#first introduction to rwby

[rwby-confess]

Confession #869

[brokentrafficknight]

So, a question popped into my head... Have you considered who'd fill the space of the Seven Warlords for your RWBY/One Piece series?

I have given it some thought! At least a little. I may have to get new characters made to suit better picks! However...

First introduction is for Ms. Tock-odile, the Terror of Paradise!

Pirate Empress Robyn Hill!

Master of Malpractice Doctor Merlot!

The Tyrant, Hazel Rainart!

And finally the Heavenly Yaksha, Pyrrhus Nikoflamingo! The "benevolent" king of Argus.

Naturally they're joined by the World's Strongest Swordsman, "Hawkeye" Raven Branwen

And Sienna Khan of the White Fang!

[ruins-of-tragedy]

RWBY's volume nine and how it broke and healed my heart. Took me too many days to get over the last season. This one was somehow better and worse at the same time.

- I remember Ospin mentioned a story. The Girl Who Fell Through The World. Was that foreshadowing? The teaser does act like it.

- The levels of absurdity this season's trailer started off with. Only to end on such ominous notes. Not out of the woods yet. Apparently going into them to get to THE TREE. Fuck.

- Who is the new narrator?

- The flashbacks to everything that happened on the way to Vacuo. From Ruby's perspective. Heart wrenching.

- Gods. Neo has several bones to pick with her. Trying to kill her as they go down?! Holy hell.

- A land with two suns. A beach. Some colourful leaves. And a Dodo?

- I honestly thought there would a Ghibli-like image when the mouse was pulling at the leaves of the fruit. My Neighbour Mousoro. 😅

- The first 'what are you.' And it's from Little. Tell me someone calls him Stuart at one point. 😆. Little is ADORABLE though. No doubt about that.

- "I have seen plenty of cartoons." Ruby's explanation for knowing cats and mouse don't get along... Is there a RWBY version of Tom and Jerry?!

- YAYYYYYY! Blake and Weiss have met up. Will soon be kidnapped by mice I guess. About to witness a shot from the trailer. Vined up friends.

- OHHHHH. NO. Yang and Blake and Ruby don't know about Penny. FUCK.

- Weiss cheering for Blake as she tries to get her weapon. I am getting a little emotional. Look how far they have come!!!! 🥹🫶🏻✨

- Awwwwwwwww! The mice leader has heterochromia! CUTE!!!

- "Long, blonde hair. Looks kind of scary but isn't." / "But could be if she wanted to." Blake's small smile at THAT comment. AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

- Little, the trusty guide, is once again drooling in Ruby's cape.

- I cannot imagine what Weiss is going through right now. Having to reveal what went down with Penny. Gods. How are you supposed to give your friends such terrible news? Is she okie.

- This new Grimm like figure looks to be a cross between a Pokemon and the Xenomorph aliens.

- Yang is here! And throwing rocks at the adversary. I love her.

- When Ruby says Yang must have forgotten who raised her... 🥹✊🏻

- Little knows what's up minutes within meeting Yang. She is trustworthy. 💯

- Listen. The way Blake whispers her name after tackling Yang to the ground... Sounds almost like a prayer. A wish come true. WOWIE. Excellent voice acting!!!

- Gods. Ruby sounds broken when she says Weiss' name. Great voice work here too.

- Fuck. The leader is not alright. Are any of them. They are just kids. Who have now lost two dear friends.

- Awwww! Little is using a leaf to fan a fainted Ruby. That's so sweet. 💖

- The door opening from the 'R' of RWBY's logo to the rest of the introduction... I like it!

- From a cold resolute demeanor, to a neutral face, to a full-on sweet smile. Weiss has evolved.

- Fiercely uninterested. Purposeful determination. And now a great big smirk. Blake has come so far.

- A nice polite curl of lips, a playful smirk, and then a broad excited grin. Yang is more herself and better than ever.

- Holy shikes. Ruby is regressing. Happy. Seriously dogged. And now turned away.

- The ups and downs of this song are nicely contrasting. Whoa. 👏🏻

- Who is the shadow person walking ahead of the team?

- Ruby can't bring herself to keep up with everyone running in front of her. GODS. This volume is going to ruin me as well.

- Neo has a whole gang? Already? She does get stuff done. Huh. Wonder what trouble she will bring.

- Getting some serious Alice in Wonderland vibes. And the shadow kid who was leading RWBY has a shadow too. Another kid with big glasses. Huh. And that cat is above their picture. Hmmm. And Little is there as well!

- Penny's blood that's still on Jaune's sword. Just. 😭

- Little's exclamation of friends is giving me war flashbacks.

- Yang's deadpan declaration of her feud with a raccoon... 🤌🏻. The voice actors are doing so great.

- The Girl Who Fell Through the World. Foreshadowing confirmed. They are in the Ever After. Hopefully it will be a happy one. Aghhhh, who am I kidding.

- Ohhh. The kid they were following is Alyx. Alice in Wonderland. Alyx in Ever After... Honey, you are familiar, like my mirror years ago 🎶

- A knocked out Yang has RWB coloured stars revolving over her head. 😂

- Blake is really into Yang. So much so, she "continues to pun." 😆. Whoever wrote these subtitles deserves forehead kisses!

- You know it's bad when Ruby can't even bring herself to be optimistic for her friends. Weiss just shared her feelings of doom and Ruby couldn't open up. Gods. Is this volume going to be her last straw?

- That whole thing with Little living near the bridge... Blake was in her cat pose for so long. 😂🫶🏻

- So the queen of hearts is the king here? Or is it the red queen? This guy has the heart symbol but is called by the colour. Both?

- Yang laughing to herself at the pun Little inadvertently makes. 💖✊🏻

- Cute Jinxy raccoon. Who is conducting an auction. WoWie.

- Ruby doesn't have enough hope. Yeah. This one is going to hurt.

- Oh my Gods. It's actually Penny's sword?!?? Let her cry. The Rose needs it.

- Blake being concerned about the story and how their actions can have similar far reaching implications. Truly a bibliophile. ✨

- Ruby is sad, there is rain. Someone give her a hug. Please.

- Penny may not have had a funeral, but she received a wonderful eulogy. Thank you Rubes.

- Good Gods. Their leader is snapping a bit and throwing strays. Where is the fucking therapist.

- The forest they are at reminds me of Forever Fall from back in volume one.

- Weiss is not having a great time around the red prince. At least she has grown enough to ask if she used to be just as insufferable.

- Ruby and Little's butter is actually good grease for the red prince. Enough to get him to listen. LoLLL!

- WBY are cute chess players!!!! AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!

- Little is cheering for them all. CUTE!!!!

- Blake is blushing 'cause Yang is applauding for her. She down bad. This is ADORABLE!!!!!!! 🥹🫂💖

- The cat. It's eyes made a brief appearance and blinked when Ruby mentioned they are human. Huh.

- Red prince's family did not have a great experience with Alyx I suppose. The king isn't around 'cause of her, am guessing.

- What did the cat put in the prince's heart?

- Does Yang ever find out Ruby can carry people in her rose missile state? Even when they are not tiny chess-piece sized. Blake must have told her.

- The curious cat has met other humans. Coolio.

- So the Jabberwock is the Grimm-Pokemon being.

- Neo vs Jabberwock. Looks like Neo won. That illusion with multiple of her was quite nice. And scary.

- Weiss roasted the cat. Yang ate it up. 😆

- RWBY telling the curious kitty RWBY's story. Talk about meta.

- The way the cat speaks about Alyx learning her lesson... I doubt it's the same thing the books described.

- The leaves of this place look amazing.

- Is the cat trying to make them depressed? Intentionally triggering more hopelessness?

- Luminous neon garden. I want one of these.

- Another Oobleck-like psychological discovery arc? I think the doctor will like this caterpillar-bug guy.

- How a king winds up a prince. The red prince? Huh. The exasperated bug-pillar is all-knowing it seems. And he smokes. And pushes for answers.

- Weiss, Blake and Yang now know who they are. How much they have evolved. That was a wonderful scene. Defined by more than failures and crude simplicity and a name. Defined by more than just the parts of themselves. Gods. This is good. ✨

- Oh no. Ruby.

- Herb was actually helping. What did the cat do. Now the caterpillar guy is following the kitty's line of thoughts.

- Herb has left the chat. May not be the best thing to happen.

- Much talk of going away and returning either the same or differently. With purpose new and perhaps old. Sounds a bit like reincarnation.

- I don't know if Alyx actually wrote the story, but it's interesting that Blake is thinking about how much may have been left out. Historians and storytellers have the power and authority to say as much or as little as they want. To twist figures and portray things from 'supposedly' their perspective. That's why multiple accounts are important. Or we may be left with a skewed version of events true for no one.

- RWBY seperated. I don't like it.

- The lights went out. Penny's sword turned into Alyx's dagger? Also, who be this fine person. Beating down metal like in a forge. Me likey. Blacksmith mama.

- Summer Rose's weapon?!?!?? She was here?!?!???The fuck.

- Weiss snapped 'cause Ruby didn't get what she left to bring. The leader is stuttering and feels bad. Stop. When's the group therapy session happening.

- Ruby exchanged the nose hairs for her mother's promise? The rose emblem. No. Shikes.

- Jabberwalker growth spurt. Things are not looking good. Is the creature following Neo's orders now?

- The Rusted Knight is Jaune. He grows old. Have already seen the pictures. Clocks in the opening with him make sense.

- Neo Jabberwalkers. Oh fuck. Illusions that can be more.

- Weiss seeing the destruction left behind. Gods. Another reminder of Atlas. Thank you Ruby for helping her in.

- Awwwwwwwww! Jaune named his furry friend Juniper!!!! 💖

- Jaune's end sketch gives me some subtle Ironwood vibes.

- Just noticed this. All the episode titles have some form of the consonance figure of speech working within them. NOICE!

- Jaune travelled back in time. Accidentally. Wait. Does that mean the story with the "handsome" (according to Weiss) rusted knight stars him?!? Alyx met Jaune when she fell in?! Shouldn't he be more old then. IF time followed the same speed as it did everywhere...

- Awwwwwwwww! Jaune got a hug from Little as well. CUTE!!!!

- Ruby's reaction at Weiss calling Jaune "mature" must be studied. So should Weiss' small glance at Ruby before the leader begins speaking.

- Jaune has hardened. Ruby isn't okie. At all. Bad weather and poor attitude. This is fine. 👍🏻

- Alyx had a brother. Louis. Huh. Wait. Lewis Caroll?!

- A punderstorm. No Yang or Blake. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I think I have seen this film before... 🎶

- "Must have had something bigger to work out." Hehehe :3

- They need to decide between Jaune and the cat. Ohhhhh.

- Oh my Gods. When Ruby passes one of those portal arch like things. Her mirror image towards the end. It's Summer. The fuck.

- Jaune sees Penny. Weiss, a destroyed Atlas. So the flowing water shows them things and people they feel conflicted over and can't let go?

- So, ascension bad. According to Jaune. Alyx definitely not great. She poisoned the rusted knight. Cat is feeding tree. Louis never returned. Huh.

- Not sure this is entirely right. Am going off the assumption Louis made it back, 'cause he was the author of Alice in Wonderland in our world. Perhaps he wrote the heavily edited story with Alyx. Herb's potion cloud showed her something about the future. Or she interpreted it as such. A betrayal maybe? So she became vigilant. Got rid of Jaune. Hmmm. RWBY had a different experience with Herb though. But it was interrupted by the cat. I guess I shall find out. Let's see.

- Listen. Yang only focusing on the Blake bit instead of the truths which help bridge the gap. Even though Blake didn't just talk about herself and it worked for her. Are you picking up what I am putting down? Yang. Lover girl. Blake is everything. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 🫶🏻

- I am re-watching the Bumbleby kiss. Of course. And when it begins, the song starts building like it's climbing a set of stairs. Perhaps this is too dramatic of me, but the way it moves up and up and up... Sounds akin to triumphant angels ascending. Holy, somehow.

- Yang's eyes take on this bigger shine when Blake calls her extraordinary. And then Blake lays it all on the table. While Yang says what she feels, but behind a thinly veiled veneer of admiration and awe. It isn't just about her. Blake is that way with everyone. Gods.

- Blake is so ready to say it. Yang sees her and thinks, I love you. Wants to tell her. But can't bring herself to give those words her voice. Looks away.

- They are so in tune, it seems as if their thoughts are engaging in a conversation.

- Yang hadn't even finished when Blake chimes in.

- When they finally kiss, it's two voices. Yet one song. In sync, but still with words which echo their own seperate feelings and identities. 🤩👏🏻🤯💖✊🏻❤️‍🔥🤌🏻🌟🫶🏻🫂🏳️‍🌈🪩🌈

- I just. They are who they are. Good and wild and true and free. Together though, they are even more. Of themselves. And each other. What else can anyone want. 😍

- Flowers bloom as they finally take that step. Sapphics everywhere, this is what happens when we confess our true feelings. Stars shine. Everything is more beautiful. Our world is a better place. I refuse to accept a different answer.

- I saw it again. And when Yang declares Blake has cat ears, she moves them in response. 🥹

- At this rate am not going to finish the episode today. (And I didn't. 😅😆)

- The cat is a master at manipulation. Twisting words to suit their needs. Something is not right about them.

- Weiss had a slight blush when she was looking at Bumbleby kissing. Fruits anyone? 🏳️‍🌈

- Ruby squeaked. The actual mouse didn't. Little only gasped. LoLLL!

- Jaune confirms it's been a long time coming. Juniper loved that kiss as well. ❤️‍🔥

- Crescent Rose has entered the picture. Ruby is not okay AT ALLL.

- Another warning before an episode. This one with distressing themes. FUCKKKKK.

- Jaune is helping the paper pleasers. Awwwwwwwww! This is his town and he is their hero. And it's citizens have the names of his friends. 😭🫶🏻😆

- He isn't okie either.

- The paper pleasers and their situation is euthanasia and it's ensuing debate. Gods. Jaune. Therapy.

- Bumbleby fights so well together. Weiss and the rusted knight are handling the rest. Jabberwalkers, walk away!

- Ruby. Shikes. Jaune. No. None of them are alright. Is therapy not a thing in Remnant?!?!?

- I have been Ruby and I have been Jaune and I have been Blake too. Even Weiss and Yang. They got almost everything right. Fuck.

- New episode, new warning. Gods. Will I need another day to get through this.

- Ruby. Kiddo. Little is sad too.

- She is at Neo's place. Roman and her killed Neo's uncaring parents? Huh.

- Torchwick is alive. With a different voice. This is more tactical than an illusion. Neo has grown really powerful.

- The fuck. Penny and Pyrrha and Leonardo and Clover and Ozpin and Ironwood. Having a tea party. What form of emotional hell... Oh shikes. This is her gang from the opening. FUCKKKKKKK.

- Thank Gods!!! Little followed Ruby.

- Neo loved Roman. So much so, she wants to destroy Red. Smash her into smithereens. Death is too easy. Oh no.

- WHOA. Neo can't speak, but making the people Ruby has lost say what she wants to... FUCK.

- Weiss understanding what it may have been like for their leader speaks volumes on her own development and empathy. ✨

- Someone save this child. Please. This is so bad. How much more will you break her.

- I don't like what Neo is doing. But I can admit she is doing it well. Too well.

- Curious cat being bad curious. Wanted to break Rubes down. Little is trying to save her. Awwwwwwwww!!!!

- Little is dead now. I am dead inside. What torture. Ruby.

- She drank the tea. In front of... Oh my Gods.

- Neo has no purpose left. A new vessel for cat curious.

- I need to go for a walk.

- Summer Rose. Reading the story. Whoa.

- TINY YANG AND RUBY. SO CUTTTTTEEEE!!!!

- "What are you?" And we see a statue of Rose junior. Well.

- Paper Pleasers to Genial Gems. Is the red one the reincarnated version of the Ruby Paper Afteran? 🌟

- Wise Weiss and healing group hugs.

- I like the theme here. The person you are after everything goes down may not be the person you started out as. And that's okay. Survivors, of their own mind and otherwise, should get to choose.

- Ruby is Groot. And still alive.

- Even though I have conflicting feelings for Neo, her having no attachments left to tether her to Remnant... Heart wrenching honestly.

- So Louis did write Alyx's story. She never got to return. Curious cat went very bad.

- Neo's illusions are too good. Fuck. Catty Neo. UGHHHHHHHHHH.

- Red like Roses instrumental playing as Ruby chooses who she will be... 🤌🏻

- Summer backstory?!?? She used to wear the rose emblem. Awwwwwwwww!!!!

- Ruby saw that. Her mum leaving with Raven. Holy fuck. Raven will be called in for some intense interrogation when they get back.

- Alyx saves Jaune. 🫶🏻

- Cat out of Neo has a new makeover.

- Ruby is back!!!!! With Crescent Rose and her mum's emblem. While Red like Roses plays. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ✨

- New version of Rubes. New version of her song. ❤️‍🔥

- Team RWBY turning into their colours while fighting the cat... 👏🏻🌟🤌🏻

- Neo bid farewell. I hope she finds peace.

- Little is now Somewhat. Bigger and has a cape. With a hood the colour of Yang's neckwear. The flowing leaf trail also has red accents. ✨

- Familiar. Like a happy dream. 😭💖🥹

- Louis immortalised his sister by writing a story she could have lived. The one he wanted her to. GODS. THAT'S. WOWIE.

- Wait. So the tree is the mother of the brothers Grimm?!?!?? They are from the Ever After. Huh.

- Curious cat was one of their creations.

- Balance. The way it's shown makes me think of Yin and Yang.

- From Brothers Grimm to Team RWBY. An ecosystem of equilibrium... 🤩

- Basically they met the grandmother of creation. Huh.

- Oh my Gods. It's Ruby's Red Riding Hood arc. Little. Meetup with grandmum. 🤯

- Practice random acts of kindness when you can. Little and Somewhat will agree with the sentiment.

- Awww! Alyx left one last act of selflessness for Jaune. He is young again! With a teenager's voice. LoLLL!

- Bumbleby stepping into the portal together. 💖

- They have arrived in Vacuo!!!

- So the Justice League crossover happens when they still attended Beacon?

- I always knew the question with RWBY wasn't if I would like it. Only a matter of when. And I obviously love it now. No one is surprised. It's one of my hyperfixations currently. A RWBY post a day keeps the demons at bay!

- Parting thoughts: The ending sketches have my heart forever. Must consume the miscellaneous stuff that came before during and after this volume. Then it's time to listen to the soundtrack without the videos 'cause I won't pay attention to the lyrics otherwise. Also, need to get RWBY on every possible platform and conduct many many many rewatches; once it's made available for international audiences. Looking forward to trauma bonding with you all in the next volume! Take care!!!

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Vol3E1 "Round One"

Hello, everyone, and welcome to a new collection of RWBY Recaps!!

This is a unique project in that instead of writing purely for my own entertainment, these recaps are part of the Fandom Trumps Hate auction (you can check them out here if you're interested in learning more). Specifically, these recaps are a gift for the lovely Kae who requested some meta on the earlier Volumes, or work that focused on Ozpin and/or Ironwood. I figured that Volume Three would touch on all those requests and, frankly, it's an era of RWBY that I was already interested in covering. Volume 3 was a turning point for RWBY's tone and overall mythology and I'm eager to see what I think of it in 2024, after six additional seasons and a rather chaotic overhaul.

(If anyone is reading this from the future, one of the reasons why it took me so damn long to get the first recap out is because finding official streams of RWBY has become a fool's errand as it changes ownership. Fun!)

Anyway, the game plan is simple: cover all of Volume Three at an undetermined, though hopefully steady-ish pace from here on out. Technically, the deadline for our FTH fandowrks is at the end of 2024, however, I absolutely plan to continue this series past my 5k promise. As always, this will be a RWDE-focused meta (though I'm eager to see how much nostalgia carries me through the season), so if you Don't Like; Don't Read.

Everyone got that? Great!

Now, indulge me for a moment and cast your mind back. It's October of 2015. Pizza Rat is a tumblr icon, Left Shark still reigns, and everyone is arguing over whether a dress is gold and white, or blue and black (it's the former FYI ;). Amidst such quality memes RWBY begins airing again on the 24th, presumably bringing with it another season of stellar choreography and simple, if entertaining conflict. Team RWBY has just helped contain a massive breach courtesy of Cinder's machinations, Torchewick is in Ironwood's custody, the White Fang is falling under Salem's puppeteering, Penny has revealed her android identity as well as her supposed fate to save the world, the girls are beginning to acknowledge the responsibility of their chosen career path, and the mysterious Raven has been identified as Yang's birth mother. All in all, RWBY has a lot to play with going into its third season.

It's notable then that we open peacefully. The viewer is treated to a number of environmental shots to set the scene, including one of the forest with its iconic falling Fall leaves. Ruby is positioned at the edge of a cliff with her signature rose petals drifting behind her. Stylistically it fits the scene, though from a literal standpoint it also implies that she used her semblance speed to get here. Given the momentary reveal that she's speaking to her mom, that's a rather heartwarming detail.

Sidenote: has anyone given any thought to cliffs in this series? It only occurred to me recently how often they show up, often during character milestones. Here we have Ruby talking to Summer for the first time, her (bodiless) grave situated at the end of a cliff. The Beacon initiation involves chucking the kids off a cliff and seeing how they fare, an action that is the catalyst for the group's introductions/growing dynamics. Shooting Oscar off the edge of Atlas solidifies Ironwood's turn from anti-hero to outright villain. Though I'm far from a fan of this scene, Ruby's (ridiculous) near-fall off the cliff during the fight with Cordovin preludes her (supposed) growth in leadership as she stands up to Qrow. Penny lets herself fall from Amity after sacrificing herself to get it up into the air. Then, of course, we've got the girls falling off of Ambrosius' bridge, taking them to a world where - execution aside - the intention was for them all to go through major developments: Ruby is literally reborn, Jaune experiences a lifetime of struggle, Yang and Blake finally admit their feelings, and Weiss... gets over her whole country being destroyed?

Idk, we'll have to come back to that one.

I clearly don't have a big takeaway here, just the acknowledgement that this is a visual RWBY gravitates towards. Might do a whole side meta on it some day...

Anyway, as said we realize quickly this is Summer's grave with her name carved into the headstone along with "Thus kindly I scatter." Notably, she also has her rose motif there and it's likewise prominent on Ruby's belt in this scene. Looking back, we can see how RWBY did a better job at the start of sprinkling in these significant character details before, you know, dropping them completely and then attempting a rapid-fire resurrection. Meaning, I would have bought into the emotion of Ruby giving her pendant up in Volume 9 if we'd gotten these moments consistently throughout the story's run. It wouldn't take much, just a reminder every couple of episodes to maintain the momentum. Give Ruby a scene where she explains that this rose was left by Summer before she disappeared and she's treasured it ever since. Show a flashback where we learn that it was really left behind for both girls and Yang handed it down to Ruby when she was old enough to keep track of it. Give us a minor conflict where it's lost during battle and Ruby unnecessarily endangers herself in an attempt to retrieve it (perhaps in Volume 8, setting up that the object itself is not as important as the intangible love it represents). Hell, keep it lighthearted where Yang gets Ruby something rose related at the gift shop, Nora tucks a Rose into her hair while wandering the wilderness, Qrow gives the pendant a cheeky flick while talking about how Ruby's as stubborn as her mom. My point is there are a million ways the show could have built towards that scene in Volume 9 - ways like showing us that rose on Summer's gravestone - but the show dropped the ball halfway through.

Here and now though, Ruby begins catching Summer up on everything that's happened to her since she started Beacon, which serves as a useful way to catch the viewer up too - both those who, for whatever reason, may have started RWBY with Volume 3, and those who just need a hiatus refresher.

Ruby is delightfully awkward here, a personality trait that I think becomes more forced as the series goes on. She jokes that she hasn't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet - while doing that cute little rock on her heels thing - and says that she's able to "keep [Yang] in line" by being on the same team. She follows that up with, "...that was a joke" which is just quintessential Ruby to me. Love it.

She recaps that Yang has grown a lot as a fighter since Summer left, the rest of their team is made up of Blake and Weiss, together they form Team RWBY and yes, that's as confusing as it sounds. She's stopped bad guys and met some "odd" teachers, including Ozpin.

(THAT'S MY BOY!!!)

Looking back, this is actually a fascinating couple of lines. At least, I think they have the potential to be fascinating if RT had followed a clear writing path. Ruby wonders again why Ozpin let her into Beacon early, but shrugs it off under the assumption that he'll tell her one day. "You know how he is."

Yeah, I do, Ruby. Do you?

We already knew from their initial interaction that Ruby knew who Ozpin was - she recognizes him on sight - though him posing the question implies that he never visited Patch post-her birth. At least, not recently enough for Ruby to have formed a memory of them meeting. I can only assume then that she's heard enough about him from Tai and Qrow to a) be sure of his identity (any promotional material/news about Beacon would have helped with that too) and b) believes strongly that her impression of him formed since entering Beacon aligns with what her parents presumably said about him: "You know how he is." The fact that this is in reference to Ozpin's secret keeping makes me wonder how often that came up around the dinner table. Did Tai ever express frustration, a la Ironwood, that they're clearly being kept in the dark about things? Did Qrow ever dodge the girls' questions about where he's been because he can't be honest about his spy activities, aligning Ozpin's reputation with secrecy by virtue of working for him? The casualness with which Ruby shrugs off Ozpin's secrets to Summer heavily implies that Ozpin's cagey history is both well known to the family and accepted.

Honestly, I would have loved to see this woven into Ruby's core characterization, perhaps even an extension of her "simple soul." Give me a girl who is intrinsically accepting of people, including their need to keep certain things close to the chest. Teammate deliberately kept her faunus identity under wraps? Friend hides the fact that she's an android from the whole world? Ruby accepts them. Ruby gets it. The fact that Ruby does, canonically, accept their duplicity without so much as a blink is, I think, one of the reasons why I expected her of all people to be more sympathetic towards Ozpin's hidden identity. We can argue about the girls' right to the truth via participating in this war till the cows come home, but at the end of the day Ozpin's secrets are intrinsically tied up in his family, his history, and the trauma surrounding both. Let the others get mad, prioritizing information over personal motivations (that does fit their characterizations well, with Blake perhaps being an exception), but Ruby? The show has never been willing to commit to the kind of dark story that would result in a 180 character growth - endlessly forgiving protagonist becomes jaded and cynical as she experiences The Horrors - and little moments like this one further emphasize to me that Ruby, specifically Ruby, is uniquely suited to helping Ozpin not just fight, but finally finish this war. It should never have been (just) about her talent with a scythe, or even the rarity of Silver Eyes. The Gods wanted Ozpin to unite humanity and here's a young woman who unabashedly loves everyone that the world tends to despise: secret keepers and drunk uncles and faunus and Schnees and scary androids. Ruby should have been the emotional bridge!!

Okay, I swear I'm not going to make this series a rehash of my issues with the later Volumes lol. Inevitably some things are going to crop up though.

Moving on, Ruby mentions that Tai is here too and the viewer gets to see his avatar for the first time, albeit from a distance. In keeping Summer updated on her... husband? Wait, were they married? Well, in keeping her updated on her partner, Ruby says that, "He's, you know... Dad," which, unlike the Ozpin line, is just plain funny. Sure, most of her talk is very exposition-y and absolutely functions as a soft lead-in to new content, but that's not to say a story should ever put absurd dialogue in a character's mouth simply for the sake of the viewer. That is, Ruby should never say, 'Oh, Tai is here! You know, my Dad?' because the person she's talking to, Summer, knows damn well who Tai is. Television has actually gotten better about this as a whole. Once upon a time a medical drama would have the doctor yelling, 'Her skin is turning yellow - she's jaundiced! Her liver is failing!' to ensure that the viewer understood precisely what 'jaundiced' meant, never mind how absurd it was for a professional to be shouting that among their peers. (Granted, medical dramas as a whole are absurd. I say that with love.) Despite RT's general inexperience, RWBY belongs to an era of televised storytelling where leaving certain things unsaid is par for the course.

Here, the unspoken information is what it means for Tai to be, you know, Tai. We don't really know who Tai is yet- personality-wise, I mean - so Ruby's comment functions more as a way to set up our expectations rather than to connect with us in agreement. We now expect Tai to be the kind of guy who does things to make his teenage daughter sigh and go, 'That's Dad...' and we, presumably, look forward to seeing that.

Granted, the three things we do know about Tai at this point in the story consist of:

He's a fellow Huntsmen (which is an insane job)

He let his daughter join Beacon two years early to also become a Huntress (also kinda insane but I support him)

He maintains a relationship with said daughter and daughter Sr by sending them their dog in the mail (do I really need to say it?)

Based on that I suppose we can guess as to what Tai is like lol.

He calls Ruby away so they're not late for the match and she sends a last message to Summer over her shoulder: "It was good to talk." As we transition, a murder of crows flies across the sky. Or is it an unkindness of ravens? I can barely tell in real life, let alone when they're animated blobs, but either option works well enough given the upcoming revelation about the Branwen twins.

Cutting to the arena a little time in the future, the viewer is treated to some establishing shots that, while simple, are honestly pretty cool. I believe this is our first introduction to Atlas' floating environments and showing a bit of Beacon Academy in the background helps give us a sense of scale.

This event is clearly popular, with the stadium absolutely packed with people (even more are trickling in from ferrying ships) and, to RT's credit, they did a bit of work to convey diversity in this world. We see a decent variety of skin tones as well as faunus characteristics, to say nothing of the cool designs many of the competitors will get. Beyond the main cast still being overwhelmingly white, I'd say the biggest issue here is the lack of body diversity, what with everyone having the same, stick-thin figure. Yeah, RT is clearly using the same base model copied a hundred times and I'm very aware of their previous status as a small, independent company, but such visuals nevertheless stand out in a series that's been pushing a minority plotline for three seasons.

The camera swoops down to follow Team RWBY in the midst of a battle which, again, is staged in a way that's clearly meant to catch up/invite in new viewers. It's very trailer-esque as each shot lingers on Weiss, Blake, and Yang for a moment before finishing with Ruby, complete with a twirl of Crescent Rose. This is the show visually reminding you of what it's really about. Sure, we might have started with Ruby speaking peacefully by a grave, but at the end of the day RWBY is the story of a team engaging in combat situations.

Oobleck and Port are announcing the event and Oobleck throws out his standard "Doctor" when his title goes unacknowledged.

You know, I started RWBY nearly a decade ago. Four years ago I secured a PhD, so I feel that now.

Port provides another handy info dump for those "just now joining us." AKA the viewer who has no idea what a Vytal Festival is, but this is as good an excuse as any given that people are still entering the stadium. Simply put, all the Kingdoms' huntsmen schools are competing as teams first, then as duos, then as individuals to determine the final winner who will have achieved "victory for their kingdom!" Age and year are irrelevant, which makes perfect sense given the nature of RWBY's combat. You've got young prodigies like Ruby and people who sneak into Beacon like Jaune, and though the other schools/years probably don't have as much drama going on, the variety of semblances, weapons, dust use, and personal experience really makes this anyone's game. A first year might easily beat a fourth year if they won the genetic lottery with their semblance, or a student from School A might trounce someone their age from School B, depending on how much their school has sent them into real combat situations.

Given all that, I kinda wish the Festival had developed the other Kingdoms more, given that it's the perfect opportunity for the cultures to learn from one another and/or butt heads. In a perfect world, one where RT had some sense of where their story was going, I would have loved to see:

Strong development of Vacuo's citizens, especially given that it will be the focal point of Volume 10 and possibly the end of the series (if we ever get that...).

Though the gag that Weiss excepts strict, militaristic fighters from Atlas only to get Neon is funny, that 'Don't judge a book by its cover' lesson really doesn't align well with what Volume 7 and 8 try to push. Better, perhaps, to set up Atlas' dictatorship tendencies before swinging hard in that direction (and I'll get into how what we do see doesn't make the cut).

How Remnant's racism gets displayed in a highly public competition. Do Blake and the other faunus face more discrimination now that they're in the public eye? Do asshole citizens challenge wins because no way did a faunus beat that human?

How different schools approach training their huntsmen. Specifically, everyone seems to abide by the four-person team structure, so why would this competition eventually highlight duos and individuals? It seems counter to what Beacon, and by extension all the other schools, are trying to promote. This setup would make more sense if we were shown that different schools have radically different curriculum. Maybe it's eventually 1v1 because Vacuo's individualist, survival-based culture teaches huntsmen to fend for themselves; teammates are just another liability. Maybe Atlas, being militaristic, prizes safety in numbers and has students train in groups of six rather than four. Maybe Mistral is incredibly semblance-focused (a way to develop Neptune's phobia rather than just making it a gag; a fighter who can't or won't use their semblance is considered effectively useless) and if you can negate that aspect of their style somehow, you find they're lacking severely in weapon-based combat.

Again, I know that RWBY, particularly early RWBY, only had so much time per episode, but looking back it feels like there are a lot of missed opportunities in this world-watched event. None of this is even taking into account Cinder sneaking into the school, or Penny being outed as an android. If any RWBY rewriters are reading this, the Festival is a potential goldmine of characterization and cultural development. If you're going to write random RWBY books, write some about that!

One moment of cultural significance that is shown though is the Atlas security hovering around the arena. They mostly keep to the background, without any single appearance being obtrusive (yet). This is one of those moments where (some) fans look back and say, "See? Ironwood was always a controlling, military-obsessed bastard," but the reality is that this is incredibly tame by real world standards, to say nothing of the realities of RWBY's fantasy world. Regardless of how you feel about the, uh... motivations behind the security in your country (because that's a whole other conversation), you expect there to be some level of professional oversight when that many people are meeting in one place. That's a reality we have to work with, which includes all the potential pitfalls, biases, manipulations, and accidents that come with any large-scale endeavor. Toss in the fact that RWBY's security is designed to defend against man-eating monsters and I'm honestly surprised it isn't presented as dystopian here. Meaning, we easily could have been given a story where people are comparatively safe from grimm in modern day Remnant and the security functions primarily as outside control and/or a fear-mongering tactic. It's not that security is inherently unnecessary, but those walls have done a damn good job for the last generation or so, so why is James so insistent on populating this festival with his probably not-needed robots? Seems sus 🤔.

As it stands, grimm DO attack people on the regular (that was kind of a big part of last Volume's finale), security IS necessary (according to many other council professionals once James raises the issue), and it's arguably MORE necessary now - during the festival - because there are so many potentially negative emotions just waiting to crop up. Instead of "Seems sus," the reaction to having defensive robots around is more, "No duh." At the very least RWBY might have had the characters react to the security with suspicion/fear, even if that doesn't totally track with the rest of the worldbuilding, or better yet, demonstrate that there are major issues with AI leading the charge (robot mistakes kid in grimm mask for real grimm and fires a shot!). Granted, we get that through the hacking at the very end of the Volume, but here and now the Atlas ships seem to be used primarily for transporting viewers, the crowd is fully at ease with these guys, and — as we'll see later — the prospect of additional security in the form of AI is greeted with enthusiasm, not wariness, simply because it will keep real, breathing people off the front lines. Those are all important things to keep in mind when you consider whether a) The show took a very sharp turn in Volumes 7-8 or b) The show capitalized on a long established, slow burn plotline.

(Psst the answer is 'B')

ANYWAY, Oobleck is yelling about the "Spectacular spectacles on which to speculate on!" and I love him all the more. While he and Port narrate we get some non-animated shots of people viewing the Festival from around the world, though frankly it doesn't do much to help RWBY's worldbuilding. Some people watch the fights from a camper outside, others are in a minimalist apartment, still others are in what's basically a bar... if you're looking for intriguing backgrounds to drum up interest in the world outside of Beacon, you're not going to find it here. The presence of various faunus individuals is really the only thing that distinguishes these settings from a show based in the real world.

Onto the fighting! (It's about time :p) The girls are facing off against Team ABRN (pronounced "Auburn") from Haven and they're decent for a couple of one-off characters. I like the design of the girl with the skateboard - Reese - and how her weapon, the board itself, gives her a lot of flexibility in battle. Since it functions as a hoverboard she has a lot of maneuverability, she can use the board as a shield, a projectile, adapt its abilities via Dust, and - of course - she can pull both sides apart to duel wield the guns. Looking at all that flexibility, it is a little lame that she 'loses' that particular encounter with Blake by slipping on the ice, but then we're not really supposed to care about these characters. They exist solely to get us hyped for the battles to come and give a quick primer on how those battles will work. AKA, now we've learned that the battlefield itself has hazards the girls must circumvent.

Blake is cute here though. She's so concerned and I'm like yeah, girl, that looked like it hurt 😬

This whole exchange has that same vibe: one of casual playfulness, which makes perfect sense given that this is supposed to be a fun competition. They're exhibition matches, not real attempts to take the other team out (which is why Yang's supposed act later in the tournament will be seen as so heinous). The guy with the pink hair (Nadir) full on pouts when Ruby successfully traps him in a block of ice and, of course, we have the classic "Got your back!"/"My BFF!" lines in response. The girls are enjoying themselves and that's so damn wholesome to see after all the tragedies - plot and writing-wise - of the later Volumes.

Team ABRN are able to make a bit of a comeback and - *gasp* - the girls have to actually think creatively/combine techniques in order to get the upper-hand. Blake successfully tricks Reese with a clone and catches her in the midriff with a quickly timed ribbon, cleanly knocking her out of the ring. It's here that we learn a team member can be eliminated via leaving the bounds, or having their aura dip too low (remember when that was a thing?) I know I just said there's teamwork, and there absolutely is here, but it did stand out to me how Blake just like... disappears after this moment? I mean she comes back, but it's clear RT wanted each girl to have her moment in this battle, despite the fact that any member who successfully defeated their opponent would be rushing off to help the others. That should be a near defining win condition - defeat one opponent and suddenly it's a 2 vs 1 situation for someone else - but that expectation falls by the wayside until the fight's final moments.

It's a good fight though. Not the greatest by RWBY standards, but it was no hardship to rewatch for this recap either. Weiss pulls out an epic ice hand that ensnares two of the members, now rolling chaotically across the arena, and clearly she thinks this is the end of the fight. However, Arslan — the monk-type who favors hand-to-hand combat (or the one with the "Eastern martial arts influence" according to the RWBY wiki...)— simply rolls her eyes, plants her feet, and shatters the ball with a single hit. Gotta admit, it's pretty cool.

Of course, Team RWBY still comes out victorious in the end. With all of Team ABRN now in one place, the girls have one of those lovely mind-reading moments and pull off a coordinated attack, allowing Yang to sucker-punch them all out of the ring. Again, it's nice to see that kind of teamwork, as well as the adorable way they all stand there, mildly shocked that they won.

I'll take that over the brazen, cocky confidence they've gained any day.

The only thing I'm kinda iffy about regarding this fight is how Team ABRN feels a little less like a full-fledged team to me, and more like a faint Team RWBY echo. It's most noticeable in the Yang vs. Arslan sections where you've got two yellow-coded, hand-to-hand snarkers facing off. Blake and Reese both feel like the cool, alternative style members of their teams, and then you've got the Weiss-Ruby duo trying to overtake the Bolin-Nadir duo. It's admittedly a subtle familiarity that lessens with each example, but it stood out to me in the re-watch; like Team ABRN only exists to give Team RWBY someone vaguely similar to overcome. Which, granted, they do. These are not characters we're going to follow as the series progresses, so in most respects they've done precisely what they needed to do and in a way that looks cool and feels entertaining. So this isn't a criticism, really. More an acknowledgment that RWBY is a series with limits and if we want to know more about these characters/flesh them out beyond their paralleling characteristics, we'll have to do that ourselves in the fanfic.

As Ruby jumps into the air in a victory celebration, we PowerPoint slide cut to the festival later that day where she nearly collapses, asking if anyone else is starving.

Yeah, child. You just made it through a physically intensive battle in front of an audience while existing as a teenager. Of course you're hungry. Blake's stomach gives a giant, embarrassing growl in response and Weiss sarcastically bemoans the fact that there's nowhere to eat at the food-focused festival. Good times, good times.

Ruby: "It's okay, Weiss. I forget about the fair grounds too."

Before they can grab lunch though Weiss declines a call from her father and an old 'acquaintance' suddenly shows up.

Emerald.

You know, kudos to Katie here because Emerald's laugh and, "Good to see you, Ruby" sounds so fake to me now. It just oozes, 'I secretly hate you but am pulling out all my acting skills to convince you otherwise' energy. Obviously RWBY has a host of villains/antagonists that have done a plethora of heinous things, but there's something particularly skin-crawling to me about seeing Emerald in retrospect. Part of it is the deception. I don't know about anyone else, but I personally would prefer a villain who's upfront about their nature from the get-go, rather than one who pretends to be my friend before stabbing me in the back. The first scenario just lacks the same emotional punch, you know? Though the other part of it is, of course, knowing where everyone ends up. Beacon will fall. Ozpin will "die." Pyrrha will actually die, and our heroes will be sent out into a war they're in no way ready for. Yes, Salem is our ultimate Big Bad, yes Emerald has her sympathetic moments and does a heel-turn into "good guy" territory four Volumes from now... but I think the fandom often forgets that she willingly and actively participated in this horror show. This isn't someone just along for the ride because their crush manipulated them, this is someone with a working brain between their ears who has PLENTY of time to consider the ramifications of this and still went, "Yeah, I'll lie my way into orchestrating a massacre."

All this hindsight angst is interrupted by the joke (and I use that term with great reservation) that Ruby must have dropped her wallet because "Girl pockets are the worst!" Sorry, but that has such cis-guy-trying-to-relate-to-women-and-failing-miserably energy to me. Like yeah, I also hate the super small/outright fake pockets that they often sew into women's clothing and I too have smiled at women promoting pockets as part of their independent brands... but somehow hearing the RWBY writers reference it just doesn't land. It's not #problematic, just cringy.

Emerald butters them up a bit by complimenting their fighting and Weiss notes that they haven't seen Emerald's teammates in action yet. We cut to their battle where they dominate the other team, complete with a disguised Neo showing her real eye color before she knocks the competitor out. "[They did] really well," says Emerald in the fakest humble tone ever heard.

Ruby invites them all to lunch and Emerald - clearly horrified by the prospect - dodges by claiming that her teammates are too socially awkward for a meetup. In her defense, Mercury is in the process of randomly sniffing a boot, so although this is absolutely just an excuse, she's also not wrong. Like, at all lol.

Fishing for more info, Emerald asks who's moving onto the doubles round and it turns out that Team RWBY voted for Weiss and Yang. There are three things that I love about this moment:

They voted. Yes, Ruby cheekily tries to make it sound like this is all coming from her genius as team leader, but at the end of the day they decided as a team who would represent them. It's a small detail, but those stand out so much more now that we have Ruby vocally and angrily calling the shots.

(This is a ridiculous side-note I'm 99.9% sure I've mentioned before, but every time I talk about Ruby's intense form of "leadership" in the latter Volumes, I'm reminded of Rick's, "This is not a democracy!" in The Walking Dead. If you know, you know.)

They chose Weiss and Yang. From both an in-world and meta perspective, it's actually a little surprising that Ruby isn't representing them. As established, she's team leader. The team is named after her. She's the protagonist of the show. She's also, canonically, a prodigy wielding an insanely deadly weapon. Yet it's refreshing as a viewer to have a new duo taking the spotlight and within the story-world this choice reinforces Point #1: They're a team and no matter how individually talented any one member may be - or even what titles they hold - they are, at the end of the day, all on equal footing. Why shouldn't Yang and Weiss represent?

The way they both respond to this reveal is dang cute. Weiss' "I will happily represent Team RWBY" while curtseying to Emerald vs. Yang's "Yeah! We're gonna kick some butt!" while slamming her fists together. It's a great contrast and shows why these two might have been chosen. Though powerful on their own, their styles and personality are different enough to compensate for any flaws.

With all that out of the way Emerald rejoins Mercury and her smile immediately drops. She's disgusted at having to get all buddy-buddy with them, but "Orders are orders." She has this classic villain moment where she expresses shock over how they're just so happy all the time and I'm like oh, honey. Darling. Morally misaligned baby girl. Just give it a few Volumes.

We cut to Team RWBY at lunch and aRE THE BOWLS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT BIG?

I recalled that they were big as a visual gag, but not half the girls' size. Honestly? Great choice. I too want to live in a world where you can get insanely giant noodles a millisecond after you order them.

Deviating from the others, Blake nods at the seller dude and receives an equally giant bowl filled with fish. You know, I really wish RWBY had done something with the faunus' animal traits rather than turning them into an endless joke. The concept of a god merging humans with literal animals and then, generations down the line, cat-people being influenced by cat instincts as well as human instincts (because remember, we're animals too) is actually really interesting to me... but navigating the racial implications of that takes a level of nuance that RWBY was never interested in exploring. So we're just left with a Blake who is fish obsessed and chases laser pointers and hates dogs and we're supposed to laugh at all that, rather than buying into her teachings that many people use these traits to dehumanize the faunus.

Anyway, Weiss shows off a bit and pays for all their food. At least, she tries to. Turns out her card has been declined, which is more than a little confusing to her given that she was "barely into [her] monthly allowance." Hmm, could that possibly have anything to do with her ignoring her father's phone calls? Surely no one knows.

Luckily, Pyrrha shows up and offers to pay instead (it's nice having a famous BFF, huh?), but like... what were the girls' initial plans? None of them were expecting Weiss to pay, yet they act like Pyrrha is saving the day by showing up, implying that they don't have the money to cover their meal. The shop guy even takes Blake's fish away, leaving her despondent. So what? Were they planning to eat and just worry about the bill later? Actually, that sounds exactly like something these chaotic preteens would do lol. Yang especially. She was introduced while "buying" a drink before destroying the whole dang bar.

Speaking of teenagers, they all finish their bowls with the kind of appetite only seen in 14-71yos. Although, it was a near thing for Jaune. He's very close to barfing (callback!) and Nora encourages him to "aim it at the enemy!"

She continues ragging on him for a bit, failing to come up with any compliments while hyping up her team. Pyrrha is a world-renowned fighter, Ren is basically a ninja, she can bench five of herself, and Jaune is... Jaune. Nora also doesn't include him in her secondary list which implies that Jaune a) hasn't trained as much (or, more realistically, hasn't gotten as much out of it) as the others, b) doesn't possess an "awesome" weapon, and c) is still frequently yelled at by Glynda.

Poor Jaune. I don't say that very often anymore, but he's going through it here lol.

All of this leads to Nora spiraling at the possibility of them losing. This includes the oh-so-causal drop that she and Ren "have no parents and no home left to go to" which is a HELL of a thing to throw out in a comedically framed breakdown. I mean, being orphans is sad enough, but "no home left to go to" won't be explained until we learn that their town was basically wiped off the map, so damn.

Team RWBY reassures them that a fight with actual rules is nothing compared to what they've already been through. You know, the murderers, extremists, and sociopaths. "Oh," gushes Ruby, "imagine what it'll be like when we graduate!"

As Port and Oobleck call Team JNPR to the arena for their match we cut to Emerald and Mercury settling in to enjoy the festivities. In retrospect, this right here is a really nicely composed shot:

It tells us that Emerald is serious about going through with this destruction (again, she's no manipulated damsel), but she's not getting the same personal enjoyment out of it like Mercury is, as showcased by the smirk. The focus remains on them with Team RWBY framed in between. This is the villains' Volume. They're going to win. Our eyes follow the soon-to-be champions not of the festival, but the battle, while our heroes are literally and metaphorically trapped between them. Finally, Yang is the only one who looks back. We won't know this for several episodes, but she's at the heart of their plan and has every reason to cast the almost-but-not-quite-worried glance over her shoulder. Subtle foreshadowing, how I love thee.

It's shit like this that makes my brain go, "It used to be good! RWBY used to be fun AND occasionally insightful! Those overworked animators were uplifting a mediocre story and the result was good!!!"

As they take their seats who should show up but Cinder, casually using her semblance to pop a kernel of popcorn (power move). "Even if you know how a story ends," she says, "that doesn't make it any less fun to watch." True that! I mean, she's talking about knowing that Team JNPR will be moving on because they need Pyrrha to murder Penny, but I agree with the sentiment outside of that context.

Actually, do they ever explain how they manipulated the fights? I mean, they obviously entered and are winning their own battles and we know that Mercury will be staging his injury with Yang... but here Cinder makes it sound like she's pulling strings in every match. Toss that onto the list of development I would have liked for this Volume: what precisely are they doing behind the scenes? I'll have to pay careful attention going forward to make sure I don't miss anything because right now all I can recall is them looking at Penny's blueprints (presumably obtained via Watts).

Team JNPR's area is randomized into a forest and mountainous land before the battle commences. We end on that cliffhanger, complete with the superhero-esque freeze shot.

And that concludes the first episode of Volume 3! As well as my first recap in a long while. If you've followed me at all you'll know that work has been my personal Big Bad the last two-ish years. Given the scope of my responsibilities and the energy they extract, I simply don't have the time or means to write the way I used to. However, I feel like if I can muster up the willpower to finish this on tonight of all nights (people reading from the future: check the posting date and you'll understand), then I must be getting a little better at carving out writing time in my hectic schedule. All hail self-improvement!

On that positive note, everyone have a wonderful night. Or at least try to. Seriously. Text a loved one, treat yourself to a favored snack, do something that feels fulfilling. Take some deep breaths and I'll see you for the next one.

~Clyde❤️

[drawing-by-the-bonfire]

♫ To be the wolf ♪ Following the journey to my soul ♪ The wolf ♪ Howling to me, calling to me ♫

— 𖤐 Introduction ⌗

Hello! You can call us Bonfire! We're a DID SMP that's just here to make art and play Minecraft. It's a pleasure to meet you!

Oh, but this is just our art blog! Our SMP blog is @the-bonfiresmp and some of our members' side blogs can be found here if they feel comfortable sharing their blog.

You may have noticed that we don't refer to ourselves as a DID system but rather a DID SMP. We use different system language than other systems when referring to ourselves. It is for our own comfort. A masterlist of our system language/preferred terms can be found here.

— 𖤐 Socials ⌗

Art Fight is forestbonfire.

Discord is forestbonfire.

Instagram is tommyinnit_takeover.

Simply Plural is The_BonfireSMP.

Art by our friend @gh0stttea!

— 𖤐 Boundaries ⌗

We are in a relationship with another system, so please do not flirt unsolicited or be suggestive without first asking to see if it is okay with the both of us.

Please, no comparing us to omegaverse or suggesting that we are a furry. Nothing wrong with either of those communities, but we're not apart of the omegaverse community, nor are we a furry. We're a pterolycus alterhuman/otherkin.

Don't roleplay with our members and don't treat them like their source unless they ask you to. Thank you.

— 𖤐 Do Not Interact ⌗

No DNI except for fakeclaimers, blatant haters/pricks, and spam/trolls/bots, etc.

— 𖤐 Divider Credits ⌗

Dividers by @sisterlucifergraphics

Dividers by @hyuneskkami

— 𖤐 Our Fandoms ⌗

our faves will be boldened!

TADC, DSMP, Pirates SMP, tales from the SMP , Secret Life, FNAF, epithet erased, eddsworl, Soul eater, Fire Force, Minecraft , Terraria , Creatures of Sonaria , Regretevator , Pressure , Doors , Grace , Delusional Office , Cuphead , SCP , Cookie run kingdom, Inscryption, Stardew, Undertale , Pokemon , D&D , The Walton Files , The Sun Is Missing, Welcome home , Danny Phantom, RWBY, DC Comics (Specifically centered around Gotham/Batman characters) , Somethings Wrong With Sunny Day Jack , The Groom Of Gallagher Mansion , Gavril , Frost Bite , Your Boyfriend , The Bible , Marvel , Spiderverse , Poppy's Playtime , Markiplier (Including ADWM and ISWM) , Lego Monkie Kid , My Hero Academia , Danganrompa , My Little Pony G4 (including infection AUs) , Clinical Trial , Bo Burnam , NCIS , Green Book , Blood Blockade Battlefront , Overwatch , Honkai Star Rail , The Dragon Prince , EPIC , Epic the Musical , Black Butler , Once Upon A Witchlight , The Flash , Transformers , The Green Knight , Doctor Who , Jungle Juice , clinic of horrors , Of swamp and sea , just a goblin, ultimate shut in, the city under saturn, dark zone, the blind prince , suitor armor , the commune , enderbomb , time and time again , castle swimmer , gacha life 2 , love and deepspace , life makeover , moonknight , zootopia , black mirror , mincreaft args (including all of wifies' zachobuild's, render's, and kunai's content and dont look at the moon by RT60), one piece, love death and robots, steven universe, beastars, godzilla, scooby doo , supernatural , arcane, dexter , z nation , cells at work , hot skull (I GOT THE WHOLE ASS BOOK IN TURKISH BECAUSE IT HAD NO ENGLISH TRANSLATED COPIES) , squid game , the wild robot , monkey man , john wick , the pitt , avatar the last airbender , avatar , she-ra and the princesses of power , carmen sandiego , pokemon , kakegurui, bee and puppycat , megamind , the umbrella academy , black summer , strange magic , hellsing , jurassic park franchise , criminal minds, hells paradise , castlevania , dungeun meshi , riiiiise offf the… teenage mutant ninja turtlesss! , nimona , brand new animal , pracific rim (NOT THE SECOND MOVIE ISTG), Sonic the hedgehog, demon slayer, invincible, soma, five nights at candies, encanto, detroit become human, little carly and little kelly adventures, stampy long nose/long head, mine nights at freddy's entire series/movie, mango tango's fnaf series, league of legends, sinners

— 𖤐 Our Fictionkins ⌗

Tommyinnit from the DSMP, Sandy from LMK, Music Meister from DC, Leonardo Lionheart from RWBY, James Ironwood from RWBY, Forgetmenot from X-Men Comics, Carl Davidson from Jungle Juice, Wolverine from X-Men Comics

[howlingday]

So who would rank as the best fighters in Rwby that don't have magic? So no Maidens,Salem,Brother Gods, the Tree or Opzin. Anyone else including the Curious Cat is a choice. (I'm saying the cat counts for this list because even though it's magic we at least have a clear understanding of how his powers work.)

The best fighters? Hoof... That's a tall order, especially since I'd have to look over all the candidates I can remember. But I'll narrow it down to TEN characters, in order to appease the [tumblr] gif limit.

General James Ironwood: Simply put, you don't become the headmaster of a huntsman academy by being weak or stupid, because this commanding officer is definitely neither... relatively speaking. Granted, one could argue against his battle tactics as a military general, but I think when compared to other huntsmen, there's not a lot of characters you can say that require an ambush by almost a dozen people to take down! So yeah, General Ironwood is definitely an intimidating character to start off with.

Ruby Rose: Yeah, I know, I know. Ruby's the main character, so of course she's gonna be on this list! But to be fair (to be fair), she's EARNED her place as a main character. The series starts off with her easily thrashing goons, followed by her heading off to Beacon Academy two years early for her skill against such an impressive foe. And she's only grown ever since. Given time, I can totally see Ruby being the hero who saves Remnant and looks good while doing it.

Neopolitan: Barring magic is one thing, but some characters never needed magic to be overpowered. One such character started off as a generic sidekick villain who bailed Torchwick out. Then she comes back later that same Volume to style and beat down on RWBY's heaviest hitter. Heck, Neo would've ended Yang if it wasn't for Raven showing up! And while Neo doesn't have magic, she does have an overpowered semblance that makes her a nuisance at first and a crisis by the end! Tell me, dear reader; what happens when you put a girl whose semblance called, "Overactive Imagination" inside of a FAIRY TALE?! I'll tell you what you get- YOU GET A NIGHTMARE.

Pyrrha Nikos: Ooh, boy, now this is where things get sad. Pyrrha was the best fighter in Volume 1-3 solely for the fact that she was the one fighter EVERYONE knew about. Pyrrha was getting wins BEFORE the series started and she started racking up wins afterwards against Grimm and other students, too. Sadly, this poor, young Achilles was not truly invincible, for her tender heart was what got her killed... And also an arrow to said tender heart.

Cinder Fall: And speaking of arrows to tender hearts, I should give credit where credit is due, and it's overdue for Cinder Fall. First up, let's look at Cinder WITHOUT her magic. Her semblance, Caress, increases the temperature of things she touches, burning and even melting them. Heck, she was even throwing fireballs BEFORE the Maiden powers were hers! Not to mention she was throwing down with Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon and definitely the oldest man on the planet! She managed to outwit and outpace a man with centuries of experience. She then went on to kill the best fighter of the roster at Beacon Academy and steal her powers, only becoming wounded by Ruby's silver eyes. And this was all BEFORE she became the Fall Maiden.

Tyrian Callows: I want to admit something. I have a certain bias both towards and against Tyrian. Towards him, he's one of my favorite villains simply for the sheer lengths he'll go to in order to please his goddess, regardless of who he has to kill and how many. Against him, while I will admit he has some of the best fights in the series, his best fight is also the worst in the entire series. Story-wise, that is, because for some reason the other two combatants got way stupider than they should have.

Qrow Branwen: And speaking of fighters getting dumber than they should, here comes one now! Qrow was our introduction to what a REAL huntsman was like. And he did not disappoint! ...At least, when he first showed up. When Team RWBY were struggling against Tyrian, Qrow came in and fought him to a standstill. If Ruby didn't put herself in danger trying to help, Qrow could have won the battle and even been a big help later. Then again, for as skilled as Qrow may be, he's also got some personal issues that make him more of a hinderance than a boon.

Blake Belladonna: Thinking on it, Blake might be the best fighter of Team RWBY, besides Ruby. She has probably the most versatile weapon of the group, neither limited by range nor function, and watching her fight is always entertaining because, well, she's an agile-build fighter who uses airborne attacks to both maintain distance and to build momentum for closing in with killing blows. While Weiss and Yang also have their uses as support and tank builds, Blake feels like the only other fighter who actually has experience fighting.

Jaune Arc: Big surprise, we have the big man himself, Jaune Arc on my list. To the surprise of no one. No, but seriously, Jaune is someone to be praised for his combat skill, especially since his story is about how he literally showed up with 0 skill. I've seen people meme him as "Dark Souls style" and I can't argue. Where everyone else is over the top with their combat, Jaune manages to stay relatively grounded by comparison. No jumping or magic; just pure human strength, and what strength he has! Though, I will say that his usual style is more akin to tank/wall tactics. He's strong enough to take hits from heavy hitters, protecting his allies from heavy, crippling blows, and his semblance keeps himself and others in the fight.

Now, who else do we talk about... Oh, right! Since you brought them up...

The Curious Cat: For this, let's explain how their power works. Simply put, the Curious Cat's power mostly resides in their ability to possess creatures in a weakened state. Ruby was the intended target of this possession, having been forced by the Cat to avoid ascension while becoming physically and emotionally weaker over time. In the end, however, Ruby did ascend, and the Cat was forced to change their plans to possess Neo, who had also recently become emotionally vulnerable. Tactically speaking, the Cat is dangerous simply for their ability to take over and use the powers of another which, as stated previously, is overpowered to MAXIMUM. Once Neo had outlived her use, the Cat then made themselves more powerful by changing their body into something more combative. Combative enough to push Team WBY and Jaune to their limits. It wasn't until Ruby, who found new purpose and strength within herself that she was able to overcome the "Furious Cat" with the aid of her team.

So... yeah.

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

Can I ask how bad the hbomber video is? I don't dare to watch it myself.

Well, he only watched the first two seasons and uses that to judge the entire show, brings up problems that are long since resolved, blatantly lies at multiple points, and is obviously regurgitating someone else's opinion on volume 3 while cutting out any analysis on volumes 4-8 because in his own words "that would take too much time" (again, this is the guy that does four hour essays). It's blatantly bad faith and the worst part is that it was the introduction to RWBY for a lot of people who now only know it as "that show Hbomberguy said was bad".

[epic-arc]

Last Survivor Au

Well, I came here to comment on more headcanons about the ''sole survivor'' au and that I can help @howlingday with the plot or ideas, I hope you like it guys. I'm going to start with history and events for characters and to finish psychologically, so look at the sky and welcome to this infinite tsukuyomi

History and Events:

Well for the death of the rwby and (j)npr teams and I believe that cardin's team died, that would count as 11 deaths in something that was just to present the school and test the qualities of the students. With this death count, Beacon and Ozpin would gain a bad reputation from other kingdoms and give themselves to the people of Vale, thereby potentially accelerating certain events that take place in volumes 1 to 3.

With Blake's death in this universe, many events that happen with White Fang that are explored in this volume and in the 4th would be faster, but in a bad sense, with Blake's death, Adam could use her as an example to gain more trust between the faunus.

Ironwood looking at this death count could end up giving Ozpin a slight scolding but it would help him with more protection in the kingdom and speeding up the introduction of penny. Coming back in the white fang trope because of this the introduction of sun would also be faster than in canon.

Characters:

Jaune would probably take practical classes or be forced to spend some time because of his psychology. Maybe he would gain a slight fame among the other students but nothing exaggerated, It's maybe because of the events I mentioned ozpin could try to form a team between Jaune Sun and Penny, Probably at first Jaune might think it's a bad idea but I'll do that leave it with @howlingday .

Characters that appear in future volumes like Oscar I can only see them in the future, because following the canon Oscar wouldn't have a reason to enter Beancon other than Ozpin, but maybe we can change that in this universe like Ozpin launching more opportunities for kingdoms for people who want to be hunters to join beacon.

I commented about Jaune gaining fame, He would have a fan of being the only survivor but it would be something like a curse, Everywhere he goes people recognize him as the only survivor, Newspapers try to interview him to discuss more about the case of the 11 deaths but he always refuses

Psychologically:

We know that Jaune is one of the characters with a bad psychology but there are two characters who butt heads, Winter and Tai. Winter being the older sister who believed that her younger sister was strong for the world to respond with the news of her death, Tai is a former hunter who lost his wife and was abandoned by another, having to take care of his daughters alone with his teammate, He trusted that the two were strong and then heard the tragic news of their death,

Ozpin gained another weight on his back because in his vision because of his trust and irresponsibility he caused the death of potential hunters and one of the people who contained a power that could help in his greatest objective, And perhaps he killed one of the last people who had silver eyes.

Jaune after the incident would get a call from his family and they would talk and probably in free time Jaune would travel to visit them to help with his psychological issue, And I believe that Penny and Sun could be a company that would help Jaune to improve.

[bobauthorman]

Forever Young

As I think about the Beacon saga of RWBY, I consider the thematic relationship between Ruby Rose and Roman Torchwick, her first arch-nemesis. And after much consideration, I realize that what makes Torchwick Ruby's foil is that is the direction of their maturity.

If Ruby's story is that she has been forced to grow up too fast- Pushed into Huntress college 2 years early, granted a full license later on- Torchwick's character is that he refuses to be an adult.

He's mocking and bullying. Makes faces at Em and Merc behind Cinder's back, When causing the Fall of Beacon, he fools around with the hijacked battleship like Deedee in Dexter's Laboratory. ("What does this button do? ...Oh, fun!"). If anything, Roman is the introduction to one of RWBY's less talked about themes, and that a majority of the so-called 'adult authority figures' are no-more mature than the youth they look after/look down on.

[magnhild]

OC-tober Day 5: Redesigned OC

Almost all of my OCs have been redesigned over the years, so I'm simply going to take you guys through the redesigns of Lily, another RWBY OC from Renewal! These are largely in-universe redesigns, but there have been changes outside of the story too. But first, as I'm doing with all of Renewal's characters in this challenge, an introduction!

Who is she?

Like Astra and Cobalt, who we've seen earlier in the challenge, Lily Sustrai is one of the four main characters of Renewal. She grew up in a tough situation and began her journey as a huntress in order to prove her worth - and the worth of her mother - to a world that she feels has rejected her. Once she opens up a bit though, we see that she has a sharp wit, a fierce sense of determination, and also a softer side.

Her first design, from 2019, was simple on purpose. It was supposed to reflect her single-minded goal and lack of care for anything else, as well as her sense of isolation. I still probably could have made it a bit less boring though. Her skintone had been directly colour-picked from screenshots of Emerald from the actual show (though shifted to be a bit darker), which I should have known better than to do, because RWBY can't be trusted with skintones.

Her second design came about in 2020, after her character develops a little in the story, and is the one she had for the remainder of Year 1, all the way up to 2022. The only real difference in-story is that she replaces her hoodie with a leather jacket and puts her hair up, but I also took the opportunity art-wise to fix her skintone and make it richer.

Her Year 2 design had to be workshopped a lot before I was happy with it (see first image for concepts), but with a new year in-story came a whole new design. I pulled elements from Emerald's concepts and finalised design for Volume 7 of the actual show, but took a little inspiration from Mercury's as well, even though they aren't directly related in the story. I also really wanted to bring out more of Lily's plant motif, with how integral they are to her character.

At the start of 2024, I finally unstraightened her hair, which was a long time coming.

And finally, as a little treat, a concept of her Year 3 design! The story's third year is quite some time away (Year 2 isn't even halfway yet) but when I had some ideas, I had to get them drawn. I pulled from Emerald's Volume 7 concepts again, a lot more this time, but also gave her a new leather jacket. I also wanted this design to have more green, which I feel her older designs are lacking in despite the fact that it's supposed to be her main colour. And I gave her braids this time, which were time-consuming to draw even in this simpler form, but are worth it, I think. It's not finalised and I'll definitely be changing/adding/removing things as I workshop it, but even then, it's my favourite design for her so far.

[tumblingxelian]

How does RWBY's worldbuilding hold up for you?

Ooh fun question, and one I can answer in a short amount of time!

Long story short, yeah it holds up quite well, I don't need to make any significant leaps in logic or desperately headcanon things to compensate the way I might with some other settings.

For instance most super hero settings don't hold up to scrutiny, or present themselves consistently/coherently once they starts whipping out the more ridiculous sci-fi tech and or magic.

This isn't to say its perfect, nothing is, or that there aren't more details I'd like to see explored or various minor nitpicks I could probably pull out if I felt so inclined.

But as it is, I don't, but its not because I just love the series.

See, as much as I love world building, I do think it gets too easily used as a cudgel by bad faith critics.

Let's be real here, even some of the worlds best authors do not have Tolkein's patience to create a whole new language, & I imagine even his stuff raised questions or inconsistencies.

The absence of local languages/accents, them not explaining the praying statues in the V4 trailer don't bug me. Cos their absence is not harming the story.

Meanwhile if there's an inconsistency or question, that too is fine as they are watched enough to avoid any real issues & so I can focus on having a good time.

Hell, let's bring up ATLA, the golden calf for critics who never watched anything else in their lives without asking "Where's the Zuko though?"

Off the cuff & late at night I can name many ATLA world building issues.

The writers one hundred percent do not grasp the philosophical ideas they are trying to espouse, showing a grasp of "Letting go" almost as wrongheaded anti Jedi people.

The origins and nature of bending is inconsistent even just within the first series, being and or coming from education, gifts, blood, spirits, some combination there-of or what have you.

If we jump to Korra the Spirits themselves are weird, initially presented as physical manifestations of a given land, they instead become essentially alien invaders & stuff like the Lion Turtles, Koi, Badger moles & more are just left as ???? Plus again spiritual misunderstanding.

Or heck, one of my biggest gripes ties into the plot as well but would be the introduction of "Bad firebending" and its counterpart "Good Firebending" introduced very late in the game at season 3.

The problem with saying it was meant to be a surprise is we've seen every Bender tap into anger when bending. Toph cracks the ground, Katara broke an iceberg, Aang goes into the Avatar State, ETC.

Anger & fire was only tied to two characters, Zuko during his season 1 lashing out period & Zhao where it was specifically cited as being unique to him and something to exploit.

Worse still, we've seen people happily Firebend, Aang;s issues with Firebending comes from having too much fun, getting careless with it & accidentally burn Katara. & we have seen sad or direction-less Zuko Firebend like a champ before now.

The 'revelation' of "Good Firebending" is the wrong solution to Aang's issue cos it does nothing about fires tendency to burn, & a solution looking for a problem that had to be tailor made for it to fix & did not exist before, Zuko.

The thing is though, while I will happily harp on the last one as part of a greater collection of issues in season 3. The truth is people are not bothered by these things if they watch a show in good faith.

One doesn't even need to like a show to do this, its just part of the deal when watching fictional media that some stuff is not always going to add up perfectly.

What matters is if the writers made it interesting, feel like it fit coherently within the world and kept it consistent enough that it didn't break the story.

Which CRWBY very much do.

They created a wide, vibrant, varied and interesting world, where a multitude of stories could and do take place that can be expanded upon if one wants.

They created and kept consistent its internal logic as best as it can be conveyed to we the audience when the characters also don't know everything.

Above all they used it to tell a interesting and engaging story, where skill & strategy matter so much in combat Where its so easy to believe bandits and criminals can thrive in the wild. Where the introduction of something like the Ever After can actually fit and feel like a revelation rather than break the story!

So yeah, I really enjoy RWBY's world building :)

[aspoonofsugar]

Chemical Weddings: White Knight

Here it comes my second short meta on RWBY's chemical weddings. It is White Knight's turn! Feel free to skip the introduction, if you have already read it in my previous post (or if you already know what a chemical wedding is)

WHAT IS A CHEMICAL WEDDING?

A chemical wedding is a motif used in alchemical stories (aka stories, with symbols related to alchemy). It is a metaphorical union between characters and it represents two opposites coming together. Think of it as a motif that comments on a relationship and describes how it changes throughout a narrative. It shows how two characters' bond develops and how they integrate qualities of each other. Even if it is called "wedding", the union doesn't necessarily have to be romantic, but often it is. Like in RWBY's case.

RWBY uses chemical weddings to develop romantic relationships. How does the series do it? This meta by @hamliet explains it perfectly:

It uses some alchemical imagery (like plates from alchemical texts as reference)

It employs elemental motifs (water, fire, air and earth), which are keys to alchemy

It integrates other symbolism, like romantic subtext or fairy tale references

Both hamliet and I have already talked about RWBY ships and chemical weddings, so this short meta is just a quick review of White Knight’s ones, with some integrations.

Here are Whiteknight's posts, that I am going to reference:

Weiss and Jaune's foiling throughout the series

White Knight and Arkos (+ Whiterose)

White Knight's scenes in volume 9

White Knight's chemical wedding 2.0 by hamliet

Now, let's dig into White Knight's two (for now) weddings.

WHITE KNIGHT'S WEDDINGS

White Knight's weddings make use of this imagery:

There is a Mercurius (entity representative of change), who unites a man and a woman through impaling one of the two.

This is what happens to Weiss and Jaune twice:

In Mistral Cinder impales Weiss and in the Ever After the Curious Cat impales Jaune. Not only that, but both Cinder and the Cat make sure Weiss and Jaune indirectly hurt each other.

Cinder takes Jaune's heroic remarks and uses them as an excuse to mortally wound Weiss:

The Cat tricks Weiss into physically hitting Jaune:

These parallelisms lead us to two considerations:

The two weddings are inversions: this isn't any news because in RWBY the second wedding is always an inversion of the first. Still, when it comes to White Knight, this inversion is particularly through and it ties with an important motif of theirs. Weiss and Jaune are strong mirrors of each other.

Cinder and the Cat (our two antagonistic Mercurius) force Jaune and Weiss into specific gender roles. Both mock Jaune (the knight) and use Weiss (the damsel). This isn't by accident and it ties with the archetype explored by White Knight, aka that of the Anima/Animus.

MIRROR MIRROR = ANIMA + ANIMUS

Weiss and Jaune's weddings mirror each other in multiple ways. Let's see how.

Weiss and Jaune's first wedding starts with Cinder impaling Weiss and leaving her to die. Jaune rushes by her side and activates his semblance to save her. The whole scene ties in their respective fairy tale symbolism. As a matter of fact Jaune performs a miracle as Jeanne. Weiss instead gets resurrected by the Prince and crowns herself Queen Snowhite through the Queen Lancer.

Weiss and Jaune's second wedding starts at the end of volume 8, when Cinder defeats them both and reiterates their trauma. She forces Jaune to kill a maiden and targets Weiss to hurt Winter. She is also the reason why Weiss and Jaune end up together in the Ever After, where their wedding reaches its climax. In this magical world, Weiss guides Jaune towards self-realization and metaphorically has him fall, so that he can integrate Alyx and resurrect. Their interaction in volume 9 references another alchemical text, knowns as the Splendor Solis. Specifically, it alludes to this plate:

This plate has:

2 miners excavating a hill (a metaphor for making the stone from the prima materia). It is important that the two characters wear respectively a golden and a silver robe, which call back to the Sun and Moon

The Sun and Moon mirroring each other. The Sun is in the sky (air) and the Moon is in the river (water). They are opposites balancing each other

Eshter's story pictured in the frame of the pedestal. Eshter is a biblical character and the second wife of King Ahasuerus, who is determined to kill the Jews. Still, Eshter (a Jews herself) steps in, touches the King's staff and convinces him to let her people live

The plate's theme is the beginning (prima materia) of a union (sun and moon) through communication (Eshter's parable).

It is referenced here:

The Genial Gems create a giant white hill, which clearly alludes to the philosopher stone. Jaune and Weiss play the Solar King and the Lunar Queen:

Jaune is linked to the sun and masculine (gold), while Weiss to the moon and feminine (silver). They grow closer thanks to empathy.

In particular, their interaction is an inversion of King Ahasuerus and Eshter's. In the biblical episode, the King wants to kill the Jews and Eshter stops him. In RWBY, Jaune doesn't want to let the Paper Pleasers ascend and Weiss tries to get through to him (together with BY):

Weiss: Then why do you care so much about this village?! Jaune: Because I can actually PROTECT these people!!

Just like Esther touches the King's staff, Weiss grabs Jaune's sword:

Eshter's gesture is a symbol of intimacy and connection. Similarly, using another person's weapon in RWBY shows closeness.

In short, both weddings are rich of symbolism, but the first focuses on the fairy tale allusion, whereas the second explores alchemical imagery. This isn't the only difference, though, as the two situations are perfect parallels/inversions of each other:

In Mistral, Cinder kills Weiss to hurt Jaune, whereas in Atlas, she forces Jaune to kill Penny. Moreover, both times she negates Weiss's agency and uses her as a pawn to hurt someone else (Jaune and Winter).

In Mistral, Jaune and Weiss go through a crisis together, but they emerge victorious. In Atlas/Ever After, Jaune and Weiss lose, but grow closer as they come to terms with this defeat.

In Mistral, Jaune hurts Weiss because of his psychological issues, but saves her physically. In the Ever After, Weiss saves Jaune psychologically, but hurts him physically. Both are responsible for the death and resurrection of the other.

In Mistral Jaune unlocks his semblance (changes spiritually), whereas in the Ever After he becomes young again (changes physically). Both in Mistral and in the Ever After Weiss ends the wedding by unlocking a new summon. She conjures the Queen Lancer in Mistral and the Nevermore in the Ever After.

In Mistral, Jaune is led by Pyrrha towards his ideal-self, whereas in the Ever After, he is led by Weiss towards his real-self. Symbolically, he goes through two stages of the anima integration. From Pyrrha/Mary (devotion and idealism) to Weiss/Sophia (understanding and reality).

In Mistral, the resurrected Weiss unlocks her Queen Lancer, which is key to fighting Hazel. In the Ever After, Jaune integrates Alyx and is reborn after a trial of fire. Once he comes back, he is key in defeating Neo and the Cat with his plan to separate them. Both do not "win" the conflict, but are instrumental to its solution (Weiss through heart and Jaune through mind).

In general, both times Jaune and Weiss make important steps to integrate their anima/animus, which their bond represents. The anima/animus is the feminine (anima) and the masculine (animus).

In Mistral:

Weiss integrates her animus and summons a Queen Lancer, an entity which is both queen (feminine) and knight (masculine)

Jaune integrates his anima (feminine) by discovering himself a healer (traditionally feminine quality)

In the Ever After:

Weiss integrates her animus by acting as Jaune's Knight. She summons her Knight while fighting side by side with him. Moreover, throughout the whole volume Weiss looks for someone who can guide her home. It turns out in the climax she herself is the guide, the knight, who leads Jaune and the others to the tree. As a matter of fact she is the one who teaches the others the theme of "acceptance".

Jaune integrates his anima by accepting he is no hero (no Knight) and by realizing Alyx is a part of himself. He faces her and integrates her spiritually (her vision in the smoke) and physically (her knife):

In volume 9, both Weiss and Jaune regress and go back to their stereotypical selves. Weiss is stuck as the damsel and Jaune rusts as the knight. However, they move on thanks to each other. They are reborn.

WHITE KNIGHT= REBIRTH

The focus of White Knight is rebirth (coagula). In Mistral they get a victory and in Atlas they get a loss. Still, both weddings climaxes in resurrections. Weiss is reborn in volume 5 and Jaune is reborn in volume 9. Not only that, but after White Knight's Ever After wedding Ruby herself is reborn:

This renewal of the self is celebrated by a full Nevermore:

This marks White Knight's second wedding as their nevermore wedding, which has them overcome grief through love.

NEVERMORE

Weiss summons her full Nevermore in the finale. This Grimm is tied to both Ruby and Jaune.

It is symbolic of Ruby's rebirth, as it is the first Grimm team RWBY killed together and Ruby landed the final blow. Weiss is able to manifest it because by the end her team is whole again and Ruby is back.

It celebrates Jaune and Weiss's wedding, as our Lunar Queen conjures it after her interaction with Jaune. Their exchange is the pivotal moment for Weiss in volume 9, as she helps herself by helping Jaune. She teaches Jaune to forgive himself and learns to forgive herself at the same time. As a result, she unlocks this summoning, which is symbolic of the self:

Its glyph is in fact a mix of all the other ones, as Weiss is a sum of all her avatars.

Jaune too makes a decisive step towards the self:

Alyx: Maybe it’s time for a change, to be the kind of man you always wanted to be.

He accepts Alyx and gets a second chance to grow up as a result:

His new self has a white streak of hair to show he has successfully integrated with Weiss (white) and has obtained wisdom.

FROM UNCONSCIOUS TO CONSCIOUS

There is one final difference between White Knight's two weddings. The first has Weiss and Jaune's metaphorical union happen unconsciously. The second instead has this process become conscious. Let's consider this:

In Mistral Jaune instinctively activates his semblance and Weiss unconsciously unlocks her summon. Their actions happen because of internal and unconscious changes that are not elaborated on. They are quick transformations and the wedding itself is quick.

In the Ever After Weiss consciously encourages Jaune. By doing so both characters find a catharsis for their unconscious feelings. They make them conscious. Similarly, Jaune can consciously face Alyx and integrate with her. Weiss's own summoning is not quick and raw, but it is the result of a process that starts in volume 8 (when she fails to materialize the Grimm), goes on in the chess fight (she has the wings appear) and is finally complete at the end of volume 9 (the full Nevermore manifests itself). The wedding is also very slow and distributed throughout two volumes.

This choice makes sense, as Weiss and Jaune's dynamic is about them slowly realize who they are and who the other is. They have been each other's mirrors since the beginning and as they better understand themselves, they can better relate to the other and accept them.

[zandlikething]

Perler bead qsmp eggs I made the same day they left

I haven't posted anything about it because I was still processing it. I thought Sense the eggs were coming back all the eggs would come back I was very sad to see them go but I understand why the admins left and respect their choice in leaving so please no one harass the admins

I have a message to the admins that played the eggs in the picture ( which I doubt they will see but I want to get it off my chest) so lots of rambling from this point on be warned.

Lullah: Lullah you were one of the first eggs I got really attached to and it was because of clips of you Chayanne and Philza that originally got me into the qsmp. Seeing how much you grew was so cool to see.

Seeing you go from a shy little egg who likes flowers and music to a bad ass egg who would do anything for her loved ones. An egg who survived so much and went through so much hurt but also a lot of joy.

Lullah you brought a lot of joy into people's life you certainly did mine and I can't wait to see what you do next.

Chayanne: Chayanne my first introduction to you was the clip of Max yelling at you cause you blew a hole on his property ( I know that was another admin this is for both) Chayanne you were always so chaotic and fun but so loving and protective of your siblings.

Your rivalry with Quackity was always so funny to see a grown man beffing with a pixel egg in Minecraft. You honestly remind me of my older brother which probably explains why I would relate to Lullah sometimes lol

I hope whatever you're doing you are doing great at it and I hope you know how much you did for this community

Pomme: Pomme I remember when you first arrived with the rest of the French I remember how sweet you were to everyone around you and how much fun you would have with all your parents. I would watch Bad pov a lot and the stream would always get brighter when you showed up.

Your connection to all the eggs were super sweet and all your lore was so interesting. Seeing you bond with Bad and Dapper was so cute and then Bad becoming your Dad and Dapper your brother was so cute. It was never "official" but it didn't need to be it didn't matter all that matter was you guys were family

I like all the Pomme times we got and one of my favorite streams was just following the eggs around mainly you and Dapper. It was so interesting and cool to see what you guys did and say without your parents around. I also found it cool we had something in common because I love RWBY too in fact if you scroll down my Tumblr you'll see some post I did on RWBY a few years ago.

Thank you Pomme I'm happy to see you and Dapper in Bads chat sometimes I can't wait to see what projects you'll work on next

Richardson: My boi the most bold egg lol your antics would always make me laugh. All the pranks you pulled on Bad and all the times you teased him to get a reaction were so funny. You were by far the most chaotic egg you would just pop up out of nowhere in anyone's stream it would always get more chaotic even if just a little.

Honestly your goodbye and final words made me cry yup you not Chayanne and Lullah and Philza saying goodnight you who just walked into the sunset was the greatest thing ever. The memorial you made for you Dapper and Pomme was so good I love it and I want you to know that I learned a lot about Brazil because of you and your parents I want to go to Brazil one day now somewhere I've never thought about going.

Goodbye you little rascal I hope whatever you're doing your doing it with chaos

Dapper: Dapper you are my favorite I immediately was drawn to you and your top hat. I first saw you in a Philza stream protecting Lullah from Quackity and I started watching Bad ever since.

I remember when Quackity kidnapped you in a desert temple and how scared I and the rest of the chat was. Little did we know how common that would become lol how many times did you get kidnapped like 7.

You and Bad's lore was my favorite I loved your guys father and son connection. It was clear to see how much Bad cared about you and how you cared for him back. You guys made such a good team with all the stuff you made with the create mod.

I relate to you the most for a few reasons one being all the animals you had and collected. I am a big animal person so if I could actually have cool mythical and cool animals I would but also one of my favorite signs from you is "he can't handle the uber powers of my uber autism" This made me laugh so much I am on the spectrum so when I saw this clip I was Ohhhh that's probably why I relate to this Minecraft egg so much lol

Dapper thank you for really getting me into the qsmp there were some ruff patches and a little drama but through it all I had a good time

Thank you for introducing me to Badboyhalo I now have found one of my new favorite streamers

Thank you all of qsmp for helping me and many others through our days and for an amazing year I will still watch qsmp as long as Bad streams it but I have a feeling it's going to be time to say goodbye soon. So thank you qsmp I am sad not to have these streams in this next chapter of my life but I am happy for when you were you helped me get through.

But you know what they say everyone:

"Don't cry because it's over,smile because it" happened

[strykingback]

My Reply to Stop The Hate 2.0

Okay so I know I prompted to stay quiet about this one anti/RWDER but you know what screw it. When I saw what they were posting yes it left me a bit disturbed, but also the fact that he was liking some incredibly wild shit. But one post caught my attention the most and it was and I quote: "Stop The Hate 2.0." So I took a read at it and little to know surprise in the words of Genji from Overwatch.... I'm not impressed. and surprisingly this person needs no introduction I'll just get right into the nitty gritty of this poor individual who has entered the Thunderdome. papitimefire177.

Before I continue with this, I just want to immediately say this: Please for the love of god and all things holy. DO NOT WITCHHUNT Do not send any anon hate just do what I did. Block and Move On. Anywho lets get into it.

This individual here first off says things such as calling people who criticize Jaune (ala Jaune Haters) as fucking stupid and categorizes them all as he quotes: Fucking Morons and how we bitch about "made up stuff that is not true."

Okay, first things first is Jaune has basically stolen a lot of screentime from RWBY. How much? Over around 5,489 Hours of Screentime. Which is one hour thirty-one minutes and twenty-nine seconds (Counting from Volumes 1-6) And oh do please use this chart here. Special thank you to Emotional-Feed 5489 on the r/RWBYCritics subreddit for going through hell and back to get these results.

Further note- This is only going from Volumes 1-6, Seven is not included since he did not get any screentime until Volume's Eight and Nine.

Secondly, Jaune really began to grind my gears when Volume six had to reinforce the fact that Pyrhha is gone. Okay. We get it already Pyrrha is dead and Jaune is literally mourning her still. At this point lets just get it over and done with and move on. Yes, I am fully aware that Pyrrha's death has lingered heavily for him but at the same time it does not take you three entire volumes to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out to carry on.

What really set me off was in Volume nine after, Ruby who had one of if not the MOST SATISFYING mental breakdown scenes and calling out her teammates (Especially Yang) for being horrendous teammates when throughout that whole volume Ruby was going through the shitter, only for Jaune to steal it all the way cause "I suffered more than you have."

Yes Jaune as if you have the whole world on your shoulders? Like dude grow the fuck up. Because you are also talking to someone who is fifteen years old (once again this could be the case of time goes forward but the characters don't age trope.)

Then right after Ruby literally "Ascends" by drinking the tea. It's time for more Jaune angst cause he's going through it more than Ruby did?! It took Weiss, Yang, and Blake almost the entire volume to care about Ruby but it took them just a few minutes in an episode to hug Jaune for his "angst" fuck that.

Now moving on. Of course lots of people do write him out of their stories but some people do keep him only for him to have atleast one or two arcs depending on the writer of course and have him die or keep him around to develop him better than what RT's writers could do. Once more his historical allusion is to the legendary female knight Joan of Arc and I have spoken with a few friends of mine who did have plans for their RWBY Re:Write to have him transition into a woman to better fit the allusion and have him die a hero.

Gee it's not like I have MADE A POST ABOUT THIS.

Also furthermore I did do some research trying to find that "Jaune Arcless" video paptimefire177 talked about in their Stop The Hate 2.0 message. Instead I didnt find jack diddly shit at all. So I can only assume they pulled that out of their ass to try and get their point across as they go on to say that Who wants that because Removing Jaune is fucking stupid.

Which as my counterpoint. Lots of people do want Jaune to be out of the picture whether if relegated to side-character status for him to not be so damn annoying where he wont step in whenever characters like Oscar for example who in Volume 6 got a wardrobe change and some development only for it to be stolen away for a fucking statue sequence.

Or how at the end of Volume eight he could have healed up Penny and got her across the gate to Atlas so that way she could also have the relic with her. Nope lets have him kill her so he can have angst in Volume nine!

And lastly he goes off on a rant stating how Jaune Haters are pathetic along with the hate for Jaune and stating how people who hate Jaune need to wear diapers and go back to the basement we have come from.

Okay Papi. since you wanna ball. We're gonna ball. You are the pathetic one seriously do you really think people are going to follow you? You who have used ableist language against someone calling them a slur in DM's no less. Want proof?

Or how you claim to not be a race fetishist but at the same time you liked this.

WARNING RACEPLAY BELOW

(When I looked back in there again to find this man in the likes section of this post I could not find his name but earlier when I did my first post of Jaune Arc A Horrendous Example of A Knight. I did see his name amongst those likes)

Lets also not forget that you would happily block evade through your other accounts as well. Now then are you listening there amigo? Cause I can keep this shit up if you arent too busy. Oh wait, whats that?

You claim RWDE has made as you quoted yourself: "Sends Death Threats, Suicide Bait, False Accusations, Being general assholes, Bitches about everything"

Really then? Where is your evidence? What is your source where made those bold accusations from?

So papitimefire177 do me a favor and go outside, touch some grass, walk around take in nature itself. Instead of trying to start fights with your raceplaying ableist ass... cause guess what. Ain't nobody got time for that.

And if you do plan on replying, you aint gonna be sayin' shit so whats it gonna be!?

[spectralpixelsredone]

Analysis of the Brother Gods in RWBY

Introduction

The Brother Gods—the God of Light and God of Darkness—are central to the RWBY universe, serving as the creators of Remnant and the catalysts for its core conflicts. Originating as Afterans from the Ever After’s Great Tree, they evolved into nigh-omnipotent deities who shaped Remnant, Humanity, and the Faunus. Their actions, driven by a flawed understanding of balance, set the stage for the eternal struggle between Salem and Ozma. This analysis leverages the provided tropes and the document (Untitled document (38).pdf) to explore their characteristics, powers, personalities, and narrative roles, while addressing their connection to myths like the Animal God and their broader impact on Remnant.

1. Overview and Origins

Canonical Context (Document, Pages 1–7):

The Brother Gods are the only confirmed deities in RWBY, created by the Great Tree in the Ever After as Afterans with creation (Light) and destruction (Darkness) powers (Page 2). Initially, they maintained the Ever After, creating Afterans and Acres (Page 5). Their experiments, like the Curious Cat and Jabberwalker, disrupted the realm’s balance, prompting the Tree to send them to a “greater beyond” to create new worlds, including Remnant (Page 2).

On Remnant, the God of Light created life (plants, animals, water), while the God of Darkness created destructive forces (Grimm, drought, fire) (Page 1). They jointly created the first Humanity, gifting them Magic, Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice (Page 1). After Salem’s rebellion, the God of Darkness eradicated Humanity, and both Gods abandoned Remnant, with the God of Light tasking Ozma to redeem the second Humanity via the Relics (Page 2).

Tropes Illuminating Origins:

Deity of Human Origin: The Brothers began as “simple Afterans” with limited roles, growing into godlike beings through experience and curiosity (Tropes). This evolution from humble origins to omnipotence underscores their fallibility, as their divine status does not erase their emotional and intellectual flaws.

Super Prototype: As Afterans birthed directly by the Great Tree, they surpassed other Afterans, whose Magic they created (Page 5). Their unique origin explains their unmatched power but also their experimental mindset, treating worlds like Remnant as “beautiful experiments” (Page 7).

Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Their early forms—a golden fawn (Light) and purple lamb (Dark)—evoke innocence (Page 3). Their growth into draconic forms parallels their shift from precocious creators to ruthless gods, reflecting how power corrupted their original intent.

2. Physical Characteristics

Canonical Description (Document, Pages 3, 8, 13):

In humanoid form, both Gods lack facial features (eyes, nose, mouth), with only eyebrow ridges for expression (Tropes). The God of Light’s body is golden, glowing like light, while the God of Darkness’s is dark purple, absorbing light (Tropes, Page 3). The God of Light has branching antlers, and the God of Darkness has ram horns (Page 3).

In draconic form, the God of Light is a serpentine, wingless Eastern dragon with a golden mane and silver eyes, floating in the air (Page 8). The God of Darkness is a skeletal Western dragon with frayed wings, standing on the ground (Page 13).

Their original forms were a golden fawn (Light) and purple lamb (Dark), evolving into dragons as their power grew (Page 3).

Tropes Illuminating Appearance:

Barbie Doll Anatomy: Their featureless humanoid forms emphasize their otherworldly nature, lacking human anatomical details (Tropes). This abstraction reflects their detachment from Humanity, viewing it as an experiment rather than kin (Page 7).

Horned Humanoid: The antlers (Light) and ram horns (Darkness) symbolize their divine authority and echo their original animal forms (deer and goat, Tropes). The document confirms these as deliberate, tied to their Ever After origins (Page 3).

Our Dragons Are Different: Their draconic forms contrast their personalities—Light’s serpentine, floating form suggests wisdom and transcendence, while Darkness’s grounded, skeletal dragon evokes destruction and menace (Tropes, Pages 8, 13). These forms are used in conflict, highlighting their readiness for divine wrath.

Foreshadowing: Their horns/antlers prefigure their Ever After origins as a deer and goat, a narrative clue revealed in Volume 9 (Tropes, Page 3). This connects them to Faunus myths like the Animal God, whose horned descriptions blend their traits (Page 2).

3. Powers and Abilities

Canonical Powers (Document, Pages 5, 10, 15):

God of Light: Creates life (plants, animals, water), manipulates light (destroying Grimm with silver-eyed bursts), grants immortality (Salem), reincarnates souls (Ozma), and crafts Relics with sentient spirits (Jinn, Ambrosius) (Pages 5, 10). He can shapeshift, teleport, and manipulate matter/energy with precision (Page 5).

God of Darkness: Creates destructive forces (Grimm, fire, famine), commands Grimm, unleashes dark energy blasts, resurrects souls (Ozma), and shatters celestial bodies (the moon) (Pages 5, 15). He also gifted Magic to the first Humanity (Page 15).

Shared Abilities: Both can create sentient life, manipulate matter/energy, travel between realms, and shapeshift into dragons (Page 5). They are “nigh-omnipotent,” with no known weaknesses except fallibility (Page 5).

Tropes Illuminating Powers:

The Omnipotent: Their ability to create/destroy life, grant Magic, and traverse realms establishes them as the most powerful beings in RWBY (Tropes, Page 5). However, their fallibility—evident in Salem’s manipulation—shows they are not omniscient (Page 1).

Person of Mass Destruction: The God of Darkness’s annihilation of Humanity and the moon’s shattering demonstrate their catastrophic potential (Tropes, Page 15). The God of Light’s threat to destroy Remnant if Humanity fails Ozma’s mission underscores their shared destructive capacity (Page 2).

Physical God: Their physical presence on Remnant, accessible to Humans, humanizes their divine power (Tropes, Page 1). Yet, their vast abilities (e.g., global genocide without collateral damage, Page 5) highlight their transcendence.

Magical Eye: The God of Light’s silver-eyed light bursts, linked to Silver-Eyed Warriors, suggest he gifted this power to select Humans (Tropes, Page 11). This reinforces his role as a creator of life-protecting forces.

Extreme Omni-Goat: The God of Darkness’s original goat form, consuming everything to clear space, evolves into his world-destroying power (Tropes, Page 14). This ties to his creation of the Grimm, which consume life indiscriminately.

4. Personalities and Dynamics

Canonical Personalities (Document, Pages 4, 8, 13):

God of Light: Soft-spoken, strict, and temperamental, he prioritizes balance and order, showing empathy but enforcing harsh justice (e.g., cursing Salem) (Page 8). He is diplomatic, preferring peace, but ruthless when pushed (Page 9).

God of Darkness: Theatrical, aggressive, and proud, he enjoys destruction but craves worship like his brother (Page 4). He is impulsive but capable of humility (e.g., apologizing to Light) and fiercely loyal (Page 13).

Sibling Dynamic: Their feud stems from differing views on balance—Light seeks creation, Darkness destruction—culminating in the Jabberwalker dispute (Page 5). They reconcile to create Humanity but remain fallible, manipulated by Salem (Page 1). Their loyalty is evident when Darkness defends Light during Salem’s rebellion (Page 4).

Tropes Illuminating Personalities:

Sibling Yin-Yang: Light’s thoughtful, patient creation contrasts Darkness’s impulsive, destructive nature (Tropes, Pages 4, 8). Their domains—Light’s serene mountain vs. Darkness’s grim wasteland—reflect this dichotomy (Tropes, Page 13).

Jerkass Gods: Both exhibit cruelty—Light’s immortality curse and Darkness’s genocide—treating Humanity as a “failed experiment” (Tropes, Page 7). Their flawed balance philosophy causes suffering, ignoring the Blacksmith’s natural equilibrium (Tropes).

Light Is Not Good / Dark Is Not Evil: Light’s creation-oriented nature masks his ruthless enforcement of order, while Darkness’s destructive impulses include moments of kindness (e.g., resurrecting Ozma freely) (Tropes, Pages 8, 13). This subverts traditional good/evil archetypes.

I Just Want to Be Loved: Darkness’s jealousy over Light’s worship drives his actions, making him vulnerable to Salem’s manipulation (Tropes, Page 13). His desire for adoration humanizes him, contrasting his fearsome reputation.

Tranquil Fury: Light’s calm, stern demeanor (e.g., “Let. Him. Rest.”) masks his wrath, while Darkness’s theatrical outbursts (e.g., moon-shattering exit) are overt (Tropes, Pages 8, 15). This highlights their emotional complexity.

Thicker Than Water: Despite their feud, Darkness’s swift defense of Light during the rebellion shows their bond (Tropes, Page 4). Their reconciliation to create Humanity reflects their interdependence (Page 5).

5. Narrative and Thematic Significance

Canonical Role (Document, Pages 1–2, 7):

The Gods create Remnant, Humanity, and the Faunus, but their flawed balance philosophy—oppositional forces rather than natural equilibrium—leads to chaos. Salem’s immortality curse and Humanity’s destruction stem from their punitive justice (Page 1). Light’s mission for Ozma to redeem Humanity via the Relics sets up a “Judgement Day,” risking Remnant’s annihilation (Page 2).

Their Ever After origins reveal their experimental mindset, creating flawed beings (Curious Cat, Jabberwalker) and worlds (Remnant) without learning from mistakes (Page 5).

Tropes Illuminating Narrative Role:

Greater-Scope Villain: The Gods are not primary antagonists but instigate the Ozma-Salem conflict and Remnant’s crises through their actions (Tropes, Page 1). Their Ever After mistakes (e.g., Jabberwalker’s violence) prefigure Remnant’s turmoil (Page 5).

Dramatically Missing the Point: Their insistence on enforced balance ignores the Blacksmith’s natural equilibrium, trapping Ozma and Salem in a “Forever War” (Tropes). This artificial conflict drives RWBY’s plot, perpetuating suffering (Page 9).

Cruel Mercy: Salem’s immortality, designed to teach balance, isolates her eternally, while Ozma’s reincarnation burdens him with an impossible task (Tropes, Page 9). These punishments reflect the Gods’ flawed morality.

Final Solution: Darkness’s genocide and Light’s acquiescence show their willingness to erase creations deemed failures (Tropes, Page 1). Their threat to destroy Remnant if Humanity fails underscores their ruthless judgement (Page 2).

Humanity on Trial: Light’s mission for Ozma frames Humanity as an experiment under divine scrutiny, with catastrophic stakes (Tropes, Page 2). This trial reflects their detachment from their creations.

Even Evil Can Be Loved: The Blacksmith’s love for the Gods, despite their mistakes, suggests potential for redemption (Tropes). The Great Tree’s open doorway hints at their possible return to learn true balance (Page 4).

Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Light’s incomplete explanation of Salem’s Grimm corruption leads Ozma to join her, escalating their conflict (Tropes). This oversight amplifies the Gods’ fallibility.

6. Connection to the Animal God and Faunus Myths

Canonical Link (Document, Pages 2, 9, 14):

The Animal God, featured in Faunus myths (The Shallow Sea, The Judgment of Faunus), is likely a cultural amalgamation of the Brother Gods, with ram horns (Darkness) and branching horns (Light) (Page 2). This suggests Faunus misattributed the Gods’ creation of their animal traits to a single deity.

The Gods’ Ever After origins, where they created animal-like Afterans, parallel the Faunus’ animalistic features, possibly inspiring myths of a divine “Animal God” (Page 5).

Tropes Illuminating Connection:

Foreshadowing: The Gods’ deer and goat forms in the Ever After prefigure their antlers/horns, linking them to the Animal God’s horned depictions (Tropes, Page 3). This reinforces the Faunus’ mythological blending of the Gods.

The Maker: As creators of Humanity and possibly the Faunus, the Gods’ animal-like creations (e.g., Grimm, Afterans) likely inspired the Animal God myth, explaining the Faunus’ origins (Tropes, Page 5).

Our Gods Are Different: The Gods’ physical presence on Remnant, accessible to Humans and Faunus, allowed myths like the Animal God to emerge, reflecting cultural interpretations of their dual nature (Tropes, Page 1).

White Fang Speculation:

The White Fang, led by Ghira Belladonna, may draw cultural inspiration from Faunus myths like the Animal God, whose animalistic symbolism (horns, fur) aligns with Faunus pride (Page 2). The organization’s wolf imagery could echo the God of Darkness’s Beowolves, symbolizing resistance (Page 14). However, no direct link is confirmed, and the White Fang’s socio-political focus suggests indirect mythological influence.

7. Broader Impact on Remnant

Canonical Consequences (Document, Pages 1–2):

The Gods’ abandonment leaves Remnant without Magic, forcing the second Humanity and Faunus to rely on Dust and Semblances (Page 2). Their Relics, guarded by Ozma, drive conflicts with Salem, who seeks to summon the Gods to break her curse (Page 2).

Their flawed balance philosophy perpetuates destruction, as Salem’s Grimm control and Ozma’s mission fuel a cycle of conflict (Page 1).

Tropes Illuminating Impact:

Have You Seen My God?: The Gods’ departure, marked by Darkness’s moon-shattering exit, leaves Remnant in chaos, with Ozma’s mission as their only lingering influence (Tropes, Page 15). Their absence amplifies Salem’s despair and Humanity’s vulnerability.

The Gods Must Be Lazy: Their creation of the Curious Cat and Jabberwalker to replace them in the Ever After reflects a tendency to delegate responsibilities, mirrored in Ozma’s mission on Remnant (Tropes, Page 5).

Light/Darkness Juxtaposition: The Gods’ domains—Light’s serene vale vs. Darkness’s grim wasteland—symbolize their conflicting ideologies, shaping Remnant’s dualistic struggles (Tropes, Page 13).

8. Conclusion

The Brother Gods are complex deities whose creation of Remnant and flawed enforcement of balance drive RWBY’s narrative. As former Afterans who became nigh-omnipotent, their powers (creation, destruction, Magic) and fallibilities (jealousy, rigidity) shape their actions, from cursing Salem to tasking Ozma. The tropes—Barbie Doll Anatomy, Jerkass Gods, Sibling Yin-Yang—illuminate their otherworldly nature, emotional flaws, and narrative role as instigators of Remnant’s conflicts. Their connection to the Animal God myth highlights their cultural impact on the Faunus, possibly influencing movements like the White Fang. Ultimately, the Gods’ failure to embrace natural balance traps Remnant in a cycle of suffering, leaving their creations to forge their own path.

Other Notes-(Basically the Smith is the mother to them, The Brother Gods are the parents to their sons Jabberwocky and The Curious Cat)

Analysis of Brother Gods General...

Personality

The Brother Gods are characterized by a Sibling Yin-Yang dynamic, with contrasting yet complementary traits that shape their interactions and decisions:

God of Light: Soft-spoken, strict, and temperamental, he prioritizes order and balance above all else. His calm demeanor (Tranquil Fury) masks a ruthless commitment to his ideals, as seen in his refusal to bend life-death rules for Salem initially but later reincarnating Ozma (Screw the Rules, I Make Them!). He presents himself as diplomatic and empathetic (Everybody Loves Zeus), yet his actions reveal a cold, experimental view of humanity (Light Is Not Good). His Gold-Colored Superiority and role as a creation deity make him the more worshipped sibling, fostering his brother’s jealousy.

God of Darkness: Impulsive, theatrical, and aggressive, he revels in destruction but craves worship and validation (I Just Want to Be Loved). Despite his fearsome reputation (Everyone Hates Hades), he’s not inherently evil (Dark Is Not Evil), showing care for his creations, like the Grimm, and loyalty to his brother (Thicker Than Water). His pride and jealousy make him susceptible to manipulation, as seen with Salem, but he can apologize for mistakes (Body Horror, It’s Personal). His Purple Is Powerful form underscores his destructive might.

Shared Traits: Both are fallible, unyielding, and devoted to their flawed concept of balance as oppositional conflict (Dramatically Missing the Point). They lack omniscience, allowing Salem to manipulate them (The Omnipotent), and share human-like emotions like jealousy, anger, and loyalty, despite their divine status (Physical God). Their evolution from precocious Afterans (Used to Be a Sweet Kid) to godlike beings (Super Prototype, From Nobody to Nightmare) amplifies their flaws, leading to catastrophic decisions.

Behavior

The Gods’ behavior reflects their divine power and fallibility, often resulting in actions that prioritize their ideals over their creations’ well-being:

Creation and Experimentation: As The Maker, they created the Ever After’s inhabitants, Remnant, and humanity, gifting the latter with magic and the four qualities (Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, Choice). However, their experimental approach (Jerkass Gods) treats worlds as tests, with Remnant dubbed a “beautiful experiment” (God of Light). Their creation of the Curious Cat and Jabberwalker in the Ever After (The Gods Must Be Lazy) delegated their duties, but these flawed creations caused lasting harm (Greater-Scope Villain).

Conflict and Balance: Their Creation/Destruction Juxtaposition drives their feud, rooted in the Ever After over the Jabberwalker’s role (God of Light wanted to destroy it, God of Darkness defended it). They resolved this by creating humanity together, but their belief in balance as eternal conflict (Dramatically Missing the Point) led to further issues. They impose this flawed balance on Remnant, punishing deviations harshly (Cruel Mercy, Final Solution).

Abandonment: Both Gods abandoned their creations when faced with failure (Have You Seen My God?). In the Ever After, they left after disrupting balance, and in Remnant, they departed after destroying humanity, leaving Salem alone and tasking Ozma with a near-impossible mission (Humanity on Trial). Their lack of attachment to their creations (Jerkass Gods) underscores their willingness to move on to new worlds.

Punitive Actions: Their responses to defiance are severe. They cursed Salem with immortality to suffer eternally (Cruel Mercy), destroyed humanity for rebelling (Final Solution, Person of Mass Destruction), and set conditions for Remnant’s potential annihilation (Humanity on Trial). The God of Darkness’s theatrical exits, like shattering the moon (Our Dragons Are Different), emphasize their destructive impulses.

Terrible Stuff They’ve Done

The Brother Gods’ actions, driven by their flawed personalities and behaviors, have caused immense harm, establishing them as Greater-Scope Villains:

Cursing Salem (Cruel Mercy): After Salem manipulated them to resurrect Ozma, they cursed her with immortality to prevent her reunion with him in death, a punishment designed to maximize her suffering. This act, compounded by leaving her alone on an empty world after humanity’s destruction, showcases their vindictive nature.

Genocide of Humanity (Final Solution, Person of Mass Destruction): When humanity, led by Salem, rebelled using the God of Darkness’s gifted magic, he annihilated every human except Salem in a single attack, offended by their betrayal (It’s Personal). The God of Light permitted this, justifying it as a failed experiment, revealing their callous disregard for their creations.

Abandoning Remnant (Have You Seen My God?): After destroying humanity, they abandoned Remnant, leaving Salem to suffer alone and setting Ozma’s mission without addressing Salem’s corruption (Unwitting Instigator of Doom). The God of Darkness’s moon-shattering exit caused further devastation, highlighting their recklessness.

Flawed Creations in the Ever After (Greater-Scope Villain, Jerkass Gods): Their creation of the Curious Cat and Jabberwalker as experiments disrupted the Ever After’s balance, with the Cat unable to fix its own heart and the Jabberwalker deemed too violent. Rather than resolving these issues, they argued and left, causing lasting harm.

Imposing a Flawed Balance (Dramatically Missing the Point): Their belief in balance as oppositional conflict led to the Ozma-Salem conflict, a Forever War fueled by their punishments and mission. By failing to learn that balance is natural (per the Blacksmith), they trapped Remnant in artificial strife.

Threatening Planetary Destruction (Humanity on Trial): The God of Light’s mission for Ozma includes a Judgment Day where, if humanity is deemed irredeemable, the Gods will destroy Remnant entirely. This looming threat underscores their willingness to erase their creation if it doesn’t meet their standards.

General Point

The Brother Gods are powerful, fallible deities whose personalities—marked by the God of Light’s rigid orderliness and the God of Darkness’s impulsive destructiveness—drive behaviors that prioritize their flawed concept of balance over their creations’ well-being. Their actions, including cursing Salem, annihilating humanity, abandoning worlds, and imposing a doomed mission on Ozma, establish them as morally ambiguous figures responsible for Remnant’s central conflicts. Despite their origins as innocent Afterans and the love they receive from the Blacksmith (Even Evil Can Be Loved), their evolution into godlike beings amplified their flaws, resulting in catastrophic consequences that cement their role as Jerkass Gods and Greater-Scope Villains. Their failure to learn true balance perpetuates suffering, making them tragic yet culpable architects of Remnant’s turmoil.

[starlightoath]

Penny, Winter, and Weiss

So like Penny has Pietro as a father and like the closest thing she has to a mother is Winter. What if we leaned into that in a platonic co-parent way. The first meeting between RWBY and Penny would be different. But also let's make this weirder

"Hi, Auntie Weiss!" The chipper girl said after introductions were made. "I'm Penny. It's Nice to meet you all!"

"Auntie?!" Weiss was offended.

"She definitely hit her head." Yang commented a little worried

Penny tilted her head, "Is that not what you call your mother's sister?"

"Wait. Winter's not old enough!" Weiss was confused

"Oh.... oops" Penny was disconcerted "I was supposed to be a surprise." She turned to look at Ruby and immediately her expression turned to fascination. "You have silver eyes..."

" Yeah?" Ruby asked blushing for some reason.

"They're so pretty! Wo~w" Penny said leaning in for a better look. Ruby at the same time was fascinated by Penny's emerald eyes that almost glowed

Weiss got them back on track. "As fun and confusing as this has been we still need to catch a faunus thief."

With that they parted ways