kob131

[kob131]

Sorry if I came off as overly aggressive or defensive in our back and forth on Twitter. I was just trying to explain that quite a few RWBY criticisms are rooted in hypocrisy, but that I can see why it’s fans view them as being sexist instead, and that the critics’ responses to that accusation doesn’t really help their case. Also, what did you think about my criticisms of team RWBY? You’re the first person I’ve ever shared them with, and I’m curious as to whether or not you agree with them.

No problems there, I can also be very aggressive/defensive too.

As for your criticisms:

Well, for Weiss, her scar is supposed to be a demonstration of Jacques' abuse, a visual reminder of the damage he caused Weiss in her past and the determination she has to not be defined by him.

Blake I somewhat get, in that RWBY in general is very barebones and Blake's lack of detail about her time in the WF is an extension of that

With Yang and not using her Semblance as much, it's...complicated. I kind of see it since it has been used less in later Volumes, which can devalue her Semblance as it's seen as a vestigial part of her combat prowess. Which is...not good for a SEMBLANCE in RWBY. However, I don't really agree, since Yang's Semblance is usually used as the finishing blow for her fights, giving it a lot more impact instead of being a signal for her 'real' fight, kind of like how it's used in Neon and Flint's fight. Might also be because Yang's Semblance visually changed pretty drastically.

As for Ruby not having agency: I've actually talked at length about this. I just don't agree.

From what I can tell from research, character agency isn't just a character acting in the plot but rather having the ability to affect the plot with their actions. This is why characters that die early on in a story can have high agency, because their actions can often have wide reaching consequences that influence the plot and keep their presence long after they're able to act.

With Ruby, a lot, if not the WHOLE plot, can be traced back to her actions. Like, in V4, when she decides to leave and go find Cinder after the Fall of Beacon, this motivates Yang to chase after her, leading Yang to finding Raven and freeing Weiss, who had been captured, as well as make Cinder change their plans so that Blake can show up with backup to stop the Battle of Haven. Yang being there also causes Raven to leave as she's confronted, leading to Ozpin securing the Lamp, which likely wouldn't have happened if Ozpin only had Qrow as an ally.

All of this stuff, the basis for the Mistral arc, would not play out if not for Ruby deciding to leave. If Ruby stays home, Yang has no reason to leave. Thus Weiss' journey ends with her either being ransomed off or worse and Blake either can't arrive in time or can't handle everyone at once (yeah, she has an army. But Adam would have had Hazel, a man who was kind of taking on multiple experienced fighters on his own, and Cinder, who can just pull an Ozai and torch everyone). And Ozpin wouldn't even have any allies aside from Qrow. Ruby displays a ton of influence on the plot just from one action.

I think the problem might be, again, RWBY being bare bones. Ruby simply doesn't have a lot of chances to display gradual steps in agency, instead having hers result from one action that has wide reaching consequences whereas other shows have a consistent show of agency.

...Yeah my own criticisms of RWBY can basically be boiled down to 'it's bare bones', 'you didn't think this through' and 'rethink that.'

P.S. Ironically, I think Ruby has less agency in Atlas because...well...her lie wasn't necessary for James to break down and go full dictator. We already had something just as bad if not worse for him: Ozpin completely lying about Salem. James is even hinted at being dependent on Oz for advice and support (given how he reacts to Oscar). Honestly, it's really easy to rewrite the story to make Oz the sole bad guy with James and just go from there. Kind of why I don't really buy the CRWBY trying to make Team RWBY absolute good in Atlas: It's not that hard.

[kob131]

... Ever heard of 'sarcasm'?

WAOW GUESS WHOS A FUCKING ZIONIST NOW

SO BASICALLY THIS OLD FREAK THINKS

THAT 1. WANTING PALESTINE TO BE FREE IS THE SAME AS ANTISEMITISM. AND 2. PEOPLE CALLING FOR THE FREEDOM OF PALESTINE IS SOME BAD "GOTCHA" BECAUSE APPARENTLY WE SHOULDNT DO THAT

SAI CONFIRMED ZIONIST, SCRATCH THAT OFF YALLS BINGO CARDS EVERYONE

[kob131]

Whatever you say, Lily Orchard.

WAOW GUESS WHOS A FUCKING ZIONIST NOW

SO BASICALLY THIS OLD FREAK THINKS

THAT 1. WANTING PALESTINE TO BE FREE IS THE SAME AS ANTISEMITISM. AND 2. PEOPLE CALLING FOR THE FREEDOM OF PALESTINE IS SOME BAD "GOTCHA" BECAUSE APPARENTLY WE SHOULDNT DO THAT

SAI CONFIRMED ZIONIST, SCRATCH THAT OFF YALLS BINGO CARDS EVERYONE

[kob131]

kill yourself

Not the wisest thing to say to anyone, much less someone with actual suicidal thoughts.

Like me.

[kob131]

Problem there is that you're viewing racial groups through a liberal/libertarian 'humans are equal' lens: the idea that all humans share a similar starting point and our choices determine our morality, likely.

From the view of a racist, not all humans are equal. Some racial groups are superior in every way, including in morality. Through this lens, you can point to any significant number of people from a racial group who act badly and proclaim the entire group is morally inferior. From here, you can apply the comparison to anyone.

'Black people committ 60% of all crime, therefore they're all sociopaths and inherently evil.'

'Muslims commit acts of terror at a far greater scale than anyone else, therefore they're all sociopaths and inherently evil.'

'Japan sexualizes minors in anime, therefore all Japanese people are sociopaths and inherently evil.'

'White people historically have been the biggest perpetuators of colonialism and engaged in widespread racial oppression, therefore they're all sociopaths and inherently evil.'

You can apply this to anyone, really. Not exclusive to the left or right.

Does it sound wrong and horrid to you and me? Yeah. But we don't view the world the same way they do. We interpret reality differently. That's just how they work, albeit in a simplistic way.

Wanna know something funny? People are legitimately arguing that the demons in Frieren and the goblins in Goblin Slayer are the same as real life racial groups.

Ignoring the racist part, since they consider that a virtue-

Isn't this the same thing as proclaiming that orcs represent black people?

A particularly observant leftist could very easily turn this discussion against them by bringing up that discourse. Simply throw it back in their faces and they're left with three options:

1- Say the leftist is wrong, orcs do not represent minorities. Well, then the leftist can point to their audience saying all the same shit and demand that they be called out. But the person will never do that, because their audience will tear them to shreds.

2- Say the leftist is right, that orcs do represent minorities. Now the leftist and their buddies have free reign to expose you while pretending to be different, thus hurting your optics.

3-Try to silence the leftist. They can now play the victim card, which is actually a lot more in line with left wing politics that right wing politics so they'll ALWAYS be more effective at it. So you lose standing anyway.

Maybe next time: Don't fucking compare fantasy races to real world racial groups, hm?

[kob131]

Wanna know something funny? People are legitimately arguing that the demons in Frieren and the goblins in Goblin Slayer are the same as real life racial groups.

Ignoring the racist part, since they consider that a virtue-

Isn't this the same thing as proclaiming that orcs represent black people?

A particularly observant leftist could very easily turn this discussion against them by bringing up that discourse. Simply throw it back in their faces and they're left with three options:

1- Say the leftist is wrong, orcs do not represent minorities. Well, then the leftist can point to their audience saying all the same shit and demand that they be called out. But the person will never do that, because their audience will tear them to shreds.

2- Say the leftist is right, that orcs do represent minorities. Now the leftist and their buddies have free reign to expose you while pretending to be different, thus hurting your optics.

3-Try to silence the leftist. They can now play the victim card, which is actually a lot more in line with left wing politics that right wing politics so they'll ALWAYS be more effective at it. So you lose standing anyway.

Maybe next time: Don't fucking compare fantasy races to real world racial groups, hm?

[kob131]

I hate most people in the RWBY fandom.

[kob131]

Why is it that every politically captured dumbass always retweets/reblogs ecchi stuff?

What, do you think jacking it to softcore porn makes you 'based' or 'virtuious' or something?

[kob131]

Pretty much.

While he was still kicking, Adam directly indulges in Gluttony (in stuffing his face in most of his appearances), Wrath (in his gleeful extermination of sinners) and Pride (his rigid, uncompromising belief that he's above sinners). Dude was actively engaging in some of the Deadly Sins and was still in heaven.

Kind of shows SOMETHING is fucked.

some people go vivzie hasnt done enough to show why the exterminations are bad going maybe she could have said that some are there due to suicide etc.

or going they had their chance in life to redeem themselves ( basically their argument is that if she meets jesus she would find out that they got their chance to redeem themselves in life ( as if she didnt know that ) or they go it wouldnt be fair for the people who changed in life

3. or going well what about their victims who died and went to heaven how would they feel about them getting into heaven after what they did.

1- It's a fucking genocide. That's kind of an immoral act no matter how you try to slice it. Not to mention that Angel Dust's whole shtick is that he became a sinner because he was abused and used in life, leading to him committing sin as a coping mechanism.

2- So it's literally that one comic comparing student loans to cancer but taken 100% straight: 'I made myself better in life so anyone who doesn't deserves nonexistence'.

3- So? What about the victims of bad people who got into heaven because they 'redeemed' themselves. How would THEY feel then?

That's all bullshit. Sounds more like 'Hey, this story doesn't conform to my desire to villainize everyone not like me because I radicalized myself: fuck you.'

[kob131]

I didn’t know that you also watched Toradora, KOB. What did you think of it? Personally, I think it’s one of the best, if not the very best, romantic comedy anime’s ever made. Taiga is hands-down my favorite character, although her being voiced by Cassandra Lee Morris made it so I kept hearing Morgana, so I laughed like a banshee whenever she spoke. I don’t really like how the series ended, though. They just left us hanging on how Ryuuji and Taiga’s relationship would progress. At least its visual novel for the PSP actually had a conclusion for it, in the form of Ryuuji and Taiga getting married, and Taiga being 7 months pregnant with triplets. That should be how the second season ends, if it ever gets one.

Yeah, I loved it when i watched it.

Though I have to say that isn't really how the anime ends? They're pretty clearly in a relationship, we just don't see their whole lives together. That's pretty normal in most stories: you only see a PART of the characters' lives.

[kob131]

some people go vivzie hasnt done enough to show why the exterminations are bad going maybe she could have said that some are there due to suicide etc.

or going they had their chance in life to redeem themselves ( basically their argument is that if she meets jesus she would find out that they got their chance to redeem themselves in life ( as if she didnt know that ) or they go it wouldnt be fair for the people who changed in life

3. or going well what about their victims who died and went to heaven how would they feel about them getting into heaven after what they did.

1- It's a fucking genocide. That's kind of an immoral act no matter how you try to slice it. Not to mention that Angel Dust's whole shtick is that he became a sinner because he was abused and used in life, leading to him committing sin as a coping mechanism.

2- So it's literally that one comic comparing student loans to cancer but taken 100% straight: 'I made myself better in life so anyone who doesn't deserves nonexistence'.

3- So? What about the victims of bad people who got into heaven because they 'redeemed' themselves. How would THEY feel then?

That's all bullshit. Sounds more like 'Hey, this story doesn't conform to my desire to villainize everyone not like me because I radicalized myself: fuck you.'

[kob131]

Sorry for being so aggressive in yesterday’s post by encouraging you to block anyone who uses those dogwhistles I mentioned on social media. I just took personal offense to the “Buy American” dogwhistle because I’m part German from my dad’s side of the family. My ethnic ratio is 1/4 German (from my dad’s dad), 1/4 Irish (from my dad’s mom), 1/4 Cheyenne (from my mom’s dad), and 1/4 Scandinavian (from my mom’s mom), in case you’re wondering. Because of that, I take real offense to words like “redskin”, “squaw”, and “paddy wagon” (it’s an Irish-phobic slur, believe it or not), as well as the “Buy American” and egg dumpling dogwhistles. I’m also Bi, so “think of the children” makes me REALLY angry. I just lost control, and I’m sorry.

I think you should really just take a breath nexr time.

[kob131]

Broke: Blaming Todd Howard when something goes wrong in a Bethesda game Woke: Blaming Todd Howard when something goes wrong in ANY video game

[kob131]

"Kind of sounds like you've been watching the origin of the fandom rot since the beginning though. This just seems like the newest wave of bullshit."

Since this is an ask I can't post the Blade Runner "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe" gif. But essentially yes.

I came on in the early days of Act 6 and got fully caught up to what was being posted in real time in September 2012, so that's close enough time to be on the peripheral. And boy there were plenty of parallels.

I like Rosemary as a ship, but going through old fandom blogs I found plenty of evidence that Rosemary shippers walked and bitched in Karen fashion along the way so Bumbleby Wasps could sprint and set everything on fucking fire.

You ever see those people who INSIST that Blake is secretly Black and won't let go of an obvious headcanon that's blatantly not true?

That's cause of the Homestucks who did the same with the human kids.

RWDE for the most part thankfully has no real counterpart since "Fandom Critical" culture kinda started with RWBY and SU, but I'm sure there were plenty of pretentious twats who got mad Hussie did things not based on actual writing merit but because they personally didn't like it (except most of them are right leaning 4channers).

Plenty of stuff in the later stages of the story I'm not super chuffed on but at least I can admit that.

Though there were still plenty of people who called Hussie a racist and a homophobe for shallow and self-serving reasons even when he kept bending over backwards for them.

I'm sure there's more parallels to draw but those are what stick out most.

Yeah, sad to say Taka but your RWBY fandom bullshit lore is a little out of date.

It ain't just the Wasps anymore. Whiterose shippers have been pulling this shit more and more on Twitter, to say nothing of how so many people bellyaching about RWBY being 'woke' just so happen to slobber all over Sun.

And actually quite a few people who are right wing declare that Bumbleby 'ruined' RWBY and that Jacques/James are actually Trump analogues. In fact, there's a guy with an AI generated pfp who does nothing but post culture war shit, regularly showing up to demand that VIZ reboot RWBY, regularly tries pushing for Jaune harem stories and even called me, and I quote, 'a gender confused loon' when I argued with him.

I know you're probably aware of some of this but just so you know: things haven't changed THAT MUCH from the Homestuck shit.

But yeah, I'm betting this is how we both feel by now-

[kob131]

You know, as much as I bitch about RWBY critics and all, it's not like its perfect, 'peak' or whatever in my eyes.

King of The Hill, quite a few seasons of the Simpsons, the 2000's Justice League cartoon, One Punch Man, Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill, The Amazing Digital Circus, Dragon Ball, Toradora, Love is War-

These are just the things I can think of off the top of my head that are better than RWBY.

Course, I know quite a few things worse than RWBY. Like, Solo Leveling, Sword Art Online, Mars of Destruction, Rosario Vampire S2, Diabolik Lovers, so many isekai/isekai adjacent manga/manwha I just DON'T care enough about to remember.

This is probably why I find most RWBY discussion so exhausting these days.

[kob131]

Wow, looking back at this, I've kind of done a 180 on this. I think it's because I took a more critical look at Kiritsugu and realized that while everything I said here is true: It's not actually a contradiction of Saber's character.

Yeah, she can act very pragmatically but it's all in service of a deeply idealistic goal. All those sacrifices result from her idea that a true king must set aside their personal feelings to rule fairly. But as it turns out: there isn't one right answer. Every single method and path has it's own drawbacks. And her drawback, much like Kiritsugu's, is that both of them kind of just assume their ends are at all possible. Both of them wish for something that simply can't happen. You can never make a utopia and you can never rid the world of conflict. Both of them never progressed passed who they were as kids which meant they were never truly tempered by reality.

If that sounds really contradictory: that's actually a major point in FSN. Being a hero is full of contradictions. That's life.

... Aw shit, I'm gonna get my 'Saber fan' card revoked now, won't I?

I do wonder how many of the most harsh readings of F/sn's handling of sakura originate from people who watched Zero first

there's a lot of stuff Zero sets out that could change how you read nasu's writing for the worse. I can definitely imagine how someone whose first exposure to sakura was through urobuchi's writing might come away less willing to take nasu's writing in good faith