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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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re: that ask you posted a couple days ago about the male and female representation in RWBY, part of what makes RWBY's whole 'girl power' thing ring exceptionally hollow to me is the fact that there are like... no women in positions of real power in remnant. like at all. except the big bad.

winter is second in command to james. glynda is second in command to ozpin. all of the headmasters are men (for no discernible reason, imo; why theodore and not dorothea?). the leader of the ace ops was a white man (and then winter seemed to take over clover's position instead of either of the women of color on the team, and she was still second to james). RWBY is an all girl team, but JNPR was led by a boy despite a girl arguably being far more qualified (pyrrha). the happy huntresses are all women, and robyn had no real power to speak of--she didn't even manage to win the election, because jacques rigged it, and then the council ceased to matter. there was one (1) woman on the council, but she was so inconsequential that i can't even remember her name. (i suppose we're lucky it was the guy and not her who james shot lol) jacques controls the SDC instead of willow, even though he's not even a schnee by blood and actually married into the family for power. (and we don't even know how he got it over his wife.)

and then there's the white fang, which ghira led and not kali--and it's ghira who leads menagerie itself, while kali seems to be a housewife. sienna had five minutes of screentime before being brutally killed and her position assumed by adam, a man. cordovin is basically a one off lackey we haven't even thought about before or since. neo was second to roman. you have cinder, sure, who is a second but to salem, a woman, and raven as the leader of the branwen tribe--but what does it really say about your 'girl power' narrative when the only women with genuine systemic power in your world are villains or antagonists with massive bodycounts??

atla has the same sort of problem--a couple great female characters, but all the leadership positions are men (except the kyoshi warriors, an all girls group, and even then the leader of their island is an old man) and the one female mentor figure also turns out to be evil--but it at least has some great writing to help overlook that fact, and it came out in the mid-00's and so has some sort of excuse of being a product of its time. but rwby didn't even start until 2013 and it's still going and still making these kinds of decisions well into 2021.

where is this supposed girl power, exactly? am i really supposed to overlook the very patriarchal worldbuilding just because the title characters are girls?

That's an excellent summary of the situation, anon, and as with so much in RWBY, it comes down to the full context. Any one of these examples isn't necessarily going to mean much on its own. It's when you look at the pattern that you can start making a case for those conclusions: Why is the show marketed on "girl power" set in a world where men hold the vast majority of that power? And, more importantly, why is that setup not the point? We could easily have a story where that lopsided gender dynamic is the problem that the girls are looking to fix, but... that story doesn't exist. Like the problems discussed with Jaune, the supposed point here exists only on the surface. Dig just the tinniest bit — the above — and you hit on a lot of structural problems with this "girl power" world.

To add just a few details to what you've already said:

Salem indeed has power, but she's never allowed to fully use it. Each volume the frustration with this grows as Salem accumulates more abilities and then just sits on them. From literally hiding out for a thousand years to worries that she won't use the Staff in Volumes 9-10, Salem really isn't allowed to be the threat she's presented as on the surface. And yes, this is absolutely due in part to the "She's too OP and the writers don't know how to let her be that powerful while still having the heroes win" issue, but again, context. That problem doesn't exclude others occurring simultaneously.

Same double explanation with Summer. Yes, dead moms are an incredibly common trauma to dump on a protagonist, but it still left Yang and Ruby with Tai as their primary influence. And Qrow. The uncle becomes the extended family influence while Raven is the absent one/eventual antagonist. It's personal power as opposed to political power, but Tai, Qrow, Ozpin, formerly James... most of the mentors are men. Maria, a key exception, has been ignored in that regard. The story announced that she was Qrow's inspiration, setup her being Ruby's new mentor, and then... nothing. Nothing has come of that. She disappeared for a volume and then went off to Amity and was literally forgotten by the story when evacuating everyone was the finale's whole point.

Like that Endgame moment I mentioned, the Happy Huntresses feel a little too forced to me. Yes, it's the same basic idea as in ATLA, but ATLA, as you say, has a lot more going for it. The Happy Huntresses feel... on the nose? Idk exactly how to explain it. Like, "Here they are! Another team of all women! Isn't this how progressive storytelling works? Just ignore how this is a one-off team of minor characters compared to the world building issues discussed above." And if you're not paying attention, you miss just how insignificant they are, with a side of Robyn being, well, Robyn. The Kyoshi Warriors, at least, are based off of Kyoshi. A woman avatar who is a significant part of their history. That is, presumably, why they're an all women warrior group (but who notably still teach Sokka). The Happy Huntresses are all huntresses because...? There's no reason except that meta "We want to look progressive" explanation. Just like having all the women superheroes team up for a hot second so people get excited and ignore the representation problems across, what? 21 films? Don't get me wrong, I love that May is among the Happy Huntresses. I think including her in the explicitly all-women group was one of the better things RWBY has done in a long time, but the rest is still a mess.

RWBY is arguably about these smaller groups as opposed to systematic power (despite the writers trying to work that in with things like the White Fang and the election. Not to mention the implication that everything in Atlas is fine now that evil Ironwood has died and taken the symbol of wealth (the city) with him. We saw a human holding hands with a faunus after all. Racism and corruption solved, I guess.) So yes, our group is dominated by women... but Whitley is the one saving Nora, helping to defeat the Hound (plus Willow), thinking of the airships, and providing the blueprints they need to escape. Salem is our Big Bad, except Ironwood is the one the volume focuses on. Ruby is our leader, but Jaune is the one leading the group into the whale and getting praised for how heroic he is. Ren does more to shake things up, even if he's painted as the one in the wrong. Oscar gets to confront Salem and destroys the whale threat. Ozpin provides the information they need to evacuate. Meanwhile, when the girls do things in Volume 8 it's almost always followed by a long-stint of passiveness. Nora opens the door so she can be unconscious for most of the volume. Penny keeps Amity up so she can also be unconscious for a good chunk of time. Ruby sends her message and then sits in a mansion. Blake fights so she can tearfully beg Ruby to save her. Weiss, as said, takes a backseat to Whitley (and Klein). They forward the plot, absolutely, but comparatively it doesn't feel like enough.

It's that pattern then, no one specific example. More and more the personal power, not just the systematic power already built into Remnant, seems to be coming from the men. Not all the time, but enough that scenes like the tea drinking moment feel like a part of a much larger problem. Pietro taking control, Watts hacking, and Ambrosius literally remaking her when Penny is supposed to already be in control of herself and her fate. Winter being presented as the active mentor to Weiss, only to turn around and claim that Ironwood was actually responsible for everything. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and May straight up commenting on how awful things are out there while Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar lead the charge against Salem — with the latter three doing the most to forward that mission (no fear, semblance, cane). As others have only half-joked, Yang's supposedly badass moment was bringing up a mother she's ignored for six volumes and briefly blowing up the immortal woman for a couple of seconds (with Ironwood's bombs). Even Marrow is arguably the most significant Ace Op after Clover. Vine isn't actually a character, Elm slightly less so, Harriet is there to go crazy and try to drop a bomb (notably before admitting to never-before-existed feelings for Clover), but Marrow? He's the one who breaks out. Who is meant to heroically stand up against Ironwood. Who comments on how awful it is that teenagers are fighting and, regardless of how messed up the moral messages are, is supposedly pushing for active change while all the women in his group, including Winter, insist on maintaining the status quo. Look at all these choices as a whole, it makes throwaway worldbuilding choices like "All the Maidens are women" feel pretty hollow. Why does it matter if Amber is a Maiden if she dies in a flashback so Ozpin can struggle to pass on the power? If Pyrrha dies before becoming one so Jaune can angst about it? If Raven is one and then disappears from the story entirely? If Winter has enough power to break Ironwood's aura, but supposedly had no power throughout every other choice she made getting here? If Penny is one, but is continually controlled by men and then asks another man to help her die? It's just really unconvincing, once you look past the surface excitement of a woman looking cool with magic powers.

When you do consider the whole of the story — both in terms of our world building and who is forwarding the plot in the latter volumes, getting the emotional focus, being proactive, etc. — there are a lot of problems that undermine the presumed message RT wants to write. They say, "girl power" by marketing RWBY with these four women, but too many of the storytelling decisions thoroughly undermine that, revealing what's likely a deeply ingrained, subconscious bias.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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After seeing the latest episode of RWBY... Could it be that Robyn will be the next Winter Maiden? I think Winter is way too obvious, since she has officially been set up. If RT goes like that, it would be very untypical for their current style of writing. So... I can see this happening in one of two ways. Either Robyn is related to Fria in some way and that is why she gets the powers. Or Winter dies and passes the powers on to Robyn. They seem to agree on some stuff. Robyn nodded at Winter.

Umm…sorry Mizu but this squiggle meister is gonna have to disagree with you on this theory of yours. Given how the show had built up her story thus far, I doubt Robyn will have anything to do with the Maidens or their magic.

Sure I can see her learning of the existence of the Maidens and their connection to the Relics once the truth about Salem comes out. I can even see Robyn potentially learning this information beforehand courtesy of Yang and Blake with their little alliance from the seventh episode. However that’s as far as I believe Robyn will go in that regard.

I think the PLOT is more setting up Robyn and her Happy Huntresses to be unlikely allies to our heroes and Ironwood especially in this current time where the story seems to be heading in the direction of the Fall of Atlas and the possibly the brink of a Second Great War of Remnant lingering the air.

However that’s as much as I can see Robyn being. An unlikely ally. I don’t think she will become a Maiden. If anything, my assumption is that Robyn will become a founding leader to the next generation of Atlesian and Mantlese citizens after working to rebuild Atlas and Mantle kingdoms and reunite them as one kingdom once.

Based on what I’ve seen thus far, especially from the sneak peek clip of CH9 that was teased today in #FRWBY, it seems like the PLOT might be leaning towards the decimation of Mantle. Possibly. And once Mantle is taken care of,the next kingdom to surely fall will be its brother kingdom in the skies: Atlas.

I think the Writers may be setting us up for both Mantle and Atlas to cease no more by the end up of V7 and V8 and once both of these kingdoms are gone, the next step would be rebuilding them from the ground up with both the People of Mantle and Atlas coming together for the first in centuries to restore what’s left of their kingdom together. And at the helm ofthis revolution and new chapter in Solitas history would be Robyn Hill.

The more I observe her development, the more I can see Robyn potentially becoming a great leader for Atlas and Mantle. One who would stand, fight and continue to look out for the sanctity of both kingdoms. I think Robyn’s destiny is to be a kingdom leader. Not a Maiden. So yeah, I don’t think she will have any connection to Fria at all. Sorry for disagreeing with you but I just don’t see this development in the cards for this character.

I do agree with you, however, on the thought of Winter being unsuccessful inbecoming the Winter Maiden.

Given how the Writers tossed us that red herring with Vernal and the Spring Maiden back in V5, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s done again for the Winter Maiden. However if I were to expect anyone else to become a Maiden in Winter’s place, my second choice would’ve been Penny Polendina.

In my opinion, Penny becoming the Winter Maiden would’ve been interesting. Penny is already such a unique character in terms of her story—an artificially intelligent sentient being powered by the soul of the loving father who gifted a part of himself time and time again to create his beloved daughter.

If Penny doesn’t wind up succeeding Pietro (in the event of his untimely passing)then I could’ve easily seen her becoming a Maiden somehow.

While I understand that the Maidens and the transference of their powers comes with their own set of rules, I’ve always been curious of how these rules would apply to a being like Penny. I mean technically Penny identifies as female. She’s young and she has a soul—a soul that was partially made from her father’s but…it’s still a soul. In spite of anything else, Penny is more than just a machine. She’s a person. Her own person and that makes her worthy of becoming a Maiden if it was possible. I’ve always wondered that should Penny be chosen as Maiden, would the power go to her. Would it work? That’s the curious question.

Let’s say …at some point down the line after becoming Maiden, Winter Schnee is blindsided by the enemy (Neo and Cinder) and becomes mortally wounded. And in her dying moments, she reaches out to Penny as her choice to become the next Maiden after her. After all, Penny was made to be a protector.

Apart from being the keys to the Relics, the Maidens have always more or less been young women who used their powers for the greater good of helping others when they are able to.

Well…at least they were in the past with the exception of the current generation of Maidens minus Summer. That’s another thing I don’t wish to see repeated a third time. I don’t want another example of a Maiden being murdered and having their powers forcibly transferred to their killers.

It happened with Cinder and Amber. It happened with Raven and the former Spring Maiden before her. I just don’t want to see it happen again for the Winter Maiden. I think it could be a cool twist if the PLOT sets it up that way again—perhaps Fria isn’t horribly murdered but passes away peacefully in her sleep and Winter successfully becomes the Winter Maiden as Ironwood had planned.

And this all happens by the end of V7 so that the next time Weiss sees her sister, she finds her already as a Maiden. We then spend the next season with Winter being a target for her Maiden powers by Neo and Cinder once they learn of her succession. And let’s say…for whatever reason, Winter is badly hurt trying to protect someone she loves. Like maybe that’s how she was lured out to be killed. Weiss is kidnapped by Neo and Cinder and used as bait to lure out her sister and once Winter arrives, Neo disguises herself as Weiss to force Winter to let her guard down a little bit long enough for Neo to try and kill her.

Let’s say…Winter had brought Penny along with her as backup since she feared Neo and Cinder may double-cross her as warned by Ruby. But in spite of this, Winter still gets injured protecting her little sister.

So we have this scene where Weiss is cradling her dying sister in her arms (maybe Neo and Cinder has escaped at this point)— Penny by Winter’s side to and during this moment, Winter turns to Penny informing her that she was going to give her powers to her because she trusts her to become a great protector to Atlas and Mantle or something along those lines.

Though it’s been small, we’ve received one or two decent examples of the show pushing a small friendship dynamic between Winter and Penny for this season that I honestly didn’t expect going into it. While it’s not as close as Winter’s relationship with her sister, if the Winter Maiden powers were to be stolen from her—even in her final moments, I don’t think Winter would chose Weiss.

She’ll probably think of someone who she could trust with being a better fit for Maiden than her and she would think of the only other person than herself who would make a great Maiden—Penny.

But that’s just my opinion. Honestly it’s anyone’s game at this point on who could become the Winter Maiden. Somehow my headcanons of how that storyline might end has been flip-flopping. I always had a feeling that Winter was going to be groomed to be Ironwood’s choice for Maiden. That part was as obvious as you said.

But in the event of it not being Winter, my second choice was always Penny since I liked the idea of an artificial being with a soul making for an interesting Maiden character. I saw Penny becoming a Maiden via the magic of the original Winter Maiden as symbolic as her fairy-tale counterpart of Pinocchio being turned into a real boy by the Blue Fairy.

However I’ve recently also pondered on the possibility of Nora becoming the Winter Maiden or…at least being considered as a potential candidate against her will?

Like it’s a scenario where we discover that Nora is the last living relative of Fria and as Fria is on her last lap, she confides in Winter that the last thing she desires before she passes away is to be reunited with her daughter who she was forced to give up years ago after she was appointed as Maiden.

That daughter somehow wound up in Mantle and grew up to become the mother of Nora Valkyrie who eventually passed away. So it’s a case where Fria never got the chance to see her daughter again but Nora is last remnant of Fria’s daughter and as it turnt out—in true RWBY fashion—Nora is the spitting image of her mother and the closest person to her that Fria has left.

The last person Fria wants to now see is Nora however Nora is denied the chance to see the only family member she had left since Ironwood fears that if Fria sees Nora, she might end up picking her as her candidate instead of Winter as he had been grooming her to be. So it’s this complicated thing where Winter, having grown to care for Fria wants to abide by her wishes but can’t out of her duty to the General.

Not to mention that Nora is conflicted about it too—perhaps we can have some conflict where some folks believe that Nora should be allowed to see her grandmother and become the Winter Maiden since it’s her family and birth right and not Winter’s, no matter how much Ironwood tries to control that.

The other side to that is that Nora doesn’t want to become a Maiden or have anything to do with that and after learning that a family member of hers is still alive, she becomes unsure of whether or not she wants to see them at all.Perhaps…Nora even ends up blaming Fria for her and her family’s hardships in a way because the last memories that Nora has of her mother were ones where she was always struggled to take care of her down in Mantle while dealing with the depression over the memories of the mother who abandoned her. In the past, Fria didn’t want Nora’s mother so why should Nora want to see her just because she’s dying?

As I said, it’s a complicated scenario which I think could’ve made for an fascinating story especially for Nora’s side of things. While I figured Nora becoming a Maiden would’ve been cool for the obvious nod to the Norse God of Thunder she’s inspired by, the more I pondered on it, the more I realized I like this headcanon more for angle of what it could’ve done for Nora’s own character development and backstory.

We have yet to have a JNPR subplot that focused heavily on Nora as yet. We’ve had for Jaune (V1) Pyrhha (V3) and Ren (V4) but nothing for our veteran goddess of the thunder thighs. So I really want Fria to be related to Nora just so Nora can have her moment of focus. But that’s just me.

And last but certainly not least, there’s Neopolitan becoming the Winter Maiden and using her newfound abilities to dupe Cinder Fall and pilfer the Relic of Creation for herself as I described more in depth in this previous answer post.

At this point, I really am torn on where the Winter Maiden subplot could go. If anything, my final hunch is that the Winter Maiden Arc could possibly revolve around Winter, Penny, Nora and possibly Neo.

Winter as the current candidate via Ironwood’s choice. Nora as Fria’s only living relative and successor to her power by blood and familial connection. Penny as Winter’s choice for candidacy in the event of her untimely passing and Neo via murdering the last Maiden and stealing her powers just like Cinder. Anythingcan go. But then again, these are all mainly my theories in that regard.

But all in all, what this mostly boils down to me saying is that I can see these young women more sharing a connection to the Winter Maiden story than Robyn Hill. Hope that answers your question Mizu.

Again, sorry if I might’ve burst your bubbles there. It’s not a bad theory,I just have a different stance on it.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#mizuike #winter schnee #penny polendina #nora valkyrie #neopolitan #robyn hill #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby volume 7 spoilers #squiggles answers: rwby

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zhanael · 6 years

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@The RWBY FNDM

Fuck off with that “manipulation” bullshit in regards to Ozpin, thanks. Rant under the cut.

First off, in case you didn’t play Grimm Eclipse, Oz actually doesn’t want anything to do with Grimm at all. Dr. Merlot was experimenting with Grimm, mutating them, and was responsible for Mountain Glenn’s destruction, all of which Ozpin found disgusting and heinous. He never sounded more angry with anyone than he did in that game with Merlot. Suggesting that Ozpin manipulated Salem into experimenting with Grimm in any way and that’s why he’s “cursed” is flimsy and reaching at best and outright ignorant at worst.

(Yes, this is actually a “theory” I read. Ugh.)

Second of all, immortality just by itself is a curse. You live on, watching friends and family live and die, and you’re very, very alone. But you still get attached because it’s what makes this immortality bearable, at least for a time. Oz has it a little worse because he does die, but ends up resurrecting in someone else, still remembering literally everything, and actually absorbing that person. It’s not that the gods themselves cursed him, it’s that he sees it as a curse. I’m 100% sure that he doesn’t want to do this anymore, but he literally cannot stop it until he stops Salem.

And that’s the kicker, there. Y’all keep wanting to blame him for shit Salem does. He wouldn’t have to train warriors or make Maidens to throw at her if she wasn’t trying to destroy humanity (and faunus-kind). That bitch started the war, and he’s trying to find ways to end it for good. That’s the thing about war, kiddos. It’s never bloodless. People fucking die, and no, it’s not great, but what do you want him to do? Salem and her Grimm want to kill everyone. How the fuck do you expect him to fight that? Walk up to her and give her a hug and tell her everything’s okay, that she doesn’t have to be this way anymore?

You people who blame Ozpin for Pyrrha’s death, saying he manipulated her or whatever, sound exactly like Hazel. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Hazel was made as a portrayal of your portion of the FNDM (which I do know better, thankfully). Pyrrha made her fucking choice, just as Gretchen did. Pyrrha was a warrior with a heart of gold, ready to sacrifice herself for the greater good, Maiden or not. Even if Ozpin hadn’t explained to her what was going on, if she hadn’t lost her life on the tower, she would have lost her life to Salem and her minions or her Grimm at some other time. That wouldn’t have been Ozpin’s fault, but she would have died anyway, because she would have fought Salem--or at least her Grimm--and thrown herself in harm’s way for anyone else.

But since she did actually die after making her choice, let’s go over these circumstances of said death here. First up: the world of Remnant as a whole. Semblances are a thing, Grimm are a thing, Dust is a thing. The supernatural isn’t uncommon. But magic, the ability to manipulate reality in more ways than just one and without the use of Dust, is entirely unheard of anymore. It’s lost to legends and fairy tales, much as it is in our own world.

So take a high school jock that’s still pretty nice and actually pretty smart. Not nerdy by any means, but aware of pop culture, at least. Then tell that jock that magic is real. They’re not going to believe you at first, laugh you off. But then other people they trust go “well...............yeah” and they’re going to start worrying. “What do you mean?” they’ll ask. “Like, fireballs and shit?”

“Yes,” says the authorities they’ve grown to trust. “No special tools like lighters or flamethrowers. From their hands, from nothing but the energy inside themselves.”

They’re probably going to start freaking out. Like, a lot. Their reality has been shattered. Everything they thought was true could be a lie.

There’s a show on Netflix called Magic for Humans. Episode 5 featured a gimmick where the magician convinces a bunch of people to pretend the subject of his trick was completely invisible. The show only featured two separate subjects. Neither thought it was real at first, but when they came to realize that no one seemed to see them, their reactions changed. The first bought into it pretty handily, even tried to steal some wine thinking he actually was invisible (lmfao at the Ring of Gyges actually proving right). But the second was absolutely panicking and breaking down into tears, enough to make me wholly uncomfortable with the entire thing. He believed he actually was invisible, and he hated it. That’s how your average joe would react to magic.

And that’s how your average Remnant joe would react to magic.

It was revealed in Volume 5 that the Spring Maiden (before Raven) had panicked and fled. The burden had become too much, Leo said. She was scared, Raven said. She was the dude who was turned invisible and she fucking hated it.

Given all that, why on earth would you people think putting all this shit up front would be at all helpful? Why do you think Ozpin wants to scare off anyone who could take on this power when he’s already had it happen once?

Now, no. Pyrrha was not your average Remnant joe. She was strong, resourceful, and willing and able to learn. I don’t think she would have freaked out, at least not that much, but you could hear how shaky her voice was when Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow confirmed that Ozpin wasn’t joking. Even before she was given the actual choice, she was questioning everything she knew, and I’m sure Oz could see that. I’m sure Oz could see another Spring coming on.

So he was going to take the slower approach with her, even despite the circumstances around Amber. Surely he thought he had more time. Even the choice he gave her was intended to be answered at the end of the Vytal Festival. How long would that have been? The Olympics, which is the closest real world comparison to the Vytal Festival, lasts 16 days, so just over two weeks. We were probably close to halfway through the Festival when Oz called Pyrrha into his office, so that decision would have been given maybe a week, week and a half. Not that long when it comes to a big decision like this, but certainly a lot longer than what she actually had.

Because the next day, Beacon fell. And that wasn’t Ozpin’s fault. That was Salem’s fault, and Cinder’s fault, and Emerald and Mercury’s fault. That was Roman and Neo’s fault. That was Adam and the Vale chapter of the White Fang’s fault. Pyrrha saw what was happening, knew she had an opportunity to do good, to try to keep more people from being hurt, and she fucking took it.

If Cinder hadn’t ambushed Amber, she wouldn’t be in a coma. If Amber hadn’t been in a coma, Ozpin would not have needed to seek out someone to take her on in an effort to keep the power out of Salem’s hands. If Oz didn’t need to find a replacement Fall Maiden, he wouldn’t have called Pyrrha into his office. If he hadn’t called Pyrrha into his office, she wouldn’t have known about magic or anything else.

But even if she hadn’t known about magic or anything else, if she had an opportunity to stop Cinder, she damn well would have taken it and died anyway. Because that’s how Pyrrha do.

Yes, Ozpin appealed to her sense of justice and protectiveness. But I don’t think that was unique to her, or to anyone. I think that’s actually his own perspective. He seeks out people who are willing to fight for humanity and protect it from the darkness, and tries to empower them to do so in any way he can. But he hasn’t stopped being human (or faunus), despite being immortal. He can still make mistakes. Unfortunately, because this is war, those mistakes can be big ones, and cost lives. Gretchen Reinart. Summer Rose. The second-most-recent Spring Maiden.

Pyrrha.

Their deaths burden him. He’s exhausted, he doesn’t want to do this anymore. The Wizard was him trying to escape it, or at least rest, just for a while. But he can’t, quite literally, not while Salem is still around. And now he’s stuck with a bunch of teenagers and one trusted friend, in the body of another teenager. He no longer has the support he used to have--especially since Leo betrayed him.

Salem is winning.

And yet y’all want to think he’s the bad guy too, for doing what he can to stop her??

Right. Okay. What the fuck ever.

You people exhaust me.

#rwby #rwde #professor ozpin #salem #oscar pine #pyrrha nikos #ozpin

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arse-blathanna · 6 years

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The Bones of a God - 45/50

Chapter 45: Ascend and Descend

[Ao3] [FFN] [Fic Tag]

Fic Summary: Once upon a time, monsters roamed the entire world, so plentiful that they needed countless numbers to fight them off. 13 years ago, that changed. Grimm died off suddenly and stopped proliferating. Now the few Creatures of Grimm that are left are too large and powerful to be taken down in "the old ways."

That doesn't make them any less of a threat.

The real problem comes when people decide it's for the best that they start picking sides in a war starting anew.

Word Count: 3,949

Chapter Summary: The one where everyone gets a POV section.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading!

Cinder felt hot.

It was a feeling that came with intensity that she hadn’t been adequately prepared for. It burned under her skin and stretched out through her veins. It filled her up and hollowed her out until she was nothing but what she had just gained. There was a sense of satiation, even as she felt as though she starved for power.

[Read it on Ao3] [Read it on FFN]

It felt as though she was so strong all of a sudden, that she would burst. An attempt at using her semblance would be an explosion so strong that she didn’t even know if she could survive it.

But, Cinder supposed in a way was she began to gather herself back to her feet, she had survived fire and had only come out singed. She had been chosen by Salem, after all.

She was-

A maiden.

The others had decided to gather around her and watch her closely, but none said anything. Off to the side and behind all of them, Amber had gone limp and fallen to the ground, unbreathing and unmoving.

They’d won. The burning in her veins told her that it was worth it.

“I suppose that crosses that particular item off the docket.” Watts said, sounding sincerely bored. “Staying here for too long will only waste time. We should get moving. At least before someone finds us with the girl’s body.”

“Moving where?” Emerald asked, and Cinder felt a spike of something horrible at that. It wasn’t quite rage, but something else entirely. Not quite hate, but hot frustration. “If this was what we were supposed to do-”

“No.” Watts snapped at the girl. “We will be going. You have likely outlived your use.”

“We don’t know that for sure, Watts.” And oh, how confident Cinder felt as she said those words out loud. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers and stretching them almost experimentally. “We may need her again.”

Cinder looked from Emerald to the others, then down to Amber’s body.

“We should move on, though. The last thing we need is to be seen with-”

She locked her eyes onto Hazel, who managed to look very unhappy with the current situation. Even if he said nothing and didn’t hold himself as though he was preparing for a fight, it was obvious. Tangible, even. "Is there something that you need to say?"

Hazel shook his head in denial, but the way that he looked and the careful way that he pressed a hand to his chest said otherwise. Cinder didn't know what his problem had been lately. All that she knew was that she didn't like having him so distracted. Perhaps with them finally moving on from the current assignment, he would stop.

She rolled her eyes and began to lead the way down the road towards Mistral, calm and easy. There was no reason for them to break off in the other direction. Besides, going to Mistral might have been enough to give them a chance to rest and to recuperate. Perhaps it would also be a place where they could finally figure out where their plans were taking them next.

The others looked amongst each other and said nothing before following after Cinder.

For most of the trip to Mistral, nobody said so much as a word.

It was quite obvious that it was because nobody wanted to.

Ruby skidded in the dirt, almost trembling from exhaustion. No matter how much they fought and how much they did, it felt like nothing was happening. Like progress had stopped existing.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jaune shouted to her, rushing into a position in front of her and holding his shield up to protect the two of them. Ruby looked back up at the monster, and she was able to catch a burning gold flash of light that had to have been her sister. She needed to get back to her teammates.

"I don't know." Ruby mumbled, standing up tall. "Do you think that you have things handled?"

"We should." Jaune answered before looking across the area. "On the count of three, you make a break for it."

The two of them counted down and Ruby sprinted across the space, doing what she could go get to the next piece of cover, or someone else that could be of help.

She saw a bright white glyph appeared and felt some relief, because Weiss was going to be nearby if that was what she had found.

Ruby caught sight of Weiss, and landed at her side. “Weiss!”

“Ruby!” Weiss hissed back at her, having decided that she wanted to hide out of view. “Where have you been?”

“Got carried away.” Ruby looked back up at the grimm, trying to figure out what they were meant to do next. “What are you doing?”

“Setting up.”

Before Ruby could even ask, Yang was landing on the glyph, her hair on fire. As soon as she was somewhat grounded, Yang was reloading. Her eyes were blazing bright red. Semblance, no doubt active. It seemed like Yang and Weiss had worked out a system that worked for both of them to keep attacks moving.

“Ready!”

“Got it!” Weiss swang Myrtenaster with one fluid motion. The glyph that Yang stood on pulled back with Weiss’ hand moving backwards before Weirss released it and Yang was rocketing off and up towards the monster.

Ruby looked up at it, reminded of what had gone wrong. No matter what, it didn’t seem like they were doing enough. Maybe it was something that they truly couldn’t do without the help of more trained people. Real hunts,en that were going to be able to actually put on the heavy damage that they needed.

It was impossible as things were.

"Weiss, get ready to send me up."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, locking their eyes. "Because-"

"Yeah." Ruby repeated the words. "I'm sure."

Weiss nodded, and Ruby watched as layer after layer of glyphs appeared, creating a springboard of sorts. Weiss looked like she was utterly exhausted, like she might have been pushing herself too hard to be able to perform.

"Go."

Ruby leapt forward, let her feet hit the glyphs, and launched upwards.

Yang punched the grimm as hard as she possibly could, and felt it try to move to hit her harder in return. She didn't have the space to maneuver out of the way. Yang grit her teeth, raised her arms in front of her, and braced for the impact.

At the very least, she could get stronger from this. Assuming that her aura didn’t finally snap and leave her helpless.

In front of her, something changed though, a black and red swirl of energy forming out of nowhere before someone or something flew out of it at top speed. Yang couldn't catch what it was just, but she couldn't have missed the streak of bright red and bone white. Like a grimm had come to aid for some reason.

The bright red slashed through the grimm's great clawed hand, before disappearing again into yet another portal. Out of view entirely. Yang tried to get a good look at it, but a proper view in the middle of battle eluded her.

The grimm roared and pulled back away Yang, but not enough to stop her from punching it so hard that she could have sworn that she heard something crack. Not that she knew what that would have been.

Somehow she managed to grab onto a length of fur and hold on for a moment. If she was going to be lodged there for a moment, Yang was going to keep on fighting. She drew back, and delivered punch, after punch, after punch.

For a second, she thought that she might have seen smoke.

Blake learned very early into the fight that there wasn't much that she thought she could do. She was able to blend into backgrounds, but being able to hear the things that were going on around her was useful. It helped her to know exactly where everyone on the battlefield was.

Getting to her current position had been a grueling ordeal. As things stood, she was up on top of the grimm's head, with the ribbon from Gambol Shroud wrapped up around one of the beast's horns. She wasn't going to fall, that was something that she felt confident in.

Mostly, she kept an eye open. If she could act by signaling opening to her teammates, then she was doing her job right.

From up where she was, everyone else managed to look like tiny dots dots and nothing else. All of them were brightly colored though, and that made it easier.

She needed to do something, but Blake didn't know what. It felt like she’d already managed everything that she could have done.

One of the things that Qrow hadn’t quite prepared for going into this fight was just how old and even sluggish he was going to end up feeling. It had been a long time since he’d last been involved in such high-risk combat. He must have lost the feel of it years before, because once it had felt effortless for him to participate in.

Apparently, that wasn’t exactly the case anymore.

Not to mention that his new role in the fight was that he was trying to keep a group of kids from getting themselves hurt or killed. He had to give credit where it was due, though. They were all doing pretty well on their own. Well, they were doing as well as they could have, all things considered.

Qrow stretched his wings and circled over the grimm, looking for some sort of vantage point. Blake was lodged up by the beast's horns. That was something that he could have used, if not for the fact that the best tactic he could think of for something like that would have involved a beheading and his sister.

There were a lot of reasons that wouldn't work. Too many of them to count, really.

A second bird fell into formation beside him, and Qrow tried his best not to concentrate on her. Raven could still pack a hell of a punch, but it seemed like something was off about her. He wasn’t sure exactly what, though. Qrow locked an eye with her and let out a caw before moving straight into a divebomb, preparing to rip through his own muscle to become himself again and deliver a strike.

Raven understood, falling into a divebomb to do just the same as he had. She didn’t need to do it this way, Qrow knew. But she was choosing to anyways.

Taiyang was fighting his way up the grimm's body, using its fur to fling himself higher and higher.

In the end, the tactic almost feels familiar.

Qrow dipped out of the grimm’s line of sight and transformed, landing on the grimm's back and pointing Harbinger's tip down at it. He dug it in as best as he can, and let his legs carry him, opening up a long cut along the beast's spine.

"Qrow!" Tai shouted to him, having grabbed onto a long tuft of hair and using it to hold himself up. "Meet me up top!"

"Got it!" Qrow shouted in passing as he reached closer and closer to the monster's rear. He launched himself off with one clean motion and transformed so that he could fly back up towards the monster’s head. Taiyang had an idea, and though they don't have Summer anymore, they could still work together and try.

Qrow reached his destination, turning into himself again just before Blake would be able to see. As himself once more, Qrow pulled himself up onto the grimm’s head.

Blake looked over at him, her eyes wide. "What are you doing up here?"

"Fighting." Qrow responded, calmly. He grabbed onto the horn like Blake had, and felt the grimm shake its head in an attempt to get the two of them off. Blake didn’t allow herself to budge, but Qrow had to do what he can to hold still. "What're you here for?"

"Not quite sure." Blake answered. "I think we wanted to try to garotte it."

"Sounds risky." Qrow grumbled, seeing a flash of gold up towards the top. He's expecting it to be Taiyang, but instead its his niece.

"Yang!" Blake greeted her teammate first. "What's the new plan?"

"I think Weiss is staying down on the ground." Yang answered, breathing hard. "Ruby was coming up I think."

"Got it."

"You two better figure out what the hell you're doing quick!" Qrow shouted at them, and relaxed if only very slightly when Taiyang finally bounded up to the top, looking a little bit more the worse for the way. "Because we're setting up for something."

"Yeah." Yang answered, bracing herself. "Right. Blake, we should-"

"Good idea."

Blake passed off the length of ribbon to Yang and the two of them split, with one at each side and holding the ribbon taut between the two of them.

Taiyang looked at it and grinned wide.

"Hey, Qrow-"

"You're thinking it too?"

"What?" Yang asked. "You two are totally going to steal our tactics, aren't you?"

"Nah." Taiyang shouted. "We could just use the boost."

Qrow swung Harbinger, and thrust its blade down into the grimm's head so that he couldn't lose his position. There was a barely controlled streak of red, which Qrow soon recognized as his other niece hurtling towards them. The girls prepared and braced themselves, and Qrow watched as Ruby landed on the ribbon which stretched before launching her back up into the air.

"Tai, now!" Qrow shouted, and he watched as Tai leapt off of the grimm's body and landed on the ribbon, leaping off of it to propel himself up high. He prepared to do the same. "You girls better have landing strategies prepared."

With that, Qrow launched himself upwards and tried to meet Tai in the air, transforming Harbinger into a scythe again in the process.

Tai caught him by the leg and held on tight.

They only had so much time. Qrow could only hope that luck was on his side.

Ruby kept as tight of a grip on Crescent Rose as she could possibly manage on her descent, twisting herself and firing the rifle to push her forward faster and faster. She almost laser focused in on what her target was, throwing her scythe out at her side and holding on tight.

She caught the grimm by the neck and fired over and over again, pushing her further and further against it. The blade began to slice into the grimm's neck, but not nearly doing enough to take the head off.

Up above, her father slammed down onto the grimm's head, her uncle's sword stabbing into the monster's forehead. She heard him shout for someone, and a portal appeared on the other side of the grimm's neck, a woman racing out and slicing through what was left of it before falling back out of sight behind another portal.

Ruby swallowed hard and looked to her teammates. Blake and Yang were still there up by the monster's head, but now that was falling and they needed to move. She looked back down to the ground and saw that the ones down there were already moving and running, trying to clear the space to avoid any of them getting injured.

She had to brace herself and fell down, down, down. As she got closer to the ground there was the cushioning of one of Weiss' glyphs slowing her down. With the control that she was able to use with Crescent Rose, Ruby was able to ensure that she landed cleanly and without too much injury.

Blake and Yang ended up in a nearby tree. Her dad ended up riding the monster's head down, and Qrow had disappeared into nowhere.

The group of all of them gathered there by the grimm. It wasn't dissipating as fast as Ruby had ever seen one turn to smoke before.

"It's.... dead." Pyrrha said, sounding a bit surprised and more than tired. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Ruby mumbled, shaking her head. She looked over at Weiss and walked to her teammate. Blake and Yang joined them, and moments later the four of them were folding together into a warm hug. It was comforting.

They were allowed to rest for a few minutes, but before any of them got comfortable enough, Oobleck took the helm with the statement that while the threat may have appeared to be gone, their work was not over.

It was going to be a very long night.

"Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin picked their head up and looked back over their shoulder to see that Ironwood had come to join them. He looked worried and tired, but he also wouldn't have rushed to visit them without a good reason for it.

"James." They greeted him. "Is something the matter?"

"I just received a report that it's fallen." James said, standing up tall and seeming to calm just as quickly. "There will still be more work to do, but for now-"

"The people of Vale will be able to rest." Ozpin said, feeling a certain sort of melancholy that threw them back to conversations from decades before. This was not the first time that they had seen something like this. "Thank you for reporting to me, General."

"You know that it's no problem." James said quietly. "The others should be staying out for the rest of the night." There was a long pause, like James almost needed to catch his breath. "I'll contact Winter to inform her and Glynda of the change in situation."

"Thank you." Ozpin said calmly. "I'm expecting that we'll be hearing from Taiyang and Qrow soon."

"I am too." James mumbled. "We'll recall the groups in the forest as soon as we can."

"Of course." Ozpin said calmly, but there was still more to this that neither of them seemed to want to touch. There were still other kingdoms which were going to need to be contacted, headmasters that were unaware of the situation in Vale.

It would be likely that passing on an update on Vale's condition would be of use. "I trust that you will be able to handle those arrangements?"

"Of course." James replied, still standing tall. "What will you do?"

"I..." Ozpin's voice trailed off for a moment. "I believe that I have things which I will need to check in on myself."

"The Relic?"

"Yes." Ozpin confirmed, frowning. "Although I'm afraid that reaching the vault will be-"

"If you're just looking to check that the vault is still secure, it should be enough." James mumbled. "Without Miss Rainart here..."

"It will remain closed." Ozpin confirmed, feeling a sinking feeling down in their stomach that they weren't going to be able to forget. It was yet another reminder of old sins, and of bonds which had broken years and years before. "I will do what I can to contact her come morning."

"Of course." James said, sounding not exactly pleased himself. "Do you want me to go to Atlas and do a similar check?"

"If you would not mind." Ozpin sighed. "I believe it would be of great use."

"I'll make the arrangements when the time comes." James said quietly. “Getting in contact with the Winter Maiden should be relatively easy.”

Ozpin wanted to feel satisfied by that statement, but it wouldn’t be enough to do the trick. They waited for James to leave, and when they were finally alone, Ozpin hesitated. There was too much that they were going to need to do, and a lot of possibilities for things that were going to come in the near future.

They were going to need to start by checking in on Vale itself. Once that was done, then they'd make contact with their various agents.

Until that time came, all that they could really do was wait.

They made it back to Beacon early in the morning, only once permission had been given for them to return. Weiss felt like she was lagging behind her teammates a little too much, and her body was going to drop any second. She'd almost assuredly overused her semblance that night. She wanted to sleep for at least a week, if the opportunity was given to her.

Among other things. Fighting giant grimm weren't high on her list of things to do. That didn't mean that she felt like she'd actually managed to get all of that much done in the fight itself. Throughout the whole thing, she'd lingered to the back of the fight. She'd provided support and took care of the others.

It made her question her work again. Whether or not she could be a huntress like her sister, or like her mother once had been.

The other three went into the room first, all of them talking and some seeming more nervous than others.

"Weiss." A voice down the hall made Weiss pick her head up. She looked and saw that Winter was there, also looking worse for the wear and her hair having fallen loose. "Are you alright?"

"I am." Weiss mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. She wants to just go to bed and sleep forever. "Are you?"

"I am." Winter stepped in close to her and Weiss fell into the hug that was being offered immediately. Winter stroked her hand through Weiss' hair. "I heard that you did well out there."

"I..."

"You should be proud, Weiss." Winter said, taking a step or two away. "Going up against a monster of that size and being able to take it down is something to be proud of." She looked down at Weiss in a way that looked sad and apologetic. A way where Weiss wasn't going to be able to forget about it.

Weiss nodded. Blake was lingering by the door, giving her a weird look. "I'll be right in." Weiss reassured her teammate and was able to relax a little bit when the door closed. She looked back up at her older sister. "I don't feel like I did that much."

"That's fine." Winter offered, standing up tall. "You should still be proud."

Weiss nodded and furrowed her brow. "Winter, I don't..." She shook her head a little bit. "Should we be worrying about what's going to come next?"

"What do you mean?" Winter asked her, cocking her head to the side just slightly. "Because I'm not entirely sure what you're saying."

"You're only here because of that grimm, right?" Weiss locked her eyes with her sister's. "If it's gone, then you will have to go back to Atlas, won't you?"

Winter shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you right now, Weiss. I haven't been passed down any orders, and the ones that I do have have to be treated as though they're classified."

"I just don't want to lose you again."

"You won't." Winter reassured Weiss, but somehow it all just came up feeling empty and almost meaningless. "Trust me."

"Okay." Weiss whispered, forcing a smile up at her sibling. "I trust you."

"Get some rest, Weiss." Winter offered. "I'll let you know what's happening when I know. For now, I imagine you just want some sleep."

Weiss hugged Winter one last time and said a goodnight before stepping into the room and crawling into bed. The others hadn't even bothered getting out of their combat clothes. Weiss couldn't really blame any of them for that personally, since she felt just as tired.

She slept like a rock, dreaming of black wisps of smoke.

#rwby #rwby fanfiction #cinder fall #ruby rose #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #qrow branwen #ozpin #weiss schnee #the bones of a god #oops my hand slipped #mantiswrites

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katara0524 · 7 years

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RWBY Speculation: Will Ruby Be Captured in this Volume (or in a Later Volume)? *UPDATED*

So, I’m not a theorist in any way, shape or form, but I really felt like I had to get this off my chest because literally NO ONE has seemed to mention anything about Salem’s intentions for Ruby. So I brought it upon myself to put together this post for ya’ll. You’re welcome. (I think.)

DISCLAIMER: This post is mostly speculation, and not everything is held up by evidence. Some inspiration/speculation for this post came from some of @calxiyn‘s videos.

With Volume 5 now in full swing, fans will be piecing together theories 24/7. But, one theory that I haven’t ever seen talked about is the fact that Salem has plans for our favorite Silver-Eyed warrior (SEW), yet we don’t know what exactly what these plans are. I’ve watched countless theory, reaction, and analysis videos, and read pretty much every speculation thread I can, yet no one has seemed to mention anything about Ruby possibly being taken off to Salem’s castle (is it a castle? I’m calling it a castle.) in the near future, whether it’s in this Volume or a later one. Of course, there ARE going to be 14 episodes this season, so anything’s possible, I guess…

Anyways, seeing how things are currently going for Ruby and the gang, we can safely assume that she could very likely be captured this Volume, most likely by someone other than Tyrian since he already failed in retrieving her once.

Even in the last moments of the V5 intro, as RWBY is running towards Salem, Ruby looks a little bit afraid of her, while the rest of her teams just looks determined. Of course, the intro should be taken with a grain of salt, since several things from the last intros never made it into the show (like Weiss vs. Emerald in V2 and V3).

So, I’m basically going to present 4 different scenarios of what could go down once Ruby is taken to Salem’s castle.

Scenario #1: Cinder will attempt to kill Ruby.

We’re all too familiar with the infamous scene in the Volume 3 finale. Upon seeing Pyrrha’s tragic death, Ruby activates the power of her Silver Eyes in sorrow, unleashing it onto Cinder and Kevin the Dragon.

Then, in the Volume 4 premiere, we see that a now severely debilitated Cinder is itching to get revenge against Ruby, even expressing intense anger towards the other members of Salem’s faction whenever they poke fun at her misfortune.

Later, in the finale of Volume 4, we see that Cinder’s hatred for the protagonist hasn’t faded one bit. Emerald creates a hallucination of Ruby for Cinder to practice using her Maiden powers on. Even Salem herself watches this, and appears to express some satisfaction in the brutal murder of the vision (though it could be that she’s simple pleased with Cinder’s progress).

Now, in this scenario, I believe that Ruby will be brought to Salem’s castle (obviously), and thrown into a battle against Cinder. Cinder will go on full-on Fall Maiden (aka “Avatar State”), while Ruby will use the full(?) extent of the SEW powers.

Because of each character’s desire to seek vengeance on the other, this scenario can make a lot of sense. But before we come to any conclusions, let’s take a look at some other probable situation that could explain Salem’s intentions.

Scenario #2: Salem will somehow steal Ruby’s powers.

Now, I know what ya’ll may be thinking:

“Marii, now you’ve REALLY gone crazy! There’s no evidence for this!”

I hear you, comment section. Just let me state my case. Besides, this is all just speculation, so chill out. XD

If you’ve ever seen any theories about Salem, you may know of one that suggests that Salem was once a SEW herself (according to her supposedly having Silver Eyes in the concept art she was seen in).

In this speculation, Salem somehow became corrupted and turned into the evil ruler of the Creatures of Grimm we all know today. It is also theorized that she gained the power to “absorb” or even “steal” the SEW abilities from other Warriors. Some even believe that this is what could have happened to Summer Rose. Perhaps this is what Ruby’s fate could’ve lead to if she wasn’t the main protagonist.

It seems very unlikely, but it’s still a plausible outcome.

Scenario #3: Salem will possess Ruby in order to gain her powers.

This one is pretty similar to the previous scenario, but instead of Salem simply taking Ruby’s powers, she could possibly just straight-up possess her, or absorb her soul in some way.

Much like the last situation, there are many theories about Salem possibly being a former SEW. Some of these theories state that Salem could have the ability to absorb the souls of other SEW’s, or even just possess them. This could also possibly explain Summer Rose’s fate.

If you look at one of Salem’s hands, you can see a ring or bracelet resembling a beetle of some sort. This might be just the thing that Salem could use the possess other SEW’s, much like the glove (which might I add also had a beetle in it) that Cinder used to steal the Fall Maiden powers from Amber in V3.

But, of course, we won’t know until more information is revealed about this mysterious villain before we can come to a conclusion like this.

Scenario #4: Salem will manipulate Ruby, and turn her over to their side.

Now, this is the scenario that I’m most on board with. It also seems the most probable to actually happen.

If you recall the World of Remnant episode about the huntsman and huntresses, the final seconds of the video could very well be foreshadowing this exact situation…

Ozpin, the narrator of the V2 WoR episodes, says this: “…all are expected to serve humanity, and never succumb to the darkness.”

As he states this, a silhouette of Ruby in front of the moon is shown on screen. This moment here has to be foreshadowing if I’ve ever seen it. After all, why would RUBY of all people be shown during a statement like this? Seems a little fishy to me… :/

What I predict could happen, is that when Ruby is taken to Salem’s castle, Salem will “push her buttons” and manipulate her into joining Salem, forcing the girl to use her SEW abilities against the rest of our heroes.

In the V4 director commentary (which I had the privilege of seeing during V5 premiere in theatres), Kerry himself talks about Salem being really good at getting others to do her bidding, and she does so by hitting a the “weak spots,” so to speak. For example, she can easily manipulate Tyrian by using his obsession with pleasing her, and she only has to tell him that she’s disappointed in him to set him off, and he’ll punish himself and make sure he doesn’t fail her again.

With this information, we can predict that Salem will use this same tactic on Ruby in order to get her to “succumb to the darkness,” as the WoR episode states.

So far, I can definitely say that this one is my favorite. It has a lot more evidence to back it up than the others do, as well.

If/When Ruby is captured, what will it mean for the others?

Now that I’ve gone through the different scenarios of what could happen to our protagonist, let’s talk about what Ruby’s capture will mean for the rest of our heroes.

To start out with, Ruby could very well be the only one who’s able to stop Salem, for all we know. And if Ruby’s gone, Salem wins. So, if (or when) Ruby gets taken away, the rest of the crew will HAVE to go after her, no matter what. Even if it means losing a few battles along the way (like the Fall of Haven?). If their only hope of saving the world disappears, then Remnant is royally screwed. (Now, obviously she won’t die or join Salem’s side permanently, because she’s the main character, but that doesn’t mean she’s necessarily invincible, either.)

What will be most interesting to see, however, is how everyone copes with Ruby’s kidnapping. Surely they’d all be sad or angry. Some might even hit a breaking point. However, Miles and Kerry might have other ideas in store for us…either way, it’ll be really interesting to see how our main cast deals with this tragedy, and how they plan to get their friend back (seriously tho i rlly wanna see them all unit and rescue Ruby as a team; make it happen, RT!)

More Evidence *SPOILERS FOR V5C2*

Also, I think Chapter 2 hinted at Ruby’s capture.

Whenever Cinder asks Salem about keeping Ruby alive, Salem says this:

“Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo; he was one of Ozpin’s most trusted, and yet, now…”

“…If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours.”

Not only is it interesting that Salem says Ruby’s name (though she probably just got it from Cinder), but she also talked about how Lionheart was turned against Ozpin. Sure, she may just be referring to using the bandits to get the Spring Maiden, but I’m pretty sure she means that she’s going to use Ruby against the rest of our heroes. (also I want to know what she meant by Cinder protecting her Maiden powers; maybe it’s the same reason why Cinder got messed up by Ruby?)

Also, the RWBY banner for the RT Site depicts Team RWBY, but the background is of the Grimmscape. I may be looking too far into this, but if Ruby DOES in fact get taken off the Salem, really the only place she’d be is IN the Grimmscape, right?

Now, do I WANT any of these to happen? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it means we’d get some much-needed development for several characters. No, because each scenario involves hurting my favorite character (and all the others, too), which hurts my heart. T-T

What do ya’ll think? Is Ruby going to be capture by Salem and her forces? If so, when do you think it’ll happen; in Volume 5, or later on? Which outcome do you think will come to fruition? Do you have any ideas for other scenarios? Am I just another crazy RWBY fan who needs to chill out? Let me know in the comments below! Sorry for the super long post, but I hope ya’ll enjoyed my rambling anyway. :)

-Marii

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nezzfiction · 7 years

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Cinder’s Christmas

Stand alone chapter/short story of Cinder Fall’s Christmas.

Links to read: Ao3 or FF.net

Or hit the jump below.

NOTE

First of all, I hope you’re enjoying your holidays in whatever shape or form. Please don’t mind the lack of editing in this chapter, and the length. I kind of wrote this on impulse.

On another note, the next chapter may be postponed to next week, OR posted on Thursday, which I want to make the new release day.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

See you Thursday or in the New Year!

Cinder’s Christmas

“For it is in Strife, we realize our Destiny.

Through this, we become an Epitome of Resilience and Will to rise above all.

Infinite in distance and unbound by what is considered Moral,

I release your Soul,

And by my Blood and Bone,

Arm thee.”

“Raven?” Cinder asked worriedly of the woman, who seemed out of breath.

“It is fine. I simply used my Aura to unlock yours. But listen, the energy you use to fight from now on, is your own.”

Raven saw a glimpse of smoldering fire stoke within Cinder’s heart.

“And you possess much of it.”

In an abandoned lodge, a young Cinder helped Raven into a nearby chair.

“Why now?”

“I thought it would make a good Christmas present,” she answered. Her expression then changed from casual to uneasy. “…One day, I’ll leave you… And when that time comes, you’ll have to fend for yourself.”

“No,” the girl shook her head violently. “No! I don’t want that!”

“Kid…”

“NO! I want to stay with you forever!”

Raven grasped the girl’s narrow shoulders tightly.

“Never bind yourself to another, Cinder. The world is cruel and it will take away those you…”

She paused.

“What?”

“Nothing. I thought about lecturing you more, but it might be better to let you find your own path.”

“Raven!”

“…”

“Raven! Promise me you won’t leave! Not ever!”

“…”

The small girl searched her eyes, and couldn’t find anything contradictory to what she already said. It was painful, but she could tell Raven meant what she said. One day, this woman would disappear from her life. It would be sudden—and it would hurt.

Cinder searched for something. Anything that would help her bear with the abandonment she was too used to experiencing.

“What was the girl’s name?” she asked after a time pressing herself against Raven’s arm.

“…Who?”

“You know who.”

“The true descendant?”

“Yes.”

…

Raven contemplated telling her. On one side, she thought it better for the girl to live unknowing. But the other admitted that this child would find the object of her vendetta sooner or later, regardless of what she did.

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I am.”

“It wouldn’t do you any good. Besides, you wouldn’t last two seconds against her. Not with who she has by her side.”

“The one who saved her. She had a white cloak and hood.”

“Yes. She’s a Maiden. A fully trained one too. I have no doubt she’ll impart some wisdom onto her new apprentice Maiden in training.”

“Then, teach me.”

“I’ve already invested more time in you than I should have. You have the tools to survive. I’ll arrange some false identifications for you to live in a quiet corner of Mistral and—”

“I have to find her.”

“And then, what?”

“Destroy her.”

Raven shook her head.

“Revenge isn’t something you make into a life ambition.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to lecture me.” Cinder blinked slowly. “It’s not her life I want. I won’t lie, and say I wouldn’t take any pleasure in taking it. But I want what she has.”

“……The Fall Maiden inheritance. Even if it’s rightfully where it belongs?”

“I need it. And it is rightfully mine…… If I’m strong enough to get it, that is.”

Raven thought deeply. The bitterness she felt at Mantle’s fall along with the rage she bore towards Qrow and Taiyang still burned fresh.

“Her name is Amber Autumn. That’s all I’ll give you.”

“…I see.”

The small girl curled up to Raven and leaned her full weight against the other’s armor.

“Please… Don’t go, Raven.”

The woman could only pet Cinder’s head, offering only one small answer in return.

“I can only promise that I won’t leave just yet.”

* * * * *

(Years Later)

“Doesn’t matter, when or where. There’s always someone working during the holidays.”

“Raven,” Masa acknowledged, not looking up from her work. She pointed her screwdriver to the far table. “Your order is ready, this one indicates. As usual, the material you provide make for especially unique wares.”

“Is that a compliment I hear? You’ll make me blush.”

“Who does this go to this time? Your daughter, perhaps? Another apprentice?”

“Someone I met a long time ago.”

“An apprentice, then.”

“…No. Not an apprentice.”

Raven took the parcel and left a stack of lien cards in its place.

And with a swift slice of her sword, she was gone.

Raven had to take great care in infiltrating the castle. Although it had been some time since she deserted Salem’s service, she still remembered the best ways to bypass the palace’s securities.

With a quiet step and a sense of good timing, she made her way to one room in particular. Raven opened the door as silently as possible, trying her best not to wake the person inside.

It was only when she was inside, she found her extra precaution to be unnecessary.

“It’s been a long time,” Cinder greeted her, while sitting atop her bed. “I was worried you’d forgotten about me.”

“Sometimes I wish I could. I’d certainly sleep better at night.”

“……Why are you here?”

Raven removed her helmet and closed the door behind her.

“I’d heard you killed Autumn.”

“I did.”

Cinder’s eye glowed with power.

“Halfway, at least.”

“And with the help of a couple new friends, nonetheless. I was starting to think you were going to stay alone forever.”

“They’re not friends, but subordinates. ‘Don’t bind yourself to others’, remember?”

Raven strode across, examining Cinder with every step.

“Glad you took at least some of my lessons to heart.”

From her back she revealed a box.

“What’s this?” Cinder asked as, the parcel was handed to her.

“A Christmas gift and a congratulations. Something to commemorate the new Fall Maiden.”

Cinder opened it to reveal a stunning red dress with feathers and gold rune embellishments.

“Try it on.”

“If you’ll help me,” Cinder grinned with a slyness.

Raven revealed a slight smirk, as she turned the young woman around. It was then, she noticed bandages wrapped around Cinder’s back and other parts of her body, as she helped her undress.

“You were sloppy.”

“I did fight a Maiden, after all.”

“Summer hardly had the time to train the girl, from what I know.”

Cinder scowled at hearing the fondness spoken in that name.

“My subordinates are still fairly untrained.”

“Excuses,” Raven assessed, while tying up the back.

“……They make for good words on a tombstone,” Cinder echoed something the other said a long time ago, and furrowed her brow with shame.

Once the dress was on, Cinder felt her Aura drawn out. The yellow threads on her dress hummed with power in concert with her newfound inheritance. She couldn’t help but admire it.

“You never fail to surprise, Raven.”

“The cloth is imbued with my essence. It should prove especially potent, considering I was the one who unlocked your Aura.”

“I love it.”

Cinder traced the grades of thread. Her fingertips almost felt like she was touching against the other’s skin. The way the young woman looked, made even Raven pause slightly.

“……Will you be staying the night?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“I wish you would.”

“Salem will take notice soon.”

“…Why am I surprised? You were never one to stick around.”

“I didn’t expect you to go to Salem.”

“THEN, YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED! YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH ME!” Cinder’s outburst was so against her usual volume, it hurt her throat. “OR YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ME WITH YOU!”

“It was a war, Cinder. You don’t know what war is, and it is nothing I ever prepared you for.”

“Get out,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “GET OUT!”

Raven caressed the side of Cinder’s face. The younger tried to pull away, but Raven held her still.

“Why torture yourself with me?”

“I can’t help it…” Cinder anguished. “You made me need you.”

Raven checked the date and time on her scroll.

“Christmas is almost over, and the clock is striking midnight.”

“…”

“I’ll stay. If not for tonight, only.”

“…”

Raven pressed Cinder’s bandages slightly, causing the girl to wince.

“You should probably avoid anything strenuous.”

“Too late. You’re already here.” Cinder went on her tip toes to plant her lips firmly on Raven’s.

“You really do torture me.”

* * * * *

…

“No gifts tonight, it seems.”

From the loft above Junior’s club, Cinder stared outside the living room window. Earlier, she had snuck out of the bedroom, in the case Raven wanted to visit her in private.

But as the clock struck midnight, any hope she held for a reunion quickly faded.

“Why?”

Why long for something I will never have?

Why purposely subject myself to weakness?

Why?

Cinder tightened her hand into a fist so hard that her nails sunk into her skin, causing them to bleed.

When she noticed, a girl unwrapped her fingers, channeling Aura into her palm. In a matter of seconds, the wounds healed. Cinder stared at the other Maiden, who took her seat on the other side of the table.

Before she could ask anything, Yang spoke.

“Em, would’ve asked me to take care of it anyway.”

“I assumed so.” Cinder went silent for a moment, before giving a tired sigh. “You may join us. I know you’ve been listening next to the door since a while ago.”

With guilty expressions, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo left their bedrooms to join them.

“What to do now, that we are all wide awake,” Cinder pondered.

“Iunno. What do normal people do?” Mercury asked, which prompted everyone to turn to Yang.

“What.”

“You’re the only one here who’s had the taste of the formula family routine,” Emerald said. “What do normal people do? Wait for Santa to come, and then rob his ass?”

“Definitely, not that. I guess exchange gifts?”

“Never understood that.”

“Not surprised. Why don’t we just do what we did last year?”

“You mean, go after some crime lord, and get the shit kicked out of us?”

“…Yeah.”

“…”

Emerald turned to Neo and Mercury, who shrugged. As if to say, they were completely fine with it. She lastly turned to Cinder to see her boss’s response to the suggestion.

“I’m rather in the mood to burn something to the ground.”

“Okay, then,” Emerald clapped her hands. “Let’s go find some trouble.”

With that, the sounds of screeching chair legs pulling out resounded in the studio. Their group members making their way downstairs.

While they filed out, Cinder leaned close to Emerald’s ear.

“Will you leave me one day?”

The surprise was apparent on Emerald’s face, but it quickly turned serious.

“Never,” she answered. “I’ll never leave you.”

“Hmph.” Cinder showed a nostalgic expression. “Do you wonder if I’ll ever leave you?”

“……A little,” she swallowed.

The young woman gave her a small peck on the cheek.

“I really do torture you, don’t I?”

#rwby #cinder fall #raven branwen #rwby fanfiction #rwby fanfic #rwby au #yang xiao long #emerald sustrai #neopolitan #mercury black #ENMY

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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The nuke cane ticks me off so much. There's literally no reason for Ozpin not to use it against Cinder at Beacon. A tiny bit of that power would've destroyed her and saved the academy and hundreds of lives. Keeping the maiden powers away from one of Salem's most dangerous minions along with preserving his power base. It was obviously thought up much later as a deus ex machina for their situation.

I'm prefacing this with the agreement that yeah, I 100% believe this was a stupid Volume 8 addition that had no real setup prior to Oscar charging it up. However, if we were to theorize backwards and try to answer why Ozpin didn't use it then, I don't actually think it's as glaring an issue as we might assume.

First off, it may not have taken out Cinder. If the cane's blast was capable of hurting anything other than grimm and grimm beings (Salem) then Oscar, Jaune, Yang, Ren, Emerald, and the Ace Ops all would have perished in the blast. Hazel's death is weirdly ambiguous given that, since it couldn't have been from the blast, it must have been from the fire he set while holding Salem... but Oscar blasted her seconds after that fire started? And Hazel's body wasn't anywhere to be seen? He should still be alive, if badly injured. It's an all around badly written scene in terms of internal logic, but we do know this blast didn't touch the other ten people in its range, so it presumably wouldn't have touched Cinder either. It might hurt her now, with the grimm arm, but she didn't have that during the Fall of Beacon. That came later.

Now, granted, Cinder was hurt by Ruby's silver eyes because of the parasitic grimm she used to steal the first half of Amber's power (not because she's a Maiden/has magic, otherwise Ruby's eyes would have hurt Qrow, Oscar, and Raven at the Haven battle). So in theory Ozpin's cane might have hurt her, but we don't actually know they work the same way. Yeah, they both destroy grimm-things while leaving everything else untouched, but Ruby's version of that is a genetically inherited magic power driven by emotion and Ozpin's version of that is a magical tool from a previous version of humanity that uses "kinetic energy" stored up over years. If they're the same thing the show hasn't said as much, so idk if we can go, "Yeah, the cane definitely would have taken out Cinder the same way Ruby's eyes did." Even if it did, even if we knew for sure the cane would target any grimm-ness in someone like Ruby's eyes did, Ozpin didn't know Cinder had that. He didn't know how Cinder got the first half of the powers, only we do as the audience. He didn't know Cinder had used a weird glove-beetle-grimm thing. As far as he's aware, Cinder is a normal, non-grimm person trying to kill him. Using the cane on her would be a total waste based on the knowledge he had.

Which leaves the enemies the cane could definitely have taken out and that Ozpin knew it could take out: the grimm. Yeah, Ozpin could have easily set it off to clear Beacon, but the thing is the grimm weren't the real concern. Their human/faunus enemies are. That's why he races to the vault with Pyrrha, attempting to get the transfer complete. Ozpin knows that the danger here isn't really from the normal grimm drawn by negativity, but from the people who helped orchestrate that tragedy. He's got a hierarchy of priorities and the regular grimm are not at the top of that list. Especially since they attacked a huntsmen school. Not ideal in any situation, sure, but this is the place literally filled with people trained to kill grimm. On top of having even more fighters than usual thanks to the Vytal festival. On top of having an army thanks to Ironwood being overzealous — "You brought your army to my kingdom, James, so use it." Again, Ozpin isn't omniscient. He's down in the vault trying to transfer magic into Pyrrha. He doesn't know that Ironwood's army is eventually hacked and, even if he did, that's still something the regular fighters can take care of (and did). I think it's worth remembering that, given how it's presented, the cane is a super rare tool. It took lifetimes to charge up that energy. Ozpin isn't going to waste it on a situation that he can handle with the people at his disposal.

And then we know the rest of the story. Ozpin never made it out of the vault. He was murdered by Cinder before he could rejoin the battle and decide whether the cane was or was not necessary in this battle. If he had lived, he might have decided that the cane was worth using on the Wyvern because that, really, is the reason why Beacon fell. Our fighters could have handled the grimm and Ironwood's droids given enough time. The real problem was that when Ruby froze the Wyvern in place, she created a giant grimm beacon that keeps enemies coming, endlessly. Get rid of that and you can deal with the rest, if only because "the rest" has become a limited number.

Again, this is me headcanoning a lot of Ozpin's thought process (and even some lore) to explain why he wouldn't have used the cane, the exact thing I accuse other fans of doing, with the difference being that I don't mean this in a, "RT is so smart. It all makes sense!" way, but rather a, "It could make sense if RT had bothered to write this into their story. But they didn't and that sucks." See, despite me encouraging them to plan ahead, no writer can plan for everything. It's both fine and inevitable to include things that you never could have thought up five years previously, the work is simply in getting it to fit, like providing a solid reason for why a character didn't use this seemingly perfect tool. And I think RWBY has those reasons! We don't know the cane would have hurt Cinder and, more importantly, Ozpin had no reason to think it would have hurt her. It would have taken out the grimm army, but I would 100% buy it if Ozpin went, "I thought we could handle that army without wasting a tool I intended to use on Salem herself but then, well, I died." How the cane is used is still stupid beyond belief, but why it wasn't used could have had a cohesive explanation in-universe, even if the audience knows it's really because the authors hadn't invented it yet. RWBY is a detailed world and the characters often only have a part of the picture at any given time, so we could explain a LOT of stuff whose current lack of explanation just makes the characters look foolish. Having Ozpin say, "Cinder was fully human far as I knew and I might have used the cane after securing the Maiden powers but, uh, murder" would go a long way towards smoothing this addition over.

#rwby #mymetas

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littlemisssquiggles · 7 years

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RWBY Musings #16: In honour of the next episode of RWBY Volume 5 taking us back to Raven and the Branwen Tribe, I leave the fandom with this curious question to ponder on.

Do you think it’s possible for the Maiden powers to ever reject a host?

This is something that I’ve been curious about in regards to the Maiden powers. So far, this question has been proven false considering that Cinder did successfully manage to acquire the Fall Maiden powers despite taking it by force from its past user after killing her.

Nevertheless, since not a lot is known about how the succession of the Maiden powers work, this leaves a lot of leeway and opportunities left for speculation. Personally, I wonder if there is a specific trait or rule to one gaining the Maiden powers. I know there’s the one where the power can be passed on to a person who the past Maiden was close to or at least was in their thoughts last before passing on. But is there more to it than that? I ask this cause up until this point, this particular knowledge of the Maiden powers succession has been working in the villain’s favour so far.

The evil baddies want the Magic of the Maidens to attain the relics. Fine. Just hunt them all down one by one, kill them and just make sure that one of your female lackeys are standing ripped and ready to take it.

I found it interesting the way how Cinder used a particular kind of Grimm (one that resembled a spider if my memory serves correctly) to steal the Fall Maiden, Amber’s power or at least some of it. It makes me wonder if it wasn’t for the fact that Cinder had successfully retrieved a portion of Amber’s power forcing the rest of it to go to her, would it have been possible for the power to reject her.

Is it possible for the Maiden’s magic to reject its user, thus destroying or at least physically impairing the unworthy ones in the process?

I ask this because I’m curious to see just how Salem and her forces plan on taking the remaining Maiden powers; not just to see their methods but mostly to see who is going to be the vessel to harbour such a high potency of magic. As shown in the World of Remnant tale about the Old Hermit Wizard and the First Four Maidens, it is possible for one person to harbour all the powers of the maidens or at least it seems like it.

Before blessing the powers to the first maiden candidates, Ozpin hosted most of the magic in his own body. That means it should be possible for one person to carry the Maiden powers, right?

So, is Salem planning on turning Cinder into this Avatar version of the Four Maidens where instead of separate Maidens, it just all of their magic within one body with the individual being the master of them all? If Salem’s ultimate objective is to turn Cinder into the; I’m just gonna refer to it as the Avatar Maiden, Master of all Four Seasons so that she can have someone who can access the power of the relics under her control then that’d actually be a fascinating addition to the story and would certainly add more intimidation to Cinder’s character and role in the series.

However, herein lies one potential underlying flaw. Cinder herself. This is why I ask the question of if the Maiden magic can reject a user. What if...Cinder and the gang attempt to take the Spring Maiden’s power by force, the same way they did with Fall. The interesting countering twist this time is that the power ends up full on rejecting whoever is forced to be its next successor. Amongst the villain ranks, this could be either Emerald or Cinder.

Either way, what if...Team CMEW attempt the steal the Spring Maiden’s power and it fails completely. In order for the Spring Maiden power to be obtained, this would disappointingly mean losing Vernal.

This is sad for me because I quite like Vernal. Don’t know much more about her character as yet but I’d like to. I certainly like her character design and the interest to learn of her story and see her fleshed out is there.

She’d have to get in line behind Oscar Pine but I genuinely want to know more about Vernal beyond her Maiden title. I’m praying this time around viewers do get to actually know the current Spring Maiden before her so-called inevitable fate to die for her powers. I’m definitely hoping it’s not gonna be a running gag where the Maidens are only there to be axed off immediately and since we never got to learn about Amber beyond the fact that Lionheart said she was inexperienced as a Maiden, I hope that we do get to learn a bit more about Vernal.

If she is to survive, let her last for at least another season and even be instrumental in the potential Victory for Haven.

I’d like to see Vernal and Yang somehow bond like sisters too or at least have a friendship or respectful comradery. They both share close relations with Raven that could be presumed as mother-daughter. As I made mention in my ♦last musing, I pegged Vernal to have a somewhat child-parent relationship with Raven.

The concept of her also having a romantic bond to Raven is still on the table though. After all, we don’t know how old Vernal was when she became a Maiden nor how much time she’s been in the Branwen Tribe since she was taken in.

We don’t even know how old Vernal is now. Since the RWBY models for female characters are ambiguous when it comes to guessing a characters true age, I’m going to assume that Vernal could possibly be in her early twenties (19-22).

She definitely strikes me as being over or at least the age of eighteen. Either way, she’s legal...I guess. So if the CRWBY did go in that direction for their relationship, I guess I can see it happening, perhaps.

Y’know like Slade/Deathstroke and Terra from DC Teen Titans: The Judas Contract only less...fucked up messy. Or a better example Batman and Batgirl in some versions of the story where they were actual a couple despite the age difference and the fact that some fans have always mostly viewed Batman as a mentor character to Batgirl (I’m looking at you The Killing Joke).

I’m neither saying that this is true nor am I saying that I ship it (I more favour the mother-daughter relationship for Vernal and Raven better). I’m just saying it’s possible Ruling out all the cards here guys.

There is no doubt in my mind that of all the bandits in the Branwen Tribe, Vernal is closest to Raven. She seems to be one of her most trusted allies. Maybe even her second in command. She certainly has the authority as evidenced in Chapter 3 of Volume 5.

But if Vernal is sadly to be taken down, I hope her sacrifice would not be in vain. As a matter of fact, if the CRWBY writers do intend on not allowing Vernal to last another season, I’d like to see two things happen.

Firstly, let her go out like a badass. If a full-on brawl between Maidens is to occur in the next episode or at any point in the future, I can definitely see Vernal having the upper hand, not just because she has Raven and the entire Branwen Tribe on her side but mostly because she has had way more time and experience mastering the use of her powers than Cinder (which I imagine would be a pleasant shocker to our one-eyed Fall Maiden).

But if for some reason, Cinder does overpower Vernal or use some sneaky underhanded tactic to force her to submit to her powers being stolen, this brings me to my second want.

In a surprising twist of events, let the Spring Maiden power go to Raven. I can see this being a huge possibility because of what Qrow informed Team RNJR back in Volume 4. According to Qrow, the Maiden power will go to whoever was closest to a Maiden or was in their thoughts last upon their deaths. If Raven and Vernal are indeed close, it would make sense that her powers would go to her.

I would very much love to see this happen because not only would it be a great way to integrate Raven into the main cast with the chance to develop her side of the story beyond the title that she’s the proclaimed bad mother to Yang, but it would be a huge metaphorical middle finger to Salem and her forces.

You thought you could just saunter into the Branwen Tribe, kick everyone’s asses, disrespect their leader and steal the Spring Maiden’s power? Well jokes on you. Spring chose a bird to be the next Maiden.

Spring would chose Raven and I would not be shocked if this is something Raven has prepared for beforehand. Unless it’s a twist within a twist that Raven wasn’t expecting for Vernal to die nor for her to become so attached to the young girl.

Making Raven the new Spring Maiden succeeding Vernal would be great because it would mean she’ll have to be protected by the main team. She’ll probably wish to run away but I can imagine Qrow convincing her to stay where she can be protected which would add for some glorious Branwen Siblings conflict and resolution.

It would give Raven and opportunity to grow close to Yang since she’ll have to protect her now; healing that wound with time.

It would also mean a very awkward reunion with Ozpin, finally cracking open that delightful can of worms that is their past history together.

It can also open the door for an example where a Maiden successor did not want her power and responsibility. Yes Vernal ran away but initially she did accept her role as the Spring Maiden.

If Raven is forced to be the new Spring Maiden without knowing that Vernal had already chosen her a long time ago, it would be funny because then Raven would be like Ozpin. Cursed with powers and responsibilities that she was forced to receive (the Spring Maiden powers) because she failed to stop something in the past (the Death of Vernal) and now she’ll have no choice but to live with that curse; the only freedom being in death.

And even then, she can’t bring herself to accept death because if she died, how else was she going to get vengeance and justice for her fallen comrade.

But that’s just a hunch. Who knows what’s to come for the remainder of this volume, much less the rest of RWBY.

I’m not even sure how tomorrow’s episode will play off.

Beyond my continuing aspiration and episodic campaign for Oscar to get more screen-time and development as HIMSELF AND NOT OZCAR (seriously it’s been THREE BLOODY episodes now. COME ON CRWBY! GIVE BEST FARM BOI SOME DEVELOPMENT WHILE THE SEASON IS STILL YOUNG) I don’t know what to expect from Chapter 9 other than it focusing on Raven’s group for most of it. However, I still stand by my hunch from last time that I want Raven to be captured by Cinder and her posse and used as leverage to lure out, not just the Spring Maiden but also the Mistral Team.

I also still stand by my previous hunch that in the event of Raven being abducted, she’d make sure to send Vernal safely to Mistrel into the arms of Qrow. I want a rescue mission to save Raven because this would prompt Yang having to save her mother which would be a lovely parallel to what Raven told Qrow in Volume 4.

Raven told Qrow that her promise was to save and/or protect Yang once. That was her deal. She’d continue to watch over her from afar but would only intervene to protect her life once which she already did way back in Volume 3 against Neo. If Raven needs to be saved, I can definitely see Yang dealing her mother the same hand. She saved her once and now it’s Yang’s turn to save her once, that way they’d be even.

Yang would probably save Raven and then totally revert back to hating or at least not liking her guts afterwards but at least Raven would be safe and might even be proud of and respect her daughter and her strength afterwards.

It’s funny though. Yang probably figures she needed her mom in her life to make her strong, failing to realize the true meaning behind why her mother left. I wonder what kind of person Yang would’ve been if Raven was more present in her life.

I’d imagine it would’ve gone like that one alternate reality episode of Grey’s Anatomy where Meredith dreamt how her life would’ve gone if her mother had been happy and it turned out to be not as great as she expected.

Maybe Yang would’ve been a power-hungry huntress obsessed more with strength than compassion if she was raised by Raven. Tai Yang did say that Yang possessed some of her mother’s qualities so if Raven had decided to take Yang and raise her in the Branwen Tribe rather than leave her behind with her father, not only would Yang have possibly turned out more like Raven but she would’ve never had her close relationship with her sister Ruby.

We’ve seen how great of an influence Yang is on Ruby’s life and how deep their sisterly/family bond goes. We’ve seen how devoted Yang is to her family, particularly her little sister. If Raven had raised her, Yang might not have been who she is now. Maybe it’s for that very reason Raven why left her behind.

She didn’t want to raise another version of herself, thriving on the same things that drove her down a rather grim path. Raven didn’t want Yang to become more susceptible to making the same mistakes Raven made and are still paying the price for.

While Episode 6 of Volume 5 made it seem as if Raven thinks very little of Tai Yang, that doesn’t change the fact that once upon a time, she did believe he possessed certain good qualities.

Good qualities that she not only fell in love with him for but also wished for him to instil in their daughter.

Sure Raven left for her own reasons but, why would she leave Yang with Tai if she didn’t think she would be better off with him? Yes, Yang eventually had to take the reins and help raise Ruby after Summer left and Tai became somewhat distant with work but before all that happened, Yang was admittedly in better hands. She was in a family among people who loved her and cared for her and valued things like trust, empathy and compassion with strength being secondary; values I don’t think are a core aspect of the culture in the Branwen Tribe. Doesn’t seem that way to me. Call her a bad mom as much as you want but, Raven doesn’t strike me as the type to just abandon Yang with her father if she didn’t think he was good enough or trustworthy.

After all, if that’s the case then why is he still one of her very few close bonds even after all these years of separation?

Maybe that was Raven’s intention all along.

But, what do I know? I’m just a fan with some musings. Dunno what’s to come in the story tomorrow but like always, I’m uber excited.

That being said, see you all in RWBY Volume 5: Chapter 9!

~LittleMissSquiggles (2017)

#rwby #rwby volume 5 #cinder fall #rwby vernal #raven branwen #rwby theories #rwby musings #rwby volume 5 chapter 9

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