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its-a-branwen-thing · 4 years

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On Fear

I want to talk about fear and Ironwood here (yes, I know, don’t we all) as well as Oscar (he was a highlight for me this season) because I think these two carried a lot of the Volume’s scenes in their dynamic. They were just...so well written and their conflict was so wonderfully dynamic.

It’s long so, under the cut

Ozpin’s speech at the end, regarding fear, really struck me as something directly relating to Ironwood’s character’s actions, specifically two of those fears:

Fear of Loss

“You can’t just go dark in the field like that!”

“It is so good to see you all.”

“Get a communication tower up in the sky, higher than the Grimm can survive...so we never lose contact with each other again.”

Ironwood seems to reflect on this sentiment...a lot. He cares about his team. He hugs Qrow and tells him it’s good to see him again. He’s relieved to see the students again, he grants them their licenses to help with the coming conflict. He trusts them to make the choices...he ultimately will make for them. But it seems so prevalent throughout this and even the last volumes that Ironwood functions at his worst when alone. He was called paranoid, and his control is fairly absolute. Sure he gathered a team, but they did not offer him guidance they offered him loyalty, blind obedience, and trust. The latter is important in that it’s what Clover says before his death. That he trusts James with his life. (more on that...in a separate post)

But he seems fearful of being left alone. Of being in the dark without the guidance of others. He was desperate to call Ozpin back, to consult with him, and Oscar served, to him, as a poor substitute. Ironwood says he had to make his own plan in Ozpin’s absence and he did--and it was an arguably good plan (without the stress on Mantle part). But the crux of it is that he wants to make sure they wouldn’t lose contact again, none of them. Because being alone is one of Ironwood’s greatest fears.

Fear of Failure

“Some things matter more, I think. Keeping our humanity...it’s what makes us different from her.”

“Sometimes I worry that’s her greatest advantage. Without humanity does she still feel fear? Does she ever hesitate? When Salem hit Beacon, even with all my ships, all my soldiers, I was no match for her. I’ve never felt so helpless. The way she...told me she was there.”

This is key to Ironwood’s turn. I loved that it was planted in the season relatively early. I love that Cinder placed the chess piece in his office as a reminder. And I love that we saw that foreshadowing without really knowing what it meant outside of showing us his realized fears. Of Salem winning. Of his failure to stop her. And in the end, he was proven to be correct in that fear. And it was what ultimately lead to him turning his back on the unity of his allies and trusting only in his own judgement. Because Ozpin is gone. He is surrounded by yes-men and fledgling huntresses and huntsmen outside of Qrow, who he has a rocky relationship with at best when it comes to judgement calls, even if, and I’ll reiterate this again, Qrow always seems to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“We have to stop Salem. Nothing matters more.”

“The path you’re heading down where you’re the only one with the answers, where you do the thing you think is right no matter the cost, it’s not going to take you anywhere good.”

-----

Now I want to move into the finale because, once again, these two stole the show outside of Penny and Winter and the maiden powers.

“It was smart of you, not to bring the lamp down here. I wouldn’t trust me either right now.”

This exchange occurs after what is, by all accounts, Ironwood’s fall. It’s after he thinks Winter is behind him only to realize it’s Oscar (looking suspiciously like a certain Headmaster). Ironwood knows he looks bad. Ironwood knows he’s now the enemy of our protagonists. But he’s made it clear time and time again that he doesn’t care what people think of him. What matters, always, is that he does what he thinks is the right thing to defeat Salem. It’s the climax of this volume. It rips Qrow and Clover apart. It rips RWBY and the Ace Ops apart. They have different views of what the right thing is. But what Oscar says during his first exchange in the Vault with Ironwood really cements the idea of loyalty, which is unconditional for Ironwood, and trust, which is unconditional for Oscar (and now, hopefully, Ozpin).

“I am not going to end up like Lionheart. Do you believe in me?”

“I do believe in you. But not only you. I think the best thing you could do is sit down and talk to the people you’re most afraid to.”

And Ironwood does talk to the people he’s most afraid to. He sits down with Robyn, he sits down with RWBY, and he eventually reveals Salem to the people of Atlas and Mantle. It’s a brilliant misdirect because even though he does work with others in his plan, it’s on his own terms. We think we win it after E10, but in E11 the truth is revealed once more. Ironwood has to do the right thing now. And he’s made it clear it doesn’t matter the cost. Because he doesn’t trust in the judgement or opinions of his team. He trusts only in his own not because he’s villainous, but because he is bearing the weight of decisions he thinks only he can bear. (It’s called Atlas for a reason, I’m sure)

Lionheart was a coward. But so is Ironwood, if not in the way he imagines himself to be. He is stalwart against Salem. And when she is in his office, he refuses to yield, even though he is clearly terrified. He stands by his rejection of her offer. Ironwood is such an amazingly complicated anti-villain because he’s expressly that: a good man pushed to the brink and making heinous choices likely because he doesn’t want others to have to make them. We don’t necessarily see him as a full-on villain until he pulls the trigger on Oscar. And even than, I can’t be the only one who felt bad knowing Salem was bearing down on both cities, Winter lost the maiden powers, and therefor their access to the relic, his army is spread too thin and is weary from the Grimm swarm, his top Ace Op is dead, and the rest of them are out of commission just like Winter. This is a terrible loss for Ironwood. And he’s lost the support of half of his friends. RWBY, JNR, Penny, Oscar and Ozpin, and even Pietro even if it was his fault. He has the Ace Ops, he has Winter, but the moment they open their mouths to resist an order or offer an alternative he won’t hear it. And the man who wanted so desperately to have communications spread across the kingdoms, who wanted to work with teams of trusted allies, who worried over the safety of friends--is now left alone having failed at trying to stop Salem. Because he bore the weight of it all himself instead of trusting others to bear it with him.

----

“Trust is what I’m hoping to fix. I know we can still figure this out. All of it, together. Please.”

“Do you intend to fight me?”

“No, that’s exactly what she wants. I guess it’s because of Oz but..holding it helps calm me down when I’m afraid.”

“You still think I’m afraid...”

“We all are. It’s what do in our fear that reve--”

“That’s easy for you to say! You can label me whatever you’d like but the fact of the matter is I was right. The minute I softened, let my guard down, that’s when Salem had her opening.”

“If you abandon Mantle you abandon our best chance of reuniting the world, you abandon Remnant, leaving millions to fend for themselves so a few can survive, what kind of--”

“All excellent philosophical points that won’t matter if Salem wins.”

The reason this quote slaps is because it’s what some of the audience is probably thinking. He’s right. Why does it matter if they’re all dead? But Oscar, RWBYJNR and Penny, and even Qrow, all seem to embody the idea that there are things that are more important that the “big picture” because without those smaller, simpler acts of human bravery, what are they even fighting for?

“Listen to me--”

“No, you listen. I am done letting others’ inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what’s right.”

And that, friends, is what I call thematic justice. Ironwood cements his position opposed to our heroes by an act of betrayal so foreshadowed it might as well have been predicted by the opening (haha...ha). And how can we reconcile that act as an audience? It’s difficult, and I say this because I sympathize with Ironwood while also still maintaining my stance that RWBY’s being painted as correct is absolutely the correct take because Ironwood’s betrayal is what Salem wants. And he’s too blinded by fear to see beyond his own judgement, to trust in the judgment of others because he has been lied to and he has been manipulated. That’s what, I think, makes him so compelling and hard to let go of as a hero. Because he’s so familiar. To us. Because he’s thinking he’s strong enough to make the right decision while neglecting to be in conversation with anyone else. Remember, he brought his army to Vale too.

What’s so conflicting about Ironwood is that this isn’t a malicious, evil dictator bent on ruling. Clover trusted him until the end. And it seems Winter does too. I doubt those are just pawns paying him lip service. Ironwood is a fearful man shouldering the responsibility of decision-making. This is a desperate hero we’ve followed who has fallen because all this time he’s shown to be a good man, and that’s a hard pill to swallow. After shooting Oscar, a child, I think it’s safe to say he’s officially become an antagonist because that act wasn’t just a stone-cold rejection of Ozpin’s ideals. It was attempted murder.

Ironwood does make the hard decisions. But he does it alone. And that doesn’t always make those decisions right.

Bruh, V8 is gonna hurt, isn’t it?

#rwby #james ironwood #i just...love this show #thank you crwby for all these gifts that keep on giving!#also this is not ironwood defense squad #shooting oscar was reprehensible #but i love character reflections and this is that #day...3 of hiatus got me like #rwby spoilers

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lostatsea303 · 3 years

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Let’s Talk About The Finale

Hey guys before we talk about that last episode we’re going full spoiler in this post so if you haven’t seen it yet you may want to stop here

So I wanted to make this post after seeing so many different opinions on the content of this episode and I figured I could add my two cents in and hopefully bring some praise and constructive criticism from my point of view.

First let’s talk Directing, Choreography, and Acting

First off let’s tip our hats to the VAs this episode they all did an amazing job! Elizabeth Maxwell, Miles Luna, and Taylor McNee all deserve recognition for being standouts in an episode where everyone nailed their parts.

In terms of choreography I think this met the RWBY standard. The Ironwood and maiden fights were top notch and while the RWB fight against Cinder and Neo felt a little off I think this was intentional; Team RWBY has been fighting and without rest for nearly 24 straight hours, they’re going to be slow and tired.

Directing I thought was very solid. There are some great shots I want to highlight in fact:

I think all these shots are excellent and there are a few more I’ll be using later. Directing and lighting has been something I think this volume has done exceedingly well! However there is one scene I think fell short.

This kinda looks like a meme doesn’t it? This moment completely took me out of the moment and I was wondering why. It’s not because of Harriet’s action’s I think she was sick of physically fighting and just wanted everyone to leave so she could die going down with the ship. No, I realized it was this shot: if this sequence had a close up of Qrow struggling against the weight of the bomb and cut back to another close up of Harriet yelling where you could see the desperation on her face (cause CRWBY did a great job with facial animation) it would work. Instead the framing, drab lighting, and stillness really hurt this scene.

Outside of this one scene however, I think this was a stellar finale in terms of production value!

WRITING

Overall I thought this was another good episode for the writers. Character dialogue was on point:

“You chose nothing, this was a gift”

“Whatever you wanted, I hope it was worth it.”

“I’ve only done what’s best for Remnant, and no one is grateful.”

And of course the whole Cinder and Salem interaction.

The events within the episode, I think, were all very good choices but there are two in particular I want to focus on:

The Sacrifice

I’m gonna talk about this first because I know this is where there is the most division right now and understandably so. We all love Penny, she has always been one of the purest characters within the show. That is why her death, even so shortly after she became human, is not only the right decision but a good one.

When you think about it Penny and Pyrrha are very similar characters: Morally upright, strong, and viewed as paragons amongst their peers. Pyrrha was chosen to be Vale’s Guardian and Penny was the protector of Mantle. They were people who always did the right thing for everyone else. However, their journey’s, not as people within the show but characters within a piece of art, would always require them to meet their end.

Penny’s development was never about her learning what it was like to be a “real girl” because she already got that from being friends with Ruby. Her development was based around one of the key themes of this show: choice and control

RWBY has always focused on the question of who do we choose to be and what do we let control us. Penny rarely had a choice, and was always in danger of losing her control to someone else. At Beacon she was at Ironwood’s behest, in this season Watts had control over her in spurts. She was always in a battle to decide who she would be, and this was shown literally in the show with the fight between the virus and her soul. So when she became human she completed the biggest step in her journey of development: she no longer had any strings.

And she finally got to feel the warmth of the heart.

And that left her character development at an end. She had already learned what it meant to live, she finally got to experience the physical side of it, and finally she couldn’t be controlled again.

So when faced with the threat of someone taking away her control (Cinder) the completion of her character arc comes with her making the choice that Ruby didn’t earlier. But this time she was at peace with it, because she wasn’t dying because she had to due to an uncontrollable circumstance. No, now she chose to give her friend’s a chance, give Remnant hope in a new Winter maiden, and take from the enemy what they once took from her.

She chose.

While this completes her character arc it also develops everyone else’s which leads us into our final section

The Separation

We all knew that they were going to fall, you don’t have foreboding lines like “Do not fall” and not explain why.

But now all of the events have culminated in a perfect storm for our characters next season. Here’s what I mean:

This finale, especially with Penny’s sacrifice sets up every single character in this show for major developments. Starting from the outside:

Winter now has to learn to be a leader, not just a soldier anymore. She has to unlearn the years of regimenting and oppression that she’s been a part of.

Ren and Nora get to truly figure out who they are: There will be no team leaders among them, they will have to become them.

Oscar and Ozpin have to become the heroes that the former has always wanted to be and the latter always had other to become.

Qrow continues to learn to deal with loss and how even in spite of it he can keep moving forward and that the pains of the past can push him to better instead of holding him down.

Neo will learn what family is supposed to be, and coming to understand forgiveness for the things others do.

Jaune has to come to grips with the reality of being a hero and that sometimes the best choices we can make for others are the ones that cost the most of us.

Ruby will have to face not only another close loss in her life but she’ll have to learn about sacrifice and the unfortunate necessity of it. She’s been surrounded her whole life with people making the choice to sacrifice for her: Summer, Yang, Qrow, Weiss, and now Penny. She’s going to have to face Jaune making the choice she wouldn’t (Not to say that situation called for it but understanding the differences in those situations) and understanding that sometimes people have to go. While we should always do our best to save everyone we can, sometimes running away from the grief in our lives can creating greater loss than if we face it when we have to.

Weiss has to learn to let go of control. She tried to protect and save everyone but in the end she was the last one from her team left. We’ve subtly seen through out this volume, and really the last couple of them if we’re being honest, Weiss always trying to be moderate within the team and be the glue and protector of the team as a whole. She’s always trying to be the best teammate she always promised to be but that has made her terrified to fail and in the end it’s stopped her from reaching her full potential. It’s a noble thing she does, but she’s so beholden to the expectations of other’s (now her friends instead of her family) that it secludes her. We’ve seen moments of her true strength when she focuses and trusts herself but she still hasn’t fully gotten there.

Blake is the flipside to Weiss, she needs to learn to take control. She’s still held down by the fear of being what Adam said she was that she won’t take the step forward. Whether this be with her relationship to Yang or even in situations like the one we saw in the second to last episode frozen and unsure how to proceed at the end. She tries to play it safe because of what she’s gone through. But Penny’s sacrifice and when she thought she lost Yang will push her.

Yang has already learned to necessity of sacrifice but she has to learn that not every situation requires it. Put simply she has to learn what she means to the others. Yang has always been the first to throw herself in the line of fire for others and take the risk when it’s time. But she’s never thought about how she affects others with her sacrifice. Penny’s loss may initially affirm her current view but she will have to come to face that Penny’s sacrifice happened only when absolutely necessary and when it was best for everyone else. Yang needs to know she’s worth more than what she can do for other people.

CONCLUSION

Honestly guys this was alot and if you read all this way thank you! I’m sure some people will disagree with some of my thoughts and that’s totally ok! In the end we’re all fans, and we all care alot about this show.

See you guys next season!

#rwby volume 8 spoilers #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby

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maskyartist · 3 years

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damn two nights in a row yall get sad masky thoughts on his kins/favorite characters. idk what that says about me other then Depressed but hey! this time its my favorite guy, Roman Torchwick!! so pardon me while i cry while writing all of this. also, im a Gelato shipper so expect some of that content here too cause i got a lot of feelings.

- Roman grew up in Mantle with a mother who didn’t care, and a father who went out drinking or gambling every night, trying to break big only to come home wasted and empty handed. One night he finally packed a little backpack and left with only a hat his uncle gave him on his head, and the knowledge of what his mother repeated time and time again. “You either leave Mantle and live, or stay and become another body.” since Atlas basically leaves Mantle with nothing n all that.

- Roman actually met Neo when they were pretty young, not in Vale but during a few train hopping adventures. Neo stole a wallet Roman stole off someone else, and the two decided that two heads and four hands are better then going solo. They pickpocketed, robbed, train-hopped, and guilt tripped their way to Vale where their new lives began!

- Roman and Neo ALWAYS worked alone. It was the two of them or no one at all. Roman often went searching for work the two could do that would pay big bucks, which resulted in the two getting quite used to the criminal life style early on. Most work involved assisting in robberies and being delivery-men in drug trades and such. Overtime, the two worked up quite the reputation for being reliable sources of work that when Roman finally went solo, it was easy to gain trust and people in high places to help with his growth into the Kingpin of Vale

- Roman actually DOES have a Semblance! It’s just a very well hidden one. I call it “Silver Tongue”. When activated, Roman is able to convince you that his words are trustworthy and that his ways are just. You’ll see his side of the story more often then others, and as such, it makes it easier to gain trust. Roman’s Semblance has evolved overtime to be quite the powerful tool in his arsenal, but he only busts it out when absolutely necessary. (trying to get the entire White Fang crowd on his side, managing to stall Blake enough to have the big lug break up the fight thanks to Weiss smashing through the door, things like that)

- Roman is actually a very strong fighter. Probably one of the strongest in the show. The only reason he’s bested is because he has SERIOUS tunnel vision. When he gets focused in a fight, he forgets about the background noise or other people involved. Which is why he’s able to deflect Sun’s blows and Blake’s blows from up close during their little scuffle, but when the other busted in to help Roman got thrown off. Same with Blake v Roman on the train. Blake had Dust on her side, something Roman didn’t expect and didn’t know how to react to. In hand-to-hand? Roman could easily go with the best of them and either win or put up an EXTREMELY close fight.

- On one hand I know canon has shown what’s under Roman’s bangs, but on the other hand it’s my house and I do whatever I want. Roman has scars underneath his bangs, leaving him half blind. He has trouble guarding against his right side because of it, and as such Neo is often there to cover his blind spots. It works in reverse, since Roman would never leave Neo out to dry.

- Roman cares for two things. Himself, and Neo. Everyone else is spare blood or just pawns to be moved and played as he pleases. Roman would flip the world for Neo, which is why he took Cinder’s offer in the first place. He didn’t know what he was fighting for, all he knew was that it would keep himself and Neo out of harms way for whatever’s to come, and like hell he wanted to be involved with that when shit hit the fan.

- On the other hand, Roman absolutely DESPISES Cinder and her little lackies. Mercury’s all high and mighty, Emerald is a brat, and Cinder herself is a stuck up whiny lacky herself. Roman doesn’t need to know who her boss is to know she works under someone, and just craves some attention. Like a lonely little child. Roman only works with them to get what he wants in the end.

- Only in private will you see Roman be sweet, and it’s ONLY ever towards Neo. His smiles grow more genuine, his eye gets softer, and he enjoys the small moments they spend together. Roman finds peace in patching each other up, or slow dancing in the warehouse to some old music playing on the radio. It’s almost domestic in a way, and it’s something he unwillingly craves himself and Neo to have one day.

- Roman actually does have leg issues! Nothing too serious, but it’s enough that he knows the cane appearance of Melodic Cudgel wasn’t just for show alone, but genuine use.

- Roman knows a lot about weaponry, as a lot of his old jobs required he ship crates of old Atlesian weapons to and from places, causing him to pick things up here and there when it came to trashed weapons needing repairs. Because of this, he actually designed both Melodic Cudgel AND Hush for himself and Neo, having them commissioned once he had the money for it. Hush was a gift to Neo on her birthday (a day the two picked out together since...they didnt really know when her birthday was), and he was very happy that she liked it so much.

- Bouncing off the last one, Roman makes his own ammo for Melodic Cudgel! With them being explosive rounds usually packed with Fire Dust and gunpowder to really cause an explosion. Really, they can be more associated with fireworks then anything.

hi yes i miss Roman Torchwick so much and i want him to come back please crwby give me this one good thing im begging u-

#masky says #Roman Torchwick #rwby #rwby headcanons #i hope yall appreciate my 1am mindless ramblings #maybe next time youll get my 'roman lives au' thoughts #cause i got tons of those

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

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So ...about "The Warrior in the Woods"...

Okay so this morning, this squiggle meister took a read at a preview for one of the stories that would be featured in the upcoming RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant set to release this year September 15th. It’s titled “The Warrior in the Woods”. If you haven’t read the small preview of the tale for yourself, you can find it right here on kobo.com where you can also preorder a digital copy of the book.

Speaking of, does anyone know where one can preorder a hardcopy version of this book? Or do I have to wait till it comes out in September to order the hard copy version then? Of all the upcoming RWBY-related projects that I was most looking forward to, it’s definitely this one and I’d definitely love to own a tangible copy of the book for myself if it’s available.

Anyways let’s talk about “The Warrior in the Woods” story specifically. Obviously I read it and without spoiling much from the short story, all I can say is that I definitely loved it. I think right out the gate, I’m going to peg this one as one of my favourites of the fairy tales purely because I found it to be a rather sweet one.

[SPOILERS AHEAD! NUFF SAID]

Plot-wise, the tale focuses on a young boy who ends up getting lost in the woods after wandering out too far from his home village while out playing with his friends. Basically the gist is that the people of this boy’s village have lived in peace away from the Grimm; so much so that the villagers; as well as its youths had never encountered a creature of Grimm before.

While lost in the forest, the boy is attacked by a Bolbatusk Grimm (I believe) during which he is rescued by a woman with silver eyes. In a nutshell, the boy is saved by a Silver Eyed Warrior which leads into a routine where every year from the day they met, the young boy would always return to the forest in the hopes of meeting the Silver Eyed Warrior again.

Let’s get into what I liked about this tale: The whole relationship between the young boy and the Silver Eye who I will hereby refer to as “Warrior”. From the get-go, it’s very evident that the Boy is infatuated with the Warrior but what I found adorable was that this boy’s interest in the Warrior was what encouraged him to brave the forest in the hopes of seeing her time and time again for two to three more years (I believe if I’m remembering correctly). And what I thought was interesting was that each time the boy ventured into the forest, he was described as being much braver and stronger than previous encounters.

During his first encounter with the Warrior, the boy was completely powerless during his first run in with a Grimm but as the years went by, the boy would learn from his experiences and would go in a little more prepared each time. While he still needed the Warrior to come to his aid (which she always did in spite of saying she wouldn’t save him and telling him never to return), I definitely dug how much the boy began to mature with each time he met the Warrior as reflected in his growing combat competency.

I liked the angle of the Boy being motivated to become a stronger person thanks to his meeting with the Warrior. I liked that just as much as I love the angle of how much the Warrior in turn grew to care for the Boy in her own way.

When we first meet the Warrior, she described as strong and beautiful (by the Boy) yet hardened and reserved due to her past experiences since according to her story, her kind were known to be hunted and slain by humans because of their power (as we the readers are aware of from the main series as of V4-V6).

So due to this, the Warrior has basically settled into a life of solitude and survival. This is even reflected in her initial attitude towards the Boy since after saving him the first time, she warned him never to return again.

Unfortunately for the Warrior, she had underestimated the Boy’s persistence since he did return to her and each time they’d meet in the woods upon her saving him, the young boy would bring her gifts as a token of his appreciation and fondness of her as well as a symbol of their growing bond.

And in spite of pushing him away at first and all the times they would “meet” afterwards, I liked how it was shown how much the Boy had grown on the Warrior and how his compassion had warmed him up to her to the point that I think she began looking forward to seeing him in a way---or rather she expected him to always return to her in a sense.

Until one year when the boy returned to woods, he would find his Warrior gone. Whether that meant the warrior had eventually met her fate or simply moved on, I don’t know. It is of my assumption that the Warrior was ultimately killed in battle. The ending of story in regards to the Warrior’s fate felt a bit ambiguous to me. The story mentioned the possibility of the Warrior being dead but honestly never confirms it. Not really. So for me, I’m only assuming that the Warrior did die since that’s how the tale left her conclusion.

Now for the real meat of this post---the comparison that I’ve already seen my Rosegardening peers make after reading this tale and now I’m going to chip in and basically say the same thing too.

Yes, the Boy and the Warrior definitely remind me of Oscar Pine and Ruby Rose.

It’s actually kind of hard to NOT make that stark comparison.

After finishing the tale, my theory is that the Boy was probably around the same age as Oscar is currently when he first met the Warrior. Probably 14-15 years of age and I’d like to think that he was probably 17-18 years old by his third and last encounter with the Warrior since later in the story, the author began referring to the boy as a “young adult man” (I believe).

As for the age of the Warrior, that one has me stumped to be honest. In the story, she is described as “woman”. I also recall the author describing the Warrior having strands of silver in her hair which made me think she was probably a much older woman---probably in her 40s.

Then again…women in their late 20s to early 30s can start showing signs of grey hair. Not to mention that people as young as 18 can start greying out due to family background and stress.

So…in that case, I dunno. Going off the featured artwork of the Warrior in the preview, she doesn’t look to be that old at all. So I’m going to safely assume, that compared to the Boy, she was probably in her late 20s or so.

That’s my cookie crumb deduction.

Either way, here we have yet a second example of a RWBY content featuring an adolescent male expressing romantic interest in an older woman with the writers behind the tale treating this dynamic as something wholesome and rather quite sweet. I would be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn’t rooting for the Boy and the Warrior to end up together-together. I am NOT sorry. My hopeless romantic of a shipping heart couldn’t help but find the boy’s interactions with his Warrior to be adorable since the story treated it that way.

It’s for this reason why despite the story’s ending, a part of me is still kind of hopeful that the preview isn’t the whole story for that specific tale; y’know what I mean? Like I’m kind of hoping that once the full book is out, there will be more to the Warrior in the Woods story that potentially reveals the young boy and the Warrior reuniting and having their happy ending together.

I could be completely wrong here but dagnabbit, they got me again folks. Not gonna lie. I want this now. I need Roosterteeth to adapt this book into a new animated series like World of Remnant. These characters don’t even have names and already I adore their bond and story together.

Overall, as you can tell, I’m smitten with the relationship between the Boy and his Warrior. And the ending where the boy; now a man, professes his love for his Warrior since the day they met only made me gush even more over this pair. In the squiggle shire, we stan “A Boy and his Warrior”. That’s what I’m going to call this pair.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make here is that it’s nice to see a love---even if it was unrequited in a sense---between a young man and an older woman be treated respectfully in literature. We live in a time when people would screech over the slightest age difference while ignoring the context of the relationship itself.

Though only a short story, I’m happy that the author of Fairy Tales of Remnant portrayed the rapport between the Boy and his Warrior as a sweet relationship.

It’s here where I’m reminded of the Rosegarden dynamic. For the most part, the CRWBY Writers have always treated the bond between Ruby and Oscar as wholesome. It’s what makes the arguments against it in regards to their small 2-year age different sound so silly in my opinion.

So that being said, thank you CRWBY and E.C. Myers for creating yet another sweet dynamic between a young adolescent teenage boy and an otherwise “older” and much more experienced Silver Eyed Warrior.

“…I wish I could have been there for her,” he said slowly, “the way she was there for us.” If she was dead, she had died alone.

“Why did you keep going back there, year after year?” a village woman asked him. “Because she saved you?”

“For that reason, and for many more,” he said slowly. “But I believe she knew the deepest reason of all.”

The group waited. He gazed into the fire.

“I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes.”

- “The Warrior in the Woods” | Fairy Tales of Remnant by E.C Myers

I would like to say more about this story but I’m afraid right now, all I can give are my first impressions. In a way, my mind is all a tizzy with how much this tale got me thinking in respect to the growth and potential future of the Rosegarden relationship.

I’m not trying to imply that I’m taking this as a sign of their endgame. Nah. That would be too premature of me. But it did get me thinking and excited for them in respect to Oscar’s continued development.

I think what I loved and enjoyed the most out of this tale is how much the Boy reminded me of my favourite little prince and how his endearing love for his Warrior made me think of how much Oscar looks to Ruby as someone to believe in and perhaps, even fall in love with.

And what got me the most was the line about the Boy wishing he could’ve been there for his Warrior the same way she had been there for him and by extension the people of his village.

That line hit me deep since that’s exactly how Ruby has been with Oscar from the moment the two met!

Out of everyone amongst the hero team, Ruby has supported Oscar the most from the start. She’s always stood by him. Looked out for him. Protected him and believed in him or supported him even when others were reluctant about that.

She was the first person to mention how brave he is in spite of his fears. And above all else, Ruby inspired Oscar to be a stronger person. Not just for himself and the huntsmen in his care; like his teammates. But for her.

The Boy was inspired by the Warrior to become a stronger man, not just for himself but also the people of his village. Not only that but I loved how the young man even wanted to be strong enough to support his Warrior too

“…I wish I could have been there for her,” he said slowly, “the way she was there for us.”

I love that. I love that line because it reminds me of everything I’ve been saying about Oscar and his inspiration from the Little Prince.

What was the lesson the Fox taught the Prince? Love and responsibility. To be responsible for the people who love and support you just as much as you love and support them.

I got the same vibe from this story from the relationship between the Boy and the Warrior. The sad reality is that the Boy never got a chance to be there entirely for his Warrior and thus she was believed to have died alone; never truly knowing the whole truth of how much she meant to him and how much he loved her.

This is a parallel that I’m hoping for in V8 in respect to Oscar’s side of the story with him on his own in Mantle with only Oz. I’m hoping that during his journey back to Atlas; Oscar comes to terms with his feelings for Ruby. What would even be amazing is if at some point, the tale of the Warrior in the Woods is brought to life and told in the main series.

I would absolutely love it if at some point Oz would tell Oscar the Tale of the Warrior in the Woods when the little prince starts thinking about his rose. Even better, what if…“The Warrior in the Woods” is how Oscar learns the “Fox’s lesson to the Little Prince”?

Imagine if…Oz, fairy tale and it through hearing that story and learning of the Boy’s dedication to his Warrior that it helps Oscar realize how much Ruby means to him!

Overall, what I’m mainly anticipating is for Oscar to come to terms with his true deepest feelings for Ruby. For me, I would love it if Oscar really is no different than the Boy in the fairy tale.

What would even be more of a trip is if Oscar is a descendant of the Boy or meets someone in his travels who is related to that boy in the tale and it’s a story and lesson that’s been passed down throughout their family for generations.

I know that might be pushing it a little bit but it’s not a bad concept. Either that or…Oz is the one who tells Oscar the Tale of the Warrior in the Woods. It would make sense for Oscar to hear that tale through Oz since, ironically, isn’t he the one who compiled the Fairy Tales from Remnant book? Correct me if I’m wrong. I know his notes are a feature of the book.

Anyways, either way, I want to see Oscar realize how much he loves Ruby and it’s his love for her that further fuels his drive to support and protect her.

The Boy never got his chance to be there to protect his Warrior. While he kept her legacy alive through her story, the sad truth is the Warrior died alone never knowing how the Boy felt for her.

This is something I’m expecting NOT to be repeated with Rosegarden. I want to see Oscar promise to Ruby that he will always be there for her; fighting by her side for the cause they both believe him: Saving humanity. And above all else, I want to see Oscar realize his love for his rose in the hopes of one day telling her that to her face.

While I don’t know if we’ll have Ruby return Oscar’s feelings. Regardless, this is what I’m anticipating to see at least for Oscar’s side of things and this fairy-tale gave me more believe for that. Then again, it’s just a story and only time will really tell for what the CRWBY Writers have in store for V8. But a squiggle meister can wonder and hope, right?

In the meantime, like I said, I’m excited for the official release of Fairy Tales of Remnant.

I don’t plan on reading any more of the previewed stories though. I don’t know about some folks, but for this squiggle meister, I more want to wait till the book is out so I can hopefully get a hard copy because I do want to own the book itself.

That way I can read it through, make notes of things and always have that stuff on hand when I want to make a point of analysis for future musings and headcanon posts. Plus I really want that book. This is one of the sure-fire times where RoosterTeeth will actually get my money. (Still waiting patiently on dem Oscar merch though).

So with that being said, I think “The Warrior in the Woods” will be the ONLY story preview I will read and talk about for now.

I know there are previews for the other stories available but I’d rather not read them now. I think I’ll wait for the full book to go through and give my official thoughts then. We’ll see. Until then, this is all I got to say for now folks.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #oscar and ruby #rwby rosegarden #rwby fairy tales of remnant #rwby remarks

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

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I love your blog, and i love how you go in depth with your content. Can i ask: Why do you love RoseGarden so much? What made you start shipping Ruby and Oscar so hard (From a fellow Rosegarden shipper to another)?

Hiya Sparrow. Thank you bunches for enjoying my RWBY content, fam. Means a lot. Why do I love Rosegarden so much? Whelp, to ask myself why I’m a bonafide Rosegardener is like asking me why I’m proud Pinehead whose favourite RWBY character is the precious freckled farm boy turned little barn prince XD

I guess I can start off my answer by explaining how I started shipping Rosegarden in the first place.

Unlike other gardeners who were shipping our two smaller, more honest souls from as early as Oscar’s introduction back in RWBYV4, this squiggle meister didn’t until Oscar met Ruby in V5. I didn’t even know about Rosegarden until that season. The way how Oscar looked at Ruby from the moment he first laid eyes on her—his expression of sheer awe of her; his little ‘whoa’ as he stepped forward and said the infamous ‘You have silver eyes’ line— that was the hook that got me intrigued by this ship. That’s how the CRWBY got me.

Up until that point in the series, I always felt as if Ruby was omitted having any potential romantic relationships between herself and other characters. I’d like to think that part of the rationale for that was due to our little red rose being the youngest of the main cast and at Beacon as well. While we’ve seen the other RWBY girls catch the attention of probable suitors—y’know for Weiss, it was Jaune, Neptune and to some extent Henry Marigold. With Blake, it was her previous messy relationship with Adam followed up by Sun and later Ilia. Not to mention her and Yang being paired together.

There hasn’t been anyone shown to look at Ruby in such an alluring way. No prospective gentlemen or lady callers ever came a knocking at Ruby’s door. At least not until Oscar entered the picture.

From my perspective, Oscar is the first character I’ve seen give Ruby that look—the look that clearly tells the audience that “Yup, this character definitely has a crush on our little red rose and will probably fall head over heels in love with her at some point down the line when the timing is appropriate”.

That’s what made me like Rosegarden. I like Oscar a lot as character and seeing him take an interest in Ruby was a refreshing sight for me, not to mention adorable. Oscar’s little mini-stroke after Ruby first smiled and giggled at him in V5 will always bring a smile to my face whenever I see it. It’s such a cute wholesome moment. So yeah, like I said, that’s what made me first intrigued by the Rosegarden pair. However I didn’t completely fall in love with the ship until I observed all the interactions between these two kids that followed afterwards.

Watching Ruby look out for Oscar during the events of V5 made me appreciate her a lot more as a character. From Ruby’s time with Oscar, it’s hard to believe that this was the same introverted young girl who once told her big sister Yang that she didn’t really need to make friends.

Ruby has come such a long way since her Beacon Days so it was really nice watching her doing everything she could to chum up to Oscar and ensure that he was comfortable being with the group. I’d like to believe that part of the reason Ruby took an interest in Oscar is because she saw a lot of herself in him; y’know what I’m saying? Ruby more than anyone within the hero team understands what Oscar is currently going through—being the youngest member amongst at team of people working together to protect humanity and save the world from the forces of evil. On top of that, Ruby knows what it’s like having to work harder to prove yourself as a worthy asset to the team rather than a liability.

Ruby relates to Oscar so much since she’s been in his shoes before. Heck she’s still in those shoes. That’s another reason why I like these two. They have quite a few things in common. Not only are Ruby and Oscar the babies of the hero team but they both share in the burden of responsibility that’s been thrusted into their laps.

Both share the badge of leadership—Oscar for being the successor to Ozpin who was originally the voice of wisdom and Ruby as the unquantifiable spark that keeps everyone moving forward, even when she might not have all the answers or know better when it comes to her own actions.

But beyond even this, Ruby and Oscar are the only two people within their team who share in the God of Light’s power. As a descendant of Ozma, Oscar has inherited his magic—the Gods’ gift to humanity—and has the potential to unlock it and make use of it when the PLOT decides he’s ready to become a Wizard of Light.

Not to mention that the God of Lights’ power has been what has kept the Ozma Reincarnation Cycle going for so many centuries and that power is what courses through Oscar’s veins. Same for Ruby. Ruby is a Silver Eyed Warrior and while the true origins of these warriors are still an enigma, what we do know is that the Silver Eyes originated from the God of Light just like the Ozma Cycle.

Rosegarden is a bond that has the potential to be a really strong friendship built on trust just as much as it has the golden chance to become a romance and loving relationship that feels like it was a match made by Gods themselves. A part of me would like to believe that romance will be in the cards for Ruby and Oscar. There are one or two noteworthy signs that hints that this is a strongpossibility to me.

First there is the connection to the Little Prince. You’ve probably noticed meaddress Oscar as the little barn prince a lot. That’s because many Pineheads believe that part of Oscar’s character and story os being influenced by that fairy-tale. And in the Little Prince story, his one true love was a single red rose that the prince met firstly on his planet.

Part of the Prince’s journey was him learning to realize that he is responsible for his rose because according to the lesson that the Prince learnt from the Fox,it doesn’t matter if the Prince discovered many other beautiful roses or flowers in his travels, the Rose back on his home world was his one true rose and the one that was most unique to him in all the universe.

It is for this reason why most of us gardeners are banking on Oscar ultimately falling in love with Ruby.She will be his one true rose. The girl Oscar loves and sees himself as responsible for by providing her his support.

Despite only knowing each other shortly, Ruby and Oscar have been shown to care about each other a lot these past few seasons as evidenced by the way they support one another.

Then there is the connection to Lost Fable. A couple of RWBY theorists; myself included, are under the impression that Oscar and Ruby will parallel Ozma and Salem since the two share elements to their character that reflect the Fairy-tale pair. If you would to read my more in depth thoughts on that, check out this musing post of mine. Rosegarden do share elements to them in common with Fairy-tale. The only difference is the prospect of Rosegarden having a happier ending than Fairy-tale.

And yeah, that’s pretty much why I love Rosegarden. I know Ruby and Oscar have other ships but for me, their pair is the most interesting one. These two complement each other a lot and although the series hasn’t shown them talking one on one since V5, each time these two do interact it feels so genuine and…right.Overall I’m excited to see what becomes of this pair’s relationship over the course of the show.

Some folks believe that Rosegarden may be a slow burn ship and I’d like agree with them. If romance is indeed in the cards for these two then the last thing I’d want is for the PLOT to rush it (or introduce it sloppily as I’ve noticed it do with certain other ships). I do, however, still have a feeling that this volume may light the match to Ruby and Oscar ultimately falling for one another by having them learn to trust each other first.

Afterall, love and trusting in love seems to be the theme for V7. And in regards to our budding rosebuds, learning to trust in each other completely will open the door to them learning to love each other. First as friends and then as something so much more.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

#simplysparrow14 #squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #rwby rosegarden #oscar and ruby

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