#quinalysis

I love how his brand of humor is like. A sarcastic variation of Oz's. Deadpan energy to replace whimsy. Youthful sass vs affectionate teasing. Less joke-y and more of a darkly humorous commentary. Tired teen boy.

Time to ramble cause I can and therefore will! I appreciate that Oscar's simultaneously kept in touch with his sense of humor ("I never agreed to these terms!" "And just to clarify, this is the easy option?" "You wanna make it?" "I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after... spending all day looking for me, apparently." "Happy... Huntresses." "Haaaave you always been able to do that?" "This might be a problem." "Great." "Switch sides, huh?"), as well as adopting more of Oz's lighthearted humor/amused manner, especially in Atlas volumes ("*small laugh* I shouldn't be surprised you're so familiar with fairytales." "You and me both." "I get the feeling there's been a few of those tonight.")

Similarly, Ozpin's humor/overall manner has gained that wry Oscar tint ("Maybe you've taken one too many hits." "Don't you get it?") without losing his own brand ("I didn't say you were normal; I said you were sane. There's quite a significant difference between-" "I've lived through my share of them.")

I especially love when it feels like an evolution/combination of both their senses of humor, like something either of them might say, but typically still said in their own character voice, like "I do hope those weren't Beacon graduates" followed by "Y'know, sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our job and not theirs." Those lines are both said in their own way (though the VAs do utilize a bit of the other's vocal quality) but lean into the shared parts of each other's humor.

"We can't just wave it like a magic wand and make our problems go away" has the Oscar dryness & sassy delivery paired with Ozpin's tendency for metaphor. If Oz had said that line, it'd have erred on the side of playful teasing to lighten the mood, but with Oscar it's a tired expression of reality. "Oh dear. Ambrosius." keeps Ozpin's character voice while emulating the vibe of Oscar's short-form situational comments.

"I think you're needed elsewhere." is another nice example of Oscar's functional humor gaining Oz's amusement, as well as fitting both of their proclivity for affectionate teasing. Or, again, "Maybe you've taken one too many hits." (Listen, Oz hasn't had much chance to joke since v5, I only have so much to work with here) combines Oz's light humor in dark times with Oscar's particular vibe of sassy commentary on the negative of a situation. It serves to lighten the mood, but also to acknowledge the problem and progress the conversation, teasing and prompting at once. In this way, outside of the initial "Hmm," it primarily resembles Oscar's style.

[Side note: while Oscar's attempt at impersonating Ozpin was excellent and mostly convincing, his dryly unamused affect gave him away (to me, at least) -- he said an Ozpin thing in an Ozpin voice, but his deadpan delivery was far too Oscar.]

Just. I love the way they embody this combo. Amused sarcasm and sarcastic amusement. Old man sass + teenage boy sass. It pairs well and I'm looking forward to seeing more and watching it evolve. Hopefully they'll have more opportunities for jokes now that they're not, y'know, being tortured in a war.

tactical

opportunistic

takes in all available information

pinpoints opponents' strategies (eg. with Jacques, from one sentence Oscar extrapolated his plan and the reality behind his fluffy words, telling Ruby it's a trap, not an offer)

recognizes & acknowledges others' points of view (Seriously, he does this just. All the time. Both with teammates and enemies) then either expresses or implements his own

considers how all pieces can be beneficial or detrimental, their limitations and consequences

when something isn't working he looks for another way rather than forcing it; when met with roadblocks, knows his limits and finds the best way to work with what he can do (eg falling behind his team while escaping Atlas and deciding to split off so he can talk to Ironwood instead, as that's something he could at least try)

aware of how pieces interact with one another, making an effort to ensure all available pieces are working together towards a larger goal

adapts to current conditions

thinks ahead

makes executive decisions when necessary or when he differs from an existing/proposed course of action

detail-oriented while still acknowledging the bigger picture

creative problem-solving

makes his opponents' assets and moves work against them

learns from every loss, failure, and experience

willing to take calculated risks

willing to sacrifice pieces (himself, Hazel) to protect others or deplete/redirect his opponent's resources

general tendency towards manipulating the board in his favor

Oscar's proven remarkably good at assessing a situation; recognizing the status of the pieces he has in front of him as well as those of his opposition, and thinking of clever ways to manipulate them. Manipulate in this case can be any attempt to affect the playing field, anywhere from plotting division to something even as simple as noting that Emerald is a powerful player, and informing her that she'd be a strong ally to them.

He also likes to gather the available information before making a decision (e.g. asking Oz for explanations at Haven and deciding to appeal to Hazel, sowing distrust among Salem's forces, observing Cordovin's mech/strategy to locate a potential weakness and come up with a method of exploiting it, etc.). Typically in chess one doesn't adopt their opponent's pieces to their side but hey, winners play by their own rules :P

He now recognizes fear as a universal inevitability, not to be run from nor capable of being eliminated, but something to examine intimately. Knowing you may not be proud of the person you see, that your reflection might be the thing to scare you most of all, and choosing to see it anyway. It’s there, whether or not you look.

Ozpin’s rhetoric has always been very “Perhaps [”bad” thing] is less than ideal, but we must remember that it could be much worse. Ultimately, I still believe [”good” thing] will prevail over [”bad” thing] in the end.” 

Meanwhile, Oscar’s rhetoric is more “[”Bad” thing] is a fact of life, and it’s happening right now. If we want any chance at a positive outcome, we have to embrace [”bad thing”] before we can change it. Or else we’ll become it.”

Something I’ve thought about but haven’t talked about with this scene is the fact that not only does it take a long time for Oz to go from Oscar’s resting position (closed fists, arms flat on desk) to his own resting position (elbows on table, one hand flat over a fist beneath his chin), but he also returns to Oscar’s position shortly after, of his own accord, and stays in it.

Like, he didn’t have to do that. He could’ve stayed in his own pose. But he’s doing the trademark Oscar thing of defaulting to closed/clenched fists. (Yes, other characters do clench their fists, but watch how Oscar stands and walks as a default, and more often than not, he’s got fists). It’s rare to see Ozpin without his cane in hand, but every time it’s happened in v8, he’s done at least one Oscar Mannerism™️

[To clarify: the first image is Oscar, all subsequent ones are Ozpin]

Bonus screenshots/thoughts:

V6

Jaune: What does it do, exactly? Qrow never really told us. Ozpin: Of course. The relic of knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer. Blake: That’s... incredible. Ozpin: Indeed. However, it’s not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell you of events that have yet to happen. And it will only ever answer three questions... Every one hundred years. I’m afraid you won’t be able to ask it anything at the moment.

V8

Oscar: And we haven’t even told you about... him. Yang: Who? Ozpin: The spirit in the Staff. Like Jinn. But, well, he’s a character. He can build you anything, but, only if you can explain to him how. Like any craftsman, he’ll need blueprints. Some sort of reference. It’ll help if we have real-world examples to show him. There’s still James and his bomb to consider.

His sentences are now being structured linearly, rather than using old-fashioned syntax such as “...for which we know not the final move, we mustn’t be so bold,” and “however, it’s not without drawbacks,” etc. Now he speaks in a modern colloquial syntax, such as “He’ll need blueprints. Some sort of reference,” “We need to find a way to work together,” “But you’ve done so much already. The least I can do is give you a break and try to get us out of here,” etc. Plus he exclusively says “maybe” instead of “perhaps” now. 

Gosh there’s so much more I could say... Maybe I should make another post just comparing the changes in sentence structure cause this isn’t the best example of that I’ve found, I just wanted to compare how he introduces the relics.

Ooh, good question! They have a lot in common, but each similarity can be closer examined to find the differences within those shared qualities! Though their character and relationship development (and likely some merging) have begun to bridge those gaps. There’s some overlap in my descriptions between similarities and differences, since there’s a lot of nuanced pieces at play.

#Difference 1: View of humanity (I'm using the term broadly; it includes Faunus)

When Oz speaks of humanity, it's as a whole -- he says that there are a misguided few, but far more people willing to prevent harm than cause it. "Humanity is a resilient force." His focus is on uniting humanity. He speaks of faith in humanity, and truly believes there is more good than cruelty in the world. But even though he himself is human, he seems to view humanity with some level of detached fondness, like he's looking outward at the world.

When Oscar speaks of humanity, it's on an individual level. Personal. "Some things matter more, I think. Keeping our humanity." His focus is less... I hesitate to say "less big-picture," because we've seen Oscar consider the big picture, but primarily he treats the idea of humanity as a group of individuals rather than a monolithic force or concept. 

Ozpin does hold love for humanity, but it comes from a place of protecting them, which inherently makes him somewhat detached from them. Meanwhile, Oscar's concept of humanity is centered on what it is that makes us human, and how we can protect and nurture the humanity in ourselves and others.

which brings us to...

Difference #2: Detachment vs Intimacy

This is one key difference that seems to be evolving into a similarity!  Where Oz kept his distance, Oscar reaches out. Where Oz believed some individuals to be too far gone, Oscar believes it's worth it to try and appeal to their humanity, despite the risk. I already mentioned Oz’s detachment, so I won’t ramble again, but he kept everyone at arm’s reach, not fully trusting them, because the risk of betrayal is too high.

Oscar's genuine sincerity is a huge part of his character, to the point where if I were Blake and had to pick one word Oscar embodies, it'd either be resilience or sincerity. Sincerity radiates off of this kid every time he speaks. He connects with others on a personal level, as fully trusted equals and friends.

Starting with the v7 finale, Ozpin has begun to adopt some of that sincerity in his own way. A lot of their growing similarities are character-driven, so it’s really sweet to see how they help one another grow. In Ozpin’s apology we can see he’s speaking openly, directly from the heart, and allowing himself to be vulnerable, the way Oscar does and encourages others to do. This isn’t to say Ozpin was ever unfeeling or cold -- not at all! He just focused more on the presentation of being a perfect leader, a symbol to follow, whereas Oscar’s primary focus has been truth and trust, which is inherently an intimate act. It took a lot of growth on Oz’s part, and I think he’ll continue to go down this path as he gets positive reinforcement.

Similarity #1: Their sense of humor. They’re both sassy little shits. Oscar’s a bit more direct about his sass, though, while Oz tends to be subtle about it (for the most part), but they seem to share a general sense of humor. I’d love to see more of their banter, that was always fun. They play off each other really well, even in non-comedic settings.

Similarity #2: The tendency to introspect. Both Ozpin and Oscar are very contemplative, and are shown to ponder the nature of whatever situation they’re in, drawing connections to the world at large as well as reflecting on their actions. Well, for Oz it was mostly reflecting on the consequences of his actions until volume 7 rolled around. Oscar reflects on the inherent morality more than the outcome, but both blame themselves for a lot that’s not directly their fault. And this affinity for thinking about such complex topics is part of their wisdom. They’re both very wise, in many different (and many similar) ways. And during v7 Oz came to see Oscar’s viewpoints and wisdom as admirable, and essentially made Oscar his role model from then on.

That conversation with him explaining the cane? Felt similar to the way Ozpin would address the group back in Volume 5 or 6 (especially the scene explaining the lamp). But Oscar does it differently. He’s being fully open and honest, outspoken and emotionally-driven rather than reserved and calculated, extending full trust even to Emerald, and speaking to them as peers rather than students (like Oz did) or like a team he wasn’t a part of (like Oscar used to feel). He’s been allowed to speak his mind and be confident and comfortable around his teammates the past two volumes, and it’s really nice to see, because that’s shown us who he is when he’s not too afraid or nervous to express it. And as he’s come into his own, we’ve seen the “like-minded souls” aspect come into play, but in ways that are unanticipated, so we see the effects of the merge on Oscar in ways that contrast with what Ozpin would have done.

Their similarities are growing, and that’s being used to highlight their differences even more. So yeah, they are blending together. They have been for a while. We didn’t hear much Oz in this episode, but he’s been adopting Oscar-isms as well, so I’m excited to hear him more soon (maybe even in control to talk with the others? Depends). But it’s still Oscar. He still feels like Oscar to watch, and the fact that they’ve been building this up so it doesn’t feel out of nowhere -- to the point that I keep seeing people talk about how “Oscar hasn’t merged at all” -- is really, really cool. 

Oscar’s little Oz-isms make me go “oh that reminds me of Oz/oh that could be a sign of the merge” but they have never felt out of place for Oscar as a character, and that’s really smooth. He’s recalling memories of past lives, using longer words, adopting some similar speech patterns, inheriting muscle memory, gaining magic, but isn’t losing himself. Oscar is growing and changing and developing, not fading. And these changes are still his. This development belongs to him. You think Ozpin would’ve given Hazel the password? Or immediately trusted Emerald? Heck, he wanted to escape; Oscar’s the one who decided to turn Salem’s forces against her. The way Oscar handles these situations shows us who he is.