#|| Qrow simultaneously being

[skidqrow]

🐦‍⬛Current list of kids Qrow has either adopted or fathered across the verses to date:

Ruby Rose - biological kiddo! What else would you expect?? He's finally opening up to Ruby about their true bonds and history. v:Great Pretenders || @silvcreyes

Weiss Schnee - runaway heiress who deposited herself on Qrow's doorstep. Probs could've picked a better father figure, but they're stuck together! v:Broken Home || @wintereign

Yang Xiao Long/Branwen - surrogate father acting in stead for Tai after Raven kidnapped Yang. Loves his niece like his own child; instigates rebellious streaks. v:I Want To Break Free || @clockwork---heart

[anthurak]

Ruby's and Yang's Family Reckoning

Has anyone else noticed how each of the post-Beacon arcs thus far have featured a member of Team RWBY returning home and reconciling/repairing issues with their family? Volumes 4 and 5 had Blake returning to Menagerie and reconciling with her parents, while Volumes 7 and 8 had Weiss returning to Atlas and helping repair the broken relationships with her siblings and mother.

With that in mind, I think it’s easy to imagine that Volumes 10 and 11 will be Ruby’s and Yang’s turn to sort out their long-standing family baggage. I mean, they’ve got two of their parents/parent-figures already in Vacuo, the third and their childhood home is just a quick bird-mom-portal away, and it turns out they ALSO recently got information that their fourth parent might not be as dead as they thought.

And here’s the other thing: we’ve also seen an escalation in just how complicated, dysfunctional and overall ‘fucked-up’ the family issues faced by our heroines have gotten over the last two arcs.

As many have noted, Blake has the only unambiguously good parents among her team, with the worst of the ‘issues’ they had to deal with being some simple estrangement. Instead, the real family ‘issues’ Blake had to deal with Volume 4 and 5 was reclaiming her family’s legacy, ie; the White Fang, from Adam and the Albain brothers.

Then we went from that, to the long-abused mess that is the Schnee family.

So going off that trend, as well as several other factors…

Yeah, I have NO doubt at this point that the STRQ family is going to find a way to be an even BIGGER fucked-up, messy, dysfunctional train wreck that Ruby and Yang are going to have to sift through and repair.

Now I know some people are probably wondering how Team STRQ could possibly be worse than the Schnees? After all, they had actual Worst-Dad™, Jacques Gele. How could Summer, Taiyang, Qrow and Raven be worse than that?

Here’s the thing though: The Schnee family may have been a wreck, but it was also a fairly uncomplicated wreck with a singular, easy-to-understand root cause; one utter shitbag who was making life terrible for everyone else. And the solution to the family problems (or at least the START of the solution) wound up being likewise simple and straightforward; just kick out the aforementioned utter shitbag and the family can start healing. I mean, it took less than a day after Jacques was given the boot for Weiss, Willow, Whitley and even Winter to make major steps in patching things up between them.

The STRQ family on the other hand aren’t going to be anywhere NEAR that simple. They are ACTUALLY messy and dysfunctional and complicated and ambiguous and all the other things fandom claims to love yet more often seems to just break their black-and-white-morality-loving brains when they actually see it.

Because unlike the Schnees, Team STRQ DOESN’T actually have just one terrible person who can easily be pointed to as the root cause of their problems (No, not even Raven)*. Instead, I think it’s becoming more and more apparent that Summer, Raven, Qrow and Tai are simultaneously good people who all love their daughters and genuinely want the best for them, and are also all MASSIVE dysfunctional fuck-ups in each their own way who have FAILED Ruby and Yang as parents in one way or another.

Summer the ‘supermom’ who also obsessively chased her hero-complex into martyrdom.

Raven the ‘daddy had a good reason for leaving you’ who actually didn’t have a good reason.

Qrow the ‘cool uncle’ who’s actually spent the last 15+ years wallowing in alcoholic depression.

Taiyang the at-first seeming ‘reliable’ father who turns out to actually be a MASSIVELY dysfunctional wreck.

All while Ruby AND Yang can both state openly and matter-of-factly that YANG was the one to RAISE RUBY. The kind of sibling relationship we might generally expect to see in two orphans. Which does NOT, in any context, speak highly of the parenting they received.

And I think Volumes 10 and 11 are going to be when the story finally shines a light on all those problems and forces Ruby and Yang to finally confront them.

Simply put, I think this is going to be when the story effectively yanks the rug out from under us and flips the script on basically everything we, plus Ruby and Yang, long assumed about Team STRQ has been wrong. Or alternatively for Ruby and Yang, everything that’s been right in front of them, yet have been refusing to confront all this time.

Things like just about everything Yang thought she knew about her family when she explained her backstory to Blake in Volume 2 (and which has served as the basis for nearly ALL of our assumptions about Team STRQ) turning out to be wrong in one way or another.

Or things like Taiyang being shown to be just as big a dysfunctional fuck-up parent as Qrow and Raven.

Or things like Qrow being called out for ditching the family pretty much just as much as Raven did to join Ozpin’s secret society.

Or Raven turning out to be Ruby’s dad.

Or Summer turning out to NOT actually be dead and is basically Salem’s Darth Vader via horrific grimm-hybridization.

And ultimately, just how much Summer, Raven, Qrow and Taiyang all FAILED Ruby and Yang as their parents, as illustrated, once again, by the fact that Ruby considers her primary parent-figure to be none of them, but rather YANG.

Ever since Volume 1 featured songs like Red Like Roses Part 2 and Gold, the fact that Yang raised Ruby has been a proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over Team STRQ. Representing the fact that that ALL of them, Summer, Raven, Qrow and Tai, FUCKED UP as parents.

And I think in the next couple volumes, that sword is finally going to fall.

--

*Okay, maybe Ozpin.

[itsclydebitches]

I think I sent an ask like this along time ago? IDK though.

The weird thing about Oz is that it feels like there was stuff they could have brought up if they wanted us to view him in a darker light that they just...dont

Like, that whole thing with Oz conquering the world with Salem and tricking people into worshipping them as gods. Yeah he eventually saw what he was doing was wrong, but that was after he and Salem had 4 kids. So for a long-ass time he was an imperialist god-king

Or the part where he nearly attacked Ruby once she asked Jinn the question.

It just...feels like those are totally things that should be discussed more. But instead they focus on a bunch of other things that are really weird to hold against Oz.

Like why focus on this you have way better things to hold against Oz right there.

That's very possible, anon! I don't know how many unanswered asks are sitting in this inbox now, but it's not a small number...

Totally agree. I think Oz gets criticized to an unfair degree by the canon and fandom alike (no one is shocked to hear this lol) but part of my issue is what he's criticized for, not just the extent. The show tends to take incredibly weird perspectives like, "How dare you give our uncle cool bird powers with no downside" and "How dare you save group members from a deadly airship crash." The fandom takes stances with larger political implications like, "How dare an abused man 'steal' his daughters away from the mother who wants to use them for a magical form of genocide" or issues that fundamentally break the core concept of the show: "How dare you let teenagers fight dangerous battles / How dare you reincarnate - something you have no control over - into a 14yo boy." The show does engage with some of Ozpin's morally complex choices with no easy answers like, "Is it okay to keep secrets if history has shown severe downsides to revealing that information?"... but then the answer the story decides on - "No it's not" - immediately doesn't apply to half the cast, with no examination of how that changes our perception of Ozpin's choice. And, as you say, the show simultaneously introduces HUGE mistakes - "You positioned yourself as a god! Then a king!!"- that the characters could absolutely mistrust him for... but they don't. Because they're too busy focusing on all of the above.

The only thing I'd push back against here is anyone being mad at Ozpin for "nearly attacking" Ruby. I'd consider that a highly unfair criticism as well given that:

We don't know if he would have attacked. He just charges with his and out-stretched, so Ozpin could just as likely have been intending to snatch the Relic

All these characters have aura and train/hit for funsies on a regular basis. It feels like a stretch - one working to paint Ozpin in an unfair light - to act like Ruby taking a hit is suddenly some horrific event that's worthy getting up-in-arms about

In this same scene the girls pull their weapons on Qrow and Oscar - someone WITHOUT that training/fully unlocked aura - gets punched into a tree. Again, consistent morality. Why is Ozpin in the wrong for charging with an open hand (ambiguous) but the girls are justified in pulling their weapons (clear intent)? Why should Super Fighter Ruby be defended for taking a hit after forcibly stealing secrets from Ozpin, but we should shrug off the newbie farm kid taking a hit for the "sin" of being an unwitting, passive vessel?

Plus... as said above, "forcibly stealing secrets." I'm not saying Ozpin is 100% justified in attacking Ruby over this, but I think he's a HELL of a lot more justified compared to actions like threatening Qrow or attacking Oscar. Ruby ignored his requests to give the Relic back; she ignored how terrified he clearly was. She wasted a wish (which Ozpin knew would happen). She revealed his entire, traumatic history to the group PLUS a total stranger (Maria) which, again, Ozpin knew would happen. Of course he tried to stop her. We will never know what lengths he would have gone to, whether he would have truly fought Ruby or just made a last minute grab, but even if he had fought her... It think that's understandable. We can argue about whether it's right, but it's not the sort of thing the heroes should be holding against him once tempers have cooled, especially when he has stuff like playing God that they have hold as a long term grudge.

Out of everything Ozpin has done, maybe being willing to fight the prodigy fighter to keep her from making one of the stupidest decisions we've seen in the show to date is pretty low on the sin list.

[hiraganasakura]

Hi so me being me I've decided to hyperanalyze the conversation Qrow and Raven had in Higanbana practically line by line bcus I have Many Thoughts and this is the best way I can think of to get them all out. If you can't tell I'm absolutely obsessed with these two. Btw.

Thanks to the RWBY wiki for providing transcripts for every episode, otherwise I definitely would have missed smth despite having just watched this scene recently lol

I put it under the read more for easier scrolling due to how long this post got!

I immediately noticed smth in the very first lines of the interaction:

Raven: "Hello, brother." Qrow: "...Raven."

You'll notice throughout the whole conversation that Raven never calls Qrow by his name, only condescendingly referring to him as "brother" this one time and never calling him anything else. Meanwhile, Qrow directly refers to Raven a total of three times throughout the conversation, and only one doesn't call Raven by her name (which we'll get to shortly)

On the other hand, Qrow doesn't bother with even so much as a greeting beyond simply stating Raven's name

It's different ways of communicating their distance. While Raven holds her relationship with Qrow over his head — never once, even outside of this scene, does she call him "brother" with affection iirc, only derision and condescension — Qrow doesn't seem to rly know how to greet her. He hesitates before saying her name and approaching her, as if trying to assess the situation before acting

Qrow: "So, what do you want?" Raven: "A girl can't just catch up with her family?" Qrow: "She can, but you're not. Now how 'bout we get on with it? Unless you plan on keeping these [drinks] comin'."

Again, Raven seems to bring up her familial ties with Qrow as a tactic to get him to do what she wants — in this case, stick around to talk to her despite him not seeming to rly want to. Frankly, it feels manipulative. We're gonna put a pin in this for now and come back to it in just a moment

Additionally, Qrow already knows that Raven's not just here for a friendly chat between two siblings, and sees right thru her facade that it is. Raven is here bcus she wants smth from him. But interestingly, it is Raven in V5 that says, in an almost frustrated/disappointed tone, "Family. Only coming around when they need something." There's another pin; keep both in mind

Raven: "Does she have it?" Qrow: "...Did you know Yang lost her arm?" Raven: "That's not—" Qrow: "Rhetorical question, I know you know. It's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist." Raven: "I saved her." Qrow: "Once. Because that was your rule, right? Real 'Mom of the Year' material, sis."

Qrow dodges Raven's question about the Relic and instead brings up her hypocrisy in how she treats family. And it's a good point. Here she is lording her siblingship with Qrow over his head while simultaneously defending and upholding her rule that she is only obligated to help her own daughter a single time. Another pinpoint on our little conspiracy board

Also, here's the one time in this conversation Qrow refers to Raven as "sis". Like Raven's use of "brother", Qrow's use of "sis" is very pointed and with intent. But it's not to manipulate Raven, it's a snarky jab meant to rly hammer home Qrow's point

Raven: "I told you Beacon would fall, and it did. I told you Ozpin would fail, and he has. Now you tell me. Does. Salem. Have it?" Qrow: "I thought you weren't interested in all of that." Raven: "I just want to know what we are up against." Qrow: "And which 'we' are you referring to?"

A few things of note here. At some point in the past, Raven expressed an outright disinterest in Ozpin's inner circle, at least to Qrow. Qrow also feels excluded in the "we" Raven mentions being against Salem. To me, there seems to be a distinct possibility here that it wasn't that Raven felt personally disinterested in Ozpin's operations, but that she somehow felt excluded and feigned a lack of interest in order to protect herself. An idea that is further supported in my eyes by the following dialogue:

Qrow: "You should come back, Raven. The only way we'd beat her is by working together. All of us." Raven: "You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them." Qrow: "They were killers and thieves." Raven: "They were your family." Qrow: "You have a very skewed perception of that word."

And there it is. Raven's problem is laid out here for us, loud and clear: She feels like she was the one abandoned, not the one running away. She says it outright! "You're the one who left." To her, Qrow is the traitor, the one who left their family behind. If you ask Qrow (or, for that matter, Tai, Yang, and even Summer based on the scene in V9), it's the opposite

Bcus they have different definitions of family

Another thing to pin (I promise this will all become clear soon)

Raven: "I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival." Qrow: "I saw. The people of Shion saw, too." Raven: "The weak die. The strong live. Those are the rules." Qrow: "Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I've seen the damage." Raven: "We couldn't have known the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did." Qrow: "I'm not talking about the Grimm. And I'm not talking about you, either."

Notice Raven's shift from "the tribe" to "our people". More of that guilt tripping!

Additionally, Raven is *obsessed* with rules. One save. The weak die, the strong live. Raven lives and breathes rules, even seemingly arbitrary ones. Guess what this is? Another pin!

Raven: "If you don't know where the Relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about." Qrow: "I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either, but if you do, I need you to tell me." Raven: "And why would I do that?" Qrow: "Because without her, we're all going to die." Raven: "...And which 'we' are you referring to?"

Qrow's "either" here implies that he also doesn't know where the Crown of Choice is, which is... interesting. He's one of Ozpin's closest lieutenants, and is in the dark on where Beacon's Relic is? Wherever it is, it is such a closely kept secret that even Ozpin's best spy doesn't know where it is (maybe so that in the event Qrow gets captured by Salem he can't be forced into giving her the information?)

Meanwhile, Raven's "And why would I [tell you]?" implies that she does know who the Spring Maiden is (obviously. Raven's the Spring Maiden lol) but refuses to disclose to Qrow

A lantern sputters out after Qrow says "Without [Spring] we're all going to die." Now, I genuinely can't remember if this is headcanon or canon, but iirc Misfortune seems to act up when Qrow's upset. He's clearly tired of this little game of dancing around topics that Raven's been playing with him

And once again, Raven indicates a feeling of exclusion from Qrow's life in the iconic final line. She gets the final word in before leaving

We've finally reached the end of the conversation. Now what does all of this tell us?

And here is where all of those pins I wrote down are relevant. As I mentioned, the twins view family very differently

Qrow's view is pretty obvious: he views family as the ppl in his life who matter most to him. Unlike Raven, he does not view the tribe as family despite the fact that they raised him, disgustedly referring to them as "killers and thieves". It's implied that he was, in fact, neglected and/or likely abused by the Branwen tribe, saying in V6C4, "No one wanted me... I was cursed..." further explaining his distaste for them. Furthermore, despite not being related to Ruby by blood, they clearly consider one another family throughout the series, and he even seems closer to her than he seems to his niece who's actually blood related to him (I personally headcanon that he keeps more of a distance from Yang bcus she reminds him too much of Raven, who he feels abandoned and hurt by, but that's neither here nor there). Bloodlines and debts are secondary compared to loyalty, if they're considered at all. He is obviously furious that Raven only insists on saving Yang once and never directly interacting with her beyond that, despite Raven constantly guilting Qrow over abandoning his so-called "family" of the tribe. And yet. And yet. He still offers Raven a place back in his life, even if only to unite against Salem

Raven's view, to me, has been an enigma for a while. But after hyperanalyzing this conversation, after noting down all of those points of interest, I feel like I've finally cracked the code. Raven views family as an obligation, an exchange that always has an ulterior motive behind it. She seeks out Qrow only bcus she desires smth from him despite showing distaste when someone does the same to her; condescendingly calls Qrow "brother" more than his actual name and calls the tribe their "family" to try guilting him into doing what she wants; and feels fierce loyalty to the tribe but barely interacts with her daughter, only seeming to count one of the two as true family. She views the concept of family with cynicism and seems to feel an obligation to the tribe, as if she "owes" them for raising her

I think the two's perceptions of what defines family are all to do with the way the tribe treated both of them. This crosses a bit into headcanon territory, but as you can see by the above quotes and analysis, I rly don't think I'm just making it up entirely

As I already mentioned, I think it's implied that the Branwen tribe neglected/abused Qrow. In fact, we could probably blame their treatment of him for the deep self-loathing he has due to his "cursed" Semblance. But what about Raven?

Well, it's simple: I think she was abused, too, just in a different way. While Qrow was likely shown and told on a consistent basis that he was unwanted, unloved, undeserving of good things, Raven may have been shown and told she was wanted, loved, and deserving of good things... if she did what the tribe told her. If she repaid them for raising her and her brother, for being her "family". The way she uses her familial ties with Qrow as almost blackmail may be exactly the way the tribe treated her. Her obsession with following rules may stem from the fact that she had to follow the rules the tribe set for her in order to be accepted and deemed worth smth

As for her distance from Yang... honestly, I wonder if Raven is aware that Yang deserves better and keeps her distance as her way of doing that. When Summer confronts Raven in the V9 scene, Raven says, "...You're better at that life. Better than I was." She seems to have a fear and insecurity about being a good family member, a good mother, and maybe that's why she fled. Maybe she was scared of being like her abusers due to how she emulates them as a self-preservation tactic in so many other ways. Not entirely sure about this point tho

And I think too this is why the twins don't rly understand one another. They may have been unaware of the different ways in which the other was treated. Qrow, constantly unwanted and loathed, can't understand why Raven sticks around with the tribe; Raven, who obeyed the tribe and, in doing so, garnered enough of their favor to even eventually become leader, can't understand why Qrow can't just be "good", earn respect, and stay

This dissonance between the two experiences may also be completely intentional on the part of the tribe; abusers will often eliminate their targets' support systems in order to make them completely reliant on the abuser, so it's highly likely that the wedge was intentionally driven between the two siblings so that they could not find support in one another. This would also tie into why the twins seem to feel excluded from one another's lives and abandoned by one another: bcus they were made to feel that way by their common abusers, and did nothing to challenge these assumptions bcus they saw no reason to — and only seemed to keep proving one another right if they did

Which rly has some disturbing implications about how the Branwen tribe works. Like, do they just pick orphaned kids up off the street and abuse them into being perfect little bandits, molded to be of the greatest possible use and discarded if they're deemed worthless? Plus Qrow says his Semblance is how he got his name, which implies that the tribe also renames the kids they scoop up (possibly as a form of control or a way to make sure they can't be tracked down by any remaining family)? Plus there's the whole thing where Qrow and Raven were originally sent to Beacon to learn how to kill Huntsmen, which carries with it the implication that the Branwen tribe grooms literal orphan children into becoming stone-hearted murderers? What. The heck.

And if I'm right, if the Branwen tribe is that severely abusive, then like... wow, no wonder Qrow and Raven are Like That. They're both very deeply hurt people expressing it in different ways

I was considering adding their conversation at the Battle of Haven to this post, but I think that would be better as its own thing. Also I haven't gotten there on my rewatch yet so I may miss some details if I try to analyze it rn; it's better to wait overall methinks

But I have reached the point of my rewatch where we see Weiss and Whitley interact, and I think it would be very efficient to sum up what Qrow and Raven's relationship seems to be by using those siblings as a point of reference. Qrow = Weiss, actively trying to break free from and fight back against their abusers in different ways, while Raven = Whitley, continuing to do as their abusers want and have wanted as a method of self-preservation. Only, unlike Weiss and Whitley, Qrow and Raven have yet to come to a point where they can understand one another. I think that's a good way to briefly summarize the uh. Absolutely massive post this is.

In conclusion, I may have cracked the majority of the Branwen twins' pre-Beacon backstory purely by hyperanalyzing a single conversation. Oopsies

[clambuoyance]

Do u want to talk abt ur ocs..... I actually followed you initially bc they seemed so interesting and silly and I want to know more if you feel like sharing :)

I still can’t believe some ppl follow me for my ocs bc it’s usually for my fanart so this is really nice to hear! I have a couple stories/universes but the main one I’ve been…developing (it’s on and off) since I was like 13/14 is about these two kids named Keiko and Rolin!! Im still doing a lot of world and lore building but the main gist is that Rolin is a teenage boy turning 16 who returns to his hometown to live with his aunt and meets a strange young girl named Keiko (debating on making her 10-12 idk she was originally 10). I won’t go too much into like Lore stuff but she has like..my own version of clairvoyance. They are kind of opposites, with Rolin being introverted and jaded, and Keiko being loud and optimistic but they are both silly.

I think it’s been said before but the whole driving relationship of the story is the two of them going on adventures throughout the city and solving mysteries while simultaneously becoming family and finding a real home within each other and the people they’ve met and learned to love 😚

Now the story is centered around Rolin and Keiko, but a big focus is on the cast of characters that fill mostly Rolins life. Mira and Artie were friends with Rolin when they were kids before Rolin left with his mom, and all three grew up and have been living their own lives, but when Rolin comes back they get a chance to reconnect (with Keiko’s help). Valoryn (Val) is also new in town, and befriends Rolin and Keiko. This is just a messy fast doodle of them I have better art in my oc tags🙏

Some old sketches

The other major cast is Rolin’s family, and Rolin has always been Asian so as I worked on the story his family kept getting more and more relevant especially with a major theme of the story being about the connections you have with people in your life so like I can’t leave them out. And I’ve never settled on an Asian ethnicity until recently where I was like I might as well make him Filipino so I can base his family off my own🫡 Cousins (both blood and not) that are years older than you but treat you like siblings and give u silly nicknames 🫶

Now Diana (or Deedee) is one of those characters I’ve had for a long time, and I made her because I liked those laidback mentor figures in anime (like Qrow from rwby) and wanted a laidback lady one 🤷🏻‍♀️ she also has some Misato from nge influence. She has always been written to be a mentor figure to Rolin and Keiko, and at one point I think I was going to make her his actual aunt but stuck to her being just a cousin so I could write about her relationship with her mom 🫶 Unlike her brother Darius, she does not live with her mom and Rolin has to go out of his way to meet her.

And Rolin’s parents’ story aren’t the main focus (they aren’t really present themselves in the main story) and it’s mostly just flashback stuff but they r silly and sad and I love drawing them 😼

I could go into more detail but that’s an overview of some of the characters

[fffffaaaaq]

OC in RWBY

Hazel really tried to believe in Ironwood separating her beliefs and her job. Mainly she was able to identify her job as supporting Winter. 

She could still remember being apart of the debrief of Salem, the Maidens, the relic, and Winter telling her about Ironwood selecting her to inherit the Winter Maiden

It definitely stressed Hazel out that Winter was going to accept such a huge responsibility, but who else but Winter?

Despite Hazel not wanting any part with the Ace Ops, General Ironwood forced the promotion since it’s such a dire time. Occasionally, he send Hazel to be apart of Ace Ops assignments 

“I mean no disrespect, but I declined in becoming an Ace Ops.” 

“You are a soldier under Winter, who is under me. I am giving you an assignment and you will fulfill it.” 

When you looked at Winter for her opinion she had agreed with Ironwood and you’d begrudgingly took on the additional roles. Ironwood even had your uniform changed to reflect your addition to the Ace Ops. 

Hazel remembered going to the Schnee Manor for the dinner party, but mainly she remembered how upset Winter was in the presence of her father. In guarding the front door with the other Ace Ops she could hear Winter yell at her father. 

Honestly, Hazel was extremely unsure if she should talk to Winter, but Winter’s slight glance of you had you walking towards her easily.

“I’ll be fine, I just let my emotions get the better of me.” 

“You were speaking from the heart”

”That’s the problem, I should’ve stayed in line.” 

“Your human, not a machine Winter. Emotions tip and that’s okay. Though I am unsure that you can see that perspective.” 

After it was found out that Jacques Schnee was working with Watts. Hazel was instructed to follow Qrow and Clover to help capture Tyrian. I mean why not send someone who could spot a person from half a city away to stop someone who always seems to evade the vision of the authority.

It definitely surprised Hazel that it took three of the best fighters plus Robyn to get him into custody. 

When Clover tried to apprehend Robyn and Qrow on the airship, Hazel really tried to be the voice of reason

”Look we are on an airship with a criminal that took all three of us to apprehend, we can’t fight each other right now.”

It certainly did not help when Robyn shot first. And of course the airship had to crash.

 And of course after the plane crashed Qrow and Clover had to fight and not team against Tyrian.

And of course they did not listen to the voice of reason of apprehending Tyrian and then sorting it out with Qrow. 

So while you tried to stop Tyrian, Tyrian was fighting you, and because you were focused on fighting Tyrian, Qrow took it as an opportunity to take you down as well 

It certainly did not end well, after you started to focus on Qrow with Clover and Tyrian took it as an opportunity to slash you down and then kill Clover.

Having you and Winter be in the hospital simultaneously was certainly disappointing for Ironwood on top of Clover’s death

Hazel definitely crashed out with a massive scar on your back and Clover’s death so much was going on

With the recovery time it really allowed you and Winter to consider what they're fighting for and what is defined as the right thing at this moment. 

To follow a sixteen year old or Ironwood 

Winter was upset by the fact that you almost died in the tundra had not the Atlas military saved you, while you were bothered since she was heavily injured too

When Winter and you fully recovered, Winter replaced Clover as leader in Ace Ops while Ironwood had ordered you to stay in the Ace Ops 

After being handed the order to bomb Salem’s whale by throwing a bomb into its mouth Yang and Jaune were in quick protest and to be honest so were you. Oscar was a literal child who bore the unfortunate burden of being host to Ozpin. 

When they finally convinced Winter that they’ll go in and safe Oscar, Hazel volunteered that she’ll ’escort the fugitives’ 

“I am not gonna bomb a kid without even trying to look for him, and I’m not gonna allow kids to do it by themselves.” 

Harriet tried to stop you, but Winter allowed you to make the escort 

Winter was adamant that if you don’t make it out in time she was going to deploy the bomb no matter what.

“We’ll be out before you know it, you know my track time.” 

It was assuring to the young huntsmen that you were going to assist them. 

It was daunting to find a kid in a giant whale, but to your surprise the young huntsmen were so in tuned in the mission that it felt like you were actually just providing them extra support 

Ren masked and tracked while you tracked ahead, coming across Salem’s communication device was certainly intimidating

Rushing into the whale was less intimidating when you quickly found Oscar with a girl with green hair. 

For a split second you were confused with why the Jaune and Yang were so on guard seeing them. 

When Winter continued the mission to drop the payload. Marrow was extremely concerned.

“They might still be alive in there! Hazel, and your sister’s friends! Are you gonna tell her what you did to her friends?” 

“Yes, because that’s my duty” 

In truth Winter was scared shitless for you. She knew you had an amazing track record with time, but Salem’s base? 

After Oscar released the massive explosion from his cane, she thought you died, but she had to keep moving. 

Hazel sent one message to her scroll: “Told you :)”

She wanted to strangle you, but she was relieved that you and Weiss’s friends were safe 

You didn’t tell her where you and your team were headed to and Winter did not want to know. 

Hazel kept moving with Jaune, Yang, Ren, and Oscar keeping who you learned as Emerald in check. You didn’t tell them the capabilities of your semblance 

Harriet snitched to Ironwood about Winter allowing the ‘fugitives’ to leave and you had left with them. Ironwood was livid. 

“Track your girlfriend and all of your sisters friends.” 

Ironwood called you once and exactly once 

Hazel ended up at the Schnee Manor with Weiss and her friends, oddly they looked at you to figure out what to do. Luckily, Weiss received a lovely message from her sister 

Thankfully, Hazel was able to chip in by creating the schematics of Penny and evacuation schematics 

Unfortunately Hazel had burdened herself  for how unsafe it  was as it didn’t have any safety to prevent  falling over the side 

In rendezvous with Winter, Hazel somehow ended up with Qrow and Robyn to stop Harriet from dropping the payload onto Mantel 

Begrudgingly, Hazel and Qrow had to leave Vine as he made the self-sacrifice to stop the bomb

The ride to Vacuo after watching Atlas become flooded was the most quiet ride you had ever been on. 

[r0semultiverse]

Is Qrow mastering his semblance?

Is it just me or in the Volume 10 storyboards it seems like Qrow has his semblance more under control than he used to?

Maybe I’m just being hopeful here in wanting that kind of semblance growth for Qrow and his character.

I’m not by any means saying that him wearing Clover’s pin as a “good luck charm” is what is happening, but it’s RWBY and that could be what they’re going for?

I have no idea & while that is cute & gay of him, I think it’s actually just his mental state/emotions helping his semblance get under control more. Alternatively or simultaneously he’s been training to control it the entire time (whatever length of time that would be) that team RWBY & Jaune have been away!

We saw Neo’s semblance change/grow with her mental health; so, I would say it’s safe to assume that any other semblance has the writing potential to also grow & change.

Qrow would be a VERY powerful player in the coming conflicts if this is what they’re going for. Someone who can somewhat control luck/the trajectory of outcomes to some extent would be very helpful (this reminds me of a Jojo stand power a bit) & give his character more screen time too.

This does have time to change if it’s what they’re going for as I’ve heard this was supposedly before some Volume 9 changes were made (or I’m just looking too much into it which could absolutely be the case).

[problematic-rwby-shipping-poll]

U/NDERAGE BRACKET - ROUND TWO: CAPED HARE VS PIPSQUAWK

Propaganda is below the cut.

CAPED HARE

"What's better than one headstrong speedster with a penchant for violence? TWO headstrong speedsters with a penchant for violence."

PIPSQUAWK

“These two being practically inseparable in V5 is so excellent, and where else can you get the simultaneous vibe of very old friends/lovers and full ara ara?”

[livestosave]

Here's the secret:

I might sound repetitive here and there, but I'm really happy to see you back in rpc 💖 I mean it. I don't think I'll ever match your level of thought put into your muses and their lore, that's extremely impressive, but I do enjoy reading about them. They're delightful! I kinda wish I could match your creativity, so we could vibe even more! I'm happy to interact with you and I love our ooc talks. You're easy to talk to and very kind. I'm happy that you have plenty of muses, because as much as I adore your take on James, it could be a bit awkward to write mirror/twins au or something alike for longer term. If you'd be down for it ofc. And since you have awesome Qrow, Clover, Astika and others? I'm a happy kid in a candy store hahah 💖

Bonus secret: currently I'm working on a cosplay's scale piece made of spoons, which left me today with plenty of spoons, simultaneously having none 🤔 I so love-hate this costume lmao

You know darling, I had a super rough week at work last week and seeing this in my inbox made me so happy that I didn't actually want to post it. I just wanted to see it in my inbox every time I popped into it, so it could make me smile even when I wasn't feeling good.

I'll level with you all: the last few years have been harder for me than the pandemic ever was. Many of my hobbies - writing included - fell by the wayside in the last 3-4 years since I've been here, and finding my voice as a writer again has been a struggle. Many of my friends have long-since left RPCs I was in, leaving me feeling a little lost and adrift in communities I felt deeply rooted in previously. It's been hard to come back and make new friends and re-make my community presence, and even harder not to hold the struggle to find my voice as a writer against myself.

When I say that messages like this are why I love the Tumblr RPC, despite all it's flaws? I mean it with my whole heart. There is nothing I treasure more about the Tumblr RPC than the collaborative writing aspect that has brought about some of the deepest, longest-running friendships I've had in my life.

Darling, thank you so very much. This was a real treat in a week that made me feel small and tired, and an utter delight in a time of my life when I've been doubting my abilities as a writer. I am so happy that the loving work I put into these idiots shows, and even more glad that someone else likes Astika even half as much as I do, haha! You're such a dear person, and such a wonderfully kind friend to send this, and so creative in your own right! Sometimes being a writer is rolling with the punches, and you do that so brilliantly! I'm always game for new threads, and if one isn't currently vibing, I'm always up for trying out another. It is the benefit of having as many muses as I have, that's for sure! That cosplay also sounds amazing, and I laughed far too hard every time I read the line about the spoons. So bonus points for you on that one, dear. And if you have come to the conclusion that Arthur inherits his tendency for terms of endearment from my own speech patterns, you would be correct.

Herami, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sending me this. You're an absolute gem, and people like you and Lime are why I will always come back, even if I'm away a long time. The topography and population of the RPC might change, but I'll always come back.

[bittiblakebelladonna]

Songs that are RWBY songs to me

A whole 4 people said they wanted this. This is really gonna show you which characters I think about most lmao

Rivers in the Desert (Lolia)

Winter Schnee in Atlas in V7-8? This is her song, especially in that V8 fight against Ironwood.

Training Montage (The Mountain Goats)

This is Neopolitan post V3, specifically the time between the V3 finale and when we see her again in V6, bonus if you think about the very end as V9 right at the end of ch8

World Burn (Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls)

Cinder Song Ever. Plus you can replace Kady with Ruby every time. It's fun.

See The Day (The Althogether)

Ruby Rose at the end of V9 would maybe cry if she heard this song but in a good way

Honeybee (Steam Powered Giraffes)

It's bumbleby you already know

Special Girl (Dodie)

Pyrrha Nikos really was doomed before she began, wasn't she? This is just Her Song

You're Not Welcome (Naethan Apollo)

This is a Yang Song, and it reminds me of both her fights with Neo and Adam, in which she didn't fare so well the first time around, but came back to fight them again

The Greatest (They Might Be Giants)

Jaune song.

World Spins Madly On (The Weepies)

This is simultaneously a Taiyang losing Summer song and a V4 Yang losing Blake song. They understand each other. And it works well with the song being a duet, just listen to it, you'll understand.

Hummingbird (The Weepies)

This is such a Nora song about her and Ren, and I love it and her and them dearly

I'd Rather Sleep (Kero Kero Bonito)

This is just RWBY: Ice Queendom. The whole thing. In one song.

Candle Queen (Ghost and Pals)

I lied earlier THIS is the Cinder Song Ever, like I'm not kidding THE most Cinder Fall song to ever exist it's literally her

So Alright, Cool, Whatever (The Happy Fits)

We can have a Sun pining after Blake but letting her go and wanting her to be happy song. As a treat.

Be Nice To Me (The Front Bottoms)

I was very neutral on Emercury as a ship until I heard this song and realized the first half is Emerald and the second half is Mercury and now I feel things about them, although this can also work for them platonically as well

P.U.N.K Girl (Heavenly)

This is bumbleby Yang is SO p.u.n.k girl coded and Blake loves her so much

Despair (leo.)

Whiterose song. Weiss is so scared to be in love that she denies that shit so hard. The lady really DOTH protest too much.

Clover (Louie Zong)

Too easy, it's a Fair Game song, but like, it's PERFECT

The Family Jewels (MARINA)

Schnee children, no explanation needed.

Christmas Kids (Roar)

This is Ozlem energy and you cannot tell me otherwise, their whole backstory, it's here

Partners in Crime (Set It Off)

THE Gelato/Pumkin Spice Ice Cream/whatever you want to call Roman and Neo song

Ghost of Chicago (Noah Floersch)

We can have a Qrow pining after Summer song but letting her go and wanting her to be happy. As a treat.

DEATH OF A PREDATOR (Banshee)

I have both versions of this song on my RWBY vibes playlist bc fuck Adam all my homies hate Adam, I'm not saying he deserved it (just kidding, I'm absolutely saying he deserved it)

Kids (Current Joys)

I just want all these children to be happy. That's all this song is for.

[internecion-witch]

What are your favorite Rwby fics?

Here's some of my favorites from my bookmarks in no particular order

Urban Fantasy Cop AU with white rose

A collection of works based around the Hound Ruby AU. I recommend reading the second work first.

Ruby has an identity crisis from having her aura merged with the fall maiden.

Angst, so much angst, so much fucking angst. Nothing is ok in this one. Be warned, it gets really dark in this one. Like seriously full warning, check the tags if your unsure.

The RWBY snaps and becomes a villain AU. Or antihero I guess here. Another idea with tragically little fanfics about it.

A little something that was written directly after V9E4 that continues to live in my brain rent free and probably will forever.

Qrow being a father figure for team RWBY

My favorite Faunus Weiss story. Has Bees Schnees too i guess but I'm not really all about that one. Background NND too.

Qrow being a dad to Whitley specifically and simultaneously a bad and good influence. Schrodinger's influence.

Thus we kindly scatter, not to be confused with the other fanfic with the incredibly similar name. Privated so you need an account for this one. Basically an AU where Salem chilled out with the 'death to all' thing a while ago and is now a tired immortal who makes friends with summer.

I've hit the link limit so I guess this is enough. Happy reading.

[megashadowdragon]

on the aceops defeat

The Ace Ops' defeat at the hands of RWBY and Qrow seems out of place since they are obviously better fighters, but is in a fact a beautiful representation of an Aesop. An Aesop is a story that warns us of a moral that is important to follow; even the best can fall if they aren’t careful. The Ace Ops did themselves in by ignoring the very lessons they represented, while Team RWBY succeed by heeding those same lessons:

Harriet is based on the titular hare from “The Tortoise and the Hare”, an Aesop about how overconfidence will cause you to fall behind and ultimately fail. Harriet’s pride in her skills riles up her competitive nature when Ruby provokes her at the start of the fight by insulting her, and she refuses to listen to the latter’s pleas due to said pride. Harriet's ego causes her to focus on fighting Ruby exclusively, the girl who innocently compared the speed of her Semblance to Harriet's all of once, ignoring her team in the other room and not supporting them at all; as established in previous encounters, her role in the Ace Ops is to plug gaps in their defence and give them openings through rapid attacks, and her absence leaves them vulnerable. As Harriet becomes more impatient and angry, she becomes sloppier (missing attack openings, letting Ruby escape her grip). Finally, when she becomes hyper-focused on taking down Ruby, she fails to notice Weiss who creates a thick wall of ice for Harriet to run into at full force, knocking her out. Ruby is fully aware she might fail in this fight, but in spite of her obvious fear of fighting the more experienced Huntress, she stays focused and rolls with the punches until Harriet goes down.

Elm and Vine are based on “The Elm and the Vine”, a story about the importance of cooperation in marriage/partnership. During the fight, Elm lets her anger get the best of her, openly declares she's aiming to kill, and ignores Vine’s attempts to only subdue their opponents. Likewise, Vine refuses to go along with Elm’s desire to use lethal force that's contrary to their orders. This destroys their teamwork and causes them to barely help each other at all, and against Blake and Yang whose synchrony is unparalleled, this is bad news. This disadvantage becomes most apparent when the two girls subdue Vine, leaving Elm completely shocked and alone, and allows Blake and Yang to take her down within seconds. Marrow is based on “The Dog and its Reflection”, which warns the reader that if you covet everything, you lose what you have. Marrow is the most conflicted of the Ace Ops, completely loyal to General Ironwood but genuinely wants to cooperate with Team RWBY. By trying to simultaneously fight Weiss but also talk her down, he leaves several openings for her to attack. Even his Semblance reflects this: he can only freeze targets in one direction at a time, but he can’t stop more than one fighter if his opponents aren’t grouped close together. When he tries to freeze the Armas Gigas, he releases Weiss and she’s able to knock him out. He wanted to covet both his loyalty and his relationship to his new allies, and it led to his defeat. Weiss completely ignores his pleas (return to Ironwood's custody and cast in her lot with Atlas) because she is fighting for what she has, and refuses to betray her team for anything.

Clover is based on “A Fisherman’s Good Luck”, a tale saying that the best luck comes from being patient. Clover immediately prioritizes his newest orders of arresting Qrow in mid-flight back to base, ignoring both Qrow’s offer to peacefully discuss the sudden changes with Ironwood and that he’s supposed to be transporting the deranged serial killer Tyrian to Atlas. This impatience forces Qrow to defend himself and gives Tyrian an opening to crash the plane, and then Clover continues to irrationally focus on incapacitating Qrow first instead of Tyrian in their Mêlée à Trois. The situation resulting from his impatience puts Clover in the unluckiest situation possible: Qrow being forced to pull an Enemy Mine with Tyrian, breaking the Ace Ops leader’s Aura and allowing for Tyrian to stab him in the back, leading to his death. While the outcome is definitely not in Qrow's favor, he at least tries to de-escalate the situation in spite of Clover effectively betraying his trust, spending most of the ensuing fight trying to talk Clover down, and is set to patiently keep trying (until Tyrian took the chance away). He at least walks away from the fight due to that patience.

[golddragon387]

Brandon Sanderson: A lot more focus is given to the mechanics of dust; the exact number of types of naturally-occurring dust is thematically significant, and Weiss invents a new combination of dust during their Beacon days. It gets revealed during the Atlas arc that dust is actually the magically fossilised remains of Humanity 1.0's magical gift from the God of Darkness. Aura and semblances are also a lot more firmly defined; semblances would be canonically tied to a person's true character/inner self and therefore treated as much more significant. The White Fang would be handled more sympathetically, but not necessarily with more tact. Silver eyes would be handled very similarly, though their being related to the God of Light would be given a lot more emphasis, and contrasted with Dust as descending from Darkness. Grimm would be just as varied, but there would also be a giant crab Grimm at some point. Ironwood's descent into tyranny would simultaneously be more sympathetic, but it would also be much more undeniable that he has become a monster; this would in fact make the discourse Even Worse Somehow.

Each volume would be about 10% longer than the previous, despite all promises to the contrary.

George RR Martin: There is an entire episode focusing on Ozpin's activities as a member of the Vale Council, and all the politicking and frustration that causes him as Secret Cryptic Wizard who was also king once; his comments wishing he was a monarch with absolute power is played for comedy initially and for fridge horror after his backstory reveal. RNJR's trek across Anima between v3 & v4 is an entire volume on its own. The Grimm are typically much more violent, and the threat of death in the line of duty as huntsmen is made clear to RWBY & JNPR very early on in their Beacon year when team CRDL is massacred in front of them on a training mission. The Fall of Beacon goes much the same, but there are a lot more lingering shots on all of the students being eviscerated and Grimm eating civilians alive. Pyrrha's death to Cinder also goes a lot less cleanly. The "entire team" joke about Taiyang can in this version be made about every member of the team, including Raven and Qrow; Vernal has red eyes and is introduced much earlier as Ruby and Yang's Cousin, but her precise parentage is Not Talked About. Ironwood's arc in v7-8 would be a clear descent into madness despite his continued insistence that he's Completely And Mentally Stable.

The waiting period between volumes would get longer every time.

Sir Terry Pratchett: Would actually handle the White Fang stuff well. Dives deeply into the inherent horror of young adults training to die while acknowledging that the war they are fighting is one that someone has to fight, or the world will end. Leans into the inherent horror of Ozpin and Salem's immortalities making them lose their objectivity and grasp on how their actions impact the world around them; the main thrust of the plot is Ruby bringing this revelation to first Oz, then Salem. Zwei would be a major recurring character, implied to be fully capable of understanding and speaking human, but feels he is above doing so.

Every single character, weapon, and semblance name is a stealth pun.

RWBY If It Were Written By…

Alan Moore: Moore cuts the middleman completely and goes straight into portraying Huntsmen as a super powered warrior caste master race making all the decisions and being treated as royalty by all the masses of civilians trying to keep them happy and willing to protect them. And because this is an Alan Moore story now, Ruby is the result of Tai taking out his drunken frustrations on Summer after she tried to help him after Raven left and the only reason Summer married him was because she didn’t want her kid to grow up to be a bastard. Also the gods are now snakes with Moore’s head.

Thomas Astruc: The show never leaves Beacon and by the time Volume 14’s come around we’re still waiting for Jaune and Pyrrha to finally figure out each other’s feelings.

Garth Ennis: Garth rips the entire concept of teenagers being involved in military operations and public safety to shreds. The over the top, rule of cool weapons are routinely the punchline to jokes like Yang losing both arms because her gauntlets jammed and backfired. Some variant of the Happy Huntresses are our protagonists and they all despise the Huntsmen system.

Genndy Tartakovsky: More emphasis on the action, a lot less dialogue and story, so no more White Fang.

Alex Hirsch: Lots of loredump mysteries with more character-focus before he eventually micromanages himself into exhaustion, gets tired of the show, and rushes an ending where Cinder absorbs Salem’s power, attacks Beacon and of the 4 potential ways to beat her that Hirsch had set up, is defeated via the most convoluted one.

Matt Trey & Parker Stone: RWBY Chibi with more plot sometimes, there’s also less than 6 voice actors on the entire cast. A running gag is killing Ozpin randomly just for him to come back as a completely new person the very next episode. But then after a few seasons the show starts focusing an inordinate amount of time on Tai for some reason. Also there’s an occasional musical number.

Robert Kirkman: Less fairytale aesthetic and more anime and takes plenty of passive aggressive meta shots at the anime industry and storytelling with a big status quo shift every little bit. Salem gets killed anticlimactically as a joke in the first few volumes. Other antagonists are more clearly inspired by other anime characters the way Invincible does a lot of it’s villains. And of the several redemption arcs the story would have, only one of them would be any decent.

Greg Farshty: Salem’s schemes are insanely convoluted and probably end with her becoming an actual god. She’s always getting a different group of villains for RWBY to fight every so often. There’s a prequel season about the STRQ days and a later on a couple seasons where JNPR are the protagonists for a bit when RWBY get captured and then do their own thing for awhile. But then there’s some pretty bad retcons in the final few seasons that pisses off a lot of people.

Might make a few more of these later. It was kinda fun.

[itsclydebitches]

CLYDE. I was thinking about the RWBY vs Ace Ops fight again because it's one my least favourite moments in the entire show and I realised that Qrow/Clover/Robyn weren't part of the conversation prior, nor were they ever acknowledged. Nothing of the effect that "Hey, maybe we should wait for Qrow/Robyn/Clover's opinion on this plan before moving onwards, considering their experience and leadership skills?" before being shut down that time is of the essence and they can't wait for them. It just feels illogical to have the Ace Ops leader, Mantle's primary representative and the leader of the Happy Huntresses and one of James' closest allies be completely absence from one the most impactful turning points of the Volume. It feels they were either purposely left out arbitrarily for the sake of two poorly conceived fights or the writers just forgot...which wouldn't be the first time. This show is very...frustrating to say the least.

YEAH. The other day I was thinking about RWBY and ludonarrative dissonance in video games. Specifically, the number of action/adventure games I've played that have a, "OMG COMPLETE THIS MISSION IMMEDIATELY TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE SOMEONE IS GONNA DIE!!" narrative paired with a "Look at all these fun side quests populating the map, you should totally spend a month of in-game time leisurely exploring them" gameplay. RWBY feels similar to me (minus the interactive elements, obviously). The narrative continually pushes the urgency of the situation, but what the characters do don't align with that. Waiting in the mansion is the classic, go-to example of this, but it's also seen in questions like, "If the group is so concerned with the safety of the Relic why don't they.... put it in the vault?" and "If Qrow needs to speak to Ironwood so badly, why doesn't he just... go to Ironwood in handcuffs rather than starting a fight that, unforeseen airship crash or not, is gonna SUPER delay him getting there." Importantly, these moments go beyond the characters simply making impulsive, fallible, human decisions. It always feels like the writers haven't thought through the situation, or are so focused on one (badly chosen) outcome that they'll ignore all logic to get there.

So, same idea with this fight. I completely understand Ironwood's position because there is a clear line of logic here. Salem is about to attack, the group has consistently lied/undermined him, ergo he is removing a potential threat by locking them up until this battle/escape is complete. No one has to agree with him, but I think the reasoning makes sense both in general and for his specific character. (Which is also one of the reasons why I think some fans are willing to hear consider his side: his writing, however messy in other places, is leagues beyond the group's, particularly in the first half of the Atlas arc.) The girls though? They're all over the place. They don't want secrets but they're going to keep them from Ironwood. But they're also going to spill them all to Robyn, someone they don't know and shouldn't trust. They want to save everyone but have no idea how and can't/won't troubleshoot an answer. They're determined to unite the people but are simultaneously determined to solve their problems with a fight. They start said fight and then Ruby immediately tries to talk her way out of it again. And, as you say, they ignore that unity/experience/help available to them by not looping the others in because, supposedly, there's just no time... but then we have long scenes where they just sit around the mansion, tearfully bemoaning the fact that they don't know what to do and getting angry that no one has magically shown up to help.

I can EASILY picture a better-if-not-perfect scenario where the girls' decisions in that fight actually follow their proclaimed intentions AND the not-actually-very-critical timeline they have (because remember, even after all this Salem just sits there for an extended time.) What if Ruby ordered the team to let themselves get arrested and then we got a cool break out of jail scene? (I mean... Ruby blasts through Ironwood's steel doors that are meant to keep people in + they sneak into Atlas HQ. Clearly this would not have been difficult for them.) What if they ran into Qrow and Robyn while in their cells? Or what if they escaped, realized they needed their uncle, and started a help Mantle/find Qrow dual mission? What if instead of broadcasting a horrifying and near incomprehensible message to the whole world, they spoke to all their allies in Atlas about the plan they'd come up with, calling them together? Maybe coded so Cinder wouldn't understand. Maybe bluntly honest like a gauntlet throw-down: we know you're here, but we're ready for you this time.

Instead Ruby forgets she exists...

There are just SO many things you can do with that fight/the aftermath that don't completely undermine the themes, the tension, the proclaimed desires, and the narrative expectations. If there has to be a battle of ally vs. ally when Salem is on her way and half our villains are roaming the streets (god I can't emphasize that enough), why is everyone with the wrong person? Why isn't Robyn fighting the Ace Ops, her political enemy long before the girls showed up? Why isn't Qrow fighting Ironwood, the guy he (stupidly) blames for Clover's death? Why isn't Clover with his team? Why isn't Ruby facing Salem? Why the hell would you have Qrow team up with Tyrian?

As a side note, I've seen a resurgence of discussion about Ruby's breakdown in Volume 9 and everything above re-emphasizes for me just how much she HAS demanded this power and responsibility. "Hey, maybe we should wait for Qrow/Robyn/Clover's opinion on this plan before moving onwards, considering their experience and leadership skills?" is one of MANY considerations when weighing the question of whether Ruby has truly been burdened with the unwanted expectations of others... because they've never been unwanted and she has never down a thing to lessen that burden. She doesn't wait. She doesn't ask. She doesn't lean on others' experience and leadership. And this goes all the way back to Ruby responding, "Yes, I want to attend Beacon and take on all the responsibilities of that despite not being old enough," but there is also a LOT in the Atlas arc - right before her Volume 9 breakdown, literal hours in-world - where Ruby stood her ground and said, "No, we're doing this my way and my team, whether they've disagreed with this decision, or suggested this course of action in the first place, will ultimately follow me because I am the leader." She told Qrow to stand down and let her continue fighting Cordovin. She made the decision to lie to Ironwood and talked the others out of coming clean. She made the call to attack the Ace Ops instead of submitting to arrest. Using the Relic and dropping Atlas was a group suggestion, but Ruby sanctioned it. Based on literally 8 Volumes of content, if anyone HAD said no to her Ruby would not have listened to them. That is an overt, consistent characterization of hers.

And then Volume 9 expects me to feel bad because she's going, "Everyone expects me to take the lead"??? Like sure, in a very general, "That's indeed stressful no matter who's at the helm" sense, but Ruby has spent years at this point loudly yelling, "I'M THE PERSON YOU SHOULD LOOK TO AND I'LL FIX IT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY PLAN I'LL FIGHT YOU :)" Not roping Qrow and the others in is a part of all that. Not overtly on screen - we don't have a scene where Ruby goes, "We don't need to talk to them" - but the story doesn't think their input is important. We get the closeup on her smiling face when she thinks of using the Relic and then the others just inform Winter of what is happening when she happens to call. Major decisions in RWBY have often been collaborative when it comes to suggestions, but the final call is always Ruby. Whether we're talking about "This is my fight too!" when Qrow warns her to stay back, or using the Lamp's question when Ozpin is begging her not to, or shrugging off Yang's concern that she lied to Ironwood, or telling the whole damn world about Salem when numerous people with more experience than her have said, "That's a terrible idea" for generations, Ruby forcibly takes the lead and will not back down no matter who is asking that of her, or how they're asking. In fact, I'd say that is the most OVERT and CONSISTENT way in which she displays agency in this show (which, ugh).

[theseerasures]

RWBY V08C14 reaction post

haven’t done something like this for this fandom yet, but the finale was so much all at once that i could not muster any level of critical thinking the first go-around. my thoughts have...settled somewhat with a second rewatch. still nothing conclusive (obviously), but at least coherent enough to be written down.

in rough chronological order:

i am very into it, of course, but i’m still not quite sure what to make of the fact that this finale very explicitly pivots around Winter Schnee, to the extent that the episode (sans prologue and coda) are bookended by her. she begins the episode charging into a fight, and ends it the same way. even putting aside that her in-universe presence has increased by magnitudes, that we end a season where she has mostly been a sparse supporting player with THIS has implications i can’t suss out for her narrative role going forward.

going into the finale i thought that Ironwood vs. Winter would turn out to be another RWBY Flagship Fight (ie long and flashy and indulgent in the best ways), but i pretty much knew that wouldn’t be the case once the fight began in earnest and they immediately started talking to each other.

for what we did get i’m happy to say that the Core Dynamic of the fight was exactly what i predicted: Winter rushing in to melee and not giving Ironwood enough time to fire, Ironwood trying to make room by shoving her away and using his cannon as a makeshift club--even down to breaking the cannon formation BACK to dual wielding to give himself an edge.

i will say that for Winter to have blocked him head-on--this is James Ironwood, who once stopped an Alpha Beowolf cold with one bionic hand, and now he’s got TWO--with her broken noodle arms is...incredibly cool. stupid! but cool.

Ironwood doing the double pistol whip while screaming about how no one is grateful has i wouldn’t have to be doing this if you just behaved all over it.

in retrospect i’m not sure why i expected a RWBY Flagship Fight when just about every fight this season has been extremely different. the camera work is always fucking frantic, we’re often cross-cutting between different simultaneous fights, and there are far fewer shots where both combatants are clearly shown and evenly matched. about the only fight we’ve had resembling that is AceOps vs Penny waaaaaaay back in Strings--even the low-stakes triumphant JNPER + Winter vs. Ironwood fight in Creation was extremely short and crosscut with BRA vs. AceOps.

case in point: the showdown in Grand Central takes up pretty much the entire episode, but combatants are continuously entering and exiting, the setting’s physical dimensions feel wonky and surreal, and the fact that half of the people fighting have flight capabilities means we’re relying on wide shots and oners to figure out what the fuck is going on. it’s a war now, and even though we follow only a handful of characters in it the fights carry that grander and more desperate tone.

Cinder relies twice this episode on just fucking nova-ing herself to overwhelm her Maiden opponents. it’s different from how she usually fights, which is still fireballs and conjured swords/projectiles--she’s learning to use her Maiden powers to wreak havoc on a larger scale, which a) reinforces what we already know of Cinder, but b) complements her recent relearning of subtlety and manipulation. still a tenuous balance of extremes that can and will shatter, though.

Weiss got to save everyone during the fight, and none of it mattered in the end.

the thing about priority one is that they all planned for this. they all went in planning for the contingency where they don’t make it out, where they have to watch others not make it out.

Weiss plucking Penny out of the air and Penny pleading to make the sacrifice play is an EXACT recreation of what happened in Enemy of Trust, down to the saved looking up at the savior while the savior is looking onward. she’s just swapped places with the Schnee in question, and...they are the priority targets this time, unfortunately.

Cinder smugly flipping her hair out of...her eyepatch...she really is living her best life and she knows it

Blake made the right choice, and it didn’t matter at all.

Qrow ending the last episode with a berserker charge at Harriet and then immediately pulling back here and trying to talk her down really got to me, as did him trying to block the bomb with his body. the man is so desperately trying to be better than he was, and it doesn’t take a lot anymore for him to realize the right path.

Elm and Vine--

the thing about Elm and Vine is that both their powers boil down to getting attached. so watching Elm hold Vine in place while Vine holds the two airships together, everyone in this little world, it’s...everything i could ever want, out of how the story of the AceOps would end.

Anairis Quinones for dark horse MVP. why can’t you just let me do my job, delivered in the way that it was, is the perfect encapsulation of Harriet Bree desperately trying to outrun her personal feelings and the grief it has given her.

Elm tells Harriet that she’s their friend, to stop her from killing a part of herself as she tries to kill others. it’s the first time this happens in the episode, but not the only time.

Penny saved Blake so they could save Ruby together, and it didn’t matter at all.

our heroes have GOT to stop falling for the “watch the thing flying in the air! OH WAIT I STILL HAVE A WEAPON IN MY HAND WALLOP WALLOP” trick. it happens multiple times in this one episode.

Harriet, who has the fastest Speed Semblance known, says there’s no time to make it out of the blast range. she doesn’t try to outrun it. she just...stays put, and admits that she brought them all here, to this. i’m sorry.

here’s the thing: they’re soldiers. they were prepared for this eventuality, where they don’t make it out. that’s why Elm let Vine go grab Harriet; because she thought they were all going to die, and if that happened she wanted Harriet close enough to reach.

but--just like with Team Hero--some of them do make it out. they just have to watch.

Vine and Hazel sacrificed themselves in the same way in the end: pulling their loved ones close wasn’t working, so they threw themselves around the thing trying to kill them instead.

Ruby was clever, and pragmatic, and brave. it didn’t matter in the end.

Cinder letting Neo fall as soon as she gets a chance proves that she still lacks patience, and that’s going to bite her in the ass.

the Penny-Blake fastball special and the fall; Penny crying tears for the first time, but not moving immediately to rage, as she had last episode, when Yang fell.

Weiss’ shaking hands around Gambol Shroud, crying berserker tears as she tries, desperately, to pull off another miracle. it’s another role reversal in a way: her sister’s the Riza Hawkeye, but she’s the one emptying useless clip after useless clip into an enemy she can’t kill, because her heart has been ripped in two.

the last time Nora Valkyrie saw Jaune Arc, they clasped hands, and their eyes met with determination, and hope.

it figures that a Schnee would be the last one standing, letting all her friends die first. she was right, but again: wrong Schnee.

Weiss diving past Cinder’s blind spot to slice the Grimm Arm, to save Penny--the same script, but the wrong player. and too late.

at Haven, Jaune went from trying to do harm to unlocking his Semblance, and realizing that he was meant to heal. here, he goes from trying to do what he is meant to do, what he has made peace with, to...

it will take a long time, i think, for him to learn to live with himself, even with Penny reassuring him that this is what she wants. to go from wanting to harm to being the one who does no harm, to being forced to acknowledge a person’s right to die, and carry out the deed himself. it’s a new variation on what he’s always had to wrestle with since Pyrrha’s sacrifice.

Weiss managed to outlast Cinder Fall without an Aura WITHOUT getting her entire body broken, Winter

the boundary between material worlds is made of darkness. the boundary between souls is made of light, and there is no danger of falling.

where...what is this? of course Winter doesn’t know. she never would have, even if she had gotten the powers, because she would have used the Transfer machine.

i thought of you, and here we are. that was all it took. the last time Penny saw Winter, Winter was still loyal to Ironwood. she’s only known abstractly, secondhand from Weiss, that Winter was on their side again and trying to help save Mantle, for about an hour. and yet: i thought of you.

and in the face of this thought that is love, Winter averts her eyes. tries in vain to hide her face, because she knows she is unworthy. she doesn’t deserve this.

but here’s the thing: no one deserves this. Penny. are you...the one? even Penny herself wasn’t sure.

you were my friend. the second time it happens this episode. friends save friends from themselves. friends transform what would have been murder into sacrifice.

remember what Penny said to Cinder, shortly before Cinder killed her? you wouldn’t know anything about friends. she’s right. it wasn’t Cinder’s choice, but she’s right. and now Cinder has learned how to use that.

i’ll be part of you. it is, of course, something that’s been brought up repeatedly this whole season. but it’s also what Winter said to Penny after Fria died: she’s a part of you now.

and i do love this yoking together of arc words. Winter is of course the firstborn Schnee, but Winter is, more broadly, The Firstborn in this new generation. so here we have something similar to the chain that begins with Winter letting her sisters go, through Penny letting Emerald go, through Emerald helping Oscar escape, to Atlas’ however ephemeral victory over Salem. what Winter begins--haltingly and with resentment--becomes transformed into radiant grace in the hands of her younger siblings. and she gets to be the direct benefactor this time. the prodigal daughter returns to her family.

during Enemy of Trust we watched from the outside as Oscar fell and Penny rose, as one set of eyes closed as another opened. during The Final Word, we watch from the inside: one set of eyes close. another opens.

Winter’s leitmotif plays on the piano for the first time since the previous season as she comes back to the world. it makes sense. the piano version is for her sisters, and she just left one of them.

here is the apotheosis of Winter Schnee: she gets back up. she falters and sways but she gets back up, and then she, the person who once managed to convince herself that so long as she could make peace with someone else’s choice it meant she too was choosing, tells the man who has been choosing for her for years: you chose nothing. and she rises.

in the end James Ironwood was finished by his petard thrice over. Atlas had defected against him. his greatest creation had become the Maiden and unshackled herself from him. and there is of course, the cannon: a literal petard, in the other words, which he fires at Winter, and Winter reflects back upon him.

Jaune Arc used the heirloom that his family has held for generations to kill a defenseless girl. he took the blade and sunk it in deep, because Penny trusted him and he had to be sure.

and then it shattered in his hands.

there’s something here in the second fight between Maidens, about Cinder having a named weapon and forsaking it for what she can make on the fly, and Winter insistent on using a weapon with no name at all, but i still can’t put my finger on it.

Winter never got to see Weiss try to Summon her Nevermore.

the thing that gets me about how it turns out is: Winter was winning. she’d managed to get her hands on the Staff, and even with Cinder’s immediate counterattack she managed to get the Staff away from Cinder. but then Cinder saw Jaune and Weiss, and she remembered a few days ago, when Penny saved Winter instead of going after Cinder, when Winter attacked Cinder to save Penny.

so Cinder attacks Weiss and Jaune instead of racing for the Staff. and Winter--

this is Winter Schnee. she saves people despite herself. she runs toward them, despite herself. and it has always, always been what saves her.

not anymore.

last time it had been Winter who was in mortal danger, and Weiss who, with Ruby’s help, drove Cinder off. same script, wrong player. and too late.

Weiss falls and for a moment, the camera makes it seem like Winter is falling too.

she wants to. no one deserves this.

the thing you have to ask when characters leap for the exit and fall just short is: is it about faith, or friendship? in Jaune’s case it’s both. his faith broke with Crocea Mors. and the portal is one-way, so he had no friends to grab him from the other side.

but Nora was still trying. they clasped hands. she promised.

the first time Winter sees her family--really sees them, after years of separation--she averts her eyes. she hides her face from them, because how can she tell them that Weiss is gone? how can she tell Penny’s friends that Penny is a part of her now, when Penny is just a part, now?

there are people all around her looking to her. there are voices within her. she has never been more alone.

(Winter Schnee has never met Pyrrha Nikos, and Pyrrha Nikos never became Maiden. because Pyrrha Nikos never became Maiden. Cinder Fall did that, too.)

this is what Winter Schnee thinks, as she screams and charges, as she kills Grimm faster than they are drawn in by her despair: in the fairy tales, eldest siblings never win.

i failed you again, master. master, but not queen.

Cinder won this. the heroes tried and tried and tried and none of it mattered, and she won this. but here’s the thing: Cinder won because she was LUCKY, and because she made her own luck. that she was able to pin things on Neo and Team Hero depended on things going exactly as planned, and some things going better than planned. and the reason she’d even made it that far was because she cheated, with the last use of a divine relic. it doesn’t take away her from her victory, but what i do know is this: this is her finest moment. she will never win as completely ever again, and she will fall farther than she has ever feared. (and that will save her, in the end.)

and that’s checkmate. i said that i wanted Atlas to fall the same way that Amity rose, but of course they did it like this. of course it would horrific yet unspectacular, with its General slumped in defeat, unable to fire a single shot from his gun. with the city in the sky falling onto Mantle, in Mantle’s palette. from the Dust from which it arose into Dust again.

as below, so above.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

(why-i-stopped-liking-rwby here lol)

Eyyyyy the Tournament AU stuff is back! :D

Branching off what that other person said, about graduate Hunters returning for the tournament, I imagine it might be fun of there were like, 'spectacle' matches between some of the student fights, where champions from across the years might return and get the chance to really go against each other, in ways that wouldn't have happened when either of them were in school (since they might not have been in similar years, and even if they were, they might not have ever faced each other in RNG fights - OR IF THEY WERE ON THE SAME TEAM BEFORE)

Like, the show never really established many former students outside Team STRQ and the Ace Ops, but just imagine if like, ten years in the future, if the war had never happened and if everyone had just been in school until they graduated

Imagine 27 year old Ruby Rose in a spectacle match, and RNG pitted her against Weiss lol, and it's the first time they've truly fought against each other (sparring for practice over the years doesn't count) and since they know each other so well they have to pull out ALL the stops in their efforts to win, and the match ends up being one of the most amazing and mind-melting match anyone in the stands has ever seen...

Until RNG pits 29 year old Pyrrha (secretly a maiden, not that she uses the powers lol) against nearing-fifty QROW, who's like "Ehhh? Who put my name in the damn roster?? I'm getting too old for this!!" But he's already walking out onto the field while Pyrrha (who, as a Maiden, has spent the past ten years working with him as part of the inner circle and - damn it she might be a bit of a protegee lol) just laughs a little like "Do you want me to go easy on you, then?" And Qrow's just like "Heh... Nah." And they basically like tear the arena to shreds before even getting a full scratch against each other, much to the delight of all spectators XD

And also, if Ruby and Qrow both won their matches, they might END UP FACING EACH OTHER AS FINALISTS which is a real treat too lol

(Heyyyy @why-i-stopped-liking-rwby !!!!!))

I was so happy to get that ask about the Vytal tournament! I love seeing people either going through old posts or just thinking about them and being excited about a specific element and wanting to talk about it or share ideas about it (hint hint nudge nudge to anyone reading this and thinking about old posts lolz) it’s just fun to reexplore old ideas since maybe their is new inspiration or ideas or whatever to make it more fun!

Ohh OHHH I LOVE THAT!!!! Spectacle fights between former students who couldn’t ever fight each other for whatever reason? FUCKING AWESOME!!! Can I take it a step even further and maybe have the headmasters face each other off on certain years as more of a playful rivalry thing? That would be pretty epic I think!

But back to the meat of the ask yea we don’t really see graduates in the show which is odd and odder at least to me still is the fact that we don’t see any teams really. Why is their this big emphasis on teams of 4 when it seems huntresses and hunters seem to normally operate alone after they graduate? Something to bring old teams back together for a fun tournament just seems like a great way to further flesh out the world and the schools and give them a deeper history then just the current students.

Oh gosh I love aus involving a world without a war they just sound really fun. Ohhh I love those pair offs that just sounds like some pretty epic fights!!!!!! Of course is it bad a part of me kind of would love a James vs Qrow fight? That just sounds like it would be pretty epic to see how they would fight against opponents that use such radically different weapon types and how they would deal. And idk I have it in my head if they fought it would be the first and only tie to ever happen as they simultaneously kill each other’s auras and they cannot figure out who depleted the others first.

That year regardless would probably a year of fights that go down for the ages ESPECIALLY as you said if Ruby had to fight Qrow for the championship. Everyone would be watching with baited breath because family in general just doesn’t fight each other for various reasons so their is extra tension from that but Qrow and Ruby are having the time of their lives. It’s also more exciting because scythes are a rare weapon and seri two scythe wielders facing off? It would be a spectacular fight to watch just from how rare said fight would be to see period and knowing how talented both fighters are? People would never forget such a fight. I think it would be fun if once again the fight turns into a tie and Qrow jokes it’s his semblance it won’t let him officially win a fight ever.

Oh OH I’m thinking of more fun pairings but like seeing a fight with Glynda verses anyone really would be pretty epic but Glynda vs Winter could be fun as both rely on their magic but not magic semblances pretty heavily so seeing them fighting would be a pretty flashy and exciting one to watch. Ohh I know you mentioned Pyrrha vs Qrow but what about Qrow vs Maria? He would be completely star struck by someone he looked up to as a fighter and desperate to impress but also wondering if he could or even SHOULD beat such a legend.

It would be cool if their was a day devoted to these graduate mash ups it would be an amazing opportunity for students to watch professionals fight in a relatively safe environment and really learn how they would fight out in the world instead of a classroom setting.

Oh hell what if students are given an opportunity to fight graduates and get some hands on experience and teaching on different fighting techniques???

Gosh this is giving me so many fun ideas to explore I love this so much!!!!