History Fanfic / Redemption

* EvilMentor: Downplayed. Because Corvus and Wivern [[spoiler: lie about their true names]] CRDL is justifiably suspicious. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler: they are legitimate Hunstmen, and they are on a necessary mission. They're also Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long. When Russel [[StepfordSnarker reveals]] [[BuxomIsBetter in a]] [[ShesGotLegs very]] [[MaleGaze misogynistic way]] that he's interested in Yang, Taiyang almost chokes and Qrow has to make sure Tai doesn't break their cover]].

* EccentricMentor: Wivern, one of the Huntsman CRDL shadows on their mission during the Breach of Beacon. To be fair, though, [[InsistentTerminology he's not their mentor]].

* Didn'tSeeThatComing: Sky accidentally does this to Ozpin and Goodwitch. As his Semblance makes him a living lie detector, he can identify when they aren't telling the truth about [[spoiler: their reasons for firing Russel as the tournament's medic]]. After CRDL confronts Goodwitch, [[spoiler: Qrow is sent to explain the situation, to try and limit the damage that CRDL may unwittingly cause by blundering in unaware]].

* EvilMentor: Downplayed. Because Corvus and Wivern [[spoiler: lie about their true names]] CRDL is justifiably suspicious. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler: they are legitimate Hunstmen, and they are on a necessary mission. They're also Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long.]] When Russel accidentally reveals he's interested in Yang [[BuxomIsBetter in a]] [[She'sGotLegs very]] [[MaleGaze misogynistic way]], [[spoiler: Taiyang almost chokes and Qrow has to make sure Tai doesn't break their cover]].

* EvilMentor: Downplayed. Because Corvus and Wivern [[spoiler: lie about their true names]] CRDL is justifiably suspicious. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler: they are legitimate Hunstmen, and they are on a necessary mission, They're also Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long. When Russel accidentally reveals he's interested in Yang [BuxomIsBetter in a] [She'sGotLegs very] [MaleGaze misogynistic way], Taiyang almost chokes and Qrow has to make sure Tai doesn't break their cover]].

* EvilMentor: Downplayed. Because Corvus and Wivern [[spoiler: lie about their true names]] CRDL is justifiably suspicious. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler: they are legitimate Hunstmen, and they are on a necessary mission, They're also Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long. When Russel accidentally reveals he's interested in Yang [[BuxomIsBetter in a]] [[She'sGotLegs very]] [[MaleGaze misogynistic way]], Taiyang almost chokes and Qrow has to make sure Tai doesn't break their cover]].

* AbusiveParents:
** Cardin’s father; a large part of Cardin’s plot is learning to be someone other than the man who raised him.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny:
** How Russel treats [[spoiler: the reveal of Pyrrha's Semblance. Sure, he's mad, but the fact that his armour-wearing teammates kept picking fights with the girl with a Semblance of magnetism is too appealing to his sense of irony for him to hold a grudge. Though he does insist on being the one to tell them]].

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** The whole point of the fic.
* AngstWhatAngst:
** Russel acts like this sometimes to hide his own grief and guilt over [[spoiler: Violet’s suicide]].
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** Team CRDL, gradually: Cardin and Russel have a couple of good moments, like when Russel refuses to allow Cardin to become ashamed of his Semblance and when Cardin helps Russel get over [[spoiler: Violet’s death]]. Sky and Dove, who are partners both in fighting and romantically, are frequently made of this trope.
* BadPowersBadPeople:
** Cardin feels he has this before Russel snaps him out of it by pointing out the ways he can use his Semblance to his advantage. His Semblance is to [[spoiler: induce fear]].

* CampGay:
** PlayedWith and Invoked; Dove and Russel are joking around right after Dove reveals his sexuality to Russel; Russel makes an emotional reveal of his own but then tries to wave off Dove’s concern, leading Dove to accuse him of invoking this trope.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Like you wouldn't ''believe''.

* ConvenientlyAnOrphan:
** Downplayed and Subverted for Russel: he had several foster-parents and his last ones actually tried to convince him to stay in Vacuo rather than moving to Vale. Also Deconstructed in that his lack of family made him cling to [[spoiler: Violet]], leaving him emotionally-devastated when [[spoiler: she died]].

* DeathByOriginStory:
** [[spoiler: Violet]].

* DisproportionateRetribution:
** What Russel considers releasing the wasps on Pyrrha to be.
* DrivenToSuicide: ** [[spoiler: Violet. A large portion of Russel’s character arc is working out the resulting angst]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Because of the aesthetic differences between Russel and the rest of CRDL, the author made Russel a character who was originally from Vacuo, and who had moved to Vale to enrol in Beacon. This is superficially similar to Sun Wukong, and when Russel and Sun meet [[spoiler: at the dance]], they discover they have several friends in common. What Russel doesn't realise is that [[spoiler: one of those friends told Sun about Russel and about Violet's death, and that Sun, not realising Russel had only told CRDL, let the information slip out to RWBY.]]

* FacePalm:
** Everyone in the team, but especially Sky, who frequently plays the mature one to the rest of his team's antics.
* FriendlessBackground:
** Downplayed for Russel; his poor attitude, lack of a stable home and decision to [[spoiler: date a Faunus girl]] made him a bit of a social outcast, although he and Sun Wukong do have several friends in common since they're both originally from Vacuo.

* KnightInSourArmour:
** Russel, after [[spoiler: Violet’s death]].
* LampshadeHanging:
** A lot of things in the RWBY universe:

* PosthumousCharacter:
** [[spoiler: Violet, Russel’s dead Faunus girlfriend]].

* ShellShockedVeteran:
** Dove and Sky suspect that Russel has PTSD because of some large scale incident; really, it was just the way he was expressing his grief over [[spoiler: losing Violet]] .

* StepfordSmiler:
** Dove. Because of his own violent nature than anything else.
* StepfordSnarker:
** Russel, with a vengeance.
* StraightGay:
** Dove and Sky.

* SurvivorGuilt:
** Russel, due to [[spoiler: Violet’s suicide]].

* DrivenToSuicide:
** [[spoiler: Violet. A large portion of Russel’s character arc is working out the resulting angst]].

** One of the first conversations the newly-formed Team CRDL has is about where to put their armour. Russel, who only wears a single spaulder (mostly as a makeshift pocket). Later, when [[spoiler: Jaune and Russel fall into a crevice at Mountain Glenn, Pyrrha is unable to stop Russel from falling because his spaulder-strap snaps, and he has no other large metallic items she can lift with her Semblance]].

** TheMedic: Russel, after [[spoiler:he becomes more comfortable using his Semblance]]. Weiss lampshades how unsuited his temperament is for the role.

* DarkerAndEdgier: When the hunter shadowing mission started the author announced the story would get both physically and mentally dark. Cue [[spoiler: largely underground battles with masses of Grimms inside a mass grave]]. Afterwards, when they reconnect with the other teams after the Breach, [[spoiler: Russel took a mail package bomb for Blake, leaving him comatose and on life support for a day]].

* GroinAttack: Russel's Semblance is [[spoiler:transferring injuries from other people to himself, and then suppressing said injuries]]. Scarle was hit in the groin with flaming coconuts. Russel is not amused when he is [[spoiler:asked to heal Scarlet]].

*** ''Russel's internal monologue:'' '' "Cardin, Dove and Sky's faces make nearly dying worth it." ''

* FluffyTheTerrible: Dove's parents name every children with a peace theme, but he is aggressive enough to counter it.

* AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:

*** This is best seen in their fight against the Grimm, where all of their incompatible or despised Semblances come into play: Cardin [[spoiler: uses his Semblance to draw the Grimm to him and]] triggers the cartridge of fire Dust that Russel gave him; Russel [[spoiler: goes to save him from the collapsing cave and is guided to him by Dove and Sky, Sky using his super senses to tell Dove where to direct them. Russel then heals Cardin, and Cardin returns the favour by pulling Russel to safety.]]

** Dove.

*** ''Russel:'' '''Cardin, Dove and Sky's faces make nearly dying worth it.'''

*** 'Russel:'''Cardin, Dove and Sky's faces make nearly dying worth it.''

*** ''Cardin, Dove and Sky's faces make nearly dying worth it.''

*** '''It makes almost dying worth it.'''