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aceghosts · 3 years

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Fair Game Week 2021 Day 5

Prompt 5: Hands/Breaking Rules

Title: Disaster Has a Way of Remaking Our Hearts

Rating: M

Word Count: 4,490 words.

Summary: Five times Qrow and Clover reach out or hold out their hand for each other and the one time they make contact.

Warnings: Volume 8 spoilers, Major Character Death, Body Horror, V7CH12, Mentions of Alcoholism, Implied Past Child Abuse, and Possible Suicidal thoughts. (I tried to tag for everything that could be potentially triggering. If I missed anything, please let me know.)

Ships: Fair Game, Tai/Raven if you squint in the background.

AO3 Link

Qrow and Clover are working on a mission together. Again. He’s not sure why they keep being paired together besides the obvious: their semblances. Clover’s good fortune appears to be stronger than his own misfortune. Qrow is not complaining; it’s just odd. He’s so used to working on his own, to being on his own. Currently, they’re sitting at a booth in a bar in Mantle, watching their suspect drinking alone at the bar. Qrow sips on his water while Clover pretends to drink his own beer. “So, about working alone...”

“Don’t.” Qrow cuts Clover off. He doesn’t understand why Clover keeps bringing this up. Clover should despise him, want to spend as little time as possible around Qrow. Instead, Clover finds a way to spend time with him, even outside of missions.

Clover raises an eyebrow. “You don’t know what I was going to say.” Qrow shoots him a look and Clover holds his hands up in surrender. “Maybe, you do. I think we make a good team, don’t you?”

Qrow loathes to admit it, but they do make a good team. Almost as good as him and Summer. Almost as good as him and the rest of team STRQ. Qrow finds that Clover can read him easily, almost knowing what Qrow might be planning ahead of time. “Sure, but you’ve got the Ace-Ops. You should be worried about how well you work with them.”

“I do, but have you ever thought about joining another team? I’m sure James would gladly offer you a place in Atlas.”

Qrow snorts. Apparently, Clover never got the message about trying to recruit Qrow. Jimmy made the mistake of it once when they first met. Qrow nearly laughed for a half-hour straight, before tearing him a new one. Shaking his head, Qrow replies with an edge of biting humor. “No. Besides, the kids need me. What would they do without the semi-functioning, unstable adult figure in their life?”

“That’s not true. You’re more than just a semi-functioning, unstable adult figure in their life. You’re their mentor.” Clover paused. “Have you ever thought about what you might do after they don’t need you anymore?”

Qrow never thinks about a world after Salem. Truthfully? When he was younger, he always assumed that he might not get to see that world and that his semblance would make it impossible for him to be around someone long term. After hearing Jinn? Qrow knows he’ll never see a world without Salem. Either they fail and Salem wins this war. Or Qrow dies trying to help the kids. He’s willing to die if it means that they can fix whatever mess Salem and Oz dragged Remnant into. “No.”

Clover frowns. “You should think about it. This war won’t last forever.”

He resists the urge to snort. Qrow is fairly sure this isn’t the type of war you win. You only manage to “win it” if you manage to out survive the other side. “Sure.” Qrow replies flippantly, glancing over at the suspect they’re watching. The suspect takes another sip of his beer, slightly twitchy. He keeps looking around the bar, acting extremely shady. There’s a briefcase by his feet with illegal dust. In the wrong hands, that dust will get someone killed.

Clover reaches for Qrow’s hands. “That’s not-“

The man chugs the rest of his beer down, slamming it down on the bar. He scopes the briefcase up as he jumps down from the stool. “He’s on the move.” Qrow says, moving his hands before Clover can grab them. Clover nods and they get up from their table as the man moves to exit the front door.

“We’re not done having this conversation. Think about this, Qrow. There could be a place for you here.”

“Sure.” There is no place for Qrow. No place for anyone to be safe around him.

II.

Harbinger sails through the air fluidly as Qrow brings the scythe down on Clover. Clover easily launches the hook of Kingfisher, hooking on one of the tall columns in the Atlas Academy training rooms. Using Kingfisher as a grappling hook, Clover barely evades Harbinger as it bears down on him. He lands behind Qrow gracefully with a flip in the air, Kingfisher’s hook retracting back. Qrow spins around, Harbinger striking again. Flipping backward, Clover laughs. “I wouldn’t want you as my enemy.” He teases with a smirk on his lips.

“Same here. Don’t know that I’d be able to take you.” Qrow retorts, a smirk on his own face. It’s been so long that he’s sparred with another Huntsman. Hell, it’s been so long since he’s been around another Huntsman that wasn’t related to him, a child, or part of team STRQ.

Clover shakes his head. “I think you could.” He wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “I’ve seen footage of your fights and having firsthand experience with you in the field…I know why James holds you in such high regards.”

Qrow’s smirk morphs into a frown. An ugly, nasty thought vocalizes in his head. He’s just being nice to you out of professional courtesy. Qrow shakes the thought off; he would have known now if Clover was being polite for Jimmy’s sake. When Oz was still alive, people would always feign kindness to Qrow, hoping to get closer to Oz. Clover wasn’t like the others; he felt genuine, real. “Jimmy holds you in the same high regard. I think you have a better chance than you know.”

Kingfisher strikes out, whipping at Qrow. Harbinger whirs back into sword mode. With ease, Qrow deflects Kingfisher’s hook. Clover smiles, reeling Kingfisher back. “We should make a bet out of this. If I win, you get to buy me dinner. If you win, I buy you dinner.” Clover shifts into a sword-fighting stance, plotting his next move.

Qrow laughs. “Hungry?”

Clover shrugs coyly, before rushing towards Qrow. Harbinger and Kingfisher clash against each other. Qrow and Clover push towards each other, coming in close. Qrow tries to ignore how close Clover is and how it makes his stomach twist. “I might be a little hungry, or maybe, I want some enjoyable company at dinner.”

Qrow raises an eyebrow. “Not sure how much fun I’d be. Maybe, you should ask Ice Queen. I hear she’s the real life of the party.”

Clover nearly loses his grip, a snort of laughter escaping from him. “Winter really isn’t the type of company that I enjoy.”

“Oh, and what would be the type of company you enjoy?”

“Well, there is this one Huntsman. He’s not from Atlas, out of town actually. Black Hair, Red eyes, a perpetual five o’clock shadow. You know him?”

Before Qrow can answer with a smart quip, the door to the training room slides open. Harriet strides in with Marrow hot on her heels. “General Ironwood needs us.” She says, glancing suspiciously between the two. Her arms cross over her chest and she shoots a questioning look at Clover. Qrow and Clover relax, stepping away from each other and holstering their weapons.

“You guys are training? Can I join you next time?” Marrow asks, looking with excitement between the two. His tail wags eagerly. Qrow likes him; He thinks Marrow has the making of a good Huntsman.

“Do you need the kids and I to join this meeting?” Qrow asks, concern settling over him.

“No. General Ironwood asked for the Ace-Ops only.”

Clover shoots him a sad smile. “Sorry, I’ll have to cut our training session short.”

Qrow shakes his head. “Don’t apologize for it. We’ll settle who buys dinner next time.”

Clover’s smile brightens. “I look forward to it.” With that, Clover starts to head out of the room, Harriet, and Marrow on his heels. Qrow reaches out, wanting to take Clover’s hand. He wants to tell him good luck, to be safe. He’ll swear it’s for the bet, but they will both know it’s more than that. Because Qrow cares, more than he normally does. By the time, Qrow finds his voice, Clover is long gone.

III.

Qrow always hated fancy parties; it’s one of the few things he missed about being part of a bandit tribe. You didn’t have to go to stupid parties, where people would try to one-up each other in a game of who is the bigger asshole. He remembers as a child that the tribe would gather around the fire, drink in hand. They would loudly tell tales of their exploits and misdeeds, teasing each other fondly. Qrow likes the man his father was in those moments; he always wished as a child that his father would be that man the rest of the time.

Behind him, Qrow hears a waiter ask a guest if they would like a drink. Alcohol made these parties just bearable; without it, it was even worse. He won’t slip up; He can’t slip up. A nervous sigh escapes him, his eyes closing briefly. “This party is that boring, huh?”

Qrow opens his eyes, finding Clover next to him. They’re both leaning on the balcony railing of the Schnee Mansion, under the Atlas night sky. “More like it’s not my scene.”

“Really now? You didn’t have to go to much of these while in Vale?” Clover asks.

Qrow shakes his head. “Oz knew better than to ask me to go to anything like this, and Jimmy never asked. Probably afraid I would offend someone while shitfaced. What about you?”

Clover looks down at his hands. “I’ve had to go to a lot of parties like this. Not just as an Atlas Specialist, but also as a child. My parents worked for an Atlas tech company, deeply intertwined with the military. They usually brought my younger sister and I along with them as a way to show us off. Usually, there weren’t any other children there, but I didn’t mind. My sister and I made our own fun.” Looking at Qrow, he asks, “What about you?”

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Qrow replies, “I was, uh, raised in a bandit tribe with my twin sister, Raven. Bandits don’t hold fancy parties like this. The dances at Beacon are the closest I got to something like this.”

“You have a twin?” Clover blurts out.

Qrow laughs, relieved that Clover wasn’t judging him for growing up in a bandit tribe. People tended to be weird about finding out Qrow’s childhood in a bandit tribe. Most would look at him with mistrust and fear, which really wasn’t all that different than how they normally looked at him before learning he grew up with Bandits. “Yeah, Raven and I don’t talk much anymore. She tried to kill the kids and I while getting the relic.” Qrow feels a twinge of pain in his chest. Up until that fight at Haven Academy, Qrow thought there wasn’t anything Raven could do to have him not consider her his sister.

Clover blinks, surprised. “Wow. I think the worst thing my younger sister did was trying to blame the breaking of an ugly vase on me.” Qrow laughs, glad that at least one of them had a semi-normal childhood. “Wait! Does that mean you don’t know how to dance?”

Qrow frowns. “I know how to dance.” He grumbles, trying to ignore the memories of the dances at Beacon. He remembers Raven covering her face in shame, trying to convince everyone that he wasn’t her twin brother. Tai and Summer would double over in laughter, even joining in with Qrow and doing their own terrible dances. He would always yell for Raven to join them. She always did, after much coaxing from Qrow, Tai, and Summer.

“You don’t!” Clover pushes off the balcony, holding his hand out for Qrow. “I’ll teach you; it’ll be fun. We can start with a simple waltz.”

“I don’t know…” Qrow said, pushing off the balcony.

“Let me teach you, Qrow. I make a great dance partner.” Clover said, his enthusiasm contagious.

Looking at Clover’s hand with uncertainty, Qrow decides to give this a shot and reaches out for Clover’s hand. Unfortunately, Winter Schnee makes an appearance, bursting through the door. “Specialist Ebi, General Ironwood is asking for you.” Qrow snatches his hand back, almost as if he were burnt. Winter Schnee narrows her eyes, glaring at Qrow. She still hasn’t forgiven him for the theft of an Atlas ship, even though it was the kids’ idea.

Clover withdraws his hand, sighing in disappointment. “I’m sorry. I have to- “

Qrow waves him off. “You can teach me at the next insufferable Atlas ball I’m dragged to.”

Clover smirks. “I’ll consider it a date.”

IV.

A storm of emotions race through Qrow as he stares down Clover. Guilt. Doubt. Betrayal. Heartbreak. Qrow just wanted to trust Clover. Godsdamnit, he just wanted to trust someone, who wasn’t the team of children he was responsible for. He wanted someone who could be safe from the curse that hangs over him. He thought he could trust Clover; he thought-. Qrow hears Raven in his head, chiding him for being so childish. Love and Trust get you nowhere little brother. He shakes his head, focusing on Clover. Qrow will make it back to the kids, one way or another.

Across from him, Clover stands, ready with Kingfisher in perfect fighting form. Qrow knows this won’t be an easy battle; they’ve been working together for too long. Their sparring matches usually end in draws, and Qrow knows he’s started to pick up on the small touches of Clover’s fighting style. And vice versa. “Qrow, I’m taking you in. You have two choice: You can come with me willingly or I will use force against you.”

Instead of pulling Harbinger out, Qrow simply holds his hand out for Clover to take. A chance for him to walk away from this. A chance to trust that Qrow knows what he’s doing. He needs to offer him this one last chance, one last chance to change his mind. Qrow refuses to let the whole situation go down like this; he won’t be able to forgive himself. “Clover, please, don’t do this. We need to talk to Jimmy, not turn on each other. This is what she wants.”

Clover stares at Qrow’s offered hand, and Qrow swears he can see a flicker of doubt cross Clover’s face. He believes that Clover might actually take his hand. At that moment, Qrow internally prays as hard as he can to the gods that Clover will take his hand. After a few seconds, Clover shakes his head, and Qrow’s heart feels like it’s being ripped apart. “I can’t do that, Qrow. I would have preferred not to do this.” He lashes out with Kingfisher, aiming to take Qrow down quickly.

Qrow is quick enough to roll out of the way, unholstering Harbinger fluidly. Both hands grip the handle of Harbinger, holding on for dear life. His knuckles are turning white from how hard he’s gripping. He tries to ignore the gaping hole in his chest, the urge to cry. I thought I could trust you; I thought we-.

Clover manages to yank Qrow forward with Kingfisher, jerking him from his thoughts. His fist swings up, knocking Qrow backward. Qrow stumbles backward, Harbinger still in his hands. He uses the motion to put some distance between him and Clover, switching Harbinger to Scythe mode. Whatever emotions he felt for Clover, Qrow knows he needs to put that behind him. He won’t go down without a fight. Other people are counting on Qrow. “You don’t have to do this,’ Qrow snarls, ‘You’re making a choice to.” He launches himself at Clover, Harbinger whistling as it slices through the air.

By the end of the night, Clover is dead.

Tai paces in front of him, angry and distraught. He wipes the tears from his red-rimmed blue eyes as tears continue to spill out. “I trusted you, Qrow! I trusted you to look after-‘ His breath catches, a sob choking out, ‘I trusted you to look after my daughters, Qrow.” Qrow looks away, unable to look Tai in the eyes. He’s right; Qrow colossally fucked up and got his nieces killed or worse. Qrow should have known that his semblance would get them hurt somehow. Just like how it got Clover-

The door to Tai’s small home in Patch swings open; both men turn to face a somber-looking Raven. She holds her helmet under her left arm, gripping it tightly. “Now is not the time to break down, Tai.” She says harshly. Qrow knows it’s the closest words of comfort Tai will get from Raven, but he wishes his sister could be more delicate about the matter. “I need both of you to focus. One of my scouts alerted me that Salem has sent a pack of Grimm this way. I’ve told them to leave the Grimm to us, but…we should get out of here soon.”

Tai nods. “I have everything packed. Just let me grab my weapons and Zwei, and then, we’ll be ready to go.”

Qrow and Raven watch Tai rush off, hearing him sniffle as he leaves. A second later, Qrow turns to Raven, glaring at her. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Raven glares back at him. “Why is my daughter missing?” She bites back, an undercurrent of grief in her tone. Qrow physically recoils as if he’s been slapped. The Branwen twins glare at each other, never wavering. Raven breaks first with a sigh. “My scout said something was leading the Grimm, but it wasn’t one of Salem’s usual lieutenants.”

“What does that mean?”

She glares at him with more ferocity. “It means that we’re fucked if they find us here. We need to leave-“ Raven cuts off as Tai enters the room.

His eyes are still red, but Tai is no longer crying. Zwei is in the backpack, head peeking out and releasing a hopeful bark. Tai checks his gauntlets, confirming they still work. A jolt of guilt hits Qrow, remembering how Yang based Ember Celica after her father’s weapons. That guilt won’t do him any good now; all he can do is make sure that Raven, Tai, and the kids get back to Remnant safe. He’s willing to forfeit his life for that. “I’m ready to go.” Tai says quietly, giving them a watery smile.

“Good, we need to leave now.” Raven says, a worried edge to her tone. Qrow motions for her to lead them, and so she does. Raven slips her helmet on before opening the door with Tai and Qrow on her heels. Tai looks back fondly at the little house, and Qrow wonders if he is thinking of Ruby and Yang.

“We’ll get them back, Tai. I promise. You, Ruby, and Yang will all see this home again.” Qrow comforts him, placing his hand on Tai’s shoulder and squeezing it comfortingly.

“Thanks, Qrow.” Tai speaks, his voice barely a whisper. It kills Qrow to see Tai in this state. It reminds him of when Raven left. When Summer died.

Raven draws Omen from its scabbard, slicing through the air. A portal opens, a loud whooshing sound escaping from it. “Ready to go? We don’t have long.” Behind her, there is a loud roar, and a Beowolf exits from the forest, heading for Raven.

Qrow quickly unholsters Harbinger, defending his sister from the Beowolf. “GO! I’ll follow!” He shouts, slicing through the same Beowolf. He catches a glimpse of Tai, running through the portal. Zwei growls as they go through, transported to wherever his nieces are now.

Raven moves closer to the portal. “We need to go. NOW!” She shouts.

Qrow runs towards her after finishing off the Grimm attacking him. As he runs toward the portal, Qrow hears someone call his name. “Qrow!” He turns around, finding a ghost from his past. A very recent ghost from his past. Qrow stops dead in his tracks, Harbinger nearly slipping from his hands.

Raven gasps behind him. “What is that?”

Clover Ebi steps from the forest, half-man, and half-Grimm. Half his body is covered by the same dark substance that the Grimm are comprised of. It spreads from Clover’s wound, like a gory display of vines reclaiming an abandoned building. A jolt of guilt runs through Qrow. Qrow searches this thing’s eyes: one the familiar vibrant green of Clover and the other eye the scarlet red of the Grimm. Half his face is still human, the other half warped by whatever Salem has done to him. He holds his human hand out for Qrow to take, a mocking gesture. “Qrow….” He growls again. His Grimm hand tightens around Kingfisher.

“We need to go, now.” Raven hisses, her hand grabbing Qrow’s wrist. She drags him through the portal as Qrow stares on in shock and horror. He stumbles a few times, hearing a mournful howl as the portal closes behind them.

VI.

Deftly blocking Tyrian’s wrist blades with Harbinger, Qrow knows he needs to gain the upper fight in this fight quickly. Yang, Ruby, and their friends are on their way to confront Salem. Qrow stayed behind to deal with Tyrian, who always seemed to show up at the most inopportune moments. For all Tyrian had done, Qrow would not allow him to leave with his life. He was going to end this once and for all. Qrow pushes back on Harbinger, knocking Tyrian backward. “You know, I’m surprised you’re still using your weapon after….” Tyrian trails off, a mocking smile on his face.

Qrow narrowly dodges his stinger, rushing at him with Harbinger. Tyrian blocks his blow again. “Harbinger is still a part of me, no matter what.” Qrow growls. Even with all the bad memories. Harbinger has been at his side through everything. He isn’t letting go of it.

“It won’t be a part of you much longer.” Tyrian snarls, lashing out at Qrow with his stinger. Shit! He’s not going to be able to dodge this one.

FWSH! A hook sails through the air catching Tyrian’s stinger. He falls backward as the grappling hook of Kingfisher pulls him backward away from Qrow. Tyrian turns around, an expression of pure rage on his face. “Her Grace gives you life and this is how you repay her?” He screeches, flecks of spit escaping from this mouth.

Clover looks at Tyrian with pity. “This isn’t life; this is a curse.” He speaks, his voice a mixture of Human and Grimm. Clover looks over at Qrow. “I don’t know how long I have but let me help you stop him.” Qrow’s jaw drops for a second before he regains composure. He’s not quite willing to trust whatever Clover is now, but he’s willing to fight alongside him to stop Tyrian. Taking advantage of the situation, Qrow attacks Tyrian, bringing Harbinger down as hard as he can. Tyrian’s aura cracks under the pressure of Harbinger, completely dissolving and knocking Tyrian backward.

Clover releases Tyrian, to avoid being knocked back with him. He moves next to Qrow, almost nervous to be next to him. “Are you hurt?” Clover asks, softly enough for Qrow to hear.

“I’m fine.” Qrow says, readying Harbinger. Emotions swirl within him, mainly confusion and anger. He knows he can’t do this with Clover, at least, not right now. “Let’s just take care of this.”

Clover looks hurt, nodding. “Right.”

Tyrian screeches, launching himself at the pair. Qrow and Clover dodge out of his path, separating from each other. Salem’s stronghold rumbles, pieces of debris falling from the ceiling. “We have to do this quick!” Qrow yells.

“Distract him.” Clover yells back. Qrow moves without acknowledgment of Clover’s statement. Quickly shifting Harbinger into scythe mode, Qrow hits Tyrian with Harbinger fast and quick. The scythe moves in his hand as if it is just another limb of Qrow’s Tyrian tries to glance back at Clover, but never gets the chance. Qrow’s quick strikes never let his attention shift. Kingfisher’s sails past Qrow, wrapping around Tyrian, pinning his arms and stinger against his body. Taking the opportunity, Qrow lops off Tyrian’s head, finally ending this fight once and for all. Tyrian’s body slumps to the ground as Clover releases him. Both men sigh, something they didn’t realize they had been holding in.

“Qrow, I need-“ BANG! The wall next to Clover explodes, the force propelling him out the window.

“CLOVER!” Qrow screams, running towards the window. On instinct, he leaps out the window, racing after Clover. Clover falls farther and farther away from him. He wasn’t going to lose him, not again. Using the shotgun part of Harbinger, Qrow propels himself forward, racing to meet Clover. He reaches out to Clover, their hands meeting and clasping around each other. Using the blade of Harbinger, Qrow slows their descent, finally stopping them. “Are you okay?” Qrow asks, looking down at Clover.

Clover looks up at him, a mixture of resignation and sadness. “Qrow, you have to-“

“Don’t you dare suggest I let go.” Qrow’s not letting go; he’s never letting go again. Looking around, Qrow spies a window. A plan quickly formulates in his mind. “Clover, if I use Harbinger to propel us up, can you hook onto that window?”

Clover nods. “I think I should be able to reach it with Kingfisher and reel us both in.”

Qrow nods, using the shotgun on Harbinger. He throws Clover up, praying that he’ll reach the window. Clover throws Kingfisher, the hook sailing up towards the window. It catches on the top, sinking into the wall. With a simple button press, Kingfisher reels them both up. They climb in through the window, relieved to see no Grimm around. “Thanks.” Qrow says, turning to Clover.

“It’s not-“ Clover cuts off as a groan of pain escapes him, collapsing towards the ground. Qrow catches him, Clover resting in his lap.

“Clover? Clover?” Qrow calls his name. No, not this again. Clover’s eyes close, stilling in Qrow’s hand. He can’t stop the tears leaking out, the mournful wail escaping from him. Even after all this, he loses Clover again. “I love you. I love you.” Qrow repeats, the only thing he can say.

As he mourns the man he loves, something magical happens. Golden dust settles over Salem’s stronghold, clearing away the darkness. As the golden dust settles on Clover, the Grimm parts recede, leaving only the human parts behind. Clover twitches, a sign of life. His eyes open and he looks up at Qrow. “Why are you crying?” He asks. Qrow can’t believe it; his nieces and their teammates must have done it. They saved Remnant.

Qrow doesn’t answer, his lips crushing against Clover’s. His heart feels full, alive once again. Clover kisses back, a soft laugh escaping from him. “I love you too.” Clover states softly, as they break apart for a moment. Qrow can only kiss him again, grateful to be alive at this moment.

#RWBY #Qrow Branwen #Clover Ebi #fairgameweek2021 #Fair Game #kate writes #the warnings make this sound way darker than it is #Scenes 1-3 are nice #Scenes 4 and 5 are the darkest #Scene 6 is kind of dark #but this has a happy ending #I swear #possible suicidal thoughts tw #v7ch12 #body horror tw

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robiness · 4 years

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Qrow was meant to be a punching bag (theory, V7CH12 spoilers)

tw: depression, one brief mention of suicide at the very end

Many are upset about the literal and narrative butchering of two beloved characters in RWBY V7E12. The initial and probably most popular argument against what happened is that it doesn’t make sense, why would these characters do what they did. And honestly, that reasonable reaction to the injustice was mine, too.

But now that I’ve “calmed down”, meaning I’m finally not in a whirlwind of blind rage, indignation, and devastation, I started thinking about “Why did they do that?” with some level of depth.

The answer I found is still unjust and disgusting, but at least it fell in line with something resembling logic.

Qrow enthusiasts have been complaining about his endless heartbreak. Why can’t be be happy for once? What’s the whole point in his recovery arc this volume if they’ll just scrap it? It’s like they put random tragedies on a dart board and the writers just started throwing.

Hear me out - they meant all of this. Every instance Qrow suffered is intended. They didn’t throw away his recovery arc because he was never meant to recover.

I think that they’re going to make him an antagonist at worst, or a man driven to the ultimate tragedy at best.

At this point, you’re probably like. What. Lol no. You’re as silly as the writers are.

But again, let me explain. I used to have that mindset of Qrow always being best but sad boy. A hero who just needs a chance.

There was NO way this man will ever go dark:

he probably thinks he lost summer to salem

his nieces are actively hunted by salem and her forces, and RWBY for sure ain’t changing sides

he’s always believed in the principles he has, and he’s always applied them. he’s a good Huntsman who cares, and knows his path

he believes in ruby’s determination and ability to probs save the world

But that’s the thing.

He’s ALWAYS stuck by the principles he learned from Ozpin. Betrayal after betrayal, he was crushed but managed to somehow bounce back.

This volume, he was on a good track. A good mind space. His kids are great, but then he met an equal - someone with literal plot armor against his Semblance. Misfortune is the reason why he stays away from the people he loves, why he blames himself for a lot of things, why he feels like baggage.

A person his age who could be a friend, or more. Huntsman of equal ability and maturity.

Queerbaiting aside (I’m sorry I ever used that phrase, I hate them too), Clover was a possibility. Here was a potential team partner, friend, lover, whatever, but the point is he was finally free to explore what a developing relationship is like because here’s a guy who kinda got him, and probably won’t be harmed by staying close for an extended period of time.

I think the chemistry in their fights solidified this too. Clover was someone who didn’t get in trouble by being at his side (except the first time in the mines, and Clover took it in stride and still succeeded).

Even better, Clover actually vocalizes that hey, it’s okay.

He doesn’t dismiss Qrow’s semblance, but he encourages Qrow to let go of the guilt a bit, that he’s worth more than his bad luck, and can continue to work around it.

Qrow was nowhere near full recovery, but he was definitely on the way with a bit of Clover’s help. Later, my precious man finally smiles for real... not his smirk or sad smiles to Ruby. He’s smiling for the enjoyment of the moment and things are looking up!

(slightly sorry for the gif below)

(V7CH12 gifs would be appropriate from here on, but I am NOT doing that to myself)

So what’s the point, Robiness? We all know how THAT story goes. Qrow gets trauma because it’s shown to him, yet again, that his Semblance fucks up the good things, that even someone with the most potential to be safe ISN’T. Not around him.

The whole crash was OOC, rushed and bad writing, whatever. But why did it happen?

Qrow is basically the poster boy for mental health in this show. He’s depressed, and to him AND to the outside world, he’s right in thinking he’s only going to hurt people. He’s been proven right, many times, that he is bad luck.

What’s different this time?

He didn’t have hope, the other times he was let down. He had hope for humanity, yes, and that he can somehow contribute to saving it.

But he’s never had hope for himself, that he could be more than his Semblance. Clover’s character gave that to him. He was already trying to quit drinking, but that was for Ruby and the other kids, and by extension their mission, but not for himself.

When CRWBY killed that hope, it killed anything inside of Qrow that could’ve thought that he could be a hero. Or even simply better than he was before.

He’s crushed, his mind is clouded. As Clover died, he wanted to kill Tyrian, then he wanted James to fall. The legal type of justice wouldn’t be enough to assuage his need for vengeance.

And he’s alone. Perhaps about to be arrested, I don’t know. But every other time he’s been crushed, he had the kids around to divert the attention even a little bit. But this time, there’s no one to help him process and move past this. No positivity from Ruby, no scolding from Yang to keep it together. No one.

If you’ve ever had mental illnesses, you could probably imagine being alone in that fragile state of mind.

And you know who’s the most likely to know where the heck he is and that he’s going through something? His sister, Raven, because of her Semblance.

Details have been important in how RWBY is told to the audience (though they retract when convenient lol). Sometimes, this includes release dates. February is the last month of winter, slowly turning into spring. Yes, I mean the Spring maiden.

Let’s talk about Raven.

She’s angry at her brother, also for feelings of betrayal. He betrayed their tribe, their values, everything they stood for. He left her, his sister. He chose Ozpin’s mission over her, even though their original plan was to just infiltrate Beacon to learn how to kill Huntsmen better.

This means she remembers a boy that had the same ideas and supported her and their family. I don’t think she can accept that this Qrow, the one we know, is her actual brother, how he should be. When it comes to Qrow, I think what matters to her the most is proving that she was right all along, that they should’ve just stuck together and kept to their practices.

And Qrow, regardless of the spring bit, if he encounters her as he is now... could easily believe that she was right. After all, the facts to him are:

He can’t escape his Semblance, ever.

He needs vengeance for Clover, because his death was his fucking fault. His attempt to deescalate the fight (leaving Harbinger in the snow) didn’t matter, because his bad luck won in the end.

A plausible 3. Doing things “the good way” “the right way” is never going to cut it for him because he is walking misfortune. Something will always go wrong.

So why not drop all fucks and go ahead full-force?

His mind isn’t in its best state right now, and all his decisions will of course be emotional.

We’ve known Qrow from point A depression to point B somewhat recovery to point C the last fucking straw. I think it’s something to consider that we’ve never heard anything about his youth, except that he used to believe in the brutality of their tribe. He never mentions it, and we don’t know anything about the circumstances that made him change, beyond “Ozpin gave him a place”.

He gave up his heritage just to be proven that brutality would have protected his loved ones better.

So yes, the punching bag theme, the endless misery, Clover’s death - all these are most likely building up to that shift in his character. We thought the eventual character shift would just be his recovery, but since that was scrapped, the only other way that makes sense is that he’s going to regress into someone that cannot be saved.

He’s not going to switch sides. He’s not going to stop loving his kids. He’s probably never going to join Salem.

But his methods will be more ruthless now, driven by heartbreak and rage and self-hatred. God knows how he’ll deal with anyone in his way. He’s not going to fucking listen. He listened to Clover, and where did that get him?

This way, the violent, straightforward way he used to know, this would protect his kids more efficiently, even if they don’t want him to go down that path. He’d probably leave them to protect them, and to be unhindered in his corner of the war.

He’ll think that this - to be a rage-filled killing machine - would be the best case scenario for him and the rest of the world. Kind of like how he followed RNJR from a distance, killing all the Grimm that could get in their way.

We thought he was a broken man before, but this has been escalating. It’s been probably planned out since before.

If you’re not convinced yet, remember:

RWBY loves literature parallels.

Leo Lionheart changed, and gave in to fear. The Cowardly Lion.

James Ironwood, the Tin Man, has proven that he’s thrown away his heart.

Qrow Branwen, the Scarecrow, was always fucking destined to lose his mind.

I don’t know what will happen after, what kind of sick tragic death he’ll end up with. Since they’re romanticizing his suffering so much, he’ll probably end up killing himself after his work’s done.

I have no idea how the details will go, but I’m pretty sure this is the path the writers will take. There is just no other reason I can fathom as to why they keep hurting my man. I want to be wrong, but I can’t think of anything else, unless some deus ex machina shit happens in the finale, but hell if I’m ever trusting CRWBY again.

And yeah, as a depressed person who relates to and loves Qrow, the idea of the message of “it’s never going to get better” fucking sucks.

#rwby #rwby theory #qrow branwen #clover ebi #i havent stopped being angry its just that im less incapacitated and more directed in my rage now #fair game #meta

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