Mostly focused on how the Branwen Twins grew up and grew apart
If CRWBY wonāt give it to us Iāll fucking do it myself
Letās start from the beginning.
When they were kids, Raven and Qrow had two very different experiences in the tribe.
Raven was seen as the golden child, the prodigy, the obvious choice to become the next leader of the Branwen Tribe.
Qrow, on the other hand, was an outcast, a burden, something that had to be dragged along rather than someone they actually wanted on their team
Qrow could only endure so much teasing and harassment.Ā The nicknames were the worst part:
They werenāt real creative, but they stung all the same
So Qrow would wander off, get lost, isolate himself, spend time alone where no one could reach him or bother him or remind him of his true nature: just bad luck.
āThat boyās gonna get us all killed one dayā he remembers hearing a leader say.Ā He thought he had whispered it so the kid couldnāt hear.Ā Now it was seared into Qrowās mind, like a brand
When the tribe decides to send the twins to Beacon, Raven is thrilled, and Qrow is excited for different reasons
āTheyāll learn how to kill and weāll get rid of the little bad luck charm for four years.ā
That one wasnāt even whispered, that was said right to his face at the gathering where it was announced - and it got a big laugh from the crowd
Good riddance, Qrow thought
But Beacon presented him with new challenges
Growing up in the isolated forests of Anima didnāt exactly make socializing easy
There were basic cultural concepts, hidden rules, and high expectations placed on the twins that they were not prepared for
Their teammates were a bit of a culture shock themselves
Two balls of sunshine they were, and neither Qrow nor Raven knew how to respond to it at first
But the thing that threw Qrow off the most was that they were nice.Ā No reason.Ā No motive.Ā They were just nice.
Qrow was so used to being told that if he didnāt stay in line heād be left behind.Ā That he owed his sister and other members of the tribe everything because they had saved his life once or twice
Summer saved Qrowās ass on their first mission and her only response was a cheery āyou can thank me later.ā
He tried to avoid her for weeks after that, worried that sheād ācash inā a favor just like everyone else in his life tried to
When she confronted him about it she was so confused
āOwe me something?Ā Qrow, weāre teammatesā¦ Iām your leader.Ā You donāt owe me anything.Ā Itās my job to keep you alive.ā
Oh, great, now heās her burden, too
Tai was just as weirdly nice
Always smiling, always one bad pun away from Qrow wanting to punch him in the mouth, but also always considerate and friendly
Despite Qrowās objections, Tai did everything he could to make sure that Qrow didnāt feel left out.Ā Inviting him to hang out, asking to study together, inviting him to join in on pranks and jokes
It was like they wanted Qrow around
Meanwhile, Raven was like a bug in his ear: What are you doing???Ā We canāt be friends with them.Ā We are here to learn how to do one thing.Ā Donāt lose your focus, Brother.
And then there was the headmaster
Who the fuck did this guy think he was?
Some twenty year old punk, what the fuck did he know?
Qrow and Tai became very familiar with Ozpin as they were called to his office after every stupid prank, no matter how small
But they never got in trouble
Qrow couldnāt fathom why, until one day Oz told him
āYouāre a self-fulfilling prophecy.Ā People think that trouble follows you because of your semblance.Ā So instead, you create the trouble.Ā Because why bother trying to convince people otherwise, right?ā
The headmaster was always patient with Qrow, never lashing out or harshly punishing him, even when Qrow himself thought it was justified.Ā He helped him learn how to control his bad luck as best he could and encouraged him over and over again
āYou have the potential to be an excellent huntsman, Mr. Branwen.Ā You just have to work for it.ā
And after graduation, Ozpin handed Qrow the one thing he had been searching for since he left the tribe: a new purpose.
For him, the fight against Salem, the clandestine war was a chance to put his skills- his ability to kill- to good use
But Raven didnāt see it that way.Ā She was scared.Ā Of the unknown, of the lack of control, of the new responsibility.
And the possibility that she would have a kid was the last straw, too much to bear, so she fled
But Qrow stayed, because while at Beacon, he became something he was always trying to be
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