#Summer Rose supermom

[iamafanofcartoons]

(Weronika Ziebakowska) You are my Supermom! Summer Rose and Yang Xiao Long The rest is below https www reddit com r RWBY comments okf0as weronika_ziębakowska_you_are_my_supermom_summer/

[bestworstcase]

https://www.tumblr.com/bestworstcase/750604105791176704/you-aint-wrong-about-fndms-ladydude-crit

I definitely noticed that a lot of the talks about Summer tend to be about how much she gives to her loved ones. Ruby viewing her as an unreachable idol to aspire to, Yang seeing her as a supermom, Qrow seeing her as "the best of us", Tai implicitly seeing her as a load-bearing pillar after his first marriage fell apart, Raven seeing her as a better family that she can leave her loved ones too because she's fixated on her in inadequacies as a mother...

Summer is really a direct parallel to Salem, in that even though her family does care for her, it's a care built heavily on their own projections of her and what she's given to them, while whatever we know of Summer as a person is basically a giant blank outside of the implications and what little we've seen of her in that flashback.

It also makes me think that it might also be dissecting bits of the idea of certain parental archetypes around the mom, the near saint-like mother who is loved by everyone for what she gives to them, while this kind of story actively highlights what kind of emotional burden that really entails.

nodding nodding the evil stepmother is also the good mother is also the good stepmother is also the evil mother. because in the end she’s a person who can’t fit within the inhuman bounds of a fairytale archetype. who is summer rose really?

and that’s the central conceit. of her character but also honestly of the whole story, taking a fairytale archetype and going "okay what if we put a human being into this role, what then?"

9.10 does this interesting thing where like

the flashback is a triptych, right. saying goodbye, lying to tai, leaving with raven. "what are you? […] i love you just the way you are." -> "it’s not like you to rush off on a mission in the middle of the night" -> "summer rose telling lies! first time for everything…"

it’s not like her to rush off (but summer implies this is a regular occurrence, last-minute late-night urgent calls from ozpin). it’s not like her to lie (but the lies come out of her so easily). the latter two panels of this triptych annotate the first; when summer leaves off on the penultimate chapter of the girl who fell through the world, "what are you?", and then looks at her daughters and says "i love you just the way you are," what does that mean to her? what is she thinking in that moment?

it’s very. yeah of course she’s the only person who really gets salem. performing mirrors, both of them. and of course they’re both the only ones who care about cinder, she’s the same as either of them.

[citadelofmythoughts]

Thinking about it, Summer really is a lot more like Yang than Ruby when you take into consideration another aspect that she shares with her stepdaughter: People basically imposing their expectations of what she should be onto her and her basically having to put up the image that others expect.

Yang and Summer both had to step up as parental replacements due to the inadequacy of Tai coping with his losses and the disappearance of Raven. Both are subconsciously expected to fulfill a certain viewpoint of what they should be and constantly have to give and give themselves into their roles to keep others happy, both by choice and by a sense of obligation and expectation.

Yang is the best big sister and maternal figure that filled in Ruby's life, and also had to act as the backbone of the family while Tai failed to properly cope with the loss of both of his wives. She keeps prioritizing the lives of her family over her own emotional well being.

But Summer was likely the same as well, given that her family constantly describes her in terms of what she gave them and how they adored her for what they perceived her as.

Ruby viewing her as the idol she has to pressure herself to live up to.

Yang viewing her as a supermom.

Qrow viewing her as the best of all of Team STRQ.

Tai viewing her as a replacement for Raven and the pillar of his family.

Raven subtly implied to view her as a superior replacement for herself due to her own shortcomings as a mother.

And it's telling that Summer's first major appearance has her basically hiding her own feelings from her husband the same way that Yang hides her own repressed feelings of resentment towards her Dad. That kind of pressure and burden was already bad enough for someone like Yang, but it probably would have been even more brutal on someone like Summer, who has to bear all of her family and Team's dysfunction...

And ultimately the big question lingers: Who is Summer Rose really underneath all those expectations? We know nothing about her except how others perceive her.

That is the interesting thing about Summer. After all this time we barely know ANYTHING about her. We just have impressions and memories, both of which could be inaccurate or colored by nostalgia.

[agentbeeswrites]

It's been quite a weekend, y'all. It kind of feels like pride in a big city where it's treated like a queer holiday. Happy Bees Kiss Weekend.

Now that I have a minute, I'd like to bring up my Ruby theory. It's a little long, and yes, it has pictures!

So back in episode 5, Ruby met the Blacksmith.

They have this exchange:

Blacksmith: You seem to be carrying a rather large burden with you. Ruby: I'm fine. I can handle it. Blacksmith: If you change your mind, you may choose any one of these you like and set your burden down. Ruby: I already have a weapon. I did. Blacksmith: And yet, here you are: searching for something else that you do not even know.

I initially thought that Ruby's burden was the war with Salem to save the world, but it wasn't until something was referenced three times, over this and the 6th episode, that I changed my mind.

While talking with the Blacksmith, Ruby noticed a weapon. It drew her in. The design was similar to Crescent Rose, but with a much older sensibility - an old hunting rifle instead of a sniper rifle, and a large axe head instead of a scythe.

Then she looks closer and sees Summer reflected in the blade.

I immediately thought that was Summer Rose's weapon. Or is it? This looks like something a Woodsman would carry. There's a theory that Summer could be the Woodsman in the Ever After.

I find it more likely that weapon belonged to the Woodsman (whoever that is) than it being the one Summer had in Remanent because it bears too much resemblance to Qrow's weapon. I've never seen a squad from a huntsman school have two people with the same weapon type.

With only four episodes left, I'm not even sure that the Huntsman is going to be Summer.

But Summer is important.

Summer is the burden that Ruby must put down.

She comes up again when Ruby, desperate to get the last ingredient that will return her friends to normal, offers one of the last precious items she has left: the rose pin from Summer. "A mother's promise."

The more she gives, the more she feels lost.

Summer comes up again in the next episode when they're caught at the crossroads.

But Ruby doesn't even notice. She's carried the weight of Summer's legacy her entire life. She doesn't know what it would feel like to not have it.

As a child, she was raised on fairy tales, stories of adventures and heroes, and the story of Summer Rose. She was supermom: baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. The stories of her adventures turned into legends of their own. I'm sure that Tai told them often as a way to remember her and Yang reiterated them to Ruby.

Ruby is the only one to carry her name.

She made becoming a huntress her life's goal. Part of it was because she wanted to have an impact on people's lives and do good, but part of it was also to be a hero like in the legends she grew up with. Like the fairy tales. Like Summer Rose who gave her life to protect people.

Ruby obviously has a personality outside of being a huntress, so this isn't a case of it being her one defining characteristic. But a lot of her life has been shaped by Summer: her understanding that life can be short, that people die, that huntsman are the heroes who protect people and do the hard work that keep people safe. That there's a need for that work because the world can be violent and deadly.

That there was a woman who died doing that work and was revered like a saint by her family.

Ruby planned on applying to Beacon before Ozpin scooped her up for early admission. She probably wanted to lead a team just like her mom did in her Beacon years.

Who is Ruby going to be when she puts down the burden of her mother's legacy?

I think that Ruby is going to be given some choices. One will be to go home as she is, lost and broken. Another will be to stay in the Ever After and get wiped. Find a new purpose.

The Blacksmith has offered her the third option: put down her burden and choose a new weapon. A different way of fighting.

Reforge yourself into who you need to be, Ruby. It's the only path forward.

[gimme-tea-bitch]

What makes me wanna cry so much about this is that, Yang ended up so similar to Summer. Yang who lost her when she was young enough to remember Summer. Yang who tried so hard to emulate that love that Summer exuded. Yang who at such a young age tried so hard to fill this hole in their family to be this supermom that she misses more than anything. And she succeeded. That Yang, on her own and with so little love and guidance ended up so much like Summer. So brave and full of love. It makes me insane. And i’m sure it’s why Raven was so destroyed by this moment. Because Yang, who is not related to Summer by blood, who is Raven’s daughter, is in this moment the spitting image of Summer Rose. Walking to what Raven is sure will be her end, just like it was Summer’s. But there’s one difference here, Summer left alone, she hid what she was doing and she tried to do it alone and she died because of it. Yang isn’t alone. Maybe in this moment, but she has people who love and support her and will not let her fight this fight alone.

Like mother, like daughter

[onesheeptwosheepandachicken]

by artist Weronika Let’s say Yang found about Raven before Summer’s Death, and they had a heart to heart. Based in part by this fanfic “You are my supermom” https://archiveofourown.org/works/28688685

[foxgirlfire]

I hate that so much of the RWBY fandom misinterprets Yang

That's all, go on with your up to par existences.

[itstimetotheorize]

Ravens greatest regret, The mysterious final days of Summer Rose

Ever since volume 2, Raven presented herself  as someone that is shrouded in mystery,  whatever we knew about raven was always mirrored by how much yang knew as the story progressed. According to Tai and Qrow, Raven is a complicated woman, she has a funny way of looking at the world that many would disagree on, but despite this she remained a strong, clever, independent woman who is devoted to whatever cause she believed in.

However, over the course of volume 5, many of us have now begun to realize that raven may not be the person she once was. Throughout volume 5, Raven has been shown to be manipulative, untrustworthy, and more than willing to sacrifice anyone around her. But most importantly, it was through ravens confrontation between Yang that we realize juts what kind of person raven is, so, who is she? well....shes a coward.

Despite Ravens best efforts to be the only victor in the fight of volume 5 and make others believe that everything she has done till now was the smart decision, we begin to realize that raven is simply letting herself live in denial rather than accept the fact that it was her fears that prompted her to make bad decision, decisions that she claims are for her and her tribes benefit. Some of those decisions included, siding with Cinder to help Salem obtain the relic in exchange for Qrows death,

 stealing the spring maiden powers by killing the previous maiden 

and even attempting to steal the relic from the vault. 

And for what exactly?, HOPE!, hope that the maiden powers and the relic of knowledge would be more than enough power to help keep her safe from Salem!

As I watched Raven realize the reality of her situation and just how much she had screwed up by making such decisions, I began to wonder....... what exactly happened to Raven that lead her to lose track of herself and fall down such a path?. Something must have happened to her, but what? well, lets take a step back and look at what we know of Ravens past.

In the past, when raven was still part of team STRQ, and shortly after giving birth to yang, raven found out that Salem could not be defeated ..… but.... did this mean she found out that Salem couldn't be killed?. Ruby and the others only found out about Salems immortality when they questioned Jinn,

 So, did Raven somehow uncover the same truth?. Some have theorized that perhaps Raven used one of Jinns wishes to learn about the truth herself, but this would not make sense because  Raven had never seen the relic of knowledge, let alone know where the vault containing it was hidden, so, how did she find out that Salem could not be defeated? well, let me start off by saying that maybe Raven never knew Salem couldn't be killed, only that she could not be stopped. 

Now, the main problem with fighting in Salems war, is that it was already well known to have lasted generations!, Iron Wood knew this, Glinda knew this, Qrow knew this, pretty much everyone that was on either Ozpin or Salems circle knew this, and yet none of theme ever questioned why she hadn't  at least died of old age. Perhaps due to Ozpins ability to reincarnate and Salems ability to use magic and control grimm, they may not have questioned it much, they simply accepted the fact that Salem was capable of terrible things, including keeping herself alive. So, what if it was this one major factor in the war against Salem that lead Raven to realize one very important thing about herself ..... she, had been fighting in the war against Salem, for far to long now!

with all the fighting and no real progress to show them where Salem was and how to defeat her, could have lead raven to grow tired of it all. Soon after, raven may have come to the realization that all this fighting was pointless and as a result, Raven left. 

but this still doesn't explain why she was so afraid of Salem and why she was so desperate to avoid her, after all, no one (not including Ozpin), not even Qrow or Tai,  had ever seen Salem!. The only ones team STRQ had ever faced in relation to salem were her henchmen, and they appear to have no problem defending themselves against them, I mean, just look at when Qrow fought against Tyrian in V4C7

 everyone of Ozpins followers that knew of Salem only ever had fears of what she would do to the world if she managed to get her hands on the relics, but only those that truly came face to face with her and realized just how horrifying she truly was, would end up developing an overwhelming fear for her. 

Cinder, Tyrian, Watts, Hazel, Emerald and Mercury, are all terrified of Salem and what she might do to them If they don’t do as she says.

 Even Leo, a man who had  devoted himself to Ozpin, who told Ozpin face to face that he would never betray him no matter the danger, did in fact betray him once he met and saw first hand just what kind of threat Salem really is. 

So, does this mean that Raven met Salem in her years away from Ozpin?..... maybe, but how?, when?, where? and why? 

 For starters, when raven left Ozpins side, she would have needed to gather her thoughts and come up with a plan for herself: Where would she go now?, and what would she do next?. If you think about it, these questions are obvious, Raven went back to her old tribe and became the new leader, as for what she would do next ,well, there was only one thing she could do, survive. If Raven had any chance of surviving the crazy war between Ozpin and Salem, she would have needed to keep herself hidden and as far away from Salem, for as long as possible. To do this, raven would have needed intel on what areas in remnant Salem was targeting

 keep in mind that when raven left Ozpins side, she left with the bird transformation ability. Raven, being as clever as she is, might have harnessed this ability and used it to her advantage in order to gather information on how she could better defend herself against Salem. Better yet, she could do all of this undetected by anyone, if anyone did see her, they would simply see an ordinary bird!

But gathering intel on Salems targeted areas was one thing, figuring out who Salems pawns were was a completely different situation. Just as Qrow said back in V4C8 , Salem likes to work in the shadows, she likes using others to carry out her work. So, if raven did want to keep herself away from Salem, she would have also needed a good idea as to what kind of people were following her. Seeing as just how good raven is at judging others by their character, such as when she was able to accurately describe cinder, watts, mercury and emerald  in V5C9 

 It doesn't seem like Raven needed to hunt down the people that could be following Salem, she only needed to know what kind of people had the potential to be a pawn in Salems plans. Back in V2C11, when raven saved yang from being killed by neo, 

its possible that raven was there, not to keep an eye on Yang and save her the one time, but to confirm her suspicions of Roman Torchwick being one of the pawn in Salems plans! Roman was all over the news after all, so his suspicious actions in the city of Vale most likely caught her attention.

Unfortunately, keeping track of your enemies is certainly not an easy job to do, but if raven really did want to stay away from salem, she would have no other choice but to keep track of everyone elses plans and make sure that she was not going to be involved. But, what if, just maybe, something did get her involved, or...someone!

what if in the midst of her investigating, someone discovered what raven was doing and asked her to include them in order to better figure out who else was involved with Salem. But wait, Raven would never agree to working with someone, if anyone did discover what she was doing, raven would simply kill them without a second thought, its been made clear to us that Raven is perfectly willing to kill innocent people such as villagers, the previous spring maiden, and even her own brother Qrow

if someone really was with Raven in her search for answers, it would have been someone that kept her from killing them on sight, someone that not only made her listen to their reasons for wanting to join her, but also be someone that was able to prove to her that they had the skills to carry out dangerous mission along side her, without being a burden.

Problem is, the only people who have these qualifications, are the members of her former team, team STRQ! but wait, she left them remember, why would any of them search for Raven and ask her to team up?

Qrow only ever saw Raven when she felt it was necessary, so that leaves him out. Tai was busy enough as it is, taking care of yang and ruby when he became a father as well as a teacher at signal academy, so we can cross him off the list. The only one left to take into account is...Summer rose!... but wait... no one knows what happened to her....

in V2C6, when yang tells Blake about what had happened to Summer, yang says that she went on a mission one day and never came back. 

In V7C4 when Ruby talks to Qrow about summer, Qrow finally reveals to us and Ruby that of all the missions that summer went on, the one mission that she never came back from, was a mission that she never told anyone about!... but what if summer only kept her mission a secret from her friends and Ozpin, what if, someone else knew about her mission! but who? who would summer talk to about her mission besides Qrow, Tai and Ozpin?...perhaps, a former friend...like Raven!?

but why would Raven get involved with summer, years after she left team STRQ? and why would Summer want to include Raven in her mission, years after Raven abandoned Yang and her team? and if Raven really did get involved with summer, then what the heck kind of mission did summer set up for herself !? 

from what we know, after Raven left, Summer married Tai, became the adopted mother of Yang, and gave birth to Ruby. According to Yang, summer was “supermom”, going out on monster fighting missions and making cookies for her and ruby when she came back home. Judging by Yangs description of Summer, Summer was clearly every bit the loving mother that Raven was not. When Qrow talks about Summer, he talks about her the same way Yang does, that she was a kind person that was always the first to stand up and fight for what was right. 

But then again, maybe it was her identity as a kind, strong willed person, a protective and loving mother, that could have made summer realize something horrible and later come to an even more terrifying decision.

where am I going with this? well, what if in the time that Summer became a mother, Summer began to have the same realizations raven had about fighting Salem, that realization being of course that the war on Salem was lasting to long!. And that despite her, her team, and Ozpins efforts, summer might have realized that there was a chance that the war would not end in her time. When summer became a mother, it might have occurred to her that she did not want the war on Salem to be passed onto Ruby and Yangs generation. Perhaps it was through her own worry of what might have happened to her daughters, should they one day choose to fight against Salems war themselves, that finally made summer come to a very important decision.... this war... needed to end!

but what would Summer even do to end a war that has lasted generations?!. Keep in mind that Summer was a huntress born with silver eyes, meaning that she was a major threat to the creatures of grim, and by extension a major threat to Salem. When the fans discovered just what kind of effect the silver eyed warriors had on the grim, such as when ruby used her eyes in V6C6

and when Maria used her eyes in V6C7, back in her youth as “the grim reaper” 

 many of us had soon theorized that if a silver eyed warrior managed to find Salem and actually got the chance to use their powers on her, then maybe, just maybe, they could beat her immortality by turning her into a living statue, rather than killing her!  Well, odds are, Summer might’ve had a similar idea, the only thing she needed to do now, was find Salem! but how !?

Summer already knew that Ozpin had no idea where Salem was located and any leads they had on her location were a bust. The only people that knew where Salem was were the same people that had to report directly to her from time to time, her henchmen!. But finding them was a challenge of its own. Regardless, If summer had any hope of finding Salem, she would first need to track down her pawns, but her pawns hide in the shadows, away from the public eyes, moving only when Salem tells them to.

 In order to find them, Summer would have needed help from someone who was not only familiar with the dark side of the information network, but also be willing enough to help her locate Salems pawns. She couldn't rely on Qrow since he already had a tough enough time collecting whatever info he could without being noticed in his human form, that and seeing as Qrow and the others still have no idea what had happened to her, clearly tells us that summer really didn't want anymore of her friends and family involved.  .

 In order to accomplish her mission, Summer needed someone who not only had experience in the dark underbelly of the world of remnant, without drawing suspicion, but also be someone she could trust in helping her accomplish her goal, that someone...could have been Raven!

What if, Summer tracked Raven down and convinced her to help. Growing up along side raven at Beacon academy, summer must have already known that Raven would not agree to helping her without a good enough reason, well, what if Summer gave her a reason, a means to an end, a chance to end the war and be free from Salems threat!. Raven might be hard to talk to but she is clearly someone who is willing to negotiate a deal, IF its in her favor. If raven really did put up a search in trying to keep track of some of Salems followers then Raven would have been the key to completing summers mission.

But why would raven help fight Salem? she wanted nothing to do with her. If summer really did try to recruit raven, she would have sealed the deal in their negotiation by telling raven that she would have no part to play in the fight, just lead up to it. If anyone had a chance of defeating Salem, it was summer, and if they did manage to locate Salem, then the inevitable fight was for Summer to handle alone!. The only question now is, If Raven and Summer really did manage to track Salem down through her pawns, then what would’ve happened after that?

In V7C11, when ruby and the others finally confront Salem (as an apparition), Ruby shows no fear to her as she valiantly proclaims that they do not need to kill her to defeat her and that no matter the challenge,  they will stop her. 

When Salem hears Rubys words, she is unfazed, why? because, seconds after Rubys courageous speech, Salem drops a bomb of information and explains to Ruby that her words, were words she had heard before, from summer!!.

 Its during this scene that we finally receive confirmation to the one thing Ruby and her family had been questioning for years, Summers whereabouts the day she went missing!.... summer.....was with Salem the day she disappeared !!!

up to now, no one was ever able to find and confront salem, but if our theory is correct then, this moment in V7C11 ,confirms to us that summer was successful in her goal. Summer found Salem, she fought against her, and she failed!!

However !, Salem never talks about confronting Raven, but maybe, that's just because raven stuck true to her word with Summer and didn't fight! so then, what did she do?. If raven really did help Summer find salem, then perhaps rather than leave Summer and go back to her tribe using her portal semblance, Raven may have decided that she wanted to see the outcome of the fight and answer the one question she had been thinking of the day she agreed to help summer, ....could summers plan.... really work?...this... was something that Raven had to see. But if Raven really was there, watching Summer fight, then how was it that Raven remained unnoticed by Salem....unless... she was in a form that made her practically invisible. What if the reason salem and her pawns didn't take notice of Raven during their fight with Summer, is because she was hiding in the sidelines, in her bird form!

when summer began her fight, Ravens mind must have begun to flood with thoughts about everything she had heard about Salem; was she powerful!?, was she truly as terrifying as ozpin said she would be!?, could Salem finally be beat!? could this war finally end!? and could the world of remnant finally be freed!?

 I can imagine that Raven only ever heard stories about how terrifying Salem was, she had only ever seen just what kind of damage she could do. But if she really was present the day Summer fought Salem, then maybe it was  that very day, the day that summer died, that finally made Raven understand just how horrifying going against Salem was, just how terrifying Salem is, and just how hopeless it was to win against her! 

The day that she watched her beloved friend summer die, could’ve finally caused Raven to lose her courage and become truly afraid for her life, making her the Raven she is today.

In the RWBY comics issue #2, when Summers disappearance had already become known, we see a young Ruby searching through a memory box filled with things that reminded Ruby of Summer.

 Unfortunately, due to Rubys young age at the time of summers disappearance, Ruby has had a hard time remembering what little she could of summer, eventually, Ruby becomes desperate for any information on what kind of person her mother Summer was. Sadly, no one, not even her father Tai, is willing to tell her about summer. 

Yang however, is able to to ease rubys curiosity by telling her stories about Summer,

 These stories however, are sadly made up by Yangs childish mind, due to her missing Summer just as much as Ruby. Ruby never the less takes the stories seriously and is over joyed by just how much of a hero Summer was. Moment later, however, Ruby tries to share her moment with a black bird in a tree next to her, this black bird is of course revealed to be Raven the moment it talks back to Ruby.

When Raven talks to Ruby, she tells ruby in anger that summer was weak, she was no hero, and she was never as good of a wife, mother or huntress as she was told she was. As Raven continues her cruel words towards Ruby, Raven finishes up by saying that ruby is the same as summer, but not yang, yang is different because she was never truly summers daughter. 

These are indeed some heavy words for Raven to blast at a little girl. Originally, some of us believed that Raven said this when she felt insulted for having watched her own daughter Yang favor Summer as a mother rather than her. However, when Raven yells at ruby, she says it in a way that almost makes it seem like she is not talking to a child, but an adult, if so, then who might Raven be talking to as she stares at ruby? Qrow always said that Ruby was a lot like summer, so perhaps when raven saw ruby, all she could see was summer looking back at her. If Raven really was with summer, then perhaps her death caused Raven to spiral into a pit of twisted emotions, resulting in her doing things that could cause others to question her emotional state, such as yelling at a child.

 Raven has always been presented as someone who is unable to properly express her emotions, so perhaps at some point or another, summers death might’ve caused Raven to develop a sense of hatred for her in the midst of her grief, why? because, up until the day summer fought salem, Raven still had hope that she could survive the war, but ever since “that” day, that hope Raven had disappeared along with her bravery and willingness to keep fighting. 

Then again, this hatred towards summer, could also be a cover for Ravens true feelings. Like I said before, Raven has been presented as the type of person who can’t properly express her emotions towards others, including herself! if so, then how does raven really feel about summer and about herself?

in V5 C14, when yang tells raven that despite her reasoning for everything she had done up to that point, raven has shown yang that she is nothing but a coward who will do anything to run away.  

When raven hears this she is greatly angered and tries to put herself in the right by telling yang that she can make choices that others cant and that it was her willingness to make those decisions that has allowed her to face death and come back out alive every time. 

This however, does not convince Yang and instead only confirms to her that raven is no longer the strong woman she once was and is instead now someone that makes decisions based solely on her fear of salem.

 Yang does not hesitate to tell Raven this and in their final moments, yang tells raven that she is not like her and is willing to face the threat and consequence of salems wrath once she takes the relic of knowledge. When Raven hears this, we see her, for the first time, not defend herself. What's so interesting about raven and yangs final moments is that as yang proclaims her willingness to face danger, Raven physically and emotionally begins to weaken in front of us all!

Of all the things that raven could have done in her final moments with yang, be it fight against yang for the relic, yell at yang once more for not understanding how hopeless the fight against salem really is or even choosing to redeem herself by setting her fears aside and instead choose to side with her daughter to once again fight against salem, we instead watch as Raven cries and utter to yang in a sad voice, ”I'm sorry”, before escaping through one of her portals.

as I re-watched this scene over and over again, I began to realize something, ravens apology... may not have just been towards yang. When yang tells raven the harsh truth about herself its almost as if there was something else eating at her, making Yangs words sting and hurt even more than what we saw. Tai always said that Yang was a lot like Raven, and in those final moments, perhaps Raven saw through yang the version of herself that was still courageous and strong willed, the version of herself that was still devoted to fighting salem and the version of herself that was still part of a team. 

As raven watched yang walk towards the relic door, raven may not have just been thinking back to the days that she was still as strong as yang, but the day that she witnessed summer be just as strong as yang and ruby as they all choose to fight salem head on no matter the risk. If raven was thinking about all this and the choices she made up until now, then maybe, just maybe, raven cried for not having tried hard enough to hold onto that same courage, she cried for having given up so quickly and for not having the strength and willingness to set her fears aside and stand alongside summer the day she fought salem. These, I imagine, were Ravens greatest mistakes, this was her greatest regret, but hey, that's just a theory, a RWBY theory.

[trialbystory]

I have two of differing degrees of somber/fun;

Less uplifting: Ruby knows that she likely could've done more good for the world as a weaponsmith/engineer/maker than as a huntress, playing a support role rather than than frontline fighter and/or directly helping improve average people's lives. She's got the skills for it, and the passion, but she grew up chasing the shadow of Summer Rose. Her early encounters with Atlas mechs might have reinforced that decision, but Pietro (and Penny, to some extent) showed her up close how much of an impact that work could have when it's done by someone with heart. Unfortunately by that point there are too many people depending on her and she is now and she's too deep into the Salem/Ozma stuff to back down. But committed as she is, it does somewhat feel like it might be the wrong path. And maybe that played a part in her mental state during V9 as well.

More Uplifting: Ruby's early enthusiasm as the team's leader was somewhat dampened by the fact that she believed she had to be the one taking point on EVERYTHING (again, she grew up with stories of Summer, and if 'Supermom' could do it all then she had to too). She could analyze strengths & weaknesses and craft strategies & direct traffic in the field (like we saw in the Nevermore fight), but in class she thought it was all on her. The 'best teammate ever' conversation with Weiss (not to mention the conflict leading up to it) made it even worse for a bit,but one of the first things Weiss did in her new resolve to support Ruby was teach her the power of delegating. Which helped cement their still-new partnership and ultimately made the pre-Vytal days at Beacon run quite a bit smoother.

Question of the Week: What's your favorite headcanon(s) for your favorite character(s)?

[iamafanofcartoons]

"Her name was Summer Rose and she was....SuperMom!"

"I love you, just the way you are..."

by Seshirukun

www.twitter.com/Seshirukun1/status/1648871706247692288

[rwby-grimm-guardians]

RWBY Grimm Guardians Arc 2: Beacon’s Fragile Light Ch VI

Hey, everyone! I’m back! This is the sixth chapter of Beacon’s Fragile Light. These next two chapters take place during the sixth and seventh episodes of Volume 2.

This chapter will feature Bumbleby and...another ship. Also, prepare for Summer experiencing slight angst. As usual, please give feedback and enjoy!

Also, I apologize if some parts seem rushed. And there’s a small tribute at the end, given the date that this was originally posted on.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing.

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“So…. What are you two planning on doing for the dance?” Yang asked Gambol and Ember. The faunus raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?” Giving an unamused look, the blonde teen pointed at the two Weapon Spirits’ hands, which they clearly were holding each other’s. Blushing, the monk cleared her throat, “Okay, so...we...might be an item….” “Might?” Ruby smirked, earning a glare from the two women, which she laughed off easily.

“So… You’re dancing. Correct?” The younger of the two step-sisters asked. Ember sighed and gave a soft chuckle, “Yes, we’re dancing as a couple.” The blonde woman fell to the floor as Ruby tackled her in a tight hug, groaning in slight pain. Gambol and Yang laughed as the blonde teen hugged the older faunus. “I’m happy and proud of both of you.” She said, earning a smile from Gambol. “Thank you.” She replied. “I promise I will treat her well and love her always.”

Yang nodded, “I know you will.” Ember groaned as she stood back up, with Ruby getting off of her. “Now, I believe we should ask what YOU are going to do.” She said to her wielder, only for Yang to raise an eyebrow. After a couple moments, her mind clicked, causing her blush a deep red. Clearing her throat, she finally said, “I need to talk to her and ask her first.” The Weapon Spirits just nodded, while Ruby hugged her step-sister to wish her luck.

After the blonde teen left, Rudy looked around, before asking, “Where’s Cres?” Ember raised an eyebrow, looking around, before chuckling. “She’s probably keeping a protective eye on those two.”

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A little while later, Yang brought Blake to an empty classroom and, after a bit of persuading, convinced the younger faunus to listen to her. Little did they know that a certain step-mother was keeping an eye on them from the shadows, making sure that they were safe. Sure, Summer was a little over-protective. Though both as a mother and as a friend, she HAD to be. It was her duty to make sure her loved ones were safe from any sort of harm.

As Summer watched, she unintentionally began to listen in on their conversation...and, of course, heard something that she really wasn’t expecting. “You remember that Ruby and I lost Summer at an early age, right?” The blonde asked, receiving a nod from Blake. This prompted her to continue, leading to Summer to hear about the two half-sisters’ events when they got lost in a forest near their home.

Raven’s departure, however, seemed to have gone unnoticed. While she knew that Yang brought it up, the red clad woman didn’t focus on it. And given the fact that she was receiving flashbacks of being told about what happened. ‘Oh fuck….’ Summer thought, before she began hyperventilating. Quietly, she hopped down from her hiding place and, as quietly as possible, went for the door.

Though, if she had not stay there a moment longer, she would have probably missed something remarkable. “Blake, I want you to be safe! And if you keep putting yourself in this position...how am I supposed to help you?” Yang asked. The faunus went silent as she bit her lip, causing the blonde teenager to hug the other girl tightly. “I love you, Blake… So PLEASE. Let me help you.” The blonde said. Blake just looked at her wide-eyed.

“Are you...certain about this?” She asked, earning a nod from Yang. After a couple of moments, the faunus gave a small smile, “I...love you too. Though I would...like to take this slow, please.” The blonde nodded, “Of course. This is my first time too…” Before she could continue, the two heard the door close, prompting them to turn and face it. Blake and Yang looked at each other, before Yang sighed with a smile, “Still being the over-protective mom as usual.”

The faunus raised a nervous eyebrow, “Should I be…?” “Worried? No. She’s always over-protective of people she cares about.” Yang said walking with Blake to the door. “She was looking out for both of us. She’s THE mom like that.” Blake gave a soft giggle as the two exited the room, “That’s certainly true.” The two then found Summer in the hallway...trying her best to control her breathing.

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She didn’t mean to panic, but fucking hell, she did. Summer had wanted to watch them, just to make sure that Yang and Blake were safe, but she hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on them. So when Yang talked about her and Ruby being lost in the woods, of course she freaked out. She blamed herself for that event. Hell, now that she had some of her memories back, she still did! Thank gods she left the room and went into the hallway unnoticed...or at least that’s what she thought.

After about three minutes, two of which were used hyperventilating and the last one used to calm down, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She nearly jumped before she realized it was a concerned Yang, holding Blake’s hand gently. “Uh, hey! How are you two doing?” She asked, trying her best to change the subject. Blake let out a soft sigh with a small smile, before saying, “We’re doing better now, thank you. And you?” Just that one question was all it took to make Summer cave in.

“Okay, listen. I’m really sorry for eavesdropping on you two. I really am, but I wanted to make sure that you two were safe.” The red clad woman explained. As she continued explaining frantically, Blake whispered, “I think you might need to talk to her about what happened when you and Ruby were kids.” The taller teen nodded in agreement, whispering, “That’s probably why she was panicking.” Blake nodded, before the two waited for the human-turned-Weapon-Spirit in front of them to relax.

By the time Summer had finished explaining, the trio were back at Team RWBY’s dorm room and the woman was a bit out of breath. The elder Rose did not miss seeing Blake give Yang a kiss on the cheek, as well as the latter’s blush, before the faunus headed in, leaving the blonde teen and the red clad woman in the hall. “I’m guessing you want to talk about something?” Summer asked, sitting against the wall, where Yang joined her.

Yang nodded, “Yep. You heard me talking to Blake about when Ruby and I were kids, right?” Summer paled, before thinking, ‘Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck…’ “Summer? Supermom?” Yang called out, noticing her step-mother had gone silent. The red clad woman was panicking and had tears streaming down her face. She then tried to speak, “I’m so sorry, Yang…..” “Mom…” Yang started, only to stop when Summer spoke again, “I should have been there for you two. Instead, I ended up risking your lives and safety!”

Before Summer could ramble again, she felt her step-daughter’s arms wrap around her shoulders. The blonde teenager began rocking her step-mother back and forth as the woman cried silently, grabbing a hold of Yang’s arms. The former STRQ leader finally stopped after 10 minutes, before whispering in her now-raw voice, “I’m sorry….” Yang’s hug on her just tightened, “Even though it’s not your fault, you know we forgave you long ago. Right?”

Summer just sniffed as she wiped her tears away, “Doesn’t make the guilt that much easier to carry, honestly.” Yang didn’t say anything; not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t think of what else to say. So, as a replacement, she just kept hugging the woman. The two ultimately stayed like that for another 5 minutes, before Summer gave a soft chuckle through her raw voice.

The blonde teenager raised an eyebrow at her step-mother, before the red clad woman said, “You and Blake. As a couple.” Yang blinked a couple times, before giving a small chuckle, “I don’t think it’s been established yet.” She then began laughing as Summer stood up and lifted the teenager in her arms, followed by the red clad woman stating with a grin, “I’m so happy and proud of you, ensoleillement !”

Once the two entered the dorm room, Ruby was practically bouncing in her seat on the bed. “Well!?” She nearly shouted, prompting her step-sister and mother to look at Blake. Blake nodded at Yang, “I think we should tell her. And before you ask, yes. I’m sure.” Nodding at the teenage faunus, the blonde teenager sat next to her and took a breath, before saying, “Blake and I...are...now in a relationship….” It took a lot of her resolve to say that, as Yang and Blake are now blushing wildly.

Despite that, the youngest of the group couldn’t be happier. With her trademark grin, she immediately rushed over and tackled them in a hug. “I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!” Ruby shouted happily, squeezing the two tightly. “We’re glad, Ruby. But...could you...please let go…?” The faunus asked, as both girls were struggling to breathe. 

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That night, as everyone was asleep, Summer went outside to the Academy’s front entrance, meeting a familiar man. “I assume the girls are doing good?” He asked, receiving a smile and a nod. “They’re doing well. I’m guessing you’re happy with that?” The red clad woman asked. The man nodded, “Yes…. But I’m...worried.” Summer raised an eyebrow.

“They will...experience events that will...separate and harm them...in ways that can be difficult to understand.” The man said. “And I can’t interfere with trying to prevent that anymore.” “How come?” The elder Rose asked. The man sighed, “I’ve...reached my limit. My other self in another world with be leaving soon without any intention. And with him, my own existence in this world.”

Summer nodded and hugged the man, “I promise. I will do whatever I can to protect them.” The man hugged her back with a sad smile, “Thank you, Summer.” With that, the  two broke the hug, before the man started fading away. “Well, looks like it’s time.” He said. “I wish you the best, Summer.” The red clad woman smiled sadly and nodded, “I wish the same for you, Monty.” With that, Monty smiled, before fading away completely.

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Thank you, Monty Oum. (1981 - 2015)

Holy SHIT, did this take a while or what? Finally done. Yes, I know I might have fucked up on some of the history, but at this point, I’m too exhausted to care.

Anyway, next chapter will be the ball. And chapter 8 will have Weiss learning something about her weapon spirit.

After that, THEN we get to the GOOD STUFF! Anyway, see ya then!

[bestworstcase]

thinking about summer’s epitaph again. thus kindly i scatter—it’s like

summer rose was the perfect huntress. supermom. special, qrow tells ruby. the best of us. in the poem, the speaker finds the last rose of summer still in bloom, still alive, and because it’s the only one left, plucks it—kills it—and scatters the petals. thus kindly i scatter/thy leaves o’er the bed/where thy mates of the garden/lie scentless and dead.

odd thing to put on a gravestone, isn’t it? if summer rose were really dead, i’d take it as an insinuation that raven mercy-killed her, but… summer rose is clearly not dead, and ‘the rose of summer’ means ‘summer’s rose,’ i.e. there’s a stealth pun logic for interpreting ruby as the rose, and:

i didn’t have a choice, i did what i had to do i made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you i know you’ve lived a nightmare i’ve caused you so much pain but baby, please don’t do what i did i don’t want you to waste your life in vain

the speaker plucks the rose to symbolize his own despair: soon may i follow/when friendships decay/and from love’s shining circle/the gems drop away/when true hearts lie withered/and fondness is flown/oh! who would inhabit/this bleak world alone?

summer rose is a mirror—ruby’s literal reflection, in the ever after—and her allusion to this poem is reversed accordingly. she leaves her rose (ruby) behind in the circumstance described in the poem’s final stanza: friendships decay (team strq fallen apart), true hearts lie withered and fondness is flown (raven), and ruby has to inhabit this bleak world alone. i made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you; summer left her family behind to do what she feels is right, and condemned her daughter to grow up in the shadow of her mother’s pedestal.

yet the empathy and identification with her rose is still present and expressed through this plea for ruby not to do what summer did: i don’t want you to waste your life in vain. by being ozma’s ‘smaller soul.’

but there’s also an element here of the epitaph saying something about the ones who chose it—taiyang and qrow, presumably—and their perception of summer and what her presumed death is doing thematically. in their eyes she is the rose; she left and never came back and they at some point chose to believe that she died. symbolically, they ‘kill’ summer rose—they make her into a dead hero—and so, thus kindly i scatter.

rwby is played with the “die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” trope in V9 with both ruby and jaune—ruby when jaune explodes at her in a manner reminiscent of his obviously biased recollection of alyx, jaune in the literal sense that he becomes a tyrant—and i think that theme is going to come to fruition in a big way with summer. because…

remember how qrow reacted when he found out raven was ‘with’ salem? his kneejerk reaction was to disown her. he lionized summer—they all did—gave her a noble hero’s death, a beloved memorial, a shining posthumous pedestal. thus kindly i scatter. she’s been with salem fourteen years. she will, presumably, have some thoughts and feelings about how she was remembered.

[onesheeptwosheepandachicken]

FINALLY! A non-toxic headcanon that everyone can agree on

Quietly leaves another headcanon here

Well anyone else not emotionally ready for the new episode today

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Summer Rose's second quirk: Abuse survivors collector. I imagine, if Summer where to be alive and did all that, ruby would be like "Hello! This is my mom, summer rose! And my other mom she rescued from this bad guy, and my siblings she also rescued, she's a real hero! "

Abso-fucking-lutely. 

Summer’s a guardian, and that’s not just concerning hero work. She protects everyone. If she were still alive, not only the Todorokis would be living with her and her family, but so would the Schnees the second Weiss stepped into the door with that healing scar on her face because “there is no way in hell that came from training, Tai, Recovery Girl would’ve healed it if it was”.

Everyone deserves to be cared for and loved, and Summer made sure that those who she welcomed into her home knew that. Even after her death, that philosophy stood. That house is a sanctuary for those who have been hurt.

On this blog, we stan Supermom Summer Rose.

[sir-adamus]

why is it there's more fanart of Summer with Qrow (who she canonically was not with), than there is of Summer interacting with her kids? her kids that she raised?

[valkyrieelysia18]

The Dead Parent: The Dragon Prince VS RWBY

Well, this is an unexpected post, but as someone is going through a series of Rewrite posts for RWBY, by examining the series and how it handles its story characters, I am also prone to make comparisons to other series that I feel CRWBY (or more specifically Miles and Kerry) could learn from.

Now, I’ve said before that I’m not the biggest fan of the dead parent trope, but I do realize that just because the trope is overused, doesn’t mean it can’t be used correctly. It is unfortunate that this tends to happen more to mothers than to fathers, but I’m not here to debate that issue. I’m here to talk about how to do it correctly using two examples: one to follow and the other to avoid.

Done Right: Queen Sarai from The Dragon Prince

Right now, The Dragon Prince is one of my favorite series. Coming from the writers of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it is wonderful engaging fantasy series with a rich world and deep and interesting characters. While it is by no means perfect, there is so much to enjoy and I highly recommend it to anyone. And one example of how the series does things right is Queen Sarai, Callum and Ezran’s late mother.

Queen Sarai died prior to the events of the series and while we didn’t get to know why until Season Two, Season One still gave her a presence without her directly appearing. We saw what she looked like from both her grave statue and Callum’s drawings. Not only that but Callum, Amaya, and even Viren talk about her and gave us an idea of what she was like and how her memory still affects and influences others.

When Season Two came around, we actually got a flashback of when she was alive and that just reinforced what had been set up. In fact, we see her not just as a wife, sister, and mother, but also as a queen, an advisor, and a warrior. We also see her act less than perfect; she jokes, she grimaces, and she gets angry. And her influence is even stronger than what was first realized in that it was her death that put Harrow on the course to kill the Dragon King Thunder and kick off the events of the series. This is even further empathized when it is her that brings Callum back to himself at the end of the season. All of this goes to show how much she affected the world and the people she knew.

Another thing to note is how her sons view her differently. Back in Season One, Callum is shown to be drawing her and speaks of her very warmly. Ezran on the other hand looks a bit uncomfortable when Callum brings her up. After the flashback in Season Two, this makes sense. Callum was about five when his mother died, old enough to really remember her and with his eidetic memory he would never forget what she looked like. Ezran, however, was still a baby and it’s highly unlikely he has many if any clear memories of his mother and has to rely on what he’s heard from Callum and Harrow. I find their responses rather realistic, with Ezran not entirely sure how to feel about her and the memory of her being able to bring Callum back from the brink.

Done Wrong: Summer Rose from RWBY

Oh RWBY. I’m staring to think you should have ‘Wasted Potential’ put in as a subtitle. As I have said before and will continue to say, it’s not about the premise, it’s the execution. There are some good ideas in RWBY, but it’s very clear that Miles and Kerry are not professional writers and I question how much of this is really planned and how much they’re making up as they go along. The weak story was a lot more forgivable when the series was focused on the kickass fight scenes and colorful characters, but with the change to a more story focused approach that made the earlier problems all the more apparent. And one of the most obvious examples that can be pointed to is the treatment of Summer Rose, mother of Ruby Rose and stepmother of Yang Xiao Long.

Outside of the grave with her symbol on it, we first see Summer Rose in the Team STRQ photo and that small glimpse of her on the cliff at the end of Ruby’s memory montage. These appearances tells us nothing really about her except her incredible resemblance to Ruby. Not to mention, she’s never truly the main focus of these images, either off to the side or at the end of more recent memories.

In terms of the characters talking about her, they almost never do.  It’s been implied that Summer played a role in the great conflict of Oz vs. Salem, but this is never really brought up at all. Her former teammates only mention her in relation to Ruby (and Yang once). Taiyang never brings her up or is seen visiting her grave even though she’s supposedly his second great love. Just as well Raven and Qrow never mention her as a leader, a teammate, or a friend. We never get the impression that she truly matters to these characters, that her death and memory had an impact on them to this day.

In fact, the most we get about Summer Rose is from Yang who describes her as “Supermom, baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters.” Yeah, these sounds like character roles rather than an actual character. And after this point, Yang describes her as Ruby’s mom, despite the fact that Summer was the one to raise her and has more right to be called her mother than Raven ever did.

And then there’s Ruby. Despite being implied to be a big influence on her daughter, Ruby never talks about her to anybody and has only talked to her grave once out of three visits. When she talks with Maria, she doesn’t bring up her mother even though it would be the perfect time to do so. And then there is the flashback glimpse that doesn’t make much sense when you remember that Yang said that when Summer died, Ruby couldn’t even talk yet. As I’ve said before in a previous post, that would mean Ruby would have been less than two years old. There is no way she should remember Summer that clearly.

Well, I hope this makes sense to other people. I will admit I partly wrote this for catharsis sake, but that’s how my Sienna post got written so my feelings can’t miss the mark that much. I promise the next post will be a Rewrite.