Not a scholar at first, but the guy who wrote Jaws hated that people used it to justify hating sharks so much he dedicated the rest of his life to shark research and advocacy.
(afaik- the woman who popularized gender reveals did so because she had a long history of miscarriages. The reveal was a celebration of the fact that one of her pregnancies had gotten far enough that there WAS a physical sex to reveal. It was never intended to be like... *gestures at modern gender reveals* all that. That same kid later came out as trans and yes, the family had a second gender reveal for that lol.)
L. David Mech, who popularised the idea that there were 'alpha' and 'beta' wolves in his 1970 book The Wolf, has spent the rest of his career trying to debunk this. (The original studies were done on captive wolves, and thus didn't simulate an accurate model of wolf pack dynamics.)
The idea that wolf packs are led by a merciless dictator, or alpha wolf, comes from old studies of captive wolves. In the wild, wolf packs a
In the wild, researchers have found that most wolf packs are simply families, led by a breeding pair, and bloody duels for supremacy are rare.
“What would be the value of calling a human father the alpha male?” says L. David Mech, a senior research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, who has studied wolf packs in the wild for decades. “He’s just the father of the family. And that’s exactly the way it is with wolves.”
btw you're allowed to enjoy two differing interpretations of the same character and you don't have to justify why you like it to anyone. you can like your evil character to be malicious and serious and you can like depicting them as a silly goober. you can enjoy seeing people draw two characters in all sorts of different contexts and dynamics without having to pick one over the other. you don't have to come up with a complex reason. you don't have to explain yourself to anyone. you can like a character multiple ways without having to justify why it's not problematic or why it's not weird. do what you want. it's fandom, not a testimony before the court.
Hello today I am thinking about the distinct way Oscar has supported Ruby.
A lot of others have tried to help her, to some degree or another, Yang especially. Like the scene in volume 8 after Ruby runs off. And that's important, it counts for something.
They tried to help her, but they didn't really try the way she needed them to, didn't help her the way she needed them to. And to be fair, Ruby didn't really communicate with them about what kind of support she needed. Hell, she might not have known what she needed, either.
Ruby wants to help people. It's like it's just in her nature, to want to give support and care. So she lets herself be someone her friends can lean on.
They do not return the favor.
Penny is a pretty big offender of this, for example. Even since volume 1 Penny has always leaned so heavily on Ruby, and like the others, just... never really offers her the same in return. I'm not saying Penny was a bad friend, I'm just saying I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we acted like the weight of Penny leaning against her didn't contribute to her emotional breakdown. I mean, Ruby feels so personally responsible for Penny, like it's her job to take care of her. Like she has to.
Caring for someone because you want to is all well and good, but caring for someone because you feel like you have to puts a whole different level of pressure on you. Why else do you think Ruby felt so responsible for Penny's death, when she wasn't even there when it happened?
This weight is not exclusively given to her by Penny, but it's particularly heavy for her since Penny is dead, and she feels like she failed her, somehow.
I say all this, but make no mistake, none of it was done intentionally. They genuinely had no idea the pressure they were putting on Ruby, the way they were unintentionally hurting her. And part of it is certainly a lack of communication, between all of them. That kind of thing happens! And it doesn't mean they were horrible to her, or bad friends, or anything like that. Just something they need to change, and learn from.
Regardless, Ruby has not been getting the support she needs. For the most part, at least. Even when she makes the attempt to reach out herself, it doesn't work.
Blake tries to comfort Ruby when they're turning the generator on, tells her "Hey, it'll work." To which Ruby's shoulders slump, and she replies "Nothing else has."
Blake then gives her a motivating speech about how she doesn't always know what to do, but that's never stopped her from doing something, and how she's always looked up to Ruby.
Sure, Ruby appreciated it at the time, it was positive affirmation after all. But it's also not what she needed in that moment.
Ruby was making an attempt to be just Ruby. Not a leader, not a huntress, just a girl because she is so tired. She wants to put down the "inspiring leader" role and just admit that she's afraid and upset and stressed and so, so tired.
But Blake does not give her a safe space to do that.
And in the end, she can't live up to that expectation, either.
"...but that's never stopped you from doing something."
Likewise, Yang tries to comfort Ruby after she has her outburst and runs off.
Yang starts by telling a joke to try and lighten the mood, "Still having to one-up your big sis, huh?" Which is promptly ignored. Ruby is not in the mood for jokes.
This scenario is different in that Ruby isn't just dejected, she's frustrated and angry that her plan didn't work. She's being self-deprecating, sure, but she was venting. Just trying to get it all off her chest.
She's not looking for comfort, in that moment. She's looking for someone to listen.
Yang does not listen.
Instead, she tells Ruby about what did work, what they did manage to do, and that while their mom took a risk the day she left, it didn't go how she wanted it to. But Summer is still her hero.
It ends up putting Ruby back in her mother's shoes again, rather than being reassuring. It reinforces her idea that she has to live up to the great Summer Rose, and be a hero.
Ruby does not feel like a hero.
"...but she's still my hero."
Saying the others are entirely to blame for this would be bullshit, and saying it's not their fault at all would also be bullshit.
Because here's the thing. Ruby fell into the role of support friend so easily and so naturally that... nobody really stopped to consider that she needed that support, too. They never noticed, because they were never really looking. They weren't looking because they didn't think they had to. Thought there was nothing to look for.
Except...there is someone who looked. There is someone who noticed, and considered. Right from the start, even.
Someone who realized "This must be really hard on her, too."
It's Oscar. Oscar is the unique exception.
And I am so tired of people pretending that's not significant.
Circling back around to the flaws in how the others have tried to help Ruby, there's a pretty common theme.
They don't let her be upset about things.
Two scenes in particular come to mind: Blake comforting Ruby V8, and Yang comforting Ruby in V8 as previously mentioned.
Ruby is upset, in both of these scenes. In one of them she ran off so she could go be upset. She's not necessarily looking for a solution, or a way to stop being upset. It's shows of vulnerability that are meant to convey that she wants a shoulder to cry on. Basically, "Please be here with me while I get this out of my system. I just need to be miserable about how much everything sucks right now, just for a minute."
In both of the aforementioned scenes, they do not offer a safe space for her let it all out. It goes immediately to "Well here's all the good things that have happened, here's what I admire about you, here's why you shouldn't be upset."
It comes from a place of genuine love and care. If someone you loved was hurting, it's only natural you would want to try and make them feel better, right?
But sometimes that's not what they need.
She's upset, and they need to let her be upset. Let her feel her feelings, even the negative ones! It sucks, but in the long term, bottling them up is far worse. You need to let it out sometimes, because one way or another, it will come out. Try to suppress it for too long and eventually it will explode.
Which is exactly what happens to Ruby in volume 9.
And in a stark contrast, in the dojo scene specifically, Oscar doesn't try to make her look at the positives or keep a stiff upper lip. In fact, it's more Ruby that's doing that to him. But he doesn't expect her to be okay or stay positive or give a pep talk or whatever. He doesn't expect her to be okay.
If anything, he's annoyed/frustrated that she's not letting herself be upset. Because surely, surely, she must be, right? How could she possibly be okay with any of this?
It's the complete opposite of what Ruby has come to expect, what she believes others expect from her.
This is what prompts Ruby to open up about her pain over what happened at Beacon, for the first time. That is huge.
And that's not even the only thing. He's been there for her in many ways that nobody else really has.
For example, in volume 6 after they tell Jaune, Ren, and Nora the truth about Oz and Salem, he's the one who looks and notices the toll it's taking on her. The other's distress (especially Nora, and especially Jaune) is more loud and and aggressive, it's big emotions showing in big ways, and it tends to become the center of attention. But Ruby's pain lurks quietly in the shadows. It's harder to notice, especially when there's something louder also demanding your attention. It's even noticable in the framing, the way Ruby is isolated in the corner.
But Oscar has already had the realization that she's hurting more than she lets on. He's the only one in this moment who thought "Is Ruby okay?"
Then of course, there's the part where Oscar remembers Ruby said food always makes her feel better. He said he made that casserole for all of them, and I don't doubt that was part of it. But we saw the way you hesitated and looked right at Ruby, mister. You aren't subtle.
And then there's the moment at the beginning of volume 7, where he confronts Ruby about her choice to lie to Ironwood.
He was visibly angry about it earlier, but he doesn't show her that, because he knows that wouldn't be helpful to the situation. Quite the contrary, he's hesitant to talk to her about it.
He knows questioning her decision is going to add even more pressure. He doesn't want that. But he also understands that she deserves to know. He knows how important communication is.
And when he tells her, he doesn't use any accusatory language. He does not say "you", he frames it more as a concept; something they're all doing.
"Hiding things from Ironwood..."
He's not questioning her ability as a leader, he's not accusing her of anything. He's simply telling her "Hey, I think you should know that I don't like this. I trust you, and I won't tell him if you don't want me to, but you should be aware that this doesn't sit right with me."
It's actually quite significant, the more I think about it. It's a double edged sword.
On one hand, it's Oscar acknowledging that she's not perfect and she can make mistakes, and that's okay. But it's also him telling her that he thinks this choice is a mistake, which feeds into her self doubt. It's simultaneously exactly what she needs to hear and exactly what she doesn't want to hear.
Coupled with his distinct use of words during The Fumble, "We should tell Ironwood!" and "He's finally choosing the truth over fear...we should do the same."
He's actively letting her know that she's not alone, that's he's there for her, even in this matter where they originally disagreed. He's always been telling her that, in little ways.
Plus, he not only makes the effort to help shoulder her burdens here, Ruby believes it's her responsibility to tell Ironwood the truth because she chose to keep it from him in the first place. But Oscar knows she has other things to attend to. She's got enough on her plate as is. So he tells her it's alright, he'll take care of it, no need to worry.
And Ruby's timid response: "You're sure?" because sharing responsibilities is not something she's used to, but at the same time, after volume 9 we know she's been aching for someone to lean on. And oh, there is someone, isn't there?
So she lets Oscar handle it, because she trusts him. And she trusts him not to judge her for wanting that support.
I could go on, but the point is how distinct and unique the dynamic between Ruby and Oscar is. Ruby does not have this dynamic with anyone else. He's consistently been there for her in a way no one else has been able to be.
"🎶You don't need me anymore, you don't see me anymore.🎶"
Ruby does not feel seen by the others, that much is clear. But Oscar is the exception.
We need everyone's help right now to protect the rainforest and Indigenous People
The Amazon Rainforest is under a massive threat. I know you've heard this a million times, but this is different. There is a piece of legislation that will decimate the rights of Indigenous people of Brazil, who have been protecting the rainforest. It's unfathomably bad. It has majority support. And they're voting tomorrow.
As reported here, the Bill allows "the Brazilian government to find energy resources, set up military bases, develop strategic roads, and implement commercial agriculture on protected Indigenous tribal lands, without any prior discussion with the affected peoples."
The thing you can do—and I know this sounds overly simple—is sign this petition—and tell your friends to do the same: SIGN HERE.
As reported here, the Bill allows "the Brazilian government to find energy resources, set up military bases, develop strategic roads, and implement commercial agriculture on protected Indigenous tribal lands, without any prior discussion with the affected peoples."
Again, this bill has majority support. You may be wondering, why will a petition signed by people who don't live in Brazil make any difference? Because it will give those opposing it political air cover. It will show the world is with them.
God is a wise, patient, and caring 7-foot-tall woman made of iron and cloth who carves wood in her spare time and helps those who are lost find their way, never interfering, instead watching and sharing her ageless and infinite kindness, giving those who have found themselves by her side the freedom to choose.
The irony of Ruby spending a volume thinking she’s a failure, that she’s made mistakes wherever she goes, that she only ever makes things worse… only to return to Vacuo and see before her eyes all the successes she’s had. The friends she fought for, who came together at Beacon. The allies she made, who saved Haven. The tower she helped raise against all odds, in Atlas.
The world, she spoke to, who heard her ask for help and said “we’ll do whatever we can.” And they came. From Patch, from Vale, from Mistral, from Argus, from Mantle, from Atlas, from Menagerie, they came.
Salem doesn’t face a school unprepared or a kingdom divided this time. She doesn’t just face a kingdom united.
Ruby did the one thing Ozpin never could. Now, Salem faces a world unified.
Because of one simple thing. A smaller, more honest soul.
I just ADORE the fact that the Blacksmith clarifies that balance is not two binary forces that must be locked in constant battle but a a living, breathing ecosystem that finds its own equilibrium through care and patience.
The simplicity of Ruby's realization was *chef's kiss* like she reached for Summer's weapon, looking for answers, and found a memory of Summer caring for her kids, caring for her partner, lying to him, leaving her family behind.
Ruby saw Summer being HUMAN.
I don't think any other memory would have knocked Summer off the pedestal Ruby had her on so effectively.
I personally loved that with this sort of demystifying of being a huntress for Ruby, we also got a demystifying of Summer Rose. Yes, she was the best mom. Yes, she lied and left. We all have our have baggage, huh?
