RWBY's Love Language - Part 1

HIII okay so so

Thank you so much for participating it gave me the warm fuzzies aaa. You got quite a few right; & even the ones you didn't I can see why you put them as you did & I love some of your interpretations !! I'm gonna explain my choices too, but in the meantime : here are the results !

Sorry for answering only now; I did the first half of this right after your answer but then finals were fast approaching so I had to give up on it but now that it's done I'M BACK

I started with lines everywhere but then got worried it wouldn't really be understandable so focus on the colors more than the lines blblbl

OKAY SO; starting from the top

Can't pretend - PHOENIX : you recognized it as unhealthy or at least unsteady and you got it right ! From here on it was either Emercury or Pheonix; you picked the former but it was indeed Phoenix xD sorry Why Phoenix then ? Here I see the song as a Raven PoV & I simply love the dichotomy of "I can't pretend" that you can apply to her. 1) I can't pretend *that this isn't love*; for all her flaws Raven probably truly loved Tai & what he gave to her : stability, love etc... Even if she's cold & rough, she still started a family with him; I like the idea that she simply couldn't fool herself into thinking she didn't love him. And yet at the same time... 2) I can't pretend *that this is me*. The song doesn't have very happy vibes; moreso conflicted ones. And I like how the "I can't pretend" can then fit Raven's decision to simply... leave Tai. She got cold feet after Yang's birth, for a variety of reasons, and I can't help but think that part of it is about how different this life was compared to her childhood. Thus the : I can't pretend this is who I am, so I'm leaving.

Thus the core of her song : I guess that's love.. I can't pretend that it isn't; but I also can't pretend I can do this. Other than that; I just think the lyrics fit her okay. "My arms are tough but hey can be bent" (learning to hold instead of hurt), "My skin is rough but it can be cleansed" (for some time; she got better) "I wanna fight but I can't contend" (couldn't deal with the war)

I was an Island - FAIR GAME : your analysis of it as Blacksun was so sweet though I can totally see it !! Like; I can't really deny it fits them well too sjskjgbs I guess I just like sweeter vibes for Blacksun

I like the "You know I don't wanna be free" for Qrow especially; because even if he acts like the cool uncle who can't stand still & likes to stir up shit; Qrow is actually way more concerned with taking care of his closed ones and the fact that he's convinced to be a curse on them. So I really like that part. Him & Clover complemented each other really well; and Clover's death hits Qrow really hard even if they knew each other for a short time. Especially more because Qrow attributes this (again) to his bad luck thus the "I can't do this alone anymore, 'cos I'm no good on my own anymore". Also; despite the fact that they both seem to be very caring individuals; they both had some degree of 'distance' to their companions that they didn't have with each other; which I think fit the lyrics of being "an island"/"apart from the pack". So yeaaa I loved them idk why are you dead Clover

Back to Autumn - ARKOS : I DIDN'T NOTICE THE COWS MENTION GODDAMIT THIS IS GENIUS. I admit I saw more the whole song as someone talking to the dead so... *sweats* Pyrrha & Jaune ? I'M SORRY I guess that's partly due to the fact that like... Jaune wasn't in love before Pyrrha died imo. So their ship is inextricably linked to the fact that she died from Jaune PoV in my mind haha - ANYWAY picked that one mostly because of the Autumn at first (since Pyrrha was designated as next Fall Maiden and it was Autumn during Beacon's fall) "We haven't been the same, you know Since we buried you bellow" We aka JNR "Bring me back to autumn Or lead me on to May" after Pyrrha's death, Jaune has a hard time moving on. Bringing him back to Autumn then could be considered 2 ways : back to before Beacon's fall, when Pyrrha was alive or autumn as in the current Fall maiden which links back to his desire for revenge against Cinder. The only other solution; leading me to May; means leaving the stilness of winter & grief for warmer seasons, something that Jaune started to do only recently. "I am not ready to take the helm; abandoned on your dying day" Pretty explicit, Jaune was technically always leader of his group but back when Pyrrha was alive she was his biggest supporter/greatest help as well as the strongest & more knowledgeable member of the team. Even if she wasn't technically leader; Jaune had to pick up the slack after her death as if she had been. "If I can here return/If I can ever learn to/Fill the void, as they say Grateful I have this earth/ To channel you in my hands/Feel your force in a way" Pretty fitting as well in the sense that Jaune started to get better after seeing Pyrrha's statue and deciding to honor in memory by fighting even if there wasn't a big chance of winning.

Irrelevant - EMBERALD : you got everything right ! basically a song about Emerald taking back ownership; realizing she's fucking strong & competent, that she doesn't need Cinder because Cinder is giving her nothing good & leaving. I LOVE THAT. "And who the hell are you / For the hell you've put me through?" I love that part; realizing Cinder isn't everything and that Emerald doesn't deserve her shit; you go girl.

Talk to me - ROSEGARDEN : and YES AGAIN of course it's Rosegarden I mean; it's so good. Everything is as you say. Acknowledging the wrong but also saying that things will be okay. Sharing the weight as esquals. This reblog is gonna be super long as it is so I'm just gonna link the post I did about Talk to Me Rosegarden to shorten this part sljnqfl https://nexyra.tumblr.com/post/654817646084259840/rwby-shipping-rosegarden-song everything is there

Brave Enough - EMERCURY : this was a tentative association because believe it or not but I also prefer them as siblings xDD but I tried to put not just my fav ships so. I focus on the emotional unavailability of the two; Emerald's focus on Cinder and Mercury's inability to show vulnerability. Sooo it's not my best choice but I put this song for them considering that right now they're separated and could not even talk together before it happened. All the while, it's clear that they DO care for each other. "There's some things I should have said/I was too afraid/It was just so hard to let you know/Now it's all too late" : Mercury clearly cares for Emerald and tries to warn her about Cinder for example; but he lacks the ability to be vulnerable & admit to care which gets in his way. In the same way, Emerald wasn't able to properly convey her doubts to him before they were forcefully separated. "You stripped away the walls I built/Like no one ever has/The hardest part's we'll never know/If we were meant to last" Mercury is the first character who managed to shake Emerald's faith in Cinder (for the better), and the other way around Emerald is the sole person to whom Mercury has opened up or showed he cared about. But because of their inability to have a meaningful conversation, it's hard to know where their relationship will end up starting now.

HOWEVER Arkos absolutely has golden vibes for this too; I didn't notice but it's absolutely true and great MHMMM

Always Gold - TAIQROW : the pronouns actually WERE fitting so yea this one was Taiqrow xD I absolutely love this song, and to me it gives off vibes akin to "character that is misjudged by others & cannot stay where they were raised because of it; but also hasn't acutally done anything reprehensible" which explains i suppose why I put it for Qrow rather than Raven because Raven DID end up fucking up, and she never came back either. "We were tight knit boys/Brothers in more than name/You would kill for me/And knew that I'd do the same" Tai & Qrow on their team togetheeer. Also Qrow is absolutely ride or die like that. "But I'm going to be here until I'm nothing/But bones in the ground" TAI VIBES because he's the calm & steadfast one, who's got his house and his kids and his job and who waits for you at home no matter what. "And I was there, when you grew restless/Left in the dead of night/And I was there, when three months later/You were standing in the door all beat and tired/And I stepped aside" textbook what Qrow does with his job + his worry about his curse that makes him leave for random chunks of time but when he comes back he's always got a place at Tai's house and no words are needed. "I was steady as a hammer/No one worried 'cause they knew just where I'd be/And they said you were the crooked kind/And that you'd never have no worth/But you were always gold to me" Tai with his golden heart and his little family; Qrow and his cursed semblance and his fucked up upbringing but still even after Raven left there was never any question about whether Qrow was still family or not. "And I heard you say/Right when you left that day/Does everything go away?/Yeah, everything goes away. But I'm going to be here 'til forever/So just call when you're around." because we always focus on the fact that Tai lost his wife when Raven left; but Qrow lost his sister who had stuck by him through thick and thin and how terrifying must it have been to realize that Raven would rather be with the tribe than with her team. Then Summer dies too and there's just him and Tai so *does everything go away* yeah it does; but me I'll be here you'll always have a place to rest your wings when you need one.

Love you like that - BUMBLEBY : you got it right again; this one for the bees. Blake's struggle with opening up/shutting out others; Yang's case of foot in mouth + yearning for something more; when i hold you don't you know the truth (because they do a lot more touching than talking). I'm not a fan of the "nothing else matters/i NEED you" rethoric either bc codependency isn't greata but for some ships I do think it exists in some shape or form (for good & bad) and Bumbleby is one of those.

Communist lovesong - BLACKSUN : I really like this song, I think it very fits; and I liked putting it for these two because I think it fits well even if people would expect something more flamboyant from Sun. My explanations, like for Rosegarden, are all in this post https://nexyra.tumblr.com/post/656638766083112961/blacksun-ship-song-blake-it-was-well-conceived but basically I think it fits them well during V4-V5 especially considering how they relate to the WF plotline especially Blake. Blake has some skeptic vibes regarding the whole situation, she's been disappointed & desilusionned by a cause she believed in, but Sun was there for her through it all & helped her to not give up on it so easily. I really like how the singer of the song basically goes from downrotten skepticisim to a more hopeful spite. Also this song give me "good ending" vibes and FAIR GAME DOESN'T END WELL also the WINTER SKIES part you picked up on that's genius BUT I DON'T LIKE TO SUFFER OK I WOULDN'T DO THIS TO MYSELF I HURT

Line without a Hook - RENORA : i'm not entirely certain why people use it for Rosegarden, if someone wants to tell me i'm curious; tbh i've seen this song used for just about any ship around the sun; but I feel like there are some strong codependency vibes in it so I don't really see it for Rosegarden... Instead, even if the overall vibe might lack a bit of softness, I put it down for Renora but more precisely these two as of V7-V8.

"I don't really give a damn about the way you touch me/When we're alone/You can hold my hand/If no one's home" not a super important part but just well fitting since Ren is a pretty private person & the best Renora moments happened when they were alone (their kiss wasn't of the best fight me on that) "Do you like it when I'm away?/If I went and hurt my body, baby/Would you love me the same?" just ;; it fits so well for Nora in V8 since the two got separated and she was such so unsure of where she stood because of it. Is Ren okay with her leaving, is he happy like that ? Then she went & hurt herself, that's exactly what she did, and she took it as further proof that there wasn't anything special or awesome about her until Ren looked her in the eyes and said : no Nora you're amazing, you put everything in what you do that's why I love you + le "[Mama] never really learns how to live by herself" that fits Nora's issues as well And then we have Ren who is so worried too but goes at it completely different by trying to keep his cool and his objectivty and get in as much training as he can, at the cost of emotionnaly vulnerability/closeness with Nora because emotions are a liability and "It's a curse/And it's growing/You're a pond and I'm an ocean/Oh, all my emotions/Feel like explosions when you are around/And I've found a way to kill the sounds, oh" because Ren is lovely but it's Nora's who has the most emotionnal intelligence when push comes to shove "Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you/I need you here to stay" Nora, unsure of who she is without Ren. "I broke all my bones that day I found you/Crying at the lake" Ren finding Nora back when they were kids. "Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden?/Oh, and if I could take it all back/I swear that I would pull you from the tide" the both of them could say this in V7-V8 since they both felt like a burden or not enough, leading them to both stare at the other with their heart in their throat trying to express how much *no there's nothing wrong with you, why would you think that*

"She's a, she's a lady, and I am just a boy" because Ren doesn't feel like he's good enough for her; "[S]he's a, [s]he's a lady, and I am just a line without a hook" because Nora isn't sure who she is without Ren and whether she's worth it. BUT THEY STILL CARE SO MUCH ABOUT EACH OTHER.

Forever - SEASONNAL DEPRESSION : Tai angst and Summer is gone basically yes, but it fits doesn't it ? >:)

You said you'd grow old with me - NUTS & DOLTS : I'M SO SORRY you're not wrong about Phoenix but I see more this song as speaking of death than leaving so that's why it's not them. AND I'M SORRY TO FOCUS ON THAT looking back on it right now I'd try to find something else for these two buuuut yea - sorry. I take any kind of suggestions focusing more on how cute they were instead There is something innocent about the song "thought we had the time, had our lives" and there's a notion of *youngness* too in the "never get older". That added with the narrator trying (& failing) to pretend they're fine led me here.

Hurt like hell - GRANDMASTERS : you got it right yep, this song fits no one else than these two. also I'M GLAD THE SONG makes you care that means I really got it right <3 I like the fact that this song can fit both Ozma & Salem at diferent times and point of their lives. "How can I say this without breaking/How can I say this without taking over/How can I put it down into words/When it's almost too much for my soul alone." Salem lost Ozma, to death. "I don't want them to know the secrets/I don't want them to know the way I loved you/I don't think they'd understand it, no/I don't think they would accept me, no" Ozma lost Salem, to corruption. And how well does it fit, him saying *i don't want them to know, i don't think they'd understand* ?

Safe and sound - SEASONNAL DEPRESSION : ok ok so, a big part of it is (like you say) that this song is just... comfort through and through; also it gives me strong "mom" vibes sooo it's the Summer counterpart of the other Seasonal Depression song ! Although I gotta say, it DOES fit Renora very well too and your interpretation makes me soft. It fits very well for their first meeting you're right ;; "I remember tears streaming down your face/When I said, "I'll never let you go."/When all those shadows almost killed your light/I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone,"" also fitting for them seeing as Summer kind of filled up the hole Raven left behind, I see her as a comforting light in the times that followed. "Don't you dare look out your window, darling./Everything's on fire/The war outside our door keeps raging on" mom vibes as you said, so Summer at it again. On top of that, Summer was (apparently) an active member of the fight against Salem, likely more than Tai ever was. Puts this in a whole new light : telling Tai not to worry about the war she herself knows to be raging on and is fighting in. And just the chorus sound so much like a lullaby, imagine Summer singing to her whole little family :((

All I want - PHOENIX : this one is Phoenix but from TAI's pov mostly. So why this one and not your previous guess : basically bc this one (to me) actually seems more to be grief at someone conscious decision to leave; rather than simply death breaking them apart. "All I want is nothing more/To hear you knocking at my door/'Cause if I could see your face once more/I could die a happy man I'm sure. When you said your last goodbye/I died a little bit inside/I lay in tears in bed all night/Alone without you by my side." there's the knowledge that they COULD come back if they wanted, the hope for it, the grief left behind by their departure. "But if you loved me/Why'd you leave me?" questionning the whole relationship because how could Raven leave if she loved him, after everything and after Yang ? And then a short Raven pov interlude of "So you brought out the best of me/A part of me I've never seen/You took my soul and wiped it clean/Our love was made for movie screens" because the Raven who lived with Tai certainly wasn't like the one we met; they were so different but probably a power couple, and Tai must have taught her a lot about love & family but a *movie-screen love* isn't necessarily a healthy one nor one with a happy ending. "All I want is/And all I need is/To find somebody/I'll find somebody" Tai very much seems to need people around, he absolutely loves his family and never turned away Qrow, and for a time he did found somebody else, Summer & him loved each other (but that was before the universe decided to make him grieve again)

The only exception - FREEZERBURN : You got it right ! I put this one for Whiterose at first; but after listening again I just had to switch because some of sentences who were kind of awkward in Weiss' voice fit Yang's perfectly, so it just made sense to bring them together. You explained the best part of the song so I'm not gonna rant about it. I'll just add the "And my momma swore/That she would never let herself forget./And that was the day that I promised/I'd never sing of love if it does not exist." because it perfectly matches Weiss' admission of how things fell apart between her parents, and when the norm became *no dinners, no recitals*. "Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul/That love never lasts./And we've got to find other ways to make it alone./Or keep a straight face. [...] Because none of it was ever worth the risk." This part also fits Yang well, particularly in regard to the Blake/Raven parallel... something that WEISS helped her with in V5 ;)

Home to me - EMERCURY : You got it again !! I really like the vibe of this song, and there are some lyrics that I think fit really well these two. Pluuuus... I'll admit I'll be kinda disappointed if Mercury doesn't get his own kind of "redemption" through Emerald. So I sincerely hope that he will "come back home to her". Anyway "Oh, I can see you somewhere up the road/There's a weight you carry you're trying to let go" if we consider *somwhere up the road* as Emerald's path toward friendship & redeeming herself, and letting go of her loyalty to Cinder (nothing more than a weight holding her down) I think it makes for a particularly interesting interpretation; of Mercury trying to follow after her.(come on they didn't look at each other like that bc Mercury still thought she was spewing bullshit) "How dare you love me like you've never known fear/When you've got more troubles than minutes in the year" Mercury & Emerald have stuff in common, but one thing they don't is Emerald's willingness to show care in direct ways. Mercury has been burned in more ways than one by relationships he should have been able to rely on (his father), and never mistook Cinder's intentions for something else than what i was. As such, this is a sentence he could (imo) easily speak to Emerald. Even purely platonically "And a voice like your father's tells you nothing good's for free/Well that may be, but you're walking home to me" Mercury wasn't born rash and rough around th edge and unable to show vulnerability, it's something he was taught. But Emerald still knows that he's no Cinder, and that he was more genuine in his care for her than Cinder ever was. She was there when Tyrian pulled at his wounds. She understands, at least a little. Mercury getting away from Cinder & Salem please ? "On the day you left me you promised you'd come back/I don't know who taught you how to live like that/All the fences in your way have to crumble in the wind one day" THAT'S BASICALLY IT. Mercury left (with Tyrian), and Emerald too in her own way; but both under the impression that they'd see the others again, and somewhat unable to understand the other. But Emerald's bounds (fences) crumbled, and Mercury's are shaking. So I hope the chorus is right and that he'll walk home, that is to Emerald (the onlyl person he cares about in the show)

I wouldn't mind - ROSEGARDEN : soo yea. The RG vibes you got was bc it was RG too... And this one is very reliant on vibes so I'm not gonna ramble for hours. "Merrily we fall/Out of line, out of line/I'd fall anywhere with you/I'm by your side" SOOO would have Worked even better if he DID fall with Ruby, but in any case Oscar did have his own falls by virtue of following Ruby. He absolutely trusts her and would fall with her if needed, because they're a team. "I'm not afraid, anymore I'm not afraid" Ruby & Oscar supporting each other, so true. "You so know me/Pinch me gently/I can hardly breathe" Because they can share what hurts and not pretty together.

anyway THAT'S IT FOLKS. I'm so sorry for how long it took Quin. I hope you can still tell me what you think ! You got 8 of them right !! Here are my answers in any case, but that doesn't make them more correct than yours :D (you had some great ideas) Everyone else too, don't hesitate to share your opinions on all these choices/songs/rambles. I had fun doing this; maybe I'll edit or try to find other songs at a later date. GOOD DA/NIGHT HAVE FUN !

RWBY Shipping - Theme Songs

Hello there RWBY shipping fans 👀 These past few days, I've been making a RWBY shipping playlist for fun ♡ (The song's choices are lyric-based, and I tried to find songs that feel at least slightly specific FOR the ship and not just generic lovesongs.)

I'm gonna try to make shipping gifs with some lyrics; in the meantime what would you say to a game if you're bored ? I'll give you the list of ships I've found a song for; and the list of songs. EVERYTHING IS MIXED UP. Try to put them together ! I'm curious to see whether others can see what I saw. Good luck :D

Warning: if a ship is canonically toxic; their song is as well. Ships like Taiqrow or Emercury can be read as platonic too if that's more your jam

Some ships have 2 songs (for the PoV of both characters; or bc I could not choose). I'll put a (2) next to their name if that's the case !

Ooookay; have fun ! You can reblog with a few guess; you can download the pic and link together ships & songs as you believe them to work together; you don't have to do everyone...

You can completely ignore this post & leave me alone with my playlists. Sad but understandable.

Have fun & a good day to you all !

So there were a few likes about my post on DnD... meaning you get to know about our dumb shenanigans and my weird children

Starting with... the current campaign and the band of misfits that make up our party !

Rani Mankana (my OC)

Non-binary, They/She/He, 20 yo Human Ranger, Chaotic Neutral ESTP 7w8 8w9 4w5

Feral gremlin, bread-winner & problem child all at once

- Do whatever they want - Animals are better than humans - Left their village with absolutely no plan and have been fighting for 2 months with glorified gardening tools - Will try to punch you if you get in the way of their fun, but will also kill people who are being an ass to you - Knows nothing but constantly asking questions - Will take 98% of what you say literally - When people wallow & mope about not knowing what to do next, they scream until you get up and *try* something - Has known someone for 1 day and will decide that they're *theirs* now bc they're interesting - Main goal : catch them all (aka becoming friends with enough animals to create a travelling zoo) - Will die for you. Actually no, they have too much stuff to do & see to die so, will most likely kill for you

Lysora Dul'rik

Cis Man, He, ~28 yo Human Fighter/Warlock, Neutral Good ENFJ 3w2 7w6 1w2

Polite truth-seeker, smiling through the pain 7d/7

- Seems well-adjusted, actually dying inside - Constantly gets his worldview upturned by shocking revelations - Noble education & background, notably good at politics & social niceties - Great sense of responsabilities when it comes to protecting the party. TOO great, chill not everything is your fault - Likes to have some fun and get people together - Will die if you don't like him - Flirting is a great therapy method - Tendency to obsess over knowledge, not allowed to stay in a library unsupervised anymore - Very social, will ask for a random passerby name if he asked them a question. - Will die for you. But too busy to die for himself.

Ayla Jaym

Cis Woman, She, Lesbian, 25 yo Human-Werewolf Warlock/Barbarian, Loyal Good INFP 6w7 4w3 1w2

Lesbian disaster, social butterfly but having a hard time rn

- How nearly killing your gf affects your mental health : the story - "When I said I wanted a life like in the books I meant a fun heroic tale with a happy ending, not a 1000-pages tragedy." - Weapons nerd, yield a magic blue axe 3x her size - Any convo will end up with you questioning the meaning of your existence even though she just wanted to ask if you had a sister - Friends good and women pretty. - Born into the trading city of Offonsa where the only law is "don't steal" : somehow got out with a much more refined moral compass (to Rani's despair) - The plot can't catch up if I just avoid it - Will project her issues onto you so bad, you're gonna hope to never be on watch duty with her again - Will probably kill you on a full moon, but swears she didn't mean to

Balthazar Glowbrook

Cis Man, He, 38 yo Half-Orc Bloodhunter, True Neutral ISTP 9w1 5w6 4w3

The edgy grandpa, likely to explode at any given time bc of his experiments

- Thought that living alone in a cave for 10 years was a perfectly reasonable answer to being disappointed in humanity - And only left it when some random woman came find him only to get murdered during the night - Very knowledgeable, very smart but the party has only 1 braincell to share and it's usually Rani's - Awkwardness 100/10, will ramble and bury himself in the ground if left alone, do not trust with diplomatic lies - "Ayla is precious and I'd protect her with my life". Ayla transforms into a werewolf. Balthazar who's part of an organization tasked with killing werewolves : *surprised pikachu face* - Looks responsible. If left alone for more than 5 minutes, will create dubious alchemy potions and end up with chicken wings. - Looks like he could kill you but actually wouldn't. - B.O.O.K.S

Neldëaurë Ramëldis

Cis Man, He, 49 yo (16) Elf Wizard, Neutral Good INTP 6w5 9w1 2w1

The competent nerd, who feels the need to apologize for his very existence

- NEEEEERD - Nerd who collects the other nerds and gets shipped with all of them - "Hey you could pour soup in my lap and I'll probably apologize to you." - Constantly trying to make himself useful - Don't ever mention magical concepts if you're not ready to answer EVERY SINGLE ONE of his questions. He WILL ask you about the impact on portal on the links between plans. - Master at creating new ways to use his spells - The only one with a plan, takes everything in strides - "Okay give me 1 night and I'll uproot my entire life to join you and your dubious organization" - Even though he was part of a much more legal, legit & international organization - Will die if you so much as push him

All art done by Yamika - D&D Adventures That's my best friend pls check her out & give love, she the best and I love her with my whole heart !!!

I HATE how tumblr brings up your old tags as you’re typing a new tag because I really don’t!! Want to remember!!! Some of the things I’ve said on this godforsaken site!!!!

RWBY Analysis - Ozpin & Ruby, on the concept of leadership

In her song "Burned out", Dodie sings of her fans, how they look up to her and how uneasy that realization made her. For everyone is at the end of the day just as human as their neighbour; and having the hopes and expectations of others put upon you when you're just as lost as them can be a frightening thing. And this... made me think of Ruby & Ozpin.

On the subject of leadership, Ozpin tells Ruby the following : “Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?”

While I love this quote, I also have to analyze the drawbacks of this mentality and how they align with both Ozpin and Ruby. At the time, Ruby is a newly appointed leader and unsure of this reality. Ozpin's counsel give her the confidence needed to step up as a leader and take her duties more seriously, which in return appeases Weiss' and make their team all the more balanced. It is, in that context, good advice. A good leader should strive to lead by example and work hard to be worthy of the respect others give them, both in and outside of battle.

However there is one aspect that I find much more complex and that is... what does it mean to "always perform at your absolute best" and to have others follow you ? Note the use of follow, people letting you lead alone as opposed to "standing by your side" or a similar expression. It showcases in my opinion one of the biggest problem of Ozpin's leadership, but one that I feel has been inadvertently repeated by Ruby's.

- - - - - - - -

To cultivate hope and lies

When it comes to Ozpin's lies, I am of the firm belief that he had good intentions. Soo if you think he's the scorn of this earth, this might be a good time to tap out :D Now, this said I have a lot to say on the subject but I'll keep this short to stay on track (& make another unrelated post to develop my thoughts.)

In my opinion, at the core of his lies stand different beliefs. And on the subject of leadership, I think one stands out in particular and aligns with the advice he gave Ruby : the need to perform at your best to give others a reason to follow you.

Ozpin is the reincarnation of a centuries-old wizard and the headmaster of a school : what is one aspect almost every character agrees on upon meeting him ? "Oh, he's wise. He's knowledgeable. He has the answers. He has his shit together. He can tell us what to do."

Inherently, Ozpin's existence inspires respect and reassure. Just like to a child, a parent is all-knowing and unbreakable, Ozpin's status automatically give others the assumption that he knows what he's doing. And this, in my opinion, is one of the core problems of his leadership.

May it be with his inner circle, with RWBY, with ANYONE really; as soon as Ozpin reveals himself there are unspoken expectations that will chain him. He has the knowledge, he was here when it all began, he's the one calling the shots so he HAS to know exactly what to do. In that situation, breaking down and revealing to everyone how lost Ozpin is, how out of his depth... is unconceivable. And this is where Ozpin's conception of leadership becomes a problem as well. If you always perform "at your best" then you keep your doubts to yourself, you hide your sorrows and you put on a brave face. There are expectations in place that Ozpin wants (needs even) to meet. And thus the hopes of others and Ozpin's desire to fulfill them feed one another, as a perfect recipe for disaster. Because the more time Ozpin spends acting as if everything is under control, the more the expectations pile up... And coming clean about his humanity, the fact that he's just as powerless as the rest of them, becomes impossible.

And in that sense, breaking down the pedestal Ozpin had been put on was probably one of the best thing to do for his own mental health (though the method lacked a bit of compassion in my opinion xD)

The other part that somehow causes problem is how RELIANT on him his inner circle is. Despite their apparent friendship, Ozpin is the clear leader and as soon as he's out of comission, everything falls apart. Ironwood is the only one to call out Oz but in the end still wishes for the wizard to tell him what to do in period of stress. Qrow plays spy and takes order but doesn't seem really interested in stading at Ozpin's side as an equal. Glynda is stern but still defers to him etc...

All of them FOLLOW Ozpin but are just a few steps off from standing at his side. And this is something I see reflected in Ruby.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Following optimism up until it fails you

In Vol6, as secrets and lies are brought to the light, the loss of Hope that Ozpin feared so deeply happens. Is it worth it ? What are we even going to do with an immortal foe ? Maybe we should just go home. In that situation, Ruby is the simple soul who manages to keep her optimism, stand tall and say "No. We are taking the lamp to Atlas." And from then on her position as a leader and a bacon of light is reaffirmed. As Jaune put it in V4 "You gave us the courage to follow you."

Now is that, in itself, a problem ? Of course not. In fact I loved seeing Ruby come into herself and take the lead in Vol6. The problem in truth comes after, from the ramifications. From Vol6 onward, Ozpin has essentially been rid of his leader position and Ruby inherited it. And on a surface level sure, they are pretty different. Ruby is certainly closer to her partners : they're a family and they care about each other.

However, she is still clearly put at the lead. The others relied on Ruby's optimism and resilience to get to Atlas, and continue to do so. Setting foot in Ironwood's office, Blake tells Ruby "We'll follow your lead". They trust her, and whatever Ruby does... goes. They lie to Ironwood and Yang expresses some hesitations but eventually rally to Ruby's decision. And I emphasize this again : it is Ruby's decision. They did not pre-emptively discuss this as a group and then let Ruby be the spoke-person. Yang herself in Vol8 criticizes not their actions but Ruby's choices. Ruby calls the shots, Ruby is responsible for what happens, Ruby is their beacon of hope... Ruby is the new Ozpin.

Ruby has to be optimistic, and make the decisions and take risks because she's the leader. When Ruby leaves the room to break down, conversation & strategy stalls : the others don't take the lead. When things go south, it's Ruby's choices that led them here. Ever since Ruby has left Beacon, the only person who consistently encouraged Ruby to express the BAD, to share the negative has been Oscar. Even her silver eyes ask her to focus on only the happy memories to go off without a hitch ! The others comfort, they smile, they trust, they love even. But they don't want depressed Ruby finally grieving, they don't want honest "I don't know what to do" : they try to bring back confident and optimistic "we're gonna try" Ruby Rose. They want their earnest and happy but ultimately perfect leader that gives them reason to follow. In the end, even if they deeply care for her and have no shortage of warm coated reassurances for the teen, they still chain her down with their expectations. Ruby is NOT built for this. And I don't even say that in the "why is a kid calling the shots" sense, but "why is a kid put in a position where she's RESPONSIBLE for calling the shots ?"

Ruby is the youngest of the group apart from Oscar. The others should not rely on her this much to function. Blake telling Ruby that she looks up to her and that they'll follow her lead is admittedly sweet, but still builds up the pressure weighing her down. Blake calling out for Ruby's help when the teen has just been crashed to the ground by the Hound isn't even sweet anymore. They're all supposed to be equals. Blake is just as capable as Ruby. Calling out to your mind-controlled friend to bring them back from the edge is good. Calling out to your 17-old sister who's been beaten up because you need her to fight isn't.

They need to recognize that Ruby should not hold up the place alone. Because yes, they love her. But at the end of the day, Ruby is still the one bearing the weight of their decisions... Alone, even surrounded.

✦ ✦ BURNED OUT - DODIE ✦ ✦

He was certain; So was I There was comfort in her sighs

Dreams and ideas should not be the same thing You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, she'd want it, if she knew She could take it, I thought too Be careful, be cautious but you just wished harder You waited, smiling for this?

"But they love you!" Over and over, "they love you!" Thousands and thousands of eyes just like mine Aching to find who they are

"Oh, they love you!" Oh, you can feel how they love you ! Coated and warm but that's all they can do Words only get through if they're sharp

Oh, how fitting For one so fake Make me a fairy Whatever it takes

And just like a tale my dream was a scam You waited, smiling for this?

I am burnt out I smell of smoke It seeps through her cracks and so I start to choke Sentences sit in her mouth that are templated You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, maybe I'll talk about it... (maybe I'll talk about it) I can just talk about it... (I can just talk about it) I'll never talk about it... (I'll never talk about it) No, I cannot talk about it...

Don't build hope on something broken I am not cartoon. Cry for help, I am not joking I might just leave soon

Luz remembered what the collector said differently.

In "Edge of the World" she recalled it being "let's slash and rend and crush and bruise, let's curse the land in nine bright hues". In "Hollow Mind", it was "we'll play together me and you, when we paint the land in nine bright hues".

This also happened in "Follies at the Coven Day Parade" where she remembered her mom telling her to never go back to the boiling isles but in "Yesterday's Lie" she actually told Luz to promise her to stay home and that she'll swear things will be different.

It's no surprise that she remembered those two events differently since they were both pretty emotional moments and plus human memory isn't perfect.

I know someone has said this before and that a lot of people figured it out but I thought it was still a cool detail.

How Oscar’s annual “goes missing” arc will go in Volume 9

Emerald: Ren! Nora! Oscar is missing!

Nora: Ah okay. Give him two days

Emerald:… You sound so used to this

Ren: Happens every year

Meanwhile

Oscar: Annual two day vacation, here I come!

Sketch CM of an AU in which Ozpin adopts a young Mercury Black away from his abusive father!

Honestly I agree with everything about this. Also because from what little we saw of him I think the original Ozma is more akin to a well-menaning himbo than a gentle & wise professor 👀

Finals are done, so Ozpin headcanon time!

Ozpin is one of the most eloquent and soft-spoken of all the reincarnations; and while there is more than one reason for it, this trait mostly stems from Ozpin becoming Beacon's headmaster so young.

Becoming the youngest headmaster put him in a position of power over not only the students barely younger than himself, but gave him political power with a seat on the council with people who were most likely older elected politicians. For the sake of his students- many who would view any act of authority from him with skepticism due to the small age gap- he had to learn how to present himself as someone approachable without making himself seem like a pushover to be challenged. And as a politician, Ozpin similarly had to show his own competence as a politician- to make sure the remaining council members didn't try to walk all over him- while making sure he didn't come off as too overpowering since he wasn't elected to his seat like the others were.

The answer to this was to learn how to use words to his fullest advantage. That means not only knowing the words to say, but how to say them. Ozpin quickly mastered how to use tone, body language, pitch, and other factors to help his words carry weight without them landing like an attack on others.

He also quickly learned how to use this skill guide people's thinking- which is fantastic for when he is encouraging students to think in new ways, as well as deflecting questions or conclusions from people who want to know a little too much ;P

Ozpin wants to help, really, it's just that their experience with opening up consists of repeatedly being killed, and they never went to therapy either

Ozpin: Don’t worry Oscar, I’ll always be here to help you when you’re in need

Oscar: Okay, I really need your help with my emotions

Ozpin who is terrible with emotions: Um… clean your room

Oscar: God dammit, you never help me ever!

I made some renders for the sake of my memes so I'm posting them here in case anyone else can make use of it :D