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“ | You talk too much. | „ |
~ Rosa to Sun. |
Rosa Schwein, also known as Pink, is a major antagonist of the RWBY novel series, appearing in the 2020 novel RWBY: Before the Dawn. She is a member of The Crown.
History[]
Past[]
Rosa enrolled at Shade Academy to train to become a Huntress. She was teamed with Argento Pocoron and the twins Jax and Gillian Asturias. The twins were convinced that they were the descendants of the former king of Vacuo, and despised that Vacuo had become a democracy. They additionally blamed the other kingdoms for Vacuo's fall, and sought to stage a coup and retake the kingdom. Rosa, Argento, as well as their classmates Carmine Esclados and Bertilak Celadon, agreed with their viewpoints, and agreed to aid them when they eventually graduated. When Jax was expelled, he convinced Gillian, Rosa, and Argento to drop out, and together they formed The Crown, which sought to restore monarchy to Vacuo. Their plan was to kidnap people with powerful or useful Semblances, then mind control them into becoming agents of the Crown. Gillian would also siphon Aura from kidnapped people, which included children, to superpower the brainwashed Crownsmen until they were ready to have an army to march on Vacuo. The Crown created a secret underground bunker as a hideout, and took over an old Dust manufacturing building and turned it into a street fight club called the Mirage, where they would scope out fighters and audience members with powerful Semblaces that Jax could put under his control or convince to join them.
Rosa was often tasked as a bodyguard or field agent for the Asturias twins, usually going into the city and kidnapping people off of the streets. Unlike her bosses, she did not share the same xenophobia towards the other kingdoms, so she was usually put in charge of things that required using Atlas technology like Scrolls.
RWBY: Before the Dawn[]
Rosa continues to serve the Crown, stalking and kidnapping people for them. On one mission where she, Argento, and Green stalked and planned to kidnap a woman, they were confronted by Sun Wukong. The three of them attack Sun, but Sun is outnumbered and is unable to land many hits on Rosa due to her Intangibility Semblance. However, when Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi come to help, Rosa and her comrades escape.
Rosa assists Gillian in the Crown's bunker, overseeing the people being drained and discussing their plans of attacking Shade Academy as the first step in overthrowing Vacuo. Gillian is frustrated when Rosa uses a Scroll in her presence, and Rosa assures Gillian that it is a necessity.
As the Crown prepares to attack, Rosa and Argento are sent to warn the twins' father to get out of Vacuo before it falls. He later tells this to Teams CFVY and SSSN, aiding them in finding the Crown.
Rosa then joins in the battle, fighting Neptune Vasillias, who is overwhelmed by her Semblance until his teammate Sage Ayana joins in. When the Asturias twins fail and the Crown is defeated, Rosa is arrested and imprisoned.
Powers and Abilities[]
Rosa's Semblance is intangibility, which allows her to make herself temporarily intangible and phase through enemy attacks, appearing as a blur. She seems to require manual activation of this skill for it to activate, as she can be hit by fast or unseen attacks. When her power is boosted by Gillian, her phasing can also partially render her invisible.
Rosa does not use weapons, but rather martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, which she is extremely skilled at and allows her to keep up with and even overpower other martial artists like Sun.
Like all other living creatures possessing a soul, Rosa has an Aura, an extension of her soul that serves as a defensive shield around her body that can heal minor wounds, though enough damage can deplete and eventually break it.
Personality[]
Rosa is enigmatic, but seems to be angry and arrogant towards her enemies, spelling out their disadvantages and getting frustrated when they prove to be a threat or an annoyance. To her allies, she appears to be supportive if not cynical, explaining their necessities and plans.
Trivia[]
- While the character that Rosa alludes to is unknown, it is possible that she alludes to Princess Iron Fan from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.