#who would also recognize jaune that way

[strqyr]

(this is for an au) jaune is from patch. his family owns a big farm not too far from the main town of the island that has been in the family for generations. crocea mors still exists as a family heirloom as well, but the last it was used in any kind of proper combat—against grimm or not—goes way back, before / during the great war.

despite the close proximity to signal, he never attended the combat school; being a hunter wasn't exactly a family occupation, and while jaune had his own dreams, his struggles with unlocking his aura put a fast stop to them.

jaune, of course, would know about ruby and yang; how could he not? their family is practically team strq! (he might be a bit of a fan) plus, before their educational paths diverged, he did use to be in the same class with yang; they weren't friends—frankly, jaune would be surprised if yang even knew his name, let alone remember that they used to go to school together—but being classmates for a few years must count for something... right?

anyway... idk where i was going with this. something something jaune still cheats his way to beacon bc maybe he's a little jealous? of yang and ruby because their life and family basically primed them to become huntresses and he wants that life too but he's an arc or something and all he has is a family heirloom he doesn't even know how to use really and no one to train him.

parallels. or something.

[howi99]

Prince of Vale part 4

JNPR's room

Jaune: *slowly reading a letter* ... *Sigh*

Ren: Another love letter?

Jaune: *shake his head* I wish it was. *Put the letter down* i was summoned to my mother's funeral.

Nora: *questioning look* Weren't you going anyway? You even told us you were leaving this weekend for them.

Jaune: Going isn't the problem, it's who sent the letter. *Look through the window, seeing people walking by* ... My older sister is the one organizing the event, and last time we saw one another... *Sigh, massaging his eyelids* She's probably the person that hates me the most. She's probably blaming me for her death.

Ren: *wince* She was there when you decided to leave, right?

Jaune: ... Yeah. With everything i said to my mom, she's probably not that far from the truth. *Looking down* Words cut deep, and i bleed her without a thought.

Nora: *shake her head* I think you are assuming too much, fearless leader. She probably knows how you must feel, with how much you beat yourself down every time you make a mistake. *Point to the letter* She also sent you an invitation, which i think is more so you'd feel included, instead of out of obligation...

Jaune: *shaky breath* Maybe. But how can i face her or the rest of my family? I still tried fleeing my duties.

Pyrrha: *sitting next to him, sighing* As Ruby said, when she was consoling you, you are a teenager. You wanted freedom and your mom probably knew that. Your sister probably knew that too. I... Can't say i had as much pressure as you when i became famous, but do you really believe i never screamed at my parents? That i never told them i hated them?

Jaune: *now looking at her, all his attention on her*

Pyrrha: I... *Looking ashamed* I ran away, once... I told them i hated them, blaming them for driving all my friends away, for the expectations everyone pushed upon me... *chuckle* I even blamed them for not having a boyfriend. *Shake her head* It wasn't fair for them, they were doing what they thought was best for me. *smiling kindly at him* They searched for me in every corner of Argus. The sponsors were furious and told them that if they didn't bring me back before the end of the week, they would cut all ties with us. Do you know what my father said to them?

Jaune: ... That they would bring you back?

Pyrrha: *shaking her head, smiling* Nope. He told them, and i cite: "You can put your fucking money up your ass, i want my daughter back!" *Blushing with an embarrassed laugh* They were just next to me when i heard him say that, they didn't recognize me since i was more coat than girl. And that's nothing compared to what my mom said to them.

Jaune: *weak smile* You made up with them?

Pyrrha: *nod* Yeah... They weren't mad, all they felt was relief at seeing me well. *Look at Jaune* When you told me about your family, you spoke of them with so much love, i can't even imagine them thinking for one second you are the reason for her death. *Gentle smile* They know how much you truly loved her, Jaune. Heck, you even told us how much like you your oldest sister was. She's probably worried sick about you.

Jaune: ... *Little smile* Yeah... You're probably right... *Sigh* But... i still feel responsible, you know? I hurt her when she was at her lowest and i can't forgive myself.

Pyrrha: *hugging him* Yeah... I know. I won't tell you to stop blaming yourself, but we are here to get you through this.

Nora: *goes and hugs him too* We are your team. And as a team, we will help you all the way until you feel better.

Ren: *nod* You are like a brother to me. Your pain is my pain as well.

Jaune: *slightly blushing* G-guys... *hug them back* Thanks.

[craziechwiv]

Who's scarier, Ren or Nora?

Yang: It's gotta be Nora Rubes.

Ruby: Nuh, uh! It's Ren, silent but deadly trope?

Yang: That's a biased opinion and you know it!

Ruby: Just because we have one of those on our team doesn't mean it's biased! It's common knowledge!

Yang: Oh my- wait is that Jaune? Let's go ask him.

Ruby: Yea, then you'll see how wrong you are!

Yang: Keep dreaming lil sis.

Jaune is walking until he is suddenly pushed against a wall and pinned, he was gonna shake his aggressors off him till he realizes who they were.

Jaune: Uhm...whatever I did was probably a dare!

Ruby: Not what we're here for Jaune, we need to settle something and you're our prime source for the answer!

Jaune, looking at Yang: That would be...?

Yang: Who's more scarier, Ren or Nora?

Jaune: Oh, well let me go first.

Yang and Ruby let go of Jaune as he stretches out his limbs before leaning back on the wall.

Jaune: Okay, to answer this I need something more than who's scarier. Give me a scenario.

Yang: When we're on missions! Have you seen Nora mess up those Grimms last time? I'm pretty sure some we're running away from her actually.

Ruby: So? Ren is also quite lethal too! One minute he's firing precise shots at them and the next he's cutting them up like sushi!

Jaune: Well, I have to side with Yang here. Nora is more gruesome than Ren there.

Yang: HA!

Ruby: Aw...

Jaune: However...Ren is still more scary in general.

Yang: What?! How?

Ruby: :O

Jaune: Only for one incident...

Yang: And what might that be?

Ruby: Yeah tell us!

Jaune: Well...

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

Nora is skipping along the hallways of beacon before being stopped by someone

Random student: Hey you're Nora, right? Fancy work you did with that weapon of yours!

Nora: Oh, thanks! You're too kind.

R.S.: Say, how's about we hang out from time to time? I'd like to spar with you.

Nora: Oh no thanks, I already have a sparring partner and I'm on the track to meet him actually-

The random student then grabs Nora's hand by surprise.

R.S.: Well, how about we go to my dorm then~?

Nora: Wait- what?! I don't really, uh...

R.S.: Aw cmon, we'll have lots of- *thunk, thunk*

The random student feels something metallic behind his head and freezes in place, not wanting to turn around and see what it may be.

Ren: She said, she doesn't want to.

Nora: Renny?

R.S.: Easy bro...it was just a suggestion.

Ren: Then me disposing of your life is an answer.

R.S.: You- You won't get away with this!

Ren: I can if you can't recognize me.

R.S.: Why you...

The random student tries to take a swing at Ren, only swinging at air before he feels a sharp object on the back of his neck, barely pricking its way through his skin layer.

Ren: When I count to ten, you'll run. 1...

The random student was already running down the hallways, not looking back at all. Ren then turns towards Nora.

Ren: Uhm...sorry about that?

Nora, who's flustered and looking at Ren in a whole new light: D-Don't worry about it Renny...how about we skip training actually?

Ren: Are you sure?

Nora: I'd let pancakes burn in a fire right now just to be in a bed with you right now!

Ren: O-Oh....okay, lead the- WOAH!

Ren is picked up by the muscle shortie and carried all the way to their dorm room, leaving a bewildered Jaune Arc who was watching the whole scenario from the corner.

Jaune...what the fu-

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

Yang:

Ruby:

Jaune: So yeah. Ren is way scarier...when it comes to Nora. Which is a lot.

Yang: That was...not what I was expecting...

Ruby: That is...super hot~.

Yang: RUBY! That is the last time you read one of Blake's book.

[pilot-boi]

How is it when Jaunper and the group arrive in Argus? I want to know reactions from Maria, Cordovin, Saffron, Terra, and Adrian please.

Maria takes it all in stride. She’s fresh off being a rando and then getting dumped head first into The Plot, so she just takes one look at Jaune and is like “This isn’t even the strangest thing I’ve seen TODAY.”

Adrian is too young to really get what’s going on. After the initial freak out because “My uncle! This is my uncle but it isn’t!” he mostly just just wants rides on Jaune’s back, which Jaune is more than happy to provide

Cordovin is Cordovin. She thinks he’s an abomination and shows him the same racism and disdain as she shows Blake, but to a MUCH greater degree. I wouldn’t be shocked if she uses it/its when referring to him, which would ABSOLUTELY set off NPR

Terra is holding it together, she’s staying strong for Saphron. She’s more than a little disturbed and freaked out by Jaune, she mourned him just like her wife. Her brother-in-law is supposed to be dead, so dead they didn’t even have a body to bury. And now here he is as some kind of beast

She’s taking it better than Saphron, but she’s still VERY shaken. She mostly deals with it by focusing on the practicalities of the situation, like working with JNPR to make sure there’s a “nest” set up for Jaune to sleep. He can’t really use beds after all. Also helps that she’s at work most of the time where she can focus on the CCT relay

Saphron, of course, is beside herself. She hen JNPR first arrive, she thinks she’s going crazy. There’s a giant rabbit here wearing her brother’s face and speaking with his voice. Her brother who was burned into ash a year and a half ago is standing here but he’s WRONG, he’s not her brother, he’s a BEAST

She recognizes his teammates from when they visited the family homestead after the Fall. They treat this creature like he’s real, so he’s not a hallucination. But they call him Jaune, ask if she’s his sister. And they’re feeding into her madness. Why would they be so cruel as to bring an amalgamation doppelgänger of her brother to HER HOME and flaunt him in front of her?!

The CCT is barely functioning over short distances, but she just can’t do this on her own. She calls the other Arcs and she doesn’t know how much of her message gets through, but she begs them to come to Argus

It’s not Jaune, it can’t actually be Jaune. He’s dead. She mourned him, she’s STILL mourning him. But his face pinches in the same way she knows when she says he isn’t real, and his hands still have the scars from when he burnt them taking pizza out of the oven, and his voice still cracks when he rushes to comfort her when reason abandons her

It can’t be Jaune. But it is. And if it IS him, then she can’t let him go or he’ll dissolve into ash again. So she clings to him, her little brother who is bigger than her and died before her

And for a few hours she allows herself to indulge in the madness that her brother is alive

It takes a day or so, but Saphron eventually comes around to the fact that this is actually Jaune. Terra’s connections with the Atlas military are able to get him in to run tests (DNA, Aura matching, lie detectors, the whole nine yards) and they determine that against all reason this IS Jaune

It’s impossible, but the science says it’s true. And Terra believes the science. And Saphron believes Terra

Her brother is alive

The siblings spend the next few hours holed up in the spare bedroom in the nest JNPR constructed, just holding each other and crying and laughing. And when they emerge, Saphron looks more whole than she’s been since the Fall

[aspoonofsugar]

I think Ice Queendom really grounded a lot of my WK headcanons and what it would mean for Weiss and Jaune in the canon timeline. The way they’re foiled in that show is one of my favorite additions.

They’re both dealing with their identity in a specific way related traditional gender roles and in a way that they think their family might want, and based on the knights/maidens they idealized in their families and from fairy tales. Jaune is afraid of not living up to this toxic masculine image of what he thinks a huntsman is meant to be like the men in his family he looks up to and this translates to a fear of being worthless. On the inside he’s a terrified child oppressed by his legacy and the disappointment/scorn of his family for being a liar and a coward.

In Weiss’s nightmare she projects the image of who she believes she’s meant to be (Ice Queen), while neglecting the other parts of herself she projects onto others. Like Jaune, she’s also still a terrified child in a way. She locks that part of her away because she doesn’t want to be vulnerable. But she also projects the gender normative standards of “Knights” and “Maidens” onto two other people in her dream - Jaune and Pyrrha.

Pyrrha is the ideal Maiden. She’s idealized in her dream world more than anyone else. She’s elegant and beautiful. She sings “Mirror, Mirror.” She essentially speaks to Weiss’s own deep-seated insecurity of not being able to live up to her standards of perfection. Pyrrha actually connects the pairing in her nightmare in a way not dissimilar to how she does in canon.

Jaune is different… as one of the dream NPCs he’s nothing special at all. But when Jaune himself comes into her dream world, he is decked out in a special cape and a giant sword that repels the Nightmare. But he is too weak to lift it. Weiss believes Jaune is too weak and unworthy of his weapon. It speaks both to Weiss’s opinion of Jaune as a person, but also to her own feelings about herself. She had to kill a knight to be free of her Father’s patriarchal prison. She had to essentially become her own knight to save herself (the princess) from her tower. But she also feels she is unworthy of her name unless she lives up to a certain standard, which is why she thinks lowly of Jaune here because he so clearly doesn’t, and why she foists that aspects of herself onto him in her nightmare.

But then why does Jaune have the sword? Because Weiss saw that Pyrrha (her idealized “Maiden”) placed her faith in him. So, as much as she denies it, Jaune has the potential to be a “knight in shining armor”, and some unconscious part of Weiss recognizes that potential. And that’s more or less the burden Jaune struggles to lift in the nightmare. He has the potential to be Weiss’s knight, but he’s not yet worthy. And this story isn’t about him. It’s when Jaune integrates with both the feminine (Pyrrha) and the inner child (the mini Weiss’s) that he can lift the sword to destroy the corrupted “knight” of Weiss’s father to be overcome to help free her from the nightmare. This, too, mirrors Weiss’s slaying of the Arma Gigas in the White trailer. And this is also what Weiss needs to do too to finally be free of the nightmare she’s stuck in. Both Weiss and Jaune need to integrate with those neglected parts of themselves to become the best versions of themselves. They do it a bit in the climax of Ice Queendom and maybe they’ll do it completely in canon too.

Hi!

I love this analysis, thank you for sharing it :D

I agree, the White Knight's foiling is one of my favorite details of the Ice Queendom anime!

I remember loving how the story

Juxtaposes Jaune's knightmare to Weiss's

Highlights how Ruby and Jaune are the people Weiss needs in juxtaposition with Pyrrha, as the one Weiss wants

Has Jaune find a relic, which highlights Jaune's potential to properly connect with Weiss in the future

Has Jaune fight together with Pyrrha and the mini-Weiss at the very end, which symbolically foils Arkos and White Knight :''')

I don't really have anything else to add to your beautiful thoughts!

Thank you for writing them!

[asha-mage]

I don't ship White Knight but the idea of a complete reversal from the dynamic at Beacon is DEEPLY funny to me.

Like cause to one side you have Weiss who has just discovered that Jaune is the fairy tale hero she crushed on her entire childhood, the literal legendary knight who she would play pretend 'saving' her from her lonely isolation. And on top of that she has discovered that he will also remain SMOKIN well into his forties and show a superhuman level of caring and devotion to those he loves. Of course she wants to Get Up On That, and hey it's been an appropriate amount of time since his last girlfriend died and he was SUPER into her back at Beacon. This will be easy.

But then you have Jaune who is still dealing with the fallout from spending decades trapped in a fairy tale/divine nursery on top of abruptly being seventeen again. He no longer has arthritis but he also no longer recognizes the person staring back at him from the mirror. He keeps trying to pay for things with good stories and cool rocks he found, and one morning when he wanted to sleep in he tried shooting down the sun sort of expecting that to work. The urge to reason with sandstorms and help unionize farm animals is Strong In Him. And he knows it's all wrong, that he's not in the Ever After anymore, but he's having to overcome decades of brain hard wiring in his efforts to adjust. Jaune barely has time to work on re-bonding with Nora and Ren never mind dating. He doesn't even have the extra brain power needed to recognize that Weiss is flirting with him, and when he does it's easy to convince himself he's just imagining it, or getting an inflated ego again. She's Weiss Schnee, of course she has better thing to do then flirt with some loser she shot down already, and he's the Rusted Knight now, he has no business dating at all. There is a WAR on.

The rest of the Becaon crew is incredibly divided because on the one hand it's a little sad to watch, on the other it is VERY funny to see Weiss make a fool of herself the way Jaune used too.

[spookyprincesspham]

I love the aus of reversing pyrrha's death for jaune's because if it had been like that not only would jaune never have been his best version but it would also be NPR against the world for jaune's memory no one would remember him as a hero only them, he will not get a statue or a memorial just a family grave in a far away place and nothing else possibly the family would not even want the family sword because that was the reason he left not remembering him as a fighter but as an arc who followed his dreams and protected his loved one until his death.

Fans even the world would see no weight in his death wanting to push NPR to get over it and more so pyrrha since "how could she suffer for losing someone like that, she will find someone better" wanting her to move on from maybe her only love and person who saw the real her or Nora and ren who saw in their leader peace that even though they could have been warmer he saw them as family even before they saw him as such.

In the end NPR against the world that does not want to recognize their leader a person who gave everything for the people around him and the world wants to trample on him.

Because to the world he wasn't but to them he was a hero and they will keep him that way.

[jayz4dayz]

RWBY Volume 9 Was A Total Missed Opportunity:

Putting this out there right now. Volume 9 is by far my favorite volume of RWBY for many reasons which I will not be addressing in this post, but there are a few things that have been on my mind since it's been released where I feel the storyline went wrong and could have been something so much more meaningful for the character's story arcs and development.

Starting off with our main man or should I say our old man Jaune Arc. His presence throughout Vol. 9 felt out of place not just for his character, but also the way his development was handled didn't feel right in the slightest. Becoming a crazy old crackpot because he foolishly made bad decision after bad decision, completely altering and undoing a lot of his character's timeline, and turning into this sort of secondary antagonist for Team RWBY made no sense to me. The way he said so many out of pocket things throughout the different episodes, including completely crossing a line with Ruby and being insensitive towards her mental and emotional condition instead of showing genuine concern like he normally would have, made me cringe to where I wasn't enjoying what I was watching anymore. Not in a good way!

Here's how I would have done it:

Going back to the very end of volume 8 where we see Jaune running towards the portal and barely missing it by mere inches, followed by seeing him fall into the dark abyss and joining the same fate as Team RWBY and Neo. Instead of that, we see him jumping through the portal at the very last second and making it to Vacuo by the skin of his teeth. The others see him and question why he's alone and where Team RWBY was, only for him to go "Uh..." and then the screen cuts to black and the credits start rolling.

We're gonna skip the three year hiatus and jump right into the beginning of Vol. 9 where only Team RWBY and Neo have fallen into the Ever After. For the first few episodes leading up to the reveal of the Rusted Knight, I don't think much needs to change except for the fact that they won't ever encounter Jaune, but they will still encounter the Rusted Knight who, in this version, is someone that would have had the entire fandom shook to their core when the big reveal of the Rusted Knight's identity happened: Pyrrha.

Now, how would she get to this point, you might ask? Well, remember when she got pierced by Cinder's Arrow and her body seemed to disintegrate? This scene:

This death compared to all the other characters who were killed off was unique in the fact that there was no body left behind and it almost appeared her energy was transported to another place. Hmm, perhaps another realm such as the In Between or the Ever After? Why this happened, in my opinion, was because of the use of someone else's semblance. We know very little about Pyrrha's family and have only seen her mother on screen once, so we don't know much about her backstory or semblance either. However, if her semblance worked anything like Raven's to where she needed to be attached to someone in order for her semblance to work and transfer her loved ones to a safer location to escape a deadly threat, now we have something. What if her mom's semblance transported the body to another realm of her choice right before the moment of death? (I like to call it a "divine intervention" semblance.) If that's the case, then why wouldn't it make sense for a mother's love to send her daughter somewhere familiar and (relatively) safe and still accessible to Remnant? The Ever After was based on a children's tale that everyone knew growing up and Pyrrha being as smart as she is would instantly recognize where she was transported to. Maybe she had knowledge of her mother's semblance and knew this might have happened one day, or maybe not. I find the one scene her mother is in to be very interesting because while she was talking to Jaune, she had a very bitter-sweet attitude about it and almost talked as if she knew more than she let on, but I digress.

In the story's timeline, when Team RWBY arrives in the Ever After, Pyrrha would have been there already for a couple of years. That would have given her enough time to establish herself and explore the different acres because let's be real here, Pyrrha wouldn't have stumbled upon the time travel fruit and messed around with it like Jaune did, nor would she have focused all her energy into the people of the land even though she would protect them with her life if she had to, but at the end of the day, she was just trying to figure out a way home. Once she stumbles across Team RWBY, it would all make sense why the Tree didn't let her return to Remnant yet. By this point, I'm sure she would have encountered Alyx, Lewis, and the Curious cat, probably handled the situation a lot better than Jaune did, and give Team RWBY a cautionary tale about the Curious Cat in a way that wasn't bitter or vengeful. The bee's having their special moment still would have happened, the team's fallout with the Curious Cat still would have gone down, and then we get to the scene with Neo's Jabber Walker clones and Ruby has her mental breakdown and identity crisis. I don't see Pyrrha blaming Ruby for what happened to the Paper Pleasers despite her immense sorrow for the loss of her only friends she had during her time in the Ever After. Her experiences with the Paper Pleasers would have been way different too because there's no way she'd be a gold-hearted tyrant like Jaune was painted out to be. I do see Ruby blaming herself and still running off anyway because she feels like a burden and a failure as a leader. I didn't enjoy the way Jaune was the center of focus when Ruby was very clearly in a dangerous state of mind and I'm positive Pyrrha would have picked up on it right away and address it to Ruby's team after the fact and not go off on her for not doing enough.

Team RWPY would go on the search for Ruby and still find her in Neo's torture dungeon, which would have been just as painful to watch, especially from Pyrrha's point of view. Ruby having to watch Pyrrha die in Vol.3 and now she had to witness Ruby "die" in Vol. 9 is kind of a trippy coincidence that fits so well. The only difference being Pyrrha immediately taking the initiative to find Ruby before the cat does and the final battle being way more epic. Jaune certainly gained a lot of battle experience throughout the series, but Pyrrha was always ahead of him in that respect and without a doubt would have sharpened her skills to perfection while she was on her own in the Ever After. Ruby emerges as a new version of herself, they defeat the Curious Cat, Neo ascends, and all of the girls finally get to go home together, hand in hand.

I can even go as far as to say this would have made Vol. 9 Beyond so much better too. Picture it, Team RWBY and Pyrrha leaving the portal and the first person to see them is Jaune. The potential for Arkos here is so strong it kills me inside! They'd have a raw moment between each other, there'd be lots of crying on Jaune and maybe even Pyrrha's part too, a long hug, and most definitely a romantic kiss that would have tied their relationship arc together in such a perfect way. It would have brought Pyrrha back and that's honestly all I want.

Of course, this is all just for shits and giggles, but I'd love to hear what y'all think or if you have something else to add! ^-^

[chaikachi]

Treasure is a Rosegarden Song

HEAR ME OUT OKAY. I've known for a while it could be sort of linked back to them, but it felt easier to brush it off as a general whole team reunion song... Until today's new episode.

⚠ SPOILERS AHEAD, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED ⚠

We got a very big win today with the Bees, they even got a whole new song that Casey has confirmed is bmblb part 2 (check her twitter, i'm not linking it lol). Which... really makes you wonder if they'd have that many Bees songs back to back, right? An argument can surely be made for it being a song about Yang and Ruby as that's the first reunion in Ultimatum that we see, but the lyrics don't really imply a sisterly bond. It could be Renora as the other couple that had a hint of a reunion that scene... but they didn't have a proper one. We got it and their confession in the following episode.

Which leaves the only other focused relationship dynamic in that moment: Ruby and Oscar

And why would it be an RG song? Well, they're the only 'pair' that got separated in v8 that didn't end the volume together. The teams were split down the middle with very clear foils:

Yang to Blake Ren to Nora Weiss to Jaune Ruby to Oscar (Also Ruby to Yang but this ain't about them)

But when Atlas fell, Ren and Nora were together in Vacuo. The bees made it to Ever After. Jaune and Weiss did too... but Oscar and Ruby? They're the only ones that are still apart. And this song is one about absence of another and awaiting a reunion. So lets dive into the lyrics proper, shall we?

Night and day, I've waited

For starters, the sun and moon symbolism that's been thrown around for them since their introductions. Yes, the Bees also have a celestial union going on, but again please bare with me.

All alone in crowded rooms I'm incomplete, my life is paused When you're not here

This is the longest portion of the analysis as the line "all alone in crowded rooms" is so heavy.

It gets tricky when we can't see Oscar's state rn (i will come back to him in a minute tho), but we do know Ruby's. We know that she is preoccupied with a lot of things. She's weighed down by Penny's death, by the internalized expectations she has to be just like Summer, this perfect hero from a fairytale, and is alone in her burdens as a leader. Romance is likely the last thing on her mind. But she is feeling loneliness, isolation, and left behind. We can see that in all past volume examples quite literally (like the above photo, the dance, Brunswick farms, her team not wanting to explore Atlas after their first mission, etc.), but it's really being driven home in recent episodes between the Blacksmith (Carpenter?) and Ruby's reaction to the Bees.

"You're doing this all alone?"

Also just... the way they're all positioned in this scene is so intentional. Yang and Blake are together and they are warm by the fire. Weiss is drinking some piping tea and smiling at them. And Ruby is sitting alone at a table with an empty chair, draped in a teal/green cloth, furthest from the fire. Remember the song "Cold" and how it's used as a metaphor for loss, loneliness, and grief throughout the show? Yeahhhh.

Recognizing Ruby is alone in crowded rooms begs the question of who in the cast makes her not feel that way. Well, anyone that's spent any amount of time looking at RG knows their entire dynamic is built on relating to and respecting each other for their similar positions. That out of everyone, Oscar has been the one to see through Ruby's mask and got her to actually open up about her grief. On the opposite side, Ruby helps Oscar in much the same ways he does her. By constantly watching his back, standing up for him, and reassuring him that despite the merge he is his own person... but he is also someone familiar with this feeling.

By virtue of being an Oz, he's already alienated. He joined the party late and doesn't know everyone as well as the others. He's also the youngest of the bunch and that's a lot of pressure that Ruby is familiar with.

So out of every pairing in the cast, these two are the ones that feel the most alone in crowded rooms and, by extension, less alone when they are together.

Though I walk this world I am nowhere to be found Every thought's of you And for now, you're not around

The singer here is saying that they don't feel present or grounded because of the absence of someone else. Their thoughts are with the person they are missing... but the wording about 'walking this world' is so specific when RG is the only pair split between worlds.

If this is from Oscar's POV, then he isn't found on Remnant. He's found in Ever After because that's where Ruby, and therefore his thoughts, are. The reverse POV also works, but in Ruby being very prioritized with the state they left Remnant in and her team consistently trying to pull her back to what's happening right in front of them.

But that's alright I'll be just fine I'm not concerned With sands of time

Sands of time is another very specific wording choice. Hourglass being associated with time is a give-in... but knowing what we know now it could be a lot of things. The Ever After is messy with time; we're seeing that firsthand with Jaune. But with Ruby and Oscar being the only ones still separated, there is an anticipation and a 'waiting' happening.

Beyond sands of time, Oscar - who has clock gears as a constant motif for his character design - is surrounded by sand as far as the eye can see in the deserts of Vacuo.

If forever comes and goes, I won't pay it no mind

Oscar is Oscar, do not misconstrue me here. But who, out of everyone in the cast aside from Salem, is most familiar with the concept of 'forever'? The one currently merging with a man who's lived a thousand lifetimes.

Hour after hour, I spend Dreaming that your voice will wake My slumbering ear Numb and lost I wander with No place to go, just aimless 'til You reappear

This is much like the earlier verse talking about loss and being directionless without their light to guide them. This song has some parallels to a few others, but for now I want to talk about Sky is Falling, which we know is an Oscar song:

Our world, lost without a soul Losing all control, not getting closer Every day is just another dose of torture (Torture) Now we pay the cost, the race is lost This nightmare's our real life

This can easily be linked back to wanting to wake from a bad dream and feeling lost without a (smaller more honest) soul being present. Later in that same song:

Lost all my hopes and dreams

Being numb and lost without hope. Ruby being the embodiment of hope.

Watch my life flash by in scenes And it seems there's no soul on the video screen

I am aggressively reminded of Arkos and Jaune watching Pyrrha's training video on a loop. Would bet actual money Oscar is doing the same of Ruby's broadcast back in Vacuo... because he was the only big name in the cast that wasn't shown watching that video when it went live.

Cold soaked as I'm standin' in rain Feelin' nothin' but pain until I see you again

Once again tying into feeling lost without the other.

Back to Treasure:

'Til you come in view I keep watch with these sore eyes Looking through the tears As the days creep slowly by

Emphasis on seeing each other again which can also be linked to the above stanza from Sky is Falling as well as Until the End with rain and tears being almost synonymous. (Until the End and Treasure have SO many parallels that I can't talk about all of them here without it becoming a whole separate post. Maybe later tho!)

Nothing's gonna shake my faith I know you're coming back real soon to my embrace

The emphasis on embrace when RG was the only pair that didn't get a hug.

Though time goes by so slow I'm never letting go I won't give up, if I spend my life I know

The time motif again followed by "I won't give up" paralleled to Ruby's line in her broadcast where she says "Even if Atlas falls, you can't give up."

"Atlas" also meaning Ruby. "You" being Oscar and the rest of the people still fighting. Oscar, who took up her mantle of leadership in a way through his costume change and actions in v6 after Ruby stepped into Oz's role.

And then lastly, the song's namesake:

'Cause the treasure of my life Is being by your side

Treasure, by definition, has two different meanings.

noun 1. a quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects. verb 1. keep carefully (a valuable or valued item).

The song at face value is talking about treasure as the verb. The act of treasuring or cherishing something precious. But much like some other double meanings in this song, a very strong argument can be made for the noun definition as well.

Ruby, who's first name literally means 'precious red gemstone'. Ruby, who's eyes are Silver and how that has tied into Rosegarden since their very first meeting. Oscar, who's eyes glow Gold with his own magic. Who's first name can also be easily associated with the colour by way of the award show statues of the same name.

If those are symbolisms associated with Oscar and Ruby, while Yang and Blake get a song called bmblb for being the same colour as bees and having a confession in a garden... then I think there is no other duo that the song Treasure can be about.

[bestworstcase]

So after that first ep of rent beyond how are we feeling about the summer maiden/mysterious hooded lady? The "No new characters!" line leans on the fourth wall pretty hard, so I feel like the audience is definitely being invited to speculate on which already established character it might be. The only viable candidate I can think of though is Starr Sanzang followed by a billion question marks and asterisked conditionals given Sun didn't recognize them at all.

i think it’s maybe a little early to take it for granted that neptune is jumping to the right conclusion (“could she be the summer maiden?”)—neither character is in the loop and qrow kicks them out when he catches them eavesdropping, and neptune is just making a guess based on the presence of two known maidens. note the framing:

the mirroring. two headmasters, two maidens, and two figures framed by the doorways and cast in deep shadow. only one is known to us, and only he steps forward into the light, but mystery girl is paired visually with qrow in the same way oscar is with theodore and winter is with raven. what is qrow’s role? he’s a spy.

given the circumstances, it would also be beyond stupid for the vacuo coalition to not have at least one informant in the ranks of the crown—and we know the crown actively recruits from shade academy. jax’s semblance creates a very serious risk should a spy be found out, necessitating extreme caution to protect her identity. and that’s a damn good reason for qrow to be as pissed as he is when he catches sun and neptune spying—those two cannot be trusted with secrets, period.

so i think there are four possibilities:

she’s the summer maiden

she’s a maiden candidate

she has silver eyes

she’s spying on the crown

or some combination thereof. notably, in before the dawn, theodore DID have rumpole spying on the crown—but she was compromised, so she’s not an option anymore. likewise, both qrow and raven are way too high profile. but the fact that theodore did have someone spying on the crown in the book makes it highly likely for the vacuo coalition to resume spying on the crown after the twins are broken out of jail.

sun’s “i already told you, there’s no way!” implies that he did recognize this girl, and he either knows who the real summer maiden is and mystery girl isn’t her OR he knows definitively that mystery girl isn’t a maiden. if it’s the former, then the summer maiden is undoubtedly starr sanzang and mystery girl is someone else. if it’s the latter, then mystery girl has to be someone sun knows well enough to have an ironclad reason to believe she isn’t the summer maiden—and i can think of exactly one character who fits:

emerald.

emerald, who is conspicuously absent in the 9.11 animatic; we see more of neon than we do of her! emerald, who until quite recently worked not for salem but for cinder fall, the lady who keeps trying to gank the other maidens; there is not a snowball’s chance in hell that emerald would have survived being the summer maiden whist in cinder’s employ.

emerald, whose semblance makes her an ideal spy… there’s the wrinkle of tyrian and mercury, but emerald was able to disguise oz and oscar as hazel convincingly enough to fool salem for a minute or two; she could easily make herself look and sound like someone else to tyrian and mercury, or make herself imperceptible to them in a pinch. dangerous yes, but the coalition cannot afford to be flying blind while salem infiltrates the crown, and emerald is their best bet.

and like oscar said… they’ve all seen what emerald can do, and they could really use someone like her on their side.

the “no new characters!” joke is way too on the nose for it to not be a hint that this is a character we’ve already met. but the full line is “besides, there’s no more room on our suspects board! no new characters!—i mean, perps!” which suggests that this is a character sun would consider to be a “suspect” in team rwby’s (and jaune’s) disappearance.

who were his other “perps”? ren, nora, and qrow. the ones who were involved in planning the evacuation from atlas/mantle and made it to vacuo safely. none of the vacuan characters introduced in before the dawn fit that description—emerald does.

and, if you look at the group shot:

she’s not actually in deep shadow, her sprite gets darkened as she’s brought into focus:

appearance-wise, the only thing we know about her is she’s “a girl” (ergo, probably somewhere in the oscar-to-wby age range of 15-19) and relatively dark-skinned by the standards of rwby’s cast. and while it’s tough to gauge perspective in this art style, oscar appears ‘taller’ than winter—

—but on a level plane, he’s quite a bit shorter than emerald, who is of a height with winter. so winter and raven are set pretty far back, and mystery girl is probably about as far back from them as they are from oscar.

here’s an approximately-similar shot from the show proper with oscar in the foreground and emerald in the back:

so accounting for different art style, mystery girl does look to be within a margin for error of emerald’s height.

and from a doylist perspective, if you’re doing a “no new characters!” joke to hint to the audience that the mysterious hooded figure is actually someone we’ve already met… doesn’t it make sense to do that with a character everyone who watches the show has a fair shot at figuring out, versus one who had a single cameo in an ancillary novel that only a small portion of the viewership is invested enough to read?

[sigruned]

Trying and failing to be normal about it but listen, as hard as last episode was to watch I am convinced that drinking that tea was the best thing that could have happened to Ruby after everything.

This is true for the sole reason that Ruby coming to terms with who she wants to be before anyone can move on isn't just necessary in the abstract character development sense, but also the primary throughline of the volume cannot resolve without it. By it's nature, the Ever After physically cannot let them leave until she does.

The Ever After mechanically operates by what we would recognize as narrative logic and has a demonstrated empathy with those who are present within it. The physicality of the space is defined and altered by that empathy as we've seen on many occasions now (the rain when Ruby gets sad, the entire nature of the punderstorm. The acres exist as they do to facilitate the afterans' purposes, not the other way around). That said it doesn't have a will of it's own, it's a passive. The plasticity of the environment is prompted by the feelings and desires of those who inhabit it, and the world reacts in turn. It looks like nonsense coming from the "real" world but makes perfect sense once you establish this as a fundamental rule of reality here.

We still don't have a reliable source of information the claim that the tree is how the team gets back to Remnant and a lot of different perspectives on what it really is. From the fairy tale it is the way home, for the afterans it is rebirth. According to Jaune it's death (which says more about him than the tree but I'll get to that in a bit). None of them are completely wrong, I think.

The first time we see anyone 'interact' with the tree is in the herbalist hut with the smoke. I don't think this was just some shadow self vision. We see that the smoke is made from the tree's leaves. Drinking the tea swallowed Ruby up the same way the Herbalist was at the end of this scene. So we have an established pattern here of what returning to the tree looks like, and how ingesting the leaves call out to it, for lack of a better phrase. The important part of this here is the stark difference in how wby interact with the tree, via the images of their past selves, as opposed to Ruby. I'm not going to harp on it too much because better meta than mine circulated when the episode aired, but we're shown how the losses from the previous volumes have ultimately helped to galvanize wby rather than weaken their sense of identity. They don't presently need to initiate a full deconstruction of themselves to find what they want or who they want to be: they don't need the tree and therefore will not be able to find it.

This is in contrast with Jaune's stagnation while in the Ever After, but is ultimately to the same effect. He's spent decades cementing his identity in his guilt. The tree is death because he can't conceive of being himself without that guilt. (We see this exact same concept with Ruby's first visit to the blacksmith. "I'm fine, I can handle it." She's not happy with this, but the tree cannot help her change until she wants to change herself. "If you change your mind...") Until he's able to crack this image of himself, there is no desire for change and thus he couldn't find the tree even if he wanted to.

Between them all, they lack a desire or need for substantial change to their sense of self, and do not have the ability to make it to the tree until they do. Despite her internal turmoil, the narrative has positioned Ruby as the only one who can lead them all to the tree and ergo out of the Ever After, because the Ever After itself has made this journey one and the same with her journey of self discovery.

"The tree isn't a place you go, it's a place you know."

All of this to say that the tree facilitates change, whatever that may mean to those who find themselves there. Deconstruction can be painful, it means stripping away things you thought were key structural components of yourself (Penny's sword, the emblem, maybe even the cloak ???) to find what's left. I am certainly not arguing that Ruby is in a good place right now, but on its face, not wanting to be me anymore is a statement desiring change, not erasure. And change requires destruction and creation both.

So, narratively, Ruby is being deconstructed, broken down to her core elements (a phase of the process we'll probably see conclude next episode because she still hasn't acknowledged Summer in the mirror-). It's hurt, it's not always come from a healthy place, Neo's torture circus certainly pushed the issue, but it is happening. So what is 'Ruby Rose' when you look at what's left?

I don't know but I'm excited to find out.

Ruby doesn't have to answer that question by the end of this volume, nor do I think she will, but what I do think will satisfy the Ever After's "requirement" before it can let them leave is a desire to answer that question. We're seeing the story of "a girl with a lot of problems" in this volume. When the Ever After no longer has a role in that story, literally, it will physically manifest whatever it needs to progress that story.

Like, say, a door back to Remnant. It's that simple.

[watcher-servant]

Rusted Arc dialouge lines

This took way longer than it should've, but I did it.

Side note: His 3rd Ascension is a reference to Ragna from Ragna Crimson & Guider to the eternal edge from Granblue fantasy. He is a 3 star servant coming from an event.

Also, the Witch of the Holy Night Collab is coming out for FGO, and Aoko and Soujuurou look amazing. It also applies to Alice as well, but Alice and Aoko take the cake on NPs for the event.

Summoning (pre event): Greerings, I am the rusted knight, guardian of the Ever after. What's that, a fairytale, I see so you have servants connected to stories. Well then master, what story are you trying to tell?

Summoning (post event): Well, didn't think I see you again. Glad to see you again, Master of Chaldea. Since you helped me, it makes sense I do so in return. So master what will you have this freelance knight do?

Level up 1: Oh, I felt a change, it's almost like some chains have been lifted.

Level up 2: Mastery is a journey that almost never ends. I wonder what step is this?

Level up 3: Seems I reached a new step in my journey. Don't worry I'll always be of help when you need me.

1st Ascension: This form, never thought I see this face again. I guess proper introductions are in order. My original name is Jaune Arc. Though at this point it may not mean much to anyone.

2nd ascension: Hmm no changes huh? Well that's fine, though I didn't expect to return to my 19 year old self. Though it is nice Juniper recognize me instantly.

3rd Ascension: This...what is this apperance? These scars, my hair, and yet the strangest thing is, I feel so close to my aura. I think I reached a new understanding.

4th ascension: So, this is my limit as a Pretender. It's not bad, for a time I only accepted the role as the Rusted Knight just so I can survive. Though now, I owe a lot to the original guardian, if it wasn't for them. I shudder who or what I could've become.

Battle start 1: Despite the apperance, I'm tougher than you think?

Battle start 2: Now then what plan, would work on them?

Battle start 3: Which would you prefer, sword, fist, kick or a headbutt from a stampeding animal?

Battle start 4: Let's see what I can create?

Skill 1: *drinks from a cup* Thank you *hands it to a genial gem*

Skill 2: Think you can get past my shield?

Skill 3: Focus...*Quick burst of aura*

Skill 4: Gotta remember the basics.

Attack select 1: Got it

Attack select 2: Understood

Attack select: Grit your teeth

Noble phantasm select 1: As my decree of the rusted knight

Noble phantasm select 2: So shall we hear a quick tale?

Noble phantasm select 3: Looks like we reached a crucial point.

Noble phantasm select 4: A new chapter is about to begin

Extra attack 1: Go Juniper!

Extra attack 2: Get ready to fly

Extra attack 3: I'll mow you down

Extra attack 4: Now fall!

Noble phantasm 1: After all the leasons she learned, and the friends she made and lost. Who has she become? The leaves in the tress rustle on the wind. There was one question. Who are you? [Ever After]!

Noble Phantasm 2: I hope your next journey is more kind to you. [Ever After]

Noble phantasm 3: Everyone one is in place don't worry I'll patch you right up. [Aura Amp]

Noble phantasm 4: I got your back just leave the defense to me. [Aura Amp]

Damage from phantasm: I won't fall not yet!

Defeated 1: So...this is where my journey ends

Defeated 2: Finally I can rest...I leave the rest to you.

Battle finish 1: Looks like we made it.

Battle finish 2: *Sigh* that took more than I thought

Battle finish 3: Just like that job is done.

Bond lv 1: Oh is there something you need master. Or did you come to pet Juniper?

Bond lv 2: Despite me bearing this title, there was another knight in the Ever After. The best way to describe them would be...my mentor

Bond lv 3: Won't lie I feel really out of place here. There's so many heroes around...if I was my child self. I know he would ask for a autograph...or to train them.

Bond lv 4: What? Surprised I can play guitar? I'll be honest it's been so long I didn't think I could. Guess the muscle memory remained after so long

Bond lv 5: Didn't think I reached a place Ike this. I won't lie I'm surprised I was actually summoned as a servant. Trust when I say I wasn't anyone worth remembering...though most likely it was my connection to my mentor that I ever reached here. To be honest there's probably more deserving from my world that should be here...yet here I am.

Dialogue 1: Oh hello master, you mind helping me brush Juniper? Trying to get some of this loose fur.

Dialogue 2: The master servant contract. To think you manage to hold so many, I think that speaks volumes to kind of person you are.

Dialogue 3: To think I can use and mold my aura like this. The possibilities I can do...let's try test them out master.

Dialogue 4 (Child servants): Hmm what's that? You wanna ride Juniper, I don't mind and pretty sure she doesn't mind either. You guys gotta take turns though at least 2 at a time.

Dialogue 5 (Jeanne D' Arc): Hmm there's something about her...that just makes me feel odd. It doesn't help she looks like one of my sisters. Plus her name as well...an ancestor maybe. Huh? Oh uh...it's nothing.

Dialouge 6 (Jeanne Alter): Oh its...wait somethings off. Jeanne Alter? Hmm so there are servants with counterparts. Something tells me she's really caring, despite her attitude.

Dialogue 7 (Voyager): Hmm to think I meet the original Voyager servant. So far there's only 2 of us, but I think we found good company in our current classes. Seems even Juniper took a liking to you.

Dialogue 8 (Deck of heroes reference): It's strange, I swear it was my first time fighting along side them. Yet I could feel I can trust them. A lingering trust...can't be right.

Dialogue 9 (Tamamo no Mae): Hmm, Hmm huh oh Tamamo no mae right? No, it's uh, it's nothing. No, wait, what are you? HEY!?! OH ohhhhhh

Dialogue 10 (Oberon): Fairy King Oberon or Vortigern? Either way, you wouldn't be the first liar I've been around. As you're the first pretender I'll give respect, but that doesn't mean I'll fall for your lies. Dealing with a certain cat was more than enough

Dialogue 11 (Hephaestion): Pyr...no sorry about that. You reminded me of a old comrade from long ago. It's nice to meet you Hephaestion...quick question you mind a spar?

Dialogue 12 (Tlaloc): Wait you embody a city? That's pretty cool...though a part of me is worried if the Ever After takes a servant form. No wait...the blacksmith is the closest I can think of.

Dialouge 13 (Alessandro): The grand scam artist. I'm not interested in any of your tricks

Dialouge 14 (Lady Avalon): Hmm..Lady Avalon? It's a pleasure to meet you though and if you don't mind me asking...what is Avalon like?

Dialouge 15 (Mordred): Oh its you Mordred, something you need? A sparring partner...alright then.

Dialogue 16 (Atalanta or Atalanta Alter): Oh Atalanta, I believe it's my day to watch over the kids. Don't worry me and Juniper will watch them.

Dialogue 17 (Diarmuid): Seems that curse of yours is still causing you trouble? If you want I think we can seal it for a moment. Oh it seems that's that needed. I wonder how different you fight with swords

Dialogue 18 (Medusa): Hmm, think Pegasus and Juniper might get along. I think they would and it seems she likes you as well.

Dialogue 19 (Medea): I think I see why you were hesitant with me for a while. Jason is...a bit of work. Though something tells me there's more to him

Dialogue 20 (Emiya assassin): Kiritsugu...it took some time but it looks like you find some light again. Even got a family as well.

Dialogue 21 (Frankenstein): Oh hello Fran, is there something you need. Alright I don't mind you tying my hair...no full bows though.

Dialogue 22 ( Edmond Dantes or Count of MC): It's good to see you again Lord Count. I can tell despite the change of scenery your act of guardian is still strong. If you don't mind, I want to have a chat when you have the time.

Something you like: Hmm good question, beside Juniper being on this list. I do enjoy a nice meal with people and maybe be it around campfire. That is a idea though, a nice camping trip.

Something you hate: The merciless pursuit of power...getting innocent folks involved and hurt in the exploits. Another I can't forgive...is a fallen maiden, who doesn't deserve any mercy.

About the holy grail: If I was younger I would've made a wish with the Grail. Though with my experience now...there's always a cost when using such powers.

During an Event: Sounds like something big is going on. Wanna go see what's that about?

Birthday: Your birthday? Have you already told somebody it's today? Know what, follow me. I think it's time to show how fast Juniper can run.

[greatkittydream]

@howlingday tell me if you like this

Ruby pov: It's alright, jaune. I will help you unlock your magic abilities. As she said this, her tale beat behind her a mile a minute

After the MEE scoring test, the bullying got worse against him Everyone from the weakest skeleton The strongest skeleton seemed to have it out for him Which kind of makes sense after all humans and vampires are The only ones that get along with each other. All the other monsters were hunted before the age of enlightened.

Jaune: Thanks, Ruby i-.

???: Owww. turning her head over. She saw the most pathetic bully in the school messing with a wear rabbit. Carter winchester His family comes from that of gargoyles pretended to be humans in the enlightenment era. And even before that. Well, it isn't my Is problem. He's not messing with my underling in my pack, so it should be fine.

Ruby: So any way ja-... Where'd he go.

Spinning her head at almost broke. She saw jonah somehow in front of this conflict before she had time to even recognize.

Jaune: Hey there's no need for violence.

Turning her head So quick, many would have thought she broke it she had no idea how he managed to get in front of Carter that quick or get past her without her noticing.

Carter: Human trash doesn't get to decide who is strong and not. And with a spurring backhand, he managed to hit. Jaune square on the nose, breaking it.

Dame it, now she had to get involved getting ready to transform. She was about to tear this boys head of when jaune mana Released, it's not uncommon for people untrained to release other Mana. One damaged as a deterrence but what came out of him was.

An oppressive presence it was a dark miasthma for those That can see manna this was not what you would normally see it's typically clear In light, his was nothing but a black Miasthma, that felt as if it was death itself. Trying to grab you, it was Viscus, too. It was touchable if you were to walk through it. It would be as if you were swimming through water in the air. It is in the worst part of all. It reached from corner to corner of the lunch room. Everyone that felt it had every instinctual part of their brains. Screaming to run worst of all for the ware beasts everything in their brain Said run. run As far as you can as fast as you can if you want to live. Ruby herself was shaking hers was a bit different. It was more like submit to the new leader of their group. She wanted nothing more than get on her knees and beg to live.

Standing up and looking carter in The eyes carter full will expected to die any moment

Jaune: I'm sorry for any trouble. She may have caused you. But we don't have to resort to violence. As he said these words, the mana immediately went back into him, behaving as if it was sentient, the atmosphere immediately got lighter.

Carter: y-ya, well, I was getting bored anyway. Let's go. And with that, his group of goons left with that trying to save face.

Walking back over, jaune sat back down at the lunch table With ruby Lucky for him none of his teammates nor ruby were there.

Jaune: That was so scary. I thought I was going to die for a moment. Thank god he could be talked out of it.

Ruby: ya Hey remind me never to make you mad again.

Tell me if this is bad or not new to writing Also I think ruby when in werewolf form will think and talk like this ruby: bitch he's mine Also I think in this ruby should be a bit more obsessive and territorial about things She likes for example her friends And yang could be a bit more greedy cause you know dragons hord.

[novankenn]

"Jaune Gets A Gun AU - Day 2" Detention's Aftermath...

Inspired by @howlingday's RU-JA-GUN-CON

Jaune and his companions dragged themselves into the two quarter's full cafeteria, and by muscle memory alone made their way to JNPR's & RWBY's customary table. Jaune, Ruby and Pyrrha slid into their traditional seats, while Emerald, Tiny Tina and Jinx stayed standing. Trying to figure out where they should also take a seat.

Yang: You guys look like sh...!

Nora: Rennie!

Ren: On it.

With a metal against glass clink, and a heavy thud, a special bottle lands on the table before Yang.

Yang: (Deadpans) Seriously?

Nora: Yep. Now pay up you hooligan.

Ruby: Jaune?

Jaune: Yes?

Ruby: Do we...?

Jaune: Nah, free pass for today... considering. (Looks up at those who are still standing) Just grab a seat, no need to keep standing. We'll make room.

Emerald nods and starts to take a seat near Ruby, the one member of RWBY she actually kind of likes being around, only to hear her name being called.

Emerald: Cinder?

Cinder: (Storming over.) Where have you been? We have things to go over!

Emerald: (Stammering) Sorry, I was at the gun show, and...

Cinder: Unacceptable! You will come with me at once!

Jaune: No.

Cinder: What? Excuse me?

Jaune: I said no. She's going to sit and have something to eat, first. She's had a long day, as we all have...

Cinder: like I care...

Jaune: IF you were an actual competent team-leader, you would understand... which apparently you're not.

Five out of the eleven seated/standing about the table felt their hearts thumping erratically, the other five just watched dumbstruck as Jaune dressed down a fellow leader.

Emerald: It's okay, I'll...

Jaune: Emerald, you're getting something to eat before anything else. Now you (looks at Cinder) are welcome to sit with us while she has some supper... or you can bugger off, and she'll meet up with you once she's had her fill. Your choice.

Cinder: (Glaring) You...

Jaune: (Never once flinching or breaking eye contact) Your choice...

With a huff and a snort, Cinder whirled about and stalked off.

Emerald: (Whispering) Thank you.

Blake: Well, that was... something. So who are?

Jaune: Oh, sorry! Introductions.

Weiss: You shouldn't have to be reminded to be polite, dolt. I thought you had more class than that, but I guess I was mistak...

Weiss stopped speaking, a creeping sense of doom crawling up her spine. A quick look about, she understood the source, or rather the five sources of that feeling.

Jaune: Anyway, This is Jinx and Tiny Tina, their frie...

Tiny Tina: J-Baby's my King, and this Queen is getting some sugar tonight!

Jinx: He's my husband, as he promised years ago, so you can all...

Yang, Blake, Ren and Nora all looked about, and after seeing Ruby and Pyrrha nod their heads, the quartet all reached forward and put some lien into the swear jar. Weiss for her part just looked baffled.

????: OW, that HURTS!

????: (Laughing cruelly) Told you these were real!

Jaune: (Recognizing that look in Jinx and Tin'as eyes) Guys, don't!

Tiny Tina: (giggling) Time to shank some bitches!

Jinx: (cackling) Whatever, let's just start shooting!

Jaune: PLEASE don't...

Screams and chaos erupted as Tiny Tina and Junix whirled around and opened up on the far side of the cafeteria. RWBY, JNPR and Emerald all watched as CRDL's entire table dove for cover. Juane slumped in his seat, totally defeated, as the remainder of his friends watched the spreading anarchy with morbid fascination.

Glynda: What is the MEANING OF THIS?

The action came to an instant stand still, or at least attempted to as Russel tried to make a break for it, only to hear a beep under his foot.

Tiny Tina: (cackling) Don't move.

Glynda: (Pointing at Jinx and Tint) Explanations! Now!

Jinx: Duh, they're bullies, so that's like an instant free pass, and besides... I'm crazy! Got a doctor's note.

Glynda reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew the headaches from today weren't over yet.

Glynda: Mr Arc!

Jaune: Yes, professor?

Glynda: Your associates have a detention for tomorrow, make sure...

An explosion followed by a shower a debris cut her off. Glynda instantly turned her glare towards Tiny Tina.

Tiny Tina: (chuckling nervously) He moved?

Glynda: As I was saying. Mr Arc, you will make SURE your two associates show up for detention starting tomorrow, and for the next three days. Do I make myself clear?

Jaune: Yes, professor.

Glynda: (eyeing Jinx and Tiny, who fidget nervously) Three days of detention, starting tomorrow... understood?

Tiny Tina/Jinx: Yes.

Glynda: This is the end of this foolishness tonight, correct?

Tiny Tina/Jinx: Yes.

Glynda: Good.

Glynda turns about, waving her riding crop to clear up the mess created by the impromptu skirmish, before scooping all four members of the no incapacitated team CRDL and floating them out the door.

Blake: (partially hiding behind her book) Um, question?

Pyrrha: yes, Blake.

Blake: Um... where are they going to sleep?

Ruby, Pyrrha, Emerald and Jaune's shoulders dropped and a look of utter despair crossed their faces.

Nora: They can have my bed! I'll share with Rennie!

Ren: Wait, I never...

Nora: BOOP! (Pokes the tip of Ren's nose) Settled. Problem solved.

Jinx: (Looks at Tina) I'm okay with that.

Tiny Tina: (Looks at Jinx) Are you a blanket hog? I hate blanket hogs.

(SO this is the final instalment of Day 2. I have some other projects that need attention on FF.net and A03, so there might be a little pause before Day 3 starts. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.)

[pilot-boi]

Why do I feel like Juniper!Jaune would have Disney Princess vibes when it comes to animals?

Like, the gang take a rest in a forest clearing, Jaune doses off... and the others come to find him with multiple birds sleeping in his antlers, rabbits, larger birds and even a badger resting on his back and flank and... is that a doe and its' fawn sleeping against his side!?

Also, Weiss and Pyrrha would definitely silently squee and take a million pictures, lol

It’s pretty true, even after Jaune comes back to being Jaune. The animals just recognize him as one of their own. Birds frequently land on his antlers and ride along for a while, squirrels sit on his back and groom his fur, and even the larger prey animals like deer will leave their babies near him to watch

It happens in cities, too. When they get to Mistral, all the strays in town come and find him, and he’s constantly surrounded by pigeons, same in Mantle. In on the tundra the penguins always come to greet him and nestle under his fur like they would when they were chicks

It’s RIDICULOUS in the Ever After. That place is so full of life, he looks like a walking zoo

He can’t communicate with the animals or anything, he’s still fundamentally a person, but they just don’t see him as a threat like they do other animals. If anything, they instinctively know that he’s someone who will try to protect them. It’s because of his resemblance to the God of Animals

The dosing off thing is also something I’m glad you brought up, because Jaune does it a LOT. Just like he needs to eat a lot more to sustain his much larger body, he also needs to sleep a lot more. So whenever the gang stops to have lunch while they’re traveling, Jaune will find a shady spot under a tree and fall asleep

And then, of course, the animals find him. And yes, it is deeply adorable

In Atlas, it’s actually a good way to make sure his team take breaks. Because Jaune WILL take a nap in the middle of the day, whether Ren wants to stop training or not. So it becomes a regular part of their schedule

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

vol.1 episode 2 rewatch thoughts

.Ah beacon, what every official synopsis says the main setting is even though that hasn't been true for like 7 years (I get saying that's a spoiler but still)

.Some many people have make fun of the 2d chibi form Ruby takes but it looks fine to me, it also used when she's geeking out about weapons which reminds me of much I wish they used that for her character more

.Everyone who compares Yang leaving with her friends to how she acted in volume 9 owes me 5 bucks, she actually had a real reason to do that here with her trying to get Ruby to open up, that shit ain't the same as watching your sister fuck faint in front of you and you just giving an occasional "are you okay' to her and nothing else

.Speaking of that scene, WHO ARE YOU "Yang's friends"!

.Both Ruby and Weiss both tanking an explosion to the face without any real damage really shows how strong hunters are (I get there's tone armor involved but still)

.Blake really be like:

> Shows up

> Calls out the biggest company on planet in front of it's heiress

> Refuses to elaborate further

> leaves in the wrong direction

what a queen

.Ruby not being the one to upgrade Jaune's sword later is still a crime to me

.Pyrrha why the fuck are eyeing Jaune? You haven't seen any of the traits that attract you to him yet!

.I looked at Yang's face during the Oz speech when he calls them all wasted energy and wow she never liked him did she

.Yep here's the "I don't think dad would approve of all the boys" scene, the one that caused over 100 debates about Yang's sexuality, my take is headcanon whatever you want cause I don't fucking care

."The gang back at Signal" TELL ME WHO THEY ARE AAAAAAHHH

.Blake having her future GF first talk to her by complementing the thing she only wears because she doesn't want to get recognized and persecuted and then also get called a lost cause by her... fucking lol

.If you sub the word books in the "I love books" line for "old stories" it instantly comes of as way less unnatural

.Black blowing out both the candles and the episode is nice