ᛚᛟᚲᛁ ᚱᚢᛚᛖᛋ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚦᛟᚱ ᛞᚱᛟᛟᛚᛊ
Well-known member
So I just had a thought on this, and this, and also this.
I don't think
I don't think
that the first post is quite right that Robyn is some kind of miracle worker who doesn't even need pencils. I'm sure she's good at her job and is the leader for a reason but I doubt her situation was so bad that she didn't even have pencils. Rather I think the Happy Huntresses have always been poor but with all the shit hitting the fan recently their already very sparse resources are being stretched thin to the absolute breaking point.
And that's what I want to discuss. Why the Happy Huntresses are so poor, and yet another way that Ironwood has screwed them over.
Ever since they've been introduced something that has interested me and irked some people is their rather non-standard design for Huntresses. Their outfits are somewhat drab and almost hobo-like (especially Robyn) focused more on practicality than standing out and being ultra fashionable for the sake of showing off as much individuality as possible.
Even more "shockingly" for some people has been how their weapons aren't as "cool" and flashy as other Huntsmen weapons. In a strange twist the non-militant huntresses of Mantle are the only Elite Huntresses in Atlas we've seen use completely standardized weapons. Furthermore those weapons are somewhat underpowered and have a very cobbled together look somewhat reminiscent of Gambol Shroud. Even Robyn's more fancy and personalized weapon is just a crossbow that also doubles as a sharpened buckler.
One thing I noted early on was that their focus on using simple bladed staff weapons and crossbows (though we have now seen that they're also guns, but this aspect is downplayed and not used much) means that they don't need to be reliant on Dust. Even Robyn who does have Dust arrows uses them extremely sparingly and makes sure to get maximum effect out of every arrow by slipping them in during a opportune moment when the opponent can get caught off guard rather than spamming elemental arrows to push the opponent off guard in the first place (incidentally this lack of Dust is part of why Robyn appears under-powered compared to her peers).
Last volume I attributed this mostly to them being enemies of the SDC and not wanting to be reliant on Jacques to keep their weapons and equipment in working order. Seeing just how utterly strapped they are for cash however I think the simpler answer is simply that they can't afford to waste money on Dust in the first place and have to conserve their resources as much as possible, forcing them to rely on cheap easy to make at home crossbow bolts instead of bullets, as well as their bladed multi-purpose weapons that seem designed to be useful in absolutely every situation so that everyone can always be useful regardless of what job they have to do.
And thinking on it this all makes a lot of sense and is a great example of CRWBY doing world and character building through Showing instead of Telling and brings up the big point I wanted to make. The Happy Huntresses are poor because of Ironwood and the State of Atlas. How?
Firstly by neglecting to allocate any resources towards Mantle there is likely few to no state provided funds to pay the salaries of Huntsmen/Huntresses working in Mantle to protect that city. This, along with the military indoctrination of Atlas Academy is one of the primary reasons the city hardly has any Huntsmen taking care of it at all, possibly none besides the Happy Huntresses.
Secondly the same neglect in funding means that Mantle's population is always miserable (which attracts Grimm) and it's city defenses are stretched too thinly to fend off Grimm attacks (which means a greater need for Hunters to come clean up). That issue was given a stopgap solution in the form of Penny but that is a very recent development that's counteracted by the giant gaping hole in the walls.
Thirdly the same neglect also means the economy of Mantle is in the shitter so hardly anyone can afford to actually pay the rates that professional elite Huntresses are owed. Remember when Team RNJR saved that Mistrali village in volume 4 and agreed to do the work basically in return for a simple equipment upgrade? Most likely 90-95% of all the work the Happy Huntresses are going to be like that, if they get paid at all. Much like Pietro's clinic they provide an absolutely essential service pro-bono because the state is not doing anything and lots of people NEED the service but no one can afford to pay for it.
Thirdly and the big one, something I just realized recently. Atlesian law has made it illegal for those without a Huntsman license to wield weapons within Mantle. Which means that it's defense is left entirely to the military (which has only sent a token force meant more to keep the citizens in line than fend off the Grimm) and any licensed Huntsmen or Huntresses working in the city. In other words the defense of the entire city is left almost entirely up to the Happy Huntresses, who prior to Penny showing up had to run around putting out every fire in Mantle basically by themselves because they were the only ones who were both legally allowed to do so and competent enough to actually do it.
And that's what I want to discuss. Why the Happy Huntresses are so poor, and yet another way that Ironwood has screwed them over.
Ever since they've been introduced something that has interested me and irked some people is their rather non-standard design for Huntresses. Their outfits are somewhat drab and almost hobo-like (especially Robyn) focused more on practicality than standing out and being ultra fashionable for the sake of showing off as much individuality as possible.
Even more "shockingly" for some people has been how their weapons aren't as "cool" and flashy as other Huntsmen weapons. In a strange twist the non-militant huntresses of Mantle are the only Elite Huntresses in Atlas we've seen use completely standardized weapons. Furthermore those weapons are somewhat underpowered and have a very cobbled together look somewhat reminiscent of Gambol Shroud. Even Robyn's more fancy and personalized weapon is just a crossbow that also doubles as a sharpened buckler.
One thing I noted early on was that their focus on using simple bladed staff weapons and crossbows (though we have now seen that they're also guns, but this aspect is downplayed and not used much) means that they don't need to be reliant on Dust. Even Robyn who does have Dust arrows uses them extremely sparingly and makes sure to get maximum effect out of every arrow by slipping them in during a opportune moment when the opponent can get caught off guard rather than spamming elemental arrows to push the opponent off guard in the first place (incidentally this lack of Dust is part of why Robyn appears under-powered compared to her peers).
Last volume I attributed this mostly to them being enemies of the SDC and not wanting to be reliant on Jacques to keep their weapons and equipment in working order. Seeing just how utterly strapped they are for cash however I think the simpler answer is simply that they can't afford to waste money on Dust in the first place and have to conserve their resources as much as possible, forcing them to rely on cheap easy to make at home crossbow bolts instead of bullets, as well as their bladed multi-purpose weapons that seem designed to be useful in absolutely every situation so that everyone can always be useful regardless of what job they have to do.
And thinking on it this all makes a lot of sense and is a great example of CRWBY doing world and character building through Showing instead of Telling and brings up the big point I wanted to make. The Happy Huntresses are poor because of Ironwood and the State of Atlas. How?
Firstly by neglecting to allocate any resources towards Mantle there is likely few to no state provided funds to pay the salaries of Huntsmen/Huntresses working in Mantle to protect that city. This, along with the military indoctrination of Atlas Academy is one of the primary reasons the city hardly has any Huntsmen taking care of it at all, possibly none besides the Happy Huntresses.
Secondly the same neglect in funding means that Mantle's population is always miserable (which attracts Grimm) and it's city defenses are stretched too thinly to fend off Grimm attacks (which means a greater need for Hunters to come clean up). That issue was given a stopgap solution in the form of Penny but that is a very recent development that's counteracted by the giant gaping hole in the walls.
Thirdly the same neglect also means the economy of Mantle is in the shitter so hardly anyone can afford to actually pay the rates that professional elite Huntresses are owed. Remember when Team RNJR saved that Mistrali village in volume 4 and agreed to do the work basically in return for a simple equipment upgrade? Most likely 90-95% of all the work the Happy Huntresses are going to be like that, if they get paid at all. Much like Pietro's clinic they provide an absolutely essential service pro-bono because the state is not doing anything and lots of people NEED the service but no one can afford to pay for it.
Thirdly and the big one, something I just realized recently. Atlesian law has made it illegal for those without a Huntsman license to wield weapons within Mantle. Which means that it's defense is left entirely to the military (which has only sent a token force meant more to keep the citizens in line than fend off the Grimm) and any licensed Huntsmen or Huntresses working in the city. In other words the defense of the entire city is left almost entirely up to the Happy Huntresses, who prior to Penny showing up had to run around putting out every fire in Mantle basically by themselves because they were the only ones who were both legally allowed to do so and competent enough to actually do it.
Also I like how much these volumes feel as much like a story about a place and people as the cast. Also wow Ironwood, wasting droids on occupying Pietro’s clinic, not surprised, but screw you. 
