#cardinalcry

I made this AU! It’s mine, I tell you! Mine!

But for real, the idea sprang from many different factors, and still holds a deepseated love in my heart. It gives Ruby a foil outside of her friends and established antagonists, it puts more meat on the bones of Cardin’s character, and I’m proud of what I created. A part of me wishes I had some drawing or visually artistic skills to supplement my writing (or commissioned more artwork for this baby), but I’m not that talented.

Sadly burnout and more high intensity work has caused CardinalCry to be left at the wayside quite significantly.

I *might* be making a different Cardin-centric RWBY AU, if that would interest anyone.

Mineta: *makes a perverted comment*

Jirou: *grabs a textbook with ass-kicking 'intent, and dives across a school desk to bludgeon her prey*

Sero: *sighs dreamily*

Kaminari:

Weiss: Here.

Do they meet Tyrian early or the horse monster Grimm.

Does Leo get exposed much earlier?

Does the vault fight in vol 5 even happen etc

I am curious to know if the timeline is still kind of the same or very different?

So, please refer to this handy-dandy chart for most of the early changes from canon-to-AU. I haven't updated it in... forever, but hey, it's still there I guess.

As for your questions:

They bypassed Tyrian entirely, since Cardin just drove himself and Ruby all the way to Haven Academy, making it near-impossible for Tyrian to track them/keep up by conventional means, as shown in the animated series. He fights Ruby and Cinder at Haven Academy, until Qrow shows-up, at which point Professor Lionheart also attacks Tyrian, gravely injuring the assassin and forcing a retreat.

Leo is exposed earlier, and is convinced to do the right thing and come back to the good-guys' side. He is arrested for his collusion with Salem after the Battle of haven and the Vault fight, but he recovered his honour.

Yang: Yup.

Cardin: Is that new thing, or…?

Yang: Pretty new, but we kinda had feels ever since Beacon.

Cardin: Cool, cool.

Yang: Nothing to say, Winchester?

Cardin: Uh, congratulations? I’m happy for you?

Yang: Wow, you really have changed.

Cardin: I was mildly racist back at Beacon, Yang, not a homophobe.

Cardin: …Besides, if you’re dating Blake, then we can use Menagerie as a wedding venue.

Yang: Yeah, exac-

Yang: Wait, ‘we’?

Cardin: Uhhhhhh…

Yang: Are you… going to ask Ruby…?

But them being honest and blunt and rude and irrational and selfish? Them acknowledging that this isn't the kind of thing you can just hug-and-make-up 'over? That's exactly the kind of character development I want. This kind of content is exactly what separates a show like RWBY from other animation projects or conventional Eastern animes. The ability to focus and double-down on character drama and interpersonal problems. The ability to evolve beyond the initial concept and characterization, and to explore more complex and nuanced storytelling. Bravo, RoosterTeeth. Bravo, CRWBY.

Saw this post from @iamafanofcartoons so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.