#“Glynda should have been in Atlas so she could save Ironwood.”

[the-god-of-nihon]

Why do people only care about Glynda when they make her character revolve around Ironwood?

[iamafanofcartoons]

Defending Team RWBY’s decisions during Volume 8, while also defending CRWBY’s V8 Writing.

Let me put this basically as I can.

This was something that apparently was discussed... in a WR Chat.

Then we get to this https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/w7qeag/what_are_some_common_comments_that_make_you_go/ From R/RWBY.

As you might expect? Dextixer the “Grand Corruptor of R/RWBY” (that’s literally his label/tag in the subreddit, the admins/mods still allow him to post hate and harass members, don’t ask me why) Started up the typical “Robyn hill is a terrorist, team rwby are war criminals, Ironwood was ruined”

Anyway, so many people started screaming at CRWBY for “bad writing” based on Ironwood’s military formation against Salem’s grimm invasion.

Did people seriously forget that Glynda and Qrow called out Ironwood for not having strategies, and basically only having “military bravado? Ironwood liked to act like he was the smartest guy in the room, and removed anyone criticizing or disobeying/disagreeing with him.

This is why so many people love him like they do Adam...they project themselves onto him while hating on four idealistic hopepunk women.

But honestly, lets just consider that MAYBE CRWBY knew what they were doing to a respectable point, and that James Ironwood defenders deliberately overlook so many things, exaggerate others etc.

And for god’s sakes, can we stop calling Robyn Hill a terrorist or “Somebody that should have been one of Salem’s Moles”

“Team rwby had no reason to see Ironwood as a villain”

I think they had a reason to see him as a villain since he straight up admitted he's leaving thousands for dead, which is exactly what RWBY was trying to prevent. But James certainly was a victim of his crumbling mental state

He was sacrificing millions to save far fewer. It was not a "needs of the many" situation. He intended to abandon all of Remnant, not to mention that Mantle's population is probably a fair bit bigger than Atlas's. It was a move of desperation.

Seriously, idk where people get this 'pragmatism' stuff from. Ironwood gave up. He was admitting defeat. People actually want a future where the entirety of humanity is just like, 500,000 rich elitists on a floating rock, waiting for Salem to inevitably figure out how to reach them?

If Atlas ran off to the upper atmosphere, everyone in Atlas would eventually die due to lack of supplies. Meanwhile Salem would just move on to the other kingdoms are start burning them down. And who's to say she couldn't just concoct a grimm capable of flying that high and then destroying Atlas herself

Ruby still wanted to help Mantle, but they agreed on splitting the group up so they could also get Amity up...RUBY was seeing the big picture...Ironwood just saw the forest for the trees.

“Look, a fleet to evacuate everyone! It would be a shame if something happened to it...”...Here was the SDC ships trying to evacuate people...Ironwood abandoned them because he felt he could no longer control the people he was oppressing as far back in v7. But then he realized that Team RWBY wasn’t simply disobeying him...they cared about Mantle...Hence why he did his “hands together sit in chair” pose...so he decided that the best way to force everyone to obey him is by forcing mantle to choose between him blowing them up or obeying salem.

As for Sleet? Kill one, warn a thousand. He cowed Carmila  and all Atlesian military into obedience by showing that he had no problems carrying out his threat to qrow from v3.

“Ironwood is  a tragic figure, CRWBY made him unsympathetic, unlike Cinder Fall and the writers' attempt”

What are y’all talking about? Cinder’s a tragic figure, but that doesn’t make her a sympathetic one. Ironwood was set up this way since the minute he was introduced. Cinder is more sympathetic than adam...she at least is honest about her goals, while Adam dresses himself up as an edgelord savior....Who just wants to kill humans.

“Rwby was drinking tea instead of helping ironwood”

The Mansion: You realize they were being hunted by both Salem and Ironwood right? Qrow was in prison, Harriet threatened to arrest Ruby simply for talking back? They had arrest orders on them? Ironwood shot oscar for calling James out on being a coward and hypocrite? So why help Ironwood if he’s going to either shoot you for not obeying him...or shoot you in the back while you’re trying to help him? Ironwood is his own worst enemy...he regularly sabotages himself, something that Watts with his hacking, Cinder with her manipulation of the chess piece, and Salem with her reputation of being a force of nature (by controllling the grimm and not getting directly involved and being immortal and unkillable, she comes off as unstoppable to ozpin’s allies, hence why lionhart betrayed them. They needed a safe place to avoid getting ruined while hoping for help to come from Amity’s message.

Ruby and co didn't have an issue with Ironwood flying Atlas away, their issue was him leaving people to die in Mantle, it was Ironwood's refusal to evacuate the rest that forced RWBY to use the staff to get everyone to a safe location. Ironwood was literally abusing Mantle throughout v7, which was why Robyn Hill ran for office in the first place! To get Ironwood to treat the non-rich elitists of Atlas like people.

If atlas left mantle would have been consumed by the grim with no hope for evacuation.   Ironwood was condemning all of those people to die.

Team RWBY did have a plan, btw. Ask for help.  The first plan in season 8 involved her using amity arena to ask the other kingdoms for help. Granted, it did not work...but how would Ironwood have done it? Talk about Glory of Atlas? Demand the kingdoms respect his authority? Team RWBY improved on his plan by providing people as resources, explaining the danger, and explaining how to keep an unstoppable force at bay. All things that Ironwood failed at. Despite Vexed Viewer angrily claiming that Yang and Ruby’s v8 reconciliation should not have existed, it did point out that Yang and Ruby were willing to take risks, while Ironwood would always force others to take risks for him. Given VV is a HUGE misogynist, I’m not surprised he would hate these scenes.

Ironwood tried stopping them at every single turn. They had a second plan, use the schnee company to evacuate mantle so ironwood’s army could focus on the Grimm. Ironwood instead diverted his army to destroy the schnee fleet. The third plan involved trying to save all of mantle and atlas, and ironwood tried stopping them instead of helping with the evacuation.

Ironwood is at fault for not trying to understand a plan other than his own when there was little reason to do so. He’s the one who threatened to nuke a civilian populace rather than try and save them. He sees himself as the smartest person in the room...when often he's called out on his bad ideas by Qrow, Ozpin, Glynda, Nora.

And as ironwood said, at any point they could have turned Penny in.

Also, let’s discuss how bad Ironwoood's plan was. Firstly, while there is a ‘current’ upper limit on Grimm mobility, Salem is a bloody witch, who unlike Ozpin, regularly uses her magic. There is no guarantee she can’t reach them. Secondly, Even if she couldn’t, it’s effectively become a siege where ironwood wouldn’t be able to get resources because Salem would fill the sky’s below atlas with flying Grimm, which can and do pose significant threats to air ships. Thirdly, this leaves Salem to pursue vacuo basically unopposed most likely being able to claim the SWORD OF DESTRUCTION which would likely be pretty useful in besieging the castle. She also would have the lamp in this scenario, which still has a question left she can use to try and attack atlas.

Ironwoods plan is doomed to failure, so I don’t really consider it an escape route. Even if it was, the plan could have been enacted at any point by team RWBY if they felt it necessary. As the proved by being the ones to use the staff. And having creativity, which Ironwood lacked.

“Team RWBY had no plan”.. Actually? They did have a plan, ironwoods original plan. Call for help and fight to evacuate mantel. But instead ironwood chose to abandon mantle and actively fought against any attempt to save them. The entire time he was waiting he could have tried to save as many people in mantle as he could. He could have let the schnee fleet so it’s thing. He could have done something, anything, to compromise with Ruby to get the maiden back. But instead he further antagonized them and refused to cooperate. Because Ironwood is all about proving himself right above all else. Hence why he ratted out Oz to the council in v2. And hid Penny's identity in v3. Both of which backfired. Ironwood apologists went HARD on defending both.

Also, they were drinking tea because Nora then Penny were injured and they needed to take time for them to recover. Did people forget that Ironwood was literally trying to arrest/kill them, Harriet threatened Qrow in front of RWBY, and that two of their friends were injured and they were taking care of them?

Demand that the people you tried to arrest/kill help you out? When you'll just try to backstab them later? How do Ironwood apologists seriously think people should help him while he's trying to kill them?

Rwby  did not destroy their credibility, nor did they cause mass death? How would they have? Trying to cooperate with Robyn to stop the theft of amity supplies? The reason they had to do that was because ironwood was convinced anyone moving against him could only be Salem’s agents, treating the person advocating for restoring mantles defenses like the enemy.

In fact?

Multiple members of R/RWBYCritics, Twiins Iink and Judgmental Critter fans actively claim they wanted Robyn to be a Salem Mole.

These people aren't just Ironwood fanatics, they actively embrace his mindset.

Ironwood already destroyed his credibility and was acting completely unreasonable before salem came through, so I don’t blame rwby for trying to act as a mediator with an obvious ally. And ironwood was perfectly happy to accept Robyn’s help until he learned that cinder had made it into atlas, at which point he made a massive jump in logic and assumed Robyn and rwby had something to do with it. ...at which point he ordered their arrests.

And at which point CLOVER prioritized arresting Qrow over tackling Tyrian.

Robyn was just trying to defend her people, which Ironwood had no interest in...and then Clover threatened to arrest her for standing up for Qrow. Police Brutality much.

Ironwood choose to lift Atlas early because of Salem, and he then dismissed RWBYs points about how he's leaving Mantle to die, and after snapping he shot down SDC planes trying to evacuate people. He wasn't allowing RWBY to help Mantle

Ruby said no because that would leave thousands for dead, Ruby just wanted Ironwood to help those that still needed evacuating but he refused

James is responsible for putting her in the position where it was her only choice

He started and participated in the chain reaction, that’s what is meant by causation

There were literally Grimm all over Mantle by the end of V7  Salem was going to kill everyone. She tried turning everyone against ironwood.

There were way more there than there usually are during attacks, and Grimm are naturally going to kill people they see, like the Manatalese that Ironwood left with no military personnel to protect

You goes know of the Train Track Analogy? Liets make it into a boat analogy, like this.

I think the boat analogy should go like this

Mantle is sinking and Atlas is sending lifeboats to help the survivors, but the captain decides to stop helping the people because a big wave is coming in 5 minutes, some of the crew tell the captain they should still help the survivors but the captain decides against it, the crew go against the captain's orders and still help survivors to which the captain orders their arrest.

When the crew successfully gets some passengers on lifeboats, the captain orders the boat to be sunk to prevent the crew from further helping them. The crew's only option left is to get everyone on a third ship, Vacuo, that isn't as good as Atlas but, it can still hold both sets of passengers, but that can only happen if they sink Atlas

Ruby kept trying to stop Ironwood from lifting Atlas into the atmosphere... Because they left mantle. If they didn't leave mantle to die then Ruby would've been fine with lifting the city. She wanted to evacuate everyone into atlas and THEN it could safely go into the sky or whatever. If ironwood had just continued the evacuation, none of this would've happened.

If ironwood had also not stopped the evacuation, then it would've happened because Ruby would never have tried to stop him. The only reason she stopped him was because he refused to even try to save what was left of mantle, if he had continued saving them then they probably would've got everyone on in time - especially if they commandeered the SDC ships - but nooo Ironwood was so obsessed with his little trolley problem that he didn't realise that there was a way to save BOTH atlas and mantle.

I really doubt Salem would just be like "Oh, ok, guess i lost" and depart Atlas the second it started gaining altitude. She is more than capable of knocking Atlas out of the air. So no, either way, it wouldn't be "High in the atmosphere".

And Salem's goal being the relics, one of which they’re trying to float away with? Also, besides the fact that the whale isn’t Salem, whales don’t have any aerodynamic properties for icing to affect. The bigger issue is atmosphere being potentially thin enough for breathing to be an issue. Which shouldn’t be a problem for the Grimm, considering they don’t seem to even have organs, let alone a need for oxygen. And Salem is immortal, the second she’s on Atlas it wont matter.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my rant, I really needed to get all of this off my chest.

[lunatriense]

Nitpick (or maybe a serious problem, I can’t tell anymore): A lot of the details around the Fall of Beacon just don’t make sense.

Who decided that is was a smart idea to have Penny manipulate her swords with strings? Why was she let in to test her strength on human (and Faunus) opponents when she could fight Grimm just as easily with a smaller chance of being found out? Is there some sort of prize for winning in the tournament? Does she have an Aura shield? Why didn’t we see it shattering? How didn’t she notice Pyrrha’s magnetism powers? Considering how Silver Eyes work, it’s really weird that Ruby didn’t unlock them when she saw Yang injured. Or Penny dying. Yang running to save Blake and telling Weiss to find Ruby instead of the other way around will never make sense to me. Why did Weiss and Blake decide to eat dinner instead of watch Pyrrha’s match at the arena itself? Why did Jaune call Weiss instead of Goodwitch and Qrow and Ironwood like he was told to? How did they not design the communication towers in a way where one tower falling didn’t automatically mean all trans-continental communication was down?

Oh, absolutely. In addition to the above:

Why was there such horrible security on the CCT that alarms weren't immediately sounded when an intruder came in?

Why was there no security whatsoever on Amber, when she was so important to protect?

Why did Ozpin insist on doing the aura transfer in the middle of the battle, when it's pretty clear Salem's agent doesn't know where Amber was since, y'know, zero security and she hadn't been attacked again yet?

Why didn't Ozpin take part in the defence? He apparently had a nuke cane with which he could choose to only affect certain targets!!!

Why did Qrow — who had encountered Emerald and dealt with her hallucinations before — not immediately become suspicious when Yang relayed what happened with Mercury?

Where is Beacon's (and Vale's!!) air defences? Do they honestly count on fucking students to do literally everything??

Where was Taiyang? We're seriously supposed to believe that both of his daughters are in the Vytal tournament and he didn't even come to watch them?

As soon as Cinder made her broadcast, people intimately familiar with Beacon's campus (like Ozpin, Glynda, etc.) would know approximately where she was, and none of them were far from her at the time. Why wasn't she swarmed with seasoned hunters?

Why the ever-loving fuck was Amber even at Beacon!? That's the last place she should be! They put the comatose Fall Maiden in the Fall vault with zero security when they knew Salem's agent was after her! She should've been deep in the heart of Atlas surrounded by guards or something, not right where her relic is!

[harostar]

Illusion of a Plan

One argument I keep seeing around the fandom is that “Ironwood is the only one with a plan”. The argument goes that no one else has tried to come up with any alternatives, that no one else has a solid course of action.

Which is......not what is happening. 

Ironwood symbolizes the kingdom of Atlas, which includes the ILLUSION of control. The ILLUSION of having a plan, of having a course of action that could succeed.

Those arguments that “Ironwood has a plan” ignore that Ironwood has ALWAYS crumbled under pressure and that his plans has always collapsed. What I mean by this is that Ironwood is ultimately an amazing Ideas man, and he excels at providing support to others. But whenever he tries to take control and be the leader, things......tend to go horribly wrong. One reason for that is because Ironwood himself tends to panic, and he makes rash decisions.

Ironwood does his absolute best when he has all the advantages or when he is working to help and support OTHERS. Think back to when Ironwood has done his absolute best, when he’s been heroic and saved the day. What did those moments have in common?

He was working with others and had put aside his ego to cooperate. 

Beacon:

Ironwood is starting to lose himself to panic, he’s spiraling and more worried about defending the PENNY program than dealing with the current crisis. Ozpin gives him direction: Use his army and save the city. 

Ironwood rallies the students, tries to deal with the hack, and then joins forces with Glynda and Qrow. He supports the evacuation and the efforts to save people. 

He SUCCEEDS in what Ozpin asked him to do. He saves an untold number of lives that day. 

But then he makes a critical mistake.

He goes back to Atlas and begins a process of isolation. He starts giving into his paranoia. He recognizes that Haven is the next target and tells Jacques Schnee that “Leo” won’t be able to handle it. So Ironwood starts closing the borders, abandoning his closest allied kingdom. Salem’s forces explicitly state their plan requires that Ironwood remain isolated, that he not reach out to Theodore and reaffirm his alliances.

Ironwood starts taking and taking from the most vulnerable citizens. To repurpose Amity Arena as a new communications tower, he begins placing greater strains on Mantle. He uses his authority to take supplies from Mantle, creating greater danger for the kingdom in the name of an ambitious and far-off plan. He ignores the immediate dangers in favor of gambling on what COULD eventually be a major benefit for everyone. 

Mantle: 

When the heating grid is deactivated in Mantle, Ironwood once again shows his greatest strength. He joins forces with Robyn, and TOGETHER they manage to come up with a multi-point plan to address the crisis. They lure out Watts and Tyrian, they organize evacuations. Everything is going in their favor.

But then Ironwood sees that someone associated with Salem has broken into his office. His trauma comes crashing down on him, and he throws away literally every bit of progress made. 

He sends Winter to kill Fria, leading Cinder to the Winter Maiden’s location as she wanted. He falls into the same trap that was played at Beacon, and they nearly lose a second Maiden to Cinder.

He turns on his allies, ordering their arrests. He doubles-down on abandoning Mantle, because among the refugees could be more of Salem’s agents. He decides to abandon the Amity Project, even when pressed about trying an emergency launch. (Something that Ruby’s team later PULLS OFF, in spite of his interference.) 

He hasn’t planned beyond “Fuck Off into the upper atmosphere, let this be other people’s problems”. We see this in the simple fact that people in Atlas are out on picnics and living their ordinary lives while Salem’s forces are on their doorstep. While the people of Mantle are facing death by Grimm or Hypothermia, the people in Atlas don’t even know anything is going on.

There are clearly no emergency procedures of any kind, because of course not. Atlas is always safe from everything because of their military. The people do not even know how to react to the sight of Grimm, nor do they have any way to deal with sheltering the population other than shoving them down into the subway. There’s no emergency shelters, no evacuation plans, absolutely no emergency planning in sight for the wealthiest kingdom with the best technology and the one standing military.

In Mantle, people are coming together and getting shit down with what little they have. The Happy Huntresses, the Mantle Police, and other random Huntsmen are doing everything possible with almost no resources and their main source of support/resources (Atlas military) completely cut off.

In the mean time, Ironwood has spent an entire day watching things go to hell. Clinging to his desperate Escape Plan, to the point of ordering a major enemy to HACK PENNY. On the slim hope he can force things to go the way he wants.

Meanwhile, Ironwood has rejected literally every single attempt to discuss alternatives. And he has rejected them with increasing violence. Oscar nearly died, and Councilman Sleet is dead now for questioning Ironwood. 

His best plan to deal with the Whale is “send my best operatives to hand-deliver a bomb on what is very likely a suicide mission”. When he....literally......has drones. He has machines designed for the purpose of handling dangerous things like that, but instead he’s sending his best and most loyal team to probably die on a long-shot. 

Meanwhile, Team “Don’t Kill Everyone” has actually accomplished a lot. Again, with very limited resources and almost no logistical experience. I think that’s important to remember in this discussion:

Teams RWBY and JNR + O are teenagers. 

The people that should have all the experience, expertise, resources, and means to get shit down are actively hindering them. EVERYONE is in over their head at this point. But only ONE PERSON has actively and consistently made things difficult.

Ironwood has decided his plan is the only plan. And he won’t even consider the multiple attempts to discussion alternatives, to discuss other options. To......anything. He’s already decided he cannot risk his City and therefore, everyone else is a necessary sacrifice. He’s providing increasingly willing to harm and even kill the people around him, in the name of defending a single city. 

He’s managed to convince himself and his subordinates that he has a plan. 

But he’s merely dressed up his panic, and presented it as something reasonable and rational.

It isn’t and pretending that he isn’t the primary party responsible for things being so bad at this point is a mistake. He’s the one with every single advantage and most of the cards, who has consistently refused to even talk with anyone else. 

He’s covered a turd in gold, polished it, and presented it as the only possible choice. 

And then insisted anyone going, “But it’s still shit” is too naive and getting in his way. Unfortunately, some of the fandom seem to also believe you’re not allowed to point out that a gold-plated turd is still shit, unless you independently offer up a completely unique and separate, better option. 

That’s not actually how things work. You’re supposed to be able to go: “But that idea sucks” and start asking questions and making suggestions. 

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 805: King:  Part I / III

Winter finished her report to General Ironwood, whom was visibly afraid. "Can't they see I'm doing this for the good of Atlas?!" he asked.

"I'm afraid not, James." Oscar / Ozpin stated. "The hearts and minds of the people has never been your strong suit."

"But I'm!.." Ironwood shouted.

"That is not what they see." Oscar / Ozpin stated. "All they see is a tin despot, shuttering an entire contient.

"You know that's not why I!.."

"I know, Specialist Schnee knows, along with her sister, and... family..." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "but what about the people. What do they know?"

"It can't exactly tell them what's going on." Ironwood said to him.

"Of course not, but what can you tell them?" Oscar / Ozpin asked.

"That members of the military are not following my orders?" Ironwood asked, and Oscar / Ozpin shook his head. He then looked to Winter.

"Your loyalty is commendable, but right now what he needs is the truth." Oscar / Ozpin said to her. She briefly glanced at him before looking straight while standing at attention. "Tell me, Specialist Schnee, what would the people do if they saw General Ironwood purging his military?" She developed a determined look. "Not what they should believe, but what would they believe?" he asked.

"If they already did not trust him," Winter nervously voiced, "they would look at it like a... tyrant... removing the disloyal."

"Precisely." Oscar / Ozpin stated.

"So, what can I do?" a nearly panicked Ironwood asked.

"Well, right now the conspirators are trying to exaggerate your overreach of power." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "They are using your chain of command to twart you." Ironwood looked at him questioningly. "Then simply don't use it."

"What?" Ironwood asked.

"Simple, James, you speak directly to the people of Remnant. They need to understand why the borders were closed, and even more importantly, that they are open."

"We can't tell them about..." Ironwood tried to say.

"You tell that that the borders were closed because of the Fall of Beacon, and the fear the same would happen to Haven. Lying has never been your strong suit, James, but as both a politician and a conspirator to save Remnant, you might want to learn to do so at least passably well.."

"You want me to lie?" a nervous and offended Ironwood asked.

"I want you to tell the truth, but selectively so." Oscar / Opzin stated, and Ironwood still looked nervous. "You are a General, declassify parts of it, and tell people that. But most importantly, tell them that the borders are open."

"And Lieutenant-General Hartman?" Ironwood asked.

Oscar / Ozpin relaxed and spun his cane, turning towards the window. He then looked back at Ironwood. "Oh?, find her some prestigious promotion that completely neutralizes her." He then looked out the window, and heard Ironwood voice his uncertainty. "Right now she is adjustant to General's seat on the Atlas Council. She needs something she can do on her own."

"She betrays me, and you want to give him more power?" Ironwood asked.

"More and less." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "Right now her power comes from your office. If you gave her her own command?.."

"You want me to reward her for committing treason?" an irate Ironwood asked.

"Anything she does at the moment falls onto your head." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "If she had her own command, she would be accountable for her own actions."

"Even if we did that, we'd have to give her a corps." Ironwood stated. "We couldn't give her Atlas command, and if we gave her one of the further corps, we would risk civil war."

"Civil war is a risk everyone faces when they build an army." Ozpin stated. "There's a reason why I choose to rely on Choice."

"Without Creation, Choice meaningless." Ironwood firmly stated.

"Without Destruction and Creation, Choice is powerless." Oscar / Ozpin replied. "Without Choice, Creation and Destruction are meaningless. Without Knowledge, a proper choice cannot be made." He then sighed, "Unfortunately, for the common man, choice is simply the way they feel. And how do they feel about you, James, who has kept them in the dark?"

"I don't need to be loved..." Ironwood voiced.

"Unfortunately, you do." Oscar / Ozpin stated. "The people of Atlas are ready to revolt against you. I'm sure you must have felt it."

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" Ironwood asked.

"Have your great army provide them tangible benefits." Oscar / Ozpin stated.

"But, if we spread out the army, we make them vulnerable to attack?!" Ironwood asked.

"No." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "You trade one form of attack for another. Your solders made a choice, did they not?"

"You're saying I should let them die?!" Ironwood replied, "How could you?.."

"Who would your soldiers rather face, an army pointing their weapons at them, or corrosion from within? Grimm are a far more tangible foe than an eroding faith in the system they are fighting for. It is commendable to think of the lives of your soldiers. It is foolhardy to only think of the lives of your soldiers."

Ironwood was lost in thought for a few moments. "Then what do I do about Lieutenant-General Hartman? If she is the one undermining my orders, wouldn't she see this promotion for what it is?"

"Give her a lavish ceremony." Oscar / Ozpin stated, "I know you consider such things a waste, but you think soldiers will only do as they are told. They have choice, whether you want it or not. The only thing you can do is recognize the choice, and give it a bit of a push when needed."

"Choice is not exactly my strong suit." Ironwood voiced.

"Well, good thing you have me." Oscar / Ozpin said with a bright smile. "And to think that young Oscar will soon rise to become headmaster at Beacon Academy at such a young age? Truly marvelous."

"So?" Ironwood asked him, "You want to go back to the way things were before?"

"If it is at all possible, yes." Oscar / Ozpin stated.

* * *

Jaune and RWBY were in their suite's bathroom when they heard noise from all of their scrolls. "Ruby, if you could?" Weiss asked. Ruby Petal Burst out of the room, leaving a cloud of moisture to fall to the ground, and quickly Petal Burst back. "General Ironwood?!" Ruby asked.

"This is General James Ironwood." he stated, "You are hearing this because the Cross-Continental-Transmit System has been fully restored. I would like to take a moment to thank Glynda Goodwitch and her team for restoring the tower lost at Beacon academy. Without her abilities, this likely would have taken years to restore. I would also like to thank our team of engineers for working around the clock to restore service as quickly as possible. I have a couple of announcements. First, considering the crises in Beacon and Haven academies are finally over, will be fully be reopening the borders. We won't expect this to work overnight, so we will be setting up a council in Argus to expedite entry permits until the borders are fully opened again. Second, Lieutenant-General Janice Hartman has for far too long lived under my shadow, and it was time for her to have her own command. She will be given command of the First Atlasian Roboticized Brigade Group. Atlas has long tried to ensure the safety of our soldiers, and the First Atlasian Roboticized Brigade Group will be an attempt to use Knights as the primary combatants, rather then in a support capacity. She will be given the majority of current Paladins, and will be one of the first to test the next generation of Atlasian Great Knights. I want to thank everyone for their patience during trying times, and a reminder that the Atlasian Military will provide assistance to our friends in the other kingdoms. This has been General James Ironwood, and thank you for your time and patience."

"Well, that's a thing." Yang said as she dried herself off.

"He's obviously responding to the propaganda they were trying to use against him." Blake added as she picked up a towel. She paused to give those behind her a good look at her posterior.

"I never expected the General to be so flexible." Weiss quipped.

* * *

Taiyang jumped up and walked towards the cell. Neo turned to look at him, while he just held out his hand. Neo glared and turned her back to him. "You can get your scroll back when you decide to become less stabby." Taiyang said to her. She turned around to glare at him. "Considering you just tried to kill all of my kids-in-law, and their friends..."

"And their enemy." Raven added.

"And their enemy." Taiyang stated, "They have shown you an extreme amount of patience. Do you know what they could have done to you?"

"Do you really think they have it in them?" Raven asked.

"They could have turned your over to General Ironwood." Taiayng simply stated. "Jaune felt you could be reformed, and at least made to stab less people. Is turning over your scroll without a fight really that much to ask?"

Neo turned to glare at him.

"Or, you could look at it this way?" Raven asked, and Neo gave her a distrutful gaze. "We could always take it from you, and likely destroy what little you have left to do so." Neo gave her a look as if she didn't believe it. "Oh?" Raven asked, "You think I won't?" She gave Neo a deathly glare, and in reply Neo reluctanctly handed over her scroll.

* * *

Oscar's aunt looked at her scroll, for the first time in months gaining hope.

[lore-of-the-silvereyes-rwby]

You had me with your words but you lost me with your action

This section will relate to the main theme of Volume 7(Trust) and how it relates to Ironwood. Basically despite all of his talk about cooperation and trust he has always been the one that has both rejected and withheld the most of these 2 concepts. Now some of this can be related to his questionable upbringing and past violent experiences. But the core idea is that for all his talk and promises he has never once kept them or bothered to see the error of his ways. As stated before his actions have done more harm than good.

He demands that his subordinates follow his orders without question because he thinks he is right and will always be right.  And he never once afforded Ozpin that same loyalty, trust, or authority.  Since his debut in the show, he was constantly questioning Ozpin’s choices, even though HE was the subordinate to Ozpin.  Kinda hypocritical given his demand for it. He thought differently from Ozpin and could never accept Ozpin’s ways, nor listen to them.  He expected the council, Ozpin, his soldiers, and the main heroes to follow him without question and he truly, honestly believes he is right.  This is scary, especially when you compare him to Ozpin, but I will get to that in a moment.  The big point is that people who are so sure that they are right, even if they are dead wrong, are the scariest adversaries.  

What we have here is a narcissist with a superiority complex who can not accept that he is wrong. He was unbalanced since he came into the picture, and Ozpin knew it.  But here is where things get interesting.

Prior to the fall of beacon Ironwood condemns Ozpin’s choices for keeping things secret and not sharing with the world everything.  And, yes, Ironwood does the EXACT same thing after the fall of Beacon.  The difference here is in intention.  Ozpin’s purpose was to protect the people and ensure that as few people died as possible.  Ozpin’s choices were not based on control or the need to be RIGHT.  They were based on experience, a bit of fear, and concern for the people he needed to protect.  To Ozpin, sacrifice on a great scale was never an option.  He tried his best to make sure that the causalities were as limited as possible.  A difficult thing to do, given that hunters and huntresses were constantly fighting Grimm and such.  But  creating a mythos around the Maidens and eliminating Salem from history allowed him to save many many lives.  And I can guarantee that he attempted what Ironwood planned to do, at least on some levels, and met with staggering deaths.

Ironwood, however, is keeping secrets to keep control and out of fear.  He needs control, and he is frustrated that people do not agree with him automatically.  After the fall of Beacon, these traits became enhanced to an unbelievable level.  We see something else surface, though: Ironwood’s ability to manipulate people and be charismatic.  Ironwood is looking to survive: for himself( or his legacy that is Atlas).  He will manipulate others and sacrifice millions of people’s lives to protect himself (legacy), though he clings to his mantra of “it’s for the greater good.”  It will become the sign on the wall of the slave labor he creates. “For the Greater Good”.

Another thing you can do to really get an idea for the type of person Ironwood is, is by looking back to the round table discussions orchestrated by Ozpin versus Ironwood.  Ozpin was constant in listening to his people, sometimes taking ideas from them, and allowed them to question him–even yell at him.  He was patient and understood what they were trying to say.  He demonstrated this with Ironwood and Qrow the most.

You would never see that kind of discussion with Ironwood.  RWBY and co are new to the scene and it does throw him off.  You can tell he is trying not to pressure them too much because he knows they are not on his side yet. Hooking them up with the Ace-Corps and Winter was a move to help sway them more, a subtle kind of brainwashing tactic that never worked on them as he had hoped.

“You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it.”

—Glynda, to Ironwood in "Mountain Glenn"

“This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise, I will keep our people safe; you have to trust me.”

—Ironwood, to Ozpin

“Many have described these as uncertain times. And while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain: the Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong... and it will remain safe. That is my promise.”

—General Ironwood, reaffirming his promise to the people of Atlas over the Atlas Broadcast System

“I will sacrifice... whatever it takes... to stop her.”

—Ironwood, declaring his conviction to Watts

How many of these promises did he actually keep and how much trust did he give?

According to Jacques, Ironwood does not trust anybody but himself, something that Ironwood does not deny; instead, he believes that his methods are justified. This leads Ironwood to a more proactive yet headstrong approach to problems, attempting more preemptive measures, as opposed to Ozpin's more subtle, reactive and analytical methods.

Ironwood's heroism is because of his lack of trust - he has to do everything himself, no matter what, because he doesn't trust anyone else to do it.

He doesn't trust others because he thinks of himself as the hero, that only he can do things right, that everything that goes wrong is because people didn't listen to him.

Following Orders was also another theme of this volume, but it was hinted at back in V2 and other interactions between him and his subordinates.  This is a huge red flag when RWBY and co come to him in Volume 7. Ironwood has surrounded himself with Yes men, people who only follow orders and never once question them.  It is a dynamic theme throughout this volume, about controlling and crushing down your emotions to follow orders–or manage your semblance? Winter started alluding to this back in V3, which really set the stage for her and future Atlas soldiers.

Because of this Ironwood is often portrayed as the least worst character while in a company of other worst characters( or other Atlasians and antagonists to be specific)

For example Volume 4 chapter 2; Remembrance; we see Ironwood and Weiss after the fall with Jaques Schnee.

This is our first proper onscreen interaction with these characters that allows us to explore their new dynamic after beacon. From a visual standpoint we can sorta see Ironwood being somewhat humble after his failure at beacon but really he hasn’t changed from the arrogant warmonger that he is from his debut.(I’ll explain that later)

During his meeting with Jaques is where we get this misdirection of his character due to the exposition from their conversation. Ironwood talks about the dust(trade) embargo being necessary as to ease tensions with the other kingdoms due to Atlas being framed is an understandable and reasonable decision in comparison to Jaques argument being that it's costing him potential Millions of world currency to profit from. The meeting ends with Ironwood leaving before making a proposal to weiss which leads to this line of dialogue with her father;

“I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse.”

—Jacques, in "Remembrance

“I trust him.”

—Weiss Schnee, responding to her father's bad faith

Just like that the fandom is being swayed to see Ironwood in a more positive light for 3 reasons

Because best girl Weiss trusts him

Because Jaques is a greedy a**hole(As well as other Atlaisans)

Because Ironwood sides with her against the rich(V4 ep.6)

But the question that must be asked here is why does Weiss trust Ironwood?

Prior to Volume 4 she has had little to no interaction with the General. Her only point of reference for his character is only whatever Winter has told her about him, the Military propaganda and her first scene with him when he chastised and disqualified  Yang and her team in Volume 3(potentially her first real and true friends by the way)

If we were to add in the factor of Ironwood's incompetence and failure at beacon, Weiss should really have no real reason to trust Ironwood who she should see as the reason why beacon fell since it was his army that he brought only to be used by the villains to kill her and her friends and destroy beacon. As well as the man who’s failure had led her back into the custody of her father.(Remember she went to Beacon to get away from his abuse) She should at least harbour some sense of Scorn or resentment for him.

The Only reason why she apparently doesn’t is because her father was in that scene. Who prior to his debut was hinted to be a greedy abusive bastard. So just like winter she sides with Ironwood simply to defy her father. The difference between her and winter though is that she doesn’t see him as a potential father figure that he may have presented himself as when he first met winter. Instead she sees him as someone she would prefer to be around instead of her father.

This is further explored during Volumes 5 & 6 where Ironwood was absent leaving her free to continue throwing shade at Jaques, Whitelty, etc. To reiterate Weiss is not pro Ironwood because she thinks he might be a good guy. She is pro Ironwood to spite and defy her abusive father.

We possibly covered what was going on in the mind of the ice queen during volume 4 that had allowed her mind(as well as us) to be swayed to favor Ironwood. Now we will cover how she ( and the audience) was wrong by relooking at Ironwoods character by the end of Volume 4( his last on scene appearance before his return in V7)

Since Ironwood was largely absent from Volumes 5 & 6 and only mentioned during those volumes we were left with our opinion of him  after V4 to hold us over till his return in V7. The problem however is that we only had 3 scenes and one mention of him during the whole of volume 4. So what are those 4 moments of Ironwood that you may ask? In order they are;

His first argument with Jaques where Weiss sides with him

Taiyang telling Yang that it was him who gifted her a new arm(For whatever reason?)

Ironwood siding and defending Weiss against the rich a##holes of Atlas

His second argument with Jaques while Weiss escapes, where he reaffirms his power to the greedy bastard

This is literally the entirety of Ironwood's impact on the story during volume 4. Not much if you were to think about it.  But if you did you would come to realise that all of it was a major red hearing for his character. For you see at the start of this volume we were led to believe that Ironwood had changed for the better after his failure at beacon, but in truth he didn’t.

To further explain let's look at the narrative symmetry of his arc during the volume. It starts with him arguing with Jaques and ends with an  argument with the same man with both arguments ending with Ironwood on top Winning the argument. The difference between the two is how Ironwood is portrayed. The first argument as stated before tricks us into believing that Ironwood has become humble and wiser after his failure. But the second shows us the truth. Ironwood hadn’t changed at all. Instead it shows us that he is still as blunt and arrogant as he was during Volumes 2 & 3.  To best explain let's look at the transcripts of the argument;

Weiss is soon creeping outside her father's study door when she hears a glass crash followed by the rising voice of James Ironwood. She crouches behind a cushioned chair against the wall.

Ironwood: You need to control yourself!

Jacques: You're talking to me about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?

Ironwood: I am basing everything on my reports from your daughter.

Jacques: A daughter you stole!

Weiss moves closer to the door to listen.

Ironwood: Oh, we are not getting into that again.

Jacques: Oh, yes, we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!

Ironwood: Jacques!

The scene changes to an overhead view inside Jacques' study. He is seated at his desk while Ironwood has both hands on it, leaning over him from the other side.

Ironwood: (sighing heavily) Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them.

From this first half of the scene we are only shown the middle and near end of the argument and we are left to interpret what led to this escalation of opinions. Prior to this we are swayed to believe that Ironwood is in the right while Jaques is in the wrong. But before we are shown the cause of the argument via its resolution, we get this interesting bash from Jaques claiming that Ironwood stole her from him(or to be accurate her family).

I find this interesting because we don’t exactly know why Winter would be so loyal to Ironwood to the point of saying that her life doesn’t matter in V7 and why she would be so against her family to the point that she makes no effort to see Weiss, and Whitely included and only bothering to be apart of weiss’s life only because she seems to be following the same path of defiance against their father. In other words she only chooses to interact with her sister only if she is rebelling against their father. If she is not, then WInter wants nothing to do with her.

Now who or what exactly would cause Winter to have this unhealthy mindset in regards to her own personal existence and relationships?

The answer being Ironwood.

If we were to consider Jaques words being serious than it is more than likely the truth. Ironwood did steal Winter, not just from her father but from the rest of her family. I don’t know what exactly Ironwood said or did to turn winter away from her family but it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart. He did this  just to have a loyal subordinate with incredible power( her hereditary semblance) & status( her grandfather's legacy and accomplishments) just to give his power and status more legitimacy.

By doing so Ironwood had brainwashed Winter into believing that her family as well as herself is beyond redemption due to the actions of her father thus leading her to abandon them and only believing Ironwood can redeem her hence why she values her life so little and is willing to die for whatever Ironwoods says.

Now we move on to the next part of the first half where Ironwood doesn’t trust Leo to handle the situation in Mistral. He first starts this off by listing all of the things that obviously would be of concern in regards to potential riots and war. Understandable and reasonable to be ready for an attack. Especially for a paranoid military leader. But here’s the thing: this is a foreign affair that has to be resolved by the people over there. In other words, that is Leo's problem to resolve, not Ironwood’s. (Keep in mind this is Ironwood before he is told the truth about Leo.)

Lionheart who is also another member of Ozpin's inner circle like him is trusted with the safety of an entire kingdom. The difference between the 2 however is how leo seems to be a most trusted member of the group given how fondly Ozpin speaks of him to the point of giving him gifts as well as being trusted with full autonomy trust, and independence in comparison to the scorn and micromanagement Ironwood gets from Ozpin and the other members(Qrow Glynda, Theo, Etc).

In other words Ironwood should at least have some trust in Leo's abilities to handle the situation in Mistral before he learns of his betrayal. But instead he claims he doesn’t and says that he could handle the situation better. Remember this is before either we or Ironwood are shown that plot twist and betrayal. For all we know when Ironwood said that Leo may have been a decent guy.  This is just simply another example of Ironwood’s ego and need for control being shown but in a subtle way that we don’t even notice

We covered the first half now we will continue with the rest of the scene.

Weiss is listening outside.

Jacques: You've never trusted anyone other than yourself!

Ironwood: (shouting) And for good reason!

Weiss covers her mouth with her hand as she gasps at the sound of Ironwood slamming his fist onto the desk.

Ironwood: If Oz had just listened to me from the start...

Jacques: You need to get a grip.

Ironwood: That's exactly what I'm doing. Our people need protection. By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in; no one out. Without the council's permission.

Jacques: You mean, without your permission?

Ironwood: And if that becomes the case, I would think you'd want to be on my good side.

Ironwood walks away from the desk, leaving Jacques to sigh and fold his hands.

Those first 3 lines help better clarify that despite all of the apparent good Ironwood did during the volume it exposes the truth that hasn’t changed and he is still the same narcissist authoritarian from Volumes 2 & 3. As well as a potential foreshadow of his nihilism as he ignores and rejects the fact that it was his fault beacon fell and instead chooses to continue blaming Ozpin; who if he had it his way with dealing with the events of volume 3 wouldn’t have been as disastrous as when Ironwood had his way. Simply put had Ozpin had his way continued;

Beacon possibly wouldn’t have fallen

A droid army wouldn’t have been used to frame an entire kingdom

Global communications would probably still be a thing

Fewer people would have died

Trade would still be a thing as well

The threat of another world war could have been avoided

Instead Ironwood pulled a power move against Ozpin, and it backfired immensely. Instead of learning from his mistake he chooses to blame others for his mistake  and fails to realize that he is doing more harm than good.

To continue with the rest of the scene where Ironwood tells Jaques that he will be closing the borders and that nobody can leave or enter without the council's approval leads to  Jaques pointing out that he really means with his permission, only for Ironwood to taunt jaques in a smug gloat to tell the greedy bastard that he has already won. The final line of that scene is probably the highlight of Ironwood’s ego being stroked as he (in his mind) has crushed and won against the last of his local opposition. It also shows us that Ironwood had amassed too much power and that it has further validated his mind into believing his own hype regardless of what the sane and reasonable characters are saying.

Now it is pretty clear Ironwood has a very toxic mindset and very manipulative personality, but why is it that after volume 4 we consider him to be a good guy till the events of V7 even though his last scene in V4 clearly shows that he is still the same as V2 & V3 Ironwood?

The reason being that his last scene was confronting Jaques Schnee who earlier had slapped his daughter in the face, revoked her inheritance, and was only presented as a corporate d##chebag. Because of this we the viewer would rather side with anyone that isn’t Jaques Schnee. But in that schnee we are tricked to side with a Paranoid Warmonger who had only a few good moments to make us believe he had changed for the better against a man who was presented as one of the most awful characters of this volume. But in truth they were both terrible when it came to morality and eventually we had to pick a side and we the audience chosen wrong(Jaques is still a villain no argument there but I think we would have no problem beating his @$$ vs getting destroyed if we challenged Ironwood on his bull$#17)

“His heart is in the right place. He's just... misguided.”

—Ozpin, about Ironwood in "Never Miss a Beat"

“Sometimes, I'm not even sure he has a heart.”

—Qrow, about Ironwood in "Never Miss a Beat"

Back in V2 and V3, Ironwood showed his ability to be both charismatic and manipulative. His subtlety in his manipulation is a statement to his rise to power.  He puts himself into the position of a Father Figure to lure in the people he wants.  It worked with Winter and the Ace-Ops, which is why they are his right-hand yes men. During Dance Dance, he was praising Ruby and fueling her admiration for him.  Even when team RWBY came to Atlas, all his actions were calculated to manipulate the team into trusting him.  Unfortunately, his actions never really lined up with his words, which was why the team was on edge.

“people only did wrong when at the moment the perceived benefits seemed to outweigh the costs.”

This is exactly what ironwood did.

To Ironwood, the world cannot be saved without Atlas(or to be accurate him). He truly believes he and Atlas are the key to victory against Salem. But Victory is not in a single person, group or in strength of power. Victory is only achieved by cooperation, teamwork and in unity.

(real quick i want to give credit to @rwby-etc for they're post that I used to help better summerize this section)

I am power I am due process I will smite

[its-a-branwen-thing]

More Than a Difference of Opinion: On Ironwood, Oz, and Qrow

Also why can’t I do read more on mobile I’m sorry everyone.

I want to talk about Oz, Qrow, and Ironwood for a second. Because something about the last few episodes and some subtle hints this season, along with conversations in V3, have lead me to believe that it isn’t going to be RWBY or new!JNPR or the Penny who ultimately stop Ironwood. It’s going to be Oz and it might also be Qrow.

And I mean Oz. Not necessarily Oscar (but him too!) because he’s still in there I...I think? Like a dormant Alexa? Anyway, when we first see Ironwood and Oz interact in V2 it’s fraught with...disagreement. Ozpin isn’t pleased with the display of force and neither is Glynda, although her and Ironwood seem to have a bit of a friendly history, and it showed us right out of the gate that Ironwood is a military commander. A soldier through and through. He brings big guns as a show of protection. But Oz interprets it as a show of force. People will wonder what they need protecting from.

When we’re introduced to Qrow in V3 his first confrontation is with Winter. That’s how he’s introduced. A fight with one of Ironwood’s subordinates because he disagrees with James’s way of doing things. And when Ozpin interjects it’s with resigned displeasure. Of course Qrow is here to cause a fight. He’s Ozpin’s agent, not Ironwood’s, and he does things his own way. When they meet in the office their relationship at first seems tenuous at best.

“If I were one your men I’d shoot myself” is still hands down THE BEST IN THIS ESSAY I WILL—

But Ironwood also states he thought Qrow was compromised, and so he didn’t initiate contact. A strategy less about friendship and more about the mission. I can see why these two butt heads.

When Ironwoods forces are hacked (another potential beat of “oh, maybe an army of steel isn’t the best option so here’s my very real human V7 team plus one robot and...oh, the robots the only one with real autonomy? It’s fine, it’s fine”) we see him go through shit. And this is a man we like. He can’t gain control of his army, his ships are crashing to the ground, Grimm are attacking the city, it’s all gone to hell. And he still fights.

So we see Ironwood knocking his own army around, his half metal body showing through ripped clothing. This guy is powerful. And when he comes across Qrow and Glynda this is how Qrow reacts to seeing him

Gets me every time

And Ironwood tells him it isn’t his fault and looks ready to smack down should Qrow attack him. But Qrow’s defending him from a Grimm, not attacking, and he basically turns around once he’s done like “no duh, Jimmy, I’m not that drunk yet” After this, they don’t really see each other again that I can recall. Beacon’s fall happens. Ironwood goes back to Atlas. Qrow joins the kids. Oz finds himself in the body of a farm boi.

And even in season 4, we see Ironwood a few times. I cheered him on at the party when he said Weiss was the only one making sense there. And then 5 and 6 he’s largely absent in all but name. And we know he’s isolated himself and Atlas. Now 7 he’s obviously center stage. And with Oz gone, no one will be able to talk sense into him as Watts fears they will.

Season 7 feels heavier than the other seasons. Maybe it’s the setting, maybe it’s just a tonal shift, but Atlas and Mantle are beautiful and I hope we don’t leave them soon. And Ironwood, a man we trusted even though he was a little flawed, falls right into Salem’s plan. He’d never betray our protagonists the way Lionheart did, but he’d sacrifice anything if it meant even temporarily stopping Salem. Even them. Even his own people. Even himself. (“I would DIEEEEEE”). But the thing is, I totally get where Ironwood is coming from. I also completely get where RWBYs coming from.

I want to talk about four scenes in particular here: Oscar and Ironwood at the Vault, Ironwood and Qrow’s hug, Oscar revealing the truth to Ironwood, and Qrow’s promise to Clover.

The Oscar and Ironwood scene is one of the best this season. It communicates what it needs to very well and beautifully. Oscars warning to Ironwood seems to directly contradict Oz’s V6 reveal. Oscars trust him. But he trusts other people too. He warns him not to neglect listening to his humanity. And Ironwood does just that (I know there’s a loooot of grey area but abandoning Mantle is why Salem wins). It all seemed cool before episode 11, but it sure went to shit then. This conversation will happen again. It has to. Because Oz has always been warning Ironwood that guardians are needed more than weapons of war. And we’ve also seen Ironwood justify retreat to the students. He’s a solider. This is war. Retreat is a tactic of war. It’s a valid one too.

The next scene is short but I had to include it because they included it. Ironwood stops Qrow and tells him it’s good to see him. They hug. It’s fine. Qrow rolls his eyes and pats his back. We see them as allies now, Ironwood having only himself to fall back on to enact Oz’s will, and now one of the old gang is here. But Qrow rather endearingly rolls his eyes twice this episode at Ironwood. The animosity between them is almost gone. Throughout this season he constantly questions James, but never confronts him as angrily as before. It’s like the fight has gone out of Qrow and he lets the others (I’d say kids but they’re like...not anymore?) lead instead. Even when Ironwood calls for their arrests, Qrow still wants to talk to him instead of escalating. He still trusts Ironwood. And he seems to until they very end.

Next is Oscar revealing the final truth to James. He does this behind closed doors after Jacques’s presumed detaining. He tells him how Salem can’t be beaten. And Ironwood takes it hard but he thanks Oscar for telling him and when Oscar says the city in the sky is held to a higher standard, Ironwood has a moment of confusion. I can almost hear him thinking “...Oz?” as his scroll goes off. Oscar seems wiser this season. I don’t think they’re necessarily melding, I just think Oz’s dormancy is not so...dormant anymore. I think Oz is seeing all of this. And I think him being below when Ironwood makes the decision to sacrifice Mantle is deliberate. I think this scene plays out like his other one. (Also “I don’t think I can take anoymore surprises” sure is poignant now). These characters need to have a reckoning. Especially considering Ironwood is technically Oz’s subordinate just as Qrow was. Is? If Oz asks him to stop, will he? Is he too far gone in his decision? And, if Oz has learned anything about trust this season, it’s that he needs to place trust in others. And he’s going to place his trust in Ironwood to make the right choice. And I’m not sure what our Tin Man will do.

The final scene is the final scene of episode 12. It’s a doozy. But it doesn’t sound like a throwaway line. Qrow specifically says “Ironwood (James?) will take the fall” meaning he likely blames Ironwood for Clover’s death and the circumstances that lead to it. He knows Ironwood is abandoning Mantle now. And he could have run after and blamed Tyrian but he doesn’t (more on that story at 11). He calls for Ironwood’s fall. And all this time we’ve seen them as two members of a team thrown together to save the world, with the man who joined them under the cause suddenly gone. And besides all that, Qrow’s trust in Oz is still shattered. It shows when he tells Ruby after they get their licenses that she’s better than Oz because she trusts others. Remember that Qrow’s issue with Oz is an issue of loyalty, and Clover’s death is because of that loyalty to Ironwood (among a myriad of other factors). If Oz can’t talk sense into Ironwood, I can see him fighting Qrow. They haven’t been set up as nemesis, exactly, but they are opposing forces. And we’ve been setting up that confrontation for a few volumes now.

I don’t really have an estimation of how this will pan out, but I think it’s important to consider Ironwood and Qrow are two cogs in the world-saving machine on two very different sides now. And Oz is the lynchpin to it all. He has to come back. He has to reconcile these decisions. We have to see if he’s changed or what he’s thinking. I personally think Oz will fail, Qrow will confront James, and there will be some heavy hitting words and a big ol fight that Oz will have to stop.

Oz is a great character. I understand his choices. And I think those ideas play nicely with this season’s theme. I’m pumped to see how this season plays out because it feels like we’re cornered on all sides. And that’s, I think, fantastic.

[howlingday]

REAPING OF ATLAS 2/3

RWBY Characters Are Created And Owned By Rooster Teeth And Monty Oum.

Team REAPS And All Original Characters In It's Universe Are Created And Owned By @dark-chocolate-fudge-sweetracer

"Are you sure they're okay? Acacia may have recovered physically, but emotionally and mentally-"

"They're fine, Professor Goodwitch," Arishna said in an irritable tone, "I know you love those kids, but I honestly think you're spoiling them too much. If you need someone to spoil-"

"Enough!" Glynda barked. Arishna loved it when she got stern and professional. It made her feel... What's the word? "I will not put those children into harm's way while they are still recovering. As for you, I suggest you take a cold shower every morning if you're going to be speaking so casually on the phone while in Atlas Academy. James may be strict, but he's even more so with inappropriate behavior under his guidance."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. It might be fun."

"Arishna..."

"Glynda, listen, if something does happen to those kids, you will be the first to hear it from me. I promise." A sigh on the other end was all Glynda could muster. "I love you."

"...I love you, too, Arishna. And if you need to tell someone before me, I understand. But I refuse to hear it from anyone else. Good day, Professor Dawn."

"And good night, Glynda." Arishna blew a kiss into the screen and hung up. She then heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm really sorry, Glyndie."

Arishna dialed another number into her scroll, and when it was answered, she spoke first. "Hey, it's me."

Prism took a deep breath as she entered the arena. It reminded her of Beacon, but with a few slight differences. Instead of Professor Goodwitch monitoring the sparring matches, it was a tall cyborg with a beard. Instead of numerous random classmates in the bleachers, it was her friends. Instead of Yang Xiao Long taunting and teasing her as she stood at side of the arena, it was an excessively boasting dog-faunus.

"Feel free to drop out at any time. I know I can be a handful from what my opponents tell me." Martow gloated with a sneer.

"What? The training dummies?" Marrow growled at her remark. Okay, scratch that. This will be the exact same as fighting Xiao Long.

"Are you ready?" Headmaster Ironwood called from above. When he saw neither competitor raise their hand, he nodded. "Begin!"

Marrow made the first move, throwing his boomerang, Fetch, at Prism. Prism reached into her bag and pulled out a few spheres. Once she had them in hand, she summoned a hardlight shield with her free hand. The boomerang bounced back into Marrow's hands, but the specialist had already closed the gap. He began swinging Fetch at the barrier, hoping his sword could cut through.

Prism ran around the barrier and threw a sphere at Marrow. Marrow blocked the ball with Fetch, but found himself soaked in water.

"What? Did you think it was a stink-bomb?" Prism asked. "How childish do you think I am?"

Marrow responded by shifting Fetch into a rifle and began firing on Prism. She dove to the side, summoning a hardlight barrier, then rolled another sphere towards Marrow. The specialist jumped away as it rolled towards him, and blasted it with Fetch. He then gripped his nose at the foul odor exploding from the globe.

"Yeah, that's right! I do have a stink-bomb!" Prism gloated as she closed the gap between them. She began swinging at him with her chakram, and he was forced to go on the defensive with Fetch in it's rifle form, as he needed both hands to shift it into a boomerang and one hand was preoccupied covering his nose.

Marrow kicked Prism away and pointed at her with Fetch. "Stay!"

Prism was stuck in place as Marrow lowered his weapon and walked over and snatched the remaining orb from her hand. "Too bad, kid! I warned you guys I was on another level, but you didn't listen." He tossed the ball into the air and caught it. "You got some fancy tech, but it won't always save you. Maybe if spent less time hiding behind these toys, you might learn that-!"

"Unidentified print has been detected and scanned for 1-0 seconds."

Marrow looked around confused. "Who said that?"

"Initiating self-destruct sequence of cryo-core."

The little orb in Marrow's palm hissed as it released a super cold gas into the air, freezing itself to his palm. As Marrow shook it around, Prism slowly regained her movement. His clothes, soaked from the splash of her first device, iced over until he was trapped in his own clothing.

Prism reached over and pressed a finger to the globe. "Prometheus." The gas ceased and the orb shut itself once more.

"Self-destruct sequence deactivated."

"Next time," Prism reeled back and allowed her gauntlet to build up power, "don't touch my things!" She launched her fist forward and punched Marrow in his mouth. The dog was sent crashing to the ground.

Headmaster Ironwood raised his hand. "I've seen enough. I declare Prism Asagiri the victor in this bout. However, don't let Marrow's advice fall on deaf ears. You may one day find yourself in a position where your technology may fail you."

"Says the guy whose pet Paladin almost killed us." Prism scoffed and muttered under her breath.

"And Marrow, once again, your boastful attitude and underestimation of your opponent led to your loss in this round. Perhaps I should have Specialist Bree take you under her wing in how a specialist should act?"

"Damn it, Wags!" Harriet cursed, "Once again, you lost and I have to pay for it!"

Prism climbed the steps and found her seat next to Acacia. As Sandy passed her on her way down, they high-fived and Prism wished her good luck. Prism decided now was a good time to gloat.

"Did you see my babies and I out there? We kicked some serious butt!"

A chuckle behind her caught her off-guard. Specialist Bree sat behind her with her arms crossed. "Don't get so cocky, kid. Marrow may be a specialist, but he only just joined us. He's more bark than bite. Honestly, I should be thanking you for knocking him down a peg. He's been getting too big for his britches, if you ask me."

"And if you ask me, you should treat your teammates with a little more respect." Elm scolded. "Especially someone more junior than yourself!"

"Besides, if I remember correctly, there was a rather skittish Harriet Bree once who was so excited for her first day, she forgot to wear pants to her briefing!" Clover laughed with Elm as Harriet blushed and avoided looking at her teammates. "But enough about that. Besides, it looks like Vine's match is about to begin.

Vine stood perfectly still with his eyes closed and his palms touching in meditation. Sandy didn't know how to wake him up, or whatever it is you do to get someone out of meditation. Was he waiting for Ironwood? What was she supposed to do?

"So-"

"You are quick to act and quite impatient." Sandy nearly jumped as her opponent finally spoke. "The outcome of a battle can be determined by only the first move. If you move first, you declare your strategy to your opponent, making it easy to counter. But if you choose to counter, your opponent may be too fast for you to react."

"Uh, I guess." Sandy replied. Did he want to chat before the fight started? Why?

"And what do you think will happen if you win?"

"Well, I guess I just go back to my seat and wait for everyone to be done."

"What if that's not the case? What if you only manage to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? What if you must be sent to the medical wing?" When Sandy had no answer, Vine continued. "Tell me," Vine offered his hand as he spoke, "what is the purpose of Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"Uh, to kill Grimm, right?"

"Why is that?"

"Uh, well, if we don't, the Grimm will kill everyone and destroy everything."

"And if we kill the Grimm, and eradicate them for good, what then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we no longer Huntsmen? Do we disband now that the threat of Grimm is eradicated?"

"Well, no-" Sandy paused. "I mean-" She paused again. As she pondered, Vine turned around and walked back up the steps. "Hey!" Sandy chased after him. "Where are you going?!"

"I see no reason for us to fight." Vine explained. "Therefore, I forfeit."

"But-"

"Vine Zeki has forfeited the match. Therefore, Sandy Mithril is the victor!" Headmaster Ironwood boomed from above. "All contestants, please return to your seats!"

Sandy was left standing dumbstruck, then slunked her way back up to her seat, where she slumped into her chair.

"Hey, you okay?" Reizo asked. No response.

"Look on the bright side," Echidna smiled, "at least you won without breaking a sweat!" Unfortunately, her words of encouragement only yielded a groan of disapproval.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid." Elm said "Vine isn't the kind of guy to fight for the sake of fighting. He'd rather talk things out than duke it out." Her gaze shifted from Sandy to Acacia. "Don't go thinking I'm the same, though. You'll actually be giving it your all against me!" She then made her way down the stairs toward the arena.

Acacia gulped.

Acacia made her way down the steps to the arena. She stopped on the final step and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "You're gonna be fine," she told herself, "it's just a practice round. They just want to see where you are in your training. It's not going to be like last time with the Paladin." After one last calming breath, Acacia stepped into the arena.

"There you are!" Elm exclaimed. "I was worried you got cold feet. You good to fight?"

Acacia gave a cocky smile as she scoffed. "You kidding? I'm good as good gets!"

Elm smiled at that. "That's great to hear! Now let's see you back it up!"

"Are you ready?" General Ironwood called from above.

"Always ready, sir!" Elm called back, tightening her grip on Timber.

"Then let us..." General Ironwood kept the long pause for dramatic effect, then exclaimed, "Begin!"

Acacia rushed forward with her tonfas and swung at Elm, who blocked with Timber's shaft. Acacia swung three more times, then ducked and weaved to Elm's side, getting in a good few hits, before jumping back to avoid a retaliating swing.

Acacia jumped forward to continue her assault, but Elm was dodging this time, instead of blocking. Was she trying to put space between them? Acacia didn't let up on her swings, but was so focused on Elm's front that she wasn't paying attention to behind her, as Elm moved Timber to her other hand behind her back. Elm swung low and tripped Acacia, causing her to fall on her back.

Acacia was a little dazed, but still too slow to recover. Elm planted a boot on Acacia's stomach and used Roots to pin her down. Elm shifted Timber to it's rocket launcher mode and pointed down at the trapped girl. She'd probably struggle a little before giving up and calling the match.

But she didn't.

When Elm looked down, she was shocked by what she saw. Acacia was struggling, yes, but less like, "Oh no, I'm pinned," and more like a rabbit caught in a rope trap. Acacia was scrambling, tears flowing out of her eyes and down her cheeks like a river. She began punching Elm's as hard as she could, grunting in desperation. She was helpless.

"Hey, kid?" Acacia looked up to see her opponent wearing a look of concern on her face. "You good?"

Acacia calmed down a little bit, realizing the boot wasn't as heavy as the Paladin's. Her breathing became less rapid, and finally gave a calming breath. She then chuckled. "I guess I lose, huh?"

Elm chuckled with her. "Yeah, I guess so!" Elm removed Roots and stepped off of Acacia and offered her a hand. "You wanna try again?"

Acacia sighed. "No. Not yet." She walked back towards the steps, up to her seat. "You win."

"Acacia Evergreen has forfeited the match! The victor is Elm Ederne!" General Ironwood roared from above. "Both contestants, please return to your seats."

Acacia sighed as she sat next to Prism. That was disappointing. Nothing quite like a panic attack during a sparring match to kill your shot at graduating early.

"Hey, you okay?" Acacia opened her eyes to see her entire team swarmed around her. Echidna was holding her left hand, while Prism held her right, with Sandy standing in front of her and Reizo kneeling next to her. Acacia's face flushed at all this attention she was getting.

"Uh, I-!"

"Children, please! Give Acacia some space!" Everyone stepped away as Reizo's mother glared at her new students. Acacia shivered. She hadn't seen a glare like hers since Professor Goodwitch. This professor, however, softened her expression to one fitting for a mother such as hers as she spoke gently. "Are you okay, dear?"

"Uh, yeah, I just-"

"Oh, will you quit coddling them!" Acacia almost got whiplash after turning her head so quickly. Specialist Ederne sat down next to Acacia where Echidna once was. When did that happen? "The kid's fine; just had a little scare, that's all. Right, kid?" She finished with a wink towards her.

"Yeah, I'm, uh... I'm good."

"See? She's fine. Besides, if she wasn't, Vine would be more than happy to do some meditating with her after her classes. Ain't that right, Vine?" Vine wasn't paying attention. In fact, he looked like he was meditating just so he didn't have to respond. "See?"

Acacia cleared her throat. "Yeah. I'll, uh, I'll hold you guys to it."

"Great! Now it's time for Harriet's match! You're gonna love this. She might be the most hot-headed, but she's also the most talented of us, too." Specialist Ederne leaned down to whisper. "Uh, but don't tell her I said that."

Echidna and Harriet made it to their places in the arena at the same time. They didn't take their eyes off of each other once they saw their opponent at the bottom of their stairs.

"Feel free to drop out at any time, princess." Specialist Bree teased. Echidna knew her foe wouldn't hold anything back, so neither should she. "I can tell you're scared. I bet your heart is thumping in that dainty little chest of yours."

Echidna scoffed at the claim. Talking back to her would just distract her. She simply took her stance with her staff in front of her.

"Not gonna talk, huh? Alright! I can respect that." Specialist Bree donned Fast Knuckles and took a boxing stance, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm ready when you are!"

Ironwood waited a moment, seeing the combatants were already taking stances. "Begin!"

Specialist Bree launched herself at Echidna, and kicked at her staff. Echidna gripped her staff tightly and used the force of the kick to spin herself, using her momentum to swing her staff as she spun and attempted to strike her opponent's head. Specialist Bree ducked with a cocky smirk, however, and swung her legs out to catch Echidna in the legs. Echidna jumped, however, with a cocky smirk of her own, as a wave of water crashed into Specialist Bree, sending her rolling along the floor.

"Where the hell-?!" Specialist Bree saw Echidna removing her gloves to reveal fins.

"I can use my aura to create water and manipulate it." Echidna explained as water rolled off her fins in small droplets. "I was waiting for a chance to show this off to my team before starting school, so I guess now is as good a time as any." Echidna then put her hand up to her lips. "Oh! But I'm getting ahead of myself! Do you need a towel?"

Specialist Bree growled and punched the floor, cracking it a little. "No, but you're gonna need an ice pack when I'm done with you!"

Echidna split her staff in two as she readied herself for another frontal assault. She must have blinked because Specialist Bree was suddenly gone!

"Heads up, kid!" Echidna jumped back and looked up as Specialist Bree came down like a comet, shattering the flooring of the arena. But there was no time for her to rest as Specialist Bree disappeared again. A blur out of the corner of her left eye forced her to spin to left, just in time to catch Specialist Bree launching at her again. Echidna tried to dodge, but was caught in the shoulder by a foot from the specialist. This victory for the specialist was short lived as Echidna was able to grip her ankle with a claw from one end on her baton.

Echidna yanked on the chain attached and forced Specialist Bree to the ground with a splash. She looked around and noticed the space they were fighting in had become a large puddle of water. Echidna held out her hands in front of her and flattened her palms upwards, then slowly raised her hands up.

Specialist Bree kicked her leg back, but found there was enough slack in the chain to not bother Echidna. "Damn it!"

"Enough!" Ironwood barked from above. "Harriet Bree is the victor of this bout." With those words, Echidna gasped as she fell to her knees. "I feel I don't need to explain the importance of aura conservation, do I, Miss Bluewaters?" Echidna breathed heavily, feeling drained from her trick. Her plan was sound, she thought, but she had no idea how much aura it required.

"Hey, you need a hand?" Echidna looked up to see Specialist Bree offering her hand. She took it, but found it uneasy to stand. "Woah! Easy now!" Specialist Bree moved Echidna's hand over her shoulders as they walked up the steps. "Not bad, kid! But try not to burn yourself out next time."

Echidna sighed. "Thanks."

Echidna yawned as she settled into her seat. She hadn't expended that much aura since that Beringel mission. She looked to her left and saw Reizo's mother watching the arena with intensity. It made sense to Echidna, since her son (currently daughter) was now up to bat. Reizo was their leader, and for good reason as she understood. He wasn't as smart as Prism, nor as spirited as Sandy, or as tough as Acacia, and certainly wasn't as socially graceful as herself, but Reizo had something that made him different from the others.

"Up next is Clover. Ten Lien says the kid won't last a minute!" Specialist Amin boasted.

"I'll take you on that bet!" Specialist Bree exclaimed. "No way Clover will lose against someone so green!"

"50 Lien that the kid makes it to 10 minutes." Specialist Ederne pitched in.

"I'm certain Clover wouldn't approve of wanton gambling." Specialist Zeku opined.

"Come on, Reizo," Echidna wearily thought as she closed her eyes, "prove them wrong."

"It's not too late to back out, you know." Specialist Ebi reasoned. "We can just have you start all over again. There's no shame in going back to square one."

"Will my friends be with me?" Reizo asked as she gripped her katana's pommel.

"Well, we can't guarantee anything. I've seen at least one of them ready for the next level."

"Then my answer is no." Reizo drew her sword from it's sheath. "It's either all of us, or none of us."

"Okay, but I tried." Specialist Ebi submitted with a shrug. He then waved to above them. "Hey, we're ready down here!"

General Ironwood nodded. "Then let the final battle begin!"

Reizo wasted no time as she charged with her blade up and at her side. She swung with one hand, but missed entirely as Specialist Ebi leaned back. Reizo recovered by swinging back the other way at a diagonal angle, but the specialist leader simply stepped back. Reizo decided on a new approach and thrusted her katana into her opponent.

Her mother gasped at the direct hit to his chest. Reizo pressed forward and pushed him back. Specialist Ebi laughed as he flicked his badge.

"Not bad, kid," he exclaimed, "if I weren't so lucky, I'd have to get an early retirement!" He then reached for his weapon at his side. "But now that I know you're going for the kill," Specialist Ebi extended Kingfisher, "I don't need to hold back, do I?"

Reizo began her charge again, but the specialist leader launched the hook from Kingfisher out and snagged her sleeve. He reeled in the hook with a tug, forcing Reizo into a spin. After steadying herself, Reizo looked forward in time to see Specialist Ebi throwing a punch at her. She twisted her body to avoid him and swung up at his exposed arm, but Kingfisher's rod had caught the blow and knocked the sword to the side.

'Time for a new plan.' Reizo thought as she sheathed her katana, inserting a lightning and a fire dust coin into the blade's coin slots before it was fully in. She then attempted to goad her opponent closer with a taunting of her free hand. He just smiled and obliged by walking forward, unafraid of her. When he was within feet of her, Reizo drew her blade as quickly as she could, catching Kingfisher in her path. Flames roared and electricity crackled as she pressed forward into her foe. Specialist Ebi simply pushed her back and tugged on his reel. Was it upside down?

Reizo was sent to the ground on her back. She tried to get up, but the specialist leader was already on top of her, with a boot on her wrist and forcing her to let go of her katana.

"You done?" Specialist Ebi asked. Reizo blew her hair out of her face.

"Yeah. I'm done."

"You have all performed admirably. You have proven that your skills have not diminished since the Fall." Ironwood paced before the students with the Ace-Ops standing behind him. "However, it should be noted that you all still have a ways to go before you can become fully licensed Huntsmen. As such, I have decided, if you will allow me, to enroll all of you into Atlas Academy as third year students."

The five glanced at each other, each taking their time to silently judge the expressions of the other. Once Reizo recieved a nod from the other girls, she stood up and cleared her throat. "All of us, headmaster?"

"Yes." Ironwood answered immediately. "I feel you children have more that proved yourselves beyond the capabilities of first year students of Beacon, and with only one more year of proper education, I see no issue with you five becoming Huntsmen."

Reizo looked back to her team, whom all smiled back at her. Reizo nodded and faced the Headmaster once more. "Yes, Headmaster Ironwood. We'll do you proud!"

"Excellent!" Ironwood smiled. "Then allow me to once again welcome you to Atlas." He then turned to speak with Reizo's mother. "Professor Yamato. If you would be so kind, please escort our new students to their dorms."

"Of course, Headmaster." Reizo's mother extended her arm towards the exit as she spoke to her new students. "If you will follow me, I will escort you to your dorm rooms, where you can all get settled in."

Ironwood smiled as he watched his new students leave, taking their first steps towards serving their community, and making humanity better as a whole. A buzz on his scroll interrupted his thoughts. He reached down and looked at the screen, sighing as he read the contact. What did Cordovin want this time?

"Ah! Sweet comfort!" Prism sighed as she sunk into the bliss of her new mattress, sighing contentedly after a three hour "detour" to the dorm room, in which Reizo's mother took the liberty of explaining not only the hundreds of different rooms and their uses, but the history of Atlas Academy as well. This heaven was interrupted by Echidna grabbing her leg.

"Hey! We were going to vote on who slept in what bed!"

"And I vote for this bed. All in favor? Aye! All oppose?"

"Nay!" Echidna shouted.

"The motion remains unchanged. It's my bed." Prism heaved a sigh of delight. "I love democracy."

As the two argued, Acacia and Sandy looked over the new uniforms, already in their closets. Acacia felt the interior, the wool scratching against her palm, and then the surface, which felt like cotton. Acacia smiled, glad to know Atlas was mindful of both it's freezing temperatures and high altitude, neither of which made the pit viper poltergeist feel comfortable. Damn her reptilian traits!

"Ugh! Do they only have steel gray?" Sandy complained. "At least Beacon's uniforms had style."

"I'm sure they have smoke gray in stock if you'd like," Acacia joked, "or if you'd prefer, I'm sure they can get you a very, very, very light black, or a very, very, very, very, very, very dark white." Sandy and Acacia giggled at the jest.

Reizo steeped out of the bathroom, wearing a towel around her torso. She stood for a moment, watching her team. Prism was annoying Echidna, Acacia and Sandy were laughing and making jokes, and she felt left out. It really was just like Beacon.

Reizo walked to her bag, which she assumed were brought up by Atlas staff while she was fighting for the amusement of her new, stoic overlord. She hummed in thought as she got dressed. Third year students, but not graduates?

Was he not entertained?

A knock on the door broke her thoughts. "Just a second!" Reizo called as she put on her new uniform. Wool? What kind of sadist makes a scratchy wool uniform?!

Another knock followed. Once Reizo was dressed, Acacia answered the door, as she was the closest. Behind the door was Professor Yamato stood in the doorway, smiling and waving.

"Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you have all settled in now." The in-fighting over one of the bunks informed her of the contrary. "Ah, I see. Is there a problem I can resolve?"

Before Reizo could speak, a new, yet familiar voice spoke on her behalf.

"Ah, it's fine, Mrs. Y! These kids are just that close, y'know?" The infighting stopped as all five students rushed into the hallway to meet the voice of their former professor, Arishna Dawn. "Yo! Remember me?"

"It's Professor Goodwitch's girlfriend!" Sandy cried. An icy chill ran through Professor Dawn as her fellow professor gave her a wary glance.

"Oh, really?" Professor Mom inquired. "So you had faculty romantically involved with one another at Beacon, eh?"

"Well, I mean, it started before-"

"No, she was a Teacher's Assistant when we started." Echidna explained. "She only became a professor just before the Vytal Festival."

"Oh, so not only was it a romantic relationship, but a case of fraternization as well?" Professor Dawn scrambled for an explanation as she squirmed in place under the judging eyes of her superior. "My, my! The things Beacon got away with when I'm not watching."

"No, you got it all wrong!" Professor Dawn shouted with eyes shut. It became silent. That wasn't a good sign. She opened an eye and was petrified by the steely gaze of her senior.

"Oh? Then please, do explain how your relationship with a supervisory faculty member began."

"Well,not now, here, in front of the students!" Professor Dawn excused.

"Very well." Professor Dawn sighed in relief at her senior's decision. "Students, please excuse us. I must speak with Professor Dawn in private. Reizo, I expect to see your team in class at 7 AM tomorrow!"

"Yes, mom! Er, I mean, Ma'am!"

"Just Professor is fine." She then turned and walked away, dragging Professor Dawn by the collar. "Now, about this fraternization..."

"Help me!" Professor Dawn cried.

Reizo almost felt bad for her. Almost, but not enough to save her from her mother.

A week had passed for Team REAPS much like Beacon. The first two days crawled, but by the third day, they finally got the hang of it. The fourth day couldn't have ended fast enough because it was Friday.

Prism practically blasted from one class to the other like she was shot out of a cannon (and in one class, she did), and she inhaled her lunch. Literally. She had a vacuum device connected between her mouth and her plate, and she had the blades pull her food into them and sent the slush and mush of food products into her mouth.

Acacia and Sandy said it was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen.

Echidna held back the urge to vomit by a hair.

Reizo just sat there.

The day winded down from there, and at the final bell, Prism ran to her room and packed her bag for an overnight trip. Juice, snacks, a change of clothes, a spare lug nut and wrench set, oil. Y'know, the essentials.

"You have your scroll?" Acacia asked.

"Yup!" Prism answered.

"Is it charged?" Sandy inquired.

"Mhm!"

"Did you call ahead to the... Polyester guy?" Reizo asked, half for comfort, half for clarity.

"Doctor Pietro Polendina, and yes!" Prism huffed. "He sent me his address and told me he would be expecting me."

"You aren't going to cause trouble?" Echidna interrogated.

"Guys, I said I would be fine! You're just being worrywarts for nothing!" Prism whined, then followed up with a hug. "But thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

"Call us when you're on your way back, okay?" Reizo said.

"Or if you get into trouble." Echidna added.

Prism smiled. "I will. Don't be a stranger!" Prism left, shaking at the thought of meeting a brilliant mind like Doctor Polendina. How lucky was she?

'What a dump!' Prism thought as she stood before a run-down building. She checked her scroll again to make sure this was indeed the right place. Yeah, it matched. It also matched a public service amount she watched at Beginner school about walking home alone.

Prism cautiously approached the door and rapped her knuckle against it twice, then jumped a few feet back. A television screen flared to life, but the feed was scrambled and all Prism could see was static.

"Yes?" A voice inquired. It didn't sound like the doctor, but then again, the screen has a bad case of static. Was it age or weather? Since Mantle relied on subterranean dust lines running under buildings and street curbs, Prism thought the former was more likely. "And you are?"

Prism cleared her throat. "Prism Asagiri, from Atlas? I spoke earlier this week to Doctor Polendina and I was told to come to this address by him. Is he there?"

"Oh, yes. Give me a moment." The screen went dead and Prism took another step back. If it was a creep, she'd run. If it was some Grim in disguise, she'd kill it, then run. She made more plans in her head as the door unlocked. The doors opened, revealing a silhouette of something large, but not tall, standing on four, inhuman legs. "Ms. Asagiri?" A familiar voice called.

Prism gulped. "Yes?" The creature stepped out of the doors, the street lights revealing not a Grimm, but a dark-skinned, heavy-set, elderly man with a gray, bushy beard in a green sweater-vest. He was sitting in a large, iron seat with spider legs. "Doctor Polendina?"

"Please, call me Pietro." He said. "Come in, I don't want you catching your death of cold out here!"

Never judge a book by it's cover. That was a lesson Prism was taught time and time again. What's that; a shiny ball? Nope, it's a sub-sonic shotgun! Let me guess; a Grimm with fins? Nope, they're glider wings! Okay, I got it, it's an abandoned building with deviants of every variety inside, right? Three strikes, bud, because this is actually a super-science lab!

Prism walked around in awe as Doct- Pietro gave her a tour of his lab. Well, not so much a tour as him trying to explain things like funding, research grants, and doctoral dissertations, only for Prism to interrupt by gasping shouting, "What's that?!" every ten minutes. She would then apologize and ask that he continue.

But a new voice interrupted them this time.

"Doctor? Are you well? Sporadic gasping is often a symptom of illnesses such as-"

"Whoa!" Prism jumped. "What was that?!"

"Oh, that's that little passion project I was telling you about." Pietro answered. "You remember the Fall of Beacon, correct?"

"I tend to have recurring nightmares of it now and then, yes." Prism said plainly.

Pietro was silent for a moment. "...Yes. Er, apologies for bringing up bad memories."

"Oh, it's no problem! Go on!"

"Well, of the many casualties, including civilians, Huntsmen, students, White Fang, and so on, one of my creations was also grievously damaged."

"Which one was it? Was it the Atlesian flagship? The Knights? The Paladins?"

"No, no. Nothing so violent. In fact, quite the contrary: she was my greatest creation because of her learning ability, not her combat capabilities."

"Wait, you don't mean-" Pietro pressed a button a nearby shelf, and a prototype for a new car seat belt, and the counter it was sitting on, spun into the wall, and out came a red-haired girl's head, surrounded by other body parts. "Penny?!"

"Sal-u-tations, Friend Prism!" Penny cheered. "I hope you are finding Atlas well!"

"Oh, good! You know each other." Pietro sighed in relief. "That will save some time."

"But, how?! I saw-! We all saw-!" With each failed sentence, Prism gestured wildly with her arms at Penny. Pietro chuckled.

"Allow me to explain."

"So, that's it, huh? Penny is stuck as a head until she gets a new source of aura?" Prism summed up. "Not surprising, since she barely had aura left from her pieces."

"Not exactly. It's not a new source she needs, but a conduit and a new body to contain it. Unfortunately, Ironwood and his researchers need all the funding they can get, and I can forget about asking the SDC. Too may questions and too few morals to understand my answers."

"So she needs a new body, huh?" Prism asked with a smile. "Say, I never got to show you my babies, huh?"

"Your babies?" Pietro eyed her warily as he asked.

"Yup, like this!" Prism proceeded to pull out six massive, in-tact blueprints for her new weapon designs. She then pulled out two, massive swords, then an obscenely large hammer. "Uh, do you get it, or should I stop and actually explain?"

"Uh, I feel an explanation would suffice. Is this your semblance?"

"Oh, no! This is my semblance!" Prism clapped her hands together, then pulled them apart, creating and expanding a small barrier of hard-light between her palms. "I can create flat, hard-light structures with my semblance. Once I started developing my semblance, I decided to figure out the physics of it and started inventing devices powered by it."

"I see. So, you intend to create a conduit and body using hard-light technology?"

"Something like that, but first, I have to ask you something." Prism shot him a smile. "Do you mind if I build something in here? Just to make it easier for us to work together."

Pietro smiled. That was all the answer she needed.

Reizo laid back in her bed, reading over the new strategies she came up with. Her match against the Specialist Leader was sobering, to say the least. She had bested opponents without Copy before, but never one of this caliber. She needed to get stronger.

She closed her eyes and thought back to the day before, and the lesson the professor was giving. "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link." Who was the weakest link? She felt like garbage for even thinking it, but it was a thought every leader had. Or, that's the excuse she gave herself.

Prism was the first fight, and the best result yet. But, like the General Headmaster said, it was less her own skill and more so the incompetence of her opponent. Either way, Prism still performed admirably.

Sandy's "fight" was also an interesting event. Sandy "fought" without lifting a finger. She "fought" an opponent with more combat experience. In the end, she lost her "fight". One thing that was clear, though, was that a Huntsman was more than just a warrior. A Huntsman was also a negotiator and, at times, a political tool, an ideal or standard to be upheld, idolized, and viewed by non-Huntsmen. Reizo sighed.

She hated politics.

Speaking of politics, though, Echidna, the daughter of "the better White Fang" (her words), crossed her mind. Her fight was incredible. An excellent use of her semblance and weapon. She really gave Specialist Bree a run for her money. But she still lost because of her using too much aura. Aura training was important, as well as physical training. If only there were a way to use her semblance without expending so much aura. Maybe if she already had water around her, instead of creating it from her body?

Reizo then thought of her final teammate, Acacia. She fought hard, but the battle was over the second she was pinned. Acacia was still recovering, it seems. Not surprising, since you don't just get over almost dying under six tons of heavy metal in a single night. It still presented a problem, since being pinned is not an anomaly in a fight.

Reizo sighed and shook her head. She got up and walked into the bathroom. She shut the door and made her way to do her business. Business? Ha! That was a good one. Like this would fly in an office job. She chuckled at the idea.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, really." Reizo answered. "I was just thinking about-" Reizo's words died on her lips. Standing in front of her, just ten feet away, was Prism, with grease on her face and a smile on her lips. She looked up to see the teleporter attached to the ceiling.

"About what?" Prism asked, walking over to the sink to wash her hands of the grime accumulated on them.

"How did you get in here?!" Reizo screeched.

"Teleporter. Duh! Remember?" Prism answered as she turned towards the towels.

"Why in the bathroom?!" Reizo was red in the face earlier before, but now it felt like it was on fire with rage.

"Because," Prism began, turning towards her throne-bound leader, "there wasn't any... room... in our..." Prism's face became red, and she turned away covering her eyes. "Damn it, not again!"

Reizo looked down and saw she, or now he, had changed once again. He sighed as he stood up, pulled up his skirt, flushed, and made his way to wash his hands. "Feel free to leave when ever you'd like."

Prism didn't need to be told twice as she bolted from the room. Reizo dried his hands and stepped out next, seeing Echidna, Sandy, and Acacia staring at him wide-eyed.

"What?"

Acacia whistled. "Nice legs!"

[justironqrowthings]

YOU WERE MY SUNSHINE

IRONQROW - JAMES IRONWOOD × QROW BRANWEN

YOU WERE MY SUNSHINE 

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE - TRAITOR JAMES

P.O.V. - JAMES IRONWOOD

TRIGGER WARNINGS - Major character death, mentions of drinking, depression turned anger

You are my sunshine

It was nearly a year after his mission started. Almost twelve full months James had gone without seeing Qrow’s precious smile. Hearing his laugh. It was agonizing. He trusted Ozpin, he really did, but when it came to Qrow’s apparent disappearance, he began to doubt. He doubted that the mission should have been solo, that he should have been allowed to join his precious bird on such a rigorous scouting mission. James understood whole heartedly that he had duties as General and Headmaster within Atlas, but that still didn’t make him any less worried or make him not want to be with Qrow at all times, in life and in death.

So, James sat in his office, within the CCT of Atlas academy. He was flipping through random news channels just to see what was going on around the world. James stopped on a channel from Argus, seeing that there was breaking news. 

“Qrow Branwen, a veteran Huntsman from Vale was recently found dead in the old ruins of Brunswick Farms. Officials say that there was a group traveling to the Kingdom of Mistrial and passed through the ruins of Brunswick Farms. They say that the Grimm known as the Apathy killed him. He most likely was fighting the Grimm, as his weapon was found in scythe form and flecks of black dust was found in his cape. Our condolences to his family and all those who knew him.” The newscaster spoke solemnly.

No. This couldn’t be happening. Qrow was okay. This was a nightmare. James quickly got on his computer and checked every single source he could find. They all said the same. Qrow. Apathy. Brunswick farms. Dead. 

My only sunshine.

James was pacing around Ozpin’s office. There was an impromptu meeting called for the inner circle. One Qrow should be at James thought to himself. He thought about how he planned on proposing to Qrow. Halfway through his absence, James realized he was dead set on making Qrow his for the rest of their lives. So that he knew Qrow would always come back. But now? Now he couldn’t. James paused his pacing and took a quick drink from his flask filled with the same whiskey Qrow adored. He gripped the flask, but was careful not to dent it. It was an anniversary gift from Qrow. Their one year...They had gotten to three years. Three years of pure fun, love and joy. Now, those years had come to an end. He would never see Qrow smiling at his nieces or laughing at a joke. Nobody to excitedly talk about a new project with, like project P.E.N.N.Y...James came to a conclusion. He concluded that he was absolutely furious. 

You make me happy,

After James had come to his conclusion, he thought long as hard. He came to yet another conclusion. Ozpin had sent him on that mission. Ozpin was the reason he was near Brunswick Farms. Ozpin was why his beloved Qrow was dead. What James realized he now had to do, was avenge his beloved. While yes, he could easily plan it, a day where Glynda and Raven were out on a mission, get Ozpin in the back of the head, one bullet, that was it. No, instead, James thought he would betray Ozpin. He would seek out the enemy, abandoned everything he had worked for, give up every bit of information he could, he would offer his services willingly. Yes, James thought. Ozpin will pay for what he did to his favourite corvid, he would pay.

When skies are gray.

It had been a few months since James resigned from his remedial job of Headmaster and General, leaving the mantle up to Arthur Watts. He never cared for Watts. He only cared for Qrow. James had finally made it to where Salem was hidden. After months of stocking things up in a ship, asking more than a few questionable sources, he had finally made it. The first step to making sure my dear Qrow will not have died in vain James thought to himself, gently gripping the remains of Qrow’s cape that was permanently sat upon his shoulder. He slowly slid his finger across Harbinger, having stolen it from Ozpin when he didn’t willingly give it to James. 

James’ ship landed in front of the lustrous castle, a scorpion faunus immediately running out, brandishing blades around his arms with his beady tail flicking in unatrual ways. James figured he looked hostile, Salem and her grunts most likely knew who he was, so he gently dropped both his pistol and Harbinger at his feet, putting his hands up. The faunus quickly took the weapons, James growling when he slightly mishandled Harbinger. 

The faunus led James into the meeting room after putting a bag over his head. He forced James to kneel before he violently ripped the bag off. 

“Why do you kneel before me today?” A tall woman, death white skin and Grimm-red eyes asked coldly. She was slightly glaring at him, obviously not liking how he was present. 

James cleared his throat before he looked at the woman in the eyes.

“Queen Salem, I kneel before you, offering my services. Ozpin wronged the man I loved. I cannot stand for that and let my beloved Qrow die in vain. I offer up all the knowledge I have gained from being within his meek group over the years. I swear I will do all you ask if it means I can avenge my Qrow. All I ask is that I be given some freedoms with missions or a right to request somebody else kill a target.” James explained. 

He held eye contact with Salem while she silently thought, unmoving. 

“You can be a General of some of my Grimm Armies. Now, what can you tell me?” She asked, motioning for James to rise.

James rose up and the faunus, Tyrian, he heard Salem call him, handed the weapons back. James’  blank face slowly twisted into a sick smirk.

“Where should I start?” He asked lowly.

Yes. James thought. He would get his revenge, and oh how he couldn’t wait. He would lead an army of Grimm and get his sweet revenge, Ozpin would pay, and he would be able to love Qrow for all eternity. 

You’ll never know dear,

Years later, Salem had sent James on a mission to Atlas. Simple, get information he could find from anybody about General Watts, try and find more info on Qrow’s niece, who he and Salem had agreed he didn’t have to kill. They had a mutual agreement, and surprisingly, respect. She let him not have to kill any children unless absolutely necessary, especially Ruby or Yang. But, he would have to get as much information on anybody when ever he was ordered to do so. While he wished Ruby didn’t try and take up the mantle of Remnant’s next best scythe wielder after her late uncle, or that she hadn’t inherited Summer’s silver eyes, she had. And she didn’t know it would be her untimely demise. Maybe it was a theme within scythe wielders, that they would suffer a terrible fate. First, Maria Calavera as the Grimm Reaper, then, his beloved Qrow Branwen on a scouting mission, and Ruby Rose was inevitably next. 

It was sad, to James. Such a small girl who he had met quite a few times in her adolescence, her mother married to Taiyang and Raven. He wondered what inspired her to be like Qrow, to use the scythe as a weapon instead of a sword or a gun or something else. Still, it was nice to think he wasn’t the only one trying to avenge Qrow, even if in the end he would have to keep doing it when Ruby was forced six feet under.

The one time, James was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he had been hiding out in a forest in Atlas before he ran into Raven and her crew of teenagers. Teams RWBY, JNR, Ozpin’s reincarnation and an old woman who he seemed to recognize as the Grimm Reaper. 

“James..?” Raven stuttered, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she stood in front of Qrow’s old lover. 

James blinked rapidly before he saw Ruby and Yang’s eyes widen 

“It’s Uncle James! Where have you been all these years?” Yang asked, a small smile breaking out on her face. 

James noticed Oscar looking panicked for a moment before he pointed at James.

“Don’t trust him! Ozpin is saying he betrayed him!” He accused, obviously scared.

Raven looked deeply upset, going to try and talk James back into joining them, he knew more about Salem than any of them! But before she could, James turned around and ran. He didn’t need to hear an entire speech about how Qrow wouldn’t have wanted him to do what he was doing. That he would have wanted him to help defeat Salem. But James didn’t care. He wanted to avenge Qrow, and that’s what he would do.

Inevitably, the group caught up with James before he quickly shot at a few of them. Those shots started an entire fight, James nearly losing if it weren’t for the Grimm he could summon at will and command to do his bidding. He felt bad using some of the younger Grimm to his advantage, but then he remembered how mindless they were. Going to an Academy really was useful when fighting for Salem’s cause, especially knowing the ins and outs on how Huntsmen learned about the Grimm.

The altercation ended with Raven quickly summoning a portal and getting everybody to safety within the city. Cowards. James thought. He stopped the Grimm that still stood from fighting, killing the ones that he didn’t feel like having repaired, saving a lot of time before he jumped on the back of an Alpha Beowolf and commanded it to take James to where Tyrian would be waiting for him. James knew there would be more conflict with his old family more, but even so, this was just the beginning. 

How much I love you,

Teams RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Raven, and countless more people had arrived in Salem’s land. This was definitely frightening. They had all four maidens on their side, after Neopolitan had killed Cinder and taken her maiden powers. They had all four relics, and a lot more than that. James stood beside Hazel, both knowing they were the first lines of defense against so many Huntsmen and Atlesian Knights. James had already summoned his army of Grimm, knowing more were sprouting from pools near the castle to keep it safe as long as they could. 

While fights between Grimm and Huntsmen broke out, Ruby had specifically sought out James. She stood in front of him before she pushed her red hood off of her head, looking at the remains of Qrow’s old cape that had sat upon James’ shoulder for years. Ruby then looked back up at James and forced him to make eye contact.

“Yang and Mom told me. You were Uncle Qrow’s love..” She began, her eyes narrowing in pity.

“But you left, after he passed away. You practically ran away from the other people he held dear..you took a huge amount of things my Uncle loved..his flask, his cape, an old locket, his weapon..” 

“Why did you do that?” Ruby asked, squaring her shoulders while she waited for James to answer.

“Somebody needed to wake up and avenge my dear Qrow, and I had to be the one to do it. Nobody else stood up to the job, nobody else was willing to work to ensure he didn’t die in vain. So, I did.” James easily explained, gently gripping the bottom of Qrow’s cape in his metal hand.

Ruby glared. That was definitely unusual. She fully glared at James before she brandished her weapon in scythe form.

“You aren’t the only one trying to keep his memory alive. But you are the only one who did what he wouldn’t have wanted.” Ruby stated before she charged at James.

Their fight lasted a long while. James was doing his best to fend Ruby off with Due Process before he was nearly forced to bring Harbinger out and use it as well. His use of Qrow’s old weapon definitely did shock the silver eyed girl, giving him a chance to attack. Just before he could land the blow, both Ruby and Raven had landed one shot each. Ruby had shot James through one of his lungs, Raven shooting him just below where his heart sat. 

He slowly fell to the ground, dropping both weapons and falling forward into the dirt. How fitting. James thought. The older twin sister of his late lover who always threatened that she would have no issue hurting him if James had ever wronged Qrow and the successor to Qrow’s mantle of most skilled scythe wielder in all of Remnant. Yes, how fitting. How fitting it was that James was about to die at the hands of his would have been Niece and would have been Sister. Yes, James was by no means scared of death. He never had been. He did however, wonder during his last moments. Would he get the chance to see his beloved Qrow one last time?

Please don’t take my sunshine away.

“Hey, Jimmy. Ya’ miss me?” 

[littlemisssquiggles]

Pinehead Headcanons: Oscar and Oz’s Inner Circle

Funnily enough, I wouldn’t mind if the Qrow and Ozpin tension is dragged out for a little longer than V7.

Personally because I’m hoping for a bit where in V8 or so, when Salem makes her move to come for Ozpin and Oscar, Qrow volunteers to protect Oz and the two reconcile then.

As a matter of fact, it would be awesome is all three remaining members of Ozpin’s Inner Circle are most present for Atlas. Ironwood, Qrow and, yes of course, Glynda Goodwitch. I’d love to see Salem come to capture Oscar-Ozpin and all three of them stand up to defend him---not as his handpicked lieutenants but as what they really were to Ozpin. His closest friends.

I’d actually love for Glynda to magically appear in Atlas. The Writers could even use the bit where she’s there on visit from Vale to see James cause since Ozpin’s death, Ironwood hasn’t exactly been himself and as someone we’ve seen to care for James’ wellbeing, Atlas would be a perfect time to show Glynda’s return.

 Not to mention that Glynda would be excellent for Oscar’s development too. And it would also be great to see how the remaining two members of Ozpin’s Inner Circle handle the news---word of Lionheart’s betrayal and death, Ozpin’s reincarnation into the body of young Oscar Pine and his recent isolation as a result of the information revealed by the Relic of Knowledge about his past with Salem.

 I’d love to see this cause if I had to envision Glynda and James’ reactions to the news, I can picture them both being just as upset as Qrow was. James would probably be even more upset than Qrow only further contributing to his current emotionally unstable state. Glynda would probably be furious too since she was basically Oz’s right hand. The one who, similar to Qrow, would always vouch for him. 

Heck she was the one who vouched for him when Ironwood shared his suspicions in V2. No matter what, Glynda has always had Ozpin’s support and his trust so for him to not even trust her enough with this info----I can see her being very hurt but I can also see Glynda choosing to hide how angry and hurt she is towards Ozpin and possibly focus his attention more on James. Use her care for him to distract her from facing whatever resentment she might be withholding from dishing out on Oz.

If Glynda shows up in Atlas, I can picture her becoming a mentor to Oscar. She might even be the one to teach him more about semblances. Despite Glynda being a teacher, we’ve hardly seen her actually y’know…teach. Yes I understand that she was present during the combat training sessions between V1 and V2 but…still we have yet to see Glynda teach like how we had examples of Port and Oobleck teaching.

Since Glynda was the one who oversaw the combat training back at Beacon, I’m going to assume that she was simultaneously the combat studies teacher of some sort. This only adds to my inclination for her to show up in Atlas to be Oscar’s mentor. Imagine how cool it would be to watch Glynda, Ozpin’s old protégée teach his current successor how to fight.

I mean come on. Who’s more skilled in combat than Glynda Goodwitch, am I right? As a matter of fact, all three of them---Qrow, Glynda and Ironwood should be pitching it to play pinnacle roles in moulding Oscar to becoming Ozpin’s descendant. Not only are these three his chosen lieutenants who more or less knew him best but all three of them have teaching experience. Ironwood being the Headmaster of Atlas, Glynda a professor at Beacon (and vice headmistress of Beacon) and Qrow originally being a teacher at Shade Academy, I believe before he gave up the teaching gig.

This only further adds to my disappointment with how little the series has done to mould Qrow’s relationship with Oscar outside of Ozpin. I’m hoping that V7 introduces a chance for Qrow to step up and look out for Oscar, especially in the face of Ironwood’s influence.

I’m still holding out for my theory that Ironwood might attempt to persuade Oscar into undergoing his aura experiments.

I still like my headcanon where it was Ozpin who inspired Ironwood to experiment with aura in the first place after learning the truth of what Ozpin was. I also still like the idea of Ironwood trying to coax Oz to allowing him to experiment on his aura as a means of gaining more insight on the human soul but no matter how many times James brought up the subject, Oz would always refuse, finding it inhumane. 

As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Oz was heavily against the idea of Atlas experimenting on aura until the crisis with Amber---the original Fall Maiden where he had no choice but to call upon Ironwood’s expertise to give them a fighting chance of saving the Fall Maiden powers from falling into the wrong hands. Well...at least the first time. 

If there is any good time for Qrow to step up and look out for Oscar, it’s with James for V7. I feel like this whole mess with the truth about Salem can result in some serious shady business on behalf of Ironwood. 

I’ve always pictured Ironwood as being just as grey of a character as Ozpin. Hence the reason why the two got along so well. I’d like to think that James is a more extreme version of Oz; willing to go to lengths that not even Oz would cross for the sake of humanity.

I’m interested to see what V7 might do for James, not only for his side of the story but also with his relationship with Qrow, Oz and essentially Oscar. There’s quite a few interesting stories that the CRWBY can do with Ironwood for V7, especially one that harkens back to the Marvellous Land of Oz. 

From what I can recall, in the Marvellous Land of Oz plot, the Tin Man was granted rule over his own part of Oz following his adventures with Dorothy. I think he became ruler of the Emerald City after the Wizard of Oz? Not really sure. Correct me if I’m wrong. 

However at some point, the Tin Man gets opposed by a character known as General Jinjur who leads a revolt against the Tin Man and manages to temporarily dethrone him until Ozma’s return and reveal as the rightful ruler of Oz.

I can definitely see this playing into Ironwood’s story for Atlas. I’m looking toward a General Jinjur character leading a revolt against the leading Atlas Council where Ironwood has two seats. 

The idea I had was that the General Jinjur character would be a Faunus who was manipulated by Cinder into staging a revolt against the leaders of Atlas which ties into the Crimes of the SDC.

In the Marvellous Land of Oz, General Jinjur worked with the wicked witch Mombi who she feared because of his powers. Technically, some of us RWBY theorists peg Cinder to be the Mombi in Oscar’s Wizard of Oz story. And with her on her way to Atlas, it would make sense if Cinder uses her Maiden magic to convince the oppressed Faunus of Atlas into becoming her pawns and leading a revolt.

The revolt would be used as cover so that Cinder could lure out her real target---Ruby Rose so that her accomplice Neo can take her down.

I guess that’s an idea to play off Cinder’s side of things. If anything, my biggest theory for Ironwood is that he’s going to end up tricking Oscar into undergoing his aura experimentation.

I even have this theory that Ironwood would try to use his experiments to possible control Oscar. Like he invents some kind of doohickey that puts Oscar under Ironwood’s full control and even suppresses Ozpin’s soul so that he couldn’t even intervene to aid Oscar. Or…something like that.

I can see Ironwood doing something like this to Oz and Oscar since…perhaps Ironwood figured that if Ozpin had only listened to him and done things his way, he would’ve never died and James would’ve never lost his friend.

One line I recalled from Ironwood’s outbursts at Schnee Manor back in V4 was something along the lines of “...none of this would’ve had happened if Oz had just listened to me…”

 Almost like James is saying if Oz had been obedient of his word then maybe he’d still be alive. This makes me wonder if this might in turn cause James to think that the best way to keep Oscar safe is to make him completely subservient to Ironwood.

Imagine Ironwood creating a device and attaching it to Oscar (unwillingly) that takes away his free will. All Oscar will do is listen and adhere to everything Ironwood says, whether he agrees or not. That is something I can see Ironwood doing to Oscar, as part of his growing paranoia that his way is what’s best for everyone. Even the safety of his old’s friend’s successor or…something like that.

My theory is that Ironwood might trick Oscar into undergoing his aura experiments, under the promise that it was meant to separate Ozpin’s soul from Oscar’s so that Oscar may be free of his fate. 

But the reality is that it was all a lie. The experiment wasn’t to separate the souls. It was to place them under Ironwood’s control---turning Oscar into Ironwood’s perfect obedient puppet so that from now on, Ozpin and all of his successors following Oscar will always listen to James.

Or…something like that. Will we actually see this done for V7? I dunno. As always, the plot for the next season’s narrative is in the hands of the CRWBY Writers.

However I do expect some kind of subplot involving Ironwood, Oscar and Ozpin and aura experiments to come up. It has to. And if I’m being honest, that’s one story that this squiggle meister is gladly looking forward to seeing play out.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[tonotbelionized]

Volume 7, Episode 4: Pomps & Circumstances

Well, that was... an episode. I honestly had difficulty writing this review and needed a few days to think things through properly, especially with the ending and some important characters coming back. So, let’s just get into it!

The biggest thing that jumped out to me was the Monochrome food. I loved it, Monochrome is one of my biggest OTPS, and the small details during that scene with Jacques and Weiss, as well as the rest of her team’s reactions, they were just so good. Ruby seemed confused and upset, Yang was yangry, but Blake looked furious. She knows what it’s like to be in Weiss’ shoes, and the hand holding just shows that she’s there for Weiss, as well as the rest of the team.

Adding onto Ruby’s small expression changes with Weiss’ counter to Jacques. She’s sad when Weiss says they’re not friends, likely because not only is this coming off the revelation that Harriet doesn’t see her team as friends, but reminds her of her and Weiss’ less than great start in Beacon. Weiss wasn’t there to make friends, and she and Ruby clearly didn’t get along, so hearing her say that after everything they went through scared Ruby.

But that’s not what Weiss meant. Ruby isn’t her friend, because she’s her family. With that last bit, Ruby’s expression completely changes to happiness because Weiss is acknowledging that, yes, Ruby is not only a teammate, a partner, and a friend, but she’s Weiss’ family.

They’re all Weiss’ family now, and for someone who actually has the biggest family of the girls and yet felt the loneliest, that seemed like the best thing for Weiss at that moment. Jacques may be her father, but he’s not family. 

It definitely makes up for the ballsup with Weiss’ “White Guilt” complex in the last episode that I really hated, and I’m just glad for more interactions between the girls that aren’t partners.

On top of that, the way Team RWBY is played off of the Ace Ops following Harriet’s confession is interesting. While I’ll note something that I didn’t quite like later on, I did enjoy that how Ruby views her team and how Harriet views her team sets the two kingdoms apart nicely. Ozpin believed in working together, that your partner was someone you would have to trust and work with, along with your team, for the four years they were at Beacon, and even after they graduate.

He encouraged the girls to be children, to have fun and not worry about the war that was going on in the shadows, and it’s clear that above all else, he wanted the teams to be ones that work together not only professionally, but emotionally as well. It fits into not only his personality, but his whole goal. He wants everyone to be united and that starts with the students under his care.

James is more practical and professional. He treats Ozpin and Glynda like close friends, and he’s nice enough to Ruby and the other students, but he makes no mistake in letting them know that he’s the general and that he’s not their friend. He pushes for the Academy to funnel into the military, and isn’t against Atlas’ push for unity and conformity regardless of what the individual might want.

It’s reflected in their teachings. While Ozpin wants his students to remain kids and not worry, Ironwood already pushed for his students to be ready for war, regardless of whether they’re still children or not. He told Penny in the earlier volumes that they were no longer at a time of peace, and that she had to be ready, and he was the most clinical and professional when telling Pyrrha their plan to take Amber’s remaining maiden powers. He isn’t as callous as Qrow, but he doesn’t try to soften the blow or show disapproval to the plan like Glynda and Ozpin.

So while Team RWBY have come to see their team as family that’s gotten stronger because of all the hardships they’ve been through, the Ace Ops just see it as part of the job. They’re a team, they are supposed to protect and fight alongside each other, but that doesn’t mean they’re family. Yet it’s interesting that the rookie of the group, Marrow, doesn’t seem to share that sentiment. It could be that he hasn’t been in the mindset for very long or his personality just doesn’t work with that ideal, but we’ll have to wait and see if anything comes of it.

The only downside I have to it is that it would’ve driven it home better if the Ace Ops didn’t act so chummy with each other. I never would’ve thought Harriet didn’t consider her team friends from her interactions with Marrow last episode, with teasing him over the fact that they have to “babysit” him. Or how close Vine and Elm seem to be. It just would’ve helped if they stayed professional with each other to counteract how close and personal with each other Team RWBYJNR are.

Moving onto the scene at Amity Arena, it was... there. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t like it. I’m just... meh.

I did like that the group were interacting with each other outside of not only their partners, but their teams. It was nice to see Yang joking around with Penny, or that Weiss was chatting with Ren before Nora came in. It makes them actually feel like friends that want to talk to each other, rather than having to be in the same scene because they’re the protagonists. However, I got annoyed because no one mentioned OSCAR. He’s once again been shafted from the group.

No one even asks where he is, no one even thinks about saving him some cake, or sad that he couldn’t join. It just makes it seem once again that the group just don’t care about him, and after all the bullshit they put him through last Volume, I’m beyond annoyed anymore. Please CRWBY, stop shafting my son.

I like that once again, Ruby is isolated herself from the group, just like she did in the Brunswick farm and after the fiasco with Jaune and Oscar in the last volume.

She seems to shoulder all her negative feelings by herself, but this time, rather than her just happening across Maria or Qrow busying himself with a drink, Qrow extends help out to her. Ruby is finally able to talk about what’s bothering her and Qrow isn’t thinking about his own problems without a care for anyone else like last volume. I was so happy when we finally got Summer lore after like seven volumes of hardly anything about her, and we see under the surface about how Ruby truly feels about her deceased mother.

It’s not much, but I’m glad it’s there. It was interesting that she kept secrets from her team and even Ozpin, and that the mission she died on wasn’t one that Ozpin sent her on, so the annoying ass theory that he’s somehow responsible is taken out back and put down like Old Yeller. Though I do wish it was Taiyang and Ruby talking about her, just because there’s barely any interactions between them despite Ruby also being his daughter, but it was only a mild thing for me. Overall, a very cute scene.

That being said, the topic about it... wasn’t. It was trash.

I’m tired of the whole “Ruby lying is totally different to Ozpin lying!” because it’s really not, and Qrow trying to spin it that Ozpin was keeping the truth from everyone while Ruby is letting people in is... bullshit?

WHO has Ruby let in? She couldn’t control whether her team, Qrow and Maria knew the truth because they were there when Jinn told her. She told Team JNR not because of any practical reason, but purely emotional reasons. She told them not because “Oh they’ve proven they can be trusted so they can know now.”, but “They’re my friends and I have to tell them.”

She hasn’t told anyone else. She hasn’t told Penny, the Ace Ops, Winter, even Ironwood. When should she tell them? What do they have to do to prove to Ruby that they can be trusted? What about Penny sharing the very classified information about her being a robot to Ruby, or Ironwood telling them about his plans that only a hand selected few know? Is that not enough for Ruby to think “Okay, they trust me with this, so I should trust them.”

And Ozpin trusted the Pod Squad with way more than anyone else. They knew about Salem, the war, Maidens, Magic, the Gods, everything that Ozpin himself knew except that Salem can’t be killed. And what would be the point of saying? Tell them that, freak everyone out, and just have them more likely to leave because there’s no point, even though they can still do some good by protecting the people from the Grimm that definitely won’t leave even if they could kill Salem? Or keep it from them and have them continue fighting because otherwise what else could you do? Roll over and let everyone die? 

And the worst thing is? Ruby lying wasn’t a bad thing. It was interesting, I wanted to see how she’d cope with knowing that maybe Ozpin had a reason to lie, that being betrayed over and over and over again for centuries has a way of fucking up someone’s ability to trust, and that now she’s in the leadership role without Ozpin to fall back on like in her Beacon days. It’s a complex issue, and if this scene is just Qrow saying this and now feeling like the show itself is pushing it, then I would be fine.

It’s how a character sees a problem. Just because Qrow believes that Ruby’s different from Ozpin doesn’t mean it’s actually right, but Ruby isn’t being challenged on that. Oscar isn’t there to give that counter argument, and the rest of the team is so hypocritical that it would just annoy me if they did. Blake’s kept secrets, Yang’s kept secrets, Qrow’s kept some pretty big secrets, and now with the latest episode, Weiss has a secret to keep as well.

That doesn’t mean they’re horrible people, and Ozpin keeping his doesn’t make him an asshole like the team, and by extension some of the FNDM, likes to think.

I hope Team RWBY and Ozpin can reconcile, and not just have one or the other be the only one in the wrong. The way the show is going, however, I’m worries that only Ozpin will be shown as in the wrong and have to apologise.

Moving on to the final scene, I’m so happy that Whitley came home. I missed my son.

But more seriously, I’m glad they actually showed that, yes, Whitley is being abused just like Weiss is, and without Weiss there for him to keep his walls up, we’re finally able to see him as the vulnerable teenager who scared and alone. His voice actor did great in portraying the nervousness and fear that Whitley was clearly feeling, and we know it’s not because of Watts because Whitley just sorta glares at him when he finally appears.

It’s Jacques that Whitley’s scared of. Even as the “Golden Child”, Whitley isn’t exempt from the same abuse that Winter and Weiss went through. Here’s to hoping they don’t throw yet another male abuse victim under the bus by making Whitley evil or something.

And on the topic of Watts, he’s just becoming more and more of my favourite villain. Hazel and Tyrian still outrank him, but these past two episodes have done more to endear him to me than the past three years he’s been in the show. Only downside is that “have your cake and eat it too?” line felt kinda cheesy and didn’t really bring home how intimidating Watts as a villain could truly be.

Given that Jacques knows him enough to call him by his first name, I’m curious to see what’s more for our Lorax Hacker Man.

So that’s it. Definitely the best episode of the volume so far given that I couldn’t find any BIG problems with it like the last episodes, and even though it was definitely slower, there was still tension in it without there being any fighting. Eddie did a great job with this episode and I’m looking forward to more of his works.

Episode Rating: 8.5 / 10

[carlottastudios]

OzGlyn Week Day 6: Home

(OzGlyn Family AU)

 The night was blissfully quiet, save for a single ship flying over the countryside of Vale. It was a relatively small, if a bit bulky, craft from Atlas whose only passengers were the pilot and, in the cargo hold amongst the crates of dust, two hunters, trying their best to keep from falling asleep despite their exhaustion. The hunters in question were professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, and his wife and vice-headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch. At the moment, however, the proud and strong huntsman and huntress who’d help put down the leader of the grimm and who remained two of the greatest warriors yet living didn’t quite look the part. Then again, if you had just completed a mission in the northern outskirts of Atlas to track and eliminate the laboratories of a certain criminal scientist, ending with an arduous battle that lasted the better part of a day, you wouldn’t look your best either.

It had taken them two whole weeks to complete the mission, but in the end, it felt at least somewhat worth it. Salem’s last followers were being taken away, Dr. Watts’ dangerous experiments had been destroyed and there was one less distasteful person holding influence in the kingdom of Atlas. Ozpin and Glynda were not blind to these victories, far from it. But two weeks was a long time to be away from Vale, from home and hearth and family, and they wouldn’t be at ease until they had returned to Beacon. They were so impatient to get back that they declined General Ironwood’s offer to escort them in his ship, choosing instead to hire a pilot, with a cargo airship bound for their kingdom anyway, to fly them home that very night. One generous amount of lien later and they collapsed on the floor of their transport as it took off. And when I say “collapsed”, I’m not exaggerating. Both Ozpin and Glynda had sustained many injuries in the fight and had stayed in Atlas just long enough for them to be adequately patched up. A decision that Glynda was starting to second-guess. She looked down at her right arm, bound in a sling and still faintly throbbing with the memory of Hazel Reinart’s grip nearly snapping the bones in half. She wouldn’t be fixing anything with her semblance any time soon. She frowned, feeling the bandages covering almost half of her face tighten on her skin as she did. She probably wouldn’t be doing anything any time soon. Nothing useful at least. On the one hand, it irritated her; she hated feeling so…helpless like this. On the other hand, she was so spent of energy that the promise of not having to do anything for a short while was a bit of a relief.

 She looked over at her husband. His eyes were closed, but he wasn’t sleeping. She could tell by the tightness in his jaw and slight flare in his nostrils every time he breathed, as if he were in pain. Given their condition, it was very likely. For her part, her broken rib was still resonating with mild agony in her torso. The field medics had strapped several bags of ice over it, but it did little to ease her suffering. Glynda, however, refused to say a word about it. Instead, she moved her free hand over to Ozpin’s and he grasped it tightly in silent thanks.

 “We should probably spend the night in the infirmary when we get there.” she said out loud, her voice hoarse.

 Ozpin let out the smallest of groans at her words. She could sympathize all too well with his displeasure. After two weeks sleeping on tiny cots out in the frozen wilderness, a night in their own room and in their own bed was long overdue. But they couldn’t just neglect their wounds, much as they had managed to ignore them until now (for the most part at least, her right shoulder was still stinging). They needed proper treatment if they were ever going to recover in a feasible amount of time and the sooner said treatment started, the better.

 “You should at least have your leg looked over.” the huntress added, glancing at Ozpin’s left leg.

 It had been lacerated by Tyrian Callows’ wrist blades, leaving a long bloody line tracing up from just above his ankle almost to the back of his knee.

 “It was already looked over.” he said, nodding at the bandages concealing the gash.

 ‘Barely,’ Glynda thought critically.

 Out loud, she said:

 “I trust the staff at Beacon more than I trust Atlesian field medics.”

 She frowned up at him.

 “And you were limping when we left the battlefield.” she added. “Don’t deny it, Oz.”

 She didn’t mention that he’d nearly fallen down every time he’d tried to walk and, in the end, that he’d had to lean on her in order to move anywhere at all. The thought of the headmaster being rendered so unsteady, almost fragile, troubled her enough; she had no desire to remind him of it. Ozpin opened his eyes. His dark amber orbs, which had only hours before been bright with restless obstinacy, held a subdued look in them.

 “I won’t. And to soothe you, beloved,” he said, “I’ll go to the infirmary.”

 Glynda smiled.

 “Good,”

 “But only” he added, smirking, “if you’ll join me.”

 His wife sighed. Somehow, she’d known that had been coming. It only figured he would make her suffer, so to speak, with him (though in truth she wouldn’t have it any other way).

 “First, we check on the children.” she said.

 He smiled.

 “Of course.”

 Of all the things they’d missed while away, they’d longed for them the most, as any parents would. For a while the two were silent, thinking about them. Then Glynda’s face turned melancholy.

 “I don’t want them to see us like this.” she said, so quiet Ozpin almost hadn’t heard her.

 He frowned, understanding why she wanted that. Oscar, Ria and Tia had never seen them wounded before. To see them as they were now, not only injured, but grievously so, would be nothing if not a great shock. Yet it was one they’d have to face eventually, and to delay it seemed less than worthwhile when all was said and done.

 “All children have to learn that their parents are not invincible.” he said softly to Glynda.

 “But it’s not an easy lesson already.” she answered. “Nor a very pleasant one.”

 Ozpin nodded. Glynda would know better than anyone how hard a lesson of your own parents’ vulnerability could be. He glanced back at her. Her eyes were downcast and heavy with sadness, no doubt from memories being stirred up from their resting places where she’d tried so hard to keep them.

 “I don’t want to upset them.” she whispered.

 “Neither do I.” Ozpin assured, putting an arm around her, gently so as not to jostle her sling.

 When her expression still didn’t lighten, he added:

 “If we’re in luck, Bart and Oobleck will have already gotten them to bed long before now. It is very much past their bedtime as I recall.”

 This made Glynda smile.

 “If we’re in luck,” she said fondly, “they won’t have let them run amuck while we were gone.”

 Ozpin chuckled.

 “I’m not sure even we are that lucky.” he said, and they both shared a quiet laugh.

 At that moment, they heard the voice of the pilot from the bridge:

 “Alright, professors, we’re here. So, if you’re falling asleep back there, I’d suggest you start waking up, because we’ll be pretty landing soon.”

 Glynda felt her heart flutter in her chest like a bird’s. She looked up towards one of the cargo hold’s small windows and, indeed, she could see that they were starting to descend. They were so close now, so close to really and truly being back now that a rush of bubbling excitement was sent shooting through her veins, making her feel wide awake. She sat up, with only a little difficulty thanks to her arm, and was quickly on her feet. Ozpin was not quite a quick, though, and had to lean against the wall behind him to lift himself shakily up. However, as soon as he put weight on his bad leg, he nearly crumpled back to the floor, a hiss of pain escaping between his teeth, and might’ve fallen completely if Glynda hadn’t caught him. She stared at him fearfully with wide jade green eyes, and only let out her breath once he met her gaze.

 “Sorry,” he murmured, but she shook her head.

 He had nothing to apologize for, especially not here and not now.

 “Let me help you.” she pleaded softly.

 He did and, with him draping an arm on her shoulder and grasping his cane tightly, the two walked over to the rear door. As he used his cane to aid in his movement, Ozpin let out a small self-deprecating chuckle.

 “It seems I might actually have a use for this cane outside of battle after all.” he said.

 They held onto each other as the ship came to a gentle stop, thanked the pilot once again, then stepped out. The ship took off barely a few moments later, leaving a small breeze in its wake. The professors waited until it was out of sight, then turned to look up at the school. What a sight for sore it was: the courtyard lined with its trees and light-poles, lit now with a soft green glow and shining the pathway to the school like small stars, leading to the familiar peaked towers, black against the midnight sky.

 “I forgot how beautiful it is.” Ozpin murmured.

 Glynda turned to him. He was staring at the tower with all the longing of the homesick finally returning to their abode. She smiled.

 “Well, now you have a reminder.” she said.

 Ozpin smiled at her, and her own widened at the joy in his face.

 “Welcome home.” Glynda whispered, reaching up just enough to brush her lips to his cheek.

 The small peck made a light blush blossom on Ozpin’s face, though it was too difficult to see in the dark.

 “It’s good to be home.”