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bestworstcase · 4 months

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Given your point regarding the Maiden powers, what's the likelihood that Qrow and Raven's bird powers could also be transferred?

That seems to be the point you were noting; that the magic that Ozpin provided to people seem to follow a similar set of rules (minus the soul thing) of being passable to those who want the power willingly, or have similar mindsets, but that the magic would also refuse to be forcibly controlled and has some level of autonomy in the matter.

it depends on whether ozma was honest about how he birded them, which i tend to think he wasn’t.

my general theory with regard to ‘true’ magic is that it derives from the four Divine Gifts of destruction, creation, knowledge, choice. we know that there is SOMETHING materially different about remnant’s people vs ancient humans (no magic vs magic) and that the cause of this difference is the gods having no part in remnant’s people rising from the ashes which (extrapolating from lore pertaining to death/resurrection and events shown in the lost fable) resulted in remnant’s people being free to discover Their Own magic, which is unique and intrinsic to one’s soul.

(<- for this reason i also Don’t think salem still has ‘true’ magic like ancient humans did. the gods cursed her. light speaks of her with the same disdain he does remnant’s people: "without our presence, they will be but a fraction of what they once were"/"salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone." their eldest’s magic lacks the four Big Orbs which i think represent the divine gifts. the brothers 100% stripped salem of their blessings after her rebellion and the power she has now derived from the divine pools, which gave rise to aura (fountain of life) and dust (pool of grimm). trust)

anyways, wrt the maidens, the ‘season’ designations are arbitrary—every maiden possesses the full range of ‘elemental’ powers and there’s zero correlation between their abilities or strength and the time of year or the weather. but. each maiden is also associated with a specific relic, and (unlike the seasons) the maiden-gift associations are thematically meaningful. cinder is the maiden of choice, raven the maiden of knowledge, penny/winter the maidens of creation.

so i think what ozma Did is carve the divine blessings out of his own soul and Give Them to the original four maidens, with unpredictable results because a) from the divine perspective those are not his gifts to bestow, and b) remnant’s people spiritually take after salem because she’s the one who resurrected them. (trust.) (+ pattern theory)

this leaves ozma with 1. aura and 2. the divine curse as potential sources of magic. we know enough about how aura works to know that carving pieces of aura out of his soul wouldn’t confer magical powers (see: pietro, penny), and given that oz is obviously still cursed he can’t have removed that to give it to the branwens either. Therefore,

(if i’m right about the maidens)

the birding of the branwens involved a source of magic that did not originate from ozpin but which he could believably Fake to be from himself to throw salem off the scent of what he’d done. something like, oh, say,

Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice…

maybe

Very astute, Miss Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools.

perhaps

The Beacon Relic. My forces have been unable to locate the Relic beneath the school. If I know my Ozma, he has used some means of deception to hide its location differently than the others…

the crown of choice?

in ‘the shallow sea,’ the god of animals is a shapeshifter who offers their chosen people the choice to change themselves by bathing in magical waters; in ‘the judgment of faunus,’ the unnamed god doesn’t transform the humans and animals until they choose freely to abide by the god’s judgment. both tales associate transformation with choice, and ‘the shallow sea’ explicitly characterizes the god as a shapeshifter.

look how many times ozpin says “choice/chose” when he talks about birding the branwens. this is the same conversation where he says he prefers to play things “close to the chest” and where he makes his false promise not to lie or deceive them with half-truths anymore.

he “gave the branwens the ability to ‘see’ more,” he says. he “made the beacon relic more challenging to find,” he says. salem believes he used deception to do so; the explanation he gives the kids about the branwens occurs during a confrontation about his lies which centers on the birding and ends with him falsely! promising not to lie anymore.

the maiden of choice can open the vault containing the relic of choice. so if you use the relic of choice to grant a pair of twins the means to ‘see’ more “unburdened from their natural bodies”… and you lie to everyone about how you did it so salem won’t possibly be able to make the connection even if she figures out that those twins are shapeshifters… ahem. whatever illusions ozpin used to cloak the beacon vault, they’re tied to the branwen twins.

which—to wrap around to the actual question—has implications for what might happen to the magic when qrow and raven eventually die. the reason the maidens have this pseudo-reincarnation thing going on is they were created from parts of ozma’s soul, and were altered by combination with the unbound human soul such that (unlike ozma) they are free and they get to choose whom they bond with. if the branwens’ shapeshifting was granted by the crown of choice, by ozma’s command, then this magic isn’t necessarily plugged into the Ozma Reincarnation Pattern. it might just be theirs forever—i am in the camp that all of remnant’s people reincarnate, very slowly, see the pattern theory post for details—in which case it might ultimately synthesize into their next lives being faunus.

or things might Get Weird once the spirit in the crown (assuming their is one) is unchained, in a "shapeshifting isn’t restricted to just These Two anymore, anyone who chooses to change can" faunus-in-the-shallow-sea-style way.

#if it Did come from ozma i imagine the birds will ''reincarnate'' the same way tho yea

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georgiapeach30513 · 2 years

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Rumplestiltskin, Part 7

Summary: Lance makes a deal of his own

Pairings: Andy Barber X Reader

Rating: mature

Warnings: voyeurism, explicit language, explicit sexual content, unprotected sex, PIV sex, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 2.2K

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics.

Sleep had not been happening. Between being uncomfortable in your body, to the small uncomfortable bed, to missing Andy, to trying to think of what you and him could possibly do to help matters, sleep didn’t come. You had taken a moment to walk around the palace, hiding anytime that you had heard someone coming, lest they find out about your condition. You had just started to get the tiniest of baby bumps, and the layers of skirts kept her concealed. While most royals would be irritated about the prospect of a daughter, Andy seemed pleased, although skeptical.

You head back towards your room and pause at the door when you see Andy sitting on a bigger bed, with silk blankets, and softer pillows, “That old bed would never do,” he gives you a little smirk, and his hand rubs over the fine material of the blankets. “Not only was it not up to standard for a queen, but a queen who is growing our princess or prince.”

“Princess. I am certain of it,” you could never tell him exactly how you knew, figuring the idea of Lance touching your stomach and his daughter would not make for a good day.

“Fine, our princess, and my queen need something more comfortable. And,” he stretches out onto the mattress, and taps the space beside him, “Enough room for two,” with the biggest smile on your face, you bound to the bed, and nuzzle your face into his chest, “I can not promise to always be down here, but I would like to share this bed with you. Ransom hardly comes down here anymore?”

“No, only his men collect the gold.”

“It’s settled then,” he pulls you close into him, resting his hand on your baby bump, “I’ll be in here with you as much as possible.”

“What if your father…” his finger presses up against your lips, shushing you. “But Andy.”

“No, I’ll keep my disgusting brother occupied, and my father has no idea about where the rightful heir to the throne is. Just trust me on this. I’m going to protect you and our little princess. Have you thought of any names?” He asks to change the subject. Andy became aware quickly that talking about your daughter helped soothe you, and he would do anything to make this pregnancy happy for you, despite what was going on around you.

His hands were so soothing, and you were already feeling comfortable in this bed, and with him, just like it was supposed to be. Your eyes flutter close, and you give him a wistful smile as he pulls you over to lay on his chest, “I’m thinking Branwen,” Andy tilts your head up to look at him, whispering out a soft why. “Beautiful raven. I hope she has the blackest hair. Our little beautiful raven.”

The thought of having a child that you could also, in some weird way, honor Lance. You knew he was not going to take the news that he had no claim over her well. But if there was a way to assure him that you did in fact enjoy his company and friendship, you hoped that helped.

“Branwen Camilla Barber, our beautiful raven warrior princess,” Andy softly says against your skin. The middle name came from his grandmother, but it seemed fitting. A fierce princess, that would be a strong warrior, and not bow down for any man. His arm wrapped tight around you, and his breathing creates the perfect lullaby for you. “I will protect the both of you.”

“Mhmm,” you incoherently acknowledge his sentence right before you drift off to sleep.

“Rest, Aurelia.”

Lance glares at both yours and Andy’s sleeping bodies. He was not aware you were going to have company tonight. He knows just how exhausted you have been. Growing a baby, and working into the wee hours of the night. But the utmost jealousy he feels burns into his veins. Andy had no right to take time away from you and him. The longer Lance stares the angrier he becomes.

He hopes Andy enjoys these precious moments with his daughter. His hand splayed out over your belly, and his lips resting on your forehead. It was infuriating. There was more straw than ever before. Ransom’s lust for gold was growing at the same rate that his time was dwindling down. The greed was becoming a disease to him. Changing him to where his outward appearance would soon match his soul, just like the jealousy was changing Lance.

He softly closes the door, giving you two a moment, you wouldn’t get too many more. He would allow you to nurse the child, but then she was weaned, she belonged to him. With fury in his eyes he starts the task of spinning the straw into gold. His severe and dark emotions make the gold a less fine color than before. Almost dingy, just like his heart.

“It’s tarnished brother,” Chase informs him from a corner. He rubs the thread in between his fingers, before stepping into the light. The darkness had nearly fully engulfed him, and Lance shutters away. “It’s getting you, too. Your eyes are nearly as black as mine. What’s got you all pissy? Couldn’t be the queen and her prince sleeping together. I bet they fucked before they fell asleep.”

“They didn’t,” Chase rolls his eyes as he squats down beside his brother. “What do you want?” Chase’s fingers trace the blackened veins that were starting at Lance’s fingers, stopping just below his elbow. “It’s inevitable.”

“Hmm, you were able to stop it for some time. You fell for the human. You could smell true love on her, and you still fell for her,” he flicks his finger at his chest where the medallion should lay, “Gave her a part of your magic, and she couldn’t even give you her pussy,” Lance spits on the ground, and Chase cackles.

“I didn’t want her pussy.”

“You wanted her heart. How sweet. I’ll tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you?”

“You can’t do that.”

“Then, it shouldn’t matter.”

Lance grits his teeth as he continues spinning the straw, before stopping, and turning towards his brother, “What could you possibly have to offer?”

“The spindle of the spinning wheel is sharp,” Lance rolls his eyes and continues the spinning, “How about, I make it to where even Andy can’t have your precious Aurelia? Should she deny you as her lover, then she will prick her finger on the spindle, and she’ll go into an ageless slumber. Hide her away in the tower without doors. You can gaze on her beautiful face as she sleeps. Should Andy find her, true love’s kiss will wake the sleeping queen.”

“Curses like that put the whole kingdom in jeopardy.”

“Yeah, but you can play house. You’ll have your baby. A tiny little part of her, and she can watch her mother do nothing but sleep, and dream about a life you will never have with her,” Lance completely ignores Chase as he continues to create gold, but with a snap of his fingers, Chase turns the entire room of straw into gold.

“It’s a glamour! Should Ransom melt this gold, it will burn, because it is straw.”

“I need you to fucking pay attention to me,” he walks his brother to the door, and shows him yours and Andy’s future. Your body bouncing over him, while you moan his name. “That my brother, that is her future. Do you notice you anywhere around? You’ll be a forgotten memory, while Andy gets to sink into that tight pussy until death do they part. Or, you take me up on my offer, and you get to look at her pretty face for all of eternity. She would remain the same beautiful person. Immortal, and unchanging. And all yours.”

He watches as Andy rolls the two of you over, and he sees another pregnancy in your future. His hand cups the swell of your tummy as he ruts deep into you. Lance’s medallion is no longer around your neck. Instead a pendant passed down from generations. “She will be the most formidable ruler of the kingdoms. The high kingdom of Palmona ruled by her and her precious King Andy. She’ll forget you,” he smirks, as the onyx veins grow up his arms even more. “Who cares about cursing the entire woods? You’ll have her. Her daughter can even suckle from her tit, while you raise her to be one of us. Mother born of magic, and now she has the ability to perform it? That could be our greatest weapon.”

“Andy,” your specter whimpers, “Andy, I love you.”

“Make it stop,” Lance grunts, but can’t look away from you.

“Keeping her bed warm every night,” pulling out of you, Andy places you on your knees, and grips tightly to your hips. Your voice makes the prettiest sounds Lance had ever heard. Chase gets right at his ear, smiling at his brother who was in a trance, “You fucking pervert.”

“I’ll do it,” he turns to look at his brother. “Should she choose Andy over me, I don’t have a choice,” the veins on his arm turn entirely black as he nods to Chase. “Andy will not have her. She and that baby girl are mine.”

“Andy, I’m going crazy down here,” you whine. You were clearly pregnant now. Even with the heavy dresses, you couldn’t hide the bump. “I need sun. She,” you grab your belly, only making him smile. “Your daughter desires the sun. Let me out of this dank dungeon.”

“You’ve became sassier with your pregnancy,” you give him a growl, and slump down on the bed. “You mustn’t be seen.”

“I won’t be. I can wear a hood, and walk in the back of the palace. I’m going crazy down here, please?” Giving him a pout, he goes over to your closet, throwing a cloak around you, and pulling up your hood. “Are you joining me, Your Highness?”

“Of course. A maiden must be accompanied. There might be a big bad wolf lurking about in the forest,” the two of you head out the door, and you giggle at his ridiculousness. “I have heard stories of these woods. They’re so thick and dark, anything could be lurking in them.”

“Hush up,” you laugh, tilting your head back to bask in the sun. “It is perfect,” your hands rub over your growing girl, and you look down at your belly. Time was going by much faster than you had anticipated. It wouldn’t be much longer before Andy could hold her as well. “She’s kicking for her daddy,” you bring his hand to rest on top of her, and Branwen kicks under his hand. “She knows you.”

You hear a whinny in the distance, and spin around seeing your handsome Walter walk over to the two of you. “Oh, you silly creature, how I have missed you,” he blows a raspberry into the air, and presses his nose over your bump. “Yes, a lot has happened. I have been locked away in a dungeon, Walter.”

His hoof paws at the ground, and he neighs towards Andy, “Yes, this is mine and Andy’s daughter, so you be kind,” another puff of air, and he looks around the property. “I swear sometimes he can actually understand us.”

“Yeah, and he’s not a fan of me,” Walter whinnies again, and walks behind Andy, nudging him towards a different location. “Your beast is taking me away.”

“He’s no beast. He’s a silly creature.”

Walter puffs onto Andy’s back making the man groan in displeasure, and nudges him closer to the Vicar Thomas, “Walter, stop it,” you screech, and the Vicar turns to look at you, “Great, I wasn’t supposed to be seen.”

Andy’s heart begins to race. There was a reason that this oddly intelligent horse was guiding him to the Vicar, and he’s unsure why he didn’t think of this before, “You haven’t been announced to the kingdom,” Andy turns to look at you tapping on Walter’s neck, “Good ole boy, let’s get married.”

“No.”

“What? Don’t you want to marry me?” His mouth turns up into a smirk. Andy’s hand rests on your bump, and Branwen gives one solid kick, “Our daughter agrees. That Vicar is my adviser. He would think this is the right thing to do. Just me and you, right now, Walter as our witness.”

“Horses can’t be witnesses, Andy,” Walter blows out a raspberry, and paws at the ground again. “You’re not a real human,” another blow. It wouldn’t entirely be impossible. It seems with faeries and magic around, anything was possible. “Okay, this is my uncle Walter,” Walter nods his head up and down, and you seriously question if he was in fact an uncle in disguise. “How long do horses live?”

“Who cares. Come on, let’s get married. Ransom will have no claim over you. We’ll worry about my father later,” and if what Lance said was true, the King could possibly already be taking care of. Making a deal of his own, and a deal made out of malice always turns sour for the one asking.

“Let’s get married. We’ll deal with the consequences of our actions at a later date,” and that you would. Along with Ransom and the King…

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @peaches1958 @whimsyplaty92 @xcaptain-winterx @bambamwolf87 @lavender-annd-lilac @thedarkplume @duuhrayliegh @rebekahdawkins @johndeaconshands @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @feyfantome @athena-penrose @smile1318 @royalwritersoftheuniverses

#rumplestiltskin #andy barber #andy barber x reader #andy barber x fem!reader #andy barber x y/n #andy barber x you #andy barber smut #prince!andy barber #prince!Andy barber x reader #prince!andy barber x fem!reader #prince!andy barber x y/n #prince!andy barber x you #lance tucker #faerie!Lance tucker

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agentwashingcat · 1 year

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Where You Belong

Offers emotional hurt/comfort Taiqrow fic cause I love them your honor. Takes place in a vague future timeline where Salem has been defeated lmao

Features: touch starved Qrow Branwen and also Qrow’s massive self esteem issues lol. Also Tai affectionately calling Qrow an idiot a few times.

Cross posted on ao3 under the same name!

Somewhere, in between raising two girls together, Qrow falls in love. It’s hard not to. Tai has always been made of warmth and sunlight, and Qrow wishes he could bask in it forever.

But he’s not made for that life, not with his semblance. Qrow knows he would only ruin Tai’s life, and the man has faced so many hardships already. He would only make it worse.

So once Ruby and Yang are out on their own, off having their own adventures, Qrow keeps his distance. It’s hard. He misses Tai so much it’s like there’s a hole in his chest where his heart used to be. And so, despite his best efforts, he ends up at the house anyway.

Tai throws open the door with a grin, enveloping him with a warm hug. Qrow freezes for a moment before slowly relaxing into him, horrified to find himself fighting back tears. Thankfully he has it under control by the time Tai pulls back, still grinning like an idiot.

“Qrow! Where have you been?” Tai asks brightly.

“Keeping busy, there’s always more grimm to kill,” Qrow offers. It’s not a lie, there are still grimm around that need to be killed. Just not nearly the number there used to be, when Salem was still controlling them.

Tai wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads him inside, and Qrow couldn’t object even if he wanted to. Tai sits Qrow down at the kitchen table and makes them some tea, despite Qrow insisting he doesn’t need anything. Tai just waves him away, telling him a cup of tea won’t kill him and how is Qrow supposed to argue with that?

“I know the girls aren’t around as much nowadays,” Tai says, and his smile falters for a moment before it comes back, if slightly dimmer than before. “But you can still come around, you know.”

Qrow stares into his tea for a moment, the cup warm and soothing in his hands. “Are you sure you want that?”

“Of course I do.”

Tai says it so earnestly that Qrow looks up from his tea, startled. Tai’s looking at him with an exasperated fondness that makes Qrow's heart clench in his chest. “What?”

“You’re such an idiot,” Tai says fondly, shaking his head. “You’ve always been welcome here, Qrow. That hasn’t changed now that the girls have grown up.”

“I-” Qrow pauses, frowning. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“What, because of your semblance?” Tai shakes his head again. “Qrow, we can work around it. We’ve been friends long enough that I think I can manage it.”

Friends. “Right. Yeah.” For once, his semblance isn’t the only reason he’s avoiding Tai. But it is the only thing he can say out loud that won’t get him relentlessly mocked.

He stands abruptly, knocking over his chair. “I have to-”

“Qrow, wait!” Tai catches his hand and Qrow freezes, staring down at where their hands meet, then back up at Tai’s pleading face. “You’re being weirder than normal. Talk to me.”

Panic starts to bubble up inside him. What’s he supposed to say? That he’s in love? That he’s been avoiding Tai because there’s no possible way he could love him back? And even if he did, he deserves better than what Qrow could give him?

Qrow wants to put his walls back up, to affect the grumpy personality he used to keep everyone out and push them away. But he can’t. Not with Tai looking at him like a kicked puppy.

“I’m sorry,” Qrow whispers. “Tai, I…”

“What, Qrow?” Tai asks, tugging Qrow in closer. He takes Qrow’s other hand as well and Qrow has to fight to remember to breathe. “You can talk to me.”

They’re so close that Qrow could just… just lean forward a tiny bit and… and his lips brush against Tai’s before he processes what he’s doing.

They both stand there, frozen, for what seems like an eternity, before Qrow pulls back in a hurry, wanting to run, to hide, to be anywhere but here. Instead Tai pulls him back, warm hands cupping Qrow’s face and pulling him in for an eager kiss. Qrow freezes again before melting into Tai, hands resting gently on Tai’s wrists.

“You’re such an idiot,” Tai says again when he pulls back, letting his forehead rest against Qrow’s. He says it with such fond affection that Qrow blushes.

“How was I supposed to know?” Qrow grumbles.

“You could have talked to me, for one.” Tai looks at him with such softness that Qrow glances away, staring at the floor instead, his stomach twisted up in knots.

“I didn’t think- you could do better.”

“Maybe I think you’re the best. You ever think of that?”

Qrow scoffs. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Gods you really are an idiot. Can you look at me, please?”

Qrow glances back at Tai, light red meeting soft blue. Tai smiles softly at him, making his heart beat faster in his chest.

“I mean it, Qrow. I want you, okay? Some might even say I enjoy your company.” Tai pauses, giving him another kiss. “Or that I think you’re amazing.”

Qrow feels like he’s drowning in affection. He doesn’t know what to even say or what to think. Tai wants him? His own parents didn’t even want him.

“Qrow? Are you alright?”

He hadn’t even realized his gaze had fallen to the floor again. Slowly, he lifts it back to Tai’s concerned face.

“Sorry, I… can’t believe you want me around.” All these years, he’d thought Tai was just putting up with him. For the sake of Ruby and Yang. To have an extra set of hands around the house. Tai had always seemed more interested in Raven and Summer than him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel wanted,” Tai says softly. “It was… well, you were there. It was rough. But I was always grateful you were there. And I always liked having you around. And then one day I just… realized exactly how much I missed you when you were gone.”

Qrow wraps his arms around Tai, pulling him into a hug. Tai responds in kind, enveloping Qrow in his strong arms, making him feel safe. Making him feel loved. “S’not your fault.” Most of the time, nothing short of a miracle could make him feel wanted. “So, just to clarify, you want me around?”

Tai laughs, the sound reverberating through Qrow and making him smile. “Yeah, course I do. You belong here. With me. You know, if you want to be here.”

“Yeah.” Qrow leans his head against Tai’s. “I think I do.”

#taiqrow #Taiyang Xiao Long #Qrow Branwen #Taiyang x Qrow #rwby #my rwby fic #I love them your honor #literally I never moved on from shipping Qrow with his teammates and I'm not about to lol

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just-gonna-write · 2 years

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Branwen (a short story)

this is the short story i wrote in class that inspired the play Branwen! the assignment was to write a tragedy, so i wanted to write a main character who was right, but her stubbornness and pride lead to her downfall. a lot of aspects get changed in the play version, but this is the original story :)

The full moon was shining in the sky, putting a harsh, cold light on the earth. Owls hooted from within the dark branches of trees that had just begun to shed their leaves. It was a perfect night for a witch to be lurking in the woods.

While the townspeople of Sanwilken were fast asleep, Branwen Bobbit had important things to do while the moon was still high in the sky. She walked the unpaved trail with practiced ease, dodging sharp tree branches, dangling spanish moss and glistening spiderwebs that blocked her path. Finally she arrived at the picturesque clearing, trees framing it in a perfect, almost unnatural, circle. It gave her a perfect view of the silver moon, casting its light on her and the basket she brought of all the materials she would need.

She sighed, extending her arms into the sky and closing her eyes. Her face was serene, like a cat sunbathing in an open window. An involuntary smile tugged at her lips.

“I’m back,” she whispered to the air around her. “Did you miss me?” A silent yes was spoken by the wind in the way it caressed her cheek. I missed you deeply, my dearest child.

“I know, but I am back now for the full moon. I must get to work, stay calm in this area for a little while. I have candles I would like to keep aflame and upright.”

She set to work, first laying out a green lace tablecloth on the bare dirt, a patch that hadn’t had grass growing in years. She lit candles of white, green, and brown atop ornate little candle dishes painted with pentacles. She drew runes in the dirt with her athame, a dainty red little dagger that was used for rituals.

Are you sure about this, my child?

“Why wouldn’t I be sure, friend?” She spoke a bit louder than before, her clear voice venturing above a whisper. She had laid everything perfectly in place and the air was charged with magical energy, it was time to utilize it.

The kind of spell you’re planning to do is loud, it will bring attention to you.

“Why do you think I came to the woods to do it? I know it’ll be loud, but I promise it will be fine. Nothing bad will happen,”

That is dangerous, young one. People will hear you and know there is a witch among them.

“Let them find out, it’s ridiculous I have to hide anyway! I’ve never done anything wrong or cruel, I didn’t make a deal with the devil, all I’ve ever done is use the gift I was born with to help other people! If they don’t want my help they can kill me!”

Those are bold words, Branwen. It would be a shame to see you buried so young. If you were to use some tact, you could perhaps usher in peace between humanity and witches such as yourself, but to frighten them is a horrible way of going about it.

“I don’t care what you think, wind. I will do this my own way. I will bring peace and understanding to Sanwilken and I will do it as loudly and abrasively as I so desire! There is nothing wrong with witchery, and I’m tired of people saying there is! My existence is not a sin, it is not a curse, and it is nothing to be ashamed of,” Despite the wind’s protests, she lit the candles. They burned hot and bright with her anger, their flames as tall as the candles themselves.

In the center of the circle Branwen stood, arms extended toward the moon, drawing its power to use as her own. She let her head fall back completely, silky black and purple hair tickling her back. She furrowed her brows, her thoughts racing with all she wanted to manifest this month. Good harvest, peace, financial prosperity, it all raced until she couldn’t catch a single thought in her head. Her arms began to tremble, her knees knocked each other, but nothing could break her focus.

BOOM!

The sound exploded through the air, sending Branwen stumbling backward. Her head felt like it was full of lead, but in her foggy daze she could see that all her flames had been extinguished and had left behind thin lines of deep gray smoke, billowing up into the air.

She did it. Before she could celebrate her victory, she heard panicked voices far away.

“What on Earth was that?”

“We have to find out, what if it’s dangerous?!”

She jolted, going into a tizzy trying to collect everything she could. All she was able to grab in time was her basket and athame, everything else laid discarded at the scene as she fled back to the safety of her home.

“Branwen? Bran? Brannie? C’mon, wake up Bran,” She felt her body being shaken by two strong hands. She blinked away the exhaustion from her crystalline blue eyes, fixing them on a dark face in front of her. After a moment of confusion, she identified the face of her dear friend and roommate, Veronica Wiggs.

“Five more minutes,” Branwen grumbled pathetically, only to begin a coughing fit the moment the words left her mouth. Her throat felt as if she’d swallowed thorny cotton.

Her friend rushed to the other side of the bed, using one hand to feel her forehead for a fever, the second to grab a white mug with a little cartoon sun on it.

“I made you some tea, how are you feeling?”

“Like hell,” Branwen growled, sitting up to take the tea.

“You look like it. Was it maybe because you got caught performing a spell last night?” Veronica’s warm face shifted to a hard one, anger laced in every crevice.

“I did not get caught, no one knew it was me.”

“Yeah, well while you were getting your beauty sleep the entire town has been talking about it. People are scared, Branwen, that was really irresponsible to do.”

“It was not irresponsible of me! You don’t have any faith in me, do you?” Instead of a verbal answer, Branwen received a pointed look from her roommate. “It’s not my fault things exploded! I put a little too much energy into it, that’s all. It’ll all blow over in a week.”

“No. No it won’t. Search parties are assembling to find out who the witch is, I heard people are even going door to door.” The urgency in Veronica’s voice almost alarmed Branwen, but she shrugged it off. No one would suspect her of all people to be a witch.

“I’m not taking this right now, get out, I need to get dressed. Thanks for the tea.” She said dismissively, turning away to head towards her walk-in closet.

“We’re talking about this later. You go out and hear it for yourself, people are practically rioting. And I want to hear a very sincere apology when you realize how grave the danger you’re in is.” Veronica spoke slowly, from the deepest parts of her chest. If you listened closely you could hear the way her voice trembled and her lip wobbled as her eyes became glassy with anxious tears.

“Whatever you say Ronnie.”

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and to the outside eye it would seem like a lovely day. All sorts of people roamed the streets, from well-dressed businesspeople to sleepy teens in sweatpants. When you zoomed in on the idealistic picture however, you would hear the whispers of those people buzzing in the air. The same topic was on everyone’s lips.

There was a witch in town.

“Good morning Branwen, how are you this morning?” A teenaged girl dressed in her grocery store uniform chirped as she began scanning her items.

“Good. How are you?” Branwen responded. Her black hair, streaked with different shades of purple, from lavender to plum, was neatly curled into loose waves by her shoulders. She wore a long purple skirt that flowed when she walked, covered white and black lines that created dainty floral patterns. Her top was lacy and black, cropped at her stomach with lovely bell-sleeves, paired with velvet black heeled boots. She looked perfectly put together, and perfectly fashionable. Nobody could see the storm brewing underneath the pretty exterior, like a fizzing soda ready to explode all over your hands.

“I’m good, have you heard there’s a witch on the loose?” The younger girl asked with a smile.

“What kind of silly gossip is that?” Branwen asked, her breath catching in her throat. Was it possible that Veronica was right?

“No, it’s true! They found her whole setup for this weird ritual clearing in the woods. My friend sent me photos, it’s really creepy. Candles everywhere, tons of pentagrams, symbols drawn in the dirt. Cash or card?”

“Card. But I’m sure it’s not that bad. I don’t think witches are inherently evil,” Branwen said calmly, training her eyes intently on the card reader.

“They’re the devil’s spawn!” The cashier blurted, looking aghast, her hand pressed on her heart as if it would leap out from her ribcage.

“They’re just people,” Branwen scoffed, grabbing her bags.

“Miss Bobbit, you’re gonna ruin your good reputation if you keep talking like that. Witches are awful creatures. They only exist because the devil got his evil hands on easily corrupted people. I respect you a lot, don’t go interfering with witches,” The girl’s anger blazed in her eyes, but she shook her head and calmed herself. “Have a nice day ma’am, God be with you!”

Branwen looked down at the ground, her heart pounding in her ears. Could it be true? Could the town be ready to turn against her if she said so much as said a word defending her own kind? What kind of world was she living in?

“Death to all witches! Death to all witches!” A voice rang out. Branwen looked up, eyes wider than the moon. The beautiful town square, decorated with lush greenery surrounded by old fashioned brick buildings, was currently occupying a large crowd of people holding poster-board signs reading all sorts of heinous phrases. Death to all witches! Burn in hell! The Devil is in Georgia! Protect children, banish the witch! Burn her!

Bubbles of anger and fear rose in Branwen’s chest, threatening to burst through her throat and suffocate her. Her entire body felt hot and weak, like she would melt at any moment. Tears flooded her eyes, and in that moment she knew what she had to do. Straightening, she walked to the crowd as any human citizen would. She tapped someone on the shoulder, some middle aged woman she saw in the store with her children sometimes. The woman’s pale, unruly hair framed her face, which was twisted into an angry frown.

“Excuse me ma’am, what’s going on here?” She asked politely as she forced deep, even breaths. The woman looked startled for a moment, but her aging face settled into one of polite sympathy.

“Haven’t you heard, there’s a witch in town! We want to have her removed for the safety of our children,” She explained before turning back to the main speaker. A younger man, maybe around his mid-twenties. He held a megaphone and chanted into it, rallying the crowd that had gathered before him.

“Death to all witches! Death to all witches! This woman, whoever she is, is a threat to our children and our lives! Who knows what she could do, or has already done? Have any of our coincidental misfortunes ever been coincidences, or were they all planned by her? Wake up and take action. The police need to search every house in this town, they cannot rest until they find the witch! Nobody is safe in Sanwilken until every last witch is dead! Who’s with me?!” The crowd screamed and cheered, like drums battering Branwen’s ears.

All she wanted to do was protest, cry out that they were all wrong. The words were on the tip of her tongue, begging to be let out. Why would she be evil? What would she gain by hurting her beloved town? Why would any witch want to harm them? All she wanted was for Sanwilken to prosper. Month after month, year after year, she spent her full moons bringing about good fortune.

She stood, statuesque, for a moment. Deep down, it was a horrible idea. She’d die on the spot, no one would allow her to live until suppertime if they knew who she was, what she was.

Branwen, in the end, made the decision to turn heel and leave without a word, briskly pacing her way back home.

Breathe, my child. Breathe.

The familiar voice of the wind whispered to Branwen. She looked around wildly, her breath accelerating.

Shhh, my dearest, it is just me. Go home, you need to go home now. Stay safe now, I beg of you.

She looked at the sky for a moment, as if for reassurance. She nodded. Branwen needed to go home, she could feel it. Something bad was going to happen.

When she got home, Branwen saw an exemplary scene of serenity. Monarch butterflies resting on the flowers, the sun shining warmly on the house. It gave her a moment of peace, before she glanced toward the kitchen window and noticed Veronica pacing the floor.

Feeling her stomach drop, Branwen put on a phony smile and opened the door. When she reached the kitchen, setting the grocery bags on the counter, Veronica’s head snapped toward her.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

“Out getting groceries, why?” She asked carefully, grabbing some of the cold food to put in the fridge. Behind Branwen’s back, she could hear Veronica’s loud sigh.

“Is your safety never a concern for you? Do you not have a will to live?” Veronica demanded.

“I told you, it’s all going to blow over.”

“No it’s not! You can’t stay in denial any longer! You’re going to die if you don’t get your act together, Bobbit! Do you think I want to watch you die?”

“No need to be so dramatic, Ronnie,” Branwen chastised. She turned back, only to see Veronica hovering over her with more rage than she’d ever seen in her life.

“Dramatic? Dramatic!? Am I the only person with a brain in this house?!”

“Quit being so condescending. Nobody would ever suspect me of all people to be a witch. Besides, it’s so ridiculous having to hide so much anyway! Do you think I’m happy about having hidden who I am since I was four?!” Branwen retorted, raising her voice.

“I agree, it is ridiculous! But if you wanna survive, you can’t just play by your own stupid rules! People have been searching every house in this neighborhood, and this house is full of things that will pin one of us as a witch. And they’ll figure out it’s you pretty quickly once they find the stash of old potion bottles in your room. Go hide your things if you want any chance of living until tomorrow,”

“No! I will never, ever hide who I am in my own HOME! This isn't fair, I can’t do it! I am a witch and I am proud!”

“I DON’T CARE THAT YOU’RE PROUD, I CARE THAT YOU’RE ALIVE!” Veronica screamed, tears welling up in her deep brown eyes.

“I WOULD RATHER BE DEAD THAN HIDE A MINUTE LONGER!” Branwen hollered back. Tears started to cloud her vision, blurring everything to simple blobs of color.

Knock. Knock.

“That’s them. Go. Hide. Be a witch any other day of the week, but today I need you to be alive. That’s all I want, okay?” Veronica pleaded.

“I’m going for a walk,” Branwen declared with a glare, stalking out the backdoor. There was silence for a moment, then footsteps.

“Hi everyone, yes, you may come in. I’m sorry it’s so messy.”

The sun dappled the forest floor with warmth, streaming in through the trees overhead. Branwen was perched on a boulder she’d found, surrounded by moss and bushes. The air was clear and quiet, and she felt her shoulders slumping forward.

“What have I done?” She whispered, holding her head in her hands. “This is terrible. I’m going to die, the deed is done.”

I’m sorry, Branwen.

“Wind? Is that you?”

Yes, my child, it is just me. I wish I could have done more to protect you.

“No, it’s not your fault at all. I messed up, I messed up really bad. God, why am I so stubborn? Why couldn’t I just accept that I have to hide, that’s just the way things are.”

But you were right, it shouldn’t be. Humans fear what they do not understand, and they never tried to understand you.

“I can’t blame them, someone with magic powers does sound kinda scary.”

May I give you some advice, my child?

“Of course, I’ll do my best to listen, I promise.”

Hold your head high. Do not let them see that you’re frightened, or that they’ve hurt you. You are a very strong soul, and I believe you can do it. Go out with courage. If there’s anything I know you can do, it’s that.

“I will, for you. I’ll embrace death. At least then, I don’t have to hide anymore.”

Good. Thank you, dear friend, for keeping me company.

“Of course wind, thank you.” Branwen nodded, steeling her nerves. Her head knew what she had to do, if only someone could teach this bravery to her poor heart.

“Branwen Bobbit?” She whipped her head up. Her executioners, they were here. “Please come with us.”

It was a somber scene in Sanwilken, Georgia, that night. The sun had begun to set, and in front of the brilliant golden sky, stood the silhouette of a woman, and the noose that would kill her. Without so much as a trial, Branwen Bobbit had been sentenced to execution by hanging. She held her head high, her stony face unreadable to the large crowd before her. People were sprawled around the lush green ground on picnic blankets. After all, it was dinnertime.

The woman, the witch, the dead girl walking, looked around at the crowd. Toward the very back, she caught the gaze of a teary, horrified woman all on her own. Veronica. She was dressed head to toe in black, layers and layers of it despite the hot sun still beating on everyone. Her inky parasol cast shadows on her face, leaving only her mouth and chin visible, but anyone could see the tear-tracks that glistened in the golden sun. She mouthed “I’m sorry,”.

Too late.

“People of Georgia, today we witness the execution of Branwen Bobbit, for charges of witchcraft and consorting with the devil. Any last words, Bobbit?”

Branwen took a deep, shaky breath. She closed her cloudy blue eyes, feeling the pit grow in her stomach. Her voice came out faint, barely a whisper.

“I love you all.”

With that, she stepped onto the platform, where an executioner situated a scratchy rope around her throat. She fixed her eyes on the crying Veronica, willing her to keep it together, to carry on without her.

I’m so sorry, child.

The wind blew the hanging woman’s hair in front of her face, as if to shield her from the watchful eyes of the people below. The hill that was silent only moments before, anticipation hanging like a thick fog in the air, erupted in raucous cheers and laughter. Few stayed silent to mourn their all dear friend, wallowing in what, to most, was a joyous scene.

“YOU MONSTERS!” A rough voice rang out from the back. “YOU MONSTERS! YOU MONSTERS! YOU HORRIBLE MONSTERS!” The shrieking shocked the crowd to silence, as people turned to the grieving woman. Veronica Wiggs. She stormed up to the stand where the body of her dearest friend hung in the air.

Veronica choked on her sobs, feeling her throat closing in on itself. Her chest felt like it was a black hole, the horrible emptiness growing by the moment until it drowned her.

“YOU DISGUSTING CREATURES. SHE LOVED YOU. SHE LOVED YOU ALL. SHE DID NOTHING BUT WORK FOR THE GOOD OF THIS HORRID TOWN. EVERY SPELL, EVERY RITUAL, EVERYTHING SHE DID WAS TO BRING US PROSPERITY, AND WHAT DID YOU DO? PUT HER IN AN EARLY GRAVE.

BRANWEN WAS THE KINDEST PERSON I KNEW. SURE, SHE WAS A WITCH, BUT TO BE A WITCH IS NO CRIME OR SIN, IT HAS NO MARK ON YOUR CHARACTER. LOOK THROUGH HER STUFF, LOOK AT HER BOOKS. THERE IS NOTHING ON HOW TO BRING HARM. ALL SHE WANTED WAS FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND HER TO BE HAPPY. BUT SHE WAS SO TIRED OF HIDING, THAT SHE WAS WILLING TO DIE SO SHE COULD HAVE ONE MOMENT OF LIVING AUTHENTICALLY. I WISH YOU ALL NOTHING BUT THE WORST!” Veronica wailed. Her voice echoed through the hills, as if the grass and the wind itself were crying alongside her. Her entire body visibly shook, and with every new sentence her voice cracked. She looked like a scared little girl.

Something about her agony and the words she screamed struck a chord within the people of the town. Perhaps she was right, perhaps witches were nothing but people with a beautiful gift.

But if that were the case, they had committed a horrible atrocity, hadn’t they? Watching an innocent girl executed, ignoring her plight in favor of watching, eating picnics at the death place of a kind person? If that was the case, they watched an innocent life be taken and looked on with glee.

And nothing could be worse than watching a horrible thing happen whilst doing nothing to stop it, could it?

Branwen’s books were buried with her in the clearing she had used on the night that brought on her fate. And soon, Veronica would be buried right next to her. No one may be righteous and loud without paying the price.

After all, who would tell the tale of the kind witch who was wrongfully murdered, if no one was alive to do it?

#writing #short story #author #witch #witchcraft #story about witches #dark #hanging #public execution #death

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littleblackqrow · 2 years

Note

“ i am telling you as nicely as i’m willing to be. ” (( 🫠🫠🫠 ))

"And so am I," Qrow agreed amiably, though the tight lines around his eyes suggested this conversation was anything but. "I'm telling you to pack up all your toys and your little friends and fuck off. The Branwens don't have any business with the likes of Atlas, and frankly, I don't owe you or James a damn thing."

Qrow stood alone in front of the wood gates of the Branwen's latest camp, knowing that by tomorrow, they'd be long gone. Behind him, preparations were already being made to move out. He might have stood casually, but his hand had not strayed far from Harbinger at his back.

Unfortunately, a situation that had always seemed far-flung had come to pass. Clover, whether it was because of his luck or because of his past relationship with the Branwens, had come to collect a missing Maiden.

Seeming unconcerned at the small army on his doorstep, Qrow flicked his hair back from his face. It had gotten long again, ever since he'd left Patch and his sister's burgeoning family to hide the young recalcitrant girl away from an endless war she wasn't ready for.

"What's the matter, Cloves?" Qrow asked with a jeer. "Not happy with the battle lines you drew? I told you that it would end up like this. Maybe not in so many words, but..." He gave a gallic shrug.

#courtclover #v: when the world turns its back on you you turn your back on the world #so remember that time we talked about the verse where qrow goes back to the branwens instead of raven--

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yulechemist · 2 years

Text

About Me

My name is Anairis, and I’m a nonbinary, autistic 22 year old with a deep love for games, cartoons, and everything horror. My current hyperfixations are Genshin Impact, One Piece, and RWBY, but it can always change at any point. I mostly made this post to talk about what I post about so that if you don’t like any of the content, you don’t have to interact with me :)

The content you might see

-RWBY

-Cookie Run (Kingdom and Ovenbreak)

-Genshin Impact

-One Piece

-Winx Club

-League of Legends/Teamfight Tactics (these days I'm more interested in the world and characters themselves rather than the gameplay, but I do still on occasion play!)

-Project Sekai

-MCYT

-Markiplier

-My own personal writing!

Content Warnings

-Horror

-Leaks

-Spoilers

Please don't follow or scroll through my blog if you don't want to see these! I do my best to tag everything accordingly when I reblog it, but I can't hit every single TW, so just as a heads up please keep this in mind :)

All the serious stuff aside, here's some stuff that's just about me!

My Favorite Characters

-Weiss Schnee

-Winter Schnee

-Whitley Schnee

-Qrow Branwen

-Oscar Pine

-Ozpin

-Neopolitan

-Maria Calavera

-Nahida/Kusanali

-Baizhu

-Kokomi

-Layla

-Alhaitham

-Tartaglia

-Yoimiya

-Klee

-Squid Ink Cookie

-Lisa

-Furina

-Neuvillette

-Lyney

-Navia

-Doflamingo

-Sanji

-Ichiji

-Nami

-Jinbe

-Carrot

-Amber Sugar Cookie

-Poison Mushroom Cookie

-Mocha Ray Cookie

-Cookiemals

-Moonlight Cookie

-Golden Cheese Cookie

-Financier Cookie

-Bloom

-Valtor

-Roxy

-Faragonda

-Aurelion Sol

-Diana

-Bard

-Miss Fortune

-Vladimir

-Skarner

-Senna

-Talon

-Thresh

-Soraka

-Xayah

-Rakan

-Kohane Azusawa

-An Shiraishi

-Haruka Kiritani

-Saki Tenma

-Shiho Hinomori

-Nene Kusanagi

-Ena Shinonome

-Mizuki Akiyama

Current Writing WIP, Unnamed

Here is the summary (not final), as well as an excerpt from the book I'm currently writing! It's horror sci-fi and will be a series, though I have decided if it will be 3 books or more yet.

Life as they know it will be permanently turned upside down....

In the deepest depths of space there lurks something unimaginably horrific, pure evil in every way. And it's coming.

Aliens have come to Earth, with a warning, and a plea for help. By complete accident, Grace Alwyn finds herself suddenly tangled up in the plot to rescue the universe, but can she really trust anyone? Vexus Xiulatius, the mysterious general who seems to know more than he's letting on, Aili Brill, the pretty scientist who won't actually tell anyone what here experiments are about, and Cyrus Vientril, the slightly odd yet endearing soldier who avoids every single one of Grace's questions.

Grace knows she's gotten herself involved in something that puts her life at risk, but for some reason she can't explain, she feels she's meant to be here.

"What," I say, slowly, "is that?"

Vexus avoids my gaze, uncomfortable. "You... Were not supposed to see this."

On his monitor is a fuzzy image of something very large floating through space. I can't make out many details, but it's nothing like what we were told we'd be facing.

I stare at him, a mixture of shock, anger, and fear coursing through my veins. "How can you hide this from everyone? This- this changes everything!"

"It changes nothing." Vexus pulls himself together and looks at me, his steely grey eyes filled with disdain. "If we told you humans the truth about what we're facing, nobody would want to do it."

"They deserve that choice!"

"That is not your decision to make." Vexus turns the monitor off. "Please leave, and do not tell anyone of what you saw in here." He turns around. "Seriously, Grace. This is for the best. You will understand."

I shake my head. "No Vexus, I don't know if I will." I leave his office, disgusted by everything I saw, our conversation, and the fact that I am completely helpless in this situation.

I'm always looking for more friends that share my interests :) My inbox is always open if you ever wanna chat! All I ask is that you're around the same age as me, I don't really feel comfortable befriending minors as I prefer to hang out with people my own age. I don't really have a DNI list since I can't moderate who interacts with my posts when most people probably won't read it even if I did have one (I also think they're very silly for that reason). Just be kind and we're good :)

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flightofaqrow · 2 years

Text

qrow + Salem ( @wiitchisms ) [roleswap AU]

“You, Qrow Branwen, are exceedingly outmatched in the art of mind games.”

“oh, i’d agree, Lady. if this were a game,” Salem’s awfully preachy for someone who doesn’t actually feel threatened, “here i thought we were just tradin’ stories.”

qrow has many talents, which are probably the only reason Salem keeps him around. keeping secrets included. she has played the long game for so long, she often misses the current moment; he can only hope to make the shared space time a little more memorable than most.

“You… don’t have to hide from me, Qrow. In fact, you… can’t, really.”

“… more magic?” he asks, voice dry and scratchy. he definitely needed another drink.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Qrow, you literally kiss and tell all the time. It’s called karma.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“hey, i never use names!”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“You say enough that it’s easy to figure out. Also, let’s not forget whose dorm room was next door to yours, nor should we forget which poor sucker had the bed against the shared wall.”

She’s heard things. They never bothered her, but she’s heard things.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“maybe when you know enough about everyone t’start…”

also, what the fuck was one of them doing in his bed when he was out??? he could count on less than one hand the number of people he brought back to the dorm. that was too intimate. and too dangerous. he went to theirs, if in a bed at all.

maybe she’s just making assumptions about tickle fights with Summer that got too out of hand… or wrestling with Raven… honestly there was a lot of rough housing in that dorm that people might have gotten the wrong idea about.

“guess we’re gonna gloss over what i heard from your side, huh?” he doesn’t mean naughty times. some things were far more embarrassing.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Her smirk grows wider, one eyebrow raising as if she’s waiting for him to try something clever. It’s not long before he speaks again, though, and she’s… intrigued.

She stares at him, eyes narrowed, gaze challenging him. She knows how to play these games. She’s played them over and over again. Time to play again.

“Oh? And what is it that you believe you heard, Qrow?” She’s absolutely calling his bluff, leaning back and looking like the picture of unflappable confidence, even if there’s a smirk playing on her lips.

She’s curious as to what he thinks he might have heard. Risqué or otherwise.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

with a look like that qrow knows he’s not wrong. though, he may have a different idea of what bothered an immortal being for other people to know.

he shrugs, an entirely neutral expression on his face, hands in his pockets, equally unfazed. either Salem’s always had a Raven-like side to her, or she picked up some mannerisms, with that kind of power play.

“i’ve always told ya, y’talk in your sleep. or maybe sometimes y’were just daydreamin’. didn’t always make sense, even. sometimes, though…”

he raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t elaborate.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

That nonchalance would’ve been infuriating to just about anyone else, but not Salem. No, it was entertaining the way he seemed to dance about the subject. He’d told her plenty of times she talked in her sleep, and she’d never exactly denied it. Well, except around those who didn’t know about her.

She stares at him, rolling her eyes and gesturing for him to continue–or more specifically, get on with it.

“You know, I may be immortal, but I’ll be honest, I think I can feel my body aging while you beat around the bush.” It was a lie, obviously, but yet another way to call his bluff.

“I mean, unless you’re blowing smoke up my ass, which is possible. Perhaps you don’t even know, and yet somehow, you think you can play this game with me, and win.” She leans forward, coming far too close to his face as that smirk has yet to disappear from hers.

“You, Qrow Branwen, are exceedingly outmatched in the art of mind games.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

qrow doesn’t flinch. he holds steady right where he is, even while wisps of the woman’s hair brush against his face, and he could pick out the scent/flavor of lip product she’s wearing, and she could probably tell what drink he last swallowed. he’s had more difficult stare downs with much meaner enemies, and much higher stakes than this before.

“Salem Witchhazel…” he formalizes right back, “…impatient.” he scoffs, “now, i’ve seen a lotta things ‘round Remnant, but be still my weary bones, i never thought that one would be in th’ scenery.”

this is already worth it.

“oh, i’d agree, Lady. if this were a game.” she’s awfully preachy for someone who doesn’t actually feel threatened.

“here i thought we were just tradin’ stories.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ah, that bravery–one of the many reasons she finds his presence so entertaining. He’s got spine, daring to challenge an immortal witch… not that there’s any real danger, of course. No, it’s a different kind of danger, one where mens’ egos often ended up crushed by her, and Qrow’s was no different.

And crush it, she would.

How petulant of him to call her impatient, though. She was far from such; she had all the time in the world, unlike him, to tell such stories. She shakes her head, eyes sparkling, a little ‘ho-ho’ escaping her as she’s clearly entertained by it, shaking a finger at him as if to scold him. What a troublesome, troublesome man. This was her calling his bluff, and he was certainly not selling himself as having much to say.

“Bold of you to assume this isn’t a game,” she corrected, head tilting curiously as she regards him. “Of course, there isn’t much for story trading happening,” she continued, pointedly poking him in the chest with a finger. “At least, not while you pretend like you know something that’s clearly a bluff.” She tapped him on the nose before backing up, raising her arms outward, palms to the air like she were challenging him before she sat back on the couch, one leg crossed over the other as her arms stretched out across the back. To add a little emphasis, she used her empathy to goad him a little, along with a hint of curiosity in there.

“If you can prove me wrong, maybe I’ll tell you about that time I certainly heard your name through the wall… definitely more than once.”

Game. On.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

his lips tilt to a lopsided frown as she chides, ego bruised as intended, though more in the rise of unpleasant memories of condescending ways he’s been treated before. but the lilt of her voice soon changes, and her prodding comes laced with affection once more.

he stirred some sort of fire where he meant to exchange silliness, and her body language speaks of the goddess she has been in the past, and still could be at any moment; she sits at one of her many thrones of beacon, and qrow tilts his head, too, more in wonder that he doesn’t speak, not right now.

she was warm, so close, and now he realizes how chilled the room is, in ways he hadn’t before.

he’s not bluffing, but she might be. honestly, he doesn’t remember well enough. but clearly she did.

he snorts as he settles into a familiar, comforting lean against the wall in response to the push of her finger, less playful and more closed off the more she digs at him, no matter how much his mouth opens more than it should, “…startin’ t’sound like someone’s jealous t’me.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

His sudden quiet bothers her, more than she lets on. Perhaps she’s gone too far; unlike him, she’s not likely to show it as openly, masking her worry under warmth. That playfulness is gone from him. She doesn’t like that. Not one bit.

Her smile drops, expression changing back to the usual, warm, kind face she wears, instead standing up and approaching him once more, doing her best to radiate that warmth subtly through her empathy. Was she jealous? Perhaps a bit, but not in a way she was liable to act upon.

“Qrow.” Her voice is level again, having lost the lilt it had, now tinged with concern. She feels a hint of guilt, and she’s quick to separate it from whatever other emotions are swirling in the air like invisible threads around her, emotions that are distinctly not her own. She reaches a hand up, intending to rub his arm with reassurance, but hesitates, uncertain.

“I’m sorry.” She can tell he’s upset, though she can’t tell the nature of it; she’s fairly certain she was at least the trigger, if not the cause. “I didn’t mean… to upset you, if I did.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

he thought he hid it, beckoned for more banter with the last quip, but he should know better by now, around her. but he brings everyone around him down, that’s just the nature of things. even her. now, in this way, she calls his bluff; the entirety of his attitude drops and he lifts his flask to his lips, trying to gain some courage back, perhaps.

he neither moves into her touch nor shies away from it, the same stubbornly unassuming response to sympathy as to coquettishness. he can feel that blazing fire turn to a more comforting warmth, and yet they burn him both the same. he doesn’t do well with this game of emotions, most of all his own; he cannot find words to explain why this whole situation makes him feel so vulnerable.

he has made it a game, too, hasn’t he? picking fights with powerful women was practically a pastime for him, but he probably shouldn’t have picked one with his boss. honesty always served him better; bravado only managed to have him browbeat or falling flat on his face thanks to Misfortune, and yet it’s the default setting hardwired into him for too long. don’t be so weak.

the sound of his name pulls him from the spiral of his own thoughts, and wine eyes peer up. he should be apologizing. he didn’t intend to kill the mood.

“tch…” he brushes off her concern as if there shouldn’t be any in the first place. he can’t find words any further, and wouldn’t want to discuss it, even if he could. instead he steps back on track with continuing trying to change the topic from the specifics of his private life, and hoping it doesn’t circle right back around a second time.

after a beat of silence, qrow’s arms remain crossed, but drop lower on his chest. he stares at the floor, “there was… a poem, i think,” he speaks more solemnly, “sometimes y’just prattled it off. sometimes you sang it. it sounded… kinda like a lullaby. couldn’t find it in any of th’ texts. …always wondered where it came from.”

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A lullaby.

“…oh.” Her voice is soft, her own gaze turning away at the sudden vulnerability. A lullaby. She knew which one. She knew it wasn’t recorded, because… Well, it was her own. It was from an age long before things had been recorded the way they were now; all of those texts had been too old to have been wiped out. Nevertheless, she smiled, closing her eyes and taking a breath.

And just like that, she rattled off the words, like they were embedded in her memory. She knew she was right; there was no question which one it was.

“It, uh… It was a song my father used to sing every day on my mother’s birthday, even after she… passed.” She rarely, if ever, talked about what her family had been like. She’d told them some details, albeit scattered ones, of her early life as nothing more than a prisoner. Of course, her excuse for leaving details out was always simple: they’re personal. Of course, just like then, she left one thing out. It had been a poem, at the time, that he read every year. Only years later, when Salem had children of her own, had it turned into a lullaby, one she sung to her children every night before bed. That part she couldn’t bring herself to say. It was the one thing she never talked about… ever.

Taking a single calming breath, she slowly reached up, arms silently wrapping around his neck. She had to stretch a little to reach, now on the tips of her toes, to do so, but it was difficult. She closed her eyes and focused.

“You… don’t have to hide from me, Qrow. In fact, you… can’t, really.” She said the last words before she had a moment to think about it, realizing she’d said far more than she’d intended.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

yep, that was the one. just the rhythm of the words, even without a tune, sends a calming wave right down his spine, grounds his feet with familiarity. takes him back to a better time.

“…it’s nice.”

he has enough regular human empathy to sense the fondness in Salem’s performance as each syllable passes her lips in practiced shapes. it truly came from her own heart. he should have known. focusing on that instead of the stabbing of his own existence helps heal the hurts of the prior conversation. he’s also no stranger to the pang of pain in the following look.

well, he hadn’t been far off the mark. embarrassing? in the way he thought any young girl discovered singing into her hairbrush might be? nope. but personal? yeah, clearly it was. his curiosity sates, and now they’re even for deep dives into memories of dormroom nights.

somewhat still lost in thoughts, and rolling with the flow of the moment and the calm, qrow’s arms instinctively wrap low when Salem reaches high, landing loosely around her waist and taking his shoulders into more of a lower slouch with them, not quite pulling her into a hug, but enough support to help hold her weight tall; she leans into him while he still leans into the wall, and a bent knee settles against her thigh, too.

sheesh, why did everyone seem to get so touchy and feely at the same time with him?

what she said should have been comforting, yet somehow it sounds like a warning, like something he might need to refill his flask for. he rolls his eyes and they stop with a stare still off to the side, never quite meeting hers again, this round, “i think i like Sassy Sale better’n Serious Sale alluva sudden. what in remnant’re y’even talkin’ about?“

hiding? not being able to? she always seems three steps ahead of his own thoughts.

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“I—”

There it is. That cold chill that runs down her spine, pooling in her gut like it always does. Words she tried to speak choked in her throat. Salem, to all her peers, seemed unflappable—or, at least, she tried to be. Fearless. Confident. She could withstand torture that could kill anyone else, for days upon end, yet something as innocuous as telling someone this made her freeze, made her clam up.

There’s a dead silence as a stiffness born of discomfort, hesitation, and fear settles into her posture, though she doesn’t move; she’s trying to find the easiest way to finally take that leap and say it. She has, in the past, and the reaction has never been positive. At least now, she can lie, mask it under years of learning how to read people, how to recognize things, even if she stumbles at times and is far too afflicted by others’ emotions for her own good.

“…I’m an empath, Qrow.” She knows that’s not the depth of it, but it’s the easiest way to describe it. “As in… magically. I feel… every emotion of the people around me—on this campus, it’s like a flood, bearing down on me, with no mute button, or off switch—a constant barrage of sensations like an overload. I feel… life. Souls. Death. I can also influence others’ emotions, though I do it rarely… usually to make others feel comfortable, or lift spirits, or bolster morality when necessary.”

That tension never left her body. She fought to contain her own fear, though she was sure threads of it were seeping out, already smothering the warmth she’d projected.

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yeah, alright, that tentative stutter in Salem’s voice catches his full attention back, a full turn of his head to face her, an intense vermillion gaze searching hers for better clues. funny, how an immortal witch still sounds and feels so human. of course that’s just part of the difference between her and Ozma.

qrow falls into that silence, only watches, only listens. he does pull her closer now, not against him, but just enough that his arms can meet behind her, fully enclosed; she is safe here. she can speak freely if she wants. qrow has sworn himself to her, and this can be part of the job, if needed. he has shouldered the weight of constant burden for so long that it bleeds out onto others; he can at least help lighten some of hers in cosmic exchange.

though a slow start, more and more of her secret comes rushing out at once. like pulling the cork off shaken champagne. aged for… well, he can’t even fathom how long she’s been bottling that up and keeping it from bubbling over.

with every word his expression opens wider, lips thinning and brows raising with surprise… concern… before knitting together as he fully processes the fallout effects. his own frame tightens up, more guarded, though he stays right here with her, doesn’t move a millimeter.

“… more magic?” he asks, voice dry and scratchy. he definitely needed another drink.

did that mean his feelings weren’t his own around her? had she controlled him before? was she doing it now? his face scrunches together and he huffs while shaking his head, shaking it off. no, that’s stupid. he shouldn’t let it bother him. even if she was, he trusts it could only be with the best of intentions. she had, for sure, changed the entire course of qrow’s life, but more by the opportunities she gave him. ways to fulfill the things he dreamed of long before he met her, and still pursued even when she was half a world away.

people influence each other’s feelings all the time. really, that must just give her an easier, faster way of doing it.

he started gripping the fabric of her dress through those terse, pensive breaths and only realized it when he finally released back to the relaxed hold he kept before.

“well, that sounds terrible,” he jerks his head as if tossing off a headache. suddenly her frequent ones made much more sense; a lot of things did, actually. “i need a drink just’ta manage a class’a signal kids at face value.”

he fixes attention to her again, lips curved down in sympathy - commiseration, more like it, “…an’ i definitely know a little somethin’ about… not bein’ able t’turn a part’a’ya off.”

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She can tell he’s staring. She can always tell when there’s a gaze on her, and she only briefly meets his. She’s too afraid to; it feels like yet another means for her to feel separated from humanity. She doesn’t want that. She’s never wanted that. It’d been hundreds of years since she told anyone, given the last time the reception had been… less than savoury.

What she expects is him to move away, so when he doesn’t, she’s surprised. She fights to clamp down on her own emotions, keep them from seeping out and influencing the situation, but it’s more difficult than she wants to admit. She swallows, feeling a lump in her throat as she waits with bated breath for him to say something, anything.

Terrible was right. It had its perks, though she rarely used them. Even if she did, she kept it simple, subtle, so as not to draw attention. Relief washes over as he doesn’t seem to be as bothered by it as she was expecting, the tension and fear washing through her. It was so relieving, she almost wanted to cry.

It was the last bit–the sympathy, the understanding–that pushed that over the edge. She started to laugh, though it was not one of mirth. It was an awkward, half-relieved sound tinged with anxiety and deep-seated sadness. How long she’d been bottling that up, she hadn’t the faintest idea. She’d lost count of the years. She just knew it’d been forever.

The release is enough to make her tremble, more noticeably than she ever has before along with the laughter, as she’s more fully leaning into him now, head dropping enough to obscure her gaze as her forehead rests against him. She can’t find any words to respond, except for two.

“Thank you,” she chokes out, wishing she didn’t sound like she was about to burst into tears.

#* suddenly a lot more things make sense = wiitchisms *#* i gave you my life = past *#* your favorite fairy tale = AU = good salem's spy *#* how do you think legends and fairy tales get started? = thread archive *

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thatanimewriter · 3 years

Text

s/o with hair that reaches their knees

➳ character/s: lie ren, winter schnee, qrow branwen, cinder fall

➳ warnings: none

➳ notes: this is only because i miss having long hair, but at the same time, long hair was too much of a hassle for me, so i’ve stuck with short hair. self projection through my favourite characters! these are also a bit shorter than usual.

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› this man will style it in so many different hairstyles for you it’s amazing

› sometimes you will simultaneously braid each others hair

› ren has always been concerned that someone is gonna grab your hair in a fight and kidnap you

› you’ve had to reassure him it’s not gonna happen, but he’ll always be a little worried

› nora also loves doing your hair because she can have even more fun with braiding

› he pities your neck when you shower or swim, though, because that’s gonna be really heavy

› ren has always enjoyed running his hands through your hair during cuddle sessions

› he likes that you’ve kept the hairstyle he did for you on a frequent rotation

› she lives for it

› she loves your really long hair

› in the mornings, she’ll style your hair for you and just talk

› it’s really relaxing to just open up about things you wouldn’t usually be able to talk about in public over getting ready in the morning

› if you’re part of the atlas military, she’ll do your hair like hers or a little fancier than hers

› and she definitely practices hair on you for weiss and vice versa

› speaking of weiss, she loves your hair so much

› whitley will sometimes practice on you as well, but don’t tell papa schnee

› man’s is literally in love with you

› if you ever got married, he thinks your hair will make you look god-like

› when you first started dating, he thought that maybe his luck wasn’t so bad

› but then you got into the whole fight with tyrian and he hates the way tyrian played with your hair

› so when he got you back, he made sure to give you some extra love to make you feel better

› touching your hair is his way of trying to overcome his drinking habit

› it’s slowly starting to work, but there’s definitely a ways to go

› you don’t mind though, it feels nice and it helps qrow improve

› what a fashion icon, cinder knows how to style your hair for you

› the most fashionable duo in salem’s posse

› because knee-length hair isn’t very common, she doesn’t take you on missions where you’re in the public eye for a while

› if you have to go, cinder will put your hair up in a bun to hide the length so if you get caught, you can look different

› and obviously, if they ask you to put your hair up, no one can replicate cinder’s hairstyles, so you won’t be caught

› she hates it when salem comes up behind you and strokes your hair condescendingly

› it bugs her to no end, so she makes an effort to make sure you know she’s not looking down on you when she’s with you

› she may be self-centred, but she will always look out for her s/o

#rwby #rwby x reader #rwby imagines #lie ren #lie ren x reader #lie ren imagines #winter schnee #winter schnee x reader #winter schnee imagines #qrow branwen #qrow branwen x reader #qrow branwen imagines #cinder fall #cinder fall x reader #cinder fall imagines

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babyboydbaby · 4 years

Text

Volume 6

Things in the following week could’ve gone a lot better, but they also could’ve gone a lot worse.

Scrooge had some obvious concerns mixed with plenty of angry alliterations at the very thought of letting strangers anywhere near the bin, let alone allowing formers minions of Salem crash beneath it for an indefinite period of time. But after the situation was explained, and after plenty of reassurance that they were only looking to hide and that no harm would come to the bin or its contents, Scrooge eventually gave his reluctant approval for them to continue with their plans, with a “Well, I suppose it’s not like I have any room to argue, what with all the bizarre beasties my own family has dragged home over the years. Just make sure they behave.”

The kids had been...less agreeable. Questioning both James and Gyro’s decision with very vocal protests, and reminders of what Hazel had done to Penny and how Mercury and Emerald had tricked them.

All silenced very quickly by Gyro informing them of the situation with James and Gretchen.

The only one who hadn’t needed silencing was Boyd; one didn’t need what one already possessed. He didn’t say a word the entire time the kids were filled in to the situation, the most input he’d given was an acknowledgement towards the story about James’ accident.

Overall, the kids did seem calmer by the time they had finished explaining, albeit still unsure. Which was fine, they didn’t have to love the idea. Heck, Gyro couldn’t imagine anyone in the situation loved the idea.

At the very least, Boyd did finally speak once the conversation ended, asking in a very low, trembling voice if he could be allowed to use the big training room for a bit. His only specification why being that ‘his head was hurting’, but Gyro knew it was probably just so he could burn off some steam in as safe of a matter as he could.

Still...of course he couldn’t help but be concerned about the poor kid as Huey led him away.

Overall, the tension was still there but the kids seemed to possess the slightest bit of understanding as to why James had made the choice to help Hazel and the kids in the first place. And with both tasks finished, they moved on to scheduling out when the actual transfer would take place.

Fenton had already been in the process of adding Gyro to the list of people his portal could transfer to, so it took little time for him to finish that particular task (along with updating Clover’s so he could transfer to Winter), so the only thing to do next was to wait until Pietro had finished his medical treatment on Emerald’s head before the transfer could take place.

And about a week or so later, it was time.

“I wish we didn’t have to be here,” Huey said bitterly, arms folded across his chest.

“I missed out on visiting the Branwen clan!” Louie argued. “I’m not missing out on any more weird Twin City shenanigans, even if it does involve Murdery the Werewolf and The World’s Worst Bullshitters.”

"That’s enough talk like that,” Gyro said, placing the box he was carrying down on the nearest surface. “If you kids insist on staying for this, at least hold off on comments like that until James is gone. ...Or at least help me finish getting the lab in order while you make them.”

“Sounds like a fair enough trade to me!”

Dewey bounded over to the nearest box, fully prepared to speak an insult towards the trio. However the contents within made him stop and examine them more closely. “Ooooooooh, are these bottles of water from the Fountain of Youth~?”

“Yes, and don’t touch them,” Gyro warned. “Despite what happened in Florida, Mr. McDuck wants to examine the fountain’s abilities more closely, in the hopes that perhaps their de-aging powers can be used in a much more controlled environment. But someone-” He cast a look in Manny’s direction. “-ended up dropping the box with the antidotes and shattering my samples. So now we don’t have a way to change anyone affected by the water back until we make more.”

Manny was heading towards the stairs, his shift ended for the day. However, at the scolding, he stopped and tapped his hooves in an irritable fashion: “I SAID I WAS SORRY.”

With a slight look of concern, Dewey set the box down again and hurried off to grab another, while Huey merely looked down at his scroll. “How you holding up, Boyd?”

Boyd’s hesitant expression lit up the smallest amount at the sight of Huey. “I’m...okay,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I can’t be there, I’m just worried...”

“Hey, hey, it’s totally fine,” Huey assured him. “At least this way you can always just end the call if things get too overwhelming for you, right? And, if by some miracle you think you can handle being here, it’s just a short fly away.”

Boyd gave him a small nod. “...Thanks again, Huey.”

“Anytime, pal.”

#Closed Starter #To All The Steps Erased And Paths Retraced; And Songs To Be Undone; The Line Will Be Redrawn (Gyro)#What Kind Of Luck I Have That I Could Meet Anyone; But I Met You (Huey)#Never An Honest Word; And That Was When I Ruled The World (Louie)#Brighter Than A Shooting Star; So Shine No Matter Where You Are (Dewey)#DTLS AU #Volume 6 #Long Post #(Boyd decided he would at least call in first)#(Because he's scared his anger towards Hazel might kick in when he doesn't want it to)#(But he'll come in later)

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

Note

re: that ask you posted a couple days ago about the male and female representation in RWBY, part of what makes RWBY's whole 'girl power' thing ring exceptionally hollow to me is the fact that there are like... no women in positions of real power in remnant. like at all. except the big bad.

winter is second in command to james. glynda is second in command to ozpin. all of the headmasters are men (for no discernible reason, imo; why theodore and not dorothea?). the leader of the ace ops was a white man (and then winter seemed to take over clover's position instead of either of the women of color on the team, and she was still second to james). RWBY is an all girl team, but JNPR was led by a boy despite a girl arguably being far more qualified (pyrrha). the happy huntresses are all women, and robyn had no real power to speak of--she didn't even manage to win the election, because jacques rigged it, and then the council ceased to matter. there was one (1) woman on the council, but she was so inconsequential that i can't even remember her name. (i suppose we're lucky it was the guy and not her who james shot lol) jacques controls the SDC instead of willow, even though he's not even a schnee by blood and actually married into the family for power. (and we don't even know how he got it over his wife.)

and then there's the white fang, which ghira led and not kali--and it's ghira who leads menagerie itself, while kali seems to be a housewife. sienna had five minutes of screentime before being brutally killed and her position assumed by adam, a man. cordovin is basically a one off lackey we haven't even thought about before or since. neo was second to roman. you have cinder, sure, who is a second but to salem, a woman, and raven as the leader of the branwen tribe--but what does it really say about your 'girl power' narrative when the only women with genuine systemic power in your world are villains or antagonists with massive bodycounts??

atla has the same sort of problem--a couple great female characters, but all the leadership positions are men (except the kyoshi warriors, an all girls group, and even then the leader of their island is an old man) and the one female mentor figure also turns out to be evil--but it at least has some great writing to help overlook that fact, and it came out in the mid-00's and so has some sort of excuse of being a product of its time. but rwby didn't even start until 2013 and it's still going and still making these kinds of decisions well into 2021.

where is this supposed girl power, exactly? am i really supposed to overlook the very patriarchal worldbuilding just because the title characters are girls?

That's an excellent summary of the situation, anon, and as with so much in RWBY, it comes down to the full context. Any one of these examples isn't necessarily going to mean much on its own. It's when you look at the pattern that you can start making a case for those conclusions: Why is the show marketed on "girl power" set in a world where men hold the vast majority of that power? And, more importantly, why is that setup not the point? We could easily have a story where that lopsided gender dynamic is the problem that the girls are looking to fix, but... that story doesn't exist. Like the problems discussed with Jaune, the supposed point here exists only on the surface. Dig just the tinniest bit — the above — and you hit on a lot of structural problems with this "girl power" world.

To add just a few details to what you've already said:

Salem indeed has power, but she's never allowed to fully use it. Each volume the frustration with this grows as Salem accumulates more abilities and then just sits on them. From literally hiding out for a thousand years to worries that she won't use the Staff in Volumes 9-10, Salem really isn't allowed to be the threat she's presented as on the surface. And yes, this is absolutely due in part to the "She's too OP and the writers don't know how to let her be that powerful while still having the heroes win" issue, but again, context. That problem doesn't exclude others occurring simultaneously.

Same double explanation with Summer. Yes, dead moms are an incredibly common trauma to dump on a protagonist, but it still left Yang and Ruby with Tai as their primary influence. And Qrow. The uncle becomes the extended family influence while Raven is the absent one/eventual antagonist. It's personal power as opposed to political power, but Tai, Qrow, Ozpin, formerly James... most of the mentors are men. Maria, a key exception, has been ignored in that regard. The story announced that she was Qrow's inspiration, setup her being Ruby's new mentor, and then... nothing. Nothing has come of that. She disappeared for a volume and then went off to Amity and was literally forgotten by the story when evacuating everyone was the finale's whole point.

Like that Endgame moment I mentioned, the Happy Huntresses feel a little too forced to me. Yes, it's the same basic idea as in ATLA, but ATLA, as you say, has a lot more going for it. The Happy Huntresses feel... on the nose? Idk exactly how to explain it. Like, "Here they are! Another team of all women! Isn't this how progressive storytelling works? Just ignore how this is a one-off team of minor characters compared to the world building issues discussed above." And if you're not paying attention, you miss just how insignificant they are, with a side of Robyn being, well, Robyn. The Kyoshi Warriors, at least, are based off of Kyoshi. A woman avatar who is a significant part of their history. That is, presumably, why they're an all women warrior group (but who notably still teach Sokka). The Happy Huntresses are all huntresses because...? There's no reason except that meta "We want to look progressive" explanation. Just like having all the women superheroes team up for a hot second so people get excited and ignore the representation problems across, what? 21 films? Don't get me wrong, I love that May is among the Happy Huntresses. I think including her in the explicitly all-women group was one of the better things RWBY has done in a long time, but the rest is still a mess.

RWBY is arguably about these smaller groups as opposed to systematic power (despite the writers trying to work that in with things like the White Fang and the election. Not to mention the implication that everything in Atlas is fine now that evil Ironwood has died and taken the symbol of wealth (the city) with him. We saw a human holding hands with a faunus after all. Racism and corruption solved, I guess.) So yes, our group is dominated by women... but Whitley is the one saving Nora, helping to defeat the Hound (plus Willow), thinking of the airships, and providing the blueprints they need to escape. Salem is our Big Bad, except Ironwood is the one the volume focuses on. Ruby is our leader, but Jaune is the one leading the group into the whale and getting praised for how heroic he is. Ren does more to shake things up, even if he's painted as the one in the wrong. Oscar gets to confront Salem and destroys the whale threat. Ozpin provides the information they need to evacuate. Meanwhile, when the girls do things in Volume 8 it's almost always followed by a long-stint of passiveness. Nora opens the door so she can be unconscious for most of the volume. Penny keeps Amity up so she can also be unconscious for a good chunk of time. Ruby sends her message and then sits in a mansion. Blake fights so she can tearfully beg Ruby to save her. Weiss, as said, takes a backseat to Whitley (and Klein). They forward the plot, absolutely, but comparatively it doesn't feel like enough.

It's that pattern then, no one specific example. More and more the personal power, not just the systematic power already built into Remnant, seems to be coming from the men. Not all the time, but enough that scenes like the tea drinking moment feel like a part of a much larger problem. Pietro taking control, Watts hacking, and Ambrosius literally remaking her when Penny is supposed to already be in control of herself and her fate. Winter being presented as the active mentor to Weiss, only to turn around and claim that Ironwood was actually responsible for everything. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and May straight up commenting on how awful things are out there while Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar lead the charge against Salem — with the latter three doing the most to forward that mission (no fear, semblance, cane). As others have only half-joked, Yang's supposedly badass moment was bringing up a mother she's ignored for six volumes and briefly blowing up the immortal woman for a couple of seconds (with Ironwood's bombs). Even Marrow is arguably the most significant Ace Op after Clover. Vine isn't actually a character, Elm slightly less so, Harriet is there to go crazy and try to drop a bomb (notably before admitting to never-before-existed feelings for Clover), but Marrow? He's the one who breaks out. Who is meant to heroically stand up against Ironwood. Who comments on how awful it is that teenagers are fighting and, regardless of how messed up the moral messages are, is supposedly pushing for active change while all the women in his group, including Winter, insist on maintaining the status quo. Look at all these choices as a whole, it makes throwaway worldbuilding choices like "All the Maidens are women" feel pretty hollow. Why does it matter if Amber is a Maiden if she dies in a flashback so Ozpin can struggle to pass on the power? If Pyrrha dies before becoming one so Jaune can angst about it? If Raven is one and then disappears from the story entirely? If Winter has enough power to break Ironwood's aura, but supposedly had no power throughout every other choice she made getting here? If Penny is one, but is continually controlled by men and then asks another man to help her die? It's just really unconvincing, once you look past the surface excitement of a woman looking cool with magic powers.

When you do consider the whole of the story — both in terms of our world building and who is forwarding the plot in the latter volumes, getting the emotional focus, being proactive, etc. — there are a lot of problems that undermine the presumed message RT wants to write. They say, "girl power" by marketing RWBY with these four women, but too many of the storytelling decisions thoroughly undermine that, revealing what's likely a deeply ingrained, subconscious bias.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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aspoonofsugar · 4 years

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Semblance of the Soul: Qrow and Raven

The Branwens are two people with a shared past, that have taken different routes in life:

Ozpin: Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest.

Qrow has made an altruistic choice. He hates the crimes of his tribe and is happy to help people by working for Ozpin.

Raven has instead decided to prioritize herself and her tribe and sees Ozpin’s cause as foolish and reckless.

At the same time, they are twins, but have chosen different families. This is why the concept of family comes up so often in their interactions. After all, they first meet in the episode called Family:

Raven: Hello, brother.

Qrow: Raven. So, what do you want?

Raven: A girl can't just catch up with her family?

And their last exchange is this:

Raven: Sorry, brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that.

Qrow: We're not family anymore.

Raven: Were we ever?

Qrow: I thought so, but I guess I was wrong.

Still, how are they doing with their families of choice? Are they happy with them? Do they have healthy relationships?

For the both of them, the answer is no. This happens because Raven and Qrow are both scared to grow close to people.

It is just that this fear is declined in opposite ways. Raven is scared for herself (selfishness), while Qrow is scared for others (selflessness).

This trait they share, but show in different ways, is well conveyed by their respective semblances. This analysis will use their powers as means to explore both characters and their foiling.

RAVEN: BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Raven’s Kindred Link perfectly embodies the saying...

Birds of a feather flock together...

...until the cat comes:

Raven: I...I'm sorry...

On one hand it lets her create portals to the people she has a strong bond with.

On the other hand she mostly uses it to run away from those bonds.

Why does she do it?

The answer is clear:

Lionheart: I'm helping her for the same reason you are - I'm afraid. We... we can't stop her... no one can...

Raven is just another version of the Cowardly Lion. She is a coward like Leo, but does not aknowledge it and prefers to hide behind a pragmatic and survivalist mask:

Raven: That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart.

This is why she goes back to her tribe after she leaves Yang and Tai. She says she does so because she considers them her family and wants to protect them.

However, her motivations are implied to be more selfish. She goes to them to run away from things that scare her.

To be more specific, the tribe protects Raven psychologically in two different ways.

1) It lets her be the monster, the criminal, the most violent and powerful one:

Mercury: We’re the guys you should be afraid of.

Raven: I doubt anyone should be afraid of you.

Here, Raven mocks Mercury, but the irony is that her coping mechanism is really not that much different from his. She hides behind a Grimm mask, a universal symbol of fear, but she is the scared one.

2) She goes back to the family who raised her and neglects the family she is supposed to raise (Yang).

Deep down, Raven is just an adult, who fails at being an adult.

Mostly, this shows in her inability to make a choice:

Yang: Which is it, mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor?

As a matter of fact she keeps changing her mind because she is not brave enough to stick to one decision.

Initially, she is sent to Beacon, so that she could learn how to kill hunters. However, she ends up becoming a huntress herself and she accepts to fight Salem. She is considered so loyal that she is even given magical powers. Finally, she enters a relationship and has a daughter with Tai. She basically starts creating a life outside the tribe, only to leave it all behind at a certain point. It is not clear if it is because she saw something specific or if it is the result of a longer struggle.

The point is that nobody forced her to fight Salem. She could have also refused Ozpin’s powers. Finally, she could have told Ozpin and the others she wanted to stop. In any case, she did not have to leave her family to stop fighting Salem. What is more, she could have brought her family with her, when she ran away.

She chooses instead to leave everything she has built behind and goes back to the world she was a child in. It might be a violent world, but she sees it as safer.

Let’s highlight that she has the same tendency of changing idea in the series itself. She switches sides and organizes a risky plan, which puts almost all her major bonds (Qrow, Vernal and Yang) in danger. She does all that because she wants the relic, so that she has leverage against Salem. After all of this, even after Vernal’s death, she simply runs away. She is obviously shaken by her confrontation with Yang, who calls her out. However, Yang is perfectly right when she says so:

Yang: Because you're afraid of Salem!!! And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic. She'll come after you with everything she has. Or she can come after me. And I'll be standing there, waiting for her.

Taking the relic would just put Raven in danger. For her it is safer to open the vault and disappear, so that someone else can take care of things. Even if this someone else is her daughter.

In other words, Raven is a failure of a mother. This is shown by her failing all three of her “daughters” (Yang, the Spring Maiden and Vernal). Moreover, it is perfectly conveyed by her being a Maiden.

The idea of maidenhood is symbolically juxtaposed to the one of motherhood. Of course, this does not have to be true in-universe for all the Maidens. Still, in Raven’s case, this juxtaposition is deliberate. Raven is an eternal Maiden, who runs away from her parental responsibilities.

This is why she received the power from her protegee instead than from a mentor figure. She is so selfish she takes from the people she should protect:

Cinder: Vernal was a decoy the whole time. The last Spring Maiden must've trusted you a great deal before she died. I bet that was a mistake...

What is more, it is strongly implied she killed the previous Maiden to take her powers. This is interesting because it ties to a second meaning of her semblance.

Her ability symbolizes the unfairness of the bonds she forges. She works to create those bonds and there is affection involved. However, these bonds are double edged swords for the other party involved because of Raven’s moodiness. She can leave when she wants and come back out of the blue. She can always go to others when she needs it, while others can never reach her. This leads to an unbalanced dynamic in Raven’s favour.

This dynamic can even become extremely dangerous for the other person:

Raven can potentially use her ability to attack the people she is bonded with. She does not use her semblance this way in the series. Still, what happened to the Spring Maiden is something similar. To receive the power of the Maiden, Raven must have been the last person in the girl’s thoughts before death. This probably happened because the two shared a close bond. A bond Raven betrayed.

In other words, the nature of Raven’s semblance hides in itself the potential of betrayal:

Raven: Aura can't protect your arm, it's Grimm. You turned yourself into a monster just for power.

Cinder: Look who's talking...

As Cinder points out, Raven too, like her, has become a monster to obtain power. The difference here is in how this montrosity is conveyed.

In Cinder’s case, she is literally turning into a Grimm. She has accepted this metamorphosis to take the Maidens’ powers.

In Raven’s case, it is ironically the opposite symbolically. She wears a Grimm mask, but the true monstrosity is the Maiden behind it:

Raven is monster-like because she stole the power from a person, who trusted her.

Let’s highlight that the motif of the Grimm mask has come up several times in the series. So far, it has been used by people, like Raven and Adam, who want to be feared. Something similar can be seen in the Hound as well, who is not really wearing a mask, but whose humanity is hidden behind his Grimm appearance.

In all three cases, the true scary thing is what is behind the Grimm-face:

It is always the humanity behind it that is scary. Be it the victim behind the monster in the Hound, society’s mistreatment of Faunus or Raven’s cowardice and what it led her to do:

Yang: You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?

Yang’s question is poignant and underlines how all Raven has done is simply to hurt herself. By hurting the people she loves, she has been killing a part of herself.

This is also conveyed by her emblem missing from her possessions. According to the wiki, Raven’s emblem is this:

Raven's emblem is a winged eye with a clock inside of it. This emblem has not appeared on any of her possessions so far.

This is a reference to Raven and Qrow’s allusion to Hugin and Munin, Odin’s two ravens, who travel the world and bring him information. Raven and Qrow do the same for Ozpin and they are his eyes.

Qrow is the left eye:

Salem: The last eye is blinded... you disappoint me.

While Raven used to be the right. So, her emblem is probably the right version of Qrow’s own one. Still, Raven refuses that part of herself and this is why she is not wearing her emblem.

In short, Raven used to be a bird of a feather with Qrow, but she is not flocking together with him anymore. This is because a scary cat has come:

And Raven has sacrificed her bonds out of fear. Not only that, but she has weaponized them:

Yang: You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself!!

Raven has been using her most loved people as assets, so that she can shield herself from danger. Maybe it is because of this that she symbolically uses Omen to open portals. This even if she can apparently do so without it, since she opens them even as a bird. However, using her sword is a way to distance herself from the true nature of her ability (bonds). It is a way to reduce her ties with people to simple things she can use.

That said, this is damaging Raven herself.

To be more specific, she is making herself weaker and weaker:

Yang: Oh, shut up!! You don't know the first thing about strength! (...) You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong.

Raven is powerful, but weak. This weakness is symbolically conveyed by her behaving in the opposite way her semblance would need to truly shine.

Raven’s power works thanks to bonds, so it can be assumed it would be at its strongest if its user cultivated them both in quality and in numbers. However, Raven has few bonds and she is cutting them off one by one:

Yang: You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me. And you've got one for Qrow.

We know that Raven is also bonded with Vernal. Still, Vernal dies at the end of volume 5. Of the other ones Yang mentions, Raven has pushed away both Qrow and Yang through her actions at Heaven.

This makes this scene interesting:

Did the portal Raven opened at Heaven go to Tai? Did she go there because she felt nostalgic and missed him? Or is he the only one (both practically and symbolically) she can still run to?

QROW: A SCARE-QROW SCARED OF CROWS

Qrow’s semblance is Misfortune and it is basically a Bad Luck Charm:

I am no one's blessing I'll just bring you harm I'm a cursed black cat I'm an albatross I'm a mirror broken Sad to say I'm your bad luck charm

Qrow causes bad luck around himself. Because of this, he sees himself as a curse.

However, this conflict Qrow has with his semblance is actually symbolic of a turmoil developed on multiple levels.

Let’s begin with this:

Raven: You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them.

Qrow: They were killers and thieves.

Raven: They were your family.

Qrow: You have a very skewed perception of that word.

Qrow was born in a tribe of bandits and was taught how to kill and steal. Finally he was sent to a hunter academy, so that he could learn how to kill his classmates in the near future.

Qrow’s semblance is nothing, but the manifestation of his self-hate, that was probably partly caused by the environment he was born in. In a sense, it is his symbolical response to his childhood.

Let’s highlight that this response is very different from Raven’s. This is shown by their opposite behaviours toward their tribe. Qrow leaves it, while Raven goes back to it.

This difference can also be conveyed by how both Raven and Qrow share a specific motif, but embody it in different ways.

Both twins are associated with bad luck. Both can turn into ravens/crows, which are birds linked to misfortune. Moreover, their weapons are called respectively Omen (Raven’s) and Harbinger (Qrow’s).

The meaning is clear. The twins were born and raised with the idea that they should be symbols of violence and bad luck for their enemies. It is just that Raven wants to be a bad omen because it makes her feel strong. Qrow does not want it, but thinks he is:

I'm a harbinger, I cannot lie, I will change the color of your life.

It is to try and free himself from this curse that Qrow started working for Ozpin. He literally becomes the Scarecrow of the story to try and exorcise the bad fortune he brings. He is trying to scare the crows away. He thinks that if he does so, he’ll become a full person.

This ties with the original story of his allusion. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wants a brain because he is told by an old crow he would be just like a real man, if only he had one. In short, the Scarecrow wants a brain to become a real man, so that he can scare crows better than he already does.

Qrow too wants to be a full person, but he believes he is not. He thinks he is cursed and as a reaction to this he has attached himself to Ozpin and to his cause:

Qrow: No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good...

This is why he reacts so badly when he discovers that Ozpin (who is basically a father figure for Qrow) has hidden so many things from him. Not only that, but he feels that the impossibility of truly defeating Salem (of truly defeating evilness) makes his life meaningless.

The point is of course that this is not the case and that Qrow does not need to do anything specific to be a true person and to be loved:

Qrow: Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I've dragged you along with me. Oz, myself, the others... We're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come... What was I thinking?!

Ruby: We're all in this together, and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do. And I know it's what you've always aimed for. We would've come whether or not you'd let us, so stop talking like we're your responsibility! We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side.

Ruby’s confrontation with Qrow at the end of volume 6 is basically the opposite of Yang’s confrontation with Raven in the finale of volume 5.

Yang calls Raven out because she refuses her responsibilities. She pushes them on others and leaves her own daughter to fight a battle she ran away from.

Ruby calls Qrow out on taking too much responsibility on himself. The kids were not forced by him to come. Qrow should not be completely responsible for them, but should learn to fight by their side.

Later on, Qrow is basically told the same by Maria:

Maria: You weren't half bad yourself today, Qrow.

Qrow: I feel like they did all the heavy lifting.

Maria: But you were there to help when they asked for it, and you were there to catch them when they fell. Literally, if I recall.

This is important because Maria appears just after Ozpin (aka Qrow’s mentor and guide) disappears. She is the person Qrow aspired to be:

Qrow: You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper.

At the same time, Maria too, like him, considers herself a failure:

Maria: Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way.

However, at the end of the volume both Maria and Qrow realize that they do not have to save the world by themselves or to be invincible heroes. They just need to be there for their loved ones and the new generations. In short, Maria mentors Qrow on how to be a proper mentor.

And it turns out that he just has to take better care of himself:

In short, Qrow became the Scarecrow to scare crows, but ironically all he needs to do is to overcome his own fear of one Qrow.

If he does not, his semblance is bound to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it is shown in his two fights against Tyrian (vol 4 and vol 7).

1) In volume 4 he manages to protect Ruby, but ends up injured and unable to help the kids for the rest of their journey. He goes from their protector to a wounded man they have to take care of.

Narratively, it happens because of this:

Ruby: This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you just travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and--

Qrow: Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I-- It's a long story, okay?

The whole fight between Tyrian and Qrow could have played out very differently if Qrow were better at communicating with his niece. He wanted her away from Tyrian and himself because of his semblance, but Ruby interpreted it as Qrow not trusting her.

2) In volume 7, the battle ends with Clover’s tragic death being framed on Qrow.

Why does it happen?

Clover: Sometimes the right decision is the hardest to make. I trust James with my life! I wanted to trust you.

Once again, the problem lies in a lack of trust.

Qrow and Clover genuinely like each other and have bonded. Still, they fail to trust each other in a key moment and make the worst possible choice.

This is true for both characters:

Clover: I enjoyed working with you, you know. Even with that endless cynicism of yours.

Qrow: I'm usually proven right.

Clover: We don't have to fight, friend.

Qrow: You don't know my friends. That's how it always goes.

Qrow: Why couldn't you just do the right thing instead of the thing you were told?

In a sense, the whole fight can be read as The Scorpion and the Frog. In the original fairy-tale, the point is that one can’t overcome their own nature. The scorpion will sting the frog even if it goes against its own survival. Here, it is the same for the characters. In order for things to go well, either Clover or Qrow should overcome their flaw, but they fail.

Clover is not able to let go of his loyalty for Ironwood, even if it is clear the orders he received are wrong.

Qrow goes back to his usual cynism and makes a pact with Tyrian:

Robyn: I’m sorry for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.

Qrow: It was, though. I made a deal with the darkness, and he paid the price. It was all happening so fast, but Clover wouldn’t let up. Could have worked together against Tyrian if Clover just...

Tyrian is the poisonous scorpion, while both Qrow and Clover are two frogs, who are hurt by him. Ironically, the frog’s mistake in the story is to trust the scorpion, while the mistake of our two frogs is that they did not trust each other.

Still, why is it so narratively? To be more specific, why is that so when it comes to Qrow’s character?

The answer is here:

Qrow: But the thing that really stings? For the first time in a while I thought, maybe, maybe I could be around somebody - anybody - without my semblance making it… complicated. And now, it just feels like a childish dream. Gone... like everybody else.

Clover is narratively this:

Blake: You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem.

He is a very simple answer to a very complicated problem that has its roots in Qrow’s interiority. Qrow’s flaw, what goes in the way of his relationships and happiness, is not that he is unlucky, but that he feels unlucky.

He feels worthless and thinks of himself as bad for others. This is why he keeps his distance and refrains himself from growing close to people.

He blames it on his semblance and this is why he makes an exception for Clover. It is because he sees in the other’s ability an easy fix to his struggle.

Still, he is proven wrong because in the moment of truth, they fail to communicate and everything goes to hell.

This is not to say that Qrow and Clover’s relationship was bad or that Clover deserved to die. In-universe their bond had beautiful aspects and could have grown stronger. Moreover, Clover could have developed and left his flaw behind.

Still, narratively Clover serves a specific purpose and him dying is a part of said purpose.

Clover brings a superficial harmony to a situation and a group dynamic, which is actually not harmonic at all:

Clover: What would you guys do without me?

The Ace Ops are a group of individuals repressing their own feelings and identities for the sake of an unspecified greater good. They see the world in black and white, not because they are stupid, but because they refuse complexity:

Robyn: Yeah, because you don’t care about the truth. You just want someone to be mad at. Easier than taking an honest look at what side you’re on.

Winter: Penny. The general is making hard choices so we don't have to.

This fits with them being a group based on Aesops aka short stories with a very well defined and often simplicistic message.

In short, Clover is the one that keeps his group together. Once he is gone, his group starts deteriorating. All because they refuse to aknowledge their feelings:

Ren: That’s why you lost against Team RWBY. You, you try to fight how you feel about each other, so you’ll never truly work as a team.

Once he is gone, Qrow is similarly forced to grieve and self-reflect. Luckily, he is not alone:

Robyn is the opposite of Qrow in terms of symbolism.

Qrow is associated with crows and bad luck, while Robyn is linked to robins, which bring good fortune.

She is also a symbol of unity and hope (her emblem is basically Katniss’s symbol in the Hunger Games, after all):

Tyrian: Robyn Hill. For such a little bird, you have quite the impact around here! Bringing hope and a smile wherever you go! I find it…upsetting.

Despite this, Robyn too has suffered isolation, just like Qrow:

Robyn: Believe it or not, I know a little of what that’s like. When people are worried you’re gonna sniff out their secrets, they tend to push you away. It makes a real connection… difficult.

Qrow: I-- never thought of it that way.

Robyn’s line is important for two reasons.

a) It shows Qrow that he is not the only one who has met difficulties in life because of his semblance. His case is not unique.

b) It links to the idea that trusting others is difficult and it is not something that comes without dedication and work.

As a matter of fact Robyn’s semblance is specifically symbolic of trust. It is the power to detect lies through touch, so if you are going to work with her, it means you must be ready to trust and to be trusted:

This also ties figuratively with the act of shaking one’s hand as if to make a pact (an act of trust). If Raven’s power is about asymmetrical bonds, then Robyn’s is about mutual ones.

Robyn highlights that this creates problems for her because it is not easy for people to trust. Some can’t be trusted, while others do not trust Robyn won’t cross their boundaries.

However, this also means that the relationships Robyn manages to forge are strong bonds, where everything or almost everything is out in the open. This is the exact opposite kind of environment than the one realized through Clover’s good luck semblance. It is a harmony more difficult to reach, but it is a more stable and genuine one.

It is these kinds of bonds Qrow should aim to create. In order to do so, he must accept his semblance and his past as parts of themselves. Still, he should not let them define him. Not only that, but he should learn to trust others and their strengths:

Qrow: Ruby, stop!

Ruby: I need you to trust me.

Only in this way, Qrow can truly grow. The secret is that it was never about scaring the crows away, but to learn how to live with them.

HUGIN THAT RUNS AWAY AND MUNIN THAT MAKES EVERYONE WORRIED

Raven and Qrow’s issues can be synthesized by this quote:

"Hugin and Munin fly each day over the spacious earth. I fear for Hugin, that he come not back, yet more anxious am I for Munin."

Raven never comes back, while Qrow has his loved ones fear for him because of his self-destructive tendencies.

In order to overcome these flaws, they must grow in opposite directions.

Raven must realize that her survivalism is actually self-destructive. It makes her survive, but it negates her the chance of living. She must become more selfless and trustworthy to make it up for the unfair bonds she created.

Qrow must accept that his self-destructiveness is actually selfish and damaging to his loved ones. He must start to trust others’ strengths, so that he can be brave enough to live together with them, instead of looking at them from afar.

#rwby #rwby meta #qrow branwen #raven branwen #robyn hill #clover ebi #tyrian callows #my meta #semblance of the soul

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collective-remnants-rwby · 3 years

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Reverse AU

OK, Reverse AU: I don’t necessarily swap personalities or allegiance, though there are those, and some age swap (Wait till you see what I’m doing with Neo)

What I’m really doing is swapping situations and how they affect the characters.

Some Major swaps at first:

Ozma is the shadowy figure seeking the Relics to summon the gods allow him to die, dividing humanity to prevent them from interfering, even if it means their death.

Salem is the reincarnating Witch of the Woods whose goal is to unite humanity through any means possible, or at the very least prevent her ex husband from summoning the gods.

Cinder was the child first adopted by team STRQ, who became the Spring Maiden, having unfortunately passed before the story starts.

Amber is the shadowy Maiden candidate raised as Ozma’s champion, unaware of Ozma’s true goal.

Some major initial swaps pertaining to the main Gals themselves

Ruby Rose is the 17 year old Silver Eyed Warrior and daughter of Qrow Branwen & Summer Rose. Having experienced the loss of her mother, stepfather, & sister, she strives to protect her remaining family, a task made no easier by her prior knowledge, however limited, of her family’s place in Remnant’s shadow war...

Weiss Schnee is the middle daughter of the latest generation of revolutionaries, the Schnees having been one of the founding families of the White Fang. Having seen the increasing injustices laid upon Mantle, her father’s abuse & Grandfather’s imprisonment, and the corruption of the White Fang. After watching her older sister slowly sink into the depths of extremism, the Reindeer Faunus desires to restore her family name’s pride, a path hopefully found in Beacon Academy...

Blake Belladonna is the sole daughter of the illustrious Belladonna family, one half of Remnant’s premier Dust conglomerate the Watts-Belladonna Corporation. Tragically orphaned at a young age, the young Faunus woman watches with increasing distress as her uncle Arthur Watts continues to sully the companies’ reputation, even rolling back the progress made to Human Faunus relations. After being ‘courted’ by a young man named Adam Taurus, she escapes to Vale, hiding her Faunus ears and taking the name Khan, hoping for a new start...

Yang Xiao Long is the youngest daughter of STRQ’s erstwhile family, raised by Qrow & Tai until the blonde man’s disappearance. She is a prodigy at 15: witty, charming, a skilled fighter & eternally positive, and secretly the Spring Maiden. All of this hides her inner doubts at her true ability, her frustration of the secrecy of her powers & the fates of her missing family, and a deep desire to to live up to the legacy set by her eldest sister Cinder, the previous Spring Maiden.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. No matter the differences, Remnant is a world of bloody evolution, where true victory is not found by strength of arms, but found in simple souls who seek a fairy tale ending.

#RWBY #RWBY AU #RWBYswap AU #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #Team RWBY #Team STRQ #Cinder Fall

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unofficialadamtaurus · 3 years

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Thoughts on Raven Branwen? How she was done and ways she could’ve been done? Do you like her inclusion or would you change it up entirely?

Fair warning: this is more ramble than structured analysis.

When she first rescued Yang on the train car I thought she was going to be the coolest fucking character. (Granted, I thought similarly for Ruby, then Adam, then Qrow…I have a bad track record). That first introduction was so well done in terms of setting up her mystery and her relative skill and/or reputation (enough that Neo, who was playing with our team powerhouse Yang, backed off in fear). Who was this woman? Why did she have a Grimm mask different than the White Fang’s? Why was Neo afraid of her? What was her connection to Yang?

(And no, I didn’t know there was a post credits scene with her and Yang. Considering it was retconned, I don’t think I missed much.)

So then V5 happened. This cool, mysterious woman with an intimidation factor on par with or greater than Adam’s turns out to be…a bit of a whiny, self-centered, and hypocritical survivalist. On the surface, she still could be compelling; selfish survival is a perfectly reasonable motivation. Until she becomes a maiden and allies with Salem’s faction…? What was the motivation there? How does that help her or her tribe? Like so many characters in RWBY, she suffers from inconsistent motivation. There’s no through-line in her character. What drives her in one scene could be completely at odds with what drives her in the next without any explanation as to why one of her core motivations just changed. As I’ve said or at least implied before, changing a core motivation for any character should be a big fucking deal - but not for Raven. Her being so hard to pin down in the motivation department, not for a lack of potential motivation but for an over abundance of conflicting ones, doesn’t make her cool and mysterious the way her initial scene did. It just makes her a poorly written character.

Speaking of her tribe, my god do they drag her down. Raven I can still buy as competent and intimidating in a fight because her character design does a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s a harder pill to swallow after we see the losers she commands - especially the guy that hits on Yang (who is still a teenager) at that roadside store. Giving the whole tribe an aesthetic better aligned with Raven’s - the vaguely Japanese armor, the mask, the color scheme - and making them a more intimidating threat worthy of a solid fight scene would’ve gone a long way to making them feel like a cohesive whole rather than a bunch of schmucks in the woods.

Basically: I don’t mind that she was written as an absentee mother who bailed on her friends and family to avoid a fight she couldn’t win and go back to the first family she had. That is angst right there. I do mind how canon executed it.

If I were to take a crack at the concept, I’d keep her rescuing Yang in the train car and add an explicit caveat to her semblance that she can feel the pain + emotional state of whomever she is connected to at all times. A price for the portals, and a good reason for her to be very selective about who gets them.

I’d make the aforementioned changes to her tribe. Most of all, I would not have Raven be a maiden since it’s so explicitly against her core motivation of staying out of the Salem conflict. The maiden could still be in her tribe hiding out, but Raven only conceals her under the condition that she use her powers for the tribe and that, if the maiden is discovered by Salem’s faction, then she’s on her own.

I would have Yang spend much more time tracking Raven because the bandits shouldn’t be that easy to find good lord. A lot of this could happen offscreen or in a montage. Yang wants to get to her sister, yes, but now that Beacon has fallen she has the hazy memory of Raven on the train rattling around in her head that she’s more and more certain actually happened especially after talking to Tai about it. She wants to know why Raven did nothing for her or anyone (Pyrrha, for example) at Beacon, and after Tai implied that Raven knew more about the faction behind the Beacon attack, Yang also wants answers so she can go to Ruby with all the info she needs to sway her sister away from danger. If Yang can lose an arm then who knows what could happen to her only sister.

Raven is surprised when Yang eventually barges into her camp but that’s about it. Yang wants answers but Raven refuses because Yang isn’t one of the tribe (“I’m your daughter.” “By blood, not bond.”). In the ensuing silence Yang hears Weiss calling out from a nearby tent. She demands Raven release her; Raven refuses her again. Yang pushes her and eventually they settle on the tribe ritual of combat (to first blood, in this case). If Yang wins, she gets Weiss and answers. If Raven wins, Yang leaves with neither.

They fight. Raven stomps Yang after mockingly not activating her aura beyond its passive levels. She wants to show Yang just how outclassed she is so Yang won’t try anything else stupid after the fight, but - key here - Yang’s outfit covers her mechanical arm and hand. In this rewrite, Raven didn’t check up on her after Beacon in bird form; her portal connection was enough to know Yang was alive. Depressed and wounded, but alive.

So Raven breaks Yang’s aura and orders her at sword point to yield. Instead Yang catches her off-guard by attacking again. Raven swings on reflex, but Yang uses her prosthetic to deflect that sword strike and land a single, extremely solid punch to Raven’s face. Passive aura isn’t enough to shield Raven from a hit that strong, so she staggers back with a hand to her face and blood dripping through her fingers.

First blood. Yang’s victory. Raven isn’t sure whether to be shocked, angry, or impressed at Yang’s recklessness. Putting herself on the line like that isn’t something Raven would do, never mind the sobering fact that she didn’t realize Yang had lost an arm at some point. I could see her saying something like, “I guess you really are Tai’s daughter,” through her new broken nose.

So a bloodied and irritated Raven gives Yang and a newly freed Weiss a very antagonistic bullet points summary of the stuff she said in canon. As for why she did nothing when Yang was critically wounded at Beacon, she and her tribe were in the middle of raiding another tribe when Beacon fell; Raven chose her tribe over Yang in that moment. She tries to play it off as not wanting Yang to become reliant on Raven, but Yang hears the silent part loud and clear.

She is then about to send Yang away when Salem’s faction shows up in some capacity saying they know the maiden is there. Probably after a bunch of Grimm attack and we get to see Raven and her tribe absolutely wrecking shop (and a number of them getting wrecked in return).

Then the envoy (Cinder, Tyrian, Watts, whoever) shows up, marking this as something more than a standard Grimm attack. Raven orders Yang and Weiss to stay hidden. They get to watch while Raven initially lies to the envoy and then shortly after turns on the maiden and hands her over, deaf to her pleas. It’s that moment when Yang processes the full truth of her biological mother and breaks the part of her that naively hoped Raven was secretly a little bit like Summer and walked out on Yang for some kind of “good” reason.

After the Salem envoy leaves, Raven would ignore Yang’s biting questions about how she could sell someone out like that when Yang knows Raven and her people were strong enough to send the envoy packing. Raven would instead portal her and Weiss to Qrow without justifying any of her actions to them.

What comes next would be a rewrite of V5 onwards. I’ll leave that to the imagination.

#anon #unofficial adam answers #raven branwen #rwde

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ozpins-halfway-house · 3 years

Text

Ozpin's Case Files

Incident Report

and Staff

Resident(s) ^ Involved: Blake Belladonna (Resident), Yang Xiao Long (Volunteer), Qrow Branwen (Volunteer), and Ezra Ozpin (Executive Director)

Date: April 16th, 2013

Brief explanation: [CONFIDENTIAL]

Oz had taken every precaution.

As he carefully trotted down the stairs, he was secure in the knowledge that all of the kids were safe upstairs, with the exception of Blake and Yang, who had gone out with a couple of friends for the evening, and Mercury, who was at baseball practice. Oz had learned his lesson before, and the strange man knocking at the door had set off every alarm in his head. Something wasn’t right. But every child had been accounted for, and other than the seven residents quietly playing upstairs, the house was empty.

Or so Oz thought.

He yanked the door open and greeted the stranger with a smile. “Hello, may I help you?”

“I hope you can,” the boy answered curtly. Hands shoved in his pockets, he looked younger in person than on the security feed. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. Perhaps it was the dark sunglasses that added a couple years. His slicked back red and black hair was just short enough to reveal the black horns sticking out of his head.

“Oh? And how could I do that, Mr…”

“Taurus,” he stretched out a hand, “Adam Taurus.”

That name sounds familiar… but why?

“Yes, of course,” Oz said slowly, accepting the hand shake. “What do you need, Mr. Taurus?”

“I’m looking for someone. Word around the block is she might live here now. You do take in strays, right?”

Oz bit his tongue. He never liked that description, as apt as it may be. “I suppose you could say that.”

“Name’s Blake Belladonna. She’s been missing for a while. Lotta people are worried about her,” Adam said. He slipped Oz a photograph, but he didn’t need to look at it. Their hair was longer, their bow still hiding their Faunus features. It was as if a different person was staring back at him through those same golden eyes. When he handed the photo back, he caught a glimpse of a small leather sheath sticking out from under the boy’s jacket. All questions ceased.

“I’m so sorry. I don't know anyone by that name.”

“You sure? Need to see the photo again?”

“No. I don’t recognize th-” Oz cleared his throat “-that girl.”

“Maybe someone else here knows her? Someone… higher up?”

“I’m afraid there is no one ‘higher up.’”

“Oh, so you’re the boss?”

“Yes. I know the name of every resident who’s ever stayed with us, and… She’s not one of them.”

“Huh… My source was pretty confident.”

“My apologies. It’s unfortunate when a lead doesn’t pan out. But I’m afraid we can’t help you,” Oz started to shut the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have some work I need to-”

Adam put up his hand, stopping the door from shutting in his face, “Not so fast.” The slight force sent a little jolt through Oz’s back. I can’t hold him off myself.

Peering out from the side of the door, Oz was ready to shut it at a moment’s notice- if he ever got the opening.

“I still have a few questions,” Adam demanded.

“And I think we’re done here. I already told you, Mr. Taurus, we don’t know anyone by that-”

“Adam?!”

Oz turned around, realizing his worst fear had returned. “Mx. Belladonna, I thought you had-”

“Blake!” Adam growled.

His furious battlecry wasn’t a sufficient warning. Adam bulldozed Oz, using the door as a battering ram. Pain shot through Oz’s back and chest as he slammed against the banister. The impact strangled his voice as well as his nerves. He couldn’t even offer a warning.

“No!” Blake cried. They lunged at their attacker, attempting a punch, but Adam was faster.

“Nice try, Pretty Kitty,” Adam taunted as he caught their fist.

“Don’t call me that,” Blake demanded through gritted teeth.

From the corner of his eye, Oz could see Adam throw Blake to the ground. He unsheathed his knife and loomed over them.

No, he begged, I can’t let this happen. But it was no use. Every attempt to get up was met with screeching pain.

“Hey! Leave them alone!”

Oz hadn’t even noticed Yang’s presence in the fray. She stepped in between them and threw a hard gut punch. Adam dropped the knife and stumbled back. “You little bitch!”

Every punch he threw was countered, every kick blocked. Clearly those martial arts lessons Yang had been taking were paying off. But she could only do so much. Adam matched her blow for blow. She landed a punch to his face, he landed one to her side. She had only managed to slow him down. How would they get him out of the house?

A car beeped from the driveway. A saving grace. Someone else was home!

“Help,” Oz croaked, finding his voice. Another shot of pain zipped through his spine as a result.

“Oz?” Qrow appeared in the doorway. “What the-?”

“Help. Yang.”

Qrow’s eyes went wide at the sight in front of him, but he wasted no time. He lunged at the assailant, lifting him up from under his arms and keeping his shoulders locked.

Adam screeched, “What the fuck? Get off me!”

“With pleasure,” Qrow shouted as he threw the kid off the porch. Before Adam could scramble to his feet and up the stairs, Qrow raced inside and locked the door behind him. He looked down at Oz, a question written all over his face: “Am I missing anything else?”

“Windows. They lock. From the inside.”

Qrow nodded, rushing into the kids’ bedrooms to make sure all entry points were locked. Yang did the same in the living room and kitchen. Oz painstakingly turned his head to see Blake behind him, tears streaming down their face as they tried to make sense of what just happened. Their eyes went wide when they met Oz’s.

“Mr. Oz!” They knelt by his side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more- more worried about you,” he wanted to say more, but the strain was too much.

“Well, I can still walk, so…”

Oz smiled weakly. “I’m… so… sorry.”

“What? Why? This is my-”

“All the windows are locked,” Qrow reported. He knelt on Oz’s other side as Yang joined Blake. “What the hell happened?”

“I- I-” Oz stuttered, but this time it wasn’t the pain choking him.

I failed them.

#rwby #alternate universe #ozpin #adam taurus #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #qrow branwen #incident report #oz's case files #oz's halfway house au #did i do this write?

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imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs · 3 years

Text

Qrowin Week 2021: 6/21-Childhood Friends AU

Two little snowbirds sitting in a row

They met in the garden at one of her father’s lavish parties. She’d gone outside because little girls didn’t like being told to sit still and not talk nor do anything fun, so she decided she didn’t care if the dress daddy bought her got messy, she’d go outside and spend time in the hedge maze.

They’d gotten it installed, in the shape of the Schnee family crest no less, because the Marigolds had one in the shape of their family crest and daddy could be silly about when people had things he didn’t.

The white roses that grew from the foliage walls, fragrant and delicate, were always calming to her, especially on a cool and cloudless night like this when the moonlight was at its brightest.

For Winter, to get lost in its lush corridors and marble statuary, it’s hidden gardens and fountains would be enough to get the annoyance of her father’s party out of her mind.

Most of that went out of her head when she found a grungy boy in a cape stuffing his face with what looked like a rabbit.

He stared at her, like an animal in a vehicle’s headlights, bits of his meal hanging from his mouth.

He couldn’t be older than her, gaunt with gunsmoke-colored hair stuck up at odd angles and eyes like carbuncles.

The clothes he wore were grubby and layered and obviously used long before he’d begun wearing them, especially that tattered cape.

For a moment, neither spoke, merely staring at one another in the moonlight.

Finally, Winter broke the silence.

“That’s disgusting.”

The boy dropped the rabbit from his mouth.

“Sorry if I’m not fancy enough for you, Miss Uppity.”

Winter felt her cheeks heat with indignation.

“How dare you!”

The boy threw back his head and laughed, a sound that reminded Winter of a pair of birds she’d once heard fighting in the yard.

“Is that all it takes to get under that pale skin!” he laughed, a sound which soon died in his throat when his stomach made a loud groan.

Winter huffed as he reached for the dead rabbit.

“Wait here and don’t touch that,” she said, turning on her heel.

She returned with two plates piled high with hors d'oeuvres.

“I didn’t know what you liked,” she said, handing him one, “so I got you one of everything.”

The boy said nothing, just shoveling food into his mouth in a way that probably promoted choking.

“You’re welcome,” Winter said, sitting down and spearing a piece of salmon on a toothpick to eat.

The boy coughed, pounding his chest.

“You shouldn’t eat so fast,” Winter said, “you’ll get sick.”

“Well, some of us don’t know when our next meal is gonna be,” he said.

His words brought back to Winter the memory of her father sending her to bed with no supper when he found she’d invited a faunus over to play, with threats of no breakfast if she didn’t break it off with the girl tomorrow.

“You might be surprised,” Winter said.

The boy said something through a mouthful of hummace.

“What was that?” Winter asked.

The boy swallowed.

“I’m Qrow,” he said.

Winter smiled.

“I’m Winter.”

One named Winter

She saw him on days when it wasn’t raining or snowing after that. The family he lived with (his “Tribe” as he called them) were camped out in the woods behind their house, the ones nobody would let daddy cut down.

At night, he told her, they danced and played instruments and drank until the early hours of the morning.

Winter never really cared for people who drank (her mother’s growing dependence on liquor was a factor in this) but Qrow never really showed up smelling like wine, so she supposed associating with him was no trouble.

It was also refreshing that he never stood on ceremony.

He never rolled his eyes at her when she spoke of wanting to learn fencing or told her how things were supposed to be when she complained about how someone (usually daddy) was being unfair.

He also taught her new games that were much more fun than anything that the boys and girls daddy introduced her knew.

Kick the can, stickball, and he played hide and seek and tag with her. And he’d tell her all about the places he’d been. Mistral, Vacuo, Menagerie, his tribe had traveled all over Remnant.

And while he could be crass, she still remembered seeing the way he rescued a baby bird from a stray cat and returning it to its nest with the tenderest care.

Or how when she complained of how her father was so bossy and so dumb, that he listened. Didn’t judge, didn’t criticize, just listen.

And sometimes, it was enough to know that they’d meet once a week, at night, in the hedge maze.

One named Qrow

She wasn’t what he expected.

Sure, she told him annoying things like “don’t slouch, eat slower, no burping, don’t pull up the flowers—no! I don’t need them, put them back!”

But she never called him weak. She never said he should practice more like his sister did.

Winter gave him food, and listened to his stories and ideas, and never asked if he wanted to fight. Sometimes, they would even just sit together.

She even taught him how to read; starting with big letters scratched in the dirt with a stick, before lending him books that they could read together.

Mr. Bruin is a Shoe-in was the first he read all by himself. And he was so happy when she let him keep it afterwards.

And she never told him to stop being so dumb, like his sister did.

And sometimes, it was enough to know that they’d meet once a week, at night, in the hedge maze.

Fly away, Winter!

Their shouts bring the servants running. All they saw was Winter on her knees, face in her hands as she wept piteously.

If only they’d come a few minutes earlier, then they could have seen the argument in all it’s glory. Voices rough from the volume and occasionally cracking, tears streaming down their faces, they weren’t that little boy and girl anymore.

He’d grown lanky and lean, she taller and with longer hair.

But they didn’t care right then.

She’d told him she was joining the military.

He said his tribe would be moving and asked if she wanted to join them instead of some stupid army.

She said it was a noble profession.

He said only for assholes.

She defended her position.

He reiterated his opinion.

She shouted at him, asking why couldn’t he be happy for her.

He shouted at her what would be wrong with going with him.

She said something about duty.

He told her to shut up, that he didn’t want to hear duty again in his whole life.

She told him that if he was going to act like a filthy little boy, then he could go off and sulk like one.

He said he wished he’d never met her and hoped she enjoyed killing people.

Arguments like that, they learned, ended with no winners.

Fly away, Qrow!

That was the end of the time Qrow considered himself happy. Life seemed to plan for him a long drawn out death, bracketed with disappointments and tragedy’s.

Transformation

The death of friends.

The death of family.

The horrors of war.

Secrets and betrayal.

Abandonment.

And the drink

So, so much to drink.

It didn’t fix anything. It didn’t make him feel more human. But it kept the nightmares at bay. It kept him as a predictable disappointment rather than an out-of-the-blue-never-seen-that-kind-of-train-wreck-before disappointment.

But the worst part of the drink, thought, was that no matter how many shots he took, no matter how many chasers. Black liquor, brown liquor, red wine, white wine, it didn’t matter. Melancholy brought back visions of that girl from that time he had been happy.

Come back, Winter!

First impressions had never come easy to Qrow. So really, it should be no surprise that impression number 15 the horrible sequel nobody wanted or needed.

But really, denying common sense by chucking an empty whisky bottle at James Ironwood’s head was not only pointless, it was utterly puerile. He was drunk. He was upset that his latest search for intel on Salem had turned up next to nothing, he was itching for a fight and if that pompous wannabe hero wanted to take it up with him, that was fine.

Except he hadn’t expected the woman by his side to turn out to be someone familiar. Someone he hadn’t seen since he was a dumb, romantic, fifteen-year-old kid.

Someone whose reappearance upset his stomach enough that he emptied it onto the general’s uniform and shoes. With enough force to make his eyes water.

The woman in the Atlesian uniform said she would take care of him and asked another girl, another white haired girl, where their room was.

As they walked towards Beacon, he thought he heard her say “Qrow Branwen, what has the world done to you?”

Come back, Qrow!

Qrow awoke to a cold rag on his forehead.

“Lie still,” she said, “I think you got a hold of some rockgut.”

“More like rockgut got a hold of me.”

Qrow’s attempt at humor was met with a scowl.

“Gee, you got frosty.”

“And you became an alcoholic,” she said, wringing out the cloth into a nearby basin.

Qrow looked away from her and to the wall, as if a better retort than her’s existed there.

“It eases the pain,” he said.

“No it doesn’t,” Winter said. She threw the rag into the basin, causing the water to splash.

“Qrow, my mother is an alcoholic. It doesn’t fix anything! It just makes you want more of what’s essentially fermented grass!”

“You don’t think I know that!” Qrow snapped. Tears pricked at his eyes and his heart sank when he saw the hurt in her eyes from his tone, something he hadn’t seen there since their last meeting.

“There are nights when no matter how much I drink, I still can’t forget the loss of all the people around me and how--”

He paused and swallowed.

“How everyone is just one day going to leave me!”

Tears were starting to fall as all the regrets he’d kept at bay with drink and fighting and everythng else he could find came rushing back into him and coiling around his lungs.

“I’m bad luck, Winter,” he said, “I lost my sister, my tribe, I lost the people I care about, and every day, it’s missions, missions, and missions to find an enemy I don’t even know exists.”

His shoulders were shaking and he remembered his sister, back when they were little, telling him how ‘boys don’t cry.’

God, Winter must think he’s so pathetic.

Instead, she took him by the shoulders and gently brought him into her embrace.

“It’s alright,” she said, “just let it out. Get it all out.”

Not knowing what else to do, Qrow gripped the back of her uniform and sobbed into her shoulder, years’ worth of pain and loneliness deep inside him rising to the surface and finally escaping. And the pressure went with it.

At some point, they ended up lying together on the bed (wait, were they in a bunk bed?), still in each other’s arms.

“We all have regrets,” Winter said, “things we said. Things we wish we could take back.”

Her hand tightens on his shirt and his hand closes around it.

“But, if you really want to know, if I could do it over...”

Please say it, he wanted to think, but every time he had thoughts like that, life saw fit to swat him down again.

“I would go with you. Even if after the first day, I went back home, I think I would go with you.”

Qrow felt his heart swell and suddenly, he didn’t feel so sick anymore.

“And... if you wanted to start over... I would like that too.”

“I still have Mr. Bruin,” Qrow said.

He didn’t know why he said that. She never asked about the book, never said “Qrow, what kind of literature do you normally read?”

Whatever the reason, Winter looked up at him, shocked.

“Still? I thought you would’ve thrown that away.”

Qrow looked down at her, eyes glassy.

“I tried a few times. But I just couldn’t get rid of something that reminded me of you. It’s missing the page where Mr. Bruin loses his boot, but I tried to keep it safe.”

Winter’s hand rises to his cheek and Qrow leans into it, the human contact easing the hole in his soul he’s tried to fill with booze.

“I’m sorry I didn’t turn out as someone you could be proud of.”

“The fact that you kept that book tells me everything I need to know.”

Later that night, Winter’s sister and Qrow’s niece would get the shock of their lives when they enetered their room and saw the two of them sleeping on Weiss’s bed together.

#My Writing #RWBY #qrowin week 2021 #qrowinfest #qrowin #qrowinweek #Childhood friend AU #AU #Qrow Branwen #Winter Schnee

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