#james ironwood (mentioned)

[bafflement]

Parties and Partings [Deaged Oz AU]

@remnants-of-rwby-events

Day 2: Party... this one went in a rather different direction. Again. It's more bittersweet than celebratory, to warn you

It wasn’t really very much of a celebration, certainly not what anybody else would call a party. Three old men, huddled around a fire with glasses of a very expensive whiskey, toasting those that they’d lost. Nicholas, the children… so many people. They just collectively hoped that, wherever they were, they were having more fun than they were right now. Hoped that the children might be alive, somewhere. Reuben, Liliana, Wren, Winter… maybe they were safe, maybe they were happy? It was a nice thought, even if they could never be sure either way. Maybe they had people that loved them, out there in the world? They loved them, too, though. Their missing children, all the lost chances. Yes, all three of them had others, but nothing would ever really fill the hole that their youngest had left behind. None of their living children had managed to make it, this year. They were all too busy with their own celebrations. Prism, with his mass of children, happy in Vale. Willow, in her mausoleum of a house with a man they all collectively hated… but if Jacques made her happy, made her children happy, it wasn’t something they dared try to fight. Lark and Swan, each with their own lives revolving around their hereditary military company, the Winchester name surely flourishing into the next generation. And James, so focussed on his career that he didn’t have a family, barely had friends. All of them seemed content enough, but… what of the youngest, those they’d lost? Each of the three men raised a glass in silent toast to them. They may not be children anymore, but they’d always be theirs.

Meanwhile, each of the people that had once been the Atlas four were having their own yuletide celebrations. Oh, they weren’t all equal, but each of them was happy enough, even though none of them knew that they had family that were still looking for them. It had been a very long time, after all…

Alum groaned as he went back over the stock numbers. Someone had dropped a digit somewhere, they sat firmly in the red for this year. Oh, don’t get him wrong, he loved what he did, adored the little shop and the life he had out here in Mistral. But he did wonder, sometimes, just what might have been different. He had dreams of a noisy, warm celebration with a family he could never quite make out, in a place that seemed oddly hazy. But then, that was always the way of dreams. They seemed so solid and real while he slept, only to slip away in the light of day. He just wished the numbers would. He had a warm home waiting for him, a few friends that gathered each year to toast the next one. He had plans, dammit! And yet, the numbers still stared at him, almost mockingly. He sighed in defeat and settled in for a long night. Hopefully his friends would understand, this wouldn’t be the first time they’d all had to postpone this.

Em grinned out at her nephew fondly. Their farm might not be the largest, or the most profitable, but it was theirs. It was safe, or as safe as anywhere was out here on the edges of Mistral. Besides, it had been in her adoptive family for generations, and hopefully would be for many more. Her nephew was growing so fast, these days. She only wished his parents could be there to see him. But that was always the risk of life on Remnant. They’d been hunters, just like Em herself had once been, but they’d been no match for whatever monster had come for them that night. She was just glad that he’d survived, he’d been so young back then, so very vulnerable. That he’d survived, even injured, had been almost a miracle. It was just the two of them tonight, but she’d managed to put together a small feast anyway. All of both of their favourites, and even a few things she knew Oscar had read about over the year. He’d been so excited to tell her all about them, too. She smiled to herself as the scent of cooked meat infused the air, her timers going off. It was almost time.

Glynda sighed happily, stretching almost like a cat over her sofa as she relaxed. She’d won the toss this year, so was perfectly able and content in having her own celebration here at home. It was quiet and small, yes, but at least there weren’t any students around to annoy her. Only her, her aging father and their memories. This was the same most years though, often enough she did wonder if Ozpin threw their private competition on purpose. Unlike her, Oz didn’t have a family and he was so self sacrificing at times that she rather wondered if he’d be able to bring himself to intrude on anybody else’s celebrations. Besides, the person he’d most want to celebrate with wasn’t here this year. Qrow was busy with Tai and his nieces, out in Patch. He was happy, she knew that, yet part of her missed him. It was weird, she was nowhere near as close to Qrow as Oz was, yet in many ways, he was also one of her best friends. Maybe she should scroll Oz? He must be having a time of it, stuck at Beacon with those of their students that didn’t have… or didn’t want… to go home to their own celebrations. There were a few every year, but there seemed to be more than most, this time. Hopefully, it wasn’t some sort of a sign.

Oz smiled out at the room happily. He didn’t mind being here with the children, as opposed to out on his own. There would have been so little for him to do at home, anyway. Oh, it was decorated, his friends tended to insist on that. But they all had their own families, their own lives. At least here, looking out for those of his students who didn’t have their own celebrations to go to, he could be useful. He missed having a family, sometimes, but then in many ways it was easier being who and what he was as an orphan. There were less people to be targeted this way, though he was still terrified that Salem might work out just how much his students meant to him and use it against him. They were children, relative innocents for all that they’d all signed up to be hunters. They’d be easy pray to Salem’s goons. He shook his head, banishing the thought and raised his glass in the traditional toast. It wasn’t alcohol, it never was, but it was enough that  his students thought that it might be. Those few that were old enough were certainly indulging in their own, but for all that Oz didn’t drink, he didn’t begrudge them it. Life was so short, for them. So filled with danger and fear, let them have this one night to be happy. He certainly was, or as happy as he could ever truly let himself be. There was more to lose this way, of course, but… he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The old men sat around the fire, still drinking. Hawke Winchester, Simeon Ironwood and Reyne Arc. They’d all lost so much, but for this one night they could celebrate that. Let tomorrow be about the living, tonight? Tonight they mourned their ghosts.

[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

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

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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!”

[livestosave]

@flightofaqrow asked: (Ironwood) 🍁 + What was his family like 

      “...I take it you mean my...biological family?”

      The general leaned back from his desk, folding his hands. What was his family like...

      “I’ll give you the answer to both, and hope it does not disappoint you, hm?” The small half-smile was faint, but there, sighing softly as he steeled himself against the memories. It was likely best to start with the unpleasantness and...move to gentler thoughts afterward.

      “My mother was a dust trader from Mantle. From what little I know of her, she was a bright, beautiful woman, who loved with all she had. When she was home, she was always playing with me, and...I remember her laugh. She had the kind of laugh that made you want to laugh right along with her. She traveled a lot for work, and left me with my father.”

      And if, more than four decades later, his hand still clenched tightly enough that his glove audibly strained, well. It had never become easy to talk about.

      “He...he was from Mistral, I think. Or maybe from Argus. I assume they met when she was there for work, but eventually he moved to Mantle. He worked in the mines, and took care of me when my mother was away for work...which was most times. And he was...” A hesitation, and the headmaster forced his eyes to shut. It was easier that way. “He was cruel. Abusive. I only really remember being afraid, and angry. I don’t even know what he looked like, beyond a fist coming at me.”

      With a soft breath, James opened his eyes, tipping his head slightly and managing a small smile. Gentle, and...deeply, deeply fond.

      “I ran away when I was about six or seven. Lived on the streets for a few years. Then I picked the pocket of a well to-do gentleman, hoping for something good...and got caught. Luckily for me, old Goodkind was always far softer than he ever let on.” Sapphire eyes soften, full of both warmth and a nostalgic pain. An old grief. “I don’t know how many remember old Goodkind properly...he was a general in the Great War, and was General and Headmaster before me. He took me in, though at the time I didn’t fully realize it.”

      He fell silent for a moment, gloved left hand reaching up to stroke over his beard as he lost himself in fond memories for a moment.

      “Goodkind was a stoat faunus, and one of the old nobility from the Kingdom of Mantle. He was...brilliant. A bit standoffish, unless he liked you. A brave warrior, a fierce politician, a bright academic, and wonderful teacher...and he was very wise. And kind. And gentle. I was a feral child when he took me in, and he never pushed. Never caged. In hindsight, he treated me like you might a feral cat, and it worked. Eventually, without my ever realizing it...he became my father. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss his guidance dearly. And the sharp wit that often accompanied it.” The thought brought a soft huff of laughter from the tired general, even as his hands folded across his middle. All the tension from before bled out of him, to be replaced with a warm amusement and relaxation. “Did I mention he had a sharp tongue? When he was a general in the war, he tore out throats, and I think in peacetime, he decided to see if he could do it figuratively.”

      After another moment’s quiet, he rolled a shoulder, and looked back down to his desk. “I suppose old Lark ( @couplct​ ) counts too. Another General during the Great War, Robert lark was Goodkind’s dearest friend...and something of an uncle to me, I suppose. Maybe even a second father. He and Goodkind were always visiting each other when the schools had breaks. Lark was big, and loud, and brash, and did absolutely nothing by halves. He could be a tough, mean old bastard, or one of the gentlest, warmest men I’ve ever known.”

      The sadness and grief in his eyes only deepened, as the general finally leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his desk and folding his hands. “When Lark finally passed, Goodkind followed him five years to the day. And I miss them both terribly.”

[invincibleweasel]

Was it ever explained why Winter seemingly skipped over going back for Jacques and James. Did the writers forget? Or did they desperate need a shit fight to fill up 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.

[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.

[howlingday]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So... yeah.

[frickingnerd]

the beginning of darkness

pairing: james ironwood x gn!reader

summary: you've been ironwood's right hand man for years. but when you change sides, ironwood isn't very pleased about that…

tags: ironwood holds reader at gunpoint, co-workers/friends to enemies, mentions of team rwby, ironwood vs. team rwby, angst with an open ending

“i wanted this to end differently.”

james had a tight grip around his gun, pointing it at you. you didn't dare move, knowing he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. and after everything you had done, you wouldn't be surprised if he'd shoot you without any remorse.

“my own right hand man, working with the enemy. together, we could've saved atlas. but you had to betray me and sell me out. i should've gotten rid of you a long time ago…”

james sighed and loaded his gun.

“i never meant to betray you.” you spoke up, knowing that it was now or never. perhaps your words could sway james, before he'd shoot you. “i want to save atlas, just as much as you do. but this isn't the right way! if you'd listen to ruby and–”

“don't say their names, traitor.” james voice was firm and he glared at you. those girls really were a thorn in his eyes. “you've sold me out to some teenagers, who have no clue about the world we live in, nor how to protect a whole nation. it doesn't matter how good their plan is. they are just children, who don't know any better!”

“they aren't just children. they are our hope.”

a dry laughter escaped ironwood's lips as you said those words. you really had changed. just like everyone around you, you had let their naivety infest you. once you were someone james considered an equal. but now, he could only laugh at your simple mindedness.

“i've had planned to get rid of you the same way i do with all traitors.” james said, as he unloaded his gun and slipped it back into its holster. “but i'd much rather keep you alive, to see their plans fail. maybe seeing the world in ruin after they failed to save it will bring you back to your senses…”

[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?

[pinkrangersarah]

For all the reasons I've seen for people to either love or hate James's arc in V8, I've never once seen anyone bring up his semblance. Specifically, I've never seen anyone mention what a disservice it was to have it merely mentioned on Twitter and never once bring it up in any sort of way in the actual show.

I hate information being released on the side and never once being brought up in the canon in any sort of way. It's lazy. It is relying solely on the audience to have seen it and to take your word for it. It's like adapting a book into a show or film but leaving out important details about the world and/or characters, relying on the audience to have read the book first (which a vast majority of them will not have done).

James's semblance, to put it simply, is tunnel-vision. It "strengthens his resolve to carry through with tough decisions", basically cancelling out rational thought and ignoring consequences. This is a major piece of information about James's behavior that is never once brought up, and because of that I can understand why a lot of people didn't like his 180 heel turn into antagonist territory--I didn't either for the longest time, and because of this a part of me still doesn't. While parts of his downfall were done subtly and done well, this particular part of it was not.

"But why would his semblance ever be brought up in conversation?" Good question, one that could be easily answered by the three characters in the cast that definitely should know about James's semblance: Qrow, Ozpin, and Watts. Qrow and Ozpin had been working with James for years, and before that it is implied that Watts and James also worked together for a period of time, getting to know each other fairly well. It makes absolutely no sense for neither of these three to ever once bring up the fact that James's behavior is likely due to his semblance interfering with his ability to make decisions. Hell, I can even imagine Watts being delighted by this; Watts knowing how James's semblance works and how to take advantage of it would definitely benefit Salem.

James Ironwood was such a fascinating character, but the fact that his semblance felt like an afterthought is a major disservice to his arc, in my opinion.

[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

[itsclydebitches]

Right, so I was looking over your recap of Worthy again and didn't see you mention how absolutely contrived the circumstances of the James vs Winter fight were. If you remember from Creation, Winter explicitly states "No. When we're finished, we'll move both of you to safety." when Jacques asks if she'd be leaving him there. Logically, this would mean the next we see of Winter she'd be transporting James and Jacques to the nearest available portal but she doesn't? She just conveniently forgets about them. And I'd be FINE with that if it was written as a deliberate choice by Winter. "Sorry Weiss, these two men have negatively affected my life beyond repair and I can never forgive them." and while I don't necessarily agree wholeheartedly with that line of thinking because no matter what, every life should be fought for and saved in a scenario with magic transportation portals such as this. It'd at least be SOME sort of explanation that's in line with the narrative CRWBY is trying to tell. Instead we get her walking around aimlessly in the Atlas Vault, trying to communicate with everyone on the plan's status. Which makes no sense given that we've already seen the ground shake elsewhere meaning SOMETHING has happened to notify everyone that Atlas is falling. And I thought maybe I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she doesn't know since no portals have spawned in the vault yet and then I rechecked and they HAVE.

She should be sprinting for the portal. Atlas is falling. She needs to go go go but instead she just calmly walks towards it? Is time not of the essence? Where's the urgency? Like I get that sprinting in heels up a flight of stairs that large would be absolute murder on her ankles but still. They dumb her down just for the sake of a stupid fight that nerfs her so she NEEDS Penny to die to give her the powers and win in a fight she should have no issues with.

If I'm also giving her the benefit of the doubt - and from what I can recall after an admittedly long hiatus from watching this particular episode - I think she intended to move Ironwood and Jacques after the evacuation is complete. "When we're finished." So yes, she knows Atlas is falling because that's a prerequisite of the portals appearing. She knows the evacuation is underway and that something is going on thanks to communications being down, but not what. Winter has her next step planned, but no indication of if she should start it yet because she's not able to contact anyone and presumably she wouldn't want to go through the portal until she's planning to leave Atlas permanently. (We know that they can use the portals to get around Atlas/Mantle thanks to Jaune portal hopping to look for survivors, but I'm not sure that's ever established among the other characters. AKA Winter might think she shouldn't go through one until she's ready to leave it all behind, but she can't do that until she's gotten Ironwood and her dad).

But all the above keeps it just as contrived and stupid? Why does Winter need to wait until "When we're finished" to move them? To my recollection the show never establishes anything like, "You're a security risk so we're going to ensure everyone else is through before dealing with you" or "Based on our battle we'll need the rest of the team present to move Ironwood" or even a variation of your idea: "In theory I believe that no one should be left to die, but considering you made our lives hell, Jacques, we're not going to worry about you until everyone else is safe. You get rescued if there's time left :)" It's just such a weird situation that, yes, exists to ensure that Ironwood is conveniently alone so that only his cell can conveniently open so that he can conveniently go find Winter who is all alone in the vault... because?

This could 100% be me forgetting some aspect of Volume 8, but why is she in there again? She's not guarding the Staff because the girls already have it. She's not guarding the portal because portals have opened up all over the city and Ironwood/the villains can slip through any of them to reach the same place (as Cinder did). She's not playing decoy - misleading others into thinking the Staff is still there - because she's totally blindsided by Ironwood's attack. I'm just trying to remember/figure out the justification for this because if there isn't any that makes the fact that Winter isn't rounding up the prisoners all the more absurd. Her role in this plan seems to be to twiddle her thumbs (in a random place she has no good reason to be in) until she's told that all the hard work is already done. Then she can do the one errand she could have been doing this whole time.

I will say, thinking about it now I'm not against Winter being at a disadvantage against Ironwood, regardless of whether or not she's nerfed in terms of the skill she displays. Her losing tracks for me in terms of her being the subordinate/having him as a mentor in the early Volumes (implying that he's stronger not just politically, but combat-wise too), age (again, the older character is likely to have more experience + time to train their skills), and the fact that just recently we saw Ironwood going toe-to-toe against her, Emerald, and all of team JNOR, holding his own until he was inevitably overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, everything is still wrong with Penny dying to give Winter the Maiden powers, from how her death was orchestrated all the way to a semi-literal deus ex machina that lets Winter win via convenient magical powerup. We could have had the more interesting a) she wins through a really smart tactic or b) she looses and now Ironwood is thrown into the portal bridge fray instead of being left to presumably die off screen :/

[helena-and-helena-meta]

It's been a while since I made a James Ironwood post. I wanted to address something.

Recently, I had major surgery, and I'm starting to understand this action. When you remove one piece of your body that you have two of(Say arms, legs, or an ovary) the other one begins cramping, it's working much harder than it has plus even after it's mostly healed the scar can hurt bad especially if you drop something on it or have materials over it that cause irritation. Not to mention, your body still tries to send the missing part signals at times, those hurt.

I believe Ironwood was in pain during this scene especially after we learn how much he overworks himself, I believe it wasn't his scars aching but his other arm from overworking himself. He needed a break so badly even during the Beacon arcs.

I'm not Including how much the medication can drain you depending on what it is.