't budged on her not learning to appreaciate life and humanity or whatever (which I'n pretty sure is the other way to break her curse instead of stopping remnant from turning) then she's a prime candidate for shoving into a personal reality that you can only escape if you can face your problems long enough to break the cycle they have you in. It'd be really fucked up but I think it might actually be possible to run the place using her as her own material component. Like kill her over and over and redistribute the energy to make the pocket world, but because god given power + Ambrosius can't actually destroy she just reforms anyways. MIght take a few hundred thousand deaths but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Or use the BoD oasis/grimm pools to make a world that mirrored the one she chose to live in on Remnant really make it hard for her to break that cycle....

Anyways.

TENTH BIG THEORY: Working on the idea that the relics are actually hidden in secret protected pockets of the underworld RWBY+J are gonna have a secondary quest of trying to get the relics from this side, and either finding a new place to hide them ages away from their vault doors. If you wanna make it a FOURTH VERSION 4, they're specifically gonna seek out the sword of destruction (HOLY VORPAL BLADE ALLUSIONS BATMAN) either with the intent of cutting their way out underworld--ahem wonderland--or with the assumption that someone is inevitably gonna have to open the vault door, because that's just how things be these days and they'll be able to cross to Vacuo from there.

#chirping wren #rwby #rwby theory #hello hiatus my old friend #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xaio long #jaune arc #neo politan #ambrosius rwby #lie ren #nora valkyrie #emerald sustrai #winter schnee #cinder fall #schneeblings #bumbleby #salem rwby #oscar pine #whitely schnee #willow schnee #qrow branwen

[kitkatopinions]

I feel the need to hear your opinion on this since this is something I've been thinking about recently, and it's how crwby handles complex relationships/abuse in their show... It's infuriating.

I can't tell if they genuinely think they are writing this in a good way or if they know they're half asss-ing it and don't care since the fandom will eat it up anyways. Two big examples that come to mind for me in the last volume are emerald & cinder and whitley & jacques. In both instances the the victim never gets a moment of closure or a moment of breaking away from their abuser, nor are either victims allowed to show any sort of 'hesitance' (for a lack of a better term) related to their abuse.

Emerald (despite being all over cinder before Midnight), just conveniently forgets about her for the finale. Same for whitley. He just completely forgets about jacques (the man who manipulated him from birth) the moment weiss hugs him. On a shallow level, watching a victim pay no mind to their abuser is satisfying, but it being so immediate is just unrealistic and takes away from the pain that we are supposed to think these characters have suffered.

One of the worst things about suffering from abuse is how is affects the victims even when they have left the abusive relationship, but crwby seems to want to erase that completely from characters who should experience that for plot convenience.

It seems like the lesson learned from this is "if you were abused, just get over it and be convenient to our heroes or else!" And it's pretty gross imo.

Thoughts?

I thought that I would put these two asks together and take this opportunity to talk about the abuse victims in RWBY and how they're handled. I've tried to think long and hard about what to say about this, because this is an important topic to me and something that's personal for me. I'm an abuse survivor, but I have a complicated relationship with that part of myself and I'm never really comfortable talking about it much. But despite the fact that I've experienced abuse, I recognize that I'm not a professional sensitivity editor, not a therapist, and not someone who's studied the effects of abuse.

I'm simply writing this based on my own feelings and what I've picked up witnessing other abuse victims discuss their own feelings about abused character. There will be RWBY criticism below the keep reading. Please keep in mind that I'm not speaking for all abuse survivors and am only trying to articulate my own feelings in regards to this issue.

The first thing to note is that there isn't one, correct, right way to write an abuse victim in my opinion. Lots of people have different reactions and responses to abuse, the way they were abused is often also different, causing different reactions.

In the first anon, it's noted that Emerald and Whitley both seem to move on from their abuse quickly and with very little effect on them or their stories. Many abuse victims put their experiences on the back burner or 'in a box' to deal with later, or mask and pretend that they're alright or that their abuse just didn't happen. Some of them let their feelings or their anger simmer over time. There are also abuse victims who do just... Move on with relative ease. I'd imagine that's very rare though. (again, I'm not not an expert or any sort of psychologist.)

In the same way, an abuse victim becoming an abuser in their own interactions is something that one hundred percent happens. Cinder, Salem, Adam, and even Blake and Winter have all acted in abusive ways towards the people around them (though obviously Blake and Winter acted much less abusive than any of the villains mentioned.) It might be very hard for abuse victims to not fall back into those patterns of abuse that they've suffered, especially if they go through it at an early age. I'm not very comfortable talking about my own experiences, but myself and my siblings have all had to fight down toxic, hurtful traits that we picked up either through emulating or through survival. And it's hard to do that. Portraying characters who have been abused that lost that fight and might have abusive tendencies or slip themselves is - to me at least - sometimes even helpful in working through my own feelings.

And there are definitely one hundred percent abuse victims who feel like the way they were treated is deserved, that they 'earned' it, that they must 'make up for it.' Oz is in this category. There's nothing wrong with the concept of a character who feels responsible for their abuser or the hurt their abuser has caused to others, there’s nothing wrong with a character who tends to act as though everything is their fault and who thinks very poorly of themselves.

In theory. But the problem is that in application, there are a lot of pitfalls and struggles that come with writing for abuse victims. Understanding, thoughtfulness, and care are not the RWBY writers’ strength, and any time you portray real life issues that strongly impact the real life people involved in them, you have to be aware and careful with the messages you’re sending. This is obviously very important when someone writes for any minority or oppressed group or the issues that they face, but it’s also important to remember when you write for abuse victims, because they do have stigmas around them and deal with stereotypes and harmful portrayals as well. Let’s look at what I consider some harmful or hurtful pitfalls when it comes to abused characters.

Are the abused characters treated as the victims they are? If the abuse a character faces is treated as comical, treated as unimportant, or treated as deserved, that’s an obvious major flaw. Sad to say, but RWBY does not pass this. On two separate occasions, a character is hit by someone close to them in a way that clearly causes them some pain, with Blake hitting Sun across the face for following her, and Winter hitting Weiss for answering a question incorrectly and again for failing in her training (I tend to be more sympathetic towards Blake’s situation, as it is more gray with her clearly thinking Sun had stalked her which is a clear trigger from her own abuse, but this is an explanation, not an excuse and the fact that it was framed as funny rather than something Blake shouldn’t have done and should apologize for is the problem.) They also do not treat Ozpin like the victim when Qrow punches him in the face, having no one call Qrow out for it and having him never express guilt or try to apologize for it. Yes, I know Ozpin had retreated, but they never showed Qrow even make an effort to get Ozpin to come back so he could apologize. . They also ‘redeem’ Hazel and give him a ‘partially right’ storyline despite his openly beating Ozpin, unfairly blaming him for the death of his sister, and insisting that Ozpin deserved to be tortured. On top of this, despite having been horribly abused by the SDC, Adam isn’t treated with even an ounce of sympathy or understanding and Jacques Schnee and the SDC is treated like a more comical-ish nuisance in season seven and eight. This is greatly flawed. Hitting someone because they lied to you or kept secrets from you is not okay, hitting someone because they said something you don’t like is not okay. This should not be treated as funny and it shouldn’t be treated as the fault of the person who was hit for not being a good enough friend.

Are the abused characters mostly villains, when the heroes have never faced it? The reason for this is obvious, although it’s valid to have a villain be an abuse victim, it’s never alright to villainize abuse victims. Making the majority of your bad guys abuse victims and your good guys have positive relationships is in my opinion, harmful. Point for RWBY, this is not the case for their show. Mercury, Salem, and Cinder on the bad side are all abuse victims with Raven being a possible, but unconfirmed abuse victim as well. While Weiss, Blake, Ozpin, and Whitley are also abuse victims, with Qrow and May both being possible, but unconfirmed abuse victims, and Winter and Emerald are both abuse victims who were on the side of a villain and then turned good.

Is the abuse more severe in the ‘bad’ characters and lighter in the ‘good’ characters? If the abuse that the good guys faced is mostly lighter things and the abuse that the villains suffered is worse and more severe, that might send some bad messages that people who suffer more are automatically worse people, or ‘unsalvageable’ or ‘too broken,’ as opposed to the people that ‘there’s still hope for.’ Unfortunately, I think RWBY is almost a tie? We’ve never seen Weiss or Emerald suffer more than a hit, we don’t know for sure that Whitley or Winter were ever victims of physical abuse. Ozpin and Blake’s abuse is worse, however, as they are hunted down by their abusers who attempt to murder them, make them suffer, and hurt their loved ones. They also were heavily emotionally manipulated and victim blamed by their abusers. And on the villain side, Mercury was beat by his father who hated him and stole his semblance (an extension of your soul, I believe, in canon,) and the abuse led to the loss of his limbs. Cinder was forced to work hard labor by her abusive employer and the ‘stepsisters’ treated her badly, and she was physically electrocuted. We see her abuse extend to Salem using her Grimm arm to hurt her, copying the effects of the necklace. Adam was also a child laborer who worked in terrible conditions who got his face branded by his employer, in the SDC, which had to have been anti-faunus charged due to his bull horns. We don’t see Salem ever physically abused, but know that she was mistreated, isolated, and neglected by her ‘cruel’ father. So it’s not quite a tie, there are more severely abused characters amongst the villains than the heroes, but this is close enough that I don’t consider this much of a strike against them.

In the villains, is the abuse they faced given as ‘reason’ for their villainy? As I said before, villainizing abuse victims isn’t the way to go. A good way to avoid this - I think - is not have abuse be the sole reason for someone’s fall into a life of crime or cruelty. This is something that RWBY... Fails at imo. When showing us Mercury’s backstory, we’re introduced to him through seeing that he had just killed his abuser who cost him his legs, and then gets recruited by Cinder who at the very least likely emotionally and physically abused him the same way she did with Emerald, leading to the conclusion that the only reason he’s there at all is due to abuse. However, he’s just a teen and it’s possible that (like Emerald) he’ll be redeemed. A much more condemning story to talk about is Cinder’s. After people had been clambering for a Cinder backstory since volume three, RWBY finally showed us one. But it doesn’t include Cinder meeting Salem, why she joined her, her proving herself, none of that. Instead, Cinder’s backstory was entirely focused on her abusive situation as a child, entirely focused on her suffering. Cinder killing her abusers and then killing the teacher who decided to arrest her for getting herself out of her abusive situation was portrayed as the only needed backstory, the explanation to why she’s a power hungry, abusive, cruel, selfish, and just plain evil person. ‘She was abused’ is the explanation for why Cinder is where she is and why she is who she is in RWBY. That’s highly problematic to me.

In the heroes, are they “the Perfect, Sanitized Abuse Victims?” As I said before, there is no one type of abuse victim, but if someone has several abuse victims and they’re all either submissive, sad, and self-doubting, but gentle and caring and soft or dropped their abuser like a hotcake and never looked back, never seem affected, never really talk about it after they left... That’s bothersome to me personally. Measuring how RWBY is in this particular subject is... A little harder than I thought it would be. Let’s start by looking at the most prevalent abuse victim, Blake. She’s one of the reasons why this is hard to gauge, because for the first five seasons, Blake was deeply flawed and clearly affected by her abuse in ways that made her ‘unappealing.’ Blake was cynical, stubborn, cold, hard to get to know, she didn’t trust easily, she lashed out at her friends regularly, ran from her problems, made choices for her friends, and had a very negative self image. This didn’t stop her from being a good character and friend with a lot of good sides, too, and she had real, important friendships. This was - to me - a really great portrayal of someone clearly affected by their trauma, with lots to work on, who was still a good person. Some of her faults and problems started to get resolved in a natural way through her journey with Sun in volumes four and five, but when season six came around, many of Blake’s other traits suddenly vanished. No longer stubborn, independent, or cynical, and no longer standing up for herself, or really displaying her temper or hardheadedness or her struggles with getting to know people... Blake became more submissive, sad, self-doubting, but gentle, caring, and soft. Sigh. As the first ask mentioned, Whitley and Emerald both seemed to drop their abusers quickly the second they were removed from their lives again. it’s also worth noting that Whitley was treated with nothing but coldness and contempt by Weiss until he ‘proved himself’ by doing something selfless. Weiss did more or less drop Jacques the moment she left her house in V4, only mentioning him or her experiences when she’s using it to talk about Blake, and when she confronted him again in V7, she did so as someone who is proving she no longer cares. Ozpin seems to be the only one still unable to move on from his abuse and the ‘unappealing’ abuse victim. The first anon is right, there’s something satisfying with seeing an abuse victim move on like their abuser didn’t matter. But when almost all your abuse victims do, and one of the only other ones is turned into a submissive and soft support based / romance based character, and the only really ‘unappealing’ abuse victim is someone we’re supposed to see as ‘gray’... There’s something off there, in my opinion.

Were the abuse victims treated respectfully and thoughtfully by their friends, and if not, were they portrayed as wrong? This probably isn’t something that really even needs an explanation. Abuse victims should be able to set their own boundaries and tell their stories only when they want, when they feel comfortable, Their friends should be understanding of this and not force anything from them. In the case of Blake and Weiss, this is handled really well! Their friends let them talk about their experiences in their own time, and they’re understanding and validate their feelings when it comes up (much more common with Blake than with Weiss, who like I said, seemed to move on from her dad quickly after she left.) However, when it comes to Oz... This is all wrecked. Although unintentional (no one knew how deeply tied up with Salem Ozpin was or how intimate the memories they were going to watch were,) our main characters still forced Ozpin’s deepest and most personal secrets out of him in a fit of upset while he was tearfully begging them not to. He was forced to relive his most traumatic experiences in hi-def with other people watching with him, all his secrets and all his abuse wrenched away from him in what was clearly a very painful way. And then no one showed Ozpin even the slightest bit of sympathy or understanding for what he’d gone through, and no one ever apologized for what they had forced him to relive. In fact, Team RWBY were clearly displayed as in the right, and Oz was displayed as completely wrong for not trusting them implicitly. He had to apologize to them, which they acted begrudgingly accepting of as if they hadn’t shouted at an abuse victim after forcing him to relive all his worst experiences.

Are some abuse victims portrayed as bad for things that other abuse victims aren’t portrayed as bad for? Like the second ask says, in RWBY, Cinder and Mercury are treated as villains for having killed their abusers and Cinder is almost arrested for it, it’s considered a step in the direction of their villainy. But Blake is (rightfully) treated as the victim who was forced, who had no choice, who just wanted the abuse to stop. This is hypocritical and fundamentally flawed. I think this is a reflection of the fact that Cinder and Mercury are meant to be ‘bad’ abuse victim, who had violent tendencies and anger issues, and were already featured as bad guys before their backstory’s dropped, whereas Blake was meant to be a better abuse victim who (by season six) was starting to get written as a soft girl who just wanted to help her friends.

All in all, although there’s some things that I think that RWBY did well enough, I definitely think that I would consider their portrayal of abuse victims to be lacking. This is just my opinion and the way I feel about the writing, but there are a lot of ways to look at it. I think overall, I just really wish that the RWBY writers had been a little more sensitive and spent a little longer focusing on the character arcs involved in abuse recovery. (There’s still a chance for Whitley, Weiss, and Emerald to get more focus in volume ten, though, so long as the writers don’t timeskip!)

#rwde #rwby criticism #rwby critical #rwby hate #rwby bashing #tw; abuse #trigger warning; abuse