#qrow's semblance is something he can easily hide

[strqyr]

...wait—

Still, who knows what [Ozpin] may have hidden from us over the years.

in v7, qrow raises the possibility that ozpin may still be hiding something from them ( and that it likely has nothing to do with summer's last mission ).

then, in v8, we get this exchange between salem and oscar:

If I know my Ozma, he has used some means of deception to hide [the Beacon Relic's] location differently than the others. I need to know where it is.

I... That's not something I know about.

Of course. He would keep that one guarded as long as possible.

so, besides knowing ozpin made the relic at beacon "a bit more challenging" to find than at the other schools—and we have some level of comparison to be made here, as the haven vault had extra security in the elevator being only accessible with lionheart's pocket watch, so whatever ozpin did with the beacon vault, it needs to be more challenging than that—he's definitely keeping secrets so important related to it that not even his closest allies know about it.

...whatcha hiding oz? 👀

[bestworstcase]

option 1: tai’s guarding the crown of choice.

pros:

a legitimately important task that recontextualizes his ongoing decision to remain on patch as a personal sacrifice he makes for the greater good.

ozpin would pick the guy named for the god of light to be the gatekeeper of choice, huh.

if any parent in this story is meant to die, it’s him, and narratively this is the most intuitive way to do it.

cons:

realistically, what can tai do to prevent salem / cinder / summer from accessing the vault if they find it? if he’s the gatekeeper, staying on patch alone after everyone else evacuates achieves nothing except, ah, signaling to the enemy that the real vault is under signal academy. bad plan.

it means oz is breaking his promise to be honest and forthcoming, undermining his character growth for the sake of ‘surprising’ the audience with the most obvious answer.

means qrow has either been kept in the dark (see prev point) or he’s also deliberately hiding this information from his nieces after they asked him outright if he knew where tai is; this is so far afield for his character as to border on character assassination, and likewise undermines his positive growth since v7.

honestly makes both yang and ruby seem kind of stupid. they know the crown is hidden somewhere near beacon, that ozpin did something to protect it differently from the others, and that their father hasn’t left patch. ruby was sharp enough to guess that long memory might be a relic hidden in plain sight; yang is just as smart, and she knows tai had “some things” to look after on patch. are we expected to believe that “hey, is dad guarding the relic?” somehow hasn’t occurred to either of them?

tai harbors a whole lot of resentment toward ozpin, and based on qrow kicking him out of ruby’s bedroom to drip-feed her hints on where to go next, he seems to have been on the outer perimeter of the inner circle. why would oz entrust him with the relic’s safety?

glynda—ozpin’s scrupulously loyal second-in-command whose emblem is a crown and whose semblance puts her on par with a maiden—is a far more narratively plausible vault-guardian than tai, and the “sun dragon” makes a damn good red herring.

if he’s guarding the vault, he dies. sorry. but the point of putting the father of 2/4 protagonists in between the two main villains and the thing they want most (choice) is so they can kill him to get it, increasing tension and raising the emotional stakes of negotiating peace. to be clear, rwby is willing to Go There, but i think it’s an unsatisfactory way to close out the rose xiao long family arc.

option 2: survivors trapped under mountain glenn, and tai is taking point.

pros:

a genuinely important, worthwhile thing for him to be doing—even more so than guarding the crown. likely sets up a resolution for him in the vein of “you can be a good huntsman or a good father, and tai picked being a huntsman,” which is an elegant way to balance his contradictions.

gives him meaningful stuff to do in v10; for example, one stealthy huntsman with a bullhead could slip in and out of mountain glenn to get a few dozen people out at a time, and/or run supplies and messages between the kingdoms.

we get to see zwei back in action around mountain glenn :)

introduces a natural segue from playing defense in vacuo to mounting a counteroffensive against beacon as tai’s work clarifies the situation in vale.

easily the most 'heroic' direction for him without contorting the story to arbitrarily lionize tai: he’s a scout preparing the stage for the heroes to take the fight to salem, making him the good counterpart to watts.

cons:

makes no sense to keep it a secret. the emotional beats of B4 can still happen if the girls know this is what tai’s doing: instead of “do you… wonder why he’s not here? i know qrow said he’s on assignment, but what’s more important than here?” yang says “do you… wish he were here? with us? i know qrow said he’s looking for survivors, but how many of them can there really be by now? we need all the help we can get,” and ruby says “maybe we don’t have the full picture” as in maybe dad knows something we don’t and that’s why he hasn’t given up yet. the emotion is the same, and the big "they’re hiding in mountain glenn" reveal is hinted without spoiling.

leaves hanging the narrative thread of what tai has been doing since the fall of beacon, because the “some things” he was dealing with in v4 obviously wasn’t this.

option 3: tai is dead.

pros:

explains the apparent secrecy; qrow knows tai was away “on assignment” (i.e., had taken a huntsman contract that brought him out of the kingdom) at the time salem attacked vale, so he is missing but not yet presumed dead.

might reopen the mystery box of summer’s last mission through the real-deal “left on a mission and never came back” echo.

cons:

raven would know.

it’s a cheap, narratively unsatisfying twist that fails to deliver on the bread crumbs set up in v2-3 (tai starts going on missions again) and v4 (“some things”), and also undermines any serious emotional resolution with regard to yang and ruby’s complex relationships with tai.

option 4: summer’s working with salem, and tai is trying to convince her to come back.

pros:

“some things” being his presumed-dead wife who left him to join the enemy and with whom tai is now having an affair or otherwise hoping to coax back to the heroic side through the power of love whilst also keeping his mouth shut about her being a) still alive and b) a traitor is OBJECTIVELY the funniest answer.

brings forward and interrogates the way tai’s romantic grief informs the choices he makes as a parent: from hiding raven and then refusing to talk about her with yang, to shutting down when he lost summer and letting his five-year-old pick up the pieces, to discovering and then keeping summer’s secrets for the sake of some faint hope that she might finally come back to him.

cogent with the Dead (Absent) Mother / Neglectful Father / Evil Stepmother fairytale paradigm rwby deconstructs with raven, tai, and summer; the father chooses the stepmother over his children.

raises the emotional stakes of the war for summer through direct confrontation with the life she left behind, creating narrative opportunities to develop her character (is she still in love with tai? how does she feel about being his first priority, over their children? does she resent that he has her on this pedestal even now?) and apply pressure to her relationships with salem and cinder (do they know? is summer keeping her communication with him a secret, too? or is he an “asset” she’s using for salem’s benefit?).

consequently, raises the momentum of the narrative toward negotiation with salem; tai still has the coalition’s trust, however strained his personal relationships may be. summer is the obvious ambassador for salem’s side of the war, but she’s also the traitor who needs someone to vouch for her good intentions.

the secrecy needs no explanation: just as summer’s last mission was a summer secret, tai’s "assignment" is a taiyang secret and the girls know everything that oz and qrow do, because all of them have been left in the dark. raven might know, and she has the means to find if she doesn’t, but tai’s whereabouts are entangled with what raven knows about summer, so she can’t explain where tai is or why until she reveals her deep dark secrets about what happened between her and summer that night.

foreshadowing is solid: tai starts to go on "missions" again in v2, after the inner circle becomes aware that salem has infiltrated beacon and just before the breach downtown. when ruby visits summer’s grave in v3, she says "[dad] told me he’s going to be on some mission soon! i think he misses adventuring with you." he’s got to "look after some things" (but he isn’t talking about yang, because he stays home after she leaves). and then with B4 we have ruby echoing what the blacksmith taught her about summer in relation to tai, "maybe we don’t have the full picture?"

juicy

cons:

???

dependent on the unconfirmed theory that summer is working for salem as herself, not some unrecognizable enslaved monster, but i am as confident in that as i was about salem going to vale next and we all know how that turned out :)

taking their mom was not enough salem had to go for the full set APPARENTLY

option 5: secret fifth thing

pros:

???

cons:

???

[arc-misadventures]

This is Not Normal

In Beacon library, Qrow was hiding behind a book shelf as he spied on his fellow teammate, Jaune Arc, and his sister, Raven Branwen.

Qrow: Hmm…

Qrow: This isn’t right… This isn’t right at all…

Summer: What isn’t right?

Qrow: Ahh?! Summer! You scared the day lights out of me!

Summer: Well, that’s what you get for not being aware of your surroundings.

Qrow: Haha… Very funny, Summer.

Summer: It is~! So, why are you spying on, Jaune, and Raven?

Qrow: Observing. I am merely observing them…

Summer: Those are synonyms; One just sounds less creepy.

Qrow: Smart mouth…

Summer: So why are you, ‘observing’ them?

Qrow: Raven, something is wrong with my sister.

Summer: Is this something I as team leader~! Should be worried about?

Qrow: Must you lord that over our heads?

Summer: Yes.

Qrow: Haa… I don’t know, ever since coming here, Raven’s been acting weird…

Summer: Define weird?

Qrow: She’s not as intense, less willing to pick a fight with others. And, she’s not as mean to, Jaune as she once was, that concerns me the most. And, its like she’s… She’s mellowed out?

Summer: Is that a bad thing…? I mean, you mellowed out when you came here too. So what if she’s finally setting in, and isn’t planning on killing everyone for the fun of it; isn’t this a good thing.

Qrow: Well yeah, but she’s only been like this after her, Jaune had this big fight.

Summer: So they settled their differences through mutual combat, or something; big deal.

Summer: …

Summer: Actually , that sounds way worse then I meant it to…

Qrow: But, most likely true…?

Summer: Which only makes it worse. Wait… If Raven won, she’d be using, Jaune like a stool, or something worse! But, she’s being nice to, Jaune…?!

Qrow: Which means that if they did fight, Jaune won?!

Summer: Against, Raven?! No way!

Qrow: Even if, Jaune’s semblance allows him to bolster his tanky aura reserves, their are still ways for, Raven to beat, Jaune!

Summer: Jaune, may be an immovable object, but Raven can easily run circles around him!

Qrow: Meaning either, Jaune won by some sort of flook, or he by won some other way…

Summer: Okay, I admit this is interesting as hell, but do you really think you should be intruding into their private lives like this?

Qrow: Why not? Besides I need answers!

Summer: I doubt you’ll find anything… Besides… not like you’d notice anything to begin with…

Qrow: Why not?

Summer: You’re still not fully aware of your surroundings…

Qrow: What does that…?! OWW?!!

Summer couldn’t help, but smile as she watched the small portal that appeared behind, Qrow disappear after a book had been thrown through it, and at the back of, Qrow’s head. A small burst of laughter echoed through library as, Qrow slowly picked himself up, and threw the book upon the desk of the two jokester’s.

Qrow: Ha ha… Very funny you two.

Jaune: Why thank you.

Raven: Any time little brother.

Qrow: You’ll pay for this…

Raven: I doubt it.

Qrow: Why did you even throw that book at me?

Raven: Well, it’s funny…

Qrow: Grrr…?

Raven: And, I was practicing my semblance.

Qrow: Practice? What is there to practice?

Raven: Well, unlike you, my semblance is actually useful.

Qrow: Bitch…

Raven: So, Jaune recommended I figure out how to refine my control. How to make it smaller so I can throw small things through it.

Jaune: As well if she can tell where one of you are by using it.

Qrow: Which worked.

Jaune: No, we saw you behind the corner.

Raven: But, I did see a rose hiding behind you though!

Summer: Ahh… so you did catch me…

Jaune: No, we heard you snort.

Summer: I do not snort!

Raven: Like a little piggy you do!

Summer: Raven?!

Jaune: Oink oink, little rosebud.

Summer: Grr…! Jerks!

Raven: Are you trying to be adorable, or angry? I can’t tell.

Jaune: She is pretty cute.

Raven: Like an angry little piglet!

Jaune: Pfft! Hahaha!

Summer: …?

Summer: Qrow’s right…?

Jaune: You can do that?

Qrow: Hey?!

Raven: Right about what?

Summer: You two, you really have mellowed. You’re no longer fighting each other… You’re actually having having fun hanging around one another. It’s weird. Mostly you, Raven, What happened?

Jaune: We just found a way to settle our differences. That’s all.

Summer: But, how?

Jaune: We just talked it out, alright?

Raven: There was some… sparring involved but we managed to settle our differences in the end.

Qrow: What?! I haven’t seen you two in the sparing rings for days! What kind of sparing did you do; Angry hate sex?!

Summer: Qrow?!

Jaune: Uhh…?!

Raven: Qrow…

Qrow: What?!

Raven: RUN.

Qrow: Oh shit… Uhh… Gottagobyeguys!

Raven: Come here you little bastard so I can pluck you!

Qrow: Never!

Jaune: …

Summer: …

Jaune: That’s actually pretty tame to what my sisters did to each other…

Summer: So… Are you two really friends now?

Jaune: Why we are, it’s still a bit rocky, but its better than being at each other’s throats right?

Summer: Yeah… It’s better…

As Jaune went back to his homework, Summer stared upon him, or more precisely the small bruise just barely hidden under his shirt’s collar. She knew that there could be a number of reasons why he could have a bruise like that, but one stood out more than all, and that one reason why, hurt her in a way she had never felt before. And, in a way she never expected to feel.

[oddlyhale]

James, James, James, James. My ultimate RWBY bias, my precious sad man. I have so much to discuss about prince charming here.

My Top 3 Ships For James IronQrow IronWatts IronWitch

To easily sum up all 3 ships as a whole, I like a character that directly challenges James’ personality. While James can be direct and cold at times, these 3 have a level of challenge but consideration for him.

Qrow is the rebellious grump that counters James with remarks but can relate to the emotional burdens. Watts is the cynic that still holds James to a higher regard if he had to choose between him and his team. Glynda is stern and insinuates, but she’s also careful and studious.

I think James works well with someone who can relate to the struggles he hides or someone that can shake it out of him. James is a selective guy, so I assume he’s extremely picky with who he’d like to have hanging off his arm. These 3 always gave me such strong personalities that counter James in a productive way, that they have an ingredient that James is missing in his own life that can spice things up or can change the flavour of what he’s used to. I never think James is into people who are just like him.

My Least 3 Favourite Ships For James This is hard for me to say since I’m pretty neutral with ships that include our tin man.

If I had to choose a few, it’d be IronWinter and IronRobyn.

I’ll admit, the only reason why I don’t like IronRobyn is that I fucking hate Robyn. She’s toxic and always has a short temper, and seems to direct it all at James when she could’ve been angry at any other enemy that’s right in front of her (cough Jacques cough.) I think she’d demean him way too much, which is why she’d be the worst girlfriend ever.

I’m still debating with IronWinter. I am falling off the ship due to V8’s ending, and how badly the writing handled their friendship (and possibly budding romance) horribly in the end. I think if only Winter could have tried to be compassionate towards James, and did everything she could to save him - express her anguish over his turmoil, showing how much it’s causing her pain as well, to the point where James has to stop and realize what he’s doing - then maybe I could like this ship. As it stands, it’s a no from me, doc.

My Biggest Criticism Of James Firstly, it’s obvious that I deeply despise what the writers had done to my boy in V8. They accidentally made him such a layered and likable character that they had to damn him straight to Hell, just so that we can like the sociopaths - I mean Team RWBY - again. It was such a sad sight to see, I still feel the string.

But also, I must criticize how James was barely portrayed as a bad guy from the beginning. People point at how cold he acted in the first few volumes, but I personally think that’s just people being too sensitive over such strong personalities. James is very direct and has no time for nonsense - which could make him disliked from the jump.

If he must be seen as such a morally grey person, then I would’ve loved to see that development properly from the beginning. Making him morally grey that teeters into villain status is exciting and tragic, but you knew it was going to happen. His entry into bad guy status would’ve made so much sense if he were quietly cold-hearted, choosing logic over emotion, and wouldn’t bother taking the time to protect people if he only created robots just to protect himself. He is evil, but deep down he finds himself vulnerable, and that would always be his burden that created a villain.

And don’t fucking kill him in the end. With an amasing written villain, you’d be stupid enough to not let him be recruited by Salem. He is a boiling pot of what she needs, and he would oblige if it meant he could ring the necks of our heroes.

My Favourite Thing About James Him. Just him.

Everything can be generalized into one word, which would be strength. Not only is he strong physically, but his heart also showed his truth and his mind was what kept him capable. He was always on top of the game, never asking for help, and would do whatever it took to save those before himself. He truly is a guy that could be the embodiment of true strength. Somebody that I can look up to, and read him for what he stood for, what he thrived on, and what made him move forward. He works so hard and still keeps pushing to do the job right. Your status didn’t matter to him, whether you were rich or poor, or just an adventurer, he would still have his own way of welcoming you as a trusted friend or shun you for being a prick. I think James would be the perfect example of someone who can keep going, and with so much persistence and diligence, you can succeed.

Even when he was a villain in V8, the writers proved to us that he was still the biggest character to always look forward to. Salem was practically a joke compared to our favourite tin man, and that’s sad when even the main villain is nowhere as important as James.

I have been told people did love and look up to James, which is such a major shame that he is gone and gone in such a disrespectful way.

A Headcannon I Have About James My biggest headcannon about James is that he is asexual-biromantic.

James valued anybody who was loyal and worked with him to reach their goals. I like how it doesn’t matter who it may be, whether you are female, male, or something more. James had his heart in his hands, and he would always give it to those he trusted most. Falling in love would be tough, but adorkable to see.

What I Would Change About James If I Was Making A Rewrite To be honest, not much. I adore him as he is.

My biggest change, however, would be his semblance and keeping him morally-grey-to-hero. I think James thrives on such a great story if he had a semblance that mirrored himself, and how he would try to stay on the path of heroics than to steer into the stupid cartoony villain one. Hell, James needs his own show.

I have a variety of ideas as to what his new semblance would be, but I’d be here all day. Instead, I always loved the idea that James has a sentient semblance that corresponds with him. James wants somebody to trust, so what better than your own responsive semblance? Such as barbed-wires, or a familiar, or even the ability to manifest weapons with his aura. How cool!

What I Think Of James’ Character Allusion And What (if anything) I Would Change About It

As much as I like the tin man allusion, I personally would have chosen something much more tragic and detrimental to his character. I get he’s supposed to be in the Oz Faction, but it’s lame at this point.

For me, I would’ve made him the Beast. (No I’m not asking for IronwoodxBlake, I am saying he should’ve been the Beast.) It makes sense if he were the Beast - he is cold, he is intimidating, he is brash, he is distrusting of others until they have his full confidence. Beast was always hiding away, not wanting to go out and expose himself to a world that would hate him or fear him. He masks himself in an authority role, but would likely drop it when he’s alone. He can go into a flurry of rage and is destructive. In the end, however, all he wants is somebody to break his curse - a burden.

You don’t have to change much about his appearance, other than making him a Faunus. Since Beast could have a closer likeness to a werewolf, give James some wolfish characteristics, like a bushy tail, or even some cute ass wolf ears. Even his eyes can shine menacingly in the dark, like a wolf. Or, give him some massive canine teeth, so when he bares them in anger, they’re gleaming sharp and ready to bite.

Yup that’s it. Thanks!

[afoolforatook]

V8 Ch 4 and Qrow’s speech about Clover.  And how we talk about how a character grieves, versus how grief is handled by writers.

So I really shouldn’t post this tonight because it’s 4 am and I’m tired and I’ve been thinking about this too much today already and this is something I should read over more..... But I’ve got to get it out before I can try to sleep. So, first off I apologize if this comes across poorly, or overly confrontational. It’s not at all how I mean it and I’m genuinely not upset with literally anyone. Just seeing some things that have me thinking about this more and more and it has me a little concerned, and I want to talk about it a bit more directly. 

I’ll probably add to this later or clarify or something… I just had to get it out of my head. 

I already talked about this some in response to theonceoverthinker’s post about it, and I’m too tired to try to cover all of that again, so if you want more context on how I feel about this, and why, please go read it. 

But I’ve seen some more posts about this conversation, and while for the most part I agree with a lot of what’s being said (and often on both sides of whether or not this was a good speech from Qrow) there’s one thing that I do want to address a little more that I think a lot of people aren’t aware of. 

In talking about this it’s important that we differentiate between having a problem with how we think the writers are going to use this speech to frame things, and having a problem with the fact that Qrow said what he said in the context of his current emotional state and grieving process. 

Do I think this was just amazing perfect writing and handling of Qrow expressing these feelings? Absolutely not. I have plenty of issues and really can’t say how I feel about it until I know where they are taking it/how they are using it to frame the entire situation.

Do I think it was just inherently awful callous dialogue that frames Clover as only important to Qrow because of his semblance and what that meant for Qrow/interaction with his semblance? 

Absolutely not. 

And that’s exactly where I have a bit of an issue. 

Because I totally understand people’s concern with that speech. And I have a very hard time right now trusting that CRWBY will handle it properly and not just use it to turn the narrative into blaming Clover. I don’t know if I trust them or not. I just don’t know. And that is deeply concerning. 

But the just surface of what Qrow said, without knowing how they will use it and further show his feelings, is not just the inherently awful thing I’m seeing some people take it as. And the reasons I’ve seen for people saying so, while completely valid things to take issue with in regards to CRWBY’s intentions in writing them, can’t just be blanket applied as issues with the fact that Qrow said them at all. (this is one of the things I feel fairly certain I’m not explaining well rn, and I’m just too tired to figure out. So I hope it at all makes sense).

My point is; depending on how things go from here on out, CRWBY may be completely wrong for why they included these lines and what they are having them mean. But Qrow, as a character, is not inherently wrong for having said or felt them. 

I can totally see why you would interpret these lines as concerning, and just plain poor takes on how to frame what happened in ch 12, and who to blame, and the nature of Clover’s importance to Qrow.. And like I said, it could very well be intended that way and negate everything I’m saying here. But by itself it’s not so black and white horrible. 

And this is exactly why I’m so nervous about how they handle Qrow’s grief. Because grief is a complicated thing. And what someone like me, who has processed a similar grief in a similar way, gets from this kind of scene can be very different to someone who hasn’t. And all of this said, I’m not trying to assume what anyone else has been through, or invalidate any grief, it’s very likely that others have dealt with a similar loss and feel very differently, or experienced their grief very differently. But, what I hope we all can agree on is that no one has the right to tell someone else they are grieving wrong. 

The thing about the kind of grief that Qrow is dealing with right now? It’s very rarely shown how people actually deal with it, especially in more than just one short scene. And if it is, it’s often romanticised and sterilized to be made into something easily understood by people who haven’t gone through anything like that. 

Because the truth is, this kind of grief is ugly. It’s complicated and contradicts itself. It can seem selfish and self absorbed. It is angry and reactionary. 

And it is very easy to say that what Qrow said is toxic or wrong. But it’s not. The intention the writers have in having him say it that way very well might be. But just what he said? 

Y’all that’s fucking grief. 

Fresh. Ugly. Messy. Angry. Confused. Tired. Grief. 

Healthy grief does not mean fair, clear headed, sensitive, open minded takes from the get go. 

Grief is incredibly flawed and unflattering.

And what concerns me is seeing people say it was outright terribly written dialogue, that was callous, and showed that Qrow didn’t really care about Clover beyond how he made him feel better about his semblance. 

Because when you’re grieving like that, one of the biggest fears is that people will tell you you are grieving wrong. That you’re being selfish. That you’re making it all about you. That somehow the way you are grieving proves that you didn’t really love the person as much as you thought. That if you just loved them more, if you were less selfish, if you were just a better person, you wouldn’t think those kinds of things.

And you internalise that shit. You internalise even just the fear of people thinking that. And that’s how people close up about their grief. That’s how people feel guilty for how they grieve. And that makes actually processing your grief and starting to heal so much harder, if not impossible. 

Qrow is still in the immediate aftermath of this loss. I’m awful with the exact timeline, but it’s what, like somewhere around 48 hours? With continued trauma going on around him. 

It is literally not possible for him to process everything fully like this.

The fact is that someone struggling with that kind of grief and trauma, and it having happened in a situation as complicated as what happened on the tundra (regardless of how terribly all of it was written), they’re going to say things that seem selfish. Or even victim blaming. Because they are processing. They are having to reconcile their own hurt and anger and grief and confusion. Fight between how they feel about the person they’ve lost, and their instinct to, in some way, protect themselves from a painful truth of how things really happened or who was to blame, or what mistakes they made. Even with Qrow accepting some of that blame, maybe even way more than he should, he’s still going to reflexively try to avoid taking parts of it that are particularly painful. I hate 90% of how people think of the stages of grief, mostly because they are not the clear linear thing that is often thought of. But this is the anger in a sense. It’s a protective lashing out. “If Clover had only!-” He wants to be angry, wants to be able to just say Clover was wrong, but as soon as he does he cuts himself off. He feels bad for trying to put the blame on Clover. That’s natural. 

Is it cool if CRWBY is trying to frame that as right? Fuck no. But the fact that Qrow is feeling it, is expressing it, is struggling with it back and forth? There is nothing wrong with that. 

Hell. Qrow even being able to say that it was his fault in some way, that he chose wrong in working with Tyrian, but then also stand firm in that he did not actually kill Clover, and apparently this is not the first time he’s said that. It might not be perfect. But the fact that he can even be there at this point is huge. 

I have said nearly exactly that same speech.  I said and thought things in the first week, even months, of my grief, that, even at the time, I knew were selfish. Were making everything about me. I hated myself for it. But I couldn’t stop it. And If I had tried? I wouldn’t have processed everything. I would have chastised myself for feeling things that I thought were wrong to feel. That’s not how you process grief. It’s how you get stuck in it. 

But the way Qrow looks at the pin? The way he pulls his thumb over it. The weak little laugh. The way he rushes to hide it. The fact that the first time we see him really asserting himself and his innocence is when Harriet threatens to take it from him. 

I know all of that. That exact expression, movement. 

He is so close to breaking. And he’s Qrow. He’s self conscious, self hating, isolating, Qrow. Talking about how this just confirms his own ideas of his position in relationships, his own fears about the danger of his semblance? That’s easy. That’s normal. It hurts like shit, but it’s manageable, he’s done it plenty of times before. Now it’s just a bit more raw. 

But flat out talking about the entire loss that was Clover? About their bond ,and who Clover was as a person, and his potential, his future? The loss that Clover experienced in having his life cut short? 

Maybe I’m shamelessly projecting again. But I truly do not believe that Qrow could manage to think, let alone talk, about that right this moment, and not completely break down. Which he knows he can’t afford to do yet. 

Talking about himself. About his semblance and what Clover meant to him in that regard. Is painful. It hurts. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s familiar. 

It’s angry. It’s small weak laughs because you are nowhere even close to okay but you can’t be as broken as you really are right now, so you’ve just got to stick it out.  

Qrow is Qrow. Regardless of whether the writers pull this off appropriately or not, I have no doubt that this man understands, and has thought long and hard, about autonomy. About the tragedy of how death strips every last shred of it from a person. About the cruelty of someone’s death not even being seen as about them. 

But right this moment, he can’t focus on that. There’s too much still to do. To worry about. To protect. 

Talking about Clover? Just as Clover? 

Facing that unfairness, that loss of autonomy, that stolen future (whether or not that future involved Qrow)? That is an entirely different kind of pain. 

I’m four years removed from my loss and I still can’t think about that too much because it’s physically painful. It’s irreconcilable. I can joke and laugh and be crass about how empty I worry my life will always be without Emma. But thinking, talking, about what I feel when I just sit with the fact that she’s not just not here with me, but she’s gone. All the things she never got to do or be or feel. The crushing cruelty of her having no say in how her story ended, or how she is remembered. I have made talking about my grief my career. And that is still something I have no words for. Thinking about it in those first few days? Is a large part of why I don’t remember so much of that time. It was too painful, so I just blocked it out. 

I said things. I thought things. I believed things. That were not fair. That were more about me and my pain than Emma. Hell, I know there were moments I was angry, and there wasn’t even anyone to try to blame for what happened. It was ugly emotion after ugly emotion. Bitterness piled upon bitterness. But that was part of the process. 

My point is. I totally understand if this speech makes you nervous. If you can’t trust the writers to turn it around into something good, that doesn’t frame it as Clover’s fault, or as Clover only being important to Qrow because of his semblance. 

But please know, that what Qrow actually said? Even if he was starting to blame Clover. Even if he was focusing only on how it hurt him because of his semblance. That is a natural part of grieving. It doesn’t matter if it would be an awful outlook for him to have at the end of everything. 

He’s not at the end. He’s processing. 

And outright saying that him saying that the semblance thing is what ‘really stings’, or being angry that Clover didn’t just listen to him, or anything else, is wrong and uncaring, isn’t fair. 

It might not be the right perspective. It might be blatantly wrong and unfair and self absorbed. But that’s okay. He’s not callous for that. 

His feelings about Clover, his respect for Clover, his grief over Clover’s death and the loss of his autonomy? None of that is diminished by him having moments where he wants to blame Clover, or where he focuses more on how this hurts him than how unfair it is for Clover. (again. I’m talking about just the surface of him saying this, not the intent and eventual narrative the writers have in doing it this way). 

I just want people to be careful as they talk about this. Because it’s valid. And both sides are valid in multiple ways. 

But please. Be careful in how you show your dislike for what you feel/fear the writers are going to do, and how you frame the issues with what Qrow said. 

Grief is an incredibly isolating thing. And when it’s fresh it’s so easy to feel horrible, to literally hate yourself, for the thoughts you have while processing your grief. 

We all want this to be handled properly, and we all are nervous about how bad it could be if it isn’t. But the last thing we need is people saying that Qrow is wrong or selfish for feeling and expressing what he is feeling, while he processes something so overwhelming and complicated as everything that is going on right now. 

It’s not fair to Qrow, but more importantly, it’s hurtful for everyone watching who has dealt with or is still dealing with these unpleasant, often shameful and seemingly vilified aspects of grief. 

There is no wrong or right way to grieve. There is nothing wrong with you for thinking things you normally wouldn’t, or for focusing on your own pain. The ugly parts of your grief do not mean you don’t care about the person you lost enough.

Just remember that the concern here should be about how the writers intend to use this speech. 

Not that Qrow said what he said. Those feelings can be wrong, unfair, selfish. But there’s nothing wrong with him for feeling that way right now. It doesn’t mean Clover meant anything less to him. 

It’s just grief. 

[qrow-bro]

So I'm sure someone has come up with this, but we all know (or at least assume) that summer went on a mission to destroy Salem.

This is easily theorized because Salem says to Ruby "Your mother said those same words to me."

However, I like to think this wasn't a solo mission.

we're all aware Summer had silver eyes, which we've repeatedly theorized Salem could have the grimm part of her removed with the silver eyes, which would then make her whole and normal again.

Because this mission likely wasn't a solo one and was done without the maidens, it left everyone far more vulnerable to attack (unless Summer was a maiden, which would make sense since we don't know who the summer maiden is, which could a number of people, which I'll leave for the next post ;] )

Now summer likely would able to protect herself, and this is where that caveat starts to appear.

I believe the idea that Summer was close to finishing off Salem with her eyes, but something happened to make it not happen.

I think we know someone who could cause the plan to go awry.

The birb man himself, Qrow.

Now, this may seem wild, but I do have some evidence to support the caveat.

Qrow obviously has bad luck as a semblance, which can wreak havoc across others and himself.

Qrow is a heavy drinker till volume 6.

Qrow likely thinks that his bad luck got Summer killed, so he isolates and hides from people.

He probably only stopped drinking because team RWBYJNR got strong and others could solve the problem and he could hope Salem could be stopped as revenge for Summer.

Clover also highly changed his attitude towards drinking, especially when he thought Clover said he should stop drinking in the transport.

Especially since he thinks his semblance killed Clover, he's probably going to be suffering horribly because he has no coping mechanism other than the charm he took.

Overall, poor bird man, he suffers too much and he needs Clover back.

I'm predicting volume 8 is going to be the downfall of everything they had worked towards, but by the end the crew will get Qrow out and leave for Vacuo. I also think the ace ops will either come with the crew (or at least Marrow and maybe Clover.

Tell me what you think guys so we can theorize together further into this!!!!

[atlcsfcllen-a]

Alright, now that we know his semblance, heres my take on why Ironwood shot Oscar. Now that he has panicked for a bit, Ironwood is actively using his semblance to focjs on one thing, saving Atlas. Based on the convo he had with Oscar earlier in the volume about humanity, I beleive he may be using his semblance to shut out anything that might stop him from saving Atlas, incluiding his own empathy and compassion. Combine that with what he percieves as a betrayal from Oscar, and you get... that

Which is a super valid point to make!

Before I like-- get into this, I just want to express, very clearly, that just because I have salt with the series, does not mean that you can’t enjoy the show. I’m not going to come down your throat and rip you a new one, or slide into you DM’s / inbox and be like ACTUALLY. YOU’RE WRONG. Because genuinely, love what you want to love. Enjoy the show for what it is and indulge to your heart’s content. The biggest reasons I even have my salt tags are so people can continue to enjoy the show, even while I’m over here going harumph.

With that being said, I just want to make this clear to you, too, that anything said is based on my salt. Not against you. Not against the ask you sent. Your opinion is valid. It will always be valid and it will always earn & deserve a safe space here on this blog. I get heated, but I get heated about the subject material - not the person involved.

That being said...let’s dive in.

SO.

I imagine that with the timing of the reveal of James’s Semblance, this is what RoosterTeeth wants you to take away from that information. They want you to know his Semblance and recognize that because he has ‘Semblance-based-hyperfixation’ [ which is a complaint all on its own for me... ] he’s able to bypass everything within him that should tell him ‘no. this is wrong. don’t do this.’ His goal is set on saving Atlas and nothing is going to get in his way.

That’s dope.

The problem I have is that, if he’s forgoing his sense of humanity in an effort to do what he feels is right, why not shoot Team RWBY? Why not shoot Yang when she admits to giving Robyn the information about Amity Tower? Why not shoot Ruby when she attempts to evade arrest and hides behind his desk to send out her warning message? Because they’re Team RWBY? Because they’re exempt of any and all consequences in the story?

So then, what about the twelve-year-old farmer boy with zero Huntsman training? James, the 40+ year old general of Remnant’s most powerful army, can’t just tackle him to the ground? Subdue him if he doesn’t like the kid talking shit?

Oscar backs away from him. Is clearly intimidated and frightened by him. Puts his cane away. Insists that he doesn’t want to fight and based on previous interactions with other characters [i.e. Qrow at Beacon ] James also doesn’t want to fight. So like-- why even reach for his gun at all? If Oscar is clearly backing down, why doesn’t the dude with military training read that and put him on the ground? Knock him unconscious, even, and throw him in a cell?

James doesn’t sentence Roman to death.

James doesn’t drop Watts into the lava.

WHICH. To be totally honest? Could have easily swayed my decision on him shooting Oscar. I wouldn’t have liked it, but that’s the point. Imagine how much more weight and sincerity this would have had for his actions. If he dropped Watts into that lava pit, and then turned around and acted the way he did in the office, and then shot Oscar? OOF. I could’ve bought the whole ‘tinman losing his heart’ in a SECOND.

Then we have scenes like Nora screaming at him about Mantle and rightfully so! He is taking Mantle’s resources for a project that he believes is for the greater good. It doesn’t make it right, even if he, as a character, believes it to be - a morally grey conundrum that was perfect for his eventual fall. And I was freaking ready for it. I was ready for James to snap back at her. I was ready for us, as the audience, to go-- gasp! James! You’re really coming apart at the seams, aren’t you?? I was ready for him to be demanding and commanding in a way that raised immediate alarm bells. Instead, the dude says nothing.

Instead, he sits down. Has a bit of a moment, but tries to concede with Nora. With Ruby. Agrees, even, to meet with Robyn and negotiate a deal. To assist Mantle in this way. Even despite later on choosing to abandon it, in an effort to ‘save who they can’ - which, again, morally grey conundrum that could have been done so much better.

But it’s like-- James concedes. Time and time again, we watch him fold. With Jaune, we get the brief, momentary glare, but then he stops. Breathes. Recognizes that he knows Jaune is right and that he’s trying.

These are the biggest problems that I have with the end result being shoot Oscar. There is nothing in his character beforehand that eludes to him making this decision. To falling apart this violently literal seconds after apologizing to, who he presumes is Winter initially, for the presumed fate of Fria.

I want James to make bad decisions.

I want to be mad at him and not the story, because that’s what his character was built to be. From his first introduction, we know that James’s end result is stepping into the shoes of a morally grey character. One that will leave you screaming at him because he’s making all these horrible decisions, under the assumption that he’s doing the right thing, protecting his people, keeping everyone safe, but we, as the audience, recognize this isn’t the case, because the story has built around that.

What we get, in actuality, is a sudden and immediate thrust into villainy. Even the part at the end, when Winter texts him about the Winter Maiden’s powers, and he has that cliched villain scream that just eludes to what’s going to come next-- it’s all there, setting him on a path that he doesn’t belong in.

Personally? The only way that I could make peace with Oscar being shot [ I guess?? ] is if the conversation between the two didn’t just elude to James speaking at Ozpin. Show me that he’s speaking to Ozpin. Show me that he’s so lost, so upset, and so paranoid, that he hallucinates - momentarily - seeing Ozpin standing in front of him. That he’s slipping and falling and he has nowhere else to go anymore, and because of that, he’s absolutely losing it. Give me that angst. Let it be something like:

James: “I am done letting other people’s inability to see the big picture, get in the way of doing what’s right. Robyn. The Council. This kingdom. Even you, Ozpin.”

Oscar, tentatively: “...James?”

James: “...No. To you, it’s general.”

Feed me that level of angst. It would give his actions so much weight, and there would be so much to unpack there. Let the light leave his eyes as soon as he pulls that trigger; shattering what little of himself remained. Severing all ties with everyone he’s ever known and/or loved for the sake of completing his goal. For the sake of doing what he thinks is right.

Let me be mad at the character for his pisspoor actions. Don’t make me be mad at him. Don’t shove it down my throat like-- hey. hey. did you get it?? do you get that he’s the villain of this arc??? 

No. I don’t. Because there is a massive difference between villain and antagonist. So smooth into his antagonist arc. Show me that he’s going to be the force against the protags. Let James get mad. Let him make several bad decisions, such as [ if the story continued to care about these plot points ] leaving Mantle to freeze to death because Amity is more important. Declaring that Robyn is an enemy and should be treated as such; no negotiation. Sending Winter to retrieve the Maiden’s powers while simultaneously drawing back his forces from Mantle; Clover included - leaving a serial killer loose on the streets.

There was so much they could have really played up before reaching the dramatic climax for James’s character, and it just kinda really grinds my gears, given that James had everything required to get him there.

At the end of the day, however, it is RoosterTeeth’s story to tell and I do recognize that, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be salty about it.

[sneezehq]

Eye for an Eye

Tyrian makes good on his offer to Cinder.

Why is this guy attacking them? What does he want with her? Why and how is Qrow here? And if their attacker isn't working for Cinder, then who is he working for?

Ruby's head is spinning with questions, but there's no time right now to ask any of them. There's no room for anything right now besides fighting for their lives.

The faunus laughs again, and Ruby grits her teeth. His crazy shrieking laughter is starting to grate on her nerves. And really, Qrow expects her to just sit back and watch while he and her friends fight for their lives? Not on her watch.

Still, she tries to keep her distance, taking shots and sniping wherever she can, making use of any openings she can find, and flinching whenever one of her friends take a hit. But then, she sees an opportunity, a weakness, and even though she's supposed to staying out of reach, she acts.

Vanishing in a blur of rose petals, Ruby zooms away from her vantage point on top of one of the abandoned houses, and re-materializes almost within arm's reach of their opponent. As soon as she's able to, she takes her shot—and hits her target dead on. His tail falls to the ground with a few drops of blood, and Ruby allows herself a glimmer of satisfaction as Tyrian freezes, letting out a shriek of rage and pain. There, that should do it.

Faster than she can even think, though, he twists around and lunges for her. Before she can even think of fighting back, or using her semblance to get out of the way, the left side of her head explodes with pain. She falls to her knees, screaming, and her hands fly up to clutch at her face.

"An eye for an eye," Tyrian chuckles, before . . . turning to walk away?

She feels blood trickling between her fingers and lets out a sob, but crying only makes the pain worse. There's a rush of noise as her name is shouted and panicked footsteps rush to her side. A pair of hands on her arms shakes her gently and a deep voice that sounds like her uncle is barking orders. Ruby finds herself drifting despite the commotion, wanting to get away from the pain.

It feels like she drifts in the darkness for a long time.

When she wakes up, she's covered in soft blankets, and the surface she's laying on is too comfortable to be a sleeping bag in the middle of a forest. Opening her eyes, she finds herself in a bed in a cozy-looking room. The windows are open, letting a breeze drift in with the sunlight. She can hear people outside. It sounds like they're in a fairly big city. Judging by the bright skies outside, it's daytime, but that doesn't help her figure out how much time has passed, or where she is, or what happened. Something about the room seems off, too, strange, almost like there's something wrong with her eyes.

Pushing herself to sit up, Ruby spots her uncle sitting in a chair next to her bed, slumped over and sound asleep. Her body feels stiff and sore and she groans. Qrow's eyes fly open at the noise. "Hey," she says, clearing her throat when her voice comes out as a croak.

"Hey yourself, sleeping beauty," Qrow replies, smiling tiredly. He looks like he hasn't slept for a couple of days. "Good to see that you're finally awake."

His comment does not ease any of her worries. "How long was I out? What happened? Are the others okay? Where are we?"

"We're in Mistral, to answer your last question. As for the others, they're okay. They're here in the house, resting up."

"So we made it," she breathes a sigh of relief. "How did we get here? What happened—" She cuts herself off as she tries to scrub at her face, only for her left hand to catch on a carefully wrapped bandage. "What?"

"Hang on a second." Qrow strides over to a small door that must lead to the bathroom. He comes back over with a small hand mirror and holds it out in her direction. She takes it automatically, face scrunching in confusion. "This might be easier to explain if you can just see for yourself. They said you can take the bandages off, by the way."

So Ruby slowly begins to unwind the bandages from the left side of her face as Qrow talks. "Tyrian fled, and we managed to stop the bleeding, but infection set in pretty quickly. We booked it out of there as fast as we could, and by some miracle we managed to get picked up a couple of airships passing through the area. They rushed us here and they were able to treat the infection, but." He trails off as Ruby finishes unwrapping the bandages and sets them to the side, gesturing for her to look in the mirror.

"Uncle Qrow, what—" The girl that stares back at her in the mirror looks just like her, but there's a jagged scar where her left eye should be. Ruby feels numb. "Oh." She brings a hand up to touch her face, carefully brushing her fingers over the scarred skin. Her reflection copies her. This isn't a dream, then.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. If I'd gotten to you sooner, or realized that Tyrian was after you before he attacked, then maybe I could have prevented this."

Ruby forces herself to snap out of her troubled thoughts. "Uncle Qrow, that's enough. This isn't your fault. I knew the risks of what I was doing when I set out on this trip." She tries for a reassuring smile. Judging by his expression, it comes off as more of a grimace. "Although I do want to know, why were you following us? If we were all traveling to the same place, why not just travel with us?"

"That's actually what I've been wanting to talk to you about. You and your friends. I'm afraid it's a bit of a long story though, so I'd rather only tell it once." He sighs, getting to his feet and running a hand through his messy hair. "I know you're probably still exhausted, but how does getting breakfast sound? I'm sure that everyone will be glad to see that you're awake, and we can talk about it over some food."

"Breakfast sounds great," Ruby replies. "But, is it even still morning anymore?"

"Eh, it's the first meal of the day, so it's breakfast. I'll leave you to get ready, let the others know that you're up. I hear that Ren makes good pancakes."

"He makes the best pancakes. I'll see you in a little bit!"

It takes her a little longer than usual to get ready. She finds her gear easily enough in the closet, and slips it on without too much trouble. She'll have to thank whoever cleaned it for her. Her legs are a little shaky, though, and she feels off-kilter and clumsy in her movements. As she brushes her hair and splashes some water on her face, she keeps finding her eyes (eye) drawn to the scar over her left eye in the mirror.

She runs her hands through her bangs and arranges them carefully so that they cover where her left eye should be. Problem solved. Out of sight, out of mind.

With a deep sigh, she braces herself to head out of the room and face everyone. She finds herself glancing to the left frequently as she makes her way through the hall and down the stairs, turning her head to make up for her new lack of sight on that side.

"Ruby!" She hears Nora squeal as soon as her foot hits the bottom step. The redhead rushes over to hug her, almost knocking her over. "I'm so glad that you're okay!"

"It's good to see that you're awake, Ruby," Jaune says, stepping forwards to hug her when Nora finally releases her.

"Indeed," Ren nods and hands her a plate of pancakes. "Why don't you have a seat? We've all been very worried."

"I knew she would be fine," Jaune insists.

"You should have seen him pacing!" Nora exclaims, bouncing over to sit on the couch next to Ruby.

"So, what happened while I was out?" Ruby asks, taking another mouthful of pancakes.

Jaune and Nora take turns on filling her in. They tell her about rushing to Mistral after she was injured, splitting up, and fighting the Nuckelvee. Surprisingly, Ren insists on chiming in for the last part.

"And then the airships found us, and brough us here!" Nora finishes her story with a dramatic flourish. They fall into a shared silence.

"Where did my uncle go?" Ruby asks, glancing around to make sure that he's not hiding in the corner or something. "I thought he wanted to talk to us about something."

"I think he said he was going to refill his flask, something to do with not doing this sober?" Jaune shakes his head.

"Of course," Ruby sighs.

"So, Ruby, I'm thinking you should get an eyepatch!"

Ruby isn't following. "Nora, what are you talking about?"

"You know, for your eye!" Nora says, gesturing to Ruby's face. "You could be like a pirate!"

"Oh. Yeah." Ruby swallows hard against the sudden lump in her throat. "I'll keep that in mind."

Nora pumps her fist in the air with a victorious grin, but fortunately Qrow interrupts before she can ask any more questions.

"It's way too early for you kids to be this loud."

Ren blinks. "It's—" He checks the clock hanging on the wall. "2:30 in the afternoon."

"Uncle Qrow, didn't you say that you had something to tell us?"

"Yeah, yeah." He takes his seat in the armchair across from them, taking a swig from his flask and looking at them warily. "Tell me, what's your favorite fairy tale?"

[rwdestuffs]

There’s a lot of ironwood stans and a lot of ironwood haters out there. Now, to be fair, one’s opinion on the guy is likely dependent on that person’s view of the real-world military, as well as their own opinion of the writing in general.

Due to the… let’s be nice and use the phrase “lackluster writing”, ironwood is a very polarizing character. One can see his view on wanting to save people, but once a single chess price shows up, he loses it, and plans to abandon all of Remnant.

Keep in mind that the main characters have no reason to trust him. Not only has atlasian forces been around Mantle for a long time, causing distress and by extension, attracting Grimm, but ironwood seems to have no interest in using any atlas resources to build the communications tower. He only expends atlas military resources to protect it. Everything else comes from Mantle, including the time and energy of their best protector.

It took a submission post [here] to kinda spell it out:

The writing is so bad that we aren’t entirely sure if we should be sympathetic to ironprick or not. Given that I am calling him ironprick, you can probably tell where I lie on that whole thing.

Our own views of the US military has kinda skewed our view of ironwood and the atlasian military, so, let’s try to take a much more objective look at what they do, and how it either makes ironwood a tragic character, or a downright villainous one.

The discussion as to how the show has more or less demonized characters with prosthetics, has been done better in this post [here].

Our first introduction to Atlas in general is honestly… not that great. in this post [here], we see that right off the bat, Atlas is… well, sus. Their resident robot girl is “combat ready” and while this seems like an innocent line in this world, it makes one wonder “Why would she need to state that?”

In addition, with the SDC being a major point for resident racist turned un-racist off=screen, Weiss, the view of Atlas is already not that great. And as a quick tangent, but can we at least have mention of an apology? Like, just a random line of dialogue that tells us, yes, Weiss did in fact apologize? If these writers can’t resolve that conflict on-screen, the least they could do is give us the details of what happened off-screen.

With that rant done, it’s pretty clear that Atlas is either full of a bunch of trigger-happy gun-toting military personnel, or that they seem to be gearing up for a war with the rest of the world.

In Volume 2, we also get the reveal that Penny isn’t allowed to have social interaction, and that her status as an android is kept secret for unknown reasons. Had this show gone in the route of “Penny would absorb the Fall Maiden powers, but we run into the philosophical question of ‘She is also a living being, should she not also have a say in how her future is determined?’“, then that would have made sense.

In this Volume, and in Volume 3, we see that not only is the Ozluminati willing to sacrifice a young girl and rob her of her dreams, but that Atlas isn’t willing to expend any resources for her sake either.

With Volume 4, we kinda get a sort of insight into Ironwood and Jacques’ relationship. Jacques more or less tries to play the “I’m your friend” card with Ironwood. Given Jacques’ easily recognizable racism, it’s telling that Ironwood kept him as good company until he decided on an embargo, which, really only hurt the rest of the world. Ironwood wasn’t protecting anyone, he was trying to hold onto resources.

This is further exemplified in Volume 7, where, as mentioned earlier, he is taking Mantle’s resources to fuel his own pet project… And we later find out that that pet project was a total lie, as it turns out, it was just bait to lure out one of Shadow Queen’s minions.

We then see this all culminate in Volume 8, where Ironwood starts working with Watts to get payback on Penny for betraying him. His dialogue mirrors a lot of rhetoric that an abuser would use to try to coerce their victim to their side. And his casual discard of Penny is honestly something to take note of. Ironwood doesn’t value differing opinions. He never wanted anyone who would question him. He wanted loyalty. If he had his way, he would have installed Order 66 in all Atlasian troops to make them turn on any hunter that wasn’t loyal to him.

All of Volume 8 happened because he saw that his supposedly perfect defenses weren’t so perfect after all. And instead of resolving to try to do better once they expelled the intruder, he instead turns on the main heroes for not trusting him.

Now here comes the next question:

Should have team RWBY trusted ironwood from the start?

Now, we as the audience know that all of that stuff about Ironwood makes him look suspicious. But what do the characters know? Well, Weiss knows that they’re a bunch of militaristic assholes who refused to help her or her family escape from her abusive father even though one of their top specialists was her sister.

Ruby and Yang likely have a poor view on Atlas and Ironwood in general thanks to their conversations with Qrow.

And Blake knows that they’re basically the racism capital of the world.

As for team JNOR, their experiences likely come from how team rwby acts. With them being so close, and adding the fact that all of them got arrested for fighting grimm when they first arrived, their views are also negative.

On top of which, Ironwood is the headmaster of Atlas Academy. The last headmaster they trusted (Leo) stabbed them in the back, and the one before that (Oz) lied to them about their mission, so they have every right to be suspicious of Ironwood. They don’t exactly have a good track record with these headmasters.

So clearly, with what both the audience knows, and with what the characters know, their lack of trust in Ironwood was not misplaced.

With all that said and done, let’s dive into the final question of this post:

Is Ironwood a sympathetic villain?

As a blunt answer, yes. As an equally blunt answer, no.

Ironwood is a human character who is in charge of a military force. He hasn’t had to deal with racism like Ilia, Blake, or Velvet, but he also has been through a lot of battles if his large amount of prosthetics is to be seen.

Ironwood clearly has not had the world be kind to him, but by contrast, he hasn’t been kind to the world. As for which came first, is up to interpretation, but the point of the matter still stands: Ironwood was acting like a dictator.

Now, is his horribly described semblance Mettle to blame for this? Well, let’s think for a moment as to how it would have affected the story if we had known about it beforehand. Either in an interview, or because (in this hypothetical scenario) the writers were smart and had maybe Qrow try to talk him down by saying something like “James, calm down. You’re letting your semblance talk for you” really doesn’t matter. Let’s ask ourselves: How would knowing his semblance beforehand had affected our view of this?

Simply put, it would make us sympathetic to him, until we see his aura break and that he’s still going on his main goal of ditching all of Remnant and being selfish. It would have informed us that it wasn’t just Mettle driving Ironwood, Ironwood had that sort of thing in him the entire time, but he reached a breaking point. It’s been said that “people go from 0 to 60 over one little thing” but really, that’s not true. People don’t just go “from 0 to 60.″ People just don’t pay attention to how long a person has been at 59. And quite frankly, Ironwood was doing an admittedly good job at hiding how long he was at 59. He was constantly calm, cool, and collected in a lot of stressful situations, like when he had to confront the rest of the council.

But we also know that he was locking up dissenters. Labeling them as “traitors” and more or less, acting like he knew best. Plus, we know that he was doing a lot of questionable things in the past that makes a lot of his actions rather dubious at best.

But, once we view this with the view of the US Military, which Atlas is based on, intentionally or not, we kinda see something. Not some “grand protectors of the border and ideology of the country” but a bunch of power-hungry generals willing to throw bodies just to get their way, only for them to be unprepared when they are the ones who get invaded. And for them to basically be the fuel that gives their supposed enemies their power to cause so much destruction. Atlas was already at a breaking point. All Salem and her forces did was just add that one little extra bit of weight that caused it to all come crashing down.

In this case, literally.

[kingangelrose]

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 4 Recap

“Fault”

----------

Back at the cell, Robyn tells stories to Qrow and Jacques about Joanna and the Happy Huntresses, but there was no reaction from either of them, she then jokingly says that Ironwood should’ve pay for better cell block entertainment, which made Qrow smile a bit. 

Robyn apologizes to Qrow about what happened to Clover, saying that it wasn’t his fault, but Qrow says that it was, he goes on to say he made a deal with the darkness, and Clover payed the price for it, that it was happening so fast, but Clover wouldn’t let up, saying that he and him could’ve worked together against Tyrian. Qrow says that what stings the most is that for the first time in a while, he thought maybe he could be around anybody without Qrow’s semblance making it complicated for him to, now it just feels like a childish dream. “Gone....like everybody else....” - Qrow Branwen 

Robyn says that she knows what that feels like. “When people are worried you’re gonna sniff out there secrets, they tend to push you away, it makes a real connection....difficult...” - Robyn Hill Qrow says he never thought of it that way.

Just then, the guards, with the other Ace Ops, throw Watts back into his cell, Harriett goes over to Qrow’s cell, saying that he can’t be Clover’s pendent, Qrow says that he didn’t kill him, but Harriett says that it was his weapon that had Clover’s blood on it, Robyn, who called Harriett “Mohawk”. suggests to her that if she really wants to know what happened, she could open her cell and take her hand, Harriett says that if she does, it won’t be for a hand shake, Robyn says to her that she doesn’t care about the truth, only wanting someone to be mad at, saying that its easier than taking an honest look of what side she’s on, Harriett was about to open it, but Marrow stopped her, asking what she was doing, saying to him nothing, Marrow walked away, Robyn lay back down on her cell bed, saying that that was almost exciting.

Meanwhile, Team Yang, on the hoverbikes, chased down the flying Hound that had Oscar in his clutches, Jaune says that the Hound is going to lose them in the mountains and that they can’t keep up, Ren says that he’s not sure how long that the hover bikes can handle the cold, Yang then says she wishes one of them could fly, that gave Jaune an idea, he backs up his hoverbike to Ren and says to him that he’s going to get him up there to the Hound, knowing what he meant, Ren hopped off his bike, onto Jaune’s shield and Jaune used his shield’s gravity power to launch Ren in the air, giving Ren a chance to hook his weapon onto the Hound’s leg, hanging on by his weapon’s steel string while it’s flying. 

Jaune told Ren to hold on, Ren replied by saying he doesn’t have much of a choice, Ren uses his weapon on the other hand to hook onto a rock, that was pulled and flew along with him, but The Hound flew up higher, unhooking it, Yang then rode her hoverbike on an upper level mountain platform, getting to an even shooting distance with the Hound, shooting at it, but then The Hound let out a huge roar, calling for backup him that was underground and in the air.

Jaune struck some of the underground Grimm, but one of them spewed acid at his hoverbike thruster, shutting it down, seeing Yang on higher ground, Jaune hopped off his bike and a Grimm using his shield’s power and go on higher ground, getting on and riding with Yang, attacking the ground Grimm and trying to catch up, a flying Grimm blocked their path, but Jaune activated and threw his hard light shield device to a nearby rock, using the shield as a ramp for him and Yang to jump over the Grimm, they continued to dodged the Grimm, but after dodging the last one, they were headed for a cliff, Yang stopped the hoverbike, but it tilted, causing them both to tumble fast and fall off the cliff, while it seemed like they were falling to their doom, Ren uses his weapons to Jaune’s sword tip on the cliff and onto Jaune’s leg, catching both Jaune and Yang before they fell, a flying Grimm was headed towards them, but then Ren used his semblance to masked his, Jaune and Yang’s auras as the flying Grimm flew passed them, but they could only look on as the Hound flew away with Oscar to Salem.

Ruby’s Team arrived at the Schnee Manor where Whitley opened the door after Weiss’ hard knocking, Whitley was trying to say that she picked a fine time to arrive, but Weiss pointed her sword at him and walked into the manor with Ruby’s Team and a still unconscious Nora,  Whitley says to Weiss that things are already bad enough after what she did to their father, Jacques, but now she wants to harbor “fugitives” too, saying that their family has a reputation, Blake asks Whitley if that’s all he cares about, Whitley says that at the manor, they’ve already lost most of the house staff, and their mother, Willow Schnee, locked herself in her room, Weiss says that they are trying to save Atlas, then Ruby says to Whitley that Nora is hurt, and they just need a place to lay low while she rests and then they’ll be out of his way, Whitley then agreed, letting them stay and asked what do they want him to do, and Weiss tells him to go to his room, which he did, Weiss led May, carrying Nora, to a  room where Nora could rest, Ruby says that she hopes Team Yang is okay, Blake says to Ruby that if she’s worried, she could call Yang, Ruby then said she did as she shows Blake her outgoing call to Yang. Jaune tries to get a signal, asking for a transport to Mantle, but there wasn’t any.

The three walked across a snowy tundra, with their aura slowly depleting from the cold, Yang asked Ren how close is the nearest outpost, but he didn’t answer, and when she asked again, he said he didn’t know, Yang walked up to him and said she thought he saw on earlier, Ren said that he did before he had to cut himself loose to help Yang and Jaune, Yang says that he brought that up a few times and asked if there’s something he wanted to say, he says he doesn’t and he wouldn’t want to waste anymore time, ahead of her, Yang, got a bit angry and asked Ren what was his deal, Ren said to not worry about it, Yang says that she’s sorry thing haven’t gone smoothly for him, Ren says that things haven’t gotten smoothly at all, turning into an argument, Yang tells him that’s part of being a huntsman, Ren says that they don’t know the first thing about being a huntsman and that they weren’t ready, Jaune tries to tell them to stop, but they don’t listen. 

Yang asked Ren were they not ready when they saved Haven or took down the Leviathan, and that they brought the lamp relic to Atlas, Ren cuts her off, saying that then they lost it, then afterwards when they had to make real decisions, they have gotten every single one wrong, Yang tells Ren that even though they haven’t done everything perfectly, but if they had done nothing, things would be a lot worse, Ren asks how could they be worse, saying that they are stuck in the snowy tundra while Salem has the lamp and Oscar, saying they have no plan or an army, Yang says that they have Penny as the Maiden, Ren yells at Yang, saying that by keeping Penny from opening the vault for Ironwood, they’re trapping the whole city of Atlas and Mantle for Salem, saying people are going to die because of them, Yang asks him if they should just give Ironwood what he wants and abandon Mantle, asking if he thinks Atlas is gonna float to safety, he snaps back and says he doesn’t know, then saying that these aren’t the kinds of decisions that they should make if they have no idea what they’re doing, he says that he’s saying what no one else wants to, saying that they are way over their heads, Ruby is barely more than a kid, he is just a orphan from the middle of nowhere, and when Jaune tried to calm him down, Ren snapped at Jaune saying that he cheated his way into Beacon Academy, leaving them all silent for a moment.

“....You don’t think we should be huntsmen, fine.....but I’m getting out of the cold...we still gotta job to do....” - Jaune Arc As Jaune walks ahead with the hoverbike, Yang looks at Ren angrily as asks him is his goal just to push everyone away, as she walks ahead of him, leaving Ren speechless.

Meanwhile, in Salem’s base, Ozpin wakes up Oscar who didn’t know where he was, saying that they’re going to be okay, Oscar then looks up and from the shadows was Salem herself. “My long lost Ozma...found at last~” - Salem Oscar was hanging by the jaws of the Hound, trying to escape, but it was no use, Salem says that this new host of Ozma is small, saying that it was a wonder that her Hound didn’t break him, walking up to him, asking how long as it been since they seen each other face to face and with nothing to say, pretending to be Ozpin, Oscar says that he is sorry the reunion isn’t living up to her expectations, Salem then suddenly grabs Oscar’s face and says that he can pretend, but he is not yet fully Ozpin, she lets go and says that they can have a working relationship if she tells her where the Beacon Relic is, saying that Ozpin has used some means of deception to hide it’s location differently from the other relics, Oscar says that’s not something he himself knows about, Salem walk away from Oscar saying that Ozpin would keep that well guarded as long as possible, Salem then asks Oscar the password to the lamp relic, and Oscar replied by saying that the lamp was out of questions, knowing this to be a lie, she struck Oscar with a powerful blast of energy to the chest, causing Oscar to scream in pain, she stops then walks towards a wounded Oscar saying that lies come from out of Oscar so easily, saying that he was a like minded soul while feeling on his wounded face, she walks away from him again, saying that she doesn’t care if it’s Oscar or Ozpin to tell her the answer, either way she will have the relic, Oscar says that he won’t tell her anything, but then, Hazel arrives and then strikes down Oscar, then kicking him while he was down, saying that the two strikes he delivered was for Haven Academy and everything that follows, will be for his sister.

Salem walks into Cinder and Neo in the hallway, Cinder bows to the Salem, but then sees the Hound for the first time and asked what it was, Salem says that it is an experiment she has been working on, so far being pleased with the results, then asking Cinder what she wanted, Cinder pleads with Salem saying that she wants to search for the Winter Maiden, Salem says to the Hound that Cinder thinks and wants, saying as if she has done something that warrants her caring for either, Cinder says that they’re just sitting and waiting, saying without the Maiden’s power, the gate means nothing, asking to let her claim the power for her, Salem tells Cinder that she will tell her when and where she is needed, before Cinder could plead with Salem again, the Hound roared at Cinder, silencing her, Salem then says that  she has gained many patience walking Remnant, but she hates repeating herself, and that she will remain at there, Cinder then bows to her again and then agrees, once again saying without her she is nothing, as Salem walks off, Cinder has an eager expression on her face.

Walking to where the airship is, Cinder says to Neo that she just wants to check something and that they’ll be back before anyone notices they’re gone, Cinder says that she just wants to see if anything is still going on in Amity Colosseum, saying that Salem doesn’t know the heroes like she does, saying that they wouldn’t just abandon their misguided attempt to save the world. Emerald walks towards Cinder and says if Neo doesn’t want to go with her, she will, saying that she’s been working on her semblance and that she can help, also saying she won’t tell anybody, Cinder sighs and asked Emerald how much did she overhear.

Meanwhile, Team Yang arrived to the outpost where they had shelter, while Jaune used a fire dust crystal for the furnace, he admits to Ren that he was right about him cheating his way into Beacon, saying that he’s glad he has people around him to help him see that he was bigger than that mistake, he says to Ren that he too has people around him, he doesn’t have to force himself to be strong, saying that the more he hides what he feels, the more along he’ll feel, Ren doesn’t responded and walks away, outside, Yang then comes inside and says that she found a part to fix the hoverbike, she then goes on to say to Jaune for what its worth, she’s sorry that Ren said that to him, saying that she knows he worked hard to get where he is now, Jaune says that everyone is just under a lot of stress right now, saying he used to push people away too, while fixing the part for the hover bike, Yang asks Jaune if Ruby thinks less of her for not helping out with Amity, Jaune says that Ruby is her sister and that she’ll always love Yang, even if they disagree, walking over and laying on the bottom bunk of the bed, Jaune says he wants to get some sleep, but he can’t stop thinking about Oscar, Yang says to Jaune that he can go ahead and sleep, and she’ll make her Ren doesn’t brewed herself to death in the cold, Jaune thanks Yang and then says that he has a bad feeling that things always seem to get worse before they get better.

Unknown to any of them, from afar there was something coming from the icy underground, leaving huge cracks, what could this be? Will anyone survive? Will Cinder be able to leave Salem’s grasp? Will the heroes save Oscar before it’s too late?

[theonceoverthinker]

Friday the Flirteenth (1/?)

Summary: Qrow likes to avoid others on Friday the Thirteenth. He claims he’s doing it for everyone else’s sake, and that they’re better off if he spends the day alone in his room. Clover’s not having any of his self-loathing bullshit -- not today, and not ever, if he has anything to say about it.

AO3

A/N: You ever come up with an AMAZING pun and then find a way to write a fic around that? Well, that’s happened here! I’ve wanted to release this for SO long, and finally, I can...at least release part 1! Yeah, illnesses have made this a hard fic to finish, but fortunately, I have enough here to release a respectable first chapter to what will hopefully be a respectable MC! I hope you enjoy it! Tagging @fair-game-week!

BIG thanks to my beta, @skybird13. Sky, you’re the best, and I hope you understand that. Coordinating with you with my works makes me feel so confident in them. I want you to know more than anything how much I value your help and support, not just in this fic, but in everything, and I hope we’re friends for a long time to come!!!!

()()()()()()()()

Chapter One: Fourteen Hours, and A Whole Lot of Peanuts

Qrow Branwen liked peanuts. 

They were cheap, could be found just about anywhere in Remnant, had a pleasantly salty taste, and served as the perfect snack on days where he had no intention of stepping so much as a toe outside of his room.

So, in anticipation for Friday the Thirteenth, Qrow bought a LOT of peanuts.

When one had a semblance like his, a day dedicated to the very concept of bad luck was one that couldn’t be dismissed without some burden on their conscience. In fact, Friday the Thirteenth more than most any other day put extra responsibilities upon Qrow’s shoulders -- a responsibility to not cause any more trouble than necessary, a responsibility to stay away from anyone who he might accidentally harm, and a responsibility to keep the other two responsibilities secret from all who might try to intervene on his behalf.

And, just as he usually did, Qrow accepted those responsibilities and kept himself at a distance from all.

Fourteen hours. He just had to stay in his room alone for fourteen hours. 

He’d lasted a lot longer on his own many times before.

It wasn’t that big of a problem, at least not in previous years. Thanks to a lifetime’s worth of practice, Qrow knew the most secluded spots in all of Remnant to hide in on occasions like this, and the fastest routes to get to them from pretty much anywhere. And with no one but enemies on his trail, there was little risk that the day provided to anyone, or at least, anyone who didn’t deserve it.

But things weren’t so simple this year.

This year, he had his nieces and a gaggle of kids as traveling companions.

This year, he resided in an Atlesian military base, one that restricted access to any type of real seclusion further than the privacy of his own room.

This year, he despised the man he had formerly dedicated his life to.

This year, things were complicated, and his semblance always loved running amok when things were complicated.

But, as he reminded himself, some of those complications ended up turning into triumphs.

Sure, it was the first year without the hope Ozpin provided. But it was also the first year where  Qrow had a different kind of hope to keep him going. It was a kind of hope that made itself tangible through his nieces’ determination, his own efforts to fight off the allure of alcohol, and as of late, an encouraging smile and a flirty wink from a kind man with a semblance that seemingly counteracted his own…

Clover…

Clover...

Well, in a life of complications, Clover stood out as one of the biggest he’d ever faced. His very presence complicated everything in Qrow’s headspace all over again.

Still, that wasn’t a bad thing.

At least, Qrow was pretty sure it wasn’t.

Clover...Clover was really something else…

If someone were to ask Qrow to describe Clover after their disastrous first meeting, he’d have more than a couple of choice words for them -- cocky, pedantic, narcissistic. But things changed once they started working together, and as he learned more about Clover, while all of those descriptors were still true, the words themselves took on an entirely new shape for Qrow. What was cockiness just days before was now self assuredness, what was pedantic was revealed to really be caution on behalf of those he worked with and for, and what was narcissistic was actually a confidence that he created for himself, a confidence based in real pride in who he was and how that pride amounted to far more than just his semblance.

Additionally, a new word came to mind, too -- warm. It was a genuine warmth that flowed through each and every one of Clover’s words, and accompanying that warmth was a trust in those fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of them. It was hard not to return that trust in kind with some of his own, and for the first time in a while, Qrow felt no need to resist doing just that. 

It surprised Qrow sometimes just how much he had already divulged to Clover. Part of the reason for that came out of a desire to put his best foot forward for their assigned partnership. Part of it was a warning in the interest of Clover’s safety. But some things couldn’t be explained away so easily, and could only be attributed to a real sense of trust.

Frankly, it was nice having something like that again with someone. 

And it wasn’t even just Clover’s personality that painted the portrait that was Clover Ebi. Looking at Clover was like looking at a cloudless sky on a spring day. He was bright, bold -- brilliant, even. His smile was caked in charm -- true charm -- and his brow was shaped with a resolve to keep promises Qrow knew he probably could, promises he likely made to himself, Ironwood, and his country. 

Maybe there was even a promise to Qrow somewhere in that mix. 

No -- there was no maybe. He was sure there was.

But there was a coolness in Clover’s being too, both in his demeanor and his personality. There was an untold story in his eyes, one uncared for by his teammates, and only allowed to exist through fleeting expressions here and there during moments where he let his guard fall down. And that same jaw that held his charm like a jug held water held tension there too, as if there was an entire book’s worth of things he wanted to say, but for whatever reason didn’t. It was enough to make anyone who saw those things pretty curious about what hidden depths might be underneath that veil of job-dictated professionalism.

Qrow spent far more time thinking about all that he had left to uncover about Clover than he would ever admit.

After all, there was a lot to ask about what went on in that man’s mind, especially when it led him to befriend him, of all people.

But that wink Clover gave him on their first mission together made Qrow wonder if befriending him was all Clover wanted to do.

And regardless of how he felt in return, Qrow had to wonder whether or not he should try to stop him before Clover jumped further down the rabbit hole that was his life.

Qrow was bad news.

Then again, just about everything having to do with Clover was good news, and perhaps the exact thing that rabbit hole of his could use in its life was a lucky rabbit’s foot to help fill it up.

Wow...that was sappy.

Even on his worst days, Clover seemed able to bring out a little bit of sappiness in him. Go figure.

But, whatever fate had in store for him and Clover could wait to be further unearthed until tomorrow. Hell, he might even have time to muse on what that might be today, because for the next fourteen hours, it would be just himself, his room, and an overabundance of peanuts fighting against the slowly whiling hours of time.

Jeez...greater good or not, even Qrow could admit just how sad that was...

Maybe his abandonment of his morning coffee would at least grant him a nap and make the day go by faster…

He’d certainly prefer it that way.

Before he could even attempt to take advantage of his coffee’s absence, two knocks hit his door.

Perhaps it was foolish to think no one would bother him today -- after all, in Atlas, there was always something going on -- but he had a day off of Huntsmen duties while most everyone else he knew didn’t. He’d hoped against hope that meant that he’d be left in peace for the day.

Apparently, it didn’t.

Just his luck…

“Hello?” Qrow called out, reluctantly standing up.

“Qrow?”

Immediately, he recognized the voice, the voice that had burned itself into his memory within a matter of weeks and now had a summer cottage nestled somewhere between his brain and heart.

And there he was, letting that sappiness invade his thoughts again…

Of course the one person responsible for inspiring it was the one visiting him on the absolute worst day to do so.

Qrow approached and opened the door.

Just as he suspected, it was Clover who stood on the other side, as chipper as ever. After willing himself to hold back a grimace at the unexpectedness of his or anyone’s visit, Qrow noticed two cups of coffee in his hands. 

“You missed your morning cup,” Clover stated, offering one of the ones in his hand to Qrow. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Despite himself and everything the day represented for him, Qrow let down his guard ever so slightly at the awkward way Clover explained himself. He wasn’t thrilled about someone showing up on his doorstep, but that’s not to say it wasn’t nice to see a friendly face at all, especially in the face of the rest of his sure-to-be lonely day.

“Thanks,” he said, accepting the cup with a light smile he allowed to surface.

“So,” Clover said, elongating the vowel for a few seconds as he expectantly stared at Qrow.

“So?” Qrow repeated, matching Clover’s delivery and adding in a bit of confusion. 

“IS everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” Qrow said, shrugging.

Clover quirked his brow. He didn’t look convinced, and unwilling to give Qrow so much as the chance to rectify that. 

“It’s not, though, is it?”

Qrow fought the urge to bit his cheek, but paid the cost of that with a tremor in his voice.

“W-what do you mean?”

“You not coming down for coffee is strange on its own,” Clover elaborated, “but you haven’t even left your room and it’s nearly ten. Usually, even on your lazy days, you’re out and about by half past eight, at the latest.”

“So I slept in a bit,” Qrow defended, shrugging in what he hoped would be a casual enough manner. “What’s the big deal?”

“It wouldn’t be a big deal at all if it wasn’t Friday the Thirteenth.”

Qrow blinked, flustered even more so than when Clover had started pressing him. Clover merely looked at him expectantly. 

How did he-?

Sure, Clover had a calendar, but why would he-?

Damnit, Clover...

“It’s a day for bad luck,” Qrow explained, his mood dark out of instinct more than malice. “Given my semblance --”

“It’s a day for superstitions,” Clover insisted.

“You seem to like yours just fine.” Qrow made a circle with his finger that encompassed the various lucky charms on Clover’s outfit.

Clover smiled as if he saw the rebuttal coming from a mile away.

“These are just here to make the uniform pop,” he said, laughter bubbling underneath him, as if Qrow had just walked into a trap. “And judging by how you clearly seemed to take notice of them, it looks like they’ve done their jobs quite nicely.” 

Just as he finished speaking, Clover winked right at Qrow, something that was very quickly becoming a habit of his when they were around each other. Fria must’ve imbued that wink with some of her magic or something because it always felt just a bit overpowering.

Qrow made a noise that would’ve sounded more at home in his bird form than the form that actually delivered it.

“Okay, but even still,” Qrow said, quickly pushing to make Clover forget about that sound, “you know what kind of things are out there in this world. Magic exists, fairy tale maidens and Grimm are running amok -- who's to say something like Friday the Thirteenth isn’t real, too? What reason do I have to trust that my semblance won’t go haywire on a day devoted to it?”

“If you stay in your room,” Clover countered, just as quickly as Qrow had with him, “you’re making things worse for yourself. Come on,” he said, his tone brightening alongside a fresh, new smile. “We can go get an early lunch. There’s a fantastic sushi restaurant just on the outskirts of the academy that you’ll love. Their rolls put the ‘ah’ in ‘tuna.’”

Now it was Qrow’s turn to quirk his brow. “And if I leave my room, I’ll risk making things worse for everyone else. I’m not leaving. Maybe we can go to that restaurant tomorrow.”

Qrow expected Clover to keep pushing back with yet another comment, but instead, he just took a patient, deep breath.

He then shrugged.

“And I was so excited to take you there, too,” Clover lamented. “But, oh well. Have it your way, then.”

Without giving Qrow so much as a second to respond, Clover gently pushed him to the side, walked inside his room, and sat down on one of the chairs across from his bed. Qrow was stuck somewhere between being utterly stunned by the action, and not at all. After all, this was pretty standard Clover Ebi behavior in that it was utterly unpredictable.

That’s not to say it was necessarily welcome -- or that Qrow would admit it even if it was.

And this morning, he was feeling particularly stubborn in his quest for solitude.

“That wasn’t an invitation to join me,” Qrow snipped.

Clover simply lounged back into the plush chair, easing his knees as his legs spread forward. “Well, if you won’t come out with me, then I’ll simply have to come in with you.” He then pulled something out of his pocket, something that instantly brought another grimace to Qrow’s face, all the while smiling. 

“Up for some cards?”

Qrow groaned.

He knew it when he woke up, and he was even more sure of it now: This was gonna be a long, long fourteen hours.

[flightofaqrow]

old friend

qrow + Glynda ( @professor-goodwitch​ ) [VOL 8 AU: Inner Circle Jailbreak]

qrow’s not sure where Glynda came from, why, or how she seems to know more about what’s going on than even he can piece together after it all, but. it’s okay. probably. it’s probably going to be okay. 

brothers, his body and soul have never felt heavier in his life.

he can’t deny it’s about all he can ask for to see an old friend right now - a familiar face, alive and well and willing to stand on his side. 

“Glynda,” he gruffs, “…thanks.”

━━━━━━━━━���━━━━━━━━━━━━

“ Get some rest, Qrow. I know recent events had you exhausted. I made sure our hide out is well protected and hidden.”

It was a surprise to see Glynda here helping Qrow and his companion Robyn out of Atlas’ vehicle. She knew for herself that he had nothing to do with that murder unless it was absolutely necessary. He didn’t even have to explain nor did Robyn.

All Glynda wanted to know was what happened to Atlas and James, but that can wait.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

qrow’s not sure where Glynda came from, why, or how she seems to know more about what’s going on than even he can piece together after it all, but. it’s okay. probably. it’s probably going to be okay. brothers, his body and soul have never felt heavier in his life. “…yeah. sure.” he takes her up on the offer and leans up against the wall, willing himself to even sink into it, phase out of existence for just a few moments.

but he can’t deny it’s about all he can ask for to see an old friend right now. a familiar face, alive and well and willing to stand on his side. 

“Glynda,” he gruffs, “…thanks.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Glynda would peek out of the worn down windows of their hideout and didn’t spot any Atlas shoulders. Robyn had silently offered to be on watch so the huntress could catch up with her old friend. She nods at her then walked back to Qrow who sunk on to the wall.

“ No problem. It’s.. good to see you Qrow.” She sighed and would go to a pile of compressed haystack taking a seat on it.

“ I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here..” She said, patting down on some dust on her pants.

“ I heard about the incident at Haven Academy and immediately I knew they were going after the relic so.. I went to Atlas in hopes to retrieve the other one. However, it seems James has turned his back on everyone.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

qrow had a lot of people to thank once the dust settled. eyes draw back from staring at nothing in particular to focus on Glynda, “…same.”

actually, he wonders more how she got here with the borders still closed than why. why seemed pretty obvious. he takes a deep breath and crosses his arms over a depressing chest as he lets it out. time to get back to work. next steps. no time for huntsmen to grieve, at least, not until the job is done.

“well, he turned his back on Mantle, that’s for damn sure. cut off our scroll communication right when everything started. i don’t know what’s happened in the cities since the declaration. or with the relic. or the kids. an’ i have no idea what he’s thinking or why, apart from what i assume is some bullshit martyr complex nonsense. never got the chance to talk. …but things are past reasonin’ at this point, anyway.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“As sad as it seems, I predicted this from James even back at Beacon. His whole military coming to the Vytal Festival, showcase of military and the council granting him seats.” She took a deep breath shaking his head. “ I can guess he’s lost his heart and.. mind. But, fear can do that to you. It’s just the way how you handle it and I bet James didn’t know how to.”

Glynda would start up a small flame to keep them warm. “ Talking to James would be difficult at this point… At least when you do. I’ll try to reason with him with all of this madness but– a punch to his face can wait.” She wasn’t exactly intending on ‘verbally’ reasoning with him.

“ I just find it upsetting after preaching about ‘unity’ and ‘working together’ with Mantle, he just turns his back the moment a bigger threat showed up.” She sighed, looking at the flame then back at Qrow. “ His fear will consume him sooner or later.”

“But.. pressing matters at hand, we need to help out Mantle..”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“yeah, well. all the ‘i told ya so’s in Remnant ain’t changin’ the situation, Glyn,” he chides in a low rasp. sharp features find their edges amid grief, but he directs their focus more into the fire than at his friend. surely, some of that was about getting thoughts off her own chest more than being heard.

and she’s not the only one looking to take him down with more than words once they get a handle on all this and find the overgrown tin can.

right. one thing at a time. like most of his thoughts must be right now. one card building each base of a castle, lest trying to have too many at once make it all come crashing down around him again.

he sits up, finally, leaning towards warmth and flickering, distracting lights. “how is mantle holding up so far? any new reports come in?”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

He was right, nothing was really going to change the situation no matter the ‘What If’s’ they had. Glynda just found herself frustrated after leaving Beacon only to find that Mantle had been cut off by Atlas. James was a man of ‘protection’, ‘security’ but ‘power’ as well and it’s upsetting he had fallen into a pit where he may not possibly get up anymore.

She took a look at her scroll, seeing the alert of all the Wanted huntsmen. Sure enough, Qrow was there along with her other former students. “ It seems you really pissed off James if he’s turning you all in but of course, he’s losing his mind like his heart.”

She sighed tapping onto her scroll looking at the live feed of everything. Her eyes looking at the dark clouds lurking. “.. I don’t think Mantle will hold up any longer. Salem is about to arrive.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

she’s catching up with this whole damn emotional roller-coaster just like he’s trying to catch up with the past day or so. both hands run through his hair with the same frustration before he gives the fire the thousand yard stare again, “tch. he’d only be pissed if he cared. nah. s’just like Robyn says. all he wants is t’have us outta his way.”

hands clench between his knees, “well, that ain’t happenin’.”

he pulls his scroll out for the first time since it has been returned to him. a bunch of missed calls flood the screen, so someone must have gotten them working again, and he has maybe two guesses who. not that it matters when he still can’t really answer anyone.

“so Salem’s right at our doorstep and we’re squabblin’ among ourselves just like she wants. this is bad. this is really bad.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“ He’s lost his mind and heart if arresting all of you is his solution to get what he wants. I’ll have to remind him that the half of his body can easily be destroyed if I deem it to be useless.” Her tone seemed calm yet dangerous considering she actually WAS capable of tearing him apart with her semblance. Glynda’s often level-headed when it came to frustrating situations but this was one of the rare occasions she’d serious about using violence to knock someone back into reality.

Glynda glanced at Qrow for a moment. His body language immediately told her he’d been through a lot and she was too afraid to ask him about it fearing it might shake his thoughts and emotions.

That wasn’t the priority anyway, it was the danger that has arrived in Mantle. Salem.

“ Fighting Salem head on is a suicide mission but if we wait for her to land in Mantle then it’ll cease to exist in a matter of hours.” Glynda sighed. “ ..And judging by the clouds, she brought a whole army of Grimm to get what she wants.”

“ We need to move soon. I’m sure you’re worried about Ruby and the others. It’s best to rendezvous with them because we need all the help we can get if we want to save Mantle.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

usual memories of Glynda store as her putting things back together. often messes he’d created himself. in a single moment of emphasizing her ability to just as easily tear things apart, she reminds qrow of how terrifying a woman she really is. he can’t say the image of James severed right down the middle doesn’t jolt him out of his thoughts, and bring some shred of solace. it’d serve him right.

looking up meets the emerald fire in her eyes, sizzling slow and controlled.

right, one step at a time.

hands cup around his face as he thinks. this’ll be the most difficult battle they’ve faced yet. and that’s saying something. “i’m more worried about all the grimm than Salem. her track record shows more’a desire to control humanity than exterminate it. unlike those beasts’a hers.”

arms then fall to his lap with the mention of Ruby and her friends. his family. but now also huntresses and hunters in their own right. “Glyn, the kids… Ironwood issued ‘em their license before it all went down. ‘course i’m thinkin’ of them, but they can hold their own. have been for awhile now. if our scrolls are workin’ we can get in touch. it…,” it twists in his gut as if the words are food poisoning themselves, “it might be best if we all spread out throughout the city. besides, this is too important to…”

he turns away again, shuts his eyes and tries to force out the image still imprinted behind eyelids of blood …so much blood, “well, they might be better off without me around for this.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“ Salem creates the grimm herself and anytime she can procure a unit of grimm to ambush any parts of the city if the numbers dwindle. But… if we leave the grimm be, the civilians will suffer in their hands.” Glynda sighed feeling a little conflicted about how they’ll proceed.

Everything was coming too fast, Salem’s arrival, grimm already infesting Mantle, Ironwood cutting off Atlas and Mantle and everything else.

Her attention wavered though when Qrow mentioned licenses were handed to them. “ that seems bold of James to give them their licenses that early but… with the conflict, can you really tell them to sit down for a class?” She tried sounding sarcastic for a moment but knew the situation was too dire to insert that in.

“ Sounds like your niece and her friends have really evolved into huntsmen and huntresses at such a young age. Though.. spreading out would be a good idea if we’re going to hold off and protect Mantle from multiple points..”

His last sentence though, worried her. “ Qrow? Why do you think that? What made you possibly think that they’re better off without you? And I’m certain that’s not because of your semblance..” Glynda’s well aware of his semblance being a key factor in putting the kids in danger but he was right– they were capable of taking care of themselves yet.. there seems to be more.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

lids stay screwed shut; qrow’s head shakes in the smallest arc side to side, processing what Glynda says, meshing it with what he thinks. his palm aches to hold a drink that would help slow it all down. but he’s done with that, and they’re out of time, and it does him no good to be dulled.

and he doesn’t really know the answer. qrow’s vision only goes so far as giving his report and insight, and Glynda or Robyn can decide how to manage from there. they’re better suited to delegate orders, and maybe qrow might just follow along until he can break off and run his own vendetta mission alone like always, because more than ever he knows he’s not meant for a partner, and has always known he was never really cut out to be a leader.

even the voice in his head is hardly his own.

with the conflict, can you really tell them to sit down for a class?

that finally earns Glynda a turn to her direction again, dark brows lifting to rest on his face in a soft and wistful way. she makes an inappropriate comment, and qrow lives for inappropriate. it’s downright refreshing from her.

qrow shrugs, tilts his head down to accentuate a coy glance up, a glint of hope returning to red eyes, “heh. you know, Oz would say he’s glad you still have a sense of humor in alla this.”

one moment of lighter breath, and then it’s gone - just like the man mentioned and a solid chunk of qrow’s affection for him; expression sours as hands come down harsh on his knees.

“so you must be joking.”

she’s certain it’s not his semblance. she’s got to be kidding! how can anyone be certain? qrow sure as hell can’t ever seem to tell when and how and who Misfortune hits the worst!

he leans in, frowns and furrows lining frustration into his face, but he speaks more haggard than rough, “of course i mean my semblance, Glyn. this ain’t a single man brawl or bust ‘em up rescue mission! there’s too many lives on the line! …we can’t afford any mishaps. …I work better from the sidelines and the shadows, we both know that.”

[fire-the-headcanons]

Follow the Beacon Qrow—An Extension of Ourselves

[Link to Masterpost]

[Sh*t, meet Fan. Fan, this is Sh*t.]

[tw for mortal terror and panic attack]

The cafeteria was a little creepy with so few people in it—maybe the echo was more pronounced or something. Qrow ate quickly, eager to leave and get back to work, and a few minutes later he walked back out of the warm dining hall into the freezing courtyard.

The crowd around the tower had grown in the past few minutes, and Ozpin had joined it. Lionheart, Mesánychta, and Carmine stood with three other Huntsmen he didn't recognize, and one he sort of did. Qrow's steps faltered as he squinted at the man, trying to place him. Was he in one of Summer's comics? The scale mail and battleaxe were familiar somehow... He seemed to sense he was being watched, his gaze wandering over the courtyard until he met Qrow's eye.

Recognition struck like lightning, searing through every nerve but lingering in his shoulder.

You're a child.

Last time he saw that face, it was filled with horror and fear. The Mistrali Huntsman, the axe-wielder that had been hunting Bones.

The one that got away.

The one he nearly killed.

Frowning, the man tilted his head. Qrow turned and pelted blindly down the nearest alley. His sword— both of his swords—weren't even waiting to be summoned in his weapons locker, they were sitting on the workbench in the forge.

A few people called out after him as he tore past and he ignored them, sprinting for the student entrance. Nobody would be using it during the break—the dockside door was more convenient. Right now he just needed to disappear.

Sure enough, the classroom was empty. He barely slowed to weave through the workbenches to the back of the room where the Mk. I lay next to Beak's partially-assembled frame. He just had to grab the sword, get to Raven, gather their things and—

Pain seared down his arm, locking his hand on the sword's hilt. He had to run or they would die. Had to—to—

He couldn't move. The only place Raven could take them was home and he couldn't move.

They could run. Make in on their own. Vale would be too small to hide in but if they could just get to Mantle or Vacuo—

—but they had almost no money left, Vanta only gave them enough for a one-way trip. And if Huntsmen were looking for them, they'd need a smuggler's help and that would cost even more.

Vacuo, then. They'd trekked halfway across Anima to get to Beacon. If they had to make it through the Sanus mountains then that's what they'd do.

Except it was the dead of winter, now, and completely unfamiliar territory. They had no supplies and no time to prepare—they'd freeze or starve before the Grimm even had a chance to wear them down. Raven would give up and take them home to the tribe, already sick and exhausted.

But she would never even run in the first place, would she? Raven missed them. She wanted to go back. As soon as he told her he'd been recognized there'd be no persuading her into anything else. Even if he tried to run on his own, she would just grab him—

Panic clawed at his lungs. Each useless, gasping breath shot pain through his chest and down his arm. He was going to die. There was no way out, nowhere else to go. Nothing had changed. Bones was dead and his Semblance was still out of control. If he went back they'd only kill him again—and Raven, too, for helping him—

He wanted to scream, needed to, but there was no air.

He couldn't.

He couldn't go back.

... Nothing the Huntsmen could do to him would be worse. They wouldn't even hurt him if he lowered his aura when they asked him to—then one shot and it would be over. They'd probably bury him. The tribe would never be so kind. Bones had led them for decades, protected them, and they left him in the street as soon as he was gone.

Qrow's hand trembled, rattling the sword against the wood as he lowered it back onto the workbench. Raven… she'd escape, easily, and they'd welcome her back if she came alone. The tribe only hated her because she stuck up for him. It was his fault that they'd ever left home in the first place.

The classroom door creaked open, the racket from the forge outside jumping in volume and sending a painful shiver through Qrow's chest.

"Sorry the meeting ran long," Carmine said, cheerfully, tossing her coat onto the shortest hook. "It's been a hell of a week, I can tell you—" she froze as she met his eye, the smile sliding uncertainly from her face. "...Qrow...? Are… are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He could barely get the words out with so little air, and his voice squeaked and cracked. Where was the Mistrali Huntsman?

"You…" her expression grew pained. "Slow down, okay? Slow breaths. You look sick."

Qrow fought to control his breathing. She'd been standing next to him in the courtyard. If… if she really didn't know… then he must not have recognized him. He could have just been wondering what a student was doing at the school on vacation, or staring at the half-assed dye job—hell, Qrow had stared at him first, that was reason enough—

His hair.

He was clean-shaven, wearing Huntsman armor, half a world away from that burned-out village and Summer had dyed his hair. The man hadn't recognized him.

Summer had saved his life, maybe Raven's too, and she could never even know.

"Qrow, do you know why Huntsmen and Huntresses forge their own weapons?" Carmine asked, climbing onto the stool next to him and making no move to pick up any of the tools on the bench. He shook his head, and she continued. "I forget sometimes that you never went to combat school… When you make something, when you give it time and energy, you put a little tiny bit of your aura in it too. I could build this much more quickly alone—easily—but then it wouldn't have any of you in it."

Relax. Just relax. If they really didn't know, the panic could give him away. Play along. "What—what does that do?"

"You can wield your aura more easily through something that already contains a piece of you, whether you're channeling a Semblance or just your will to protect and survive. Didn't you notice a difference between the gunblade and the Mk. I?"

"It was a little easier to use. I-I thought it was just the modifications we made." Gods, he was welcome for the distraction.

"Oh, that certainly didn't hurt!" Carmine smiled. "But experience has told us that Huntsmen and Huntresses master their weapons more quickly, and more strongly project their auras through them when given a hand in their creation."

"So…Raven doesn't have that."

"Eventually, she will, but it takes years of care and use for your aura to build up in the same way on an ordinary object. The modification she made to the sheath doesn't hurt."

It made sense, but... "How do we know all of this?"

"Well, I know from experience," Carmine chuckled, sliding down off her stool and walking over to her personal workbench before seizing a twisted pair of pliers. "My Semblance is a little unusual. If an object has enough aura inside it—if it's handmade, or well-loved—I can guide it back to its proper shape."

Her hands glowed orange, and the pliers slowly righted themselves, straightening as the bolt tightened and rust disappeared. When her aura faded they clearly weren't new, but scratched and dinged in a comfortably broken-in way. "Saves the school a fortune on repairs! But it wouldn't work on a new one. The things have to know what they're supposed to be."

She pressed the tool into his hands, and he turned it over a few times. There was no sign it had ever been damaged. "That's amazing."

"I see a lot of you in this design," the Professor hummed, looking down at the frame. "You may have started out with just a sword, but with hard work and a stubborn streak that can rival even your team leader's, look what it's turning into." She patted his arm almost affectionately. "Do you want to keep working or do you need some time to rest?"

"I want to keep going."

Carmine grinned from ear to ear. "Like I said. Stubborn!"

[I have been waiting for this chapter for over a year.]

Next Chapter: Summer—Frantic Calls

[satari-raine]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not certain about Clover's character either since we don't get to explore his thought processes but I have fun testing out alternative readings of the character like is he actually confident or faking it to hide an inferiority complex. Either interpretation can work depending how you frame it so it's fun to posit about both. One thing interesting with the scenes you mention is Clover never refers to his luck as something solely for him to benefit from. 1/?

In the mines he says Qrow is the one who is lucky not something like “Well lucky for me my semblance is Good Fortune”. He wishes others like Robyn luck but at the manor says “Wish us luck” and when Qrow makes a joke that put Clover in the spotlight as the source of that luck Clover pauses and brightens. The van scene has a similar spin Clover says the kids are lucky to have a mentor (Qrow) and not everyone is as lucky. Is this him acknowledging his own good fortune 2/?

Or did he grow up without a mentor and “get lucky enough” to make it through regardless. Either reading works. Clover’s semblance is unique in that unlike other privileges in the real world, like being born with a lot of money, Clover is the only person with his circumstances. Meaning he would constantly be reminded that his point of view is not the norm. Perhaps he’s even hyper vigilant about it similar to how Qrow likely blames every bad thing on his luck Clover second guesses every good 3/?

Maybe Clover’s the type to not trust naturally good events or believe they are normal occurrences. Maybe he doesn’t talk about bad things because he thinks that’s just how things are. A lot of people with various mental illnesses/neurodivergentices don’t realize they are different they just think that’s how things are. Do his cocky moments come off negative because of pride or difficulty connecting or both. What ever you decide its fun to speculate and I enjoy stories that explore that.

You’re very welcome, Anon! But wow, I’m honestly a bit floored at all of this. In a good way, of course! I just hope I can do justice to the time you’ve taken to think and write all this out. With that said, here goes?

I think that’s exactly what makes Clover an interesting character to write. While it’s bittersweet that we didn’t get much backstory or a wider arrangement of scenarios to see him act in, it’s also fun to see how people fill in the gaps themselves. People can go a confident, flirty route, and it fits. Others can portray a secretive, somber side, and it works just as well. It’s definitely fun to build him up based on what we’ve been given, and there are people who seem to enjoy any and all sides people want to portray.

With those scenes you’ve mentioned, starting with the mine scene, Clover wishing Qrow luck always made me… well, curious, I guess? Here’s a man well-known (infamously or otherwise) across Remnant, and when he says he has the direct opposite of Clover’s semblance, that he carries misfortune with him regardless of his own consent, Clover takes a second before telling him it’s a shame that Qrow thinks he’s better off working alone because of it. I’ve never been able to tell if that’s because he thinks semblances like theirs can work to their benefits (since it’s been shown) or if he’s trying to offer comfort in some way.

But it’s almost bittersweet, that scene. Since Clover is practically everything Qrow could be, even when you remove the good luck semblance: his appearance is of a strong, capable leader with his head on straight who cares for those under his charge. (Not that Qrow isn’t any of these himself, but self-perceptions are rarely skewed in the positive in situations like that.) So I have to wonder if Clover’s “lucky you, huh?” can be Clover actually saying something like, “it’s okay,” - something based off first impressions - and if Qrow can work towards believing that after everything he had gone through prior to Atlas. Coming from someone outside of the kids and Tai, or Summer - a reassurance of lingering good despite the ever-lasting bad - I still can’t shake the fact that it’d be a bitter pill for Qrow to swallow regardless of Clover’s intentions, and regardless that a friendship did eventually bloom between them.

With wishing Robyn luck, I like to think it’s because Clover knows that despite their differences in alliances, in tactics, he knows that she’s doing her damndest for her people - she’s doing whatever she can regardless of what’s stopping her, and I think he not only admires that tenacity but relates to it. Or perhaps he aspires towards it. It seemed to hint at some connection prior to what we saw, be it just them working on opposite sides or if they knew each other from elsewhere, but I liked the humanity it showed in Clover. It’s hard to wish someone luck when they’re against you, and considering it came from him (and given the voice actor’s tone in this scene), it sounded… genuine. You’re right, he doesn’t seem to be greedy with his positive fortune.

And with him reacting to Qrow joking with him in the manor, that was honestly delightful. Not just because it’s someone else who can theoretically understand how their semblances impact their lives, but it’s Qrow giving just as good as he’s gotten from Clover’s jokes or comments. I think it makes more of an impact on Clover than we were shown. Anyone can say good luck and mean it, but Qrow says it and it’s different. Because they’re both aware of the man’s relationship with good luck, and I think that’s why Clover’s so amused there, why he brightens. Almost like he’s proud? I guess I just like the thought that they can learn something from one another, that the world can still surprise them at their ages.

I adore the mentor conversation. Qrow seems to internalize his doubts and grievances, so it was nice to have it spoken aloud (especially since he couldn’t exactly go back to drinking away those feelings, and the fact he admitted that so easily also warms me.) And while the amount of time they’ve known each other is a mystery, it’s nice to see Clover had a good enough read on him to tell him that Qrow’s doing a fine job despite everything going against him. Bad luck semblance or not, I like to imagine that the kids are lucky to have Qrow with them, despite the ups and downs that happened during the journey. Especially with Qrow working on improving himself and making amends, however slow going they may be, having his expertise is just as important an asset as his company. With how that relates to Clover, him telling Qrow he’s lucky in that sense when others aren’t struck me as Clover not being so fortunate to have someone to guide him. I don’t know if it was the tone of voice or the flow of the scene, but it sounded something close to loneliness. An accepted loneliness, sure, but I wonder about it.

I like to think Clover definitely has moments of where he questions if something happened due to his luck or because of the effort put in, or whatever other factors involved. It’d probably be hard not to, even if it ends up in a positive outcome. It’d probably lend itself to some paranoia or maybe even a sense of depression, which I think helps in how he seems to understand some of where Qrow’s coming from. To Qrow, it’d probably seem close to a slap in the face to hear that having constant good luck could be a bad thing, but I think there is some merit in positives and negatives being on both sides of their coin. In regards to his outlook, there’s some merit there in settling into one’s situation and having it be the only thing you’ve known, especially if it isn’t necessarily challenged. I like to think his cockiness stems from knowing his fortune, knowing his limits, and knowing that he’s an esteemed importance to those he serves. I like to think he’s earned it simply because it never sounded like it came from a bad place, or a place where he was on a pedestal looking down. Granted that’s just my interpretation but Clover is definitely a character I’ve enjoyed seeing people interpert differently. The creativity is inspiring.

Well, um, I hope this suffices? I have to say, I’m a bit curious as to why you came to me with these, but I’m not ungrateful. It’s been really nice, and hopefully someone enjoys these rambles. Feel free to talk with me anytime, on anon or otherwise - and thank you, again.

[miso-vicious]

RWBY Volume 7 Chapter 2 & 3

SPOILERS

Greetings. Due to me staying up for the full 24 hours for Rooster Teeth Extra Life and surviving on 5 hour energy, chocolate, and water, I got real sick. I lost the will to write an analysis of Chapter 2, especially for an episode that was fairly slow, but still full of information. Which is why I will be reviewing both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 this week. So for like the 20 something people that will skim read this post, strap in. This was a pretty heavy week.

Same as always, this post contains several SPOILERS. Do not read unless you are completely caught up on the show.

Love Will Thaw A Frozen Heart

We had a beautiful reunion between our second favorite sister duo, which was very heart warming, but we still have to wait for the big Schnee reunion.

And now that Ironwood possesses the first Relic, the group now has the upper hand on Salem. Salem has lost her only Maiden, the Spring Maiden is in the wind, and apparently, Ironwood has the Winter Maiden secured and in “stable” condition. According to Qrow, “She’s no spring chicken.” So that must mean that she’s an elderly woman with declining health. That means we’re back to where we were in Volume 3, they have to secure a new vessel for the new Winter Maiden. Either they will take the gamble and hope that whomever the current Winter Maiden chooses to inherit the power gets the power. Or they will do the soul merger machine plan that they tried to force upon Pyrrha. If we were to take a guess as to who would be Ironwood’s Champion, it would have to be Winter. While Penny does have a soul, there’s no telling what would happen to the power if she were to die. The only other person Ironwood trusts just as much as Qrow or Ozpin is Winter. It’s unclear if the machine could transfer the Maiden power to a male host, but that would be an interesting thought.

I Have No Heart, And So I Must Be Very Careful

Now, Irondaddy has been making his own plans since we’ve last seen him. With Ozpin “gone”, Ironwood has been his own moral compass. The embargo and recall of the Atlas military was only the first step of his master plan. Now that the Relic of Knowledge and Creation and the Winter Maiden are secure, the next step is to reestablish communication between the Kingdoms.

By building a new CCT tower on top of Amity Arena, it will act as a form of satellite. It will float above the clouds, higher than any Grimm can reach, and will still provide global communication even if another tower were to be destroyed. The next step is to tell the world about Salem.

That isn’t one the best plans this show has thrown at us. Ozpin has kept Salem a secret for hundreds of years. Beyond keeping his own shameful part of her evil reign a secret, the other reason was because of the inevitable chaos that would occur if the people found out there was this all powerful Goddess out there hell bent on the destruction of the world. But that’s a gamble Ironwood is willing to take apparently! His military are supposed to run damage control once the inevitable chaos breaks out among not only Atlas and Mantle, but the whole world.

Ruby made the executive decision to keep certain truths from Ironwood. Including Ozpin’s true past with Salem, Ozpin’s disappearance, Jinn being out of questions, Salem being allegedly unbeatable, and her Silver Eyes. With good reason, we have no idea what Ironwood would do with this information. Our heroes almost quit after hearing all of this, Ironwood has the world’s strongest army at his disposal. He might have a more violent reaction, and decide to go after Salem with everything he has. Ironwood is already in a volatile state, Dr. Pietro has already testified to his current paranoia. And based on the opening alluding to Jacques Schnee adding fuel to the fire, Ironwood is being manipulated into putting the needs of Atlas above the rest of the world. Of course, he seems completely level headed now. He even gave the Relic back to Ruby, offered them safe harbor in the Academy, and has basically gave them his blessing to be unofficial Huntsmen.

Ironwood even gave Qrow a super awkward hug, like a man who has never been hugged his whole life but has always wanted to try it.

A New Plan

So the next step is to reclaim an abandoned dust mine that has been taken over Grimm. (It’s insinuated that this is the same Schnee Dust Mine cave in that killed several Faunus, including Ilia’s parents). The dust mine will serve as a launch sight for Amity Arena and the dust inside is needed by the science team, until it’s clear, the CCT tower cannot launch. Why that is, why they can’t just find a new launch sight is not made clear. But this is what we have to work with.

That’s when we get our big glow up reveal, and they all look fantastic. Like, Yang’s detachable pant legs, Weiss’ excessive belts, Ruby’s steel toe boots, Blake’s new hair, I am literally living for this.

Now our team is outfitted with new tricked out scrolls. The scrolls track their vitals and aura levels, and are synced up to one another. So everyone can check on each other on the field. And if Ironwood hasn’t outfitted their scrolls with listening devices to eavesdrop on them, I will be severely disappointed in him. In this episode alone, they have talked about literally everything they’re hiding from Ironwood. Imagine all of the recordings of them being thrown back in their face.

One of the moments is between Ruby and Oscar.

Oscar was left behind at the academy, but before they leave, Ruby entrusts the Relic to Oscar. Claiming that it isn’t a good idea to be toting around an ancient Relic on her hip like a key chain. Good point. Oscar decides to let Ruby know that he’s uncomfortable with the idea of lying to Ironwood, saying it’s just like what Ozpin did to them. While the lies will probably blow up in their face, I still feel that Ruby’s hesitation is validated. She doesn’t know Ironwood, or what he will do with the information, or if he will try to claim Jinn’s last question. Only time will tell if Ruby will come forward herself, or if someone else will do it for her.

Team Chemistry

It’s not totally relevant to the plot currently, but there was a lot of onscreen chemistry between some of our team members. I’m sure aaaaaallll the shippers are losing their minds with the Bumbleby scene. Yang gets all flustered over Blake’s new look, and Blake gets all blushy. While I personally ship Blake/Sun, it’s just nice to see some LGBTQ representation. It means a lot.

Of course, Nora is still pining after Ren, who is either completely oblivious, or just isn’t ready to see his surrogate sister as a potential romantic partner, even if he does reciprocate her feelings. Ren isn’t exactly known for being upfront with his feelings. After losing Arkos, I really hope they get together, and not five minutes before one of them dies.

I’m not crazy, right? There was definitely a vibe here. Maybe Clover is just generally a flirty person, but he was sending those flirty vibes towards Qrow.

You Have To Go Inside

The inside of the mine is full of Grimm, but the main target is a Geist. It has already claimed the lives of several Atlesian soldiers.

They follow it down to the deep depths of the mines, where the Geist merges with the surrounding terrain, which includes big chunks of Gravity Dust. Which means that they have to be weary of attacking it, or they could set off the dust in the Geist, which would have a chain reaction and set off the rest of the dust in the mine, effectively killing them.

So Team RWBY, JNR, and Qrow take a back seat and let the ACE ops take over.

It was a great action scene, the ACE ops got to flex their abilities, and the Geist was effectively dealt with. But there was a very interesting scene between Harriet Bree and Ruby Rose. Ruby notes that Harriet’s semblance is speed, just like hers. But when Harriet tries to run and catch a falling shard of dust…

Ruby beats her by an inch. Harriet makes it a point to tell her that Ruby’s semblance is not speed related, but something different. I always assumed that Ruby had two semblances, the first being her Silver Eyes, and the second is her speed, which mirrors her fast paced personality. Perhaps her speed is merely an extension of another power. Only time will tell.

The Scorpion and The Frog

It was revealed in Chapter 2 that Watts and Tyrian have rolled into town. Watts reveals that while the codes have been updated in Atlas, none of it has been updated in Mantle. He easily takes control of all of Mantle security cameras and traffic lights, which is probably only a fraction of the destruction he can cause. And of course, Tyrian is already causing his form of mayhem by killing people. Even in a place like Mantle, he’s gonna raise some red flags. But subtlety was never Tyrian’s strong suit.

Now, Tyrian has tracked down our friend Forrest, a man who was in the police vehicle when the ACE ops apprehended our team last chapter. Forrest, as we know of now, is just a regular guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I don’t think Tyrian is going to care very much. Killing him after finding what limited information he has is just gravy.

Yaaaaaaas, Queen

Now, onto our team’s upgrades.

Aside from Ruby’s more aerodynamic look, Crescent Rose also got an upgrade. It probably has been a long time since this fine weapon has had some fine tuning, what with Ruby always being on the road. And since Ruby makes all her upgrades herself, and it’s only been one episode, the only visual change to Crescent Rose is it is now able to rotate its scythe. Thus giving Ruby one less step to do when slaying Grimm. And the fact that the haircut is slightly reminiscent of bird feathers, much like her uncle’s hair, is so cute.

Weiss is looking like a fucking Winter Queen with her new look. If she doesn’t at some point use that ponytail braid as a weapon to slay Grimm, it would be such a waste. I don’t even care that she has so many unnecessary belts, she looks fire. Aside from her new outfit, Myrtenaster does not seem to have any visual upgrades. Since most of her fighting technique comes from her semblance, I’m looking forward to see if she develops any new skills. Especially now that Winter, her mentor, and Weiss are back together again.

Now that Blake has liberated the White Fang from Adam’s tyranny, as well as conquered some personal demons, Blake has undergone a big change. She chopped off her beautiful long hair, and now has a cute bob. It’s most likely symbolic of her being ready to stop hiding who she is and being more open with people. She also has a newly fixed Gambol Shroud, which has a very noticeable gold streak where the blade was once broken. I’m sure that the scientists could have rebuilt Gambol Shroud with no evidence that it was ever broken in the first place. Meaning that this was a cosmetic change that Blake specifically requested. Again, Bumbleby shippers have been waiting years for actual evidence of Blake and Yang’s feelings for one another. Good for them.

Of course, Yang is living her truth. She is wearing a jumpsuit with detachable pant legs and an aviator jacket. Now I feel the overwhelming urge to buy pants with detachable pant legs. Her prosthetic arm has gotten an upgrade too, now fitted with a matching Ember Celica, balancing out her whole look. But that wasn’t the only thing she got done.

Ember Celica is now capable of releasing small bombs, which Yang can activate from a safe distance. Of course, that means that Yang is toting around bombs on her wrists. Hopefully that doesn’t become a problem.

I went into what Jaune’s upgrades would be last time, but now we’ve seen him in action. His shield, Crocea Mors, now acts as a make shift para-glider, can expand to an even larger shield, and can release shock waves that can knock back large Grimm. Crocea Mors also magnetically attaches to his forearm, much like Pyrrha’s shield did. Ren’s dual pistols, Storm Flower, now has the ability to shoot the blades that are now attached cables, giving Ren the power to move more aerodynamically. There are no visual changes to Nora’s weapon, Magnhild, please leave a comment if I missed something there.

Aces Wild

Clover Ebi, he wields a sort of fishing rod that doubles as a hook sword. His semblance is Good Fortune, the exact opposite of Qrow’s semblance. Good things happen around him. Which did make me suspicious as to how his missed the Geist when he seems to have no problem aiming that fancy fish hook. Maybe it was simply a way to bring up his semblance, or he missed on purpose. Why? Maybe to allow his team an opportunity to flex their abilities and instill the fact that they’re supposed to be the good guys and can be trusted.

Harriet Bree, rocking the classic All Might bunny ear hair style, wears robotic gauntlets to fight hand to hand. But her main feature is her speed semblance. She runs so fast, she is literally charged full of electricity. She ran fast enough catch a falling piece of dust all the way on the other side of the cave, and delivered the final blow to the Geist. She is most likely based off of the Hare from the Tortoise and the Hare.

Vine Zeki, a more mysterious member of the ACE ops. He seems to be the no nonsense type, and doesn’t lay his cards on the table. He currently wields no weapons, relying on his semblance. He is able to project his aura and create elongated arms and hands. Very useful for getting around or holding onto struggling prey.

Elm Ederne, a very overzealous woman, who seems to have good intentions. She immediately befriends Ruby once the dust settles on their fight last chapter, and compliments Team JNR a few times too. She wields a giant hammer, and her semblance appears to be being able to literally plant herself like a tree. Her aura wraps around her feet and attaches to the ground beneath her, making her a somewhat immovable object. For a powerhouse like Elm, I’m sure her semblance makes her a tough opponent to fight.

Marrow Amin, a dog type Faunus who likes to put up a tough front but seems to actually be more puppy than wolf. Being the only Faunus on this elite team, I’m sure that he’s barely tolerated by the Atlas aristocrats. He is astutely aware of how his species are treated as subhuman, and are dispensable to the people in Atlas. But that doesn’t seem to affect his ability to do his duty. Marrow’s weapon is some sort of chainsaw boomerang-rifle. It does not obey the laws of physics. Nor does Marrow obey the laws of time. His semblance seems to be a form of time dilation. With a snap of his fingers, he froze two Grimm centipeetls in midair, but it only affected the Grimm. That must mean that his semblance has a certain range of effectiveness. But it’s still a really powerful semblance.

Agents Of Chaos

As the viewer, who knows just how dire the situation is, everything else seems small. When you see Whitely Schnee screwing over Weiss to get her spot as heir of the Schnee Dust Company, Jacques Schnee’s charade to be the top of the societal pyramid, and just the entirety of Atlas just seems so petty in the grand scheme of things. We are literally the brink of the end of the world. Do they really think Salem will care who has the most money, comes from the oldest family, or has the most dust if she gets all the Relics? We’re finally making some headway. They have two Relics (one in a vault), one Maiden (but still know who the Summer Maiden is), and a girl with the ability to turn Grimm into stone. Leaving us with Watts and Tyrian to worry about. The two of them will be stirring the pot in Mantle, while Atlas will probably be a big enough headache on their own.

If you made it to the end of this post, you are one very determined individual. Please leave a comment if I missed anything, got anything wrong, or if you have your own theories. I’d love to hear them.

[kob131]

https://catsintei.tumblr.com/post/613057269756723200/why-is-it-that-as-soon-as-we-found-out-that#notes

So because Sokumotanaka’s a fucking coward, I can’t directly respond to his bullshit because he’s hiding in the notes.

So you’ll have to look into the post itself to see I’m not bullshitting.

Yeah he went to to toe with ruby, yang and pyrrha but pyrrha didn’t break a sweat ruby didn’t have a weapon and yang lost all braincells in the last fight and just stood there. It was the same string of episodes that mercury got tricked by the duck and look directly down trick. Rwby isn’t all that well put together. 

A. RWBY characters don’t sweat and Mercury really DID throw that match. Why? 

Mercury: (non-chalant) I forfeit.

Pyrrha almost stumbles as she stops beside him.

Pyrrha: You... don't even want to try?

The show LITERALLY said it.

B. It still shows that Mercury has the reflexies to prevent Ruby from zooming by.

C. Yeah, wanna try saying that to @dudeblade or @wingzeroalchemist? Can’t really proclaim all RWBY criticisms as valid when they contradict your ass.

And D. That was one episode. One. what the fuck is your definition of ‘string’?

We don’t know that he threw it. You don’t throw a sparring match cause it most cases their is no winner. In fact in sparring matches both are supposed to hold back. And as we seen with pyrrha vs cinder it was clear she also held back. Again you don’t know that what proof do you have that she’d get bodied with her weapon?  We have nothing but speculation cause miles could decide she could body him and then change their minds. Both ruby and yang not able to land a hit on neo but inexperienced fighter oscar yells as he runs to her and somehow lands a hit? Rwby is one thing and it’s not internally consistent. This from the creator who said “If you don’t mention timelines in the show you avoid plot holes.” Rwby is okay but it’s not THAT deep. You right about vol 5 though 1 of out of 3 still an F

A. He LITERALLY forfeited and Pyrrha LITERALLY said he wasn’t trying. You can’t say the show is poorly put together when the show LITERALLY tells you this shit.

B. Yeah and you could decide to ignore context and literal proof to make your point. Which you have history of doing and are shown to do in this situation so why should anyone listen?

C. And All Might suddenly being able to one-shot All For One despite MHA saying his power was basically gone is much better? Both are moments the shows suspend disbelief for the sake of the narrative, you’re just an asshole to one and a blind fanboy to the other.

D. Huh, didn’t know you were so dumb as you misspell ‘Sokumotanaka’ as ‘Rwby’.

E. So basically ‘you’re right when you say something I like.’ Gee, doesn’t that sound like what you say I act like? Hm.

The point I’m “arguing” is someone stated that he went “toe-to-toe” with her but it’s the wrong use of the term, it implies they’re even which they aren’t. Mercury has a high disadvantage if any one of those three go all out especially pyrrha considering she almost even with a maiden. If she went all out his legs would be destroyed. Mercury is eh as a fighter, cause if anyone uses their super power he’s destroyed. He’s a bad example of a person without super powers. Cause he’s not on par with a person who can break their limits and use a super power. He’ll always be at a major disadvantage where he could get easily destroyed by any competent fighter. A better example if people without powers being on part with their super powered counterparts? Batman and Rock lee, they both work hard to keep up with people who can destroy mountains. Rock lee for example works his ass off to be on par with everyone. Mercury isn’t on par Because  The examples mentioned are things I disagree with cause they aren’t shown going all out or even taking things seriously. If pyrrha wanted she could rip off his legs easily as could ruby we see them tear robots apart. And yang is just massively op. Long story short I personally think the series is geared against mercury and the narrative adds to that because it’s not a good example of super powers vs effort.

A. So? That’s like saying a Charizard is weak because it’d get beaten by aa Blastoise. That’s not someone being weak, that’s a mismatch of abilities.

B. Yeah, no. We’ll get to your dishonest bullshit later but Mercury almost beat Yang, the strongest member of Team RWBY, and honestly acted in a way that that indicates he threw the match, fought a Maiden and was able to dodge lightining strikes (albeit heavily telegraphed ones) and easily stopped Ruby using her semblance through sheer reflex and timing.

C. By your logic, because Batman would get fucking killed if he can’t research his opponent, he’s a bad example. And by the same logic used with Miles, Batman’s writers can just flip flop too. This is especially true because comic books are NOTORIOUS for this. Funny how your poorly constructed and vague arguments end up fucking you over huh?

D. Yeah, neither is Mercury either. He;s not being serious either. Did you consider that or did all your blood flow end up in your hateboner.

E. So OP that she lost to Neo...and barely won against Neon...and lost to Mercury....and lost to Adam...and pales in comparison to the likes of Ozpin, Qrow and Ironwood...

F. Yeah, thing is:

He’s not an example of super powers vs. effort.

That’s not the point of his character or the reveal. You’re comparing apples to potatoes, you disingenuous fuck.

Once again you’re using information not shown anywhere. >He beat his father. We don’t know the level of fighter his father just cause they say he’s strong. I reiterate the creator said “you can avoid timeline plot holes by not mentioning timelines” and look where they are. I take what they say with a grain of salt, if they showed it I’d be more inclined to agree. Mercury *never* was the strongest not even in his age group. Accept it or not the show proves you wrong. he got blindsided by a ‘duck maneuver’ it’s fine if you don’t accept it but he never was or never will he and the only one convinced is you and some dude who said he was on par with pyrrha which is clearly wrong if you watch the show. I’ll agree to disagree cause this is turning hilarious. And I can’t  wait to come back to this after he gets wrekt and smile. 

A. And we can say that for a lot of characters, most of which I guarantee would send you into a frothing rage. That’s not a good argument.

B. FInnically successful and widely accepted while you act like a jilted lover?

C. Yeah and I wouldn’t take what you say with a molecule of salt.

D. Oh Soku, don’t you know? The show doesn’t matter! After all-

How many times have I said that exact same line to you?

E. Yeah and how many times shave I proven you don’t watch the show?

F.  Meanwhile, I’ll be sadistically tormenting and cornering you since you JUST used my own arguments to do this. Even if you were right (you’re not): you basically just said “KOB is right” by using my methods, my logic and my arguments.

Thanks Soku. Hope your shortsighted hateboner was worth it