#james ironwood (mentioned)

[melonishus]

Ironwood - [singing] I DIED , and nobody noticed ! I DIED ! and nobody cared

Penny - GOOD !

Ironwood - That’s uncalled for

Penny - As the friends would say , you “ crashed out” , murdered several people , and terrorized less fortunate people with military technology! I do not have to take morality lessons from you

Ironwood - [sad]

Penny - You also ruined my chance for the Rubussy

Ironwood - [shock at the language] WOAH

Penny - [upset]She is so pretty 😦

[chiefladylightyay]

Death of a General

Scene: A darkened command room with flickering lights. General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military lies injured with a large metal rod though his abdomen by a console, surrounded by dead or dying soldiers...

Ironwood: Lieutenant, get the wounded to those shuttles!

Atlesian Officer: *over radio* We're almost there! Should I send a team to get you?

Ironwood: I'm fine, Lieutenant. Just see to those wounded. I'll get out another way...

*General Ironwood attempts to dislodge the large metal rod, but stops after grunting in pain.*

Officer: General! There's too many grimm! We're not going to make it!

*a brief power surge lights up the room, revealing Cinder standing in the broken open doorway*

Ironwood: Cinder. You listen to me. I have three shuttles packed with men too injured to ever be a threat to you. Husbands. Fathers.

*he grunts in pain as he shifts to get more comfortable*

Ironwood: You let those shuttles go. You hear me?

Officer: General, we're surrounded! There's no way out!

Cinder: *stares impassively at Ironwood, her grimm parts clear for all to see*

Ironwood: You bitch. You're not even human anymore. You betrayed us all. For what? Petty revenge? How many innocents have you killed? How many more have to die?

*beat*

What if Rhodes could see you right now?

Cinder: *scowls in clear anger before using her maiden powers to push the large metal rod completely through Ironwood, killing him.*

Officer: General! We're surrounded! We're not going to make it!

Cinder: *turns around and walks out of the command room, leaving the dead general behind*

Officer: General! The grimm pulled back! It's a miracle! We're going to make it! ...General! ...General?

Note: Ironwood doesn't know about Cinder's treatment at the Glass Unicorn, all he "knows" is she worked there and murdered her friend and mentor Rhodes as well as her adoptive family.

As for the grimm situation? Did Cinder have a change of heart and ordered them away? Did they get bored? Did Salem return to her centuries long hobby of doing fuckall? I leave that up to you.

[nightmare-foundation]

I BEG people to look up the BITE model of a cult before they call the Academies or Oz's inner circle a cult. If you actually look into it they don't classify as a cult at ALL

[jjacqualope]

Finally stopped staring at this long enough to post this AMAZINGLY SWEET AND SOFT ART OF MY BABY ADELAIDE WITH HER DILF HUSBAND!!!

Drawn for me by @rubyneo 💜💜💜💜💜

CHERRY THANK YOU AGAIN AND ILU SO MUCH AND IM GONNA GO BACK TO STARING NOW uwu

[helena-and-helena-meta]

Love and Bad Luck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wrote this at 12AM, please don't mind the mistakes! :3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qrow’s semblance has always been something he hated. In his own eyes, he was a bad luck charm. Whenever his emotions get the best of him, whether that be happiness, anger, or anything else, his Semblance activates and causes Qrow and everyone around him to suffer from the problems it causes.

Qrow sighed in annoyance as the glass he held slipped from his grip and shattered, small things like these kept happening, earlier it had caused Ruby’s Crescent Rose to jam while she was training and Harriet suddenly tripped and sprained her ankle while using her Semblance. In Qrow’s mind, it was all his fault, and at times like these, he would take a long swig from his old flask, but he crouched down to clean the shards of the glass he dropped.

“Son of a-” Qrow curses as a piece of glass suddenly slices his finger, his blood being another thing he had to clean. As Qrow stood to grab a towel before he could grab it, Qrow lost his footing, but before he could hit the floor, someone caught him.

Qrow opened his eyes and looked up to see James. The general sighed as he helped Qrow to his feet.

“You could’ve asked me to help, Qrow,” Ironwood spoke as he grabbed the towel, handing Qrow a bandaid for his sliced finger. “Jimmy-” Qrow attempted to protest as the general cleaned the glass, spilled tea, and blood. Qrow sighed as he bandaged his finger and went to sit down on the couch.

“So… How long have you been here?” Qrow asked, looking down at his injured hand. “I walked in right as you cut your finger,” James spoke as he finished cleaning the glass. When he was done, James sat by Qrow on the couch. James went to reach for Qrow’s hand, but Qrow stopped him, a flash of frustration gracing his features. “I wouldn’t touch me. My Semblance has been giving everyone problems. I don’t want you to deal with them either.” Qrow spoke, gritting his teeth.

Instead of heading to Qrow’s warning, James carefully grasped Qrow’s injured hand and traced his knuckles, softly sighing as he saw Qrow’s frustration with himself. “I don’t care if I get bad luck by being around you. I still want to make sure you’re okay,” James whispered, almost as if he feared breaking Qrow.

Qrow watched as James carefully looked over his cut, he sighs in mock annoyance, “I’m not a damn baby, y’know, you don’t have to check over every cut and bruise I get.” James looked to Qrow, their eyes meeting. Qrow couldn’t help but get lost in the general’s beautiful blue eyes. Not even the prettiest of sapphires could beat them. “What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t?” James asked. When he finished checking over Qrow’s cut, he still gently held the hunter’s hand.

Qrow’s breath catches in his throat as James softly kisses his knuckles, his cheeks turning a soft shade of crimson. Qrow clears his throat, but he can’t find his words.

“Your Semblance may bring bad luck,” He speaks. James looks into Qrow’s red eyes. The deep shade of them could make any ruby jealous in the general’s eyes. “But I feel lucky when I see you.” He finishes, James softly caresses Qrow’s cheek as he smiles at his precious bird. “Love isn’t enough to express what I feel for you,” James speaks as he leans close. Qrow smiles as he attempts to kiss James, only to fall off the couch.

“BROTHERS DAMNIT!”

[anthurak]

So here’s an interesting little detail I noticed while rewatching some of the Beacon arc:

Out of all the various disposable pawns, patsies and stooges we’ve seen utilized by Salem over the course of the show (not counting the stooges who make up her inner circle), it’s funny how the only one who seems to actually recognize how much of a pawn he really is, is TORCHWICK of all people.

Like when you look at Roman’s scenes with Cinder and her minions, and particularly his final fight with Ruby in Volume 3, it’s pretty clear that he was always acutely aware that he was a very small piece of a MUCH larger game.

Just compare that to the likes of Adam, Leonardo, Jacques and Ironwood, who by all rights were all COMPLETELY oblivious to how much they were getting played, or just how little they mattered to Salem.

And that gets even more interesting when you consider that Roman was probably the smallest piece in terms of both status and overall significance compared to Salem’s other pawns. Like I actually don’t think for a moment that Torchwick ever actually met Salem or even KNEW about her by name. I imagine all Roman knew was that there was some boss/mom that Cinder was reporting to.

Instead, Torchwick was able to look at everything Cinder was doing and plotting, between manipulating the White Fang, securing several warehouses of stolen dust, planning a full-on grimm-incursion of Vale during the Vytal Festival with the ultimate aim of toppling one of the four Huntsman Academies. Not to mention I imagine Roman had at least an inkling as to the whole Maiden business that Cinder was after, plus the fact that she seemed to be able to control grimm to a degree. Maybe even guess that this was a plot years if not decades in the making.

And it’s pretty clear that Roman took one look at all this and rightly surmised that he was a bit player in a truly MASSIVE game. As he implies to Ruby during their final fight, Torchwick may not have known much about Salem or her plans, but he knew ENOUGH that he didn’t want to be standing AGAINST her.

Again, just compare that to someone like Adam Taurus, so-called big-shot revolutionary with his big plans to topple the oppression of the humans… who seems to have had no fucking clue that his new ‘friends’ were fully intent on sending him and his followers out to die as a DISTRACTION for their own plans.

Or of course, James Ironwood the big, strong (self-appointed) defender of Atlas and (also self-appointed) last, best hope for humanity, who to his dying breath seems to have been ENTIRELY oblivious to just how completely Salem and her minions were playing him like the cheap kazoo he was.

Or just Jacques Schnee the big-shot corporate overlord who wasn’t even important enough to know about any kind of scheme. All he needed was Watts dangling an election win like keys in front of a baby to be a dutiful little pawn for Salem.

Though funny enough, to Jacques’ credit; the moment he hears about the heating grid going down he does seem to immediately catch on that Watts played him for a chump.

And it’s rather amusing that this is more than can be said for the likes of the ‘Faunus Revolutionary’ who bent the knee to a human girl who kicked his ass, or Ol’ Jimmy the Child-Shooter himself.

[bobauthorman]

(Setting: Ruby and Yang are talking to their parents, minus Summer, who is, well, dead)

Taiyang: ...I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see you telling all of Remnant about Salem.

Ruby: Would you believe it was Ironwood's idea?

Taiyang: (Rolls eyes) Yeah, right.

Yang: It's true, dad.

Raven: James Ironwood doesn't have ideas of his own. He always takes someone else's idea, adds chrome plating, cupholders, and then passes it off as his own.

Taiyang: The truth is, the one who came up with the idea of telling the world about Salem and then sending out the Atlas Army to protect the various territories was Amber Hammond.

Ruby: Amber...the previous Fall Maiden?

Raven: Why do you think Oz was so eager to kill her off and give her powers to someone he had more control over?

(Raven pushes a button on her helmet, which projects an image on the wall. The image shows Amber talking with Ozpin at his Beacon office, while a screen showing Lionheart, Ironwood, and Theodore is on behind her)

Yang: What's this?

Raven: Six months before the Fall of Beacon, I was spying on a teleconference between Oz and his cronies when Amber decided to join in.

Image!Amber: ...Llook, I know you're worried about a panic and Grimm, but isn't that what Ironwood's army is for? He's got more surplus than he knows what to do with! We could donate them to not just the kingdoms, but other towns, and then warn everyone about Salem, so that they'll be able to protect themselves!

Image!Ozpin: Amber, what you're suggesting... I'm not denying your good intentions, but you're talking about upending the entire status quo on a whim. We can't afford to lose our control over the peace, not when we've finally achieved what our ancestors have been struggling for.

Image!Amber: But...!

Image!Ozpin: That will be all, Amber. Allow us adults to finish our discussion, and perhaps if there's time we can indulge you.

Raven: (Shutting off the video) Amber left Vale not too long after that. I think she was going to look for her own truth.

Ruby: And that's when Cinder got her. All because Oz wouldn't help her. Qrow never mentioned the first part...

Taiyang: He didn't know. Ozpin doesn't like it when people know stuff, remember?

Yang: You knew it.

Taiyang: Well, I, uh, that is.... I may have assisted Amber in getting out of the kingdom unnoticed.

Yang: (Grinning) What'dya do? Squeeze her into a box and ship her out with parcel post?

Taiyang: ...

Zwei: Arf.

Ruby: Da-ad! Are you still doing that!?

[howlingday]

Dark AU: Ciel in an update report to Ironwood questions Ozpin's choice in making Jaune the leader of team JCP given his mental health. She does give Jaune credit on his drive to improve and dedication to training but disapprove his dietary choices and questions why one would eat so many chicken nuggets. Ciel notes Penny has been on point with helping Jaune but still gets distracted at the mention of betta fish. Ciel does complain about finding the two in compromising positions often with Penny being the cause; there's no way she is that oblivious, right?

"Miss Soleil, a pleasure to see you again."

"Headmaster, I am ready to give my weekly report." Ciel saluted.

"I see..." Ozpin leaned forward, his chin resting across his folded hands. "Before you do, may I ask why you feel the need to report to me?"

"Headmaster, it was a common practice at Bulwark and Atlas Academy to salute and report status updates to the leading officer."

"I... see..." The headmaster sighed, leaning back in his chair as he silently cursed James for his strict, almost dictatorial regimen imposed on his students. Some days, he wished he could ask the General if he knew the difference between his soldiers and his students. "And while attending Atlas, you reported to James?"

"No, Headmaster," Ciel answered, "it was the responsibility of the platoon leader to report to the commanding officer the status of their squad."

"And who is the platoon leader?"

"Headmaster, it was my understanding that Professor Goodwitch was the platoon leader in this circumstance."

"I see." He glanced past the young woman to find Professor Goodwitch standing at the far end of the room, avoiding eye contact with him. Likely Miss Soleil was under the impression that this school was designed similarly, if not exactly like the Atlas military. "Well, thank you for your report, Miss Soleil."

"Headmaster, I haven't given the report yet."

Damn. She was smarter than she let on. "Ah, of course. Continue."

"Headmaster, the report is as follows; JPR's squad leader, Jaune Arc, intends to maintain his attendance at Beacon Academy."

"That's good to hear."

"However, Headmaster, if I may speak freely?" He nodded. "I do not believe he should maintain his position as squad leader. He is too emotionally unstable, clearly a result of his trauma developed during his initiation and its exacerbation in the interview with Lisa Lavender."

"As I recall, Miss Soleil, your teammate, Penny, is assigned as Jaune's partner in order to ensure he doesn't have another breakdown like before. And the fact he intends to attend Beacon even with his condition is something to be commended, is it not?"

"I agree, Headmaster, but Penny is..." She grit her teeth, then gave an exhale. "Disregard, Headmaster."

"No, no," Ozpin leaned forward, "continue with your thought. Is there something to note about Penny?"

"I thought there was, Headmaster, but-"

A loud tap echoed through the room, and Ciel watched as the headmaster stood from his seat, cane in hand, and made his way forward. As the man was towering over her, time seemed to slow as Ciel noticed the aura of authority he emanated. While he wasn't as tall or as muscular as General Ironwood, this man was still no less a huntsman, and so much so that he was elected to be held responsible for training the next generation of those sworn to protect humanity from the threat of Grimm.

"You are free to speak your mind, Miss Soleil." He said, looking over his crooked glasses. "So speak."

She gulped. "Penny... Headmaster, it is my opinion that Penny does not take her task as Jaune's partner as seriously as she should."

"Oh? And what did Penny have to say about this?"

"She... She didn't, Headmaster. I... I did not speak with her."

"I see." Ozpin stepped away, and the room became as fast as it was before. "If I may speak freely, Miss Soleil," he smiled, "I believe that there is a distinct difference between Atlas and Beacon. While we both are dedicated to the preservation of life and the extermination of the Grimm, the methods that are taught at our institutions are night and day to each other. Atlas believes in efficiency, duty, and loyalty."

"Yes, Headmaster." Ciel stood a little taller hearing the core values taught at Atlas.

"Beacon, however, believes in something much different. At Beacon, we believe in spirit, compassion, and teamwork. As it stands, your teammates seem to be working together to help your team leader overcome his shortcomings to become the huntsman he desires to be. Jaune Arc possesses the drive to become a huntsman, yes?"

"Yes, Headmaster, but-"

"And does Penny Polendina not dedicate herself to help her partner however she can?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what?" He asked, his smile faded.

"But... Headmaster..." Ciel struggled to find the words. Everything seemed to slow, and, in a blink, he was in front of her again. He reached his hand to her. Fear took hold and she shut her eyes. Did Beacon practice corporal punishment, like Atlas did so long ago? Was the headmaster going to strike her? She felt his hand grab her and-

"Breathe, Ciel."

-rested on her shoulder as the headmaster softly spoke. Following his instruction, she inhaled deeply through her nose, then slowly exhaled from her mouth.

"This is not Atlas, Miss Soleil. There are no squadrons, or drills, or reveille to be found here. You are here to become a huntress, and our duty as your professors is to help you find your way there. One step at a time. I have done this with Professor Goodwitch. I am doing this with your team leader, Jaune Arc. And I intend to do this with you, as well."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"Professor Ozpin will suffice, thank you." He chuckled. "Now, I believe you have a team to discuss these feelings with."

Ciel nodded. "Yes, Headm- Er, Professor Ozpin."

--------------------------------------------------

Ciel returned to her dorm, still unsure about her attendance at Beacon, especially with Jaune and Penny. However, she was willing to give this a try, so long as they agreed to try their best. As she was about to open the door, she heard an unusual sound coming from inside. It almost sounded like grunting and... clapping? Heat rushed to her cheeks as she took hold of the door knob, almost sick to her stomach at what was going on beyond her sight.

"Nnngh!" Jaune groaned, his bare back arched as he pushed himself up.

"Go, Jaune, go~!" Penny cheered, her knees bent as she rhythmically clapped close to him.

"What..." Ciel shook her head. "What is going on in here?"

"Oh!" Penny stood straight and rushed over to Ciel. "Sal-u-tations, Ciel~! Jaune was just engaging in some physical training in preparation for our first combat class tomorrow!"

"I... see. And the clapping?"

"It is to help cheer him on." Penny nodded. "I have found in my research that clapping one's hands while cheering improves morale and camaraderie among teammates!"

"Hey, Ciel..." Jaune greeted, turning to meet her.

"Hello..." Ciel raised a brow. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I was worried my hoodie was going to stink from all my sweat if I wore it while working out." He stood up. "Everything okay? You said you were going to talk to the headmaster."

"Yes, and he... He provided some helpful information to me."

"Oh, that's great!" Jaune smiled. "What'd he say?"

"He said that we should work as a team."

Jaune was quiet for a moment. "You went to the headmaster to learn that?"

"No, I spoke to Professor Ozpin because I-" She stopped herself. "Because I had some concerns about this team."

"Oh..." Jaune blinked. "Uh, l-like what?"

"Well, for starters," Ciel gave a quick glance up and down Jaune's bare torso, "the fact that you're alone in here with your partner, half-naked."

Jaune blushed and covered himself. Penny looked between them, her head tilted in confusion. She then held out her palm and struck it with her fist.

"I understand now!" Penny reached for her blouse. "Partners should match each other's attire when bonding!"

"NO!" Ciel and Jaune shouted at the same time.

[rachetmath]

Robyn: So Arc-

Jaune: You can call me “Jaune”. I’ve been here for five months.

Robyn: Well okay. Jaune um… what’s your day like with Fiona.

Jaune: Normal.

Robyn: Really? Nothing’s going on with you two?

Jaune: No. I just help her out. That’s it.

Robyn: Really?

Jaune: Yes.

Somewhere else

Nora: So Fiona. How long have you and Jaune been a couple?

Fiona: We’re not couple. What makes you think that?

Nora: You see him everyday. More than me.

Fiona: He helps me with the orphanage.

Nora: Nothing else?

Fiona: No!

Jaune and Fiona were in the Orphanage.

???: Mr. Arc? Mr. Thyme?

Jaune: What is it Rex?

Rex: Are you and Ms. Thyme a couple?

Fiona: Oh my- Robyn!

Robyn appears only to have May and Nora with her.

Jaune: Nora, you too?!

Nora: Look d-

Jaune: Nora.

Nora: *forgot the kid* Oh.

Jaune: Rex go to your room.

Rex: Okay. *leaves*

Jaune: Now what the hell wrong with you two?

Fiona: Why are you so obsessed with this?

Robyn: Because you two-

May: Look Fiona I been watching you two a lot and I have to admit it’s hard not to believe you’re not dating. In fact, I wouldn’t be surpise to call you both a married couple.

Fiona: Ugh you too May. Seriously wat-

May: You and Jaune do Laundry together.

May: Spend time with kids together.

May: In fact, when Jaune’s training leads him to get hurt, you are the first to drag him to the nursery and patch him up. Even when he tells us “Don’t worry about it.”

May: In fact you two are always in the kitchen together making dinner.

May: And Jaune, boy what Nora told me about you was damn lie. I saw what you did. Slow dancing in the night.

Nora: He was that smooth?

May: Smooth as Micheal Jackson.

Nora: Oh no.

Fiona: Um.

Jaune: Damn.

Nora: Oh yes. Finally. Fuck you Pyrrha! He go get right. *pulls scroll out her pocket and makes a call*

???: Hello.

Nora: Fuck you Weiss. You lose. He found someone better. He found the princess and gone make her his queen.

Jaune: Nora, calm down.

Nora: Fuck off Jaune. This is my victory.

In the twilight.

Pyrrha: Okay bitch, what did I do?

Adam: I mean you left the guy and died a meaningless death like Summer.

Summer: I gave birth to another silver eyed warrior. That has to count.

Hazel: Does she know how to use her eyes though?

Summer: Shut up.

Ironwood: And she destroyed Atlas and got Penny, Vine, Clover and myself killed so she’s kind a misfortune upon us.

Summer: Okay ya’ll need to stop disrespecting my daughter. Ya’ll made mistake.

Ironwood: Or so you say.

Summer: We can fight. We can fight right now James.

Pyrrha: I don’t understand.

Penny: Friend Pyrrha you are the main source of his trauma and pain.

Pyrrha: B-you know what… fuck all you.

Roman: Whoa Invincible Champion, it’s not our fault your ‘boyfriend’ decided to break that little curse you placed on him.

Pyrrha: Oh come on- I’m leaving. I don’t need this.

Summer: My death had meaning. My daughter has a mystery to solve.

Adam: So finally one of your daughters is actually trying to know what happened to you. It’s too bad they have to find the same woman that took one of them many years to find.

Summer: Oh my god.

Roman: Not to mention at least Penny’s death served a purpose. Winter’s alive. She kept thousands of people alive. While your death, Pyrrha, caused more suffering than good.

Pyrrha: You know what who wants to fight first? Who? Cause I’ll show you why they written me off. Name one. Who can body me? Who?! Step up. STEP UP!

Adam: Oh I never run from no challenge. Especially no One-V-One, come on bitch.

[frickingnerd]

sharing a bed with ironwood

pairing: james ironwood x gn!reader

tags: suggestive, silly & wholesome fluff, colleagues to lovers, (implied) assistant!reader, awkward & flustered!james

james is convinced that it's not a coincident that you and him ended up having to share a bed during your business trip!

whether you were the one who only booked a room with a single bed or if one of his colleagues wanted to play a little prank on him, he can't imagine this being just an accident…

but now here he is, laying next to you in bed and almost falling off the bed with how far away from you he is!

plus, he's still wearing his usual clothes! james usually sleeps in less, but didn't pack his bags for the case he'd share a bed with someone! so to still wear something he keeps on his regular clothes, making things only more awkward!

james doesn't say a single word as he lays in bed, just staring at the ceiling, hoping he falls asleep soon! but that never ends up happening, as he isn't relaxed enough to sleep…

he's awake for almost the entire night, but once he does eventually fall asleep, he ends up rolling more towards the middle of the bed – leading to you two waking up with you laying on top of james!

it takes him all the selfcontrol he has to lay still when he notices you on top of him! he doesn't want to wake you, but he can't stare at you either when you're so close or else he'll…

anyways! once you wake up, james apologizes again and again, throwing in a mention of raising your wage as well, to make up for all of this!

but the worst part is yet to come; once james and you leave your shared room, james still in his messy clothes from yesterday and looking tired, people start to speculate about what happened between the two of you last night…

and while james wishes that even half of the rumors were true, he (sadly) managed to control himself and act properly around you!

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Done with RWBY's season three; episodes nine to twelve... I feel like James Bond's drink. Shaken not stirred.

Season 03, Episode 09: PvP

- Let the devastation begin.

- "The shining light will sink in darkness."

- Ozpin is a watching the fight about to unfold from his mechanical lair.

- Penny is being her sweet self. She considers it an honour to meet Pyrrha. 😭

- Pyrrha is so out of it. Am so scared.

- Ruby and Mercury. I get he must have had his reasons, but right now I don't like the guy. Ruby, run back!!!

- Fucking Ironwood.

- Ren and Nora cheering! Jaune is nervous. ✨

- Emerald. 😡

- I have noticed this before and perhaps forgot to mention it, but I love how Penny's blades have the on/off button at the hilt. It's cute! Very on theme.

- Pyrrha and her have begun fighting now. 😶‍🌫️

- Ruby turned into a missile that Mercury kicked away. Shite.

- He shot at her scroll. Some fucking "friends" they are.

- Penny is doing well. But for how long... 🥺

- Emerald is playing with Pyrrha's head. Good Gods. This is hurting me so much already.

- Mercury and Ruby at it still. YASSSSSSSS! Ruby is getting away.

- Penny's here to win it. Pyrrha's mind is being tampered with. AGHHHHHHHHH. A few blades have turned into too many.

- Penny was dismembered by her own strings. That blade of hers getting her dress piece was like a nail on the coffin. I am a little dead right now.

- They are actually showing the parts. Oh Gods. It's all machinary. People are horrified. Penny's pupils dilated. Fuck. Fuck

Fuck. Why did they have make it look almost real?

- Grimm monsters. Ruby sees Penny. She is crying. I think I am going numb.

- Mercury's happy about a job well done. I feel like punching a wall.

- The broadcast has been compromised. The queen chess pawn with a red background.

- WoWie. Even though I don't like Cinder, I must hand it to her. Great plan to bring down both Ironwood and Ozpin.

- A silver lining. ZWEI!!!! He is with Yang.

- Cinder is speaking. Ozpin is strangely calm and watching a ship come in behind him.

- Grimm have begun their invasion.

- "When the first shots are fired... Who do you think you can trust?" -Cinder. With the way our world is going, all this manipulation and the dialogue really came out here and attacked me...

- Jammed feeds. One of Junior's henchmen is also in the audience with popcorn. I don't know why that made me smile. But I needed it. Also, getting a weird sense of deja vu.

- Alarms are ringing. Threat level 9.

- "Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner." Cue to everyone screaming, crying, throwing up...

- Ironwood's gentle reminder to not panic has been interrupted by a Nevermore Grimm. Such good times.

- Kingdom's defences were breached? Ren seems to think so. He smort. I trust him. Does that explain the ships?

- Qrow and Glynda have come to Ozpin. He wants them to get to the city. They are reluctant but leave. Is Oz going to have a one on one showdown with someone soon?

- The Grimm of old are moving. The great migration. Trading in a concrete jungle for a high tech one.

- Whoever does the voice for Ozpin, when he talked to Ironwood asking him to use his army... Chills!!! Great job there!!!

- Holy hells. An entire unit of Atlas soldiers is down. Neo is in the house. She has two umbrellas?

- Ohhhhh. It's just Torchwick's stuff.

- Oh no no no no no. No. They are now commandeering a whole ship and bringing down the ones around... This is going just peachy, I say with clenched teeth.

- Fucking Adam and White Fang.

- Did they just give Grimm a ride in the ships??!?!??

- End credits. Penny's blueprints. The sketch for the flying machine looks incredible! Torchwick and his console of wreaking destruction. So much work has gone into scenes that only last less than a minute quite often. Hats off to the team!!!! Penny and her sketch with her weapons... I am sad. But since she is an Android, am sure she will be back!!!!! Will she remember everything though? I hope they kept backups. Nevermore Grimm sketches. I didn't realise they were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's work! Was extremely confused about the Grimm of it all too initially. Thankfully the assumption of them being named after the Grimm brothers was right! The music playing right now reminds me of choirs and plays where they use sounds like this to mark a tragedy.

Season 03, Episode 10: Battle of Beacon

- Am not ready to be destroyed further. But that won't stop me now.

- "Victory for hate incarnate."

- Grimm are attacking. People are fighting. It's the cafeteria grounds for the arena.

- Blake and Weiss. Yang be running through the dorms of Beacon with Zwei. No matrons there to ban running through the halls? 😆

- Blake and her are checking up on one another!!! 💖

- Ruby ain't answering her scroll. Yang is obviously worried. Blake is trying to placate her.

- Cue running again.

- Weiss is sad over Penny. So be Blake. And moi.

- Yang just informed them of how the White Fang's releasing Grimm into the school. Blake is focusing on the detail. Should I be terrified?

- Yang has entered the fight. Left the call.

- Blake and Weiss are about to do their jobs. Thank Gods for locker launchers!!!

- Nevermore Grimm is still trying to get into the stadium. Ruby is shell shocked and right where we left her. They are just kids...

- Pyrrha. Staring at the wreckage of Penny. Good Gods. How long has she been doing that?

- Jaune is screaming himself hoarse asking her to move. I could actually feel the ensuing sore throat. Nice voice acting!!!

- He has left the stands and is now running towards Pyrrha. ❤️‍🔥

- Nevermore Grimm has entered the chat. And sent Penny's body parts, Pyrrha and Jaune flying.

- Incoming attack from the Grimm. Pyrrha, get away!!! Oh thank GODS.

- Ruby is now weilding one of Penny's swords. 👏🏻🥺✨

- Many many many locker launchers have brought down the Nevermore. Gotta love them!!!

- Good people are still around. That's why the world is still spinning. Gods I miss Penelope Park.

- Ohhh. Nevermore Grimm is alive still. Nice that the hunters are already on its back!

- Okie, I am loving how these folks are coordinating their moves!!! So GOOOOOOOOD!!!! 🤌🏻

- Nevermore Grimm really no more.

- Pyrrha is apologising about Penny. Awwwww. Ruby be right. It wasn't her fault.

- Jaune agrees. And is using his head. The person who took over the mic is the one responsible. I AM LOVING HIS GLOW UP.

- Also, him handing Pyrrha her weapons when she was the one to teach him how to wield his well.... The poetic evolution of it all. ✨🫶🏻🤩

- More Grimm are entering the arena. Griffons! Ooooooh!

- Crescent Rose is here! So are Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck. They are good. I love the doc.

- Velvet took a picture of Ruby being a leader!!!! Can I get a copy?!

- Why are they acting like Barty and Peter won't make it? They will, right?

- I hope the hunters leaving now will go help Weiss, Blake and Yang at the school.

- People are leaving in ships. Grimm are arriving in different ships.

- Ironwood's synthetic army isn't working too well. He shall now fight on his own!

- His grip is so strong it pierced the concrete beneath him?! War flashbacks... Jokes aside, he must be a good fighter at least.

- Oh my Gods. His entire battle was difficult for me to watch. Not because I dislike him, but it's just too reminiscent of stuff I have had to witness on TV ever since I could operate it. Very well animated at least!!!

- Young hunters meet Ironwood. He is explaining the current status of the situation. YAYYYYYY! They are now aware of what's going on.

- Holy shite. This guy is being all badass but I can only cringe for reasons that have nothing to do with him. Ugh. Hate when that happens.

- Bet what these young hunters and huntresses choose between saving their own arse and that of everyone else's...

- Torchwick is having a blast. Pun intended. 😆. The chesspiece is in the mainframe of the ship... Does that mean they can now control the synthetic army?

- Yup. Glynda and Qrow are with some of them. The tech has turned. Blake and Weiss are being shot at too.

- Holy SHITE. Ironwood has been compromised by his own army. Does he make it?

- Ruby is about to ride the skies with a locker launcher. I love her.

- She has landed on Roman's ship. I am a little worried.

- Weiss is fighting robots. Blake is battling the White Fang. I love how they are both going against pillars of their communities. The symbolism of it all... 🤌🏻

- They are parting ways? Why do the protagonists never stay together?! 🥺

- Adam and Blake have seen one another. I am SCARED. Blake looks to be as well. Also, did this guy just kill an Atlas soldier?! That was extremely unnecessary.

- Snippets of our favourite teenage hunters fighting Grimm. Only to pan to Cinder, Emerald and Mercury.

- They are shooting videos of the Atlas machinary helping the Grimm. Where is this nation's PR team?!?!!

- Are the Goliath Grimms arriving? Major earthquake alert.

- Cinder has left. Ozpin is keeping watch on the horrific goings-on from his office. And is getting ready...

- There's a dragon Grimm?!?!??!???? Who lays dark eggs for Grimm children. I have no words.

- Jaune and Pyrrha smiling at one another while getting ready to fight was so sweet!!!!! 💖

- Ozpin's here. Pyrrha is going to him. Jaune is going after her... Cinder is seeing this happen. Oh no.

- End credits. Dragon Grimm sketch. Such detail! Griffon Grimm. With a Ruby Rose size comparison! Beowulf Grimm sketch now. Ironwood and his weapon. I don't know why but I like all the characters' designs here so much!!!! The Atlas synthetic army. The music wants me to write an epic...

Season 03, Episode 11: Heroes and Monsters

- Things are about to get so much worse. As if they weren't already.

- "Misery and pain for all."

- Dragon Grimm has entered the chat.

- Griffon Grimms are descending as well. Ruby is fighting one!

- Slash and Neo's camera flash. Torchwick knows who be here.

- Adam and Blake. She looks so scared... This fucker is about to murder a student?!

- Oh thank Gods. Blake didn't let that happen.

- I want to kill Adam. What fucking betrayal did Blake commit. You fucking fucker.

- This ginormous son of a gun, the highest order of insult in my head, needs to learn what "my love" means. Then proceed to never use the words again and bury himself in the ground six feet under. While being alive. I think that would help.

- The young hunters are fighting the robotic army AND the Grimm. Where are the other professionals?!

- The kids are tired. Coco is allowing Velvet to use her weapon. Hmmm. Must be something good!

- Ooooooh! New song alert!!!! Weiss is confused. Coco wants her to keep watching...

- Oh my GODS. She is using a hologram of Crescent Rose and now Weiss' sword?!?!??

- Yang's gauntlets, check! Blake's weapon too... The hologram chameleon weapon. 🤯

- Ohhhh. That's why Velvet was taking pictures.

- Velvet was hit. Weiss cannot take any of it. What is she attempting?

- OH MY GODS!!!! WEISS DID IT!!!!! SUMMONED A KNIGHT WARRIOR OF LIGHT!!!!! WINTER WOULD BE SO PROUD!!!!!!! I know I am.

- Velvet is okie and snapped another picture.

- "You have got to be kidding me!" is right Sun. Will this never end?

- Ruby and Neo are fighting. Torchwick is here too... Two on one. I feel like joining this battle myself.

- Oh no. Ruby is losing. Might fall. Shite. I don't like this.

- THANK GODS. Neo is now gone with the wind. And so is her umbrella.

- I love Ruby. We have already covered this. I shall always bet on her.

- Roman was just eaten up by a Griffon Grimm. I am glad. His tirade was getting tiring. Ruby doesn't have Crescent Rose though. Fuck.

- And she didn't need it apparently!!!! 🎉✨

- Ruby is okie. And a badass.

- Ironwood is alive!!! No matter how cringe he be for me, am glad he lived.

- Ohhhhhh. He is half robot too. Would he qualify to be a cyborg?

- Ironwood really thought Qrow was about to unleash his weapon's full scythe potential on him... LoLLL!

- Grown-up decisions on further steps to help. Ironwood's ship has decided to crash land nearby. Small miracles!

- The machines are self-destructing! YAYYYYYY!

- Yang is here!!! Weiss is tired and in charge of looking for Ruby. Yang is going to Blake. 💖

- Ozpin, Pyrrha and Jaune are in the vault. Oh Gods. Jaune don't know what's happening or about to happen. He is still standing guard. 🥺

- Pyrrha's choice... Does she even have one now? Nope. She has entered the pod.

- Fucking Adam. Someone get this guy away from me. Whiny little baby.

- Did he just- Die. He needs to DIE.

- "I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." -Adam. Enter Yang... Good golly. The timing. 🤌🏻

- OH MY GODS. OH MY GODS. OH MY FUCKING GOOOOOODS.

- Blake's eyes went wide. And Adam said, "...Starting with her."

- I am tearing up a little. There's so much going on. Some pretty bad shite. But this. THIS. Makes me happy. ✨

- Emotional whiplash is disorienting. Back to it.

- Oh no. It's begun. Amber's aura is being transferred to Pyrrha. Who is now in pain. Fuck.

- NOOOOOOO. Cinder just shot Amber. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

- Did Adam just STAB BLAKE?!?!????? YANG HAS SEEN THEM NOW.

- OH MY GODS. BLAKE STILL DOESN'T WANT YANG TO GET INVOLVED.

- I am dying.

- "(Yang screams with blinding rage)" -Subtitles. Super Saiyyan Yang!!!!!

- OH NO. THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS?!??!???!!??????

- Yang has lost her arm.

- Amber has died. The lights have gone out.

- Listen. I know yellow is Yang's colour. And they don't necessarily want to show blood. Therefore, Yang's blood being gold is intentional in that way... HOWEVER, in Greek mythology the Gods have golden blood too. Ichor. So Yang is a Greek God now... Yes, I am delusional. Yes, I need a Percy Jackson RWBY AU to heal. Yes, my next stop will be AO3. Right after I finish with my tears.

- Cinder has the rest of the power. Some of it must have managed to go to Pyrrha though, I think. What's about to happen now?

- Jaune went to attack Cinder but she deflected him. Pyrrha is out of the tube and ready to fight. Ozpin wants them to get away and have Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood be sent to him.

- Yang is down. Adam wants to finish the job. Blake is between them now.

- "Why must you hurt me Blake?" THIS FUCKING FUCKED UP FUCKITY FUCKHEAD FUCKER. NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU. I WILL FUCK YOU UP SO BAD YOU WON'T EVEN HAVE TIME TO SCREAM!!!!!!!!

- That was Blake's copycat. But he didn't know that. And he actually beheaded her... I NEED TO KILL THIS GUY. PLEASE.

- Blake has dragged Yang away. Adam should be put in front of me.

- Cinder and Ozpin... "She was right about you. Such arrogance." -Cinder. Who be 'she?'

- End credits. Torchwick sketches. You will not be missed. But the art is fantastic! Half-machine Ironwood. Huh. Cinder's last name is Fall. I didn't catch that before. Now Qrow sketches. Alongside his weapon! I love how thorough the folks behind the show are!!!! Velvet and her camera's turn. Is this the grayscale of the place where Adam, Blake and Yang's showdown happened?

Season 03, Episode 12: End of the Beginning

- What is happiness? I don't know her.

- Huh. I think this is RWBY's first half an hour long form episode. I am quaking in my non-existent boots.

- "When it falls..."

- Cinder has turned into fireworks? Katy Perry called it... 😆😭

- Ohhhh. It's her fight with Ozpin. The guy is actually holding his own! YAYYYYYY!!!

- Mandatory evacuation to a safe-zone in Vale. Atlas personnel will guide them.

- Zwei is here. ✨

- Finally. Ruby and Weiss have met up. This is going to hurt.

- Yang and Blake are down. Ren and Nora don't seem to be doing much better.

- Oh my Gods. Blake can't stop apologising. Fuck.

- Okie. Ruby's call to her sister broke me a little.

- Jaune and Pyrrha haven't gotten there yet?!

- Dragon Grimm is circling. White Fang are retreating. Ren and Nora are in no condition to do anything. Ruby is saying she will find Jaune and Pyrrha and bring them back... Oh no.

- Weiss is joining her. 🥹

- Zwei wishes them well!!! 💖. So does Sun, but gosh he be done. Samesies, my dude.

- Pyrrha and Jaune are coming out of the school! Jaune is about to call Glynda and is asking about what went down in the vault.

- Cinder is using fire as her jet packs. Shite. What happened to Ozpin?

- Pyrrha is about to stay back. FUCKKKKK. Jaune is trying to convince her otherwise... AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

- She kissed him. Are you fucking kidding me. I am so happy but so fucking done at the same time. She will die. WHY?!???

- Pyrrha locker launched Jaune away. Forever a badass. ❤️‍🔥. And now she is using her semblance to move up... Don't take her. Please. I am not ready.

- Jaune has called up Weiss. Their friendship is the best. 🫶🏻

- He is going hysterical. They keep saying they will save everyone... I can't.

- Much Grimm. Much banter between White Rose... Ruby saying "I have a plan." While Weiss replies with, "You always do." The excellence... 🤌🏻. Things are going to shite, but they are still at it. Good.

- Cinder wants to keep the Dragon Grimm as her pet? And it's working?

- Pyrrha has entered the chat. OH MY GODS. THIS FIGHT SCENE IS ONE FOR THE AGES.

- Dragon Grimm approaching. It likes the bad people? Cinder is in a headlock. Pyrrha's spear has now been broken. Big blast. Beacon's tower is in pieces but still standing.

- So is Pyrrha. She has her shield and semblance. Good Gods. More battle.

- IT'S THE FACT THAT PYRRHA CAUGHT CINDER OFF GUARD!!!! AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

- Cinder threw away the polarity induced gears which were keeping her down... One hit Pyrrha and some red energy passed through her?

- Ruby and Weiss are handling the Grimm below. Now Ruby is walking on walls courtesy of Weiss. Oh no.

- Shield vs arrow. Arrow breaks but is put back together. Fuck glass.

- NO. Right in Achilles' heel?!?!????!?? Pyrrha has been hit.

- "Do you believe in destiny?" Stop. Please.

- Struck right in front of Ruby. CINDER FUCKING DISINTEGRATES HER?!?????????!!!??

- Only Pyrrha's headgear is left. I cannot.

- Ruby. She is just a kid. The fuck. This is too much. You can see it on her face.

- Ummm. What just happened. Ruby screamed. White wings sprouted from within her. Everything is consumed by it. Cinder was so confused she also faded away?

- Who flatlined? Qrow is there. He has got Ruby. It's all still white. Taiyang is Yang and Ruby's dad.

- CCT is down. No way to communicate with the world outside. Ozpin's still missing.

- White has given way to Ruby asleep in a room. Her father is dozing off in a chair near her.

- They are both awake now.

- Qrow got Ruby home. She is asking about Yang. I love these sisters.

- Yang is not okie? 🥺

- Things with Vale is under control. The "thing," dragon Grimm? Still alive. Ruby did a number on it apparently!!! But it's attracting Grimm to school.

- Ruby wants to know how she did a number on it. Things are too messed up. Qrow has arrived in all his drunk wisdom.

- Tai and Qrow don't get along too well? I guess this is just a particularly tenuous topic.

- Pyrrha's really gone. That confirmation hurts like a biatch.

- Ruby has silver eyes. It's important... Both Ruby and her mum were special in a way that's reminiscent of legends and stories.

- "...those with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior." Oh Gods.

- Everything has gone to shite. Every part of Ruby hurts. And all she can think about is how she can help. Holy hell. Martyr.

- Qrow telling Ruby about their enemies being in Haven... Was that intentional? I am terrified.

- Also, maybe this is too callous to think in such a way, but I have a theory that when Yang and Ruby went out in search of Yang's mum... Qrow was following them all along. Am pretty sure the entire thing was orchestrated. They were led there to see if Ruby will unleash her powers early, mayhaps.

- Yang has sunflowers in her room. She looks so different without her energetic emotions and smile. This is the worst.

- Weiss had to leave with her father?!

- Oh shite. Atlas is in extreme hot water and was framed well. Do they even have a PR team?

- Blake ran. Oh fuck. I can't even blame her though.

- "...And I don't care." -Yang. I think she is facing the exact opposite problem. But yeah. Everything is in smithereens.

- From fall to winter. That weather transition was nice.

- I just realised something. Ruby's room has two beds. Am pretty sure one is for Yang, what with the yellow pillows. But she is staying in another room. This is heartbreaking in a different way now.

- Jaune's here! And yup. Haven is the next stop.

- Awwwwwww!!!! Nora and Ren are going too. Team JNR without P looks almost uncanny. It's jarring. At least they have Ruby.

- Is this voiceover from the same lady from back in volume one? Commenting on hope and snuffing it out and dividing mankind? Is she talking to Ozpin?

- Grimm are congregating near Beacon. Glynda can only fix so much. She be tired. Blake's being a ninja. Alone. Weiss is with her father in a jet. Ruby bid goodbye to her mum's memorial plaque and is off with Team JNR. My autocorrect doesn't know Pyrrha has passed away. I didn't want to know either. 😭

- "This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin." So this is Salem. And she has him... Funny how the name of the episode is "End of the Beginning."

- She wants to watch Oz burn... Salem has pyromaniac tendencies then. Good to know.

- Qrow is keeping tabs on Ruby and co from afar. Of course he planted the idea. He has Ozpin's sword?

- QROW CAN TURN INTO A CROW?!?!??!??

- Huh. No end credits scene.

(You spoil me, you let Pyrrha down. So don't do it. Aashchi!)

[bafflement]

Deaged Oz AU - Rumors Out Of Atlas

Have the next Tipverse bit, set just after that news article... the one where Ironwood slipped up. He's not that good at handling the media in this, and it comes back to bite him a little bit. Warning, Vale's council, or at least certain members thereof, are really not very nice.

"Did you hear the news? Apparently they found one of the kidnap victims..." The man saying that sounded strangely amused, a doubting light in his eye. But then, there were always rumors out of the other kingdoms, and with Atlas on lockdown, that meant that anything they heard was likely to be highly spurious, at best.

"... what kidnap victims?" his companion asked, sounding curious. But then they were quite a lot younger than the other man, and neither of them were in Atlas at the moment, it stood to reason that he wouldn’t know the story. Kidnapping happened all the time, and Oak had the sinking impression that he hadn’t actually specified the kidnapping victims in question.

It was hard sometimes, though, to remember that those of his friends that hadn’t actually grown up in Atlas were far less likely to have heard of it. Everybody there knew about the snatched children, it had been far too public to be hidden after the first few vanished. It had quickly gotten far too high profile to keep much of a lid on, anyway. Some of those snatched… well…

“The kidnap victims. You know, the ones out of Atlas? The Winchester girl, that Arc brat… one of the Schnees?”

“One of the Schnees was kidnapped?” They sounded genuinely confused and slightly hurt by the look of disgust Oak shot them at the question. Oak was a big enough person to acknowledge that he wasn’t really being fair to them, but he wasn’t in the mood to try to explain. He’d known one of the victims, at least slightly. They’d been something along the lines of a friend of a friend… maybe with a few other friends in between, but it wasn’t like he had absolutely no connection to the case! Not like some people. If he concentrated, he could almost remember their face…

“Not one of the current ones. Look, look it up, would ya? I don’t have time to explain.” Oak stood up, gulping down the other half of his whiskey in one. His slight wince was the only sign that he’d noticed the burn, but he needed to be somewhere else. Maybe finding a few of his older friends would make sense right now? They might be more understanding than these young puppies were. He didn’t miss Atlas, not really… but it was so hard to judge just what people in Mistral would really care about. He couldn’t be the only one, but he’d been expecting to hear more about it by now. If it was even real, with Atlas, you could never really tell…

The dark skinned woman scoffed to herself as she leant on a wall, listening. It was always interesting just how much gossip could be learned, if only you listened for it. But then, Headmaster Theodore had been strangely careless as to his reaction to this particular piece of news. That it had come to him meant that it was more than likely actually legitimate, but she couldn’t really work out just what was so important about finding a kidnap victim. She was only just old enough to remember the news of the ring when it had broken originally, but surely the fact that it had taken them a quarter of a century to find whoever this was meant that nobody was really looking too hard? She’d been to Atlas before, she knew just how meticulous they were about identifying visitors. Especially right now, with whatever bee had gotten into Ironwood’s bonnet. But then, what had happened to Beacon had probably shaken him, it had shaken most of them. She’d actually liked Ozpin, why couldn’t it have been Ironwood that had died? Nobody would really miss him…

That was probably a bit mean of her, but nobody she knew could really stand the man at the best of times, and whatever was happening in Atlas right now was certainly not that. There had been a few defectors, and the tales they told of just how strict things had gotten? Well, they were welcome here in Vacuo. Anybody fleeing what was starting to sound more like a regime than a kingdom always was.

She wondered if that was why Theo had locked himself away in his office for a few days, or if there were other reasons. It could well just be coincidence, or even something else Ironwood had done that had annoyed him, it was never that easy to tell. It still surprised her at times, that nobody had killed Ironwood yet, but that was out of her hands. Vacuo was too far from Atlas to sent an assassin, and besides, Theo would be terribly disappointed in them if that was to happen.

It wasn’t really that important right now anyway, she mused, listening to the students talk. They’d already changed the subject, not that she could really blame them. If it was long ago to her, what must it be to them? Their parents might have cared more, but then again, probably not. Especially since one of those snatched had been a Schnee… not Jacques’ kid, though. At least she didn’t think that hey had been? Eh, probably didn’t really matter. Hopefully, whoever they’d found might still have a family waiting for them.

She sighed again and stalked off towards her classroom. Rumors or not, these lessons weren’t going to teach themselves.

There were a few members of Vale’s council that were rather less than impressed when the news broke that Atlas had recovered one of the kidnapping victims. It had been so long ago that most of them merely felt happy for them, almost hopeful. Kidnapping wasn’t exactly an Atlas only problem, and all four kingdoms had lost people over the years. The hope in all bar three of their member’s faces seemed to blind them to the turmoil brewing in the exceptions.

All three were old guard, had been on the council for at least thirty years. Had worked hard to make themselves so indispensable that it would have been unthinkable to replace them. Had been voted in, time after time, on the loyalty of those they catered to. Had hoped, independently of each other, that Atlas might have forgotten the lost children.

That Atlas had supposedly found one lit no warm fires in any of their hearts, especially with the heavy implication that it was one of the Atlas four. While none of them much cared if they had located Reuben Arc or Liliana Ironwood, the same couldn’t be said for the other two. It was vaguely possible that a lot of their control had slipped through their fingers when Beacon fell. Nobody had actually found Ozpin’s body  and while none of them ever spoke of it, they all knew who he had once been.

Wren Winchester was also a possibility, but they rather thought she would have reacted by now, made her displeasure known if nothing else. It was so galling, to have to pay her all the money they hadn’t paid Ozpin over the years. They’d gotten so used to padding their pockets, knowing that he was too cowed to really complain about their treatment of him. They’d raised him, shaped him… surely nobody would begrudge them profiting from it?

But now, now Atlas knew… something. They weren’t really certain what that something was, but things were changing. They just hoped it really was Reuben Arc, he would be far easier dealt with than Ozpin would.

If he was alive. If Atlas had somehow found out about at least part of the deception. If. There was no way to know, though. Reaching out to the other kingdom would be highly suspicious at best, tantamount to an admittance at worst. All of them had seen the mess that battle had made of Beacon though. If Ozpin lived, surely he’d be injured, unable to hide?

No, they couldn’t have actually found Winter Schnee… surely they’d know by now?

[rwbyuser24]

Is Atlas fascist? (RWBY)

Greetings everyone, today we have an interesting post.

Let's delve into whether Atlas is or isn't a fascist.

For that, I'm going to use Umberto Eco's Fourteen Points on Fascism. I'll also mention some points I've seen argued about Atlas being a fascist. Let's begin.

1.-The Cult of Tradition. "One has only to look at the syllabus of every fascist movement to find the major traditionalist thinkers. The Nazi gnosis was nourished by traditionalist, syncretistic, occult elements."

"This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return?"

Cordovin seems to appreciate her ancestors quite a bit. But there doesn't seem to be an obsession with tradition. I mean, it's not as if Atlas wants to return to the days when art and self-expression were suppressed. Or that the government nostalgically remembers the glorious era of the Mantle Kingdom.

Atlas seems to look to the future. Sure, there is nationalism, but that supremacy seems to be based on the present. On the fact that great things are being achieved.

2.-The rejection of modernism. “The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity. In this sense, Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism.”

Could it be? While not Atlas entirely, the army does have a way of doing things.

They have this "Always follow orders" thing. Not thinking about orders, just following them.

"You don't have to understand orders, kids. You just have to follow them."

Despite this, even soldiers like Harriet, Vine, and Elm rationalize their actions. That is, they follow orders because they believe these orders make sense.

"We ran ourselves ragged trying to save Mantle tonight. We try that again against an even larger force—"

"You can't focus on one single fight while trying to win a war."

Also, in every army in the world, soldiers are expected to follow orders, even in the most democratic countries.

So, Atlas soldiers don't seem to hate reason. In fact, they don't seem to like being clouded by their emotions. I'm not saying one thing implies the other. I'm just saying that so far, they don't seem to hate rationalism.

3.-The cult of action for action's sake. "Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation."

That doesn't seem to be the case. There is respect and love for the armed forces, but per se, it's not a cult of action. In other words, Atlas military fights because it has no other option. Because that's how some conflicts are resolved.

If Grimm shows up, all that's left is to fight. If terrorists appear, the only thing left to do is fight. If Salem appears, the only thing left to do is fight. Even our heroes understand that. In other words, the Atlas military uses violence to resolve conflicts, reflecting on what to use violence for.

Obviously, on many occasions, that violence was used incorrectly. But that's another matter. The point is that violence doesn't exist just for the sake of using violence. 4.-Disagreement is treason. "The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism. In modern culture, the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge."

Yes and no. During the first half of the Atlas arc, Ironwood had no problem with his allies disagreeing with him. He was even convinced to change his mind twice. When Ruby convinced him not to declare martial law, and when Oscar convinced him to help Mantle.

So, the answer is that it depends on when this happens.

Well, Ironwood was brought to trial, and he had no problem presenting his arguments and defending himself against what the council told him. If Atlas was fascist, putting Ironwood on trial would be difficult. Besides, James never accused them of treason. (Only Jacques, but he is a criminal). 5.-Fear of difference. “The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus, Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.”

Atlas is racist. Period.

But Ironwood doesn't seem to be.

He gave Huntress license to Blake. He allowed Neon to participate in the tournament. He kept Marrow in an elite position.

I'll explore how oppressed the faunus are later. I'll just say that, so far, Atlas doesn't seem to be xenophobic.

It does have xenophobic people (like Cordovin and Drunk Mann). But it doesn't seem like government institutions are aggressive toward immigrants or anything like that. There is a border closure, but that was a temporary measure that is more a matter of security than a xenophobic measure.

There is no fear of those who are different.

6.-Appeal to social frustration. “One of the most typical features of historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.”

Ironwood has never tried to appeal to the middle class with populist language. Sure, he has propaganda for his army in Mantle, but that's more of a "We're here to protect you" message. But James isn't trying to create a narrative defending the middle class against the lower classes. Of course, there's the issue of the White Fang, but that's another topic. The White Fang are terrorists; obviously, Ironwood is going to defend Remnant from them.

7.-Obsession with a plot. “Thus, at the root of Ur-Fascist psychology, there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.”

Ironwood is paranoid, but he doesn't believe in conspiracy theories. I mean, when he believes there are threats, it's because those threats actually exist.

We could take Mantle as a case in point. But it's not as if Ironwood believes Mantle is going to rebel against him. He knows the Happy Huntresses rebelled against him, but he doesn't believe there's a grand conspiracy by Mantle against him. If Ironwood has forces in Mantle, it's to suppress Salem's forces and prevent its minions from infiltrating the kingdom.

8.-The enemy is both strong and weak. "By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak."

Ironwood knows Salem is strong, but still believes she can be defeated. (At least until the Gravity episode, of course.)

However, the same could apply to Team RWBY. They know Salem is strong, but still, that she can be defeated.

9.-Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. “For Ur-Fascism, there is no struggle for life, but rather, life is lived for struggle.”

Atlas is not a pacifist. But, in its particular context, it makes sense.

The enemy are monsters attracted to negativity and terrorists, as well as an immortal witch.

They are enemies that, for the most part, can only be defeated with violence.

10.-Contempt for the weak. “Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology.”

There is no contempt for the weak or the subordinates.

Well, Cordovin does have contempt for the other kingdoms, but she and her soldiers are an exception to the rule.

“Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!”

"Surely you knew Atlas was the father of hard-light Dust, or do lesser kingdoms simply lack proper education?"

It's not as if Atlas is trying to promote an ideology of contempt for the weak.

11.-Everyone is educated to become a hero. "In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked to the cult of death."

There's no image of "We must die for the cause" (Cult of Death). On the contrary, Ironwood tries to avoid soldier deaths as much as possible. You know:

"Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of ​​removing men from the dangers of the battlefield."

While there is propaganda urging people to enlist in Atlas's academy, we don't know what education is normally like at Atlas. And I'm not talking about Atlas's academy, where students obviously undergo military indoctrination. I'm referring to normal schools. Is there indoctrination there to become soldiers? We don't know. Atlas doesn't have compulsory military service either.

12.-Machismo and weaponry. "Machismo implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality."

Atlas is not sexist. It allows women to hold high positions in the military and politics.

Now, I know there are sexist countries where women hold high positions.

But what I'm getting at is that Atlas is not as sexist as the fascist dictatorships of Hitler or Mussolini.

There is no systematic disdain for homosexuality.

There is the case of May Marigold, but that wasn't the state discriminating against her. And she even says she was despised, not for being trans, but for choosing Mantle over Atlas.

"Mantle needed me, and to the Marigolds, that meant I wasn't their son anymore. And I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn't their daughter."

13.-Selective populism. “There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.”

I don't remember Ironwood being populist or using populist strategies. Ironwood does not present himself as the one who represents the voice of the people.

14.-r-Fascism speaks Newspeak. “All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.”

Uh, Ironwood uses language that is at odds with reality, but he doesn't use Newspeak.

Is Atlas a military dictatorship? I don't know; we'll debate that later.

But if Atlas is a dictatorship, Ironwood is not its dictator.

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council."

When Ironwood points out that he has political power, he doesn't say he's the president of Atlas or the head of state. What James is saying is that he has two seats on the council.

In other words, Ironwood's political power derives entirely from those two seats.

In other words, Ironwood is part of the regime that rules Atlas; he's part of the people who run the government. But Ironwood doesn't hold absolute power. In any case, we can say that other civil authorities like Sleet and Camilla are also part of the dictatorship.

There's the case of the faunus who… Well, look.

Faunus are discriminated against. But to what extent are they oppressed?

According to Jacques, he pays human workers the same as faunus.

"That's precisely my point. We offer faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument is completely invalid right out of the gate."

Still, we know that there are many faunus living in poverty in the slums, and it is mentioned that the wages are miserable.

"Cheap labor, dangerous working conditions, doing whatever it takes to destroy the competition, Jacques Schnee doesn't care about people."

We know from the comics that faunus are even used as slaves by the SDC. And that this is legal. Apparently, those faunus are political prisoners. And we've only seen faunus used for that.

Are faunus servants of the kingdom? Yes and no. In theory, faunus are free to do whatever they please; however, poverty forces them to seek jobs where they are exploited. Are there government institutions that force them into poverty? That doesn't seem to be the case. Atlas seems to "Let it be, let it pass" to the labor exploitation of both faunus and humans. But the state doesn't send you to forced labor camps.

The only exception is political prisoners used by the SDC. But I would compare that to how in real life in the United States (at least before), convict labor primarily used African-American labor.

We've seen faunus in prestigious positions as tournament participants or elite forces. Even Blake received her Huntress license.

I think the only person who is racist within the military is Cordovin.

In other words, faunus don't receive the treatment that people conquered by the Nazis or Italian fascists received. It's not even like the Atlesians' plan is to "work the faunus to death." Jacques is an irresponsible man who doesn't care about providing adequate working conditions. But that seems to apply to both humans and faunus.

Another thing. In RWBY: Arrowfell, it's mentioned that unions exist and that they're not illegal. In real life, in Nazi Germany, unions were illegal.

And about militarism. Atlas is militaristic out of practicality, not to invade or pressure other nations. Again, there are Grimm and terrorists.

[anironwitch]

For the send you a ship thing, how about Ironwitch?

Who hogs the duvet?:

Glynda definitely does however, James definitely gets more cuddly when she hogs it.

Who texts/rings to check how their day is going?:

I feel James is more of the caller wanting to just pick Glynda's brain. However I do like the idea that Glynda started the tradition of sending wild things she hears as a professor and that starts a lovely tradition of he's.

Who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts?:

Glynda definitely remembers the most minor of points that James will make a turn that into a gift. However, James defintly makes the more funny joke gifts.

Who gets up first in the morning?:

James definitely he can't beat the effects of his military training, and it is a rare for him to sleep in, but Glynda treasures when he is slow out of bed.

Who suggests new things in bed?:

Oh Glynda, Glynda.

Who cries at movies?:

James, definitely he will suggest the movies that he knows that will make him cry. He will be like it probably won't make me cry, it does a lot. In the AU's where they have adopted the scheene kids it defintly surprised Whitey and let him feel for safe around James.

Who gives unprompted massages?:

I feel like Glynda, she can tell when he is dealing with a cramp or phantom pain. They have known each other for so long it's just something she does.

Who fusses over the other when they’re sick?:

James, he is terrible at taking care of himself, however the minute someone else gets sick, most likely from the same thing. He fully ignores himself to take of that other person.

Who gets jealous easiest?:

I feel like Glynda, no real reason just vibe tbh

Who has the most embarrassing taste in music:

I think they both have embarrassing taste in music as in James will have more weird music, however Glynda mostly lives her on shuffle and does not care.

Who collects something unusual?:

Okay, so I feel like that James based on the fannon interperation that he adores astronomy that he has a lot of telescopes and old star maps.

Who takes the longest to get ready?:

I think Glynda does, she does get ready quickly, however cause of the military training he gets ready very quickly.

Who is the most tidy and organized?:

Who gets most excited about the holidays?:

Who is the big spoon/little spoon?:

I think 60/40 it Glynda as big spoon and James as little spoon. I think it's a very vibes specific when it happens.

Who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports?:

They both are, but If it's something they have never played or done it's probably James.

Who starts the most arguments?:

Glynda most likely considering she can read James like a book. I feel most of them aren't super serious. However James "I can keep all of my emotions inside of me and then I die" Ironwood has the bad habit

Who suggests that they buy adopt a pet?:

I feel like both of them have had cats in the past, but I would be failed to mention General Turtleleaf (@ironwoodprotectionsquad)

What couple traditions they have?:

They go on atleast four bookstore dates. When it is to hazardous to go outside (snow, wind, or both), they will have a full day date of chilling at home.

What TV shows they watch together?:

So it's been a while since I have watched a lot of T.V being in Uni (makes it hard). I can see them being Trekkie's, I feel like they would like House M.D, I can see them liking the Bear, Probably Last Week Tonight, A lot of cooking shows, (in AUs where the schnee's are young probably Bluey), definitely jeopardy (Glynda very good at it), severance, succession, Madmen, probably a lot of well written prestige tv tbh.

What other couple they hang out with?:

That depends on the AU for me. I can see them hangout with Tai/Qrow and or Tai/Qrow/Oz, Qrow/Clover, Probably Summer and Raven as well, maybe the crack ship of Raven and Cinder, but that would have to be in a very specific AU for me. these two are the ship I feel most strongly about in regards to the adults so I am not sure tbh.

How they spend time together as a couple?:

Cooking, going out, raising their kids, working, vibing at home, Working out together, trying new things, fuckingalotandoften, finding new things to do, supporting each other hobbies, etc.

Who made the first move?:

Glynda was definitely the party that asked can, I please kiss you, however James definitely said I love you first. He spits it out on accident and gets super flustered.

Who brings flowers home?:

I think James mostly, HOWEVER when Glynda does, she never tells him. He tends to be more predictable when giving them, however when she gives him flowers he's always floored.

Who is the best cook?:

Hmmmmm.

I think both of them are very good cooks, but they are better at cooking respective things. I think Glynda can cook Taiwanese food, she tries to study it from James, his family, from Tawiwanse's cook books, and various cooks.

I can also see Glynda being better at making Welsh food and some elements of baking, but I think that's because she has more of the approach of precision of baking rather than the flexibility of cooking.

(Sorry this is so overdue I am in my last semester of undergrad rn, it has been fun, but there is also too much work, and bullshit at the same time).

[lyricthecat-12]

Qrow Vs Clover Vs Tyrian and the problem with assume things.

Is a bit of a curious dichotomy of emotions I've generated with this fight: On the one hand, it's a moment I dislike and think could have been executed better, but on the other, it's one of my favorite fights in the entire series, and I consider it a very unfairly underrated scene, as well as one of the most misunderstood. I've seen a lot of opinions about this moment and after some thought, I'd like to share my take on it.

Starting from the beginning, it's necessary to clarify one thing: Qrow did NOT team up with Tyrian; people assumed he did.

But if you carefully review the entire sequence, at no point does Qrow support or help Tyrian as Tyrian does with Qrow, in any case Qrow simply limited himself to not attacking him. Why? By Clover. Qrow attempted to attack Tyrian the moment he appeared and after being suggested to fight Clover again, but Clover intervened and insisted on fighting Qrow. So that in order to not have to deal with both of them at once, it makes more sense to think that Qrow tried to subdue Clover first before fighting Tyrian.

So the fight wouldn't be "Tyrian & Qrow Vs Clover" but rather "Qrow Vs Tyrian Vs Clover" or even "Qrow Vs Tyrian and Clover."

I know many are also criticizing Clover's writing in this part, and honestly, I don't blame them, but there are also several details to keep in mind:

Since WoR and V3, they told us that Atlas is characterized by a high level of militarization, which not only translates into great armament and effectiveness, but also into an extremely rigid discipline to follow orders in any scenario, which is what they intended to show us here.

Clover's mistake here was underestimating the type of threat Tyrian poses: he is a wanted serial killer but that doesn't strictly mean he can defend himself against highly trained hunters, since just in the previous chapter the three of them were able to defeat him relatively quickly. Because obviously, Clover doesn't know what we as viewers know and based on that, he saw Qrow as the biggest threat and with everything mentioned above, it made his blindly focus on fighting him first, possibly thinking that he could get Tyrian arrested again.

Clover was overconfident but remember, his semblance is literally good luck, twisting fate in his favor, and he is Ironwood's right-hand man, which adds even more weight to his blind faith in him: For him and the Ace Ops, Ironwood is the undisputed law and they were trained to follow his orders until the end.

And yet it's worth remembering that he wasn't the one who started the fight: he tried to arrest Qrow peacefully, but Robyn was the first to initiate physical conflict. We know how extreme she can be in defending her cause, and given her position, she only saw how James betrayed her newly acquired trust at the time.

And it's all of those elements that lead to this moment: Clover does NOT want to fight Qrow, nor he against Clover, but circumstances twist to the point that they believe they have no other choice, and that's where Tyrian comes into the equation: Since his conversation with Mercury in the V6, we saw that he possessed a greater degree of emotional intelligence than he pretend, and here we are shown how lethal he can be, not only physically but also psychologically. He saw how Clover's target was blindly Qrow and took advantage of that to further fuel the fire, giving Clover the wrong impression for eliminate any possibility of they can reconciling, taking them both to the limit to the point of only focusing on each other.

So, at the moment when they both forget him, he can kill two birds with one stone: kill Clover and frame Qrow for it.

In a move that perfectly exemplifies Salem's modus operandi: Divide and Conquer.

Everything in the story led to this moment: Fear, loyalties, lies, ideologies... Each side at this point takes shape in the 3 fighters: Ironwood is driven to the limits of his paranoia and that turns him into the middle player between Salem and Ozpin, prompting Clover's intervention.

Qrow blindly followed Ozpin until the harsh truth was revealed to him and that destroyed him and now, although he continues fighting to defeat Salem, he tries to free Clover from that same extreme loyalty that only hinders a war that was already convoluted from before. This is the really point of the entire interaction, to share Qrow's frustration in front a character who has the extreme loyalty he once felt.

And Tyrian, just like Salem, is the intermediary who makes things go awry. It's literally Good Luck vs Bad Luck, but the scales don't tip in favor of either of them because Tyrian was there to wrest control of the situation from them without either of them realizing it.

For me, the real problem with the sequence is that everything happens too quickly for the viewer to fully grasp all his components at the moment. The writers simply assumed that the audience would eventually catch on and understand the reasons for the characters' extreme actions. Which led to a beautifully choreographed fight and a moment that was meant to be frustrating but also heartbreaking, being misinterpreted, hated and ridiculed to this day.

And for the record: I don't like how it ended, even though I like the fight itself, the idea and the feat it represents for Tyrian, I still find it unnecessary that they decided to kill off a character we literally just met, just to create more conflict to Qrow. Clover, outside of shipping, was a character with potential, but they wasted it by getting rid of him so abruptly just to try to give Qrow a development that could have been implemented in many other better ways and without going to the extreme.

Even though I also liked the narrative irony they brought in the V9 epilogue with Qrow, even after all that happen, being the only one capable of seeing something good in a totally desperate situation, motivated by the memory of those he lost. It how we got to that point still leaves a bad taste in my mouth :/

[thousandyearphantombunker]

“The titan said Belos is evil tho! Are you stupid the show said he was evil!”“Masha said lil’ bro just got jelly that his brother got a girlfriend! He doesn’t have depth and his ending was supposed to be unsatisfying!”“But James Ironwood losing his arm is supposed to represent him losing his humanity”“Jason Rose said that James could’ve always become evil and sided with Salem”“They literally called him genocide general!”“But in this Q&A they said the puppies survived they just lost their laser powers! And in the tie-in material, they showed everyone was fine! You just hate Starco!”“The show/tie-in material/a fucking Q&A said blah blah blah!”These arguments are shit. TOH- “God says witches are evil so it is his duty to kill them!” is a pretty horrible justification for killing someone except when the titan says it to Luz. I don’t think Luz is in the wrong for killing Belos, he was a genocidal maniac and child abuser and genuinely irredeemable- nobody who hates the ending of The Owl House complains about Belos being irredeemable, they complain about the show flopping the cult critical message, how hunter’s possession felt like needless shock value, the show not properly setting up the collector or how the coven system/conformitorium’s writing is a mess or how Eda becoming a teacher makes as much sense as Toph becoming a cop and you can go ‘but the show said-’ what the show said had unfortunate implications, was uncomfortable to abuse survivors, and I can’t forgive the ass-pullery of the trailer-bait nightmare sequence or how in the hexside crew became irrelevant! When people complain about how Belos was handled nobody complains about him not getting a redemption arc- they complain that hunter should’ve been there to see belos die or how they hate Luz’s power up. RWBY -James Ironwood’s and Penny’s character arcs and deaths felt so ableist it’s actually uncomfortable to watch, I have ASD my sister, and like half of the people I know have PTSD, I don’t know any amputees but I’ve seen plenty making noise about how shit the writing was. Good, they should be mad! The show’s message about prosthetics/amputations was toxic! Not mention for all the hopeful messages Team RWBY screams at the top of their lungs about trust they knowingly broke Ironwood’s trust for very poorly defined reasons! while I do think ruthless pragmatism is a bad thing, team RWBY offered no alternatives, he wasn’t a villain- he was facing an ethical dilemma and got fucked over. And SVTFOE- I shouldn’t have to buy tie-in materials to understand the show- tie-in material should be a bonus not a supplement or requirement, I Don’t have to buy the ATLA comics inorder to understand the show, I don’t have to read all of Lord Of The Rings to understand the movies. It doesn’t matter how the show was supposed to be interpreted or how the audience is supposed to feel, and It’s perfectly valid for the audience not to care about damage control spinoffs (cough cough Steven Universe) or Q&A’s or whatever. I’ll admit sometimes the audience is fucking stupid and completely media illiterate but can we stop acting like anyone who doesn’t blindly consume product and go with what the writers said are stupid? I know im not articulating this well but I’m pissy rn and I’m having trouble deconstructing whats wrong with those kind of arguments but god there is so much wrong with these arguements