Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-12757511-20130720013429/@comment-10390252-20131022110114

I like combining as many theories as possible

To me, Crimson is Summer Rose, who is Ruby's mother and Ozpin's estrated daughter and special student. She and Glynda were best friends at Beacon but have since gone seperate ways (for the obvious reasons).

Crimson is primarily driven by a sense of grievance that Glynda was her father's favourite (this isn't true, he drove Summer harder than Glynda because he knew Summer was so much more powerful). She's following the dark path because her preferred goal of revenge is to destroy the civilisation that her father has dedicated his life to preserving.

When she lost herself to her darkness, Crimson had a psychotic episode in which she killed her husband (the late Mr Rose - Ruby's dad) and she was told by her associates that Ruby had died in the same incident. Because of this, she's also got a shipping container full of guilt issues. At first, she's going to think Ruby is some kind of child actress her father and his brother, Qrow, is having pretend to be Ruby to torment her (did I mention the narcissistic paranoia?) but, after she's verified her identity through mystical means, possibly something to do wiht the girl's aura, she  becomes obsessed with having Ruby rule over the hell that she intends to create at her side.

Of course, it is Ruby's destiny to be the "heart that opens minds". Ultimately, she will be her mother's path to redemption.

"N... Now go... my daughter... Leave... me..."

"No! I can't leave you! I've got to save you!"

"But you have Ruby...! You... already have! You see... you were right... about me... Tell Glynda... tell your grandfather... Tell them... you... were... right..."

"M... Mother...? Mommy? I... I won't leave you! N... no..."