#specifically with qrow

[stars-n-spice]

I have a vision:

Bonus:

[sugarspikesart]

I tried SO HARD to make them look like twins

Qrow is taller tho it seems? Man I really gotta work on proportions

[hiraganasakura]

[ID: Three images of pairs of sibling characters across various pieces of fiction. The first image shows Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma from Ace Attorney, both smiling, but Edgeworth's is softer while Franziska's is more cocky. The second shows Qrow and Raven Branwen from RWBY, scowling at each other on opposite sides of a table. The third image shows Zuko and Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and whereas Zuko looks nervous, Azula looks calm and composed. End ID.]

If I had a nickel for every time I got strangely emotionally invested in a pair of fictional siblings that grew up in toxic environments; in which the brother struggles with self-esteem issues, unhealthy coping mechanisms, self-destructive trauma responses, and problems with how some unjust system or another is upheld; and the sister is very aggressive, violent, and perfectionistic, refers to her brother condescendingly to feel some degree of power over him, and hides what are likely self-esteem issues of her own behind masks of what she falsely perceives as "strength"; I'd have three nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened three times.

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

How successful would Qrow Branwen…

Would you like to submit a character? Click this link if you do!

[hartxstarr-art]

super fast, super quick reference i did of my twst oc yuuma! he/they. these are the clothes they were wearing when they were forcibly taken summoned.

[constantvariations]

For a show that's supposedly about female empowerment, it's odd how every major female character is heavily influenced by men

Women whose fighting styles are based on men: Ruby (Qrow), Yang (Tai), Cinder (Rhodes)

Women whose ideologies are based on men: Weiss (opposition to Jacques), Blake (same as Ghira)

Women whose stories are almost completely intertwined with men: Nora (personal arc was figuring out who she was without Ren), Pyrrha (almost every scene with her prior to V3 was with Jaune), Emerald (almost every scene prior to v8 was shared with Mercury), Salem (motivated by Ozma's death, cursed by idiot brothers)

If the writing cast reflected the character cast, we probably wouldn't have this problem

[kenisle]

underrated comedic dynamic is the squad of intrepid teenage heroes and the one (1) adult who’s tasked themselves with taking care of them. the adult is almost always outvoted in group decisions but they’re kept around as the token authority figure for when the kids hit roadblocks due to their youth, even though they’re in no way leading the group. the kids let them tag along as just another member of their little squad meanwhile the adult is always Surrounded by Babies Playing with Fire.

[vint-knight]

Here's my whole tierlist for RWBY, this mostly stems from half of the characters in the list being irrelevant as FUCK

Also the Blacksmith/The Tree is my new instant favourite character

[illusory0]

mom and dad

[bafflement]

Deaged Oz AU - Unfortunately, it translates...

Oz muttered to himself as he reached the quiet corner of the farm he'd been aiming for. Getting there had taken slightly longer than he'd anticipated, but his cane had been invaluable. He just hoped he'd have the time to fly, he'd felt so useless lately, a drain on Em and Oscar's resources. They said they were happy to host him, but... he couldn't really give much in return, like this. Flying would make him feel better, though.

Concentrating, he blurred into his avian form. Long ago, he'd chosen a Goshawk for the fact they were common, easy enough to overlook, but far from helpless. A smaller part of him had to admit he'd partially chosen it because they had been known to eat Ravens, too. She had rather annoyed him that day.

Stretching one wing, he froze. The wing itself felt wrong, the balance off in a way he'd never experienced before. Craning his head around to look, he was horrified to see a wing that was covered in a mottled brown down, pinfeathers sticking out at odd angles along the length.

This was just too much! Not only was his human form that of a child, but so was his avian one? All he'd wanted was to fly for a few minutes, be free in the air, but it looked like even that would be denied him. He let out a disgusted peeping sound at the thought and was suddenly very glad he couldn't blush like this. He even sounded like a baby bird! He heard, rather than saw, something overhead and blurred back into Oz, feeling vaguely terrified. Well, that was a failed experiment. Best to pretend it had never happened at all...

Several months later, Qrow, looking tired, cornered him.

"Hey, pocketsized? We could really have done with your eyes up there with me. I know you see better than I do as a bird, so what gives?"

Oz sighed, looking very small and very embarrassed. "How old am I, Qrow?" was all he said, sounding strangely defensive.

"Well, yeah, you're a kid, but... wait a sec... you mean?" Qrow started to laugh hysterically at the thought. "You're... a baby... bird? Show... me. Please, Oz. Show me?"

"No. I do not enjoy the feeling of being vulnerable, Qrow. It is already bad enough that I am trapped in the body of my ten year old self. I do not wish something to attempt to eat me. Besides, we're out in the open, nowhere near secure enough to attempt it again." Oz sounded very fed up, glaring up at Qrow who still hadn't stopped laughing.

Qrow kept pestering Oz every chance he got, until Oz finally, reluctantly gave in.

"When we are somewhere safe, and Qrow? You are not to take pictures of this, it's bad enough I have to experience the sensation twice, nobody else needs to know about this."

Qrow just shrugged and gestured towards the house they were staying in. "I'll make sure no big bad predators come and eat ya, pocketsized. But you promised, after all."

Going into one of the far bedrooms, Oz sat on the bed, looking very reluctant. He blurred into the hawk, just as small and just as vulnerable as he had been on the farm. Qrow seemed to melt at the sight, though he was laughing again. Thankfully, Oz could see no evidence of his scroll, so hopefully it wouldn't be recorded, at least? Qrow sighed and stopped laughing, blurring into his own bird form and flapping his way to the bed. Oz flinched slightly at this, but Qrow just tucked one wing protectively around him, drawing him partially underneath the bigger bird. Oz let out a plaintive peep as he was drawn underneath Qrow like an actual chick would be, but he was too small to fight the movement. The sound seemed to shake him out of whatever he'd been thinking, though and Qrow seemed to blink, before moving far enough away not to crush Oz and turning back into the huntsman.

"Sorry bout that, pocketsized. Was kinda instinct." Qrow was suddenly very red, looking stricken.

Oz turned back, too and sighed again, looking strangely conflicted. "I would appreciate you not doing that again, Qrow. Avian instincts aside, I never took you for the broody type." His words were light, but he was blushing just as red as Qrow was.

The incident was never recorded. Neither one spoke about it again.

Eventually, Ruby, too, cornered Oz. "Hey, professor? Quick question, you turned Qrow into a bird, does that mean you can transform into one, too?"

Oz sighed. "Miss Rose... I am currently ten years old. That age translates. Even if I could turn into a bird of some sort, and I'm not saying that I can, that animal would not be useful in any way. Also, no, I will not be feeding into your curiousity. Now please, drop this?"

Across the room, Qrow raised his flask in what was almost a salute, amusement dancing in his eyes. Ruby just pouted, but accepted that she wasn't going to find out any time soon.

[qrowings]

Test for “Difficult” people

Pretending I was tagged by @caeloservare​

Tagging: you <3

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

WHO CHOSE PENNY

WHO WOULD DARE SAYMY GIRL IS THE WROST

YOU'RE PICKING A FIGHT MOTHERFUCKER

THAT BETTER HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT

Be honest.

[eiiskonigin]

@unlockthestars: 😳 [for Qrow]

"His hands." The answer comes a little too quickly, a little too easily, and it seems to take a moment before that fact catches up with her and she flusters. "They-- He just has good hands. Strong, capable. He's equally as capable of weilding a weapon with deadly ease as he is touching you gently..."

She's spent a decent amount of time toying with his hands, during lazy mornings and late nights. She knows them well.

send 😳 for something my muse finds attractive about yours

[pilot-boi]

Glynda finding Jaune in Vale after he gets out of the locker is an interesting idea. Do you have any specific ideas for how it plays out?

It’s mostly fueled by the idea that Glynda is the only adult unaccounted by the end of the Fall. Oobleck and Port are at the docks, Ironwood is martially his remaining troops, and Qrow is retrieving Ruby from the top of the tower. We know that Glynda is still on the ground fighting, we see her in new broadcasts later.

I figure Jaune wouldn’t be in any position to get himself to safety. With his high Aura and boatload of negative emotions, boy would be a Grimm magnet

In my head, Weiss tries to get Qrow to help her find Jaune (she was the last person he contacted after all) but Qrow would be occupied with Ruby (and Pyrrha’s remains). Glynda take over escorting Weiss back to the docks, but Weiss insists on finding Jaune

Glynda, of course, suspects by now that Pyrrha is dead. Ozpin’s magic is green, so it wasn’t him battling on the top of the tower, and she only knows one other person who knows Cinder is the Maiden. And since she didn’t come back down, it’s likely she is dead

Which means her hapless partner is missing somewhere in the apocalypse with nobody to defend him. Jaune has improved, but he’s a defensive Huntsman, better when fighting in a group. If he’s alone, and distraught as Weiss says, she doesn’t like his chances

Glynda’s lost too many students today. She doesn’t know how to tell Weiss that Jaune is probably already dead

[maxiemumdamage]

So, I’m thinking about it, and…I’m not sure if Blake has never had a true, proper, solo song. A musical theme all her own.

From Shadows should be it, obviously, but…even as it’s her musical theme, I don’t think the song as a whole is actually hers. Because the lyrics and more intense instrumentals and just…everything after the beat drops is so clearly not Blake. It’s Adam. If not his voice, then his influence on her.

That’s not to say nothing there was Blake’s. The piano at the beginning and end of the song — before Adam appears and after Blake leaves him — are clearly her own style. Her own motif. But…for the most part, when that song recognizably reoccurs, it’s not for Blake alone, but for her in conjunction with Adam. It’s in the context of their toxic, abusive relationship and the way he corrupted her worldview.

Like Morning Follows Night is definitely more about Sun as Blake’s supporter and interlocutor — I mean, we don’t really learn much about him in canon outside of his relationship with her. But that’s still ultimately a song about Sun as Blake’s supporter (and, within the rap part of it, his unrequited crush on her). Yes, part of it is her processing/being called out on her own issues and trauma, but that’s still done largely in Sun’s voice.

Wings is…tricky. It’s clearly about Blake, but I don’t think it’s her own perspective at all — it’s either Weiss or Yang (depending on the interpretation, though given when it occurs in the actual show I actually think Weiss is the likelier suspect) talking about and to Blake. And I don’t think it’s exactly a complete picture.

Similarly…BMBLB and All That Matters are Yang, singing to or about Blake. And she’s coming at it with her own emotions and perspective, meaning that while Blake is part of the song it’s not her song. Not hers alone.

Nevermore and Worthy are literal, explicit duets, and Treasure still has room for ambiguity in whether it’s Blake or Yang or both of them together. (Wow, the Bees have a ton of songs.) Blake has a voice for sure! But it’s not about her alone.

…writing this made me realize how while Blake may not have a single solo, she’s still very well-represented musically. There are so many songs Blake has where she’s dueting and/or sharing the themes with someone else! I think that’s a reflection of both her multitude of interesting relationships and her role as a leader in her own right. But more on that part later.

Touch the Sky from Volume 7 is probably meant to be for Blake, but like…not distinctly, not beyond a doubt, and not with any specificity. You COULD read it as a Weiss song just as easily. Hell, it applies to everyone among the main cast to an extent. Which makes it hard to argue that it’s a Blake solo song.

And from the same Volume’s soundtrack…Brand New Day is absolutely Blake’s, specifically, but she shared it with Qrow. It’s about how both of them are changing and lightening their worldview and feeling freer. And again, could technically apply to even more people. But it’s explicitly at least two of them.

But there’s one duet that I still think is Blake’s first and foremost — This Time from the Volume 5 soundtrack.

It’s definitely got a heavy presence with the male vocalist/lyrics as an interlocutor, but first and foremost it’s a resolution to the issues Blake has been wrestling with. She’s putting her past with the White Fang behind her and instead is organizing a new Faunus rights movement.

Some people do argue that the interlocutor’s identity is ambiguous — which I disagree with, I think it’s definitely Ghira, since Sun isn’t actually very invested in the Faunus rights storyline. (Probably a symptom of him being from Vacuo, where no one can afford to be racist.)

But Ghira being the accompanying support and backing vocals for his daughter does work well with RWBY’s themes of legacy and generational trauma and making things better for those who come next. Ghira is back on the wagon because his daughter inspired him to get there — Blake’s not subsumed in the duet by any means.

I would still very much like to see a proper, complete, solo Blake song at some point. But I worry the ship may have sailed by now. She’s reached…maybe not an endpoint, but she’s getting close to fully realized and confident in terms of character development. Plus, I suspect her romantic relationship and the Faunus rights movement are her next major plotlines, both of which don’t much lend themselves to solo ballads.

…but also, a lot of Blake’s songs are also Bumbleby songs, and I can’t say I’m mad about it.

[tumblingxelian]

A Necessary Post - Yang, Taiyang & Seeing Red

I debated this being a message or a note or a reblog, but ultimately this warranted an essay. Because a hatred of nuance is not even remotely the reason why Tai is critiqued as a teacher or father.

With that fact in mind, let's begin:

During RWBY Volume 4, Episode 9: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back Taiyang has a great deal of critical feedback for Yang regarding her fighting style, personality & Semblance.

The issue is that Tai's words and advice when compared to what we saw on screen before & afterwards demonstrate he does not understand how it works or how she used it.

So here for your reading pleasure if a more or less line by line breakdown of Tai's advice and why I don't feel it holds up & more to the point, why I don't believe Yang utilized it.

Taiyang: Do you realize that you used your Semblance to win every fight after the qualifiers?

Yang rightfully points out that her using Burn is no different than anyone else using their Semblances. I would add that Yang's Semblance only serves to enhance her already present abilities with damage taken in a fight. So her not using it would be stupidly holding back extra energy for no reason.

Tai's critique also fails to register that when using her Semblance to take out FNKI, Yang specifically disrupted the ground so Neon could not skate effectively & used the boost in power to turn Flynt's own weapon against him.

I will be addressing Mercury further down but she used it effectively and intellectually here and to great effect.

What's more, every other fights fighting style, weapons or both were literally built around their Semblances. Yang's threat level remains fairly consistent without her Semblance, all three of these other characters take a huge dip.

Taiyang: Because not everyone else's is basically a temper tantrum.

Ignoring that calling the manifestation of Yang's soul a temper tantrum is another in a long line if dickish things Tai says to Yang. Her Semblance literally does not work that way.

Her anger has jack and shit to do with it, this has been explained & demonstrated time and time again. Yang only gets a power boost when she's been injured, the fact she tends to be angry when using it is because being hurt sucks and she's usually in an intense fight. When the fight is going well and she still gets to use it she's not angry, as seen with a pleased smirk here:

So as before, Tai's critique is bereft of any merit, Yang's Semblance does not work that way.

Taiyang: I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can dish it back twice as hard, but that doesn't make you invincible!

Cite a time Yang thought she was invincible, cite it provably that Yang thought, said or indicated that she felt she was invincible. You can't because Yang never indicated as such this is something Tai is assuming about her at best.

& no her jumping in the Nevermore's mouth is not an example because she was not using her Semblance, did not take damage, it was a very effective strategy & seemingly either part of the plan, or was so easily understood that it could be safely and reliably worked into the plan. She wasn't using her Semblance here but finding evidence of risky behavior was hard, especially with her Semblance, go figure.

In fact every time Yang used her Semblance she did so only because someone landed a blow, which just happens in fights sometimes.

Taiyang: It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What happens if they're stronger? What then? Now you're just weak and tired!

We know what happens when Yang misses, she can swing again!

After the first blow on the Paladin she missed & needed help to catch it, her missing had zero impact on her Semblances.

As to what happens if they are stronger, um, she loses, that sometimes happens in fights. Its not something Yang can do anything about by holding back on extra strength. Not to quote Qrow but sometimes bad things happen. Other characters losing to stronger opponents don't get given this kind of diatribe's because its pointedly obvious that there was nothing to be done about it.

& on the final piece, she was very pointedly not weak and tired after using it. The only times she has been shown to be is when she was extremely low on Aura regardless in which cases not using her Semblance is a death sentence.

So again, we've established Tai's critique comes from nowhere & his understanding of her Semblance is nonexistent.

Taiyang: But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. Your Semblance is a great fallback, but you can't let yourself rely on it.

This is so painfully unfair it hurts.

No other character gets this kind of shit for expressing emotions in combat. In fact we see characters expressing emotions in battle all the time. Nor has she stopped displaying emotions in combat:

I already outlined how in all two of the Yang fights Tai actually witnessed she used strategy and retained excellent combat form. So again, baseless claims from Tai.

What's more, Yang primarily does use her Semblance as a fallback rather than rely on it in these fights. She only whipped it out against Mercury when he'd unleashed his seeming kill move on her and was confident he'd won.

Not using it here would be dumb and make no sense.

Yang doesn't rely on it to save her, she deploys it when it makes sense to & she has the energy or the need. This is more than we see from many characters.

Taiyang: It won't always save you. Obviously.

So now he is critiquing her for a fight he didn't even witness & knows jack shit about. So let's break this down once again:

Yang has spent the last 24 hours questions her sanity.

Yang's new home (Her words) is burning down.

Yang's sister is missing in all this chaos.

Then Yang's partner gets fucking stabbed, and the guy who did it is standing between them with a sword & gun, with fire all over Grimm all around.

Anything Yang can do he can counter, she tries to go around he only has to pivot. If she tries to fire from long range she might hit Blake. She tries an earth shock wave, she launches Blake into the fire.

She quite literally had no others options & zero time to try anything else because he can just shoot or stab Blake whenever he wants.

Taiyang: You definitely have your mom's stubbornness.

This, this right here is where all this is actually coming from. Tai is once again projecting Raven onto Yang despite them frankly having almost nothing in common.

With most of Yang's visible personality tells being inherited from Summer, such as the mother daughter shoulder check of V9. Thanks to chittychittyyangyang for the GIFs

Or as outlined in some songs with Yang's side of the lyrics explicitly citing how she is trying to fill the Summer shaped void in their lives.

Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day, I will be there to take all your fears away.

Taiyang: Your mother was... a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family.

Tai blames Raven for tearing their team apart. Save that by all accounts, barring her absence things seemed to be going fine. Qrow seemed to be present in their lives, Tai looked happy, the girls were happy & Summer at least seemed happy though we know she was covering up a lot of dread.

Keep in mind Tai is projecting Raven, the woman he blames for destroying the team and damaging the family onto his daughter who literally kept the family together after Summer died. Yang's established this, Ruby has established this, its canon.

Yang: I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone. (pause) Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it. Ruby: If you thought we wouldn’t come for you, then you must’ve forgotten who raised me.

Tai was not the one holding that home or family together. Unless you think the writers are gonna randomly swerve & say both Yang & Ruby are big whiny liars for some utterly nonsensical reasons. So no, I don't take him seriously as a narrator or critique of Yang, I have no reason to.

But let's push on, because I'm not done.

Taiyang: You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. (pointing at Zwei) That strength is all that matters in a fight.

Ah yes, Raven, the woman famously known for thinking the easiest way to deal with an obstacles is to tackle it head on. That's why she spent years adorning herself in a Grimm helmet that hid her eyes & raised a False Maiden to serve as her body double.

A woman so inclined to rely on her own raw strength that when she was ambushed by Salem's forces she decided to trick them into an ambush.

Then when fighting Cinder and was at a disadvantage she freezes her in place while making Cinder think she is going on the offensive leaving her to be crushed by Stalactites & also utilized mind games to distract her & deal the finishing blow... Cos she only relies on strength.

As to his final piece of advice I already address it up above, there was no way around Adam, the situation was fucked from the start.

Saying it was Yang's fault she was dismembered is no more than victim blaming, I stood by that in Volume 3 to to this day & beyond.

Taiyang: But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see... (walking toward her, stepping around Zwei) there's a way around as well.

But let's actually look at Seeing Red & if Yang listened to Tai's advice or if she not only ignored it but did the opposite of what he ordered.

Let's see she goes in with open aggression & emotions, and also takes many blows rather than going 'around' them somehow.

Yang, as if she were 'indestructible' outright tanks a massively charged up Aura beam for the purpose of increasing her strength.

Then burns through all of her Aura & Semblance energies delivering one direct blow, relying on it to save her & leaving her weak & tired.

Or in other words, she:

Yang didn't miss, but we know that isn't a real issue anyway.

Yang used her Semblance to 'win' the fight & very much did rely on it to save her.

Yang expressed anger & many other emotions in the battle & still continues to does so.

Yang willingly took huge risks that involved her being able to take tons of damage rather than go "Around" the problem.

Yang knew Adam was likely stronger given it was 2 V1 but relied on her Semblance to get her out of that bind and she was in fact left weak and tired.

This is also the first time she has done several of these things, or otherwise demonstrated these traits, such as being left weak and tired or willingly tanking big attacks rather than just being hit by surprise or due to being overwhelmed.

I don't take Tai's advice seriously because none of it was accurate or aligned with the Semblance we saw in action or had described to us.

I don't trust Tai's opinion on Yang because his take on her is explicitly informed by Raven & not the Yang we spent four & then five more volumes getting to know.

I don't take Tai's words over Yang's, Ruby's or what we see on screen because Tai is at best a secondary or minor character & a recurring theme in RWBY is the failure of older generations.

These failures are not just in the past but how they have been consistently failing the next generation as the story is being told. There is zero reason to think Tai is some magic exception to this narrative trend when much more well explored characters like Maria, Qrow, Ozpin, Ironwood, Raven, and hell, Summer Rose are not.

& that is my stance on that, thanks for tuning in!