#branwen answers

[branwendaughterofllyr]

maris fic????? im soo curious about it👀

Evidently the people want to know about Maris. So to be clear, I currently have no plans to post any Maris fic, it was just one of the ideas I was playing with before I ended up writing a poison tree. I don't think I even have the draft anymore, and all I can remember about it is the line "Maris was not the prettiest of her sisters. Which was fine, for she certainly was the cleverest." I believe it was an Aemond/Maris fic, with a focus on the Four Storms.

I actually think the Four Storms get a bad rap in the fandom, considering three out of four of them ended miserably, and we don't know what happened to the other one.

And there's a very telling detail, I think, that most people miss when it comes to Elenda Caron and her daughters.

Lady Elenda Baratheon, the widow of Storm’s End, also took a new husband that year. With Lord Borros dead and Royce an infant, Dornish incursions into the stormlands had grown more numerous, and the outlaws of the kingswood were proving troublesome. The widow felt the need of a man’s strong hand to keep the peace. She chose Ser Steffon Connington, second son of the Lord of Griffin’s Roost. Though twenty years younger than Lady Elenda, Connington had proved his valor during Lord Borros’s campaign against the Vulture King, and was said to be as fierce as he was handsome.

And I honestly think this hints at something darker about the way that Lady Elenda unloaded all of her daughters off, either as septas or wives, since her new husband would have been closer in age to her unmarried daughters. Maris joins the Silent Sisters for unknown reasons, and while it probably is just a rumor her tongue was cut out, considering that her sisters also ended pretty miserably and she was partially blamed for Aemond losing his temper and killing Luke, I am side-eyeing it.

And I also think that Cassandra gets a bad rap, as well, despite her being in pretty uncomfortable straits after the Dance. Casssandra is likely around twenty (based off of Floris' age) and unmarried, no longer the heir to Storm's End because of her new brother, has lost her chances to be princess and then queen, and now a large chunk of the eligible men have died during the recent Civil War. And I don't think she was the one who killed Jaehaera, and I think that all of the above issues made her a great target for possibly being framed in the matter of the poisoning. Or if she was actually involved, she was likely an easy mark for manipulation (and considering that Tessario was an Unwin Peake appointment.....). And her punishment being to get married off to an old man with a bunch of children, while her mother declares it will stop her plotting..... Idk, maybe you should have been more on top of things, Elenda!

And then we finally have Floris getting married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather at age 14/15, who had SEVEN sons from two prior marriages but still gets her pregnant almost immediately, leading to her dying in childbirth at only 16. I don't care how sad Thaddeus Rowan was anout his teen bride dying with his twentieth kid, you can't make me like him!!!!!!

The Four Storms are really canon OCs to me, so I'm more than a little disappointed how slept on they are, and I think Maris and Cassandra are the real standouts here.

[rwac96]

"Tonight... You" Raven to Jaune

Raven:

(source: Sinccubi)

"Tonight...you~."

Jaune: *blushes, gulps* "M-Me? T-Tonight?!"

Raven: "Yeah, dumb ass."

[artbyfuji]

vampire lovers 🩸🦇 (vtm rosebird)

[ubtendo]

Sometimes I forget that owls can scream like it's the end of the world.

Now I'm imagining Branwen doing the owl screech. I would be terrified/pos

Oh yeah she does that

Frequently

Much to the annoyance to the whole team

(Ah yes she doesn't even remember the times she used to do it with her friends for fun)

[howlingday]

What Rwby character of PROPER AGE do you think could pull of Rouge's outfit from Sonic best?

The caps are to make sure no says anything bad about either of us.

Honestly, there are three people that come to mind for the outfit, and only one of them is a girl.

Yang because (Insert confused partner dressed up as Knuckles)

Jaune because look at those pecs

Qrow because, let's be honest, it's probably not the wildest thing he's ever worn.

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

So do you think a series of Qrow's Exes would be funny? Like characters from different series. Like Catwoman or something.

I'm not the best person to ask this of, I do not have an extensive catalogue of characters to do this with. I will try my best though.

Qrow is Middle Aged. I'm taking no debate on this, so all of his Ex's should be close to their forties - roughly 38-50 years old. If anyone has any ideas, I will do my best.

~~~~~

Tai: Exes? Of course Qrow has Exes! He's gotten in and out of a LOT of relationships!

Ruby: Like who?

Qrow: We don't need to worry about it. Let's just keep-

???: Oh, well if it isn't a little birdy~

Qrow: ... Oh no.

???: Oh Yes~

Tai: Oh! Hey Selina! How've you been?

Catwoman: Fine, in fact, I've been quite well~

Tai: Hey, Ruby, you want to go get some cookies from the bakery?

Ruby: *Sprinting off* Cookies

Qrow: Tai no!

Tai: Wallet ... Keys ... Yep! Thanks for not holding me up Selina!

Catwoman: Not a problem Tai~ Just make sure to get me something sweet~

Qrow: ... Selina-

Catwoman: Hush. I don't want anything from you ... I just have someone who could do with some misfortune~

Qrow: Pay off my tabs and I'll do it.

Catwoman: Deal~

~~~~~

Ruby: Hey Weiss, thanks for inviting us to your Family Reunion!

Weiss: It's no Issue. You're as much my family as everyone else here!

Yang: by the way, has anyone seen Uncle Qrow?

Weiss: ... I haven't and that worries me.

Qrow: *falls from the rafters* ... ow ...

???: Oh, I thought I felt your presence!

Qrow: ... ah ...

The Princess (STP): Are you alright? You don't have hollow bones like this, do you?

Qrow: ... Versie ... Heyyyyyy ...

The Princess (STP): Hello Qrow! I have been waiting to see you again for a very long time~

Qrow: ...

Qrow: *Sprints for a window*

The Princess (STP): *Extending Way too many arms out, Nico Robin Style* YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, BACK STABBER!

Qrow: I DON'T NEED TO RUN FOREVER! JUST LONG ENOUGH TO GET AWAY!

Ruby: ... Who was that?

Weiss: My aunt, Vershie Bung Schnee.

Yang: Why's she angry at Uncle Qrow?

Weiss: I mean, She called him "backstabber."

~~~~~

???: Qrow? Qrow Branwen?

Qrow: ... Before I turn to look at you, are you going to attack me?

???: Attack you? Haha! no, no I won't my old friend.

Qrow: *Turns* Oh! Valka! How've you been! You look great!

Valka: Ah, No need for that Qrow, but you don't look bad yourself! I've been great! Busy, but I found my son again - well, he found me.

Yang: Are you another one of his exes?

Valka: Another one of-Snrrk I'm S-sorry, What? Him? And me? HAHAHA! You're a funny one, young lady!

Qrow: ... well I don't think it's that Funny, Valka.

Valka: No, It is! Ah, your Uncle is just an old friend of mine. him and his sister both were, at one point.

[infoglitch]

i see you are whiteknight trash like i am. let me ask you this weiss is captured in atlass, the schnee family mansion. We must stage a tactical rescue. who does jaune bring as part of the mission to break her out and what is their role? starter lineup, nora? demolitions expert, ren? assasin. Oscar? union representative. Qrow? Wildcard. Whats jaunes plan? (dont think about it too hard, this is purely wish fufilment "fuck yeah" kinda fiction. dont even gotta write any thing in character or nathin)

Ah @philosophicalpug you've come to the right shop.

But I must warn you. For I am someone who goes overboard. You just allowed me to be fuckin GOOFY.

Let's get fucking ridiculous!

Breaking out the ice queen!

The night was cold as Weiss sat in her room, trapped in her own mansion. As some punks managed to jump her, demanding a ransom of 3,000,000 lien. However Weiss knew one thing.. one significant thing that anyone on this planet should fear her for.

She had the money to buy all the ingredients for Ren's pancake recipe. Meaning one person. Nora Valkyrie.

We cut to RBYJNRQO as Nora seemed to be preparing her weapon as she had a shadow over her face.

Ruby: alright everyone. Let's run over the plan again.

Jaune: ok, first Ruby, your our a way in and out.

Ruby: yang is our distraction.

Yang: I'll cause some noise so that way they don't notice you all bust in.

Jaune: blake-

Blake: I'm making sure yang has backup.

Jaune:.. I was gonna say you watch our backs but ok.

Oscar: I'll handle negotiations if you can't find her.

Ren: I'll take over Blake's position so that way you have someone watching out for you.

Ruby: thanks Ren.

Ren: Weiss is our friend.. we won't abandon her.

Nora: I'll break through the walls.. and any guards legs.

Everyone looked at Nora as Ren just sighed before hugging her.

Qrow: I guess that leaves me. I'll be around.. I wanna see if my semblance can be useful.

Ruby: you don't have to do that uncle qr-

Qrow: this is your friend, kiddo. For all I know if I join you on this breakout mission she could get seriously hurt.

Ruby:.. alright but if things go bad?

Qrow: I said I'd be around didn't I?

Qrow had a smirk as Ruby smiled at him. Jaune clapped his hands as he had a grin.

Jaune: alright we got everyone ready. Let's get to work!

Nora & Yang: YEAH!

We cut back to Weiss as she hummed softly. Her eyes looked at the window as she for a second saw a plume of red from beyond it. A smile crept up her face as the 25 minutes felt like 15 seconds as jaune, Ruby, Ren, and Nora came in.

Ruby's face quickly turned to a smile as she practically flung herself at the heiress.

Ruby: WEISS!

Weiss chuckled as Ruby hugged her.

Weiss: good to see you too Ruby.

Jaune: alright before we can be all cuddly and celebrate we gotta get you out.

Weiss: I expected so.. do you have Myrtenaster?

Jaune practically yoinked out Weiss's weapon as Weiss smiled. With said smile evoking a small blush on Jaune's face.

After a few minutes and an annoyed Nora having to cut Weiss's bindings despite her not being forced to. Weiss was free as she held Myrtenaster and inspected it. It seemed to still be in pristine condition.

Weiss: now let's get going.

Nora didn't even reply she just broke down the wall as Ruby quickly took Ren and Nora as she petal burst off.

Weiss: while we have this time.. Jaune?

Jaune looked at the heiress as the girl gave him a nod.

Weiss: thank you.

Jaune: shouldn't you be thanking Ruby?

Weiss: trust me I will.. but I wanted to personally thank you first.. you've become a lot better of a man.

Jaune: well.. I want to make sure I'm able to help my friends.. and that means being a lot less of an ass.

Weiss just smirked before Ruby arrived as she took Weiss and Jaune and they left in a burst of petals.

Mission: SUCCESS

[bafflement]

Hey, Bear! Happy (late) FNDM Friday!!! What's your favorite semblance in the show? Why?

Ooh, now that's a hard one. But probably Jaune's, honestly? It's so versatile... and incredibly useful in a fight.

Even just to buff other people's.

That or Qrow's, for the sheer tragedy of it. :( That poor man, but he somehow makes it work for him.

[thepalestrose]

EXCUSE ME?!!? SUMMER ROSE!?!? RAVEN!?!?

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

raven branwen for character ask

send me characters and I'll tell you:

First impression: oh who the fuck are you?! (incidentally, this was also Neo's first impression of her)

Impression now: need her. adore her. cannot get enough of her. a coward who's desperate to be strong. a fallen hero who's fucked up in every imaginable way but is still trying again after so long to help people. because the daughter she abandoned is so unfathomably brave and strong that just one conversation with her changed her life forever. characters of all time.

Favorite moment: used to be "You sound just like your mother," but now it's "Nobody suspects anything?" for the way it flipped me and all my expectations for her and Summer's last conversation entirely on their head

Idea for a story: oh I'm already writing for her. at the moment it's teenage Raven getting taunted by her mom tribe leader over her feelings for Summer, and her rushing to help Summer when her face explodes eyes go off and knock her out in the middle of a Grimm boss fight. she also pops up in the "Qrow gets his necklace" fic but that's not about her.

Unpopular opinion: not sure exactly how unpopular it is, but: Yang was born after Raven left her team, and Raven only stopped back for as long as it took to drop her off with her father.

Favorite relationship: if you couldn't tell from the secondary focus of my WIPs: whatever the hell she had going on with Summer.

Favorite headcanon: her bonds don't form automatically: she has to choose to open herself up and connect to others. preferably like this.

[hiraganasakura]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bcus they have different definitions of family

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[branwendaughterofllyr]

OMG you’ve seen Elisabeth! I don’t know much about Austro-Hungarian history, but Elisabeth is such a fascinating character! That musical also really suits Alyssa, especially with how you depicted marriage as a tomb in chapter 8. In my country (I’m Asian), back in the day, brides would prepare burial clothes as part of their wedding preparations. It was a way to prepare for the unknown day of their husband’s death, but when I learned that as a kid, I thought, "Marriage really is like death!" It seems Alyssa is thinking something similar to what I did as a child lol To her, marriage is a threat, a compulsion on women, and honestly, considering the Targaryens, she’s not wrong. I don’t really like the Baelon-Alyssa pairing (sorry if you do!), and I think Alyssa barely had any real choices in her life. She was always the property of a Targaryen prince. I hope to see more of this Alyssa someday in A Poison Tree!

Oh gosh, I’m so sorry I took so long to answer this, I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for ages now. I took a bit of a break from both tumblr and my fics, which was nice but I’m back now.

Yeah, I really like both the musical Elisabeth and I think Sissi is an interesting historical figure herself, and I enjoyed Brigitte Hamann biography a lot. I think there’s a lot to the way life for a woman ended in a way when it came to getting married, it’s kind of the end of the line in some ways, and I love the detail from your culture about brides preparing funeral clothes, it’s so final and somewhat ominous? Especially if you ended up married far away before modern communication and transportation, you might be pretty much cut off from your family and prior life. I think Alyssa has picked up, both consciously and subconsciously, on all this, and Targaryen women in particular end up unhappy in marriage, it seems.

(I usually refer to Baelon’s Alyssa as “Alyssa T” for clarity. To distinguish from my Alyssa, haha)

I think partly why Baelon and Alyssa T are so popular is they are easy to romanticize because Alyssa T dies so young. She’s only 24 or so, and she dies before most of the succession crisis kicks off, and before their marriage can truly be tested by time and also family problems that comes with raising kids and being part a feudal monarchy.

Like think about how Jaehaerys and Alysanne might be perceived if Alysanne had died that young. That would be before the Saera scandal, before Daella’s death in childbirth, before Viserra’s death, before Jaehaerys continued to impregnate Alysanne into middle age against her wishes (and citing their mother who died in childbirth in her forties!!!! As a reason to keep doing it!!). They had a very intense romance when they were young, and it likely would still be intact as the great Targaryen Romance if Alysanne had died before all their later troubles. I would even argue that Alysanne and Jaehaerys are much romantic than Alyssa T and Baelon, considering their tragic childhood and later elopement against the wishes of pretty much everyone. (I think that Jaehaerys and Alysanne were intensely trauma bonded as children, considering that they were left all alone with their mother for years on Dragonstone and then in exile while Rhaena and Viserys 0.5 were both else where and then later dead, and their romance sprang from this intense bond, as it was the only way they knew how to conceptualize it with the normalization of incest in their family and there was the threat of separation by marriage hanging over them). Alyssa and Baelon are kind of thrown together because they are close as children, and really groomed to be in love. And then Alyssa dies before any of the major issues of JaeJae’s late reign really appear. We have no idea if she would have supported Baelon or Rhaenys as heir, if she would have supported her husband or gone against him, how she would have handled Viserys and Daemon’s marriages, how she would have dealt with Aemma or Rhea. And who’s to say if she would have supported Rhaenyra as heir, she very well may have supported Daemon as heir and built a faction for him at court. How would she have handled exhaustion from back to back pregnancies over two decades, the death of a child, or even menopause? She dies so young, it easy to chalk their marriage up as a happy and romantic one without any major problems because none have had time to appear. Alysanne and Jaehaerys were happy once too.

And this isn’t even getting into the bare glimpses of Alyssa T and Baelon’s personalities, which are pretty mixed in my opinion. I’m really not a fan of how both of them treated Vaegon, after Jaehaerys ordered Baelon to make him into a proper man, which Baelon did and even used Alyssa to shame Vaegon for not being masculine enough by having his sister come and mock him for not putting up a fight against her.

I’ll actually say that I’ve got a Baelon flashback planned for the next chapter that I’ve had in mind for ages that’s inspired heavily by this very incident with Vaegon. Baelon seems to have very much been his father’s enforcer, which doesn’t exactly endear him to me, and both of his canonical surviving children were pretty dysfunctional, which suggests some issues there, grieving widower or not. (And at some point, I think I will have my Alyssa reflect on the life of Alyssa T, as their lives take more and more similar trajectories with their marriages to second sons, but I don’t have anything concrete thoughts there.)

[rwac96]

"Scream and I'll smother you with my breast" Raven towards Jaune when she sneaks into his room, and gets on him. Don't want his teammates waking up to her riding him.

A loud snore leaves a sleeping Jaune Arc's open maw, as he lays on his bed, wearing his blue onesie. The blonde then felt his mouth covered by a hand, making him blink his eyes. Shifting his ocean irises to a buxom, black-haired woman who resembles an older Yang. His eyebrows raised as he noticed the predatory red eyes leering at him as prey. Jaune was about to sit up in his bed but was pushed down by the intruder.

"Scream," Raven Branwen whispered to Jaune as she climbed on top of the youth. "and I'll smother you with my tits."

"Mhmm," he slowly nods as he sees her tugging the zipper of his pajamas down.

"We don't wanna wake up your teammates," the Bandit Queen whispered, "especially that Cereal Mascot while I'm riding you~."

[sevens-evan]

Do you think Raven is ever haunted by how much like her Yang looks? Does she looks at Yang and see what she could've been? If she was different, if she was better, if she was kind.

see i don't think raven does that kind of self reflection because i think she's subconsciously aware that her entire life will implode the minute she seriously reflects on any of her choices. so i think she has a creeping feeling of discomfort with yang's appearance that she absolutely refuses to consider more deeply. i also think this all has fascinating potential with my eternal reading of trans yang.

[ubtendo]

I want to know about your icebound oc... Branwen... my beloved...

Ok sure, I'm swooning over here💖💞 (but only if you tell me about Malachite💞)

And since I'm completely unable to do anything without art, here's a lil sheet

Yay to my favourite avian lesbian

So a little further explanation on these extra points:

● she hides her claws in the feather in her wings to make her seem just a little bit less strong

●she is based on a snowy owl, they usually have some black spots in their feathers, tho Branwen doesn't; fortunately for her since it's easier to blend in with the snow

●she has no need for any kind of clothing since her feathers hide and protect anything from the cold (and from gawking eyes, get your mind out of the gutter she's not a nudist shes a bird), again clothing would make her more visible to the environment

●she might have lived with other harpys before, as of now she has her nest hidden on the side of the mountain

●she is very quiet and stealthy, almost inaudible, which is a very lethal fact for her victims

Relationships with the team:

● she despises Skrimm and Barnabos, Skrimm just seemes like a scrawny, fragile and weak thing and she wouldn't feel very satisfied if she were to kill him; Barnabos going on and on with her being a "witch of the sky's" and it annoys her, the only fun thing is to mess with them and thats easy enough

●she doesn't dislike Jornir as much as Skrimm or Barnabos, but he's not much higher either, mainly because it's not very effective to mess with him; she can respect him enough to ignore him, even when he gets a bit to annoying for her taste

●she feels very neutral towards Taishen, he is even easier to scare than Barnabos and Skrimm, but his simple nativity makes her almost pity him; the tea he leaves her at night when nobody's looking tastes not that bad

● Daisy and Queenie are the highest on the list, tho she doesn't really "like" them, they just aren't as easily unsettled by her and she respects the fact that they are both hunters as well; Daisy may be a bit higher than Queenie because Queenie gets a bit more on her nerves than Daisy

Ooofff and well I'm always available for more specific questions about her!💖💕💞

[howlingday]

So who would rank as the best fighters in Rwby that don't have magic? So no Maidens,Salem,Brother Gods, the Tree or Opzin. Anyone else including the Curious Cat is a choice. (I'm saying the cat counts for this list because even though it's magic we at least have a clear understanding of how his powers work.)

The best fighters? Hoof... That's a tall order, especially since I'd have to look over all the candidates I can remember. But I'll narrow it down to TEN characters, in order to appease the [tumblr] gif limit.

General James Ironwood: Simply put, you don't become the headmaster of a huntsman academy by being weak or stupid, because this commanding officer is definitely neither... relatively speaking. Granted, one could argue against his battle tactics as a military general, but I think when compared to other huntsmen, there's not a lot of characters you can say that require an ambush by almost a dozen people to take down! So yeah, General Ironwood is definitely an intimidating character to start off with.

Ruby Rose: Yeah, I know, I know. Ruby's the main character, so of course she's gonna be on this list! But to be fair (to be fair), she's EARNED her place as a main character. The series starts off with her easily thrashing goons, followed by her heading off to Beacon Academy two years early for her skill against such an impressive foe. And she's only grown ever since. Given time, I can totally see Ruby being the hero who saves Remnant and looks good while doing it.

Neopolitan: Barring magic is one thing, but some characters never needed magic to be overpowered. One such character started off as a generic sidekick villain who bailed Torchwick out. Then she comes back later that same Volume to style and beat down on RWBY's heaviest hitter. Heck, Neo would've ended Yang if it wasn't for Raven showing up! And while Neo doesn't have magic, she does have an overpowered semblance that makes her a nuisance at first and a crisis by the end! Tell me, dear reader; what happens when you put a girl whose semblance called, "Overactive Imagination" inside of a FAIRY TALE?! I'll tell you what you get- YOU GET A NIGHTMARE.

Pyrrha Nikos: Ooh, boy, now this is where things get sad. Pyrrha was the best fighter in Volume 1-3 solely for the fact that she was the one fighter EVERYONE knew about. Pyrrha was getting wins BEFORE the series started and she started racking up wins afterwards against Grimm and other students, too. Sadly, this poor, young Achilles was not truly invincible, for her tender heart was what got her killed... And also an arrow to said tender heart.

Cinder Fall: And speaking of arrows to tender hearts, I should give credit where credit is due, and it's overdue for Cinder Fall. First up, let's look at Cinder WITHOUT her magic. Her semblance, Caress, increases the temperature of things she touches, burning and even melting them. Heck, she was even throwing fireballs BEFORE the Maiden powers were hers! Not to mention she was throwing down with Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon and definitely the oldest man on the planet! She managed to outwit and outpace a man with centuries of experience. She then went on to kill the best fighter of the roster at Beacon Academy and steal her powers, only becoming wounded by Ruby's silver eyes. And this was all BEFORE she became the Fall Maiden.

Tyrian Callows: I want to admit something. I have a certain bias both towards and against Tyrian. Towards him, he's one of my favorite villains simply for the sheer lengths he'll go to in order to please his goddess, regardless of who he has to kill and how many. Against him, while I will admit he has some of the best fights in the series, his best fight is also the worst in the entire series. Story-wise, that is, because for some reason the other two combatants got way stupider than they should have.

Qrow Branwen: And speaking of fighters getting dumber than they should, here comes one now! Qrow was our introduction to what a REAL huntsman was like. And he did not disappoint! ...At least, when he first showed up. When Team RWBY were struggling against Tyrian, Qrow came in and fought him to a standstill. If Ruby didn't put herself in danger trying to help, Qrow could have won the battle and even been a big help later. Then again, for as skilled as Qrow may be, he's also got some personal issues that make him more of a hinderance than a boon.

Blake Belladonna: Thinking on it, Blake might be the best fighter of Team RWBY, besides Ruby. She has probably the most versatile weapon of the group, neither limited by range nor function, and watching her fight is always entertaining because, well, she's an agile-build fighter who uses airborne attacks to both maintain distance and to build momentum for closing in with killing blows. While Weiss and Yang also have their uses as support and tank builds, Blake feels like the only other fighter who actually has experience fighting.

Jaune Arc: Big surprise, we have the big man himself, Jaune Arc on my list. To the surprise of no one. No, but seriously, Jaune is someone to be praised for his combat skill, especially since his story is about how he literally showed up with 0 skill. I've seen people meme him as "Dark Souls style" and I can't argue. Where everyone else is over the top with their combat, Jaune manages to stay relatively grounded by comparison. No jumping or magic; just pure human strength, and what strength he has! Though, I will say that his usual style is more akin to tank/wall tactics. He's strong enough to take hits from heavy hitters, protecting his allies from heavy, crippling blows, and his semblance keeps himself and others in the fight.

Now, who else do we talk about... Oh, right! Since you brought them up...

The Curious Cat: For this, let's explain how their power works. Simply put, the Curious Cat's power mostly resides in their ability to possess creatures in a weakened state. Ruby was the intended target of this possession, having been forced by the Cat to avoid ascension while becoming physically and emotionally weaker over time. In the end, however, Ruby did ascend, and the Cat was forced to change their plans to possess Neo, who had also recently become emotionally vulnerable. Tactically speaking, the Cat is dangerous simply for their ability to take over and use the powers of another which, as stated previously, is overpowered to MAXIMUM. Once Neo had outlived her use, the Cat then made themselves more powerful by changing their body into something more combative. Combative enough to push Team WBY and Jaune to their limits. It wasn't until Ruby, who found new purpose and strength within herself that she was able to overcome the "Furious Cat" with the aid of her team.

So... yeah.