#Branwen parents

[roninreverie]

Tiny break from my regularly scheduled fanfic art to draw up some STRQ parents, featuring the Ooblecks.

Strangely enough, it was this post about snail color dyes that made me be like... I need a blue, snail-man named Tek in this story right now... but where?! I never named Bartholomew's dad, and they've got slime-based Semblances, so BOOM! It was all downhill from there!

Spoiler-free versions of my character notes for these guys under the cut:

Phyllis “Merryweather” Xiao Long:

Tai’s mother.

Is kind of the unofficial community leader of Patch's social circles.

Her maiden name is in reference to the fairy from Sleeping Beauty.

Her first name is a RvB reference that started as a joke placeholder and accidentally became permanent. 🤣

Yichen Xiao Long:

Tai’s father.

Ran a dojo on Patch.

His name is based off of Chinese characters “Yi” 奕 , meaning “great: and “Chen” 辰 meaning “early morning/ sun/ dragon of the Chinese zodiac… which is in reference to Taiyang’s own name meaning “great or little sun dragon” (—buuut IDK Chinese so all this is speculative Google searching on my part).

Sheila Oobleck:

Bartholomew’s mother and Phyllis’ best gal pal.

She loves gossip and wears yellow. She crashes any car she gets behind the wheel of.

Her name is PURELY and INTENTIONALLY a RvB reference! Semblance is strictly cosmetic, like Bakugo's mom.

Tekhelet “Tek” Oobleck:

Bartholomew’s father.

Archaeologist, studies ruins. Wears Blue.

Semblance would probably be related to the slime from snail trails. His name is a color Blue, based on a stray tumblr post (see above) I saw about blue dyes, Tyrian purples, snails, and Jewish historical fun facts.

Zariyah “Gale” Rose:

Summer’s mother.

She was kind and gentle, had an angelic singing voice, and baked a mean batch of cookies.

Her Semblance was akin to a “gentle breeze”.

Both her names are a reference to “wind”.

Ryley Rose:

Summer's father.

His Semblance allowed him to grow seeds into flowers just in the palm of his hand (though they died shortly after). If used on seeds in the ground, his Semblance instead helped the vegetation grow stronger and healthier than it ever would have on its own.

His name means “rye clearing” in homage to his Semblance and “growing crops” as a farmer. 

Heron Branwen:

The twins' father.

He is the leader of the Branwen bandit tribe.

His Semblance is "Positive Outlook" - a precognitive ability to alter probability and bring about the most beneficial outcome through visions of differing scenarios.

Ardent:

The twins' mother.

She was said to like tea and birdwatching; had red eyes, an explosive temper, and was good with a sword.

I always thought her Semblance might have something to do with shadow-based teleportation.

Her name is one I use in fics sometimes because it's unique-sounding. It means "burning; enthusiastic, passionate" and I believe is also a shade of Red.

[bowl-of-shortness]

Eyes

Finally finished this one. Loved doing the shading on this tbh, pretty proud of how I did the eyes.

Anyways, from top to bottom:

Alloy

Valentina

Qormac

Merle

[anthurak]

Ever since I started posting about the Rosebird Parents theory, aka ‘Raven is Ruby’s real dad’, the most common question/criticism I’ve gotten regarding it* has been ‘What is the point of such a reveal?’ and ‘What does this add to the story?’

Well here is the answer:

A reveal that Taiyang isn’t Ruby’s father and that Raven IS would fit PERFECTLY into Ruby’s and Yang’s looming family drama, the dysfunctional MESS that is the STRQ family, and just how much said family FAILED Ruby and Yang as parents.

Raven being Ruby’s real father is the final, ultimate ‘dirty little secret’ of Team STRQ that they’ve kept from Ruby and Yang all these years.

Not some grand plot reveal tied up with Salem, the relics and/or Oz. But rather this much more PERSONAL and ugly product of STRQ’s numerous personal hangups, baggage and dysfunctions.

And far from being ‘out of character’, Tai and Qrow keeping such a secret from Ruby and Yang would be par for the course. Not just for them, but basically EVERY OTHER ADULT in the show. Whether it’s letting Yang think that Summer was her birth mother until Yang figured it out only AFTER Summer (supposedly) died, or Qrow letting Yang think he didn’t know anything about where Raven was despite having been in contact with her for YEARS and even having a pretty good idea where she is, or of course ALL THE OTHER SHIT the adults of RWBY have been hiding from their kids/students/charges.

And let’s not forget how Volume 9 ended with Ruby discovering a massive secret that was long kept from her and COMPLETELY changes something she once believed about her family. With the Blacksmith commenting “Who knows why they kept the secrets they did…”

Or how the last episode of Beyond has Ruby herself commenting to Yang “Maybe we don’t have the full picture…” in regards to Tai’s absence from Vacuo.

Throw in just how LITTLE we can truly be sure of regarding Team STRQ thanks to the aforementioned unreliable narrators and this is ABSOLUTELY telegraphing that Ruby and Yang are due for some MASSIVE reveals regarding their family in the near future. And given all the other hints or flat out statements as to what a hot fucking dysfunctional MESS Team STRQ truly is, those reveals are almost certain to be ugly and painful.

So a reveal that Tai and Qrow have actually been lying to Ruby and Yang for their ENTIRE LIVES in regards to who Ruby’s father ACTUALLY is?

Yeah, that sounds EXACTLY like something we could be expecting.

--

*At least as far as actual arguments go and not people just going ‘WAAAA! I don’t like Raven so this theory is bad!’ and ‘Well… you’re just crazy/stupid, so there!’

[min3nc]

Ruby: You… You fucked my mom!

Raven: Well, yes, that’s why you are here.

Raven, turning to Yang: And, as a matter of fact. I also fucked your dad.

Yang: [Cringing] I— I wasn’t even speaking, dude. I didn’t want to know that.

[short-wooloo]

Ruby and Weiss: combat skirts

Summer and Raven: combat skirts

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[branwendaughterofllyr]

That’s such a good point about always asking ‘why?’/ ‘what for?’ when it comes to a theory’s narrative relevance — what it would mean for the story, what point would it make etc. It’s why I could never get my head around people being so dead set on a T4rg restoration as a positive endgame when we have all this legitimate reasoning for their downfall pre-AGOT, why they are distrusted, why their ideology is deeply suspect, and so on. It’s counterintuitive to me that the narrative would essentially return full circle to that regime, a T4rg on the throne, when they’ve been presented to us in such a specific, abusive and uncomfortable way. It devalues that pre-AGOT story, IMO. Bcoz it’s not enough to be ‘not like other T4rgs’ for me, the active association is too damning, too telling of what someone’s interests really are. But it’s like you said, people get deeply attached to one obviously biased pov and so disregard the wider, layered narrative that GRRM is trying to create through multiple povs that prompt us to question those who seek out power and if they can ever be truly justified in what they do to attain and/or maintain it.

It drives me wild that so many people don't ask "then what was the fucking point?" when talking about the ending of ASOIAF. The Targaryens had like two-three good rulers, all of whom ended up making some really horrible choices in the end that nearly burned the whole continent to the ground (This IS a Jaehaerys I hateblog). It's crazy to me that so many people that Fire&Blood is positive for the Targaryen Restoration when it's basically just a full length book's worth of "look at these bitches! Who put them in charge?" (the dragons). And then have Dany basically go "yes, fire and blood is a valid way to rule, my ancestors did nothing wrong" makes me highly skeptical of her chances.

And the PoV for trap for Dany is amazing, because as of ADWD, none of the enemies she has gone up against have been sympathetic (I mean, I think MMD is, but a lot of people don't) or even povs. Which lets her fans sit there and say "no, look, the people's she's up against are clearly terrible and she's the hero in this scenario." Which is going to shift drastically when she goes up against the Starks, who have no reason to love her and vice versa. How can Dany declaring that Starks and Lannisters are both the usurper’s dogs and therefore equally evil and her enemy not make everyone sit up and take notice. Yes, Dany going “Eddard Stark and his heart of ice are responsible for my family’s downfall” is absolutely going to win over Jon “I just want Ned Stark to be proud of me” Snow and Arya “I will cut anyone who says shit about my parents” Stark. I foresee no future conflict there!

The theories about the three heads of dragon having such traction make me laugh, when the choices Dany presented with are “fire and blood” and the literal and metaphoric planting of trees. She has to chain up her dragons because they are inherently at odds with creating a better future, but she chooses the path her family has walked again and again to the detriment of everyone else. Dany’s refusal to learn from her family’s mistakes and arrogance, is what dooms her to meet the same fate as the rest of them. The idea that “if I look back, I am lost” is her madness mantra makes so much sense, since if she looks back at the path of destruction she and all the other Targaryens have left in their wake, she might falter and reconsider, so she plows ahead straight to her doom, is ugh, such good writing.

(And it works as a foil to the Starks, who are so haunted by their pasts and the past of their families, they can never untangle themselves from it, even when they try to disappear into another identity)

So what does it actually mean for the narrative, if Dany didn’t actually live in Braavos? Does it change where she’s headed at all? What point would it serve if Tyrion is a secret Targaryen? What point does it serve if anyone is a secret Targaryen? Does it change the fact that the Targaryens burn themselves to the ground based on a flimsy prophecy one of them was arrogant enough to to believe, and no one checked the deteriorating madness of their head? That the Targaryens have set themselves over literally everyone else, to the point that they would rather practice incest than marry those beneath them? And the heroine of would-be Targaryen restoration doesn’t question any of this, and just says that it’ll be different this time! Because she has the magic nukes again!

And it’s brilliant because it really is all about “the hero of the other side”! Of course everyone likes to think that they are the hero, and it’s easy to fall into believing the same when you spend so much time in a character’s head. It is much harder to try and bring together all these different PoVs to try and figure out the broader narrative. And because Dany is so seperated from the rest of the characters, is easy to dismiss all the problems she has in coming to Westeros because none of the other characters really know her, and it’ll be different once she’s there, because she’s different, when it’s been set up that pretty much every POV character has a reason to keep a Targaryen with dragons at arms length and in reality, Dany has nothing to challenge those reasons.

It’s great writing, but it clearly has and still does go over some people’s heads, which is comepletely fair because ASOIAF is, in fact, a LOT. But it so often comes from the same people who dedicate immense amounts of time and energy to the series, and that’s when it becomes funny

[solokabuto]

Imagine if during their mission summer had successfully managed to convince raven to come home WITH her once it was done. But summer ends up dead (possibly because of something raven did, or rather failed to do like always) and raven is left alone with her failure and another broken promise because what’s the use of returning home if not with her?

[set-wingedwarrior]

...rosebird family with bumbleby meeting the parents

[noneofyourbuisness1107]

[sarcasticvoodoochild]

need to put these two in a room together and see what they talk about

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Being Second Parent is Tough

Yang: (takes a deep breath and enters Raven's tent at the bandit camp) Hey... Ma? Do you have a minute?

Raven: (blinks in morse code from surprise) Oh... um... of course. What is it? .....Wait.... Why are you here?

Yang: I was on a mission in the area. Don't worry. Kali is back home helping Blake. I wasn't about to leave my pregnant wife alone when she looks like she smuggled a watermelon.

Raven: Alright. So, to what do I owe the pleasure? It's not very often you come to me for help.

Yang: Honestly, I feel like you'll actually talk to me straight with this problem I'm having. Dad will just sugar coat everything, and Qrow... well, he's Qrow.

Raven: That's fair. What is it?

Yang: (visibly shaking and tears in her eyes) I feel... like such a horrible partner....

Raven: (immediately stands up and starts going through her things) Sit down. I'm going to make some tea.

-One Tea Brewing Later-

Raven: Okay, start from the beginning. Why do you feel like a horrible partner?

Yang: Because... I feel like I need support....

Raven: ....That's it?

Yang: Mom! Blake is pregnant! She's growing a person inside of her! This pregnancy has been absolute hell on her! She's had horrible morning sickness, aches, pains, heartburn, high blood pressure, and at least three other issues that I can't even think of right now because I'm so damn tired! I'm supposed to support her!

Raven: And you have been. Quite wonderfully, I might add. Your dad didn't do that much when I was pregnant with you.

Yang: He also told me that you tried to bite his hand off once.

Raven: I had an iron deficiency and his fingers looked tasty. But back to you. Why do you feel bad for feeling like you need support?

Yang: Like I said. I'm technically the "dad" here. Dad's aren't supposed to complain about things being hard or rough.

Raven: Who said that?

Yang: Basically everyone. There's no "support for second parent/dad" websites. When I looked that up, I got a lot of "How father's to be can help make their pregnant wife's lives easier" journals. I tried to bring it up with dad, but he just said "It'll get easier. Just help Blake as much as possible."

Raven: But you're stressed.

Yang: Very.

Raven: Because Blake has been stressed about the pregnancy, and you've been stressed about her health and welfare and the pregnancy.

Yang: (tears up again and nods)

Raven: Yang, look at me.

Yang: (looks over to Raven)

Raven: You can be stressed. You can ask for support. This is a big change in both of your lives, and it is a lot. Blake might be dealing with the hormones and body changes, but you've been supporting her every step of the way. It's exhausting. I know it is. You can admit that you need help and support. It doesn't make you a bad partner.

Yang: (wipes eyes) You mean it?

Raven: Yang, you specifically came here because you know I'd give it to you straight. This is me giving it to you straight.

Yang: Thanks, Mom.

Raven: Don't mention it. If you ever need help or feel the need to vent discreetly, give me a call. I can get to you a lot faster than you can get to me.

[thornsofrosesdumps]

team STRQ more like team shit parental figures

[bowl-of-shortness]

Oh my gosh, they all have gorgeous eyes! -🐈‍⬛

I will take this as an opportunity to give y’all some eye facts about the predecessors :)

- Qorbyn gets her eye color not just from Ozpin but also from Merle!

- Qrow’s eyes are slightly lighter than Qormac’s because of Merle’s genes, his eye shape also looks more like Merle’s :D

- Alloy’s eyes are a more silvery color because of his overuse of his silver eyes, also hence the scars around his eyes.

- I always imagined that Silver eyes come in different shades, but have a few distinct features that help so you can tell if they’re silver and not just grey, for instance, the two little marks both of them have on the right side of their irises (this is actually canon to rwby!) and the fact that their eyes appearance metallic when light hits them.

- Summer and Ruby get their darker shade of silver from Valentina

- Red eyes are a dominant gene in the Branwen family, Hence Jackdaw, Qormac, Qrow and Raven, and Olivia all having red eyes.

- Silver and Golden eyes are recessive genes. Because of this, both of Ozpin’s parents don’t have golden eyes, while he and his grandfather do.

- Alloy sight gets progressively worse the more he overuses his silver eyes. At the time of the Young Leaders AU he’s mildly nearsighted and light sensitive. By the time of the Remnant Heirs AU his nearsightedness and light sensitivity are worse, thus requiring him to wear sunglasses in buildings with fluorescent lights or outside on sunny days, unless he wants to be left with a headache.

- Branwen eyes glow when they’re mad/emotional and also glow in the dark :)

- Ozpin’s eyes also glow in the dark but that’s because of magic stuff

- yes Qorbyn is bitter that her eyes don’t glow in the dark.

[anthurak]

I think it’s time I address what is by far the BIGGEST assumption much of the fandom has made about Ruby’s and Yang’s parents:

That Raven was just the shitty parent who abandoned her daughters, and that Summer and Tai were the uncomplicated GOOD parents who made the good choices. And Qrow was the well-meaning fuckup who’s been able to improve.

When the reality is that ALL of Team STRQ were in fact well-meaning but  MASSIVE fuckups in each their own way.

Like if nothing else, they all bailed on Ruby and Yang in one way or another (Raven and Summer physically, Tai emotionally/psychologically for several years, Qrow a bit of both)

And I have a good feeling that the Vacuo arc will be when Ruby and Yang will finally have to address that shit.

[gaymakima]

Please consider: Branwen Twins as Salem's children (created from her magic/some sort of ritual involving her blood or w/e).

The funny thing is that you'd have to change very little about what we know of their backstories (at least, pre-vol 1) for this to work. Raven and Qrow raised by "murders and thieves" who were heavily implied to be at least emotionally abusive to them — swap out the bandit camp for 'Evil Castle', and add in a whole lot more crimes, and Salem fits pretty easily there. They were sent to Beacon to learn how to kill huntsmen — send them to Beacon to spy on Ozpin, and also to send as much intel as they can about Beacon's defences/etc, either way they're spying. Qrow being a Grimm Reaper fanboy — even MORE of a rebellious act. His insecurity about his semblance/himself around others? Let's make it worse.

Meanwhile RAVEN doubling down on her 'loyalty' to 'family', her life guided by the rules drilled into her head since childhood ("the weak die, the strong live") — except now the rules are from Salem, and you can bet your ass this rule would turn from "survival of the fittest" to some form of manipulation about family/blood/loyalty. And then when they go to Beacon and form STRQ, when Raven and Qrow find a family of their own and their loyalties come into question—how the hell would this Raven react? It's not like the twins are from a neutral party (bandit tribe) stepping into this war. Here, they're born into the war, and Raven doesn't have the tribe to go back to.

...okay admittedly I also really like the idea of goth villainous birb twins and corvid imagery with female villains (see: maleficent) goes so hard

[shittycartoonmomshowdown]

me: raven and medusa losing is such an obvious case of squimbus from my polls. whatever, there's no way priscilla or doofenshmirtz will make it past the next round

me: …well, shit