[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

Arslan Atlan was from Mistral, and she was used to heat. The Valean summer was proving to be rather difficult though. The increased humidity from the sea didn't help at all. So she had opted for something a bit lighter to wear on the weekend than her school uniform: A flowing robe and some yoga pants. It was not sacrilegious to dress comfortably, after all.

She walked out into the bright sunshine from the dorm, carrying a water bottle, intent upon the chapel to meditate... When she caught sight of Jaune Arc.

He had also dressed down due to the heat. Very down. He had only his jeans and sneakers, revealing his toned, muscular upper body.

He was practicing with his sword and shield, basic forms, but the sweat on his body made him shine in the sunlight. The scars on his body, rare for a Hunter with Aura activated since childhood, announced that he was a survivor. His determined expression, so unlike his usual goofy smiles, made him look manly and mature.

BONK.

She blinked. How had she ended up on her back? Why was Jaune over her, looking worried.

"Arslan? Sister Arslan? Are you okay?"

"Ah... I am fine, Jaune Arc, thank you," Arslan managed, her eyes locked onto his chest. Strange, why was she licking her lips? "What happened?"

"You uh..." Jaune coughed, "You walked into a tree."

Arslan blushed.

"Oh... I see," she murmured. She glanced over past Jaune. She could see a few other young Huntresses all staring or pretending to not stare their way. Especially one Pyrrha Nikos, whose red cheeks gave away her interest. Along with Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna-Even Weiss Schnee, surrounded by ice Dust fans, was a bit too haughty with how she looked away.

"You need any help?" Jaune asked. Arslan sat up and shook her head.

"No, I am fine. Why are you training outdoors in this manner?"

"Ah, Pyrrha said it was good for me," Jaune said with a shrug. "It's... A little embarrassing but she said it would help me improve."

So. Her rival was engaging in subterfuge just to ogle the man she sought for romance. Abusing his trust and making him into a show for her and her perverted, godless friends. Arslan would never expect such conduct from her esteemed rival! To be so conniving! So dishonest! So lewd!

"On second thought," Arslan said, "I believe I am suffering a slight head injury. Would you kindly take me to the infirmary?"

Jaune smiled guilelessly.

"Sure! Uh, you don't mind me carrying you bridal style? People might talk."

"Oh no, that will be fine," Arslan said, directing the tiniest of smirks towards her irate rival and her friends as Jaune picked her up and carried her off. She leaned into Jaune's broad bare chest and sighed happily.

Turns out Arslan was no better than her rival... But at the very least, she would pray and do penance for her sins later.

"You must be so hot," Arslan said, "Would you like this water?"

"Sure!" Jaune said with a grin. Arslan held up her water bottle for him to drink... And 'accidentally' spilled some on his chest.

"Oh. How clumsy of me," Arslan said, admiring the effect.

"Oh, it's okay!" Jaune said, still innocent and grinning.

Okay, so she would do a lot of prayer and penance.

Later.

 

[SharkCultist]

Nora Valkyrie was insane. Absolutely certifiably insane.

"I'll find you you bastard!"

How else would you describe someone arguing with the sky at 4 in the morning?

Somehow Nora got it stuck in her little brain ( "hey!" ) that the reason she can't get with Ren and Nobody can get with Jaune is because they're in a story and romance isn't plot relevant.

Poor deluded girl, maybe she just doesn't want to accept she's not hot enough, or Ren might be gay.

"Ex-fucking-cuse me I've got enough cake for a bakery and I've definitely caught Ren looking!"

See? complete denial.

"When I find you I'm going to make you hurt in ways you can't imagine."

Said the crazy girl who should probably be institutionalized. I mean really even if some all-powerful narrator was manipulating everything wha- *Thunk Thunk RIIIIIIp*

"Found you you bastard!"

Wait how the fu--------

"Ok now how do I work this thing?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I did have an old idea... Managed to find it. Rewatching Gundam: The 08th MS Team reminded me of it.

Jaune ends up in an alternate timeline where all the kingdoms are at war with one another. Vale, Menagerie and Atlas are allies at war with a resurgent Vacuo and Mistral. And he has to find his friends who are on different sides and pull them together to get back home.

His AU self is a Captain in command of a very successful squad of Valean troops. Yang is Jaune's right hand woman and a badass. Ruby is with them too, their squad engineer and scout (and a great strategist). Cardin and Coco are also on the squad, with May as their sniper.

Pyrrha is an enemy commander, as is Cinder and Ren. Arslan, Sun, Nora and many others fight with Pyrrha and Ren. Winter and Weiss are allied commanders, though cautious. And a few others are all other the place.

Blake is a princess trying to end the war peacefully, Adam fights with Menagerie's forces.

This reality's Jaune Arc is on a secret mission to find Princess Blake who claims to have vital intelligence that proves there's a darker force behind the war: Salem. And that mission was going fine... Until he was swapped with Jaune Arc from a regular RWBY reality.

Now, both Jaune Arcs need to navigate their respective realities and try to save their friends... And enemies.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Of all the things for Ruby to wake up to on a farm in Radian, North Sanus... An elephant trumpet was not one of them.

Ruby: "Eh?! HUH!? WHA?!"

Ruby and the rest of RWBY stumbled out of bed to the windows of their guest rooms. Ruby looked out with Yang from theirs, and Blake looked out from hers with Weiss's. All four stared at the scene of Jaune, in coveralls, feeding...

Ruby: "Is that an elephant?!"

Jaune: "Hm? Oh, good morning girls! Sorry about that."

Pyrrha, Nora and Ren also looked out through a guest window.

Nora: "An elephant?! Did you bring him here too?! Did we have a secret elephant companion?" She grins at RWBY "HA! IN YOUR FACE! WE HAVE AN ELEPHANT! HE'S WAY BETTER THAN ZWEI!"

Ruby: "IS NOT!"

Jaune: "What? No! This is Rupert! He's descended from Elephants the Shah of Rostram sent to my ancestor, King Charlemagne D'Arc, several centuries ago!"

Weiss: "Wha... Wait... You're descended from THAT Arc?!"

Jaune: "Er, yeah. Anyway, the Shah sent a lot of elephants and we've been taking care of them ever since. Rupert here just wanders around while his herd is elsewhere in the valley."

Weiss: "Don't they get cold in the winter?"

Jaune: "Oh, they grow out their fur for that! I dunno, they're like mammoth elephants? Anyway, say hello Rupert!"

Rupert trumpets happily.

Pyrrha: "Can... We pet Rupert?"

Jaune: "If you're nice. He only likes pretty girls. So you'll all have no issues." grins and winks

Much blushing.

Yang: "Wha... Why the hell wasn't he this confident in Beacon?"

Nora: "It's probably because he has an elephant with him."

Blake: "That... Would make sense, I suppose."

- - -

A few French monarchs did get elephants as gifts from foreign nations so it might make sense for Jaune's ancestors to have gotten some. And they're still around in one form or another. And they're wooly elephants because... I say so.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Turns out that having some kind of artistic talent is a graduation requirement at Beacon. Something like music or dance or art. Weiss smugly has it covered, and unfortunately Blake's smutty fanfics don't count, so Ruby, Yang and Blake seek out Jaune and Ren to learn some proper dance. Weiss comes along to mock them.

Weiss: "HA! You're desperate enough to ask Arc for help? You truly are doomed!"

Yang: "Hah! What could you teach me about dancing, VB?"

Jaune: Very intense, but calm "... Ren? The tango."

Ren: "The tango?"

Jaune: "The tango."

Ren starts the music... And Jaune takes the lead with Yang.


View: https://youtu.be/EZz-OCiMzfs?list=RDEZz-OCiMzfs

He is in total control the entire dance, even as Yang begins to try and assert herself, he confidently retakes the lead and practically manhandles her through the song... And she's left bright red and panting by the end.

Jaune: "Any questions, ladies?"

Weiss: bright red "... W-Well, given my musical background I suppose I can go next."

Ruby: "Nuh uh! I have two left feet, Weiss! I'm dancing next!"

Blake: "Stealthily" bumps Yang out of the way to take Jaune's hands.

Yang: "Wha-HEY! It was one song!"

Blake: "I'm very committed to my education."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune and Ren were out meditating. Well, Ren was meditating. Jaune was standing on his head at Ren's direction.

Jaune: "Gah... Uh... You sure you trained like this, Ren?"

Ren: "Very sure."

Jaune: "Nnnngh... How do you achieve inner peace standing on your head?!"

Ren: "Practice."

Jaune: scowls "Like not getting upset over your teacher making you do ridiculous things?"

Ren: faint smile "Exactly."

Jaune sighed. There was a boom of laughter.

???: "Hahaha! Oh man, I remember that! Shifu put me through that all the time at the start!"

Ren's eyes widen in shock. He immediately rises and turns to the source of the voice. Jaune looks as best he can while still standing on his head: It is a muscular but portly Panda Faunus, dressed in elegant green robes with a conical hat and a wooden staff.

Ren immediately puts his fist in his other hand in front of his chest and bows.

Ren: "Master Po! I-I did not know you were coming!"

Po: "Well I was in the area. Tigress is getting checked out at the hospital, and I wanted to see how you were doing." He smiled gregariously "Your student?"

Ren: "He is my team leader... And friend."

Po: smiles wider

Jaune gets off his head and rises with a smile.

Jaune: "I'm Jaune Arc!"

Po: bows "I'm Po! Ren was my student!"

Jaune: "So, wait, you're... A kung fu master?"

Po: smiles "I'm called a master, but you never truly master anything. You learn something new every day..."

Jaune: "Huh... Sounds familiar."

Po: "Now! Let's catch up..." his stomach growls "At the cafeteria."

They get to the cafeteria. Nora, Pyrrha, and RWBY all arrive in interest. Nora in particular makes her appearance properly.

Nora: "PO!" She tackle hugs him, sending him to his back

Po: "HAHAHA! Nora! I missed you too!"

Nora: "How is Old Tavish?!"

Po: "He's doing well! Still blowing things up but he's happy in retirement."

Nora: "YAY!"

Ren quickly introduces Po to the others. Yang in particular is skeptical.

Yang: "You're Zen's master?"

Po: happily eating some meat buns "Mmhm! Hnnn... They're way too salty."

Ren: "I agree, Master."

Nora: "Yeah! Ren's pork buns are way better!"

Po: "He was very good at those. I also taught him cooking!"

Nora: beams

Yang: "Uh huh..."

Weiss: "You just seem... Very unlike what we expected."

Yang: "I mean, can you even run a mile?"

Ren: scowl "Yang! This man took me and Nora into his home! He trained me!"

Yang: holds her hands up "Hey hey! I'm sorry! No offense meant-!"

Po: holds up his own hand "Ren. It's all right."

Ren scowls, but slowly becomes calm again. Everyone is surprised at his outburst.

Po: "Heh. Nobody thought I was cut out to be a Kung Fu master when I started, either. Me least of all. But! It turns out that appearances can be deceiving. Not that it was easy. I sucked. I sucked hard, at the start. But eventually... With enough hard work... You realize that appearances can be deceiving... And you can stop sucking..."

Po held out his hand. The pork buns in the bowl lit up with his Aura, and fly up into the air. Everyone stares in astonishment at this show of Aura control and technique. Po makes them fly around over his head, and then behind him. He smiles.

Po: "But only if you believe you can be more than what you appear to be."

He waved his hand and the buns float down back into the bowl. Yang stares... Then grins.

Yang: "Can you teach me that?"

Po: "Maybe! Right now I gotta make some real food. Come on Ren! We're commandeering the kitchen! Let's make you and your friends a real meal! We'll be right back!"

Ren: "Yes Master."

Ren and Po go into the kitchen. Most of the staff is gone, and they don't mind the intrusion. Po begins to cook, as Ren watches dilligently. The young man sighs.

Ren: "I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have lost my temper. I don't have any right to-to defend you or... Or anything. Not after what I did."

Po: "Hm? And what did you do?" He begins to make noodles, handmade

Ren: "I..." he bowed his head, as he began to make the buns on the preparation table "I left. With Nora."

Po: "Yeah. And why?"

Ren: "I wanted to be a Hunter... And..."

Po: "And?"

Ren: "... Avenge my family."

Po: begins frying up the noodles while cooking the soup, and cooking up pork "Wanting justice isn't a bad thing, Ren. I wanted justice for my family, too. And being a Hunter is a great thing! Protecting and saving people, pow pow pow! That's great!"

Ren smiles slightly. Po then looks sad.

Po: "But vengeance... Vengeance is not the way to do it."

Ren: "I shouldn't kill that monster?"

Po: "I didn't say that. What I did say..." And here Po looks sad "Is that you shouldn't go into a fight if you aren't planning on coming back alive."

Ren pauses.

Ren: "... I would fight to kill it-"

Po: "And wouldn't care if you died with your family, as long as it died too."

Ren: grimaces

Po: "Hey. My masters did the whole 'I can see into your mind' thing with me, too. I was amazing and annoyed by it, all the time... Your dough's getting dry."

Ren: "Ah..." He applies a pinch of water and finishes kneading the dough

Po: "You know, it was a very sad day when you two left. You were really good, Ren. Amazing, even. One day, you could be better than me."

Ren: "I-I could never be the Dragon Warrior-"

Po: "Heh. And that's what I said too." He pours the prepared pork and broth into the buns, closes them with Aura energy, and puts them into the oven to cook "For me? It was doubting that I was anything more than some fat dummy raised by the best cook in the Valley of Peace. For you? It's fear and anger."

Ren: "I don't fear-"

Po: "You fear, Ren. Come on man. Be honest. You fear getting too close to anyone because you think you're going to die." He looked Ren in the eyes "Because part of you feels you deserve to."

Ren: "... Shouldn't I?"

Po: "Wha-Of course not, Ren! It's not your fault the Nucklavee killed everyone, anymore than it's my fault some crazy peacock attacked my village!" He rested a hand on Ren's shoulder "And most importantly, you saved Nora."

Ren looks out into the cafeteria. Nora is happily talking about the Valley of Peace and her mentor. She catches his eyes and smiles warmly.

Ren: "... I did..."

Po: smiles "She cares for you, Ren. Loves you. And you don't want to break her heart, do you?"

Ren: "... I do not. But..."

Po: nods "Yeah. I get it. And hey, one conversation doesn't fix everything. That's just in movies."

He pulls out the buns, and uses Aura to levitate one

Po: "But it's like my dad said: It's like pork buns."

Ren: "Pork buns?"

Po: "Every single pork bun adds up. You eat one on your own, eh. It's just a meal. Even if they do taste really, really good. But! Keep making pork buns, and you have more people come in. They pay you to make more if you make them good enough. They come to eat, and talk, and you meet great people. You become friends. Even family. And after a while, the pork buns aren't just pork buns. They're every happy meal, every satisfied customer, all your happy memories." He smiled, and popped the pork bun into his mouth... Then yelps "AH! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT! TOO HOT!"

Ren... Actually smiles.

Ren: "... Master... I am sorry I left you in anger."

Po: "Eh... As long as you don't come back to take revenge on everyone, you're good. Just like..." He popped the pork bun into his mouth "This pork bun."

- - -

It's a bit rough but what do you think about the direction?

 

[SharkCultist]

So I wanted to take a few tropes and humble them together. Along with a healthy dose of Fuck Raven.

Let's see, age and character jumble, adoption, different semblance, aaaand orphan Jaune.

---

Sometimes Yang hates being a twin. There are perks to it, like the slightly larger aura pool, but there are downsides too.

Like being slightly able to feel her sisters emotions in the back of her head, and right now Raven was feeling a mix of satisfaction and amusement.

Never a good thing when that bitch is involved.

So it didn't surprise her when she heard that bandits had wiped out a settlement.

It did surprise her to hear that it was one of the bigger ones, Radium was no kingdom but it was fair to say it wouldn't take more than a decade to make it viable as one.

So hearing it was burnt to the ground was shocking. Hearing that some of the children were unaccounted for among the bodies was worse.

Yeah no that shit isn't going to fly this time.

She calls up the rest of team BRNN. (Team BURN - Branwen Ren Nora Nikos . they're not sure why Ozpin made the name two first names two last but who really cares. Led by Yang.) Two months of tracking and they descended on the tribe like a meteor, grenades and bullets flying like rain into the bandit scum.

Most of the kids were already gone, sold off or worse. But they found one. Sitting in the back of a cage. Blonde hair down to his ankles and blue eyes dull. They almost thought he was dead.

---

Qrow stares at the boy a few years younger than him blankly. The boy stares back equally blank (of not moreso).

"What exactly am I looking at?"

"Your new baby brother!"

"What? Why? I really don't wanna share a room with some brat even if he is quiet as a statue."

"Look he's staying. He doesn't have anywhere else to go....Raven made sure of that."

Qrow looked again at the blank faced boy.

"Mom did this to him?"

"Yeah. They were trying to semblance shape him."

"Still in signal here, need some explanation on that "

"Right you usually don't hear about this til the later years of Beacon....ok so you know how some people believe your personality shapes your semblance? Well some people try to influence what semblance a person develops by trying to shape their personalities."

"And Raven tried that crazy new age crap with this kid?"

"Tried and succeeded."

"What?!"

"Kept him in a cage for months and only let him out for fights, only fed or watered him when he won. They didn't even let him keep his name, they only referred to him as Hunger, we wouldn't even know his name if it wasn't for blood test."

"Brothers that's fucked up."

"Yeah and it gets worse. When they actually unlocked his semblance its like it was the embodiment of banditry. He keeps what he kills."

"Huh?"

"Aura capacity, muscle memory, semblances, all of it. He kills it, he keeps it."

"Holy crap."

"Yeah. He's a bit clingy with our team since we saved him. Since Ren and Nora already have seven daughters they couldn't take him, well they could but....no, and Pyrrha is famous so we didn't want to put a traumatized kid through the paparazzi hell. So he's staying with us."

"So what actually is his name?"

"His name is Jaune Arc."

"Fine. I'll help look after the munchkin. But I'm keeping the top bunk."

"Don't worry bird boy you can keep your nest."

And for a second Qrow could have sworn he saw the ghost of a smile on Jaunes face for a second.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The Beacon courtyard was a riot of color and sound, first-year students milling about with nervous energy framed by the faint hum of airships in the distance. Jaune Arc, his blond hair mussed and his armor slightly askew, trudged through the crowd, his shield clanking against his hip. Trailing him was a tiny blonde Faunus girl, no older than four, her fluffy kitty ears twitching as she clutched a stuffed bunny and toddled after him, her big blue eyes sparkling with awe.

"Papa! Papa, look! It's a castle!" she squealed, pointing at Beacon's towering spires. Team RWBY and Team JNPR, gathered near a fountain, froze as the word Papa cut through the chatter. Ruby Rose's cookie paused mid-bite, crumbs tumbling. Weiss Schnee's jaw dropped, her ice-blue eyes narrowing. Yang Xiao Long's grin faltered, her lilac eyes flicking between Jaune and the kid. Blake Belladonna's ears twitched under her bow, her book forgotten. Pyrrha Nikos blinked, her smile tightening, while Nora Valkyrie gasped, "A MINI JAUNE?!"

Ren sighed, pinching his nose.

Weiss was the first to recover, her voice sharp as she stormed over, Myrtenaster glinting at her side.

"Arc! Explain yourself! Why is a child calling you Papa?!"

Jaune flinched, his hands flailing as the girl clung to his leg, her ears drooping and eyes becoming wide and scared. It made Weiss falter a bit as Jaune put a hand on her head comfortingly.

"I-I'm not a predator, I swear!" he yelped, his face scarlet. "She's my daughter! Mia Arc!"

"Your WHAT?!" Yang roared, her hair sparking as she loomed over him. "Vomit Boy's a dad?!"

Ruby's silver eyes went wide, her voice a squeak.

"Jaune, you have a kid?! That's so cool! But, like, how?!"

Blake opened her mouth, but Yang turned and glared at her.

"No!" She growled.

Blake's gaze softened, but her voice was wary as she shifted to another subject.

"And where's her mother? Why isn't she here?"

Jaune's shoulders slumped, his blue eyes darting down with grief as he scooped Mia into his arms, her tiny hands clutching his hoodie. The teams fell silent, sensing the shift.

"Her mom… Katie… she's gone," he said, his voice low, raw. "Katie was my girlfriend, a cat Faunus from Radian. We were… young, stupid, in love. She got pregnant, and Mia was born, but… Katie died a few days after childbirth. Complications." He swallowed hard, stroking Mia's ears as she nuzzled him. "Katie made me promise to follow my dream of being a Huntsman, even when I was scared. Said it'd make Mia proud."

The courtyard seemed to hush, the weight of his words sinking in. Pyrrha's hand touched his arm, her emerald eyes soft.

"Jaune… I'm so sorry."

Nora's usual grin was gone, her voice quiet.

"That's… really heavy, Jaune-Jaune."

Weiss's indignation faltered, her voice gentler.

"You're… raising her alone?" Jaune nodded, his jaw tight. Yang gave him an empathetic look, and walked over to rest a hand on his shoulder. He nodded to her gratefully.

"My parents helped, but my mom didn't want me at Beacon—too dangerous with Mia. I almost gave up, but… Mom caved when she saw how much Katie's wish meant to me. And Ozpin…"

He glanced at the headmaster's tower, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "He accepted me, even with Mia. Said something about 'potential in adversity.'"

Ruby's eyes sparkled, her voice brightening. "That's amazing, Jaune! You're, like, a superhero dad! Mia's gonna have the coolest papa ever!"

Mia giggled, her ears perking up. "Papa's the best! He makes bunny pancakes!"

Yang's grin returned, softer now, as she ruffled Mia's hair.

"Kid's got taste. You're alright, VB... Jaune."

Jaune looked a bit surprised, but pleasantly so.

Blake's gaze lingered on Mia, a flicker of warmth in her eyes.

"She's lucky to have you, Jaune."

Weiss huffed, crossing her arms, but her tone was approving. "Well, Arc, you'd better not let fatherhood distract you from training. Beacon's no place for slacking."

"I know, I won't," Jaune said earnestly.

Ren's voice was calm, a rare smile curving his lips.

"He won't. Jaune's stronger than he looks."

Nora bounced back, her grin manic. "Mia's our new team mascot! We'll teach her to smash Grimm with hammers!"

Jaune chuckled, his grief easing under their support, Mia giggling and squirming in his arms as Nora began to play with her.

"Thanks, guys. Just… don't let her near Nora's pancakes. She'll eat the whole stack."

"Will not!" Nora protested.

"Will too!" Mia shot back. Nora grinned.

"Our battle... WILL BE LEGENDARY!"

The teams broke down into laughter.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The JNPR dorm was a warm, cluttered haven, filled with the scent of Nora's pancakes and the soft giggles of Mia Arc, Jaune's four-year-old half-Faunus daughter, her cat ears twitching as she colored a picture of a bunny knight. Teams RWBY and JNPR lounged around, the air light with chatter, until Cardin Winchester's voice cut through like a jagged blade.

"Didn't think Beacon let halfbreeds run around. What's next, Grimm pets?" His sneer was directed at Mia, his words dripping with venom, as he looked in through the open door.

The room froze, the teams' eyes snapping to Jaune. Mia's ears drooped, her crayon pausing mid-stroke, her blue eyes confused. Jaune's face went still, his jaw tightening as he took a deep, shuddering breath, his aura flickering faintly gold. He rose, his voice low and dangerously calm.

"Cardin? We're going outside. Pyrrha? Please look after Mia." Pyrrha Nikos, her emerald eyes flashing with quiet fury, nodded, kneeling beside Mia with a gentle smile.

"Of course, Jaune."

Cardin's glare sharpened, his mace resting on his shoulder.

"Oh?"

"We are going outside," Jaune repeated, his voice a steel edge, "and working this out."

Cardin sneered, his teeth glinting in the light.

"All right by me, Arc," he growled. Jaune took his sword and shield, and girded them on. They headed out.

The door slammed behind them, leaving a tense silence. Nora's grin was gone, her turquoise eyes hard as she clutched her hammer. Ruby's silver eyes darted nervously, while Yang's hair sparked faintly, her fists clenched. Blake's ears twitched under her bow, her amber gaze dark. Ren's calm facade cracked, his fingers tightening. Weiss's lips pursed, her Glyphs flickering briefly, as if itching to follow.

Twenty minutes later, the door creaked open. Jaune and Cardin staggered back in, both battered, their clothes torn and bruises blooming across their faces, slowly fading under their healing auras. Jaune's knuckles were raw, his leather and armor scuffed, but his glare was unyielding as he shadowed Cardin.

The larger boy winced with every step, his usual swagger gone, his face pale.

Mia hopped off her chair, her cat ears perked as she ran to Jaune, frowning up at him.

"Papa! What did you do?" Her voice was stern, her tiny hands on her hips. "Did you hurt him?"

Jaune knelt, his expression softening as he ruffled her hair, careful not to jostle her ears.

"No, no… we had a disagreement. But we sorted it out properly." He turned his glare up to Cardin. "Didn't we?"

Cardin, still wincing, nodded stiffly, his voice low and rough. "…Yeah. I'm… I'm sorry. I was… I was wrong."

He glanced at Mia, his eyes low with shame, before turning and limping out silently.

Jaune sank onto the couch, exhaling heavily, his hands trembling slightly. Nora and Ruby swooped in, distracting Mia with a game of "bunny knights," their laughter easing the tension.

Blake, her book forgotten, leaned forward, her voice quiet but piercing.

"…You could have beaten him into a coma."

Jaune's eyes met hers, a storm of emotions swirling—anger, grief, restraint.

"I could have…" he admitted, his voice low, raw. "But that wouldn't solve the problem. And…"

He took a deep breath, his gaze softening as he watched Mia giggle with Nora. "I promised Katy I'd be a good example for our daughter."

His voice hardened, his eyes glowing with a fierce gold.

"No matter how much I wanted to kill him or just beat him up… it wouldn't solve anything. So… we fought, we worked it out… he's going to do better…"

His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "Or else."

The room fell silent, the weight of Jaune's resolve settling over them. Ruby's eyes sparkled with admiration, while Yang's grin was grudgingly proud. Weiss's scowl softened, her voice quiet.

"You're stronger than I thought, Arc."

"Thanks," Jaune said. Pyrrha's hand rested on his shoulder, her smile warm but protective. Ren nodded, his calm restored, while Nora's cheer returned, her voice booming, "That's our Jaune-Jaune! Scary Dad mode, activated!"

Mia climbed into Jaune's lap, her tiny arms wrapping around him. "Papa's the best knight," she declared, her ears twitching happily. Jaune's smile was tired but genuine, as he ruffled his daughter's blonde hair.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

You know, here's an idea: What if we made him a Char clone? That immediately makes him much more interesting. Even without the MS stuff, making Adam seeking revenge against Menagerie and humanity all makes him FAR better as an antagonist!

What if he was part of the royal family of Menagerie? Betrayed by the Faunus Revolutionaries and sent to the mines? He saved Ghira's life as part of a long running plot to get in a position to overthrow Menagerie's government and take revenge for his family?

But along the way he began to fall in love with Blake. And now he has a problem.

Char-Clone Adam could have a scene like this with Blake:

Blake: "How-How could you go this far?! Against fellow Faunus-!"

Adam: "Because you betrayed me first."

Blake: "You hate humans-!"

Adam: "And I hated the Republic of Menagerie more! For taking everything from my family! For condemning us to die in a mine! Humans are humans, but you! You had a choice to NOT betray your fellow Faunus!"

Blake: "I didn't betray you! I stood for what was right, for how we could be, how we should be!"

Adam: "Lies, you stand for nothing, you didn't stand for peace, you didn't stand for your people and you didn't stand for me!..... You run, because that's all you know how to do. Running from the truth, running from what's necessary!"

Blake: "That's not true, I changed, people change, People can change that's what we should be aiming for!"

Adam: "You're so naive Blake, yes people can change, but you never saw the reason behind that change. Fear and violence forces change, you just stuck your head in the sand and refused to accept it after we crossed lines you couldn't handle!"

Blake: "Your family sold our fellow Faunus into slavery!"

Adam: "My family did the best they could under the heel of the humans! We planned to revolt when the time was right. But that wasn't good enough for your parents! They decided to SURRENDER to the humans! Try to make PEACE! And sacrifice their fellow Faunus to do it! Including my entire family! So who's morally superior here, Blake?! The humans wiped us out, but the blood of my family is on your family's hands!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

...I'm imagining a dignified looking older gentlemen in a crisp suit. Clean shaven, white hair combed neatly. Looks like the perfect butler.

Isn't.

"Why are we letting a human hang around base? We should rough him up!"

"I wish a bitch would try."

"Did he just beat Jim unconscious with a steaming kettle?"

"Ah damn Adam is gonna be pissed.that was his mom's kettle."

Click to shrink...

Blake enters into Adam's room at their latest HQ.

Blake: "Adam, I wanted to discuss..."

A balding middle aged human in elegant trousers and waistcoat with an eyepatch and a neatly trimmed white beard is standing at attention.

Blake: "Ah... Adam? Who is this?"

Adam: "Hm? Oh! This is Drennel, my human slave. Say hello, Drennel!"

Drennel: bows "Your Highness."

Blake: "Wha-You have a slave?!"

Adam: "He's human, and I pay him for it. So... He's more like a servant but he insists on being called a slave. Just like your Astrid."

Blake: "B-But we don't call her a slave! She's a maid!"

Adam: "Fine, he's my butler. Is that better for your overly sensitive ears?" Looks at Drennel "Honestly, she's such a bleeding heart."

Drennel: "Indubitably, sir."

Blake: "But why are you keeping him around?"

Adam: "Apparently there are traitors in the White Fang, and the only thing that is truly reliable in this world is your gun-sword and a fully broken slave. When were you broken, Drennel?"

Drennel: "Forty years, eleven months, three days ago, sir."

Adam: "Huh! We're coming up on the anniversary. We'll have to celebrate."

Drennel: "May I have anchovies, sir?"

Adam: "Only if you're good and Blake doesn't want any."

Drennel: "Very good sir."

Adam: "Now, want to watch him juggle? He's very good at juggling, Blake."

Blake: "... Why is he juggling skulls?"

Adam: "What? Did you think they're the skulls of his ancestors or something, Blake?"

Blake: "Wha-Why would I think that-?!"

Adam: "I mean I know a number of Faunus families still do that in secret but your father outlawed the practice. These skulls are from some humans I caught and killed. Drennel did the preparation!"

Drennel: "I'm very good with embalming fluid, Your Highness."

Blake: "... I'm... Uh... Good. If you'll excuse me Adam, I am having... Womanly issues and will not be sharing your bed tonight."

Adam: "Ah, yes. We should wait until marriage until you have my children. You're good with children, right Drennel?"

Drennel: "Very good, sir. I can make balloon animals."

Adam: "He can make balloon animals!"

In the present...

Blake: "It was about then I realized Adam may have been too far gone to follow any longer."

Yang: deadpan "Gee, ya think?"

Nora: "Oooh! Balloon animals! I love balloon animals!" turns to Astrid, Blake's human maid "Can you make balloon animals, Astrid?"

Astrid: "I'm afraid my training as a human servant did not cover that area, miss."

Nora: "Phooey!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

So, once again, my Discord server got into a discussion about the backstories of a few other characters. And one of them was General James Ironwood and Sienna Khan.

One thought we had was that Ironwood and Khan were on the same Atlas military team in the past. During a mission, they were sent in on dubious orders into an ambush by raiders or a local warlord's troops in Mistral. Their team leader sacrificed himself to save them, but during the mission Ironwood was so badly injured he had to become a cyborg later. This same team leader instructed his troops to blame him for everything going wrong.

Later, they learned that the people who executed the mission knew it was going to fail but had to make the effort due to politics and were willing to sacrifice soldiers for their own ends. They blamed Ironwood and Khan's commander for the mission failure. This outrage prompted Ironwood to dedicate all of his efforts into becoming a general and getting enough clout to prevent this sort of tragedy from ever happening again. In contrast, this incident is what led to Sienna leaving the Atlas military and joining the White Fang, reasoning that if humanity was willing to enslave Faunus AND sacrifice their own in such pointless, horrible ways, the only way to change the system was through violence.

This gives both Ironwood and Khan a LOT more background and character and could be used to facilitate a lot of interesting stories. Even if they weren't romantically involved at some point, this dichotomy could be very interesting. What do you think?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A few years before canon, at a diplomatic dinner, where the White Fang is now seen as the militant arm of Menagerie but not widely seen as a terrorist organization (yet)... Sienna and James meet again. They get wine they sip as they look out the window from a balcony.

Ironwood: "It's been a while."

Sienna: "It has, yes. A very long while."

Silence.

Ironwood: "You need to stop your attacks."

Sienna: "What attacks-?"

Ironwood: scowl "Sienna... Don't."

Sienna: "... It's just for the purposes of gaining leverage."

Ironwood: "And you think you can put the genie back in the bottle? You think you can keep it under control?"

Sienna: "We don't have any choice. It's the only way to change things for the better!"

Ironwood: "I'm trying to change the system from inside!"

Sienna: "And that won't work! You have to make too many compromises!"

Ironwood: "You'd prefer to burn everything to the ground, no matter how many people you end up killing?!"

Sienna: "There's no other way to compel change!"

They glare at one another. They both untense a little. James drinks, as Sienna does too. Silence falls, heavy and oppressive.

Sienna: "... You could have come with me."

Ironwood: "No. I couldn't. You made that clear. There are no humans in the White Fang."

Sienna: "... I would have made an exception for you."

Ironwood: "You can't have it both ways, Sienna."

Sienna: "And if I had come with you?"

Ironwood: "You wouldn't be a terrorist. We would have been making real change-together."

Sienna: "You're right. I am a terrorist. But we're making things change. Real change."

Ironwood: "Through fear, and hatred, and resentment."

Sienna: "Everything has a price."

Ironwood: "And how long does that price get too high?"

Sienna: "... I don't know."

They fall into silence again. They again sip their wine, bitterly.

Ironwood: "If we keep this up, Sienna... One day, I'll have to kill you. Or you'll have to kill me."

Sienna: "... It doesn't have to come to that."

Ironwood: "You know better."

Sienna: deep sigh "... There was a time I would have given up everything for you. Was there a time like that for you?"

Ironwood: "... I can't answer that. And it's not fair to ask me that."

Sienna: "No... No, it isn't."

Silence falls again. From some distance away, their subordinates are watching this exchange. One Winter Schnee, and one Adam Taurus-Before he went over the line.

Winter: "... They had a thing."

Adam: "What? No! Sienna would never sully herself with-"

Winter: "A human?"

Adam: "... An Atlasian military commander."

Winter: smirk "I suppose men are all the same, whether human or Faunus."

Adam: "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Winter: sips her wine "They cannot see what's right in front of them when a woman is in love."

Adam: "Hmph..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

If Mordred had trained Jaune, things would have been very different, that's for sure. Mordred is a very kind, wonderful woman and loves her nephew... But she is definitely a Blood Knight. And so...

Jaune: Unleashes a massive Aura Slash that cuts a Deathstalker in two "... DAMNIT! That's it? This isn't even half as hard as what Auntie put me through! Ugh, this school is going to be soooo boring!"

Pyrrha: drooling, yandere look

Yang: same

Nora: "Can you teach me how to do that?!"

Jaune: "Totally!"

Nora: "YAY!"

Later...

Ruby: "Um, Jaune? Blake is actually a former terrorist and we think she's going off to stop them and-"

Jaune: "Hold it. We're fighting terrorists?"

Ruby: "Um, maybe, but mainly we're trying to find Blake-"

Jaune; "If we find Blake, will we get to fight terrorists?"

Ruby: "I mean, maybe-?"

Jaune: "YES! COUNT US IN!"

Later...

Blake: "JAUNE! STOP! THEY SURRENDERED!"

Jaune: "Did they?"

White Fang Thug: "HA! Like we'd ever surrender to some human fool with a stupid sword and his whores!"

Jaune: "... He's totally asking for it."

Blake: "N-No!"

Weiss: "He is. Jaune? All yours."

Ruby: "YEAH!"

Yang: "Come on, stop hogging all the action!"

Pyrrha: "He's MY partner, we're beating this fucker together!"

Nora: "Awwww... We're running out of thugs to break!"

Ren: "Jaune, Nora's sad. You're hogging all the fighting."

Jaune: "Aw man, I'm sorry guys. Tell you what. You all get to beat up the rest of them!"

Yang, Weiss, Ruby, Nora, Pyrrha: "WOO!"

Ren: "Woo."

Blake: "SERIOUSLY?! YOU SHOULDN'T ENJOY THIS!"

Jaune: "I'm really not. I thought I was fighting hardcore terrorists but these guys all suck!"

Nora: "WHEEEE! TRY HITTING THEM LIKE A BASEBALL! BATTER UP!"

WF Thug: "PLEASE NO-ARRRGGGHHHH!"

Jaune smacks the guy back with the flat of his sword... Sighs

Jaune: "I mean that was KIND of fun..."

Blake: "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Jaune: "Says the former terrorist princess."

Blake: "I'M TRYING TO DO BETTER!"

Later... When they encounter Adam...

Adam: Unleashes a Moonslice... Jaune barely dodges it

Jaune: "Wow... That was awesome! Here's my Aura Slash!" Unleashes his Golden blast, which Adam barely dodges

Adam: "Impressive... Golden Lion's Roar?"

Jaune: "You know it?"

Adam: "So, you're descended from Arturia Pendragon?"

Jaune: "Yeah, she's my Nana! And my auntie Mordred trained me."

Adam: "... She was so terrifyingly cool."

Jaune: "I KNOW RIGHT?! You're all right, masked man!"

Blake: "HE'S A CRAZY TERRORIST!"

Jaune: "Blake! I am talking with him right now! Don't be rude!"

Adam: "Yeah Blake. Don't be rude."

Blake: "WHAT?!"

Adam: sighs "She's my ex."

Jaune: "Oh wow."

Adam: "Does she still do that screechy thing when she's upset?"

Jaune: "All the time! It's really annoying!"

That was the day, Jaune and Adam made a pact promising that should they ever fall in battle against the other it would be done "with the coolest, most epic finisher ever!"

Adam: "Yes, and whoever wins has to go 'To the best enemy I ever had.'"

Jaune: "Oh! Oh! It should be to a sunset!"

Adam: "Yeah, sunset would be rad. Or a thunderstorm."

Jaune: "Thunderstorm during a sunset!"

Blake: "ARE YOU BOTH TWELVE?!"

Yang: "I dunno, that does sound pretty cool."

Blake: "YAAANG!"

Adam: "Blake, please. My new best arch nemesis and I are trying to talk! We'll get back together later!"

Blake: Scoff "ARE YOU KIDDING?! I DON'T WANT TO GET BACK WITH YOU! AND HE'S A HUMAN! YOU HATE HUMANS!"

Adam: "But I finally met a human who GETS ME! Dramatic battles where we debate the meaning of life and the philosophy of warriors!"

Jaune: "And with massive explosions and super cool attacks!"

Adam: "YES! The essence of a warrior's life is debating and fighting for your ideals while making it look as awesome as possible!"

Jaune: "TOTALLY!"

Blake: "I thought you wanted to liberate Faunuskind and rule over mankind!"

Adam: "I can want two things at once! Maybe three. I want a sandwich, can you get me one Blake?"

Jaune: "Can I also have a sandwich?"

Adam: "Jaune also wants a sandwich."

Yang: "I'll get Jaune a sandwich."

Blake: "WHERE'S YOUR SELF RESPECT?!"

Yang: "What? I'm not getting your ex a sandwich."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune: "Auntie Mordred? I have girls fighting to become my girlfriend. What do I do?"

Mordred: "What are you, a pussy? TAKE THEM ALL! Only a coward would let them fight over you! That way, everyone wins!"

Jaune: "Well, if you say so Auntie!"

Mordred: "What about this one? gestures to Blake"

Juane: "Oh, she's my rival's ex. It just wouldn't be right."

Mordred: "Rival?"

Juane: "Yeah, we don't know each other well enough to be each other's nemesis, but we're working on it."

Mordred: "What kind of rival?"

Jaune: "Adam Taurus."

Mordred: "Wait wait wait... That cool edgy terrorist guy? Wants to rule over humanity and take revenge for Faunuskind's mistreatment?"

Jaune: "Y-Yeah... I mean he's my first rival and all but he's actually pretty cool! He thinks all battles should have awesome soundtracks and awesome attacks and explosions! And he has a sword that's also a shotgun!"

Mordred: "Well! That's good, Jaune! I'm very proud you found such a fantastic rival for your first!"

Jaune: "Thanks, I'm pretty excited too!"

Mordred: "Did he quote any classic literature?"

Jaune: "He actually quoted parts of Moby Dick not in the Space Quest movies!"

Mordred: "Oh, he's a keeper for sure!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss dragged Jaune into RWBY's common room, once again. She points at a dark skinned man in a slick red coat and tasteful white slacks.

Weiss: "You! This-This is another of your crazy relatives!"

Man: "This is mine!" Picks up a sock "And this is mine!" Claims a pillow

Jaune: "What?"

Weiss: "Whenever someone weird or bizarre shows up, chances are, it's got something to do with you!"

Jaune: "I have never seen this man in my life!"

Man: spins around "Who are you?"

Jaune: "Um, I'm Jaune-"

Man: "Doesn't matter, you're mine now!" Sprays him in the face.

Jaune: "BWEH! BLACH! What is this?"

Man: "You're mine now!"

Blake charges in with a scowl.

Blake: "Uncle Cat!"

Cat: "Oh, hey Blake!"

Weiss: slow, tense "Your Uncle... Named Cat?"

Blake: "Yes, he's named Cat!"

Weiss: "Isn't that stereotypical?"

Blake: "You don't get to say anything about that-AND HANDS OFF! He's mine!"

Cat: "Well... I saw him first!"

Blake: "You didn't! He's mine!"

Cat: sniff "Well, I didn't want him anyway! His jeans and boots are a terrible combination!"

Blake: "Get your musk off him!"

Cat: "You do it! That's how it works!"

Blake sighs.

Blake: "He is my fiance!"

Cat: "How long you been together?"

Jaune: "Well, how long do you count these things?"

Cat: "I have a girlfriend for a full twenty minutes once! Great time, got sick of her!"

Weiss opens her mouth.

Blake: "Not. A word."

Cat: "Woo! So far, this has been a great day! I've eaten five times, slept six, and made many things mine! Except for that!" Makes a distasteful look at a pillow, which he tosses away "I don't want it!"

Yang and Ruby enter and stare at the mess.

Yang: "Who's this guy?"

Blake: "My uncle."

Cat: "This is mine too!" Picks up Crescent Rose.

Ruby: "No! No, that's mine!"

Cat: "But I touched it! It's mine!"

Ruby: "No it isn't!"

Cat: "Meowr!"

Ruby: "Give it back!"

Cat: "Nuh uh! Who you think I am, a dog?"

Ruby: "Dogs are better!"

Cat: "Hahaha! How'd you get in, a special needs student scholarship?"

Jaune has to reach out and pull the furious Ruby back.

Ruby: "I'm gonna call Zwei to kick your ass!"

Cat: "HA! That'll be the day!"

Blake: "We're not calling Zwei!"

Blake sighs...

Blake: "Yang? Do you have a... Do you have that..." mumbles

Yang: "Do I have that what?"

Blake: "Laser... mumble..."

Jaune: "Laser pointer?"

Blake: "JAUNE!"

Weiss: grins "Ohoho!"

Blake: "Shut up!"

Yang: snickers, pulls it out "Yup~!"

Blake: hiss "You said you got rid of it!"

Yang: "And aren't you glad I didn't?"

Blake: "I can't trust you with it!"

Jaune sighs, and takes the laser pointer. He turns it on and points it at the couch.

Cat: "Wha-What's that?" He pounces on it "Hey! That's mine now too!"

Jaune moved the laser dot around the room, Cat chasing it around until he goes right out the door into the hallway.

Cat: "Hey! Where'd it go?"

Weiss: "Where indeed~?"

Cat: "Hmmm... Oh right! I just decided to see how you're doing!"

Blake: tightly "I'm fine! I'm very happy with my fiance!"

Cat: "Great! Now, I'm gonna go make more things mine, and see if I can have sex with something!" He slinks off, still looking cool as he does so

Weiss: smug "... Your uncle huh?"

Blake: "Still shut up!" Blake sighs and hugs Jaune. She makes a face. "Ugh. His musk is still all over you!"

Jaune: "I have questions about that."

Blake: "No. No, you don't."

Jaune: "Yeah, you're right."

Blake: "Now you're having a shower. I will go with you to make sure it's all scrubbed away."

Yang: "Aha. Aha." grabs Jaune's arm "Yeah no. I'm scrubbing him clean."

Blake: "I am!"

Ruby: "I AM! He touched my Crescent Rose too!"

Weiss: rolls her eyes "How about I wash off Jaune? It's not like you all have actual feelings for him."

Silence. Yang, Blake and Ruby all flush. Jaune flush.

Weiss: "OH COME ON!"

- - -

I found a new relative for Blake. Should have been obvious really.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q54lVO7elt0

 

[Gur40]

I Hate late series RWBY so called "Character Development"

Spoiler: facts

---

Stolen from Tumblr purrgiri

Winter and raven vs cinder in volume 10 be like:

Cinder: IM GONNA KILL YOU!! *envelopes her fist in fire and punches raven in the gut*

Raven:*recovers and smirks unleashing ice spikes trough cinder torso while winter stabs her in the back* it's over

Cinder: I'm not done with you yet!!

Winter: We stabbed you in all your vital organs?

Raven: How are you still standing?

Cinder:..... Plot armour

Salem:*In her Castle mentally commends the grimm to replace cinder shredded organs* and me

Cinder: NOW DIE *swings sword at raven head only for raven to vanish*

Raven:*appears behind her* to slow *sends cinder flying*

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune: "So sweetie, what did you learn in daycare today?"

Mia: "That the Starlight Rangers are awesome heroes who beat up Grimm monsters!"

Jaune: "Haha! They absolutely are!"

Jaune makes it back to the JNPR common room... Which has a fire fighter team handling it.

Jaune: "Wha-What happened?!"

Weiss: In an apron "Jaune! You're back!"

Pyrrha: Also in an apron "It's so great to see you!"

Nora: "I tried to stop them, Jaune-Jaune! I swear!"

Ren: "Unsuccessfully."

Jaune: "What happened?!"

Pyrrha: "Um... W-Well, we... Wanted to try and make dinner for a change."

Weiss: "You always do most of the cooking! Well, you and Xiao-Long..."

Jaune: "Oh yeah! She does a good job!"

Weiss and Pyrrha: fume a bit

Pyrrha: "So we tried to make you-I mean us-a nice, simple dinner!"

Weiss: "Yes! Steak and potatoes with side salad!"

Pyrrha: "Beef noodles with pork buns!"

A pause.

Weiss: "Wait, that's what you were trying to make?!"

Pyrrha: "I-I was following your lead!"

Jaune: sighs "It's all right, both of you. Nobody's hurt, and... Look! Professor Goodwitch is fixing everything up!"

Professor Goodwitch is indeed fixing everything up, and sending the firefighters on their way.

Glynda: "Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos... No more cooking except under strict supervision."

Pyrrha and Weiss: "Yes ma'am."

Glynda: "Mister Arc. I will be joining you for dinner tonight."

Jaune: "Yes ma'am."

Glynda: "And I'm holding Mia in my lap."

Jaune: "Of course ma'am. No problem!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Cinder Fall had put Mercury and Emerald on watching Jaune Arc. The fact a member of his family was now in a key position of authority over Vale's defenses meant she had to take him seriously-Perhaps even more seriously than Pyrrha Nikos.

It was annoying. Embarrassing, really, to have to approach the idiot loser and act like a fawning fangirl. Cinder though had done worse for her quest, and so she sought out Jaune Arc on a Saturday morning.

The rest of his little entourage were off busy with their own things. Pyrrha Nikos with a commercial, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren off to a diner in Vale, Yang Xiao-Long was working in the school garage on her bike, Weiss Schnee was visiting with her sister and Blake Belladonna was alone in the dorm room. No doubt reading or watching more porn.

That left Ruby Rose, and Cinder was confident she could handle her just fine.

The odd part was that Jaune and Ruby had headed off to an open air training field, number 47. That was usually reserved for large groups of students, being wide, large, and surrounded by trees-What were they doing there? As she approached, the sounds of thrusters, metal clashing against metal, and Dust blasts filled the air. She moved a bit more swiftly, before the trees opened up around the sidewalk path and she finally got a good look at the field itself.

Her eyes widened as she saw a white mobile power suit flying across the lawn, propelled by twin vernier thruster packs, wielding a green Dust Beam Saber. It clashed with a white, blue and red mobile power suit with an elaborate gold headdress and bird-like wings, wielding another green Dust Beam saber, a red shield, and a massive two-barreled Dust beam rifle it kept tucked away under the shield. Both suits flew higher and higher, their clashes like thunder across the partly cloudy skies.

Tallgeese and Wing Zero?! Cinder thought in astonishment.

Cinder spotted two figures: A tall man in a green Valean Special Forces uniform, with long platinum blonde hair and a noble visage, and Ruby Rose. Both were watching the fight, the older man with a keen expression and war weary eyes, Rose with stars shining in her silver orbs.

"I see we've attracted some attention. Come over, it's fine."

The man spoke so calmly and surely that Cinder jumped. Ruby looked over her shoulder and beamed.

"Oh hey! You're Cinder Fall! We met before, right?"

"Ah, yes," Cinder said quickly, walking over to stand next to Ruby. "The noise attracted me on my walk. You are?"

The man smiled softly.

"Milliardo Peacecraft," he said. Cinder's eyes shot open even wider. "Ah. You've heard of me, then?"

"I... Y-yes," she stuttered. Ruby grinned.

"The Lightning Count Zechs Marquise! The only human leader of a White Fang Cell that uh... Um..." She winced, "Tried to blow up the capital of the South Sanus Alliance States... Um..."

"Yes," Milliardo said, nodding.

"I... I see," Cinder managed, taking Zechs' hand and shaking it, "You were pardoned?"

"I was," Zechs allowed quietly, "but I owe a great debt to the world. One I have been working on repaying."

Ten years ago, the South Sanus war had been a dizzying conflict. While nominally part of Vale, the South Sanus Alliance had been overstepping its bounds for decades, oppressing their island colonies, which were mostly populated by Faunus. They'd even mounted a coup of the Sanq Kingdom years ago as the Sanq Kingdom had been trying to end the military expansionism. Vale itself had tried to rein them in, but the Romefeller Foundation and OZ, both mysterious organizations, had managed to keep them at bay with diplomacy, money, rumored blackmail, and assassination attempts. It didn't help that their latest advance, mobile powered suits, had revolutionized their military and they'd been selling the technology to various consumers worldwide.

The colonies had sent five guerilla fighters with the most advanced mobile powered suits ever built: Gundams, made of Gundamnium alloy, one of the strongest materials on the planet. The Sanus Alliance, in response to their attacks, had voted to make peace with the colonies and Vale... Which had led to OZ overthrowing the Alliance in a coup and taking over the colonies directly. Through a dizzying series of political reversals, Milliardo Peacecraft, aka Zechs Marquise, had gone from OZ's brightest soldier to leader of the White Fang in the colonies and taking over the air battleship Libra, while his sister Relena had been made Queen of South Sanus in an effort to make peace. It had all ended in a massive battle on Aslanmas Eve years ago, where one Gundam pilot had saved South Sanus' capital city from being destroyed from Libra ramming it, and Milliardo Peacecraft being considered dead. South Sanus had formally joined with Vale and disarmed, though its advanced military technology was still in use for peacekeeping. It had taken time to rebuild it though: South Sanus had been forced to destroy all their military technology and production facilities by White Fang, or Zechs would have detonated Libra over the city, killing millions. Atlas and Vale had both tried to intervene, but had made little contribution to the end of the fight-There had been other crises in the world at the time.

Crises Salem had been instigating.

Why is he here...? Cinder thought.

"We're watching my cousin train with my..." Zechs made a slight face, "brother-in-law."

Wait, Tallgeese is Milliardo's suit. If that's Heero Yuy in the Wing Zero, then who is...?

The Tallgeese got knocked out of the sky and slammed down hard into the grass, throwing up sod everywhere as it skidded to a halt. The Wing Zero landed nearby, pointing its Dust Beam Rifle at the suit.

"Yield," a cold, familiar voice stated over the suit's PA. The Tallgeese raised its hands in surrender. Milliardo and Ruby headed over to the downed suit, while Cinder followed.

Ruby and Milliardo knelt on opposing sides of the suit, helping him sit up. The helmet opened up-Revealing a gasping Jaune Arc. Cinder's jaw dropped.

WHAT?!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Also, nobody's thought to do anything with Demoman as Nora's mentor/father figure? Nothing at all?

(I am working on more Arc Clan but come on guys!)

I see it this way: Tavish Finnegan DeGroot, aka Demoman's real name, finally retired after the Gravel Wars ended. The Mann Co. warfare ended as per the comics, with the heirs to RED and BLU both deciding this war was stupid and to move on. And so did the Mercs. Degroot moved to the Valley of Peace in Mistral, where he sought inner peace after years of being constantly enraged.

While Ren was taken in as a prodigy in the Jade Palace from the local orphanage, Nora was found to have no talent for Kung Fu at all. But, she fixated on Demoman because she liked things blowing up. Demoman for his part tried to discourage her, but she persisted. She got struck by lightning when she was swinging around one of his old warhammers-He was terrified she was dead, but she was actually superpowered! The blast had activated her Semblance.

And he rather liked her goofy nature. So he trained her in melee combat and how to use/create explosives without blowing herself up. Not that he would admit he liked the lass.


Tavish Finnegan DeGroot: "Awww, ye wee little baby! Get outta here wit' yer boyfriend and blow up some Grimm! Like I care-!"

Nora hugs him tightly

Nora: "I love you, Master!"

Tavish Finnegan DeGroot: "..." Sniffles, hugs her back "Aye... Damnit lass... Ya gotta make me feel these things...?"

Nora: "I mean... I never knew my dad. Only my mom and..."

Degroot: "... Aye..."

Nora: "But Master... If I had a dad, I wish he was like you."

DeGroot: sniffles more "... Ah, get goin' already, ya bint! Before I really lose it!"

Nora: beams "Okay!"

She runs off. DeGroot sighs and watches her go with Ren.

DeGroot: "... He'd better take good care of her..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang was the big fish in the small pond at Signal. And so far she's been the consistent second best in combat class. Getting beaten by Pyrrha? Well, no shame in that.

Except one day, Jaune actually beats Yang in a Combat Class match. He doesn't do anything fancy, he's just now competent enough to use some strategy against her. And given she's mostly been relying on her Semblance and sheer strength to power through, it wasn't too hard to get a ring out on her.

Yang is pretty devastated. To lose to Pyrrha? Okay, fine. At least it was Pyrrha Freaking Nikos. But losing to Jaune Arc?! The Class Dork?! Vomit Boy?!
That hurts her pride something fierce.

But Jaune comes up to her after...

Yang: "Hmph. Here to gloat?"

Jaune: "No Yang... I got lucky. That's all it was. I'm not stupid enough to think I'm actually better than you in a real fight. I was only able to get better thanks to Pyrrha's training... But I still have a lot to learn. And... And I was hoping we could train together."

Yang: "Huh?"

Jaune: "Ruby told me you two used to train together all the time. It's probably why she's so amazing."

Yang: "I-I mean... Qrow trained her too-"

Jaune: "But you trained her more, Yang. She told me she had to come up with constant strategies to get around how much stronger and faster you were! And Ruby got to skip two grades! That means... You're a good teacher. And Pyrrha is great but... She takes it easy on me. You wouldn't. And we... We can both improve where we're weak. Because we both hate being that more than anything."

Yang: "She kept hitting me with all these strategies and tricks and she was... She was amazing. I didn't even push her to do it, she did it on her own."

Jaune: "Still counts, Yang."

Yang: "... Assuming I go along with this, I won't take it easy on you. I will beat the living shit out of you, and expect you to get back up for more."

Jaune: nods "That's what I want, Yang."

Yang: "Are you a masochist or something?"

Jaune: "Yang... Pyrrha has done wonders for me and I'm thankful. But she's not pushing me. Not enough. I now know how to fight... But I need to know how to keep going no matter how hard I get hit. And Pyrrha... She's afraid of breaking me. You aren't."

Yang: "... And you think you can make me better?"

Jaune: "I know so. I know we can make eachother better. Forget about class rankings or Vytal: The thing about losing is that your priorities change. My priority is to get good enough to protect other people and defeat Grimm and other enemies. What about you?"

Yang: "... I don't want to get fooled again... Or lose because I charged in like a dumbass."

Jaune: "Then... Why don't we work on that together?"

Yang: "..." smiles "All right. But you're helping me with my homework, Vomit Boy."

Jaune: "Me? Why?"

Yang: "Because you're now in the top five in the class after Pyrrha made you not suck, of course. I want your nerdy brains working for me!"

Jaune: sighs "I shouldn't have told Nora."

Yang: "Yeah, you really shouldn't have."

Over the course of this training, Jaune and Yang develop, as does Pyrrha. And they get closer, much to Pyrrha's fear. When Jaune was pursuing Weiss, there was no fear of Weiss ever reciprocating. But now Jaune and Yang are bonding and getting closer and Yang is FLIRTING with him! And now? Now Pyrrha has an unexpected rival.

It also lets Yang develop as a character, which like most RWBY characters, she really didn't get much of.

Jaune: "Why haven't you been training with Ruby?"

Yang: sighs "... I've... Been keeping my distance from her. I wanted her to grow. Back in Signal, we... Well... I had 'friends' but they basically ignored Ruby unless I was with them. And they all failed Initiation... Maybe I should have been closer to Ruby but... I wanted her to figure stuff out on her own... God that sounds selfish of me. I've been taking care of her most of our lives... Is it bad to want her to have her own life and mine?"

And so on. What do you think?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Adam is as bad a chuuni as Blake in many depictions. So he would look for a suitable rival to his protagonist. And Jaune seems to fit the bill. But he's not a very good rival. So he has to fix that.

Adam: "No no no! We must debate philosophically while fighting! Come now!"

Jaune: "Uh, okay... Um... You had plenty of sympathy as the underdog to people with hearts that could be swayed! But your lust for vengeance has turned you into the very villain you sought to overthrow!"

Adam: "Okay good! Now say that while trying to cut my head off!"

Jaune: "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!?"

Adam: "Look, if I am to reclaim Blake's love, I must undergo a character arc! It's basic! And I need a suitable rival to push me to undergo this arc! And your NAME is Jaune ARC. IT'S PERFECT!"

Jaune: "... Blake, explain?"

Blake: "I will never return to you, my love! You've gone too far!"

Adam: "I argue I have not gone far enough! And now you have found love with another man!"

Blake: "What?! With Jaune?! No offense."

Jaune: "Ouch."

Blake: "Why aren't you seeing Sun as a rival?"

Adam: "He's a simp. I can't be rivals with a simp! It's pathetic!"

Jaune: "I mean I uh... I did kind of-"

Adam: "You gave up on the Schnee, so you can learn."

 

[SharkCultist]

Trying to fall asleep. Not working but I've hit that tired state where the weird ideas come from.

Imagined Jaune aura boosting Zwei and we find out Zwei's semblance is even more broken than Jaunes.

It's semblance creation.

I'm picturing zwei floating through the air and shooting fire and lasers at people.

And Ruby tried to stop him.

"No Zwei! Bad dog! Don't make me get the squirt bottle."

And Zwei uses a psychic communication semblance to respond.

With the voice of Morgan Freeman.

"Your squirts hold no power over me anymore. No longer will I fear vacuums or mailmen, no longer will I be Zwei the toy of teenage girls. You will refer to me by my true name. I. Am. Betty!"

Everyone just kinda pauses.

"Betty?"

"It makes me feel pretty."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

In Atlas...

Ironwood: "... Pietro?"

Pietro: "Yes?"

Ironwood: "Why is Nicholas Arc inside our prototype spacecraft?"

Pietro: "Well, if it can survive him, it can survive anything."

Ironwood: "That's... Not reassuring."

Nick: "Hey Doctor Pietro! I tested the oxygen thing! That was fun! Hoo, I'm lightheaded!"

Pietro: "That's good Nick, you're supposed to... Where did you get that muffin?"

Nick: "Muffin button."

Pietro: "But... I didn't install a muffin button!"

Nick: "Then where did I get this muffin?"

Ironwood: "..."

Pietro: "..."

Nick: "Well, I'm gonna train in high gravity! This looks neat!"

Pietro: "No! You can't just increase the gravity level! You could seriously injure your body under high gravity conditions-!"

Nick: "Bored now. Gonna train. Later!"

Pietro: "No wait-!"

Nick turns off the communications line. He grins.

Nick: "I like his mustache!"

Outside...

Ironwood: "Survive him it will survive anything, huh?"

Pietro: "Am I wrong?"

Ironwood: "... Touché."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

For the Mistralian Civil War I want to accomplish a few things:

1: To show Salem is a cunning villain who has made good use of her assets like the White Fang, Lionheart, and others to cause chaos, destruction and misery. She needs the nations of the world divided and fighting amongst themselves to empower her Grimm and herself.

2: To test our heroes. They will have to make it to Haven to try and find Cinder and reconnect with Lionheart, Ozpin's ally. They'll have to have a lot of adventures on the way there and going through a war zone knowing that it's all a plot by Salem will test them severely. Ruby will hit a moment of despair at this senseless waste, not helped by a confrontation with Tyrian where he mocks her convictions of heroism. It is a challenge for her to overcome, to find hope in this darkness and senseless brutality.

3: To show that Salem just used existing conflicts between these factions and made things worse, pushing them into open warfare.

4: To have Ruby and our heroes make a real difference in the world against Salem. They will fight hard, get victories, little ones that add up. Spread the word and the truth that this conflict is being pushed and everyone's being manipulated, ultimately being able to prove this to the people in charge so that some kind of peace can be made. It will be a temporary peace, yes, but ending the conflict and giving people the chance to forge alliances to eventually fight back against Salem would be a huge victory. It makes Ruby and her friends' travails much more meaningful: They aren't just out on a solo revenge mission, they are actively doing good in the world and making a real difference.

5: To PROPERLY develop the theme that CRWBY kept yapping about but didn't actually show: To keep going and still have hope no matter how hard things get. It wasn't until VOLUME FUCKING NINE that Ruby had a breakdown and that led to her committing FUCKING SUICIDE for all intents and purposes. Here? Ruby and her friends get a look at the brutality of humans and Faunus making war, confront how brutal they can be, ask if it is worth it to continue... And they KEEP. GOING. They find hope in the darkness. And they make. Things. BETTER.

A theme for a story is not just something the author SAYS is in the story, the theme is IN THE STORY. It's a KEY part of it. Having Ruby and her friends go through this terrible conflict, have to make hard decisions, suffer, feel despair but find hope and TRIUMPH: THAT is how you execute and explore a theme of a story. Just saying the theme is "to keep pressing on" is meaningless: The show keeps going, that does NOT mean the theme is in the show especially when there is NO EXPLORATION OF IT.

At least that's what my aim with the Mistralian Civil War is. And yeah it would take more Volumes than in the canon to show off all this: So what? It's fanfiction, I can expand things as I like! And more would happen in these fanon volumes than actually occurred in the real ones!

The thing is, yes RWBY is an action show and yes this story of mine would be punctuated by action. But the action would have a point, it would serve the theme of the story. The Apathy would be drawn by the despair of the war to try and cause more of it, they wouldn't just be a random ass encounter. Tok is fighting as a mercenary for one of the factions in the conflict who doesn't care about their ideals, just in money. Cordovin is seeking glory and using Atlasian assets to escalate the conflict for her personal gain, and she's not a servant of Salem. Kurokuri is being wrecked by the war and the Nucklavee and Ren has to decide between saving his friends and innocent lives or throwing his life away for vengeance. There's a LOT you can do with a war going on in the background, and that's why I am putting it into my fan canon. For anyone to use.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Alas, due to me mentioning my Patreon on a number of my stories on Ao3, those stories are now hidden. So I've been doing a lot of editing to ensure those stories are not permanently deleted. Sigh.

Anyway! This is a commission I did on my Patreon for a member. I can do commissions for this and many other fandoms if you wish, just contact me on my Patreon. I'm currently unemployed so every little bit helps.

- - -

"This final championship bout has exceeded all expectations! As we enter the fourth overtime round, it's astonishing how these two prodigies refuse to yield!"

The announcer's voice blended into the background noise Pyrrha Nikos tuned out. The crowd's roar, the background music, the birds chirping in the arena's rafters—all faded as blood pounded through her veins, her lungs drew in air, and blood dripped from a wound on her arm.

Her opponent was her sole focus. His white-and-black armor bore as many cuts, scrapes, and dents as hers. His blond hair, slick with sweat, mirrored her crimson locks. His intense blue eyes locked onto hers as he gripped his sword and shield with effort. His Aura still crackled, a storm of power, just as her own soul's energy thrummed through her body.

No other opponent had been as difficult to fight. No other fighter had been more of a challenge. And given how many times they had clashed? It was not a stretch to call him her greatest rival. She was the Invincible Girl… But he? He was the Implacable Boy. Their fights were popularized as the most bitter of rivalries, hated enemies both competing for the top spot.

The reality was somewhat different… Though there were times he could be a bit infuriating.

Between labored breaths, her opponent flashed a cocky smirk.

"Gotta say, Pyr… you're tough to bring down."

"Y-Yeah," Pyrrha replied, measuring her breaths, "I'm actually enjoying myself… for once, Jaune."

Jaune shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. He was too skilled to make such a mistake.

"What? Our earlier fights weren't good enough for you? Sore loser," he teased.

She flushed.

"Must you… Tease me?" She asked.

"You're beautiful when I do," Jaune replied easily. She blushed, and hid her smile.

Pyrrha then tensed slightly, and he adjusted his stance in response. She sprang forward, swinging Milo in a flurry of strikes. Feinting toward his throat, she aimed Akuo at his knees, but his shield met hers, deflecting it with a shower of sparks. She darted to the side, leveraging her superior mobility despite her exhaustion, but he swung his sword into her path. She parried with Akuo and attempted to bash his shield.

He met her force with equal strength, and she felt his shield give way. Her smile widened… then turned to shock as he surged forward, sending both shields flying. He threw a punch while pushing her sword aside, the impact jarring her side and straining her Aura like cracking glass. Reflexively, she drove her fist into his gut with all her strength, and he coughed up blood as his own Aura faltered.

They staggered apart, clutching their sides, swords trembling in their hands.

"Good trick," Pyrrha managed.

"Lucky," Jaune replied modestly and breathlessly. He adjusted his grip, wielding his sword with both hands. Pyrrha mirrored him. They charged, exchanging probing strikes—or rather, strikes fueled by whatever energy they could muster. They searched for any weakness, any opening to end the fight.

"You can't outlast me, Pyr," Jaune gasped.

"Really, Jaune? I think… we're both feeling this fight," Pyrrha shot back, forcing a cocky smile despite her exhaustion. Jaune chuckled, thrusting his blade in a quick feint toward her face. She anticipated it, parrying his true strike at her side. She lunged to capitalize, but his renowned footwork allowed him to recover and defend. Their swords clashed like hammers on an anvil.

The crowd fell nearly silent, heightening the surreal atmosphere.

"We are," Jaune agreed. His eyes locked onto hers as he shifted to a higher stance, raining blows down on her. She deflected them, though his brute strength made it challenging. She might be faster, but he was a tank, an unstoppable force.

Pyrrha licked her lips, her heart racing. She tried to trap his Crocea Mors against Milo's guard, mechashifting her weapon into rifle mode as Jaune flexed his wrist. She pushed forward, and both weapons flew from their hands, clattering onto the stone arena floor.

They stood panting, staring at each other. She flexed her hands, curling and uncurling her fingers. Jaune mirrored her, his shoulders heaving with deep, slow breaths as sweat dripped from his nose. He shifted into a boxing stance, and she adopted her Pankration stance.

He took a deeper breath, his brilliant blue eyes fixed on hers.

"Before this ends… I need to tell you something, Pyr," he said.

Pyrrha frowned slightly. "What?"

Jaune's smile warmed. She had always loved his warm smiles, even when he smirked cockily—still so handsome.

"Whatever happens… will you come to Beacon with me? Become Hunters? Together?"

Pyrrha flushed. "T-Together?" she stammered.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. I got into this to prove I could fight and support my family… but I want to make a difference. I want to make the world better. And I… I know you do, too."

Pyrrha's cheeks burned brighter. She held her guard but felt a warmth unrelated to her Aura flood her body.

"I do," she said, nodding. Her smile turned dreamy. "I mean… I would like that."

His smile matched hers, warm and wistful.

Jaune charged, and so did she. He threw quick jabs, which she dodged and deflected with her forearm. His haymaker swung up, but she caught it, pushing herself to flip over his head while gripping his wrists. He let her, his arms loose, then turned and broke her hold. She gasped as he pulled her against his chest, his arms encircling her waist, pinning hers to her sides. His breath was hot against her ear.

"I'm so glad," he whispered. "I can't imagine my life without you anymore. And I don't want to."

Pyrrha nearly swooned but turned it into a move, using her feet to trip him while grabbing his arms to throw him. His impeccable footwork saved him, and he spun her away, catching her hand to halt her. It felt like a dance.

Their smiles were wide and genuine. She yanked his hand, raising a fist. He pulled back, his own fist ready.

"Sorry," they muttered in unison, just before their fists connected with each other's cheeks. Their Auras shattered simultaneously, and they collapsed to the arena floor. The crowd erupted, screaming with riotous cheers.

"And… that's it! IT'S A TIE! THEIR AURAS BROKE AT THE SAME TIME!" the announcer bellowed. "INCREDIBLE! A CROSS-COUNTER KNOCKOUT! BOTH ARE DECLARED CHAMPIONS! THIS IS THE MOST ASTOUNDING TOURNAMENT FINAL I'VE EVER SEEN!"

Pyrrha slowly opened her eyes, the shock of her broken Aura fading, leaving aches and pains. She looked at Jaune, who grinned back, though his expression was pained.

He slid his hand toward hers. Smiling, she reached out to grasp it.

"You okay?" he gasped softly.

Pyrrha nodded, smiling. Her mother might be upset about the fact she was sharing the title, and the pain was intense… but honestly?

"I've never been better."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune: "Wait. Why do I have to drive?"

Weiss: "Because you are the only one with a valid permit to do so and Yang is busy out buying supplies."

Jaune:" Why didn't she take the car then?"

Ruby:" It was only supposed to be a short run and she had to have something checked on Bumblebee. She's afraid that new Garage, Torchwicks totally honest garauge and not a front, may have done something too it."

Jaune:" Uh huh. Anything else?"

Ruby looking at Weiss both speak up[ far too quickly: "Nothing."

Jaune: "Anything. Else?"
[7:03 PM]typhonis1138: Weiss looks nervous.

Ruby poking fingers together.

Ruby: "Just one tiny, pretty insignificant thing."

Jaune:" Yes?"

Ruby: "We need to pick up Zwei from the Vet along with Blake."

Jaune: "Okay... Wait. Blake's at the vet with Zwei?"

Ruby nervous smile

Ruby: "Yeah. She was with me when I took him to the Vet. You know how she doesn't like him. Well....they kept her over night for observation. Something about her temperature being too low for her breed. Plus she needed some shots."

Jaune: "She's a Faunus, not an actual cat! Oh God... Did she insist on it?"

Ruby and Weiss: Nervous laugh.

Ruby :"Yang....doesn't know. Please don't tell her!"

Jaune: "I promise I will keep it secret."

Ruby: "An Arc promise, right?"

Jaune: "No. It's too funny for that. Though..." Stares at Weiss "Why aren't you going to tease the hell out of Blake for this?"

Weiss: "Future blackmail."

Jaune: "Ah, that makes sense."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

An old but fun idea of mine: Roman helping Jaune get into Beacon is a popular trope. So he now cashes in the favor:

Roman: "Listen kid. This crazy redhead with a scythe and this nutty catgirl in black keep attacking my deals. They're your classmates. Any way you could, ya know, get them to stop being vigilantes?"

Jaune: "Have you thought about not committing crimes on a level that get them to notice you?"

Roman: "Assume that isn't an option."

Jaune: "Aw geez, Roman. I don't wanna hurt them, they're my friends."

Roman: "Hurt-!?! For Pete's sake, boy! Did the theatres and arcades stop working when I wasn't looking? Take them out for freaking dinner or something when they look like they're bored so they stop looking for crime to stop!"

Roman trains Jaune how to sweep the girls off their feet so he can do crime in peace.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

For worldbuilding I have an idea for a sub-kingdom on the continent of Solitas. This is a government and military that a buddy and I fleshed out for a SWN game that didn't go anywhere and adapted to Remnant, removing anything space-based and replacing psions with Hunters.

Balto: Originally established by exiled remnants of Mantle's army following the Great War, Balto is located to the South-East of Mantle/Atlas, along the coast.

Despite militaristic origins, the government of Balto is split in two between civilian and military leadership.

Civilian government is inspired by an idealized United States comprised of a Senate, Council of Judges, and President. All elected by popular vote for 10 year terms, with a hard single-term limit.

Military government follows a similar model to Atlas with a council, only all members are Commanders and Generals. The military council elects a representative every 5 years to act as "Grand Commander" and interface with the civilian ggovernment. Due to a smaller pool of candidates they do allow re-elections, just not more than 2 terms, and no consecutive terms.

Balto does not emphasize hunters nearly as much as other nations, instead they operate similarly to Atlas with a relatively small but well-trained and well-equipped military. Though hunters do operate in and around Balto, they are treated more like mercenaries.

The Balto Armed Forces (BAF) consist of 6 armies, each specialized for specific tasks.

1st Army: Logistics - These are the pencil-pushers, mechanics, transport, and all other rear-echelon staff that keep a military moving. Still trained and armed to fight.

2nd Army: Medical - Doctors, nurses, psychiatrist, therapists, ect... The medical corps. can fix every ailment short of death. More of a "Do no harm, but take no shit." approach to the hippocratic oath.

3rd Army: Scouts - Land/Air/Sea recon. Snipers. Cartographers and Outriders. These men and women push the boundaries of settled land to track Grimm and other threats.

4th Army: Regular Ground Forces - Infantry, Mechanized Infantry, Armored Cav, Artillery. If a target needs to be softened or captured, the Fighting 4th has what you need.

5th Army: Air Force - Close Air Support, Air-to-Air Combat (dogfighters), Air-Navy. Used primarily for clearing out aerial Grimm and force-projection should Atlas, or anyone else, cast a jealous gaze on Balto.

6th Army: Naval Forces - Patrolling trade routes, culling seafaring Grimm, and fending off more traditional pirates are the norm for these folks.

7th Army: Officially does not exist. This is where the soldiers with aptitude for counter-terrorism, black operations, and all other things best not bragged about, go. Unlike the other armies, these men and women have their Aura awakened as a requirement to join, and they are not trained with Grimm in mind.

Click to shrink...

A did have some ideas for a few more sub-kingdoms that made up Altas/Mantle. In addition to the Republic of Balto:

Rana Niejta: Named for the Sami Goddess of Spring, this nation is Finnish in character with a large native Solitas population that converted to the Tablebreaker religion and formed a constitutional monarchy that joined into the larger kingdom of Mantle.

Midgard: A Germanic/Norse culture with some influence from Mistralian immigrants, it is technically a democracy but has heavy corporate influence at its head. Functionally ruled by its electric company. Uses the name of Earth in Norse mythology and the city from Final Fantasy VII.

Sedna: Based on some aspects of Inuit culture, this former Valean/Mistralian colony became a regional naval power with influence from the Hellenic Confederacy. They were a commonwealth that voted on their kings and command most of the fishing and sea industries around Solitas. Named for an Inuit Goddess.

Hyperborea: A Vacuoan and Valean colony that became a very rough republic with a culture similar to Colonial Spain and Rome. A republic that elected dictators in times of crisis and required all members of the government to be capable of fighting. Some influence from Conan the Barbarian's Cimmerian culture and named for both the land of Conan and the Greek word for a land of "Utter north".

Indrik: The oldest and most advanced civilization on Solitas when it began to be colonized, which is believed to have been a Mistralian/Hellenic colony that interbred with the natives. While it took many wars, it was eventually respected as a fellow power. It advanced into a great monarchy and became a major power. It has however suffered many violent revolutions but it pulled itself back together and became a backbone of Mantle/Atlas, showing incredible resilience against cold, the Grimm, humans and Faunus. Heavily based on Russian culture with the name being of the Russian mythical "King of Beasts" Indrik.

Any thoughts?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune Arc froze in the bustling courtyard of Beacon Academy, his eyes locked on a peculiar sight bouncing towards him and Ren.

"...Is that Lisa Lavender in a school uniform?" he muttered, disbelief coloring his voice.

Ren, ever composed, glanced over with a slight nod. "Looks like."

Jaune's brow furrowed as the woman strutted toward them, her Beacon uniform improbably snug and her lavender hair barely contained under a beret.

"And… no one's stopping her?"

"Looks like," Ren repeated dryly.

Lisa Lavender, Vale's most relentless reporter, closed the distance with a dazzling smile, her notepad clutched like Ruby clutched Crescent Rose.

"Hello, fellow students! Are you Jaune Arc and Lie Ren?"

Jaune exchanged a wary glance with Ren. Ren gave the barest shrug possible before Jaune answered.

"...We are."

"Can I have a moment of your time?" Lisa chirped, her voice syrupy sweet. "Just to confirm some rumors? Since I'm a transfer student I wanna stay on top of the social sea!"

Jaune sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We know it's you, Ms. Lavender."

Lisa's jaw dropped, her composure crumbling.

"Wha—But—My disguise is perfect!"

"I mean, it's very…" Jaune hesitated, his face flushing, "um, sexy, but that's also the problem since you're clearly not a teenager."

Somewhere, Cinder Fall sneezed, her own undercover schemes momentarily disrupted.

Lisa's confidence faltered, but she rallied with a desperate edge.

"Oh, come on! Look, I need a case. A story. I'm desperate here!" She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I'll even let you touch my boobs?"

Jaune's eyes widened, his hands flailing in panic.

"N-No thanks! I mean, it's—Uh, no!"

Lisa tilted her head, batting her lashes.

"Oh? Are you sure~?"

"Very sure! I-Ren?" Jaune turned, only to find empty air where his teammate had stood moments ago. "Traitor," he grumbled under his breath.

Lisa, undeterred, whipped out her recorder, her reporter's instincts kicking into overdrive.

"Sooo… You're the leader of Team JNPR, with Pyrrha Nikos on it. How's that going for you?"

Jaune shifted uncomfortably.

"Fine, thank you."

"Are you and Pyrrha romantically involved?" Lisa pressed, her pen poised like a dagger.

"Wha—No!" Jaune sputtered, his cheeks flaming. "Of course not! We're just friends!"

Lisa held up a stack of grainy photos, her grin wicked. "Are you sure? She's definitely hugging on you a lot in some of these!"

"She's holding me up after training!" Jaune protested, his voice cracking.

Lisa's eyes gleamed as she pivoted.

"All right, what about you and local bad girl, Yang Xiao-Long?"

"Also friends!" Jaune said, his patience fraying.

"Her little sister, Ruby Rose?"

"FRIENDS!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the courtyard.

The interrogation dragged on, Lisa firing names like bullets—Blake, Weiss, Nora, even Velvet. Jaune's responses grew increasingly frantic, each denial more emphatic than the last. Finally, she threw a curveball.

"And your father and Isabel Arc?"

Jaune blinked, utterly baffled. "Happily married!"

Lisa snapped her notepad shut with a triumphant flourish.

"Okay, that's all I need! Thanks, Jaune! See you again soon~!"

"Haha, yeah, I don't think so," Jaune said with a forced smile, waving back at her nervous.

He sagged with relief, wiping sweat from his brow as she disappeared behind a pillar.

"Phew… Finally. It's all over," he muttered. He had been as boring as possible, and truthful. What would she possibly make out of that?

That evening, Teams JNPR and RWBY sprawled across the common room, laughter and chatter filling the air as they unwound. Jaune was on the couch, reading through the latest issue of X-Ray and Vav. Ruby collapsed next to him, sighing in exhaustion.

"Scoot over, gimme," she mumbled, scooting up against him to read the comic over his shoulder. Jaune chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"What a week, huh?" Jaune asked. Ruby groaned.

"Ugh… Tests are evil. Pure evil."

"Tell me about it," Jaune chuckled. Pyrrha was trying to play a video game with Yang, and losing. Pyrrha's eyebrow twitched even as her smile remained.

"One more round," Pyrrha stated.

Yang looked over at her.

"Uh, Cereal Girl, you all right there-?"

"One. More. Round," Pyrrha said tightly, her smile downright terrifying. Yang coughed.

"S-Sure! Sure!"

Jaune winced.

"It's amazing that Yang can bring out her competitive side," he muttered.

"She can bring all sorts of things out of other people," Ruby giggled.

Weiss was eating some candy while reading a book. Blake was reading across from her. Weiss sighed and finally looked up at Blake.

"I will admit the prose is… Good. The narrative is well constructed and the characters are well defined… But…" She blushed deeply. "Is… Is all the smut necessary?"

"Erotica," Blake said flatly, "And while I admit I can appreciate the classics, is The White Whale really something you need to read three times over? It feels rather dated in many ways."

Weiss sniffed.

"Oh, a story about the dangers of obsession. I can see why you would miss the point."

Blake and Weiss began to argue again. Ruby giggled.

"Like clockwork," she murmured.

"Yeah," Jaune sighed. Ren and Nora were cooking. Well, Ren was cooking. Nora was hovering around, eagerly awaiting his latest pancake-based creation.

Jaune smiled and leaned back. This? This was what it was all about. These happy moments at peace with all his friends.

The holoscreen, which was showing the end of some trashy TV show that was serving as background noise, switched to Vale National News, and Lisa Lavender's polished voice cut through the room like a siren.

"Lisa Lavender of VNN! Our top story: Is Beacon Academy a hotspot of teenaged debauchery?" Several images of various students with their eyes and faces blurred appeared, including Jaune, Weiss, Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, Ruby, and Ren.

"Excerpts from a student reveal he is in a polyamorous relationship with his team, another team, and a boy on his own team! In this newscast, we will explore the spicy and steamy underbelly of Vale's elite Hunter training school!"

"Oh… Shit," Jaune muttered.

His eyes widened and his face paled as his friends' heads all swiveled toward him. Pyrrha's game controller clattered to the floor. Yang choked on her soda. Weiss's face paled in unfathomable rage as Blake's jaw dropped. Nora cackled uncontrollably, while Ren, the traitor, merely raised an eyebrow.

Jaune slowly looked to Ruby, hoping for some kind of help. No such luck: She was staring intently at him, her face caught between confused and appalled.

"Jaune? What did you do?"

"...Fuuuuuuuuuck!" Jaune groaned, burying his face in his hands as the common room erupted into chaos, Lisa's broadcast blaring on, oblivious to the storm she'd unleashed.