I miss this man

Biggest Chad Dad Lad in Fiction. I write things, usually about him. Constructive criticism is welcome

[imjusthereforironwood]

It's So Good to See You Again

General James Ironwood sits at his large desk, fighting the greatest enemy he has ever faced: paperwork. He didn't think it was possible to get carpal tunnel syndrome in a prosthetic, but it was starting to seem like a possibility.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand and sighed. For James, it felt like no matter where he turned, he was facing pushback. The Council was questioning his every decision, voting against measures that would keep Mantle and Atlas safe, denying necessary funds for defenses and the Amity Project. Jacques Schnee was making it more difficult to purchase Dust, shutting down mines and factories, and playing politics with the Council. Robyn Hill and her band were running smear campaigns on him and the soldiers that were trying to defend Mantle, stirring up malcontents and stealing supplies.

And there is the looming threat of her. Grimm attacks were becoming more rampant, more brutal, and more coordinated. He was losing soldiers almost every day, despite his best attempts. And with everything that happened at Beacon, he was almost certain she had an inside man.

Even if this plan was successful, even if Atlas stood united, even if the world stood united, what then? They were still facing an ancient witch in command of a innumerable horde of monsters. One that had outwitted James before. At Beacon...he felt more helpless than when he lost his limbs.

The sight of shattered buildings and people killed by his hacked machines filled his nightmares, the sound of blaring alarms and screams always on the edge of his hearing, and that black queen...it haunted him. That black queen represented James's failure, and the countless deaths from his shortcomings.

A sound from his window caught his attention, breaking him from his daze. A rhythmic tapping noise from a familiar bird...ah.

James pressed a button on his desk to open the window, allowing the scruffy bird to come into the office.

"Qrow...I have a door," Ironwood muttered, rubbing his temples as he stood to his feet. "And it's perfectly functional."

The crow, in a flash of shadows and black feathers shifted into a Qrow. The dark-haired Huntsman leaned against James's desk, his arms folded over his chest. Aside from growing more scraggly hair, the former Branwen bandit looked identical to how he did when he and James first met over a decade ago. Unlike the Atlesian general, who's hair was growing silver at the temples, who's body had been replaced by machinery, and who's soul had become weary. Not that Qrow was unfamiliar with the fatigue of the endless war they fought. Quite the contrary, he was all too familiar.

Just how did Qrow get past the exterior security system? James thought. I should've gotten an alert.

As though Branwen could read minds, he chuckled.

"There's a bit of a blind spot in your motion detectors on the south side of the building. You may want to get that fixed, Jimmy."

James glanced down at the papers on his desk and sighed. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile. It really was good to see Qrow again. When he and the others showed up a few days ago, James felt that...maybe he had a chance. His hope had waned when it was clear Oz wasn't available.

"Duly noted," James said, running a hand through his hair.

Qrow frowned. He had known Ironwood for a long time, and had gotten pretty good at recognizing when something was bothering him. Usually because he was the something bothering James, but this was different.

"How have you been holding up?" Qrow asked, though he knew the answer.

"I'm fine, we should discuss-"

"James," Qrow insisted, giving the Atlesian general a look. "You are far from fine. You look like crap and Winter tells me you ain't been sleeping."

"Since when do you talk with Winter?" Ironwood asks with a chuckle.

"Since I started worrying about you. Now...the truth?"

"What if this doesn't work?" James said, beginning to pace, his breathing becoming more rapid with every word. "What if Atlas and Mantle become just another Beacon? I've upgraded the Knights, trained my military, rebuilt Penny and the warships, but what if it's not enough? What if...we can't save the world, and She wins and-and-"

Qrow gripped Ironwood's left shoulder, his usual confident expression tempered with compassion.

"Then we face Her together, just like we always have, buddy," the grizzled ex-bandit stated, giving James a gentle squeeze.

The general's breathing evened as he focused on Qrow's hand on his shoulder, centering himself.

"Well...at least we're mostly all here," James said softly, his shoulders still tense. "Hopefully, we can get Oz to come back. If...when he comes back, I believe that we have a real chance of uniting the world and defeating Salem."

Qrow bit his cheek. He knew why Oz was unresponsive, he knew that Salem couldn't be killed. Unifying the world against a common foe, as good as it would be, wouldn't be able to defeat Her. She was immortal.

But Qrow couldn't tell these things to James. His niece had made a decision...one out of fear...to keep Ironwood in the dark. Because she didn't know him like Qrow did. She hadn't fought and bled beside him. Because Ruby didn't trust Ironwood.

But Qrow trusted Ironwood. He knew what kind of man he was. The kind of man who would sacrifice his body, mind and reputation to keep his people safe. The kind of man who wanted to protect the world, even if Qrow didn't always agree with how. The kind of man who destroyed his own robots to save lives. A man with a heart that desires, above all else, to be a hero.

Sorry, Rubes, but sometimes an uncle knows best.

"James...sit down for a minute, aight?" Qrow asked, leaning awkwardly against Ironwood's desk. "I've got a lot of things I need to tell you, an' you probably won't like most of them."

[imjusthereforironwood]

Tired men trying to do what's right has got to be one of my favorite genders

[imjusthereforironwood]

I'm going out for milk

Don't worry, I'll come back. I just have a lot of my plate right now. I'm finishing up the last few classes of my college degree, I'm going to be moving soon, and I'll be finding a job and someplace to live. So, there will be a slowdown of my content. But don't worry, I'm not going to be gone forever. To those that have enjoyed my little stories, thank you. It means the world to me.

[imjusthereforironwood]

What Does it Mean to be Human?

"And that's time."

Penny drew her swords into her backpack, standing stiffly as she smiled.

"Thirty-seven Beowolves killed in a minute and a half," the scientist said from behind the observation window. "That's a new record for that simulation!"

"Thank you, sir!" Penny chirped as she folded her arms behind her back. "Will that be all the tests for today?"

The scientist nodded as he scribbled down something on a notepad, waving her off.

"Yes, yes, you may go."

Penny marched out of the testing chamber and into the halls. This lab, tucked deep in the core of Atlas, was where Penny went to have her limits tested in secret. Of course, Penny's limits were not set by biology, but rather by hardware.

As Penny walked down the sterile halls, she passed by other test chambers, where Atlas's best and brightest experimented with new technology and weapons. She began to ponder her own abilities. People could train, push their bodies past their limits, and exceed them, but what could she do? Penny realized that she was limited by technology, and she could never go beyond what the technology was.

Wasn't overcoming limitations a vital part of being human? If so, did that mean she wasn't a person? This wasn't the first time Penny had questioned her own personhood. Her father treated her like a human, but most of the other scientists treated her like an experiment or a weapon.

Penny stared down at the synthetic skin that covered her body of steel and titanium. Beneath that lay wires, engines and circuits. Her brain analyzed things as a computer would, everything cross-referenced with previous observations, memories tucked away in files, data pulled up in nanoseconds. It was for this reason her speech was often awkward and stilted. She was processing so much at once.

Did this make her not human?

Turning her hands over, Penny noticed a scuff where the artificial skin rubbed off, exposing the metal. She could ask her father to help, but this was a fairly routine maintenance, so all she would need is some materials from a lab.

As she entered the robotics laboratory, she noticed another person. General James Ironwood, sitting at one of the tables. His coat and shirt had been removed, revealing that his right half was made entirely of prosthetics. The steel was broken up by blue lights, black joints of flexible material, and complex wiring. A panel on the robotic forearm was taken off, exposing the circuitry and complicated Dust mechanisms inside. Ironwood was using a screwdriver to adjust something inside his arm.

The door that Penny had entered through unexpectedly slammed shut, breaking James's concentration.

"Oh, Penny...hello," Ironwood said, awkwardly nodding, not wanting to drop the screwdriver in his left hand. "I apologize for my state of undress."

"Salutations, Mr. Ironwood," Penny said, her eyes fixated on James's right side. "It's quite alright."

Penny had met General Ironwood before, several times in fact. Sometimes he would oversee her training and testing, sometimes he would be down in Mantle at her father's shop, discussing different matters. Ironwood seemed kind, if a bit strict at times. She had heard the talk about him from people on the news, and they often painted him as tyrannical or subversive. On the other side, her father often spoke highly of him, saying that she wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for James. Every time he spoke with Penny, he seemed commanding, yet at the same time respectful.

However, this was a unusual sight to her.

"Are you an android like myself, sir?" Penny blurted out, her head cocked to the side.

James was so taken back that he started chuckling.

"No, not quite," the general said with a small, almost amused smile. "It's simply prosthetics."

"Oh...but I have never seen prosthetics so..."

Penny scanned up and down Ironwood's torso, making note of the large amount of scar tissue where the robotics met the flesh.

"Extensive."

"Well, several years ago, I was severely injured in the line of duty," Ironwood said, his prosthetics twitching a bit as he involuntarily recalled some bad memories. "If it wasn't for the skill of Dr. Polen-, I mean, your father and several other Atlas doctors and scientists, I probably wouldn't be alive today."

"I see," Penny said, slowly approaching as she eyed the robotics with an air of curiousity. "Well, if my father made them, shouldn't he help you repair them?"

"It's just a minor maintenance issue," Ironwood said, turning his attention back to his forearm.

"How do you feel about them, Mr. Ironwood?"

"What?"

"Your prosthetics," Penny reiterated. "How do you feel about them?"

"I..." James started, his voice catching in his throat as he thought over his response.

For a while, he despised his prosthetics. He hated how they looked and how they made him feel weak, or less than human. Sometimes, when at his lowest and loneliest, those feelings would rise up again. However...he has accepted his robotics, recognized them for what they are.

"They are a part of me, but not the most important part," James settled on, his expression one of calm resolution. "I am alive today because of these prosthetics. Because I am alive, I can continue to help others, to protect others. But the most important part of me, the part that drives any person, is the heart."

Seeing Penny pause for a moment, James realized that he should explain.

"Not the physical organ, but rather the emotional center of a person," Ironwood said with a chuckle. "What matters isn't anatomy, but what's in the heart of a person, and the actions they take."

"Oh," Penny said, looking at where the synthetic skin had scraped off, revealing the metal below. "So...what does that make me, Mr. Ironwood?"

The Headmaster of Atlas paused, thinking over his next words carefully.

"You think, you care, you try to do right. That means you have a heart. That means you're human."

[imjusthereforironwood]

Doing His Best

Taiyang had a long day. No, correction, Taiyang had a long week. As one of the few Hunters in Patch, it was his duty to hunt any Grimm that came near the small community. And for some reason, every dang horde in this whole dang hemisphere had decided to come into his domain. Practically every day he had to go out and fight off an invasion. And Grimm don't follow business hours, meaning Tai may have to leave in the middle of class, having breakfast with Yang and Ruby, or at 2:00 in the middle of the night. Vacuo wasn't even this busy with Grimm activity right now, and it's freaking Vacuo.

On top of that, the history teacher at Signal had been sick all week, and Taiyang had to cover for him. Plus, Qrow, who teaches combat, had left on another long unannounced trip, and Tai had to pick up his class too. (Heh, Qrow being habitually absent. I guess you could say he was a flight risk. Jokes aside, Qrow had a streak of absenteeism in more than one area of his life.) That meant that for this whole week, the blond Huntsman had been teaching his class of aura techniques, Qrow's combat class, and a history class, plus grading homework.

Tai trudged into his home, not even bothering to kick off his shoes before flopping onto the old, worn couch. His body ached, his mind was tired, and his soul was exhausted.

"Daaad!" a familiar voice called out.

Taiyang turned his head to see Yang and Ruby. Yang was probably one of the tallest 3rd graders in her class, and she had definitely adopted Taiyang's confidence (and Raven's stubbornness). Her golden hair was all messy, even though Tai was certain he brushed it out for her this morning. She had a bright grin on her face and a bandaid on her right cheek. Tai did a quick count of the bandaids, and yep, that's a new one. She must have gotten another scrape at school. She's certainly a Xiao Long.

Ruby was rocking back and forth on her boots, tugging on the strings of her little red hoodie. She was one of the more quiet first graders, her nose more often in a book that was far above what her reading level should be. (Taiyang wasn't sure where she picked up her bookworm nature. Aside from reading the occasional bedtime story, he didn't read much.) Ruby had a small smile, her front two teeth not having grown back yet.

"Hey, kiddos," Tai grunted out, his joints cracking as he sat up. "How was school?"

"Good, are ya ready to go?" Yang asked, beginning to bounce up and down like a spring.

Tai blinked, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he attempted under what Yang meant.

"You promised to take us to the Valean Aquarium," Ruby said quietly, scratching her boot into the carpet.

Ah, crud. He did promise that last week. It would be a long drive, about a three hour roundtrip, not counting traffic.

Tai was sore and exhausted. It would be so easy, so convenient to brush Yang and Ruby off, tell them they weren't going to the aquarium.

But he couldn't do that to them. He had made a promise to his daughters, and he was going to keep it. They deserved to have fun excursions and little memories. (Tai wanted to be a better father than his dad.)

Tai popped off the couch and stretched his arms and legs. A smile crossed his tired face.

"Alright, grab your helmets, I'll get your riding jackets."

Yang and Ruby let out little cheers as they raced each other to their bedrooms (naturally, Ruby won.)

A few minutes later, and all three of them had gotten onto Tai's old touring motorcycle, Yang and Ruby getting into the sidecar. Soon they were on the road, the wind whipping around them.

It was a long drive to the Valean Aquarium, but seeing Ruby and Yang's eyes light up looking at all the different sea creatures, hearing them giggle at some of the goofy looking fish and Tai's endless fish puns, and listening to them talk on and on about which ones they want for pets (Yang wanted a shark, obviously) made the whole trip worth it.

Somewhere along the aquarium visit, Ruby had gotten tired, and was riding piggyback on Tai's shoulders. Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep, still perfectly balanced on his shoulders.

"Hey, dad?" Yang asked, wrapping her arms around Tai in a hug. "Thanks."

Yeah, this was definitely worth it.

[ordinaryoracle]

when i pass this semester im going to actually draw james fr in celebration

[imjusthereforironwood]

[imjusthereforironwood]

Preparing for Promotion

Lieutenant General James Ironwood was pacing in his empty office, fiddling with his crimson red tie. The city lights bathed his office in blue, and night sky sparkled with starlight. Ordinarily, James may take a moment to appreciate the view, perhaps even look for his favorite constellations. But tonight, he was feeling stressed, his hands shaking a bit as he tried to make a Windsor knot. The movements of his prosthetic fingers were not as fluid as they normally were

I thought I stopped having these problems with my mechanical parts years ago. This is almost as bad as those first few weeks of recovery.

There was a certain level of irony to this situation. Ironwood could stare down and fight an Ursa Major one on one and not feel any stress, but put him on stage to formally accept his new position as General of the Atlesian Armed Forces and he was practically sweating bullets.

A light knock on his office broke him out of his headspace. Opening the door revealed...

"Hello, James," Ozpin said, leaning heavily on his cane. "May I come in?"

James blinked, and stood aside for the fellow Headmaster, allowing Oz to enter. He was dressed in a black suit with a charcoal vest beneath, completed with a forest green cravat and polished wingtip shoes.

"Of course...I must say I'm suprised you came all the way from Vale, Oz."

"Well, tonight is a special occasion," Ozpin said with a cryptic smile. "You don't mind if I bring along a plus one, do you?"

Before James could reply, a familiar sigh came from the doorway. Blonde hair tied back into a bun, analytical green eyes behind cat eyed glasses, and a stern expression. Yep, it was Headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch. She strutted in and closed the office door behind her.

She was wearing a sleek purple strapless dress, and had a small golden necklace around her neck, an old birthday gift from Ironwood.

"Honestly, James, we had to go through so much security just to speak with you," Glynda said with a scowl. "We were stopped four times, on top of going through a full search going through the checkpoint."

"Ah, it's good to see you, Glynda," James said, his shoulders a bit tensed up. "Glad you could make it. My apologies for the greeting, I would have come down to meet you myself if I had known."

Her sour expression softened a bit when she saw the bags under James's eyes, the stress apparent on his face, and how disheveled he appeared.

"You haven't been sleeping lately," she said, snapping her finger and using Telekinesis to fix James's tie and smooth out his hair. "Is it your prosthetics again?"

"I'm fine, it's fine," Ironwood stated, pacing a bit, his breathing becoming more rapid. "It just feels like...like we're being fought at every turn."

The Council is too caught up in pandering and racial politics to see the bigger picture, Jacques is making it exceedingly difficult to purchase Dust for the military, likely because I ordered investigations into misconduct in his mines. I know he's using faunas slave labor in his Mistral operations, but local authorities over there and his cronies here cover up the evidence. The White Fang has begun taking extreme measures, including the assassination of government officials. And then there's the matter of ... her."

As though Ozpin could read Ironwood's mind, he placed a surprisingly firm hand on the much taller Headmaster's shoulder.

"You are being fought, because the actions you are taking are important," Oz said with a wise smile. "You are a good man, James, and you have a conviction to do what's right, even at great sacrifice to yourself. But you need to remember that you're not alone."

"He's right," Glynda said, her hand on James's other shoulder. "You took on these positions because you wanted to protect your kingdom and all of Remnant. There will be protest because you're changing things, but you have more allies than you believe."

A small, grateful smile crossed James's face, and his breathing evened out again. He could carry on with the knowledge that he wasn't alone, that they could protect the world together.

Ozpin reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch.

"You should probably head over, your promotion ceremony will begin soon," the old headmaster said with a smile.

"Do you have your speech prepared?" Glynda asked as she pushed her cat eyed glasses up, opening the office door with her Semblance.

"Of course I do," James said with a chuckle.

And it turned out to be a wonderful speech...with an extremely awkward outro.

[imjusthereforironwood]

Holy water is just Mace for vampires.

[imjusthereforironwood]

Your Speech Outros are Improving, Sir!

Marrow Amin was among the first Faunas to attend Atlas Academy, and this fact was not lost on him. Initiation hadn't even started, and already Marrow had to deal with people staring, whispers behind his back, and the occasional scoff or sneer. It wasn't as bad as in Mantle, but that's not exactly a high bar.

Marrow's wolf tail drooped behind him. His tail was usually a dead giveaway for his emotions (something he hated whenever he played poker with his family), and right now, he was feeling overwhelmed. Even without everyone staring at him, Atlas Academy was the largest place he had ever been in. He has grown up in a small, poor fishing village on the edge of the Solitas tundra, and most of the people he lived with were Faunas escapees from the Dust mines.

"Why is he even here?" one student whispered, just loud enough for Marrow to hear.

His shoulders slumped. Why was he here? Sure, he had passed the prerequisite physical and written exams, but what did that prove? Maybe Marrow only made it in because of his Semblance, which was admittedly powerful.

No, no, I can't think like that. This is the best opportunity I have to pull my family out of poverty. I'm going to make it through, no matter how hard it was.

As Marrow slipped into the large auditorium for initiation, he began to feel a bit overwhelmed. So much noise, so many people,call the sets of eyes glancing and staring at him. He feels his tail tuck between his legs as he tried to steady his breathing.

He glanced up at the podium and saw Lieutenant General James Ironwood walk onto the stage. He didn't even need to say anything, the whole room became quiet as all eyes focused on him.

James Ironwood had become a widely talked about man, equally loved and hated, depending on who you ask. With him now holding the position as Headmaster of Atlas Academy and being poised to eventually become General of the Atlesian Military, he could be the first person in Atlas history to hold two seats at once. With him claiming the responsibility of Headmaster, he voted to allow Faunas to attend Atlas Academy and become fully fledged Specialists, and the motion passed. Atlas elites were in an uproar, and they called upon their cronies in the media to smear and tarnish Ironwood's reputation. Yet, despite the slander and backlash, James stood firm. This was the first year that Faunas students were allowed to attend freely.

James tapped the microphone, his tall frame towering over the podium that seemed almost comically small compared to him. He cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"Welcome to Atlas Academy. You are now among the few that qualified to attend this prestigous institution. However, your training has just begun. These next few years will push you to your absolute limits, both mentally and physically."

Marrow shifted as he listened to his words. James took a deep breath before continuing.

"But this is not without reason. You are taking on the vital, crucial role of being the first line of defense against Grimm. Your life, the lives of your fellow soldiers, and the lives of everyone else depend on all of you being the best Hunters possible. This is not an opportunity to seek cheap thrills. This is a solemn responsibility."

The young faunas glanced at his hands, trying to process the heavy responsibility he was taking on.

"However," James continued, his eyes filled with pride as a small smile crosses his face. "I see potential in this room. I see the next generation of soldiers, Hunters and heroes. I see people capable of holding the darkness at bay, of rising above evil, and keeping the peace, not just in Solitas, but in the world."

Marrow felt himself standing a bit taller, his tail wagging a bit as he felt...happy. It felt like he had gained James's approval, even if this was only a general message.

"Now, as some of you may have noticed, we have faunas students here for the first time," James started, adjusting his tie. "I will state this in no uncertain terms: we do not tolerate bigotry or division. We are facing a threat that destroys indiscriminately. The Grimm make no distinction between humans or faunas, they simply kill. If we divide ourselves over petty, meaningless differences, we will fall. Every student here has rightfully earned their position at Atlas Academy. Every student will have the same opportunities. You will all be serving under the same Atlas flag, and when all others see that flag, they should feel safe and protected, and they should know that we stand united!"

The room is silent, everyone trying to process the speech they just heard. James Ironwood awkwardly fiddled with the cuffs on his uniform as he waited for some kind of response.

"Right, uh...classes will begin at 0600 tomorrow," Ironwood ended, his voice suddenly becoming far less sure than he was in his speech.

Marrow slowly began clapping, his wolf tail wagging behind him. Another student, a human, joined alongside him, and another. Soon, the whole auditorium was applauding Lieutenant General James Ironwood. A small, awkward smile spread across James's face as he gave a small bow and exited the stage.

Knowing the kind of Headmaster Ironwood was, Marrow was feeling a lot more confident about these next few years.

[imjusthereforironwood]

But it already has a name! Gun-Gun is a beautiful name!

dagnabbit, you're right. Gun-Gun: It's the gun that's also a gun! Side note, I love James, but Atlas R&D, please never let the general enter the weapon design rooms. Ever.

[imjusthereforironwood]

Small headcanon about the names of James's guns

So, we know that James's ivory revolver is named Due Process, but I personally think his ebony revolver is named Habeas Corpus, meaning "you have the body". (In law, it is a court order for law enforcement to bring forward a prisoner and justify why this prisoner is in custody.) And as much as I hate the brick of a weapon they gave James in Volume 8, I think that weapon would be called Capital Punishment.

Das it for now.

[imjusthereforironwood]

Take My Hand

Her legs were burning, her heart pounding like a jackhammer, but she couldn't stop moving. Harriet know that if she slowed down, she was dead.

Mantle had become a warzone in a matter of hours. It had started as an altercation between human supremacists and faunas eugenics groups, but it quickly devolved into a riot. When Atlas military tried to contain the situation, the riot became a firefight. Buildings were burning, cars were smashed, and people on all sides were hurt and killed. People were angry, scared and panicked. And that drew in Grimm.

The sheer cold of Solitas means that there aren't large hordes of Grimm everywhere, but it also means that these monsters were the most horrifying and tough ones on Remnant.

The teenaged Harriet had been hunkering down in the homeless shelter with other street orphans, when suddenly the ground erupted beneath them, and Centinals had crawled up into their hiding place. Harriet saw one of her friends get torn limb from limb, and the rest of them scattered.

Her aura was depleting rapidly, she didn't know how long she could keep her Semblance up. She rounded the corner and found herself in a dead end. Turning around, she faces her pursuers: a pair of snarling Sabyrs.

The catlike Grimm growled and stalked towards Harriet, their tongues lapping at the air like they could taste her fear. Her feet hit a patch of ice and she went down, shaking and trembling. With a roar, one of the Sabyrs leapt at her, jaws open ready to rend flesh and bone. All Harriet could do was wait for the end.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and instead of feeling teeth sink into her body, all she felt was a shower of viscera and skull fragments, as the body of the Sabyr flopped to the ground before her. The Grimm's left eye was now a smoking bullet hole.

At the edge of the alleyway stood a tall man with black hair, starting to turn silver at the temples. His white Atlesian officer uniform was stained with the Grimm's black ichor and in his right hand was a large ivory revolver.

Harriet recognized this man immediately from the recruitment posters and campaigns. He was Brigadier General James Ironwood.

Steam rose from James's lips as his blue eyes fixed on the second Sabyr. The Grimm crouched and pounced with surprising speed. The beast clamped it's jaws around his right wrist, and Harriet gasped in horror, expecting to see Ironwood's arm get mangled. But with the Sabyr still biting on his limb, James slammed it into the wall of the building and drove his left fist through the Grimm's chest, pulling back an arm covered in black sludge.

The monster's jaws slackened and it dropped to the ground.

James's right sleeve had been torn off in the struggle, revealing a prosthetic, damaged from the bite.

Ironwood turned back to Harriet, his icy blue eyes softening somewhat when he saw the scared, trembling teenager. James knelt down in front of the girl laying on the ground.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his tone measured and cautious.

Still unable to find her tongue, Harriet shook her head. Her heart was still pounding, but...this man had saved her life.

"Can you walk?"

Can I walk? Oh, Brothers, my legs feel like jelly. I can barely think, let alone walk on my own.

Taking her silence as a no, James wiped off his left arm on his uniform and extended it out to Harriet.

"It's alright, just take my hand."

[imjusthereforironwood]

That's Rough, Buddy

Taiyang woke up at the crack of dawn to find himself alone in bed. It was a bit unusual, Raven usually slept in if she had the chance. But lately, she had been... different. Tai was certain Ozpin had something to do with it, but to what extent, he didn't know.

There used to be a spark in Raven's eye, one of fire and fight. But that spark had left her eye in the last few weeks.

There was a note on the bedstand, written in Raven's familiar chicken scratch. (heh, the joke writes itself.) Picking up a pair of barely used reading glasses, he looked at the note.

I'm leaving. I'm done with Ozpin's games, I'm done with my puppet of a brother, and I'm done following orders. Good luck with the brat, Tai. She isn't my problem anymore. Don't bother looking for me.

At first, Tai thought it might be some cruel joke...but the note continued.

Ozpin will probably try and find me. He'll ask you questions, but it's best you don't know where I went. There are things I found out, and I don't want it coming back on you or on Yang. You probably won't see me again.

Tai covered his mouth and slumped against the bedframe. He felt like his world just got flipped upside down. Looking down at the note again, he stuffed it into the bedside drawer. Focus. Compartmentalize. After all...

Yang will be waking up soon.

[imjusthereforironwood]

New AU: "Tai"ing it all Together

I wish Taiyang Xaio Long was better in canon. He has everything I love, single dad, handsome, slight himbo energy, yet he falls short because of his lack of interaction with his kids, Yang's mention of him being distant, and an overall lack of screen time. So, I'm going to write an AU where he has more importance to the story. Oh, there will also some Qrowdad (for Ruby specifically, but not in a way that makes Tai worse), Raven going out for milk and cigarettes and Ironwood being a stud. This is more lighthearted than my Reforming Bullies: AU, but it will have some drama. Will figure it out as I go.

[ordinaryoracle]

this shit is literally what's getting me through college

[imjusthereforironwood]

Just Breathe

"Alright, now try to squeeze the stress ball."

Colonel James Ironwood inhaled through his nostrils as he attempted to flex his mechanical fingers. The movement felt so... foreign. Even when James puts all his focus into it, he barely managed to make the prosthetic lightly grip the stress ball. He's been trying to adapt to his replacement parts, but progress had been slow.

"I'm trying," James said, his teeth gritted. He wasn't going to give up so easily. He focused himself wholly on squeezing the ball.

"Do you need some help?" someone said, their voice distant in James's ears.

"I'm fine!" Ironwood snapped back. "I can do this myself."

James could feel the implant in his forehead burning as he tried to will his right hand to squeeze. He heard another voice, but he couldn't quite tell what it was saying. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his nervous system, shocking him to his core.

It hurts. Oh, Brothers, what is happening? I feel it again. My arm and leg, aching, tearing, rending. Someone help me, it hurts! I can feel how wrong this body is. These limbs aren't mine!

He could feel his lungs operating independently, one prosthetic, one organic. James wasn't getting enough oxygen.

James felt a hand hold his left hand. He looked over.

It was one of the doctors that had constructed his prosthetics. Dr... Pietro Polendina, that's it. James could hear the whirring and clicking of Pietro's robotic chair. His wide face had a calm, gentle smile on it.

"You overclocked the prosthetics, Colonel Ironwood," Pietro said, his tone quiet and thoughtful, giving James's hand a gentle squeeze. "You're hyperventilating, but you're going to be ok. Just...breathe with me for a second. In through the nose...and out through the mouth."

James, focusing on the man's words, began following the doctor's rhythmic breathing. In, out, in, out. The prosthetic lung began functioning in sync with his organic lung, and the burning sensation went away from his arm. He realized that he was still holding Pietro's hand and let go.

"Don't worry, this isn't uncommon among people adapting to new parts," Pietro said with a warm smile. "You're a resilient man, Colonel Ironwood, and you've shown remarkable progress considering how extensive the replacements are. You'll be firing on all cylinders in no time, but you have to take this one step at a time."

"Please...just call me James," Ironwood said with a small smile of his own.

[imjusthereforironwood]

Team CRDL's Weapons (Part Three: Dove Bronzewing)

Dove Bronzewing, aka the one that looks like his eyes are closed all the time. (And if a random question from an old RT convention is true, Dove is the most skilled fighter on his team.) I don't think he has a single line in RWBY proper. Welp, good thing this is fanon, not canon. Anywho, his weapon, Hallshott, is a mechashift sword with a revolver built into the handle. It seems to be able to fire while the blade is extended. The sword is the weapon is based on, a hallstatt, is a double edged Celtic blade, somewhat similar to a Roman gladius.

Revolver-swords are not uncommon in fiction, and actually exist in real life. Squall Leonhart in Final Fantasy VIII is one popular example of a Revolver-Sword user.

In RWBY, we know that Hallshott seems to use kind of smaller caliber. (if I had to guess, 9mm, .38 special, .357 magnum or a 40 S&W if Dove is a hipster) It has a decent rate of fire.

This is about all we know, now on to my additions. When Dove gets to Atlas, he will be given the chance to upgrade his equipment. However, he will be uncertain of what to change about Hallshott. He will run into Winter Schnee while he is training late one night and she took him under her wing. She teaches him the importance of responsibility and duty, as well as pushing his swordfighting ability to it's limits. Out of respect for Winter, and wanting to emulate her style, he will install a parrying dagger into his weapon. With the press of a switch on the back of the handle, a small dagger will extend out of the pommel of Hallshott. His style will become similar to a duelist, with a focus on creating openings with his revolver. When it comes to fighting larger groups of Grimm or people, he will struggle, but one on one, he is a force to be reckoned with. The best way I can describe it, he's the pick class of CRDL.

Anyway, that's all for today. Cya.