Tsubaki Silvius

This article is currently under construction, and is incomplete at the moment.

Tsubaki Silvius is a member of Jade's gang, as one of her RWBY OCs. She is not shipped, and Jade doesn't plan her to be.

As a RWBY OC, Tsubaki is a member of Team NTHK (Nighthawk), a second-year Beacon team. Her partner is the reckless Kaili Hart.

## Appearance

Tsubaki has a pale complexion, and stands at a height of 5'9". Most of her long, wavy light pink hair it kept down, with a white headband to keep it out of the way of her face, save one bundle of strands on the left side of her face. Two separate parts, one on either side of her head, are curled up in a circle, held with two white ponytail bands, and with several strands sticking up away from her head. She wears a white eye-patch over her left eye, under which is a massively scarred area, while her right eye is a red color.

When out of Beacon uniform, Tsubaki wears a red-trimmed, white kimono that only goes to her knees. A light pink version of her symbol appears on the bottom-left part of the kimono. The belt/sash part of the kimono is mainly red, with the middle stripe being light pink, on the left side of which a katana sheath is attached. The kimono itself is made so she can easily move in it, as well as fight. Tsubaki also wears a pair of pink flower earrings like the ones in the picture.

## Personality

In general, Tsubaki is quite unnerving. She always wears a straight face, very rarely showing any sign of emotion, and her one red eye tends to make people feel like she's staring into their soul. This results in many immediately being nervous around her, and relieved when she leaves.

Tsubaki is a very serious person, and gets very annoyed with those who play around. In fact, she has a habit of interrupting shenanigans before they happen, as shown with her prankster teammate Kaili. Tsubaki's often the one to call her out in the middle of one of her pranks. Sometimes, though, she doesn't stop them, deciding that the person being pranked needs to learn a lesson the hard way, and often "poking" them about it afterwards to make her point.

Quite stoical, Tsubaki rarely shows any sign of the pain and suffering she's been through. She doesn't like talking about her past, and prefers to keep it all inside, not wanting to be pitied or comforted. She never cries in front of others - in fact, Tsubaki shows pretty much no emotion to others. She's put up a wall around herself, one that's not easily broken. She doesn't have many strong feelings. The only real strong feelings she's had deal with her past, emotions that, by herself, she can't always hide. However, over the past year, Tsubaki has started to feel and show more emotion, though she's still very stoical all-around.

On top of that, Tsubaki is also very blunt. She doesn't have much sense for tact, to say the least, and her usual straight face doesn't help. She has a very hard time truly communicating with others, and has a hard time making friends because of it. She's tried, but has found it very difficult, having kept her heart locked away for so long.

Tsubaki has no problem bossing people around, however - she's quite the natural at it, actually, with her blunt and serious tone of voice. But because of her... startling presence (to put it mildly) with her one red eye and straight face, most get quite uncomfortable around her. Tsubaki herself finds this both puzzling and amusing, not understanding just what about her scares them.

One of her less noticeable traits is her determination. Tsubaki seems to have an almost limitless supply of it, never wavering in whatever decision she makes. When she makes a goal, she will go after it with everything she has - no stopping or turning back.

On the outside, Tsubaki shows no remorse in killing. On the inside, however, it's quite the different story. In fact, just before she kills her opponent, human or Grimm, she mutters a soft apology that's barely audible. This habit started when she was quite young, and has continued to this day.

## History

Tsubaki was born in Roseville, to a couple whom she barely remembers. Growing up, she had a mostly quiet life. Then, when she was 6, a gang burned down the town, taking the children and killing the adults. The kidnappers forced them to do many things, from building to fighting each other (killing and weapons optional) - sometimes even small, baby Grimm for the more experienced.

At first, Tsubaki couldn't stand to fight, and never attacked unless under severe stress. When she did, however, it was with a fierceness that can only come from being in a life or death situation. Eventually, Tsubaki became reclusive and shut off from almost all feeling. The days went by in a blur of numbness for her, and she barely flinched whenever she was beaten - which often caused the beater to go to greater lengths.

As a result, Tsubaki gradually came to have a very high pain tolerance and her present stoical nature. And since she still refused to fight, the bouts she was put into became both interesting and a bore - interesting because no one ever knew when she was going to break and finally lash out, but a bore because waiting for that time took forever.

Sometimes, weapons were used. Other times, there were none. Tsubaki herself came to favor the curved sword though she never got to practice except when in the bouts themselves. Being self-trained, none of the children were actually very good - though they certainly considered themselves to be, not knowing anything of what real fighters were like.

Four years after capture, Tsubaki faced her first Grimm - a Beowulf. It was a baby, of course, but still dangerous as she herself was only 10 years old, by this point. With no Aura, either. In the space of the first few seconds, Tsubaki realized that this opponent wasn't going to rest until she was dead. It was something much more deadly than anything she'd faced before, and she was forced to realize that she couldn't just refuse to fight anymore. Because if she did, the monster would kill her.

Tsubaki put up quite the fight, and managed to kill the baby Beowulf using the curved sword she'd come to favor, taken off the rack of weapons provided in the arena. However, she gained several wounds in the process, the most notable being the loss of her left eye. An eye-patch was put over it, and her own reputation in the underground ring grew because of it. She was given the name "One-eyed Devil" after her one eye, and ferocity in hitting her opponent's weak points. She showed no remorse in killing to the outside world, though her habit of softly apologizing to her victims also started here. The crowd thought she was merciless, but it was quite the opposite.

Then, when Tsubaki was 12, something happened that she never thought would: A rebellion. Some of the newer captives, wanting to get out, rebelled, and the older ones followed. She'd almost given up hope of getting out at this point, and the rebellion gave her a reason to fight. Tsubaki was still somewhat surprised, however, when the rebellion was successful.

After the rebellion, the former captives scattered. Tsubaki went with a small group who were heading for Vale. When they got there, the young girl was overwhelmed by all the people, and got lost in the crowds. Due to fear and her reclusive nature, she ran from those who tried to help her.

Tsubaki lived on the streets for a while, surviving using her wits and with a little help from some sympathetic adults. Soon, she decided she wanted to make sure no one else had to go through what she did. So, with some help from one of the afore-mentioned sympathetic adults, Tsubaki enrolled in a place that would teach her some actual self-defense.

Unfortunately, the classes made the young girl remember the days of caged fights she'd gone through, making her feel like she was still there. Tsubaki couldn't take it, and dropped out after a few months, but she still practiced what she'd learned on her own, not about to drop her goal.

Then, one day, someone took notice of her. Tsubaki was approached by this person, a female, and offered the chance to learn sword-fighting. At first, Tsubaki didn't like the idea, being used to striking with her hands and feet. The woman, in response, told her that while fighting bare-handed meant versatility, a sword would give her a longer reach. Seeing how that could help, Tsubaki then accepted, leaving the streets behind.

Tsubaki's new mentor pushed her hard. The lessons still made her remember her past, however. But unlike the teacher of the self-defense class, Tsubaki's new mentor knew there was more than just laziness going on, and gradually managed to coax the girl into talking. After that, Tsubaki found it easier to learn.

Eventually, Tsubaki improved enough for her mentor to make her a weapon. The result was a nodachi, which she named Diamond Crescent, designed by the memory of the weapon she once used (which she had learned was called a katana) and the want of a longer reach. Tsubaki practiced with this new weapon constantly.

Then, out of the blue, Tsubaki's mentor asked her what plans she had for the future. Taken by surprise, the now 16-year-old Tsubaki simply said that she wanted to make sure no one had to go through what she did. Her mentor then asked how she was going to achieve that goal, and Tsubaki had no answer.

Her mentor then suggested going to Beacon, explaining it was an Academy that future Huntsmen and Huntresses went to. Tsubaki agreed with the idea, knowing that as a Huntress, she could help people like she wanted to.

So, when she was 17, Tsubaki applied to Beacon with the help of her mentor. The application was accepted, and Tsubaki began her time at Beacon, being placed into Team NTHK. At first, she was very annoyed with her teammates, especially her partner, but gradually came to tolerate them. She has told no one of her past, though she suspects Ozpin already knows.

As Tsubaki's first year at Beacon went by, her hard, outer shell started to crack, little by little, as she interacted with her teammates and others at Beacon. She's started to show a little more emotion, and has, to her surprise, found that she is very much looking forward to another year with her teammates, regardless of how annoying they can be.

### Fall of Beacon

Tsubaki was there for the Fall of Beacon, helping to evacuate citizens and defeat Grimm. It was here that two more surprising emotions rose: worry for her teammates, and relief when they all came out of the battle alive.

After the battle, when Kaili decided she wanted to go home to Hammerhead Cove, Tsubaki followed along with Nile and Hirsch, not having many other options, and wanting to stay with her team.

## Relationships

* Nile, as the team's leader, is someone Tsubaki respects. She follows pretty much every order given by him, speaking up if she disagrees with something, which led to Nile making her second-in-command. They aren't actually very close, due to Tsubaki's near-emotionless state, but she has no problem putting her life in his hands, knowing he'll make the right choice. She's a faithful deputy to his leadership.
* To Tsu, Hirsch is a bit of a baby. She finds it disappointing that he never notices when Kaili's about to prank him, and teases him often. They have a bit of a brother-sister relationship, though Hirsch doesn't tease her back, which Tsubaki finds slightly disappointing.
* Tsubaki sees Kaili as a reckless, arrogant fool who doesn't know how to or can't follow orders and plays around way too much. The prankster annoys her to no end, and Tsubaki seems to love making Kaili's plans fall apart, knowing it sets the pirate on edge. Though she has to admit the girl's combat skills are very good, Tsubaki wishes Kaili would just stop being so reckless and arrogant, and wouldn't trust the girl with her life unless there was no other choice.

## Weapon

Tsubaki wields an iron nodachi that has a red hilt, with a pink covering with diamond-shaped cutouts, so it looks like the hilt is pink with red diamonds. She's named it Diamond Crescent.

Blade Extension: The blade is made of seven, 5-inch sections, which fit inside of each other. Fully extended, it is 35 inches long. The process works through a pressure switch on the hilt, and it takes about 5-6 seconds for the full blade to extend/retract.

Besides blade extension, it does not transform, nor does it use Dust. It is one of the few weapons in the RWBYVerse that doesn't have another function.

## Semblance & Abilities

### Semblance

Tsubaki's Semblance is named Emotional Power for good reason. It allows her to channel her emotions into her blows, adding power to them. It works by channeling the emotion through her Aura, extending the Aura to Diamond Crescent along with the added emotion.

Emotional Power also works when Tsubaki's simply using her hands and feet. For example, Aura would focus on the leg/foot if kicking, the hand if punching, etc. The Aura in these places would also glow, meaning it can be seen around the nodachi, leg/foot, hand, etc, depending on what she's striking with.

This Semblance is one Tsubaki can activate at will. However, in the rare case that she has an overwhelming emotion, like extreme rage, Emotional Power is automatically activated. Though, this state is also short, due to the fact that the severity of the emotion directly correlates with the amount of Aura used to channel it. Tsubaki has to pace herself, otherwise she could quickly run out of Aura.

### Abilities

Tsubaki is a graceful young woman, with an abundant amount of agility. Her movements are not only elegant, but surprisingly fast as well. She uses this to her advantage in a fight, dodging and striking with incredible speed and grace.

Due to her past, Tsubaki also has a huge amount of endurance and willpower. Even after her Aura runs out, Tsu can take multiple hits, with what seems like barely any reaction to a simple bystander. Though to a keen observer, slight tensing can be seen, and she makes grimaces which can be seen by anyone at more serious wounds, like (if fighting an Ursa) claws raking her back.

It can also be inferred that Tsubaki is very perceptive, with keen eyesight, as she's always alerting her teammates to danger - or Kaili's antics. Whenever on a mission with her team, she's the one who takes note of landmarks, becoming a valuable asset when they get lost.

Tsubaki's fighting style incorporates many of her skills. With her endurance and agility, she lets her opponents wear themselves down, while at the same time, noting weak points with her eyes. Then, she strikes with precision at the noted weak points of her opponent. She also likes to use her Semblance to put her enemies off-balance, using the shock gained by Emotional Power's side-effect to get in a few more hits. However, Tsubaki is more of a one-on-one fighter, relying on her teammates to keep her back covered.

## Trivia & Author's Notes

* Tsubaki means "camellia flower" in Japanese. Camellias are usually shades of pink.
* Silvius is derived from Latin *silva*, meaning "wood, forest", though most use it as a twisted form of the word silver.
* Tsubaki alludes to several characters of the anime *Fairy Tail*:
	+ Her appearance and weapon allude to her original inspiration, Ikaruga, a member of the Dark Guild Death's Head Caucus. While Ikaruga calls her sword a katana, the long blade suggests it's more of a nodachi, so that's what I made Tsu's weapon. A nodachi is similar to an Ōdachi, which is why the link goes there (that and "nodachi" redirects there).
	+ Tsubaki's past and eye-patch allude to Erza Scarlet.
	+ Her Semblance gives a slight allusion to Meredy's Maguilty Sense.
* I give big thanks to CrazyGeek31, who did Tsubaki's symbol without me even asking. I have absolutely no words to describe my appreciation.
* Her quote is reminiscent of the name of one of the Fairy Tail episodes, *A Flower Blooms in the Rain*.

## Gallery

Tsubaki, mostly accurate. (Done on rinmarugames by myself.)