Fanfic / Red Ruin

"Doctor Wade says Ruby's a Telepath, hardwired to be sensitive to negative emotions. Ruby says she has a "condition". I say my sister has a fucking curse."

-Yang Xiao Long

Red Ruin is a RWBY / F.E.A.R. crossover written by Dalek IX which can be found on SpaceBattles.com here (incomplete snippets and discussion) and on Archive of Our Own here (full chapters).

In this world, Ruby Rose was born a telepath. With her condition steadily worsening after her mother's death, unexpected help arrives in the form of Harlan Wade and the Armacham Technology Corporation, who seem to be suspiciously well-equipped to handle Ruby's condition.

Years later, Ruby's accompanying her sister into Beacon Academy, stepping into the world of Huntsmen and Huntresses, not knowing what the future has in store for her.

Red Ruin provides examples of the following tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Ruby and Yang are the most prominent examples (what with the latter's telepathy), but there's hints that Blake's own involvement in the White Fang was a whole lot worse in this world.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Being a fusion of F.E.A.R. and RWBY, this is a given. A few examples:
  • Ruby Rose is a telepath, and her childhood was only a little less horrific than Alma Wade's because of it.
    • Rather than a sniper rifle, Ruby based Crescent Rose around a version of the ATC's High Velocity Penetrator.
  • Armacham exists as a weapons manufacturer (amongst other things) based in Vale and offers the SDC some stiff competition. Word of God says that they produce things like the Bullhead.
• Adaptational Heroism: Harlan Wade specifically and the Armacham Technology Corporation in general are a lot more helpful towards Ruby and Yang than they were towards anyone in F.E.A.R., both helping Ruby remain functional in the face of her powers. In both cases, this is played with; Harlan Wade's still described as an asshole and Yang theorizes that it wasn't coincidence that led them to cross paths with him, and the ATC is still a weapons manufacturing MegaCorp with some questionable motives of their own.
• Blood Knight: Even compared to canon this Ruby is extremely insistent on killing Grimm. When thinking or talking about then it usually includes the lines They Deserve to Die. They All Deserve to Die.
• Creepy Child: Ruby used to be this. She's gotten much better since, but her lack of social skills and the side effects of her medication will occasionally bring the creepy back.
• Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: Ruby Rose is described as having these; they're a result of her trying to sleep as little as possible for years.
• Curse: Yang thinks of Ruby's telepathy as such, given how badly it's affected them both. Ruby herself calls it "a condition" out loud, but mentally refers to it as a curse as well.
• Dream Walker: Ruby Rose, when asleep, will occasionally enter other people's dreams. Given the way her powers work, she only ever gets to see nightmares.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Yang considers Harlan Wade to be this; sure, he's an asshole with suspicious motivations, but he's always been honest with her when it comes to helping Ruby.
• MegaCorp: The Armacham Technology Corporation and the Schnee Dust Company. Interestingly, the ATC is a lot more subtle than the SDC; obusfucating just how much they own through subsidiaries rather putting their logo on everything.
• Meaningful Name: Played with. When deep in her psychic power Ruby sees and refers to people by symbolic names. However because her power is hardwired for negativity these names are only a part of who they are and Ruby considers them less real than their actual names. Names so far are:
  • Roaring Fire – Yang
  • Icy Blade - Weiss
  • Bloody Shadow – Blake
  • Untouchable Idol - Pyrrha
  • Paper Knight - Jaune
  • Quiet Vengeance – Lee
  • Roaring Thunder - Nora
• Mythology Gag: Story chapters are called "Intervals", like in F.E.A.R.
  • Yang's description of Ruby's childhood is almost identical to Harlan Wade's description of Alma's.
• Psychic Powers: Ruby, of course.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Harlan Wade cannot go through a single sentence without swearing at least once.