#Fall Maiden

[rainbow-zebra-art]

"Your attempts to defeat me are so pathetic".

How many years should pass until I get my hands on drawing a fanart on one of my favorite Emerald fan designs... And how many hours it takes to get it just how I want! 😭

TigerPaw90, queen... I will be forever thankful for all the Emerald content you blessed us with. I hope you happen to see this and enjoy the memories 🥰

And it just so happened that I made it before your upcoming birthday, soo... Happy birthday! 🥳🎉 I hope you're doing well and life's been kind to you.

And for those who are not familiar with this design, it is featured in Tigerpaw90's RWBY AU comic: “Labyrinth of Illusions”.

It shows the alternative outcome of the Volume 5 finale, where Cinder dies for good and Emerald becomes the new Fall Maiden. Grieving the loss of Cinder, she takes on a lot of design elements from her, and... Well, basically, she goes insane due to being lost inside her own illusions. She also believes that by combining all the relics, she can bring Cinder back, and this is what motivates her on her villain journey.

If you're interested, check it out and send some love to the creator!

[one-real-wrimonkey]

Hilariously I fully believe Ruby will become the Fall Maiden just because Cinder is completely obsessed with her and there’s no way Ruby isnt her last thought.

Similarly Yang could become Spring thanks to Raven and Weiss could become Winter through Winter which implies Blake will know or bond with the Summer Maiden when we meet them in Vacuo.

And they will be unstoppable.

[bobauthorman]

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

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

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

Taiyang: (Rolls eyes) Yeah, right.

Yang: It's true, dad.

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

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

Ruby: Amber...the previous Fall Maiden?

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

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

Yang: What's this?

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

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

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

Image!Amber: But...!

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

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

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

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

Yang: You knew it.

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

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

Taiyang: ...

Zwei: Arf.

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

[stoneillustrations]

THE SUMMER MAIDEN??

What if Glynda is the Summer Maiden?

In Vol. 3 they tried to transfer the Fall Maiden powers from Amber to Pyrrah. Why do that when a trained and experienced Huntress was already right there? Reason: Maybe Glynda already has the Summer Maiden powers.

The Fall Maiden (Cinder) is supposed to be able to unlock the Beacon vault (Sword of Destruction), but Ozpin put extra measures to keep this vault hidden. The sword sounds like the perfect reason to add extra protection to this particular relic.

When Cinder arrived, Ozpin told Pyrrha to get Glynda and Qrow, but she didn't. She tried to face Cinder alone. Maybe aside from the Academy and himself, Ozpin kept one of the Maidens there to help protect this one very dangerous relic.

Meaning that if Glynda was there, she would not only provide another layer of defense, but the Crown of Choice (in Vacuo) could not be opened either because it's Maiden (Summer) was not there (Atlas was Winter and Mistral was Spring).

The Fall Maiden (Amber) was found too late, the Winter Maiden (Freya) was with Ironwood in Atlas. Everyone had been looking for Spring (Raven), but no one knew who she was. The last season (Summer) no one seemed concerned about her whereabouts...unless they already knew who she was.

In the very first episode we meet Roman, Ruby, Ozpin, someone in the shadows (Cinder), and Glynda. When Roman and Cinder try to make an escape, Glynda conjures a storm above their airship. Only maidens can conjure weather.

Glynda has had such a small part in the series, that I could see her arrival in the "third act" as having some significance. Ozpin, Qrow, Ironwood...all the inner circle we have a lot of backstory about, but not Glynda.

What do you think? Could Glynda be the Summer Maiden?

ALSO: A lot of people are saying Glynda is too old and thirty is the supposed cutoff line, but what if Glynda gained the power when she was younger and still has it now? Freya was an old woman who had the ability. Glynda, if she's say...40, may have gotten it years ago? Just something to think about.

[mourningwoodmourge]

♟️🕯️❤️‍🔥🔥.That's Checkmate.🔥❤️‍🔥🕯️♟️

(speed paint and unlit version under cut)

[short-wooloo]

What a twist it would be if Cinder actually manages to collect all 4 of the Maiden powers

Like, that's not something you usually expect, the villain rarely if ever "collects em all" in fiction, usually they get all save one or only briefly has all the macguffins before the heroes pull a last minute win

That is the usual way these things play out, and RWBY loves going against the expected

Furthermore, I feel that based on the rule of three format, Cinder will get the Summer Maiden's power as she has already failed twice to claim the powers of the other Maidens, and once she has 2, it will be all the easier for her to take what's left from Raven and Winter

(To clarify, I'm not saying Winter and Raven will die, we already know there are ways of transferring the powers without death)

Which leads us to the final question:

What happens when Cinder has all the maiden power? What will she become, what will she do?

Cinder is defined by always wanting more power, so what does she do once she's the most powerful non immortal character?

[heyahs]

team rwby as the four maidens

ruby as fall maiden

weiss as winter maiden

blake as spring maiden

yang as summer maiden

— ♡ —

the tale of the four maidens is obviously the story of how ozpin met them. could it be that when he looked at the rwby team at the beacon academy he remembered his old maiden friends? 👀

[gallopinggallifreyans]

Hey what if Emerald becomes the Fall Maiden

[karmaspidr]

Ruby: Who's stronger? Her or you?

Tony: Well, if Cinder were to manage to master the full power of the Fall Maiden, she would give me some trouble.

Ruby: But would you lose?

Tony: I would win.

[darius-1]

During their battle...!

[whimsywoo]

[rainbow-zebra-art]

Flat color commission for Soundwave3591! Featuring the Arkos family from his "Mother Maiden" RWBY AU. So here we have adult Jaune, Pyrrha, and their lovely children – Lia (Liakada) and JJ (Jaune Jr.)!

I always loved this family concept, so drawing them all together smiling and happy was such an enjoyable experience. What's not to enjoy here? They all look so fine >w<

[goddaniiit]

@ Cinder Fall This Fall Maiden ain't got time for any of your $#!t.

I noticed that not a lot of people cosplay that one character from RWBY who barely speaks a word and yet has Avatar-like powers so I thought I would give it a try since I already had the wig for Sasha – I'm basically just working through what I have at the moment so it might not be perfect but I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out.

[bobauthorman]

Why do people think Pyrrha had the Relic of Choice?

This is the Pyrrha's tiara.

And this is the Relic of Choice, the Crown.

Do they look alike?

I get that people want Pyrrha to still have a role in the series post-mortem, but I think "character example of why Oz's method is flawed" is much better than "Unwitting guardian of a divine artifact". And besides that, Amber, the previous Fall Maiden, was in stasis, they couldn't even open the vault!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

...Turns out gay sex actually was the solution.

(This is basically a redraw, come read the real deal over at Tiger Tiger)

[rubyfunkey]

quick half-maiden check in