Hey, just to let you guys know, there is a sequel to this story, Strength Capacity, on my account. So far I've got two chapters up for it, but there will be more to come. Sorry I didn't put this here when I first uploaded.
In addition to this announcement of a sequel, I've put my final thoughts on this part into this document.
I love Phantom Blood, so writing this was definitely a treat. While I definitely think the story is underrated, this was a treat to write and come up with the concept for. This story was really fun. I loved taking the RWBY characters and turning them into Phantom Blood characters. I picked characters I thought felt best. I mentioned before how this started as a fun idea with Ruby having Yang as her Semblance (Stand), and that I went with part one because I wanted to give it some love before writing part three, but I really didn't think I would have the fun coming up with the characters I did. A lot of my characters, almost all of them in fact, are in the roles they are because of either being that same type of character in the show or as a joke/tie-in to their role (there's a bit more of this in part two).
Summer was obviously the best choice for Jonathan, being a kind and loving character that would fight the good fight. It was half a choice that she was the best character and half because she had silver eyes, which is the Joestar trait for this set of stories. I went with that because I had a fantastic visual in my head of the reveal and I thought it would be amazing. In the end, she made perfect sense.
Cinder was the obvious choice for the Dio stand-in. She's my favorite villain in RWBY (which really isn't saying much in my opinion, but I certainly do enjoy her, both in canon and fanfiction) and I could imagine no one else to become the thorn in the Roses' flesh. Obviously, it isn't vampires this time around, but the Grimm aspect made it fun to incorporate parts from the show to give her a more monstrous feel. While I can't see her as Summer's rival, being more of Ruby's villain, she made a better fit than the alternative. Plus, I'm sure you have an idea as to where it's going... Though, one thing I will say is originally, Cinder was going to have her soul dislodged from her body, fighting Summer in a battle of souls. This was obviously scrapped, I changed it because I couldn't make future material make sense with it.
Raven was ultimately the best choice for Speedwagon, being someone close to Summer previously in original canon. Someone suggested Roman Torchwick for the role and I actually had considered that, but I found him a better role Raven couldn't fill. I liked coming up with her sword idea. It made for a good weapon while it lasted. Originally she wasn't going to be related to Qrow, but I changed that at the last second.
Ozpin couldn't have been the better choice for Zepelli. I mean who else would it have been? He fit the role quite nicely and I hope you like the pick I chose for Caesar when they're introduced.
Ozma was an introduction that was actually last minute. I was originally going to have Ironwood be his mentor, but then I remembered Ozma. It really doesn't matter, since none of them were going to come back anyway.
Qrow (as said earlier) wasn't originally related to Raven, but I changed it at the last minute because I wanted to. He was the best choice for Dire, but I liked him as a character because he at least had some qualities that worked.
I'm putting Coco and Velvet together here because I don't have much to say about them. They worked as stand-ins for Poco and his sister and I like the dynamic between them. Obviously I changed the story a bit with Raven adopting them because it made little sense for them to stay in a deserted village and they are only children, the eldest, Coco being only sixteen. I like them as characters and they were fun. Will they show up in part two? Who knows?
Lastly, we have Taiyang, the Erina stand-in. Normally, I ship Qrow with Summer, but I felt that would conflict with Raven later, and I wanted a slight explanation for future events, so I had it be Tai. He fits Erina better anyway, being kind, yet firm when he needs to be. I can also see him fitting more the role of stern grandfather (see part two) more than Qrow. He would also make a better doctor than Qrow anyway... judging by the fics I've read anyway. Either way, he makes a good husband for Summer.
I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my method of madness for writing these characters. Thanks so much for reading this and I hope to see you in part two. I'll do another of these for part two.