So by this point, I think many of us are likely familiar with the idea that the breakup of Team RWBY at the end of Volume 3 is meant to thematically parallel the breakup of Team STRQ in the wake of Summerās death, ie; Ruby falls into a coma for a few days while Summer disappears and then both their teams fracture. Along with a popular sub-theory that Blake leaving Yang after the Fall is meant to parallel Raven leaving Tai.
But the thing is, if Ruby falling into a coma at the end of Volume 3 is meant to parallel Summerās (supposed) death and the way this loss caused the fracturing and breakup of their respective teams, then Ravenās actions DONāT really parallel Blake nearly as well as a lot of people think.
And in fact, I feel like Qrow could potentially have paralleled Blakeās actions FAR better.
Like people talk about how Raven āabandonedā Tai just like Blake ran away from Yang after the Fall of Beacon. Except if the point of parallel to the Fall of Beacon is Summerās death, then the parallel doesnāt work because Raven was ALREADY GONE from Team STRQ by the time Summer disappeared. To the point where Tai, Qrow and Ozpin had (and still have) NO IDEA she was even involved in whatever happened to Summer. Raven canāt exactly have abandoned Tai just like Blake did to Yang if Raven wasnāt even around.
Instead, as Iāve discussed in the past, I think Ravenās actions following Summerās ādeathā potentially line up far better with WEISS. Like if it turns out that losing Summer was what actually drove Raven to return to her tribe, then that lines up very nicely with Weiss being taken back to her family/Atlas in the wake of the Fall of Beacon: Both return to the shitty, abusive family that raised them. And given how much of Weissās character is tied up in her family and their ālegacyā, then the way Raven eventually took over her tribe makes her an ideal foil; effectively representing a Weiss who did eventually take over the Schnee family and company, but in the process internalized all the pain and trauma her family gave her.
And as for a cherry on top; if Ruby falling into a coma after the Fall of Beacon is meant to parallel Summerās supposed ādeathā, then what was one of the last things Ruby did at the Fall?
Run off on a special mission with Weiss, just like we now know Summer did with Raven.
Now going back to my point about how Raven was not even around to abandon Tai just like Blake did to Yang, you know who WAS presumably around when Summer ādiedā?
Letās consider what exactly Blake actually did following the Fall of Beacon beyond just a surface-level reading: Yes, she did go back to her family, similar to what Raven may have done, but given that the Belladonnas are NOT actually shitty and abusive, I maintain that Weiss is still the better parallel to Raven. Instead, letās consider Blakeās whole arc across Volumes 4 and 5 relating to the White Fang: At first being depressed over loss and perceived failure before being inspired to start working for a better cause, in this case pushing back against and stopping Adamās takeover of the White Fang.
So I have to wonder; what if this reflects what Qrow did with Ozpin and the conspiracy following Summerās ādeathā? Maybe Qrow and his teammates had helped Ozpin in the past and knew what he was doing, but what if THIS was the point where Qrow became fully committed to Ozpinās cause and joined the Ozluminati full-time? Perhaps seeing it as a way of āhonoringā Summerās memory.
Instead of staying with the one teammate he had left (and possible partner) who was now in a massive depressive spiral AND had two kids to take care of.
It starts to make Qrow and Tai feel a lot like Blake and Yang, doesnāt it?
This is one of the big reasons why I think Qrow and Tai are the REAL foil to Bumbleby on Team STRQ. They effectively give us a look at a version of Blake and Yang whose relationship failed. Or rather, were never able to ātake the next stepā and actually form their relationship.
Qrow is a Blake who fully internalized her self-loathing and belief that she didnāt deserve Yang or that Yang was better off without her and has simply been pining for Yang from afar.
Meanwhile Tai is a Yang who likewise fully internalized her fears of abandonment and fully resents Blake for leaving her or may not have ever even fully recognized her feelings for Blake in the first place.
Essentially, Qrow and Tai are the version of Blake and Yang who werenāt able to work through all the problems, issues and baggage which allowed them to actually start their relationship. Like a Blake who didnāt get that vital pep-talk from Sun at the end of Volume 4, or a Yang who likewise didnāt get that vital talk from Weiss in Volume 5.
Which in turn leads us to what I brought up earlier with Qrow joining up with the Ozluminati full-time, essentially representing a Blake who threw herself into reforming the White Fang instead of returning to Team RWBY and reconnecting with Yang. Meanwhile Tai simply throws himself into a deep depression, grief and āmopingā, ironically all the things he would later accuse Yang of doing (at some point Iām going to do a post on just how much PROJECTING Tai has likely been doingā¦)
So now Qrow and Tai have this low-key toxic relationship where Qrow is more-or-less aware of Taiās extremely dysfunctional parenting but has also been enabling it and a lot of Taiās unhealthy coping mechanisms over the years because heās been pining for Tai ever since their Beacon days and still is pining in a very depressed, self-loathing āI donāt deserve him/to be happyā way and also doesnāt want to risk conflict with his former partner and also the only teammate he has left.
Thus Qrow keeps his distance and just goes along with Taiās dysfunctions and/or lets Tai push him away. Which in turn just reinforces Taiās abandonment issues.
And Ruby and Yang are still stuck with utterly dysfunctional parental figures.
Oh, and if you need more proof about the deliberate parallels between Blake and Qrowā¦
Then how about the whole damn song where they sing about how theyāve always felt terrible about themselves but now things are looking up for them.
